tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355607772024-03-06T22:52:49.207-05:00Sporadic BlabberingA bit of this, a bit of that, and a whole lot of nonsense.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-80599104017329704032008-12-06T13:46:00.002-05:002008-12-06T14:15:06.784-05:00DamnI have just now, as in a second ago, finished the last school project for the semester. Good grief! I never thought I'd make it.<br />One class to go, which will probably be spent by eating and commenting how quickly in fact the semester went by, and that's that for me. Well besides the observations in the after-school program on Thursdays, but that's another 2 weeks to go and then really, that's it. Well until next semester that is, when I will start the whole thing again... oy.<br /><br />I'm brewing some coffee, will make an attempt at not doing any work-related activities this weekend, and try and relax while listening to music. What a luxury. Of course the coffee machine is making some strange noise and will most likely boycott my day by not giving me any much-desired cup of java. Just like the CD player not wanting to spit out the last CD I put in there, the light bulb burning in the bathroom, and my keyboard losing the C key, making typing quite an ordeal.<br />It's a conspiracy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-79976207926457365612008-11-30T12:39:00.005-05:002008-11-30T13:22:04.562-05:00Of Old and NewYeah yeah yeah, no need to say it; I know you're thinking it... "lazy bones". Sue me, I've been beyond busy and frankly not very inspired to do any blabbering. Besides, since last I wrote nothing exciting has happened, not that there really ever was anything exciting about my life, but this year has basically just been a looong year of routine, exhausting busy routine, but routine nonetheless.<br />School? Busy. Work? Beyond busy. Home? Well there's a lot of stuff going on that is also keeping us very busy, but this is not the time nor place to talk about it.<br /><br />There are though, things that have happened which in retrospect have made me think about how funny life can be at times. Not so much funny as in ha ha funny, but with twists and turns that sometimes take you so much off guard that it makes you wonder about this whole ‘free will’ thing.<br /><br />For instance, a good friend quit work in September. I was sad to see him go, but knew that he was so miserable at work that it could only be a positive thing for him. In a matter of 2 months the economy crumbled, his husband lost his job, they have to sell the apartment they had newly bought and renovated themselves with love and care, and have moved to my friend's childhood town. Now, for all things that could be foreseen, this was a snowball effect that, at least for me, came out of nowhere at a dizzying speed. Yet I still think that it’s the best thing that could have happened to both of them.<br />My friend, although loving to live in NYC, would often talk about his home state with longing, all the while trying to convince me that I should go and see real cows, as though he felt sorry for me for only knowing those beast wrapped in cellophane at the supermarket.<br />I learned that his husband is going to reinvent himself and take on a career he has always wanted to pursue (something about health I think), and so in the long run, will probably feel so much more fulfilled that he was at his prior job.<br />Now, although brought on by circumstances that would have made me loose my hair, contemplate selling at least one kidney, and become a guinea pig in all profitable experiments, the result turned out to be a very positive one, who would have guessed?<br /><br />Another thing reminding me that life sometimes winks at you in unsuspected moments is human relationships. This year has seen a couple of old friends who for different reasons hadn’t spoken to me for a long time, go through horrible experiences. Regardless of the time that had passed, they called me when they were going through a terrible time and we are speaking again. It took a traumatizing moment in their lives to make us realize that whatever kept us apart was inconsequential.<br /><br />You know that ad, “The Human Element”? Often in life we forget one key component of this rollercoaster voyage we all go through, and that’s the Hu element: us. We cannot predict or even sometimes understand how other fellow beings will affect us, react to our little quips, or influence how we end up doing things. The whole point I guess is to accept how things happen and make the best of them as we try, really try, to learn. Bottom line? It often takes an old thing to make you appreciate a new one.<br /><br />Now, if this isn't a perfect example of a blabbering fortune-cookie philosophy, I don't know what is. Must be the holidays approaching…Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-17290373410531776602008-06-05T06:20:00.004-04:002008-06-05T06:29:15.517-04:00Uh... Almost 3 Months??I've kindly been reminded that I have not given any updates about what this crazy mind is up to....<br />It is 6:22 AM, so I'm just making a quick dash to let y'all know that I'll be writing this weekend. Promise. Pfttoo (I really don't know how to spit) cross my heart.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-37180364867607394952008-03-22T18:04:00.005-04:002008-03-23T10:01:44.339-04:00The 80's Without the Hair...Wow, I haven't posted in what seems years, not for lack of updates mind you, but I've been way too busy.<br />I won't bore you with school, presentations, analyses or some of the morons I take classes with (there goes the educational system people), nor will I talk about the elections (pleeeeeze, enough with the he said/she said crap! and can we cut it a little shorter next time? thankyouverymuch);<br />I won't talk about how exhausted I am and that the mere thought of a white sandy beach brings tears to my eyes. I will not mention (Ok a sentence, I have to) how spring is here and YAY! I will not talk about not having a life besides work/school/home, why? you give me an extra two seconds in my life and I swear I'll have a blast with it, really, just seconds will do. I'll steer clear of the usual complains of winter, work, dust bunnies and lack of sleep. So what will I talk about you say? Music!<br />Yes, music. Let me give you a little background to this story. I had a presentation to give last week and was slightly freaking (as usual), so on the day of, in go the earphones and what did I listen to? what always made me get through exams during high school: Heavy Metal. Yes, nothing like AC/DC's For Those About to Rock (... we salute you... come people sing) or Back in Black to calm your nerves, or give you the nerve to stand in front of 30 teachers and teach them how to teach... *ahem*.<br />In any case, I revisited my iPod's very small collection of Metal and told myself that if I had a second I needed to update it. So today I decided to put the books aside for a minute and download some Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and Poison (turns out we had AC/DC at home, who knew) ... so 80's! I'm still not crazy about Poison, but damn! I'd forgotten how good Maiden was. Next on my list? Some Van Halen (no 80's list is complete without them) more Maiden and Judas Priest. Metallica is already in there, plus they are timeless so they don't count.<br /><br />As a side note, I also made a trip down memory lane other than by listening to those bands that gave my mother a heart attack (not Metallica, for some strange reason the woman liked them): <a href="http://www.thestagingarea.com/">Kirk</a> showed me some pictures of himself back in that forsaken era... Dude! the hair! the Miami Vice-like wardrobe, it was too much. There were some good things that came out of the 80's but hair and clothes were not among them, so I'll stick to the music.<br />Anyway people, I can't think of any other bands I need to download, I need some help here, any ideas?<br />In the meantime I'll thank my lucky stars that no curling iron or strech jeans are among my possessions but just an iPod about to be filled with my youth. A-ha anyone?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-49741423253205169352008-01-12T18:48:00.000-05:002008-02-10T17:32:20.326-05:00ProcrastinatingThe hardest part about not writing for so long is, well, writing. After a month of not updating this thing it seems like there is either too much to say or nothing at all. I guess the first order of business is to say HAPPY NEW YEAR! I think there's a protocol about this, about how long after the fact you can still say it. Too late to be wishing happy holidays, but we're still breaking-in this new year so I guess it's still fine, sort of. Anyway, '07 is over and '08 doesn't seem to be that different from last one, so on to some usual business.<br /><br />Today I received a convocation to work the voting polls on February 5... Oooohhh... unfortunately I'll be in class that night so I don't know if I'll be able to do it. I've called the voting center coordinator (because I'm responsible like that) and she still wants me to participate -"Nathalie! so good to hear from you!"- They must be desperate... I'm a little bummed out because I was really looking forward to 'participating' in this election, hopefully they'll accept me leaving early or maybe it won't be an all day affair.<br /><br />I will not write my very own personal opinions about the up-coming elections in here because, well you read it, they are personal, I'll just say -tweedle dee and tweedle dum, 'nuff said. OK, not fair, but what started looking like a very exciting happening is now looking more and more like a simple greyhound race: <span style="font-style: italic;">some</span> class, a lot of speed but still only going round and round in circles chasing each others' tails, which they still have, tails that is... ahem.<br />OK so I will try and not talk about the elections, but given that it's mostly what everyone talks about, and mainly all we see on TV I won't promise a thing.<br /><br />In other news... there aren't any really. School hasn't started so I can't numb you with it and nothing else has changed. I promised myself at the beginning of last year that I would write more, which I didn't do, well not here anyway, so I won't promise anything. I'll try and keep up with y'all, but again, no promises. There, that's this year's modus operantis: no promises I can't keep. Happy? Yeah, I thought so.<br /><br />Ta-ta people.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >P.S. You know what I love about this blog? it's mine so to hell with run-on sentences, and boy there are some...</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-9567330397900459912007-12-09T18:47:00.000-05:002007-12-09T19:20:56.752-05:00And after all that tooting...... I caught a cold. A nasty cold that has been bugging me for way too long for my taste. Nothing to do really but weather it out, or starve it. As my paternal grandmother would say: "Starve a cold, feed a fever" like my father reminded me. No choice in the matter really, I have absolutely no taste buds left, and for anyone that enjoys food like I do, what's the point of eating if you can't taste or smell what you're intaking? I've cooked (by some miracle it was OK) but could not get myself to eat more than what is absolutely necessary for this damn machine called my body to function.<br />My hearing? hubby thinks that I've gone deaf (he's persuaded that by choice). Everything is muffled, but I've almost mastered the art of reading lips. Give me a couple more days of this crap and I'll be an expert. The only positive thing is that I can't hear the constant background noise of the city. I'm thinking of getting close caption though for the TV, the neighbors must be tired of hearing what I'm watching.<br />Ah, good times. I got the bug everyone is talking about. I feel like one of the King's musketeers: "all (bugs) for one, and one (bug) for all"; But I will suffer like all my fellow mankind, because I'm unselfish like that... ahem, cough cough, sneeze.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-40475826300692811842007-12-09T18:16:00.000-05:002007-12-09T18:38:42.883-05:00Tooting one's Horn; Part DeuxIn the spirit of continuing the patting on the back, I will add that I got an A+. Yes, the bestest (shush, that's a word, I'm a teacher remember?) of the best.<br />I went to observe one of my peers the following day who had presented before me, and she told me that I made her look bad. I apologized but must admit that it made my ego fly to the moon. I mean, this is someone who has been teaching for a while and is really good, what better compliment can I get?<br />OK I'll admit, the best compliment was the professor telling me, the week after, that I was ready, that she wanted me in a classroom...<br />And this is where reality confronts idealism. Teaching, as we all know, is the worst paid profession in the world. Although we count on them to form our future citizens, we do not appreciate them as such.<br />Paying for school, living in NYC and at the same time attempting to have a glimpse of life from time to time is definitely not possible while being a teacher, convoluted but true.<br />So I'll have to wait until I'm almost finished with my masters, simply because I refuse to go into debt so as to pay for college.<br />In the meantime I'll continue to hone in on my calling, working at it, making it better (yeah yeah, I'm still not perfect), and maintaining the idealism I have so far. Here's to hoping that I never loose it...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-13894874176183588722007-12-09T17:43:00.000-05:002007-12-09T18:41:55.034-05:00Tooting one's horn; Part Uno'Tis been a while so we'll do this in little parts m'kay? Don't want to overwhelm y'all and make you run the other way while screaming "make her stop, make her stop!" OK, now that that's out of the way let's get down to business.<br /><br />People, I'm going to toot my horn as <a href="http://www.thestagingarea.com/">Kirk</a> kindly suggested and my progenitor told me to do cause, well, I listen to the voices of reason.<br />I kicked some serious ass if I may say so myself. Yup I was good, hell I was pretty darn good! I was shaking, my ears were red, my voice trembled but apparently nobody noticed (well apart from the ears which made a couple of people put on sunglasses so as not to be blinded by them).<br />I was supposed to give a 15 minutes presentation which went well over 45. People kept participating and asking questions, the professor kept smiling and I kept going. My peers, who are teachers as I mentioned, were impressed. The best accolades I received after it was finished were "you looked like a veteran", someone else said "why aren't you teaching in a classroom?" or "can I have your lesson plan? I want to use it in my classroom" and yet another "wow, if you got us motivated you will most definitely motivate children" Shall I go on or is it already too much self-congratulating?<br /><br />I feel very good about the whole experience. My adrenaline was pumping, my heart was beating fast, and I felt like I was on top of the world.<br />I am a teacher people. I am a teacher.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-10961774693378269872007-11-13T20:11:00.000-05:002007-12-09T18:40:54.387-05:00AyayayaySo tomorrow I have a *ahem* huuuuge presentation. Well it's not so much a presentation as a lesson taught to... ta da... teachers! Yup, I will be teaching tomorrow, to teachers, math, geography and general culture through the use of recipes (because we all know how much I love food) as if they were9 year olds. I can't wait to make a fool of myself.<br />Lesson plan? check. Graphs and charts? check. Cards with recipes? check. Nervous wreck? double check.<br /><br />I know that at the end it'll be fine, but I also know that I'm probably going to blush and stammer. You see I've taught in the past as a college assistant, but that was different, the poor devils thought that I was a genius and swallowed everything I said. Now I'm confronting people that actually do this for a living! Oh good grief. The lesson is pretty solid, but it's the presentation of it that has me worried. You'd think that I was blasé with all the talking, intervening and general comment-making that I do while in class, but nope, I'm freaking.<br /><br />I've been preparing this for over a month (and still married by some kind of miracle) and tomorrow is D day.<br />I'll let y'all know how it went. Tonight? I don't think that I'll be sleeping much...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-83434488160199658562007-10-06T00:03:00.000-04:002007-10-06T00:16:29.278-04:00On a lighter noteI took two days off from work. Add those to the weekend and the day we have for Columbus day and I have 5 whoooole days for myself. I'm so happy. What are we doing? Who knows but we're doing something, after I mastered the CD player that refuses to cooperate with me. Mr. N touches it and it does what it supposed to do; Me? Nothing, it doesn't budge... oh technology, how I loath thee.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-80568967740043495972007-10-05T23:33:00.000-04:002007-10-05T23:57:21.787-04:00May I please?How many times have you heard on the subway, the street, the T.V. people asking for you to donate something? There's the guilt trip: "with just 10 cents a day this little girl can go to school", the stab to the heart: "won't you help this child have something to eat today?", the constant reminder that you have more than some others do.<br /><br />It's real though, we are all surrounded by people that have less, suffer more and are in dire need of basic needs. It is a reality of our society and as soon as you live in what many would consider comfort you think of it. The problem is that most of us who feel like we could do something, realize that our little something will not even move a grain of sand in this desert of misery. Why? because most of what we give or might give goes to some big organization that is overlooking the distribution of it all. Not really their fault, after all we live in a capitalistic society.<br /><br />But there is - and shoot me for being, yet again, an education advocate - one that goes to the core of things: the education of children.<br />www.donorschoose.org is done by teachers that need materials for their classrooms. They'll state exactly what they need, exactly what project they needed it for. You'll see something like "crayons", "pens", etc... it is actually heartbreaking some of the things they list as their "needs".<br />Give people. This is our future we're investing in...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-20808588189524583622007-09-15T18:19:00.000-04:002007-09-16T09:42:07.940-04:00It's September already?Yeah I'm a bit far behind, it's the middle of September! That means several things: 1) gardening is coming to a close, 2) the semester has started and 3) it's September damn it! my most dreaded month.<br />For those of you who know me you know that turning yet another year is not something I look forward to. I've mentioned this is the past, it's genetic. I had a great aunt who would stay in her apartment with all the curtains drawn and kept away from the world. We didn't even know what day exactly was her birthday because we were forbidden to call her. I'm not that bad, but let's just say that I do not enjoy it.<br />Now this one is a big one, the big 40. I've been told that 40 is the new 30, whatever, if there's a zero in it, it's usually worse than the others. Mr. N, knowing his wife full well, has in the past years come up with things that would trump the dreaded day. 3 years ago he gave me a diamond and proposed over a pint of beer (we're romantic like that) after eons of being together, didn't expect it. After thinking that we would spend the rest of our lives engaged a year later he told me, in September, that we should get married that year, which we did 2 months later, in jeans, at city hall, with a good friend that kept cracking up as our witness. It was great.<br />This year we've been preoccupied with other things so somehow it has lost its sparkle or lack thereof. Mr. N keeps asking me what do I want to do for "the day" and frankly I have no idea. One day I think that it would be nice to have friends over, the next not so much... isn't indecision a proof of lack of maturity? I must be regressing then. In any case I will not beat myself up, I will play it by ear and see what I want to do when I want to do it, because damn it, it is MY birthday after all! I will not succumb to pressure, not even from me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-47394330434914720762007-08-19T21:38:00.000-04:002007-09-16T09:42:07.941-04:00The lazy postOK, so the last post was one of the laziest posts I've written. Copy and paste? oh yeah easy, coming up with something to say? not so much.<br />There are lots to say, but sometimes you feel the need to keep it to yourself, a sort of inner secret that makes you feel like the moment is special, you know?<br />And so I've had a couple of those, inner moments I mean, moments that I want to keep all to myself and not share with the world at large. Hell,not even with those close to me.<br /><br />These past weeks I've been doing nothing but keeping to myself and being, well, lazy. This weekend was the best example of it. The garden? saw it once; The pool? didn't even get near it. Instead I read, laid around and contemplated my belly-button, lovely weekend if I may say so myself. It was a weekend of contemplation and relaxation. But nothing came out of it besides me being extremely well rested and restless... Although relaxation is key I always feel somewhat guilty of not doing a thing, must be a NY thing.<br />In any case, I'm starting classes soon enough and so I figured that allowing a weekend of nothingness was not that bad after all.<br /><br />So here it is, a post about nothing really, but a reason why I haven't posted.I'm sure y'all understand right? Right.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-77671193070278243092007-07-28T13:17:00.000-04:002007-08-05T09:17:24.947-04:00A little taste of nothingSo although I should follow <a href="http://www.thestagingarea.com/">Kirk's</a> example - who not only proved to all that he is not a procrastinator but also that he can keep his blog while 1) renovating an apartment, 2) moving and all the while 3) having a root canal - and write more, I will not do it just now.<br />But I had to show my face quickly to tell you y'all about a site that if you have nothing to do you should visit. It's a personality test... yeah yeah yeah I know, waste of time. Well today I was precisely in the mood to waste time: too hot and humid to do any gardening, too lazy to do any house work, and so I surf as an excuse not to do laundry.<br />As I was reading another blog, the author mentioned the site and of course, looking for excuses not to get up I went right to it. I took the test, and I have to say that the profile they gave me was, well pretty accurate, so much so that the result is that I'm recommending it if you have time to waste or are looking for an excuse not to get off the computer.<br />Here's my profile:<br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:times new roman;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">You are a Benevolent Inventor.</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic; font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >About you - You are an Inventor</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Your imagination, self-reliance, openness to new things, and appreciation for utility combine to make you an INVENTOR.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- You have the confidence to make your visions into reality, and you are willing to consider many alternatives to get that done.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- The full spectrum of possibilities in the world intrigues you—you're not limited by pre-conceived notions of how things should be.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Problem-solving is a specialty of yours, owing to your persistence, curiosity, and understanding of how things work.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Your vision allows you to identify what's missing from a given situation, and your creativity allows you to fill in the gaps.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Your awareness of how things function gives you the ability to come up with new uses for common objects.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- It is more interesting for you to pursue excitement than it is to get caught up in a routine.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Although understanding details is not difficult for you, you specialize in seeing the bigger picture and don't get caught up in specifics.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- You tend to more proactive than reactive—you don't just wait for things to come to you.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Your independent streak allows you to make decisions efficiently and to trust your instincts</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >If you want to be different:</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >Try applying your creativity to more artistic arenas, and letting your imagination take less practical forms.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic; font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >How you relate to others - You are Benevolent</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- You are a great person to interact with—understanding, giving, and trusting—in a word, benevolent.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- You don't mind being in social situations, as you feel comfortable enough with people to be yourself.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Your caring nature goes beyond a basic concern: you take the time to understand the nuances of people's situations before passing any sort of judgment.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- You're a good listener, and even better at offering advice.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- You're concerned with others at both an individual and societal level—you sympathize with the plights of troubled groups, and you can care about people you've never met.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Considering many different perspectives is something at which you excel, and you appreciate that quality in others.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Other people's feelings are important to you, and you're good at mediating disputes.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >- Because of your understanding and patience, you tend to bring out the best in people.</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >If you want to be different:</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >You spend a lot of time taking care of others, but don't forget to take care of yourself!</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >Sometimes you can get over-committed, and when you sacrifice spending time with those close to you, it can make them feel unimportant.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br />Cool uh?<br />Want to do it? Go to http://www.personaldna.com/ and have fun.<br /><br />OK now to find something else to waste my time in.<br />Back later.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-4931308055871389122007-07-01T19:09:00.000-04:002007-08-05T09:17:24.948-04:00No reptillian weekend hereI'm not a reptile. What do I mean by that? I mean that I don't need to lay in the sun in order to warm my blood and so I don't.<br />Contrary to what appearances may show, I'm not one of those that spends her time laying in the sun, putting on lotion, with a timer in her hand so as to know when to flip around and doing nothing of her weekend but concentrate on tanning lines. Not so. I am lucky to have a pool available but incapable of spending time laying by it, even with a good book in my hands. I tried, really, once so far. It lasted about 1/2 hour (not counting the time when I was actually IN the pool, that I can deal with). The only reason why I attempted to go against my nature was precisely those damn lines, or more like patches in my case.<br />You see, we are also lucky to have a garden in the building, and that's what Mr. N and I do during our weekends, we garden. The result is that Mr. N looks like he has a white t-shirt on even when he takes it off, and me, being the smart girl that I am, have tank-top marks. It looks like I'm all over tanned, but no. If I wear a skirt (which we now know I don't) or capris, you will see a definite difference between my back and my legs; it's like two different entities walking as one. It is a bit weird and so I thought I could try and even it out. 1/2 hour did not do it, nor do I care.<br />And here is the reason why, I much rather be here, than doing nothing but hear brats frolicking in the water...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkC6Xbc4rv40aob9qqQbR2bloWUTLYItLIEjVrca395paHWGI02THGKjeFai5ofXIZEri69sstA9E9cIhSqOwe5KG0OesU7iwI41-L8LP19NQhSnwstzZfWUeEoYLRIOdz6c3aXQ/s1600-h/DSC_0793.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkC6Xbc4rv40aob9qqQbR2bloWUTLYItLIEjVrca395paHWGI02THGKjeFai5ofXIZEri69sstA9E9cIhSqOwe5KG0OesU7iwI41-L8LP19NQhSnwstzZfWUeEoYLRIOdz6c3aXQ/s320/DSC_0793.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082377200644124066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTy4pxvhK7AmmgvgNrIp-GdnaYRg47m6OFVBJKCN2_rzpeCd9i262u99lAukmkaV6Knv1rc1yM1vTqI4aVspsQ8X2D91esI1J03WpWf6CIAh6IzbppCz7BZ5iN82Cd8YgRxZGyw/s1600-h/DSC_0743.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTy4pxvhK7AmmgvgNrIp-GdnaYRg47m6OFVBJKCN2_rzpeCd9i262u99lAukmkaV6Knv1rc1yM1vTqI4aVspsQ8X2D91esI1J03WpWf6CIAh6IzbppCz7BZ5iN82Cd8YgRxZGyw/s320/DSC_0743.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082375517016944018" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-74620851757553412132007-06-27T20:42:00.000-04:002007-08-05T09:17:24.948-04:00A NY momentI hardly ever wear dresses. Why you say? because I am the ultimate clutz. I am the person you see stumbling over a piece of dust on the sidewalk and immediately turning around to look for the mountain that had surely suddenly risen up.<br />I am the one that cannot drink coffee in the subway and manage to read her book while trying to keep a resemblance of balance. I will be the one always saying "sorry about that" while she bumps into you when there was absolutely no reason to be bumping into anyone.<br />I know I am a clutsz so I don't wear dresses just in case I fall I don't, on top of making a fool of myself, flash the entire world. I also don't wear white pants for the same reason. If I wear anything light I know that I'll be the one seating in the only seat where a 2 year old brat dropped his or her cranberry juice. But... but, I broke my rule a few days ago and wore white pants, and what had to happen happened, I fell.<br />As I was making my hurriedly way to the subway, climbing up the stairs in as a nonchalant way as I could muster, all the while cursing myself for having sat and knowing that I most likely was wearing someone's breakfast on my butt, I stumbled and fell.<br />First thought: "Do not put your knees down woman! you're wearing white!" so I probably looked like I was doing a downward dog in a very yogi fashion so as to avoid the sure stain. Of course when you have about a hundred people behind you it fails to look athletic and just looks pathetic.<br />I tried to follow the flow of the fall, and just grabbed my book that had flown from my hands as I was picking myself up, just so that it didn't look that evident, but didn't quite manage. My hair fell on my eyes so that I was blinded for a second, my sunglasses dropped on the floor and my most feminine attitude went out the window. I had to turn around and apologize to the line that had formed behind me patiently waiting for me to get it together.<br />We all missed the subway.<br />The white pants are in the closet and will gather dust. I am not to wear them again nor will I attempt to wear a dress, unless it's down to my ankles and I'm wearing shorts underneath it... better safe than sorry....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-37804413518383095922007-06-20T21:37:00.000-04:002007-08-05T09:17:24.948-04:00Life is a bitter mystery"Life is a bitter mystery" was an expression used by one of my old coworkers way back then, and it's one of those expressions I often refer to. It's true, you never know what you'll get in life, although I'm still debating about the bitter part. Lately though I've gone through a quite mind-boggling experience that would tend to assert that quandary yet I've somehow managed to keep a stiff upper lip, if you know what I mean.<br />I found out a few months ago that although mentally I'm still a young chick (yes, maturity is not a lifetime goal), my body has decided to prove that it's not that infallible.; more precisely the lady-ovaries decided to act beyond their age and stopped producing as many ovules as they should. The result? No little jr. Ns about to come. And so Mr. N and I went to an ovary specialist, better known as a fertility doctor.<br />Many probings and sticking with needles later, 4 (yes read four) embryos were transplanted. Needless to say that I was in a state of panic. Four? The hell? one seems impossible enough, but 4? No worries, none of them decided to stick around, and this is where I recalled my coworker's expression. You see I panicked at the idea of having four, but having none was even harder. And so now I find myself thinking that next time around if I'm asked whether it's OK to transplant 11 embryos I'll just have to think of what name to give to the football team, because people, life is a bitter mystery, and out of the eleven I'll hope that one decides to call itself my kid... and hey, if they all decide to stick around, we'll need a goal keeper!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-64954049973924441382007-06-07T20:51:00.000-04:002007-06-07T21:04:05.874-04:00Just a little somethingI'm writing because I said I would, but I'm so tired that I'm going to collapse any second now so I'm keeping it short.<br />What has happened since last I wrote? Semester is over, got good grades. Garden has been planted. My cooking mojo is back. Trying to quit smoking so not drinking while cooking, maybe that changed it?<br />Anyway, I've officially joined my grandmother's ranks: I am now in bed by 10:30 and getting up (without alarm mind you) by 6:30. I say it's the summer, sounds better than age.<br />I am not inspired tonight and can't stop yawning, so I'll leave y'all until tomorrow.<br />I'll try and be a bit more awake, although I can't promise anything.<br />Signing off.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-82020198264331049742007-06-07T13:03:00.000-04:002007-06-07T13:05:08.046-04:00Oh my!It's been over a month!! Such laziness.<br />I'll write tonight, really, I will.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-12758596885614397472007-04-17T22:03:00.000-04:002007-04-18T19:59:57.206-04:00Too much?Yesterday the professor told me in front of everyone in the class that I am extremely analytical. I didn't quite know how to take it and so I waited until the end of class to ask her if that was such a bad thing. Her answer was that no, that it meant that I was really thinking about the subject.<br />But it got me thinking, and doubting of course, whether I sometimes push too far. I am well aware of the fact that I tend to look for what is not said, what is not implied and what sometimes is not even thought of. I often want to go beyond what is obvious and look deeper into things.<br />I've been known to dig in so deep that whatever I was digging for is no longer an issue. It sometimes has come to point of annoyance, an although I have that little voice on my shoulder telling me to stop I don't know how to.<br />I question everything, absolutely everything. But, shouldn't there be a point of just accepting things for what they are?<br />What marks the difference between a quizzical mind and a provocateur?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-39778117736624307072007-04-10T21:30:00.000-04:002007-04-10T21:40:19.085-04:00MojoI've lost my cooking mojo. No the pleasure I get out of cooking mind you, it's more like the cooking that comes out of that pleasure... null!<br /><br />I've had the bright ideas:<br />Stuffed zucchinis and tomatoes with ground meat that has simmered in onions, herbs and a little wine, topped with Parmesan. All accompanied with rice and a salad of cut-up lettuce and chunks of avocados. Sounds great doesn't it? The zucchinis and tomatoes were dry! I didn't make the damn tomato sauce to top it all off with and the vinaigrette on the salad was well, too vinegary.<br />The following day, not letting past fiascoes get the best of me, I embarked on yet another culinary dare: Crepes filled with shrimps and crab meat, topped with a spicy Bearnaise sauce, and an endive salad. I wasn't holding my breath on this one. I mean, how bad can I mess it up, right?... famous last words.<br />Although I did cook the flour for the Bearnaise enough, (good thing too because if not hubby and I would have to most definitely sleep in separate quarters lest we want to suffocate each other, anyone that has ever eaten uncooked flour in butter knows what I mean) the end product was, well, not appealing. Oh it tasted alright, but the crepes disintegrated and so we had a blob on our plates, a shapeless, unidentifiable-to-the eye blob.<br />Today I decided to cook some of the vegetables we have left: Japanese eggplants, mushrooms, a tomato, the inside of the zucchinis I had set aside when I did the afore mentioned stuffing fiasco, some garlic, onions and for color chopped up the leaves of some green onions.<br />Garlic,onions and veggies? can't go wrong... or so I hope. Watch them be over or under cooked and have no flavor whatsoever.<br /><br />So I'm trying here people, although somehow the days of putting together a meal with no worries are gone. But I won't give up... I will find the damn mojo, whatever it takes, even if in the process hubby begs me to stop while holding his stomach in pain. I will get it back!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-65707695365010880782007-04-07T21:50:00.000-04:002007-04-10T15:45:12.148-04:00Kawabonga! (and now what?)I've been trying to finish this post for about a week now and I'll be damn if I don't finish it today!<br />A few things are no longer current or accurate, but I feel like being bipolar so I will add a '<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">second voice</span></span>' to the damn thing, just for kicks.<br /><br />Spring break! yeay! (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">spring? what spring? I'm freezing my butt off here!</span></span>) OK so for this girl the only thing that it meant was that I wasn't going to class for a week and a half, but still... yeay! not getting up early this Saturday is plenty for me at this point (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">not yeay, not even close to ye, I still got up early for no reason whatsoever, didn't even enjoy it</span></span>).<br />Mr N and I decided to hit the farmers markets that are close by (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">would have been nice IF THEY HAD BEEN OPENED! yeah I'm organized like that... pfff</span></span>), OK not thrilling but a change of pace. Seriously, I'm just enjoying being able to not have any obligations (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">besides cleaning, doing laundry, food shopping...</span></span>). Period .<br />Mr. N has been in a spring cleaning mode that leaves me thrilled. The bedroom has a whole new look, the walls have been washed, furniture moved... I'm in heaven! In this household we move furniture ever so often and it gives the apartment a fresh new look that we love... for about 4 months and then we move stuff around again (<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">and still moving, there's clutter everywhere</span></span>).<br /><br />And this is where I left off. Full of optimism for a week packed with exciting things to come, and what happened? Nada, not a damn thing besides the usual day in and day out. Serves me right for 1) not looking at the weather forecast, where I would have learned that we were going back to winter-like temperatures, 2) being a wimp when it comes to having to wear layers to go out and 3) thinking that one week off after months of getting up early would make ANY difference. Like if.<br /><br />So the week has come and gone and I've done nothing to take advantage of it. We're promised warmer (read above freezing) temperatures for next week, whoopity doo! couldn't have been while I was off... noooo.<br />So I guess I'll have to wait until summer to actually get a life. At least I won't have the weather as an excuse for not having one!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-55494947290405804512007-03-27T21:12:00.000-04:002007-03-27T21:47:24.125-04:00Nerd?I've been called a nerd. Hell, I even called myself one in a self-depreciating way but now I'm pondering about the true meaning behind the word.<br />Speaking from my own experience I do not see it as a derogatory or insulting term; it is just a word that means that you have your nose in your books any moment you can so as to quench your thirst for knowledge. OK, very romanticized, but you get my drift.<br />I got a very good grade in my exam, and I guess this is where all of this is coming from. I study every day, every time I get (when the neurons are awake), and so I deserved it. Not a perfect score because I made stupid mistakes, but who doesn't.<br />The whole point is that I wasted a big chunk of my life in just getting by, and now that I've found what I want to do I am investing as much as I can in it. Sue me, so a nerd I am.<br />I will continue, and will laugh with those that think I make too much of it, all the while patting myself in the back as I remember that I am doing this for me and no one else. And the rewards I get? They will be well deserved.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-81180326740167965592007-03-18T20:04:00.000-04:002007-03-18T20:28:08.993-04:00And I like this... why?I have an exam tomorrow. I'm freaking out. Why? because I always freak out when I have exams. I've always been a poor exam-taker: I hyperventilate, get sweaty palms, stomachache, headache, I convince myself that I'm getting a brain aneurysm; in other words I fall apart. And the more I study the worse it gets. Papers? I have no problems. Give me a 20-page paper anytime and even if I moan I'll get through it. I know that once I control my breathing when I'm taking the exam all goes well, but it's the building up to it that kills me.<br />So this is me, a Sunday night panicky person after a weekend of studying non-stop and 2 weeks of reviewing the material. I must be insane, why am I doing this again? Oh yeah, I love what I'm studying, but I could really do without exams though. Some kind of educator I'm going to be...<br /><br />There's some other stuff going on, but right now I'm up to my ears in Native Language Acquisition to even consider writing any of it, so you'll have to wait until after the exam for me to go back to being my usual blabbering self. Until then, repeat after me:<br />"You'll do fine, you'll do fine. Breathe, breathe."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35560777.post-66499066558957444162007-03-09T20:12:00.000-05:002007-03-09T21:40:21.023-05:00What the...?As time passes I realize more and more that there are many wisdoms we were never told of when we were young. Yeah we get the birds and the bees speech, the <span style="font-style: italic;">one day you'll understand</span> one, and the all time favorite <span style="font-style: italic;">you'll see when you have kids of your own</span>. I don't know personally about the kids part, but I wish I had been told - among many other things- of the effects gravity would have on my body after turning a certain age.<br /><br />Gravity should be a recurring theme brought-up alongside <span style="font-style: italic;">brush your teeth or they'll rot</span>. We should be warned about its relentless pull, how parts that you did not know could sag would eventually start taking on a whole new shape, more oval, aiming towards the southern hemisphere. Did you know that the skin on your ribs gets tired of sticking to them and decides to part ways after you're late in your thirties? I bet you didn't, now you do. Love handles? Nah-ha, they have moved on and become alien entities that just want to run for their lives... away from you, towards the south were it's most likely warmer.<br />And the hair. Remember when you used to make fun of older men because they had hair sticking from their ears? Well think again, it's not from the ears in women, it's on the chin! and a rebellious one here and there on the throat. Why? because we never had to endure the shaving rituals on a daily basis (hopefully) and so it's a way of getting back at us.<br /><br />Which makes me think, there is some balance in this world after all. Women go through yeeeears of GYN probing and then men get it right back when they are in their 50's and get the glove with Vaseline as they're told to relax. On the other hand men have to deal with facial hair throughout their lives, and we get it as we give up our youthfulness.<br />It's those little-know things that creep up and should be imparted on our youth: Things fall where they shouldn't and grow where we never thought imaginable they would. And those, more than the birds and the bees, are the facts of life. Now why were we never told??? Revenge I bet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3