november

today on the drive home in the wetness (did it EVER rain today...) i was listening to chris pureka's "song for november" - fitting, i realized, as today is the last day of november.



(not the best audio, but it's the best i could find.  additionally, i love chris pureka's songs, but boy does she mumble.)

that got me thinking about other songs named after months.  in my itunes i have:

the avett brothers, "january wedding"
dar williams, "february"
simon & garfunkel, "april come she will"
collapsis, "october"
counting crows, "a long december"

your job: to rack your brain (not the internet) for songs with the following months in their titles: march (the song needs to be about the month, not going on a long walk), may (again, as in the month), june, july, august, and september.  isn't that funny: i've got the winter covered.  are more songs written about the winter?  or am i odd?

complete my months-of-the-year-song-list!  add a comment!  you know you need an excuse to procrastinate at work.

old pirates, yes, they rob i

i love this song - "redemption song" (probably the only bob marley song i've ever been drawn to) - and this version is with johnny cash singing.  love it.  nora introduced me to this version on a CD she made me last year.  have i mentioned that nora is an incredible mixed CD maker?  because she is.



happy back-to-work monday.  i definitely wish i was still in bed, but i think i will survive...

pumpkin date cookies

this one is one of my grandma norma's, which aunt mary made and they disappeared almost instantly.  i'm not really a cookie person, and i loooooved these.  so you should make them.

pumpkin date cookies:

1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
mix and sift.
add 3/4 cup rolled oats.

cream:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
beat in 1 egg.
add flour mixture alternately with 1 cup pumpkin.
stir in 1 cup dates, nuts, 1 tablespoon grated orange rind.

bake at 350 for 15 minutes, but grandma says that she reduces the heat to 325 because they burn easily.

in duke basketball withdrawal.

good thing there's a game tomorrow.

the end.

woah - pretty incredible opinion piece: "on mrs. kennedy's detail," from the new york times.

debby's flaming salad

my aunt mary made the best salad last night - "best" because it is unexpected and very delicious.  lots of crunch and great flavor and i will FOR SURE be making this in the future.  apparently mary got the recipe from a friend she made when they both lived at fort benning, georgia, and it is known as flaming salad.  here you will find out why in the recipe from debby:

1/2 head chopped cabbage
3 green onions or scallions, chopped

toast under broiler: 2 packages ramen noodles (crush while in the package), 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, 2 tablespoons almonds.  [and then, in bold, from debby:] the sunflower seeds are what started the fire that sent the firemen to my house in fort benning.  so now i add the sunflower and almond seeds later and just brown the noodles and sesame seeds.  they brown fast, so do not walk away from the broiler.  you may need to stir them once.

dressing:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoons white vinegar

[debby writes that it is best after it is refrigerated for a few hours before serving.]

um, it is heaven and i could have eaten twelve servings.  i know it's not very thanksgiving-y, but come friday you should be making this.

post-it note art - (creepy-)beautiful!

if the kids who doodle in my class are making anything like this, doodle on!

wait...what happened?  it's thanksgiving break and i'm thinking about my students?  NOT ALLOWED.  but self, it is impossible not to think about your students.  i like my students.  and in a city (well, "metro area") of 5 million people, of course i saw four former students at harry potter and the deathly hallows (part 1) on sunday night because they sat immediately in front of us.  of all the movie theaters in all the neighborhoods in all the city, they walked into mine...  good thing i like the majority of my students, past and present.  because they're EVERYWHERE.

i'm off to iowa for thanksgiving - hooray for the best holiday of the year!  travel safe, everyone...

um, yikes.

here in atlanta it isn't exactly fall.  today's high?  71.  (i know that this is ridiculous, but i am enjoying it nonetheless.)

tomorrow i head to iowa for thanksgiving.  the high in iowa today?  37.  and on thanksgiving: 28.

it is really fall there.  i will have to prepare myself.

(my friend jenny lives in sun valley, idaho.  for your entertainment, i provide the predicted high and low on wednesday of this week in sun valley: high of 1, low of -15.  holy shit, jenny.)

city sunset

the clouds were beautiful, and i just happened to have my camera...

the infamous stringdusters

(...is a pretty rockin' band name.)

nora g-chatted me earlier in the week with such urgency that i see this bluegrass band - she'd just seen them in DC - that i had no choice but to gather some girls and go.  other claire and erin and i went last night and they ROCKED.  really so much fun and such great music.  i'm in love.  all three of us are in love.  nora: you totally made our night.

i am absolutely in love with this song that they played last night.  it's the only slow song that they played - the bass player, banjo player, and guitar player on stage while the other three guys took a break - and it was one of those moments where you're like, "how was my life complete before i heard this song?"  i bought it from itunes at 2:15am when i got home and have been playing it constantly ever since.  which i guess isn't actually that long, since i sort of just got up.



for their encore last night, the band came into the crowd and played two songs.  unplugged their instruments, no mics, just walked down into the crowd, formed a circle and started playing.  oh, and this was IMMEDIATELY BEHIND US.  as in, i was six inches from this encore.  incredible.  really one of those memories i won't forget for a long time.

there were so many people taping the encore on their phones - a little obnoxious really - that i knew someone would put this online this morning.  and they did.  good work, predictable people!  um, that's the top of my blonde head in the lower left corner of your screen, and to my left is another blonde head (other claire) and erin is totally visible, too.  see the tool on the left who was putting his iphone in the banjo player's face?  i was really grumpy with him about that.



while you are under no obligation to watch the encore video (featuring the back of my head), you are mandated to listen to "poor boy's delight," the first video.  do it.

log dog

you should know that: at my first teaching job in new hampshire, when i was fresh out of college, the girls in the dorm started calling me "log dog," as a play off of my last name, and it became sort of a term of endearment - instead of calling me Ms. L. they called me Log Dog.  when i moved in georgia, i mentioned this to the girls on the softball team i coached and it spread around my current school a little bit - the softball girls still call me this, three years later.  this is funny, because at some point i told my cousin laura about it and people call HER log dog, too!  um, craziness.

yesterday other claire sent me this cartoon that she found online.  and i had a hard time not falling out of my chair.  log dogs!!

hehehe...

(from here)

the secret of kells

this is absolutely the most beautiful animated film i have ever seen.  everrrrr.



and it's available to watch instantly on netflix.  i loved it!  it is my recommendation to you today.

“If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace. ”
--Franklin D. Roosevelt

chia obama: day 21

becky commented earlier that she is uncomfortable watching chia obama's hair grow because that seems like too personal an activity to watch, as it relates to her president.  well, watching chia obama's hair die because you've been busy and forgot to water him?  too depressing to take a photo of.  so i didn't.  you're welcome.

today i gave chia obama a good shave and he's bald again.  he had a good run of it - three weeks...maybe we'll have a round two at a later date.

i wonder how much real obama pays for a hair cut.  does he have a personal barber?  or does someone make (white) house calls?  how often does he get a hair cut?  this project has brought up so many questions in my mind...

stuck like glue

okay, this video is TRULY RIDICULOUS, but i love this song and i just got the new sugarland CD, so i'm listening to it almost on repeat.  it's a perfect happy morning song.

(note: almost all mornings are happy until students ruin them.  which happens 50% of the time.  so it's a waiting game...sometimes a morning gets soured before 8am, and at least that hasn't happened today.)

i'm not big on celebrity gossip

(unless i'm getting a pedicure, in which case there better be a people magazine or - even better/trashier! - an us weekly for me to read), but i am ready to become obsessed with the news of prince william's engagement.  i mean, seriously.  imagine knowing that someday you would be the queen of england.  omg.

this is what the caps lock key was made for

OHMYGOD WE GET ESPNU ON OUR TV.

THIS MEANS I CAN WATCH SEVERAL DUKE GAMES THAT I DIDN'T THINK I COULD.

BEST. DISCOVERY. EVER.

countdown to televised duke basketball season: 23 hours, 4 minutes.

baking class = happy claire

this morning i went to the baking class that my friends got me for my birthday, and it was EXCELLENT.  the instructor showed us how to make each item and then we got into groups of 3 and made it ourselves.  we baked:

1. focaccia that tastes just like it does at a fancy restaurant.  i was perhaps the most impressed with this - how easy it was to make and how freaking delicious it was.
2. sweet potato biscuits - heavenly.  now, i need to tell you about my group of 3, but first you need to know that i hate group work.  for most of my educational life, i was one of the smartest kids, and thus in group work i had to either settle for a lesser product or be bossy and do most of the work.  other smart people are hopefully nodding their heads here.  i am not good at group work.  but here i was, in a group, baking.  one of my group members was a 60ish year old woman who thought she knew everything about baking.  (hey, lady?  i don't want to hear your unsolicited tips about making chocolate chip cookies - you aren't the teacher and that's not on the menu today.)  the other group member was 40ish and knew so little about baking that it was tragic.  on each item we baked, one of us would do the mixing/kneading/etc. and the other two would watch and help.  tragic baker-wanna-be took the helm here and i actually had to walk away at several points while know-it-all told tragedy/wanna-be all the things she was doing wrong.  but!  the biscuits turned out really well.
3. parmesan-poppyseed cheese straws.  again: ohmygod are we in a restaurant?  delish.
4. cranberry walnut pumpkin bread - also really good.
5. parker house rolls and involve lots of kneading and rising - we didn't finish them, so we each brought the dough home and are doing the second rise and the baking ourselves.  with the amount of delicious butter in these, they are bound to be good.

after all the baking we had lunch - the instructor made VEGETARIAN CHILI.  oh. my. god.  i love it when people are thoughtful about the possibility of vegetarians.  and we got to taste all our breads, too.  heaven.

if you will be spending thanksgiving with me, GET READY.  i'm really excited to make some of these things again and glad to have an audience to feed!

chia obama: day 16

chia obama - you look so good!  your hair is growing very well...and it is getting a little crazy, which is fun for me.

hehe - i especially like the ones at the nape of his neck - growing every which way.  and his ear hair/sprouts continue to grow.  nice work, chia obama.

um...chia obama, i hate to tell you this, but you're balding a little on top.  actually, a lot.  you look kind of like julius caesar in this picture, except caesar was bald all over with a laurel thing wrapped around his head.  that's what you kind of look like, chia obama.

the chia instruction "manual" (read: piece of paper) says to put your chia obama in direct sunlight, but not on a windowsill because the "extreme heat and extreme cold" aren't good for him.  um, chia instruction manual?  in my house the only direct sunlight is on the windowsill.  DUH.  perhaps i am responsible for chia obama's premature baldness, as it is a little cold on the windowsill.

also, chia obama has a weird white patch on his nose and one eyebrow.  i can't explain it.

overall, this week we have learned that i am a negligent plant owner.

(dad: you will be pleased to know that chia obama comes with enough seeds to do several plantings, though i will not bore the blog world with each planting.)

i will be taking the holidays by storm

it is scary how well my friends know me.  genuinely scary.  this was part of my birthday present:

Sat. Nov. 13 •• 9:30am to 12:30pm
Holiday Bread Baking
•• Hands-On
Discover easy and delicious breads perfect for holiday occasions. You’ll learn how to work with yeast and create dough from various flours to make quick breads, loaves, rolls, and focaccia. Students learn the techniques for proper measuring, proofing, and shaping dough and go home with the confidence to enjoy baking for the holidays. Lunch will be served. MENU: Sweet Potato Biscuits; Parker House Yeast Rolls; Parmesan & Poppyseed Cheese Straws; Cranberry Walnut Pumpkin Loaf; and Leaf-Shaped Rosemary Focaccia

MY EXCITEMENT LEVEL IS SO HIGH IT IS UNREGISTERABLE (not a word).

a tip

want to keep 55 high school seniors quiet for three hours while on a field trip to a courthouse?  here are my tips:
1. tell them they'll be in big trouble if they aren't quiet (aka threaten them).  repeat this as often as necessary before going on the field trip.
2. have them sit in the presence of several police officers and a judge (aka scare them).
3. give them 500 post it notes and tell them to pass notes (aka distract them).  this is the best idea i have ever had in my 28 years of life.  they passed notes - both on topic and off topic, i'm sure - and just were genuinely the best behaved kids ever.  attentive, interested, thoughtful, present.  i am so proud of how they acted.

today i was reminded of how amazing it is to be a teacher.  i'm lucky to have such great students.

we sat through the final three witnesses and the closing arguments in a murder trial, and i'm now on pins and needles waiting to hear the outcome.  the jury is out.  the judge expects that they'll be back by the end of the day.  i am waiting by my computer.  more about the trial soon...

"what is...?"

a final jeopardy from last week:

of course you know where this is going: i knew the answer (first AND last name) and was really proud of myself, whereas the silly jeopardy contestants did not.  i am amazing!  my ability to answer this question comes from reading two of these books in an english class in college.  an epic english class that willis and i still quote: "protestants reign supreme!"  "a stay against death!"  it was a pretty awesome class and it was the beginning of my friendship with willis, so DOUBLE AWESOME.

so...anyone know the answer?  willis: i expect you to ring in.

a good way to start your day:

michelle and barack dancing with cute indian kids earlier this week.

(you're welcome.)

statistics

1.4 million americans work for wal-mart.  NPR tells me that it is the world's largest retailer.

there are 310 million people living in the united states, and the census website tells me that 75.7% of them (235 million) are over 18.  that means that one in every 168 american adults works for wal-mart.  assuming my math is correct.

oh. my. god.

i don't really know what to do with this information.

the last time i was in a wal-mart was probably last christmas.  apparently other people are going more frequently than me.

28.

“Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, 'Sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.' I know I am very fortunate in that respect. ”
—C.S. Lewis

to all who helped me celebrate my birthday this weekend - and to all who celebrated in spirit because you weren't here in person - thank you, thank you, thank you.  i am reminded that i am a very lucky girl to have such great friends and family.

hooray for birthdays!

chia obama: day 8

chia obama's hair continues to grow!  it's growing a bit unevenly at the moment, with some sprouts almost an inch long and others still babies.  so he looks a little weird, but i guess that's normal when you're a chia pet.  the instructions say to rotate him so that each side gets equal exposure to the sun, so maybe that will help as his hair continues to grow.

one thing i'm learning is that it is very hard to take photos of a chia obama so that one's friends can see how well his hair is growing.  maybe that will change as his hair gets thicker.  please get thicker, hair.

the instructions say that growth will continue for about 4 weeks until this is no longer a suitable environment for the growing sprouts, and then they will start to die.  that means you have three more weeks of following him on the blog - get excited!

my new favorite tv show

the big bang theory is my new favorite tv show.  i'm watching old seasons from netflix (i have to watch tv shows in the order that they were produced - deal with it), and last night i was watching an episode from season 3 and this happened!



(from here)

yay boone!  (even if sheldon doesn't want to move there.)

you'll all be happy to know that i have seen a production of horn in the west, but don't get too jealous.  everything else about boone: wonderful.  horn in the west: not wonderful.

break in regularly scheduled programming to be a huge dork

do you want to impress the people whom you're watching election coverage with tonight?  (note that i assume you'll be watching election coverage.)  these two websites give hour-by-hour "things to look for" while you're watching the coverage, and you can get a sense of which results are reallllly bad for the democrats or not-so-good for the republicans.  think of how much more fun you'll be to be around after reading these articles!  ("fun" could mean "annoying," but i hope it doesn't.)

the concise version (from the washington post.  becky sent me their "races to watch" for the 2008 election, and boy did i feel snazzy at my election night party.)

the wordy version (from fivethirtyeight)

game 5

people (willis and my C period class) tried to lie to me and tell me there wasn't a world series game on tonight.  pretty glad i figured out that there was.  sheesh.  i like watching baseball, people.  i like having it on - i like the background noise it provides.  i like that a lot, actually.  i think it goes back to when i was a senior in high school and i did my homework in front of the old ass tv in our commons and watched every game of the postseason while the braves were in the playoffs.  that fall i developed a big crush on john rocker.  in retrospect, obviously that was a mistake.  but i didn't know that at the time.  the world didn't know that at the time.

go national league!  go crazy giants!