Ah, what a week. Getting back into the swing of things after my brain-lapse last week! My pile of projects-to-grade is down by two thirds. Today is sunny, and fully, freshly spring. Trees are blooming all over the place, and wind is brisk, but not bone-chilling. And I'm smiling. (I hope you are, too!)
Here's what I'm grateful for today:
1. This song has been my jam all day--perfect for a sunny day in the city--and I'm grateful for that.
2. I'm grateful for poetry. Most especially (today) the poetry of this sweet-hipster-looking-dude, Ezra Pound. For example:
Love thou thy dream
All base love scorning,
Love thou the wind
And here take warning
That dreams alone can truly be,
For 'tis in dream I come to thee.
3. I'm grateful that I get to hang out with my friend, Jamica, tonight! (and we're going here, which looks like a really cool pub with delicious sounding food-yay!)
4. I'm grateful for this dancing polar bear, that brought an instant smile to my face:)(and this amazing article, which made me laugh out loud!)
5. And, last but certainly not least, I'm grateful for napping. Since it is the weekend (and a holiday at that), I am looking forward to doing some major napping--before, and hopefully after, a lovely family dinner.
Today is the last day of school before spring break at my university. I am thrilled that we will have this time off, since for the past couple of months I've been working through the weekends, grading papers and checking homework. I found this great reminder about how to make the most of time off, and it seemed only appropriate to post it, you know, to ring in spring break.
I noticed lots of fun things around the blogosphere this weekend, but our time was so jam-packed--with good things, family hangout times...and grading (for me)--I just never sat still long enough to post about them! So, here is roundup of some cool finds from the past few days:
Ah, Friday. A sacred day for many. Today the hubs and I both magically have the day off, and we've spent it gloriously reading, eating eggs and toast, doing laundry and walking to the library. And drinking coffee. Check out this funny (and informative!) video on the subject:
Pret-A-Voyager is presenting a series featuring all the different androissments of Paris. Don't these photos of the 5th make you just want to hop on a plane?
This weekend, I'll be attending a friend's bridal shower, a fun dinner at a new restaurant, and perhaps the hubs and I will check out the hot-air balloon fest. What are you up to this weekend? Whatever it is, I hope it's fun and relaxing!
For Father's Day, we had a fun-filled weekend celebrating with both of our dads. That is one of the coolest things about living near family--you get to be around for all the days, the every-day-days and the fun, special ones, too.
Saturday, we took my father-in-law to a great brew pub in Ann Arbor, the Jolly Pumpkin.
We got a sampler of some really interesting beers, including a gluten free IPA and a brew made with spinach! The spinach beer was, indeed, very green. But cold, it turned out to be thick, and slightly sweet.
I tried the Hibmajishtee--a wheat beer with hibiscus. It tasted so crisp and clean, like tea and beer combined. All-in-all, it was a leisurely, lovely meal. Afterwards, we took a walk around Ann Arbor. My brother-in-law, who graduated from U of M, took us to the law quad...
...it was really pretty and oldy-worldly. I felt like I was back in Oxford. We got to peek inside the Law Library as well. So cool!
Sunday we hung out with my dad. We sat on the deck, noshing on olives and a new wine my mom got to try. The weather was PER-fect. Everything was just easy, relaxing. We barbecued steaks and the hubs and the brother-in-law played chess.
My dad and I have a special relationship. He's my mentor, my hero, and a goofy antagonist (stop tying my socks in knots, already!!). We can talk about almost anything, and we share a lot of interests.
Dancing on my wedding day.
Goofing off together.
Chatting at Jake's autumn exhibition.
A big classical music buff, my dad got me into Fantasia when I was little. So, for Father's Day, I got him special Fantasia blu-ray pack from us. Evening's entertainment? Covered.
I loved the piece with the whales, set to "the Pines of Rome" by Respighi. Sooo magical. (though the hubs was a bit disappointed that they weren't "space whales" after all.)
We all agreed that the "Rhapsody in Blue" animation was friggin' cool. Plus, the narrative was complex and sweet.
But, I think my favorite was the Carnival of the Animals--a quirky, short, and funny bit that supposedly answers the question, "What happens when you give a yo-yo to a flock of flamingoes?" Fabulousness, that's what.
What a great, sunshiny day today! Spring is coming. It has to, or so help me...
My saturday is shaping up beautifully, if I do say so. Here's a little snapshot:
This illustration by Chris Silas Neal caught my eye and led me to this funny, sharp essay by poetry critic David Orr.
I may have found a new blog addiction: pretavoyager. This entry snared me with two things that I can't get enough of--travel and journals. Fantastique!
Since we've decided to stay in the mitten this summer, I've been researching funtivities, because I'm obsessed with planning, mostly. But I'm learning lots about local parks and destinations. For instance, I'm thinking we definitely need a permit for Kensington Metropark. It's so close to us! We could hike and bike ride all summer long. Sigh, summer...is it here yet?
I'd better get going on my grocery shopping. Tonight, we're having a little double-date fiesta with my sister and her hubs. Jake and I love hanging out with them! I think I'm going to make these carnitas.
What are you up to this weekend? Hope whatever it is, it's relaxing and delicious!
