I did it!

Yay! I finished another round of NaBloPoMo! It was definitely a lot harder to stick with it this year than it was the last two years, but because I'm one of those competitive people who just has to finish what I start, I pushed through (yes, I'm slightly type A).

Now that I've fulfilled my final 2009 NaBloPoMo duties, it's time to go and relax on my new couch (aka Couchee and Couchzilla). When I went back to order it on Sunday, I changed my mind and decided to get the three cushion model over the two cushion model (which is a bit of different shape & was a little more expensive, but I think was the right decision) and a slightly lighter fabric than I had originally chosen. $1200 couch for $700 (including delivery & removal of the old couch = WIN! :)

Day 29

I'm so glad tomorrow is the last day of NaBloPoMo.

And yes, this counts as a post.

More domesticity

I am wiped, thanks to a very long day of couch shopping. I sat on, flopped on, and rubbed close to 100 couches! Although I didn't actually make a purchase, I think I found the perfect couch - it meets all of my criteria (tight back, solid wood, neutral color) and is on sale (10% off & no sales tax). It's similar to this couch , but made of a slightly different fabric. I really wanted to get it today, but just couldn't bring myself to purchase it until I did more research on that specific model - turns out, it has very high ratings and is being offered at a fantastic price.

I was planning to wait until after Christmas to buy, but because the perfect couch is at the outlet store,* I'm going to take the plunge and get it tomorrow. There was only one available... and once the sale is over, the price goes up $200. As of now, it's an awesome grown-up couch being offered at an IKEA price! This will be my first piece of real furniture (i.e. not purchased from IKEA, not made of particleboard, etc.) - I feel like such an adult. :)

- - - - - - - - - - -
*Chicago-area people: go to the Domicile outlet store (the one in Evanston). It's so awesome!

Yesterday

There was a lot of this...

some of this...

and even more of this...


A great time was had by all. :)

Gobble, gobble

Have a great one! :)

Selfless

I'm feeling a little bummed about the holiday... for the first time in nine years, I won't be spending it with M. :(

It's a complicated story... basically, M had not been in contact with most of his family for 13 years or so (for very valid reasons), but got back in touch with them during the last year. Of course, they want him to join them for Thanksgiving. He hasn't spent any holidays with them for years, and seeing as his grandmother is quite old, it really is the best thing for him to do.

Although I understand why he wants to spend the holiday with them (and I think it will be good for him), I'm still sad. I know it's not about me, but I can't help feeling like now that his "real family" is back in the picture, our little family (one that includes Beebs & her relatives) isn't as important. Sigh. This is one of those time when I just have to suck it up and be selfless... definitely not one of my strong points.

Zumba

I am so tired/sore from my zumba classes that even typing is taking some serious effort. I know they're good for me and all (and if I weren't so damn sore, I would admit that they're actually fun), but I am wiped. Ugh.

Books!

I don't remember who tagged me for this... I know it was back in 2007. Yes, it has been sitting in my drafts folder for the last two years... but I'm doing it now. That's what counts, right? :)

What was the last book you bought?
Seeing as I'm trying to reduce the obscene number of unread books* I own, I've placed a moratorium on book buying. Of course, I've been unable to completely stick to that, but I've only slipped up a few times. :) The last book I bought was a copy of Knit the Season (I had a coupon, Borders Bucks, and a gift certificate, so technically, I didn't pay anything for it!). I've been in the mood for a good girly novel and since I read/liked the first two Knit books (the first one far more than the second), I figured it was a good choice.

*There are books on only three of the shelves now!

Name a book you have read MORE than once.
I used to constantly reread books, but I notice myself doing it less and less the older I get. There are just so many new books to read and new ideas to discover! However, there is one I will always go back to - The Catcher in the Rye. It's an old, comfortable friend whose familiarity can take me back to a different place in my life; it's also one of the few books in which I always get something new out of it every time I read it. I'm not sure exactly how many times I've read it - probably close to 30.

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life?
Yes, and that's part of why I love books so much! :)
These are my top five:
1. The Catcher in the Rye
2. The Handmaid's Tale (I wrote about it here)
3. Possessing the Secret of Joy
4. The Secret Life of Bees
5. Shopgirl

How do you choose a book? (e.g. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews).
I choose most of my books by the summary or by recommendation (although it always depends on who those recommendations are from - I usually only take them from people I know/trust their taste). I rarely read reviews before I read any book because I don't want to know any more about it than what is in the summary; plus, I don't want my opinion to be tainted before getting into the story. If I'm not completely sold after reading the summary, I'll often open the book and read a random paragraph in order to see whether or not I like the author's style.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
I like both, but I mostly read fiction. My non-fiction reading almost always consists of memoirs/biographies.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
Knit the Season (which I am starting tonight)
Educating Esme (started last week, but haven't yet finished)

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
I finished both Trading Up and I See You Everywhere within the last two weeks. TU was a typical Candace Bushnell novel (if you liked Lipstick Jungle, you'll like TU). I See You Everywhere was a *huge* disappointment to me; I've heard so many good things about Julia Glass, but didn't care for ISYE at all (both the writing style and the plot were disappointing). I've also heard that wasn't her best novel, so I am willing to give her another try. Have any of you read Three Junes? That's supposed to be her best novel.

Have you ever given up on a book halfway in?
I have, but it's a rare occurrence (I can count on one hand the number of times I've done it). I'll only do it if I really hate the book. Usually, I don't even stop reading; I'll just skip ahead to the last couple of chapters.

What are the best books you've read this year?
Oh, this is a loaded question! I've read so many fantastic books that I would highly recommend, but it depends on the type of lit you like. Let's go with my top ten (in no particular order)...
1. The Namesake
2. The House of Sand and Fog
3. The Almost Moon
4. Girl With a Pearl Earring
5. The Weight of Water
6. Nickel and Dimed
7. What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day
8. The Friday Night Knitting Club
9. A Lesson Before Dying
10. Strange Fits of Passion

I'm not going to tag anyone for this, but I would still love to see some of you do it (*ahem* Dr. BH and Christina).

During this year...

• Number of classes taught: 22
• Number of students: approximately 400
• Number of students I've had to put out of classes: 3 (2 temper tantrums & 1 who wouldn't stay off her cell phone)
• Number of faculty, departmental, and curriculum meetings attended: 56
• Number of conferences and trainings attended: 3 (all of which sucked)
  
• Number of papers read/graded: approximately 1,300 (holy shit!)
• Number of papers left to read/grade: 142
• Number of papers that will actually be turned in: approximately 120
• Number of break days since the January semester started: 9 (+ 2 for Thanksgiving)
  
• Number of days until Christmas break: 26
• Number of class days left: 15
• Number of times this year I've wished for Christmas break: approximately 1 million
  

Oh, the cuteness

*swoon*

via cute overload

Tonight's plans

We're spending the evening with some food from Summer & Religulous.

How have I not yet seen this movie?!?

Cooking class

Last night I hooked up with the girls once again for another fantastic cooking class. It was my second time with Dawn Jackson Blatner and I have to say I am quickly becoming addicted to her classes! She focuses on easy-to-make vegetarian dishes that are both healthy and delicious. Although I'm not a vegetarian anymore, I usually have anywhere between 2-4 meat-free days a week (I don't plan them out - it's just the way I eat); ever since my surgery, those days are being more frequent as I'm finding my stomach just won't tolerate a lot of foods I used to eat fairly regularly.

All of the dishes from the class were fantastic, but there was one that really stood out for me - Shaved Brussels Sprouts & Pasta with Warm Walnut Vinaigrette (mmmm!). I like Brussels sprouts, but I rarely make them. This recipe will definitely move the sprouts to the top of my veggie cooking list!

Shaved Brussels Sprouts & Pasta with Warm Walnut Vinaigrette
Makes 4 servings (3 cups each)

INGREDIENTS
6 ounces uncooked whole grain linguine noodles (we used Racconto whole grain)
1.5 pounds Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced/shaved - about 8 cups
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced

Walnut Vinaigrette
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
4 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons fresh chives
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt/pepper, to taste

Toppings
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1-2 lemons, juiced
Salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. In food processor combine vinaigrette ingredients until smooth.
3. In skillet, sauté Brussels sprouts in olive oil and garlic for 12-15 minutes, until tender and caramelized. Pour in vinaigrette, toss and take off heat.
4. Combine cooked & drained pasta with Brussels sprout-vinaigrette mixture.
5. Top with toasted walnuts, lemon juice and salt.

**nutritional info here (oooh, and more fantastic recipes!)

Student funny

One of the short essay questions from the midterm:
Discuss your MBTI results: What is your type? Break it down by letter & explain what each letter means. Do you agree or disagree with your results? Please give at least two examples to support your answer.

Student answer:
My type was "something."

Schadenfreude

I know I shouldn't take pleasure in someone else's misfortune.

I also know that shitty things can happen to anyone at anytime.

I also know that I'm not immune.

However, I can't help taking a little pleasure in the news that DC was written up. It's a long, complicated story and one that I probably shouldn't be putting out onto the 'net... let's just say he finally got called out on one of the many f'ed up things he has done in the last couple of months.

*tiny smile*

Gossip Girl

I know I've mentioned my love for Gossip Girl before, but for those of you who are new, or who any have skipped over any GG related posts, I'll say it once again... I LOVE Gossip Girl. Like, I really, really, really love it (and yes, the sentence construction is hurting my little grammar-loving heart, but it feels appropriate). Yes, it's a somewhat shallow and vapid show, but... well, all is forgiven when it comes to the world of GG.

I've been seriously crushing on Chuck Bass for the last two seasons (he is the quintessential bad boy you just have to love), but I also have some major love for Dan Humphrey (the romantic, sexy, nerdy guy - the type I always date and/or the type who always breaks my heart). Chuck has been in the #1 spot this season, but I have to say that last week's episode really scored some major points for Dan. A threesome? Dan, Olivia, and Vanessa? OMG! HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

I know Dr. BH and Jessica are fans, and I also know there must be more of you out there! Who else is having a tawdry love affair with GG?

Weekend recap

A few random photos from the weekend...






I did do some other things that didn't involve eating or drinking, but somehow I didn't manage to take any photos during those times. :) I had a fantastic weekend... Pauline and I had some great conversations & spent some time visiting the little cutesy/artsy shops in her new neighborhood, I won a Scrabble game by one point (P is my Scrabble nemesis), and we had a fun visit with Dr. BH (who showed up in her sparkly Cher shirt!) and Arbitrista. Yay!

Woo-hoo!

We're meeting up with Dr. BH & Arbi in a few for dinner, drinks, and possibly karaoke! Yay!

BTW - I finally figured out that I'm actually in the Eastern time zone now. Time zones are hard to decipher when you've had too much to drink. :)

Brought to you by NaBloPoMo

I'm here! It's warm! I'm slightly drunk! Maybe more than that. Or something.

My blog is still in Central time... but I'm not (well, actually, I am, but it's still not the same time). Or something.

Trip time!

I'm heading to southern state for the weekend to visit with my awesome friend, Pauline (who recently fled the Chicago-area & relocated down there). Dr. Brazen Hussy & Arbitrista are also making the trek up there on Saturday for a night of foodiness, drinkies, and girlie gossip (sorry, A!). Yay!

Posting will likely be light this weekend, but I'll definitely be around - Big Brother NaBloPoMo has his eye on me!

HA!

I'm happy to report that despite all of DC's crap, everything managed to come together and I had a fantastic time (well, as great as one can have at a work lunch). I strategically managed to finagle myself a seat right across from big important curriculum guy and spent most of the lunch chatting with him (we bonded over a mutual love of large cities). Oh, and DC ended up at the other end of the table and was forced to talk to the adjuncts he invited. I even got a hug (not a creepy hug - more of a "it was great to meet you" hug) and an invite to meet up for lunch again whenever I'm in BICG's city. HA! Take that, DC!

Precious

I met up with M after work today to catch an early evening showing of Precious. I expected it to be a tear-jerker, but I didn't expect it to be so well-done (I thought it would go more for the sappy, heart-warming tale and not have such a well-developed storyline... I also didn't expect such a powerful performance from Mo'Nique). I won't go into details (I hate spoilers!), but if you're interested in knowing what I thought of it, read Scott Mendelson's review - it's spot on. Also, for those of you who have seen it, or who are interested in reading more about it, this article is definitely worth checking out.

4/5 stars

Sigh

I'm too tired/lazy/annoyed to look for the old posts, but I know I've mentioned several times about my dislike for my department chair. As I said before, it's not necessarily him as a person that I have a problem with (although I'm starting to reconsider this); it's him as a manager. He is a terrible chair - he plays favorites, doesn't stand up for us when there are issues, gossips about us in front of other employees, forgets to pass on important information about deadlines and meetings (not sure if this is intentional or not), and shirks his chair responsibilities (he pushes the work onto the three of us in the department - of course, we don't get paid for any of it, but he does!). He's one of the biggest reasons why both C (the other English prof) and I want to leave the school.

A few months ago, several people from other departments approached us and mentioned that DC had made a remark in front of ten or so faculty members, and several admin assistants, about how M (the other member of our department) was the only one of the three of us who actually does any real work (and he didn't say it in a joking way). Of course, it's all hearsay, but taking into consideration DC's past actions and the trustworthiness of the other faculty members who told us about the incident, I completely believe it's true (so does C). Not only was his comment inappropriate and insulting, it's also untrue in so many ways. M is one of those people who will be at school from 8AM-11PM everyday - and no, he's not actually working all of that time. He takes long naps! Yes, he's at school 12-15 hours a day, but anywhere between 3-4 hours of that time is spent sleeping. He also leaves for at least an hour a day to go on a run. If that's how he wants to run his life, that's cool with me; however, because DC is so clueless about everything we do, he takes M's hours as a sign that he's far more productive and harder a worker than us. He doesn't look at what he actually does during the day - nooo, it's more important that he's there 12 hours (which, BTW, is not required or even suggested).

Over the last year, both C and I have served on two national curriculum committees. Each of these committees involved 3-4 months of meetings, textbook reviews, conference calls, reports, and lesson planning/reviewing. They involved a crazy amount of work - work that we completed on top of our regular duties (teaching 20 classes per year, training new adjuncts, coordinating the freshmen activities, plagiarism committee, etc.). We've also both received numerous teaching awards (I have received one every year since I've started there). Apparently, none of this means anything - it's more important that we don't sit at school extra hours everyday.

Fast forward to today: we received an email about an upcoming visit from big important curriculum committee employee. He is someone we've all worked with extensively, but only DC has met him in person. The email was from DC and contained curriculum guy's schedule - one that includes a lunch meeting between him, M, and DC. There was no mention of C or me. WTF?!? Why did DC schedule M in on a important meeting having to do with the curriculum work we've all done, but not C or me? Well, we knew the answer - not only are we not in his special favorites club, but we also don't do any work. Of course, that's not anything he could say in front of us when the dean mentioned the meeting, so he just made some stupid excuse about trying to keep the cost down. Total bullshit! The dean, who is a pretty no-nonsense guy, just told him to put us on the schedule. He also said DC could invite a few of the adjuncts who might be interested in taking on some curriculum work in the future. A few minutes later, DC sent out the invite to the adjuncts... and included us in on the email as though we were part of the group who has never been a part of the committees. Arg!

Okay, I'm going to stop ranting now because I'm exhausted and in need of some serious sleep (yes, I'm extra cranky right now). Really, there's no other point to this other than to once again say that DC sucks. Sigh.

Domestic stuff

In all of my Margaret Atwood excitement, I forgot to mention my other exciting news (well, it probably won't be exciting to anyone else, but it makes me happy!) - I finally found some fantastic sushi plates! I've been looking around for some for the last couple of months, but couldn't find any within my price range that I really liked. On Friday afternoon, I spent the day wandering around Chinatown with JW and in one of stores (the one with the best Hello Kitty stuff!), I found these:

I love cherry blossoms & these feel like a funky version of a traditional print. Someday when I feel like investing a chunk of money into a new set of dishes, these will also be mine!

Margaret Atwood

full photoset

Yes, it was amazing - it was the best book reading/performance I've ever been to (and I can't imagine another reading ever topping it). I'm just a little bit more in love with her. :)

Margaret!

Oh, yes. Tonight is the night I am going to see Margaret Atwood. I am so excited!! I never thought I would actually get to see her in person, as she doesn't usually do book tours. Her only Midwestern show just happens to be in Chicago! Yay!

I remember the first time I read one of her books - I was in high school and on a quest to read all of the recommended books on the AP list (yeah, I was big nerd). The Handmaid's Tale was one of those books. I was blown away! I had never read anything like it before - it was horrifying, riveting, fascinating, and thought-provoking. I was living in a fairly conservative town in Michigan and feminism wasn't exactly something that was being shouted from the rooftops... The Handmaid's Tale opened my eyes to so much & made of think of women's issues in ways I never had before.

My love affair with Margaret Atwood continued while I was in college (Cat's Eye broke my heart). Luckily, one of my profs was a huge Atwood enthusiast and led me to some of her less popular, but just as fabulous, works. Sixteen years later, I still love/admire her and regularly teach several of her books in my own classes.

I feel like I'm going to see a rock star! :)

The Ex Files, part 1

After reading Nilsa's post about her ex, I felt inspired to bust out some of my own ex-related stories. I have a few floating around in my draft folder and many more in my head - some are serious, some are sad, and some are just plain weird. I think NaNoBloPo is a perfect excuse to finally do something with them!
- - - - - - - - - -

I knew it was over with D the night of his 38th birthday.

He came to my place that night to celebrate - I had the scene set with champagne, dark chocolate cake, his favorite candles, and handcuffs. We stuffed ourselves with the decadent cake, downed the champagne, and had some crazy fun. Just as I was drifting to sleep in his arms, I heard him mumble something about needing to use the bathroom.

A few minutes I heard some alarming sounds - sounds that were never meant for my delicate little ears... grunting... loud farting... wetness exploding against the bowl. I slowly raised my head and glanced toward the bathroom (which was right across from the bedroom) in horror. Um, yes, he had left the damn bathroom door open! Now, it wasn't like we were a long-term couple and were just so comfortable with each other that we felt okay about pooping in front of one another (just for the record - it's never okay to poop in front of me). In fact, we weren't even dating exclusively - he was just one of several guys I had been casually seeing over the last two months. But for some godforsaken reason, he thought it was okay to leave the freakin' bathroom door open while he pooped. Oh, and it wasn't even a regular poop. It was a serious ass explosion!

A few minutes later, he called out something about how the cake and champagne must have been too much for his stomach, and oh, would I please toss him some reading material? I grabbed the nearest magazine on my nightstand (the latest issue of Granta), tossed it across the room (there was no way I was going into that bathroom!), and asked him to please close the door. Not only did he ignore my request, he also had the nerve to ask if I had any reading material with pictures! I pulled the covers over my head and pretended not to hear him. I also put a pillow over my face to try to block out the terrible smell that was now invading the room (it was something like a combination of rotten banana peels, spoiled milk, and puss). It was horrific!

Almost an hour later, he crawled back into bed and attempted to coax into having sex again. Needless to say, I played dead. He left for work early that next morning... and yes, that was the last time I ever saw him. In my book, no casual fling is ever worth having to endure ass explosions!

"I liked it!"

I had an extraordinarily long day at school (one that involved a crazy amount of conferences, a student who answered her phone while I was lecturing, and another who announced to the class that he had diarrhea yesterday - sigh) and it's not over yet (stuck in grading jail for the next few hours). Honestly, I'm not really in the mood to blog - well, I'm in the mood to complain and whine, but that's about it. Therefore, I'm fulfilling tonight's NaNoBloMo duties by sending you to watch a video elsewhere... Houston Woman Turns 105 & goes to a strip club for the first time. I love it! That's one hell of a way to spend your 105th birthday! :)

RBOC

• In the last two weeks, I've had five cases of dead grandmothers (between four classes). My office mate has had three more instances. What is with this rash of dead grandmothers? Is it the swine flu? Some sort of demented serial killer who only attacks our students' grandmothers? Or could it possibly be because we're moving into midterm week & there are papers to turn in and tests to take? Hmmmm....
  
  
• I met up with a friend at an Italian tapas place for dinner tonight. We both love tapas (two of my favorite restaurants ever are tapas places!) and were intrigued by the idea of Italian food as tapas. The food was great, but as a tapas place, it was a total fail. The food was fairly expensive ($12 for a tapas?!) and the portions were huge - um, doesn't that defeat the purpose of tapas?
  
  
• I meant to say something about my trip to Kalamazoo earlier, but then the car accident happened and I didn't get around to it. As usual, I had a fantastic time! We spent the weekend visiting various apple orchards, haunted houses, and museums. We even took a midnight trip out to the old TB Sanatorium (which was a little disappointing because it's all fenced off & heavily patrolled - I'm sure lots of people try to scale the fence during Halloween season). I'll post some photos once I actually take them off my memory card!
  
  
• Thanks to M's IT connections, I've obtained a copy of Office 2007 and Windows 7 Pro for $28 (and yes, they're both legal copies). Yay!
  
  
• I've been playing phone tag with various insurance reps for the last three days. I haven't actually spoken to anyone since the initial report (they never answer their phones & always seem to call back at the most inopportune times - when I'm in the shower, in class, in a meeting, etc.), but from what I can gather from the messages, the medical payments are supposed to come out of *my* insurance (her insurance company said that's standard procedure). WTF?!? I don't understand what's going on - why would my insurance have to pay for the medical side when the accident was 100% her fault (and my car repairs are totally covered by her insurance)? Is this because IL is a no-fault state?
  

Wild Things

As I mentioned back in August, I was really looking forward to seeing Where the Wild Things Are - the trailer had left me in tears and I was hoping for a heart-warming adaptation of the book. M and I finally saw it today and well... it was definitely a tear-jerker. Unfortunately, it wasn't because it was a heart-warming, emotional film. Despite the beautiful cinematography and some cool special effects, the movie just didn't cut it. It was far too long! Plus, about 15 minutes into the film, I wanted to smack Max for being such a brat! I really felt no sympathy for him whatsoever - I guess that's why I was rooting for Carol to eat him. :)

M thought it was horrible (worst movie of the year); I liked it a little more than him (2.5/5 stars). Have you seen it yet? What did you think?

NaBloPoMo

Yes, I'm jumping on the NaBloPoMo train for the third year. As difficult it can be to keep up with at times, ultimately, I'm always glad that I participated. Plus, I love having a reason to clear out my draft graveyard (those posts I started at some point within the last five years, but never got around to finishing).

I've spent most of today planted in front of the TV, catching up on my DVRd shows and getting sucked into bad movies. My neck is still pretty sore and I have a throat of fire. I'm just hoping that it's not because I'm coming down with something, but instead because I spent most of last night alternately singing and screaming out songs while playing The Beatles Rock Band at Beebs' Halloween party. Both the medical adjuster and the auto adjuster are supposed to contact me tomorrow - I'm not worried about my car, but I have a bad feeling the medical side (financial end) is not going to go my way. However, my chiropractor did say that she thinks things will be back to normal within a few months, which is definitely good news!