Swim Log - Thursday, April 30

Swim day!  I'm making a slow start to my swimming - just Monday and Thursday this week.  I am working towards going every morning...  I also only had about 45 minutes today.

200 warm-up freestyle

10 x 50 (1:00 min) freestlye

200 arms only freestyle (ok - I can't remember exactly what I did - it was pulling, but I can't remember the set)

6? x 50 scull down w/eggbeater and freestyle back

6 x 100 kick (10 second rest between each) (odd- backstroke; even- freestyle w/kickboard)

200 warm-down freestyle

Gosh, this seems so short!  I didn't do any cardio really, but I feel like I'm missing something... I need to start writting down my workouts exactly after I do them (or before!).

A day in the life of international education

I thought I'd share with you what has been going on around on my desk.

Last week - UK visa situation broke and faxed cancellation to consulate in LA and calls between me and partner in London (poor thing - they sounded EXHAUSTED).  Partner is staying open until about 11 pm GMT to take our calls and questions.  They are also willing to cover some reapplication costs, although it's really not their fault.  It's just a sucky situation.  Very nice of them to cover costs though and we are taking them up on it...

No way to contact consulate (very usual - this is part of WHY we tell students to apply early...), so in hold to see when documents come back...

Monday, April 27

UK visa stuff (much calmer than the constant emails from last week)

Tracking down delinquent student (no luck so far, we will drop her from program Thurs if no reply and she will owe $7,200)

Copy Italian partner program acceptance forms and email students for pick up

Copy Belgium partner program acceptance forms and email student for pick up

Contact service for UK visa help (mailing that is, so visas get back by Mary 19 - students leave May 20th)

Flu info updates (most emails during weekend, nothing too new- no one canceling programs)

Tuesday, April 28th

Office email to currently abroad and summer students:

"Dear students:
As you may have heard in the local and international press, there has been an increase in the number of swine flu cases in recent weeks.  Our office is continuing to monitor this carefully and in this email will provide you with some resources for your benefit.
As of this time, there are no program changes or cancellations.  As with all flu strands, please be sure to take the necessary precautions of washing your hands frequently, using a tissue when you sneeze or blow your nose, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
State Department: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_4488.html
World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/en/
__ Health Insurance: http://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/stu_conn/travel_howtouse.aspx
ISIC Health Insurance: http://www.isic.org/sisp/index.htm?fx=static&page=istc_info/isic_helpline.html
(see __________________ for additional information)
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Warm wishes,
_____________________

Students pick up acceptance forms and go over visa process (Italy)

UK visa emails (continue with updates)

Update Blackboard with Permisso info (Italy), ISIC health insurance info, __ Health Insurance info and claim info

Oxford site visit organization

Email SMUC student for meeting in London

Wednesday, April 29th

Oxford site vist organization

Email/Facebook/call delinquent student for CV and PS (and dismissal from program if don't return by noon)

Call about expressing visa applications (drop off Monday)

Emails about delinquent student...

Australia updates

Thursday, April 30th

"Serious" talk with delinquent student (so, I find I'm not so serious, but I told her to apologize to partner and called her out on lying about sending email documents)

Found new express UK visa service (drop off forms next Thursday) - thank goodness!

Missing UK items (from Consulate back to student)

Returning student emails

Student workers forms

Contact in Oxford email (hmm, I haven't heard back from them!)

Follow up with SMUC contact

UK visa update emails

And then I was out on Friday...

Swim Log - April 27

So, I finally (FINALLY) got to the pool and swam this morning.  I had been wanting to do this for a long time now, but... well, I'm lazy and don't wake up early.  I prefer to sleep and I can't really swim in the evening (need to make dinner and other stuff at home), so it must be in the morning.

So... last night I put out my work clothes, jewlery, hair dryer, brush, make-up (this is the first day in months that I have dried my hair and wore make-up to work) as well as my swim suit, goggles, cap and towel, and shampoo/conditioner, etc.  I forgot my shoes, but thankfully remembered them this morning before I left.  I sent my alarm for 5:45 am and went to sleep around... well, got to sleep around 12:30 am.

But - I woke up! Yay!  This is something I REALLY like about summer - it gets hot and sticky and is hard to stay asleep because it's so hot and sticky.  So, it's much easier to wake up as opposed to the winter when it's dark and cold and I want to stay in bed to stay warm...

But, I got up (ok- around 6:10 I think) and brushed my teeth and put on my suit and left the house!  (Big applase for my small ackomplishment)

I am going to my local community center for the pool.  (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/)  I don't know why people always knock their community centers.  I do realize that my county is pretty freakin' rich, but I have never found community centers to be lacking (I think the poorest community center I used was in Antioch and DC and they weren't that bad at all).  Anyways, this one is NICE.  It's $6.90 (?) a day and something like $65 a month for in county residents.  They open at 5 am - 9:30 pm for weight room, arobic classes, raket ball (or whatever that game is called that is like tennis where you hit the wall...), and the pool.  The pool opens at 6:30 am, but when I got there, there were swimmers getting out and part of the pool was in use for a USS team.  I think they must start at 5 am with special permission.  They were a young group - I think the youngest swimmers were around 6-7 years old.  It's good to see that people are into swimming, but - what time does school start for these guys?  They didn't leave until after I did and I got out at 7:30 and left at 8:10 am...

Anyways - the pool is a 50 meter pool, with lanes cut across it so it's 25 yd laps.  Thank goodness!  I wasn't sure how the pool would be set up and I was afraid it would be set up at 50 meter lanes.  I knew I was not ready for THAT.  In fact, I wasn't all that ready for the 25 yds!

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO out of shape.  I have never felt the lack of mus

sles in me like I did this morning.  It was very sad.  I am glad that the more I swam, the better it got, but I am going to be feeling it and my workout was pretty sad... I just couldn't do any more!

Workout (Hmm, I'm trying to remember what I did now):

100 warm up (I want to say 200, but I can't remember if I did!)

10 x 50 freestyle on 1:00 min

200 kick (freestyle/backstroke)

6 x 100 (1,3,5 - kick, right, left, swim; 2,4,6 - under, wrist, finger drag, swim) (I wanted to do 10, but think I only did 6)

10 x 25 (easy/sprint on :30)

a few (I can't remember - 4/6/8?) laps of scull/kick and 30 seconds eggbeater at each end

200 cool down

That seems short, but is probably what I did.  So sad... ;)

So, I got out of the pool and went to the locker room.  Where I discovered that my face was VERY red.  After shower - still red.  After dressed - still red.  Went down a bit by the end of blow drying my hair.  Used lots of powder to try to get that down.

I think that shows HOW out of shape I am!!! :)

But, I feel good and will try to get to the pool every day this week (minus Friday, of course). Yay!!!

Are you an expat bore?

From Time Out Dubai...

We've found the top 25 things that mean you've been Dubai-ed. Fact. There's no escaping it

1... you can make your way around five different malls without a map.  (well, I don't think that is too hard, but maybe I'm used to large malls)

2...you have friends from 10 different countries. (I've got 6 - do American living abroad count - that should get me up to 10)

3... you can tell as soon as there’s a sand storm a’comin’.  (F--- can, I'll have to wait for that)

4... the taxi driver knows where you’re going.

5... letters in local newspapers no longer seem like the rantings of the insane. (tehehehe)

6... you’ve stopped complaining about people tailgating you in the fast lane, and started complaining about people driving too slowly in the fast lane.  (yep)

7... it’s not a belly, it’s the Dubai stone. 

8... you can recite the recorded Arabic welcome message from the RTA taxi number, word for word, and with a flawless accent. (lol)

9... you say the summer ‘isn’t that hot.’

10... you look round the lobby of a five-star hotel and yawn. (totally!)

11... you get excited and dance around whenever it rains.

12... you don’t know how to clean your own apartment. (lol!)

13... you feel ‘the fear’ when someone suggests the all-day brunch at Waxy O’Conner’s.

14... you know that ladies’ nights are actually all full of blokes. (isn't that everywhere?)

15... you need both hands to count the number of international music acts you’ve seen this year.

16... you find it a real challenge to paint your own nails. (lol)

17... you can’t stop checking the exchange rates between the dirham and your home country’s currency – and you’ve actually managed to send some money home.

18... you’ve forgotten how to fill up your car with petrol.

19... you don’t know when you last walked more than 100 metres in one go. (see?!  No walking - crazy (and walking the malls don't count... but, that helps)

20... you’ll only attempt a drive across town on a Friday morning (when there’s no traffic). 

21... Al Mallah/Al Hallab/another Lebanese eatery is on your mobile’s speed dial.

22 ... you consider anything below 30° to be ‘cardigan weather’.

23... you think Ski Dubai is a perfectly normal concept.

24... you consider your doorman as one of your mates.

25... you’ve heard the same Dubai urban myths from 10 different people.

And you know someone’s definitely not a Dubai resident when…

1... they’re petrified of Sheikh Zayed Road. (it's not THAT bad)

2... they don’t know what baba ganoush/tabouleh/fatoush is. (who doesn't now a days - I think the receipies were in Marta Stewart this year!)

3... they’re shocked at the idea of getting a cab from one side of the road over to the other. (lol)

4... they get their Burj’s confused (Al Arab and Dubai, that is). (I just think of the ice cream - is that still around?  It was some place near the Persian court I think in Ibn Battuta mall)

5... they’ve been on the Big Bus Tour – and know more about Dubai than actual expats. (I should do that sometime...)

Time Out Dubai 21 April 2009

(F----l says this is a good list for all of the Middle East -well, the Gulf)

Becoming Jane

So, I FINALLY saw "Becoming Jane" last night...

I think I have had this for about a month now - my Netflix is NOT paying off.  I think I need to just get committed to it.  We aren't seeing any other movies, although I'm sure that will change as we go into summer.  (Wolverine, Star Trek... (yea, I'm a geek))

Overall, I enjoyed the film and I'm glad I saw it.  I think I would have seen it in the theatre as well, but it's not a movie that I am dying to rewatch (I put it in the mail this morning without even going through the extra features - well, I went through one, got bored and turned it off).  

I think I most enjoyed how they portrayed the time period.  That seems to be a trend in the most recent Regency films - to have this kind of roughish nature to it, but I admit I do like that bit of perceived realism (does any one know if this is any more real than the other interpretations?).  It just is darker than earlier Regency films, but it's hard to tell how real it is.  I'm sure if Austen were to come back and see that, she would immediatly see things that

 stand out as too old or too new in the sences.  Also - EXACTLY how much propriety is used in that time?  

So, the story is to be that of Jane Austen when she mets the (presumaly) love of her life while she is starting as a writer.  The man in questions is (presumaly) the model for Mr. Darcy (apparently Darcy was an Irish name and this man is of an Irish father).  Man is somewhat of a scoundrel and, while studying law, also fights and sleeps around (I assume so anyways although we don't see it...) and whatnot.  Man is at the whim of his rich uncle and is sent to countryside to... learn patience and manners?...

Man meets Jane and is arrogant, but they argue and he 'challenges' her.  She reads Tom Jones and further 'explores' real life.... Sub plot, rich neighboorhood lady (cue Lady Catherine) has nephew (Mr. Collins- in part, it kinda' switches later on to other guy) who wants to marry Jane, but she doesn't love him. Mom says that love can't always servive poverty... Jane set to marry, then goes to London to try to get rich uncle to approve of the marriage (ie, so Man can still get money).  Letter comes (guess from Lady, later find other guy who wants Jane) (note: did Jane REALLY have that many suitors?), uncle mad (what DID that letter say?), no marriage.  Break up (slap of reality to Jane), and go back home.  Sister's fiance dead and so she won't marry either.  Man is back in town, Jane and Man decide to elope.  All good until Jane realizes how much Man's family depends on him for money through uncle.  Jane breaks up and everyone lives their lives.

Years down the road, Jane is published author that people love (Ok - I know THAT isn't true; she published annoynmously).  At concert, Jane sees Man (who runs away, but brother brings him back).  Man and daughter (named Jane - significant looks abound) meet Jane again and lots of angst, but happy looks.  The end.

So - it was very good, but I can't get over - how acurate is this?  I probably would have enjoyed it better if it wasn't Jane Austen or it may have been the flow of characters and plot... Something just seemed off.

I do recomend to see it - I love how they show the society and the countryside and houses.  It's like in the 2006 (?) P&P where they add that part where Charlotte tells Elizabeth not to judge her because she is older and doesn't have many prospects.  I think we need those types of interpretations today, which of course, makes movies and such less authentic, but it makes it mroe authentic to us because our understanding is so much more improved....

Move: A-

Dollar Rate

So, I'm very glad that the dollar rate has been so good!  Of course, I don't think it's very good for other countries - in particular the UK, but right now (1:57 pm EST; April 20th), the rates are:

$1.29= EUR 1

$1.45 = GBP 1

That is Fantastic!  A year ago, it was around $1.60 to the Euro and $2 to the Pound.  

Now, my students still think that is crazy.  We keep telling them it's so good, but it still is an extra cost for them.  I just tell them to be VERY glad they weren't going abroad a year ago.  

Now, the change against the Euro has been fine.  In the winter of 2007-08, there was a HUGE change in the exchange rate and it was pretty ridiculous.  I see the current drop back down to around $1.30 to the EUR as a natural correction.

The drop on the pound however is much more shocking and surprising.  It had been around $2 for probably the past 3-4 years and before that, the lowest I had seen it was 2001 where it was around $1.58 to the pound or so.  When it went from $2 to the pound down to $1.50 in about 2 weeks - I was shocked!  I have NEVER seen currency drop like that unless there was a coup going on or something!  

So, while that is good for us going abroad, I am worried about their economies.  But, that just means that we can buy more things from the UK - not a bad trade off...

(about midway through this posting I got sidetracked and went away... not good for making this sound right... ah well - rainy day)

Writting

So, I read everyone's blog and they all sound so much better than mine... :( *sniff*
I obviously need practice in writing. So, let's have some practice...

(um, please send me writing suggestions or questions)

Liking History

So... I like history. My major in college was history, I would like to continue to study history, I like the history channel and everything along those lines.
This does NOT mean that I am interested in EVERY history. For example - I'm just not that into Roman history. I can appreciate that they gave us a bunch of stuff and the coolness of the empire (in fact, that aspect is probably the most interesting to me as I like the idea of the functionality of empires), but I have pretty much found that Roman ruins look the same. Whether in Rome, Asia or Africa - they all pretty much look the same. I mean - the ruins that are ruins. The ruins that are usable buildings - those are still pretty cool :)
Now - what I DO like about the thousands of Roman ruins out there are that it is very easy to go run around them. How cool is that to run around thousand of old stuff?!
...Anyways - 2nd thing - I like history which is better defined as the writing of past events. I like the primary documents of what people have written about past events. I like historiography (yes, very boring history where I am basically studying how people have written about histories at different points in history). My point is that I like the reading first and the visiting is a secondary aspect where I better understand the written. I would like to think that I would be into archeology, but I'm really not that much.
So - topics of history that I like: Assyrian, Middle Eastern (specially the Golden Age/Middle Ages as well as late 19-20th century), empires, historiography, immigration, WWII (mostly Holocaust and other 'home front' issues), diplomatic... and then I get into smatterings of histories here and there (I find colonial history of Spanish occupation in the Americas interesting - and 20th century Mexican history interesting).
I'm NOT so into American colonial history (from the US side, I do find it interesting from the UK side - empire thing...), I'm eh on Egyptian, eh on Roman (there are parts that are super interesting and then those I just don't care about), ... I'm sure there is more.
I'm sure everyone is the same, but it's the whole thing how just because I'm into history does not equal a love for all history...

Living in the DC metro area

So, I have been living in the Washington, DC metro area for about 10 years now... Here are a few notes about the area:

1. DC METRO AREA
It is a metro area because most people are influenced and/or work in Washington, DC and with the federal government. Case: the Pentagon is in Arlington, VA but is one of the largest office buildings in the world and the center of the US military. Case: CIA is in VA.
"formally known as the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV MSA, is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as of November 2004. It is also part of the larger Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2007 Census Bureau estimate, the population of the Washington Metropolitan Area was estimated to be 5,306,565." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Metropolitan_Area)

2. Northern VA
Considered part of the DC metro area, but it's in a separate state and very different from the rest of Virginia. Outside of Fairfax County, we usually vote liberal and has been seen as changing a lot of the VA politics in the past 5-8 years.
"It is the most populous region of both Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area... Northern Virginia is the most diverse (in terms of both the number of ethnic groups and nationalities represented) and highest-income region of Virginia, having six of the twenty highest-income counties in the nation, including the two highest as of 2007." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Virginia)

3. Notable counties and cities in DC Metro Area
Washington, DC (US capital, lobbyists, NGOs, UN, World Bank, IMF, universities, White House, Supreme Court, Train Station, Food, Theatre, Mall & Museaums, residential (all sorts), DC gov't)
VA - Arlington (Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery, gov't buildings, university), Alexandria (Old Town, Nat'l Airport, Mt Vernon?, gov't buildings), Falls Church (residential), McLean (Tysons) (rich residential, consulting companies, shoping), Great Falls (super rich residential), Fairfax (residential, shoping, county center), Herndon (residential, IT), Manassas (army residential), Prince William County (army/gov't worker residential), Reston (residential, IT)
MD - Montgomery County (nice residential, good food/shoping, Discovery Channel); Prince George's Country (residential - good and very bad with gangs)

4. Highways
I-95: goes along whole East Coast to connect all states. Metro wise, communter route from Prince William County Beltway and Beltway to Baltimore
I-495: "The Beltway" Highway that goes in circle (not begining or end). Everything in the DC area is either 'inside' or 'outside' the beltway. About 10-15 years ago, 'outside' the beltway had the impression it was super far away (it's around 14 miles or so in radius from the center or DC). The Beltway connects together I-66, I-95, 395, 270 and probably some others to each other.
395: If you are on I-95 from VA going north and stay in the left lane, once you past under The Beltway, you are on 395. 395 continues into DC (bridge) and ends up in NE DC
I-66: VA highway that ends in DC (bridge). Goes through Manasas, Fairfax County and Arlington County. From 6-9 am in the morning, I-66 INSIDE the Beltway going in the direction of DC is HOV-2 ONLY. From 3:30/4 (I can't remember) to 6:30 pm, I-66 INSIDE the Beltway going in the direction of Fairfax/Manasas is HOV-2 ONLY. Alternative routes for inside the beltway are Rt 50 and Lee Hwy (Rt 29)
270: MD highway coming from east of Montgomery County... (obviously I don't live in MD and don't take this route very often - only if I'm going to Bob's Noddle House)

5. Traffic
Pretty bad. I live in Fairfax (Fair Oaks) and it's about 14 miles to work in Arlington. Takes about an hour to get into work each day. My routes, I-66 (if I time it right, I get to the Beltway at 9 am and can continue on it to my exit); I-66 to Rt 29 to various other roads to work; Rt 29 + various roads; Rt 50 to Glebe. Pretty much same time any way unless major accident on I-66.
" No. 7: Washington, D.C.
Because most of the workers in Washington D.C. are commuting from the Virginia or Maryland suburbs, it can take an exceedingly long time to make it downtown. Here, 15% of commuters take over an hour to get to work, the second highest rate in the country. Drivers spend 60 hours a year stuck in traffic, and only 26% of commuters get to work in under 20 minutes-- the worst rate in the country. The only thing saving D.C. from a worse ranking is its efficiency ranking for carpooling, public transportation and walking, the country's second best" (http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/24/cities-commute-fuel-forbeslife-cx_mw_0424realestate3_slide_5.html?thisSpeed=15000)

Additionally, I can't understand it, but we have the WORST drivers here! They don't look at what is going on around them and REFUSE to let people merge on the freeway! I don't get that as it just causes more jams... Seriously, I take driving in China, Jordan and Italy TOTALLY above driving around here. At least in those places, the people are (for the most part) paying attention and anticipating moves on the road which makes me feel safer than the DC area.

6. Empathy
The longer you live here, the more empathy you have for politics. I always found it amazing that the people who grew up here NEVER went into DC and the historical sites and were so empathetic, but now I understand. Even on the weekend, the traffic is bad and it takes so much effort to get into DC for fun unless it's in the evening! I feel so ashamed that I haven't been to the Cherry Blossom Festive since 2004 and I haven't even been to a museum for probably over a year! Shameful! When I was working in DC, I did go to a lot more stuff at lunch or after work, but now that I'm living and working in VA, I almost never get up to DC (unless there is a meeting). This is really too bad...

7. Internationalism
Obviously the area is very international and the use of this is done in several ways. Different groups have cultural events, like the EU Open House (http://www.eurunion.org/EUinUS/eu-open-house) coming up in May, Embassy displays (check any embassy webpage for info), and concerts, social events, renting halls for clubs, etc.
There are many restaurants of different cuisines (it's actually hard to find "American" food outside of chains like dinners, Dennys, etc) inclduing El Salvadorian (if it says Mexican, you can figure it's El Salvadorian for the most part), Peru, Chinese (there is "American Chinese" that is nasty!- for a CA girl and there is Chinese food - the Dim Sum I like is a China Garden in Rosslyn; Bob's Noodle House in MD also has great Tawainese food), Italian (like Sesto Seso, or spelled something like that), French (La Chamiere (spelled something like that), Ethiopian (Adams Morgan or there is a place in Crystal City that's good), Vietnamese (there are a bunch I like, ask me for a list), Thai, Yemen (Al Jazeera), Lebanese (there are a few - Mediterranian Gourmet is great for casual stuff, the Lebanese Butcher also has some good stuff), Steak Houses, Seafood (ok, they aren't nessesarily a culture, but they can range a bit - I guess American...) and that's what I am thinking for now...
And there are great international markets (and organic food places). I use mostly (organic) Whole Foods, the Lebanese Butcher (halal), and H-Mart (Asian chain). The only thing I can't find around here (granted I like to buy groceries abroad because they can be cheeper abroad) are the overly processed pate (I think Nestle makes it) and some energy drink from the ME. And, of course, stuff like gummy durian and the like...

8. Temperature Control
Summer - blast a/c to 60 degrees (always wear pants because it's cold inside everywhere)
Winter - (not my office) dry heat to 70s. Dries out everyone's skin and eyes
So, everyone gets sick from the dramatic changes in outside to inside temperature...

Please let me know if you have any questions about our area.

^[update].

Book list

I saw this list on Brenda's blog so I thought I'd see how many I've read.

"The National Endowment for the Arts posted this list that's making the rounds. According to The Big Read, the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books on their list."

I will bold the one's I've read ( total).


1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible (I've read parts of but never the whole thing)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (this should be above Jane Eyre)
8. 1984 - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (read some of the works, but not all)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (Brenda, I think you read this because we read it in school)
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (ok, I liked it and all, but #42?!)
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Marte
l52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (I think I did...)
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (THIS IS 58?! IT'S SOOOO GOOD!)
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (maybe)
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (started to...)
75. Ulysses - James Joyce (parts)
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92.The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Love Story

So....

Love Story
Swift, Taylor

We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes
And the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air

(ok, so far that's fine)

See the lights
See the party, the ball gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd
And say hello, little did I know

(awwwwwwwwwwww)

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you please don't go, and I said

(awwwww, teenage love)

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes

(fine, cute - a bit too sugary, but fun - great melody btw)

So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew (???? dead ????)
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while

'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter (WHAT?????? A SCARLET LETTER? AS IN ADULTRY? AS IN "THE SCARLET LETTER?" HOW ON EARTH IS THAT ROMANTIC? YOU THINK THAT BEING AN ADULTERESS (CHEATING ON HUSBAND- I'LL IGNORE THE MINISTER THING) AND THEN BEING OUTCASTED AND NOT ACKNOWLEDGED BY SOCIETY OR THE FATHER IS ROMANTIC? I'M FAILING TO SEE HOW THAT IS EVEN REMOTLY A GOOD REFERENCE IN THIS CASE. DID SWIFT JUST SEE SOME MOVIE WHERE THIS CAME OUT AS GOOD? Didn't they make a movie for this that was like a love story? That is so annoying!)

And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything to me
I was begging you please don't go and I said

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story baby just say yes

(I'm still annoyed at the Scarlet Letter)

Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess (the mess being that you are in HS and your parents don't like you having sex? Ok, I'm sure that 'real' life will be much better..)
It's a love story baby just say yes
Oh oh

I got tired of waiting (after, like 10 min?)
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you is fading (nice....)
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone (apparently the faith is back)
I keep waiting for you but you never come (but, not enough to leave)
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

And said, marry me Juliet
You'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story baby just say yes

Oh, oh, oh, oh
'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

Living in the Washington, DC area

I have been living here for about 10 years now...
One of the major complaints that I had with the people from the area is that they do not get involved with the community. Or, the majority of people I meet who are from the area don't. There are the groups that are in the 'in crowd' who do, but the average person just doesn't get into DC for anything. It's very depressing.
Part is because if you live in the burbs and commute each day to DC, you don't want to go for fun because the traffic is almost as bad (going out to clubs of course is the exception). There is not a lot of parking in DC, there can be consistent traffic and when you get there you are either there during the winter (when it's cold to walk around), or in the summer with lots of tourists. Of course, I'm used to crowds so that doesn't bother me, although I do avoid the high tourist areas because I don't need to wait in lines for 1/2 hour to enter the building...
So, we just had the Cherry Blossom Festival. And I didn't go. It's just pretty sad.

Body of Lies

I haven't seen this movie yet (will on NetFlixs soon), but I'm sure that the same things will bother me. Too bad, I though it looked good. Maybe the plot will save itself. I will admit that I had NO idea it was supposed to take place in Jordan...

http://www.mentalmayhem.net/mental_mayhem/2008/10/body-of-lies-is.html

Maps

Can I ever express HOW much I LOVE maps! I think they are the coolest thing ever. They tell you where to go, what you/others call locations, boundaries, political climate, geography, discovery, population...
I changed my office so that I now have the Nat'l Geo maps hanging up. I currently have up "The Two Koreas," "Africa," "Mexico & Central America," and "The Eastern Mediterranean." I love it and it really helps to give the students something to look at and comment on.
Like the student the other day who didn't realize that so many countries in Africa had such LARGE quantities of land (like Algeria). Understandable - many have land that is not used much and you can say it is similar to Canada and Russia in that case.

Into

Obviously, you can see my profile, but I wanted to get this started.
So, to start...
I think it's very cool at the House actor is working for Obama!!! :)