Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Veggie curry for cold snowy nights

Veggie curry for cold snowy nights

Minestrone + French cheese + pate?  Why not? 
Nutty bread + focacia + homemade apricot jam?  Why not? 

Minestrone + French cheese + pate?  Why not? 

Nutty bread + focacia + homemade apricot jam?  Why not? 

Been eating some variation of this meal for the past week.  With heaps of Sriracha sauce. 

Been eating some variation of this meal for the past week.  With heaps of Sriracha sauce. 

Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The LA Times has an article on teens inviting dates to school dances in creative, elaborate ways.  Don’t  they know that this has been going on for yeeeears?  Like, since I was  in high school ten years ago? 
In 2002, a boy asked my friend to  prom by giving her a big fish tank filled with fish.  “Out of all the  fish in the sea, you’re the only one for me,” the accompanying note  said.  Another friend made lots of enormous cookies that spelled out the  question: Will you go to prom with me? 
When I was in the 11th  grade, I went to Santa Clara with my school’s Future Business Leaders of  America for a national conference.  On the second day, our faculty  adviser pulled Gloria, one of my hotel roommates, out of a session.   Later that evening, when I went back to our room, I noticed that it was a  lot cleaner than we had left it that morning.  I also saw the trail of  rose petals that led up to my bed, where there were more roses.  Sitting  in the middle of all the flowers was a teddy bear and a note.  It was  one of those Build-A-Bear teddies, the one where you squeeze a body part  and a recorded message plays out.  The fact that I didn’t know what was going on  until I opened the note shows how oblivious I was to such things.  I  was also mortified to discover, all of a sudden, that there were lots of  people in the hotel room by this time, including the senior boy who had  devised the whole thing and the teacher who had helped him. 
The  card said something really sweet about wanting to go to prom with me.   And the bear — the bear’s message I’ve completely blocked from my  memory.  (I couldn’t bear to throw it away though, so it stayed in the  corner of my closet for years).
If I had had time to think about it, I would have said yes and  gone to prom with this boy, who was so nice and smart and obviously  thoughtful.  But I was shocked and taken aback and embarrassed to be in  the spotlight like that.  I felt duped (by the faculty adviser and my  friend) rather than cheerfully surprised.  Later, I heard that the boy  ended up skipping the dance.
But karma has its ways, though,  because by the time my own senior prom rolled around, I was in for it.  I  went with someone I absolutely did not care for, had a fight with a  girlfriend that left us not speaking to each other for years, and went  home early and sad.

The LA Times has an article on teens inviting dates to school dances in creative, elaborate ways.  Don’t they know that this has been going on for yeeeears?  Like, since I was in high school ten years ago? 

In 2002, a boy asked my friend to prom by giving her a big fish tank filled with fish.  “Out of all the fish in the sea, you’re the only one for me,” the accompanying note said.  Another friend made lots of enormous cookies that spelled out the question: Will you go to prom with me? 

When I was in the 11th grade, I went to Santa Clara with my school’s Future Business Leaders of America for a national conference.  On the second day, our faculty adviser pulled Gloria, one of my hotel roommates, out of a session.  Later that evening, when I went back to our room, I noticed that it was a lot cleaner than we had left it that morning.  I also saw the trail of rose petals that led up to my bed, where there were more roses.  Sitting in the middle of all the flowers was a teddy bear and a note.  It was one of those Build-A-Bear teddies, the one where you squeeze a body part and a recorded message plays out.  The fact that I didn’t know what was going on until I opened the note shows how oblivious I was to such things.  I was also mortified to discover, all of a sudden, that there were lots of people in the hotel room by this time, including the senior boy who had devised the whole thing and the teacher who had helped him. 

The card said something really sweet about wanting to go to prom with me.  And the bear — the bear’s message I’ve completely blocked from my memory.  (I couldn’t bear to throw it away though, so it stayed in the corner of my closet for years).

If I had had time to think about it, I would have said yes and gone to prom with this boy, who was so nice and smart and obviously thoughtful.  But I was shocked and taken aback and embarrassed to be in the spotlight like that.  I felt duped (by the faculty adviser and my friend) rather than cheerfully surprised.  Later, I heard that the boy ended up skipping the dance.

But karma has its ways, though, because by the time my own senior prom rolled around, I was in for it.  I went with someone I absolutely did not care for, had a fight with a girlfriend that left us not speaking to each other for years, and went home early and sad.

Old loves

January 2007

Things ended with my high school sweetheart when I was living in Troyes, France.  To get over the heartbreak, I flew home for Christmas instead of traveling around Europe.  When I went back to my teaching job in France, I went through some really horrible times that I now look back on really fondly. 

Read More

Monday, January 23, 2012
Furthest thing from it

Furthest thing from it

Saturday, January 21, 2012
Little things, like pretty blue tiles. 

Little things, like pretty blue tiles. 

I have the beginnings of a cold now. My goal is to stay warm and cozy all day and kick it away.  I bet if I could have some tacos, I’d be okay. 

I have the beginnings of a cold now. My goal is to stay warm and cozy all day and kick it away.  I bet if I could have some tacos, I’d be okay. 

Stairway to heaven

Stairway to heaven

Friday, January 20, 2012

How to tell when you’re losing your youth*

As one grows older one becomes more silent.  In one’s youth one is ready to pour oneself out to the world; one feels an intense fellowship with other people, one wants to throw oneself in their arms and one feels that they will receive one. (42)

*As according to Maugham