SCAB-tastic

So I found myself like I've normally been on Tuesday evenings, lying prostrate in my bed, nap way overdue, from the general malaise I get from 6 hours of non-stop, blood-sugar-lowering lectures that are my Tuesdays. I had been sidetracked from my initial purpose of going home to take a nap, mostly due to the paranoia I feel about sleeping the GUT and being watched while sleeping (Who knows who could be staring at me!). Upon getting home I received a phone call from Eligio, a Masters student in the ELPS program I was admitted to, so that he could try and in his words "do anything he could" to convince me to join them in Washington. I was flattered by the unabashed commitment they had to recruiting me (I think "top choice" was uttered a few times) and I did what I normally due whenever I feel overwhelmingly flattered, I took the defensive and barraged him with questions ranging from funding to pedagogy of particular teachers. I had to remind myself to tell him how excited about the program, because in my ears I kinda sounded like a jerk. He handled it admirably and I booked my ticket to go visit UWash in early April. Although to be honest, I never quite know what to say when people talk to me the tight knit Latino community as a selling point because I probably never would have thought to ask about it other than the University's commitment to diversity in recruiting as value in and of itself. It kinda reminded me of the whiteness of my upbringing but then I read this and felt better.

After a few hours of laying about, too sleepy to read, too wired to sleep, I headed over to Bloc 11 to grab some coffee which made me feel like a SCAB due to my prior employment at the Sherman Cafe. However then I remembered that at least I wasn't an adorable piano playing SCAB. And all was well. the end.

Jordan Catalono is a moron and so was I

I finally finished this scarf while watching old videos of My So Called Life and the longer that I watch the show, the more I feel like I am reading some angst-filled pages of my 15 year old diary. It's sweet and reminiscent of feeling like you know everything yet blissfully aware of your ignorance. It's also painful to watch. Mostly because it reminds of being really silly and of all of the mistakes I've made. Dear God now that I am 25 please let me be done with the Jordan Catalonos of the world.

Today I watched Persepolis, which was lovely. I really liked the way they animated it. It made me want to pick up watercolor again. Some of my favorite parts involved little Marjane and her love for Bruce Lee, her talks with her grandmother and the French sung "Eye of the Tiger" montage.

Thank you Dictionary.com for consistently summing up my personal feelings better than a horoscope

ennui: a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction arising from lack of interest.


I FUCKING HATE TRANSCRIPTION! IF I NEVER HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN, I WILL FEEL ITS A LIFE WELL LIVED.

Happy Birthday to me!

I got into University of Washington's Organizations and Policy Studies in Education Ph.D program!

Hurray! Hopefully this is beginning of more great news. Either way it's nice to have options!

Holy shit, I'm 25.

Night Folks

Fried Eggplant Sandwich

It was 19 degrees outside and the zipper to my jacket broke. Bummer. I also finally quit my coffee shop job (i know I said I would do it ages ago, it was tough) and I was hankering a special sandwich from there. It sounds kinda strange but totally delicious.

Ingredients:

fried eggplant
1 eggplant (med), sliced not too thick
1 egg, scrambled in mixing plate/bowl
1/2 cup flour
1/2 Panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil

Fixin's
French bread
olive tapenade
roasted red peppers
goat cheese

Directions:

1. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil on medium to medium high heat.
2. Salt and pepper scrambled egg, mix flour and bread crumbs in separate bowls.
3. Dip sliced eggplant in egg, cover in breading and set aside for frying.
4. After all eggplant is breaded, slowly place in heated owl and fry till golden brown.
5. Drain on paper towels and let cool
6. Spread one layer of goat cheese and olive tapenade on bread, slice up roasted red pepper and add eggplant to hearts desire.
7. Enjoy! It's also great as a hot pressed sandwich or with dressed greens.

Duh, de di duh dah dah

Duh, de di duh dah dah

Duh, de di duh dah dah

Duh.......JOB SEARCH!


(Think "Dog Show" and it'll become clear. Or call me and I'll sing it for ya.)

After going to what turned out to be a pretty lame HGSE turnout Welcome Back party and listening to people brag about their job offers and interviews, I have finally got off my respective ass and I am hitting the pavement (or the internet) on the search to feed myself for the next year. Places on the horizon, Austin, NYC, California, Seattle.

Also after going to a Idealist.org Career Fair, I've realized that I am not so much of an idealist anymore...well that's not true, but I think I've gotten over the whole lets-throw-some-able-minded-young-bodies-into-a-issue-and-see-what-happens thing of non-profits. I guess Nancy Hill has sunk into my mindset of her dislike for the "happy, smiling children" phenomenon found at many non-profits where there is a whole lot of good will and a lot less results. I think I know too much now to be quiet about things that can be done better.

I'm sure I'll find something, but as usual I want it to be great. So I guess my new part time job is finding a full time job. Wish me luck!

smore of unending sadness

...and we're back

Things are finally starting to settle in here after about a month and a half of traveling/vacation. As much as I would have liked my vacation to have been entirely relaxing, having finals looming in the not-so-short distance kinda soured it a bit. Of course Harvard's changing their policy to match the rest of the academic world after I leave.

I think part of my brain still thinks that it's the beginning of January instead of February mostly due to Michigan having the shortest winter break ever. Now that I'm back I have a slew of things to start taking care of such as picking new classes, quitting my coffee shop job, finding a FEP position, and getting the rest of my shit together.

Since Monday I've started up the You're-Not-Getting-Any-Younger-Bikram-Yoga challenge for myself again but this time I've dedicated time (three months) and money (don't want to talk about it) to getting myself back in balance. Just after three straight days of crazy intense yoga, my skin looks better, I've dropped a little wieght and I feel awesome apart from the muscles in the backs of my legs being a little tight. Although I must say that the first two classes were really bad. I don't remember being so much of a pansy, but I think sucking so badly gave me the determination to come back for the third day in a row. The instructor said it was like night and day, which was great to hear especially since I had been working on my concentration and breathing which is pretty much the bread and butter of the practice.

I thought about being a bad-ass and trying to go 7 days straight like I did a few years ago, but after spending all day long in my PJs working on my resume and sending out job apps, I really really don't want to go a mile and a half out in the cold to go to yoga. I think the guilt of not going is a good sign.

I called my old coffee place to try and quit and Rex, who granted is a bit of a space case, didn't remember who I was at first. That made me not feel so bad about quitting, I figured that I was gone for a good long while. I still haven't talked to the owner but it should be fine. There are worse things in this world.

I've decided after looking at my grades (B,B+, and two A-) that I could have done better and that I shouldn't shoot myself in the foot overworking myself anymore. I think that I am only going to take 14 hours instead of 18 this semester. I hated that feeling of skipping really great readings because there were just too few hours in the day and I really want to enjoy my time here instead of being the walking dead all the time. Only now that I have free time, I'm not quite sure what to do with it anymore. I think everyone (including myself) is really used to me not going out and I'm at a loss for what to do with my spare time. Time to get proactive.

So NEW New Years Resolutions are now:
1) Go to Yoga at least four times a week
2) Make dinner everyday and pack lunches/leftovers to save money/be healthy
3) Go out and enjoy Cambridge and Boston while I'm here
4) Act my age

Children are the only ones who blush

Best song to listen to while hastily finishing up stats assignments at 6 AM while enjoying a beautiful California sunrise:

Sweet Jane - The Velvet Underground

Sometimes I dont get you

wow. today was, well, shitty.

Somehow my sister's "errands" she alluded to included going to get her front bumper appraised by Allstate, getting a deductible, taking her car to a body shop, picking up a rental car and then her up from work. Did I mention this was all quickly briefed to me while in the car on the way to work and on a hastily written letter, while my mind was occupied by other issues such as unfinished business both in Austin and at Harvard?

So here's what happened.

I get coffee to help clear my addled head. I take the car to the address where she listed that I go to but instead of going to the right and into the Allstate office, I go left into a body shop. Here's where it goes bad. They call the Enterprise service and he picked both me and Vanessa up to get a rental. Vanessa does not inform me that a) she has a meeting to go to and therefore a limited amount of time b) that the girl responsible for her back bumper damage has yet to file a claim on her end and c) that her car insurance does not pay for a rental car. Basically she should have known that if the girl was being shady and not reporting the accident, then we would have to pay the full amount ourselves until it got straightened away.

This is when Vanessa's head begins to explode.

Vanessa doesn't have the money to pay for the car nor did she save copies of her insurance claim which I left with the body shop. She expected me to have all of this stuff, which I didn't. While I am both on the phone with Allstate and my father to quickly transfer money over to her account, she is freaking out saying that she is going to get fired for missing her meeting and that she doesn't have time for this. Then I tell her where her car is.

This is point where my head explodes.

She freaks out because I put the car in a different body shop than I was supposed to, which granted was bad. Although neither them or I had an issue with the car being there, she is really upset and freaked out. She takes the rental car and leaves me at the place where I left her car with no keys to her apartment or transportation. I hang out until the Allstate guy gets back from lunch and have a sit down to figure out if the auto body place will actually get the job done right and is respectable. I get the OK from the Allstate guy, who says that the work is both guaranteed by the insurance and the body shop. Great. Then the body shop guy gets us a cheaper rate at the rental place and pays for my cab ride home.

Then I ran into two other cast members from the ABC Family coming-of-age college drama Greek in the lobby. Last week I saw their other cast member in Austin. I am ashamed I know who they are.




Then I found twenty dollars.....and it was a Tuesday.

She Bop She Bop

Listening to "I Only Have Eyes For You" by The Flamingos while packing has to be the most melodramatic thing ever. Although it does make me want to dawn some taffeta wonder and saddle shoes and slow dance under a disco ball.