drop your cheezburger and run

books read in august

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Words, Words, Words by David Crystal
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Daisy Miller by Henry James
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

movies watched in august

The Boondock Saints
Brick
An Inconvenient Truth
New York Doll
Peculiarities
Snakes on a Plane
Word Play
(parts of three Woody Allen movies - most of Annie Hall, half of Sleeper, mostly slept through Stardust Memories)

metros

How many metros have you been on?

RTD is the system in and around Denver. When I was in elementary there was one school year when I would ride the bus, an RTD bus, to school, maybe not every day, but fairly often. It was only a nickel for school children. I remember once riding the bus with my mom to Metro State and spending the day on campus with her. There is no underground, so I'm not sure why RTD is on this list.

Between my junior and senior years of high school I went to Germany with a group from my school. We spent three days in Berlin. (We were also in Munich and rode the metro there, but I couldn't find Munich on the list.)

I spent a summer in Vienna on a study abroad. I rode the U-Bahn every day. I took the S-Bahn to church. Some of us took a trip to Prague on a long weekend. The cars in the Prague metro looked like tin cans. They were definitely from the Soviet era.

I served an LDS mission in Poland. I never lived in Warsaw, but I spent some time there. There is a Polish musical called "Metro" that I saw.

I taught English in China. I was in Tianjin, but I spent a week in Beijing before I came home.

Last summer I passed through London on the way to Iceland and Poland. I didn't get to see very much beyond public transportation and the motel.

books read in july

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

movies watched in july

Brick
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Finding Neverland
Foul Play
Kung Fu Hustle
LA Confidential
Mission Impossible III
The Office (BBC), The Complete First and Second Series
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Romancing the Bride
Spice World

books read in june

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin
A House Like a Lotus by Madeleine L'Engle
Kristy and the Baby Parade by Ann M. Martin
A Man without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
Mother Tongue by Roger Williams

movies watched in june

Art School Confidential
Cote d'Azur
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Mallrats
Nacho Libre
A Prairie Home Companion
The Shining
Sky High
Sleepy Hollow
Underworld: Evolution
three local short films including Bonjour Danny Bonjour

job update

I never did write that I finally did call the agency in Alaska. They told me an offer had been made to another candidate, but I was still on the list of alternates. Yesterday (I think it was yesterday) a letter arrived from them saying the candidate had accepted it. I was disappointed at first after I called but now I think it may be better this way.

Today I heard back from the institute in New York City, and they said they already filled the position but they would like to keep my resume on file. And I heard from a local public library today too. It was almost two months ago when I turned in an application and I assumed since I never heard from them that they weren't interested. But they've sent me a questionnaire to fill out and return, and then I guess they'll decide on interviews based on those answers.

I also found a couple positions in Salt Lake City I'm going to apply for, and one more in New York City. And maybe some others in other parts of the country. But I'm not so sure. Like Kansas? No offense to anyone from there. I haven't heard back from CU. I think I would've liked that because it's near where I grew up and I have a brother and a sister in the area.

books read in may

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Mormon Enigma by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk