1209 anarchists

whatever, blogger

2008-11-28T20:30:00.000-05:00

here's my new blog: http://lorider.wordpress.com/

BYE

dr dog awesomely rocks the universe! also Obama is president!!!

2008-11-28T10:49:00.001-05:00

also, thanksgiving dinner was delicious - hope yours was too, ppls!

BYE

2008-09-13T10:41:00.004-04:00

hi peeps - the school year is shaping up really nicely and I'm planning all kinds of awesomeness/insanity for the fall!

in the next month, I'm going to see cake and dr. dog and les ballets trockadero (yes, those are men in tutus), and then I'm going to NYC for a 1 day conference and much museum viewing (I've never been to the guggenheim!!!!!)

stay tuned, I'm going to ROCK & RULE this fall!!!!!

BYE

YUM!!! and YEAH!!!!

2008-09-13T10:29:00.002-04:00

hooray for $$$! yesterday was payday, so I ate out at the first restaurant I passed - wow!!!!! omg!!! and other superlatives!!! mmmm, I had duck :D holy shit, it was SO good! come to troy and eat there!!!!

meanwhile, the other awesome thing I 've found out here can be accessed by yourselves the world over on your inter-web. it's a radio station that is independent or something. anyway, they somehow manage to play all awesome music only! it's cool!

BYE

2008-09-06T15:26:00.003-04:00

hi peeps-

after a ton of set up work, I began teaching my new 4th grade class this week... they seem like a good bunch, lots of them are sweet kids who know how to listen and have fun while working. I've even got one genius! (well she's pretty advanced for her age, anyway.) now we just have to see what happens once they're off their best behavior!

as for the staff, there's a few really terrific people who have been most helpful, and then your usual mix. (nuff said!) but I'm looking forward to working with the good eggs.

I'm looking at activities for this fall, and I've got my eye on several concerts - this seems like a good region for it! so check in and find out all the fab stuff I'm doing!

BYE

EXTRA: THA LORIDA IS EMPLOYED!

2008-08-06T12:08:00.002-04:00

yeah, folks, I got hired today! I'm going to teach spanish to elementary kids!!! this job is right up my alley, plus the principal seems super-cool :) I'm psyched to start the school year!

also ny pays better than mi, so I can afford to keep up this high-quality blogging! uh.....

anyway, hurray for me!!!

1st interview: pray for me, peeps

2008-08-04T14:43:00.003-04:00

I had an interview this morning for a teaching position, I think it went very well! I was up against a 7-person panel, but I felt I handled myself well and made some good points... wish me luck :)

otherwise, I'm still doing all those little errands that are so necessary when moving into a place. I'm looking forward to when I'll be more focused on my social life ( like, tomorrow!). I'm going to meet up this Sunday with a childhood friend of Ximena's who happens to live nearby. she's going to have a get-together for several ppl, should be fun. I'm going to start looking into local activities, convo groups, etc and get some kind of a life started.... can't watch movies from the lib forever! maria says hi.

BYE

NAP CITY!

2008-07-28T14:56:00.002-04:00

omg, omg, I slept & slepted yesterday! maria & I were sprawled out all over each other, drooling and snoring in turn... not 1, not 2, no: 3 times yesterday!!!

but ppls, we deserved it! we moved last week and the unpack is... over! I've also been starting on that looooong list of to-dos that must be doed when you move from state to state. but never fear, because my roommate is helping me to get settled in and find the DMV, etc (and etc)....

so, someday, I'll catch up entirely on sleep and you ppls will get a real post from me on how awesome NY is! until then....

well, you can pick your friends... etc. discuss amongst yourselves.

BYE

three more days!!!

2008-07-16T12:03:00.002-04:00

the things I will miss about Detroit:

-all of my friends
-some of my family
-Tigers games
-Detroit Zoo
-DIA & Cranbrook Art Museum
-Bastone & Fiddleheads
-Holiday Market

......that's about it!! ;)

BYE

cinema-therapy

2008-07-15T09:47:00.002-04:00

counting down the days to saturday's big drive..... I'm almost completely ready to move; I'm just packing up my classroom materials and then I'll be all set!

I'm still managing to catch up with so many people and I've gotten photos of most (oops, sorry susan!) that I'm going to post on my bloggie photo album in a couple of weeks. I'm going to have lunch today with my first yoga teacher, with whom I studied for 8 years! can't wait. I had lunch a couple of days ago with a lady with whom I've studied yoga and martial arts since that time - 14 years! I didn't realize she's 72!!! she just retired last year and is travelling all over doing mountain bike trips and strolling up macchu picchu and other sick shit like that (shout-out to donna!) it's been so awesome to see so many people at once!

otherwise, I kind of hit the wall last week with all this organizing and packing, so I went on an absolute cinema bender! I decided to see a bunch of summer blockbusters the way they should be seen: in an ice-cold theater, with lots o' nachos and contraband candy! I saw hancock, get smart (funny), wanted (awesome!) and journey to the center of the earth. now I can't wait for the mummy to come out!

DAMN! I'm staying at Better Homes & Gardens!!

2008-07-09T08:01:00.003-04:00

yeah, my good friend (and agent) Vee has taken me in for two nights while my uncle has family in town. what a pad!! it's really lovely and all decorated with the furniture from her store beautiful home (african wood furniture, all handmade: gorgeous!).

so apparently if you buy all your furniture from her store, your home really will be beautiful! oh yeah, and if you're also one of those ppl who say things like "cleaning helps me to relax"... WTF!?! cleaning never helped me to damn relax!!!! what the hell is wrong with this girl!?!

but anyway, thanks for taking me in Vee!!

hey, white ppl!! this is for you!!!

2008-07-07T09:57:00.000-04:00

stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

fun 4th!!!

2008-07-07T09:02:00.005-04:00

hi ppls, how was your holiday? cuz mine's was awesome!!

we had a very small bbq at my aunt & uncle's on fri, I went to the fireworks 2x, the movies 1x, got some light furniture at IKEA for the new place (3 pieces for $60!!!) and had a cousin's night till early in the am.

I am seriously going to miss cousin's night when I move!!!

I have two cousins who are 2 and 3 years older than me and a step-sister who is 1 year younger than me (we're all ladies). when we get together, watch out!!! seriously.

some highlights of the convo:

1) my oldest cousin plans to have her wedding reception at a cabaret. and it will be BYOB.

WHAT? lolslolslolslolslolslols!!!!!!!!!!!!!! she is hi-larious!! we had a good time imagining her mother's reaction! apparently though, all of our family is going to be severly disappointed in this area. we're all looking to get hitched in the next 5 years, and no one is going to have a large/fancy wedding:

1- 50 ppl wedding
2-elope
1-cabaret/BYOB lolslolslols!!!!!!!!

2) it seems that there are men (whom my relations have been dating) that will just strip down at the slightest provocation... for example, walking through the door to begin a date!!! ( nb: WHERE CAN I FIND A GUY LIKE THAT!?) one guy stripped off as he came into my cousin's apartment, and went directly to her bedroom where he draped himself across the bed.....

cuz: um.... are you planning to eat dinner like that?

naked guy: sure!.... (sexy voice) I'll eat it off you !

cuz: okay... but.... we're having chinese food.... but, if that's what you want...um... I guess I can work with it!

rofl. literally.
BYE

my computer is dead, long live my computer

2008-07-03T12:06:00.004-04:00

yeah *crycrycry*

my baby is so over!! I took it to le apple shoppe and they gave me the post-mortem. but they were cool about it. (I think. if any of you are IT nerds, pls let me know if I got a good deal.....)

first off, it broke abt 2 months ago and when they fixed it, they were all "yeah, your logic board crashed so we replaced it...., but you're lucky b'cause it's about to have its 6th b-day, so then we can't even touch it, not even with tongs...."

so I'm like: "WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! YOU ASSHOLES!!!! that's the 3RD FUCKING LOGIC BOARD to crash on this machine!!! I'm never buying an apple again, etc."*

so they said: "wait a minute! we'll refund 2/3 of your money for the repair, okay?"

so I took the money. (cash!!!)

fast-forward to two weeks later, when all of a sudden, it really died. worse than before - I couldn't even charge the battery. so I called the service center and told them the problem, asked them to type it up for me because I couldn't get in there for many weeks due to circumstances, but I wanted the new problem to be covered on the repair warranty (remember this).

so after finishing up the school-year and packing up my apartment, I finally got my ass over to le Somerset and asked for the verdict.

which is, in the 5 weeks since I made the call, my computer has turned 6 and now they won't touch it!!!!!! not even with tongs!!!!!! not even with my REPAIR WARRANTY!!! WTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTF!!!!!!!!!!! why didn't that mental deficient at the 800# tell me that I should hurry my little ass in????????????

SO, now this guy was all "this sucks, this isn't right, I'm going to hook you up!" so he offered to give me the last 1/3 of the money back, tear down my machine to recover my memory from the hard drive("a $150 value") and put it on an external hard drive which they would give me as a gift - with a receipt (a "$119" value~for only 120MB lors!).

I must say, they warned me after the first repair that the computer's days were numbered, so I was kinda prepared for it and just relieved to get my memory, because (as usual) in the 2 weeks the machine did work, I hadn't managed to get around to backing it up.

blah.

BYE

*cursing and hostility may have been added later by my memory

another "bad teacher" post

2008-07-03T09:22:00.004-04:00

boy, I have really been "working" so very "hard" today!!! I am getting really "tired!" my students are "benefitting" from my "assistance" in a truly "special" way!

or, in other words, I had my students do some independent math work while I ordered some shoes (look at them in wheat/yellow!!), some perfume, and some more perfume..... now they're watching a movie.........

what?! it's the last day before vacation! they have to learn how to "work hard, play hard".... and who's here to teach them that?????? "me!"

BYE

wild wild west, part 2

2008-07-02T08:32:00.003-04:00

.......so the universe opened up and smiled on me: about 3.5 minutes after leaving the storage place, my awesome artist friend susan called me (shout out to susan!) and said did I want to hang out at little tree. man, talk about putting it out there!!!! my plan was to finish moving and then see all my friends - well, I have caught up with five friends in just three days!!!!! (shout out to m and vee and ximena and fernando!!!) and I plan to go on with this!!!!

I'm going to the fireworks on friday at willow metropark, and then next week to the wednesday and sunday tigers games, and then I want to go to a bar to watch the all-star game the following week. also I'm going to squeeze in some visits to the CAID and MOCAD! let me know if you're in, ppls!

meanwhile, I'm getting settled in at my auntie and uncle's house in rosedale park. it's a bungalow, which means that the second story is basically one cramped room under the eaves from one side of the house to the other. in this case, they have one end separated off into a bedroom, and a small bathroom put in as well. it's absolutely perfect for me and maria.

but being a cat, maria's a little spooky about being in a new place - right now she follows me everywhere I go, and I mean everywhere. when I go to the bathroom she uses her litter!!! (sorry, maybe that's gross to share, but I felt it was illustrative.)

but now to the part where I explain why the post is called the wild wild west... because rosedale park is on the west side of detroit, and in the 11 years since I last lived in detroit, I had kind of forgotten about how crazy it is here! tremendous car accidents, screeching brakes on racing cars, and regular gunfire (about 1x/hour): this is all night, every night!!! and now, thanks to the upcoming holiday, we have plenty of (illegally powerful) fireworks to round it all out. believe me, maria sits in the window and just enjoys the show!

BYE

wild wild west (part 1)

2008-07-01T12:00:00.006-04:00

this is the story of my move this past weekend (yes, post #3 in 1 day! I'm back, ppl!!):

I have a space of 3 weeks between the end of my apartment's lease and the end of my summer school job. so I decided to move in with my auntie and uncle (not in bel air, in rosedale park haha as you'll soon see) and put all my stuff in storage in the meanwhile. then I will go out to my beautiful new home in new york (see below).

so first I rented the storage. the website said "$!1 for the first month!" and I called the 800# and said "with a longer contract, right?"

guy on phone: "no, it's $1 for one month or for the first of many months, your choicecanIsignyouup?"

me: "what else do I have to pay?"

guy on phone: "that's itcanIsignyouup? oh, yes and a $15 activation fee."

me: "so $16 only?"

guy on phone: "yes,canIsignyouuprightnow?canI?canI?canI?"

me: "are you sure?"

guy: (continues in an annoying way, so I say I will go to my local location to inquire and I say goodbye, but not before he threatens that going to my local location may be difficult/dangerous/impossible and may result directly in my death, but he could sign me up right away.....)

so I go to the place and GUESS WHAT????? I HAVE TO PAY INSURANCE, TOO!!! surprise, surprise! but it's only another $7, so I was fine with that.

that settled, I needed to get help to move. for a mysterious reason (*cough*my mother*cough*) my little bros were not available to help me though I was promised the exact opposite: c'est la vie. so I made my own arrangements. I called the father of one of my students and asked him if he could bring a friend and a truck on that day and I would pay all three.

cut to sunday: the nice father shows up, with his mini-van and his son: yes!!! my-11-year-old student!!!!! then I go to shake his hand and thank him for coming and he says "excuse me" and shakes with his left, "I hurt that hand yesterday"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMFG!!!!!!!!! I was shitting bricks!

because I thought that I wouldn't have to lift anything! (I have arthritis, ppls! packing was enough....) but I did lift, and lift and lift... but only the light ones. the dad lifted everything with his left hand (!), even my clothes bureau made from solid wood! and the son worked like a little man, so sweet, he has always been my favorite anyway *<3*<3*

he even lifted my weighty three-person sofa with his dad, and carried it down the stairs and down from the porch and into the minivan!!!!!!!! I was away gassing my car, and they sneaked it by me!!!! because of course I would not make a kid lift a sofa!!!! but I have to admit I was more impressed than chagrined when he did! he told me proudly "I have moved 12 sofas!!"

I love this kid!!!!!!! his name is Edgar, and I told him I will remember his help forever, and I will!!!! (plus he did a lot of hard work with me this year, even tho he has a learning disablility and it is difficult for him.) (plus his smile reminds me of my youngest "baby" bro, so he is aces with me no matter what.......)

so that took about 3.5 hours and then the universe opened up and smiled on me.......

sorry, but I'm tired of typing. I'll continue this tommorow and then you'll find out why this is entitled wild wild west.

BYE

excuse me for blogging

2008-07-01T10:42:00.003-04:00

okay: keep up ppl. because I know you think you know me: ie that I only blog 1x/month (if we're both lucky) and that you can take your time coming back to my site because mostly you'll only find cobwebs and mouse corpses on it....

but that is the past, ppls! as I segue out of blechy michigan to fabulous new york, I feel a flow of creative energy coming on that will rival the power of the mighty mississippi! I have many, many posts to write, thoughts to share, and adventures to be made and then exaggerated about! maybe I will even begin to mo-blog, as I threatened so long ago!

so stay tuned! I will even update my links list (if you can believe it) and my bloggie photo album in about 1 month!!!!

here is a funny picture I came across yesterday, from blogger Ken: enjoyz!

BYE

holy shizz!!!!!!!

2008-07-01T09:39:00.005-04:00

yeah, I just got my test scores from ny state teacher certification!!!!! I did so well!!!!!

perfect grade is 300, passing is 220. I got:
300
276
288
288
260
291
282
287
300

I's so smart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the update

2008-06-27T09:10:00.008-04:00

WOW right?! this is it... my new home in upstate new york!!!! it's not far from albany, but is definitely out in the country - I can't wait for the country life! :D (as long as there's a spa there!) my new roomie is a sweetie, and the property is family owned; what more could I ask??

I'm so busy arranging all the details ... yesterday, I finalized plans to move into this place and gave my resignation to my school district in detroit. me and little maria and bacon and my plants will stay at my aunt's house in rosedale park for the next three weeks (it's a fitting closure, because that's where I stayed when I first came to mi!). I'm 93% packed, the movers are coming sun to put my stuff in storage, and all is well with the world!!!!!

I'm planning to P-A-R-T-Y for my last three weeks in mi, by which I mean that I already have a lunch date with my former yoga teacher, and a dinner date with my massage therapist! wow, I better slow down lols! I may even make it to a club with m and vee. I want to see everybody before I go, so call now; I'm thinking tigers games, caid/mocad, picnics @ cranbrook, and of course bastonie... see u soon detroit ppls, and then see u l8r!

hello kitty car!!!!!!!

2008-06-26T10:14:00.007-04:00

ppls, I am so late to the game, I'm sorry. but I have to show you this!

why, oh why, did they make only 1????

go here to see the interior!

now, I have lots of news, but I'm a little busy packing and teaching summer school. I'll post all the latest in a few days.
(what!? my students found this! during free time. BETWEEN INSTRUCTION! I swear I'm not a bad teacher!!!!!)

2 attached?

2008-06-12T17:28:00.003-04:00

I was just talking to the infamous M. last night about maybe being too attached to my mother, and now this.....

I was so sad today! and it was the last day of school!!!!!!!!! the best day of the entire year!!!!!!!!!!! wtf??

I thought I was doing okay until we were watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (yes, again, long story) (okay, I'm a bad teacher. it's a short story) and then we came to the part when that mr. show guy was yelling at the little, fat chipmunk and I was seriously thinking, "man, I am feeling so bad right now!" I thought I might hurl chunks. that's when it hit me that I was feeling an emotion, ie sadness!!! dude, I'm never sad... I'm tough, I'm bad -- but suddenly, to be reduced to this: crying at a mildly sad part of a children's animated movie that stars 3 talking rodents!!!!!!!! (but that little guy's face!!!)

*cry* I'll miss my little fifth-graders. BOOOOOOHOOOOHOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

there. I've said it.
now, tell anyone I cried and you die.

11 down, 11 to go!

2008-06-10T13:32:00.002-04:00

yeaah, boy - thurs is the last day of school!!! but since 5th grade graduation was yesterday, exactly half of my students have head for the hills already :D the ones who are left are doing a combination of light schoolwork, cleaning out my classroom, and watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks." (I don't know if I could stand the original movie, but it's very amusing in Spanish-I recommend it) even with the reduced numbers, they managed to eat 6.5 pizzas yesterday!!

otherwise, I've taken 2 out of my 4 tests to qualify as a teacher in NY (brutal!) and I'm applying to new jobs as they are posted. keep your fingers crossed for me, ppls!

as for all you teachers who need a hint on how to keep their heads on straight at this crazy time of year, two words: champagne and cigarettes - every night.

Master's baby, yeah!

2008-04-25T17:16:00.002-04:00

that's right folks, tha lorider's got somemore letters after her name, yo!!! I just dropped off my bound copy of my thesis and it is OVER! I wish I could say I'll never darken the door of an educational institution again, but I fear it's not true :P anyway, in the true academic tradition, I believe I'll go get driz-nunk!

in other news:
I went last Sunday to the Cranbrook Art Museum. It happened to be their graduate students' final show. it was really awesome and fun; I think something for everyone. if you're in the area, check it out!

Tigers yeah! Now I'm free to start going to games. I think I'm going to go to a ridiculous amount this summer - and we just got a set of tickets donated for the entire fourth and fifth grades in my school, so I'm even planning to go to Tigers games WHILE I'M GETTING PAID AT WORK! haHA!

I'm applying for jobs in NY, so pls send out some awesome vibes for me :)

also I have an uncle and grandma home from the hospital & recuperating, so pls send them some awesome vibes, too!

folks, I don't even know what else is going on - probably something....

stay real and drop me a line :)

-Lorider

la lorider's on the road....

2008-03-28T12:43:00.002-04:00

hi folks,

I'm driving all around upstate NY, looking for a new home....

that's right, la lorider might have to find a more nature inspired name (haha) because I'm looking to move to a more small town/rural existence.......

send me some good thoughts, & I'll let you know what I found out when I get back ;)

ciao!

thesis-ing

2008-02-21T17:28:00.002-05:00

howdy there folks, I'm busy working hard (HAHA) this week on my thesis while I'm on break. in the meantime, please follow this link which explains why everything is the way it is in our society (suber-b, you prob already knew this):

link that explains why ev....

I'll try to stop at 6

2008-02-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by tha super bongo, one of my favorite non-homo-sapien bloggers, to announce to the world 6 quirky things about la lorider. as you may have already guessed, gentle reader, la lorider is just chock-full of quirks. so here goes.....

# 1 quirky thing: I have a scary appetite. I'm not a super-big person, but I can put away some serious food. (lols remember the 7 plates at the Chinese Buffet, BRITEW?) no-one suspects it at first, actually everyone seems to think I'm a nibbling vegetarian (see previous KSA entry). so what a shock it is when people see me nosh! also I get very cranky if I have to skip a meal.

# 2 quirky thing: also I get very cranky if I don't get enough sleep. so basically I have the temperament of a 3-year-old.

# 3 quirky thing: I like to wear camos and Marine Corps t-shirts to yoga class. it kind of freaks ppl out, lols.

# 4 quirky thing: I'm addicted to reading. so be aware that if I'm standing at your desk, I'm reading everything upside-down just as fast as I can. it's not that I'm nosy, I just have to read any and every printed word. I actually found myself reading ESPN magazine the other day!

# 5 quirky thing: I have strangely acute hearing. for example, I can actually hear bats echolocate. it's not great though - I had to ask my downstairs neighbor to take her ceiling fan off the low setting, which was embarrasing. I felt like a stalker...

# 6 quirky thing: everywhere I look, I see... no, not dead people, but like twins. like your double from across the seas? I keep meeting people from far apart who seem so very similar, it's weird. they look similar, talk the same and give out the same 'vibe.' I have two very close friends who could sorta be twins, but they're from opposite sides of the world (and neither one is the 'evil' one). do you believe in this?

anyway, thanks for tagging me, super-bongo! that was super-fun :)

las noticias

2008-02-09T11:13:00.001-05:00

hi ever'body -
I feel so lame for not posting more. I guess I'll just catch you up in one big plop.

january was busy and feb looks to be the same. I'm working on my thesis, which is due at the end of april (eeks!) my ma is helping me on it, as she's an awesome researcher, and I really appreciate the help. also, I'm trying to improve my movement of paperwork at work - I really need to get it under control. and then there's just the normal amount of overwhelmed-ness of teaching.

a great thing at school right now is that we're participating in a program with the local art museum (the detroit inst. of arts: www.dia.org ). it's a multi-visit program of 5 mornings, spread out over 5 weeks. we spend about an hour in the museum, looking at just a few pieces of art, and then we head over to the studio and the kids get to make a project each day! the kids love it, and it is so well organized that it is not the horror-show that most field trips are. usually teachers get back to school after a field trip feeling utterly exhausted, but there are a number of docents and volunteers and art teachers the whole way, so that you don't have to monitor all 25 kids at once, every second. plus they let the teachers make art too!

it's so relaxing to just wander around the museum, see and think about art, and then make art. I wish we could do the program all year! anyway, it's reminding me that I want to do more art on my own and also, to go visit MOCAD, which I haven't been to yet.

the only other news is that I got my new celly from the insurance ppls, and they were able to get me the same model(!) even though it's been discontinued. the software has been just slightly updated from mine, but all for the better. so you can call me again, ppls - but I suspect you're just as busy as I am. it's seriously been a friend-black-out since the new year. (and then I missed pancakes with anon & britew! PANCAKES!!! I mean... I was so bummed to miss my friends!)

hope you're all awesome like me!

peace

ps stay tuned for 6 quirky things about the lorider
pps I saw 2 days in paris over the weekend - don't miss it!

SNOW DAY!

2008-02-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

dunno if u cn see ths....

(it's a cute celly pic of my bros & me chillin on the couch!)

joyous reunion!!!

2008-01-30T14:54:00.000-05:00

last night, I went out in the rainy (and relatively warm) night to post more fliers about Maria. I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be ironic (and just like Maria) if she was waiting on the porch after I got home from putting up more fliers?" so I drove by my house first to check if she was there. of course, she wasn't. but when I got back 15 minutes later and slightly damper, there the little brat was!!!!!

we had a very joyous reunion (like apparently, she LOVES me), but she didn't mention where she had been for two weeks. I think she must have had some shelter, because her coat was in great condition, but she had lost her fat winter-time belly, so I don't think she was being fed. it made me wonder if she got locked inside a garage by accident, because I actually did that to her once at my old place (oops!). on the other hand, after eating a good meal and getting settled on the couch, she let out what was definitely the most rudest fart I have EVERRR smelled, so maybe she was just off being sick somewhere.

she certainly timed her return just right, because after we got settled, several huge downpours fell - the loudest I've ever heard, then there was a crazy windstorm all night, and the temperature fell 40 degrees by morning!

anyhow, I am deffo getting her a collar with an ID tag. (I'm still not putting it past the creepy-cat-stalker-lady that she was involved somehow!) I always thought before that Maria wouldn't like a collar, but now I'm thinking that she'll look so cute in it, especially if the tag is heart-shaped (!), and anyway she's pretty trainable.

so all's well that ends well :)

missing kitty

2008-01-22T16:03:00.000-05:00

my little fluffy muffin-tin, maria, went out for a stroll last Tuesday and hasn't been seen since! (*tear*) I'm very worried about her and I've called all the shelters and the po-pos and everything and no-one has any news. it has been cold this week, and I wonder if someone let her in out of kindness, and now is neglecting to let her back out again (guilty-conscience-when-caught-stalking-my-cat-lady from last august, I mean you!)

please, oh ppls of the inter-neck, ask your kitties to send my muffin an esp message to get herself home!

Manicure Day!

2008-01-15T13:25:00.000-05:00

last night, I couldn't sleep for hours, so I popped in my favorite dvd (legally blonde) and of course, today I have just *got* to get myself a manicure :) that is perfect timing, however, as today is my last chance to get a full manicure and pedicure before my birthday tomorrow... I just want to be "spiffed up" for the occasion. so that is my birthday present to myself, as well as I would like to find a nice pair of quality and sound-blocking headphones.

of course, I still have to buy a new phone to replace the celly I lost, so I guess I don't need to be in a hurry to spend money - but a birthday is such a good excuse...!

(hmmm, maybe I "need" some new clothes and shoes for my b-day, too!)

my new years resolutions:

2008-01-03T17:23:00.000-05:00

1. be awesome.

shouldn't be hard.

X-mas in Vermont

2007-12-26T17:21:00.000-05:00

I've been having so much fun on my vacation and right now... it's snowing! I'm not sure why I'm so excited, since I don't want to go out and do snow activities (and now I can't go to the movies), but something about childhood snow days must be tucked away in my neural pathways somewhere, because I'm thrilled.

this picture is from a sledding trip that I didn't go on, and shows the village my parents live in from a hill above town. as you can see, it's up in the mountains and hence, no unnecessary trips down the mountain for movies or whatever during snowfalls.

the weather has actually been really mild up until now, and we've had a museum trip (I didn't go), many sledding expeditions (never went), several food and present-shopping trips (I did go), and a dinner out (I did go). I got a great picture of my dad at the meat counter, getting just the right things, don't know if I'll be able to post it. he made a great traditional Italian 7-fishes dinner on Christmas Eve (but only 3 fishes + minestrone) there were salmon cakes, cod & potatoes/fennel, and shrimp - mmmmm! then the very next day, my step-mother made a turkey dinner with all the fixings, including my two favorites: winter root vegetables and homemade cranberry sauce - mmmmm (and stuffing)!

there were 8 people on Christmas Eve and 9 on Christmas Day. my lil' nephews ages 5 and 9 had tons of presents despite several packages not arriving. older one proceeded to read his book of science facts from cover straight on, after verifying the copyright date (didn't want out-of-date facts). I learned quite a bit about absolute zero, entropy and spontaneous combustion. the littler one managed two face-plants: one in the Christmas tree (no casualties) one while sledding (mountain:1, Ezra: zero). I also introduced the boys to ninja warrior, my fav program when I can get to cable. they loved it, of course, which shows how cool they already are!

my big plans now that the rest of the family's gone is mainly to not finish the two novels I've started... ahhh, vacation! and now, maybe I'll stick my nose outside and at least get a few seconds of snow-experience. hasta la vista, amigos: I hope your x-masses were equally lovely :)

oh noes!!!

2007-12-21T10:02:00.000-05:00

tha lorider lost her celly!!!if you needs to reach me, e-mail is best- TTFN

3!....2!....1! caffeine!!!!

2007-12-19T11:59:00.000-05:00

christmas vacays are so close I can almost taste them - literally.... I began a tradition a couple of years ago of having a cup of coffee at the airport before I fly, so now I associate it with flying because it's about the only time I indulge anymore.

I used to be able to drink coffee normally (if a double espresso for breakfast is normal) but lately, I get all jittery if I have coffee or coca-cola, and even chocolate after lunchtime keeps me up at night - what an old lady! this especially sucks when I go to visit my dad because there's going to be coffee, really good, strong coffee available every day! hmmmm..... I can tell already that I'm going to have to make a serious choice next week between glorious coffee and sleep! oh, well there are plenty of books at dad's house......

have fun on your vacays, everybody.... don't indulge too much in - erm- caffeine!

the art haps/xmas

2007-12-13T15:29:00.000-05:00

hey detroit ppl-
who wants to go check out the revamped DIA? who wants to go see an exhibit about Saarinen at the Cranbrook? I want to do both in the new year, so sign up for my field trip now!! I'll get you some permission slips after Christmas.

speaking of Christmas, I just got tix today to head to Vermont over Christmas! I am so psyched - a whole week! it sounds so relaxing. plus my dad and step-ma, and grandma are all great cooks, so I'm going to stuff myself :D I'll see my little nephews also, my sis and bro-in-law, and hopefully my brother and his g-friend too! fun-fun-fun. I plan to take walks (or at least one walk) in the snow, up a scenic hill with Molly the springer spaniel. (yes anon, I'll be bringing electric hand-warmers and leg-warmers, plus some aromatherapy 'just in case')

I'll see if I can get some great pix of snowy New England to show from my trip!

ps: go to this guy's blog to see a great pic of a cat in a box of assorted beer. and also, he finally started posting about tha nog. garsh, and I thought I had a nog problem!

bumpity-bump!

2007-12-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

oops ppls- I've missed you! Happy Halloween and Happy Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's been so long that ppl are actually asking me to post haha! mostly things have been bumpy & I've been busy trying to smooth them out... but it will all be good in the long run :)

my school fi-nal-ly called back a teacher they laid off from our building, so my class size has been reduced to a normal size & we just have to figure out who's teaching what and we'll be fine.....
(also we've begun the after-school tutoring program and I'm working with the kids who were in my class last year - it's great to see them again!)

my gramma's out of the hospital and decided not to do chemo, so she's at home, doing well. I saw her at Thanksgiving and we had a great visit.....

I didn't dress up for Halloween, fell asleep after 1 trick-or-treater, and missed out on Thanksgiving dinner due to travel times.... let's hope Christmas is more successful! lols

congrats to Marie and Fernando on their new jobs!!!! (and congrats to Marie on a month in France - *thbbt!* lucky!!!!)

yikes, one of my brothers now has his official driver's license and the other one has begun driver's ed -- if you live around Ann Arbor - WATCH OUT :D

anybody else got news???

obvious blog post? check. still funny? check.

2007-10-12T11:45:00.000-04:00

Good Lord! (<- click here)

I get cranky after only ______________!
(fill in the blank in the comments section...)

study week!

2007-10-09T17:11:00.000-04:00

lots of serious school work going on this week: I'm starting the 1st chapter for my thesis, which I'll be writing this year, and my students are taking the MEAP exam. as the thesis affects my future pay, and the results of the MEAP determine our school funding, it's nerve-wracking for everybody, to say the least.

however, the good news this week is that I've noticed that my class has um.... congealed, for lack of a better term. we're now a cohesive whole, we act as one, know our routines, know each other, and best yet, still get along despite that :) this is a wonderful mile-stone - with so many students in one class, I didn't even know IF it would happen! hopefully this is the start of a wonderful, memorable year......

************

meanwhile my grandma is battling colon cancer. she is in the hospital now after a surgery and should be out in a few days :) she is asking for prayers... couldn't be for a nicer lady

the kindness of strangers....

2007-10-02T11:34:00.000-04:00

a cheesy title I know, but listen to my story: I was desperately tired and hungry last night, when I stopped to pick up something to eat at the end of many errands..... et voila! I locked my keys in the car! (plus my cell phone was at home)

suddenly, like a ray of sunshine, the good folks at the Chicken Shack called on a AAA card and got my door popped open... for free!!

go visit the Chicken Shack, folks! (especially the one on 11 mile in Royal Oak!)

Tigers win!

2007-09-24T10:06:00.000-04:00

yay! yesterday, I went to my 3rd Tigers game of this season and .... we won!!!!!! it was awesome, as any Tigers win is, however it had to be enjoyed purely on its own merits, as its now impossible for us to even earn the wild card berth....

but the craziest thing was I saw this guy there:

el rancho!

2007-09-21T13:31:00.000-04:00

that means "the ranch" in spanish - and it's the name of one of many restaurants I can walk to for lunch, from my school in Mexicantown, Detroit...... that's right, you TGIF-regulars and Ham Shack junkies - I can actually eat a delicious and healthy hot meal any day of the week!!!!!

I ate at el rancho today and I had chile relleno, that's a big chili pepper stuffed with seasoned ground beef, breaded and deep-fried with rice n beans and soup and tortillas...... all for $6.13 after tax!!

only thing I forgot was, this restaurant uses some kind of big, huge, authentic, and slightly smelly chili pepper for its stuffed peppers. don't get me wrong, it tastes great, but there is an odor. but I had forgot. and when the waitress leaned over and set down the plate, I got a big old waft of it.... but I thought it was coming from her armpits!!!!!!! hahahahahahaha!! I was thinking "man, she has some serious BO for a woman!" hahahahahahaha!!!!!!

but seriously folks, the food is great.

ps-just now I punished one of my kids by making him write an essay - apparently, the reason not to curse in school is because you could get in chrabull. just thought I'd let you know, anon.

camping #2!

2007-09-19T15:29:00.001-04:00

I went camping again this weekend at the same mini-cabin, this time with kda (the artist formerly known as k-beck). we had a great time in Nature! we hiked, we sat at a campfire, we sat on the beach, we went to a nature center, we.... watched a pirated copy of Superbad (hey, it was mostly a nature trip!)

plus, we ate at this place, which was very bougie, but I must be (finally) becoming my age, because I found myself thoroughly enjoying all the bougieness of it :)

thanks for a great weekend, kda!

BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK!BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK!BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! BJORK! AND HER AWESOME BAND!

2007-09-12T08:53:00.000-04:00

(shoutout to kda!)
what can I say but: wow!

I've been waiting 10 years to see Bjork in concert and I can truly say that it was worth every moment of waiting!! how amazing is she??!!!!! she is so amazing that I had to oooh and ahh at her concepts & stage effects! she is so amazing that she had assembled an incredible band around her! she is so amazing that her unbelievable voice stayed unbelievable for 90 straight minutes of singing!!!

and then.......

and then there was the truly awesome moment. a spot light was shining from center stage directly out onto the audience and me. suddenly Bjork crossed the stage and ........
the shadow of Bjork fell upon me! praise Jesus!!!!!!!

what a night!

Bjork, the one and only!

wow!

God loves me!

2007-09-10T09:33:00.000-04:00

yes folks, it's the second week of school, and we already have a ...... FREE DAY!!!! it's like a snow day, but in September. the electricity was out for several hours this morning, then it came back on right before the first bell, but by then all the parents had been informed to keep the ~~little monsters~~ sweet pupils home, so they just left it alone. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

anyways that allows me to rest up for my big week:

TUES- Bjork concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FRI, SAT, SUN- camping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

don't hate, players. just keep on wishing and praying you were me :)

Las Chivas!!!

2007-09-05T15:41:00.001-04:00

I started the new school year yesterday; I have a class of bi-lingual (Mexican) fifth graders..... a TON of fifth graders!!! and they keep showing up!! yikes!!! but they seem like an intelligent, and more importantly, a cool bunch (see our chosen class name above!), so perhaps la lorider shall survive.....

stay tuned to find out.........

camping! with a photo!

2007-08-28T13:32:00.000-04:00

here's a picture of the wonderful mini-cabin I stayed in at Metamora-Hadley state park last week! *sighz* I wish I were still there!!! I hiked everyday and read the rest of the time -- I got a whole stack of graphic novels out at the library before I went, which made for easy reading.......

however, it also made me view everything as if it were an episodic graphic with captions coming out..... my next-door campers who liked to loudly discuss the drug users of their acquaintance... the lady with two gorgeous golden retreivers who kept yelling "Stupid Dogs!" at them each time they- well, behaved like dogs..... the little girl who proudly announced "this is the 4th fish I've caught!" as she brandished a 3" bluegill that looked remarkably like the last one.... the apparantly-too-regular at the local bar engaging in the following reparte:

man: "I heard you got kicked out of XYZ bar last week."

mr. old guy who is always at the bar: "I didn't get kicked out - I walked out! and I'm not going back until I get an apology!!"

man: "did you leave your phone number?"

hahahahahaha!!!!! priceless!

PS-so HAHA anon, I got by just fine with NO spa services!!! (until the drive back)

PPS- GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Tigers!!!

2007-08-22T13:10:00.000-04:00

Yay! I went to the game last night with K-Beck and we .... won!!!!! How fantastic, I can't remember the last time I was at a winning game. :D it must have been my lucky tigers-colored manicure that did it -- I'll "be sure" to post a picture of it "real soon".

in other news: Happy Birthday to K-Beck, and thanks again for the best reverse birthday present I ever got! sorry that I won't be able to join you tonight for your b-day bar-hop....

folks, sit tight for more news from tha lorida, I'm heading out of town for a few days to go camping (listening all the way to my new-2-me Ipod!!!!!!!!!!!), but I'll give yous lots of more news when I get back - and of course, "lots" "more" "pix"!

HOW THA LORIDER GOT HER GROOVE BACK

2007-08-18T13:11:00.000-04:00

wells, I guess that explains what I did last night :D

apologies, apologies to my many screaming fans who have missed me... I'm happy to say that I'll finally be getting an interneck connection at home so you alls can get semi-regular updates on la lorider's la fabulous life......

the latest, in no particular order: I have a new (old) car - thanks, Gram! I'm currently enjoying my summer vacay, soon to return to (shudder) ... teach! I'm using my vacay time to write my masters thesis. I've re-entered the dating world, to the delight of every red-blooded, unattached male in SE Michigan! and the wonderfulest of all, I got a fabulous new roomie, who is an artiste such as myself, only talented. I think that her code name for my wonderful digital memoirs will be........ Becky. cause her name's Becky. gettit?

practical/philosophical question

2007-02-11T16:40:00.000-05:00

is there anything I can actually do to help out with Iraq, or Somalia, or Darfur, or Tibet...?

I'm getting sick of hearing about situations overseas, year after year, and always thinking vaguely that there is something I could be doing. let's consider:

1. write letters to congress or somewhere. sounds very unrewarding. I doubt that would change anything, despite what activist ppls advocate....
2. donate money. sounds unrewarding too. I know that anything I can give is a literal drop in a bucket, compared to what is needed. also, there are sooooo many places that could use donations, just thinking about it is mind-boggling.
3. pray? I heard Pope John Paul used to pray for 7 hours a day. that's a serious use of his time resources - he must have thought it to be a good use of time.
4. make carepacks with a note; just let people know that someone is thinking about them...?

I think the last one speaks to wanting to personally touch the situation, which seems to be more the point than anything for me. looking at it that way, it seems like such an american thing - the exact reason why we're so unpopular anyway, thinking we're justified in poking our noses in....... yet it sounds kind to me - hmmmmmmm.... maybe I'll check out some of the yoga ppls thoughts on this....
YIKES -boring!!!

meanwhile, I've been out shopping this weekend for plants for my classroom and Valentine's gifts for my class (I'm going to bake individual heart-shaped treats with their name on it!), trying to make it a special place for all of us. many of my kids are in pretty serious poverty; maybe just trying to create a safe and nurturing place and going around trying to get better coats for them and the suchlike that I do, is my bit of helping this planet......

any thoughts....?

the expanding o' the family

2007-02-06T14:23:00.000-05:00

two recent baby newses:

first, I've yet to mention that my good friends Ximena and Fernando welcomed their new son, Sebastian, to the world on December 29, 2006! he's super-cute and growing like a weed. congratulations to the happy family!

meanwhile, other good friends BRITEW and Anonymous have decided to adopt a lil' kitty-cat. they're thinking of getting a grown-up, reject cat to assuage their first-world, consumptionist throw-away guilt, but I really think they should get a cute lil' kitten, like so:

awwwwwwwwwwwww!

in other family-expansion news, Marie's wedding-planning is thrilling her SO MUCH that she has begged me for some yoga lessons so she can make it through the summer without developing a permanent one-eyed squint. happy to oblige, Marie, happy to do it.....
NOW MAKE WITH THE FOIE GRAS!!!!!!

yay! going to VT in 2 weeks!

2007-02-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

(that's Vermont to you foreigners)

my dad and I have our winter breaks at the same time this year (yeah, you wish you were a teacher... winter break and, oh yeah, I'm at home today because -boohoo- it's too COLD for our kids to go to school.... brrrrrrr!), so I'm going to visit him, my stepma, my grandma, maybe my brother-in-law will be in town too? plus, we'll be moving my grandpa from the cape (that's Cape Cod, Massachusetts to you foreigners - near Boston, you know?). he needs to go to assisted care... :( sad to see, but it's definitely time.

only thing is, nobody's told him yet! (remember - it's in 2 weeks!!) well, he has a whole memory problem and the thinking is he'll forget what the important news is, but remember to be upset.... I dunno. seems kind of strange, but my family's thought a lot about it and is getting advice from specialists.

anyway, my dad and I'll do the move, while my stepma escorts my grandpa to Verde-mont. despite having to catch a 6:45 am flight (does time actually GO that early?) and doing the hauling, driving, & hauling, I'm looking forward to it - I always like to spend time with my Dad. I'm sure I'll learn something - he's a super-smart guy.

well folks, it's grand to be on-line; I'd love to stay and chat... but I have a kitty on my feet who neds some petting....... enjoy your day at work & ciao!

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPY BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRTTHHHHHDAAAAAAAY TOOOOOO MEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

2007-01-16T17:11:00.000-05:00

folks, I'm 33!
yikes!

************************

thanks for the flowers, D.A.D.! they're gorgeous!

I hope your Christmas was merry (even you, senor crappy)

2006-12-27T11:59:00.000-05:00

hi everyone!

just wanted to say hi around the holidays and give this status report:
-job safe! (looks like)
-family well!
-Olga went to Cancun!
-painting begun!
-Maria continues furry!
-wireless service promised for February!!!!! so look for more-regular lorider then!!

Happy New Year!

guerilla blogger

2006-12-03T20:54:00.000-05:00

I just saw the movie Unknown White Male. it's a documentary about a guy who got total amnesia. it started me thinking about like what I would want to do if I had just total open horizons about me. I certainly haven't thought about my life like that in a while... I've been so focused on like this job I have now, teaching, and all I have to learn to keep it, the stress as I've been under the gun of being laid-off while watching co-workers get their notices, then being assigned to a new building abruptly, how to deal with all the coworkers, some of whom are big back-stabbers and all the money I'm owing now for when I was in school and how I can never go on a holiday now or do just whatever I feel like day-to-day or even hour-to-hour, cause all the responsibilities... it's not like I regret getting my teaching degree, but it was certainly a lot more fun when I was just a sub. The stress is getting to me ... - some days I feel like I'm just treading water, barely... short-tempered and etc really. I keep making lists of things I could do to de-stress. today I added 'go tanning'... I love the smell of the lotion. okay, I feel better now.

so anyway back to the first topic, I came up with:

-learn to do aerial acrobat stuff
-go up in hot air balloons alot
-spend time with elephants
-make art
-travel in France/drink wine
-there was another one but I've forgotten it already! ohno! early onset of amnesia!!!!?????!!!!!!

anyway, I'd hate to lose/but not lose all my oldest friends like this guy did. they all didn't really know how to relate to each other anymore, and I'd miss our phone convo's brainon, esp. you shouting obcenities in spanish in the background, anon....................

so anyway, hi everybody - I miss you and I hope I get an internet connection soon......

THA LORIDA GETS ARRESTED!!! (for littering) -- UPDATED

2006-09-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

okay! stop laughing!

what happened is, I was trying to sell my old car all last fall, but because it's a manual transmission with like 130k miles, nobody wanted it. I kept shifting it around the neighborhood, but one time (I think when I was in Cali) I didn't ask anyone to move it for me while I was away, so the cops tagged it and towed it. I figured I wasn't going to be able to sell it anyway, so I just paid the ticket and didn't collect the car. well, I don't know if they didn't record the payment correctly, but apparently I had a court date (I don't remember getting any notice of it). since I missed my court date, I've had a warrant out for my arrest SINCE MAY!!!!!

I got stopped for going 40 in a 25 (whoops) and the officer says he has to arrest me. I'm like "I've been living at the same address the whole time. is it normal that I would have no idea about any of this?" and he said yeah, he gets people who don't know all the time. he and the other guy were very cool, but they had to take me in and process me, and I had to get bailed out by (the now sainted) Marie.

so I guess I have to stop making cracks about your past, cookie!

anyway, the whole event was actually rather bland. my only worry was if they put me in a cell with unsavoury characters (I'm sure there are some even in my nice little town) but in fact, I was the only one in the entire holding area, and after a while, I wished there were someone to shoot the shit with. instead I amused myself by trying to read the jailhouse graffiti, but most of it was pretty well painted over. the only thing I could make out was an inscription on the ceiling:

"armed robbery: NOT GUILTY!"

hahaha! at least I got a laugh out of that ;D

UPDATE... tha lorider gets off (phew!)
the night before my (new) court date, I still couldn't find the confirmation number I'd received on paying my original ticket and it was way too late to get a bank statement. I was very nervous that a judge wouldn't be at all pleased with my lack of documentation, but in fact, the judge turned out to be away at an important meeting. I went against my nature and was very, very patient and polite with the court officials about the long wait, and it paid off by them making the decision to just let me sign over my bond money ($100) for the court fees and take the whole thing off the books. hurray! maybe I'll try being patient again sometime soon....

tha lorider is displaced

2006-09-16T17:12:00.000-04:00

wow!

hi, everybody! I'm at Marie's house and she insisted I use her internet to blog, because she has nothing to read at work.... :D

for the second weekend in a row, I'm over here chez Marie et Aaron because some people are fixing up the apartment downstairs and it is incredibly noisy. it is very wholesomely traditional over here, eg: Aaron watched the U-M/Notre Dame football game while Marie and I went food shopping. actually, Marie shopped and I ate all the free samples :) hey, there was no sign that I couldn't take 16 pieces of parm-reg! mmmmm!

the strike finally ended last week (after 16 days) and I taught thursday and friday. the little ankle-biters were quite cute and I have minimal lacerations on my right ankle only. I'm looking forward to monday! however, something an old hand used to tell me about is true: for some reason, the first few weeks back are quite exhausting until your body makes the adjustment.... I slept 16 hours last night and also took a nap this afternoon!

************************
sing well tonight, Olga! the university choral society is singing Verdi!
happy b-day, Makini!

****************************************

I'm back!

2006-08-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

holy god, I haven't been on the interblog in 5 days; I think a tiny piece of me died.

well, now I'm back and have I ever got a lot to catch you(z) up on.

I went for my first day of reporting as a teacher - and had a great day. I met my new co-teachers and other staff, ate a bit of lunch, walked around outside..... oh, and did I mention we're ON STRIKE!!!!?!!!!!

#*(#$^)@!@!!!! can you $*&%*@#$%">$*&%*@#$%#& believe it????? so here's what happened on my second day of work: I slipped inside to talk to the principal (after official protest hours were over, of course) to find out if she'd assigned me a classroom yet. I wanted to spend the evening making the sign for outside my door. she told me that not one parent (NOT ONE) had signed up their kid for my class. perhaps this shows good judgement, but we'll just let that pass and instead point out that I was shitting myself.

third day: principal says she's "very hopeful" I will (magically) have a class by next Tuesday. I decide this sounds very positive and go ahead and set up my classroom (again, we're allowed to do this after official strike hours. everyone kind of looks the other way, as it's obviously in the best interest of everyone to have the school set up for when the kids show up. I figure since I won't be getting paid for that time, it's quite like being on strike.)

so who knows what developments may occur by tomorrow........? stay tuned.......

picture day

2006-08-25T09:23:00.000-04:00

it's my new haircut!!!!!!!

whatd'ya think?

15 more hours to go!!!!!

2006-08-24T10:39:00.000-04:00

Fri at 5:00pm, I'll be walking out that front door forever!!!

what a blissful thought!

where has tha lorider been???

2006-08-21T08:59:00.000-04:00

sorry for the absence, folks, I've been taking somewhat of a mini vacation - that is, I have so much going on, I couldn't even think about blogging.

"why?" you ask.....

because I've been busy testing, interviewing and being hired for a NEW JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm leaving my old job!

hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be making real money!

hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll have vacation time enough to visit my neglected family and my friends around the globe!

AND, best of all: I have a teaching position!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be teaching Spanish to little kids in an urban school! it's right up my alley - the job that is perfect for me just appeared out of the blue! I'll finally be using my certification and all my years of training, and I'll have little subjects to use for my thesis research. and then I'll have my master's degree and I'll be making even more money! hurray for tha lorider!!!!

2006-08-15T16:42:00.000-04:00

ha ha

so busy - no time to blog - here's some pix

2006-08-11T10:07:00.000-04:00

fat boy slim

2006-08-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

haha, poor Olga!

as you know, my new roomie is beginning medical school this week. in the grand tradition of medical school, she had to begin disecting a cadaver on her very first day of med school. but not just any cadaver!!!! her group got the FATTEST cadaver ever - I mean, so fat that when the other med students walk by their table, they all bust out laughing.

she and her group had to dig through layers and layers of fat before even beginning their work - they were throwing it out by the handful! (oh, don't read that last bit if you're squeamish.) tough luck, Olga!! HAHAHAHAHA!

stealing rediscovering a cool idea

2006-08-09T10:26:00.000-04:00

anonymous coworker did a neat thing a while ago where he let his readers ask him any question and he would answer it. in honor of my BLOGOVERSARY (!) I am going to afford you the same opportunity - go nuts! I promise to answer any and all queries!

1-YEAR BLOGOVERSARY SUCKERZ

2006-08-08T09:43:00.000-04:00

yeah, that's right, it's august 8, my personal special holiday and also the blogoversary of 1209 anarchists.... *tear* I can't believe it's been a whole year.........

"Let's Look Back" at some posts this past year.......

-a great post about making sandwiches
-a great post about eating out in Toronto
-a great post about non-vegetarianism
-a great post about cooking pastel de choclo
-a great post about enjoying the Detroit nightlife (and eating out)

hmmmmm, I think I detect a theme.

and now...... "Towards the Future"

what does tha lorider have in store for you in the coming year, kiddies....? well, I think it's going to be a little thing called mobile blogging, or mo-blo, or blog-mo, if you prefer. like any respectable blogger, I have become obsessed with technology and last night I purchased myself a radical new celly:

MDA, suckerz! you wish you had one!

actually, I wish I had one too, cause I'm waiting for it to come in the mail (couldn't get it at the store - a little something about always paying my bill late.... oops!).

so look for some amazing real-time posts coming at ya soon! and "thanks for your support!"

wassup?

2006-08-07T18:45:00.000-04:00

Blogging from tha tmobile store!

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quiet weekend

2006-08-07T08:40:00.000-04:00

I went to the play on Fri, it was good. it turned out to be just Ximena and I so we got to talk a bit, which was nice.

then I saw my brothers and my aunt and one cousin for dinner on Sat night. I gave Omari his gift for his 14th birthday - a wireless X-box controller (with camo design). he loved it!

Sun I just cleaned the house, did some food shopping and later, Olga and I worked on the cabinet - it's totally assembled and painted! we just have to flip it to touch up the bottom and then put it in place. I'll post a pic when it's up.

I'm going to Pennsylvania to visit my grandparents this weekend - it's just a quick three-day trip, but I'm really looking forward to the "vacation".....

I would love to see this:

2006-08-04T15:49:00.000-04:00

link

meatball sub for lunch!!

2006-08-04T14:41:00.000-04:00

suckerz!

sssssssssssszzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2006-08-03T10:49:00.000-04:00

that is the sound of everyone in my office deflating, after all the recent heat and now today's cold spell. we are all absolutely pooped, and it's thunderstorming outside, the perfect sleeping weather. on top of that almost every single piece of equipment in the office is fubar'd, including the server. ( I saw the IT guy sitting on the carpet with the server open beside him, wrestling with a big cable.) we all just want to go home.

I slept in the dining room the last two nights - it was so hot the a/c didn't reach into my bedroom. I really hope I get a good night's sleep tonight.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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(I just saw that an environmentalist coworker of mine has a "hooters" calendar - all pictures of little owls - cute!!)

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shakespeare in the park

2006-08-02T11:21:00.000-04:00

**today is Olga's First Day of Orientation for Medical School. hurray, Olga!!! here's hoping you get a relatively fresh cadaver when classes start!**

this is the link to the theater company I'm seeing this weekend - it's a production of shakespeare's comedy of errors set in the gold rush days in california. as I have roots in cali I expect to get a lot out of this production.... but seriously, I'm looking forward to kicking back in the park and just relaxing..... any local bloggers interested in meeting up there.....?

meanwhile, apparently brainon are going to some lame festival.
like I care.

........I'm jealous!!!!! have fun, you two!

stay cool, wittle Maria!

2006-08-01T16:12:00.000-04:00

awwwww this post inspired me to post this new picture of Maria.
also to add this blogger to my bloglist.....
(Maria looks so kitty-wise, doesn't she!?!)

sizzle sizzle

2006-08-01T13:22:00.000-04:00

omfg, it is so so hot today. .....of course, I haven't been outside since 8:30 am. so I guess the weather only affects me like... not at all..... but I hope my little kitty Maria isn't too hot at home, or Olga's little birdies. I left them all lots of water, but to be honest they seemed fine and completely unaware of the heat yesterday, so hopefully they'll be good today, too.

all I want to do lately is sit under the air conditioning and watch movies. in the past few weeks I've seen:

layer cake - awesome
son de mar - awesome
the sea is watching - okay
the (new) pink panther - made me laugh
pride and prejudice - yes, the long version

next, I have nothing to watch - it looks good, I'll let you know........ oh, yes, & I also plan to go see a play this weekend, go to a tiger's game later this month, visit my grandparents in PA next week and have my brothers over to see the dream cruise. so hopefully, I won't get stuck to the couch before then!

unveiling.......

2006-07-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

well here it is, folks, my new and improved sidebar!!! I've added a bunch of bloggers that I love to visit... hope you enjoy visiting them too!

x-mas in July

2006-07-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

here's a picture I never posted from my trip to cali last december:

Santa was at the beach collecting signatures for the establishment
of a Department of Peace in the Federal government....... I never
knew Santa was a liberal!

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

2006-07-26T10:54:00.000-04:00

hi friends! wow, it really is a gorgeous day today. I'm psyched I can enjoy it, after being a little sick for the last few days. I didn't get slowed down too much, though.... let me catch you up to speed:

on saturday, I went to the local columbian association's annual picnic. I was invited by Xi-nando (Ximena & Fernando), who are columbian and who decided to bring with them a little united nations party. we had 3 columbians, 2 indians, a cuban and 2 gringas. we stood for the columbian national anthem, listened to columbian music, talked and.... ate. and ate. but I didn't mind! we had tamales, stuffed potatoes, grilled chicken, yummy fruit drinks.... it was heavenly! then we all went to the lake in the park, rented some boats, and paddled around. it was probably the most beautiful day ever..... thanks, Xi-nando!!!

I also did a bunch of cooking over the weekend and went to the movies ("my super ex-gf" - very cute and fun). then last night, Olga and I did another push towards getting the apartment set up. we hung a lot of art and a cool clock from Olga's childhood that actually says "made in the USSR" (but in russian, of course) and then we worked on the cabinet! it is now completely assembled except for the support pieces. then it'll just be the finishing/painting. I can't wait to get home and work on it some more!

only 6 hours and 6 minutes to go!

UPDATE: 4 hours and 1 minute

UPDATE: 3 hours and 9 minutes

Olga drills!

2006-07-21T09:03:00.000-04:00

so Olga drilled for the first time last night! (gee Olga, that sounds kinda dirty... shame on you!) actually, we decided to hang all our gorgeous handbags together in an artful arrangement by the front door. Olga drilled and drilled and drilled (erm.).... then we ran out of hooks because we have so many many beautiful handbags. I'll post a pic of our oeuvre when it's all done.

that project was precipitated by the cabinet project, which is well under way. our backyard neighbors Mike & Micki took a break from their one-year anniversary celebrations (which seemed to consist of yardwork... weird, but whatever turns you on, I guess......) to saw some planks for us. we've begun to put together the frame so far, but then we had to stop because it was time to watch "the Office." Ricky Gervais is a frickin genius.........

Olga also took a pic of me with my new haircut:

so what do you think? yeah, more mascara and tilt my head down on photos, right?

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gratuitous drill shot:

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super-post!

2006-07-19T02:39:00.000-04:00

THA LORIDER GOES TO THE CINEMA: SUPERMAN RETURNS

recap:
so Superman's been away for 5 years and does he have some surprises waiting for him!!!

sorry it has taken me a couple weeks to post about this movie, but it was such a life-altering event (*SARCASM ALERT*) that it took me a while to gather my thoughts. upon reflection, I decided that people probably go to this movie through different motivations (yeah, I'm deep like that), so I'm splitting up my review for the different camps. *SPOILER ALERT* just highlight if you want to read the spoilers......

Superman "freaks":
definitely go see this movie - I thought it rocked!!! sorry, it didn't alter my life, but I'm sure it will for you. you plan to play the Superman theme at your wedding????!! actually, me too. and also the Death Star theme.

"analytical" & "deep" people:
in this movie, Superman once again proves that he is an alien from another planet by failing to undergo any yucky, human-ish character development, despite the fact that the director was apparently trying for it, and planning for it based on his constantly dangling the hope of said character development before us like tasty, tasty meat dangled before wolves (I feel cheated & somewhat cheap-no comments pls, anon) however, the formulaic-ness and going nowhere-after-all-ness of the plot was rather soothing to my media-blitzed american brain, so I wouldn't discount this movie just on account of that.

nerds:
the CGI was absolutely great (unlike other movies I could mention *cough-LOTR-cough*). the f-X (as we say in tha "biz") and camerawork made the action parts of the movie truly fantastic - I was literally on the edge of my seat a few times, and certainly didn't notice the movie was 17 hrs long till I left the theater.

poncy-actory concerns:
kevin spacey and parker posey were super! (haha - get it?)

people-who-just-watch-movies-for-the-plot:
SUPERMAN HAS A KID!!!!!!! but Lois is still going to stay with her husband (not Clark/Superman - long story. omg did I just give away that CLARK KENT IS ACTUALLY SUPERMAN?????? my bad.)

people-who-just-think-Superman-is-hot:
the new superman guy is pretty hot (also, he vaguely reminded me of jebus, I don't know if that was a coincidence or a "subtle" theme that was repeately pounded into my head, through imagery, visuals, dialogue, etc, over & over &overokay Bryan I get it jeez I'm not retarded!!!!!):

so go see it!

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*NERD ALERT!* after the movie.....

...plain-old nerds will want to read this as a follow-up:
link

...science nerds will want to read this:
link

...psychology nerds will want to read this:
link

...nerds who think Superman is sexy will want to read this:
link

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quick update

2006-07-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

-I got a tent over the weekend. I'm going camping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-I had Indian buffet for lunch! yum. I had all four food groups and several animals: mmmmm veggies, mmmm carbies, mmmmm animals, mmmmmm indian desserts......

-only 15 min to go at work - hurray!

haircut!!

2006-07-17T12:28:00.000-04:00

well, I got my hair chopped last week, about 5 inches taken off. it falls to just above my shoulders now - no more long pony, although I can pull it back. I was tired already of being mistaken for a high-school student and getting carded for ordering a flippin' shandy!

I'm going to post a pic and get your opinions - I'm not sure exactly how long or what shape it should be, in the end.

this weekend it was my downstairs neighbors' moving sale , so I cleaned up on some art supplies and stuff from mama artiste. I got a bunch of mostly full tubes of acrylic paint, plus some mini-canvases. now.... to create !!!!!

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ps - forgot to wish you frenchies a happy bastille day last week ;)

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now..........

2006-07-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

too true. too true.
(thanks, britew!!!!!)

and then.............

2006-07-14T11:41:00.000-04:00

seeing those little kids playing in that photo brought back some memories of when I was a kid in Philly. we had a neighbor, a single guy. we knew him a bit and became friendlier when he took in an alley cat that was preggers. our parents (two women in that household, not lesbians, no we weren't related, long story) decided to let my lil brother and me get a kitten from the litter.

so we would go over this guy's house and torture the kittens, trying to decide which one was the "toughest." a little black cat with white socks bit and clawed us the hardest when mauled, so we chose him and (almost named him "Michael Jackson"- it was the days of "The Making of Thriller" movie.... he was cool then!) named him Whack-Attack (you know, he had those kitty fits... he could even run along a wall horizontally).

good old Whack-Attack. my mom moved to the country later and Whack, the morning after arriving, meowed and clawed at the door. my mom goes, "oh, he must be adjusted to being here already," and opens the door. he runs about 10 feet out the door and looks up.... at the wide-open sky above him. we had come from some very-urban neighborhoods, and I don't think he'd ever been in an open space before - certainly not one that wasn't covered with asphalt and basketball hoops. his eyes just about popped out of his head and he flattened down to the ground, looked around wildly for a couple of seconds, and then fled back inside. I don't think he went out again for about 8 weeks.

but eventually he adjusted and became quite a hunter. he used to bring my mom bits of voles, moles, mice (of course), birds, snakes and many other living beings that are supposedly critical to the ecosystem, but we seemed to do fine without them.

but that's getting away from the point of my story. that neighborhood, in addition to supplying us with a faithful kitty, also is the location of many fond memories:

*popping and breakdancing on pieces of cardboard on the sidewalk.
*making bike ramps (out of cardboard & milk crates) on the sidewalk.
*imitating the WWF by swinging on the pipes in the basement and landing on each other while rolling about on..... you guessed it, pieces of cardboard (but also an old mattress sometimes).
*learning to use the washer and dryer: Mom - "This is the washer. It has three settings. This is the dryer. It has two settings. Enjoy."
*Saturday morning chores and watching the Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, the Cosby show and Night Court every Thursday night.
*that creepy abandoned old jail down the block that I had to walk past on my way to and from school, which was overrun with stray cats and where we let go of our gerbils after they got to be around 30 of them.

oh - and a favorite memory: this one always makes me laugh. this neighborhood was black and hispanic - except for our family, and that one neighbor, remember him? so nobody really expected to see a white kid walking around. so I was walking down the block with my next door neighbor, Rudine. this albino guy from around the way was over across the avenue and he yelled to Rudine "HEY! Hey, Rudine! Hi! Hey, is she albino?" apparently referring to me as though I couldn't talk for myself, because I was obviously either albino or white, in either case a total freak. so she shouts back "No! She's not! She's white!" he goes, "OH! Okay!" and walks away!

and that was it people! from then on everyone in my neighborhood knew I was white and I got..... treated differently! (okay, that last part is not true. I think my neighbors had already caught on that I was white.) my point: I was INVISIBLE, people!!! he wouldn't even talk to me to my face! that's racism!!!! but I think I turned out alright.

anyway, that neighborhood is really turned around now. I went by there to see the old house the last time I was in Philly, and there are stores and cafes on the main avenue, where there used to be a dank and scary general store and a bunch of empty store fronts. the crackheads seem to be gone, and there's even a dog park (a dog park, for cryin out loud, people) along the side of the old jail. they even cleaned up the jail and give tours there now. I think it was too expensive to tear down, so finally they decided it was old enough to be historic and got rid of all the cats.

but anyway, back to my original point: that guy, our neighbor, remember? his phone number was (215) BEA-MONK.

get it? be a monk!!!! hahahahahahahahahahaha!

fun with floods: Manila edition

2006-07-13T12:53:00.000-04:00

god, remember being a little brat (anon) and just having fun
no matter what was happening?? :)

Bastone-y Tuesday, Little Tree Wednesday

2006-07-13T08:51:00.000-04:00

God, I'm popular!!

you all have heard about Bastone, but I don't think I've ever mentioned yummy Little Tree. I went there last night, it's also in Royal Oak. They have a Japanese, Filipino & Thai menu, plus a great sushi bar. I went with my friend Susan, a fellow teacher. she's an art teacher who I used to substitute for, and the person who convinced me to go into teaching..... thanks, Susan! we sat outside and it was lovely, afterwards we walked around Royal Oak. (btw, we are def going to check out that Paris antique shop, so britew, let me know if you're in)

Tuesday at Bastone was super-fun, as always. (shoutout to brainon, indie barkeep, and forestiere pizza!) the only fly in the ointment was that the damn pregame show for the AllStar game was like 3 hours, so we actually left during the top of the first inning - lame, I know!

the attack of the forks

2006-07-12T11:45:00.000-04:00

okay, why are there plastic forks and spoons sprouting out of
my neighbor's lawn????? any ideas?

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hey! this blogger has written some fun plays! let's get together
and act them out. anon, you can be Funkiller. I want to be
Princess Tofu!

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wah! tha lorider is sooooooo old!!!!! 15 year reunion!!!!!!!!

2006-07-11T10:05:00.000-04:00

Message from classmates.com:

"Dear ~~XXXXXXXXX~~ tha lorider,

You've been invited to join your friends at the Philadelphia High School for Girls Class of 1991 Reunion. Check out the event details now. If you haven't RSVP'd for this event, do so today to let others know that you'll be attending—your name will appear on the RSVP list for other invitees to see. I hope to see you at the Philadelphia High School for Girls Class of 1991 Reunion!

Sincerely,
~~XXXXXXXXX~~ (I remember her name!)
Reunion Group Contact"

holy crap! I must be like....... oh yeah, I am 32. anyway, I'm not going
:( .... (too bad, a cheesesteak would go down good right about now!)

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happy conquerer's day!

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art attack

2006-07-07T13:29:00.000-04:00

well, I don't know about you, but I was very successful yesterday at BEing HAPPY! I was so happy I was moved to Create Art. this is a digital approximation of what I made:

this is basically not at all what the painting looks like, because it turns out that I'm a terrible artist in microsoft word (the gray area is supposed to represent where I slapped/mixed some black paint onto the edge of some white paint), but anyway I'm happy with the actual painting . I used acrylic paint, as this was kind of a sketch; I think I'll try to use oil next time so I get a more lumpy effect......

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thanks brainon, for inspiring me to do art!

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happiness.....

2006-07-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

who is this girl? I don't know. the picture came from this blog; I don't even know if she is the writer of the blog or a friend or what.... I don't speak german. hopefully, she doesn't mind having her nice photo on my blog.

I put this picture on here because this girl looks HAPPY! where does happiness come from? who knows, from her face it seems you can just have a good day and it bubbles up from inside.

people, I am inspired! my message to everyone today is BE HAPPY! britew, I know somebody just smashed your car and you feel a bit blech, but still, I hope you can be HAPPY!

and that goes for the rest of you, too! I hope you're having a great day :)

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I must say, all the kids on this blog look happy.......
hurrah for happy german kids!!!!

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hoping you had a fun 4th of July!

2006-07-05T15:01:00.000-04:00

just on time for Wednesday.......

2006-07-05T09:14:00.002-04:00

as requested, here are some time-wasting sites. I have decided to categorize them according to sexism..... enjoy!

♀:
kittenwar
dresses!
gossip
famous girly blogger xiaxue

♂:
masamania
world cup results and predictions
detroit tigers
this guy's myspace

♀∩♂:
calvin n hobbes n lots of other cartoons
dr. mcninja
used wigs comedic clearinghouse
sudoku
jinx t-shirts

(3 out of) 4 day weekend coming up! ?!

2006-06-30T14:03:00.000-04:00

yes, that's right, la pauvre lorider has to work on the monday before independence day, isn't that silly? how am I supposed to feel patriotic when I have work distracting me in the middle!!!!! shoot, I was planning on watching the following movies to get me in the mood... now I'll probably have to watch them twice!

1. Independence Day
2. Born on the Fourth of July
3. Independence
4. Magoo's Glorious Fourth
5. and the ever american Superman in Superman Returns

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then I'll go watch my little bros set off fireworks.......
boom, BOOm, BOOM!!!!!!!
;P

happy birthday, Dad!
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woohoo! Violeine is in the paper!!

2006-06-27T11:25:00.000-04:00

here's an article that came out in a local paper about Vi and her new furniture store! Marie commented that the quotes in the article "really sound like Vi" - it's true! I can really picture her saying those things.... :)

Congrats, Vi & meilleurs voeux!

double dinner weekend

2006-06-26T10:25:00.000-04:00

on Friday, I cooked dinner and Marie came over (thanks for helping me with my resume, Marie!!!! you rock!!), and Olga joined us.... then on Saturday, Olga made dinner for some friends and I joined them. both dinners were awesome and so fun! I'm almost re-thinking my plan of becoming a hermit..... anyway, we ate out in the backyard, it's super-relaxing back there. we also met our behind-us neighbors- I stood on a chair to see over the fence and Olga hopped up and down and said: "(hop) hi! (hop) I'm (hop) Olga!"

Saturday morning, we went to the local farmer's market (I think the Sunday headline read: "3-year Royal Oak resident and self-proclaimed 'environmentalist' finally makes it to farmer's market that is 1 mile from her house"). I bought some lettuce plants, basil plants and yellow pear tomato plants... all for a whopping $4.

Olga got one (1!) grape tomato plant, and is fearful she may be overcommitting herself (haha, now I know what to get her for her birthday...!! *evil smirk*)

after we plant our little balcony-garden, the next project will be to make a kitchen shelving-unit, so we can have a bit more storage.... I designed it yesterday, now we just have to get wood and screws and paint, and convince some unsuspecting neighbor to help us cut the lumber with their circular saw (hence the recent fence-hopping)...... wish us luck.......

oh, and I also made a cherry pie for my uncle Bernard, who has been sick, so all in all, it has been a very home-y weekend....

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(brainon, I'm so glad you're back! let's get drunk!
*in my head, that phrase sounds like owen wilson.
but it comes from my heart....)

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happy solstice (before)

2006-06-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

oops, I totally forgot to wish everyone a happy solstice!

more cowbell, baby!

2006-06-23T14:23:00.000-04:00

should I get some free lawn tickets to Blue Oyster Cult next week?

wednesdays with Lord Chesterfield

2006-06-21T11:57:00.000-04:00

why not? it's been a while.....

The mere brute pleasure of reading - the sort
of pleasure a cow must have in grazing.
-Lord Chesterfield

update: wow, dad and britew, I'm thinking you might
just love this website: "LibraryThing is ... often
described as "MySpace for books..." I guess it's where
books post risqué photos of themselves and engage in
chats with other books that are much too old for them.....

(welcome home, britew!! I want to hear
everything! you'll be so proud- while you've
been away, I've been reading War & Peace)

I like it when it rains...

2006-06-21T09:25:00.000-04:00

quick hits: I'm going to the doctor today, so I'll just throw down a few thoughts...

#1 - there's a great solo-guitar blues by Ronnie Earl called "I like it when it rains." I really like the piece, and I also really do like it when it rains. it's absolutely pouring right now and there are little thunder-rumbles every few minues - I love it!

I wonder why?

#2 - this has been going around the inter-tron... it reminds me of a series of posters called la mutation d'une ville that my mom gave to me when I was little. it's about 10 posters and it shows the development of a French town over the course of about 25 years. it's kind of like those "find the difference" puzzles, but it's an artistic creation, so it's very beautiful and very intricate. there are a hundred or more stories in each poster.... so cool.....

me love TV. me hate commercials.

2006-06-20T10:17:00.000-04:00

honestly, I HATE advertising. this is what a typical commercial sounds like to me:

"are you insecure &/or want to have (more) sex?! well, why not try american consumerism/pharmaceuticals? for example, did you know that (lie) and (lie), ...Lease Pull-Ahead Program (large dollar amount), (lie)! we CAN MATCH your kitchen tiles... get yours today!"

I either change channels or mute during commercials. this article (via mr brown) explains about P2P & BitTorrent & the future of television watching. I'm so excited to be able to access anything, anytime & sans commercials (as soon as I get my inter-doodle hooked up at home). I think the author makes a great point that TV has trained us to expect free and immediate entertainment gratification, so they better find ways to go along with the technology that takes those principles that to a whole new level now.

if, as according to his theory, the 'bug' becomes the advertising method (you know, that station id thing they now show in the corner the whole time?), honestly, I can live with that. I'll just stick a post-it over it.

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ah..... tha family feud.....

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