interstellarglue

Things People Do When They’re Not in School: Part 6 – Have a Quentin Tarantino Marathon0

Santa brought Kyle Inglourious Basterds, Reservoir Dogs, and Pulp Fiction for Christmas. We just watched Inglourious Basterds, which was just as good as I remembered.

Top 5 Lines by Aldo:

1.) “And once we’re in enemy territory, as a bushwackin’, guerrilla army, we’re gonna be doin’ one thing, and one thing only—Killin’ Nazis…  But I sure as hell didn’t come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half Sicily, and then jump out of a fuckin’ air-o-plane to teach the Nazis  lessons in humanity. Nazi ain’t got no humanity. They’re the foot soldiers of a Jew-hatin’, mass-murderin’ maniac, and they need to be destroyed.  That’s why any and every son-of-a-bitch we find wearin’ a Nazi uniform, they’re gonna die.”

2.) “Wicki there, an Austrian Jew, got the fuck outta Salzberg while the gettin’ was good. Became American, got drafted, and came back to give y’all what for.” 

3.) “We just wanna say, we’re a big fan of your work. When it comes to killin’ Nazis, I think you show great talent, and I pride myself on havin’ an eye for that kind of talent. But your status as a Nazi killer is still amateur. We all came here to see if you wanna go pro?”

4.) LT. ALDO: “Well, I speak the most Italian, so I’ll be your escort. Donowitz speaks  the second most, so he’ll be your Italian cameraman. And Hirschberg  third most, so he’ll be Donny’s assistant.”

HIRSCHBERG: “I don’t speak Italian.”

LT. ALDO: “Like I said, third best. Just keep your fuckin’ mouth shut. In fact, why don’t you start practicing right now.”

5.) “Buongiorno.”

Honorable Mentions:

• “Naw, I don’t think so, more like I’ll  be chewed out. I’ve been chewed out before.”
• COL. LANDA: “Oooh, that’s a bingo. Is that the way you say it, that’s a bingo?” LT. ALDO: “You just say, bingo.”
• “You know somethin’, Utivich? I think this just might be my masterpiece.”

We still have Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction to watch. I’d better get busy!

It’s a Tarantino Christmas!

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Things People Do When They’re Not in School: Part 5 – Go Snowboarding!0

Wowza. Today was lots of fun. 

First stop: Starbucks. I started out the day with some oatmeal and an eggnog latte (’tis the season!). 

When we got to Sierra, we got our rentals and paid for my snowboarding lesson.

This is Kyle and me trying to look hardcore. I wouldn’t mess with us!

We realized that we had a few hours to kill before my lesson started, so I decided to try to figure out how the hell to strap myself into my deathtrap (i.e. snowboard), and try to make my way around in the snow as best as I could. Kyle went snowboarding practically every weekend when he was in high school, and even though it has been several years since he has been, he picked it right up again! So he tried to teach me a few things, which only ended in me leaving Kyle (or him leaving me…). Kyle is a very smart person, and he knows the physics and aerodynamics (and whatnot) involved in snowboarding, and he thought that telling me these things would help me learn how to snowboard. As nice as that thought was, it was of absolutely no help (surprise, surprise, right?). I simply didn’t understand anything he said, and was left very frustrated (and bored. I hate science lectures!). After about ten minutes of this, he thought it would be a good idea to just get me on the lift, and he thought I would eventually figure it out. Yeah, that was not going to happen. There was no way in hell I was getting on that lift without first knowing at least the basics. This offended him, but I wasn’t going to budge. I told him to just go without me, as I saw a sparkle in his eye as he was watching people gracefully maneuver down the mountain. He didn’t hesitate for a moment, which was both cute and a little annoying. That was basically the end of my lesson with Kyle. 

My snowboarding lesson with the instructor was much more rewarding and a lot less frustrating. The instructor was really great – she knew exactly how to explain how to do things without getting too technical. It was so much freaking fun even though I was falling and flailing about. While I took several spills, only one was a doozy. I was going too fast so I dug my heel edge into the snow, and it stopped me immediately. I fell right on my ass/tailbone, and used my left hand to try to stop the fall (stupid! But trust me, your brain doesn’t work in moments like these). The fall was so hard that it jarred my head a little bit, and I was left with a bit of a headache. My hand actually didn’t hurt me until an hour later when the lesson was over and I sat down with Kyle. Gotta love that adrenaline and those endorphins! 

So, guess what? We didn’t even go on the lift during our first lesson. The instructor said that they teach you how to get on/off the lift during the second lesson. Ha! And Kyle wanted me to go on it first thing! Crazy bastard! We did, however, take a shuttle up to the top of the bunny hill, so we got to go down the bunny hill once. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it was! It was really challenging, but I was having a blast the whole time. Added bonus: it was gorgeous out!

I didn’t get a chance to take many pictures, so you’ll have to take my word for it.

We’re already planning our next trip! I definitely plan on taking more lessons. I can’t wait!

Posted under Vacation

Mountain Chick0

Kyle and I are leaving to go snowboarding in a few minutes! Wish me luck!!!

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Things People Do When They’re Not in School: Part 4 – Make Wholesome Dinner0

I made a delicious pea soup for dinner yesterday night. (Sorry for the bad pic taken on my phone!)

I found the recipe in a cookbook (so I won’t publish it on the blog), but I’m sure it was the same as any old recipe you could find anywhere. What made it special was the garnish, which contained sour cream, parmesan cheese, and white pepper. I also made some croutons to go on top. It was delicious. Now that I have some extra time on my hands, I plan on trying out some new recipes.

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Things People Do When They’re Not in School: Part 3 – Go for a Run in the Middle of the Day!0

I just got back from a glorious run! When I have school/work, the only time I can run is early in the morning or late at night – and since it has been so cold lately, I haven’t been able to run outside for about a month. Instead, I’ve been running on the treadmill at the gym, which I absolutely despise. For some reason I think it’s harder to run on the treadmill, despite everyone saying that it’s easier. I struggle a lot more on the treadmill. I think it’s mostly because I love running outside. I love feeling the nice cool breeze on my face. Also, I find it a lot harder to clear my mind on the treadmill. So yes, I was very excited today to be able to run outside in the afternoon when it’s not so cold out. And guess what? I shaved three minutes off of my best four mile time! So apparently the treadmill has helped me to improve my speed and stamina – so I can’t talk too much shit about it.

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Things People Do When They’re Not in School: Part 2 – Party with Beautiful Women0

Going to Asia SF was the main event of our trip to San Francisco. The night was nothing short of fabulous. We had good food, drinks, company, and of course, drag queens!

(Pardon Kyle’s closed eyes and my devil eyes.)

(Pardon Kyle’s weird face and my devil eyes… again.)

 

There is a very unflattering picture of me with our fabulous waitress, but posting it will only draw attention to how much more fabulous a man in a dress looks than me…

After the show the four of us got into various shenanigans, and the night culminated in ordering pizza and me falling asleep on the bed when everyone else was still up. Worse party animal ever! Thanks for the great night Jenn and Shaun! And thanks for bringing a camera, as this night would have gone undocumented if it weren’t for you! (Kyle and I are lame and brought our camera charger, but no camera.)

Posted under Vacation

Things People Do When They’re Not in School: Part 1 – Relax in the Clouds0

Now that I’m out of school, I’m making every effort to enjoy my new-found freedom. 

Over the weekend, Kyle and I met up with Jenn and Shaun in San Francisco. It was a glorious weekend. One of my favorite things I did was relax on our balcony on the 27th floor of our hotel. Sure, we may not have been quite up there with the clouds, but we were at least in the fog!

My feet on the edge of our balcony:

Here’s the view from our balcony:

I could definitely get used to this.

Posted under Vacation

You May Now Call Me Master Tara (Just Kidding)0

Well, it’s official. And this mug proves it!

 

Haha. I have never been one for school spirit – I’ve never attended any sort of sporting event or anything like that, so I don’t have any CSUS paraphernalia. While I am not particularly proud of my Alma Mater, I am happy with my experience in the English graduate program, so I thought I should commemorate my experience with a trinket. And I couldn’t think of anything more symbolic of my experience in college than a coffee mug. I wonder how many cups of coffee I have consumed as a student? I have developed quite the habit! It’s not even the caffeine I crave – it’s more that reassuring feeling of having a warm beverage in my hand. Nothing calms the nerves more than a warm cup of coffee. Eek, I really do sound like an addict. I’m not addicted to heroin – I just like the feeling of a needle in my arm!

I can’t believe all of the crazy shit I’ve learned about in school, especially grad school. Yet, I still feel like I have so much more to learn. But I’m confident that I’ll continue learning, just in new settings and in new positions. Turning in my thesis was a lot harder on me than I expected. It was as though I was turning in a big part of myself, and I was left feeling a bit empty. But I’m already filling up that empty space with other stuff.

Here’s what I have to look forward to:

• Interning in a first-year composition class
• Taking conversational Italian with Kyle at the Davis Adult School
• Going to Italy in May (!)
• Possibly becoming a substitute teacher

I know that I can prevent getting anxious about graduating by keeping busy. So, the plan is to keep busy, yet still enjoy my new freedom. I can’t even imagine what weekends are going to be like without having hours upon hours of homework. I would imagine they would be pretty freaking awesome.

My graduation ceremony is on Friday, and then the next day we’re going to San Francisco for a couple of nights! We’re going to AsiaSF (I apparently inherited my Grandma’s fondness of drag queens…), and maybe the Great Dickens Christmas Fair. We’ve also talking about going to Tahoe for Christmas. So yes, lots to look forward to.

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Tofurky Day Recap0

Kyle and I had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving at home this year. We were both recovering from the flu, so we really just wanted to stay home. Plus, my thesis is due next week, so I really wanted to stay home and focus over the long weekend.

Staying home didn’t prevent us from eating some delicious food:

This was actually my first year cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I made yams, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts and and a Tofurky (I didn’t actually make the Tofurky, I sort of just threw it in the oven… Although, Kyle did baste it, which was a nice addition). The Torfurky came stuffed with a wild rice stuffing, which I thought looked a bit dubious, but it was actually delicious! Everything turned out really great. We also had some unpictured homemade pumpkin pie. We ate way too much and were full for several hours – even after we took a long walk. Good thing Thanksgiving only comes once a year!

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Halloween Recap0

I want to go to bed and watch the History of England (I’m at the American Revolution!!!), but I thought I ought to post pics from Halloween before it’s too late. 

We had a lovely time with the Peeps (Ashley and Devin).

We ate lots of good food, drank sangria (and a wee bit of scotch), and carved pumpkins.

Ash made the cutest zebra:

Devin carrying a bowl full of pumpkin goo. He made the most delicious roasted pumpkin seeds!

From left to right: Ashley’s pretty flower and star, Kyle’s mini emoticon, Devin’s scary face, my Jack Skellington wannabe.

Mine didn’t light up too well, but that’s okay – it was lots of fun!

Posted under Holidays