In the figurative sense:
Tuesdays are my long days at one campus: 11am class, follwed by office hours in the afternoon, followed by a 6pm class...get home about 9:30ish. Anyway, I usually eat at the school canteen for lunch, since it's easier to bring one meal instead of two, and after 3pm the pickings are rather slim. Anyway, I'm at a table in the common area, really only paying attention to my Turkey Ciabatta sandwich, when I hear the following conversation:
Dude: Wow, I could murder
It's hard to come up with a 'favorite month', but if I had to, it'd be August. Let's weigh the facts:
PRODUCE!!! The tomatoes right now are unreal...just the most amazing thing ever. I know people swear that canning tomatoes helps 'seal in the goodness,' but even the most awesome canned tomatoes pale in comparison to the goodness at my farmers' market right now. Holy Christ, I eat them as fruit. And that's nothing to say for the peaches and nectarines (surprising, as we didn't get qui
Ok, I'm back. Here's the gist of things:
Wednesday: we all get in around 9am, take the shuttle to our hotel in Queens. Since we can't check in yet, we decide to change and take the subway out to Yankee Stadium. The bad news: since we have bleacher seats that day, we can't tour around the rest of the stadium, but that's ok. The game went well--Yankees won convincingly--and the bleachers were just as I love them: great crowd of people, lots of kids, and a good time all around. (And no alco
If you are a baseball fan, you are about to be immediately jealous of my vacation trip this year. If you're any kind of sports fan, you also might turn a bit green. For the rest of you, I will explain. My mother, my brother Matt and I are about to embark on a trip to the Shrine and two of the Temples of Major League Baseball.
Tuesday night: we take the red-eye to New York, get in Wednesday morning.
Wednesday: afternoon game at Yankee Stadium (vs. the Baltimore Orioles)
Thursday: night g
Ok, I made that up...but I decided that I was going to do something different the next time that I make a burger. I'd make 2 and stack them!
Before you start wondering about the possible expanding waistline, no, I'm not doubling up on the meat. I usually buy ground chuck in bulk and portion it out to 1/2 lb. chunks, and will have a 1/2 lb. burger. Also, I don't usually have my burger on a bun...never cared for it, really, and I'd rather have more meat and other stuff.
So, plan of atta
I went to my yearly exam in May, and yesterday got the 'Explanation of Benefits' from my health insurance company. If you've never seen one before, it pretty much outlines the charges sent in by the doctor, what the discout is for going to a 'network doctor', what the insurance pays, and what I pay. I just looked at the rate that my doctor charges...and I've decided that I must rethink my rates.
Figure that I got billed for an hour--between the time to get the vital statistics, the waiting
So I'm in the dressing room of the gym, after a good workout, and I'm stripping off to go into the showers. Now, if one were to look at pictures of me, even if they only saw my face, they would guess (and correctly so) that I am prolifically freckly. Indeed, previous boyfriends have kidded around that they could play connect-the-dots on my body, and would be amused for hours. 'Tis true. Freckles and moles are all over, and have been since I was a babe. I have been made aware of my sensitive
*Taking off the Dr. John hat and feathers for a moment*
First, one must read this: Judge in hot water over Web site sex links
So, basically, California is a laughing stock, and our beloved 9th District Court of Appeals is up to usual shennanigans. Just google them, and see how idiotic they are, in general.
There is much that comes to mind when I see/read this. But what slays me is this:
I'm sorry...how does one not know what's on one's website??? Oh, and then this beaut...
Let the fruits (and vegetables) of summer appear!
Like a good Genovese girl, I have a basil plant in a pot in the backyard. It's a staple for me; if I only can grow one herb, it's Italian basil. The reason is simple: it's one of the few herbs which really doesn't hold up well when bought at the store and kept in the fridge. I've had a lack of counterspace my entire adult life, so that pretty much prohibits me leaving it in a mug of water on the counter...besides, Bella gets a bit too poss
To all the Europeans who frequent the board and who occasionally read this blog, I ask for an explanation.
What the bloody hell is all the fuss about Eurovision?
First, there are countries in the contest that are not even part of Europe (Armenia? Azerbaijan? Georgia?). Now, I realize that there are many out there who would consider Europe and Asia as one continent, but even if we accept the fact that the word 'Europe' has a geographical connotation to it, much like the words 'Centra
The day had been typical for a weekend. Went to the Farmer's Market and the store in the morning, got started on laundry and cleaning, ate lunch, and finished the chores. The last thing to do, usually, is sweep up the backyard. My landlord essentially neglects it, and since I look onto the yard from my kitchen window, I've been taking it upon myself to tidy things up. Well, what I can, anyway.
After finishing up in the back, I went to enter the apartment again through my back door. It's
I joined a new gym a week ago, and it's taken that long to get my shit together and get into the pool. Aw man, I forgot how awesome it is to get into a clean, clear pool and do my laps! It's been about 8 months, and this new gym is quite motivating...almost like the one I used to go to when I lived in San Mateo. Great equipment, full amenities, and nothing is overcrowded.
Ok, so I didn't do my usual mile and a half...to say the least, my body wasn't going to allow that. But still, 1200 y
This week was the shits. Absolutely one of the worst in my life. So, I made an appointment with Karma and we had a chat. It was a good airing out of grievances; I made it clear that her mechanations this week caused me to have a craptastic week, and she got a good laugh. But she promised that things will look up. I'd like to hold her on that, but seeing as how Karma is a wee bit fickle, and a bit of a bitch, I don't totally trust her. Her sister, Fate, is a lot nicer to me, although quite
Originally I was set to teach a course in the summer, one which was meant to include local high school students. It was a great program--the thought is to include them on certain popular courses so that their transition to college (be it community college or a 4-year college) would be better. 6 weeks, and a collegiate course. It was going to be tough, but hell, I was up for the challenge!
News just came down the pipe...the high school district just now realized that the high school studen
First, if you've never heard of the Blues Brothers, educate yourself.
Well, for many years now I've been convinced that I'm a/the lost long Blues Sister. Yes, true, I never was an orphan growing up in a convent; true enough, Curtis and the Penguin were never my mentors in life. But the blues live within me. As does Rhythm and Blues. It moves my soul, makes me sway to the beat, and makes me want dress in black suit, white shirt, black tie, and Raybans. Ok, so I was born in the year that
And it's well-deserved, dammit.
Working primarily at a community college, there's nothing more satisfying than to hear that one of your students is going to go onto a 4-year degree. For the benefit of the non-Americans, our educational system here has the 4-year universities (where one earns a Bachelor's degree, or more) and 'community colleges' or 'junior colleges'. These CCs offer several types of courses, and one can get their Associate's degree so that they can either enter into the wo
Anyone who knows me or has been around me quite a bit knows that I'm basically a ball of energy. I can run at a high level for a long, long time. I do my best work in the afternoon and evening, especially when I work-out in the morning; I never go to bed before 11:30pm, and I still wake up refreshed in the morning. But when I crash...look out.
This week has been a difficult one, not because of anything in particular. I know I'm starting to crash, and it's the week before Spring Break. I
I don't know why, but I love gumbo.
Ok, I know why exactly: it's a stew served with rice...it's a combination of flavors that is captivating. It's both spicy and savory. It's got both pork and chicken...well, ok, my version does, since I can't have any shellfish. A pinch of cayenne, a bit of fil
I decided last night to go see "No Country For Old Men," seeing as how it was about to be in a double feature with "There Will Be Blood" (which I don't care to see right now). So, 9:35pm showing...and it was so worth it.
Admittedly, I'm a big Coen Bros. fan. I love their work--"The Big Lebowski" is in permanent residence in my DVD collection, and "Fargo" is about to join it. I love how they can work the dark side of humanity into a central question of society: what is justice? At least,
First...I find it a necessity, nay, a duty, to inform the public on this evil that has been brought forth.
Click here, if you can stomach (and liver) it
Yes, that's a combination of Budweiser and Clamato, being sold in one can, for general consumption and pleasure. For those who don't know, or have never heard of, Clamato: it is a mix of tomato juice and clam juice (as the name implies), often used in Bloody Marys.
Now, I admit that I despise tomato juice. I hate it with a passion.
Ok, let's get things starting off correctly: I'm not the type of girl who sits at home moping around. I could give a bleep less that I don't have a date on Valentine's night...I'm still going out! I mean, hell, if you're sitting in a full restaurant, then you're not eating alone, right?
So last night's plan: take the light rail 'downtown' (aka 15 blocks), go to dinner around 7, watch a bit of hockey at the bar of the restaurant, and then go to my movie (as I mentioned in the latest movie t
Well, it's official. I just sent off my first paper, with the hopes that it will get published.
Ok, let's not get our egos pumped up hugely here. It's a working paper, meaning that it's not posing a 'novel' idea per se, rather it's going to lead to a bigger, better paper. Also, the chances of it getting published are slim...you just can't expect everything you send off to be published. But still...there's a sense of accomplishment associated with this. I have officially taken the next
Ok, I'm not, really, but it makes for a great title.
I crack up anymore about meteorology and the news. If you're here in the States, and perhaps on some BBC newscasts, the weather here in Northern California made headlines. "Monster storm!" "Buckets of rain!" "Flooding!"
Yeah, ok. Let me 'splain some tings, Loocee:
1) January is usually a wet month for us. Usually November is, too, as is March...this time 'round November was kinda dry, but so far January's holding up its end
Every year at Christmas, once school got out, my mom used to take us up to San Francisco. We'd park at the Stonestown Galleria, which is in the outskirts/Park Merced district, and take the street car into Union Square. We'd go to FAO Schwartz to play with the toys and dream of what we'd really love Santa to bring us; we'd have lunch somewhere in some cafe; we'd watch all the ice skaters fall down and look silly on the rink on top of Union Square. We'd gawk at all of the glorious displays in a
