Adventures in Fakebook

I was prompted to write this post after viewing my false "Fakebook" account again (first time since the 48 friend requests! Now down to only 14 today!). All of the posts from my future students refer to me as "Mom." I don't know how they got it into their head that they should be calling me that.

"Mom" pronounced with an Indonesian accent doesn't even sound like Ma'am. I'm so happy I already can correct their English without even having met them yet! The wonders of social networking.

Currently, I am still in Bandung until Thursday. Things remain pretty great here. We had the day off on Sunday, so the husband of one of the fellows (who has free time to walk around the city while we're all at meetings) chartered a bus for 12 hours to drive us three hours to a white crater lake near the peak of a mountain called Kawah Putih (White Crater). It was really cool--people commented that it felt like you were either on the set of Star Wars or some land from Lord of the Rings. Greenish-white sand everywhere, and this boiling, white, sulfurous lake in the middle of it all. It actually reminded me a little of Blue Lagoon in Iceland for anyone who's been there. Although I'd never go in that boiling water because 1. it's too hot and 2. apparently you're recommended to spend only15 minutes at the lake, as breathing in the sulfurous steam is bad for your lungs.

After we'd gone to see the crater, we went to a delicious lunch (sitting on the floor, of course, with a really low table) where we got way too much food and nevertheless spent about $5.50 each (I'm getting so used to this! Dangerous!). Then we picked more than a kilo of strawberries--apparently Bandung is famous for strawberries--and headed back to the hotel. We had actually hoped to visit a tea plantation on the way home, but our driver (whom, again, we were paying for 12 hours of driving, and who had only been driving for about 6 hours at that point!) was insistent that there was too much traffic and it would take too long. While we were discussing whether or not we wanted to go to go to the plantation, the driver took it upon himself to turn the bus around and start driving back towards the hotel. So we gave up and accepted the decision, apparently made for us, not to go to the tea plantation.

Still, it was a fun trip, and it was wonderful to get out of the city. I'd post photos from all the stuff I've been doing recently, but I didn't bring the cord to upload pictures from my camera. So I'll post them as soon as I can, once I get back to Surabaya in mid-September.

One other semi-crazy experience for a group of us happened a couple nights ago. We rented an angkot (cheap, tiny bus) to drive 10 of us to this beautiful restaurant, Dago Teahouse, located at the top of a hill overlooking the city. We had another amazing dinner sitting outside in the quiet (Yes! Finally peace from the roaring motorcycles) and relaxing. After the dinner, we were told there was some kind of traditional show going on, potentially involving machetes and people being put in trance-like states. Tabitha, who is a renewing Fellow and therefore has some experience with Indonesia already, was a little unsure; she said that those things can be kind of creepy. The people who practice that stuff are sometimes into doing self-mutilation (to show how they don't feel any pain while they're meditation or things like that).
In any case, we decided to give it a look. On the stage, there were about 10 men sitting in the back, chanting and drumming. A couple other men were kind of wandering around on the stage, not really doing much. One of the guys sat down and started meditating, and after about a minute, he got up and was given a machete, which he started rubbing vigorously on his bare shins and arms. He didn't draw any blood, but it was still kind of disturbing. Then he was given a green coconut, and he started ripping it apart with his teeth, and then after he had eaten most of it, he started drinking huge amounts of water (apparently when you are filled with the "spirit," one of the effects is you get really really thirsty). While this was happening, a woman in the audience started freaking out, because she apparently had also become possessed by the spirit. People jumped up and carried her (kicking and screaming) away to a room inside the building.
By that point, I was pretty much finished with the whole experience, as were a couple other people. Too weird and creepy for me! So we hitched a ride back in a taxi, as Jess (another renewing person) told us that the people we'd seen were comparable in a way to Java's Amish people--the performers are part of a sect that totally cuts themselves off from the rest of society, and refuses to use modern technology. They also practice animism, the oldest "religion" of Indonesia. In conclusion, I'm glad I got to see a performance by locals, but I hope that in the future, I can avoid the more disturbing sides of traditional practices and beliefs. Perhaps a traditional ballet in Yogyakarta?

Bandung'in it up

And the first week of sort-of settling into Surabaya is complete! I am now in Bandung for the next week for the in-country Fellow orientation, and to meet the Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) whom we'll be collaborating with on projects. Bandung is kind of a tourist destination for Indonesians; the weather is cooler than a majority of Java, and apparently it's a popular place to go outlet shopping (have yet to do that myself).

Anyway, we are staying at a hotel called the Papandayan, and man, it is basically designed to give us worse culture shock when we go back to our sites. Check out the website! Fancy, huh? Here's a pic of me in my room, taken with the grainy Macbook camera:

You can't see that much, but you can see the window on the left, which is actually a window into the bathroom, which has a big bathtub and a "rainfall" shower head. Is that what's it called? You know what I'm talking about, though, right? It's fancy. Did I mention I like this hotel? 

For dinner last night, about nine of the ELFs went to a local-style restaurant walking distance from the hotel. It was amazing. We didn't really know what a lot of it was, so we just ordered two of about 6 things. It was a FEAST! Delicious, and no one got sick (yet). And the bill came out to about 5 dollars a person. 

After dinner, ALL of the Americans (the 20 other Fellows and 50 ETAs) virtually took over a nearby bar which had a pretty good live band, and served these ridiculous 5+ person pitchers for 3 dollars. The scene was a little crazy, but after not seeing any Bules (foreigners) for a week, I honestly felt pretty thankful to meet a lot of cool people and reconnect with others that I'd met at the pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C. I know I'm gonna have to get used to being kind of isolated when I back to Surabaya, but I'm enjoying the compatriot company while I can. 

I managed to drag myself out of bed at 5:30 this morning to FINALLY get some exercise since coming to Indonesia--I jogged about 20 minutes with some other girls who are training for a triathlon. (Needless to say, they jogged a little farther than me.) It was nice to have the streets sort of to ourselves, despite the ubiquitous roadside bonfires that cause smoke to blow in your face. Then we got back at 6am just in time for the start of breakfast, which was awesome. We could get either American style or Japanese, Chinese, or Indonesian style breakfast. I went for the American, because my hotel in Surabaya only served traditional Indonesian breakfast. I've missed my sugary pancakes, yogurt, chocolate croissants, and fresh fruit for breakfast. (Hey, I was in withdrawal mode, OK?)

Then we had the beginning of our Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) classes, which seem like they'll be a lot of fun--eleven of us are at level 0, so it's fun to just start with phrases like, "My name is..." Other than that, we've just had meeting after meeting after meeting. It was all pretty long. Except for the part where we got to break off into groups based on region; this was the chance for me to meet the five other people who will be relatively near me (and one Fulbright ETA who will actually be in Surabaya!) and brainstorm collaborations we could do in the next nine months. I'm excited because a couple of the other girls are into art/poetry/literature, so we're thinking of doing an art contest/poetry contest/writing workshop thing, which could be really awesome if it comes to any kind of fruition. But all of us are kind of just waiting right now to see how things go when we really start working at our sites, and see what kind of extra time/resources we'll have. 

Other than that--we had a talent show tonight. The ETAs are almost done, so they put on a bunch of pretty good performances (largely involving re-writing words to pop songs to make them about Indonesia), and the ELFs even put together a last-minute coordinated-dance performance to the music of "Call Me Maybe." In our defense, we didn't know there was gonna be a talent show until the day before. 

And now it's 10pm and I am wiped out. I'm going to bed, and I'm looking forward to sleeping in until 6:30 tomorrow. Selamat malam! (Good night!)

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

On an unrelated note: I created a fake Facebook page for Indonesia, because I heard that was recommended due to the large amount of students who want to friend you. Fer realz. After informing my counterpart, Wahju, about my account, she recommended a few friends for me, and before I knew it, I logged in today and had 48 friend requests! After one week here!! I just confirmed them all. I think I recognized about four of them.

Surabaya!

*Note: sorry for the lack of photos. I have a weak internet connection, so that's my excuse for now.*

My official first post from within the borders of Indonesia! Or Surabaya, to be more precise. I have now been in this city (the second-largest in Indonesia) for four whole days, and so far, things have been pretty good. I will now attempt to number what I have done since arriving. Bear with me.

1. After a 22+ hour flight from LAX to Hong Kong to Jakarta to Surabaya, I arrived at 8pm local time with another Fellow who will be posted an hour away (nice to have a friend sort of nearby), and both of us were able to successfully meet up with our counterparts in the arrival area. I met Wahju for the first time--she is a fellow English teacher at the university where I'll be working, she has five kids and has lived in Surabaya all her life. And she is extremely friendly, talkative, and open. I don't think I could have asked for a better counterpart.

2. On the first night, Wahju took me to the hotel where I'll be staying for the first week, until we figure out where I'll be staying permanently. It's called the Istana Permata hotel, it's right around the corner from Wahju's house, and it's pretty nice. There's air conditioning! No big bugs! I have seen one gecko/lizard in my room so far, but lizards are cute and I have no problem with them. 

3. I think I know where I'll be staying for the next ten months (once I move out of the hotel)--in the guest lecturer quarters on campus at IAIN Sunan Ampel (the university I'll be teaching at--IAIN stands for Institut Agama Islam Negeri, which means State Institute of Islamic Studies). 

• The pros of this living arrangement: New stuff (they recently bought a new bed and furniture in anticipation of my arrival), being literally on campus all the time. 
• Cons: I am the ONLY person living in the building, except for the groundskeeper. Which could make for some creepy/lonely/paranoid nights. Also, there isn't a kitchen. But Wahju said they could get me a refrigerator and a microwave and a rice cooker. :)

but the only other choices for me apparently are: 

1. Live in the second floor of an all-girls orphanage, which apparently is not the best idea because it's a Muslim orphanage, so I might not be that welcome living above them, because I'm not Muslim. 
2. Live 30 minutes away in a BEAUTIFUL mansion, but be totally dependent on people to pick me up and take me to classes every day (and pretty much dependent on people to take me anywhere, since it's so far outside of town).

So I think I'm gonna go with the guest lecturer room. Wahju said I don't have to stick with it if I don't like it--it can just be for a kind of trial period. 

4. Wow, I just wrote a lot about housing. Probably no one cares about that topic except me. But oh well. In the days since arriving and today, I have mostly been driving around the city to go to police stations to get myself registered in the city (so much freaking bureaucracy) and to the immigration center (so much more freaking bureaucracy). I have also met many of Wahju's family members (three of which are English teachers!), gone to buy traditional, Muslim-school appropriate clothing (I packed light on clothes), and gone to see The Expendables 2 at the nearby 21-screen multiplex. Why yes, how did you know that wasn't my first choice of film? 

5. Today me, Wahju, her husband, and her two youngest children Didi and Iqbal went on a 5-hour drive (one way) to the city of Malang (normally it's 2 hours, but because it's after Idol Fitri, the Muslim equivalent of Christmas, the streets are super crowded), to attend an engagement ceremony for one of her nephews. 50+ members of Wahju's family bussed in for the occasion (yes, they actually chartered a bus), where there were some speeches given (all in Indonesian, I didn't understand anything really), and then we ate lunch. And then we drove 5 hours back. We stayed at the ceremony for a total of one hour. Le sigh. At least I got to see some of the countryside of Indonesia, albeit through the car's windows. 

OK, that pretty much sums up what has happened in my life from arrival in Indonesia till now. Don't expect such lengthy details in future. This is way too much work. 

Other stray observations:

• I will NEVER NEVER NEVER be able to drive a car or a motorcycle around this city (the two favored modes of transportation). I will die within 15 minutes tops. Which means I will have to figure out the bus system or something, because everything is too spread out to walk for the most part. How will get to see the Expendables 3 (when it inevitably comes to theaters)?? 

• The stray cats here are really mangy looking. :( And so far I have seen absolutely zero dogs. Double sad face. 

• I actually quite enjoy dressing ultra-conservatively so far! Long skirts and long sleeve shirts with high necklines? No problem! 

• I haven't been treated like  crazy/weirdo foreigner very much (yet). I'd been warned that people would kind of act like I was a monster of some sort, but everyone generally treats me pretty normally so far, other than the few obvious stares everywhere I go. 

• Bahasa Indonesia (The Indonesian language)! GAAAahhh I need to start studying it for reals. I can't even say the days of the week or colors yet. I am below the level of a kindergartner. Thankfully, there will be some language training at the orientation in Bandung next week. That'll be something to start with. 

That is all! Signing off the for the night before I get too punchy! (It's 9pm here, which has become my new bedtime--I've been getting up at 5:30am every morning!)

It's 95 degrees out.

And this is the kind of sprawling that happens when it gets that hot.

P.S. I leave for Washington, D.C. tomorrow for my pre-departure orientation. And then back to Monrovia for two days, before flying out at 1:30am on Tuesday the 21st. Yikes!

I just spent $100 on the most boring stuff imaginable.

Including, but not limited to:

-Pepto-Bismol
-Deet bugspray
-Women's multivitamins
-First aid kit
-Benadryl
-Advil
-Anti-itch gel
-Sunscreen

Yaaaaay Indonesia! If I forgot anything that I shouldn't have...please don't tell me.

*Yes, I realize this is an extremely boring post. But I was kind of amazed at how much money I had spent on things that are absolutely NO FUN to buy. And I wanted to remember this moment.

In my last week in New York I did...

Some stuff!

First, as y'all know, I got to spend some quality time with this cute cat. 

Then, on the 4th, we took the 7 train all the way to the end and got to eat delicious "Nouveau Chinese" (I read the term in a magazine) food. Spicy! And cheap!

We wandered around a food court after, and found this DELICIOUS Shanghai-style dessert place. Those are palm fruit (?), basil seeds, mango, bananas, and lychee nuts.

And we went visited Louis Armstrong's house in Queens! Which is open on the 4th because he told everyone that was his birthday (he didn't know when it actually was).

For our last patriotic event, we went to the Socrates Statue Park in Long Island City and watched the newscast of the fireworks on the Hudson projected onto a screen, with music over it. Yeah, it wasn't that great. But avoiding the crowds was nice.

On Saturday the 7th, we went to Fire Island for the second (and final) for me, and played frisbee in the 90+ degree weather.

Finally, on my last full day in NYC, we got ginormous shakes in Park Slope.

And now I am at the JetBlue terminal in JFK, waiting to board my flight. There was, of course, a very tearful goodbye with Ari a few hours ago. But with any luck, I'll be seeing him in Indonesia in like, 5 months. That's not so long, right??

I (don't) like to move it

This past Saturday, Ari and I had to move out of our apartment in Brooklyn. This was not something either of us actually really wanted to do; it just happened because I'm moving to Indonesia to teach English at the end of August (and I'm moving back to California next week), and Ari can't afford to pay rent on the place himself (and it's a one bedroom, so the whole finding-another-roommate idea is out).

Packed up the night before moving.

In additional to leaving our really nice apartment, Ari had the bad luck to lose an apartment he thought he'd secured, and was unable to find another place in time. So everything we have has been moved into storage.

Our beautiful storage space. Everything we own in one tiny room!

Ari stands for scale.

Sorry, this has turned into a rather whiny post. I just wanted to document what we've been going through over the past week or two.

The great thing is, July is the time when everyone goes out of town for vacation! So right now we are cat-sitting an adorable cat named Bug at my friend Nick's place, and after that, we've got another friend out of town for four days. It's not ideal, but we'll take it!

Yes, she looks a little evil in this picture. But she is a sweetheart, I assure you (except when she starts licking your face in the middle of the night with her sandpaper tongue...).

This is what 96 degrees does to me

It makes me buy Jamaican Ginger Beer (which I have been craving since last summer; it seems to be sold seasonally) and impulsively pick up Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Bars.
 The ice cream bars are definitely NOT vegan. But so cold and peanut-buttery....

Broadway fiend

Since I'm heading back to California in less than a month, I've been trying to think about things I want to do before I leave. And weirdly, I've mostly been fixated on theater. So this past week, I saw TWO, count 'em TWO Broadway musicals (at student rush prices, though, of course). On Wednesday I saw Porgy and Bess (which was pretty good, but the pleasure of the music was moderated by people using their IPHONES during the show), and Jesus Christ Superstar on Friday.

Of the two, I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I LOVED the significantly-less-classy JCS much, much more than Porgy and Bess. But I know almost all the songs to it! And we got third-row seats! And Jesus' voice was AMAZING (although so was Bess'). Ah well. We can't always control our preferences, I suppose.

Elated after coming out of the show.

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.