Why So Serious?

Apparently, in my effort to not talk about dancing, dive bars, or students, I cranked out a pretty depressing blog post. Boo, me! Sorry about that, people.  That was never my intention!  I guess I was just caught up in a moment.  Or maybe, more than anything else, it was just an excuse to put up fun old pictures and raise a virtual glass to my amazing friends. :)

ProMo raising a glass...er, coconut... 'cuz he's wrong in all the right ways

SO, despite the rainy Monday and the bittersweet basketball game on Saturday night (I don't wanna talk about it), my mood has improved throughout the day.  This is probably mostly because Spring Break is around the corner...as in, Friday!!  And yes, faculty do have to work over Spring Break, but I am choosing to take a couple of vacation days as long weekends to squeeze in some trips.  I'm sure I'll have some great stories to share in future posts.

But for now, I have a pretty good backlog of topics that I can't wait to dig into.  Even though they won't all happen tonight, this does tell me that I need to get cracking on updating this more regularly!  Some of these topics include:

• Topic 1: Reality TV (how have I NOT talked about Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler on Idol or that lovable cowboy lug that is The Bachelor AT ALL?! And...THIS JUST IN - one of my original teen idols, Ralph Macchio, is going to be on Dancing with the Stars!! First New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre, now the Karate Kid? Be still my heart...)

Daniel-san!!

• Topic 2: My insane yet awesome dogs, Marlon Jackson Moen and Tito "Eli" Jackson Moen! Oh, have I not mentioned that my dogs are and will forever be named after the Jackson 5 (and their siblings, when I get to 6 names)?

Marlon and the Pringles perp.

The Original Marlon and Tito flanking Michael.

• Topic 3: Travel adventures (lots of fun trips coming up!)

High security in the Philippines.  Not getting through that sucker.

• ...and the gift that keeps on giving...students and my crazy life in academia.  I hope to bring you more amusing stories of my awkward 30-something city-girl self STILL trying to navigate this town of mostly temporary 18-22 year old residents.

On a related side note to that last bullet, I have invested in a digital voice recorder.  Originally, I wanted to buy it for some interviews that I do for work, but then I realized that it may be a tremendous benefit for my blog.

To test out this theory, I brought my new gadget out in downtown Blacksburg on Friday night. And, my friends...it. was. awesome.  If I do say so myself.

While it's a bit long, rambling and inside-jokey to all include now, here's a little sample of my observations:

The scene - Friday night, Hokie House.

["Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera and "Criminal" by Fiona Apple have already played.]

Me, speaking into my new favorite toy: They're playing the Spice Girls now. Spice Girls! PLEASE TRY to convince me this is not a 90's bar. This is, like, the 3rd 90's song we've heard in a row. [Pause. Sense of recognition.] 

Oh my gosh...these people were, like, 5 years old when this song was popular.  OK, maybe 8. AT BEST 8...They would have to have been born in 1989 to be 8. So that's like, seniors. [BTW, I'm impressed by my quick math skills in this situation, but still mad at my overuse of the word "like."]

[Silence while I scan the crowd.]

AND not all these people are seniors. [Pause. scan.] In fact, I would venture to say that 30% of the people here have a Fake ID.

[Another pause, moment of reflection, a-ha moment, and finally, mock horror] 

They are shutting down Adams Mill but they're letting these people drink?!?  It's a travesty.  A TRAVESTY!


...AANNNDD scene.  Welcome to a taste of a "chill" night for us in the 'burg.  This was followed by sporadic visits from students, who were all quite polite, if not always the most sober. 

But back to the blog!

While there is endless hilarious material on life in this town, I WILL get serious every once in a while.  There are some pretty significant anniversaries coming up for me, and since this is the best forum for expression that I have, you'll see it all here!

But don't worry, I never take myself TOO seriously so you shouldn't either. ;)

Friday is here...

It is the late afternoon/early evening on a Friday in the 'burg.

These are the moments that I truly feel in limbo.  You see, during the week my work and other random life responsibilities keep me busy and generally content.  But on the occasions that I am in town on this day of the week, at this time, I can't quite describe how I feel.  Of course I'm happy that the weekend is here, but truthfully I'm a little lonely and wishing that I had more of my good friends close by.

These are the moments that, when I lived in Hoboken/NYC, Baltimore, and DC I would know that I would have friends to hang out with, even if ProMo was busy.

These are the moments that I remember saying to my co-workers/friends, "Where are we going tonight?" because it was just assumed that we had plans together.

These are the moments that I do envy the students...as they relax and play frisbee, football or soccer on the Drillfield.  I want to do that! OK - maybe not play those sports (because I really suck at all 3), but definitely sit out there and relax with friends.  It's a beautiful setting and reminds me of lazy days on the Quad at Duke.

These are the moments that I wish there were more than 5 places to eat/go out in the 'burg.

I know it will get worse when the weather warms up and I will want to sit on the patio at The Mill or walk down to the Mall or Rock Creek Park and chill with my peeps.

But in the spirit of T.I. (see the About ME! tab for an explanation/quote), I am trying to not focus on all that and really enjoy what I do have...

A great home. A great husband. Crazy yet infinitely lovable dogs. A safe place to live with a low cost of living. And lots and lots of friends.  Even if they're not here with me, it's nice to know that there are so many people I could count on if I really needed them.

Everyone Could Use a Holiday

"Raise your hand if you think it's the engineer's fault? ... Raise your hand if you think it's the contractor's fault? ... Raise your hand if you're not paying attention? ..."

Yes folks, this actually came out of my mouth during class today. 

And yes, everyone is ready for spring break.

As I looked out into the abyss that is my warehouse-like classroom, there were a lot of things that went through my head. I confess that most of these thoughts had absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about.  Honestly, this happens to me a lot.  I mean, it's not so crippling that I lose my train of thought, but it happens often enough that I have (easily) come up with a list of my top 10 thoughts in class (outside of the material I'm teaching, of course).  Here they are, in no particular order.

1. "Dude, wake up. I can see you sleeping."

Seriously? At least TRY to fake it. 

2. "Wow - a packed house.  They must think I'm giving a pop quiz today."

Because after 4 semesters, sometimes I truly believe that's the only reason they show up.

3. "They look bored. Why are they bored? Because I'm talking about the law?  Should I crack a joke? Will they get it? Do I look as weird as I feel?"

This probably goes through my head about 80% of the time that I look up.

4. "Oh my gosh...I just made a reference to something that happened when I was in high school and they weren't even born yet."

Yet another reminder that I am sadly not as young as I feel or look.

5. "Are they gonna get this OJ Simpson reference? Do the words, 'If the glove don't fit, you must acquit' mean anything to them?"

See #4

6. "Hey kid. Get off of Facebook."

Self explanatory.  Although in their defense, I probably would have done the same thing in my class...if Facebook, twitter, email (hell, even laptops) were as widespread then as they are now.

7. "I hear you talking and I know you're not talking about proximate cause, vicarious liability or supervening illegality."

I get that it's not the most interesting stuff.  And I know you're dying to talk about something else with your buddies.  But the least you can do is IM, gchat, tweet, etc. etc.  Don't talk to each other in a volume so loud that I can hear you across the room.  It's not that hard people.

8. "I wish I knew more people's names."

I know some faces, I know most names, but it makes me sad that I can't always put them together.  I feel really strongly that the students don't go through college feeling anonymous, so this one makes me pretty sad.

9. "Please pay attention to me. This is on the exam and I will feel guilty when/if you all don't get it right."

At the end of the day, I know I can only do so much to get them to actually listen.  But I get a MAJOR guilt complex if students don't do well on my exams.  Rather than blaming it on them not paying attention in class, I blame it on myself. I need to get over this.

10. "I hope I'm getting through to them and they're actually learning."

Despite, (or maybe because of) all the goofing off, I have to say the most gratifying thing for me is when they say thanks or say that they actually enjoyed the class.  At times, I know it's difficult to sit through...I even bore myself. But I think that makes it even better when they email me after they've graduated with a story about how they handled an ethical dilemma at work or how they used some of my resume and interview tips to land a job.  I know I've actually gotten through to them.  And that's a really great feeling. :)

AAANNNDDD... just to cap it off, a GLEE reference!!  When I originally saw this particular episode I found Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Holly Holiday, pretty irritating.  Then I realized that I may just want to be like her.  Aside from hanging out w/Mr. Schuster (which is incentive enough), she gets to spend class time busting out in Top 40 songs and dancing around the room with the students, then going out for tacos!

You go, Holly Holiday!

A Valentine

And now...a serious post. My Valentine to the Mill.

Dear Adams Mill Bar & Grill, a.k.a. "The Best Bar in DC" [as declared by ProMo, Spring 2007]:

Oh, Mill. I read the stories. I know your doors have closed for good.  Will you become another bar? A (gasp!) Panera? Too soon to tell.  But rather than focus on the sadness I feel for those who will never know the awesomeness that is a refreshing beverage on a summer afternoon on your patio, I will choose to relive some of our happier times together.

My attempt to make my bar photo look artsy :)

I guess it all started with that season of bachelorette parties - 2003? The patio, the bar, the fact that you were a little off the beaten path (a little, not much).

We parted ways for a few years but met up again (it was fate!) when ProMo and I moved to Adams Morgan and you were just down the street. It was love! There were the lazy evenings with tater tots, beer and great conversation with the most kick-ass bartenders ever.  There were also those crazy nights of dancing until the lights came on and everyone got kicked out but us.  Usually we fell somewhere in between. And we loved it every time.

rawr

Sure your bathrooms were busted, the drink glasses stuck to the bar, and your upper floors were sweltering no matter the season or number of people in there. But you made up for it in so many ways:

You let our dog come with us to happy yappy hour on the patio.

Marlon ready to do some grass roots marketing at yappy hour

You hosted ProMo's graduation party.

Tame moments at ProMo's graduation party

You helped us make a love connection with Dana and Dan.  You had our backs when we "defended" our bar stools. You didn't care what time we came in, we were always welcome. We always saw friendly, familiar faces...even after we moved.

Santa Crawl 2010.  Didn't know it would be out last time at the Mill!

We know you had a rep for being a typical dive bar, but to us you were more: lots of love, smiles, dancing and drinks.

Best bartenders at the best bar!

We'll miss you!!

South of which border?

Despite what some people on the streets of NYC and the employees of Chipotle think, I am filipina, not hispanic. [True story...Chipotle employees always start talking to me in Spanish.  OK, maybe not in the 'burg because they're all white here.  But seriously, everywhere else.]

Traditionally, filipinos are known as asian.  I do find the term "pacific islander" a little more exotic, but I've been told that this term is meant for people from Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, etc. and not filipinos.  Hmph.

Apparently this distinction is not just confusing for me.  For example, take this actual exchange between me and one of my closest friends (who I will not expose, though she may out herself):

The Setting: The Mill, aka "Best Bar in DC," circa 2008, T-Pain playing in the background

Friend: Did you know that Jeremy [Mill bartender and CLEARLY asian] is asian?
Me: [blink]
Friend: [smile, sip of drink]
Me: Are you serious?
Friend: Yeah! Did you know that?
Me: Um...yeah. I did. [staring. sip of drink.]
Friend: Oh. [blink]
Me: Wait, you know that I'm asian right?
Friend: Oh come on! You're not asian. [Sip of drink. Exasperated look.] You're a pacific islander.

Fair enough.

The two non-asian bartenders at the Mill, circa 2008.

Regardless, I do believe that filipinos do get a little confused about our heritage.  Things are distinctly filipino, but their roots are in both asian (noodle and rice based dishes) and spanish (meat, meat and more meat dishes) culture.  For example, we have eggrolls, which we call "lumpia."  However, instead of being filled with cabbage and veggies like chinese eggrolls, they are primarily filled with meat (beef or pork), potatoes and carrots.

mmm...lumpia

Here are four of my favorite, most distinctive filipino traits.  I've seen a lot of these lists, but not for a while.  So if you know or love a filipino, feel free to comment and add!

1. At least one of following three wooden carvings will be hanging on the home of a filipino: a large fork and spoon, a set of tinikling dancers, a portrait carving of the last supper.  My parents had all 3. Promo and I have the fork and spoon.

2. We love to sing and dance. I could tell you the obvious which is that most of us have our own karaoke (or "Magic Sing"), but I prefer to illustrate this fact by giving you a list of famous filipino entertainers, who sing, dance, or both:

• Bruno Mars (who wants to be a billionaire so f'in bad, but will catch a grenade for ya)
• apl.de.ap. (from the Black Eyed Peas. dirty bit.)
• Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Doll, and all-around hottie. Dontcha wish your girlfriend was hot like her?)
• Charice (cute pop singer in her own right, most recently seen on Glee defecting to Vocal Adrenaline)
• Darren Criss (hot Blaine from Glee. A Teenage Dream.)
• Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical ex of the dreamy Zach Efron)
• Cheryl Burke (Dancing with the Stars, object of Ochocinco's affection for 5 minutes)
• Napoleon D'umo (from Tabitha & Napoleon, aka Nappytabs, aka kick-ass choreographers)
• ...and pretty much every act on America's Best Dance Crew

3. We have a very distinct way of getting someone's attention.  To type it does not do it justice.  It is a very terse, loud, "Pssshht!" As a follow up, we will sometimes say "Oy" but usually "Pssshht!" does the trick.

4. That said, we are very friendly, loving people.  Close family friends are called "auntie and uncle" (or "tita and tito" if we're going full pinoy) and we legit use the term "godbrother/sister" to describe the child of our godparents (or our parents' godchildren).  In truth, my godsisters and godbrothers are truly like family to me.  To even call them cousins isn't descriptive enough.

The fam at a beach in the Philippines, December 1976. Yes, I am topless.  Don't judge.

So I don't know tagalog (but my goal is to learn it this year!).  And my southern accent still creeps out every now and then.  And I may or may not have been pulled into the Puerto Rican Day parade in NYC...

But I am definitely a proud filipina! Mabuhay!

Dance Dance

On a spring semester Saturday night in the burg, you can count on a few things.  Among these:

1. The majority of the people you see will be students.
2. If you go out to a nice dinner, you'll likely see fraternity boys and/or sorority girls all dressed up to go to a formal.
3. There will be dancing.  Lots of dancing.

The benefit of living in a college town is that it gives you the opportunity to re-live some of the best moments of your college days.  For me, this included formals and dancing.  I love love love to dance.  In fact, that's one of the reasons I love Vegas so much. Amazing clubs!  But that's a post for another time...

When formals and dancing collide...
My girls and I doing the hottest dance move in 1996 - the Marcarena

I also loved my sorority days and while we did a lot of fun things, getting dressed up, going to formals, and dancing bring back a lot of great memories.  So when ProMo and I see all the cute "kids" dressed up, nervous and enjoying a nice dinner, we can't help but feel nostalgic for those sweet days.  Sure we didn't know each other then, but that kind of thing is universally fun.

The "awww" moment quickly fades when we decide to head out and find our "perfect bar" in the 'burg.  This would be a place that has friendly bartenders, plays good music (to us this means top 40 pop/hip-hop), and is not swarming with college students. Easy to find in a city, impossible to find in Blacksburg.

We end up in a place that doesn't have a rep for being one of the standard student hangouts, but has great music blasting.  I'm tentatively hopeful.  I think things are looking up even more as I get carded, have the drunk girlfriend of the bouncer tell me I look "amazing" for 36 (thank you), and follow the sound of the music upstairs.  There, we are greeted by another bouncer who tells me that there's a $5 cover.  For...? Whatever, I gotta dance!

Vegas, not Blacksburg

But as soon as I'm on the dance floor, I immediately spy 2 of my students and quickly note that the average age is, at best, 19.  I do my best to get my dance on and avoid eye contact with students, but I am more focused on the insanity that surrounds me.

Going to Vegas and other clubs often, I am far too familiar of the ol' "grab and hump" (or as ProMo calls it - the "ball and socket") that drunk boys LOVE to pull on whoever is closest to them.  While this move is not exclusive to college kids, having it executed by sweaty, drunk, and generally awkward pubescent boys adds that little something that makes it slightly more desperate and sad, rather than just annoying.

And it's in these moments that I am glad that I am not in college anymore.

Too distracted and slightly depressed that we have not yet found the "perfect bar," we finish our drinks, watch more awkward mating rituals, and head home to snuggle with the dogs.   Being a grown-up isn't all bad...but I sure wish I didn't have to leave town to dance.

Brawlin'

OK, so I love sports.  Specifically football and basketball, but really, I'll have SportCenter as my "white noise" as easily as I'll have E! News or the Sirius "90's on 9" channel.

Anyway, ProMo and I were at our Thursday night happy hour enjoying our beer, wing tidbits and pizza, and watching sports on approximately 10 different televisions.  One of the big stories of the day that we kept seeing on the Highlights was the fight between the goalies for the Pittsburgh Penguins and whoever they were playing.  [Since I don't follow hockey, I don't know what their names are nor who the opponent was, but that's fairly irrelevant.]

Let me set the scene for you: there's a standard hockey fight going on.  It starts with a couple of guys then maybe a couple more get in on it.  Refs are hanging out, doing whatever it is that hockey refs do when a fight is started...which is pretty much stand there and watch the fight happen and wait for it to run its course.  Then, the Penguins' goalie somewhat casually skates over the the other goalie.  Ref tries to stop him, Penguins' goalie pushes ref out of the way, brawl ensues.  Apparently, goalie fights are so rare that ESPN felt the need to put together a video montage of the best goalie fights of all time. Fine.

My question is, why is it not only OK but really, EXPECTED, that there will be a fight in hockey but it is so completely unacceptable in every other sport (except those based in fighting like boxing, of course).  Football and basketball players who get in fights get fined, suspended, or both.  What do they get in hockey?  A 10 minute penalty? Seriously?

I'm not saying one is right and one is wrong, but where did that disparity come in and why?

Wait, I have a blog?

As I was playing around and surfing the web, I saw that my friend Kristen had set up a blog and something in the depths of my brain recalled that I had set one up WAAAYYY back.  And lo and behold - here it is! So Moeny was set up in July 2008 when I was moving from DC to Blacksburg, VA to track my life at that time.  It was meant to be part training log (I was training for the Virginia Beach RNR 1/2 marathon), and part diary of our adventures going from 3 big cities (New York, Baltimore, DC) to one very small town.

So I have dusted off the cobwebs and decided to try this whole blogging thing out. Will anyone read it? We'll see. But if you do, I hope you'll be entertained by my crazy but lovely life! :)