Reorder your checks the easy way

Man... what were all of those things that I wanted to write about? I can't even remember one of them. At some point I had, like, three or four decent threads going in my mind. But now they are all gone. What do I do?

Wait, I remember one of my ideas: I had an amazing experience on Friday night.

t happened after one of the least amazing parts of my week, known as Friday afternoon Field Trip meeting at the Exploratorium. A little about the Friday afternoon Field Trip meeting before I continue. It's the kind of meeting in which people talk primarily to experience the sound of their voices filling the air. We spend hours debating such amazingly irrelevant things such as how best to phrase the instructions "eat outside." And then there are the lunch bins. God! The lunch bins. Almost every week we end up discussing some meaningless aspect of how we store students' lunches during the course of their stay at the museum. Basically, our system of accomplishing this task is tragically archaic--especially for a science museum--and if anyone really wanted to improve it then they would. But the truth of it is that without our lunch bins we would have no reason for a meeting.

Last Friday, there were plans for a post-meeting softball game. It didn't happen. At some point late in the day, whispers of rain started spreading. Whisper quickly became rumor and despite the freedom that all of us had to easily step outside and check the weather or the fact one of our stations is actually situated outside, softball got postponed in favor of drinking at the bar down the street. We were at the bar for a long time. Afterwards, we came back to the museum for the machinists' Friday social hour in the shop. They jerry-rig a cask of home brewed ale to one of our carbon dioxide tanks and drink out of found mugs--exactly what I expect and demand of social hour in the machine shop. Supposedly anyone on staff at the museum is welcome, but at first they were suspicious of our credentials. They warmed up to us pretty quick, though, and I tossed $5 in their donation cup. After a few mugs of really strong Otameal Stout we stumbled across Lombard Street to New Yorker's Wings, which is as mediocre as hole in the wall grease pits get. We ordered wings, mozzerella sticks, fried mushrooms, fries, and onion rings. They were all mediocre except the mushrooms, which were bad.

I haven't got to the amazing part yet.

After the fried food, the group splintered. My bike was still in the shed, so I needed to return to the museum. I walked back with Christina and Suzanne (who is so staggeringly, over-the-top annoying as to the point of virtue) and we got talking about the Tactile Dome. The Tactile Dome is a smallish geodesic dome within the museum whose stated purpose is to explore the sense of touch—taking the “hands-on” principle to its logical extreme. Inside the dome is a series of oddly shaped chambers lined with a variety of materials. The chambers are completely dark, so visitors must navigate through them—climbing, crawling, sliding, and squeezing—using only the sense of touch for guidance. Anyways, Christina and I had never been inside and Suzanne had the keys.

It was late at night and the museum was empty. Walking through was like floating around in the afterlife. We approached the dome and Suzanne turned it on. The thing powered up like a space ship and we entered. We took our shoes off in the lounge and then that was it--we were in. I can't imagine there are better circumstances to first experience the Tactile Dome than burrowing through it buzzed, late at night. The whole thing already felt like a dream, and without sight, the experience took on an immense shape; each room felt like a new world with mystifying laws of physics. It was a great great Friday night. Improvised and unexpected. And then I had to come home and prepare a pathology class for Saturday morning.

peaking of anatomy class, let's conclude our little saga, shall we? Of course with Anica, there is never a conclusion per se. But an update is prudent. Did I mention she's 28 or so?

Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005
From: Anica
Subject Re: Lymphatic System
To: Jon Fischer

Hello Jon

I was wondering what was my grade for the first quiz I took? I know I missed two classes,but I am not gonna give up I guess I will have to learn the material on my own and hopefully you don't take anything personal to where you will give me a bad grade. I guess we will be busy saturday why I make u p the two quizzes plus the final. Right. You never responded to my last e-mail so I just didn't go to class. You and I just don't see things eye to eye. Hope that doesn't effect my grade. Last anatomy course you passed me with a c and I missed two classes on a 5 week course. [editor's note: Anica is refering to our previous, eight week class] I will be glade when this particular course is over.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005
From: Jon Fischer
Subject Re: Lymphatic System
To: Anica

Hello Anica

Your last email was directed to George, not me. I spoke with him on Saturday and he said that he discussed the matter with you. So we were both expecting to see you last Saturday.

Unfortunately, at this point we cannot legally pass you, as regulations mandate very specific minimum attendance requirements which you have failed to meet this term.

Your first quiz score was 13/25.

Best wishes,

Jon

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005
From: Anica
Subject Re: Lymphatic System
To: Jon Fischer

You are wrong Jon because last semester of anatomy I had missed two classes on a 5 week course and I passed with a c. I only missed two saturdays I can pass the class with out you I will be there to take my makeup exam by throughing one away and my final.


---------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005
From: Jon Fischer
Subject Re: Lymphatic System
To: Anica

Anica

You should be aware that, unfortunately, we cannot legally pass nor credential you at this point due to minimum attendance requirements set by law, regardless of any score you receive on the final.

Best wishes,

Jon

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2005
From: Anica
Subject Re: Lymphatic System
To: Jon Fischer

I did not fail, If you are talking about law, Why did you pass me in our last anatomy class. I missed two saturdays as well as in this anatomy. I guess you should be fired from your teaching career cause you broke the law by passing me in the last anatomy course. Like you said; we cannot legally pass nor credential you at this point due to minimum attendance requirements, What a joke. I missed two saturdays last course as well as this course. You illegally passed me then so then you should be Fired from your job.

Best Wishes

--------------------------------

Who knows what the titles of the previous three feather two pixel entries refer to?