creativity

Testing 1, 2, a 1, 2,3, 4

1. New Fancy Job: Academic Director of an International Study Center at shall remain nameless SoCal University. This job includes international students, a salary, business cards, health insurance, and some teaching. Score.

2. New not-so-fancy apartment: I'm moving to Hollywood in Sept. Hollyhock is in my backyard for all of you Bladerunner fans. Notice how I'm not mentioning what's in my front yard. Hahaha. You said front yard. It's a pool that has 11 LA county code violations. I found that out on the Internets today. Yipee! I keep singing the Weezer song, "Beverly Hills" although it really doesn't apply to my situation at all.

3. It's orientation week, so I am working stupid long hours. And finding out how much I really don't know about #1. Rock. Loving that steep learning curve.

Paint Smudges

Phone interviews are weird. I had one today, and it was just strange. I really have no idea how it went. It's for an academic director position up in Burbank. Or if I'm not deemed capable of managing teachers from my phone interview, it will be a full-time teaching position. Or possibly nothing if the phone interview went badly. Which is possible. Highly possible. I don't translate well as a detached voice.

I was all inspired to write about my painting class, but I've misplaced that inspiration. Hopefully, I'll find it soon and update you on all the joys of misplaced shadows and oddly colored objects.

Mama I'm coming home

I still have to call my parents to confirm, but I'm heading to Sonora for a couple of days before I have students instead of Grand Theft Auto 4 to suck the energy out of me. Yippee! I apologize for not giving anyone advance warning about any of this, but when you really have no schedule to adhere to then advance planning just seems really silly. If you're free between Wednesday and Friday, you should swing by the Andersons for some food and a beverage.

I'm really looking forward to yet another lovely tour up the 99. This time I will be stopping in Bakersfield, which is all sorts of gorgeous. My God. I will be hanging a bit with Scarlett and J, and if anyone can pump some life into the Bakes it would be S&J.

This whole trip up north is really about Father's Day and my tradition of having no money, so as a gift I caddy for my dad for the Wednesday evening businessmen's league out at Phoenix Lake Golf Course. I'm probably getting a little too old for it, but it's 9 holes, dad loves it and he gets to remind all of his fellow businessmen just how much their own daughters do not love them, and I imbibe on a few Coronas and talk about what I've been doing "after softball". Everybody wins.

Working Boys and Girls

Life momentum has definitely been accumulating. Phil was officially hired at the school I was hired at. We’ve essentially skipped ahead a year in the future and transplanted our lives in SF down here in SoCal. He will be working as a housing coordinator and RA, which is cool because we get a swanky apartment in Long Beach for FREE. Free is about all we can swing for housing right now. It’s a studio apartment, so it’s not exactly ideal, but it is our own place temporarily. Both my position and the RA position are summer gigs, so we may have to move back in with the rents at some point, but vee shell si.

Regardless, there is movement. And the breeze feels oh-so-good.

Employed

*Officially!

I got the part of English Language teacher. I speak the English very good.


*part-time, starting July 7th, 2009.

Virtual Godzilla

Virtual Godzilla

Right, so I don’t have a job. I am super unemployed, so I’ve been trying to fill my time with educator-y things that will make me super-instructor. I’m taking an online course about using technology in the classroom effectively. As a teacher and a researcher, I’m curious about that stuff for language instruction.

This morning I got an invite to join the PBworks summer camp for educators. SWEET! PBworks was formerly PBwiki. Does that help? It's basically a souped-up wiki for teachers (and other people).

In their own words:

PBworks for Classrooms

PBworks hosts more classroom workspaces than anyone else in the world, and lets you create a simple, secure workspace in about 60 seconds. Workspaces drive engagement and collaboration. A workspace is a live, evolving document – but gives you user tracking and access controls to monitor your workspace at all times.

You can make your workspace public or private or anywhere in between. No matter what, PBworks keeps your students’ information safe.

It’s cool, it’s free, and I dig the vibe of the company, so of course I joined. And then promptly managed to DELETE THE FOLDER WITH THE ENTIRE COURSE CONTENT.

Which led to this twitter posts from the camp director, Kristine:






Then this:






Then this:






Then thank god, finally this:







The magician engineers were able to recover the folder. Praise Bob. Support at PBworks and Kristine were way cooler than they should have been. They didn’t threaten bodily harm once.

Holy shit, I am so embarrassed (very, very present tense). I really almost deleted camp.

Happy Birthday Mom and other happy news

It's not just a clever title. It's my mom's birthday today.

In other super good news, I have an interview with a language school on Thursday. Where they will ask me "questions about teaching" and "to explain a verb tense."

It's a wonder this profession isn't respected.

Regardless, wish me luck, cross your fingers, pray for broken legs and gingersnaps and puppy dog tails or something like that.

Boom Drink: How to Make Exploding Cocktails

http://www.geekologie.com/2009/06/boom_drink_how_to_make_explodi.php

Anyone up for drinks?

You just freeze a mint flavored Mento in an ice cube and then make a drink for a friend (read: enemy). Any artificially sweetened soda should work, but preferably something darker so the frozen Mento isn't so obvious. Then, a few minutes later when the Mento is exposed to the soda, BOOOSH! Alternatively, garnish your friend's glass with a live hand grenade.

Mmmmm, hookers

According to Grand Theft Auto 4, hookers and hotdogs have the same nutrition value.

Good to know next time I feel like having a hotdog at the ball park. MMMmmm. This is a hooker's worth of goodness.

Song of the Day: Delta Spirit's "People C'mon"

The song of the day, which also is a video. Hey look at me combining two great things. What can I say? I get my inspiration from these people.

Delta Spirit: People C'mon

Video of the Day: Baby Cakes

After my brother turned me on to Professor Brother, by Brad Neely, another friend, Kevin, directed me to Baby Cakes, also by Neely. They are like my children; I can't decide which one I love more.

Pizza Names

I love the local pizza parlor in Sonora, Mike's Pizza. Mike's makes a pizza called The Greek Goddess. This pizza is to die for. Creamy garlic sauce, pepperoni, peppercinis, artichoke hearts, green olives, and tomatoes. And it is always makes me chuckle when I order it to go, "Yes, I would like a small Greek Goddess for pick up."

My name is a bit complicated for people. Alliya. It's hard to say. It's hard to spell. So whenever I order anything I always use someone else's name for the order. The other day I went with two of my friends to order the Greek Goddess. The cashier asked my friend, Celeste, for an order name. Celeste did the exact same thing I always do, I look at who I'm with and use one of their names. Only today it was Celeste, Bissie, and Alliya. No repreive. They are all impossible names in the short order business. She looked momentarily flustered, and we all started to laugh. She turned back to the cashier and said, "Celeste."

"How do you spell that?"

A new post is overdue and I'm still at a loss at what to say. So let me conjure up the old thinking cap and drink my Manhattan with too much sweet vermouth.

Thanksgiving was the goodness that it usually is. It is one of my favorite holidays. I ate too much (original I know).

School is wrapping up. I found out today I actually have a bachealor of science. I can't tell you why or how, but ok. I'm going to speak to my academic advisor to find out why or/and how this came about. How did I not know about this? The drawbacks to being an athlete. humph.

It's looking promising on the whole graduation thing, keep your fingers crossed.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling

It's election day

I have already sent in my absentee ballot. So no violating the sanctity of the voting booth today. So now all I can do is buy a six pack, gather some friends and cross my fingers.

The good news is I was given a CD from the U.S. Army Field Band, so I can create the hazy facade of hopefulness and patriotism.

and oh yeah, Don't forget to vote!

Let's Stay Together

Happy 26th Anniversary!


Tahoe Baby 

I would like to thank these people for my blue eyes, sound vision, fashion sense and republican ideals!

I jest, I jest.

I said 'happy anniversary' and dad said 'thank you.'

'No, thank you.'

I love you guys, I hope you're having a wonderful day.

The Unsinkable Buddy Christ

`Miraculous` Christ Washes Up in Texas Rio Grande
Tue Sep 28,11:17 AM ET

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - A fiberglass statue of Christ that washed up on a sandbar in the Rio Grande three weeks ago is attracting scores of devout pilgrims to a police department lost-and-found and being hailed as a miracle.

Police in Eagle Pass, Texas, said up to 40 people a day are coming to pay homage to the five-foot-tall figurine, known as "The Christ of the Undocumented," which was found by U.S. Border Patrol agents in the river.

"Some come to pray, and some come and just touch it," police lieutenant Daniel Morales said by telephone on Monday. "We have never experienced anything like this before, and interest is growing by the day."

The border city, which lies opposite Piedras Negras in northern Mexico, has a large Mexican community. Many arrived illegally by way of the river, and most are devout Roman Catholics.

Morales said the life-like statuette, which turned up without a crucifix base, would probably be given to a church in the border city if no-one came forward to claim it within 90 days.

Local Catholic Church authorities called the figure`s arrival "miraculous" and said they wanted to place it in a specially dedicated chapel in the city.

"Jesus Christ manifests himself in many places, but he showed himself here in the way of an undocumented migrant," said Marta Ramirez, a spokeswoman for the city`s Our Lady of Refuge Church.

"We think it`s appropriate to place it in a special chapel."

It's kinda like a punch in the gut that you deserved a long time ago

And then on a random Thursday night it hits me like a belly flop off the high dive.

I am sitting here in my little studio apartment. I want to talk to my brother and he is in China. I miss being able to chat about stupid stuff. E-mail is nice but the voice provides a comfort that text fails to provide.

Even if it is only a dumb voice mail and a return phone call a week later...

Notes from class

*My Notes from Crisis Communications today*

My mind is wandering in and out of this hopeless dribble.
I know he sees the pained look on my face, the same look on everyone's faces.
Entertainment Television is fast food television. That's fun. He says that's a fun source of news about serious issues.
The 'that's' is oozing with sarcasm and disdain. The sorority girls squirm uncomfortably, slowly removing their hands from the air.
This is gut wrenching monotone, regurgitating information he already typed up on a hand out. I think I hate this man.
Talk about other things that might be helpful or interesting that didn't make it on to the paper you fucking bastard. I don't need you to read what is on the sheet on my desk.

I think I am going to compile my ramblings over the semester and staple them to my teacher evaluation form.

We went to the Dirty Dog Tavern last night to listen to live crappy country music and drink penny beer to celebrate my friend's 22nd birthday. A couple of birthday shots into the night, he decided that we should have babies because 'they would smash the ball 500 ft. Every time they got up to bat.'(He plays baseball and always uses such flattery on girls he's trying to impregnate...)'Just think of your crotch as the new Yankees farm system.' He's from New York and I think I broke his heart and ended our friendship when I said my kid will never play for the Yankees.

Brother dearest, while abroad limit yourself to only one illegitimate baby, please

BEIJING (Reuters) - A court in China's southern boomtown of Shenzhen has fined a couple 780,000 yuan ($94,250) and sealed off their house for having more than one child, the Beijing Morning Post said Monday.

The pair were among nine couples who were fined "social fostering fees" for their extra children, the newspaper said. They had their first boy in 1997 and last year had twin boys, the newspaper said.

With approximately 1.3 billion people, China is the world's most populous nation. It has stringent rules on family planning that allow couples usually to have just one child, at least in cities, and limit numbers elsewhere.

The couple's house had been sealed up "according to the law," the paper said, or until they pay the fine which was unusually large. A house is sealed with a white paper bearing the stamp of a local court pasted across the front door.

Punishment for having more than one child can include having the power to the offending couple's house or to the houses of relatives being cut off.