Can Freshmen Really Smell a Newbie a Mile Away? Let's Hope Not.

Whoo. I got my textbook in the mail for the class I will be teaching in the fall. *Furiously ripping off plastic wrap and flipping through pages.* Yes. Quite lovely.

As a first time TA, I will be teaching Oral Communication: Principles and Practices which will probably be filled with freshmen. I am so excited, not exactly about the freshman part, but definitely about the teaching part. I have heard that first year students are a lot like wild beasts; don't let them smell the fear and all will be well. Ha, ha.

I already have ideas for what to include in my syllabus. I want to turn my little prodigies into the best speech-givers ever.

Idiots, Technology, and Dating

Assorted Links

How To Be The Perfect Girlfriend via Video Jug
---Even for the unattached, good stuff to know. Let him measure things. Ah, yes. This is why I'm single...

How to keep an idiot busy
---5 minutes of fun...or amusement...or frustration...or whatever. Note: There is a way to "win." Only not-idiots can figure it out. Oh, ouch.

Lifehacker
---good blog for the tech-savvy, or those wanting to be.

Worst Phone Message Ever via Holy Taco
----I can't imagine why Olga didn't call Dmitri back?? This is when dating goes all wrong. Or...the attempt of it. He probably doesn't get many dates.

Did I mention that the 3 ingredients in the title somehow have a way of finding each other? Sort of like white bread, peanutbutter & jelly.

Arboretum Et Voila

Yesterday Nicole and I kidnapped Emily C. and carted her off to Washington DC for her birthday. First we visited the US National Arboretum which is basically a giant 446 acre garden. Whoah. Lot's of plants. We walked around the Asian collection and the "Wa"shington Youth Garden. We also drove past lots of other sections until we got kicked out. Yes, that's right, we got kicked out of an arboretum (It was closing time).

Then we took her to the French/Belgian restaurant Et Voila. The food was exquisite. Yeah, really good. And Emily loves all things French so it was great.

Unfortunately, we only got lost, what?, a hundred times? Let me tell you, I was really regretting my decision to "find it when we got there." What did humanity do before the creation of MapQuest and GoogleMaps? Trying to navigate through a city with a simple map is like trying to go scuba diving with a straw. It doesn't exactly work. At least there was good company in my car to ward off the insanity:) Although, if I never drive around another circle thing in my life, I will be happy.





The plants (and butterflies) at the arboretum were sooooo gorgeous.

Smiles Are Contagious; I Dare You Not to Smile at These

Check out Great Smiles - Happy Life - The Happiest Blog on Earth which features new smiles everyday. A great idea. People share their best smile photos with the site and they post a new one every day. I know some smilers. You know, people who smile even when the world is crashing and burning around them, but gosh darn it, they just can't wipe that smile off their face... The world needs more smilers.

And by the way, who can't smile at faces like these?




Come on. Don't fight it. I know you're smiling.

Finally, A Happy News Only Source

What a novel idea. HappyNews.com is a news site that doesn't make you feel depressed after reading it (unless you are the Grinch or take pleasure in other's misfortune that is). This news source only publishes positive stories. I'd say it is a welcome relief. Finally, some news that helps to restore a little hope in humanity and happiness in our days.

Sometimes I get bogged down by the traditional negative news stories after negative news story, from violence, fires, hurricanes, war, corruption, poverty, to lying, stealing, cheating, terrorism, and dying. If I am watching TV and the local news pops on, I can hardly stand it. I have to go find the remote and change the channel (or go read a book). While I am a huge proponent of staying informed, following the news is sometimes just asking to much. And that is a sad truth about the condition of our world.

Enough with my diatribe though...add some HappyNews to your life.

Link courtesy of Jazz over at Jazz Spot Thanks.

White and Nerdy

If you are white and nerdy (or neither), you'll like this blog, Stuff White People Like. It's a big list of, well, stuff white people tend to like. It's hilarious.


The list details the white person's obsession with (to name a few): coffee, bad memories of high school, Apple products, multi-lingual children, irony, music piracy, sweaters, and expensive sandwiches.

My personal favorite, Grammar:

Do not assume that white people will cast a blind eye to your grammar mistakes in email and official documents. They will judge you and make a general assessment about your intelligence after the first infraction. Fortunately, this situation can be improved if you ask a white person to proof read your work before you send it out. “Hey Jill, I’m sorry to do this, but I have a business degree and I’m a terrible writer. Can you look this over for me?” This deft maneuver will allow the white person to feel as though their liberal arts degree has a purpose and allow you to do something more interesting.

Don’t worry, it is impossible for a white person to turn down the opportunity to proofread.

----That's me. That's me. I am that person... Why do I get the feeling I am being mocked??

Backyard Beauty

When I looked out the window yesterday, I was struck by how pretty it is outside. I think we take for granted how spectacular everyday things are.


I didn't realize it until I truly looked, but the the flowers in my backyard really are beautiful.




Is there is something outside your window that you've been missing out on? It could be almost anything. Another building? A tree? Your neighbor's car? Raindrops? Fog? Blue sky? A bunny? Kids jumping on a trampoline? Another apartment? Clothes on the line? Grass? A busy road? Whatever you see when you look out the window, there is beauty there. Just look.

Sometimes it's easy to forget, but beauty is all around us---even in that which seems ordinary.

Driving in a Little Yellow Car

Ohhhh, I am in car love.

My dad got a rental car because his went into the shop for repair (which is actually a funny story). His car got damaged by a rocket. And yes, I said rocket. Apparently, a high school physics class lost control of their "experiment" in the parking lot and they managed to send a missile right into my dad's car. He he. Needless to say, he wasn't too happy.

But on the bright side, the rental place gave him a bug to use for the week. A bright yellow VW bug (although maybe it's a beetle?? I don't really know the difference). Anyway, I have always said that yellow cars (except for iconic NYC taxi cabs) are hideous, but I have been proven wrong. A cute little Volks Wagon in yellow is about the most adorable thing ever. I'm not sure what Dad thinks though. He didn't take it to go golfing. He said it was because his clubs wouldn't fit in the trunk, but I think it was more what his golf buddies would say that worried him. Ha ha.

As for myself, I drove it a little bit yesterday, and now all I can think of is how far could I drive this thing away until the police caught wind of it and pulled me over for grand theft auto? I think I could make it least Tennessee, what do you think? Bah ha ha.

Summer Eatin'

Warning: the food discussed hereafter will make you salivate. Read post at your own risk.


At a picnic this week with my family, we had shish kabobs marinated in Hawaiian sauce. I chopped up everything from zucchini to broccoli and speared them onto wooden skewers.

Then for dessert we had grilled pineapple, because I thought it would be a good idea to take something I already love and throw it on the grill. I was right. Mmmmmmmm. The only thing as tasty as fresh pineapple is grilled pineapple.


Here's my recipe:

Honey Citrus Grilled Pineapple:
--Cut a fresh pineapple into flat slices
--Brush with mixture of 3 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and a pinch of pepper
--Grill until golden brown

Oh, man. This is delicious; I guarantee it.

Cheaper Gas on Sundays

I was driving by the Sunoco in downtown Shippensburg when I saw a sign that said: Every Sunday from 7AM to 7AM (over to Monday they mean), Sunoco will give you 4 cents off of every gallon, every grade.

Well, I like the idea of that. I don't know whether this is a nation-wide gig or just a local thing, but I suggest you zoom off to your nearest Sunoco and find out.

Four cents off a gallon. Yeah. I'll take some of that gasolina.

(But for those of you that can't cash in on what I will affectionately term "gas sundays,": here's a handy link to the USA Gas Temperature Map that will compare prices between all of the stations in your area.)

Fried Chicken and Fireworks

I spent my 4th of July with Emily and her family. Thanks Em! It was lovely day. We drove to the middle of no where, namely Bear Valley, for a picnic. We ate ridiculous amounts of food from fried chicken to watermelon. Yum. We took a walk into the woods, found a random bra along the side of the road, played with Wally and Oscar (her dog and her sister's dog), and sat on lawn chairs in the middle of the creek.


Then after we got back to Emily's house we played her Wii until it was time for the fireworks. Her brother-in-law set them off in their back yard, and we were not disappointed. They were poof-poofing and zing-zapping like crazy.

Some of them scared me, I'm not going to lie. Neon fire and trees seem like a disaster waiting to happen...but nothing did. We had a safe and fun 4th of July!

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July!!!!


Hope you have a super day celebrating America's Day of Independence!

(And for all you pyromaniacs out there, take it easy with the fireworks...)

Being a Tourist in Gettysburg

Gee, I must be having civil war week or something. *strange*


Today I went with my family to the new visitor's center in Gettysburg. Wow! The whole town was teeming with people. I've never seen it quite so. This weekend is the infamous Gettysburg Reenactment. 10,000-15,000 reenactors invade the town to recreate history. On every sidewalk, at every turn, behind every monument, in every restaurant, men in uniform and ladies in hoop dresses mill about. It is quite a spectacle.

We went on a guided tour (provided by the Museum and Visitor Center) following the path of General Garnett's men during Pickett's charge. We were given a formation that we had to follow while marching through grass as tall as me and climbing over a couple fences too. It was insane. Union soldiers would've been firing at us as we were charging toward them, sometimes taking out up to 15 soldiers with one blow. What an experience! I pretty much hated it, and I wasn't fearing for my life, wearing a wool jacket, carrying a weapon, being blinded by smoke, deafened by cannon fire, wounded, tired, or following a confederate flag to my death. Hmmmm.

Then we walked through the historic downtown of Gettysburg and ate at a little local restaurant. We were looking at license plates on all the cars buzzing through the town and almost every state in the US was represented. This whole reenacting stuff is serious business. I had no idea.

Walmart Plays Dress Up With Its Logo

According to Brand New, Walmart recently changed their logo. While I like the new look better, I would have to say that it doesn't fit their 'brand' quite as well. The old one was bold and dominant that said, "We're Wal-mart. Shop here, or else..."


The new lighter color, softer font, and strange starburst thing seems something more like a logo for a tech company or sleek eco-friendly biz. It doesn't say "Come here and buy my cheap goods because I pushed everyone else out and now you have no choice but to buy my subpar products."

But to be fair, I guess that's the idea---Walmart wants to separate itself from its increasing ugly public profile. My question is: Does changing their logo really send consumers a different message (even if only subconsciously)? Or is changing their image a futile attempt at reclaiming a negative public sentiment that will always equate Walmart with steamrollers and blood-thirsty ogres?

Lost in Translation

Have you ever gone to one of those online text translators like Babelfish or Free Translation to get a translation of something from English into another language? And then a few days later you find out that you inadvertently said something appalling, politically incorrect, embarrassing, dirty, or nonsensical?

Well, yeah, that's the problem systematic translating. So why not exploit this terrible inadequacy? That's what the site, Lost in Translation, by Carl Tashian does. From English into 5 different languages and then back into English, the phrase you type in will become ridiculous. Some examples of stuff I typed in:

Can't stop this.
--This cannot be arrested.

Roses are red. Violets are blue. Sugar is sweet and so are you.
--One rose of the colors is red. The viola is blue. Therefore the sugar is motivatings force and you are you.

Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.
--Maria had a small lamb, of that trapunte he who was white women like the snow.

Row row your boat gently up the stream.
--Rudders he he chain its easy boat to the expensive outpost of the startings.

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout.
--Itsy bitsy of the spider assembled entrerrosca of the water.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.
--It has something because the liberations at noon do not eat.


Huh?
Just think---these are the things you are telling your foreign friends (or German teacher) when you use these services. Shudder.