Washi Waxwing

Ummmm...

2011-11-15T19:31:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

So, I've missed 10 days since last posting. It doesn't feel like 10 days. It feels like two. Two really, really long days.

Two weeks from tomorrow I'm supposed to go to New Jersey for a few days. Time for more Montessori training. Have I done any assignments that are due two weeks from today? Nope. I think there is a page long list of things I'm supposed to have done.

Instead, I'm going to make some more origami cranes before going to sleep. It's meditative.

I blew NaBloPoMo already...

2011-11-05T18:18:00.004-05:00

New Orleans, LA

I didn't post yesterday so the posting everyday in November is already blown. That's okay though. It takes the pressure off.

There's enough other pressure. Today I received a bag of relaxing tea from my Montessori training program as a gentle reminder that I have a ton of work that is due in two and a half weeks. Haven't done any of it. Also received a letter in the mail from Master Gardeners reminding me that I have until December 31 to complete my 20 hours of service I owe them. I think I've got 15-17 hours to go.

Instead of doing those things, I working on making origami cranes. Next weekend is the school fair and my class's booth is going to try to get 1000 origami cranes made to send to the Tohoku region of Japan. Great idea except only one of my students knows how to make origami cranes. No one else does, including me. I just made my first one from start to finish EVER. I always handed it off to someone else to finish around step 14. That's where the frustration sets in. Today I stuck with it and did the last four steps. Hurray for YouTube how-to videos!

Anybody want a timid pitbull?

2011-11-03T20:29:00.002-05:00

New Orleans, LA

There's a shy pitbull that's taken to living near our house. It showed up a couple of weeks ago and sometimes hangs out by the neighbors fence and sometimes sleeps on our grass when the sun is out.

My mother said the SPCA was out yesterday and tried to catch the dog, but it outsmarted them and kept a distance. He likes my dad. He tolerates me. There is no touching.

It would be nice if he found a family to take care of him.

Ice Cream

2011-11-02T20:50:00.003-05:00

New Orleans, LA

Tonight I spent three hours at Creole Creamery. Half pumpkin latte with half Cookie Monster was a delicious combination. Hanging out and just living the moment was even better.

Must do this more often.

A Year Later...

2011-11-01T05:11:00.003-05:00

New Orleans, LA

I'm not committed to writing everyday in November this year. I would like to, but no promises. We'll see how it goes.

Food Memories 2

2010-11-27T20:05:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Today I bought some Darjeeling tea. Normally I'm a Lady Grey drinker, but in honor of Chris, I'm going back to the purple Twinnings box.

Back Home

2010-11-27T19:56:00.003-06:00

New Orleans, LA

After most of the week with Grandparents, it's nice to be back home again. Yesterday I made an effort to clean up the piles of teaching debris that had collected in every room in the house.

My bedroom still looks like it's been ransacked, but the rest of the house looks much better.

I've spent a lot of the week trying to just get things done.

There's a freelance project that has only 33 more days until time runs out to finish. But it's ending. That will be one big thing taken off my plate.

I'm trying to get ready for the onslaught of school for the next weeks until winter break. I'm trying to not shut away my grief from Chris' death, but to let it wash over me when it needs to.

I'm trying to set things up to find the balance I'm so hopeless at maintaining.

And I'm totally ok with not having posted every day in November. It feels kind of good to not care that I couldn't do it. Freeing.

Food Memories

2010-11-21T15:15:00.002-06:00

Saint Marys, PA

I'm in McDonald's in rural Pennsylvania, using the free wifi to get some work done. I'm here to visit my grandparents.

I'm feeling a lot more at peace now than I have all week. Friends and family have been very comforting. Yesterday we passed by a Trader Joe's in Pittsburgh and stopped in to get groceries. I bought a box of Boursin to eat in memory of Chris. When we spent Christmas in Cambodia a number of years ago, we found a little store that was stocked with Boursin. He was so excited, but I'd never tasted it before.

It rocked my world. Baguettes and Boursin were all we ate for days.

The next food memorial event will be an attempt to make a traditional Swiss fondue.

A Favorite Photo

2010-11-18T17:56:00.002-06:00

Querido Jean- Christophe,

I hope you have found peace and an eternity of great books.

Love always, Jennifer

Letting Go

2010-11-17T12:13:00.004-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Took the day off today to have a good cry.

Again

2010-11-15T17:41:00.003-06:00

New Orleans, LA

You cannot erase yourselves,
you people who try.

You think you can quietly quit this earth,
but sound from those who cry in your absence
fills the emptiness you leave behind.

You cannot erase yourselves,
from our memories, from our lives.

Our lives don't stop, can't stop,
though sometimes the grief is too much.

You are not erased.

We remember you.

Always.

Day 13

2010-11-13T06:47:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Oh, it's Saturday? What happened to Friday and Thursday?

According to this blog, they didn't happen. National Blog Posting Month - post everyday, what?

Today's goal is to get a break tag inspection sticker for my car. I was supposed to get one last month but but that never happened. Every time I see a police car I start to sweat. I don't want to pay the fine.

What happened yesterday? I made a child sob. Progress reports went home. Someone hadn't done any assignments. There was sadness.

Thursday, I don't remember. Short term memory retention seems to top out at about 36 hours. By tomorrow, I won't remember Friday anymore.

I'm Oprah

2010-11-10T22:34:00.004-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Today was a day of gossip and rumor-mongering amongst the children. I knew something was up when I overheard this on the playground, "You might as well tell Ms. Jennifer. She's going to find out anyway."

The truth started to come out in class. Rumors. Gossip-mongering. Arranged marriages amongst the 4th graders. That kind of thing.

We spent time talking it out. When things turned contentious amongst a few of the interested parties, I suggested we arrange to meet with a social worker for some conflict resolution. They refused. "Nooooooo! Ms. Jennifer, you're our Oprah!"

Sleep

2010-11-09T18:09:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

I've been up since 1:30 am. Got up that early to do a load of work before working all day. Now it's time for the nightly news and I'm going to bed. And I'm not grading or preparing a single thing. Rebellion!

Blargh

2010-11-08T20:41:00.001-06:00

New Orleans, LA

I didn't like today. Can it be over now?

Karaoke Surprise

2010-11-07T14:12:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Yesterday I went out to dinner with a bunch of people who have lived in Japan at one point or another. Some people are like me and haven't been in Japan in 5 or more years. Other just got back three or four months ago.

I ate food that seemed vegetarian (grilled tofu, seaweed salad, sweet potato fries). It wasn't. One of those three things contained fish. Accidental fish product consumption is something that happened to me pretty much every time I went out to eat in Japan. Wouldn't be so bad except that my body seems to be unable to tolerate the smallest amount of fish.

Last night I discovered that the restaurant has Japanese-style karaoke boxes. Now it's not necessary to go all the way to New York to belt out Queen's "Bicycle Race." That bit of information is 100% worth the fish poisoning.

It's Always Something

2010-11-05T22:45:00.002-05:00

New Orleans, LA

Today I got a call from the bank. They had some questions for me about some purchases made during the day.

It seems someone in Stuart, Florida, went shopping with my credit card number this afternoon. This lovely human being ought some groceries and must have filled a Hummer's tank with gas at a Chevron Station.

The bank says not to worry, I'll be refunded all the money.

So now that that's all worked out, I can go back to worrying about being assaulted with pie tomorrow.

Zonked Out

2010-11-05T04:00:00.002-05:00

New Orleans, LA

I fell asleep in a chair last night, I think before the last few seconds of The Office played out on TV. I woke up enough to go to bed and it was all unconsciousness after that.

No post yesterday. It's much less disappointing to miss a post at the beginning of November than to be diligent everyday and then mess up in the last week. The pressure's off now.

Diaper Dave

2010-11-03T21:03:00.003-05:00

New Orleans, LA

Today in class I shared the election results with my students. They wanted to know who won the Louisiana Senate race. I told them.

Their reaction:

"What?! No! He's a bad man!"

And the adult in the room had to bite her tongue.

Fundraising 101

2010-11-02T18:38:00.004-05:00

New Orleans, La

Today, in a moment of weakness, I signed up to be a part of a school fundraiser. Soon students are going to be able to throw whipped-cream pies at my face. For an hour.

If I fake being really angry at specific children for the next several days and give everyone recess detention, will that maximize the fundraising potential of my participation in the pie-throwing booth?

Bedtime

2010-11-01T20:33:00.002-05:00

New Orleans, LA

It's 8:34 pm and already four minutes past my bedtime.

I started teaching in August and I tend to work until it's time to go to sleep (at 8:30). And then I get up at three in the morning to do more work until it's time to leave for school. Every day feels like it needs about 20 more hours in it.

Six minutes past bedtime...

It's That Time Again

2010-10-31T16:44:00.002-05:00

New Orleans, LA

Tomorrow begins November. So do you know what that means?

The silence ends. One month of posting everyday, or at least trying.

Where the hell have I been?!?

2010-05-13T21:58:00.002-05:00

New Orleans, LA

I had no idea it had been over five months since the last post. Let's just call this "the lost year," and leave it at that.

Right now I'm practicing calmness. It's something I don't let myself experience often enough. Calm. Peace. Normally I'm running around trying to squeeze too many experiences into too short a time.

This summer is going to be about calm. One job. Full nights of sleep. Reading books. Gardening. Eating good food with friends.

That's enough.

Blaaaaaaaah

2010-01-10T15:36:00.001-06:00

New Orleans, LA

I have been productive all weekend and at this point in time I would really rather moan than do any more work.

MOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!!!

There. That feels better.

Saying Goodbye

2009-12-02T22:38:00.003-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Our family just got a little smaller. We're going to miss you old puppy.

Done

2009-12-01T22:37:00.002-06:00

New Or;eans, LA

I have been completely consumed by reading the Twilight sage this past week. Last night, Eclipse distracted me so much that I hardly noticed the touchdowns the Saints made. Today I read Breaking Dawn, and I'm quite happy to be done with this phase of reading insatiably like a junkie. There's a lot of work to get done in just a couple of days, work I haven't been putting enough time into because I've been reading about vampires and werewolves instead.

Cutting It Close...

2009-11-30T23:51:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Got to talking to one of my old roommates tonight and almost missed the midnight deadline to post on this last official day of NaBloPoMo. I think I posted everyday except one, and that's because I lost track of time and posted 16 or 17 minutes into the next day.

The Saints are 11-0, a fact that I never in a million years would have imagined I could write.

More planting

2009-11-29T21:15:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Today, many more plants were planted in the ground. It makes me so happy now to just look out the window, any window.

There's something about having all the blooming and growing going on, surrounding us on all sides that feels so good. And liberating the plants from their nursery pots. I love knowing that their roots are going to be able to find their ways down into the soil and take hold without the restrictions of a small round pot.

Once I get the last of the big things into the ground, I'm going to have fun harvesting worms from the compost pile and introducing them to all the new plant beds. I'm hoping fun with worms begins tomorrow.

Distracted

2009-11-28T23:54:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Good thing I set down Eclipse. Just managed to post with 6 minutes to spare.

Queen

2009-11-27T22:18:00.001-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Karaoke will never be the same.

Thankful

2009-11-26T21:20:00.001-06:00

New Orleans, LA

The garden's coming along. The garden's coming along!

My hands feel like sandpaper.

Digging and planting

2009-11-25T22:16:00.004-06:00

New Orleans, LA

We're up to five carloads of plants and the garden is starting to look like a garden and not piles of sculpted soil.

Today I planted Louisiana irises, begonias, African lilies, camelias, pansies, garlic, Indian hawthornes, loropetalums, and snapdragons. Tomorrow the azaleas are going in, along with a blood orange and satsuma tree.

Avoidance

2009-11-24T21:15:00.002-06:00

New Orleans. LA

I did not do what I was supposed to do today. I did a lot of other things that needed to be done that I'd been avoiding. Turns out I'm avoiding those other things less than the big project I have to do. Maybe tomorrow I need to go sit in a coffeehouse for a few hours with my computer and get moving.

It's the same feeling I have when there's a big paper, or a thesis to be done. Getting started is the hard part.

Today my dad and I picked up three more carloads of plants for the landscaping. Tomorrow I will find out which task I am avoiding more: starting the project or digging lots of big holes.

Progress

2009-11-23T22:22:00.003-06:00

New Orleans, LA

I did not stay up all night reading Twilight last night. That was a success. And it's kind of been in the back of my mind today, but it hasn't been an incapacitating need to know what's going to happen next.

Today I picked up a license plate at the car dealer and then went and got a toll tag so it will be possible to cross the bridge without always worry about whether or not I have a dollar. This is a small but significant quality of life improvement.

Tomorrow I will work at least seven hours on a garden related project. At least, that is the goal. I might have to have my mom drive away with Twilight to ensure that happens.

Slippery Slope

2009-11-22T20:59:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

I'm about to start reading Twilight. I've been holding off until I had a little free time, having heard from so many people how they stayed up all night reading.

My laundry is done and some of the plants are in the ground. It's too dark to do any more planting. Let the reading begin.

Gardening

2009-11-21T23:30:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Tonight I got to have dinner with some of my favorite people and that was so nice. One of the things I need to get better at is making sure to make time to spend with friends. So often work and projects and other obligations start to take over everything and that's not ok.

This afternoon my dad and I went plant shopping. We're working on landscaping the entire house, front and back yards. We brought home one carload of plants today and will probably go out and get another carload tomorrow. We're planting a lot of edibles in the backyard. I've got the start of an extensive herb garden that is going to go in the ground tomorrow morning. There's also a navel orange tree that needs planting. At some point we might put in a papaya tree and maybe some more citrus (blood oranges or limes...).

I can't wait till all the plants are in. I'm going to set up my hammock in the backyard and hang out there when I'm not in the woods.

Back in Society

2009-11-20T20:47:00.001-06:00

New Orleans, LA

I'm home and so exhausted. It's not even 9:00 and I'm dying for bed. Not sure if I remember how to sleep when not confined by a sleeping bag.

Dispatches from the Woods 6

2009-11-20T00:17:00.001-06:00

The sleeping bag gets a B+.

Dispatches from the Woods 5

2009-11-18T22:43:00.001-06:00

Tonight it's supposed to get down to about freezing and I'm sleeping in a kind of a shack. This night is going to test the efficacy of my sleeping bag and wool socks.

Dispatches from the Woods 4

2009-11-17T22:41:00.001-06:00

Tonight we had a night off and went into town to reconnect with civilization. I learned that if Target and World Market are placed side by side, much as I loooove Target, I'd would spend my time instead at World Market. That's the big insight for the day.

Dispatches from the Woods 3

2009-11-16T23:47:00.001-06:00

I know this is gross but sometimes I find myself staring at massive earwax buildup in kid's ears and wishing it was socially acceptable to ravage their ears with a Q-tip.

Dispatches from the Woods 2

2009-11-15T20:53:00.001-06:00

Found out that the Saints are 9-0. The owls out here are calling WHOO DAT tonight.

Dispatches from the Woods

2009-11-14T20:54:00.001-06:00

It's day 2 of what is going to be an 8 day stretch in the woods. I'm hoping I don't forget what day it is and neglect to post. It's still Saturday, right?

Men with Tools

2009-11-13T09:52:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

The men with tools are here. This is a momentous day. The landscaping is happening! The landscaping is happening!

Right now, there are three men outside who have accomplished more with a sod cutter in two hours than my assistant and I were able to do in two weeks over the summer. The bare, glorious dirt is looking beautiful. And I can't wait to go plant shopping with my dad when I get back from the woods.

He caught me in our micro-butterfly garden yesterday, fiddling with the plants, meticulously picking up fallen leaves and said, "You want to be a gardener when you grow up, don't you."

My answer, "Yep, when I retire from teaching."

Perky Puppy

2009-11-12T22:36:00.002-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Today the dog has been feeling pretty perky. One day down, the next day up. Today she's been practically trotting around the house. There's no pattern to her sequences of bad days and good days.

I had a big list of things I wanted to get done today. I accomplished several things on the list, but about half of the list has yet to get done. Tomorrow I'm headed back into the woods so there's about 12 hours left to do what I've got to do. I'd like a good 8 of those 12 hours to be filled with sleep though.

Old Age

2009-11-11T22:53:00.003-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Our dog isn't doing well. She's old, at least 16. Today she's been listless. She's awake, but just lying on the floor, not licking my hand when I pet her, not moving her tail, staring into the distance.

It's hard to watch the decline of someone you love.

Weather Event Post Tramatic Stress

2009-11-10T21:25:00.004-06:00

New Orleans, LA

There are some things that are good about being cut off from most communication out in the woods, and some things that become more complicated.

One thing I never really thought about is that if you have a bunch of 10 year olds who were probably traumatized by a massive hurricane when they were in kindergarten, telling them that a hurricane is on the way when they are separated from their families is probably the last thing you want to do.

We called it a storm. A storm is coming, it might be strong, with wind and rain. Your parents would feel better if you were home with them.

Some of the children were extremely upset that they were going home. They weren't ready to go, halfway through their experience, and wind and rain seemed like a ridiculous reason to leave. "It's not like it's a hurricane or something. We can handle rain. We packed ponchos!"

But you know you can't mention the hurricane. They need to find that out when they are back home, safe with their families.

...

2009-11-09T21:06:00.000-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Still tired. Maybe tomorrow.

Ida

2009-11-08T21:54:00.001-06:00

New Orleans, LA

I'm home again. Two days early.

Too tired to explain why.

Time Changes

2009-11-07T21:35:00.001-06:00

One of the things I loved about living in Japan was that there was no daylight savings time. The time didn't change twice a year and people stayed pretty even-keeled. There's been a lot of grumpy crazy this week and I blame the screwiness on messing with people's internal clocks.

Testing

2009-11-06T09:56:00.001-06:00

Can I post from my phone? If you see this, the answer is yes.

Queen Bee

2009-11-05T18:29:00.004-06:00

New Orleans, LA

I'm taking a new tea with me, into the woods.

"Cycles are, by nature, predictable. Most have familiar beginnings, behaviors, and endings which allow us to prepare for, adjust to–and (in the best case scenario) even embrace them...

Queen Bee Balance is deliciously harmonious. It has an uplifting-yet-soothing flavor that helps make adjusting to difficult cycles easier, and the inclination to embrace them a little more likely."

I Heart Visiting

2009-11-04T21:38:00.006-06:00

New Orleans, LA

Going to New York for a week was just what the doctor ordered. Last night I was having dinner with my old co-workers from the park. One of them asked, have you been enjoying being back in New York?

"It's been fantastic!"

Does it make you think about possibly moving back?

"Absolutely not."

I love visiting New York. (I should get that made into a t-shirt.)

Visiting means not having to worry about laundry. There's no apartment to clean. There are no work deadlines to meet. No school work to submit to professors. Friends try hard to get together to catch up face to face, even if it's only for 20 minutes over a cup of tea. There's time to wander the museums. It's ok to gorge on sugar because of all the walking and endless stairs. Two dinners, back-to-back in one night, are perfectly acceptable. The one week unlimited ride Metrocard is worth its weight in gold.

There's enough time to visit old haunts and see a new place or two. There are several favorite places not visited, beckoning for a return inspection. Favorite people not seen, needing to be returned to before too much more time passes.

When I lived in the city, somehow there was never time for all these things.

Packing It ALL In

2009-11-03T16:00:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

I'm ready to fly home tomorrow and sleep.

The Feet Are A-Hurtin'

2009-11-02T21:35:00.002-06:00

New York, NY

I've walked my way around three boroughs in the past 5 days. In relatively new shoes. New shoes that I bought specially for the woods because they are waterproof. I need shoes I can use to stand in puddles for 10 hours at a time. (The last shoes failed that test).

The blisters started yesterday. Today I noticed the gaping hole that had formed where two seams meet in the shoe. Nice. My brand new specially ordered expensive shoe.

It's been wonderful to get to spend this week in New York as a visitor. I much prefer it to living here. There are no projects to do around an apartment. Laundry is something to do when I get home. I'm not cleaning a bathroom or trying to finish something on deadline.

There's been a lot of eating. And friend visiting. One night I ate two dinners because it made it possible to see two groups of people. There are a lot of friends I'm not getting to see at all so that means another trip will have to be in the works for either the spring or early summer.

NaBloPoMo

2009-11-01T01:09:00.002-05:00

Brooklyn, NY

Good lord, has another whole year passed already?

It's become a masochistic ritual to try to post ot the blog everyday in November. I succeeded for the first two years and failed the third. Giving it another go this year.

The November's full of posts become a snapshot of what life is like this time each year. The theme that last couple of years was BUSY BUSY BUSY. I'm not sure what the theme will be this time around.

Curb Alert Alert

2009-09-30T19:37:00.004-05:00

New Orleans

I haven't been feeling like much of a communicator these past 1...2...3, um three months. Settling in and figuring out what I'm realistically doing with my life has taken a while. Everything's still in flux although I do finally have a job (or two) and it looks like next week I will have a car (red).

There are several things I was supposed to be doing today instead of watching episodes of The Office on Netflix or perusing Craigslist ads. But sometimes there is treasure on Craigslist and this one was too beautiful not to share:

Old person junk - Curb Alert (LGD)

Old people junk being thrown out in front of a house that was just sold...everything was hiding in boxes that the buyers/spawn of the sellers threw to the curb along with their packing garbage. I surfed all the rad stuff out for all interested parties to scavenge:

crutches
walker
7 or so christmas-y tins
a few random greeting cards that say "god" on them
an empty vodka bottle shaped like a trumpet
a little basket
a plastic outdoor collapsible table/plant stand?
two straw brooms
spices (slightly used)
crackers!
bag of white mardi gras beads
most of a bag of blue aquarium pebbles
an ancient air purifier
an iron/steamer...I think
a cordless plate warmer and two miss-matched plates
'world's best grandpa' cap (give it to your grandpa)
two collapsible Lillian Vernon cheapy storage containers that probably once contained hair rollers or something
a nice metal 12" ruler

Stuff I already rewarded myself with for doing all the picking:

the chimney to an old oil lamp
a pie pan
some red wooden beads
a few glass pushpins
burlap
a crafty little bird made from wood and stuff
two tiny mason jars
two packages of Top Ramen oriental flavor
box of peppermint candy
teeny jars of jams/pumpkin butter
chocolate confectioner's sugar
a broken rattan waste basket
a green reusable shopping bag
a big silvery bubblewrappy bag thing to be made into an as-of-yet unknown Halloween costume

1300 or 1400 block of Magazine Street (btw Melpomene and Terpsichore) river side

Twit

2009-08-08T22:38:00.002-05:00

New Orleans, LA

I've had a few short things to say... but, due to technical problems have not been able to tweet for about 3 days now.

Tonight's fortune cookie: "We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems."

Which makes me think either a job or a massive road trip are in my near future.

Settling In

2009-07-30T14:55:00.002-05:00

New Orleans, LA

I hadn't realized it had been a month and a half since I posted anything. Output of any kind longer than the 140 characters of a Twitter post has been almost non-existent these past few weeks.

It feels like reverse culture shock. When coming back from living in other countries it's taken me six months to settle in to New Orleans again and become a productive, social being. I think this time around it is going to be a six to eight week process.

I've been spending a lot of time outside working on the landscaping at my parents' house and helping get the garage finished so the storage pod on the front lawn can finally disappear.

Things are good. Mellow. Taking a break from everything after two and a half years of non-stop go.

I'm job hunting, waiting to hear about a couple of applications submitted last week. Watching Mississippi kites fly from tree to tree. Helping our elderly dog get outside as often as she wants. Trying to get excess belongings packed up and put away until I get a place of my own.

How can it be 2 AM right now?

2009-06-17T00:39:00.004-05:00

Brooklyn, NY

Two weeks left of living in New York. I've got a list of things I've been wanting to do for years and I'm trying to squeeze everything into the next 13 days.

Today I visited the Morgan Library, saw the "Felt" exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt, rode the tram across the East River to Roosevelt Island and back, got some things I needed (and some pretty things I didn't) from the wholesale bead shops in 6th Ave., picked up some Japanese pottery I'd had my eye on in Chinatown, and went to see the movie Moon.

Tomorrow's plan includes two museums, a synagogue, hot chocolate, and a newborn baby.

I know I'm supposed to report on the playground that was built on Saturday. That's in the list of things to do once my furniture get taken away sometime at the beginning of next week. The build was amazing and I've got a lot of before and after pictures. Thank you to everyone who helped in person and to everyone who was there in spirit.

Floating

2009-05-01T08:19:00.003-05:00

Brooklyn, NY

I feel like I've birthed a curriculum baby.

It was delivered on April 29th at 7:05 pm. Height, 1 1/2 inches. Length, 233 pages.

I didn't know I had it in me to write something that long. There was no requirement for it to be so extensive. Some people turn in papers 25 pages long, and that's perfectly fine. For my project, I wanted to present the entire curriculum for a year-long program and that dictated the length.

Plus, I'm long-winded.

Yesterday was the first day of the rest of my life and I found out what it is I would do if I could do absolutely anything I wanted:

1. Catch up on missed 30 Rock episodes
2. Walk around the garden for a few hours, visiting favorite trees and flowers
3. Eat an everything bagel at Bergen Bagels
4. Wander around Target
5. Go to Trader Joe's to stock up on cheese and purchase various items I've never tried before
6. Make plans with friends in the city I've not seen or talked to for months
7. Get a full-night's sleep

Today, I'm going to water my plants.

It's all good.

Unwinding

2009-04-19T14:34:00.002-05:00

Grenada, Spain

I have seen almost every square inch of the Alhambra that is open to the general public. Of the past 24 hours, I have spent about 10 of them wandering the grounds. In the dark. During mid-day. At twilight.

My body is aching from the walking and the looking. So, I´m signed up to go to a hotspring outside of town that´s on offer as the excursion of the evening. There´s a woman in the bunk below me who is also going. We´re glad of the company because both of us had the same thought that we might get dumped in the woods. Don´t know why that is a universal reaction to being taken in a vehicle somewhere by a stranger, but there it is. Might explain my dislike of cabs.

Ahhhhh

2009-04-18T08:38:00.002-05:00

Granada, Spain

It's been a very nice day and really I haven't done much of anything.

I got up while it was still dark to wander down to the Mezquita church in the center of Cordoba and take another walk around when it first opened. I was the only person on the street for a long time. It was eerie and beautiful.

When I needed to walk back to my hostal to pack up and get to the bus station, I couldn't find my street. It totally disappeared. I did go up the wrong street which turned out to have an alley I'd been looking for the past two days. Turn around and there is the bell tower of the cathedral framed by buildings covered in flowers.

Again looking for the road back to the hostal, I ran into a dormitory bunkmate who also needed to go to the bus station and we found our way back to the hostal and then to the bus station. It was nice to have some company for a little while. I have only had fleeting conversations with people since Kim left. Most people I've encountered are traveling in groups and have not been up for socializing much with a solo traveler.

The bus ride from Cordoba to Granada was gorgeous, passing through olive grove after olive grove. There are snow capped mountains just outside of Granada, hovering over the cityscape.

I'm staying in a friendly place with lots of interesting people and seem to have sealed on person's decision to apply to Japan's JET Program. Now I'm going to go out in search of falafal, my favorite thing to do. Tonight the Alambra by dark. It's a good day. A nice way to be finishing up travel before heading back to New York in a couple of days.

The View from Over Here

2009-04-16T12:48:00.003-05:00

Cordoba, Spain

I´ve been so busy these past several months that it often comes as a surprise to me that Obama is President and not just someone that I really, really want to be President.

When it hits me that it´s real and he is the President, my arms flap in an impromtu dance. I manage to forget and then remember several times a week.

It is interesting talking with people in Morocco, and in Spain about US politics. People are interested in how things are going with Obama. And they congratulate us on no longer having "a stupid person for a President."

The general hope seems to be for the new administration understand that what the US does affects nearly everyone else in the world, for good or for bad. People want the arrogance and disaffection for the concerns of the rest of the world of the last 8 years to be a thing of the past.

I just read in Obama´s op-ed to Latin America that he says the United States government wants to listen and learn as well as to lead when appropriate. Respect for others. That´s a good sign.

The Birthday Adventure

2009-04-15T16:21:00.003-05:00

Seville, Spain

Last week Kim and I had an "adventure" on my birthday.

Dear M,
I am writing for Kim who made a reservation for tonight and tomorrow. The ferry to Tangier left hours late. We are on a bus from Tangier to Meknes. We left Tangier at 18:00. I have a mobile phone that sends email but cannot call. We think we will arrive at the bus station around 23:00. If someone from the Riad can meet us that would be great. I will try to access email again when we are closer to see if you have sent a response. In any case, please hold on to our room. We are coming. Thank you!
~ Jennifer

Dear Kim and Jennifer,
We are sorry for the inconvenience caused by the ferry. Please could you tell me which bus station are you arriving at? Is the bus company a CTM or another one?Let me know as soon as possible to facilitate the pick up.
~M

Dear M,
Hello! The name of the bus company on our ticket is Nejme Chamal. If we stop somewhere we will ask the driver or ticket taker the name of the station the bus is going to. Thank you for your quick reply. You made our day!
~Jennifer and Kim

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
I think that the bus station is Sidi Said. When you get the name of the station give it to me and tell me when the bus arrives.
~M

Dear M,
We have been told the name of the place where the bus will stop is Hamriya. The time it is expected to arrive is 10:30. If you need more information we will ask more questions.
~Jennifer

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
Hamriya is the new city part of Meknes; it is quite big. Try to get the exact name of the place where the bus stops and i will be waiting for you there. Could you give me your phone number.
~M

Dear M,
We can't find out more specific information. I'm sorry. There was a big fight happening outside the bus. The police came and now we are moving again. Is it possible to take a taxi to your hotel? If not maybe we should take a taxi to the train station and meet you there. Because of the fight the bus will probably not arrive before 23 or 23:30. My phone number is +1 504... We are so sorry that this has become so difficult.
~Jennifer

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
Your trip seems to start in a very exotic way. When you arrive to Meknes take a taxi and tell the driver to drop you at Bab Mansour; that is the biggest touristic attraction in the medina and that is the place where we can't miss each other.It is just five minutes walk from the riad As soon as you arrive to Meknes send me an email ; a member of the riad staff will be waiting for you there.
~M

Dear M,
That sounds like a wonderful plan. We will email you when the bus arrives. Hopefully we will have no more exotic stories to tell.
~Jennifer and Kim

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
Fine. Have a safe trip.
~M

This is the point in which the woman sitting in the middle of the aisle (next to me) begins to vomit. Copiously. The bus pulls over by the side of the road at a restaurant and the ticket taker procedes to flood the bus with several buckets of water.

About half an hour later we get told by some passengers that we´re in Meknes. The bus pulls over at the side of the road on the outskirts of town. The driver gets off and helps explain to a taxi driver where we want to go in the city. The taxi gets to the city center faster than my thumb can text a message to M. With creative gesturing, we beg the non-English/French/Spanish speaking taxi driver to let us wait in the taxi with the meter running until someone can come find us.

Dear M,
We are at the Bab. We are waiting with the taxi until someone can come.
~Jennifer and Kim

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
He is coming right now; three minutes.
~M

Dear M,
Great! We are in a taxi next to the open plaza.
~Jennifer and Kim

Dear Jennifer and Kim,
TWO MEN WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY; CONFIRM WHEN YOU MEET THEM;GOOD NIGHT AND SEE YOU TOMORROW.
~M

Omar and Abdul found us. I don´t know if I´ve ever been so happy to see two men in my whole life. They took us to the guest house which could have been mistaken for a palace. It was gorgeous. There was even a midnight feast waiting. It was a fairy tale ending to an unexpectedly dramatic day.

Glorious Geometry

2009-04-14T15:23:00.004-05:00

Seville, Spain

Today I was in geometry heaven. Tiles tiles and more tiles, tesselating in the way that circles, squares, and hexagons do.

The Alcázar in Seville was decorated by the same craftspeople who worked on the Alhambra so it´s good. Very good. I took a ridiculous number of photos. Photos which I hope to get on-line sooner than the photos from last summer´s trip to Ireland and England.

No. You haven´t seen those photos.

This evening I went on-line and reserved tickets to get into the Alhambra in Grenada this weekend. There are 6000 tickets available a day, some sold in advance, and to get a ticket the day of, people tend to get in line at 6am. I´m not doing that. I could, but thanks to internet magic, it´s unnecessary. Saturday night I´ll be there under moonlight as the ticket lets me in at 10pm. Sunday, I´m going back for some daylight viewing. More tiles. More geometry.

Today I was reading up on how to use the radius of a circle to create a hexagon for repeating tile patterns. Sexy stuff.

I wish I had a drafting compass.

From Morocco

2009-04-09T06:46:00.002-05:00

Fez, Morocco

It took us about 16 hours to get from where we were in Spain to where we were going in Morocco when it should have taken about 7. We are on a day trip to Fez and late for getting lost in the Medina.

Holy Monday

2009-04-06T18:33:00.004-05:00

Malaga, Spain

Ohhh, it been a long journey to get here.

But IT´S SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD TO BE HERE.

I love Spain. I love Europe. I´m hoping to love Morocco too.

I´m with my friend Kim and we are not tired but we have to wake up in a couple of hours to get on the road to take a bus to the ferry to Morocco.

We spent the evening in one of Malaga´s central plazas, eating roasted eggplant and drinking several glasses of delicious 2 Euro wine. And eating chocolate cake with hot chocolate sauce with chocolate chips and chocolate ice cream.

What thesis?

It´s Holy Monday so in the plaza around midnight, the purple people showed up. With candles. And hoods. They carried a ¨trono¨float with Jesus on it. In the distance we saw another trono that looked like a giant wedding cake with candles on it. We think it was Mary. There was a kind of showdown between the two tronos when they reached an intersection of two streets at the same time. Lots of heaving and hefting. I thought one trono was going to ram the other. There was no jousting, but Jesus definitely won.

Every day different tronos get carried around the city while dirges play. We´re tempted to stick around... But there´s a Sufi music festival in Fez and that´s an even greater pull. It´s impossible to pass up whirling dervishes. And I want to ride a camel.

Heading off...

2009-04-05T18:35:00.003-05:00

Brooklyn, NY

I'm about to walk to the subway to take three trains to the airport. Then I'll take three planes (London-Madrid-Malaga) to catch a bus to a ferry to cross over to the continent of Africa and once in Morocco, catch a train to go to the city of Meknes.

Morocco-bound

2009-03-29T20:20:00.003-05:00

Brooklyn, NY

This time next week I'm going to be sitting in the airport, waiting to take a plane for the first leg of a journey full of planes, buses, and ferries to Northern Africa.

I'm ready to GO! Except for the unfinished thesis. That might be a problem.

This is not photoshopped...

2009-03-24T21:53:00.006-05:00

Brooklyn, NY

DOOCE!

I was thinking about it and I don't know that there are any well-known people I've ever asked to have a photo with. Heather B. Armstrong may be the first.

Somewhere there may exist a picture of me and friends with the Gypsy Kings at breakfast one crazy weekend in Japan. But if there is, I never got a copy.

Heather's brand new book, It Sucked and Then I Cried, had me laughing out-loud before her book reading even started. Wish I could be finishing the book right now instead of writing an age study about 6th graders.

A Public Service Annoucement

2009-03-05T18:15:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Very exciting!! Pass the news along to any New Orleans public school teachers you know.

Or, check out the projects and find something to fund. Your money will go twice as far!

DonorsChoose currently has a Double Your Impact grant for proposals from teachers at New Orleans public elementary schools (K-8). This means that if your project costs $300, when someone donates $150, the project is completely funded because of the matching grant. Five proposals have already been funded through the DYI grant.

High school DonorsChoose projects may be eligible for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation DYI, if the resources you request will help prepare your students for college.

According to the DonorsChoose web site, 80% of all projects under $400 have been funded. Since 2000, donors have contributed over $30,000,000.

The Internet Hoohah - Gov. Jindal vs. Kenneth the NBC Page

2009-03-01T22:08:00.004-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Too funny.

Oy, Louisiana. Sometimes it's hard to love you.

Aha

2009-02-08T17:20:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Just figured out my hours for last week and it turns out I worked at least 60 hours between the part-time jobs. That doesn't include the work done for graduate school. Now I don't feel so bad about being so tired.

More Embarrassment

2009-02-05T23:40:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

UGH!

Too busy working to sleep more than 5 hours tonight, but not too busy to share how once again the junior Senator from Louisiana is a continued embarrassment to my State. He needs to be voted out in 2010.

I'm serious. Let's organize.

"On Wednesday, February 4, during Senate consideration of the economic stimulus bill, Sen. David Vitter offered an amendment (S. Amdt. 179) that contained a provision barring funds from being used for zoos, aquariums, or a Mob Museum. ("None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, or Mob Museum.")

The Vitter amendment also called for the deletion of the proposed $55 million for the Historic Preservation Fund at the National Park Service, and investments in high-speed rail, hybrid vehicles, climate change research, and health information technology, among other provisions. Fortunately, this amendment was defeated by a 32-65 vote."

~ email from the American Association of Museums

Resolution

2009-02-05T06:39:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

2009's New Year resolution is simple: to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

In the last 10 days, I've been successful at fulfilling that resolution only once.

When He's Not Calling Prostitutes

2009-01-21T22:16:00.006-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

It felt good to write to the junior Senator from Louisiana and tell him how I really feel. He really is quite the embarrassment.

He has been know to be much more embarrassing. Looking forward to his next Senate campaign in 2010 if only because there are going to be some great bumper-stickers.

At Last

2009-01-20T20:25:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Today I screamed in joy.

What a change. WHAT A CHANGE!

Obama, you do our country proud.

Grinding My Teeth

2009-01-19T18:24:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

I spent a good part of Saturday explaining the difference between being fired and being laid-off to a group of 7th graders. Also tried to explain the organizational "logic" of laying off people who are full-time vs. those who are part-time. That it's all about money and not about merit.

We all came to the consensus that it is not fair, anyway you look at it. Losing one of your favorite teachers due to economics just plain sucks.

The Economy

2009-01-16T21:10:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

When I was home in New Orleans over the holidays, all I wanted to do was unplug and rest. I've been back in New York for 9 days and have been going nonstop since hitting the ground. Worn out again. It didn't take long.

The economic downturn is hitting the museum and cultural institutions hard. All my full-time co-workers at one of my part-time jobs got laid off today.

Expecting more bad news next week. Today was the deadline at my other job for people to voluntarily resign.

The Rodents Come to Me

2008-12-22T23:05:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

(Shokufeh, stop reading now.)

So I've been too busy rodent wrangling to blog. Today I liberated a squirrel from an office at work. Friday night I liberated two mice from my apartment.

And of course, just now while I way lying here on my bed, minding my own business, ready to go to sleep, I heard a rustling.

Mouse number three is hanging out behind my bookcase.

READY FOR A FREAKING VACATION.

Happy Ending

2008-12-03T14:17:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

So, I just had a long chat with my downstairs neighbor. I heard the bass and went down and knocked. He was super nice and responsive when I talked to him about the bass traveling up. Yay! It was much better to talk in person than to leave a note. Glad it worked out this way.

It feels good to be grown-up about potential conflicts and not escalating things out of frustration. I think this could be a happy sanctuary for studying and lesson planning once again. And there's a new neighbor friend to boot.

Hurray!

Miss Manners

2008-12-01T13:53:00.005-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

I've just written a polite note to my neighbor downstairs about the possibility of turning down the bass on his stereo.

I tried ringing the bell to talk to him in person, but, of course, because of the loud music he couldn't hear me at the door. I'm going to wait and run the note by my roommate before taping it to his door.

I think it is quite a polite message, but it seems wise to get a second opinion and make sure that's actually true and not just wishful thinking on my part.

The End

2008-11-30T21:59:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

This is it! The last day of NaBloPoMo. I did not manage to post everyday, but I also didn't give up when I blew the chance at a perfect record and that must count for something.

The nice thing about posting everyday every November is being able to look back and get a snapshot of what life was like at the same time every year. November is always a hectic, crazy month, so the snapshots are always a little hectic and crazy, but tempered by other things that are going on.

For instance, from tonight, I want to be able to remember that despite having a ton of chapters left unread, a mission statement left unwritten, and a lot of other things for tomorrow left undone, tonight there were a lot of belly laughs. Laughing long-distance about possums and purloined pecan logs till my face ached.

It was an excellent way to end November.

Snowflakes

2008-11-29T06:53:00.002-06:00

St Marys, PA

Last night there were tiny little star shaped snowflakes sprinkling down from the sky.

The List

2008-11-28T22:00:00.002-06:00

St. Marys, PA

I think one thing I would add to the list of requirements for places to live is access to falafel sandwiches.

Stuffed

2008-11-27T19:39:00.003-06:00

St. Marys, PA

Happy Tofurkey Day!

I have been craving Tofurkey for several weeks now. I thought about bringing one on the plane to cook up at my grandparent's house but then wasn't sure if it would make it through security at the airport. I think when I get back to Brooklyn, I'm firing up the oven and throwing in the mock bird. It's so yummy.

There has been a lot of shouting about pie the past 24 hours. High decibels caused by guests being too stuffed to eat pie and hosts refusing to eat their slices without guests joining in. I've been in the doghouse for not eating my apple pie last night for dessert nor this morning for breakfast. I ate half a slice for an afternoon snack and a rather large piece of pumpkin pie for dinner. There's still that niggling leftover half-piece of apple that proves I am not doing my gastromonic duty.

Preemptive Post

2008-11-26T07:23:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

I think I would forget to post this later today and so I'm writing now, just before heading out to begin the day of planes, trains, and automobiles.

My one goal for the Thanksgiving holiday is to finally watch the two Netflix movies I've had since September. Dream big.

Almost Packed

2008-11-25T23:29:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Tomorrow I'm flying out to Western Pennsylvania to meet up with my parents for the drive up to grandma and grandpa's house. It's going to be three days of good eating, rummy cubes, and absolutely no school work.

Shmying

2008-11-24T21:49:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Last week I learned a new word - "shmying." Rhymes with like eyeing. It's Yiddish for "strolling aimlessly about." I'd like to have more time for shmying. I realize it's one of my guilty pleasures. Any time I have an excuse to go to Target for something, I just wander around and visit all the departments. Not shopping, just feasting the eyes and shmying a half an hour away.

Almost Forgot

2008-11-23T22:58:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Going to bed. It's been a long weekend full of work. The next two days are going to be 6 am to 10 pm days as well. Can't wait for Thanksgiving vacation to start on Wednesday and not have to think or plan anything for 72 blissful hours.

Argh

2008-11-22T21:21:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Tonight I feel awful. Exhausted. Chilled. Irritated. Wanting to sleep. Guess who is having a party directly below our apartment?

I'm beginning to understand why people go postal.

Pigs Are Flying! II

2008-11-21T22:18:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

The check really was in the mail!

Today I finally got payment from the department of education that I did for them the first week of June.

Pigs Are Flying!

2008-11-20T21:56:00.007-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

I just voted absentee for a Republican who seems kind of awesome.

Attorney and east New Orleans activist Anh “Joseph” Quang Cao, 40, announces his candidacy for House of Representatives, District 103, saying he will work to promote Category 5 Hurricane Protection, strong anti-crime initiatives and environmentally-sound growth policies as leader for this area which crosses Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes.

~ Newshorn Wiki

Happy to Come Home

2008-11-19T22:50:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

This evening while leaving the apartment to go to a meeting, I noticed a note taped up on the my downstair hipster neighbor's door.

"Hi, this is your neighbor from the apartment next door. I introduced myself before. Tonight we have been smelling gas from your apartment. You should check it out when you get home, just don't flip the light switch on."

I'm happy to report the note was gone when I got home a couple of hours later, and neither of our apartments was blown to bits.

Track Record

2008-11-19T06:39:00.003-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

So I forgot to post yesterday. That makes twice already this month. The last two years of NaBloPoMo I did manage to post every day in November. I'm not really sure what the problem is this year.

Maybe because I managed to do it twice before, the same sense of challenge no longer exists.

At a two hour lecture last night on museum exhibition labels (sounds exciting, right?), I learned that one reason people are able to walk on hot coals is that they get nervous and sweat. The perspiration on the soles of their feet helps prevent them from getting burned. The more nervous a coal-walker is, the more protected he or she is from injury. Coal-walkers who become complacent about the ability to walk across burning coals no longer sweat and are in real danger of burning the bottoms of their feet off.

Guess I've singed myself twice this month. Wonder if I can start sweating again between now and when December 1st rolls around.

Yobama

2008-11-17T22:16:00.004-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

There is a lovely little three year old in my life. I get to see her every so often and today I picked her up from school. On the way to catch the subway home we pass an there is an Obama/Biden poster in a storefront's window. Every time we see it I say, "Look, there's Obama!"

"Yobama! I love Yobama!"

The first time we saw the sign together she told me about eating a Yobama cookie from a nearby bakery. It was yummy.

This afternoon she looked me in the eye and made a serious and weighty observation, "Jennifer, sometimes I say, 'YAY YOBAMA!' And sometimes I say, 'YAY BARACK YOBAMA!'"

Almost Forgot

2008-11-16T23:18:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

I was in bed with the lights out. And then I remembered... to post.

Good night.

Weaving a Food Web

2008-11-15T21:37:00.002-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

Teaching kiddies wore me out today. I didn't realize how tired I was from the day until I was almost asleep on the subway back home. At 4:30 in the afternoon.

We started worm composting less than a month ago and already we have a tremendous amount of soil. This afternoon we pulled the worm bin out to show the kids and they were cheering about the soil accumulation. One of them said, "The worms made all that? That's all worm poop?!?"

Yep, lots of rich, fertile wondrous worm poop.

I brought a really disgusting book with me today, What's Eating You?: Parasites - The Inside Story. It's got the greatest cartoon illustrations. After perusing one or two pages my entire body begins to itch. I had hoped to use it in conjunction with our exploration of food webs. But we ran out of time. Too bad because they would have loved it.

I wanna be...

2008-11-14T20:16:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn, NY

... a cowboy.

This song brings back very vivid memories of 7th grade.