Thursday, September 6
Tuesday, September 4
New to the Neighborhood
I had coffee with two of my friends that live in my new neighborhood and it was awesome. Wonderful, in fact. I love these two guys - always have. They have a depth about them that I respect and admire and are great at developing intimacy. I am excited that I will see them more often and that I get to be a part of their ho hum, everyday life. One of them reads this thing, so I'd like to say: Spine, I think you're great.
Books
I don't think it will come as a surprise to anyone that I love books. I like reading them, I like touching them, I like looking at them, and I like buying them. I really like buying them. I love going into a bookstore and spending an hour or so perusing the titles, having narrowed down which ones I want to buy, sitting on the floor, walking around, and eventually walking out with a book that I am really, really excited about reading. Relatedly, I love sitting in front of my bookshelf and looking at the books I've read and remembering the story, the author, where I was when I read sections of it, and what was going on with me when I read it. It makes me happy.
When I left Alaska the first time to start grad school I sold most of my books because I didn't want to carry them all with me, I would move into a smaller place, and, hello, I would have plenty of new books. Then, when I moved back to Alaska after grad school, I sold a lot of my books, but took more than I probably should have. Right before I moved back to Portland I sold most of my books. Well, what I consider most of my books. In reality it was probably only a third of them, but it hurt me. I hate selling books just as much as I love buying them. It's like I am somehow selling a part of me. The $50 I got made me feel very, very cheap.
There are several things that must happen when one buys a new house and reassess one's finances. One of these things is finding ways to save money. For me, it is books. I have promised myself to stop buying books and it has been very hard already. I walked to the library three times, and it has been closed every time. The bookstore across the street was open and blinking expectantly at me. I quickly turned away with immense sadness and self-control. I am housesitting right now, and am reading the books there to keep me occupied. They're books that I would have never picked up on my own and I haven't been too disappointed but not overjoyed either. I did a finish the 500 page book in 4 days so it's not like it's painful, but...do you understand what I am getting at?
I don't really have a point (which is not all that uncommon for me), but I do think a lot about my current book freeze. I have purposfully taken something that gives me such pure joy and I think it makes me a little sad. At the same time, it is totally worth it. At least so far.
When I left Alaska the first time to start grad school I sold most of my books because I didn't want to carry them all with me, I would move into a smaller place, and, hello, I would have plenty of new books. Then, when I moved back to Alaska after grad school, I sold a lot of my books, but took more than I probably should have. Right before I moved back to Portland I sold most of my books. Well, what I consider most of my books. In reality it was probably only a third of them, but it hurt me. I hate selling books just as much as I love buying them. It's like I am somehow selling a part of me. The $50 I got made me feel very, very cheap.
There are several things that must happen when one buys a new house and reassess one's finances. One of these things is finding ways to save money. For me, it is books. I have promised myself to stop buying books and it has been very hard already. I walked to the library three times, and it has been closed every time. The bookstore across the street was open and blinking expectantly at me. I quickly turned away with immense sadness and self-control. I am housesitting right now, and am reading the books there to keep me occupied. They're books that I would have never picked up on my own and I haven't been too disappointed but not overjoyed either. I did a finish the 500 page book in 4 days so it's not like it's painful, but...do you understand what I am getting at?
I don't really have a point (which is not all that uncommon for me), but I do think a lot about my current book freeze. I have purposfully taken something that gives me such pure joy and I think it makes me a little sad. At the same time, it is totally worth it. At least so far.
Monday, August 27
blah, blah, blah
I've been gone so long I hardly know what to say, so I think I'll do another one of my (in)famous postings in which I ramble with no cohesion.
I'm tired, dude. Seriously. I've slept through the night once since I left Alaska and that just aint enough. I already tried for an hour tonight.
My mom is training for an international dragon boat competition in Sydney next month. She's in the Grand Master category, which makes me want to call her Grand Master Flash. In all seriousness, she's training really hard and doing a great job. Paddling, lifting weights, and stretching daily. I'm quite proud of her.
I get to be an aunt again as my sister-in-law, Megan, is preggo. I've been super excited and been waiting for her to officially announce it so that I can publicly say "hooray!" Go to meganstielstra.com/blog to hear all about it. Or go there to discover a brilliant writer who is funny, talented, and insightful.
While we're talking about Megan, I am assigning one of her stories to my students, which is wicked cool. I'll try to play it cool when I pass it out, but I want to say, "dude! This is my sister! Isn't she incredible?"
Scott and Taya's wedding (you know the one I kept talking about) was beautiful. I have some pictures that I'll upload to flickr later, but I'm not on my computer because I don't have wireless where I am staying. She was beautiful in blue, he was handsome in a big 'ol beard, and neither one wore shoes. They wrote the ceremony themselves and sprinkled it with lots of poems. The venue was a spectacular cove complete with visiting osprey.
My friend Daniel, who I met in Spain, was in town last week. We hung out a few times and went to a John Lennon tribute concert at the Doug Fir. While there I won an ipod shuffle. Could I be anymore excited? I never win anything. The only thing I can recall winning, and I have been thinking about this for several days, is a corned beef at a St. Patty's day party when I was in high school. I am still all tickled that I can take my shuffle running or a bike ride and not have to lug my big one around.
This is a lame posting, I know. And I'm sorry. Next time I'll be better. I just had to get something out there and quit waiting for inspiration.
I'm going to try to go to sleep (again).
I'm tired, dude. Seriously. I've slept through the night once since I left Alaska and that just aint enough. I already tried for an hour tonight.
My mom is training for an international dragon boat competition in Sydney next month. She's in the Grand Master category, which makes me want to call her Grand Master Flash. In all seriousness, she's training really hard and doing a great job. Paddling, lifting weights, and stretching daily. I'm quite proud of her.
I get to be an aunt again as my sister-in-law, Megan, is preggo. I've been super excited and been waiting for her to officially announce it so that I can publicly say "hooray!" Go to meganstielstra.com/blog to hear all about it. Or go there to discover a brilliant writer who is funny, talented, and insightful.
While we're talking about Megan, I am assigning one of her stories to my students, which is wicked cool. I'll try to play it cool when I pass it out, but I want to say, "dude! This is my sister! Isn't she incredible?"
Scott and Taya's wedding (you know the one I kept talking about) was beautiful. I have some pictures that I'll upload to flickr later, but I'm not on my computer because I don't have wireless where I am staying. She was beautiful in blue, he was handsome in a big 'ol beard, and neither one wore shoes. They wrote the ceremony themselves and sprinkled it with lots of poems. The venue was a spectacular cove complete with visiting osprey.
My friend Daniel, who I met in Spain, was in town last week. We hung out a few times and went to a John Lennon tribute concert at the Doug Fir. While there I won an ipod shuffle. Could I be anymore excited? I never win anything. The only thing I can recall winning, and I have been thinking about this for several days, is a corned beef at a St. Patty's day party when I was in high school. I am still all tickled that I can take my shuffle running or a bike ride and not have to lug my big one around.
This is a lame posting, I know. And I'm sorry. Next time I'll be better. I just had to get something out there and quit waiting for inspiration.
I'm going to try to go to sleep (again).
Sunday, August 19
Where have you been all my life?
I'm sorry it has been a while since my last posting, but I have good excuses - I swear. This is what I've done lately:
1. Packed and organized all of my earthly possessions
2. Moved to Portland, which included driving the alcan with my step-dad and two cats.
3. Went to to Coos Bay to help prepare/attend my friend's wedding
4. Looked and looked then bought a house and all of the intense chaos that that entails
5. Kissed my hubby goodbye as he got on a plane and went back to Alaska to continues to work for a bit
To Do: prepare for my classes that start much too soon for my own comfort. I have to get my life in order, but I will be back.
1. Packed and organized all of my earthly possessions
2. Moved to Portland, which included driving the alcan with my step-dad and two cats.
3. Went to to Coos Bay to help prepare/attend my friend's wedding
4. Looked and looked then bought a house and all of the intense chaos that that entails
5. Kissed my hubby goodbye as he got on a plane and went back to Alaska to continues to work for a bit
To Do: prepare for my classes that start much too soon for my own comfort. I have to get my life in order, but I will be back.
Monday, July 30
It's been years since I did this
Picture this: My cheek resting gently on the toilet bowl at 3am. Greg, in the bathroom down the hall, has his cheek on the other toilet bowl. Intermittently, our cheeks rise, heave a bit, then rest again. As the bathrooms are close to each other and all the doors were open, my heaves prompted his and vice versa. Greg, the far more experienced drunk puker, was sending encouraging comments my way. Our interaction went something like this:
G: How you doing?
M: aaaaaaaaaggg
G: You're doing a great job!
M: aaaaaaaaaggg
G: I love you
M: aaaaaaaaaggg
This was round II of throwing up for the evening. I was laying on the couch when Greg went into the master bath the first time and I could vaguely hear him. The next thing I recall, I was on my knees thinking - I'm not joking - how convenient it was that I was in front of the toilet because I think I need to puke. I spare you the details but I was totally horrified because I HATE throwing up. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I cry every time. I spent some time contemplating how anyone could be bulimic. Greg was brushing his teeth.
I changed clothes and went to go brush my teeth. Greg was asleep on the bathroom floor so I stepped over him and took a hard left to the toilet again. I woke him up and he crawled to the other bathroom, which is where the story begins.
It was Greg's birthday and we had spent the day on a mountain bike ride to Powerline Pass. Yes, we biked to the top of a mountain pass and back. It was hard and a bit above my biking ability. After we got back to town we took showers and rode downtown for dinner where we ran into the Latino festival, then onto a dive bar.
There we accidentally ran into some folks Greg works with and people were buying rounds, which means that there was always a beer in front of us and two random people bought shots for the house. Basically, we shut down the bar and had a great time.
The bike ride home, which would normally sober us up, did nothing of the sort. Greg did comment on how much better of a biker I am than my brother because he fell off his bike when they biked home after a night on the town, whereas I stayed upright. Because I like to find small moments in which I am better than my brother, I will leave the story there.
PS We are both hurting a lot today.
G: How you doing?
M: aaaaaaaaaggg
G: You're doing a great job!
M: aaaaaaaaaggg
G: I love you
M: aaaaaaaaaggg
This was round II of throwing up for the evening. I was laying on the couch when Greg went into the master bath the first time and I could vaguely hear him. The next thing I recall, I was on my knees thinking - I'm not joking - how convenient it was that I was in front of the toilet because I think I need to puke. I spare you the details but I was totally horrified because I HATE throwing up. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I cry every time. I spent some time contemplating how anyone could be bulimic. Greg was brushing his teeth.
I changed clothes and went to go brush my teeth. Greg was asleep on the bathroom floor so I stepped over him and took a hard left to the toilet again. I woke him up and he crawled to the other bathroom, which is where the story begins.
It was Greg's birthday and we had spent the day on a mountain bike ride to Powerline Pass. Yes, we biked to the top of a mountain pass and back. It was hard and a bit above my biking ability. After we got back to town we took showers and rode downtown for dinner where we ran into the Latino festival, then onto a dive bar.
There we accidentally ran into some folks Greg works with and people were buying rounds, which means that there was always a beer in front of us and two random people bought shots for the house. Basically, we shut down the bar and had a great time.
The bike ride home, which would normally sober us up, did nothing of the sort. Greg did comment on how much better of a biker I am than my brother because he fell off his bike when they biked home after a night on the town, whereas I stayed upright. Because I like to find small moments in which I am better than my brother, I will leave the story there.
PS We are both hurting a lot today.
Wednesday, July 25
I Save Babies
You may recall my one-friend-Jillian's boyfriend from an earlier posting. They were over for dinner last week and Steve said something about how his job is to save babies. Amid much confusion I reminded him that he is an environmental engineer. He responded that his job was to clean up waste and pollution in the environment which made the world safer and healthier for everyone, including babies. Because of what he does babies don't get horrible diseases and die. I said a very timid "yeah...I guess, although I never thought of it that way." To which he replied that everyone wants to feel like their job makes a positive impact on the world and no one can argue that saving babies is the one thing that pulls on everyone's heart strings and serves the higher good. His theory is that everyone can find a way in which their job saves babies.
We tried testing out his theory on Jillian, which turned out to be pretty easy because she is a social worker in charge of a preschool that helps teach emotionally disturbed children to control their emotions and integrate into the education system. She works with the children that cannot handle traditional preschools and in the course of doing so alters these children's futures. Plus, she helps the parents with parenting tactics. Jillian saves babies in multiple ways: 1) the children are young and could still be considered babies, kind of, and she is saving them by helping them succeed in their future schooling and control their emotions by finding positive outlets, 2) teaching parenting skills saves future babies because it helps the parents nurture the children they already have and ones they may have in the future, and 3) the children Jillian helps will be more stable and responsible people, which may give their future babies a higher quality of life.
We moved on to me and decided that by teaching university students how to write more effectively, I am assisting them in becoming better critical thinkers, which means that they are less likely to become parents accidentally. If they do accidentally have babies they are more likely to raise their babies in a supportive environment. I also help my students develop their writing skills which will assist them in attaining gainful employment which provides them with a secure income that allows them to have enough money to support their baby. Thus, I save babies.
Greg saves babies by running trains safely and not derailing the train (especially on playgrounds or a maternity ward). Furthermore, 80% percent of Alaska's fuel, and all of the fuel for Anchorage International Airport is supplied by the railroad, and planes leaving ANC sometimes transport sick babies or pregnant women to Seattle for more specialized health care. He saves lots of babies.
This is a fun game and I encourage you to figure out how you save babies in your jobs and tell me in the comments. Now lets go save some babies!
We tried testing out his theory on Jillian, which turned out to be pretty easy because she is a social worker in charge of a preschool that helps teach emotionally disturbed children to control their emotions and integrate into the education system. She works with the children that cannot handle traditional preschools and in the course of doing so alters these children's futures. Plus, she helps the parents with parenting tactics. Jillian saves babies in multiple ways: 1) the children are young and could still be considered babies, kind of, and she is saving them by helping them succeed in their future schooling and control their emotions by finding positive outlets, 2) teaching parenting skills saves future babies because it helps the parents nurture the children they already have and ones they may have in the future, and 3) the children Jillian helps will be more stable and responsible people, which may give their future babies a higher quality of life.
We moved on to me and decided that by teaching university students how to write more effectively, I am assisting them in becoming better critical thinkers, which means that they are less likely to become parents accidentally. If they do accidentally have babies they are more likely to raise their babies in a supportive environment. I also help my students develop their writing skills which will assist them in attaining gainful employment which provides them with a secure income that allows them to have enough money to support their baby. Thus, I save babies.
Greg saves babies by running trains safely and not derailing the train (especially on playgrounds or a maternity ward). Furthermore, 80% percent of Alaska's fuel, and all of the fuel for Anchorage International Airport is supplied by the railroad, and planes leaving ANC sometimes transport sick babies or pregnant women to Seattle for more specialized health care. He saves lots of babies.
This is a fun game and I encourage you to figure out how you save babies in your jobs and tell me in the comments. Now lets go save some babies!
Wednesday, July 18
Cuntree
There were several humorous things that occurred during my English language teaching course last month as a result of inexperienced teachers trying to explain words and concepts. Gestures usually were involved. If you're interested in hearing more, tell me in the comments and I will share some more stories and maybe fess up to my own. However, the best story came from our very, very cool teacher about a previous course she taught.
Pronunciation is important when learning a language. You can say the right word in the correct grammatical structure, but if its not pronounced correctly (or close to correctly) people will still not be able to understand. There are several ways to help students with pronunciation, one of which is drilling. The teacher says the word correctly, the students repeat, the teacher says it again, the students repeat, etc. until the students are pronouncing it right. It is quite loud and sometimes can be heard down the hall.
Well, one teacher, bless his little heart, noticed that the students were mispronouncing the word "country," so he started to drill them. He then noticed that they were having trouble with the first part of the word and so broke it up (incorrectly, by the way) and just focused on the first part of the word.
T: count
S: count
T: count
S: count
Say it out loud as the first part of the word country if you aren't laughing in horror.
Pronunciation is important when learning a language. You can say the right word in the correct grammatical structure, but if its not pronounced correctly (or close to correctly) people will still not be able to understand. There are several ways to help students with pronunciation, one of which is drilling. The teacher says the word correctly, the students repeat, the teacher says it again, the students repeat, etc. until the students are pronouncing it right. It is quite loud and sometimes can be heard down the hall.
Well, one teacher, bless his little heart, noticed that the students were mispronouncing the word "country," so he started to drill them. He then noticed that they were having trouble with the first part of the word and so broke it up (incorrectly, by the way) and just focused on the first part of the word.
T: count
S: count
T: count
S: count
Say it out loud as the first part of the word country if you aren't laughing in horror.
As you wish
I got a surprising amount of suggestions for a new batch of lists, so at the risk of over doing the list thing, here are some more.
Top five preferences of head-to-head products:
1. pepsi over coke
2. blizzard over mcflurry
3. netflix over blockbuster
4.title wave books over barnes and noble (translation: any local bookstore over a huge chain)
5. mac over pc
Top five halloween costumes for this year in no particular order (this is a toughy as I struggle with creativity - I have to admit I found some of them on the internet):
1. an ipod commercial (all black with an ipod and dancing)
2. railroad conductor
3. ceiling fan ("go ceiling" sign and cheer)
4. Marie Antoinette (period clothing and a cake, say "let them eat cake")
5. flamenco dancer
Top five shows:
1. Daily Show/The Colbert Report
2. Sex and the City
3. My So-Called Life (I still miss it)
4. Friends
5. Dancing with the Stars
Top five cities in Spain:
1. Barcelona
2. Ronda
3. Seville
4. Madrid
5. Granada
Top five preferences of head-to-head products:
1. pepsi over coke
2. blizzard over mcflurry
3. netflix over blockbuster
4.title wave books over barnes and noble (translation: any local bookstore over a huge chain)
5. mac over pc
Top five halloween costumes for this year in no particular order (this is a toughy as I struggle with creativity - I have to admit I found some of them on the internet):
1. an ipod commercial (all black with an ipod and dancing)
2. railroad conductor
3. ceiling fan ("go ceiling" sign and cheer)
4. Marie Antoinette (period clothing and a cake, say "let them eat cake")
5. flamenco dancer
Top five shows:
1. Daily Show/The Colbert Report
2. Sex and the City
3. My So-Called Life (I still miss it)
4. Friends
5. Dancing with the Stars
Top five cities in Spain:
1. Barcelona
2. Ronda
3. Seville
4. Madrid
5. Granada
Saturday, July 14
Top Five
Top five things I like about Anchorage
1. Greg is here
2. Bear's Tooth $3 movie theater with raspberry wheat beer on tap from the local brewery
3. Good running loop from my house (even though I hate running)
4. Huge mountains that explode from the Cook Inlet
5. Sunshine all night
Top five places I want to go (as of today - tomorrow could be different)
1. England
2. Thailand
3. A yet to be decided country in South America
4. Any country in Western or Central Europe that I haven't already been to
5. The above two categories are so broad I think I'll leave this one blank
Top five reasons why I can't wait to get back to Portland
1. My family and those kiddos
2. My friends
3. Walking everywhere and having places to go for walks to
4. The vibe, man
5. The funky clothes, tattoos, and hair
Top five favorite drinks
1. tea
2. diet pepsi with lemon
3. vanilla stoli and squirt (dude - try it)
4. Ruby beer from McMenamins
5. margaritas blended with salt
Top five favorite foods
1. chicken burritos with tons of veggies and pico de gallo
2. hummas, lamb, pita bread, tomato, and cucumber
3. curry - all kinds
4. sushi
5. good hash browns
Any ideas for more top five lists you want me to make?
1. Greg is here
2. Bear's Tooth $3 movie theater with raspberry wheat beer on tap from the local brewery
3. Good running loop from my house (even though I hate running)
4. Huge mountains that explode from the Cook Inlet
5. Sunshine all night
Top five places I want to go (as of today - tomorrow could be different)
1. England
2. Thailand
3. A yet to be decided country in South America
4. Any country in Western or Central Europe that I haven't already been to
5. The above two categories are so broad I think I'll leave this one blank
Top five reasons why I can't wait to get back to Portland
1. My family and those kiddos
2. My friends
3. Walking everywhere and having places to go for walks to
4. The vibe, man
5. The funky clothes, tattoos, and hair
Top five favorite drinks
1. tea
2. diet pepsi with lemon
3. vanilla stoli and squirt (dude - try it)
4. Ruby beer from McMenamins
5. margaritas blended with salt
Top five favorite foods
1. chicken burritos with tons of veggies and pico de gallo
2. hummas, lamb, pita bread, tomato, and cucumber
3. curry - all kinds
4. sushi
5. good hash browns
Any ideas for more top five lists you want me to make?
Thursday, July 12
How Could I Forget?!?
What is an evening out in AK without a stuffed Polar Bear? Fortunately I remembered to include the moose in my original posting.
7 Glaciers
For Christmas my dad got Greg and I a gift certificate to a fancy restaurant on top of Alyeska mountain, which is the local ski resort. Tuesday night we used it and had a lovely time. We even got to take a tram to the top of the mountain. Here are some pics.
I just wanted him to give me a little kiss. I scratched his wee waddle and everything.
The view from the top of the mountain at Cook Inlet.
Because I am very classy and have to inappropriately handle my salad.
The chair lifts. the town of Girdwood, and the Cook Inlet.
Sunset at 11pm on the tramride down.
I just wanted him to give me a little kiss. I scratched his wee waddle and everything.
The view from the top of the mountain at Cook Inlet.
Because I am very classy and have to inappropriately handle my salad.
The chair lifts. the town of Girdwood, and the Cook Inlet.
Sunset at 11pm on the tramride down.
Tuesday, July 10
a brief british translation guide
You know what is frustrating? Having about 10 blog ideas written down on a piece of paper and then LOSING THE PIECE OF PAPER. I did, however, find a piece of paper from El Copetin (the mojito bar on Paseo del Born) with a British translation guide that Carly gave me. Because I am a nice person, I'll share it with you.
In order from bad to good:
rubbish
acceptable
relatively pleasant
palatable
quite refreshing
pleasant
pukka (wtf?)
quite delightful
delightful
crackin'
ace
top (only to be used in Manchester)
You can print it out and keep it in your pocket. Good luck.
In order from bad to good:
rubbish
acceptable
relatively pleasant
palatable
quite refreshing
pleasant
pukka (wtf?)
quite delightful
delightful
crackin'
ace
top (only to be used in Manchester)
You can print it out and keep it in your pocket. Good luck.
Saturday, July 7
Falling in Love
I sat down to write in my journal, but think I would rather talk to you. I'm not sure where this is going, so just bear with me.
I was talking to my dad this morning about the magic that some places in the world possess and how the type of magic is different. New York and San Francisco are two of my favorite cities of all time and my love is based on their energy and magnetism. Barcelona had a different kind of majesty. It draws me in because of its confluence of Catalan and Spanish language and culture, its history as a Roman city, and the way in which the old and modern merge to create such vibrancy.
There is a moment in which I get swept up in loving a city, in which I think that this is what life is about. For me, it boils down to falling in love. My heart leaps, my stomach comes alive, my face brightens, and I want to twirl around in circles (sometimes I do). Perhaps that is why I crave traveling and seeing new places so much - I am chasing the moment of falling in love. I can tell you where I was when each city captured my heart; the moment in which I sighed and felt the world wrap its arms around me.
When I was in high school my brother and sister-in-law lived in New York. I visited them multiple times and as they both had to work, I was left to my own devices during the day. One mid-morning I made the trek to Jen's office to meet her for lunch. I got on the subway feeling quite self-sufficient. When I stepped out of the train, there was a musician playing a song that I don't recall, but gave me butterflies. I floated up the stairs and came out of the subway station to feel the cool warmth of the winter sun on my face before being swallowed into the humanity. I looked around, breathed the energy, and just like that, I was in love.
I recall drinking a bottle of wine at the base of the Sydney Opera House. I was there on a three month backpacking honeymoon and wildly in love with my new husband. I looked across the table at Greg and then swept my eyes across the harbor, the bridge, and the skyline. It felt as if the city offered itself to me as a representative of the world waiting to be explored and in that moment it hit me how great my marriage was because I had someone to share it with. He wanted to see the world and fall in love with new places too. Sydney told me it was possible.
I was talking to my dad this morning about the magic that some places in the world possess and how the type of magic is different. New York and San Francisco are two of my favorite cities of all time and my love is based on their energy and magnetism. Barcelona had a different kind of majesty. It draws me in because of its confluence of Catalan and Spanish language and culture, its history as a Roman city, and the way in which the old and modern merge to create such vibrancy.
There is a moment in which I get swept up in loving a city, in which I think that this is what life is about. For me, it boils down to falling in love. My heart leaps, my stomach comes alive, my face brightens, and I want to twirl around in circles (sometimes I do). Perhaps that is why I crave traveling and seeing new places so much - I am chasing the moment of falling in love. I can tell you where I was when each city captured my heart; the moment in which I sighed and felt the world wrap its arms around me.
When I was in high school my brother and sister-in-law lived in New York. I visited them multiple times and as they both had to work, I was left to my own devices during the day. One mid-morning I made the trek to Jen's office to meet her for lunch. I got on the subway feeling quite self-sufficient. When I stepped out of the train, there was a musician playing a song that I don't recall, but gave me butterflies. I floated up the stairs and came out of the subway station to feel the cool warmth of the winter sun on my face before being swallowed into the humanity. I looked around, breathed the energy, and just like that, I was in love.
I recall drinking a bottle of wine at the base of the Sydney Opera House. I was there on a three month backpacking honeymoon and wildly in love with my new husband. I looked across the table at Greg and then swept my eyes across the harbor, the bridge, and the skyline. It felt as if the city offered itself to me as a representative of the world waiting to be explored and in that moment it hit me how great my marriage was because I had someone to share it with. He wanted to see the world and fall in love with new places too. Sydney told me it was possible.
In Which My Dad Is Right On
Talking to my dad on the phone this morning:
M: I had a layover in London on my way back home and stayed with my friend Sally's parents in Windsor. They took me by Windsor Castle, Eton, even the place where Prince Charles and Camilla got married...
D: So, it was a little like going to Mecca for you.
M: I had a layover in London on my way back home and stayed with my friend Sally's parents in Windsor. They took me by Windsor Castle, Eton, even the place where Prince Charles and Camilla got married...
D: So, it was a little like going to Mecca for you.
Thursday, July 5
Back in America
Overheard as I was boarding my flight from Chicago to Anchorage:
"If it's not Christian or this country, I don't care."
"If it's not Christian or this country, I don't care."
Wednesday, July 4
When My B Game is Good Enough
Saturday morning was rough. I was at a great party all night and stumbled back to my apartment at 6:30am, which is after the sun is up in Barcelona. I fell into my bed and quickly to sleep.
Three hours later I had to get up and move out of my apartment. I eventually (I'm am saving a lot of boring complaints here, so thanks are in order) made it to my friend Angela's apartment where I was fortunate enough to inhabit the living room. I laid there for a while in a half sleep, half deep thought about the unfairness of the whole concept of hangovers. I wasn't able to sleep because, as I mentioned before, I was in the living room and my friend has (lovely) roommates who got up at the reasonable hour of 11.
By 3pm my friend Sandra (who was also crashing at Angela's) and I went to meet Sally in Gracia for food. All of us were hungover for the second or third night in a row. We had all had very minimal sleep. We all felt like shit, and let me tell you, I really looked like shit. It didn't matter, though. It didn't matter that I didn't have my A game; that I was lucky if I could bring my B game to the table. I didn't have to wow them with stories or wit. I could put everything else aside and just be myself. It dawned on me that perhaps this is what friendship is: feeling like crap and wanting to be with them regardless. Knowing that they already love me, accept me, and we can set everything else aside. We were too tired for pretense so we got the core of each other for the day. It was perfect.
We found this wonderful Lebanese restaurant and sat there for 5 hours watching the summer rain come and go. In those 5 hours we laughed so hard we cried, chatted about nothing, shared, talked, and sometimes, we were just quiet. Angela joined us later in the day - I'm not even sure when. I was content.
The table of locals sitting next to us asked us to join them and help them eat their food. We did and had a great time talking in a combination of Spanish and English about all sorts of things. We begrudgingly left at 11 to go meet friends for drinks at another bar. For the second time that day I was struck with the depth of experience that was showing itself to me. What a great country, I thought, where an American, a Canadian, a New Zealander and a girl from Wales can sit at a table for most of the day and end up sharing dinner - sharing plates, even - with the Lebanese and Spanish folks at the next table. We were all able to come together across nationalities and languages to share a meal, the most simple and meaningful of things, and walk away having created something rare: a real connection.
Three hours later I had to get up and move out of my apartment. I eventually (I'm am saving a lot of boring complaints here, so thanks are in order) made it to my friend Angela's apartment where I was fortunate enough to inhabit the living room. I laid there for a while in a half sleep, half deep thought about the unfairness of the whole concept of hangovers. I wasn't able to sleep because, as I mentioned before, I was in the living room and my friend has (lovely) roommates who got up at the reasonable hour of 11.
By 3pm my friend Sandra (who was also crashing at Angela's) and I went to meet Sally in Gracia for food. All of us were hungover for the second or third night in a row. We had all had very minimal sleep. We all felt like shit, and let me tell you, I really looked like shit. It didn't matter, though. It didn't matter that I didn't have my A game; that I was lucky if I could bring my B game to the table. I didn't have to wow them with stories or wit. I could put everything else aside and just be myself. It dawned on me that perhaps this is what friendship is: feeling like crap and wanting to be with them regardless. Knowing that they already love me, accept me, and we can set everything else aside. We were too tired for pretense so we got the core of each other for the day. It was perfect.
We found this wonderful Lebanese restaurant and sat there for 5 hours watching the summer rain come and go. In those 5 hours we laughed so hard we cried, chatted about nothing, shared, talked, and sometimes, we were just quiet. Angela joined us later in the day - I'm not even sure when. I was content.
The table of locals sitting next to us asked us to join them and help them eat their food. We did and had a great time talking in a combination of Spanish and English about all sorts of things. We begrudgingly left at 11 to go meet friends for drinks at another bar. For the second time that day I was struck with the depth of experience that was showing itself to me. What a great country, I thought, where an American, a Canadian, a New Zealander and a girl from Wales can sit at a table for most of the day and end up sharing dinner - sharing plates, even - with the Lebanese and Spanish folks at the next table. We were all able to come together across nationalities and languages to share a meal, the most simple and meaningful of things, and walk away having created something rare: a real connection.
Prepare to be wooed
I'm in the Chicago airport. I am tired. I have to pay for the internet and am cranky as a result.
In addition to the above facts, I just caught up on my good friend Scott's blog and he has made the commitment to write on his blog everyday for a week. I wonder whether I have the will power to do the same. I should (hopefully) have some new readers and I did notice that last week I had no visitors (again), so perhaps it is time to do a wooing campaign. Ok. That's it. I'll do it. Every day for a week. Starting today. *
*I am stopping the post here so that I have two posts today, which can act as my "get out of jail free card" for when I eventually forget a day.
In addition to the above facts, I just caught up on my good friend Scott's blog and he has made the commitment to write on his blog everyday for a week. I wonder whether I have the will power to do the same. I should (hopefully) have some new readers and I did notice that last week I had no visitors (again), so perhaps it is time to do a wooing campaign. Ok. That's it. I'll do it. Every day for a week. Starting today. *
*I am stopping the post here so that I have two posts today, which can act as my "get out of jail free card" for when I eventually forget a day.
Saturday, June 30
To all you CELTA people looking for pictures
They´ll be up soon. Gimme a week or two.
(I think you´re great, by the way)
(I think you´re great, by the way)
The Love Story
Remember my friends Taya and Scott? The ones that got engaged a while ago? Well, they´ve both written their love story and you can find it here. Read it, sigh, and get swept away with how wonderful love is.
PS I make a guest appearance in both stories as one of the new friends who accept that they belong together.
PS I make a guest appearance in both stories as one of the new friends who accept that they belong together.
Tuesday, June 26
A quick note
I don´t have a lot of time before class starts, so I am going to make this story quick.
Barcelona has a (deserved) reputation for petty crime, especially pick-pockets and bag snatching. In fact, three of my friends have had their bag snatched from them while they were holding them. I am generally very careful with my bag and belongings, but in a moment of ditsiness last Saturday night I was standing in the Metro station on my way to meet my friends at the bar trying to figure out how I got my keys and camera in my itty-bitty purse when this guy came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and pointed to the €20 bill sitting next to my foot. By the time I was done bending down to get it he had disappeared into the crowd. I hadn´t noticed the money had fallen out of my purse and he could have grabbed it and walked away without my realizing what had happened. But he didn´t. As a woman gave me a knowing smile about how lucky I was to keep my €20, I thought to myself how lucky I am to be in Barcelona.
I really love this city.
Barcelona has a (deserved) reputation for petty crime, especially pick-pockets and bag snatching. In fact, three of my friends have had their bag snatched from them while they were holding them. I am generally very careful with my bag and belongings, but in a moment of ditsiness last Saturday night I was standing in the Metro station on my way to meet my friends at the bar trying to figure out how I got my keys and camera in my itty-bitty purse when this guy came up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and pointed to the €20 bill sitting next to my foot. By the time I was done bending down to get it he had disappeared into the crowd. I hadn´t noticed the money had fallen out of my purse and he could have grabbed it and walked away without my realizing what had happened. But he didn´t. As a woman gave me a knowing smile about how lucky I was to keep my €20, I thought to myself how lucky I am to be in Barcelona.
I really love this city.
Tuesday, June 12
Whatsa Happenin'
Things here are going quite well. I love Barcelona and feel wildly content walking down the streets to school while basking in the glamor of Barcelona, Spain, and Europe in general. It is quite geeky, actually.
School has been pretty hard. Tonight I don't have much homework, but I put in a good 13 day (minus lunch) yesterday and it looks like I'll have to do the same tomorrow. I'm not complaining though. It is intellectually stimulating and I am having a lot of fun. We spend the afternoons teaching and I taught my last class to the beginners today. I am moving on to advanced intermediate tomorrow and the complete lack of understanding conveyed through blank stares when I say words like "arrive" will be replaced by the complete lack of understanding as I try to explain grammatical concepts. I plan on developing a more intimate relationship with my grammar books and confusion. It'll just get worse when I move on to the advanced students in another week or so.
A bunch of us went to the beach last Saturday and I am struck by how wonderful it is to be living on the Mediterranean. I mentioned that the people I work with are fabulous, but I have to say it again. I am infatuated with the vast majority of them and sometimes have to pinch myself. While my learning of the Spanish language has subsided slightly because of how much I am in class, my knowledge of British English has exploded.
I'm sorry this post isn't well written or elegant. I feel like I need to talk to you all, but my creative juices aren't necessarily flowing. Perhaps next time.
School has been pretty hard. Tonight I don't have much homework, but I put in a good 13 day (minus lunch) yesterday and it looks like I'll have to do the same tomorrow. I'm not complaining though. It is intellectually stimulating and I am having a lot of fun. We spend the afternoons teaching and I taught my last class to the beginners today. I am moving on to advanced intermediate tomorrow and the complete lack of understanding conveyed through blank stares when I say words like "arrive" will be replaced by the complete lack of understanding as I try to explain grammatical concepts. I plan on developing a more intimate relationship with my grammar books and confusion. It'll just get worse when I move on to the advanced students in another week or so.
A bunch of us went to the beach last Saturday and I am struck by how wonderful it is to be living on the Mediterranean. I mentioned that the people I work with are fabulous, but I have to say it again. I am infatuated with the vast majority of them and sometimes have to pinch myself. While my learning of the Spanish language has subsided slightly because of how much I am in class, my knowledge of British English has exploded.
I'm sorry this post isn't well written or elegant. I feel like I need to talk to you all, but my creative juices aren't necessarily flowing. Perhaps next time.
Saturday, June 2
Report
My First Day of Class:
- went pretty well.
- was very hot as the building has no air conditioning and the classrooms were chock full of people.
- was exciting because of the very cool people I am taking the class with. We went for drinks after and I cannot remember the last time I had so much fun with people I didn´t know. I think they may be the best part of the deal.
- was frustrating because we had to teach and I had beginner students that had a hard time following my instructions. I don´t consider myself especially verbose, but I definitely talked too much and used words that were too big. It was harder than my first day teaching college kids.
- was scary because of how much work the rest of the course is going to be.
My apartment:
- has a great view. I look out a market, a beautiful street, trees, and lots of other great things. I will post some photos later.
- is really high up. It is supposedly on the 4th floor but I hike up 8 flights. The 25 minute walk (through Old Town and the Gothic Quarter) to and from school and these stairs I should keep the weight from all the wine I am drinking off.
- is owned by a really nice lady.
- is shared with another student from my course. She´s from Sweden originally but has lived in London for the past 15 years (where she used to own a bookstore focusing on literary criticism and poetry). She is fantastic and we hit it off immediately.
- is really, really hot. I need to invest in a fan. (But where does one go to buy a cheap fan, especially when one doesn´t know the Spanish - or more importantly Catalan - word for fan?)
- has a shower head that is in the tub and no shower curtain which means I take a shower by sitting in the tub and moving the shower head around.
A few other points:
- I am typing on a Spanish keyboard and the keys are just a little off of what I am used to, so every once is a while I am surprised when something like ñ or ç pops up on the screen instead of what I am used to being on that key.
- My feet are swollen because of the heat.
- My mom is still here and that is nice.
- Wine really is cheaper than water - €1.50 for a glass! And it´s good! I´ve been drinking way more.
- I heart tapas.
- I double-heart paseos.
- Nothing is written in Spanish. Everything is in Catalonian, the local language that is as different from Spanish as Italian.
Wednesday, May 30
French or Spanish?
G: What date should I put the house on the market?
M: I'm not sure. I'm not so good at practical right now. In my pretty little head we're moving to Spain, so why don't you do the decision making.
G: Moving to Spain? That is a long flight for the kitties.
M: They'll be fine and they'll love evening paseos.
G: But they only speak French!
M: I'm not sure. I'm not so good at practical right now. In my pretty little head we're moving to Spain, so why don't you do the decision making.
G: Moving to Spain? That is a long flight for the kitties.
M: They'll be fine and they'll love evening paseos.
G: But they only speak French!
Notes From Spain
I'm in Madrid's train station about to get on the Ave - the fast train - and thought I would share a few pictures with you. Words would take too long, but pictures will do.
Lisbon, Portugal - I started my trip here with Mom and HW.
Flamenco recital with little kids and adults. It was wonderful and we were the only tourists there. Cordoba.
Cordoba's Moorish Mosque.
My travel partners
Mom and I
I fell in love with Ronda and it was torture to have to leave.
The Alambra in Granada
Billboard along the side of the road in Andalucia.
Mom and Kathy navigating Madrid from the backseat.
More later. The train is calling my name.
Lisbon, Portugal - I started my trip here with Mom and HW.
Flamenco recital with little kids and adults. It was wonderful and we were the only tourists there. Cordoba.
Cordoba's Moorish Mosque.
My travel partners
Mom and I
I fell in love with Ronda and it was torture to have to leave.
The Alambra in Granada
Billboard along the side of the road in Andalucia.
Mom and Kathy navigating Madrid from the backseat.More later. The train is calling my name.
Wednesday, May 9
Just So You Know
I feel justified in the following postings because I just received my report for how many people visit my site and there has been one person in the last week. If ya'll don't care, then I can put up stuff that no one will be interested in, but I really, really love.
Because I Can't Hold Back Any Longer
In 4 seasons I have never made you watch any clips from Dancing with the Stars, but I have got a thing for Apolo and you should too. Here are my favorite dances this season.
Ok. I'm done.
Ok. I'm done.
Monday, May 7
Gettin' Shit Done, Yo!
Things I accomplished today:
1. Met with the financial folks (again) and thinking that hard makes my brain hurt a little bit.
2. Dropped off some papers for my students.
3. Caught-up on my present buying for birthdays and babies. I was way behind and am pleased with my results. I hope they are, too. And that they aren’t mad ‘cuz they’re late. I had a rough week, you know.
4. Went to a coffee-shop and graded student projects (which were really good, by the way)
5. Went to the grocery store and got some much-needed food.
6. Came home and ate. I then stared at the wall for a while because I had waited too long to eat and I had a hard time regaining my composure.
7. Continued adding to my list of things I need to do, get, pack before I leave.
8. Graded more projects. Decided that I should take credit for how good they are.
9. Calculated grades for one class.
10. Got frustrated trying to post grades and decided to try again tomorrow.
11. Met G for tea as he got off work to explain what the financial folks said.
12. Ate dinner and had wine/beer.
13. Watched Dancing with the Stars (OMG, OMG, OMG, Apolo, OMG, OMG, OMG).
14. Writing this blog trying not to think of all the stuff I have to do tomorrow. (Boo! Hiss!)
1. Met with the financial folks (again) and thinking that hard makes my brain hurt a little bit.
2. Dropped off some papers for my students.
3. Caught-up on my present buying for birthdays and babies. I was way behind and am pleased with my results. I hope they are, too. And that they aren’t mad ‘cuz they’re late. I had a rough week, you know.
4. Went to a coffee-shop and graded student projects (which were really good, by the way)
5. Went to the grocery store and got some much-needed food.
6. Came home and ate. I then stared at the wall for a while because I had waited too long to eat and I had a hard time regaining my composure.
7. Continued adding to my list of things I need to do, get, pack before I leave.
8. Graded more projects. Decided that I should take credit for how good they are.
9. Calculated grades for one class.
10. Got frustrated trying to post grades and decided to try again tomorrow.
11. Met G for tea as he got off work to explain what the financial folks said.
12. Ate dinner and had wine/beer.
13. Watched Dancing with the Stars (OMG, OMG, OMG, Apolo, OMG, OMG, OMG).
14. Writing this blog trying not to think of all the stuff I have to do tomorrow. (Boo! Hiss!)
Wednesday, May 2
See, we've made progress...
Today my husband and I had an appointment with a financial guy as we are in the process of making big financial decisions. About fifteen minutes into the meeting he got a phone call and then told us that there is a situation with his daughter and he needs to go pick her up from the babysitter. The nice man in the neighboring office took over for him. We were with this guy for about forty-five minutes and then he said that he was sorry, but he was late to go pick up his daughter and could he write-up a report and email it to us in the morning. We agreed.
Here's my point: both men had to leave work early to take care of their children. Men, not women. Back in the day, this would have only happened to a working woman. Now, men are taking more responsibility for their children and workplaces are allowing them to be good parents. How awesome is that? I think it's so awesome that I'm not even annoyed that we will have to go back later this week to finish up.
Here's my point: both men had to leave work early to take care of their children. Men, not women. Back in the day, this would have only happened to a working woman. Now, men are taking more responsibility for their children and workplaces are allowing them to be good parents. How awesome is that? I think it's so awesome that I'm not even annoyed that we will have to go back later this week to finish up.
Monday, April 30
A Few Simple Questions
Have you ever had a situation that you don't know the best way to handle? Do you ever get confused about what is a reasonable and rational response? Do you ever wonder where the line between precautions/safety and being a scardy cat is? Have you ever wondered whether you're being brave or just stupid?
I am wondering all these things this week. I predict I'll regain my composure by next Saturday.
I am wondering all these things this week. I predict I'll regain my composure by next Saturday.
Thursday, April 26
The Grammar Fairy
I gave my little blog a face-lift. I hope you like it.
In the course of doing so, I skimmed a few of my old posts and was dismayed to see the wild amount of grammatical errors. Every time before I post I ask myself whether I should sit on it a day in order revise it - I am a hug proponent of revision in my classroom, you know - but I always throw caution to the wind and post anyway assuming that I have a strong enough grasp of the English language. Clearly I am wrong.
This is my official apology for making all of you suffer through my mistakes and laziness, both past and future. I won't mention it again.
I am tempted to sit on this posting a day. I mean, how embarrassing would it be to post about grammar and have multiple grammar mistakes? Not quite embarrassing enough to withstand the instant gratification that comes with immediately seeing my posting. I am sure there is at least one, if not ten. Watch me as I throw caution to the wind.
In the course of doing so, I skimmed a few of my old posts and was dismayed to see the wild amount of grammatical errors. Every time before I post I ask myself whether I should sit on it a day in order revise it - I am a hug proponent of revision in my classroom, you know - but I always throw caution to the wind and post anyway assuming that I have a strong enough grasp of the English language. Clearly I am wrong.
This is my official apology for making all of you suffer through my mistakes and laziness, both past and future. I won't mention it again.
I am tempted to sit on this posting a day. I mean, how embarrassing would it be to post about grammar and have multiple grammar mistakes? Not quite embarrassing enough to withstand the instant gratification that comes with immediately seeing my posting. I am sure there is at least one, if not ten. Watch me as I throw caution to the wind.
Wednesday, April 25
In which I take one for the team
Sunday afternoon. 3pm.
G: If I were able to get the day off work tomorrow, do you want to fly up to Fairbanks and drive the motorhome back to Anchorage?
[Greg borrowed his aunt and uncle's motorhome this winter and lived in it while he was forced to Fairbanks]
M: Fly up there tonight?
G: Yeah. We really need to get it down here.
Me: I have class tomorrow night at 6.
G: We'll be back by then.
M: Promise?
G: Promise.
M: Ok, but I am not organizing it. You have to plan everything. And make sure the plane doesn't cost too much.
G: Cool. We'll use my miles.
Two hours later we get on the plane. An hour after that our friend picks us up. It is 7pm, the sun is shining, and I remember why I adore Fairbanks in the summer. I wanted to drink some beer. We do. Two hours after we arrived our friend drove us to the motorhome, jumped started it and went home.
We cleaned the motorhome out, dropped off the winterizing stuff at the transfer station, washed the windows and were driving around to charge the battery.
G: Do you want to leave right now for Healy?
M: Alright. It's 10 at night. We won't get there until at least midnight.
G: That's okay. We're gonna sleep in the motorhome anyway, why don't we just get two hours out of the way tonight.
M: Why Healy?
G: It's the last place we can eat breakfast until just outside of Anchorage.
M: We can go to the store and get stuff to make. We're in a motorhome, you know.
G: That's true. Let's go.
M: okay.
We arrive in Healy at 12:30 and park in the Railroad yard. We had a nice drive and chatted. We are at our best when we are on an adventure. Especially an unplanned adventure. We brush our teeth and crawl into bed.
M: Oh no! We don't have a fan or heater or anything to make white noise.
[Greg breathes really loud when he sleeps and, for a normal person, it is no big deal. For a wierdo like me who cannot sleep if one small thing is wrong, it is a travesty. White noise is the only thing that drowns him out.
G: There are some earplugs up front.
M: But I had that horrific cold last week and earplugs will bring my earache back.
G: Well, don't bug me. I have to drive in the morning.
Long story short: the earplugs made my ears hurt. I can't sleep. I can't sleep. I am still not sleeping. I find another blanket and move to the other bed on the opposite side of the trailer. I am still not sleeping. I can still hear Greg breathe. It is getting chilly. It is cold. It is fucking cold and I am shivering. The sun comes up. I crawl back into bed with Greg. I am still not sleeping.
G: Did you sleep at all?
M: No. What time is it?
G: [looking at cell phone] 5am. You didn't tell me to be quiet once. You didn't even kick me.
M: I know. You said not to bother you because you had to drive.
G: You're not even cranky.
M: I got over being cranky a few hours ago.
G:Way to take one for the team.
M: Thanks.
We get ready and go to have breakfast at the only place in town. I wouldn't call it a town, more like two hotels, a few houses, and a coal mine. At any rate it was closed for another hour. We decided to press on.
Four hours later we roll into Anchorage exhausted and hungry. We clean out the motorhome and find a place to get it professionally cleaned for a reasonable rate, which takes most of the day. Greg takes a nap. I go to work. I get home at 10 and we watch the DVR of Dancing with the Stars. I got a good thing going.
G: If I were able to get the day off work tomorrow, do you want to fly up to Fairbanks and drive the motorhome back to Anchorage?
[Greg borrowed his aunt and uncle's motorhome this winter and lived in it while he was forced to Fairbanks]
M: Fly up there tonight?
G: Yeah. We really need to get it down here.
Me: I have class tomorrow night at 6.
G: We'll be back by then.
M: Promise?
G: Promise.
M: Ok, but I am not organizing it. You have to plan everything. And make sure the plane doesn't cost too much.
G: Cool. We'll use my miles.
Two hours later we get on the plane. An hour after that our friend picks us up. It is 7pm, the sun is shining, and I remember why I adore Fairbanks in the summer. I wanted to drink some beer. We do. Two hours after we arrived our friend drove us to the motorhome, jumped started it and went home.
We cleaned the motorhome out, dropped off the winterizing stuff at the transfer station, washed the windows and were driving around to charge the battery.
G: Do you want to leave right now for Healy?
M: Alright. It's 10 at night. We won't get there until at least midnight.
G: That's okay. We're gonna sleep in the motorhome anyway, why don't we just get two hours out of the way tonight.
M: Why Healy?
G: It's the last place we can eat breakfast until just outside of Anchorage.
M: We can go to the store and get stuff to make. We're in a motorhome, you know.
G: That's true. Let's go.
M: okay.
We arrive in Healy at 12:30 and park in the Railroad yard. We had a nice drive and chatted. We are at our best when we are on an adventure. Especially an unplanned adventure. We brush our teeth and crawl into bed.
M: Oh no! We don't have a fan or heater or anything to make white noise.
[Greg breathes really loud when he sleeps and, for a normal person, it is no big deal. For a wierdo like me who cannot sleep if one small thing is wrong, it is a travesty. White noise is the only thing that drowns him out.
G: There are some earplugs up front.
M: But I had that horrific cold last week and earplugs will bring my earache back.
G: Well, don't bug me. I have to drive in the morning.
Long story short: the earplugs made my ears hurt. I can't sleep. I can't sleep. I am still not sleeping. I find another blanket and move to the other bed on the opposite side of the trailer. I am still not sleeping. I can still hear Greg breathe. It is getting chilly. It is cold. It is fucking cold and I am shivering. The sun comes up. I crawl back into bed with Greg. I am still not sleeping.
G: Did you sleep at all?
M: No. What time is it?
G: [looking at cell phone] 5am. You didn't tell me to be quiet once. You didn't even kick me.
M: I know. You said not to bother you because you had to drive.
G: You're not even cranky.
M: I got over being cranky a few hours ago.
G:Way to take one for the team.
M: Thanks.
We get ready and go to have breakfast at the only place in town. I wouldn't call it a town, more like two hotels, a few houses, and a coal mine. At any rate it was closed for another hour. We decided to press on.
Four hours later we roll into Anchorage exhausted and hungry. We clean out the motorhome and find a place to get it professionally cleaned for a reasonable rate, which takes most of the day. Greg takes a nap. I go to work. I get home at 10 and we watch the DVR of Dancing with the Stars. I got a good thing going.
Thursday, April 12
Three Simple Observations
Online tetris is addicting.
Online tetris has the ability to control one's life.
I am getting good at online tetris and recently reached level 15.
Online tetris has the ability to control one's life.
I am getting good at online tetris and recently reached level 15.
Wednesday, April 11
Anatomy of a Tuesday night
We are almost halfway through the new season of Dancing with the Stars and things are progressing fine. As always, I am disappointed in who has been eliminated and who is still in it because the audience votes don't necessarily correlate to who I think should be eliminated from the show. I do not vote, however, so I cannot complain (too much).
The show is on Monday nights and I watch it on DVR when I get home from teaching at 10pm. The last two weeks Greg has been able to watch it with me - although he went to work at 1am this week, so I stayed up past my bedtime and went to bed alone. Last night and the Tuesday before he was in Seward (remember a few posts ago when I said that he works 60-70 hours a week? A lot of his off-work time is spent in a town several hours away). Because he could not watch the television I was under strict instructions to call every time it was announced that someone would continue on to the next round or that they were in the bottom two. This means that I called him roughly four times in a half an hour period. We would quickly analyze the situation and the previous night's dances during the commercial, then hang up when the program resumed so I wouldn't miss a second. We both get giddy and some of you may be embarrassed for us. That's okay. We love it.
The show is on Monday nights and I watch it on DVR when I get home from teaching at 10pm. The last two weeks Greg has been able to watch it with me - although he went to work at 1am this week, so I stayed up past my bedtime and went to bed alone. Last night and the Tuesday before he was in Seward (remember a few posts ago when I said that he works 60-70 hours a week? A lot of his off-work time is spent in a town several hours away). Because he could not watch the television I was under strict instructions to call every time it was announced that someone would continue on to the next round or that they were in the bottom two. This means that I called him roughly four times in a half an hour period. We would quickly analyze the situation and the previous night's dances during the commercial, then hang up when the program resumed so I wouldn't miss a second. We both get giddy and some of you may be embarrassed for us. That's okay. We love it.
Tuesday, April 10
Friday, April 6
Overheard from my office
Man #1 (with a thick English accent): My sport is over. We lost to Sri Lanka in cricket.
Man #2 (with a thick American accent): Sri Lanka, huh?
Man #1: Yeah, I know. The next thing you know we'll be losing to Ireland or Scotland.
Man #2 (with a thick American accent): Sri Lanka, huh?
Man #1: Yeah, I know. The next thing you know we'll be losing to Ireland or Scotland.
Thursday, April 5
Thursday, March 29
Random Thoughts Round II
Quite a while ago I did a posting about nothing in particular and I think I will do it again. Just write and see what comes out.
1. I have been a bad blogger lately and it really only matters to perhaps two people in the whole world. The first one is Ebeth, but we IM fairly frequently, so I don't think she cares when I don't post. The other one is, well... I don't know, but someone else probably cares. Back when I used to look at who looked at my blog I had a frequent reader from Texas, so perhaps that person missing my musings. I doubt it though. They've probably moved on to bigger and better blogs.
2. I went to a psychic a while ago. Do you remember? I think I have referenced it a few times. Anyway she told me that I would go to Hawaii next year. I thought this was weird because while I wouldn't kick Hawaii outta bed, it is not necessarily high on my list (Thailand is totally kicking Hawaii's ass in regard to the next beach I want to go to - after Spain, of course). It turns out that she was a little off because my brother just got a new job (yea!) and will be traveling to Hawaii four times a year. I think it is pretty interesting that the psychic got my brother and I confused. What I care more about, though, is that my brother stole my trip to Hawaii. It's like we're kids again and he swiped my new toy. All of a sudden I really want to go to Hawaii.
3. Greg works a lot. We all know that. He averages 60-70 hours a week. Needless to say I don't see him much. However, we were lucky enough to spend some time together recently and I have to say, I really like him. He's a fun guy. It's not like I forget that I like/love him. Obviously that's not the case. But it does sometimes catch me off guard how much I really like just hanging out with him and I would like to do it more.
4. In order to see Greg I had to drive to Whittier last weekend. If you recall, Whittier is a town about an hour south of Anchorage and through a 3 mile one-way tunnel that cuts through a mountain. You can enter the town at the half hour and exit on the hour from the hours of 9-5. Land is limited so everyone lives/stays in one 15 story building. No joke - it is the condos, apartments, hotel, and bed and breakfast. Anyway, I wanted to spend some time with Greg so I drove down when I got done teaching on Saturday afternoon. We were given the Safari Suite. However, the only safari element was one painting of a baby tiger in what looked like a studio setting. The rest of the decorations were orcas and watercolors of Southwest architecture. We ate dinner at the only restaurant and when I ordered the cheeseburger he told me to make sure it was cooked all the way through and would not expand on why this was important.
5. This semester is killing me. It is mostly my fault because I accidentally bit off more than I could comfortably chew when I was offered another class late in the game. There is also an indescribable element that makes me feel like pulling my hair out and I cannot wait until it is all done and I can stop feeling like I want to hide under a rock.
6. It has been over 30 degrees all week. Things are starting to melt and I can now walk outside without fearing that my ears will fall off.
7. Kribi is getting fat but Greg doesn't want me to talk about it with you because it might give the little guy a complex.
1. I have been a bad blogger lately and it really only matters to perhaps two people in the whole world. The first one is Ebeth, but we IM fairly frequently, so I don't think she cares when I don't post. The other one is, well... I don't know, but someone else probably cares. Back when I used to look at who looked at my blog I had a frequent reader from Texas, so perhaps that person missing my musings. I doubt it though. They've probably moved on to bigger and better blogs.
2. I went to a psychic a while ago. Do you remember? I think I have referenced it a few times. Anyway she told me that I would go to Hawaii next year. I thought this was weird because while I wouldn't kick Hawaii outta bed, it is not necessarily high on my list (Thailand is totally kicking Hawaii's ass in regard to the next beach I want to go to - after Spain, of course). It turns out that she was a little off because my brother just got a new job (yea!) and will be traveling to Hawaii four times a year. I think it is pretty interesting that the psychic got my brother and I confused. What I care more about, though, is that my brother stole my trip to Hawaii. It's like we're kids again and he swiped my new toy. All of a sudden I really want to go to Hawaii.
3. Greg works a lot. We all know that. He averages 60-70 hours a week. Needless to say I don't see him much. However, we were lucky enough to spend some time together recently and I have to say, I really like him. He's a fun guy. It's not like I forget that I like/love him. Obviously that's not the case. But it does sometimes catch me off guard how much I really like just hanging out with him and I would like to do it more.
4. In order to see Greg I had to drive to Whittier last weekend. If you recall, Whittier is a town about an hour south of Anchorage and through a 3 mile one-way tunnel that cuts through a mountain. You can enter the town at the half hour and exit on the hour from the hours of 9-5. Land is limited so everyone lives/stays in one 15 story building. No joke - it is the condos, apartments, hotel, and bed and breakfast. Anyway, I wanted to spend some time with Greg so I drove down when I got done teaching on Saturday afternoon. We were given the Safari Suite. However, the only safari element was one painting of a baby tiger in what looked like a studio setting. The rest of the decorations were orcas and watercolors of Southwest architecture. We ate dinner at the only restaurant and when I ordered the cheeseburger he told me to make sure it was cooked all the way through and would not expand on why this was important.
5. This semester is killing me. It is mostly my fault because I accidentally bit off more than I could comfortably chew when I was offered another class late in the game. There is also an indescribable element that makes me feel like pulling my hair out and I cannot wait until it is all done and I can stop feeling like I want to hide under a rock.
6. It has been over 30 degrees all week. Things are starting to melt and I can now walk outside without fearing that my ears will fall off.
7. Kribi is getting fat but Greg doesn't want me to talk about it with you because it might give the little guy a complex.
Thursday, March 15
Feed Me!
I adore my friend Martha. She is wonderful in the all ways there are to be wonderful. When we were in college she made me a cake on my birthday. She let me live with her a summer. She is completely supportive of me and has always been a perfect friend. So, when she told me about this program to Reset my body and raved about how great it was I jumped at the opportunity. The point of the 5-day program is to put your body in a place where it no longer craves those things that are bad for you. Martha even quite smoking after doing it and I figured, if she could quit smoking, I could surely stop wanting ice cream.
On Sunday Greg and I started the program. It has been horrible. Greg has alternated between feeling good and feeling hungry. I, on the other hand, have been tired, cranky, and hungry. Here is a synopsis of my days:
Day 1: Greg went to Seward and I was home alone. I wanted to go do some work, but couldn't have tea so couldn't go to a coffee shop. It was too cold to go for a walk. I cleaned the house and then got very, very tired. I spent the evening whining to myself about how tired I felt and how upset my stomach was.
Day 2: Second easiest day of the ordeal but I was really, really cranky and hungry. I tried the vanilla shake and it took me 30 minutes to drink it becuase it made me want to vomit.
Day 3: My stomach really hurt and I called Martha to whine. She was supportive. I wanted to quit and Greg wouldn't let me. I felt desperate.
Me (holding Kribi): You know how getting kittens was, like, the greatest thing we could have done and they have given me eons of happiness?
Greg (suspiciously): Yeah...
Me: That is the exact opposite of our decision to do this stupid Reset thing. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me (and at that moment, I really meant it).
Day 4: In retrospect, the easiest day. Anything would have been better than day 3. This is not to say it was easy. Had a 9 hour work day and had to fight tooth and nail not to be mean to people. It seems like everywhere I turned there was food. I was watching tv last night because I had no brain power to do anything else and do you realize how many commercials there are for food and how many characters eat or talk about eating? I was also taken aback by all those skinny actresses and thinking about how their lives must be hell because they eat a similar diet to what I had been eating EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES.
Day 5: Today. I was trying to help a student and I actually almost fell over. Things went fuzzy and I was having a hard time concentrating on the paper in front of me. I am hungry. I am tired. I am in the middle of a 10 hour work day. I just want to go home and eat.
Martha said that I was supposed to have better concentration - she did, I didn't
Martha said that I would stop wanting bad food - any food sounds good to me. Pizza, broccoli, whatever. Bring it.
It's not Martha's fault. It worked so well for her that she is doing it again. I feel like I have been tortured and have lost 5 good days of my life. On the up side, I now know how long 5 days can be.
Maybe I'll be more positive once I get some solid food in me. Ooohhh. Solid food.
On Sunday Greg and I started the program. It has been horrible. Greg has alternated between feeling good and feeling hungry. I, on the other hand, have been tired, cranky, and hungry. Here is a synopsis of my days:
Day 1: Greg went to Seward and I was home alone. I wanted to go do some work, but couldn't have tea so couldn't go to a coffee shop. It was too cold to go for a walk. I cleaned the house and then got very, very tired. I spent the evening whining to myself about how tired I felt and how upset my stomach was.
Day 2: Second easiest day of the ordeal but I was really, really cranky and hungry. I tried the vanilla shake and it took me 30 minutes to drink it becuase it made me want to vomit.
Day 3: My stomach really hurt and I called Martha to whine. She was supportive. I wanted to quit and Greg wouldn't let me. I felt desperate.
Me (holding Kribi): You know how getting kittens was, like, the greatest thing we could have done and they have given me eons of happiness?
Greg (suspiciously): Yeah...
Me: That is the exact opposite of our decision to do this stupid Reset thing. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me (and at that moment, I really meant it).
Day 4: In retrospect, the easiest day. Anything would have been better than day 3. This is not to say it was easy. Had a 9 hour work day and had to fight tooth and nail not to be mean to people. It seems like everywhere I turned there was food. I was watching tv last night because I had no brain power to do anything else and do you realize how many commercials there are for food and how many characters eat or talk about eating? I was also taken aback by all those skinny actresses and thinking about how their lives must be hell because they eat a similar diet to what I had been eating EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES.
Day 5: Today. I was trying to help a student and I actually almost fell over. Things went fuzzy and I was having a hard time concentrating on the paper in front of me. I am hungry. I am tired. I am in the middle of a 10 hour work day. I just want to go home and eat.
Martha said that I was supposed to have better concentration - she did, I didn't
Martha said that I would stop wanting bad food - any food sounds good to me. Pizza, broccoli, whatever. Bring it.
It's not Martha's fault. It worked so well for her that she is doing it again. I feel like I have been tortured and have lost 5 good days of my life. On the up side, I now know how long 5 days can be.
Maybe I'll be more positive once I get some solid food in me. Ooohhh. Solid food.
Thursday, March 8
This is True Love and Maturity
Most of you know by now that sleeping is my nemesis. I swear I spend half of my life thinking about sleep, wishing I had slept well, and hoping that I will be able to sleep through the night. When my sleeping issues first started I would have anxiety attacks in the middle of the night and I would be lucky to sleep for a few hours. When I went to college the attacks subsided a little bit but I actually had to schedule nap time into my day in order to survive (strangely, because there is no pressure to sleep, I am good little napper). Once I started sleeping next to Greg my attacks almost disappeared, but he sleeps really hot and as a result I am often awake because it is simply too hot to sleep - so hot it feels like my bones are on fire and cannot possibly be room temperature ever again. Bottom line: the last time I slept through the night was last spring when I woke up with a stranger on my couch. Most nights I physically get out of bed several times a night and while I may be in my room for 8-10 hours a night I never sleep that much.
Last weekend my aunt and cousin came up for the start of the Iditarod. The night they headed back to the lower 48, Greg was sent to Seward to work for a week. I was exhausted from my hosting/work duties and slept well in the middle of the bed. That was Monday night. Tuesday night I went to sleep at midnight and woke up at 8 feeling refreshed. I only woke up once and did not get out of bed at all. Last night I was feeling good. I had the special feeling of calmness that told me I would sleep well. I was excited and ready. I was asleep by 10:45.
At 12:30 all hell broke loose in my room. There were eight paws pounding across my head. Meows were running rampant. Kribi was leaping up walls and turning lights on. My response ranged from "please, kitties, stop." to "Shut the fuck up already and leave me alone!" Nothing worked. Kribi was the main problem and in an effort to not unnecessarily punish Limbe I gave Kribi a stern talking to and left him in the living room. He followed me back and continued his shenanigans. My deep breathing and efforts to limit my panic were not working. I got up and turned the lights on in order to catch them. They knew something was up so they dispensed under the bed (Kribi) and in the closet (Limbe). After finally finding them I locked them out of my room and fell back asleep.
Things were going fine until 5am. They were trying to break in. It was quiet at first, then the door started banging a bit. There were several large thumps that could only have been made by them running into the door at a dead sprint. I pushed my bathrobe between the floor and the bottom of the door to stop some of the play. Didn't help. I hit the door twice hoping to scare them away. It didn't. I finally let them back in (because I am weak) at 6. They sauntered in as if nothing were going on and 45 minutes later Kribi was sitting on my chest nose-to-nose with me asking me to pet him. I told him I was mad at him but he didn't care; he's persistent.
I was giving them the cold shoulder all morning while I was getting ready, but I don't think they noticed. I am tired this morning because I was in a battle last night. Do you know what I did anyway though? I cleaned their kitty litter. I hope they appreciate it and leave me alone tonight.
Last weekend my aunt and cousin came up for the start of the Iditarod. The night they headed back to the lower 48, Greg was sent to Seward to work for a week. I was exhausted from my hosting/work duties and slept well in the middle of the bed. That was Monday night. Tuesday night I went to sleep at midnight and woke up at 8 feeling refreshed. I only woke up once and did not get out of bed at all. Last night I was feeling good. I had the special feeling of calmness that told me I would sleep well. I was excited and ready. I was asleep by 10:45.
At 12:30 all hell broke loose in my room. There were eight paws pounding across my head. Meows were running rampant. Kribi was leaping up walls and turning lights on. My response ranged from "please, kitties, stop." to "Shut the fuck up already and leave me alone!" Nothing worked. Kribi was the main problem and in an effort to not unnecessarily punish Limbe I gave Kribi a stern talking to and left him in the living room. He followed me back and continued his shenanigans. My deep breathing and efforts to limit my panic were not working. I got up and turned the lights on in order to catch them. They knew something was up so they dispensed under the bed (Kribi) and in the closet (Limbe). After finally finding them I locked them out of my room and fell back asleep.
Things were going fine until 5am. They were trying to break in. It was quiet at first, then the door started banging a bit. There were several large thumps that could only have been made by them running into the door at a dead sprint. I pushed my bathrobe between the floor and the bottom of the door to stop some of the play. Didn't help. I hit the door twice hoping to scare them away. It didn't. I finally let them back in (because I am weak) at 6. They sauntered in as if nothing were going on and 45 minutes later Kribi was sitting on my chest nose-to-nose with me asking me to pet him. I told him I was mad at him but he didn't care; he's persistent.
I was giving them the cold shoulder all morning while I was getting ready, but I don't think they noticed. I am tired this morning because I was in a battle last night. Do you know what I did anyway though? I cleaned their kitty litter. I hope they appreciate it and leave me alone tonight.
Wednesday, March 7
Sshh! Don't Tell
I got a DVR because I teach on the same night that the new season of Dancing with the Stars is on.
Enough Already!
I've had it up to here with cold weather.
:::jumping up and down with my arm extended trying to reach as high as possible:::
There is a spike in suicides and divorce rates in Alaska in March and I know why. (There is no danger of either, I am just illustrating a point, so chill). Researchers say it is because people always say when spring comes things will be better and then spring comes and things aren't better. I have been saying this to myself for a while - once it gets lighter and warmer I will feel better. Baby, it aint happenin. We now have sunlight over 10 hours a day, which is very helpful - I am able to get out of bed without crawling into the shower too tired to weep. But it is still unbearably cold and I have lost my patience with waiting to be warm. February was brutal and didn't snow at all. I woke up to a forcast of a foot of snow and was horrified when I stepped outside and I was freezing and the wind had still not let up. I just want to walk outside without wanting the bitch-slap the weather.
In case you haven't noticed, I still really don't like it here. The only thing I can do is quote Cordelia: I have lost all will to cheerlead
:::jumping up and down with my arm extended trying to reach as high as possible:::
There is a spike in suicides and divorce rates in Alaska in March and I know why. (There is no danger of either, I am just illustrating a point, so chill). Researchers say it is because people always say when spring comes things will be better and then spring comes and things aren't better. I have been saying this to myself for a while - once it gets lighter and warmer I will feel better. Baby, it aint happenin. We now have sunlight over 10 hours a day, which is very helpful - I am able to get out of bed without crawling into the shower too tired to weep. But it is still unbearably cold and I have lost my patience with waiting to be warm. February was brutal and didn't snow at all. I woke up to a forcast of a foot of snow and was horrified when I stepped outside and I was freezing and the wind had still not let up. I just want to walk outside without wanting the bitch-slap the weather.
In case you haven't noticed, I still really don't like it here. The only thing I can do is quote Cordelia: I have lost all will to cheerlead
Thursday, March 1
Then and Now
The way things are going it looks like I am never going to put non-formulaic content onto this blog. That is good for me. This way I don't have to try to justify my lack of writing prowess - only my lack of wit.
20 years ago (1987)
Age? 6
Were you in school? If so, where and for what?
Estacada Grade School. First Grade. Miss Vicki's class. Last classroom on the right. Charlie Brown bus.
What was I in school for? To learn how to read the word bulldozer. I recall that I was in the top reading group of the class and on open house I showed my parents our reading group's table and the book we were reading. I was very proud, you see, because I thought reading was super fun and I wanted to show my parents how grown-up I was. I recall my mom mentioning something to my dad about reading an impractical word like "bulldozer." I don't recall the context but know that I felt conflicted, although I am not sure why.
Where did you work?
At home. I had some chores I worked to ignore.
Where did you live?
E-S-T-A-C-A-D-A.What were your regular haunts?
EGS, home wandering around the 6 acres, and The Caz. Sometimes my mom and I would get soft-serve Vanilla ice cream from the ice cream place that has since been torn down that had cartoon characters on the rotating sign. When I was good my mom would take me to the only Chinese restaurant in town and I'd have sweet and sour pork.
Did you wear glasses?
nope.
Who was your best friend?
Erin.
How many tattoos did you have?
None!
How many piercings did you have?
None - I was too young to have my ears pierced.
What did you drive?
My mom would let me steer her old school Mercedes up our 1/2 mile driveway. Mostly I was chauffeured.
Had you been to a real party yet?
I went to a party at Skate World in Clackamas, does that count?
Heart broken yet?
no.
Status on the market?
No market in first grade. Although I do recall thinking that Johnny from the first grade class to the immediate left of Miss Vicki's as being very cute. I recall one moment when we were all going out to recess and I saw him. My memory has provided a soft lens and his sandy-blond hair was cropped short. He was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt - straight out of the 1950's. That moment is all I remember.
Ten years ago (1997)
Age?
16
Were you in school?
Yup. St. Mary's Academy - my all-girls, Catholic, college-prep high school.
Where did you work?
I didn't have an official job - but we'll count my athletic career as a job because I never had more than two weeks off in the summer.
Where did you live?
With my mom and Harold in their condo at Riverplace in downtown Portland.
What were your regular haunts?
gyms, SMA, Hot Lips Pizza, gyms, downtown Portland, gyms, coffee shops, friend's houses, KOIN or Broadway movie theatres
Did you wear glasses?
No way.
Who was your best friend?
Meredith
How many tattoos did you have?
none.
What did you drive?
My mom and step-dad's cars
Had you been to a real party yet?
Not really.
Heart broken yet?
Yeah. Worst of my life, too.
Status on the market?
On, but at an all-girls high school I might as well have been off.
Five years ago (2002)
Age? 21
Were you in school? If so, where and for what?
Yeah, I was in school. The University of Alaska Fairbanks, home of the Nanooks. 4 hours of sunlight and temperatures that didn't break 0 for 8 months. Very far away from home and a completely different culture = exactly what I was looking for.
Major: Communication
Minor: Women's Studies
Hobbies: Drinking
Where did you work?
I gave up my full athletic scholarship the year before, so the first part of the year I was working at my first real non-basketball or coaching related job: Sports Information Assistant. Maybe it wasn't that far away from basketball, but I did write a lot. The next fall I got a job with United Academics, which is more in line with what I do now.
Where did you live?
With Greg in a cabin with no water in the woods. Then it was sold (yes, people buy homes with no water in the woods) and we moved to the bottom floor of a duplex 2 doors down from my old coach during winter. And they say I haven't given Alaska a chance. HELLO! I lived on Yellow Snow Road for goodness sake.
What were your regular haunts?
UAF, the pub on campus, the Wood Center, the library, Gruening, the Red Fox.
Did you wear glasses?
Still had perfect vision.
Who were your best friends?
Greg and Heather
How many tattoos did you have?
None.
How many piercings did you have?
My ears and my belly button - which Todd and Jen took me to get in the East Village in NYC when I was 17.
What did you drive?
Banky - my first car. He's a white Toyota Tacoma extended cab pick-up truck.
I would sometimes ride in Grandma, Greg's Buick Lasabre that didn't have any heat. We had a whole bunch of wool blankets in there and it still was warmer outside the car than inside (remember that it was -20 below outside all the time).
Had you been to a real party yet?
Um, yes.
Heart broken yet?
yes.
Status on the market?
Off. I'd been with Greg for 2 years already.
As of today (2007)
Age
26 in 24 days
Are you in school? If so, where and for what?
I teach English/writing/liberal studies at two schools.
Where do you work?
see above
Where do you live?
I was reading the Anchorage Press a few weeks ago (the trying-to-be-hip weekly newspaper - like Willamette Week or the Mercury) and the cover story was whether it was easy to score drugs and prostitutes in Anchorage. The good news? The writers ended up in Fairview where they got some crack AND a hooker. Just a few blocks from our house! I was telling Greg that it saves the earth becuase we don't have to drive far to get our vices.
What are your regular haunts?
Home, work, Bear's Tooth, Kaladi downtown, Noble's Diner, Title Wave.
Do you wear glasses?
Alas, yes. I went to go get my driver's license renewed last summer and she wouldn't renew it because my eyes were too bad. It turns out that I can read for a lot longer without falling asleep, road signs are not as bad as I thought, and we do not need a new tv.
Who is your best friend?
Greg.
Ebeth/Lisa/Taya
Do you talk to your old friends?
Yes. I was in Mere's wedding this last summer and I saw Heather when I last went to Fairbanks.
Do you have a crush?
John Cusak/Lloyd Dobbler forever.
How many tattoos do you have?
one and it is perfect.
How many piercings do you have?
still the two
What do you drive?
Still have Banky. He is joined by Dorie, our Honda Accord that is now "my" car.
Have you been to a real party yet?
Lately? No.
Status on the market?
Off. The last time I was on the market was 6 years ago.
What? I have my babies - Limbe and Kribi. Greg tells me that I will love our own children more than the kittens, but I am not sure how that is possible.
EZBeth, if you wouldn't mind following my lead?
Wednesday, February 21
Lucky Number 6
Thelizabeff tagged me to do this lame-o list of six odd things about me or else she would make the list for me. I am little scared because I have always been the kind of person that people feel okay telling me about quirks in my personality and I am not sure I want to add 6 new neurosis to the world at large. I'm doing it today for the following reasons:
- I am afraid of thelizabeff - I imagine her like a cat in that she's lovely, spry, and not someone you want mad at you.
- I have a lot of work to do and I am very tired of working.
- I feel like this: blaaaah. I might as well wallow in my oddities.
If you want to see Thelizabeff's list click here
Here we go:
1. I often get the overwhelming sensation that I am not nearly old enough to do a lot of the everyday things in life. Surprisingly it is rarely things like "I have to pay a mortgage." I am far more likely to get overcome with the idea that I am going to get out of the shower and walk onto my closet in my bedroom where there is A BOY IN THE BED. A real boy. There is a boy right on the other side of this door and he won't think anything of seeing me without clothes on. My inner 13-year-old just cannot believe that this is reality. Or even something as mundane as grocery shopping. I will walk through the aisles with my shopping cart and think, "I have a shopping cart and I am buying food for my household. I am an adult? That can't be right? Can it?"
2. I read a study when I was in college reporting that people that breathe with their mouths open tend to have lower IQs than people who breathe through their nose with their mouths closed. As a result, whenever I catch myself breathing through my mouth I catch myself and close my mouth immediately and think "be smart, Mary, be smart." As if closing my mouth will somehow make me smarter.
3. I call my kittens my kids, as in "Hi Kids!" when I walk through the door. Greg gets mad.
4. When I am super-duper tired and cannot sleep (which is actually quite often) I actually burst into tears. Then I get a headache. I also curse really loud. None of these things help with getting to sleep.
5. When I was a kid my immediate family called me The Bear because I was so cranky when I woke up. I was really mean. I still am, but I try really, really hard to be civil. It is still best if you give me half an hour before you start talking to me, though.
6. When I see kids having a temper-tantrum in public I am often envious of them. There are tooooooons of times I want to jump up and down and yell at everyone to get away from me because I have just had it!
- I am afraid of thelizabeff - I imagine her like a cat in that she's lovely, spry, and not someone you want mad at you.
- I have a lot of work to do and I am very tired of working.
- I feel like this: blaaaah. I might as well wallow in my oddities.
If you want to see Thelizabeff's list click here
Here we go:
1. I often get the overwhelming sensation that I am not nearly old enough to do a lot of the everyday things in life. Surprisingly it is rarely things like "I have to pay a mortgage." I am far more likely to get overcome with the idea that I am going to get out of the shower and walk onto my closet in my bedroom where there is A BOY IN THE BED. A real boy. There is a boy right on the other side of this door and he won't think anything of seeing me without clothes on. My inner 13-year-old just cannot believe that this is reality. Or even something as mundane as grocery shopping. I will walk through the aisles with my shopping cart and think, "I have a shopping cart and I am buying food for my household. I am an adult? That can't be right? Can it?"
2. I read a study when I was in college reporting that people that breathe with their mouths open tend to have lower IQs than people who breathe through their nose with their mouths closed. As a result, whenever I catch myself breathing through my mouth I catch myself and close my mouth immediately and think "be smart, Mary, be smart." As if closing my mouth will somehow make me smarter.
3. I call my kittens my kids, as in "Hi Kids!" when I walk through the door. Greg gets mad.
4. When I am super-duper tired and cannot sleep (which is actually quite often) I actually burst into tears. Then I get a headache. I also curse really loud. None of these things help with getting to sleep.
5. When I was a kid my immediate family called me The Bear because I was so cranky when I woke up. I was really mean. I still am, but I try really, really hard to be civil. It is still best if you give me half an hour before you start talking to me, though.
6. When I see kids having a temper-tantrum in public I am often envious of them. There are tooooooons of times I want to jump up and down and yell at everyone to get away from me because I have just had it!
Thursday, February 15
If It's Not Irish It's Crap
Look - I know the saying is "if it's not Scottish it's crap," but bare with me.
Greg has taken to a speaking with an Irish accent. It's better than his French accent (which is NOT saying much), but worse than his Alaska Native one.
There are several cute things about this:
Greg has taken to a speaking with an Irish accent. It's better than his French accent (which is NOT saying much), but worse than his Alaska Native one.
There are several cute things about this:
- He gets all bubbly and tends to prance or hop rather than walk when he is talking.
- He turns into a Chatty Cathy and just will not stop talking - which is includes play-by-plays of everything going on.
- He thinks he is wildly charming
- He thinks it demonstrates his worldliness
- He frequently pronounces "Brad Pitt can kiss my ass!" (in the accent, of course) because my brother told him that his Irish accent was better than Brad Pitt's. (Also stated: you can blog about how my Irish accent is better than Brad Pitt's, if you want.)
- He called my brother to talk to him over the phone in an Irish accent.
- He'll ask me to say his name. I'll say it and he'll reply "oui" rather than "aye" and then stop, moan, and ask me to do it again.
- He has bought a shit-load of Irish music of iTunes.
- He turns into a Chatty Cathy and just will not stop talking - which is includes play-by-plays of everything going on.
- He will not stop talking - even to include me in the conversation.
- He will speak in his accent when I don't think it's cute because I am really tired. Like right when I wake-up or am trying to go to sleep. I need a buffer.
- It's not very good.
- HE WILL NOT STOP!
- It has been almost a week straight.
Sunday, February 11
Panic! At The Disco
My only journal entry for the last several weeks is this: panic, panic, panic.
I have about a million things on my plate right now, all of which either deeply affect my near future (and I thus care about immensely), deeply affect my students and soon-to-be students (and I thus care about immensely), or deeply affect my sanity (and I thus care about immensely).
So, I apologize to the two people (why only two? don't you people love me?) who have expressed interest or concern regarding my lack of posting. I only have the following story to subside you because I do not have the mental capacity at the current moment to follow thelizabeff's suggestion for a posting. Sorry. Maybe later.
When I lived in Portland I would spend Wednesday nights from 7-8pm walking around southeast listening to "The American Life," my favorite show on any medium. It gave me an immense sense of peace, and now that I can get it on podcast and can listen to it whenever I want (I work when our NPR affiliate plays it), I decided to bundle up for a walk. Unfortunately I cannot just head out my front door because the snow is plowed on sidewalks, so I drove to Westchester Lagoon to walk on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Once I got used to the tender walking that is required when on fresh snow and identified that I needed to get out of the way of cross-country skiers, I quickly lost myself in the stories of Ira Glass and Company. In fact, I got so wrapped up in what was developing in my earphones that I didn't hear the skier coming up behind me until I heard a faint "on your left!" I turned around and a smiling-but-very-very-close Tony Knowles was trying desperately to change directions as to not hit me. After realizing that I was taking up over half of the trail, I jumped to the right and he was able to glide past me without either one of us falling. I couldn't help but smack my head because if there is anyone that should get the right away on the Tony Knowles Coastal trail, it is Tony Knowles.
Is that good enough for now?
I have about a million things on my plate right now, all of which either deeply affect my near future (and I thus care about immensely), deeply affect my students and soon-to-be students (and I thus care about immensely), or deeply affect my sanity (and I thus care about immensely).
So, I apologize to the two people (why only two? don't you people love me?) who have expressed interest or concern regarding my lack of posting. I only have the following story to subside you because I do not have the mental capacity at the current moment to follow thelizabeff's suggestion for a posting. Sorry. Maybe later.
When I lived in Portland I would spend Wednesday nights from 7-8pm walking around southeast listening to "The American Life," my favorite show on any medium. It gave me an immense sense of peace, and now that I can get it on podcast and can listen to it whenever I want (I work when our NPR affiliate plays it), I decided to bundle up for a walk. Unfortunately I cannot just head out my front door because the snow is plowed on sidewalks, so I drove to Westchester Lagoon to walk on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Once I got used to the tender walking that is required when on fresh snow and identified that I needed to get out of the way of cross-country skiers, I quickly lost myself in the stories of Ira Glass and Company. In fact, I got so wrapped up in what was developing in my earphones that I didn't hear the skier coming up behind me until I heard a faint "on your left!" I turned around and a smiling-but-very-very-close Tony Knowles was trying desperately to change directions as to not hit me. After realizing that I was taking up over half of the trail, I jumped to the right and he was able to glide past me without either one of us falling. I couldn't help but smack my head because if there is anyone that should get the right away on the Tony Knowles Coastal trail, it is Tony Knowles.
Is that good enough for now?
Friday, January 19
I flew to Portland out of Fairbanks which has a very small, almost outpost airport. While there, I went to the little restaurant and ordered a soda for my wait. It was a self-serve unit, but there weren't any cups left, so I had to flag down the person who worked there and asked for some more. It was about this time that I noticed a young couple to my left that were speaking Japanese and obviously trying to figure out what was on the menu but were having trouble with the English. I thought back to asking the man for cups and realized that while I didn't say any exceptionally big words, I didn't use elementary English either. It was all so easy. I asked in a fairly sophisticated way for what I needed, he responded, I gave him money and I was done. Almost no mental strain had to go into the situation.
All of a sudden I missed my husband and wished we were in a foreign airport where we couldn't understand the menu and had to pick words out that we recognized - which would inevitably be few. I love the excitement of it all and the humility that comes from not knowing how to do everything or communicate my needs effectively. While standing there I took a second to appreciate the global world we live in and the fact that I was standing next to people I probably couldn't hold a conversation with but I felt a kinship towards. We were the same.
All of a sudden I missed my husband and wished we were in a foreign airport where we couldn't understand the menu and had to pick words out that we recognized - which would inevitably be few. I love the excitement of it all and the humility that comes from not knowing how to do everything or communicate my needs effectively. While standing there I took a second to appreciate the global world we live in and the fact that I was standing next to people I probably couldn't hold a conversation with but I felt a kinship towards. We were the same.
Monday, January 8
Wiener Casserole
When I got married my aunt gave me a book of recipes she received from my other aunt when she got married. It is full of wildly exciting and exotic recipes like spam casserole. My favorite, though, has always been wiener casserole but I have never had the nerve to make it. However, this New Year's Eve my parents were visiting and I decided that it was time to go back in history. So I did. The results were that Greg refused to eat it, my step-father liked it a lot, and my mother was a good sport.
In case you want to try it yourself, here is the recipe:
1 pound diced wieners
2 cups chopped cheddar cheese
1 can of corn
1 can of olives
1 can of beans
1 small onion
2 cups of ketchup (!)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsn sugar
Mix together and bake for 1 hour at 350
In case you want to try it yourself, here is the recipe:
1 pound diced wieners
2 cups chopped cheddar cheese
1 can of corn
1 can of olives
1 can of beans
1 small onion
2 cups of ketchup (!)
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsn sugar
Mix together and bake for 1 hour at 350
Looking Good
Barista: How are you?
Mary: I am doing just fine. How are you?
Barista: Fantastic. When you look this good at my age you cease having bad days.
Mary: I am doing just fine. How are you?
Barista: Fantastic. When you look this good at my age you cease having bad days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)