I Have Senioritis

Whenever I am about to graduate from school of some kind, the last year or so is super difficult. Not necessarily in terms of coursework but more along the lines of "I have no desire to do any work, and I cannot focus on anything that has to do with school." It can get bad; my last semester of undergrad I seriously considered showing up to the final presentation for my Latin American Plays of Protest class and saying, "No tengo un presentacion hoy. Estoy aburrido con mi vida." 


However, I didn't know that this was an affliction that was going to hit me in grad school too.


Senioritis can cause one to do things that they might never normally do. Even the most dedicated student is prone to it. Some side effects include:

• Realizing that spacing and margins on your papers are extremely important. (More important that the paper itself sometimes);  
• Deciding to write a blog post....or seven;
• Getting sucked into watching the entire second season of Bored to Death in 4 episode increments;
• Looking at all of your old photos for hours and wondering why the hell haven't I bought a photo printer yet;
• Realizing that your computer could get a cold and accidentally erase everything; and running out to buy an external hard drive because your old one is formatted for a PC and you're now using a mac;
• It suddenly becomes important to do freakishly detailed cleaning projects that you would normally hate to do- such as cleaning your keyboard....or the oven;
• Cooking like the Barefoot Contessa moves from a distant life goal into something that must happen immediately;
• Cursing yourself because your recipe box is already in alphabetical order (a project you completed the last time you procrastinated);
• Cleaning the bathroom until it is super clean...and we're talking on the level of "it's never this clean unless a boy is coming over."

Sometimes procrastination is more exhausting then just doing the work you're meant to be doing in the first place.

Fall Baking

Continuing on the theme of Fall and Becca's visit, I bring you the apful kuchen. A lovely German sweet made from the Dahm family secret recipe. It is sweet but not too sugary, and it really lets the taste of the apples shine through. 

(I sliced the apples)

(Placing them in a delicious fashion)

(almost ready for the oven)

(Baked and ready to eat: what you see is cinnamon, not burned apple)

(Happy Fall!)

Autumn and a Western Pennsylvanian

One fall Sunday afternoon, Becca was here from Western PA, and we visited Linvilla Orchards. It was October, the leaves were starting to change, and it was about 85 degrees....not exactly apple picking weather, but we dealt with it.

 Mums were everywhere, and we were able to squeeze past the hoards of sticky, crying children to find the perfect sized pumpkin (who was immediately named Chuck for no real reason at all).

(Becca holding Chuck)

We also wondered who was in charge of creating signs around that place....(and yes, many inappropriate jokes were made about the speed hump sign).

Finally, we grew tired and ready to go home and eat the apples we bought. But there was still time for us to actually take a photo together (something we don't do very often for some reason).

(We didn't want Chuck to feel left out)

Mi Madre Tiene Cinquenta Anos

My mom recently turned 50, and we had a wee party for her. Just a nice dinner out at The Towne House in Media, and a cake. We could've just gotten fancy desserts at the restaurant, but the cake part was the thing my mom was looking forward to the most (bakery cakes are her absolute favourite...not those awful ones from the grocery store but the ones from a proper bakery). 


I was happy to oblige; it's so nice to have a mom who is easy to please. :-) 

(Parents and the wee brother Jake)

This occasion also marked the first time my mother was photographed (and saw herself) with glasses. 

I think she got a kick out of it too!

Hank Eats Blanket

Remember how Hank hates that blanket I put over his cage? He yells at it, and he shrinks away from it when I pull it on or off the cage. Never before have I seen a bird with so much hate for an object that is meant to keep him warm and shield him from too much light.

Now it has come to this: he has started eating holes in the blanket.

I mean, I know he hates this thing, but I never thought it would go this far.

The thing is, do I wait until he eats more of it to give him a new one? Will he eat the new one too? Should I be worried about his vitamin intake or something?

Penguins in Jumpers

Those of us who knit know that there is a limit to what we can make for our families and friends before they come to dread receiving gifts from us. We also know that, unless they ask for it or really seem to need it, people won't really wear or use the things we surprise them with (exception: blankets and baby things).

My Grandmother was a knitter for something like 70 years, and she used to knit preemie hats for local hospitals. I have been doing this for a while now too, and they are quick and fun to do (though old ladies in the airport always give me that "are you an unwed mother?" look).

For those who have the time and the heart for it, here is another knitting project that is actually really cute and helpful. I came across this today: a request for knitters to make penguin jumpers for those birds who have been affected by the oil spill in New Zealand. The pattern is there too as well as a photo of a penguin in his new outfit.

Mice Are NOT Friends

One of the joys of working in a city would be the ever-present creatures you encounter on a daily basis. No, I'm not talking about creepy men on the subway; I'm talking about mice. I grew up on a farm-complete with field mice and the occasional snake-but I am still freaked out by city mice.They're just so dirty...hanging out in sewers and people's garbage. While a field mouse, who might scare the crap out of you when you open the barrel of horse food, just hangs out in a field with the corn.

I bring this up because my office has been invaded by mice. I've been here for almost five years (whoa), and we've only ever had the occasional mouse. Now there are so many more; apparently it has become a building-wide problem. Twice in the past month, I have arrive to find that the mouse left some evidence of his visit. Right on the desk. Except that time that he actually got into my desk drawer.

That is not the way to start a Tuesday.

And what is the office doing about it? Offering me a glue trap to stick near my desk. This glue trap comes with the office manager's tales of finding just feet on her trap because the mouse chewed them off to get away.

How about making the cleaning ladies, um, I don't know, clean? Vacuum? That might help a wee bit.

Add to this a report that one of the girls found a roach on the bathroom sink (and don't even get me started on the bathroom). NO amount of farm living will EVER make you comfortable around a cockroach...mainly because I've never seen those awful brown giant things hanging out in the barn.