Anita to Banita

clear springs quips

2009-07-01T14:16:00.003-05:00

here are two amazing quotes i heard at clear springs (friends seafood and burger restaurant where i am working, and east texans love to eat).

"We're so hungry we can see builscuits walkin' on crutches."

and

"Man they got Robert Earl Keen playin' in here. You got to love some Robert Earl."

More to come I hope.

saffron rice: yum!

2009-03-26T14:38:00.002-05:00

oh, lost. how i love you!

i am watching the episode from last week and i am so excited that there will be one more after this to watch today!

also, i'm eating a chocolate brownie clif bar and it is amazing.

also, i got to sleep in a little bit today, even though clementine kind of kept me up for the last 30 minutes of sleep. bit it was cozy enough anyway, and all the kitties came and visited me in bed too. lovely pets.

this weekend is family weekend for me and chris. we are going to see his family for the weekend, and i'm going off on saturday to help my dad move in to his brand new apartment! i hope it is very fun.

oh dang, that means i have a lot of homework to do tonight and sunday.

------------------

i just found out that a beautiful house we were looking at renting was given to someone else. SO SAD.

when you need a friend, call me

2009-03-23T10:45:00.003-05:00

i had my first not disappointing lesson today! my students were assigned a short chapter, they pretty tired, and we had a discussion instead of a writing activity.
i planned it last night and i think this is a much better avenue than having specific product lessons. discussing is more their style, and seems to lend itself to what they actually have trouble with more than graphic organizers do.
i expect they will be hyper again tomorrow but i think my lessons for tuesday and wednesday are strong too so i have moderately high hopes.
a problem i am having is that E reads much more quickly than the other two, and J hates the idea of re-reading something. (he actually just dislikes reading altogether.) i keep explaining to him why it's good reading practice to re-read, but he rolls his eyes and looks around the room. i told him today that i just want him int he book in some way the whole time we're reading. i said he can scan, look at the pictures, or go back and re-read. as long as he's in the book.

also the student teacher i like was in today which made the room more pleasant, and the student teacher i'm not a big fan of was much better today.

and now, a cat story:

me: malcolm was a b.a. this morning.

i got out of bed and went to potty. malcolm followed me so i left the door cracked so he could come use the litter box.

he came in and sniffed around, and all of a sudden a tiny paw comes shooting between the crack in the door.

Sean: ha

me: molly was like spy attacking the air just inside the bathroom.. so malcolm went up to see what was up, and molly walked in. she took one swat at him and malc popped her one right int he face.

she looked shocked, then ran off.
she deserves it bc she keeps eating his food

Sean: hahaha

good good

that's how he got me to stop eating his food

spring is near!

2009-03-09T14:16:00.005-05:00

chris has been helping me ride a bike. sara gave me her old one, which is SO CUTE. it is a green huffy with a really low seat which helps me stop when i get freaked out, and helps me start more easily. the other day we went on a bike ride and stopped to drink water, rest my legs, and take these pictures:

that is my bike-riding sweater, since it matches my bike so perfectly! also, the handlebars are green with glitter. WHAT.

ps check out those tree shadows! beautiful.

saturday is sean's going away party. i am muy excited about it and muy excited that mike is coming homef or it!! i am not so excited that my brother is moving away for a long time very soon. i am just now realizing the gravity of the situation.
oh well, good thing i don't like him.

pictures and fourth grade

2009-02-12T16:39:00.006-06:00

-i bought a camera yesterday. it was/is very exciting. i have never (?) spent this much money on something for myself besides rent/bills. maybe i have, but definitely not my own money. and now of course, i have less than $10 in the bank. no, mom and dad, don't worry. i get paid monday, and timed my purchase so that i can still pay bills on time. the camera is a Canon Powershot SD770IS.
i am thrilled and can't wait to receive my bundle of joy in the mail.

-i have been having a marvelous time in fourth grade. i get up early -6:30- and very reluctantly get up, i try to be eating breakfast but otherwise ready to go by 7:30, and leave home by 7:45. sometimes i am a bit late, but as long as i arrive before 8:15 i am on time. i try, however, to leave on time because i like getting there at 8:00 to have morning circle* with fifth grade, then be there for class-switching time, and have morning circle with fourth grade. then is writing workshop. then reading mini-lesson, and reading workshop. that is when i get to pull students i need to work with. yesterday i did pre-assessments of my three assigned students' reading skills. i checked fluency and comprehension, then i checked how many sight words they could instantly read from Fry's high frequency words list. they are really smart, and though one of my students is behind the other two, they are all really interesting, cool kids. i am excited to teach them, and learn from them.

-watching ms. holli (the classroom teacher) has really made me feel like i can be a teacher. i think in a year i can run a classroom of 24 ten year olds, not lose my mind, and not screw them up.

-the student teacher in our class is really nice. so is my fellow intern 1, and i have a feeling the intern 2s are too. and not dumb! oh how i love non-dumb teachers-to-be!

*morning circle is wonderful. ms. holli puts on the song "if i could teach the world to sing" and everyone sits in a circle on the rug. when everyone's sitting and quiet, she puts on james taylor's "you've got a friend" and we twist our arms and hold our own hands (crossing the midpoint of the body improves brain function), close our eyes, sit cross-legged, and listen. about 2/3 of the way through the song, ms. holli tells us to roll our necks, our shoulders, and then breathe 3 deep long breaths. she then goes around the circle one by one saying "Good Morning ___. How are you?" and if they say something like "mad," "excited," or "curious" she asks them why. she asks the student teacher and interns too, and it is really nice, and helps integrate us into the classroom. then everyone says "Good morning, Ms. Holli. How are you?" and she replies and they go about their day. morning circle is the best part of my monday through thursday.

firsts

2009-02-02T15:59:00.006-06:00

i had my first day at internship this morning. i am in the fourth grade at SFA charter school with Ms. Holli. I'll be there during morning message, writing, and reading monday thru thursday. i'll be assigned a small group of 3 students for reading instruction and assessment, and otherwise i'll be helping, observing and learning from ms. holli. they call us "special teachers."

i was so nervous that i'd be late this morning. i set my alarm for 6:30 and woke up a few times in the night, scared that i was late. when my phone started ringing the alarm song, i jumped up, thinking i had slept in. i got up and pet molly, gave her medicine, got beautiful, ate breakfast, and successfully left at 7:50, and was early for my class meeting at 8:15! go me! hopefully i won't be late at all this semester.

big news on the kitten front!
molly has been just so scared since i've had her. (actually, she's been scared since ashley took her from where she was living.) after trying many strategies, i decided on putting her with her food, water, litter box, and little cat house in the bathroom. she stayed in that cat house if anyone was in the bathroom, and came out to eat and poop, from what i could tell.
well, yesterday i went in to pet her and give her medicine (she has worms), and she started PURRING! this is the first time i've heard her do so, and until very recently she shook whenever someone touched her. well, she went from purring to pawing at my hand, playing with me, to rolling over and nuzzling my hand, to sticking her head out the hole of her cat house, to actually coming out of the cat house and eating in front of me! then she ran back in and cleaned herself in front of me.
basically i am not sure when i have ever had my heart melt so much. i don't know if you know anything about cats, but they do NOT do those things if they are scared. this morning i went in to pet her more and she was out of her out of her house and didn't run back in. i pet her again and she showed lots of affection. i think soon she will be coming to me, and then i'll introduce her to the other animals.

i made bread last night! it was my second time to do so. i have sam's old bread maker, and it makes really delicious white bread. i'm sure it makes delicious other breads too (and apparently jam!) but i don't know for sure yet. mmm yum yum homemade bread.

that's pretty much it on the home front.

Maggie and Millie and Molly and May

2009-01-29T13:52:00.007-06:00

a lot of things have happened since the popsicles. but first i will tell you about the popsicles.

starbucks frappucino (the kind you buy already bottled) with creme-de-menthe and chocolate syrup: delicious. but mix in the chocolate syrup, because it doesn't freeze if you just put it in the bottom of an ice cube tray.
starbucks frappucino (the kind you buy already bottled) with just chocolate syrup: ditto.
mandarin orange segments in the "light syrup" they come in: this was the best one i think. it froze well, and the real fruit was a wonderful element.
mandarin orange segments in the "light syrup" they come in and triple sec: so good. just like the above, but with triple sec! (which you couldn't taste, but obviously added the fun of alcohol.)
raspberry jam mixed in with plain yogurt and honey/agave nectar, layered with plain yogurt: wonderful. plain jam doesn't freeze either, but mixed with yogurt it does and it's awesome. imagine a creamsicle, but raspberry. only it's a little thick. i might mix in some milk next time.
margarita mix with salt and tequila (so... margarita pops!): YUM!
cinnamon tea with powdered cinnamon sprinkled: no bien. the cinnamon just floated to the top and was not good, and otherwise it was like licking ice. which is quite pleasant. so tea pops are probably great. subtle flavor. no plain cinnamon though. we didn't finish these.
raspberry jam with lemonade poured over it: YUM. but again, raspberry jam doesn't freeze. maybe dissolve some raspberry jam in lemonade, or add actual raspberries to lemonade. or just lemonade pops!
blackberry jam with lemonade poured over it: ditto.
banana, chocolate syrup, and soymilk blended together: YES. i think these were chris' favorite, and i sure liked them too. froze wonderfully, and were a great dessert.
also, a note on the structure of the pops: i wouldn't recommend using just a toothpick in ice cube trays. the pop usually fell off about halfway through eating the pop, and then you had to either hold half in your hand, or eat it all at once. popsicle sticks apparently were made for a reason. but the size of the pops was really nice. you could have many flavors at one time and not be gorging yourself.
the verdict: will i be making my own popsicles again? YES!

now that that's over with, here are things that have happened, probably out of order:

chris moved back to nac. what a wonderful thing. he moved into sara kruter's house, where clementine has many dog friends to play with in the backyard (most notably frank).

it got cold. then hot. then cold. hopefully this won't last too long. but in the meantime, it is nice to appreciate how warm clementine is, and how i have a nice boo to snuggle with, and how i have a home and food.

my grandfather, Col. Charles Musgrave, died, bascially of the complications of old age. he was 96 years old and an interesting, kind, generous, and smart man. he worked in a ccc camp in colorado during the depression, went to college with the help of rotc, served in the army air guard (predecessor to the air force) and the oss (predecessor to the cia), was a lieutenant colonel, knew chang kai-shek, briefed nixon when he entered office, was a father, and was my grandfather. i found out when i was a teenager that he was an intimidating man. he never scared me, but when i met my mom's high school best friend, i heard stories about "The Colonel." it seemed so funny to me that the man who let me have root beer floats at any time of night or day could ever scare anyone. then i found out how much of the world he had seen, and how many times he had changed and adapted in his life.
i was in dallas at the museum of art when my mom called to tell me he had passed. he had been sick and we knew it was coming, but it was still sad. sad in such a different way from the sadness when it's not someone's time yet. i guess now i understand what it means to really grieve, and what it means to grieve because it's what you know you need to do. i wasn't torn up or shocked at his death, but i did want to honor the occasion, be there for my mom, and help the family. i wanted to think about what he means to me.
i went to austin the next day. my mom, my aunt, and i cleaned out most of his apartment. that was one of the -i don't want to say best- experiences of my life. he had so many things that indicated his stage in life, other things that made me remember who i knew him as, other things from people i had never heard of, things of my grandmother's, things from the military, and things from our family's history. all in a little apartment for assisted living. i kept a knife, fork, and spoon, and a grapefruit spoon. i kept some paper i just liked, and a roald dahl book. i hope i can have a painting my grandmother made. and i took a piece of paper, on which he wrote "brandeis," obviously at least 3 years ago, probably 5, apparently to remember were it was i attended college. somehow it made the move. so i kept it.

i watched barack obama take the oath of office while i was in austin. it was really amazing, and i am proud. i am glad i watched it with my mom and brother (and charlie and malcolm too), and it is remarkable how cute sasha obama is. hillary is looking a lot better these days too. what? the nation has taken great strides and is in a frightening place, but we are now more hopeful? yeah, ok, that too. but there was some sweet fashion going on.

i got a new kitten. she was saved by ashley and given to me, and she's been at my house for a week. she is a real scaredy cat, and so far i've only seen her in and under things, save very brief periods of reluctant entrapment by chris' arms, but she is really cute. she has huge eyes and grey, blonde, red hairs. less visible stripes than george, but probably the same kind of cat. today we made great strides in our relationship when i was awoken by her loud meowing (the first time i'd heard it) in my bedroom. i guess she was hungry, and had eaten the tuna fish i gave her as a peace offering. i am taking that meowing as a sign that a)she is alive b)she knows i am the one who feeds her and c)she comes out of hiding at nighttime. it probably sounds like these are tiny developments, or not developments at all, but trust me. this is big. soon enough, she will love me. oh. i named her molly.

school started. i am in my first semester of internship, and so far all i know is that we will be doing reading instruction with small groups, and that i am at the sfa charter school. monday we will go to campus for the first time and get our classroom assignments. i am excited to do so.
the strange thing for me about this semester so far is that as an intern you pretty much have the same teachers for every class. and all the classes are very similar. so i get very confused about which one i am going to, which teacher i have there, and what each class is about. soon it will all reveal itself, and for now i'm just going along for the ride, and doing what my schedule tells me to do. i am also taking a class at night which is not an internship class but is required some time before graduation. it will probably be boring but possibly useful in life (business communication), and it's just once a week.

that is that, ladies and gentlemen. my life since i last abandoned this blog for 17 days. until next time!

popsicles!

2009-01-12T17:50:00.002-06:00

yes, i know that popsicles are for summer. but i have been thinking about them lately and i wanted to make some creative pops today. they are in the freezer now. i emptied two ice cube trays and got all the likely (and some unlikely) contenders out of my fridge and pantry.

my hopefully yummy pop flavors are:

starbucks frappucino (the kind you buy already bottled) with creme-de-menthe and chocolate syrup
starbucks frappucino (the kind you buy already bottled) with just chocolate syrup
mandarin orange segments in the "light syrup" they come in
mandarin orange segments in the "light syrup" they come in and triple sec
raspberry jam mixed in with plain yogurt and honey/agave nectar, layered with plain yogurt
margarita mix with salt and tequila (so... margarita pops!)
cinnamon tea with powdered cinnamon sprinkled
raspberry jam with lemonade poured over it
blackberry jam with lemonade poured over it
banana, chocolate syrup, and soymilk blended together

i will update with the positive or negative results of these combos. i am very excited and optimistic.

since i don't have popsicle trays (or proper popsicle sticks), i poked holdes in wax paper to put toothpicks through and layed it on the ice trays. then when i put the toothpicks in, they didn't fall to the side.

POPSICLES!
freeze, baby, freeze.

happier new year

2009-01-07T17:12:00.009-06:00

it's been awhile. i always get impatient with my blog-writing friends and family for not posting, and then i realize that it's been weeks since i have either. hypocrasy!

it is a new year. you may have noticed the change in year numbers (8 --> 9), the parties you went to, the big ball that fell on manhattan... but if you didn't know, it is now 2009. instead of 2008. for me this is a wonderful thing. i feel like i've almost accomplished it. i'm sure the world would have turned one year older without me, but all the things that went wrong this year seem to overshadow the things that have gone right, and i made it out alive and ok. which is why i'd like to mention those things that have gone right! (thanks for the inspiration for this list, alison.) in no particular order:

many of my friends graduated from college, and i was able to see them do it.
rabbit and ashley got engaged.
i forgave someone. at least two people actually.
mom and charlie moved in together.
i (who-knows-how-temporarily) adopted george washington the cat into my care.
dad got a puppy.
kimberlee, alison, and arum all visited.
sean put plans and dreams into motion.
aubrey got engaged, and asked me to be a bridesmaid.
amy and bryan decided to become engaged (although i believe the actual event happened on jan. 1.) um, i hope it's ok that i wrote this here. but they didn't say not to tell. and i'm happy about it so too bad!
grandpa lived through a few close calls.
our friends made it through a terrific loss. (yes i am counting that as a good thing. because we could have fallen apart.)
my dad wasn't hurt in the house fire.
i found out how brave chris is.
edit: i didn't mention my aunt being cured of colon cancer after almost dying. it seems so long ago i can't believe that was this year. wow.
ha! see? last year was so good that i forgot at least two HUGE things. the above, and OBAMA BEING FUCKING ELECTED. duh. duhduhduhduhduhduh.

wonder what else wonderful happened last year? comment with at least one wonderful (or at least pretty good) thing that happened in 2008. it will probably cheer you up, even if you already feel cheerful.

i am going to choose to be thankful as much as i can. i will always look back at 2008 as a horrible year in many respects, and i'm glad to see it go, but it's not healthy to stay angry or sad about it. it's over and i am a lot better person than i was when it began.

here is a prayer from e e cummings for the new year. maybe you can say it too.

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and my myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

happy endings

2008-12-19T10:48:00.003-06:00

ok. here's the thing about cats. and actually, most pets. and children.
ok. here's the thing about living creatures.
if they need more attention than they are getting, they become increasingly annoying and no one wants to give them attention. which is obviously the path toward more annoying behavior.
generally, george and i snuggle kind of a lot. we get a little in each morning and sometimes he falls asleep with me at night. when i get home from work we chill.
well apparently i have been slacking in my playing/petting duties lately in his eyes because he was a complete dick this morning.
first he knocks a bunch of shit over, and then he keeps meowing as soon as i close my eyes to go back to sleep after being woken by either him or the alarm.
then when i do get up, the first thing i do every day is feed him. seriously. out of bed, glasses on, food for george. sometimes not even glasses on first. apparently this is not good enough because he jumps up on the bookshelf where his food bowl is (acceptable) then immediately jumps down to where i am getting some food (annoying but acceptable) and starts pawing at the can of food i've filled ( annoying and unacceptable). so this morning, i try to push him away so he learns not to do this, and he freaking spills all the food i was trying to give him all over.
i know i just need to sit down and give him a few hours of loving, but man. why does he have to knock stuff over all the time.
wow that was a lot of energy devoted to bitching about a cat. i am probably a jerk.

in other news, i have been knitting which is nice. in the summers, when it makes the most sense to knit (cause then projects are done in time for cold weather), i cannot bring myself to do so because it is way too hot. somehow even handling the yarn seems to make me hotter. but now i am making a scarf for mike that i hope he will like (i hope you like it mike!). it is blue and ribbed. thin, but will be long so it can be wrapped and wrapped around his ohio neck.
last night i watched a movie called happy endings. it is brian's and i have seen it on the shelf many times but never chose it until yesterday. it was wonderful. it told about several people who all ended up being related (family-wise and symbolically) and maggie gyllenhaal is apparently a)good at playing a conniving b and b)a wonderful singer. lisa kudrow was excellent, and so was that guy whose name i don't know. anyway, see it if you can. instead of voice-over narrations, there are charming on-screen notes (pan the screen over so half is black and it says: This is Mamie. Don't worry if you don't like her at first. Her ex-husband was a gambling addict so that probably accounts for a lot. haha! and: This is _____. He is gay now, who isn't? hah. very charming.)

this weekend we're going to stephenville for early christmas. i think it's going to mostly be a family gathering rather than a christmas to-do.. but i am excited nonetheless. maybe we shouldn't call it christmas, since that puts a lot of pressure on.. meh.
then after sville sean and i are going to austin. he is moving there, which is very surreal for me. i have known he is moving for a long time but at the same time it came kind of suddenly, and now it's like a step toward moving very very far away, so i don't know how sad to be. i am sad he won't be in nac still, and won't still work with me. i will miss seeing him often, and i have never lived in nac without sean. but also he will be in austin which isn't that far, and he will definitely have fun! mostly i know this is hard for him so i'm trying to be supportive and also fun. hopefully that is being accomplished?
i am going there to see mom and then, on christmas day, i'm going to pick up alison at the airport! i am so excited that she's coming. whoa. then we get to drive to dallas to pick up arum, who i am equally excited to see! we may get to see a few of my friends - julianne, aubrey (and her fiance!), erin perhaps. and then we will go eat something with dad, who has never met al or rum. get excited. we will go back to austin that night and spend the week there. we'll have shabbat dinner and take walks and hopefully clem will come with chris and it will be an extravaganza!
but now i am going to go to work, for the last time in 2008. yessssss.

success!

2008-12-11T13:46:00.003-06:00

i know you all were pretty worried about it, but don't worry anymore. i finally got into the internship classes for next semester! yesssss. a little perseverance and a whole lot of frustration can get you places sometimes.
ahhh i am excited. going to be interning at the charter school on campus.. don't know what grade yet or anything.. or really anything about it. but i'm excited.
now to make more excel sheets about what's in folders and files.

thanks giving

2008-12-04T23:49:00.004-06:00

everyone just left and now it's just me and george.
sean suggested that we have dinner together because he wanted to make the delicious vegan mushroom dressing and mashed potatoes that he had in milwaukee with shea. what turned out happening was a vegetarian (and almost all vegan!) potluck with lots of people at my house. unfortunately, brian was at work and chris was at home but other than that it was amazing.
i made black bean soup and avocado salsa from chrissy's vegan cookbook, which was amazing (and i think a hit of the party), sean made the mushroom gravy (it was unclear for a while whether it was going to be gravy or "mushroom stuff" but i had faith and it was really good gravy) and mashed taytoes, chrissy brought homemade from scratch vegan cornbread, ashley and rabbit brought mashed sweet potatoes, salad, and baked zucchini, jillian brought green beans, and lots of people brought beer. i had franzia, and chrissy, who came over first besides me and sean who were cooking in my kitchen, told me this funny joke: i always cook with wine. sometimes i even put it in the food. ha ha!
anyway, i had a great time with sean, then a great time with sean and chrissy, then a great time with sean, chrissy, aaron, brad, mike, beth, rabbit, ashley, and jillian. oh and who could forget the ice cold pomegranate appetizer? man. who knew? really cold is the way to go with pomegranate. and then, put some in your white wine. yes, please. then people gradually left and sean helped with dishes (ok, did the dishes).
and why don't we do that all the time? i feel so lucky to have so many friends in town, and in my life!

i'll post pics whenever i get them from sean.

oh look! pictures from sean.

Books and Boots

2008-12-01T16:33:00.004-06:00

Well. Today it sure was hard to get up and get out of bed. Not that I slept in much over the break. But then I was getting up to go shopping and do other fun things. Today it was -blah- to go to school! But it has turned out to be a pretty good day so far anyway!
But the good news is that I am one step closer to interning next semester. I turned in my application for teacher ed and soon hopefully I can sign up for a school and an advisor! So excited.

These are the purple boots I got. Um, can we talk about how great that is? PURPLE.

Last night I finished reading Middlesex. I was really sad that it was over, but loved the ending. And the whole thing. The best part about it, I think, is that it was a fictional autobiography, but it told one person's story through three generations. Also, I went back to the first page and reread it when I was almost done, and it completely told so many of the huge events right there on page 1, and it was kind of cool to say oh yeah! I forgot this was going to happen. Now it did. I'm not sure why that was cool, but I really liked the way the author (Jefferey Eugenides) gave away things before they happened -- more than just foreshadowing.. Often he would tell what was about to happen, and then spend a few pages getting there. It was like I was being braced. So that way, I didn't have to try hard not to read the end of the page I was on for fear that I would find out something big.. Most of the big stuff had been alluded to, or even flat-out said. Example: Talking about character's adjustment to a move, then says: "but it didn't last long. Three weeks in fact" or something to that extent. I would have thought that would bug me, but it was actually really great. Made the narrator more real too. Basically, it is a wonderful book and I recommend it. Highly.

Hmmm. I didn't really have enough pie this weekend. (Not much at all, for Thanksgiving! But some awesome raspberry/blackberry marie calendar's for breakfast.) Maybe I will have to make some? Who's got fruit?

holiday apple spice

2008-11-29T00:24:00.002-06:00

well. i'm not going to write a whole big post about it at this moment, but thanksgiving was very enjoyable. though i missed dad, sean, and chris. my men.
today was also enjoyable. none of those men would have had fun, but i sure did! shopped with mom (no it wasn't very crazy.. due to good timing on our part somehow), did craft/homework, ate delish food, and listened to some christmas music. among other things.
must go to bed soon. more things to do tomorrow!

George the cat rules more than George the Bush

2008-11-26T11:28:00.003-06:00

wow. I just read a beautifully written, scathing article on Bush's lame duck status.
(Bush's Last Days: The Lamest Duck)

I'm going to Austin in a few hours, and I've given Chrissy my key so George can get some foods for Thanksgiving, I've started to pack, I've cleaned the litter box, I've vacuumed around the litter box, I've started to do the dishes, I've burned a CD for Mom and Charlie... And then I sat down at the computer and George crawled in my lap and fell asleep so now how can I get up? He's so sweet and I'm about to leave him for 5 days.

Also, I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to pull off finishing all the schoolwork I need to do by Monday. I will, of course, but I am not quite sure when yet. I have to compile this notebook of lesson plan ideas for my class, and of course the points are all about how full and beautiful it is.. I know being a teacher is, in part, about organization and presentation, but I hate that I have to buy sheet protectors and fancy paper to get the grade. (Ok, I love buying fancy paper, but I don't like the paying part.) Oh well. Evett's class to the rescue.

Ok I guess I'll have to make George move now.
Sorry, buddy.

single ladies

2008-11-25T10:01:00.000-06:00

it is unreasonable how much i like the new beyonce song.

the not-so-final countdown

2008-11-24T15:01:00.002-06:00

what a wonderful weekend!
rabbit and i went to get chris from troup. on the way home, we stopped at the "donuts and pizza" drivethru in new summerville or whatever it was. the pizza took a while to cook, apparently, but chocolate-iced donuts+piping hot cheese pizza: amazing.
and then we played loaded questions. oh man.
"if you wrote a love song to your true love, what would it be called?"
best answer: "stop touching my vagina"
oh and also, margarita and queso!
then we went to tim's, where there was a fire and fun.
when it got real late, we went to my house and waited for MIKE TO ARRIVE! when he did reach nacogdoches, from far-away athens, ohio, we proceeded to stay up til 4:30 am. best part: walking to whataburger, sitting in whataburger with 35 people and all of a sudden, we look up and we were the only ones in there. WHAT? whataburger magic.
anyway, we also went to sushi, played wii at sadie's, and ate too much at cici's.
rabbit and chris (and clem) and i went to troup again, and then turned around, minus chris and clementine.
i'm excited about tomorrow, because it's the last day of schoolbefore thanksgiving break! then, there's just one week of class, finals, and winter break!!!
yesssss.

just a few updates

2008-11-21T16:40:00.002-06:00

going to austin on wednesday and then san antonio on thursday. very excited. then finals! i love how close together thanksgiving and chrsitmas breaks are. yessss.

sushi at lunch was a big success. meaning, i got to watch flight of the conchords IN THE CAR on the way there, and there was a hand roll and tempura involved.

academic success?

2008-11-20T14:13:00.000-06:00

i am very excited because i finally (yes i have been at sfa for two years) talked to the right person about getting certain classes from brandeis to count as certain classes at sfa. i have tried to find out who is in charge of this for literally 4 semesters and have never even heard of dr. elizabeth vaughan. now i know that she was a state secret and i had to go through 2 years' worth of routine trials to get to her. hopefully she will be the key to my success in interning next semester. please please please dr. vaughan! don't crush my optimism once and for all!

ps i love soup. i should eat it every day.

doc

2008-11-19T13:41:00.003-06:00

fine. i missed yesterday too. i am not so good at nablopomo.

anyway, i found this article and i think it is badass.

also, on baby carrots:
basically, there are varieties of carrot that are just small. and some carrots are picked before they are big. but pretty much whenever you buy baby carrots in the store, they are big carrots that were curvy or bumpy or short, that would be fed to pigs and other animals, but are cut down to be "baby carrots."

i have mixed feelings about this, as obviously it's good that up to 4 tons of carrots per day are saved from being thrown away, but i also think it's bull that you can't just sell a vegetable or fruit that doesn't look right. the only reason it doesn't look right is because people don't know jack about the food they eat. obviously all carrots are not going to look exactly the same. and obviously their taste and nutritional value does not change because of that.

some people.

grampa simpson says...

2008-11-17T16:35:00.003-06:00

"i've been doin [crossword puzzles] since 1958. back then we called em alphabet hotels because every letter gets its own little room."

i recently decided that i would try and become a crossword aficionado like my dad. (my dad is like ridic.. so many words in his head.) so far i mostly do the free usa today ones online, but they're getting easier for me to complete, so that's good. if i was rich i would do the nyt ones but i don't have the newspaper, nor am i going to pay for the online subscription just so i can do the crossword.
i bought a book at half price books for $1 that has lots of puzzles but they're all really easy and also pretty stupid.
the point is that i've been slacking in my quest to be a master (or at least legitimate cruciverbalist, which lisa simpson taught me means a crossword enthusiast), and watching the simpsons today rekindled the want.

ALSO, the point is that watching the simpsons today made me remember that i should watch the simpsons again. god it's so good.

too bad

2008-11-16T18:55:00.001-06:00

i always get real bummed when chris leaves for the week

i have to pee

2008-11-15T18:49:00.003-06:00

it's true. why don't i go pee then? i'm already sitting down. DUH.
today i hung out at my house all day while the wind blew really hard all day. i thought surely it was raining at several points, but it was not! turns out it was blowing in a cold front. busy busy wind.
luckily, i had many things to do in my house, including sewing (my sewing machine SUCKS), making holiday cards, hanging out with brian, and talking to my lovely friend arum.
now i have to hang out with my gross boyfriend chris.

underneath the mistletoe last night

2008-11-14T17:29:00.004-06:00

i thought i would post twice today since the previous one counts for yesterday's.

the main thing that i need to tell you is that starbucks' gingersnap latte is delicious and contains little pieces of ginger.

also, that it was wonderful to come home today to a clean living room. my bedroom is still a bit messy, since my clean clothes are on my bed still (after a week) and my desk is a war zone, and i have a few boxes of things from dad's house still in the closet, but mostly it is nice being at home right now. i think the next mission is to get rid of some of my stuff. love, inc here i come!

also i am making a christmas cd for my mom since she loves christmas music and i'm trying to get a head start on presents since i am always so stressed about gifts that i don't get to enjoy giving them. so far i am down 4 gifts! excellent. and i'm working on chris' right now.

yes i do know that it's too early for christmas music in stores and decorations in the library, but i think as long as i don't impose it on other people, it's ok for productivity's sake. yes?

movies with hal sparks are always good

2008-11-14T12:12:00.004-06:00

yesterday the internet at my house was being silly. then once it was not being silly i forgot to post.

i found out why the vacuum cleaner STILL wasn't working properly after i cleaned the filter. turns out that parts of the machine that i didn't know existed were totally clogged, and after i cleaned them out, the thing was amazing! i realize that blogging about cleaning is really boring, but it is very exciting to not have cat litter all over my room for the first time since i got george. wow.

brian, sean, and rabbit were going to see james bond at midnight but it turns out the nacogdoches theater is stupid, and having it tonight. does that make sense? no. anyway, we had movie night at my house instead and we watched a very similar movie: dude, where's my car? which was amazing. i saw that movie when it came out in 2000, when i was in 9th grade. i laughed the entire time, and the whole way home and everyone i was with thought i was an idiot. but, watching it again, i know i was right. dumbest movie ever. dude. sweet.

oh yeah, and there was arbor mist from sunshine involved.

in fact he'll be here in a minute

2008-11-12T17:38:00.004-06:00

today was better than yesterday, by a long shot.
last night i found out part of the reason the vaccuum cleaner sucks so bad: i hadn't ever cleaned the filter. apparently that is something you have to do. i'm not sure it's a very powerful appliance anyway, but it's better now at least.
also i listened to a lot of beyonce this morning before school, which is obviously a big plus for the day.
and i had strawberries as part of my lunch. yum yum!
i sent an email to the dean of the college of education asking for special consideration to let me intern next semester. he sent me along to the associate dean, who is in charge of the department of elementary eduction, so hopefully she will be nice and understanding. i really don't want to waste an entire 2 summers summer and 1 semester. that is what i will have to do if the plan goes as is. hope is alive!

you must not know bout me

2008-11-11T14:45:00.003-06:00

went to get advised today. found out i can't intern next semester, and i have to take bullshit core classes next semester. tack on one more semester to my neverending college experience.
also i officially dropped an art major which i clearly wasn't working on but was holding onto so i could feel like i was doing something creative and unique in life.
forgive me if i'm having a shitty day

hot and cold

2008-11-10T11:21:00.002-06:00

today i woke up warm and a little sweaty. that is because i had three blankets on me. that is because my heater is broken. yes, it runs if you turn it to "always stay on no matter the temperature." it does not, however, turn on if you turn it to "if it gets cold in here, please turn on until it is warm in here." nor does it heat if it is on. this is the kicker. so i woke up, remembered my childhood, put on a sweatshirt (boyfriend's, which makes me feel cozy), and made tea and malt-o-meal.
then i called my landlord and asked them to send someone over. they will come sometime this week, she said, and so sorry george, but you are in my room all day until they come. oh yeah. i'm not supposed to have pets.
then i proceeded to do other responsible things before class which always makes me feel good. i made an appointment, took out the trash, and cleaned a tiny bit.
i have realized that no matter how much i clean, my apartment will always look like crap for some reason, but --this is key-- that i should not let that defeat me. otherwise, i will live in a messy/dirty apartment AND feel like a slob. this way i just feel like a person who needs a better vaccuum and needs less stuff.
then after class i made another necessary appointment (to be advised for next semseter) and now i'm at work.
hopfully the progress of the morning does not trick me into not doing anything else productive all day. that is the tricky bit.

SORRY

2008-11-09T12:33:00.003-06:00

sorry mike, my one of three avid readers. i didn't mean to ruin your day with my cop-out post. i didn't have anything to say and was feeling blah so i did what any smart nablopomo-er would do: i added a shady non-post.
today is different! for example, i am posting a real post as we speak. (as i write?) i promise. you will see it when i'm done.
last night we went to see role models, which was pretty funny. there were definitely a few lol moments but the sort of funny moments were all but ruined by this girl and guy behind us who were LAUGHING uncontrollably at totally inane shit. like if one character mildly sasses another, they would go nuts! o well. guess they had fun. but the verdict on role models: rent it. it's pretty good, and if you're into boys liking boobs and little kids acting nerdy/inappropriate, then you will love it. also if you love larping or making fun of larpers, then this is the movie for you.
then we went to sean's house and sat around the fire which was really fun, and also delicious because of the s'mores. chris and i are probably going to hang out with clementine until our hearts fail out because we can't stand how cute she is (did i mention that when chris comes i am only excited because of clem?) and then he'll go home at some point, which is fine with me because chris blows.

jk.

obligatory

2008-11-08T17:34:00.001-06:00

here is a post

the latter ladder

2008-11-07T18:20:00.006-06:00

i'm making some lasagna and i just realized that i hadn't posted today! it's not like i've missed any other of the 7 days in noblopomo -- i can't miss this one!

chris isn't coming tonight so i'm going to clean? do homework? waste time?
probably the latter...
it seems so much later than it is because a) i left work early, b) it is darker so much earlier, and c) i'm already real hungry for dinner. eh. i suppose i will enjoy my dinner and try to do something responsible.

nothing really happened today so i guess this is my post. but at least i made one, eh?

bread of life

2008-11-06T10:06:00.003-06:00

this happened the other day, but i was just thinking about it and laughing inside my head.
jo: i hate when people do things inefficiently on the internet.
chris: why? who cares? it's just how i do things.
jo: because the internet is for efficiency.
chris: no, the internet is for porn.

haha!

in other news, i got a great puzzle ("bread of life," featuring jesus in a field of hay, eating bread) and did some of it last night while watching "willy wonka and the chocolate factory" and "charlie bartlett" which were both very great.

when i woke up it was raining which was nice, and cozy in my little bed. george was not snuggling me, but i guess he was comfy somewhere else in the house.

guess i got real excited yesterday, and went quote-crazy. hopefully you don't hold it against me, my new reader friends.

gushy

2008-11-05T16:32:00.003-06:00

i am a sucker for music, speeches, and emotional responses.
i am so proud of america, and also ashamed that it took this long.
chris told me about a girl he works with who said "black people are so arrogant. if he wins they're just going to get more arrogant. we gave them their rights anyway." i can't understand how someone can think that and not hear what they are saying.
anyway, i guess there will always be two sides, like dad said, and as long as the people on the other side aren't being hateful, that's ok. but someone needs to educate that girl, and people like her.

From the Declaration of Independence, the writers of which did not understand that they didn't really believe this, but I DO.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

From the Constitution of the United States of America:
"The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same Term, be elected"

From the Unitarian Universalist Association:
"We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."

From Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Mountaintop speech:
"We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don't need any bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails, we just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. ..." ...Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. We've got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together."

From Barack Obama's race speech:
"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love."

From Barack Obama's "Yes We Can" speech:
"When I hear the cynical talk that blacks and whites and Latinos can't join together and work together, I'm reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I organized with and stood with and fought with side by side for jobs and justice on the streets of Chicago. So don't tell us change can't happen. ... Don't tell me we can't change. Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words -- yes, we can."

WINNING

2008-11-05T00:03:00.002-06:00

i don't know what do do. obama wins, according to the news channels (we checked fox news bc if they reported it it couldn't be false), and now apparently it's time for bed. i am drunk on beer and champagne, and on victory and the american dream, and i guess it's bedtime. but mark begich still has his seat to win, because it is such a far-away seat (man! get a closer state, dude!) and the rest of the polls still have yet to come in.
and i may or may not have homework. but if i got the monday after homecoming off from doing homework, i can't believe that i would really and truly have something expected tomorrow.
GODDAMN THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE ITS INCEPTION JUST HAPPENED.

civic duties

2008-11-04T09:36:00.002-06:00

election day! go america! my sentiments about the election are summed up by my friend chrissy:

"Today is Election Day, and I think that you should vote. Naturally, I would prefer that you voted for Barack Obama, because I think he is the best candidate, but in the end, I just want you to vote for whoever you think will do the best job. Think about it - if everyone voted, and voted with their hearts, then the winner of the election would reflect the will of the people. I can get on board with that, even if I don't agree with it. But if people stay home, don't care, are apathetic, lazy, forgetful - well, then the election is not a true reflection of our collection needs and hopes and dreams. And that's fucked up.

So vote! If you hate both the candidates, vote for a third party! And if you love me, then vote for Barack Obama."

that is all.

rerererepeat

2008-11-03T09:00:00.004-06:00

fuck. i got a facebook message last night from a friend of sam's. i had never heard of her, and she lives in new york, i think (assumed from her facebook profile), and she didn't know about sam. i guess she went on his facebook since it was his birthday and got confused. so she must have googled "samuel colquitt" and found one of sean's blog posts about his death. so she wrote to me (i guess just bc i was one of the people who had written on his wall?) and asked what happened. i wrote her back, and tried to explain in enough but not too much detail. i had to go back through his note, which i had let fall behind my desk because i didn't want to have to see it, to make sure he didn't mention her. he didn't, which is kind of good because i really didn't want to type his words. that is too much for me.
so now mallory is going through what we went through when it happened. only it is six months later and no one is going through it with her. i know we are all still grieving, and a little shocked sometimes that it's true, but literally no one but her is dealing with just learning of his death besides her. fuck that sucks. and she's far away so it's not like anyone she knows knew him. (i don't know how they knew each other, but she said they talked online and on the phone (about cats of course).)
personally, it brought me back to that night and the next day. when i called everyone i could think of from high school to tell them what happened. and when i had to tell my fucking brother about it. actually i guess i did tell him first but he was mostly asleep so he just thought our friends had turned into candy. i suppose shaina actually broke the news to him. but the way i experienced it, i told him, and at the same time i didn't want to tell anyone ever again, and i wanted to be the one to tell everyone. that is, i wanted to tell everyone from high school because i couldn't stand it if one of them heard from an indirect source.
i know it was inevitable that we didn't know every single one of sam's friends. he had a lot of friends. but i am sad that this mallory didn't know. i told her to call me so we can talk about it. i don't know how it's going to go, because i have healed a lot since, and i also still hurt a lot.

this was a really sad second post, i know, but that's the way it is.
today might be a better day. how 'bout it!

i'll try to think of really nice fun things to write about tomorrow, to cheer me (and probably you, after reading this post) up.

late already.

2008-11-02T11:21:00.003-06:00

well i was going to start this blog yesterday with the beginning of NoBloPoMo, November Blog Posting Month, but clearly I am a day behind. figures.
Today is Sam's birthday and we are having a feast in his honor. I made bread last night, from a mix that we got from Upton when we moved out. (i know i never officially lived there but a. i kind of did, and b. we all did.) Anyway I assume it was Sam's mix because who else cooked bread at Upton? I got dill from the farmer's market so I made it Dill Beer Bread. I also made a salad with veggies from the farmer's market and other stuff I had. Chris is making potatoes and salmon as we speak. Hopefully others have either made food or are bringing their party hats.
I, of course, had to put a damper on the salmon dish by bitching about peppers. I just hate them. But I guess I should hush up about it. It is going to be delish tho and I am excited.
Clementine is sleeping on my couch, which is how I like it. I've really missed her this semester. Obviously I miss Chris too (and more) but it's funny how a pet grows on you.
George has been an excellent companion, and I feel really honored that I can be his caretaker now that Sam is gone, and Mike is away. I think we are helping each other thru the hard times. OK, mostly he sleeps and attacks ankles, but he helps me thru the hard times.

I promise I will write every day for the rest of November, and on the first of December, to make up for yesterday.