to round out 2013, i read:
tell the wolves i'm home, by carol rifka brunt (my new school has an annual book fair and parents sometimes buy gift certificates for teachers to use at the book fair, and one of my new students bought me a gift certificate (!), so i bought this book and the orchardist, which you will see here eventually. i had heard a lot of good things about this book, and it didn't disappoint. it's 1987 and the main character (she's 14)'s uncle dies of AIDS and then she finds out he had a long time partner that her mother forbid her uncle to tell her about. the story is about her discovery of her uncle's secret life. i flew through it and would really recommend it!)
quiet, by susan cain (i read tell the wolves i'm home in the middle of quiet. i should say that quiet is VERY good, but i don't love reading nonfiction before i fall asleep - it requires too much concentration - and so it took me two months to finish quiet because i kept getting distracted by other, lighter, reads. when i was in grad school last year, this was a book that everyone was talking about. it's about the difference between introverts and extroverts, and as a person who identifies as an introvert parts of it were really fascinating. this fall i also had a parent tell me that this book had totally changed the way they treat their introverted daughter, and i love books that can make such an impact on peoples' lives. i'm sure i'll be referencing this book a lot in the future, and all you introverts out there will find it hits home, i think.)
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
knitting projects
the latest round of knitting projects, just in time for christmas!
1. adult hat. this took a little perfecting - the first one i made wasn't quite long enough and looked slightly ridiculous, but i think i've got it down now.
no selfie is complete without a kitty.
2. baby hats. i mean, how cute are these? i have no idea how large a baby's head is, but the internet has some ideas, so let's hope the internet is right.
3. baby blanket, take 3. this one is so comfy that ruby snuggled up on it.
up close so you can see the detail. i think it turned out great, but i did get prettttty tired of knitting the pattern.
1. adult hat. this took a little perfecting - the first one i made wasn't quite long enough and looked slightly ridiculous, but i think i've got it down now.
no selfie is complete without a kitty.
2. baby hats. i mean, how cute are these? i have no idea how large a baby's head is, but the internet has some ideas, so let's hope the internet is right.
3. baby blanket, take 3. this one is so comfy that ruby snuggled up on it.
up close so you can see the detail. i think it turned out great, but i did get prettttty tired of knitting the pattern.
 |
| completed blanket! |
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Abby and Stella got new beds for Christmas! However, they did not get the memo that the big bed is for the big dog and the little bed is for the little dog...
Sunday, December 22, 2013
all the christmas music is making me sentimental
i sit here with a kitty taking a nap on my lap for the SECOND time today, which is unprecedented…normally she would like to be right. near. by. (as in, under my chair, next to me on the couch, following me around the apartment, lying on the kitchen floor while i cook dinner, cuddled up against my legs when i sleep), but not on top of me, and i'm enjoying her soft warm self very much. oh wait - she had enough. she is back to her spot under the chair.
what i was GOING to say still applies…which is that i feel very very lucky these days. why did i wait so long to get a cat? ruby is the sweetest kitty ever (and is now back in my lap). i felt a great deal of love from my students this week, with several of them stopping by with cards or candy or little gifts for me. i went to trivia with work friends this week - my first trivia night in over a year - and it was so much fun and sounds like it will be a semi-regular thing. today i went to get tea and see philomena (and cry kind of a lot - what an amazing movie) with a new non-work friend. i am healthy and happy. i am lucky. thank you for being part of my little life.
i've probably posted this before, but it's one of my favorites so you get it again:
what i was GOING to say still applies…which is that i feel very very lucky these days. why did i wait so long to get a cat? ruby is the sweetest kitty ever (and is now back in my lap). i felt a great deal of love from my students this week, with several of them stopping by with cards or candy or little gifts for me. i went to trivia with work friends this week - my first trivia night in over a year - and it was so much fun and sounds like it will be a semi-regular thing. today i went to get tea and see philomena (and cry kind of a lot - what an amazing movie) with a new non-work friend. i am healthy and happy. i am lucky. thank you for being part of my little life.
i've probably posted this before, but it's one of my favorites so you get it again:
Friday, December 20, 2013
last day of work in 2013!
two articles i found interesting:
the documented life
OED birthday word generator ("downloadable" was added to the dictionary the year i was born!)
the documented life
OED birthday word generator ("downloadable" was added to the dictionary the year i was born!)
Monday, December 16, 2013
cat lady talk
1. the first day of ruby's new diet ended at 11pm with her licking her bowl for like 5 minutes straight…getting all the yummy stuck-on bits off. the bowl ended up on the other side of the room from all her vigorous licking…poor hungry ruby.
2. i should also mention that ruby is learning "down" - as in: get DOWN! off my damn countertops, cat. so now she comes when she's called about 80% of the time, will wear her harness and leash but still gives me dagger eyes while it's happening, and gets down off the countertop about (let's be honest) 25% of the time. progress!
3. she has gotten into the habit of waiting by the door if i am home later than 5pm. surprise! a ruby is waiting to greet you. it's very sweet.
4. additionally, ruby can quasi tell time. i mean, animals are good at this, i guess. if i get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and it is before 4am, she will wait in the warm bed for me to return. after 4? she will come along, as if i might perhaps be confused and feed her breakfast while i'm up (her food bowl is in the bathroom). silly ruby.
5. obligatory cute ruby picture. she will wear the ribbon, but she doesn't have to like it.
2. i should also mention that ruby is learning "down" - as in: get DOWN! off my damn countertops, cat. so now she comes when she's called about 80% of the time, will wear her harness and leash but still gives me dagger eyes while it's happening, and gets down off the countertop about (let's be honest) 25% of the time. progress!
3. she has gotten into the habit of waiting by the door if i am home later than 5pm. surprise! a ruby is waiting to greet you. it's very sweet.
4. additionally, ruby can quasi tell time. i mean, animals are good at this, i guess. if i get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and it is before 4am, she will wait in the warm bed for me to return. after 4? she will come along, as if i might perhaps be confused and feed her breakfast while i'm up (her food bowl is in the bathroom). silly ruby.
5. obligatory cute ruby picture. she will wear the ribbon, but she doesn't have to like it.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
this weekend was fun
on friday i went to dinner and movie with some friends from work - we saw dallas buyers club at an independent theater near my house that sells beer. the beer was delish and the movie was really good. hard to watch at points, but so well acted and a really compelling story line.
on saturday i lazed around, baking and cleaning and doing laundry and snuggling a cat and watching christmas movies, then went to yoga, then to a christmas party with some friends from work. i made brown butter sea salt rice krispy treats from the smitten kitchen cookbook, and they were hands down the best rice krispy treats ever and were consumed quickly and with happiness by my friends at the party. i heart smitten kitchen.
today ruby started her diet (i can't deny that she's got some extra belly fat…but she is unamused by the change from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup of food in the mornings), then i went to lunch and the symphony with some friends to see their holiday pops concert - my atlanta friends and i did this two years in a row when i lived there, and i was excited that some of my new houston friends wanted to go. tonight is dinner and the homeland finale at josh and holly's house.
it was a weekend full of friends, none of whom i had six months ago, all of whom i enjoy spending time with and feel increasingly close to. a great weekend! houston feels more and more like home.
can it just be winter break already? nope, one more week of work to go...
on saturday i lazed around, baking and cleaning and doing laundry and snuggling a cat and watching christmas movies, then went to yoga, then to a christmas party with some friends from work. i made brown butter sea salt rice krispy treats from the smitten kitchen cookbook, and they were hands down the best rice krispy treats ever and were consumed quickly and with happiness by my friends at the party. i heart smitten kitchen.
today ruby started her diet (i can't deny that she's got some extra belly fat…but she is unamused by the change from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup of food in the mornings), then i went to lunch and the symphony with some friends to see their holiday pops concert - my atlanta friends and i did this two years in a row when i lived there, and i was excited that some of my new houston friends wanted to go. tonight is dinner and the homeland finale at josh and holly's house.
it was a weekend full of friends, none of whom i had six months ago, all of whom i enjoy spending time with and feel increasingly close to. a great weekend! houston feels more and more like home.
can it just be winter break already? nope, one more week of work to go...
Saturday, December 14, 2013
saturday morning in december
home alone on tv, doing laundry, baking cookies…the perfect saturday morning in my house!
Friday, December 13, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
“The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things in life like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people in life recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation. For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.”
--Neil deGrasse Tyson
--Neil deGrasse Tyson
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
thanksgiving
my grandma's fruit cobbler recipe is DELISH. blueberry cobbler is the best kind of cobbler (do not argue with me), and becky's boyfriend really likes cobbler, so we made some for thanksgiving alongside a pecan pie. the dish was scraped clean, but thankfully not before i woke up from my nap (whew). do yourself a favor and make this ASAP!
action shot on thanksgiving day: becky's making mashed potatoes (her specialty - secret ingredient: cream cheese) and i'm assembling the cobbler! (thanks to laura for this great sisters picture.)
action shot on thanksgiving day: becky's making mashed potatoes (her specialty - secret ingredient: cream cheese) and i'm assembling the cobbler! (thanks to laura for this great sisters picture.)
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
what i'm listening to right now
thank you again, shazam.
"human," by christina perri - i love her voice.
"human," by christina perri - i love her voice.
Monday, December 9, 2013
a ruby a day
ruby when she was 2 months old
ruby at 6 months old
once a comfy napping place, always a comfy napping place.
ruby at 6 months old
once a comfy napping place, always a comfy napping place.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
a photo a day
My cousin Kate, the ballerina! I saw her perform in The Nutcracker yesterday - she's a new corps member at the San Antonio ballet. I'd never seen The Nutcracker live before, but it was fantastic and she's such a beautiful dancer.
I also got a chance to have lunch and see the Alamo with my aunt and uncle before the performance. (It was my first trip to San Antonio.) Such a fun day!
The drive home was a little nuts…it was sprinkling rain and then the temperature dropped from 35 to 29 degrees…and there were no fewer than 6 accidents (caused by ice, i guess) that I passed, including two (one in both directions) that SHUT DOWN I-10 FOR MILES. I called Becky to tell her that the zombie apocalypse was happening…it's bizarre to be on a highway with no traffic at all coming towards you.
What have we learned? When it gets below freezing all hell breaks loose in Texas.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
two great NPR stories to listen to
a cool concept, and beautifully done: lincoln's 272 words, a model of brevity for modern times
i cried when listening to this - it's incredible, but perhaps you shouldn't listen to it while on a walk in a public place (rookie mistake): moved by kennedy's death, the boston symphony played on
i cried when listening to this - it's incredible, but perhaps you shouldn't listen to it while on a walk in a public place (rookie mistake): moved by kennedy's death, the boston symphony played on
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
a photo a day
i'm sorry to every other sandwich i've ever eaten: this one is my lifetime favorite. truffled egg salad on a pretzel bun from local foods - INCREDIBLE. how did i live in houston for six months before going here? and when can i go back?
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
november: 32
for the first time in a LONG time, i only read one book this month. i have no excuses, other than it is hard to read when a certain kitty willingly snuggles like this.
this month i read:
interpreter of maladies, by jhumpa lahiri (this is a set of short stories, all of them great - particularly the last one in the bunch. my only complaint is that almost all of her stories are about indian immigrants in boston…and there's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it really was EVERY story and i sort of got tired of that. she's a fantastic writer, though, and i'd recommend you read one of her books if you aren't familiar with her!)
this month i read:
interpreter of maladies, by jhumpa lahiri (this is a set of short stories, all of them great - particularly the last one in the bunch. my only complaint is that almost all of her stories are about indian immigrants in boston…and there's nothing wrong with that, of course, but it really was EVERY story and i sort of got tired of that. she's a fantastic writer, though, and i'd recommend you read one of her books if you aren't familiar with her!)
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