An all time favorite movie.

Ghostbusters.

I also love Ghostbusters II and both were on the tube today.

Are you gearing up for Halloween too?

With my commute and teaching I haven't gotten our place too spooky but we did do our pumpkin last week and we will do another this week too.

xoxo, natty♥

A light Friday evening.

I wrapped up working at the school I've been at since January. 
It was hard to say <> to the students.

Then we decided to watch the documentary "Which Way Home" through which I cried. Honestly, I cried pretty consistently through most of it. It's about two young boys who are trying to travel from Honduras to the U.S. on the top of trains {certain former coworkers of mine might recognize the story from "Enrique's Journey"}. It's gut wrenching to watch but something that both Mikey and I are interested in and an issue near and dear to us.

So, it's been a heavy day.

But it's the weekend and there's a corned beef in our fridge waiting to be cooked.

Friends to visit with.

Miles to run {through the rain}.

A dog to be roughhoused.

And I'm grateful for it all.
xoxo, natty ♥

Denied.

After a thwarted attempt to see the Django movie we walked home and settled for another Tarantino movie {Jackie Brown}. Now I'm trying to recover from the violence {even in his older movies!} and get ready for bed.
Happy weekend!
xoxo, natty ♥

Rich!

 

xoxo, natty ♥

The cinema.

Making use of my summer days this week and last, my grandmother and aunt and I have been doing things during the day. That wasn't a very engaging statement, I realize, but it sure as heck means something to a teacher at the beginning of her vacation!

I am also searching for jobs in the D.C. area and trying to pack while planning for the summer school class I teach starting next week. Some vacation.

Part of my preferred daytime regimen is going to see a movie and we did just that last week AND today! Now, I am fully aware that my 101 in 1,001 endeavor is not enjoying any time in the spotlight but I assure it's on my radar and that an update will make an appearance soon but I am recording here and now that so far in June I've seen two films thus getting me caught up on my one movie a month goal.

Last week it was the marigold hotel movie. I'm blogging from a parking lot while waiting on someone right now and couldn't possibly switch over to the internet to look up the proper title so I'll leave it as that but can tell you that it was a very uplifting 90 minutes {give or take a few}.

An aside : can I get carsick from being in a parked car on the side of the road? I'm in the cell phone lot which is up against the main throughway to get into the airport and I am feeling Woozy sitting and typing away on my phone. Maybe it's the cars whirring past so now I've adjusted myself to not have to see them.

Moving on.

Today we saw "Bernie"; that's an easy enough title for me! It's a totally dark movie but very good and also, as I found out at the end, based on a true story and many people seen are not actors but real folk from the story.

I am so grateful for these days and will certainly have to adjust if I end up in a job other than teaching later this summer {which is what it's shaping up to be...eeeeek} and don't get this glorious vacation schedule. But a job, any job, is a Good Thing.

What do you do when you have time off in the city where you live? Do you love catching a matinee too?

At the drive-in.

Last night Mike and I {& the dog!} loaded up the car, grabbed some take-out and headed to the drive-in to catch the Hangover part deux. I had a blast. For those of you in the area, this is such a good deal! Normally it's like $6/adult but on Tuesdays it's less than $5. They tell you the radio station to tune-into {there's no shell like in the Flintstones :(} and which screen to go to. There actually is a lobby/snack area, but you can bring what ever you want in your car, so we had burritos! We backed in the car and opened the trunk {we have an suv thing} and settled into the couch cushions we brought {class, all the way}; it was fabulous and a great way to spend a hot night.

In line waiting to get in.

Screens waiting for darker skies.

The movie was as it should be, raunchy and laugh-worthy, and the chocolate chip cookies I stashed in the back were delicious too.
Some randomness, Wednesday style:
• Today I'm taking a running day off, I do one a week {at least!} so hopefully I can get other stuff done. 
• The kitchen continues it's transformation, though it will be at least a week until we can get back in there and stop eating out. I guess we could be really creative about grilling and rinsing stuff off in the bathroom sink (or the shower like Cosmo Kramer), but with the heat and everything piled under tarps and not where it normally is, it's just hard.
• I think my aunt and I may go to the mall today, sweet suburban comfort.
Happy middle of the week!
xoxo, natty ♥

Summer Solstice.

Happy longest day of the year, y'all! This is the greatest day of the year, I think, along with a few others (my birthday!our to-be wedding day!), because there is the most light and it's (usually) warm- a perfect combinatino in my eyes☺(how did I EVER survive at college in the arctic tundra?).
What are you doing/did you do to celebrate this day? I ran early, again, which is a feat in mine eyes. I'm not normally a morning runner, which is ironic since all races are in the morning! If I have the luxury of a morning with no schedule, I like to enjoy my coffee and the paper and maybe some reading then I can get in a run at my leisure. Despite loving the heat, I don't love running in it so I try to be responsible on these days and I was succesful again today- yea me! It's supposed to cool-it a bit so maybe my mornings will go back to relaxed, but I realized, as I do whenever I run before my day starts, that I actually like it this way, being able to do anything I need/want to in the day and not have to worry about getting in those miles.
I also ordered our wedding invitations; it's for real now! Though I said that when we ordered the save-the-dates too...now it's more real ♥.
I ate a Trader Joe's cold lunch (southwest salad with sonoma style chicken salad and pita chips...and an apple!) and have been watching an SVU marathon; what is up with these tv marathons on during the week? Don't people work?
I'm going to go splash around some more and go on a date with my sweetie; the video is a clue to what we're doing, you'll have to read tomorrow to find out what we did! A great official kick-off to verano (that means "summer")!

I hope you're enjoying the season too!
xoxo, natty ♥

wowzas!

Oh my, have I been remiss. I apparently decided to take off of blogging for about a month, unbeknownst to me. The school year hit me like a tidal wave that is still cresting, but it’s been great. My classes are good and I felt as though I was able to go into the school year with a good handle on planning, etc. I started some part time coaching soon into the school year which promptly zapped any free time that I had enjoyed, but that’s been good too.

We ended up having a great time in Chicago/Milwaukee. It was great to have time with my good friend and then M and I had an amazing time with our college friends.

I spent the last week or so of summer vacation buying pretty things for my classroom (pretty fabric to cover my corkboard, bright marker colors, etc.) and attending back to school meetings. My beginning of the year field trips went well (¡Gracias a Diós!) as was Back to School Night. The team and I and some faithful parents trekked up to Tahoe two weeks ago for an invitational meet and even though I was “working”, it was super nice to in Tahoe, if even for about a day.

I JUST saw a movie ad for “Secretariat” (I’m watching a USA marathon of Law & Order SVU since M s visiting his folks this weekend) and have decided that I MUST see it. I also want to see “The Social Network”. M and I have been subsisting on “Mad Men” (we’re on season three) and “Weeds” (Season two…old, I know, get over it) since we decided not to get cable whilst cohabitating with the Memaw so I’ve seen hardly any commercials so I have ni idea on what movies are out there. Have you seen any movies recently? Are there any that you want to see?

Speaking of things to see, I’ve been on a nasty book hiatus and I want it to STOP. I re-read “She’s Come Undone” by Wally Lamb as my last book. It is such a disturbing novel but has a beautiful story of redemption and I have read it several times. I keep meaning to start “Dead Until Dark” by Charlane Harris (it’s what “True Blood” is based on) so hopefully soon ☺

The weather has been crazy-dazy recently and we had a major heat wave this week. It’s since cooled down a bit and the days are beautiful and autumnal. Our street is lined with giant sycamore trees and the only downfall is the obscene amount of leaves that rain upon us every day. Amongst this picturesque backdrop my cousin J and my friend C ran the San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon this morning. It was a total blast. This was the second time that I’ve done it (last year with M and his fam = so much fun ♥) I love this race and there’s so much energy with bands at every mile and tons of people cheering. I wasn’t going to do it but my friend asked me and I figured that it would be a good tune-up before my big day!

Anyway, this was a great day and I’m really looking forward to M coming home tomorrow. I still have some grading left to do tonight (pooh-pooh) as well as major laundry, but I’m full and happy from my yummy dinner (home-made Greek quiche and copycats of two salads thanks to my friend C!) and the days have been beautiful so I guess I’ll be “ok”.

Hopefully I’ll be back sooner than last time! Happy beginning to your week ☺

 

PS

A good family friend died last week unexpectedly and we’re attending his memorial service tomorrow; please think positive thoughts.