Mother's Day

Now soliciting ideas for Mother's Day. I don't think Art Car Parade will work this year.

In case your forgot it is May 13th. Get your act together, she's your mom.

I'll be in Oakland in six weeks

I'll be in Oakland in six (long) weeks. This morning the first report on the radio was this. I had hoped to:

Go to the fortune cookie place and get some custom made fortune cookies.
See the Golden Gate Bridge for once when it wasn't cloudy and January.
...and those other things.

My "aunts" want to go on a wine tour. I wanted to see Candlestick, but the Giants are in Boston so I'll have to settle for the As.

But anyway... the bridge melted... and Arnold is in charge.

Sam is throwing me a surprise party!!!!

Don't tell him I know, it would break his heart.

On Thursday I got an e-mail from Sam (while he was doing defensive driving I'm sure):

Kate,
If you're available, how about we clean the apartment before folks start
coming over on Saturday?

Sam

This has happened before, on November 12, 2005. Don't get me wrong, we've cleaned more often. Usually we play our favorite game "guess what's in the fridge" as a part of the occasion. This time we know what is in the fridge:

Two pounds of guacamole
Five pounds of shredded cheese
Half a gallon of salsa
Several bags of chips
And a box of 25 links or so of boudain

So why November 12, 2005?
On that morning Sam said "hey, how about we take an hour and speed clean the apartment..." We did. Top to bottom. Garbage went out, the bathroom was spotless, we dusted and vacuumed. It was the cleanest it had been since Janelle lived here.

About 6:00 my friend Andy walked in the door and sat on the couch. This was odd. I couldn't remember inviting him. I asked Sam in the next room, "are you guys hangin' out or something?" He said "yeah, he called and wanted to just chill." Andy had said something about that before... so I took it and went to my room.

Then Brenda came. Then I noticed they were all carrying sheets. That was strange. Then Kevin and Sara... then... then... then... huh.

At some point I caught on, but couldn't explain the sheets. KKK Rally? That's not like us either.
David and Ben were (of course) last. They came wearing the sheets. Togas.

Sam pulled a very frozen lasagna out of the back of the freezer where it had been hiding and started to bake it...

So there we had it, my first surprise party ever... a Roman Ruins Mystery Dinner.

So we are cleaning the apartment for a gathering before the "crawfish festival" given that it isn't my birthday I will be very surprised... or should be, if I hadn't already caught on.

Don't tell Sam I know. It would break his heart.

Getting Rich

I figure at some level being a librarian will make me rich.

1) I'll ask my dad what to do and read "Personal Finace for Dummies" for the rest.
2) I'll ask my uncle for all the redneck tips, cause "Carter's Country is way better than Walmart" for those sorts of things (this is only funny if you can hear his accent when he says it)... sorry.

3) I won't buy into Krispy Kreme when Adkins is still alive.

So... help me out here. The economy is the weakest in four years and the Dow is the highest it has ever been... what does that mean? Do I buy land or stock?????

Losing Streak

Six games.
What are you willing to bet we can get cheap tickets?

More in the newspaper....

Hope no one is on an ego trip or anything, ;-)

"Culturally Relevant"

...or something like that.

Cross cultural dating (ok species)

I think they think I'm a lush

I was forwarded this article twice this week, both times by people that serve on the Session with me. This is particularly amusing when you factor in the "mom is a nutritionist" and "brother is a brewer" factors.

Vince threw a surprise party for his mom tonight. It was a sweet gesture, as she is indeed a true saint. After several spring rolls and beef on a stick and meat with various vegetables and some ice cream that tasted like bad chocolate (until Bonnie told me it was coffee and not bad chocolate, then 'twas all good) I'm home. I complimented Andrew on his guts, and by the way, Greg, he is saving for your nursing home. I'll tell you why later, but you won't like it.

Skill Set

Tonight the theme of trivia was beer. All beer. Of eighteen questions we (and by we I mean Sam) missed three. Total. The scary thing is we still came in third.

Proud mom?

Heh...

1. Go to www.google.com

2. Click on "maps"

3. Click on "get directions"

4. Type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box)

5. Type "London" in the second box (the "to" box) (or any city in Europe);

Click "get directions"

6. Scroll down to step #23

For all my friends out there looking to change their life...

I thought you might appreciate (or not appreciate at all) this article on hot careers.

Europe

I'm thinking of going to Europe with one of my best friends next fall, so I'm soliciting advice:

Prague
Venice
Rome
Munich
Berlin
Dublin
or Other

Thanks my friends.

Rain Rain Go Away

I'd like to refer you back to this post where I predicted it would rain on Saturday. Now for the weather report for my twenty minute walk to the hospital for class.

Bluebonnets in snow

Bittersweet

I handed in my letters of resignation today. I wondered how it would feel after I handed them in, I don't feel much except a feeling that I'm moving in a direction.

Part of me is scared I'm going to forget the sociology lessons I've learned in the last four years. Part of me is scared I'll lose something of my identity here. All of me is excited for what is to come, even if it hasn't all unfolded yet.

Sam doesn't have a blog, so I'll share this one

Saturday night we went to the Astros game. We won, thanks to not having to utilize any relief pitchers because Oswalt shut the game down in 94 pitches. We were out of there by 8:30.

While interesting, that isn't the story.

I'd bought the tickets, so Sam went on the mission to obtain dinner. Hot dogs and coke were the order, mine dressed with relish and ketchup.

Sam returned after half an inning (they were short, what can I say) with a story. Apparently while I'd been watching Roy throw heat and sliders Sam had discovered just how inadequate the work force might be.

Sam purchased the hot dogs and went to the stand to dress them. He pulled back the foil wrapper from its carton to discover a hot dog. A hot dog, without a bun. I've studied the Taylor system and the efficiency of assembly lines, but what happened? The bun guy went on break?

In case you are interested in Educational Reform

Here is an article from the district that might be of interest. Here is the Chronicle's take. And if that wasn't enough here is another article.

Manna and Quail

I'd intended to bring you wisdom from Mr. Buechner this weekend. Obviously I didn't. Somehow the theme of this weekend became "you only get to know one step at a time." I don't particularly like hearing this from on high, I'm really a fan of five and ten year plans. I don't think I'm going to be getting that, even if I start high and bargain.

The Art Museum

I got my summer internship at the museum. I know, I know, I know it is exciting. Thanks for the prayers. In any case, this will be my first class in NetFlix University. Preach it Sister Wendy.

Mr. Annan

These days Kofi Annan isn't very busy anymore. So I'm going to go listen to him speak. More on that after April 16th.

For the praying types...

I should hear back in the next couple of days about an internship I applied for (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston). I'm also checking to make sure would be able to graduate in December if I stocked up on classes in the fall. So if you are the praying type I'd appreciate the prayers.

For the Bestie

I have been tagged, so I tag thee!

I was tagged by Jay. Since I haven't written much lately (someone thought it weird that I wasn't writing when I was on Spring Break... I'm not on Spring Break, that's your cousin that goes to private school) and there 's 50 minutes till The Simpson's (and it probably will be preempted anyway) I'll play the game.

So the rules:

1. Get tagged.

2. List five things that have not been revealed on your blog.

3. Tag five others.

So away we go.

1.) Every Easter for the last 12 years I've made Baklava. As in the Greek dessert. One year it was ruined (due to a ghetto baking pan I borrowed in college) but every year I've made it. I don't like walnuts so I use pecans. In the past I've observed Lent much more carefully than I have in recent years. One year I gave up all artificial sugars for 40 days. So I made a pan of baklava to celebrate the Resurrection.

2.) One of my best friends in the world is my brother. I wouldn't tell him though. We are completely opposite and completely the same all at the same time. I'd like to meet a guy like my brother minus the agnosticism. Applications and resumes can be sent to cranburypeach@gmail.com.

3.) I'll steal this subject from Jay. I was baptized a Presbyterian and raised in that church. I went to an Episcopalian elementary school and I was confirmed in middle school. I figured out what the heck faith was when I was fifteen when I hung out with a fundamentalist youth pastor one summer. Somehow I missed that in the Bible School songs of childhood and the legalism of confirmation. I went to a Methodist university (you wouldn't know it) and rediscovered the Bible and organic Christian communities (as opposed to the governments of the Presbyterians). I came back to Houston because of the church of my youth... which I simultaneously feel completely a part of and apart from. I still feel called to be there, but I hate church politics and yet I seem to constantly pulled into them. So I went off to find something else for nourishment. That took three years. I live in the Bible Belt.

4.) I started college as a math education major. I changed at the end of freshman year because I didn't like the homework and I couldn't talk about it at parties. I picked history because I'd had a professor (Zvi Ben-Dor) who was absolutely brilliant and could deliver his lectures with no notes whatsoever. I try to do this, I figure if I don't know it off the top of my head (ok I reread things before I teach it) then there isn't really a reason for my students to know it either.

5.) Ms. Pye told me Friday that I was a bigger baseball fan than she was. She said I knew all the statistics, all the players, and I just paid more attention. We both went to the World Series when it came to town. She then started talking about all these outtakes from such and such game and from so and so's best season. I do like baseball a lot, some of my earliest memories are of watching the Astros in the Dome. But I don't like baseball for all the statistics, I like it because it is a slice of Americana which has occupied countless evenings in my life. I like it because watching a game forces you to leave everything else at home/work and just chill. I need to go get my rolls of Big League Chew.

And now you know the rest of the story.

I tag:

Bethany

Alissa

Ben

Greg

and AVI

NCAA pool II

In my little pool I'm currently in first with 77 (see weird scoring system that is working to my advantage right now). After Georgetown losing to Ohio State last night Ben and Sam are both out (of this pool anyway). The only one left to catch me is Lennie, who will take it all if Florida wins on Monday.