Back from Bonnaroo!

Well, uh, Bonnaroo was pretty amazing. I'd been planning to go to this festival (well, that or the Sasquatch Music Festival in Seattle, but those dates didn't work out) since last summer. So this was something of a "I'm DONE WITH SCHOOL!!" trip for me. And it was totally worth it. I'd heard that this was one of the most laid-back, friendly music festivals, and that rumor definitely seemed to apply to my experience.

Everyone was really nice (despite (because of?) the copious use of drugs), and everything pretty much ran smoothly--there was always enough water, always a clean-enough Porta-John to use, and always an awesome band to see. The top five shows for me were (in no particular order, because I just hate figuring that stuff out):

• Radiohead (Kind of obvious. It's been a life goal of mine to see these guys live. But they even played Paranoid Android for the encore! YESSS!)
• St. Vincent (I recently became a big fan of hers, and she did NOT disappoint. She's like 5 feet tall and plays guitar like a monster, and then she ended her show by crowdsurfing and then disappearing.)
• Ben Folds Five (Only playing the songs from the BFF era)
• The Beach Boys (So good still--amazing harmonies!)
• Tune-Yards (I'd never been a huge fan of her stuff recorded, but performing live, this girl is awesome)

We also got to see some comedians in the comedy tent (no Aziz Ansari, sadly, since he was performing at the same time as Feist and St. Vincent), we played on a giant inflatable water slide, and we saw Alice Cooper introduce the movie Duck Soup! (Apparently Alice Cooper was close friends with Groucho Marx at the end of Marx's life?!)

Some highlights from the trip (all taken with Ari's iPhone):

Blurry pic of St. Vincent

The Beach Boys on the main stage

Jellyfish umbrellas! (During the Phish jam sesh on the final night of the festival. We could only handle about 1 hour of Phish before bailing.)

A view of the fairgrounds from the Ferris Wheel on the first day.

My favorite graffiti (there was awesome graffiti all over the walls surrounding the fairgrounds)

The Apple Butter Express (a fun bluegrass band we saw on one of the cute, smaller stages)

Me dressed like an old lady (most women were walking around in bathing suits and quite a few were even topless).

Playing around with glow sticks that people threw into the crowd

Downtown Nashville (we tried to stop here briefly but got stuck in horrrriiiibbbllle traffic because it happened to be the same night as the Country Music Awards).

At least we got to try the delicious "Tennessee Fudge" sundae at Mike's Ice Cream Fountain

We ALSO got even BETTER ice cream at Jeni's in Columbus, Ohio. Ari got some fancy "Cherry Lambic" and "Pear Riesling" combo, while I got more straight-ahead "Salted Caramel" and "Dark Chocolate."

Ah, spring...

When a young girl's heart turns to life beyond graduate school. The weather is (generally) so nice! I am turning in my final big paper tomorrow! Hence, I suppose, the urge to post.
I thought I'd do the ol' Instagram catch up game (assuming you don't already follow me on Instagram, but if you do, here's at least a bit more context). Some highlights from the past couple of weeks:

Easter weekend I got to spend my first Passover with Ari's family. His family always hosts Passover, but this year, it was an especially big reunion, since one of Ari's great-aunts turned 90 years old. So 73 family members were somehow squeezed into the living room/dining room area. In the picture below, the tables are set for only 50 (we had 50 the first night, and then 73 the second night).

 The special Seder plate with all the things you have to use at various times during the reading of the Haggadah. The only one I can still remember the significance of is the parsley, which represents spring and new life (but you dip the parsley in salt water to represent the tears of the Israelites, so it's not all fun and games). 

Then! A week later, we rented boats to row on the lake in Central Park. It was a nice day. Worth the 1 1/2 hour wait, I'd say.

 Ah, the rowing life.

We were with a few other Columbia friends (who out-rowed us by an embarrassing distance).

 We found a pretty cherry tree in Central Park (not captured too clearly in this shot, unfortunately).

 We also went to see the cherry trees at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, which were GORGEOUS.

 Ari waltzes down the aisle of cherry trees.

Then, last weekend, we actually got to EAT a cherry leaf at this super-fancy Japanese Shojin-style (i.e. Buddhist monk) restaurant called Kajitsu, which is all vegan. The dinner was thanks to a belated birthday gift from my parents; thanks M & D!

 After dinner, we went to this new bar on the main street near our apartment called 739 Franklin and just barely avoided getting caught in a downpour. We tried to wait out the rain for two rounds of drinks, but eventually we had to sprint home with our jackets over our heads. 

Finally, yesterday we went to a "Meet the Programmers" event at Film Forum, which is one of my favorite places in New York. I attend this theater virtually weekly; it's a pretty great way to start a film education.

 There were free HUGE croissants, which was a big draw for me. And attending this event made Ari and me realize that we are apparently the only members who are under 40 years old. Ah well.

That is all! I hope you enjoyed the photos, and that spring has been good to you thus far!

6 hours in the library on a Saturday

and one page of writing to show for it.

Sorry for the whiny post--but I am feeling especially whiny. It's my last semester of graduate school--I'm so ready to be finished (never mind that I don't have a plan yet for what I'll do afterwards)!

Amusing Subway Story of the Day

Today, I rode the subway next to a lady wearing a black fur coat. And in her arms, camouflaged into the coat, was a black rabbit. She kept talking to it to calm it down (it was, understandably, freaked out about being on the subway), and when I made conversation by asking its name, I was informed it was called "Bunny Buns."

The best part, though, was the toddler who kept yelling "Bow wow!" at it.

Whew!

I just got off the phone after an hour-long interview with a representative from the English Language Fellowship Program. I'm hoping to teach English abroad through this program after I graduate from Teachers College, but it's a pretty long, thorough process before I find out if I'm actually going to get the fellowship.

They're supposed to get back to me in March to tell me if I've been "shortlisted" for any one project, and then if I get selected for that project, great! But if not, then it's back to the drawing board to hopefully get shortlisted for another project. So for now I guess I just wait. But it's nice to just wait sometimes (with fingers crossed)!

Just thought I'd post a quick update on my life for the people who are reading this blog from farther away. Now, back to assessment reading!

Back 2 School

 "Test analysis is another essential part of test administration. Just as the unexamined life may not be worth living, the unanalyzed test may not be worth administering."

--Favorite quote (so far) from my assessment class reading

If ya gotta read about how to write a test, ya gotta to be grateful for the rare bits of humor, am I right? 

Beyond Vietnam

Today I tried to do my own commemoration of MLK Jr. by listening to his "I Have a Dream" speech, and his "Beyond Vietnam" speech. Notice my choice of the verb tried. I actually did not have the stamina to get through all of this second speech (King's quite harsh (and fairly unpopular at the time) critique of the Vietnam War), even though it was interesting and eloquent (of course) and still relevant today. It also happens to be about an hour long, so I only made it through about half. Sigh.

Did anyone else do anything relevant to the holiday this weekend?

Since I'm still putting off actual work,

I will now post some pictures from my trip to California that were not posted on Instagram. (I joined Instagram through Ari's phone, since I don't have a smartphone myself.)

These were some of the fun times:

 We went to Little Tokyo and I bought some mochi balls covered in goo which were quite delicious (and which Ari didn't like as much as me; I suppose it's an acquired taste). 

 We celebrated the eighth night of Hanukkah by frying up homemade latkes and forcing Ari to sing Hanukkah songs for us in Hebrew. 

 After going to see a really fun Pink Martini show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with my parents, we took blurry New Year's kisses at the Thirsty Crow in Silver Lake. (Hey, if you can't be a hipster in Brooklyn, you gotta find the hipsters somewhere.)

 Leah was there too, back from a year-and-a-half abroad in France and Spain! 

Last but certainly not least, we got to spend hours upon hours playing and cuddling with Cosmo.

It was a fun-filled nine days home, and I'm looking forward to seeing my parents again in May, at GRADUATION (if it comes to that).

Bizarre Pizza

Ari and I finally had a chance to head over to the new pizza joint a few blocks south of our place on Classon, PeteZaaz. (Weird name, I know -- apparently one of the owners is called Pete.) I was intrigued by their "General Tso's Tofu" pizza, which actually has General Tso's tofu on it. I LOVE General Tso's tofu. No really. Ari can tell you that I get it approximately once a week at some Chinese takeout place or another.

Anyway, we ordered it:

And it was kind of ridiculous. Grated carrots, broccoli, cottage cheese, basil...and spicy tofu on top. We each had about two slices and then decided it was too much, and took it home. I'm pretty sure we'll finish it eventually, but it was a little too weird. I'm disappointed, because the restaurant itself is cute, with vintage pinball games on the wall, and antique light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Ah well. Pizza, you were worth a try.

Secrets of a Wannabe Brooklynite Living in 20-Degree Weather

I have found the secret to surviving winter when the laundromat is 4 long blocks away: have a never-ending supply of underwear.

You can always wash it in the sink if you need a fresh pair! And you don't sweat nearly as much as in the summer, so you really don't need to watch your clothes very frequently!

Sorry if that was too personal, but I'm quite happy to have made such a valuable discovery.

Frohes Neues Jahr!

So, here I am at the TC library, ostensibly writing my master's paper. But after working on it for the past 4.5 hours (and adding a whole page to it, no less), I have gotten distracted by Google Reader and realized that it's been a while since I updated. Time for a somewhat belated post about the new year (2012, in case you weren't sure)!

Here are my rather brief thoughts about 2012: A pretty great year for me personally, a pretty bad year for the world.

Me: Continued to live in NYC and live it UP (well, at least not work on grad school stuff all day every day), move in with Ari in Brooklyn, finish my first year at TC, and have a great summer going to the Adirondacks, the Hamptons, and back home to spend quality time with the 'rents and Cammy. I spent time with good friends who luckily moved out to the East the same time as me. AND I finally got to see Leah at Christmas after her return home from Espana and la France.

The World: Protests all over the Middle East (which seemed wonderful at the time, but apparently have not led to a lot of wonderful changes, but my fingers of course are still crossed), ending most disturbingly with Ghaddafi's death. Occupy Wall Street (which is also great, but...I'm just not sure how much it achieved) followed by peaceful students at my alma mater, UC Davis, getting pepper-sprayed by campus police. And then of course this whole presidential election coming up just scares me half to death. The nominees that are considered credible--I just don't get it.

That last part turned into something of a rant. But I can't help feeling somewhat distressed at the prospects for this coming November.

In other news, I survived a whole year being (mostly) vegan! Hooray! This year, I plan to continue being vegan as much as possible, but probably not as strictly as last year (exceptions may be made for cookies and cheese pizza when absolutely necessary).

Now, here's to a better year for the world in 2012. No ending, World, OK? Not yet! I know the Mayans predicted it and all, but I don't think they'd mind if you existed a little longer.

OK. Now I shall head home in the 20+ degree weather.

Movies and Books

So now that I have finished reading Jane Eyre (I finished it in record time, for me--2 weeks! For 400+ pages!), I have commenced with viewing as many film versions of it as I can get my hands on.

Today, I watched the 1943 Joan Fontaine/Orson Welles version (I think the first version?) at Film Forum. Quite heavy handed and melodramatic, as one might expect from an early adaptation of the book. I mean, the book is quite melodramatic as well! But I LOVED the book. I did not love this adaptation. Joan Fontaine was too pretty and too old to play Jane. And Orson Welles was actually pretty good for a Rochester type. But I don't think the film made it clear why they'd be attracted to each other. But of course it's hard for a plot development such as people slowly falling in love to be portrayed in a film with the same clarity as the book.

Anyway, I'm kind of rambling. I shall now sign off. (I just wanted to post this to show that I haven't totally given up on blogging!)

P.S.-I also go to see Citizen Kane for the first time (it was part of a double feature with Jane Eyre), and enjoyed it more than I expected to. Not as boring as people said it would be (although not mind blowing, either).

It's really fall now

I wore the first tights of the season today. Black tights with a navy skirt. Yes, my students probably all think I'm color blind now, but oh well. I don't have any navy tights (yet).

Happy fall weather! When it's not raining here (as it has been for the last 3 days), it's gorgeous!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Should I ever need to attend a red-carpet event, I have found my dress:

 

Yes, Claire Danes may have beat me to the dress. And yes, I probably couldn't afford it anyway. But those are trivial issues compared to the awesomeness of this dress.  As Jessica of Go Fug Yourself described it, it's "like a groovy mosaic at the bottom of the most amazing swimming pool."

Anna or Jane?

So this week, I checked out two female-centric tomes:

• Anna Karenina from the New York Public Library
• Jane Eyre from the Brooklyn Public Library 

Will I actually read either one? I'm not sure. I don't really know why I picked them out.

Since I probably will not have the stamina to read both of them back-to-back, does anyone have a recommendation about which one I should read first? I'm leaning towards Jane Eyre, since the beautiful (and talented) Michael Fassbender is in the new film about it....

That's why we only work when we need the money

So this semester (my second to last), I am planning to take it easy. I am only taking one class (which is actually a practicum--I'm gonna be teaching in the Community English Program) which meets 8 hours a week, and two workshops, both of which meet 10-6pm for two weekends each. And I'm writing my master's paper (well, once I decide on a topic).

That sounds pretty good, right? Then I just have two more classes in the spring (one of which is supposed to be the devil--one class that gives you the workload of two), and I'll be DONE!

If everything goes as planned (which it never does, does it?), this year will be a breeze.

I kind of wish I could have done this schedule every semester since starting grad school. But then it would take me about 4 years, rather than two. But is that so terrible? New York City is pretty awesome. I'm in no hurry to leave.
 -------

On a totally unrelated note: Ari and I went to see Godard's Band of Outsiders yesterday at Film Forum. It was so good! Apparently (I looked it up) this film is generally considered the most accessible of Godard's films. And it has some great iconic scenes: running through the Louvre, dancing to the jukebox in the cafe (which inspired the dance scene in Pulp Fiction), the "minute of silence" when there actually is a minute without any sound....

Go see it! Or if you've already seen it, tell me how much you liked it!

10 years

Today is the 10th anniversary of September 11th. All over the city there are memorials, exhibits, concerts and films happening. Yet I have to admit, I still don't feel a really strong emotional connection to the events that happened that day. I was living in California as a junior in high school when the Twin Towers fell, with no family in New York.  I felt almost as if it were a tragedy that happened in another country.

Today, reading the essays and tributes of people who lost loved ones, it is impossible for me not to shed tears. However, I am somewhat frustrated by the distance I feel from my other countrymen who were more directly impacted by the events of September 11.

Despite these feelings, tonight I plan to go out tonight and view the Tribute in Light, which is two bright beams of light that will be shining where the Twin Towers used to stand. This will be my own way of remembering our country's loss. 

No more Irene jokes, please

Ah, so many things to post about, and I am too lazy to post about them all. Which is why this blog only really functions (can a blog "function"?) when I'm supremely bored (read: summer break with no Ari around).

Anyway, I will bullet-point some of the highlights from the last couple weeks.

• Anja came to visit! Well, actually, she came to live here. In New York City. But before she moved into her place today, she crashed with me and Ari for a few days (+1 fun extra day due to HURRICANE WEATHER).
  

• Due to HURRICANE WEATHER, we played a fair amount of Bananagrams, Scrabble, Yaniv (Israeli card game), and 500 (card game similar to Gin Rummy). We also enjoyed a very pleasant walk to Cobble Hill Cinemas to go see a good, underrated film, The Guard.
  

• During said film, we sat in front of the Most Annoying Woman You Could Ever Sit in Front of During a Film. Well, OK, she actually could have been worse, I suppose, had she talked though the whole film. Instead, her phone rang literally 5 times (and she took quite a while to turn it off each time). She actually answered the phone the first time and talked to the person on the other end while the movie was playing. She got up and left the theater and came back multiple times.... It is because of people like that that I am a proud film snob! Thank goodness Film Forum's clientele is 90% people over 60, so most of them probably don't even have cell phones.
  

• Ari's birthday party was on Saturday night (the night when the hurricane was supposed to hit). Thankfully because Anja was crashing with us, we had at least one guest. We really didn't expect any more; the subway system was shut down indefinitely, so no one who wasn't within a few blocks could come by. But then THREE of my coworkers came! Hooray! And brought their friends! So we actually had a pretty decent party, ending with Ari playing keyboard and us singing along to "Rock Me Like a Hurricane" by the end of the night.
  

• Ari and I went on a nice lunch date today at the High Line, which has been open all summer, but which I haven't really had a chance to enjoy till today. Ari brought homemade hummus and Mexican salad and chocolate for us to enjoy while looking out at the views of traffic (no really, it's kind of fun looking at traffic when you're above it and somewhat removed from the noise).

OK, so my lazy summary turned into a somewhat longer, detailed post. I must still be somewhat bored.

School starts Sep. 7! Woohoo! That will probably take up some time. It has in the past.

Scrumtrellescent

For those who may be curious about my recent CSA intake: this week was especially good!
Yesterday, we got:

• Bok choy
• Lettuce
• Zucchinis
• Cucumbers
• Radishes
• (White) Carrots
• Corn!
  
• Peaches

This scene looked a lot prettier on my kitchen table (the colors didn't really come through), but I did the uncreative (yet delicious) thing and put all the veggies in an awesome salad (adding a few grocery-bought veggies such as tomatoes and avocado). And I'm saving the corn for dinner tonight.

Leaving for California tomorrow! San Clemente Beach, here I come!!

Chairs stickers: Unveiled!

Because I know you have been waiting with bated breath, I will now unveil the ripped-vinyl coverings I chose for the second chair:

For the seat, a Goethe-Institut sticker from my high school German club days. (Some of you may remember those days.)

And for the back of the backrest, more nostalgia from my undergraduate days--the college radio station from UC Davis. Sadly I was not cool enough to work there, but I had friends that did (and were)!

Fifties'd Out

Today I unwittingly went with a 50's theme. First, for work today I wore a retro scarf in my hair, as I have admired all the cool kids doing:

A couple times the wind blew the scarf ends into my face and it seriously freaked me out both times -- I thought someone behind me was reaching for my face (with silky-soft hands).

Actually, if you want to know, this way of wearing the scarf (with the long parts hanging down in the back) is not exactly on-trend. The style seems to be to wear a shorter scarf, and leave the ends sticking out kind of like a bow, at the front of the head, and not the back (like this girl). Ah well.

Then, I finally used my Groupon for the Film Biz Prop Shop, which is this cool thrift store of props donated from movies that were filmed in the city. I bought a pair of 50's diner chairs. The funny thing is, I can't carry more than one at a time (damn you, Ari, for not being here!), so I had to make two trips (one yesterday, one today) carrying each chair on the subway. I kind of felt like I was doing some kind of performance art, what with carrying my own chair onto the subway and sitting on my own chair while waiting at the subway platform.




The chairs have a few rips in the vinyl, so I have covered one rip with this delightful vintage picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Still deciding what to cover the other rips with.

So I watched Chasing Amy last night (romantic comedy), and rated it three stars on Netflix. Then, "based on my rating," Netflix recommended Silence of the Lambs (violent, disturbing, horror film).

HUH?

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONNNEEEEEE

It just dawned on me: since Ari's been gone at camp (1 1/2 weeks), I have been eating the archetypal bachelor's diet.

• Sunday night: Takeout Chinese
• Monday morning: Cereal
• Monday afternoon: Leftover takeout Chinese
  
• Monday night: MORE leftover takeout Chinese, followed by cereal for dessert
• Tuesday morning: Cereal
  

Yes, since the weather's been over 90 degrees (and only our bedroom has decent a/c), I have been on something of a cereal kick. (I usually eat oatmeal in the morning, but it just makes me sweat even more than I already am.)

I have also discovered the joys of mixed vegetables + General Tso's bean curd = $9.00 and feeds me for three meals.

Yikes. This is starting to look pretty pathetic. My excuse is, I'm just getting by until I leave for CALIFORNIA on Saturday!

HP7P2 Spoilers! Sort of.

I finally saw the last Harry Potter film yesterday. Despite the film's overblown "IT ALL ENDS" tagline, I have to say that it was kind of a big deal for me that the series was finally ending. And unfortunately, I don't think the final installment was particularly powerful. I felt that the final scenes (Snape's secret love of Harry's mother, the white void that Harry goes to after he dies) were fairly uninspired, and the choice to have all of the same actors play themselves 19 years later was kind of silly (Jenny and I couldn't stop laughing).

Maybe we just weren't into it as much as we should have been. But does this picture look like the picture of someone who wasn't into it?

Happy anniversary to me, and me alone.

Today is Ari and my second anniversary. Hooray! Except...he's out in the countryside somewhere (I don't even know which state, embarrassingly enough) working as a camp counselor for the next two weeks, without even cell phone reception!

So I texted him "happy anniversary," but I don't think he'll get it for another week or so. Nevertheless, in some ways I'm kind of glad not to see him, since I went to the Adirondacks last weekend, which was a GREAT trip, but which also was responsible for giving me 12 mosquito bites. So right now, I'm intermittently scratching myself like a lunatic all over my body (shoulders, legs, neck, ankles), which perhaps is the not the most romantic way to behave on an anniversary.

Bridgehampton

I got to spend last weekend in the Hamptons, courtesy of Ari's aunt, who has a summer house there. We were in Bridgehampton, to be precise. (There's also Southampton, Easthampton, and some others, hence the name "the Hamptons." I never knew that before coming there!)

It was basically a weekend in paradise. No really. The sun was shining with clear blue skies, we found some bikes in the basement and biked to the beach, swam in the pool, cooked dinner together and ate it out on the patio, and then biked some more to Sag Harbor the next day before taking the train home (a 2-hour trip from Brooklyn). The only minor mishaps were my getting knocked down by a monster wave and getting some painful scratches on my back, and then Ari taking a spill on the bike (it was too small for him) and him also getting some pretty nasty scrapes on his elbow and knees. Battle wounds!

The tide came in really high at the beach.

Sag Harbor

I think the best part of the weekend was how quiet it was. And the fact that I probably only looked at my watch twice.

CSA update!

My friend Micki works at a CSA near Columbia, and thanks to her connections, four of us decided to go in on a share of fruit, veggies, and EGGS! (Yes, I actually went up to the farm and met the chickens and confirmed that they were happy and ACTUALLY free range, so I don't have qualms about breaking my veganity for these specific eggs.)

I've been getting the food for about five weeks now, and it's a pretty interesting haul. Although I have to confess that Ari, the cook of the household, gets much more excited about it than me.

For fruit, which has been mighty tasty, we have gotten:

• blueberries (The best)
• strawberries (small and super sweet)
• rhubarb (Ari made rhubarb muffins out of the stalks. The muffins were essentially cinnamon muffins but with rhubarb bits. Very tasty)

For veggies, we have gotten:

• radishes
• 1 whole beet (more to come, I believe)
• carrots (only 3 carrots, actually, once we divided up the share)
• epazote (interesting green; apparently it reduces gas after eating beans)
• LOTS of varieties of lettuce
• rue (which is apparently toxic in large quantities and can give you blisters...we decided not to eat it)
• purslane (kind of tastes sour, but good in small quantities in salad)
• mint
• cilantro
  
• chives
• green onions

Ari loves to make salad dressings from scratch, so when we get a lot of greens, we generally just make a huge salad, which is kind of awesome. I usually feel very healthy afterward!

School's out for SUMMER!

I finished my summer school classes! (One diversity term paper and ESL curriculum DONE.) To celebrate, today Ari and I went to see The Man Who Fell to Earth (the Bowie sci-fi film is playing at the local arthouse theater), and then I ordered a brownie sundae (vegan, of course), and THEN I bought some 4-inch platform shoes at DSW for $30. So I can be a giant.

Perhaps my "summer school is finito" celebration was a bit excessive.

I have a feeling this is a common summer school conundrum.

Aagghh. Writing a paper on a Saturday night does not work if your neighbors decide to throw a patio party and blast reggaeton/rap/banda etc. music until after 1:30am (it's still going). And it's too hot to close a window.

Blerg.

Don't Judge

So today, I asked my students to write about a "turning point" in their lives, and to imagine how their lives could have/would have/might have been different if that turning point had not happened (we're practicing conditional right now).

When I've done this topic in the past, I've noticed that it tends to bring up topics from the students' past that can be painful or depressing (how they had to leave their family behind when they came illegally to the U.S., for example). However, I wasn't really worried about students writing those types of stories today, as I naively assumed that because most of my students are quite rich, they generally must lead privileged, happy lives.

Wrong! One of my Japanese students today wrote a story about how she got kidnapped when she was 5 years old. And how she was held for ransom for three days, until her kidnappers gave her up (and were apparently arrested by the police). What am I supposed to say to that?

I guess it just makes me thankful, in a way, that I have as much time as I do (12 weeks, if the students stay for the whole session) to try to get to know these individuals and where they come from. It's a good wake up call now and then to realize that there is no way I will ever have them figured out (as much as I subconsciously assume so), and that is, ultimately, a good thing, I think. It's a reason I love teaching.

Talkin' Bout My Generation

The cafe at Teachers College always hosts a local music group/singer on Wednesday evenings. Tonight (right now, as I'm posting this) they have a folk pair playing covers on acoustic guitar and harmonica-piano (What is that instrument actually called?).

And they just played "No One Else" by Weezer. YES! So great. I don't think I've ever heard anyone play that live (not even Weezer the one time I saw them). These kids are definitely from my generation.

Czech Yo'self

You know NYC has a lot of summer movie series when it's even offering a series of free Czech movies.

I mean, call me ethnocentric, but how many famous Czech movies are there really?

Sans meubles, mais ici!

I am officially a resident of Brooklyn! Or "the BK," as all the cool kids call it.
Ari and I moved in on Thursday night (a last minute rush decision, as it turned out I'd have to move by myself if I waited until Friday). We loaded up a hired minivan in Harlem at 10:30pm and got everything moved into our 4th-floor walk-up by 1am. Hooray!

We also have essentially no furniture. Thankfully our kitchen has a bar, so we basically just ate our meals standing around that. Until yesterday, that is, when we made a trip out to Ikea and bought some bars stools. ($20 each! What a steal!)

Now our next pressing order of business is getting a microwave. I complained to my coworkers today about our lack of a microwave, and they made fun of me for not being willing to heat everything up on the stove or in the oven. But I do not retract my opinion. The radiation from microwaves may be dangerous, but it's so much faster and easier to use, gosh darn it!

Anyway, this turning into a rambling, pointless post. My main point is: I have moved into my new place. I will post some pics as soon as it looks somewhat decent.

And if you want to send me a microwave as a housewarming gift, I will graciously accept it.

The number of Raggedy Ann and Andy items at the local thrift store is really quite disturbing. (I didn't get a photo, but we found plastic 3D cutouts you could hang on the wall, original paintings, and various items of dishware.)

I just watched Beyonce's performance for the Billboard Music Awards. Pretty awesome show--although did anyone else notice the similarities to the White Stripes' music video for Seven Nation Army? Triangles. Red, white and black color scheme. Elephant skulls!

What can I say? The White Stripes were iconic in a lot of ways. So iconic that perhaps echoes of their style have carried over to Beyonce.

Since it appears the world has not ended yet...let's go shopping!!

I bought my first leopard print item of clothing today. What a milestone! AND...it was Crocs brand. Yes, I bought leopard-print Crocs shoes.

Before you gasp in horror and vow never to speak to me again, please check out the link for the shoes. They are actually cuter than the picture, and the best part is, the "Crocs" branding isn't anywhere noticeable on the shoe!

So yes. That was my the-world's-not-actually-ending-so-I'll-spend-money purchase. Good times.

Thoughts at 12:20am After Spending the Last Hour Scrambling to Sign Up For Summer School Courses

I almost wish the world would end so that I wouldn't have to take summer school.

Meek's Cutoff

Also, I saw this movie over the weekend:



Has anyone else seen it? I would like to know what others think (other than the reviewers on the film podcasts I listen to).

Some catching up

Well, now that the cat is mostly out of the bag, I will allow it to completely escape: I am moving to Brooklyn!

OK, maybe that news wasn't as exciting as I built it up to be. No weddings, no babies. BUT I will be moving into an apartment with Ari in Prospect/Crown Heights on June 4, and I am really excited to have (virtually) my own apartment! That means I will be able to eat ANYTHING I WANT in the kitchen!

OK, I was actually able to eat everything when I lived at home in Monrovia, too. But then, you kind of take that kind of thing for granted at your parents' house.

Also, I have successfully completed my first year of grad school! Only one more year to go! To celebrate, I went to the best thrift store in all 5 boroughs (most thrift stores in the city are picked over and overpriced) and went on a shopping spree: $35 spent on 7 articles of clothing (2 skirts, a sweater, a shirt, 2 scarves, a dress). So satisfying.

And finally, a bit of annoying news: I think my iPod is dying a slow death. It keeps freezing in the middle of my podcasts. I looked up the problem online, and it looks like either the battery or the hard drive is failing. Both of which cannot really be replaced for a reasonable sum of money, so it looks like I may just have to get a new iPod when I get frustrated enough with this one. But we've been through so much together! Actually, not really. I've only had this one for about 4 years. I think iPods should last longer than that.

Also, I really don't have the money to buy a new one at the moment. The next big holiday is Christmas, so perhaps I'll just end up buying a nano or something to tide me over until I bite the BIG bullet and get an iPhone. (SOMEDAY! SOMEDAY I will have money again.)

OK, that was a rambling post. But I'm in high spirits because I have no classes until Thursday (when summer school starts). Hoooooraayyy for free time!

Mmm

Couscous, Trader Joe's hot sauce, and peas (from the freezer). This is the dinner I am eating right now. I need to go grocery shopping.


In other news, I am DONE with my final exams, as of 7pm this evening! Unfortunately, summer school begins on May 19. But until then...DONE.

Happy Mama Day

Unfortunately I do not have any cute pictures of my mom holding me as a baby; all of those remain in photo albums in the family room back in Monrovia.

So this picture, taken with my holga camera about 3 years ago, will have to suffice:



I LOVE YOU MOM!
Wish I were with you today.

No Artificial Colors or Flavors, Guaranteed!

I may be 26 years old, but I am not above guilt-tripping my mom about not sending me candy for Easter.

And look what mine guilt-inducing effort hath brought:

Loose jelly beans!

I'm rich!! With three varieties of jelly beans. The post-Easter pickins are slim when you're vegan. But these sweets will do quite nicely. Thank you Mom!

Typing Icelandic names into your reference list is a real b***h.

If only it were a real language--it'd be so much easier.

An example:

Rögnvaldsson, E. (1990). Íslensk orðhlutafræði: Kennslukver handa nemendum á háskólastigi.[Icelandic morphology: textbook for university students] (4^th ed). Reykjavík: Málvísindastofnun.


Disclaimer: I know it probably looks really cool that I'm citing Icelandic stuff in my term papers...but unfortunately I know a total of zero Icelandic words. This reference was simply cited within another reference I used about grammar rules.

What a mighty good man

So yesterday was kind of a crappy day for me. Last full week of classes, and one of my professors (who meant well, I know) decided to add an extra class to cover extra material. Consequently I had 6 straight hours of syntax yesterday (not my favorite topic), with additional last-minute homework assigned, due in two days.

I then got home to find out that I would have to cancel my plans to go to a wedding, because I have an all-day mandatory orientation for summer school on Saturday.

Ari was lucky enough to speak to me during this discovery, and despite my excessively negative attitude, offered to come over tonight and cook me dinner.

Which he did. He brought all the ingredients over to my apartment, cooked it all by himself while I worked on a term paper, and then served it to me. Mashed potatoes with caramelized onions (a favorite dish of mine that he makes), veggie chorizo, and salad. With dessert afterwards and everything. I didn't take a picture, but I should have.

I tell ya. What a man.

I got school pride!

My second-ever purchase* of a collegiate hoodie: Woo! (Even though it's backwards, since I took with my webcam.) Go TEACHERS COLLEGE!

*My first purchase was my undergraduate: UC DAVIS! GO AGS!!

Another reason why warm weather is great.

Today I went out for my once-weekly jog (hopefully it will pick up after this semester finishes), and I heard what sounded like live jazz music across the street.

As I jogged past, I saw a guy sitting on the curb playing the trumpet. He was seated next to his minivan, which had the door open and was blasting jazz music. The guy was playing along to the music.

I assume he was just practicing in a way that wouldn't annoy the next door neighbors. And I'm glad he did! It added a nice kick to my day.

I hailed my first cab tonight! As in, took a taxi all by myself.

After waiting 45 minutes for the M4 bus in 37-degree rainy weather (at 11:30pm), I decided it was high time I be a true New Yorker and take a cab home.

What a milestone.

Someone up there has to be laughing

You know those moments where something is so exasperatingly comical, it seems like someone has to be controlling events to conspire against you?

Well, that just happened to me, but thankfully, it was a minor episode: trying to finalize my phonetics term paper.

1. I finished my paper! 7 pages of transcription, and 8 pages of analysis! Yay!
   
2. I print out all 15 pages, only to find that I forget to center the "References" title. I print out the last page again.
3. I notice that ALL the pages have page numbers in BOTH the upper right corner and bottom center. Not sure how that happened. Delete bottom page numbers.
   
4. I print out the entire essay again and staple it and discover I forgot to include the last page of the essay.
5. I take out the staple and staple it again, only to realize that my conclusion has center alignment (as opposed to right justified). It's the only section of the essay in center alignment. WHY? WHY?!
6. Whatever. If the professor doesn't like center-aligned conclusion paragraphs, I don't like him. OK, that's not true, but I just don't care anymore.
   

In one day (today), I ate ALMOST a whole loaf of challah bread. I decided to allow myself to enjoy non-vegan food till January, so I bought the challah (with egg in it).

And now it's 11:37pm and my stomach is STUFFED with bread.
It could be worse.

It's time to set a date

I haven't posted in a while because I've been overwhelmed with starting my job (working two hours a day. I still can't handle it!) and a lot of term papers coming up in the near future.

Luckily, I spent 6 hours yesterday finishing up my biggest project: a transcription and phonetic analysis of a native Chinese speaker's English. It's actually really interesting to me, and I'm sad it must go the way of so many school projects: loved the topic, but wish I'd had more time to spend on it.

Also, my title of "setting a date" refers to my goal to become vegan. Yes, folks, it's high time I took that step. All the cool kids are doing it (literally--it seems to be a hipster thing, but also CAMMY has been vegan for years now). So I'm trying to set a date for when it will happen. I'm thinking New Year's. That way, I can still pig out on sweets on Christmas and post-Christmas, but once the new year starts, it's purely vegan delights for me! Of which there are many, many, many in New York City. Thank goodness.

OK, back to making final edits on the paper. Hope everyone had a bonne week-end. (And I am too lazy to look up if that French is correct.)

I forgot to mention

Since writing yesterday's post, I realized that a lot, and I mean a LOT of my friends have also done amazing things and taken huge life steps in the last few years.

These people have done things like move across the country, start medical school, start nursing school, start law school, start other graduate studies, move to freaking DC (I don't know how anyone can afford to live there; I think it's more expensive than New York, (although this theory is not based on any fact)), get married....

So in other words, I just wanted to give a little more love and recognition to the friends at home. Or far away from home, as the case may be.

How did this happen?

It dawned on me today that I live, work, (love) and go to school in the heart of New York City.

I have achieved a goal, or dream, that I subconsciously didn't think would happen. And I'm kind of amazed that it actually did happen.

So, uh, the moral of the story is: Go out and achieve your dreams!*


*Even if it means you will have no money afterward.

Confession

I have a confession to make today: I didn't vote.

Argh! It was due to sheer laziness. I suddenly got motivated Sunday night to try to fax in my absentee ballot, but couldn't get my fax machine to work (and if you try to fax at the UPS store they generally charge $1 per page, and the ballot is 12 pages).

So I fail. And I think the Democrats might be sort of failing in this election as well. :(

In other news, I got punched really hard at karate last night (we don't usually do contact, but I got paired up with an aggressive black belt):



The bruise is a bit difficult to see in this picture, but believe me, it's there. I'm a little embarrassed about going into work with this thing, so I'll be wearing sweaters and long sleeves for the rest of the week!

A Sane Halloween (Despite Photo Evidence to the Contrary)

In honor of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, I had a very sane Halloween. Well, OK, it actually just kind of coincidentally turned out that way.

Bussed down to DC on Friday, which took about 5 1/2 hours, due to traffic and accidents (it was supposed to be a 4-hour trip). Liz and her boyfriend Josh also drove down that night, and we had a massive slumber party in Michelle's living room. Then the next morning we got a not-so-early start (due to delicious homemade walnut waffles made by Josh), which was just fine. Took the fairly packed yellow line from Huntington all the way in to L'Enfant, where we joined the crowds heading to the rally.

Thankfully, the day was GORGEOUS and not too cold, and the crowds were not too crazy. We got a spot to stand pretty far back, but we could see a screen, and hear pretty clearly. I think most of us agreed reading people's signs was the highlight of the event, but I also enjoyed getting to see Cat Stevens and Ozzie Osbourne perform together (!).

Look! A tiny Washington Monument! Proof of where we were.

Michelle rides back on the packed metro

That night (after managing to pack ourselves into the Metro trains in separate trips), we all got dressed up at Michelle's place, and headed out by 10pm to Adam's Morgan, hitting up a bar/club called Madam's Organ (confusing I know). This was actually a bar that I'd seen many times during my 3 months living in DC, but never checked out (I think mainly because they always have a cover on the weekends). But with ARI to pay my way (yes!), the cover was no big deal. And the music inside was pretty good; a nice mix of Beastie Boys and...hip hop. That's all I can remember. But I do remember dancing to it quite enthusiastically.

The night ended up being pretty long because we didn't catch a train back until 2:45ish, and due to train delays and late-night schedules, we didn't actually get back home till after 4am. We all agreed we are way too old for those kinds of crazy hours. But I suppose Halloween is a pretty good exception to the rule. It was a fun night, and it was definitely worth the long Metro trips to be able to "make the scene" (as my scene-making dad always says) and enjoy the costumes.*

Now, on actual Halloween day, I am rather wiped out. Another 4-hour bus trip back, and an evening of catching up on emails (and avoiding actual school work). But I went to the market across the street an hour ago and saw lots of adorable little children out trick-or-treating, so I'm happy to see that some of us are taking full advantage of this holiday.

Happy Halloween!

*Oh, and I didn't take any pictures of costumes b/c I'm lame and didn't really dress up. I decided to be the girl from the Cake song about the short skirt and the long jacket. And Ari came up with the creative idea of dressing as a marathon runner who was "going the distance." No one knew who we were. Ah well.

So I just spent three hours transcribing an interview with a Chinese speaker of English (phonetics project). And you know what? It's time for a blog post!

I think I felt somewhat overwhelmed/depressed during my first month or so at Teachers College (from hereon out referred to as TC), partly because it felt so weird to be back in class again, stressing about homework and exams again. And partly because I had WAY too much free time (my classes are mainly in the evening), so I was constantly thinking about what I should be doing to maximize my studying time, or my sightseeing time, or my job-searching time.

Thankfully, things have gotten better. I'm more comfortable with the school regime (I'm NOT 2 weeks ahead in the reading! No need to be that far ahead!). And I got a part-time job! (Substitute ESL teaching for now, but my boss said it's highly likely I'll get a permanent position in the next month or so.) And I have extra-curricular activities, such as karate. And going to happy hour (OK, so I actually ditched karate for happy hour yesterday, but it's the first time that has ever happened! And it won't happen again! For a while, at least. Why do I have this guilty conscience, as if my mother is always observing from afar?)

In other news, I will be moving out of student housing come December. I just can't stomach the $1700-per-month rent, even if I DO literally live across the street from TC. However, if everything works out, I will be living in a nice apartment about 20 minutes walking distance away from TC, where I will be sharing a bathroom and a kitchen with a nice lady who is part of the faculty at Columbia (ooh, aah). And I will be getting my own fairly big room, with a queen size bed and a massive collection of books to choose from! I will post pics if I end up moving in (fingers crossed).

One last thing: Ari and I (and pretty much everyone I know) are going to Washington, DC this weekend. It's the "Rally to Regain Sanity" or something like that. Hosted by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I actually don't really have a strong desire to go to the rally; I just happen to have a free weekend (My midterm got pushed back a week! Yay!), so I figure, why not? And we have a place to crash (chez Michelle, one of the many awesome Davis people who coincidentally also moved out East). So here's to a fun Halloween/rally/quick vacation weekend!

This message from our Student Senate President today:

"And finally this Friday, why do the new gender-neutral bathrooms at TC have signs about locking the door? One official justification is that somebody might enter the bathroom and either be, or cause an other supposed occupant to be, startled. This kind of unintended bigotry is worrisome. No one is remotely concerned about any similar such startling that is of frequent occurrence in the traditional-binomially-gendered bathrooms."

I found this so amusing, I had to share.
Academics. Such weird people.

School Starts (Sort of)!

Haven't posted for a bit because I've been in that weird place where you don't really have anything to do, yet if you think about it hard, you feel like you have a million things to do. Anyone know what that's like?

I think it's part of the whole moving to a new place + starting a new school process. Paperwork, organization, buying of groceries, picking classes...you know. Kind of fun, kind of not fun.

So I had my first classes yesterday. But I'm probably not going to be in either of them. So I'm still kind of waiting around. "Literacy and Development" fulfills a "breadth" requirement (it's like a GE course), but it looks like a pretty intense class. You have to create a curriculum for a literacy center, among other things. Or volunteer 20 hours at a literacy center and then write a minimum of 40 pages about your experience.
While I do I think it would be really interesting to do those things; I just think I'd like to get used to being back in school first, and take it a little slower to start with.

The other class (Sociolinguistics and Education) is full, so I'm wait-listed. And I kind of doubt people will drop. Oh well.

My "real" classes start in earnest next week. And that was a very boring post. Sorry.

Hooray for a long weekend!

Rice rice baby

Roger Ebert is publishing a cookbook solely based on things you can make in a rice cooker. Be still my heart.