docoflove1974
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Blog Comments posted by docoflove1974
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Arizona is quite arid, yes...it is, after all, a desert.
Texas, well, only the western third of the state is arid. The rest is incredibly humid as a result of the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, it's the start of Tornado Alley, as the cold fronts come in from the northwest. For 6 months of the year, most of that state is sticky, like humidity levels of 70%+, and when coupled with 90'-110'F temps for those 6 months, it's hellish. When I first moved down there, I came from a very hot place (Central Valley of California, although it's a dry heat), but it still took my body 3 days to figure out how in the the name of all that's holy to cool down.
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I'd love to sit here and say I'm surprised about the Texan Christmas tree farmer...but I did live there for 6 years
Now, I will say, you can grow the trees quite well in that state. Eastern Texas, particularly around Tyler, is known for its pine groves.
As for the drought, um, well, the state has been in some form of drought for decades, and many think that it's the 'normal' for most of the state. But such climates don't usually mix well with rising populations. I wonder what Slick Rick (the guv) plans on doing to save the state?
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Oh good, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who didn't see it. Then again, I was always the one that could never see the hidden picture in those dot prints that you have to unfocus your eyes. Of course, I looked at it last night after teaching, so my focus is never quite that sharp
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Heh you should watch the video...look it up on YouTube. I'd link it, but when I saw the video I couldn't stop laughing.
See, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 (that's the singer with the contorted vocal chords) isn't that good, but he's also not that good looking. So how his band got to where it is, who knows. And that song was written so that Christina Aguilera could participate...except that she needn't lower herself to that. Really.
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OUTSTANDING NEWS! Congratulations to you and your lovely lady!
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You're right, it is unbelievable what some people carry around with them. Working at a community college, I see it often...a student (regardless of age) has a pretty huge burden to bear, and at times they just need to let it out.
One of the most amazing students I've ever had was a woman about my age, who was a single mother of 2 adolescent boys. She told me the story of the last few years: abusive husband, running away from him with the boys to a women and children's shelter, an acrimonious divorce...and yet both of her boys were honor-roll students, as was she. She never came to class with anything less than a smile, regardless of how her day went or the pressures on her, because to her life was better than what it could have been.
One day, at the end of the semester, she was really down. After class I pulled her aside and asked her if she was ok. The tears formed the second I spoke; she needed to vent, and in a big way. Her father had just passed away, a man who was very important in her life and who supported her through the years, and she couldn't return home to Mexico to go to his funeral. Sure, part of the reason was the cost; the other reason was that she was afraid that if she left to go home to be with her family, that her ex-husband would somehow try to take custody of the boys, and get it. She was so fearful of this that she didn't even dare go home.
She had a guardian angel, it turns out; a woman at her church paid for the tickets for her and her sons to go down for the funeral. A happy ending. The post-script is that this student has since finished her Bachelor's degree in Psychology (she earned a full-ride scholarship to a private university locally), and is doing well. I'm supposed to meet up with her soon.
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Oh he did show me a good time...until he had to come clean about everything. Meh, whatevs. I just found it funny that his reason for calling things off was so similar to what my students said that week.
As for 'playing therapist', well, sadly this has been my burden to bear my entire life. I'm always the one that people unburden themselves to, and almost always without my prompting it. Evidently all I have to say is, "Are you okay?"--and then comes the river of emotion, upset, and uncertainty. I long ago let it go, although when someone chooses to not let me vent for 5 minutes, I tend to get a wee bit grumpy, and perhaps at times self-righteous.
My last ex-boyfriend was (and still is, I assume) a psychologist, and he said that it's something about my face, in combination with how I live my life. So, such is life.
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Well, Nana wasn't usually right about much...go figure.
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Wow...no thanks of the Vindaloo...sounds like it ruined one of my favorite veggies.
I find that if someone says they don't like Brussel Sprouts, the sure-fire way to cook them to convince them otherwise is to roast them. Olive oil, salt, pepper...400'F oven for 20 minutes or so, and they're crunch-crisp on the outside, and creamy on the inside.
Hmmmmm...one more thing to add to the shopping list....
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You know, on National Geographic Channel last night was a documentary on the finding of evidence on King Arthur, with the two theories being Glastonbury and Shropshire. Surely, then, real, genuine Englishmen can be found there?
Or, perhaps as my grandmother used to say, the only place that a real Englishman can be found is a pub
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None yet...hopefully I'll hear something today. Naturally, I had a weird dream last night: that they closed the position, citing budgetary reasons (the State of California just announced that certain economic triggers were set, so there will be more cuts, including to education)...and then the college in question opens up a new position, Italian-centric but the ability to teach Spanish. Yeeps!
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Grazie, Cinzia! Tis true, I could use an Italian boyfriend
Actually, I hope to start having time to go to Italian Meet-Ups in San Francisco soon. That way, I could not only practice speaking, but get tapped into the local culture again. If I end up teaching, I'll be able to find out about cultural events. Plus, gee, I might have to spend time in North Beach, San Francisco's historical Italian district...a must if anyone comes here!
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Exactly, GoC; in fact, they usually have a locking mechanism on the door, so that you can't open the oven door while mid-cycle. Everything gets burned off, and afterwards I just wipe down the walls with a wet cloth or sponge. Good as new! You can even leave the oven racks in there while on self-cleaning--honestly, I don't know which I hate more, cleaning the oven walls or the oven racks.
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I absolutely hate cleaning the oven...the stove-top I'll do gladly, but the oven is the worst. The fumes from the oven cleaner make me ill; Easy Off doesn't always live up to its title. And, until this place, I've never lived in a place with a true 'self-cleaning' cycle, so the scrubbing was ceaseless.
Now? Oh wow...I just need a good day to open the windows, and to be home for 3-4 hours. Turn that sucker on, ventilate the apartment, and smile in knowing that I no longer have to scrub the blasted thing again!
(This apartment is seriously playing with my head...wherever I live next, it won't be like this...I'll be back to scrubbing the oven again, I just know it!)
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Grazie, Cinzia. Let's see how the interview goes!
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Why? I didn't think you lived so close to the North Pole that Santa's overflow of elves were shacking up at your place
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Yep, it's happened...Filettino, about 70 miles east of Rome. And while I don't know if any others will do it, it's not a pretty trend for Silly Silvio.
Italian politics was once described to me as being like a whirling dervish. Right now, the dervish looks a bit catty-wampus.
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Oh good...here I was thinking that ramen noodles in the store somewhere were wonderful.
As for the cider, we have some amazing stuff, especially coming out of Oregon and Washington; I've heard others in New England are equally as good. They do tend to be about the same price as quality beer--say, $8/six-pack, or $4-5/pint at a bar--and I actually prefer them on many autumn nights. Widmer does both a pear and an apple hard cider, which are particularly good on tap.
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It seems to me that dictators have a tendency to bluster about much right before they know the end is near. Mr. Assad fits the bill right now. Whether the Syrian people do the job, or they get help from the outside, that remains to be seen.
A student of mine brought up an interesting point: is Silvio Berlusconi a type of dictator? He has been in office for nearly 20 years, in some form or other, which seems odd. Yes, I know that people have to vote him in (as well as his party), but I have heard Italians for years now scoff at their leader. Plus, it seems like he can do no wrong, that he still gets re-elected regardless of scandal or hair plugs. My response was that the voting process has made changes in the make up of Parliament, and that this make-up will bring Silvio down if he's not careful. In fact, I think his time is done; the changes that the EU are requiring him to make will be unpopular, and they will be the last straw.
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That's the song I was referencing, Kosmo...I had Pandora set up, with the key song as "How Soon Is Now?" by the Smiths, and this version song came up. I *love* song...it came out right as I was entering college, and it caught me at just the right time.
And thanks for the good luck...I need it
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To each their own. The funniest part of this now is when a younger student tells me that they've loved U2 from the early days...Achtung Baby
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You must have different cider than we have. Ours isn't $2/bottle, nor is it that bad. Then again, the pot noodles here aren't very nice.
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Meh, they're marking it up again...the wine, that is. Surely James May has taught you lot that there are a good amount of inexpensive stuff that we produce. Two Buck Chuck is the least of it! (Of course, the you got stupid Oz Clarke trying to get people to buy the $20-40/bottle stuff.)
As for Ah-nuld, he's too busy shooing off former nannies and working with his lawyers to see how much Maria is going to take
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I'm not entirely sure, Ursus, just because everything needs to be played out. My hope is that the modern tradition of moderate thinking continues, but one never knows.
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
in The Language of Love
A blog by docoflove1974 in General
Posted
LOL Maybe I *am* overthinking this!