Swuftly.
A-right, all. Dang, I've been delinquent and should be punished. You could begin by removing all my requirements to write papers, because y'all know how much I love that, as well as, well, work.
Life is going great. Everything's on an upswing. I wrote the last post and blinked and it was today. Believe that?
I'm having my interview and giving my presentation at the Academy next Friday. There are only two of us vying for the "direct hire" position, so I say that leaves me in maybe a pretty good position sorta. The thing my informant didn't tell me was how many slots they have to fill. Really...I don't think they know.
I just took the last two days as leave so I could bury myself in the stuff of my presentation. I reread MacBeth, and along the way, hatched my presentation outline. It will follow the general idea of what was happening in England and environs when Shakespeare wrote the play. He wrote it as a tip-o'-the-hat to his new monarch, James I (James VI of Scotland), with direct references to the Gunpowder Plot, as well as the evils of "equivocation"--a cited problem of Catholics during the trial and why they could not be trusted to tell the truth. While James is remembered for commissioning the Authorized King James Version of the bible, he was known, at the time of MacBeth's pennage, for having written Daemonologie, which you can read online in the original lingo, should you desire. 'Tis a chilling look at the book and beliefs that spawned the witch hunts/trials.
MacBeth is loosely based on history and more on tradition (such as the tradition that Banquo was the legendary founder of the Stuart dynasty, of which James was a part), but was apparently designed as a warning about the dangers of consorting with witches, as well as the inherent evil of equivocation. All this while kissing up to James, of course. That goes without saying.
And I have another paper due Monday that I plan to start any minute now. Maybe tomorrow. Sunday at the latest.
Then there's a skit I have to write for Col Quin's retirement. And a presentation about my section and what they do for his replacement. And a reading and notes to lead class discussion Wednesday. And at some point, I swear, I'll finish my presentation and practice it before I actually give it. Really.
In other news, I contacted an old friend today. See, Chief Owens and I were catching up this afternoon after commander's call, and I asked him whatever happened to Joe Farron, a smart-alec Staff Sergeant we'd known at Falcon (now Shriever AFB ) back in the day. He said Joe had left to go into the Coast Guard or somesuch, then come back into the AF. He's a major now, at Holloman (he thought).
I went back to the office and looked him up in the global email. He is at Davis-Monthan, as it turns out. I quick like a bunny wrote him a letter about how I've wondered whatever became of him and had even tried to look him up* when I was picked up for OTS. I sent it, went to powder my nose, and when I came back, there was a chatty letter of equal length from him. Yep. Same guy. Nice to know they didn't suck out his spunk when they gave him rank.
* Which is strange, because I'd completed lost contact with all my AF friends/acquaintances when I left AD the first time. It had been almost fifteen years with no contact, and out of the blue, I remembered him and had the urge to get in touch.
I wish I had something interesting to add, but my life has been far too busy to interesting. I'll try to pick a fight or something for my next blog entry, just so's y'all will have something interesting to read.
Oh...and on Dr. S. Apparently, we just got off to a bad start. I've adjusted to his quirks and come to love his lectures. He's quite brilliant. So...life is good, except for the phenomenal amount of homework he assigns, but hey. Every teacher has their drawbacks.
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