I know. It's been a long while. I made a new blog. Don't hurt me.
But I'm here again.
And more than that, I'm here again. In this place where I have to write, but don't want to.
In looking over my posts for the past... oh wow. the past years - almost all the years of my college life (and only almost 'cause I'm not done yet) - I notice that there's a definite spike in blogposts during finals week. That and November. Go figure. I have no idea why November, but there it is.
I know why. I know the process. I'm frustrated by papers I don't want to write, school and I get into a fight, and I come to my blog to let off steam. I'm sure it makes for boring reading. Heck, this post contains the word "I" 15 times already. Probably 'cause it's so dang annoying not to be able to write papers in the 1st person. Or maybe not. Who knows.
Tonight, however, I'm facing the most pressure I've ever faced (if my memory isn't failing me - which it probably is, 'cause memories are never accurate. hear that? NEVER. memorize that fact. anyway...)
This semester, all my finals were papers. They all required 8 pages of me. The first one I turned in was exactly 8. The second was 13, but with corrections will probably end up being 15. The third currently is exactly 3/4 of a page. And it's due tomorrow at 4:30. I've never had this bad of a time-crunch.
So, why are you in this predicament, you ask. Well... because I intentionally left all of my writing until finals week. Yeah, yeah, I know, bad strategy. But I did most of the background work before finals. It was just the actual writing that had to be done, and my semesters have been getting progressively more demanding of my time. So I thought hey, it'll be fine, just leave the paper-writing for the week where all you have to do is write papers. Square peg, square hole, everyone can go home happy.
But here I sit, after 5 and a half days of intense synthesizing, outlining, reviewing, researching, and writing... and I'm bushed. I feel, as one friend so eloquently put it, like I'm on mile 22 of a marathon. It's 9pm. I was supposed to have at least 4 pages by now.... maybe I'll be there by 11. Maybe if I put my pedal to the metal and grit my teeth and crank it out, I'll have 4 pages by 11.
Here's hoping. I'm putting on my game face (more like rummaging around in the back of my mind's dusty attic, trying to remember where I put it) and- ahem! putting on my game face and writing.
okay. ready? GO!
(if you're still reading this, you must be suuuper bored (or avoiding other stuff you have to do, like me), so here's something else to keep you busy: go back through the archives and see how many times I've written a post just like this one. I bet it's at least 3. Bonne chance!)
______________________
Well, it is now 11 and I have 3 pages, and I'm getting into the flow of it. Things are looking up (slash looking possible). w00t!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Yoghurt
In the realm of the completely random and quite mundane:
Okay, so... you know how plain yoghurt gets that nasty weird greeny/yellow liquid in it if you eat half the container and then leave it in the fridge for a couple days?
Well, the other day I thought about eating some, so I stirred it up, but then it was SO liquidy that I decided I didn't want it. So like the lazy bum that I am, I left it in the fridge for the next several days... and today, while rummaging around trying to find a good mayonnaise substitute, I reach for the yoghurt, only to find that it has more than doubled in volume! It is the same one, because we haven't bought any more yoghurt, and it's not all gel-like like the new stuff is (you know what I'm talking about, don't pretend).
So, long story short... my yoghurt is sorta freaking me out a little. I know there's a live culture in there, but in chem they really hammered "preservation of mass" into my head. And, while there may or may not be more mass (I didn't weigh the thing) there is WAY more volume.
And I was remembering friends telling me that their mothers had made their own yoghurt by getting whole milk and some left over yoghurt and letting them sit for a while... is that possible with my poor little week-old tub of freshly-stirred yoghurt?
Only the internet can tell me. xD But I'm a little intimidated by the idea of searching in forums.
So I'm gonna just assume it's perfectly natural and safe to eat. O.O
Talk about bizarre foods.
peace.
PP.
Okay, so... you know how plain yoghurt gets that nasty weird greeny/yellow liquid in it if you eat half the container and then leave it in the fridge for a couple days?
Well, the other day I thought about eating some, so I stirred it up, but then it was SO liquidy that I decided I didn't want it. So like the lazy bum that I am, I left it in the fridge for the next several days... and today, while rummaging around trying to find a good mayonnaise substitute, I reach for the yoghurt, only to find that it has more than doubled in volume! It is the same one, because we haven't bought any more yoghurt, and it's not all gel-like like the new stuff is (you know what I'm talking about, don't pretend).
So, long story short... my yoghurt is sorta freaking me out a little. I know there's a live culture in there, but in chem they really hammered "preservation of mass" into my head. And, while there may or may not be more mass (I didn't weigh the thing) there is WAY more volume.
And I was remembering friends telling me that their mothers had made their own yoghurt by getting whole milk and some left over yoghurt and letting them sit for a while... is that possible with my poor little week-old tub of freshly-stirred yoghurt?
Only the internet can tell me. xD But I'm a little intimidated by the idea of searching in forums.
So I'm gonna just assume it's perfectly natural and safe to eat. O.O
Talk about bizarre foods.
peace.
PP.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Today I went to the pool, with my (pretty!) new bathing suit and swam until I was tired of it.
And let me tell you, it's really good to feel that ache that lets you know you've been moving.
Getting your heart rate up reminds you that you're alive, makes you feel limber.
You get to rejoice because the tiredness you feel at the end of the day isn't just a mental need for sleep; it's the tiredness of a body well-exerted.
And do you know what? I'm SO doing that again. I want physical exertion to be as much a part of my day as eating. After all, if we were meant to only be mentally engaged all the time, why would we have these amazing things called bodies?
*steps down from the soapbox*
*wonders if the boxes people stood on to speak really were soapboxes*
*tries to imagine boxes in which soap was kept*
*realizes they must have been wood, b/c cardboard wouldn't hold up*
*is impressed by the amount of time, history, and pure quirkiness behind that silly little phrase*
*laughs at herself by typing up the whole thought process*
and THAT is what we call postmodernism.
PEACE
PP.
And let me tell you, it's really good to feel that ache that lets you know you've been moving.
Getting your heart rate up reminds you that you're alive, makes you feel limber.
You get to rejoice because the tiredness you feel at the end of the day isn't just a mental need for sleep; it's the tiredness of a body well-exerted.
And do you know what? I'm SO doing that again. I want physical exertion to be as much a part of my day as eating. After all, if we were meant to only be mentally engaged all the time, why would we have these amazing things called bodies?
*steps down from the soapbox*
*wonders if the boxes people stood on to speak really were soapboxes*
*tries to imagine boxes in which soap was kept*
*realizes they must have been wood, b/c cardboard wouldn't hold up*
*is impressed by the amount of time, history, and pure quirkiness behind that silly little phrase*
*laughs at herself by typing up the whole thought process*
and THAT is what we call postmodernism.
PEACE
PP.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Keeping Score
Weddings
Melody & Joe
Delice & Jonas
A-P & T
John & Carolyn
Merritt & Christine
Stephanie & Eddie
Babies
Kyran - Merritt & Christine - 2010
Elijah - Delice & Jonas - April 1, 2011
Isaac - Josiah & Erin - April 2, 2011
Josiah - Amber & Josh - May 29, 2011
Life's getting crazier by the minute, y'all.
Melody & Joe
Delice & Jonas
A-P & T
John & Carolyn
Merritt & Christine
Stephanie & Eddie
Babies
Kyran - Merritt & Christine - 2010
Elijah - Delice & Jonas - April 1, 2011
Isaac - Josiah & Erin - April 2, 2011
Josiah - Amber & Josh - May 29, 2011
Life's getting crazier by the minute, y'all.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
On becoming a Foodie
Latest cooking exploits include:
Whole-wheat muffins with jam/cream cheese in the middle.
Vegetarian Lasagna
Next up:
Battenburg cake. Just for the heck of it.
Other exploits from this summer include:
Orange sorbet
Marinating chicken (an art all its own... yikes!)
Pesto from scratch (w/o a blender. again, yikes!)
Frozen mango
Pizza - incl. marinara sauce and crust (still no blender)
Baking things w/whole wheat white flour (cookies, mostly)
Egg salad
Tabbouleh
Experiments w/rye berries
Spinach salads
Friday, July 8, 2011
Two words: Credit Cards
Let us all pause for a moment and consider the imbecility of credit cards.
Have you considered it? Or are you just wondering what I mean? Because what I mean is that, quite simply, the system is silly. Bonkers. Off its rocker.
How credit works:
1. I have money in my bank account.
2. I get a card with a company that has no connection whatsoever to my bank or my money. This company allows me to spend their money.
3. I then pay the company with money out of my bank account.
This process, and the faithfulness with which I repay the company its mini-loan, is supposed to establish for the general fiscal community my trustworthiness.
If you simply want to buy things with money that you have, this is a dumb idea; too many unnecessary steps. However, as lots of us want to buy very expensive things with money that we don't have (say an education, for instance, or a car, or a house), the idea of establishing trustworthiness makes a little more sense. As an aside, I would like to point out that, in my opinion, those things are not worth their "market value" - when you translate it into loans and work and stress and hassle and years. However, let's get along with the whole proving-you're-reliable business.
There are a lot of corrupt things about the credit industry, of which I'm only vaguely aware and so not ready to discuss here. What concerns me at the moment is that this system is painfully difficult to break into. Because of course, the company that is lending you their money wants to know that you'll be faithful to pay it back. After all, they can hound you for more and more money, claiming that you owe them, but in the end, if its not there, all they really get for their trouble is a lot of hassle and the satisfaction of making you miserable - neither of which line their pockets. So its a closed system. If you don't have a history of "good credit" then you're on the same level as someone who has a history of "bad credit".
What I get from all this is that we have gone to a lot of trouble to make an already complex human interaction (negotiation for something of value) infinitely more complicated by trying to sort it out with red tape.
Am I surprised by this? No. No, it is reflected anywhere a system has been set up and then let loose. I am, however, hurt and annoyed by the whole process. Because you see, while I don't mind setting out to prove that I am fiscally trustworthy, it annoys the hell out of me to have to deal with all the complication, dissembling, and straight up corruption of the business.
I cannot help but admire those who are able to understand and cope with the business world, because the more I see of it, the more nauseated I become.
Have you considered it? Or are you just wondering what I mean? Because what I mean is that, quite simply, the system is silly. Bonkers. Off its rocker.
How credit works:
1. I have money in my bank account.
2. I get a card with a company that has no connection whatsoever to my bank or my money. This company allows me to spend their money.
3. I then pay the company with money out of my bank account.
This process, and the faithfulness with which I repay the company its mini-loan, is supposed to establish for the general fiscal community my trustworthiness.
If you simply want to buy things with money that you have, this is a dumb idea; too many unnecessary steps. However, as lots of us want to buy very expensive things with money that we don't have (say an education, for instance, or a car, or a house), the idea of establishing trustworthiness makes a little more sense. As an aside, I would like to point out that, in my opinion, those things are not worth their "market value" - when you translate it into loans and work and stress and hassle and years. However, let's get along with the whole proving-you're-reliable business.
There are a lot of corrupt things about the credit industry, of which I'm only vaguely aware and so not ready to discuss here. What concerns me at the moment is that this system is painfully difficult to break into. Because of course, the company that is lending you their money wants to know that you'll be faithful to pay it back. After all, they can hound you for more and more money, claiming that you owe them, but in the end, if its not there, all they really get for their trouble is a lot of hassle and the satisfaction of making you miserable - neither of which line their pockets. So its a closed system. If you don't have a history of "good credit" then you're on the same level as someone who has a history of "bad credit".
What I get from all this is that we have gone to a lot of trouble to make an already complex human interaction (negotiation for something of value) infinitely more complicated by trying to sort it out with red tape.
Am I surprised by this? No. No, it is reflected anywhere a system has been set up and then let loose. I am, however, hurt and annoyed by the whole process. Because you see, while I don't mind setting out to prove that I am fiscally trustworthy, it annoys the hell out of me to have to deal with all the complication, dissembling, and straight up corruption of the business.
I cannot help but admire those who are able to understand and cope with the business world, because the more I see of it, the more nauseated I become.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Car trouble
Long story short, my car won't start for love or money. This evening, after much trial and tribulation, it was towed. Sigh. And now I'm a pinioned bird - a dead electrical system pulled out my flight feathers.
Long story long? Let's not go there. Even I don't want to hear the whole thing.
Thank you, God for my car not working anymore. Like Betsie ten Boom thanking you for the fleas, I don't much like this, but I have faith that, somehow, it will glorify you.
Peace.
PP
Long story long? Let's not go there. Even I don't want to hear the whole thing.
Thank you, God for my car not working anymore. Like Betsie ten Boom thanking you for the fleas, I don't much like this, but I have faith that, somehow, it will glorify you.
Peace.
PP
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Texting
Dear Jojo,
Thanks for signing your texts. This way, there is absolutely no chance of mistaking who they're from. To be honest, I sorta wish you had just stuck to calling me on the phone. On the other hand, I'm proud of you for wanting to master the new technology. That makes you pretty BA - and you most definitely get an A+ for effort.
love,
your granddaughter.
Thanks for signing your texts. This way, there is absolutely no chance of mistaking who they're from. To be honest, I sorta wish you had just stuck to calling me on the phone. On the other hand, I'm proud of you for wanting to master the new technology. That makes you pretty BA - and you most definitely get an A+ for effort.
love,
your granddaughter.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Epics 3
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
This week I read Jane Eyre. It has been a long time since I could not put a book down. What engrossing language, vivid descriptions, real characters! It was full of words I didn't know, passages in French, antique phrasings, and lovely imagery. The ring of truth was a thread that wound its way through every page, leaving no paragraph untinged by its radiance.
Lol. The accent of the writing has got into my head.
Seriously though. One of the things I loved about this book was how it a) stretched my powers of text-comprehension as I read it, b) portrayed real human beings, who lived in accordance with truth and justice as they saw them.
Next up, The Eyre Affair (which is an old favorite, if not an epic).
This week I read Jane Eyre. It has been a long time since I could not put a book down. What engrossing language, vivid descriptions, real characters! It was full of words I didn't know, passages in French, antique phrasings, and lovely imagery. The ring of truth was a thread that wound its way through every page, leaving no paragraph untinged by its radiance.
Lol. The accent of the writing has got into my head.
Seriously though. One of the things I loved about this book was how it a) stretched my powers of text-comprehension as I read it, b) portrayed real human beings, who lived in accordance with truth and justice as they saw them.
Next up, The Eyre Affair (which is an old favorite, if not an epic).
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Talkers
I have a lot of friends who like to talk.
That is good, because I like to listen.
What my talkative friends may forget is that I sometimes like to talk, too.
Often the mark of a close friend in my life is that that person knows how and when to give me space to say my piece.**************************
In other news...
Why do I even bother cooking? I'm SO much better at baking!
Oh, right, 'cause I have to eat human food, not pure carbs. Riiiight.
Tonight's recipes: Cheesy potatoes (we'll see if they're any good. I mean... can you really go wrong with potatoes and cheese?) and Banana bread (which is AMAZING, if I do say so myself).
Next exciting summer recipe: empanadas. (I have no idea how to make these, I just thought of it just now b/c it combines baking and cooking... kinda) Right after the orange sorbet and mounds of pasta. Ahem.
NEXT exciting summer recipe: orange sorbet, followed by mounds of bowtie pasta with at least 3 different, fascinating sauces. w00t.
The Epics 2
In my list of epics...
Third: Anna and the King
An English woman moves to Siam with her son, Louis, to be schoolteacher to the King's son. In the events that ensue, she makes a school for the King's 68 children, liberates a slave, teaches the King's son about justice and slavery, saves the royal family from certain death (a traitor in the King's court attempts a coup), saving the King's life and enabling him to kill the traitor, falls in love with the King and causes him to fall in love with her. She always speaks her mind, does not depart from her values and standards, and remains upright under pressure. The future of the country is changed because of her presence at the heart of the royal family.
I absolutely loved this movie for its intricacy, complexity, and the verisimilitude of its characters. Also for the way evil and moral decay/decline were bested and defeated at every turn. It reminds me of a quote by C. S. Lewis:
"Real things are sharp and knobbly and complicated and different."
Third: Anna and the King
An English woman moves to Siam with her son, Louis, to be schoolteacher to the King's son. In the events that ensue, she makes a school for the King's 68 children, liberates a slave, teaches the King's son about justice and slavery, saves the royal family from certain death (a traitor in the King's court attempts a coup), saving the King's life and enabling him to kill the traitor, falls in love with the King and causes him to fall in love with her. She always speaks her mind, does not depart from her values and standards, and remains upright under pressure. The future of the country is changed because of her presence at the heart of the royal family.
I absolutely loved this movie for its intricacy, complexity, and the verisimilitude of its characters. Also for the way evil and moral decay/decline were bested and defeated at every turn. It reminds me of a quote by C. S. Lewis:
"Real things are sharp and knobbly and complicated and different."
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Wrong Answer
My grandparents, my sister and I sat in the restaurant-booth. As we waited for the food to arrive, we conversed with a comparative ease and fluency that surprised me. My sister and I had put off setting a specific date and time for this particular dinner for weeks and weeks, both of us dreading it. You see, the great danger with my mother's parents, is that my grandmother is a monologuer - which wouldn't be so bad, if it weren't for the fact that her favorite subjects tend to be either too boring or too controversial for comfortable conversation. Dinner with her, we expected, would consist of her talking volubly while my grandfather sat sullenly, eating his meal, and we attempted to listen as politely as we could, dutifully returning the love our grandparents were attempting to lavish on us. But that was not how the evening went at all. As I said before, we conversed with comparative ease and fluency, telling stories and teasing one another. And naturally, one of the things my grandfather asked, in a joking sort of way, was what I intended to do after college. After all, he said, college, he'd been told, was the time a person is given to decide what they want to do. So I told him. I said, "Well, I'm going to teach English as a second language." and then, laughingly, "...but I only decided that two weeks ago, so don't ask too many questions yet!" To which my grandmother replied by asking where I would go to work, meaning where in the world. And I, high on having successfully both made my grandfather laugh and avoided an in-depth analysis of my Next Step in Life, replied, with another laugh in my voice, "That's the wrong question." - and immediately thought to myself, "and that was the wrong answer," because my grandmother turned from me, as if I had struck her a blow to the face. We didn't talk about my Future any more.
That wasn't the end of the night, by any means, and I hope I behaved more respectfully for the rest of it. But it made me think. This being equal with adults thing is an extremely hard balance to strike. How do you honor your father and mother, while being autonomous and an adult? What do you do with loving inquiries into matters on which you feel you're coming along just fine, thank-you-very-much? What is the best way to show your family, as an emerging adult, that you love and appreciate them? Despite my grandparents not being the funnest people to be around, I do love them dearly, and I know the feeling is mutual (if not stronger on their part). I was truly privileged tonight to hear many new and different stories from their lives that I had never heard before, and to hear the echoes of the years they have spent together; years spent with my mother and her sisters, my family. I was touched, once again, by their generosity, and how they crave the affection of their grandchildren, and how they want to take care of us, and make sure we will be provided for. They showered us in demonstrations of love. They made great effort to get us to agree to go to dinner with them, to take us out to a nice restaurant, to clean their kitchen; my grandmother even tried making a new kind of cake! They were so kind and generous, and of all the emotions I find within myself after this amazing blessing of a meeting, I am surprised and upset to find shame. Have I loved them well? I don't know that I can satisfactorily answer yes. But I don't want to be that grandchild. You know. The thankless one. I am thankful. But those words are not enough. What to do? Sigh. With this mash of mixed emotions (though mostly grateful ones), I shall go to sleep. Because you can't decide anything properly at one in the morning.
TBC.
PP.
That wasn't the end of the night, by any means, and I hope I behaved more respectfully for the rest of it. But it made me think. This being equal with adults thing is an extremely hard balance to strike. How do you honor your father and mother, while being autonomous and an adult? What do you do with loving inquiries into matters on which you feel you're coming along just fine, thank-you-very-much? What is the best way to show your family, as an emerging adult, that you love and appreciate them? Despite my grandparents not being the funnest people to be around, I do love them dearly, and I know the feeling is mutual (if not stronger on their part). I was truly privileged tonight to hear many new and different stories from their lives that I had never heard before, and to hear the echoes of the years they have spent together; years spent with my mother and her sisters, my family. I was touched, once again, by their generosity, and how they crave the affection of their grandchildren, and how they want to take care of us, and make sure we will be provided for. They showered us in demonstrations of love. They made great effort to get us to agree to go to dinner with them, to take us out to a nice restaurant, to clean their kitchen; my grandmother even tried making a new kind of cake! They were so kind and generous, and of all the emotions I find within myself after this amazing blessing of a meeting, I am surprised and upset to find shame. Have I loved them well? I don't know that I can satisfactorily answer yes. But I don't want to be that grandchild. You know. The thankless one. I am thankful. But those words are not enough. What to do? Sigh. With this mash of mixed emotions (though mostly grateful ones), I shall go to sleep. Because you can't decide anything properly at one in the morning.
TBC.
PP.
List of...
Things I ought to do in the near future, by urgency:
-Finish/mail my letter to C. (done)
-Finish/mail my letter to A. (done)
-Talk to/catch up with Ashley.
-Ditto for Angelica.
-Go help Ashley and Angelica pack/prep for moving.
-Ask to hang out with Joni & Sarah & Joanna for serious-talk time.
-Find a time to actually hang out with Michelle A. and Melissa.
-Take a "vacation" and see/spend time with my family before they all move away in the fall and I have to roadtrip to see them.
-Make sure I continue to hang out semi-consistently with: Bethaney, Stacey, Rachel, Amber, Michelle, Melissa, Joni, Sarah, Joanna, Lindsey, Ashley, and Angelica.
-Make sure I talk to: Hana, Annalisa, Ann-Phyllis.
-Answer Preston's e-mail
-Determine, once-and-for-all, how I want to overhaul my wardrobe, and what I want to be in it when I'm done.
Things I would like to do:
-To see Amber J's baby.
-Spend a weekend with D&J and little Elijah! That should probably be toward the end of the summer though... plans!
-What about Ellen & co? Could I spend time with them somehow this summer?
Etc. Oh, having a social life. xD
-Finish/mail my letter to C. (done)
-Finish/mail my letter to A. (done)
-Talk to/catch up with Ashley.
-Ditto for Angelica.
-Go help Ashley and Angelica pack/prep for moving.
-Ask to hang out with Joni & Sarah & Joanna for serious-talk time.
-Find a time to actually hang out with Michelle A. and Melissa.
-Take a "vacation" and see/spend time with my family before they all move away in the fall and I have to roadtrip to see them.
-Make sure I continue to hang out semi-consistently with: Bethaney, Stacey, Rachel, Amber, Michelle, Melissa, Joni, Sarah, Joanna, Lindsey, Ashley, and Angelica.
-Make sure I talk to: Hana, Annalisa, Ann-Phyllis.
-Answer Preston's e-mail
-Determine, once-and-for-all, how I want to overhaul my wardrobe, and what I want to be in it when I'm done.
Things I would like to do:
-To see Amber J's baby.
-Spend a weekend with D&J and little Elijah! That should probably be toward the end of the summer though... plans!
-What about Ellen & co? Could I spend time with them somehow this summer?
Etc. Oh, having a social life. xD
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
It's official.
There's a small wasp-nest in my doorway.
Know what else is official?
It's coming down. Mission Nest-Removal begins tonight, 2200 hours.
---------
So I bought the wasp-killer. Sadly there was a gigantic thunder-storm tonight, so no wasp-spraying yet. But soon. Soon.
-------------
The mission was delayed another night, due to extreme lateness of the hour of my return home compounded by complete ignorance of how to use the wasp spray.
The next day, I asked someone (a random dude who was working on the neighborhood pool) how best to plan my attack. He had some very valuable insight into the strategy of the thing.
Then, I did it.
I got home, tested the spray (to see how far it could go, hehehe. and to practice aiming it).
I suited up with:
1 pair jeans
1 pair sweatpants
1 pair thick, fuzzy slippers
1 long sleeve shirt
1 thick hoodie (with the hood up)
1 scarf (around my face)
1 beanie
Then I opened the door, sprayed the shit out of the wasps' nest, watched them fall to the ground, and slammed the door shut, all in under a minute. ...of course, it took me about five, plus a quote from The Princess Diaries to psych myself up for those 30 seconds or so, but w/e. The job is done.
What was the quote, you wonder?
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgment that something else is more important than fear."
which, by the way, (according to the internet) was originally said by Ambrose Redmoon.
So yeah. All's well that (almost) ends well. Now I just have to knock the stupid thing down in a day or so. Yippee.
I have to say though, seeing those wasps lying dead on my porch was sweet, sweet victory.
Cheers.
PP.
Epilogue
So now I know that the reason the spray can tells you to wait 24h or more before removing the nest is because in that time the larvae drop out of it! Can you say EW? I also may or may not have screamed "Augh! It's ALIVE!!" when one of them started moving.
But now the wasps are all removed, including wiggly larvae (which I sprayed with some more spray, for good measure). Mission wasp-removal has been successfully accomplished.
w00t!
I am exceedingly proud of my accomplishment.
Know what else is official?
It's coming down. Mission Nest-Removal begins tonight, 2200 hours.
---------
So I bought the wasp-killer. Sadly there was a gigantic thunder-storm tonight, so no wasp-spraying yet. But soon. Soon.
-------------
The mission was delayed another night, due to extreme lateness of the hour of my return home compounded by complete ignorance of how to use the wasp spray.
The next day, I asked someone (a random dude who was working on the neighborhood pool) how best to plan my attack. He had some very valuable insight into the strategy of the thing.
Then, I did it.
I got home, tested the spray (to see how far it could go, hehehe. and to practice aiming it).
I suited up with:
1 pair jeans
1 pair sweatpants
1 pair thick, fuzzy slippers
1 long sleeve shirt
1 thick hoodie (with the hood up)
1 scarf (around my face)
1 beanie
Then I opened the door, sprayed the shit out of the wasps' nest, watched them fall to the ground, and slammed the door shut, all in under a minute. ...of course, it took me about five, plus a quote from The Princess Diaries to psych myself up for those 30 seconds or so, but w/e. The job is done.
What was the quote, you wonder?
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgment that something else is more important than fear."
which, by the way, (according to the internet) was originally said by Ambrose Redmoon.
So yeah. All's well that (almost) ends well. Now I just have to knock the stupid thing down in a day or so. Yippee.
I have to say though, seeing those wasps lying dead on my porch was sweet, sweet victory.
Cheers.
PP.
Epilogue
So now I know that the reason the spray can tells you to wait 24h or more before removing the nest is because in that time the larvae drop out of it! Can you say EW? I also may or may not have screamed "Augh! It's ALIVE!!" when one of them started moving.
But now the wasps are all removed, including wiggly larvae (which I sprayed with some more spray, for good measure). Mission wasp-removal has been successfully accomplished.
w00t!
I am exceedingly proud of my accomplishment.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Dreaming Reality?
After the literal explosion of tutoring this week, it has invaded my dreams.
Faceless Asian boys have invaded my dreams, and they brought their schoolwork.
Most. Boring. Dream. Ever.
On a more realistic note, I tutor a lot of Korean guys. That is my biggest demographic. I don't talk to guys much, and certainly not easily. But in this case, all we have to talk about is what they write - which is so easy! 'Cause nothing about them matters in that conversation except getting their thoughts to come out in English. =)
Faceless Asian boys have invaded my dreams, and they brought their schoolwork.
Most. Boring. Dream. Ever.
On a more realistic note, I tutor a lot of Korean guys. That is my biggest demographic. I don't talk to guys much, and certainly not easily. But in this case, all we have to talk about is what they write - which is so easy! 'Cause nothing about them matters in that conversation except getting their thoughts to come out in English. =)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Phones
I am here to whine about phones. Specifically, about the "advances" of technology. The first two I feel very strongly about - the others I could see how they'd be just a matter of personal preference.
a) I like number pads on a phone. It just makes sense. My phone is not a mini-laptop, I don't need a full keyboard. Just sayin'.
b) What is the big deal with touch screens? Can we please get over them? They're not that cool. You're not actually manipulating real objects, fyi. Also, they get grimy very quickly. What happened to all those years when grown ups around you were shouting "DON'T TOUCH THE SCREEN!" or "DON'T SMUDGE THE PHOTOS!" or "DON'T TOUCH THE WINDOW, YOU'LL GET FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER IT". It's like all these admonitions just vanished overnight, or as if technology had been taken over by vindictive eight-year-olds.
c) Wi-fi. While I can see how it might be useful to have google maps on your phone (I get lost WAY too often for my own good), there's a reason they started calling Blackberries "crackberries". It's just not healthy to be living with the internet in my pocket - sorry, in my hand, 'cause if I DID have internet on my phone, I'd never leave it for the real world.
d) Why are phones so BIG? I thought we were over that! I thought we figured out how to make them as small as playing cards and as thin as pencils. That was awesome! What happened? (redirect: QWERTY keyboards).
And with that, I'm done for the moment. But seriously y'all. Think about the touch screen ridiculousness.
...
My dad likes to say that technology is shifting to a new paradigm, and that those of us who like to push buttons are going to be out of luck pretty soon. *sigh*
And now for something completely different:
"We need to restore the honor of the cucumber!"
- Francesco Sosa-Wagner
a) I like number pads on a phone. It just makes sense. My phone is not a mini-laptop, I don't need a full keyboard. Just sayin'.
b) What is the big deal with touch screens? Can we please get over them? They're not that cool. You're not actually manipulating real objects, fyi. Also, they get grimy very quickly. What happened to all those years when grown ups around you were shouting "DON'T TOUCH THE SCREEN!" or "DON'T SMUDGE THE PHOTOS!" or "DON'T TOUCH THE WINDOW, YOU'LL GET FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER IT". It's like all these admonitions just vanished overnight, or as if technology had been taken over by vindictive eight-year-olds.
c) Wi-fi. While I can see how it might be useful to have google maps on your phone (I get lost WAY too often for my own good), there's a reason they started calling Blackberries "crackberries". It's just not healthy to be living with the internet in my pocket - sorry, in my hand, 'cause if I DID have internet on my phone, I'd never leave it for the real world.
d) Why are phones so BIG? I thought we were over that! I thought we figured out how to make them as small as playing cards and as thin as pencils. That was awesome! What happened? (redirect: QWERTY keyboards).
And with that, I'm done for the moment. But seriously y'all. Think about the touch screen ridiculousness.
...
My dad likes to say that technology is shifting to a new paradigm, and that those of us who like to push buttons are going to be out of luck pretty soon. *sigh*
And now for something completely different:
"We need to restore the honor of the cucumber!"
- Francesco Sosa-Wagner
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Grammar-check
When you think about it, it's really pretty funny when students ask me to give their paper "just a grammar-check". What do they think they're asking for?
Because - dear student - when I find a sentence like "Those arguments create the misbelieves over the networks of neighbors and even lovers," how do I even begin to tell you what is wrong with your "grammar" in a way that won't make both of us cringe? How can I tell you that, yes, I can read this and know that you probably mean "Such arguments caused mistrust among social networks and even lovers," but your professor will callously mark it "unclear," because he's not trying as hard as I am to hear the voice behind your words.
I do my best, when I read your paper, to understand how and why you have misused a word, whether you know its meaning or have ascribed another to it. I know that you say "betwixt" in part because you were bewitched by the word's spunk, and how much more fun it is than "between," even though you really meant the latter. I understand that you don't know, yet, that although betwixt sounds spunky, and although between runs around town without her, she is actually a shy old word, and won't be seen without her escorts, "and" and "between". I get that you can never tell where those pesky articles go, and I'll forgive you for it and move on. I know that prepositions are impossible- "against" must always follow "discriminate," and "endows" is always accompanied by "with," but your immediate guesses are "in," "to," "of," and "for" - if you realize that a preposition belongs there at all.
I understand all of these things and a myriad more. Intricacies and nuances of expression you'd never even considered pour into my mind as I read your paper. I look through your words as a person looking through coarse, wave-filled glass, trying to guess which bits on the other side are trees, which bits other houses or mailboxes or clouds or people. Is this what you want when you ask me for a "grammar-check"? Or do you just want me to put your commas in place and tell you when you've mixed up your prepositions?
I don't know, but really, it's never as simple as checking your grammar. There are also the words you choose - verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs - what they mean, and the order you put them in, and whether you've even thought about a sentence or just put it there in a hurry (among other things). I do my best to clarify it all for you, and I'm sorry for the blank face that I give you when you ask me if the paper is good and the ideas clear. I'm generally so busy trying to see through your sentences that I miss the bigger picture. After all, you just wanted a grammar-check, right?
with love,
an ESL tutor
p.s.: I really do love this job.
Because - dear student - when I find a sentence like "Those arguments create the misbelieves over the networks of neighbors and even lovers," how do I even begin to tell you what is wrong with your "grammar" in a way that won't make both of us cringe? How can I tell you that, yes, I can read this and know that you probably mean "Such arguments caused mistrust among social networks and even lovers," but your professor will callously mark it "unclear," because he's not trying as hard as I am to hear the voice behind your words.
I do my best, when I read your paper, to understand how and why you have misused a word, whether you know its meaning or have ascribed another to it. I know that you say "betwixt" in part because you were bewitched by the word's spunk, and how much more fun it is than "between," even though you really meant the latter. I understand that you don't know, yet, that although betwixt sounds spunky, and although between runs around town without her, she is actually a shy old word, and won't be seen without her escorts, "and" and "between". I get that you can never tell where those pesky articles go, and I'll forgive you for it and move on. I know that prepositions are impossible- "against" must always follow "discriminate," and "endows" is always accompanied by "with," but your immediate guesses are "in," "to," "of," and "for" - if you realize that a preposition belongs there at all.
I understand all of these things and a myriad more. Intricacies and nuances of expression you'd never even considered pour into my mind as I read your paper. I look through your words as a person looking through coarse, wave-filled glass, trying to guess which bits on the other side are trees, which bits other houses or mailboxes or clouds or people. Is this what you want when you ask me for a "grammar-check"? Or do you just want me to put your commas in place and tell you when you've mixed up your prepositions?
I don't know, but really, it's never as simple as checking your grammar. There are also the words you choose - verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs - what they mean, and the order you put them in, and whether you've even thought about a sentence or just put it there in a hurry (among other things). I do my best to clarify it all for you, and I'm sorry for the blank face that I give you when you ask me if the paper is good and the ideas clear. I'm generally so busy trying to see through your sentences that I miss the bigger picture. After all, you just wanted a grammar-check, right?
with love,
an ESL tutor
p.s.: I really do love this job.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Epics
As somewhat explained in the previous post, I am hungry for really good stories. Since I spend a great deal of my time watching TV on my computer in the summer ('cause I'm cheap and lazy), I've decided that instead of TV, this summer I'll watch epic/classic movies, and try to absorb their principle and character and methodology. I want to learn what it means to face the challenges that the world places in front of you with honor. So. Here goes.
First: Gladiator
A man whose sole desire is to go home to his family and work the land ends up on a mission to avenge the death of a good emperor (and of his wife and son); a mission to uphold what is right and do justice. A man who forfeits his life to enact that justice and begin the purification of Rome.
Second: To Sir, with Love.
An engineer gets a teaching job to keep a roof over his head. His moral rectitude and love/respect for his pupils molds them into upstanding men and women, and he discovers that he cannot leave his teaching position: his work is too important.
Third: Anna and the King
An English woman moves to Siam with her son, Louis, to be schoolteacher to the King's son. In the events that ensue, she makes a school for the King's 68 children, liberates a slave, teaches the King's son about justice and slavery, saves the royal family from certain death (a traitor in the King's court attempts a coup), saving the King's life and enabling him to kill the traitor, falls in love with the King and causes him to fall in love with her. She always speaks her mind, does not depart from her values and standards, and remains upright under pressure. The future of the country is changed because of her presence at the heart of the royal family.
First: Gladiator
A man whose sole desire is to go home to his family and work the land ends up on a mission to avenge the death of a good emperor (and of his wife and son); a mission to uphold what is right and do justice. A man who forfeits his life to enact that justice and begin the purification of Rome.
Second: To Sir, with Love.
An engineer gets a teaching job to keep a roof over his head. His moral rectitude and love/respect for his pupils molds them into upstanding men and women, and he discovers that he cannot leave his teaching position: his work is too important.
Third: Anna and the King
An English woman moves to Siam with her son, Louis, to be schoolteacher to the King's son. In the events that ensue, she makes a school for the King's 68 children, liberates a slave, teaches the King's son about justice and slavery, saves the royal family from certain death (a traitor in the King's court attempts a coup), saving the King's life and enabling him to kill the traitor, falls in love with the King and causes him to fall in love with her. She always speaks her mind, does not depart from her values and standards, and remains upright under pressure. The future of the country is changed because of her presence at the heart of the royal family.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Pattern Observed
I guess I bake mostly when I'm bored or upset...
today's haul includes bread and a big ol' batch of cookies. w00p.
last week it was a pie and home-made pizza.
Which I guess... really is good because the times when I'm bored will feed me when I'm not. xD
There would also have been challah and/or hot cross buns today if it weren't for that silly biking accident that prevents my kneading.
Also, I've finally figured out that I'm hungry for stories. Epic ones. I want to be sucked into the adventures of men and women who acquitted themselves well in the world. For a long time I've denied myself a good story, thinking, oh, I know all the plotlines, there's nothing that can surprise me anymore, so there's no point in reading them. Plus school keeps me thoroughly occupied with scientific papers. But really, there is nothing so wonderful as thoroughly well-written prose used to bring to life a gripping story. And this time, I don't intend to read stories as one being introduced to the concept; this time, I shall read them as an apprentice, out to learn the ways of great men and women before going out to make an attempt at womanhood. You see, lately I've been realizing that our generation is obsessed with identity (myself included).
You can see it in the proliferation of coming-of-age stories and prequels to famous stories.
This idea frustrated me because surely, knowing your identity (coming of age) is just the beginning of life - we must have strength left with which to fight the real battles we will face as adults.
So I'm left with questions.
Why does our generation care so much about knowing who we are? Does this fascination have a root in history?
What effect will this have on how we deal with the things that grown ups must deal with? Surely there must be huge repercussions.
Was identity a problem for other generations and if so, how did they handle it?
Could this be the main struggle of our generation, more subtle yet more central than the battles of previous generations?
Or have I got this completely wrong?
As you can see, I haven't finished thinking this through. But it's a start. And as sure as I am that I bake to stave off boredom, so sure am I also that my thoughts move in a circular motion, coming around again and again to be mulled over in the water-wheel that is my mind.
I'll keep you posted.
PP
today's haul includes bread and a big ol' batch of cookies. w00p.
last week it was a pie and home-made pizza.
Which I guess... really is good because the times when I'm bored will feed me when I'm not. xD
There would also have been challah and/or hot cross buns today if it weren't for that silly biking accident that prevents my kneading.
Also, I've finally figured out that I'm hungry for stories. Epic ones. I want to be sucked into the adventures of men and women who acquitted themselves well in the world. For a long time I've denied myself a good story, thinking, oh, I know all the plotlines, there's nothing that can surprise me anymore, so there's no point in reading them. Plus school keeps me thoroughly occupied with scientific papers. But really, there is nothing so wonderful as thoroughly well-written prose used to bring to life a gripping story. And this time, I don't intend to read stories as one being introduced to the concept; this time, I shall read them as an apprentice, out to learn the ways of great men and women before going out to make an attempt at womanhood. You see, lately I've been realizing that our generation is obsessed with identity (myself included).
You can see it in the proliferation of coming-of-age stories and prequels to famous stories.
This idea frustrated me because surely, knowing your identity (coming of age) is just the beginning of life - we must have strength left with which to fight the real battles we will face as adults.
So I'm left with questions.
Why does our generation care so much about knowing who we are? Does this fascination have a root in history?
What effect will this have on how we deal with the things that grown ups must deal with? Surely there must be huge repercussions.
Was identity a problem for other generations and if so, how did they handle it?
Could this be the main struggle of our generation, more subtle yet more central than the battles of previous generations?
Or have I got this completely wrong?
As you can see, I haven't finished thinking this through. But it's a start. And as sure as I am that I bake to stave off boredom, so sure am I also that my thoughts move in a circular motion, coming around again and again to be mulled over in the water-wheel that is my mind.
I'll keep you posted.
PP
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