Dancey-pants.

What up, Gs?
Just got back from home home, the wilds of Michigan. And when I say wilds, I mostly mean floodedness. Poor backyard and driveways. So muddy.
On my spring vacation, I hung out with my folks, ate too much, went shopping with my Mum, tried to solve a computer problem with my Dad, and slept kind of a lot.
Also, I took two tap classes, with Mr. Mark, who taught me tap, jazz, and modern in my college years.
I can't take tap here in BG...or rather I could, but I would either have to pay a lot or take an intermediate (at best) adult class. And there's no place for me to tap dance just on my own. So, when I was going to spend a week at home, I jumped at the chance. I haven't tapped in several years, so I went to the adult intermediate with some trepidation. I was wearing my split-sole flats, which turned out not to go so well, because even though I jammed my legwarmers in there, they still fell off my heels. I was making okay sounds, but it wasn't as good as I can do, and I kept having to stop to fix them. Mr. Mark said I should come to the senior (high school) class, which is the top level class. So, my Dad helped me get the taps back on my old heels (which are really in disastrous shape), and on my merry way I went.
It was a little bit like waking up, actually. My last year of tap I danced in flats, but I'd danced in heels for ages before that, so it was completely comfortable. My sounds still weren't great, and there were a few new exercises to learn, but I think I kept up pretty well. We also did the big finale tap number twice, and while I had some trouble breathing afterward, I made it, and did a better job than most of the girls. That might be an unfair comparison, since I've known the dance longer than all of them have been alive.
And now that I put that in black and white...ouch. It's true, though. I started doing 42nd Street when I was 11 or 12, which was about 18-19 years ago, and they are all in high school.
Anyway, I had a great time, and was glad I hadn't lost too much flair and speed. I also had the chance to lunch with my dance teacher Miss Assiff, who taught me for my entire time at the studio. It was definitely like getting in touch with my dancing roots.

In other news, so far I have bought 3 more songs from iTunes: Metallica's "Enter Sandman," Cake's "Short Skirt Long Jacket" and "Gone Gone Gone" from the new Robert Plant/Alison Krauss album, which I heard on the radio on my way back to BG. I actually made a little list in the car while I was traveling, since I could look in on a variety of radio stations.

Hockey Emergency

I was going to post about something completely different but that's going to have to wait.
Rumors are swirling that the BGSU hockey program is possibly on the chopping block. As a result of the budget shortfall, they might consider doing away with the team. Even my casual acquaintances will know what a blow this would be to me personally, let alone the guys and the school. I don't know how true these rumors are, or where they came from, but a few papers have reported on them, and while there are have been some denials, others have said that a number of scenarios are up for grabs. And that makes me very nervous indeed. My ability to deal with fall and winter will be severely hampered without hockey. I came to BGSU partly because there was CCHA hockey to be had. Ron Mason coached here, for heaven's sake. The Silver Fox!

There is a Facebook group called Save BGSU Hockey and, despite the uncertainty about all of this, I have joined. You should, too.

Faux Foodie

Hey, y'all.
Thanks for the music suggestions. I am exploring some artists and employing youtube and Amazon to sample. For some reason, I am really hemming over these 9 dollars, like I have to get blow-my-mind songs.

Things are a little rocky in avacious land, but I wanted to share a couple of cool things food-related.
First, I made a pretty great "appetizer" (read, could be appetizer, but currently being eaten as lunch) the other day. Brown some ground sage sausage, remove from pan. Stir fry bag of frozen stir fry veg, or other veg of choice, being sure to cut up larger chunks. Add sausage back in and season to taste. Meanwhile, brown some mini-pastry shells in the oven, then fill with sausage mix and top with a bit of mozzarella or other enjoyable cheese (0ne could also mix the cheese into the sausage mix and get it a little melty), put in the oven for a bit longer, and enjoy your tres fab deliciousness.
I also utilized my much-loved subscription of Cook's Illustrated the other day to make their creamless creamy tomato soup. I won't tell you the secret ingredient here, but it worked out pretty awesome. I also bought a cheap immersion blender (on sale for 20 bucks) so I wouldn't have to do it in my big blender, which is missing its handle and thus is a bit awkward. I struggled with the suction of the immersion blender, but in the end it worked out pretty well. I made it a bit too salty, but am enjoying it, especially since it's made with canned tomatoes. Their recipe uses chicken broth, but you could probably do the same with vegetable broth if you wanted to go vegan. It was all pretty easy except that for some reason I suck at cooking onion and garlic--the garlic always gets too brown. Anyone have suggestions for this?

I Can Haz Muzik?

I tried a Facebook note on this, but for some reason I don't think it ever published. So.

I need some advice:
I have 9 bucks on an iTunes Store card. It's pretty well known that I'm a music sampler, often buying soundtracks because I like random songs in combination on them (like, I own all three Charmed soundtrack CDs). That's why I love Carrie's birthday CDs, too. I know almost nothing about what the kids are listening to these days, and usually run into songs several or many years behind schedule. My music tastes are eclectic, but I do not listen to country (I do sometimes listen to Bluegrass), or rap (but sometimes R & B), or Christian (but I like Gospel). Feist is my favorite current artist, but I'm not averse to buying old songs I don't have yet, or classical music. I gravitate toward female singers or female-led bands, but that's just because they're easier to sing in the car.

So here I have these 9 bucks (9 because I obviously bought "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" as soon as I got the card). So what do I buy now?
I am kind of intrigued by Duffy right now, and am contemplating how "Mercy" would sound on my Shuffle. But that's all I got. Shuffleability of songs is important--Can I dance to it? Will it make my spring jogging easier? Will it calm me down when I'm taking walks, whether because it is soft or because it is angry?

Help me, plz!

Sound Bytes

Every time students write about melting pots I get hungry for cheese fondue.

I have ordered some bath melts and bath bombs to get me through the winter months. By which I mean they smell good and I cannot resist.

Michigan State vs. BG tonight. Both squads are depleted with injuries and departures. MSU pulled it out last night at Munn, so we'll see what happens on the Falcons' home turf. Go Sparcons!

Have I mentioned that I'm getting a nephew in July? Yippee!

Flexi-Bendy

I do not do Yoga, but if I lived in close to the aquarium, I would totally start.
Even better, why not tai chi? How amazing would that be? Especially if they turned the lights down.
And you get a day pass for the aquarium. Have I mentioned how much I like aquariums?

Fun Fact for the Day: A Lesson in Timing

The exchange rate today is 1.42 dollars to the UK pound.
When I went in 2007, it was 2 dollars to the pound.
That is just sad, sad, sad.

Of course, when I was in Italy, it was 2200 lire to the dollar, and everything was cheap.
Today, it is 1.3 dollars to a euro. I won out there.

Tea. T!

I drink Gingerbread Spice tea at the office sometimes, and discovered today a fairly amazing combination: Rather than using creamer, I chucked a spoonful of powdered chai mix in there. I put a little too much in, but now I know how awesome that combination is, I will perfect it, because it is making me feel very happy.

Sometime between 3 and 6 on Friday, I came down with a cold.
I medicated on Sunday with soup + Sense and Sensibility + Pushing Daisies + Amelia Peabody + orange juice + tea + Dimetapp + sleep.
I am now better, but still gross.
That is all.

I can always tell when I'm about to lose my temper big time.

So, Time Warner recently, suddenly, and mysteriously dropped CBC from the cable lineup. The channel is all fuzz, and at this point no new channel has been added.
Today, I did a "live chat" with "Roger" on their website. "Roger" tells me that "The Mid-Ohio Division is in the process of evaluating channel lineups to identify opportunities to eliminate duplicate broadcast programming and allow us to consider new programming options in the future. Possible channel additions are being evaluated and will be announced as soon as a decision is made."
But, "Roger," I say (and I am paraphrasing), that means that I am paying full price for fewer channels until the "management" decides, in their mightiness, what channel they will bestow upon our grovelling, cable-hungry souls. Did they not consider that they could have been making this decision WHILE CBC was still on my TV? Or that they ought to have SAID something? To maintain, you know, the trust of their subscribers? Not to mention, CBC does NOT have duplicate programming. Hockey Night in Canada? The Hour? Marple (which is shown only sporadically by PBS)? Coronation Street (which, admittedly, I don't watch, but which is not on any other classic cable channel)? Roger insisted that the same programming was on two channels. I don't see it. Do you?
The sheer incompetence of this strategy astounds me; this is in addition to rising cable fees despite increased broadcast problems (fuzzy screen), interruptions, and the like (anyone else, by the way, been having such trouble? I couldn't even see parts of Supernatural the other night and was about to lose my gaskets).

But here is where I could tell I was going to lose it and needed to disconnect quickly: The angrier I get, the more deadly accurate and formal my language gets. Here, of course, I am throwing things out there for you lot. But this is is what I actually said to "Roger":
"Sir, I am going to explain my exact grievance that you might pass it on: I have had TWC for 8 years or so. In recent times, I have had more service interruptions than before, more strange broadcast quality issues (ie fuzz) than before, and now am missing a channel in which I have interest and, in fact, that does not contain any significant overlaps with others of my channels, and yet I am paying a higher price. I am paying more for less, and I don't like it. Please register my disapproval to the appropriate people. I would greatly appreciate it."
If you don't know me, you might read that and think I am just averagely angry. Not so, mes freres. I was FURIOUS.
Let this be a lesson to you. There are many forms of anger, and my most angry could commonly be mistaken for politeness.
In addition, if you value CBC and live in this area, let the people at Time Warner know in some fashion. Otherwise, I will not be able to watch George Stroumboulopoulos (or whatever) or Don Cherry in the comfort of my own home.

In which I wonder if I missed my calling, or...

So the other night I was hanging out and watching what I call "unnecessary television"--basically, if I won't be upset for missing it, it's unnecessary to me, no matter how intriguing it is. The show in question was Mystery Diagnosis. On this episode, a woman had been suffering severe wheezing and was unable to catch her breath. She saw various doctors, and was put in the hospital a couple of times also. Her symptoms were like a disorder that is common in people who work on farms and so on, but she didn't have that as a risk factor.
As soon as I heard the symptoms, I said to myself "Black mold. Check the house."
But I'd missed the beginning, so I decided to hang in there, while successive doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong, or why her symptoms worsened so much after she improved and went home.
You can see where I'm going with this, can't you?
Four months later, FOUR MONTHS, they did some lung tissue tests and found it was full of growing things.
For example, mold.
They finally found in her home (which shares a wall with another, hello!) that the neighbors had had a water problem which put mold in the walls, which were right next to the couch where this woman parked herself.
At the end, I couldn't help thinking--well, duh. Now, maybe I watch too much House, but I think the first thing I'd have done with this woman, as a diagnostician, is go swab some of her walls or something. Obviously, there were other possibilities besides mold, and the family wasn't sick. But all you have to do is have allergies or hypersensitivity and the latter factor is obliterated. I'm not a genius, but I thought it was weird that I solved this woman's case in five minutes and it took them months. They sensed at the very beginning that the condition was environmental, but they didn't take the steps to investigate, just dismissed the idea because it didn't fit the common risk factors (like farming).
I guess I was really surprised that mold was never on the table as a possibility. It can be so dangerous, and completely shut down your system if it starts growing in your lungs. And, worst of all, you might not know it's there, because it's inside the walls; that these doctors missed that factor to me is just silly. On the upside, hopefully people saw the episode and will remember it if their friends and family ever have similar symptoms.

What I Did on My Winter Vacation

Stage one: Appleton

My parents and I drove separately to Wisconsin. They, traveling through the UP had a worse time than I did, traveling around Chicago, though mine was not particularly safe. They had slippy roads and a couple of white-outs, and I had nonfunctioning wiper fluid on the salt-laden highway and skiddy patches on the roads. I was extra glad to arrive in Appleton, even though they had three feet of snow!

The baby (she's a toddler now, really, but she's still baby-sized) was running around, and peeked at me then ran away giggling while I was getting settled. Eventually we were all together in the cozy living room, and the fun began. I was surprised and gratified that the baby seemed comfortable with me so quickly. The very next morning she climbed into my lap for a story, which she then did every day. The family had a good couple of days of relaxing, eating, going to a Christmas Eve service, and playing with the wee one. On Christmas Eve we also brought the gifts down from upstairs, as is the tradition, and the baby was excited, making cooing noises over the pretty boxes, but not touching anything.

It's so great to have Christmas with a littler one than me! She is not old enough to take over the job of handing out gifts (which I actually enjoy, mostly), but she is old enough to get excited about things. The first package she opened was an Elmo from her parents, and that critter went everywhere with her from then on, or at least had to be visible. We all had a laugh when she opened her Sesame Street Giggle Remote from Aunt Abby (picture of me trying to get it out of the box below), and she could barely stand up she was laughing so hard. I also got a kick out of my brother-in-law immediately putting on the Badgers hockey jersey I got him, and later when my Dad read straight through one of the books I bought him during our stay.

I myself got some fantastic things, too many if truth be told. I've used most of them already, including my big skillet, fancy olives, hymnal (that's right, I asked for a hymnal, and I love it), puzzles, Pushing Daisies dvd, CDs, and so on. One thing I haven't gotten to play with yet but which I can hardly wait for is my new interlocking cutting board. It comes in pieces (much like a puzzle) and you can use as many pieces as you need to get the size you want. And I can use it with my rotary cutter.
A few more favorite moments (and I'm probably forgetting more):

We had to split presents up over a few days, and we did a whole bunch of the baby's packages at once. She plunked down on my lap for each one, and I helped her open them. When she opened the (pink, frilly) tutu skirt her Aunt Abby got her, it had to be worn immediately and she had to dance in it, on her tippy toes. I also held her up to the mirror so she could see herself, and she didn't want to stop looking. It was very sweet and heart-melty.

I also got a football for Christmas, and my brother-in-law took me out on a balmy, sprinkly Wisconsin evening to teach me to throw. I don't have much strength, but with his instructions I was able to throw fairly accurately, at least standing still. I need work on catching, but I did grab it a few times. And fell in a snowdrift :) We got soaked and it was awesome (the baby, meanwhile, was on a walk with Grandma and Grandpa, and had to be directed back home against her will--she was out for adventure!)
My sister and I got out on our own for a bit, to the mall. We browsed around and looked at sales, and she had a pretzel and I an Icee, and she bought some maternity jeans. Then she bought an awesome hat and I bought my sweet shoes at Younkers. How can you go wrong with girl time? We had quite a good chat, which continued when we walked to the nearest postbox to their house, in the dark, with all the twinkly lights and snow.

My favorite meal was Mom's prime rib and Yorkshire pudding on Christmas Day--I was craving Yorkshire pudding, actually, which has not happened at quite that level before. We ate fabulous meals all week, but a tradition for us is take-out Chinese on Boxing Day. This year, we had Christmas crackers (which scared the baby) and wore the paper crowns from them (which she thought was hilarious--and it was). My little dinosaur from my cracker is now on my desk.

My parents and I left around the same time on Sunday, and we had quite a nice drive back after we got south of Appleton (which had had more snow). The drive down 294 (which we take around Chicago instead of the Skyway) was actually really nice, fast but dry and not too busy. It was actually the best driving of my trip out, too, which is surprising. The worst part was already missing everybody, especially the baby!

Stage two: Home home

I came back to BG for a few days, and then bumped up my trip home home so that my folks and I could go to the MSU vs. Alaska-Fairbanks hockey game Saturday night. We go at least once a year, usually at Thanksgiving, but MSU didn't play at home this year, so I was glad to get this opportunity. MSU, sadly, did not win, but I know a guy on Fairbanks' team, and so it was nice to see him in action. As always, I heart Jeff Lerg.

The rest of the time, I hung out with my parents, watched some movies and TV, relaxed, and went to church. Even though I was behind at the office, I was glad I came when I did and glad I decided not to do any work. It was peaceful. I ended up picking the exact right time to go, Saturday to Monday, because it was icy on Sunday and then snowed Tuesday through, well, now.

Stage three: BG

This week I've been working my butt off to get ready for the semester, and I think I've managed pretty well. I'm still behind, but my to-do list has a respectable number of things crossed off, and the rest have to do with stuff for me and not for school. I managed to get to both hockey games, joined by Carrie and Paul on Friday night, which was extra fun. And now...vacation is over. So get off my porch, you kids.

A little ice-related funny for you:

Still working on the Christmas blog, but here's something in the meantime:

I've always wondered what college hockey guys say to each other on the ice, because you can always see them jawing at each other, and sometimes that leads up to gloves being dropped or shoulders slamming into people. Sometimes, when things are getting chippy, I make up conversations and smart remarks that might be going back and forth.

As I was perusing ccha.com's "Time Out with" section, I came across this from Kevin Deeth of Notre Dame:
Funniest thing an opponent's said to you on the ice: Jack Johnson, "Maybe next time hit him with your purse."

Best Moment of 2009 So Far

I feel strongly that the Wings vs. Blackhawks hockey game at Wrigley Field was extremely awesome TV. The Wings won, everyone was jolly, they were wearing old-timey jerseys, some sweet moves went down, and I got to watch the whole thing in my jammies.

New Shoes for Me!

Every year I get myself a Christmas present, sometimes even a pricey one. This year, I decided to buy a practice tutu. I planned to buy one online for about 40 bucks, but a local store had one for just 16. I thought, I can be frugal and I am amazing.

Then I went shopping with my sister. I was being so good, browsing things without the buy-it impulse. This lasted until we got to the shoe department at Younkers. My heart went out to these Sofft brand red shoes, which were on sale. I tried to walk away, and literally couldn't. I picked up one shoe from the display, and held it while I walked around the department trying to find something similar for cheaper, in a feeble attempt to displace the attraction, or to get rid of that gut feeling entirely. It was no use. Resistance is futile. I had to try them on, or, as I told my sister incoherently, I would cry as we left the store and possibly all the way home. Later, she expressed that they reminded her of the red shoes. Ballerinas, you know which ones I mean. I could not leave the store without these shoes, especially since they are comfortable, with a lightly padded interior, a character shoeish heel, and a rubber sole that includes black and red flowers. They will go with skirts and jeans, and I can wear them with light socks, nylons, or bare feet.

Red. Leather. T-Straps.

I bought them, and lo, they are awesome.

Happy Christmas to me! (Eventually, you will receive a family Christmas update, when I have picked my favorite moments.)

Ice!

Note to self: When in receipt of an ice storm, then below zero temperatures, do not park so close to the house, because when the sun heats up the ice on the roof, it will melt onto your car, on the shady side, and freeze there, necessitating well nigh an hour of scraping and head-scratching as to how to get the ice off the sideview mirror. There will be no helpful layer of water under said ice, due to the wind chill, so you will not be able simply to pry up whole sheets of the ice--no, it will truly be stuck on there as if superglued, and you will have to, in fact, make little channels with the corner of your ice scraper, and then attack from said trenches. You will, in fact, chisel off enough that you can see, but also give up getting it all off the driver's side windows for the time being, because you value having circulation in your fingers. You'll attack it again early tomorrow, when it is, perhaps, slightly warmer and less below-zero-y.

Today's Er...What? Moment

It's been a busy day, and since now the office building is blissfully quiet and I have no other pressing concerns just this minute, I am enjoying one of my favorite activities, which is looking up trivia on imdb.
What connection, you might ask, does My Fair Lady have with Sherlock Holmes? Freddy Eynsford-Hill of 1964 is played by the very same man as Sherlock Holmes in the 80s and 90s versions that sometimes pop up on PBS (like tonight).
I'm pretty good at this game, but I don't think I'd EVER come up with that. His singing was dubbed, but even so. Gracious.

And while we're at it, yesterday's moment came at Home Depot, when I was wandering around and around thinking about a project. I came across a worker who looked exactly like Simon Pegg, sans facial hair (like in Hot Fuzz). When he asked if I had any questions, I told him I was tempted to make him help me because he looked so much like Simon Pegg. He looked at me blankly, claiming he didn't even know who that was and no one had ever said that to him before, but when I brought up Shaun of the Dead and asked him to confirm that he looked like Shaun, he said he could see it.
Seriously, people...EXACTLY like Simon Pegg. And no one had ever told him. Possibly because they were afraid everyone else had told him, which is why I initially hesitated.

Birfday Shout-Out

Happy Birthday to My Sister!

Five random things I love about my sister (because obviously she is smart, beautiful, and loving):
1. She is a Lady, and her manners are impeccable even when she is with her family, except when...
2. We get the random uncontrollable giggles, especially where swordfighting tiki umbrellas are concerned.
3. She has the ability to envision a project and execute it just as she envisioned it.
4. When she was a teenager, she stood up to the bully of our bus when he was following us home from the busstop and making crude remarks.
5. She has beautiful taste in textiles.

Holiday Nostalgia, Part One: Emmy Keeps a Promise

At least once a year I read through my favorite childhood book, Emmy Keeps a Promise, by Madye Lee Chastain, usually around Christmas because that's when the climax of the story takes place.

The book is set in the last four and a half months of 1850, and I know that because early in the story Emmy Thatcher (aged 11) and her sister Arabel (aged 19) go to see Jenny Lind's first American concert, which took place in September of that year. I don't think I knew it as a girl, but with all the talk of bandboxes, valises, poplin, satinet, and doing odd jobs for a few cents a week, I certainly knew we were talking about the 1800s. As the story opens, Arabel and Emmy are leaving their Aunt Hannah and Uncle Ben, and are off to New York; Arabel has a teaching job at a girls' school, and Emmy is going with her, because they've never been separated. Aunt Hannah asks Emmy to keep an eye out and see if she can find a nice man for Arabel, but Arabel is determined to be a success and pay back her Aunt and Uncle for all their support. In New York, the girls work hard, but also spend time with their new friends the Spenlows, who are wealthy and who include Emmy's best friend Lissa and her dashing cousin, Captain Andy (both of whom live with their Grandfather). The Misses Thatcher live in an attic room let by the Piddlebys, whose patriarch is in the clam business. All is going smoothly until Christmastime, when Arabel becomes deathly ill, and they are taken in by the kind Spenlows. I'm sure you can guess how the romance turns out.

I am not sure I could describe why this book touches me so. On the one hand, there is the marvelous scene staging, and I love the occasional references to fashion, the adventure of discovering 1850s New York, and the fun of the events described. But there is also a combination of simplicity and independence in the book that I love. While I was looking for the picture, I came across a few other pages about the book, and others have been just as obsessed as I am with it. It is, as one page pointed out, a romance, but its point of view from Emmy's perspective and the well mannered delivery of the story never fail to warm me, even while other romances fail. Every time I read it, I cry with Emmy's desperation to get help for Arabel, and at the book's happy conclusion. It always gets me in the mood for the Christmas spirit. It is a book that I can give myself wholly to as I read.

The copy I have is the copy I checked out over and over again from my elementary school library. The card is absent, but there's a sequence of dates on the date due slip from 87-89 that are probably all mine. That's how much I loved this book, and how pleased I was that they gave it to my Mom when they were getting rid of some things. I'm sorry that other little girls won't get to experience it...but not that sorry.

Who Cares?

I have so much on my mind today, and am really struggling with some final grade decisions. I don't even know why I'm blogging except that I have a few bites of my Jimmy Johns sandwich left and didn't want to get mayo on any essays. On the keyboard is fine, though.
I don't know why these grades are so hard. They shouldn't be. But I'm tired, and making compromises and really need to remind myself that this is not the be all and end all. Sometimes I get very worked up over very little, or what should be very little, and have trouble remembering that I'm not going to get fired, this is just pre-portfolio assessment, my students are all generally very good and in good shape, and overdramatizing things is only going to give me an ulcer.
Obviously, I need a bubble bath and some Lambic. Stat.