Recap:
Just finished the audio version of Elsewhere by Gabriella Zevon. Not bad for a YA book.
Now on to City of Ember which I'll listen to in the car on the way to Ames tomorrow to see SPAMALOT.. (woo)
Saw HP5, and Transformers. Both decent shows. I think Erik made good points about Transformers...lines were a tad cheesy in some spots but the movie owns up to its own cheese factor. over all entertaining.
People have been giving mixed opinions on the HP5 movie. Personally I think it is the best in the series so far. If I had to rank them from best to worst it would go: Order, Stone, Chamber, Prisoner, Goblet
People are saying they felt the ending was rushed - I'd agree, but I think they did the least damage to the central plot and character development in this one than Goblet. I also think it has better action sequences than Stone or Chamber, which are much more expository.
Saw the UI Summer Opera: Marriage Contract by Rossini and Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial By Jury. Both were well done - and I"m not just saying that cause I'm biased by the stage manager. I really enjoyed G and S's, though i wish Rossini would have been in Italian rather than translated. But I'll never win that battle with the UI. Accessibility, etc etc...
Future:
Friday I will drive with Erik to the northwest portion of Iowa for a Saturday afternoon wedding, which will be in both Vietnamese and English. I am looking forward to it. It will actually be the first time Erik and I have stayed in a hotel room with just each other. I plan to watch LOTS of t.v. all night and annoy him (haha, really hon....)
Saturday - we'll go to the wedding, and also pick up a copy of HP7. (if you don't know what HP7 stands for skip down another paragraph anyway) I can't believe that folks digitally photographed pages, much less the WHOLE BOOK. jeesh people. DUH....as if you didn't get the idea of violating copyright to start with. Have fun in court...and paying lots of $$$ for your use of technology.
Sunday we'll travel to Okoboji Iowa for my family reunion. This year's additions include Spencer and Arden. Spencer I got to meet when Erik and I went to NYC in Dec of 06, but Arden was just born, so I haven't met her yet. I'm looking forward to having dinner with my grandmother also....and making sure Erik can draw the family tree...with ages ;) (jk)
Monday - lake time = hp7 AND French take home final (ick)
Tuesday - drive back to Ames, and then back to Iowa City.
Wed-Friday - French class/work
Friday - leave for Ames
Saturday - wedding in Ames
Sunday - come back to IC...(remember to water mom's plants)
Monday - Friday - work, and move in to new apartment..(yay)
Friday - to Ames for my central Iowa bday celebration (my first time ever at a drive-in theater!)
Saturday - work at CPL, then out for my eastern Iowa Bday celebration ---any ideas for what we should do? I'm taking requests...
Sunday - actually really move all my stuff into my new apartment and start living with new roomie.
Monday - Friday - work (Ames?)
Saturday - drive to Lisbon for another wedding. :)
Sunday - back to IC.
Monday-Friday -work..possibly see Cassi's sister play at the Mill. http://www.kelliraepowell.com
She's a red headed spitfire with a badass voice and a ukulele.
Friday evening - Sunday -- Going to BLOOMINGTON, IN to visit Rena and Christa and Julie...**
Monday -work
Tuesday - start my class in Art History Methods at the U of Iowa as a "non-degree" seeking student, because I was too lazy and burnt out on school to register and try to get in as "grad student" status again.
sept 15 - speaking of GRE test date.....any help/suggestions/comments/complains about the GRE and its testing process? vent here...:)
that pretty much sums up my busy sched.
**also motivated by the chance to eat at the Trojan Horse and Esan Thai two places that blow the I.C. ethnic food choices of these countries out of the water.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Monday, July 02, 2007
Hey Dollface, I ain't no mam, kiddo.
I was walking to French class the other day, at 8:30 in the morning. I was coming from the hospital where I work as a temp administrative assistant. I was dressed in business attire, and wore my hospital id badge around my neck as I walked. As I neared the building, Philips Hall where language classes are held, I heard a voice call out "Mam, mam,...um...mam."
I would have thought nothing of such spoken words, if it weren't for the lack of people out and about at 8:30 am near this part of campus. Still, I didn't assume the voice was addressing me. After all heading to a college level French class didn't make me suspect I was the object of such 'mam-ing'.
When the girl finally caught up with me and made a frantic gesture to get my attention, I realized she had, in fact, been expecting me to answer her.
"Do you know where the Union is?" She asked, pretty exasperated.
"Oh, " I replied. Typical freshman, I thought to myself, though I didn't notice a yellow orientation folder peaking out of her belongings. "Do you mean the IMU or the Union bar?"
After all, I am a NATIVE, not just a mam from Iowa City, I know the difference between the two. I've spent time in both places. I quickly realized, while having spent time in both places, I was an official full time undergraduate student the last time I was really in either.
"The IMU" She answered.
"Straight down this hill, it's the pentacrest. At the bottom, the IMU will be off to your right."
"Thanks"
And she bustled off in that direction.
Hah, freshman, I muttered under my breath. I came to the conclusion that this was my moment of realization that I've entered the nebulous area between "miss" and "mam". Come on ladies, you know what I'm talking about. That time when someone lumped you into the "old lady" stereotype. I was sure I was one step away from the hairnet-school-lunch-forty-cats-no-husband bracket according to this barely legal blond.
I also realized, fair is fair, and she was judging me with her "mam" as much as I was judging her with "freshman"
The people that call me mam at the library, do it out of respect for my position as an authority figure and to be polite. Since I was on my way to French class, I mussed about all of the different ways we address each other in any given day. In English, Mam or Sir, just about covers it for anyone over the age of 25 as a "safe" bet. Though be careful of calling a "miss" a "mam" too quickly. It didn't bother me after I sat through my class and ironically we were discussing the idea of "jeune filles" as young girls, "madmoieselle" and "madame". Obviously I figured "mam" originates as a shortened still polite form of madame or madmoieselle mixed together.
Southern Gentleman (to play on another stereotype) often use it, it can't be all that bad after all.
With this sudden heightened interest in what people use to address each other. I had two more interesting experiences this past week.
One of the patrons at my library - a male in his thirties (most likely but who really ever knows) finished off our transaction (me checking out his books to him) with a resounding "Thanks, dollface."
Dollface? *gasp* Isn't that like lingo from the misogynistic men of the 1950's? It caught my attention at least.
Then, at work, a co-worker addressed me with "have a good day, kiddo."
Uh?!? kiddo? So in the same week I'm a mam and a kiddo.
Go figure.
I would have thought nothing of such spoken words, if it weren't for the lack of people out and about at 8:30 am near this part of campus. Still, I didn't assume the voice was addressing me. After all heading to a college level French class didn't make me suspect I was the object of such 'mam-ing'.
When the girl finally caught up with me and made a frantic gesture to get my attention, I realized she had, in fact, been expecting me to answer her.
"Do you know where the Union is?" She asked, pretty exasperated.
"Oh, " I replied. Typical freshman, I thought to myself, though I didn't notice a yellow orientation folder peaking out of her belongings. "Do you mean the IMU or the Union bar?"
After all, I am a NATIVE, not just a mam from Iowa City, I know the difference between the two. I've spent time in both places. I quickly realized, while having spent time in both places, I was an official full time undergraduate student the last time I was really in either.
"The IMU" She answered.
"Straight down this hill, it's the pentacrest. At the bottom, the IMU will be off to your right."
"Thanks"
And she bustled off in that direction.
Hah, freshman, I muttered under my breath. I came to the conclusion that this was my moment of realization that I've entered the nebulous area between "miss" and "mam". Come on ladies, you know what I'm talking about. That time when someone lumped you into the "old lady" stereotype. I was sure I was one step away from the hairnet-school-lunch-forty-cats-no-husband bracket according to this barely legal blond.
I also realized, fair is fair, and she was judging me with her "mam" as much as I was judging her with "freshman"
The people that call me mam at the library, do it out of respect for my position as an authority figure and to be polite. Since I was on my way to French class, I mussed about all of the different ways we address each other in any given day. In English, Mam or Sir, just about covers it for anyone over the age of 25 as a "safe" bet. Though be careful of calling a "miss" a "mam" too quickly. It didn't bother me after I sat through my class and ironically we were discussing the idea of "jeune filles" as young girls, "madmoieselle" and "madame". Obviously I figured "mam" originates as a shortened still polite form of madame or madmoieselle mixed together.
Southern Gentleman (to play on another stereotype) often use it, it can't be all that bad after all.
With this sudden heightened interest in what people use to address each other. I had two more interesting experiences this past week.
One of the patrons at my library - a male in his thirties (most likely but who really ever knows) finished off our transaction (me checking out his books to him) with a resounding "Thanks, dollface."
Dollface? *gasp* Isn't that like lingo from the misogynistic men of the 1950's? It caught my attention at least.
Then, at work, a co-worker addressed me with "have a good day, kiddo."
Uh?!? kiddo? So in the same week I'm a mam and a kiddo.
Go figure.
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