Watching: CHILDREN OF MEN and the entire first season of LOST. Well, actually I had already seen the first pilot episodes. But Mike hadn't. We managed to make it through the entire season over the Holiday weekend. I'm not necessarily proud of that. But it was good to relax. CHILDREN OF MEN was O.K. Alfonso's direction was superb. The movie had a look different from what one normally sees. The story held a lot of potential, but the script just didn't work. It seemed like it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be cheesy or totally and completely serious. What a shame.
Reading: Most recently? Herodotus.
Writing: Yesterday I wrote an abstract. I also revised half of dissertation Chapter One. On the docket for today: Dissertation - Chapter Two. Maybe a cover letter as well.
Blooming: Irises! In purple, yellow and lavender. Japanese lavender bush. Hydrangea. And I purchased my favorite kind of annual: Double Impatients.
Aside from watching tv serial drama this weekend, I worked on preparing the carport for a layer of paint. I have to say, of all the things to paint, the carport ceiling is simply the most disgusting. It has to be cleaned off (an impossibility, really) and some parts of it have to be scraped. Plus, I'm not overly convinced that I'm going to get that feeling of satisfaction when I stand back and it's done. I mean, it's a carport for god's sake. I also worked on the yard a bit and found out an interesting fact. Did you know that bumblebees nest in the dirt? Yes, indeed they do. Lys and I were digging a place to put in some edging, and surprise, surprise, we dug up a bees' nest. Now you may think that a bees' nest has an obvious look to it. Well, you would be wrong. These bees don't make a nest. They just burrow into the dirt. Unfortunately, this resulted in Lys getting stung. So take heed! If your digging, and you suddenly see bees, run away. Stop digging! They'll come after you.

I forgot to mention that I discovered yet ANOTHER reason why Ben & Jerry's is a fabulous company. You can go on their website, put in a flavor, put in your zip code, and it will tell you which stores around you have recently sold your flavor. Apparently, Americone Dream is waiting for me at the Shoprite by my gym. Of course, I had already looked there once. But now that I know that they sometimes get it in and probably run out of it immediately, I will look with more fervor.

Watching: LOST. And the answer is...I couldn't wait. I have to say there were parts when I was on the exercise bike (I did one hour orbiter and one hour exercise bike) when I drew my hands up to my chest in horror. Thankfully, there were only a couple people at the gym and none of them were near me.
Listening: Right now I'm listening to the soundtrack that plays on the Lost, Season One DVD menu (I'm renting the seasons I haven't seen). Unlike most repeating DVD menus, this one is quite calming as it is simply the ocean.
Reading: Deleuze and Guattari. Anti-Oedipus. Again. Because I'm writing about it. But I've moved onto a new section. Yay!
Writing: My dissertation - Chapter Two.
Blooming: Still the Lavender, Bleeding Heart, that one Hydrangea, and the Azaleas (sort of). I read about where Azaleas should be planted and I don't really have a space like that, unless I place them in the middle of the yard -- which would just be weird. They grow and bloom ideally under a tree that covers them just enough so that when the wind blows, they get full sun.

Where oh where can I get a carton of Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream?

So, as you may know, I have returned from Greece. What you probably do not know is that I returned in the midst of a storm with tornado like winds. While Mike and I were riding the train back to Croton-Harmon station, we looked outside the window to find a strangely colored sky and a dark gray -- almost black -- Hudson River. When we got off the train, it was raining terribly hard and we quickly entered a cab. The cabbie then told us that the winds were so high that his car was rocking back and forth. As we headed down the road, we found ourselves trapped. There were trees down everywhere. After 50 minutes, we finally got home -- but only because the cabbie was extremely resourceful in terms of finding roads that I had no idea existed. Keep in mind that I travel to Croton everyday to go to the gym. The train station is 15 minutes away usually. I was really thankful that the winds didn't hit our street. Hunterbrook is a forest filled street, and there are many tall and beautiful trees surrounding the house. Thankfully, none of them were down. When I returned, I was glad to see my gladiolus shooting up from the ground with determination. And one of my Stella d'Oro day lilies, planted in a container, is starting to peek out and say hello. Inside, I found my little greenhouse of impatients happily waiting for me. The will need about two more weeks of inside growth before they can go outside. In addition to these delights, my lilac and one of my hydrangeas are blooming. I need to go out on a sunny day and document this delight. Perhaps I will continue to blog in the Lisa Renzi format: Reading, watching, listening, and I'll add: blooming.
Reading: While I was in Greece, I read Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle" and "Breakfast of Champions." I enjoyed "Cat's Cradle" more because it mentions Cornell and Ithaca (called Ilium in the book). Actually, I enjoyed it more for other reasons as well, but I'm not really sure what they are.
Watching: I too am watching Lost. Actually, I'm not just watching it. I'm obsessed. I started getting into it this year when I was directing at Cornell and my friend Anne pointed out that ABC puts their shows online. Back then, I was watching Lost, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's Anatomy. But that was back when I needed some things to calm me down. Now I find Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty trite. Grey's Anatomy is still good -- though I know I'm somewhat taken by "bad TV" when watching that. Lost, on the other had, is fabulous. I was going to say "spectacular," but as fabulous as it is, it is nowhere near The Sopranos, which must be the TV show of the decade. Admittedly, I haven't seen all episodes of Lost. So you could argue that I shouldn's judge early. But really -- no one can match the acting performances in the Sopranos. Period. So the real question is, will I be able to wait until ABC puts the season finale of Lost online? Or will I have to go to the gym and work out for two hours in order to watch it? Only time will tell...
Listening: Mostly, I listen to hip hop stations and NPR. Unfortunately, I only heard part of "This American Life" this week and part of the news. I have to make more of an effort to listen to NPR. It's an assignment I'm giving myself in preparation for applying for jobs. Small talk during interviews is important, and I plan to use NPR stories as my way in.
Writing (just added this spontaneously): An abstract for ASTR, cover letters for adjunct jobs, and tomorrow: Dissertation Chapter 2.
Blooming: As I've already mentioned, lilac and one hydrangea. The bleeding heart plants are still blooming as well. I have many azaleas all blooming slightly, but none to the point that they should be. I guess I will have to try some acid fertilizer, and remember to put that in next year.

Finally, you may wonder why this entry is not about Greece. Well, I poured my heart out on Greece in my descriptions for the photos I've sent to people through Kodak Gallery. If I haven't sent you an invitation to view my photos, e-mail me, or comment on this entry, and I will be sure to send you one.

So a week from today we fly to Greece. I am so excited, but I can't believe that it is already here! On Wednesday (tomorrow), I will head up to Ithaca (NY) for my last gig as dramaturg. I'm really hoping that June will be the first month all year I won't have to head up there. But there is always something...

In other news, I've been working on my garden. If it weren't for the damn weeds I'd have a lot of fun things planted by now. Well, I still have some fun things planted. For instance, I planted Gladiolus, a Hydrangea, Asiatic Lilies, Stella D'Oro day lilies, Bleeding Heart, and Astilbe. I want to move the tiger lilies from the area in front of the house (I'm going for a blue/pink/white/yellow thing in that area -- not an orange thing), but I don't know that I'll be able to determine which one's they are. I'm dying to put some phlox in, but that will have to wait until I get back. Any other blue/white/yellow suggestions?

Back to the dis.