I'm in Atlanta!
Today:
Yummy lunch with Mike and Kelly
Manicure (which I haven't smudged yet...but it's only been half an hour)
Now Barnes and Noble to write my last Christmas cards and read my book
An excellent start to the end of 2012!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
baking adventure
i baked! for the first time in months! it was glorious. i made roasted apple spice sheet cake, and halved the recipe, baked it in a 13x9 pan, it it was still too much, leading to a little bit in the center of the cake that wasn't all the way cooked. horrors! other than that, the cake was DELISH, and the kind of thing you can eat in the morning and pretend it's breakfast. (there are apples involved!) note: this fantasy that cake is breakfast is only acceptable while on vacation.
speaking of vacation: i have enjoyed 8 days of my 32 day winter break. 32 day winter break! it's absurd. it is perhaps my only 32 day winter break ever, so i plan to enjoy it.
sunday: to atlanta!
january 2nd: to texas!
sometime around january 11th: back to north carolina!
stay tuned for more adventures.
speaking of vacation: i have enjoyed 8 days of my 32 day winter break. 32 day winter break! it's absurd. it is perhaps my only 32 day winter break ever, so i plan to enjoy it.
sunday: to atlanta!
january 2nd: to texas!
sometime around january 11th: back to north carolina!
stay tuned for more adventures.
another belated photo
let's go duke!
our boys did not win the football game, but it was realllllly close and we had fun anyway, even though it was collllllld.
our boys did not win the football game, but it was realllllly close and we had fun anyway, even though it was collllllld.
Friday, December 28, 2012
photos (from two days ago)
we went for a walk...stella the dog kept up, even with her arthritis.
there were horses to be seen.
and i found a treasure! (and by "treasure," i mean "cool old saw leaning up against the wall of an old house.") but we couldn't get it out of the ground, so stay tuned for photos when we go back with a shovel.
there were horses to be seen.
and i found a treasure! (and by "treasure," i mean "cool old saw leaning up against the wall of an old house.") but we couldn't get it out of the ground, so stay tuned for photos when we go back with a shovel.
Monday, December 24, 2012
things i have done since i got home:
1. slept. a lot.
2. eaten. a lot.
3. finished gone girl and started the fault in our stars. reading is SO FUN when it is the kind of reading you want to do.
4. done last minute shopping with mom and dad
5. wrapped christmas presents
6. played many rounds of ticket to ride, which somehow costs twice as much on amazon.com now as when i bought it
7. did a puzzle with mama
8. helped dad cut down a tree, which was not as bad as it could have been.
9. made my first imovie!!! i am incredibly proud of myself for learning how to use imovie. stay tuned for the result.
merry early christmas!
1. slept. a lot.
2. eaten. a lot.
3. finished gone girl and started the fault in our stars. reading is SO FUN when it is the kind of reading you want to do.
4. done last minute shopping with mom and dad
5. wrapped christmas presents
6. played many rounds of ticket to ride, which somehow costs twice as much on amazon.com now as when i bought it
7. did a puzzle with mama
8. helped dad cut down a tree, which was not as bad as it could have been.
9. made my first imovie!!! i am incredibly proud of myself for learning how to use imovie. stay tuned for the result.
merry early christmas!
Friday, December 21, 2012
a photo a day
My flight out of La Guardia is delayed. Ugh. Based on the number of people sitting on the floor of the terminal because all the seats are taken, there are others in my boat.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
new york fun / a photo a day
today was a touristy day in new york - hooray!
when i've visited new york around christmas time in the past, one of my favorite things i've done is walk along 5th avenue and look at the fancy window displays. this afternoon i rounded up three friends and we set off to see three stores that my new york city guidebook recommended.
first stop: barney's. at first i was confused...why are there tv screens (um, excuse me - i have just learned that they are called "microtiles") in the window? where are the elaborate displays involving mannequins? are we at the right place? and then a 5 minute long animated video began, complete with sound coming from outdoor speakers, that was incredible. minnie mouse is walking down 5th avenue and sees a pretty dress in a window. begin dream sequence where she buys the dress and has a runway show with the black disney princess (tiara), daisy duck, and cruella de villa (don't ask questions about why it is these people in the show - logic is not important). when it was over, we leave the dream sequence and mickey has bought the dress for minnie in real life. aww, mickey.
actually, you can watch the video here! (of course it's on the internet...) it's got nothing on the surprise and excitement of seeing it on the sidewalk this afternoon, though!
(not pictured: obligatory stop at fao schwartz.)
next stop, bergdorf goodman, which was pretty incredible and exactly what i was imagining. (we got the traditional and the 21st century version of a window display in the span of 20 minutes - pretty cool.) this was my favorite window - poodles in a circus!
cartier, looking all pretty:
then past rockefeller center!
and then to saks 5th avenue, which was lame compared to the other two and not worthy of being photographed.
it was so festive to walk down 5th avenue with hot drinks from starbucks and gawk at the beautiful windows. you may have gathered from reading this blog that the little things in life make me SO happy sometimes, and one of my friends here, dominique, is the same way. we were pretty ridiculously giddy the whole afternoon. it was crowded, but not claustrophobically so, and felt so christmas-y. good day.
i thought this would be my last day in new york before heading home to NC on a 12noon flight on friday, but i got 5 (literally) automated voicemails from delta while i was at a party tonight informing me that my flight was canceled and i was now on a flight on saturday that was not direct, but had layovers in both DC and atlanta. um, NO. i called and they very quickly and easily switched me to a flight on friday night...and the only seat available was first class. i have never flown first class before! this is very exciting and i am pretty sure my new silver status on delta may have assisted in the ease with which this change was made. woo hoo!
so, bottom line: i have an additional 7 hours in new york tomorrow, so i will be plotting more fun touristy things to do! stay tuned!
when i've visited new york around christmas time in the past, one of my favorite things i've done is walk along 5th avenue and look at the fancy window displays. this afternoon i rounded up three friends and we set off to see three stores that my new york city guidebook recommended.
first stop: barney's. at first i was confused...why are there tv screens (um, excuse me - i have just learned that they are called "microtiles") in the window? where are the elaborate displays involving mannequins? are we at the right place? and then a 5 minute long animated video began, complete with sound coming from outdoor speakers, that was incredible. minnie mouse is walking down 5th avenue and sees a pretty dress in a window. begin dream sequence where she buys the dress and has a runway show with the black disney princess (tiara), daisy duck, and cruella de villa (don't ask questions about why it is these people in the show - logic is not important). when it was over, we leave the dream sequence and mickey has bought the dress for minnie in real life. aww, mickey.
actually, you can watch the video here! (of course it's on the internet...) it's got nothing on the surprise and excitement of seeing it on the sidewalk this afternoon, though!
(not pictured: obligatory stop at fao schwartz.)
next stop, bergdorf goodman, which was pretty incredible and exactly what i was imagining. (we got the traditional and the 21st century version of a window display in the span of 20 minutes - pretty cool.) this was my favorite window - poodles in a circus!
cartier, looking all pretty:
then past rockefeller center!
and then to saks 5th avenue, which was lame compared to the other two and not worthy of being photographed.
it was so festive to walk down 5th avenue with hot drinks from starbucks and gawk at the beautiful windows. you may have gathered from reading this blog that the little things in life make me SO happy sometimes, and one of my friends here, dominique, is the same way. we were pretty ridiculously giddy the whole afternoon. it was crowded, but not claustrophobically so, and felt so christmas-y. good day.
i thought this would be my last day in new york before heading home to NC on a 12noon flight on friday, but i got 5 (literally) automated voicemails from delta while i was at a party tonight informing me that my flight was canceled and i was now on a flight on saturday that was not direct, but had layovers in both DC and atlanta. um, NO. i called and they very quickly and easily switched me to a flight on friday night...and the only seat available was first class. i have never flown first class before! this is very exciting and i am pretty sure my new silver status on delta may have assisted in the ease with which this change was made. woo hoo!
so, bottom line: i have an additional 7 hours in new york tomorrow, so i will be plotting more fun touristy things to do! stay tuned!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
a photo a day
after my class today, i went to the met! columbia students get in for free (most other students have to pay a reduced price, but somehow columbia is special), so this was an extra incentive to go.
i learned that tourists like the met. it was packed with accents from many languages.
the indoor space is set up beautifully - lots of natural light in various atriums (atria?):
two of my favorite pieces of art: this is a crocodile from egypt around the year 0. i liked him. i also liked that he got to sit above some water in the egyptian hall. i bet he likes being near the water.
there was an andy warhol exhibit and this was my favorite piece from it.
i also really liked the matisse and picasso stuff they had, but i forgot to take pictures. oops.
hooray for a new york adventure on my first day of freedom from school!
i learned that tourists like the met. it was packed with accents from many languages.
the indoor space is set up beautifully - lots of natural light in various atriums (atria?):
two of my favorite pieces of art: this is a crocodile from egypt around the year 0. i liked him. i also liked that he got to sit above some water in the egyptian hall. i bet he likes being near the water.
there was an andy warhol exhibit and this was my favorite piece from it.
i also really liked the matisse and picasso stuff they had, but i forgot to take pictures. oops.
hooray for a new york adventure on my first day of freedom from school!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
all my papers are DONE! after my ethics class tomorrow morning i'm done with classes, too. first semester, you're almost complete!
this is bittersweet - it has been a busy and at some times hectic semester, but i love my cohort and my friends here and my classes, and it's crazy to think that in another 5 months i'll probably be moving away from new york. part of me really doesn't want this year to end. another part of me has started to miss teaching and working in a school.
in the 3 hours since i finished my paper, i have gotten bored. bored! i am ridiculous. apparently i don't know what to do with myself when i don't have papers and reading assignments hovering over me. i've made plans, though: tomorrow afternoon i'm going to the met, and thursday i'm going to see the tree at rockefeller center, look at the window displays on 5th avenue, and maybe take a walk on the highline. a new york day! i can't wait.
friday i fly home, which i'm also very much looking forward to. baking* + eating + time with family will just be the start of my awesome winter break. hooray!
*family, get ready. i plan to bake up a storm - i miss it so much and i have lots of recipes saved up for us!
this is bittersweet - it has been a busy and at some times hectic semester, but i love my cohort and my friends here and my classes, and it's crazy to think that in another 5 months i'll probably be moving away from new york. part of me really doesn't want this year to end. another part of me has started to miss teaching and working in a school.
in the 3 hours since i finished my paper, i have gotten bored. bored! i am ridiculous. apparently i don't know what to do with myself when i don't have papers and reading assignments hovering over me. i've made plans, though: tomorrow afternoon i'm going to the met, and thursday i'm going to see the tree at rockefeller center, look at the window displays on 5th avenue, and maybe take a walk on the highline. a new york day! i can't wait.
friday i fly home, which i'm also very much looking forward to. baking* + eating + time with family will just be the start of my awesome winter break. hooray!
*family, get ready. i plan to bake up a storm - i miss it so much and i have lots of recipes saved up for us!
Monday, December 17, 2012
this green ginger tea is badass, and is totally helping me write my ethics paper.
the website's imagery is that we should enjoy this tea "alongside a fruit muffin, a good book and time to read it." CHEESY. i laugh at this imagery.
i enjoy this tea "alongside a bag of baked lays, an ethics paper, and a healthy sense of panic about the paper's due date."
the website's imagery is that we should enjoy this tea "alongside a fruit muffin, a good book and time to read it." CHEESY. i laugh at this imagery.
i enjoy this tea "alongside a bag of baked lays, an ethics paper, and a healthy sense of panic about the paper's due date."
Sunday, December 16, 2012
a photo a day
This is what it looks like when, at 11pm, the fire alarm goes off in my dorm and they evacuate the building. We are now in the dining hall. Classic.
Let it be noted that no one in my suite left until the security dude got on the intercom system and told us it was not a drill. Now that I know they will do that, I am clearly never leaving for just the alarm again.
Update! 6 minutes in the dining hall and we're back in our rooms. Good times in student housing.
Let it be noted that no one in my suite left until the security dude got on the intercom system and told us it was not a drill. Now that I know they will do that, I am clearly never leaving for just the alarm again.
Update! 6 minutes in the dining hall and we're back in our rooms. Good times in student housing.
busy girl makes time for homeland
with just under a week until i head home for christmas break, i'm a BUSY girl. i've completed three final papers and have two more to go...one of which i'm in the middle of. i'm spending lots of time in the very crowded library (turns out everyone is as busy as i am!) trying to crank out some quality writing.
i made the mistake - actually, let's not call it a mistake - to start watching homeland on netflix. it's a tv show that won a bunch of awards last year so i decided to see if i liked it. answer: ENORMOUS YES. the premise: a prisoner of war returns home to the us after 8 years in captivity. a cia agent thinks he's been "turned" and is actually a spy for middle eastern terrorists. we as the audience don't know either way and there are little clues along the way to keep us questioning. i got the first disc last weekend and after mike and kelly and other claire left i watched three episodes back to back on sunday night. i got the second disc wednesday and watched all three of those episodes that night. this weekend: the three episodes of the third disc. because i only get three episodes at a time i can't TOTALLY ruin my life by being sucked into it and watching tv instead of studying. i can say with certainty i would be watching far more than three episodes a day if i had the whole season in my dorm room right now. thank you, netflix, for moderating my supply of this show i'm addicted to.
now, back to writing this ethics paper so i can finish this disc of homeland tonight. tom walker!!
i made the mistake - actually, let's not call it a mistake - to start watching homeland on netflix. it's a tv show that won a bunch of awards last year so i decided to see if i liked it. answer: ENORMOUS YES. the premise: a prisoner of war returns home to the us after 8 years in captivity. a cia agent thinks he's been "turned" and is actually a spy for middle eastern terrorists. we as the audience don't know either way and there are little clues along the way to keep us questioning. i got the first disc last weekend and after mike and kelly and other claire left i watched three episodes back to back on sunday night. i got the second disc wednesday and watched all three of those episodes that night. this weekend: the three episodes of the third disc. because i only get three episodes at a time i can't TOTALLY ruin my life by being sucked into it and watching tv instead of studying. i can say with certainty i would be watching far more than three episodes a day if i had the whole season in my dorm room right now. thank you, netflix, for moderating my supply of this show i'm addicted to.
now, back to writing this ethics paper so i can finish this disc of homeland tonight. tom walker!!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
in other news...
i always look forward to the atlantic's year in photos - here's part 1. beautiful and poignant.
i always look forward to the atlantic's year in photos - here's part 1. beautiful and poignant.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
what i'm listening to right now
"do you love me," by guster
this is perfect music for getting ready in the morning, assuming you have passed the grumpy threshold (for me, the grumpy threshold is the first 10 minutes of being awake and it is INCREDIBLY grumpy).
this is perfect music for getting ready in the morning, assuming you have passed the grumpy threshold (for me, the grumpy threshold is the first 10 minutes of being awake and it is INCREDIBLY grumpy).
Overheard in the library this afternoon - an exact transcription:
Girl 1: I'm going to get a tattoo over winter break.
Girl 2: Cool! What will it look like?
Girl 1: It's going to be my favorite Bob Dylan quote written in Cambodian Sanskrit.
Oh. Dear. Lord. Have you ever heard such a blatant attempt to be original while sounding totally cliche at the same time? Cambodian Sanskrit? Whaaaaat? What alternate universe am I in??
Girl 1: I'm going to get a tattoo over winter break.
Girl 2: Cool! What will it look like?
Girl 1: It's going to be my favorite Bob Dylan quote written in Cambodian Sanskrit.
Oh. Dear. Lord. Have you ever heard such a blatant attempt to be original while sounding totally cliche at the same time? Cambodian Sanskrit? Whaaaaat? What alternate universe am I in??
Monday, December 10, 2012
some things to help you procrastinate today (can you tell the end of the semester is here and i don't want to do work any more?):
visualizing us birth and death rates (shout out to nora for telling me about this!)
50 best animal photos of 2012
visualizing us birth and death rates (shout out to nora for telling me about this!)
50 best animal photos of 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
a photo a day
It's shocking how different Times Square is from "my" New York, the neighborhood around Columbia. Lights! Tourists! More tourists! It is very Christmas-y and festive, though...I will give it that.
Friday, December 7, 2012
i love christmas movies, and last year i rented white christmas and watched it for the first time and really enjoyed it. this year i rented holiday inn, another old christmas movie i'd never seen but that people speak highly of.
they are basically the same movie. they use the same set for the country inn where most of the action takes place. they have the same actor (bing crosby) playing the main character. they both highlight the song "white christmas." how is this allowed?
however, they are not the same movie. holiday inn has a black character (the cook, obvi) who sings a song about "darkies." bing crosby and the female lead WEAR BLACK FACE IN ONE SCENE. black. face. i almost couldn't finish watching the movie.
in summary:
holiday inn - 1942 - WTF, do not watch.
white christmas - 1954 - great movie, no black face, recommended by miss claire.
the end.
they are basically the same movie. they use the same set for the country inn where most of the action takes place. they have the same actor (bing crosby) playing the main character. they both highlight the song "white christmas." how is this allowed?
however, they are not the same movie. holiday inn has a black character (the cook, obvi) who sings a song about "darkies." bing crosby and the female lead WEAR BLACK FACE IN ONE SCENE. black. face. i almost couldn't finish watching the movie.
in summary:
holiday inn - 1942 - WTF, do not watch.
white christmas - 1954 - great movie, no black face, recommended by miss claire.
the end.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
videos to cheer you up
i just accidentally saw the photo of the man who was hit and killed by a subway train this week. did you hear about this, or is it only news in new york? (it's hard to tell...perhaps that's what living in new york is all about - you think you are the center of the country and your news is everyone's news.) a couple days ago a man pushed another man onto the subway tracks as a train was approaching. the man was struck by the train and killed. a photographer was there and took photos of the event - he says he was using his flash to alert the driver of the train that something was wrong. the new york post published (on its cover) a photo of the man on the tracks before the train killed him. this photo is now, obviously, all over the internet and i had been trying hard to avoid seeing it, but i saw it today accidentally.
could someone have saved him?
what would i have done?
ugh.
now i need something to cheer me up. these videos kind of worked.
jay-z rides the subway and a lady doesn't know who he is: http://gawker.com/5965706/jay+z-rides-the-subway-adorably-explains-who-he-is-to-an-adorable-old-lady
mariah carey and jimmy fallon sing "all i want for christmas is you": http://gawker.com/5965801/mariah-carey-jimmy-fallon-and-the-roots-perform-maybe-the-best+ever-rendition-of-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you
jason segel and neil patrick harris sing les mis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL--3y7V7Ks
could someone have saved him?
what would i have done?
ugh.
now i need something to cheer me up. these videos kind of worked.
jay-z rides the subway and a lady doesn't know who he is: http://gawker.com/5965706/jay+z-rides-the-subway-adorably-explains-who-he-is-to-an-adorable-old-lady
mariah carey and jimmy fallon sing "all i want for christmas is you": http://gawker.com/5965801/mariah-carey-jimmy-fallon-and-the-roots-perform-maybe-the-best+ever-rendition-of-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you
jason segel and neil patrick harris sing les mis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL--3y7V7Ks
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
follow up on the vonnegut quote
anna sent me this link - have you seen anything more lovely? sigh. it makes me want to start reading a new vonnegut book. or teach a class. or do this assignment (is this a sign that i've been in grad school too long?).
http://mobile.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/11/kurt_vonnegut_term_paper_assignment_from_the_iowa_writers_workshop.html
http://mobile.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/11/kurt_vonnegut_term_paper_assignment_from_the_iowa_writers_workshop.html
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
a photo a day
My room is decorated for Christmas, thanks to some festive lights Becky and other Claire got me. Hooray!!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
a photo a day
the 116th street entrance to columbia university...
in october:
on december 1st:
so festive! hooray!
in october:
on december 1st:
so festive! hooray!
Saturday, December 1, 2012
november: 29 & 30
the weight of water, by anita shreve (my friend laurie told me about this book - she lives in new hampshire near the isle of shoals, where the book is set. it's fiction, but based on the brutal real life murder of two norwegian women on a semi-deserted island off the coast of new hampshire in the 1870s. i saw the movie when i visited her in october, and honestly...just see the movie. the book is fine, but this is the rare instance where i thought the movie was better - it stars sean penn and is directed by kathryn bigelow.)
i read a bunch of kindle singles this month - this was my thanksgiving break reading - and i'm counting them as a book: the trunk key, my wife's story, cornbread, the first light of evening, the rescuer, and my seinfeld year. (of these, most weren't any great works of literature, but were entertaining little readings. i would really only suggest reading my seinfeld year, which is written by a guy who was a writer on seinfeld for a year. it's a really interesting look into the world of an awesome tv show. if you haven't explored the world of kindle singles, you should - search for them on amazon.com.)
i read a bunch of kindle singles this month - this was my thanksgiving break reading - and i'm counting them as a book: the trunk key, my wife's story, cornbread, the first light of evening, the rescuer, and my seinfeld year. (of these, most weren't any great works of literature, but were entertaining little readings. i would really only suggest reading my seinfeld year, which is written by a guy who was a writer on seinfeld for a year. it's a really interesting look into the world of an awesome tv show. if you haven't explored the world of kindle singles, you should - search for them on amazon.com.)
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