Four things By Catherine on 1/30/2008 07:48:00 AM
I don't want to make a habit of posting this stuff, but I was amused by this little survey and figured posting it here was less invasive than flooding everyone's inbox with such inane little factoids on myself. If you feel like responding, permalink and I'll check Technorati for linkbacks.Four (4) things about me that you may or may not have known.
1. I really like sushi
2. I really hate onions (unless they're cooked until they don't resemble onions anymore)
3. I am taking the English MTEL exam next month
4. I have a slight case of OCD... and by slight I mean not slight. Large.
Four (4) jobs I have had in my life
1. Camp counselor
2. Waitress/hostess
3. Cashier at BCF (was Decelle then)
4. Teacher
Four (4) movies I've watched more than once:
1. The Big Lebowski
2. Mary Poppins
3. Independence Day
4. Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Four (4) places where I have lived
1. Northborough, MA
2. Bridgewater, MA
3. Amherst, MA
4. Shrewsbury, MA
Four (4) TV Shows that I watch:
1. Law and Order
2. Forensic Files
3. Jeopardy!
4. Project Runway
Four (4) places I have been
1 . Grenoble, France
2. Ann Arbor, MI
3. Washington, DC
4. Richmond, VA
Four (4) people who email me regularly
1. my mom
2. Amanda
3. Jen
4. Gram
Four (4) of my favorite foods:
1. New England clam chowder
2. Sushi
3. Spaghetti and meatballs
4. Tiramisu
Four (4) places I would rather be right now:
1. Cape Cod
2. Paris
3. Home (am at work-- assembly = no kids)
4. Myrtle Beach
Four (4) people I think will respond:
1.
2.
3.
4. No one.
Four (4) things I am looking forward to this year.
1. Going to France
2. Speaking French (finally)
3. Sunshine and spring
4. Not working a full-time job this summer so I can focus on writing more.
Labels: favorites, s, summer, vacation, writing
Summer begins By Catherine on 5/29/2007 07:08:00 AM
When the pools start opening up, and the grills can be smelled from the sidewalks in my little suburban enclave, and the cat starts trying to get outside every time the door is opened, I know summer is here. It was a grill and birthday weekend, complete with too many hotdogs and lots of Stellas. I feel like a vacation all over again.School (work) is done on 6/15, and on 6/25 I will start my 5th summer as a camp counselor-- in case you didn't know, it's the best job EVER and I'd do it all year round if there was a program like that. There really is nothing more satisfying than being outdoors and playing with children. It's tempting to stay with teaching for just that reason-- summers off, freedom (plus, the benefits are fantastic, I don't think I could afford them otherwise.) Summer makes me want to purge myself of everything unnatural, to sell my possessions and live outdoors and cook over a fire. I forget about things like makeup and hairspray, can wear the same thing to work every day (because, hey, we ALL wear the same thing to work every day), don't worry about freckles or french manicures or moisturizer... Basically, summer symbolizes for me a return to how I like myself best-- simple, free, unworried. I know it's not really like that, and I'm probably somehow doing myself a great emotional injustice in saddling summer with all this meaning, but the long days and sunshine make reality a bit easier to ignore.
I think now would be a good time to start the process of weeding out what I want for myself from what is expected of me. It's also a good time to downsize on "stuff", as I know I own too many THINGS, and want to be rid of some of them. Clothes that don't fit, knick-knacks, paperwork that should be shredded or burned, a million pillows from my dorm-room years... there aren't enough words.
Labels: freedom, friends, summer
My list of "To Be Read" is ridiculously long. By Catherine on 4/27/2007 08:03:00 AM
So, I'm going to share it. And probably keep adding to it.Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingsolver)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
Birthday Letters (Ted Hughes)
Swastika Night (Katharine Burdekin)
Walden (re-read, HD Thoreau)
The End of This Day's Business (Katharine Burdekin)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (JK Rowling)
Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
The Celtic Nights (WB Yeats)
I'm at work, the rest of the list is chez moi. More later, if I complete more homework. This time of year is the most stressful for everyone, so good luck to the rest of the grad schoolers out there and hang on, cause summer vacation starts in just a few weeks!
Labels: academic burn-out, reading, summer