Bits and Bobs

There is a bunch of shite are snippets of stuff that have been infesting my brain today that I just have to unload.

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I am obsessive about cleaning my ears. When we were little, my step-mother told my brother that there was so much dirt in his ears that he could grow potatoes in them. His earwax was pretty impacted in one ear, so the doctor had to clean it out with a syringe. Nasty. Ever since, I've been vigilant about wielding the cotton buds and cleaning the nasties out. I know, I know - I've heard that you should never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear. But honestly, I can't stand the itchy feeling I get when I go for more than a day without twizzling a Q-tip around in my auditory canal. My Aunt Roberta took it one step further and used the curved end of a bobby pin. Now that's hard core.

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I have clicker envy. The clicker - you know, that little electronic doodad that remotely unlocks the car doors - is one of the many options that I didn't get with my last car. I should have splurged. It seems today that everyone and her sister has a clicker while I am left doing things the old-fashioned way. I don't have power locks, either, meaning that my passenger has to bother locking the door manually upon exiting the vehicle. Added to this, they have to crank down their own windows, too. I want one of those cute little clickers that will unlock my doors when I have my hands loaded down with groceries, handbag, and Miss Peanut.

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We had a "Courageous Conversation" about race today for our faculty meeting. I was once again irked, as these conversations are occurring so we can close the achievement gap that exists between our Caucasian and African-American students, yet they do not offer any concrete strategies or even abstract hypotheses for doing so. They are mainly focused on how our lives are impacted by race, and how, since I'm white, I've been subject to "white privilege." I'm a trifle bemused by this "benefit," as it's not something I asked for and it's not something I want to be resented for, either. If someone's going to resent me, then I want to be resented for my accomplishments, not my race. These conversations have the interesting side benefit of making me feel guilty about the color of my skin. I wonder how courageous that conversation would be considered?

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Cheese is possibly the world's most perfect food. I adore it. From Saint Andre to Chevre, from Feta to Red Dragon, from Parmesan to Velveeta, I adore it. I'm currently enjoying an English Cheddar with Caramelized onions. MMMMmmmmmmmmm. What's your favorite cheese?