Did I leave a trace? (or a c-command?)

I googled my (maiden) name today and it came up with this:

http://linguistics.byu.edu/classes/ling430/SC8Fa06report.html

So glad to be helping out the current and future generations of Linguistics 430 students. That was one of the most difficult (or, THE most difficult) class I took in college. Even after getting a decent grade in the class, it still doesn't make a ton of sense to me.

Looking back on those assignments does still get me excited that I'll be starting school again next semester. Free G-town tuition? Yes, please!

Knock Three Times on the Window if you Love Me

I stayed home sick yesterday. My head was pounding. And, as luck would have it, the ceiling was also pounding. Our upstairs neighbors picked a lovely day to re-do their hardwood floors...

Things like that make me even more excited to be moving into our house next month.

Ace & Base

I am thinking back on my yogurt breakfast that I curdled in my stomach by washing it down with a glass of orange juice.

I am thinking that it was maybe not such a great idea.

Old Friends

I got out my violin for the first time since we got married (I know, shameful).

I had to re-string it almost completely, and after an hour of tuning, finally played the first note and popped the bridge out from under the strings. That's never happened to me before, and it was scary and I screamed. Blake came in to make sure I was ok. I was. Just a little red from the embarrassment and from the ashamedness of not having played her for such a long time.

Our reunion was both joyful and painful...my fingers are out of shape and I just don't sound like I used to. High hopes that I'll get back in the swing of things soon though (especially now that she's re-strung and ready to go).

********** ************** **************** **************** **************

Also, Alpha Mae came to visit for a day. Yes, only a day. I was sad. But, I was also happy because she provided us with a wonderful opportunity to go to kebabs and gelato. Boccato gelato. (Geeze, I'm just rhyming all over the place).

We learned some new things from Alpha: like meeting Danielle, who is cool, and who now lives in DC. Also, that pineapple basil gelato is yummy (but we still like the chocolate-y flavors best), and that we were late getting on the boat of enjoyment for Arrested Development (she'd already seen every episode, but was happy to watch the last 3 with us as we lounged in our post-food-and-gelato coma).

It's hard to believe that it had been over 2.5 years since Allie had last been here to hang out with me. She came down from NYC the first week I moved here and helped me set up my IKEA furniture and get accustomed to the city. I miss her. It's too bad that there aren't really any photography opportunities here...darn it. Is it selfish that I wish all of my close Provo friends would just move out here already...

Le Singe est sur la Branche

No, really. You try saying that 10 times fast.

I was just thinking about one of my favorite books that I've read recently: David Sedaris' "When You Are Engulfed in Flames," and remembering the particularly delicious French tongue twisters he talks about. Makes me wonder if my French is holding up.

I think it's doing alright because I still occasionally dream in French.

Then again, I also occasionally dream in Arabic...which makes my speech in the dreams very slow and belabored and a little something like this:

(somewhere long ago, at a hospital far far away in the middle east)

"Ahlahn, yah ...(thinking, thinking, not getting anything restful out of my sleep)...doctor(?)... ana, ana andee al (hmmm?) very hurt stomach! M'aidez maintenant!"
.....

"Shukraan yah ustazz...shukraan"

No wonder I sometimes wake up more tired than I went to sleep.

This just in:

We won the bid.

As of November 6, we will officially be home owners.

Yay!

Come on Arlene!

We made an offer on a house today. It's in Silver Spring and...it's bright red (the color's growing on me and it would grow on you too, believe me).

I'm attached to the house and really hope we get it. It went on the market on Thursday and there are already several offers. We put in a very strong offer and our real estate agent (Arlene) thinks we're definitely in the ball game. All you out there in cyber-space cross your fingers for us. We won't find out until Tuesday if we get it, so we'll leave you (along with the two of us) in suspense.

We've been singing a lot of the Dexy's Midnight Runners this weekend. So, all together now: "Come on Arlene, Oh I swear (well she means), at the moment, you mean everything to me..."

Where Prices are Low and Morale Even Lower

Behold, capitalism and the American dream at their best:

Stranger allegedly slaps crying child in store
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/02/georgia.tot.slapped/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

What, at Wal-Mart? No, it couldn't be...(sarcastic grin)


It's stories like that that make me wish I would have come up with this first:

Viral Web site mocks Wal-Mart customers
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/03/walmart.people/index.html