in october:
on december 1st:
so festive! hooray!
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.)
Friday, November 30, 2012
what i'm listening to right now
i love christmas music that isn't TOO christmas-y. this one is perfect - "little wood guitar," by sugarland:
a photo a day
Aaaaand I have a new favorite Mexican restaurant in New York! Amazing fresh corn tortillas, black beans, Mexican cheese, avocado, and all the usual tomato/lettuce toppings. Heaven!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
job search update
that subject line makes it look like i have actual news, right? NEGATIVE. ha! i fooled you.
my update is that i am applying for jobs. the kinds of administrative-level positions that i want have an earlier hiring season than regular teaching jobs, and thus far i've found 6 or 8 jobs that i'm interested in and i have sent my resume and cover letter and references out into the world, hoping the people doing the hiring for those positions like what they see. i am applying for some jobs that i am technically qualified for (master's degree plus eight years teaching experience...), but probably won't get, like upper school principal positions. there are a lot of very experienced and qualified people out there, but my hope is that i might be considered for one of those jobs at a small school (those are the ones i've applied for) that are seen as entry level principal position. i'm also applying for dean of students positions or the school's equivalent. i believe i'll be considered for those and hopefully someone will like me enough to call me up. CALL ME UP, PLEASE.
i think we can all agree that i'm a planner. so as soon as i apply for a job - before i even hear a single thing from a school - i have already begun to imagine my life there. (i know i'm not alone in this, as my friend jenny does the same thing when she's done job searches in the past. oh jenny, how alike we are.) i have already imagined what my life would be like in the 6-8 cities where i've applied for jobs. what would i do on the weekends? where would i go grocery shopping? what would the weather be like? what airport would i fly into? can i picture myself in my little blue toyota corolla driving around this town? i am also planning on getting two kittens when i move into a real grown up apartment again...so i picture getting the kittens and them snuggling with me on the couch.
i am ridiculous.
this is why you love me.
my update is that i am applying for jobs. the kinds of administrative-level positions that i want have an earlier hiring season than regular teaching jobs, and thus far i've found 6 or 8 jobs that i'm interested in and i have sent my resume and cover letter and references out into the world, hoping the people doing the hiring for those positions like what they see. i am applying for some jobs that i am technically qualified for (master's degree plus eight years teaching experience...), but probably won't get, like upper school principal positions. there are a lot of very experienced and qualified people out there, but my hope is that i might be considered for one of those jobs at a small school (those are the ones i've applied for) that are seen as entry level principal position. i'm also applying for dean of students positions or the school's equivalent. i believe i'll be considered for those and hopefully someone will like me enough to call me up. CALL ME UP, PLEASE.
i think we can all agree that i'm a planner. so as soon as i apply for a job - before i even hear a single thing from a school - i have already begun to imagine my life there. (i know i'm not alone in this, as my friend jenny does the same thing when she's done job searches in the past. oh jenny, how alike we are.) i have already imagined what my life would be like in the 6-8 cities where i've applied for jobs. what would i do on the weekends? where would i go grocery shopping? what would the weather be like? what airport would i fly into? can i picture myself in my little blue toyota corolla driving around this town? i am also planning on getting two kittens when i move into a real grown up apartment again...so i picture getting the kittens and them snuggling with me on the couch.
i am ridiculous.
this is why you love me.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
my cousin's boyfriend josh introduced me to this website when we were hanging out over thanksgiving - i love it! where has it been all my life?
http://punchfork.com
go there. admire the pretty food. maybe make something.
http://punchfork.com
go there. admire the pretty food. maybe make something.
a photo a day
Have I mentioned that I love my friends here? Pizza and board games tonight for Ben's birthday - hooray!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
snow #2
this time it's a disgusting rainy-snow mix. it did not deter me from making a trader joe's run, though! go me!
this morning we took a field trip for one of my classes to the google headquarters in NYC. um, can i please work there? free food and drinks EVERYWHERE, awesome lounge spaces, games everywhere. i don't appear to have any of the credentials necessary, but i do enjoy gmail. is that enough? no? in this class we have been talking about the culture of a school, and we visited google to observe and analyze their culture. my analysis is: i want in.
this morning we took a field trip for one of my classes to the google headquarters in NYC. um, can i please work there? free food and drinks EVERYWHERE, awesome lounge spaces, games everywhere. i don't appear to have any of the credentials necessary, but i do enjoy gmail. is that enough? no? in this class we have been talking about the culture of a school, and we visited google to observe and analyze their culture. my analysis is: i want in.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
a photo a day, Thanksgiving edition
Yum! I conned my family into buying my favorite Thanksgiving item: canned cranberry sauce!
So thankful for all the family and friends in my life - I am a truly lucky girl!
So thankful for all the family and friends in my life - I am a truly lucky girl!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
a photo a day
9:30am, preparing to land in an INCREDIBLY foggy Chicago.
Half way to Iowa - can't wait to get there and let Thanksgiving begin!
Half way to Iowa - can't wait to get there and let Thanksgiving begin!
Monday, November 19, 2012
a photo a day
sore throat...headache...HARUMPH-A-SAURUS! i have no time for this! i have thanksgiving to celebrate!
willis swears by airborne...so i'm giving it a go...
willis swears by airborne...so i'm giving it a go...
Sunday, November 18, 2012
really interesting article with great graphics about the red-blue divide in america and how it's not as clear cut as the media makes it out to be:
red versus blue in a new light
red versus blue in a new light
Saturday, November 17, 2012
a photo a day
hundreds of tiny containers of prepared foods at my grocery store. hummus, pesto, other spreads so numerous and interesting you couldn't make them up on your own.
part of me wants to try every single one of them. another part of me realizes this is a bad idea.
part of me wants to try every single one of them. another part of me realizes this is a bad idea.
Friday, November 16, 2012
nerd alert
some grad school friends and i made a decision tonight that we are READING A BOOK FOR PLEASURE over thanksgiving break. the idea is thrilling. i pretty much can't wait. no one to tell me which pages to read, by when, and what guiding questions to consider while reading? i might be in heaven.
a photo a day
ice skating rink at bryant park!
i did not skate - i was there for the holiday market! didn't find anything great to buy, unfortunately, but it was fun to explore.
i did not skate - i was there for the holiday market! didn't find anything great to buy, unfortunately, but it was fun to explore.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
a weird thing about new york (an occasional series by miss claire)
on thursdays i walk half an hour into harlem for my field project, where a classmate and i are helping design a lower school social studies curriculum at an independent school. (is this an awesome project? yes. is it the subject of this blog post? not really.) the school is small and doesn't have a cafeteria, so for lunch my classmate and i walk to a nearby...okay, this is the point of the story.
facts, according to me:
1. harlem does not have many real restaurants. do you want a panera bread or something like it? doesn't exist.
2. harlem has a lot of...7-11s. but without the gas station part. little stores that sell all the foods you would find at a gas station (chips, candy, sodas, beer, cigarettes) PLUS they are apparently required to have a sandwich counter.
it is at this sandwich counter where we get our lunch. well dressed white people? ah yes, we stick out like a sore thumb. no one cares, though, which is awesome. so we go up to the counter and order a sandwich and of course there is nothing vegetarian, so i get (POINT OF THE STORY!) an egg and cheese on a roll.
that is what you say. "i want an egg and cheese on a roll, please." a roll is hamburger bun sized, but smaller than a hero. that is important to know so you don't get an absurd amount of food. but egg and cheese on a roll is available everywhere, even for lunch...no one bats an eye. the cheese is american (duh), and the sandwich is delish. today's egg and cheese on a roll cost $1.75. one dollar! and seventy-five cents! it is the only food item in this city that costs less than you think it will.
this post is inspired, and my lunch choice validated, by my new smitten kitchen cookbook:
facts, according to me:
1. harlem does not have many real restaurants. do you want a panera bread or something like it? doesn't exist.
2. harlem has a lot of...7-11s. but without the gas station part. little stores that sell all the foods you would find at a gas station (chips, candy, sodas, beer, cigarettes) PLUS they are apparently required to have a sandwich counter.
it is at this sandwich counter where we get our lunch. well dressed white people? ah yes, we stick out like a sore thumb. no one cares, though, which is awesome. so we go up to the counter and order a sandwich and of course there is nothing vegetarian, so i get (POINT OF THE STORY!) an egg and cheese on a roll.
that is what you say. "i want an egg and cheese on a roll, please." a roll is hamburger bun sized, but smaller than a hero. that is important to know so you don't get an absurd amount of food. but egg and cheese on a roll is available everywhere, even for lunch...no one bats an eye. the cheese is american (duh), and the sandwich is delish. today's egg and cheese on a roll cost $1.75. one dollar! and seventy-five cents! it is the only food item in this city that costs less than you think it will.
this post is inspired, and my lunch choice validated, by my new smitten kitchen cookbook:
gmail is genius
i just sent an email with the words "i have attached..." in the body of an email, but did not attach a file. GMAIL WARNED ME OF THIS BEFORE IT SENT THE EMAIL. gmail, you are genius and i totally appreciate everything about you.
love,
miss claire
love,
miss claire
a photo a day
corn chowder for dinner!
when i was in vermont a couple weeks ago we stopped in a little store that sold, among other things, soup mixes! i bought the corn chowder one, and today followed the directions to make some DELISH soup. i doctored it up (as suggested on the back of the package) with half and half, creamed corn, and onions. hoo-ray.
and there's plenty left over for a couple lunches this weekend!
when i was in vermont a couple weeks ago we stopped in a little store that sold, among other things, soup mixes! i bought the corn chowder one, and today followed the directions to make some DELISH soup. i doctored it up (as suggested on the back of the package) with half and half, creamed corn, and onions. hoo-ray.
and there's plenty left over for a couple lunches this weekend!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
a week old - oops
oops - these are a week old and i never got around to posting them. my birthday week was chock full of fun - no time for blogging! here they are now - photos from my birthday weekend in vermont!!
kelly and mike at the ben & jerry's factory:
q and becky love ben & jerry's, too! look how cute becky is with her milkshake.
tickets to go on the tour at ben & jerry's!
group shot outside ben & jerry's! (i promise we did things on this weekend other than eat ice cream...it just had the best photo opportunities!)
q at the cabot creamery gift shop after a tour of their cheese making facilities...and LOTS of cheese tasting:
awesome picture of me and beck before a DELICIOUS dinner on saturday night:
it was SUCH a fun weekend with good friends. and then the american people gave me an obama victory as a birthday present. hooray for birthdays! exclamation points everywhere! life is good.
kelly and mike at the ben & jerry's factory:
q and becky love ben & jerry's, too! look how cute becky is with her milkshake.
tickets to go on the tour at ben & jerry's!
group shot outside ben & jerry's! (i promise we did things on this weekend other than eat ice cream...it just had the best photo opportunities!)
q at the cabot creamery gift shop after a tour of their cheese making facilities...and LOTS of cheese tasting:
awesome picture of me and beck before a DELICIOUS dinner on saturday night:
it was SUCH a fun weekend with good friends. and then the american people gave me an obama victory as a birthday present. hooray for birthdays! exclamation points everywhere! life is good.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
a photo (from yesterday)
the election watching party was a success! this is the joy we felt after all the channels declared obama the winner:
sometimes i wonder who these other people are who call themselves americans, as we seem to stagnate or move backwards on gay rights, abortion, women's issues. how can my fellow americans see things SO differently?
last night was a great comfort to me as a majority of voters elected obama, voted for marriage equality in several states, voted down candidates who talk about rape and women's issues in shocking ways. every day we get closer to the america i believe in.
here's my favorite part of obama's speech last night:
What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great.
love and charity and duty and patriotism. my grandma norma would be very proud of america for the way it voted last night.
today i'd like to wish a big happy birthday to marie curie, leon trotsky, morgan spurlock, and my girl joni mitchell. as has become a tradition, here's some joni to celebrate the day:
WHAT. A. VOICE.
additionally, mark your calendars: november 7th = first day of snow in NYC! flakes are coming down as we speak...
sometimes i wonder who these other people are who call themselves americans, as we seem to stagnate or move backwards on gay rights, abortion, women's issues. how can my fellow americans see things SO differently?
last night was a great comfort to me as a majority of voters elected obama, voted for marriage equality in several states, voted down candidates who talk about rape and women's issues in shocking ways. every day we get closer to the america i believe in.
here's my favorite part of obama's speech last night:
What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That's what makes America great.
love and charity and duty and patriotism. my grandma norma would be very proud of america for the way it voted last night.
today i'd like to wish a big happy birthday to marie curie, leon trotsky, morgan spurlock, and my girl joni mitchell. as has become a tradition, here's some joni to celebrate the day:
WHAT. A. VOICE.
additionally, mark your calendars: november 7th = first day of snow in NYC! flakes are coming down as we speak...
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
another great email
in my continuing series, "awesome emails from people i love," my dad sent me this email last night:
Nate Silver has Obama with a 92% chance of winning. Barack's giving a rocking speach in Des Moines right now. I'm voting first thing at the Halls Mills Community Center.
dad
on the phone just now he proclaimed that he had done exactly zero work today because he was so excited about this election.
i love my family.
gobama!!
Nate Silver has Obama with a 92% chance of winning. Barack's giving a rocking speach in Des Moines right now. I'm voting first thing at the Halls Mills Community Center.
dad
on the phone just now he proclaimed that he had done exactly zero work today because he was so excited about this election.
i love my family.
gobama!!
Monday, November 5, 2012
a photo a day
Day 3 of the best week ever: Susanna Hoffs (of The Bangles) at City Winery, the cutest venue EVER. And yes, that's Fred Armisen, inexplicably, on drums!
Huge thanks to Ben for inviting me along!
OMG she just played Manic Monday. Life is so good.
Huge thanks to Ben for inviting me along!
OMG she just played Manic Monday. Life is so good.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
a photo from yesterday
last night at 11pm we found out that our friend wendy had her baby - a week early, so we weren't even expecting it. surprises are so fun! this is the photo we texted her to visibly show our excitement.
wendy is a blog reader and a dear friend - i couldn't be happier for her and her new baby girl!!
flying into new york tonight on a tiny little plane from vermont:
as we were descending towards our landing, i look on the window of the plane, and it looks like we're right above manhattan. the view out the window is gorgeous: skyscrapers all lit up at night, bright lights that mark the road, all seemingly SO CLOSE - maybe we were 3,000 feet up at most? (my only measure is that the new world trade center memorial building is going to be 1,776 feet tall, and we didn't seem too much above that.) it's breathtakingly beautiful, new york city at night from the air. i am talking to the city through the airplane window like a loony person.
as we get further south i realize i should be confused, since laguardia airport is now north of us. i realize later that we must have been asked by air traffic control to circle for a couple minute to buy time - i can't imagine any other reason we would have taken this route.
then manhattan is dark - huge buildings on the south end of the island are totally black - the power outages that remain because of the storm. poignant at night.
then we're over brooklyn and queens and i can still see the city (those people on the right side of the plane MISSED OUT), though it's further away at that point. then we swoop into our landing.
i made you a pretty picture (i am basically a professional artist) to show our path - it was SO COOL to be able to figure out where we were as we were doing it - i felt like i was a real new yorker.
as we were descending towards our landing, i look on the window of the plane, and it looks like we're right above manhattan. the view out the window is gorgeous: skyscrapers all lit up at night, bright lights that mark the road, all seemingly SO CLOSE - maybe we were 3,000 feet up at most? (my only measure is that the new world trade center memorial building is going to be 1,776 feet tall, and we didn't seem too much above that.) it's breathtakingly beautiful, new york city at night from the air. i am talking to the city through the airplane window like a loony person.
as we get further south i realize i should be confused, since laguardia airport is now north of us. i realize later that we must have been asked by air traffic control to circle for a couple minute to buy time - i can't imagine any other reason we would have taken this route.
then manhattan is dark - huge buildings on the south end of the island are totally black - the power outages that remain because of the storm. poignant at night.
then we're over brooklyn and queens and i can still see the city (those people on the right side of the plane MISSED OUT), though it's further away at that point. then we swoop into our landing.
i made you a pretty picture (i am basically a professional artist) to show our path - it was SO COOL to be able to figure out where we were as we were doing it - i felt like i was a real new yorker.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
a photo a day
Free bus ride to the airport - thank you, New York City!
Smooth time getting through security!
The tarmac isn't underwater!
I think this weekend in Vermont is going to happen!!!
Exclamation points everywhere!
Smooth time getting through security!
The tarmac isn't underwater!
I think this weekend in Vermont is going to happen!!!
Exclamation points everywhere!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
october: 28
yep, that's right: just one book for fun this month:
central park: an anthology, edited by andrew blauner (a great book - a collection of essays about central park. other claire gave it to me as a going away present, and it was the perfect gift - the stories are short enough to read one before bedtime, and i love getting more perspectives on central park. my favorite part about this book is that it is filled with great essays that just happen to feature central park - not stories whose entire focus is central park. the latter could get a little dull, i think, but this book was really interesting. hooray!)
central park: an anthology, edited by andrew blauner (a great book - a collection of essays about central park. other claire gave it to me as a going away present, and it was the perfect gift - the stories are short enough to read one before bedtime, and i love getting more perspectives on central park. my favorite part about this book is that it is filled with great essays that just happen to feature central park - not stories whose entire focus is central park. the latter could get a little dull, i think, but this book was really interesting. hooray!)
i am a lucky girl - my grandma norma, who died in june, was a diehard lifelong democrat and my grandma jane is a big obama supporter living in a republican-heavy retirement community in florida. i got this awesome email from her today:
Hello fellow democrat,
Have you heard of the October surprise? – something unexpected that shifts the election one way or another. I think maybe Obama’s performance since the storm has helped him. Also his great relationship with Christie.
Grandma
LOVE IT.
Hello fellow democrat,
Have you heard of the October surprise? – something unexpected that shifts the election one way or another. I think maybe Obama’s performance since the storm has helped him. Also his great relationship with Christie.
Grandma
LOVE IT.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
this happened again.
i'm not surprised...subways are still closed, and without them professors and some students won't be able to get here. but you know what? i'm ready for the routine of classes again.
tomorrow will bring more studying in the library, more tv watching, more time on the phone with loved ones, more time with new friends here.
i'm not surprised...subways are still closed, and without them professors and some students won't be able to get here. but you know what? i'm ready for the routine of classes again.
tomorrow will bring more studying in the library, more tv watching, more time on the phone with loved ones, more time with new friends here.
a photo a day
my umbrella and i made our way to the one library on campus that is open today; i'm going to do some homework for a couple hours.
i didn't lose power, though the lights flickered a little last night. a cold rain is coming down and there are some broken tree branches on the sidewalks, but other than that we are totally fine. not so in other parts of manhattan - i feel lucky that i'm up high enough (my neighborhood is called morningside heights for a reason) that we were spared any crazy flooding.
several people in my program live in brooklyn and two live in connecticut - no clue if they're going to be able to make it in if we have class tomorrow...
i didn't lose power, though the lights flickered a little last night. a cold rain is coming down and there are some broken tree branches on the sidewalks, but other than that we are totally fine. not so in other parts of manhattan - i feel lucky that i'm up high enough (my neighborhood is called morningside heights for a reason) that we were spared any crazy flooding.
several people in my program live in brooklyn and two live in connecticut - no clue if they're going to be able to make it in if we have class tomorrow...
Monday, October 29, 2012
mini hurricane update
the photos and videos of the flooding and damage in new york are crazy - but i'm not experiencing any of that where i am! as of now i still have power and the storm is still just rain and high winds. whew! not much has changed since i posted earlier.
hurricane update
last night i went to bed with this vision of waking up in the middle of the night to crazy winds and rain. that did not happen. trashman came at 7:30 like usual, and i woke up at 9:30 to...pretty much what i went to bed to: winds and no rain.
a 109 square foot room is kind of like a prison cell when you know you can't leave...except it has a tv and internet access...so maybe it's not like a prison cell BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. i ventured out at 11 to see what the outside world looked like and find a place to study - the columbia website said that the main library was open as a study space. it had started raining and there weren't many people out at all. every business i passed was closed except the grocery stores - those are still open. kind of weird to walk through a normally busy neighborhood and not see many people around.
after an hour and a half in the library i was able to buy a bottle of diet coke and a delicious egg salad sandwich from the grocery store across the street from me. hooray! but the winds are DEFINITELY picking up and it's raining harder now. according to the weather channel the worst of it will hit new york this afternoon and into the evening.
the sense i'm getting is that the coastal areas are the ones really in trouble because of the rising waters there. i feel secure on the middle of this island...it's going to take a lot for us to be in any real danger.
the subways are closed again tomorrow, as are the public schools. we haven't heard about whether we're having class tomorrow but i can't imagine we will...
now: excessive tv watching. don't judge.
a 109 square foot room is kind of like a prison cell when you know you can't leave...except it has a tv and internet access...so maybe it's not like a prison cell BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. i ventured out at 11 to see what the outside world looked like and find a place to study - the columbia website said that the main library was open as a study space. it had started raining and there weren't many people out at all. every business i passed was closed except the grocery stores - those are still open. kind of weird to walk through a normally busy neighborhood and not see many people around.
after an hour and a half in the library i was able to buy a bottle of diet coke and a delicious egg salad sandwich from the grocery store across the street from me. hooray! but the winds are DEFINITELY picking up and it's raining harder now. according to the weather channel the worst of it will hit new york this afternoon and into the evening.
the sense i'm getting is that the coastal areas are the ones really in trouble because of the rising waters there. i feel secure on the middle of this island...it's going to take a lot for us to be in any real danger.
the subways are closed again tomorrow, as are the public schools. we haven't heard about whether we're having class tomorrow but i can't imagine we will...
now: excessive tv watching. don't judge.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
hurricane update
0 drops of rain have fallen so far.
i got take-out sushi from my favorite place...they were definitely still open at 8pm.
aaaaand that's about all i've got for you right now. from the radar it looks like it should start raining in the middle of the night. but then again, from the radar it looks like it should be raining right now and it definitely isn't...
trash pick up is continuing as scheduled tomorrow, so i'll be awakened at 7:30am like normal. GREAT.
i got take-out sushi from my favorite place...they were definitely still open at 8pm.
aaaaand that's about all i've got for you right now. from the radar it looks like it should start raining in the middle of the night. but then again, from the radar it looks like it should be raining right now and it definitely isn't...
trash pick up is continuing as scheduled tomorrow, so i'll be awakened at 7:30am like normal. GREAT.
FINE. i will admit that perhaps i should take more precautions in preparation for this hurricane. i have cash and made a quick trip to the grocery store this afternoon.
in addition to my class being cancelled for tomorrow, NYC public schools are cancelled, public transportation shuts down at 7pm tonight, and people who live in "zone a" have a mandatory evacuation order. i am not even in a zone, we are so high up, so don't you worry about me. but THE CITY IS DOING THINGS, so i have decided maybe this hurricane is really happening.
i'll keep you updated! as of right now it's not raining, though it is pretty windy outside...
Saturday, October 27, 2012
four freedoms park
today i went on an adventure to roosevelt island to see the newly opened four freedoms park. i wanted to do some exploring and it was fun to have a destination in mind. plus, you know, HURRICANE'S A-COMING, so i wanted to get outside before the four days of rain that are being predicted.
view of manhattan (the weird rectangular building is the UN) from roosevelt island:
new baby trees at the FDR memorial:
the memorial is really simple, but the views from the memorial are gorgeous. i like that idea: to allow people to appreciate FDR in a place where they can also appreciate the world around them.
CREEPY SMALLPOX HOSPITAL on the island:
i am a creepy hospital:
view of manhattan (the weird rectangular building is the UN) from roosevelt island:
new baby trees at the FDR memorial:
the memorial is really simple, but the views from the memorial are gorgeous. i like that idea: to allow people to appreciate FDR in a place where they can also appreciate the world around them.
CREEPY SMALLPOX HOSPITAL on the island:
i am a creepy hospital:
Friday, October 26, 2012
friday afternoon walk
yellow and green on the same tree:
i live 3 blocks from grant's tomb! who knew this was a real place and not just a riddle? (apparently grant is not BURIED in his tomb, but entombed in his tomb.)
black kitty cat who posed for me. happy halloween! i hope you have a home, little kitty.
riverside park:
one orange tree, overlooking the hudson:
i live 3 blocks from grant's tomb! who knew this was a real place and not just a riddle? (apparently grant is not BURIED in his tomb, but entombed in his tomb.)
black kitty cat who posed for me. happy halloween! i hope you have a home, little kitty.
riverside park:
one orange tree, overlooking the hudson:
Thursday, October 25, 2012
headstands
i am taking two yoga classes here at columbia. the one on mondays is a basic class...and it's pretty basic. it's important to focus on the basics - make sure you're doing the pose exactly right - but that gets a little boring sometimes, particularly since a lot of people in this class have never done yoga before. knowing this, the second class i signed up for is an intermediate class that meets on wednesdays. i've never taken an intermediate class even though i've been practicing yoga for probably 5 years...and i am 100% the worst person in this class. but i don't even care. i can play along with all of it and modify as i need to.
the intermediate teacher is having us practice headstands. this was initially very intimidating to me, but the teacher is great and she is working us into it. some of the people in the class just throw themselves up into a headstand like it's nothing, while a couple of us scoot our mats over to the wall and work with the instructor. i am at the middle step in this picture - which is really the first step, but whatever. actually, i'm more in this step - you make yourself into an upside down v and then walk your legs up the wall. it is hard and i can only hold it for about 5 seconds, but presumably i will keep getting stronger and stronger and someday, who knows. maybe i'll do a real headstand. that would be fancy.
additionally (and on an unrelated note), i haven't been posting many pictures recently because it feels like all i do is go to class, eat, go to the library, sleep, repeat. it's midterms time and the library is PACKED, so i know i'm not the only one with a lot on my plate. the good news is that i turned in my last midterm-y paper today, so i will get to be a real person for a while this weekend. hooray!! my plan is to take some long walks and capture some pictures of fall in new york. stay tuned. i'm also going to try to go to the new four freedoms park on roosevelt island - looks beautiful, and i need some FDR quotes in my life right now.
anyone else more excited about election day than halloween? i'm like, "oh right...a costume," whereas i have my election night outfit ALL PLANNED OUT. stay tuned.
the intermediate teacher is having us practice headstands. this was initially very intimidating to me, but the teacher is great and she is working us into it. some of the people in the class just throw themselves up into a headstand like it's nothing, while a couple of us scoot our mats over to the wall and work with the instructor. i am at the middle step in this picture - which is really the first step, but whatever. actually, i'm more in this step - you make yourself into an upside down v and then walk your legs up the wall. it is hard and i can only hold it for about 5 seconds, but presumably i will keep getting stronger and stronger and someday, who knows. maybe i'll do a real headstand. that would be fancy.
additionally (and on an unrelated note), i haven't been posting many pictures recently because it feels like all i do is go to class, eat, go to the library, sleep, repeat. it's midterms time and the library is PACKED, so i know i'm not the only one with a lot on my plate. the good news is that i turned in my last midterm-y paper today, so i will get to be a real person for a while this weekend. hooray!! my plan is to take some long walks and capture some pictures of fall in new york. stay tuned. i'm also going to try to go to the new four freedoms park on roosevelt island - looks beautiful, and i need some FDR quotes in my life right now.
anyone else more excited about election day than halloween? i'm like, "oh right...a costume," whereas i have my election night outfit ALL PLANNED OUT. stay tuned.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
my aunt monica sent this to me, and i LOVE it - she knows me so well.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120710.html
it put a huge smile on my face and then i got teary. humanity! humans! we're so alike - why do we often only focus on our differences?
some of you lovely readers out there will LOVE this.
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120710.html
it put a huge smile on my face and then i got teary. humanity! humans! we're so alike - why do we often only focus on our differences?
some of you lovely readers out there will LOVE this.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
at midnight on election night i turn 30. my school friend ben and i are planning an election night party (the one 4 years ago was the most fun EVER, so i obviously have to have one this year, too, and he's offered his apartment - yay!). i just emailed ben about the party and included this sentence:
At midnight I turn 30. I hope to be so joyously drunk on Obama's victory that it is the best birthday of my life.
this about sums up my feelings on politics right now.
At midnight I turn 30. I hope to be so joyously drunk on Obama's victory that it is the best birthday of my life.
this about sums up my feelings on politics right now.
Monday, October 22, 2012
ballot accepted
should i be creeped out that all of this is available online if you just know my first and last name and that i'm registered to vote in north carolina?? (i've deleted my full name and address, but it's on the original online.)
i don't know. something about the whole world being able to know this weirds me out. maybe it's a public record?
it is nice to be able to know that they've got my ballot...but somehow i feel like there should be more security...like you should have to input my social security number to find this out. nope. first and last name and you're there...
final debate tonight! go obama!
it is nice to be able to know that they've got my ballot...but somehow i feel like there should be more security...like you should have to input my social security number to find this out. nope. first and last name and you're there...
final debate tonight! go obama!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
a photo a day
Brain food for late night studying in the library!
I would really like this paper to write itself.
I would really like this paper to write itself.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
a photo a day
I'm in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with some great friends, all of whom worked with me in Atlanta. Hooray for friends and fall weather and this cute little pumpkin patch!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
what i'm listening to right now
how did i not know that the killers covered dire straits' "romeo and juliet"?!?! IF ANY OF YOU OUT THERE KNEW ABOUT THIS VERSION AND DIDN'T TELL ME YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE.
i have loved this song since high school, when i first heard the indigo girls cover it. then i heard the original: also good, obviously. tonight my itunes shuffle played the indigo girls version and i was all ready to find it on youtube to post here for you. but then youtube told me about this version.
swoon.
i have loved this song since high school, when i first heard the indigo girls cover it. then i heard the original: also good, obviously. tonight my itunes shuffle played the indigo girls version and i was all ready to find it on youtube to post here for you. but then youtube told me about this version.
swoon.
it was all i could do this afternoon to not check my email while reading a research study about how IMing and checking email affects productivity and retention of information learned.
ugh. the internet is so distracting!!
the results of the study were that IMing and checking email while reading slows the reader down (even when you subtract the time spent IMing - it takes them a little while to get back on task after they read or send an IM), but that they do no worse on tests measuring how much they learned from doing the reading.
you could tell that the researchers were so PISSED at these results. they clearly wanted to show that IMing is detrimental to learning and kept saying things like "even though they performed just as well on the tests, it took them a long time to get through the reading and students who are crunched for time will suffer if they IM."
i had this sick satisfaction that the IMers did just as well on the test as people who weren't IMing. yes! beat the system! stick it to the man! no one can tell me to stop checking my email while i'm doing work!
i was perhaps too into it.
ugh. the internet is so distracting!!
the results of the study were that IMing and checking email while reading slows the reader down (even when you subtract the time spent IMing - it takes them a little while to get back on task after they read or send an IM), but that they do no worse on tests measuring how much they learned from doing the reading.
you could tell that the researchers were so PISSED at these results. they clearly wanted to show that IMing is detrimental to learning and kept saying things like "even though they performed just as well on the tests, it took them a long time to get through the reading and students who are crunched for time will suffer if they IM."
i had this sick satisfaction that the IMers did just as well on the test as people who weren't IMing. yes! beat the system! stick it to the man! no one can tell me to stop checking my email while i'm doing work!
i was perhaps too into it.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
a photo a day
5:30pm, walking up some very tall stairs to yoga class, looking down 120th street at union theological seminary.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
a video a day
newsflash: new york is NOISY. my room overlooks an internal courtyard, so for the most part i don't get too much traffic noise in my room, which is wonderful. sirens, loud trucks - those make enough noise to get into my room, but otherwise there's just an ambient hum that comes from millions of people packed into the city, and i can totally work with an ambient hum.
except.
except for the daily pick up of trash. you see, my room overlooks an internal courtyard, but mostly it overlooks the alleyway next to the teachers college dining hall. every day except sunday, trash gets picked up around 7:30am, which means every day except sunday i wake up with it.
ugh.
i thought you'd appreciate a little taste of the sights and sounds of my room, circa 7:30am every morning. (note: the first 20 seconds are out of focus I KNOW...i stumbled out of bed to tape this while crouching under the window so the trash dudes wouldn't know i was doing it. i had a lot to think about, people. you will still get the picture.)
except.
except for the daily pick up of trash. you see, my room overlooks an internal courtyard, but mostly it overlooks the alleyway next to the teachers college dining hall. every day except sunday, trash gets picked up around 7:30am, which means every day except sunday i wake up with it.
ugh.
i thought you'd appreciate a little taste of the sights and sounds of my room, circa 7:30am every morning. (note: the first 20 seconds are out of focus I KNOW...i stumbled out of bed to tape this while crouching under the window so the trash dudes wouldn't know i was doing it. i had a lot to think about, people. you will still get the picture.)
Monday, October 15, 2012
what i'm listening to right now
drew holcomb & the neighbors, "fire and dynamite"
another artist i discovered from noisetrade (seriously, people, you need to check this out). GREAT line: "you are a novel in a sea of magazines"...
another artist i discovered from noisetrade (seriously, people, you need to check this out). GREAT line: "you are a novel in a sea of magazines"...
Sunday, October 14, 2012
a photo a day
my research methods class has moved from critiquing educational research studies to learning enough statistics to REALLY critique research studies. i am slightly terrified, as i've never taken a statistics class before. what is comforting, though, is that this is on page 32 of the "statistics for school leaders" book we are using in the class. pie charts. it took 32 pages to build up to PIE CHARTS. i think i'm going to be in okay shape here.
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