Rainy Saturday afternoon

Watching the live Peter Pan special and enjoying it more than I expected to.

It's a chai-in-the-poodle-cup kind of day

I suspect this is a sign of winter coming.

Also, you can't tell in this picture, but my poodle cup is BIG. 

Morrissey helps

It's been a rough week (without going into too much detail, one of my students told me he's REALLY unhappy with my class, and that always makes a teacher feel wonderful), so I'm grateful this CD that I ordered from England (it's out of print in the US apparently?) came in on Tuesday: 

My enjoyment of this album is twofold: 

1. I first heard this album when I was visiting Leah in Paris, where she had it on record. So, fond memories. 

2. Morrissey's voice is a tonic. It SPEAKS to me! Literally and figuratively. 

I know I wear a lot of black, and I chalk it up to living in New York City, where black goes any time of the year. But today I wore one of those accidental outfits where I wore literally head-to-toe black. I looked like a cat burglar. 

How apropos.

One (kind of) sick kitty

A fairly big development in my life that has gone unmentioned on the blog is the fact that I started fostering a cat this past summer. I'm working with a cat rescue group called Anjellicle Cats, and they are amazingly organized, considering how much of a mess these groups often are, logistics-wise. They set me up with Johnny, an orange male that some of you may have seen on my Instagram now and then (I try to avoid copious cat postings for the most part): 

That picture is from the good old days, when Johnny was generally healthy, and therefore eating normally and acting friendly. However, he started to have weird allergies, which freaked me out a little (he was scratching his ears till they had no more fur) and then inflamed gums, which REALLY freaked me out (he stopped eating for several days because his mouth hurt too much). I took him to the vet to get everything treated, each time thinking that would be the last of it. But the gums issue kept coming back. By the time he had his most recent vet visit last week, he hadn't eaten for a whole week. I was force-feeding him water! 

These are all the cat meds (from about five vet visits) that I've gathered so far. 

So at the most recent visit, the vet ended up pulling out ALL of his teeth, except for three canines. Apparently he has a disease where the gums just get irritated by his teeth? So he's eating again with just his three teeth (phew!), but at this point, I'm just too stressed to deal with the possibility of a recurrence of the mouth trouble. So I made the tough decision to call the rescue center yesterday and ask to find him a new foster. It took a lot of time for me to reach this decision, because I really like Johnny and I think he's made himself at home in our apartment. But I just can't cope with the potential stress of a starving cat again, which would lead to scheduling more vet visits while still teaching a full schedule. Thankfully the people at the shelter were really understanding when I made the call, and not angry with me at all, which I was weirdly worried about beforehand. 

So, Johnny's going to stay with me until he gets his check up in early November, and then he will be "re-homed" with another volunteer. Then, after Thanksgiving, my extremely understanding boyfriend Ari has allowed me to get another foster kitty. Hopefully one without so many health problems, but I know it's never a certain thing. 

Until then, Johnny's pretty much back to his normal, cuddly, purr-y, self. He seems to have recently decided, however, that the ONLY place he will sleep is on my pillow. Whether or not my head is on it. So I wake up to this a lot, pressed up against my face: 

Poor wonky kitty. Here's hoping Johnny finds a "forever" home soon. He deserves it. 

The Hour

Yes, I am breaking a months-long silence to tell you about my favorite new TV show: The Hour! It's actually not a new show--it's not even running anymore (it lasted for two seasons, 2011-2012). It's a BBC miniseries, and from my point of view, it is an almost-perfect balance of drama and comedy. The storyline is a bit ridiculous and silly at times (Russian spies!), but the acting is seriously good, and I might have a crush on all three lead actors. 

Especially Romola Garai and Ben Wishaw. They are my favorite. 

That is all! 

Mini-Me

Yesterday, Ari and went to the Museum of Art and Design (free with Columbia ID!) to see their exhibit on 3D printing, which I'd heard from a fellow teacher was pretty cool. It was worth the trip--after waiting in line for about half an hour (not too bad...), I got scanned by a nice lady working there. I had to stand on this grey pedestal, and then hold a pose completely still (no change in facial expressions) as it slowly rotated me around in a circle.

Today I got an email, which took me to this link: 

 It was a bit surreal to purchase myself, in action-figure size. It was also a bit pricy at $40, but how could I resist?

Favorite student quote from last week

Student: Kate, when I see your face it always makes me smile…
Me: Oh, that's so nice! Thank you!
Student: …because then I know that it is Friday, and it is almost the weekend.

(I only see these students once a week. And I'll take whatever compliments I can get.)

On writing fiction

I just read an interview with Tessa Hadley, whose short story appeared in a recent edition of the New Yorker. In one part of the interview, Hadley says of the main character:

"He exempts her from the ordinary effort of being her rather carefully constructed self, because he doesn’t recognize the self that she is." 

I suppose this quote doesn't look terribly ground breaking when it's taken out of context, but it hit me (again) how amazing it is that writers are able to so perfectly describe our thoughts and beliefs and our construction of various "selves." We may think that these thoughts and beliefs are unique to us, but they really connect us all; we all think in a similar way. 

But can you imagine being a person who is regularly able to peel back all of those layers and put it into words? I'm not sure I'd have the courage to do it. 

OK, deep thought of the day is over. 

Almost spring break

My spring break starts on Monday! But really, it starts tomorrow, after I finish teaching my 9-12pm class at Columbia.

I am not going anywhere special for spring break, except for maybe tagging along on a one-night stay in Philly if a couple of my friends decide to make the trip. 

For the rest of the week off, I am looking forward to an awesome STAYCATION. I kind of dislike that cheesy term, but it's the best way to describe my break. Plans include attempting to win lottery tickets to a Broadway show (maybe Matilda?) and getting a Frozen Hot Chocolate (R) at Serendipity. (I loved that drink when I visited NYC my very first time in the summer of 2007; I hear the line's not too long when it's 40 degrees out.)

Also, Ari and I got back from a really nice wedding last weekend in Austin. The bride was one of Ari's high school friends, and in exchange for Ari playing at her wedding, she paid for our hotel and rental car. On Saturday morning we had a very rushed, but worthwhile, visit to the actual downtown area of Austin (where it was rained all day and was chillier than NYC, alas), and had a blast at the rehearsal dinner and actual ceremony. I will post some pictures as soon as I can--it appears I left my camera cord back in Monrovia at Christmas, so it may take a while….

Playing Catch Up

One of the main reasons I haven't posted on this blog in quite a while is that I recently--well, six weeks ago--started working at another ESL school, and while I'm grateful to have more hours, I am still figuring out the balance of work. Add some snow days with mandatory make-up classes, and the week feels pretty long, with not enough time to grade stuff on the weekend before the next week hits.

So I've been feeling overly stressed the last couple of weeks, which is annoying. But today, in the middle of lesson planning, it just occurred to me how one of my favorite things about teaching is the fact that I am constantly trying to improve myself as a teacher. I never feel bored of teaching, because if it's starting to feel boring, I can change the lesson plan by taking the students to museum, or watching a movie with them, or playing a game that gets them moving around the room.

Because I'm constantly trying to improve myself (and trying not to compare myself too harshly with my co-teachers at Columbia who has taught ESL for 30+ years), I sometimes feel inadequate or like I'm not up to the task. But I try to remind myself that I'm doing the best I can, and it takes years to become the kind of assured teacher that I look up to--people like my mother, who has written her own pronunciation book, and my co-teacher Frances, who was the editor of the NorthStar book series (only ESL teachers know what that is!).

So I guess I wrote this post to say 1. I'm still keeping a blog! and 2. I'm still figuring out this whole teaching thing, but I think I like it!

Also, on a completely different topic, I secretly wrote this whole post so that I could add a note at the bottom about how THE OSCARS are on tonight. While I realize the Oscars are pretty dumb and out of touch and waaay too long, they are still FUN for me to watch. AND I saw six of the 9 nominees (Her, Dallas Buyers Club, Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, American Hustle, and 12 Years a Slave), and I think they were all good, so I'm glad some good movies are getting some recognition. Just too bad that Llewyn Davis didn't get nominated for Best Picture, and that Her will pretty much definitely not win. (It's my fave.) 

Triple Whammy

I just went out to check the mail (which is now working just fine, as of last week, thanks), and had the best mail SCORE:

Three pieces of mail, all for me. 

1. First issue of the New Yorker subscription Ari got me for Christmas

2. An early birthday postcard from my sister Leah in France. First piece of mail from her! 

3. My new Netflix DVD, which I actually have time to watch tonight! (It's Ed Wood.)

In short, this week is going much better than last week. 

I'm quite shocked and saddened by the news of Philip Seymour Hoffman's death today. I think he's one of the first actors who has died during my lifetime whose acting I really was a fan of. I made an effort to see his new movies specifically because he was in them, and thought he was probably in the top 20 actors making movies today.

The fact that he died of an apparent drug overdose (rather than a heart attack or other health problem, as I assumed initially) is even more depressing.

I'll always remember him most strongly in the role where I first noticed him: as the butler in The Big Lebowski. His facial expressions cracked me up.

One of those weeks

This has been a pretty crappy week so far. Allow me to complain:

• Sunday morning: I cut my thumb pretty badly with a brand new knife my mom had given Ari for Christmas. Blood everywhere and decreased mobility. 
• Sunday afternoon: I tried to do laundry in the basement of our building, only to discover that the center washing machine is broken. This left our clothes soaking wet, with nowhere to put them but hang them dripping in the shower. I also got my thumb blood all over everything in the process of carrying laundry up and down the stairs. 
• Monday afternoon: I found out at the last minute that I would be teaching an extra class. I had to scramble for material and basically wing it. 
• Wednesday afternoon (today): DUN DUN DUN. Got my wallet stolen on the subway. I couldn't believe it, because I literally swiped into the subway, rode four stations, and then got off, and my wallet was gone. The kind of funny thing is, I think I know exactly when it got stolen: two guys bumped into me at the same time on the subway platform, which was weird, because the subway wasn't crowded at all. I'm pretty sure they planned to bump into me. So I guess it serves me right for having my wallet all exposed. 

So now I have to get new Metrocard, new credit cards, a new drivers license, new Pace ID, new Columbia ID, and a new Film Forum membership card. I hope it's manageable. Fingers crossed.

Old stuff is cool

I guess the coolness of looking at old stuff is the basic premise of most museums. And it certainly applies to the Transit Museum in Brooklyn. Ari and I were free this Saturday, so we decided to make the relatively short trek out to see this place, which was recommended by my friend Jenny as a fun, cheap way to spend an afternoon.

And it was! The best part is the lower level, where they have all these subway cars from different decades lined up along the platform (the whole museum is a converted subway station from the thirties). You can get on each one and see ads from that time period.

This ad was my favorite (dating from some time in the 40s or 50s, I believe):

The most remarkably different train cars were the wooden ones from the 1910's. So rustic! With wicker seats! 

At the end of the trip, I made Ari pitch in for a "Q" subway magnet for our fridge. That's the subway line that stops closest to our apartment (Parkside Ave.), and it's basically one of the best lines there is in the city, considering it runs express into Manhattan, and rarely has delays. Thanks, Q! 

Snow

Some belated pictures of the snowy day we had last week.

Columbia's Butler Library

View out the window from Lewisohn Hall

Main entrance to Columbia

Ocean Avenue, the main street by our apartment in Brooklyn. 

Reflections on being back in New York (and America)

I figure I'll take advantage of one of my last free evenings to write this blog post, since I'll be starting up with a new, more hectic teaching schedule next week (spring semester, woo hoo!).

• Teaching adult ESL in this city is stressful. I have a master's degree now, which allows me to earn a living wage, but I can't imagine teaching in this city long term. I was teaching 18 hours at Pace University last semester. This coming semester they offered me nine hours--no warning, no apology. So I was luckily able to supplement those hours by joining the adjunct staff at Columbia. We'll see how the juggling of hours goes. I'm a little nervous. 
• The weather here is not that bad. No really, I think I psyched myself out while living in the last year in Indonesia. I totally forgot that cold weather, for the most part, is manageable. SURE, it was literally 3 degrees during the daytime last week. And I realize we still have a few more months of winter left, during which time I may rescind this exact comment. But really--I have generally been able to stay warm enough and still have a life. 
• I can't get enough movies or theater/music/cultural stuff. It's not New-York-specific, but it's been wonderful being able to use Netflix again. Add Film Forum (my one true theater love) and numerous free/discount show options, and it's hard to get bored. 
• I really missed General Tso's tofu. I can't think of anything more worth the $5.50.
• I don't want to live in New York City beyond the next couple years. 
• I really wish our apartment was big enough for a cat. 

I just got back from a comedy show

Wherein I watched John Hodgman dress up like Ayn Rand and tell libertarian jokes in a Russian accent. It's funnier than it sounds, I swear.

Here's the mail! It never fails!

Except that it did fail.

Ari and I have been living in our new apartment since October 1st. At first we didn't receive mail because our address hadn't been officially registered with the post office, and our building hadn't installed mailboxes yet. Then, when the mailboxes were finally installed, we still didn't get anything, despite the fact that my parents had definitely sent us stuff and friends had asked where to send Christmas cards.

This morning, our neighbor from 2C knocked on our door and handed us a stack of mail. Apparently our mail (2B) is being delivered to his mailbox. Whaaaa??

Why is this such a freaking hassle??

At least I have lots of nice Christmas cards to look at until this thing gets figured out.

Snow Storm!

My first day of work was supposed to be today, but thanks to an impending snowstorm, classes were cancelled.

This morning, we woke up with a good few inches of sparkling snow. It's nothing like the snow we got in December of 2010, but it's pretty! Ari and I went for a little walk around Prospect Park during the warmest part of the day (21 degrees).

Pardon the slanted shots--it was too cold for me to stop and hold the iPhone correctly! 

We are now safely inside! 

Resolutions

I think I've got to post my New Year's resolutions before it gets too late. According to an NPR story I heard a few years ago, women are more likely to keep their resolutions if they tell people about them (but apparently this rule doesn't apply to men). 

So here are my resolutions: 

1. Write down one good memory from every day. This resolution will hopefully be made easier by the fact that my sister gave me a cute little French notebook that's designed specifically for this purpose. 
2. Start tracking my spending more carefully and keep within a budget. I hope some kind of miracle app on my new iPhone will help with this goal. Anyone have good recommendations? 
3. Commit more seriously to volunteering. Ideally volunteer at an animal shelter. 
4. Try to be more patient. This is something I have gotten especially bad at since living in New York City. 
5. Make more of an effort to keep in touch with and spend time with friends and family. 

And before I close out this post, a quick mention of big things that happened in my life in 2013 (off the top of my head):

• I lived in Indonesia; and returned home from Indonesia after being away for over 10 months. I also traveled to Singapore, Vietnam, and Hong Kong this year. 
• I moved back to New York City to start a part-time teaching job at Pace University and rented an apartment with Ari. 
• My grandmother on my dad's side passed away on December 20th. Her death was not unexpected; she had been doing poorly for quite a few years and had recently taken a turn for the worse. My family remembers her as a compassionate and giving woman who loved to laugh. We all miss her.