characters

Yesterday I taught a group from Tuesday's Children, families who lost a parent on 9/11.

And today I am going to Chinatown to teach about Ed Young, who happens to live in Chinatown. I'm supposed to read a story and make Chinese scrolls using brushes and ink while showing children how to make specific Chinese characters. These kids will have to show me how to do it.

Traveling With an Eggplant

My friend Alycia wrote a book. She's currently promoting it on a book tour. It's based on personal experiences mixed with a bizarre surreal homage to alice and wonderland and the wizard of oz. Check it out here.

And now I'll pack two more boxes before I go to work. One more week until the M-O-V-E.

huh

For the past two mornings I have been watching Good Morning America rather than my usual Today Show. Craaaaaazy.

I had a dream last night that I was in a moving van with the movers and all of my 600 boxes. Except all of the movers were Hassidic Jews. And they stopped the van halfway up 10th Ave because they discovered that the only thing I had in all of my many, many boxes was marijuana. No clothes, towels, kitchen supplies...just lots of pot. And they called the cops. Who actually couldn't come arrest me because there was some sort of terrorist threat to NYC.

Moving stress continues. Although I now have an official move in date (it's been coordinated with both buildings) and a moving company. Lease signed, rent payed and I pick up my keys next Monday.

Also, I'm done teaching kids about bugs (for now). I'm moving on to a class about modern art. We're starting with Picasso, Chagall and Nevelson.

I just wrote a post and it is not showing up.

Back

I'm back from Greece. It was the most amazing and relaxing week ever and now I'm here in the middle of packing and sorting. My apartment is a mess of boxes. It's freaking me out. Seriously. I have to do so much stuff in the next two weeks so blogging will be light, if it happens at all, until the move is over. My lease begins May 1st and my move in date is May 5th. Two weeks of living in chaos and then I'll be able to settle into the new place.

While in Greece we stayed at The Grand Resort Lagonisi which is in Attica, not too far from Athens. It may be the most gorgeous place I have ever been (even nicer than the Taj Exotica in Goa, if that is possible. My hotel room had a gym inside of it. Not attached -- literally 'in' the hotel room. It had a walk in closet, a sauna and whirpool in the bathroom and a private pool off the terrace with a view of the ocean. I was completely not expecting that. And the resort had all of these great restaurants including a sushi bar.

Gym in Room


Jacuzzi Bath


Room with Large Widescreen TV (although the only english channels were CNN, BBC News and the Travel Channel...there were a lot of French and German channels so I watched a lot of German MTV...actually, I saw some of the new season of South Park in German and while my German skills are average I laughed at the 'Übermäßiger Abenteuerklub'




Private Pool

In Greece

I'm typing this on a keyboard where all of the keys are Greek letters. the 'R' looks like a 'P' and the 'p' looks like an 'n' and the 'd' is a triangle. anyway, its hard to type and i've totally neglected blogging and email checking but i'll post a few pictures of greece before i sign off. I'm still here in Attica enjoying the sun and the beach but I'll be back in new york this weekend. back to work on Monday.

on Hiatus

I've been feeling like I have too much to do and not enough time in which to do it. I haven't been sleeping enough and I'm constantly in 'check list making' mode. Fortunately I'm going away this weekend. A vacation is very much needed right about now.

But when I get back I have to work on packing and sorting things into boxes, arranging a move in date, and buying some new furniture and organization items. Moving is hard work. I think in all of my excitement last week I kind of forgot about that.

My blog is going on hiatus for the week because I don't have time to update. But I'll post again before I leave for Greece.

Haikus

Ode to Flaming Hot Cheetos

Oh Cheetos that flame
You are packed with goodness
The best comfort food

In times of great stress
You sit on the staff table
Calling out my name

You make my ass huge
10 grams of fat per serving
You come from Midwest

I cannot buy you
In the city of New York
You torment me so

Your bright hot red hue
Finds its way to my mouth and
I swallow you down

Thursday

I was completely riveted by Lost last night. I love that Charlotte's bald Jewish hubby (Evan Handler) played Hurley's bald imaginary friend. I love all of the Hurley flashbacks.

Agent #3 (the one I love) called me yesterday and told me that the original apartment I was interested (on the 28th floor of a Gramery highrise) became available. The original couple who saw it an hour before I did ended up backing out of the deal. But I told Agent #3 that I had already taken an apartment on the Upper West. It's crazy. I went weeks of seeing nothing that I liked and all of a sudden my two favorite apartments were both available. When it rains it pours. It was funny because it started snowing while I was on the phone with Agent #3 (who was very understanding and nice when I explained about taking the other place but that I may require real estate services in the future in a couple years if I decide to buy a place). So I didn't burn any bridges.

My class on scorpions went well except that it took me FOREVER to get there. The last stop on the D train is far. Then, I had to be in the East Village at 6pm (I left the Bronx at 5pm). I took the D to 161 where I transfered to the 4 and I made it downtown at 6:45. I seriously hate commuting on crowded trains. I was carrying really heavy bags containing model magic, paint and black lights (scorpions glow under UV lights). I'm going back to the same library next week to teach about water bugs (yucky). And Friday I'm teaching scorpions again, except it's at a library in Harlem which is so, so much closer.

I'm Moving!!!

Yesterday was quite a whirlwind. I went to look at some more apartments in the morning because I go into work a bit later on Tuesdays. I was completely unexcited about the search as I've seen so many apartments in the past month and I had kind of abandoned the idea of living on the Upper West. And I was going with an Agent #2 who I had less confidence in than Agent #3 (the one who has been showing me places in Gramercy). But no one was more surprised than me when the second place I looked at yesterday turned out to be my dream apartment. In the 70s, close to the park, high floor, big bedroom, new kitchen, and two terraces - one facing north and one facing south (the southern facing terrace has a skyline view and I can see the Empire State Building). I freaked out and told Agent #2 that I would take the apartment. After work I had to scramble to get papers signed, credit checked and checks written. I'm meeting with him next week to officially sign the lease! I am so, so excited to move. I've been aching to get out of midtown. It was a great place to live for 6 years and I like the place I live in now, but it's time for a change.

But now I have to break the news to Agent #3 who I really like a lot.

Happy Anniversary!

I just realized that the two year anniversary of my blog came and went with little to no fanfare. Not that it's a big deal, but two years is a long time to be documenting the pointless details of my life on the internet. I occasionally go back and read my archives. It's like reading old diaries, except not nearly as personal. So happy anniversary to Finishing The Hat (the artist formerly known as Sarah's Entertainment Spot)!

I have to teach a lesson tomorrow on scorpions for a class called Bug Out. I know nothing about scorpions. Except that they are gross and they are arachnids (I guess) and they are possibly poisonous. Do they bite? Do they pinch? Do they look like crabs? I have no clue. Tonight after dinner I'm going to cram in the same way I used to cram for 5th grade science tests. So if anyone knows anything about scorpions and can tell me about them (in kid friendly terms) I'll be very much obliged. I'm supposed to make a scorpion out of model magic. and paint it in florescent colors. And shine a black light on it. At least, that's what I'm having the kids make. So I better know the anatomy of a scorpion. Yucky insects. I miss teaching Gross Biology. I deal better with fake poo and vomit than I do with fake bugs. Scorpions are just the beginning. In upcoming weeks I have to learn about water bugs and flies.

Photos From Six Flags

Six Flags Great Adventure. Jackson, NJ. First weekend of the 2006 season.

At Wild Safari

The animals come directly up to your car.



Me and Yosemite Sam (I kept calling him Tarnation Sam by mistake)

Val and Marvin the Martian's Dog

Jon on the carousel

Caren


Me, Val and Jon on the parachute ride. I was fine until I got to the very top

I took a picture as I got close to the top. Then my hands went numb

Caren took a nap on a sunny bench

View from Ferris Wheel