tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55266692012-01-29T17:09:25.941-05:00If, on a winter's night a traveler outside the town of Malbork, leaning from a steep slope without fear of wind or vertigo, looks down into the gathering shadow...on the carpet of leaves illuminated by the moon around an empty grave, <strong>what story there awaits its end?</strong> -italo calvinoThea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.comBlogger2501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-9607874136222423572009-08-16T18:21:00.002-04:002009-08-16T18:26:59.383-04:00

This has been my mantra as of late. I have decided to take up again with the blogging, mostly to chronicle this uber exciting time in my life so that years down the road when I tear my ACL again, I can remind myself exactly what I’m getting into. NB: when knee surgery merits “excitement” for blogging, this is sad. Well, that’s not exactly fair. It signifies that I’m trapped in a room with a

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-45303881643106575652009-08-10T22:01:00.002-04:002009-08-16T18:28:14.924-04:00

Put Vespa in storage [check]Buy crutches, cold therapy device [check]Move [check]This past month as been full of stragegery at work, and I think that the endless drafts of management tasks and to-do lists have seeped into my personal life. Preparing for surgery is quite a lot of work, and I’ve needed a plan to keep it all managed (more or less).For some time now I’ve had a rough checklist going

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-78558456690761651422009-07-02T22:59:00.002-04:002009-07-07T22:16:21.759-04:00

I am officially over the month of June. The entire month. It can go fuck itself for all I care. We’re through. I’m looking out of my 5th floor window at sheets of rain falling from slate-grey clouds and for the first time in a few days I’m happy to be bed-ridden. Screw you, June.Here I was thinking that this year’s midway point couldn’t be nearly as bad as last year—filled as it was with near

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-83396958458191811842009-06-07T21:31:00.003-04:002009-07-07T21:53:48.410-04:00

My sister came into town on Thursday. I thought it was Friday on Wednesday, and couldn’t really tell what the date was after June 3rd, the last of the GP Junior exhibitions. When you’ve been working seven days a week, it’s hard to notice the days hat start with “s.” Starting off June with a commitment to sanity and my own well-being, I took an unprecedented two whole days off from work. [gasp].

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-69690351030842975642009-05-26T21:20:00.000-04:002009-07-06T21:20:49.791-04:00

Following the restorative mole session, I managed to drag myself to the Botanical gardens to check out the spring blooms. I missed Sakura Matsuri this year, which didn’t make me that sad since the festival is all about having people to share the cherry blossoms with, and I knew how if felt to be alone there. Some of my spring glitches still hadn’t been worked through yet.Instead of slogging

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-15251417964596891122009-05-18T00:48:00.001-04:002009-05-18T00:49:33.425-04:00

After spending several weeks trying to get the boy I like to pay attention to me, I finally got hard-core rejected. Sucks, yeah, but not a surprise. I also conveniently know how to deal with it, being well-versed in self pity.Oh, woe is me, yadda yadda, get on with it.The first thing to do, obviously, is go to the movies. Unfortunately the only movie I wanted to see last weekend was Star Trek,

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-19224833444673290762009-05-04T22:08:00.004-04:002009-05-05T01:53:00.606-04:00

My current reading material inspired a fit of literary identification on the subway that messed me up darned good. The following paragraph leaped out of Cold Mountain and slapped my normally introspective self back to its senses.All in all, she suspected that her performance had been glib. Or flinty and pinched. None of which she really wanted to be. True, those manners had their uses. They

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-56283617889695932722009-04-13T01:42:00.002-04:002009-05-05T01:47:27.889-04:00

I have long loved T.S. Eliot. As a young bookworm and self-proclaimed ailurophile I could recite passages of Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats from memory and sang along to my parents’ LP of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s spectacle of kitsch at the top of my small lungs. I even won over the judges of my middle school’s annual public speaking contest with a spirited interpretation of “Jellicle Cats.”Thus

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-25490503469385731992009-03-12T21:40:00.004-04:002009-03-18T21:33:41.657-04:00

The return of reliable high-speed internet, among other things, has somewhat diminished my desire for socialization. The characters on Lost and Friday Night Lights are so much more interesting than non-committal and/or angry people I deal with most of the day, and certainly cooler than any nonexistent romantic prospects. Relationships with actual fictional characters are easier than relationships

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-48424479435759800652009-03-02T17:52:00.003-05:002009-03-04T22:31:02.541-05:00

I wish it were true, but alas my fantastic sartorial acquisitions have had zero impact on the current state of affairs.In fact, they may or may not have brought on a blizzard, the awesome Brooklynbretta's closing (and owner moving to Vermont), my cat's rupturing rear end (with accompanying vet bills), and a series of pathetically lame and un-romantic encounters. I would be truly sad if the magic

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-16500969152413571322009-02-17T17:36:00.004-05:002009-02-17T18:46:07.751-05:00

I am more than a little disappointed by some of my fellow NYC residents' whinings on the radio over the glass and mosaic installation soon to be unveiled at the South Ferry Subway stop this spring. I know it's expensive, and the MTA is going bankrupt, but we have *really* lost our souls when we stop giving a shit about public art.My parents were in town this weekend (yay parents! yay culinary

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-41985425729410839092009-01-23T00:25:00.003-05:002009-01-23T00:35:25.467-05:00

As we all know, I've inherited some of my mother's Librarian gene, the Williamson penchant for list-making, labeling, and cataloging.In my new-found empty time with 2 of the 3 W's no longer in New York City, I have gone back to my little blog for much-needed maintenance. A tune-up, really, and adding in a bunch of South America writing that I think we all know is never going to be published in

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-30389175034933194242009-01-22T22:48:00.002-05:002009-01-23T00:33:09.556-05:00

Dear Ira and This American Life Staff,Love my letter and read it on the air.thanks so much,Thea

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-13521874474121731252009-01-17T22:17:00.002-05:002009-01-22T22:25:18.223-05:00

A short homage to This American Life, the best of all broadcast journalism.Ahem...(prep radio voice)M was one of my two friends in high school. She was the kind of friend who would sit for two hours on the floor of the children’s section of Barnes and Noble on a Saturday night, watch me cry into a tepid latte and not make judgments about my sanity. High school and I didn’t get along well.We were

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-40171075205465900352008-12-31T15:23:00.002-05:002009-01-23T00:21:13.036-05:00

That's right. Flakes are "falling" towards the clouds right now outside my office window as I contemplate plans for this New Year's Eve.I am not at all sure what this portends in terms of 2009 ...more to follow.

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-50273517810752730292008-12-30T22:39:00.000-05:002009-01-22T22:43:13.419-05:00

A couple of people have asked lately “Thea, what exactly is it that you do at Kiawah?” and I sat down to try and think about it. For approximately 20 Decembers, various members of the Williamson clan have trekked from locations across the ‘States to a small island twenty miles from Charleston, South Carolina.Why do we come here? It used to be a central meeting point, a good compromise between our

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-85768815035870515612008-12-20T17:55:00.003-05:002008-12-20T18:12:52.418-05:00

I got home today, and what to my wondering eyes should appear? Not a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer (although that would be cool), but a clean room and semi-organized garage. This is something that I have not observed in the Williamson house since some time when I was in college. Definitely pre-2002. In the hall sat my magical purple trunk. Magical, I call it, because it tends to make an

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-234068270408301302008-12-16T22:46:00.002-05:002008-12-16T23:03:56.696-05:00

Of course, I picked tonight to run errands and do last--minute Christmas shopping. The flakes that threatened all day came tumbling down on my umbrella while I tried to balance my work stuff and a load of goodies from Sahadi's. It's not the first snow of the year tonight, but nearly that. The freakishly warm weather this week is completely messing with my head. I can't believe that a week

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-7953147257731515692008-08-20T16:20:00.003-04:002008-11-26T11:38:21.003-05:00

Soccer is fun, I think we can all agree on this. But throughout my illustrious soccer career team dynamics have been a thorny issue. Soccer is the kind of sport that attracts a wide variety of personalities, which is not always a good thing. In high school, I rarely got along with more than 1 or 2 people on a team, at school and on my club team. Soccer was the sport for the "cool" girls, a group

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-653117930403952382008-06-09T21:16:00.001-04:002009-01-23T00:05:57.010-05:00

I woke up late this morning after pressing snooze no les than four times. I’ve been making a bad habit of this lately, but it’s probably related to stress at work, my home publishing project that is now mercifully finished, and my utter lack of enthusiasm about showing up early at the office. The evening before I was at a Board of Directors’ meeting at one of the member’s apartment—a quaint

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-45651310741606490982008-06-04T21:58:00.001-04:002009-02-17T18:59:57.773-05:00

May 30-June 1Last Sunday I fell asleep under twinkling fiber-optic stars in the chrome sky of a white stretch Hummer driven by a man from Staten Island named Tony. I woke up scant hours later at the Staten Island ferry terminal, having hitched a ride from Atlantic City (AC as the kids call it) after a late night of partying at a friend’s bachelorette party. A pink dawn rose over Brooklyn as I

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-19888690721480537532008-05-27T22:20:00.001-04:002008-05-27T22:22:51.632-04:00

After finishing William Warner’s magnum opus, Beautiful Swimmers, I’ve had callinectes sapidus on the brain. This is bound to happen at some point in May or June, when spring stretches lazily and turns to summertime. The appearance of blue crabs in the markets heralds the summer party season; there have been many Memorial Day picnics in my childhood filled with Old Bay and paper-covered tables

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-49960344711362968702008-05-03T20:18:00.001-04:002009-07-07T22:51:11.471-04:00

There was a lot of fluffy goodness growing this March, and my chirpy spring spirit turned more to a growl once the results of spring’s “anticipation” came in.I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival, alone. This surprises no one, as I do many things alone now: museums, movies, cultural events, neighborhood exploring. But dammit, even the scary harajuku kids dressed up as manga characters had someone

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-7579183083518497342008-04-07T00:18:00.001-04:002008-04-07T00:20:00.105-04:00

For those loyal readers of last year's odyssey (good lord, it really has been a year!), there is a new one: "Heart of America" in January '07 is online for your reading pleasure. More to come soon, I hope!-Siempre, Thea

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-83022532940502912612008-04-02T19:18:00.003-04:002008-05-27T22:18:48.111-04:00

I love that feeling of......wait for it......anticipation!There's something magical about that moment in time when something is *about* to happen: when possibilities abound, when beauty and excitement lie dormant, just barely out of sight. It’s the time of year when life is almost ready to begin, when the cold sleepy earth is rolling around in its warm comforter, thinking about throwing off the

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-65042374839867296232008-03-10T22:22:00.003-04:002008-03-10T23:06:18.229-04:00

In a flash of extroversion, and immediately preceded by several disappointing potential romances, I joined Match.com...along with thousands of other single New Yorkers. I've decided that I deserve someone interesting, engaging, cute, and available--all qualities that I am assured NOT to find in some bar in Manhattan. It's been about a week now but seems like much longer than that: the ups, the

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-20150626413523862592008-02-19T21:52:00.003-05:002009-01-23T00:38:56.639-05:00

Traditionally February is a harsh month for me. Though G. denies it, I have never had a good Valentine's day regardless of my relationship status, and I was expecting more of the same this year. The ominous weather earlier in the week seemed to indicate as much, and I prepped a somber all-black outfit suited to my funereal mood. I threw open the door to my apartment building Thursday morning

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-38968002850828280352008-02-04T21:53:00.000-05:002008-02-04T21:59:19.695-05:00

...that I have sorely neglected my dearest of blogs. My unfinished South American writings languish on my hard drive, waiting for a polish, some cleaning up and a place for display. Now that the beautiful new "machine" as my family would call it is fully functional, I've performed a long-needed upgrade on Amarga and given her a new coat of paint, not unlike a certain Dodge Caravan from days of

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-86751651308166301032007-07-14T10:11:00.000-04:002007-07-14T10:47:28.277-04:00

Greetings everyone! I know that it's been quite a while since I've posted anything, and for that I make no excuses other than to say that it's been a little busy lately. For those of you looking for the conclusion to my South American Odyssey, fear not. I've got several things waiting in the wings and will back-post them so they appear after the current stuff. As most of you know, I'm now in

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-67542655774538324892007-03-29T23:05:00.002-04:002009-01-22T23:22:20.464-05:00

“So what prompted you to go to Uruguay?” My father asked me over the phone from Montevideo.“Because it’s there.” Not a fantastic answer nor entirely true. It does have a pleasing rhetorical air to it. To be more honest, I wanted to see the country of cows and corrida sheep that produces my favorite brand of knitting yarn. No, my woolen adventures in Peru were not enough to satiate a lust for

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-56017428304810965312007-01-29T13:27:00.000-05:002007-07-20T20:53:40.866-04:00

Cuzco, Sacred ValleySo far, my favorite fauna has been Bolivian: the llama with its tasty steaks and warm wool, the squirrel-rabbit fusion vizcacha, the fussy and fabulous flamingoes, the skittish vicuña. But the one I had been waiting to see l could hardly be found in Bolivia, save two trussed and decorated pet-like ones on Copacabana’s beach. Yes, I would have to wait until I crossed the

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-88697903281198040872007-01-23T22:42:00.003-05:002009-02-17T19:38:18.221-05:00

PREFACE: At one point I had pretensions of sending this in to a travel magazine, but thanks to my inexperience and lack of connections in the magazine world, some schmuck at the New York Times fucking wrote the same article that I was going to write. His isn’t as cool as mine, and he didn’t speak Spanish.Part 1: The Inkas, the Quechuas PeopleAs most 5th grade history students learn, the Spanish

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-65998596956809576652007-01-23T13:50:00.000-05:002007-01-29T11:15:55.761-05:00

I stumbled across an article in the Sunday Magazine about a soccer team in suburban Georgia made up of political refugees from all around the world. Not surprisingly, they encountered prejudice, hardships, and financial difficulties throughout the season, as well as having to fight for their right to a practice field. Sounded pretty damn familiar to my own experiences at Central, so I decided to

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-55562800433978911082006-12-28T11:11:00.000-05:002007-02-19T11:17:47.985-05:00

10 Things I learned in Bolivia:1. Do not assume that the little line on the map marking your travel route is a paved road.2. Do not fuck around with altitude. For real.3. Llama meat is tasty.4. Coca is not a drug. It is actually quite helpful.5. It will be cold in Bolivia, even in the summer.6. High altitude sun burns. 7. Always have coins in your pocket; bathrooms are NOT free.8. My 8’s

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-46982932832348050582006-12-19T09:00:00.000-05:002007-02-19T09:05:33.080-05:00

We arrived in Uyuni via a train mistakenly called “Expreso del Sur,” which crawled over, around, and up the beginnings of the Andes from the Argentine-Bolivan border to the former railroad nexus of Uyuni, now a dried out tourist town that functions primarily as a jumping off point for tours to the Salar of Uyuni and points beyond. Our transition from Argentina to Boliva was quite horrible, yet

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-56013525437577560592006-12-14T18:45:00.000-05:002007-02-20T07:15:53.394-05:00

Salta, while linda, is also still a city, and as I learned from our friendly historian it is important to change your perspective to seek new definitions. There are so many forms of beauty, the cosmopolitan, the urban, the historical, the academic, and you find different types of beauty in all of these contexts. In our travels, we have seen much of the structured, human-created types of beauty,

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-91304594724754939442006-12-13T18:38:00.000-05:002007-01-12T18:45:03.406-05:00

When you enter the town of Salta, the eponymous capital city of the province, a poem greets you on Rt. 9 in the same bright green and reflective white of U.S. highway signs:Salta La LindaEsta es mi Salta viajeroCuando llegas por el PortezueloParece que bajas del cieloA este Valle de LermaDe Castilla y PerdigueroSalta the BeautifulThis is my Salta, traveler.When you arrive at the Portezuelo,It’s

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1165533692687032232006-12-07T18:03:00.000-05:002007-01-12T18:53:14.939-05:00

Hmm. On the road. Our epic journey around the Southern Cone kicked off with both bang and bust. We made it out of our apartment, said goodbye to Borges and Palermo with one last meal from the pasta shop. The owner gave us a smile and free dessert, totally making my day and making up for the unorganized and less-friendly real estate company. Empanadas in hand, we taxi-ed over to the

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1165980356585367642006-11-25T22:24:00.001-05:002009-01-22T23:48:16.589-05:00

On our way home from the pasta store one night, we came across a market with fresh lettuce. Entranced by the prospect of a fresh green salad, something I had not had in weeks, I immediately grabbed a head of greenleaf and some delicious baby radishes to go with it. While I surveyed the flora, Dave gravitated towards the fauna. A scribbled sign in half uppercase half lowercase letters read “Hay

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1164746272401226432006-11-24T15:36:00.002-05:002009-01-22T23:51:25.697-05:00

“Barrios”24 Noviembre, 2006As the days go by our little barrio, Palermo Soho, becomes more familiar. Each time that we run errands we take a different route back to the apartment, finding out where the best fruit and vegetable stands are, who has lamb for sale, and where the ecclectic clothing stores are. Much of the shopping is beyond our modest budget, even with the exchange rate, but it’s

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1164307673300068742006-11-23T13:41:00.002-05:002009-01-22T23:50:50.845-05:00

I would like to state officially that I am the coolest person on the planet. Most of you may not have come to this realization yet, but it’s true. Do you know how I know this? The New York Times tells me it is so. The boy and I emerged from our apartment after a lovely dinner of butternut squash ravioli care of the Verm y Chelli, the pasta factory down the street, and then ventured off to plug

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1164118773760302502006-11-21T09:19:00.001-05:002009-01-22T23:52:04.526-05:00

Sipping decidedly better than normal coffee at McDonalds, enjoying the Wi-Fi, I present to you a snapshot of city life, here in Buenos Aires. As I type, a class of schoolchildren tramp in for an English lesson, ordering at Mickey D's as an "American" cultural experience. I guess they're not far off. McD has adapted its enterprise rather amazingly to the Argentine way of life, illustrated by

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1163539845781165942006-11-14T16:29:00.001-05:002009-01-22T23:54:17.600-05:00

I now live in Buenos Aires, on a happily bustling street in Palermo Soho called J. L. Borges. Yes folks, that’s right; I have fulfilled my lifelong dream of living with Borges. Yet I feel slightly out of place here in this, the trendiest of neighborhoods in B.A.: after spending several years on the precipice of the ghetto, it seems odd to be smack in the midst of hip fashion, ‘expensive’

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1161121832090620442006-10-17T17:27:00.000-04:002006-10-17T17:50:32.106-04:00

My parents have a problem with hoarding information. They aren't very attached to clothing, property, or other forms of collecting, but they love papers. My sister says that I somehow am immune to this Williamson hoarding gene, but I think it's just a recessive generational trait. Whenever my grandmother, Viola, would visit our house, she would spend at least a day going through innumerable

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1160769468694042502006-09-20T13:48:00.001-04:002009-01-22T23:56:33.344-05:00

Last summer, I journeyed North to the traditional Williamson gathering place: the charming municipality of Morris, Minnesota. We had the ever-popular Hagen Family reunion, a beautiful trip to the Boundary Waters, and then it was back to work. This year I have ventured even further north, following the ancient flight of the arctic tern. Yes, despite decades of repression and scores of hours

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1156274926320312992006-08-22T14:43:00.001-04:002009-01-22T23:58:02.100-05:00

At the end of the summer, I find myself living in Washington DC. The prospect of free rent and the proximity of D makes it the best choice of a temporary home, and now that our plans have readjusted themselves I no longer need to look for long-term housing. When people say "Oh, so what do you do?" I look at them, take a pause, and reply "Nothing."Of course, this could not be farther from the

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1154634746911586112006-08-03T14:30:00.001-04:002009-01-22T23:58:57.305-05:00

I have decided that I'm just not cut out for the service industry. Unfortunately, I am beginning to discover that EDUCATION is also included in this blanket category. Here I thought that my heaven-sent cushy summer job had something to do with "education" and "some of the brightest students," instead of those kids that couldn't get into an academic summer program and needed their parents to

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1147230856398601852006-05-09T22:49:00.001-04:002009-01-23T00:00:11.604-05:00

The month of May is swishing on by, and with it the end of my teaching career in Miami. I know it sounds a bit fatalistic, but I can safely say that I will never teach for Miami-Dade Public Schools after May 31st of this year. Summer is fast approaching; in the 305, this means palpably humid afternoons, a searing summer sun, and the softly beckoning beach. I have indulged in several of these

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1145933188087647582006-04-24T22:20:00.000-04:002006-04-24T22:46:28.150-04:00

Here are some highlights from the B.C. Road trip this Spring Break. Spain is go for launch this fall, and I'm actually starting to think seriously about jobs for next year, which is a big leap from sort of kind of thinking about jobs for next year. Maybe within the week I might get as far as "looking" for jobs. Woah. This weekend was fantastically fun, with a wine-tasting on Friday, cleaning,

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1145241110592560712006-04-16T22:30:00.000-04:002006-04-16T22:31:50.603-04:00

Back from Baja, and for the first time in a while, actually feel like writing. Work has settled down, and the end is near, which helps me fend off the ever encroaching depression about the state of public education, in Miami-Dade county particularly. More to follow.

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1140666553010278252006-02-22T22:24:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:01:10.201-05:00

Carrying along the theme of "responsibility" which is most salient these days, I find myself consistently redefining what my job is. If I were to write a true and faithful description of the responsibilities that I have incurred as a result of my position in the Miami-Dade County Public School system, my resume would more resemble a gangsta novel than a non-fiction text. Unfortunately, that is

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1139598443441498612006-02-10T13:09:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:01:51.795-05:00

Lately, breaking news has been quite a crucial part of my life. It's taken me a week or so to get over the bottled up anger that I have inside about work, but now that I've rewarded myself with a long weekend and a trip to NY to visit Mandi, I have some time to think. My relationship with the press began in October, when a member of the ESAAC Committee came to the Central South campus to see how

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1139459241077522332006-02-08T22:00:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:02:41.989-05:00

My cryptic angry post of last night should be followed by some sort of explanatory narrative. There's a lot of amargura flowing through my veins lately, mostly due to my work, but it's seeping into other parts of my life as well. In order to root out this poisonous feeling, I wanted to find the cause (FCAT signal word!) of all the ire and nastiness, and I wound myself into a frenzy trying to

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1139371849194932142006-02-07T23:10:00.000-05:002006-02-07T23:17:34.883-05:00

Why can't I just get my shit together?Why is it so *fucking* hard to get a dentist's appointment? It can't have been this difficult when I was in high school. Why does my job suck out my soul? When am I going to get to do the things that I like to do? When can I blow glass? When can I cook? When can I write and talk about literature? When will it not be such a struggle to be *heard*, in the

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1138594198735881212006-01-29T21:58:00.002-05:002009-03-04T22:34:28.043-05:00

Do we walk in legends, or on the green earth in daylight?The past few days have truly been of an epic nature. First, let me provide my dear reading audience with a disclaimer: despite my best intentions, and we all know how dangerous those can be, I have become slightly inebriated on a SUNDAY NIGHT due to some wonderfully fun people, Blue Moon Brewery, and a knavishly delicious zinfandel. Fair

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1137676690024787292006-01-19T07:56:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:05:31.384-05:00

I have long since stopped making New Year's resolutions, but since I'm talking to the kiddies about them, making changes has been on my mind. One of my downfalls is a deep-seated need to procrastinate on administrative tasks. For three months now, the following items have been on a to-do list posted next to my calendar1. Get a dentist's appointment2. Haircut3. Helmet for Vespa4. Insurance for

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1134089743074745032005-12-08T18:32:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:06:32.124-05:00

Grand Theft: CentralYes, folks, my life is a video game. I dodge dangerous traffic in the ghetto on my way to and from work; I'm hip with the fuzz; I know the lowdown; I give smackdowns; I break into schools through holes in fences; I drive a flaming minivan. Life has been somewhat more along the lines of the notorious Nintendo game as of late; for the past week I've been embroiled in several

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1133148397550651842005-11-27T22:03:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:07:46.644-05:00

Break did not start off particularly well: my cell phone died resulting in three hours in the Verizon store, $95 down the tube, and me getting cut off my mom's cell phone plan. As I went to bed after writing down the 60 or so numbers in my old half-functional phone, I kept telling myself that it had to get better than this. Not another horrible Thanksgiving, please.Luckily, the gods fo fortune

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1132807312186294192005-11-23T23:35:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:08:28.316-05:00

My weekly schedule has been somewhat, well, inconsistent in the past few weeks. It's starting to really get to me. In October, I got lulled into the fact that school was going relatively well, soccer improved, and my personal life seemed pretty easy to handle. Then, there was this "hurricane" and there still seem to be chunks of debris swirling around me. Some bits make glancing blows, others

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1130778369842417152005-10-31T11:51:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:09:16.560-05:00

As it turns out, this one was "for real."Sunday, after doing laundry and picking up a copy of Batman Begins, we grilled churrasco and huddled together on Apt. 1's couch watching Christian Bale depict the best Batman ever. I went to bed late, hardly thinking about the category 3 storm that was on its way. I awoke Monday morning to the sound of screaming wind at my large, southerly window.

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1130090423852669942005-10-24T01:43:00.001-04:002009-01-23T00:10:08.817-05:00

I was awake at 6:15 this morning. Normally, Ms. Williamson in a state of conscious thought would be no novelty. In fact, on a weekday, if I weren't up by 6:15 there would be serious cause for worry. Fortunately, last night wasn't a weeknight, or I'd have been fucked. I climbed into my soft, happy bed circa 6:10 after a quite wonderful night out on the town.Yesterday began pretty abysmally,

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1129154698650366652005-10-17T23:21:00.001-04:002009-01-23T00:11:52.024-05:00

Thanks to the end of the first quarter and the Jews, there are a lot of teacher planning days in October. We even had one last random one thrown in last Thursday, for Yom Kippur. I still don't know if it's pronounced "yaahm kipper" or "yoohm keep-uhr." Rachael may kill me, but right now I don't care. I also haven't seen her in six months, so that's less of an issue.I received a much-needed

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1126661370044686212005-09-13T21:05:00.001-04:002009-01-23T00:13:55.975-05:00

Right now, I'm tired. My emotions have been run through the wash, spun dry, and frizzed out in the drier over the past month, and I don't quite have it in me to talk to people right now. Klu, if you're out there, I've opened up my phone a dozen or so times and tried to call, but for some reason I haven't gotten to it. Same goes for my older sibling up north. And Sarah.I think I'm still reeling a

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1125777075788270442005-09-03T15:21:00.001-04:002009-07-07T22:23:09.099-04:00

Well, thunder still crackles through a grey sky here in Miami, but the bront of the storm has passed. Katrina burst into my life in not quite a happy time, thoroughly disrupting my already disjointed routine with more catastrophic news. Wednesday night, on my way to our first PLC (Professional Learning Community; TFA likes to throw new acronyms at us every month or so) meeting, I got the news

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1124859894925480532005-08-24T00:11:00.001-04:002009-07-07T22:26:58.984-04:00

Ever since I left for vacation in July, things have been happening in my periphery which effect me. For some reason, the powers that be have decided not to involve me in their decision-making process. At first, it was professional; I was transferred to a new school, our administration left and the district didn't see the need to hire new people to help us do our jobs. Then, wheels started moving

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1124159371580584892005-08-15T21:50:00.000-04:002005-08-15T22:29:31.640-04:00

And that's really the question, isn't it. What do I want? This weekend, it was pretty clear; I did exactly what I wanted for about 30 hours. After taking a final exam which wasn't supposed to be cumulative (but was), saying one last "fuck you" to my Professor in which I stated "this is without a doubt the worst class I have taken in my graduate or undergraduate career," the MTV, along with AH

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1123632538397920922005-08-09T19:22:00.002-04:002009-07-07T22:29:48.312-04:00

I'm having a serious moral dilemma. Ever since I got back from Minnesota, life just keeps sliding closer and closer to the shitter. For some reason, every organization in Miami-Dade County wants to lie, manipulate, and otherwise make my life hell.I reported to work on Monday, went to my required innane, sometimes painfully boring meetings, still with no definite teaching assignment. School

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1122251212046252682005-07-24T18:58:00.001-04:002009-07-07T22:32:38.909-04:00

...and then, all of a sudden, summer was over.Getting off the plane today in Miami, hearing Spanish again for the first time in over a week, it hit me that my vacation, my whole summer vacation, is about to end. My realities came rolling in as a little silver Jetta rolled into the G terminal of the MIA airport carrying my two housemates. The Jetta left the airport with two more passengers and a

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1120605442640847142005-07-05T17:45:00.001-04:002009-07-07T22:35:05.414-04:00

After somewhat recovering from the mystery-neck-spasm incident of Thursday, sleeping all day Friday, and taking it *very* slow on Saturday (cooking two whole meals from scratch: pancakes and grouper!, even, gasp!, getting some exercise), I decided that even though I wasn't going anywhere exotic for the long weekend, we could at least get out of Miami-Dade. Dave somewhat reluctantly agreed to

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1120246179458387612005-07-01T14:42:00.001-04:002009-07-07T22:37:22.279-04:00

Yesterday, whilst the Gear-Up kids went to a waterpark, I was to have a day of vacation. The night before, my roommate asked me "So, what do you have planned for tomorrow?" I told her, in a rare fit of sagacity, "Well, there are a ton of things that I could be doing, but if I make any plans, I'm just going to be depressed that I didn't get them done."Plan-less and stress free, I went to bed.When

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1119839230297431362005-06-26T21:54:00.001-04:002009-07-07T22:39:02.533-04:00

It's raining in Miami tonight, as it has done for the past 25 days of June. No, that's a lie. There was actually one day (while I was on vacation) when it did NOT, I repeat, did NOT rain in the MIA. Does this mean that I'm gloomy, under the weather, walking about with dampened spirits? No, it does not! Although the last 4 inches of my jeans may be moist every day, and I may sometimes have to

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1116987859081657612005-05-24T22:24:00.000-04:002005-05-24T22:24:19.083-04:00

There is something not right, I said to my roomate, when I want to listen to Mariah Carey all the time. Sunday afternoon, on my way home from a run, I had her new song in my head (as it has been for the past two weeks), and it's just so damn catchy. Perhaps I'll have to turn it on now, and give Shakira a break......There, that's better. Completey irrelevant to my current romantic situation (no,

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1116728277958461712005-05-21T21:43:00.000-04:002005-05-21T22:17:57.986-04:00

In the world of figurative language, there exists the time honored and tired simile of "it's like apples and oranges." In the past few weeks, some stark contrasts in life have been illuminated for me, and it's gotten me thinking in dichotomies, ratios, and contrasts. Wednesday, one and one half weeks ago, I set of for Philadelphia, for my last visit to Haverford College this year. I hung out,

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1116470585682002142005-05-18T22:42:00.000-04:002005-05-18T22:43:05.690-04:00

fuck you, FIU. Fuck you and your little administration too!fufufufufufufuufufuck you!14 hour days as a teacher are not acceptable. i have not eaten a normal meal since Saturday night. i have not slept a normal amount since Friday. am angry, tired, and very, very bitter.i can't take this schedule much longer before i self destruct. when is summer? please, when?

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1115002635792960662005-05-01T21:29:00.000-04:002005-05-01T22:57:15.796-04:00

I've bought my plane tickets to various places, I have a dress to wear to 3 out of 4 special occasions, I've paid my rent, cable internet, and power bill, registered for my last standardized test, nearly been accepted to FIU, and have painted my nails red. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I believe I'm ready for May. It feels a bit like summer around here in Miami, and not just because of the weather.

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1114145420366575792005-04-22T00:49:00.000-04:002005-04-22T00:50:20.370-04:00

So it's been pretty much the longest week of my life, near equal to stress and anxiety levels around this time last year during the thesis. I guess I should just thank my lucky stars that I don't have hives...yet. I'm so tired of pretending to be an adult lately, when everyone else seems to be able to act like a child. Whining probably isn't the most productive activity, but this is electronic

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1113963397608691032005-04-19T22:04:00.000-04:002005-04-19T22:16:37.610-04:00

I just need a moment for the myriad of tasks which need to be accomplished by Friday afternoon.-post paper 1 on internet-create website for class 2-presentation for class 2-give quiz on odyssey-fix car, which crapped out in the middle of I-95 Saturday afternoon-pick up fixed car-call parents about crapped-out car-organize a soccer tournament on sunday (are you fucking kidding!?!?)-buy candy for

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1113474359472875962005-04-13T21:08:00.000-04:002005-04-14T06:25:59.476-04:00

I’m sitting here at my computer, sipping on my second glass of pinot grigio this evening, which I’m only half sorry to say has made me more than half-tipsy. Please don’t let this small caveat color what I have to say this evening, or at least if it does, let it be a soft, yellow glow =). When I went outside to fire up the grill this afternoon, I was feeling pretty good. It was a balmy 78

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1113179981363582142005-04-10T20:29:00.000-04:002005-04-10T20:39:41.366-04:00

Enmired in the depths of procrastination, as per usual, and it came across my mind that putting things off is definitely one of my vices. I have several, but imaginative procrastination might be one of my favorites. Yesterday, coming out of an ACT session at Central (complete with token 2 white kids from Miami Shores), I decided that instead of working dilligently on the TESOL paper that I (

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1112582325712295582005-04-03T22:58:00.001-04:002009-01-23T00:22:32.325-05:00

...Says the stationary bike in our gym. I didn't notice it until tonight, when I had to use it instead of our one functional elliptical trainer.I'm trying to sort out a whole mass of conflicting thoughts in my head, and this weekend was supposed to help me do that. I can't decide if I'm terrified that the end of the school year won't arrive soon enough, or that I won't get done all that I want to

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1112058010776109192005-03-28T19:35:00.001-05:002009-01-23T00:15:37.199-05:00

As I sit here at my computer, killing time before my next soccer game, I watch Cervantes squirm in my lap. He's trying desperately, sometimes aggressively, to catch his own tail in his teeth so that he can clean it. I guess that tail movement is somewhat involuntary, because he seems somewhat surprised when his own tail smacks him in the nose or eye, and looks frustrated (if a cat can look

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1110858275295123002005-03-14T22:37:00.000-05:002005-03-14T22:44:35.296-05:00

Hey there, it's been two weeks. Seems like Monday night is my "I-don't-give-a-fuck-about-this-week's-work-that-I-haven't-done-yet" night. After posting for my two FIU classes, driven DDH to FLL one last time this year, played a game of soccer, and savored several sips of chilled plum wine, and had a rather irritating conversation with the maternal parental unit, I thought that I was ready to post

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1109648873161502352005-02-28T22:14:00.002-05:002009-01-23T00:14:38.427-05:00

Back on the pitch, and rippin' shit up.Tonight, on a whim, after spending a very depressing 4 hours in various Verizon stores, I hoofed it back out 195 to some park to meet some TFA chick who I didn't know and 4 guys I'd never heard of before. Played for 50 minutes, 5v5 and I scored 2 (3?) goals. Grin. Big grin.God, it felt so good to have a ball on my foot again, to make those crossing runs, to

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1109128331026026392005-02-22T22:04:00.001-05:002009-07-07T22:40:16.231-04:00

time of arrival, Fort Lauderdale airport: 2:15 am. time of sleep monday night: 2:49 am. time of awaking, tuesday morning: 5:45 am.work blows.my administration is incompetant.security can't keep students on OUTDOOR SUSPENSION away from my goddamn motherfucking room during the middle of a schoolday.i have no phone in my room. still.i feel unsafe at school on a regular basis, ever since a fucking

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1108655414209655162005-02-17T10:47:00.000-05:002005-02-17T10:50:14.213-05:00

After crying/sleeping through half of my planning period, and not really feeling like posting, I shall rely on America's most reliable online news source to pontificate for me. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the Onion speaks for Thea today. Teach For America Chews Up, Spits Out Another Ethnic-Studies MajorNEW YORK—Teach For America, a national program that recruits recent college graduates

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1108138848849755142005-02-11T11:02:00.001-05:002009-07-07T22:42:38.086-04:00

...goes the door to my room every day at 11:00 as students pester me to let them drop their bookbags off during lunch. ...goes the door in the morning as kids roll up to Central 30, 45 minutes late....goes my head on my desk during 5th period Wednesday, as the children lose any semblance of order, causing TWO students to receive the following instructions: "Do not touch anyone's desk. Do not

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1107745667708225182005-02-06T21:08:00.001-05:002009-07-07T22:46:29.754-04:00

I had an idyllic weekend, a nice little break from reality. My body has finally beaten out the sickness that had been kicking my ASS for two weeks, and I am starting to belive that the block schedule and extended day is not, in fact, a premonition of the apocalypse. True, there were several truly bad moments at school this week involving my "stolen" wallet [in the back of someone's car]; racism

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1106536144890445442005-01-23T21:12:00.000-05:002005-03-01T14:04:00.326-05:00

As the school year progresses, the children get more bearable while the adults become harder and harder to stomach. If teaching were truly "just about the kids" I think that I could get into it for more than my contractual commitment. Unfortunately, my life is more driven by the Board of Education, Superintendant Rudy Crew, the Zone henchmen, and irritating irate parents sent to my goddamn

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1106016426844567662005-01-17T21:44:00.000-05:002005-01-17T21:47:06.843-05:00

[while reading jan/feb 2004] God, I am SO out of practice with creative writing. I can't even come up with a creative food metaphor for a godddamn post, even with the epic-style dinners of late. I used to be such a better writer. Boo. Life has sucked it out of me [melodramatic sigh].

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1106015628153979102005-01-17T21:15:00.001-05:002009-07-07T22:49:04.682-04:00

It's bad when I don't want to talk to people. Not that I don't want to talk to the people in my immediate vicinity; I get along fantastically with my roommates. It's the tenuous electronic and telephonic links with my long-distance family and friends which are beginning to dissolve into an abyss of apathy.There's a lot going on in my professional and academic life right now; I consider myself

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1105900949861743932005-01-16T13:01:00.000-05:002005-01-16T13:42:29.860-05:00

There has been a brief hiatus of posting, due mostly to a large meltdown of the LOGIC BOARD of my beloved computer, and in a small part to my live-in visitor of late. The logic board Apple fixed for free, after a brief but intense self-meltdown in Kiawah when the screen started to blip, blip, magenta, green stripes, and then poof: gone! I felt hamstrung, isn't it sad? I officially [heart] the

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1104086876528743242004-12-26T13:46:00.000-05:002004-12-26T13:47:56.526-05:00

Did I mention that I spent 9 hours in the same middle seat of the van with my sister? It was merely country radio and copious amounts of diet soda which kept us sane, and from each others' throats. I am also the proud owner of a TANGERINE Kitchenaid. Dad picked out the color, 'nuff said. Thank you, and you may now return to your regularly scheduled holiday break.

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1104086388640948472004-12-26T13:05:00.000-05:002004-12-26T13:39:48.640-05:00

It's about 38 degrees and drizzling on the island today, and the whirring travel gears which have propelled me for over 2.000 miles up and down the East coast are finally grinding to a halt. I've been in the same house for about 3 days straight, and I think all 11 of us are itching for an outing. Clearly, the movies are in order. But back to where and when my Holiday journeys began... I left

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1103949801265371922004-12-24T22:58:00.000-05:002004-12-24T23:43:21.266-05:00

As I type, I am sitting off the coast of South Carolina, back at our usual Williamson wintering grounds of Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Two plane flights, over twenty hours in the car, several changes of climate, and two families later, I'm halfway through my holiday break. Leaving Miami happened in a bit of a rush, and I'm really not entirely sure how things got done. Somehow, I remembered

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1103071347227612542004-12-14T19:22:00.000-05:002004-12-14T19:42:27.226-05:00

First and foremost, I fucking hate Miami drivers. No words can properly describe my ire as I merged onto 95 after practice, when I was literally driven off the road onto the shoulder by someone merging behind me, passing me IN THE MERGING LANE and cutting me off. Thanks. I hope someone fucking hits that woman. Then, as if my merging experience weren’t enough, I got tailgated up the ASS exiting

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1102909931692005992004-12-12T22:08:00.000-05:002004-12-12T22:52:11.693-05:00

I felt a lot like Sydney Bristow this weekend (first season, clearly), changing roles, costumes, and personalities every 12 hours. It's definitely 10:00 on a Sunday night, and I have not yet finished the midterm exams which were due on Friday, nor have I planned lessons for some of my classes, or graded anything. There was a theft on Thursday, and the subsequent investigation of my missing key

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1101866230970782502004-11-30T20:35:00.001-05:002004-11-30T20:57:10.970-05:00

I think I'm still on Seattle time. Either that, or I'm so far gone that it doesn't even matter anymore. Got waylaid in Houston on my way home, and didn't make it back to the MIA until nearly 1:00 am. I literally teared up in the airport as I lugged my bags to the taxi stand, but refused to cry in a public place, on the last day of vacation no less. Up at 6:00 to teach school, go coach a soccer

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1101265115901814152004-11-23T21:56:00.000-05:002004-11-23T21:58:35.903-05:00

Have just noticed that the phrase "Thanksgiving From Hell" recurrs in the past TWO postings...there is a problem with this. Maybe I should stop bitching about the 3 hour time change both ways,the 16 hours of flight time, the 3 hours of layovers, and my 12:30 am arrival Sunday night (a mere 6 hours before SCHOOL STARTS), and just get it over with. At least I'll get to hang out with my sister?

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1101264892208073562004-11-23T21:43:00.000-05:002004-11-23T21:54:52.206-05:00

What happens when teachers get near vacation...it's about 8 school hours until Thanksgiving break, and the mood around the apartment is getting a little unstable, as evidenced by the events of the past few days, and the forthcoming 266 NE quotations. 1. Watch Cervantes dismember a 2" cockroach leg by leg by leg by leg by leg...by leg. The carnage lasts a full-on 20 minutes, including the cat

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5526669.post-1100660830254212892004-11-16T21:06:00.000-05:002004-11-16T22:07:10.253-05:00

"My horse! My horse! My kingdom for a horse!" Ah, if only my problems were concerned with horses and battlefields. I have decided that one of the major problems in the public education system is stability and routine. Me, the non-linear, discumbobulated, spastic thinker, an advocate of structure and rigidity? Alas, it has come to that. When an entire class roster changes over 4 weeks, when

Thea Williamsonhttps://profiles.google.com/106936822592710672664noreply@blogger.com0