joys of a random Tuesday

As a guest, I've been sent out from visits with all kinds of goodies and leftovers~however, I have never had a host whip out a disposable coffee cup before. A festive one, no less!

Since teaching at ILA, my date consumption has sky rocketed. Glad to know they have benefits besides all the sugars they provide.

community

You haven't lived until you've played Pictionary with adult ESL students. I'm never sure what students will get into, but boy. This group went crazy for this game. There was a lot of yelling and laughter today.

I find that I am admiring the sense of community that the Arabic students embody. It's Monday? Let's gather and have cookies and coffee. Someone returned to school after being absent with the flu? Let's have red velvet cake and coffee. Always with the gathering. Always with the conversations. The edges of my class are becoming fluid~one doesn't just begin lecturing/assignments when the clock hits the hour.  One must spend a few moments in conversation and then! Vocab may commence.

And the snow hasn't hit, so music classes are still on for tonight. Whew.

bits of health

With the wrenching time change, at least there's the upside that it's light enough when I get off work to go for a walk.

Spent some quality time yesterday simply being still. Me & my frogs. 

Some yumminess from Trader's.

if winter comes...

Hard to believe it's been a year since I was lolling about in the tropical warmth of Costa Rica.  Hoping we don't get a snow storm this week and that spring may truly kick in. Ya know~it'd be a nice change to sneeze over pollen instead of forced air heating. :)

flâneuse

I don't know how you celebrate an interview gone well, but since the campus I was at this morning is next to the zoo~that is where I went.

SO glad that I did, otherwise I would not have known this helpful tip!

Since I only saw one elephant out of their herd, I couldn't identify which one she was. She was teeny, but her eyes looked old. 

No wild Giuseppe this time~am sure his cohort was pleased to be able to eat in peace. (Look at my blog from five years ago for the full back story.)

Love lemurs.

And this darling little meerkat made us all laugh as he raced around and posed.

I did not know there is a species of monkey that prefers to eat 'shrooms, but these Colobines are fungi eaters. 

The pandas were nowhere to be seen~maybe too cold? But the bamboo walk was serene. 

And since it was a sunny day, and my dream career is to be a flanuer, decided to walk all the way to Dupont Circle. Walked across the W. H. Taft bridge which is guarded by two lions at each end.

An interesting gazebo perched on the edge of a five-story building. 

Smoky paprika-rich lasagna for lunch.

Dupont Circle, minus the fountain flowing.

And a bakery treat for tomorrow's breakfast.

Happy Friday y'all. Don't forget that we lose an hour of slumber this weekend. 

Sniff.

just a quiet day

Decent sleep. Delicious miso for breakfast. Light traffic. Library visit. Exam proctored AND graded! Tank of gas in the car. Trader's stop. Long, sunny walk. Texts with friends. Lesson plans done. Just a normal day with many minute pleasures.

breaking bread~quite literally

It's been a day of deliciousness~from Arabic coffee and dates with my tutee (having fresh dates is a revelation), 

to these honeycomb rolls. These lovely little bites of dough can be filled with chocolate or cream cheese and dusted with cinnamon and/or sesame seeds. OR! Filled with feta and dusted with thyme and sesame seeds. We had quite a discussion on which was better. 

I had these legemmat in December~fried dough is always tasty.

This is Basbossah~a sort of baklava dish with condensed milk and walnuts~gooey goodness.

Thankfully, we were balanced out with salmon and potatoes ala Kazakhstan. 

Although we had several students absent, we had many others wandering in from other classrooms. Everyone decided it was an excellent class and we need to do another food day around the time of the final.

Bon appetit and mangia!

monkey bread!

As a few bits of sleet click against the window, it's nice to fill the house with the warmth of cinnamon and butter.

Tomorrow's homework is that each student must bring in a recipe/method of a favorite food. And, of course, the actual food to share!

bon appetit

SO jazzed that my textbook for this week actually has a unit on food!! No need to convince the administration that it ought to be part of the curriculum.

Today's lesson was about taste buds~so each student got a tasting station at their desk.

Sour. 

Bitter.

Mango for sweet, salted sunflower seeds for-you guessed it, salty and I threw in some bitter chocolate just for fun. 

Had time to cram in a brief walk prior to jetting off to Bethesda for music lessons. I really hope all these wee flowers don't get buried in snow in the next week.

things that make one go 'hmmm'

Noticed this sculpture of a hog feeding~no plaque, no explanation~just pigs on the edge of the Volvo sales lot. Wonder if it used to be a farm before the town was formed?

While moving is exhausting/expensive, I am looking forward to living in a meat-free zone (yes, if I have to have a housemate again, I am seeking a vegetarian). There's just no way to prepare oneself to see claws and feet when one is just popping open the fridge to find cream for one's coffee.

I will be grateful that these chicken feet arrived after the power outage. 

And with these images~happy new week y'all!!

the grid

I've never wanted to be one of those who live off the grid, and after about twenty hours of no electricity, I want to BE the grid now. I want endless hot water, and refrigerated foods, and flowing wifi.

So very happy to have the heat back on and know that I can do laundry today. The little comforts of life!

safely inside

As I was supposed to be in DC for an interview today, am grateful that it was cancelled and that I can be tucked indoors. Watching snowflakes, roof tiles, and other bits of the city blast past the windows~grateful that the electricity is still on.

Think we can safely say that March is coming in like a manic lion.

turning o' the page

Had a brief walk this morning and saw some brilliantly green growth.

Hard to believe that it's March already.

Changes are afoot.

And I'm too tired to think of anything else to say to welcome March

except:

make a wish~lovely reader from Newark!