E is for Elvis

I got this from Amanda Sue. Everyone else, put your own up so we can learn more about ya!

A is for Age - 32.

B is for Booze - a very pink cosmo, or most thinkgs with a cherry (except for a manhattan)

C is for Cookie you crave - rice krispie treats.

D is for Dating tip you'd give your son or daughter - Uh--I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Two things need to happen first: a successful relationship and procreation.

E is for Essential items to bring to a party - alcohol

F is for Favorite song at the moment - hmm tough one. Either "Drive Away" by Gratitude; "Some Things Last a Long Time" by Daniel Johnston; "Revelate" by the Frames or "New Hampshire" by Matt Pond PA

G is for Goof off thing to do - surf the web, Tivo or detective fiction

H is for Hometown - Pittsburgh, PA

I is for Instrument you play - viola

J is for Jam or Jelly you like - raspberry jam

K is for Kids - Winston and Owen (of the feline variety--and given my time frame, that's probably about as close as I'll get).

L is for Living arrangement - solo (avec mes chats).

M is for Mom’s name - Virginia.

N is for Name of first crush - Peter Chain--2nd grade.

O is for Overexposed celebrity? - Paris Hilton or Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes (though of the two I'd rather read about Cruise/Holmes).

P is for Phobias - Claustrophobia.

Q is for Quote you like - "Something there is that doesn't love a wall / That wants it down."
"Man is in love and loves what vanishes / What more is there to say?"

R is for Relationship that lasted longest - he doesn't deserve to be mentioned here (yes, it ended badly, on multiple occasions)

S is for Siblings - younger brother and now a sister-in-law

T is for Texas, ever been? - Yes: drove through northern TX when I moved to CA, and then went back on purpose to do research at U of T Austinin March 2003.

U is for Unique trait - uhh . . . I think that uniqueness is less about a single trait and more about the combination of various strengths and flaws that makes each of us individual.

V if for Vegetable you love - Carrots.

W is for Worst trait - impatience

X - is for Xtra Credit, did you ever do it in school? - always (though it was never necessary--I'm a nerd).

Y is for Yummy food you make - lots of different desserts: flourless chocolate cake, cookies and creme cake, carrot cake, mocha fudge cheesecake; susan's heavenly pie

Z is for Zodiac sign - Libra.

Let's Pretend We Don't Exist

One of the things that really bugs me about los angeles is this. Any time I would go running anywhere else in the world--well, realistically, I have only gone running in two other cities, but still in both of them, no matter what time of day it was or whatever else, when you came across another runner, especially if you were approaching each other from opposite directions, you always acknowledge the other person. i don't mean that you have to stop and have a half-hour conversation or anything, but a nod, a smile, a wave, a "Hey" . . . these courtesies were the norm, and they made the whole hardship of exercise a little easier, or at least a little more pleasant.

In Los Angeles, these things don't usually happen. Most of time, it's a big deal if the other person moves over so you don't have to run in traffic. Okay, perhaps I exaggerate a little bit, but there has been more than one occasion where I have had to run into the road because the people on the sidewalk would not move over or make room for me. To be fair, however, these people tend to be tourists. But seriously, most of the time I feel like I am invisible, and that is really strange to me. I mean, in Pennsylvania, no one ever told me, "when you run, be nice to the people going the other way"; it's just the way it was. People say "Hi," you say hi back. Or people nod, and you nod back or wave or whatever. But in LA, it's as if there is some unannounced competition or something, or maybe there was an announcement, and I just didn't get the memo. . .

I miss the friendly people.

Everyday is like Sunday

I think I'm recycling that title, but it's a good one, and apropos for today's
post . . .

So here are some updates:
Most importantly (to me), I presented my current chapter (or a draft of it) to my colleagues last week. I was a little nervous about this for a few reasons:
the length of my chapter (right now 14,700 words, or approx. 52 pages double spaced plus notes), the relative obscurity of the subject matter, and the hectic-ness of the quarter--it was 7th week, and people are all just swamped with work.

But there was a good turn out--14 people plus me, and that's perfectly respectable. I always worry that no one will show up to things that I host, whether it is a party, an academic panel or something else. Always, irrationally, I have this insecurity deep inside that I'm not cool, and no one will want to come to my event. This was no different, but once again, I was wrong--funny, but being wrong about this for many, many years doesn't decrease the anxiety at all.

More important than the turn-out, people actually had really good ideas and helpful suggestions, and they seemed to really have fun talking about the project. To me, that was the miracle of all miracles--not that I good smart feedback--that's not unusual for this group--but that talking about William Carlos Williams actually was fun and hip and cool for someone besides me . . . It's always hard to have a sense of perspective on your own work when your in the midst of it and I know that I was too close to be objective about the draft beyond, "I am not embarrassed to share this with my colleagues," but it was very rewarding to see the discussion really take on a life of its own.

I still have a lot of work to do, but it was great to have some validation from my peers and profs. Yay!

In other news, finally got out of my apartment for a night out with ma cousine--we always have fun together and this weekend was no exception. We had dinner at this Italian place near her house and then went to a bar down the block. Other than seeing Morrissey, the bar part of the evening was pretty much a wash . . . but the Morrissey sighting was very cool.

And just four more days until Glen Hansard at the Troubadour. I CANNOT WAIT! but "it's a long way to Fitzcarraldo" . . .

been caught stealin'

Though I don't know if that's it, exactly, since I'm fessing up and citing sources . . .
But found this on another blog Mukilteo Musings, and thought it was fun in a very materialist kind of way. . .

Ten For Tuesday:

Today's Theme is brand names.
10 Brand names I can't live without:

10) PowerBar (yes, I know the regular ones are nasty, but the Oatmeal Raisin Harvest Bar is to die for!
9) Coca-Cola--I don't drink regular coke, but diet coke and fresca are serious habits of mine.
8) mossimo: the brand of white t-shirt that is an absolute staple in my wardrobe. In fact, I need to go to Target soon and pick up a few more since no white t-shirt, no matter what brand, and no matter how careful I am, stays entirely white for very long. Maybe I should come up with a new wardrobe staple. . .
7) Saucony: see posts below for my devotions to this manufacturer of running shoes.
6) Timbuk2: the coolest messenger bags around!
5) American Express: don't leave home without it . . .
4) Kiehl's: not the cheapest, but definitely the best lip balm on the market--plus it lasts forever, so in the long-run it's worth the couple extra bucks over blistex or what have you
3) citizen: maker of my favorite watch--it is powered by light, both natural and artificial, so I never have to buy another battery . . .
2) TiVo: the love of my life--it might seem sad to you, but that's because you don't have TiVo! If you did, you'd understand completely.
1) Apple: my life line, my inspiration, my entertainment, my ipod, my ibook . . . If people wonder why Gywneth named her daughter after the miracle that is apple--they must be PC-users

Seriously, it was kinda hard to come up with this list because I'm not an especially brand-oriented person, except for certain things like apple and TiVo . . . when it comes to everything else, I'm not sure I have much loyalty for a brand as a brand. Products, sure if they have good quality, durability, etc. (and, truth be told, the have to look good too, whether a cell phone or a pair of jeans, appearance is important to an extent).

What about anyone else? Can you come up with 10 brands you'll swear by? (probably should have included neutrogena on that list now that I think of it . . .)

And as a footnote--why is that the spellcheck on this program recognizes "TiVo" and still doesn't recognize "blog"? Strange indeed . . .

May-Tagged

So back in my kayaking days, Maytagging was an actual verb. It was when, during the course of running a river, you flipped over in a rapid and got caught in the current. Because it felt like you were literally inside a washing machine (except for the clean part), it got named after a brand of appliances. . .

Anyway, this is how I would describe the last couple weeks of my life: one big Maytag. Between juggling my the test prep class I teach, the internship class, the orchestra, and my dissertation, that’s the best description I can think of—crazy, busy, not knowing which way is up, and not at all sure that you’ll get out of it without having drowned.

But the good news is that I distributed my chapter to my reading group, so it’s out there. That’s a huge relief, and at the same time, it’s strangely disconcerting, like one of those dreams where you are at work and you realize that you’re naked. . . except for the naked part and the sleep part! But seriously, I feel very vulnerable and exposed now that my work is out there circulating amongst faculty and peers. The group is a friendly bunch, and the only times I’ve seem it get hostile is when the presenter gets defensive and hostile first (and that’s not my personality) . . . so it should be fine.

I presented my first chapter a little over a year ago, and it was really helpful, but the main reason I volunteered again was to give myself a deadline . . . and to that end it has worked like a charm. But it is kind of sad that I need the threat of public humiliation to really motivate me to get my act together! I felt okay about the draft as it went out—obviously, it wasn’t perfect and notably lacked a conclusion (but the chapter was already 14,700+ words long, and I figured that everyone would be pretty happy to stop without the conclusion . . .), but I don’t feel ashamed of it, and I think it does reflect a certain intellectual maturity since the very early draft of chapter 1. . . Hopefully my readers will agree.

But my weekend was spent in a state of recovery (after the Saturday morning computer lab session I had to proctor)—Me and my girl Kinsey Millhone, (protagonist of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet Series) hung out. I took naps. I went shopping (GREAT SALE at ANN TAYLOR LOFT for any of you shoppers out there!) All the while, I was feeling vaguely disoriented because I couldn’t really do what I usually do on the weekend, which is work on my dissertation. But the break was kinda nice. I’m also kinda glad that it’s over and life has resumed again.

As long as I stay out of the metaphorical washing machines . . .

Separated at Birth

So we had orchestra rehearsal tonight, and my conductor has been acting really weird lately. I mena, there is just something off with him these days . . . he's been manic and then really harsh and critical. I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't like it. You can just see the fun going out of people's eyes. It's not like we are professionals. We're good, but we all have other jobs, and most of them are pretty intense. I'm not the only graduate student in the group, and others are professors, lawyers, doctors, researchers . . . etc. It's not like we sit around all day watching television (okay, it's not like we sit around *most* days watching TV. . . every once in a while, I do) The point is, we all do our best and practice as much as we can, and granted, I don't practice every day--I can't. But by the time the concert gets here, I'll be able to play the piece. But the conductor just WENT OFF on some of the players tonight. Thankfully, I wasn't one of them, but even so I don't think the terror tactics are appropriate for this kind of thing. Tonight was the second time he threatened to make us all play a difficult passage solo next week. That might have been a good motivator in high school, but it's not high school. We're all there because we want to be, We don't get paid. We don't get mileage. We don't get home until 10:30 on rehearsal nights, and most of us have to get up in the AM and work the next day. Obviously we play because we want to play. There's no other reason. We don't want to suck or put on a bad concert--these things are givens, so there's no need to play the humiliation card. Someone forgot to give that memo to the conductor.

But the real reason I wanted to blog tonight was because my sometimes stand-partner came to rehearsal and looked at me and said, "Oh my God." I was like--"What? Am I bleeding?" She said, "no." and then I looked at her, and honest to god, we looked exactly alike. I don't just mean that we were dressed the same (we were: dark jeans and a white t-shirt), but we both have similar glasses, and the best part, we both had done our hair (which is of similar color) in two buns/knots. We look enough a like that we could probably convince someone that we're sisters anyway, but tonight it was like we planned to dress up as each other on purpose. The best part of the rehearsal was watching other members of the orchestra notice that we were being musical Bobbsey Twins and start cracking up at various different times. The strangest thing is that I don't know anyone else who wears her hair that way--I thought I was being all quirky this AM--guess not.

update . . . blogging for credit

So after my office hours this afternoon, I ran the blogging idea by my boss, and when she finally understood what I was talking about, she freaked out about it (in a good way!) Not only does she want me to write up a proposal and implement something for summer session (which is a mere 6 weeks from now--I know it sounds like a long way away, but I have a full load of current students and a dissertation chapter to finish in the meanwhile!)

But this is a good thing, and I think it could end up being really cool--especially because one of the things I love most about my job is that I get to learn a ton about all these different professions and companies, etc., and I've often thought to myself, I wish that my other students could hear about this or that or the other thing. It never happens because we don't actually have a class. . .

But there are still things to work out:
access would likely have to be limited to students enrolled in the course, and it would have to be optional since I imagine not everyone would be as into as I am . . . I'll need to come up with guidelines, etc.

But I have a meeting with my department head later this week (my boss is not my department head--I have an appointment with the college of letter and sciences to represent my dept. so need to run it by the English folks and L&S folkd both--you think bureacracy is bad with one level at universities-try doubling the fun! Lordy, Lordy, Lordy!) Anyway, if he gives the thumbs up, I'll be meeting with tech-folks probably next week . . .

crazy.
but in a good way.

Desiree, my Desiree

Oh joy of all joys, Neil Diamond is "Comin' to [my little part of] America in late September. I love Neil Diamond, or more to the point, I love what Neil Diamond represents. He's not cool like Elvis or James Dean, and yet he's this American phenomenon who can still sell out big venues . . .

Now to be clear, while I have a certain level of affection for "Sweet Caroline," in no way is this even close to my favorite Neil song. Much better are the following:

10) "Yesterday's Songs"
9) "I Am . . .I Said"
8) "Shilo"
7) "Heartlight" (would be higher if I could find a recording of this somewhere!)
6) "Love on the Rocks"
5) "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" duet w/ Barbra Streisand
4) "Desiree"
3) "September Morn"
2) "Play Me"
and my favorite Neil Diamond song . . .

1) "Forever in Blue Jeans"

Once in one of my college music classes, I actually wrote a paper analyzing the chord structure of "Play Me." I wonder what the professor made of it. We could pick whatever song we liked, and a friend of mine had the piano parts to Neil's Greatest Hits v.1, so that was my choice. Somehow, I don't think that was exactly what he had in mind, but I was never one for following the herd . . . At least it wasn't boring.

So on an unrelated note, I've been thinking about giving my students the option to keep a blog as part of the course I teach. That course is an independent study which enables students to get academic credit for their internships. At my school, getting credit involves a fair amount of work beyond the actual intern experience, but all of it is designed to help students get as much from the experience as possible. Part of that involves a weekly 2-3 page paper which is supposed to analyze some aspect of the internship--can be a reading of the office workspace, power dynamics, communication strategies, internal politics, or a million other things, and it occurred to me while reading The JK, that I too could incorporate blogging into the classroom. I still have to work a few things out before floating this idea by students, but I think that it could be really interesting and beneficial. Not only would it make these assignments seem more relevant and provide an audience for them beyond yours truly, but the students could learn from each other in a way that they can't in an independent study course. Anyway, like I said, I'll need to work some things out, but it could be a great tool.

And my final unrelated note:
This Friday is Friday the 13th!
I LOVE Friday the 13ths . . . I was born on one, but not May 13th.

New Shoes (Part Deux)

Was going to respond to Jasmine's Nike comment in the comments section, but I got to going on, and figured it might as well be a full-on post. . .

When I first started running back in high school (many, many moons ago), I would only wear Nikes, and i could never figure out why I kept getting these really big and painful blisters in certain spots. Usully with other shoes, I might get blisters the first time I wore them, but then my feet would toughen up in those spots and that was that. Not the case with the Nikes--but me being me, I wore them anyway and just dealt with the blisters.

It wasn't until college that I decided that I might want to try other shoes, so I went to a Lady Foot Locker in the local mall and just tried on a bunch of different brands and styles. I couldn;t believe how much better the Sauconys felt on my feet. It was some kind of miracle! So I wore Jazz . . . in fact, come to think of it, Jasmine, I'm surprised you don't have a pair! ;) Somewhere along the line, that line changed, and I moved on the other designs but always wore some kind of saucony. I'm not saying that they'll work for everyone, but it is amazing how differently brands fit different people. . . Do what I did and try them all on--take some laps round the store or on the sidewalk in front. If you're lucky enough to love somewhere with a running store go there, at least to get fitted. It can make a great difference.

So I'm back from my run--the morning didn't happen; I didn't get going until a little after noon, but it didn't really matter. . . I went, and it was better today than last time, and next time will be a little bit better than today, and on and on. . . It was rather hot out (not Texas hot, mind you, but hot enough), and that was kinda nice, but the t-shirt I had on was too big and kept slouching off to one side . . . which was a little irritating. . .

But it was funny--I actually thought abbout the blog before I went--as in, I said I was going to run this morning--I guess I have to run this morning. Strange how the fact that I said it to the three or four people who might read this actually factored into the equation and got me out the door! Whatever works . . .

baby's got new shoes

So I had to break down and get a new pair of running shoes. Crazy what they charge for shoes, but it's really true that if you spend less than $80 on a pair of shoes, you're way more likely to get shin splints or other injuries.

Me, I'm a saucony girl. Love those shoes, and I'm glad to see that the designs this year aren't ugly. . . and it's finally daylight savings time, so running time is easier to find. For a perverse reason that I haven't yet figured out, I like to run along major streets. In college, there was this road that ran along the north edge of campus. I'd run it from end to end pretty much every day--usually five miles round trip, sometimes I'd take it a bit further, but the further away from the major roads, the less comfortable I was/am. The farthest I have ever gone was a trip to the airport--13.6 miles roundtrip. Not so smart since there was a part of that road without much room on the sides--thus it was a one time deal. While I like the five-milers, I don't have much desire to go farther. Here in Los Angeles, there's a nice stretch of Sunset Blvd. that's about 2.25 miles one-way, so out and back is a good run--not too many lights or major roads to cross, no major turns (hard on the knees), and not too hilly. It's pretty great for my purposes.

Need to get into a more regular routine with it though. I'm an evening runner--I like to go in the late afternoon or early evening before dinner, but that can be hard with my schedule, and the daylight (hence my happiness that daylight savings has returned). Maybe I need to get up earlier in the AM and get in the habit of going in the AM . . . there was one summer when I was running before morning rehearsals, but it lasted for all of three weeks before either my allergies kicked in or I got sick--to this day, still not sure which. Anyway . . . when it comes to mornings, my track record is not so good.

But the extended daylight and the new (not ugly) shoes mean that I should be running my ass off. Tomorrow AM, I'm on it. The first run in the new shoes wasn't so fun. I don't know if it was residual shin splints (though I don't think I had any pain before), or the new shoes aren't as great as I'd hoped--$80 is a lot for a pair of gym trainers. Hopefully that's not the case. I'm an optimist.

Hopefully tomorrow AM (note, we're going with the AM) won't prove me wrong.

There goes the bride

Like many Americans, I've been really fascinated by the recent news story about the woman in Georgia who feigned her own abduction and ran away a few days before what sounds like a wedding of truly Gatsbian proportions. I guess I'm most surprised by the harshness of the media now that she is back home. Don't get me wrong--I'm not endorsing the whole "fake your own kidnapping" runaway bride scenario, but these people who are calling for a public crucifixion? Is that not strange to anyone but me? I mean, it's like it was okay when there was a threat to her physical safety, but now that she's back, she's right up there with Martha Stewart and Monica Lewinsky in the "women who will forever live in shame and infamy" category. It's like the people of her town are more
upset because they feel humiliated than anything else. First of all, since when is showing concern for a fellow human-being something to be ashamed of? Secondly, whatever happened to compassion? I mean, clearly the woman has some issues that she needs to work through, and I'm guessing that being plastered all over the national news is hard enough without people calling you all sorts of names, telling your fiancé to dump you, and wanting to bring back the stocks in the town square.



But maybe I should pack up and move to Duluth, Georgia. Clearly, people there are all perfect and have never made any mistakes or gotten freaked out or scared of anything. Sounds like an absolute utopia. A second Eden. Hallelujah.

christ.

All I have to say is: people who live in glass houses . . .
And what the hell is wrong with these people who are mad that the authorities considered the possibility that the fiancé might have had some role in the disappearance. Turns out that he didn't, and that's great. It fact it turns out that he is a really great guy by the sound of it (figures that he's already engaged!) But can people really have forgotten Scott Peterson already? Don't they show Law and Order in the South? SVU? Any of the CSI's? Uh, hello--OJ?

Anyway, I feel badly for the woman and her fiancé, and I hope they work through whatever issues they have and make it down that altar. I also hope that all of those people calling for her head on a platter choke on the cake. I'm not wishing death, mind you, just a bit of a wake up call.