Happy times are here again...
Today I found out to my great joy that I am teaching the 151a writing course this Winter (essentially Freshman Comp for international students). When my boss told me this afternoon, I exclaimed "Yay! This is the best news I've had all week!" He reminded me that it's only Monday and so he wasn't getting too excited over my response.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Tradishun
Today I made my wonderful homemade tomato sauce with angel hair spaghetti. Mmmm yum. Bizarro fixed some breaded chicken for a lovely, albeit ghetto, Chicken Parmesan. I'm stuffed even now, and it's almost 11 p.m.
Did laundry, vacuumed, dusted, got my checkbook updated on the new fancy-arse MSN Money program, organized my pile o' shit, and finally wrote up an idea for a documentary I've had for years.
My dad was an accordion player- not your basic Myron Floren/Lawrence Welk polka variety, but a serious musician who ran a music school, arranged music, wrote music, etc. We have all this documentation - Super8 movie, tons of pictures, and these 40 year old reel-to-reel tapes that my brother has salvaged and burned onto CDs. I'd like to do something with all that and tell the story of my dad's music school. It's interesting, I think, beyond the fact that he was my dad, because the accordion was a very timely instrument (as opposed to somethign timeless like the violin or piano) and that timeliness was very tied in to his vision. Once the accordion's time was done, so was his school, his life-long love. He became a real estate broker the last couple years before his death in 1979. I think the cancer was caused by a broken heart, myself.
So yeah... I want to make a movie about all that. Someday - not now.
It's late now, almost 11:00 and I'm sitting here in my office with Bizarro typity-typing on his laptap next to me. Kinda cute, eh?
We're leaving for Cleveland/New York on Thursday morning, so the next 3 days will be kinda busy. I always have time for coffee, though... (hint hint Mr. Club and Cat!!)
Slan!
Today I made my wonderful homemade tomato sauce with angel hair spaghetti. Mmmm yum. Bizarro fixed some breaded chicken for a lovely, albeit ghetto, Chicken Parmesan. I'm stuffed even now, and it's almost 11 p.m.
Did laundry, vacuumed, dusted, got my checkbook updated on the new fancy-arse MSN Money program, organized my pile o' shit, and finally wrote up an idea for a documentary I've had for years.
My dad was an accordion player- not your basic Myron Floren/Lawrence Welk polka variety, but a serious musician who ran a music school, arranged music, wrote music, etc. We have all this documentation - Super8 movie, tons of pictures, and these 40 year old reel-to-reel tapes that my brother has salvaged and burned onto CDs. I'd like to do something with all that and tell the story of my dad's music school. It's interesting, I think, beyond the fact that he was my dad, because the accordion was a very timely instrument (as opposed to somethign timeless like the violin or piano) and that timeliness was very tied in to his vision. Once the accordion's time was done, so was his school, his life-long love. He became a real estate broker the last couple years before his death in 1979. I think the cancer was caused by a broken heart, myself.
So yeah... I want to make a movie about all that. Someday - not now.
It's late now, almost 11:00 and I'm sitting here in my office with Bizarro typity-typing on his laptap next to me. Kinda cute, eh?
We're leaving for Cleveland/New York on Thursday morning, so the next 3 days will be kinda busy. I always have time for coffee, though... (hint hint Mr. Club and Cat!!)
Slan!
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Part Deux
I forgot to mention two things in my post earlier today: the suprise email I got from an old boyfriend and Mercury being in retrograde.
The old boyfriend (Trev) is from about 15 years ago. He's Irish (as in, lives in Ireland) hence the relationship was a summer romance that went nowhere when I was a Junior in college. Apprently he took it more seriously than I did (which was par for the course back in those days) and when I returned to Ireland to shoot my film about 6 years ago, he was unwilling to see me or have any contact with me. So you can imagine my shock when I got an email from him on my school account. He clearly made the deliberate attempt to look me up. So we've been emailing a bit, clearing the air a bit. He's married with an 11 year old and 8 year old (daughters). Seems very happy and content, which might explain his willingness to contact me after all these years. Y'know, he was one of the good ones. I didn't leave him because he's an asshole, but for other reasons. He's a good person and someone I'd like to call friend. But I know that our relationship can never transcend email. I'm sure if Bizarro and I go to Ireland one day, Trev will not be able to see us because his very traditional wife won't understand why he'd want to see an old (girl)friend. And that's...okay.
As to the Mercury in retrograde thing... Well I'm not very superstitious, but according to what's supposed to go wrong during this astrological event, the effects have definitely been felt in my life this past week: Mercury in Retrograde
I forgot to mention two things in my post earlier today: the suprise email I got from an old boyfriend and Mercury being in retrograde.
The old boyfriend (Trev) is from about 15 years ago. He's Irish (as in, lives in Ireland) hence the relationship was a summer romance that went nowhere when I was a Junior in college. Apprently he took it more seriously than I did (which was par for the course back in those days) and when I returned to Ireland to shoot my film about 6 years ago, he was unwilling to see me or have any contact with me. So you can imagine my shock when I got an email from him on my school account. He clearly made the deliberate attempt to look me up. So we've been emailing a bit, clearing the air a bit. He's married with an 11 year old and 8 year old (daughters). Seems very happy and content, which might explain his willingness to contact me after all these years. Y'know, he was one of the good ones. I didn't leave him because he's an asshole, but for other reasons. He's a good person and someone I'd like to call friend. But I know that our relationship can never transcend email. I'm sure if Bizarro and I go to Ireland one day, Trev will not be able to see us because his very traditional wife won't understand why he'd want to see an old (girl)friend. And that's...okay.
As to the Mercury in retrograde thing... Well I'm not very superstitious, but according to what's supposed to go wrong during this astrological event, the effects have definitely been felt in my life this past week: Mercury in Retrograde
Week of Infamy
Sure has been awhile. I've been convalescing from school, keeping out of my office as much as possible, which means little internet access is to be had.
Last weekend I was on retreat with practitioners from KTC at a woodsy retreat center in Yellow Springs (it seemed more like the set of a bad sequel to "The Blair Witch Project" but that's another issue). It was a good retreat, but not one of warm-fuzzies. More like digging at the less desirable parts of my psyche and putting them on the table to focus my practice. After I came home on Sunday, me and Bizarro promptly had a wicked ass blowout which was entirely my fault. So much for Enlightenment. But we kissed and made up and all was well by the end of the night.
Just when I thought things were on the mend, financial crisis gripped the household when I realized on Wednesday that I'd made a double entry of a deposit in my checkbook, and was actually about $650 in the red. Fucking great! So we depleted our meager $200 savings and I borrowed $500 from a good friend and colleague (bless her soul!) and if I can get the bank manager to refund me the $108 in overdraft fees, things will be back to being marginally okay, maybe. This hit me hard, not so much because of the financial side (which is always fucked up anyway, so what's really new? I now owe someone $500, which is par for the course). The main thing that I felt keenly was the idea that once again, I FUCKED UP.
Now you have to understand that I am a perfectionist and have been in therapy for this exact issue off and on for years. Oh, I can psycho analyze myself until the cows come home, but what it boils down to is how I actually react in times of stress. Usually, that ain't so good. But recently I've been making very small strides in the right direction. Although I wanted to beat myself senseless over the stupid checkbook error, I managed not to. I managed to get through the entire thing, with Bizarro's unsweving and loving assistance (and $2 margueritas at Casa with Mr. Club and Cat!). I survived emotionally intact. Not to mention determined to be a wee bit more careful about tending my checkbook register.
So today... a beautful sunny day... I spent the morning reading and puttering around the apartment. Showered, meditated at my shrine, had a nice salad, hard-boiled some eggs for later, and even prepared a pizza doggy bag for Bizarro's lunch at the diamond mines.
I dropped him off at the mines, and he was driving (this becomes an important detail). We did our usual thing - pulled up out of the way by the curb, put the flashers on and did a half-chinese fire drill for me to get to the driver's seat, give him a quick peck on the cheek, and him run into work. So as I was getting out of the passenger side, this fat woman with 20 bags of food stamp groceries is standing on the curb with her friend, and she makes this comment that took me a moment to realize was directed at us: "Somebody needs remedial reading, they can't see the "no parking" sign. No parking means no parking."
Now... as I was coming around the back end of the car it's dawning on me what she's saying and to whom. So by the time I got to Bizarro, who's already puckered up and ready to say bye, I'm giving this woman a scowl that could decalcify bones. You know the type of bitchy person, who feels the need to make comments about strangers but doesn't have the balls to look them in eyes while they're speaking? I made sure she knew I heard her and that I didn't appreciate her ignorant fat ass making stupid comments that weren't any of her business. I think Bizarro didn't hear her and had no idea why I was still staring at her while saying goodbye to him.
I got in the car, rolled down the passenger side window and said as I pulled out "Have a nice day!" in a sickenly saccharin voice that CLEARLY was not wishing her a nice day, but rather letting her know that I recognize how pathetic her life must be for her to have to hang out by "no parking" signs, railing on people who are doing absolutely no harm to her or anyone she knows.
As I drove down the road toward campus, I became increasingly indignant at the audacity of this 250 pound woman to pass judgement on ME because I dropped my sweetie off at work in the no parking zone.
My ire was exacerbated (remedial reading, indeed!) by the fact that NO WHERE on this stupid cheap-ass campus could I find a place to get a cup of coffee. After trying 3 coffee shops, I had to resort to walking all the way to Landru's. The woman who served me coffee is in my Dharma study group here in Athens. She asked me if I was going to our meeting tomorrow, which is in a different location than usual. I had totally forgotten about it. In fact I had totally forgotten about Dharma in my ranting and raving about stupid fat hill-billy women and dumb-ass OU coffee shops that are too cheap to stay open on a Saturday afternoon a week before Christmas.
I felt better after talking to her, and realized that the woman at the diamond mine curb must have issues to be so enraged over a parking sign, and that I really could have used the walk down to Landrus anyway since I haven't been to the gym in almost 2 weeks. So all in all, things were okay. I realized that being upset over all that wasn't worth ruining the rest of my afternoon.
"The bun is in your mind!"
I have to go tutor, now.
Sure has been awhile. I've been convalescing from school, keeping out of my office as much as possible, which means little internet access is to be had.
Last weekend I was on retreat with practitioners from KTC at a woodsy retreat center in Yellow Springs (it seemed more like the set of a bad sequel to "The Blair Witch Project" but that's another issue). It was a good retreat, but not one of warm-fuzzies. More like digging at the less desirable parts of my psyche and putting them on the table to focus my practice. After I came home on Sunday, me and Bizarro promptly had a wicked ass blowout which was entirely my fault. So much for Enlightenment. But we kissed and made up and all was well by the end of the night.
Just when I thought things were on the mend, financial crisis gripped the household when I realized on Wednesday that I'd made a double entry of a deposit in my checkbook, and was actually about $650 in the red. Fucking great! So we depleted our meager $200 savings and I borrowed $500 from a good friend and colleague (bless her soul!) and if I can get the bank manager to refund me the $108 in overdraft fees, things will be back to being marginally okay, maybe. This hit me hard, not so much because of the financial side (which is always fucked up anyway, so what's really new? I now owe someone $500, which is par for the course). The main thing that I felt keenly was the idea that once again, I FUCKED UP.
Now you have to understand that I am a perfectionist and have been in therapy for this exact issue off and on for years. Oh, I can psycho analyze myself until the cows come home, but what it boils down to is how I actually react in times of stress. Usually, that ain't so good. But recently I've been making very small strides in the right direction. Although I wanted to beat myself senseless over the stupid checkbook error, I managed not to. I managed to get through the entire thing, with Bizarro's unsweving and loving assistance (and $2 margueritas at Casa with Mr. Club and Cat!). I survived emotionally intact. Not to mention determined to be a wee bit more careful about tending my checkbook register.
So today... a beautful sunny day... I spent the morning reading and puttering around the apartment. Showered, meditated at my shrine, had a nice salad, hard-boiled some eggs for later, and even prepared a pizza doggy bag for Bizarro's lunch at the diamond mines.
I dropped him off at the mines, and he was driving (this becomes an important detail). We did our usual thing - pulled up out of the way by the curb, put the flashers on and did a half-chinese fire drill for me to get to the driver's seat, give him a quick peck on the cheek, and him run into work. So as I was getting out of the passenger side, this fat woman with 20 bags of food stamp groceries is standing on the curb with her friend, and she makes this comment that took me a moment to realize was directed at us: "Somebody needs remedial reading, they can't see the "no parking" sign. No parking means no parking."
Now... as I was coming around the back end of the car it's dawning on me what she's saying and to whom. So by the time I got to Bizarro, who's already puckered up and ready to say bye, I'm giving this woman a scowl that could decalcify bones. You know the type of bitchy person, who feels the need to make comments about strangers but doesn't have the balls to look them in eyes while they're speaking? I made sure she knew I heard her and that I didn't appreciate her ignorant fat ass making stupid comments that weren't any of her business. I think Bizarro didn't hear her and had no idea why I was still staring at her while saying goodbye to him.
I got in the car, rolled down the passenger side window and said as I pulled out "Have a nice day!" in a sickenly saccharin voice that CLEARLY was not wishing her a nice day, but rather letting her know that I recognize how pathetic her life must be for her to have to hang out by "no parking" signs, railing on people who are doing absolutely no harm to her or anyone she knows.
As I drove down the road toward campus, I became increasingly indignant at the audacity of this 250 pound woman to pass judgement on ME because I dropped my sweetie off at work in the no parking zone.
My ire was exacerbated (remedial reading, indeed!) by the fact that NO WHERE on this stupid cheap-ass campus could I find a place to get a cup of coffee. After trying 3 coffee shops, I had to resort to walking all the way to Landru's. The woman who served me coffee is in my Dharma study group here in Athens. She asked me if I was going to our meeting tomorrow, which is in a different location than usual. I had totally forgotten about it. In fact I had totally forgotten about Dharma in my ranting and raving about stupid fat hill-billy women and dumb-ass OU coffee shops that are too cheap to stay open on a Saturday afternoon a week before Christmas.
I felt better after talking to her, and realized that the woman at the diamond mine curb must have issues to be so enraged over a parking sign, and that I really could have used the walk down to Landrus anyway since I haven't been to the gym in almost 2 weeks. So all in all, things were okay. I realized that being upset over all that wasn't worth ruining the rest of my afternoon.
"The bun is in your mind!"
I have to go tutor, now.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Purges and Urges
It's been a few days since my last entry. Right now I'm in my office, and I'm finding that once again settings on my computer have been changed by the Computer Guru Wannabe in our department. All I asked him to do was to install Shockwave and set up Mulberry as the default mail application on Explorer. SIGH. It never ends.
The last week has been interesting, to say the least. My friend Mo and I are doing a "cleansing fast" this week, which consists of:
- Two days of raw foods only
- Three days of only broths, juices and water
- Two days of raw foods only
I'm on Day4, the 2nd day of the liquid diet. We built in a couple safeties, though, like yogurt on the raw food days, and bananas and avocados on the liquid food days, and I eat one bowl of organic oats and soy cereal (with cranberry juice instead of soy milk) every night for added protein. And of course there's the spirulina, colon blow, and multivitamin supplements.
The point? To purge the body of toxins, let the digestive system get a break and clean itself out. I have to say, aside from certain female ailments that result in cramps, I feel good. And not hungry. The hunger subsided after the 2nd day. I do get cravings between 6-9 p.m., which is usually the time I'd sit down with a pizza or eat a bag of popcorn. That 3-hour period is very difficult for me and for Bizarro, since he's been listening to my bitching and moaning. Poor guy! Now that I recognize the pattern, I think I'll try a couple of things to keep me distracted from my cravings and urges at that time.
I've been drinking cranberry and apple juices, and I made a fantastic vegetable broth, which I had the last of at today's lunch. I'll make some more when I get home, only this time I'm adding in beets.
This fast idea came from the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by Phyllis Balch and James Balch, M.D. Check it out!
Let's see, other than that, I started my tutoring this week. Cleaned the house. Sent out my pro sem questionnaire last Friday and have received four responses already. Started organizing leads and contacts for my NY job search. And bought the calender insert for my daytimer organizer. Not bad, not bad at all.
Oh, and of course last weekend I started going to the gym, which I've stopped for the fast. I started some cardio training (with the advice of my friend Mo, who's been working out the last couple of weeks with a trainer). Just 10 mins walking on the treadmill, 15 mins on the eliptical machine (all I can do right now) and another 5 minutes cooldown walk on the treadmill. Plus I've started playing ping pong again with my Chinese friend Ning. Trying to do stretches and some T'ai Chi while on the fast in place of the cardio, at least.
This weekend (Sat-Sun) I will be in Columbus visiting Mo and taking her to the Buddhist center up there. Next weekend is the retreat in Yellow Springs, so I'll be gone Fri-Sunday. I'm hoping to get together with Mr. Club and Kit next week. This week there's no point, since I can't eat or drink anything!
The fast will end Sunday night. I plan on going to O'Betty's for a Sally (a BLT hotdog). Woo hoo!! I'll prolly puke like the guy in Supersize Me after his first Big Mac meal. Bizarro rented it for me Tuesday night, to help me get over my cravings. It was a real eye opener, that's for sure! I'll never give my money to a fast food restaurant again.
Well I guess that about catches me up. Since I'm not in the office every day, I'm not on the computer either. My entries will be longer and less frequent.
But stay tuned for more madcap adventures!
It's been a few days since my last entry. Right now I'm in my office, and I'm finding that once again settings on my computer have been changed by the Computer Guru Wannabe in our department. All I asked him to do was to install Shockwave and set up Mulberry as the default mail application on Explorer. SIGH. It never ends.
The last week has been interesting, to say the least. My friend Mo and I are doing a "cleansing fast" this week, which consists of:
- Two days of raw foods only
- Three days of only broths, juices and water
- Two days of raw foods only
I'm on Day4, the 2nd day of the liquid diet. We built in a couple safeties, though, like yogurt on the raw food days, and bananas and avocados on the liquid food days, and I eat one bowl of organic oats and soy cereal (with cranberry juice instead of soy milk) every night for added protein. And of course there's the spirulina, colon blow, and multivitamin supplements.
The point? To purge the body of toxins, let the digestive system get a break and clean itself out. I have to say, aside from certain female ailments that result in cramps, I feel good. And not hungry. The hunger subsided after the 2nd day. I do get cravings between 6-9 p.m., which is usually the time I'd sit down with a pizza or eat a bag of popcorn. That 3-hour period is very difficult for me and for Bizarro, since he's been listening to my bitching and moaning. Poor guy! Now that I recognize the pattern, I think I'll try a couple of things to keep me distracted from my cravings and urges at that time.
I've been drinking cranberry and apple juices, and I made a fantastic vegetable broth, which I had the last of at today's lunch. I'll make some more when I get home, only this time I'm adding in beets.
This fast idea came from the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by Phyllis Balch and James Balch, M.D. Check it out!
Let's see, other than that, I started my tutoring this week. Cleaned the house. Sent out my pro sem questionnaire last Friday and have received four responses already. Started organizing leads and contacts for my NY job search. And bought the calender insert for my daytimer organizer. Not bad, not bad at all.
Oh, and of course last weekend I started going to the gym, which I've stopped for the fast. I started some cardio training (with the advice of my friend Mo, who's been working out the last couple of weeks with a trainer). Just 10 mins walking on the treadmill, 15 mins on the eliptical machine (all I can do right now) and another 5 minutes cooldown walk on the treadmill. Plus I've started playing ping pong again with my Chinese friend Ning. Trying to do stretches and some T'ai Chi while on the fast in place of the cardio, at least.
This weekend (Sat-Sun) I will be in Columbus visiting Mo and taking her to the Buddhist center up there. Next weekend is the retreat in Yellow Springs, so I'll be gone Fri-Sunday. I'm hoping to get together with Mr. Club and Kit next week. This week there's no point, since I can't eat or drink anything!
The fast will end Sunday night. I plan on going to O'Betty's for a Sally (a BLT hotdog). Woo hoo!! I'll prolly puke like the guy in Supersize Me after his first Big Mac meal. Bizarro rented it for me Tuesday night, to help me get over my cravings. It was a real eye opener, that's for sure! I'll never give my money to a fast food restaurant again.
Well I guess that about catches me up. Since I'm not in the office every day, I'm not on the computer either. My entries will be longer and less frequent.
But stay tuned for more madcap adventures!
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