I'm in deep, deep love with the Smitten Kitchen blog, but sometimes, Deb simply outdoes herself.



Just try to tell me, honestly, that your mouth isn't watering. Raspberry Buttermilk Cake? Sign me up. I may even try to bake one tonight, post-graduation party for A. and his sister, assuming I'm not stuffed full of barbecue. (A.'s dad is a bbq god. I'm going over early just to see if they need any help...with cooking food, or carrying food, or anything that gets me close enough to sneak a bite...)

But this cake? Is happening. Soon. No way around it.

Photo from here.

Grad weekend (again)!

More graduations today—this time, a cousin and a few old debate/theater buddies, walking across the high school stage. The weather held, so the ceremony was held outside on the football field; nice speeches, happy kids, and a big celebration of thrown hats and Silly String at the end. In general, a nice evening.

It’s always sort of interesting to be back at the old school, seeing old faces and how they’ve changed. Some people I know are married, and have kids already (!). There are a few that have divorced. Some are nicer, some about the same. I hope I’ve changed a little...for one thing, I meet people’s eyes now (a trick I could not master at eighteen). I’m learning to be happier with where and who I am. Definitely not a short journey, and one I haven’t finished yet, but at least I’ve taken some steps.

Going back to graduation made me remember where I’ve been, and threw the path I’ve taken into light. Things look pretty good so far.

(Another interesting detail revealed tonight: the Board of Education’s speech is recycled each year, with a few tiny updates to reflect our football season and what the Prom theme was. Yeesh.)

Work, work, work.

Substituting today, I got a great (if accidental) compliment from a student.

Passing out tests and directions to a class of juniors taking their final exam, I quieted some noisier students with a soft tap on the desk or shoulder. By the time I had worked from the back of the room to the front, the class was in some semblance of order, and ready for the last directions for the test.

“Man, you don’t look like a substitute,” one student called out. Expecting the next line to be something like “you’re a student” and throw the class back into chaos, I kept moving and talking.

“You look like a real teacher!”

That earned him a chuckle and a wave, but no stalling of the final. I did go back to my desk and grin a little once the kids were distracted again, though.

Looking for a few good adverbs.

Dear Chuy,
I am having a tiny time at camp. The counselour is arboreal and the food is burnet. I met Buddy and we became elegant friends. Unfortunately, Buddy is pernicious and I defenestrated my phalange so we couldn`t go Twaining like everybody else. I need more tomatoes and a umbrella sharpener, so please loudly creep more when you stomp back.
Your Lisa,
Richard

Mad Libs are love.

fromwww.madglibs.com

Good books...

...are always a treasure. This one had the added benefits of being a) informative, and b) thought-provoking, as well as entertaining! (It also floated me through a slow day of work; good timing is yet another bonus.)



Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible brings up many of the stories that I hadn't heard in Sunday Mass: the sacrifice of Jepthah's daughter, the succession wars of David's sons, or the continued tale of Lot's daughters. Fascinating stuff, revealing some very interesting (albeit sometimes disturbing) attitudes of Biblical times, and possible faces of Biblical authors. I'm by no means militant about what I believe; instead, I love exploring the forgotten facets and peering in the cracks of my church and others, just to see what we've missed. (A book that changed my spiritual life: Life of Pi, Yann Martel. Entertaining and wonderful.)

Much nicer to spend the day reading than staring off into space.

A simple, quick post today.

What makes me happy today?

Not being in middle school.

The kids are great, but very squirrely, and life seems very dramatic and hard. Can't run forward to the real freedom and genuine friendships that can begin to blossom in the late teens, but can't run back to playing all day without a care in the world. Difficult.

Worthwhile once you're through, though...

The best of the Memorial Day spread.

Who doesn't love cupcakes?

They just sit there and...look at you, giving you the pastry equivalent of puppy-dog eyes. Cupcakes don't force their deliciousness upon you, like a two-ton wedding cake; they aren't seductive chocolate or cinnamon conocotions tempting you into a taste, a bite, the whole darn thing. The itty cupcake just sits & stares imploringly:

"Don't you want to eat me?"

Well, yes, now that you mention it.

bonus happiness of the day: being a fledgling cupcake photographer. food is very difficult to light (especially when there's a glare off of the white frosting...ooh, just a taste couldn't hurt...

Long day, but at least a little fun with friends afterwards.

Since everyone is back in town for summer break, the high school friends are getting together again. I like it--it's nice to come back to people who've known you through your awkward stages, your chubby stages, your baby-goth stages, and can laugh about them and talk about the way life changes. (It's also the only way I stay connected with things happening in town; I miss so much being away at school. The sudden update always gives me social whiplash, though: She did what> With who?

There are pictures, marooned on a camera whose computer hookup is broken, but the whole night was wonderful--lots of catching up, playing Guitar Hero, and laughing at each other (much easier when Guitar Hero is out, for sure). Very relaxing after a busy week/end of work/out at the soccer fields.

Another good quote.

"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses." ~Alphonse Karr

(thanks, newsfeed. your stalker tendencies brought me something nice for a change.)

Time capsules!

This will be my second summer working as a resident assistant at a camp for gifted high schoolers. Once, I was a camper, and it was (as promised) the best three weeks of my life. (Even if I spent too much of it in my room talking with an ex-boyfriend for hours on end. Blah.) The kids are lovely, the rest of the faculty-staff are phenomenal, and the entire place is damned brilliant. It's my breath of fresh air in education, and honestly what keeps me going some days. Basically: *love*.

(This is such a cool thing, and I wish I did it more often! I love knowing where I've been and where I think I'll go.)

Mine came in the mail today. It's interesting to see where I wanted to go in a year...

Goals to work on:
Habit to break: poor eating, selfish thinking, negativity, the small picture!
Physical/athletic goal: train to that eight-minute mile! (Done; working for the seven now.)
Spend more time with: friends in St. Louis.
Ask for help from: & guidance from everyone.
Say I'm sorry to: myself.
Share more: of how cool I am more readily.
Work harder at: being imperfect.

Things to remember.

Catching up: the last four days.

The best thing about the last few days has been settling in to summer vacation. I've only touched my computer to play video games (no homework...*happysigh*). Last night I cooked dinner, baked on a whim, cuddled and read on the sofa with A., then went to Borders to do the same when we ran out of books. There was a Nerd Camp meeting earlier in the week--scholars not quite sure what to think, parents visibly a bit anxious but doing very well all the same--and my only real item on the agenda today is printing and mailing out my scholar letters. I have nineteen of them this year! Hurrah.

And hurrah for summer. Maybe later today I'll go to the park.

Congratulations!

Instead of attending the big (read: insane) commencement ceremony on Saturday, A. chose to walk in the precommencement exercises for his college today.

Boy, two years passed much faster than I imagined...and eek, I've only got one more year to go before I'm in his place.

How accomplished he looks.

Anxieties and surrealism aside: I'm proud of him. There were some long, difficult nights and weeks on the road here, but he made it (and magna cum laude at that--"made it" is an understatement).

Good job, to you and to all graduates.

The last image of college-town I’ll have for the summer:

(At least, until I come back in two weeks for Nerd Camp. Huzzah!)



I wandered over to take a picture of the fountain--they always make me feel like a five-year old, and I was a happy kid--and the young gentleman in the foreground wandered over to get wet. Ahh, summer nights.

Gotta love the mall.

It felt so good today to take an afternoon off and go shopping with L. I did have one mission--find cute shorts--definitely fulfilled.

The other, secondary mission (mostly at L.'s prodding)?--look at glittery pretty things. Namely, rings.

I’ve never been a casual dater; A. and I have been together for two years, mostly medium-distance with breaks spent living in the same town. He’s graduating Friday (I follow a year and a half later), so the question is starting to come up: where do we go next? Our answers have been pretty complimentary, though we’re still some time away from the final decision.

I have been told to start looking around for an appropriate bauble, though! :D With L.’s encouragement, that’s exactly what we did. I’m not really looking for a new diamond, too much talk about the de beers cartel and conflict gems and overinflated price anyway, but this was the first time I was actually able to see what things looked like on my finger.

Exhilarating. A deep-stomach shiver of “ohgoshthisisn’tplayinganymore”. Quick flashes of things that could be—of things that, to all appearances, will be. I’m still a little shaky from excitement.

(the glitter was beautiful, too. if pricey.)

Finished!

Turned in my last paper of the semester around 1:30 this afternoon, and just got back in from work. Whew. It's been a long time in getting here, but finally--finally--the semester is over.

Another good thing (other than no more school, no more books, etc.) about the end of the semester is the return of a friend from her London excursion! We caught up over lunch with another friend (and my future roommate, next year) yesterday, and took a few minutes to breathe before diving back into our own respective work (me wrapping up spring semester, and her prepping for summer studies).

We are all lovely, even me, as I lean too far over with finals week hair. (Alas.)

The weather was beautiful, the food was good, and the catching-up was wonderful. Definitely a great way to wrap up the semester.

Flash!

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of flash mobs, the short story goes like this: big group of strangers gathers at a specified location at a specified time and performs some kind of bizarre (but harmless and usually entertaining) activity. This might take the form of a pillow fight, a simultaneous nap- or hug-in, or just lying down on the sidewalk for thirty seconds, getting up, and walking away.

At 11:00 p.m. tonight--the first night of finals week--a friend and I were walking to the library when we saw this.



Our best guesses put the participant numbers around one to two thousand. Campus police were very lovely about the whole thing, closing off the street and making sure no one was injured. We saw crowd surfers, beach balls, glow sticks, sparkly miniskirts, a man dressed as a frog, and the coordinator in shades and a banana suit. A crowd-surfing banana man, I can tell you, is something you never forget.

Best night ever.

Must keep this in mind.

"Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight."

~Hannah Arendt

Camp days!

I just received the schedule for a soccer officials' camp I'll be attending this summer.

A sample day will go something like this:

~~~~
5:30-5:55 Wake-up Call
6:00-6:55 Fitness Training
7:00-8:00 BREAKFAST

8:05-9:20 AM Field Sessions
9:20-9:25 AM W A T E R B R E A K
9:25-10:25 Field Sessions Cont'd.

10:30-10:50 Pre-Game Conference With AR''s - What do I say?
10:50-11:00 Coin Toss - Instructions to Captains
11:00-11:20 Meeting the Coaches

11:30-11:45 CAMP PHOTOGRAPH meet at library steps

11:45-12:45PM L U N C H


1:00-4:45 PM Classroom Sessions, including: Gamesmanship, Rule Differences, and Fouls You Cannot Ignore

5:00-6:00 DINNER

6:30-9:30 Practice Games and Assessments
~~~

I'm guessing that 9:31 PM will be "Pass Out." This is going to be an exhausting week, I can tell, but I am going to learn so much. (They're also allowing me to attend on full scholarship. Woo!) There are still several months to go, but I'm already so psyched about this. What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment.

Happy Stop Day! (for the collegiate)

When I headed out at eight this morning, I had to ford at least three rivers to get to work. The rain got into everything, even with rolled-up jeans and an umbrella on my side. The thunder shook the windows of the tutoring center, and for a few minutes it looked like perhaps I wouldn’t have appointments after all.

Then one of my favorite people—a Vagina Monologue friend—walked in, waved, and headed towards me, paper in hand! Having a writing appointment is more like chatting with a good friend about writing for a while to me, so seeing C. was lovely. We chatted, she wrote, and we both left the appointment smiling. (Always the goal.)

And, lo and behold, by the time I finished my second appointment, and had plugged a bit of time into one of those final-final projects of the semester, the rain had turned to sunshine, and every promise of a beautiful afternoon filled the air.

The type of afternoon that might have this as its soundtrack:

Gomez -- "See The World"


Even though I ended up in the library for most of the day, coding and project-ing, it was still nice to look out the window and see a day that sounded like this.

I love birthday parties. (By my clock, it's still Thursday.)

Kids, grownups, doesn't matter--birthday parties across the board rock. My teacher buddy V. just had her 21st, so there was plenty to laugh about. She actually turned 21 on Cinco de Mayo, thus the fiesta theme and sombrero. There was even a pinata!--unfortunately, I didn't manage to snag a picture of it before the rain started and everyone raced onto the porch to attack the poor thing before it got soggy.



The birthday girl took a chance to eat and hydrate between the pinata hilarity and before all the dancing started. There was an especially spirited rendition of "Wannabe" by every double-x chromosome at the party; the men just hung around on the sofa and looked slightly sickened. Oh well!

Happy birthday V.! I'm going to sleep.


tell me what you want, what you really really want...

School is actually making me happy (?!)

Partially because I've managed to cross one assignment off of my list of things-to-do before the end of the year (yess), and partially because I've decided to do something new with one of the remaining projects.

A theme this semester has been multi-genre/multi-modal writing; my education classes have covered it, my humanities class has provided opportunities for practice, and my film class practically begs for a new way of doing things, rather than writing the same old articles and essays. I've written letters to senators as a way of responding to social justice theory; created a lesson plan on Toni Morrison's Jazz; and now I'm going to make a Scrapblog instead of writing one more paper.

There's just so much to play around with here. Like you might guess, it's an online scrapbook--simple, fun--you can chuck pictures, stickers, text, video, whatever you want on it. Having been an almost-scrapbooker all my life (it just takes too long to bust out all of glue, and paper, and pretty scissors, and find the pictures...by the time it's all set out I'm exhausted), this is some serious excitement. I now have motivation to finish my project's content (which itself is pretty cool), so I can go play around the website!

Hurrah progressive writing!

This one wins for today.

Not because I have one, mind you, but because we've all been there. Poor judgment? Pretty package, ugly insides? Temporary insanity? For whatever reason, everyone's been in a bad relationship at some point or another. This blog is for you.

Emotionally Retarded Boyfriend

Plus, it's a good distraction from a) homework, and b) the things the Internet sends me that enrage me: whiny articles posted to Facebook, erasure of identity, and an "all you ___ people"--oooooh!

For Monday...

...I'm just happy it's no longer Monday.

yeurgh. Week-before-finals-week. How did the agony of the end of the school year get stretched into two weeks, instead of one? Hardly seems fair.

Long weekend? Let's go to the pub!

Now, if the Heidelberg isn't a pub, I don't know what is.


(Picture currently missing...back soon!)


Spent a lovely evening with J. and L. here, talking and drinking until happy hour (and then splitting the most fantastic potato skins this side of Idaho). These are the things I'm going to remember about school...at least, these are the things I'll remember happily. Now, if I could only keep that in mind as finals approach, and find a way to convince professors that quality of memory is a legit reason to skip class...

Still a nerd

Yes...he becomes the bad guy...yes, the face does become horrifically scarred, and the witty comments pause for the middle of the movie...but I'm so excited about X-Men Origins because of Deadpool.

He's just so much fun! Slick moves aside, battles are so much better with witty commentary thrown in. I've had a soft spot for Wade Wilson since two summers ago, when he had a cameo in a game some buddies were running (Mutants & Masterminds), and it's only gotten worse. Breaking the fourth wall? Being completely b.a. and hilarious while managing to pull off the "you-don't-want-to-meet-me-in-an-alley" vibe? Sign me up.

(Word to the wise: stick around after the credits. A. and I jumped up and cheered afterwards. A few people turned and stared at us. We were too excited to notice.)

I really need to start carrying a camera around.

Happy piece for today: Apples to Apples and Rock Band night with the friends...along with a late-night trip to El Rancho. Pretty hilarious. One of these days, I do promise to start taking pictures for myself. I have a camera!--I'm just terrible at remembering to bring it places.