Day 15: Wedding Hibiscuses

When I am stressed out after a long day of work, you know what my favorite thing to do is?

No, not drink a martini.

No, not go for a run.

No, not yell at the plants.

My favorite thing to do is mindlessly browse the grocery store. I could spend hours deciding what kind of salsa I want, which brand of coffee will complete me as a beverage drinking person, which avacado is the right one, what the perfect ingredient in the ethnic foods section to add to rice is, or or or or....

It calms my brain.

I was in the condiments aisle and noticed a man very thoroughly perusing the peanut butter shelves. It was SO tempting to give him the Peanut Butter Gospel! Do you know what the Peanut Butter Gospel is? It's what saves a person from bad oils. It's what helps them see the light of natural peanut butter, not pumped full of hydrogen. I wanted to tell him "Put the Jiff down! There's a better way of living!".

But I didn't. I let him get him continue down his sinful road of hydrogenated bliss. I hope I won't be held responsible for this when I get to the gates of food heaven.






In other and happier news, one of my dearest friends is getting married! I found out last week, but today she called me and asked me to be a bridesmaid. What an honor what an honor! Something nice too, I get to choose my own dress; any color or style I want, which is marvelous. I was thinking something like this would be good....

And now I'm tired. So it's time for bed. Tomorrow is Friday for me, technically, since it's the last school day of the week. Hoo-ray hoo-ray hoo-raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Day 14: Botany. Procrastination.

Grades for the 9 weeks were due today and I didn't have them done until the VERY last minute. D'oh! Shame on me.

In other news, all of my plants are still alive and well, except for my lettuce. It's slowly rotting. I think the death was a result of a shoddy transplant. Now I know.

I'm thinking about putting my tomato plant outside, because although it's alive, it seems sad. It wants to be swaying in the wind! When it starts bearing fruit I can bring it back in, because those birds; oooooooo, I loathe those birds who steal my tomatoes!! Last year it was this one cardinal who lived in the neighbor's backyard peach tree. I caught it eating my tomatoes multiple times. It was the only living thing that has ever tempted me to buy a bee-bee gun! But I didn't. I remain a pacifist in action.

Another thought: I need to buy a guitar and learn. That and piano. Life is too short not to be able to play the piano and guitar! I think I only remember three chords from when I tried to teach myself a few years ago. *sigh*

Just dribble today, I guess. Wait wait wait....it's always dribble!

May I have something with purpose to write about soon. Until then, I will sit and grade tests while I watch White Christmas, trying not to feel like my life is a little empty today.

Day 11, 12, & 13: Kites, Palm branches, & More Bacon

Wowee, I missed three days of writing and it's already felt like I've been gone a year! A habit is forming; that's for sure. At least it's not crack or beating little puppies.


So, what flew by was

• My nephew's birthday. He turned five. FIVE! His party was on Saturday, a lovely day full of sun and wind. I bought him a kite and was a bit worried because it didn't light up or have a voice button that says "robots in disguise", but he was much more fascinated with it than I would've guessed any kid that age in 2010 would be. That kid should go into science when he grows up. He's so interested in how things work and the mechanical nature of the world around him. Love it! We flew it, with his dad's help, and it was tons of fun. Not only was that fun, but hanging with Anna and our old friend who'd we not seen in awhile was lovely. Whenever I say "old friend" I laugh a little because it sounds like the person is elderly rather than I've known them for a long time. 
• PALM SUNDAY! I went to the service at my local cathedral (versus my home church that's a bit of a drive) with a dear friend I'm sort of dating.......it was GREAT! I love being an Episcopalian. The music and the simplicity of the message and the sacred nature of how they do everything... Awesome; so filled with beauty and in a way that feels like home to me. 
• And another day at work. I've learned not to stress as much about things. That's helped a lot. 

• Oh, and also I made an amazing dinner when I got home today from work, which is a mystery considering I'm usually sapped of energy. I cooked it from scratch; not even a recipe! The end result ended up being bacon-wrapped chicken breast with a mushroom basil cream sauce. There was enough to feed a family, so I hope I can eat it all in the next couple days. I HATE when food goes bad, but not having roommates makes it harder to consume everything. We live in a society made for couples and families. Recipes and packages of food hardly ever come in single servings if you want the good stuff.

I also found out how much I'm in love with Dallas libraries. They have such a wide inventory!!! However, it's not wide enough to keep me from being on a waiting list to get Julia Child's memoirs and cookbooks. So, I might just have to break down and buy them. Haven't decided yet, considering the budget. You'll probably find out if I ended up getting them or not just by observing how loopy my posts get in the next couple months. :)

It is SUCH a relief that there is no school on Good Friday. Even though my district doesn't technically list it as a religious holiday, I love the coincidence.

Happy Tuesday.

Day 10: Natural Cheetohs

Not much to report today. I didn't do anything last night other than aimlessly wander around my favorite neighborhood natural grocery store. I had a snacking breakdown and ended up with potato chips, cheetohs, and tortilla chips in my cart, none of which make a good dinner on their own, but when combined, WHALLAH! Still a bad dinner. The cheetohs were natural and baked, which this time translated into bitter disappointment. However, the Michael Season's cheetohs are exceptionally amazing; they just didn't have those.

Wow. What an exciting life!

A thought (or ponderance, really) I meant to write the other day but forgot was one from the head of a trusted friend and coworker. He asked, "How do you evaluate the goodness of a friend? Is it how attentive/faithful they are, or their quality as a person?". I thought this was an interesting question. Really, why is your best friend your best friend? I'd say, personally, that there should be a decent balance. Thankfully, my dearest friends are not only amazingly faithful but also people I admire in various ways. Yes, a lucky duck am I.

Happy weekend! 



Musical Moment: Vincent O'Brien by M. Ward
Literary Delight: Diamond Guitar by Truman Capote
Foody Fare: Spaghettios with both mozzarella and cheddar cheeses melted in. Third grade gourmet. :)
What to Watch: Third Rock From the Sun
Enjoyed Place of Business: Gloria's Restuarant
Lesson learned: When trying new food, films, and music, try to forget what you already know beforehand.

Day 8 & 9: Pink Plastic Life Jackets

After work yesterday I went to an art opening at the Dallas Contemporary. It was pouring outside, and the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the building was an awesome companion to the performance pieces. It really opened my eyes to how much I do not know about Conemporary art. The exhibit, which was constructed by an artist out of L.A., was sort of beyond me, it being several large, wooden structures covered in pink plastic. There were also pink plastic life jackets everywhere that the artist made. There was a lot of accompanying video displayed with the structures, and although I thought parts of it were cool, I didn't really feel like I "got" it. Oh well. I enjoyed going. The music was also really "out there" but I felt like I had a better appreciation for it than the exhibit pieces themselves. I checked the "I would like to volunteer" box when I signed up for their mailing list, so maybe I'll be spending some time there this summer. We'll see.

In the mean time, I was too tired when I got home to write anything, thus the double entry today. I'm going to bed extra early tonight. Before that, however, I hope to go running and finish a few things around the house. I STILL was having problems getting the fish/chicken smell to leave my house yesterday. I ended up disinfecting the Hades out of everything and am praying the fishy chicken odor monster is not there to greet me when I get home tonight. Until then, I also hope it's not pouring cows and horses outside. No umbrella!

Musical Moment: Human of the Year by Regina Spektor
Literary Delight: Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
Foody Fare: Leftover Stracciatella, which I think is even better than when it was fresh, because all the flavors and herbs have had ample time to sink in and mix together.
What to Watch: Fawlty Towers
Enjoyed Place of Business: Any donut shop
Lesson learned: It's better to eat fish tacos at restaurants, not make them in a little apartment. Bleck.

Day 7: Stracciatella

Nothing says "life is wonderful" like burning hot vegetable/chicken fluid exploding out of the blender at two in the morning. I definitely felt like a character in a movie, and didn't climb into bed last night until 3 a.m.

The soup, however, was a pretty big hit tonight, with plenty of slurps and mmmmm's, which I accept as a fine approval. I am EXHAUSTED and will be going to bed shortly.

I've realized that I need to start writing things down I want to say in these posts throughout the day so they don't float out of my head and never come back, which lately they've been doing. I have a little Moleskin planner that's perfect; just need to start using it!

I missed my exit coming home tonight on the highway because of how entranced I was by the Dallas skyline, even though I see it all the time. I don't go down 35 in the middle of it all very often, however, and I feel like either they've done something different to it or my newly extra joyful outlook as of late has opened my eyes to see things more artfully. Either way, man. I love this city more and more and think I'll stay here. Who knows; I might even stay in my little apartment. We will see.

Until then, I've got to store up some z's and make the best of tomorrow. One thing I've resolved, before I go:

I will NOT let the TAKS tests taint my Spring!

Remember, I teach all three grades and Special Ed scores count in the campus stats this year (in the past they didn't)......but I am throwing the weight into the wind in hopes that the wind isn't strong enough to blow it back into my face and fracture my skull. 

Lovely thought.

Day 6: Back to prison

Okay okay okay, it's not prison, it's my job, and I actually really love it. However, being bound to early mornings and long hours does get tiring. I know I am not meant to do this forever. For the time being, though, I am grateful for the challenge. What doesn't brutally kill you makes you stronger, right? :)

Do you like to track your own statistics? My sister found a crazy online portal you can chart anything and everything with, and I wish I had more time to invest in it. I'm warning you; it's addicting! I almost had to get an intervention earlier this year because of it! And to think of all the innovations made on Earth because of nerds at MIT; this is just another brilliant thing they came up with in their spare time. The website url is http://mycro.media.mit.edu/ . Don't get too sucked in...

I blame Julia Child for the fact I'm still up at 1 a.m. making a ridiculous Stracciatella soup when I have to be at work by 7:30 tomorrow morning. This soup better be the best thing anyone's ever tasted. 

Musical Moment: Panic by The Smiths
Literary Delight: The gossip magazines at the grocery store checkout. Hardly literary.
Foody Fare: Organic Mixed Greens salad with mushrooms, shredded cheddar and cucumbers...
What to Watch: Juno
Enjoyed Place of Business: Chicken Express
Lesson: Be a good manager of time, even if it seems boring at that moment, because otherwise all the undone items will bite you in the rear end with horribly sharp teeth later on.

Day 4 & 5: Mayhem at its finest.

 Well, I had a great time at the Prophet Bar on Friday night seeing my old friend play a show. Sometimes I forget what amazingly talented friends I have. I stayed up late talking and catching up and enjoying the bacon at Cafe Brazil.

SUCH


GOOD


BACON!


I was minding my own business Saturday morning, just putting up a few pictures and puttzing around the house, when my old friend randomly asks me if I'd be his driving buddy for a one-day trip to Austin. As you know, it was SXSW this weekend, and oooooooooh my dear. I recognized the uniqueness of the opportunity and agreed to go. What a barrage of marvelous! I could barely take in all the fascinating people and sites and music...stimulus overload! It was also wretchedly cold. Thank you, old wool J.Crew coat with Thinsulate. I made the mistake, however, of wearing a skirt, but seeing as I'm still alive and actually was not too freezing with my tights on, I wouldn't even call it a mistake as much as a minor oversight. There were SO many heads of unwashed/cool/sideswept/shaggy hair, pairs of European-looking leather boots, leather jackets, and novelty sunglasses. One of the guys I was around said "Funny how when all the people who are different get together, they all look the same....". That statement made me laugh. He was right for the most part. There definitely was a type of person that was repeated over and over again. Fortunately, it's an interesting type, so I enjoyed watching the scores of walking Urban Outfitters advertisements. :)  I am DEFINITELY going to come next year, mainly just to take it all in. I'd love to do a video journal of the weekend. Watch out, SXSW 2011!

I finally got home, steamrolled, at 6 this morning. It was snowing like Minnesota on the road for the last leg of the drive, which I still feel like was a dream, because come on; it's Texas. I am grateful the driver I rode with was on his feet and able to stay awake and go with the flow. What an experience! Austin, as expected, continues to be the love of my life, Texan city-wise.

Due to the crazy (but wonderful) visit, however, and my week of sloth-like enjoyment, I'm now hurrying around like a headless bird trying to get things set for tomorrow, because I return back to school. I'm not ready, but the week of rest was definitely worth the few days of stress I'll have getting myself back in line. This summer is just around the bend, which quickens my pulse and makes the corners of my mouth turn up by themselves. I decided not to nanny, which is exciting, because that means I can go away somewhere if I want. Where would I go? I'll still be in my lease, so wherever I go will have to have free room and board, but that's not altogether too difficult to find for just a summer. So we'll see. I still want to work at least a little, but preferably doing something artsy or literary or relaxing. If you have any ideas, hit me up! In the mean time, I better get back to finishing my lesson plans. Oofta.

Here's to a lovely week of Springtime insanity!

Musical Moment: Cathedrals by Jump, Little Children (Thanks, Aaron!)
Literary Delight: 40 Stories, by Donald Barthelme
Foody Fare: Homemade vegetable and cheese quesadilla (monteray jack and cheddar cheese, green peppers, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and tomatoes on spinach vegetable tortillas with jalapeno ranch as dipping sauce)
What to Watch: 30 Rock
Enjoyed Place of Business: Home Slice Pizza in Austin
Lesson: Even if the opportunity at hand seems a bit odd or risky (within reason of course), take it if you know you're going to be smiling about it years later.

Day 3: Airports and Tacos

Today, again, left something to be desired on the scale of hustle and bustle, but I figured this will be my last weekday I can get away with being sloth-like, probably until Summer. I brought Kristen to the airport and then made fish tacos with my friend Caleb in my little kitchen. They turned out delectably and brought further attention to the fact I need a camera, so I can document (visually) occasions such as this. Anybody have a camera sitting around that they don't want?

Just kidding. No one waltzes around giving away perfectly good cameras.

Anyway, I used more cilantro for dinner and I'm afraid I should probably leave that poor plant alone for awhile and let it regrow itself back to normal capacity. The only plant I'm actually worried about, though, is my lettuce. It hasn't been looking so good since I put it in the handsome black pot by the window, maybe because I separated the sections. Transplanting plants reminds me of when organs are transplanted in humans; it's suspenseful waiting to see if the body (in this case, the dirt) will accept the new "organ" (plant).

Yet another reason I need a camera. We'll see.

In the mean time, I'm glad tomorrow's Saturday. :)

Day 2: More dirt. Non-day.

Today I finally filled up the pots with the dirt and let the plants stretch their roots a bit. I hope they are happy in their new homes! I suppose the truth will come to pass soon. So far, I've already used the chives, oregano, cilantro, and basil in my cooking, and it's only been a few days! I love it.
The reason why I didn't put the dirt into the pots last night as planned was because I had a harrowing experience at Wal-mart and ended up having to gallivant across a couple highways to a different location that ended up being a "neighborhood market", which I think is useless because the only reason I make those rare and despised treks to Wal-mart in the first place is because it's more than a grocery store. So, in the end, I didn't get the spray-paint to glaze my pots or the screws/nails to put up pictures (the fancy Wal-mart didn't have either items).
Nothing was actually harrowing, if I sit here and think about what harrowing actually means. However, this Wal-Mart was the type I dread, the kind that is dirty, horribly crowded, over-picked, with employees that look at me with a kind of empty apathy that makes me wonder if their brains disintegrated shortly after their last lunch break due to the over exposure to fluorescent lighting, and has racks of merchandise locked up in shoddy plastic cases for one reason or another. I was in a never-ending line, and I more or less had a miniature panic attack, because the thought of standing in line for 40 minutes surrounded by all races and generations (yes, all of them were accounted for; idiots of every color and age) of people I wish/hope would stop reproducing made a big sign go off in my head that flashed in neon red letters "GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN! YOU CAN JUST BUY THIS STUFF SOMEWHERE ELSE TOMORROW!!". So I did. I was a bad customer and left my cart in the Miley Cyrus clothing section and speed-walked as fast as humanly possible out the door. In the end I decided spray painting my pots was probably a bad idea anyway. Everything happens for a reason.

Disclaimer: Some Wal-Marts are nice with clean, wide aisles, smiling employees and enough room for all types of people to stand in shorter lines and get their items scanned with ease.  This just was not one of them.

Musical Moment: Omgcd by The Low Anthem
Literary Delight: In Style Magazine
Foody Fare: Homemade Italian tomato soup with grilled two-cheese avocado sandwich
What to Watch: Arrested Development
Enjoyed Place of Business: Not Wal-Mart
Lesson: The only bad thing about living in the city is the lack of superstores nearby. Ha!  

Day 1: Colors, Plants, Dirt

I've just painted 6 pots for my plants to live in on the windowsill of my apartment living room: Lime green, dark fuchsia, midnight blue, cream, jungle green, and pale pale blue. Two more pots (a huge round one and a long skinny rectangular one) will be spray painted once I go to the store and pick out the colors. I bought a myriad of random plates from Goodwill to go underneath. One is a fish with lime slices and cilantro sprigs on it, one has obnoxious yellow and pink flowers with blurry leaves, one is a simple saucer with teal and blue stripes around it, for a few examples. I've not had so much fun browsing in a long time!
I will be transplanting crispy lettuce, cilantro, garlic chives, basil, Italian oregano, bell pepper, tomato, lemon verbana, cucumber and strawberry plants once the paint is all dry. EXCITING!
While I was painting, I watched Julie and Julia for the second time. It's incredibly inspiring to me and makes me want to read both books (Julie and Julia and Mastering the Art of French Cooking). I also must start cooking more! We are not gerbils or robots, we are living, breathing, art making humans! Which means, let's not go through each day in a trance, but enjoy and make something good every day, even if it's something as simple as a little note, a salad, or a smile.


Musical Moment: "Lazurus" by Porcupine Tree
Literary Delight: House of Flowers by Truman Capote
Foody Fare: Pei Wei Sweet & Sour Chicken with Purple Haze beer
What to Watch: Julie and Julia film
Enjoyed Place of Business: Goodwill, Lowes
Lesson: 9 times out of 10, old interesting things are better than new mass-produced ones.