Time Flies... and So Do I

Wow. Months have passed... where has the time gone? I blame a few things...
1) Work. Busy, busy, busy. I'm a teacher. Enough said.
2) Grad school. I'm amazed that I even have time to clean my apartment. I have been actively reading and writing every week. For example, my holidays will be spent, once again, working on papers that are due next week. But it's all good - I anticipate continuing my 4.0 GPA. PhD program - here I come!
3) Travel. I went to the Naval Academy's Class of 1985 reunion and had a great time meeting the boyfriend's Navy buddies and their wives. These officers (current and retired) are really fascinating people and I felt very welcomed into their club. And then this past weekend I was in Orlando for a teacher's conference. Disney World is an excellent place for a conference!

Back to the grindstone. I have no time to blog these days. I feel my blogging days being numbered...

Oui

I'm learning French for Paris trip #1 in January so that by the time Paris trip #2 happens in June, I'll be a pro!

But I have to wonder... what's wrong with the French that they don't pronounce most of the last consonants in their words???!!! Understanding the words is hard, but I can read it much easier... At least I have 5 months to learn!

Au revoir!

Jet-setting

Guess who's flying to Annapplis for a Naval Academy graduation reunion next month?

Guess who's flying to Orlando for a teacher conference in November?

Guess who's flying to Paris or Rome for 5 days during the school year for a city pre-June tour? I'm learning French, so it'll probably be Paris.

Guess who's flying to London, Paris, AND Rome in June?

Trip

How exciting - I get to go to the DC area again really soon. The boyfriend is a graduate of the Naval Academy in Annapolis and I'm going to be his trophy girlfriend at his college reunion. :) When we went to Annapolis last month we didn't get a chance to tour the academy, but this time we'll tour, go to a Navy football game, tailgate, and go to functions. It will be an evening with Naval officers - how exciting!


School has started again - sort of. The kids will be there soon, but I'm already in my room. It's good to be back, but life will get plenty busy soon since grad school also starts again. My goal this year is to maintain my 4.0 GPA. I'll probably have 2 A's at the end of the semester (this will be my third semester with these two professors so I know how they work and grade), but the spring might prove difficult with the American history professor... We shall see.

I wish I had more time to write better entries. That should be a goal as well. I'm working on a poem, so that'll come on soon.

Cheers!

Better a Witty Fool...

Than a foolish wit. Or so Shakespeare wrote. He also wrote a line for Polonius saying, "Since brevity is the soul of wit, I'll be brief." Unfortunately, that line drips with irony since Polonius is not brief. At all.

As my mind went over various conversations I've had in the last couple of days, as well as paying attention to the dialogue in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and a couple of Jane Austin movies I watched, I realized that the art of conversing (or as my previous students might say, "conversating") is on the decline. I've been preaching to my students to enhance their vocabulary to create better sentences, but what they're actually saying to each other isn't getting better. Yes, this country is getting duller - proved by conversation styles.

Case in point: I've got a great boyfriend, but I don't enjoy talking on the phone with him. We can hold quite good conversations in person, but not over the phone. On the other hand, I have a former friend with whom I could (and did) talk on the phone for hours. Our conversations were filled with random Shakespeare quotes, teasing, mocking, sarcasm, witty bon mots, epic descriptions, inside jokes, and thoughtful questions. Whatever I feel about that person now, I can look back fondly on our conversations. They were fun. They were enjoyable. They kept me on my seat and my wits sharp. I don't get a lot of that lately, but it could be because I teach high school and I'm in grad school so I don't spend a lot of quality time with my friends. Lately, however, I do with one of my cast members - I enjoy talking to him because it's like a game and we're both trying to be the winner. Conversations need to be more like that. My best friend is another fun conversationalist - challenging, sprightly, sly, and witty.

I'm listening to a conversation now - it's so bland! Conversations today seem to be more about gossip, and telling stories, rather than challenging each other with what they say.

I challenge you: eavesdrop. Eavesdrop often. Don't judge the content of the conversation, but judge the style.

And approach a conversation as you would a duel - with cunning, practice, and desire- and may the best person win.

Cheers!

Another Opening, Another Show!

Yes, Midsummer opened! The show looks fantastic - I am extremely proud of it. I'll post pictures later.

I'm in the light and sound booth, so I can't type too much because of the sound.

Cheers!

Millions of Dollars Beneath My Fingers

The ultimate birthday experience - I handled a First Folio. And took pictures with it.

I also handled a Mark Twain manuscript (in his own handwriting), a first edition Euclid geometry book (as in 16th century), a proclamation signed by Queen Elizabeth I, a letter signed by the Earl of Leicester to Queen Elizabeth, a 1482 German book, and Mendehlson's original composition for "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

I was a very happy nerd today.

Cheers!

Hello Past

After spending the past 24 hours in Washington DC, I feel more than ever that I need to live here. This is one of my favorite areas of the country, and I can potentially move to the area - I can live in Virginia. :)

I spent today at the Folger, which is where I'll be tomorrow. I can't explain it, but there's something about spending the day surrounded by history and people who share the same passion as you (and a rare passion at that). And the city is full of pedestrians and cyclists - who needs a car all the time?? In Houston, pedestrians and cyclists are considered moving targets, but here it's embraced.

I finish grad school in two years. Then... maybe I'll move here.

Cheers!

Shakespeare everywhere

So, my summer has been like this:

Get up before dawn, 11-20 mile bike ride. Nap. Workout DVD. Shower. Lots of sitting on my ass, reading. Rehearsals in the evening. Sleep. Sometimes I have lunch with Rich, sometimes dinner.

Rehearsals are going well. I have a pretty good cast, but trying to convince them I'm right is difficult sometimes. Shakespeare is difficult, but my cast is finally understanding what they're saying. In their comfort level, however, they're forgetting that they need to make sense to the audience, so I'm working with them on that. The set is built and just needs painting, and making fairy wings are fun.

The best part of summer, however, is that I'm going back to DC soon to spend a weekend at the Folger. I'm excited about going back and seeing my teacher friends, going back into the archives, attending lectures. I'll only be there for 4 days, which is sad, but the trip is costly. The Folger activities are only for two days, and the other two days will be sight-seeing with Richard (who's coming with me). We haven't been on a trip since the shuttle launch next spring, so this'll be nice. Also, since he attended the Naval Academy and lived in DC and Virginia for a while, he's going to show me his haunts.

I'm enjoying not attending classes, but they start again in 6 weeks!

Cheers!

Summer... Week 1

Week 1 was half productive, half non-productive.

The nonproductive part saw me watching a lot of DVDs - re-watching the Tudor series, Law and Order SVU, etc. I don't have cable (thank God), so DVDs worked. I also slept a lot and had lunch with old friends. Very easy-going.

The half non-productive side saw me reading. I fell in love with a new author - Ariana Franklin. I picked up her first book, "Mistress of the Art of Death" a couple of months ago. It looked ok - a murder mystery in 13th century England. I put it aside, read others first, and then kind of lazily picked it up to read. Then I couldn't put it down. As soon as I finished it (2 days later), I bought the next two books that followed - and couldn't put them down. They are a fantastic mix of history, superstition, religion, and murder. Fantastic read and great characters! But I've read them all now. My next book is a biography on Martin Luther for my European history class next semester.

And finally.... Midsummer!!! I have almost a complete cast, and the show will be great! We have a meet-and-greet today and rehearsals start tomorrow. I've got some new people, some old people, and some friends.

Life's pretty darn good right now!

Cheers!

Pain, Relaxation, and Shakespeare

Ahh... summer is here. My grad semester has been over for a few weeks and high school will be over next week. This summer I'm taking it easy... way easy.

Seriously, here are my plans...

Sleeping, working out, reading, pool time, and directing. That's it. I can't go to the pool for at least another week due to a tattoo healing (which by the way, is absolutely beautiful and makes me smile whenever I see it), which also accounts for the pain. This is my third, and it's a very symbolic one. It's on my wrist, and quite large, which means it also hurt like a MF.

And I'm directing again! This summer I'm directing "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which makes me happy. Next summer I'll either do Macbeth or Hamlet, or Richard III. But it's a comedy for this summer.

AND... I'm heading back to DC to the Folger Library for an extended weekend of Shakespeare activities. Yay!!!

Summer will be GREAT!

Cheers!

Semester's over

And I got all As again... the 4.0 continues!!!

Thankfully the summer is here and I can relax.

Cheers!

No more wire hangers!!

That's how I felt the other day, stressed out completely!

But one paper is done and I'm halfway done with the other. My internet is down (I'm at Richard's house) and I won't get it repaired until after my paper is done. I feel eerily calmer and relaxed without it. I might keep it down longer and just hop online over here or the occasional jaunt to Starbucks.

We'll see. I might change my mind this summer since I'm doing NOTHING this summer except directing "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Cheers!

AHHHHHHHH

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Stress! Panic! Self-loathing! Self-doubt! Fear!

The cause? My papers are due. :)

Paper 1 is examining Restoration Theatre's negative effect of the Puritan lifestyle. 12-15 pages, due in 6 days. I've written 1 page, but I have 20 pages of notes, so it'll be done by Saturday evening.

Paper 2 is deciding whether or not an age of revolution existed in Latin America in the 1800s. 20 pages due May 10, but the first 10 pages are due to my writing partner by Sunday evening. 5 books are read, 6 journals articles are acquired. First 10 pages will need heavy fixing, but I'm focusing on paper number one and I can then focus on paper number 2 after Wednesday. I can write 20 good pages in 2 weeks (especially with 2 weekends in there).

But the sad thing (or good thing, whichever you look at it) is that the DVD for "A Tale of Two Cities: The Concert" came in and listening/watching it makes me calm down. James Barbour has the most soothing voice!

Cheers!

Cajun Yummy-ness!

After perusing my freezer for dinner options, I re-discovered a box of frozen boudin from Don's in Lafayette, Louisiana. Yumm!!!!

The problem, however, is that all 5 pounds are frozen TOGETHER. I just want one link! Now I have to thaw all 5 pounds, cook them all, and refreeze the cooked links.

That's the price for yummy boudin. Maybe I can pre-order separately wrapped boudin next time I go to Louisiana.

Cheers!

Running Again

My beloved Garmin forerunner died last year. It accompanied me on 2 full marathons (I didn't have it for my first), 4 half marathons (again, I didn't have it on my first), and countless 5Ks, 10Ks and a 10-miler. When the doctor told me last March not to run for 6 months (due to an ankle issue), it say forlornly on my bathroom counter, staring hopefully at me every time I walked in wearing gym clothes. But alas, it never moved.

Neither did I. I stopped running completely. I felt freaked out due to the doctor's visit. No more full marathons, he said, and no running at all for 6 months. No exercising at all for at least a month because even biking could do something to the ankle. I fell into an exercise depression. I used to be a gym rat, but no more. Oh, I still exercise, but nowhere near what I used to. Before, I would never go 2 days without exercising. Nowadays I'll exercise a couple of times every two weeks. I've fallen out of my pattern.


Then, 4 months ago, I looked at the Garmin. My 6 months was up. Could I run again? I gained weight and knew I would look foolish while running. But could I do it? I picked up the Garmin and turned it on. Nothing. I tried again. Nothing.

That sucked.

I attached the charger to it and left it alone. The next day, I went to turn it on. Nothing. Yep, it died during my running hiatus. Perhaps it was its time. Perhaps it died of a broken heart. But it was gone.

And so was my inspiration to run again. I didn't want to run without knowing how far I'd run. I didn't want to run without split times, without calorie counts, without anything. So I decided to buy a new one. But didn't for a while.

Last Saturday, after reading friends' tales of upcoming 10ks, marathons, half marathons and tri's, I realized I wanted to tell tales, too. So I bought a new Garmin, the 305. Not the newest, most fancy, but one that still worked nonetheless.

Today was the first test run. In my first run in over a year, I ran two miles. I ran 3-1s (3 run, 1 walk) in 30 minutes, 30 seconds.

Mile 1: 15 minutes even.
Mile 2: 15:30.

Considering this was my first run in over a year, and since I've gained about 30 pound since my last run, I'm not going to complain at all. In fact, I'm stoked. My lungs hurt, my quads hurt and I grew tired - but it felt good. I miss the running pain, because with that pain comes achievement.

So, no more full marathons for me (unless I get into New York next year, in which case I'll run the first half and walk the second half). I think I'll sign up for a 5k somewhere - then I'll be back on my way. I'm signing up for my 4th Houston half marathon this year (which I haven't run in two years) and a 10 miler in October. Slow I will be, but happy will I be, too.

Cheers!

Finally...

The book I'm currently reading for my Latin American Independence Movement class is quite fascinating - and not that difficult to understand (unlike a couple of the other books, written by professors who want to impress people with the elevated vocabulary).

The current book is entitled, "Tropical Versailles" and is about the 1808 Portuguese royal court's move from Lisbon to Rio de Janiero - the only time in which an empirical metropolis capital actually picked up and moved across to the Americas. It's a fascinating story!

Cheers!

Japanese and Samuel Pepys

There's no connection between the three, by the way.

I keep getting these strange comments on my blog - they're in Japanese. I delete them because I don't speak Japanese and for all I know they're porn-related (and this is a clean blog).

Samuel Pepys. So I'm doing a research project on the gender-revolution of Restoration England and I found myself reading Pepys' famous diary. It's really interesting and I'm saddened that in 50 years no one will uncover diaries. People don't write letters, keep journals or such things as much. Yes, people write email and keep blogs (like this one), but future historians will face a difficult time if people don't start writing things down. I kind of want to go back and print my old blog entries and bind them. Maybe I should.

And by the way, 5 and 7 weeks, respectively, until my two huge papers are due. I might not write much until then.

Cheers!

Spring Break... What Break?

So I've been on Spring Break this week, but it was no vacation. Being a teacher and a student means that work isn't done until the summertime, and I expected it.

Work: I graded many essays, all late work, and exams. I also sent off a set of essays to a scholarship competition so that some of my students can win money for college.

Grad school: Yeah, I didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted. I did read several chapters of an assigned book and I started my 15 page research paper. Well, I didn't start writing it, but I've been gathering sources. I wanted to have it done by tomorrow so that I don't have to worry about it, but it's not due for over a month, so I have time. I'm going to continue focusing on research gathering for another week and then work on the paper for a week. If I can get the paper done in three weeks, I'll be in a good spot and can then spend the following 3 weeks focusing on the 20-page paper for my other class.

Other stuff: I knocked the crap out of my head a few days ago and got a mild concussion. I had a CAT scan yesterday because I've been dizzy for a couple of days and then yesterday I was very nauseous - two signs that concerned my doctor. But the CAT scan showed no brain bleeding and I was told the dizziness would go away. It hasn't gone away yet. But whatever. I started cutting the script for "Midsummer," and I've been designing the set and costumes, which is fun and exciting - I can't wait until auditions! Other than that, I've been watching a lot of TV, went to the Rodeo a bit and played endless games of internet scrabble. I would've liked to take a trip, but I'm going to Vermont and DC in July, so I'll just hang tightly until then.

Summer will be extremely busy, but I'll fill y'all in on that later.

Cheers!

Papers and Sickness

6 papers down, 10 left.

And I'm sick. Cough-cough-cough. I've been sick for almost two weeks and I finally went to the doctor (which I'm famously known for avoiding) and am diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis.

So I'm home today... writing papers, coughing, sneezing and wanting to sleep. Grad school doesn't allow for sick time.

Cheers!

AHHHH

Yep, grad school is getting tougher.

I've already read a book on the Haitian Revolution AND a book on the Tulip Bubble of the 1630s - and it's only been two weeks! Two weeks and 2 papers down.

The next two weeks will be about the French Revolution and also the Spanish and Portuguese relationships with South America.

I had another 'What the hell was I thinking?" moment last night.

But I'm not quitting!


Cheers!

Paper #1 Down...

And instead of reading book #2 for paper #3 (paper #2 is on reading that I'm just not going to do tonight), I'm watching the "Lost" season finale from last season and gearing up for the season premier.

Luckily the boyfriend has his kids Tuesday night - I can safely watch "Lost" without an interrupting phone call.

Life's grand!

Cheers!

Back in the Saddle

Spring semester started again... this semester will really be tough. My Latin American history class requires 11 2-page essays, 5 thick books and a 20-page essay. European history class requires 3 books, 2 book critiques and a 15 page paper.

Really, the next month will suck. After that, smooth sailing because I'll only have to focus on one class' reading - and I plan on knocking out one of the papers over Spring Break.

And then there's work... I love standardized testing! (Yeah, not really).

Luckily my social life is going well - the play I'm in runs for two more weekends and I have the best boyfriend in the world.

Cheers!

Not surprised

I'm not surprised about something. I knew it all along.

I'd be more descriptive, but I don't want hate comments. Let's just say that I feel satisfied, knowing in my gut that something wouldn't happen... and it didn't.

Cheers!

Goodbye 2009, Welcome 2010

Wow. What a year 2009 has been. It hasn't been the worst (I think 1995 still claims that one), but it hasn't been the best (in retrospect, I think 2004 or 2005 would have that title). It was what it was.

Unfortunate things (I don't want to label them as "bad" necessarily):

1) Time-management issues. I have a problem: I get bored easily and I tend to cram my schedule, but then I get too busy and freak out. In the fall, I was a teacher by day, grad student by night, theatre board member/stage manager on the weekends, girlfriend whenever I could, teacher leader at school and member of a HLSR committee. Seriously, what was I thinking? Unfortunately, it's going to look like this until April-June, when I will be dropping two of those things.

2) Dealings with an ex-friend. This was probably the hardest for me. 8 years of a tumultuous friendship ended very suddenly after having a very good couple of months. The easy part of losing this friendship was not having to deal with any stress, bouts of feelings of low self-worth and uncertainty that I often felt when dealing with this friend. The lies and betrayal and evilness that made the split so violent (verbally, not physically) aided in the ease of my choosing to exit this friendship. The hard part of the split is that when our friendship was good, it was really good. Never had I had so many things in common with someone, never had I had someone who knew me so well. But, 5 months later, I still believe that ending the friendship was the best for me. But in 2009, this person made me cry, made me angry, made me feel anxious, made me doubt my life and second-guess my choices. For that, this is a 2009 unfortunate event.

3) Weight gain. There, I said it. Due to numbers 1 and 2 and 4, I've put on weight. I'm not near what I was at my heaviest, but I haven't been this heavy in 7 years.

4) Cartilage damage in my ankle and knee. Yeah, this sucked. The doctor told me no more running - after a break and 3 sprains in my left ankle, plus tendonitis, he said that my long-distance running days were over. I have very little cartilage left in my ankle (so that bone-on-bone feeling really was bone-on-bone). And my knee... yeah, I had a fall back in 2006 or 2007 and messed it up. Then, in late July, I fell and hurt it again. Since then, it's bothersome. With the ankle, I wasn't allowed to really exercise for about 2 months and the knee stopped me exercising for a couple of weeks. Hence... weight gain.

Hmm. Now that I look back, I guess thing weren't all that bad. But those three things, little as they seem, created a cloud over my head that makes me feel as though they were worse.

So now, let's look at the fortunate things..

1) I got my first musical starring role. True, the theatre was small, and true, the musical wasn't the best, but I had a solo!

2) I got to direct my first Shakespeare play - "Much Ado About Nothing." It was fun, it was great and it was successful. So successful, I'm directing "A Midsummer's Night Dream" this summer.

3) I met a great guy. Well, I met him in the end of 2008 (in December), but we officially started dating seriously in 2009. We've had our ups and downs (including an intentional sabotage by my ex-friend, and other external issues that people close to me know about), but we're doing well. He's successful, he's funny, my family love him, he treats me better than any other man has and he is just a great guy. We've been discussing marriage, so unless a specific external issue causes more problems, 2010 might be a very good year for me.

4) Grad school. I started and I'm conquering. I'm finally working on my master's, and I have a 4.0 GPA. I have 3 more semesters of class and 2 semesters of thesis work.

5) Traveling. I went to several places this year that I've never been: Memphis (which wasn't that great, but I got to go), Chicago (which was very fun and I get to go again this year) and Cocoa Beach, FL (for the shuttle launch - wow!)

6) No one close to me died. Considering I went to 14 funerals in 4 years (high school and college), this is a good thing. I have little family left, and they're all healthy.

So what's in store for 2010? Here are my hopes and plans...

1) Weight loss. I plan to lose 40 pounds by July 17 - all my weight gain and then some. If I lose 40 pounds in 6.5 months, I'll be a very happy (and healthy) camper. And I will do this by doing what I did 8 years ago - working out 60-90 minutes a day, 6 days a week; drinking lots of water; seriously decreasing processed foods. Now, however, with less time, I will have to cook enough food for days and use workout DVDS (since the drive to and from the gym can equal 30 minutes, and that's 30 minutes I can use doing something else). I'm excited about the DVDs - I lost 100 pounds without ever setting food in a gym, thanks to DVDs. I think the gym isn't better because I find myself hitting the elliptical for 60 minutes at a time, which isn't bad, but the DVDs work different muscles. And since I've been keeping up my muscle tone even through the weight gain, I'll be using 10-15 pound hand weights for all of the cardio-weight DVDs I have (yay for Jillian Michaels).

2) Time-management - I won't do as many extra things. My term as teacher leader will end in June, and I won't apply for it again. My term as a member of the board of the theatre will end in April, and I won't run again. I won't serve on extra committees at work for a while. Work (teaching) and grad school really take up so much time that I need to focus on both and enjoy extra time to relax.

3) Travel. I know I'm going to Chicago again in April, and I hope to go back to NY this spring to visit Christine and her brand-new (2 days old!) baby. Richard and I have also decided that we're going to put money aside each month for a travel fund and go somewhere. Our first trip will be either to Ireland or Italy.

4) Stress-relief. I have to do something else about stress relief because eating isn't solving problems. Maybe Yoga. Maybe journaling every day. Hmm. I like the journaling thing. I might go buy a new journal today. A fresh, clean one for 2010. I've found a few older journals, each one half written in, but there's something refreshing about a clean journal. And at least there's one thing I won't be writing about in this journal.

5) Grad school. I will maintain my 4.0. I'm taking two classes in the spring - European Crises and Latin American Independence Movements. Both should end up with an A (since those are the same professors I had last semester and I know their writing styles). And as for the fall... who knows. I may take another Latin American class and another European History class.

So, that's it. Funny, my list doesn't look like it's that difficult. Maybe I can actually achieve them!

Cheers!