Earth's Sweet Gas

standing in line...

2012-02-11T20:46:00.005-05:00

adam and i hung out only with each other today, which is nice because that's both our favorite things and it's been a while since we've had such an extended period of open time to just be at home.

we went to fairway today. the food store. it was interestingly pertinent to my thoughts as i'd just finished reading White Noise. this world we've so unwittingly constructed is impossible to circumvent. no matter how much tv i don't watch; no matter how many magazines i don't read; no matter how many stores i don't shop in; i can't seem to avoid the mundane predictability of american life.

but at least i finally made homemade oreos :) i have literally wanted to do this for years. (the source of my fears: will i lose all motivation???? that scares me more than anything, honestly).
for your viewing pleasure:

i leave you with these words from Delillo:

“The supermarket shelves have been rearranged. It happened one day without warning. There is agitation and panic in the aisles, dismay in the faces of older shoppers.[…]They scrutinize the small print on packages, wary of a second level of betrayal. The men scan for stamped dates, the women for ingredients. Many have trouble making out the words. Smeared print, ghost images. In the altered shelves, the ambient roar, in the plain and heartless fact of their decline, they try to work their way through confusion. But in the end it doesn’t matter what they see or think they see. The terminals are equipped with holographic scanners, which decode the binary secret of every item, infallibly. This is the language of waves and radiation, or how the dead speak to the living. And this is where we wait together, regardless of our age, our carts stocked with brightly colored goods. A slowly moving line, satisfying, giving us time to glance at the tabloids in the racks. Everything we need that is not food or love is here in the tabloid racks. The tales of the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. The miracle vitamins, the cures for cancer, the remedies for obesity...

The cults of the famous and the dead."

Poconos.

2012-01-16T17:44:00.000-05:00

weekend in sum:

(in words)
hot tub
all my favorite people (ok, i guess it would have been better if my bros came :) )
beer and candy in one amazing store
thumper
"not-winning-right-now-hat"
snow
sleep
not-skiing
flea market

(in photos)

and, again, the poconos were a success. adam even made his very first Robin Is Good sale!

I don't know what I did for myself.

2012-01-06T21:54:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid...

I played soccer.
I never felt like going to the games.
Everyone on the travel team made fun of me.

I played basketball.
My dad coached.
I was never very good.
Never very invested.

I played baseball.
It was weird.
Different from the others.
I was actually good at it.
But, I stopped.
I know there was a reason, but I can't remember.

I was in the A.V. club
The chess club.
I played the trombone, not the drums.

None of it was me.

It's weird sometimes the shit that will fuck you up as a kid.

i'm the same as i was when i was six years old...

2012-01-01T17:53:00.000-05:00

when i was a little kid:
1. i listened to music to hear the words
2. i brought soft pretzels home for my little sister
3. i put all my money in the poor box at church
4. i pretended to be a teacher
5. i wrote poems
6. my teacher asking for a strong boy to carry something... made me mad
7. i pretended i lived in the woods
8. the city was home
9. i took long walks with my dad to learn about the world and how it worked
10. i got sad a lot
11. i cried when kids were mean
12. i had to leave the classroom when my teachers taught about slavery cause it was too much
13. i sang in the car
14. i hated wearing dresses
15. i made things that took a long time to finish

so i've been thinking... i don't think i've changed very much at all.

Never Ending Math Equation by Modest Mouse on Grooveshark

i'm never gonna tell on you...

2011-12-11T19:29:00.000-05:00

growing up, sometimes my siblings would annoy me.

really though, they're my closest friends.

this song made me think of them cause, well, i wouldn't tell on them unless it was absolutely necessary. sort of like a sibling pact or something.

besides this is just one of those songs that insights nostalgia- and... i miss them.

Baby's Romance by Chris Garneau on Grooveshark

depressing christmas music.

2011-12-04T19:09:00.001-05:00

one year (our second year living in greenpoint) adam and i decided not to worry too much about celebrating christmas.

that was a strange year for us. needless to say winter was LOOOOONG. i mean with not celebrating christmas, there was nothing to break up the thick intensity of the frozen new york wind.

greenpoint is the brooklyn i find myself missing.

when i'm really honest with myself, i know it's not greenpoint that i miss, but the mystery. when adam and i lived there we were officially 'young'. we had no clue where we were headed. where we would live. what our life would look like.

of course, mystery still exists in our lives now. but i miss the brooklyn artist magic.

park slope ruined brooklyn for me. inwood revives manhattan on a daily basis.

finding a home will be my infinite struggle- a struggle i love.

for now, i will celebrate things like christmas. i will hang decorations. i will relish in the fact that my adorable super hangs more tacky dollar store decorations in the lobby of my apartment than i even realized existed.

this is a good year. this is a good home. i think i will just be forever unsatisfied- and maybe that's ok.

adam took the above picture in our lobby. i love it. it suits my obsession with depressing christmas music:

Put the Lights on the Tree by Sufjan Stevens on Grooveshark

inspiration.

2011-10-10T19:06:00.002-04:00

as a teacher i try to find focus... a 'theme' for each school year. interestingly enough as i approach my seventh year of teaching, i've realized that regardless of the theme i present to my students, my ultimate focus is based on my real life. what i'm really going through. (what a scary thought? teachers basing their lessons off of their lives... yikes.) anyhow, the 'true' focus of my class this year is: inspiration. why in the world to we feel like writing? why do we feel like reading? what is the meaning of all this stuff we learn in ELA class???

unfortunately for the ELA curriculum, i have outright TOLD my buddies (students) that writing compare/contrast, five paragraph, 'Now I'm going to tell you about' essays are GARBAGE. a waste of their creative minds... not to mention a waste of my time in terms of how long it takes to grade them. countless 'teachers' have paved the way. i don't think i'm the first to suggest that my students write about something meaningful, BUT unlike many of my predecessors, i actually have a degree in education and am not just trying to become famous by teaching for two years (oh and also exploiting my students through facebook albums and blog posts that actually only focus on myself, my accomplishments, how GREAT i am for teaching in the... cue scary music... inner city) before i procure a law degree...

ANYHOW, enough of my ranting (stating the truth?) my REAL focus for this year happens to be 'inspiration' and so i present to you a photo adam took a while ago. it inspired one of my buddies to write an incredible poem (i will soon post it), maybe it will inspire others?

there are times that i miss my old self; brooklyn. i'm intrigued by the space it takes up in my brain. pictures like the following portray (as acurately as possible) my love for that time in my life. everything was magical. 'above all the roofs of the houses' if you will.

the clouds helped me write today

2011-09-29T12:27:00.001-04:00

because some things seemed easier
out
of
view

walls had been constructed
building rooms for thoughts

containing our cogitation

stifling.
we had decided to keep some things
locked away

yet our facade has inevitably crumbled
the past has escaped
and, again we are given the chance
to experience
that electric time.

sand spring is gone.

2011-09-03T19:44:00.000-04:00

adam and i have many moments of spontaneity. one of those moments occurred thursday.

adam called me and told me to pack up everything for camping. he'd be home by 10 that night and we were leaving the city.

i packed; when one of us decides we're leaving, there really is no turning back. we have to go.

we drove to pennsylvania, state college to be exact- i had been wanting to go back for a while now. the ride was perfect, we even revisited Moondance (the album in it's entirety).

...........................

every time i enter the woods of pennsylvania i'm struck, surprised really, by the beauty of it. the pennsylvania trees aren't gigantic, nothing compared to the redwoods out west. there are no awe-inspiring mountains like those in peru where we hiked last summer. the trail is pretty flat and in no way life-changing (threatening) like angel's landing in zion. yet, somehow they remain the woods that i want to be in the most. to me they are more beautiful than any place i've been in my life. i'm sure nostalgia plays a huge role, but i can't help but love the subtle prettiness; they aren't trying too hard for anyone's attention.

into this humble beauty, adam and i made our way. out of the walls of NYC.

we always camp in a place called sandspring. we parked our car where we have millions of times, but something didn't feel right.

we were faced immediately with a conundrum: there were two trails where we had always remembered one. and, more importantly, there was no fence to follow. nothing that we recognized.

after two unsuccessful hikes, a group of kids from the area came. they told us that in fact, we were going the right way... maybe we hadn't hiked far enough?

we moved out a third time and things seemed more familiar. we found where the trail diverged, sand lined the path- we knew we must be going the right way. i was so excited, but something felt wrong.

adam slowed to a stop, put his pack down and moved off the path towards overgrowth and fallen trees.

"cole, this is it."

"what?"

"this is it, this is sandspring... i mean it used to be. it's gone."

"really?"

"yeah, come'ere"

i climbed over branches, fallen trees, weeds and finally my feet reached the sunken remains of an old creek: where the sand spring once was.

"what should we do?"

"stay over by the campsite at the bottom of the trail."

"but it isn't the same."

"maybe it's not supposed to be the same."

we stayed. it was a perfect night of camping. the sand spring is gone, but at least we had it while it existed.

in a way, it always will.

if you don't know what to make of this, then we will not relate.

2011-06-26T20:52:00.000-04:00

been a long time since i've seen something that i like so much:

going away from my favorite city for a while; gonna miss adam a lot.

we climbed to the top of the rainbow empire state building last night instead of going home right away- it was really the best thing to do.

sincerely,
cole

the importance of gazpacho in my life:

2011-06-19T18:37:00.001-04:00

lisa simpson once attempted to serve gazpacho to a reluctant crowd. i remember watching this and laughing hysterically with a friend who was SO GOOD at remembering quotes from basically every episode of the show. i had no clue what gazpacho was before lisa defined it as: "tomato soup served ice cold".

who knew at the time that this soup would someday be an amazing reminder of my interest in not dying on the side of a mountain.

every year adam and i camp in the catskills for his birthday- it's one of my favorite things, and this year felt pretty epic. maybe that's why i've been thinking about our 'near-death' experience on the pyrenees mountains--- AND the amazing meal made for just adam and i at the albergue in estaon.

regardless of the reason why spain has crept into my brain, i made gazpacho tonight (and reread the blog from our trip in 2009).

...and... i felt like writing on here again.

this weekend was a good one.

pyrenees:

catskills:

feliz cumple mi amor! <3

rainy spring break

2011-04-20T13:06:00.000-04:00

i used to be invisible in ny. i'm not anymore, and that makes me happy.
though it can be unnerving at times. i like hearing people say hello.

*i realize there is more to Inwood than parks; but, currently, i can't seem to stop taking pictures of them*

*also, in attempting to use tumblr for a while, i find i like the quirkiness of this site better- at least for now- though i make no firm long-term commitments*

island living.

2011-04-10T12:07:00.000-04:00

took some pictures of the new hood last night.

there's something about the city mixing with the woods that kills me. i don't think i'll ever get over how wonderful i think that is.

"For some reason I made a red velvet cake," Rosa said. "With seafoam frosting."

2011-04-03T09:12:00.000-04:00

i cried when i finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay because i wasn't ready to stop being around the characters. though i read the book last summer, every once in a while i still think about Rosa, Sammy and Joe. i was thinking about them this week, so i made these:

(inspired by page 634)

it's the good ones that will last.

2011-03-29T12:36:00.000-04:00

my favorite little red headed sister told me about this band. i took longer to listen to it them than i should have.

reasons i love The Rural Alberta Advantage:
1. catchy oohing
2. lyrics
3. tinkle bell sounds
4. girls and boys harmonizing
5. a cappella moments

and mostly because i can't get enough of the following song:

and i wonder if anyone is really happy. i hope they are. i really hope they are.

2011-03-27T20:44:00.000-04:00

adam and i were hanging out, talking last friday. the people in charge of music had Vapour Trail on. adam mentioned it to me; so i listened to the background of the life around us. i found myself surrounded by familiar notes, familiar lyrics.
highschool and college are starting to feel really distant. but this song made me feel like i was right there, in the middle of all the people who were the same age as me, then.
i only know about this song because i read Perks of Being a Wallflower. so maybe that makes me a little bit of a nerd.

regardless, i like this song and i'm through being cool... even if some lame band already took this mantra from me.

i liked this book when i was younger; and i guess, i still like this song.

they're turning the book into a movie. the girl from harry potter is in it.

those ten years since high school are starting to feel important.

a tribute to the gowanus canal

2011-03-24T19:57:00.000-04:00

oh gowanus canal, even in all your superfund gunkiness you manage to add some prettiness to a sunny walk...

i'll miss looking over the carroll street bridge into your depths; and i'll miss the endless discussions regarding what could possibly lay hidden beneath the thick layer of green slime that does such a nice job of reflecting the sky.

the highway sets the travelers' stage

2011-03-13T15:59:00.000-04:00

it's unimaginable to think that after all of our crazy conversations, ridiculously long walks, and numerous apartments, we're finally getting ready to say good bye to brooklyn...

toured through the borough today.

we didn't do much hiking... in fancy shoes, but we did ride our bikes...

hit up Redhook first for brunch here: Fort Defiance

then rode over to the old hood- Greenpoint

i felt a little nostalgic and found this old picture in an album entitled: 'brooklyn is pretty sometimes'

went to the Socrates Sculpture Garden in Astoria... and really wanted to be impressed.

at the end of an epic-bike-riding-day i feel a little sad to leave the bk...

happy spring.

"There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars."

2011-03-07T19:01:00.002-05:00

inspired again... can't wait until adam's life is not filled to the brim with NYU...

photo from here: http://www.adventures.com.sg/trip/22d-cycle-tibet-lhasa-to-kathmandu-on-the-friendship-highway/

leave me your stardust

2011-02-27T15:39:00.000-05:00

sometimes i find myself sitting in a concert that feels more like a scene from Napoleon Dynamite than something to be taken seriously... i guess the old guys in black turtlenecks should have given me some indication of what i was in for even before the opening act (whom i will not name out of courtesy) began her... um... performance.

luckily the main act was better... and by better i mean incredible.

Gregory and the Hawk has a new fan- unfortunately last night was her final performance...

better late than never i guess.

also, i finally (successfully) made some papas rellenas (this was my third attempt).

learned how to when i was in peru.

i miss summer.

winter isn't all bad though. alli and i went on a pretty epic snow hike last weekend (had to be careful not to fall into the abyss below the boulder field... !)

25 things that i love...

2011-02-25T11:48:00.000-05:00

(as inspired by Amélie)

black umbrellas with blue skies underneath
when everyone talks at once
when little kiddos repeat exactly what their parents say
tea in tiny cups
espresso cups
rainbow order
people eating the end of a baguette while walking home from the store
string instruments in punk songs
wet eyelashes that stick together
people singing while riding their bikes
the bathroom graffiti I keep seeing that says: “everything will be ok”
laying on the floor (preferably a rug)
the sunrise on the subway in the morning (B train)
little kids with squeaky shoes
little boxes of raisins
people smiling to themselves
multiple people falling asleep on the subway at the same time
old men with little kid backpacks (like the 70ish year old man with the ninja turtle backpack)
unbrushed hair
thick glasses that make people’s eyes big
the sound of someone going through their bag
tiny erasers shaped like food
the smell of new books
alliteration
the fact that every time i pass someone else on a green bicycle there is a moment of (often awkward) recognition

up and running?

2011-02-24T18:00:00.004-05:00

went for a run- first time in almost a year.

turns out i'm over the pavement smacking against my feet.

i prefer pedals.

and also beautiful views.

guess i needed to return to old routines to give myself perspective on my own evolution...

"we should always carry our history with us but never let it bury us." ~Defiance Ohio

We're Taking A Break

2010-03-12T09:54:00.002-05:00

...see you on the other side.

Two Videos

2010-03-04T10:59:00.004-05:00

Cole's obsession with all things mini turned up this amazing video of NYC "miniaturized."

Lately, I've been enjoying the most recent album by this band...

So close to the weekend!

talking talking talking

2010-02-26T19:01:00.006-05:00

Some may think that to affirm dialogue—the encounter of women and men in the world in order to transform the world—is naively and subjectively idealistic. There is nothing, however, more real or concrete than people in the world and with the world, than humans with other humans.~Paulo Freire

as my obsession with Freire, amongst other revolutionaries within the field of education grows (hooks, Dewey, Street, Moje etc.), i find that more and more my own regular, everyday life outside of my profession becomes mixed up and entwined within the beliefs i hold as a teacher. beliefs that have come to form my pedagogy, my actions and the way i work towards the teaching of social justice within the walls of my classroom.

just as these ideals affect the way i view myself as an educator, i have begun to notice a trend within my interactions with others on a very humanistic level; that trend being continual dialogue and questioning, thinking and rethinking the world around me and how it has come to be shaped and continually changed by the existence of countless people with their cultures, their beliefs, and their interactions. this constant cycling between questions, discussions and actions has become central to my existence; a view that i see only growing more and more vehement as i develop relationships with others who, in many ways enjoy this type of "over-analysis" of all the interactions and experiences of the daily lives of us humans as well.

adam and i talk to each other a lot, and by a lot, i mean excessively. there is close to nothing we haven't dissected, questioned and consequently sought ways to act upon our endless discussions. as a result of these conversations we often find ourselves hitting a wall of frustration as it is nearly impossible to look at any organization, company, set of beliefs without finding at least one flaw- one disruption within the parameters of the purpose (i.e. the knowledge that most volunteer organizations do not work to help those who are oppressed by society, but rather to maintain the stratification among the people- the goal is to help just enough to merely amplify the distinction: the upper class bowing down- occasionally- to "do good" and help the lower class just enough, and then for life to go on as usual, rather than instilling REAL change through advocacy).

just as a quick shout out- one group within which i am hard-pressed to find a flaw is: Coalition for the Homeless

in a more positive light, i have found that the general population in New York City seems to be seeking the same type of fulfillment: real mission statements supported by real action, action that actually CHANGES something.

last thursday, as i was riding (happily due to the snow) home from school with my friends and colleagues, we were approached by an older man also sitting on the train. he asked if we were teachers, as he was himself years ago. when we said we were he struck up a conversation, asking "Why are you teachers not more upset with the layoffs within education? Why don't you say something to your union?" (paraphrased)

of course i spoke up immediately, probably saving my less- outspoken friend from unwanted confrontation. i began spouting off my beliefs about the corruption of our union- how it is too large to allow for any teacher, any real teacher to have a voice. i spoke about my beliefs in teacher-education programs, answering his questions regarding the "rubber room" good leadership within the schools and what actually makes a good teacher; the conversation lasted the entire A-train ride (serious long from 190th to 59th street).

it was exhilarating! even more-so when i realized, not only did i not make a fool of myself, but i was well-spoken on the subject: a quality i could not have claimed my entire life in regards to my "radical" views of our world (you know that ridiculous idea of 'equity' and other such silly thoughts).

what interests me most, though is that none of this could have, or probably would have happened had adam (along with many friends willing to participate) and i not spent nearly 98% of our time together pulling apart all of the intricate aspects of the world through dialogue, through conversation that pushes us to think about change- about transformation, not only of ourselves, but of the world in which we live.

someday we'll figure it all out, until then i will exist happily surrounded by my community of friends and family (though at times they feel too far away), continually asking the difficult questions, acting upon our beliefs and taking comfort in the company of our commonalities.

this past week i've felt especially connected, and mainly this is owed to a few people who also don't accept the world as it is: alli, jen and mike, daniel and mel, john, liz, gloria and of course, adam (though many of them may not know how much i appreciate our incessant- at times- conversations).

anyhow, enough of my ranting- a few pictures taken over the past week:

From Barrio y Amigos

of course, we had to show alli the dinosaur cookies!

first time at the promenade! (nyc love)

moon outside our window...

snow day part II

update: new neighborhood = happiness x infinity :)

All The Nights That Joy Has Slept

2010-02-15T21:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was important. Not because it was Valentines day. Not because it was Chinese New Year. Not because it was the anniversary of Oregon and Arizona being admitted into the United States. Yesterday was important because the "heaviness" which we previously mentioned was lifted - if perhaps only temporarily; it was a welcome reprieve.

So what was responsible for alleviating the weight?

Fort Tilden, an amazing day of photography, warmer weather, hydration, exploring our amazing city, going to a beach with snow on it, finding artifacts, juxtaposing Park Slope and Greenpoint, fully appreciating Prospect Park, good conversation and feeling like we are on the cusp of jumping into a new tangle of relationships/community here in our new neighborhood.

Documentation:

From Valentine's 2010

mermaid purse!!!

Sunset in Prospect Park.

The day finished with an interesting dinner at Applewood. A dinner which consisted of four vegetarian courses. Four courses which went well until Cole was confronted with an egg...on top of her SOUP!! Which of course then dissolved into discussions of baby chicks, the farming industry, etc.; all the while, she was moving the spoon over to my plate to plop the culprit a safe distance away.

And therefore, at a moment like this, a song that seems relevant is one that has grasped onto a fraction of our history:

One for Keeping

2010-02-13T20:22:00.010-05:00

It's cold.

It's too cold and has become too heavy and too depressing. We have come to understand that the winter inevitably ends up unfolding into layers and layers and piles of snow; and, when faced with the most depressing part of the year, one can't help but develop a hatred for the indoors-

(cabin fever?).

Despite the heaviness that's surrounded our world at this point, we can't help but feel some happiness oozing out of every sidewalk crack in the new neighborhood.

And so, here's a song that's been filling the ever-increasing void that exists between life and the existing world in the cold, desolate, freezing months of winter:

the first few days...

2010-02-10T18:55:00.003-05:00

we've been in our new apartment now for 5 days... brushing our teeth and cleaning our dishes in separate places... life is good.

i figure photos can best document our life since the change:

sunset, the first night- out our bedroom window (sure beats having NO windows to look out of!)

yup, we drank vintage beer from bierkraft to celebrate (didn't even know beer came in "vintage"!)

oh, and of course we ate dinosaur and heart cookies from Blue Apron (something i've been anticipating, admittedly)

and... best of all...

I GOT A SNOW DAY!!!!

in other news adam started his classes at the brecht forum to gain some insight into alternative ways of looking at the economic system in this here country (from an outsider's perspective: he seems inspired); while i have gone back for my final semester of my masters degree! (in 4 short months i will finally be a MASTER of education!)

Stop Motion #1

2010-01-31T18:08:00.004-05:00

The following is a stop motion that Cole and I have been working on for the past few weeks - it seems I've found a new artistic obsession. Enjoy!

interesting and touching from the word go!

2010-01-30T18:39:00.004-05:00

in high school, myself and a great friend of mine used to spend time at the library perusing the shelves to find books in which people have written notes, underlined parts they loved or even doodled little pictures in the margins. it was always so exciting to see what some faceless person deemed important or interesting enough to note.

this was the way i came upon Franny and Zooey- and, consumed it immediately in the 'less than comfortable' setting that is the Doylestown Public Library. the copy i was reading had scrawlings on almost every page- which, of course as an impressionable high school youth lead me to believe i was reading something VERY IMPORTANT. until that day i had only ever read catcher in the rye (and, as did every other misplaced teenage girl, fell madly in love with holden). i began to search for any other book by this magnificent author and read all of his books i could find at the bookstore... of course there were only four... a minor disappointment... so i read them multiple times.

since then i have claimed to be quite the little salinger fan- bragging to anyone who asked that i had read everything he'd written.

sooooo... about four days ago i found out (to my utter embarrassment) that i was not as much of a 'fan' as i had thought.

salinger had more short stories... A LOT more... that i ::gasp:: hadn't known about.

since the recognition of this terrible mistake i have been spending my subway rides pouring voraciously over all of his short stories (including Hapworth 16, 1924)- and i again realized why i adore this author and wondered/ hoped that one day a new entire book would miraculously appear on the shelf at the bookstore...

but alas, it seems that my timing is AWFUL as Mr. Salinger has passed away this past week leaving me feeling as though i have lost a great friend (as i'm sure many of his other, possibly more dedicated fans are feeling).

anyhow i write this urging anyone who is interested to check out Hapworth 16, 1924 as it was ridiculously well written and a nice reunion with the Glass family. i was most struck by Salinger's use of Seymour's voice to discuss the idea of god and found many quotable frases, though one sticks with me:

"Do not sprinkle any dubious sugar on my destiny!"

ok, enough about Salinger... and onto other important news like our friend Daniel's ridiculously amazing show we went to last night.

having studied in Bali this past summer, Daniel, working with friends, put on a puppet show (The Land of Shadow) that was an amazing display of the inner-workings of the mind of a child mixed with the fears of an adult. i can't help but be so proud of him (and mel, andrew and john) on the creation and performance of the show- congrats guys!!!

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

*a recent sketch

So, as posted previously we are moving. Soon. So soon in fact, that we have started saying "goodbye" to some of our favorite people around the neighborhood - Tye from Habitat, Nick from The Pencil Factory, and Lilly's Crew from Dandelion Wine (Yes, they are all alcohol related...don't judge us...). Anyhow, as many significant life changes go, this is going to be/has been depressing and yet exciting at the same time. A new chapter is starting.

Props to Nick for recommending the following song...

Este Verano!!

2010-01-16T02:01:00.007-05:00

Peru is almost completely booked and we are both ridiculously excited!!!

ps- mis estudiantes ganaron mas que cien dolares para las personas de Haiti, y estoy muy orgulloso de ellos! <3

(picture borrowed from here)

Earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-12T20:04:00.002-05:00

just found out about the major earthquake that hit Haiti today. i'm planning on having my students do a fund raiser at school; but have yet to decide where we'll be sending the money collected. Red Cross is accepting donations, but i figure many places are looking for donations as well. anyhow, just thought i'd get the word out and see if anyone had any suggestions about how to help.

my thoughts go out to all those affected by the disaster.

...and that's when we saw the wild boar...

2010-01-03T18:41:00.004-05:00

so the holidays came and went about as fast as a wild boar charging... well, i'm not sure what they charge since the only one i've ever seen ran away from me- regardless, christmas was as fantastic at warp speed as it usually is.

we missed the yearly mass in the olmc gym- something i very much enjoy (admittedly so that i can run into/stare at people i haven't seen in years), but at least we made it to the party:

From xmas and cayo costa

of course, the annual "speech" (i was disappointed that there was no reference to "happy christmas")- solid speech though

ah yes, the "sister pic" - obviously i had to post it since we all look fabulous, but there is something so gorgeous about alli in this picture... something about how how she is posing maybe?... i just can't put my finger on it :)

now gram is famous!

ya know... just talkin football heh. heh. (yes, that's my dad and dom)

it was awesome seeing the fam for the holidays- in fact i found myself more upset than usual to leave...

unfortunately we didn't get to see the G's in CT- i hope you guys had a fantastic holiday and i can't wait to see you (in our new apartment!) really soon. also, as an aside my little sobrina in ithaca is serious cute! and, of course, i can't wait to visit up there soon!!!!! (maybe for a little farm bonfire???)

very far away from the frigid new york winter, we spent the past week on an island (cayo costa) off the coast of florida and actually got sunburnt!

summed up: tropical "jungle", wild boars, possible bald eagles, gorgeous sunsets (my first real one ever!), rented bikes (which was awesome even though the only one that "worked for me" was the kiddos bike), seashell families, cerulean water, alligators, and of course CAMPING!

below is a photo-journalistic approach to describing the island:

oh, woops! i almost forgot, before we got to the island we stopped in raliegh (which was awesome... really, we ate vegan hot wings) and tampa (which would have been awesome if we were at least 50 years older and really, really wealthy)- but, most importantly we stopped in america's "best kept secret"!!!!!

"you never 'sausage' a place. everyone's a 'wiener' at south of the border!" (ok, i know someone has seen this sign...)

of course we had to buy fireworks... ok we bought sparklers- but that's closer than most yankees got to fireworks this new years... right?

the following is what we did new years eve-

yup. we made magic.

on the way back we stayed in savannah... i just have to say that it was SO BEAUTIFUL! i wish we could have stayed and explored longer- in other news we had to listen to the radio because our i-pods both died... which, in many ways, changed our lives (i.e. we kinda like pop music now); for example:

"hehe owl city... man it's so cheesy"

hours later

"ooh, owl city... it's so catchy right?"

hours later

"man, i wish owl city would come on."

minutes later... owl city comes on

"yes! i LOVE this song!"

(props to alli who told us a billion years ago that they were good ;) )

ok, so now for the resolutions- adam and i collectively, of course:
1. be more positive- even if so much of the stuff going on in the world is SUPER frustratingly bad (can't change people's minds by being cynical and critical)
2. volunteer... more. we really like Coalition for the Homeless (this organization really seems to view the homeless as people who should be treated with dignity and respect and there are no "quick fix/ feel good" answers to helping), and i've also been intrigued by WIN (women in need) as it relates to so much of what i've focused on in college and it'd be nice to get back into helping other women (again, dignity and respect revolve around the mission of this organization)
3. run. we joined road runners so we can hopefully qualify for the nyc marathon... ok in 2011... but still, it's exciting!
4. adam: learn mandolin and be more decisive
5. me: appreciate what i'm already pretty good at and work on those skills instead of holding myself to ridiculous standards... all the TIME.

por fin... this was a long post... but that's the end of the year in sum.

just a note: we've had this blog for a year now which is pretty cool, i like looking back to see what we were up to a year ago this time... hopefully we'll keep it up!

best. weekend. ever.

2009-12-20T20:04:00.004-05:00

it's that time of year again: winter solstice party... and finding a new apartment.

solstice summed up: snowstorm, favorite people, singing, pinata, food, kings cup.

From Barrio y Amigos

i love how this was our plan for breaking the pinata: two people punch it at once while dom stands on a ladder and holds it...

apparently we all liked putting it on our heads...

candy!

snow!

finding an apartment summed up: 11215!!!!!!!!!

...pinpoint where i am...

2009-12-18T21:02:00.003-05:00

maybe it's the cold weather...but i can't get enough of this song- the lyrics kill me.

also, i finished "ham on rye"- and loved it, well the endish of it... i think maybe i'm a bit too "naive" for the beginning...

this quote's been sticking around in my brain so i figured it was worth sharing-

"The problem was you had to keep choosing between one evil or another, and no matter what you chose, they sliced a little bit more off you, until there was nothing left. At the age of 25 most people were finished. A whole god-damned nation of assholes driving automobiles, eating, having babies, doing everything in the worst way possible, like voting for the presidential candidates who reminded them most of themselves. I had no interests. I had no interest in anything. I had no idea how I was going to escape. At least the others had some taste for life. They seemed to understand something that I didn't understand. Maybe I was lacking. It was possible. I often felt inferior. I just wanted to get away from them. But there was no place to go." ~Bukowski

No need for the nude of the moon

2009-12-11T11:57:00.002-05:00

This song has consistently remained a favorite of ours for some time now, however it wasn't until today that I saw the video....

In other news - this weekend it's back to Ithaca to see our new niece! Congrats to Amy and Brian, the proud new parents!

Lie for awhile with your ear against the earth

2009-12-08T12:45:00.009-05:00

Thanks to Dave for housing Cole and I this past weekend for a few days. While walking around for hours outside in the cold/rain might not have been the best idea, seeing Dave as well as his band Jesus and the Argonauts perform was long overdue.

In other news, and some-what influenced by our visit to Jamaica Plain, Boston, it looks as though we will be moving....again...come this February. A few recent "incidents" at our current apartment and sheer jealousy of the beautiful places in which both Dave and his girlfriend live have been catalysts in what will hopefully be a move to an apartment which lasts more than a year of our lives. Also accompanying the change in apartments will most likely be a change in Brooklyn neighborhoods as well, which will obviously be both sad and exciting. As things seem to trend this time of year, life is intertwined with stress, beauty and anxiety. Therefore, with the previous in mind and the impending descent to frigid temperatures the following song has seemed to fit the moment just right...

+ available for free download here.

++ also! new web address www.earthssweetgas.com

Throwback

2009-11-30T10:54:00.003-05:00

On a rainy day during this nostalgic time of year, one can't help but find perfection in something like this.

i heart green bean casserole...

2009-11-28T20:46:00.009-05:00

let me begin by saying adam's sister, amy is a FANTASTIC cook- in fact my thanksgiving was filled with some of the best food i've ever eaten; honestly. adam and i both agree the stuffing was phenomenal.
*******THANKS AMY********

that being said- the ONLY thing i missed was a SERIOUS good green bean casserole (something i can always count on my mom to whip up- oh yes and OF COURSE her pudding cake... but that's a whole other story...) in order to fulfill my craving, adam and i decided to cook a ridiculous meal of vegan hot wings and- obvoiously- the green beans...

the problem is that when you go the grocery store two days after thanksgiving many of the ingredients necessary for the casserole are, well... missing.

man that sucked.

soooo... i brainstormed and quickly realized that i could probably make most of it myself. luckily we scored some fresh beans from the garden (the website cracks me up) as well as some "healthy choice cream of mushroom soup" (GROSS! i added some salt and spices before some serious damage to my casserole was made). that only left the can of french-fried onions- which existed NOWHERE in greenpoint so i figured out how to make them myself- really.

all you need is a mixture of flour, salt, pepper and paprika (i think the paprika might just have been for fanciness). i thinly sliced an onion, dipped it in soy milk and then the flour mixture. meanwhile i was heating up peanut oil in my cast iron pan (admittedly the peanut oil was from my roommate michael in college, but it's old-age didn't seem to affect anything), finally i deep-fried the onions and voila! they were perfecto. anyhow if you're ever in a pinch- remember- you can ALWAYS make your own deep fried onions...

(above is adam wearing a shirt that reminds us of one of our best pals, erin while he is cooking the wings)

(ah yes- wings and green bean casserole)

that's pretty much all the excitement over here- life's been good. finally got around to reading ham on rye. oh yeah and also, in case anyone was wondering what i'm thankful for:
my family (adam included of course), my students and mis amigos

-i know i'm not as creative as my brother who manages to be thankful about more specific things like "taco bell" every year... but i guess it's ok to be thankful for the same thing every year if you really mean it.

woops... almost forgot- i got some pretty super awesome socks so i guess i can be a little more specific this year and say, "thank you Big D's".

my mind changed me so much i can't even trust myself...

2009-11-21T21:13:00.007-05:00

been thinking lots about where we should live, what we should do, who we should be etc. etc. etc...

basically we still have no clue; ah... the mid-twenties blues...

speaking of mid-twenties, i now have 26 años (which is good, i think, considering 6 is divisible by 2).

adam made some plans behind my back to hang with my favorite people in the world:

we saw ani (i know, it's cliché, but seriously, she played both hands)

we also went to horizons, which is sort of funny since we were asked a billion times if we were going to eat cheese steaks (hard to explain to a philadelphian that you're actually vegetarian).

before we left the city of brotherly love, we drove through northeast philly

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/97/235386314_ef19cb8688.jpg?v=0

...and visited good old vista street- god it made me so sad to see my old house and everything associated with the old "hood"- it's so much smaller than i remember, but i guess that's to be expected since i was a REALLY small kid.

we came "home" to nyc (which, by the way, actually feels more and more like home every time we come back- seriously- i even feel compelled to put on frank sinatra, but quickly realize that's lame and if you actually live in ny you don't do that... so i don't).

i'm not sure if we've mentioned this, but adam's job at andrew mellon is AWESOME and gives us really great things like memberships to the moma-mostly we used these for aesthetic purposes:

"man, i wish i could see the "obligatory upcoming art exhibit at moma" without all the tourists."

"oooh... you AREN'T a member... that's too bad. we're going... you know... since we are members." *

anyhow, today we actually had a REAL reason to be members: tim burton's work is being displayed at moma... and today was MEMBERS ONLY!

(pretty much the best birthday present ever)- then we walked down to get cupcakes... because what's a birthday without a cupcake?

ok, so one of those is adam's, but i secretly wished both were mine.

now, we're just at home in our cute little apartamiento and thinking about the past two weekends- i think adam is still relishing in his donut eating victory (he challenged me to a "hanging cupcake eating contest"...)

we got some pretty superb pictures from last weekend's festivities- those are followed by some new musica.

From Fall Fest

life= bueno- ¡gracias a mi amor, mis amigos, mi familia y mis estudiantes para un cumpleaños fantástico!

*this is sarcasm

Without the promise of something. Without the terror of nothing.

2009-11-19T00:38:00.003-05:00

Five Song Friday

2009-11-13T15:45:00.004-05:00

Time to take the trip back to Philly for the annual Folz Fall Fest. I swear I'm going to win that goddamn donut eating contest this year...

*For those of you who have never used Groove Shark (or past users who haven't been on the site recently), I recommend checking it out. The interface has been reworked and is a great online music device that is completely free.

I could take you where nobody knows you and nobody gives a damn

2009-11-06T21:03:00.008-05:00

(Some)Things we love about New York:
1. The old Polish man eating two (yes, two) McDonald's ice cream cones at one time in the middle of the day.
2. The "mayor" of Greenpoint (who basically only says hi to Cole on a regular basis).
3. Being able to purchase a pastelito whenever we feel like it.
4. Realizing that practically anything you want to find already exists here.
5. Riding the G train (in general)
6. Going to work and feeling like you are in the Dominican Republic
7. Food stores here actually carry carob-covered raisins.
8. Even if you don't like it at the moment- the fact that there are ALWAYS people around.
9. Ditmas Park (no need to specify)
10. Availability of vegan/ vegetarian food
11. Feeling like it is imperative that we learn at least one other language... because it's weird if you only know English here.
12. The ability to have anything... ANYTHING... delivered to your doorstep.
13. Did I mention that there are actually people around all the time?
14. Stores and restaurants are open all night (or at least hours past my bedtime).
15. The man that sings oldies as loud as possible in his car all over Williamsburg.
16. Leaning out our window to talk to neighbors- sometimes all of them at once.
17. Friends using the window instead of the door.
18. Beer! (like options other than Coors)
19. Being able to see almost anyone we feel like in concert.
20. Friends.. and again, people always being around.
21. etc.
22. etc.

Though... sometimes we like visiting other places :)

like Philly...

From philly

and... what beats spending time with family (and, of course, friends that feel like family)?

It's clearly too late in the season to pumpkin or apple pick

2009-10-25T21:45:00.006-04:00

After a beautiful morning/day of pumpkin choosing, apple scavenging, and listening to some overdressed "Chicos" woman scream at the top of her lungs "Do not open you're door....DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR" (for fear that Cole would scratch her precious, red Mini Cooper), we knew we were on a farm in the burbs of NYC!

We still, however, managed a great carving session with our friends Gloria and Lisa -

And also, Cole made use of all ingredients procured from farm - Apple/Pumpkin/Awesome Risotto....

take your body and clothes to places he won't go

2009-10-24T19:30:00.004-04:00

the past couple of weekends-

1. pictures around nuestro barrio-

2. visiting our friend daniel at his studio-working on a puppet show (more info to come)

3. went to my great friend, gloria adams' open studios in harlem

4. erin from the camino came!

5. dragged erin and company to our favorite folk artist's show in brooklyn plus an adorable track meet where my little estudiantes did fantastic!

6. taking pictures of the city

7. missing my sisters who get to live close to each other

8. listening to fall music over and over...

pseudo-anniversary

2009-10-19T20:25:00.002-04:00

even the empire state building is celebrating :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccho/4027072923/in/set-72057594143314276/

caminando en otoño

2009-10-07T17:16:00.003-04:00

i worry every autumn that we'll miss the fleeting, hued landscape, and gravity will pull all the leaves to the ground before we have a chance to admire them.

once again we beat time to the punch and made our way to the mountains long before the crimson and gold fades to gray.

first fall hike of the year:

From first fall hike 2009

we hiked the sam's point loop in the shawagunks, didn't use this site to find this particular hike, but it's EXTREMELY helpful normally.

*back to our digital after this weekend, the slr was fun for a while (especially waiting for our pictures to be developed).

Opaque lines of drowned emotions...

2009-10-03T20:46:00.006-04:00

we decided to clean up the apartment today... AND work on our homework (it feels good to be done some of those things- especially since that was my resolution for the year).

amidst our sorting and stacking and tossing i found a bunch of old poems and stories i wrote. this poem seemed appropriate, as the only reason we stayed inside was because of the crazy thunderstorms outside today (oh yeah and we saw a rainbow on our block...)

drizzling down the window
it falls.
the opaque lines of drowned emotions
the heavy weight of endless thoughts, memories
falling.
seeping into cracks
swelling the ground with sopping grief
of suffering.
the daily tribulations of life.

since we stayed in all day we decided to make a really great dinner, so we made vegan hot wings from the vegan dad website (which is AWESOME) as well as our new favorite: brussel sprouts, ever since our favorite vegan "recipe writer" mentioned them on her website.

finally, in our fall cleaning we also decided we should do something with the most recent pictures we took of nuestro barrio, so here they are for you viewing pleasure:

From we heart brooklyn

going hiking tomorrow :)

Alabama, Arkansas...

2009-09-28T01:21:00.010-04:00

When recently out in the neighborhood, I was inspired by some art done by this guy. Below is the result of that inspiration:

Also, I've been obsessed with this...

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

2009-09-22T21:14:00.002-04:00

the first day of fall...

The Importance of Independent Media

2009-09-18T13:23:00.011-04:00

A reoccurring topic in my recent conversations has been the absurdity of large corporate media. Most people with whom I have spoken, understand that our major news channels (CNN, NBC, Fox, etc.) are controlled by large parent companies who, in turn, have business dealings in many different sectors of the economy. And, therefore, they are restricted in their reporting, not only because of their obvious adversity to possibly harming a subsidiaries’ reputation or potential business, but also due to the bias that is inherent in a for-profit business model where the focus is on revenue and the production there of. Why is this a problem? - because revenue comes from ads.

Imagine you are the head of advertising at Royal Dutch Shell and are looking to buy some advertising time on CNN. You make the call, buy your two-minute time slot, and you’re done. Fantastic. Later, you tune in to watch the premiere of the new commercial you just created; however, it just so happens that before CNN cuts to the commercial break in which your new spot is supposed to appear, they cover a story on the $15.5 million dollar settlement that Royal Dutch Shell paid-out regarding human rights violations in Nigeria. WTF?!? – is exactly what you’d be thinking and most likely, you’d never advertise with them again. As you can see, there is an unavoidable conflict of interest between reporting the news and pleasing your clients – clients being the advertisers, not the people watching your station; in a for-profit based media outlet, the viewers are your product. More viewers means more businesses will want to advertise with you, which in turn means more revenue.

Now, let’s consider a little more broadly the effects of a profit model such as this. For instance, if you are a company involved in potentially controversial activities, like many of the oil, healthcare, and financial service companies are, then you would want to advertise as much as possible on the major media outlets. If you’re buying advertising, that media outlet is much less likely to run a story which would potentially damage your corporation's reputation. An interesting experiment to undertake the next time you are watching one of these major networks is to tally up the amount of times you see an ad during their commercial breaks relating to one of these three sectors.

Aside from this major flaw of having a for-profit media outlet reporting news, these stations also have the impossible task of filling 24 hours with content. And with the aforementioned restrictions on what one can report, this content very quickly becomes filled with:

name calling...

misinformation...

scare tactics...

So how can one circumnavigate these media outlets or at least even out our intake of fluff news stories? By reading/viewing non-profit, independent media. This finally brings me to the point of this post (which if you’re still reading, maybe you’ll be able to help me with). What non-profit, independent media sources do you know that are available out there? I’ve comprised a small list of a few registered not-for-profit sites that I visit on a regular basis but I’d love to know if you had any further suggestions so feel free to email (earthssweetgas@gmail.com) or comment below.
Democracy Now!

Alternet

Media Matters

Mother Jones

The Brooklyn Rail

The Indypendent

Done!

2009-09-15T10:02:00.005-04:00

With one mind numbing standardized test behind me, the only thing my brain wants to indulge in now is gratuitous eye candy like the video below - which after finding out this is not the official video of the song, merely "fan art", made me love it even more....cause it's so f-ing good.

Trepidation

2009-09-11T16:31:00.003-04:00

Here's a quick sketch from today since, as Cole keeps pointing out, I'm lagging behind in our posting :).

All this past inside my present...

2009-09-08T21:49:00.005-04:00

and still feeling like a traveler in my own home.

My past

the past

My present

my present

*this was an assignment for my masters class to "collect type" from the book by Keri Smith (2008)- just liked the results and figured i'd share (those are whole albums by the way, you just have to click on the pictures) :)

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

2009-09-07T19:48:00.004-04:00

i haven't lost my mind; i am fully aware that it is not actually january 1st... it's just that this time of year will always feel more like a new start than the utterly inescapable hole that is the middle of winter. granted, i realize that my being a teacher probably has something to do with my feelings of new beginnings, but i feel like no matter what your profession it's hard to ignore the nostalgia that wells up inside each time you take in a huge breath of crisp, colorful fall air.

my association with this time of year to a 'new start' always causes me to make a few resolutions-

1. i will make the conscious decision to listen, as well as the conscious decision to speak (hopefully ejecting my foot from my mouth for good this time...)

2. i will NOT ignore my work- every year when school starts and my masters program resumes i find myself in the abyss of stress and self-deprecation though i know this is only because i procrastinate worse than ANYONE i know

ok, i think i'll stick with two this year (those seem difficult enough to maintain...)

also, i've found myself listening to this song more often- guess it's more appropriate now than it was at the beginning of the summer-

there's no hello and no goodbye...

2009-08-31T16:51:00.013-04:00

adam and i left the city friday night, driving north we passed through connecticut, massaschussetes, new hampshire and finally entered maine: our destination- more specifically portland. we were visiting old friends of mine from high school, two of which i hadn't seen in over 5 years. 24 miles of white water rafting, a night of camping, and countless stories later, i realize how much i miss them...

our camera is still being fixed so this weekend must remain a visual memory, though i managed to write down a poem...

carefully we tiptoe
over moss covered mounds
the cool water rushing
as the sun spills over familiar features

you laugh looking over
as i smile
surrounded by the sweeping river
pouring furiously over shaky feet

attempting to knock us off balance
to prohibit us from realizing
the true nature of time

proclaiming that we are no longer
in the pleasant creek of the past,
but instead we are locked within the armor
of our present

despite the foreboding surge
we timidly traipse
ignoring the angry rush below
reaching through the steel walls of separate lives
and once again
play within the bend
of shared eternity...

i also couldn't help but think of this song again...

Time Of No Reply - Nick Drake

Philly!

2009-08-28T11:15:00.009-04:00

Two of our favorite people in the world are moving to one of our favorite cities. So here is a shout out to you both (....and to Michael), as well as video, which I think bears some relevance. Good luck Alli and Krissy!

Download the song here.

god help you if you are a phoenix...

2009-08-23T18:33:00.002-04:00

and you dare to rise up from the ash...

Yours Is The First Face That I Saw...

2009-08-21T09:19:00.004-04:00

One Year Down :)

2009-08-11T23:12:00.003-04:00

Since this was (in our opinion) an extremely important weekend... we decided to begin by going back to a place we LOVED in college- Kent Falls!

but... it was sort of like trying to play a game you LOVED when you were a little kid... it just wasn't that exciting anymore...

We still managed to get some good pictures anyhow (in the 30 minutes it took us to loop around the whole damn thing):

On Sunday (August 9th!!!)we quickly snapped out of our suburbia stupor with a...

.....DOUGHNUT ICE CREAM SANDWICH! (thank you Peter Pan Bakery....thank you)

and, as we are the fairly conventional couple, we headed down to the cemetery to continue the celebration:

(this is the Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn... and it's actually gorgeous... though admittedly a little depressing)

Finally...

we came home to eat our favorite dinner: Seitan Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa!!!!)

and we lived happily ever after :)

THE END

Woman Like Me

2009-08-11T15:17:00.001-04:00

Love it...

Spain!

2009-07-28T21:57:00.003-04:00

....the extended version.

no es el destino...

These little town blues... are melting away...

2009-07-26T18:15:00.002-04:00

we're finally back in nyc!!!!

so overall spain was awesome- mainly because we met such great people, but also because barcelona is fantastic :)

we will definitely miss hearing spanish all the time (which helped us get better at our own speaking), walking everyday and seeing new things (especially the cool little pueblos), eating at 10 pm (ok, so we'll only miss this a little because adam and i like eating at 7...), the beach in barcelona, the beautiful architecture (this includes, but is not limited to the works of gaudi), the fantastic people we met, and in general being on vacation...

though the aforementioned is true, we are SO HAPPY TO BE BACK!!!! i really love brooklyn... besides we were really tired of:

being tourists, staying in hostels and albergues (specifically hello bcn... unless you're into frat parties AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS), queso bocadillos, the food in general, people thinking ham is vegetarian, and long rides in public transportation...

i guess that's it, it's crazy that the whole thing is over now- in fact we were so not ready to be back that we extended our vacation a little and went to falcon ridge yesterday and camped out :)

can't wait to see everyone again! being so far away physically made me miss everyone :)

OH YEAH! CONGRATULATIONS TO AMY AND BRIAN WHO ARE HAVING A BABY GIRL!!!!!!

Terminamos!!!

2009-07-17T05:13:00.002-04:00

we´re finished! i still can´t believe we actually walked 350 kilometers (about 220 miles) and are now sitting in santiago- which, by the way is an awesome city... all of our friends finished with us yesterday, which ment we had to walk 40 k in one day. it was tough, but the trail has gotten so crowded since we hit sarria, that i don´t think we could take one more day of walking.

when we got into the city we started walking towards the cathedral, but keeping an eye out for a place to stay when a woman came up to us and asked if we were willing to pay 15 euro for the night (privado). it seemed to good to be true, and in fact it is! we are staying in a seriously beautiful apartment right in the center of town with two of the girls we met on the trail... AND paying about as much as we would have for a ¨fancy¨ albergue (a horrible room filled with massive amounts of people snoring and farting- AND keeping all the windows shut)...

so anyhow we are here until the night of the 19th (going out to fistarre tomorrow) when we travel back to BARCELONA! (i´m obviously excited... specifically for some real vegetarian food... in the middle of spain they think eating ham is vegetarian...)

es todo por ahora-

hasta luego :)

5 days away...

2009-07-12T12:51:00.003-04:00

so... my knees hurt, yesterday they gave out (which i was semi-expecting, but hoping it wouldn´t happen). it hasn´t stopped us though, only made us go a little slower than planned- we were supposed to do 36 k with some friends yesterday, but obviously stopped a lot sooner, the crazy part is that everyone else stopped as well (although they stopped for drinks instead of injuries) and it worked out for the best- even though they picked up a sketchy italian man at the bar :)

since we have only five days left, i´m wrapping up my knees and taking each day slow, we only have 17k tomorrow and will make it to santiago by the 17th. from there we plan to go to fisterra (which was believed to be the end of the earth... of course before we found out it was round...)

for now were spending the night in our tent in a super tiny pueblo waiting a billion hours for dinner- with only 109 kilometers to go

saludos!

cole

Caminando...

2009-07-05T08:27:00.003-04:00

first of all... nos encantamos barcelona!!! in fact i think both adam and i can agree that it is equally as good of a city as new york :gasp:

though reluctantly, we knew we could not stay in a city for an entire month so we made our way to leon (an overnight bus from barcelona) to begin our hike on the camino de santiago...

after our first day on the camino adam and i decided we are going to LOVE it! i know that i won´t even miss the city (besides we´re going back on the 19th anyhow)...

the people are great and we are staying at the most awesome albergue and get to sleep outside!

we tried to upload some pictures, but the computers aren´t working... since others are waiting to use this i have to go- just figured people should know adam and i are still alive :)

hasta luego!

sooo... change of plans

2009-07-01T14:20:00.003-04:00

first, i want to start by saying how absolutely beautiful the pyrenees are! they were some of the prettiest mountains i´ve seen (sort of like an upscale version of the catskills)... that being said, i´m using the past tense because adam and i are not in the pyrenees anymore- we have a lightning/hail storm as well as terrible waymarking to thank for scaring us right off the GR 11. needless to say our first day on the mountain was epic (it was really hard), and we made the decision while hiding from the storm- but still being pelted by hail- to leave the trail and make our way to barcelona. we stayed in an adoreable hostel last night though in a teeny tiny town and the owner was this fantastic woman who explained (very slowly in spanish) how to walk to the closest town to catch a bus- 12 hours later, here we are in barcelona!!!

we aren´t staying long though (we´d probably get bored in a city for a month), so tomorrow we are making our way towards a much easier and well-traversed path (where hail and lightning can´t get us), the camino de santiago. we figured that since we know lots of people who have done this ¨hike¨ and described it as ¨fun¨and ¨good people¨as opposed to ¨trecherous¨and ¨difficult¨ (GR 11)... it would be a great option...

so we´re definitely getting to see most of the country and are planning to continue to do so for the rest of the month!

adios desde barcelona!!!!

estamos en España!!

2009-06-29T01:55:00.002-04:00

adam and i made it to madrid yesterday in one piece and (luckily) so did our packs :) we hung around madrid all day and got by pretty well on our spanish which was super exciting...

madrid is a beautiful city, adam kept saying that he ¨finally feels like he´s been to europe now¨. all the buildings are so old and detailed. as per our typical style we walked all day and saw pretty much the entire city, sans some of the residential area- we took some beautiful pictures, but i´ll post them later. we´re also staying in the best hostel- our room has a cool balcony-type window in it that looks out into the street (i wish this was our apartment).

more importantly, though, we leave madrid today- which is fine by me because i find i have a hard time figuring out what to do in cities that would be different than what i do in ny. our train leaves in a few hours and will bring us to the pyrenees so we can begin our hike! i´m so excited! (which is probably why i´m on the computer instead of sleeping at 7:30 in the morning)

adiós por ahora!

the end is where we start from...

2009-06-26T16:20:00.008-04:00

every year that school ends, i think it's going to be easier to say goodbye to my kiddos... but as usual i'm sad to let them go- it was an interesting end of the year however because i'm so excited to begin my trip with adam hiking in the PYRENEES!!! we leave tonight for my parents' house, then off to philly to fly into madrid :)

so... for the next month any post will be about how we're doing in the mountains- and of course the beautiful towns we pass through- luckily there are no large animals in the pyrenees because my friend told me there is a big net around the entire range to keep them all out and away from hikers... much like the net around the places i swim in the ocean to keep out the sharks :)

anyhow, to document the end of another fantastic school year, i figured i share some pictures my students took with my camera (on MANUAL focus believe it or not!) during one of our last trips together:

the path on which you walk...

2009-06-21T18:19:00.003-04:00

so there's only a week left before we're hiding out in the mountains in spain... which makes me super antsy to leave the city and even more ready to get away from this incessant rain...

gonna miss mis estudiantes from this year even though i'm counting down the days until school ends- we went to governors island last week and rode bikes, played mini golf and saw some cool old houses- i think it was the best trip ever (even though my kiddos say that the statue of liberty was...)

ok, so here's the song that sums up how crazy excited i am for next friday- and pretty much the only song i listen to lately :)

P.S. Happy Birthday to two of our best friends ever - Mike and Jen :) ! Also, happy birthday to both our Dads as well!

Differentiation

2009-06-12T10:09:00.005-04:00

Finding Solace

2009-06-11T09:01:00.005-04:00

Birthday Weekend Highlights

2009-06-10T09:43:00.005-04:00

Included the following:

- The most ridiculous cupcake ever

- Sitting at an absurdly cramped restaurant and wondering how it could possibly have gotten such good reviews only to realize we were in the "to go" portion.

- Camping! (thankfully no one fell in the fire this time....or broke the latern...or did both of these things at the same time.....cole)

- F-ing amazing vistas

- Spilling potatoes in the fire which only made them more delicious

- The aforementioned fire being a complete attention whore and mocking us endlessly

- Reconciling in our minds that food hung about 7 feet off the ground on a tree that looks like it's about to either fall over or snap with the weight of a trash bag, will totally be bear safe.

-All the birthday wishes!

here is some documentation....

planes nuevas...

2009-05-29T23:45:00.005-04:00

hmmm.... just woke up one morning and figured this would be cool for some super new years plans...

course we immediately booked a campsite... that can only be reached by boat :)

image borrowed from: deviajesbaratos.com/imagenes/cayo-costa1.jpg

It's gonna snow outside -- the weather will be cold
But I'm gonna be warm this winter...

AND... last but not least-
CONGRATULATIONS TO AMY AND BRIAN!!!!
(we can't wait to be an aunt and uncle) :) :)

WOOHOO!!!!

2009-05-24T19:34:00.005-04:00

i can't believe i'm actually saying this:

I FINISHED MY THESIS!!!!!

i feel like the happiest person in the world on the happiest day in the world!!!!

there's probably only been one other time in my life that i felt like this:

ok... maybe there were TWO other times...

¡Un mes más!

2009-05-20T15:24:00.002-04:00

Regardless of whether or not you can understand what the hell he is saying - the video is a pretty phenomenal. This definitely rivals Mr. Herman's breakfast machine (though it has a slightly more sinister outcome).

Anyhow, I'm obviously starting to get a little excited about our month long excursion through the Pyrenees next month. :)

what a gorgeous view...

2009-05-17T18:47:00.014-04:00

so last week we decided to finally walk the "nature trail" in greenpoint...

as per typical greenpoint fashion we were welcomed by the lovely aroma of garbage and awarded at the end of the trail with a view of nothing other than...

...more garbage...

anyhow, here are the pictures :)

ok... so there was some nature...

this is me sitting by the gorgeous newtown creek...

so that was the hike... it was fun nevertheless... almost makes you forget about the oil spill...

also... CONGRATULATIONS to alli for graduating!!!!

(and to krissy kate who can finally escape the lonely abyss that is altoona for PHILLY!!!)

led by the light of a melody...

2009-05-10T02:26:00.005-04:00

thought i'd never find a place to set down my roots and stay for a while...

turns out i was wrong...

walked out of the grey depths of greenpoint into the colorful world of oz today...

my dream exists... or at least it seems that way now... :)

Progress

2009-05-03T18:24:00.009-04:00

In light of recent revelations and conversations:

*Also, last night I was simultaneously riveted and appalled by "The Future of Food", which, if you feel the need to insert any more confusion into deciding what food is best/healthiest to buy, you can subject yourself to this for free on Hulu.com.

Música Gratis

2009-04-30T10:03:00.006-04:00

Tired of that multi-year bender of 99 cent song purchases you've been on?

Check it out.

If you join the site friend us - "Earths Sweet Gas"

Why do kids always have so many boogers?

2009-04-29T20:13:00.010-04:00

Although we were stuck in the suburbs for the majority of this past weekend, it turned out to be far less mind numbing than originally anticipated. It may have had something to do with this.....

Once we finally escaped back to

we had a picnic, collected some sunshine and took tons of pictures...

(amnesty)

(unbalanced)

And the whole wide world seems different today...

2009-04-17T23:29:00.004-04:00

sometimes you can just play the cd in your apartment...
and... that's pretty much how adam and i felt about that concert... however- The Gardner is still a great song...

anyhow we also saw this band and felt the exact opposite...

also... we get to go hiking again tomorrow (finally!!!)

from Latin: claustrum "a shut in place"

2009-04-14T20:10:00.007-04:00

so i have off all week... makes me understand partly how immensely bored i'd be as a housewife. in fact today i really think i began to go crazy with boredom. it's not like i have nothing to do- i have tons of work and other little projects to keep me busy, but there's something about having nowhere to go... the walls literally closed in... (coincidentally adam's been reading The Feminine Mystique)

anyhow in my moments of lunacy i found some time for art- this one isn't my best in terms of the actual "art" but i think i got the whole putting-my-feelings-into-pictures the way i do with words... so here it is, awaiting scrutiny :)

in other news, i finally read On the Road something that i NEVER in a million years thought i would do... this book, along with a number of unjustifiable objects, thoughts and ideas have been entered into the category in my mind labeled "pointless media to suffice the alternative masses"-

as i feel my pre-judgements are not exactly among my best qualities as a person, i've been doing this thing where i actually read the books i have shunned, think about the thoughts i've denied and toy with new ideas that seemed so silly and pointless at one time...

hence, my predispositions have crumbled, and i voluntarily read the work of Jack Karoauc (since i'm being honest i've read Tristessa as well)- and... i can now honestly say that i don't like On the Road, don't get me wrong some of the writing was so beautiful that it made me stop for a second to rethink different aspects of my own life, to appreciate the beauty that's around me etc. etc., however my largest gripe with this book is none other than 'Dean Moriarty'- the general obsession of both Jack and his captivated audience...

he is TERRIBLE. in fact i feel that he encapsulates in some way all of the people i've met that cared very little for my well-being let alone the well-being of others; all the people that have, to put it bluntly, 'screwed me over', not to mention the entire female sex...

so in short, Sal Paradise would have been better off exploring the depths of the universe on his own (he probably wouldn't have hurt so many people in the process if he had...)

as i've stated Jack is a talented guy and I leave you with this beautiful line...

"the evening stars must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old..."

we'll all eat berries and build fires every night

2009-04-06T20:27:00.009-04:00

...and forget this mistake we call modern life

got our tickets- rambling through the pyrenees this summer

*yes... as per typical adam and cole behavior, we changed our minds (no more turkey)
...also... we didn't like slum dog millionaire- seriously

hide with me awhile inside a bottle of american red..

2009-04-05T16:03:00.005-04:00

trip to the moma (we were able to go to a 'members only' exhibit!), drawing myself as an anime character (though I am a self-proclaimed 'anime hater')...

my first attempt at a self-portrait...

then adam made lemon cookies for our friend's party (he's going to java to study pupeteering!!)
- congratulations daniel :)

also we haven't stopped listening to this song...

Hide And Seek And A Bottle Of American Red - Paleo

and... we made some plan changes... as usual :)

thunderstorms, homemade queso, and green lemon cookies...

2009-03-29T22:32:00.005-04:00

This is a very literal iteration of what's been going through my head recently. We all feed The Machine in some manner.

and... while adam was being artistic, i was busy reading... which of course put ideas into my head that later leaked out into a few poems....

figured i'd post one of them...

'inconsistency'

the flawless white reflection
seeps through the window of my eyes,
shrouded in chastity, Book in had,
they search for uncertainty
generous, giving, 'Chosen'

the world envelops me into silence

clinging to the curves of my mind
i fall
deep into the crevices, hidden from propaganda
light begins to flicker
the dim shadows bounce on the walls
hazy terms and vague answers are reflected

i inhale, taking in my history, my past
who i am

outside, the Antithetical acts remain.
continuing in spirals of undoing, unchanging
Static.

these whirls of submission curl onto the faces of the Pure
the Noble Advocates of an unjust Mysticism

ceasing our vital revolution

Coffee & Bullets

2009-03-26T09:17:00.006-04:00

*Much thanks to Cole for helping me with this

One year and five months…....seventeen months, he repeats to himself while surrounded by the clean glow of fluorescents, tinged with a faint suggestion of sunlight. Seated in a cubicle, partitions separate him from his co-workers, or really the strangers who sit mere inches from him- behind the fabric encased cardboard wall intended to limit interaction, and of course increase productivity... An obvious metaphor- so obvious in fact that it’s goddamn liable to hit you over the head and drag you back to its cave to do god knows what if you’re not careful. He leans back in his chair and again loses himself in thought. Languidly, the constant hiss from the radiator sneaks into his contemplation for a brief moment and breaks the flow.

“Shit” he mutters jumping back inside his brain trying to grasp the slippery tail ends of fragmentary thoughts - but they’re gone.

Fighting back a sense of annoyance, he stands up and walks downstairs to get a cup of coffee.

“Hi Adam,” a woman’s voice echoes into his skull.

“Hi…”

With a half-assed effort he tries to remember this woman’s name but can’t.

“I see you by yourself a lot. Do you have any friends?” She asks.

“Excuse me?”

“Do you have any friends or are you just a loner?”

Taken aback by this sudden assault on his character, he paused a moment before answering.

“Uh….I don’t know. People here are old...” He trails and continues down the hall.

The comment came like a stray bullet from a drive by shooting and now he had to deal with the unintended consequences. “Old people?” He muttered to himself. “What the hell was I thinking? Why do I say those things? She probably thinks I’m a goddamn crazy person now.”

He opens a tattered folder in his mind which not too long ago was crisp and new. This folder is an important folder - a very important folder in fact, because this folder contains The List. He runs over each of The List’s items with a caressing hand in order to reassure himself that it’s all still there. Each item, each bullet point, is a sword in the side of what was him and what is him and he loves those swords. They are the result of climbing over the mental barriers that stood for so long around his world of thought. Proof that he finally decided to venture outside those walls and there was more to be found than overdone clichés, sex and picket-fences.

He reaches the kitchen, places his mug underneath the Keurig single-cup “I’m too lazy to make my own damn coffee brewing system” and hits the small green button. As the mug begins to fill he thinks to himself about how much still needs to be done in those seventeen months. “How many more items can be added to The List?” he wonders. With a few nervous synapses flickering and as the machine releases its final drops of coffee spittle into the mug, he slides his headphones on, grabs the mug and heads back to his metaphor.

In The Morning Linda Dies - Paleo

life... and also my class is cute

2009-03-23T22:41:00.005-04:00

"Indeed, in contrast to other animals who are unfinished, but not historical, people know themselves to be unfinished; they are aware of their incompletion." ~Freire

I've been reading Pedagogy of the Oppressed... obviously; equally obvious is the fact that this, among all the important intellectual education 'stuff' that Freire has to say is minor. However, after this weekend I've become more keenly aware of my own incompletion as I am of those that I have spent my entire life idolizing. As I get older I realize it is ALWAYS important to question the world, in fact I believe that is how we find our ends... finish the puzzle of ourselves. It's difficult to discover that this conviction is not necessarily held by many, including those that I've considered to know more than me, those I believed held within them the truths of the world. But I guess that goes back to my, excuse me Freire's orginal point that we are all incomplete beings and though many of us may not admit to this... we are all on some concious level aware...

and so enough rambling... here's is adam's fantastic rendition of my thoughts...

Completely unrelated; I don't get to show people how cute mis estudiantes are... but we made the newspaper! (ok it was the union newspaper but still...) I know it's like a "Where's Waldo" hunt to find me amidst the students... but I swear I'm in the picture too...

hazy sf

2009-03-18T23:05:00.005-04:00

cole and i walked around today...

stumbled upon cat ***heaven***...

then she let me ramble on~

~through old frisco memories...

Mantenga sus ojos en el premio

2009-03-17T11:31:00.001-04:00

Commute

2009-03-02T10:22:00.001-05:00

*figured I'd post a 'story' since I finally got a snow day!!!!*

He's sitting across from me with his blazing blue eyes, never once lifting them from the floor below. The subway smells of rotting food and sweaty bodies- the air is thick and I can see how he struggles to breath. The hair along his arms stands forever at attention as the golden hue of his twisting locks fades to gray.

As always, his clothes are neutral- the color of skin, as though getting dressed is merely a trivial act and clothing too insignificant for prominence (a metaphor of the self). Within the haze of my analysis, abruptly, he flinches, hit with a memory and his eyes well up with the flood of thoughts. He looks up, meets my gaze and turns away.

His thick black soled shoes with velcro straps, his name tag reading "Joe", his starched shirt and tie all help him blend, melt into the wall of the subway car. But his ocean eyes, they give him away. His eyes that hold the sea of history with their radiating glow, from across the subway car, piercing through my skin once or twice each morning. Begging to be seen, to be understood, to be noticed.

168th street- he leaves me in the wake of my own thoughts.

we MOVED while we were searchin' for fireflies

2009-02-25T21:50:00.000-05:00

Bubble Guns - Hello Shark

Would You Climb To Heaven Dearest Boy?

2009-02-16T02:41:00.000-05:00

over oceans, under mountains

2009-02-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

days and nights...

Two wooden spoons - This is the kit

happy valentine's day :)

Adam has class on Thursdays...

2009-02-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

Like a virus spreading from my heart
into the crevices of my mind
Loneliness creeps in.

Through the thin walls of silence,
my mind begins to race
seeking distraction,
Refuge.

A place that exists within the folds of old habits that I've tucked away
with no intention of revisiting.

My heart pounds as the thick webs begin to unwind
setting my memories free,
And again I am left alone
Frozen
In the reflection of myself

Winter Blues...

2009-02-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

Don't feel this way anymore... but this song is still effing awesome...

Whenever You Breathe Out, I Breathe in (Positive/Negative) - Modest Mouse

workin' on leavin' to live

2009-02-04T20:50:00.001-05:00

actually moving this time... saving our money for those ridiculous dreams...

workin' on drivin' my dreams...

Inside my present...

2009-01-29T14:05:00.000-05:00

Insomnia

2009-01-22T18:08:00.000-05:00

Electricity springs from my core,

Sending shockwaves to my fingertips.

My body jolts

I wipe the sweat from my brow.

Gradually, the world comes into focus

Shrouded in thick, black shadows,

I walk the length of my apartment.

Feet patter against the floorboards

Light creeps in through the back window,

Unraveling the blanket of dark:

The glow of an electric city

My body trembles,

Brimming with a nameless current of fear.

One Red Thread

2009-01-15T16:32:00.001-05:00

One Red Thread - Blind Pilot