Professor J's Place

Okay, this is not my official picture for the Ass Project this week--I'll post new pics as soon as Susan gets home from work and snaps them for me. However, this is a picture of my posterior that was taken on the great art festival of St. Susan's day (last Saturday), so it is recent. I plan to have a weekly photo of me in my workout clothes -- sorry, I just am not brave enough for the granny panties. Here is my plan: I will exercise at least five days a week. I will do strength training three days a week and do cardio everyday (though I will feel free to take off one or two days a week). I've been exercising this summer, but I haven't been working on my diet. So, although Mrs. G's program does not include diet, I believe I will try to cut back on the fats and on bread. Here's the weekly update: On Monday, I met with my trainer Adrian. (Yo.) I did 15 minutes on the elliptical machine, and then we did a good deal of lifting and other exercises for a total of a ...

Mrs. G has a small tribute to Ingmar Bergman's comedy genius on her recent post about Ikea . It reminded me of a parody by one of my favorite British comedy teams-- French and Saunders. I couldn't figure out how to imbed this video, so just click here .

(And I'm not saying that McCain is a misogynist old fart who will drive us straight to hell, if given the opportunity.) The juiciest part starts at around 5:37--in case you don't want to listen to the smarmy old goat.

Today is my beloved Susan's birthday. I would make a joke about her age, but she sweetly informed me earlier that, while the first five or six comments were uproariously funny, it was wearing a little thin. Today is all about Susan. About a month ago, I asked Susan what she would like to do for her birthday. Travel? Go to a nice hotel downtown? Go to a spa? She said that what she really wanted was to visit the art museums here in town. Am I lucky or what? If someone offered me the same opportunity, I might say "Let's buy some fire-engine red lipstick and go kiss Oscar Wilde's grave!" (Not that I am a HUGE fan--but who can resist Paris?) But Susan opted for San Antonio. So today, after we stop by the gallery and help the new artist open up, we're off to see art. Our first stop will probably be The San Antonio Museum of Art. Neither one of us has been there for some time, so it will be fun. They have a great collection of Precolumbian art and some nice Ameri...

I have the great honor of guest posting at Derfwad Manor. Check it out!

My friend Carolyn died this morning. She was --I don't know--79? 78? Carolyn was an amazing woman. She had polio as a young girl and in her later life developed what they call "post polio syndrome." All the time I knew her, she was on those crutches you see beside her. Carolyn was a social worker, an English teacher, a civil servant, and I don't know what else. She lived in Turkey for several years, developing many life-long friends. I met her in 1992 when I had just moved back to Texas. She and my friend Jane went with me to see Romeo and Juliet in the park. Like my mother, Carolyn was a volunteer at CASA (Child Advocates San Antonio), where she met with children who were in the family court system and acted as a go between for all of the different services and the court. She also volunteered at the San Antonio Public Library and the San Antonio Zoo. Carolyn was a world traveler. Besides her life in Turkey, Carolyn took trips to Europe, Alaska, South America, Greece,...