Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Learning German: Update

So, I didn't learn German after all. I was so busy leading up to the vacation that I told myself, "I'll learn on the plane" (this sounding entirely reasonable to me at the time). But then I fell asleep on the plane. So then I told myself that I'd learn while the others played Guitar Hero in John's living room. But then I played some Guitar Hero myself.

To be honest, just as many of you said, I didn't need to know German. Except for one night in the countryside, I can't think of a time I tried to talk to someone in English and they didn't understand me.

Now, I'm not saying we should all just forget about learning foreign languages. I think there's a lot to being able to understand conversations going on around you, understanding menus and signs (I love reading advertisements in foreign languages), being able to charm the locals with your lack of skills, etc. But I can attest that in the major German cities, English seems to be enough.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Back from Oktoberfest!


As some of you know, I just got back from visiting Germany and Prague. We started in Berlin, where we stayed with John and had lots of fun playing Guitar Hero in his new place. Then Patrick, my brother and sister-in-law and I spent 2 days driving south to Munich, where we tried our hardest to make it into a beer tent at Oktoberfest. After way too much Bavarian food, Patrick and I continued on to Prague.




A little geology, of course.


Neil didn't exactly love walking over this bridge.
Oktoberfest isn't just about beer. It's a full-on carnival, with rides, games, etc.
The famous Lowenbrau beer tent, with giant animated, beer-drinking, growling lion.
Like I said, too much Bavarian food.
Fairytale castle, anyone? This one inspired the Disney castle in Orlando.
In Prague, they're over Communism.
The cathedral at Prague Castle.
No comment.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Malden Moment Wakes Me From My Blog-less Slumber

Hello All!

So much time has slipped away! Sorry about that. Lots of things have happened, which I guess I'll catch up on at some point.

But first, the event that spurred me to come back to my blog: I had a real Malden Moment this week. And I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. I mean that in a "I'd only see that in Malden, and that is great" way.

Patrick and I were walking down Pleasant Street on Tuesday morning, around 10am. A woman was walking toward us--in her 80s, I'd say, roundish, shortish, bentoverish. She had those giant black sunglasses I really only ever see on the elderly. And she was wearing a faded pink tee-shirt that said, "I have the pussy, so I make the rules."

Brilliant! This is exactly why I started this blog!

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Luxury Scarf

Here are some pics of my latest WIP:


The pattern is called Luxury Scarf.

The real color is closest to the pic on the left.

I chose this pattern because I have all of this brown and tan sport weight alpaca that I need to use up to free room in the stash. I was looking for something easy and quick, but I wanted something with open spaces. This is a really simple yarn over lace pattern.

With this alpaca yarn it is so soft and smooshy--I can't stop squishing it up in my hands.

But I've lost it! I've looked all over and can't find it! I'm kind of worried. Hopefully it will turn up somewhere unexpected.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Brain Types

Patrick sent me this brain-type quiz awhile back, but I've only just gotten around to taking it. Here's mine--tell me what you think:

FCAL / ENFJ "Educator"teacher/pastor; socially sophisticated; expressive,
ambitious, catalyst, cooperative, devoted, fluent, imaginative, emotional;
opinionated; interested in ideas and possibilities; seeks order, language
skilled.


And here's Patrick's:


BCIL / INTJ "Inventor"applicator of ideas; builder of theoretical systems;
self-confident; independent, reserved, single-minded, conceptual; seeks
knowledge; not impressed with authority; determined, analytic, stubborn,
skeptical, scientific; logical abstraction skilled.


His is a pretty good match.


So take the quiz and post your results in the comments: http://www.braintypes.com/questionnaire.asp

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Thomas


There's a new little guy in our circle. He got his own photo shoot the other day.


Monday, June 23, 2008

Learning German

Patrick and I have decided to learn German in preparation for our trip this September. We're going to do a combination of teaching ourselves using books and hiring a tutor for conversation. I've added a German word-of-the-day widget in the sidebar, so if you feel inspired, join along (John)...

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Hotel Blues

We're trying to book our hotel for our September trip to Germany. Not having much luck. Boo.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Indiana Jones

As many of you know, I was an anthropology major, and for a few years focused on archaeology. So it was with great interest that I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. I had read all kinds of tounge-in-cheek critiques of the old movies (where's his line level?), and am really enjoying some of the stuff being written on anthropology/archaeology blogs about this new one.

But here's the best comment I've read so far. Over at Savage Minds they're picking apart some details (how would he learn Quechua in Mexico?). The final comment seems to settle any possible perplexity:



Someone named Jo Donaldson did the research for the film, including the
archaelogical details. She’s not an archaeologist, however; she also researched
Star Wars eppy 1 and 2, and Howard the Duck.
[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0232120/]



Aha! Howard the Duck. I should have known.

I also love this one: a mock denial of tenure notice for Dr. Jones.

Too bad!

My friend John has nearly disowned me over my love of LOL Cats. Maybe it's because he thought I appreciated proper spelling. Maybe it's because he hates animals. Or maybe it's because he's insulted that I like furry things with bad grammar, while he pounds away at his keyboard day and night, churning out prose in an attempt to entertain and enlighten. To that I say:


Malden Monday: Insights

So, this blog is something of an attempt to learn about my new home, Malden. I've approached it as a volunteer, an engaged citizen, a consumer and a historian. I've taken on the public works department (if you google "Malden trash" I'm on the first page of hits--my claim to fame!).

My attempts to get to know this city are ongoing.

One area I haven't been able to penetrate is the Malden mind, particularly the mind of the youth. What are they thinking as they hang out in front of the pizza shop at the end of my street? Why do they call each other on their cell phones while standing across the street from each other, instead of crossing the street and talking face-to-face (true story)? As Patrick asked me the other day, is the logical progression of Malden fashion to one day simply carry one's pants in one's hands?

As I've posted before, there is a serious trash problem in my neighborhood. For days after trash collection bits of wrappers, plastic bottle caps, chicken bones, and papers come blowing into our yard. True, this does give me some insight to Malden's consumption habits. But usually this debris doesn't provide me with a peek into the head of the average Maldonian.

Until now.

Behold, the first piece of evidence.







*
Wondrous! I've examined this scrap at great length, calling in friends and family to help me decipher its meanings. Some insights and points for further exploration:
  • This is clearly the work of someone still in school, as it is written on a piece of a text book. Huzzah! Maybe now I can begin to understand why Malden's teen girls wear winter jackets that end at their ribcage, leaving the middle of their torso exposed to the elements.
  • Maybe the author--let's call them Teen A--broke the recipient's--Teen B--mother's bed, and needs to reimburse the family. Why has the price gone up?
  • Maybe Teen A is buying Teen B's mother's bed for themselves. Why would Teen B go and play them like that?
  • Perhaps Teen A's math teacher gave a homework assignment that required them to write their own word problem.
  • Why are teens dealing in beds anyway?
  • I can't tell you how much it pains me that the note is cut off like this. What did Teen B say?????
Any theories are appreciated.

* If you can't read that, it says, "Yo first you say save 150$ so I could pay for your moms bed then your tellin me keep saving for that bed then you say"

Sunday, June 15, 2008

June Garden


When we were house hunting, we had a list of "must haves". Two bedrooms. Dining room. Walking distance to the T. We didn't much care about a yard. I mean, sure, we wanted some kind of a yard, but the exact requirements weren't clear in our minds.

As it turns out, the house we've ended up with has a huge yard. Not just huge, but huge and overrun. Weeds everywhere, trees growing out of cracks in walls, the works. Add to that the fact that once you start digging you come up with more 1) rocks and 2) trash than actual soil, and you can understand that gardening in this yard is really hard. But we do try. Our first summer we build three raised garden beds for vegetables, which were wildly successful. Above are some examples: peas, strawberries, chard and mint.

This flower is a tomato in the making:













Now we're focusing more on landscaping.

This is our shade garden, which is almost complete. There are hostas, huchera, wild ginger, bleeding heart, and sedum.














This little guy is a mountain laurel--he's small now, but should get to about 5 feet.








Baby Bonnet




Months ago, I saw a pattern for an adorable bonnet over on Angry Chicken's blog. I bought it right away, though I didn't know when I'd make it or for whom. Thanks to Mariuca, who's expecting, I found my answer! I can't wait to meet Chloe and see her in it...




Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Cutey Cute Cute

Mini's Meme

Here's a meme from mini. Now you're tagged--leave a link in the comments to your list!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago.
Let's see. In 1998 I was waiting tables, living in the Hamptons for the summer, and dating Patrick long-distance. I moved to Chicago the day after Christmas.

2. 5 things on my to-do list today.
Um. Yeah. I guess my life isn't very pressing. Tonight we're going out for ice cream. So that's one. I'm going to try to book our hotel for Oktoberfest, but my success will depend on whether or not the person who answers the phone speaks English.

3. Snacks I enjoy.
Cheese and crackers. Candy bars. Gingersnaps.

4. If I were a billionaire instantly, I would
Travel.

5. Places I have lived:
West Palm Beach, FL (born there)
Revere, MA
Chicago, IL
East Hampton, NY
Somerville, MA
Malden, MA

Monday, May 05, 2008

Malden Monday: Garden Club?


Hello All,


Now that my blogging break is over, for my first MM I present to you an idea. Last week I was talking with my knitting friends, and we discussed backyards we'd like to peek into. You know the ones: just enough fence/foliage to obstruct full view from the street, but the promise of wonderful things. What about a garden club to open those gates up?


I'm too busy to start a whole club, though. But I could organize a one-day event. Like an open studios, but with gardens. I'd have to get some gardeners to sign on, make a map with the locations, distribute the map and then enjoy the day. I can do that! Patrick might even help--though it all depends on whether or not he likes the format I choose ( ! ). Sometimes he's a real poop...


So, I'm going to look into this. I also need to get WAM off the ground, which takes priority. Anyone out there a Maldonian and interested in this garden idea?

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Cute alert!





We went to a one-year-old's jungle-themed birthday party today. Aren't these lion cupcakes too cute?!





Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Final Days

Well, I have four classes left. I have to say, I'm so glad. The weather is turning nice, we're rolling out the grill tonight, and my garden is coming up all around me. I don't want to go to school anymore!

I will miss aspects of it, of course. I like that there are very few administrative duties. 95% of the time it is just me and my students. Not much paperwork, not much oversight, and--as far as I can tell--little to no office politics. In many ways, it really is the perfect second job for me.

Their final is this coming Monday and then I'm free!