that was darren's response to my giddy excitement over having slept in until 8:30 this morning and knowing all i really have to do today is get 6 research papers graded. piece of cake.
needless to say, it's been a good day so far. it started with a yummy cup of french press coffee, caffeine and all. it was, perhaps, the yummiest coffee i've had in a long time. but since i've severely restrained my caffeine intake of late, it did leave me quite zippy, if you will. hence the aforementioned giddy excitement.
desperate for structure lest i should waste the entire day, i called my good friend karen-the-great, who gave me a firm talking-to. "I'll only meet you for lunch if you have two papers graded by 12:30," said she.
i graded three.
then, we shared a fabulous lunch at the stand of tacos. and today, unlike most days, the cashier actually agreed with me that, since the menu says chunky salsa comes free with the soft quesadilla, he should give me the chunky salsa free with my soft quesadilla. twas delicioso.
so now it's 2 pm. i have a meeting at 4, and three papers left to grade before going to bed tonight.
i think i'll write some Christmas cards.
07 December 2006
16 November 2006
an early wish
so, it's not snowing any time soon in athens, but becca inspired me to make my own snowflake. i think i will offer it to the snow gods as a plea for some real snow in georgia this year. and i'm putting it here for you all, because i am very proud of it, in a kind of silly, infantile way...
15 November 2006
William Mason Grem
Like any true Mason or Grem, little Will's first instinct was to quietly prove (almost) everyone wrong.*
Even though lots of people were convinced this one was a little girl, we have pretty solid proof to the contrary. Which means someone else could be having a little girl soon...or maybe that will be our next one.
As for his name, William is after Darren's father, and Mason is after mine. We're still considering Miles in place of Mason, but my brother has made some serious threats regarding that one.
But then again, Scøupe hasn't seen my middle block and back leg roundhouse kick. I could take him. Piece of cake.
*i am, in fact, aware of this split infinitive, but i am using it purposefully for the sake of both the meaning and rhythm of the sentence.
Even though lots of people were convinced this one was a little girl, we have pretty solid proof to the contrary. Which means someone else could be having a little girl soon...or maybe that will be our next one.
As for his name, William is after Darren's father, and Mason is after mine. We're still considering Miles in place of Mason, but my brother has made some serious threats regarding that one.
But then again, Scøupe hasn't seen my middle block and back leg roundhouse kick. I could take him. Piece of cake.
*i am, in fact, aware of this split infinitive, but i am using it purposefully for the sake of both the meaning and rhythm of the sentence.
08 November 2006
an instructor's best friend
so last night, post-post, i finally gave up grading with 6 essays to go and went to bed at midnight. i managed not to completely fulfill my horoscope--the rage at the disastrous midterm essays* did not, in fact, turn murderous. because i don't know where my students live.**
i realize now, however, that i was not alone in my distress.*** to the contrary, i discovered that Feral Cat, with all her whiny meowing last night, which also irritated me, was actually uttering cries of sympathy and possibly even threats against my students to parallel my own anger.
i know this because, this morning, darren related to me the events of the evening after i went to bed. apparently, for a few moments, Feral was choking in that way that cats do when they have a hairball. gross, i know.
but then, the marvelous Feral Cat walked directly to the stack of essays i had abandoned beside the coffee table and vomited on them.****
all i have to say is, thanks Feral Cat. you read my mind.
and thanks, darren, for cleaning it up so i could carelessly enjoy the poetic justice of it all.
*disastrous because they confirmed my suspicion that 67% of my students have not, in fact, taken advantage of the comments i have so tediously written on their 6 response papers so far. comments which i basically repeated , verbatim, on said midterms (for the last time).
**to be fair, not ALL the essays were bad. in fact, nine students wrote papers that provided such great relief from the verbal wasteland of despair that i joyously gave them A's and even A+'s.
***of course, darren and karen have shared this burden all semester, but that goes without saying.
****fortunately (or not), i had left an unrelated piece of paper on top of the stack, so none of them were actually damaged. but, hey, it's the thought that counts, right?
i realize now, however, that i was not alone in my distress.*** to the contrary, i discovered that Feral Cat, with all her whiny meowing last night, which also irritated me, was actually uttering cries of sympathy and possibly even threats against my students to parallel my own anger.
i know this because, this morning, darren related to me the events of the evening after i went to bed. apparently, for a few moments, Feral was choking in that way that cats do when they have a hairball. gross, i know.
but then, the marvelous Feral Cat walked directly to the stack of essays i had abandoned beside the coffee table and vomited on them.****
all i have to say is, thanks Feral Cat. you read my mind.
and thanks, darren, for cleaning it up so i could carelessly enjoy the poetic justice of it all.
*disastrous because they confirmed my suspicion that 67% of my students have not, in fact, taken advantage of the comments i have so tediously written on their 6 response papers so far. comments which i basically repeated , verbatim, on said midterms (for the last time).
**to be fair, not ALL the essays were bad. in fact, nine students wrote papers that provided such great relief from the verbal wasteland of despair that i joyously gave them A's and even A+'s.
***of course, darren and karen have shared this burden all semester, but that goes without saying.
****fortunately (or not), i had left an unrelated piece of paper on top of the stack, so none of them were actually damaged. but, hey, it's the thought that counts, right?
07 November 2006
my Onion horoscope
Seriously, here it is:
Gemini:
You will fly into a blind, towering, destructive, psychotic, and ultimately murderous rage this week over the excessive use of adjectives in today's popular writing.
I've been grading midterm papers all day.
Gemini:
You will fly into a blind, towering, destructive, psychotic, and ultimately murderous rage this week over the excessive use of adjectives in today's popular writing.
I've been grading midterm papers all day.
23 October 2006
eat it.
it all made sense today.
i've always wondered why the old adage chose cake as the thing that you can't have and eat.
more importantly, why would someone want to just have a cake? i mean, cake is for eating. simple as that. even a wedding cake isn't too pretty to gobble up.
then today, i glanced at the almost-gone carrot cake that i made last thursday for some company we had friday. there's probably enough left for three or four hefty slices. and this made me sad.
me, the same person who begged people to take some cake home with them friday night so we wouldn't have too much left over. me, who's only eaten one more slice since friday...and a couple random bites here and there.
now, it should be known (if you weren't here for the girly candle party friday night) that this is my step-mom's infamously decadent carrot cake, which has converted many a carrot-cake-hater into a carrot-cake-devourer. but still, why this sudden sadness when everyone had enjoyed a slice, and i had enjoyed two?
well, here's what i've decided. to have a cake means to know it will always be there whenever you want it. i have some cake right now, but there's not enough left to convince me that, should i have a craving for carrot cake three days from now, it will still be readily available.
so which should one choose, to have a cake or to eat it? the obvious choice is still to eat it--if you don't, it will go bad and you will neither have nor eat it (hopefully). but, knowing that you can't have it forever should impact the way you eat it: slowly, passionately, hedonistically relishing every bite.
of course, the same goes for everything a cake could stand for, that is, everything good in life. when things are going well, your bills are paid, your friends are true friends, work is bearable, the weather is nice, whatever it may be, eat it up. and don't feel one ounce of guilt about enjoying things that are meant to be enjoyed. just remember cake is always better when it's shared, and if it runs out, you've still got 2 things left:
great memories and the hope that someday, there will be more cake.
i've always wondered why the old adage chose cake as the thing that you can't have and eat.
more importantly, why would someone want to just have a cake? i mean, cake is for eating. simple as that. even a wedding cake isn't too pretty to gobble up.
then today, i glanced at the almost-gone carrot cake that i made last thursday for some company we had friday. there's probably enough left for three or four hefty slices. and this made me sad.
me, the same person who begged people to take some cake home with them friday night so we wouldn't have too much left over. me, who's only eaten one more slice since friday...and a couple random bites here and there.
now, it should be known (if you weren't here for the girly candle party friday night) that this is my step-mom's infamously decadent carrot cake, which has converted many a carrot-cake-hater into a carrot-cake-devourer. but still, why this sudden sadness when everyone had enjoyed a slice, and i had enjoyed two?
well, here's what i've decided. to have a cake means to know it will always be there whenever you want it. i have some cake right now, but there's not enough left to convince me that, should i have a craving for carrot cake three days from now, it will still be readily available.
so which should one choose, to have a cake or to eat it? the obvious choice is still to eat it--if you don't, it will go bad and you will neither have nor eat it (hopefully). but, knowing that you can't have it forever should impact the way you eat it: slowly, passionately, hedonistically relishing every bite.
of course, the same goes for everything a cake could stand for, that is, everything good in life. when things are going well, your bills are paid, your friends are true friends, work is bearable, the weather is nice, whatever it may be, eat it up. and don't feel one ounce of guilt about enjoying things that are meant to be enjoyed. just remember cake is always better when it's shared, and if it runs out, you've still got 2 things left:
great memories and the hope that someday, there will be more cake.
17 October 2006
me and Big Brown
yep. he's back. warm, cuddly Big Brown and i have been spending lots of time together...drinking hot cider...reading (student papers)...cuddling up on the couch with the Feral Cat. this makes four years that we've spent autumn together, and it's better every year. especially since it's my favorite time of year. and don't worry, darren's not jealous--he's got The Boss and Maverick to keep him company.
in other news, we went to the doctor again and discovered that we have a magic scale at our house. seriously, i could sell it for big bucks. according to our scale, i haven't gained a pound in 14 1/2 weeks of pregnancy. according to the doctor, i have gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks. this is a relief for me, but imagine the ordinary, non-pregnant woman. who wouldn't want a scale that miraculously kept you from knowing you had gained weight?
now, if they're like me, they would still question why their clothes fit differently. but, many women obviously rely more on numbers than appearances, because they will flip out over gaining two pounds even when they look as fabulous as ever. so, surely they would believe my magic scale as well.
hmmmm. maybe i can make a little income on the side by marketing this thing. maybe even put little willmily through college....
in other news, i think i found an atrocity to rival the $3.75 small steamer at jittery joe's. $5.25 baked potato at the bulldog cafe.
yep.
$5.25.
for a potato.
with butter and sour cream.
it's appalling what people will charge when the majority of their clientel are not spending their own money.
in other news, we went to the doctor again and discovered that we have a magic scale at our house. seriously, i could sell it for big bucks. according to our scale, i haven't gained a pound in 14 1/2 weeks of pregnancy. according to the doctor, i have gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks. this is a relief for me, but imagine the ordinary, non-pregnant woman. who wouldn't want a scale that miraculously kept you from knowing you had gained weight?
now, if they're like me, they would still question why their clothes fit differently. but, many women obviously rely more on numbers than appearances, because they will flip out over gaining two pounds even when they look as fabulous as ever. so, surely they would believe my magic scale as well.
hmmmm. maybe i can make a little income on the side by marketing this thing. maybe even put little willmily through college....
in other news, i think i found an atrocity to rival the $3.75 small steamer at jittery joe's. $5.25 baked potato at the bulldog cafe.
yep.
$5.25.
for a potato.
with butter and sour cream.
it's appalling what people will charge when the majority of their clientel are not spending their own money.
12 October 2006
our baby weighs as much as a slice of cheese
whether this means american processed cheese-based "food product" (yep, read the label), or a slightly denser, much more delicious deli cheese such as cheddar or meunster, who can tell? and how thick is the slice? how big? everyone knows that deli slices are about twice the size or regular singles.
the people who write these little "as your baby grows" factoids have no sensitivity to cultural bias.
the people who write these little "as your baby grows" factoids have no sensitivity to cultural bias.
05 October 2006
high five
many of you know that we got our first ultrasound the other day, and many of you have already seen the picture on darren's blog. he always beats me to the punch, mainly because he works in front of the computer all day and needs to divert his attention from work every now and then. but, for those who haven't seen litte grem yet, here he/she is!
we were obviously thrilled to get such a clear picture of our little baby in there, giving us either a thumbs up or a #1 signal. or, as others have postulated, singing into an air mike.
top 5 things we know about the baby so far:
1) baby LOVES potatoes in all forms
2) baby likes for momma to get lots of sleep
3) baby has no desire to try boca burgers
4) baby loves shakespeare. i mean, he/she's already been in a shakespeare production!
5) baby will either love roller coasters, or have an awkward sense of balance, since momma definitely went on six flags' new "goliath" at a mere 3 weeks pregnant
top 5 things we've learned about being pregnant:
1) no matter how much or how vehemently you object, people will call you "prego" and "preggers". why this is, we have yet to find out. i mean, really, people. prego is a spaghetti sauce.
2) like baby, momma LOVES potatoes in all forms
3) being pregnant means no cooking raw meat or changing cat litter :(
4) even before you start showing, people will try to carry things for you, offer you their seat and do all kinds of little favors, just because they know you're pregnant. it's awful. really. ;)
5) and finally, pregancy makes you an airhead. for example, in the past few days, here are some words that have completely escaped me mid-conversation: reassure, distraught, the spanish word for scissors (tijeras)....also, i just had a student in my 1002 spanish class make up an in-class composition. rather than give her the right topic from the 1002 class, i mistakenly gave her the topic from the 2001 class. needless to say, she was surprised by the difficulty of the question, though very forgiving when she realized what had happened.
on a last note, thanks to everyone for all their congratulations. it's comforting to know that people aren't frightened at the thought of more little grem-mason children. and fear not, there will be plenty more to come!
blogs that is...we'll decide about more children once we get the first one out.
we were obviously thrilled to get such a clear picture of our little baby in there, giving us either a thumbs up or a #1 signal. or, as others have postulated, singing into an air mike.
top 5 things we know about the baby so far:
1) baby LOVES potatoes in all forms
2) baby likes for momma to get lots of sleep
3) baby has no desire to try boca burgers
4) baby loves shakespeare. i mean, he/she's already been in a shakespeare production!
5) baby will either love roller coasters, or have an awkward sense of balance, since momma definitely went on six flags' new "goliath" at a mere 3 weeks pregnant
top 5 things we've learned about being pregnant:
1) no matter how much or how vehemently you object, people will call you "prego" and "preggers". why this is, we have yet to find out. i mean, really, people. prego is a spaghetti sauce.
2) like baby, momma LOVES potatoes in all forms
3) being pregnant means no cooking raw meat or changing cat litter :(
4) even before you start showing, people will try to carry things for you, offer you their seat and do all kinds of little favors, just because they know you're pregnant. it's awful. really. ;)
5) and finally, pregancy makes you an airhead. for example, in the past few days, here are some words that have completely escaped me mid-conversation: reassure, distraught, the spanish word for scissors (tijeras)....also, i just had a student in my 1002 spanish class make up an in-class composition. rather than give her the right topic from the 1002 class, i mistakenly gave her the topic from the 2001 class. needless to say, she was surprised by the difficulty of the question, though very forgiving when she realized what had happened.
on a last note, thanks to everyone for all their congratulations. it's comforting to know that people aren't frightened at the thought of more little grem-mason children. and fear not, there will be plenty more to come!
blogs that is...we'll decide about more children once we get the first one out.
13 September 2006
"...so much to say and no language to say it in"*
i confess. i have coweringly postponed the posting of "the news".
how does one blog about something so completely life-altering? it's a daunting and tremblesome task, emotionally comparable to the President's delivery of a memorial address two days ago.**
you must give a speech. everyone already knows what you will say, but you still have to say it. and make it sound new and unexpected and engaging. the information is neither new nor unexpected, so your audience will likely concentrate on style rather than content. it is style that engages...or exhausts.
you want to use those weary, worn-out words because, for you, they have taken on new life.
miracle. future. joy. life. love.
but you know these empty clichés only clash with your heart-filled purpose.
how do you polish a word to make it convey truth when everyday use has so cheapened its meaning?
a miracle is not the nearest parking space at the mall.
a future is not a dream job with six figures.
joy is not clean dishes.
life is not a sport.
love is not mcdonald's.
what these things are, we will continue to discover little by little. and we will spend lifetimes trying to articulate the revelation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*from My Name is Aram, by William Saroyan
**i am aware of the pretentiousness of this claim--forgive me if i overstate my case
how does one blog about something so completely life-altering? it's a daunting and tremblesome task, emotionally comparable to the President's delivery of a memorial address two days ago.**
you must give a speech. everyone already knows what you will say, but you still have to say it. and make it sound new and unexpected and engaging. the information is neither new nor unexpected, so your audience will likely concentrate on style rather than content. it is style that engages...or exhausts.
you want to use those weary, worn-out words because, for you, they have taken on new life.
miracle. future. joy. life. love.
but you know these empty clichés only clash with your heart-filled purpose.
how do you polish a word to make it convey truth when everyday use has so cheapened its meaning?
a miracle is not the nearest parking space at the mall.
a future is not a dream job with six figures.
joy is not clean dishes.
life is not a sport.
love is not mcdonald's.
what these things are, we will continue to discover little by little. and we will spend lifetimes trying to articulate the revelation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*from My Name is Aram, by William Saroyan
**i am aware of the pretentiousness of this claim--forgive me if i overstate my case
12 July 2006
maybe a quarter-life crisis...or just a stirring in my soul
(props to anyone who recognizes the title of this post)
i definitely wouldn't call it a 'crisis', because that term carries such negativity that it doesn't describe at all what life post-25th-birthday has been for me. i would rather say it has been a turning point, or a getting-over-the-early-twenties-plateau, as it were.
un punto de partida.
i also wouldn't call it 'quarter-life'--i mean how many people really live to be 100? maybe someone invented that term so as not to admit that they were probably 1/3 of the way through. (if you're bad with fractions, that's even more than a quarter)
anyway, in light of the irrecuperability of an estimated one-third of my life span, i've decided i'd better start acting like a kid again. taking chances. learning new things. possibly looking stupid and not caring.
it started with the knitting, right around the time of my half-birthday back in december. that's in full throttle now, and you've all got handmade Christmas presents coming up. but knitting is something you can do in the privacy of your own home, and if you make a mistake, no one has to know about it. (except darren, who will attest to the dramatic rise in my use of profanity when i am knitting. and all you people thought it was a relaxing and brainless activity...)
just after the big-two-fiver, i joined a karate class. though i had no previous knowledge whatsoever of karate, it's a freaking blast. and (youngest child--must brag about every little thing!) my sensei said i was progressing really quickly.
even though i can hardly stand up right now due to monday's karate class, i am hooked. not just on karate, but on trying things i'm not sure i can really do.
so last night, on a whim, i auditioned for The Tempest with the fabulous Karen the Great (Karen the Fabulously Great?). i made this decision not knowing that the audition would involve singing.
by myself.
in front of strangers.
those who know me well can imagine my horror at the idea.
and i was cast...
...
...
...
as a member of the chorus.
yes, i am quite shocked. i'm also really excited, especially since the part i was going for (Miranda) might've been a bit much for a super-busy rookie with not as much time to practice as she would like to believe.
(unlike the never-busy-and-actually-quite-lazy (ha!) Karen the Spectacular, who was cast in a lead role as Evil Woman Usurper, a.k.a. Antonia.)
so, if you've ever asked me to sing and i vehemently refused, or if you've never seen karen's evil side, here's your chance!
i definitely wouldn't call it a 'crisis', because that term carries such negativity that it doesn't describe at all what life post-25th-birthday has been for me. i would rather say it has been a turning point, or a getting-over-the-early-twenties-plateau, as it were.
un punto de partida.
i also wouldn't call it 'quarter-life'--i mean how many people really live to be 100? maybe someone invented that term so as not to admit that they were probably 1/3 of the way through. (if you're bad with fractions, that's even more than a quarter)
anyway, in light of the irrecuperability of an estimated one-third of my life span, i've decided i'd better start acting like a kid again. taking chances. learning new things. possibly looking stupid and not caring.
it started with the knitting, right around the time of my half-birthday back in december. that's in full throttle now, and you've all got handmade Christmas presents coming up. but knitting is something you can do in the privacy of your own home, and if you make a mistake, no one has to know about it. (except darren, who will attest to the dramatic rise in my use of profanity when i am knitting. and all you people thought it was a relaxing and brainless activity...)
just after the big-two-fiver, i joined a karate class. though i had no previous knowledge whatsoever of karate, it's a freaking blast. and (youngest child--must brag about every little thing!) my sensei said i was progressing really quickly.
even though i can hardly stand up right now due to monday's karate class, i am hooked. not just on karate, but on trying things i'm not sure i can really do.
so last night, on a whim, i auditioned for The Tempest with the fabulous Karen the Great (Karen the Fabulously Great?). i made this decision not knowing that the audition would involve singing.
by myself.
in front of strangers.
those who know me well can imagine my horror at the idea.
and i was cast...
...
...
...
as a member of the chorus.
yes, i am quite shocked. i'm also really excited, especially since the part i was going for (Miranda) might've been a bit much for a super-busy rookie with not as much time to practice as she would like to believe.
(unlike the never-busy-and-actually-quite-lazy (ha!) Karen the Spectacular, who was cast in a lead role as Evil Woman Usurper, a.k.a. Antonia.)
so, if you've ever asked me to sing and i vehemently refused, or if you've never seen karen's evil side, here's your chance!
16 June 2006
i post; therefore, i am*
given the long delays between posts on everyone else's blog lately**, i don't really feel obliged to begin with the typical apology. but i will give a explanation of my descent into blogospheric obscurity by way of a brief update in the lives of the grems.
we have been cleaning our house.
it's more exciting than it seems, really. we ditched an ungodly amount of junk which, in our post-matrimonial rush to get settled in, we apparently had just hidden wherever we found space. we organized and appropriately stored what we had left. we've also purchased a few accessories to give each room some shred of character or consistency, and we tossed a bunch of unwanted knickknacks we'd accumulated over God-knows-how-long.
less clutter = easier to clean = less stress.
likewise,
less clutter = more relaxing atmosphere = less stress.
to make a long story short, we're really excited about our new, clean home, and everyone should come see it while it still looks this way!!!
other than this life-changing process, darren and i have both been teaching reading classes, and darren has been writing up a storm on his dissertation prospectus. and i'll be taking karate lessons starting next thursday, so you only have six days left to make me mad before i will know how to really mess you up. watch out.
i've also been running a lot of errands, many having to do with our home makeover, which leads me to my final comments before knitting myself to sleep. i'd like to thank the following people for making today as successful and pleasant as a full day of running errands can be:
1-Darren--for taking the initiative on most of the house-cleaning/purging/reorganizing process. and for helping with dinner.
2-Michael's--for having a "1/2 off all custom framing sale***" that has finally allowed me to frame a huge sepia-tone print of grand central station in 1939.
3-the nice teenage cashier in Target who, unsolicited, passed on his mom's tip to use both sides of the swifter sheet before throwing it out.
4-the kind manager at the Shell station who gave me a free upgrade (from "express" to "the works") on my car wash since it wasn't working the day i paid for it.
5-the pleasant, possibly indian, owner of the new package store around the corner. for opening a new package store around the corner.
*holla if you caught my meticulously correct punctuation. minus the capitalization.
**rather than link all of them in the text, i will simply direct you to the side bar.
***sale ends this weekend.
we have been cleaning our house.
it's more exciting than it seems, really. we ditched an ungodly amount of junk which, in our post-matrimonial rush to get settled in, we apparently had just hidden wherever we found space. we organized and appropriately stored what we had left. we've also purchased a few accessories to give each room some shred of character or consistency, and we tossed a bunch of unwanted knickknacks we'd accumulated over God-knows-how-long.
less clutter = easier to clean = less stress.
likewise,
less clutter = more relaxing atmosphere = less stress.
to make a long story short, we're really excited about our new, clean home, and everyone should come see it while it still looks this way!!!
other than this life-changing process, darren and i have both been teaching reading classes, and darren has been writing up a storm on his dissertation prospectus. and i'll be taking karate lessons starting next thursday, so you only have six days left to make me mad before i will know how to really mess you up. watch out.
i've also been running a lot of errands, many having to do with our home makeover, which leads me to my final comments before knitting myself to sleep. i'd like to thank the following people for making today as successful and pleasant as a full day of running errands can be:
1-Darren--for taking the initiative on most of the house-cleaning/purging/reorganizing process. and for helping with dinner.
2-Michael's--for having a "1/2 off all custom framing sale***" that has finally allowed me to frame a huge sepia-tone print of grand central station in 1939.
3-the nice teenage cashier in Target who, unsolicited, passed on his mom's tip to use both sides of the swifter sheet before throwing it out.
4-the kind manager at the Shell station who gave me a free upgrade (from "express" to "the works") on my car wash since it wasn't working the day i paid for it.
5-the pleasant, possibly indian, owner of the new package store around the corner. for opening a new package store around the corner.
*holla if you caught my meticulously correct punctuation. minus the capitalization.
**rather than link all of them in the text, i will simply direct you to the side bar.
***sale ends this weekend.
11 May 2006
through the eyes of a 50 year old stoner
so, i went to the eye doctor today. mainly because the right lens popped out of my glasses, and i'm tired of fixing it myself, but also because my eyesight has gotten notably worse from spending the past four months glued to a computer screen. and because i've been seeing this little spot floating around in my right eye for at least a month.
so, they fixed the frames (permanently, i hope), gave me an eye exam, and dilated my eyes to check out the mysterious spot. that's where the fun begins.
while i was waiting for them to finish up my new lenses, i wandered over to the GAP and New York & Co to look for a new white t-shirt and white sleeveless shirt--must-haves for a hot summer of teaching and pretending to be all professional. can't show up to class with a dingy white shirt on!
anyway, the ever-so-nice-though-probably-not-sincere GAP employee kindly told me her name and to find her if i needed anything...while i most likely had a bizarre look on my face as i tried to get her face in focus. remember--dilated eyes.
i'm pretty sure she thought i was high, and i'm pretty sure she went and told all her GAP buddies that some girl was totally stoned and asking about white tops. so now i know how stoned people feel when they shop at the GAP: paranoid.
back at the eye store, i had to sign my credit card receipt, which was also rather embarassing, since my pupils were the size of tangerines. this meant that to find the appropriate line to sign, i had to--oh, yes--hold the receipt at arm's length. now i also know how it feels to be fifty.
on a positive note, though, my vision is only slightly worse prescription-wise, and the 'floater' is harmless and not a sign of anything serious. and, since i don't graduate until saturday, my conscience was perfectly clear as i used my student discount for the last time. for now, at least.
so, they fixed the frames (permanently, i hope), gave me an eye exam, and dilated my eyes to check out the mysterious spot. that's where the fun begins.
while i was waiting for them to finish up my new lenses, i wandered over to the GAP and New York & Co to look for a new white t-shirt and white sleeveless shirt--must-haves for a hot summer of teaching and pretending to be all professional. can't show up to class with a dingy white shirt on!
anyway, the ever-so-nice-though-probably-not-sincere GAP employee kindly told me her name and to find her if i needed anything...while i most likely had a bizarre look on my face as i tried to get her face in focus. remember--dilated eyes.
i'm pretty sure she thought i was high, and i'm pretty sure she went and told all her GAP buddies that some girl was totally stoned and asking about white tops. so now i know how stoned people feel when they shop at the GAP: paranoid.
back at the eye store, i had to sign my credit card receipt, which was also rather embarassing, since my pupils were the size of tangerines. this meant that to find the appropriate line to sign, i had to--oh, yes--hold the receipt at arm's length. now i also know how it feels to be fifty.
on a positive note, though, my vision is only slightly worse prescription-wise, and the 'floater' is harmless and not a sign of anything serious. and, since i don't graduate until saturday, my conscience was perfectly clear as i used my student discount for the last time. for now, at least.
02 May 2006
Ode ao quiejo quente
O queijo quente
O amo muito profundamente.
Quando estou com fome,
Eu penso em seu nome.
Minha amiga me apresentou você,
e agora é o tema preferido de Josué.*
Preciso come-lo todo o dia,
e isto me da muita alegria.
Quando eu estou a seu lado,
Meu espírito diz obrigado.
Na aula de português,
Escrevi sobre você con rapidez.
O queijo quente,
O amo, obviamente.
~Amy Hernández
*Josué é o nome de nosso professor de português
[tradução em inglês:
Oh, hot cheese,
I love you profoundly.
When I am hungry,
I think on your name.
My friend introduced you to me,
And now you're the favorite topic of Josh.
I need to eat you all day long,
And this gives me much happiness.
When I am by your side,
My spirit says thank you.
In Portuguese class,
I wrote about you very quickly.
Oh, hot cheese,
I love, obviously.]
19 April 2006
Easter, baskets, eggs and chickens
these have all played an important part in my week thus far.
first, we had a lovely Easter, complete with family (mostly via telephone), friends, food, and...Easter baskets! mine contained a stuffed bunny that smells like chocolate. pretty fantastic.
speaking of baskets, remember the old aphorism "don't put all your eggs in one basket"?
wise folks, those aphorists. while there were no eggs in my Easter basket, i had unwittingly put a lot of proverbial eggs in the a certain proverbial basket labeled 'Getting Hired as a Spanish Instructor at UGA for the Academic Year 2006-2007'. you know, eggs like "how we will make money for the next year" and "how i will evaluate my own skill and value as a person with an MA in Spanish Literature". clearly, those eggs belong in another basket.
okay, so that metaphor is getting a little out of hand. let's move on to the chickens. yes, yes, the chickens you're not supposed to count before they hatch. apparently, i also had been doing just that, subconsciously of course, when i considered being hired as an instructor as a given (since i had been awarded an Outstanding Teaching Award by the same department one month prior).
i think you can see where this is going. jenna, the chicken-counting basket-stuffer did not, in fact, get hired.
after the initial splattering of eggs on the ground (remember, the ones of financial security & self-esteem?), i've now decided to take a different stance on the whole situation. for one thing, i can now sympathize with some dear friends in similar situations, and put my money (or lack of it) where my mouth is. that is, believe what i've been telling others about how God is our source of worth and provision, not our job (or...lack of it).
as this is an issue with which God really likes to beat me over the head, i would appreciate your prayers.
so, coming back to Easter, that afternoon, i was surrounded by folks for whom God has been faithfully providing despite difficult circumstances. i am poignantly reminded of His grace to us, which comprises the real reason we celebrate Easter. He has made the ultimate provision, a substitute to pay for our outstanding debt to him. what else do i have to worry about?
first, we had a lovely Easter, complete with family (mostly via telephone), friends, food, and...Easter baskets! mine contained a stuffed bunny that smells like chocolate. pretty fantastic.
speaking of baskets, remember the old aphorism "don't put all your eggs in one basket"?
wise folks, those aphorists. while there were no eggs in my Easter basket, i had unwittingly put a lot of proverbial eggs in the a certain proverbial basket labeled 'Getting Hired as a Spanish Instructor at UGA for the Academic Year 2006-2007'. you know, eggs like "how we will make money for the next year" and "how i will evaluate my own skill and value as a person with an MA in Spanish Literature". clearly, those eggs belong in another basket.
okay, so that metaphor is getting a little out of hand. let's move on to the chickens. yes, yes, the chickens you're not supposed to count before they hatch. apparently, i also had been doing just that, subconsciously of course, when i considered being hired as an instructor as a given (since i had been awarded an Outstanding Teaching Award by the same department one month prior).
i think you can see where this is going. jenna, the chicken-counting basket-stuffer did not, in fact, get hired.
after the initial splattering of eggs on the ground (remember, the ones of financial security & self-esteem?), i've now decided to take a different stance on the whole situation. for one thing, i can now sympathize with some dear friends in similar situations, and put my money (or lack of it) where my mouth is. that is, believe what i've been telling others about how God is our source of worth and provision, not our job (or...lack of it).
as this is an issue with which God really likes to beat me over the head, i would appreciate your prayers.
so, coming back to Easter, that afternoon, i was surrounded by folks for whom God has been faithfully providing despite difficult circumstances. i am poignantly reminded of His grace to us, which comprises the real reason we celebrate Easter. He has made the ultimate provision, a substitute to pay for our outstanding debt to him. what else do i have to worry about?
18 April 2006
for those who thought it wasn't me
| Your Superhero Profile |
 Your Superhero Name is The Shatter Ninja Your Superpower is Paranormal Your Weakness is Crystals Your Weapon is Your Golden Saber Your Mode of Transportation is Dinosaur |
06 April 2006
Favorite Uncle John Quotation of the Day
"Don't be surprised if you get a hangover along the way to redemption."
02 April 2006
a post so interesting, you'd think i wrote it myself!
April Fools' Day Origin
There are several explanations for the origin of April Fools' Day, but here is the most plausible one. April 1st was once New Year's Day in France. In 1582, Pope Gregory declared the adoption of his Gregorian calendar to replace the Julian calendar and New Year's Day was officially changed to January 1st. It took awhile for everyone in France to hear the news of this major change and others obstinately refused to accept the new calendar, so a lot of people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on the first of April – earning them the name April fools. The April fools were subjected to ridicule and practical jokes and the tradition was born. The butts of these pranks were first called poisson d'avril or April fish because a young naive fish is easily caught. A common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke. This evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continues on the first day of April.
and on a completely unrelated sidenote, happy birthday to cool hand crawdaddy longlegs wraparound.
There are several explanations for the origin of April Fools' Day, but here is the most plausible one. April 1st was once New Year's Day in France. In 1582, Pope Gregory declared the adoption of his Gregorian calendar to replace the Julian calendar and New Year's Day was officially changed to January 1st. It took awhile for everyone in France to hear the news of this major change and others obstinately refused to accept the new calendar, so a lot of people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on the first of April – earning them the name April fools. The April fools were subjected to ridicule and practical jokes and the tradition was born. The butts of these pranks were first called poisson d'avril or April fish because a young naive fish is easily caught. A common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke. This evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continues on the first day of April.
and on a completely unrelated sidenote, happy birthday to cool hand crawdaddy longlegs wraparound.
31 March 2006
stress relief
the other day darren and i were taking some, um, online quizzes together...for like an hour or two...because we're dorks. very fun way to learn new things about your hubby/wifey. there was one question, though, that threw us for a loop. not a big loop, but a little "hmmmm" loop: "What do you do on a stressful day to make yourself feel better?" some of the choices were watch tv, take a nap, go buy lots of stuff, talk to friends, etc.
to my surprise, darren thought i should put "go buy things". i mean, i like to shop, so there is some truth to his assessment of me. but on stressful days, i will usually just buy one little thing. like fun socks or a cool shirt on sale. does that really count?
this, then, made me wonder if i actually do shop to relieve stress. which would be bad. because we're in GRAD SCHOOL. so i've been paying extra careful attention to my stress management strategies this week....
which brings me to today. it had all the makings of a bad day, especially since i was expecting a good one.
to begin with, i got up before dawn. i should've known this was a bad idea--it leaves way too much time for things to go wrong. but, i got up before dawn anyway, with the purpose of going to the gym, showering there, and getting to work on my thesis by about 9am. getting things done relieves stress, right? right.
the exercise was great. all downhill from there, though. painfully downhill, since i strained my IT band (again) while doing 15 minutes of warmup walking on a stupid elliptical machine. this makes for a lot of pain walking down hills (like i have to do everyday to get to one building where i teach) and steps (like i have to use everyday to get to my floor in the other, newly renovated building where i teach--which has no elevator.)
even after the straining, i was still in a pretty good mood, as long as i wasn't walking anywhere. i went to my department and planned my lesson for today. done. and getting things done relieves stress.
then i went to starbuck's and purchased a delicious vanilla latte to be had as i sat down to work at the corner of downtown athens on a perfect 76-degrees-and-cloudy-so-the-sun's-not-even-in-my-eyes kind of day.
but what's this? my computer gives me an error message saying it basically hates me, it hates itself, and it wishes i would just go throw it in a dumpster down the street. either that or melt my jump drive in a fire somewhere. the two apparently have not been getting along. and here i am in the middle of an electronic love triangle:
jump drive not liking laptop, but working fine with desktop. desktop finds out about jump drive's escapades with laptop and starts picking fights with jump drive, too. chapter-i'm-supposed-to-be-writing gets corrupted by fighting parents and locks himself in a dark room somewhere, not giving me permission to come in.
fortunately, sneaky me found a way to get to the file...after another hour and a half (involving a little anger, some colorful words, and a painful walk back to my department).
this puts us at roughly 12:45. i teach from 1:25 to 3:20. then i realize i haven't eaten since that cup of yogurt before sunrise, and i'm stressed because getting things done relieves stress, and i haven't gotten anything done.
so (back to the point of this post), what do i do?
THIS.
this, my friends, is a homemade veggie sandwich on ciabatta bread brushed with olive oil and toasted, complete with greek style hummus, cucumbers, monterey jack cheese, plum tomatoes, banana peppers, garlic and herb feta, avocado, and sundried tomato vinaigrette dressing.
what does this mean? that i pig out when i'm stressed? sometimes, but that's not really it. no more than the shopping theory.
when i'm stressed, i do something i'm good at. like using a dangling preposition. and i am good at making myself a sandwich. i make myself pretty much the best sandwiches i've ever eaten. and the pleasure's as much in the making as in the eating.
same with shopping. i am pretty awesome at finding great deals on things. and that's why it's so satisfying. the pleasure's as much in the deal-ing (?) as in the wearing.
and, finally, i am darn good at rambling on my blog about silly things in order to ultimately give myself a compliment on my sandwich-making abilities. but don't come asking me to make you one--i've got a chapter to write.
to my surprise, darren thought i should put "go buy things". i mean, i like to shop, so there is some truth to his assessment of me. but on stressful days, i will usually just buy one little thing. like fun socks or a cool shirt on sale. does that really count?
this, then, made me wonder if i actually do shop to relieve stress. which would be bad. because we're in GRAD SCHOOL. so i've been paying extra careful attention to my stress management strategies this week....
which brings me to today. it had all the makings of a bad day, especially since i was expecting a good one.
to begin with, i got up before dawn. i should've known this was a bad idea--it leaves way too much time for things to go wrong. but, i got up before dawn anyway, with the purpose of going to the gym, showering there, and getting to work on my thesis by about 9am. getting things done relieves stress, right? right.
the exercise was great. all downhill from there, though. painfully downhill, since i strained my IT band (again) while doing 15 minutes of warmup walking on a stupid elliptical machine. this makes for a lot of pain walking down hills (like i have to do everyday to get to one building where i teach) and steps (like i have to use everyday to get to my floor in the other, newly renovated building where i teach--which has no elevator.)
even after the straining, i was still in a pretty good mood, as long as i wasn't walking anywhere. i went to my department and planned my lesson for today. done. and getting things done relieves stress.
then i went to starbuck's and purchased a delicious vanilla latte to be had as i sat down to work at the corner of downtown athens on a perfect 76-degrees-and-cloudy-so-the-sun's-not-even-in-my-eyes kind of day.
but what's this? my computer gives me an error message saying it basically hates me, it hates itself, and it wishes i would just go throw it in a dumpster down the street. either that or melt my jump drive in a fire somewhere. the two apparently have not been getting along. and here i am in the middle of an electronic love triangle:
jump drive not liking laptop, but working fine with desktop. desktop finds out about jump drive's escapades with laptop and starts picking fights with jump drive, too. chapter-i'm-supposed-to-be-writing gets corrupted by fighting parents and locks himself in a dark room somewhere, not giving me permission to come in.
fortunately, sneaky me found a way to get to the file...after another hour and a half (involving a little anger, some colorful words, and a painful walk back to my department).
this puts us at roughly 12:45. i teach from 1:25 to 3:20. then i realize i haven't eaten since that cup of yogurt before sunrise, and i'm stressed because getting things done relieves stress, and i haven't gotten anything done.
so (back to the point of this post), what do i do?
THIS.
this, my friends, is a homemade veggie sandwich on ciabatta bread brushed with olive oil and toasted, complete with greek style hummus, cucumbers, monterey jack cheese, plum tomatoes, banana peppers, garlic and herb feta, avocado, and sundried tomato vinaigrette dressing.
what does this mean? that i pig out when i'm stressed? sometimes, but that's not really it. no more than the shopping theory.
when i'm stressed, i do something i'm good at. like using a dangling preposition. and i am good at making myself a sandwich. i make myself pretty much the best sandwiches i've ever eaten. and the pleasure's as much in the making as in the eating.
same with shopping. i am pretty awesome at finding great deals on things. and that's why it's so satisfying. the pleasure's as much in the deal-ing (?) as in the wearing.
and, finally, i am darn good at rambling on my blog about silly things in order to ultimately give myself a compliment on my sandwich-making abilities. but don't come asking me to make you one--i've got a chapter to write.
25 March 2006
fun things
just thought i'd share the highlights of st. paddy's day, and a few shots of daily life since then.
be sure to find a hiding critter in this photo--at first i thought it was my own reflection, until i realized that was physically impossible...
here's why i really married darren--i wanted our children to learn how to drink guinness the right way.
and here's a game of scrabble the other night. darren pretty much got played under the table...
by Feral Cat
and finally,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KAREN!!!
woohoo!
be sure to find a hiding critter in this photo--at first i thought it was my own reflection, until i realized that was physically impossible...
here's why i really married darren--i wanted our children to learn how to drink guinness the right way.
and here's a game of scrabble the other night. darren pretty much got played under the table...
by Feral Cat
and finally,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KAREN!!!
woohoo!
22 March 2006
Thesis Quotation of the Day
"In a way, I think Shakespeare was a Nuyorican."
~Miguel Algarín, founder, Nuyorican Poets Cafe
~Miguel Algarín, founder, Nuyorican Poets Cafe
21 March 2006
Lisa, Dr. Seuss and Blogthings
Thing One:
mad props to KTG for pointing me to 'the quiz to end all quizzes'.
Thing Two:
correction--i'm apparently not Totally Addicted to Blogthings Quizzes.
mad props to KTG for pointing me to 'the quiz to end all quizzes'.
Thing Two:
correction--i'm apparently not Totally Addicted to Blogthings Quizzes.
| You Are 53% Addicted to Blogthings |
 You're a Blogthings fiend - addicted but not totally dependent. So what if you know your personality type by heart? And while you may feel like Blogthings is crack... There are people much worse off than you! |
17 March 2006
the donut theory
those of you who have known me for a while have surely heard my donut theory. well, it finally caught on, and now there's a online quiz for it.
there are only two flaws with this analysis:
1) i do like to change it up pretty often, so the pouting thing...not so much. i'll eat any kind of donut, or anything sweet for that matter.
2) technically, i'm not a krispy kreme boston creme donut, because they fill it with that super-sugary icing kind of creme. i prefer the bavarian creme inside. while darren argues that this makes me the type of donut that doesn't exist, it actually does at dunkin donuts.
and by the way, i am totally addicted to online quizzes, if you couldn't tell...
| You Are a Boston Creme Donut |
 You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out. |
there are only two flaws with this analysis:
1) i do like to change it up pretty often, so the pouting thing...not so much. i'll eat any kind of donut, or anything sweet for that matter.
2) technically, i'm not a krispy kreme boston creme donut, because they fill it with that super-sugary icing kind of creme. i prefer the bavarian creme inside. while darren argues that this makes me the type of donut that doesn't exist, it actually does at dunkin donuts.
and by the way, i am totally addicted to online quizzes, if you couldn't tell...
on irishivitariousness
first, in an obnoxious show of youngest-child arrogance, i'd like to point out that mine is the only unpinchable blog in this circle of bloggers. and that it, as well as the picture it contains, were irishy long before this funnest of all fun holidays.
i have to do it, because i look less irish than all my irish-ancestry diaspora friends, family & husband. it's the cherokee in me, poor under-holidayed heritage...
that said, here's a Post O'tribute to those who beat me to St. Paddy's Day Blogging:
also, if you're not so much enjoying the holiday, if you're lamenting lost loves that broke up with you in April (the cruelest month)...here's some comfort.
That said, I'm now going to use my Irish heritage as an excuse to celebrate in the midst of thesis-writing...
Erin go bragh!!!
i have to do it, because i look less irish than all my irish-ancestry diaspora friends, family & husband. it's the cherokee in me, poor under-holidayed heritage...
that said, here's a Post O'tribute to those who beat me to St. Paddy's Day Blogging:
| Your Irish Name Is... |
 |
| You're 55% Irish |
 You're very Irish, and most likely from Ireland. (And if you're not, you should be!) |
also, if you're not so much enjoying the holiday, if you're lamenting lost loves that broke up with you in April (the cruelest month)...here's some comfort.
That said, I'm now going to use my Irish heritage as an excuse to celebrate in the midst of thesis-writing...
Erin go bragh!!!
06 March 2006
to beg or not to beg?
Gilbert Gottfried is appearing at the Georgia Theatre in Athens on Wednesday.
Which begs the question:
Is Gottfried desperate for an audience or is the Georgia Theatre desperate for a show?
Which begs the question:
Is Gottfried desperate for an audience or is the Georgia Theatre desperate for a show?
01 March 2006
27 February 2006
i'm a big fan of life
Top 10 Reasons To Give Blood
1. You will get free juice and cookies. mmmmm...nutterbutters....
2. You will weigh less - one pint less when you leave than when you came in.
3. It's easy and convenient - it only takes about an hour and you can make the donation at a donor center, or at one of the many Red Cross mobile blood drives.
4. It's something you can spare - most people have blood to spare... yet, there is still not enough to go around. even broke grad students can spare it!
5. Nobody can ask you to do any heavy lifting as long as you have the bandage on. You can wear it for as long as you like. It's your badge of honor. in other words, milk it!
6. You will walk a little taller afterwards - you will feel good about yourself. not to mention people will think you're a good person.
7. You will be helping to ensure that blood is there when you or someone close to you may need it. Most people don't think they'll ever need blood, but many do.
8. It's something you can do on equal footing with the rich and famous - blood is something money can't buy. Only something one person can give to another. take that rich and famous!
9. You will be someone's hero - you may give a newborn, a child, a mother or a father, a brother, or a sister another chance at life. In fact, you may help save up to three lives with just one donation. i'm a type-o hero! my donor card says so!
10. It's the right thing to do. that's right, all you no-blood-giving heathens.
okay, you're not really heathens. well, you might be, but not for witholding your blood. do try to give blood soon if you can, though, since there is a shortage due to all the cold weather up north. apparently northerners give a lot of blood, and southerners need a lot of it.
and so you can be as good a person as me. and as important as bill gates. take that rich and famous!
(sorry, i've been really enjoying #8...)
1. You will get free juice and cookies. mmmmm...nutterbutters....
2. You will weigh less - one pint less when you leave than when you came in.
3. It's easy and convenient - it only takes about an hour and you can make the donation at a donor center, or at one of the many Red Cross mobile blood drives.
4. It's something you can spare - most people have blood to spare... yet, there is still not enough to go around. even broke grad students can spare it!
5. Nobody can ask you to do any heavy lifting as long as you have the bandage on. You can wear it for as long as you like. It's your badge of honor. in other words, milk it!
6. You will walk a little taller afterwards - you will feel good about yourself. not to mention people will think you're a good person.
7. You will be helping to ensure that blood is there when you or someone close to you may need it. Most people don't think they'll ever need blood, but many do.
8. It's something you can do on equal footing with the rich and famous - blood is something money can't buy. Only something one person can give to another. take that rich and famous!
9. You will be someone's hero - you may give a newborn, a child, a mother or a father, a brother, or a sister another chance at life. In fact, you may help save up to three lives with just one donation. i'm a type-o hero! my donor card says so!
10. It's the right thing to do. that's right, all you no-blood-giving heathens.
okay, you're not really heathens. well, you might be, but not for witholding your blood. do try to give blood soon if you can, though, since there is a shortage due to all the cold weather up north. apparently northerners give a lot of blood, and southerners need a lot of it.
and so you can be as good a person as me. and as important as bill gates. take that rich and famous!
(sorry, i've been really enjoying #8...)
22 February 2006
this just in
A new psychological study has recently shown that spending extended hours in a 4ft x 4ft room that is entirely undecorated except for sixty books bound in solid red, blue or green covers may have detrimental effects on a person's ability to sense such things as heat, cold, hunger, thirst, and wetness.
In one such case, the subject, having been permitted to leave the room after 6.2 hours, walked unsheltered into pouring rain at 57° Farenheit with no detectable signs of displeasure. Some researchers believed they even saw a smile on the subject's face as she headed slowly to an unknown destination.
Studies later showed that the 24 year old white female walked directly to a computer laboratory and began composing a message on a weblog, as known as a blog.
In one such case, the subject, having been permitted to leave the room after 6.2 hours, walked unsheltered into pouring rain at 57° Farenheit with no detectable signs of displeasure. Some researchers believed they even saw a smile on the subject's face as she headed slowly to an unknown destination.
Studies later showed that the 24 year old white female walked directly to a computer laboratory and began composing a message on a weblog, as known as a blog.
17 February 2006
on concreteness.... concretivity.... concretion.... hmmmm.
i've only recently discovered the immediate-gratificationariness...of concrete production, regardless of quality or quantity.
it started with learning to knit back in november (thanks anita!!!). of course, my scarf was hideous at first, and instead of getting better, it has only gotten more hilarious. but the act of producing something that i could feel & hold in my hands & say "I MADE THIS!" was eerily satisfying and even calming during a semester of high stress (when i shouldn't have been doing ANYthing but sleeping, eating and writing).
now i am trying to convince myself that these things i am studying and writing for my thesis, these "ideas" or "postulations" if you will, are in fact concrete. well, they will be once i print them out & hold in my hand a hard copy & say "I MADE THIS!".
at least that's what i'm telling myself. and if it doesn't do the therapeutic trick, then i'll have to go knit something.
but, for now, i can boldly proclaim to the world that i have, indeed, started the concretiary productionation of my thesis! all 462 words of it!!!
and they're rock solid, baby.
[the Rock explaining what I will deliver to the Big Bad Thesis Boogeyman on April 1st, 2006]
it started with learning to knit back in november (thanks anita!!!). of course, my scarf was hideous at first, and instead of getting better, it has only gotten more hilarious. but the act of producing something that i could feel & hold in my hands & say "I MADE THIS!" was eerily satisfying and even calming during a semester of high stress (when i shouldn't have been doing ANYthing but sleeping, eating and writing).
now i am trying to convince myself that these things i am studying and writing for my thesis, these "ideas" or "postulations" if you will, are in fact concrete. well, they will be once i print them out & hold in my hand a hard copy & say "I MADE THIS!".
at least that's what i'm telling myself. and if it doesn't do the therapeutic trick, then i'll have to go knit something.
but, for now, i can boldly proclaim to the world that i have, indeed, started the concretiary productionation of my thesis! all 462 words of it!!!
and they're rock solid, baby.
[the Rock explaining what I will deliver to the Big Bad Thesis Boogeyman on April 1st, 2006]
12 February 2006
too hot to handle
at a ripe young fifteen years, i, pressured by the weight of family tradition, began what i still consider my fall-back career if i ever get too cynical about ivory tower academia: waiting tables.
the danger of such a pursuit at such a young, naïve age? actually expecting other servers to be as sincerely *nice* as i myself once strived to be.
don't misunderstand me-i had my very bad days as a server. but when is it ever logical to be rude to your customers? it is much more satisfying to be overly nice to them and walk away with more of their money.
i write this after a double-dose of athens apathy in the realm of customer service. apparently if you wear clothes that are more than 30 years old and listen to The Clash, that entitles you to be obnoxious to all the normal lowlifes that eat at your restaurant with the sole intention of making you work unreasonably hard. you know who they are, those jerks that expect refills, ask how the vegannaise tastes and generally want you to be *nice* to them. ugh.
then these same high maintenance egotists have the nerve to go to a coffee shop and request their latte "extra hot." as if you should know what that means. you're only a barista, for crying out loud. what are you supposed to do? use a thermometer like they do at those *suburban* coffee shops?
please. this is athens. if you don't like our nonchalant ineptitude, then go to starbuck's, you yuppy middle-class student.
(next time i will, thanks.)
the danger of such a pursuit at such a young, naïve age? actually expecting other servers to be as sincerely *nice* as i myself once strived to be.
don't misunderstand me-i had my very bad days as a server. but when is it ever logical to be rude to your customers? it is much more satisfying to be overly nice to them and walk away with more of their money.
i write this after a double-dose of athens apathy in the realm of customer service. apparently if you wear clothes that are more than 30 years old and listen to The Clash, that entitles you to be obnoxious to all the normal lowlifes that eat at your restaurant with the sole intention of making you work unreasonably hard. you know who they are, those jerks that expect refills, ask how the vegannaise tastes and generally want you to be *nice* to them. ugh.
then these same high maintenance egotists have the nerve to go to a coffee shop and request their latte "extra hot." as if you should know what that means. you're only a barista, for crying out loud. what are you supposed to do? use a thermometer like they do at those *suburban* coffee shops?
please. this is athens. if you don't like our nonchalant ineptitude, then go to starbuck's, you yuppy middle-class student.
(next time i will, thanks.)
08 February 2006
Tripoly
i have finished the task i assigned myself this morning 36 minutes ahead of schedule. which means i can finally justify writing the post that has been steeping in my brain since last saturday. trust me, it's never good for something to be in there that long, lest it undergo gross distortions...
saturday. that was the day i worked (and chatted intermittently) for eleven hours at panera, during which time my darling husband cleaned our apartment.*
it was obviously quite thoughtful and selfless of him to do this, but what really struck me was how thoroughly he cleaned the place. we're talking dishes washed, carpets vacuumed, mirrors polished, bath tub and shower curtain scrubbed. and all clean enough to impress a wife with somewhat ridiculous standards of clean.**
so as i relaxed that evening, i thought of recent conversations about serving with our whole heart, as unto the Lord. no wonder it's pleasing to God when we put our full effort into something. i liked coming home to a clean house, but what was really touching was how hard darren worked to clean it.*** even though nothing we can do will ever fulfill what God deserves from us, even our imperfect attempts reflect a desire to please Him. i think it's that desire, not the work itself, that pleases Him most.
sunday. our pastor preached on giving, i.e. not holding back time, money, energy in our service to God, to the church and to others. i.e. serving with your whole heart and with all your trust in Him. it is rather easy to justify withholding these things, since they are in high demand in our day-to-day lives. but if we trust God and are willing to let these things go, He replenishes us and enables us to do more.
wednesday. in a mostly unrelated event, this morning i unconsciously applied to my wrists the same perfume i've been wearing for, oh, 8 years or so.**** folks seem to like it, but i can't really smell it anymore. for some reason, while i was studying in the library, i suddenly caught a whiff of it. it reminded of the two aforementioned events, each in their own way a sweet fragrance on a hectic day.
and it reminded me to thank God for all the ways He blesses us without holding back.
*the main reason i was at panera was that i find it very difficult to work at home when the apartment is so dirty. this is because, as some of you know and others may be shocked to learn, i suffer from a lethal combination of mild type-A tendencies and severe procrastination tendencies. in other words, i do my best, most obsessive cleaning when i should be focused on other, more time-sensitive tasks.
**when she actually does clean something
***and i don't exactly deserve that kind of service the way God does.
****Tuscany, that is. i remember loving it when i was 16, and my friend Katie wore it everyday.
saturday. that was the day i worked (and chatted intermittently) for eleven hours at panera, during which time my darling husband cleaned our apartment.*
it was obviously quite thoughtful and selfless of him to do this, but what really struck me was how thoroughly he cleaned the place. we're talking dishes washed, carpets vacuumed, mirrors polished, bath tub and shower curtain scrubbed. and all clean enough to impress a wife with somewhat ridiculous standards of clean.**
so as i relaxed that evening, i thought of recent conversations about serving with our whole heart, as unto the Lord. no wonder it's pleasing to God when we put our full effort into something. i liked coming home to a clean house, but what was really touching was how hard darren worked to clean it.*** even though nothing we can do will ever fulfill what God deserves from us, even our imperfect attempts reflect a desire to please Him. i think it's that desire, not the work itself, that pleases Him most.
sunday. our pastor preached on giving, i.e. not holding back time, money, energy in our service to God, to the church and to others. i.e. serving with your whole heart and with all your trust in Him. it is rather easy to justify withholding these things, since they are in high demand in our day-to-day lives. but if we trust God and are willing to let these things go, He replenishes us and enables us to do more.
wednesday. in a mostly unrelated event, this morning i unconsciously applied to my wrists the same perfume i've been wearing for, oh, 8 years or so.**** folks seem to like it, but i can't really smell it anymore. for some reason, while i was studying in the library, i suddenly caught a whiff of it. it reminded of the two aforementioned events, each in their own way a sweet fragrance on a hectic day.
and it reminded me to thank God for all the ways He blesses us without holding back.
*the main reason i was at panera was that i find it very difficult to work at home when the apartment is so dirty. this is because, as some of you know and others may be shocked to learn, i suffer from a lethal combination of mild type-A tendencies and severe procrastination tendencies. in other words, i do my best, most obsessive cleaning when i should be focused on other, more time-sensitive tasks.
**when she actually does clean something
***and i don't exactly deserve that kind of service the way God does.
****Tuscany, that is. i remember loving it when i was 16, and my friend Katie wore it everyday.
06 February 2006
if you can't beat 'em
steal from 'em!
Ten Top Trivia Tips about Jennifer!
- Jennifer can be very poisonous if injected intravenously.
- According to the story, Pinocchio was made of Jennifer.
- South Australia was the first place to allow Jennifer to stand for parliament.
- Only 55 percent of Americans know that the sun is made of Jennifer.
- Jenniferocracy is government by Jennifer.
- In Vermont, the ratio of cows to Jennifer is 10:1!
- If a snake is born with two heads, the heads will fight over who gets Jennifer.
- All gondolas in Venice must be painted black unless they belong to Jennifer!
- If you lie on your back with your legs stretched it is impossible to sink in Jennifer.
- Olive oil was used for washing Jennifer in the ancient Mediterranean world.
25 January 2006
prospectus, proschmectus
too busy for a real post...all i have time to do is past along this hilarious blonde joke. enjoy!
08 January 2006
giving in / living up
for the past two weeks, every time i look at my blog, i think, "i need to blog again."
this thought is quickly followed by a prideful "i'm not doing one of those new year's resolution blogs where i arrogantly broadcast all my quasi-resolutions so that my dear, attentive friends can thoughtfully ask me how i'm doing keeping them at just the time when i've failed to keep them at all."
then comes, "wow, that's a really pessimistic take on resolutions, and i don't even feel pessimistic about this year."
which then serves to remind me how often and how strongly we hold onto feelings and resolutions, conscious and unconscious, that arose out of past hurts and disappointments and still manage to dictate many aspects of our present lives.
several years ago, i resolved, quite contradictorily, not to make over-ambitious new year's resolutions that somewhere deep down i knew i didn't intend to keep anyway. i would still think of certain areas in my life and habits that i wanted to improve, and would brainstorm practical, feasible ways of doing so, but would NOT share these with anyone and would certainly not label them "Resolutions". the pessimist, after all, suffers the least disappointment.
but what reason, or rather, what right do i have to be a pessimist when i have been so richly blessed by God's grace, not to mention all the tangible blessings He has bestowed on such a squanderer as myself? is there a difference between what i call pessimism and what the Word calls Unbelief? and is there anything more damaging to my relationship with God, husband, family, friends than distrust, unbelief and the pride that necessarily accompanies them?
when asked last evening by a dear friend about my refusal to make Resolutions, my answer seemed so, for lack of a better word, lame. it is pessimism. it is unbelief. it is fear of failure: a fear that betrays the still thriving belief that i should somehow be a success on my own, without Grace and without Help. and it is not only fear of failure, but fear of being seen to fail, fear of being naively hopeful, fear of being found out.
i don't want this year to be dictated by these fears. so here are my Resolutions, i.e., Prayers, for this and coming years:
-to be more attentive to the lives and needs of others, especially those close to me.
-to do less complaining and more building others up.
-to be more healthy
-to be more thankful for God's Grace and Blessings, the greatest of which are my family, my friends, new and old, and my husband.
-and finally, to believe.
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
"All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
Philippians 3:7-16
Happy New Year.
this thought is quickly followed by a prideful "i'm not doing one of those new year's resolution blogs where i arrogantly broadcast all my quasi-resolutions so that my dear, attentive friends can thoughtfully ask me how i'm doing keeping them at just the time when i've failed to keep them at all."
then comes, "wow, that's a really pessimistic take on resolutions, and i don't even feel pessimistic about this year."
which then serves to remind me how often and how strongly we hold onto feelings and resolutions, conscious and unconscious, that arose out of past hurts and disappointments and still manage to dictate many aspects of our present lives.
several years ago, i resolved, quite contradictorily, not to make over-ambitious new year's resolutions that somewhere deep down i knew i didn't intend to keep anyway. i would still think of certain areas in my life and habits that i wanted to improve, and would brainstorm practical, feasible ways of doing so, but would NOT share these with anyone and would certainly not label them "Resolutions". the pessimist, after all, suffers the least disappointment.
but what reason, or rather, what right do i have to be a pessimist when i have been so richly blessed by God's grace, not to mention all the tangible blessings He has bestowed on such a squanderer as myself? is there a difference between what i call pessimism and what the Word calls Unbelief? and is there anything more damaging to my relationship with God, husband, family, friends than distrust, unbelief and the pride that necessarily accompanies them?
when asked last evening by a dear friend about my refusal to make Resolutions, my answer seemed so, for lack of a better word, lame. it is pessimism. it is unbelief. it is fear of failure: a fear that betrays the still thriving belief that i should somehow be a success on my own, without Grace and without Help. and it is not only fear of failure, but fear of being seen to fail, fear of being naively hopeful, fear of being found out.
i don't want this year to be dictated by these fears. so here are my Resolutions, i.e., Prayers, for this and coming years:
-to be more attentive to the lives and needs of others, especially those close to me.
-to do less complaining and more building others up.
-to be more healthy
-to be more thankful for God's Grace and Blessings, the greatest of which are my family, my friends, new and old, and my husband.
-and finally, to believe.
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
"All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained."
Philippians 3:7-16
Happy New Year.
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