Today is a very special day in my family, as my great aunt turns 99 today.
Yes, 99. And while arthritis has slowed her to the point that tortoises move faster and farther than she does, and while her "forgetter" tends to work more than her "rememberer," this woman is amazing. Yes, there is someone who comes in 4-5 days a week for a few hours a day, and she probably needs to be put in a place where there is 24-hour care, but at the same time when she has a good day you hear about long-lost
I know, I know, I haven't been very active on the blogs lately. No, I haven't fallen off into the deep end. Just that I moved to a new apartment, one right on campus to my main employer. This brand-new construction has had some glitches, including the fact that the powers that be forgot to hook it up to the internet and cable grid. So, it might be another week yet before I have internet at home, or tv for that matter. Mildly annoying, and it doesn't fit in with my plans, but what are you go
For those of you who are knowledgeable in the art of writing long tomes...you'll agree with me (I think) that editing is worse than writing.
When one writes, you are creating your thoughts as you go along. Sure, you have an outline of some kind, and you're following along with your sources close by--in my case, already summarized in its own Word document, so that cut/paste is easy. But it's still flowing out of your head, through your fingers, and onto the screen in front of you. There's
Well, it took 3 weeks, but I finished the Italy album. Every picture I took (which is over 900) has been worked on, identified, named, uploaded and then re-organized and labeled. A lot of work...but the end result is a wonderful collection of memories. I still need to get a few pictures from my parents, which I'll get in a couple of weeks. If you wish to check it out, click here, and use the side bar on the left to go to the various sub-albums. Hope you enjoy them.
Part of what took so
I just got back last night from a week in Aruba. It's a great place...much like Hawaii in terms of atmosphere and activities, but because it's more of a desert-landscape than the lush tropical one that the Hawaiian Islands offer. Otherwise...wow. Just...wow.
Anyway, the island of Aruba, like its sisters of Bonaire and Cura
Well now, this weekend has so far been full of frivolity. Ok, that's getting carried away a bit. But I actually have had a weekend thus far where I could just simply relax. Of course, there was a reason behind it...always is.
Friday night my upstairs neighbor Hank wanted someone to drink with, so I obliged. We each consumed quite a bit of wine...in fact, it led to a very rough night. So yesterday, while I wasn't hungover, I definitely didn't have the normal unbounded energy that is typi
Folks, if you don't like baseball, then you don't need to be around the Bay Area right about now. The Giants are really in the thick of it...half a game out for the lead in the National League West, about that for the Wild Card...lots of games at home, and Dem Dodger Bums from LA are in town. Sadly, we have their best pitchers going against us right now, and the Boys in Orange and Black are having a tough go of it. But we have our best pitchers going for us, too, so it's been a tight, well-p
Wheeeeeeeeeeee! Spamalot is coming to San Francisco!!! Oh how I've waited for this to happen! When Las Vegas got a hold of it, the deal was that the producers wouldn't show any version of it west of that happening light-tropolis, so that we would have to go to the desert and get bamboozled just to see our silly English knnnnnnnnnnigits. But no! I did not give in to temptation! (Mostly because Vegas doesn't do much for me.) And now I, like many others, have been richly rewarded--Spamalot w
12 hours from now. 12 hours from right now, the plane'll be taxing the runway at San Francisco International Airport, on its way to Zurich. Then a 90 minute layover, and onto Roma.
Holy crap. I'm finally going 'home'.
Ok, let's be clear...I've never been to Italy. Not only is this my first trip there, my mother's family hasn't been back there since we left 100 years ago--with the sole exception of my great-uncle and his wife going back in the mid-80s. My parents are there for a mont
Taking Bella to her yearly examinations is oh-so-much fun. Like many cats, she hates her carrier, hates car rides, and really hates the vet. Nevermind that her vet is very nice, gentle, and knows what she's doing. Nope, Bella will have none of it. She, um, always provides a fecal sample, shall we say? She's very clingy, and sheds all over the place. Nope, she's not a happy camper there.
Due to a clerical error, Bella didn't get her annual vaccinations at her exam, so we scheduled them
Boxes...they're everywhere.
Here...there...everywhere.
Empty boxes, waiting to be filled with all sorts of momentos and knick-knacks.
Partially-filled boxes, waiting to be completed, marked, and taped.
Full boxes, bursting at the seems, ready to be shipped off to their new, albeit temporary home.
Now I can't find a blessed thing, for all of these boxes are surrounding me!
Ah, the Appendix Probi...so many online versions...so much to choose from! (I'm in search of a good paper copy, and in something I can read the commentary on...any suggestions?) It's an amazing work--someone, whose name is lost to us, decided to sit down and document what he (I assume the author was not female?) heard. Tired of constantly correcting the people's speech pattern verbally, this auteur decided to write it all out...and publish it so that people can 'speak proper Latin'. Incredib
I love human language (obviously), and I love human behavior. We are absolutely fascinating creatures. We form tribal units every where we can. Oh, sure, we don't consider them 'tribal units', but really they are. We seek out others who are like us in some way, and even go so far as to give ourselves names, a kind of identity to distinguish ourselves from the other tribal groups. Even though we interact among several of these groups, and we therefore have seemingly multiple allegiances, we
EOP&S (Extended Opportunity Programs & Services) is a California-run program which helps community college students with the various elements of student life that one glosses over. EOP&S can arrange for students of meager means to get a free bus pass, a laptop, and numerous other resources that honestly we take for granted. Typically there are around 200 spots per campus--this seems like quite a few, but when one realizes that each community college campus can have anywhere from 6,
This little ash-burst in Iceland has got some people in paranoid moods of late. Oh, I don't mean those who are traveling--honestly, if I was one of them, I don't quite know what I would do, and as I see it they have every reason to be pulling their hair out. No, I'm referring to the enviro-tards who scream at anyone who even has the audacity to place their plastic cup in the regular trash, instead of bringing it home and put in the recycle bin. Some of the people who take up the same general
I joined a new gym a week ago, and it's taken that long to get my shit together and get into the pool. Aw man, I forgot how awesome it is to get into a clean, clear pool and do my laps! It's been about 8 months, and this new gym is quite motivating...almost like the one I used to go to when I lived in San Mateo. Great equipment, full amenities, and nothing is overcrowded.
Ok, so I didn't do my usual mile and a half...to say the least, my body wasn't going to allow that. But still, 1200 y
My Yahoo! Horoscope for the day reads:
So I guess I should interpret this as a strong hint to add another blog entry, right? Seems only logical to me, really. Or does it mean that I should email my one brother, even though I know he won't get the email until tonight, when he's back home? Or does it mean I should G-Chat with my other brother, even though I talk to him all the time? Oh bother.
Nah, I'll stick to this entry, and then go for a walk. Then do a bunch of work. Then, per
Well, a week (almost) being home, and I'm about halfway done with the pictures. This is taking a while...mostly because I have things to do this week and don't have as much time as I thought to go through them. But it's getting done, bit by bit.
World Cup has been incredibly interesting to me, now that I can finally watch it. I think the winner of Germany/Argentina has the tournament, but that's just my 2 cents. I can't wait to see that match! Should be amazing, if nothing else than to
So I'm in the dressing room of the gym, after a good workout, and I'm stripping off to go into the showers. Now, if one were to look at pictures of me, even if they only saw my face, they would guess (and correctly so) that I am prolifically freckly. Indeed, previous boyfriends have kidded around that they could play connect-the-dots on my body, and would be amused for hours. 'Tis true. Freckles and moles are all over, and have been since I was a babe. I have been made aware of my sensitive
And it's well-deserved, dammit.
Working primarily at a community college, there's nothing more satisfying than to hear that one of your students is going to go onto a 4-year degree. For the benefit of the non-Americans, our educational system here has the 4-year universities (where one earns a Bachelor's degree, or more) and 'community colleges' or 'junior colleges'. These CCs offer several types of courses, and one can get their Associate's degree so that they can either enter into the wo
On Saturday I went out on a first date with a gentleman. It wasn't an eventful date--in fact, it was positively boring and did not lead to an acceptance of a second date--but it brought to mind something I find completely useless. This person told me he never cusses, hates cussing, thinks it shows the denigration of our society...yet will use an "eff" to replace the proverbial f-word (aka "eff this, I'm gone). I'm sorry, isn't that the same thing?
When I was a kid, my parents did everythi
It's hard to come up with a 'favorite month', but if I had to, it'd be August. Let's weigh the facts:
PRODUCE!!! The tomatoes right now are unreal...just the most amazing thing ever. I know people swear that canning tomatoes helps 'seal in the goodness,' but even the most awesome canned tomatoes pale in comparison to the goodness at my farmers' market right now. Holy Christ, I eat them as fruit. And that's nothing to say for the peaches and nectarines (surprising, as we didn't get qui
Here in Japantown, there is a cute mix of cuisine. Of course, the predominant theme is Japanese food--some of the best you'll get anywhere, both on the sushi side and the traditional dishes. There's a couple of Chinese places (naturally), some Mexican places (consider San Jos
In three weeks time, I'll be waking up after my first night in my new apartment. And I mean really new...they're putting the finishing touches on the construction now. The anticipation is nearly killing me, but the next 3 weeks will be full of organization, happiness, and logistics. I've already booked my upstairs neighbor to help me move--he's got a big truck, a fairly large trailer, and does this for one of his side jobs--and given notice to my landlord. Of course, it's been sitting here,
February...what the hell! Ya flew by me without a bye or leave. Then again, it's probably for the best, as it sets up a first half of 2010 that is keeping me busy. Pedal to the proverbial metal.
And this is all leading up to... *cue the trumpets* my trip to Italy! Yes, the Motherland is calling me, and I am heeding the call. Well, my parents, my godmother and her kids are, too. My parents will be there a total of 5 weeks, me only 2, but oh what a 2 weeks. My parents are renting a vill
