Keepin' Busy

Even though I happen to be jobless (boo) I still have managed to keep myself incredible busy! I've picked up new crafts and old ones too. I've been a frequent visitor at Oma's house, learning how to knit and re-learning how to crochet. Knitting seemed extremely difficult and perhaps even boring when Oma first suggested it. But, to be honest I love it. Not quite as much as crochet, but maybe that is because I know how to do more with crochet right now. I can only knit and purl, and I get them confused when starting rows on occasion as well. But I've been working on it every day, and pretty soon I should be able to make Dan a ski sweater. Poor guy, I know.

I just want Dan to look like this.

And I want to look like this.


Am I asking too much?



Today I even picked up my clarinet. Ah the good old days of being good at it. Hmm. That's why I hope to practice a lot. Get my lungs in tip top shape and rebuild my embouchure.

Between all this, reading, yoga, planning our trip, German class, and the beautiful weather outside.. I think I am doing pretty well with keeping busy. Now lets just hope that I get some awesome creative ideas.

one step at a time.

Ah, so I passed Subtest I & II. Huzzah. I am taking Subtest III in May. Then I will just need to volunteer, get my CPR/Fist Aid certificate, and find a school that is taking admissions.

My avocado seed split this weekend. The root is almost sticking out of it. So exciting. Next thing you know I will have a tree overtaking my living room. I also just bought strawberry seeds and lettuce/arugula/spinach seeds. I think I might pick up a tomato bush too. Pretty soon I can make dinner out of my deck! So awesome. I am still bummed about the beekeeping class falling through. I would have loved to get over my phobia and get something productive out of it. Maybe next year.

So I am now a "Tante!" My cousin just had a girl. Her name is Sydney and she is adorable. I am hoping to see them sometime soon. They plan to stop by on their way to their timeshare up north in a couple of months. I can't believe Oma is now an Urgrossmutter!

I have about two more chapters of LoTR left. It sucks because it was such a great trilogy and now it has gotten really boring because everyone is parting ways and heading home. It's so sad when a good book ends. The worst part is trying to figure out what to pull off my library of books next. History? more Fantasy? Classic? Philosophy? Haha. Too many choices.

I think I'm going to go finish my book now.

One step at a time.

Leave us kids alone!

I have finally gotten a kick start on what will hopefully be my career path. Huzzah! I took the first two subtests for the CSET on Saturday. It was really weird going in to take a test like that. Haven't done it since the SATs so long ago. I studied more than have in a long time as well. I feel confidence with my career choice (so far) because even though it was non-stop reviewing world history and when I was taking a break, watching History Channel documentaries on the Civil War, I felt a revival of interest in the subject instead of a loathing for the hours "wasted."

In so far as the actual test, it was very so-so. I was very confident going into it, thinking that the CliffNotes CSET prep book and online resources helped prepare me for the worst, but in actuality the test asked a lot of questions I feel I wasn't prepared for. For example, US History barely touched on the Revolutionary War, and I can't remember one question on the Civil War. It was all about policies, expansion to the west, and more modern things. I was rather angry at that because both wars were very important and the whole point of this test was to test my knowledge on the subjects. I feel good about World History though, seeing as the essay topic was comparing quotes from John Stow's Survey of London, and... *drum roll* a quote from the Decameron. Can you believe it? Haha what luck I have!

My next test is not until May which is nice, seeing as the topics are civics (ugh), econ (cringe) and California History (cinch).

On the down side, I was looking up credential programs in the area, SFSU being my first choice. They cut out their part time program and so far the only other school I've really looked at was USF.. which is rather expensive and would mean I would have to get my masters straight up, not necessarily bad, but I dunno. A Jesuit school might be fun, or really awkward. It would be kinda cool to say I have a BA in Mediveal History and a MA in Education with an emphasis in International and Multicultural Education and/or Teaching English as a Second Language. Sounds so professional. Haha getting carried away. How exciting!


Oh, by the way, don't get to find out my unoffcial scores till April 15th! How rude!

~*~Workin' Hard Today~*~

...No, no sarcasm. The phones are still down today, so we have one line. It is really annoying. Guess changing phone companies is not a good idea. Luckily I don't, and won't have a main line, at least not for a while.

So on my way to work this morning I had someone behind me who was riding my ass and then went around me and cut me off. Turns out it was a Geico car, you know, the insurance company? I was thinking to myself how strange it was to have someone drive like crap when they were advertising insurance that "promotes" good driving. Funny how people work. Also, this morning I saw a truck that had the trunk painted to look open with a bunch of open wine bottles sitting in it. It was pretty funny.

Right now I am sitting at work, waiting for the day (er, night) to be over. My boss is sitting downstairs watching a reality show in Hebrew. I laugh because although I can't understand a single word, I know exactly what is going on by the music and the tone of voice. These shows are all the same. It's amazing how often the emotion changes. One minute people are laughing, then it's serious, then they are all goofing off, then someone is crying, etc. I would guess that the reason these shows are so popular is because it causes so many emotional reactions. I can see why, when one minute they have you feeling low, then make something funny happen so your reaction is stronger. I'm not anywhere close to being a Psychologist, but that is my theroy non the less... I have nothing better to do.

I am almost halfway through with my hat I am crocheting. Once I got past the beginning it hasn't been very hard. Mostly just a matter of keeping count of where I am. I am excited to finish, hopefully by the end of the week! *fingers crossed*

I need to do the Chistmas Tree!!!

The Wonderful Wizard of Rants.. he's so oppressive!

Ahh, what a world. I'm reading Son of a Witch, so of course I have to give a shout out to Elphaba!So, blogging hasn't turned out to be a strong suit of mine, but hey I'm trying. Life has been crazy recently.
I didn't even work for Hollywood Video for six months before I got laid off, but I don't feel that bad seeing that the store closed a week later. I just miss most of the people I worked with. I made some cool friends, but now that I moved to the east bay seeing them is going to be a rare treat. That was an interesting experience to say the least. When I got hired it was an awesome place to work. My co-workers and higher-ups were really awesome, well they still are of course. When we got our new manager though, it got ugly. Yuck. Don't even want to think about him. Worst manager ever. "Hey do this, do that. I'm just going to follow you around and talk about myself. Blah blah blah. Oh, you're trying to read? Blah blah blah" Haha. I was afraid to read ever because I knew as soon as I picked up my book he would start talking to me because I wasn't busy. Awful. And then for about a month, maybe two, I wasn't sure if I would have a job by the end of the week. Not to say that getting 10 hours a week is much of a job. At least I threw my "Goodbye San Francisco" party and got to have everyone over.
Ya so, I don't live in SF anymore. Crazy! After being there for 5 years, and loving it, mostly.. I don't actually miss it much. Maybe because I have been so busy. But the place we live in now is really nice and we don't have any adjacent walls with neighbors. We also have a WORKING dishwasher and a garbage disposal which I haven't had for what, four years? I guess what I miss most is SFSU. I frakking love that place. I want to go and visit. Just get a bagel and chill on a bench with a book. That would bring back some awesome memories. It's funny though because after taking German with Dan this semester I remember how much I hate school, but I love the memory of it. Maybe being on the other side of the classroom would be more appealing.
Speaking of which, I need to get my butt in gear and take a class, or get a book, to prepare me for the CSET. It looks really hard. Maybe because I'm a Euro History major, I dunno. But you need to know world history (not so bad), American history/geography (I know a thing or two), the constitution (okay, not that hard to learn), government (hmm...) and econ. (oh dear!) All this split into 3 parts of a test. It's nice because you don't have to take them all at once, but it sucks because you really have to know your stuff. I looked over an example of questions, lets see... Here are some;
World History:
Ancient Civilizations~ Describe and analyze the religious, social, economic, and political structures of the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Kush, Greece, India, China, Rome, and pre-Columbian America, and describe and analyze their intellectual, ethical, scientific, and artistic accomplishments and values.
Medieval~ Analyze the political and religious transformations caused by the Reformation and their impact on Europe. (Easy!!)
Modern~ Analyze the origins, course, and consequences of World War II, including the human cost of the war (e.g., the Holocaust), the resulting redrawing of boundaries, and the movement of peoples in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. (The movement of people?)
Etc... And that is just world history. Anyone want to answer those questions? Those are just one of about 5 examples for each section. American history has these topics; Pre-Revolutionary Era and the War for Independence, The Development of the Constitution and the Early Republic, The Emergence of a New Nation, Civil War and Reconstruction, The “Gilded Age,” The U.S. as a World Power, The 1920s, The Great Depression and the New Deal, World War II, Post-World War II America, Post-World War II U.S. Foreign Policy, okay that's enough. I'm not going to finish the list. Ha. I also have to know Californian history, which is extensive. Not to say these topics are extremely hard, it's just a lot of details. I can easily answer most questions about America and Europe, a good amount about the Near East as well, but when you get into Africa and Asia.. It gets hard when you get to the next sections. Ah jeeze, I didn't mean to go on a rant about the CSET. Oh well, too late now. I guess the thing that bugs me the most is that two of my years in college were wasted on GE's which was mainly a repeat of what you are SUPPOSED to learn in high school. What is the point of going to high school if you have to spend a shitload (pardon my Französisch) of money to take the classes again? In Germany (of course) when you get to college you start out taking classes for your major.. from the beginning! Not your junior year. They take their "GE's" in their equivalent to high school. Rant, rant, bitch, bitch. I'm done!
I applied to Contra Costa County as a Librarian assistant. But knowing how the government works (I have to to pass the CSET so I would know!) I won't hear anything for at least another month. I applied at the end of November and online it still only says Application Received.. Oi But I am excited. It would be a very interesting learning experience and who knows maybe I would absolutely love it and become a librarian. Shoot, I don't wear glasses!
Yay! It's almost noon. Only 5 1/2 more hours of work! Go Saturday! Tonight we are decorating the Christmas tree! Tomorrow we brew 1348 *Black Death Stout* and next week I get to sleep in! Life isn't all stress. : )
<3 and sorry about the ranting. I guess that's what happens when you're bored and let your mind wander. Back to reading.. my pretty! *cackles*

Ein Gutes Tag

Today was such a good day! I finally got the first build for the Sims 3 expansion I am working on---doing the manual for---and I'm actually installing it as I type. I can't wait! I have always been a Sims fan, I never would have thought I would be writing the manual for it. Amazing.


I also started German class today with Dan. It was a shock to see my German 2 Instructor from the university is teaching it. And the more I think about it the more I remember her saying she was going to change to city college. I think it will be a fun review class, but it does feel a little slow. Then again it is only the first day, so of course it is painful. I think it will be great fun to not only tutor Dan, but to help other students with understanding in class when we do activities and such. I still remember being confused out of my mind the first couple of weeks. The only hard part is to bite my tongue and not answer everything she asks about right away. I don't want to look like the know it all and take away from other students learning. Sigh, but still! I bet I could finish all the workbook assignments tonight... in an hour. But, besides that I am excited. This will be an easy class for me and it is such a great feeling to be sitting at a desk again. I missed school so much!

Bier!

So we are now on our second brew, and of course we have to start out strong and have jumped right in on making a hefeweizen. Yum! We have heard that hefs are really hard, but we will see. Maybe people who say that just suck at making them. :P

It was fun to see the difference between making our amber and our hef. With the hef you have to add a bunch of yeast and stir it in. Of course that was my job, being the wonderful mix master of the house. Also, we didn't use our airlock we used a blow off tube since our yeast is really active. That basically means we stuck a tube in the top and put the other end into a water bottle to ease the pressure. It also has been letting out yeast. It's fun to go in the closet and watch it. It even smells like beer. I am really excited to taste it. Hefs sind die besten!

That reminds me. Next week, (that came quickly) Dan and I start German class. I know it's only German 1 but I am still really excited. I can freshen up on my German and help him with his pronunciation... sorry baby, but you need a little help with that. Knowing Dan he will learn so quickly but this time next year he will be ready to take our trip to Germany and speak not a word of English! How fun would that be?!

Well time to head off and go to the pub to hear about Jim's adventures in Eastern Europe. Jeez! I can't get away from Europe even if I wanted to!!

...which I don't.

Tori Amos is fucking amazing! I had sooo much fun seeing her.