Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Selective Memory
It's funny how I can remember where my darling's shoes are at 6:30 in the morning when I'm half asleep, but I can never remember where mine are. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have so many pairs...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Day with the Dictator
My bladder and the cat woke me up at 4:30 this morning. I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep and be doomed to boredom for the rest of the day because everything I need to do would have been done by 7:00.
I lay in bed thinking about what I would wear today (very 18th century female of me, I know) for a good 20 minutes. However, I was thinking about it so hard because V positively forced me to buy new clothes yesterday at a discount clothing store called Plato's Closet (where I might be able to get a job!!). V needed new shorts, but since she is abnormally tiny, she couldn't find any. We thumbed through racks of clothes for at least an hour, and I ended up with a very cute pair of white shorts and a shirt I can wear when I sub. Ironically, it was a shirt that V almost bought at Wet Seal about a month ago. I also found a shirt that I thought my darling might wear, and when I showed it to him, he said he would. He really needs new pants, but I am not sufficiently confident enough to buy his jeans yet. V found a pair of Buckle jeans for a whopping $25! Since they would usually cost in the neigborhood of $150, she was, needless to say, in heaven.
After our successful shopping trip, I thought her and I should cook some dinner. We made stuffed zucchini and mashed potatoes. It was great. It was the first time V ever had zucchini and she said she liked it. Here's the recipe:
4 medium zucchini squash.
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 small onion, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving 3/8 in. shell. reserve pulp. Parboil (What is parboil, by the way?) shells in salted water 2 minutes. Remove and drain. Set aside. Chop zucchini pulp. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Saute the onion and chopped zucchini until tender. Remove from the heat and conbine remaining ingredients. Fill shells. Place in a greased baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees until heated through.
I only used half and onion; we're not big onion lovers around here. And it's a good thing V was helping me. It would have taken me all night to cook this on my own. Scooping out the shells and slicing everything took the longest. Not to mention peeling the potatoes. I had a great day, even thought V is a dictator who made me buy stuff. Hopefully she won't make me buy anything today....
I lay in bed thinking about what I would wear today (very 18th century female of me, I know) for a good 20 minutes. However, I was thinking about it so hard because V positively forced me to buy new clothes yesterday at a discount clothing store called Plato's Closet (where I might be able to get a job!!). V needed new shorts, but since she is abnormally tiny, she couldn't find any. We thumbed through racks of clothes for at least an hour, and I ended up with a very cute pair of white shorts and a shirt I can wear when I sub. Ironically, it was a shirt that V almost bought at Wet Seal about a month ago. I also found a shirt that I thought my darling might wear, and when I showed it to him, he said he would. He really needs new pants, but I am not sufficiently confident enough to buy his jeans yet. V found a pair of Buckle jeans for a whopping $25! Since they would usually cost in the neigborhood of $150, she was, needless to say, in heaven.
After our successful shopping trip, I thought her and I should cook some dinner. We made stuffed zucchini and mashed potatoes. It was great. It was the first time V ever had zucchini and she said she liked it. Here's the recipe:
4 medium zucchini squash.
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 small onion, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving 3/8 in. shell. reserve pulp. Parboil (What is parboil, by the way?) shells in salted water 2 minutes. Remove and drain. Set aside. Chop zucchini pulp. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Saute the onion and chopped zucchini until tender. Remove from the heat and conbine remaining ingredients. Fill shells. Place in a greased baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees until heated through.
I only used half and onion; we're not big onion lovers around here. And it's a good thing V was helping me. It would have taken me all night to cook this on my own. Scooping out the shells and slicing everything took the longest. Not to mention peeling the potatoes. I had a great day, even thought V is a dictator who made me buy stuff. Hopefully she won't make me buy anything today....
Monday, April 27, 2009
After Much Argument, We Decided on Australia
Yesterday, V and I made plans for us and our guys to go to Holiday in Dixie, a fair held every year in April. It was the last day, and we thought we would check it out, especially since it was free if you arrived before five pm. I didn’t get off work until four and V had to pick some stuff up around that same time. We also had to make sure the boys were ready on time.
I rushed home from work to change into less smelly clothes only to find that my guy was going to meet someone about selling his bike. He also hadn’t taken a shower (after mowing lawns all day, a shower was very important). I told V that I didn’t think we were going to make it on time. I was right. We took the bikes, got on the interstate, and after about 10 minutes, the drove by an empty parking lot where my guy thought the fair would be. After a short talk, we realized that the drivers (the guys) had no idea where they were supposed to go.
We had 10 minutes to go, and when we finally pulled into a parking lot, it was 5 o’clock. We walked up to the entrance and to our happy surprise, no one sitting at the ticket booth! However, the ride tickets were ridiculously overpriced. The fair was fairly small, so we left after only a few minutes.
At a loss for something to do, we ended up at the Boardwalk thinking we would see a movie. The conversation went something like this:
My guy: We should definitely see Fighting.
V’s guy: Dude yes.
Me: (I just gave a look that said, I dunno about that).
V: I don’t care.
My guy: Oh is Crank out? Dude Crank!
V’s guy: Naw man totally lame.
Me: I want to see Earth.
V: Uh no.
My guy: There aren’t any movie times for Earth anyway.
V’s guy: What’s wrong with Fighting? You girls get to see sweaty men without shirts on.
Me: (Another look). What about Monster vs. Aliens?
V: That sounds good.
V’s guy: Great. So you guys can see Monsters vs. Aliens, and we’ll see Fighting.
V: I’d rather see a movie with you.
My guy: So we’ll see Fighting.
Me: I just don’t like the idea of you spending money for me to see a movie I don’t want to see.
My guy: Oh. Well that makes sense.
V’s guy: Well, we have the movie times so let’s go eat and we’ll talk about it while we eat.
It took about ten minutes longer to discuss it than it took you to read it. So we had dinner and argued some more over which movie we ought to see. I finally suggested, “How about we rent a movie. Or two movies. One for you guys, one for us, and we’ll watch both. Or we could go to V’s house and pick a movie.” Her parents own their own movie store worth of movies. We agreed to this. So we all went back to her house to argue some more. We finally agreed on Australia (we can’t pass on a Hugh Jackman movie; he was sexiest man of the year!). So we went back to my house and proceeded, for the next gazillion hours, to watch Australia.
About half way through the movie, I thought it was over. It had had a climax and a conclusion (not a very satisfactory conclusion, but the boy got the girl, and I thought that was the end of it). But no: it kept going! I felt like it was supposed to be two different movies. After that first conclusion, the tone really shifted. The first half was funny, a little silly, had a bit of conspiracy, and then everything was (unsatisfactorily) resolved. The second half was World War II movie that I couldn’t see half of the time because I couldn’t stop crying. And the ending of the second half was much better. Overall, it was a great movie, but only watch it if you have lots of time on your hands!
I rushed home from work to change into less smelly clothes only to find that my guy was going to meet someone about selling his bike. He also hadn’t taken a shower (after mowing lawns all day, a shower was very important). I told V that I didn’t think we were going to make it on time. I was right. We took the bikes, got on the interstate, and after about 10 minutes, the drove by an empty parking lot where my guy thought the fair would be. After a short talk, we realized that the drivers (the guys) had no idea where they were supposed to go.
We had 10 minutes to go, and when we finally pulled into a parking lot, it was 5 o’clock. We walked up to the entrance and to our happy surprise, no one sitting at the ticket booth! However, the ride tickets were ridiculously overpriced. The fair was fairly small, so we left after only a few minutes.
At a loss for something to do, we ended up at the Boardwalk thinking we would see a movie. The conversation went something like this:
My guy: We should definitely see Fighting.
V’s guy: Dude yes.
Me: (I just gave a look that said, I dunno about that).
V: I don’t care.
My guy: Oh is Crank out? Dude Crank!
V’s guy: Naw man totally lame.
Me: I want to see Earth.
V: Uh no.
My guy: There aren’t any movie times for Earth anyway.
V’s guy: What’s wrong with Fighting? You girls get to see sweaty men without shirts on.
Me: (Another look). What about Monster vs. Aliens?
V: That sounds good.
V’s guy: Great. So you guys can see Monsters vs. Aliens, and we’ll see Fighting.
V: I’d rather see a movie with you.
My guy: So we’ll see Fighting.
Me: I just don’t like the idea of you spending money for me to see a movie I don’t want to see.
My guy: Oh. Well that makes sense.
V’s guy: Well, we have the movie times so let’s go eat and we’ll talk about it while we eat.
It took about ten minutes longer to discuss it than it took you to read it. So we had dinner and argued some more over which movie we ought to see. I finally suggested, “How about we rent a movie. Or two movies. One for you guys, one for us, and we’ll watch both. Or we could go to V’s house and pick a movie.” Her parents own their own movie store worth of movies. We agreed to this. So we all went back to her house to argue some more. We finally agreed on Australia (we can’t pass on a Hugh Jackman movie; he was sexiest man of the year!). So we went back to my house and proceeded, for the next gazillion hours, to watch Australia.
About half way through the movie, I thought it was over. It had had a climax and a conclusion (not a very satisfactory conclusion, but the boy got the girl, and I thought that was the end of it). But no: it kept going! I felt like it was supposed to be two different movies. After that first conclusion, the tone really shifted. The first half was funny, a little silly, had a bit of conspiracy, and then everything was (unsatisfactorily) resolved. The second half was World War II movie that I couldn’t see half of the time because I couldn’t stop crying. And the ending of the second half was much better. Overall, it was a great movie, but only watch it if you have lots of time on your hands!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A Vindication of the Rights of Women
I finally finished A Vindication of the Rights of Women. It doesn’t always take me so long to finish books, but sometimes those 18th century works are difficult to get through. It was interesting, though, to see how some things have changed while others, regrettably, have stayed the same.
One of Mary Wollstonecraft's main points was that women cannot be expected to possess virtue when they are not adequately educated. She says, “True grace arises from some kind of independence of mind.” Independence of mind cannot be learned when women sit at home with nothing more to occupy their time than sewing, dressing, and catching husbands. She argues that women are so focused on their looks and how they accessorize that they cannot possibly be gaining any sort of morality. Vanity, I know, has not much changed, even though women are more educated than they were in the past. I will even admit that when I walk by my reflection in a glass or a mirror, I glance at myself to see how I look. However, I don’t spend a lot of time on myself in the morning. It takes me only about 15 minutes to get ready (minus breakfast). I might comb my fingers through my hair, and if I’m going to sub, I wear a little make up. That is the extent of my morning routine (I shower at night).
She also put forward some ideas for education reform. She believed that schooling should be both public and private. Boys were sent away to school and girls only had tutors or schools of deportment, where they learned to be graceful and silent. Wollstonecraft suggested that boys and girls go to school during the day and come home at night, much like school is today.
This edition is a Norton edition, and Norton always adds footnotes for better comprehension. Wollstonecraft says, “What can be more indelicate than a girl’s coming out in the fashionable world?” Norton’s note reads, “’Coming out’ meant in the eighteenth century what it does now.” In some circles, it may mean the same: “A young girl’s debut into the social world;” but most often, I hear it used to describe someone “coming out of the closet,” admitting to being gay (another word whose meaning has changed). I thought that was pretty funny.
Next up, I’m reading two books (well, four if you want to be specific): The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien and I'm rereading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. We’ll see which one I finish first!
One of Mary Wollstonecraft's main points was that women cannot be expected to possess virtue when they are not adequately educated. She says, “True grace arises from some kind of independence of mind.” Independence of mind cannot be learned when women sit at home with nothing more to occupy their time than sewing, dressing, and catching husbands. She argues that women are so focused on their looks and how they accessorize that they cannot possibly be gaining any sort of morality. Vanity, I know, has not much changed, even though women are more educated than they were in the past. I will even admit that when I walk by my reflection in a glass or a mirror, I glance at myself to see how I look. However, I don’t spend a lot of time on myself in the morning. It takes me only about 15 minutes to get ready (minus breakfast). I might comb my fingers through my hair, and if I’m going to sub, I wear a little make up. That is the extent of my morning routine (I shower at night).
She also put forward some ideas for education reform. She believed that schooling should be both public and private. Boys were sent away to school and girls only had tutors or schools of deportment, where they learned to be graceful and silent. Wollstonecraft suggested that boys and girls go to school during the day and come home at night, much like school is today.
This edition is a Norton edition, and Norton always adds footnotes for better comprehension. Wollstonecraft says, “What can be more indelicate than a girl’s coming out in the fashionable world?” Norton’s note reads, “’Coming out’ meant in the eighteenth century what it does now.” In some circles, it may mean the same: “A young girl’s debut into the social world;” but most often, I hear it used to describe someone “coming out of the closet,” admitting to being gay (another word whose meaning has changed). I thought that was pretty funny.
Next up, I’m reading two books (well, four if you want to be specific): The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien and I'm rereading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. We’ll see which one I finish first!
It Was Supposed To Be...
Today was going to be a very busy day.
First, wake up at 6 am and substitute. Instead of the usual 3 classes with one block off, I was supposed to sub all four blocks, but for two different teachers. One of the teachers had lunch duty, so I didn't have time to eat lunch.
School gets out at 2:30, and I had set up a 3:30 appointment with my advisor to discuss my transcripts and what classes I should start taking in the summer. I have been trying to meet with him for two days in a row, plus twice before then. We finally made an appointment so that I wouldn't have to make another wasted 20 minute drive.
At 4:00, I was supposed to be at work in Coldstone. Since I didn't know what time I was supposed to work until after I had made the appointment with my advisor, my manager generously told me it was alright if I kept the appointment.
My busy day was all destroyed when I started feeling nauseas around the end of 3rd block. I had to call the secretary and tell her that the sub needed a sub, and I felt awful about it. This wasn't the first time it happened. I'm sick. Dunno why, but unfortunately, I need to make a doctor's appointment to find out (I don't like going to the doctor). This abominable nausea is interrupting my life. I have had to leave both jobs because of feeling sick, and let me tell you, it's not fun.
Being sick is when I think I miss my mom the most. She's not around to make me soup and tea and clean up after me when I can't make it to the bathroom in time (fortunately, I have made it every time I needed to so far!). Adult-itis is no fun.
First, wake up at 6 am and substitute. Instead of the usual 3 classes with one block off, I was supposed to sub all four blocks, but for two different teachers. One of the teachers had lunch duty, so I didn't have time to eat lunch.
School gets out at 2:30, and I had set up a 3:30 appointment with my advisor to discuss my transcripts and what classes I should start taking in the summer. I have been trying to meet with him for two days in a row, plus twice before then. We finally made an appointment so that I wouldn't have to make another wasted 20 minute drive.
At 4:00, I was supposed to be at work in Coldstone. Since I didn't know what time I was supposed to work until after I had made the appointment with my advisor, my manager generously told me it was alright if I kept the appointment.
My busy day was all destroyed when I started feeling nauseas around the end of 3rd block. I had to call the secretary and tell her that the sub needed a sub, and I felt awful about it. This wasn't the first time it happened. I'm sick. Dunno why, but unfortunately, I need to make a doctor's appointment to find out (I don't like going to the doctor). This abominable nausea is interrupting my life. I have had to leave both jobs because of feeling sick, and let me tell you, it's not fun.
Being sick is when I think I miss my mom the most. She's not around to make me soup and tea and clean up after me when I can't make it to the bathroom in time (fortunately, I have made it every time I needed to so far!). Adult-itis is no fun.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Salty Kisses
My darling came home today after a long day of work outside. He works for a man who builds things out of wood, and today they were on sight seeing how the things they built fit the customer's house. It was a beautiful warm day today, but he was wearing coveralls, so he was a little overheated. He said he even let himself get dehydrated. When he got home I gave him kisses all over his wonderful face. A minute later I licked my lips, and they tasted like I had dipped them in salt. It's a good thing our shower works...
Today's Latin Quote
I thought today's Latin quote of the day was particularly apropos, and since it will change tomorrow and be gone forever, I want to post a blog about it. It says: Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui. Translation: Bad kitty! Why don't you use the cat box? I put new litter in it. This does not apply to my current cat, but I have had cats in the past who seemed to avoid their litter box as if it carried a disease.
A Brief History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
I am not a big fan of science. My subjects are English and History, and I have really neglected all things scientific over the years. However, my sophomore year of college at Lynn University, I was forced (forced!!) to take an honors seminar class once a month that revolved around science. Our textbook: A Brief History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I was not excited about this class, to say the least. However, after I read our first assignment, the first three chapters, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this science book was not like all of the other put-you-to-sleep science textbooks I had seen. This one was interesting. I learned that this is probably because Bill Bryson is not a scientist. He is just a writer who did a lot (a lot!!) of research to write a book chronicling the history of the world in science. For the first time in my life, I understood Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Unfortunately, it would be beyond me to explain it.
Well, what reminded me of all this is an article I found on-you guessed it-Yahoo. Apparently, some scientists in jolly old England found a planet similar to Earth. It’s tiny, but might have really deep oceans. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, read the article. If you want more information about our blue planet, read the book.
Well, what reminded me of all this is an article I found on-you guessed it-Yahoo. Apparently, some scientists in jolly old England found a planet similar to Earth. It’s tiny, but might have really deep oceans. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, read the article. If you want more information about our blue planet, read the book.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
I Almost Got Run Over Today...
...by a golf cart.
This could have been me:
My wonderful man was doing this crazy thing with his truck (he chopped the top off and it's a convertible truck now...I still have misgivings about it) at his best friend's house.
*His best friend's girlfriend also happens to be my best friend (very convenient, since I have to see her all the time. Our boyfriends can't seem to live without each other).
Anyway, the boys were working on my darling's truck, so us girls decided we needed something to do, namely shopping. My friend (we'll call her V) needed to go into her boyfriend's house and get something, and thought she would take one of the golfcarts (his dad fixes them, so there are a few in his backyard). After about five minutes of putting her foot on the gas and pushing levers up and down and sideways, she couldn't get it to work. So she called me over...not that I could do anything because I don't know how to work a golf cart. I start walking toward her, in front of the golf cart as fate would have it, and she gives the gas one more firm try, and the golf cart finally responds. It leaps forward, and I dash out of the way just in time to avoid leaving V with a week of hospital bills. I know she was grateful for my swiftness, and she's not the only one...
This could have been me:
My wonderful man was doing this crazy thing with his truck (he chopped the top off and it's a convertible truck now...I still have misgivings about it) at his best friend's house.
*His best friend's girlfriend also happens to be my best friend (very convenient, since I have to see her all the time. Our boyfriends can't seem to live without each other).
Anyway, the boys were working on my darling's truck, so us girls decided we needed something to do, namely shopping. My friend (we'll call her V) needed to go into her boyfriend's house and get something, and thought she would take one of the golfcarts (his dad fixes them, so there are a few in his backyard). After about five minutes of putting her foot on the gas and pushing levers up and down and sideways, she couldn't get it to work. So she called me over...not that I could do anything because I don't know how to work a golf cart. I start walking toward her, in front of the golf cart as fate would have it, and she gives the gas one more firm try, and the golf cart finally responds. It leaps forward, and I dash out of the way just in time to avoid leaving V with a week of hospital bills. I know she was grateful for my swiftness, and she's not the only one...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
How Color Alters Our Behavior
I found this great article in the Yahoo archives today about how people associate different feelings and concepts with different colors. I had always associated green with envy, purple with majesty, and red with anger, but I never delved any deeper than that. I knew that flowers all have different meanings and importance (like Ophelia's flowers in Hamlet). This article discusses how yellow can make people more energetic and white can give people who work in offices headaches.
I've always been excited to have my own home so I could paint the rooms different colors. I can't right now because I'm renting, but some day I will. I think I would paint the bedroom some shade of green (to match the olive green sheets I just bought). The living room would be yellow (I think that would match our 70's orange furniture). I may have to take this article into account when I have the chance to paint; it could be helpful.
I've always been excited to have my own home so I could paint the rooms different colors. I can't right now because I'm renting, but some day I will. I think I would paint the bedroom some shade of green (to match the olive green sheets I just bought). The living room would be yellow (I think that would match our 70's orange furniture). I may have to take this article into account when I have the chance to paint; it could be helpful.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Poor Birdy
I really hated my cat this morning because she made me feel like an awful awful person. For the third time this week, she brought a bird into the house. For the second time this week, it was a baby bird. For the first time, the bird was still alive. I woke up to the most wild squeaky chirping, and I wondered, how did a bird get in the house? Then I dismissed that thought because a bird couldn't have gotten in the house. The sound stopped. I started to go back to sleep. Then the sound started again, a little further away. I sat up and blurrily saw a gray spot about the size of my cat running out of the room. I put my glasses on and followed her, and the bird was in her mouth. Every time I got close enough to grab it, she picked it up in her mouth and ran away with it again. I had to pull her tail and hold onto it to move her out of the way so I could pick up the bird with a paper towel. I didn't know what to do with it, because it was still alive. I didn't know how to nurse it back to health, and I didn't know how to kill it to put it out of its misery. I put it outside and it tried to stumble away, but didn't really get away. I went back in the house, and went back to sleep. I woke up a few hours later and looked for it; it was laying on it's back and still breathing. I'm not letting the cat outside today as punishment. If I have to be miserable, so does she.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Photo Booth Pranks
My sister sent me this video on myspace. Watch it. You won't regret it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PiPPAJuKBg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PiPPAJuKBg&feature=player_embedded
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
How To Drink More Water
I love Yahoo articles. Here's a good one that I read today on how to drink more water. I love water, so I'm always drinking it. I even drink water at restaurants, partly because it's healthy and partly because, as the articles points out, it's free! One of my very good friends has a very big problem with water. She doesn't like it. She drinks a million tons of Coke a day. I don't understand how she's a size zero in jeans and not a million pounds. I stopped drinking soda when I went to college. I lived on campus and there were soda fountains in the cafeteria. I knew that if I didn't cut soda out of my diet, I would drink it at practically every meal and gain a lot of wait. I can only have one vice, and that is chocolate. I also read somewhere that the average American would lose 11 lbs in one year if he/she stopped drinking soda. So drink water: It's good for you!!
Waffles Coming Out of My Ears
When I go to Coldstone, I do my best to avoid actually working with the customers. I'm not exactly your role model if you want to learn customer service. I don't mind working with customers...now and then. But Coldstone almost always has a steady line that lasts forever. Many times, it goes out the door. So I have devised my work avoidance plan: Do everything else. Most times, I never run out of other things to do. I fill spoons, fill ice cream, fill napkins and cups and straws, I wash dishes, clean the front counters, prep food, take away all of the empty containers from the front, and finally, make waffles. If I run out of these things to do, I help customers...until I need to start all over again. And really, I prefer doing all of those things to actually making ice cream. I'm kind of a quiet person (understatement), so singing and lots of talking and socializing...not my thing. So naturally, I make a lot of waffles. The other day, I was walking to my car after my shift and I had an itch in my ear. I scratched off some dried waffle batter and ta da...waffles coming out of my ears!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
She Loves Us....
I've been waiting for it since we started letting Kitty outside and it finally happened: She brought us a present.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
The Bliss Of My Own Shower
The bathroom is fixed! I showered in my shower for the first time in two weeks. I was so happy and I just sat around in my robe for ever. The love of my life and his father and our landlord worked on it most of the day. Apparently there was a 3 feet blockage in the pipes that accumulated in the past 50 years. The hole under the house is so deep and long that I keep expecting the house to just break in half and fall into the hole. I'm picturing Titanic, except with my house instead of a ship. My darling keeps assuring me it won't happen, so I guess I'll just have to trust him until he gets all the dirt put back under the house.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Bathroom: Out of Service
About a week ago, a friend was using the bathroom in my house. When he came out, he asked, "What is all that death in the bathtub?" Confused, my darling and I looked at him, and asked what he was talking about. We followed him to the bathroom and he pointed out the death; or rather, the black gunk that had risen through the pipes to fill the tub.
We called a plumber, and he came out the next day, checked the pipes, and declared that one was broken. It turns out, our dishwasher had backed up into the bathtub. The solution: Tear out the bathtub (which would include ripping out the toilet, probably the sink, and probably the wall). Then, we would have to put everything back in. Very pricey.
However, my darling's father presented another solution after our landowner came by: we (and by 'we' I mean my darling and his father) could dig under the bathroom and fix it our (their) selves. So there is a humongous hole in our front yard that my wonderful man has been working on the past two days. Hopefully, we'll be able to use our own shower again soon.
We called a plumber, and he came out the next day, checked the pipes, and declared that one was broken. It turns out, our dishwasher had backed up into the bathtub. The solution: Tear out the bathtub (which would include ripping out the toilet, probably the sink, and probably the wall). Then, we would have to put everything back in. Very pricey.
However, my darling's father presented another solution after our landowner came by: we (and by 'we' I mean my darling and his father) could dig under the bathroom and fix it our (their) selves. So there is a humongous hole in our front yard that my wonderful man has been working on the past two days. Hopefully, we'll be able to use our own shower again soon.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A Day in the Life of the Substitute
So I had to wake up entirely too early this morning so I could go and sub at a high school. It was for an English teacher, so I got to help students with things like "Young Goodman Brown" and American Romanticism. Anyway, since I knew this teacher had 3rd block off, I didn't bring lunch with me. I was planning on going home to eat lunch. Naturally, things didn't work out the way I had planned. One teacher needed a sub for just 3rd block.... Lunch was out.
Turns out, though, I knew this teacher who only needed a sub for 3rd block. He looked familiar, so I asked him, "Did you sub or something for Mrs. Teacher at R. Middle School?" He said, "I student taught for Mrs. Teacher." I told him, "I was totally in her class and you were the student teacher!" He replied, "Wow. You're making me feel old..." The reason I remembered him so well is because he was the first man I had ever known who had a white patch of hair on his head. Very memorable to a 12 year old.
When the day was over, as soon as that 2:30 bell ring, I was ready to get home and fill my stomach! So naturally there was a train at the end of the street blocking me from getting off campus. My poor belly was rumbling like the stupid train blocking me from my food!
Turns out, though, I knew this teacher who only needed a sub for 3rd block. He looked familiar, so I asked him, "Did you sub or something for Mrs. Teacher at R. Middle School?" He said, "I student taught for Mrs. Teacher." I told him, "I was totally in her class and you were the student teacher!" He replied, "Wow. You're making me feel old..." The reason I remembered him so well is because he was the first man I had ever known who had a white patch of hair on his head. Very memorable to a 12 year old.
When the day was over, as soon as that 2:30 bell ring, I was ready to get home and fill my stomach! So naturally there was a train at the end of the street blocking me from getting off campus. My poor belly was rumbling like the stupid train blocking me from my food!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Conundrum
Sometimes, teachers have student teachers. When said teacher is absent, though, the school still calls in a substitute. I don't understand this. There is already someone there to watch the class--teach it even--yet someone else has to be called. Why am I called to supervise someone who is obviously more qualified than I am? I'm not complaining too much, because I like the money and all, but it doesn't make sense to me. Today, I substituted in a girl's gym, and there was a student teacher. I didn't have to do anything except try to stay awake. It was interesting to talk to her, and I did learn a few things, so that was a plus side to it. It just seems to make more sense to use the student teacher rather than calling someone else.
Time of Death: 1:16 pm
My phone kicked the bucket today. I knew it was coming. I just didn't know it was coming so soon.
The phone is two weeks old. The past few days, it has been doing weird things such as turning off when I went too long without messing with it, thinking it was still open when it was actually shut (my sister heard a whole conversation between me and a friend about Buffy because I closed my phone when she didn't answer, and it showed up in her voicemail), and not sending text messages. Today, I finished substituting, came home, and my phone was off. I had to pronounce it dead. It's being stubborn and won't turn back on.
The love of my life had a great solution: go to the ATT store and let them take care of it. However, since we set up our plan and bought our phones online, the ATT people need the box the phone came in, all the papers that came with it, and the UPS box the phones were delivered in...
I threw all that away. Who keeps that? I only kept the phone guides, in case we wanted to know how someting works on our phone.
So I am phoneless; it's a scary prospect in today's technology dependent world. But somehow, we will fix this.
The phone is two weeks old. The past few days, it has been doing weird things such as turning off when I went too long without messing with it, thinking it was still open when it was actually shut (my sister heard a whole conversation between me and a friend about Buffy because I closed my phone when she didn't answer, and it showed up in her voicemail), and not sending text messages. Today, I finished substituting, came home, and my phone was off. I had to pronounce it dead. It's being stubborn and won't turn back on.
The love of my life had a great solution: go to the ATT store and let them take care of it. However, since we set up our plan and bought our phones online, the ATT people need the box the phone came in, all the papers that came with it, and the UPS box the phones were delivered in...
I threw all that away. Who keeps that? I only kept the phone guides, in case we wanted to know how someting works on our phone.
So I am phoneless; it's a scary prospect in today's technology dependent world. But somehow, we will fix this.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Miraculous Recovery
The camera has been revived! I slapped it against my hand a couple of times. Isn't the ivy pitiful?
I Think I Killed It...
I've been wanting a houseplant for a while. It always seems like homes have plants in them, usually ivys. Grow up, get a place, get a plant. Seemed logical enough to me. So I wanted to get a plant to pretty up my place. I told the love of my life's mother, and she, with her green thumb, grew a little ivy for me. I put it in (what I like to call) my library. I watered it, gave it plenty of sunlight (didn't quite decide to talk to it), and my ivy was thriving. Then we bought the demon cat. I noticed one day that my ivy was missing some leaves, and some dirt was on the floor. I didn't think the dirt had jumped out of the basket, and when I saw Kitty chewing on the leaves, I knew exactly who to blame. So, for the protection of the plant, I placed it outside in the backyard.
Problem #1: Temperatures have, a couple of times, dropped to freezing since then.
Problem #2: Out of sight, out of mind: I forget to water my poor ivy sometimes.
Problem #3: We now let Kitty outside sometimes during the day. She rediscovered the plant.
With all of these problems combined, I'm pretty sure my plant is dead. Or dying. Giving its last gasps of life.
I was going to put up a picture as proof, but apparently my camera died, too...
And that reminds me; my week and a half old phone is on the verge of death. I swear I only dropped it once!
Problem #1: Temperatures have, a couple of times, dropped to freezing since then.
Problem #2: Out of sight, out of mind: I forget to water my poor ivy sometimes.
Problem #3: We now let Kitty outside sometimes during the day. She rediscovered the plant.
With all of these problems combined, I'm pretty sure my plant is dead. Or dying. Giving its last gasps of life.
I was going to put up a picture as proof, but apparently my camera died, too...
And that reminds me; my week and a half old phone is on the verge of death. I swear I only dropped it once!
Chapter One
The title of my blog comes from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Amor Vincit Omnia is Latin for "Love Conquers All." In case that doesn't give you a clue, I love to read. I like to challenge myself to read not only novels and stories that I'm likely to enjoy, but also essays and criticism that I'm not entirely positive I can wade through. For example, at the moment I'm reading A Vindication of the Rights of Women, by Mary Wollstonecraft (you might better remember her daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of Frankenstein). Be warned: This won't be the last time I write about books...
The last blog I wrote can be found here: http://blogs.lynn.edu/anopenbook/ I wrote about college life in Florida and all the craziness that entails. I have since moved to the great boot state of Louisiana, so hopefully, this new blog will have an even wider range of topics.
I live with the love of my life and our demon cat who will only drink out of the faucet. We very inventively dubbed her Kitty. I have two jobs: one that I hate, one that I love, Coldstone Creamery and substitute teaching, respectively. I took a semester off college when I moved here, so I start again in the summer. I can't wait. For the first time since I was five, I'm not in school, and I miss it. I want to be back in the classroom and soaking up knowledge like a ShamWow.
I have this disease called adult-ism, and it came on fast. My life is just getting started.
The last blog I wrote can be found here: http://blogs.lynn.edu/anopenbook/ I wrote about college life in Florida and all the craziness that entails. I have since moved to the great boot state of Louisiana, so hopefully, this new blog will have an even wider range of topics.
I live with the love of my life and our demon cat who will only drink out of the faucet. We very inventively dubbed her Kitty. I have two jobs: one that I hate, one that I love, Coldstone Creamery and substitute teaching, respectively. I took a semester off college when I moved here, so I start again in the summer. I can't wait. For the first time since I was five, I'm not in school, and I miss it. I want to be back in the classroom and soaking up knowledge like a ShamWow.
I have this disease called adult-ism, and it came on fast. My life is just getting started.
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