trying to be busy

There are three weeks left until the start of school, and I cannot be happier about it. Don't get me wrong, I love vacation, but I've had my fill of it by Week 3.

This is also the first summer since high school when I wasn't working in some capacity. Summer after high school, it was waiting tables at Applebee's. Every summer in college, it was newspaper internships. Summer after college, it was grad school and Ann Taylor. The one after that, Miami Herald. And the last summer, Boston Globe. So I've been gainfully employed every summer for the past few years. Except this year. And I am bored out of my gourd.

The first few weeks was fun. My body clock slowly adjusted to not waking up at 5:30 without an alarm. I checked my work e-mail once every few days in case something happens (see below). I read "Ethan Frome," which has been languishing on my Amazon reading list. I bought my second copy of "Twelfth Night" and am churning away at that. I had a fantastic cello lesson because I actually had time to practice all my pieces. As you can see, I have returned to blogging for myself, not just for my students.

I went home for two weeks, and that was when extreme boredom sets in. And as James and Christina can attest, it is no good when Julie is bored. In my two weeks at home, I baked a lot of blueberry and assorted blueberry-inspired pies. I read many a Wikipedia article, ranging from the tallest buildings in Boston to the Empire of Japan and the histories of China and Taiwan to members of the Tudor dynasty, when I started watching "The Tudors" on my Netflix Watch Instantly. Of course, I have also read random Wikipedia articles. I also went to my parent's gym daily. I have to say, it's weird to go to a coed gym when your gym is women-only. I feel a lot more self-conscious about even walking in the free-weights area and a lot of more conscious about how fast or how long I run. Random Urban Dictionary articles at 2 a.m. was a fun experience, too. SportsCenter (which seemed to always be on) and afternoon episodes of CSI and CSI: NY also sustained me. Part of the reason for the boredom, I think, is because my sister wasn't also home; she usually is when I am. So it was just me, mom and dad. Is this what it's like to be an only child? I am grateful to have a sibling. :) Love ya, Amez!

Since I've returned to Boston, things have been a lot better. I feel freer, but I am still bored. The increased gym participation continues. I returned to yoga class today for the first time in almost a year. I finished reading "Brick Lane" early Thursday morning, when I stayed up till 4:30 a.m.

Someone asked me on Monday what my life centers around. Maybe it's because we were just discussing my first unit of the school year, but my first reaction and what I said was, "My students. Because I would be bereft without them." Since then, the more I think about it, the more my answer troubles me. While it true that "school" does not seem like "work" to me, it is what I do for a living. So essentially, with my answer, I am saying that my life centers around my work, and I don't think that's true. And this is why it's important to point out how I spent my last summers because I am now realizing how important it is for me to keep busy. Even though I enjoy teaching and find it challenging every day, my friends and family are also important. Family, that's standard, but friendship, I value. I'm the kind of person who holds close friends near and dear. So the more I think about my answer, I think it's the wrong answer.

With three weeks left of summer, I actually have real work to do to prepare for the school year. I have to reread the students' summer reading so I can know what I am talking about (again). I am attending a summer workshop on the transition to high school life in a few weeks. And my department chair volunteered me to the take-home summer workshop on writing a rubric for a pre-existing subject-area assignment. I also need to revise the formatting and other basics of the freshman research project. And bone up on my India/Hinduism/Buddhism, which is the first unit.

So, I actually have work to do for the next three weeks. :) To-do list, coming right up!

cute skirt!

Bought a great skirt at Marshall's today after I now-nearly-daily trips to Borders at either Copley or Downtown Crossing because my apartment is just too damn hot. I bring my book (currently "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali, bought at the Boston Public Library's book sale on Saturday for $.50) and make myself comfortable in one of the couches. If Downtown Crossing, I get a great view from the second floor window of the statues in the little plaza below. It's great people watching when I take a break from the book. If Copley, I can sit at the coffee shop and read or snuggle in one of the couches, but no view.

Anyway, after Borders today, I went across the street to the Marshall's and found this cute skirt -- but I have no clue what to wear with it! You can't see it from the picture, but the top part is pale yellow with green and brown polka-dots. :)

summer saviour

I left my red desk fan in my filing cabinet at school and have been regretting it for about two days now. Problems solved with my silver-framed saviour. You can't see it, but the blades were definitely spinning. Life is so much better.

by request: bacon pineapple fried rice

My mom's recipe. By request from James. My mom makes this with Taiwanese sausages, which you can buy from basically any self-respecting Chinese grocery store.

Speaking of Asian grocery stores, the Super 88 Market in Allston/Brighton has officially lost my loyalty. I've noticed that starting with their renovation around last winter, its supplies has been dwindling significantly. We're talking about less and less selection of oils, brands of popular supplies (like soy sauce, for cryin' out loud) and just choice of basic necessities. The new store looks great, by the way, and I wasn't fazed when I couldn't find any New Year's cake on New Year's eve -- I mean, it's to be expected when one procrastinates. However, a few weeks ago, I went in search of two -- again, BASIC -- items: sesame oil and a 5 pound bag of rice. I left empty-handed. Why, you ask? Because there was no sesame oil to be bought, and only about five or six 25 pound bags of rice to be seen in the store's alcove of rice. Also since the renovation, Super 88 has drastically reduced the brands of dumplings they carry -- in fact, from about three or four different brands to just one. I have not returned to the market since. The food court, though, is still full of deliciousness.

After leaving frustrated and annoyed, I went to John's Market in Allston/Brighton and procured the necessary items plus awesome kimchi. The proprietor is super nice. :) He even gave me a free can of iced coffee (!), which I deperately needed after a long day at school. Does he do this for everyone? Or did I fake being Korean really well? Maybe he just recognized an awesome dudette when he saw one? I kid! :)

Back to the recipe. Again, Taiwanese sausage is best, but bacon will do. If you use the sausage, you might need to put in a little oil before adding the rice. If using the bacon, the fat rendered should be good. Off we go!

BACON PINEAPPLE FRIED RICE

ingredients:

* 1/2 package of bacon OR 1/2 package of Taiwanese sausage, sliced

* small can of chunky or crushed pineapples or 1/2 regular can, drained

* 1 cup of steamed white rice, best if on the dry side (but cooked through! none of the this crunchy-grain business. ew.)

* 1/2 diced onions, if desired

salt

pepper

procedure:

* in large frying pan, saute meat until fat is rendered and meat is slightly burned

* add pineapples (and onions) and cook for about a minute

* add rice and incorporate bacon/sausage and pineapples. It helps if you get the rice sit for a little while to soak in the grease (!) before flipping it around

* salt and pepper to taste

six pies for dad!

Dad loved my pies and requested more for upcoming breakfasts and snacks! So I made six pies, one to eat and five to freeze for later. Three blueberry/strawberry and three blueberry/strawberry/peach. Hope pies freeze well ... Pics!

This one is the blueberry/strawberry/peach. See the chunk of peace sticking out? I changed brands of pie crust this time -- Pillsbury (cheaper) -- but am not sure if I like it. One of the crust dough was already separated between the bottom and the sides.

The six pies! Left, the ones with peach. More golden brown this time. Figured out that I needed to take the foil/rice out of the pies and continue baking until golden brown. Also, the Pillsbury doesn't smell as good coming out of the oven as the Mrs. Smith.

my very first blueberry pie!

The family and I went blueberry picking on Saturday! It was pretty fantastic, if one overlooks the incredible heat and humidity in the fields. I've forgotten how nice people can be in the South. So Sunday was a pie-making day!

This basket was full when we got home. The other half is in the fridge.

Four cups of blueberries!

Pie crust ... courtesy of Mrs. Smith

lemon juice, sugar, corn starch.

boiling blueberries! I love it when they pop!

finished product ... so shiny

made one the next day with a nectarine.

Four-flavor Shrimp

There were some awesome shrimp at Super 88 yesterday, so I bought a pound, thinking that I can make it with into a noodle soup or saute with vegetables. But no! I had a better idea! My mom makes these amazing garlic shrimp ... mmm ... this is a variation. No pictures, sorry, but it looked great! :)

This will be enough for about 2-3 people.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of chopped garlic, fresh or jarred

3-4 Thai red chillies ... or any chilli

salt

pepper

basil optional

vegetable oil

1 pound of shrimp with heads on

Wok or large saute pan

Procedure:

* using a pair of scissors, trim the whiskers off the shrimp

* heat about 2 Tbp of oil in wok or pan

* add garlic and chillies and stir until they get their aroma out (1 minute?)

* add shrimp and cook until done (red and slightly curled)

* add salt and pepper to taste

* add basil if desired :)

so it's been a little while ...

In fact, I don't believe I have written in this thing since I've started teaching in earnest ... in September? (edit: OK. I am wrong. Since July 28. Holy cow.) Well, lots of things have happened since then, and it's too much to go into detail, but I will try to recap. Here we go.

Rest of summer ...

Ended the internship at the Globe on Aug. 29, which also ended the week of overlap where I worked two full-time jobs -- the high school and the newspaper. Leave for work in the morning at 6:30 and haul my ass to Dorchester in hopes of not hitting traffic. Sneak a nap in the Globe parking lot (hoping not to get caught). Copy edit until midnight or so, get home around 12:30, sleep, wake up, repeat. Thankfully, Monday was a teacher workday (no kids), and Friday was Labor Day break. So only three days of real overlap. But still. Whew.

In the fall ...

* School started in September and moved in to the new place on Sept. 1 to the news that school the next day (Tuesday) had been canceled. This is new-teacher hazing? No, no, it is not. The boiler room flooded in the school and we would not have school for the next three days. School resumed that Friday. Talk about screwing with momentum.

* Constant overwhelmed feeling in the beginning. For the first two weeks or so, I've had to literally pinch myself to remind myself that I am really a teacher and am responsible for some kids' knowledge of world history. It was a scary feeling. Still is.

* Homecoming trip to L.A. and hung out with the gang. So great to be all together once again! Thanksgiving at Jen and Ravi's place. Really good turkey.

* Started tutoring in earnest in AP U.S. and world history I. Attended a Christmas party the mom threw. A little awkward, but pretty good fun. :)

* Went home for Christmas. School didn't let off until the 23rd, and I will never fly Delta again. Broke up with the boyfriend. It is true.

In the spring ...

* Took up cello again. But the practicing, as with piano before, does not come easily. Especially because I have way less time now.

* Started fantasizing about potential vacations during February break, but nothing came to fruition. Basically because I need to save money and because I spent February break holed up in various coffee shops around Boston and the western suburbs for hours at a time. But still only finished the Rome/Byzantine tests, not the Rome essays. Those didn't get done until last weekend, when I forced myself to face the music. I estimate that 70 percent of my teaching time is actually spent grading. The other stuff is planning and e-mails and students coming in for help.

* Was the bearer of bad and good news at the end of February/early March when I started having individual conversations with students about course selection for the sophomore year. One almost-tear, a few argumentative, a few disappointments, a lot of appeal forms.

* Have been tutoring a lot more, which is good because it is basically paying my student loans.

* Co-hosted my first dinner party with Whitney at my apartment. It was less awkward than I expected, which is good! I'd say it was a success. Pictures to come.

I am now planning my summer. I want to take some classes offered through Primary Source, an institute that offers professional development opportunities to history teachers that also potentially fund trips to worldwide destinations. In the immediate future, though, I am thinking about April plans (imaginary vacations), Amy's graduation, maybe a trip to Chicago (my first time!) and taking classes at Harvard Extension in the fall.

My next unit is Islam and the Muslim empires, so I am reading, learning and researching. If anyone has any suggestions, send them my way!

I am also fulfilling one of my life dreams tomorrow ... proctoring the SATs! I am super excited. My consolation is that Roanne, one of the English teachers at the school, is just as nerdly excited as me. :)

BLT soup

First, I love soup. I had BLT soup in the Globe cafeteria the other day and thought it was pretty good. Unlike most people, I rarely have problems with cafeteria food and was one of those kids in school who didn't complain. Anyway. So I thought I would replicate it in my kitchen.

BLT Soup:

Ingredients:
* 2-3 cups diced cooked chicken OR 5-6 chicken drumsticks
* chicken broth if you're using diced chicken
* 1/2 package of bacon or half of a full package of bacon.
* 1 yellow onion, diced
* 3 handfuls of lettuce (I used salad mix)
* 1 cup of carrots if you prefer
* 2 cups of sliced celery
* 1 can of tomatoes OR 2 cups of freshly diced tomatoes
* salt
* pepper
* hot sauce (Tabasco!)

Procedure:
* Heat a stock pot on the stove. No oil.
* Cut your bacon into 1-inch pieces and put into pot. Stir and cook until slightly brown.
* Meanwhile, dice onions and put into pot when bacon browns. Stir and saute until onion is slightly brown.
* Drain about half of the bacon fat.
* Add sliced celery. Saute until halfway done.
* Add chicken broth (if you're using diced chicken) and water halfway up the pot.
* Cover and bring to a boil.
* Add chicken. Bring liquid to boil again. If using fresh chicken, cook until chicken is done.
* Add tomatoes. Bring to boil.
* Add lettuce.
* Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Voila!

Makes about three servings. I have two Tupperwares with it in the freezer. :)

My Chumby!

A Chumby is a souped up, crazy alarm clock that is also a rotating, interactive wireless ... you need to watch this introductory video. My Chumby is AWESOME.

You can customize it with any widgets you want. Here, you can see what I have on my Chumby. I can also listen to podcasts, the radio, NPR, watch YouTube, read the news, check my e-mail ... and spy on people with Webcams. :)

Just watch it do its thing. A new page appears every 30 seconds or so, depending what I have set up. Feel free to click and explore!

Hannah Montana ... in my head ... Make it stop!

BC commencement speaker

For those of you who remember well my (and others, I might add) tirade against the choice of Antonio Villaraigosa speak at the USC commencement two years ago, you will be glad to know that, while I am not entirely mollified, Boston College has chosen a much better, more renowned speaker for its 2008 commencement -- David McCullough. At least the guy didn't have to just walk down from city hall to speak. McCullough has some oomph. And hopefully will not have an extramarital affair with a TV reporter one year after he speaks.

I've actually have already heard McCullough speak -- interestingly, at USC, when he was promoting 1776 (I think). In any case, he's a great speaker. Engaging, intelligent. Will not stand on a political soapbox. Besides, he's a history guy.

But we won't tell him that I've been working on finishing his "John Adams" since second semester freshman year. There is progress. Just incrementally.

cute shoes

Just got these amazing green plaid shoes in the mail from Overstock.com. SO cute. Needs breaking in ... but don't all shoes? These will make me AT LEAST 5'6.

saddest Onion article

Wow. I don't read The Onion all that often, but this one, courtesy of Raf, is the saddest "funny" article yet. :(

Daddy Put In Bye-Bye Box

books.

As most of you know, I am a reader. Have been since elementary school, when I would hide under the covers and read every Babysitter's Club, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Boxcar Children book. Every one. I love reading, and I keep an active wishlist on Amazon that is basically my lifetime reading list. I tend to read several books at once as my attention span and patience only goes so far. Now, that is not to say that I haven't read books continuously, all the way through. I have. The most recent example is "In the Heart of the Sea," by Nathaniel Philbrick. But I think we've talked about that book already. Another one that we talked about was "The Dead Beat," about obituaries.

So this is what I am currently reading, in no particular order.

* "Three Cups of Tea" -- reading this as part of the Community Seminar at the school where I am student-teaching.

* "Undaunted Courage" -- to gain insight into the Lewis and Clark expedition, which I was planning to teach, but my cooperating teacher taught instead.

* "Flags of Our Fathers" -- borrowed from the social studies department for lack of books to entertain me

* "London: A Biography" -- very good book told from interesting perspectives. A work in progress. Very long.

* "Holocaust" -- by Martin Gilbert. very good. very long.

* "Harry Potter" -- don't remember which one. The fourth? It's by my bed.

* "The People's History of the United States" -- now more than ever, supplementary material for lesson plans

Those are the books I've most recently cracked open. This doesn't include the books back in South Carolina, on the shelves, waiting to be finished. Including David McCullough's "John Adams," which I started reading six years ago, freshman year. I'm about 2/3 of the way through that one. There is an HBO mini-series based on that book right now. So it's been that long.

I LOVE this song.

SO romantic.

(in a sappy mood)

What American accent do YOU have?

So I was searching for an online site to give Web quizzes (Survey Monkey? QuizYourFriend?) for my students, and I stumbled upon this little gem.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The Inland North
The South
The West
The Northeast
Philadelphia
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

chocolate love

Stolen from J. Christina. But just had to share with others.

February break 2008 reflected

I liked this break. I needed it. And now, on the Sunday before school starts again and I face the teenagers again, I feel like I'm ready to go back. I've seen and experienced new things. I've re-energized myself and I feel refreshed.

I did a little recreational reading -- always good for the body and mind -- and relaxed. Caught up on sleep. Had time to get out! It was good.

Back to London (or London 2008) post 4

In the end, I'm glad I lived dangerously and made a trip back to London. I saw some sights that I didn't know were important or noteworthy, but after two classes in British history, I saw the error of my ways and saw things more clearly and with more appreciation this time around. I walked around Brick Lane, I saw Whitechapel in a different light. I watched British TV, which I didn't have before. So it was a good trip. Enlightening, exhilarating and refreshing. Wanderlust sated.

Back to London (or London 2008) post 3

I wrote the following on the plane. I knew it was going to snow heavily on Friday, when I was supposed to land in Boston, so I was anticipating a delay, but there wasn't. But the troubles began on route, around Nova Scotia/Maine, when the captain first mentioned that there was snow in Boston. So this is what I wrote toward the end of the plane ride. Note that we were supposed to arrive in Boston around 5:20 p.m.

***

Friday, 5:25 Eastern

Captain has been announcing that there is very little visibility (1/2 mile) in Boston and that we are being held at a location about 30 minutes north of the city and are in line to land because there is quite a line. Now, the captain has announced that Boston Logan is closed and we are first in line to land when it opens. We are now waiting for the airport to close. We are supposed to be on the ground right now. He said that we have "plenty of time" to wait -- I'm guessing he's referring to fuel -- but I'm sure there are people who are making connections and whatnot, so this does not bode well for them. On the other hand, the airport is closed right now, so no planes are going or leaving. Fun times. On the other hand, it's at least good that we're in the air, not in London, where we would've been stuck until god knows how long. On the other hand, under what circumstances would we need to divert to another airport so that we won't run out of fuel? I mean, we've been in the air for about eight hours now. Turning off laptop and continue to read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. I can feel that plane descending. Good sign? 5:32 Eastern.

Back to London (or London 2008) post 2

First of all, Virgin Atlantic is amazing. The flight attendants were friendly. We had a choice of wines for dinner (even in economy) free of charge. They gave out these flight packets that had an eye mask, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste. Its safety procedures video is actually a little cartoon animation, so it was fun. I'm not sure whether it'll be fun after the initial newness wears off, but it was cool. Customs went smoothly, as did the journey to the hotel. I had been debating whether to go directly to Leicester Square from the airport because I wasn't sure I had enough time to make it to the hotel, which was in Bayswater, in time to also make it to the TKTS booth to buy some rush tickets for that night (Wednesday). I actually got there in time to buy and eat breakfast. And the line wasn't that long anyway, seeing as how it was around freezing. But I won't bore you with details. I'll attempt to tell the story with photos and videos. I actually took a few video clips, but there is no sound. But it should tell the story just fine.


* So this is how far consumerism has gone. There is an iPod vending machine at the international terminal at Logan Airport. It's crazy. I think there was a guy who was actually buying things.


* Ruins of the London Wall that used to surround the city. One of the many things on my list of things to see that I didn't get to the last time around.


* I've also been wanting to get a photos of just how far that "gap" is at Bank, which has a curved platform, so the gap is definitely more noticeable and scarier. Note where the doors (red) are.


* Also stood in queue for cheap theater tickets. Saw Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance." Very funny, even though I felt asleep. It was the night I got in town. I was exhausted.


* Also wanted to see Monument, the memorial to the Great Fire of 1666. I didn't know what the "monument' was for the last time I was there until it was too late. But this time, it was closed until next year because of restoration work. But I saw this plaque.

I also saw Sarah Chang in concert, where she played Shostakovich's first violin concerto. There were so many Koreans at the concert that night. But she was really good, especially in the scherzo and passacaglia. Anyway, lots of curtain calls. Afterward, she signed copies of her new CD and also some programs. I don't have good pictures from the concert. Just a video of the curtain call.

Back to London (or London 2008) post 1

So, on a whim, I bought plane tickets to London. Now, let me qualify. There wasn't a need to "get away" from "someone." Or "something." Recently, I've been feeling claustrophobic. I needed to get out of the country. Fulfill my wanderlust and see what's out there. So Montreal happened. But even after booking Montreal hotel rooms, I still felt restless. I began to look for plane tickets. Anywhere that I would be able to make a case to the parents, even though they did say (when I finally told them about said wanderlust) that I'm too old for them to tell me what to do. (YES! dance with joy. There IS life out there.)

I had in mind a few places. A cruise, perhaps, to the Bahamas? Sydney, Australia? New Zealand? In the end, I checked prices for a cruise (nothing. well, it IS the winter) and Sydney ($3,000 for just the flight! well, it is summer there.) I also checked flights for London. I've been wanting to return, and if the price is right, it seems like this might be as good a time as any. It's not bad. I found plane tickets on Virgin Atlantic on Student Universe for less than what I paid two and a half years ago, and back then, I bought those tickets literally three months in advance. This time, I got it a week and a half before the flight. So it's really happening. Hotel costs actually isn't bad at all. I found a hotel from STA Travel that, for two nights, costs less than what some hotels charge for one. So I will leave Boston on Feb. 19, arrive in London at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday and leave London around 2:40 on Friday.

Montreal photos/video -- Montreal!

* this is part of the Montreal skyline on the way out of the city. Didn't make it to Mount Royal.


* Complexe Desjardins, part of the underground city that's basically a huge mall, where the hotel was.


* a real, live porcupine! at the Biodome, where the Montreal Olympic park is converted into four ecosystems.

* video of real penguins! swimming! at the Biodome!


* Notre Dame Basilica. Really crazy, huh? Too bad they made us sit through 30 minutes of pointless, bad acting in the guise of informational video/light show.

Montreal trip photos -- Burlington, VT

Went to Montreal Saturday and Sunday. Stopped at Burlington, VT, for lunch on the way up. The SURPRISE was that I didn't know Lake Champlain was RIGHT THERE even though my cooperating teacher mentioned in a class that he learned to scuba dive in Lake Champlain in college. It was GORGEOUS. So clear, pristine. Anyway. Pictures.

It ain't in PA

I saw this on one of my flights hither and yonder this past year and just now scanned it in. This is from the US Airways in-flight magazine for September 2007. Note where they put the pin for Syracuse, NY. It not only illustrates the need to know geography, but a need for COPY EDITORS. Hurrah. Click to enlarge.

new drinking game!

Every time anyone on CNN says "the best political team on television," take a shot. Every time Wolf Blitzer says it, two shots. Play this on any election night, and you'll get wasted by the time all the votes are counted.

Slate magazine agrees with me that this little slogan of CNN's is ridiculous.

so here's something creepy ...

and really coincidental ...

A mere three hours ago or so I was reading a story in the San Francisco Chronicle about the debate raging over the Associated Press' pre-written obit for Britney Spears. Now, a lot of newspapers pre-write obits; this is no secret. But most write them for old people of renown in the region or nation, whatever the coverage area is. You get the idea. VERY FEW -- and I would say almost none -- write obits for really young people. But apparently the AP feels there is a need to be prepared as it was NOT when Anna Nicole Smith died.

Generally, I think it's a good call to be prepared no matter who you're obitting (is that a word?), but I also have concerns about how you would go about choosing "disturbed celebrities" who might die. By pre-writing their obits, is the paper pegging the person as a danger to oneself or others? Would that lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy?

This is the story about the raging debate:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/01/22/MNM2UILKO.DTL

In any case, what's creepy is that three hours after I read that story about the big debate about the Britney obit, I read that Heath Ledger had died at age 28.

This is the obit: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-na-ledger23jan23,0,2214665.story?coll=la-home-center

painting

I feel an urge to paint. I think I'm going to start painting this week. Acrylics on canvas, probably. Abstract, most likely. Just dabbing on paint as the mood fits me. These urges to paint/draw come and go, and I haven't had one since London, when I bought a sketch book. But it is time to go back.

Barack Obama meets SF Chron editorial board

So I've tried to avoid bringing politics to my blog, but I think this one is interesting because this is the first time I've come across video of a meeting between an editorial board and a 2008 presidential candidate. I know that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama met with the Des Moines Register board before its endorsement, but I didn't see a video of it. In any case, I'm not saying that there aren't video of other editorial board meetings with candidates; this is the first one I've personally come across. And I don't know why I put in so many qualifiers just now.

Members of the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board met Obama the Thursday before the Nevada caucuses. They talked about experience, policy, "internal fortitude," race relations in the United States, etc. The sound is a bit low because the board didn't have mics; it's about 50 minutes. (And I don't know how to resize that video player.)

Sarkozy to wed Bruni

So The Associated Press is reporting that French President Sarkozy (is he a modelizer?) is engaged to be married to his girlfriend Carla Bruni next month. They've been dating for only about a month. Isn't it a bit soon? And he just get divorced? I'm not raising this question in terms of morality -- I'm raising this question in terms of practicality -- shouldn't they see each other more before they decide? Anyway. I have my doubts. And his approval ratings are dropping as the economic situation decreases. Link to Le Journal du Dimanche's story.

[EDIT: I embedded the links because they ran off the page.]

grammar is important!

Holy geez. There is more here: http://www.themishmash.com/2008/01/flunked-signs-y.html

my very first vote!

I cast my very first vote (ever!) today. It was for the South Carolina Democratic primary. yay! I should've gotten them to make a copy of it for me. So exciting!

2008!

Happy 2008, everyone!

New year resolutions:

1. Keep a daily journal of: things I ate, things to do and things I bought. Hopefully this will help me eat healthier, procrastinate less and control spending. I need specific goals and expectations.

2. graduate with a master's degree.

3. pass the MTEL and MELA-O test

4. find a long-term job so I will no longer be just an intern

Four goals. Very simple. And very achievable. :)

let's review! resolutions 2006!

So I was reading these resolutions, and I found it hard to believe that I actually wrote them. The prose doesn't sound like mine, yet these all make sense, so a little gnome hadn't been writing it for me. So there you go. Let's do a quick review, shall we?

1. Eat more vegetables.
OK. This happened. Kinda.
2. To aid the first resolution, I bought a cookbook so I can make new foods.
I don't know what cookbook that was. But I do have another one, and I've been trying things out of that.
3. Write papers and finish projects AT LEAST one day in advance.
PFFFFT. Yeah, right.
4. Shred all papers with sensitive information.
Yup. Although I probably don't do it as often as I should.
5. As a result of No. 3, I will get better grades.
eh. the spring semester was good, but the fall was just OK.
6. Learn how to vibrato on my cello.
That kinda happened. I played "Allegro" on my cello with vibrato at the spring concert, but my new cello teacher and I didn't continue with that.
7. Play a real piece on the cello.
I'm on my way. Almost done with Suzuki Book 1!
8. Motivate thyself to do as you plan. For example, tonight, because of my crappy day, I just wanted to go home and sleep. What did I do? I checked the news, replied to e-mail, made guacamole and called James. And decided to write my resolutions after reading Albert's on Facebook, the death knell to all tasks productive.
Yeah ... I still get depressed and decide to sleep it off or something similar.
9. Pass the MTEL.
I actually completely forgot about the MTEL until this fall. So it obviously didn't happen.
10. Pass other qualifying exams needed to get out of grad school by next spring other than the inquiry paper.
I trained for the MELA-O, but I don't have the results of my exam yet.

this is me right now.

I got it from here: http://www.campusgrotto.com/the-all-nighter.html

the mid-week report

I am officially behind schedule. I blame Ted and his amusing antics. But seriously, though, this is not good. I spent waaaay too much time on the "learning from students" assignment. There was no page minimum or maximum, but the "model" paper the prof. gave us was five pages. Mine is seven.

Anyway, the next thing on the list is the oral history project, which I've been putting off since I actually completed the interviews, which was a feat in itself seeing as how avoiding having to interview people is one reason I got out of reporting in the first place. But I digress. A few moments ago, in a case of brain fart, I thought I could actually pull this off and finish my awesome unit plan Thursday night/all day Friday ... but it dawned on me that NO. It MUST be done Thursday because I have to go to school on Friday. So that's that.

Beyonce has hit a new low

Now, let me just say that I like Beyonce just fine. I liked her much better when she was in Destiny's Child, but she's still OK in my book. With that said, what the hell is she doing shilling for DirecTV!?

Whatever her old low was, this was below that. This HD DirecTV commercial is so bad. The worst part is in the beginning when she bends down and says "and let me upgrade YOU to the best channels in HD." What is that supposed to even mean?! And the "upgrade" necklace? Shudder.

Roomba!

I LOVE Roombas. And I've been wanting one for at least a year. I got my mom a Roomba. And now I have a Roomba.

Everyone, meet Ted.

Look at Ted go!

this is it. this is the decision. and I still don't know.

answer needed by tomorrow. drafted acceptance letter. too scared, too undecided, too unsure to send it.

semi-annual things to do

It's that time of year again ... crunch time! And here is a list I just wrote and posted to my wall of assignments or projects I need to complete on or before Wednesday, Dec. 12, with a few exceptions.

* 10-day history unit plan (general outline completed)
* oral history project (interviews conducted)
* learning from students (interviews conducted)
* SIT summary (seminar attended)
* focused observation (a little screwed there)
* MELA-O certification observation No. 1
* MELA-O certification observation No. 2
* history final essay drafts
* finish reading for history
* buy thank-you plant (Thursday)
* Christmas presents (not sure when that's going to happen)
* journal No. 9 -- focused observation summary
* journal No. 10 -- pre-prac experience eval
* organize portfolio
* thank you note for MELA-O coordinator
* Christmas cards????

I'd like to think that it just LOOKS bad. :/

photos from Miami -- Manatee mailboxes

While in Miami, I took a jaunt to Key West. On the way there, I stopped by Sombrero Beach. The windy road that led up to it was lined with expensive-looking beach houses -- and several of them had these awesome mailboxes. I took some photos on the way back. :D

Yorkshire pudding party!

Some time last week, I made Yorkshire puddings because I've been craving it. It's simple, really. Some milk, eggs, flour and salt. Mix it all together. Let it sit for an hour. Bake in super-hot muffin pan with hot oil. The Brits eat it with gravy with their Sunday roast, but I drizzled it with honey. Yum. And this is one of the reasons why I switched back to Blogger. I have photos!

I'm back!

Back to Blogger. Spent the last two hours manually transferring my posts from WordPress. Hopefully I can post photos properly now.

another kink in the ball of yarn

or some idiom like that.

I got a call Monday afternoon as I was peacefully napping in preparation for my paper extravaganza (which is what I should be doing right now ... I'm almost halfway there!). It is the Boston Globe, telling me that they would like to interview me. When would I be available for two rounds of interviews with three different people? This is the moment I have been waiting for for so long. I've applied to the Globe two years before to no success, so I should be jubilant, right? But this just throws another wrench into the LIFE CRISIS.

life. CRISIS.

I am going through a minor life crisis right now that will culminate in a MAJOR LIFE CRISIS in March. I can't go into too much detail right now because I have a crapload of stuff to do (including worrying about said life crises), but it is about my fork in the road and the way I screwed myself over despite specific attempts not to. I might have burned one or two bridges with more to come. But I'll have to elaborate later. Just wanted to let you all know that I have been in emotional and personal turmoil daily for the past week.

test photo

Top Gear -- a tiny, tiny car!

So "Top Gear" is one of my favorite shows. It's three British guys talking about cars and test-driving cars -- old, new, cheap, expensive (mostly expensive) -- they race them, they build them, they re-build them. They invite celebrities to come and drive around their racetrack and get timed and get their times listed on the celebrities board. It's pretty awesome. This is a segment from it.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=HYtro7PnBA8]

this little girl is too cute! (and "Britain's Got Talent")

So I've been watching old American Idol clips on YouTube, and this little gem popped up on the sidebar. Connie Talbot, a 6-year-old, totally impressed Simon Cowell on "Britain's Got Talent" when she sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." He said she was "pitch perfect." And anyway, there's Ant and Dec, who are pretty famous in Britain. Imagine competing against a 6-year-old. I've known there was a "Britain's Got Talent," but I've never looked into it, and it seems like that was a mistake on my part. Paul Potts, the guy who eventually won, sang operas and was pretty good. He's got amazing, but he's not bad. Videos!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWNoiVrJDsE]

In the semi-finals:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWyile34-Hg]

In the finals:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7Uhgm5Ox9Q]

The competition, Paul Potts, singing "Nessun Dorma:"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA&mode=related&search=]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_5W4t_CBzg]

Stephen Colbert takes over for Maureen Dowd

Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report -- and fellow South Carolinian (woo!) wrote an op-ed column for Maureen Dowd this week. Even though I'm not a big fan of his show, the column is pretty amusing. This is my favorite bit:

Second, winning the Nobel Prize does not automatically qualify you to be commander in chief. I think George Bush has proved definitively that to be president, you don’t need to care about science, literature or peace.

story of a failure on Japan's welfare system

This story is from The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/world/asia/12japan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

A man who starved to death after his town's welfare system cut him off from benefits was found in his home. He dreamed of eating rice balls. His last diary entry read: “My belly’s empty. I want to eat a rice ball. I haven’t eaten rice in 25 days.” His town, Kitakyushu, has a welfare system that was touted to be the model, but this man's story was not the first. Two others preceded him in the last three years.

Read the second page, where the reporter wrote the neighbors' reactions. This one jumped out:
“He may have starved to death, but I believe he reaped what he sowed,” Mr. Kita said. “He was still young, so he could have taken on any job to feed himself.”

Mr. Kita — who had once seen corpses in his job as a general contractor — had guessed from the stench that his neighbor had died. He had watched swallows fly out of the broken house with greenbottle flies in their beaks.

ketchup fried rice

So this might SOUND disgusting and weird, but it is REALLY good and very simple to make. My mom made this a couple of times, and I've made it several times. It's filling, especially if you add stuff to it. I like corn. You might prefer shrimp or pork or something.

Ketchup Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS:
cooked rice
ketchup
salt
pepper
oil
optional: canned sweet corn, shrimp or a meat of your choice

PROCEDURE:
* Cook the rice according to instructions or taste. I, being Asian, use a rice cooker. Make enough for however many people you're feeding. Leftovers are great even the next day.
* In a hot skillet or saucepan -- this works best in a nonstick pan -- drizzle about 2 tablespoons of oil and wait for it to heat up
* Add your rice. If you have a lot of rice, add it gradually.
* stir around so if doesn't burn, but I like a little crunchiness
* squeeze a liberal amount of ketchup over the rice, until it turns orange-pink
* taste. add more ketchup if needed
* add your extra ingredient. If you're using raw seafood or meat, I suggest pre-cooking it
* add salt and pepper to taste

That's it!

Novak Djokovic -- player impressions

So the world No. 3 tennis player Novak Djokovic (Joe-koh-vich) imitates other players on the tour. It's hilarious. The thing is, he's a great tennis player, to boot.

at U.S. Open, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKj4PdWrK-o]

U.S. Open, Sharapova:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guvyjrmNJP8]

Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Nadal:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR9pj6Op_KU]

first Woot! -- a Roomba!

I successfully bought my first Woot! product today, and it's the infamous (famous? notorious?) Roomba! I've been wanting a Roomba for awhile, but it seems that they always offer it when I'm broke. Well, no more! I can only afford one right now, so it's going to my parent's place. :D

It's an iRobot Roomba Discovery SE: http://www.woot.com/Blog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryId=2939

Punctuation is powerful. (Please, remember the period.)

Saw this on Digg. As a copy editor, I had to post it. It's too true.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29921412@N00/354975371/

tennis and cello

so two funny (in different ways) stories:

First, I had my first tennis lesson last night since high school. It's free with my membership, so why not? Let me just say that I have really terrible reflexes, and I remember during one lesson in high school, I got hit by a ball three times. So this foray back into the impact sport world is a big step. Last night, we learned the forehand and backhand, and the teacher was tossing up balls to hit backhands. It's my turn, and I stepped up to the service line and waited for the ball. It bounced high. I reached out to get it. It hit me in the left eye. I saw stars. One large, white star followed by smaller, shiny stars. My eye is OK, but I had blurry vision for awhile. And I have a faint black eye, where my brow bone is, which is where it hit. But it was a tennis ball, so it really covered the entire eye.

Today was my first cello lesson of the semester, and since my old teacher went to Honolulu for a symphony job, there is a new teacher. I already knew that she got her master's from USC, and when the music director wrote in an e-mail that she's from South Carolina, I discounted it as a typo. Well, get this. It wasn't a typo. My new teacher's husband's father (her father-in-law), is the president of a local university in my town, and it is the same university where my high school yearbook adviser's husband is a provost. In fact, my cello teacher said, my adviser and her husband sent a wedding present. Crazy, huh?

Family Guys at the Emmys

I actually watched the Emmys on Sunday, and even though I'm not a big fan of "Family Guy," I really loved the opening act that Stewie and the dog did. Hilarious. Here it is, in case you missed it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzKyopCls4]

Vicente Fox: Bush was "cockiest guy I've ever met"

In his new book, former Mexican president Vicente Fox calls President Bush the "cockiest guy I've ever met" and says that Bush's Spanish was at grade-school level.

chongas

So in Miami, there is a -- how would I say it -- phenomenon called the chonga. A chonga, according to the Urban Dictionary, is:

A girl of Hispanic origin, usually between the ages of 12 and 19, but sometimes as young as 8. Primarily found in Miami (most famously, in Hialeah), the chonga is known for her cheap form of dress, a combination of the so-called gangsta look and that of a prostitute, but can vary between the two. She wears ridiculously large hoop earrings large enough to be bracelets, which are usually gold and have their name written in them, and diamond studs high up on her ears. ...

The definition goes on and on. I was introduced to this thing at the Herald, which apparently had a story about the girls (chongalicious-in-herald.pdf) who had a video on YouTube called "Chongalicious," a parody of Fergie's song. Apparently, these girls are not chongas themselves but are drama students at a local high school. Telemundo also did a rather long package on it. Other chongas (or not?) followed with their own videos.

This is the "Chongalicious" video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVHdqmN7-XE]

And the Telemundo package:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcNrL_HRz0A]

Alex the crazy-smart parrot has died

Alex knew numbers up to 6 and can identify 50 objects and seven colors and shapes. Alex was awesome.

Here is Alex in action:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcLLk-r1aSs]

Leave Britney Alone! (and Boston)

I am back in Boston. I have been for the past week and a half. I've just been having some Internet issues. And I just haven't gotten around to it. Anyway. There will be more of Miami. But first, this YouTube video I saw on Digg. It's a Britney Spears fan's plea to just LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE! Enjoy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc]

home

I'm home. After driving 13 hours on I-95 through two car accidents -- a car fire and a collision -- and torrential rains from Daytona Beach through Savannah, I am home. I've cleaned out my car and semi-organized my clips. I am leaving for Boston tomorrow because classes start at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Should be fun.

more red!

more comments about the giant clock:

* "Next week I'm installing bigger, redder clock that says, ‘It's
bulldog time!!!'" Bulldog is the early Sunday edition.
* "Hey (insert person here), do you know what time it is? Because I can tell you!"

red-light district

The newsroom has been blessed with a new digital clock the width of 1 1/2 ceiling tiles that hangs over the copy desk and glows bright red. I mean, it's a good three feet, if not four, and it hangs about a foot from the ceiling. It's just a clock and nothing else -- in big, red numbers. It's so bright, in fact, that it has turned the cubicles under it red, and it is so big and conspicuous, in fact, that people cannot help but exclaim over it. Some excerpts:

* "Talk about working in a red-light district!"
* "10:00 never looked so bright."
* "It's 9 o'clock!" (or whatever time it happens to show)
* "Anyone know what time it is?"

The story behind the giant clock is that its predecessor was not synched to the computers, and we didn't know we were late because the clock was always 10 minutes behind. Now, THAT clock's predecessor was synched to the computers, but it broke. So now the paper has installed the new one, which is synched to the clock. Nobody, apparently, anticipated such a monstrosity of a clock.

Of course, it clock business had to happen the ONLY day I was late to work. I showed up after battling school traffic, walked in and made a snarky comment about the giant clock. Then, one of the copy eds looked up and said, "yup. It is 4:34." Crap. Four minutes late.

I have a picture of this clock, and I'll post it as soon as I figure out how to not make it poster-sized. :O

more sales, higher grade

Romenesko has a post about Naples High School journalism students who are required to sell ads for the school's yearbook. $600 sales get you an A and so on for that part of the class's total grade. There is outrage over this, and I agree -- because I had to do the exact same thing all three years of high school yearbook.

At South Florence High School, $750 get you an A for that part of the class's total grade. I only imagine that the require is higher now -- if it is still a requirement. It got to a point that those people who had connections and friends with money and could sell more "senior ads" and other company ads would help out the ones who couldn't meet the $750 requirement. It certainly brought together a lot of class corporation, but it also induced a lot of unneeded stress and animosity.

I can see why Naples High School did it because the yearbook is supported solely by ads, and using students to fill that financial need might be one way to go. But it shouldn't have to be that way.

review: The Food Gang underwhelming

So the coworkers and I went to The Food Gang in Miami (actually, Surfside) last Friday for lunch as part of the Miami Spice promotion for prix fixe meals at expensive/top/gourmet restaurants. Now like of a lot of people, I know The Food Gang from BravoTV's "Top Chef," which has the restaurant's executive chef, Howie.

The online menu read like this:
Starter:
Watermelon Tomatoes Gazpacho
Summer Homestead Salad
Grilled Calamari over Tomato Tartar

Entree:
Chicken Brie Panini Argula Aioli
Roasted Squab Wild Mushroom Quiche
Grilled Loin Salad

Dessert:
Raspberry Charlotte
Choc Hazelnut Torte
Basil Sorbet

First, the overall impression then the details, course by course. Frankly, I was underwhelmed by most fronts. The food was just OK for the most part, but the most disappointing was the dessert. The service was snooty and the decor uninspired and even a little tired.

Before the meal:
As I walked through one of the two front entrances, I was greeted by a mini-grocery store of high-end (over-priced) items of pasta, sauces and the like. The Food Gang's decor consisted mostly of simply painted walls with photos of Mediterranean foods, environs, etc. along two walls. The suede-y/corduroy chairs were extremely comfortable.

I broke my no-bread/no-pasta diet before I even knew it when I bit into the crusty bread with the impossibly soft center. Our server offered a pepper grind over the olive oil, but the bread was great by itself.

Starter:
I chose the Summer Homestead Salad, and it's not the restaurant's fault that I don't eat most of the dish's ingredients other than the lettuce: roasted red tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives. The artichoke hearts was quite acidic, something I was not expecting at all. The olives gave the dressing an unmistakable furry-tongued texture that comes from olives. The salad is too oily (perhaps from the roasted red tomatoes?) and generally unappetizing. I couldn't bring myself to finish even the lettuce, let alone anything else.

I did sample the calamari, though, and it is heaven. The tubes of squid -- which I rarely see served in a restaurant in the U.S. -- was tender, succulent and cooked just right. It didn't have the tough, chewy texture that is indicative of an undercooked squid. I'm not a fan of the symmetrical dotting-the-corners-with-tennacles presentation, but the reddish, tomato-y/roast red peppery sauce smothering (with just the right amount) complements both tubes and tennacles well. The tartar (which is apparently just raw) of tomato (read: finely chopped tomatoes) was OK; it didn't add much to the squid. The Food Gang seems to be fans of tomatoes.

Entree:
For the entree, going along with my broken diet, I ordered the chicken panini, whose golden crust was crispy and slightly burned on the edges (I love it!). Although it lacked (in my opinion) the signature panini grill marks and the flattened bread, it was still delicious. The brie (my favorite cheese) was mildly pungent but smooth and creamy. The chicken breast is a bit dry, but the arugula aoili solved that problem and complemented the ingredients perfectly. The small pile of salad on the plate needed dressing, even if it is the oily concoction I ate for appetizer.

I tried the squab quiche, and it was amazing. I'm not sure if I like the taste of squab, but the egg in the quiche was impossibly fluffy and the crust layered and puffed to a golden crisp.

Dessert:
Let me just say that I was really looking forward to the raspberry Charlotte. Then, when I saw on the menu that they'd changed the dessert lineup, I was really excited about the mint sorbet (I am a fan of mint). But they didn't have that, either. I ended up choosing creme brulee.

The Food Gang messed up creme brulee. Creme brulee! How does a restaurant -- one that is supposedly high-quality -- screw up creme brulee? Let's start with the positive first. I cracked the torched sugar top with immense satisfaction -- crack, crack, crack. And that's it. That's where the positive ends. While, the custard was just sweet enough, it also came with a pool of water with every spoonful and was too jiggly. The Food Gang served watery creme brulee. I bought frozen creme brulee from Trader Joe's that had a better consistency. In fact, the creme brulee tin looked like the ones from the ones came with the Trader Joe's creme brulees. Hmm ...?

Philadelphia story

My flight back to Miami from Boston stops in Philadelphia, even though it is the same flight number. Theoretically, I could opt to stay on the plane the entire way and wait for the next group of Flight 763, bound for Miami, arrives. So we arrive at the Philadelphia International Airport on time (a miracle), and I stay put in my 7D seat while everyone else deplanes. Then came the announcement that the plane is now heading to San Francisco, and everyone bound for Miami on Flight 763 would need it leave. So the three or so of us left.

I took the hour-long layover to eat a Philly cheesesteak (only half the bread because I'm on a low-carb, no soda, no high-fructose syrup diet). I mean, how can you NOT go to Philly and eat a Philly cheesesteak? I have to say, though, that it was the worst cheesesteak I've had, probably ever. At gate C31, we were told by the gate agents that if we haven't checked in with the counter in the last hour, please do it to make sure our seats are still held for you because they oversold the plane by 25 seats, which means that the agents are also looking for volunteers to give up their seats, or they will involuntarily bump people off. So there was, of course, a mad rush for the counter, but luckily my seat was still there. But why be bumped off when I can score free roundtrip tickets to Los Angeles for the USC homecoming? I totally jumped at the chance to get the seats for a 12:15 p.m. departure for a 3 p.m. arrival in Miami. No biggie. Simple.

To cut a long story short, I arrived at my new gate to nap because my flight from Boston left at 6:30 a.m. Very little sleep. By the way, PHL … the most comfortable seats ever. Mid-nap, I hear an announcement (very effective PA system, PHL) that the flight is delayed until 1 p.m. because the plane we were waiting for doesn't actually arrive until 12:25 p.m. … that's right … AFTER our departure time. WTF? Who planned this thing? It didn't make any sense at all, and the cuss-filled grumblings of my seatmate didn't help. I continued my sleep, and as chaotic as the delay was, I had to say that the gate agents did keep up well-informed of the plane's progress (it's here, they're deplaning, they're cleaning and restocking, etc.) … something that my seatmate was definitely not appreciating enough.

Around 12:45, the plane is ready to board, but not before the agents checked off every kid on the list and put them together with the parents, something that could've delayed us on the plane. Good plan to do it while we're all waiting for the plane. The people with babies (at least three, one of whom didn't have the luck of having a mom who understood her need to play with a blankie) got on and so on. We finish boarding around 1:25 … so we're very late. But we got to Miami around 3:45, which was the plan anyway, so all is well. Overall, a mixed reaction of PHL, and I didn't even tell you about the process of getting me on that later flight out of PHL. THAT was a disaster.

there is an ANT HILL

There is an ANT HILL IN THE APARTMENT, and that's where they keep coming from even though I've killed (most) of the ones in the bathtub grout cracks. SHIVER.

The Bush Push

As football season rolls around the corner, I am reminded of the most exciting game of the 2005 season, when I was in London, on my way back from Budapest, in a train from Kentish Town, unable to join the London alumni. But the Bush Push, as it was called, was nerve-racking even today, when I found it and watched it (again) on YouTube. Fight on!

A little background, if you need it: Reggie Bush is No. 5, Matt Leinart is No. 11. The score sits at 28-31, Notre Dame. A previous attempt for a touchdown was foiled. The clock ran out, but :07 was put back on. Fourth and goal.

BELOW: I like this one the best because it doesn't have the stupid music, just the NBC commentary, which also includes the confusion of the last seconds. Plus, the picture quality is way better.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3MU16fpue4]

BELOW: But if cheesy music is your thing, you might enjoy this one set to music, with no commentary. I have no idea why this one is the top search result on YouTube.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-3KeMA21bc]

The Dead Beat

Did I tell you? I finished reading "The Dead Beat," by Marilyn Johnson, a while back. I mentioned it in an earlier post. I don't think I've grown a better appreciation as to why I must edit so many obits, but I do find that I see obits in a different light. After reading the book, I've begun seeking out obits written in the British papers, especially the Daily Telegraph, which the book uses as examples of especially touching and truthful last words. As many probably do, I used to regard obits as the beat no one wants and the beat one is relegated to for punishment. Apparently, that is no longer the case. Obits and obit writers are making a resurgence! Read the book.

Boston for the weekend

I went to Boston over the weekend to take care of some housekeeping business and accepted a job to teach Mandarin Chinese at the private school where I used to work. It will be two hours a week of fun -- singing, arts and crafts, speaking, writing and general elementary-school stuff. Very excited. Very nervous. This is probably the first time I will "have" my "own" class. And a little scary. What am I going to teach them?

I also had a jaunt to Chinatown, where I ate my longed-for smelly tofu, the fermented, spicy, saucy tofu goodness. Stopped by Mike's Pastry for some baked goods for the Herald peeps. All is well.

Also saw "The Bourne Ultimatum," which is awesome, even though I haven't seen the first two of the franchise. Action-packed, funny and generally a great time at the movies. :)

My flight back to Miami is on a flight that stops in Philadelphia but has the same flight number, and THAT adventure will have to wait until the next post.

ant problem

I have an ant problem in my bathroom. The grout in the tiled wall that the bathtub is against has been eaten away (before I moved in), but there are ants in there! I thought this might be the problem before I went to Boston for the weekend, but I bought a bottle of Hot Shot after work two nights ago (Tuesday) and sprayed all the corners and joints in the bathtub. Last night, after work, I woke up to find ant carcasses strewn IN the bathtub, where they have fallen out overnight. It was pretty gross. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

I sprayed the Hot Shot again last night and killed four ants in the hallway. This morning, there were more ants in the bathtub, but less than last night's. Still creepy. Told my roommate/landlady about it. I think she's calling pest control, but it took her two months to fix the kitchen plumbing, so I'm not holding my breath on this one.

Going to take a shower now. ew.