see.amy.write

reviving the blog

2009-06-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

one might think i DIDN'T survive that grading i posted about just over a year ago, but i survived that and worse. i'm back after one of the most challenging years of my life; i moved to a new home back in the city (!), i moved to a new school, learned the community and the curriculum, and said a very, very sad goodbye to my dear, dear grandfather who died just a week after being diagnosed with leukemia. he is the man pictured in an earlier post called "family (this is not a metaphor)". i think that photo captures the essence of our relationship: we were at once tender and antagonistic. he raised me first in the absence of my father and then in the absence of my mother after her death when i was 18 and i am heartbroken that he will not get to walk me down the aisle next summer. i was able to be with him in his last hours and then with my family for the week following his passing, only to return to five classes of term papers and plenty of assignments i had put off and left behind, all of which threatened to drown me. but i swam, tread water, and kicked my pinky toe there at the end to make it through.

i'm now a few days into another summer which isn't feeling at all like i expected it to. i am planning the aforementioned wedding for the summer of 2010 and preparing myself to make some major revisions to my curriculum. next year i will be teaching the same two courses that i taught this year: sophomore american lit & comp and sophomore introduction to expository comp. (yes, all sophs!) the new wrinkle is that next year our frosh and soph classes will be 1:1, hence part of my motivation (mandate?) in making changes in the way i teach.

i'd like to rededicate this space to all things teaching related and invite conversation about teaching lit, about the trials and victories of being 1:1, and about teaching lit and comp in a 1:1 environment. welcome aboard! thanks for joining me.

summer milestones

2008-06-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

today was the last day of final exams and the official end of the semester at school. I didn’t have to proctor or give an exam today, so I went to campus for the end of the year faculty lunch and was showered with hugs and praise and good byes since I will be leaving my school this year and joining a new community. days like today are especially difficult for me because I am very emotional and sentimental and I am particularly bad with goodbyes. I inherited this terrible weakness from my grandmother who is also a notoriously emotional goodbye-er. sigh

I thought I would try to up my blogging over the summer and keep track of some milestones, both mundane and significant. here's a very indulgent capturing of today, the unofficial start of "summer vacation."

I received roses from two students in the last days of school. I am so grateful for my girls and I will truly miss them.

this was a farewell gift from the administration and a nice nod to the irish sisters who run the school I’m leaving. my grandfather will appreciate learning about it as he is especially proud of his irish heritage and often calls me his irish colleen.

I stopped at the market on my way home this afternoon and could not resist indulging my inexplicable craving for chocolate covered gummi bears. since the market doesn’t sell them and I couldn’t justify making another stop (at the mall no less), I decided to make them. here is a photo of the army of chocolate bears on the top shelf of my fridge. I estimate that they will last approximately one day.

and here is the work I have to do over the next five days. this doesn’t include the big stack of essay process in my classroom that I couldn’t bring myself to lug home. I will go back to campus to take care of that and enter those scores last. update to follow (if I’m alive after all this reading…)

Wishlists and other various things on my Sunday night brain

2008-01-27T23:43:00.000-08:00

As I lurk on various style blogs (these being among my recent faves) I have realized (although I suppose I have truly long known this to be true): I am a wishlister. I want. I want! I WANT! I am trying to decide if this is a good thing; evidence of motivation and drive. Hey! I know what I want. Or maybe it’s a sign of greed. I’m trying not to be a consumer. I really want to live simply. I just like pretty things.

And I want to look put together. (this latter desire is more often than not tempered by my desire to be comfortable. Style vs. Comfort, Comfort wins)

Perhaps a little update on the 26 before 26 list (just weeks to go… it’s time to renovate those goals and deadline!)

for my spirit
1. read Daily Om daily for one month – Jorge just chastised me because i have 228 unread Daily Oms in my gmail inbox. I will read them starting tomorrow. I will link to those that resonate.
2. write 20 minutes a day for one month – if only I could stick to such a schedule. I have been writing for myself more often than usual and that’s about all I can ask for at the moment. The current project is letter writing – letters to myself at both younger and older moments, letters to loved ones, handwritten letters left in colleagues’ mailboxes, emails that actually get sent and are received in the hopes of replies… it’s fun to have a theme. While I may not be writing daily, overall, it’s working. Check.
3. read for pleasure one chapter/essay a day for one month – I did this in the fall. I read all of Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle this way and soon after start Don Quixote. Not going so well. Will update as I go. Check (for the Kingsolver).
4. write 2 episodes of memoir – probably not going to happen for a good long while. I’m going to shelve this goal for the time being.
5. crochet a blanket – my cousin E has already commissioned me for this, so as soon as we can save enough pennies, I will drag him to the yarn store, we will buy skeins and skeins of luxurious yarn and I will get to work. I am definitely not expecting a finished product by May. This one gets a raincheck.
6. learn to sew. Also getting a raincheck. J’s mom is holding my machine hostage (I’m lucky she’s not charging me to store it at her place – I have no space). I will need to enlist the help of someone who sews to inspire me. Raincheck.
7. make one new recipe a week for two months – I don’t cook every day but I have adventurous periods in the culinary cosmos. My recent experiment was a quiche made from scratch (and with a modified recipe). Eggs, half and half, onions, and fresh spinach in a frozen pie crust. I cut it up and froze the slices individually and enjoyed my delicious creation for a whole week. Next up: break out the new food processor. I LOVE vegetables! Close enough. Check.
8. attend services at 3 different places of worship – I’m not worshipping anything these days except my couch and my yoga mat. Raincheck.
9. yoga once a week for two months – Friend Jen and I had a coupon for two weeks unlimited yoga at a nearby studio and I went to 5 classes in that time. I’m trying to fit yoga into my budget, but I am planning on going to class either at the studio or at the very least at the gym at least once a week from here on out. I’m calling that a check.

for my peace of mind
1. finish global citizenship project – in the midst. It’s morphing. I’ll get there.

for my brain
1. attend meetings with like-minded political activists – J and I agreed that as soon as he finishes the bar we will read up, pick our candidate and do something. Temporary raincheck.
2. find a news source i trust. read daily for one month – not doing it, know I should.
3. do a book club with christin 6x – this started as a writing group which quietly disbanded, then morphed into book talk which also hasn’t happened, but as I head into spring semester having read all but one of the texts that I’ll be teaching from now until June and having made a promise to myself that I would read the books on my shelves before buying myself new books, I’m going to say that at least the reading half of this equation will be fulfilled shortly. If nothing else, I’ll be busy over at goodreads.

for my environment
1. buy live plants and keep them alive – I have a plant! J’s mom gave me one that is easy to keep alive and familiar to me – I just learned through the magic of instant internet research that it’s called a Pothos (Epipremnum) and oh how I’d love to have a lime or neon colored one!

My grandmother has had this kind of plant for as long as I can remember. We had one in our last house that sat at the top of the stairs in the foyer and we let it grow about ten feet down to the entrance. It’s not fancy but it’s very green and hardy and serves its purpose: bring energy and fresh air to my space. Mission accomplished. Check.
2. organize family photos and hang them – not going to bother with this until I move. I don’t think it’s worth putting loads of holes in the wall for my landlord to patch if my stay seems to be temporary. More time to look for and invest in classy (matching) frames.
for my community
1. volunteer 3 hours a month for duration – haven’t. hard to do during the school year. Hoping to get a start during the summer and gain momentum that will sustain me into the next school year. Raincheck.
for my family
1. call madison once a week for a month and call taylor once a week for a month – all the girls should be included in this one since they are all verbal enough to communicate clearly.

for my wallet
1. budget $100/month for clothes/shoes/ accessories/jewelry – putting this off for very good reason. I’m trying something radical. I’m going to try to live with what I have for one whole year. This, of course, does not include necessities or something needed if a special occasion arises, but I’m going to make good use of what I have and not just in clothes, but in many corners of my life. More on this to come. I’m striking this from the list altogether.
2. begin savings plan for new car – done! Well, not the savings plan but I’ve got a new ride. She’s sweet. Still considering names. Check.
3. save $$$$ for costa rica in 2007 – done! No money saved, trip went on my credit card. So I’m paying for it now, but it was ten days of tropical paradise and worth every penny of interest I am still paying.
for my friendships
1. write a letter every week 8x – haha! Working toward this one already!
2. call one person a month with whom I haven’t spoken in awhile – this is a nebulous goal. Stricken.
3. call monica once a month for duration – Moni’s been busy with her precious new little one, Dario, but we IM and send emails. She’s about to finish her thesis and become a PhD in Archaeology. Woo hoo!
4. send birthday cards to family and close friends – I was planning to start this with the first of the year and I already failed! I’ll pick up a few belated cards and start again.
for my body
1. limit soda to once a week – switched to diet. Stricken.
2. take vitamins every day – waste of money. I’m trying to get as much raw nutrition from my food as possible.
3. eliminate fast food for two months – I have most definitely gone two months (maybe longer) without fast food but J has been craving McDonald’s lately and I have caved. I’m a sucker for the fries and then I see the menu and think a cheeseburger sounds so good right now. Weak, weak woman.
4. gym 3x a week for two months – I’m going to start with a slightly modified goal and say gym 2x and yoga 1x. that starts this week. Honest.
5. get a one hour massage every other month – not going to happen. Can’t afford it. But I refuse to strike this goal – it gets a raincheck. Furthermore, in the months without a massage I’d like to get a facial. One day, poor teacher lady, one day.

for my job
1. Grade/plan 2-3 hours day at school 2x a week – this is an awkward goal. I should plan as much as I need to. It’s the at school part that’s tricky. It’s an effort to leave more work at work, but usually at the end of the day I just want to get home and get into my sweats and watch reruns of Without a Trace (newest guilty pleasure). I am still working toward maximizing work at work time and smartly designing lessons and assignments. I would say so far a mild success but there’s always room for improvement – both in my lesson design and grading load. Not a permanent check-able goal. It’s a daily battle.
2. Plan one fun activity each week for one month – between movie clips and games, I think this is a check. I see my students enjoying what feels like a break to them and what is often a bit of a break for me. They are amazing people and I like to see them happy. Check. And a continuing goal for the future.

That’s a lot of checks! It’s time to make a new list! I’ll write about 2008 resolutions soon.

end of october-fest

2007-11-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

what's happening now... (well, what was happening a month ago).

i am grading (as usual) and trying to plan unique lessons (more than usual). students were working on the scarlet letter and i had them do a marketing project connected to the text. i told them to imagine that sales of the book were at all all-time low and that they were charged with the task of inventing products to sell that were connected with the text in some way that would boost interest in the book (much like is done with new movies, especially when children are involved. i used harry potter as an example). so the girls were to consider who their target demographic would be: who is/should be reading this novel and to whom would they sell their products? i put them into groups and they decided upon this together and then each of them was to invent her own product and tell me all about it: size, materials, cost, use. then they designed mock-ups or tangible prototypes and designed a tri-fold presentation board which they used in pitching their products to the class (an imaginary board of investors deciding whether or not to fund the production of their products). they had some very clever presentations. i did notice, however, that there was a distinctly sexist quality in just about all of their products and presentations.
i instructed them to rehearse their speeches as they were not to read them from cards or a page and they did EXCEPTIONALLY well with this. this was really the ultimate goal in this project; we do not require public speaking in our general curriculum and this is something that i think they sorely need. i will continue to require a presentation of some sort on each of our works of literature this year, each time adding a requirement (eliminating "like" and "um", being persuasive, etc). it is fairly easy for me to do this since i have a class of only twelve (i know, i'm a lucky bastard). this class followed hawthorne with poe's "the fall of the house of usher" and i had them imagine that they were the music director for a new film version of the story and i asked them to make a short playlist that would be used for the soundtrack. they wrote brief explanations of their selections and then we played one of each students' songs. we talked about where each song might best fit, which scene they envisioned it working best with, and we unpacked the mood of the song and how it did or did not reflect the story. this took a full 85 minute block, but i think that a day like this (a bit lighter seeming but still encouraging critical thought about the work) is sometimes necessary. i'm learning to release the reins a bit as i fancy myself a bit of a task master.

finally, i've been reading around some new blogs and they are rife with poor grammar and spelling. egad, people. you are writing in a public forum - SPELLCHECK, for the love of pete!

one more (this is the look i give impudent students)

2007-10-30T23:54:00.000-07:00

never been more tired

2007-10-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

dearest faithful reader (singular),

i know i have been a bad blogger. the end of the first quarter finds me up to my neck in quizzes and student writing, flitting to and fro sporting events and various extra curriculars and trying to keep up with friends. i will have smart thoughts again soon and promise to write them here. in the mean time, enjoy the funny cat posts and see some more for yourself at icanhascheezburger.com. this is hands down the funniest website i've ever seen and definitely the one website i visit most often.

this is me

2007-10-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

2007-10-30T23:38:00.001-07:00

Day Six, August 9th

2007-08-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

(Amy)
This was perhaps our fullest day yet. We booked a canopy tour, a horseback ride, and spa appointments without much down time between. Jorge had already completed the canopy tour during his previous visit, but he kindly repeated the Tarzan-style tree hopping for my entertainment. The guides encouraged us to be a bit daring. As if zipping through the treetops clipped to a pulley high above the rain forest floor isn't enough, we both did so upside down and super bird style (see videos below).

Jorge = Super Bird

amy zipping away into the trees

This experience didn't afford for much wildlife viewing, but it was a thrill and a half.
Immediately after the canopy tour we met Roy, our stable guide who took us on a horseback tour around the volcano. Breathtaking views but ouch. We payed for this two hour excursion for the next two days.

Jorge and Roy

Volcano View during horse ride

Day Five, August 8th

2007-08-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

(Jorge)
The drive from Manuel Antonio to Arenal started well. On the highway from Quepos to Jaco, I got pulled over for speeding by a state policia. A close retelling of this conversation, translated from spanish, follows (the part of the state trooper is played by an older, more distinguished Eric Estrada)
"Can I see your license and passport?" (a stern question, posed by a portly dark skinned man with pink cheeks)
"Of course!" (uncharacteristically cheery, the copper is suspicious)
"Where are you headed?"
(unnecessarily detailed description of our trip)
"I'm stopping you because you were going 92 in a 60 zone" (this was true, although KPH, not MPH, which is less exciting)
"Oh, well I was trying to pass that bus back there, I apologize for that" (this is a lie)
"Well, it's going to result in a fine. A ticket."
(nodding) "Of course. Well, just write it up for me and I'll take care of it."
(long stare) "Well, you're going to have to go to either the bank or the car rental place to pay for this, and the rental place will charge you extra to do it."
"That's fine, we're going to be here a while longer. I'm studying here for a few months at the University near San Jose." (another lie)
"Well, let me tell you something. I want to help you out."
(long pause)
"I won't write you a ticket, but you need to slow down. This is the number one road for fatal car crashes."
"Oh I know, I've been reading about them in the newspapers." (this is true)
Then we sped away, I kissed my girl, I put my pilot's goggles back on and put the top down (none of this is true). Amy thinks he wanted me to bribe him, and that might have made for a better story. How does one even do that? Do I do the handshake thing like you would a host when you're trying to get a table at a restaurant? And how much would I offer? I'm not fit for a life of crime.

After not creating an international incident, we drove north back to Orotina. On the map below, you can see a purple line where we should have gone, were it not for road construction that sent us on a detour to the right. This little setback set us back around 2 hours, as we found roads that went from paved, to potholed, to trails, to a pile of mud in someone's backyard. Lather, rinse, repeat. This happened to us over and over as we were stuck in these little mountain towns south of San Ramon. A closer look at the inset map gives a better idea of what transpired, without including all of the dead ends or cursing that was going on.

today's route

highway through hell

Eventually, we made it through and arrived at Los Lagos, really only by luck. The hotel was at the base of Volcano Arenal, which means we have learned absolutely nothing from the tragedy of Pompeii. This part is actually not funny; they used to have a cabin or two much closer to the volcano itself, until an avalanche of lava a few years ago ended up killing a guide and some other people. So they no longer rent that room. The only tragedy connected to our room was that some kind of critter kept running across the roof at night and it gave me nightmares. Other than that, the swim-up bar made it totally worth the risk.

Volcano Arenal

(Amy)
Upon arriving in Arenal, we dumped our belongings in the room and headed to the swim up bar (!) which borders the heated pool. We alternated between this pool and another which was a bit chilly but boasted a long water slide. This night satisfied my recent (and foolish) desire to visit Raging Waters.

Day Four, August 7th

2007-08-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

(Amy)
I will leave much of the narration of this wildlife filled day to the colorful photos and video clips. We visited Manuel Antonio National Park where visitors pay to wander a nature reserve full of birds, butterflies, iguanas, sloths, and monkeys. These animals are not penned in cages or fed by humans but instead they roam free in their natural habitat while posing (and often acting) for the lenses of visitors' cameras. The beach is almost always in view while wandering the trails which makes for a really picturesque experience. We were not wise enough to wear/bring our suits and thus we suffered through the warm, humid day with the ocean persistently taunting us.

view of Manuel Antonio national park from the hotel

It was here that I shot this excellent video of a Capuchin monkey who boldly wandered within two feet of my digi cam. Perhaps I was the bold (or foolish) one - that monkey wielded battle scars from a recent monkey brawl and could have easily lashed out at me, too. Thankfully he didn't.

capuchin monkey

surprised monkey

lazy lizard

amy holding a hermit crab

Day Three, August 6th

2007-08-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

(Jorge)
Today’s trek was 225 km and less cement-friendly. Once we got past Puriscal, the road to Orotina was very rough and remote. We would drive as far as 30 minutes at a time without seeing any signs or homes, unsure if we’d gone the right way. It was along this windy mountain path that we came across this questionably constructed bridge.

narrower than it looks, i think

mapping the road south

Once we hit the coastline, it was a speedy burst past Jaco to Quepos/Manuel Antonio. This was a two-lane highway and the only excitement was trying to pass slow moving trucks and big-rigs in the Terios. At one point, we were getting passed on the left by charter buses, which was emasculating. We arrived without incident.

(Amy)
After arriving in Manuel Antonio, we ate and later went night swimming in an unpopulated and unlit pool which sat perched above the Pacific which we could hear but not see. As we paddle raced the perimeter of the pool, lighting periodically illuminated the sky above which was a unique thrill. We briefly discussed the possibility of being zapped while being immersed in the water and then quickly dismissed the fear. We also spied bats flitting about overhead (not a unique sight given the fruit bat population at LMU) and a raccoon sneaking around our pile of towels, sandals, and our rain jackets containing the key to the room. I jumped out of the pool and stomped loudly to scare him off, conveniently forgetting how nasty the little suckers can be. He darted away jauntily never to return again. Soon after, we retired for the night.

Day Two, August 5th

2007-08-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

(Amy)
Sunday morning we ventured north to see La Paz Waterfall and Gardens. This is just south of Poas Volcano in the midst of coffee plantations and cattle grazing on the mountainsides. The park has an impressive aviary where we saw a scarlet macaw, a feisty African grey chasing a blue macaw, amazon parrots, and friendly toucans, among other avian varieties. The frog house boasted an open terrarium which we walked through hunting for native frogs. A kind park employee showed us how to take sharp close-ups, the result of which is the scarlet frog below and my blurry attempt at demonstrating how diminutive that little green guy is. We marched onward toward the falls (5 in all), where we snapped the following self-portrait while standing under the second waterfall.

amy and jorge getting mildly drenched by a waterfall

a mini-frog, finger for scale and to annoy the mini-frog

a very poisonous dart frog, which is why i let amy take this picture up close.

a big morpho butterfly

amy pets a toucan. between this and the parrot she has at home, she has officially become the "bird lady."

the big version of amy's parrot from home.

a monkey of some sort

a crotch butterfly

(Jorge)
I rented a Daihatsu Terios (pictured below) which is an SUV so small, I am taller than it. I rented it from a German guy in San Jose named Thorsten. Hearing a German guy describe to his partner (Morten) what he wanted from KFC in Spanish with a German accent was unnerving. I thought the USA got into WW2 to prevent these guys from coming across the Pacific. In any case, he gave me a free map and highlighted some preferred roads. The map has red lines for paved roads, broken red lines for dicey paving, and yellow lines for unpaved. He told me to try to avoid the yellow lines, as this is the rainy season and a lot of the unpaved roads can get swamped over when it starts to rain in the afternoon. Amy and I resolved to leave early every morning so that we wouldn’t get caught in the p.m. rainstorms. This resolution was never dutifully kept.

the tiny car i rented. it has four wheel drive and I didn't have to replace the AA batteries even once!

before leaving for our long trek, we stopped at the big mall to get a compass and an itrip. i am not amused by this picture.

On the map below, you can see the 238 km trek from Colon to La Paz Waterfalls (purple), La Paz to Sarchi (light blue), and Sarchi back to Colon (orange). It was on this orange leg that we got lost in Alajuela, a town that is less politically neutral jungle paradise and more East Berlin before the wall came down. It was an ugly, crowded, industrial shanty town where streets would just end for unannounced construction and a maze of one-way streets had us stuck in a vortex. Leave it to a McDonalds sighting to let us know that we had finally returned to civilization on the fringes of San Jose. The tricky part about driving in a country of unnamed streets is that you can follow the signs that point towards the waterfalls and volcanoes to get to your particular attraction, but getting home, you’re on your own. This is why we got lost in Alajuela, and this is why we will get lost again.

waterfalls and home map. click on the map to zoom.

Day One, August 4th

2007-08-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

Jorge finally finished his coursework, and the real adventure begins. What follows is an unorganized, but true retelling of our ten days driving up and down Costa Rica in a car we rented. Each paragraph's author identified in parenthesis. Enjoy.

(Amy)
I arrived in San Jose at 12 noon on Saturday after catching a red eye from LA (thanks to Josh, Jen, and David for feeding me and dropping me at the airport). I slept most of the way so I arrived fairly refreshed and ready for a partial day. Hitch: The airline lost one of my suitcases (the big one with all of my clothes, my toiletries, and our gifts for Jorge’s host family) so I spent the first night feeling airplane icky, but the bag arrived later that night so I was a relatively happy camper. I met Jorge at the hotel and after checking in, we immediately went out for local fare. After dinner with Jorge’s host family, we met up with some of the other students in his program for a casual farewell at a new bar run by the Chinese Mafia. (Jorge) The wiseguy at the bar was trying to shoot a Girls Gone Wild video of the drunk American girls dancing with each other, but probably didn’t get enough footage to fetch 10,000 colones (roughly $19.99).

musings

2007-08-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

perhaps i tend to underestimate my accomplishments because just when i think i have nothing to report, the following list of general busy-ness flows from my fingertips while sitting here in the glow of my computer screen.

from my list:

vitamins: my nurse practitioner said not to bother plus i’m trying to eat well. as i embark on a new diet (second attempt, same diet) i might take them just in case because there are a number of foods I can’t eat for a few weeks and i’m trying to stave off the headaches i got the first time around. that’s really something i should add to the 26 before 26 list: reach my goal wait and maintain it. more on this after vacation!

save money for car: forget saving new money, I have investments! it looks like i’ll be buying a new rav4 a the end of the month. wahoo!

save money for costa rica: done. i'm off!

book club with christin: christin and i haven’t necessarily been meeting to discuss books, but we are both part of a small informal group of writers (all fellow lmu alums). I haven’t really accomplished anything in this arena other than occasionally showing up and discussing the writing of the other members, but i’m still substituting the writing group for the book club because time is scarce and writing is related to reading and i’m trying to strike items off my list!

what I am currently digging:

girly, pretty things and clean, organized spaces.

felty, buttony hand-crafted arts and crafts. i recently shopped here: etsy ;
check out my profile

I found such great deals on truly pretty things on this site.

one of my favorite magazines is real simple

i’m continually learning that my style is simplicity, clean lines, and nearly naked surfaces.

what i’ve been reading:

(i’m sorry i don’t have time to review these right now, but i will try to do so next time)

Animal Dreams, Barbara Kingsolver.

every time i read one of her books, i fall more deeply in love with her language and her characters. she writes about issues that matter but not in a pedantic manner.

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, Klosterman

The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd

Jolly July

2007-07-27T10:14:00.001-07:00

This is Nugget. She is a Pacific Parrotlet that I adopted in June. I had been thinking about getting a canary because they sing so beautifully but when I went to the pet store, there were only three canaries and the only interesting looking one (she was grey with a tuft of featherish mess on the top of her head resembling a flat top) wasn't a singer. Turns out that summer is not the time for canaries, so instead of waiting until December, I picked a Parrotlet. She's a true parrot (a cousin of the the Amazon) but is about the size of a parakeet. She's not talking yet, but I'm working with her. Soon she will say "Hello, Gorgeous" every time I enter the room. :) I'm also trying to get her to say "Here kitty, kitty" because I have a slightly warped sense of humor. Her name was briefly Cat Nip, but when Jorge observed that she has just enough meat for one chicken (parrot) nugget, it was decided.

I've had birds my whole life but I had forgotten how much patience and effort they require. Parrots are a special brand of work because while they are quick learners, they can also be strong-willed. Nugget is territorial. From the beginning she let me know that her cage was her space and she nipped or hissed at me when I tried to take her out. Yesterday was a breakthrough day as she finally stopped attacking me and got right up on my finger! The trick was to spritz her with a water bottle when she nipped. She still clearly prefers to be inside the cage, but she also enjoys going "downstairs" to her playground which I have set up underneath her cage. This bird is spoiled rotten. She even eats table food. Doctor's orders. Apparently a diet of simple seed is to birds what eating McDonald's daily is to humans: strangely appetizing but fatty.

Jorge and I attended our first concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Months ago he bought tickets for the Decemberists with the LA Philharmonic as a birthday present for me. At the time they seemed pricey and I was a little hesitant. I have to say, however, that this was easily the very best concert I've ever attended. We packed a picnic and took a shuttle to the Bowl (parking is a nightmare). Andrew Bird was a delightful opening act and the Decemberists were energetic and entertaining. A few highlights: Colin Meloy deciding to unplug his guitar and pretend to play Chris Funk's solo. Brilliant. Also, Meloy asked everyone to indulge him and whip out our cell phones. He asked us to make them light up and hold them high. We obliged. The result: a sea of twinkling phosphorescent lights.

(I borrowed the photo from someone who posted it on the Decemberists's Myspace page. Thank you, Adam)

Overall, the group was playful as they interacted with one another and in the days that followed, the show became an increasingly emotional experience. With Jorge gone in Costa Rica I have been listening to The Crane Wife and Picaresque almost daily.

In other news, I've been jetsetting the past few weeks. I attended the annual AP Conference in Las Vegas and tacked on a few days with the family. We went boating and swimming on Lake Las Vegas which was the highlight of the trip. I never fancied myself a dive-off-the-back-of -the-boat-a-hundred-times kind of girl.

I returned home for one day after being in Vegas and then got right back on a plane to Wisconsin to visit Sandy and James. Madison is charming. When I arrived at about 10pm, the airport was deserted. How quaint it is to see an airport that closes for the night! Unfathomable. This trip was a much-needed respite from everything my ordinary life in LA has to offer. We walked (a lot) and dined out, made dinner at home, ate bratwurst and drank beer at a AAA Baseball game (photo above), watched a marathon of The Next Food Network Star, and just pretended that we were roomies again (at least I did), which was easy since they still have all the furniture that Sandy and I had while living together in college. I missed them both and enjoyed the dairy state entirely (except for those cheese curds - their squeaking was off-putting!).

Last night I made Flickr account which is for now a paltry effort on my part, but I'm hoping that having the account will encourage me to take more photos. Check it out and come back for more later!

Finally, I've been cleaning my house and my new classroom (!). Cleaning and organizing are very therapeutic for me and I'm grateful to have the time to do this.

Soon I will be reporting on Costa Rica and then I hope to start writing posts about more significant things. Till then...

2007-05-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

i have recently been admonished for my utter lack of posting (by one overly enthusiastic sports enthusiast who writes exclusively about being an overly enthusiastic sports enthusiast who moonlights as a law student - and yes i see the unnecessary repetition in enthusiastic enthusiast) but all snarkiness aside, i have not been a faithful writer, dear friends. i have been up to my neck in essays about helen keller and everyone's favorite foolish double suicide committers, romeo and juliet. seriously. it's not a cute romantic story. why are they the standard to which lovers everywhere compared themselves? SHE STABS HERSELF IN THE HEART, people.

in the last few weeks i have graded, slept little, celebrated being alive for a quarter of a century (holy crap i have fewer than 365 days to complete my 26 before 26 list!), attended the wedding of a dear friend, bought a ticket for costa rica, and begun researching graduate programs in education. in the next few weeks i will chaperone prom, visit my family, and continue to grade some more while anxiously counting the days until the end of the semester. i will miss my dear students but i look forward to the summer despite its scorching temperatures. at least it will only be 100% humidity in costa rica in august. lovely.

some recent fave sites: (click and enjoy)

fug, fug, fug

and

one smart lady

2007-02-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

i'm not one to quote movies... but i just finished "the last kiss" (i should be sleeping) and this stuck.

"What you feel only matters to you. It’s what you do to the people you say you love. That’s what matters."

the end.

2007-02-21T22:08:00.000-08:00

Egad. More than a month has passed since my last post. How can I recap the damage I’ve done in that amount of time? Some list-related highlights:

-I had an impromptu massage. I will now allow the nice Mongolian lady to bring relaxation to me. No more driving to massage (worried about being late) and driving home (undoing the work of the knot-unwinding with my frustration about traffic)

-I had a pocket of time during which I finished reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and then gobbled up The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Both of these titles are excellent and I would highly recommend them to most anyone I know. A student (not one of mine, but a sweet girl who has spent time in my classroom being friendly) recently finished the latter at school and spent the day battling tears because of the moving conclusion. I, thankfully, was at home where I could bawl on my couch in peace. Further reviews are forthcoming.

-I crocheted scarves and hats for friends and family during the winter break (ok, that’s pre-January 21 but speaks to an item on my list) but have failed to send them. When I finally do, the weather will negate any need for wearing them, but hopefully my beloveds will think of me when they pull them out of the winter clothes storage next fall.

-In the past week, I have made three new recipes (links forthcoming). The night before Valentine’s Day, Jorge and I had a quiet dinner at home. I made pork chops and green beans with almonds. This past Monday I made lentil soup and last night we hosted Jorge’s cousins Vero and Eloy for a schmorgesborg – I made pasta and garlic bread and Vero and Eloy brought baked ravioli and a lovely fruit platter. I have never in memory overeaten at home - to the point of discomfort, that is - I do, however, often do this when dining out. Last night I had my fill of excellent food and had perhaps just a tad too much wine for a school night. Jorge said he's just happy to be alive after all of my recent culinary experimenting. My coworkers chide me for practicing such domestic habits.

-I have yet to join a political organization, but doing so is in the works – I have a friend who is a member of a local group and has invited me to come play. Plus Jorge has been nearly nagging me on the issue. He, too, wants to take advantage of our pre-election energy and enthusiasm and hang out with blue bleeding hearts. I did join an online group for one of the 2008 candidates.

-I have NOT stuck to the for-fun budget. I recently took a trip to one of those mega-mart shoe stores and walked out with 4 pair of shoes (and about $200 fewer dollars in my bank account). People, I am going to Costa Rica (and possibly Hawaii) this summer – encourage me not to be so reckless!

-Jorge and I celebrated our seventh anniversary in Avila Beach. We went on a wine tour, ate excellent food, and took a stroll along the pier when the rainy drip drip dripping stopped. I felt heartbroken back at home, facing a full 5 days of grading and listening to myself talk while standing uncomfortably in heels. The trip truly was a much-needed getaway and it serves as a reminder that we need to budget more time for such adventures – even a short drive up the coast is a sufficient change of scenery. I felt rejuvenated and so grateful for the time well spent with the man I love.

-I haven’t been doing so well with limiting soda. I continue to buy it at the market, telling myself that when, in the rare event that I have people over, they will want something other than water and milk. So I buy the pretty red cans then I drink them.

-Ditto on the gym. I don’t go. It’s boring. And I just downloaded a rather disappointing class schedule. I was hoping to find something mildly interesting and aerobic (I must be forced to sweat because I will usually choose not to get dirty or uncomfortable and that’s why my pants don’t fit). Le sigh.

Unrelated to my list, but still a relevant tale:

-I won a parking lot standoff. I faced an entitled woman who tried to save a parking spot with her body for her friend in the car behind me. Jorge and I were both indignant and he (almost uncharacteristically) supported my usually overly-principled self in defying her demand that I find another spot. I didn’t care that the spot was steps from the mall entrance. I almost didn’t care about the line of seven cars behind me. This woman was not getting the spot because she stood in it. Nu uh. No way. People were laughing at her, telling her to get out of the way. The woman in the car behind her friend’s vehicle got out of her car to tell her she needed to move and to tell me to hold fast, that I was in the right. Jorge got out of the car in search of a security guard (none to be found – in fact, during our shopping we saw a few and I don’t have any faith that they could have accomplished much. This woman was mean and the guards were a little portly and a bit too baby-faced). The woman finally yielded the parking space, but not without crouching down to my car window and telling me that I could have the space but that I shouldn’t expect my car to be undamaged when I returned from my shopping. I sat in the space for five minutes, waiting for her to return. She didn’t and I decided that since I had already won, I would find another space and save my car.

I’m currently teaching:
-Huck Finn and Romeo and Juliet. Students think good ol’ Bill (Shakespeare) used some alien language. I tell them to suck it up. More on this later.

That’s plenty for now, friends. I am hoping to post more regularly and thus leave space for interesting topics. For now, these are the highlights.

2007-01-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

i have this great digital camera (a very generous graduation present from the grandfolks) and i used the hell out of it in spain and england this summer and have hardly touched it since. i feel like i should add "take more pictures" to my list of 26+ but i'd rather cut the list down to (gasp!) 26 items. the theory behind the list is that it be specific and manageable, encouraging as opposed to overwhelming.

i asked my juniors to make similar lists over the winter break. i explained the theory, i showed them a few choice examples from my own list, i instructed them to be specific.

i've been blog browsing and went from here to here to here and thus got inspired to take nice photos.

also, in my nonchalant, day-off fashion, i found these neat-o sites to share:

pretty prints and pricey pals

i'm addicted to organization. this makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

i've started a couple of posts about books i've recently read and i'll try to incorporate talk of pedagogy (as in the pragmatic, day-to-day stuff i think about nonstop) and theory (as in the paper i'm working on which tackles this concept of global citizenship in the comp classroom which i think i inadvertently stole from one of the most intelligent men i know).

2006-12-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

item

that's not on my list of 26+ before 26, but something i'd like to do. in addition to get in shape, i need to dance. even if it's just once a week, even if i can only afford to take one kind of class at a time, i need to do this. i need to gym, i need to yoga, i need to sleep, and hang out with friends, but i also need to dance. i need to put my bare feet on the floor, i need to get the kind of dirty that only a dusty dance floor can provide, i need to sweat and hear loud music and pant and thirst simultaneously. i miss the rush of nailing a routine - and the challenge of failing miserably. i miss things like spotting and and rolling, envisioning my body stretch as i reach toward the ceiling tiles with my fingertips while planting my feet on the floor.

and i want to supplement my studio time with reading about the history of dance. i am an intellectual, afterall.

2006-11-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

i'm back

this is my second attempt at keeping a blog. first things first: i've got a new list and the theory behind it is this: take some time to figure out the things i want to do in life (not need so much as want). set goals, add items as i go, cross them off as i accomplish each goal. ultimately, this is a tool (one that requires the kind of organization i love oh so much) that i hope will help me create a few new (good) habits and kick a few old (less good) habits.

2006-11-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

family

(this is not a metaphor)