I'm feeling hungry but I doubt that I actually am and it's time to go to sleep because I need to wake up at 6:45am. I guess I can be a little flexible with that time, but I just can't resist being the first one to get to work in the morning and the first to leave. But since I don't have to leave early to teach my class tomorrow, I guess if I'm feeling really sleepy tomorrow morning I'll allow myself an extra hour of sleep.
I made jambalaya today for the first time and I must say I like it. Spicy. I'm so glad my new roomies have a million and one spices with which to play!
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Comments On My Blog
Okay, I'm probably going to have to get tough and follow up with you guys that are reading my blog, but I have recently changed it so that anyone can post on my blog without signing up for an account with blogger.
So there's really no excuse.
I better hear from you soon, or else! And you can't "cheat" by just reading my blog and not contributing one single word. Seriously.
So there's really no excuse.
I better hear from you soon, or else! And you can't "cheat" by just reading my blog and not contributing one single word. Seriously.
I know Moldovan
A few weeks ago at work we got a little scrapbook from one of our Moldovan grant winners. In Moldova, the youth put on various educational puppet shows about health and taking care of the environment. What really interested me about the scrapbook, translated into English, was the fact that I could read and understand many of the Moldovan words. I found out that Moldovan is essentially the same as Romanian, and since I have studied 3 Romance languages it's perfectly natural and acceptable that I can understand Moldovan in this way. Craziness! I've said it before and I'll say it again--I love languages and someone needs to pay me to study and have fun with them.
Temblique
Sunday morning I wake up from my 10.5 hour catch-up-from-a-week-of-early-rising with a strange yet familiar word in my head: "temblique." I pictured the word spelled just like that, spelled the Spanish way. The first person I told about this was my bf, a native Spanish speaker, and he told me that I was just making up words.However, from what I can tell after a bit of googling, Temblique is a Filipino surname, temblique means something like tremble in Spanish, and Temblique is a small town in the province of Cagayan, the Philippines. There must be some reason for me thinking of this particular word. For all I know, I have distant ancestors from Temblique (I'm half Filipina). So I keep thinking that I need to go to Temblique because I'm pretty sure they need me there. It seems like a pretty insignificant town judging by the lack of google hits. But if I'm not meant to go to Temblique, why did I wake up one morning thinking about that darn word?
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Ms. President
I think I look good with the White House behind me like this. I should wear suits every day.
This was my second visit to the White House--the first being earlier this week for the Easter Egg Roll. I went to greet President Hu Jintao of China for his arrival ceremony. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance for this event, and yes, I did hear the Chinese lady screaming for a good 2 minutes. You could still hear her as she was being dragged away.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
A Burrito Aburrido
Sorry for having such a dry blog, dear readers. If you're looking for sex and intrigue, you're in the wrong place. I'm sure you realize this.
I think I should turn my blog into a steamy sex novel. I'm just thinking about this now because I read through my blog and BOY am I lame! It's no wonder the average viewing time for my blog is 1.23 minutes! No, I'm really considering having some kind of gimmick for my blog. Like the woman that did Julia Child's French recipes in a year. I just wonder if I'm that dedicated.
I used to love to write. Especially poems and song lyrics (or lyrics written to the tune of songs that periodically got stuck in my head). I would write these embarassingly honest, confession-style pieces on my teen angst and unrecquited love and my teachers would make me or a friend read them out loud to the class (because, they said, it was good writing) and at the time I would be embarassed to show so much of myself to my classmates but it was only later that I would get super duper ashamed of myself for being so self-absorbed and mopey. It's seems as though I don't produce writing unless I am feeling particularly sorry about myself. That's no way to be a writer.
I need happy stuff to write about. I think I would do a good job writing about children, because they are insanely hilarious and true and brilliant. Don't worry, I don't want to have kids of my own yet, although I do find myself getting jealous of the big belly. Especially the big belly on young, thin women. But I'm still at the stage in my life where I need to devote a lot of time to the ME. That's why I'm going to grad school, that's why I'm going away. That's why I'm going to build up my brain with things I find interesting. Because I have only recently been self-aware in this way (stop pitying myself, take pleasure in the small things, stop being so awkward and weird you're confusing people, etc). Stop being the mysterious, start being the me. Start asking questions when I don't understand and trying to make myself understood (like actually explaining myself rather than offering one-word answers).
I would love to be confrontational, but I don't know if that will ever happen. I really want to yell at people sometimes. I want to tell people to buzz off when they're disrespectful. And ask my loved ones why they do stupid sh*t. Start defending myself. Start kicking some self-righteous ass, start showing people that girls rock and you need to stop screwing them over every which way. I do feel sorry for the boys though, too. I realize there's a lot of unrealistic expectations for boys as well. I always end up talking about some of the world's problems by the end of my larger blogs. I guess it's because I'm lacking in the personal problem department.
So, again I apologize for the absence of such personal information in my blog. I'm mostly just trying to work it out. The good news is that all folks can comment, pending my approval of course (Ray I have never refused one of your comments, I only got rid of one from a stranger who didn't read my blog but was trying to advertise a pyramid scheme to my friends).
I think I should turn my blog into a steamy sex novel. I'm just thinking about this now because I read through my blog and BOY am I lame! It's no wonder the average viewing time for my blog is 1.23 minutes! No, I'm really considering having some kind of gimmick for my blog. Like the woman that did Julia Child's French recipes in a year. I just wonder if I'm that dedicated.
I used to love to write. Especially poems and song lyrics (or lyrics written to the tune of songs that periodically got stuck in my head). I would write these embarassingly honest, confession-style pieces on my teen angst and unrecquited love and my teachers would make me or a friend read them out loud to the class (because, they said, it was good writing) and at the time I would be embarassed to show so much of myself to my classmates but it was only later that I would get super duper ashamed of myself for being so self-absorbed and mopey. It's seems as though I don't produce writing unless I am feeling particularly sorry about myself. That's no way to be a writer.
I need happy stuff to write about. I think I would do a good job writing about children, because they are insanely hilarious and true and brilliant. Don't worry, I don't want to have kids of my own yet, although I do find myself getting jealous of the big belly. Especially the big belly on young, thin women. But I'm still at the stage in my life where I need to devote a lot of time to the ME. That's why I'm going to grad school, that's why I'm going away. That's why I'm going to build up my brain with things I find interesting. Because I have only recently been self-aware in this way (stop pitying myself, take pleasure in the small things, stop being so awkward and weird you're confusing people, etc). Stop being the mysterious, start being the me. Start asking questions when I don't understand and trying to make myself understood (like actually explaining myself rather than offering one-word answers).
I would love to be confrontational, but I don't know if that will ever happen. I really want to yell at people sometimes. I want to tell people to buzz off when they're disrespectful. And ask my loved ones why they do stupid sh*t. Start defending myself. Start kicking some self-righteous ass, start showing people that girls rock and you need to stop screwing them over every which way. I do feel sorry for the boys though, too. I realize there's a lot of unrealistic expectations for boys as well. I always end up talking about some of the world's problems by the end of my larger blogs. I guess it's because I'm lacking in the personal problem department.
So, again I apologize for the absence of such personal information in my blog. I'm mostly just trying to work it out. The good news is that all folks can comment, pending my approval of course (Ray I have never refused one of your comments, I only got rid of one from a stranger who didn't read my blog but was trying to advertise a pyramid scheme to my friends).
Monday, April 17, 2006
White House Lawns
I got to participate in the 125 year-old White House tradition of the Easter Egg Roll. Just after the Civil War, Washingtonian children played on the steep, grassy terraces that surrounded the Capitol building. Once the children determined that the perfect use for their Easter eggs involved rolling them down the hills and splatting egg bits everywhere, some congressmen retaliated by passing an Act of Congress that said no part of the Capitol grounds could be used as a playground. So a nice fella named Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife Lucy decided to open up their home, the White House, to these joyful games. And the tradition continues as children push their eggs with plastic spoons to race to the finish. (Adapted from the White House Easter Egg Roll Program, 2006).
It was postively brilliant except for the freezing rainy conditions. I took my picture with PBS cartoon character Caillou, saw Laura and George W. up close, took a picture of Jack Hannah, pet a dingo and an alligator, and escorted a few middle schoolers (who were too cool for school) around. And I was part of the 1st group too, so we got first dibs on pretty much everything. The rain definitely put a damper on a few things, but that didn't stop me from being in total awe of my surroundings and of the cool tradition in which I was partaking. I'm a total sucker for Americana. And Latin Americana too. But that's a story for another day.
It was postively brilliant except for the freezing rainy conditions. I took my picture with PBS cartoon character Caillou, saw Laura and George W. up close, took a picture of Jack Hannah, pet a dingo and an alligator, and escorted a few middle schoolers (who were too cool for school) around. And I was part of the 1st group too, so we got first dibs on pretty much everything. The rain definitely put a damper on a few things, but that didn't stop me from being in total awe of my surroundings and of the cool tradition in which I was partaking. I'm a total sucker for Americana. And Latin Americana too. But that's a story for another day.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Block Rockin' Peeps
I just got back from church (I hadn't been since Christmas) and it was a very nice service. A co-worker invited me to her Unitarian Universalist church, and it was the most different church experience I've ever had. They have the most diverse congregation I have ever seen (besides what I saw in Brazil, where everyone was very visually diverse). The music was also pretty awesome, as they created arrangements feautring South African freedom songs, traditional Christian hymns, R&B, drumming, and even scatting. I have never experienced such a pluralistic form of worship, and it was pretty inspiring to see all different kinds of people together in a church.
Now my roommates and I are finishing up our preparations for Easter supper. We're going to a co-worker's houses to have supper. We started cooking last night at 9pm, preparing such delights as scalloped potatoes, asparagus, chick cupcakes, and key lime pie. I'll have to take pictures to show how everything turned out. I have been neglecting my camera lately because it's extremely slow.
Since I've moved and the weather has turned so mild and lovely I've gotten to see a whole different side of DC. Flowers are in full bloom, the trees have regained their leaves, and I'm back in my flip-flops. Yesterday my bf and I took a nap in a nearby park. There's just something about Spring. And the same goes for Easter. I've recently decided that Easter is my favorite holiday. But I keep thinking of my nieces and how I'm missing them going on egg hunts and wearing their cute dresses and hats and donning their baskets. Easter is the most visually appealing of holidays to me, so I've been searching for a picture that represents Easter to me. It has proven very challenging, especially because I haven't taken any pictures of my own in a while.
Now my roommates and I are finishing up our preparations for Easter supper. We're going to a co-worker's houses to have supper. We started cooking last night at 9pm, preparing such delights as scalloped potatoes, asparagus, chick cupcakes, and key lime pie. I'll have to take pictures to show how everything turned out. I have been neglecting my camera lately because it's extremely slow.
Since I've moved and the weather has turned so mild and lovely I've gotten to see a whole different side of DC. Flowers are in full bloom, the trees have regained their leaves, and I'm back in my flip-flops. Yesterday my bf and I took a nap in a nearby park. There's just something about Spring. And the same goes for Easter. I've recently decided that Easter is my favorite holiday. But I keep thinking of my nieces and how I'm missing them going on egg hunts and wearing their cute dresses and hats and donning their baskets. Easter is the most visually appealing of holidays to me, so I've been searching for a picture that represents Easter to me. It has proven very challenging, especially because I haven't taken any pictures of my own in a while.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
If I Were President...
I randomly got an email from a coworker about a private, free, intimate Wyclef Jean concert in DC. I spoke to Wyclef, signed a t-shirt for him, danced on stage with all the other girls, took tons of pictures, and got yelled at for trying to take a centerpiece. So much fun! And very unexpected. I guess it made it up for the 3 very expensive parking tickets I acquired in the past 2 days. It's funny how life humbles and surprises you sometimes.
Monday, April 03, 2006
I Hope You Don't Mind
In the past few days I have been in an accident with a motorcyclist, moved in with two cool people in a 1 bedroom apartment, witnessed a soccer match fight in which someone had a bottle broken over his head, run into an old office mate and her 4 month old blue-eyed baby, and stuffed myself with Korean BBQ and a taro boba. All and all, it was a good weekend. Regarding the accident, everyone is ok, and I'm missing a mirror from the passenger side.
I keep thinking about being in Italy. My Italian is even coming back to me. I studied it for 3 semesters. My last class was in 2002. That was when I took Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese at the same time. I wish I got paid to study languages all day. I also wish I knew a non-Romance language besides English. I think when I go back to school I'll probably study French, but I would love to learn Arabic, Korean, or Thai.
I'm mostly just writing because I haven't written in a while. And there's a raging storm going on right now. I'm on the 9th floor, so it's really loud up here.
I keep thinking about being in Italy. My Italian is even coming back to me. I studied it for 3 semesters. My last class was in 2002. That was when I took Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese at the same time. I wish I got paid to study languages all day. I also wish I knew a non-Romance language besides English. I think when I go back to school I'll probably study French, but I would love to learn Arabic, Korean, or Thai.
I'm mostly just writing because I haven't written in a while. And there's a raging storm going on right now. I'm on the 9th floor, so it's really loud up here.
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