Check out this article:
21-year-old man accused of beating grandmother to death
The details are nothing too special, but note the address: 462 Kaymar Drive.
I grew up on 463 Kaymar Drive.
Also crazy: I remember this kid coming over to our house when I was little. My brother and I and our friends never really liked playing with him, because he was bossy and rather obnoxious and wanted to ride bikes off the front porch.
I guess we had good intuition.
31 January 2007
30 January 2007
Format inspired by Dwight
Fact: I have got to stop eating dinner at 7. It wrecks my blood sugar, I can't get anything done in the evening, not to mention that by 7, I am ravenous.
Fact: Today was the WORST DAY ever. I reamed out my class, and I love my class! They seriously need to pull it together. And I seriously need a few more hours of sleep.
Wait, upon further consideration, it was not the worst day ever: No one was injured or threw up in the classroom. Either of those would make for a pretty bad day.
Fact: I was invited to a formal event ('ball' might be an appropriate word) which is a fundraiser for the school. Sounds kind of cool...except when you consider that it's on a Saturday, in fact on the Saturday of our only long weekend from now until spring break. Plus the fact that there will be mostly parents from school there, which means there'd be little or no alcohol for me, since I'd have to watch what I say. Plus: Who wants to think/converse about school stuff on a Saturday?? Because we know that that's going to be the only topic of conversation. However... turning this thing down looks bad; a fundraiser to which teachers were given free tickets but they don't show is tacky. Please help me find a way to get out of this. Can I visit someone on the weekend?
Okay, the 'Fact' thing is getting old. Besides, it loses the effect when your fact is eight sentences long. One more anecdote about today: I was chatting with the kindergarten teacher after school, and we were talking about life outside (!) of school. She asked me how I fill my time outside of work, and I honestly couldn't think of an answer. I play my violin about once every other week, do the Irish dance thing but haven't done any shows yet, watch 'The Office' like a fiend, but that's about it. Really, the most accurate answer to this question would be 'sleep'. I didn't realize until this afternoon how big a loser I actually am. Scratch that, we'll go with the explanation that I am worked to death and don't have energy to pursue anything outside of school. And that is sad.
Oh yeah, let's add 'underpaid' to that last sentence.
Fact: Today was the WORST DAY ever. I reamed out my class, and I love my class! They seriously need to pull it together. And I seriously need a few more hours of sleep.
Wait, upon further consideration, it was not the worst day ever: No one was injured or threw up in the classroom. Either of those would make for a pretty bad day.
Fact: I was invited to a formal event ('ball' might be an appropriate word) which is a fundraiser for the school. Sounds kind of cool...except when you consider that it's on a Saturday, in fact on the Saturday of our only long weekend from now until spring break. Plus the fact that there will be mostly parents from school there, which means there'd be little or no alcohol for me, since I'd have to watch what I say. Plus: Who wants to think/converse about school stuff on a Saturday?? Because we know that that's going to be the only topic of conversation. However... turning this thing down looks bad; a fundraiser to which teachers were given free tickets but they don't show is tacky. Please help me find a way to get out of this. Can I visit someone on the weekend?
Okay, the 'Fact' thing is getting old. Besides, it loses the effect when your fact is eight sentences long. One more anecdote about today: I was chatting with the kindergarten teacher after school, and we were talking about life outside (!) of school. She asked me how I fill my time outside of work, and I honestly couldn't think of an answer. I play my violin about once every other week, do the Irish dance thing but haven't done any shows yet, watch 'The Office' like a fiend, but that's about it. Really, the most accurate answer to this question would be 'sleep'. I didn't realize until this afternoon how big a loser I actually am. Scratch that, we'll go with the explanation that I am worked to death and don't have energy to pursue anything outside of school. And that is sad.
Oh yeah, let's add 'underpaid' to that last sentence.
28 January 2007
Self-explanatory
HOLY CRAP! I got into Cambridge!!!!
No amount of exclamation points do that sentence justice...but let's add some more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Donations to the Send Bridget to England Fund are now being accepted.
No amount of exclamation points do that sentence justice...but let's add some more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Donations to the Send Bridget to England Fund are now being accepted.
21 January 2007
In which I am an obsessive fan
I recently bought the DVDs of seasons one and two of 'The Office'. This could be considered a very poor choice, in the sense that it's become my new obsession and keeps me from getting anything done. In the past two days, I have probably watched 7 episodes, some with commentaries, as well as the deleted scenes and outtakes. The great thing is that the show doesn't get less funny the more you watch it; it even gets funnier. The characters are so well-done, the writing is fantastic, and John Krasinski is now the man I want to meet before I die. I just need to get him to fly up here; I think we'd hit it off.
In more realistic news, the first-graders and their teachers had a big sleepover at the school on Friday...nothing like spending 26 consecutive hours at work! (My housemate said, 'Think of the overtime!' and then I broke into hysterical laughter.) To be honest, though, it wasn't that bad, apart from being exhausting and my having to corral 6-year-olds because their parents wouldn't/couldn't. There were lots of games, lots of food, movies, and zero crying. It actually would have been an okay Friday night, if the people I was hanging out with weren't 20 years younger than me.
So tomorrow is a teacher work day, which means no kids but hours dedicated to checking off standards and writing report cards. Yippee. Until then, I will procrastinate by watching further episodes of 'The Office'.
In more realistic news, the first-graders and their teachers had a big sleepover at the school on Friday...nothing like spending 26 consecutive hours at work! (My housemate said, 'Think of the overtime!' and then I broke into hysterical laughter.) To be honest, though, it wasn't that bad, apart from being exhausting and my having to corral 6-year-olds because their parents wouldn't/couldn't. There were lots of games, lots of food, movies, and zero crying. It actually would have been an okay Friday night, if the people I was hanging out with weren't 20 years younger than me.
So tomorrow is a teacher work day, which means no kids but hours dedicated to checking off standards and writing report cards. Yippee. Until then, I will procrastinate by watching further episodes of 'The Office'.
16 January 2007
Gratuitous self-flattery
Our current unit in the first grade is something like 'All About Me', so an assignment for the kids was to bring in pictures, especially baby pictures, so that we can do fun projects and make collages. Of course, it's extra fun if the teacher does it too, so I had my mom send me some photos...
Very small me. I think that is one hand holding me up.
Me at 18 months. Apparently I am fond of snow globes.
My hair is still that messy.
Very small me. I think that is one hand holding me up.
Me at 18 months. Apparently I am fond of snow globes.(Aside to Müs: Shout out to the avocado shag carpet and the plaid couch!)
My hair is still that messy.Dude, I was a cute kid! :) Whatever happened?
14 January 2007
Video killed the radio star
This one's for Müs: Endless Caruso One-Liners! Or, How to Don Your Sunglasses While Sounding Pretentious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sarYH0z948
Also, how to fold a t-shirt:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5739257457512694439
I have not a clue how that works, but it looks pretty cool. I am inspired to try folding some of my shirts like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sarYH0z948
Also, how to fold a t-shirt:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5739257457512694439
I have not a clue how that works, but it looks pretty cool. I am inspired to try folding some of my shirts like this.
08 January 2007
Back to reality
Aaaaaand we're back. Vacation = love (=bacon?), but you can overdose on too much of it. Much like bacon. Then again, being nearly ready to claw out one's eyes from boredom helps one appreciate coming back to work. Hypothetically speaking.
In a more coherent sense: My first day back was actually not too bad. The kids seemed to appreciate having a normal school day after three weeks of chaos, and they were surprisingly quiet. Also, not to sound conceited or anything, but they were really happy to see me... they all were like, '!!!' when they came in, and many proceeded to tell me all about their vacations. To be honest, it was nice to see them again; I wasn't kidding when I said I'd missed them. I didn't miss some other aspects of school, but I missed my class. I am still amazed when I give them directions, they get it, and then they do exactly what I just told them to do. We'll see if that feeling holds up tomorrow.
Cambridge update: I did not get the scholarship I was hoping for. This means that even if I do get in, I may not (most likely won't) be able to go. Really bitter/mad/upset about this. If you have any leads on free money for hardworking but poor master's students, let me know.
In other randomness, I found a book at the post office the other day. It was a traveling book, and there's a label on the inside that instructed me to go to BookCrossing.com and write in that I'd found it. Apparently the gist of this idea is that you register a book and give it an ID number, then you let it go into 'the wild' for someone else to pick up and read, and they leave it somewhere else for someone new to read, etc. Sort of like a 'Pay It Forward' with books. But when you visit this website, not only can you register a book that you have found, you can also go book-hunting; there's a section on the site where you can search in your city for books that have been left places. How great is this idea?! I am totally going book-hunting in the future. All I need now is one of those safari hats and a tranquilizer gun. And a bad British accent.
*Edit: I forgot the best story of the day! We were talking about the best part (or best Christmas gift) of vacation, and one girl said, 'Mein bestes Geschenk war ein Augen-Hund.' Er...what? Is someone in your family suddenly blind, so that they need a seeing eye dog? I'm not sure that should be on the list of 'my favorite gifts'. Upon being asked what this 'Augen-Hund' is, the girl proceeded to explain what it does, and I figured out what she meant...
An iDog. Of course!
In a more coherent sense: My first day back was actually not too bad. The kids seemed to appreciate having a normal school day after three weeks of chaos, and they were surprisingly quiet. Also, not to sound conceited or anything, but they were really happy to see me... they all were like, '!!!' when they came in, and many proceeded to tell me all about their vacations. To be honest, it was nice to see them again; I wasn't kidding when I said I'd missed them. I didn't miss some other aspects of school, but I missed my class. I am still amazed when I give them directions, they get it, and then they do exactly what I just told them to do. We'll see if that feeling holds up tomorrow.
Cambridge update: I did not get the scholarship I was hoping for. This means that even if I do get in, I may not (most likely won't) be able to go. Really bitter/mad/upset about this. If you have any leads on free money for hardworking but poor master's students, let me know.
In other randomness, I found a book at the post office the other day. It was a traveling book, and there's a label on the inside that instructed me to go to BookCrossing.com and write in that I'd found it. Apparently the gist of this idea is that you register a book and give it an ID number, then you let it go into 'the wild' for someone else to pick up and read, and they leave it somewhere else for someone new to read, etc. Sort of like a 'Pay It Forward' with books. But when you visit this website, not only can you register a book that you have found, you can also go book-hunting; there's a section on the site where you can search in your city for books that have been left places. How great is this idea?! I am totally going book-hunting in the future. All I need now is one of those safari hats and a tranquilizer gun. And a bad British accent.
*Edit: I forgot the best story of the day! We were talking about the best part (or best Christmas gift) of vacation, and one girl said, 'Mein bestes Geschenk war ein Augen-Hund.' Er...what? Is someone in your family suddenly blind, so that they need a seeing eye dog? I'm not sure that should be on the list of 'my favorite gifts'. Upon being asked what this 'Augen-Hund' is, the girl proceeded to explain what it does, and I figured out what she meant...
An iDog. Of course!
31 December 2006
2006: Year In Review
01 What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? Bought a car!
02 Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I am horrible with resolutions, and as such didn't make any last year. Tentatively looking at making some for this year though, and they are:
(a) Quit the self-pity.
(b) Get out of the house more.
03 Did anyone close to you give birth? Not that I know of.
04 Did anyone close to you die? No, thank god.
05 What countries did you visit? Germany.
06 What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A life outside work.
07 What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Can't really think of any.
08 What was your biggest achievement of the year? Surviving my first year as a kindergarten teacher.
09 What was your biggest failure? Almost getting fired.
10 Did you suffer illness or injury? Not serious ones.
11 What was the best thing you bought? My car, and enrolling myself in the WB program.
12 Whose behavior merited celebration? Jamie, for moving to DC!
13 Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Politicians at large.
14 Where did most of your money go? Good question. Doubtless to the car.
15 What did you get really, really, really excited about? When I found I'd been accepted by the applied linguistics department at Cambridge!
16 What song will always remind you of 2006? That 'Beautiful' song by James Blunt. Because it just won't get out of my head.
17 Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? About the same, I guess.
b) thinner or fatter? About the same, I (optimistically) guess.
c) richer or poorer? In terms of material possessions, richer. Actually earning a salary does that for a person.
18 What do you wish you'd done more of? Made more friends and gone out more.
19 What do you wish you'd done less of? Agonizing over work-related issues.
20 How did you spend Christmas? With the fam in B-lo.
21 "There is no question 21" Ha ha! Hey, Mr. Question Writer, you're not funny.
22 Did you fall in love in 2006? No..
23 How many one-night stands? Ha! 365, baby. And if you believe that, welcome, first-time blog reader!
24 What was your favorite TV show? 'The Office'. Steve Carell, you are a comedy god.
25 Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, it takes a lot to make me hate someone.
26 What was the best book you read? The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
27 What was your greatest musical discovery? Ben Folds. Old-school, yes, go ahead and laugh.
28 What did you want and get? An iPod. Because I bought it myself.
29 What did you want and not get? A winning lottery ticket.
30 What was your favourite film of this year? 'Little Miss Sunshine'
31 What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 25, and we had a celebration of the last day of school. Also, I went out for Indian food with some friends.
32 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being appreciated by colleagues and parents of students.
33 How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Workdays: Nice-looking clothes that I wouldn't mind getting tempera paint on. Weekends: Jeans and fleece.
34 What kept you sane? Phone calls to and from friends.
35 Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Are we British now? I don't really know.
36 What political issue stirred you the most? Stupidity in general annoys the crap out of me.
37 Whom did you miss? (American and Scottish) Friends from Germany.
38 Who was the best new person you met? One of my directors is pretty great. Though I really met her in 2005, so I'm not sure that counts.
39 Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. Learn to communicate. If you have a question, ask it. (hey, that was two lessons)
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 'Who needs sleep? (Tell me, what's that for?)' ~BNL, 'Who Needs Sleep?' Ha, lame but true. Perhaps I'll come up with a better quote later.
Happy New Year, everyone!
02 Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I am horrible with resolutions, and as such didn't make any last year. Tentatively looking at making some for this year though, and they are:
(a) Quit the self-pity.
(b) Get out of the house more.
03 Did anyone close to you give birth? Not that I know of.
04 Did anyone close to you die? No, thank god.
05 What countries did you visit? Germany.
06 What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? A life outside work.
07 What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Can't really think of any.
08 What was your biggest achievement of the year? Surviving my first year as a kindergarten teacher.
09 What was your biggest failure? Almost getting fired.
10 Did you suffer illness or injury? Not serious ones.
11 What was the best thing you bought? My car, and enrolling myself in the WB program.
12 Whose behavior merited celebration? Jamie, for moving to DC!
13 Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Politicians at large.
14 Where did most of your money go? Good question. Doubtless to the car.
15 What did you get really, really, really excited about? When I found I'd been accepted by the applied linguistics department at Cambridge!
16 What song will always remind you of 2006? That 'Beautiful' song by James Blunt. Because it just won't get out of my head.
17 Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? About the same, I guess.
b) thinner or fatter? About the same, I (optimistically) guess.
c) richer or poorer? In terms of material possessions, richer. Actually earning a salary does that for a person.
18 What do you wish you'd done more of? Made more friends and gone out more.
19 What do you wish you'd done less of? Agonizing over work-related issues.
20 How did you spend Christmas? With the fam in B-lo.
21 "There is no question 21" Ha ha! Hey, Mr. Question Writer, you're not funny.
22 Did you fall in love in 2006? No..
23 How many one-night stands? Ha! 365, baby. And if you believe that, welcome, first-time blog reader!
24 What was your favorite TV show? 'The Office'. Steve Carell, you are a comedy god.
25 Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, it takes a lot to make me hate someone.
26 What was the best book you read? The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
27 What was your greatest musical discovery? Ben Folds. Old-school, yes, go ahead and laugh.
28 What did you want and get? An iPod. Because I bought it myself.
29 What did you want and not get? A winning lottery ticket.
30 What was your favourite film of this year? 'Little Miss Sunshine'
31 What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 25, and we had a celebration of the last day of school. Also, I went out for Indian food with some friends.
32 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being appreciated by colleagues and parents of students.
33 How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Workdays: Nice-looking clothes that I wouldn't mind getting tempera paint on. Weekends: Jeans and fleece.
34 What kept you sane? Phone calls to and from friends.
35 Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Are we British now? I don't really know.
36 What political issue stirred you the most? Stupidity in general annoys the crap out of me.
37 Whom did you miss? (American and Scottish) Friends from Germany.
38 Who was the best new person you met? One of my directors is pretty great. Though I really met her in 2005, so I'm not sure that counts.
39 Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. Learn to communicate. If you have a question, ask it. (hey, that was two lessons)
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. 'Who needs sleep? (Tell me, what's that for?)' ~BNL, 'Who Needs Sleep?' Ha, lame but true. Perhaps I'll come up with a better quote later.
Happy New Year, everyone!
30 December 2006
29 December 2006
B is for 'Big Idiot'
It may actually be possible for me to get too much sleep and not get anything whatsoever accomplished and thus get very cranky... or maybe I'm just a brat and need something to complain about. (the latter is probably true) At any rate, vacation is lovely, I am incredibly lazy and haven't even finished my Christmas/Happy New Year cards yet. Also, the intentions to apply to other grad schools have rather crashed and burned: Georgetown's deadline is the 3rd instead of the 15th, which makes me want to pull my hair out or do something that would at least help me feel like less of an idiot. Perhaps my hopes are pinned on Cambridge after all.
Re: Cambridge: No further news as of yet. Though everyone I've talked to, including those who have connections in grad school offices of admission, thinks I'm in. I'm still not trying to get my hopes up too much, but it's getting hard! I have also stupidly forgotten my application ID and password in MN, so I can't check the status of my application online until I get back. Oh well, at least this way I'm forced not to think about it.
Hope everyone has/had a wonderful Hannukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa/Diwali/Festivus! Go live it up on New Year's Eve...because I will certainly be hanging out at home, watching the ball drop on TV, just like every year.
Re: Cambridge: No further news as of yet. Though everyone I've talked to, including those who have connections in grad school offices of admission, thinks I'm in. I'm still not trying to get my hopes up too much, but it's getting hard! I have also stupidly forgotten my application ID and password in MN, so I can't check the status of my application online until I get back. Oh well, at least this way I'm forced not to think about it.
Hope everyone has/had a wonderful Hannukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa/Diwali/Festivus! Go live it up on New Year's Eve...because I will certainly be hanging out at home, watching the ball drop on TV, just like every year.
23 December 2006
Guess who's on vacation!
Pick me, pick me!! Not having to work is fantastic...funny, but I feel like I've been more productive not going to work than I do when I go to work. (does that make any sense?) So far, I've got a haircut, gone to the grocery store and the bank, picked up Christmas presents, done my laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and gone for a walk. And I've gotten 10 hours of sleep for two nights in a row. Being in a good mood and not exhausted is a nice change.
While trolling the Internet (because I have time to do that!), I've found this highly amusing site for those of you who have spent extended periods of time in Germany: the Germany Survival Bible! Hilarious, and everything they say is so true! One of my favorite sections is the one about German medicine; how they are averse to anything non-homeopathic, including vaccinations, and how they firmly believe that wearing a scarf cures any illness. Even if you haven't been to Germany, you should read it...those Germans are strange.
Only one more day till I fly home for two weeks! Yippee!
Stay tuned for possibly another post today, or at least before I fly home. Since I'm on vacation and now have time for that sort of thing.
While trolling the Internet (because I have time to do that!), I've found this highly amusing site for those of you who have spent extended periods of time in Germany: the Germany Survival Bible! Hilarious, and everything they say is so true! One of my favorite sections is the one about German medicine; how they are averse to anything non-homeopathic, including vaccinations, and how they firmly believe that wearing a scarf cures any illness. Even if you haven't been to Germany, you should read it...those Germans are strange.
Only one more day till I fly home for two weeks! Yippee!
Stay tuned for possibly another post today, or at least before I fly home. Since I'm on vacation and now have time for that sort of thing.
18 December 2006
What I Did Today
- Made truffles (mmm!)
- Snapped at the other first-grade class
- Very, very much missed my class, after spending only half an hour with the other first-grade class
- Took an hour-long nap after school
- Danced the tango with one of my students
- Cleaned the shower (eww)
- Did the dishes
- Finished folding laundry that wasn't dry yesterday
- Watched disgusting amounts of television
- Put off going to bed, due to the aforementioned nap
16 December 2006
Back in the day
Meme stolen from Jess.
20 years ago, I was:
5 years ago, I was:
1 year ago, I was:
20 years ago, I was:
- hating my kindergarten teacher for playing a joke on me in front of the whole class
- chilling on our old orange and brown plaid couch with the stuffing coming out of the top, watching Nickelodeon
- begging my mom to please, please, please let me take violin lessons
- the sound tech-type person for a guest speaker/school play (the other gifted-and-talented kids got to be in the play; I was backstage)
- playing "Press Your Luck" with Lauren, Mike and Jonathan at lunch
- cracking my friends up, doing impressions of our teacher
- crushing madly on a boy from church
- pleading with my friends who had cars to give me rides to and from orchestra
- spending weekends cruising up and down Transit Road, hitting up the bulk foods section at Wegman's and hanging out at Denny's
5 years ago, I was:
- thinking about going abroad for the first time ever, on a 5-week summer program
- 'working' at the Math and German Workshops, getting pizza delivered to Hollenbeck Hall
- spending Thursday nights at Heather, Molly, Jessie and Nick's house, watching 'ER' and griping about those stupid education classes
1 year ago, I was:
- being run ragged by kindergarteners
- pretty much hating my job
- feeling lonely in a new city and still figuring everything out
- being run ragged by first-graders
- teaching Irish dance
- taking part in a 'holiday sweater pub crawl', which turned more into hanging out with a few folks at one bar and losing the rest of the pub crawlers
Wow, three bullet points every five years really do summarize my life.
12 December 2006
The worst Christmas songs!
I've been listening to the 24-hour Christmas music station a lot recently, and I feel a need to share my opinion on this subject with the Internet world. As if you wanted to know, here it comes:
the Unofficial List of Worst Christmas Songs I Have Ever (Or, At Least Recently) Heard!
1. Last Christmas, by Wham! -- I know some people are going to strongly disagree with me on this one, but I seriously cannot stand this song. Whiny, obnoxious, self-pitying... and who can forget that chorus. ('Laaaaaaaaaast Christmas, I gave you my heart [gave you my heart]...) Good god, it's annoying me just thinking about it. Plus, this song reminds me of spending Christmas in Germany; apparently, this song is what the Germans associate with American Christmas carols. Ugh.
2. Wonderful Christmas Time, by Paul McCartney -- [picture this on a synthesizer:] WOW wow wow wow wow wow... WOW wow wow wow wow wow... I love you, Paul McCartney, but the synthesizer was really a poor choice. Plus, I highly doubt the children have been practicing their Christmas songs all year; it's probably been a month and a half at most.
3. Anything by the Beach Boys -- I don't think I really need to explain this one.
4. That Christmas shoes song -- Someone needs to tell the music executives that a heartfelt song does not equal sappiness. Who thinks that a song contrived to wring out every drop of sympathy from your soul, backed up by a children's choir (subtlety, nice!), is actually going to convey the spirit of the Christmas season? Apparently listeners can't draw conclusions; they need to be smacked in the face with a message and be told what to think.
5. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer -- Speaking of Christmas messages, here's a real winner. Nothing says 'Merry Christmas' like the untimely death of a close relative, bad grammar and stupid jokes.
On the flip side, two amazing Christmas songs:
1. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen by Nat King Cole -- Actually, anything by Nat King Cole is fantastic, but this carol is my favorite to begin with. I love me some Christmas carols set in a minor key. I can (and have) set this song on repeat and listened to it over and over.
2. O Holy Night from 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip' -- Okay, it's from a TV show. The musicians who played this original version are from New Orleans and were sponsored by the Tipitina Fund, which is working on rebuilding the musical tradition of the city. When I was watching the show, this song gave me goosebumps; I got online to download it the next day. (available for listening or downloading here)
I'm curious to hear opinions on this. What are your most loved/despised Christmas songs? Not that this blog has a vast readership or anything, but I'm sure that between the 5 or so of us, we could come up with some pretty good lists.
the Unofficial List of Worst Christmas Songs I Have Ever (Or, At Least Recently) Heard!
1. Last Christmas, by Wham! -- I know some people are going to strongly disagree with me on this one, but I seriously cannot stand this song. Whiny, obnoxious, self-pitying... and who can forget that chorus. ('Laaaaaaaaaast Christmas, I gave you my heart [gave you my heart]...) Good god, it's annoying me just thinking about it. Plus, this song reminds me of spending Christmas in Germany; apparently, this song is what the Germans associate with American Christmas carols. Ugh.
2. Wonderful Christmas Time, by Paul McCartney -- [picture this on a synthesizer:] WOW wow wow wow wow wow... WOW wow wow wow wow wow... I love you, Paul McCartney, but the synthesizer was really a poor choice. Plus, I highly doubt the children have been practicing their Christmas songs all year; it's probably been a month and a half at most.
3. Anything by the Beach Boys -- I don't think I really need to explain this one.
4. That Christmas shoes song -- Someone needs to tell the music executives that a heartfelt song does not equal sappiness. Who thinks that a song contrived to wring out every drop of sympathy from your soul, backed up by a children's choir (subtlety, nice!), is actually going to convey the spirit of the Christmas season? Apparently listeners can't draw conclusions; they need to be smacked in the face with a message and be told what to think.
5. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer -- Speaking of Christmas messages, here's a real winner. Nothing says 'Merry Christmas' like the untimely death of a close relative, bad grammar and stupid jokes.
On the flip side, two amazing Christmas songs:
1. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen by Nat King Cole -- Actually, anything by Nat King Cole is fantastic, but this carol is my favorite to begin with. I love me some Christmas carols set in a minor key. I can (and have) set this song on repeat and listened to it over and over.
2. O Holy Night from 'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip' -- Okay, it's from a TV show. The musicians who played this original version are from New Orleans and were sponsored by the Tipitina Fund, which is working on rebuilding the musical tradition of the city. When I was watching the show, this song gave me goosebumps; I got online to download it the next day. (available for listening or downloading here)
I'm curious to hear opinions on this. What are your most loved/despised Christmas songs? Not that this blog has a vast readership or anything, but I'm sure that between the 5 or so of us, we could come up with some pretty good lists.
07 December 2006
*SHRIEK!!*
I got an email from the secretary of Cambridge's Applied Linguistics department today. The second sentence is:
'I am happy to inform you that we intend to recommend that you are accepted as a candidate commencing October 2007.'
I just tried to type all sorts of exclamations that come to my mind when I read that, but nothing does it justice.
Anyway, the email goes on that this is by no means an acceptance, the university still has to look at my application, etc., etc. ...but still! Holy one-step-closer-to-going-to-Britain-next-year, Batman!
'I am happy to inform you that we intend to recommend that you are accepted as a candidate commencing October 2007.'
I just tried to type all sorts of exclamations that come to my mind when I read that, but nothing does it justice.
Anyway, the email goes on that this is by no means an acceptance, the university still has to look at my application, etc., etc. ...but still! Holy one-step-closer-to-going-to-Britain-next-year, Batman!
05 December 2006
"I'm compelled to go straight home and crawl into bed until morning. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"
Thanks to Hetta for the quote. And dude, that is totally my life; don't knock it. Let me tell you that I was in bed by 8.30 yesterday. That hasn't been my bedtime since I was 10 (or so). I guess the exhaustion was stemming from a number of factors, such as spending a day with first-graders, trying to teach said first-graders something, doing a painting project with the first-graders, and also getting less than 5 hours' sleep the night before. Because...
I finished and emailed the Cambridge paper! 2137 words of unadulterated crap, but well-written crap. Example sentence: 'Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson’s hypothesis that a second language learner has no hope of attaining native-like proficiency fails to take into account any individual variables that might affect one’s eventual outcome.' Yeah, that's right. Take that, Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson.
Other news: School is being a pain. Not so much the kids as the lack of communication, things not getting done, etc., etc. (the exhaustion might be coloring my view on this one)
Also: I am making spinach lasagna for the Night Formerly Known As 'West Wing Wednesday' But Is Now Just A Wednesday On Which We Eat And Hang Out (And Watch 'Studio 60'). Hopefully it's edible.
How are you?
I finished and emailed the Cambridge paper! 2137 words of unadulterated crap, but well-written crap. Example sentence: 'Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson’s hypothesis that a second language learner has no hope of attaining native-like proficiency fails to take into account any individual variables that might affect one’s eventual outcome.' Yeah, that's right. Take that, Hyltenstam and Abrahamsson.
Other news: School is being a pain. Not so much the kids as the lack of communication, things not getting done, etc., etc. (the exhaustion might be coloring my view on this one)
Also: I am making spinach lasagna for the Night Formerly Known As 'West Wing Wednesday' But Is Now Just A Wednesday On Which We Eat And Hang Out (And Watch 'Studio 60'). Hopefully it's edible.
How are you?
03 December 2006
On today's shopping list
Among a few other things:
- Tissues, times 3
- Zicam, times 2
- Clementines
- Soup, 4 cans
Someone's got a cold. Blech. Stupid germy kids.
And to Müs: 2,000 words is totally eight pages, not four. You lied. Punk.
*Edit: Wow, that Zicam is good stuff! Also, 1098 words. 902 to go. Shoot me in the face.
02 December 2006
Cambridge update
On Monday, I got an email from the secretary of the linguistics department at the University of Cambridge. I was kind of surprised and nervous, not expecting a decision this soon, and via email. However, the content of said email was only one sentence: 'I wonder if you had received my previous email.' Um, no...? So I continued to read the previous email which she had attached. Basically, the admissions comittee wants me to write a paper on a specific journal article in addition to my application, so that they can better decide if I'm suited to their program. This paper was due on: Wednesday, November 29.
[insert expletive here]
So I emailed back, saying that I hadn't received the original email and therefore it would be exceedingly difficult to write a 2,000 word paper on an article in two days, especially since I had to first find the article. After much back-and-forth, I got the very nice and patient secretary to send me the article and give me an extension until Monday.
The gist of all this: Instead of having 3 weeks to write a 'critical analysis' (what does this mean, anyway?) of a journal article, I have two days. (weekend days at least, not evenings after work) What am I doing now? Procrastinating.
Some things never change.
[insert expletive here]
So I emailed back, saying that I hadn't received the original email and therefore it would be exceedingly difficult to write a 2,000 word paper on an article in two days, especially since I had to first find the article. After much back-and-forth, I got the very nice and patient secretary to send me the article and give me an extension until Monday.
The gist of all this: Instead of having 3 weeks to write a 'critical analysis' (what does this mean, anyway?) of a journal article, I have two days. (weekend days at least, not evenings after work) What am I doing now? Procrastinating.
Some things never change.
21 November 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
Don't fool yourself, it really is the best holiday of the entire year. I am off to NJ to visit extended family... well, family, period. And eat all sorts of fantastic food. I have been counting down until Thanksgiving since September and cannot wait!
Safe travels to all and enjoy that bass! (...er, turkey)
Safe travels to all and enjoy that bass! (...er, turkey)
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