another month has gone by

and I haven't written anything in my blog. sad.

I will do better in July.

pretty purple flowers

purple ground cover
Originally uploaded by Jane Lee.

I spent Memorial Day weekend in Monterey with Eric. These purple flowers were in full bloom along Ocean View Blvd in Pacific Grove. Eric saw his very first sea otter near Hopkins Marine Station.

Typhoid Jane hits New England. Two reported casualties.

I had a wonderful vacation on the East Coast despite a bad chest cold. My friends welcomed me into their homes and did their best to make me feel better. Unfortunately, my cold germs attacked at least two other people. (Sorry, Dave and Paul.... Bad Jane!) It was wonderful spending time with good friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in six years.

break in the rain

I just came back from a walk on the beach. The rain had dimpled the sand, creating a textured look broken by the footprints of dogs, plovers, and people. Waves added a smooth, scalloped edge along the shore.

mothers and daughters

I read this New York Times article when it first came out, but I revisited it today. Good communication is so important, yet so difficult to practice. I am trying to improve the way my family talks to each other, but it's going to take a long time. I am heartened by the story of Lee Hee-Sook, which I heard on NPR's StoryCorps segment last Friday.

good advice

My friend Ellen reminded me that when you're happy, you need to enjoy and appreciate being happy for as long as possible. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it's something that I forget to do. Or rather, I don't take full advantage of my happy state, even though I know it won't last forever. Life moves in cycles of joy and sadness, so it makes sense to be as present as possible for the good times.

strange dream

I dreamt last night that I lost strength in my legs. I had control over them, but they wouldn't support my weight. I was playing field hockey. For some reason, just before each game I had to rinse off in the shower. Then, as I waited to run onto the field with my team, my legs began to get weak. I finished the game last night, but I had to be helped off the field by my teammates. My legs were buckling any time I tried to stand up.

I've had this dream many times before. It doesn't feel like a nightmare, although my paranoid side wonders if it's a premonition of some kind. I do not seem to be very alarmed in my dreams -- just annoyed. Usually, I am asking someone to help me up a flight of stairs and explaining that my legs had just given out on me. Weird.

riding on the BART train

The sun makes me squint. I think about the wrinkles that will show up later, but there is nothing to be done. I am surprised that I am not nodding off. Perhaps the extra sleep I got two days ago is fueling my consciousness now. The sounds of the train -- the screeching, the computerized voice -- are muffled by my earplugs. I love my earplugs. They are fluorescent green soft foam and come in their own orange case.

We enter the Transbay Tube. I have not noticed a sign or anything. The lights in the tunnel zoom by. Occasionally, there are gaps. I don't think about what's outside the tunnel usually. Sea monsters, old tires, perhaps a dead body.

Most people are reading, sleeping, or listening to their headphones. I wonder what worlds they've created for themselves. I imagine that many are enjoying their own private concert. Maybe someone is listening to a story or a sermon. I picture a translucent sphere around each of them and think of what images and sounds would fill them.

My bubble would be filled with z's if I weren't writing. It's a half-sleep where part of me stays awake to hear station announcements. On one occasion, that part deserted its post and I wound up three stations north of my stop.

Another tunnel. More lights. More screeching. Now I am getting sleepy. At least I made it to 16th Street.

it's official

Woohoo! As of today, I am a career UC employee. I was initially hired on a two-year contract, which would have expired in September. I don't want to jinx it, but I have to say that I have really enjoyed working for CDL. A quintessential team player, I need to feel like I'm a valued member of the organization I'm working for and I need to believe in its mission. CDL has been very supportive of me and my work, and I am happy that I will be able to continue my career there.

neighborly serenade

My next door neighbors occasionally subject me to really bad (and loud) Chinese (possibly Vietnamese) karaoke. Even with the walls muffling the sound, I can hear every off-key note. It's really bad. It makes my face scrunch up involuntarily.

bad jane

Yikes. I have been delinquent in my blogging duties. The first month of 2006 is a blur. I wish that I could report that this is because I was having too much fun for my own good, but alas, my life is not that exciting. But, I am happy to announce that I am emerging from a haze that has enveloped my life for over a year. Many thanks to all my friends who put up with me.

In the next weeks, I will try to organize my thoughts into coherent posts. I feel like I have a lot to say, but it will take me some time to put my ideas into any sort of readable form. I appreciate your patience.

happy new year!

I spent New Year's Day surrounded by my extended family: 4 grandmas, 1 grandpa, mom, dad, my second cousin, her husband, and their two adorable kids. We ate a superb brunch prepared by my second cousin, and then the bowing commenced. There was much laughter as everyone wished one another good fortune in the new year.

Merry Christmas

I'm at my parents' house watching "A Christmas Story" for the umpteenth time. TBS has a marathon every Christmas Eve, and I can't seem to stay away. It's like my panda addiction. For those of you who don't know "A Christmas Story," here's a summary.

Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Happy Holidays, Peace to everyone!

a house full of cheer

Karen and I hosted a holiday housewarming party last night. Many friends joined us for great food and great company. Thanks to all for a wonderful housewarming. We are lucky to have so many friends.

rock zero at Caren's Pickin' Party

Rock Zero had its first public performance at our teacher Caren's annual holiday party last Saturday. Caren invited all of her students to her home and everyone played holiday songs together. Then we all had the opportunity to play a song for the group. It was a supportive and festive atmosphere.

Everyone did a great job, and I had a blast.

Jane 1 Bloodsucker 1

I was terrorized by a mosquito at 3am last night. I awoke to a buzzing in my ear and a burning sensation in my bottom lip. The bastard had bitten me in the lip and was circling for more! I feel so helpless when I'm trying to sleep and there's a mosquito in the room. I turned my light on, hoping to spot and kill the sucker. No such luck. I turned the light off and tried to go back to sleep. Two more hours, two more flyby's. Meanwhile, my bottom lip swelled to twice its normal size.

By morning, the swelling had gone down a little, but I still felt like Bubba from "Forrest Gump". I am happy to report, however, that just before I left the house to go see "Harry Potter," I spotted the mosquito on my wardrobe box and killed it. The bright red blood that was left on the box and my hand was undoubtedly mine. Jerk.

one reason why I left teaching: "Kids Gone Wild"

The New York Times Week in Review has a great article that examines some of the reasons for kids' bad behavior. I often felt like I was the first adult ever to have said "No" to some of the students I taught.

giving thanks

I'm at my parents' house taking a break from dinner prep. I spent an hour or so prepping 1.5 pounds of brussel sprouts. There were some weird things growing on the leaves, so I think I pulled about half of the outer layers off. We will be having a traditional turkey dinner with family, a few of my parents' friends, and a couple of Korean grad students who are studying at a local institution.

It's been a tough year for me, but I have plenty to be thankful for, including the following:

• my family - I am lucky to have a large extended family.


• my friends - I don't get to see many of them very often, but they are always in my thoughts. (Come on, people! Hurry up and get a Mac and an iSight already! I need more friends on my buddy list.)


• my job - I am fortunate to work on interesting projects in a place with people whom I respect and like.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

wake up call from my APC

This morning, I was woken up by my APC, the device that keeps my computers safe and happy during power surges and outages. I guess the power was coming in and out because the APC would turn on for one second intervals periodically. It's kind of spooking me out, but maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away. ;-)

I am embarrassed to report that I am going to be about two weeks late turning in my final essay. I missed the final class because of a business trip. In the last 2.5 weeks, I've been out of town 12 days. I am just now getting to revising my last draft. My final draft looks like it's going to be significantly different from the previous drafts; I feel like I'm writing a whole new essay.

I have a couple of blog posts that I haven't finished writing. One is about the people I met during my trip back home from Washington, DC. I plan to catch up over the holiday.

discombobulated

My internal clock is confused and has responded to jet lag in the wrong direction. I am in Virginia for a conference, and last night I fell asleep at 9pm. This morning I woke up at 4:30am, and I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep. My body seems to be 3 hours ahead of itself instead of 3 hours behind, which is the way eastward jet lag usually works.

I need to work on my personal essay. It is going to undergo serious revamping. My writing teacher gave me some great ideas to play around with last week. I am sad that I will miss the last class because of this conference.