all princess :: all the time

yep

2008-08-23T02:50:10Z

i suck at this blogging thing of late. it isn't for a lack of stuff going on, and i am reading those of you out there. i read a ton and everyday. my googlereader acct is quite active. but damn. updating. i just have not had time or the inclination.

so what's new? i am back from paris. i have an iphone and it is SEXY. there is not enough time to get ready for work. i am feeling quite stressed about work and am on the verge of a meltdown if i don't feel like i have a comfortable enough lead over my classes...

that's about it. i have stated it before, i am probably the most boring person you read.

make-up and apologies

2008-07-23T14:40:27Z

the other day i was riding the metro and people watching. i had on my ipod and was seated at a strapotin (the fold-up seats in the doorway). i woman got on and sat in the opposite corner of me. i, of course, was doing the usual look-at-people-without-staring routine.

i noticed that her make-up job was horrnedous and i began to study it by passing over her with my eyes on a regular basis. you see, in france, either the make-up is good, or the make-up is bad. but there is no in-between. i am not saying in the us there are bad make-up jobs. oh yes. they thrive and live. but you do see ones that you don't notice. there are countless women that i know, that i would never guess wear make-up even though they wear purple eyeshadow and mascara... unnatural colors, and yet, you don't notice even though there intention is to be noticed. (for all intensive purposes here, i am talking about make-up jobs that you can see and tell... not the "natural look" make-up job.)

so, in the vain of studying her horrible make-up job, i would glance over at her regularly. it was all dark, and patchy, uneven and clearly the wrong color for her skin tone. her eyes had dark black rings and there were smudges all over her face. and each time i looked, i was fascinated by her, it struck me as just not right... how could she leave the house looking like that? and then i noticed, and realized, and felt so bad.

she was covering the bruises. her entire left side was bruised. they weren't smudges, they were bruises under her make-up. you could see faint green peaking through here and there. the uneveness was to layer more base on her nose, her forehead, around her eyes, her cheek. i wanted to reach out and hold her hand and ask her what happened because she was clearly aware of it. i noticed her demeaner afterwards. it was the same one that people always have when they have been through a trauma and the face marks it.

sometimes, people watching is bad for you and those you watch.

learning experience

2008-07-18T19:23:06Z

this summer, some things have finally clicked for me. i have heard it said, by a mother who was introducing foods to her son, that before you know whether you like the taste of something, you have to try it 200 times. this made sense to me as there have been many things as a child that i tasted and didn't like, and yet, one day, there it was, heaven in food form... dark chocolate.

my mom has always said that if you love the way something smells (concerning food), then you will probably love the way it tastes as well. she always told me as a child that i would be a coffee drinker. i loved the smell as a kid. it was divine. but the taste, well, it just wasn't right. her explanation, and i believe this, was that there was a disconnect between my nose and my tongue, and one day, it would just click.

i have always loved the smell of curry and indian food. i have not had a lot of exposure to it and am always hesitant because it never quite tastes right to me. the other day, at a waiter's suggestion, i had the curry chicken. it was DIVINE! and this evening, i had the tandoori chicken! OMG, i loved it.

paris this summer has taught me that my nose and my tongue have finally come to an agreement! hello indian food!

bastille day!

2008-07-15T07:13:29Z

just a few comments about bastille day and what i witnessed:

i managed to only go as far as across the street to the jardin du luxembourg.
i saw a band blend jazz and polka!
i viewed the splendid fireworks from the 7th floor terrace (and the fireworks from neighboring "boroughs").
my students (the ones who were there) ate macdonalds in a moment of great irony.
the students sang american patriotic songs.
they took photos and video of the fireworks and i am sure the commentary on the video is one to put me to shame. in fact, you can probably hear me say in the background "j'ai honte" as they crack jokes or make TERRIBLE mistakes in french.... one involving hair and horses and a woman....
i actually got to sleep by 1 as paris was not too loud thereafter.
the fireworks were beautiful. and best part.... i could sleepily walk downstairs afterwards and toddle off to sleep.

omg! i have to go!

2008-07-12T21:01:32Z

cnn is reporting this today! i have to see it. this was like some of the only tv i got growing up!

i blame lainey!

2008-07-08T19:42:43Z

i made the mistake of reading lainey. yes. it is a mistake i tell you. because now she has me just as addicted as she is and the amount of heartache and tears (start with this link) i have shed over this site is more than i should. lainey... dammit!

his writing is beautiful and touching and my heart goes out to him. and if it doesn't make you cry or your heart stop beating for just a moment, then i don't know what will!

hello from paris!

2008-07-06T12:56:21Z

well, technically, that is me at mont st-michel. but i am back in paris and will be here until august something or another.

i am still reading my blogs and will post things as things become worthy of posting.

like the fact that my credit card has been stopped by the bank because they want to add frustration to my life. the card reads... so it isn't demagnetized... it isn't working... i even called them to alert them to my arrival. AAARG!

ah well. i am in paris. there is coffee. i won't die... yet.

it's 3:19 am

2008-06-28T07:10:15Z

yep... and i am childless. i have no baby to wake me up and keep me up by crying or eating or pooping.

nope. we have scattered thundershowers and a dog on xanax (which does nothing for her). so here i sit, awake, in the middle of the night to keep her calm and from destroying the house or scratching me awake. update: 3:20 am and according to her, "WE'RE GONNA DIE NOW IF WE DON'T TAKE COVER!!!"

one project down!!!

2008-06-25T20:16:06Z

well. the project is complete!!! omg! i have finally organized and cleaned up my sewing/crafting loft.

you have no idea the nightmare this was. this is a "before" photo. as in after i had already started cleaning the place up and organizing it and before the finish. this was in MAY! and yes, that is what my sewing table looked like. there was fabric everywhere and chaos to follow.

and this! this is the finish. ORGANIZATION! now, for you serious sewers, you'll notice the stash is small, and that is because i donate all scraps to a group that makes quilts for kids with cancer. i do not believe in fabric sitting on a shelf waiting to be used for years on end. use it or donate is my very strict policy! it does help keep the place organized and i am always able to buy new fabric with no fear of "where do i put it?"

and if you would like to see the rest of the photos to see all of it, then check it out on t's flickr account. it was worth every minute of it!

i gave up long ago

2008-06-24T13:01:39Z

one of the comics i read online is count your sheep. it is about a sheep that lives with a mother-daughter family to "take care" of the little girl. he puts her to sleep at night. ah to be able to count to one and fall asleep!

it is amusing and i find the punchlines and storylines to be quite good. the art pleases me and the color choice just seems to fit and be right. i think one of the reasons i love it so much has to do with the mother-daughter relationship that seems ever so familiar to me. i always wonder if it is similar to father-son relationships or if there is something intrinsically weird about mother-daughter dynamics.

today's episode:

i loved this one the moment i read it because it sums up how i feel about my mother. i gave up, so long ago, on doubting her ability to know me in the big picture. she doesn't make decisions for me, or tell me what to do, but she has this uncanny knack for knowing me. i have to say, that supermompower of hers certainly comes in handy as she can predict the future.

thanks mom!

project organize

2008-06-21T01:50:53Z

went to ikea today to buy another bookshelf to finish my crazy sewing room organization project. you have no idea what i have done to the upstairs. well. if you sew or craft or do anything with a space that is not for bathing, cooking, or sleeping, then you know exactly what i have done. i have lost my mind.

why have i lost my mind? because i was stupid enough to look inside a quilt magazine at some quilt room organization article. dumb. i know. but here i am, reorganizing, like a crazy crazy girl!

two books

2008-06-19T04:03:24Z

i have managed to read two books. i suppose technically three. but two of them count as one in my mind.

first, i read i, lucifer by glen duncan. the premise of getting lucifer's side of the story is a good one. perspective being key to a good book, especially when it comes to a character we already know, this book gives you a new plot to the devil. although i was a bit disappointed at times with the prose, since the dark lord himself seems to ramble and digress quite frequently (i can't relate), the character study is pretty good. he is, afterall, the devil.

the second book, and third, that i read is/are: alice and wonderland and through the looking glass. i grant you that both of these were quite an easy read since the intended audience is children. i was quite please with both books since i love every movie that has ever been made. i thought it fascinating that since this is a popular tv/movie story that elements of both books are incorporated in every version. the stories are a bit absurd and quite surreal at moments due to the "dream sequence" aspect but still a very lovely story.

nothing of nothing

2008-06-18T01:28:40Z

there is seriously nothing going on here. rien de rien. no news is good news.

it was colonel mustard in the library

2008-06-12T02:36:35Z

so i went to the doctor today to get tested and retested to be given an all clear from my pyelonephritis. i showed up, late, and was ushered back, where i was weighed, blood pressured, and heartbeat counted. all normal (for me).

i peed in a cup. for those of you who don't know me, let me tell you, i don't like doing that. it is awkward, weird, and well, that's my pee in a cup. i am slightly offended and quite put off at the concept. the day that pregnancy is an issue and i have to pee on a stick... there will be no photos of the stick. it will be put in a ziplock bag and thrown away!

i digress. as i was saying. i peed in the cup. shudder. my doctor came into the room and chatted with me. he pulled up my file (love that that crap is online now and in a system). he pulled up the file from the er. had all the info in front of him. asked me to tell him about my week. i went through it. sore on wed. uncomfortable on thurs. fri was fine and have felt fine since. didn't need the pain meds. temperature was fine by friday. and was waiting for him to tell me i was good to go.

two seconds later, the lab had messaged him the results. now, you tell me that wifi isn't AWESOME. i am clean and clear. no more infection. however, he then looked at all the info in front of him and said, "you are a medical mystery."

i asked him what he meant. and he then explained that there was no way for them to know what happened to cause it, why i got the kidney infection. he had some theories but said it could be anything and we would just never know! i think my title answers the question.

how to get out of anything

2008-06-06T21:42:17Z

so i am not doing the ap reader thing. i am not sad about that. but i thought i would give you tips on how to get out of anything.

first, you have to get a backache about two weeks before the event. nothing to severe. it should coincide with gardening or lifting or something that will explain it.

second, the day before you are set to leave, you should have pain in your side where the back pain is. and a headache. and over the course of the day, general body aches.

third, you should start to freeze while you spike a temperature of 102.7 and in general, feel like you got hit by a bus.

fourth, have your mother take you to the er because you have a high temperature. while at the er, find out that you have a horrible kidney infection, which explains the pain, and the temp.

yep. bed rest and general all around bleck. but at least i don't have to grade.