Catch-up and link-farming

This is Walaka Hopsack, coming to you live from the Wallingford Tully's with this round-up of tit-bits and whatnot.

Teaching is winding down, blah-blah-blah. Oddly enough, I have no end-of-quarter crush this year; I have spaced out the assignments better and the final responding / grading / posting process is actually pretty light. I had the pleasure of lunching with O on Tuesday and having a little mutual work session at 3PB-R - it was an excellent diversion, and I got some papers done. Wednesday was the last day of the quarter at Cascadia and Antioch - it's all over but the shouting.

Other work-related stuff: the bad news is that even though my full-time contract doesn't start until September 14, I am required to attend some training and orientation sessions beginning September 6, so my "vacation" after summer quarter will be negligible. The good news is that since it is all pre-contract, I will get paid the community service rate ($34/hr) for all the sessions.

We did squeeze in a viewing of The Life and Death of Peter Sellers on Tuesday night. It was an interestingly-made biopic, but Sellers actually became a less sympathetic character as he moved through life - or at least through this movie - and there never seemed to be a point of redemption or enlightenment to cap off the narrative. John Lithgow turns in a bravura performance as Blake Edwards, and Emily Watson, who I had never heard of two weeks ago, and who I have now seen in three consecutive movies, was as enigmatically appealing as ever as the first Mrs. Sellers.

Otis is still feeling her cold - it has hit her harder than it did me. She was feeling so poorly that she ac canceled some appointments because of it; she did not, however, cancel Wednesday night out at the Tractor Tavern with Dingo, Johnbai, O and Soapy to celebrate Soapy's Birthday and to watch / listen to The Handsome Family (highly recommended by Dingo and Johnbai) and Rosyvelt (fronted by a pal of Johnbai and Soapy) and The Maldives (um, completely unknown to us). It was a swell, multivalent evening: we celebrated Soapy, we hung with pals, we heard good music, and we helped raise money for a good cause though Noise for the Needy. I have to admit that we didn't make it to the end of the show; Otis and I left shortly before midnight, but not because we weren't having a good time.
Today's highlight was huge grocery shopping, which we haven't done in weeks and weeks, after which we had leftovers for dinner, feeling all kinds of frugal. Otis even put together a menu for the week, not that we'll be any competition for the Full Belly project:

Le Menu d'Otis

L’Italian Vegetariana
You’ll never return to cow flesh again with Walaka’s savory tomato“veatball” ragu! Served on a tangled bed of whole-wheat linguini noodles. Enjoy a crisp garden salad with fresh tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers, and a rustic vegetarian antipasto.

Down-to-Earth Split Pea Soup
Yellow split peas, russet potatoes, and carrots form the hearty base for this robust and creamy vegan soup. This soup is accompanied by an anchovy-free Caesar salad with home-style garlic-pepper croûtons.

“I’m So Sari” Supreme
Make up with your sweetheart with this semi-spicy northern-style chana masala made with the finest chickpeas, potatoes, and Indian spices. Served with herbed basmati rice and a side of sautéed peppery green beans and slivered almonds.

Middle Eastern Picnic
Take your falafel on the road with this summertime meal! Fill your whole-wheat pita pockets with savory falafel patties, sweet Vidalia onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes for a healthy sandwich in a flash. A side of cool quinoa salad with fresh cucumber and tomato provides a tasty flourish to your picnic.

Auntie Otie’s Peanutty Asian Bowlies
Pearly brown rice, steamed to perfection, serves as the base for these Asian peanutty bowls. Stir-fried tofu, carrots, pea pods, ginger, and secret spices are drizzled with Auntie Otie’s award-winning peanut sauce. Served with supple vegetarian pot stickers and soy-sesame dipping sauce.

Finger-Lickin’ Dogs
Vegetarian hot-dog-stand-style frankfurters are served with organic, humanely-treated tomato catsup and caramelized onion topping. Served with Boston-style vegetarian baked beans and Rising Sun Farms yellow corn on the cob. Kosher dill pickles garnish this finger lickin' meal.

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Now, some links:

I think this little French stop-action animation is just captivating.

Maybe if I followed these butterfly color schemes for my blog, I wouldn't get complaints. Dingo should use one when she re-activates Myrna. (I'm partial to the Mr. Green.)

Okay, I have only seen six of these movies - how about you?

For his birthday, I would like to get Soapy a turn on this, because someone has clearly seen into his soul.

For Yojimbo: It was 32 years ago today.

Still on vacation?

Wow, it's still a bit slow around here. I've been sleeping in until about eight each morning - I can't seem to convince myself that spring break is over and the quarter has actually started. I have finally finished the last of my beach books, and maybe since we're out of weekdays and into the weekend I'll be able to shift my attitude. I have a little bit of homework to do, but there are no papers to grade yet, so it's all under control anyway.

We wound up not going to the theatre last night. Otis has come down with sort of head cold type thing and was deep into a healing nap right up to curtain time, and I let her sleep. We had some soup for dinner and watched Bend It Like Beckham before heading to bed. (It was not as profound a movie as I had been led to believe, but it was a lot of fun.)

For Neds and Wheylona: Here are some driving directions home; check out step 40.

Mostly for Otis: This video is almost too cute:

Humpday dumpday

So, didja make into work with all the snow?! Was class cancelled, hunh!?

Urm, never mind.

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Dingo is feeling under the weather. Send her telepathic chicken soup!

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So, I was in Tully's this afternoon, waiting for my hot cocoa, and a lady who was creaming her coffee looked at me and said, "Hey, I like your Utilicute!" Best Freudian slip I've received in a long time.*

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Otis didn't know the digital camera was set on video, so we have this wonderful cinema verite, made when she was trying to take a picture of the cat. If you look quickly, you can see Mountie in his outside house, Otis, our hot-chili-lights, and what passed for snow today.

*You know what a Freudian slip is, right? It's when you say one thing when you mean your mother.

Grunt

Man, it's hard getting back into gear this quarter. I guess I needed a break that was either longer or shorter than it was. I need to figure out my transportation issues, too - this splitshift stuff is going to be (more of) a pain otherwise. Ah, well.

Hey, check this out:



According to the original YouTuber, it is a "four and a half minute compilation of every Ray Harryhausen animated creature in feature films, presented in chronological order." Here's a website that will let you confirm that for yourself!