Sunday, December 27, 2009
It's A Wonderful Life


Chris and I had a pleasant, low-key holiday season this year. No shopping malls, parking nightmares, or travel hassles. Instead we opted for good cooking, friends & family, and a holiday movie here and there.


A few days before Christmas, I hosted a little dinner for my family (Mom, Ken & Brian). We all crammed into our tiny apartment and had a yummy prime rib roast with lots of seasonal trimmings. It happened to be Ken's birthday, too, so along with all our holiday food I made a cake. The nosh was delicious and the company divine. I wish we could do more family dinners, but everyone is always so busy and a two-hour drive seems to be a big enough gap to keep these affairs rare. Still, it was nice to use the holidays as an excuse to get together.




Chris and I then spent Christmas Eve at a showing of It's A Wonderful Life at a beautiful, old theater about a block from our apartment. The atmosphere of the place is absolutely spectacular. Before the film, they have a musician playing Xmas music on a Wurlitzer organ, and the space itself gives off a grand feeling. It was also nice to see a movie that the two of us have watched nearly all our lives on TV, on the big screen. It made me realize what a great movie it is and why it remains a classic. I think if we're around here for Xmas next year, we will make it a new tradition.





Christmas Day was spent lounging in PJs, watching BBC specials, and heading downstairs for an afternoon showing of It's Complicated. We both enjoyed the movie and I spent the two hours drooling over Meryl's fictional Santa Barbara home and garden. Add to that a small ham dinner, a few new toys (wine opener, Lost DVDs, cookbooks) and a few games of Bananagrams and you have a picture of our relaxed Christmas.





We'll spend New Year's Eve as usual with some of my best friends at a small party. In years past we've always opted to celebrate somewhere that we can all stay over and avoid the dangerous drunks on the road (Lauren's Santa Cruz beach house or Adam's Tahoe cabin). This year's spot is Michael's apartment in San Francisco. Should be good people and good fun! Pics to follow...

Posted by Kelley at 6:27 PM | 0 comments

Monday, November 30, 2009
Gobble Gobble


The holiday season is upon us and, boy, are we ready for it! Chris and I have just about hit our limit of reading and grading and planning and on and on... So when Wednesday rolled around last week, I was ready to do nothing but eat, drink, and be merry (in my pajamas) the next day.

My mom hosted a small but beautiful Thanksgiving dinner this year and, while I love to cook and host stuff, sometimes it's nice to play the kid role and let your mom make everything. The weather in Big Sur could not have been better. We spent the morning reading in the sun, and later ate dinner outside on a picnic table. Then, in true California fashion, the sun went down and we rushed inside to sit by a cozy wood-burning fire.

Dinner was yummy, the company was great, and we could not have asked for a more relaxing weekend in the woods. Just a few more weeks of school and teaching and it's time to do more of the same. Bring on the holidays!








Posted by Kelley at 8:37 PM | 0 comments

Saturday, November 14, 2009
27


Believe it or not, this girl is 27.

To celebrate the start of my "late twenties," Chris and I headed to San Francisco, where he had planned a weekend of mini-surprises. The first stop was eating at a little take-out soul food place I'd been dying to try, Little Skillet. We devoured brisket and fried chicken in a quiet little alley, and oh, was it yummy!



Next, we checked into our home for the night, the Good Hotel. As soon as we walked in to the lobby, Chris knew he had made a good pick. There was a ReadyMade magazine vending machine, a vintage photo booth, and plenty of kitsch to make me smile. Needless to say, I was very happy with our accommodations and Chris' thoughtful choice. He has my style pegged.



We started our evening eating and drinking great food and wine at Mission Street Food, a weekly non-profit dinner prepared by chef Tony Myint. The dishes were delicious, the wine plentiful, and all the proceeds went to feed the hungry (Groceries for Seniors, to be exact), which made us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.



After our dinner, we hurried over to a bar called the Makeout Room for a show, although there may have been a little making out. The show, Mortified Live, features incredibly entertaining adults reading their often hilarious, embarrassing journals and diaries from when they were teens. The combination of fantastic comedic delivery and the angst-ridden entries had the whole audience laughing from start to finish. Chris thought I would find it extra-relevant since I am currently reading much of this adolescent writing now. He was right. I already want to see the next performance.



I thought that was it for all the birthday treats but there was one more little surprise. Chris led me over to a brunch place in Cole Valley known for making really great Eggs Benedict, my favorite breakfast dish. As we were waiting for our table, I spotted two of my friends walking down the street. Chris had invited a few of my besties who live in or around the city: Shelby, Eileen, and Sara.


It was so nice just to get away for the weekend and escape a bit from lesson-planning and reading. On my actual birthday (Monday), we met my mom and Ken for dinner and cake. Food, friends, and fun ... not a bad way to kick off 27.

Posted by Kelley at 11:15 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, November 8, 2009
What happened to October?


As you may have assumed from our dormant blog, October and the beginning of November was pretty much non-stop busy for us. Chris has been going full speed ahead with his English and Spanish requirements, while I just finished my first week of student-teaching.


I am teaching juniors in an American literature class at a really large high school (3,500 large). So far I am really enjoying it and the students keep me laughing all day. But it is also completely draining. I teach only one class, and yet I feel like I'm lesson-planning and grading all day afterward. Needless to say, it has given me a tiny insight into what is to come when I have upwards of 180 students next year (pant, pant, pant).

I'm also learning a lot about what it is to be 16 in 2009. This week I learned from one student what "MOB" music is (money over bitches) and that they will not hesitate to answer formal questions with "IDK" (as in "I don't know"). When I asked them to silently line up in order of birth date to put them into groups, the only sound was someone's cell phone ring playing Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA." They teach me something about teen culture everyday and it is both completely amusing from a human standpoint and completely frustrating from a teacher standpoint.

So what did we do during October besides study, teach, and lesson-plan? Mostly there were a lot of pizza nights, with some babysitting sprinkled in here and there. But there was also a visit by Scott that we neglected to de-brief. I think that in the semester ahead, when I'll be student-teaching practically full time, we may just pop up photos here and there if we just don't have time for the words. With that in mind, here are some photos from October...






Posted by Kelley at 9:15 PM | 0 comments