When the weather warmed up a few months ago cyclists, drivers, walkers, and shoppers near the Wabash Landing started to smell something that could only be described as “shitty”. Turns out the city’s wastewater treatment plant is right next to the shopping district, next to the community park, next to the pedestrian walking bridge.

In an effort to decrease the amount of overflow entering the Mighty Wabash River they drained raw sewage into an above-ground holding pool. The hot air consequently heated up the sewage and GROSS we would all smell wafts of human shit whenever we drove over the (main) bridge to the other side of town, or when we got out of our cars to go eat at a nearby restaurant. YUM, let me tell ya.

Out of curiosity we’d ask students what they thought was causing the smell. Most blamed it on the Wabash, and true, the poor river doesn’t have the best of reputations, but a rare few actually knew about the wastewater plant.

Apparently enough residents complained to the city:

The city of West Lafayette is hoping to freshen the air around its wastewater treatment plant.

Utility Manger Dave Henderson said he is looking purchasing [sic] a product called “Planet Breeze” which will neutralize the odor inside the lagoon at the treatment plant. Many West Lafayette residents complained about the smell after the city drained raw sewage into an open lagoon to renovate its sewage digesters.

In June a vanilla scented “air freshener” was installed at the plant to help mask the smell coming from the plant. Henderson said this option should neutralize the odor instead of just masking it. [Source]

Well thank god they’re not going to just “mask it” again.

“Hi! Welcome to West Lafayette, Indiana—home of Purdue University! Don’t mind our shit!”

The first Saturday of every month the city tests the sirens, so they sound for a few minutes starting at 11AM. When they went off a little while ago, I looked out my window and saw neither cloud nor plane. While the local newspaper is rather sucky and told me nothing, the local news channel updates their site accordingly:

I realized the sirens make me quite paranoid.

My New Year’s celebrations went fairly well. I started drinking around nine Monday night and at about ten The Partner and I talked with The Canadian-Down-Under for an hour. It was good to hear he is doing well, and to hear the stories he can’t blog about. (It was not good to hear he had started smoking again, at $11 a pack [I have to bug you, and would expect the same].)

Shortly after we got off the phone, Lauren called to invite us over to her place to join her, Chef, and her friend J in ringing in the new year, so we gathered some liquor and games and walked through the already-nasty weather to her house.

The five of us sat around, drinking too much, playing a game, and talking politics. Chef and The Partner left the room at one point, hiding in the kitchen, because they couldn’t handle our rather heated discussion (but I don’t think I pointed any fingers this time, even though I was sufficiently sloshed). I’m a firm believer in folks sharing their beliefs, philosophies, and politics, because if we can’t and don’t talk about them, we leave it up to other folks, who are probably godbag Republicans, and I don’t know about you, but they don’t talk for me. And how else do you know what you believe until you argue it through with others? It was great to see how different, yet similar, the three of us are.

I think The Partner left around 3am, taking my liquor with him. Fortunately, Lauren and Chef are drinkers, so I took some of their rum to mix with my soda, which I did drink, even though Lauren poured some coffee liqueur in it. She went to bed around 5 or so, I think.

So Chef, J, and I sat around for another two hours talking, although the particulars are extremely fuzzy. Realizing the time, I walked home part of the way with J, appreciating her ability to talk frankly without having hurt feelings or feeling awkward.

I then stayed up until 8, at which time it had become light out, drinking tons of water to allow myself the ability to lay down with getting the spins.

Happy New Year!

Then the phone rang at 11am.

I had partially awoken, and heard The Partner race up the stairs to answer it. He had missed it, but caller ID said it was my parents house. I mumbled something about it being too early, my mom should know I’d still be sleeping, and we weren’t going to the movies until the later afternoon.

The Partner listened to the voicemail, and said it was my step-father. The Partner brought me the cordless so I could listen to the message telling me to call home as soon as possible.

That’s never a good message.

Still rather drunk, I called home. My step-father said my mom was in the hospital, having had a small stroke at 1:30 that morning.

After the shock, I got up, got dressed, made a small breakfast, drank a lot of water, and then called one of my aunts because my step-dad hadn’t gotten a hold of her. I reached her, and told her. I tried to call my other aunt and uncle, but I couldn’t find their phone number in my panic, so I called my cousin Amanda, who didn’t answer, so I left her a message to call me ASAP.

We then dug our car out of the snow and drove to the hospital.

My mom said, “It looks like we’re not going to the movies today, kiddo.”

We stayed until about 3 in the afternoon, long enough for my step-dad to return and for the neurologist to call with the results of the MRI, which showed my mom did have a small stroke. The good news is that she did not display any outward signs of damage (such as one-sided paralysis or memory loss or slurred speech). Any and all damage was relegated to her brain, which seemed to be functioning normally, or as normal as could be. We should find out more later today.

I’m just going to say that this had better be the lowest fucking low of the remaining 364 days of 2008. Or someone is getting cut.

Mixed with this bad, I had called an old friend to let her know about my mom, and in-between our talks of watching our parents get older, she let me know about her New Year’s engagement. While I can’t say I’m excited for another wedding (even though she will be a most beautiful bride and the alcohol shall surely flow at the party), I am excited for her and hope she and her soon-to-be-husband come to enjoy their 1,138 Federal rights and privileges.

Whoever decided to let Mike Prangley keep a blog needs to get a raise.

I do not want anybody to be caught out in the rain so make sure to tune in tonight and I will have more on this with Live Doppler 18. There is way too much candy in the Prangley household at this time. So remember when you see me bouncing around on your television screen a little more than I usually do, it is the chocolate. Beware of the weatherman. I have issued a chocolate and werewolf advisory as a result. I will be howling tonight about cooler weather as we head into November. [source]

At 11am yesterday, my university decided it wasn’t that bad, only a little bit bad, so they called a “snow recess” from noon Tuesday to noon today.

My only problem with this recess — okay, my second problem with this recess, the first being the university calling it a “recess” — is this:

My university actually expects me to venture out of my home and find my way to campus this afternoon.

UPDATE: While composing this post, my university came to their senses and at 10am has decided to cancel all classes today. I think the fact the county has requested no one leave their homes had something to do with it.

Here are some shots taken yesterday, last night, and this morning of the effects of this so-called blizzard.

By 11:10am the snow was beginning to drift in our backyard.

By 1pm our neighbors came out with their dog, Dice, looking for The Canadian’s dog, Zoe. The Partner joined them with George, while I stayed inside the door and took pictures because I’m still sick from last Thursday. I hate being sick.

Because of the drifting snow, some parts of our backyard were waist-deep — or chest-deep on Zoe, a lab.

Poor George with his little legs had to take flying leaps to get over the drift. He’s so cute.

Zoe could just manage the drift.

Around 3:30pm an idiot was trying to get into his parking spot, got stuck, and some neighbors were kind enough to help him.

And here’s evidence of how mean The Partner and I are: we see this commotion and notice something special. Instead of averting our eyes, we look at each other and The Partner yells, “Get your camera!”

If those guys had turned around, they would have seen us both standing in front of the window, fighting to get the best shot of this dude’s ass hanging out of his pants.

Try as he did, they kept falling.

Here’s a shot of the snow building up at our front door by 3:36pm:

By 10:40pm the snow/drifting snow had trapped us and our cars.

Here’s George coming back from a pee after braving the backyard

At 8:45am this is what we awoke to:

Here’s George being cute again.

I hope you are all safe and warm.

EDITED 07-24-08: Link to WLFI article expired.

Usually I’d be disgruntled — especially having to traverse the campus — but the cold weather means I get to wear my hat.

And that’s a great thing, because I got a horrible haircut this weekend and desperately need to cover it up.

Here is a sort-of-accurate before picture. (The only difference was that I was growing the bangs out, so they were a little longer and usually pinned back.)

And here is what my hair looks like now:

Taken by The Partner

Me and this hair do not jive.

On my way to the dentist this morning I saw a flock of birds hovering in the air, flapping their wings mightily but being unable to move against the wind. I’m glad it feels like December in Indiana, though, because 65°F in November is whack.

1. Cat Power — Hate
2. Beth Orton with Ryan Adams — Brown Sugar
3. Judas — Humedad (de vuelta de las cenizas)
4. Los Juanes — A Dios Le Pido
5. NOFX — The Bag
6. Dead Kennedys — MTV – Get Off The Air
7. Bobby Darin — I’ve Got Rhythm
8. Thierry Blanchard — Mouaih Bon OK
9. Kiff’On — Kung-Fu Funk
10. Maria Dolores Pradera — Fallaste Corazon — ¡Le me gusta!

1. Psapp – Difficult Key
2. Tel Aviv – Black Marketeering
3. Tom Waits – God’s Away On Business
4. Dr. Octagon – Earth People
5. Bel Auburn – Good Night
6. Saturna – Pop Rocks
7. The You – I’m Going To Kill Myself
8. Rusted Root – Evil Ways
9. Swan Lake – All Fires
10. Beck – Cell Phone’s Dead

I don’t think I will since I would only be giving myself an extra hour to do homework, plus I’d miss out on today’s participation, attendance, and group work points. Looks like I’m talking myself into going to class. I must be ill.

I’ve been trying to find time to get back to posting here on a regular basis, and for a couple weeks it was going well. I’m not sure if I have any valid excuses besides studying, which I really haven’t been doing much of, truth be told. It’s been hard for me to focus on my studies when it’s nice out and I’d rather be hanging out with friends, or do the reading assignments when I’d rather read something else. Luckily there are only four weeks of class left. FOUR WEEKS LEFT. I must push myself through until then.

This week is not shaping up well. I have two one-page essays for Spanish I need to start working on, one that was due last week sometime (I’m so bad!) and one that is due this coming Friday. Then I also have a three-page essay due Thursday for one of my sociology courses that I haven’t even started. I have math homework that I’d rather not do, but know I must, and an exam to start preparing for.

I work best under pressure, or so I will keep telling myself.