1.29.09: Served Me Well

Don't get me wrong... there are so many things I have loved about working in a restaurant: feasting on delicious leftovers at the end of the night, celebrating the end of a tough shift with a round, running around with adrenaline pumping for hours straight, and, of course, working with fun-loving friends who, when we're on our A game, are like a choreographed vaudeville act cracking jokes about rude customers and teasing each other in between flipping tables and running food. After three straight nights of picking up shifts during the super-busy "Restaurant Week," however, I am wiped. I am grateful, therefore, that I can pick up shifts when I want and that I have other work that is less draining to tide me over during the rest of the month. Whew!

1.28.09: La Escuela Fratney

It has been awhile since I have been on a field trip so it was a blast to head east with a group of grad students to go to La Escuela Fratney, a bilingual school (Spanish/English) in Milwaukee. The school was delightful - the building itself is so charming, the kids were so poised, and the principal so passionate. It was exciting to see a real life school embodying the principles we learn about on campus and read about in books. My favorite moment was helping a little guy open his milk carton during lunch. Or maybe when a fifth grader realized that "knowing two languages helps you know both better" when he figured out what "equilateral" meant by knowing that "lado" means "side" in Spanish. Or maybe it was when I got to eat a gluten-free pound cake at the co-op a few blocks away. Mmmmmm. Pound cake.

Check out this school - it's doing wonderful things.

1.27.09: Snap, Crackle, Pop

Before I begin, I have to confess that I just wrote "Smack, Crackle, Pop" and "Crack, Snapple, Pop" before coming up with the real slogan. Sheesh. This gratitude post, however, is about all of those noises that my back makes when I take a deep breath, twist to the side, or sit down. Thank goodness for my chiropractor who popped my rib back into place on Tuesday. It's already slipped out (my own fault for having no muscle strength... if I had to arm wrestle an amoeba, I would probably lose), but the temporary relief is so sweet. It is unbelievable how much noise can come out of my neck when she cracks it back into place. Yowza. But a good yowza.

1.26.09: i love to teach

So... if I ever question what my absolute favorite professional thing to do is, somebody shake me. It's not research, it's not curriculum planning, it's not even writing (though I do love to write). I love to teach. That's that. My methods class started back up on Monday and I have great students and things went really well and I had so much fun. It's the best three hours of my week. It feels good to be good at something, you know? Cue contented sigh.

1.25.09: International Buddies

One of the best parts of grad school is getting to know people from far-flung places. Tonight, for example, I was served dinner in honor of the Chinese New Year by a dear friend from southern China. She made gluten-free rice dumplings, a "hot pot" stew with beef and mushrooms, and sweet rice peanut things. Min cracks me up and I hope to visit her someday when she goes back home. Another good friend is back in Colombia now but, thanks to google video chat (yep, another mention!), she and I could catch up and gossip in real time. The world is so small anymore, and I think that's ultimately a good thing.

1.24.09: Nostrils

I should be more specific... unclogged, not red and raw, non-mucusy nostrils. A head cold is the best reminder of how wonderful it is to be healthy. Luckily, it was a Saturday when I had nothing else to do so I could curl up in a ball with a roll of tissue by my side and breathe out of my mouth all day. I also finished the "Time Traveller's Wife" (sniff, sniff... not from the cold) and made a fresh batch of gluten-free chicken noodle soup. All in all, it took me back to sick days with TLC from my mama, so I was really cheerful despite the lack of air flow.

1.23.09: Man Pies

Even if you haven't seen Sweeney Todd, I don't think I'm giving anything away here by the title of the post. I got an email last week announcing half price rush tickets to see the musical and was lucky enough to get center row seats (in the nosebleed section) for me and three friends. My friend Abby gave me the idea for the post when she said, as we were walking into the theater, "How lucky are we to be coming here tonight when it's so cold outside and people are at war and other people are sick and hungry?" Kind of a downer, but she was right. The show was good - what was most fantastic was the actors played all of theinstruments. Astounding. I can clap rhythmically. That's about it.

1.22.09: Smoke Monsters, Pendulums, and Hatch Doors, Oh My!

Yep. It's official. I'm a Lost junkie. Not only do I watch every episode, but I read the chat boards at The Onion's AV Club to hear what people's theories and insights are... I've even thought about joining a Lost book club (all the books mentioned or read by Sawyer on the beach... all clues!). Watching the premiere, then, was definitely the highlight of my day. I actually woke up at 6am -- partly because I thought I had to go court to reduce the fine on my accident citation (turns out it opens at 6 PM), but mostly because I was sure that the episode would be posted on abc.com by then. I searched online for over an hour before ABC finally uploaded it. Is Miles the mysterious Dr.Candle's son? Are the people moving or is the island? Why do some people move and not others? Has Sun lost her mind? Who is really dead? Is Hurley imagining people or are they really there? Why did Sayid stop helping Ben? Have Desmond and Ben ever had a scene together and, if not, why not? They are my favorites. Oh, man... I love it, I love it, I love it.

1.21.09: Gluten-Free and Lovin' It

Today I was grateful for my learning community job's willingness to hunt down assuredly gluten-free food for me during our monthly four-hour meeting on the east side. They usually serve deep-dish pizza from Pizzeria Uno... basically torture for someone who used to love crusty, cheesy amazingness. Last night, though, they had set aside for me a delicious grilled salmon and mashed potatoes that were clearly labeled gluten-free (none of this "oh, sure, gluten - that's a kind of sugar, right?" craziness). I also get served first on airplanes and the food is usually pretty darn good. I would actually recommend non-gluten-free people check that little box for long flights. Basically, I'm glad I live in 2009 with this disease rather than ten or twenty years ago and I'm grateful for friends and colleagues who care enough to educate themselves about it so I can participate in food-related festivities.

Other items I would recommend to the gluten-able:

--pretzels

--tortilla wraps (teff flour... mmmm)

--brownies (lots of great mixes and all better than the original)

--pasta

--crackers

1.20.09: Hail to the Chief!

I feel like I have to pinch myself... we have a new President. A President who I am tremendously proud of and a First Family who I think represents our best selves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnygQ02aW4

My favorite part of the inaugural ceremony was this song performed by Yo-Yo Ma and friends. I have always loved that Shaker melody and was even more moved by the lyrics on such a historic and hopeful and new day:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twil be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain'd,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Come round right indeed. To hear someone in such a powerful position talk about love and humility and curiosity and creativity is not just refreshing - it's an inspiration in the truest sense of the word. I dare you to listen to that melody and not get choked up.

1.19.09: Sweet Relief

Today's gratitude is very easy to choose: a 2-hour massage for $50. Sounds too good to be true? Ahhhhhh... it's amazing. I would pay that for someone just to poke me with a stick for a little while, but it's actually the best massage I've ever had and affordable enough for me to go once a month. What a godsend. I know you're jealous.

1.18.09: "nice" weather

Though it's sort of masochistic to call 7 degree weather "nice", I really appreciated having clear roads, sunshine, and no wind yesterday on my drive back from Janesville. I-90 can be a fairly scary stretch of road when there is ice and snow. When it's a bright day and it's not too windy and I'm driving along, I can almost pretend that it's a lovely spring day. Almost.

1.17.09: let's hear it for great teachers!

I was in Janesville for my UW-LaCrosse job this weekend. It is the highlight of my month to get together with these teachers and push them to take their practice to the next level. The learners are from schools all over central Wisconsin and teach everything imaginable. We invited a guest speaker on Saturday morning, a 40+ year veteran teacher from Iowa, who blew everyone away. Her passion and knowledge and creativity were astounding - I can only hope that I'll be (to quote her) as "balls to the wall" when I'm in my 70s.

Sadly, my co-facilitator was holed up in the hotel with that nasty 24-hour flu bug that has been going around. Though I always feel so incredibly lucky to work with her, her absence and the presence of a sub (another community's facilitator) reminded me of how serendipitous our placement together was. The sub was a very friendly and positive lady, but made it clear how special my connection to Jane is - we just clicked right away and developed a shorthand within the first weekend that allows to plan stuff without the use of full sentences. We joke that we have parallel lives - every story we share about our personal life is echoed in the other's. It used to be kind of creepy, but now it's just comical.

I'm so grateful for this job - to work with people like Jane and our community members and to meet people like Nancy who are incredibly inspiring. Professional development: woop woop!

1.16.09: technophile

I'm not nearly as tech-savvy as I want to be, but there are moments of synergy when you're working with different programs that is just amazing. Take the meeting on Friday for the grad student organization I helped get started - I was typing minutes in google docs so that the other leadership team members would have access to it, projecting it on a big screen from an LCD projector, and flipping back and forth between the document and our website for reference. We've been debating about where to post a world map with flags for each student when one of the members suggested we use google maps. We can upload pictures of everyone tagged on their hometown! How cool is that?

I just realized this is my second post about the magic of google. That is a bit disconcerting.

1.15.09: and the crowd goes wild

I'm a bit behind in my posts, here... last Thursday I went to the Wisconsin/Minnesota basketball game that got progressively more exciting with every last second. Though the Badgers held the lead by an average of 10 points throughout the game, the Gophers burrowed back (ha, ha) to sink a 3-pointer at the buzzer that kicked the game into overtime. The next five minutes was pitiful, but we scrapped back to salvage some hope in the last 30 seconds. Ultimately, we lost and the lone Minnesota fan behind us (an undergrad girl whose shrieks would be a strong contender for Most Annoying Sound in the World) went wild. I didn't really care that we lost - why I go to games is to be in a stadium full of people who rise up together in thunderous applause. I'm not a sucker for just any large crowd (obviously we're not talking about the Nazi rallies here), but there's something about cheering throngs that just makes my day.

1.14.09: been there, done that

warning: this gratitude post may be a bit of a downer. i just found out that one of my good friends and former collegaue's husband has colon cancer. he's in his 30s, in amazing health, and the news has come as quite a shock. they're taking it well and staying positive as he goes through the initial surgery to remove the tumor to find out what stage the cancer is at, but i'm sure all the good vibes you can send them and their three little kids would help. i've been thinking about them so much recently and remembering how pivotal that moment is when you find out that someone you love more than anything in the world has cancer... it's like all the minutes of your life line up before that moment or after it. what i'm grateful for today, then, is that i am free of that gnawing mix of worry and fear and hope and faith that churns around in you every day after you find out. this may sound completely morbid, but one of the feelings i had after my mom died was one of relief... as much as i would do anything to have had the conclusion to that whole episode be different, i am so grateful to be at this stage of the grief rather than back at the beginning where everything is so raw and uncertain and confusing. i have a lot of confidence that he will beat this, but my heart breaks for their family knowing that even as strong and close as they are they will be put through the ringer. i think i can even say that i've been grateful for that ringer. and, of course, more than anything i am grateful for the time i had with my mom and my family which was beyond words wonderful.

(sarah is on the left - this was taken on my last day of school in 2005)

p.s. does anyone know why my windows are completely frosted over? it looks like i'm trapped in a mr.freeze ice cube.

1.13.09: having nothing to do is way overrated

This afternoon, I was invited to a portfolio presentation of three former students from my methods class. It made me feel so incredibly grateful to be in the field of education with a profession that makes me feel like my time working is always worth it. I was so proud of them and so jealous that they're in there, working with kids every day and generally being useful to society. I'm not going to lie - as great as some parts of grad school are (flexible schedule, naps, coffeehouses, etc.) there are also some seriously frustrating parts (flexible schedule, naps, coffeehouses, etc.). I'm excited for classes to start again so I can at least feel useful once a week.

I will say, though stuck in front of my computer quite a bit, that I am enjoying the local DJ-less radio station that plays all sorts of random music. Today I've bounced along with "Ho-tel, mo-tel, Holiday Inn! Say what?", "Purple rain, purple rain!", "We built this city! We built this city on rock and roll!" and "Mmm bop! Bop a bop doo bop a ditty bop bop mmm bop..." It's a way better song than I remembered. You better believe I sing along. If I were my neighbors, I would start to worry.

1.12.09: Legs That Work

Weird title, I know. But I have used my legs a lot today without really thinking about it and would like to give a shout out to my legs. First of all, I went to the Pilates Nazi's class this morning (she snapped on cue for how fast we were supposed to be doing our 100s, but I loved her); scissor kicks and the teaser would be kind of hard to do without legs. I danced around to "Single Ladies" while tidying up. Then I was able to be out and about today driving in the snow and clamoring around snowbanks to wipe off my windows with only the cold cramping my style. I take for granted a lot that, in general, my limbs do what I tell them to do. At church a couple of weeks ago, the priest mentioned a teenage boy who had offered to go get the car for an elderly parishoner who was having trouble walking on the ice and I've been thinking about that a lot - how easy it is for me to get around, even in nasty weather. I feel like I'm going to jinx my legs by saying thank you, like I'm going to lose them in some freak ironic accident, but I'll take my chances.

1.11.09: Smoke-Free Establishment

Madison has been smoke-free since just before I moved here, a regulation that I take for granted all-too often. I was reminded how amazing it is to be in a smoke-free community, however, when I met up with friends last night for a good-bye party (another one is off to the mythical Seattle!) at a cigar bar. I have to admit, I kind of like the smell of cigars; it makes me think of sweet old men playing chess in the park or offering sage advice from the corner of an Irish pub. I don't know why it makes me think of that - I know no such men. The initial sweet smoke, however, turns into nastiness given an hour or so. After I got home, for example, that nasty business had settled into the fibers of my favorite scarf, new coat, and dry clean-only shirt. I tied them to my balcony to air them out last night, but it just made them cold. Ugh. So, a huge shout out to Madison's smoking ban. Thank God.

I think the only person who hates the smell of smoke worse than me is my sister. I still laugh thinking about her calls to every bowling alley in the city asking them, "Excuse me, but are you a smoke-free establishment?" You can imagine the responses she got.

1.10.09: New Old Room

I've basically wasted the day napping and eating, but at least it was spent in my new bedroom. After living here for four years, I just switched bedrooms and can't explain why it is so much better. I've been sleeping like a rock... probably too well, actually.

1.09.09: My Crafty Neighbor

I'm sure this will come as no surprise to those who know and love me, but I have lost my bus pass. Again. To get to campus, I've been driving my little Corolla and scouring the streets for free 2-hour parking or paying through the nose to park in a ramp. Today, as the sky dumped snow and traffic slowed to a crawl, I found enough change to pay the Metro fare... it was comical to see my struggle to get the quarters out of a tiny coin purse with bulky gloves on. Luckily, my neighbor buddy and her adorable little girl were waiting for the bus, too, and she generously covered my fare with her pass. It was small, but it made my day. We always have great chats on the bus and in her shop while I work on photo collages. As a shout out to Sachi, check out her indie craft shop on State Street (my favorite place for crafty gifts): Anthology

1.08.09: MAM time

About this time a couple of years ago, I had a serious case of cabin fever. To shake it, I was inspired by the book "Yes Man" (surely better than the movie) and decided to be a "Yes Girl" for a month. It led to me getting a banana facial, going snow tubing, protesting the war in DC, and joining the Milwaukee Art Museum. The MAM is one of my favorite museums in the world - not only is the location and structure itself breathtakingly beautiful, but the pieces inside are quite interesting. The rotating exhibit today, for example, was "interactive art" like a floor that lit up when people stepped on it and a wall full of rotating wooden pieces that magically reflected your image back in clunky pixels. My favorite piece was this huge black box you walked into that had mirrors and glass everywhere (floor, ceiling, walls) and thousands of lights strung in an optical illusion so you felt like you were walking in the stars... totally amazing. They also have a great collection of Haitian art, American folk art, German beer hall paintings that are hilarious, and a collection of Biedermeier furniture that was astounding. This couch was made in 1805. Doesn't that look like something would come in a box from IKEA?

1.07.09: Gore May Coup King

I was feeling both productive and culinary this morning which led to me whipping up a beef stew in my new Le Creuset fancy pants pot, arepas with shredded beef and eggs, and fried plantains. Per usual, I grabbed an apron, took down my smoke detector, and cranked the tunes and heat up high. Now I have a mess of a kitchen, but a full tummy and food for the next two weeks.

I also made a rather excellent chili a few days ago and invited my game-loving buddies over for some dinner and Mad Gab last night. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. The last time I played was with family friends who were in hysterics as my brother-in-law innocently repeated "puss hole" in varying accents for several minutes. Karma's got my back for good food: in exchange for chili and cornbread, my friends gifted several old games to me including Water Works and an Egyptian chess-like game that uses real laser beams. No joke.

1.6.09: The Magic of Googlevision

Today's gratitude comes to you courtesy of gmail video chat. Thanks to this tiny camera at the top of my MacBook, I can hook up via video to anyone else through gmail with the same little camera. It is infinitely better than just talking on the phone, especially when it's with people I don't get to see very often. And it's free. Take that, Verizon Wireless. After coming home last night from an ugly sweater party, for example, Catherine and I chatted it up until the wee hours of the morning. I got to show her my fabulous sleeves (from waist to wrist!) while eating a fried egg. Can a phone do that? Can email? No. Only gmail video chat. In the future, we will all have flying cars and extra organs growing in our fridge ... and video chat.

1.05.09: Tweezers

While sauntering down my apartment's staircase today, I was humming a little tune, sliding my hand down the bannister and got the most wicked splinter I have ever had. It was at least a quarter of an inch long (which is long). It was like someone had purposely inserted a crudely painted toothpick just under the pad of my thumb for, I don't know, some sort of secret weapon or party trick. For lack of a better term, it hurt like a bitch. So I postponed my trip to the store, walked as calmly as I could to my bathroom, and proceeded to remove said splinter from my thumb. This took upwards of fifteen minutes. It was so huge. Its hugeness cannot be underestimated. And after it was out, all I thought about was how amazing tweezers are. I could have kissed those tweezers. I love tweezers. If I were on a desert island, the first thing I want - over music, books, flint, whatever - would be tweezers.

1.04.09: Snuggles and Singing

This morning, after waking up with amazing snuggles from Lois the Cat (who was seriously snuggle-deprived after two weeks alone), I found an article about PS22 5th grade choir in the New York Times. It reminded me of those transcendent moments in the A Cappella choir with Mr.Salucka after drilling us into excellence that I have not experienced since. The kids' YouTube channel is enough to brighten anyone's day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_tcE4rWovl

1.03.09: The Return of the Corolla

After an accident that cost close to $700 to repair (and that was with insurance...), my Corolla is finally back with me. I'm pretty sure a belt is going to blow soon, she's got a rusted dent in the driver's door, and I haven't cleaned out the trunk in over a year, but she's a solid little Toyota. Thank goodness for reliable personal transportation.

1.02.09: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

After several people recommended it, my sister and brother-in-law and I watched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" on Friday night after flying home from New York. It was hilarious and sweet and reminded me that we meet people when we least expect it. And it was infinitely quotable... "He's like Gandhi, but better - he likes puppets." Little gives me more pleasure than perfectly timed quote dropping.

1.01.09: Screwdrivers at the Sunburnt Cow

My resolution for 2009: to spend my days more consciously and passionately instead of unshowered, in sweatpants, at the same seat in front of my computer in my dining room eating Trader Joe's peanut butter cups and watching YouTube clips while I procrastinate my schoolwork. As a single girl in the final years of grad school, this is an amazing and unique time in my life and I don't want to fritter it away. As a kick in the pants, then, this blog is a chance for me to be explicitly grateful for at least one thing every day. Special thanks to Annie Dillard for the quote that inspires me each morning: "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." And so it begins... January 1: New York City's Sunburnt Cow's $20 all-you-can drink brunch special with a great omelette, several delicious screwdrivers (who needs to be hungover on New Year's Day when you get enjoy a buzz at brunch?), ridiculously chatty bar rats, and a cute Australian barman who inspired me to leave a note (yep, I received a callback and, yep, he's happily married).