on I-45 southbound, driving back from an amazing weekend celebrating becky and brandon's wedding, i listened to some sara bareilles, and a line from "chasing the sun" resonated with me:
so how do you do it,
with just words and just music, capture the feeling
that my earth is somebody's ceiling
this song is literally about walking around a graveyard, where your earth is the ceiling of the dead. but i heard it figuratively. my reality, my day-to-day, is someone else's best moments. that i live daily a life full of moments that are pretty incredible. and this weekend was full of them - surrounded by family, taking care of my sister, being taken care of by the best wedding date ever, laughing with the other bridesmaids, grinning my face off during the ceremony, feeling valued, feeling loved, feeling the community the bride and groom brought together. it wasn't an average weekend, but all of these elements are in my life all the time…this wedding just packed them tightly together. i paused to be reminded that my earth is pretty incredible. my earth is somebody's ceiling.
Showing posts with label the beckster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the beckster. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Sunday, January 26, 2014
weekend recap
i hate blogs where people just tell you what they did. and here i am doing that. ugh. but here's what i've been up to!
on school on friday - ice day! houston, as you might imagine, is not prepared for winter weather, so when there was freezing rain and 28 degree temps all night thursday night, school got cancelled for friday. yippee! i did a whole lot of nothing and it was fantastic. i maintain that every year school should be cancelled for one day for a weather related reason, so i appreciate houston making that dream come true this year. the joy of a snow day does not wear off, even when you are 31.
saturday - my sister got engaged!
i had been in on the surprise for quite a while and am so so happy for her that she's in on it now, too!
saturday i went to yoga and a coworker's party even though i felt a cold coming on, and both were fantastic. sometimes i go to yoga and feel really strong and have excellent balance and try advanced moves. this was one of those classes (yesssss). (alternatively, sometimes i go to yoga and somehow can't stand on one leg even if my life depended on it and get tired really quickly and have to drag myself through the class. often their is no logical reason.) then i went to a coworker's party that i almost didn't go to (see: cold coming on), but she texted to make sure she had enough vegetarian food for me, and then i couldn't say no. the party was so. fun. and i ended up being one of the last people there, playing cranium and laughing a lot. hooray for new friends!
today the cold attacked with full force, so in between trying to take breaths through my nose i watched a lot of the last season of dexter and then went to the movies to see her with elizabeth. pretty good movie - it really made me think. still want to see nebraska and captain phillips before the oscars in march. i tried a new recipe and made spinach dal for dinner and it was pretty delish.
downton abbey + nyquil + 9pm bedtime + ruby had better want to snuggle = what i have planned for the rest of my weekend. on to monday!
on school on friday - ice day! houston, as you might imagine, is not prepared for winter weather, so when there was freezing rain and 28 degree temps all night thursday night, school got cancelled for friday. yippee! i did a whole lot of nothing and it was fantastic. i maintain that every year school should be cancelled for one day for a weather related reason, so i appreciate houston making that dream come true this year. the joy of a snow day does not wear off, even when you are 31.
saturday - my sister got engaged!
i had been in on the surprise for quite a while and am so so happy for her that she's in on it now, too!
saturday i went to yoga and a coworker's party even though i felt a cold coming on, and both were fantastic. sometimes i go to yoga and feel really strong and have excellent balance and try advanced moves. this was one of those classes (yesssss). (alternatively, sometimes i go to yoga and somehow can't stand on one leg even if my life depended on it and get tired really quickly and have to drag myself through the class. often their is no logical reason.) then i went to a coworker's party that i almost didn't go to (see: cold coming on), but she texted to make sure she had enough vegetarian food for me, and then i couldn't say no. the party was so. fun. and i ended up being one of the last people there, playing cranium and laughing a lot. hooray for new friends!
today the cold attacked with full force, so in between trying to take breaths through my nose i watched a lot of the last season of dexter and then went to the movies to see her with elizabeth. pretty good movie - it really made me think. still want to see nebraska and captain phillips before the oscars in march. i tried a new recipe and made spinach dal for dinner and it was pretty delish.
downton abbey + nyquil + 9pm bedtime + ruby had better want to snuggle = what i have planned for the rest of my weekend. on to monday!
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.)
Thursday, July 18, 2013
visitors!
my mom, sister, aunt monica, and cousin sara came to visit me in houston! hooray! um, this was three weeks ago and i am just now getting around to posting about it. oops.
things we did:
ate: we tried new restaurants and liked them all! a hard thing about hosting when you've only lived somewhere for a month - and don't have many friends yet - is that i haven't had a chance to try many restaurants, but i got recommendations from coworkers and friends and was able to piece together a pretty good list of restaurants for us. we also went to el bollilo, an awesome mexican bakery where sara picked out all sorts of pastries that were (delicious) mysteries to all of us (no labels - just dozens of shelves of different colors/shapes/sizes of pastries).
mom stayed a day longer than everyone else, and she and i also bought yummy cheese and bread from houston dairymaids, a tiny little fancy cheese shop.
we all went to the butterfly center at the natural science museum, which was steamy hot even though it was indoors...
so that was the thing: it hadn't broken 100 degrees since i'd moved to houston, but there it was, the day everyone was in town, at 104. sigh. i guess they got an accurate picture of what texas is like... since then it has broken 100 a couple times, but mostly hovers around 97. i hide inside.
we went to the turrell skyspace on the rice university campus, which is this very cool light show at sunset. you sit in this auditorium thing and look up at a square in the ceiling, through which you can see the sky. the way the lights shown on the ceiling contrast with the sky makes the sky look BEAUTIFUL and different all the time. it's hard to explain, but was totally worth seeing.
my apartment is furnished, but i hadn't put anything on the wall when they came to town. i enlisted their help in deciding what should go where, as well as, you know, physically putting it up for me. thanks, aunt monica!
there was also scrabble, a game i love.
hoooooooray for a fun girls' weekend! we're already plotting about getting together again next year...
things we did:
ate: we tried new restaurants and liked them all! a hard thing about hosting when you've only lived somewhere for a month - and don't have many friends yet - is that i haven't had a chance to try many restaurants, but i got recommendations from coworkers and friends and was able to piece together a pretty good list of restaurants for us. we also went to el bollilo, an awesome mexican bakery where sara picked out all sorts of pastries that were (delicious) mysteries to all of us (no labels - just dozens of shelves of different colors/shapes/sizes of pastries).
mom stayed a day longer than everyone else, and she and i also bought yummy cheese and bread from houston dairymaids, a tiny little fancy cheese shop.
we all went to the butterfly center at the natural science museum, which was steamy hot even though it was indoors...
so that was the thing: it hadn't broken 100 degrees since i'd moved to houston, but there it was, the day everyone was in town, at 104. sigh. i guess they got an accurate picture of what texas is like... since then it has broken 100 a couple times, but mostly hovers around 97. i hide inside.
we went to the turrell skyspace on the rice university campus, which is this very cool light show at sunset. you sit in this auditorium thing and look up at a square in the ceiling, through which you can see the sky. the way the lights shown on the ceiling contrast with the sky makes the sky look BEAUTIFUL and different all the time. it's hard to explain, but was totally worth seeing.
my apartment is furnished, but i hadn't put anything on the wall when they came to town. i enlisted their help in deciding what should go where, as well as, you know, physically putting it up for me. thanks, aunt monica!
there was also scrabble, a game i love.
hoooooooray for a fun girls' weekend! we're already plotting about getting together again next year...
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
christmas presents!
i meant to post this a while ago, but obviously never got my act together. i wanted to show you my two favorite christmas presents this year!
1. my dad made me and becky each a cutting board. MY DAD MADE THIS! it's so beautiful and i love it - the wood is all from our farm which, of course, makes it even more special. i'm sad i won't have a real kitchen until this summer because it means this cutting board has to stay in storage at my parents' house. frowny face. i could stare at this all day long.
2. my sister and her boyfriend got me a kitchenaid stand mixer!! it has been my dream to own one of these since...well, since i discovered they existed. i'm SO excited to move into a real apartment and make delicious stuff constantly. becky really knew what the perfect present was for me, and i feel like such a grown up lady by owning this. again, it will stay at home until i move into an apartment. frowny face again.
commonality? am i really this transparent? answer: yes.
1. my dad made me and becky each a cutting board. MY DAD MADE THIS! it's so beautiful and i love it - the wood is all from our farm which, of course, makes it even more special. i'm sad i won't have a real kitchen until this summer because it means this cutting board has to stay in storage at my parents' house. frowny face. i could stare at this all day long.
2. my sister and her boyfriend got me a kitchenaid stand mixer!! it has been my dream to own one of these since...well, since i discovered they existed. i'm SO excited to move into a real apartment and make delicious stuff constantly. becky really knew what the perfect present was for me, and i feel like such a grown up lady by owning this. again, it will stay at home until i move into an apartment. frowny face again.
commonality? am i really this transparent? answer: yes.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
gchat conversation, 10:50pm:
Rebecca: okay, i need to shower and then finish this episode of white collar and then try to go to sleep
i've been kind of wired today
and i just ate shake shack
me: you are mom right now
too wired to go to sleep
DON'T VACUUM*
Rebecca: zoommmmmmmmers
that is how i feel
me: hahahaha
Rebecca: i need to run around the house three times**
did you ever have to do that?
me: NO
that was only you
Rebecca: i was threatened with it A LOT
me: you were
and you had to do it at least once
Rebecca: oh, totally
okay, off i go
*our mom inexplicably gains energy as the night wears on, and has been known to vacuum the living room at like 10pm, while everyone else is lying on the couch watching tv.
**this is what my sister was threatened with as a child when she had too much energy and was driving people crazy. THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE.
Rebecca: okay, i need to shower and then finish this episode of white collar and then try to go to sleep
i've been kind of wired today
and i just ate shake shack
me: you are mom right now
too wired to go to sleep
DON'T VACUUM*
Rebecca: zoommmmmmmmers
that is how i feel
me: hahahaha
Rebecca: i need to run around the house three times**
did you ever have to do that?
me: NO
that was only you
Rebecca: i was threatened with it A LOT
me: you were
and you had to do it at least once
Rebecca: oh, totally
okay, off i go
*our mom inexplicably gains energy as the night wears on, and has been known to vacuum the living room at like 10pm, while everyone else is lying on the couch watching tv.
**this is what my sister was threatened with as a child when she had too much energy and was driving people crazy. THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE.
Monday, September 26, 2011
a new york moment
while visiting becky in new york this weekend - which, by the way, was awesome - the following situation occurred and i pretty much could not believe it was happening.
the characters:
me
becky (my sister, who has lived in new york city for five years)
talia (one of my friends from working in oxford this summer who also lives in new york)
the cab driver
random dude who is a jerk
the scene:
it is saturday night. becky and i have had dinner with some friends of mine from the summer program i work for, and then we've had a couple drinks at a bar down the street from the restaurant. it's close to midnight and we're ready to leave. talia lives just a couple blocks from becky, so we share a cab.
the events:
we find a cab, climb in, and drive several blocks. there's a lot of traffic, so we're moving slowly in the far right lane. the man who will soon be known as "random dude who is a jerk" is standing on the side of the road with two female friends and as we creep slowly by he hits the top of the cab two or three times. my first thought is that the cab driver hadn't turn on his sign that says he's got a passenger (or however they alert people of this - this has always been a mystery to me), and random dude is trying to get the cabbie's attention so that he and his friends can get in.
cab driver freaks out. he stops the car, unbuckles his seat belt, gets out, and says a lot of cuss words while asking random dude why he ran into his cab. random dude yells back while the three of us in the backseat are like "ummmm..." and then cab driver gets back in the car while random dude is still yelling at him. as we are about to pull away, random dude says "your mother attacked the world trade center!" and (middle eastern looking) cab driver yells back "your mother! your mother!" in the only real life yo mama joke i have ever experienced. except at the time it is just absurd, not funny. i say "ignore him! whatever! let's go!" cab driver does not ignore him, but reverses the cab really fast and drives backward to the random dude, who is walking away. becky says, "no! drive the cab! drive the cab! no! we are getting out and not paying!" but cab driver man does not care and continues backing, then gets out to yell at the random dude even more. the three of us in the backseat scurry out and run away and get in another cab.
o.m.g. discuss.
(note: at no point was this scary...just extremely confrontational, which i hate, and so bizarre - i couldn't believe it was happening. in no way should random dude have said what he said, but the cab driver also had an extremely short fuse. but who knows? maybe he deals with random jerks all the time and has had enough.)
the characters:
me
becky (my sister, who has lived in new york city for five years)
talia (one of my friends from working in oxford this summer who also lives in new york)
the cab driver
random dude who is a jerk
the scene:
it is saturday night. becky and i have had dinner with some friends of mine from the summer program i work for, and then we've had a couple drinks at a bar down the street from the restaurant. it's close to midnight and we're ready to leave. talia lives just a couple blocks from becky, so we share a cab.
the events:
we find a cab, climb in, and drive several blocks. there's a lot of traffic, so we're moving slowly in the far right lane. the man who will soon be known as "random dude who is a jerk" is standing on the side of the road with two female friends and as we creep slowly by he hits the top of the cab two or three times. my first thought is that the cab driver hadn't turn on his sign that says he's got a passenger (or however they alert people of this - this has always been a mystery to me), and random dude is trying to get the cabbie's attention so that he and his friends can get in.
cab driver freaks out. he stops the car, unbuckles his seat belt, gets out, and says a lot of cuss words while asking random dude why he ran into his cab. random dude yells back while the three of us in the backseat are like "ummmm..." and then cab driver gets back in the car while random dude is still yelling at him. as we are about to pull away, random dude says "your mother attacked the world trade center!" and (middle eastern looking) cab driver yells back "your mother! your mother!" in the only real life yo mama joke i have ever experienced. except at the time it is just absurd, not funny. i say "ignore him! whatever! let's go!" cab driver does not ignore him, but reverses the cab really fast and drives backward to the random dude, who is walking away. becky says, "no! drive the cab! drive the cab! no! we are getting out and not paying!" but cab driver man does not care and continues backing, then gets out to yell at the random dude even more. the three of us in the backseat scurry out and run away and get in another cab.
o.m.g. discuss.
(note: at no point was this scary...just extremely confrontational, which i hate, and so bizarre - i couldn't believe it was happening. in no way should random dude have said what he said, but the cab driver also had an extremely short fuse. but who knows? maybe he deals with random jerks all the time and has had enough.)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
t minus 8 hours until becky arrives!
my sister is coming to visit this weekend! hooray!
things planned:
indian food take out and the friday night lights premiere on tv
a trip to world peace cafe (how has she never been?!)
quasi-fancy pre-prom dinner with my work friends
prom (i'll try to get her to guest post about her experiences)
post-prom drinks with friends
cinema club on sunday morning
warm weather all around!
trivia!
going to be a great weekend. :)
things planned:
indian food take out and the friday night lights premiere on tv
a trip to world peace cafe (how has she never been?!)
quasi-fancy pre-prom dinner with my work friends
prom (i'll try to get her to guest post about her experiences)
post-prom drinks with friends
cinema club on sunday morning
warm weather all around!
trivia!
going to be a great weekend. :)
Saturday, March 5, 2011
boo
"storming the floor is probably not necessary when a team is ranked 13 and beats #4. poor form."
--text message from becky to me, received at 10:03pm
"okay: classless to storm the court when you are ranked #13 in the nation."
--text message from me to becky, sent at 10:03pm
we sent essentially the same text message to each other at the same moment, our little messages passing one another in the magic text message ether between our phones. that's pretty much the only fun thing about tonight's game.
--text message from becky to me, received at 10:03pm
"okay: classless to storm the court when you are ranked #13 in the nation."
--text message from me to becky, sent at 10:03pm
we sent essentially the same text message to each other at the same moment, our little messages passing one another in the magic text message ether between our phones. that's pretty much the only fun thing about tonight's game.
Monday, February 7, 2011
bags
i keep meaning to show you the two cutest bags ever - both birthday presents from back in november. becky bought me this clutch for when i go out in the evenings and don't need to carry a lot, but want a cute bag - it fits my phone and chapstick and ID and money:
I LOVE IT. i actually bought this clutch for becky for HER birthday, but then perhaps coveted it a bit much and she got the hint. my hints aren't usually very covert. the floral print is a cherry red color, but that didn't show up as well in this picture. i get huge compliments when i carry this.
jenny and veronica got me this bag for my birthday, and it has become my everyday bag for carrying around my wallet/phone/keys/alltheotherthingsineed.
here's the fabric up close:
the fabric is corduroy and it's perfect for fall and winter. this was one of those presents where you know that the person who gave it to you really knows you. this bag is so ME. i'm already mourning for the day when spring is here and this won't feel seasonal anymore. but you never know - i might just keep carrying it around.
let's put that on the list of things that are good about winter: corduroy, the fabric. i can't think of anything else right now. okay, i can: heavy comforters. hot showers. trader joe's sea salt caramels. christmas. christmas break.
that's about all i've got.
(both bags are from etsy. obviously.)
I LOVE IT. i actually bought this clutch for becky for HER birthday, but then perhaps coveted it a bit much and she got the hint. my hints aren't usually very covert. the floral print is a cherry red color, but that didn't show up as well in this picture. i get huge compliments when i carry this.
jenny and veronica got me this bag for my birthday, and it has become my everyday bag for carrying around my wallet/phone/keys/alltheotherthingsineed.
here's the fabric up close:
the fabric is corduroy and it's perfect for fall and winter. this was one of those presents where you know that the person who gave it to you really knows you. this bag is so ME. i'm already mourning for the day when spring is here and this won't feel seasonal anymore. but you never know - i might just keep carrying it around.
let's put that on the list of things that are good about winter: corduroy, the fabric. i can't think of anything else right now. okay, i can: heavy comforters. hot showers. trader joe's sea salt caramels. christmas. christmas break.
that's about all i've got.
(both bags are from etsy. obviously.)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
aired out
so, right now it is 69 degrees and sunny-ish in atlanta. becky called to tell me how pissed she was about this. we do this, my family - check on the weather in each others' locations. i also check the weather in places i've lived - durham if i'm feeling nostalgic, exeter if i want to be happy about how warm it is here in comparison. my dad has a feature on his tv where he can check the weather in five cities (that he programmed in) by pressing a button on his remote control. there's something about knowing the weather in a loved one's city that brings you closer to them, even though they may be far away.
when i got home from school today (we had an open house for prospective families), i opened a window in my room and turned the fan on to circulate some fresh air. i also opened the door to the patio, so the whole house feels aired out. it feels so good after having been shut up for months. i know this is a momentary break in the winter weather and it'll be nice and rainy and cold all week (boo), so i'm appreciating this while i can.
when i got home from school today (we had an open house for prospective families), i opened a window in my room and turned the fan on to circulate some fresh air. i also opened the door to the patio, so the whole house feels aired out. it feels so good after having been shut up for months. i know this is a momentary break in the winter weather and it'll be nice and rainy and cold all week (boo), so i'm appreciating this while i can.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
friday night lights
let's talk about my newest obsession.
it is embarrassing.
becky has been telling me to watch friday night lights for pretty much forever. it is one of her favorite shows. it is about a high school football team. LAME-O. i have been putting off her recommendation for a long time.
until a couple weeks ago, when i was up in new york visiting her.
friday night lights is available to watch instantly on netflix. so we watched the first episode. i made fun of it the whole time. vocally.
then she fell asleep and i watched another one. i didn't tell her.
the next day, i watched another.
and now i am obsessed.
I DO NOT WANT TO LIKE THIS SHOW. but i do. curses! when i was at home for christmas i watched a bunch of episodes and i kept saying to becky, "smash williams annoys me" and "tim riggins needs to get his life together" and "ohmygoodness julie taylor and matt saracen went out on a date!!" i am officially obsessed and i can admit that it is a good show and BECKY WINS. but i don't want to like it because it's about football, which interests me not at all, and high school, which i live through my students every day and is too much drama for its own good.
i'm nearing the end of season 1 and it just keeps getting better. don't ruin any plot lines for me, readers.
it is embarrassing.
becky has been telling me to watch friday night lights for pretty much forever. it is one of her favorite shows. it is about a high school football team. LAME-O. i have been putting off her recommendation for a long time.
until a couple weeks ago, when i was up in new york visiting her.
friday night lights is available to watch instantly on netflix. so we watched the first episode. i made fun of it the whole time. vocally.
then she fell asleep and i watched another one. i didn't tell her.
the next day, i watched another.
and now i am obsessed.
I DO NOT WANT TO LIKE THIS SHOW. but i do. curses! when i was at home for christmas i watched a bunch of episodes and i kept saying to becky, "smash williams annoys me" and "tim riggins needs to get his life together" and "ohmygoodness julie taylor and matt saracen went out on a date!!" i am officially obsessed and i can admit that it is a good show and BECKY WINS. but i don't want to like it because it's about football, which interests me not at all, and high school, which i live through my students every day and is too much drama for its own good.
i'm nearing the end of season 1 and it just keeps getting better. don't ruin any plot lines for me, readers.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
on airplanes
the scene: me in new york city. raining. snow in atlanta. flight out in two hours. expected delay of my flight, according to delta.com: 1 hour. amount of reading material in my bag? 1.5 newsweeks.
PANIC.
the solution? becky lent me mennonite in a little black dress and recommended i download a movie on itunes ($3.99 for a 24 hour rental is a small price to pay for not dying of boredom). BEST. IDEAS. EVER. during my hour delay and two hour flight home i read 50 pages of the book and watched an entire movie: the kids are all right. which was really wonderful, and i was glad to see annette benning and julianne moore receive golden globe nominations for their roles, as did the film for "best picture, musical or comedy," when it isn't either. i am so confused.
(in slightly related news, it makes me really uncomfortable to watch movies with sex scenes in them while on an airplane, but i do it anyway. once i was sitting next to an old woman on a plane and i was watching part of the tudors. if you've ever seen this show, you know that there are some pretty scandalous sex scenes and torture scenes (not at the same time, mind you), one scene of torture in the last season that was so horrible i had to mute the computer and then close my eyes. is it rude to watch something like this on a plane, where the person next to you can't run away? i hope not.)
the kids are all right wasn't marketed in mainstream media...i mean, i know the movie is about a gay couple, but it was about everything BUT a gay couple, really. and, um, how did no one tell me that mark ruffalo is in this film? i have loved him since eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and i continue to love him. GREAT movie. if you haven't seen it, you should.
the end.
[sometimes i feel like i have to end a blog post with "the end." like, i've just told you a story, but it isn't complete yet. so let me tell you it's complete. annoying? possibly. but it gives me a sense of closure. the end.]
PANIC.
the solution? becky lent me mennonite in a little black dress and recommended i download a movie on itunes ($3.99 for a 24 hour rental is a small price to pay for not dying of boredom). BEST. IDEAS. EVER. during my hour delay and two hour flight home i read 50 pages of the book and watched an entire movie: the kids are all right. which was really wonderful, and i was glad to see annette benning and julianne moore receive golden globe nominations for their roles, as did the film for "best picture, musical or comedy," when it isn't either. i am so confused.
(in slightly related news, it makes me really uncomfortable to watch movies with sex scenes in them while on an airplane, but i do it anyway. once i was sitting next to an old woman on a plane and i was watching part of the tudors. if you've ever seen this show, you know that there are some pretty scandalous sex scenes and torture scenes (not at the same time, mind you), one scene of torture in the last season that was so horrible i had to mute the computer and then close my eyes. is it rude to watch something like this on a plane, where the person next to you can't run away? i hope not.)
the kids are all right wasn't marketed in mainstream media...i mean, i know the movie is about a gay couple, but it was about everything BUT a gay couple, really. and, um, how did no one tell me that mark ruffalo is in this film? i have loved him since eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and i continue to love him. GREAT movie. if you haven't seen it, you should.
the end.
[sometimes i feel like i have to end a blog post with "the end." like, i've just told you a story, but it isn't complete yet. so let me tell you it's complete. annoying? possibly. but it gives me a sense of closure. the end.]
Friday, December 10, 2010
nyc bound, part 2
this is what awaits me in nyc:
sister time! a whole weekend of it!
and shake shack, the union square holiday market, more shopping, a show, more food, and lying around in our pajamas and watching movies. last weekend i was in new york city, too, but that weekend was about duke basketball and bars. and then lying around. i realized after the fact that we could have done those things anywhere - the location wasn't important. (though i did have some of the best - and cheapest - thai food of my life - so thank you yum-yum thai restaurant and new york city for that.) this weekend is about getting out into the city and doing things (with my sister!). and then lying around. we are skilled at that.
so i guess there WILL be some similarities.
i. can't. wait.
sister time! a whole weekend of it!
and shake shack, the union square holiday market, more shopping, a show, more food, and lying around in our pajamas and watching movies. last weekend i was in new york city, too, but that weekend was about duke basketball and bars. and then lying around. i realized after the fact that we could have done those things anywhere - the location wasn't important. (though i did have some of the best - and cheapest - thai food of my life - so thank you yum-yum thai restaurant and new york city for that.) this weekend is about getting out into the city and doing things (with my sister!). and then lying around. we are skilled at that.
so i guess there WILL be some similarities.
i. can't. wait.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
"the best thing about having a sister was that i always had a friend" --cali rae turner
26 years ago today, i got a sister.
this is us with our grandma in what has to be 1985. by my estimates, i'm 2 and a half. becky is some (small) number of months old. grandma is 66. every farm kid needs overalls, and mine are purple. life is good.
time has passed. who knows how old we are here. i mean, really - i have no clue. i do know that i started to grow out my bangs in second grade, so this is before that. i like that my turtleneck is tucked into my skirt - an excellent fashion statement. and we have somehow convinced dad to include the cat in the photo. now, we were farm girls, but boy did we like to wear dresses. here is photographic evidence of that.
i know i've posted this photo before, but this is my blog, damn it, and i'll post it again if i want to. here we are in 2010, ages 25 and 27. loch ness, scotland.
now, there aren't a lot of things in life that i know for certain, but here is one of them: if and when i have children, i'll have more than one. for every childhood adventure, becky was alongside me. every less-than-pleasant time, she was there, too. if i need to talk to her, she always answers the phone. she tells me when i'm being ridiculous and when i'm not. what do people without siblings DO?
26 years ago today, i got a sister. i have no memory of that day, but i have a lot of memories of the days spent with her since then. happy birthday, beck - i love you more than i can put into words.
this is us with our grandma in what has to be 1985. by my estimates, i'm 2 and a half. becky is some (small) number of months old. grandma is 66. every farm kid needs overalls, and mine are purple. life is good.
time has passed. who knows how old we are here. i mean, really - i have no clue. i do know that i started to grow out my bangs in second grade, so this is before that. i like that my turtleneck is tucked into my skirt - an excellent fashion statement. and we have somehow convinced dad to include the cat in the photo. now, we were farm girls, but boy did we like to wear dresses. here is photographic evidence of that.
i know i've posted this photo before, but this is my blog, damn it, and i'll post it again if i want to. here we are in 2010, ages 25 and 27. loch ness, scotland.
now, there aren't a lot of things in life that i know for certain, but here is one of them: if and when i have children, i'll have more than one. for every childhood adventure, becky was alongside me. every less-than-pleasant time, she was there, too. if i need to talk to her, she always answers the phone. she tells me when i'm being ridiculous and when i'm not. what do people without siblings DO?
26 years ago today, i got a sister. i have no memory of that day, but i have a lot of memories of the days spent with her since then. happy birthday, beck - i love you more than i can put into words.
Friday, August 6, 2010
inverness
after three days in edinburgh we've taken a 3.5 hour train ride north to inverness, where we'll be until monday. gorgeous views from the train as we drove - desolate hills with wildflowers and sheep galore and maybe a highland cow or two (becky has her eyes peeled) and an occasional small town with little stone houses. we found our way to our bed and breakfast here in inverness, and i am already in love - adorable little rooms and homemade ginger shortbread cookies on the bedside table for us to snack on. (i've already eaten three. if becky doesn't hurry up i will eat the fourth and final cookie and she will lose out BIG TIME.) it's great to unpack a bit and be in a comfy bed after an afternoon of toting my belongings everywhere.
becky's favorite parts of edinburgh:
"the dog cemetery [at edinburgh castle - those who have been there before will agree that it is awesome...soldiers who worked there made a cemetery to bury their dogs - complete with headstones. the dogs had awesome names like gyp and winkle and scamp and tinker and the gravestones call them "a loyal companion" or something similar]."
"i liked the scottish parliament except when i get chastised by you for asking too many questions. [okay, she asked like a hundred questions during our hour long tour. well, maybe five. and they were good ones. but the tour needed to go on! at least she didn't ask how the cleaning staff cleaned the intricate windows on the building like one ridiculous woman on our tour did. this ridiculous woman's husband later asked if one of the walls was a load-bearing wall. WHO THE HELL CARES, BUDDY?? there was a lot of becky-claire eye-rolling at those two.]"
i would ask the other members of my family the same question, but mama is in bed and dad is out at a pub listening to folk music. so they'll have to chime in later...
becky's favorite parts of edinburgh:
"the dog cemetery [at edinburgh castle - those who have been there before will agree that it is awesome...soldiers who worked there made a cemetery to bury their dogs - complete with headstones. the dogs had awesome names like gyp and winkle and scamp and tinker and the gravestones call them "a loyal companion" or something similar]."
"i liked the scottish parliament except when i get chastised by you for asking too many questions. [okay, she asked like a hundred questions during our hour long tour. well, maybe five. and they were good ones. but the tour needed to go on! at least she didn't ask how the cleaning staff cleaned the intricate windows on the building like one ridiculous woman on our tour did. this ridiculous woman's husband later asked if one of the walls was a load-bearing wall. WHO THE HELL CARES, BUDDY?? there was a lot of becky-claire eye-rolling at those two.]"
i would ask the other members of my family the same question, but mama is in bed and dad is out at a pub listening to folk music. so they'll have to chime in later...
Thursday, August 5, 2010
arrivals
we've arrived in scotland! i woke up very early (4:15am) on tuesday to get on the first flight of the day from london heathrow to edinburgh, and met mom/dad/becky very easily in baggage claim in the edinburgh airport. they were much more tired than i was, seeing as they'd taken an overnight flight from new york and apparently didn't sleep very much at all. a little nap was had in the afternoon, which improved things greatly. since we've arrived the following things have occurred:
a bird pooped on becky's face. she freaked out. my antibacterial wipes came to the rescue. i am the best sister ever.
i got to share the glory of marks & spencer's food hall with the rest of my family. i think they were duly impressed. i had my favorite sandwich - a falafel and hummus wrap - and was very happy.
we went on a tour of holyroodhouse abbey and palace - the abbey dates back to the 1100s and the woman who gave us a little tour was full of cool information. the palace is the official residence of the queen of england when she visits scotland. it was pretty cool, too. this is the palace with the abbey attached on the right hand side (photo credit: someone in my family who isn't me). the photo was taken from the top of arthur's seat...
we hiked from holyroodhouse to the top of arthur's seat (my lonely planet guidebook said it was a 45 minute hike. 45 minutes my ass.) - beautiful, with great views of the surrounding area. this is arthur's seat from calton hill, another high point in the city. holyroodhouse is the furthest building on the left that you can see.
we went to sandy bell's, a pub that has traditional scottish music every night, for some pints of beer and some GREAT music. the musicians (a harmonica player, guitar player, fiddle player, and mandolin player) sat around a table right next to us and played for several hours. no photos of that, as we were trying hard not to look like tourists, and taking photos in a pub is a surefire way to look like a tourist. we were perhaps not succeeding in our efforts, but definitely trying.
so far, scotland is not disappointing us.
a bird pooped on becky's face. she freaked out. my antibacterial wipes came to the rescue. i am the best sister ever.
i got to share the glory of marks & spencer's food hall with the rest of my family. i think they were duly impressed. i had my favorite sandwich - a falafel and hummus wrap - and was very happy.
we went on a tour of holyroodhouse abbey and palace - the abbey dates back to the 1100s and the woman who gave us a little tour was full of cool information. the palace is the official residence of the queen of england when she visits scotland. it was pretty cool, too. this is the palace with the abbey attached on the right hand side (photo credit: someone in my family who isn't me). the photo was taken from the top of arthur's seat...
we hiked from holyroodhouse to the top of arthur's seat (my lonely planet guidebook said it was a 45 minute hike. 45 minutes my ass.) - beautiful, with great views of the surrounding area. this is arthur's seat from calton hill, another high point in the city. holyroodhouse is the furthest building on the left that you can see.
we went to sandy bell's, a pub that has traditional scottish music every night, for some pints of beer and some GREAT music. the musicians (a harmonica player, guitar player, fiddle player, and mandolin player) sat around a table right next to us and played for several hours. no photos of that, as we were trying hard not to look like tourists, and taking photos in a pub is a surefire way to look like a tourist. we were perhaps not succeeding in our efforts, but definitely trying.
so far, scotland is not disappointing us.
Friday, July 30, 2010
book club update
in the course of a couple hours, my sister's book club project is fully funded!! of the seven people who donated, she only knows who four of them are...here is our email exchange when i checked back on her project and saw that it was complete:
me:
OHMYGOD YOUR PROJECT IS FULLY FUNDED - WHO THE HELL ARE THESE NEW DONORS? How did they find you - can you do a search on donorschoose for projects that would interest you? Or do you know these people??
I just got REALLY EXCITED for you! Like, why aren't you online so we can talk about this?? Ahhhh!!!
Love!
Claire
her:
Um, I have no idea who these people are. But they gave A LOT of money...I needed like $200 and then all at once it was funded...Someone is from NJ...and someone is totally anonymous! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE???? I am so excited and touched and confused...they don't know me but they gave me money!
Okay, let me know if you figure anything else out about my mystery friends...
I am PUMPED!!!!!!!
(aww - she got all her books! also: we like exclamation points and all caps when we are excited. we are sisters - what can i say.)
if you are late to the game and like the idea of donorschoose.org and want to help out a teacher who you don't know (since you can't help becky any more), i'm sure they will be just as thankful as becky was to get a donation from someone who just wants to do a good thing. go to http://www.donorschoose.org/, click on "projects" in the upper righthand corner, and find one that speaks to you!
me:
OHMYGOD YOUR PROJECT IS FULLY FUNDED - WHO THE HELL ARE THESE NEW DONORS? How did they find you - can you do a search on donorschoose for projects that would interest you? Or do you know these people??
I just got REALLY EXCITED for you! Like, why aren't you online so we can talk about this?? Ahhhh!!!
Love!
Claire
her:
Um, I have no idea who these people are. But they gave A LOT of money...I needed like $200 and then all at once it was funded...Someone is from NJ...and someone is totally anonymous! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE???? I am so excited and touched and confused...they don't know me but they gave me money!
Okay, let me know if you figure anything else out about my mystery friends...
I am PUMPED!!!!!!!
(aww - she got all her books! also: we like exclamation points and all caps when we are excited. we are sisters - what can i say.)
if you are late to the game and like the idea of donorschoose.org and want to help out a teacher who you don't know (since you can't help becky any more), i'm sure they will be just as thankful as becky was to get a donation from someone who just wants to do a good thing. go to http://www.donorschoose.org/, click on "projects" in the upper righthand corner, and find one that speaks to you!
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