These are some of the pictures I took in New York City. Some of the *many* places we visited were Central Park, Times Square, Macy's in Herald Square, the Paley Center for Media and . . . a place no former English major could ever pass up . . . the Algonquin Hotel, home of the famed Round Table of Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and Alexander Woollcott.
We also got pretty proficient at riding the subway. If I had been thinking, I could have taken a picture of the huge rat that ran across the platform in front of us . . . New York, New York! A wonderful town!
It was such a wonderful day . . . I wish the pictures could convey the joy . . . and the exhaustion. We were all over the place! And there's so much more to see!
These are a few of the pictures I took while I was at Harper's Ferry. We arrived there when it was a bit after 4 PM and didn't get to the Historical part of the town until after 5, just as the sun was starting to make its descent for the evening. The most lovely part of the area is where the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers meet.
In one of the pictures, you can see the moon making an early appearance.
The last picture is of a fox that was sitting outside of the entrance to the parking lot - he seemed not to care that we were there and taking photos.
I feel like I'm channeling COTW with the photos . . . :-)
Mommanator has been wondering where the heck I’ve been, and I’ve been wondering that myself. I haven’t been keeping up with the blogging, but Random Kath’s world has been chugging along at full speed and I only have a few moments to catch my breath . . .
Here’s what’s up:
School: I am still taking my Econ Money and Banking class. Lots of reading and writing. Constantly need to monitor current events since the economic news seems to change every hour on the news of layoffs, or mergers, or bank failures, falling stock markets or or financial calamity. Like I said before, it’s an exciting time to be studying this stuff, but for all of the wrong reasons . . .
Teaching: I have a class of 17 this semester in my Tuesday night ESL class, which is a very overwhelming number to me. I am very happy that they keep coming back each week, but it is much harder to gauge how everyone is doing, and a lot of the learning tasks take longer since so many people need time to finish. My challenge this semester is to figure out fun group projects for people to do so that (a) they can practice speaking English to each other and monitor each other more effectively and (b) I don’t have to be standing up front most of the time and let them take more ownership of their learning.
Church: I’m on the search committee to find a new Pastor. Because I have nothing else to do. No, just kidding – I’m actually very interested in this process and I’m looking forward to helping the church figure out what it wants to be. I am a bit annoyed with some of the folks already because someone scheduled the first meeting without asking anyone about their schedules and of course it is on the night I teach class. I have made it very clear that I am willing and available ANY NIGHT EXCEPT TUESDAYS – so of course, let’s have the meetings on Tuesdays. Arrgggh! In my irritation, I said that I really wanted to be a part of the process, but if they are going to schedule the meetings like that then find someone else. So we’ll see what happens.
Job: I am formulating an exit strategy after a scare I had a month ago. I’m not going to be laid off or anything yet, but I do need to get on the ball and start doing proactive, positive things. I’ve started setting up lunches with friends of mine who I’ve worked with in the past, to get a sense of what’s out there. Once I started doing that, I started feeling better about myself and am not quite so depressed and despondent. Yay! I’m not a loser! I also need to take better advantage of the College’s career center – I may be a special case as an older student, but they should be able to point me in some sort of direction.
Grandma: She’s still plugging along at age 90! Mr. Random and I still go down to visit her every other Sunday. She’s getting a bit slower, but is still in pretty good health. My mom and dad are talking about trying to arrange a daily visitor for her, someone to look in on her and make sure she’s eating a least one good meal a day and taking her medications properly. This would be a great load off of my mind if it happens, but I won’t hold my breath. I am becoming more comfortable with the fact that I can only do what I can do and that my grandma appreciates seeing me as often as she does. If anything happens, I will know that I did my best and not beat myself up for not doing more – especially since she has 5 children and umpteen other grandchildren who aren’t coming to see her. I still have issues with my whole family over this though . . . and I’ll have to work through that as best I can.
Mr. Random: He’s doing well. He completed his *sixth* Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, which is always awesome. He’s super sore and walking funny these days, as can be expected. The Random Publication he works for has been super busy, what with the elections coming up and all of the congressional trials. He’s going to be working all through Election night, so I won’t see him until the next morning. It will be so strange to spend such a historic evening without him but I’ll try to find something else to occupy myself with that night.
His grandmom had a fall and was hurt for a while and decided on her own to move to a group home. Mr. Random’s mom is going back and forth to help sell the house and make sure her belongings are accounted for. It is a pretty rough time, but his grandmom is happy with her new surroundings. It helps that it was HER decision . . . I just hope my own grandma will willingly make that decision at some point – she’s still being very stubborn about wanting to live independently.
My Army Sister: My sister has decided to stay in the military, which was a shock to me, but she’s going to try to work in one of the research facilities. If she does that, she won’t get deployed, which *whew!* There aren’t that many research facilities, which means there’s a good chance she could be posted somewhere in the DC area, which would make me SO happy. She also had been having trouble with her legs since she's been back from overseas, but it turns out nothing is seriously wrong, which is also a blessing – we were worried it might be MS or arthritis or something.
Culture: Goodness, I haven’t been good about keeping you apprised of what I’ve been seeing! I saw two versions of Romeo and Juliet – one all male version, one all female version. Both versions were excellently done and both had very standout performances. I also went to the Phillips Collection a couple of weeks ago and saw all 40 panels of the Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series exhibit. You might remember seeing some his paintings on The Cosby Show. I am so glad I was able to see the full exhibit before it closed this Sunday.
What else? My friend J and I took a trip to New York City this past Saturday to celebrate my birthday. I will post a few pictures later this evening. It was one of the most fun trips I’ve taken in a very long time! We were only there for the day – took the train up very early Saturday morning and came home around 1 AM Sunday. Lots of walking around and looking like tourists. Seeing lots of sights that one usually only has seen in pictures or on TV. I loved the energy and the vibe and wish I could go back more frequently. The trip out of town was very much needed, if only for a day. I was exhausted when I got home, but in a good way.
I also took a lovely day trip to Harper’s Ferry a few weeks ago. I took a few pictures there too. It wasn’t for sightseeing but more to just drive and see the pretty landscape. The leaves hadn’t turned yet, which was a little bummer, but it was still quite gorgeous where the rivers came together.
Oh, that's right . . . Sunday was my birthday! I'm now another year older, and while there are some things I need to work on in my life, I'm pretty happy with the way I am at this stage of the game. This year, I'm going to not dwell on what I haven't accomplished yet but try to focus on what I *have* accomplished and what I'm doing now. Easier said than done, but you know, it's a goal . . .
Now it is back to the grind of work-school-teaching-church. I’m still having a bit of a struggle trying to balance everything, but so long as some fun is thrown in there once a week, I can keep an even keel . . .
So that’s what I’ve been up to! I’ve missed you all – I haven’t been blog visiting, but I’m going to try to catch up and say hi. Thanks so much for being patient and for being here and reading!
This is going to sound really geeky, but I was super-excited to hear the Paul Krugman, the New York Times columnist, blogger and Princeton professor, received this year’s Nobel Prize in Economics.
I have been reading his column for a long time, been following his blog, and started reading his books for one of my econ classes last semester. His writing is accessible, full of common-sense and has an element of speaking truth to power – which, as someone grappling with learning economics and trying to associate what she learns in ways that can help the greater good, has made him quite a role model for me.
So yay Dr. Krugman! Thus ends the geek portion of today’s blogging . . .
Another Quiz, actually kind of similar to the other one . . . I'm not quite sure what these things say about me . . . Carole Lombard and Marilyn Monroe, huh?
Your result for The Classic Dames Test...
Carole Lombard
You scored 5% grit, 29% wit, 38% flair, and 33% class!
You're a little bit of a fruitcake, but you always act out in style. You have a good sense of humor, are game for almost anything, but you like to have nice things about you and are attracted to the high life. You're stylish and modern, but you've got a few rough edges that keep you from attaining true sophistication. Your leading men include William Powell, Fredric March, and Clark Gable. Watch out for small planes.
Yes, I will do a proper post shortly, (I promise!) but to ease my way back into posting, here's an interesting little Quiz that's been making the rounds . . .
Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...
You Are a Marilyn!
You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical."
Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.
How to Get Along with Me
* Be direct and clear
* Listen to me carefully
* Don't judge me for my anxiety
* Work things through with me
* Reassure me that everything is OK between us
* Laugh and make jokes with me
* Gently push me toward new experiences
* Try not to overreact to my overreacting.
What I Like About Being a Marilyn
* being committed and faithful to family and friends
* being responsible and hardworking
* being compassionate toward others
* having intellect and wit
* being a nonconformist
* confronting danger bravely
* being direct and assertive
What's Hard About Being a Marilyn
* the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind
* procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself
* fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of
* exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger
* wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right
* being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations
Marilyns as Children Often
* are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn
* are anxious and hypervigilant; anticipate danger
* form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent
* look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel
* are neglected or abused, come from unpredictable or alcoholic families, and/or take on the fearfulness of an overly anxious parent
Marilyns as Parents
* are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty
* are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence
* worry more than most that their children will get hurt
* sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries
