to feel kim's pain, see below

so, kim has had a battle with shopping as of late* i can more than sympathize, as can most women* so, in order to solve our collective problem with the fashion world, i'm spreading the net to get more answers to her wardrobe update questions* PLEASE contribute!!!* gentlemen, it'd certainly be interesting (whether or not it's actually helpful) to hear your side as well* :)

Wardrobe Update: Questions

Please please answer, ladies!

1. Can you wear stockings with open toed shoes? Honestly?
2. Tights - not the footless kind (ick), but more like opaque tights/panty hose - are they in?
3. No stockings during the winter - is this appropriate?
4. Tan/nude stockings - out or in?
5. Are people actually wearing dress shorts with heels and whatever the cropped pants are called? I've seen these in the store, but I have to admit that I've seen no one actually wearing them.
6. Is a store like Talbots or Ann Taylor going to be too momish for me? I don't want to look like after work, I'm taking the kiddies to soccer.
7. Why is this so hard?

My own answers:

1) noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo* for some reason, this makes me think of the 80s in all its glory* let's not repeat history*

2) they are, but it can be really hard to get the look right* personally, even though i know it can be done, i've been too chicken to try it

3) if you're a very prim dresser, than there MUST be stockings in the winter* i ask myself one thing: is there is skin showing between the hem of my dress/skirt and the top of my shoe/boot? if yes, then i wear stockings, largely because i'm white as snow, and my legs look a little silly when they're that pale* if no, then i put on my warm socks under my boots and enjoy thumbing my nose as some ladies i knew when i was a girl in middle school* don't worry, THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE!

:P

4) tan-out, nude-in; unless the stockings are hardcore opaque (see #2) or nude enough to match your natural skin color, they just look a bit odd*

5) women do wear this look, but it's really hard to pull off unless you have a specific body type (eg, tall and rail thin)* gauchos are almost impossible because they will simply drape over a woman's curves, and if that's not something you want to excentuate (sp?), you're screwed* what i have is a pair of cropped pants with structure and cut to them, and hot damn do they look smokin with a set of heels* look for some of those (got mine at Express or Limited, i think)

6) Talbot's, yes, Ann Taylor, no* Ann Taylor is great because the separates can be combined in really classy but modern looks* banana republic can be good for that too, but sometimes it's borderling too trendy* actually, target is going in the right direction, but the downfall with moderately priced clothing is that the tailoring isn't as great--some target pants have great potential, but they have a gap above the butt* too bad* i would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest hitting up Filene's Basement--it's a re-retail store for higher end stuff* i got a bcbg party top (originally priced at $80) for $20* it's not second hand but just last season* and from the vibe i'm getting, you don't care about the season* and that's perfect for filene's*

7) it's so hard because the reasonably priced clothes aren't always tailored that well and fall apart fairly quickly* a lot of the expensive clothing doesn't really match our age group and maintain a modern edge to it* or, the fashion out there is just plain slutty, matronly or weird* take your pick

now i dare you to explain THIS

now i know that tons of people (sometimes myself included) believe that U2 has jumped the shark, mostly because they feel that Bono might as well be jumping on Oprah's couch* and a LOT of people are tired of the aforementioned frontman's ubiquitous presence in the international-social-economic-free-trade-etc-etc conversation* but put that aside for a second, and just read his address at the 54th National Prayer Breakfast*

if you check out the "speaking of faith" web page, you'll see pictures of the singer smiling with jesse helms and president bush* what i REALLY want to bring attention to is this picture:



yes, that's Barak Obama, if you can't tell* AND, npr informed us that shortly after one of their reporters left after an interview, Bono was waiting at barak's door* there must be many possible explanations for his arrival, none of which i feel like debating* but--given Bono's equal popularity and, well, unpopularity, my question is this: if Obama was to strike up a partnership of sorts with the rock star, how would that affect his run for the white house?




please explain that to me*


picture courtesy of American Public Media, "Speaking of Faith" http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/evangelicalevolution/bono-prayerbreakfast.shtml, accessed 28 Feb 07*

explain these to me

1) why my butt hurts after a workout that concentrated on my upper body

2) why, when it came time for dinner, i craved tuna like there was no tomorrow

3) why Tennessee is creaming Florida in men's basketball (8 min left in the 1st half)* is Florida really losing its magic?

4) why Maryland and Duke basically hold a tie in the ACC (Maryland is slightly ahead considering points for and points against)* how did this happen? (not that i'm complaining) did anyone see this in the stars?

5) why (to take a cue from WN) kevin federline doesn't have custody of his sons yet* clearly, since the divorce, britney has been all but screaming for help (see her cueball `do), and he actually comes off as the responsible one, bringing their boys to see her while she's in rehab

6) why they bother with the oscars at all anymore* the general public often does not agree or respect the decisions of the "academy," and they also usually go to bed before the end of the show* really, folks--2 hrs should be more than enough time to dole out the little statuettes* does anybody else feel that it's just an over-hyped, narcissistic (sp?), self-congratulatory night of excess?

7) why dick vitale hasn't had his mouth duct-taped shut yet

8) why al gore bothered to make a joke out of entering the `08 presidential race* with all the crap that's already present, do we really need to have somebody else jerking us around?

9) why your everyday educators get such crappy salaries* don't give me the economy reason, please* although, according to the inimitable Gary Rohrback, it's all economic*

10) why we don't all try to do jobs that we love* for me, i've putzed around enough and gotten enough experience teaching Every Single Age Group Around, and i've realized that i just have to bite the proverbial bullet* or, as in the case of graduate school, the financial bullet, the relocation bullet, the workload bullet, and the social life bullet* but, even with all of that, i know what i want* i know that i love phd level work, and i know that i love the material* so, i could get a job (theoretically) as a copywriter or some other such higher paying thing* but, i'd rather give all my energy and get smaller pay for something that i feel makes a difference for both myself and others* just an idea*

much love to Gary Rohrback! EIML, baby!

yum

hot chocolate makes everything so much better...

:)

long day

you'd think that a 2hr delay would make a school day zip by* well, you'd be wrong, you non-teachers* today was rather torturous* the students were out-of-hand, logically, because they didn't have the whole day off* also, classes were truncated by 20 minutes each because of the shortened day, so that basically screwed all of my lessons* when i got home, toby didn't want to have anything to do with me* that's unusual for him* he only changed his tune when he came over and sat on my foot* steve believes that this means, "hey ma! i have to poo!" as soon as i got up, toby started jumping over to the door like a crazy dog (although that's usually the kind of dog he is anyway)* and hoo boy, when we walked, he certainly (to put it in a sanitary way) did his thing* so, if you ever come to visit, watch out if toby tries to sit on your foot*

i went to the gym after walking toby, and it just seemed to drag on* normally, i'm there for at least 2-2 1/2 hours, but i just needed a rest* consequently, i only did 25 minutes (11 miles) on the bike and no free weights* instead of the free weights, i just kicked my own ass by doing the entire balance workout that larry taught me* now, larry is awesome* larry is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic* he's also incredibly gifted, athletically speaking* he's also a nice guy*

but anyway, the balance workout basically revolves around 2 half-cylinders about 5 or 6 inches in diameter and 4 to 5 feet in length each* the flat side is placed down on the floor, and the two half cylinders at placed end-to-end* i would walk to the end and back (backwards, of course), and then i'd walk to the end and back while picking up a medicine ball and then putting it back down on the floor* i'd do each twice for each leg/side, and if i lost my balance and fell, i'd start over* after doing those, i'd stand with one foot on the half cylinders and bring one foot to the inner thigh of the other* i'd bring it back down and step with the next foot* and so on and so forth* last, on those half cylinders, i would set my foot and then lower my upper body and raise my back leg, so as to look like superman who really wants to fly but is afraid to pick up both legs* the LAST things that i do involve these circular balloon-y things* i squat and do figure-eights around my legs with a medicine ball* then, sans ball, i just squat for 30 seconds*

larry is a wonderful person who exudes confidence and an uplifting spirit, but this workout made me hate him* it kills the ankles, the arches, the inner and outer thighs, the quads, the hams, and the butt* at least i know it's working though* the excellent part of the workout is that it demands total focus* shut out the miserable day, shut out a distracted day, shut out all the hoo-ha of the day, and center the mind soley on the placement of the body* it's a tremendous stress reliever*

all told, my gym outing relaxed and recentered me* for my students' sake, let's hope i stay that way tomorrow*

;)

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEAH, MARYLAND!!!!!

EAT IT, HANSBOROUGH & co!

LOOK OUT, BLUE DEVILS!
LOOK OUT, WOLFPACK!

Y'ALL IN FOR SOME TROUBLE!!!!!!!

:)

again, another stolen quiz

Sandra's Variety Quiz

this may be sandra's, but i stole it from kim :)

1. Go to a bookshelf in your home, preferrably not filled with work-related stuff. Pick a shelf and go along, naming 5-10 books that are unrelated in topic. Whether you have even read them doesn't matter!

Grendel, Imperial Woman, An Unquiet Mind, Heretic's Heart, The Ground Beneath Her Feet

2. What is the proportion of people to TV viewing apparatus in your home?

1 TV, 1 person

3. Go to your drawer of crap. Name 5-10 different items.

kitchen towels, batteries, chinese take-out menus, a screw-driver, beer bottle opener

4. Look at your fingernails and describe.

nice, clean with no polish, rounded edges, making my fingers look slender and very feminine

5. Sinead or Britney?

Nooooothing compares to Sinead

6. Milk or dark chocolate?

dark, always dark

7. Kitchen utensil drawer inspections. Yep, pick an odd drawer and name 5-10 items.

copper measuring spoons, another beer bottle opener, non-matching numbers of knives, spoons and forks, straws, little baby wisk

8. Look at your IM list of friends etc. Name the occupation fo 5-10 people. Please do NOT share their handles or real names.

computer programmer, pr person, middle school math teacher, professor of fun, photographer

9. Do you recycle? Why or why not?

yes, and so committed that i'll drive 20 minutes to the nearest recycling center (my apt complex doesn't collect recycling)

10. Name the last 5-10 items you purchased.

necklace, bcbg top, groceries at trader joe's, dunkin donuts coffee, dog food

new mountain to climb

so i've pretty much had this decided since thanksgiving, but it's coming into focus more and more* my new physical challenge to conquer is the sprint triathlon* sure, many people have completed tris and do them all the time, so much so that, to them, tris are no more exciting then a spoonful of dirt* but for me, it's so much more*

years ago, i decided i wanted to try a marathon* i hemmed and hawwed (sp?) and finally fell into the training* i wasn't fully convinced of some of the philosophies behind stuff, and consequently, my heart wasn't completely in it* i finished, and i was really proud of myself, and i keep the medal and everything like that* but the tri is different* it's something i didn't expect to want, and there's something new and scary about it* i like that* when i run/crawl across the finish line, it will be mine* whether or not i ever do another one, i'll have accomplished something i didn't think i'd do*

with the marathon, i never had dreams of doing six or twenty or anything like that* i didn't have any visions of bumping things up to ultras (50-100+ mile marathons)* but, depending on how hooked i get (and i really think i could get hooked), it would be amazing to someday do an ironman* can you imagine? i don't know that i'd ever be good enough to qualify for the gatorade ironman in hawaii, but why not? how would that not be amazing? how unreal would that be to push my body to its limits? i so want to find out how that feels***


now can somebody get me a bike? :)

shout out!

No particular order:

m?
lray
camaral
khubbard
shubbard
mmolter
lbauer
bmartin (thanks for the email--i'll get back to you on that, seriously man, thank you)
amartin
mcarroll-mason
ctruffer, et al (umbc)
cjenkins
bhabecker
bhanrahan
nfry
cmeawad (the meatwad!)
dfisher
rjohnson
jskopp
m/d/m/k/gmbeatty
cwiley
kporter
fdierken
and--last, but DEFINITELY not least--shandy

many others, so if you're not listed, you're still not forgotten* i just have to leave for school NOW!* :)

oh! definitely not done* HUGE one to (drumroll please)-----

toby :)

*guys, consider yourselves awesome*

reflection

so today is ash wednesday, the start of lent* we had mass at school today, and monsignor hartnett said some really interesting things* what caught me the most was what commitment a person can make in this season leading to easter--it's not necessarily what you give up, but what you give* i'd already decided that i was going to forego soda; i'm trying to be a good steward of the body i've been given* but, in my mind, that was a fairly trite thing for a 27 yr old woman to commit to (sorry if i'm stepping on anyone's toes, but that's a thing for me)* so i thought and i thought and i thought and i thought, and as the congregation was moving up the aisle to receive ashes, there was a moment of clarity*

for those of you who know me well, you know that i have issues with church* those of you who really, really, really know me well, you know that i've had issues since my senior year in college* it's been eating at me, and my attempts to get past that have been abortive* and in this moment of clarity this afternoon, it occurred to me that the problem lies in trust* while i haven't abandoned what i believe, i have found it extremely difficult to be comfortable in a worship setting* EXTREMELY difficult* it would become claustrophobic and overwhelming and very uncomfortable* since that thing in college, i have had trouble trusting other christians, being very wary of betrayal*

--please let me make a note: i'm not making a blanket statement that all christians are like this, either scared of each other or not trustworthy* i'm just recounting my personal experience and the realizations that i had this afternoon*

anyway, in mass, i thought about being a good friend for lent, really being concerned about those around me, breaking out of a shell and being a friend to people i just know casually, and so on and so forth* eventually, it dawned on me that i should transfer that to the worship setting* i should dispel my fears and give some trust back to the christian community* i'll admit that it won't be easy* but that is what lent is about* it doesn't really mean so much if you can make your change without even thinking* it should take perseverence and patience* i'll just take one baby step at a time*

oh wow--this is embarrassing

with ~13 min to go in the 2nd half, boston college is losing to vtech 58-34*


wow*

CUTE!

setting my sights on--

a dozen or so goals for 2007:

1) catfish sprint triathlon in august
2) get lean muscle mass up and body fat down
3) apply to cornell, penn, columbia, berkeley (last true bastion of communism!), and harvard (my safety school--hahahahahaha!!! laugh with me, people)
4) get 5K times down to 8min/mile pace
5) get back w/ the pacemakers on weekends and the fleet feet people on thursdays
6) be brave and go back to second
7) get an iPod :P
8) start reading journals and thinking about concentrations
9) read for leisure for once
10) HIT THE BEACH!!! and if i can't do that, live poolside for the duration of the summer
11) find some way/place to throw my javelin again
12) learn to say "live and let die" (thanks, mccartney, for the kick-ass song, btw)

last reflection for valentine's day

so today was a snow day, and i was able to sleep in until 10:30* there are perks to being a teacher! anyway, not really being able to go out and about, i had a boatload of time to get things done* things done included doing laundry, walking toby a lot, cleaning the entire apartment, cooking some boring lunch, writing lesson plans, playing the piano, playing the guitar, watching ACC basketball (go Terps, beat the Wolfpack!) and making hershey's dark chocolate brownies* the brownies part was my favorite*

least favorite part of the day: not really being able to go out and about* i'm not cheesy-licious about valentine's day, but i have this thing about being with people on special days* or, more accurately put, being with my significant other on special days* so for that reason, today was a little tough* i love toby to pieces, but my valentine he did not make*

favorite part of the day: i was getting seriously bored after having cleaned and finished doing laundry* and i mean seriously* i couldn't have feigned interest in anything in my apartment* my mood began to decline* it's valentine's day after all! and just as i was about to get cranky, my phone rang* chris called me* i don't know how he does it, but he has such perfect timing* we didn't even talk about much, just snow and food* and somehow, that's enough* he doesn't need to shower me with roses, he doesn't need to go over-the-top with sweet nothings, and he doesn't need to lavish me with expensive gifts* what he does do is something that i couldn't have even thought to ask for--he makes me feel as though i'm the only woman in the world* thank you, chris*


xo, everybody!

i love (in no particular order)

Toby
my family
running
athletic challenges
music
medieval and early modern british literature
classical greek and hellenistic sculpture
spain and denmark
my fuzzy blanket
"in the secret" and "amazing grace"
intelligent socio-political discourse
calvin & hobbes
the color "ocean-y blue"
ACC men's basketball
teaching
friends
relaxing near water
cooking
silence
prayer
wisdom from anne lamott
lacrosse
shoes
workout partners
good coaches
fairness and social justice
V6 engine
world cup soccer


and



Chris :)

you have to love the ACC for valentine's day

a lot of people are talking about ACC basketball right now, and many are coming to the same conclusion; the ACC is the best conference that will get screwed by the NCAA tournament committee* (see previous post's note about periods and astericks) if you watched this past weekend's terps vs blue devils game, you'll start to see my point* everybody knows that the terps (male or female, at this point) aren't setting the world on fire with their success* and yet, the teams are good enough to take down the tough teams in the conference* as a result, on the surface, the in-conference records seem mediocre (see duke's 5-6 in the ACC)* that is what the NCAA tourney committee will see when they consider picks and rankings, so the likelihood is that fewer ACC teams will be selected for march madness* other conferences that have some teams always blowing out the bottom half will look like better fodder for the tournament, even if their in-house competition is terrible* am i making my point, or am i being a little bit convoluted (sp)?

anyway, the ACC is a quality conference, and because of a lack of all-out domination on the part of a few teams, it might get somewhat snubbed for march madness*

BUT WHO LOVES THE TERPS?!!!!!! when it comes to sports, there's no better valentine* nothing is more romantic than riots on rt 1*

:)

thank your parents for this one

today's valentine smidgen of randomness comes from the washington post*

(you'll have to excuse the lack of periods* that key on my laptop isn't working, so i just put an asterick (sp?) between sentences* sorry*)

anyway, apparently, our most immediate forebearers are somewhat responsible for our abilities to live and love* if they've loved us and nurtured us sufficiently to build our confidence, we're more likely to be successful in carrying on relationships that form a strong partnership* it's not that a traumatic childhood relationship with parents precludes the ability to love others well, but rather it's that each event with mom/dad/whomever pushes us in positive or negative directions* to me, it's very interesting that events can reverse or possibly undo that which comes before it*

are you expecting a positive valentine's day? i am, mostly because very good things have fallen into place* there's no need for a pricey dinner at the rusty scupper or anything like that* instead, i know that i am loved, and it's shown in very subtle and sweet ways* we can reach out to and are confident in each other* i guess i can, in part, thank mom and dad for that*

men, this is for the romantic gift-giver in you... maybe...

why not buy your sweetheart a cute teddy bear? you'll certainly win her heart with one of those. and if they fail, why not the embroidered towel set?


suggestion provided by Steve Handy. thank you for your public service, Steve. i'm sure women world-wide will love you once these gifts start pouring in.

men, here's a reason not to take a shower:

ladies, how many times has the man come home sweating like a hog? and how many times does he smell to high-heaven? well, CNN (they're going for broke this month!) brings us an article that exhorts us to get off their backs and enjoy some extra... doses of cortisol.

guys, it seems to tell us that you need to do all the manly manual labor that you can think of, stuff that will make you perspire gallons. you need to do double workouts at the gym, and you need to sit in saunas while wearing woolen sweatsuits. okay, maybe not the last one, but still. think of all the benefits listed in the article. yay for you!

back to ladies... please realize that there are amazing peripheral perks to the man dripping with sweat, with one of the main ones being big many manual labor things being done around the house/apartment/etc. not that i advocate us taking the whimpering woman stance of "i can't do it because i'm a girl," or the "i'm simply too lazy to get off my ass to do something that i certainly could do myself" attitude. far from it. what i am saying is that if you stop nagging him to be incredibly immaculate, everybody is happier for it, and he will be less inclined to give cold shoulders and ignore things. this is just my opinion, but i think that men like to feel needed and appreciated, especially for things that make them feel strong in whatever way. thus, he'd feel more inclined to do some of the heavier stuff.

so i've probably diluted my main points, and most likely i've put someone off by my perhaps mistaken generalizations. here's what it boils down to:

girls, let guys be sweaty, mucky, dirty, and smelly, all in time for valentine's day, and enjoy that extra jolt of cortisol!

happy valentine's day. here's a stolen survey. kim totally has me pegged....

Survey

Stolen from Kim who stole it from Sandra.

1. I've come to realize that my last kiss...

was really sweet, and, on the whole, they're getting even sweeter.

2. I am listening to.....

Beyonce, naughty girl

3. I talk.....
too much, apparently. but too bad.

4. I love.....
when toby snuggles up next to me and i'm under my fuzzy blanket, and we fall asleep, all nice and cozy.

5. My best friend.....
would have to be plural. i'm really bad at choosing who's the "best." that's kind of silly when it comes to friends, right?

6. My first real kiss.....
sucked. thanks, brian.

8. I hate it when people ask.....
me to redo things according to their directions, even though i've done things perfectly efficiently and correctly.

9. Love is.....
hard, but it's sure as hell worth it.

10. Marriage is.....
well, can be elusive.

11. Somewhere, someone is thinking.....
what to have for dinner.

12. I'll always.....
be a perfectionist, no matter how much i try to chill out.

13. I have a crush.....
on physical challenges (e.g., marathons and triathlons).

14. The last time I cried was because.....
a family issue. i don't want to talk about it.

15. My cell phone.....
is BRAND-SPANKIN' NEW, and i love it!!!

16. When I wake up in the morning.....
i'm semi-conscious until toby annoys me enough to take him out.

17. Before I go to bed.....
try to get toby to jump up next to me. see prompt #4.

18. Right now I am thinking about.....
how much cleaning i want to get done on my DAY OFF FROM SCHOOL!!! i love snow.

19. Babies are.....
scaring me, mostly because pregnancy might be a little dangerous for me.

20. I get on myspace.....
i get on myspace? are you kidding? i have no myspace page and never will.

21. Today I.....
got up, jumped up and down when wbal said SCHOOLS CLOSED, went back to bed until 11AM, went to the gym for 3 hours, got the oil in my car changed, and made lunch.

22. Tonight I will.....
be cleaning my entire apartment. i'm feeling ambitious.

23. Tomorrow it will be....
tough to keep the kids on track since they had a snow-day today.

24. I really want to be.....
able to conquer any athletic events that comes my way--considering some of the other health hurdles i deal with, surmounting physical challenges is such an intoxicating high.

25. Someone that will most likely repost this is.....
somebody that i don't know.

happy valentine's day, cave man

i think that i'll celebrate valentine's day on the blog for awhile. so, thanks to CNN once again for providing some interesting fodder; here's a neolithic example of love and affection. so far, there are no hypotheses as to who or how old they were or how they died. it's interesting how the author(s?) link the pair to romeo & juliet, as the site is not terribly far from verona, italy. i guess that's a logical and fun thing to do, although the pictorial evidence accompanying the article impels me to come to different conclusions.

first, shakespeare's lovers are caught in the web woven by their spiteful families and are unable to escape their predestined (as revealed by the prologue) fate. with the millenia-old lovers, however, there is nothing to indicate any sort of physical or social strife. their burial site is too isolated (as discovered so far) to assume any such fate. the other piece that makes me think differently is the manner in which the skeletons are found. it is most often interpreted that after romeo has died, juliet stabs herself, causing her lifeless body to fall atop her lover's. thus, the sudden bodily trauma prevents any sort of intimacy in death. our other pair, by contrast, were discovered in a frozen embrace. while it could be posited that they were placed that way by others following individual deaths, my bit of random knowledge of burial practices tells me that there is no precedent for such an assumption. i would tend to believe that there was some sort of simultaneous event causing death. most likely the pair was buried (above or below ground, i don't know) together without being moved much. there are no volcanos near verona or mantua, so it's not possible for a pompei-esque sort of demise, but there could always be other causes.

all of that is pure guesswork, but to me, it's always fun to challenge immediate and off-the-cuff conjectures, especially if they involve shakespeare. :)

oh--word of wisdom: i know that people love to do this, but please don't take romeo & juliet as your love model. pick a pair that doesn't end up dead. read the plays before you pick. : P

comments?

"Love comes first into the heart of the woman," explained Nananghe. "Once it's in the woman, only then can it jump into the man."

so what does that make our valentine's day?