Writegrrrl

You say it's my birthday

2008-12-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

Why yes, it is. Another year older ....

Going to spend my day baking and listening to holiday music...then, dinner at Masullo's tonight. Bliss.

Hello, is this thing on?

2008-12-09T22:45:00.000-08:00

Oh, hi blog. I kind of forgot all about you. Me & Twitter are likethis. (Sorry, no, you can't read those posts. They're protected. A girl's gotta have a little privacy, you know?)

But, for reals, I will try to be better about this here thing.

And, on that note, I'm making my annual Christmas comp - any suggestions? Requests?

Hello? Is this thing on?

Saturday night!!!

2008-07-11T13:02:00.001-07:00

Baby Grand, Poplollys, Ricky Berger and Baby Grand - $7 / 9:30pm.

Also, Hearts & Horses - I think that's the name - featuring Juju and Wes, will play at Bows & Arrows at 8-ish.

Help make my cat famous on the Internet

2008-07-10T10:48:00.001-07:00

Vote here

It's OK, she's hot

2008-06-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

Cory and I were watching "The Daily Show" the other night and I was really tired and planned on going to bed after Jon Stewart's usual shenanigans but then I got sucked into watching this hilarious bit with CBS foreign war correspondent Lara Logan. We're more of a CNN household so neither of us were really familiar with her.

After her guest stint was done, Cory said "Can I just say, she, um, doesn't really look like any other war correspondent that I've ever - "

"It's OK," I said, cutting him off. "She's hot - you can say it. She's totally hot."

Don't let our political savvy scare you, 'kay?

To all the haters

2008-06-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

So, as many of you may already know, my place of employment did layoffs today.

I survived - if that's what you call it - actually, as far as I know, no reporters were laid off.

It wasn't a shock - I think we'd all (or at least most of us) had been expecting this for some time. And most of us won't be shocked if there's another round.

What is shocking to me, however, is the vitriolic nature of the comments people left.

You may not agree with the paper's so-called "political agenda" or its state salary database - but those people who were laid off were real people, with families, mortgages, career aspirations, whatever.

Show a little heart, people - would you e-mail your mother with those same nasty comment-typing fingers?

Sheesh.

Breaking awesome news

2008-06-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

In my (literally) hot little hands: A copy of Tanita B. Davis' (Mills! Represent!) brand-spankin' new book (just published yesterday!) "A La Carte"

And, on a related note, I had lunch with Tanita & David today and got to hear lots of charming tales of Ye Olde Scotland. Apparently they're not much into pinto beans there.

And gas costs $8 a gallon.

Also: Was that a wee bit of the Scottish brogue in David's voice?

Anyway, go buy the book!

twittering

2008-06-05T14:26:00.001-07:00

If you'll shift your eyes to the right you'll see we've added a nifty Twitter app for your blog-reading pleasure.

Because I know you're dying to hear me bitch about Bistro 33.

can't hardly figure it out

2008-06-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

Can someone tell me why I'm suddenly getting a million hits for that one Paul Westerberg interview again?

Also, was that really six years ago?

Sigh.

deep in the heart of texas...

2008-06-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Becca was right, I love Friday Night Lights.

She nailed it: "You're from Texas."

Funny how that was enough. It makes me miss it like crazy in an over-romanticized sort of way because you know the minute I step of the plane, I'm all: Ugh, the humidity! Where are the veggie burgers? Stop drawlin' all up in my face.

Kidding, I love me some Texas. Just don't tell my mother, that'll break her heart to hear that, I think.

Anderson Cooper...

2008-06-04T10:25:00.001-07:00

... you are totally my boo

School's out...and other randoms

2008-06-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

So, yes, I'm done with school! Unfortunately the kids aren't as their regular semester is still in session. Sorry about that guys, but at least you're done with me at the ungodly hour of 6:50 a.m.

I'm going to miss them. After a bit of a rough start and a confused middle, I think we all finally hit a stride and I'm pretty sure, judging by this awesome card some of them made me, that it was the Britney Spears lesson that put us over the hump.

So now what? Not sure about the teaching - I mean, I ended up really liking it but the person who taught this class last year wants it back and because she has a million years seniority on me, she gets it back. So, now I'm waiting to hear if I can get another class at City or something. I'd rather hang with the kids, but so it goes.

As for everything else, not much as happened since I stopped blogging for the millionth time. I'm Twittering a lot which really seems to fit the way my brain likes to dump random info.

Also, I think I'm going to spend my summer glued to my bike (see last Twitter post). Cory got me an awesome green vintage-style Schwinn cruiser for my birthday and I think we're going to get him a black one so try not hit us with your SUV next time you're driving down Freeport, 'kay?

What else? Am I the only girl on the face of the planet who does not give two whits about the "Sex and the City" movie? Probably.

Some of the books I plan on reading this summer:

Moby Dick
Eat Pray Love
Friday Night Lights
King Dork

Other random plans: Yoga, ice cream, lavender, dove gray paint and long drives to nowhere.

Need help. Feel like a dumb ass

2008-03-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Trying to add a site feed - or, one that works. Right now, if you click the lil' RSS thingy in the URL field - it gives you nada. Same as if you click the Atom link in the sidebar.

I've checked the Blogger help page and all it seems to tell me is that I need this in my html:

<$BlogFeedsVertical$>

Which I have, so what gives?

blah-blah-blah-ing into the void

2008-03-04T10:45:00.000-08:00

I am just about 10 kinds of anxious right now. For various, whiny reasons. School reasons, work reasons, people reasons.

The main question I'm having today is, "am I cut out to be a teacher?"

Some days I feel good about this, some days I feel like crap about it. Sometimes I look out at them and it seems like I'm just blah-blah-blah-ing into a void and I know how much they love the teacher who teaches the prerequisite to this class and I can't help but feel that they're not getting what they want / need from me. Am I being clear enough? Can I articulate what they need to know? Do I even know what they need to know?

I feel like an idiot.

bitch is the new black

2008-02-25T14:40:00.001-08:00

Seriously, could Tina Fey rock any harder?

Too bad, though, that SNL still pretty much sucks - even with Tina Fey as the guest host.

Cupcakes take the cake

2008-02-19T18:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that was pretty sweet. I wonder if he ate the cupcake afterwards?

So, that school thing. Wow.

It is, to put it mildly, kicking my ass.

But mostly in a good way.

The "bad" part is just the sheer amount of time that goes into this. But that's also the good part, if that makes sense. I enjoy the readng, the planning, the analyzing, the arranging of lesson plans. I don't really like straight-forward lectures but instead prefer the participation approach - which is proving to be a bit of a challenge. Not that the students aren't up to it - they are, they're very, very bright (Indeed, I suspect, they may generally be smarter than me with nothing but age and life experience giving me that teacherly edge). It's just that they're mostly quiet and aside from a few regulars, I have to work hard to draw them out. I'm hoping that as the semester goes on they'll start to feel more comfortable.

I just wish I had more time in the day, you know? Oh wait, grading papers - that's a veritable "bad" part. Very time-consuming and always fraught wtih the worry about being as fair and objective and clear as possible in the grading. Maybe I'm overworrying?

Also, I seem to be getting my first real kick-ass cold of the season - let the winter games begin!

school's in...

2008-01-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

I started teaching today. No, I didn't quit my day job. It's just one class - early in the morning, Monday and Wed. We'll see how it goes. They didn't look at me like I was a complete idiot - so far so good!

Now, only 16 1/2 weeks to go...

get shorty

2008-01-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

So the Gov. is visiting my place of employment today to talk policy and he just walked by my dept. Guesstimates have him at about 5'6" - not sure if there were heels or lifts involved, however.

Tom Cruise on Tom Cruise on Scientology

2008-01-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

Jossip has that Tom Cruise on Scientology video that the Church of Scientology keeps yanking from YouTube for "copyright infringement" reasons.

How about the real reason they're forcing it down is because TC is s-c-a-r-y. The video (but not the audio) occasionally blacks out but cue minute five for some maniacal laughing and something about the "confront, shatter and suppression" of the opposition.

P.S. It's the second video on the linked page.

bloody hell, when did i get this old?

2008-01-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Body

Way to turn 38! Love the aches and creaks - especially the gut-wrenching back pain that left me doped up on muscle relaxers all day yesterday. So. Much. Fun. Can't wait to see what the rest of this "aging" thing brings me.

Oh, and that added touch of a few more gray hairs - clever!

Yours ever so truly (and sorely)
Rachel

P.S. All kidding aside, when can I have my youth back?
P.P.S. Should I throw out that mini-skirt? When I wear it, do the kids laugh at me like I laugh at the bleached blonde 40somethings who wear sweat pants emblazoned with "Juicy" on their asses? Be honest. I can take it.

games people play

2008-01-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

I feel a bit like an idiot but before reading this CNN article, I had no idea that the Iowa Caucus essentially turns into a giant game of Red Rover.

So this is the new year (almost)

2007-12-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

I really only have one reason why I stopped posting in 2007.

My cat got a pacemaker.

That pretty much threw me off my game for all of July and August and then I - along with dear Sophie - spent the rest of the year recovering, emotionally speaking. Well, Sophie's recovery was more physical of course - she never lost her famous spirit. And, thanks for asking, she's doing just swimmingly now. Awesome, actually.

So, that said, I am very happy that we are about to embark upon a new year.

(True, I always feel that way on Dec. 31. This is not an unusual thing)

Some reasons why:

My battery-powered cat is doing great, as confirmed by a recent trip to the vet
Cory & I both still have jobs - no mean feat in this shrinking newspaper / record industry day-and-age
I'm going to start teaching at the end of January. I'm terrified but also excited
We just got a new computer. A pretty, fast new iMac. We can once again live without all those buggy crashes - at least for a few years.
You are all still my friends. I learned a lot about friends this year and, frankly, I think the ones I have are the best

Happy New Year everyone!

we're back

2007-12-26T14:13:00.001-08:00

...kind of. Remodeling in process. Stay tuned.

I totally want the pull-out poster.

2007-06-19T11:34:00.001-07:00

Barack Obama Tiger Beat Cover Clinches Slumber Party Vote. (Via the Onion).

(And yes, I know my comments are down, but I've been too busy to take care of it.)

endgame

2007-06-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

I don't care what anyone else says, I thought the Sopranos' ending (that end scene, at least) was perfect.