Space Cadet

So, it's my own fault, I know; I'm not really complaining here so much as explaining.
My apartment is hot. HOT. I took a cold shower and put my top sheet in the fridge for a half hour before I went to bed to help me be cool when I went to sleep, and I ran my (admittedly ineffectual) small fan. I shut out the light just before two. And waited. At 4, I got worried, having slept for no more than twenty minutes. At 5, I gave up and went to my other apartment, which has a more powerful fan and windows that are next to the couch on which I sacked out. I cooled down enough to need a covering, which is what it usually takes for me to sleep. I fell asleep probably around 6, and slept off and on until about 10, at which time the apartment had too much light in it and I went back to my bed, where I clocked in another forty minutes or so, off and on. All told, I couldn't have gotten more than 3 or 4 hours.
The worst part is, at 5 last night, I wasn't really sleepy at all. I was wide awake, despite finishing my soda twelve hours earlier, despite having a nice drink with dinner. That made me panic, which of course didn't help. I haven't had this kind of insomnia in quite a while, and I'd forgotten how dull it makes me.
Right now, I feel spacy. I'm awake, I'm thinking, I'm moving around, but my head is a little slow. I hope that tonight I make the call to move earlier if I can't sleep, and that I have enough energy to pull out the couch bed rather than just sacking out on the couch itself. I might do some rearranging of my sewing materials tonight to facilitate this. We're supposed to have a cooler night tonight, so I'm hoping that will solve the problem.

What I did on my summer vacation: Travel edition.

Last week I returned from a week of travel in Wisconsin, Crystal Valley, MI, and East Lansing, respectively. Here is a sampling of my trip highlights:

Wisconsin:

Meeting my nephew. Nichol is a strong baby, and pretty mellow at this point. He's starting to respond with smiles and my sister was training him to stick out his tongue. I was trying to see if he'd curl it, to no avail. Nichol is pretty comfortable so far with other people besides his mum holding him, so I got a few peaceful half hours with him tucked onto my shoulder. He did amazingly well when we went to the mall, only howling once when he was hungry and sleeping the rest of the time. He also favors "Va Pensiero," which I hummed whenever he fussed. (I made sure to pass this along to my Dad, who started the whole humming opera thing.)
Chasing Ruth. We had a nice walk in a big field and around the Fox City gardens, and some quality play time at home and out and about. My niece is two now, and full of energy. Sometimes when she came down the slide at the mall, she'd take a lap around the play area waving her hands in the air and dancing like a little sprite. She also chased a little boy with her stuffed frog. That's my girl. The mall is also where she got some brand new sneakers with princesses on the side and lights on the bottom. They're awesome. I forgot to mention that when I got to their house, and Ruth came down from her nap, she came right to me and didn't leave my side for at least an hour. Love!
Houseboat. The movie. I include this because for some reason Ruth was very engaged by this film. One night after she'd been playing outside I was watching it, and she sat still in my lap for ages drinking her milk and gazing at the screen. Later, she got down, puttered around for a bit, and then told me she wanted to go to sleep in her bed. "Nice baby," she said.
Sister giggles. It didn't take long--my sister and I had a giggle fit my first night during dinner, based on Ruth's new conversational trick. It's totally natural to repeat what a toddler says to be sure you understood, but she tricked us, as if the whole thing was our idea.
Ruth: "Baby go park. Go park? Baby p'ay in park. Baby go park."
Sarah: "Baby go park?"
Ruth: "Ok."
It was funny as is, but even funnier because we kept walking into her cleverly laid trap.
Family. My favorite time of the whole trip was a blissful hour or so when the Brewers won their baseball game, we had a delicious dinner, Sarah was playing with Ruth on the floor, and Dave was having "man time" with Nichol. It was so peaceful that I located their camcorder and took some footage (I think--I have little experience with camcorders). I mean, THAT'S living. A cozy, intelligent, warm family. It was beautiful, and I feel blessed.

Ferry:

That's right, I took the ferry again. The weather was supposed to be fine and clear, and the wave forecast was 0-1 feet. After much consultation with my Dad via phone, and considering that it was going to pour over the northern route to Michigan, I opted for the boat. I'm glad I did. I had a good trip, and I finished Stardust, which I'd borrowed from my sister. I also met a guy who is an athletic trainer grad student here at BGSU, who gently parked my car on the boat for me and left his info in the car in case I ever want free tickets. Coming into Ludington, I was standing next to a woman to whom it turns out I'm distantly related.

Grandma's:

Ludington. My gran and I went up and had lunch at a little place in Ludington. Then we sat in the car and looked at the lake for a bit, chatting. I also took her to Meijer. We came back and both of us had a long nap--all that lake air. It was nice to be able to help my grandma out a little and get some time to catch up. I tried to ask her questions, more than I usually do, learning for instance about what sorts of foods they canned when she was little and which was her favorite in the middle of winter. Things like that.
Party. Some cousins were having a party for another cousin, and so we drove the mile or two to the giant house of Vince and (drat...can't remember his wife's name--and she's the one I'm related to). I knew only a couple of people at the party, and most of them were outside my age range one way or another. I walked about and chatted with a few people, though, and then I hung out with Patrick, Vince's son, who is 26 and was literally the only person my age there. He gave me a tour and we had a nice long conversation about our respective lives. After the party, Gran and I stopped by a little market owned by some neighbors. We also took a spin around the cemetery to visit the vast number of family members I have there.
Barn. The barn at the farm is for storage now, but it used to have animals in it and, in its somewhat dilapidated current state, it's always been fun to poke around in. No one's been in there for some months, except for some foxes, so I spent an hour clambering around. If my sister and I were playing archaeologists again, we would have been in heaven. It was full of various animal bones and not-bones, and feathers, and all kinds of things. I made a list.
Church. My grandmother's church is tiny, and in the summer it's even tinier. I guesstimate 3/4 of the attendees on Sunday were my family in one way or another!

Home:

I spent a night at home before I came back for a board meeting. I spent much of the day and evening regaling my parents with stories of Ruth and Nichol, and also of my grandmother. I basically gave them a report, and also showed them my pictures. There was much to say, but we took a break to watch the most confusing Miss Marple ever, after dinner. It was a nice visit, as short as it was, and I was glad to be able to convey good stories and information.

Been busy.

This week, I attended Harry Potter 6 and a grant workshop, and finished two projects.
1. HP 6 is awesome. My friend Carrie has already done a quick review, and I agree with her on all points. 6 is my favorite book anyway, because I like the character development and the balance of the book, and even though things had to be cut (and they also added a scene), the balance matched really well for a blend of funny and frightful. I shed a fat tear at the end, and when the credits began to roll everybody let out a collected sigh of "it's over?" After a two and a half hour movie, I think that speaks really well of the quality. And, seeing it with my peeps Carrie and Paul was awesome, too. I want to see it again.

2. This funding request workshop was intense; two days, 9-4, but with a hefty lunch break and a morning and afternoon break. There was also plenty of coffee, and breakfasty treats available. I learned so much in these two days my head is still spinning. I really responded to the leader, whose dry humor made me laugh even in the morning hours, and she was very straightforward and easy to follow. I can only think of one thing I didn't learn, and that's about how peer reviewers score grants, but I also haven't explored the information we were given very thoroughly yet. On the second day, I was able to bring the campus ministry's computer and do a few searches on it using the wireless available at the country club, and also get the ministry's camera software installed. The workshop was expensive, but I feel it was worth it, and I hope I can write some great grant requests to earn my keep (the ministry paid for it!)

3. Projects one and two for the summer are complete, both blankets, and are soon delivered. I have one more blanket, some pants, and a shelf to craft this summer. I'd also like to work on my wings a bit, and of course on my manuscript.

Just call me Ms. Science

Just spent an hour and a half identifying a weed while watching Voyage of the Mimi on youtube. There are several of these plants in my porch box and I wanted to know what they are, so I picked one (carefully, having discovered the other day that they have spines). I jumped on google and hunted up a weed identification site. After taking my best guess at some of the options, and viewing the pictures, it seemed to be a pigweed variety. A bit more image searching and spiny amaranth seems to be the most likely. I have no idea how it got in the box, and I hunted around the yard for a plant that looked just the same, to no avail, but that's what it is.
This genius moment came at the same time that the Mimi's crew, shipwrecked, set up a plastic sheet as a still to turn sea water to drinking water.

AMERICA, RIGHT?

I haven't made much of a fuss about July 4 since I've been in BG, and only rarely have I spent time with people for the holiday. Last year I did go to the fireworks, sitting on the lawn of the rec center and peaceably appreciating both solitude and being part of a crowd. This year looked to be much of the same, but then Carrie texted me and I ended up donning some red, white, and blue and heading over to a gathering complete with friends, sangria, grilling, firepit, and a mad dash up the street to see what fireworks we could over the trees. And pink marshmallows.
Standing with Steve and Melissa on the sidewalk of Main Street, jumping up and down like crazy people, and cheering for the really big ones, as traffic went behind us, I felt completely at peace. It's nice to have friends.
God bless America.

And now, a conversation with my niece.

(Phone rings, caller ID says Mom)
"Hi, Mom."
(brief pause)"HI!"
say, "Hi Aunt Abby!"
"HI Abby!"
"Hi, Ruth! How are you? Are you having a good day? I love you!"
"HI!"
say, "I love you, Aunt Abby!"
(murmuring)
Hey, Diddle Diddle, the--
"CAT"
and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the--
"MOON"
the little dog laughed, to see such sport, and the dish ran away with the--
"'POON!"
Little Jack Horner sat in a corner, eating his Christmas--
"PIE!"
He put in his--
"THUMB"
and pulled out a plum, and said, What a good boy am I!
Ruth, P-I-E spells...
"PIE!"

That's right, my two-year-old niece can spell Pie. Genius.

Do not read if you are squeamish or uninterested in "lady problems"

You've been warned. I can easily be accused of TMI here, but I'm furious and want to stand up for women for a minute.

Several years ago, I got a lump in a "lady area" that was diagnosed as a Bartholin's cyst. The problem was taken care of in the ER, since I did not at that time have a physician or insurance (this was two weeks before I started my job). A few years later, I got another one in a slightly different area, and then several more, one at a time. My CNP confirmed the issue as cysts, but not necessarily a Bartholin's cyst. She said there are other glands in there and they can get cysts or abscesses. She indicated that it wasn't a big deal, especially since my cysts were always small. Every summer, though, the problem recurs, and I have been attempting to learn more about it, not just to get rid of them when I get them, but to prevent them if possible and understand how they occur.

It is true that if one performs a search for "Bartholin's cyst" one gets lots of results, some of them from reputable medical sources. But as I mentioned, not every cyst is a Bartholin's cyst, and so I tried to expand my search. Instead of getting real information, one gets pages and pages of questions from other women who have this problem, and few answers. The Bartholin's cyst pages claim that lots of women get cysts. So why is everyone so confused, and why is there no helpful information on this problem?

I turned my attention to books, and started with the Wood County Library. As I looked through the stacks of medical books, I found lots of books on pregnancy, several on men's genital health, two on boobs, and ONE BOOK on general female health and emotional wellness, which had nothing on cysts. WTF? I thought to myself, profanely. Here I am, a woman with a delicate question, and no resource ready to hand to help me with this "common" problem that no one seems to know or care about. But I can tell you (and I really should have said this to my CNP) that if you were to take, say, a dried pea, and shove it under the skin of your labia, you'd not only know about it, you'd think it was a very big deal and want to get rid of it and prevent it from coming back.

A helpful suggestion was given to me to check out the Science Library here on campus, or the science books wherever they end up when the Ogg closes, which I will surely do. It just infuriates me that I lived twenty-five years of my life without knowing this problem was possible, that I had to be scared of whatever it was when it first occurred, and that now, when I'm seeking information, it is beyond difficult to find. To me, that's completely unacceptable.

End of rant.

I came across some truly amazing pictures today from Zena Holloway, who takes underwater pictures. These pics were posted on a bridal blog, and you should go look at them. They are pretty and frilly and ethereal.

Backstory--Guilty Secret:
One of my favorite activities, when I want to completely waste time without noticing how much, is looking at bridal gowns online. I'm not getting married any time soon, and to be frank, I'm beginning to doubt that I ever will have that privilege. That's a whole other topic. But as a person who loves fabric and dresses, who considers a purchase of dupioni silk on sale a major coup, and who often buys satin and brocade just because, I love bridal gowns. I want to try them on.
If I were a mite taller, say two or three inches, I would maybe have tried to be a model just so I could be a bridal model.

Yay! Updates

I officially have a nephew. That's right, I now have a matched set, a niece and a nephew. Ruth and Nichol. Ruth can already say Nichol, and mididentifies herself as him in her baby pictures because they resemble each other quite a lot in this infant stage. I talked to Ruth on the phone last night and she seems pretty cheerful about it all. I'm told that thus far Nichol is a calm baby who is eating well and letting himself be held. I'm very excited to meet him.
I am also in a quilting tizzy because Nichol is two weeks early. I wanted to have the new quilt done and cleaned to bring when I meet the baby, but I don't know if that's happening. I am actually planning on leaving the office early so I can go home and work on it. I'm doing a tricky part of it just now, but it's coming out well.
I've been eating Little Caesars this week to celebrate the fun times. Yesterday, though, I made a vat of potato salad for a few lunches. Just like I did when Harry Potter books came out in the summers. All I need is some cherries, fried chicken, and Hawaiian rolls and it's just the same!

And now a message from Hallmark

I learned a valuable lesson today.
I was looking for a Father's Day card I could love. Amidst the cards was a Family Guy one with Peter Griffin on the front and a weak joke about doodie (ie "ha ha. I said doodie."). I didn't read the rest. Instead I thought, "Who would buy that for their dad? Whose dad would really find that funny? Or heart-warming? Whose dad would feel special after reading that card?"
Not ten seconds later, a woman came along with two daughters. She immediately saw the FG card, snorted, picked it up, and said, "This is funny. Your dad would love this." She gave it to her daughters to read; they giggled, and then handed it back to her. She asked if they wanted to get that one and, to their credit, they said No. She repeated that "Your dad likes Family Guy. He'd really like it," and they actually whined no, and continued rifling through the cards.
So I guess that's my answer.

Masters

Most of the reality shows I bring myself to watch are procedural--shows that are based on a skill and that (hopefully) have minimal drama. That's why I was a little excited about Top Chef Masters. While top chefs can certainly be melodramatic, I had hopes that at least they wouldn't be immature and disrespectful of each other.
Last night's premier was perfect. It had Hubert Keller in it, first of all. The chefs were also given very similar challenges to those of regular TC seasons, including the dessert quick fire. And the four chefs were all nice to each other, pitted only against their own skills and egos. Perfect. It's possible the show will not have enough backstabbing and melodrama for some people, but it was just right for me and I felt like I learned a lot. I am skeptical of Bravo these days, but they did right by me with this episode.

Pickled Garlic

Hey, peeps.
So, as one of my luxury items, I buy jars of olives with garlic cloves and pepperocini and so on in there...mainly as a result of a Christmas present from my brother-in-law which showed me how enjoyable pickled veg is. Salty, pickly, delicious.
My favorite thing in these jars, aside from the olives, is the garlic, and I want to try pickling some garlic. I'm looking at recipes online, but I want to know if anyone has tried this and if so what your recipe is. I like garlic a lot, but have issues with garlic breath that won't go away under normal circumstances; pickling removes this problem.

A Laundry Poll

Today I dropped off the dry cleaning portion of my closet-incident-related laundry. I've been handwashing sweaters for days (3-4 sweaters per round, three days for complete drying before beginning the process again), and I think I have my method down pretty well by now, even if it is still pretty tiring. I guess I've found the drawback to having so many lush boucle sweaters, especially because they don't always go back into shape easily.

At the dry cleaners, we had a big discussion on three of my items--

• My quilt made of special occasion fabrics, which isn't in the best of shape and which I told them I'd sign a release for...it has had so much food spilled on it over the years and is coming unstitched so if it gets ruined it gets ruined, but it needs to be cleaned.


• My never-worn turquoise mesh top with beading all over. Once again, signed a release. It's a cute top, and who knows, I might someday go to a club again. This is the top that they sold me a silver strapless top to go underneath, and we all know what a great idea that was. I won't be heartbroken if it doesn't come through well, but I hope it does.


• My Prince Edward Island ivory wool cable sweater. It's too big, but it's one of those sweaters that you wear over a thin sweater in the winter when it's blizzarded and above 30 degrees and you want to walk somewhere. Or you're going skating at an outdoor pond and want to move freely and accessorize with a cute hat, scarf, and gloves. The problem is the sweater got the worst of the water from my neighbor's toilet outflow, and the dry cleaners said they didn't think the stains would come out. This one might be relegated to working outdoors in February clothing.

And here we approach my actual question: How many of you have heard that A: You should not dryclean wool sweaters, B: You should not handwash wool sweaters, C: You can machine wash wool sweaters in a garment bag on cool but should not dry them, or D: Any other washing methods.

I'd read online that handwashing was preferable to dry cleaning, or at least that it was natural to do, that it was heat that shrunk a sweater and not water, but the ladies at the dry cleaners insisted that dry cleaning was the only way to prevent wool from shrinking. Said they'd had some bad experiences. I have a few sweaters that are part wool that have held up fine with handwashing, but I have several sweaters that are giant and are completely wool and often handknit. They are too big for me to do myself, which is why I was asking what the dry cleaners offered.

Now, I want to hear your opinions and methods. What do you do with wool?

It Made Me Laugh.

Pushing Daisies: The Return!

Hang out the Do Not Disturb shingle at 10 pm on the next three Saturdays, because Pushing Daisies is airing its final episodes at last!
Yippee!

Scut Farcus!

I had a weird moment of face deja vu last night. I was flipping channels (honestly, summer TV is terrible) between an NCIS rerun, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and various other shows, and the guy who played Farcus in A Christmas Story, Zack Ward, popped up in both the NCIS episode and Apocalypse. I wonder if actors ever channel flip to see how many shows that they were in are on at one time.

What's Up?

1. Is anyone else having mad allergies? I can tell this is allergies and not illness because of the twitchy nose and sneezing. I'm just not sure what's causing it.
2. My closet is almost back together. I have lots of handwash and some dry cleaning to do yet, but since most of that is sweaters that will go away for the summer once dry, I don't count those. Except I do count how much room they take up right now. In my new shelving system on top of my bureau, I have some shelves and a drawer yet to put things in because I can't decide what's going to go there. It's very exciting.
3. I was "DC'd" (discharged) from physical therapy this week, with instructions to work on my exercises and increase my activity level a bit at a time, and let them know in a few weeks if I'm good to go.
4. I have a new oven. It is shiny and very white. I am monitoring it to see what is normal, but I gave it a fairly literal trial by fire last night by broiling a steak. It didn't set off my smoke alarm, and that's already an improvement.
5. Go Wings!
6. Has anyone watched The Fashion Show on Bravo? I've peeped in a few times just to see what it's like...I dunno. It feels like a knock-off to me. Since I respect Isaac Mizrahi, this makes me sad. Maybe if I could bring myself to watch a whole episode I'd feel differently, but I just can't. It doesn't capture me, and in some cases turns me off. I did spy a pretty great outfit in the past week's episode. It came in second. Oh well.

Am I the only one who notices an alarming resemblance between Roy Scheider and Basil Rathbone, so much so that when Robin Hood was on this weekend, I knew that it wasn't Scheider playing Guy of Gisbourne, but at the same time I couldn't quite believe it?
Anyone? Honestly, it's downright creepy. Put a mustache on them both and they could be twins. Go do a Google image search, and you'll see what I mean. Let me get you started...

Some things I did to acclimate myself to my first weekend off:

1. Hung out with Stir-Fry the cat.
2. Ate pizza.
3. Ate Arby's.
4. Watched Sweeney Todd (finally).
5. Slept four hours on Saturday afternoon.
6. Went to see Star Trek. Had pretzel bites for lunch at the theater.
7. Rolled some coins. Found out I'm out of penny rolls.
8. Watched Tv. Lots and lots of Tv.
9. Read a Daphne Du Maurier short story in Echoes from the Macabre.
10. Fried up some chicken. And ate it.

On tonight's list, I think I might try some jogging. I have been instructed by my phys. therapist not to run more than a half mile, and to run a bit first then stretch (huh? I know.). I also need to watch the rest of last week's Medium to prepare for tonight's. I think I have a Deadliest Catch to watch, too. And I sort of fancy breaking out the Nintendo 64 at some point.

On a humorous note, I had PT today and my therapist was being shadowed by a guy named Jon from a Toledo high school. His name tag, which he claims had been written for him, said "Jon Rehab Shaddow." So of course I made fun immediately. Later, I told him not to look up my shorts when I was being stretched. It was that kind of morning.

(Addendum: Star Trek was awesome. I hardly ever go to the theater, and I'm really glad I went for this.)

Updates

#1: I am finished with reading my stack of 112 portfolios, and I had ample time to help out in the portfolio room, which I have never done before and which I enjoyed quite a lot.
#2: I am behind on doing 205 portfolios, and with 10 students coming tomorrow and a pedicure keeping me from doing the 4 for the next day, I'd better get home and get cracking right quickly. Especially with new Fringe and new NCIS tonight. Oops, and Deadliest Catch. Oh, dear. Thanks a lot for turning in so many exercises at the last minute, students. Hello, VCR.
#3: I had a better therapy appointment the other day. My therapists, Ann and Amy, are sweet people, and I know they were just getting a little carried away trying to sort out my skeletal and functional unevenness, but (with a little prodding from me, re: my treatment goals (i.e. no pain in my leg)), they finally decided to treat the pain first via massage and ultrasound and then take it from there. Both of these elements seemed to help so far, so that's positive. I have another appointment on Thursday and one on Friday.
#4: Star Trek opens this weekend. Bring it!

PT

Now, you might be asking yourself what a sassy lady wears to Physical Therapy. The answer is posted at left. Yes, that's right, I wore short shorts and knee high socks, and a very fetching hoodie from Carrie.

I figured, if the problem is in my leg, I might as well make my leg...available, you know?

The trouble is, not a lot happened with my leg, and that was the really frustrating part.

At my first appointment, last week, I was analyzed and evaluated; the therapist gave me a few upper back stretches and signed me up to see someone else about my pelvic structure. I arrived to that 9:30 appointment on time. They couldn't find me at first on the sheet. The reason? They'd marked me down for 9 am and given me a no-show. I showed them my slip, given to me by whomever made the appointment, and they kindly reworked the schedule so that I could see the person I was supposed to see.

So, I was in. And spent another forty minutes being analyzed and evaluated. So long, that the therapist's NEXT appointment was already in and ushered to the gym (Said the intercom), and before I'd left the therapist's NEXT appointment was in (a touch early, but still).

Now, let me tell you what it feels like to take more than the usual appointment time while a person tries to figure out what the heck is wrong with your structure. It feels awful. Especially when about five minutes of that time is spent addressing the immediate problem that brought you to that place, the soreness and lack of flexibility in the back of your leg. I know better than most that problems elsewhere in the body might aggravate an injury, and I do want my pelvis straightened back out if possible. But what I really want is for my right leg to heal and quit hurting so that I can stretch and kick properly again.

I'm hoping they're still planning to do the ultrasound therapy, and I am signed up for three weeks of three-times-a-week therapy, sometimes being double-treated by the two PTs I've seen. On Monday, I'm getting the "to be continued" part of my session today, i.e. the answers. An upslip was mentioned. It was questioned whether my left leg is actually longer, or if it's really all in the hips. I was also called out for standing with my knees locked and chest too far back, which is funny because everyone is always telling me to straighten up. The posture I was given to try sucks. I really am going to have to work with these people on not ruining my dance posture in exchange for...whatever.

The best part is both PTs pointed out to me that my back muscles are unusually tight...which I could have told them. Yes, I know I'm compensating for things in dance that my body can't do because I'm not as naturally flexible as I'd like to be. I store tension. It's what I'm good at. I'm like a poised cat almost all the time, ready to jet. I don't relax. I'm type A, what do you want from me? It will be interesting to see what they want to do about that. Again, I have things I need to be able to do in dance, and I don't have time to get completely demolished and rebuilt, so they're going to have to work with me so I can be functional normally and dancefully.

I just hope I'm fixable.

Spare Change for Literacy!

OK, so it's not exactly Votes for Women, but it still sounded pretty cool.
On Tuesday, April 21, the Graduate Writers Club, of which I am the advisor, held their Readathon to support First Book.
It was cold. Oh, my, yes, it was cold. And wet. And blustery.
Over the course of twelve hours, 8 am to 8 pm, members of the organization, students from the Arts Village and my classes, colleagues, and interested parties stood out on the steps of the Education Building and read out loud from their favorite works of literature, while monitors encouraged people to donate their spare change.
I was nervous that morning, when I arrived at 7:45 am with my monitor, trying to set things up in the chilly rain. I began to read my favorite childhood book, Emmy Keeps a Promise, while the monitor worked on posters. I thought, is anyone going to give us money? Will there be enough people out here to get us toward our goal? Will people be annoyed? Will my volunteers get pneumonia?
I knew we were going to be all right round about 8:30, when the rain stopped for a time, and the beautiful sun crept over the roof of one of the buildings. A GWC member was reading in one corner, I in another, and things felt really beautiful. As I watched over the rim of my book, I saw people walking by all frowny, and then smiling a little as they saw us and overheard our literature. The first person besides me to give us money dropped a handful of change in our bucket without even hestitating, and I paused long enough to call a thank you after him.
I was out for about two hours in the morning, then over three hours in the evening (during which I read from Gregory Maguire's Mirror, Mirror. All day, volunteers came in and out for their half hour spots, some staying longer, and everyone contributing. I heard tales, when I returned from teaching, of monitors getting scores of people to throw change in the buckets, and spreading flyers around with facts about what we were doing. Also when I returned, one of the monitors successfully got my sheet-poster (made with muslin and duck and electrical tape) to stay up on a column, billowing like a sail so that everyone could read it clearly.
The weather was excruciating (I think we had every kind of rain possible, and we closed the night at no more than 45 degrees!), but somehow the challenge made it all the more endearing. Everyone worked hard to make this work, and since it was my idea and my planning pouring into it, I felt extra warmed by all their efforts. We all believed in what we were doing. Lots of people, despite the cold, stopped to talk to us and say how cool the event was, and asked us if it would be annual.
The proof is in the pile of change I had in the bucket: We raised $169.35. With that, a donation from my Mum, and a portion from the club, I think we'll be able to send $250. How great is that?
I still don't feel quite right--wind burn!--but I'm so proud of the club and of this event.

Avacious is mad busy, and behind in her work. She will be secluded this evening and much of tomorrow evening.
However, the events are dropping off the list one by one, and there is an end in sight. And then? Bubble bath.

Pretty People

So, yesterday I think I had a taste of what it is like to be a pretty person.
I had big plans to to out to the Franklin Park mall, to go shopping for a few things that I needed, like a light-colored trench coat or similar. I haven't been shopping in a while, so I decided to go fancy. I hot rollered my hair. I wore my lavender boucle sweater with the satin obi. I wore my favorite jeans and my black mary jane heels. Also, I did not wear a coat.
Throughout the day, I kept noticing people looking at me, and I think I overheard a comment that involved "sweater" at one point. I also got several direct compliments on the sweater, including one from a sales girl in Express who was quite glammed up herself. I'm not counting the weird kiosk guy who called me "meess" and who wanted to do my hair because I am "so preetty."
It was most noticeable in Victoria's Secret, where a sales girl complimented my hair. That never happens. Also, all the floor girls were very chatty with me, and I didn't initiate any of the chattiness. Now, I understand it could be because I finally found a bra that I think will work as well as the old Angels Lined Demi with Lace, which they don't make anymore and have replaced with the Miracle fit, which is not miraculous for me in any way. After a bra consultation, and being measured again, I am back to 32B (they can take as much band as they want, but leave my cup size alone!). The gal brought out some options, and we discovered that the Biofit is not only flattering but also the right size for me. So I was all smiles, and some people are of the opinion that this helps one's prettiness. Could be.
In any case, it was a little weird to get that much attention and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
The good news is, I found a coat. I went into every store in the mall where I thought I could find such a thing. Very few stores have any coats right now, even lightweight ones. J. Crew had a few on sale. JC Penney had a few colored vinyly ones. But no, it was H&M that won my dollar, as Carrie will no doubt be glad to hear. They had a number of cute trenches, but very few left in my size, so I got a cute fitted A-line, sand-colored coat of trench length. It was also the right price (since J. Crew's even on sale were $100 and up).
It was an interesting day and one which left me exhausted. I did barely any work, but I guess a girl needs a day off every now and then.

update

My knee is not pregnant.
That is all I know so far. I am still waiting for the real results :)

Popliteal Fossa

So, I've had this pain in my knee/leg for months now. I had thought it was just an old injury reflaring, but then realized as it didn't heal and didn't heal that maybe I should see someone, especially since I've been having mysterious pains in hip and back on the other side that I think are connected to this nonsense.
Saw my CNP today (because I relate to her better than my actual doctor) and demonstrated what I can't do right now very well on that leg that I can do perfectly well on the other (through a duet of dance stretches). Politeal fossa cyst, says she (that's medicalese for knee sac-of-fluid-not-to-be-confused-with-bursitis). That's the working theory.
Lady ordered me an ultrasound, which is where I'll be on Friday morning. I'm hoping she's right, because that means I can maybe get it taken care of for keeps. I know this won't mean much to non-dancer-types, but it would be nice to be able to touch my chest to my thigh again without having to stretch for two hours to do it, or pay for it later. It would also be nice to get my splits back, and get my back stretched properly, none of which I can do with this nonsense.

MSU + Championship Game = Awesome.

Avacious is sorry. She can't hear you over the sound of how awesome MICHIGAN STATE IS!

Blasphemous Shows and Facebook Statuses

Avacious enjoyed being mocked from within Supernatural last night. It wasn't snort-milk-out-of-nose funny, but she definitely laughed aloud in the first fifteen minutes.
Avacious is usually a Sam girl, but she's not sure how she feels about the demon bloodsucking thing.
Avacious is decidedly not a Dean/Sam girl. Ew.
Avacious wonders why Dean told Lilith what was going on; why not just let the archangel blast her?
Avacious thinks Supernatural has been exceptionally blasphemous lately.
Avacious is not sure how she feels about the Winchester Gospel.
Avacious sometimes wonders if she's going to hell because she loves Supernatural so much.
Avacious sometimes wonders if Supernatural is going to hell.
Avacious loves Castiel's edgeways stares, and wishes she could do this effectively to add to her expressions repertoire for striking fear into the hearts of her students.

She had dreams from the grave.

A few days ago I used Poe's poem "To Helen" as a not-good example of a myth poem.
Then, I almost used him again as a not-good example of simile.
Then, I had a dream in which my brother-in-law's cat--named Poe--was hissing at me and attacking me. Coincidence?

This weekend...

I made curry.
I did my taxes.
I watched the Spartans earn their Final Four spot. Spartans, what is your profession?

Go STATE! Elite 8!

As the seconds dwindled to nil, with MSU on top, I did the following:
1. Drained my soda bottle.
2. Said "YEAH" in as fierce a voice as I could muster (that one you say through your teeth and it sounds more like YEE-UH!)
3. Hit myself on the head with the empty bottle.
I'm not proud of it, but it's what happened.

What Say You, Magic 8?

Evidently, BG hockey is saved for another year, which I predicted, silently, but still fretted over.
The Alaskan Mount Redoubt erupted, as predicted.
The Mars Rovers are still in action, as not predicted.
Campus lawnmowers are spitting out massive amounts of grass and whatnot into the air, which I predict will give me a sinus headache and make my eyes itch.
I have no idea what I will have for dinner. Predictions?

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.

Aunt Abby...

is going to be an aunt times two in July!

3 Quick Blips

My new favorite ridiculous snack is Orville Redenbacher buttery salt and cracked pepper popcorn. It comes in individual sized bags, and it is stupefyingly delicious. Of course, you can grind some pepper into a freshly nuked bag of regular popcorn (which I did as a test), and probably over regularly popped popcorn also, but I like the small bag thing, because I am inclined to eat rather more popcorn than I should. Today, I am going to be that annoying person who microwaves popcorn in the office building and then doesn't share.

I have been getting a whole slamming of catalogs I've never gotten before lately, and am not sure what's prompting this; the holidays aside, someone is sharing my name, obviously, but some of the catalogs are pretty intriguing. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what they are because I might be ordering some things from them for people that read this blog.

There is a new Librarian movie coming out on December 7. You can bet that my bottom will be parked in front of the telly on that date. The second one wasn't that great, but I find the trilogy's premise entertaining, this one is directed by Jonathan Frakes (William T. Riker), and it's going to involve vampires. I expect I shall probably eat some popcorn and look at some catalogs while I watch.

Things at which I am bad but love doing anyway

(A tipsy comment about bowling is now a blog post, thanks to a suggestion from Carrie.)
Normally, I hate doing things at which I'm bad, or suspect I might be bad. But some things are just delightful no matter what, and here are four of them:


1. Bowling. I think I might have broken 100 once in my life, and that was surely an anomaly. On Saturday night, I got two strikes, but probably about eight gutters. I can usually get pins down now, unlike in my youth during which, when my youth group went bowling, I was the She-Ra of bowling only because I was so terrible (we were being ironic...get it?), but I'm no great shakes. Yet I love it and will continue to love it, especially if it means I can hear "I Kissed a Girl" and "Crank 'dat" for the first time, mixed in with "Ice, Ice, Baby."

2. Ice Skating. To be fair, I am not as bad as some people. I can usually stay up on my ice skates, can skate forward fairly steadily, and a tiny bit backward. When you grow up on a lake and it is the fashionable thing to have skating lessons, you will tend to pick up a little, but beyond that I can't do much. It is my dream to learn how to skate backward with the panache of a hockey player, or at least to learn proper backward crossovers.

3. Crocheting. I don't crochet much these days, but I go through stretches when that is all I want to do. The only problem is, I usually end up ripping out whatever I've done, because I forget to count, or can't see a stitch. Good times.

4. Painting. Like, art painting (I can paint a fascia board like I was born doing it). Yes, I'm terrible at putting paint to paper, and making something pretty, but the activity is so soothing to my mental state that I sometimes wish I had a little studio set up just for painting. Two apartments is probably enough, though.

Is it Tuesday?

Well, I just did my interview for my current job.
Yes, you heard me right. My contract is ending, and the director decided we'd all go through rehiring rather than renewing, in case we can get raises.
I did okay, I think, especially on the later questions. I screwed up the first question because it was about pedagogical/composition theory reading and faculty development. To be frank, I'm not doing any reading besides reviewing textbooks. I'm too busy reading Amelia Peabody mysteries and the faculty discussion list emails (which brought me as close to incensed last week as I've ever been about them).
Anyway, my interview was at 9:30 am on Tuesday.
On Monday, I woke up at 9:20.
You can imagine how I'm feeling just now.
I was going to take a nap, but I think I might press on (figuratively and literally, because I fancy me some French press-made coffee) and get some work done before then. We'll see how long I last. I have some essays to finish and two syllabi to write.

I would like to finish a dress tonight...I was finished with it, I thought, but something weird was going on in the back, and so I'm redoing the back, possibly several times, until I can get it to work. I had to make an 8 because that was the pattern, and the fit is weird in a few spots. Plus the zipper, which I had sewn in beautifully, is also interfering with the fit for some reason. I anticipate at least three hours trying to fix whatever is causing the problem. The rest of the dress is completely done and ready to go, because of course I couldn't tell the fit was going to be odd until it was finished. Fingers crossed that I can fix it without ruining it, because I've been meaning to make this dress (in black peachskin with small reddish and orangish flowers) forever.

While we're on the subject: Friends, I have a pattern that I particularly like, one that I've made two dresses with, one with gold and brown brocade/satin (for special occasions), and one with a print and satin sleeves. I really like the dresses and have been tempted to make another. Would that be weird? How many dresses in the same pattern is too many?

Veterans, I celebrate you, for giving me the opportunity to wonder about such unimportant things.

In case you were wondering...

...yes, yes I can fit into Girl's size 14-16 pajamas, purchased at Target last night.

I ended up with two sets: one a satiny set with the Cloud Nine pattern, and one that is pink, with kittens and the days of the week on them. Did I need two sets of jammies? No. But my resistance where pajamas (and shoes, which I also bought) is practically nil.
I am torn between embarassment and amusement about the whole pajama-buying incident.

This was clearly evident when I skulked through the girls' department, grabbed the jammies, and then walked as quickly as possible to the ladies' fitting room to try them on. I guess I'm proud that I can fit into the same size I could wear as a teen, and I am tempted to look at my old pediatrician cards to see when I reached the height and weight closest to my size now. There's also a certain amount of pressure to maintain this size, since I've done it up until now.

True, the jammies were just a touch short, but not really appreciably, and the top was actually just right. I don't expect looking in the girls' department will be a habit, but considering the size small and even XS in the misses' wear at Target is too big for me, and I have to shop in juniors most of the time, I may have a new strategy for when I want something and can't find it in ladieswear.

More rejected Facebook statuses

Abigail seems to have poured too much creativity into her classes and can't come up with an original post.
Abigail spent a very busy weekend grading papers and has been a slug since they were finished.
Abigail has been nursing headaches that make her teary-eyed.
Abigail found out today that she is willing to drive to Rossford, try on Girls' XL jammies, and buy them if they even remotely fit, so that she can replace her old Nick & Nora Cloud Nine jammies that basically fell apart from overwear.
Abigail's birthday is coming up. What will she be getting herself besides the aforementioned jammies?
Abigail is wondering if she will finally get up the whatever to find a new place to live next year. One that has good parking, wood floors, and no neighbors on the other side of the walls or ceiling.
Abigail has been trying to make a dress, but thanks to the aforementioned sluggishness, she has not made much headway.
Abigail, for once, did not freak out when she saw a house centipede, but as it was small and on the other side of the house, she does not think that's worth much applause.
Abigail did, however, write a charming searching for causes essay about house centipede phobia, during her classes, in like manner to a performing ape, while her students in turn worked on their essays. See prior note re: creative energy.
Abigail is changing the closet tonight, 70 degrees today or no. She is relieved at last to have clean clothes.
Abigail forgot to take the pork chops out of the freezer.
Abigail was wondering how hilarious Pushing Daisies would be tonight, then realized it isn't on. This is evidently a prime time to go to Target and purch some jammies.

Abigail, if she gave in to her Facebook status whims.

Abigail has a new favorite driving-radio song, entitled "North by North," by the Faded Paper Figures. She only heard part of it, but she got all calm and wanted to sing along.
Abigail was not pleased that the first morning she has to sleep in for a week began with the neighboring house's company using saws.
Abigail is wondering if she can avoid electrocuting herself while listening to the 11 pm hockey game while she takes a bath.
Abigail truly enjoys watching Falcon Brandon Svendsen play keep away with his puck handling skills, especially during penalty kills.
Abigail thinks she is developing a widow's peak...is this even possible?
Abigail is freaking delighted that her new office computer is actually (sort of--it seems to have trouble with song openings) playing her birthday CD from last year, because she almost broke her old computer's CD player with it when it refused to recognize the CD. "Is There a Ghost," "Harvest Moon," "Bitches in Tokyo," and "These Friends of Mine," you will be the first to arrive on my Shuffle. Get ready to be put on repeat, if I can get you to transfer.
Abigail has not seen the house centipede for a day, but is positive it will reappear tonight while she is relaxing in the bath and listening to the game, thus at her most vulnerable and least attentive.
Abigail has just wreaked havoc with her "Scared Straight: Anti-Plagiarism" program on an unsuspecting student.
Abigail is sizing up the revisions pile, which she forgot about, having only ten or so rough drafts yet to read, and is now brutally annoyed and considering whether the revisions ought to have a tragic accident involving her fourth-floor window and heavy rain.
Abigail spoke too soon about the CD, she reckons, but at least the player will let go of the CD. It seems more than willing to play "I Feel It All," interestingly enough.
Abigail is not looking forward to doing her job application this weekend. Duh.
Abigail wants to play with kittens.
Abigail feels like she really wants to buy something, perhaps one of those cute coats with the a-line-shaped bottoms (and if so, what color?), or maybe a shower radio.
Abigail needs to develop some pictures and write to her granny.
Abigail feels very annoyed indeed by some of the faculty discussion list commentaries.
Abigail resents the idea that a "university of this caliber" doesn't need "remedial classes" like ENG 110, particularly when many of the messages on the faculty discussion list are incomprehensible, or at the very least contain poor grammar and spelling.
Abigail also resents people who complain about clutter on the discussion list in a direct personal criticism, while simultaneously contributing to the clutter with said pointless attack, which was also wildly inaccurate.
Abigail has been storing a lot of animosity and irritation (read: is freaking out), which is why she feels the need to buy something.
Abigail wonders when she and Steve are going to find the time to shop for birthday outfits.
Abigail hearts Jensen Ackles, and about laughed her bottom off the couch while he did "Eye of the Tiger" last night. So when the show itself ends, people who DVR such things, don't stop watching. She also wonders if we are going to get a show by Jared Padalecki at any point.
Abigail is in the mood for a truly horrific Ghosthunters episode, something that gives her shivers and makes her scared to turn out the lights.
Abigail wonders if Grudge 2 is worth a look. Your thoughts?
Abigail mildly regrets getting back into the habit of playing Nabsicoworld MahJongg, and apologizes to her sister for potentially getting her hooked also.
Abigail has found this a super time for putting off work, but she expects she really ought to prepare for her next conference, and research some recipes for a project for tomorrow.

Oh, Indy...Again

So, I bought Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because, obviously, I want a complete collection, I have in the not-too-distant past been obsessed with Indy, and there are parts that I really liked. But as I was sort of watching it while doing some other things last night (like make pumpkin bread!), I realized that it is actually a movie that might improve with repeat viewings. I really enjoyed re-watching it, and some of the things that bothered me the first time did not bother me in the second round.
Plus that graveyard scene is pretty awesome. Scorpions.

PR Final Report

Dear You,
You have been very patient, for which I thank you.

I finally (!) got a chance to watch the PR finale last night, because I had the sense to look at the tv schedule and find out when I could record it, so I could watch it at my convenience.
In actual fact, I don't have very much to say that is different than my picture-based preview, except that it was good to watch the garments move in sequence. I liked looks in every collection, for instance:
From Kenley's, I liked the black dress with the high feathery collar, the floofy-collared green top (strangely, I can actually picture myself wearing that), and the cream dress with the painted flowers, because even though it was old fashioned, it's the old fashioned that I like. I did not care for a few of her Joan Crawford-esque looks. I feel like I have an advantage over the judges, actually, because they could only see her alleged derivatives, whereas I could see the collection from her perspective--and I still thought it was a third-place finisher.
From Leanne's, I liked both of her tan skirts, the white structured jacket, the aqua skirt (same material as her bridesmaid dress) with the white top (or was it a dress? I'm not sure), and the long gown in blue. I know people have picked on both her color scheme and their concern that she is overly into her architectural thing, but I think her inspiration was clear here, and I thought her garments were very sleek and interesting. She has a way of making fabric look like frozen cream or candy, but still making it move well. I really respond to that.
From Korto's, I liked her new tan dress with the puff sleeves--I actually thought that was one of the strongest pieces. I also liked the white silk pants suit, the short green dress, and the long green dress. I liked Korto's collection as a whole, and I respect what she does for the female curves. However, I also felt like a few of the pieces were a little less relatable--I hesitate to say "too ethnic" because that's not quite what I mean. But some of them felt like real African dresses rather than reinterpretations of that style. The outfits I liked felt like reinventions.
I'm not sorry Leanne won, but I would have been equally satisfied to see Korto win, and that's pretty cool. I actually liked that Tim Gunn was the judge; I know that there might be suspicions of conflict of interest, but aside from it being a nice challenge for him, I think it makes sense to have his input in the most important show of all.

I do wish these designers would practice their runway speeches--they always sound like someone just found them off the street and said, "hey, want to present a collection today?" Why? You know about this for months. Tell me a story, or give me some heart. I know when you're tired it's hard to come up with stuff, but I feel about this the way I feel about athletes giving interviews and using one dead sentence after another. I need more life than that.

So, there's one more hour opened up for me in my TV life. I think I will not watch Top Chef regularly on this go round, merely catching up with it in weeks I don't have a lot to do. This week, I'm grateful for the extra hour, because this kid is busier than ever.

Back in Action

It's okay, everyone, Kevin the Time Warner guy came over and fixed my cable yesterday, long before Supernatural (Dracula on a moped? Yes.). The problem? Well, evidently a "Road Runner only" filter was put on my line. It was marked with my apartment number, but clearly, since I do not in fact have their internet or phone service, this was a mistake.
As you can imagine, I will be catching up on Ghosthunters and Project Runway as soon as possible. I do know who won Project Runway, but I am anxious to see the process and hear the deliberations.
Kevin also said that the big kahunas are not telling them exactly why we do not have Fox right now, but what he has heard is that the networks are asking for money from the cable companies (evidently NBC did this with Buckeye recently), even though network TV channels are in fact free with an antenna, at least for a while. This is all very confusing and relevant to me only because I can't watch House or Fringe.
Anyway, thanks Kevin. And do take my advice on attending a college hockey game. It will change your mind.

A Little Vicarious Nostalgia

OK, go with me on this...
When I was at MSU, I was an Honors College student, but before I even got there, my sister was an HC student, and lived on an HC floor in Mason-Abbot. I met a number of her friends during sibling weekend and other activities, and they were always a little madcap and wildly smart. One of the people I met was Edric, and I was reminded of both the genius and the madcappery today when I was reading my sister's journal. She posted this video, and I'm reposting it here, because I think you should watch it. In it, Edric uses the groom's facility at the Kevin Bacon game to come up with a unique wedding gift, and his delivery is priceless. I laughed out loud, not because I know who Edric is, but because it is really that funny.

Also, Edric was known for putting up a "happiness board" on his dorm door for people to write up happy things. I was looking at the list, which is now posted online, and I think I actually remember part of the list from 95-96, and I certainly get some of the inside jokes, which is kind of alarming. Here is the list:
The Happiness List

PR: The Beginning of the End

In a magnificent effort to avoid the crap going on in my personal life, here is my input on the last two PRs. I know you were waiting, you patient public, you.

So, the nature challenge was scary, but also uplifting in a way, because it was pure inspiration. I did have a problem with some of the judging comments.
Jerell: Once again, the top of his dress is too short. I wish he'd figure that out. I found his design intriguing, and loved that sort of swish of color underneath, but the construction issues were really distracting. Things were just puckering at the bottom, and I really don't think that should be happening at this stage.
Kenley: To be honest, I think she would have been better off if she'd gotten off the snake reference and compared it to, say, a tiger lily...the sort of spotted petals some of them have might have been more compelling. I didn't mind the shape, though it reminded me a bit of a Barbie, but it was just a bit garish all together. It did feel costumey, which was one comment I agreed with.
Korto: I couldn't see eye to eye with the judges on this one. I really liked her dress. I might have liked to see some more fiery color in there, to match her flower, but I thought the dress was genuinely pretty and flattering, and not cliche at all.
Leanne: This dress was not my personal aesthetic, and I admit I was afraid she might go home because of the back of the dress. Tim did not mind that fabric back there, but I could understand the judges' concern with it. It seemed sort of stuck on. That being said, the rest of Leanne's construction is always immaculate, and she achieved a sort of confection without being saccharine about it.
As for the judges' cop-out, well, I don't care that much about it this year. No one had a slam dunk in this challenge, and based on the results of this week alone, I wouldn't have wanted to make that decision either. One could have made a case for any of them, and that's no one to determine who gets a whole lot of money.

On to the next, as Jay and Grant would say.
I did not realize that part of the finale challenge was a bridal gown--must have missed something of the parameters on my video tape. I like that, though. It's realistic, since so many collections have such a gown, and it was interesting to watch how the collection's vision was laced through the gown. And, while the designers were pissed, I loved that they then had to make a bridesmaid dress. Having been a bridesmaid twice, both times in pretty gowns, I can testify to the good thinking behind that challenge.
And--hear me out on this--I think the right three people are in the finale. I know Kenley is unpopular, but she definitely has a distinct point of view and I'm excited to see how her collection moves down the runway. I also love that she painted her fabrics. My bet is that I like the collection better in motion than in the still photos.
As for the gowns themselves:
Jerell's was simply too messy. I could see what he was after with the front, but the back was tragic. It looked like he'd clipped it the way they do when it's too big in the shop, when they're trying to see how it will look when it's altered. I really loved the color of his bridesmaid dress a lot, and actually liked the shape to it. I'm still not clear on why the judges disliked it so much. Something isn't translating.
Kenley's wedding dress was, as Kors pointed out I think, a fantasy, and I liked it for that. It showed gumption and drama. I dislike bubble skirts with a passion, though, and I don't think any bridesmaid on the planet would wear a dress that short. At least I hope not. I think the judges sort of forgot the wearability component of the challenge there.
I actually liked the pleating at the shoulders of Korto's gown, though I do think the fabric was a bit voluminuos for what she wished to do with the middle. I did agree with the judges that there were some relationship problems between the gown and the bridesmaid dress, but I think they made the right decision between her and Jerell--that's how strongly I felt about the back of that bridal gown. And, on a personal note, I was really touched by what she said about the other designers in this show.
While I personally would not wear the wedding dress, I think Leanne was the most successful in pairing two garments together. I really liked the bridesmaid dress and I think both garments fit in really well with her collection. She really seems to have control now of her architecturally inclined design elements.

So, the finale approaches. Should be good times. While I realize this may be a forlorn hope, I do kind of wish it could be personal dramaless, and focused on the fashion. I want it to be down to Leanne and Korto, as I mentioned before, but I really think this will be a chacun a son gout finale, and that excites me.

PR Follow-Up

I am in full support of Daniel V's PR blog this week--and also feeling like he and I shared a brain...note his vision for a better hip-hop outfit, and his comments about Jerell's look in particular. Oh, Daniel V. How I enjoy it when you agree with me.