In the South of Tucson

A day in the life

2012-01-27T08:47:00.001-07:00

We have been doing a unit on telescopes in my astronomy class. Today, we got out my 8 in Cassegrain that was so generously given to me, used the solar filter, and are going to spend the day looking at the Sun!

I'm typing this outside on my phone, marveling at how different each of our lives are. Hope yours is as great as mine!

Below is a little taste of my day

Gregory Alan Isakov

2012-01-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

I don't believe I've posted about this musician before - but I very much should have! His name is Gregory Alan Isakov, and he's got such a great voice. On occasion Brandi Carlile has sung back up for him. I have been enjoying his music for quite some time, so I thought it was about time I posted a video! It's very rich and succulent...simple instruments, but complex sounds...mmmmmmmmm. This song is one of my favorites (and illustrates what a sappy romantic I truly am!) - plus, the sound quality is awesome on this video, which is always a plus on youtube.

Enjoy! Turn it up LOUD and listen carefully with a glass of wine and perhaps a signif other ;)

Irish Stew and French Macaroons

2012-01-22T15:00:00.001-07:00

The other evening I spent much too long making Irish Stew with Guinness and pistachio French macaroons. The stew took about 4 hours (you let it simmer for a LONG time so the flavor's very rich), and in between I made the macaroons. The stew was pretty good, but I feel like somehow it could have been better. The recipe called for caraway seeds, which was an interesting ingredient, but I think next time I'll find another recipe to try. There's this amazing bakery in Columbus, OH, called Pistacia Vera, where I got the idea to make them. And although I don't think ANYTHING can compare to Pistacia Vera, these were still pretty good. If you're ever within 100 miles of this place, GO!

the humble beginnings of the stew
my favorite ingredient
the recipe called for parsnips and turnips instead of potatoes, but that just wasn't something I could do...
simmering in my new, beautiful, and awesome Dutch oven
Sorry for the terrible lighting! My kitchen was so dark by this point...I whipped them a little too much so they were rather pool-esque
the filling
baked

and done!
I have had such a great time starting to make the recipes I love, but I'm realizing cooking is like most good things in life, you have to be careful that they don't consume you and there's no room left for anything else.

Astrophotography

2012-01-18T11:02:00.002-07:00

I would LOVE to get into this...something I'm praying and saving for for 2012 - a DSLR camera :)

Best Night-Sky Pictures of 2011 Named

The clouds

2012-01-14T18:05:00.001-07:00

Don't you just love the clouds today? Thanks God for the beautiful weather!

SCHOOL IS STARTING!!!

2012-01-08T21:37:00.000-07:00

((And just cuz this post felt a little wordy and picture-less, here's a link to some of our church's awesome tunage. Play while reading!))

AHHHH!!!! School starts TOMORROW! But I think I'm feeling prepared (possible?) and here's why::

More details to come on the lovely evening I had and the plans God gave me for the year (which was so dear and wonderful of him), but I wanted to jump start everything by detailing the gifts that were oh-so-lovely today:

-I am down to one dog again. REJOICE. But Lizzie took one last nap with me on my bed this morning while I read...

-Persuasion. The book I was reading while the dog was having twitch-provoking dreams...by Jane Austen (of course!) and it was...there's no better word than LOVELY. It was a morning of REST. Staying in my pajamas, drinking an Americano, eating tortillas - all on my fluffy, wonderful bed. It was just such a LOVELY morning.

-The Village. My church is such an amazing place. If you've never gone you should - Sunday nights at 5 PM. Rod's message was awesome, and it makes me think how grateful I am that we can all be our true selves there.

-The Auld Dubliner. God has been telling me all week to go sit there and spend time with him. I have been disobedient for the sake of economy. And he told me tonight that he will take care of me if I spend $15 on a date with him. So, I went! It was so encouraging and yet very random (more to come).

Hope your Sabbath, your DAY OF REST, was just as wonderful - realizing yet again how GOOD and GIVING Jesus is...and that you were able to rest in him being GOD and you being HUMAN.

Nesting

2012-01-04T16:58:00.001-07:00

My friend Hannah was saying after spending time away for the holidays that she and her husband Steve were very into redoing their bathroom, to which she termed "nesting". Now I normally had thought of that word in terms of preparing a baby room, but I realized I've been doing the same thing! We have both been redoing our bathrooms, and here are some of the elements going into mine...completion photo to come soon :)

Along with this nesting idea, I've been cooking and baking like crazy! It's been so fun! Homemade marinara with meatballs, pumpkin whoopie pies, and meringues! which I found on this lovely blog. I LOVE meringue when it's soft and chewy, so if you like it like me, just don't make the meringues too thick or they don't back all the way through.

Terrariums

2012-01-04T12:25:00.003-07:00

I love little terrariums! Especially because I generally suck at keeping plants alive, so I wonder if the mini-version is any easier...??? Etsy put out a cute little video about making terrariums so we'll see how it goes!

How-Tuesday: Light Bulb Terrariums from Etsy on Vimeo.

Anyone need a ranch dog?

2011-12-30T09:44:00.002-07:00

So apparently one of my dogs, Izzie (the Hildebrant's old dog), is an escape artist and can get out of my backyard, despite my 6 ft, cinder block wall (much to the dismay of my neighbors). I don't have the money to build the wall any higher, and her and Darcy aren't getting along as swimmingly as I had thought, so I'm looking for a new home for Izzie.

She's VERY sweet and calm. People always comment on how sweet she is...and she loves taking naps with you. I actually think she's jumping out of the backyard to escape my dog who always wants to play. She likes her space (she acts like a dog who's 15 years old and she's only 2), so if little kids get too clingy with her, I've seen her growl or nip at them to get them to not hang on her. Currently she is sleeping on her little doggy bed snoring away...she loves to nap. She would come with a dog bed, collar, leash, and choke collar...which is for walking her because she pulls a lot. She has her vaccines but would need to be licensed under the new person's name.

She's very calm in the house, but honestly, because she's half boxer, she needs a LOT of exercise. The best thing would be for her to be with someone who has lots of space or likes to do a lot. Does anyone know anybody who lives out in the desert who has space and wants a dog? She listens very well - knows sit, lay down, and we were working on stay. When I take her for walks in the wash, I let her off her leash and she runs and runs, but comes back the instant I whistle or call for her. She doesn't jump, but again, doesn't walk well just on a casual stroll to the park because of her energy level. I've also taken her hiking or in the snow, which she loved, but she hates water or swimming.

Izzie (or sometimes I call her Lizzie, like Darcy and Lizzie from Pride & Prejudice :D) is on the left

If anyone hears of anyone interested, please call Layne at 520-306-1194. I would love for her to have a good home! She was at the Humane Society, then my friend's house, and now mine, so finding her a permanent home would be great.

Snow!

2011-12-28T06:42:00.001-07:00

I was afraid there wasn't going to be any snow during my time in Indiana, but woke up yesterday morning to this...AWESOME!

Crater lab

2011-12-22T13:55:00.001-07:00

One of the pluses of having 75 pounds of used flour from a lab on impact craters

Glitter - a short history

2011-12-21T20:43:00.001-07:00

An interesting video, thinking of the holiday season. I'm not really a glittery person myself, but I found this mini-documentary fascinating.

All That Glitters: The History of Shiny Things from Etsy on Vimeo.

It's really christmas?

2011-12-19T21:14:00.001-07:00

I'm having a difficult time feeling in the Christmas spirit since school is still happening for me...so here's my small effort to capture Xmas here at the Trinkley house...

Lunar eclipse PART 1

2011-12-11T10:44:00.001-07:00

The last lunar eclipse (where the Moon goes through Earth's shadow in space) til 2014 was yesterday morning here in Tucson. If you're lucky enough to live in Hawaii, Alaska, or Asia, you saw the whole thing at night! Well, here we caught the Moon going into totality as it was setting, so when the Moon was fully eclipsed, the Sun had risen enough to where it looked as if the Moon became invisible because there was so too much light in the sky. To test my phone's abilities, I took some shots with it...not bad, eh?

It's beginning to look a lot like

2011-12-04T22:05:00.001-07:00

Christmas! Here's some photos of the weekend's activities...

welcome december

2011-12-01T18:08:00.001-07:00

it's so nice to see you again

From the Telefono

2011-11-28T20:41:00.001-07:00

Recently my lovely mother let me use her upgrade to get the iPhone. It has been quite fun and most useful. One of the best parts is been taking pictures.

So here's some pictures I've taken over the last couple weeks...

Native Film Fest

2011-11-27T20:30:00.001-07:00

http://www.tucsononthecheap.com/entertainment/movies-entertainment/native-eyes-film-fest-2011/

You should go and check it out! It's rare that you see Native filmmakers, and so amazingly awesome that they're showing stuff here in Tucson!

the holidays are nearing

2011-11-17T18:34:00.001-07:00

When I was younger, I competed in "Gift Wrapping" in 4-H. For 10 years I wrapped presents...but to be honest I don't remember much of it. But I started thinking it might be fun to design my own wrapping paper...so I recently went to Michael's, and they had all this Christmas stuff on sale! Now generally I condemn the selling of Xmas stuff months ahead of time, but I figured since Thanksgiving is next week, and it's on sale now, why not?!

Christmas stamps, inks, kraft paper, raffia, calligraphy pens...I wish I didn't like that store so much. But I do get the Teacher's Discount!

Here's the general idea - but I'll post an update soon of what I'm coming up with.

winter is coming

2011-11-13T13:21:00.001-07:00

A lovely day...

ISS

2011-11-13T13:15:00.001-07:00

This is an AWESOME video created from footage taken by ISS, or the International Space Station.

So incredible! Can you recognize Chicago and Lake Michigan at one point?

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space | Fly Over | Nasa, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Do yourself a favor and expand it, making sure HD is on.

i hate Vegas

2011-11-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Currently, I'm sitting the Las Vegas airport waiting another 1.5 hours for a flight...ugh.

I don't like Vegas under normal circumstances, but just sitting here waiting to go home is a small torture.

In the meantime, I'll share some photographic highlights of the trip back home.

It was all-in-all a lovely little trip. AMAZING weather in the 40's - 50's, which for me is what fall is all about. It frosted, rained, was overcast, then sunny, and we even had a little bout of snow. I took walks in the brisk air with my family, and played Euchre with Grandma Tezich and my siblings...too short, but a good little vacation.

Fall in Nappanee

Halloween

Yep, Mom has a Halloween Tree...

headed "home"...

2011-10-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

Or what used to be home, but still feels like home in so many ways...

good ol' Indiana. i would say, "I'll be out, so sorry no blogs", but my being in Tucson hasn't stopped that either :)

but I must say, my house is very clean in anticipation of my departure and my students have made the most adorable requests - such as...
-local chapstick that smells good
-local food
-pictures of buggies (Amish town)
-fall leaves
-clippings of grass

they crack me up...

i'll leave you with a song that's been buzzing in my head

the awkward and beautiful

2011-10-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Two amazing artists - they're a little awkward since they just met, but it's lovely huh?

a day in the life

2011-10-11T20:08:00.001-07:00

So there were some funny random things today, so I thought I'd share...

6:15 AM - made bomb americano..mmmmmm

6:30 AM - the traffic continues on with construction Valencia...boooooo

8:45 AM - performed this demonstration for my chemistry class as we discuss chemical reactions

except I used a milk jug instead of a bottle, and it was horizontal allowing it to shoot across the room (on purpose), burning off the arm hair and skin on my right hand and arm (not on purpose)...let's just say the reaction was much smaller when I practiced it...

[ok not gonna lie, that was main highlight of the day]

10:15 - apologized to several of my classes for my generally gloomy disposition these days...that I had taken on too much, and though I swore I'd never be like my parents, I had become them in ways and now have to fight to do "enough"

1:30 PM - FINALLY got my 6th hour to be quiet and raise their hands by meticulously writing down on my clipboard every time someone spoke without raising their hand and being called on. VINDICATION is the word that came to mind...but they also behaved so well together after that (which was an added bonus!)

2:30 PM - talked with a student about whether he should disobey his mother and get his citizenship through his father who is an American citizen. Did you know you have to pay 600 DOLLARS just to get your citizenship if one of your parents is American but you were born abroad?!?!?!?!? That seems RIDICULOUS!!!!

4 PM - Cereal and Star Trek - oh ya :)

blue eye color

2011-10-05T13:22:00.002-07:00

So today happens to be a random science-y post.

I was fascinated yesterday to learn there are at least 6 genes that contribute to eye color. This means that the way I (and probably you) learned about eye color, blue is recessive and brown dominant, is wrong! Blue eyes are basically pigment-less, meaning clear, resulting from the lack of melanin (the same thing that gives humans darker skin). Melanin causes browner eyes, so when they're clearer, Rayleigh scattering occurs making the eyes appear blue! This is the same reason that the sky is blue!

SOOOO COOOLLLL!!!!

and here are some creepy looking animals with blue eyes...but I still haven't figured out why I have a dark ring around my iris (which I learned is not caused by corneal arcus)

ahhhh october

2011-10-03T12:38:00.001-07:00

It's been quite some time since I said hey to ya'll - life's been nuts!

But an added blessing to the season of autumn is that it is now OCTOBER - my favorite month here in Tucson because it actually starts to cool off...but not today, it's still 95 out today...

I found this old woodcut related to the month of October from "The Shepheardes Calender"...random Google search but cool art!

welcome autumn

2011-09-23T23:24:00.003-07:00

my dear old friend...i have missed you...

i have longed for your cooler breezes and crisper air to wrap me up, like finding an old beloved sweatshirt that you haven't seen in years. To take walks, and not just before the Sun comes up or sets because it's too dang hot out...but to just SOAK in the glory of God making our Earth just slightly tilted, and how that gives us an ever-changing beauty that is autumn...to eat apples, to hike, and to relish in the loveliness of life (and all things orange).

Tucson, will you let fall come? Will you please not be 100 degrees anymore...my soul and my electric bill cannot take it much longer (yes I had to turn the air back on)

but everyone, if you looking for fall/autumn-ness, Savaya served up an awesome pumpkin latte the other day. And I made pumpkin whoopie pies with cinnamon frosting for our church's open house. If you're in town, stop on by! 1926 N. Cloverland.

hope your loving even the title change of seasons as much as I am, even if the weather hasn't exactly followed suit this week...

Good-bye Summer!

2011-09-22T22:31:00.003-07:00

I am glad that you're over.

I had it for 12 hours...

2011-09-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

My old friends Ariel and Ryan sent me this beautiful book for a housewarming present.
How sweet are they???

Back in my hometown whoopie pies are a staple, and my mom would send them to me, so the three of us (and often more) would sit there eating whoopie pies for days...if they made it that long. Sadly, the place that made the best in town burned down (so tragic!), and no more whoopie pies! So receiving this book had way more anticipation built into it.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I do love to bake. This book called for the use of a stand-up mixer, and the idea has been taunting me for a while, because it would be so nice to multitask and cook (often my greatest issue with cooking is it takes too long being a single/homeowner/teacher)...so I got some extra money from working over the summer and I did it!

Lovely!!! Wanna see it again?

And here's how awesome it looked on my counter:

First, I needed to make the whoopie pies themselves - the cake part. I opted to make pumpkin to get into the spirit of autumn...

I ADORE the color of pumpkin...

Ingredients:

And whoooopiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeee!!!

I even found a pumpkin silicone "tin" :) oh joy that is mine

Now I need to learn how to make them more even and thinner...

Sadly (but actually quite divine), the KitchenAid starting making a loud high pitched sound, and after some time was followed by a loud grinding, metal-on-metal sound - not good. So I took it back to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for a full refund! I was feeling rather impulsive in buying it, so I'm glad I got to use it...and glad I got to take it back :)

Fleet Foxes & Bon Iver

2011-09-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Drove up to see these 2 bands play after school, after our CRAZY storm on the south side where it took me 1/2 hour to go 3 miles! Oh and by drove "up", I mean to Phoenix.

And yes...I drove back that night and went to school. Main realization of that day: My 25 year old body cannot handle that. I am still recovering...

Here's some pics/vids of the evening:

I love Fleet Foxes' drummer, Josh Tillman. I saw him play here in Tucson at Solar Culture years ago...soooooo good.

And the main event:

Twin violins!

I'll try to post a few other videos later...

Tucson's cooling down, if ever so slightly

2011-09-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

We've had some dang crazy storms over here on the south side. One of which pushed my beautiful tree over, and 3 of which have brought hail...

But the cooler weather brought the temps down at church, much to everyone's relief. Here's some shots of my lovely community from last Sunday...

the Park's

the view from where I sit

oh the beauty of a day overcast

2011-09-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

the storms, the rain (and hail here on the south side), and the clouds have taken Tucson's overbearing triple-digit temperatures down into the 80's and 90's during the day.

how wonderful it has been...

and with that I REJOICE! And have turned off the air conditioning! It has been absolutely lovely to sit in a quiet house (even though most of the time I'm home I'm sleeping because I'm never here)...to feel the breeze coming through the windows, and to know that the electric bill will be significantly lower :)

I'm typing this by candlelight, and while I don't want to return to the pre-electricity days, the lack of the running air conditioner and an open window bring a part of my soul and self to life that I always miss until fall returns. I have always loved this time of year...and the candlelight makes me long for simplicity. I know my life will never be simple, though I'm convicted to remember it's a choice...and to choose better tomorrow.

LISTEN TO THIS!!!!

2011-09-06T19:50:00.001-07:00

BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING BON IVER IS AMAZING

today feels like a saturday...

2011-09-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here grading...and grading...and grading...and grading...

but what makes it soooooo much better (because I don't enjoy grading) -

I'm watching Notre Dame football.

Back home Notre Dame football is a lifestyle. It's not just spending 3-4 hours watching a football game. It's spending the night before painting my nails blue and gold (as a kid of course). It's leaving the house at 9 am to say hey at Grandma and Grandpa Tezich's before heading to campus to find a parking spot (and since my dad went there he knows where to park). It's tailgating from 11 til gametime at Cira's and with Dad's old elementary school friend Bob Gnoth - eating, playing catch, and walking around campus. Then all through the next week, everyone is talking about what happened in the game - and not just your family - but at the gas station, the corner cafe, at school...everywhere. If you walk around my small town on a fall Saturday, you can hear people yelling at their tv's during plays. I definitely miss being home this time of year...

BUT!!! NBC now streams ND football live and free online. Thank you NBC!!! I'm getting to feel connected to my family (my sister, her bf, my dad, and my uncle are all at the game. I've gotten to talk to my grandma and mom on the phone about what's happening (first ever weather delay of game)

...and it's made grading so much better.

my Saturday, September 3rd :)

inspired by

2011-08-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sue. Changing up the blog background because SUMMER'S ALMOST OFFICIALLY OVER! And i'm trying to hold off making more "autumnal" until it's actually autumn...

Goodbye August!

2011-08-28T12:02:00.001-07:00

I'm not sorry in the least you're leaving. You've brought stress, mosquitoes, and record high temperatures!
Life has been very up & down while you've been here.

Though you did bring some delightful things...

...like the Gilchrist's. It was so absolutely wonderful to see my dear friends again. Here's a dinner we had to celebrate them being in town :)

You can see half of Corey on the right!

And lots of rain - the forest of weeds in my backyard and the mushrooms now accompanying my herb garden can attest to that...

And a GORGEOUS hike in Madera Canyon this morning. Of course, I forgot my camera. With the rain yesterday, the stream was flowing, wildflowers were EVERYWHERE, and you half expected a fairy tale to burst into song at any moment. It was amazing, and Darcy very much enjoyed getting to play in a stream - so much so, she's now sleeping at my feet ever so soundly. Who knew it was so much closer to my house! I hadn't been there in about 6 years, and it was more beautiful than I remembered :) Thanks August, but in 3 days...one of the best months of the year!

ps

2011-08-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

School was EXHAUSTING...but come a few days in pretty good. The first day I didn't feel like myself, but had a really powerful time hanging out with God on Tuesday (or was it Wednesday?) night which really turned things around.

just so you know... :)

i had gone to Tohono Chul...

2011-08-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

...this past summer but completely forgot to post about it.

It was magical. They opened the park at 7am due to the encroaching summer heat, so I got there at 7:15 and pretty much had the place to myself. It was SOOOO beautiful and very inspiring! I really want to take my empty slate of a backyard and mock some of their ideas...

this might have been my favorite part as I've been LONGING FOR WATER

as a geologist, this part was so awesome! a geological history of the Tucson Basin - geology 101...and they used some of the actual rocks that they referenced :) well done

I would love to have stairs like this to get on my roof so I can star gaze at night!

I'm gonna do this outside at my house

Who knew eggplant came from such lovely flowers?

I want to get a veggie garden like this!

a great alternative to grass

Beautiful doorway...

Then I spotted this quail and he put on a little show for me. I had never seen one this close up.

The day before school starts

2011-08-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to be calm...I'm really trying. But as with every school year starting, the lack of sleep, adjustment to getting up earlier, and general frantic-ness is quite unnerving and my entire self is feeling it.

I can't believe the kids come tomorrow. I'm having a hard time remembering I'm a teacher, after having spent all summer chilling. I'm much more spacey-chaotic and less excited with all my new responsibilities this year - teaching 3 classes instead of 1 (chemistry, earth science, and astronomy) and heading up a committee...it's a lot but we teachers need the money! Especially we teacher/new homeowners...

If you could pray I would so appreciate it! I long to be present, engaged, and just alive with the kids. I don't have all the t's crossed AT ALL, and that can at times stop me from enjoying this beautiful life I have. At the moment I have almost 230 students. That's a lot of kids I get the opportunity to love on - I want to do it well...any thoughts? Feel free to comment and let me know your prayers or advice!

Thanks all....

darcy and the cone of shame

2011-07-27T23:24:00.001-07:00

If you've ever seen "Up!", you might remember the above title.

The dog got spayed - FINALLY. And THANK YOU GOD that He answered my prayers and it was free! The only problem is my 50 lb. puppy kept ripping open her incision so it's taken twice as long to heal, with an extra helping of antibiotics, a bandaged torso, and diarrhea...yeah being a dog owner :) But I'm very glad the vet's been nice and not charging to see her post-surgery. Thanks Guadalupe Vet Clinic! (and for being right down the street from my house!)

Now Darcy's pretty much all healed up, and I wanna take her camping on this, my last weekend of summer. (I can't believe training starts next week!) So now I'm at a loss as where to go!!!

This is where I actually want to go:
[thanks to longest acres for the pic]

But that doesn't exist in Arizona. Any ideas on where I could go? I don't wanna drive all the way up to Flagstaff, and I wanna end up somewhere coolER with water so the dog and I could go swimming. Please give any and all ideas!

the decadent cake

2011-07-26T18:14:00.003-07:00

It came out looking very beautiful and moist. I was going to top it off with some powdered sugar, but forgot :) I like the brown cake on that plate, though- huh??

this one's my fav

FYI, it's not a super sweet cake. It tasted great, but when I paired it with the dulce de leche, it was almost bland. Great on its own or with coffee...mmmmm

Camping with the community

2011-07-26T09:36:00.003-07:00

I love my church. They are my family...along with my family. A great camping extravaganza was planned, got diverted when the mountain closed down because of fire danger, but actually happened when they reopened the mountain again.

So up to Mt. Lemmon we went! I actually didn't stay the night (didn't know if the dog would play with others calmly), but did end up getting a lovely nap amongst some pine needles.

Cute moment with Ronamaki

Jesse thinking intently

Ahhh mighty Settlers

Steve notices but Eric doesn't

None of the Brunson children can get married soon enough :)

It was a lovely time with games, watermelon, great salsa, and dear friends. Listening to Karen and Jeremy tell stories was an absolute delight. They're very laid back people but the go-back-and-forth as they tell stories is HILARIOUS. Also, a small group of us hiked up to the ridge near our campsite (thanks H & S for making me go!) to watch the sunset. Of course, I forgot my camera, but it was GORGEOUS! And then I actually felt COLD - really! I couldn't believe it. The drive down at night accented the cool air, making it one of the best moments of the summer.

for a sweet craving...

2011-07-25T13:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I made dulce de leche by boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk (see yesterday's post on "Banoffee" for the specific recipe. Well I boiled two cans, instead of one and thought it'd be fun to try on chocolate cake :) Ahhh summer...how I will miss you when you're gone and can't make random chocolate cakes in the afternoon.

So thanks Food Network for the below recipe! I made the following changes: I didn't have Dutch process cocoa so I just used regular (which apparently there are some chemical reasons for the recipes calling for it :/), Cloves & a little Cinnamon instead of cardamom, no currents or chocolate chunks, and instead of instant espresso (which NO ONE should ever buy or have)- I put in actually grinds. Which I now realize wasn't what they intended and I should have made espresso with my Aeropress and added that to the cocoa. WOOPS. We'll see how it is...

Decadent Chocolate Cake on the Food Network

Baby Banoffees

2011-07-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

Baby Banoffees

I made this today...mmmmm....

They were REALLY amazing and really rich. I topped them with nutmeg instead of cocoa.

Try it! It's so easy!

...for the rainy evening

2011-07-23T17:05:00.001-07:00

Summer Survival in the Sonoran Desert

2011-07-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

Make your own horchata pops! :) It's perfect for the summer...

A commercial break

2011-07-17T17:40:00.002-07:00

While I'm waiting for my pictures of the housewarming party to load, I wanted to mention this blog that I LOVE:

I Married An Irish Farmer

A woman from the US (I think Minneapolis) married an Irish farmer, moved to Co. Limerick, and posts about her life...but mostly about her cooking. She makes the most delightful things! Sometimes a few of the ingredients are a little hard to find, being that the US doesn't carry the same things as the UK, but most things are standard.

I'm getting ready to make her latest post about dulce de leche and bananas...mmmmmmm....

Also, speaking of cooking, I needed to use up some of the leftovers from the party. So I called on my inner Midwesterner and made a leftovers casserole! Sort of a variation on enchiladas...
The following ingredients were included:
Mini corn tortillas
Salsa Verde
Garlic chicken
Great Northern Beans
Spaghetti squash (that I baked in the oven with cumin & cinnamon)
Topped with Panela queso fresco

Housewarming Party

2011-07-09T07:59:00.003-07:00

A history according to Wikipedia:
"The term, housewarming is descended literally from the act of warming a new house, in the days before central heating. Each guest would bring firewood, and build fires in all the available fireplaces, offering firewood as a gift. The reason being - aside from warming the house, was that it would repel evil spirits by creating a protective atmosphere of warmth. Uninhabited houses were considered targets for vagrant spirits, and therefore required a certain level of cleansing before a house was safe to be occupied by young children."

I find this FASCINATING. Well the firewood thing is cool background and makes sense, but it always intrigues me how even just 100 years ago there was a spiritual aspect to pretty much everything. We keep trying to get away from that now-a-days, but it's there. But since we already prayed over the house, now all's we need is the people...and you don't need to bring firewood. :)

So if you actually know me, and somehow didn't receive an invite to the party, call for directions and COME ON OVER!

So below is not my invitation, but I found it online and thought it was cool :)

INSANE video

2011-07-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

VIDEO: Dust storm blankets Phoenix

I'm not a huge fan of Phoenix, but bummer for them...

Oh Etsy

2011-07-02T15:38:00.002-07:00

I ordered something from Etsy, and it took forever to get here, but look at the cool reason why!

All the way from England!

And out came this lovely bracelet with the letter Captain Wentworth writes to Anne Eliot in Jane Austen's Persuasion.

It's the little things...

2011-07-02T07:41:00.003-07:00

There's a Chinese restaurant a mile from my house.
La Bella China.

I often drove by laughing because it looked a little trashy, but secretly hoping it would be awesome, because having a good Chinese restaurant close by is like winning a prize for a contest you didn't know you entered. If you didn't win, it's ok, because you didn't even know you were in the contest...but if you do win, it's friggin sweet and loads of unadulterated bliss follow...partially because of the sheer surprise of the situation.

Last week I decided to try La Bella China. When I try new Chinese places I have a little test that I always use, which is a little pricy, but is generally a good gauge for me. I order my favorite things and see how they stand up: chicken lo mein, beef and broccoli, egg rolls, and egg drop soup. If those are generally pretty decent, I'll be back!

So I ordered, waited 5 minutes, and received this spread:

Sorry it's a little dark- I had the shades drawn for a movie with the Chinese :)

Overall, I'd give this place a 4.5 out of 5! So good!

The Detailed Review:
The lo mein used udon noodles, which are better than the really skinny chow mein noodles that some places use, but second to my favorite which are the medium width ones (that I can't think of the name of). But it had great flavor and good veggies in it. The broccoli beef was a little soupier than I prefer, but again, awesome flavor, and they gave white rice to go with it so the soupiness made more sense. I like that they used the egg yokes in the soup (places often leave out more of the yokes, making the soup appear more whiteish-clear in color, and I think it tastes very bland), but I'm not a fan of corn in my egg drop. The egg rolls used rice paper, so they were smooth in texture instead of rough (which I like a little more), but they had a good flavor and came with homemade sweet and sour sauce :) And it all came very nicely packaged with no spill possibilities - extra awesome. The menu also had a variety of Mandarin and Cantonese dishes, which is exciting. So much more to try!

So next time you're near 12th and Drexel, check out La Bella China! Or come over and we'll order some, because they deliver! Oh happy day :)

It has begun

2011-06-30T09:14:00.002-07:00

Monsoon season is finally here.

I woke up last night to flashes of light in my room. Now this is usually due to airplanes, but then I heard something. Thunder.

YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!

Open the blinds. "Oh my gosh, dog, it's raining." We both stood in the window and watched it rain, lightening, and thunder with a fury that no one has seen in 81 days.

That's right! 81 DAYS SINCE IT'S RAINED.

The last day it rained was Saturday, April 9th. It was a very cold day - only 45 degrees outside.
And while yesterday was in no way cold, it was so beautiful to just sit there and listen to the rain and thunder, and watch the lightening through the curtains.

Did you wake up at 4:30 AM and hear the storms?
If not, here's a video I shot in the dark. You can hear the rain as constant fuzz in the background, sometimes hearing the gusts, and then comes the lightening and thunder.

I also tried to take some photos but my camera wasn't really cooperating...

Post lightening

And here's my room being lit up by the lightening

And then from our walk this morning to survey...

Meet Darcy

2011-06-28T18:26:00.004-07:00

You may have met her under a different name (Genevieve, Emma, Emmylou, Indiana)...yes, I'm indecisive with names.

I prayed - A LOT - about getting a dog. And God has answered my prayers and unexpectedly given me a lovely creature to live life with :)

It is the dog Susan Park's work found. She's chill (except when you first come to the door because she's only 6 months old), sleeps a lot, and doesn't like to run or walk too much :) Heck yes! Were working on training her right now, which is not my forte, but she's doing alright with it.

As far as the name, there were several constraints. I really wanted to settle on something either Jane Austen, winter, or astronomy related, but it needed to be something pronounceable in both English and Spanish. And after calling her the prior names for a while, I settled on Darcy because of how her appearance reminds me of the outfits he wears. Also, I have a boy's name, so she might as well too :)

very typical of her

She loves her toys

the UK, I mean Great Britain, errr...England!

2011-06-28T09:43:00.003-07:00

Another video by the same guy - and yes, he still talks fast. But I found this FASCINATING. And, it's a hint/teaser to the other new addition to my house...

On coffee

2011-06-27T00:12:00.000-07:00

Careful - he talks kinda fast

New additions to the house

2011-06-24T13:48:00.002-07:00

New additions to the house this summer...

So the mail/bills/papers can be "out" and visible, but not everywhere

In the bathroom I used growing up, we had a medicine cabinet behind you, in addition to the mirror above the sink. It was very convenient for see what the back of your hair looked like, so I put a hinge on this mirror so it can help me with such items.

Some herbs! Mint, Cinnamon basil, and Lemon thyme (with the little statue my great-aunt Joan gave me-cute!)

And Rosemary - in it's own pot so it doesn't take over

And one more new addition coming soon...

Happy Summer

2011-06-22T13:18:00.005-07:00

In all of my not-craziness of laying around watching Jane Austen movies, I forget to wish everyone an official "Happy Summer!" Yesterday was June 21st, the official summer solstice.

Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still". As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky. As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

In the spirit of things, here's a picture from Stonehenge which was designed to align with the sun on the summer solstice.

Here's what's happening from space:

Those in the Northern Hemisphere, who are tilted toward the sun during the day, are experiencing their summer solstice. Those in the Southern Hemisphere are experiencing their winter solstice.

We are in the position of the first Earth from the left.

HAPPY SUMMER! In case you doubt it, go outside. It's a whopping 107 today here in Tucson :/

Cafe Aqui - Closest coffee shop to the south side

2011-06-20T12:51:00.005-07:00

In fact, it actually is closer to "South Tucson" than I am. South Tucson is actually a small little village inside of Tucson - like the Vatican is a separate city inside of Rome. I, in fact, do not live in South Tucson, though people always think I do. I am much farther south than South Tucson.

...just to clarify that...

I've been thinking about coffee shops, because it's not exactly a part of south side culture, and I found this coffee shop that's much closer to here near of 6th Ave and 22nd.

It was a very random experience...

They put on a record when I got there

Met this random, awesome lady who wanted to trade clothes with me

Dang good espresso

Beisbol en el verano

2011-06-19T11:21:00.005-07:00

One of my students plays baseball games on Sunday mornings at the park across the street from my house. It's been fun watching him - he's the catcher.

Also, I'm working on having more control over the layout of my blog...ie-pictures bigger and put exactly where I want them...so fyi things may be a little random...

current love of my life: Bon Iver

2011-06-11T10:26:00.002-07:00

As far as music goes, rather than listening to lots of different artists all the time, I tend to get obsessed with a few people, listening to them for months on end.

Well for the past while, it's been Bon Iver...aka Justin Vernon.

His first album "For Emma, Forever Ago" (along with Joshua James) has been the soundtrack to my life for a while now. To add to the awesomeness, his new album, "Bon Iver" is coming out on June 21 - YEAHHHHH! But! The double awesomeness of NPR released a preview of the whole album - DOUBLE YEAHHHHH!!!!!

Here are some teasers from his first album...

He wrote this album at his family's hunting cabin in Wisconsin, to make sense of the video

On summer and iced beverages...

2011-06-08T14:14:00.003-07:00

I've decided instead of spending money I don't have on iced lattes and gasoline to reach coffee shops, I'm going to get creative with iced drinks at the house this summer.

Working at the Sage has helped to know how to make iced tea, but it's also extracted some creativity that I didn't know I had (it gets REALLY boring making the same 10 coffee drinks all the time, so every barista begins inventing drinks after a month or so of working). Let the experimenting begin...

When we were in Mexico, Tia Mari served us this AMAZING grapefruit drink, and I HAD TO HAVE IT. We went down the tienda, and I bought 9 packs of Toronja Zuko mix.

Right now I'm currently drinking that, with mint leaves and lime juice - yyyyyuuuuuuuuuummmmmm.

The fridge with iced coffee (a basic and must-have), iced tea, and toronja Zuko.

As far as tea, I bought this Hopi tea, and turns out it's a great iced tea. Tastes kind of like chamomile. Boiled 3 bundles and added 1/2 c of sugar....yum x2.

This is the package if you are around 3061 N. Campbell Avenue.

And here's what the tea ends up looking like. Quite the lovely color and great with mint.

La casa finalmente

2011-06-02T08:29:00.011-07:00

The house God has so generously given me

View from the back glass door of the main room

From the middle of the room

My mom brought these bomb chairs from indiana - i love the rivets!

I'm such a details person so the rug with the curtains above it makes me ever so happy

Coffee bags will go here

Awesome chest from Indo and a painting my great-grandmother bought here in Tucson in the 60's

From the living room into the kitchen

My mom wanted me to feel at home (if you didn't know I grew up in an Amish town)

The kitchen from the bar

Kitchen and laundry room

Got these fun knobs instead of boring white ones

Dishtowel from Anthropologie

The awesome tile by Jose! and view to the bedrooms

1st bathroom, which I may wash over with a more sage color

Guest bedroom - that turquoise door will eventually be over the bed

Multi-purpose room. For kids to play, studying, playing music, grading, etc.

My room! I was very stoked because it turned out exactly like I wanted it :)

My grandma made the lamps and the comforter, and my great grandpa actually made the table on the right

Antique dresser, plant from Emily, and "commissioning towel"

My bathroom

Card from store in Vermont ironically named because it's what the kids and friends have often called me

We had doorknobs like these at my house in Indiana

And to match

Well, that's the photo tour! I've loved being here, but I would also love more visitors! Feel free to stop by :)

Summer is HERE

2011-06-01T09:17:00.007-07:00

And with that I decided the blog needed a little sprucing, because I've been feeling so uninspired to write on it.

So here we go!

School is out and Summer is HERE. I feel like it officially started yesterday when my student's family I'm tight with decided to take me to Mexico with them.

Let me just say the mom, Sonia, perfectly summed up the day by saying it was "the most miserable and wonderful day"...let me expound...

The day started off by dragging carpet to the street at 5 AM for brush and bulky trash, fixing summer school for Bianca, and the Raging Sage's coffee & scones.

Then we were off to Naco, where they're family lives. It's a little border hamlet near Bisbee. Unfortunately though, those little towns here in AZ have cops who are BORED OUT OF THEIR MINDS, and I got a ticket for going 11 over on the freeway.....gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

We get over the border and have the most wonderful day with their great aunt, Tia Mari, their 96 year-old great grandmother, and their cousins.

Sights of Naco

there are lots of broken down, very old buildings created with handmade bricks - so cool

awesome old church

huge church near center of town

the family + me

Bianca and her 96 year-old nana

Tia Mari - she is such a wonderful woman. She brought me medicine for my hands when my fingertips were peeling and made "sopes" for us when we were there. Now she's bringing us "sandia" :) [Their mission was to get me speaking Spanish, as I know a lot but rarely speak it, so it kind of worked and was lots of fun]

Un truke (no idea how to spell) de ajo - garlic truck. The town grows TONS of purple garlic!

Bianca at her nana's

Jocelyn and her tia

Such lovely women

La calle de nana - the street her grandmother lives on

So this all was the wonderful part of the day.

Then on the way home, as we're driving into Sierra Vista, Bianca screams, "Ahh - something bit me," followed by her sister crushing the bug with a water bottle. It turns out to be a red ant, which her father is highly allergic to, and it turns out Bianca is highly allergic to. Her arms were numb and her throat was closing all with 5 minutes so we had to stop at the Circle K and call an ambulance. Jocelyn and I followed the 2 in the ambulance to the hospital, where Bianca was completely drugged with enough Benadryl to put a horse to sleep.

That was the miserable part of the day.

2 hours later, we're back on the road with Chipotle, McDonald's, and a lovely twilight sky.

None of us were EVER so happy to be home...except Bianca who didn't know the difference because she was sooooo very medicated. Once we got back she went to put her pj's on and came out with them on over her clothes. :)

I NOW HAVE INTERNET - THANK YOU GOD

2011-05-21T20:56:00.004-07:00

But I also have finals coming up this week, 150 cookies to make for my seniors, and a scrapbook to put together, so I will give you a more extensive update, including pictures of the house, later this week once school is out.

But a tidbit!

I spent most of my awake hours today helping 3 students get ready for my final. It's SO fun to just laugh with them, help them see how smart they are, and help them to believe in themselves...and then there's the bonus where I get asked questions like, "If mermaids were real, what would they eat?" ??????? My expertise as the oceanography teacher fails in this capacity....

The guy in the color photo and the two girls below were my study buddies :)

tile ALMOST done

2011-04-20T08:14:00.002-07:00

Sitting at Starbucks before I head to school on our late start morning (we didn't have a meeting at 7:45 - YEAH!!!)

Well, the tile's almost done and the painting is about to commence. I'm going to pick it all up after school today - and I'm SOOOOO excited. The garage has been much better than one could imagine living in the garage would be...but still...it's living in the garage.

I'm growing anxious to move into my lovely new bedroom. But a special treat for me yesterday was that I finally got rid of the blinds in the pictures below that I HATED. YEAH X2.

So if you're not busy on Friday or Saturday - come over!!! There will be plenty of painting to do...

the house before and moving in...

2011-04-15T09:23:00.006-07:00

So I've been wanting to share pictures with you all about the moving in process to the new house, but without internet there, it's been a little tricky...

But I finally got my act together to show you what life's been like for me lately...

looking into my bathroom from my room...

my current residence: the garage! and all my stuff

from my office

guest bathroom

main room looking toward the front door

main room from the kitchen looking towards hall to bedrooms

kitchen!

This is the "before" pictures. Jose and Panchito (my awesome friends and student's family) have been working at the house constantly to put in the tile - it will probably be done this weekend - YEAH!

prayer at my new house

2011-04-14T09:50:00.002-07:00

Hi all -

The tile might be done by Friday evening, so we're having a time of prayer at the new house...

...and you're invited!

8 PM, this Friday night @ 6047 S Avenida Bodega. We might have to get raspado after... :)

freaking gorgeous

2011-03-31T15:58:00.002-07:00

So my car is currently packed and ready for the next trip (which is less of a load thanks to Jimmy and Sue - THANKS!!!!)...

but in the meantime I thought I'd just chill for a second and found this beautiful video, which is made ever so gorgeous by the music from Gladiator - makes me want to cry...and then get on a plane to Scandinavia!

The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

i own a house

2011-03-29T15:36:00.001-07:00

i just had to post it! signed the papers last night in between an appt, dropping off a student for driving school & picking her up - such a busy, yet AWESOME day

pictures to come :)

end of SB2K11 exploits

2011-03-25T09:16:00.006-07:00

So Spring Break ended up being much busier than I had planned on (which is why I didn't do this post sooner), but still nice.

This was the beginning of a meal that included poached chicken, refried beans, and black bean, queso fresco, and nopales salad. This was also the first time I roasted my own peppers and only the second time I've ever made my own salsa. It was sooooo good.

I also took an afternoon and went down to Lake Patagonia, having never been there.
Here's some pics for ya...

SB2K11

2011-03-14T20:38:00.009-07:00

I'm officially on Spring Break!!!! WEEEHOOOOO!!!!!

Since I'm chilling this Spring Break, and not headed anywhere, I decided I wanted to do a few things this week to make it memorable, rather than just watch movies all day.
My plans fall under the umbrella of "Getting in touch with Tucson" - and mainly includes cooking, reading, and enjoy the grand ol' outdoors.

The COOKING part of the plan:

I realized I'm going to be heading into a phase of life where I'll be having people over for dinner, specifically some Hispanic friends, and I don't really know how to cook Hispanic food. Sure, people can eat whatever I cook, but I thought it would a good skill to work on and help me get more in touch with Tucson culture. My mom bought the following book when she was here from Native Seed SEARCH (which is an INCREDIBLE store on Campbell south of Ft. Lowell), and I have been cooking my way through several recipes.

I made roasted tomatillo salsa from the book on Saturday, and it was AMAZING! I'm going to try more salsa recipes this week, but I'm currently making Nopales and Black Bean salad. Nopales are prickly pear pads that you cook with. I've eaten them at my student's house but never made them.

However, I didn't anticipate how long the beans would take to cook (several hours, after soaking most of the day), so the salad will be lunch tomorrow.

Instead of salad, here's what came out for dinner:
Fried potatoes, red onion, fresh garlic, and banana peppers, seasoned with oregano, thyme, and fresh cilantro. I put refried beans on tostadas and topped it the stir-fry mix and queso fresco - WOW! I definitely have never considered being a vegetarian, but with no meat able to cook quickly, this was freaking awesome!

Oops moment of dinner: I thought the banana peppers weren't hot, but apparently there are 2 varieties, and I got the hot one. (I should have known! I got them at Food City!) It's all good though! They were very tasty. The only issue came from me seeding them with my bare hands, so now my fingertips feel like they're on fire!

I also bought another "Irish Pub" cookbook, in honor of St. Patrick's Day this week!
There are lots of fun recipes, but today Erin and I conquered this one.
Irish Cream Liquor Chocolate Cheesecake with chocolate chip cookie crust.
Heck friggin yeah it is as good as it sounds! And now we have leftover Bailey's - oh happy day.

Stay tuned for tomorrow culinary adventures....

PS: The above pictures were taken with my new Panasonic camera from Woot!

random blurb on groupon

2011-03-13T23:41:00.002-07:00

The Groupon Guide to: Fear of the Dark

Fear of the dark is the third most common phobia, right behind fear of public speaking and fear of otherwise-normal babies with no faces. Here are some ways to cope with being afraid of the dark.

Have a family member or someone you trust strap you down and force you to view a beautiful sunset. As day gives over to cold, uncertain night, your mouth's natural foaming will prevent you from chewing through your straps, and, come morning, you'll either be completely cured or insane enough to have become a great piano player.
Darkness is nothing more than the absence of light. To make light present, try setting everything you own on fire. When you run out of things to burn, use the insurance money to purchase more possessions.
Most people fear the dark because it may hide unknown entities. Relieve your fear of the unknown by spending every night memorizing the faces and methods of serial killers.
Confront the darkness inside you by goading an adult sibling into beating it out of you on the lawn during a holiday. If he or she chooses to help you up, head inside for a viewing of The Muppets Take Manhattan. If he or she leaves you on your back, you have implicit permission to take your sibling's truck and "get out of here—just go."
[very strange huh?]

another gem from one of my students

2011-03-08T16:58:00.001-07:00

So one of my awesome students Rudy found this video-

Tip: close your eyes, put on headphones, and turn up the volume. It's quite eerie actually, and I don't even go to a barber.

not funny because it's a pop quiz

2011-03-07T19:50:00.002-07:00

but really funny to put the smiling sun and happy people with all the idks - wow...i can't believe i get to grade things so humorous

reminds me of this slightly disturbing video

a crazy last few days it's been

2011-03-01T21:14:00.002-07:00

i dont have the brain power to even write in complete sentences, so here are some highlights (or lowlights) of the past week...

-my parents and sister were here. lots of quality time, some might say a little too much, but they were very gracious and it was rather fun

-i accidentally coated one of my hands in superglue trying to fix a student's necklace and had to spend the rest of class with my hand in a tupperware filled with acetone, while one of my students changed the slides on my powerpoint - classic

- i made biscuits on my own for the first time, only because i wanted to use my irish butter and my new Sonoran honey i bought

-im listening to the Low Anthem's new album that i just got in the mail - superb music

- for the first time since i became a teacher, my alarm did not go off yesterday morning and i woke up at the exact time that the bell rings for first hour, 710 am...crap crap crap crap crap

- ironically enough, the night before i was "commissioned" [ordained by others' standards] by my beautiful community and church. a lovely, though surreal evening it was, so the next morning filled me with no end of shame

-its AIMS week. im pretty sure i hate AIMS more than the high schoolers

-my cats are chasing each other around the house warring and hissing...oh so amusing

- my house stillllllllllllllll hasn't closed...

....did i miss anything? not that it matters much, but it does help to keep life in perspective

milky way over chile

2011-02-22T10:11:00.001-07:00

beautiful! watch at 720 - it's much better.

Now off to have a LATE breakfast with the parents!

blustery day

2011-02-20T13:34:00.003-07:00

I have been thinking quite often how ironic and humorous it is that God has led me here to the desert, as I sooooooooooooo deeply enjoy cold and precipitation. But maybe I love it so much because I don't see it very much? And maybe I would not love it as much if I didn't live in Tucson? hmmmmmm....

At any rate, I stepped out the door this morning to go get coffee, and had to come back inside to tell my roommate that it felt like the southern coast of Maine outside. I was there this past summer, and the weather today immediately made me miss being there. Humid, but chilly, with the different tones of gray filling the clouds.

So here are some shots of that area entrenched in fog. The fog would roll in every afternoon around 2 or 3, and then get carried back out to sea a few hours later. It was a lovely experience to live in...

We camped in the woods, just off the coast, and this was very much the scene.

I actually stood on this beach when I was there. Near Portland Head Light.

lovely in sepia

Happy Cosmic Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

Not huge on V-Day, but I liked this post by Phil at Bad Astronomy

Happy cosmic Valentine’s Day!

ahhh bluegrass

2011-02-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

cool video by 2 of my favorite mandolin players

home sick for 2 days

2011-02-09T20:05:00.002-07:00

yes, looooooooooooooooooots of movies and the like.

in my surfing, i found this video by which was very intriguing to me. People in my geology classes always asked me how I could believe in God and also have my major. They could never understand how it was possible for me to blend science and God in my head. Watching this video reminds me that I got into what I do because of God - the natural world and the spiritual are so very inter-tangled...in my professional opinion.

Having always been drawn to science and God, i've long enjoyed Carl Sagan's musings. the video has his voice dubbed over some cool images. put the video on 720HD to make it look cooler.

8 Jules Verne Inventions That Came True (Pictures)

2011-02-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of Jules Verne's 183rd Birthday, Google has been celebrating. I stumbled upon this website that I thought was pretty dang cool. I loved his book as a kid, so I thought, how appropriate now being an oceanography teacher.

8 Jules Verne Inventions That Came True (Pictures)

i love the cold

2011-02-04T10:17:00.005-07:00

[this picture is actually from Tucson! I also saw ice on the road this morning with estranged prickly pears drooping from their insides freezing]

how wonderful have the past 2 days been???

I watched "New in Town" yesterday, in honor of the cold, drank a glass of wine and attempted to make my grandmother's homemade pudding. Yes, attempted, because it definitely didn't turn out...bummer.

Also, because of the cold, we had a 2-hour delay this morning! Well, at least that's what we called them in Indiana. So instead of starting school at 7:10 this morning, we started at 9:30!!! Yes, it was a little piece of heaven on earth. Waking up at 7:38 instead of 5:45 was miraculous - it's crazy how much more on top of life you feel when you sleep :) Then I made french press coffee with my Xmas present from Cori (thanks dude!) and biscuits with irish butter and honey, while reading about Esther for the drumming circle tonight. Thanks God for such a lovely morning :)

i have loved wearing sweaters and jackets, bundling up on the couch with a blanket, and wrapping up in scarves - it's so ironic that i love living in tucson, but i LOVE the cold...

What have you done in this crazy cold snap around the country??? Do you like it? hate it?

(PS - if you have the album "For Emma, Forever" by Bon Iver, listen to it. He wrote the album from a cabin in Wisconsin during the winter when he was sick, so it seems very fitting to listen to it in such cold weather.)

In Heaven, There Is No Decaf

2011-01-20T08:19:00.003-07:00

When there’s something you need, that’s all you can see.

Some people speak of the doppelgänger, the alternate you that walks a different path, through the shadows. Other people say that doppelgänger is just you, transposed through time and metaphor to a place before you ever had that first cup of coffee.

It makes sense, really. The deep dread, you just can’t shake your head and be someone else. This someone else is you and always has been. Or maybe you’re the someone else, and the coffee lets you take that stranger’s place. Who can tell who has the greener grass? All we can say for sure is that this cup is a gateway to a place that’s simultaneously dark and beautiful. A place that’s wild and impossible, even if you try and control it with cold milk.

Maybe you’re an addict of sorts. But, really, aren’t we all in our own special way?

Wear this shirt: under your snakeskin jacket.

Don’t wear this shirt: until your eyes take on that traditional brown-on-brown and you begin to have the visions. It’s hard to rule a universe if people think you’re a crazy guy with just one shirt.

This shirt tells the world: “There’s a little diner I know on Mullholland, terrific place to get a cup of coffee. Just, you know, don’t look behind the dumpster. No, just don’t.”

(if you don't follow the website "shirt.woot.com" - this is today's. i love it! especially the "in heave, there is no decaf, but I also really like the description-half joking about coffee, but then half serious because many wonder if our true selves is the darker version of ourselves, or the best of who we are.)

i am a nerd

2011-01-13T19:53:00.001-07:00

but I'm still gonna share this cool math/science video with you.

Bump up the resolution to 720 and MAXIMIZE

midday nap

2011-01-10T13:10:00.002-07:00

And this is why I like having a cat. Watching Gilmore Girls is a great time for sleeping, and since I've had Nia since she was 3 weeks old, she kinda likes me :)

End of JJ Week

2011-01-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

This last song is more of a ballad, so I'm going to end Joshua James week with this song. It's one of his most popular songs, so I'm going to put a few versions on here for y'all.

If you listen to the words, he's pouring out his grief about what America has become and how broken people are. This song reminds me of the laments of the prophets to destroy Israel for it's own good, and I really appreciate his honesty in that.

From the album: You can hear the words a lot more in this version.

JJ Week: Salt Water

2011-01-06T20:51:00.001-07:00

"Salt Water" - Rockin the banjo!

JJ Week: Black July

2011-01-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

This is arguably my favorite song by him.

I listened to this album, and especially this song, as I drove around the country through thunderstorms this past summer...quite the perfect soundtrack. He also does some spontaneous poetry towards the end of the song (he writes a lot of poetry that he sometimes puts on his blog), which is really cool. He's such an amazing writer...

Live Version:

Album Version:

JJ Week: Custom Concern

2011-01-04T17:12:00.001-07:00

Joshua James covered one of my favorite Modest Mouse songs, so since I love them both, here they are.

JJ Week continued

2011-01-03T08:25:00.001-07:00

I couldn't resist, so you get 3 songs today :)

"Commodore" - So interesting...who writes a song about this? Some popping with the sound, but just listen past that...

"Soul & The Sea" - this video highlights a few of the main reasons I so love his music: he's an amazing songwriter and all his songs aren't about love, his vocals are weird and freaking rad, and he plays with so much passion - the key to a great musician

"Mother Mary" - the intensity! and freaking awesome, Pink Floyd-ish solo at the end

i heart coffee

2011-01-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

look for the funny intro...

JJ Week: In the Middle

2011-01-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

He explains the story behind the song in the first video.

joshua james week

2010-12-31T09:42:00.003-07:00

Since I'm getting ready to start school again this week, I thought I'd ring in the new year and new semester by showcasing one of my favorite artists. I posted about him yesterday and have before, but I'm just going to post several of my favorite songs by him. He's not very well known, but I believe he definitely deserves the attention.

"The Garden". Favorite part of this song - haunting lyrics, bass notes on guitar, awesome harmonica solo

winter storm

2010-12-31T09:28:00.004-07:00

Things have been quite unusual here in Tucson, wouldn't you agree?
Here's a shot of the SNOW on the mountains from yesterday - so beautiful!!!

I keep being reminded of song by Joshua James called "Winter Storm". Here's the album version on YouTube, but they have a chunk of the song live with an awesome dobro echoing the background.

Ireland on Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T08:37:00.003-07:00

On the website called Irish Fireside, about Ireland and Irish travel, they posted some lovely pictures of a woman's trip to Ireland.

Enjoy here :)

If only we were staying in one of those lovely little cabins this Christmas Eve...

home again

2010-12-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

This is the view outside. Snowing lightly and cold - absolutely lovely...

this is how the past week has felt

2010-12-13T21:49:00.002-07:00

like it was painted around the inside of my head, on my eyelids and such.

It has been such an utterly exhausting week...you know how there's that little bit of anxiety to push you through finals week? Well, for some reason, I don't have that and I'm not sure if I'm going to make it...

Pray for energy, to let go of doing too much, and space...

thanks y'all...

video expressions of thanks to God

2010-12-08T22:30:00.003-07:00

I am so grateful for how God has showed up this week, spreading his mercy over me and my students. I really wanted to post Derek Webb's "We Come to You", but it's not on YouTube :(

But these were the other songs that I was thinking about today:

changing gears

2010-12-03T19:53:00.003-07:00

this song is only slightly different from my last post (sarcasm).

but his lyrics are very interesting and his music intrigues me, which is intriguing in and of itself because I don't really like hip-hop...