Christmas at Carnegie Hall

Today I discovered that when I'm singing in my house I can be heard in the middle of the street...and all the way to the neighbor's driveway (and there's an orchard separating us). This also means that I was "listening" (ie singing along with) Christmas at Carnegie Hall with Kathleen Battle and Frederica von Stade. Back when M and I used to live in the same state, we would spend hours singing along to this concert. Usually until we had both nearly lost our speaking voices.

This is usually the only time that I can ever sing several notes above high C. Or rather it's the only time I ever try to. (M- any guess as to how high that actually is? I don't have perfect pitch and neither does my piano). Sometimes my teeth rattle when I sing that high. Or my ears ring like they're going to burst. Though I've never accomplished what M did our Sophomore year: she actually sang loud and high enough to make a plate rattle. I'm waiting for the day she or I can make the plate break.

Anyway. For your listening enjoyment, here's one of our favorite pieces from the Carnegie Hall Christmas concert. The high notes on the First Noel and O Holy Night are especially great.

my christmas tree is up!

I'm always horrified when I hear about/see a Christmas tree in someone's home that looks like it belongs in a department store (I should qualify that by saying if it's the only tree in the house, I'm horrified. If it's your second tree, go to town). Yes, they look very nice and professional and interior decorators world wide clap their hands for joy to see it. My problem with them is that they have no personality. Where's the story behind each ornament? There isn't one. And part of the fun of decorating the Christmas tree is basking in the memories. Opening up my boxes upon boxes of Christmas decor is like reuniting with old friends (almost like unpacking books).

There's the box of Renaissance style bulbs with very Catholic-esque paintings of the Christmas story that I bought my first year away. There's the John Deere lunch box and the mini farm that reminds me of home. There's the gold ones in many shapes and sizes with my name and a year etched on them from my Grandma Joan...back when she used to actually be a grandma. There's the pickle that I hide somewhere in the branches for T-rav to find (imagine my shock when my German teacher told me about the German tradition of giving a reward for the one who finds the pickle. I always wondered why I had a glass pickle among my collection of ornaments until then). And then there's my favorite of all: a Pinocchio puppet from Italy whose legs fly up and down when you pull on a little string!

You just don't get that kind of reminiscing with a color-coordinated, "perfect" tree. At least I don't.

I feel like what I've written is something like a cheesy story I once heard in Relief Society...is there a story somewhere about ornaments?

remodel #1

Since we moved in to the little white house in Orem, our life has been filled with wallpaper, plaster, spackle, dust, (and more dust), popcorn ceilings and paint. We've basically been living in squalor. But the end is in sight! For now, at least.

Here's our dining room before:



And after:


Pictures of the study and living room are soon to come!

t

I have class in 27 minutes. I should be grading an unfortunately hefty pile of papers sitting in front of me...but I can't convince myself that it's a good idea. Instead I've been sitting here wondering about something linguistic (which is kind of related to grading papers, right? They're both language related...) and I have a question: how do you pronounce the word mountain? Do you pronounce the t in the middle as an actual /t/? Does it sound more like you catch the air in the back of your throat and ignore the /n/ (like mou (air stop) in). Does the t sound like something else? What about in these words: center, cater, rotten.

It would make my day if you could post a comment with your approximate pronunciation of those 4 words (mountain, center, cater, rotten), along with your age and where you have lived for the majority of your life. Thanks!

Oh. And in order to get a more "accurate" description of the word, trying saying these sentences.

1. The mountain is turning white with snow.
2. She lives on Center Street.
3. I'd love to cater your wedding.
4. Please toss the rotten salad.

What did you hear?

wanted: your fashion advice

I have a quandry. Cold weather is fast approaching, and I find myself without proper foot attire for school. I often just wear my converse, but the sole is falling out, they are stained from the last time I went to Holi at the Hare Krishna temple, and I feel kind of crusty teaching with them on (and I feel like a student). But. I have absolutely no idea what kind of shoes I should get. I have 1 pair of boots, but I can't wear them every day (and they become awfully tight when I try to stuff both my beefy calves AND a pair of jeans in them). I need something warm (ish), something nice (ish), and something that doesn't make me look like I've just come down from the mountains of Montana. Any suggestions?

My grandpa is very ill and we are flying to Denver in 4 hours to see him in the hospital.

Trav bought me the most beautiful yellow tulips that look extremely nice in our newly painted green dining room.

In a moment of irrational desire, I spent $20 in Harmon's (which is almost an acceptable substitute for Wegmans) yesterday on challa bread, goat cheese, and orange-fig jam. It was delicious.

I wish I didn't always feel irrational and unstable these days. Perhaps if I bought more bread and cheese my mood would even out...

cheater!

I have never had so many cheaters in a class as I do this semester. They cheat on their tests, on their workbooks, on their in-class and out-of-class assignments. And the worst part is, even though I know they're cheating, I rarely manage to catch them in the act (which is so dang frustrating). Here are a few samples of their cheating:

Yesterday, a girl I'll call Sun, was absent. During class, we did a listening activity where the students had to write down their answers and turn them in. Miraculously, Sun managed to turn in both her homework and her answers to the listening part, which were suspiciously similar in correctness to all of the Koreans' answers. Hmm.

Can 4 students really all manage to misspell rehearsal in the exact same way? Really?

It's interesting that all the Koreans in class have all the same answers on their quiz. Unluckily for them, their answers are all wrong. HA.

How can you take notes on a lecture that I'm pretty dang sure you didn't attend and that cannot be found on the internet?

Of course, there are a few assignments on which I can easily dock points for cheating. Like when they have to do a summary of what they heard on the news, and the grammar is 100% perfect and the vocabulary is college level...and they clearly didn't write it themselves. It's also really fun to ask them what certain words from their summaries mean and watch them sqiurm. Or like when they're in the process of asking (in their native language) another student the answer to question #12 on the test and I happen to hear/see them right at that point. Blushing, anyone?

I know students cheat. Even good students might occasionally get a few answers from a friend. But I think foreign students cheat way more often than Americans. And they're dumb about it. If you're going to cheat, do it well. At least re-word your answers so it's not quite so blatantly obivous. Or you could just not cheat. Then maybe your English would actually improve.

on the american classroom

As a student, I had plenty of classes where the professor droned on with little to no participation from students. I had classes where we had loads of group work and classes where we had none. And I had several professors I felt completely comfortable with, a few I didn't care for, and one I completely idolized (and was naturally seized with terror any time I had to speak to her). I came to expect that in most of my major classes, there would be class discussion (though I may or may not choose to participate), and that occasionally I would have to work with my classmates. Foreign students, on the other hand, arrive to the US with little idea what to expect out of the American classroom.*

For example, they are often shocked (and sometimes appalled) to discover that in many American classrooms (especially ESL), you are usually expected to participate. No longer can students sit in class, searching the internet on their iphones or facebooking on their laptops (although they sometimes still do), for they never know when they may be expected to answer a question or break into group discussions.

They are also surprised to find that they can actually talk to their teachers. Us American professors are typically happy to answer questions after class, explain the logic behind assignments, or even just chat with students. We acknowledge that we are neither omnipotent nor omniscient (at least some of us do...the ESL teachers do). Foreign students are also surprised to find out that if they have a problem with another student in the class, they can talk to their professor. Or if they hate an assignment, they can complain about it; the instructor may not do anything, but we'll at least listen.

And, of course, group work. American classrooms are often filled with group class work, presentations, or discussions. Foreign students are often loathe to participate in group work, instead spending their time finding reasons to complain about the project, their group members, or something else totally irrelevant (maybe something they don't like about American culture...or American food...or the way the teacher hands out papers...).Which is actually quite similar to the way many American students react, except the Americans are trained to complain and the foreigners pick up on it all too quickly.

I've decided that all incoming foreign students should be informed of these things before they're thrust into the thick of things. It would make their lives a lot easier. And it would definitely make my life a lot easier. Is there anything you would tell a foreign student about class in America?

*My disclaimer: I'm sure there are many of you who never had to work in groups in your college classes or never said a word during lectures. I know you're out there. As you read this, just imagine a major where you have to be vocal. Or think about your high school classes. Or maybe grade school...