February 20th, 2008

So I'm not much of a photographer, but since I decided to watch the eclipse become total, I figured I'd keep the camera at hand, too. It was a lovely sight, and one I won't have a chance to see until 2010 at the earliest. Who could pass up the chance? So I bundled up and leaned on my car (Brrr!) and watched the moon shadow and the color grow. This is mostly what I saw, although there were a few stars right near the moon that my camera just wasn't powerful enough to pick up. Yet another reason I want one day to have a DSLR....

February 19th, 2008

The Keebler elves are evil. (For proof of this, get a load of the beam of light shooting out of those beady little elven eyes in the photo below... and don't tell me that's just glare!)



These cookies are absolutely addictive. Small, crispy, fudgy... they're everything I loved about those fudge stripe cookies as a kid, in a convenient, easy-to-bring-to-work package. Very yummy, and easy to gobble down by the handful. Plus, mini cookies are just plain cute.

I think the elves are trying to lull us all into sugar comas so they can take over the world.

February 18th, 2008

When I put on lipstick, it should qualify as a red-letter day. No, I didn't get all gussied up in honor of the dead presidents who grace our currency (though I shelled out a bunch of 'em for this lip gloss, appropriately named "Gold Digger"). I just figured I'd look less suspicious in my passport photos if I had more color in my face than the average cadaver...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwah!

February 17th, 2008

If you've lived anywhere near the Five Towns in the last 30 years or so, you've probably had food from the Woodro. I'm talking about the Jewish version of soul food here - the simple, hearty, artery-clogging foods of Eastern Europe.

Onion-and-schmaltz-laden potato knishes, spicy pastrami, fluffy rye bread, and the yummiest corned beef in the world. All washed down with Dr. Brown's cream soda, of course. It's the best kosher deli (the best deli, period) I've ever been to, and an absolute institution in the neighborhood. Walking in to their rather unassuming stripmall storefront, you're struck by a wonderful mix of smells. Roasting chicken, frying latkes, pickling spice, matzah ball soup; I expect there are parts of heaven that smell just like it. Though the menu's expanded a bit over the years, the overall smell hasn't changed since my first memories of the place.

There used to be a few of these kinds of delis around here, though the Woodro was always the best. But times have changed, and the flavors of the neighborhood have changed as well. Kosher delis are few and far between. The stripmall now contains a variety of eating options; an Italian place, a little cafe, there's even a new pan-Asian place just a few doors down. The counters used to be manned by older men, heavyset, with heavy accents (Polish, Russian, Brooklynese). Now, the men slicing the pastrami and rye are young, and for many, the old country is down in Latin America. The growing religious community shuns the place, because while the Woodro keeps kosher, they don't close for Shabbas. The once-bustling tables in the back are largely empty, though the takeout business still seems brisk. But the corned beef's still rich and meaty, the pickles are vinegary and crisp, and the chicken soup cures all ills. Thankfully, some things never change.

February 16th, 2008

Sometimes, I forget just how crowded my island really is. This was one of those times. Strolled into PF Changs at the Source Mall around 6:30pm, figuring the wait couldn't possibly be TOO bad. On a Saturday night. In the middle of the hub.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

My bad. Upon weaving my way through the tight-packed crowd and hearing the wait was a good hour 45, we turned around and drove over to Ayhan's in Baldwin to meet Don and Naomi for dinner. No wait time, excellent food, attentive service; all in all, a much better idea.



The Source's carousel was running, though, and while I was a bit cranky about the absurdity of the wait, I found it a very jolly sight indeed. :)

February 15th, 2008

Another day, another trip to CSI. Spent the length of my time on the Staten Island Expressway (50 min or so to go about 4 miles!) behind this exceptionally dirty truck. Between the early-ness of the hour and the frustrating slowness of the traffic, I think I got a little loopy... because this dirt-scribed affirmation struck me as worthy of a photo.

I am, too.

February 14th, 2008

This is the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, eastbound. And yes, it's the view of the bridge ON the bridge.

On my way home from CSI on a sunny winter afternoon, nearly into evening. It was very clear, and rather chilly, and since I wasn't exactly zipping across the bridge at record speed due to the other cars in my way, I whipped out my camera to snap a shot. I didn't think I'd be heading home so late, but my dealings with HR took much more time than expected... city bureaucracy combined with college red tape. Ooh, fun.


Now that I'm thinking about it, I think there are signs in Brooklyn, on the westbound approach, that tell you not to take pictures on the bridge. Oops.

February 13th, 2008

This is my salad. I should probably come up with some catchy name for it (cukes & crans?), because "salad" is such a general term. I chop up some baby cucumbers, throw in a handful of Marcona almonds (seasoned with olive oil and salt - mmm), crumble in some feta, and toss in some dried cranberries. Pour on some of Ayhan's dressing, give it a mix, and voila - my salad. Healthy, crunchy, salty/tangy/sweet, and altogether yummy.



Seems I've gotten my sister hooked on it... and even little Evan digs in when he has a chance (though he likes it better on top of baby spinach leaves; he spits out the cukes). I did good!

February 12th, 2008

Had Indian for lunch in Rockville Centre, and I paid closer attention than usual to the church that abuts the parking lot behind Tandoori Grill. It's cute - little white church, grey tiled roof, some red brick for good measure... quaint. But what really got me was the name... The Vineyard Church, complete with a bunch of purple grapes on the sign. Had to laugh. :)

February 11th, 2008

Here's one of my recent addictions: Trader Joe's Sea Salt Brownie Petites. Brownies sprinkled with just a pinch of yummy sea salt, which makes a better balance with the richness of the chocolate than you might expect. They are little bites of chewy chocolate heaven. Oh lord, these things are good.

February 10th, 2008

This is the primary textbook I'm working with at CSI. Weighs about 2000 lbs. I don't remember textbooks being this heavy when I was an undergrad. Maybe I've just blanked it from my mind...

February 9th, 2008

Toys R Us with a toddler. Oh, that's an experience. About the only time Evan stopped moving for more than a moment was when we set him down on the dalmatian's back. Of course, then he didn't want to move at all... even when it was time to leave! And this was with a crowd of five adults trying to corral him. I can see why it takes Staci hours to make a "simple" trip to the store!

February 8th, 2008

I spend my Tuesdays and part of Friday trying to keep an eye on the time with this clock. That hour hand does actually work, but it doesn't narrow things down all that much. Helpful, no?

February 7th, 2008

One class a week, I teach in this lab - it's across campus from my usual classrooms, and it's aboveground. It's a lot brighter and more cheerful than the basement I'm in most of the time!

February 6th, 2008

61 degrees before noon. Not your typical February temps...


Who says global warming doesn't exist?

February 5th, 2008

This is (some of) what I carry to work every day. That pile of papers keeps getting bigger and bigger (even though I grade 'em and hand 'em back).


Meanwhile, it was Super Tuesday, and I spent the day blissfully ignorant of the wider world, isolated in my computer lab from 8am 'til nearly 10pm. The results came trickling in as I finally drove home. Sounds like the Dems still have a battle on their hands for their nomination, with Clinton and Obama holding their own, while McCain's the GOP's frontrunner now. Interesting...

February 4th, 2008

Living where we do, I find stray cats to be a necessity - with the reeds/waterline just past the house, we'd have mice in our laps if cats didn't have them as snacks. We recognize our locals on sight. There's a particularly fuzzy grey, a tabby-stripe, another grey with a smoother coat, a patchy cat, and a few others that patrol nearby. Seeing a stray cat strut down the street, tail high in the air, isn't unusual at all.



Seeing cats cuddle up to a car is. I dunno, maybe this happens all the time, and I've just missed it all along. But as I walked up the steps to our front door, I noticed the patchy cat strolling along our neighbor's driveway. He pressed his face against the front fender of the car as if in greeting, then hopped up and settled down. He was still there when I came back out with the camera, and his tiger-stripe friend had joined him. This one crossed the street, rubbed his face against the rear of the car, and began circling on the far side. He came around to the front, did a little more car-cuddling by the bumper, and proceeded to repeatedly rub up against the wheels as well before stalking away.

Maybe they itched. Maybe they were trying to mark their territory with their scent. I don't know. All I can say is that to me, it looked like they were seeking some love and affection... from a car.

Who knows what goes on in the mind of a cat?

February 3rd, 2008

Super Bowl XLII - the unbeaten New England Patriots vs. the barely-made-it New York Giants. Last I heard, the point spread was 12 in favor of the Pats. The Giants were expected to show up and get bulldozed by the Patriots' Tom-Brady-led offense.

Didn't happen.

Instead, the game remained very close, and low-scoring on both sides. The Giants' D laid the smack down on the Pats' offense, and the Pats' D allowed little room to maneuver, on their part. With just over a minute remaining, Eli Manning truly took charge of the Giants' offense and did the best work of his NFL career. Including a near-miraculous sack-evasion, followed by an awesome throw and even more impressive catch by David Tyree, and then, three plays later, a touchdown to Plaxico Burress. The winning touchdown.

Say what?

Yes, boys and girls, the Giants won the Super Bowl, defeating the heavily-favored, previously undefeated Patriots!

It wasn't supposed to happen that way... but being a New Yorker, I'll take it! :)



So what's with the girls in the ocean, you ask? Well, Super Bowl Sunday's when the Long Beach Polar Bears do their thing. It was a warm day (for February), mid-40's, sunny, comfortable enough, so we decided to mosey on over to Long Beach ourselves and watch the polar bears take their plunge. Lots of spectators, lots of kids, even. It took us a while to make it all the way down to the waterline, so we missed the mass splash, but we saw plenty of latecomers enter a few at a time, and of course, some people who went in again and again. These two went in and immediately turned to come out.

I just wish I could capture the *sound* of a scream with my camera..... :)

February 2nd, 2008

Looks like our local seagulls have begun clamming again.


The gulls scoop up clamshells from the shallow bank just beyond our street. Then they fly up over the road and release the shells, breaking them open on the asphalt below. They greedily suck down the meat and clam juices, then fly off to repeat the process. Clever birds.

Meanwhile, our tires crunch over broken shell-bits as we drive down the street. I wouldn't walk into the street barefoot. Ow.

February 1st, 2008

Left a few minutes later than usual this morning. I don't really need to rush in on Fridays, as my first class is in the afternoon, but I still head in plenty early to set myself up for the day, check in at the department office, etc. So I was awake and fully dressed when the sun began to rise behind the night's clouds, bringing truly marvelous colors into the sky. I'm not normally one to watch the sunrise (I'd rather be sleeping), but since I was seeing this one by default, I figured I'd use my camera to capture some of the vibrant colors. Ten minutes after I ran out into the cold to aim my lens past the houses across the street, the sky was leaden grey; it remained dark, dingy, rainy and windy even, the rest of the day. I was glad I could hold this splash of color inside.

January 31st, 2008

Now, this may violate the letter of the photo-a-day law, but it keeps within the spirit, I think. I've been wanting to play with this photo mosaic idea since I saw Ali Edwards do one ages ago, and I finally have. These are all the pictures I've used on this blog so far in 2008:


Got a wee bit emotional today. Okay, more than a wee bit. My friend Mike, who agreed to write me a letter of recommendation for CSI, called me up and read me what he'd written, to make sure it was "OK." OK? It nearly made me cry! It was an absolutely glowing recommendation, full of the way he perceived my efforts with students at 364. He said that I inspire him to interact with the kids the way that I did. Wow. I figured a recommendation letter would run through a few stock phrases about my hard work and good rapport with students... I didn't know *anyone* had such a high opinion of me!

January 30th, 2008

Another Evan Wednesday - yay! :) Kept Staci and Evan company on a field trip to Trader Joe's (fast becoming a tradition) and then the foot doc. Staci's toe looked awful. Ow. Evan needed some distraction after Staci was taken away for x-rays (he went ballistic), so I was kneeling down, pointing the camera around the exam room and letting him push the buttons. Got this cute picture of his face... but his fingerprints didn't photograph nearly as well.

January 29th, 2008

Did I mention I got to play with a really cool overhead-projector unit now that I'm a professor? I can demonstrate each step along the way. I press a single button (built into the wall) and everything on my desktop projects up to the front of the room. I can pull down the screen to make it easier to read, but I tend to give a lot of notes, which I jot down on the dry-erase board up front, so I do my lecture/notes first and follow up with the step-by-step demonstration and explanation. Not too shabby!

January 28th, 2008

Nothin'. Bupkis. Zip. Zilch. Nada. That's what's left when we make ourselves a Pastosa-crust pizza...

January 27th, 2008

Sometimes, you need to take a step back from reality and escape for a bit. Staci and I did just that with a massage at Joseph Christopher's. She left Brad to entertain Evan for the day and drove out here and we decided to share a little sisterly pampering. This is what we looked like beforehand: enthusiastic, eager...


Afterwards, we didn't take a picture; we were too close to comatose to get the camera, or even our eyes, in focus. *drool* *drool* Want a little taste of heaven? Go get a massage.

January 26th, 2008

Went to one of the absolute coolest stores in the world, the Penzey's Spices store out on Route 110. Walked around smelling everything; YUM! They had this big box of cardamom just sitting there, giving off that sweet, pungent cardamom-y smell. My sinuses were so clogged, I wanted to just stick my head right in among the pods and simply breathe.


Mmmmmm...