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I'm sorry to report that this is not your high-on-chai report from the airport. There will be no high-on-chai report this semester due to the continued lack of chai at the school coffee shop. I apologize for this temporary lapse in service. Here, have an Airport Anecdote instead:
I made it to the airport with only my carry-on-- everybody is charging for any checked baggage these days. Bunch of tightwad cheapskates. It was really nice not to have to wrangle a suitcase, though. My flight was really late, it turned out, and I’d miss my connecting flight through Phoenix. I put on my best wide-eyed, hopeful smile and the nice ticket counter people fell all over themselves getting me on a connecting flight through Philadelphia instead. Once I made it through Security, boarding started before you could say “Emotional manipulation of customer service is amazingly effective!” Made it home without major incident, even though there was a huge traffic jam on the Philly runway and we sat there for an hour after the arriving flight was half an hour late. Stay gold, traffic control! There was also some amazing turbulence over the Midwest, but I convinced myself we weren't going to die and kind of enjoyed it.
I completely forgot to write about this when it happened, but I went with some dear friends to see the MIT Gilbert & Sullivan Players perform Iolanthe the other week. The performance was great fun-- gorgeous costumes, as always, and a fine job by all the singers. This being MIT, they actually had a fake snow machine for the ice-and-snow magic bits. This was really cool, but it was a tiny bit distracting when the snow blew out into the audience. XD
After my final paper was all safe and turned in, I was going to go to the Arnold Arboretum for some foliage-viewing, but then it started raining. Now, running around in the rain inadequately dressed is frequently my idea of a good time. But then the wind kicked in, and after my umbrella threatened to cave I took refuge in the Gardner Museum. I decided to be interested in anything that was carved of wood, this time, and went around peering interestedly at chair arms (mismatched between matching upholstered pairs) and rows of throne-things. This meant that, once again, as I was attempting to proceed into one of the north galleries...
GUARD (gesturing at painting): Have you seen the--
ME (hurriedly): Yes! I come here a lot! I have seen it! *sotto voce* And I think it’s hideous.
GUARD: Pardon?
ME: Nothing! Absolutely stunning! Why, look, over there is a fabulously carved table I must examine at once! Excuse me, please!
I don’t know why they always stop me there. At least it was a different floor this time.
Later that evening I met a friend at a local taqueria that we hadn't tried before. The burrito lady said something to me, probably "¿No carne? ¿Eres loca?" And without even thinking about it, I was off and gibbering in the tattered remains of my Spanish. She stared at me. So did most of the customers.
Oh, right, I thought. This is the East coast. It is not a given that people know anything useful like Spanish around here.
You probably realize that it does not take a vast and intricate vocabulary to order a burrito in Spanish, and that I grew up in California where it's impossible to avoid picking up a few things, even if you live in the middle of northern nowhere.
It was kind of awesome anyway.
...
A few days earlier, I was bored and decided to work out the violin part on NEWS's new song Labyrinth (from the Koi no ABO single). Damn, that’s high! If there’s a number for that position, I don’t want to know what it is. The good news: shifting ability up by about 300%. Go me!
I'm sure my neighbors will hate me less now that I have an exciting new practice mute, too.
...
That's it for flashbacks. Back at the ranch in the present, the pond is cloudy, but I glimpsed two of the large-ish orange JE fish the other day. Probably Toma, Massu, Not-Ralph (Ralph has died, woe), Toma, Toma or Toma. I hope the water clears up soon!
Up next: some book reviews, including some picturebooks, including selections from this year's Caldecott nominees, including a bonus rant on design!
I made it to the airport with only my carry-on-- everybody is charging for any checked baggage these days. Bunch of tightwad cheapskates. It was really nice not to have to wrangle a suitcase, though. My flight was really late, it turned out, and I’d miss my connecting flight through Phoenix. I put on my best wide-eyed, hopeful smile and the nice ticket counter people fell all over themselves getting me on a connecting flight through Philadelphia instead. Once I made it through Security, boarding started before you could say “Emotional manipulation of customer service is amazingly effective!” Made it home without major incident, even though there was a huge traffic jam on the Philly runway and we sat there for an hour after the arriving flight was half an hour late. Stay gold, traffic control! There was also some amazing turbulence over the Midwest, but I convinced myself we weren't going to die and kind of enjoyed it.
I completely forgot to write about this when it happened, but I went with some dear friends to see the MIT Gilbert & Sullivan Players perform Iolanthe the other week. The performance was great fun-- gorgeous costumes, as always, and a fine job by all the singers. This being MIT, they actually had a fake snow machine for the ice-and-snow magic bits. This was really cool, but it was a tiny bit distracting when the snow blew out into the audience. XD
After my final paper was all safe and turned in, I was going to go to the Arnold Arboretum for some foliage-viewing, but then it started raining. Now, running around in the rain inadequately dressed is frequently my idea of a good time. But then the wind kicked in, and after my umbrella threatened to cave I took refuge in the Gardner Museum. I decided to be interested in anything that was carved of wood, this time, and went around peering interestedly at chair arms (mismatched between matching upholstered pairs) and rows of throne-things. This meant that, once again, as I was attempting to proceed into one of the north galleries...
GUARD (gesturing at painting): Have you seen the--
ME (hurriedly): Yes! I come here a lot! I have seen it! *sotto voce* And I think it’s hideous.
GUARD: Pardon?
ME: Nothing! Absolutely stunning! Why, look, over there is a fabulously carved table I must examine at once! Excuse me, please!
I don’t know why they always stop me there. At least it was a different floor this time.
Later that evening I met a friend at a local taqueria that we hadn't tried before. The burrito lady said something to me, probably "¿No carne? ¿Eres loca?" And without even thinking about it, I was off and gibbering in the tattered remains of my Spanish. She stared at me. So did most of the customers.
Oh, right, I thought. This is the East coast. It is not a given that people know anything useful like Spanish around here.
You probably realize that it does not take a vast and intricate vocabulary to order a burrito in Spanish, and that I grew up in California where it's impossible to avoid picking up a few things, even if you live in the middle of northern nowhere.
It was kind of awesome anyway.
...
A few days earlier, I was bored and decided to work out the violin part on NEWS's new song Labyrinth (from the Koi no ABO single). Damn, that’s high! If there’s a number for that position, I don’t want to know what it is. The good news: shifting ability up by about 300%. Go me!
I'm sure my neighbors will hate me less now that I have an exciting new practice mute, too.
...
That's it for flashbacks. Back at the ranch in the present, the pond is cloudy, but I glimpsed two of the large-ish orange JE fish the other day. Probably Toma, Massu, Not-Ralph (Ralph has died, woe), Toma, Toma or Toma. I hope the water clears up soon!
Up next: some book reviews, including some picturebooks, including selections from this year's Caldecott nominees, including a bonus rant on design!