Life List
I like the idea of making a list of life goals and checking them off as they're accomplished; I'm definitely a list-maker! Ooh, it's such a good feeling to check a little box:) Here is my tentative list, which is liable to change:
1. Help to make a profound positive impact on another person's life.
2. Love and trust one person not in my family with my whole heart.
3. Publish my writing.
4. Go back to school to become a lawyer/architect/journalist/ballerina/something I've wanted to be but didn't have the ambition or guts to pursue.
5. Find a way to balance my need for control and my propensity for chaos.
6. Read the Bible.
7. Learn Russian or Polish, the language of my ancestors.
8. Visit the Ukraine and Eastern Poland.
9. Be confident that I am loved and deserve it, too.
10. Be a good friend and relative.

Hats off to the Buskers?

I've been thinking about my romantic ideal of having a song written for me. There aren't any popular songs about a girl named Nicole, except for "Darling Nikki" which I'm ruling out as not technically being "romantic" (in the classical sense) and being about Nikki, which I will never answer to.
So I've been trying to par down my favorite songs to figure out what type of song I'd like (this is all hypothetical, obviously...I don't know anyone who plays guitar, except on a video game :p). Well, I'm currently in love with the song "Flowers in the Window" by Travis, which I'd never heard before I saw them at 1st Ave. last month. It's so beautiful and melodic. Here are the lyrics, too, which are simplistically perfect:

When I first held you I was cold
A melting snowman I was told
That there was no one there to hold
Before, I swore, that I would be alone forever more

Oh, wow, look at you now
Flowers in the window
It's such a lovely day and I'm glad you feel the same
Cos to stand up, out in the crowd
You are one in a million
And I love you so
Let's watch the flowers grow

There is no reason to feel bad
But there are many seasons to feel glad, sad, mad
It's just a bunch of feelings that we have to hold
And I am here to help you with the load

So now we're here and now is fine
So far away from there and there is time, time, time
To plant new seeds and watch them grow
So there'll be flowers in the window when we go

But, of course, there's my standby lovely song, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane (I have a thing for UK emo-pop, which is why I loved "Once"). Here are the lyrics to that one:

I walked across an empty land,
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand.
I felt the earth beneath my feet,
Sat by the river and it made me complete.
Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.

I came across a fallen tree,
I felt the branches; are they looking at me?
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
AND if you have a minute why don't we go,
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, somewhere only we know,
Somewhere only we know.

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So, tell me when you gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
SO if you have a minute why don't we go,
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, so why don't we go,

Hmmm yeahh,

This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, somewhere only we know,
Somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know.

And finally, because he's my ideal man, here's my favorite song by Elvis Costello:

These few words I'll devote
To a marvelous girl covered up with my coat
Pull it up to your chin
I'll hold you until the day will begin

Still
Lying in the shadows this new flame will cast

Upon everything we carry from the past
You were made of every love and each regret
Up until the day we met

There are no words that I'm afraid to hear
Unless they are "Goodbye, my dear"

Still
I was moving very fast
But in one place
Now you speak my name and set my pulse to race
Sometimes words may tumble out but can't eclipse
The feeling when you press your fingers to my lips

I want to kiss you in a rush
And whisper things to make you blush
And you say, "Darling, hush
Hush
Still, still"

Elvis is obviously the best lyricist, Tom the best singer, Fran the best banjo strummer? In any case, I think there would have to be a combination of the three styles to make the most romantic song. And this has been a pointless and self-indulgent post and now I'm done;)

There's no doubt that global warming is real!

In Minneapolis, there have been three huge and frightening thunderstorms this week. Right now, my apartment is lit up by almost constant lightening flashes and the rain is being blown horizontally against my windows.

Simple, healthy, quick meals!
Inspired by the New York Times list of 100 easy recipes, here are my standbys:

Gazpacho:
Buy your favorite salsa (I love Herdez). Put in blender. Chill (the gazpacho, but you, too).

Cheese toast:
Buy Wasa Crisp'n light 7 grain bread, or any cracker bread. In blender, mix fat free cottage cheese, and your favorite antipasto- I love artichoke hearts, mild peppers, and a pinch of salt. Spread the cheese on the bread. It's delicious.

Sushi:
Buy Annie Chun's sushi kit at the grocery store. My supermarket has it on sale this week for $2.50- I bought 8! But carrots, cucumbers, or other favorite chopable veggies. Sushi grade meat would be good, too, but expensive. Make the rice as instructed on the box, then put your own sushi together. I'm going to do this a lot for lunch at work.

Salmon:
Buy one or more salmon steaks (once frozen is fine). Poke holes with knife and douse with soy sauce. Mash up some sesame rice crackers; coat salmon (soy sauce should adhere the crumbs). Put a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in frying pan, with some soy sauce. Heat should be on high. Pan sear salmon for about a minute on each side. The center should be pink and sashimi-esque. Eat right away. Blueberries are a good side dish.

Watermelon Italian Ice:
Middle school was one long scrape of a little plastic spoon in an Italian ice cup...am I right?:) This is how to make your own: buy a seedless watermelon; cut in half. Freeze halves (or chop up one and keep in fridge). Take frozen watermelon half out of freezer and scrape with a spoon. You don't even need to use dishes! The rind is the bowl! I'm so lazy.

Enjoy!

I haven't written on here in such a long time, probably because I've been seeing a lot of the people who I want to share my ideas and issues with, so it feels redundant. But I do have many friends who I don't get to talk to very often- esp. since I despise talking on the phone, a trait that I inherited from both of my parents- so I'm going to write an update post. I hope I get to talk to you all soon, though!

Quick update:
I'm almost done with an article I'm writing about masonry. At this point I'm slowly losing my mind because I can't seem to finish it, it just isn't coming together like I want. I have all the research I need. I think that it is subconsciously a signal to me that summer is almost over and it's time to go back to my real, less exciting job. Which is unfair, because I love teaching, but it has been luxurious to sit around at the library and study anything I want, then write about it, then try to get it published (I've submitted one article- we'll see if it's ever actually printed). I think the transition back to teaching is difficult for the same reason that it's hard for students: you're out of practice, scared about friendships and responsibilities, and are suddenly jolted out of a three-month stupor which included watching late-night TV every day and sleeping in every morning (me). Which is why I think the school year should be year-round, with one month-ish break from Thanksgiving to New Years, one in the spring, and one in late summer. Besides helping the students (esp. my students), it would also improve teaching and learning, since it would feel less like a race to the finish, and more like a progressing, continuous learning cycle, no longer punctuated by periods of complete disorganization. Since children no longer need to be home to harvest during the summer, air conditioning is the only thing holding this back.

I went back to work today for the first time. I want my classroom to be spick and span on the first day back for teachers, so I can focus on collaborating with other teachers during that week. Apparently, the two teachers on my team scheduled a secret meeting with our principal to tell him that they wanted me to teach 20 more students than each of them, to make their lives easier, and also that I have communication problems. Every time I hear that, I want to scream that the way I work is based on everything I've learned in college and grad school about effective teaching practices! I also hear the voice of one of my colleagues in our fight during the last week of school, when I said "I'm sorry, I just like to get things done early so they're done well," and she said "Oh, I KNOW that!" as though it's a bad thing. I hate fighting with people and having people disliking me for inane reasons, like that I'm organized and efficient. I know it can be annoying to have someone who tries to get things done (my mom drove me crazy with her OCD about cleanliness), but it makes me mad that I have to feel guilty about it as a professional. My goal this year at work is to make more friends and to worry less about the gossip and attitude in the staff lounge- honestly, some people act like they're still in high school and that is the last type of socialization that I would ever want to experience again. The first time was bad enough!

Anyway, I was back at school and I had to walk around to look for the custodians to let me into my classroom. When I walked past a group of summer camp kids, one little boy said "She looks like a mom." I thought to myself, "That's cute." Then, about five minutes later, the implications of that comment sunk in and I had a teeny panic attack in the east wing. I look like a mom? Most people- waitresses, guys I date, bouncers- think I look about 16. I've never been mistaken for any role older than my true self. No one's ever asked me what I do- they always ask where I go to school (i.e. I'm obviously still in college, if not high school, if not middle school-honestly). I immediately freaked out about my wardrobe, too. Was I particularly mom-esque today? No. I was wearing boot cut jeans, a tank top I bought at Old Navy kids, and flip flops. My hair was in a ponytail. It wasn't like I had a highlighted bob, was wearing mom pants, and a twin set (and I never will- well, maybe a sweater set, but in an ironic, retro way). But the comment mostly made me think about my mom. When she was 25, she had a two year-old baby and had done one year of surgical rotation in residency. She worked 24-hour shifts and cried because she rarely saw her baby (me). I don't know how she managed that emotionally.

Oh, I'm so tired. I've gone running for the past two days and my shin hurts. I'm going to go to bed.

While I still think that Beerveza is incredibly obnoxious, I predicted the açai berry! Here's a quote from the New York Times:

August 1, 2007
I’ll Have the Fish Paste Sushi With the Green Tea Rice

By ANDREW MARTIN

CHICAGO, July 31 — If you believe the vendors at the annual Institute of Food Technologists convention, you may soon be able to eat and drink your way to better health.

On display were aisle upon aisle of foods made to do more than provide basic nutrition. There was one kind of yogurt to lower cholesterol and another to curb appetite. Cheese cubes supposedly increased energy and strengthened the immune system. Desserts were laced with heart-healthy fish oil, and a pomegranate-flavored water contained fiber to promote digestive health.

Paul M. Flowerman, president of P. L. Thomas, a food ingredient company based in Morristown, N.J., showed a suggested menu of life-enhancing foods, starting with a mixed green salad with antioxidant vinaigrette made from pomegranates, grape-seed extract and açaí (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee), which is the berrylike fruit of a Brazilian palm. There was also sushi concocted from fish paste colored by lycopene and green-tea infused rice, and brownies with phosphatidylserine, a chemical compound that is said to enhance memory.

And McDonald's now has Chipotle chicken, which is step toward mole, and even more adventurous than quesadillas. I'm a little bit proud.