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