Comments | byelka58: It turns out I'm unstoppable at Bookworm Adventures.

byelka58

It turns out I'm unstoppable at Bookworm Adventures.

Jan 30, 2007 20:32

The last twenty percent or so of this most recent absence is, I'm relieved to report, not my fault. It's Stefka's. She sent me an email that included the following: Nothing much to report otherwise. I guess I'm the only person in the department who hasn't passed at least one of the required field exams at this point. The beauty of my relationship ( Read more... )

job, multilingual whippersnappers, calls i took, esol, brilliant

Comments 15

WELCOME BACK RAY-RAY! gabbiana January 31 2007, 04:01:03 UTC

For a comment, my brain came up with:

"Ray-Ray? Alive?"
"Ray-Ray *is* alive."

entirely without my consent. And then I realized, what with your ESL-ing and all, that that modified Simpsons quote is, if not funny, at least contextually appropriate. Much like the use of "male" and "female" as answer choices after a question about gender ( ... )

Re: WELCOME BACK RAY-RAY! byelka58 February 2 2007, 02:16:14 UTC

THANKS!

The caller never actually pronounced "gender"; she only spelled it. The sad part is that I've told the story in my head often enough that I can no longer remember whether she did or didn't then ask me what "ethnicity" means. I want her to have done so, just to reflect on my personal historiographical despair at trying to answer, but most likely I merely imagined what I would have said if she had.

IN ESL WE DO NOT BOTHER WITH SUCH TENSES AND/OR MOODS.

In tracking down missing (renegade?) daycare centers for my company, I've had cause to use the reverse address lookup at whitepages.com many times in the last few days. While we're on the subject of "The Simpsons."

DUDE HAS A POINT. WE CAN'T ALL BE RAP STARS.

I realized not long ago that I have a perfect rejoinder to the frequent (from my mom; occasional from other people) statement that [I] should write a book. It turns out there are already two near-perfect books about quasi-failed historians living in the South. One is All the King's Men, and the other is A ( ... )

Re: WELCOME BACK RAY-RAY! gabbiana February 2 2007, 02:31:12 UTC

Faulkner is so your homeboy. Sheeze. Just admit it and move on.

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byelka58 February 2 2007, 02:01:01 UTC

Why the 1400s? Islam is... expansionist? (I can't think of anything much that happened in that century that doesn't involve Spain gaining territory somewhere. Though there probably was other stuff, I admit.) Students are always saying weird things about religion. Just close your eyes and think of England.

I got the thing and I didn't send a thank-you note because I am becoming a bad person. I will redeem myself, I hope, in time.

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byelka58 February 3 2007, 16:00:44 UTC

I thought the stereotype is that men eat burgers and men who like men eat quiche. I dunno. I don't eat it, personally.

Somewhat in Boston's favor, those really didn't look much like ATHF characters, even to me, and I had already heard what they were supposed to be. In Boston's unfavor is, as you say, its incredible stupidity. Oooh, but I have a Lite Brite in my closet right now: let's shut down Hartsfield!

stalkyoulater January 31 2007, 15:46:28 UTC

Thank goodness you are alive. Leah moved in down the street from me. We have hung out once. We talked about you. Maybe we should get together and watch all of the Lord of the Rings or Spaceballs, or the 4-6 of Star Wars. Let me know. I have a job (gasp!) and would love to spend some of my weekend watching movies with you and complaining about it. So lets set something up. Do you need to go to the yarn store?

byelka58 February 2 2007, 01:56:06 UTC

You must have a crazy super-extended edition of Spaceballs if you can suggest it between two trilogies.

I am not in general averse to watching movies with you (have to see the new house, too), but this weekend is out. Next might work, though, so I'll take responsibility for calling.

And I always need to go to the yarn store... except that I haven't done anything with the previous purchase yet. Why did we get jobs?

stalkyoulater February 2 2007, 07:28:28 UTC

I don't know why we got jobs. It seems like such a bad idea. No good can come from it.

byelka58 February 3 2007, 16:01:18 UTC

Shit, and Friday I got "promoted." Talk about your alarming trends.

la_zumo February 2 2007, 02:48:05 UTC

Alive, she is!

Sorry to hear about the tragic unfortunate caller. I would insert an equally harrowing tale from my days at the SRC, but so much of that life is now purposefully forgotten. Suffice it to say, I'm happy you survived and fled.

Will you come here and teach me to sew? I want to make a skirt.

By the by, thank you for the Christmas card and the bookmark. Did you weave it? Please tell me you did because that's what I've been telling people (it makes us all feel special).

A present: LOTR!

byelka58 February 3 2007, 16:05:29 UTC

Yep, I wove it. I didn't design all the patterns I used, but I certainly made them. You may continue to feel special.

As for sewing... oh, sure, I could teach you everything I know about sewing. In about 3 hours. And then you'd be on your own, basically adrift. The good news is that skirts are usually pretty easy. I believe in you.

Visiting you does sound like a good idea, though, and not just because it's about 58 degrees inside my house, and my mom has a respiratory infection, and a roof problem has caused mold to grow inside the closet right next to my bed. We should work something out.

la_zumo February 4 2007, 04:34:43 UTC

If any Latin Americanists ask, I'll tell them you found the pattern for the bookmark while researching Mayan textiles. There's something Mesoamerican about the pattern.

3 hours, damn. Does that include learning how to thread the machine? Because I broke a sewing needle when my mom tried to teach me. There were no more lessons after that.

Yay! Visit from Rachel! My spring break starts March 9. That would be a great time because (a) there'll be fewer undergrads running about, (b) we could possibly weasel our way into some SXSW film screenings, (c) it's not hot as hell, and (d) I'm not going anywhere. But bring your allergy medicine. Turns out cedar and I aren't friends, and I'm willing to bet anyone else from GA will have the same issue. You can also meet madamanda, and laugh at us as we celebrate Whiskey Spring Break 2007.

I can do uncomfortable. nebula_335 February 9 2007, 14:46:00 UTC

Your story about the inappropriately-confessional caller reminds me of a lunch meeting I had with a vendor in the early fall. We were talking (as people normally do at lunch), when he pulled out a picture of his sons. Someone (probably me) made the mistake of asking how old they were. The result was that the younger one was four or five and had done "the funniest thing" the other day ( ... )

byelka58 February 13 2007, 13:07:46 UTC

Boy, do I know what you mean about the meal-time standards. I don't know how people got the idea that I don't mind hearing about their sex lives in public, but: WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT LATER, OKAY? WHEN WE ARE MORE THAN FOUR FEET FROM PAYING STRANGERS.

I've never had that experience with a salesperson, though, and for that I am grateful. Did you end up buying his whatever-lyst?

nebula_335 February 14 2007, 02:58:40 UTC

Yeah, he doesn't really have any competitors. It was pretty much a done deal, although I still think it was also bad manners.