Tomorrow, Decemeber 6th, is St. Nicholas Day. When I was growing, up we would occasionally celebrate St. Nicholas Day. One celebrates by leaving their shoes or slippers out and when one wakes up the shoes are filled with candy or other small treats.
In honor of St. Nicholas Day, here is my favorite Christmas story: 6 to 8 Black Men by David Sedaris.
The Christmas/St. Nicholas portion of the story starts about 3 minutes in. But you should really listen to the whole thing.
Parents, this is a particularly good story if your kids are misbehaving around the holidays (or any time, really.) Or, if you are like my family, you can go with the story of the Belsnickel instead. Or, if your kids have been really terrible, go with the Krampus story. He is sure to frighten even the toughest children. (But apparently Krampus is becoming too commercialized. So use him sparingly?)
I just got home from the grocery store, and let me tell you, I was prepared to think some seriously zen thoughts. 6:00 pm, the day before Thanksgiving? That place was bound to be a zoo. But I was pleasantly surprised to find it humming along smoothly. I didn't even half to wait at the check out. Long story short, I'm thankful for an easy trip to the grocery store.
Here are some other things I'm thankful for this year:
Unexpected days off - In the past couple weeks, I've had days off due to a power outage and ice.There's nothing quite like realizing you don't have to do anything all day.
Sunny summer - This summer was unusually sunny and it was especially welcome after a few summers of rain. I didn't even have to pack my rain jacket sometimes. Whaaaat??
Adventures - Like flight seeing! (Thanks Mom and Dad)
Ice skating - Early this year I went ice skating, and now I have a nice boy in my life who buys me coffee, puts up with my ghost obsession, AND shares my interest in fudge stripe cookies and word puzzles (except word searches.)
I think we also share a leg to jort ratio
Not Black Friday (or Thursday??) shopping
AMERICA. SERIOUSLY.
ITA matrix - The easiest way for me to play "How much does it cost to get to______" is with the ITA matrix. You are search a million airports at once! For example, all airports within 1000 miles of Caracas. Thanks, Google.
Going home for Christmas - Last year I was home the week before Christmas, so I'm super excited to be home for actual Christmas this year. Bonus, all my immediate family is in the same state now!
Friends, family, etc - Obvi.
I'm thankful for the rest of the family too. He's just the cutest.
Fact: I am a TERRIBLE sick person. Some people are good at functioning while under-the-weather. I am not one of those people. Not only that, but I feel guilty about being sick. It's a double whammy on my soul. So, friends, just know if I ask you to get me a ginger ale, I feel really bad about it.
Anyway, last week I had strep throat. I haven't had strep in a really long time, (but it was just as miserable as I remembered.) Thank goodness for antibiotics, amirite? By day 3 I had watched more PBS specials than I care to admit, in addition to a whole host of shows and movies on Netflix and Hulu. So I was going a little stir crazy and was thisclose to starting the telenovelas on Hulu. (Did you know Hulu has a Spanish channel?)
For example:
La Tempestad is about who cares? Look at those guys.
Hand to face contact in novelas is unmatched.
Novelas are great because I only understand about every 5th word (Thanks a lot, high school Spanish) but I can still generally figure out what is going on. Also there is a lot of stage slapping and that is fantastic.
When I was in college Days of Our Lives was my go to soap opera (of the English-language variety).
I scheduled my classes around DoOL. You better believe I didn't have class from 2 to 3. (Sorry, calculus, I'm busy.) I love that they so frequently change the actors, like no one will notice.
Phillip 1: Brandon Tyler
Phillip 2: Jay Kenneth Johnson
Phillip 3: Kyle Brandt (of Real World fame!)
Phillip 4: Jay Kenneth Johnson (Yes, the same one.)
They didn't even look the same!
Any time you are feeling overwhelmed, you should stop whatever you are going and watch some soap operas. Your life could be so much worse. You could be in a coma while your evil twin is seducing your husband and simultaneously running your dead-but-actually-just-in-hiding dad's business into the ground. It's all about perspective, people.
First of all, can we talk about Luke Bryan's teeth? They are very white. Second, I'm only moderately ashamed of my love for pop-country. It's just so catchy! And Crash My Party is no exception. So sorry if you are a "I like all music. Except country." person.
Girls who say they don't worry about whether it's okay to call a boy they are newly dating are lying. We all worry about that, (and you can't convince me otherwise.) So boys, if you want to win a girl over, just tell her it's okay to call you call you call you.
Yesterday I made a categorized to-do list. And I loved it. I'm a planner. I'd even say that planning things might a hobby. Now, before you go jumping to conclusions, I do NOT have a pinterest page that looks like this.
In fact, I don't even use pinterest at all. ("Gasp!" say my sorority sisters)
I like planning things like moves to places I don't intend to live and vacations I can't afford to take. Down to very specific details. Like whether I'll have to switch insurance companies because this-or-that city doesn't have a State Farm office. Or what bank I'll use. Or what tropical cocktail I'll order from the comfort of the beach chair. Or what I'll do during a 5 hour layover in Houston. (People watch and avoid eating at Chili's Too.)
I like to play a game where I search for the cheapest international flights from Anchorage. Once I decide on a place, I see how fast I can get there. Less than 30 hours, preferably. If you remember, Anchorage is really far from a lot of places.
Then I look at my calendar to see how I can best optimize my time off from work. Then I start looking for places to stay and things to do around those places. Bam! Many hours later, vacation planned.
Some people knit. I peruse AirBnB for the best places to stay in Cambodia. Everyone needs a hobby.
This week's hot jam is Nobody's Fault by Dixie Hummingbirds. Dixie Hummingbirds have been around since 1928. Seriously. It's on Wikipedia, you can look it up. I've heard their musical style referred to as Gospsoul, which is fun to say and an accurate description. Nobody's Fault has foot stomping AND hand clapping. Wins all around.
This is a weird video, but it's about the music, man, so deal with it?
I'm approximately 75 years old on the inside (see porch sitting, game shows, gardens, golden girls,sewing.) I say things like, "cattywampus" and "Did your mother let you out of the house like that?" I like to eat dinner at 5. If I had a lawn, I would most certainly tell kids to get off of it. And I enjoy antiquing. I blame my mother. She took me to antique shows/stores/malls as a kid. At the time I thought they were terrible (mostly because I wasn't allowed to touch anything) but now I go of my own accord, I even peruse Craigslist's antique section (of course I need depression glass, thanks Craigslist). I'm sure 7 year old Maggie is very disappointed in the choices I'm making.
But it's the thrill of the hunt that really gets me. You never know what you'll find. Maybe you'll buy an ugly painting for the frame and find a Rembrandt behind it. Maybe not. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. I mostly look for weird stuff and mid-century modern stuff. Sometimes those are the same thing, the mid-20th century was a weird time.
Exhibit A. I do not own this, but it is something I'd totally look at.
We have a few antique stores in Anchorage, two are large enough to get lost in. Or play a really fun game of Sardines. And, honestly, that's all I'm looking for in a retail environment. Last time, I found an AMAZING dresser for super cheap. I fell in love. Then discovered it was on layaway. Oh the pain!
This week's hot jam is Dance Dance Dance by Steve Miller Band. Okay, I agree, Dance Dance Dance sounds like it might be on Kidz Bop. But that's okay, because it's catchy and fun and easy to dance (dance dance) to. For the past couple years, I've attempted late night square dancing (not a euphemism) at Granite Creek Bluegrass Festival, if Dance Dance Dance was played, I'd probably by much more successful.
When I grow up, I want to write the product descriptions for American Science and Surplus. I want to write things like: "You pick the big blue or big red marker, both made in Canada where stuff
is bigger on account of all that extra space. These markers measure
6-1/2" long x 7/8" dia with a 1/2" wide chisel tip, and would make nice
gifts for IBM employees or Cincinnati fans." (If you are interested in buying these markers, you can get them here.)
Let me paint you a picture of AS&S. (No, that's not lost on me or the company) Imagine Costco, Sam's Club, or some monstrosity like that. Now imagine Toys R Us. Now imagine a dollar store where everything is a little bit dusty. If those stores had a baby it would be AS&S.
They have EVERYTHING. I mean it.
Perhaps you are looking for an 8 pack of purple dental mirrors.
Or a model of an eye
Maybe you are in the market for 3 painters hats from Circus Circus
Or a USB microscope
Maybe nonpolarized bimetal heat sensors are more your style.
YOU CAN GET ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND MORE AT AMERICAN SCIENCE AND SURPLUS, YOU GUYS. That is why it is my favorite store in the whole wide world. (Not to mention, they help out Project Exploration - a non-profit run by my hero, Paul Sereno.)
I'm not a huge Janis Joplin fan (gasp!) but Piece of Heart has been stuck in my head all week. So you win, Janis, it's the hot jam of the week. Bonus: there are some excellent dancers in this video.
I know I've been really bad at updating the past couple weeks, but that's because I've been busy going on adventures!
Three weeks ago (already?!) I went to Unalaska, AK. Home of Dutch Harbor, the number one fishing port in the US, most famous for being the home of Deadliest Catch.
Here are somethings I learned:
That place is overrun with eagles and it's simultaneously cool and terrifying.
Throw your hands in the air
There are SUPER old wooden headstones in the cemetery and I don't know how they've lasted so long.
It's a little like being at living history museum. There's leftovers from WWII everywhere. Seriously. Everywhere.
It's BEAUTIFUL
Two weeks ago I went flightseeing in Denali (Thanks Mom and Dad!). It's like sightseeing. But from a plane. A tiny, tiny plane.
Here are somethings I learned:
Denali is always impressive no matter how close or far you are
Far
Close
They don't call it The Great One for no reason, ya'll
Friday, I'm headed home to California for a couple days. First time home since Christmas!
Back to regularly scheduled writing and topics next week!
I've been sitting on this topic for a week- since I read/looked at this Buzzfeed articleand watched a new PBS special about African American funeral traditions called Homegoings. I took both as inspiration and a sign. (A sign that I'm a total weirdo.)
One of my favorite words is macabre. Working in an art-among-other-things museum, I hear a lot of good (read: bad) descriptions for art pieces. If you say "That painting/sculpture/photo is so macabre..." you'll either sound like a genius or an idiot. I like to take the risk.
He's whispering, "Don't you think those waves are rather macabre?"
But my favorite macabre art galleries are cemeteries. Weird, I know, but just go with me for a minute. They are like really peaceful gardens, most of the visitors just happen to be dead. I don't usually find myself spending my free time wandering through a cemetery, but if I do I can't help but get sucked into the history. Especially in cemeteries with really old or interesting (or both) headstones. Sure, it's a little creepy, but that's part of what I like about it.
When my parents were visiting a few years ago, we went to the Eklutna Historical Park. One of the main features of the park is the cemetery. After the Russians came to Alaska, the Dena'ina (Alaskans native to the Anchorage-area) began to covert to Russian Orthodoxy, and with the conversion came new burial traditions. Instead of cremating their dead, they built spirit houses. (You can read more about it here. Side note - Aaron Leggett happens to be one of my coworkers.) The spirit houses are great - brightly colored, intricate, and many have features to represent the person buried there. What a fabulous way to honor your dead.
This week's hot jam is Let's Stay Together by Al Green. It's a well known-ish fact that I intend to use the lyrics to I Swear as
my wedding vows. But Let's Stay Together is a close second. I mean, it was added to the Library of Congress in 2010 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." If it's good enough for the LOC, it's good enough for me. (Fun fact: I applied for a job at the Library of Congress when I graduated from college with the sole intention of National Treasure-ing that place.)
I think back when I wrote about biographies I mentioned how
nosy I am. I LOVE knowing stuff about people: gossip, what they had for lunch,
why their favorite color is green, etc. I want to know everyone’s life story, but even
better is MAKING UP everyone’s life stories. Okay, maybe not everyone, but definitely strangers.
For example: I’ve lived in my apartment for almost 4
years(!) and I’ve never met my upstairs neighbor. We use the same stairs, he
walks past my apartment multiple times a day, and we’ve never crossed paths. I
call him Stompy McElephant Feet. Based on a few facts I’ve observed over the
years, I’ve developed his backstory: He’s a single (ladies...), mid- to late-30s video game
aficionado who works somewhere near our building, possibly the auto parts store
around the corner. He likes to come home for lunch and get pizza delivered. When
he’s not playing video games in his gaming chair, he’s doing jumping jacks and
juggling bowling balls. He is not very good at juggling.
One of my favorite games to play at a restaurant is, “Is it
a date?” The rules are simple:
1)Pick out a couple
2)Decide if they are on a date
a.How many dates have they been on?
b.How is it going?
c.Is one more interested than the other?
d.How are their food choices?
e.Odds of ordering dessert
It’s a great game to play if YOU are on a date too.
This week’s hot jam is Danny’s Song by Loggins and Messina.Man, this is
song is so...heartfelt. I've loved this song for a long time, but, full
disclosure, I was inspired by The Voice last week. (Sorry I'm not
sorry.) Kenny Loggins wrote this song as a gift for his brother when his
son was born. Ah-dorable. (I hope he also got him something else
though, I mean, the song is amazing, but not totally useful for a new
parent...)
This weekend a bunch of my friends are going to a tiny cabin on a lake. (I am not going because I have to work. Boo.) Alaska is great for a number of reasons, one being the Public Use Cabin System. There are cabins dotted all over Alaska that you can rent through the state for cheap. They are rustic (and even that might be a little generous) woodstoves, bunk beds, no running water, that sort of thing. Some of them are remote even by Alaska standards (floatplane, boat, or snowmachine access only), others are right off the road and handicap accessible. It's a great deal.
I've stayed in a lot of cabins since moving to Alaska and I consider myself a cabin connoisseur. If I'm going to stay in cabin for more than just a few days, these are some things I'm looking for:
1) Coziness
This is not a cabin:
It's a large home built in a cabin style. This is not what I'm looking for in a cabin. I want something that is maybe just a little too small. Something that encourages everyone to sit together around the fire. Furniture should be overstuffed and a little worn. Lots of snuggily fabrics. Slippers. You get the picture.
This is what I'm looking for.
2) Fireplace/Woodstove - Speaking of cozy, right? I don't care if it's just for looks or for heating, but there should be some source of fire. How else will you make s'mores and pie iron pizzas?
3) Porch - With rocking chairs, since I'm making a wish list.
4) Clawfoot tub - Okay this is not a necessity, there is one in Trapper John's cabin in Talkeetna and I'm obsessed.
5) Hammocks - Not a necessity either, but definitely an added bonus. Want to rock in something, but don't want to sit up? Then a hammock is for you. I like having rock options
The more the merrier?
This week's hot jam is Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Don't ask me why, but I love Vietnam era anti-war songs and Fortunate Son is no exception. Way to stick to The Man with rock 'n roll, CCR. I particularly like this version because it features John Fogerty and BRUCE EFFING SPRINGSTEEN. It's oddly patriotic, don't ya think?
I've been feeling a bit (okay, a lot) of writer's block lately. Not because everything is terrible, but rather because lots of things are great! It FINALLY feels like summer here in AK- the leaves are on the trees, the grass is growing, and the snow pile in my yard has finally melted. The mosquitos are out, but at least they are still slow and stupid. I stepped on my glasses the other day (Boo) but that forced me to
finally go to the eye doctor, so now I have new contacts AND glasses
(Yay!) The new Arrested Development episodes are up, and last week was the first bluegrass festival of the season (where it was sunny and warm. Mostly.) Long list short, things are good (minus the writer's block). I hope to be back soon with regular favorite thing writing.
Coolest kid at the party
One thing I'm not feeling blocked about is J.Cole. He's back with a hot new jam - Power Trip. LOVING IT, you guys.Slow jam + Rap. YES. And a twist ending!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Hey. GUESS WHAT.
Tomorrow is my birthday! I'm going to be 27.
Fact: I used to be 5.
On the eve of my 27th year, I'm thankful for the following things:
1) Birthday dinners
2) Swimming pools (specifically the pool at the Aleyska Resort where I will be on Saturday night)
According to the calendar, it's May 1st. According to the weather, it's more like March 1st. It snowed yesterday. SNOWED, you guys. Regardless, the museum switched to summer hours today, and there are RVs (being driven by people with no business driving RVs) on the road again, so it must be almost summer.
No matter what the forecast says.
A few weeks ago it warm (read: warmish) and sunny enough for the first backyard party of the year. Okay, so the lawn chairs were buried half way up their backs in the snow, but we take what we can get around here. (Not to mention, the snow kept the beer cold)
Sure you could use tablecloths (or even just tables...) and string up twinkle lights and serve things that start with the word "deconstructed". Or you could just throw some chairs on the grass (or snow) and tell everyone to bring a dish and their own beer. That's the joy of a backyard party.
This week's hot jam is Stay by Rihanna and Mikky Ekko. Let's be honest, Rihanna needs a Sassy Gay Friend to help her make some life decisions, but Girl knows how to sing a pop song. In fact, she just broke the record for the most #1 songs on the Billboard Pop Chart. Stay is haunting but somehow still catchy. It's been playing on the radio here like crazy and I'm not sick of it yet, (unlike some songs, I'm looking at you Bruno Mars,) so that certainly qualifies it for hot jam status.
PS Was anyone else surprised by Mikky Ekko? Did not expect him to look like that.
I was in San Antonio last week for the National Science Teachers Association conference, and granted I only was there a few days and only explored an about 10 block area, but these are the things I liked:
1) Sunshine and warm weather - It was 80 degrees. 80. degrees. It was 15 degrees when I left for work this morning, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed the 65 degree temperature increase.
I booked my hotel specifically for the rooftop pool.
2) Crosswalks talk to you - "Wait. Wait. Wait. Crossing Alamo at Commerce" I know this is for visually impaired people, and that's great.But I really like that I feel like I'm sticking to the man when I cross the street while the crosswalk is telling me to wait. YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE. I DO WHAT I WANT.
3) Speaking of crosswalks, it's walk-able - At least the downtown area is. Sure, you can walk around downtown in Anchorage, but can you wear jorts and eat gelato while members of a mariachi band cross the street ahead of you? No.
4) Riverwalk - Okay, it's a little touristy and, to be honest, reminds me of Las Vegas, but I like it nonetheless.
5) The Alamo - Sue me. I love a good historical site.
I wrote about travel tips before, but here are some more:
1) Don't crowd the gate - It's rude and annoying and if you are in group 4, you aren't getting any overhead space anyway, so just chill out.
2) Be aware of your scents - Be it perfume, body odor, or beef jerky, remember that you and everyone else are going to be trapped in a relatively small metal tube for many hours. Be courteous.
3) Nail filing - I fly pretty often, but this was a new one for me. While sitting at the gate in San Antonio the woman next to me started filing her nails. I thought, "Oh, maybe she snagged her nail on the zipper of her suitcase. That hurts." But then she just kept filing. And filing. And filing. Then the next thing I know, there are gross fingernail shavings all over her chair. THE AIRPORT IS NOT THE PLACE FOR THAT. Gross.
I really wanted the Hot Jam this week to be Bump 'n Grind by R.Kelly. But it turns out I already wrote about that during Slow Jam Week (who would have thought?) So instead this week's hot jam is Poison by Bell Biv DeVoe. Not only is the video A-MAZING, but Poison features lines like, "Never trust a big butt and smile." Lyrical genius. Just try not to dance.
There is one important thing on my calendar for April 8th. Hint: It's not the all staff cultural awareness seminar.
April 1st marked one of my favorite days of the year; MLB Opening Day. The Indians didn't have their first game until the 2nd (WHICH THEY WON!) and the home opener isn't until the 8th (as seen on my work calendar) but it doesn't matter - it's baseball season. Baseball means summer and hot dogs and sunshine (hopefully) and (mostly likely) warm beer. And it's worth every sunburn from afternoons spent in the bleachers.
Back in 2011, baseball was a favorite thing. It's still a favorite thing. The Indians still haven't won a World Series since 1948. And it's too early to tell how this year will go, but I still think this might be the year. Some people lose faith, but not me.
