Wednesday, December 30, 2009

packed

My pack, suitcase and messenger bag....too much or not enough?

So I was supposed to fly out on the 28th of December and arrive the 29th in Paris. But I hadn't received my passport/visa from the French Consulate annnnd I didn't realize this until the night before my departure. I was a mess. I had to call FedEx, StudentUniverse, American Airlines, TSA and in the end I had to change my flight to the 31st - not exactly the New Year's Eve I had originally planned for but things could have been much worse. So for all of those reading out there, I hope you have a splendid and safe New Year. Cheers.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

SFSU MA TESOL


Today I finished my application for Grad school! I applied to San Francisco State University's Masters in English with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Others Languages (TESOL) for the Fall 2010 semester. I'll be notified some time between March and May, please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Friday, December 25, 2009

christmas

Merry Christmas! From my red flannel onesie and Rory's doubleface to your home.
LANS is officially in with the Aronson family!
BFF
One of my cousin's brought her X-treme Gulp with her. I made Rory get in the photo so you put into perspective the size comparison between the container and his head. Ridiculous. I didn't even know this size beverage existed. It's 52 ounces. I looked up how many ounces are in a Liter bottle. 1 liter = 33.8140227 ounces in case you are wondering. That is like drinking almost two liters in one X-treme Gulp. Hmmmm why are Americans fat I wonder....
It was gorgeous weather outside so us the little guys had some fun skate boarding in the driveway...
Oh Rory.
Jake shredding with no fear...

Jake, Daniel and Rory - making it look reaaaal easy:
Daniel and Rory weaving between one another:
Rory almost eating it after a powerslide:
Then we started the luge competition...
Round 1: Jake vs. Daniel vs. Kendra
Winner: Jake
Round 2: Daniel vs. Jake vs. Kendra
Winner: Kendra
Then Daniel (our nephew) and Rory and I ate our Christmas meal in Clifford.

Merry Christmas errrryybady.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

xmas eve

A Christmas Story
+
It's A Wonderful Life
=
Christmas Eve.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

woods 101

As if my Dad wasn't already the smartest and handiest person alive he regularly enrolls in classes at local community colleges. This semester he took Woods 101, check out his sweet clock he made!
Just jokes, my Dad brought that in as a gag to his professor...below is the real deal:
Isn't that the greatest mantel clock you have ever laid eyes on?



Monday, December 21, 2009

and the hippos were boiled in their tanks


In the summer of 1944, a shocking murder rocked the fledging Beats. William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, both still unknown, were inspired by the crime to collaborate on a novel, a hard-boiled tale of bohemian New York during Word War II, full of drugs and art, obsession and brutality, with scenes and characters drawn from their own lives. Finally published after more than sixty years, this is a captivating read, an incomparable literary artifact, and a window into the lives and art of two of the twentieth century's most influential writers.

What I enjoyed about this book was the unique collaboration between the two writers. Kerouac wrote for the character Mike Ryko and Burroughs wrote for Will Dennison. The entire book was written in the first person, but almost every other chapter it would switch off between Mike or Will. In the top right hand corner of the page it would indicate which writer had written that particular chapter so there was never confusion when you came across the personal pronoun I, it was always crystal clear if I referred to either Mike or Will. The two characters hung out in the same group of friends so sometimes the chapters messed into the same storyline but it would be told differently because it was from a different character's point of view and it was written by a different author.

Here are some interesting quotes from the book:

"The bartender had the radio going. A news broadcaster was telling about a circus fire, and I heard him say, 'And the hippos were boiled to death in their tanks.' He gave these details with the unctuous relish characteristic of radio announcers." - Jack Kerouac

"For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years. Like some people who cannot vomit despite horrible nausea, she lay there unable to die, resisting death as she has resisted life, frozen with resentment of process and change. Finally as Phillip put it, 'She sort of petrified.'" - William S. Burroughs

Sunday, December 20, 2009

take the cannoli

Sarah Vowell is an American author, journalist, humorist, and commentator. She has written several books (this is the first one I've read) and is a regular contributor to the radio program This American Life on Public Radio International. I give this book three out of five stars.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

naked


I just realized that I searched "Naked David Sedaris" into the Google image search engine. It didn't even cross my mind that an actual nude photograph of him would come up hahaha. In case you are wondering, it didn't, so no worries.

But this does remind me of a great story.

When Lana and I were in the third grade and the internets were just starting to really blossom, we logged on to check out a website. Jelly Belly jelly beans were having a mystery flavor competition and we were confident we knew the secret flavor so we decided to enter our answer in the online form hoping to receive a cash prize. We knew the proper way to pluralize a noun ending in -y was -ies, so we typed in jellybellies.com in the url box and waited patiently while the dial-up page loaded.....moments later a pornographic site of obese women popped up on the screen. We screamed in horror as each line of pixels revealed more and more fat rolls. It was one of the most shocking things I have ever witnessed and I don't know about Lana but it is ingrained in my memory forever.


But enough sidetracking, Naked was a delightful book although not as good as Me Talk Pretty One Day. Full of wit, dark humor, his unusual upbringing and wild life adventures I give it an 8 out of 10.

Friday, December 18, 2009

jake's pajamas

My nephew Jake is 8 years old and has the greatest pajamas in town.


Thursday, December 17, 2009

petrified possum

GROSS!!!!!!!!!! and also very cool. The construction guys found this underneath my house today, a pretty well-preserved petrified possum.

Disgusting and fascinating.
EWWWWW check out the innards (or what's left of them)...
NASTY!!! Check out it's teeth!!!! HAHHA!!!!!!!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

houdini

This is Rory....and Houdini.
Houdini is a female turtle. One of Rory's friends from SLO was not allowed to keep her turtle at her current apartment so Rory and his roommates adopted it. He is now building a pond for her in the Upham backyard but as for now she has to swim in this little cubical.
Ridiculous.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

christmas cards

Here are some Christmas cards I have received.....

Dillon, Justin, Jeremy & Rory's....
A card from Mami - my Japanese roommate I lived with in Valladolid, Spain when I studied abroad Fall 2007...
For those of you who know Spanish, she is the sweetest!!!
Jim! Our Leucadian mailman, the mailman who has been delivering our mail for my entire life!
Christy, Danielle, Mel, Lauren & Megan's card!!!!!! ALL THE WAY FROM NEW ZEALAND!







Although I don't think anything will ever top Justin, Greg and Shaefer's 2008 Christmas card....


Thursday, December 10, 2009

TAPIF

I submitted my application today for the Teaching Assistantship Program in France for Fall 2010!

The French Ministry of Education and the Cultural Services Department of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. offer approximately 1,500 teaching assistantships each year for American citizens and permanent residents of the United States to teach English in French schools. Assistants may work in primary schools or secondary schools. Positions are located in all regions of France and in the overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion.


The joint initiative between the Embassy of France and the French Ministry of Education aims to strengthen English language instruction in the French educational system through the establishment of a native speaker presence. The program also provides future teachers of French in the United States with excellent teaching experience and first-hand knowledge of French language and culture.


Assistants are assigned a 12-hour teaching schedule that may be divided among up to three establishments. Classes are conducted in English.


The teaching assistant may conduct all or part of a class, typically leading conversations in English. Duties may include serving as a resource person in conversation groups, providing small group tutorials, and giving talks related to American studies in English classes. Assignments vary depending on the school’s needs, the assistant’s abilities, and the educational level to which he or she is assigned:


I applied for the following three regions:

1st choice: Lyon

2nd choice: Rouen

3rd choice: Lille


and the following Teaching Contracts:

1st choice: Secondary School (7 months) – Students aged 11-18 years old.

Assistant serves as a resource person in conversation groups, provides small group tutorials, facilitates English language clubs, or works alongside the teacher with the entire class present.


2nd choice: Elementary School (7 months) – Children aged 8-11 years old.

Assistant organizes oral activities on his or her own with small groups, or works alongside the teacher with the entire class present.


3rd choice: Elementary School (9 months) – Children aged 8-11 years old.

Assistant is the sole English educator. Assistant teaches classes on his or her own and creates all lesson plans following national curriculum. Ideal for candidates aspiring to acquire elementary teaching or language teaching experience.


Mid-april I will be notified if I get into the program so keep your fingers crossed.....


Wednesday, December 9, 2009

french visa

Today I went the Los Angeles French Consulate to apply for my visa!!!!!!!!

Monday, December 7, 2009

holidays on ice

Holidays on Ice is a collection of essays about Christmas

I'm going through a Sedaris phase right now if you all haven't already noticed. This little book is funny although not as good as his other books in my opinion.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

i was told there'd be cake


Here is the front cover of the current book I am reading. On the back cover there is a three-sentence blurb about the author that says this:

Sloane Crosby's essays have appeared in various publications including PlayBoy, Salon, and the New York Times, and the Village Voice, where she was a frequent contributor. She also wrote the cover story for the worst-selling issue of Maxim in that magazine's history. She lives in New York.

The second sentence of that blurb is what sold me on this book.

Crosby is downright hilarious! This book is a collection of essays that chronicle the struggles and unexpected beauty of modern urban life. She has a way of revealing startlingly funny experiences in a strikingly original voice.

I am eagerly awaiting her second book of essays How Did You Get This Number? due out June 2010.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

the final solution - a story of detection


First things first, how beautiful is this book cover? I totally judge books by their cover, I won't even try to deny it. Michael Chabon has written several best-sellers but I have yet to read any of his works. I debated with myself but ultimately I just couldn't pass up this interesting cover art. He wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay which I will some day read but sometimes I like to read an author's lesser known books first. I enjoyed the book but I felt it ended much too abruptly. I mean literally within the last few pages the story climaxed and then resolutioned, I know that's not a word but I don't care. Other than that his words blew me away. He has the most extensive vocabulary out of any author I've ever read. I don't think he repeated the same adjective or adverb twice. It was very impressive. Also, he also knew nouns I had never once heard of, I really wish I would have underlined them to look up their dictionary definition.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

snow in CO!

This is my right boot in SNOW!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't seen snow in years.
This is Greg's ginormous house and Suburu

Greg on his front porch...
Greg with his car...
Greg, reaaaaaal excited about snow...
Greg reaaaaaaal cold standing next to the Sub'
Me throwing some snowballs.....
falling snow on Greg's back porch
Note: the outside temperature....
come take a ride through Greg's neighborhood....
here are some big flakes on the freeway:
Here is snow from the aeroplane: