this weekend.

Since I know yall are all crazy interested in how my weekend was, I figured I wouldn't waste any more time and just get it out in the open.

Yes, it was a good one!

It started Friday afternoon, when I met my lovely friend Alison with her lovely son Jack to walk around mindlessly in first Target, then Barnes and Nobles. Finally we decided on what we wanted to do (tough decision for two indecisive people such as ourselves!). We drove out to Decatur to go to Little Shop of Stories in Decatur. I have so say I wasn't really impressed. I wanted to like it better than Barnes and Nobles and Borders, but it didn't have the book I wanted (I had held off buying it earlier in order to support local business, and see what lesson I learned), and it was also much more sterile seeming. It was strange, because I guess I expected a store like the one in You've Got Mail. (Yes, I've seen You've Got Mail. Drop it.)


(source)

Plus, it was weird because Decatur Beach Party was going on, where they dumped a bunch of sand in downtown Decatur so kids could shovel it and parents could stand around in it looking uncomfortable but trying to bond over how much they loved their kids and let them run their lives.

Alison had to go home so I ended up going out later with my friend Katie to a place called Pozole which was great for two reasons: 1) the food and drinks were great, and not too expensive, and 2) it was an AWESOME place to people watch. These drunk guys tried to get us to go up to The Warren with them but that didn't work out for several obvious reasons. All in all, it was a great night. Katie is my new going out buddy, and I hope we are going to go out more. Drunk old frat boys are wonderfully entertaining. :)

Saturday, Michael and I played tennis and then sat out at the pool, which was heavenly. We grabbed a burrito afterwards and relaxed at his home. It was nice to be able to spend some time with him. He's been so busy (as I should be) that it's hard to schedule. Saturday night I went out to Planet Bombay and I had the Tofu dal sabji. Highly recommended! Be sure to ask for it spicy. :) MMMMMMM!!!

Sunday, I meant to do a lot of work but I ended up playing video games and watching Law and Order. I did some other things, too, but I won't bore you with the details. I meant to watch Hellboy, but Michael was unable to join me. Very sad, but then again, I do love me some Law and Order: CI and In Plain Sight (both were new last night!). I guess I'll watch it tonight if I get home in time. I've been going since before 8 am. I had to take the recyclers and do laundry; now I'm at work and will be until 7, then when I get home I'll have to write an exam and finish writing an article that my co-author has almost finished (oops).

Wish me luck! I should have done a little more work yesterday, I see now!

Charity :)

love the title: "wronged by a thong"

"In terms of money, that's really not what we want here. Again, we want to make sure that Vic-Marcrida Patterson is fully redressed for her grievous injury. Again, she's had some injury, she's missed work, she's gone through a lot of suffering as well. We basically want to make Marcrida whole again."

[blows raspberry]

dancing and dissertation defending.

Cyd Charisse died Tuesday at age 86 (source). I thought I'd post a clip. She was really amazing (but this isn't her singing).



In better news, Michael defended his dissertation! One more friend out of graduate school (great for my friends, mixed blessing for me). I'm so happy for him. We went to the Brick Store to celebrate. Now that's entertainment!

Charity :)

ninja warriors and old video games.

After a conversation with my brother, I was looking up clips of this show:



when I found this short film:



Extra credit to the first one who can figure out the connection!

Charity :)

in honor of Nikki's and my healing tongues.

25 Signs You've Grown Up*

25. Your houseplants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.

24. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.

23. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.

22. 6 AM is when you wake up, not when you go to bed.

21. You hear your favorite song on the elevator.

20. You watch the Weather Channel.

19. Your friends marry and divorce instead of hook up and break up.

18. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.

17. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up."

16. You're the one calling the police because those damn kids next door won't turn down the stereo.

15. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.

14. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.

13. Your car insurance goes down and your payments go up.

12. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonalds leftovers.

11. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.

10. You no longer take naps from noon to 6 PM.

9. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.

8. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.

7. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.

6. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff."

5. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.

4. "I just can't drink the way I used to," replaces "I'm never doing to drink that much again."

3. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.

2. You no longer drink at home to save money before going to a bar.

1. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn't apply to you.

* I don't actually know where this comes from, since I clipped it from a newspaper before these things were all true. I looked it up on the internet and it's everywhere, so there's no way I'm going to bother with finding out who initially wrote it. Anyway. Not me.

But it's funny! Many of them aren't true for me yet, but I look forward to the day when I can mark them off the list. I'm enjoying being a grown up. I bought a new bathing suit this year. It's plain, black and sensible.

People told me my thirties were going to be awesome, but I had no idea. I'm so glad I'm single for it, too. I feel more powerful than I ever have in the past. I say this after an 11-hour workday.

Guess what?

Pretty soon, you'll have to call me DOCTOR Crabtree.

Doctor Who? You heard me. I'm going to fetch the Tardis and start solving REAL problems!!

BBC

Charity :)

last lecture: Randy Pausch.

I'm finishing up The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, which was suggested by my stepmom on my last trip home. It's really great, and I'm enjoying watching the actual lecture, too. Recommended!

Charity :)

face for sale.

Emory's bulletin board after graduation, when all the notices had been (mostly) removed. Taken May 2008.

on the brighter side.

Did you know that this year is the International Year of the Potato? What are YOU doing to celebrate? I want to have a Potato Party!!



Yesterday I went to a game of the Atlanta Dream! Below, "Atlanta Dream players Katie Feenstra (6-foot-8) and Ivory Latta (5-foot-6) model the new uniforms to be worn by Atlanta's WNBA franchise" (source).


They didn't win, but it was very close (85-81), against the Minnesota Lynx, who are undefeated this season. I'm very optimistic! I went with a friend and we were just so excited, trying to imagine what it would have been like growing up with professional basketball stars that were women.

I was for Obama all along, but it still stings a bit that we are not going to have a female presidential candidate. This helps!

Charity :)

[sigh]

Today.

I found out I didn't get the job and Guilford, and am feeling discouraged, because if I'm always up against 200 candidates (UNCG) or someone with more experience than I could possibly have at my age, then I'm not sure how I'm ever going to get a job, especially one close to my family. Or even at all. I tried not to get my hopes up, but seeing my parents so excited and acting confidently in the interview tricked me into doing just that. I'm very sad on top of being discouraged.

Therefore, I was not in the best state of mind to receive an email from a former student that was a not-at-all-veiled threatening and completely libelous attempt at blackmail.

My mom told me I should get a lawyer and keep my eyes open in case I need to get a restraining order as well. Great.

And today was supposed to be so fun in class. We are doing skits, and watching video clips. I guess it's best that I have activities planned, so I don't burst into tears halfway through. I love teaching. It gives me the most wonderful feeling, and I'm so good at it. I wish I could learn the secret to getting a job doing it full-time.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. It still looks to be a long day.

Charity

bush vs. zombies!

the Marshalls near my dad's house is way better than anything they have down in Hot-Lanta.

I'm getting ready for my interview. I don't know what this feeling is. Is similar to nervousness, but more like excitement. Kind of like I'm getting ready to go on a first date. Let's just hope the school wants to kiss me at the end of it.

Not literally, of course.

Ooh, or it's like I'm getting ready to go back to the Dr. Who exhibit at the State Fair all those years ago. I know on a literal that I'm not actually in any danger. Yet, there's still this feeling of not quite knowing what to expect.

Hoping for the best!

Charity :)

ack.

Last night I was minding my own business, eating a yummy cookie (yummy!), when I crunched down on something predictably hard and round and little. Great, the top of my tongue stud came unscrewed again, I thought. One day I'm seriously going to crack a tooth.

Something felt different this time, though, and I rolled my eyes and headed to the bathroom, fishing out the little hard semi-sphere. That's when I realized what was different. The top had actually broken off, and the stem of the screw remained in the metal bar.

I've been thinking about taking it out lately anyway. I took it as a sign, and didn't really mourn too much. It was funny to realize I still have a slight lisp, although it might go away in time. My tongue was very sensitive where the stud had been, as I imagine one's skin would be once a cast was removed.

I didn't really miss it until this morning. Drinking my tall soy latte (I have to treat myself in troubled times such as these, I rationalized), I really felt the difference. See, the metal bar used to heat up when I drank my coffee, and I didn't even realize it until now. My tongue feels like a huge, desensitized blob that I'm in danger of choking on. Yuck.

I was going to post a film, as a visual aid. Then I looked them up and remembered my pledge after I got it done that once would be enough times. I can't go back. It's too gruesome.

One has to grow up sometime, I guess.


even goonies grow up.

bouncy castles are the best kind!

I got Sam a new zip lead today. I did have an old leash that was only about 4 feet long, and seemed a bit fragile. His new one is nice and silver (matching his collar; unfortunately his harness matches his last leash, but the green provides a nice POP of color, as Stacy and Clinton might observe). Anyway, it's from Planet Dog, and I asked the nice young man at the store today if he thought my cat would mind that it says "Planet DOG" and he chuckled nervously, replying, "No, I don't think so." I was like, "Kidding."

It's embarrassing how often I have to tell people I'm joking. And worrisome...

In other news, I think I'm in love with this cat. And maybe his human friend, too. Enjoy!



It's been viewed over 9 million times. I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around that, even though I recognize that it's really good.

Today I went to a birthday party for a 4 year old. I babysit her and was lucky enough to score an invitation to the after party as well. SCORE! And, there was a giant bouncy castle! So. Much. Fun. And the little girl's mom, my friend Sara, even bought me Boca burgers (even though I'm the only vegetarian). What a wonderful time.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the video as much as Sam likes his new leash and as much as I liked the bouncy castle.

Charity :)

At the Zoo.

I went to the zoo this past week with Alison and Jack. What a cutie! Here are some pictures.



The weirdest thing (aside from the beautiful Kori Bustard that was obsessed with me that unfortunately I neglected to get a picture of), was the otters, who were moving in a tightly clustered group, chirping. I guess I could find out more about it if I felt like researching, but Alison and I reasoned that they might be waiting for a feeding, since it was very close to closing time. I took a video, in case I have piqued your interest.



Have a great weekend! The weather is so beautiful. I'm off to a birthday party. Yay!

Charity :)

a sustainable mind.

I'm participating in a workshop on incorporating sustainability into the curriculum of my classes and in reviewing the preparation materials required for it, I came across this video.



I love the things he's talking about, and the idea that the developing countries could use our technological advances to skip our heavy ecological footprint types of development, but I don't really know how he expects the developing world to pay for it all...

In general, the environmental crisis scares me for that exact reason. Who is going to invest in the research and development of these ideas and how will we ever pay for them in time for them to make a difference?! It's like, if we would have devoted ourselves to the pursuit of "green" solutions" about 40 years ago, it might have made a difference. Instead, we've been "farting around" as my dad might say, while the window of opportunity slowly closed.

Now people can do whatever they want, and call it the wave of the future, but how can we possibly create the infrastructural changes necessary in time to avert social and natural disaster?

Just a thought.

[I've been struggling with financial crisis for the past few days, so I guess that's kind of "where my mind's at" right now. I sure would love a sustainable paycheck.]

But sure, I'll talk about sustainability in my class anyway. It couldn't hurt.

Charity :)

silly reindeer games.

OMG LOL. How do you like YOUR ramen??



I am having a pretty good day, even though I got TWO parking tickets last week. My first ever. The first was at school, and the second was in front of my house. I parked too close to the hydrant, because there were no spaces! Then today when I went to my car, there was a note from my neighbor asking me politely not to park in front of their house since they have kids and do a lot of construction. I love it. So I'm supposed to leave empty spaces there and park even farther from my own house when people who are at Fellini's and La Fonda are parked in front of MY house. Or maybe in front of the fire hydrant again? Oh, no. That's bad too.

Whatever. I don't even care. I got another interview done today (10 physicians, 22 total already!) and two more are in the works. Class starts soon, so I'm getting ready for that, too. I don't have time for silly parking games.

Charity :)

you know you're not at the top of your game...

you know you're not at the top of your game when you get up bright and early, drink your tea, take a shower, and then put clean pajamas on.

almost there... but not quite.

I have been cleaning my ceiling and other hard to reach places today.

Like, my ceiling fans, and my freezer. Here is some ice I got; when one bowl melted, I was able to fill up another and I'm still not through. The problem with renting is that I usually don't feel much ownership in problems such as these. But, as the post-it note on my bathroom mirror reminds me on a daily basis: Today's the day!!

Last week I went to Merlefest with my parents, and I wanted to post a few pictures of that.

Mom and me waiting for some music on a day when there was NOT a giant thunderstorm. (On the day there was, I happened to be on my way to see a venue indoors, which of course there were a line of people when I got there who were trying to escape the rain and so were standing in line for said concert, thus ruining my chances of being able to see it [grumbling continues under breath], which was not as bad as my poor parents, who figured they'd wait it out under Richard's poncho, which unfortunately had a hole in it, so didn't provide total protection from the torrential downpour in their seats situated right smack-dab in the middle of a slight, um, flood plain... So go the joys and sorrows of Merlefest!)

Mom and Richard while we were waiting (again, NOT in the heavy thunderstorm complete with lightning and dark gray sky which actually cleared up in about 30 minutes, which unfortunately was not quickly enough to prevent thousands of hippies and non-hippie bluegrass fans from getting completely soaked, along with my parents).

My most favorite band, even better than the Magnetic Fields (if only from a personalities of the artist perspective), the Avett Brothers performing some song which I don't remember which one it is but whichever one it was it ROCKED (they are great, and I had seen them the week before in Atlanta which also rocked, but what confused me was the extent to which the audience, made up mostly of what appeared to be a strange strange strange combination of frat boys and hippies, loved the band and sang along with a large number of their songs, a phenomenon which also occurred during the performance at Merlefest of another great band, Old Crow Medicine Show, both facts which prompt me to wonder where all these people are finding out about such great music, since most college radio stations I know of are playing mostly indie music [although Spin online did cover their Atlanta show]).

Anyway, I've also been taking Sam out on a leash lately. At first I thought it would be fun and hoped it wouldn't be too torturous for him, but I actually realized far too late that what has happened instead is that I've created a monster, as you can see below. He was waiting to go outside and he cries and cries and CRIES (also, his misdeeds have increased in both severity and frequency; the other day I was on my way out the door, of course dressed up and on my way to a baby shower with the gifts, and of course in the rain, and he bolted, finally allowing me to find him pressed entirely against the fence in my neighbor's yard, protecting himself futilely [I actually thought he was trapped at first] behind some dried out ivy stems).

Bless his heart.

since this time last week.

Since this time last week (check it out), I have done SEVEN interviews with physicians. Plus, I have three more scheduled, and one more who has committed to participate but who is out of town until June. So that's eleven, out of the 18 I need.

I can't believe how EXCITED I am! I mean, I can't believe how smoothly this is going! Of course, now I've doomed us all, but I mean, I am just walking on air right now!

Kind of like this guy. But in a different way.



Charity :)

the significance of 1649.

I found out this evening that the four digit number listed in the subject line of this entry is the dollar amount of income tax (state + federal) that I owe the government(s). Luckily, as part of the "economy stimulus package" passed in February, I will be getting a rebate of $600, maybe (why can't they tell me for certain?!?), which is great news in many ways! For example, now I won't have to sell one of my kidneys on ebay to buy gas.

In better news (hey, at least I finally did my taxes!), I went to the Pet Parade in Candler Park today with a friend. That was a lot of fun. There was actually a cat there, surprisingly. And on a leash no less! And called "Hoss" if I heard his human companion correctly. He was very curious and calm, and didn't seem threatened usually, unless dogs barked at him. And to my surprise, almost all of the dogs did pretty well with him. Some more than others, but most didn't bark. One of the most "okay" with him was a dog named Rocky.


Rocky LOVED Hoss! It was so cute! At first he bent his front body down and wagged his tail in the air, trying to get Hoss to play. When that didn't work the way he seemed to think it would, but Hoss didn't back up or seem scared, he crouched down until he was lying on his stomach, and inched his paw towards Hoss, trying to lure him into a fun game. People all turned to watch, and this went on for some time. Everyone was fascinated at his apparent infatuation with Hoss, but finally Rocky's people began pulling him home, with his lady friend promising, "We'll get you a cat friend, Rocky!" Rocky at first stood looking back at Hoss while his humans pulled him in the opposite direction, clearly mourning his inability to stay and play. Oh my gosh, how adorable.

Also, I cut my hair again. I'm getting ready to start on my interviews with physicians (hooray!) and wanted to look as professional as possible. I'm thinking about taking out my tongue piercing, but having a hard time committing to that, since I know I'll never have the guts to get it done again.



In other news, I got two GREAT air purifiers. They were on sale on the manufacturer's website, 2 for the price of 1. I'm glad I bought them before I paid my taxes, because I never would have committed to that if I'd known about the 4 digit payment I was soon going to have to make to cover the governments losses this year. Part of me would rather have two new air purifiers than an endless war, but I can see the other perspective too. Wait, no, I can't.

Sam is hurt again, speaking of emergency expenditures. Bless his little heart. It's tearing me up to see him so uncomfortable. I'll have to take him to the vet Monday, and I hope it doesn't get any worse for the little guy. He's in a lot of pain it seems, but the vet is booked up tomorrow, so if I take him in, I'll have to wait for hours and then pay an extra $50 IF they get around to seeing him. I feel it should be one or the other frankly. Why should I pay $50 extra just for the privilege of waiting four hours for the privilege of paying for an exam and treatment (and my vet is not cheap, either!)? I mean, if you can fit us in, just take us! If not, don't. But don't take my money for no good reason at all. (Speaking of rude penalties, I had to pay $50 to the government because my employer didn't withhold enough. That is ALSO BS if you ask me.)

Finally, I finished The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, which was absolutely amazing. Highly recommended. I also saw The Frighteners (directed by Peter Jackson, 1996), which I also highly recommend. Ben Hur (directed by William Wyler, 1959), which I watched the other night was pretty good, but it's kind of weird to sit through a 3 hour movie in order to watch a 15 minute long chariot race. Of course, there were other good parts, too, but everyone seems to talk about the chariot race, which apparently was astronomically expensive. It's interesting to compare that to something like 300 or The Lord of the Rings (speaking of Peter Jackson). The crowd scenes, the fight scenes, the death scenes, the battle scenes, all done without CGI. Anyway, recommended, especially if, like me, you are trying to watch the AFI Top 100 American Films before you die. Or before they update the list again.

I hope you, whoever you are and wherever you are, are well. I've been listening to my Pema Chodron CDs (when I'm not listening to my learning German podcasts or the Grateful Dead; I don't know what it is with me lately...) but I want you to know I'm practicing tonglen for you.

Charity :)