Sunday, May 20, 2018

RWF has a new home!

Hi readers,

Just like Princess Charlotte, Rhymes with Fabulous has really grown up since 2015!
Check out up-to-date content at the newly launched


In related news, if anyone feels they have strong and helpful knowledge about CSS Wordpress Coding...slide on over this way! 

Picture of adorable Princess Charlotte below. Off the watch the Royal Wedding (again)

Monday, January 22, 2018

Organization

Dear readers,

Below is a short list of things in my life I desperately need to get organized:

1.  My sleep schedule. 
I don't think it still counts as jetlag two weeks after a vacation.  I've been up since 4 AM.  Help!

2.  My Spanish notebook. 
According to my (multiple) Spanish tutors, it's important to understand when to use por versus para in both conversation and writing.  Le sigh.  Que pena.

3.  My Google Drive. 
Seriously, it's like the junk drawer of my internet.  Actual file names include:

NYSED_PartD
b1_eie_t1
File_000.mov (There are actually four of these. All different files.)

4.  My water consumption. 
I like to pretend I'm a camel for days at a time and then blame debilitating dehydration headaches on possible brain tumors while I casually salt my pizza. 
If I boil pasta in water, though...that's got to count for something? (see below)

5.  My pasta consumption. 

Unrelated question:

Is it seriously only Tuesday?  Calming photo of Mallorcan Great Route 221 below.




Thursday, January 18, 2018

The Art of Thai Massage

Hi readers,

This past weekend, I went for my first Thai massage (Kenika Thai Massage for those of you who are interested).
Thai massage is fabulous!  

1.  The lady at the desk procured me a little bowl of water on a flower-covered serving tray.  The provision of water is, without a doubt, one of my favorite parts of a body treatment service. Finally, someone concerned about my hydration.  This is how dogs must feel all the time!

2.  I was led into my little Thai massage room and given pajamas!  Yes, I love spa robes.  But I don't love anything as much as I love pajamas.

3.  This adorable Thai woman came into and started crawling all over my back.  There is an element of surprise and wonder to the whole experience: "Is that her foot? Her elbow?  Can she pull my arms any further back without dislocating my shoulder?"  It promotes a vital sense of curiosity. 

4.  The massage table had a bowl of flowers underneath the space where I put my head.  (See photo)

I thought this was an especially nice touch.  Because even with all the hydration and the spider-monkey massage techniques, I find it difficult to relax if I don't have something to focus my mind on.  It turns out obsessively counting plastic flowers is a good focal point (there are 16 in that bowl, in case you're curious).

In deeper thoughts on relaxation (which I had time for while I was locked in the massage room with the nice spider-monkey-lady), I find images and easy, repetitive mental exercises help to lull my mind into a state of low-frequency thinking. I think it's why people have meditation shrines and mantras.  But anyway...

5.  The best thing about Thai massage? No oil! I was free to wonder out of the room, enjoy some sweet Thai tea, and carry on about my day without a shower (there are many activities where I consider a shower optional, but being slathering in massage oil is not one of them). 

Overall: Highly recommend!


(Disclaimer: it there is much more to the whole shrines/mantras thing, and bowls of anything in a place of relaxation are actually a big deal: check out extra information here and here).









Tuesday, January 9, 2018

New Year, New Me

Hi readers,

Happy 2018!  This year so far I have:

1.  Purchased a large pile of books in a country I don't live in (one of my favorite activities and makes packing a dream come true!  I once moved to New Zealand for 10 months and brought 1 pair of pants and 10 pounds of books with me)
2.  Seen a Rangers game (they lost)
3. Been stranded in the bomb cyclone back-up at JFK airport (I do NOT recommend this)
4. Completed (almost) my first Coursera course (I HIGHLY recommend this--very interesting!)
5. Woken up at 2 AM for three days in a row, ready to take on the world!

Unfortunately, my work day starts at 9 AM, and I find by then I'm slightly fatigued.  I'm not usually very susceptible to jet lag, but this return to Spain has been brutal.  I blame the bomb cyclone.

I get a little keyed up coming back from vacations anyway (not sure if this is just a teacher thing?) so when my eyes pop open in the middle of the night, my mind starts racing immediately:
Should I give partial credit to students who incorrectly define helicase, but understand the function of all types of DNA polymerase?  Do students need more instruction on their biomes project?  Does my SST meeting conflict with my Global Citizenship meeting?  Are the bunsen burners still on in my classroom?  When am I going to finish writing my book?  Can mold spores develop on mushrooms?  If yes, is my refrigerator a hazardous mold spore breeding ground?  Should I diversify my pod cast listening?  Is Opera really going to run for President?    
I've decided to just go with it.  Instead of laying in bed and worrying about things I should do in the morning, I've been getting up and enjoying all kids of productive activities: emails to my family, blog posts, internet research about North Korean Olympic athletes, coursera lectures, reading, deep cleaning of refrigerator drawers....
2018: Embrace the jet lag!! New Year, New (slightly tired/really good at siesta) Me!  
Winter pic from NYC below (slightly before we sank into the depths of bomb cyclone 2018).