Estación Liceu

Le week-end

The week is already off and running but we had a nice weekend. We visited friends, met an outgoing undertaker at a successful surprise party, and made a run to Ikea. No furniture was purchased but we investigated the shelving we would need for the living room, storage rooms, and garage so the next time we can beg, borrow, or steal a bigger vehicle, we're going shelf crazy. We did purchase dishes, however. We got a nice set of white dishes, something we failed to find at department stores for our wedding registry. I liked our other dishes, bright colored pottery-ish pieces, but it really is true that food looks prettier on white.

Yesterday was my long day, especially now that I've taken on teaching a brief Spanish lesson to four year olds. Yes, for those who know me, it's true that I'm intentionally setting foot in a pre-school room. It's mostly for selfish motives-- trying to get a broader range of experience working with different age groups-- but I am genuinely interested to see how well they absorb the sounds and pronounciation since they lack the self-consciousness of older students. We'll see how it works out, right now I'm just trying to figure out what they can and can't do so I can make up my lessons.

I also had my Second Languge Acquisition class last night which seems interesting so far. The reason I'm a teacher is because I like school so much and getting to be a student again is a special treat. (Note to self: re-read this post in December when it's crazy-busy time again.) Anyway, this class will be extremely helpful as applied to how I teach and is also useful to me as I consider refining the direction of my career path.

One thing that helps make the Long Mondays bearable is that Tuesdays are my prep day meaning no classes. Meetings, appointments, etc, are still present but it's a much less structured day so I can catch up on lesson plans, grading, do classwork, etc. Today I have a couple of meetings with colleagues and students but will spend most of my time doing my own thing.

And finally, what's pleasant about today in particular is that it's cool out and feels like fall. I'm wearing my favorite black cardigan and I made some awesome garbanzo bean soup for lunch. Bad Z's husband once called it "hot hummus soup" because the ingredients are nearly identical. You sautee some garlic in olive oil, add a can of garbanzos and the liquid, simmer while stirring in salt, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and anything else you want (last night I ended up throwing in some cumin and cilantro). Simmer it all up, carefully blend it, add a little water until the consistency is to your liking, and that's that. It almost never goes wrong and you just throw all the ingredients in to taste.

I could go on about this soup because it reminds me of living on my own for the first time out of college, my first job, etc (I love how food evokes such memories) but I need to sign off and actually make my prep day productive. The one drawback to unstructured time is that the Internet Machine sometimes sucks me in and sucks away my getting-things-done energy...

posted by Kelly @ 8:08 a. m.