Faking It

I want to be good at the things my Mom is good at. I've never had the problem some of my friends have like hating their parents or wishing they wouldn't turn out like them. Spoiler alert, we all end up being our parents to a certain extent. But I've always actually wanted to be just like my parents. And why not?! My Mom is an amazing woman and I have so many of her qualities, good and bad, but I want to be able to do the things she can do and do them as good. I am, however, destined to always live in her shadow just as she tells me she lives in her Mom's shadow. She says that my Nana was perfect at things like baking and knitting and that after all these years of practice and experience and getting it wrong and getting it right, she's still not her Mom. But we'll spend our lives trying I guess. And my Mom is good at so many things that I am just absolute crap at. My mother is a great cook. Put me in the kitchen and I know you're a gambler. She can cook so we...

This year AP-LS fell over Spring Break which was kind of a bummer because I would have loved the excuse to not teach for one night. But it actually worked out really well! This year the conference was in San Juan, Puerto Rico and it was an excellent Spring Break destination. Best place to hold a conference? That's debatable. I ditched a couple of talks in favor of sitting on the beach, but in my defense there weren't any at the time that I really wanted to hear which means they weren't on a topic I was familiar with/interested in. It was a much different experience this year than it was last year. True, I've been before, and my life has changed dramatically in that time, but I was still looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint. We stayed in the conference hotel this year. Last year we went cheap and stayed a few miles away but it was a hassle getting up, getting dressed, getting a cab, paying for the cabs, and then being trapped at the conference hotel with no...

If I'm being honest, and I'm always honest, today was the day I came to New York for. I am a huge nerd. I planned a trip to New York around Stephen Merchant's New York tour date. Nerd. This guy. For whatever reason, and I really mean that because I honestly don't remember how it happened, but this year I have become entirely infatuated with Stephen Merchant. He's a British writer, actor, comedian, writing partner of Ricky Gervais, co-writer of the Office and Extras, and I like him. And earlier in the year I saw him on a late show talking about his stand up tour and the one date he was doing in New York and then when it was time to plan my Christmas trip I knew I would go while Stephen Merchant was on tour. Having done the trip and come back to Phoenix for Christmas I would have preferred to go to New York after Christmas, before going back to Texas for the semester. But then I would have missed Stephen Merchant. I feel like even if I met him, I would still call him ...

Monica had told me about an outdoor Christmas market in Bryant Park so I thought I'd do more shopping today! I set out from the hotel and walked down to the park and there was a great outdoor setup of mini shops, kind of like First Friday, like a street fair. There was ice skating and popcorn and hot chocolate, it was fun and Christmas-y! There were a ton of places to buy hats, scarves and mittens, but they all looked the same and I didn't want to get something that wasn't more unique. Nothing's unique anymore, but I don't know, I just didn't need to buy winter clothes, I do live in the Southwest although it has snowed twice in El Paso this year... anyway. I got an ornament for myself, it's a New York one and it says "Christmas 2012" on it. I love it. It will be a nice addition to my tree. See previous posts for a description of my tree. And there was a sort of creepily adorable jewelry booth. I couldn't decide if I liked it. The jewelry was g...

Today, I had a lazy Sunday. I'm back to the comfortable New York feeling. I met up with Monica, my very dear friend from high school and life, and some of her friends for brunch in Queens. They'd had their Chrismukkah celebration last night, but still dragged themselves out of bed and into the coldest day of the season for brunch at this great little place called Locale. I got there early because I was coming from Manhattan, they were coming from down the street. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get there on the train or if it would get stuck or how long I would wander around lost. But it was a quick trip and I didn't get lost at all! But I was early. I got to the restaurant before they opened which earned me some sass from a waitress with half a head of hair. The doors were unlocked, I was 5 minutes early, and she informed me they couldn't serve me until they were open which was fine, but she then described her displeasure to her coworkers about how people s...

The first time I was here, I wanted to see everything; I wanted to live here. This time, I wish I had money. New York is definitely set up for tourists at Christmas. Which is actually a shame. The streets are all roped off and the police direct traffic to make sure none of the pedestrians get nailed by a cab or delivery truck. Last night, my plane got in at 5 p.m. and by six I was at my hotel in Korea Town. The driver scared the hell out of me with his "driving." Without really knowing it, I guess it took the last year and a half to get over the last time I was in a cab here. Although that guy talked to me. This guy dropped me off on the corner and let me walk down the block to my hotel. Whatever. Because it was so early, I decided to go out for a bit. I'm staying in Korea Town and am close to so many great landmarks. One being, the tree. The. Tree. The mother of all Christmas Trees. The tree in Rockefeller Center. It is fantastic!! I watch the tree lighting every year on...