That's right! I finally started working for real! Yay! I'm a substitute teaching assistant. I started today in a preschool; it was really intense. Lots and lots of children who spoke a ton of different languages (none of which was English). They were really cute, though, so it was fun. Tiring, but fun.
In other news, I went to the Opera on Friday. It was Turandot, and it was really cool. The music was great, but I especially enjoyed the scenery and costumes. And, then, there was the dancing. For the most part, it sucked. It was full of slow attitude promenades and grand plies in fourth. However, every now and then, they would throw in these great gestures and moves that totally reminded me of enfab. I wished that they would have run with that instead of psuedo Chinese dancing (the Opera took place in 17th century China, btw).
I got to take an indepth tour of Westminster Abbey. We got to hear behind the scenes stories about the lives of previous monarchs and their tombs. We also learned about the history of the Abbey (like why it's an abbey and not a cathedral - no bishop with his official cathedra/chair = no cathedral) Why do I love British History so? Wow, I'm sorta dorky, but we all knew that, didn't we.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
I got my picture taken with President Obama THE REAL ONE!
more details when i get back to montreal
edit:
photo!
edit:
photo!
I Got My Picture Taken With President Obama!
OK, it was the wax President Obama at Madame Tussaud's, but he was incrediably life-like. Yesterday it was free for American citizens because they were unveiling his new figurine, so a friend of mine and I took advantage and went. The figures are creepily realistic. It was pretty cool, though..... I may have danced with the Michael Jackson figure.
Afterwards, we went to TGIFridays to celebrate and watch the inauguration on a live telecast. I looked for Agent Thumbs in the crowd, but I didn't see anyone that I knew. People were aplauding in the restaurant, though, and during the National Anthem, most people stood up and sang. It was kinda nice and patriotic even though were across the ocean.
So my big news is that I may have a job! Finally!! I had an interview with a company that contracts out teachers/teaching assistants. They called me yesterday and today for subbing, but I keep missing their calls because my phone doesn't get reception in buildings.... or in trains.... or outside.... or in my own house. I didn't get their texts/calls until late at night so I missed out on both. Well, actually, I may be able to work tomorrow, but I kinda already have lunch plans. I've gotten used to being unemployed and it may be hard to switch gears. I'm going to miss naps. Alot.
Afterwards, we went to TGIFridays to celebrate and watch the inauguration on a live telecast. I looked for Agent Thumbs in the crowd, but I didn't see anyone that I knew. People were aplauding in the restaurant, though, and during the National Anthem, most people stood up and sang. It was kinda nice and patriotic even though were across the ocean.
So my big news is that I may have a job! Finally!! I had an interview with a company that contracts out teachers/teaching assistants. They called me yesterday and today for subbing, but I keep missing their calls because my phone doesn't get reception in buildings.... or in trains.... or outside.... or in my own house. I didn't get their texts/calls until late at night so I missed out on both. Well, actually, I may be able to work tomorrow, but I kinda already have lunch plans. I've gotten used to being unemployed and it may be hard to switch gears. I'm going to miss naps. Alot.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thumbs - I'm thinking about you!
Is anyone else's thinking, holy cow Thumbs is in D.C. right now?!?!?!?! And the REASON she is in D.C. Holy cow!
Happy New President's Day.
p.s. I'm glued to the TV watching this ball.
Happy New President's Day.
p.s. I'm glued to the TV watching this ball.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
OMG, is ballet.....dumb?
Hello friends. I had this thought the other night, and this is the only appropriate place to share it. After many many years of devotion, love, and dedication, I'm either going through a phase, or I've seen the light: ballet is kind of dumb. How could I never have thought this before?! I took class on Tuesday night, and it hit me like a wall. I was standing there waiting for the next barre combination, I think we were on frappe or something, and I saw everyone watching for the next combo, furiously marking the combo with their hands. That was it. Marking with the hands all of a sudden looked so incredibly dumb. Dancers standing around with both legs kinda turned out, shoulders slumped, their hands flailing about. And then I noticed that eager nodding of the head and wide eyed look that so many people had as they paid close attention to the instructions to REALLY work your turn out and to REALLY stretch your knees and to REALLY flatten yourself between a tiny tiny tiny hallway. I mean, do I need to REALLY be working any turnout at this point in my life? And I feel like such a cynic not playing into the, "Oh oh oh ok I understand your wise words regarding turnout teacher". I don't know. My New Year's resolution was to stop being such a kurmudgeon, but I slipped up.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
wednesday night
hey all, thumbs here, getting ready to settle in for an evening of television. it's about -10 degrees outside (the high today was -5)... needless to say, i am not about to leave the house unless i have to. i will be watching american idol from 8-10, followed by top chef. and during the commercial breaks, i will be searching craigslist for furniture. it is my new obsession-- i figure, if you check often enough, you'll get the good deals before they're gone. i already scored a kickass persian rug that is a cerulean color with little elephant and camel shapes about. i guess you will all just have to come to montreal if you want to see it.
it looks like we will be going to DC next week for the inauguration-- i wanted to go anyway because i got tickets to the swearing-in and the staff ball for my work in MO, but as it happens, will's band was asked to play at the staff ball. isn't that a nice coincidence? now i HAVE to go. and i'm glad! and uh guess who else is playing the staff ball? jay-z. yeah, that's right. the mother effin' hova. i hope i get a glimpse of bey! but, more importantly, i hope i get a glimpse of B.O. he better be at least swing by to say hi. well, it'll be exciting no matter what. and crowds unlike i've ever seen before. i'm actually kind of nervous about that part!
OH MY GOD! i dont' know what this is a commercial for, but a woman dancing in a suit CLOVER LEAF TUNA is what it's for, a woman dancing in a suit in a subway car to the song "maniac" just did my dance! BT, you know the one-- the one that made me decide i loved to dance, as a child, in jazz class. she only does it once to the right and once to the left, but it is unmistakeable. be on the look out for this commercial!
whew. ANYWAY. i made a hilarious dinner tonight-- i scrambled some eggs with leftover black beans and peppers from a different dinner and ate it in a taco with yogurt and cilantro. it was good, i mean, but the eggs looked like grey sludge from being stirred and cooked with the black beans. big mistake! i guess no one's judging me on presentation, here, but it was pretty gross looking. but tasty. last night i made pork tenderloin with apples, onions, and fennel. and i also made homemade tagalongs recently. and last night, will made marshmallows.
all right. that is all i have for now.
agent thumbs
it looks like we will be going to DC next week for the inauguration-- i wanted to go anyway because i got tickets to the swearing-in and the staff ball for my work in MO, but as it happens, will's band was asked to play at the staff ball. isn't that a nice coincidence? now i HAVE to go. and i'm glad! and uh guess who else is playing the staff ball? jay-z. yeah, that's right. the mother effin' hova. i hope i get a glimpse of bey! but, more importantly, i hope i get a glimpse of B.O. he better be at least swing by to say hi. well, it'll be exciting no matter what. and crowds unlike i've ever seen before. i'm actually kind of nervous about that part!
OH MY GOD! i dont' know what this is a commercial for, but a woman dancing in a suit CLOVER LEAF TUNA is what it's for, a woman dancing in a suit in a subway car to the song "maniac" just did my dance! BT, you know the one-- the one that made me decide i loved to dance, as a child, in jazz class. she only does it once to the right and once to the left, but it is unmistakeable. be on the look out for this commercial!
whew. ANYWAY. i made a hilarious dinner tonight-- i scrambled some eggs with leftover black beans and peppers from a different dinner and ate it in a taco with yogurt and cilantro. it was good, i mean, but the eggs looked like grey sludge from being stirred and cooked with the black beans. big mistake! i guess no one's judging me on presentation, here, but it was pretty gross looking. but tasty. last night i made pork tenderloin with apples, onions, and fennel. and i also made homemade tagalongs recently. and last night, will made marshmallows.
all right. that is all i have for now.
agent thumbs
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Bekarbee
We're back in the UK. yippee-skippy. Actually, it's not so bad. I got my fingerprints back from the FBI confirming my lack of a criminal record. Perhaps now I can get a job.... I didn't want to leave the US, though. It was awesome seeing the few people that I got to see during my brief visit. I miss you guys!
OK, now to a serious problem. Due to the large amount of pub food and chocolate that I eat now, my waist and booty no longer fit into the same size of pants. By this I mean, my thighs/butt will fit in to one size of pants, while my waist needs another size. I can't find a single pair of pants that fit me! In the past two weeks I've tried on over 30 pairs of pants - I'm not kidding! I've been counting! What's a girl to do (besides exercise and eat right, because I'll probably not do that....)?
Now, as for the title of this lame-o post: ATP, I think you know what it means. I'm starting book 4. For those of you keeping track of my hypothetical baby names, Bekarbee (pronounced bu-KAR-bi) may have kicked Vervarvine out of first place. It may be the best name I've heard ever!
OK, now to a serious problem. Due to the large amount of pub food and chocolate that I eat now, my waist and booty no longer fit into the same size of pants. By this I mean, my thighs/butt will fit in to one size of pants, while my waist needs another size. I can't find a single pair of pants that fit me! In the past two weeks I've tried on over 30 pairs of pants - I'm not kidding! I've been counting! What's a girl to do (besides exercise and eat right, because I'll probably not do that....)?
Now, as for the title of this lame-o post: ATP, I think you know what it means. I'm starting book 4. For those of you keeping track of my hypothetical baby names, Bekarbee (pronounced bu-KAR-bi) may have kicked Vervarvine out of first place. It may be the best name I've heard ever!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Change one thing, change them all...
So I bet you all thought that when i suddenly up and moved away that would be the end and I'd settle down and all would be right with the world... but alas! I have shocked you all. Haha I'm moving... AGAIN... yes indeed this will be my 4th apartment in oh, 5 months... Me and... um, I don't know what to call him on here... any recommendations for appropriate blog nicknames? ATP?? Until then he'll just be "boy"
ANYWHO... we're moving to a super cute cottage in Berkeley. It has a fireplace, our own backyard, a built-in fireplace/grill thingy... a galley kitchen with an antique stove... its really awesome. Its basically a coach house so from the street it doesn't even seem like it exists. ALSO... its basically centered between three amazing grocery stores (this shouldn't be as exciting as it is...) So we're moving in like 3 weeks! yikes!
Also, since I last posted I got a job! Hooooooray for employment. I'm making breakfast pastries and I have to wake up at 3:15 am... but its a job that pays me monies... so I'm happy.
Hmmmmm... I guess that's it for now... until next time when I... well... at this rate who knows what will happen in a matter of weeks...
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Superstars of Dance
Did anyone watch it?!?!!?!
Admittedly, I was extremely underwhelmed (except for the Shaolin monks who are ridiculous beyond belief. I want to be a kung fu monk so bad). The dancing is certainly not the best in the world. I cannot believe Pasha and what's her name, Anya?, are competing for Russia. I mean, they blew their chance on SYTYCD. If you're not America's Favorite Dancer, how do you expect to be The Best Dancer in the World???
In case you didn't watch, it is hosted by Michael Flatley (who was introduced as "the world's most popular dancer"..... whaaa???). He likes to keep no less than 3 of his shirt buttons unbuttoned at all times. The scoring is a joke- these panelists just throw out a random number- always between 7-10 it seems- and that's the score. I especially love the Chinese judge- Master Wang something from the Shaolin Temple. He doesn't say a word of English and just sits there harnessing his Qi until it's time for him to give a number. The US and Irish judges are total pervs and just give 10s to all the sexy dances. The South African dude keeps it pretty real though and told the Indian girls they weren't good enough for the show. There's only 2 female judges, and they don't seem too trustworthy. Also, the judge from Russia has the last name Smirnov. I mean, at least freaking Nigel isn't on it (though i'm almost positive he's a producer or something).
They didn't seem to take into account the difference between traditional cultural dance and just plain old technical virtuosity. It's hard to score some athletic Australian contemporary dance in jazz sneaks and knee pads against a traditional Chinese Ribbon Dance, right? I guess that's why the point system is so ludicrously archaeic. They just couldn't figure out how to actually score something so broad and totally random. It was entertaining enough for me to watch the whole 2 hours, but I certainly had higher hopes for a showcase of the world's greatest dance. Apparently, America's forms are pop-and-lock and super-dramatic cabaret-ballroom?? The Argentine Tango was amazing, and the gumboot dancing from South Africa was pretty tight, but basically the monks stole the show. Obviously.
I was sad to not be watching with all of you!! Hope you're all happy and healthy and joyfully getting back to the grind.
BT
Admittedly, I was extremely underwhelmed (except for the Shaolin monks who are ridiculous beyond belief. I want to be a kung fu monk so bad). The dancing is certainly not the best in the world. I cannot believe Pasha and what's her name, Anya?, are competing for Russia. I mean, they blew their chance on SYTYCD. If you're not America's Favorite Dancer, how do you expect to be The Best Dancer in the World???
In case you didn't watch, it is hosted by Michael Flatley (who was introduced as "the world's most popular dancer"..... whaaa???). He likes to keep no less than 3 of his shirt buttons unbuttoned at all times. The scoring is a joke- these panelists just throw out a random number- always between 7-10 it seems- and that's the score. I especially love the Chinese judge- Master Wang something from the Shaolin Temple. He doesn't say a word of English and just sits there harnessing his Qi until it's time for him to give a number. The US and Irish judges are total pervs and just give 10s to all the sexy dances. The South African dude keeps it pretty real though and told the Indian girls they weren't good enough for the show. There's only 2 female judges, and they don't seem too trustworthy. Also, the judge from Russia has the last name Smirnov. I mean, at least freaking Nigel isn't on it (though i'm almost positive he's a producer or something).
They didn't seem to take into account the difference between traditional cultural dance and just plain old technical virtuosity. It's hard to score some athletic Australian contemporary dance in jazz sneaks and knee pads against a traditional Chinese Ribbon Dance, right? I guess that's why the point system is so ludicrously archaeic. They just couldn't figure out how to actually score something so broad and totally random. It was entertaining enough for me to watch the whole 2 hours, but I certainly had higher hopes for a showcase of the world's greatest dance. Apparently, America's forms are pop-and-lock and super-dramatic cabaret-ballroom?? The Argentine Tango was amazing, and the gumboot dancing from South Africa was pretty tight, but basically the monks stole the show. Obviously.
I was sad to not be watching with all of you!! Hope you're all happy and healthy and joyfully getting back to the grind.
BT
Saturday, January 3, 2009
keep it real 09
haaaay guys! happy 2009! here's another little photo entry for your viewing pleasure.
we begin with christmas in maine. this is a shot from inside the house of will and win making a snow...monster? snowgiant? whatever it is, it is ugly and made of snow and it melted within the hour. i believe i was prepping the butler baked apples at the time, and will and win were supposed to be clearing the snow off the deck (creative method-- ATP, would this be a 3 pointer in odyssey of the mind?)
this gives you an idea of the general scene on christmas day. you can see will on the left modeling his newsies cap and in the middle of trying on some new sweatpants. some of the favorite things i got: a SODA MAKER (carbonates your water!), some fancy patent leather shoes, a haitian table cloth, and a ginormous dance anthology.
here you can see the menorah that liza b gave me! we lit the candles for the remaining nights of the visit and i led everyone in the hannukah blessings.
AND...now we are on to new year's eve. keepin' it real with a double elimination rock paper scissors tournament. will's labor of love, the office score sheet.
the competition began on new year's eve. here, you can see ATP squaring off.
and, the competition continued on new years day. this is your author in the middle of losing a semi-finals match.
it was SO FUN to have mr. and mrs. ATP in montreal! if only i could have seen all of you. i hope everyone's starting off their 2009 nicely. will and i are starting our 2009 as potential homeowners. we put an offer in on a house yesterday! i'll keep you posted, but here is a photo of the house so that you can picture it while you send mind signals to the owners to accept our awesome lowball offer. happy great depression! miss you guys.
we begin with christmas in maine. this is a shot from inside the house of will and win making a snow...monster? snowgiant? whatever it is, it is ugly and made of snow and it melted within the hour. i believe i was prepping the butler baked apples at the time, and will and win were supposed to be clearing the snow off the deck (creative method-- ATP, would this be a 3 pointer in odyssey of the mind?)
this gives you an idea of the general scene on christmas day. you can see will on the left modeling his newsies cap and in the middle of trying on some new sweatpants. some of the favorite things i got: a SODA MAKER (carbonates your water!), some fancy patent leather shoes, a haitian table cloth, and a ginormous dance anthology.
here you can see the menorah that liza b gave me! we lit the candles for the remaining nights of the visit and i led everyone in the hannukah blessings.
AND...now we are on to new year's eve. keepin' it real with a double elimination rock paper scissors tournament. will's labor of love, the office score sheet.
the competition began on new year's eve. here, you can see ATP squaring off.
and, the competition continued on new years day. this is your author in the middle of losing a semi-finals match.it was SO FUN to have mr. and mrs. ATP in montreal! if only i could have seen all of you. i hope everyone's starting off their 2009 nicely. will and i are starting our 2009 as potential homeowners. we put an offer in on a house yesterday! i'll keep you posted, but here is a photo of the house so that you can picture it while you send mind signals to the owners to accept our awesome lowball offer. happy great depression! miss you guys.
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