We bought eachother the same Johnny Cash CD!
Chloe sure thinks Marila is funny!!
Poor Juannie got sick on Christmas night!
Priscilla under the tree
Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers
Lilypie Third Birthday tickers
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Random sampling of Christmas (etc.) photos
Chloe sure thinks Marila is funny!!
Priscilla under the tree
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Last Day on the Job
I may be grumpy about my last two days, but at least I'm not doing this!
P.S. It's actually maternity leave, but it's unpaid, so I guess I'll be eating my share of top ramen and won't be using the heater any time soon.
12 Random Confessions
1. I know I'm ready for my job to end (it ends this Friday!) because I'm starting to get irritated when people ask me to do my job. I feel put out, like "geeeez, FINE. Guess you want me to do EVERYTHING," when it's really just my job.
2. The prenatals ended last night and, despite all my complaning, I was actually kind of sad.
3. I had to write an essay on "The Role of the Community College and the Nature of Its Students" and I used lots of big words and fancy syntax to distract from the fact that I have really nothing to say. An example: "The sheer diversity of students must naturally mandate a wide breadth of curriculum." And I think "wide breadth" might be redundant.
4. Last night we had to change a diaper on a doll, but it doesn't feel like real practice because the whole time I was doing it Juan was squeezing its head together to make its eyes bug out like a fish.
5. I've been having a hard time lately with my "its" and "it's." I think I subconsciously want to be back in ninth grade grammar.
6. I didn't wash out my cereal bowl this morning, so when I get home the Raisan Bran will have glued itself to the sides.
7. It just took me three or four tries to spell "raisan" correctly.
8. I don't like one of my students simply because he smells. He's a perfectly nice guy and he's always very polite, but there's a part of me that can't completely be won over by someone who doesn't shower.
9. I'm thinking of going back for my PhD simply for the job aspect. It feels like money for nothing.
10. I'm starting to really like the name "Evangeline" for the baby. I think "Vangie" is a cute nickname, but Juan says it sounds like a venereal disease. It's really weird, having to agree on a baby name with another person. It completely eliminates all the names I spent those college nights dreaming up with my girlfriends.
11. At Davis, I often took the bus to school and was always a little jealous of the student drivers because they got to drive a big ol' bus and talk to a bunch of people. I told everyone that I wanted to drive a bus and my dad started to worry a little bit, like I was going to throw away my "edumacation."
12. I don't really like it when people say "edumacation" but I just did.
2. The prenatals ended last night and, despite all my complaning, I was actually kind of sad.
3. I had to write an essay on "The Role of the Community College and the Nature of Its Students" and I used lots of big words and fancy syntax to distract from the fact that I have really nothing to say. An example: "The sheer diversity of students must naturally mandate a wide breadth of curriculum." And I think "wide breadth" might be redundant.
4. Last night we had to change a diaper on a doll, but it doesn't feel like real practice because the whole time I was doing it Juan was squeezing its head together to make its eyes bug out like a fish.
5. I've been having a hard time lately with my "its" and "it's." I think I subconsciously want to be back in ninth grade grammar.
6. I didn't wash out my cereal bowl this morning, so when I get home the Raisan Bran will have glued itself to the sides.
7. It just took me three or four tries to spell "raisan" correctly.
8. I don't like one of my students simply because he smells. He's a perfectly nice guy and he's always very polite, but there's a part of me that can't completely be won over by someone who doesn't shower.
9. I'm thinking of going back for my PhD simply for the job aspect. It feels like money for nothing.
10. I'm starting to really like the name "Evangeline" for the baby. I think "Vangie" is a cute nickname, but Juan says it sounds like a venereal disease. It's really weird, having to agree on a baby name with another person. It completely eliminates all the names I spent those college nights dreaming up with my girlfriends.
11. At Davis, I often took the bus to school and was always a little jealous of the student drivers because they got to drive a big ol' bus and talk to a bunch of people. I told everyone that I wanted to drive a bus and my dad started to worry a little bit, like I was going to throw away my "edumacation."
12. I don't really like it when people say "edumacation" but I just did.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Things that must go!
1) Grillz. When I see one I do a doubletake, and my first reaction is to say, "You've got something on your teeth... ALL your teeth" and then I realize that it's purposeful, and that sometimes it even spells things-- like PLAYA or RICH. And I'm one of those weird people who don't like to do their reading while staring into someone's mouth.
Amendment: People who have grillz that are temporary, in which the person can slip it off like a retainer and toss it around on their tongue should be especially punished.
2. Creepy mini beauty pageant girls. There are so many things wrong with the picture below I don't know where to start: The crowns, first of all, look as if they could kill someone if launched at the right angle, the dresses look like they are made from papier-mache, and worst of all... why are these little girls holding piles of cash? Do they actually win MONEY for being the prettiest?
3. Kids who mouth off to their parents, and parents who don't do a THING about it. In Old Navy the other night, there was a 3 year old girl who turned to her mother and said, "Callate!" Her mother's response? Rolling her eyes. Yowzas. I can't even tell you what colors I'd still be turning right now if I would have said such a thing. Course, my mom probably would have been like, "Wow, she speaks Spanish at three years old! I'm raising a genius!" and only later bothered to find out what "Callate!" means. (P.S. I can't do the upside down exclamation point-- I'm not forgetting my Spanish grammar)
4. Wal-Mart cashiers who comment on your purchases. "Sugar-Free candy, huh? Got the diabetes?" "Buying toilet paper? Didya run out or something?" "I've been meanin to try broccoli, but I don't like the vegetables that much."
P.S. As Mya pointed out, Wal-Mart is fine for the shopper, hard for the employee. So maybe we should give these people a break-- seeing what comes their way down the big black belt may be the only thing they get out of bed for. Still, a little privacy, non? All hail the self-check out!
5. Big cardboard checks. What exactly do you do with these things? You'd look pretty silly walking into your bank with one of them, but on the other hand, they're usaully worth a nice chunk of change. But you don't want to be the person having to walk around with a huge piece of cardboard stuck under your arm, prompting people to say, "Whadya win?" And you're forcing yourself to have to go inside the bank: there's not an ATM in the world that can handle this monster. Which leads me to:
5 1/2. Bank hours. They're the same as working hours! You have to take off work early in order to go to the bank, which means (if you're hourly) you make less money to put IN the bank! It's a vicious circle.
More to come, as I get more annoyed, I'm sure....
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Ode to Capitalism
Working at a community college in Woodland, most of my time is spent painstakingly going over second language learner's papers. It can be rough sometimes, mostly because I now find myself fixing grammar and puncutation in my dreams, which makes me feel like a huge dork. But, nevertheless, it can be quite entertaining, too. Today, for example, I just proofread two papers by Indian students who have been here less than a year; the first is an ode to Wal-Mart, the second is an ode to Chili's. Why do I find this interesting? Because so rarely are the praises of mass consumerism and commercialism sung that I find such rigorous defense on the part of huge corporations a nice change of pace.
My years at UC Davis (and in California in general) taught me one thing-- chain bad, local good! So even though I give my small amounts into the Wal-Mart and Chili's coffers, there's a certain amount of shame that is accompanied by it. How refreshing to see two people sing the praises of such establishments, even to the point of blasting the critics! The Wal-Mart supporter was flabbergasted that people would say that Wal-Mart is harmful to the national economy-- she praised it's cheap prices, it's clean floors, it's "quality" product (I didn't say she was accurate, just interesting!) and the fact that it's open 24 hours. The Chili's supporter waxed poetic on the chicken nachos, the football on TV and the bottomless sodas. ("My son had four Cokes, and we only had to pay for one!" she wrote.) The questionable choice of giving a child four Cokes aside, I have to wonder: Why are things that are "affordable" so denigrated? People (usually white and middle class, trying hard to be "urban") insist that they only frequent small, over-priced places that are locally owned, but who among us hasn't dipped their toe in the Wal-Mart waters? Who hasn't been secretly pleased at the checkout stand when their basket of items comes up under fifty dollars? And who hasn't enjoyed a loud, friendly restaurant with gingham checkered table clothes and food that has alliterative names-- Rippin' Ribs! Barbeque Blasted Burgers!
So here I am, standing up for capitalism at it's finest-- big, brightly lit establishments that might have questionable customer service and maybe a slight sweatshop history, but have awesome buffalo sauce and discounted toilet paper at 3 AM. And that, my friends, is what America is all about! Funny that it took two American newbies to point it out to me.
My years at UC Davis (and in California in general) taught me one thing-- chain bad, local good! So even though I give my small amounts into the Wal-Mart and Chili's coffers, there's a certain amount of shame that is accompanied by it. How refreshing to see two people sing the praises of such establishments, even to the point of blasting the critics! The Wal-Mart supporter was flabbergasted that people would say that Wal-Mart is harmful to the national economy-- she praised it's cheap prices, it's clean floors, it's "quality" product (I didn't say she was accurate, just interesting!) and the fact that it's open 24 hours. The Chili's supporter waxed poetic on the chicken nachos, the football on TV and the bottomless sodas. ("My son had four Cokes, and we only had to pay for one!" she wrote.) The questionable choice of giving a child four Cokes aside, I have to wonder: Why are things that are "affordable" so denigrated? People (usually white and middle class, trying hard to be "urban") insist that they only frequent small, over-priced places that are locally owned, but who among us hasn't dipped their toe in the Wal-Mart waters? Who hasn't been secretly pleased at the checkout stand when their basket of items comes up under fifty dollars? And who hasn't enjoyed a loud, friendly restaurant with gingham checkered table clothes and food that has alliterative names-- Rippin' Ribs! Barbeque Blasted Burgers!
So here I am, standing up for capitalism at it's finest-- big, brightly lit establishments that might have questionable customer service and maybe a slight sweatshop history, but have awesome buffalo sauce and discounted toilet paper at 3 AM. And that, my friends, is what America is all about! Funny that it took two American newbies to point it out to me.
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
It's the Apocalypse!
I may be giving away my secret obessession with celebrity going-ons, but Paris Hilton just announced that she would like "to have four kids" by the time she's thirty. (She's 26, so I guess math isn't her strong suit!) I quote, "I look after my animals, so I'd have a lot to give my kids." Apparently this is all a product of her new friendship with Britney, who's certainly a runner-up for the next Mother of the Year Award, given that she's partying with Paris Hilton and not wearing underwear.
I mentioned earlier that we should be required to apply for licenses to be mothers-- I think I'm serious, people! Granted, any spawn of Paris's will have juicy couture sweat suits and Prada diaper bags, but do we need more Paris Hiltons running around?
Even more alarming, it seems that the baby has replaced the Chihuahuah as the accessory of choice in Hollywood. And most ironic of all, it's people like ME who feed these fires by paying attention! (But it's so hard NOT to!) :)
I mentioned earlier that we should be required to apply for licenses to be mothers-- I think I'm serious, people! Granted, any spawn of Paris's will have juicy couture sweat suits and Prada diaper bags, but do we need more Paris Hiltons running around?
Even more alarming, it seems that the baby has replaced the Chihuahuah as the accessory of choice in Hollywood. And most ironic of all, it's people like ME who feed these fires by paying attention! (But it's so hard NOT to!) :)
Follow-up
Okay, so we went for half of the class. We left because my tummy started to hurt. I don't know if it was the class or the pizza rolls I had for lunch. But we did practice our breathing: he he he hoo. he he he hoo. I was practicing it at home on the couch and Juan told me to be quiet, he couldn't hear the game! Quite the man I married!!
P.S. Not that the game was worth hearing! I'm getting sick of all this LOSING. I promised the Kings that if they won a championship I'd name my first born son Michael Bibby Valdes. (Juan doesn't know about this). Funny thing is, it doesn't seem like they care, cause they LOSE anyway. Doesn't a promise mean anything anymore?
P.S. Not that the game was worth hearing! I'm getting sick of all this LOSING. I promised the Kings that if they won a championship I'd name my first born son Michael Bibby Valdes. (Juan doesn't know about this). Funny thing is, it doesn't seem like they care, cause they LOSE anyway. Doesn't a promise mean anything anymore?
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
To skip or not to skip?
Four weeks ago, I plunked down $65 of Juan's hard earned money (I'd say it was MY hard earned money, but I'm at work doing this, so that right away takes away any right I have to say that it's hard-earned) in order to take 6 prenatal classes. We were promised: breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, information on pain-killing drugs (gimmee! gimmee!) and all sorts of useful information. So far, the only things I've gleaned are: A) the teacher has an agenda, and B) people sometimes forget to bring snacks on their assigned weeks which makes me grr... angry! And here's the kicker: the class is from 6:30-9:00. Well that runs right into dinner and bedtime!
So now I'm stuck. Do I skip? Six years of college has bred in me a fear of the random skip day--what if there's a quiz? What if this is THE lecture that the whole final paper turns on? I find that I'm getting more information about childbirth by drilling Shana and anyone else who has ever had a baby that I come in contact with. Perfect strangers are now being asked, "Did you have an epidural? How long was your labor? Did your baby have trouble latching on?" I find that real life experience is so much more helpful than a textbook and some lady who tells us that babies who were born with epidurals (gimmee! gimmee!) have a harder time breast feeding.
The problem is that we've already skipped one class, and come back the next week to astonished looks from squeaky clean, basketball belly mothers who say, "oh, we thought something had happened! We couldn't imagine someone skipping class!", who then forces me to lie and say that we were out of town. I hate it when people force me to lie so I don't look like an inconsiderate, future bad mother.
So I probably won't skip, mostly because of guilt that could either stem from financial reasons or plain ol' shame. Although it occurs to me that my time might have been better spent taking child rearing classes instead of child birthing classes, because the rearing, as I hear it, lasts a bit longer than the birthing and is probably a smidge tougher.
So should I be freaked over the birthing? Am I terrible for hating the prenatals? Is is too late to say "I changed my mind! I'll keep the baby in!" ?
So now I'm stuck. Do I skip? Six years of college has bred in me a fear of the random skip day--what if there's a quiz? What if this is THE lecture that the whole final paper turns on? I find that I'm getting more information about childbirth by drilling Shana and anyone else who has ever had a baby that I come in contact with. Perfect strangers are now being asked, "Did you have an epidural? How long was your labor? Did your baby have trouble latching on?" I find that real life experience is so much more helpful than a textbook and some lady who tells us that babies who were born with epidurals (gimmee! gimmee!) have a harder time breast feeding.
The problem is that we've already skipped one class, and come back the next week to astonished looks from squeaky clean, basketball belly mothers who say, "oh, we thought something had happened! We couldn't imagine someone skipping class!", who then forces me to lie and say that we were out of town. I hate it when people force me to lie so I don't look like an inconsiderate, future bad mother.
So I probably won't skip, mostly because of guilt that could either stem from financial reasons or plain ol' shame. Although it occurs to me that my time might have been better spent taking child rearing classes instead of child birthing classes, because the rearing, as I hear it, lasts a bit longer than the birthing and is probably a smidge tougher.
So should I be freaked over the birthing? Am I terrible for hating the prenatals? Is is too late to say "I changed my mind! I'll keep the baby in!" ?
Friday, December 1, 2006
I feel like posting!
I haven't posted in awhile, and I still have no pictures to share, but I thought I'd put a few words down anyway. (Let me take that back, I have pictures to share, but I'm not the in-love-with-my-pregnant-body type, so any picture you see of me will be from the neck up.)
Last night we took Christmas photos at my parent's house for their Christmas cards. (Again, I was seen only from the neck up:) ) It was so much fun. I forget how much fun my family has when we're all together. Jimmy took it upon himself to set the room up like a photography studio, even though Mom was just taking the picture with her tripod and self timer. Mom made delicious chili and corn bread and we all sat around and basically showered Chloe with attention. Juan and I had to leave early because he's sick (sinus infection) so I had to get home and baby him. I told him it was pretty funny that his 7 mos. pregnant wife was hauling herself off the couch to get him his little face warmy thing but he didn't seem to see the irony. Problem is, we have Kaiser so you can't just pop in and get a prescription for antibiotics. By the time he is able to get a prescription, the infection will probably have cleared up on it's own! Any nurse p's out there who want to help us out? :)
Wednesday I had a loooong doctor's appointment. I do like Kaiser's prenatal system, mostly because they have a clinic five minutes from our house and I've never once waited longer than 5 min. in the waiting room. Until yesterday. First I had to take a gestational diabetes test, where they make you drink this not-so-bad orange drink that tastes like flat orange soda and then sit on your butt for an hour while your body does something with it. While I was waiting, I went upstairs, peed in a cup, got checked out (everything's good-healthy baby- although in a fifteen minute appointment, I still leave feeling a little did-you-do-everything-you-could?) Anyway, then I'm back downstairs to get my blood drawn and then back UPstairs to get a rhogam shot, which is because I have a negative blood type and the baby probably has a positive blood type. I'm 0-, the universal donor!! The shot wasn't so bad, but it was in the bum, which was a little humiliating. Lucky I don't mind needles, because at my last appointment I had to get a flu shot and I've had all sorts of blood taken to check me for any genetic abnormalities. So far I've been AOK, so good job, Strassburg family, on the lack of genetic abnormalities!! Other than weird senses of humor and a maybe-too-quick temper, that is.
So now it's Friday, and I'm here at work. Fridays are sooo slow, I usually only see one or two people. Somedays it seems silly that I get paid to be here just in case someone comes in, but hey, if that's how Yuba College wants to spend their money, then I'm okay with it. I'm actually learning a lot here. At UC Davis, I had mostly first language English students, but here in Woodland, the majority of the students are second language learners. It can be frustating (some don't grasp even the subject/verb sentence formation) but also very rewarding. I helped one woman set up a yahoo email account and she was grinning from ear to ear-- she'd heard about email but didn't know it was something she could have!
No big plans tonight-- Kings game and pizza, maybe. Sounds delicious! I have a dentist appointment this afternoon (just a cleaning, but still, I dread, I dread) so I'm going to need something to look forward to when I get home.
Sorry for the long post. It's incredibly self-indulgent, so feel free to skim, if you even want to read at all. I don't blame ya.
Last night we took Christmas photos at my parent's house for their Christmas cards. (Again, I was seen only from the neck up:) ) It was so much fun. I forget how much fun my family has when we're all together. Jimmy took it upon himself to set the room up like a photography studio, even though Mom was just taking the picture with her tripod and self timer. Mom made delicious chili and corn bread and we all sat around and basically showered Chloe with attention. Juan and I had to leave early because he's sick (sinus infection) so I had to get home and baby him. I told him it was pretty funny that his 7 mos. pregnant wife was hauling herself off the couch to get him his little face warmy thing but he didn't seem to see the irony. Problem is, we have Kaiser so you can't just pop in and get a prescription for antibiotics. By the time he is able to get a prescription, the infection will probably have cleared up on it's own! Any nurse p's out there who want to help us out? :)
Wednesday I had a loooong doctor's appointment. I do like Kaiser's prenatal system, mostly because they have a clinic five minutes from our house and I've never once waited longer than 5 min. in the waiting room. Until yesterday. First I had to take a gestational diabetes test, where they make you drink this not-so-bad orange drink that tastes like flat orange soda and then sit on your butt for an hour while your body does something with it. While I was waiting, I went upstairs, peed in a cup, got checked out (everything's good-healthy baby- although in a fifteen minute appointment, I still leave feeling a little did-you-do-everything-you-could?) Anyway, then I'm back downstairs to get my blood drawn and then back UPstairs to get a rhogam shot, which is because I have a negative blood type and the baby probably has a positive blood type. I'm 0-, the universal donor!! The shot wasn't so bad, but it was in the bum, which was a little humiliating. Lucky I don't mind needles, because at my last appointment I had to get a flu shot and I've had all sorts of blood taken to check me for any genetic abnormalities. So far I've been AOK, so good job, Strassburg family, on the lack of genetic abnormalities!! Other than weird senses of humor and a maybe-too-quick temper, that is.
So now it's Friday, and I'm here at work. Fridays are sooo slow, I usually only see one or two people. Somedays it seems silly that I get paid to be here just in case someone comes in, but hey, if that's how Yuba College wants to spend their money, then I'm okay with it. I'm actually learning a lot here. At UC Davis, I had mostly first language English students, but here in Woodland, the majority of the students are second language learners. It can be frustating (some don't grasp even the subject/verb sentence formation) but also very rewarding. I helped one woman set up a yahoo email account and she was grinning from ear to ear-- she'd heard about email but didn't know it was something she could have!
No big plans tonight-- Kings game and pizza, maybe. Sounds delicious! I have a dentist appointment this afternoon (just a cleaning, but still, I dread, I dread) so I'm going to need something to look forward to when I get home.
Sorry for the long post. It's incredibly self-indulgent, so feel free to skim, if you even want to read at all. I don't blame ya.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Happy Early Thanksgiving!
I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving! I'm off work tomorrow so I don't know if I'll have a chance to post. (I'll be having too much fun doing... um... nothing!) Actually, I'm planning on baking cookies and sneaking little (or big) pieces of dough. So for all of you, have a very happy turkey day and eat to your heart's content! Don't let anyone tell you not to!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Random Thoughts for Today
1. There's nothing like feeling a baby move inside you. You can be totally alone and quiet and all of a sudden you feel a kick or a roll and it reminds you that you're not alone. I'm sure it's something I'll miss once other people have access to this baby, not just me!
2. I love the rain, and if the sky opened up right now and just dumped buckets down on us there wouldn't be a happier girl in Northern CA!!
3. Thinking of rain makes me crave Campell's potato brocolli soup.
4. Sometimes at work I like to poke around in the supply closet. Not to steal anything, but just because I love school supplies. I like to take out the colored markers and write my name in fancy loopy circles.
5. One more essay you should read if you a) have a daughter or b) are a daughter. So basically everybody! It's called "Four Generations" by Joyce Maynard (it's only about 8 paragraphs long) and it's so sweet yet sad.
6. Why do girls show their thongs? It's really annoying and tacky.
7. Before you get pregnant, people will tell you, "Maternity clothes aren't so bad!" And they don't seem bad, at first. But then you get sick of wearing the same pair of jeans or jean skirt every flippin' day and you start thinking longingly of all the cute stuff in your closet which might be out of style by the time you can squeeze back into it! Not that style becomes all that important either. I can't tell you the last time I blow-dried my hair or did anymore with clothes other than make sure they matched!
8. My favorite time of day is bedtime, when Juan and I are snuggled under lots of blankets and quietly reading our books with our cats at our feet. We don't say that much to each other, other than reading a particularly funny/insightful passage out loud. We never talk about what we need to do the next day, although we do occasionally recognize to each other that we should value the peace and quiet.
9. I apologize for how self-indulgent this blog has turned out to be. Chalk it up to a lot of spare time at work.
2. I love the rain, and if the sky opened up right now and just dumped buckets down on us there wouldn't be a happier girl in Northern CA!!
3. Thinking of rain makes me crave Campell's potato brocolli soup.
4. Sometimes at work I like to poke around in the supply closet. Not to steal anything, but just because I love school supplies. I like to take out the colored markers and write my name in fancy loopy circles.
5. One more essay you should read if you a) have a daughter or b) are a daughter. So basically everybody! It's called "Four Generations" by Joyce Maynard (it's only about 8 paragraphs long) and it's so sweet yet sad.
6. Why do girls show their thongs? It's really annoying and tacky.
7. Before you get pregnant, people will tell you, "Maternity clothes aren't so bad!" And they don't seem bad, at first. But then you get sick of wearing the same pair of jeans or jean skirt every flippin' day and you start thinking longingly of all the cute stuff in your closet which might be out of style by the time you can squeeze back into it! Not that style becomes all that important either. I can't tell you the last time I blow-dried my hair or did anymore with clothes other than make sure they matched!
8. My favorite time of day is bedtime, when Juan and I are snuggled under lots of blankets and quietly reading our books with our cats at our feet. We don't say that much to each other, other than reading a particularly funny/insightful passage out loud. We never talk about what we need to do the next day, although we do occasionally recognize to each other that we should value the peace and quiet.
9. I apologize for how self-indulgent this blog has turned out to be. Chalk it up to a lot of spare time at work.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Wonderful Things to Read
For those essay aficionados, I am currently reading The Seagull Reader (which has to be a direct ripoff of The Penguin Reader, but what can you expect from Norton?) Nevertheless, it has tons of great, thought-provoking essays. Some of my favorites include:
1. "Graduation" by Maya Angelou. You may have read this in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but it's worth reading again. It's very poignant and makes you question our own (sometimes low) expectations that we quite often unknowingly place on others.
2. "Why Don't We Complain Anymore?" by William F. Buckley Jr. Although it was written on a train in 1961, it's just as true today: people are afraid to complain. He writes of the train being 85 degrees and yet not a single person wants to complain to the conductor, so they all just sit there, sweating and sticking their heads out of the window. He says, "We are all increasingly anxious in America to be unobtrusive," which I think is an incredibly accurate statement, even 45 years later.
3. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. This is an essay every person, black, white, old, young, should read. It does not preach liberal or conservative values, it simply speaks of basic human rights in such a eloquent, understated manner that you may find yourself inexplicably moved to tears while reading. It also makes you ashamed that something as basic as human rights have been corrupted and manipulated by our heavily split partisan system.
My favorite part: "I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
4. Absolutely anything by Joan Didion. She is my favorite essayist, not only because she is both accessible and yet somehow erudite, she is also from the Central Valley, and much of what she writes is influenced by her childhood in the dusty heart of California. If you read her with a highlighter you will find that entire pages will be yellow. And every blogger should read "On Keeping a Notebook" because it defines what we all do here: talk about ourselves.
1. "Graduation" by Maya Angelou. You may have read this in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but it's worth reading again. It's very poignant and makes you question our own (sometimes low) expectations that we quite often unknowingly place on others.
2. "Why Don't We Complain Anymore?" by William F. Buckley Jr. Although it was written on a train in 1961, it's just as true today: people are afraid to complain. He writes of the train being 85 degrees and yet not a single person wants to complain to the conductor, so they all just sit there, sweating and sticking their heads out of the window. He says, "We are all increasingly anxious in America to be unobtrusive," which I think is an incredibly accurate statement, even 45 years later.
3. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. This is an essay every person, black, white, old, young, should read. It does not preach liberal or conservative values, it simply speaks of basic human rights in such a eloquent, understated manner that you may find yourself inexplicably moved to tears while reading. It also makes you ashamed that something as basic as human rights have been corrupted and manipulated by our heavily split partisan system.
My favorite part: "I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
4. Absolutely anything by Joan Didion. She is my favorite essayist, not only because she is both accessible and yet somehow erudite, she is also from the Central Valley, and much of what she writes is influenced by her childhood in the dusty heart of California. If you read her with a highlighter you will find that entire pages will be yellow. And every blogger should read "On Keeping a Notebook" because it defines what we all do here: talk about ourselves.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
8 Reasons I'm Not Ready to Become a Mother
(Which is probably why we're given nine months to get used to the idea)
1. We cleaned out our fridge on Sunday and the only things edible were slices of american cheese, half a tomato and diet coke.
2. I am so behind on the laundry I had to buy new underwear!
3. My cat sleeps at my feet and scratches at them if I shift around during the night. Therefore, I'm a little scared of her.
4. At Target, I zoom right past the boring bottles and pacifier sections and instead am only interested in the clothes.
5. Our baby has no name, and it doesn't look like she'll ever have one!!
6. I stopped reading the pregnancy books because they got boring, and am now reading smut again.
7. I had to keep myself from alternating between laughing and cringing while watching the birthing video at our prenatal class.
8. I am more interested in the snacks and the other people at the prenatal class than what we're being taught.
SHOULDN'T YOU HAVE TO APPLY FOR A LICENSE TO HAVE A BABY????
1. We cleaned out our fridge on Sunday and the only things edible were slices of american cheese, half a tomato and diet coke.
2. I am so behind on the laundry I had to buy new underwear!
3. My cat sleeps at my feet and scratches at them if I shift around during the night. Therefore, I'm a little scared of her.
4. At Target, I zoom right past the boring bottles and pacifier sections and instead am only interested in the clothes.
5. Our baby has no name, and it doesn't look like she'll ever have one!!
6. I stopped reading the pregnancy books because they got boring, and am now reading smut again.
7. I had to keep myself from alternating between laughing and cringing while watching the birthing video at our prenatal class.
8. I am more interested in the snacks and the other people at the prenatal class than what we're being taught.
SHOULDN'T YOU HAVE TO APPLY FOR A LICENSE TO HAVE A BABY????
Monday, November 13, 2006
Snowy Weekend!
This past weekend Juan and I took a spontaneous trip up to Alpine County, which is a few hours south of Tahoe and absolutely gorgeous! We left on Friday, on a beautiful Fall day. We had a picnic at Lake Alpine and read books by a roaring fire. It was every cliched movie you've ever seen. Saturday morning, however, we woke up to an amazing, thick blanket of snow. We're valley kids, so we still run around and squeal when we see snow. We almost got snowed in, but we braved it and our trusty Jeep took us back down to safety! (And boringness! Is that a word? I should know, I'm an English teacher, for crying out loud!)
Kira's Wedding
My best friend Kira got married this month and I was a bridesmaid. I almost grew out of my bridesmaid dress but I made it! YES!!
Guate, Guate!
Here are some pictures from our summer trip to Guatemala. We had a great time, but I was very happy to reach the first world again!
Just Startin' Out...
Hi Guys! So I'm officially blogging. I resisted this for a long time (don't ask me why, cause I've been on myspace for over a year... it's not like I have standards) but here I am, setting up a blog for our little family. I'm at work (don't ask me why I'm not working, knowing me should be enough of an answer for that!) so there won't be any pictures this time around, although they should come soon.
So here's an update on our lives:
In May, we moved from Davis back to Elk Grove, and it's really nice to be near my family and friends again. Davis certainly wasn't the moon, but it was far enough way to miss out on all the spontaneous get togethers and game nights!
Juan is teaching 7th and 8th grade English at California Middle School in Land Park, and he's been recently made the Leadership teacher, which makes him busier, but I think he has fun, too.
I'm working at Woodland Community College as an instructional assistant, which means I hold office hours for twenty hours a week and try to teach grammar, rhetoric and composition. It's not the most exciting job, but it's what I signed up for! I graduated in May from UC Davis with my MA, and it's looking like I'll be able to segueway this job into a full time teaching position. Yay me!
We both love being in education because of all the perks: Read: TIME OFF. Those of you who know us know we love to travel. Which makes sense, since we met in London! This summer we went to Guatemala and Honduras for a month and we've had tons of little weekend trips since then. We're trying to get all the traveling we can in before Baby Girl Valdes comes in February!
And that, perhaps, is the biggest news. Sometime around Valentine's Day we're expecting a little pink bundle. We're really excited, although we've done nothing to prepare other than shop. Here's hoping we have a baby's room by February!
So that's all the news on our little happy lives. Stay tuned for pictures and I'll try to keep you entertained with my rapacious wit and sparkling repartee.
So here's an update on our lives:
In May, we moved from Davis back to Elk Grove, and it's really nice to be near my family and friends again. Davis certainly wasn't the moon, but it was far enough way to miss out on all the spontaneous get togethers and game nights!
Juan is teaching 7th and 8th grade English at California Middle School in Land Park, and he's been recently made the Leadership teacher, which makes him busier, but I think he has fun, too.
I'm working at Woodland Community College as an instructional assistant, which means I hold office hours for twenty hours a week and try to teach grammar, rhetoric and composition. It's not the most exciting job, but it's what I signed up for! I graduated in May from UC Davis with my MA, and it's looking like I'll be able to segueway this job into a full time teaching position. Yay me!
We both love being in education because of all the perks: Read: TIME OFF. Those of you who know us know we love to travel. Which makes sense, since we met in London! This summer we went to Guatemala and Honduras for a month and we've had tons of little weekend trips since then. We're trying to get all the traveling we can in before Baby Girl Valdes comes in February!
And that, perhaps, is the biggest news. Sometime around Valentine's Day we're expecting a little pink bundle. We're really excited, although we've done nothing to prepare other than shop. Here's hoping we have a baby's room by February!
So that's all the news on our little happy lives. Stay tuned for pictures and I'll try to keep you entertained with my rapacious wit and sparkling repartee.
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