Bearshorty's musings

Since we had guests last night I did not have a chance to watch “Bones” which is probably a good thing since I would have been cross stitching. And this episode was actually really good, so I’m glad I watched it this morning.

( Bones S6E22 )

“Brothers and Sisters” is officially cancelled. I was checking the news every day and even though it was expected I’m still sad about it. I know it is just the TV show but I loved the characters.

I finished my semester today. I graded all the final exams and calculated the grades. I have a few students who did not turn in their final papers and I gave plenty of chances so those are the only D and Fs. The rest did pretty well, a nice curve. I was done by 2pm and took the rest of the day off. Yay, it is summer.

I watched “Grey’s Anatomy” and one “Avatar: TLA” episode and then I went outside and actually did something active.

I was showing the Kid and her brother how to rollerblade. It felt nice to get on the roller blades again, it really feels like summer now. I spent an hour outside.

Our guests are staying until next Thursday, I think. It is weird to have to be social every evening.

Cross-stitching: all purple is done, that’s Big Bear’s bow and middle bear’s suit. It is coming along, two more weeks if I keep up this pace.

White House Correspondence dinner and Obama’s mockery of the birther issue and Trump was hysterical. I liked the Lion King and Obama making sure Fox News knew that it was a joke.

( Doctor Who S6E2 )

mar_see_ya made me icons with my username. They are so pretty.

My neighbor, whose paper I proofed this weekend, gave me two free movie tickets as a thank you. I will probably save them for the new X-Men movie.

I was watching “Brothers and Sisters” which had an excellent episode (which I will have to finish tomorrow) when the show was interrupted to announce that Bin Laden has been killed. I don’t know how to feel about that. I should stay up and watch the presidential address but I need to grade more.

I also need to stay away from the internet until Thursday afternoon, other than checking my email because of upcoming folder review.

Cross stitch: pumpkin color of giraffe head and neck and big bear’s head.

After the rain yesterday, today was summer. It was so warm that I ended up in a t-shirt.
And it was perfect day off where we could just relax.

( pictures )

The day started with the Easter breakfast. Bear’s Mom made egg and sausage bake (and she made sure all the food was kosher for Passover, so I could eat it. She used mazza instead of bread. I really don’t like causing all that hassle, but it was very nice of her.

I read National Geographic article on an active volcano in Africa that is pretty much endangering one million people. And more people go to that place every day for refuge from war. Volcano pictures were gorgeous. And I like reading at breakfast with Bear there, since I can tell him about interesting stuff from the magazine. He was reading the newspaper.

Then while Bear went to church, I started Ursula Le Guin’s “Lavinia”. I like it so far. I really like the premise and I read “Aeneid” a few times, including once in Latin. Well, the second half in Latin. I had a class on it. And I like Le Guin’s writing style in general. I just read “Left Hand of Darkness” before but I can tell I will like this too. I probably won’t have time until the semester is over, or until after May 5th at least, but it will be good to read a real book.

In the afternoon, we all (his parents, sister and Bear) went to visit his Grandmother and have some Easter treats. There was fruit and cheese and other snacks. We sat outside in the garden area for a bit and it was warm and summery and nice.

When we got back to Bear’s place, Bear and I went for a walk since I was tired of sitting all the time and I didn’t want to waste such a gorgeous day and then we went for a bike ride too since we could. I got lovely exercise of the best kind, where it just feels like fun. Bear lives on really hilly roads and I don’t even have to pedal sometimes and I just feel the wind. (I do also have to go uphill, but the downhill is worth it.)

After the family Easter dinner (all very delicious), Bear and I watched “Megamind” which was cute. Lots of great one liners. If they just had one more female character, the movie would have went from fun and good to excellent. But it was really amusing and played with superhero tropes really well.

“Brothers and Sisters” S5E20. Now that was an awesome episode, so much drama. Kevin and Scotty, I will always adore you. You are the best couple and no matter the drama, you will always persevere. And writers on this show never drag out plots, which I kind of like. More de-Walkering. This kind of episode reminds me why I love this show so much and this tv family. I was all accepting with the idea that the show might actually end in two weeks, but now I hope the show will be renewed. And I discovered that Netflix has the whole show on Instant Queue. I will so rewatch some scenes.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate.

I keep going to sleep at 3:30-4 this weekend. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.
And I still wake up at 8:30. I know I need more sleep but I can’t help it. Mostly it is all this new fic archive.

I spent the day in pajamas.

Watched “Brother and Sisters” while working on Mongol lecture. Second episode: Oh, Saul. Poor guy. That letter made me all teary. First episode: Too embarrassed at Kitty’s actions to watch that scene

I’m getting “sexy sick voice” which always makes me think of that episode of “Friends” where Phoebe loved her sick voice so much she tried to get sick again after she got better. I’m very glad I don’t have to lecture tomorrow since talking for more than 10-15 minutes makes my throat hurt.

Today, I started reading John Barrowman book for real and it is funny in many parts and sometimes suddenly surprisingly dirty. Good fun.

I started “Grey’s Anatomy” Season 3 too. “Brothers and Sisters” had a really good episode tonight too – better than it has been in a while.

In general, a day where I tried to relax, drink lots of tea and be annoyed at my throat.

I went to sleep late but I still woke up right after 7am and I couldn’t really fall back asleep. I guess my body is not that tired.

I do like it when my brain figures things out when I’m sleeping or about to wake up. When I trying to go back to sleep this morning and maybe nap some more, my brain figured out my Global History syllabus breakdown - two papers, one final, 5 in class exercises and map quiz with attendance – all worth 20% each. That meant that once I did get up at eight, I finished my syllabus in less than an hour. So yay. I can print it tomorrow to give to my students on Wednesday. This school is really strict on attendance which I find a bit weird – they are not children anymore.

I can’t believe the semester starts tomorrow already.

I had an appointment at Local College with Professor S to coordinate our syllabi but she completely forgot and didn’t answer her cell until a few hours later. I waited for 20 minutes and then went home. At least I looked around the campus a bit and found my classroom and the building I need to go to for my ID on Wednesday. She did call me a few hours later and apologized profusely and we talked over the phone. She thinks I should have a few more readings and she was the one that didn’t want the students to buy a few books I wanted. I will add a bit more articles. I have time to figure that out tomorrow.

Hollywood Foreign Press is having a fit about Ricky Gervais’ jokes last night – well, they were very British, ‘I can’t believe he said out loud what it actually true’ kind.

Watching “House” is like comfort food. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I sat down to watch it. And it really feels like the start of the new semester now.
( House S7E9 )

I also caught up on "Brothers and Sisters" from last night. Wow, Tommy lost weight. I hope he is not sick. This show is in decline which is a bit sad.

Cross stitch: light brown for little bear’s face and paws and the wonderful dark pink for his ears. That color is just so rich and wonderful.

This folder review was probably the least stressful one I ever did. Mostly because I only had four papers to finish grading this morning and I was done with more than an hour to spare. (In folder review, I bring all the work the student have done in the semester and the final exams to one of the program directors and we go over those who fail and then if there are any that I’m not sure of. Or if I feel I’m being either too nice or too harsh. After the first year when this process was a little nerve-wracking, I learned to trust my grading and folder review now is like getting a second opinion.) Two people failed and two people got As out of my two classes. The rest were mostly in C+/B range. While waiting to see my boss, I got some breakfast and watched the very silly and funny “Brothers and Sisters” Christmas episode that I missed last night.

In another first, all but four of my students actually showed up to my office hour later in the afternoon to pick up their folder. I do like this office hour – some are so excited to get that C+ or B. One girl was so surprised and happy that she got a “B” that she really made my day. I only had one guy who was sad for his grade and I felt bad for him – he can’t write as smartly as he argues in class.

Then I got on the train for my trip to Montauk – which took me six hours (the train rides were an hour and three hours but I had a two hour wait in Manhattan). I really didn’t want to hang out in Penn Station for two hours. Then it occurred to me that I was in Manhattan at Christmas time and that Macy’s was right there and I might as well go take some pictures. I do love the city at Christmas. I also stopped by Victoria Secret and bought myself a sparkly lipstick (I’m very spare with makeup, I’m not a girly girl in any way, but I do like my sparkly lipstick). The sales girl gave me the wrong one which I discovered after I paid for it so I spent extra time exchanging it. Then, I walked up to Lord & Taylors on 5th ave and 38str because I always love their Christmas window displays. This time it were rotating houses and other Christmas memories. Some ‘traditional’ Christmases involved women in the kitchen and other 1950s gender specific tasks that made me raise my eyebrows. They had better windows in previous years, still pretty.

( pictures of Manhattan at Christmas time )


I got a sandwich to eat on the train and I then discovered a curious fact. In the morning, I picked up some bags of tea from our department holiday table so when I asked for a cup with just hot water at both Dunkin Donuts this morning and at Tim Hortons this evening it did bewilder the people there. And they did not charge me for the cup with hot water – they have no recourse for that kind of request. I thought they might charge something for the cup – but no. This is a very interesting fact to know.

I read the National Geographic article about Alaska’s Bristol Bay, which is a big salmon fishery. Now there is a controversial proposal to build a mine there since there is a big deposit of copper and gold there. Environmental concerns vs possibility of jobs and wealth. This will be an interesting debate to watch. With the way world’s fisheries are going we really can’t afford to lose any more big reserves due to mining ‘accidents’.

The three hour train ride from the city to Montauk actually passed very quickly because my laptop has awesome battery life. I finished writing my fic and then read a little.

Bear and I watched “Shrek Forever After” and we both really enjoyed it and we agreed that after the first one this was our favorite one. The alternative world is just dark and really creepy if you think about it and they really acknowledge all the trauma Fiona went through when she was locked up in that tower. To prove to Fiona that he knows her, Shrek lists as one of the reasons his knowledge that she sleeps with a candle on because she is afraid to wake up in the tower again. It is actually great for this movie to really explore that fairy tale trope and its creepiness. The story is about Shrek who is feeling run down by his daily life as husband and father and misses is bachelor life. And, of course, he needs to learn to appreciate what he has. I was actually thinking that it would have perfect to end the whole Shrek franchise on the moment when he disappears.

( Highlander S6 E11-13 )

Grading today so TV served the needed break in grading. I need to return Paper 3 to the students on Tuesday. Bah.

I also took a break to order Papa some birthday presents from Amazon. I wish I had the money to get him a Kindle, since I know he really wants one. He had a really hard year with his mother's open-heart surgery and his own thyroid cancer and all (although technically, he had it for years and just didn't know it) and I wish I could get him something to really make him happy. I hope he will like the stuff I got him.

( Dexter S5E7 )

( Brothers and Sisters S5E7 )

( Dexter S5E4 )

I finished the full stitch portion of my "Good Book" cross stitch project since it is not a big project. Now I just need to do backstitch. I do like cross stitching and having “Real Time with Bill Maher” in the background. At least I know the main political issues of the week.

In the afternoon I took a walk and I found myself paying attention to the trees and multicolored leaves. There was one tree with green, yellow and red leaves and I wish I had a camera with me. The neighborhood is just very pretty now with leaves changing color – I also liked this deep red color that was in the leaves on the ground. I also ended up taking a nap in the afternoon, which I haven’t done in a while. I guess I really needed to rest this weekend.

The new British “Sherlock Holmes” series finally made it to America on PBS for the next three weekends. I’ve heard things about it and PBS usually streams, so I’ll definitely will try to catch it online. PBS also has Patrick Stewart’s “Macbeth” set in 20th century. I wanted to see this when the play came to Brooklyn a few years ago, but the play has sold out. So I started watching it tonight and just caught up in it. I might have just watched the whole thing (I’m up to “Is this the dagger” portion) but my neighbor Laura called and invited me to dinner with her family and some guests so I went over there, instead. But I will try to watch more tomorrow.

It was a very delicious dinner, they made shish-kebabs. It was nice to just hang out and be social for a bit. There were five adults and four kids and it was good chaos.

( Brothers and Sisters S5E5 )

Fun link of the day : Halloween costumes that should not exist. I was laughing so hard at these that tears came out.

It’s 10/10/10 Only two more years of fun dates left.

I keep meaning to link Bear’s “Killing Joke” monologue 3D animation project. He finished it this summer and it came out great. (For those who don’t know, Bear is my significant other of twelve years and computer animation is his passion). Well, here it is .

I read this fun article about procrastination in New Yorker today. “Procrastination” is my favorite word in the English language and I love its Latin derivation.

This morning, after we dropped Mama off at the last day of her seminar, Papa and I went to visit my grandparents. Then we went to the store to get bread and I got Cranberry Blood Orange tea.

I also went rollerblading today since the weather continues to be nice. The way to the peer was pretty smooth, but going back I was facing a really strong wind so it felt I had to put twice the effort into the rollerblading. I don’t know if that was a good thing or not. My legs will probably complain tomorrow.

Two of my favorite ways to relax is rollerblading by the ocean and cross stitching and I got to do both today. I really needed that because my palpitations decided to be loud today for the first time in a while. They are not as bad as they were a year ago but they just make me tired. At least when I woke up this morning and noticed that I had trigeminies I just noted it very matter of factly and didn’t pay too much attention. So yay to that. I guess I really did learn to live with them now.

Today I also spent a very boring hour just sitting in the car listening to stupid talk radio while waiting to pick Mama up. She underestimated the time when she would be finished. I missed “Dexter” because of it, but I can catch it later onDemand. I did watch “Brother and Sisters” and this show is like comfort food. I think this is the last season and I would really miss the characters.