the school year has started

Clearly, I am teaching once again as I have been neglecting the blog. Photos soon of the trip with mom and dad to New Hampshire and Maine.

happiness

Happy moment No. 1: One of my students told me that my eyelashes are really long. I said thank you. :D Looks like the super-expensive mascara purchase was worth it!

Happy moment No. 2: I had three really great meditation sessions with my students today, thanks to technology that actually cooperated. Hooray!

Happy moment No. 3: Successfully applied (and went out in public with!) eyeliner for the very first time. I know. I am too old not to have worn eyeliner before. But hey. It's never too late. Plus, it was for dinner at a semi-nice place. Another hooray!

lobster stock

A couple of weeks ago, Shaw's had chicken lobsters for $4.99 a pound, so I ended up buying two and having them for dinner two nights in a row. :) They were delicious. But what to do with the lobster shells? Christina, being the culinary whiz she is, suggested making lobster stock and using it in risotto, soups, etc. After a little searching, found two recipes (from La Bernadin cookbook and Gourmet magazine) and decided to meld them into one and tweak. I didn't have thyme, oregano or bay leaf and didn't feel like spending a fortune on herbs that I will use once, so I didn't add them. But I think the stock could be a lot better if I splurged and added them.

My apartment smelled incredible once the lobster was in the oven and I could smell it even building's hallways when I returned from a Trader Joe's run. Yum! (PS: I have no clue what happened to the font color.)

Chop up the lobster carcasses into smaller pieces. I found that using a hammer (with the shells in a bag so it doesn't fly everywhere) worked well and was quite satisfying. :) I also read in several places that I should bake the lobster carcasses at 450F for 15 minutes before I boil them, so I did. On this pan are the remains of two lobsters.

Two onions, diced large-ish. Two-thirds bag of celery, cut into two-inch pieces. Five slices of fresh ginger. Five cloves of garlic, sliced. Saute vegetables until they're soft in enough oil to cover the bottom of the stock pot. Add about half a cup of brandy (per La Bernadin). I didn't have brandy, so I borrowed my roommate's boyfriend's whiskey. Same difference?

I don't eat carrots; I think they're gross in every way. But I found that these things are palatable if smothered in enough garlic hummus to mask to the taste. Add them to your lobster stock after the 16 cups of water and the lobsters themselves.

Bring to a boil for a bit and then reduce heat to simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Strain and ladle into containers. Apparently, they'll keep for two months in the freezer.

Don't forget the salt and pepper!

makeup purchases

In my bid to beautify myself, I have purchases two items. One, Lancome Definicils waterproof mascara, which I have as a sample (from London ... I know, a long time ago) that I keep in the car as my emergency running-too-late-for-school-to put-on-makeup-at-home mascara. Basically, I can't believe I use it as emergency! It is the only mascara I've tried through the years that is practically fail-safe. I've never had clumps. It never goes on too thick. I only ever use one layer, and it lengthens my lashes to incredible lengths. :) Two, Urban Decay 24/7 black eyeliner. I am learning how to put on eyeliner properly. :)

writing quizzes and tests

I see myself as a hard, but fair, teacher. I don't test what I don't teach (and not necessarily vice versa). One thing that I'd discovered in teaching that is it incredibly stressful and frustrating to make quizzes and tests. Not only do I have to ask questions in a way to gauge actual knowledge (rather than rote memorization) through critical thinking (preferably), but also make sure it's an answerable question. Sure, I can be tricky in the phrasing of the question or the choice of answers, but to make a really good multiple choice question or to write a free response that will assess actual knowledge is quite hard.

And I especially dislike making the current events quizzes that I give every Monday. Because I know the amount of bitching and whining that is ensue. WTF, kids, read the paper. How hard can it be to scan the front page every day? Seriously. And it's only worth 5 points. Get over it. I'm just trying to make you form a habit so that you are not going to go out into the world as the most ignorant college student in the country.

Sorry. Is my frustration showing?

Iron Chef potluck!

Just before school started, Kai had the brilliant idea to have Iron Chef potlucks. There would be an ingredient each month and people would make a dish based on that ingredient. The host would make the entree. Last night was the first and the ingredient was apples. Appropriate, seeing as how it is apple season. I was to make an appetizer and settled on apple and Taiwanese sausage summer rolls after brainstorming with J. Christina. Of course, also called mom to ask how to make summer rolls in the first place. Pictures!

a salad with prosciutto, apples and arugula and a lime vinaigarette

Persian rice

a pork roast

flatbread pizza with apples, caramelized onions, chicken and goat cheese

my summer rolls!

apple-kiwi-grape white sangria

a good day

Had a good -- but exhausting -- day. I'm too tired to type in paragraph form, so I'll list them.

1. This is really yesterday, but mom told me a that Amy told her a compliment about me. yay! :)

2. A special ed teacher stopped me in the hall today and told me that one of our mutual students told her that he really likes me. yay! I've never had a student compliment me to another teacher before. :D

3. AND Christina told me that her mom paid me a compliment after I left Sunday. so triple yay! :D

Also, I somehow pulled off a lesson plan that I may or may not have planned in my head and was scrambling to prepare in the morning. Technology issues with my computer log-in that might have impacted PowerPoint, which led to me not only to Plan B, but ultimately to Plan C. Eeek. But it went better than expected, so I'm glad.

trip to Los Angeles

There are a few times in my life when I make impromptu decisions and twice when I booked impromptu plane tickets. Once for Budapest (in November!), another for London last year and two weeks ago for Los Angeles. The wildfires broke out a few days after I bought the tickets, of course, but it was a trip that needed to be taken for the sake of my emotional sanity. Sometimes, I just need to leave Boston.

Regretfully, I did not blog over Labor Day weekend, as Christina and I were too busy stuffing our faces. So I will leave the chronicling of food to her. I stayed for a night with Amy at her place and got to have tacos al pastor and horchata from La Taquiza. It was fantastic and everything I dreamed it would be.

I also got to hang out with Christine and Edward on Saturday! Christine and I had afternoon tea at the Scarlet Tea Room in Pasadena on Christina's recommendation. Oh, man. It was so elegant and the sandwiches were divine. I don't know if I can gush properly about the heaven that is its strawberries romanoff. Christina and I then headed to eat proper tamales before meeting up with Christine and Edward for dinner at the Good Girl Dinette. It was great to see old friends!

On Sunday, had a greasy food fest with James -- and his girlfriend Tari, who is really nice. They're so cute together! Pastrami and onion rings. Yum. I don't think I remember the last time I had either, and it felt sort of great to fall off the wagon ... for the entire weekend ... because this weekend was nothing but food.

Oh, and beautiful Victorian homes in Angeleno Heights.

sick ... and things my kids wrote

I have a giant splitting headache that developed a few hours ago along with waves of nausea. No good. No good at all. Especially when I'm getting on an airplane in less than 24 hours. Hopefully this will clear up soon.

I told my kids today to write down something that is uniquely them. It can be a hobby, an experience or a special talent. What makes them them? Here are some gems:

* I like starting fires with sticks.

* I am a Revolutionary War reenactor.

* I get a haircut once every two years.

* I never dot my i’s. (Yet this kid dotted the i in his name on his name tag. Go figure.)

* I feel out a two-story window when I was 4 .. and didn’t break a single bone.

* When I was in elementary school, I spent my recesses collecting ants with my friends and we brought them inside with straws with eraser caps on the ends.

* I play a video game that was released when I was 3 years old. And yet I still suck.

* When I was learning to walk, I would go even faster than my grandfather. But every so often, I would abruptly stop and, without bending my knees, fall down backward and hit my head on the ground.

* I was once run over by an Indian motorcycle/scooter.

* I sang and recorded a song that is soon to be on iTunes.

a new school year

I guess I keep hoping all summer that work will save me. School will keep me busy and save me from drowning in my emotions. It's worked, at least from 7:45 a.m. till 2:25 p.m. I'm so preoccupied with school, I have nothing else to think about. It's the time alone with myself -- especially the drive home -- that I feel most down. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.

Question of the day: Is it ever OK to truly dislike a student on the first day?

A little background is in order. A student of mine has a physical disability and requires a walker. I have known about this for awhile, but I really got to know the condition only in the last few days.

The student was late to class because of a confusion with his instructional aide, which was fine because I was expecting him. Of course, his classmates were unaware of all this and there were a few stares when he got to class. A girl kindly offered her desk so he can sit in the front and not have to negotiate the maze of desks to get to the back. As he was getting settled, a student who sat behind him started making snickering facial expressions to others across the aisle. I only saw the one student and didn't get a chance to glance over to see the recipient of these expressions.

I don't know how I should've reacted, but I don't think I should've reacted the way I did -- which is by not reacting at all. I didn't even give the other student a look. But I felt inner disgust at how he reacted to a physically disabled student.

Tomorrow, I give out my class expectations. On Thursday, we will get to know one another through various ice breakers. On Monday, I think, we will discuss what it means to have a respectful, safe learning environment.

the first day

As predicted, the first day was full of meetings -- three, in fact. The district-wide meeting was an hour and a half long, the department meeting was 45 minutes long, and the faculty meeting was an hour long. Shoot me. Shoot me now. I wonder if the dean saw me doing the crossword puzzle during the district-wide meeting.

I also got my packet of IEPs (individualized education plans) from my SPED (special education) liaison today. I've never worked with her before, and so far, I'm impressed with her initiative -- at least in getting information to Scott and me. Last year, it was well into the middle of September until I had even the first IEP in my hands and even then, the rest came in trickles. So a whole package with ALL the IEPs was a very, very nice surprise.

The IEPs themselves, however, was another story. I can't legally disclose what's all in it, but suffice it say, I feel overwhelmed already, and I don't even see the kids until tomorrow.

Where is the old me? Because I want her back. ASAP. Where is the me who is upbeat, positive (if realistic), clear-minded, confident and self-assured? When did I let school, other people and outside forces overwhelm me, depress me, loath me. When did I become the person who wallows, cries and covers my face with my hands in disgust at my actions and thoughts? Since when do I ever talk to myself in an empty car to psych myself up about life's events?

Who I am at this moment is not me, and I want the old me back.

a super weekend

So! The last weekend!

Pretty much spent Saturday glued to the TV, watching the Kennedy funeral and the wall-to-wall over-coverage of the man, the politician, the legacy. Thought his son's eulogy of him was quite touching.

For dinner, both Kai and I had cravings for greasy bar food, so she suggested The Lower Depths, at Kenmore, for tater tots and burgers. So good. Maybe it's because I haven't had a burger in so long, but the steakburger was amazing. It was juicy, cooked medium, toasted bun, with habanero aoli. Mmmmmm. I guess it's known for the tater tots (crispy. yum.) and beer selection, but I was there for the burger. Apparently, Kai and her fiance are regulars there, and the bartenders knew her on sight! So we chatted with the bartenders -- which I have never ever done in my entire life -- it was fun!

Nothing too special today. Woke up at noon (I know), watched "Planet Earth" on TV, Facebook, newspapers, the New York Times wedding section, the newspaper magazines. Good stuffs.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!

sitting at Panera on a Friday night

It's the last Friday before school starts, and I woke up at 1 p.m. today. Imagine that, on a usual Friday, I would have been done with teaching all my classes by this time. What this really means is that I need to return to my old sleeping habits. Remember those first days of summer when I still woke up at 5:30 in the morning? I need that part of my life back. ASAP. Or Monday is going to be absolute HELL (Let's not even think about what Tuesday might be like.).

So this is what I should've done with my Friday. I looked back at my week plan and saw that -- surprise! -- I didn't know what today was going to look like. I usually do. Again, summer has not been kind to me this year. What I needed and should've done was to go to school and continue with the organization. What I needed to do was to go to the Museum of Science and checked out that new documentary on India. What did I do instead? I bummed around the apartment, watched some dramas, ate instant mac-and-cheese and kimchi. Took a shower. Went to Panera.

In the last three and a half hours I've been sitting against the wall, I've been quite busy. This is what I did:

* watched the Ted Kennedy memorial service at the JFK Library.

* combed through my roster and e-mailed Scott a list of our students who are on IEPs

* entered students' names into my gradebook in Excel

* formatted and added formulas to the spreadsheet

* started on the seating chart

Tomorrow is the funeral for Ted Kennedy. The service is going to be at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Roxbury. There are already crazy parking and traffic restrictions in place. Not that I will be going anywhere because it's going to POUR tomorrow, thanks to Tropical Storm Danny. Should be a lovely day. I imagine tomorrow is going to spent with me, in front of the TV, continuing to play with the seating chart, reading Indian history. And planning imaginary vacations for February and/or April.

Super 88 Market to be sold

This explains so much why Super 88 has sucked for the last year or so. Hopefully, Hong Kong Supermarkets will make it shopable again.

In other news, went to school (again) today to continue to organize my files. This, after talking to Brian at 8 a.m. -- 5 a.m. in San Fran -- as he gives me a nugget of the life of an ibanker. Oh my dear lord. Decided that it's ridiculous to be awake and functioning at 8:30. Went back to sleep until noon. Went to school.

Finally had a productive discussion with my English partner Scott about the new year -- especially his writing curriculum. I think we're on the same page for the most part. We're both pretty hard on homework and getting shit done, so that's good news. He teaches with the IQA (introduction, quotation, analysis) method, which is similar to the PEAL (purpose statement, evidence, analysis, link) method, so hopefully there will be less tweaking on my part on the writing front. Also a good thing that he is also a believer of the one-sentence thesis statement. Found it interesting -- and I like it, btw -- that he teaches body paragraphs first, rather than thesis writing. I think more kids should learn to write the bodies before the intro paragraph. He seems like an exciting teacher, so I'm optimistic about the new year.

Oh, yeah, and I am well aware of how good I have it. Scott also regaled me with some of the horror stories of teaching in New York City public schools. I'm sure my eyes look like they're about to pop out of their sockets. I know that I was definitely making a conscious effort to keep my mouth from hanging open. Seriously. Wow.

After I left school, I satisfied a craving for tortellini salad. :) Took a quick nap and then went to Panera to read more about Indian history. I'm now to the Vedic era, so progress is being made. Must make it through the Guptas soon.

yay for another productive day!

I love being busy!

At noon, went for a quick spa consultation from the waxing yesterday. All is well.

Afterward, went to school to organize my files. All my curriculum/lesson plans are in hanging folders, and it's really inconvenient to try to find things when you actually need them. So I spent a good two and a half hours just sorting through them, tossing stuff out and putting them into binders by unit. I only got through three units, but work is being done. Exhilarating!

At 4:30 p.m., headed to the Back Bay for my first haircut since ... Thanksgiving? I heart Shannon. This time, she trimmed my length by two inches, gave it subtle layers, and long, angled bangs. BANGS! I've never had bangs! And I love it! Side part + layers + bangs = awesome.

Went to the library, got "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, which is on the juniors' English reading list, and went to read it at the Trident Bookseller/Cafe.

Another unexpected text at 11:30 p.m. What in the world is going on.

A great day, overall, though. :D

the countdown

Six more days until a new class of kids enter my classroom! Five more days until teachers return to school!

Today! Not as productive as yesterday, but pretty darn close.

First thing, woke up maybe a little too early so I can make it to my lip/brow waxing appointment. Definitely should've scheduled it for later in the day, though, because I was pretty much zonked out most of the afternoon. Like Christina said, I don't do "nothing" well. I need to be busy all the time.

Finally, around 6 p.m. or so, I decided I cannot just lounge in front of the TV all day or check the news/Facebook/Twitter all day ... and went to Panera with my laptop and book on Indian history. Surprisingly, I got SOME stuff done and read about ... four pages of Indian history. The book was a little denser than I thought it would be. I'm surprised that some of my students actually cited that book for their capstone paper last year. Bravo!

An unexpected e-mail tonight.

And (finally) getting a much-needed haircut tomorrow! I don't think I've had a cut since Thanksgiving (time, money), so I'm definitely overdue for one. It's getting really long and shaggy and growing past the bra strap. Also, it's starting to tangle, which makes pulling it into a ponytail for the gym a pain in the ass. Time for a trim. Two inches? I go to James Joseph Studio, and my stylist Shannon is the best.

a productive Monday

One more week!

Received an unexpected text at 11:25 a.m. Eek. Went to school today around 1:30 p.m. to clean up a storm. Wiped the sticky adhesive mess from tables and desks and moved around some furniture. Turns out I have a lot of junk in my drawers. Saw two of my former students today when they were wandering the halls. Chatted a bit with them and they asked about their new teachers. Couldn't tell them much because 1) I am new myself and 2) some of their teachers are new, too.

Forgot to mention that I bought plane tickets on a whim on Saturday. OK. Maybe not completely on a whim. I've been thinking about it for quite awhile, ever since I found out the district approved a four-day Labor Day weekend. I've been waffling about it because of finances, etc. But I feel a need to leave the city -- very close to the feeling I had last spring -- and decided to visit some peeps in L.A. Should be exciting!

a good Sunday ... for once

The day started pretty shittily as my emotions were at a low point, but after talking to a few friends, I gained MUCH better perspective on things. I'm glad to know that I have supportive friends in my times of need. You guys listened with incredible patience and told me like it is, and I appreciate (and needed!) the bluntness of what you said. So, a huge THANK YOU to the following people (in no particular order!):

* James Koren

* J. Christina Huh

* Kevin

* Kai

* Whitney

* Squash

* Bakul

* and Brian Lovett (for some much-needed special perspective. :))

Went to Panera Bread (tomorrow's destination, also, I think, after I go to school) to finish reading "Does My Head Look Big in This," the lovely, lovely summer reading book. Surprisingly, it's not as contrived as I thought it would be.

Gym did not happen today.

the week ahead

One more week until school starts! Again, I cannot wait. I've been playing around with the school's internal Web access and playing with my class rosters and seeing who are teaching my former students. So in the next week or so, I need to accomplish several things. Overall, I'm going to continue and finish committing my thoughts to paper just to finish the project, which is what it has now become. I still get bouts of melancholy, but when my emotions are not sadness and disappointment and regret, it is resentment and anger and sometimes embarrassment. UGH. This is so unlike me.

Anywho. Tomorrow is the start of a NEW WEEK!

Sunday:

* Go to cafe/coffeeshop/bookstore and read one of two summer reading books. Maybe I should start with the one I never finished reading last summer ... ever ... because it was just so bad.

* gym. Yes. The return to the gym after a week-long absence

Monday:

* Read the other summer reading book

* spinning at 6:45 p.m.

Tuesday:

* Go to school and clean and organize my desk. Everything's shifted from summer cleaning.

* possibly write the parent letter, possibly create a review sheet for summer reading books, now that I have read both of them

* gym

Wednesday:

* Go to cafe/coffeehouse/bookstore and read about India. I mean, I bought those books for a reason. Perhaps I will go crazy and take notes on the book. gasp.

* possibly dominating at trivia with Whitney

* haircut at 5:15 p.m.! it's about time. :D

* gym

Thursday:

* Continue reading about India. Maybe I'll live dangerously and move on to Hinduism.

* gym

Friday:

* no idea, but no gym.

Saturday:

* no idea, but last Saturday before the start of school, so definitely something good. :)

Sunday:

* might go have brunch, relax, enjoy the last day of summer like I actually never did. Again, summer is the worst season.

* pick out clothes casual-yet-professional teacher clothes to wear for the first day. No kids on Monday, so no need to bust out the super-professional-super-intimidating teacher look, but still ... and shoes. select shoes to match awesome outfit.

* set alarm clocks for 5:15 a.m., 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.

* swallow two Benadryls, take a sip of wine, sleep.

At some point during the week, I'll be meeting with Scott, my new English partner to talk about the year. We need to create a united front and know each other's classroom policies and whatnot. I am most interested in knowing how he teaches writing because it's such a big part of the curriculum.

Cafe Algiers

Last night, Kai and I went to try Cafe Algiers, this quiet little Middle Eastern coffeehouse/cafe in Harvard Square. I got the fried eggplant sandwich with summac. It was hearty, the pita was freshly grilled and, even though the insides kept squishing out, the salad/eggplant combo was awesome. The server was also super attentive and friendly. I wanna go back there soon! Don't remember the last I had Middle Eastern food ... years?