VAGINAS
Are Way Cool!
Are Way Cool!
Yes, well... Thanks, I guess.
31 March 2006
Funniest Bumper Sticker Ever
Driving home from work last week, I saw a bumper sticker on Boones Ferry Rd. not far from my house - and I'm completely not joking - which said:
30 March 2006
What the hell happened to March?!?
I came home from work yesterday and looked at the calendar to schedule something that I thought was happening in two weeks. Come to find out it's happening next week, because somehow while I wasn't looking a week was removed from the calendar. How in the hell can it almost be April already?!? I'm not ready for April. My Spring term begins on Monday, and I'm not ready. The good news is that I noticed it yesterday, Wednesday, so I can prep the rest of this week and over the weekend. But still. It's not nice going around and just swiping entire weeks from a girl when she really needs them, dammit.
29 March 2006
Survey Madness
So I'm sitting at home this evening minding my own business when the phone rings. It's a survey.
I'm not eating dinner, I'm not actually in the middle of anything, and, as someone who holds a sociology degree, I'm generally pre-programmed to answer surveys. (My favorite college professor actually told my graduating class that if she ever found out we'd turned down a survey, she'd personally come and revoke our degrees, since the chances were good that the person doing the survey was a struggling sociologist.) So, I say yes, I'll do the survey.
It's political, naturally, and most of the questions are easy to answer ("How would you rate George Bush's performance on the economy?"). I still think it was a poorly worded survey overall, and I mentioned that a couple times (in a vain attempt to get the person on the phone to tell the survey designers, which I know she won't). When she got to the part with the obligatory demographic questions, I was getting ready to settle back into my evening - when the stupidest questions of all arrived.
First, she asked what my religion was. That kind of came out of nowhere, but when I said I was an atheist she then asked how often I go to church. Now, really. Shouldn't people doing surveys have permission to fill in answers to questions that are blatantly obvious? I mean, unless there's some atheist church somewhere that I don't know about, the chances of me saying I'm an atheist and then saying I go to church even semi-regularly are - how shall I say? - nil.
Oh, but we're not through.
She asked, "Even though the Congressional elections aren't until November, are you more likely to vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate, Darlene Hooley?" (Hooley, FYI, is my district's current representative.) I muttered that there wasn't even a Republican candidate yet, as we haven't had our primaries yet, and frankly there's no guarantee that Hooley's even going to win her nomination (it's a good bet, but nothing's guaranteed), but said - reluctantly - that I'd probably vote for the Democratic candidate.
Then the surveyor said, "Even though you're not inclined to support a Republican candidate now, what are the chances you might support the Republican candidate in November?" And then she started reading off my choices - strong chance, some chance, little chance, or no chance. I couldn't stand it. I said, "I can't answer that question - there isn't even a Republican candidate yet." She paused and said, "Let me read you those choices again and you can tell me..." I interrupted and said, "No, seriously, I can't answer that question. There aren't any choices that work. The question is based on information we won't even have until, like, June." She finally let it go, though I'm sure she wrote something about a belligerent person on the phone.
What the hell? Who designed this damned survey? I get that both political parties are freaking out about the November elections, but seriously - how in the hell are we supposed to answer questions based on information that could only be gained if we had time machines and traveled a few months into the future?!? I'm horrified to think that people are just answering those questions without thinking - and even more horrified to think that the answers will be turned into statistics that someone will use to prove something, when the answers clearly prove nothing at all.
I'm not eating dinner, I'm not actually in the middle of anything, and, as someone who holds a sociology degree, I'm generally pre-programmed to answer surveys. (My favorite college professor actually told my graduating class that if she ever found out we'd turned down a survey, she'd personally come and revoke our degrees, since the chances were good that the person doing the survey was a struggling sociologist.) So, I say yes, I'll do the survey.
It's political, naturally, and most of the questions are easy to answer ("How would you rate George Bush's performance on the economy?"). I still think it was a poorly worded survey overall, and I mentioned that a couple times (in a vain attempt to get the person on the phone to tell the survey designers, which I know she won't). When she got to the part with the obligatory demographic questions, I was getting ready to settle back into my evening - when the stupidest questions of all arrived.
First, she asked what my religion was. That kind of came out of nowhere, but when I said I was an atheist she then asked how often I go to church. Now, really. Shouldn't people doing surveys have permission to fill in answers to questions that are blatantly obvious? I mean, unless there's some atheist church somewhere that I don't know about, the chances of me saying I'm an atheist and then saying I go to church even semi-regularly are - how shall I say? - nil.
Oh, but we're not through.
She asked, "Even though the Congressional elections aren't until November, are you more likely to vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate, Darlene Hooley?" (Hooley, FYI, is my district's current representative.) I muttered that there wasn't even a Republican candidate yet, as we haven't had our primaries yet, and frankly there's no guarantee that Hooley's even going to win her nomination (it's a good bet, but nothing's guaranteed), but said - reluctantly - that I'd probably vote for the Democratic candidate.
Then the surveyor said, "Even though you're not inclined to support a Republican candidate now, what are the chances you might support the Republican candidate in November?" And then she started reading off my choices - strong chance, some chance, little chance, or no chance. I couldn't stand it. I said, "I can't answer that question - there isn't even a Republican candidate yet." She paused and said, "Let me read you those choices again and you can tell me..." I interrupted and said, "No, seriously, I can't answer that question. There aren't any choices that work. The question is based on information we won't even have until, like, June." She finally let it go, though I'm sure she wrote something about a belligerent person on the phone.
What the hell? Who designed this damned survey? I get that both political parties are freaking out about the November elections, but seriously - how in the hell are we supposed to answer questions based on information that could only be gained if we had time machines and traveled a few months into the future?!? I'm horrified to think that people are just answering those questions without thinking - and even more horrified to think that the answers will be turned into statistics that someone will use to prove something, when the answers clearly prove nothing at all.
"Against All Enemies" Flags
When I read, I tend to have a highlighter handy to mark the passages or lines that catch my attention. Sometimes, if I'm really enjoying something, it'll be more highlighter-color (usually orange) than white paper. If I've borrowed a book, however, I'm reduced to sticky-flags on the pages I like. I've just finished reading "Against All Enemies" by Richard Clarke, which I got from the library, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to post the flagged bits here...
"This book ... is a first-person account, not an academic history. Others who were involved in some of these events will, no doubt, recall them differently. I do not say they are wrong, only that this account is what my memory reveals to me."
- I found this quote, given in the preface, particularly interesting given all the recent flap about the truth of certain memoirs - that Clarke takes the time to make this point in the beginning is, to me, the kind of thing that makes what he says seem more sincere.
"'Having been attacked by al Qaeda, for us now to go bombing Iraq in response would be like our invading Mexico after the Japanese attacked us at Pearl Harbor.'"
- Clarke says this in a conversation with Colin Powell.
Clarke excerpts a speech Pres. Bill Clinton gave in April 1996, where Clinton says the following: "Terrorism is the enemy of our generation, and we must prevail. ... But I want to make it clear to the American people that while we can defeat terrorists, it will be a long time before we defeat terrorism."
"...because the U.S. apparently believes in imposing its ideology through the violence of war, many in the Arab world wonder how the United States can criticize the fundamentalists who also seek to impose their ideology through violence."
"September 11 brought both tragedy all too painful and an opportunity unexpected. You could see it on the streets of Tehran, as tens of thousands rallied spontaneously to show their solidarity with America. You could see it on the streets of America, where flags sprouted from every house. There was an opportunity unite people around the world around a set of shared values: religious tolerance, diveristy, freedom and security. With globalism rushing upon us, such a restatement of basic beliefs ... was much needed. It did not happen. We squandered the opportunity."
Clarke wrote this book before the 2004 election, and says this: "Bush is telling fund-raisers, illogically, that he deserves money for his reelection because he is 'fighting the terrorists in Iraq so that we don't have to fight them in the streets of America.' He never points out that our being in Iraq does nothing to prevent terrorists from coming to America, but does divert funds from addressing our domestic vulnerabilities and does make terrorist recruitment easier. ... One shudders to think what additional errors he will make in the next four years to strengthen the al Qaeda follow-ons: attacking Syria or Iran, undermining the Saudi regime without a plan for a successor state?"
Clarke was one of the few people in the White House on September 11 who stayed in the building and directed the government's reaction to the attacks. Of the people who he counted as his main allies back then, none (including Clarke) are still working for the administration. He says: "They all left the Administration, frustrated. They were never formally thanked by the President, never recognied for what they did before or on September 11."
It's not the best-written book I've ever read, but it seems very sincere and I give Clarke huge points for being the only person after the September 11 tragedy to say the words, "I'm sorry" to the families of all those who died. I hear that this book is one of the best on the Iraq war, so that'll probably end up on my reading list in the not-so-distant future.
"This book ... is a first-person account, not an academic history. Others who were involved in some of these events will, no doubt, recall them differently. I do not say they are wrong, only that this account is what my memory reveals to me."
- I found this quote, given in the preface, particularly interesting given all the recent flap about the truth of certain memoirs - that Clarke takes the time to make this point in the beginning is, to me, the kind of thing that makes what he says seem more sincere.
"'Having been attacked by al Qaeda, for us now to go bombing Iraq in response would be like our invading Mexico after the Japanese attacked us at Pearl Harbor.'"
- Clarke says this in a conversation with Colin Powell.
Clarke excerpts a speech Pres. Bill Clinton gave in April 1996, where Clinton says the following: "Terrorism is the enemy of our generation, and we must prevail. ... But I want to make it clear to the American people that while we can defeat terrorists, it will be a long time before we defeat terrorism."
"...because the U.S. apparently believes in imposing its ideology through the violence of war, many in the Arab world wonder how the United States can criticize the fundamentalists who also seek to impose their ideology through violence."
"September 11 brought both tragedy all too painful and an opportunity unexpected. You could see it on the streets of Tehran, as tens of thousands rallied spontaneously to show their solidarity with America. You could see it on the streets of America, where flags sprouted from every house. There was an opportunity unite people around the world around a set of shared values: religious tolerance, diveristy, freedom and security. With globalism rushing upon us, such a restatement of basic beliefs ... was much needed. It did not happen. We squandered the opportunity."
Clarke wrote this book before the 2004 election, and says this: "Bush is telling fund-raisers, illogically, that he deserves money for his reelection because he is 'fighting the terrorists in Iraq so that we don't have to fight them in the streets of America.' He never points out that our being in Iraq does nothing to prevent terrorists from coming to America, but does divert funds from addressing our domestic vulnerabilities and does make terrorist recruitment easier. ... One shudders to think what additional errors he will make in the next four years to strengthen the al Qaeda follow-ons: attacking Syria or Iran, undermining the Saudi regime without a plan for a successor state?"
Clarke was one of the few people in the White House on September 11 who stayed in the building and directed the government's reaction to the attacks. Of the people who he counted as his main allies back then, none (including Clarke) are still working for the administration. He says: "They all left the Administration, frustrated. They were never formally thanked by the President, never recognied for what they did before or on September 11."
It's not the best-written book I've ever read, but it seems very sincere and I give Clarke huge points for being the only person after the September 11 tragedy to say the words, "I'm sorry" to the families of all those who died. I hear that this book is one of the best on the Iraq war, so that'll probably end up on my reading list in the not-so-distant future.
28 March 2006
New Orleans News
From today's American Progress Report:
CORPORATIONS FIGHTING TO SHUT DOWN NEW ORLEANS' FREE WIRELESS NETWORK: Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans officials announced plans to provide free high-speed Internet access to homes and businesses "to help stimulate resettlement and relocation to the devastated city." BellSouth and other regional telecommunications firms fought the effort, but New Orleans developed the wireless network anyway. “Now it is the lifeblood for so many businesses,” says Greg Meffert, the city’s chief information officer, who "got downtown businesses back online by opening the city’s wireless mesh network—originally deployed to link surveillance cameras—to anyone who needed it." More than 15,000 people are now believed to use the network. But telecommunication lobbyists are still trying to shut it down, "and Mr. Meffert says it looks like the state legislature will agree." Meffert says he and Mayor Ray Nagin "plan to keep offering the service as long as they feel an emergency exists" whether it's legal or not. Says Meffert: "If I have to go to jail, I guess I will. ... [W]e simply cannot turn off these few lifelines we have to our city and businesses."
CORPORATIONS FIGHTING TO SHUT DOWN NEW ORLEANS' FREE WIRELESS NETWORK: Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans officials announced plans to provide free high-speed Internet access to homes and businesses "to help stimulate resettlement and relocation to the devastated city." BellSouth and other regional telecommunications firms fought the effort, but New Orleans developed the wireless network anyway. “Now it is the lifeblood for so many businesses,” says Greg Meffert, the city’s chief information officer, who "got downtown businesses back online by opening the city’s wireless mesh network—originally deployed to link surveillance cameras—to anyone who needed it." More than 15,000 people are now believed to use the network. But telecommunication lobbyists are still trying to shut it down, "and Mr. Meffert says it looks like the state legislature will agree." Meffert says he and Mayor Ray Nagin "plan to keep offering the service as long as they feel an emergency exists" whether it's legal or not. Says Meffert: "If I have to go to jail, I guess I will. ... [W]e simply cannot turn off these few lifelines we have to our city and businesses."
27 March 2006
The Week in Pictures
Just a few pictures from the past week or so; it was a busy week, and not all of it was documented - a cousin was in town from Minnesota, and I completely forgot to get a picture of us, doggonit! Ah, well, here are the pictures I do have.
Chris got a new bike, and it came in a big box... Which quickly became a cat toy. This is Bub's
paw reaching through one of the holes, in a vain attempt to grab his sister unawares.
Our Italian class had its final gathering this term at our teacher's house, and two of the students came prepared with a song - it was their final project in class, and a special treat for our teacher, as they performed a song by her favorite Italian crooner, Sergio Endrigo. When she first heard it in class, she swooned, and declared they had to do a repeat performance for her husband.
We went to the Blazers v. Spurs game on Friday night, and I'm pretty sure there were nearly as many Spurs fans in the Rose Garden as Blazers fans. I'll admit, I cheered more for the Spurs myself, but the Blazers were so incredibly bad that it would have been silly (not to mention delusional) to think they'd actually play better if I clapped for them. Honestly, the highlight of the evening (aside from seeing the very talented Spurs play some beautiful basketball) was the running commentary courtesy of the pair of five-year-old boys sitting behind us. In the first quarter, we were treated to repeated chants of "Boo, Black!" (the Spurs were wearing black) and "Go, Blazers!" Our favorite line, however, was, "We had to take a nap so we could have energy!" Their caretaker then made the mistake of buying them one of those bags of cotton candy that was nearly as tall as they were - you know, the stuff that's probably four days old but no kid seems to care - so we figured the constant kicking on the back of our seats would soon turn into magic fingers. One of the boys pulled his sweatshirt up over his head like a hood, and the other said, "That's so cool!" to which the first replied, "I'm sexy!" After the Blazer Dancers came out for one of their routines, one of the kids said, "Do you think they're sexy?" I don't know if the other replied - we were too busy convulsing with laughter to hear.
Another highlight was a new timeout/halftime feature, the giant helium-inflated basketballs. I can't really explain why they were so hysterical, except that the people inside them can put their legs anywhere - so they rolled around on all sides as the people inside just rotated. Yeah, see? Hard to explain. It was damned funny, though. Maybe next time I'll get a video.
Finally, I have to ask - what the hell is up with Robert Horry's socks? Or should I say support hose?
Chris got a new bike, and it came in a big box... Which quickly became a cat toy. This is Bub's
paw reaching through one of the holes, in a vain attempt to grab his sister unawares.
Our Italian class had its final gathering this term at our teacher's house, and two of the students came prepared with a song - it was their final project in class, and a special treat for our teacher, as they performed a song by her favorite Italian crooner, Sergio Endrigo. When she first heard it in class, she swooned, and declared they had to do a repeat performance for her husband.
We went to the Blazers v. Spurs game on Friday night, and I'm pretty sure there were nearly as many Spurs fans in the Rose Garden as Blazers fans. I'll admit, I cheered more for the Spurs myself, but the Blazers were so incredibly bad that it would have been silly (not to mention delusional) to think they'd actually play better if I clapped for them. Honestly, the highlight of the evening (aside from seeing the very talented Spurs play some beautiful basketball) was the running commentary courtesy of the pair of five-year-old boys sitting behind us. In the first quarter, we were treated to repeated chants of "Boo, Black!" (the Spurs were wearing black) and "Go, Blazers!" Our favorite line, however, was, "We had to take a nap so we could have energy!" Their caretaker then made the mistake of buying them one of those bags of cotton candy that was nearly as tall as they were - you know, the stuff that's probably four days old but no kid seems to care - so we figured the constant kicking on the back of our seats would soon turn into magic fingers. One of the boys pulled his sweatshirt up over his head like a hood, and the other said, "That's so cool!" to which the first replied, "I'm sexy!" After the Blazer Dancers came out for one of their routines, one of the kids said, "Do you think they're sexy?" I don't know if the other replied - we were too busy convulsing with laughter to hear.
Another highlight was a new timeout/halftime feature, the giant helium-inflated basketballs. I can't really explain why they were so hysterical, except that the people inside them can put their legs anywhere - so they rolled around on all sides as the people inside just rotated. Yeah, see? Hard to explain. It was damned funny, though. Maybe next time I'll get a video.
Finally, I have to ask - what the hell is up with Robert Horry's socks? Or should I say support hose?
My "Boyfriend" Wins Criterium International
(A note before I begin - it's my husband who came up with the title of "boyfriend" for Ivan Basso, my favorite cyclist, though I don't protest.)
The two-day Criterium International finished up on Sunday, March 26 in France. This three-stage race, sometimes called the "mini Tour de France," is a little taste of everything. On Saturday was the flat stage. Then on Sunday morning was the hilly stage. On Sunday afternoon was the individual time trial. And the winner in the hilly stage - and the overall winner - was my man, Ivan Basso. He's looking great, and yellow looks particularly good on him. I can't wait to see him wear it in July.
I'll spare you the boring stage-by-stage details (you can read about them here, here and here), so I can use this space more wisely by posting links (below) to pictures of the man of the hour. He is fabulous, isn't he?
The two-day Criterium International finished up on Sunday, March 26 in France. This three-stage race, sometimes called the "mini Tour de France," is a little taste of everything. On Saturday was the flat stage. Then on Sunday morning was the hilly stage. On Sunday afternoon was the individual time trial. And the winner in the hilly stage - and the overall winner - was my man, Ivan Basso. He's looking great, and yellow looks particularly good on him. I can't wait to see him wear it in July.
I'll spare you the boring stage-by-stage details (you can read about them here, here and here), so I can use this space more wisely by posting links (below) to pictures of the man of the hour. He is fabulous, isn't he?
26 March 2006
Italian Radio Podcasts - Update
I forgot, I said I was going to try the podcasting thing this weekend and let you know how it went. Thankfully, Glen reminded me of my promises. You have Glen to thank for this post.
I tried doing it the way it said in the email I got, and I didn't get what I wanted. I did find tons of Italian podcasts, but not the RAI ones I wanted. Eventually I gave up and went to the main iTunes Music Store page and searched (under Podcasts) for "RAI." After scrolling through the countless podcast programs with the word "rain" in them (who knew there were so many?!), I finally found the ones I wanted. I've subscribed (all for free!) to four Italian podcasts, and I've already listened to parts of three of them. They're really interesting, and it's great to immerse the ear in the language.
In short, it's easy to find podcasts for any language you want, but if you don't find the specific one you're looking for, the "search" function is great. Here are the steps to get to the Italian ones - you can extrapolate for all other languages as you like:
I tried doing it the way it said in the email I got, and I didn't get what I wanted. I did find tons of Italian podcasts, but not the RAI ones I wanted. Eventually I gave up and went to the main iTunes Music Store page and searched (under Podcasts) for "RAI." After scrolling through the countless podcast programs with the word "rain" in them (who knew there were so many?!), I finally found the ones I wanted. I've subscribed (all for free!) to four Italian podcasts, and I've already listened to parts of three of them. They're really interesting, and it's great to immerse the ear in the language.
In short, it's easy to find podcasts for any language you want, but if you don't find the specific one you're looking for, the "search" function is great. Here are the steps to get to the Italian ones - you can extrapolate for all other languages as you like:
- From the iTunes Music Store main page, select "Podcasts" from the "Choose Genre" drop-down menu.
- Click on the word "Browse" underneath the drop-down menu.
- You'll then get to a three-column screen - in the first column, the word "Podcasts" is already selected for you. In the second column, choose the word "International."
- In the third column, you can then select "Italian" - or whatever language you want.
- Choose the one you want from the list of podcasts below, and then "subscribe" to that one. They'll automatically update each time you log into iTunes and there's a new episode ready for downloading. It's a pretty cool thing, actually, and even cooler that it's free.
Out of Context? I Don't Think So
Ever since we got the whole computer setup thingie (yes, that's a technical term) hooked up to the television in our living room I've gotten into the habit of setting it to record programs I'd never watch otherwise. "Frontline," for instance - I now record it every single time it airs, and even though I might not be interested in the topic when I start watching it, by the end I'm fully educated and enthralled.
Not too long ago, a guest on "The Daily Show" was talking about her new biography of Abraham Lincoln. I've never had an interest in Lincoln before, but I've added that book to my reading queue at the library. And then I noticed the History channel was doing a three-hour bit on Lincoln, so of course I recorded it... Like, four months ago. And I finally got 'round to watching it yesterday.
It was fascinating, and I'm even more curious about reading that book now, but the thing I want to focus on here is that there were two quotes by Lincoln writers which seemed to be more about present-day politics than 19th century politics. One of them was absolutely a stab at the current administration, but the other one? I'm not so sure. You be the judge.
"A war against terror is like a war against dandruff - it's a metaphor - it's not about anything. The Civil War actually meant something." - Gore Vidal
"Mediocre presidents hide from bad news, great presidents reach out for it." - Matthew Pinsker
Not too long ago, a guest on "The Daily Show" was talking about her new biography of Abraham Lincoln. I've never had an interest in Lincoln before, but I've added that book to my reading queue at the library. And then I noticed the History channel was doing a three-hour bit on Lincoln, so of course I recorded it... Like, four months ago. And I finally got 'round to watching it yesterday.
It was fascinating, and I'm even more curious about reading that book now, but the thing I want to focus on here is that there were two quotes by Lincoln writers which seemed to be more about present-day politics than 19th century politics. One of them was absolutely a stab at the current administration, but the other one? I'm not so sure. You be the judge.
"A war against terror is like a war against dandruff - it's a metaphor - it's not about anything. The Civil War actually meant something." - Gore Vidal
"Mediocre presidents hide from bad news, great presidents reach out for it." - Matthew Pinsker
25 March 2006
Testing Netflix
We finally succumbed to peer pressure and signed up for a subscription to Netflix. We had a two-week free trial, and we liked it enough to keep going with it. We might cancel at some point (especially if we're both traveling and we won't be watching anything, unless we can figure out how to "pause" the thing), but for now we're enjoying it. It's actually getting us to watch movies more often - about one per weekend - than we were before, despite the fact that we always want to watch movies.
So far, we've seen only three:
We've got Broken Flowers sitting on the coffee table, and will probably watch it tonight. If you have any movie recommendations you think we should add to our queue, feel free to send them my way.
So far, we've seen only three:
We've got Broken Flowers sitting on the coffee table, and will probably watch it tonight. If you have any movie recommendations you think we should add to our queue, feel free to send them my way.
First Term Review
This past week I had my final classes of my first term of teaching, so now (while the laundry's going on a Saturday morning) seems like the perfect time to review it.
As you may recall, I started the first class with a serious case of the butterflies. In fact, I think butterflies might be too kind a word for what my stomach felt like that day before I walked into the classroom - wasps might be more like it. Either way, I had over-prepared for the class, which turned out to be a blessing - it went by in a flash and about halfway through I stopped being nervous. I walked out of that first class thinking, "I'm really going to enjoy this..."
Not that there weren't bumps along the way, of course. I was giving the students homework from a textbook I love (one that's no longer in print), and it turned out it was too difficult for them. So, midway through the term I started creating my own homework assignments based on that textbook - as well as the 10+ others I have on my shelves - and that turned out to work out just fine.
I also was too ambitious each week about what we'd be able to get through. Doing only a half of a chapter each week is so slow, I wanted the students to get more of the language. So I'd bring in handouts about things that weren't in the chapter, just to give them some additional vocabulary. That was fine, but I think it also gave short shrift to the material in the book. These non-credit classes are for people who have day jobs, and who are lucky if they find an extra hour a week outside class to study, so next time I think I'll spend more time on the book and less on the "extras," so as to give them a firmer base in the fundamentals.
The population at level one of any language in this kind of non-credit class is going to dwindle during the term, and both of my classes suffered heavy losses by about midway through. I didn't take that personally, as it happens to every teacher. And honestly, I was so pleased in one of my classes when a certain student who claimed to be struggling so much (and occasionally claimed to be unhappy with my teaching) kept showing up. That student stayed until the end of the term, and I considered that a not-so-minor victory.
So, I now have two weeks off before the start of the spring term. I have only one class in the spring (level one), so I don't have to do as much prep as I did before this last term. I'll have to do some tweaking of the program, as I mentioned, but I won't be starting from scratch, so that's nice. (And then in the summer I'll have two classes - a level one and a level two - so I hope I'll see some of my students again.) It's nice to have a lighter teaching load this term, as I settle into my new job, so I can really devote the necessary time to each.
Before I started teaching in January, I thought that I would end up liking it. I had no idea, however, how much I would like it. There's a part of teaching that reminds me of being "on stage," so it's somewhat akin to my rock n'roll days... I'll be the first to admit that there are times I really like the feeling of being on stage. Sometimes I don't mind being in the background - but other times I like being the center of attention. And you know, my students were a hell of a lot more attentive than some of the band's audiences! Yes, I think I'll keep enjoying this teaching gig for a good long while yet.
As you may recall, I started the first class with a serious case of the butterflies. In fact, I think butterflies might be too kind a word for what my stomach felt like that day before I walked into the classroom - wasps might be more like it. Either way, I had over-prepared for the class, which turned out to be a blessing - it went by in a flash and about halfway through I stopped being nervous. I walked out of that first class thinking, "I'm really going to enjoy this..."
Not that there weren't bumps along the way, of course. I was giving the students homework from a textbook I love (one that's no longer in print), and it turned out it was too difficult for them. So, midway through the term I started creating my own homework assignments based on that textbook - as well as the 10+ others I have on my shelves - and that turned out to work out just fine.
I also was too ambitious each week about what we'd be able to get through. Doing only a half of a chapter each week is so slow, I wanted the students to get more of the language. So I'd bring in handouts about things that weren't in the chapter, just to give them some additional vocabulary. That was fine, but I think it also gave short shrift to the material in the book. These non-credit classes are for people who have day jobs, and who are lucky if they find an extra hour a week outside class to study, so next time I think I'll spend more time on the book and less on the "extras," so as to give them a firmer base in the fundamentals.
The population at level one of any language in this kind of non-credit class is going to dwindle during the term, and both of my classes suffered heavy losses by about midway through. I didn't take that personally, as it happens to every teacher. And honestly, I was so pleased in one of my classes when a certain student who claimed to be struggling so much (and occasionally claimed to be unhappy with my teaching) kept showing up. That student stayed until the end of the term, and I considered that a not-so-minor victory.
So, I now have two weeks off before the start of the spring term. I have only one class in the spring (level one), so I don't have to do as much prep as I did before this last term. I'll have to do some tweaking of the program, as I mentioned, but I won't be starting from scratch, so that's nice. (And then in the summer I'll have two classes - a level one and a level two - so I hope I'll see some of my students again.) It's nice to have a lighter teaching load this term, as I settle into my new job, so I can really devote the necessary time to each.
Before I started teaching in January, I thought that I would end up liking it. I had no idea, however, how much I would like it. There's a part of teaching that reminds me of being "on stage," so it's somewhat akin to my rock n'roll days... I'll be the first to admit that there are times I really like the feeling of being on stage. Sometimes I don't mind being in the background - but other times I like being the center of attention. And you know, my students were a hell of a lot more attentive than some of the band's audiences! Yes, I think I'll keep enjoying this teaching gig for a good long while yet.
24 March 2006
Europe On An Alphabet
I cleaned the sidebar up a bit last week, and today I added a new blog over there - Europe On An Alphabet. This crazy girl is traveling around European cities in alphabetical order, letting people pick out of a hat the next place she's going to. Her first stop is in Germany, and she's on her way now to the "A" town there. You can read about the idea here.
Random 15
I was going to cut this off at ten, but the selection was so interesing (dare I say weird if it's my own music collection I'm talking about?) that I just let it keep going...
Happy Friday, everyone.
Happy Friday, everyone.
- The Whole is Equal to the Sum of its Parts – Ruby
- The Ladder – Paula Cole
- Swallow Baby – Ruby
- Dear Old Man of Mine – Linda Thompson
- Frontiers – Journey
- Late – Ben Folds
- All the Colours – The Finn Brothers
- The Very Thought of You – Natalie Cole
- I’m Not in Love – 10cc
- Kiss – Prince
- Why Don’t You Come Over – Garbage
- You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine – Michael Bublè
- I Won’t Stay Long – Sixpence None the Richer
- More Than Us – Travis
- Gattomato – Roberto Angelini
23 March 2006
Italian Radio Podcasts
My local Italian email list has informed me that RAI radio has podcasts available via iTunes. I haven't actually tested this set of directions yet, but here's what the email I got said:
On iTunes Podcast directory you can browse to "International" then to "Italian." The podcast from RAI is under "Public Radio" then "RadioRai Podcast."
I'm going to give it a shot this weekend; if I run into any problems, I'll let y'all know.
On iTunes Podcast directory you can browse to "International" then to "Italian." The podcast from RAI is under "Public Radio" then "RadioRai Podcast."
I'm going to give it a shot this weekend; if I run into any problems, I'll let y'all know.
More New Orleans Tidbits
From yesterday's American Progress Report:
A New York Times study found most Katrina evacuees “have not found a permanent place to live, have depleted their savings and consider their life worse than before the hurricane.” The evacuees “believed that the rest of the nation, and politicians in Washington, have moved on.”
Black leaders, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, are touring Southern cities rallying opposition to the New Orleans voting plan for the mayoral election next month. They want the election postponed because Louisiana officials have not done enough to ensure that displaced voters will be able to vote.
A New York Times study found most Katrina evacuees “have not found a permanent place to live, have depleted their savings and consider their life worse than before the hurricane.” The evacuees “believed that the rest of the nation, and politicians in Washington, have moved on.”
Black leaders, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, are touring Southern cities rallying opposition to the New Orleans voting plan for the mayoral election next month. They want the election postponed because Louisiana officials have not done enough to ensure that displaced voters will be able to vote.
22 March 2006
Last-Minute Meet-Ups with Site59
From my most recent issue of National Geographic Traveler:
"Looking for a last-minute getaway with a pal from out-of-town? Site59
has launched a new feature, Meet Me In..., enabling friends or family from two departure cities to get together in a common destination. The website syncs arrival and departure times, calculates total time spent together and finds a hotel within your price range."
- Emily King
"Looking for a last-minute getaway with a pal from out-of-town? Site59
- Emily King
World Adventures Are So Tempting
When I was in college and I did my semester abroad in the UK, all of my classmates took the opportunity of the break between terms in England to backpack around Europe. They’d all bought Eurail passes, and they headed off with their belongings strapped to their backs, intending to live as cheaply as possible (some planning to only sleep on overnight trains between destinations where they’d spend a whopping one day), and return to England after roughly twenty days with a passport full of stamps.
I on the other hand, was going to spend my time off with my European relatives in Paris and Zurich. I hadn’t bought a Eurail pass (it hadn’t even occurred to me), and I didn’t even have a backpack. I returned to England with only a couple of passport stamps, having been to only a couple of places, and having slept in the homes of family members. I wasn’t complaining, to be sure, and every once in awhile I look back on that experience and think, “That was my chance to be a backpacker, and I missed it.”
Not that anyone is too old to be a backpacker in reality, but in some ways I was probably always too old for it. I’ve often joked that I’ve been old and boring since I can remember (I think my brothers would back me up on this), so it’s not entirely out of the question. So I wasn’t interested in backpacking – does that make me any less interested in the kind of travel backpackers do? Nope. Now that I’m older, though, I’m a helluva lot less likely to strap a pack on my back and go traipsing through, well, anywhere, looking for a hostel.
That’s where BootsnAll World Adventures comes in.
Donovan Pacholl, BnA’s guru of adventure travel, describes World Adventures as travel for the backpacker who’s grown up a bit. And while I think that’s an apt description, the tours on offer are enticing even for those of us who never aspired to be backpackers in our youth. They’re tours in only the loosest sense of the word, Donovan says – you’re taking local buses, riding local trains, etc., there’s just a guide there to organize the tidbits many travelers are loathe to do themselves. More often than not, the tours also only have scheduled activities for half of each day, leaving the participants free to do what they’d like for the other half.
The other night I was showing Chris some of the new things I’d learned about BnA, and we found several tours listed on the World Adventures pages that got our attention. The ones that really got us thinking, though, were the last-minute deals. There are some amazing trips listed there, and if you book by a certain date they’re 20% off the listed price.
There are still plenty of places where I’d prefer to handle the arrangements myself (that’s half the fun of the trip, if you ask me), but there are others where I’d be happy to let someone else do all of that so I could just enjoy the experience. I don’t know what our next trip is, or where we’re even wanting to go, but perusing the World Adventures tours has certainly got me thinking more about the next stamps on my passport.
Full disclosure: BootsnAll World Adventures is part of the BootsnAll Travel Network, my new employer. As I learn more about the various resources in the Network, I’ll post information about them here.
I on the other hand, was going to spend my time off with my European relatives in Paris and Zurich. I hadn’t bought a Eurail pass (it hadn’t even occurred to me), and I didn’t even have a backpack. I returned to England with only a couple of passport stamps, having been to only a couple of places, and having slept in the homes of family members. I wasn’t complaining, to be sure, and every once in awhile I look back on that experience and think, “That was my chance to be a backpacker, and I missed it.”
Not that anyone is too old to be a backpacker in reality, but in some ways I was probably always too old for it. I’ve often joked that I’ve been old and boring since I can remember (I think my brothers would back me up on this), so it’s not entirely out of the question. So I wasn’t interested in backpacking – does that make me any less interested in the kind of travel backpackers do? Nope. Now that I’m older, though, I’m a helluva lot less likely to strap a pack on my back and go traipsing through, well, anywhere, looking for a hostel.
That’s where BootsnAll World Adventures comes in.
Donovan Pacholl, BnA’s guru of adventure travel, describes World Adventures as travel for the backpacker who’s grown up a bit. And while I think that’s an apt description, the tours on offer are enticing even for those of us who never aspired to be backpackers in our youth. They’re tours in only the loosest sense of the word, Donovan says – you’re taking local buses, riding local trains, etc., there’s just a guide there to organize the tidbits many travelers are loathe to do themselves. More often than not, the tours also only have scheduled activities for half of each day, leaving the participants free to do what they’d like for the other half.
The other night I was showing Chris some of the new things I’d learned about BnA, and we found several tours listed on the World Adventures pages that got our attention. The ones that really got us thinking, though, were the last-minute deals. There are some amazing trips listed there, and if you book by a certain date they’re 20% off the listed price.
There are still plenty of places where I’d prefer to handle the arrangements myself (that’s half the fun of the trip, if you ask me), but there are others where I’d be happy to let someone else do all of that so I could just enjoy the experience. I don’t know what our next trip is, or where we’re even wanting to go, but perusing the World Adventures tours has certainly got me thinking more about the next stamps on my passport.
Full disclosure: BootsnAll World Adventures is part of the BootsnAll Travel Network, my new employer. As I learn more about the various resources in the Network, I’ll post information about them here.
21 March 2006
Eating, Italian Style
From the most recent Gourmet magazine comes this enticing tidbit:
Next time you're in Italy, skip the restaurant guides and sign up for dinner with an Italian family. Home Food is a countrywide network of women (and sometimes men), affectionately called "Cesarine," who invite diner into their kitchens for a taste of traditional dishes made with the best regional ingredients. Professor Egeria Di Nallo, head of political science at the University of Bologna, launched the organization two years ago with a handful of friends because she felt it was becoming increasingly difficult to find authentic Italian food in restaurants. Today, the group is almost 200 strong, with Cesarine from Turin to Sicily. "Home cooks hold the key to our Italian culinary heritage," says Di Nallo. "Our goal is to access that wisdom, keep it alive, and share it." All Cesarine must meet the home food's high level of culinary skills while also displaying thorough knowledge of regional traditions. A one-month membership ($4) lets travelers register for as many meals across the country as they'd like. Dinners range from a casual supper in a Roman apartment to a feast at a Renaissance palace in Siena. ($30-90)
Do this! Someone who's going to Italy soon - try this! And then come back and tell me all about it!!
Next time you're in Italy, skip the restaurant guides and sign up for dinner with an Italian family. Home Food is a countrywide network of women (and sometimes men), affectionately called "Cesarine," who invite diner into their kitchens for a taste of traditional dishes made with the best regional ingredients. Professor Egeria Di Nallo, head of political science at the University of Bologna, launched the organization two years ago with a handful of friends because she felt it was becoming increasingly difficult to find authentic Italian food in restaurants. Today, the group is almost 200 strong, with Cesarine from Turin to Sicily. "Home cooks hold the key to our Italian culinary heritage," says Di Nallo. "Our goal is to access that wisdom, keep it alive, and share it." All Cesarine must meet the home food's high level of culinary skills while also displaying thorough knowledge of regional traditions. A one-month membership ($4) lets travelers register for as many meals across the country as they'd like. Dinners range from a casual supper in a Roman apartment to a feast at a Renaissance palace in Siena. ($30-90)
Do this! Someone who's going to Italy soon - try this! And then come back and tell me all about it!!
Broadening My Horizons
Readers of this site will know that basically the only sport I get interested in enough to really pay attention is cycling. Sure, I’ll watch pretty much any sport on television, but that’s usually only because Chris is watching and I’m multi-tasking (otherwise known as napping). Imagine my surprise, then, when I found out about my new employer’s World Cup Blog – and discovered I actually like it.
Nevermind that I don’t understand all of what’s going on, or that I don’t know all the players (and by “players” I mean the people involved in the whole World Cup thing, including – but not limited to – the actual, well, players). The World Cup Blog, written with wit and humor by Bob Kellett, is colorful and inviting (these things are key to a sports neophyte, especially a female one), and offers plenty of information about the sport and the tournament, as well as travel tips for those making the trek.
Another cool element of the blog is evident when you first get to the site – at the top of the page, there’s a tiny flag representing each country in the tournament, each of which has its own blog page. Certainly, the big football powerhouses are represented well, but what makes this blog special is that each country has its space – including eight teams making their World Cup debut – even those who aren’t thought of as contenders. As Bob points out, you’d be hard-pressed to find information elsewhere on the web about, for instance, Saudi Arabia’s team. There's even a referees blog!
The only thing I wish were different - and this is coming from simply a laziness perspective - is that the tiny flags appeared on each page, so one could navigate between the team pages without having to go back to the main page. It's a small thing, but this lazy web-surfer noticed. Otherwise, the site is incredibly well-organized and thoughtfully laid out. It's one of the newer blogs in the BootsnAll Travel Network, and it looks great.
(As an aside, I've found out that Bob is also a cycling fan. The other day he said something about the World Cup being the biggest sporting event in the world, and I could have sworn I heard the same thing said about the Tour de France once. Statistics are evil things, so I'm sure - in some way - both statements are correct. It'd be interesting to know what the heck each statement was actually measuring, though.)
As the tournament gets closer, I’ll probably have to pick a team to root for (it’s a sports-mad office I’m working in). Maybe it’s because I’m a girl, but I love to cheer for the underdog. Italy, however, will probably end up winning my allegiance – regardless of how they might actually do in competition (my NCAA bracket this year is a testament to how little I actually care about a team’s chances before I decide whether to pick them) – because, after all, they’re Italian.
Full disclosure: World Cup Blog is part of the BootsnAll Travel Network, my new employer. As I learn more about the various resources in the Network, I’ll post information about them here.
Nevermind that I don’t understand all of what’s going on, or that I don’t know all the players (and by “players” I mean the people involved in the whole World Cup thing, including – but not limited to – the actual, well, players). The World Cup Blog, written with wit and humor by Bob Kellett, is colorful and inviting (these things are key to a sports neophyte, especially a female one), and offers plenty of information about the sport and the tournament, as well as travel tips for those making the trek.
Another cool element of the blog is evident when you first get to the site – at the top of the page, there’s a tiny flag representing each country in the tournament, each of which has its own blog page. Certainly, the big football powerhouses are represented well, but what makes this blog special is that each country has its space – including eight teams making their World Cup debut – even those who aren’t thought of as contenders. As Bob points out, you’d be hard-pressed to find information elsewhere on the web about, for instance, Saudi Arabia’s team. There's even a referees blog!
The only thing I wish were different - and this is coming from simply a laziness perspective - is that the tiny flags appeared on each page, so one could navigate between the team pages without having to go back to the main page. It's a small thing, but this lazy web-surfer noticed. Otherwise, the site is incredibly well-organized and thoughtfully laid out. It's one of the newer blogs in the BootsnAll Travel Network, and it looks great.
(As an aside, I've found out that Bob is also a cycling fan. The other day he said something about the World Cup being the biggest sporting event in the world, and I could have sworn I heard the same thing said about the Tour de France once. Statistics are evil things, so I'm sure - in some way - both statements are correct. It'd be interesting to know what the heck each statement was actually measuring, though.)
As the tournament gets closer, I’ll probably have to pick a team to root for (it’s a sports-mad office I’m working in). Maybe it’s because I’m a girl, but I love to cheer for the underdog. Italy, however, will probably end up winning my allegiance – regardless of how they might actually do in competition (my NCAA bracket this year is a testament to how little I actually care about a team’s chances before I decide whether to pick them) – because, after all, they’re Italian.
Full disclosure: World Cup Blog is part of the BootsnAll Travel Network, my new employer. As I learn more about the various resources in the Network, I’ll post information about them here.
20 March 2006
Travel Guide to Bali: BaliBlog
I’ve never been to Bali. Until recently, I wasn’t even sure where it was on the globe. (World geography isn’t as much of a strong point as it should be.) If, however, I’d been there or was going to go there anytime soon, BaliBlog would be high on my reading list.
There are tools on BaliBlog that every traveler needs – a well-populated accommodations guide being principal among them – but it’s much more than just a hotel guide. BootsnAll’s man-on-the-ground, Nick O’Neill, who has lived in Bali since 2003, updates the site daily with information about not just surfing Bali, but also living there. BaliBlog is the best of what a travel blog can be – it’s constantly updated (so therefore up-to-date), and can cover more than just travel tips. It gives you a sense of what it’s like to live there, because Nick does live there. There’s information on Bali going back to December 2002, so there’s no shortage of detail. You can read practical information (what to pack when going to Bali), political updates as well as stories about local ceremonies.
Going to Bali? Go here first.
Full disclosure: BaliBlog is part of the BootsnAll Travel Network, my new employer. As I learn more about the various resources in the Network, I’ll post information about them here.
There are tools on BaliBlog that every traveler needs – a well-populated accommodations guide being principal among them – but it’s much more than just a hotel guide. BootsnAll’s man-on-the-ground, Nick O’Neill, who has lived in Bali since 2003, updates the site daily with information about not just surfing Bali, but also living there. BaliBlog is the best of what a travel blog can be – it’s constantly updated (so therefore up-to-date), and can cover more than just travel tips. It gives you a sense of what it’s like to live there, because Nick does live there. There’s information on Bali going back to December 2002, so there’s no shortage of detail. You can read practical information (what to pack when going to Bali), political updates as well as stories about local ceremonies.
Going to Bali? Go here first.
Full disclosure: BaliBlog is part of the BootsnAll Travel Network, my new employer. As I learn more about the various resources in the Network, I’ll post information about them here.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)