um-hm

Three A.M.
by Louis Jenkins

The god of three a.m. is the god of the dripping faucet,
sirens, and barking dogs. He's been given titular charge of
circumstances that cannot be controlled. "It's out of my
hands," he says, repeatedly. He is a minor functionary, a
troll that lives under a bridge. On the far side are the
pastures of night where bright stars graze in the dark
matter of the cosmos. He is fond of philosophic thought.
"Of course, our understanding is limited. All we can do is
adhere to those laws and principles that have been proven,
time and again, to work." It seems there is some discrepancy
in my papers. "A minor delay," he assures me. Now it's
almost four.

bounty

Fresh peaches via my parents' trip to a farmstand in October? Why not?

Still harvesting peppers in October? Why not?

While I appreciate all the fresh foods, I truly am ready to turn off the a/c for the year.

blessings

Thrilled to be back in the classroom again~even if only one day per week. This semester's students come from: Mexico, Honduras, Peru, Bolivia, Salvador, and Colombia. And, as my Spanish vocabulary is larger than my Arabic one~it's easier to double explain grammar concepts as well as chit-chat.

another day, another celebration

Yesterday was a national holiday in Saudi Arabia, so our students brought the party to school today.

I am coveting this gorgeous wrap/drape/shawl. 

Food is always joyful and it's especially wonderful to see the pride in students' faces as they share their dishes~maybe their grammar isn't fabulous, but they shine in the kitchen.

I didn't capture them on video, but our Korean and Mongolian students jumped right into the dancing bit of the lunch.

A few of the happy students/staff.

Some exquisite bars~recipe is promised to me. From what I could taste (and decipher from a conversation) it's semolina and creme and eggs. And it's all drizzed with honey and sprinklings of pistachios and roses. 

Equinox

A colleague was up all night with a barfing dog, so she channeled her sleeplessness into Bundt deliciousness. The students were thrilled.

I was going to celebrate the change of seasons by making caramel, but it's too hot. So, my happy this evening is that my title has been found AND delivered after a solid year of hunting it down.  Now to gather all the other documents I need to procure actual VA license plates.

juxtaposition

When you see pumpkins while blasting the a/c and wearing flip flops.

Happy end of summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

perfection, next to

No, I didn't go on the field trip to the DC Wharf District, but I still enjoyed a gorgeous day of just the pleasantest weather. From the reports, students had a fun time with the large Scrabble game and just wandering around a new 'hood.

round and round

Little things that brought me joy today~a fresh bowl of salt. 

Being watched over by la boca della verite. 

Cool breezes coming through my window this morning. 

And a delish fall casserole for dinner.

heart rate, up

no exercise needed. This lil green guy was hanging about my locks this morning. When you're half asleep, seeing something crawl towards your keys is alarming.

Got to work and thought someone had adjusted my chair height/arms. Indeed, they did~to a completely new chair. It spins just as nicely as the one from last week.

Waiting for the 3rd surprise of the day...and no, I won't count the roadblock on my way home.

um-hm

Bryant Park~sight of outdoor movies we attended during grad school.

I ditched the conference's boxed lunch in search of pizza.

And with this delicious slice, I reached the trifecta of New York foods: bagels, cheesecake, and pizza. While it was too short a visit, it was marvelous to get out of town, ideate with colleagues (look at me speaking bureaucratese), and ramble around a city.

dawn at Fifth & Park

After a 'delightful' bus ride in which we encountered Friday traffic in four cities, we arrived the gorgeous Tuscany hotel in Midtown. (these photos loaded strangely on my tablet, so they are not in order.)

A quintessential NY street scene.

The Liberty Bell...

Best bagels in Manhattan are found here~and, at 0 dark 30? There was no line and, a bit disappointingly, no cranky counterman. I felt oddly bereft at not getting yelled "whadda ya want?".

Cheesecake for breakfast? Yes, please.

There is just something about a fresh NY bagel~they are chewy and fluffy. I refrained from trying to cram some in my backpack and simply enjoyed the one.

This was an action shot of my old exit for Princeton.

Rolling into the city~didn't have time to go visit the new World Trade Center.

While I was appalled that we ate at some dreadful chain restaurant on Times Square, it was nice to kick off the trip with a traditional cannoli.

Was delighted that we had solo rooms~nothing mars a conference like a slobby or snoring roommate.

I caved

While I'm not a fan of the PSL (pumpkin spice latte) craze, I finally caved and got a few autumnal touches.

A bit ironic as the temps soared into the 100s today. 

But I'm dreaming of crisp leaves and cool breezes.

sit/spin

Am guessing you've seen the meme about how some days the best part of a job is the chair that spins. Today, I got a new chair. I'm excited because we get our furniture at a used office place and my last chair didn't go up very high, so I sat with crumpled legs all day. (well, as long as I can sit still which is about 20 minutes tops.)

The crickets and cicadas continue to sing us through humid summer evenings.

there were no anchors,

nor sails, for that matter. But we aweighed away and sailed off for la mamen's early birthday celebration on a Potomac cruise.

But first, we dined on Italian fare in Old Town Alexandria.

Warm olives with citrus and herbs.

Guess who didn't want to pose for photos? 

My 'shroom slab of goodness. 

All settled in for the adventure on the high seas.

(Ginger! Are you enjoying all the people photos??!)

The Liberty Bell~just for my sister.  

In all my visits with Mr. Lincoln, I never knew there was a waterside entrance to his memorial.

The new wing of the Kennedy Center~just opened this weekend. 

A perfect evening.

 Iconic.

Kept trying to capture a plane coming/going at Nationl, but never did.  A fun outing, but now i need a boat. Or better yet, a friend with a boat.