The Dromomaniac

Update about Nothing

This may be a very Seinfeldian update since there's nothing new at all going on. It's Wednesday, and I'm kind of happy about that because the week is halfway through. I have to give a lil' talk at a faculty meeting this morning, and then I have class tonight, so it's another looooong day.

I made it through about a half hour of transcribing last night (which took two hours to transcribe because it was so dense) before I couldn't concentrate anymore and gave up for the night. I hope to complete it tonight, but that's probably unrealistic.

My accent reduction student and I had a revelation yesterday during his lesson: in English, we place attention to annunciation on the ends of words, because that's where changes occur that affect meaning (i.e. plurality, verb tense, etc). This is very different than French. So, after I had him slllloooowww down and make sure to pronounce the last letter of every word, he improved markedly. I probably just revelationed my way out of a job there because if he knows that trick, he may not need me anymore.

The other bit of newness is that I think I want to learn chess. I've thought about this before but not done it because of the attention needed to try to remember everything. But, since I'm not going out these days anyway, I think I ought to try to learn something that will help me concentrate and be a crafty muthafucka all at once. Chess seems a good fit. And, in truth, I just love antique chess sets.

Self-Portait

So I've arrived in... Albany.

It's probably not as bad as Syracuse, but Albany is maybe the dullest city I've ever visited. I'm here for work ONLY. Just making that clear.

However, I remembered to bring music and wine, so I'm about to settle in to study for the night with "Portrait in Seven Shades" humming along in the background. And there could indeed be worse fates.

 

Luxe

I've been obsessing about textures lately. Over the summer, I bought a beautiful cream satin vintage top, and it seems to have kicked off a fascination. I pretty much want to swathe myself in silks and velvets and satins and tweeds. Those of you who have had the pleasure of touching me know that I am adamant about skin creams, so I'm always in search of the best moisturizers to keep me smooth and soft. Etsy is a great escape because I can fantasy-shop for all of the things I can't currently afford. I keep making treasuries of my favorites for that reason; it's a great bit of escapism.

 

WOW

My GOD this week has been busy! I can't believe it's only Thursday.

After a total panic on Monday night, I got a TON of work done over the last few days. I'm already done with my work for NEXT week, and I'm about to print my articles for the following week. And I've CLEARLY mastered the art of ALL CAPS in the process.

 

Oh, AND, check out my Etsy treasury; I apparently have nothing better to do at 4am.

 

Comfort

I had to begin another research project today. It involved observing an educational setting, which is only a pain in the ass because I kind of work during educational hours. Thankfully, the UUs came to my rescue and I'm observing the same group I used to "advise."

Coincidentally enough, the kids were discussing and dissecting cliques today, which is completely aligned with what I'm trying to analyze. And no, it was not intentional.

But, I don't want to work tomorrow. Nope. Not at all.

 

 

Confluence of the Senses

We went for a long hike today at the Eternal Flame, and it was a perfect October day: bright blue skies, just cool enough, and bright leaves trickling down through the breeze. As we came up to the falls, small, golden leaves were lilting down all around us into the riverbed. And as I'm working tonight, I have the house to myself and I'm listening to "The Golden Morning Breaks" by Colleen; the music sounds exactly like the Flame. Trickles of harp and triangle and cello over an electronica background capture the dappled effect.

And I have a sleeping cat on my lap, so yes, I'm pretty fucking happy at the moment.

A Good Day

I had a training this morning to be a mentor teacher. While the information was not ground-breaking, it was good to know that it is very much something I am comfortable with doing and that my instincts have so far proven correct. It was also nice to get out of the school for a little bit; a mid-week change of scenery is most appreciated.

This rainy, dreary afternoon was also a bit brighter because I had two private students. I normally have one on Saturdays, but since he was out of town last weekend and won't be available this Saturday, we squeezed it in. I teach conversational French, and it's loose and easy so it's pretty fun. The second lesson is accent reduction, so it's good opportunity to explore the ways in which we produce sounds. I've learned a lot already working through what I've planned for him, and it's so interesting to hear where in his throat and mouth the sounds form and compare them to American English sound formation.

But, I'm pooped. But, that's ok.

Rocktober!

In celebration of Rocktober, the weather here took a very autumnal turn. It's delicious! We got up pretty early and went for a hike at Know Farm in East Aurora. Somehow, it's been over a year since I'd been there, which is pretty unforgivable since I love it so much. We got to see GOATS!!

Blue Monk is finally opening tonight, so I think Paul's going to go to that. I'm staying in and transcribing some more (almost done!) and will work on some sociolinguistics articles. That may not sound to enticing, but I'm actually kind of stoked.

Tomorrow, I'm having brunch with a dear friend and then a French lesson. And although I'm already lamenting the death of the weekend, I'll have a lighter day on Monday (one of my kids will be out) and I have off a week from Monday. That seems like a piece of gold that I need to cling to.

Just so you know

If you're trying to write a critical analysis of a research study, try listening to "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me" archives and eating stale pretzels. Like a charm, bitchez, like a charm.

My office is coming along little-by-little; I've got everything moved in, we put up drapes, so now it's just a matter of getting organized, getting consistent internet access, and eventually getting the furniture that I covet. A rug of some sort will be necessary in the cooler months to keep the heating costs down, so I have to plan for that. I also will finally be able to hang my travel photos; I have a lot of interesting shots from years gone by, and I'd like to hang them in a little montage. 

It seems Mother Nature is in agreement that it's time for autumnal activities because the temperature has dropped here significantly. While carousing around Elmwood yesterday, I needed my little cardigan and even that wasn't cutting it when a gust of wind blew. (An aside: I just typo'd "wine" instead of "wind". Freud, much?) I don't mind summer coming to a close. I love autumn. I only dread the long winter ahead, but even the beginning of winter can be fun. 

Sadly, this autumn will not bring the cultural delights of last year. I can't go to Chamber Music this season because of my schedule, and I haven't been able to get Babel tickets yet. I probably will go for Babel eventually, but I will miss Chamber Music.