AliThinks

Chiaroscuro

Alison, en claire-obscure.

Just What I Needed

During last period, when I told one of the 9th graders he was getting detention (for not obeying the first time I told him to spit out his gum, then for taking half out of his mouth and throwing it away, then pretending that he didn't have any gum, then saying something like "I don't give a shit" when I told him AGAIN to throw it away), he said "Okay, I've been nice these past two weeks.  Well, if you're going to be an asshole to me, I'm going to be an asshole to YOU!  Until the END OF THE YEAR!"

Home Again, Home Again

I hope your weekend was as nice as mine.  I just got back from my friend Anne's house.  The cat left me a mess to clean up (yay cat! I missed you, too!), but before I do that, I want to give you a little linkage.  I've mentioned Anne in this blog before.  We've been friends for more than 10 years now, or nearly the entire time each of us has lived in this God-forsaken country France.   

Well, Anne started her own blog today, and PEOPLE!  It's a FOOD BLOG! 

Go check out AnneCuisine!.  Tell her Ali sent you. 

Easter Lunch

-- Escargots in Basil Cream Sauce

-- Roasted Lamb Shank with New Garlic

-- Garlic Purée

-- Roasted Carrots, Parsnips, Asparagus and Potatoes

-- Mâche Salad with a selection of cheeses

-- Mid-Atlantic Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis and sucre candi.

-- Chocolates

-- Coffee

I decided to try out this dessert that I saw at Chocolate & Zucchini.  I'm not a major fan of cheesecake, and I have been out of the habit of making baked goods (namely because I didn't have an oven for four and a half years).  Anne had asked me if I could think of a dessert that wasn't too rich, and this recipe came to mind. 

Tell you what:  this version of cheesecake is very easy and VERY tasty!  Its consistency is a bit fluffier than a regular cheesecake, but to me it was just as good.  Tastes great, less filling, or something like that. 

I just had to share.  And yeah, I decorated the plate, but I didn't have anything to pipe the coulis with, so I let it plop out of its container in little blobs.  I just had to share that, too. 

La Purée d'Ail d'Arnaud*

*Or how garlic can forge bonds. 

This afternoon Anne and her husband Arnaud are preparing for his parents' visit tomorrow.  One of Arnaud's traditions, apparently, is to make a garlic purée every time his parents come for a meal. 

He sat down at the kitchen table with a kilo of garlic heads, a knife, and a bowl.  And he started peeling that garlic. 

Have A Great Weekend

I'm off to visit my friend Anne for a couple of days.  If I can, I'll post from her house, if I have anything interesting to say, which I might, because tomorrow we're having Easter lunch with her in-laws. 

Lamb is on tomorrow's menu.  And the sun is shining.  And I need to get this show on the road, 'cause I'm expected for lunch TODAY. 

Small Town Photo Of The Day

Late this afternoon I went to my friend Donna's house.  I was about 10 steps away from my door when I saw something that made me turn around and go back to my apartment for my camera. 

I had to hustle to catch up to the guy with the backpack.  I had to be subtle when I took his photo.  It didn't come out as well as I'd hoped, but this is all I got, because his companion started turning her head, and I didn't want to get busted taking their photo.  The old ladies in the beauty salon saw me and must have thought I was nuts, which I probably am. 

Spring Cleaning

I've been wanting to change my blog template for a while now.  This afternoon I installed Photoshop and played with it a bit to create this banner.  It's very simple, as you can see.

Then I created a template in Typepad to match the new banner. 

I hope you like the clean new look as much as I do. 

Cat Blog Friday

You can't see the claws very well, but they're embedded.  Sumatra is in heat, or so she thinks, and is in desperate need of some lovin'. 

Welcome To Mental Health Week

This week I am not working.  I won't go too deep into it, but let's just say that my body said "Stop." 

I haven't written much about what I've been feeling and thinking way down deep.  Perhaps I should have; it might have helped me avoid this week of mental and physical exhaustion. 

I'm not here to complain.  I'm not sure I have the energy to write about what's eating me.   It's heavy, let me just say that. 

However, this afternoon I had coffee with a colleague, and she helped me suss a few things out as to the possibilities I have.   I was seeing a much narrower view. 

That's all I can say right now.  It's like my brain shuts down, and I can't find the words. 

Cryptic, yeah, I know.  It'll come out one of these days. 

Hating. It.

It's about 6 am.  I've been awake for over an hour because of my STUPIDASS cat, who's in HEAT and is meowing all over the place. 

She's so stupid she doesn't even know she's fixed. 

And I feel like shit. 

I hate her.  HATE, you hear me?  Claws in thigh do nothing to charm me.

Do I call off work and go back to bed?  Which is worse, hormonal teenagers or a hormonal cat?  Dilemmas, dilemmas...

Still Here

I rarely go so long between posts.  There are reasons for my delay, but I'm not going to write about them now.  I just wanted to say HEY!  STILL HERE! 

But check back in a bit; maybe I'll post some photos I took last night.  If they're any good, that is.  I haven't looked at them yet. 

French Word Of The Day

It's another useful one, folks.  With etymology linkage as a bonus.

In French, a thorough explanation of the word.  In English, the only thing I found at this cool site.

*Soundtrack by Philip Glass.

 

Small Town Photos Of The Day

Remember Simone?  This afternoon I was out for a walk, and she was on her front stoop. 

She said to me "It's nice weather, innit?"  It was obvious that she didn't remember that I'd spoken with her before.  But we talked, and she was in a good mood, and laughed a lot.  Every time she laughed, she'd hit me in the chest with the back of her hand. 

I kept shooting photos of her, but I didn't want her to know I was doing it.  After about 10 or 15 minutes of talking, I offered to walk with her to the cemetery where her husband is buried.  We set off together.  And so I spent a couple of hours with Simone this afternoon. 
 

Cat Blog Friday (Just Under the Wire)

Sumatra, blinded by the four other flash photographs I took. 

I've Looked At Clouds That Way, Yeah.

The summer I turned 14 I went to a week-long camp, where I met the boy who would become my first boyfriend.  His name was John, he was a year younger, and he lived about 20 miles away from me. 

I liked him so much.  After camp ended, and we exchanged phone numbers and addresses, I missed him.  Camp ended on a Saturday; the following evening I called him.  We started writing letters to each other.  We'd call each other every so often.  We sent each other Far Side cartoons that we'd cut out of the newspaper. 

And so John became my boyfriend. 

I'd Rather Have A Beer, 'Cause I HATE Rum

 

Bacardi 151 Congratulations! You're 139 proof, with specific scores in beer (120) , wine (133), and liquor (78).

All right. No more messing around. Your knowledge of alcohol is so high that you have drinking and getting plastered down to a science. Sure, you could get wasted drinking beer, but who needs all those trips to the bathroom? You head straight for the bar and pick up that which is most efficient.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 79% on proof You scored higher than 98% on beer index You scored higher than 98% on wine index You scored higher than 90% on liquor index

Link: The Alcohol Knowledge Test written by hoppersplit on Ok Cupid

I figure I ought to be embarrassed.  Really.  I'm a beer and wine kind of girl, and I swiped this quiz from Allan. 

Tired Is As Tired Does

Or something like that.

Note to self:  Continue cracking down on students.  Don't forget to give detention.  Separate Emilie L. and Lucie, in the 4E class.  Don't let Lucile and Lucas sit together in 4B.
Don't let Romain in 3G call me a derivative of my name à la Astérix & Obélix.  Tell Steeve (yes, spelled with 3 Es) to leave Elia alone.  Don't take ANY shit from Nicolas in 3E.  Don't forget to smile.  But not too often.  Make full use of space around desk. 

Also: Enjoy time with colleagues.  Start bringing lunch.  Contribute to the coffee fund. 

Mutant Lettuce

In my last post, I told you about sitting in the sunshine this afternoon.  After I got home, I was a little antsy.

And an ansty Alison can be calmed by going to the grocery store. 

Yep.  The woman who HATES getting groceries actually LIKES to go shopping for an item or two. 

The Sun Is Shining

In which I tell you what I did this afternoon, and "learn" you another French word.