observations about starbucks

i don't have internet set up at my apartment yet (though that process is in motion...but taking longer than i want it to.  sigh.), but starbucks has free wireless and i've been spending an hour or two at a starbucks every day since i arrived, doing all those things one does online.  there is also a great deal of people-watching and people-listening to be done at a starbucks.  here are some things i have observed:

an entire class of 8th graders and their teacher who came in for a coffee-shop poetry-reading experience.  which was probably cool for the kids but was horrible for all the other people there (myself included).  i don't want to hear awkward 8th grade poetry and then forced clapping.  ugh.

two job interviews, each more awkward than the first.  the person doing the interview is calm and practiced and looks like he knows what he's doing.  the person being interviewed is awkwardly wearing a suit in a starbucks.  after doing many, many interviews myself this year, i feel for the interviewee.

one "how to be an american" conversation led by some professional-looking woman who'd made a whole binder with pages like "how to get a cell phone" and "how to get car insurance." she who spent at least an hour going through everything in the binder with an australian man.  this is a service that some company provides?  i mean, it's genius, but i had no idea.

one first date thing?  she was like 35 and he was like 65 and she talked the WHOLE time and he just looked at her with googley eyes.  there was a prolonged hug at the end.  this was at 10am on a friday.  what?!  so uncomfortable.

one bus driver who, while i was sitting on the starbucks patio, parked her bus at the curb and ran in for a coffee.  THERE WAS A PASSENGER ON THE BUS.

two strangers agreeing that "this is the best starbucks, in terms of character, in the city."  what does this even mean?  and forgive me, but aren't all starbucks THE SAME?  isn't that kind of the point?

oh starbucks.  thank you for your free internet and your entertaining patrons.

this singing of the national anthem in boston gave me chills.  my favorite part is that the man singing realizes very quickly it's not about him, and he puts his microphone down.

i LOVE the singing of patriotic songs.  (though i don't think anyone ever told me i had to be patriotic, the actions and words of my parents and grandparents have always made me very proud to be an american.)  i would LOVE for this to happen at every sporting event, from now until forever.  i would sing along happily, getting chills every time.

have i proclaimed my love for verlyn klinkenborg* here?  he writes about rural life for the new york times and i just love his writing style and the content - it reminds me of growing up on the farm.  this essay - "a light in the barn" - is a great example of what makes his writing so good and so special - there is no dark like the dark in the country.  and this man has a way with words.


*incredibly, neither of these words is spelled incorrectly.

i went to yoga this morning and sweated an incredible amount.  it felt SO good to be back, but my flexibility has definitely suffered without weekly yoga classes.

the instructor today, as we were getting ready to start the class, told us to think about our last week...and then to let it go and focus on this moment.  (this is a common yoga-y thing to do - don't worry about what you did this week or what you have to do when you leave class: focus on just being where you are right now.  it's a great lesson for life, i think - i'm often planning the next event instead of focusing on enjoying what i'm doing right now.)  but today her comment made me think even more:
one week ago i was in oxford, preparing for the van to come to pick up all our office stuff that needed to go into storage.
six days ago i was saying goodbye to all my summer friends.
five days ago i was flying back to the us.
four days ago i was starting work.
three days ago i was getting used to my routine and trying to stay awake to a normal bedtime hour (if 8:45 is a normal bedtime hour, i succeeded).
two days ago i was saying goodbye to my friend erin who is moving to new hampshire.
yesterday i was drinking beer and sweating profusely with my friends at a beer festival.
today i'm taking stock of it all - sitting in a yoga class.
tomorrow the rush will continue, with the first day of school for students.
but today i could reflect on all the changes in my life.  and it was a really nice moment.

things i have learned from teaching that i will use as a parent

#1 - send your kids to summer camp when they are little.

don't send your kid to summer camp for the first time when they are 16 years old and the camp is four weeks long and in a foreign country.  they will get homesick.  OF COURSE.  let them get homesick when the camp is an hour away and they only have to make it through a couple days.

two days ago i had a parent ask me to help make his daughter a friend, which DOESN'T WORK because no one wants an adult to tell you who your friend is.  but whatever, i tried.  and then the parent told me that the friend i tried to set her up with was "more homesick than [his daughter]" (which just isn't true), and i had failed and could i find his daughter another friend?  NO I CANNOT.

sheesh, people.

[i actually have a lot of parenting tips saved up from 9 summers of working at summer camp and 7 years of teaching - mostly things NOT TO DO - so get ready for a very exciting series of occasional posts.  you're welcome.]

on sunday i saw world peace and other 4th grade achievements as part of the atlanta film festival and i'd really like to recommend it to everyone, though it isn't in wide release and i don't know when it comes out on DVD or how widely that will be available.

basically i'm telling you to see a movie that you may not be able to see.  i am a jerk.

nora recommended this movie to me - she saw it in DC earlier this year - and recently i was so glad to find out that it was coming to atlanta!

i got a little (a lot) weepy in the dark of the theater at the end of this movie, just thinking about teachers and students and world problems and little kid minds.  that is only heightened today, i guess, with the news that osama bin laden was killed last night in pakistan.  real world problems, real world solutions.  no winners: only losers.  but finality, and no american deaths yesterday in this operation, and those are good things.  incredible news to wake up to, though; i had to blink myself awake enough to concentrate on NPR when i would normally be dozing before really waking up.

oops

recently i had been keeping track of the number of posts i've made on this blog in total, and i realized i was approaching 500.  ooh - a nice milestone to note!  and then i forgot about it and missed 500.  so here is an exciting note to commemorate my 508th posting!  so lame, i know.  but yeah: thanks for following along for some or all of those 508 entries.  i love to write (duh) and i've found it's more fun to write when people read it (also perhaps a duh moment).  if you read, know that it continues to mean a lot to me.

okay-boring-let's-move-on.

do you guys know about the radiolab podcast?  it's science-y/culture-y true stories, and each episode has a theme.  it's like a science-y this american life.  a couple weeks ago the episode's theme was "lost and found," and included this story, one of the most incredible i've ever heard on the show.  if you have 15 minutes, you will not regret listening to this: "finding emilie".

gym class stereotypes

with short-sleeve season somewhat upon us, i've decided to go back to the weightlifting classes at the gym.  i really like these classes - weightlifting mixed up with squats and ab work, led by a russian-american lady with a big butt (this makes me feel good about myself - instructors who have perfect bodies piss me off) who plays great music.  using weights intimidated me before this class, but it makes me appreciate how good you can feel after concentrating on specific muscles.  i used to go to this class frequently but i've slacked off recently.  now i'm back!  mondays at 4:30pm.  hooray.  as i was waiting for the class to start i wrote this post in my head.

in every gym class the following stereotypes exist.  (yoga classes have different stereotypes, which i will discuss at a later date.)  let me introduce you to them.

stereotypical person [henceforth abbreviated SP] #1: the person who has no rhythm and does the steps exactly opposite from the rest of the class.  as the class steps left then right, she steps right then left.  left arm up?  she puts her right arm up.  it's as if she HAS rhythm, just can't get on the beat.  today SP#1 was combined with SP#2: the person who isn't wearing enough clothing for her body size.  a sports bra and skintight pants with some fat rolls spilling over?  not okay.  NOT OKAY ON A SKINNY PERSON, LET ALONE A LARGER PERSON.

SP#3: the old man in a class full of women.  i remember our old man from when i went to this class in the fall.  he looks exactly like mr. magoo, but with big glasses.  he is nonthreatening and entertaining to watch.

[from here]

SP#4: some really fit old ladies who can do the moves twelve times better than you.  infuriating.

SP#5: person who is so fit that the normal class isn't enough for her and her bulging leg muscles, so she attaches weights to her wrists and ankles.

what stereotypes am i missing??

my thoughts on christmas shopping:

1. obviously i buy everything i can online...IF they will give me free shipping.  duh.  i've...

2. been to the mall, and lines are no fun.  in fact, i went to the mall on saturday to buy a couple last presents, and that was a dumb move.  i got my usual awesome parking space (in a sneaky parking garage that apparently few people know about), but that was the only good thing about the trip.  people walked slowwwwwwly, carrying their huge bags of stuff and taking up as much space as humanly possible.  i darted around them as best i could, putting my speed walking skills to the test.  but the saturday before christmas at the mall?  ridiculous.  i waited in line at one store for 25 minutes, and when i left the line was twice as long as when i got in it.  THAT IS A 50 MINUTE LINE, PEOPLE.  BE WARNED.  yes, the stuff in this store is great, but just consider the lines.  the woman behind me appeared to have brought her husband to the mall just so he could wait in line for her.  i think he got in line as soon as they entered the store, and she joined in the last five minutes.  genius, actually.  anyone want to be my line-spot-holder?  i'll buy you an orange julius!

3. when i was little, my mom wouldn't allow me or becky to buy anything for ourselves in the month of december.  we were supposed to be thinking about other people, not ourselves.  good lesson, really.  we also weren't allowed to be grumpy, or my mom would (/still does) say, in one breath, "ho ho ho merry christmas!" as an admonishment.  (that is the first time i have ever typed the word "admonishment."  i hope i am using it correctly.)  as a grown up, i am allowed to (a) spoil my dinner, (b) go to bed late, and (c) buy things for myself during the month of december.  i didn't do that on saturday at the mall (probably because i couldn't imagine waiting in any more lines than i had to), but when amazon.com is giving free shipping for orders over $25, you better believe i add some items for myself if the order doesn't get to $25 on its own.  this is the great perk of being a grown up.

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.

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.)

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.

sometimes i go right from work to the gym...or to yoga...or on a walk.  i change into my workout clothes in (a) my personal changing room (also known as "the closet in my office"), or (b) the women's bathroom.  without fail, every time i'm in the middle of changing i have the thought: "what if the fire alarm went off RIGHT NOW.  i am naked and would panic and that is the worst possible scenario."  why do i have these thoughts?  because i went to boarding school and then college and the fire alarm has gone off twice while i was in the shower.  there is not much that will incite more panic in a person than a fire drill while she is naked.

i think we can all agree on that.

asparagus pee

oh, you know what i mean.  if you don't, read this article.  it is very informative, telling me that in fact, all pee is asparagus pee, but only 22% of people can smell it. 

and that is fun fact #1 of the day.

fun fact #2?  i had a yummy salad for lunch - lettuce with caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, and goat's cheese.  and roasted asparagus.

logic puzzle

i am going to idaho (!!) this weekend to visit a friend who moved out there in july.  i am unspeakably excited about this.  one thing i've been thinking about, though...and i would love to hear your ideas on because i know it will be FINE any way you slice it...but it makes me giggle to think about it:

five people will be spending a long weekend together.  they are:
three 27-31 year old women (myself included).
one 28 year old man also known as willis.
one 60 year old woman.

we all work together and we are really good friends.  we are giddy about spending the weekend together.

the house where we are staying has the following places to sleep:
--queen-sized bed in the hostess's room
--queen-sized bed in the guest room
--couch
--air mattress

what should the sleeping arrangements be?  i think that willis has to sleep on the air mattress, but he assures me that he has to sleep in the guest bed alone.  um, excuse me willis?  you don't get the best sleeping arrangement just because you are the only boy.  or maybe you do?

[this is like the logic problem where a wolf, a sheep, and some grain (am i getting it right?) have to cross a stream, but only two can fit in the boat the same time and the wolf will eat the sheep and the sheep will eat the grain and ohmygod how can we get them all across in the fewest number of trips.]

happy friday, all!

grumpy day, part 2

i have this exact interaction approximately 100 times a day:

me: hi!
coworker who i'm passing in the hall: hello! how are you?
me: fine. you?
coworker: fine!

(sometimes i play the role of the second person.  i am equally at fault.)

this has become a huge pet peeve of mine.  can't we just say hello and not pretend to care how the other person is?  because that's what it is: pretending.  we don't answer this question honestly, and if we did the other person would secretly roll their eyes and think, "i was just being polite - i don't really want to hear all this."  OR: can we ask this question only with purpose and really listen to the answer?  "how are you?" has the potential to be a really important question, but it has been totally devalued.

[sidenote: in england they don't say, "how are you?" - they say "you alright?" but it comes out as "y'lright?" and it took me forever to figure out that they actually DO CARE how you are doing and i was being rude by giving my standard "fine" response.  i once had a ten minute conversation with a person i'd never met before because he "y'lright?"-ed me and i took it seriously.  i appreciate this.  DO IT, ENGLAND.]

end rant.

what is this world coming to?

at the gym this evening i saw two women lifting weights while wearing shorts and bikini tops.

i'm not talking about skimpy tank tops (acceptable).  i'm talking about string bikini tops with ties in the back.  THIS IS NOT THE POOL DECK, LADIES.  get a clue and put some clothes on.  if you are attempting to pick up men at the gym you can be a little smoother than this.

the end.

12th grade

ohmygoodness everyone: you are in for a surprise.  today's post was written by a guest blogger - becky!  last year, i wrote about visiting her school, so i asked her if she would write about visiting mine.  here you go!  note all the capitalization and, like, actually well constructed sentences.  do it, beck.


There are many differences between a 12th grader at a private Atlanta high school and a 4th grader at a public school in East Harlem. The former do not walk in lines to or from class, do not need permission to use the restroom, and take notes on their laptops instead of their Hannah Montana composition notebooks. But beyond those obvious differences, I’ve found a few more worth sharing (and some similarities, too).

1. If you are in 12th grade and class has just barely started, it is acceptable (or perhaps just accepted) to prance across the classroom to take a cookie from your friend. If you are in 4th grade, you are subject to a strict “no getting up without permission” policy. Should you choose to disobey this policy, your Velcro name tag will move down the behavior stoplight from green (I’m doing great!) to yellow (warning!).

2. If you teach 12th grade government, a random sampling of your office bookshelf yields the following: The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement; Government in America; Simple Justice: A History of Brown v. Board of Education; The Studs Terkel Reader. If you teach 4th grade, favorite texts include: Good-Bye Round Robin: 25 Effective Oral Reading Strategies; Gooney Bird Greene; Strategies that Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement; and Because of Winn-Dixie.

3. Both 12th graders and 4th graders love to tell stories. The problem is, those stories are often not very interesting to the listener. Furthermore, both groups often begin stories they have no intention (or perhaps ability) to finish.
12th grade example: “Oh, I want to say something about that [the Florida church that plans to burn the Quran]! Um, I forget. Well, it was something about a mosque on September 11. Does anyone know about that?” Well, since you gave us so much to go on…
Or this recent 4th grade example: “My partner Brian said he likes different colors. Either colors that are dark or ones that are light.” Thank you for sharing that. It was certainly enlightening.

i want a kid with a scottish accent

cute kid in a park as we walked by today...he was bending over to pull up weeds: "dad! i'm getting grass for me bunny!"

kids with scottish accents?  cutest. thing. ever.

pixar

on my day off two weeks ago i saw toy story 3.  and it was incredible.  i laughed a lot.  i was on the edge of my seat during some scary moments.  (the two kids in front of me got so nervous they had to stand up on their seats for part of it.  they were little, though, so i could still see over them.)  i got really teary at the end.  love and devotion and friendship and loyalty and growing up.  it's the best movie i've seen in a really long time.  i left smiling ear to ear, like an idiot.

the pixar short at the beginning, day & night, was just as good.  i love that pixar does this - puts a short before each feature length film.  the short doesn't have to be commercially marketable, so i think it's able to be really artistically good.  this one contains this line - one of the few spoken in the whole short:

"You know, to me, the most beautiful things in all the universe, are the most mysterious."


(you can read more about it here...it's a paraphrase of something albert einstein said.)

moral of the story: if you haven't seen toy story 3, you NEED to.  you can watch it as if you are a kid for an hour and a half, and then as an adult for the last ten minutes.