m-train

deery-lou.

previously on the e-list...

R-kansas, here i come. i hope the people of charleston [if there even are people there] are ready for me. i'll be flying out there in about 10 hours. i've got my cowboy hat & boots all packed. can't wait to to spend some time with the sheep & peacocks.

i have a lot of mixed feelings about this trip. on the one hand, i'm looking forward to spending the holiday with my family. on the other, this will be the first christmas without my mom. i still haven't been able to look at pictures from last christmas. there's a part of me that feels if i do it makes it even more real that she's gone. it has been over 5 years since i've been to my parents house. and the first time for me to be at the house in arkansas. i'm a bit nervous about walking into this house and seeing all the things that remind me of my mom. i know that i haven't fully processed my mom's death. i'm just hoping that being there doesn't set off any triggers. i really want this holiday to be about us creating some happy memories. afterall, we could definitely use some. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well...

p.s. not sure i'll be able to post much while in the country, so stayed tuned for my adventures in R-kansas. happy holidays to one and all...

winter now

deery-lou.
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sugar is evil! i went to a cookie exchange last night and managed to od on sugar. i truly believe it was the two pieces of eggnog fudge that sent me over the edge. i brought pbj cookies to the exchange which, if i do say so myself, turned out quite tasty. there were lots of goodies to be had and i left with an tin full of cookies & fudge. now if i can only refrain from eating them all today.

as part of the cookie exchange, there was also a white elephant. i dipped into my supply of back issues of girlfriends & on our backs as my white elephant gift. i even threw in a rainbow bright hat i made several years ago but never wore. i ended up with a book, the cheetah girls: living large books 1-4, which will now allow me to tap into my inner tween girl. i love how the book includes the cheetah girls credo: "to earn my spots and rightful place in the world, i solemnly swear to honor and uphold the cheetah girls oath"…

the book also contains a cheetah girls glossary making it all the easier for one to fit in with the cheetah girls. it's very important for us to know the meaning of such terms as: wefties [weaves that are so tick tacky the tracks are showing] or diva size [a size fourteen or up]. the best of all however, is the introduction: "once upon a rhyme, there were two beautiful, bubble-icious girls named galleria and chanel who were the best of friends and the brightest wanna-be stars in all the land." hmm, that sounds roughly familiar. i can't wait to start reading this classic.

while making my pbj cookies yesterday, i felt inspired and decided to dig out my little christmas tree and decorate it with the random ornaments i had in my apartment. the christmas spirit is definitely beginning to rise within. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

















my little silver tree

stay gold and be well…

if she wants me

deer-lou.
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saturday night, i found myself celebrating my friend tamara's birthday russian style. we met at sadko, where we started the meal off with fried calamari, beet salad, crab salad, pickled vegetables, some kind of duck loaf, potatoes & mushrooms, rye bread, and shots of vodka. according to sasha & tamara it's customary to eat something [preferable a pickle] after taking a shot so that's what we did throughout our appetizers. prior to my entree, which was schnitzel, i had a bowl of borsch. and for dessert we had cherry blintzes. i'm not really sure where i managed to put all the food i consumed that evening. perhaps i was making up for fasting on friday. all i do know is that everything i tried was absolutely delicious. birthdays russian style are F.U.N! just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

be well & stay gold.

four sticks

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

well, another thanksgiving has come and gone. i have many things to be thankful for as i reflect on the past year's events. i spent the day at misty's with great friends, delicious food, and lots of drinks. this is the first year i managed not to stuff myself and it felt good.

i did a bit of shopping yesterday in my hood. i love the fact that i don't need to travel far to get things. i managed to score myself two pairs of jeans [the second pair was a guilt buy] as well as getting some stuff for others along the way.

in a few minutes, i'm heading downtown to check out the richard avedon exhibit at the sf moma. i'm looking forward to having an art day. it's been awhile. i hope every one out there in the cyber-world had themselves a happy thanksgiving. enjoy the rest of your weekend. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

make me smile [come up and see me]

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

we had our holiday potluck at school on friday. staff, host families, & students all brought food to share. the school supplied the thanksgiving basics: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and cranberries. everything seemed to be going smoothly until it came time to carve the turkey. no one had thought about needing a carving knife in advance. so there i was left to carve a turkey with a butter knife & plastic fork. not quite sure how i got stuck with the task. oh wait, could it be because no one else takes any initiative. anyway…to makes matters worse i had students lining up asking for turkey before i had even cut any. there's nothing like starving students breathing down your neck. half way through i abandoned the plastic fork & just started pulling turkey off the bone with my fingers. nothing like getting your hands dirty. it was the first time for most of the students to have turkey and they all seemed to enjoy it which makes it worth it in the long run. here's hoping we have an actual carving knife next year.



















i went and saw new moon on saturday with some friends. i didn't really like twilight and mainly went to be social. i'm trying something new these days. i'm sure i'm going to get some hate mail for this next comment, but i've got to admit i thought the movie was pretty boring. it felt as if i was watching a very long, drawn out afternoon soap opera. i didn't care much for the bella character at all. she seemed quite needy and selfish. the only redeeming factor of the whole film was the shirtless werewolf clan. whenever they appeared on screen, my interest peaked. go figure. the other highlight was seeing a preview for the new john woo film red cliff that looks awesome. i'll definitely be checking that out.















after the film, misty & i did some shopping around japantown. i love that mall, especially the cheap japanese stores there that sell everything for $1.50. note to self: go to japantown more. just where will i need up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

talk talk

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

part of my weekend was spent with the brockway-huegel clan in concord. i headed out there on friday after work and came back saturday evening. i always have a great time when i visit them. scott & heather open up their home to me as if i was family. in a sense, they are a part of my extended family and i've very grateful to have them in my life. the two of them are doing a wonderful job raising their boys and i'm very lucky to be a part of it. it's really great to see scott in action with the boys. the fact that we went to high school and are still a part of each others lives is truly amazing. we spent friday night simply sitting around talking and drinking. who could of asked for anything more.

on saturday morning, i awoke to lachlin poking me to tell me that the pancake breakfast was ready. it wasn't. scott & heather were still sleeping and i was on to his game. he ended up climbing in bed with me and we had a little chat. he sang a song about some kind of bunny pie, we talked about superheroes, and he asked why i had hippos on my pajamas. the last time i visited i gave the boys two "challenge of the superfriends" dvd. apparently, it has become a favorite of the boys. lachlin seems to be a fan of the green lantern & riddler while finn favors batman & robin. a boy after my own heart for as we all know robin is one of my favorites. i think i managed to watch all eight episodes with them and some of them even twice.

the afternoon was spent taking a mini-stroll at castle rock which i like to call castle greyskull. we never did quite make to the castle rocks but that wasn't the point. it was all about just hanging out together. during our outing we happened upon a tarantula. i had never seen on in the wild before so it was pretty exciting. the boys seemed pretty impressed by it too. after lunch we drove to the top of mount diablo. it was another first for me. it was pretty cold at the top of the mountain. the view from the top was simply amazing. i could see twins peaks & the golden gate bridge. we even managed to see some hand gliders. i can always count on the brockway-huegels for getting me out into nature. it's sort of becoming our thing & i like that. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

no i in threesome

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

there's a man that i see from time to time on the 38 muni on my way home from work. when i do he's always making paper swans from what appears to be square pages of a magazine. before his begins folding them he always checks both sides of the paper. i happened to see him again today and as usual he sat there making his swans until he reached his stop. every time i see him i can't help but watch as he folds the paper into these creatures. i can't help but wonder what he does with all of these swans. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well

new jersey

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…


"i am lost, it's ok". the words from this image stayed with me long after i had left the "fight hiv your way" exhibit. even while i was walking around the exhibition, i kept finding myself returning to these five words. it been quite some time since i've been to an art show that had such a strong impact on me. the images & accompanying quotes spoke of hope in lieu of the tragedy & heartache that is often thought of. the images were powerful & several of the quotes gave me chills. i had taken my class there for two reasons. the first, as a writing assignment, and the second more important reason, i wanted them to take a look at this disease in another light. after reading their essays, i realized that i successfully accomplished my second goal. sometimes it feels good to be a teacher. just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…

freeloader

deery-lou.
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i went and saw whip it tonight with misty & kate. awesome! everyone in the movie was well cast, but i must give props to juliette lewis. that role was perfect for her. the movie made me think of the episode of charlie's angels "death on wheels" when jill joined a roller derby team to uncover a murder. there's a scene where jill participates in the classic roller derby move, the whip. here's a minisode for those of you interested.



just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be be will…

honeybear

deery-lou.
previously on the e-list…

need a good pick me up in the morning? check out my new favorite site people of walmart, capturing the true essence of america. here's a sample for you:

hot for teacher

just where will i end up next is any one's guess.

stay gold & be well…