A Yankee in Rebel Clothes

33/365

2012-02-02T12:13:00.002-05:00

I love to see my kids completely engrossed in their own book worlds while sharing such small spaces.
Reading is both individual and communal.
And I love it.

32/365

2012-02-01T12:09:00.000-05:00

The lake where I run is gorgeous just as the sun sets.

31/365

2012-01-31T20:23:00.000-05:00

I'm attempting to make homemade sweet milk vodka. It requires equal parts vodka, sugar, and whole milk. And a bit of orange for citrus. I used some cheap vodka in case it all turns out to be crap, and then I'm only out about $8. (When I saw that vodka comes that cheap, I laughed out loud in the ABC.)

I'll let you know how it turns out it about 10 days.

DIY Liquor Night

30/365 and a running fail

2012-01-30T18:59:00.001-05:00

Today was my first day back running after a 12-day hiatus. I haven't worked out PERIOD in 12 days. Between a tweaked knee and a stomach virus and being out of town, I haven't been able to exercise at all. Finally, today, the weather was nice, my knee felt better, I've been eating normally for a few days, and I was tweaking out a bit from pent up energy. I went home straight away after a too-long meeting at work, grabbed the dog, and headed out.

I very quickly discovered that my 12-day-break has completely depleted my endurance. I could barely run for more than 3 minutes at a stretch. I worked through it, but I was pretty disappointed. I'm hoping it was just me getting back into the swing of things and that things go better tomorrow.

At least I had something pretty to look at while I ran ...

Sunset while running

My new go-to relaxation spot

2012-01-29T21:13:00.002-05:00

I spent this weekend in Annapolis with the cousin and his wife. I officially love going to visit them, and, despite my initial hesitation about Annapolis, Annapolis has become one of my favorite places to visit. There are a few different reasons why I enjoy it so much, but mainly I always have a great time there. And now, whether the cuz and his wife like it or not, they are stuck with me. :)

1.) Annapolis is close enough for a weekend away but far enough so that I can forget all about home and the stuff there. It only takes about 4 1/2 hours to get there (when traffic is ideal), and I'm able to completely bypass DC traffic. It's a super easy drive, and, since I love driving, it works out well.

2.) The cousin and his wife are awesome. Well, the wife is more awesome, but the cousin isn't so bad. This weekend, the wife made brownies at 9 at night simply because we wanted them. And before that she made an amazing dinner of fish and mushrooms and asparagus. It was awesome.

3.) Visiting the cousin means drinking and usually drinking a lot. This weekend, we were in the pubs by 10:30 on Saturday morning. We indulged steadily for the rest of the day, and, surprisingly, I went to bed totally sober. Which was a very weird experience, but whatever. We also made vodka gummy bears (which were awesome!), smoked cigars, drank whiskey, and played parchesi (or however its spelled).

4.) Crepes. Going to Annapolis means going to this amazing little crepe shop down by the water. It is ridiculous. I had a banana and peanut butter and granola and honey crepe this morning. Wow. The cousin had a reuben crepe, and the wife had something with sausage and cheese and egg and avocado. By all reports, they were amazing. I want to go back to Annapolis EVERY WEEKEND just to have one. Yum.

5.) Speaking of yum, I had two firsts this weekend end. I enjoyed my very first Irish coffee on Saturday morning followed by an amazing bowl of tomato whiskey soup. Wow. First, the Irish coffee. I hate coffee. I like the smell of it, but I've never liked the flavor. But add a some whiskey, brown sugar, and heavy cream and the coffee suddenly turns palatable. VERY palatable. The whiskey tomato soup was the best soup I've ever eaten. It was chunky and creamy and had the most amazing flavors. I've found a recipe online and will DEFINITELY be trying it out in the near future.

6.) Annapolis is pretty. And quaint. And I always take pictures while I'm there. In fact, I have some from this trip, but I haven't offloaded them from my camera yet, so they are forthcoming. Hopefully I'll get them posted tomorrow. We'll see. For now, I need to go to bed. It's been a long weekend, and tomorrow morning is approaching far too quickly.

29/365

2012-01-29T18:53:00.000-05:00

Basking in the sun after her kennel banishment.

28/365

2012-01-28T18:52:00.000-05:00

I love that my cousin married a girl WHO CAN COOK!

27/365

2012-01-27T18:51:00.000-05:00

Trouble.

26/365

2012-01-26T18:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes looking back can be blinding.

25/365

2012-01-25T18:50:00.000-05:00

I LOVE driving. Especially on such beautiful days.

Set backs and frustrations

2012-01-25T09:11:00.001-05:00

I've run into a snag with my run training. (Pun intended)

Last Wednesday, I tweaked my knee. When I tried to run through it on Thursday (dumb move), it got worse. I was halfway into my run, and it felt like I had been shot in the knee cap. And, of course, being halfway into the run meant walking the rest of the way home. Which only confirmed how badly my knee hurt. And now it's hurt consistently every day since. Not an unbearable pain, but an annoying pain that seems to be lingering longer than it should. Because it's not 100% yet, I haven't run on it since.

And, if I hadn't been dealing with a banged up knee, I've been dealing with a messed up stomach. The stomach flu has been circulating school like wildfire. I've got a touch of it, and started feeling like crud last Friday. I never got the full blown sickness, but I've had zero appetite for about five days now. For anyone who knows me at all, you know I LOVE food. I've always had a healthy appetite, probably too healthy which is why I need to exercise to keep a consistent weight. But, for the past five days, I've consumed about 500 calories a day. And I've had to force myself to eat that much. Food just looks completely uninviting. And that makes me sad.

Yesterday I started to feel a little better in the afternoon, and I made myself a nice healthy smoothie with spinach and yogurt and fruit and some protein powder. I followed it an hour later with a piece of bread. And then I realized that I wasn't feeling it. I didn't get sick, but I didn't feel so hot. I'm definitely staying hydrated with lots of water and tea, but I'm feeling the effects of my newly decreased diet. I'm tired all the time, and I've lost about 5 pounds since Thursday. No real nutrition = no energy = no working out. I haven't had any exercise since last Thursday, and I'm getting jittery and anxious as a result. I have a physical scheduled for tomorrow morning (my first in over three years. Yeah, I know that's bad.), and they'll be taking blood work. Maybe they'll see something to explain this. Or maybe it is just the adult strain of the stomach bug.

I'm going out to eat tonight (my favorite ... Mexican!), and I'm hoping I'll be inspired to eat something. Maybe I'll get my appetite back over margaritas.

I just want to eat!!

24/365

2012-01-24T08:48:00.000-05:00

Shadow Bailey

23/365

2012-01-23T08:47:00.000-05:00

She's willful. Refuses to lay her head on her soft bed.
Prefers the hard bricks instead.

22/365

2012-01-22T08:45:00.000-05:00

My bonsai is making progress

21/365

2012-01-21T16:51:00.001-05:00

My Saturday -
Grading and Jazz

20/365

2012-01-20T16:49:00.000-05:00

Spontaneous fan club creation by my students -
I love how they make me feel so loved.

19/365

2012-01-19T12:37:00.001-05:00

Basil - my favorite herb

18/365

2012-01-18T15:03:00.001-05:00

Knowledge should be free.

The wait

2012-01-17T11:17:00.003-05:00

I spent Saturday with old friends in the 'boro. My girlfriend May* from Ithaca-by-way-of-the-'boro-by-way-of-NY came down for the weekend to celebrate her recent spontaneous nuptials. I made the drive over to the 'boro on a beautiful afternoon and it was totally worth it. I didn't get to see all the people I wanted to, but I got to spend some amazing QT with May and Jack.

May and I are a funny story. We actually grew up in the very same town just a few years apart. She attended high school with some of my older cousins (and possibly my brother?), and, since I transferred to a different high school in the 10th grade, we never knew each other. When I moved to Greensboro and started RCIA, May was in class. We both liked the Red Sox and loved Ithaca, so we became fast and instant friends.

During our friendship, May had a long run of bad luck. She just couldn't seem to catch a break. She has the most genuine heart and loving spirit, but it truly seemed that the world was conspiring against her. Nothing ever seemed to be easy for her or to go her way. She eventually migrated to NYC to see if things would be better there. I missed her, but things just weren't happening for her in the 'boro.

After she moved, things were still rough but they also got better. Most significantly, she met Jack. From the moment she met him, her Facebook posts and general outlook seemed to improve. This man brought something into her life that she had been missing: a cheerleader, a caring companion, a strong supporter to help her through the hard times. Even though I only met him this past weekend, I knew I already loved him. He gave her something that she so richly deserved and needed, and he gave it freely and lovingly. And that, my friends, earns major points in my book. Of course, hard times still happen for May and Jack, but she's not longer facing it alone. And that alone makes it easier.

And, most importantly, she's happy.

Happier than I've ever seen her. And it's a wonderful feeling to see someone you care so much about find "it."

I sometimes get beaten down by life and wonder what the hell it's all for. So many people have to struggle so hard to get such meager rewards. The inequity that I observe daily can be so frustrating and disheartening. I'm blessed enough to not have to face such hard things on a regular basis, but my heart bleeds for those who do. And I'm amazed that people can continue on through all the struggle and heartbreak. But May and Jack reminded me that the old cliche is indeed true: Good things come do to those who wait. And May waited a long time. And her reward is all the more rich because of her wait.

It melts my heart to see her happy and fulfilled. Even the hard times now don't seem so hard for her. She has someone in her corner. And I couldn't be happier for her.

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent. ;-)

17/364

2012-01-17T10:07:00.000-05:00

Yep. My torn cuticle hurts that much.
Sometimes the right band-aid DOES make it better.

16/365

2012-01-16T10:05:00.000-05:00

Corks

15/365

2012-01-15T10:03:00.000-05:00

Glass lace

The value of water

2012-01-15T09:03:00.000-05:00

My 5k training has been going swimmingly except for one little hiccup in the plan.

Staying hydrated.

I know water is essential for your body, especially so when working out. Even Shannon warned me about it when I started this whole thing. I try to drink as much as possible, but I sometimes forget to keep my water bottle filled and close at hand. Thursday I experienced what happens without water first hand.

I had my morning tea on Thursday but never really drank again all day. When I went to Zumba that night, my muscles started to cramp up just a little. I left class halfway through and decided to get my run in. Ten minutes into my run, my legs cramped so bad I could barely walk. It wasn't goof. And I was pist and felt like an idiot because it was both 100% preventable and 100% my fault.

So I learned my lesson. Water, water, water. Ever since Thursday, I have been drinking water like no one's business! When I ran yesterday with girlfriends, I was fully hydrated and feeling good. And I had no cramping at all.

Lesson learned.

14/365

2012-01-14T08:48:00.000-05:00

I've missed this girl.

13/365

2012-01-13T08:47:00.000-05:00

Friday the 13th doesn't scare me.

12/365

2012-01-12T08:46:00.000-05:00

Weekend Reading

11/365

2012-01-11T21:50:00.000-05:00

EVERY day is a lovely day for a Guinness.

10/365

2012-01-10T19:47:00.000-05:00

A Bonsai in the making

9/365

2012-01-09T13:58:00.001-05:00

Rain, rain, go away.

Rain on red berries

5k Training - Week #1

2012-01-08T19:25:00.000-05:00

So, I've been roped in to running a 5k in March. It all started when I decided to start running and then Q's Momma wanted to train for a 5k. And, because we support each other that way, I'm in training with her. This was the first of training, and it, surprisingly, went really well. I worked in my training around my existing fitness schedule, and I feel good.

The training this week was an easy one: Walk 4 minutes, run 2. Repeat 6 times, three times a week. Q's Momma and I did two on the treadmill and one outside. The two on the treadmill directly followed kickboxing and Zumba, and I wasn't nearly as exhausted as I thought I would be after two hours of cardio. On Saturday, the GNO ladies all got together to run around the lake. It went well other than being cold and making my lungs hurt. But it was good.

This week its a 3 minute walk, 3 minute run cycle, again repeating 6 times, three times a week. I'm actually looking forward to getting out there tomorrow after work and getting some fitness in. I'm not sure what happened to me this year, but something certainly has.

Countdown to the 5k = 61 days

8/365

2012-01-08T19:13:00.001-05:00

Christmas is officially over when Cecilia is naked again.

7/365

2012-01-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

Nothing comes between this girl and her froggie.

6/365

2012-01-06T22:15:00.001-05:00

Shimmer and shake

5/365

2012-01-05T20:06:00.001-05:00

This is what you get when you combine and adorable child
and blueberries.

4/365

2012-01-04T19:45:00.001-05:00

My tree is still up and decorated.
It's not Epiphany.
I have until Friday.

3/365

2012-01-03T20:36:00.001-05:00

After 60 minutes of kickboxing and 30 minutes of a run/walk, I deserved this.
My world-famous stove-top popcorn.
With butter.
And salt.
Mmmmmmmmmm ...

2/365

2012-01-02T18:14:00.001-05:00

These are magic shoes. They make me want to run.

A funny thing happened at the start of the New Year ...

2012-01-02T14:54:00.002-05:00

I ran.

Me. The one who always say, "I wouldn't run if someone was chasing me." Yeah. I ran. Willingly. And no one was chasing me. I don't know what came over me. But, me running isn't the most shocking part.

I actually enjoyed it.

And then did it again today. And it felt good.

Unbelievable, I know. Right?!

Let me explain myself ...

In an effort to keep up with my "continue to get fit" resolution, I took The Beast for a walk yesterday. I did the regular loop (which is about 4 miles) because it was so gloriously pretty out. About a mile into the walk, I said to myself, "I'm going to jog to that intersection." I don't know how far the intersection was, but I picked up my pace, shortened B's leash, and did it. A little while later, I did it again. And then ... again. And then, when I was near home, I did it a fourth time. And the last time was the longest and hardest that I ran. I was pretty impressed. And then I was convinced that I would be paralyzed this morning when I woke up.

But I wasn't.

So, today, I did it again.

I went to the gym, hopped on the treadmill, and started my exercise. I didn't run the entire time, but I did set mini challenges for myself. I would pick a song with a good beat and make myself run until the end of of it. I ran through a few different U2 songs, some David Grey, and part of an LMFAO song (don't judge me on my musical choices). From what I was actually keeping track of, I ran a 4:10 segment, a 5:00 segment, and a 4:10 segment. I didn't keep track of the other segments. But I've never run for 5 minutes at one time in my entire life. My ENTIRE life. And it felt good. And I was proud of myself. And I'm going to do it again! Not tomorrow because that's kickboxing, but definitely on Wednesday.

I've realized a few things about why I've always hated running. First, I wasn't running in my natural stride. I was taking steps that were far too short for my natural gait which made my shins hurt terribly. Second, I'm currently in the best shape I've been in in probably ever. So I can actually breathe when I'm running. Third, I was being too critical of running in general. It's actually not that bad.

So, now Q's Momma and I are going to start working towards a 5k in the fall. I know that's only just over 3 miles, but I would be amazingly proud of myself if I could get to that point. And I'd start to get a runner's body which is highly desirable. :)

1/365

2012-01-01T20:30:00.001-05:00

Vinho Verde

Mandatory New Year's Post

2012-01-01T10:53:00.001-05:00

I hate New Year's. It's a bit like Valentine's Day. A made up holiday to give people a reason to get dressed up, go out to expensive dinners, stay up late, and act like idiots. But, what makes it better than Valentine's Day is that the next morning, everyone gets to start over from scratch again. After all, it's a new year! Time for changes, right? There are resolutions to make (and subsequently break), right? Happy New Year!

But, because I'm a good sport, I play along. I do make resolutions each January 1st, but I also make them at various other times of the year as well. I think that any changes worth making can be made at any time. And, in fact, they should be. Waiting for a special occasion to make a change in your life isn't the best strategy for success. But, because everyone else is doing it, so will I. Here goes ...

- This is going to be the Year of MaryBeth. It's the Year of the Dragon, and I think that is fitting for me this year. Chinese tradition cites the dragon as a doer who gets things done. It's also closely associated with wisdom and power. I'm focusing on me this year. I'm going to work at doing what I want and need and following my heart more. I'm going to make decisions that make me happy and fulfilled. I'm going to say "no" more often; but, at the same token, I'm going to say "yes" more often as well. I'm going to work on setting some boundaries because, let's face it, that is definitely a weak spot for me.

- Part of focusing on me is also focusing on things I love to do, namely photography. I'm going to get back into my photo-a-day routine, and, hopefully, I can go more than just a few months!

- I'm also going to continue getting fit and healthy. I made great progress last spring and have maintained that success. But, I want to kick it up a notch and keep it rolling. I can fit into my high school prom dress (it's just a little snug, but it zips completely!), and I plan to wear it out somewhere special by the end of the year. Perhaps next New Year's but hopefully before that.

- I also plan to spend next New Year's in a different time zone, and, hopefully, a different country. I haven't worked out the details on that one yet, but I've got a few months to think about it.

- And, of course, I will finish my dissertation in the coming year. Well, perhaps not finish, but be prepared to submit and defend by the spring semester 2013. That's just over a year away.

2011 has been an "eh" year. Not horrible, but certainly not amazing. I travelled a lot (New Orleans, New England, Ireland, Annapolis, Florida ...) which always makes me happy, but it also made my travel bug itch all the more. I've made some close bonds with people in my life and walked away from others. I've laughed a lot, cried a lot, and I've been angry or hurt more than I would like to be. 2012 will hopefully have a lot more laughter and a lot less anger and tears.

So, here's to 2012. Cin cin!

2011 in Review

2011-12-31T16:21:00.000-05:00

After being inspired by a friend to create a year-end photo recap, I went through my photo library for this year (all 4,000 photos!) and put together a book. I like how it turned out, and I'm excited to see the final product when it gets here in about a week.

2011 2 by MaryBeth Short | Make Your Own Book

The land of gorges and waterfalls

2011-12-27T13:47:00.000-05:00

Although I complain about the cold here at home (a lot), I do have to admit the I come from beautiful country. The rolling hills, the lakes and rivers, the waterfalls and gorges ... it is truly beautiful. Even in winter.

The view from Mom and Pop's front porch.
I love how just one field is snow covered.

Taughannock Falls.
Ithaca really is gorges. :)

Old stairs.

Tallest falls east of the Mississippi.
Ain't she grand?

And, for a point of reference, here she is six months ago.

Buttermilk Falls

A new moon

2011-12-26T18:40:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things about Mom and Pops house is that the sky is big and bright and clear at night. All the stars that are usually swallowed up by the city lights back in NC are clearly visible and go on forever. Even the moon is brighter, despite it's crescent condition.

Here is the moon from my view ...

That's a motley crew ...

2011-12-26T18:34:00.003-05:00

I didn't grab many shots during the Christmas festivities, but I did manage to get one of my nieces and nephews (save for the two oldest). I love my family. Especially the younger generation who is always so happy to see me. Makes a girl feel wanted and loved.

I'm a liar

2011-12-25T18:38:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month, I decided to stay in NC for the holidays and do the flying-solo Christmas with my good friends. In my entire life, I've missed Christmas Eve with my family ONCE, and my mom was very unhappy that it was going to happen again. I didn't want to make the drive (9+ hours) twice in such a short time (four days), but, as the holiday got closer, I decided to do it as a surprise to the family.

I told my dad that I was coming home (I needed a bed to stay in!) and my sister found out later. No one else knew, and I locked down my Facebook statuses so my snooping mother (love you!) wouldn't find out. I packed up the car in the cover of darkness early on Christmas Eve morning and was headed north by 5:20am. If you've never driven on the interstate on Christmas Eve before, I HIGHLY recommend it. Traffic was light, people were courteous, and the driving was easy. I made AMAZING time getting home (9 hours and 20 minutes) and even had time to stop at my favorite bagel shop to get a hot NY treat.

Yep. This is my life.

I showed up at Mom and Dad's around 4pm, letting Bailey walk in first, causing just that right amount of chaos. I walked in shortly after, and Mom was totally shocked. She cried, my sister-in-law cried ... it was awesome. The typical Christmas Eve chaos ensued with the nieces and nephews running around and playing and getting into trouble. The brothers and sisters bickering and bantering and enjoying adult beverages. The Beast running around, begging for food from anyone who looks like a sucker. It was a good time.

Christmas morning came far too soon after Midnight Mass, and I found myself at my sister's house to watch her girls open their presents. Back at Mom and Dad's shortly after for some more Christmas festivities with Mom's family. Surprisingly, Mom's family event was more quiet than the night before. Thankfully. Bailey still begged from everyone and definitely got more handouts today than yesterday. We both are going to be 5lbs. heavier when we leave in a few days.

The weather yesterday was FREEZING. I left NC at 5:20am and it was 45 degrees. When I got to NY, it was 26 degrees. And it only got colder as the night progressed. When I left for Midnight Mass, it was 18 degrees out. EIGHTEEN DEGREES, people! My body is not used to these temperatures. Today was a little better ... it's currently 35 degrees at 7pm (although in NC right now it's currently 50 degrees). At least the sun was out for the whole day. But it's still damn cold. Much colder than I am comfortable with. I think I'm only a NYer in attitude these days; my blood has certainly thinned out.

I hope you all had a joyous and blessed Christmas wherever you are!

I'm not a cookie person

2011-12-22T18:17:00.001-05:00

And, by that, I mean that I'm not a cookie baking person. I'm DEFINITELY a cookie eating person, but I have no skills when it comes to baking them. They always end up flat or burnt or under-done or just unimpressive. So, when it comes to the holidays and the traditional baking of cookies (Why do we bake so many cookies during the holidays anyway? That's a whole different blog post. I digress ...), I get off easy.

However, I do have some skill when it comes to making candies and sweets. I've been known to make a mean peppermint bark, but my favorite treat to make are my candied orange peels. They are an old-fashioned goody that just embodies "Christmas" for me. It makes me think of the old days (even before I was born!) when an orange was an exotic and special Christmas present and those who received them made use of every part of them. Hence the candied peels. They are actually quite simple to make, and they taste simply amazing. Which, for me, is a perfect combination.

I normally make my candied peels with navel oranges, but this year I tried it with little clementines. The results are mixed. They are a more flimsy candy, but they have a sweeter taste (much like a clementine is sweeter than a navel). They also aren't as pretty and uniform as navel peels are. But who cares how pretty they are when they taste so good.

Interested? Here's the recipe ...

Candied Orange Peels with Dark Chocolate Drizzle

(Chocolate drizzle is optional)

Ingredients:

About a dozen navel oranges, peeled (You'll just need the peel, so be sure to use the oranges for another recipe. Or you can just keep them in the fridge in a covered bowl for easy snacking.

4 c. sugar (plus an additional 1/2 c. for finishing) I prefer turbinado sugar here.

1 c. water

6 oz. dark chocolate (optional)

Process:

After peeling your oranges (use a knife for more uniform slices), carefully remove the pith (the bitter white stuff that covers the inside of the peel). The pith will make your peels bitter, so you want to remove as much as possible. Try to get your peels to be just orange with minimal white. I then like to slice them into nice, uniform 1/4" strips.

(Some recipes recommend blanching your peels in boiling water 2-3 times to remove bitterness, but I've never done that. I've also never thought that the finished peels were bitter. Feel free to do this if you are sensitive to bitter flavors.)

Combine your water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar solution is boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer and add your orange peels. Keep on a low simmer until the peels start to turn transparent, stirring occasionally (approximately 30 minutes or so).

Once your peels are uniformly transparent, remove from the heat, drain, and rinse.

Roll candied peels in granulated suger and let them dry on a wire rack. They will stiffen and harden to a gel consistency (about 2-4 hours).

Store in an airtight container and eat within 14 days. Of course, I'm sure that part will be the easiest. :)

OPTIONAL:

When peels are dried and complete, melt dark chocolate and dip them. (In all honesty, I prefer them without the chocolate because they are good enough without it!)

Becoming selfish

2011-12-21T20:57:00.000-05:00

Like so many women in the world today, I was raised to be a nurturer. I feel a deep-seated (or is it deep-seeded?) urge to take care of those around me which is impossible to repress. I put other people's needs and wants before my own, even when it leaves me at a disadvantage. It's who I am and who I have always been. Whenever I try to put myself first, I feel overwhelming pangs of guilt and selfishness. I feel responsible for other people's happiness. And, while I know that this is unrealistic and often irrational (hours in counseling has given me this insight), it is hard (impossible?) to change that feeling. (Although, all that counseling has made me realize that this is why I have such high expectations for those around me. I expect all people to act like I do ... putting others first. And, when they don't, I'm easily disappointed.)

But I need to. I need to stop putting so much pressure on myself. My rational brain knows that I cannot be responsible for anyone else's happiness but my own, but my emotional center feels guilt and devastation whenever I am the cause (or I view myself as the cause) of someone else's unhappiness. Even when things out of my control make others unhappy, I still feel guilt and responsibility. I know that it's not healthy, but I can't seem to get out of this vicious cycle. My heart always equates selfishness with taking care of yourself even though my brain knows that one must be personally happy and complete to even have the potential of making others happy.

But how does one learn to be selfish? And that it's okay to be selfish to some degree? How do I learn to take care of my own needs before others without feeling such overwhelming guilt? I need to learn to compartmentalize my emotions better, but I don't know how to do that. And I need to. It's more of a self-preservation thing at this point.

Epicurean Attempts - UPDATED

2011-12-20T19:24:00.001-05:00

We all know I love all things food. I prefer to eat amazing food that other people make, but, occasionally, I attempt to make tasty morsels myself. Tonight was the first time I have created a recipe based solely on a picture (that I found, of course, on Pinterest). I won't know until tomorrow how it tastes (~~when I share it with my teammates at school. Hopefully it is good, or I'll be terribly embarrassed.~~ It tasted AMAZING, and I will DEFINITELY be making it again.), but it looks pretty amazing. And smells pretty fantastic as well.

~~Chocolate Strawberry Pie~~
Chocolate-Covered-Strawberry Pie

This pie has been renamed to reflect it's tastiness. It seriously tastes just like chocolate covered strawberries. I'm already planning a white chocolate version and a cherry version.

Ingredients:

1/2 oz. Knox unflavored gelatin (2 packets)
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
6 oz. chocolate chips (I prefer 66% dark, but any kind would work. White could be amazing as well.)
Fresh strawberries (I used just over a quart, but it depends on how big your berries are.)
Chocolate pie shell (You can make your own, but that is A LOT of work.)

Process:

Stem all of the strawberries. Slice each strawberry in half.

Combine first four ingredients (gelatin, sugar, water, chocolate) in a small saucepan and heat on low until all the chocolate has melted and all ingredients are combined.

Pour chocolate gelatin into the chocolate shell. Let the hot gelatin cool for a few minutes so not to cook or scald the berries. Add strawberries slowly, making sure that the berries peek out of the chocolate. The gelatin mixture will slowly rise, so be careful it doesn't overflow. Add as many berries as the pie shell will hold.

Pop in the refrigerator for about ten minutes. Take it back out once the gelatin has started to set. Add a few more strawberries to finish it off.

Keep in the refrigerator until set.

I'll let you know how it tastes tomorrow! Fingers crossed!

A little slice of YUM!

I just may be the marrying kind

2011-12-19T17:27:00.001-05:00

After my divorce eight years ago (give or take), I swore off marriage. Despite coming from a very happy home with parents who have been married for going on 35 (?) years (Go, Mom and Dad!), I decided that marriage wasn't really for me. My divorce wasn't particularly nasty or difficult, especially since we had no children and no joint assets, but my marriage itself was nothing spectacular. I married my starter husband (insert smile here) in my senior year of college after dating for four or so years. I know now that I married him because it was what I thought I was supposed to do. Everyone kept asking when we were going to get married because we had been dating for so long. I thought it was time, and I knew that everyone in my family loved him and he loved them. Coming from a tight family, that was really important. It seemed like it was the right thing to do at the right time. I know now that I was very mistaken. Hind sight is 20/20, right?

Married life wasn't at all what I expected it or wanted it to be. Most of my marriage, I felt like I had a roommate instead of a husband. We led very separate lives with very different interests. We did the family stuff together and enjoyed that, but, beyond the family stuff, we really didn't have much to connect us. We really were very different people running on different paths. I'm a social person who enjoys going out and socializing. While I also enjoy my quiet, solitary, at-home time, he enjoyed it too much. He never wanted to go out with friends and socialize. (Interestingly, as soon as we split up, that's all he ever did!) He was perfectly content to sit home every night of the week and watch TV. I figured that if that was what marriage was, I didn't want any part of it. So, after splitting up, I swore off marriage.

I honestly didn't see the point of marriage. Why should I need a piece of paper to show my love and devotion to someone else? Everything seemed so perfect before marriage, and afterwards it all went to pot. I convinced myself that the problem was the marriage rather than the relationship. I thought marriage should be easy and organic, and I didn't realize the amount of work it required. I, honestly, didn't want to work that hard.

But, here I sit, the better part of a decade later, emerging from an epiphany. I've never said this before, but here goes ... I want to get married again someday. Obviously not tomorrow or next week or even next year, but I want to share my life with someone forever. I've realized that it's not just a piece of paper. It's a public declaration of the depth and breadth of a loving attachment to another human being of my choosing. I clearly had the wrong marriage before, but now I recognize that it was the relationship that was the problem, not the institution of marriage. As a real, all-grown-up adult, I recognize that all relationships are work, and marriage is no exception. I do expect it to be more equally balanced between work and ease, but it does take work.

And, to be honest, I want to be married in the Catholic Church. When I joined the Church years ago (it's weird to say that!), I decided to get an annulment from my first marriage. I never went through with the paperwork, but I'm going to now. I don't want a big fancy wedding because, honestly, money is better spent in other ways. But I would like to walk down the aisle and meet the love of my life at the altar. And when that happens, it'll be the last time it happens. If and when I get married again, it'll be the last time it happens for me.

Better late than never ...

2011-12-19T12:54:00.000-05:00

I was a little late to jump on board the Hunger Games train, but I'm finally there. I'm through the first two books and am eager to start (and finish!) the third. And I'm super excited for the new movie to come out in March! The best part? Woody Harrelson plays Haymitch Abernathy, the curmudgeon-drunk trainer/mentor. The cast is all-over pretty great as well. Perhaps I'll have to take a group of kiddos to see it when it finally comes out on March 23rd!

What I learned today ...

2011-12-15T17:26:00.000-05:00

Complaining gets you EVERYWHERE.

Let me rewind just a bit ...

I've always had a love/hate relationship with TV cable companies. I LOVE having cable and being able to watch TV whenever I want, but I HATE the complete racket that they have going on. They are, for all intents and purposes, a monopoly. Consumers have so few choices, and we are at the mercy of their price gouging. I've gone without cable before, but, sadly, cable and internet often go together. And there is NO WAY I can go without internet. So it becomes a vicious cycle of fighting with the cable company over prices every few months when they raise their prices again and again.

Since I've moved into this apartment three years ago, Time Warner Cable has raised my prices four times. Currently, I'm paying over $80 for cable and internet. I know that doesn't seem like a lot but I get 75 channels and broadband. For a single person in a small household, that's too much money for not enough service. When I got letters in the mail saying that it would go up another $15 at the end of this billing cycle, I had enough. I called up customer service, requested to be connected to Retention immediately, and told them that this price increase was unacceptable and I would not pay any more than I already was paying. Their solution was to offer my digital cable (I currently have basic), internet, and Showtime for $96. Um. No. By my math (and I'm no math wiz), that's more that what I'm currently paying. I told them to set me up for disconnection at the end of my billing cycle because I had had enough. The rep put me on hold to set up the disconnect.

Thirty minutes later I hung up. THIRTY MINUTES of being on HOLD for a disconnect? Not acceptable.

I immediately called back and connected with a supervisor. I explained the situation, and she offered to try to find me a better I deal. I told her that unless she worked a miracle, I was done. She clearly couldn't work me a miracle, and we set up disconnect for January 10th.

This evening, as I'm pulling into the parking lot, Time Warner calls. They want to know why I set up my service for disconnect. I explained that I was unhappy with paying more as well as their miserable customer service. He then offered me digital cable (the step up from what I am now) and internet for $56 a month, locked in for two years. Seriously? you couldn't offer me that yesterday and save all this hassle? Anyway, I agreed and hung up.

Five minutes later, they called back. A different rep tells me that the offer made before was only for people with a DVR box which I don't have. Here is comes. The bait and switch. I told her I wasn't interested in paying for a DVR box. She told me that I wouldn't be paying for anything and that a serviceman would be out to install the new box. So now I'll get cheaper cable and internet AND a DVR for two years. And they are coming on Sunday afternoon when I'm actually home.

All of this teaches me that being bitchy and complainy gets things done. Sweet and kind and courteous gets us no where these days. Which is sad and very unfortunate. What does that say about the world in which we live?

But at least I still have my beloved cable. :)

Why I do what I do ... and LOVE it

2011-12-13T18:22:00.001-05:00

I've said it before, and it is worth saying again...

I LOVE my job.

I work with great kids and great people and have the opportunity to really participate in young lives in a fun and worthwhile way.

About a week ago, I received the following email:

"Dearest Ms. Short,

I would be honored and the happiest girl in the world if youwould be my twin on twin day. We could dress up and be all matchy!"

Of course, completely honored, I agreed. And this is what resulted:

Where else can I dress up like a Christmas tree with a student for Twin Day and act like a big goof? And get paid for it?!

I am so very blessed to have such an amazing job in such a wonderful place surrounded by so many wonderful people. And 'tis the season for recognizing and giving thanks for the blessings we enjoy.

My minimalist Christmas

2011-12-11T20:38:00.000-05:00

This is the first Christmas of my life that I will celebrate alone. I'll be here in NC (with all of my wonderful friends, of course!), and all of my family will be in NY. It'll be a good growth experience for me, and I hope to get a lot of work done during the week off. I've finally gotten around to decorating the house, and, in the leftover feelings of downsizing, I have sorted through my decorations and am getting rid of A LOT.

So this Christmas, I'm taking a rather minimalist approach to decorating. I've got my tree up and some other small things here and there, but it's not overwhelming or crazy. I'm also not doing much in terms of gift giving either, so, in reality, my entire Christmas is quite minimalist in general.

My tree is the same tree I've had for years, and she is growing way too tall. I don't think she'll fit in the house next Christmas, but we'll see when we get there.

I decided to add some sparkle to my glass cabinet by adding some ornaments of various sizes in different glasses.

Sparkle in a Marie Antoinette champagne glass.

Guinness glasses sparkle, too.

And there's gotta be a martini glass as well!

My favorite decoration.

And the stockings are hung by the chimney with care. And it looks a little tropical with the orchid as a centerpiece (and I'm just noticing my manatee sculpture. That adds a special effect...).

Steal of the day!

2011-12-11T12:46:00.001-05:00

I didn't actually steal this jacket, but I might as well have! I paid only $26.99 for it, and it rocks. I went to Old Navy today for the first time in AGES. I went in looking for a specific t-shirt (a student and I are going to be "twins" on Tuesday as a part of Homecoming Spirit Week, and I needed to pick up the shirt that we had agreed upon), but they are having some massive sales so I figured I'd look around a bit. It's hard for this girl to resist a good sale. I found a few 3/4 sleeve Ts for $5 and then I stumbled upon this little gem. A white cropped peacoat with cuffed sleeves for $26.99!!

I've been needing a new coat, but it is so hard for me to find one that fits right because the sleeves are always too short. I have rather long arms, and I've ALWAYS struggled with sleeve length. But, I assure you, my arm length is completely proportional to the rest of my long body! :) This coat was perfect because 1.) it fit, 2.) it's cute and 3.) the cuffs were only tacked in place. As is, the sleeves were too short. But it took all of ten minutes for me to cut out the original tack and retack them longer. And now they are perfect! And I love it!

Coining a new phrase ...

2011-12-09T12:53:00.001-05:00

I'm not a picky eater, but it can appear as such. I absolutely LOVE food. I love it so much that I need to workout regularly to burn it all off. But I am picky ... no, selective ... about the food I eat. Let me start at the beginning...

In the 8th grade, it was the "cool" thing to go vegetarian. Since I'd never been a huge red meat fan (save for veal, which, I know, is the absolute worst of the red meat category!), I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon. Hey, it was 8th grade and everyone was doing it. My mom quickly vetoed my new-found vegetarianism, worried that I wouldn't get enough protein and nutrients that I needed to grow. We compromised, and I only ate white meat (chicken and turkey) instead.

Soon (I think it was my freshman year in college or so) my only-white-meat-eterianism moved from being the "cool" thing to being a bleeding-heart-animal-lover thing. I'd seen the horrible videos and whatnot of the horrible animal abuses in slaughter houses, and, if you know anything about me, you know I prefer the company of animals to most people.

In my "freshman" year of the PhD program, my bleeding-heart-animal-lover thing morphed into an environmentally-conscious approach to eating. I was working for a family who had an autistic child and they were focusing on a mainly organic and natural diet in an attempt to keep him free from environmental toxins (because some research has linked autism and environmental toxins. But, when you have a kid who needs help, you will try anything to make things better. It was worth a shot.). I began investigating food production practices and science and learned a lot of things that made me think twice about the kinds of food I put into my body. My dietary preferences were (and are) more focused on both the treatment of the food (animal, vegetable, and fruit) that I consume as well as the environmental impact of said food.

So now, I will eat pork, chicken, turkey ... ONLY if I have relatively sure that the animal was raised in a humane fashion and that the farming practices are sustainable. I still do not eat red meat because, like I said before, I never real had a taste for red meat. I choose organic and sustainable vegetables and fruits whenever possible. I make a conscious effort to consume food which is humane and sustainable. It doesn't happen 100% of the time, but I try to make it happen MOST of the time. (Granted, this is totally a 1st world concern, and I recognize the privilege and elitism that influences my decision. I do wish that all peoples of the world had access to adequate and sustainable foods. I'm thankfully I have the means to make such dietary decisions.)

No the problem lies in explaining this when I go out to eat with friends. I'm not a vegetarian per se because I do eat meat under certain conditions. So, I need a new term to describe my dietary lifestyle. And I think I've come up with it: Enviraterian. It sounds like I eat the environment (which makes me laugh. I feel like a monster consuming all I see ...), but I think it makes sense with my purpose in dietary decisions. Of course, this term itself will need explaining in it's own right, but it will take less backpedaling and clarification than saying I'm a vegetarian but ...

We'll see how it goes ...

Re "decorating"

2011-12-06T21:03:00.001-05:00

I've been living in the same apartment for going on three years now (which happens to be an adulthood record for me! Normally I don't last more than two years in a given space.), and I've gotten tired of looking at the same furniture in the same spots. Since I can't paint (or I'll just have to repaint again when I move ... in May?) and I can't afford massive amounts of furniture, I resorted to what I used to do in high school ... rearrange the furniture!

And, boy, did I!

I completely rearranged the living room, the kitchen/dining area, and my bedroom. And I already love the change. (To see the place before the changes, check out this post.)

The bar (still stocked) is now where the dining table used to be.

And the baker's rack with some soft lighting (because the lighting in this room sucks!).

My new "spacious" living room. Although Cecilia the Fur still dominates the space.
Thankfully she is only indoors until it warms up. I can't believe how much she has grown in five years!

The dining area is now outside of the kitchen.

I've also decided to make a more conscious effort to keep my bedroom a "sanctuary" space. Someplace I can go that's comfortable and easy and "me." It's not totally there yet (I need some art on the walls and a bit of tweaking with the lighting), but she's getting there.

Because I have no bedside tables anymore (you'll see in a later pic), I need one of my serving trays in the bedroom.
Which I kind of love the feel of. Adds to the "relaxation" vibe I'm trying to build.

The old church pew my parents gave me works perfectly here.
Hopefully I can prevent it from being a "catch-all" (which it has already started to be but only because I'm not done yet!

I love it. Ahhh .....

No bedside tables means no place to stash my books and my glasses.
Thankfully, the church pew has a hymnal rack on the back which holds my books and glasses PERFECTLY.

I want my bedroom to be like that last picture all the time. Candles lit, cozy blankets, a good cocktail (my special blend, of course), good books ready for reading ... Maybe if I can make this happen on a regular basis, I'll stay level and stress-free. Right?

The whole house needs some new artwork added, and I've got a ton of my own photographs to put up. I just need to decide what and where and all that jazz. But, for now, I'm happy with my "new" space.

My new most favoritest kitchen accessory ...

2011-12-06T20:57:00.001-05:00

The Slate Plate!

Isn't she pretty?

She's solid rock and can be cooled, warmed, served on, and/or eaten from. I've used her a handful of times already, and I've only had her for three days! I can write on her and label the food items on display so my guests can make informed decisions about what they are eating. :)

As you can see, she goes GREAT with cheese. Which is a good thing since cheese is one of my most favoritest things. :)

If you, too, would like a Slate Plate, check out the website. It's a local (Raleigh) start-up making some pretty sweet stuff.

I am Draco Malfoy.

2011-11-26T14:21:00.001-05:00

On Thanksgiving afternoon, I had a mini-HP Deathly Hallows marathon. It's rare that I have six+ hours of down time to devote to watching a movies, so I figured now was as good a time as any to revisit the ending of the series in it's entirety.

As an English teacher, I love the HP series. It's served as a great "gateway" series to get kids hooked into reading. And I love that the films have prompted some critical engagement with our kids -- comparing the books to the films, discussing what the films got wrong and what they did better -- really engaging with both texts. As a reader, I love the HP series because it opened a pretty awesome magical world to me that I had grown out of. And, while the books have their flaws, they are pretty well written and very enjoyable.

I also love the characters that Rowling gives us. She uses traditional dramatic types to fill her pages and gives them modern day (even if they are "magical") struggles to challenge them and force them to reveal their true selves. They have depth and dimension, but, sadly, not all are dynamic. Which doesn't mean that I like them any less. It just means that I identify with the less.

Let's start at the beginning: Harry himself. Harry is our hero. He is our self-sacrificing, Christ-like figure. He struggles to accept the role of The Chosen One, but he realizes that there is more planned for him than he knows. He doesn't change or grow or develop all that much. His true self is eventually revealed through the (constant) intercession of his two best friends and the many others who dedicate their lives to making sure he lives. He achieves beyond what I can ever expect to. He is far too courageous to be real. While we should all aspire to be like him, that is an unrealistic aspiration. We can never expect to achieve his feats. He is, after all, The Chosen One. We are just The Many.

Hermione is perfect. She knows right from wrong and has an inscrutable moral guide. She never sways from doing the right thing, even when it is hard or seemingly impossible. She stands up to bullies and faces her fear. While I love her tenacity, she just isn't real for me. She never changes of grows or develops as a character. She is perfect from the beginning to the end.

Ron is Ron. He struggles with jealousy, but that never truly deters his loyalty. He is a good friend and has a kind heart. He doesn't always do what is right at first, but he eventually follows his conscience. Of the three leads, Ron is the most flawed and the most redeemed. But his struggles aren't the same struggles that so many of us face. Ours seem to be greater, demanding more evolution and introspection.

But Draco. I see myself and so many of us in Draco. And it took me a long time to realize this. I've always wanted to hate Draco because of his naturally evil leanings, but I've come to realize that I hate Draco because I see all of the things that I hate in myself in him. Draco is a young, impressionable boy who follows his family/friends blindly because they are the people who love and support him. Even when he finally sees the evil around him, he struggles to do the "right" thing. This side of him really starts to show in the last few books of the series. He thinks that he has all the answers for all of life's questions and this makes him cocky. And he hides his vulnerability because he knows that it makes him weak. He presents a strong, steely exterior to the world when, in reality, he is torn apart inside. He has perfected his poker face, and it never truly breaks. But, despite all of his inherent evilness, he grows. He changes He develops from a cold, heartless kid into someone who turns away from the dark and towards the light. He helps the "good guys" (albeit subtly), and he serves to be the most dynamic HP character (in my humble opinion).

I see so much of Draco in me. I struggle with the same allegiances, forsaking what is truly right and good for me to stay with the comfortable and easy of those around me. I often find myself presenting a stoic exterior to the world to disguise the turmoil and frustration I sometimes feel inside. I like to pretend that I have all of life's answers, but I really have no clue what I am doing. And, I would like to see myself growing and developing and eventually becoming the person I would like to be. I just wonder if I actually have the tenacity and strength to get there.

I aspire to be Draco. To turn away from the toxic and trying and find the honesty and truth in the world. That takes guts. And I don't think I'm made of such stuff. But Draco reminds me that even the worst among us can change and become better.

Happy Christmas Crafting

2011-11-25T15:37:00.001-05:00

I actually made something I saw on Pinterest! Well, I've made other things before, but those were mainly food stuffs and some AMAZING jello shots (which, speaking of, I need to make again. SOON). I also found a great way to make use of the way-too-many corks that I have lying around the house. Add a few jingle bells and some shiny red ribbon, and there you have it!

(And, yes, I made this while listening to Christmas music. Don't' hate a girl for being sentimental. It's that time of year. And I kinda miss the fam back home ....)

My little wreath for the holidays.
Ain't she precious?

On a semi-related note ... When sorting through my copious amount of corks, I stumbled upon one dated November 22, 2009 from Thanksgiving in Spain. Which makes me remember fondly better times that I need to get back to. Ahhh ... good times, good times.

Oops! Forgot one!

2011-11-22T20:24:00.001-05:00

One of my new skulls got left out of the mix. My bad!

Best. Salad. Of. My. Life.

2011-11-22T20:05:00.001-05:00

My last meal in Chicago. Tear. All good things must come to end, and they certainly ended well.

My gracious host and I hit up Davanti for dinner tonight, and I had the pleasure of enjoying the most amazing salad. It wasn't truly a salad because the only thing green on it was a few leaves of watercress, but it was still fantastic nonetheless. (I'm definitely of the mind that salads are green. Jello "salad" and spaghetti "salad" and things of the sort aren't truly salads. We just don't have another word to describe them, so we go with "salad.") This lovely concoction was made of all things wonderful: roasted hazelnuts, whipped chèvre, farro (which is a new grain for me that I'm quickly starting to love) and roasted squash. Put all together with a mildly spicy apple-cider-vinegrette ... amazing.

It had the perfect balance of textures. A little crunch to balance out the smoothness of the chèvre and roasted squash. The spiciness of the vinaigrette to compliment the saltiness of the chèvre. And it was hearty as well. A wonderfully autumnal "salad." It was beautifully balanced, and I could have easily eaten four platefuls. But that would have left me no room for all of the other goodies (tuscan bread with ricotta and honey comb, marinated olives, risotto -- yes, again -- carbonara ...), so I had to pace myself.

This is DEFINITELY something that I will be attempting at home at some point. And I'll definitely be investigating this farro business a bit further. What a tasty little grain.

The picture doesn't do it justice ...

A bit more from Chicago ...

2011-11-22T14:47:00.001-05:00

NCTE has ended and ALAN has begun. After shipping off my giant box o' books that I got at registration, I attended a few hours worth of presentations and then headed down to the Field Museum for some leg-stretching and sight-seeing.

On my way down Michigan, I happened upon Agora, a public art instillation that is named after the Greek city-state (and not the recent Rachel Weiss movie ... which, if you have actually seen it and know what I am talking about, I will love you forever.). I'm not normally into this kind of art, but I found it to be pretty cool. Especially when walking amongst all of the legs milling about. It also made me feel short which I was definitely a fan of.

Agora, looking south.

Agora, looking north.

Compulsory skyline shot.

This wall was covered in the most beautifully autumnal vine.

Dinosaurs have invaded Chicago! And this one obviously needs a snack.

I also encountered many-a skull while in the Field Museum, and I became more than a little fascinated by them. So, of course, I took their pictures.

I absolutely love the shadow these figures cast upon the wall. Pretty cool, no?

And, last but not least, a cool feathery weed thing. And, yes, that is it's scientific name.

The best thing about the Field Museum was that there were exhibits on China and the Mayans and India and chocolate. Because of this, I can write my admission off as a business expense because I was clearly researching for my curriculum. (Well, not with the chocolate part. That was just for me.)

I'm a soup convert

2011-11-21T20:06:00.000-05:00

I've always made jokes that soup is for poor people. I know that it is poor taste, but it is just my artificial attempt at being elitist. Anyway, I've never really liked soup because I'm generally not a fan of the watery consistency of most soups. I do however like a good bisque ... I think partly because I like the name.

At The Gage in Chicago this week, I had the most amazing lobster pumpkin bisque. It was creamy and wonderful and amazing. It was one of those soups that came out in two parts - the meat and the liquid. When the waiter served me, my big white bowl simply had a lump of lobster meat and a bit of garnish. Over the top of that he poured the actual soup from a small silver pitcher. And, since I'm a whore for presentation, I LOVED it. (The first time soup was ever served this way for me, I was convinced that I had ordered and received the wrong thing. But when I saw the dish in it's entirety, I was far less concerned.)

The meal was outstanding, but the bisque was by far the stand out element. Presentation aside, the soup was creamy and rich and had the perfect balance of rusticity and decadence. And ideal autumn soup.

Chicagoland by night

2011-11-19T21:54:00.001-05:00

After presenting today and attending a few panels, it was completely dark when I left the hotel. I decided to seize the opportunity to take some night photographs of Chicago. I absolutely suck at night photography because I can't ever seem to get my settings right. But, I gave it the ol' college try and I'm pretty pleased with the results. Some are certainly better than others, but I'm happy overall.

Yes, please. A slice as big as my hand ...

The Bean at night.

This is probably my favorite.

The next few are all taken at Millennium Park. There are these two towers that are all glass bricks that are illuminated from the inside. On one side they project faces that are all a part of a water feature in warmer weather. Given that it is hellaciously cold, the water feature has been turned off. But the faces and lights are still on. I love how they change color regularly and how the light plays in the glass bricks. I think I'm going to get all of these enlarged and place them all together on my wall in frames. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Best. Beer. Of. My. Life.

2011-11-18T20:35:00.000-05:00

While in Chicago, I had the opportunity to visit Revolution Brewing, a small local brewing company that is doing some very amazing things. I actually went twice because, after I had this beer once, I knew I had to go back for it again. The food was pretty fantastic as well, but the beer was definitely stand out.

I'm speaking about the Barrel Aged Black Power. A. Mazing. Seriously. It has these amazing bourbon notes buried in a rich black smoothness. It seriously is the most amazing beer I've ever had in my life. I'm honestly sad to be leaving Chicago because I would like to drink this beer again, and I know it will be gone very soon.

If you ever get to Chicago, make sure you stop here. PHENOMENAL.

I know the picture is dark, but so is the beer.

Taking Chi-Town by storm

2011-11-17T22:49:00.001-05:00

I landed in Chicago last night, all ready for my first NCTE. It's amazing that this is my first year ever, especially given that I've been teaching English for about ten years now. Anyway, today involved walking around town and doing the touristy things. I haven't been to Chicago in 7 or 10 years, so I wanted to see the sights. Sadly, I've never actually visited Chicago in any season other than fall and winter, so it is always cold. What is that about?

See the moon in the urban wind tunnel?

Millenium Park

The Bean! Or, more accurately, "Cloud Gate." It's been so long
since I've been to Chicago that this didn't even exist the last time I was here.

I love the perspective.

Bean!

Looking up at the omphalos of the bean.

The weather was simply gorgeous.

Buckingham Fountain.
I've never seen this with water in it. It's always too cold when I come to visit.

Holy Name Cathedral

My love affair with dessert continues

2011-11-17T20:35:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love dessert? I'm pretty confident that I have. I'm one of those people who checks out the dessert menu before the actual meal menu. I have a wicked sweet tooth, and it only occasionally gets me into trouble. And when a friend suggests a restaurant and specifically mentions the dessert, I'm sold (thank you SOOOOO much, Sheila, for the rec. Best meal of my trip!)

I hit up Quartino with a girlfriend while in Chicago, and I'm so glad I did. The wine was served old-world style with no stemware of fancy-schmancy getups (despite my love of the fancy-schmancy). It came to you in carafes and cups. Just like the old world. Dinner was served in a tapas style (which I adore because it lets me try more of what the menu has to offer). My girlfriend and I shared the gnocchi and the shrimp risotto (because I'm a sucker for a good risotto), and she had the polenta fries while I hoarded the calamari. Everything was fantastic. Perfectly cooked and well seasoned. I had no complaints about the meal.

Especially when it came to dessert.

Ahhhh ... dessert ...

I had the zeppoles (at the suggestion of Sheila. Thank you yet again), and they were sinfully heavenly. Lightly fried and then dusted with some powdered sugar with dark chocolate and/or honey for a dipping sauce ... mmmmmmmmm ... heaven. I added a glass of lemon cello to make it all complete.

I left sated and ready for bed.

Um ... Yum!

A few pics I forgot!

2011-11-13T17:50:00.001-05:00

In a very non-mb moment, I actually had a few pictures taken of people ... including myself!

Me and my pops

My wonderful parents

and me. :)

Looking in ...

2011-11-13T17:42:00.001-05:00

I discovered this weekend that I have a mild obsession with taking photographs of the inside of plants. I'm not sure why, but I must like the perspective or something. I took three alone this weekend.

And I've taken many more in the past. It's becoming a trend. I'm not sure what that says about me ...

Mountain getaway

2011-11-13T17:31:00.001-05:00

Mom and Pop came down this weekend so we could take a quick weekend jaunt to the mountains. Mom and Dad love The Biltmore and they've wanted to see it al decked out in Christmas garb, so now was as good a time as any. We stayed at the inn on the estate which was absolutely beautiful. I'm talking fluffy robes, turn down service, valet, roses in the room ... all that jazz. It was pretty swank and definitely confirmed that I am supposed to live a life like that. Now I just need to find me a sugar daddy to make it all happen.

Anyway, the weekend weather was absolutely gorgeous, and the mountains were beautiful. A lot of the leaves on that side of the Appalachians had fallen, but it was still beautiful. And Asheville is such a great town and reminds me of home, so I always love it there.

The view from our room

The Biltmore's West Wing

The last roses were just starting to fade.

Tall trees in them there mountains

Looking up ...

The estate from across the pond

I love boats. Perhaps I should live on one. This one may be a little small though ...

I wish the water was more still so the reflection of the house was clearer.

Yeah, I could live there. It would be acceptable.

I simply adore the architecture and ornamentation ... even if it is ostentatious.

A little retail therapy never hurts

2011-11-09T18:57:00.001-05:00

I spent way too much money this afternoon on fall/winter dresses, but they was desperately needed. I got three super cute winter dresses - two greys and one brown - and a killer wool knit above-the-knee skirt. I can't wear one of the grey ones to school because it is far too short and far too saucy, but everything else is very school appropriate. I did get them all at a discount (which is essential), and I'm pretty stoked about wearing them soon. And, by the looks of the extended forecast in Chicago, I'm going to need them! It looks like the highs are shaping up to be what the lows are here in NC. Joy.

I also got my haircut today which was also desperately needed. My stylist always does such an awesome job; I love her. But, since tomorrow is wacky hat/wig day, no one will see my new haircut under my wicked pink wig.

All in all, I'm ready for fall. (Hey! That rhymes!)

Bring it on. :)

Yeah Fall!

2011-11-08T07:31:00.001-05:00

There are a few things I adore about fall. The beautiful leaves. The weather. The reemergence of warm weather clothes.

And boots.

I simply adore boots. And, while I have a few pair that are passable during summer, autumn really is the season for boots. And this season the boot sock has come into style, and that absolutely thrills me to no end!

I can't wait to go sock shopping!!

My new baby

2011-11-06T13:20:00.001-05:00

It's been four long years in the making, but I've finally got my new baby. Want to see her?

Isn't she beautiful? Cue Stevie Wonder ...

Yes, Verizon finally got the iPhone, and the 4S was released just in time for my contract renewal. She arrived via FedEx on Friday afternoon, and I love her already. She is better in SO MANY ways than my previous phone. I will admit that it was hard to give up my Google phone because I do love all things Google. And the Google Maps on the iPhone isn't nearly as user-friendly and organic as it was on my Droid. But her areas of strength certainly outweigh her deficiencies. And I LOVE that she is a world phone. No more renting a crappy phone when I head overseas (which, with any luck, will be in March!).

I just adore her. Not that I'm stuck on material things ... :)

Paw Printed

2011-11-06T13:11:00.002-05:00

I finally got my Bailey tattoo. After work on Friday, I headed downtown to see Marco. He's done some work on a colleague, and I really liked him after meeting him earlier in the week. The shop was really clean and friendly, and I felt quite comfortable going in there. After all, I was going to have some intimate body parts exposed so it's important that I feel comfortable and at ease.

I went in at 7pm and walked out an hour or so later with my new ink. It hurt like no other tattoo has hurt me before. I thought it was horribly painful when I got the top of my foot done. No. That pales in comparison to needles stabbing you in the ribs for an hour or so. But, because I'm a bit of a masochist (why else does one ever get more than one tattoo?), I powered through. I actually really enjoy getting tattoos. It's very cathartic and oddly relaxing. If I didn't have a job that required me to appear so respectable (because, let's be honest, people don't automatically assume tattooed people are "respectable"), I'd have more. But I'm happy with my 4 at this point. Marco said he'd touch up my foot at some point because it is in desperate need of a "face" lift. But I'll attend to that sometime in the next few months. Especially my beast's paw print.

She is still a little red and sensitive, but I love her already.

It looks HUGE in this picture, but it really only covers a 2X3 space.

The "B" is my favorite part. It's just beautiful. Marco did an AMAZING job. And free hand, nonetheless.

Attempts at Self-Portraiture

2011-10-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

Because self-portraits are the hardest part of photography for me (mainly because I HATE having my picture taken, and I am super critical of everything), I worked specifically on that area today. It was a gorgeous fall day, and I was out and about. I stopped at a local park to get some fall foliage shots and decided to give self-portraiture a go ... again. Plus, it's officially fedora weather now, and I had one of mine on.

Here's what my attempts produced ...

This is one of the better ones. I actually like this photo. Which is surprising for me.

I like the angle, but I can't figure out how to tweak the lighting just right on this one.

I kinda love my hair here.

This photo makes me feel like I'm in a Smashing Pumpkins video. 1979, anyone?

So, it wasn't a complete fail. But I'm certainly not in love.

And I took a few nice shots of foliage as well. And, autumn makes for great sunbursts, so I got a few of those as well.

I kinda love paths. It's a recurring theme in my photography.

Looking up.

I wanted to go to bed an hour ago ...

2011-10-24T22:12:00.004-04:00

... but I can't sleep, so, therefore, I am still awake. I haven't had insomnia in quite some time, but I've got it tonight. And, sadly, there is no one out there to talk to. Nobody on Fb, nobody online, nobody to text. Which isn't surprising because most normal people are either asleep or getting there at this point in the evening. It's doubly annoying that I can't sleep since tomorrow night is a long-awaited GNO (Girls' Night Out), and I know it will be a late evening. And before GNO is kickboxing ... the first one I've been to in over a week which will result in major pain. So, long story short, Wednesday has the potential to really suck.

At least I've got "I'm Not Really a Waitress" to lacquer my nails and Bravo for some mindless entertainment. And blogging. There's always blogging. :)

Good times, good times.

Thanks, Murph, for catching the massive error in my title. I was clearly beyond normal functioning at the time of the post. :)

Back on the juice ...

2011-10-24T14:02:00.001-04:00

... the Facebook juice, that is.

As you may or may not know, I turned off my Fb account about a month ago. I had a variety of reasons for this move, but most revolved around being sucked into trivial, completely unimportant garbage by people that I haven't seen/talked to/thought about in a decade. It's been a great month, and I haven't missed the garbage at all. But I have missed the photo updates from my dear friends with babies. And I've missed keeping in touch with those I care about who are far away. Fb is great in that it is easy to say a quick "hello" when you have five minutes free. So, after some deliberation and discussion, I've returned to the equally engaging and repulsing medium ... for now.

But I've made some changes, and I already like them.

First, I deleted friendships with anyone that I don't really care about. I don't mean to sound cold-hearted or evil, but there are people in the world that I'm just not concerned about. I don't wish them harm or ill will, but I don't need to know what is going on in their daily lives. I whittled my friends list down to under 70 from the previous over 200. I've always been proud that I've met every one of my Fb friends in person (except for Stephan Pastis, the cartoonist), and I've added a new layer to that friend criteria. If I haven't thought of you or communicated with you in the past 9 months, there is no real need to have you on my list. Again, not trying to sound harsh. I'm just trying to make Fb more manageable and beneficial for my purposes.

I've also deleted and "unshared" a lot of personal information that was previously shared. I'm not trying to be secretive or mysterious; let's all be serious because we know I'm not. But people who know me know those things already. There isn't really a need to share it on Fb. And, if you don't know, I'm happy to share. But in a less public and permanent forum.

I've left my privacy settings on "lock down" and that will stay the same. I'm more comfortable with that.

So, for now, I'm back. We'll see how long I can tolerate it.

I found it!

2011-10-23T18:51:00.001-04:00

Fall, that is. :)

After CCD this afternoon (which went amazingly well. Thank God for a group of engaged and excited teenagers on Sunday afternoons!), I stopped by Lake Crabtree to see what I could see. And it turns out that the sunset made for some fall-esque photographs.

And my newest self-portrait.

Autumn is passing me by!

2011-10-23T13:39:00.001-04:00

This gorgeous fall weather has got my trigger finger itching ... you know, my camera trigger finger! I haven't had the opportunity to get out and document the beautiful fall that is beginning to burst forth, and I need to soon before I miss it! Mom and Dad are coming down in November, and we are heading to the mountains for the weekend. But I fear that all the autumnal beauty will be gone by then and winter will have arrived.

Fall is so weird here in NC. It's hard to tell when it has really arrived because there are no hills here (well, at least where I am) to watch the color changes as autumn sweeps across the state. Every once in a while you'll catch a glimpse of vibrant reds and yellows on random trees, but it is nothing like being back in CNY where everywhere you looked, the hills were painted in gorgeous colors. The view from Mom and Dad's house in the fall is pretty damn spectacular. It's the fall when I miss home the most. See?

My goal this week is to get out and enjoy some fall photography opportunities. Perhaps I can find some opportunity this afternoon when I'm done teaching CCD. There's a nice park between my house and church ... maybe I'll find something there ...

In the meantime, I've been looking back through some favorite fall pics from years past. They've got me feeling almost sentimental ...

I can almost smell the leaves and the crisp air ...

99 versus 1

2011-10-22T11:57:00.001-04:00

I've not been very caught up in the Occupy business that is going on around the country right now. Don't get me wrong, though. I thoroughly support the position and the ideals behind the movement, I've just been too busy within my own sphere of influence to really focus on it. It started while I was over in Ireland (which is part of the reason I'm a little out of the loop), and, when I got back, I've just been too swamped in work to get into it.

Today one of my friends on Google+ posted a little piece about the movement by Lemony Snicket, and, since I love Snicket's writing voice, I decided to check it out. I'm glad I did because it's pretty fantastic. You can check it out here as well. The piece is entitled "Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance" and it is written in the very same voice he used for his Series of Unfortunate Events. It's pretty spot-on, so I'll only share a few direct quotations.

#4 - "People who say money doesn’t matter are like people who say cake doesn’t matter—it’s probably because they’ve already had a few slices."

#6 - "Nobody wants to fall into a safety net, because it means the structure in which they’ve been living is in a state of collapse and they have no choice but to tumble downwards. However, it beats the alternative."

#7 - "Someone feeling wronged is like someone feeling thirsty. Don’t tell them they aren’t. Sit with them and have a drink."

#11 - "Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending."

#13 - "99 percent is a very large percentage. For instance, easily 99 percent of people want a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and the occasional slice of cake for dessert. Surely an arrangement can be made with that niggling 1 percent who disagree."

Spot-on, no?

Future photog?

2011-10-22T11:45:00.001-04:00

I recently had my first photography "show." I write "show" because it was informal and in the gallery in the fine arts building on my school's campus. There were no requirements that I had to meet other than doing all the work (putting up the art and then taking it al down a month later) by myself. The school likes to showcase faculty work as well as student work throughout the year, and, since they had some empty time on the calendar, I offered to fill the walls for a few weeks.

The weeks leading up to the "show" made me terribly nervous. While I love taking photographs, I am very critical of my own work. I always see something that I didn't notice before that ruins the shot for me. After seeing the images on paper, I don't really love the lighting or the composition or any myriad of things. But my friends tell me that I take good photographs, and I trust their opinions because I have very honest and often times blunt relationships with my friends. If they don't like something, they speak up, and I value this infinitely. So I listened to them and pulled together about 60 of my best photographs for the show. I spent hours prepping for the show and setting it all up. Once they were on the gallery walls, I walked away form the gallery and tried to forget that they were up there. Having my stuff up in a public space makes me feel very vulnerable, and that's not a feeling that I enjoy (who does?).

During the showing, I received a few emails from colleagues who had seen my work, wishing to share that they enjoyed my photography. A few random parents who happened to see them praised the photographs as well. The art teacher who I work with (who is an amazing artist that I respect immensely) told me that she thought I had a true "artist's eye" and that I had real talent. While I appreciate all of the feedback, I don't really know how to respond to compliments. I thanked them all for their kind words, and that was that.

Earlier this week, I took the show down to prepare the space for the next faculty showing. It took me less than 30 minutes to get everything off of the walls (which had taken me about three hours to put up!). I had left a small notebook on a podium throughout the show for people to leave comments in, and the comments left were kind and complimentary. After all of the work was down and packed up, I felt an odd sense of relief.

I've seen a few different parents since the show ended, and they have all told me how much they enjoyed the show. One parent (who I simply love!) told me that I was in the wrong profession and needed to make photography my full-time gig. Not that I was a bad teacher (I taught her son), but she thinks I have a natural talent for photography. I found myself saying, "teaching pays the bills" to such feedback.She also blamed me for inspiring her son to do photography because he now wants a fancy-schmancy camera. :)

But I don't really feel that teaching "just pays the bills." I love my job. I love working with my students. I love that every day is different and presents new challenges. While I'm sure being a professional photographer would be amazing, I don't know if it would be as gratifying. Now, when I get the opportunity to take photographs, it's like a special treat. I enjoy it and have fun with it because I can do what I want when I want. If I were being paid to perform on demand, I don't think I could do it. Even when I do small shoots for friends and family in which we trade photographs for goods (wine, dinner...), I get really nervous. I don't think I could handle that daily anxiety about being good enough. I have enough anxiety as it is. I also worry that the pleasure and relaxation that I get from photography now would be lost if it was my day job.

So, for now, I'll teach. I'll do some photography on the side for fun, but I'm okay if it never evolves into anything more than a hobby. That's okay, right?

A few of my favorites from the show:

My students make me laugh ...

2011-10-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

... which is wonderful because it reminds me to take life less seriously.

My kids have been cracking me up all day long. They are on comedic-fire, and I love them all the more for it! I'm pretty sure that the Fun Fest that begins immediately after school today has sharpened their senses (as well as made them a little wild), and they have had me laughing out loud multiple times in class today.

My morning started with this:

We were talking about the parts of speech, specifically nouns and verbs. We were identifying which words were functioning as nouns and verbs in a sentence when one student suggested that "on" was a verb. We know that verbs are capable of changing tense and that is a little test that we try when figuring out word function, so I asked him what the past tense of "on" would be.

Without missing a beat, he replied "off."

My afternoon ended with this:

While discussion creation stories and folktales, we have come across religions, beliefs, and faiths that have multiple gods as well as those that only have one. When I asked if anyone knew what the word for a religion that believes in only one god was, one student replied "unigod." And what is a religion that believes in more than one god?

You guessed it. "Polygod."

Thankfully Target moved in up the street ...

2011-10-19T19:39:00.000-04:00

I stopped at the newTarget on my way home tonight. The new one that's two miles from my place just opened and I had to check it out. I stocked up on extra-soft Kleenex because 1.) the house had none and 2.) I've got a head cold coming on. Good thing I did. Since I got home at about 5, I've used almost an entire box. Glad I got the extra aloe variety. My nose will still be reminiscent of Rudolph in the morning.

And I thought my fall head cold/sinus infection had forgotten me this year. Not likely. Hopefully I've nipped it in the bud (with lots of cold and sinus medication and the ton of rest I've been getting this week), and it will subside quickly.

While I adore my job, being surrounded by germy 6th graders all day does have its drawbacks. But they are so dang cute most of the time ...

The good news is that my eye issues were the result of a touch of dry eye and the start of a sinus headache (which I didn't even realize I had until the doctor mentioned it and then the morning afterwards my head had exploded!).

A sad day for my shoe collection ...

2011-10-18T15:33:00.000-04:00

Today the doctor told me that I can't wear heels for two weeks. TWO WEEKS! I don't think he realizes who he is talking to. I own approximately five pairs of flats ... and that includes sneakers. This just about breaks my heart.

The sesamoid bone in my foot that broke oh-so-long-ago remains in two separate chunks. The good news is that it hasn't fractured any further. The bad news is that it is in a spot that easily gets inflamed and aggravated with a lot of jumping and side-to-side movement. (I'm also a little annoyed that I didn't get copies of my X-rays. I love that stuff!) This means no more kickboxing or zumba or cardio classes for two weeks as well. Happily, I can still make use of the elliptical and the Stairmaster and weights, but not my favorite Tuesday-afternoon stress reliever with Vanessa!

So, I'm back on Aleve and ice and a taped up foot.

Good times, good times.

Eye woes

2011-10-17T14:22:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure what happened, but somewhere between Annapolis and here, my eye glasses started revolting against my brain. I'm not sure if my prescription has changed spontaneously or if I have some rare form of brain cancer (I do tend to go to extremes), but I can't wear my glasses without my head feeling like it is on the verge on imploding. The arms aren't too tight on my head (which I suspected at first) and my prescription sunglasses are causing the same discomfort.

So, it's either wear the glasses and have a splitting headache or don't and squint all day. A girl can't win.

Thankfully I got in a last minute appointment at the eye doctor to get my eyeballs checked out. But, of course, my insurance only covers one exam a year and my last was in January. Gotta love paying for an eye exam out of pocket.

Annapolis round-up

2011-10-17T08:52:00.001-04:00

This weekend was absolutely gorgeous in Annapolis. I was worried that the weather was going to be rainy, but it proved to be perfect. The lighting was perfect for pictures, and the temperature was perfectly Indian-Summer. I especially loved the pictures from the pumpkin patch. They are perfect autumn pics!

My next ink ...

2011-10-13T08:43:00.000-04:00

I've made some decisions about my next tattoo. It will look something like this ...

B's pad

... but in white. Yep, that's The Beast's pawprint. For anyone who knows me at all, you know how important B is to me and how she has helped me cope in some pretty tough times. I've been through a lot with the old girl, and I recognize that she won't be around forever. I've decided that I'm going to take her actual pawprint (above) and have it tattooed in white. There will also be a script "B" in the blank space on her "palm." Where it will go on my body is yet to be determined. Either on my left ribcage, my right inside ankle, or my left wrist. Not too sure about placement yet. I also want to talk to a tattoo artist before I make any decisions.

I've decided to go with white because it will be less prominent, and this tattoo is really more for me than anyone else. I like the subtle, lacy look of white tattoos, and I think it will be a fitting tribute to remind me of my girl someday when she is gone. Just thinking about that makes me weepy. I don't want some generic black pawprint that is chosen of the clip-art wall in a parlor. All of my tattoos thus far mean something special, and this one will be no different. If anything, it will be more special than the others.

I'll post pics when all this goes down. I'm really looking forward to it now.

What I'm listening to ...

2011-10-10T19:58:00.002-04:00

... a few of the best lyrics ever written.

"How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes
I struggle to find any truth in your lies
And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know
This weakness I feel I must finally show"

wait ... here comes the best part ...

"Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all
But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep, totally free."

Raleigh Amphitheater with Mere back in June. Awesomeness.

Seriously. Amazing. I love it. I can hear that song a hundred times a day and those lines always end with me singing at the top of my lungs, beating out the rhythm on my steering wheel (because I only sing in the car). It never gets old. The lines are pure and honest and poignant.

Indeed, Awake My Soul.

(On an interesting note, one of my kids said to me the other day, "Ms. Short, you really like music, don't you?" I responded with a quizzical, "Why?" His simple response, "Because you are always playing it in your room and during class." I guess there are worse things to be known for, right?)

Back in the swing of things

2011-10-10T14:56:00.000-04:00

Today is my first day back to work after a long week away. While leaving Ireland was sad (isn't it sad anytime you go home after an awesome vacation?), I was eager to get back to work. I missed my colleagues, and I really missed my kids ... all 100 of them. I truly am blessed to have a job that I truly enjoy. I like the people I work with on both a professional level and a personal level. These are people that I genuinely like spending time with in and out of school. My kids, while they can test my patience at times, are overall outstanding. They greeted me this morning like they hadn't seen me in months. I felt like a celebrity. It's amazing how 100 11-year-olds can make this old woman's day. With the pending weather change, they all are a little high strung, but I needed their energy to quickly step back into my "teacher" shoes.

I got in to my classroom at about 6:30 this morning to prepare for a long day of teaching and conferences. I think my body is still operating on Ireland time because I couldn't sleep past 4:45. I've been going non-stop since then, and I'm pretty sure I will crash hard ... very hard ... this evening when I get home. But I've got a ton of grading to catch up on as well as planning for the rest of the week. No rest for the weary, right?

Happily, I head to Annapolis this Friday for the weekend to do some photography for my cousin and his lovely wife. The weather looks to be amazingly autumn-esque, so I'll have great light. It'll be great to hang out and enjoy myself with the cuz at a wine festival, but I'm quickly realizing that I need to adopt the "I'll sleep when I'm dead" philosophy towards life.

Things I didn't do in Dublin ...

2011-10-09T18:39:00.002-04:00

... get another tattoo.

I was really tempted. And I had planned to. But I couldn't decide on exactly what I wanted and where I wanted it to be. I've already got a little celtic going on with the shamrock on my foot (so painful but totally worth it!) and the celtic knot on my neck, but I'm interested in expanding. But, since I'm not planning on rushing into anything permanent, I passed on the new ink. I'd rather wait to make a decision I'm happy with instead of paying for laser treatments or getting something covered over (which is doubly painful and I'm not sure why).

But it will happen. Most definitely. Instead the only souvenirs I've returned with from Eire are five bottles of some tasty Bushmills reserve, a charm for the ever-growing bracelet, a nice sweater, a pair of spiffy new Guinness pint glasses, and a few odds-and-ends.

Perhaps the ink will happen when I head to Chi-town in another month ...

Ireland - Day 6 and 7

2011-10-08T14:38:00.001-04:00

Our last few days in Ireland were focused on Galway. What an awesome little city! While I enjoyed the big-city style of Dublin (and think I would have liked it more if our hotel was closer to the downtown area), Galway was charming and quaint and just all-around wonderful. There was a huge section of town that was closed to vehicle traffic and was filled with shops and pubs and restaurants. It reminded me a lot of Spain. While we were there, we met another American named Mark (no joke) from Chicago as well as a few Scots -- Iain and his dad Tom -- who were great fun. Throw a few French girls in the mix as well as a few locals and you have the makings of a good time!

Look, Murph! You have a bar, too!

We took a few small day trips along the coast. The coastline was amazing.

The livestock in Ireland seems to be cleaner than the livestock in the US. Maybe it's just me, but doesn't she look so clean and happy?

Kik, as soon as I saw her, I thought of you!
Wow. That's sounds bad, but you know what I mean!

The Cliffs of Moher. Stunning. That's all.

Don't fall off the cliff! (In case you didn't know that already.)

And don't climb the walls!

I felt like I was standing in the middle of a Wordsworth poem.

Breathtaking.

If these look familiar, it is because they are none other than the Cliffs of Insanity! (Princess Bride, people!)

Love the lookout tower atop the cliffs.

That path is only about ten feet away from a straight 214 meter drop down.

Sheep!

We headed to Clonmacnoise on our way out of Galway, headed back towards Dublin. It's a monastic ruin that I'd been dying to see. It was very cool. Espcially given the weather. Which only confirmed the fact that Ireland has bi-polar weather patterns. They change at the drop of a hat. Seriously.

This picture was taken at 1:43pm.

And then again at 2:22pm. Seriously, Ireland? What is with the weather?

A little while later, it was cloudy again.

Murph, you need to go to Dublin so you can take the Quinnster here!

Ireland - Day 5

2011-10-05T17:46:00.000-04:00

A day in Northern Ireland means rain. And LOTS of it. But I had whiskey and Guinness to keep me warm, so it wasn't so bad. The drive from Dublin to Bushmills took about four hours after a few wrong turns. But I DROVE us the whole way and never crashed the car once! All this driving on the wrong side of the road business ... piece of cake! It was pretty counterintuitive at first, but I quickly got the hang of it. Getting out of Dublin was the most challenging part. It's clearly a city designed for people who know where they are and where they are going. Streets are not clearly marked, so it is nearly impossible to find your way without a GPS ... which I didn't have because Verizon sucks (but that is a whole 'nother story which will ultimately involve a very angry phone call to the company).

We didn't get to the north in time to see anything other than the inside of a restaurant. We met a cool young American there (named Mark) from Oregon, and we ended up chatting with him for quite some time. Three whiskeys, three Guinness, and a great dinner later, Mom and I headed back to our B+B for bed. The best part about the evening? They only charged me for TWO Bushmills! Score!

This one's for you, Murph.
Look! Quinn has a bar!!

An old mill in Bushmills, UK.

This one made me think of my long-lost LL.

Guinness and some 16-year Bushmills ... yum.

Despite the miserable weather the next morning, we were determined to find the Dark Hedges. And we did! Even the rain didn't ruin the pictures.

The Dark Hedges. Despite the massive amounts of rain, very cool.

After The Dark Hedges, we toured the Bushmills Distillery where I took home 5 (count 'em ... FIVE!) bottles of the factory reserve. (I hope they make it home okay inside my luggage!). I have no pictures because the distillery is on lock-down when it comes to photography. 400 years of secrets are there, and they don't want them to get out!

After the distillery, we braved the rain -- once again -- to visit the Giants' Causeway. I've wanted to see this my entire life, and I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed that the weather ruined it. The wind and rain was so fierce you couldn't walk with your head up. My jeans were soaked through after the two-mile walk. But I did manage to get a few good pictures.

The Giant's Causeway. Would have been MUCH cooler if it wasn't so ... cold. And wet.

Loads and loads of hexagonal columns of rock. Wicked cool.

The ocean was angrier than I have ever seen in my life.

Coins wedged in between the stones. For good luck?

Didn't venture along this path because the wind would most certainly would have blown me away!

Hysterical!!! Signs like this were all over the place.

Ireland - Days 3 and 4

2011-10-05T17:25:00.000-04:00

The conference kept me indoors ALL day. I really hate it when work interferes with fun. At least Mom got to go out and have a good time touring the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough. I'm more than a little jealous.

Ireland - Day 2

2011-10-02T17:16:00.000-04:00

Today started out nicer than yesterday with grey but rain-free skies. We went to mass at a VERY old school church up the street from the hotel, and, as soon as we got on the bus to head into City Centre, it started to rain. Thankfully it didn't rain as hard as it did yesterday! We headed to Kilmainham Gaol and happened upon a precious little church along the way. After Kilmainham Gaol, we visited the Guinness Storehouse. The sun came out and they sky cleared as evening approached. It was all-in-all a pretty great day. I had two pints of Guinness, some fish and chips, and some great walking. Tomorrow is the first day of the conference, so fun times may be few and far between for the next two days.

Just a typical Dubliner's home.

The Liffey

Locks with no keys on the Ha'Penny Bridge

Awwww ....

St. Audoen's CATHOLIC church.
It was free to visit. And really old.

LOVE the row houses.

The "new" section at Kilmainham.

The old section.

A cell in the new section.

My goodness, my Guinness!

The sun finally came out!! At 4pm ...

Playing with my camera on Dublin's quieter streets.

For the rest of Day 2, you can go here.

Taking Ireland by Storm - Day 1

2011-10-01T16:33:00.000-04:00

After arriving safely in Dublin today, Mom and I sloshed around in the rain for the next seven hours or so. Seriously. It RAINED. All day. It was either a steady drizzle or a downpour at all times. Not quite the warm welcome I was hoping for. But we didn't let the weather get us down. We checked in to the hotel early (thank you, adorable front desk boy!), showered (I hadn't showered since Thursday night at 7pm), and headed out onto the town (with umbrellas in hand). I didn't take as many pictures as normal because it is quite hard to balance an umbrella with one hand while shooting with another, all the while trying to keep yourself AND your camera dry. But, you know me ... I definitely took plenty of pictures. And I'll make up for it in days to come.

I found heaven while in Dublin - The Trinity College Library Long Room.
You're not supposed to take pictures there.
But the kind Irish guard let me if I promised not to use me flash.

This one is for you, db!

Dublin castle

Christ Church

(Interesting note about visiting churches: Catholic churches let you see them for free. Protestant churches charge admission fees. Both Christ Church and St. Patrick's are C.O.I churches ... and they charge. Booo!!)

The crypt at Christ Church

St. Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick's and the Not-So-Comfy chairs

Jonathan Swift was buried here!

The spiral staircase heading to the organ loft at St. Patrick's.

St. Patrick's.

For more fun in Dublin - Day 1, check my Picasa album.

Ireland or bust!

2011-09-29T14:25:00.000-04:00

In 24 short hours, I'll be leaving on a jet plane. Blogging may consist of only pictures for the next week. There are worse things though, right?

Yeah for productivity!

2011-09-25T21:29:00.001-04:00

I've had an AMAZINGLY productive weekend. I think the pressure from my pending trip to Ireland has got me kicked into high gear. I have a million and one things to accomplish by Friday, and I can't make excuses. Mid-terms are coming up, packing and preparations need to be done, sub plans need to be written ... there's a lot to do. Thankfully, the pressure has resulted in productivity!

Things I've accomplished:
- Graded all of my students' vocabulary assignments
- Graded all of my students' group projects
- Entered all of said grades into the grade system
- Organized the chaos that is my back porch
- Organized the chaos that is my office
- Written 9 of 12 mid-term comments for my advisory group
- Written my generic mid-term comments for Language Arts and my advisory

Things I've yet to do:
- Write sub plans for a FULL WEEK of lessons.
- Collect and grade this week's vocabulary assignments (this may happen on the plane to Dublin.)
- Get my travellers' cheques
- Pick up my Euros for my trip
- Pack!
- I'm sure there's more. I just can't think of it all right now. My brain is fried .

I'm a quitter

2011-09-24T17:05:00.000-04:00

I quit cold turkey. I just made the decision that I was done, and I never looked back. I decided that I had more important things to do, and I was tired of being a slave.

That's right, folks. I'm officially off the Facebook. ;-)

I've been toying with the idea of quitting for a while, and the newest changes to the platform gave me the impetus I was looking for to actually finally do it. People give me funny looks when I tell them I have deactivated my account, but I have a few different reasons for my seemingly crazy actions.

First, Facebook is time suck. I don't want to even think about the hours I have spent there over the past five years or so. It's shameful. And embarrassing. It's too easy to hang out on the newsfeed, waiting for something interesting to happen. There are interesting things happening in real life!! Why am I waiting for them to happen in a digital space?

Second, I looked back over my friends list, and I realized that I only genuinely care about what about what 5% of those people are doing on a daily basis. And, of that 5%, I see or talk to at least half on a fairly regular basis. The people I truly care about, I stay connected with. We text, we talk, we hang out, we email, we read each others' blogs ... we stay connected in meaningful and authentic ways. The other 95%, I don't really care all that much about. I'm not interested in their scores in internet games or their horrible bosses or all the other mundane things that we share. In the same vein, they probably don't care about my mundane updates either. I also find myself subconsciously comparing my life to theirs -- Am I more successful? Less successful? More happy? Less happy? -- when, in all reality, it doesn't matter and it's not healthy. I have a happy, successful life that is amazingly fulfilling. But, because my nature is to always compare myself to others, that's what happens to me on Facebook. It's not healthy, and it only adds unneeded anxiety to my life.

Third, I've been uncomfortable with Facebook's privacy "issues" for a long time. I'm uncomfortable with the things they share about people, and I think it is unnecessary that a person should have to completely "lock down" their account in order to protect themselves from the platform more than the people on it.

I quit on Thursday night, and I haven't looked back. I used to check Facebook many times a day ... more than I'd like to admit. It would be the first website I visited in the morning and the last thing I checked at night. When I woke up on Friday morning and remembered that I had turned off my account, I didn't even feel the desire to check it. At no point on Friday did I feel a void because I hadn't been updated on everyone's lives. I also think I've been much more productive in the past two days without worrying about what's happening on Facebook.

Of course, I do miss staying connected with people that I care about but are far away. But I think -- hope? -- that this will help me to be better about reaching out to those people. Time will tell.

I'm happy with the change. I hope it'll make me a better person. Even if it's in a minor way. Life is all about improving yourself and being the best person you can be, right?

Wow. I totally sound like an Army ad ...

30-Day Challenge - September - Day 17

2011-09-17T13:09:00.000-04:00

Shoes

30-Day Challenge - September - Day 16

2011-09-16T13:07:00.000-04:00

Technology

The real theme for today was long-exposure, but I'm just learning how to do that.
I'll post my long-exposure shot on the 18th.