High and Low

Last nite, I went to the Anteneul and saw the Belcea (string) Quartet. The program included Haydn - pretty good, Beethoven - pretty awesome. Then came the break. Afterwards, it became pretty clear that I should have left. They finished with Brahms - mmm okay but my bladder was feeling a little nervous. I was doing all the clapping and stuff and the players left the stage and came back on. Okay, so I clap some more. Then, THEY SAT DOWN AGAIN!. This aint a rock concert! What's up with the encore!. To top it all, they encored with Mozart - torturous. Another 20 minutes of listening to a composure that either annoys or bores me or both. All in all it was really good though.

After dinner, we hooked up with some friends at a club/bar called control. it was a refreshing change from the Russian club that another one of my friends likes so much - no circle dancing, no bad, and i do mean BAD techno, and no half naked girls dancing on the pole on the bar (last time they were all festive, looking like Santa's hookers). This was an alterna club - lots of music from bands with nerdy/emaciated white boys talking about feelings and stuff. I must say that I enjoyed it - I do listen to alot of this stuff at home. The music was pretty much anything that was Indie today. and Indie of yesteryore. I do not understand the love of the Smiths quite so much. Much of the music came out before these kids were even born - totally making me feel old.

This club brought back fond memories of old wave nights when I was a youngun'. The dance floor was crowded with people looking like were in the midst of epileptic seizures, rhythm was not a word that many had a passing acquaintance with. It was kinda cool, people dancing, not worried about being sexy to catch the eye of . . . crawled home about 4am.

best pick-up line ever

so tonite. . . was a friend's birthday. met some new people, re-met some old ones. some (including me) are dancing, having a good time.

am dancing with this one dude, been sending the vibes all night long and previously. things are looking kinda okay. well. . . song is playing, he's at my back. He leans in (he's very tall which is pretty rare in Romania) to whisper (in reality, yell as the music is blaring and beverages have been imbibed) sweet nothings in my ear. He says, "I play bass so I have rhythm like a nigger". Wow, the brakes go on so fast I have whiplash.

The sad thing is that he had no idea he said something wrong. 'Though he tries to wrap his head around it after I explain, it didn't take.

doubly sad, he had no rhythm.

catching up

yeah i know its been a crazy long time since updating but here goes.

had a week of holiday. meant to go to turkey, but too lazy. meant to go to bulgaria, but too lazy. i had just about enough energy to stay at home and hang out in my bed. sometimes i moved to the couch. and as a real show of strength, i left my house 3 times in 9 days. time well spent - okay just read and read. theres a bit more to it but thats the gist.

tonite i had another parents evening. really like the kids i teach and it was kinda nice to see the parents. i said something positive about each one. parents really like to hear that you like their kids. but . . . i was 4 hours without a break. my bladder was wanting a divorce afterwards

Friday, i went to the Underworld concert. it was really really good. they make super good dance music and was able to sing and dance and dance and make a friend. its a little disconcerting when the people hitting on you are so young. esp. when i think back and realize he could have been my student a few years ago. i forgot my camera but the concert people got me (look exotic here) here is a pic with me and caroline and greg trying to act like he doesnt know us. the show was in an airplane hanger, with awesome lights, and it was coooold but warmed up once we got to dance.

election fever

as said did all my voting before. one of the most interesting things to me about htis election has been how many people here have been involved in it. my neighbor asked me last year about whether i would support obama over clinton. my homeroom students who are 12/13 years old were all talking about it. asking me how i felt and who did i vote for. some were just like, "obama won, mccain sucks". people were congratulating me on the victory and how things would be better and different now. one wanted to go and have a celebration beer (though i think that was just hte excuse for the beer) of course when people were disparaging bush, i never said anything, kinda like you can talk crap about your family but no one else can. i dont think that people talked this much about the elections here earlier this year. kinda stresses how involved the world is with the US even if her people dont think about the rest of the world much.

I voted!!!

for the first time i voted. whoohooo. got my absentee ballot and mailed it off. i laos had to vote for some local seminole country stuff and it took me forever to send that mess on cause i had to do research and stuff, you know, to try to make an informed decision.. really wanted to vote a teacher onto the county school board but not if she doesnt believe in evolution and that creationism should be taught. found out that seminole county schools are among the top in the state. yay!!! for seminole.

there were some constitutional amendments that i also got to vote on. the funny thing is that i dont think they really want people to make an informed decision. like, i think am a reasonably intelligent and educated person, and i had difficulty wading my way through the legalese to really understand what they were saying. i had to read a couple of them 2/3 times and break it down. makes me think that lots of people may have difficulty knowing exactly what their voting on.

chihuahua

chihuahua hate me. i odnt like them either but i am now convinced (as part of my persecution complex) that i must have done something in my past life. normally, dogs are okay with me and i am okay with them, but not these little accidents of creation. i have never met a chihuahua that has been nice to me.

last nite, i was having people over and i ran to the little store up the way for a couple of last minute ingredients. on the way back, walking through the childrens park by my house, i saw one out for a walk with its owner without a leash. it must have been a trick of the light - dark with the shifting shadows of the trees as the wind blew, but i thought that chihuahua wasnt that ugly.
well, as soon as i got near the little bugeyed monster, it went crazy chasing me and barking. it even continued to follow me down the path. the little old lady who owned it just kept on instructing me to not be afraid but my foot was itching to have a tourettes moment. the people in the park started laughing.

i was beaten by a two pound psychotic pooch.

birthday curse

i was going to call this birthday blues, but am not blue cause its my birthday. i dont mind growing older (i may have a different response in 10 years) but am not freaking out cause i've turned 30. but ever since i was 12 the universe has conspired against me and something emotionally jarring has happened around my birthday. i cant say if it was every year but it sure does feel like it.

on thursday, i and a couple of friends found an abanandoned kitten and i took her home. she was so cute, mostly white with tabby markings on her face and tail, and well behaved. i wasnt sure if i could keep her but . . . on saturday i woke up and there was blood on the blanket from baby kitty. i thought that ziggy had attacked and hurt her. i took them both to the vet, who said that Bertha (baby kitty) had some teeth problems and it would bleed a bit more but she would be okay. i took her home and it didnt stop bleeding and i decided to take her to the vet the next day.

well we didnt make that. my vet wouldnt answer the phone and i had to call a friend to get a 24 hour vet. Bertha had started having convulsions and crying. She was a really quiet kitten. and then i couldnt get a taxi since it was saturday nite. By the time I got her to the vet, she had slipped into a coma and he said there was nothing he could do for her.

i cried when my fish died (as an adult). so there was me weeping uncontrollably at 1 am sunday morning at the vets office while my kitten continued to have convulsions and died.

She was kinda a birthday present to myself, hence her name - Bertha Day. but the universe gave me another one. am of the opinion that it sucked. so have decided that my birthday doesnt exist or is now April 22.

iftar dinner

just came back from iftar dinner - the meal breaking the daily fast during ramadan.

one of the things i like about this school is the small size. its a bit more like a community and i know virtually all the students since i either teach them now or have in the past.

earlier i wrote about being tortured by the family of kids with a genetic sugar high, now i write something a bit more positive. we have a lot of turkish (and other moslem) kids at the school and every year some parent invites some of the teachers for dinner. this year it was a couple of kids who are really wonderful. i feel like i'm channeling my mom when i say things like 'good kids come from good parents' but these kids are just great so it was quite pleasant going to their house. i was showed their bedroom (which was crazy neat) and we had a wonderful meal which mom had started cooking the night before. dessert was chocolate cake, baklava, and candied pumpkin!! homemade turkish food is pretty awesome. and the she gave us a gift of turkish coffee when we left.

all in all a lovely evening - my stomach is bursting and my brain has shut off - i had actually intended to do some work tonite. alas, it will have to wait til the morning.

sad passing

sadly and this is truly sad, richard wright pianist/keyboardist of pink floyd has died. he wrote some of my faves from the catalog. great gig in the sky is one of those totally awesome and beautiful songs that i pretty much butcher and make the ears of anyone in the vicinity bleed anytime i try to sing. no words but great vocals evocative. this of course ends a long held dream of mine of seeing pink floyd in concert.

the imagery for the video for learning to fly haunted me from the time i was 8 until i saw it almost a decade later though i didnt then know it was pink floyd. i went through a massive pink floyd period, listening to it non stop. it was like a whole world opened up to me when i got the wish you were here album. so much of my thinking and life at that point involved pink floyd. whether i was listening to them while contemplating an important decision (important for then) or easing my sorrow over something. it was/is music that fueled my imagination or soothed my emotions (kinda like those chicken soup books but way way better and less hokey). a lot of the songs spoke to the loneliness and isolation of my teenage self allowing me to acknowledge it and providing an outlet for angst. cocooned by the music - definitely best listened to loud or headphones - i and everything was okay. it definitely is part of the soundtrack of my young adulthood and life. listening to a song now evokes memories of my then.

time, wish you were here, wearing the inside out, welcome to the machine, shine on you crazy diamond, high hopes, us and them, great gig in the sky, hey you, goodbye cruel world, vera, comfortably numb, run like hell, on the turning away - some of the best

teacher nightmare

i guess my subconscious is still fighting the return to work

i dont remember all of it, but i woke up at like 5am this morning from this dream.

a student, dont know who, in passing gave me chewing gum. i chewed it and later couldnt breathe. i was gasping for breath while by throat closed up and i was trying to give instructions on what to do in my absence.

i was laying on the lunchroom floor in a skirt that had flown up - not wearing my prettiest underwear and students were all about. it was later found that poison had been injected into the gum.

probably has nothing to do with school. but i seriously woke up with trouble breathing. maybe the cat had been messing with me, half suffocating me, giggling, before moving off my face.(i think shes a little mean).

dear lord, deliver me from . . .

its the end of the first week and mah feet are killing me!.

year 7 - ah so cute and tiny and sweet. except for that kid. you know who i'm talking about. the one who had 50 pixie sticks and a coke for breakfast.

this week i was teaching them geography and history so i was seeing them ALOT. and i tell you, it was a bit toooooo much. from the first day, i had no idea who he was, didnt know any names and i already knew him.

in the back of my mind i wondered if i am indeed that unlucky and apparently i am. i thought he was younger. i thought that i would be spared but i realize that it was only wishful thinking on my part.

for the past two years i taught the older brother and the older sister and i gotta tell you, the genes in the family dont spread to far. so he didnt have the pixie sticks and coke for breakfast, thats all encoded in his DNA and there is no way i can get away from it. the only silver lining i can think of is that the youngest kid is only 3 so i will definitely be gone before he enters secondary school.

i like to think that i help create a sense of familial closeness. for the rest of their lives they can reminisce about me and how i never let them talk and sat them away from all their friends, and other teacher things that serve to make kids miserable. the funny thing is that they are all pretty bright.

okay that was probably me in class but hey there werent more of me standing in line to make my teachers lives miserable

just hanging in there

i know its been eons since the last post and i was gonna write all this stuff about my summer holiday. that will come this weekend - i hope.

been a bit tired lately. we had 2 weeks of preplanning and monday was the first day of school. i tell you, am just out of shape for this working thing. i get home and its all i can do just to eat (am laying it on a bit thick here to excuse my extreme laziness).

but seriously. its nice to see the kiddies again and the little ones look so cute. but am so tired by the end of the day. its like going to they gym after not going for 10 months. the funny thing is seeing the differences a summer can make. they all come back more tan but its like some of them grew like a whole foot in a couple of months. the boys voices have gotten deeper/ and or are breaking. cant even tell you how that is sometimes an answer to my prayers. some of them have the highest voices, which pierce my eardrums every time they ask a question. baby fat has melted leaving them looking strangely adult like. then again ears and noses got bigger and heads became more misshapen. all in all, its nice to see them again

am pretty sure this is my last year teaching but since have been in school my entire life, i dont know if i'll be able to handle the real world of no vacations and long days.

the countdown begins

alas . . the summer is over for me. its amazing how quickly 10 weeks of vacation can pass.

this summer i
- sweated alot - i do mean gallons
- learned lots of romanian - though my speaking leaves much to be desired
- dream come true - radiohead in concert
- saw lots of art and other culturally important (western european) stuff in italy
- read dozens of books (mostly pulp)
- lazed about pretending like i was gonna be productive tomorrow

sadly my tomorrows are at an end and will need to actually start doing worthwhile productive stuff. monday, i go back to work for the week of preplanning. will be a shock to the system

funnily enough, have been listening to lots of peter gabriel. not the sledgehammer stuff (i truly detest that song) but the score from the last temptation of christ, the really old stuff - the four albums named peter gabriel, and scores from movies birdy and rabbit proof fence. i love the world music aspects and well, the instrumentals are beautiful.

slowly slowly, i must prepare.

russian style

tonite we had a bit of a reunion of the summer program participants in bucharest. we started out at a terasa with a few drinks and cake (it was the birthday of a friend of a friend) and sang happy birthday romanian style - which translates literally into "at the many years."

afterwards cristina suggested that we go this club "deja vu". the name has nothing to do with the music experienced. it was pretty cool (translate - okay) but the funny thing is that it is a moldovan/russian club. didnt realize there were that many in town but hey. they played techno dance music, about what you would expect. but they also played some traditional eastern european music. and most of the people on the dance club did the circle dance. you know, the one you have seen in the movies that people do at weddings and stuff. there were also ballads and then techno dance music again.

got home around 4.30 am and felt so bad for my neighbors because of my codependent cat who screeches like shes in heat whenever (even after a 10 minute break) i come home.

oh-pa!

in the end . . .

i wound up doing two interviews. one for another paper and one for the local news. the paper went well. i could make eye contact and the reporter was smiling and encouraging. looking into the lens of a camera is unnerving. i started to sweat and when am nervous, i started to speak quickly, which is not that good in a language one is just learning. and i did not watch it.

program was crazy good and met lots of peeps and imbibed prea mult.

on returning home, i return to a somewhat frantic and manic kitty, which is not that unusual. i go in the kitchen and i see these huge chunks of things all in ziggy's bowl and on the floor. i look more closely and realize that baby kitty ran out of food. now i left plenty, but i also realized, upon seeing her again, some added heft to the formerly slender kitty's frame. i think she spent most of the past few weeks comfort eating and gaining weight.

and those chunks in her bowl? well someone looked around and found some dehydrated stuff and put it in her bowl. sadly, it was my food - dehydrated textured vegetable protein. me thinks ziggy was not enamored with the food selection so she took matters into her own paws. i found feathers all over the house and i dont own feather pillows. from the amount of feathers in evidence, am pretty sure that the bird did not make it out alive.

but i ask myself, living on the 3rd floor - how did ziggy, hungry kitty get the bird?

in the news

so we were all learning really really hardcore in class the other day and the Transilvanian Express newspaper came in to do a bit of a human interest story on us. They took some massively flattering pics of us studying (only my class) and i also had an interview with the journalist. All in Romanian no less. she spoke crazily fast and when asked to speak more slowly, she slowed down for about 1 second before she sped up again. am not directly quoted cause i think there may have been some grammar issues. but hey, an interview totally in another language. you can see and read it yourself here. Sadly, there is also a picture and it was an extremely bad hair day. am supposed to have an interview with the tv station today. will try to get out of that one.

days with my father

This is the title of an absolutely beautiful and poignant website created by a photographer chronicling his days with his 98 year old father. please visit. i think is speaks for itself and requires nothing else from me.

her . . .

am currently in Brasov, a german town in the transylvanian alps doing a course in romanian. more on that later (isnt i nice how i always say that but never deliver). yesterday, i noticed a growth on my face near my mouth.

today i went to the pharmacy to get something to put on it. i would like to say before i go on, i never had a cold sore until i came to romania. i got the first one last summer. isnt i nice that i have a memento that will last me forever?

so i go to the pharmacy, wait my turn patiently, and ask the pharmacist in grammatically correct romaian, "do have medication for this?" did not know how to say cold sore in romanian. i swear she shouts "HERPES?" apparently the word is exactly the same in romanian, only with an accent - think her-pez. i was appalled and shamed. all i could do was say umm, i guess.

i mean chicken pox is in the herpes family too, but people dont go around saying that their 6 year old has herpes.

toodles - me and my growth

brains just wasting away

even though i have 3 courses i should be doing work for and studying, this is what my brain is focused on.

i saw a pic of mischa barton the other day and it brought this to mind.

remember the movie the never ending story. that has got to be one of the best movies of ALL time and of my childhood. its one of the reasons i dont like religious movies.
1. i hate being preached too.
2. they tend to be boring. they need to get some jet li in there with some wolverine - not superman cause he sucks - and throw in some keanu reeves for me to watch. maybe am not the target demographic cause i dont think that will ever happen.
3. the never ending story. when i was a kid, i would look at the tv guide and see that the greatest story ever told was gonna be on and would be sooooooooooooooooooo excited. cause my child brain always (not the brightest as this happened many times) confused it with the never ending story - bastion, atreyu, falkor, the child empress. i would be in heaven, on cloud nine waiting for one of my faves to come on. only to be driven into the depths of despair when i saw some dirty people with greasepaint and beards running around in a desert about something or another. this could also be the reason why am not fond of beards and grease paint though i do like deserts.

anyway, back to misha barton and the movie. every time i see her the image of falkor - the luck dragon comes to mind. she kinda looks like him. and i mean this in a super nice way, cause i loved falkor. i wanted one, though it took me a long time to realize that he wasnt a dog being called a dragon but was from east asian mythology therefore not looking like a lizard.

and every so often, i listen to the song and dream. after seeing and loving the movie, i read the book and it was horrible. may have been a good book, but totally ruined the movie for me.

whole lotta not much

its amazing how the time is flying by - before i know it, vacay will be over and will be slogging in away in the mines. em . . classroom.

so in prep for my trip to Brasov for learning and hanging was getting some stuff together. and it was FRUSTRATIN'. went to buy a replacement buckle for my backpack (did i mention that its a bit warm and i sweat profusely). the outdoor sporting good store is a bit out of my way but i convinced myself to do it. and they didnt have one - the jerk behind the counter tries to fob me off by saying that size is rarely used and thats why. LIAR!!! my other bags have used the same exact one. dont lie just admit that y'all are crap. will have to cannibalize one of those bags.

then the hunt for running shoes. went to the sport store of the 10 possible styles - they had one but can i find it in my size? nooooooooo. then i go other places and no dice. i went to 2 freaking malls but no luck. the pair i have now (reebok) ripped. my asics were forgotten at fencing practice and were found then lost again. my poor flatfooted feet need supportive shoes.

my mp3 player was liberated from my possession as i bought cucumber and tomatoes (they are the most expensive veggies i've ever purchased) so attempted to buy a new one. at the store, none have batteries and i couldnt look at the manuals. how am i supposed to know what am spending crazy amounts of money on if i cant try it out. something not appreciated by the clerks. its really frustrating as my language ability is too limited to really let loose on them. always just gotta go away with a curt multumesc.

to console myself and stoke my inner 15 year old boy, i saw the HULK movie. was really enjoyable and tim roth is crazy short. great summer movie. ever since fight club (ahhh. . .) have seriously loved ed norton and it was interesting having a bruce banner who was all kinda skinny and stuff. liv tyler's mouth frightens me. would see a sequel until i get bored. couldnt be bothered to see the spiderman 3.

love the summer movie season - or at least my inner 15 yr old boy does. never seen the mummy movies but am contemplating it as jet li is in it - and the 15 yr old loves him.

toodles

bestfest 2008

tonite i went to bucharests bestfest, the music festival held here during the summer. i like festivals cause its an opportunity to see lots of musicians that you normally would not pay high admission for. also theres the chance to see new bands. they suck cause there's always two bands you want to see playing at the same time. and my feet, my poor aching feet. spending almost 7 hours standing and dancing, my feet need some tlc. but they aint getting any. sadly the cat does not have opposable thumbs (i wish for a mutant cat daily)

was pretty good. i saw Alanis Morrisette, Unkle, and Apollo 44. all played well and i have a greater desire to listen to their music.

Bestfest is done in the middle of the city with housing nearby so they put together one of the best bits, the silent disco. you walk up and there all of these people in an area flailing around randomly. when you enter you are given a set of headphones with 2 diff channels so you can pick the music you want to listen and dance too. was pretty fun and funny when you take of the 'phones and people are just moving around in silence.

alas, am now tired. trying to psyche myself up to go back to see nelly furtado (no real desire) and stereophonics who i seriously love.

sigh. . .

la la li lai lai

do i know what this means? em, no. but last nite, with some friends, i went to a gypsy music concert and it was pretty awesome. it was modern music, so very few pipes (which drive me insane) but traditional instruments (hand drums, accordian, etc) plus electric guitars, bass, and drums. the opening act was a really good serbian group playing similar music

i swear there were like 50 people on the stage between singers and a bevy of dancers. people in the audience were dancing and i learned a few moves from me friends.

on of the funny bits was near the end when this woman in evening wear came out. the rest of the band, who apparently are pretty famous outside of romania, were wearing something close to traditional costumes. she came out threw her arms out, waiting for applause. I turn to my friends and ask if she is famous, because at the beginning of the show we had recitation of poetry by a well known romanian actress (she was also in the the Passion of the Christ- dont know, didnt see it). anyway - not famous. she sang the first verse of whitney houston's the greatest love of all then the band resumed playing music again. its like shes some's girlfriend who has convinced them to let her be on stage. cause she did it badly and at the end she came forward to screech in the microphone.

also there was a famous romanian rapper. the dancing gypsy girls hung in the back, unsure of what to do when the rapping was going on. all in all a very entertaining nite. heres a totally crappy pic.

AHHHHH!!!!!!

am soooooo bored. came back from italy which was pretty awesome, will post some year. came back home, lovely to be home and in bed and all that return home stuff. cat didnt jump off balcony again blah blah blah. now have hit the bad part of summer. havent decided what to do and am going crazy with boredom. have slept and rested up. last night after reading a book, i posted a review on amazon. at 3am. never did it before. never had the time. but apparently do now. the nite before, again at 3am i went on a kitten rescue mission (someone had dumped it and i could hear it crying 3 floors up)

gotta find something to do with self. maybe will start crocheting again.

ha,ha, ha - yay yay yay

wow its been along time since i posted.

the student newspaper did a survey at school. and i was voted the funniest teacher. yay!!! at least i didnt get strangest teacher. and i truly like the kids (except for certain members of year 9) and theyre pretty funny themselves (in a good way).

anyhoo - yesterday was the last day of school. i was almost giddy. now for a 2 1/2 month vaycay.

not too much happening this summer. on monday i go to milan and venice for a week. then i have to do some school work as we are finally (2 years late) shifting to the new campus. will be staying in romania this summer doing a language course and traveling about a bit more, seeing the bits i havent already seen. its a relatively large country so there's lots to see.

this of course if nothing changes.

but the bestest of all - am seeing radiohead in milan. am kind of in training. will be listening to lots of radiohead so can get the words just right. have been waiting for this for more than half my life. its almost like a pilgrimage.

Bibliodyssey

this is like one of the coolest things ever. This dude(?) finds old plates and rawings from books long faded into obscurity and makes them available again and links to the full text sources. BibliOdyssey

amazing photographs

visit some amazing photographs by this photographer based in asia who was in Burma right before the cyclone

voting

just like y'all in the states, its also voting time here in bucharest. cause am all knowledgeable - all i can make out are that there are some parties - they are yellow, orange, green, and red. they must have names but am far too knowledgeable to figure that out (there are a lot of acronyms and that's hard work!). bucharest is divided into 6 sectors, each with its own mayor, and there is one for the whole city. so theres a lot of this campaigning and leaflet giving and such.

the campaign style here is a bit different. was subjected to a commercial for a yellow dude at the movies as part of the preview for Iron Man. you will also find flatbed trucks with mounted speakers driving down some of the major residential roads, blaring music and the names of their people. but the kicker is the truck also has cheerleader type people on it in short shorts and tight shirts. you know, to get the issues across so you can make an informed decision when voting.

now the only ones who approach me are members of the green party. i figure they must be desperate because, one look at me lets you know that i cant vote. but still they will give me leaflets and a gift. the leaflet, in addition to letting me know this party will free us from the communists who have been running the country despite the revolution, has on the back the football playing schedule - something useful. i also received matches, again useful stuff.
i cant help but realize though that the other colors give out lighters.

totally random

just came from a christening - was a great experience - more on that later. but at the restaurant (which was part of a hotel) where the after dunking party was held had a tv on. sound as off cause music was blaring, but there was a steven segal movie on. he is one of the greatest (if you define this to a very narrow definition) actors ever. remembered the joy i used to get as a kid watching his movies and him kicking but and providing soulful (again, with limitations) insights to the human condition. mostly i loved the fighting and that the good guys always won. he shoots alot of movies in romania (mostly cause he's like fat and cant fight anymore and they all go straight to video). so anyway, not this weekend (am going to sibiu) or next next weekend (gotta give myself time to amass them) am gonna have a weekend of culture (limited) with a marathon of steven segal movies. maybe they will pass the test of time.

on being a terrorist

a couple of weekends ago as part of my easter (orthodox) holiday (or as the person who made up my school calendar calls it, eastern easter) i spent a couple of days in the UK.

when i first got of the plane, i thought SWEET! as the line for non EU passports was only 3 people deep. but alas, my joy was not to last as my actually going thru passport control was a little long.

dude (i have a special name for him in my head) passes my passport through then proceeds to ask me questions, what am i doing there? how long will i be staying? where will i be staying? etc. now usually, an american passport holder does not receive these questions and wanting of minute accounting of ones holiday plans. before the UK, i visited some friends in the netherlands and it was a wave on through.

He's getting snotty with me and asks for proof that i will be leaving the UK (like i want to illegally enter and stay in one of the most crazy expensive countries). i give him my flight info to return home, then its more questions asking for my romanian id and activities there (surprised he didnt ask about my ovulation schedule). then i am asked to wait to the side while a supervisor comes and speaks to me.

finally we get to the meat of it. this guy never comes out and says it, but its the terrorism survey, apparently because i had some many stamps from the middle east (that part he says). am all thinking, hmmm. . my people (haitians - which is says in my passport) would not make the best terrorists since most of us carry the lateness gene.

I think he took one look at me and thought maybe i decided to find my roots in the motherland or something. i can barely practice the religion ive got, let alone, during my time in the middle east, to have converted to a religion that requires so much work of a practitioner. 1 year is like over 40 lifetimes of regular (as i define it) church attendance.

after answering a number of carefully nuanced (my buttocks!) questions i was allowed to enter the country to visit museums and buy art supplies.

Orhan Pamuk

this evening i went to a talk by Orhan Pamk, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. it was pretty good and luckily in english (with translations in Romanian). its really really hard trying to make sense of what people are saying if its anything other than everyday situations.

having sat through his discussion, i want to read something of his. maybe not the Nobel book, cause that may be too important for my little brain. he discussed nationalism and its use as propaganda to incite those lacking in education to fully make sense of the issues and preying on their fear while providing them with nothing. he also made the distinction between what we expect nationalism to be and the political manifestation or people selling their vision under the heading of but usually being devoid of any of the positive and/or definitive aspects of the culture it supposedly is saving/preserving. or maybe am putting my words in his mouth.

before i went to the presentation, one of my turkish students stated that many people in turkey hate him because he wrote about the armenian genocide. That student also stated emphatically that he was a liar that it was really the Kurds who did that. a fine example of children restating, believing, and propagating what they hear and the unlikelihood of anything changing that viewpoint

Pamuk also explained that part of his contract is to vet book covers in the countries his books are translated and published in because of the prevalence of the desire to place a mosque on all covers. given how important he is (am assuming that he is well respected in the literature world given that Nobel prize) its a little surprising that the lowest common denominator and cliches win.

release your inner pollock

'kay, this one isnt really feeding the lizard brain but it is a bit fun and a bit giddy. i realize am a bit easy to amuse but . . . so go to this site to create your own pollock-ian masterpieces. its kinda fun and will help stimulate blah blahs (yes, thats a scientific word) in your brain which will actually increase your productivity in other stuff. theres a study or something to prove or maybe hint at this. or maybe not really.

life before death

is a photo exhibit by walter schels on life and death, involving photos of people before and after death. its not macbre. really touching are what people said about their impending deaths and their reactions. all part of the human condition. see it here

hooray for NATO!!!

now you might think this is going to be a high brow entry about security, interdependence, globalization, etc., but you might also be wrong.

all i can say is that at this point in time, i am seriously loving NATO and all the work they do. you may scratch your head and say, "dece (why)?"

this week, NATO is having a conference here in bucharest. this is a wonderful opportunity for Romania, reinforcing her participation in the EU, NATO, and being an important (really) actor on the world stage. but whatever. the mayor of the whole city (there are actually 7 in total) has, in order to ensure blah blah blah, has closed down major parts of the city.

since we're an international school and kids come from all over (mostly posh areas) they cannot get to school because of road closings. this means (sadly) school is closed for the rest of the week?

it's horrible i tell you, truly horrible!

earth hour

earth hour. i turned out the lights, computer, and lit candles.

the candle light was nice. did a bit of drawing. was difficult with no music. but did lose track of time and spent a more than an hour. but the computer (my umbilical chord tot he world) called.

chinese democray and dr. pepper

don't get excited, this is not gonna tax the brain cells with political stuff. but do get excited if you're a fan of Guns n Roses.

as you may or may not know, Guns n Roses has been working on the follow-up to use your illusion I & II for about 17 years now. plagued by Axl Rose being bat guano crazy, all the other band members leaving, scary new ones coming in (yeah that dude that wore a KFC bucket on his head) and leaving, the album just doesn't seem to be near completion. Axl promised the album would be released by the end of last year. but alas, breaking the heart of many, it never appeared. (if nothing else, gotta give this dude props for procrastination. even i have never been this late!)

Dr. Pepper, in effort to spur Axl into gear and celebrate with the rest of America should the album Chinese Democracy appear by the end of 2008, has promised every person in the US (except for guitarists Slash and Buckethead) a free can of Dr. Pepper. if it happens, i will be on the plane home (haven't had Dr. Pepper in years - am sure i have built it up in my head)

kudos to Dr. Pepper for doing its best to save the world. but i think at this point he should just say whatever and retire, and become a motivational speaker - he's kinda scary and could encourage people to do stuff. i mean can he ever hope to reach the heights of the use your illusion albums? NO!!! those albums are now classics and perfection. sigh . . .

under byen

under byen is a danish band that sings in danish. really, dont mock. i also listen to a danish band, Kashmir, that sings in english.

one of the great things is that i understand nothing, so the music just flows over and around. here's one of my favorite songs (of theirs). for this, they have an orchestra (they normally don't). watching it, it's like the singer wasn't even singing, though the performance was live. maybe it is the whole danish thing. enjoy.

happy spring, happy easter

yeah, spring is here! officially and otherwise. a few weeks ago it started here in earnest. but first we had to have a snow storm. now its absolutely freaking gorgeous. when i walk outside i feel all joyful (my lump of coal heart actually beats a time or two). the fruit trees are in bloom, everything is that new leaf green (my favorite), and the air smells lovely (flowers overwhelm the smell of exhaust). of course i take loads and loads of pics of flowers. as nauseating as that may be in retrospect, i can't help it.

today i went to easter service at the biserica italiana, a small church full of incense and with a more intimate feel. other than the anglican church, i know not of any place that does service in english, and in keeping with previous tradition of not understaning a thing, i went to one in italian (i was too late for the romanian and too early for the polish). i understood random words but not enough to mean anything. luckily all catholic easter services are essentially the same.

the alter girls were adorable, the priest looked old and fatherly (i find it disconcerting when the priest is young and hot), and the music was lovely. there was one of those old wood and brass organs so the music totally filled up the church. there was also a dude playing some stuff on guitar (half the service seemed to be music of some kind). because underneath it all am not that civilized, i had to restrain myself from clapping every time the guitarist finished a song (no junie, it is not a rock concert!). oh and there was a high nun per capita presence. one held the mike for the guitarist while he sang. i kept on waiting for her to rock out but um . . . i guess nuns dont do that. others hung out being all nun-like

then i broke my fast with some chinese food (egg fried rice) with a side of coke. funny how after 6+ weeks coke is not so tasty anymore (chemically buttocks). afterwards, i sat in a park area and read.

in a few weeks i will celebrate it again with orthodox easter. i hear the country really lets loose (in a celebratory religious way, of course).

lots of love (boy, does easter do funny things to my lump of coal heart!)

addendum A,C. Clarke

see this is why i have to think about these posts before i write them.

on second thought, i dont think it was the tv thing that made me unable to watch the movie of 2001: space odyssey cause i watched tv when i was a kid. it was the stanley kubrick angle. its because i am a pleb, but i dont get his auteur. every kubrick movie i've ever watched, including full metal jacket which i liked the most, has left me disturbed and eh? i took a film studies class in which the teacher was a freaking ginormous fan of Kubrick and we watched some of his movies and were encouraged to watch others. i just couldnt (still can't) appreciate his genius or obliqueness.

Its almost universally agreed that 2001:space odyssey is one of the greatest movies of all kind. but, i think i would have appreciated the movie more if there had been kung fu or something.

The Dallas of Romania

a couple of weekends ago (i've been composing this in my head ever since) i visited the Dallas of Romania, Ploiesti. Mention Dallas here, and everyone thinks of the TV show (am told it was one of the few programs they had during communism - like 10 minutes a nite). there is actually a mansion not too far from Bucharest which has been built in the likeness of the one from the tv show. since i never watched the show, i have no desire to go there or even understand the allure - my mom was more into Dynasty.

now when I was there, there was not one with the name Ewingnescu to be found. but i think the relationship is that that Ploiesti has been pumping and refining oil since the mid 1800's.

its a pretty town (the old part) and home of the world famous (in Romania) clock museum. i got two friends to go with me. funnily enough, one used to live in Ploiesti and had never heard of the museum. We also went to a biannual exhibit of printmaking with artists from all over the world. i
it was pretty good, though it isnt an art form that i know much about. it was a pretty cool day spent laughing and hanging out with fun people and just walking and enjoying the town. enjoy the pics below



in the park near the town center, the tables were crowed with men playing chess and backgammon. in some areas, where so many people, it was like a sporting event



















Famous church in ploiesti (okay romania is like a land of churches) this one was dedicated to some saint and the heroes of something or another - but not the revolution
























inside the world famous clock museum. it was actually pretty cool with lots of clocks from different time periods. some had nifty mechanical bits that created scenes as the time changed. we had to take this picture as the museum makes us pay about $2 per picture taken inside if there are no people in it. there went our chance to make money selling pics of clocks!


















Wallachia (this region of romania corresponding to Vlad's old principality) is famous (okay i know!) for the metal roofs. there's been lots of renovation recently on the old buildings, which can totally blind you on a sunny day

Arthur C. Clarke

total sadness. Arthur C. Clarke passed away a couple of days ago. for those not knowing, he was one of the greatest sci-fi writers ever. he was one of the last generation of sci-fi authors who were actually scientists. i always felt that his, and others, books were a bit more awesome because their foundations were in theories actually understood by the writers.

he had been living in Sri Lanka for the last few decades and i gave serious thought to stalking him (in a really friendly manner, of course) when i was there. i realized that he didnt actually want to meet me. plus, I was too lazy.

he wrote 2001: Space Odyssey which was a pretty awesome book but the movie was a bit too much for me to sit in one place and watch. even as a kid, i think reading was a bit easier to handle that tv watching. Gene Roddenberry said that Clarke gave him the gumption to go ahead and create Star Trek despite opposition. I and millions of other Trek fans also thank Clarke for this.

for me the sadness, is that there will never ever be anything new with his name on it. but then again, he wrote tons of books i can busy myself with.

ugh. . . .

havent posted in a week. this of course is nothing new. been a bit busy lately. this week we had two . . . .that's right!! two parents evenings. so i get to stay at school for close to 12 hours meeting and talking to parents. so lots of marking to be done and all that good stuff.

i love me some Bruce, but . . .

now, i seriously love me some bruce springsteen, but i dont think i would kill for him. okay maybe for like great concert tickets and access to the v.i.p. area, i might accidentally hit someone with my car.

however, this woman in australia has taken it to the stratosphere in showing her love and devotion for bruce. Apparently, she stabbed her boyfriend to death for not letting her listen to some bruce. when arrested, she explained that she got tired of not being able to play bruce and indicated that it was unbelievable that her wouldnt let her.

now i support her desire to listen to the boss but 8 years in jail is a little much to pay for the privilege.

i did not make this up. you can find it here at cnn

i hate grocery shopping

let me lay on you what happened to me today.

its that time of year where i make attempts at eating healthily (before I realize its too much work and give up). this means cooking and going to the grocery store on a fairly regular basis. i often go to the little one but sometimes there is need to hit the big store for cheaper or hard to find items.

today, after work, i went to Auchan (a hypermarket like wal-mart) which is closest to me and hopefully less pain inducing. boy was i wrong!

i do the shopping. my cart looked empty but its amazing how much it all is in the end. i carried with me my ginormous ikea bag (one of those bags they give you to shop with, but here you can also buy them) to carry my stuff in (saving the environment and landfills and all that jazz). i cant even tell you how massively heavy the thing was in the end.

by the time i finished, it was that time of the evening where everyone is getting off work and/or coming to shop. i would have had to sell my first born child (who has already been promised for some important thing or another i desperately wanted/needed) to get a taxi and the trams and buses were resembling sardine tins. so i opt to take the free bus service provided by Auchan.

i hop on a bus and ask the driver if he stops near me. he says yes, but the closest he gets is still a 30 minute walk away. i am then treated to a ride through some truly unattractive parts of Bucharest. i arrive back at Auchan and ask the driver for the correct bus being more specific about the location needed. he responds by almost deafening me. i know my Romanian grammar's bad and all, but ain't no need to be so loud.

the right bus comes along, and wouldn't you know it? everyone and their mother (literally) hop on my bus and push me out of the way so am pretty close to last (the 50+ pounds of groceries really slowed me down). i climb on, with an apologetic smile on my face since my bag is so gi. suddenly, i hear myself being cursed out buy some woman, i look up to respond and all i can say is "okaaay" cause the vitriol is coming from the mouth of an old (scarily wizened and resembling a raisin) woman. unfortunately, i was taught to be nice to the elderly.

luckily it was the right bus, but its still a 5 minute walk (with every one feeling like an eternity) as i break my back getting the stuff home.

i really really don't ever want to do this again.

when i grow up, i wanna . . .

i know, the frequency of blog posts is mind boggling.

i have just found/decided on a new career path. i just found out about this and am totally excited. apparently there is such a thing as elk calling (i realized there must be for hunting). not only to people learn and practice elk calling but there are competitions. as you may have realized from these bits about my life, i am absolutely in love with the ridiculous, inane, and useless. this one is prime! okay, so now i can learn to do it and compete. but did you know there are people who do this professionally? i mean really - isn't that awesome? i am sure that i could be a champion elk caller. this is way better than the whole International Air Guitar Championships (this really exists). at least i can make a living calling elks for fake.

am totally ditching this teaching thing and going into training.

when the chicken does the choking

i like moby alot and still buy his records. i know he's kinda lost some of his cool as he's gained mainstream success and he shifted from club music to . . . i kinda dont even know how to describe it. i listen to his old stuff and the new and they're like from totally different people. also i guess am one of the few to kinda like the punk/metal of animal rights. oh yeah, and it could be his somewhat preachiness on religion and veganism. however, i did enjoy this video. you gotta love it when the chicken does the pimpin'. plus this song is totally danceable if not cutting edge or listenable in 10 years (okay 6 months).



- also, was i the only disturbed by how svelte (and fast) the colonel was?

- it may be a wig, but wasn't that 'fro lovely? sigh . . .

the desert , SW of Al Ain - UAE

i post in effort to not forget and as i said i would. so this is an oldie but not as bad as the really old stuff.

while on xmas holiday in the UAE, on a weekend day jerry, linda, and i packed in the truck to take a drive out in the desert. it was one of those almost perfect desert winter days. i say almost cause although the temps were perfect and it was a clear sunshiny day, the wind picked up and you wouldnt believe the amount of sand that can blown into your mouth! poor jerry, linda and i like to read signs out loud and make truly random comments about stuff. we kinda fed off and kept each other going. i laugh about it but i wonder if jerry wanted to muzzle us.

we saw some truly beautiful desert landscapes. sometimes i forget how lovely it can be. then we drove to a camel racetrack where they were training some camels. i took hundreds of pics cause i can't help myself. being so ultra aware of my surroundings, i was gazing in the distance and was close to being overrun by a camel. afterwards we stopped in a park of a nearby village and picknicked to the cacophony of friday prayer. two of the mosques had some good music going on.

Below are camels being trained at the track















camel herd - nearby are the tents of the herders















Jerry, breaking the law (beavis reference) hopping fences to get some great pics














Jerry enjoying a nap at the park where we had our picnic. can't even tell you how much i missed this when i got back to post blizzard bucharest

dreams abandoned

sounds serious eh?

tonite, i went to the Antheneum for a concert which included some classical music stuff, a famous russian pianist, and Stravinsky (guess which one i liked best). the music was pretty good though the pianist did 2 (WTF? this aint no rock concert!) encores.

classical concerts are like great meditative times for me. i kinda just listen to the music and my mind wanders across a spectrum of things e.g. buying shoes, drawing, doing my hair, writing some stuff, the books am currently reading, the music, etc. i wish i had remembered my journal cause am sure the was some brilliance amid the chaff.

but the best and worst part about the show was the triangulist(?). at some point, i had forgotten until i saw this dude, i wanted to be a triangle player. i thought that i could definitely rock it and let's face it, the triangle player is the highlight of any performance. kinda like lead guitarist in a rock band. sadly, fate and my short attention span cut my dream down before it had a chance to flower. its all very heart breaking. but i still wonder if this is a full time job for this dude? do the violinists make fun of him? is there a back up for when he gets sick? i think i could be his understudy. is there a training program for triangle players?

the ceiling of the antheneum. its totally rococo and there's also i diaroma of romanian history circling the dome.











your's truly in front of the antheneum last year

feeding the lizard brain

recently, an english only bookstore opened up in bucharest. yay! i went there yesterday and it was lovely. lots of books on lots of diff subjects and they would be willing to order stuff in. the really great thing about it is the lack of stephen king and wilbur smith. there are actually good books not necessarily the most popular from scary lists generated by zombies.

i totally love reading books digitally but alas, my poor little brain has issues with anything requiring thought in that format, precluding me from enjoying lots of books. but the drought it over and i have real books again. i looooooove pulp and genre fiction but sometimes i want more. not to mention, the pleasure of turning a page. though, am so near sighted that that can be difficult to do when reading in bed.

Siniai, Romania

(an old one) **just realized that i have misplaced loads of pics/memory card. will fix when i find**

yep been there a few times and eons later am writing about it.

my not so good memory remembers this --> the city was founded back in the day (not back back in the day, but like maybe a few centuries ago. i can't recall exactly) some famous person (don't remember who) went to the holy land and came back full of the holy spirit (thats how they described it . . . i lie) and decided to found a monastery on a mountain in Romania. and they named it after Mount Sinai and the town of Sinaia grew around it. today, its a ski resort and unbelievably picturesque. The monastery is lovely except the first time i went there last winter, someone didnt like me and i fell and busted bottom in the courtyard (ground was a bit icy).



















Above is the new church, below the old one. there were earthquakes and increased numbers or something which necessitated a new one being built



















Kelly in the monastery compound














door from the old church. although the doctor says my eyes are healthy, i still cannot take a non-wonky picture



















then in the late 1800's, romania decided to unite the 3 principalities and they wanted a king. they didnt like the contenders at home and invited some austrian dude (nice work if you can get it) to come and be their king. his name was Karl and he became Carol the I (see i remember somethings) who built this totally cute germanesque castle. fairytale on the outside and decorated to the hilt (point of nausea) on the inside. true craftsmanship that is just piled on.

his heir's wife totally hated his overdone castle and refused to live in it. so next door to Peles castle is a beautiful house - Pelisior. Its all Art Nouveau and lovely. queen Marie did a fantastic job decorating it. sadly no pics inside.

a bit disappointing but ultimately nice day @Snagov

(A New One)

today, i was all fired up. i was gonna visit the grave of that totally awesome dude - Dracula aka Vlad the Impaler and a totally pretty monastery. Snagov Monastery is set on an island in the middle of a lake. It was a gorgeous and sunny winter day - feeling like spring really. i made my lunch for the picnic and set out to try and find my way to this place. eileen and i took a maxi-taxi (cross between a bus and a taxi) to the place and walked the rest of the distance to the complex that has access. being me, i forgot a few things.

1. didn't realize that the only way to the monastery was by boat. thought maybe there was a bridge or something

2. didn't realize that the lake would be frozen over.

sadly, didn't get to visit with dracula, but hey there's always spring. however, the day was so beautiful. we hung out on the dock and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. enjoy the pics.


below is the view of a maxi taxi ride.















Eileen and I at the lake. i was too scared to go out on the ice. the past couple of days have been warm. my luck, i would have fallen through the ice.















self-explanatory




















i was adopted by one of the stray dogs that live in the complex and surrounding woods.















Snagov is only 25 miles (40K) outside of Bucharest. Though they have recently banned horse and carts, theyre still around

ridiculous, yet also kinda punk

ridiculous because: Tom Jones (yes that short welsh dude who has panties thrown at him alot) has had his chest hair (!) insured by Lloyd's of London for 7 million dollars. thats right 7 mill. i wonder what has to happen to his chest hair for him to get the payout. attack by a rabid fan with Nair? going gray? turning green from a combination of dye, tanning stuff, and pool chemicals? an allergic reaction to chest hair plumping product that makes it fall out? what would be considered an act of god, therefore relieving the insurers from having to pay?

kinda punk because: he convinced these people to insure his chest hair. CHEST HAIR! that took some smooth talking and in a way deconstructing the myth of celebrity and rockstardom by exemplifying the utter ridiculousness of their lives, as well as the skewed vision of what is important and their worth. um . . . i kid.

also: who convinced him this would be a good idea? do the really old ladies who still love him really care about his chest hair? would they really stop seeing his shows if he lost all the hair tomorrow? why does he still take his shirt off? were the guys who drew up this policy high? how were they convinced they would make their money back? what is the insurance premium on this policy?

Ziggy: Sexy Kitty

okay not really since we went to the vet yesterday and got the sexy taken right out of her. she was kinda pathetic yesterday, dragging and falling all over the place as the drugs took a looooong time to wear off.

today we had to go to the vet for antibiotics (these people are high maintenance, i have to go again tomorrow). yesterday the vet told me to bring an old t-shirt, and he would make a shirt for ziggy to prevent her from licking and dissolving the stitches. so i did and he made ziggy the most rockingest outfit ever. she's so funny in it cause she cant move properly (she isnt the most graceful kitty at the best of times). she kinda gets to where she wants to go and flops over. she's fallen on her head a few times trying to get off her chair (am a bit worried cause she is pretty much brilliant - i lie - and dont want that dimmed). right now shes just sleeping it off in my arms. she cant make the jump to the desk anymore so she cried at me to pick her up . sensitive soul that i am, i find her new look and stumbles source of great amusement.

washington square serenade

i know sometimes (okay, often) i listen to music a little outside the expected and certainly my demographic (as a marketing tool anyway).

but . . . been listening to steve earle's Washington Square Serenade and its freaking awesome. i guess the 7 marriages, drug abuse, jail time have been really beneficial. i mean it must have sucked at the time, but hey he's writing great music now. one must sacrifice for the muse. am just saying that i appreciate the lengths steve earle's gone to to bring me quality music. you may too.

whispers in my ear

okay that kinda absolutely means nothing. just wanted something hokey.

today was the last day of school for a while. we are on holiday. Yay!!! see the addiction to teaching jobs. this week will be hanging in romania (thought of going to florence or vienna but decided to stay home) visiting some sights, relaxing, and catching up on stuff (not holding my breath on that one) like super late posts and other goodness.

today was ziggy's day to get fixed. just when i was about to go, it started snowing furiously. this sucked on two levels. 1). i ordered a taxi, i waited outside, it never came - leaving me turning into a snowman and ziggy cursing me for bringing her outside to be tortured.

2). i hope this crappy weather continues not. i've got plans to visit dracula's grave among other things.

kinda makes me wonder if the fates are trying to tell me something. am a bit worried that the vets are crackheads.

high brow/low brow

i was thinking (a truly rare occurance and my brain hurt afterward) about music, specifically electronica. i was, at the time, listening to a most amazing song by Underworld. almost 10 years worth of listening hasnt dimmed the power or beauty of the song. and, i keep finding new things in it.

maybe electronica is my generation's classical music (as used in the vernacular as a big umbrella containing music of disparate styles and times). while i like classical music, i like electronica better and i think that i listen to it in the same way. something we forget is that any form of expression has its hacks, copycats, the sublime, and the ageless. generally, people think electronica to be the crap used in movies, tv commercials, and to torture ears at the gym. But it also has its composers and artists, only using instruments and sounds different from the norm. Not to mention, it also is an umbrella containing music of different sensibilities, purposes, cultural traditions, and sources. It can be beautiful, it can be sublime, it can be wonderfully emotive.

i had a dream

as this is me, dont expect anything amazing.

i dont remember all the details but the dream included:
- ziggy being kidnaped and impregnated by scientologists (this involves the fear from the previous post) and i dont know with what but i was really worried

- tim gunn - the sharply dressed man from my not so hidden and totally guilty pleasure of project runway

- a jelly like substance coming from my nose which seemed to expand lots upon exit (have a bit of a cold and may have had difficulty breathing last night)

high drama at the circle M

for you plebs out there, the title is a reference to one of the greatest movies ever made. that's right Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.

anywho. my friend ceceilia came over today to teach me how to make sarmale - stuffed grape or cabbage leaves. its freaking tasty! and there is totally a veggie version.

our little friend Ziggy cried and cried to go on the balcony. i opened the door so she could go and talk to the birds. sadly, my memory is not so good.

Cecelia and i went to go get ingredients, came back, and began the cooking. i'm happily rolling grape leaves, when i realize that i hadnt heard ziggy in a while. she is a crazily vocal cat, especially lately.

i go to the balcony, calling her name. she doesnt come but i hear a far away meow. two girls walking beneath my balcony call up and tell me that she is hiding under the building.

i go downstairs to retrieve my wayward kitty. am guessing she was frightened but she didnt come out when i called her name. i had to crawl under, pants falling down, becoming extremely crack-a-licious (hope the passerby enjoyed the view) to get her.

the lady that i always talk to cause she is always (in the morning when i leave and in the evenings when i return from work) walking her 3-legged dog, cursed me out about letting her on the balcony.

my real worry - ziggy has been in heat (the vet said she was too young to be fixed was gonna fix her last weekend, then she went in heat) i got medication to stop it and gave the whole course. i seriously seriously hope it worked and ziggy hasnt been lifting her tail for the whole neighborhood

oh! the nostalgia

i take a break from writing about geopolitics (i know!) to share this with you. it brings back fuzzy warm memories of my enduring love of kevin bacon, the greatness of kenny loggins, imbibing my sister's taste in music (james ingram and michael mcdonald rock!) and how my true appreciation for the greatness of jimmy buffet came in college while sharing drinks and writing papers with justin(am sure that they were all that is brilliance). enjoy!

procrastination

i was procrastinating at work today so i took a procrastination survey. some people at a university somewhere were doing some research on procrastination. ironically the research took a couple of years longer to complete than expected.

hey you can't fault me, contrary to popular belief high school geography and history is just not that fascinating.

guess how i scored. it can be found here. have fun and onward with the procrastination.

brain dead

ugh! i have written 32 pages this weekend.

my butt has gotten bigger as my breaks involved eating and seemingly my brain doesnt work if am not chewing.

now the true horror awaits me. proofing the drivel that i thought was pure brilliance the first time around.

i lie. it was never brilliant

home cold home

am back home now and its bad news. apparently, its been snowing most of the time i've been gone. walking around is hazardous to my bottom. when the plane touched down, i thought that i had gotten the time wrong, but it turns out it was only the fog and clouds blocking out all light.

went to work and was crazy tired. i had gotten used to taking a nap when necessary. turns out you cant do that on the job. what is this world coming to? woke up early to go to work, was all set and couldnt find my keys. i think i may have left my brain in the uae

holiday was great. relaxed, talked, hung out, and ate. i gained like 6 pounds in my time there. i will place credit or blame on linda's seriously good home cooking. hadnt had that since last time i went to the mom's house where i also gained lots of weight in a short amount of time.

will be posting for the next . . . pics from the vaycay until i run out or lose focus

hated by the gods (addendum)

in all fairness, i did manage to get some cookies and cream thanks to my lovely friends. and it was baskin robbins too!!!

from the carton is great. on a cone with that round ball of ice cream, priceless. (actually about 2 bucks)

hated by the gods

holiday is winding down now. its been good. i've enjoyed the sunshine, warmth, and good cooking.

i have pretty much done lots and am satisfied except for 1 FREAKING THING!!!

from this i realize ( though i really should have cottoned on to this before) that the gods either hate me or enjoy many laughs at my expense.

i was all excited, EXCITED!, about having copious amounts of baskin robbins cookies and cream ice cream. hadnt had it in 18 months and definitely one of the things i was gonna treat myself with.

do you know that there seems to be none to be had in the ENTIRE country. can you believe this. i have gone to many baskin robbins, only to be turned away. "its on order they say. next month we will have." apparently my fate is to want, unsatisfied.

of the ice cream anyway.

new camera

got a new camera while i've been crazy with it. Here I am chasing Heather around the house.

have been spending time with the friends and doing things like shopping and laughing out loud at some of the things available here. every place has its absurdities and i had forgotten some to be found here. Heather and I pretty much burst the ear drums of everyone in our vicinity all over Al Ain as we encountered some of these gems.

This heartthrob came ready to hang in a sliver frame.

breaking and entering

am currently in love with the breaking and entering soundtrack. I have no idea what the movie is about but the sounds are gorgeous. The soundtrack was composed by a favorite band of mine, Underworld. Its relaxing and melodic, flows seamlessly and is gentle and beautiful. It kinda makes me want to see the movie (okay i lie, at least find out what its about). Listen to some of it here.