globalization rocks

okay it mostly doesnt if you happen to be in a poor country and are being exploited and all but in this instance as it is making my life better, i see it as a totally positive thing.

i love middle eastern food and had been jonesing for it a bit. there are all of these shawarma places who advertise that they have falafel then dash my hopes by telling me no. i found one with a fasting menu and it was a beautiful beautiful thing. i love the chick pea. aside from the soybean its like the most wonderful legume in the world. plus its got this totally cute shape and everything. i will take it in any prepared form - cause i just love it that much. and falafel - cute balls of mashed seasoned deepfried chickpea - its kinda like fried chicken for vegetarians.

so at the bestest shawarma restaurant in romania, got a ginormous falafel sandwich. my mouth was mostly in heaven bringing back warm memories of falafel had in the past. of course being romania there were slight differences.
1. cabbage instead of lettuce (as stated earlier huge cabbage fetish here)
2. mayo instead of tahina (have to say that tahina is just a bit tastier)
3. fries (a potato fetish)
4. they tried to put ketchup on it (ketchup fetish. this condiment is believed to go with everything), but i declined.

of course it was chickpea stuff, on pita and with kickass pickles. was yummy. now if only they delivered.

good things about cold weather

still kinda warm here. am a bit surprised at how much the romanians bundle up. of course the thing for me is that its still not cold cause i still think in Fahrenheit a lot. so even though is 0 it really is 32 which is kinda a high number - so totally not cold. also there is no wind = no wind chill factor. that's what realy makes it miserable. no snow. i called the resorts to set up an appt for snowboard lessons but alas, no snow. god damn global warming!

but positives about cold weather
1. people bundle up so i am not witness to the camel toe and moose knuckle fixation
2. dog poop is frozen so not so nasty when i step in it
3. cold temperatures make riding trams a little less oderifous - though i still wished everyone used dial
4. accessories - opportunity to wear totally really cute matching gloves and scarves - i skip the whole hat thing since i have a fro and all. what i really want are earmuffs.

corruption? Please!

apparently corruption is rampant in romania. or rather the public very much distrust the government and dont feel that hard work gets them anywhere. this makes me feel good and gives me a wasrm fuzzy feeling. i wonder though, in what ways is the government corrupt. of course i see it in the education somewhat (from this school anyway) where merit is not necessarily the benchmark for achievement. if you go to the gallup website, you can see the world corruption index.

couple questions though . . . whose life does this whole corruption index make better? now romanians can be all depressed when they find out that the made the top ten . . . for corruption. and the finnish (least amount of perceived corruption) can be all smug that their country is freaking awesome. in an aside, i met some scandinavians and a finnish dude a while back and i learned that amongst the finger (as i like to call them. in full - fingers from the arctic) countries, the finnish are stereotyped as being really violent drunks. something about drinking alot (vodka) and stabbing people. but i guess the government doesnt habitually stab, which, when you think about it, is a good thing. furthermore, nothing instigates distrust like government sanctioned random stabbings. though this could be a pretty good technique for keeping them in line. food for thought for when i become totalitarian ruler.

the u.s. has a relatively low level of perceived corruption. i dont know what that is all about though. but with that said. i fully believe in corruption - especially if it can do something for me. personally, i say bring it on and increase the load. TO CORRUPTION AND BEYOOOOND!!

so if you know anyone or are yourself corruptibility inclined, i would be more than happy to sign on, giving a negligible amount of work and developing ways to stab you in the back so my bank account gets fat and other really good stuff. um. . . i can send a cover letter and c.v.

naming day, i want one

today i got to again experience something i like very much. its really quite sweet. the children on their birthdays bring chocolate to give to all. they give you some chocolate and you say happy birthday. its nice that its not expected for you to give them a present.

now this is a lovely custom of romania, but what makes it even better is that they do this on their naming day as well. what is a naming day? well, its the day of the saint that you are named after. in some families, the name day is actually more important than the birthday. one of the students explained it to me that this means that they get even more presents - on birthdays, name days, xmas, etc.

there is a saint mahail which would be a nameday for the last name. unfortunately, that day has passed. also i dont know if it counts since its actually not my name but my last.

since i have been exposed to this custom, there is really only one thing which is my current greatest desire in the world. and that is to have a name day. my family saw fit to give me a totally crappy middle name (sounds like a slavic boys name, as aside there are many boys named vlad here) and my first name also leaves me in the cold. so i propose that we lobby the head of the orthodox church to find a saint junie. or something close. i am looking for signatures for my petition so dont hesitate to help me gain my fondest wish.

also, since a name date is imminent, you should send presents.

cant beat 'em, so am looking to join

linking to the previous post regarding xmas music. i just came across this lovely bit of nausea inducing seasonal muzak consisting of Heidi Clum singing quite badly to insipid xmas music. the video includes shots of her and sleigh/snow scariness. if i had a heart, i would probably be moved to remember wonderful xmases spent with the fam cavorting in snow (there's lots of it in florida) and helping santa to spread sprinkles of joy and holiday spirit. unfortunately - and i use this with wry cynicism (like i know what that means) - i dont seem to. as a matter of fact, i was hard pressed to keep down my pizza.

but then, as i was watching it, i had a Eureka! moment. (i seem to have these often though they seem to get me nowhere). I CAN SING TOO!!! admittedly, sometimes when i sing dogs howl and cats screech, but i think that with the miracles of modern technology and xmas, my voice could be synthesized into something relatively painless, thereby allowing me to share all the xmas joy in my heart. i realize that i am not a famous victoria secret model with famous musician husband, but i think it can be done. i mean, xmas is a time for miracles and i think the i am truly channeling the spirit of the holidays when i say this this has the potential to be a monumentally ginormously huge hit.

i am currently composing songs and looking for investors. the album will be my opus and an operatic combination of Ziggy Stardust meets Tommy meets Guns and Roses (circa the drug addicted wife beating years when there was true talent in the band) meets the care bears and a dash of christmas nutmeg and cinnamon. basically the videos will include a super skinny redhead wearing lots of makeup and leather in a psychedelically animated background with snowflakes in the shapes of hearts and stars swirling maddeningly. i think that this paints a picture at least as attractive as heidi clum, if not more!

if anyone wants to bankroll the project, am waiting by the phone. you wont regret it.

idol xmas joy - i dont mean the scary tv show

as many know, i am violently and diametrically opposed to xmas music. there are exceptions of course, e.g. david bowie and bing crosby singing the little drummer boy. but, for the most part, xmas music is a cruel cruel joke. i mean how can you really enjoy the season when you are stalked from store to store by maniacal renditions of mostly insipid crap. ususally its the same five songs repeatedly. i would like to take this opportunity to thank my sister for helping me to develop this attitude courtesy of such wonderful cds like 'disco christmas'.
but every so often there is a true gem that totally melts my arctically heart and overflowingly fills it with the xmas spirit, goodwill for mankind, and forestalls the desire to beat tiny tim with one of his own crutches.

"what heaven sent dulcet sounds can induce such a monumentally great paradigm change", you may ask? its BILLY IDOL! yes the dude with the peroxide blonde hair and delicious sneer. I have a somewhat (and am totally willing to admit it) unhealthy fixation on billy. i was exposed to him at too early an age. the "white wedding" song and video were such a wonderful influence on a 6 year old. 'eder gave me his latest album last year for xmas it was freaking awesome. and to make my life even better this year, he has released an xmas album!

its a warm fuzzy and somewhat unholy mixture of an aged, punk-rock/pop-rock, bleached billy channeling his obsession with elvis presley. he would have been an amazing lounge singer - and i mean this in a good way since this is one of my dream careers. there is some evidence of the sneer we (and i mean me) know and love. additionally - check out the jingle bell rocks video which has little evidence that his shirts have buttons above mid-chest. I love it!

tram seats and other disturbing phenomena

1. so i get on the tram. its been along day, my feet are tired and i have a long ride ahead of me. this sometimes goes for the bus too. as i stand there weaving and waving with the movement of the tram. i imagine that i am tram surfing as this i as close to surfing as i will ever get being unable to swim and afraid of deep water. plus am damn good at inner tram surfing. thought about te whole roof thing but decided that i was too good to risk my life and possibly lose my head to the electric tram wires. anyway - back to the tram ride. as am all there, swaying, i pray fervently that someone will get up and give me a seat.

sometimes if i'm lucky someone will do so, and i slide in - grateful and ready to release a heartfelt sigh at getting off my feet. only to think ewww!!! as my bum recoils from the warmth of the seat. i know some people relish sitting on an already warm seat. to my bottom, its kinda like chewing gum from someones mouth that is still soft and warm. my butt totally recognizes the warmth as being alien and telegraphs disgust to the rest of me. but alas . . . i must deal with it cause if i tried to let the seat cool down. some slow moving old lady would just snatch it from me. and i dont think other people would understand when i beat her up for it. (just kidding - am totally elderly cruelty free).

2. am walking down the street and hear a very loud SSSHHHHHTTTT!! i wonder what is this amazing sound which has blessed my ears. only to offend my other senses when i lay eyes on the offender. some dude, wrapped up in a big black coat, had one finger on a nostril and working very hard to expel whatever had built up in the other one. i think he succeed, much to my dismay.

3. mcdonalds doesnt have tomatoes during the winter. this very disturbing when you order a big mac no meat and are desperate to add some stuff inside. i saw the vegetable menu, which consisted on all the sandwiches but with tomato and cucumber, this summer and thought nothing of it. plus they chared extrat for this) then went in today only to find out that - yep! tomatoes only during the summer. this in addition to the fact that you have to pay for ketchup. any ketchup! what the heck is a fry without ketchup?

happy thanksgiving!!!

to those in the u.s. - happy thanksgiving. i know that this is late but thats part of the charm. for my thanksgiving i spent the whole day at school till 9p.m talking to parents. not exactly something to be thankful for.

this whole process made me doubt the idea of a meritocracy. i think that i must be super idealistic or naive to still believe in such, but, as i said, that belief is eroding. i dont think that the idea that something must be earned should be a foreign one to people. i also dont think that its a cultural misunderstanding. or maybe it is, with some people believing that one can bargain and a deal can always be struck. i guess one of the problems of teaching in international schools is the socioeconomic bracket that the families belong to. here there are loads of kids from the diplomatic community, the oil industry, but also just plain wealthy.

its a kind of chicken/egg thing. does the school accommodate them because its expected or do the parents expect it because the school is so accommodating. one cannot earn grades simply because one's parent expects it and thinks that one is deserving. if the work isnt done then what is the point? mind you most kids will push boundaries as far as is possible and i understand that. what i dont understand is the adults who are more concerned with appearances than with whether the child has actually learned something or developed a skill. what will that child do when he/she gets to university? what will he/she do when they get a real job? what will they do when they are faced with external examinations or professional certifications?

my real worry isnt this particular set of children but that this situation cannot be too far from common. so there is a whole generation and culture developing that totally disregards merit. i realize that this idea is relatively new but can you have true republican ideals without merit? i think that problems that this next generation will face globally are previously unseen and perilous. how can these be handled by people who never LEARNED?

is this what my mother's generation worried about when i was growing up? is this just a sign that i am aging and fossilizing?

i hope that there is hope for us. and at the risk of being monumentally cheesy - that is something to be thankful for. and, of course, that billy idol has a new album out.

i got some work done after all

yes yes. i got some work done after all. i finished my work from yesterday and like a really bad (insert horribleness here - had to replace the original to protect the innocence of the kiddies) work never really goes away. so today i had some more to do. knowing myself as i do, i sat in front of the computer for hours working on bettering myself (accumulating useless information) and writing an exam.

i spent loads of time researching prefab homes (www.prefabs.com) and other assorted house wierdness like living in yurts (www.vishai.com) and living in really tiny houses (www.tumbleweedhouses.com). heather enabled my poor behavior by directing me to house sites i had never seen before.

i also spent some time at www.readymademag.com learning things like how to make bowls from old vinyl records (am really gonna!). i also learned my new favorite word - abecedarian - which apparently is a description of how i anally file my cd's. only thing in my life thats organized.

all in all. i found the type of house i want. a nice ultra modern (clean lines and geometric) modular house and a new word to describe my self. will work to use it copiously. hopefully making up meanings for it as i go along. my ,that is quite abecedarian of you! or that was most non-abecedarian.

toodles

issues with procrastination

i have loads of things to add but, alas, i have issues with procrastination. i dont know how i do it but am conviced that its a gift. even when i have loads of time staring me in the face with nothing to fill it. i'll find something. anyhoo. i have stuff to add, when i feel the 'typing is loads of fun, nevermind the cramping' muse i will update.

briefly

went to bulgaria - will tell in detail. poor villages sue borat and all that romanian jazz to discuss. birthday party with some people and conversations.

been listening to the glenn miller orchestra - chill and cool

a friend put me onto this dude name john legend - sweet r&b but with real instruments

just saw a storytellers (been hitting the vh1 again) on greenday's american idiot which again reminded of my generation of jackson browne. totally reminded me of the pretender and still does. excellent album even after obsessive listening a la me.

an interesting allergy

as far as i know i'm not allergic to anything. but i was reading one of my fave sites and came across this article. some women apparently are allergic to sex. that is always a good excuse i guess, but the treatment for this allergy - - somewhat embarassing. i think i would be massively uncomfortable seeking treatment for this one.

i can't get no satisfaction

that song has been running through my head as i deal with this incredibly difficult issue.

i am an addict. i would hang my head in shame but i really dont give a flying rat's buttock. with that said, i do try to deal with my problem. sometimes i stop for a few days. but usually i simply succumb when the need strikes me and i enjoy it with hedonistic abandon. unfortunately Romanian policies make it a bit difficult for me to indulge to satisfaction.

i seriously love coke. i mean the stuff is goooood. and nothing is quite so lovely as that first gulp when your throat is parched, acidly burning it with something caught ecstactically between pain and pleasure. god! i love coke.

nothing is quite as disappointing as buying a coke here. its the little things that can make you go insane. first off i went to mcdonalds and they didnt put ice in my coke. Dude! what up with that? am not a big fan of ice but i much prefer it to kinda cold stuff moving about a paper cup without the clinking musicality of the ice. that sound is beautiful! and correct sounding. try a cup of the stuff without ice and see how weird it feels just to be holding it.

I met some americans who told me that ice just isnt done here. they had some people over the house and offered them a drink. one of the ladies then had a fit accusing him of trying to murder her son. "murder?" you say. Yes! and it was all done by the addition of ice in a cup. i dont get it either. apparently it has something about it upsetting the humours, weakening the body and leaving it susceptible to disease.

okay. i'm easy. i'm understanding of culture. no ice. i can handle it. but this is when it truly becomes horrible and unbearable. i go to the jiffy store or Fornetti (a truly heavenly place with double bite sized pastries that are warm and soft and beautiful!). i get a coke. its not cold. i check most of the other cokes in the fridge and none are cold. maybe its that just my hands are cold and so i cant feel a temperature difference (oh. how i lie to myself). i buy the coke. i open it, mentally and physically preparing myself for that carbonic kick. instead, i get room temperature fizz. oh the let down. the beauty of coke is the acid - thats it. i dont really drink it for any other reason. to get the stuff and not have one's single greatest desire (am going for hyperbole here) fulfilled. . . no reason to live.

hypochondria, birds, and not so peeping toms

i think the state of my health has deteriorated drastically. it might have something to do with my diet which includes lots of carbs and cheese. due to the fact that the grocery stores are like super crowded scary hellacious places, i have been avoiding them like the plague which means i aint got no food. but the bakery and mini places are quite close so i gets lots of bread and cheese. added to this is my school lunch which for me includes lots of pasta and cheese. this may be able to explain why i have leprosy. i know, i know. but ive totally got it. there is this area on my left hand that is numb/cold ALL the time. even when i where gloves its cold. it pretty much only feels better when i sit on it. i had to read up on leprosy a few weeks ago cause some people in some book i was reading had it and now i have it. the characters jealous of my perfect health have plagued me with it. its true! its true! dont quite know what to do with my hand. youll see i'm not making it up when my nose or other bits fall off and i become hideously deformed. but you will still love me right?

on to the scariness that is birds. em . . . didnt realize it before but there are loads of birds here, posing a problem that i dont think that i have ever had to deal with before. and i mean mostly of the flying rat variety. now all know that though i am a vegetarian and i wouldnt eat them, i really dislike birds. i have had a few close calls and i know that someday my time will come. i shudder in fear and utter and totall grossness of my impending doom. cute in pictures, cute from afar, dangerous up close. possibly a worthy foe for james bond (had to sneak that in since the man is freaking everywhere). now that the leaves have fallen from the trees (which has been truly lovely to see) there will be nothing to protect my precious hair from the liquid poo. and you know my hair is all kinda big yeah? so that means a greater surface area to become poo catchment. i have to say that is would be the principle reason why am anti-bird. and i dont care if the bird antidefamation society calls me on it. i mean i know its all convenient and all not to have to pull over when migrating for the winter, but jeez! just a little consideration for us with big hair please!

and finally . . . the not so peeping toms. the owners of my apt have seen fit not to include window dressings as part of the whole 'furnished' thing. when aproached for installation of said luxury, some were put in the bedrooms leaving all else bare. now i had forgotten that most places do not install reflective glass as is customary in the UAE. i was reminded of this recently when i looked out the window and the construction workers across the street were all waving, smiling, and seemingly welcoming me to the neighborhood. i now realize that i have to wear clothes more.

feeeld trip

these are pics of what i do. i took the yr 7 kids to watch the march of roman soldiers. kids asked questions like "are they real roman soldiers?" leaving me to answer ummm . . . no. the real ones died a few centuries ago. and "where are their pants?" sometimes its like i'm a primary teacher and its very hard. luckily they are still cute and i have hopes that they will suddenly mature after xmas.

being part of the roman empire is a very big thing here. its a little weird. you can find the whole romulus and remus she-wolf at on statues about town. dacia (romania) were not part of the roman empire for very long but man was it nurtured. sometimes its like the intervening centuries didnt happen. anyway, it was really cool cause they had arms and the kids were excited cause they got out of school and got to talk to the soldiers. and then we marched/ ran down the street after them. its was kind of like a parade but really small.

to tuck or not to tuck?

okay. snow crisis averted. though i am magnificently powerful, i cannot stop snow. but sometimes mother nature likes me. the snow has melted and the sun is shining - Bliss! i hafta say this cool warm, cool warm thing is a bit unpleasant. just stay warm, please! but with this warmth comes some unpleasantness. its amazing how muddy a totally built up area can be. i will be sure to avoid the countryside in the spring. now of course the snow, mud, pudddles bring on yet another crisis. that is to tuck or not too tuck.

as you live somewhere to start to acclimate to your surroundings. one day you wake up and realize that you like things that used to be abhorrent (big word) to you. like the UAE worked on me till i really started liking sequins, lace, beads, and other scary decorative clothes stuff. and not assembled in a tastefull manner but heaped all on top of one another. i seriously started having visions of owning a bedazzler. if i wore makeup i would look like a drag queen - bigger fuller lips, even if i have to color my chin to get them! and there's no such thing as too much mascara/ eyeliner/ eyeshadow/ blush. luckily my american training held and i did not start to think that the unibrow was an exotic and sexy look wrongly passed over by Vogue.

aside for the new found respect of its culture, i fear what else romania shall bequeath to me. i may start thinking that the camel toe is something that is an extremely attractive way to develop infections. even better if i can wear pleather pants with the toeage. you may not recognize me later. this i am in great fear of.

but now i see the tucking the trouser into the boot thing. currently i think its weird if you arent riding a horse or something. but i face this dilema since my pants were bought to be worn with sandals and such. consequently they are a little short with the boots. picture michael jackson during the moonwalker days except i'm wearing boots so you cant see my sequined socks (augmented with some beads and jewels as i thought they were a bit plain before - ask and you shall receive for xmas). tucking the trouser helps keep it from getting wet or muddy, and protects the lower part of legs from car spit. additionally, it hides the short pant thing. on the other hand, is it totally naf? people tuck everything. i just dont know what to do? is living with the tucking better or worse than the high waters?

moose nuckles

recently, i discussed the unexplained phenomenon of the camel toe prevalent in romania. because i am all about personal edification, i constantly work on learning new things. on my quest for knowledge, i learned the male version is known as the moose knuckle. this is an extreme example of this phenomenon. scientists are currently researching what drugs (whether produced by the brain or of external origin) can cause a man to a) ignore the discomfort and b) think it looks good. i always fall back to the old standard of crack myself but i wasnt asked to be a member of the team (they must be afraid of my hardcore research/procrastinating skills). i think that its conclusions will revolutionize mental health care for these unfortunate souls.

sadness abounds

yesterday i braved the snow in an attempt to get philharmonic tickets (diff between that and orchestra?). in doing so i came to the somewhat uncomfortable realization that snow is pretty to look at but not that fun to be in. you may not realize it but its like cold wet rain. oh and it hurts a little. it was less fluff and more like little shards of ice. they looked to be floating to the ground in a whimsically romanitic way when i looked out the window but seem to speed up and plummet towards my face when i went outside. i think i may have micro sized snow cuts on me face. i wonder if this is a condition that dermatologists have studied. am sure to find out that it ages the face rapidly which would account for the attractive young ladies and babushka-esque scarf wearing old ladies who dont believe in bras. i guess its all punk rock and feminist but i get a little scared.

anyway i totally brave this and the evil cars as they purposefully park on the sidewalk so you have to walk really close to the edge. then other cars cheerfully drive though puddles to try and splash you. i wonder if this is a game they play, like car bullies. this could be turned into a video game and then give points for running over little old ladies or junies. so i go to the concert hall to get tickets, and in totally romanian fashion (no smile or even a half-hearted attempt at sympathy) - am told that tickets go on sale on tuesday. the freaking show is on thursday. dear lord! its not like (insert awesome/rubbish band that inspires rabid obession in fans) is playing. now i will have to brave it all again to try and get tickets. then brave it again to go to the show. woe is me!

anyway aside from not getting any tickets i now find out that doogie howser is gay. this breaks the heart of the 10 year old girl who is buried somewhere inside of me. always loved a nerd. excuse me, i gotta go drown my sorrows in tofu

its snowing, it snowing

its snowing, it snowing. it looks so pretty coming down in snow lazy fluffs. unfortunately its cold out - i know thats a prerequisite of snow but still. plus it rained yesterday so its all wet and stuff. so the snow doesnt stick to the ground so none of that lovely white covered effect. thats what am looking forward to. i love eating snow. am thinking of developing and publishing a recipe book involving snow and cabbage. think it will be a bestseller?

the need to love cabbage

in sit here, relatively snug as a bug. i am listening to vh1 and marveling at the totally crap programming. very few shows, just music and more music. oh! but the crap. its like this scary mix of music of yore (no matter how obscure, but this could be cause some of itnever made it across the atlantic) and current euro techno-crap-pop.

an abba song just finished. i was very scared and i know i will have disturbing dreams/visions. dont know what was the deal with this group. its scandinavian disco music. the video included scary scandinavian disco music "dancing". the blond one with the beard is gonna give me nightmares. then came on the only marc anthony song i have ever heard. before i only thought it but i now have proof that he really is totally crap.

but anyway back to that cabbage. you know the winter has arrived in romania when the veg on display everywhere is the lovely and versitile cabbage. although, so far i've only seen green and red. i saw mountains of the stuff at the peasant market - local farmers market. apparently there are many time honored methods of pickling and preserving so there will be vegetables during those long winter months. thank god that modern refridgeration/ freezing techiques allow me to eat something else. she doesnt look very happy and that truck was full earlier in the day. dear lord there is now a frank sinatra video.

on a totally me and note. the cold has made me want to crochet. kelly tried to teach me a while ago but now, i will try again. emmy that scarf is coming!

am not dead. i swear!!!

sorry for the disappearance. had a holiday and did some stuff, saw some people, chilled and . . . sorry way to long and . . after the fact to write about it. went to a jazz concert which was like digable planets but in romanian. saw another band (avant garde or crazy) who is my new hero. she had a ginormous 'fro, was massively scary, very angry and screamed alot. i go the 'fro going so i think i can do the rest.

anywho. i was marking some tests and i thought that this was a perfect time for a bit of a break. its the absolute worse part of the job. kinda sucks the life out of you while you are doing it.

its gotten very cold. i still dont have heat in my house. i dont know if its broken or cause i dont know how to work the controls. sure isnt like the a.c. button. oh well. but other than the fingers am not too cold yet. so am gonna wear the little jacket as long as i can. i dont like outerwear and so i shall wait for the big coat.

got some pics. i swear i will post eventually. am such a tease

wasting time

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yikes!!!

dear lord! the winters here and its not very pretty. it rained yesterday and the sky is grey today and it got to 0 celsius last nite. oh and they havent turned the heat on yet. a rather quaint holdover from communism is the central heat thing. and when i say central i mean that it is turned on by some people very far away who control the heat for an entire area. i was soooo cold last nite --> that Nirvana cover of "where did you sleep last nite"- where the sun dont ever shine, i was shiverin' the whole night through. actually, woke up nice and toasty. so difficult to go to work this morning.

plus this has forced me to commit the totally evil sin of socks with sandals. Gasp! i know, i know. but they are sporty sandals? they are an almost shoe (okay i am trying to give justifications now). the holes are very small. but i couldnt face walking outside without somethign covering the toesies. the were the only thing i had that matched my outfit. but i dont know which is worse, non matching shoes or socks with sandals. hmmm . . .

i am going boot shopping today. i just thought i had more time. plus i kinda dont know what to look for in a winter boot.

weird person on the tram

y'all i am the weird person on the tram or anyother public transport (think this is pretty much in any country). i sometimes forget this and am reminded. today i was listening to irene cara's what a feeling - flashdance. yes from the classic 80s movie that was robbed of the 30 oscars it deserved. i was thinking that i would love to be belting this song out now. there is just something about it (okay every other song) that makes me want to sing. sadly i would sound absolutely horrid cause i ain't got that kind of vocal range (or any at all). but then i that thought reminded me of playing kareoke with the nieces (zana, lena, and anna) this summer. was totally fun and i sounded . . em. . really good! this brought a big ole smile on my face. people were wondering what i was laughing at. but was a nice happy memory.

went to kendo tonite and i spent 1 1/2 hours learning how to step properly. practice practice practice. i just want to get to the beating people up part. sigh. i know its supposed to be all zen and stuff but really the purpose is to beat up people. this is what attracted me in the first place. one of the other girls told me that she did that for 3 weeks. dear lord! i know i am supposed to learn something like patience or some other freaking virtue that i lack, but i think that maybe overkill. but then again the sensei could seriously put some hurt on me so i will do as he says for now. but watchout! in about 30 years when i have some skills i will turn the tables. assuming of course that i can handle the 3 weeks of slide glide, slide glide, slide glide . . .

montage - the way to go

just watched another thrilling episode of csi:miami. and i have to say the whole solve a crime in one day so we dont have to have wardrobe changes is getting a little to much. i mean i understand the need to cut back and save money and all but really!

scientific procedures that take five minutes. they must learn to give up the illusion of time passing. they must take the advice offered here - which looks at the various uses of montage in many great 80s movies. though i was under 10 when these movies came out, i was incredibly discerning and still they fooled me every time. i always believed in our heros ability to overcome insurmountable odds to win. plus its pretty darn funny.

elephant crackup

i just read this article about an elephant problem worldwide. seems that elephants around the world are cracking up and going on rampages. its like they know they are doomed and are going out with a bang. "if i'm gonna die, i'm gonna take as many of you with me as i can!"

its quite sad actually. basically the breakdown of elephant society mirrors what happens in our own disenfranchised neighborhoods. in addition to other stuff - this one flummoxed me - raping and killing rhinos.

we are probably the worse thing that has ever appeared on the planet. kinda wonder when will the earth rise in mutiny and get rid of us. with that said gotta go exercise my rights as a member of a capitalist consumer society and go buy more stuff.

scary indeed.

i just saw the david hasselhoff video for his new song on one of my favorite sites www.stereogum.com and was very very scared. am amazed that this dude still releases records. oh and its high on the charts in the u.k.

consisted on him begging a girl young enough to be his daughter to get in his car, when she finally does - he decides not to take her home and tells her to get out. dear lord! i think that this is a sign of the apocalypse

on the other hand here are some scary awesome archery skills. i want to shoot like this so i can go and hunt cabbage. you know gotta keep the family fed during the nuclear winter.

tofu . . . oh bliss!

i know this may seem sad but one of the things that i really like about this country is the tofu. i looooooovvvveee tofu. i know many cant understand it but the stuff is just freaking awesome. plus the soybean is like a little miracle cause you can make ever so much stuff from it. they treat tofu like cheese - the cheese aisle is where its found. and it comes in flavors that are added while its being made. just like cheese!! so you can get it with dill and peppers. imagine pepper jack cheese but tofu! not that stuff that has been sitting in some flavored water that you hope manages to find its way into the gi block of tofu. bliss i tell you, bliss.

more on food - you can make personalized m and m's here - like with your own messages. pretty cool huh?

am going to a school/corporation dinner today. the things i do for free food. well it is a five star hotel so it best be good. and yay oh yay. holiday next friday. nine days of hanging and traveling. my friend june is coming for a visit.

cool beans

sands through the hourglass

so apparently i am 28. i had a birthday. i dont feel 28 and this gets me thinking "am i really 28?" how do i know for sure that i am. all i know is what 'they' have told me. how do i know when i real birthday is? i mean i remember a certain number of years, but it certainly isn't 28. al i have for proof is that yellowing piece of paper known far and wide as a 'birth certificate' that could have been forged yesterday. all you need is a little tea and some official looking stamps.

what if i am part of some huge experiment - like seeing if people will believe and act the age you tell them? what if i'm really 5 and they've done this weird thing with the space time continuum thing for nefarious purposes? what if i've discovered the truth and they terminate the experiment? what if i'm really a clone with implanted memories? what if you're not real and neither am i? what if they discover that i've discovered what is really going on and they conspire to silence me?

all i know is that i don't feel as old as i am told that i am or how i thought i would feel when i thought about being this old when i was younger.

lines, lines, everywhere are lines

went to the carrafour today - the french walmart. dear lord was that a nightmare! i knew that it would be crowded but it was like christmas eve at walmart except with out the xmas eve part. the lines were like the length of the entire aisles. i mean from the register to the end of an aisle. and these are standard walmart aisles.

am getting aggressive with the staring now. when people are looking at me i just look them in the eye and embarass them for staring at me. today i was walking down the street and this kid about 3 years old ran after to me to get a closer look. was weird. since it was a kid its okay. but sometimes i feel like a zoogical exhibit. this is an incredibly homogenous society so anyone different totally stands out.

happy happy, fight fight, happy happy, fight fight

fighting is joyous - no? just kidding. am a bit happy cause i have found some violent art to participate it. i wend to a kendo (japanese fencing) class last nite. was pretty darn cool. i will go for a bit and see how it goes. i may not continue as the full fencing equipment is quite expensive. i also went to archery. oh Joy!!! - ish

kinda lost its luster when i was there. have to shoot indoors then the instrutor told me that i shoot like a hunter. i felt like shooting him! 1. dude i dont kill animals 2. he could me a little kinder as he was shredding me. i then shot 5/6 golds. but then again i got way way crap as i moved away from the target. at 25 meters i was about to kill people. i actually couldnt see. could be the indoors doesnt agree with me. plus its so late - i got home after 11p.m. i was falling asleep on the subway. all that swaying is like being rocked to sleep. but sleeping on the train is probably not good for my health.

things i miss about the uae - archery is a winter sport where you enjoy the perfect weather of the outdoors. and you dont have mean instructors.

the horror, the torture

I am back at work. Dear Lord!!!! the torture, the horror of going back. i woke up at 3.30 today and could not get out of bed til 7. of course i was reading a book which didnt help any.

cant say that i am overjoyed to be working right now. i think that i needed a couple more weeks off.

sorry to those of you who dont get time off but its like if you dont have time off then you dont know what youre missing. right?

gluttony karma

i have been an entourage glutton and am being paid back. as an hbo show it has half the length of a regular season. i have basically seen everything. now will have to wait and download piecemeal which sucks. i dont like the slow and steady satisfaction of a regular season but prefer binging. everything is better as a binge.

plus how will i occupy myself when am on my misanthropic binge. i spent TWO days in constant company of my friend while we were traveling and i now need to people decompress.

oh well. i may soon descend into madnass.

Lazy is as lazy does

I know that there was a promise of pics and all but i've managed to do nothing contructive.

Since am sharing an apt, i feel the need to enjoy my space when i can. she talks to me and stuff when she is home. you must know how i pretty much dont like people unless i initiate contact. so roommate was gone and i and my computer bonded. very little sleep but lots of downloading.

thank god for a fast connection. i seen the season premiers of such greats as greys anatomy all of the csi's. have to say csi miami was faintly disappointing. and whats up with their sense of time. i mean they fly to brazil and back in like a day. i mean still broad daylight out. then they still have time to solve the crime. the flight to rio takes like 8 hours. this is really disturbing me.

i had noticed it before on other episodes but it was really glaring with this one. i think they dont want to spend money on the clothes for all the characters that would be necessary if they followed a time frame more in keeping with actual crime solving.

whats up with all of these minor characters becoming CSIs. its annoying.

have watched many episodes of entourage. love it. freaking hbo is awesome.

laters

holiday paranoia

YaY!!! was great. we had 3 random days off to make a 5 day weekend. the government decided to close schools since there was a big french conference thing happening. who am i to argue about the randomness of it all? though the school was not very nice and made the support staff work til five everyday. doing what i ask? dont know what that is all about other than torturing them.

vegged for one day, then spent two days in Transylvania. I am Dracula. (gotta say it with a rolling r) from one of the best Keanu movies ever.

anyway. i get stared at a lot. i think they have never seen a black person before. kids are staring. i was visiting a castle when there was a school group there. I swear there were hundreds of eyes pointed at me. one asked the teacher what i was and the teacher just kinda looked at me with this totally confused look on her face.

I always feel like, somebodies watching ( lovely little ditty and only hit of motown founders son with mike jackson providing vocals)

have loads of pics - gotta put them up.

we are the world

i saw the video for 'we are the world' today. i was amazed at the fact that i could identify all of the singers. especially since some - havent done anything in a while, i.e. james ingram. was kinda cool cause what could be a totally crappy song is not. i mean the lyrics are kinda repetitive, but all of those different voices and singing styles add interest. still had my favorites. Just remembered kenny rogers

have gotten out of the habit of watching t.v. i dont even know why i pay for cable here. htere are lots of stations but em. . . a little odd. when i do watch t.v., its VH1 and MTV. VH1 here is great. if they subtitled that, i would be fluent already. today i saw the 40 greatest heavy metal songs of all time. was very educational.

everything is subtitled here. is good cause i guess it helps romanians learn other languages. there are t.v. stations from france, germany, and spain. gotta say spanish soaps are as bad as the mexican ones.

one of the worst things is when i see a t.v. show that i like. the characters speak and my brain seems to have trouble processing it. only to realize that its an american show, dubbed in german, subtitled in romanian. so i am totally excluded from watching it. unless i make my own stuff up.

thank god for the internet and the new fall season. have started my downloading. today i saw the first episode of CSI: New York. let me know if there is anything else on t.v. i should download. always up for the new stuff.

went ot the peasant museum and had interesting transport experiences. will get to that

loves ya

rain rain go away

yeah so its raining. i know that i should really appreciate it since coming from the desert and all but em, am thinking it can go away. havent rained much since i've been here and i guess i kinda got used to it.

told myself yesterday to buy an umbrella so i didnt and today it rained.

luckily i've a ginormous 'fro. it totally protected me from the evil rain. my head didnt get wet at all. glad to know that i grow it for something.

am also expecting anti-cold super afro powers

evil bells, evil bells, evil all the way

the bell at my school is an instrument of evil. you don't get a normal bell sound but these ding ding dings. if that were all, it would be okay. but noooooo. they are ding ding ding nursery rhymes.

the bell goes every 45 minutes -- then there is the warning bell 3 minutes later, then the final one 2 minutes after that. so i hear that bell a - lot!.

the recently i was singing a barney song for two days. oh and whenever the song came up i felt the urge to do the dance too.

' do your ears hang low? do they wobble to and fro? can you tie them in a knot? can you tie them in a bow? . . .

evil!!! plus people look at me funny when i sing and dance this down the street.

my disfigured nose-less face

oh and the tissue here is like sandpaper. even kleenex sold out when it came to romania and makes crap. my nose may be sanded off before i die. so be prepared for the horror of my disfigured nose-less face.

maybe you could find prosthetic noses for me. do they make them cute?

tea and sympathy

am sick. am miserable. and i have no idea what the stuff on the medicine boxes say. i have a horrible cold thing with a headache and am unable to breathe. i may suffocate to death.

have loads to put up but you know how i get. have pics and descriptions of the wedding and i went to the black sea coast. saw a dead dolphin and other yummy surprises. i didnt know that the black sea had dolphins - was wrong.

will post when i am a bit better.

laters

meat and taxi drivers

since the whole food thang . . .

i went to Cora which is a french Walmart - but not as good - to do some house and grocery shopping. its a freaking madhouse. walmart seems to be a bit more sedate.

i saw like the most meat i had every seen in one place - well aside from a cow farm. i mean they have all these different sections and like a whole isle of cured meats. i guess there is more than one way to skin a cat - or em cure it.

there was also alot of cheese which is good and bad for me. and yay! of yays! i found tofu. i wouldnt have thought it. the weird thing is that its kinda just like cheese. imagine pepper jack cheese but with tofu. i also found some dried stuff. so i gots some protein.

we went home with a taxi driver who was like this massively old dude. he sang our address as he drove us home. LOUDLY. then he decided he needed to make a pit stop at a bakery to buy some bread. he kept on extolling the virtues of the bread and shaking it at us.

oh and he asked me if i was from nigeria or guatamala - a weird combo. i told hime guatamala. i like this - am totally picking up nationalities, from places i have never been to.

laters

the anti atkins

one of the nice bits about the job is that htye provide lucnh. YAY!!! gone are the days when i had to make and pack a lunch or starve if i wa too lazy. consequently i am on an anti atkins diet.

its pretty decent food. way better that whatever i had in the high school lunch room. cooked fresh everyday. but dear lord! romanians are totally people after atkins heart. lots of meat in varying forms. i eat a lot of rice, barley, and pasta. every day i have a lot of that. at luch they always serve two of the three. plus veggies and stuff.

am sure am gonna tire of it quickly but then again, i dont have to make my own lunch!

tight pants and camel toes

Ahh! the joys of tight pants and camel toes. i myself have yet to experience it but am pretty sure that there must be some. that is the fashion statement of choice for the ladies here.

am a bit afraid that i too shall succumb to this dangerous fashion trend. just like i started liking sequins from living in the uae, the camel toes may seem to be the height of fashion in a year or so.

the funny thing is that there is an equivalent for me. i dont know if pants are made specially here but i find it amazing that men and women are able to partake of the same fashion trend.

will be going to a romanian wedding tomorrow. more joy to come.

Settling in

have just finished my first full week of classes. the kids seem nice enough though they are still on vacation.

am adjusting to life here. i have an apt and am sharing for someone for the first time in many years. i am gonna try and not make her hate me for a while. i figure xmas is a good goal. the apt is pretty nice - recently redone, so its nice and clean. only problem is the issue of furnishings. they are coming to put our kitchen sink in this afternoon. apts go so fast here that we had to say yes to it as soon as we saw it or we would have nothing. this happened a few times. my roommate and i got the reputation at the school as being a little picky apt wise cause saw so many things that we decided not to take. consequently, we got the apt before it was totally ready.

also - we have brand new furnishings but they are somewhat scary. they are this weird mix of modern and old. dont know - maybe all the communist years have destroyed something. all of the apt blocks are ugly. all cement thrown up during the communist era and the ones built afterward still look the same. but they are much nicer on the inside.

we live really close to this lovely, large park and can walk to work. will do until the weather turns nasty. its still quite nice out - sunny and warm. i think that when the weather turns, it will be quick and very painful for me. am hoping that global warming does its thing and kicks in for this winter.

laters

Productive? Nou!

i know how to say no. am sitting in a classroom with the good intention of being productive. am planning for the coming year and i thought that i should utilize my procrastination tool.

this classroom is a really weird mix cause the board is a chalk board and god knows i havent used one since i was a child. at the same time an lcd projector is mounted to be used with the rooms laptop. its weird. i shall endeavor never to use the chalk board. the other really lovely thing about the classroom is that there are only 12 desks in it. as in that is the max number of students. SCORE! this means lots less marking/ grading, which is the bane of my existence.

rode the subway and couldnt find my apt. i went up to a building that i thought was mine and the doorman had to tell me that i didnt live there. he didnt speak english. the way it worked out was this spindly old man blocked me from entering the building while saying incomprehensible things to me. i got the point and moved on - plus he scared me a little. at the next building the doorman said more incomprehensible romanian things to menbut they sounded friendlier and he let me in the building so, score!, i knew i lived there. when i got to the apt, my key worked - yay! home sweet home.

alooo from Romania

alooo. that is how i have heard people answer the phone. there is a real way to say hello but, em, I havent learned that yet.

am here in Romania - safe and sound. so far its a big city with big city traffic. am looking at places to live but so far, havent settled on anything. the flight was good but long. however i did sleep through most of it. So much so that they didnt give me my food. they just went by. I would ring the bell for the stewardess and would fall asleep before she got to me. oh well.

the school is pretty cool. they have it painted non-school colors with pastels and blue and stuff. it is not beige which is nice. teachers seem pretty cool so far as well. I havent done anything terribly interesting but go to the mall (got a sim card) and the grocery store.

all is well

geek test

as it is well late and i havent finished packing, i decided to take a procrastination break. i utilized my time effectively by . . .

<-- click to measure your geek factor taking a geek test. I scored relatively well with an index of total geekness. I have to say that when i took the nerd test back in the day, i did score higher. dont know if i have improved or lost something infinitely precious. :)

for other tests (i.e. procrastination tools) visit here.

phone booth fun

joe, christine, and i rediscovered the magic of the phone booth. i havent been in one in years. the last few times were when i was in the UK and involved huddling in the booth for warmth cause i had missed the last train and had a few hours before the next one came. while fun, this time it was way better. enjoy.

This be the end

Sadly, my time in these here states is at an end. most excellent visiting the friends and family though as always there is loads that I wanted/needed to do that i didnt.one of the best bits about this trip is that i did get to do some traveling. saw Niagra Falls and D.C.

also got to hang out in orlando a bit. pretty cool. though i am 'from' here, i really have no idea what the towns about since i left to go to school and never lived here as an adult.

joe and christine took me to an excellent dive called Wills Pub. its one of those places that has been around forever is pretty grungy but has loads of personality. we saw and heard the Sam Rivers Orchestra, which is a pretty old school jazz band (not that i know much about jazz). none of that smooth jazz scariness. apparently Sam Rivers is being inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame this weekend . . . props!



there was also phone booth madness with the three of us as well as seeing some people from the past who i'd lost touch with. saw and talked with some oddities but thats all part of the joy of orlando i guess. i kinda miss the chill of the U.S. that lets crazies feel okay about coming up to you and conversing. always entertaining.

anywho. leaving tomorrow and have yet to pack.

oh and heres a pic of the Old Sanaa skyline from when i was in yemen. about sunrise i think. first apt blocks in the world.

'allo

This is my new space to let y'all know what's going on with me. It will also help me know what I've been up to.

I learned this summer that my memory is faulty and fading rapidly. Names, dates, places, and just about everything else are lost but completely useless information manages to well its way past my brain and out my mouth... As I am extremely lazy, this is like a 4 bird with one blog kinda thing.

-- by the way, jdor is an amalgam of bits of my name

j.... ...dor - - the of course the last name.

night