tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54990792024-03-13T15:14:48.911-07:00Signs of the Times"To burn always with this hard, gemlike flame,<br/>to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger632125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-2352131924136184292010-06-03T19:49:00.000-07:002010-06-03T19:50:18.933-07:00amazing lines in lit criticism"Even now, 30 years on, Highsmith's bold denouement makes one want to squeak like a lost baby whale joyfully rejoining its pod." -- Terry Castle writing for SlateUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-52852780265958476242010-03-20T10:34:00.001-07:002010-03-22T11:44:27.824-07:00true storyLast night Helene & I took a long walk to 20th and Irving to see about a coat-rack for the hallway. On the way, as we were walking up Haight and had just passed three homeless men who called us beautiful, I suggested we maybe walk along Page so as to have the sidewalk to ourselves. Because, as I said, even though I have this fantasy that I'm going to meet someone while walking on a crowded streetUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-10373639519464842782010-03-17T23:32:00.001-07:002010-03-17T23:36:22.654-07:00an analogy for lifeso. I went out for a drink with a guy last night. and he told me about this study: apparently, tapeworms can actually help people with allergies. people have always gotten tapeworms and tried to fight them off. tapeworms have always retaliated and can suppress the immune system. then your immune system doesn't waste energy (or have the energy to waste) on fighting shit like dust mites and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-30290447347942019592010-03-17T23:25:00.000-07:002010-03-17T23:31:58.955-07:00busy with the everydayness of it all?how does this always happen??life can be summed up, however --I MOVED. I live with Helene and Kimon and Adam in a charming victorian with a backyard.I read and write in the sunroom.for valentine's day I went to steve's makeout party. I had a lovely time. then j. broke things off with me. I continue to date. but I run into j. whenever I walk by duboce park. THE BASSET HOUNDS PLAYING = WORTH IT.forUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-18920848396831421642010-01-17T22:15:00.000-08:002010-01-17T22:35:59.142-08:00what a WEEKENDFRIDAY - Sushi w/ J. We ate seaweed salad & mackerel with bitter melon & homemade mochi & purple yam ice cream.SATURDAY - A walk with Helene. A nap. Made dinner. Went to see the Sioux City Kid at On the Corner. Half-heartedly played scrabble. Made an appearance w/ H. at Kimon's friend's party. Hung out downstairs with the musicians. Sing along to Tangerine, Last Dance with Mary Jane. Warded off Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-27810211775445058582010-01-11T13:17:00.000-08:002010-01-11T13:29:42.191-08:00to yoga we goI once said that, for a twenty-something woman in SF to say that she's into yoga, is wasted breath. Every twenty-something woman in SF is into yoga. Or at least says she is. Despite that observation, I went this past year without a yoga class. Last night changed this. I went with Helene & Kimon & JBK to yoga flow, and now I get it. You enter from a side street in the Castro, and climb a wide set Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-35245460024485343702010-01-06T21:44:00.001-08:002010-01-06T21:50:18.041-08:00life back at 410Today I had a mini-crisis over applying for fellowships for next year. Then a reassuring phone conversation with Sarah. Then a productive early/late afternoon copying notes and writing the start to a draft of the Halifax chapter at Soleil. And THEN I made beef stroganoff while listening to billie holiday. And then I ate dinner with Helene & we opened a bottle of bubbly rose wine. And THEN we madeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-89844826362877859422009-12-31T17:43:00.000-08:002010-01-01T21:57:34.356-08:00holidaysHad a great Oregon visit... I should have kept track of comings & goings. But I do remember:- Two quiet days at home with just Mum & Tim. - Mer's arrival with Brian, Sunny, and the gerbils.- Our kids' night out in Hood River with Joe -- from the British pub to the brew pub.- Sister time in Portland, at Powell's and the Pearl Bakery, while Brian took the GRE's.- Dinner at Celilo. - A walk in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-66186928215582283062009-12-18T18:43:00.000-08:002009-12-18T18:53:13.605-08:00prepping for a holly jolly christmasTonight Merrie & her boyfriend, Brian, arrive. With Sunny the sheltie & two gerbils in tow. Wondering what it will be like to add these creatures to the current mix -- Mum, Tim, me, Sasquatch the cat, and Benny the luck dragon dog. I arrived Weds. night, and Mum & Tim both had trouble sleeping. So last night, the dog and the cat ended up on MY bed. Funny story, that. Benny was quite fine, sittingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-28865369631439289332009-12-13T21:13:00.000-08:002009-12-13T21:14:55.269-08:00why I hate shopping for phonesKid you not, this is the description for ATT's LG Neon:Looking for a fun and flirty texting device that will get you noticed? Get ready for the LG NEON(TM) by AT&T! This compact and colorful phone lets you stay connected to your social circle wherever you go. Dial quickly using the external touch screen or slide out the full QWERTY keyboard for fast and easy messaging. Use Bluetooth® capabilitiesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-43415112344119577832009-11-23T06:47:00.000-08:002009-11-23T06:51:19.694-08:00last days on the equatorproductive workshops all day in class (well, after the xeroxing was done, during which interval we played "fuzzy wuzzy likes" and "around the world in 80 days"). commenting on stories via email in the afternoon. best butter chicken ever at a totally deserted indian restaurant. man at toast box anticipated my order: I've ordered the same thing around the same time in the evening enough times that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-75369470062579968142009-11-15T06:03:00.000-08:002009-11-15T06:25:10.051-08:00singapore, againWriting because my camera = NOT WORKING (a story for another time -- how not to lend your camera to a guy you're sleeping with for the hell of it and have no emotional/ intellectual interest in, because the camera MIGHT NOT WORK when it comes back to you. Also, he might forget to return the cord to upload the photos. Actually, this might be more about not sleeping with people you have no interestUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-3697722675944601492009-10-28T22:25:00.000-07:002009-10-28T22:45:29.378-07:00OCTOBER, WHERE DID YOU GO?1) Mer & Brian's visit: Excellent SF introduction. We went to Hardly Strictly, out in the Mission for Pakwan and Bi-rite ice cream, Tartine for brunch, Ocean Beach for sights... Then it was sadly already time to say goodbye. Mer is too adorable. Especially when she climbs into bed with you in the morning to chat. 2) Hardly Strictly w/ the roommates, Steve, Irena. Best moment: listening to Neko Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-33075505597208826752009-10-01T20:40:00.000-07:002009-10-01T20:50:56.696-07:00Rome, Florence, ParisAnd back again to the bay area. It was lovely, but I think for now I'm leaving the journal notes where they are -- in the books that I was reading along the way (namely, Goethe's Werther, Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, and Zola's Belly of Paris). Maybe I'll transcribe them on some cold, rainy November day.Back home & trying to be more serious this year. Also cooking and baking a lot. A week ago we Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-58556058371230978422009-09-03T22:06:00.001-07:002009-09-03T22:07:06.659-07:00after two hours in dolores park, drinking wineI feel like angel hair pasta with olive oil and parmesan.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-21826278124420307102009-08-24T21:38:00.000-07:002009-08-24T21:39:38.525-07:00ice creamby the container. that's what people do, right? cure-all?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-29836616304268186932009-08-23T21:46:00.000-07:002009-08-23T21:50:49.333-07:00dinner conversationLast night Steve & I made dinner for our dinner party with Helene. We were in the kitchen for hours. We made: ceviche with avocados and tortillas, spicy-cilantro chickpeas with patty pan squash, agua fresca out of a cantaloupe, and, for dessert, a tart that Steve said would give me Iron Chef cred. Almond essence in the tart dough, a blueberry compote with vanilla bean & spices, a layer of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-3123970546237161912009-08-15T22:26:00.000-07:002009-08-15T22:28:31.307-07:00today's foodI made:- plain rolls and rosemary-olive rolls- potato salad- rhubarb cobbler, and two smaller blackberry cobblersin preparation for the picnic tomorrow!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-26509648347892045692009-08-15T01:23:00.000-07:002009-08-15T01:44:05.308-07:00not pregnant, just tipsyAfter a night of:- making pizza from scratch (both dough and marinara sauce!)- vanilla gelato with rhubarb compote- drinks with helene and ben's friends- dancingI ate:- leftover pizza- homemade pickles and pickled carrots- peanut m&m's(in that order)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-40174250181204262972009-08-04T10:17:00.000-07:002009-08-04T10:23:32.094-07:00summertimeThe last few weeks have been an adventure. From befuddled revisions that seemed to be going nowhere, to feeling tres-productive teaching middle schoolers through Stanford's summer gifted youth program. I felt teacherly. I liked having an audience. I got good student evaluations. It made me feel better about the fact that my own research and writing needs plenty of work.The social life wasn't so Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-59553398549490576962009-07-13T14:49:00.000-07:002009-07-13T14:51:13.758-07:00cat-sittingThis past week I've been cat-sitting for Emilie and Randy in Mountain View. Have been enjoying the cats and the swimming pool. And being able to walk to the Milk Pail and Target.Before I leave the cats (Bob and Samantha), I felt the need to document my observations.Things that bother Bob, the twenty-five pound, orange, extra-toed house bobcat:1. Samantha2. Seeing Samantha3. Not being able to see Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-2714611129582889242009-07-13T14:47:00.000-07:002009-07-13T14:49:46.126-07:00Month and a half review timeTo catch up:School is out! This doesn't mean much for me. I've been revising my chapter draft, and when that gets me down and unproductive, as it often does, I do something else. Recently I've started redirecting this energy into research for the next chapter. And a new blog idea. We'll see if it develops.One very fun thing to report: Meredith's wedding, Coker Butte, and the road trip! Someday Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-55516522194671936712009-05-28T17:44:00.000-07:002009-05-28T18:09:04.549-07:00singapore, part 410th day, Weds: Another long teaching day. Followed, though, by an outing with Marissa, her TA Wafa, and Wafa's boyfriend Ian. Went out for some amazing Indian food in Little India (duh). Awesome masala chicken. MOST AMAZING biryani I have EVER EATEN. Sandalwood. Then we had a taste experience that wasn't so much amazing as disturbing: durian fruit. A fruit stand with outdoor seating (so you Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-60229929789677783872009-05-19T06:00:00.000-07:002009-05-19T06:21:33.860-07:00singapore, part 36th day (Sat.): Had kaya toast and kopi (the local coffee with condensed milk) for breakfast, headed back to lesson plan... Had a very quick lunch on the corner at a sandwich place (good bread), had class, and headed out to the botanical gardens afterward. Amazing place. Orchids. We took pictures. And carried around the fruit that C. had given us earlier that day. Because even though we had Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499079.post-9610766539790959452009-05-15T07:55:00.000-07:002009-05-15T08:29:06.857-07:00singapore, part 2First full day: Hotel breakfast. You can go with local breakfast items (like bee hoon, something noodley with something green like kale; or rice porridge, which is basically watery rice) or with the British inspired side (baked beans, many types of meat, boiled eggs). It started raining around noon -- right when I wanted to go out exploring and find lunch. I wandered around Little India in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1