Why do I do this?
Check these out:
What are they? They are 36 EMPTY parmesan cheese containers.
“But Claudia,” I hear you asking. “Why do you keep them if they’re empty?”
WHO
FUCKING
KNOWS
???
I just do. When I finish a container, I put just put it in the corner of the counter instead of washing it out and putting it in the recycling.
Because I’m that lazy.
But today I cleaned out all of these bros and threw them in the recycling bin because I am a GROWN ADULT.
Will I wait until there are another 36 of them to recycle? Probably. Because I am a GROWN ADULT who can make her own bad life decisions, thank you very much.
Elon Musk AND structural collapse in my dream last night? THANKS, BRAIN, I LOVE YOU TOO
So last night I dreamt that Elon Musk decided to build a couple of fancy shmancy apartment buildings in the form of two big towers down by the U of C. And for some reason, I went to go live there (because who doesn’t want to live in a building called “Musk Tower One”?). I lived on the uppermost floor in an apartment that had two walls of full windows and was VERY high up.
I don’t know if I lived with friends or if I lived there alone and was having a party, but there were a bunch of people hanging out with me in the apartment. Anyway, it starts to storm a little bit outside and we can feel the tower swaying a little bit. We’re all a little freaked out, but I assure everyone that tall buildings like this are designed to sway in the wind and still be completely structurally sound. So we party on.
But then it starts getting REALLY windy and the tower just starts bending like hell. Back and forth and back and forth. So does Musk Tower Two, which is next to it, and they bend to the point where you could jump across from one building to another. Then they start bending to the point where the top floors are basically touching the ground.
It’s freaking wild and freaking terrifying and we all want to get the hell out of things before the buildings SNAP IN HALF, so once the building bends to the extreme again and we, on the top floor, are like two feet off the ground, we all just jump off.
Once I’m off the building, I notice that my mom is standing near the buildings and is in total freak out mode, ‘cause she knows I live in them. So I go over to her and tell her I’m fine and her freak out mode turns in to rage mode and she starts screaming “WHERE IS THAT ASSHOLE ELON MUSK, I’M GOING TO PUNCH THE HELL OUT OF HIM!” and was just on a rampage for the rest of the dream.
Unfortunately, I never found out what happened to the swaying buildings or if my mom punched out Elon Musk ‘cause I woke up, but it was one of the most super-realistic (feeling-wise) dreams I’ve had in a long time.
Weird.
Look at this FREAKING PASTA
It’s GODDAMN DAINTY
They’re LITTLE STARS
You could EAT A GALAXY
I like a lot of CAPS LOCK TODAY
(BYE)
D-D-D-Duo!
So I saw some bro sharing a 300-day Duolingo streak on Twitter this afternoon, and that for whatever reason sparked me to download Duolingo and get started on a language.
Turns out I’d made a Duolingo account way back in September 2016, but luckily, I could remember my login info and started things up from there.
I’m going to go for French. Three reasons why:
- It’s in the same general family as English and thus would be easier to learn than, say, Hebrew or Greek.
- It’s one of Canada’s official languages and is thus on packaging and other things up here; it would be something easy to practice and, of course, it’d be cool to know Canada’s other official language.
- (I could possibly read some original, untranslated Leibniz!!!!!)
So yeah. We’ll see how this goes. I know Duo doesn’t replace actual language courses and experience, but it’s a good start, right?
Yesterday:
So since yesterday was my blogiversary and thus my blog post had to be dedicated to that, here’s what else went on yesterday that I didn’t mention:
I did my virtual Bloomsday run!
I typically run seven miles out and seven back to get my 14, but I decided to just tack on the extra 0.46 for Bloomsday on the end of the seven miles out. That took me to the end of Bowness Park. It looks like they’re either rebuilding the Stoney Trail bridge or are making a new one so that there is a bridge for each direction of traffic.
Either way, I love this bridge. It’s so tall and almost surreal.
16 Years of Blogging
Today marks my SIXTEENTH anniversary of blogging! Counting today, that’s a total of 5,845 consecutive days of blogging.
I’d say that’s pretty cool.
Sixteen isn’t a super exciting anniversary year (unless it’s your age, I guess), so I’m not going to do anything special for it. But when we hit twenty…watch out!
Book Review: Robinson Crusoe (Defoe)
Have I read this before: Nope.
Review: Did you know the full title of this book is like a chapter all on its own? “The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver’d by Pyrates. Written by Himself.”
This was an okay book. As we all know, I like stories that involve the sea, but this was much less focused on the seafaring than on the “oh crap I’m on an island and I need to survive” stuff. Which was fine. This is another one of those books where a lot of people know the basic premise and characters but may not have actually read it.
Favorite Part: I love how Robinson’s first sea adventures as a younger boy involved getting shipwrecked TWICE before getting back home, and then like forty years later he’s got the chance to adventure again and he’s like, “nah, I can’t get shipwrecked a THIRD time, let’s go!” and then GUESS WHAT
Rating: 5/10
I know it’s early…
…but the Mets are looking so good this season.
That is all.
A LIST TO END ALL LISTS
(Not really.)
- Look at how good the color of these pants and the colors of these shoes go together. I dig it.
- I CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK TO MOSCOW WLKERFJALFHFLHSDFLKDFJGDFLHG
- I’m also nervous about it. Mainly about the border. At least I’m not flying, eh?
- Ancestry now claims to be able to determine your “ethnicity inheritance,” showing which ethnicities come from which parent. My mom is so freaking European, haha.
- What is this and why is it hilarious?
- I’m glad I’m teaching in the summer this year and not the spring. I think it’s nicer to get a bit of a break directly after the winter semester as opposed to right before the fall semester.
END!
This is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard in my life.
I don’t listen to a lot of songs for their lyrics. I listen for the music. The beat. The chords.
But this song has all of it. Wonderful strings, wonderful tension, and these are perhaps the most impactful, painful, wonderful lyrics I’ve ever heard from a song in my life.
“Hurt and grieve, but don’t suffer alone / engage with the pain as a motive.”
“It’s more courageous to overcome.”
And the two different “voices” singing? Jesus.
This song is a work of art. I have never sobbed so cathartically.
It’s also right in my vocal range, so I’ve been singing it constantly, too.
I love baseball
This is fantastic.
Quake and the world Quakes with you
So as you may know, I’ve gone back and forth about getting a tattoo, mainly because my interests are hard to tattoo and because I’d want to make sure it was something I really wanted to be permanently etched on my body.
I think, though, I’ve finally decided on what I would get: a tiny little Quake logo. Probably on my ankle.
Why?
- It’s easy to tattoo.
- On that part of my body, I could either cover it up or show it off, depending on how I was feeling.
- Quake is a very meaningful game to me for many reasons. It was one of the very first computer games I played as a kid and I continue to get tons of enjoyment from it even though I’ve played through it thousands of times.
- The game brings back a lot of memories.
- My little gaming nickname, Nailpit, comes from Quake. My favorite weapon was the Super Nailgun and so my little seven-year-old self thought Nailpit was a good derivative of that.
- With a tattoo, I’d always worry that the thing I’d get tattooed would eventually lose its meaning. I’ve enjoyed Quake for such a significant portion of my life that I don’t think such a worry applies.
Anyway.
Final
UGH I hate invigilating exams. I’d rather take an exam than stand around watching other people take one.
And then having to grade them.
Especially final exams, yo. Everyone just wants to be done with the semester at that point, including me.
ESPECIALLY FINAL EXAMS ON THE WEEKEND WTF
At least it wasn’t at 7 AM or 7 PM, as my final exams usually are.
UGH.
April showers? More like April FLASH BLIZZARDS
So remember that run I did on Tuesday in the cold and snow?
Remember how it started snowing partway through the run and I got a little cold, but it actually wasn’t too horrible?
HA.
Buckle up.
So today it wasn’t supposed to start snowing until a little later, and even then, it was only supposed to be light snow.
A skiff, if you will.
It wasn’t supposed to amount to much.
So I leave to go running and it start snowing lightly. I’m like, okay, cool, whatev. This should stop soon. But the closer I got to the trail, the harder it started snowing. And by the time I was ready to start running, there was at least a quarter of an inch on the ground already.
But I’m stubborn as all hell, so I was like screw this, I’mma run.
And so I did.
And it kept snowing.
So I ran through 2.5-3 inches of wet snow. All 15 miles. And it was snowing these big, wet, obnoxious flakes the whole time; I had to take my glasses off about three miles into the run because I kept having to clear the snow off my lenses every thirty seconds or so.
I’m not exaggerating.
The last two miles were the worst, though, because I was back on the busier part of the trail, meaning – even in this garbage weather – there were tracks in the slushy snow which made it EXTRA HARD to get any sort of traction. It was a very slow, annoying two miles.
I got home and was 100% soaking wet.
At least my hat got cleaned, haha.
I must be super stressed out
‘Cause all I want to do is BUY THINGS
It’s a problem.
GROW
So remember Captain Planet, my succulent? Remember how he looked like this back in July of last year?
Here he is now:
He’s so freaking big! I need to get him a bigger pot.
Brrrrrr
I got snowed on while running this morning and OH MY GOD I got so wet and cold.
You’d think we’d be snow-free near the end of April, right?
WRONG
Ugh.
Childhood was UNHINGED
In that wonderful tradition of “we did things in the 90s/early 2000s that would not be allowed today,” I present to you two things.
One: Raku firing!
Two: Batiking!
We did both of these in Art Camp. Scorching hot coffee cans and burning newspaper? Hot melted wax and big vats of dye? There’s no WAY 8- to 15-year-olds would get away with doing these things nowadays.
Seriously, though, we never had any accidents or incidents. I don’t know if artsy kids are just different, but we were always very careful with these more “involved” art projects. Even the kid that would shove oil pastels up his nose.
Art Camp was the best.
Book Review: The Portrait of a Lady (James)
Have I read this before: Nope.
Review: I can see how the concept of Isabel was a novel one at the time this was written. But it seems like there’s been so many Isabels since then that that type of character is overdone and tired. Like just think of how many books/shows/etc. have a free-spirited woman who gets ALL THE PROPOSALS but rejects ALL OF THE PROPOSALS because she’s so free-spirited? I get it, I like the message, but this is so overdone today.
Favorite Part: I did like this brief part of a conversation between Ralph and Isabel:
At last she said abruptly: “I don’t see what harm there is in my wishing not to tie myself. I don’t want to begin life by marrying. There are other things a woman can do.”
“There’s nothing she can do so well. But you’re of course so many-sided.”
“If one’s two-sided it’s enough,” said Isabel.
“You’re the most charming of polygons!” her companion broke out.
Rating: 5/10
2020
I think it’s easy to forget how things were in that first year of COVID, even though it hasn’t been that long since 2020.
Or has it?
Time has no meaning anymore.
It’s also easy to forget all the non-COVID stuff that happened that year, too.
And god, that hope at the end that came with the vaccine, remember that? We should have known that would have devolved into ridiculousness with all the anti-vaxx garbage.
Enthusiast, Zeal Thyself
Just a few quizzes because I’M BORED and I DON’T WANT TO ANSWER EMAILS RIGHT NOW
(Yeah, I could have told you that)
“Euphoria is inspired by the famous TV show, and it involves glam outfits, gemstones, graphic liners, and high heels. Euphoria is all about being an insta baddie and staying above everyone. It involves self-expression in a fashion icon way. You’re all about expressing yourself through your style—and it’s not just about clothes. You like to show off your inner baddie by wearing bold makeup and statement jewelry! You’re a true bae! You like to express yourself by wearing your favorite hairstyles, makeup looks, shoes, and clothes. You know that every day is your insta-day—you’re on a mission to change the world through your style. You want to look good for everyone because it makes you feel better about yourself! Euphoria aesthetic is all about bright colors and bold patterns. You’re someone who wants to stand out in a crowd, and you want to feel energized. What colors should you wear? Bright colors like red, orange, yellow, and green are your best friends here. They’ll make you feel confident and happy! You should also consider patterns like stripes, polka dots, and floral prints. What fabrics are best for euphoria aesthetics? You want things that are lightweight and comfortable—think cotton or linen fabrics. Remember: Your clothes should let your personality shine through!”
Lean On Me, Dear Pine Tree
COOL TREE ALERT, COOL TREE ALERT!
Have you ever heard of Cook pines? While native to New Caledonia, these trees are now planted pretty much everywhere. One thing of interest about them is that they tend to have tilted trunks. I guess no one really thought too much about this until fairly recently (2017) when it was discovered that the tilt was actually rather specific. Namely, the trees tend to tilt towards the equator, leaning south in the northern hemisphere and leaning north in the southern hemisphere.
According to data collected by Dr. Matthew Ritter, a professor at California Polytechnic State University, the trees have an estimated average tilt of 8.55 degrees, which is approximately double the tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
That’s a steep tilt.
And it gets steeper the further away the trees are from the equator.
While other vegetation exhibits this tilting (such as cacti tilting towards the sun or flowers of Joshua trees pointing south, this is apparently the first documented case of an entire tree actively tilting. Some think it’s an adaptation for the trees to catch more sunlight at those more extreme latitudes (like the Joshua tree flowers).
Pretty cool, huh? Picture:
(Source)
It’s the FIN-AL LEC-TURE (da-na-naaaa-na, da-na-na-na-naaaa)
WOO THIS SEMESTER IS OVER
Has it been an exceptionally stressful one? Yes and no. Yes because we switched from being online to in person IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEMESTER LIKE WHAT THE F and no because it wasn’t really any busier than most of my semesters.
Last semester, however, was brutal. And all the semesters since COVID have had their share of extra work. So I think I’m just really, really burnt out.
PLUS I haven’t been able to go back to Moscow since December 2019, and going down to Moscow is a very physical stress relieving activity.
So yeah. I’m glad I’m not teaching in the spring semester, ‘cause I need a few months to just chill back out and get ready for the summer and semesters beyond.
Edit: YAY A MIGRAINE WHAT A GREAT WAY TO END THE SEMESTER THANKS BRAIN OL’ BUDDY OL’ PAL
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