a ruby a day

My Friday night buddy!

a ruby a day

I was only forgiven for leaving when I agreed to sit ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR to pet her. Nowhere else would do. That is the refrigerator that she is rolling around with. 

Let the record show that I don't know why we couldn't have done this in the living room, but her pitiful meows insisted it be here. And I obliged because I am ridiculous. 

a ruby a day

Heading home to Houston...and missing my little Ruby girl, whom I won't be able to pick up until tomorrow afternoon. So let's just take a minute to appreciate how cute she is - this is her "there is a bird I need to keep an eye on!!" pose. 

what i'm listening to right now

i'm still (slowly) making my way through the podcast welcome to night vale.  this is another song from the show: "jews for jesus blues," by clem snide - great beat and i love the singer's voice:

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”
—John Wesley (1703-1791), Theologian

a photo a day

11 years ago this month I was taking a Civil War history class at Duke and we took a quasi-mandatory field trip to the Gettysburg battlefield. The class was half southern frat boys reliving the glory of the capital S South and half history majors who wanted to learn more about, you know, American history. I made a D on the midterm exam because I struggled with - among other things - drawing out battle plans like our instructor wanted us to...where the confederate army was at the beginning and end of the battle for Vicksburg, for example. Who needs to know this?!? Me, apparently. And then then Gettysburg trip. I drove my rugby teammate Jessica, another history nerd who we were kind of friends with, the girl that nerd was flirting with...and my professor. Yes, that's right, my professor rode in the backseat for the six hour drive from North Carolina to southern Pennsylvania. My professor and I became friends on that trip and I experienced my first blatant case of grade inflation: after that D on the midterm, a solid paper + a sold final exam + a weekend of fun in Gettysburg = a solid A for the course. I didn't ask questions.

When we were in Gettysburg with the frat boys, we stopped at the high water mark of the confederacy (Pickett's charge resulted in the farthest north the confederate army made it during the war). Our professor made us reenact Pickett's charge and then the frat boys shotgunned a beer there. You read that right. Shotgunned a beer. 

Today I am in Gettysburg again! I'm here visiting Gettysburg College and two other liberal arts colleges in central Pennsylvania as part of a tour for college counselors. We took a short tour of the battlefield today. Disappointingly - but not surprisingly - no one shotgunned a beer at the high water mark of the confederacy this time. 

a photo a day

Airplane sunsets are sometimes the best sunsets!

a Ruby a day

Let me go on the record (again) as stating unequivocally that not only do I have the cutest cat on the planet, but she is also the most affectionate sweetheart everrrrr. Only flaw at the moment: massive shedding. But that's nothing a good vacuum can't handle.

“Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit.”
—Edward Abbey (1927-1989), American Author

a screenshot a day

This? This is pretty incredible. I have two friends in Nepal currently - one lives there, one lives in Bangladesh - and this showed up in my Facebook news feed. 

Both friends had already posted that they were okay, but I know not everyone is that lucky. Huge kudos to Facebook for creating and implementing this.

Technology is not everything. But technology can be a very important thing.

a photo a day

Newest little stuffed animal for a work friend's baby girl, due in June! I am in love with this pattern - the bunny is so easy to make and so freaking adorable. 

a book i loved just won the pulitzer prize - hooray!  this book was recommended to me by my friend who is in prison…and just writing that sentence makes me laugh.  yes, everyone, my friend who is in federal prison has excellent taste in books (and he tells me that he is now reading the complete works of shakespeare because he's got nothing but time).  oh what a weird weird universe we live in.

march: 5, 6, 7, & 8

oops - 22 days into the next month, and i'm just now posting it.  but…march was a good month of reading, helped by spring break!  last month i read:

persepolis: the story of a childhood, by marjane satrapi (this is an autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in iran in the 1970s.  it was on our school's summer reading short list, though we're ultimately going to go with a different book.  i had seen the movie previously, and this is one case where i'd recommend the movie before i'd recommend reading the book.  the art is the same, and the movie evokes more powerful emotions, in my opinion, than i experienced reading the book.  i'd highly recommend you see the movie!  such an important part of world history to be exposed to.)

the book thief, by markus zusak (how did it take me so long to read this book?  it had been on my list for a while, and i finally bought it with a gift certificate that a student gave me (hooray for gift certificates for books!).  this is a fictional account of a girl growing up near munich during world war II.  the book is narrated by death, which i found a fascinating way to tell this story.  it's horribly sad at points, like all books about world war II can be, but the structure of the book and the narration and the characters made this a really interesting read.  i'd highly recommend it!  i think it's technically a young adult book (another work of great young adult literature!), and it's a quick read, but no less powerful because it's aimed at a teenage audience.  i immediately put another book by the author (i am the messenger) on my "to read" list.  see...this is how my list doesn't ever get any shorter...)

the other wes moore, by wes moore (put down everything you are doing.  READ THIS BOOK.  the premise: a man named wes moore finds out he has been selected as a rhodes scholar at the same time as he sees on the news that another man named wes moore is found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.  the two wes moores are about the same age, both black, both grew up in baltimore.  how does one become a rhodes scholar and the other end up in prison?  the book follows both wes moores through their lives, drawing contrasts between the events of each of their lives and how they respond to them.  it, of course, doesn't answer any questions fully, but it gave me a LOT to think about. this was one of those books where i was talking back to the book while i read it.  always a good sign!)

serena, by ron rash (Q recommended this book to me - the author is from the asheville area, and he knows that i love a good historical novel set in appalachia.  this book was good, but i have a hard time liking books when i don't find the main character likable…and i had a really hard time figuring out what to think of serena.  i'm glad i read it - and there are some really interesting plot points - but i'm not rushing to recommend it to you guys because i'm…still just not quite sure what to think about it.  and the ending…oh, the ending.  so maybe you should read it.  i'm just not quite sure.)

what i'm listening to right now

i know, i know, i'm behind the times again, but i just discovered "little toy guns," by carrie underwood, and i'm loving it (cheesy as it is, as times), which is not hard because carrie has such a fantastic voice:

spring salad

i made smitten kitchen's spring salad with new potatoes a year or so ago, and then (re-)fell in love with it this weekend.  i was in the grocery store and there was some gorgeous asparagus and then this salad popped back into my head.  thank you, internet, for (re-)finding the recipe for me while i stood in the produce section, assuring that i bought all the ingredients i needed.  and, caveat, i hate radishes, so i clearly omitted those.  this salad is fantastic because (a) potatoes are just one ingredient, not the whole story, and (b) the dressing isn't mayonnaise-based (i really like mayonnaise, but the fact that the dressing here is a vinaigrette makes it so much lighter).  i made it on saturday...and then again tonight.  but i made a half recipe each time…which is how i am justifying it.

you should make this salad, and then perhaps bring it for lunch alongside hummus and pita like i did.

a chewy a day

Yesterday, Ruby had a play date with my friend Carolyn's cat Chewbacca, because Carolyn may keep Ruby when I'm out of town in a few weeks and we wanted to see how Ruby and Chewy got along.

Step 1: adorable tentative touching of noses. 

Step 2: retreating into separate corners of the apartment. 

Step 3: Ruby going on the greeting offense. Hissing, noise-making, etc. from both cats. 

Step 4: Ruby, secure in her dominance, lies on the bed in a position of repose, while Chewy hides under it. Carolyn and I leave to go to the Astros game. 

Oh, that's right. We had seats right behind the dugout. Astros win yayyyyy. 

Step 5 (discovered when we get home): there is a mutual agreement that Ruby can have all high surfaces and Chewy will have all low ones. Ruby is on the kitchen counter, later the bookshelf, and finally he bathroom counter. Chewy tracks her movements from the floor. 

Step 6: in an act of passive aggressive dominance (or something? who knows what cats are thinking) like I have never seen before, Chewy casually goes in Ruby's carrier and refuses to get out, making eye contact with bathroom counter lounging Ruby the whole time. 

Step 7: Chewy is extracted from carrier, Ruby is shoved in it, and night is called a success. 

Step 8: Upon getting home, Ruby pretends like she didn't have a cat food buffet while at Chewy's house. I do not believe her. 

Cat play date: success!

domesticity

my apartment tends to go through phases…i spend time getting it super clean one weekend, then three weeks later i look around and it's a WRECK.  this morning we were in wreck territory.  today i did two loads of laundry, vacuumed, did the dishes, took out the trash, got clothes ready to give to goodwill, balanced my (electronic) checkbook, boxed up a baby gift to be mailed, started a new knitting project, and cleaned my closet.  it feels GOOD…is this a sign that i am old?!

ruby does not quite know what to do with all the floor space that has been freed up.  

this is a belated post, because hazel was born in february, but look!  smushy new baby hazel wore the hat i made her!

clearly i was/am over the moon about this.  (and i get to meet baby hazel in 3 weeks - yay!)  i still have some of this yarn, and i think another baby hat for some other baby out there is for sure in the works because the yarn knitted up so nicely.  woo hoo!

what i'm listening to right now

so, like the rest of the world (this video has 218 million views so far), i enjoy this song.  "love me like you do," by ellie goulding:



no, i did not see the movie.  yes, i did read the book and, yes, that did help me get a question right at trivia night a few weeks ago.  so clearly reading the book was time well spent.

HILARIOUS - i was laughing out loud, which either means it is truly funny or i am truly weird.  two medieval monks invent dinner parties

(one instance of bad language, so be slightly warned.)

what i'm pondering right now

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.

seasons

i had a parent meeting today, and we were chit-chatting about the weather as the meeting started, and i said how much i was enjoying spring…and the dad corrected me.  "it's pre-summer," he said.  which, at 86 degrees today, is pretty accurate.  which got me thinking…what really ARE the seasons in texas?

june-september = summer
october-december = fall
january-february = fall+ (when some of the leaves turn fall colors in january, you can't call this season winter)
march = spring
april-may = pre-summer

i'm remaining optimistic that we'll have another cooler spring day before pre-summer turns into real summer…but i'm not holding my breath.

what i'm listening to right now

"if i ever leave this world alive," by flogging molly:


at some point nora put this on one of her fantastic mixes.  i've been listening to some old CDs recently and loved re-discovering this song!

Life with a cat: snuggling on THEIR terms. I just laid down on the ground near Ruby - and let the record show that almost two years with Ruby has taught me to not lie too close and not force her to full-body snuggle, which would otherwise be my goal. So I lie down on the floor near her and pet her ONE TIME and she gets up and moves 20 feet away and lies back down. 

I love you, too, Ruby. 

a Ruby a day

Dear downstairs neighbor,

(I can never remember your name. Jeff? Maybe? Sorry.) Thank you for putting in a bird feeder on your balcony. You have lured all the birdies outside this window, giving Ruby a calling in life. 75% of her waking life is now spent keeping track of these birds, and boy is she good at it. Nothing escapes her eagle eyes!

Love, 

Miss Claire

a photo a day

Ruby helps me write comments for my students - such a considerate kitty cat.

what i'm listening to right now

"heartbeat song," by kelly clarkson.  try not to dance to this song - i dare you:

a photo a day

At my school there is a lower school community service club called KOCI Kids (don't ask me what that stands for because I have no idea) and one of their projects is making notepads for teachers every year as a way to use up scrap paper (one side is blank and the other side is bad copies from the copier). They glue together one end to make a notepad and then write each teacher's name on the front and draw a picture. I got my annual notepad this week and I am CRACKING UP. 

1. My name was longer than expected. Happens to the best of us, kiddo. 

2. Excellent flower! If that is a flower. 

3. Yes, that's right: inside the flower are the words "egg salad." Please note that the cafeteria has egg salad every two weeks or so and I, being obsessed with egg salad, scan the menu for this day and put it on my calendar. Like you do. Because you wouldn't want to accidentally bring your lunch on egg salad day and miss it. My whole office knows about my obsession and shares my excitement when the day rolls around. And I miiiiiight have been excited at the salad bar one day a few months ago when a lower school teacher - who just happens to run the community service club - was there, and hence: this notepad happened. 

I will clearly be treasuring this artwork forever.

a photo a day

Because I work at an awesome school, on Monday morning we had a choice between normal professional development sessions or just fun workshops. I clearly signed up as soon as possible so I could get a spot in jewelry making, and I made these earrings!!! They are silver, made from a malleable clay made of silver, water, and chemicals. You shape it, then blow torch it, and the water and chemicals disappear and you're left with 99% silver! My colleague who taught the class made me feel so competent and confident and I looooove the earrings. Art class = awesome.

Pre-blow torching (I rolled out, cut, and stamped the clay with a pattern):

Post-blow torching and post-sanding/scrubbing/buffing:

Assembled!

I can tell if I'm early or late to work by where a certain runner is on the main road near school. Do I see him as I wait to turn into school? Then I'm on time. Is he further down the road? Then I'm a little late. He's not a small guy, and the story I've concocted in my head is that he has committed himself to getting in shape. Every day I cheer him on (silently) from my car. 

a photo a day

Tulips at the Dallas Arboretum, where we had brunch on Sunday. I hope it looks this beautiful in three weeks for Becky's wedding!

a ruby a day

"Scratch my chin some more and I'll forgive you for leaving me for ten days."

some photos I haven't shared yet, part II

Istanbul pictures I didn't post yet!

Looking up into the dome of the German Fountain in one of the main squares - so beautiful! There are lots of public fountains in Turkey - that are still in use! We saw several people filling up jugs with water while we were there. 

Selfie with Jenny in the Hagia Sophia!

The entrance from the Bosphorus Strait into the Black Sea, taken from the ruined castle we went to on our Bosphorus cruise. Can you guess what those structures are on either side?

Ferry ride back to Istanbul. 

At Topkapi Palace in Istanbul there were four little animal statues in a row. So of course we had a German tourist take this picture of us. 

The dome and the ceiling of the Blue Mosque. 

The Blue Mosque. I was initially surprised not to see any benches on the floor - but of course not, right?  This is where the men pray. Don't get me started on where the women pray. 

Selfie outside the Blue Mosque! Carrie Mathison is my muse. In fact, I am embarrassed to admit that a fair bit of what I know about Muslim culture came from Homeland. 

Up next: Observations by Miss Claire. 

some photos I haven't shared yet, part I

I love this picture from our hot air balloon day, taken from the ground, of another balloon headed up!

Hiking in Goreme on our first day! 

I didn't blog about going to an underground city near Goreme, but here are some pictures of that. The first two levels below ground were dug using bronze tools 4,000 years ago! Then six levels below that were dug more like 2,000 years ago. The people in the area would hide in these caves when enemy tribes invaded every few years. They would stay underground for up to six months at a time! They stored grain and animals in the caves, too, and made wine there, too. So cool.

This is a ramp between levels, showing how short these people were! We REALLY had to squat down to move between floors. 

Okay, this is incredibly cool. The people who lived here carved huge circular stones when they were digging out the caves and then placed them near all the exits. If enemies attacked, 8 or 10 strong men could roll the stone in front of the exits, protecting the people inside. Amazing!

Part II to come!

I am in the Toronto airport's border control waiting area, also known as airport purgatory. 

Pros:

I am not on the plane anymore. 

There is free wifi. 

I am not on the plane anymore. 

Cons:

They release you out of purgatory and into the border control line by flight. The Istanbul flight has been "processing" for half an hour. 

There is basketball on and I am not watching it. 

I will miss the Duke game while on my flight to Dallas. 

I already ate my emergency toblerone, because yes, I had an emergency toblerone in my bag. 

I have now resorted to talking to the TV screen THAT WILL NOT SHOW ISTANBUL AS COMPLETE. I am the crazy lady at this airport. I just want to enter your country, Canada!

There is a baby who is more sad than me. I will shut up now. 

a photo a day

Our last meal in Turkey was the best Italian food of my life, in a five table restaurant where the owner was born on the bottom floor, cooks on the third floor, and serves food on the fourth. Thank you, Trip Advisor! And only in Istanbul will the owner's cat be roaming the restaurant and it isn't weird when he comes by to be petted and then jumps up on your lap. This was what I had to reach over to eat my tiramisu. Zorro, you sweetheart!

(Only one of my three friends thought I was weird for allowing/enjoying this. I'd say I have some excellent friends.)

a photo a day

Last day in Istanbul! We went to the Topkapi Palace this morning, which the Ottomans built in the 15th century and is where the sultans lived until the 19th century. It is known for its tile work, which was incredible!

a photo a day

Today's adventure: a Bosphorus cruise! That sounds fancier than it was...we took the ferry north up the Bosphorus Strait to the little fishing village at the point where it meets the Black Sea, ate lunch (fish sandwiches for the others, roasted eggplant and bread for me) and explored a ruined castle at the top of a hill (excellent lookout point for bad guys coming in from the Black Sea), and then took the ferry back to central Istanbul. All told, it took about 5 hours and was time very well spent. (I love little adventures like finding this castle - when the ferry landed, the other tourists began hiking up a hill, so we followed them. Castle at the top! Victory!)

Here's the four of us at the top of the hill - there was a conveniently placed cafe right below the ruins where we stopped for a cup of cay (c makes a "ch" sound and changes the vowel after it from a short vowel to a long vowel - say it out loud, and you'll understand why "cay" is Turkish for "tea"!).

Another great day! Tomorrow is our last day in Istanbul (frowny face), so we have a lot we want to see before we leave!

a photo a day

We went to the Basilica Cistern this afternoon, an underground water storage space built in the 6th century. Like other tourist sites in the area, entrance was about 20 Turkish lira (about 8 dollars). And it was SO worth it. The columns are lit up in a way that makes it incredibly beautiful (and a tiny bit creepy, in a secret underground way), and I'm so impressed by the architecture which has survived for 1500 years. This city has been occupied - and important! - for a very long time, and I'm in awe of its history. 

We had dinner tonight with a grad school friend of mine who is Turkish and lives here in Istanbul. It was so good to see her and to ask questions and share our observations of the city and the culture. She was the perfect guide for the evening, taking us to a different part of the city than we'd been to so far. We laughed our way through dinner (kumpir - a super loaded baked potato that is a popular quick dinner here - and a waffle with Nutella and fruit).  I continue to love this country!

a photo a day

Day 1 in Istanbul! The Hagia Sophia ("Ayasofya" in Turkish) was amazing! It is 6th century Christian church that was later converted to a mosque and is now a museum. It was so cool (and odd) to see a mosaic of Jesus and Mary...and right next to it a huge calligraphied "Mohammed" written in Arabic.

Also, there was a cat inside. Because of course there was. Melissa gave him a scratch behind the ears. There are stray (but friendly and affectionate) cats and dogs everywhere in Turkey. I have loved on three cats and one dog since we arrived because, no, I haven't learned my lesson about touching animals I don't know. All my new cat and dog friends are sweethearts, though, so don't worry. 

Good news, team. "Vegetarian" in Turkish is "vejetaryen."  I don't think I can screw that one up too badly!  And so far I am eating really well. So much bread, beans (in soup and hummus form), and cheese in various forms. I had a hard boiled egg as part of breakfast both mornings because I know I'm not getting as much protein as usual. And there aren't a LOT of vegetables, but we've had salad with lunch both days, so that's something. I had manti (dumplings) stuffed with cheese for dinner last night,  which was delicious. The dumplings are served warm in a yogurt sauce and normally have meat inside, but the restaurant had cheese ones, too. Victory!

Elizabeth took a picture of the mezzi plate we got as an appetizer before dinner last night. So good! I could have eaten the whole plate. 

a photo a day

The view from the top floor of our hotel. I'm going to miss Goreme! The hotel owner is the cousin of one of Elizabeth's coworkers, and she and her husband have been SO good to us while we've been here. We feel like family!

On to Istanbul tonight.

a photo a day

A cave church from the 6th or 7th century!

The church is carved into the rock that makes up a high plateau around the city. Carved! A whole church! And you can just stroll in and look around. Amazing!  In the first photo (from the outside) you can see a bunch of tiny holes up high on the left. Any guesses about what they are? (They are everywhere and our hot air balloon guide told us about them.) 

In the second photo you can see the pulpit (again, carved into the hillside) at the center of the church where the minister would stand. This church is from before people in this area painted frescos in the churches. On our walk this afternoon we literally stumbled upon a cave church with frescos - so cool. 

a photo a day

It might have been 40 degrees and sprinkling rain during our hike this morning, but spring is coming! The flowering trees here are gorgeous. 

a photo a day

I woke up at 4:40am today, to the sound of the mosque next door calling people to prayer, and I did not complain once about how early it was, because a sunrise hot air balloon ride was on the agenda. Truly incredible. The airfare to get to Turkey has already been worth it!

a photo a day

Goreme, Turkey! The town and surrounding area are a Unesco World Heritage site. We're staying in a room that is a cave from the 16th century, originally used as a stable. The family who farmed here then lived in this room in the summer months. BEYOND COOL. And only 30 euros a night!

Istanbul bound, via Frankfurt!

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