andree by the bay

Back and Better Than Ever

2010-05-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!

I'm back! The worst of the crazy school busyness is past, and now I can get back to writing, photographing, and sharing with you. I'm feeling very inspired and motivated to make this blog even better, so I decided I needed to make a change...

I have a new home in the blogosphere! After much debate between staying here with blogspot or moving over to tumblr, I decided I'd rather do it myself (well, and let wordpress help). So as of today, I'm moving over to http://www.andreebythebay.com. Please update your bookmarks and/or feeds.

I'm going to leave all of the current posts here for a while. I tried to move everything over to the new site, but it was formatting hell. So I'm starting fresh with a new home and a slightly different design. I'm still working to build the site, so expect some construction for a few weeks.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. ;)

Survival Seeds

2010-04-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

Last night the boyfriend and I ate dinner in front of the TV and watched some old episodes of The Colbert Report. They are piling up on our DVR, and last night we finally watched the episode from March 11, 2010. Well, I nearly choked on my dinner from laughing.

In this segment, Colbert chooses not to focus on Glenn Beck's "waste of time" interview with Eric Massa but instead talks about the advertisers during Beck's show. And with that introduction, I give you Survival Seeds:

More Than Just a Name...

2010-04-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

Below is part of an email from my mother (I really hope she doesn't mind me posting this!):

Greetings, Andree, oh Great Princess Warrior!

Loved your blog story...very authentic.

Hope you remember that "Andrew" was my grandfather's middle name and his father's first name...a long family tradition. And don't forget, Emilie (my sister) was supposed to be Andrew. We had been saving that name for a long time because it was so special, and I'm glad that we discovered a way to use it. The saint's name "Joseph" (my middle name is JoEllen) was your grandfather's (on my dad's side) first name. Your first and middle names carry on the tradition for both families.

So that's the rest of the story. Such tradition! I'm a big fan of using family names, especially for middle names, and I hope to continue this tradition with my own kids... whenever that happens. :)

Only the Best Name Ever

2010-04-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

In the interest of procrastination, here's a story for you all:

Today I had to take a bunch of tennis balls to school for an in-class activity (collisions and momentum, fun fun). I keep all of my semi-old-but-not-yet-flat tennis balls in a bag that has my name on the front. Well, one of my students saw it. This is how the conservation went:

Student: "Andree? Who's that?"
Me: "That's me. That's my first name."
Student: "For real? What kind of name is that?"
Me: "Only the best name ever."
Student: "I meant like, what language."
Me: "Oh. French."
Student: "Sick!" (this is a common positive exclamation from this particular student)

It's true, I think my name is the best name ever. I have yet to meet another Andree, and even though hardly anyone pronounces it correctly on the first try (which can get annoying), I love its uniqueness.

I believe the story goes that my parents thought I would be a boy and so they had picked out the name Andrew. Well, surprise! it's a girl! and so I was named Andree instead. My parents really exhausted themselves mentally coming up with that one (just kidding Mom and Dad!). Andree is the French version of Andrea, which is the female version of Andrew. All three names mean "man, warrior, virile" (yes, even the female versions). I was doomed to be a tomboy for life.

So there you have it. Now I suppose I should get back to work... boo.

P.S. I recently discovered that there is a Cafe Andree in the Nob Hill area. I need to check it out sometime and see if it's worthy of its name.

P.P.S. Dear sweet boyfriend, if you happen to see that my internet search history includes "baby names" it's because I was looking up the meaning of names for this post. That's it. I swear!

From My Point of View

2010-04-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 12, 2010 - San Francisco International Airport - 1:44 am

The Friday Five, vol. 16

2010-04-09T00:44:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for my mom who is generally awesome and who teaches members of her quilting group about the Black Eyes Peas and video chatting on Skype.
I'm thankful for warm weather and sunshine. My mood is 1000000000 times better because of it.
I'm thankful for my boyfriend, who thinks I'm weird but loves me anyway.
I'm thankful for the random dreams I've been having lately because it makes my posts to Twitter and Facebook much more entertaining.
I'm thankful for the ability to fly to Chicago for a quick weekend trip to celebrate a birthday and a baptism with one of my best friends.

It Finally Makes Sense!

2010-04-07T22:22:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the folks at Great White Snark, we now have an explanation in the form of a Venn diagram!
I still say I'm a nerd.

And I love it when people use nerdy diagrams to explain silly things, for example, this one.

Not How I Planned

2010-04-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today as I was leaving class, I had the random thought, "Wow, I live in California. How did that happen?" I've lived here for almost six years - the fact that I live in California is nothing new. So where did that thought come from?

The truth is... my life is nothing like I expected it to be.

I sometimes think back to the high school version of me. That me had no idea who she was. I was awkward and unsure, and I didn't really know what I wanted in life. All I knew is that I wanted to do something great.

I sometimes think back to the college version of me. That me was the one that created all these expectations in the first place. But that me was really two people.

There was that me that still wanted to do something great. I wanted to be successful and make a name for myself. I studied engineering and reveled in comments from people who thought it was hard. I pushed myself to be not just good, but great, and sought out opportunities for internships, research, and graduate school. I completely expected to finish my Ph.D. on time and secure a professorship by the time I was 26.

But there was that other me, the me that was simply happy being a good friend and girlfriend. I wanted to stay close to my friends and I wanted to finally have a real shot at a relationship that wasn't long-distance. I expected that, following college, I would move to Chicago, get married, and have (or least be trying to have) a baby by the time I was 26.

I'm not sure why I picked 26. But that was the magical number. And I expected the two parts of me to come together so I could have it all: the Ph.D., the career, the family, my same friends... all the things that I thought meant happiness. So today, at age 27, I'm reminded that my life looks nothing like that. And that's okay. I suppose this is part of being an adult. I'm learning to let go of those expectations and not feel like a failure in the process.

Because when I really think about it, and if I'm honest with myself, my life has not turned out how I planned... and for that I'm extremely grateful.

I never expected to like living in the bay area. I never expected to go back to school to become a high school science teacher and love working with freshman every single day. I never expected to know and work with such amazing people. I never expected to fall in love with a boy who grew up in California and hates the idea of living in snow but never fails to make me laugh. I never expected that some of my friendships would become even better with time regardless of how far apart we live.

I never expected to me this me. But I like her the best.

SF Bay Wildlife Refuge

2010-03-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I drove from Oakland (where I had an interview) to Menlo Park (where I would meet a friend for lunch) and I stumbled across the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Seriously - it was completely serendipitous!

I was just outside of Fremont when I realized I had zero cash for the bridge toll (note to self: get a FastTrak). I got off the freeway to find an ATM and successfully got lost in Fremont. It was bound to happen - the only time I have spent in Fremont was at The Saddlerack and I don't think I ever drove myself there. Anyway, I finally got to a place where I could see the Dumbarton Bridge and headed in that direction. And there, right before the entrance to the bridge, was the wildlife refuge. I had never even heard of it!

I was so curious, and it was so nice and sunny out, that I decided to park and walk around a bit. Yes, I was still in a suit and heels from my interview, and I probably looked ridiculous to the other hikers on the trails. I didn't go very far, but it was far enough to know that I want to go back again soon.

I didn't take any pictures at the refuge, but here is one from the parking lot looking toward Fremont. I think the clouds look like a painting.

The Friday Five, vol. 15

2010-03-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked why I stopped writing my weekly Friday Five. There are several reasons, but the most important one is that I felt forced to do it and I didn't want that. I'll write when I have something I'm excited or inspired to write about.
Netflix instant streaming through Blue-ray players was a genius idea.
I'm considering moving this site over to Tumblr. I really like the format over there and I think it matches well with what I've been posting on my blog lately. Blogspot is pretty good, but it's not exactly cutting-edge.
This weekend I'll be driving all around the bay area, so expect some new stories and pictures soon. Tonight, Palo Alto, tomorrow, Oakland...
andree by the bay is hitting the road this summer! And interestingly enough, most places are near water so hopefully I won't miss my bay too much. So far the list includes Baltimore, Atlantic City, southeast Asia (probably Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Bangkok, and Phuket), Chicago, and Philadelphia. More details to come later.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2010-02-28T19:50:00.001-08:00

I came home from dinner tonight to find this under the lamp outside my apartment. It's small - about the same size as the palm of my hand - but mighty amazing.

From My Point of View

2010-02-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 21, 2010 - Stanford, CA - 3:07 pm

Blind Wine Tasting

2010-02-14T23:15:00.000-08:00

Great party idea: disguise your wine bottles and have everyone try to guess the grape varietal. I got 5 out of 11 correct! Well, two were bottles that I brought... but still, 3 out of 9 isn't too bad!

P.S. Yes, that is engineering paper.

P.P.S. I NEED a new camera. I got to play around last night with a friend's camera and now I am convinced I need a new camera. I think it will be my graduation present to myself. ;)

P.P.P.S. Oh yeah, happy V-day.

Hidden Villa

2010-02-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

It has been quite some time since I last wrote about a bay area adventure. I'm going to remedy that now!

Last weekend I ventured south and over the foothills to Hidden Villa in Los Altos, CA. From the description on their website, Hidden Villa is "a non-profit educational organization that uses its organic farm, wilderness, and community to teach and provide opportunities to learn about the environment and social justice." Why was I there? To learn how to make cheese, of course!

It was an overcast day and the grounds were super muddy from all of our recent rain, but the farm was amazing. We started our two-hour class by walking through the organic garden and picking out herbs and flowers to use with our cheese. We got to see the chickens and the cows and a sweet new baby calf - he was SO cute! We finally made our way to the Duvendeck house where we began our cheese making adventure. We made two cheeses: mozzarella and fromage de chèvre. The mozzarella was finished in time to sample it at the end of class, and I took my chèvre home, still in a cheese cloth, to eat later. Both were delicious! I highly recommend Hidden Villa and the cheese making class to anyone.


Duvendeck House	Fresh Mozzarella

Twitter

2010-01-31T12:56:00.001-08:00

And so it begins... http://www.twitter.com/andreebythebay

Nerd Alert!

2010-01-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

This is what a styrofoam cup looks like when you put liquid nitrogen in it. It's pretty cool (no pun intended).

Mediterranean Wraps

2010-01-27T11:41:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite places to eat in Palo Alto is Mediterranean Wraps. There are two locations, one on California Avenue and one on University Avenue. I personally prefer the California Ave. location; I used to bike there when I lived on Stanford's campus. The food has always been amazing, but the restaurant was renovated in the last couple of years so it's now a nice place to sit and enjoy a meal. The outdoor patio is lovely.

The menu is simple, but you really can't go wrong with any item. There are several vegetarian choices and the plates (minus the pita bread) are delicious gluten-free dishes. I usually order a wrap of some sort, and my new favorite is the falafel wrap with avocado. Add a cup of mint tea and a piece of pistachio baklava (pictured to the right) and your stomach will thank you.

Protip: At the California location, if you eat in the restaurant you will most likely be offered complimentary tea (and occasionally extra falafel); just be patient!

From My Point of View

2010-01-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - South Lake Tahoe, CA - 1:04 pm

Music Memories

2010-01-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been in a bit of a funk. I'm having trouble getting back into the swing of school and I'm feeling a bit burnt out, which I keep telling myself is totally acceptable since I'm 27 and I still do homework for a living. Since I believe music can cure almost anything, tonight I dug out some old music to help remedy the funkiness (because let's face it, that paper isn't going to write itself).

I was near the end of the Matchbox 20 album Yourself or Someone Like You when nostalgia hit and I was 15 again. The song Hang (click here for the song on YouTube) will forever remind me of one of my boyfriends in high school. It wasn't "our" song, it was just a song that he liked to play on guitar. Suddenly I began thinking about songs - some that were important and some that held no particular significance at the time - that now cause me to recall memories.

I could probably write an extensive list of songs that have this effect, but then I would have to explain each one and that would get... long. However, I am fascinated by the impact these songs still have. What is it about One Sweet Day that instantly transports me to junior high? How do The Weepies force me to recall a great loss as well as a great accomplishment? Why is it, without fail, that an album by Marc Cohn makes me introspective but the Scissor Sisters make me crack up laughing?

What songs have this affect on you? Do they transport you in time or make you feel a certain way?

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

2010-01-05T09:24:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions, and so far I've stayed away from creating some sort of list of unrealistic goals that I know I'll give up on by mid-February. However, since we have now reached 2010, there are lists aplenty that review the past decade and anticipate the decade to come. Some are serious, such as Bono's "Top Ten for the Next Ten," and some are just silly, like Soul Pancake's "Who Ruined the Decade for You?"

This is perhaps one of the best summaries of the past decade I've seen, courtesy of Phillip Niemeyer in the NY Times (click to enlarge):

So I've been thinking... what would I like to do in the next ten years? In the near term, I'm looking forward to finishing school and finding a job. I'd also like to travel more before I get too settled in one place. Beyond that, having kids and buying a house are pretty high up on the list. I'd also like to learn how to play the accordion, and I think ten years is a reasonable time frame to make that goal realistic.

What are some of your plans for the next ten years?

Holiday Wrap-Up

2010-01-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It's nice to finally be at home with a few days left to relax before I head back to school on Monday.

We survived Christmas, which included family gatherings in three cities in two states within four days. It was wonderful to spend time with family and I'm glad that we're still able to see everyone, although it seems to get crazier every year (or maybe my tolerance for the chaos decreases a bit every year?). We also had some travel ~~disasters~~ problems, but I'm sure you already gathered that from my previous post.

Anyway, as promised, here are pictures of all the Christmas trees from our travels:


Fallbrook, CA

Murrieta, CA

Urbandale, IA

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are looking forward to a new start in the new year!

From My Point of View

2009-12-31T23:26:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 31, 2009 - Millbrae, CA - 6:53 pm

Holiday Games

2009-12-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

Let's play a game! See if you can figure out what's wrong with this picture:

Favorite Christmas Albums, cont.

2009-12-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

And now for the top five:

Christmas Portrait - The Carpenters
This is just a classic Christmas album. The songs here range from traditional Ava Maria to selections from The Nutcracker to Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. This is the first album I put on each year to get me in the Christmas spirit. The album ends with a beautiful piano/instrumental/choir variation of O Holy Night, which is my favorite Christmas song, ever.

Songs for Christmas - Sufjan Stevens
This is the newest addition to my Christmas collection and I LOVE it. It is quiet, understated, and amazing. I could listen to Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming or Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing over and over again. However, the best part about this 42-track compilation are the original songs by Stevens, such as Only at Christmas Time, Get Behind Me Santa, and Sister Winter.

Merry Christmas - Mariah Carey
Who doesn't love this album? All I Want for Christmas is You (of Love Actually fame) is probably the best known, but Mariah has the pipes to make all of the songs on this album fantastic. It's a good mix of tunes and all are beautifully done. It is probably the best contemporary Christmas album out there.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Other Christmas Classics - Gene Autry
This album reminds me of my childhood Christmases more than any other. The songs are silly, simple, and sweet. If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas is my favorite song and it's one that I always get stuck in my head. Other catchy favorites include Sleigh Bells and Santa, Santa, Santa. Hooray, hooray, hooray!

Christmas - The Oakridge Boys
Yes, The Oakridge Boys. This album is THE soundtrack for my family's Christmases. I remember singing these songs with my sister when I was little. We loved the really really deep voice that rumbles in songs like Jesus is Born Today. I will never, ever get tired of listening to these songs. Every single song is a favorite of mine. It's just... happiness.

Favorite Christmas Albums

2009-12-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that I love music and I love Christmas. So I thought I should put together a list of my favorite Christmas albums. Here are the first five of my current top ten:

Christmas Rocks! - The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Upbeat, jazzy, and perfect for a jumpin' Christmas party. This is a relatively new album to my collection but it's quickly become one of my favorites. Back when the train and Muni were my primary modes of transportation, I used to listen to this album on my iPod so I wouldn't get annoyed with pushy people trying to get to Union Square for Christmas shopping.

Christmas with the Rat Pack - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr.
Christmas classics done by the classics, and one of the best albums out there. The best track is, of course, Dean Martin's Baby, It's Cold Outside. I am confident he would have convinced me to stay - how could you possibly argue with that voice?

Home for Christmas - Amy Grant
I had this album on cassette tape when I was a kid and I used to listen to it as I fell asleep at night. I absolutely love the song Emmanuel, God With Us, and it's a song I've not found on any other album. Breath of Heaven is also beautiful and will forever remind me of one of my roommates from college and when her mom passed away in December during our senior year.

Christmas, A Fresh Aire Christmas, and Christmas in the Aire - Mannheim Steamroller
Three fantastic albums that are indistinguishable in my memory. These albums were some of the first my family put on after Thanksgiving as we decorated our Christmas tree. As a kid I used to put these on the stereo and dance around our living room. I was, and still am, totally into the synthesizer sounds.

A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Do I seriously need to explain this one? I still watch this show when it comes on TV each year, and the musical soundtrack has become legendary. It's charming and perfectly captures the moments of Christmas. Christmastime is Here is happiness in six minutes.

Tomorrow I will reveal my top five favorite Christmas albums. Do you have any guesses? I bet some will surprise you!

The Oaxacan Kitchen

2009-12-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

Last night we had dinner at The Oaxacan Kitchen in Palo Alto. We had been there once before about a year ago and decided it was time to go back. It is soooo good! The Oaxacan Kitchen's speciality are their moles (sauces), and there are several varieties to choose from: negro, amarillo, coloratdito, and verde. I had the enchiladas with chicken and coloradito mole; it was delicious. A glass of their white sangria completed the meal quite nicely. If you're ever in the Palo Alto area, you should give this place a try. If you go on a weekend night, I highly recommend making reservations or calling ahead to put your name on the list; the wait can be quite long.

The Friday Five, vol. 14

2009-12-18T23:24:00.000-08:00

I am officially done with classes and teaching for the fall! I have a two-week break before it all begins again on January 4.

Last night I saw the Nutcracker at the San Francisco Ballet. It was fantastic! I've seen the Nutcracker multiple times, and I have never seen that much snow dumped on stage. The costumes, the dancing, the production value... all outstanding.

Quote of the week: "This wasn't an argument until you decided to talk back." -my boyfriend. We were playfully arguing about something completely trivial when he said this. I wasn't amused at the time, but now I think this is really funny.

This week I saw the movie Invictus, the latest film from Clint Eastwood. It tells the story of how Nelson Mandela used rugby to unite the people of South Africa. It was pretty good - the story is moving and the film is well done. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys political-sports-biopics.

Speaking of movies, there are several movies that are in theaters or coming out in the next couple of weeks that I want to see. Up in the Air, Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and Nine are at the top of my list. Good thing I have some time off! Hopefully I will make it to the theater to see a few of these.

Christmas Sights

2009-12-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

Look at this cute little tree all decorated for Christmas - it's just across the street from my apartment. The picture on the right is of the same tree, and I really really like how this picture turned out. I find it... mesmerizing.

Stanford vs. Duke

2009-12-16T15:53:00.001-08:00

Last night I went to the Stanford women's basketball game. One of my friends scored some free tickets so we went to the game and watched our Cardinal beat the Blue Devils from Duke University. This was my first time in Maples Pavillion, and it was a great place to watch a game. However, they don't sell beer there, which is surprising considering you can buy beer at the student union on campus. There was a pretty good sized crowd despite the fact that campus has been dead for a couple of days (the last day of finals was last Friday). At one point, a Duke player knocked down one of the Stanford players and the entire crowd erupted into boos. It was hilarious to see several old, white-haired folks jump to their feet and boo loudly.

I wish I had time to go to more games. I really like watching basketball, and it always brings back good memories: going to Drake basketball games with my dad when I was younger, dancing at halftime in high school, the JHS Superfans, and of course my Valpo Crusaders - go VU!

From My Point of View

2009-12-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 14, 2009 - my apartment - 6:29 pm

Lightspeed Champion

2009-12-12T21:07:00.001-08:00

I just - as in today - discovered Lightspeed Champion (Dev Hynes). I am totally digging his music, it's very... fresh. His debut album, Falling Off the Lavender Bridge was released last year, and it has quite a few great songs. Some of the guitar bits remind me of the Dirty Projectors who I looove. Here are some samples:

"Tell Me What It's Worth"

"Marlene" (due out in January 2010)

And here's a freakin' sweet collaboration between Lightspeed Champion and Basement Jaxx:

The Friday Mega Five

2009-12-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

My my, it's been a while, hasn't it? Life is busy, but that really shouldn't be an excuse for me to slack off on posting. I'm reminded of the everlasting wisdom of Ferris Bueller: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

*pauses to look around*

And now, I present to you the past month, in a neatly numbered list known as the Friday Mega Five:

My nephew Evan celebrated his first birthday on November 13. I haven't seen him since Christmas last year, so I'm looking forward to seeing how different he is now.

My students dissected cow eyes in class during the week before Thanksgiving. Most of them really enjoyed it, and it was fun to see otherwise reserved students take charge and dig in (literally!). The dissection was part of our unit on light, during which we also talked about how our eyes allow us to see. I took a couple of pictures, but I won't post them in case some of you are... sensitive. Click here at your own risk to see the cow eye pre-dissection.

I saw New Moon with some girl friends the weekend it opened. We went on a Sunday afternoon which was a brilliant idea. The theater was filled with mostly women our age and very few screaming teenagers. It was a very satisfying movie, and Jacob is, well, ... *swoon*

My niece Bella celebrated her 7th birthday on November 26. Happy birthday Bella! I still need to get her birthday card in the mail... I'm a bad auntie.

Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone! I did not travel anywhere this year, which was wonderful. I don't mind traveling but it's always worse around the holidays. I celebrated with some friends on Friday evening, and we had a mostly traditional meal of chicken, stuffing, gravy, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, and jell-o (with fruit in it, of course). I also made a pumpkin cheesecake and my boyfriend made an apple pie for dessert. Both were delicious! We ate way too much food, drank a bit too much wine, and played games that did not require us to move. Overall, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I am so incredibly thankful for all of my friends and family. I have a feeling I would not survive this year without them. You guys are the best!

On Thanksgiving Day, my boyfriend and I put up and decorated our Christmas tree. It was the earliest possible date that he would let me decorate for Christmas. If I had it my way, everything would be out right after Halloween. Aren't our stockings cute? I made them last year.

After decorating for Christmas, we bought a new TV. We upgraded from an old junky 21" box TV to a nice shiny 40" LCD TV. Merry early Christmas to us, I guess! It was pretty hard to ignore the new TV and focus on school.
Old TV New TV!

My niece Nikki celebrated her 24th birthday on December 2. Happy birthday Nikki! I really hope she decides to come visit me in the Bay Area some day. I think we would have so much fun.

December 2 was also the day I got sent home from school (seriously) by another teacher because apparently I "didn't look so hot." I had been home for no more than 10 minutes and I got sick. I spent the next three days in bed or on the couch with the flu. Bleh.

Last week I was supposed to go to Phoenix for a few days for a conference with one of my classmates and colleagues, but I ended up having to cancel my trip. Stupid flu. I was really looking forward to the Phoenix sunshine.

My grandpa (my mother's father) passed away last week. He had been in hospice for a few weeks so we knew this was coming. I was unable to go to the funeral because of finals at school. It would have been nice to spend some time with my family.

My grandma celebrated her 89th birthday on December 5. Happy birthday Grandma!

I have written over 100 pages of stuff - papers, reflections, unit/lesson plans, etc. - in the past two weeks. I really don't want to know the grand total for the quarter.

This has been my late-night study companion this week:

I'm half way done with school! Two quarters down, two more to go.

One of my students, who I haven't had in class this week, stopped by my room yesterday to give me a hug. It made my day.

I have to start thinking about job hunting. It seems kind of crazy to start this early, but most schools start the hiring process in March, so I need to be prepared by then. I have my sights set on a couple of schools around here but I will need to do some additional research over break.

Speaking of break, here is my holiday travel schedule:
Dec 21: Fly from San Jose, CA to Ontario, CA
Dec 21-26: Christmas celebrations in Murrieta, CA and Fallbrook, CA
Dec 26: Fly from San Diego, CA to Des Moines, IA
Dec 26-30: Christmas celebrations in Urbandale, IA
Dec 30: Fly from Des Moines, IA to San Francisco, CA

It feels great to be back blogging - I'm looking forward to posting regularly again! Until next time, which won't be too long...

Checking In

2009-11-23T19:14:00.000-08:00

I'm alive, all is well, I'm just... busy. I'll have a bit more time later this week to post a few updates.

From My Point of View

2009-11-12T19:19:00.001-08:00

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Stanford, CA - 3:00 pm

My New Toy

2009-11-10T00:29:00.000-08:00

It's so cute and tiny! Thanks Mom and Dad. :)

Two Steps Behind

2009-11-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

I've had the song "Two Steps Behind" by Def Leppard in my head all day. It reminds me of this moment in college when I was sitting next to my friend Keith on a bus ride back from a sorority event (Hayride!) and we sang this song quietly to ourselves while everyone else around us was drunk and obnoxious (ahh, college).

Here's a very sweet version of the song with Taylor Swift:

Two Steps Behind:
Walk away if you want to
It's okay if you need to
You can run but you can never hide
From the shadow that's creeping up beside you
There's a magic running through your soul
But you can't have it all

Whatever you do - I'll be two steps behind you
Wherever you go - and I'll be there to remind you
That it only takes a minute of your precious time
To turn around, I'll be two steps behind

Take the time to think about it
Walk the line, you know you just can't fight it
Take a look around and see what you can find
Like the fire that's burnin' up inside me
There's a magic running through your soul
But you can't have it all, no

Whatever you do - I'll be two steps behind you
Wherever you go - and I'll be there to remind you
That it only takes a minute of your precious time
To turn around, I'll be two steps behind

Yeah, yeah

There's a magic running through your soul
But you, you can't have it all

Whatever you do - I'll be two steps behind you
Wherever you go - and I'll be there to remind you
That it only takes a minute of your precious time
To turn around, I'll be two steps behind

Yeah baby, two steps behind
Oh sugar, two steps behind

The Friday Five, vol. 13

2009-11-06T10:41:00.001-08:00

I should have timed these better so that volume 13 would have been next week on the 13th. Oh well.

This week I had one of those "whoa, it's already November?" moments. I started this blog to avoid that, but it's amazing how quickly life moves even when you're paying attention.
I made chipotle turkey chili this week and it turned out pretty good! Although the recipe made waaaay too much for two people, so we'll be eating chili for a while. Good thing the weather is finally cool enough to enjoy a hot bowl of chili.
School. is. insanely. busy. I apologize in advance for my infrequent posting in the next couple of weeks. I'm supposed to have a rough draft of a case study done before Thanksgiving (suggested length of 30-100 pages!) on top of all my usual work. Yikes.
I've been attending Bible study regularly again this year, and I am so thankful for the women in my group. I just sat here for five minutes trying to think about how to properly explain how amazing they are, but I'm at a loss of words. I'll probably write more about this later.
I'm going to a "Hoedown Throwdown" party tonight. Yes, that is a song by Hannah Montana. It should be interesting!

Only in California

2009-11-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love California, the Governator, and Mr. Smileyface Oatmeal Man.

Saturday is a Rugby Day

2009-10-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend plays rugby, which is pretty much the coolest thing ever. I didn't know much about the sport until we started dating, but I found that I really like it. It's fast and really fun and interesting to watch, unlike that horrid sport football. So this morning I spent a few hours at the Stanford rugby pitch watching a tens tournament. Each team had 10 players instead of the usual 15, and each game lasted 24 minutes. The nice part about these tournaments is that I can stand right at the sideline to catch all the action.

Nice view, eh? I tried to take pictures today, but all I ended up with were blurry shots of butts or piles of men.

Anyway, there were seven men's teams at the tournament today from Stanford, Berkeley, and Santa Clara. My boyfriend has been playing with the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) team, and they won today! He even scored two tries, which is awesome. I think they ended up playing seven games total (crazy!) and he could still walk at the end, which hasn't always been the case. ;) Good job Stanford GSB!

The Friday Five, vol. 12

2009-10-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today I dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West for Halloween. I only spent $3 on a witch's hat at Target, and the rest of the outfit I already had, including green tights! It turned out pretty well, but my costume was lame in comparison to one of my fellow teachers who dressed as a flying monkey - it was incredible! I'm kicking myself for not having my camera with me.
This week I saw a sign in a restaurant that read, "Lottery: a tax on people that don't understand probabilities." Awesome.
I watched the movie Munich this week. The subject matter of the movie was interesting, but the movie was too slow and too long (165 minutes!) to keep my attention. However, it did remind me of my roommate from when I lived in Switzerland who always Americanized the German city name - München - and called it "Munch-in."
I just now learned that there are html codes for special characters, such as a u-umlaut.
Tomorrow is Halloween. Which means on Sunday I can officially start getting excited for Christmas and no one will tell me, "But it isn't even Halloween yet!" Time to start putting together the Christmas music playlists!

It's the Little Things

2009-10-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

I stopped by the pharmacy today to pick up a prescription, and there was a bowl of Starburst candies sitting out on the counter. I put one in my pocket to eat later and completely forgot about it. When I re-discovered the Starburst a few hours later, it was perfectly warm and soft from being in my pocket. Plus it was a pink Starburst, which is my favorite. It made my day.

New Music from New Moon

2009-10-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

So yes, as previously mentioned, I have a slight obsession with all things Twilight. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for the next movie, New Moon (based on the second book of the series), to hit theaters next month. Although there are still a few weeks to go until the movie's release, the official New Moon soundtrack is available for purchase now.

I took one look at the track listings and bought it. Any album that includes three of my favorites - Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, and Bon Iver - in one place deserves my money.

Seriously, all Twilight ties aside, this is a damn fine album. You should definitely check it out.

The New Moon soundtrack has introduced me to a few new artists that are really really great. I absolutely adore Lykke Li. And of course, my usual favorites deliver. I cannot seem get enough of "Rosyln" - the duet from Bon Iver and St. Vincent.

Entertainment Weekly gave it an A:

From the opening chords of Death Cab for Cutie's dusky guitar rapture ''Meet Me on the Equinox'' to the spooky robot-ennui of Thom Yorke's ''Hearing Damage''   and Grizzly Bear's gorgeous folk-pop pastoral ''Slow Life,'' New Moon rarely falters.

You can stream some of the songs at the official Twilight MySpace page (and you could probably find the rest on YouTube). Let me know what you think!

My Political Compass

2009-10-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

This week I did not enter into one single political conversation. However, throughout this week I was called a socialist (2), a hippie (3), a left-wing nut (1), liberal (2), and crazy liberal (1). Now, since I did not once discuss politics, I have to conclude that these names have nothing to do with my political views (and who would be so daft to assume?). My feeling is that people know that I a) live in California, and b) am a teacher at a reform school, and I'm being generalized by association.

So let's talk about it.

My previous canned response to the "So, where do you stand?" question was that I'm a fiscal conservative but a social liberal. But that's not really true. So a while back I decided to try on the phrase "moderate libertarian" and it seemed to fit pretty well, so I've stuck with that.

Today, out of curiosity, I took the test at Political Compass to check the accuracy of my self-applied label. Here is the result:

So there you have it. I think my "moderate libertarian" assessment is right on. Maybe if I want to be really specific, I'll throw a "left-leaning" in there. This puts me in the same political quadrant as Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Mozart (although I have no idea how they figured that out), and Ralph Nader.

FYI, here is where the Political Compass places the candidates from the 2008 U.S. presidential election:

And people wonder why I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin...

The Friday Five, vol. 11

2009-10-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

*sigh*
What a week, eh?
I'm struggling to come up with five things to write about.
I just read an article about rape as a pre-existing condition and that's the only thing on my mind right now.
Yeah so this really sucks as a Friday Five. Next week's FF will be more exciting, I promise.

Flower (to some) Power

2009-10-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

This lily is absolutely beautiful.

Shhhhh...

2009-10-19T19:48:00.001-07:00

... it's my birthday. Don't tell anyone.

From My Point of View

2009-10-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 17, 2009 - Seattle, WA - 6:39 pm

The Friday Five, vol. 10

2009-10-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Seattle! I arrived last night and I'll be in Seattle for a few days for meetings. It's very rainy here. Although I saw this really cool drain pipe outside of my hotel (I know, I'm a nerd). I imagine if it was raining harder, water would come out of all three spouts.

Since I am in Seattle, I am missing the wedding of two of my friends tomorrow. Congrats and best wishes to Dan and Gemma!

My sister Emilie's birthday was last Saturday. Happy 30th Emilie!

I am really really really liking the show Glee. Yes, the plot is ridiculous, but the characters are hilarious (especially Jane Lynch's character) and the music is incredible. The mashup of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" and Usher's "Confessions Part II" was epic.

Speaking of ridiculous, have you heard about the Presidential Chias? Yes, you read that right. I think the commercial speaks for itself.

The Kissing Bridge

2009-10-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

(A note to my readers: This post is about Indiana. Stories and updates from the bay area will resume soon.)

Since Paul asked about the Kissing Bridge... yes, it's finished. One of the bricks has my name on it! :)

The Kissing Bridge returns to Valparaiso University! You can read a sweet story about the bridge's history here and about the student-led project to move it back to campus here.

Coming Home

2009-10-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

I grew up in the Midwest (Iowa, specifically) and there's always something comforting about going back to visit. This past weekend I flew to Chicago to visit my dear friend Kate and also to attend my five-year college reunion.

Kate and I were roommates at Valparaiso University and remain close despite the fact that we live so far away from each other. On Saturday, we drove out to Valpo with our friend Laura for homecoming weekend. It was cold but still a really fun day. It was great to catch up with some old friends and see how campus has changed in the past five years. Of course, the Chapel is still the same and my heart is filled with joy and peace each time I see it.

I spent Sunday catching up with Kate and Laura, as well as a few other friends who now live in Chicago. Kate gave birth to her first child back in August and she recently asked me to be her daughter's godmother. Of course I agreed! So I also spent some quality ~~snuggle~~ bonding time with my new goddaughter, Addison, on Sunday.

I am very thankful for the wonderful friends I have in my life, and I realized this weekend that homecoming isn't really about college or the buildings or the Midwest - it's about the people. And since I now call the bay area my home, I suppose I will just have to rack up frequent flyer points. Well, at least until teleportation becomes a reality. :)

Pumpkin Makes Everything Better

2009-10-13T23:16:00.001-07:00

Tonight I got my first ever flat tire on my car. It was dark and rainy and I drove too fast over a dip in the road that I could not see. I was so frustrated (not to mention stressed out and slightly sleep deprived) that I cried.

So I made pumpkin-leek soup for dinner. It was delicious! Here is the recipe I used (via Real Simple):

Pumpkin-Leek Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts), sliced 1/4 inch thick and rinsed
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the squash cubes and pumpkin puree, then the broth. Simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 3/4 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Working in batches, ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Divide among individual bowls and top with the rosemary.

This recipe makes 8 servings! We put the extra soup into a juice pitcher to store in our refrigerator so it will be easy to pour into bowls and heat later.

I also recommend pairing this soup with a few baked apple slices - yum!

From My Point of View

2009-10-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 10, 2009 - Valparaiso, Indiana - 2:04 pm

The Friday Five, vol. 9

2009-10-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

In case you were anxiously wondering, school won the battle this week (kicked my ass, really). Rematch begins on Monday.
I'm headed to Chicago today. This bay area girl will have to make do with Lake Michigan for the weekend.
Getting ready for this trip kind of makes me miss traveling for work.
Sitting at the airport waiting on a flight that is delayed two hours makes me glad that I don't travel for work anymore.
Southwest Airlines has the best customer service ever. Seriously.

The Awesomeness that is Ze Frank

2009-10-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have a few minutes and thought I should answer one of the questions from the parking lot.

Last month, I included a video in my Friday Five post on September 11, and I received a few emails about it. The video was put together by Ze Frank, who had a video blog called "The Show" for one year from March 2006 to March 2007. When The Show began, YouTube was is its infancy and video blogging was still a novel idea. It's truly amazing how online media has changed in the past three years!

I discovered Ze Frank through Boing Boing, which had posted a link to his video entitled "Institutional Recourse" in which he spends two minutes properly bashing Delta Airlines. I then looked up the episode about the incident that sparked this reaction, and found his video about hindsight.


Hindsight	Institutional Recourse

I quickly caught up on all the videos I had missed and continued to follow Ze's daily videos through the remainder of his year online. Some of my favorites include "Austrian Arrows" and "Brain Crack." Perhaps my favorite thing to come out of The Show was the Earth Sandwich. And the song is just so catchy!

Anyway, that's where I found that 9/11 video. I think it takes a few viewings to really get the impact of it. I highly recommend checking out Ze's website and watching more episodes of The Show.

The Mountain Goats

2009-10-07T22:59:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I mentioned The Mountain Goats in my Friday Five post. Last night, they made an appearance on The Colbert Report!

Following the show, Stephen tweeted the following:

Hilarious.

Mid-Week Battle

2009-10-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

This week, in the battle of me vs. school, I think school is winning. It's close though... I might still pull out a victory.

I'll catch up with all of you on Friday.

The Friday Five, vol. 8

2009-10-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

My week in song.

"Under The Weather" KT Tunstall

"Nobody's Fault But My Own" Beck

"Beautiful (I Guess)" Erin McKeown

"Love and Some Verses" Iron & Wine

"How's It Going To End" Daphne Loves Derby

Hump Day Haiku

2009-09-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the radio silence, I've been pretty sick the past couple of days. Anyway, to hold you over until I'm feeling better, here is a Hump Day Haiku:

Oh California
Cool breeze I wish to enjoy
Maybe on Friday

Here Comes Science

2009-09-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, They Might Be Giants appeared on NPR's Science Friday to promote their CD-DVD combo, Here Comes Science. The Johns (Linnell and Flansburgh) of TMBG spoke about the album and played a few of the songs on the air. I especially enjoyed this quote:

"I find the periodic table of the elements to be kind of a great organizational... an amazing inspiration, actually."

In addition to the elements, the album includes songs about photosynthesis, cells, the sun, speed and velocity, and much more. The Johns talked about the need for a new song about the sun once they learned that the sun is not actually made of gas but rather plasma. I previewed the album on Amazon and I've decided that I need it. I'm sucker for music about science.

For all of you fellow science-music geeks out there, here is another favorite of mine, Chemical Calisthenics by Blackalicious:

The Friday Five, vol. 7

2009-09-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

(Once again I'm cheating and post-dating... shhh, don't tell.)

Today my boyfriend is celebrating his car's birthday. He drives a '89 Honda CRX and it is currently at 299,999.8 miles. Tonight, friends are going to join us for dinner (ribs, yum!) and then stand outside while he drives that last 2/10 of a mile and takes a few ceremonial pictures. It's all a little ridiculous, but fun nonetheless.

This week I had a video iChat with my mother. The times have definitely changed.

I am feeling under the weather, which sucks because all I want to do it lay around on the couch but it's too hot in our apartment. Summer colds are the worst.

Looking for new music? This week I've really enjoyed listening to Regina Spektor's latest album, Far. Plus, the album cover art includes a blue piano... awesome! I've always been a big fan of Regina's music; her album Begin to Hope got me through studying for my graduate school qualifying exam a few years ago. You can check out a few of the tracks from Far (as well as some older favorites) on Regina's MySpace page.

Speaking of music, the song "This Year" by the Mountain Goats has apparently become the theme song of my school program. While I suspect the meaning of the song is quite different than our experience, the repeated chorus line of "I am going to make it through this year if it kills me" is perfect.

From My Point of View

2009-09-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 24, 2009 - Palo Alto, CA - 6:44 pm

All the Single Babies

2009-09-23T23:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! I didn't have anything to post today, but then I stumbled on this video that was posted on a friend's Facebook page. Take a break for this one-minute clip - it's hilarious!

Turning into a Vampire

2009-09-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

This morning my fingers were so cold that the trackpad on my computer was not detecting my clicks. It's true that the bay area never gets all that cold, but I've discovered that my normal body temperature runs a few degrees colder than most humans. Normal measured-under-the-tongue body temperature is 98.6 deg. F. Since I donate blood regularly, I have data on my body temperature. Here are the five most recent measurements:

Looks like I'm averaging about two degrees colder than what is considered normal. Now, a two-degree temperature difference in the other direction is considered a fever. Does this mean that when my body temperature is "normal" I actually have a fever? Yikes.

My friend Mike thinks I'm turning into a vampire. Would that be so bad?

Five Years and Counting

2009-09-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, on September 21, 2004, I arrived in California.

Crazy!

I moved to California for graduate school. I spent four years in Indiana for college and then spent the summer of 2004 in Switzerland doing research and traveling across Europe. Once I arrived back in the States, I spent a few weeks with my parents in Iowa. I took this picture along a walking path not too far from my parents' house (dated August 29, 2004).

That September, I packed up my car (a Saturn named Sophie, now deceased) with everything I owned and drove halfway across the country to California. I found this picture of my packed car before I left Iowa. It's a scan of an already horrible picture, so please forgive the quality. It took me two and a half days to reach my final destination: Stanford University.

For the first two years of my life in the bay area, I lived in a studio apartment on Stanford's campus that was roughly 320 square feet. I took this picture of my building on the day I moved in (dated September 21, 2004). Since then I have lived in four different apartments - including one that I occupied for only two days - in three cities.

Living in the bay area has been an adventure so far and over these five years California has become home to me. So here's to you, California - may you and I have many great adventures together in the years to come!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2009-09-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Last night my girlfriends and I baked a double batch of pumpkin cupcakes. We used Martha Stewart's recipe and made a cream cheese frosting to put on top. Word of warning: the recipe will make more than 18 cupcakes per batch. I think we made 55 cupcakes instead of 36. We decided to decorate the cupcakes and I think they turned out very cute! I'm suddenly very excited for Christmas...

From My Point of View

2009-09-19T23:28:00.001-07:00

Saturday, September 19, 2009 - San Mateo, CA - 4:37 pm

The Friday Five, vol. 6

2009-09-18T18:38:00.001-07:00

Whoever decided that there should be a fall season of So You Think You Can Dance wants me to fail out of school. Especially since it's followed by Glee which I also enjoy.

This is awesome:

This week I watched the movie Bend it Like Beckham and I thought it was really good! It's been on my list of movies to watch for a long time now (on the order of years) and it finally came to the top of our Netflix queue. It was a cute, feel-good movie; I highly recommend it.

On Wednesday I tried passion fruit for the first time. I wish I would have had my camera with me! My review: the outside looks and feels like a styrofoam ball, it smells delicious, the inside looks like snot, the crunchy seeds are weird, the flavor is sour, and overall I'm not a fan.

Tomorrow marks the five-year anniversary of when I left home with my car packed to the brim and drove to California. More to come about that next week...

Lingering Questions

2009-09-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

Although I have very few commenters (well, one really - thanks Gade!), I've received a few emails from some of my readers. I've noticed that these emails are starting to follow a pattern. For example:

So, who are you?
Wait, I don't get it... are you a teacher or a student?
WTF was that video you included in your 9/11 post?
Do you have any new music recommendations?
How did you end up in the Bay Area in the first place?

Okay I get it! You have questions. I suppose that I never really introduced myself, so those questions makes sense. The others, well, I think I should answer those as well.

So here's the deal.

I'm going to collect all questions that I receive via email, no matter how serious or ridiculous (as long as they're appropriate), and post them somewhere. It will be called "Lingering Questions" until I come up with a better, catchier, name. Naming suggestions are welcome. I'll put a link to this list in the sidebar on the right. Whenever I get around to answering a question, I'll link the question to the answering post. Cool?

Oh yeah, and any questions posted in the comments will be answered in the comments since I'm already kind of doing that.

This could be fun!

UPDATE: "Lingering Questions" has been renamed "The Parking Lot."

Glenn Beck's 912 Project

2009-09-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Ahh, hypocrisy in politics will never go out of style.

The Curse of the Internet

2009-09-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

Being a good ________ is 3% talent, 97% not being distracted by the Internet.

Fill in the blank as you wish.

Science, Art, and Human Perception

2009-09-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure to spend my morning at the San Francisco Exploratorium: the museum of science, art, and human perception. Like my visit to The Tech, I was accompanied by a group of high school math and science teachers. It was nice to be in the company of people who appreciate nerdy things as much as I do.

The Exploratorium is housed in the Palace of the Fine Arts in San Francisco's Marina district (map). The bulding was originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition and reconstructed in the 1960s. The outside of the building is beautiful. We saw several wedding parties snapping pictures along the lagoon. Inside, the Explortorium is an interesting combination of Greek- and Roman-inspired art within a structure that feels very much like a warehouse.

My group took a brief tour of the Exploratorium and the current featured exhibit: Reflections. The exhibit covers all things images, mirrors, and light. Following our tour, we had a mini-workshop during which we learned easy, fun activities that focused on reflections and mirrors to use in our classrooms. We had complete geometry and physics lessons within just a couple of hours. My favorite activity was when our instructor turned us all into artists by only using two mirrors. Below are two examples - neither one are mine and yes, that second picture is a pile of poo complete with flies.

The Friday Five, vol. 5

2009-09-11T00:15:00.000-07:00

Today is September 11.

September 11, 2001.

I was living in Indiana and in my second year of college. I came home from a morning class and found my roommate glued to the TV, watching the news. A plane had flown into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. We watched the second plane hit the other tower and later watched the two towers collapse. My oldest brother, who lives in New York City, slept through it.

September 11, 2009. Eight years later.

Pump that area / But don't give in to the hysteria.

Nine-Nine-Nine!

2009-09-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Happy 09/09/09! One of my friends sent out this video today in celebration - enjoy!

Cool Night, Warm House

2009-09-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

This summer, two of my friends moved into a new apartment in the Barbary Coast Neighborhood of San Francisco. Barbary Coast is the stretch of land along the water on the bay side, and is not quite Financial District and not quite North Beach. Anyway, these friends just got around to hosting a house-warming party last night. They live on the eighteenth floor and their apartment, and the view, is amazing.

Looking southwest toward the Financial District

Can you tell that it was a bit foggy?

As I was looking through pictures this morning, I realized that I had unintentionally captured the same view twice at different times. The shot on the left was taken at 5:55 pm, and the shot on the right was captured at 8:22 pm.

Looking northwest toward North Beach (Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower)

From My Point of View

2009-09-04T18:46:00.001-07:00

Friday, September 4, 2009 - Boulder Creek, CA - 8:05 am

The Friday Five, vol. 4

2009-09-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a school camping trip. I'm worn out and still blowing black dirt out of my nose.

What HOT week! I have not spent much time at home this week since our apartment is not air-conditioned. Last Saturday was the worst and it is just now starting to cool off.

I'm very thankful for the people I've met through my classes; they constantly amaze me.

This past Wednesday, my dad turned [inaudible] years old. Happy birthday Dad!

Finally, I decided to start a new mini-project on my blog called "From My Point of View." I try to take pictures as much as possible. Sometimes these correspond to events or places I can write about, but often times I don't have anything to say. I got the idea from Andrew Sullivan's "The View from Your Window" (more here) but I'm not going to restrict myself to windows.

From My Point of View

2009-09-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 2, 2009 - Menlo Park, CA - 7:23 pm

San Jose Giants

2009-08-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

You might be thinking, "Wait... don't the Giants play in San Francisco?" Yes, they do, but you're thinking of the major league team - one of the minor league teams plays in San Jose.

The San Jose Giants are a single-A minor league team that is affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. They play at San Jose Municipal Stadium (map) which is where I spent a very hot evening last night. We snagged seats in the shade and watched as the Giants dominated the Lancaster Jethawks (San Jose won, 10-3).

One great thing about watching a San Jose Giants game is the Beer Batter. They select a batter from the opposing team - usually #3 in the lineup - and if the Giants' pitcher strikes him out, beer is half-off for the next 15 minutes. Well, the Beer Batter struck out during his third time at bat, and we were lucky enough to be in the concession line when it happened. There truly is nothing like a hot summer evening spent at a ball park with cheap beer and a couple of hotdogs.

Devil's Canyon Beer Friday

2009-08-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

Last night I drove to the heart of the Peninsula to meet friends at Devil’s Canyon Brewery in Belmont (map). Devil's Canyon is a local favorite and produces award-winning beers that are sold only in the Peninsula and South Bay. The brewery is generally not open to the public; however, on the last Friday of each month, they open the doors for "Beer Friday."

This was my first time at Beer Friday. The location is somewhat odd - the brewery is in a business park and they had simply roped off a section of the parking lot for the event - but it was a great night to be outside with a cold beer (it was a hot day). They charge $8 for your first beer but you get to keep the pint glass. Refills are $4. I had the Silicon Blonde Ale and the Lager Diabla, and both were great! There was also a live band and food available for purchase. I highly recommend it - it was a fun way to spend the night with friends.

It's Too Darn Hot

2009-08-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

Ugh. Our thermostat read 75 degrees this morning when I got up at 7:30 am. It's supposed to be 104 degrees (that's 40 C for my European friends) today in my part of the Bay. I have things to write about, but I will do it later from an air-conditioned location.

The Friday Five, vol. 3

2009-08-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm cheating. I'm writing this on Saturday morning, but I'm going to post-date it to Friday. I'll try to be more timely in the future.

Today at school we blew up a hard-boiled egg in the microwave. We've been working with the "Egg in the Bottle" experiment this week, and today we tried the students' ideas to get the egg out. One idea was to microwave the flask with the egg in it. As long as the flask is on its side, this will work... However, once the egg was out, it exploded into tiny pieces and coated the flask and microwave walls. If I had known that would be the result, I would have had a video camera on hand. It was amazing.

Last night we watched the movie Labyrinth. I had never seen it before, and I can't believe I missed out on this classic as a kid. Jim Henson puppets, a 16-year-old Jennifer Connelley, and David Bowie as the Goblin King - what else do you need? It's ridiculous and wonderful all at once (just like the rest of the 80s). If you like The Princess Bride, Goonies, or The NeverEnding Story, you should watch this movie.
My mom recently bought a new computer. She listened to me, and not my sister, and bought a MacBook (welcome to the club, Mom). In the first email she sent me from her new toy, she informed me that she has affectionately named her computer MacBeth. Hilarious, right? Anyway, it reminded me that I still don't have a name for my MacBook... and I name everything. Any suggestions?

It looks like October is going to be a busy travel month. I already have trips to Chicago and Seattle planned (one for fun, one for work), and a trip to San Diego is in the works. Crazy for me... but good pictures and stories for you.

Thank God for that Teacher

2009-08-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

I am almost at a loss of words to describe how I am feeling about the pipe bomb incident that occurred yesterday at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo. I have several friends and colleagues who are teachers at Hillsdale High, and I could not be more alarmed/worried/amazed/proud of them. Teachers are amazing. My thoughts and prayers go out to the students and staff as they return to school tomorrow.

Chuck Taylors

2009-08-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Today I bought a pair of black high-top Chuck Taylors. My pink Chucks (pictured here in their infancy) are starting to fall apart after four years of hard wear, and I decided I needed another pair to add to the collection. Chucks are classic, functional, and comfy. However, the salesman who helped me commented, "High-tops, really? I haven't seen someone buy those in 10 years!" Pfft. Since he obviously just woke up from a decade-long coma, I grinned and replied, "I think they're awesome." Which they are.

The Friday Five, vol. 2

2009-08-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

I am now certified in CPR!
I'm very excited about the return of Project Runway, and I really hope I have time to watch it this season.
My boyfriend and I celebrated our made-up anniversary this week by making and eating a delicious dinner of lobster tail, beef fillet, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, and a bottle of Zinfandel. We even had a few spoonfuls of ice cream and a glass of champagne for dessert. It was amazing and a wonderful way to celebrate our years together.
School (where I am the teacher) and class (where I am the student) both start again full-time next week. I'm hoping to maintain a better schedule than I did this summer, and if I have to give something up, it will not be exercise.
My best friend from college, Kate, gave birth to her first child yesterday, a daughter named Addison. Congratulations to Kate and her husband David, and happy birthday baby Addy!

Hump Day Haiku

2009-08-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

summer's end draws near
its long shadow sooner still
fading to the fall

Mail from Edward Cullen

2009-08-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

I love the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. I picked up the books last fall based on a recommendation by one of my sisters, and I was immediately hooked. Yes, I am an adult and no, I don't care that the series' core audience are girls who are 10-15 years my junior. The books are far from literary genius but they are so damn... addictive. I even saw the movie version of Twilight last year and plan to see New Moon when it hits theaters this November. It's true, I am a fan girl.

My dear friend Kira, who lives in the wrong (and let's be honest - lesser) half of California near LA, shares my penchant for all things Twilight. We often quote lines from the books or movies; for example, it's not unusual for me to receive a text message from Kira that reads something like, "You don't know how long I've waited for you." So I was not at all surprised when she requested my current address so that "Edward Cullen" could send me a bit of mail. And even though I was forewarned, this bit of mail was better than I anticipated.

Yesterday I received a slap bracelet and a two-page love letter from Edward himself. Behold the awesomeness and hilarity:

Thank you Kira!!!

Total Eclipse of the Heart Flowchart Remix

2009-08-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Karaoke staple "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler has never made so much sense.

Ra Ra Riot

2009-08-17T16:13:00.000-07:00

I can't help it. I've been listening to the The Rhumb Line, a fantastic album from Ra Ra Riot, on repeat for the last couple of days. It's the perfect summer album - a mixture of chill indie melodies for relaxing and catchy pop sounds for driving with the windows down. It's also a great homework companion; it really helps me stay motivated (well, let's ignore the fact that I'm posting this instead of working). Check them out on their blog, on MySpace, or on iTunes.

San Francisco Ballet at Stern Grove

2009-08-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Ballet? Yes please!
On an outdoor stage? Even better.
In the middle of a redwood grove? Seriously?
Located in the Sunset? Brrr, the fog!
On a gorgeous, sunny day? Are we still talking about San Francisco?
For free? .....

Yes, it's true. Today I ventured to San Francisco's Sunset District for the Stern Grove Festival. This is the 72nd year of the festival, which brings "world-class performing arts to you, admission-free, in one of the country's most beautiful and unique natural settings." The concert meadow at Stern Grove (map) is a lovely place to lay down a blanket and forget about the city. The stage is placed at the heart of the natural amphitheater and is surrounded by eucalyptus, redwood, and fir trees. You have to get there early to get a decent bit of grass; the first one to arrive out of my group put down claim on an incredible spot a little before 10 am for a 2 pm concert.

Stern Grove Concert Meadow

Today's treat was the San Francisco Ballet led by Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson. The company performed three pieces: On a Theme of Paganini, Swan Lake Act II, and Stravinski Violin Concerto. The music and dance were both beautiful! Each time I see the Ballet, I remember how much I love and miss dancing. Maybe I'll actually get my act together and find a place to take ballet lessons again...

Swan Lake Act II

Forgotten Language

2009-08-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

I usually do not make New Year's resolutions. I think they're silly and generally completely unrealistic. However, this past January I began thinking about things I wanted to change in my life. For example, I knew it was time to make some tough decisions about my career, and eventually I left a good job during a bad economy to go back to school. But the New Year also brought the realization that another year had passed and I couldn’t remember where the time had gone. Time moves quickly, and too often I catch myself saying something like, “Whoa, where did February go?” I kept thinking back to one of my favorite poems by Shel Silverstein:

Forgotten Language

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly
in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?

In March I decided that I need a project - something that would allow me to take the time to appreciate what I do, and what is around me, everyday. After much consideration, I decided to start this blog, and yes, it took me until August to get it up and running. I almost named the blog "Forgotten Language" to pay homage to my inspiration but a) I thought it sounded too pretentious, and b) I don't think it accurately reflects the material I plan to post.

So here I am.
I'm Andree.
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
San Francisco.
The City by the Bay.

Mmm, pie...

2009-08-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

This makes me giggle.
An accurate pie chart!

Tomatoes!

2009-08-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

Evidence of our growing container-garden tomatoes:

Living in an apartment for the last five years with no green space to call my own has been sad, but this year we got creative and put a bunch of container plants on the balcony outside our kitchen. I am so unbelievably excited that it worked and we have tomatoes. Yum! Maybe next year I'll try some more vegetables...

The Friday Five

2009-08-14T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start something that I hope becomes a tradition - or at least a habit: The Friday Five. I can't take credit for this idea; I was inspired by my friend Elizabeth who often posts what she calls "7 Quick Takes" on Fridays. I like this idea, and so I'm going to try it. However, I'm really not interesting enough to come up with seven things to talk about, so I'm going to shoot for five (plus I love the alliteration!). Each Friday I hope to post five short notes about... well, something.

So here's the first ~~attempt~~ installment:

Yesterday was one of those days that made me realize how blessed I am and how much I have to be thankful for in my life. Nothing extraordinary happened... except that I work at an incredible school, have the privilege to attend one of the best universities in the nation, walked away from a very difficult class feeling good, gave and received many hugs, had a drink and good conversation with some of the most amazing women I have ever met, and came home to find my boyfriend almost done with one of his delicious homemade "creations" for dinner. The day was so wonderful it was overwhelming.

I recently remembered how much I like and dislike cider. I had pear cider this week for the first time since, well, I don't remember, and I loved it for the first two sips. Then it became way too sweet. I think I will stick to beer.

An interesting idea: in one elementary classroom, a rule was established that "You can't say 'You can't play.'" I wonder how (or if) our society would look differently if this rule was enforced in every single classroom at every grade level in our education system.

Our container-garden tomato plants (named Thomas and Tomás) are finally bearing fruit! We ate the first tomato last night and it was delicious. There are two more tomatoes that are deep orange and will be ready to eat next week.

Happy Birthday to my mom, who turned [inaudible] this past Monday.

Three for the Foodies

2009-08-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Today my friend Bridgette pointed me in the direction of San Francisco Favorites, a list of favorite places to eat, drink, and shop in San Francisco compiled by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks. I scanned the list and realized that I've only been to three of the locations she recommends; the rest will go on my to-visit list (which really exists). For the locations I have been to, I can heartily endorse all three.

Little Star Pizza appears on the list under Golden Gate Park / NOPA / Avenues, which I believe is the location in Western Addition at 846 Divisadero. However, like other great restaurants that have found homes in The Mission, Little Star has also settled in at 400 Valencia. I waited for over an hour the last time I visited and it was worth every minute. Delicious!

Just a few blocks away from Little Star on Valencia, you will find Bi-Rite Creamery at 3692 18th St. I will admit that I've only been there once, and I only stopped in because I secured a parking spot directly in front of the store (score!). If you know me at all, one of my weaknesses is ice cream. I crave it... daily. So naturally I had to sample their ice cream. I had the salted caramel and it was fantastic. Beyond words amazing. I definitely need to go back again.

A jump across Market St takes you to the Blue Bottle Coffee kiosk. As their website describes, it is an "odd but convivial little coffee kiosk in San Francisco's Hayes Valley" located at 315 Linden, which is more of an alleyway than a street. My old roommates introduced me to Blue Bottle and it is without exception The. Best. coffee out there. It can take a bit of time - they filter and drip each cup of coffee one at a time. In addition to the kiosk in Hayes Valley, the website shows a cafe location in SOMA at 66 Mint. For you Peninsula-dwellers, you can also find Blue Bottle served at Fraiche in Palo Alto (which I guarantee I will write about in a future post).

The Tech Museum of Innovation

2009-08-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I traveled to South Bay to visit The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose (map). I went with a group of teachers-to-be, mostly future teachers of high school math and science. We had a blast!

I had been to The Tech twice before but only for special exhibits. The first visit was about two years ago for Bod y Worlds, during which I experienced my first earthquake in California (well, the first one that occurred while I was awake). Shaking plastinated bodies are super creepy! The second visit was just last year for an exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci.

Today we were drawn to The Tech for one reason: Segways. Yes, I'm talking about those awkward motorized scooters frequently used by mall cops and d-bag businessmen. On the roof of The Tech, you can take a short lesson on how to drive a Segway and then test out your newly acquired skills on a small obstacle course.

It was ridiculous... and seriously fun.

The rest of the afternoon at The Tech included an IMAX movie and ~~fighting with~~ helping little kids play with all the cool interactive exhibits. There is some great stuff there, including a sweet Jet Pack Simulator in the Exploration wing where you can practice spaceship maneuvering. I was also really happy to see a whole exhibit dedicated to energy generation and use. What a great way to spend a Friday afternoon.

Additional pictures:

And so it begins.

2009-08-06T22:23:00.001-07:00

Hi, I'm Andree. Welcome to my blog.

The Parking Lot

2009-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is the place where I park questions. I received the questions below via email (it all started here) and they will stay parked here until I get around to answering them. Newer questions are at the top. I will do my best to answer all questions, no matter how serious or ridiculous. I will link each question to its answering post.

Have a question? Email me!

Added 10/08/2009:

What kind of camera do you have?

Added 09/16/2009:

So, who are you?
How long have you lived in the bay area?
Wait, I don't get it... are you a teacher or a student?
WTF was that video you included in your 9/11 post?
Do you have any new music recommendations?
How did you end up in the bay area in the first place?
What did you name your computer?


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