Day 24

At handbell rehearsal tonight, I mentioned that a place I'd interviewed with was flying me out to meet them. One of the other members said, 'Oh, I'll keep my fingers crossed. That happened to me a bunch of times; people flew me out and then they ended up hiring internally.' Uh... great? So I'm a bit less hopeful now, which is maybe a good thing, so I won't get as disappointed if it doesn't work out.

... oh, who am I kidding; I'll be really bummed. Fingers still crossed.

Safe Thanksgiving travels, everyone! I still have to pack..

Day 23

A week from today, Müs is leaving for an Epic Adventure in Chile. It will involve astronomy, data that I do not understand, nerds (probably), and hopefully Chilean beer. It will also involve 30 hours of travel, which sucks a lot. I've done similar trips, though when I've traveled that long, it usually involves extended stretches of time sitting in airports. So I was mentally compiling a list of helpful travel tips, which may or may not be obvious, and then I thought, 'Hey, I can use this as a blog post!' And here we are.

Travel Tips (mostly for international travel):

• Bring food. This may not apply to those of you with normal metabolism. My brother and I share the same crazy hyper metabolism, and if we don't eat on a regular schedule (for me, it's 4 hours), heads will roll. I am not kidding. People don't take this seriously, and then I get all snappy and hurt people's feelings and then I'm like, SEE I TOLD YOU. Good travel food: granola bars, dried fruit, nuts, pretzels, peanut butter sandwiches. Stay away from: fresh fruit (unless you're going to eat it in the airport; customs people frown upon taking fruit across borders), yogurt, salad, sandwiches that can't handle being squashed or lack of refrigeration.
• Buy a huge bottle of water once you get through security. If you're cheap like me, you can also get a normal-sized water and refill the bottle from water fountains. (This applies only in the US; not all countries enjoy their water fountains as much as we do.)
• Do not get sucked into the in-flight entertainment. This inevitably happens to me; I always think I'm going to sleep on the plane, but wait, I wanted to see this movie when it was in the theaters, and this movie looks good too, and ooh, a trivia game! Next thing I know, we've landed, it's 5am and I haven't slept. Awesome.
• Time your in-flight meals and sleep accordingly. Make sure you get food when the flight attendants come around with it (meals or snacks); it's a pain to try to flag them down. Also, when they're finally finished with snack/food/duty free liquor and perfume service, take the opportunity to stretch your legs in the aisle and take a nap. You're less likely to be bothered by carts going back and forth if you wait until they're all done... until breakfast, anyway.
• While on the plane, get up and walk around once in a while. Otherwise, you get really stiff. As an added bonus, you get the mildly creepy sight of all the passengers with their headphones on, staring into screens that are emitting a bluish light. It's very '1984'.
  
• Sleep on the plane. It's hard, but try to zone out, at least. I only recently found out that the sides of the head rest fold towards your head, which gives you something to lean on and a chance to avoid an awfully stiff neck. I also put my backpack in the leg space and stretch my feet underneath the seat in front of me, to pretend I have extra leg room. And I put the pillow they give you at my lower back. It's all planned out. I always feel sort of bad about leaning back into someone's space, but I usually go part of the way. Besides, I always get stuck behind someone who leans ALL THE WAY back as soon as we take off, so it's all about fairness. Right?
• Other vital things to bring: iPod + earphones (can be used for the inflight movie/radio, too), books, puzzles, neck pillow, crappy magazines bought at airport newsstands, possibly a toothbrush so you can brush your teeth once you get off the longest flight.
  
• Don't wear contacts. It's not worth the hassle.
  

Any other tips? Comment away!

Day 22

Today, I thought I'd post the avatar that I made using yesterday's website. So here you go:


Is this cheating? Maybe, but it's November 22, damnit. I am running out of ideas.

Day 21

Today's Procrastination Website: MadMenYourself.com

Ever wondered what you'd look like if you were a member of the 'Mad Men' cast? Wonder no more! This is a pretty awesome website with a number of options at each step, so you can play around for a while and figure out how exactly to look like Joan or Don Draper.

I would write more about it, but the library is closing. Enjoy! Procrastinate! Do nothing!

Day 20

Shows You Need to Watch: 'Castle'
Third in an occasional series

Every time I think about recommending this show, they air an episode that is not that great. Case in point: This past Monday, it was predictable and lame. However, it was great the week before. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and recommend this show, with the caveat that it is inconsistent so far this season, even more so than 'Glee'. (Which was also not up to last week's standard; seriously, lose the shaky hand-held camera.)

Just when I thought I'd had enough of cop shows, this one came along. While I do enjoy a good 'CSI', I only really like the original one; NY basically hits you over the head with the fact that it's set in NY, and David Caruso drives me freaking crazy. Also, after eight or so years of these shows, they're apparently running out of ideas and getting predictable. Plus, they're on all the damn time.

So I was ready to bid farewell to the cop procedural drama, but I saw previews for this and was intrigued that Nathan Fillion was in it. I've seen him in other things and liked him; he does a good snarky aside as well as any one. Essentially, I started watching this show for that reason, but enjoyed the entire premise. Yes, it's a cop show, but it doesn't take itself too seriously, and it has good dialogue. As you are well aware by now, I enjoy a good banter, and 'Castle' has it. That and some amusing characters, plus a plot that is (usually) interesting and wraps up by the end of the show -- that's some good TV.

To be clear, this is mindless Monday night TV. It's not a show that'll make you ponder the meaning of life or the depth of humanity. But it is entertaining and a fun way to spend an hour. (Also, it's on opposite Leno and 'CSI: Miami', so.)

'Castle' is on Mondays at 9.

Day 19

More reasons to love 'Community':

• Naming the bio lab rat Fievel -- I laughed so hard at this!
• Joel McHale = awesome
  
• 'Offer them a sandwich.'
• Greene Daye
• Troy jumping onto the lab counter, screaming and petrified

In real-world news: The people with whom I most recently interviewed want to fly me out there! Looks like it'll be a really long day trip, but at least it's a non-stop flight. Renting a car and driving myself around an unfamiliar place, on the other hand, is not looking too appealing..

Day 18

I am currently working on this job application, and it's pretty intensive; it requires a cover letter and resume, three reference letters, transcripts, contact info for references, and 'documentation of superior teaching ability'. Not quite sure what that last one means, but it's optional anyway, so I'm hoping those references will speak for me. Anyway, I've been hammering away at this cover letter for a few days now, and I just don't want to work on it any more. Which is a shame, because it's not quite finished yet... still needs editing. I will (probably) get it done by tomorrow, because that's when the deadline is, but it's killing me right now. Just thought I'd share that with you all.

On a lighter note, did you ever wish you could turn your handwriting into a computer font? You can! It's actually really cool; I've managed to download my own font, but having a bit of trouble getting Word to recognize it.. planning to acquire Open Office so maybe that'll work. But a font made of your handwriting, how cool is that? Especially for you people who have cooler handwriting than I do. (read: not teacher handwriting)

Day 17

Shows You Need to Watch: 'Community'
Second in an occasional series

Oh, this show. This show has taken over the spot in my heart where 'The Office' used to be. It makes me laugh out loud, which very rarely happens with TV shows. Every one of the characters is funny. (except maybe Senor Chang, I find him obnoxious and over-the-top) I absolutely make time for it whenever it's on.

Let's break it down, shall we? As you may have gathered from my previous ramblings on 'Glee', I enjoy a program that has relatable characters, lets those characters play off of each other for a while, has quick and witty dialogue, and contains callback references for those loyal viewers. The checklist for 'Community' looks as follows:

1. Relatable characters: check. Everyone knows a Britta, Troy, Annie and/or (to a lesser extent) Jeff. Abed is unpredictably delightful; you never know what he's going to say or do, and it's always funny. Bonus: Abed sometimes provides meta commentary on the show, which I think is hilarious.
2. Characters playing off of each other: check. I think they've been paired up differently in each episode so far, and each combination has been great. Though the Troy/Abed closing tags win, in my opinion, especially the "Donde esta la Bibliothequa" rap.
3. Fast-paced dialogue: check. So many one-liners in this show! Sometimes I miss some, because I'm still laughing at the previous dialogue. Example: When the community college dean left the room in one scene, he cheerily called out, 'Dean you later!'
   
4. Callbacks: check. When this show makes a joke or a reference, even in passing, it follows through. Cases in point from last week: The men's basketball team, which is suspected to be gay ("Nice try, Bruce!"); the Greendale Human Being (which is creepily hilarious).

In conclusion, watch this show, Thursdays at 8. You will love it, and you will be my best friend by helping keep it on the air.

Day 16

This morning, I got ready to use the elliptical machine, as I often do. (or have been for the past month, at least) My iPod is being disagreeable, so I was reduced to listening to the radio, just like every day for the past few days. So I turned on the radio to the random 80's/90's/pretty crappy music station I happened to find, and it was during their commercial break. No surprise there. I started my workout and had just finished the warmup section, when they come back from commercial and start in with the music.

IT WAS CHRISTMAS MUSIC.

WTF, people? It's November 16. It is 50 degrees outside. People are raking leaves, not shoveling snow. The reason we have a Thanksgiving holiday is to delineate the post-Halloween weeks from the official 'holidays' period. I can forgive places like the UK or Germany for pushing the season a bit, but COME ON NOW.

Since I was already 'in the groove', so to speak, I didn't want to stop, get off, find a new station and restart my workout. This resulted in later getting to the hardest part of my routine, towards the end, when I could have used some driving music... and Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' came on the radio. I wanted to melt to the floor and die. It's a great song, but not at all suited for a high-energy cardio workout, just FYI. I am definitely finding new music tomorrow.

In case you're curious, the song that had the auspicious honor of unofficially kicking off the Christmas season was 'Frosty the Snowman' by the Beach Boys. It's November 16, and we're not off to a great start.

Day 15

I almost forgot to post today. Man, November is way too long.

Day 14

My friend and former German buddy Carolyn is in her second year of teaching English in Bulgaria, and she keeps a blog, which you can find here. Bulgaria being a former Communist state, Carolyn has an interesting perspective on the fall of the Berlin Wall and how people view the old communist state with nostalgia, real or imagined. Her last couple of entries have really gotten me thinking about life in East Germany, and the relationship between capitalism and communism -- for example, how symbols of the DDR are now marketed on t-shirts, coffee mugs and refrigerator magnets. (Life would be a much more boring place without the Ampelmaennchen, let me assure you.) Go read her blog if you are interested, and if you want to know my (random) thoughts, I posted a few comments on there. Also, Carolyn shared this photo essay via her Twitter feed, and it is phenomenal. Go look at it now, I'll wait.

The DDR was a weird, amazing place, eh? Now I'm the one who's nostalgic.

Day 13

Segueing a bit from yesterday's 'Glee' post.. Wednesday's particular episode also reminded me of a reason why I want to live in the US, rather than Germany or elsewhere: American schools try exceptionally hard to mainstream kids with disabilities. I'm sure viewers the other night didn't think twice about seeing a student with Down syndrome or a kid in a wheelchair. But in Germany, special ed students are completely segregated from their peers at an early age. Since kids are funneled into schools on different tracks (college prep, technical school, etc.) starting in fifth grade, I'd say segregation definitely is set by then, if not before. I mean, they have entire special ed schools so that these students aren't in the classrooms with their peers. During my two years working at college prep schools, I didn't even encounter anyone in a wheelchair, let alone students with other disabilities. The homogeneousness (?) was a bit frightening, actually. Americans may have other faults, but our treatment of kids with disabilities reflects our respect for all students and our commitment to treating people equally. If you don't teach that by example starting in elementary school, where do you expect kids to learn it?

In other news: Happy Friday the 13th! Don't walk under a ladder, cross a black cat's path, or break a mirror. Or perhaps do those things in pairs so they cancel each other out.

Addendum 2: I had a job interview today. It went pretty well, I think, though you can never tell with these things. The position is not specifically my interests but is in my field. The pay is pretty low, but some salary is better than no salary, I suppose!

Addendum 3: I am in love with NBC's Thursday night lineup. Expect a post on 'Community' sometime soon, it is brilliant.

Day 12

Shows You Need To Watch: "Glee"
First in an occasional series

Not to get all gushy, but OMG you guyz did you see glee last nite? it was totes awesome!!!!1!!one! It's been a long time since I was thoroughly enamored with a new TV show -- probably since 'The Office' came out -- but this is a show that I really look forward to watching, every single time. It can be hit or miss; sometimes too sappy, sometimes loose ends are wrapped up entirely too neatly, and the whole "Will's wife is a shrew and faking her pregnancy and overly possessive" plotline needs to end. But it's often funny (especially the callbacks!), occasionally touching (surprisingly -- take Sue's character development last night as an example), and contains musical numbers as an added bonus. I will admit to a soft spot for musicals, especially when they're done well. And the songs in this show are both well-chosen and incredibly well-performed. (Sometimes too much; can a high school glee club really be that polished?) Plus, the characters are relatable; they all have their quirks and flaws and it's interesting to see how they're going to bounce off each other from one episode to the next. I know they're eventually going to make it to finals, but I keep watching to see how they get there.

Anyway, enough parentheticals and asides -- go watch 'Glee', Wednesdays at 9. You may have to watch more than one episode to get hooked, but it'll happen, trust me.

Day 11

The internet has been down all day but has finally decided to start working, and I am watching 'Glee' right now, and I would much rather continue to do that rather than put together a blog post. So that's what I'm going to do. Don't be too disappointed.

Day 10

Nope, no Berlin Wall post here.

Instead, as I was working out (!) this morning, I heard classic 80s song "Take On Me" and was reminded of those literal interpretations of music videos. (Thanks to Müs for introducing me to those.) So enjoy:




There's also "Total Eclipse of the Heart":


And "We Built This City":


These seem to work best with 80s music videos, when the bands didn't seem to know what to do with the new genre and made crazy videos. Thanks, 80s bands!

Day 9

Twenty years ago today, the Berlin Wall came down. And I was hoping to write a nice reflective post on how my experiences abroad would have been completely different if the wall were still standing today. Maybe I wouldn't even have traveled to Germany at all, actually. But instead, I have spent far too much time today staring at a computer screen, writing a brand-new cover letter from scratch, which I believe is one of the nine circles of hell. (Check with Dante if you want to be sure.) And so I am rather phoning it in. Perhaps I'll be a bit more reflective tomorrow, but you never know around here.

Sidenote: What the hell is up with this weather?

Day 8

Things I saw on a walk today:

• Sunshine - for the first time in at least a week
  
• Massive piles of leaves at the curbs - these were very tempting!
• A pre-teen (tween?) girl on what seemed to be an electric mini Vespa - seriously, what the hell, suburbs? My parents wouldn't even let me get a Power Wheels when I was little.
• Bedraggled ghosts and scarecrows from Halloween
  
• Lonely pumpkins discarded in a cardboard box at the curb
• People putting up Christmas lights and decorations
• Leafblowers: 3, Rakers: 3 - I am cheered by this; I didn't think anyone raked their leaves anymore
• Neon stakes on either side of driveways in preparation for snowplow season
• A dead squirrel laying face-up on the sidewalk... directly underneath some power lines
  

Day 7

Following up on yesterday's 'Office' post, here's a very interesting article comparing four countries' versions of 'The Office'. It's a couple years old, but still pretty accurate, I think; the author describes how each country's version of the show reflects that nation's culture, sense of humor, and attitude towards work. Having seen three of the four shows (though when in Germany, I never realized 'Stromberg' was their version of TO and only saw it once or twice), I'd agree with the points made. It also helps me better articulate why I like the US version better than the UK version, though I like both for different reasons.

Day 6

I enjoyed Thursday night TV last night, and I've been torn about 'The Office' for a while now. So far, I would have to say the hierarchy of seasons goes:

2>3>1>5>4=6

I'm sort of torn about this season, though. I'm definitely not invested as much as I used to be, when I'd scour the interwebz from the UK to find the most recently-aired episode... and was often disappointed. (Thanks, writers' strike.) And last season was just sort of there; I haven't gone out and bought the season 5 DVDs yet because there aren't many moments that I'd like to be able to see again. This season, though... I don't know. At first it was painfully unlike the show I'd grown to love; the characters have turned into caricatures, arcs have been dropped completely (Do Jim and Pam want to leave Scranton or not? Does moving up in the Dunder Mifflin universe really constitute ambition?), and I'm just not invested in the characters anymore. They're becoming downright mean, and I just can't root for people like that. (Pam and Kelly, I'm looking at you.)

But last night was somehow returning to form. The lunch out was super-awkward and cringe-inducing, which was what the show goes for in the first place. Toby telling Pam how to throw a punch = awesome. And many people seem to dislike the Dwight-Andy politeness war, but I thought it was hilarious and a nice return to classic office shenanigans. The show's not all the way back yet, but maybe it can get partway there. And then it definitely needs to end at the end of this season.

What do you think? (Quotes also welcome.)

Day 5

Late night TV is a pretty sad state of affairs these days. Conan can be pretty good but seems sort of hit-or-miss, Letterman is basically phoning it in, and Jay Leno at 10pm makes me want to gouge my eyes out, it's so unfunny. (Fortunately, I opt for not watching it, instead of the more painful method.) Craig Ferguson, though, that guy's awesome. Sadly, I haven't seen a whole lot of him, since I tend not to stay up that late and prefer not to spend hours on YouTube, but what I have seen is thoroughly entertaining. For example, compare the monologues:

Letterman/Conan/Jay: 1. Joke setup 2. Punchline 3. Overenthusiastic audience laughter 4. Repeat, with an unrelated joke.

Craig: A monologue that actually builds on itself, segueing from one topic to the next.

Last week, the power went out on the set of the Craig Ferguson show, and he just kept going. And it was funny. Would the other late night shows do that? I'm not so sure.



Moral: Craig's show needs to be on earlier, when people (read: me) will actually watch it.