a new do

I went for my first haircut in NYC this week. A friend recommended a guy in the neighborhood who I am now heartily recommending at Vespa Salon on 7th Avenue (for any Brooklyn peeps). His name is Schlome and as my friend says, "he's worth the price of admission." (I hope he doesn't read this...) He was a riot. I felt like I got a haircut and a show at the same time! This picture doesn't reveal it very well, but Schlome gave me quite the layered-do. In the front, he went shorter because (in a heavy accent that I couldn't pick out) "it is sexy and mysterious and what is most important, is to be sexy."
p.s. sorry but I didn't have time to rotate the picture before uploading it. plus, your neck could probably use the stretch from sitting at the computer.

from the mouth of a 4-year old

This note was written to me by a 4-year old girl who I babysit occasionally. It says, according to her translation, "You are not a stupid idiot...and I love you." Thanks, little girl.

don't go brown if you can help it

Last Wednesday

- Ordered new bathing suits* from J. Crew online

- mood: excited!

Thursday - Sunday

- awaiting next week's delivery

- mood: more excited!

Monday

- out for morning coffee with friend Christy

- check online: missed delivery at 9:32 a.m.

- no UPS notice

- called UPS, they said probably the same time tomorrow

- mood: little annoyed, little less excited

Tuesday

- stayed home all morning even until 2:30 p.m.

- no buzz, no phone call, no notice

- check online: failed delivery attempt at 1:05 p.m.

- mood: significantly more annoyed and significantly less excited about new bathing suits

Wednesday

- stayed home all morning again

- no buzz, no phone call, no notice

- check online: (3rd and final) failed delivery attempt at 9:45 a.m.

- mood: UPS SUCKS!!!

Thursday

-will go pick up package myself

- will speak with manager to see if UPS driver hasn't gone insane

- will try on new bathing suits and hope they remove all memory of this frustrating experience

- mood: skeptical about package actually being there for pick-up

* New bathing suits, thank goodness, are not brown.

creative writing at its best

When playing scrabble, have you ever tried to create a story using every word that was played during the game? I did this recently with some friends and here is our amazingly fascinating story (scrabble words italicized)...before you start, a hind (according to friend Christy and my memory) is a small deer.

There was a gap between the wrought iron fence and the trash can that juts out like a giant zit. From that grooved pit the moan of a sane hind attracted a loner to the area. His friend, a doubter of animal friendship but a vet nonetheless, was with him carrying limes and a pie crust. El said to doubter, "Let us wend toward the dune and not stay, lest we fail in the fume of the axle." From the doubter's lip was uttered these words: "We have no coins for this voyage, thus we are tied to this town." Fighting the urge to lob his unsure friend, El decided to fake a smile and remain there. Luckily, there was a tray nearby with all sorts of utensils on it, including a tong...so they made their pie.

Publishers, please create a single file line and have your highest bid in hand.

a strong recommendation

I was fascinated to watch the story of Edith Piaf's life in the new film, 'La Vie en Rose.' After seeing the film and almost weeping over the devastatingly sorrowful life Piaf seemed to have lived, I researched a little bit more into her story to compare with the film; the film was fairly accurate. Piaf's life seemed destined for heartache from the start and nothing seemed able to change its path. I strongly recommend seeing the film for its beauty, its mostly accurate portrayal of such a well-known (though people may not recognize it), talented performer and for the music. The movie ends (almost ironically) with a song that translates "No, no regrets, No, I regret nothing...to hell with the past." In light of all you see in the film, this song cannot leave you sensing that it was possible for her to truly regret nothing.

girl put your records on...

There is just something (a certain "je ne sais quoi") about the crackle of a record that makes me adore it. Yesterday, I uncovered a few record sets that I inherited from my grandparents. From one of them, I played Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose" to spark interest in the new movie that is showing (at select theaters near you) which reveals the tragic life of Piaf. Apparently, her life story is similar to that of Judy Garland's, both finally succumbing to addiction and despair. I'm going to see the movie tonight at BAM. It's en francais with subtitles (I hope).

On another note, I scheduled my first one-on-one spanish lesson for next Wednesday. I am really excited to apprener espanol. I probably said that wrong and I'm sure someone will correct me (please?) but I'm only trying to relay my anticipation to you. I love languages and this one will certainly be practical - in my classroom and around the city! I fear that I'll lose my French or Sign Language, or that they'll just become a jumbled-up mess in my brain, so we'll see how it all goes I guess. I'll keep you posted (if you can comprende)!!!

I thought I'd go up Poughkeepsie...

I love saying "Poughkeepsie" ('puh-kip-see' or maybe 'po-kip-see'). Last weekend, I accompanied my friends to a wedding upstate. It was a beautiful place to visit. While wandering, I managed to find some winding country roads with tree canopies and little hobbit homes. It reminded me of driving around on family vacation in Georgia and the Carolinas. The weather was perfect, the company VERY enjoyable and escaping from the city for a few days was so refreshing. I am thinking of visiting again. Camping anyone?

une visite de mon amie

I love visitors because I am forced to get into 'tourist' mode, instead of relaxed (or tired) Brooklyn mode. My friend Sarah, an old roommate from college, visited last weekend. We took a tour of the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side. We walked the Brooklyn Bridge and got ice cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. We ate pizza at Lombardi's in SoHo. We saw A Moon for the Misbegotten, the play that just closed and starred Kevin Spacey. It was really good. We also saw the musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, which was incredibly hilarious! What else...we hung out in Prospect Park. We ate out a lot (and exhausted my 'eating out' budget for the month!) and spent our hard-earned money at every Starbucks we saw (they have air conditioning and bathrooms). It was a wonderful visit. Who's next???

Stranger than Fiction

I watched this movie last night, instead of going to grad school. I feel I made the right decision.

I can't describe why but I really enjoyed this movie. It was a cleverly unique plot and ridiculously funny at parts. I think this is my favorite of Will Ferrell's movies, but that's not saying much since I don't really like any others.

The movie has a very talented cast and I personally enjoy Maggie Gylenhall's performance. My favorite part is when Will's characters brings Maggie's character a box of flours (instead of flowers), since she's a baker. It was really cute.

missing something

This happens to me enough that I can remember it when I take a nap. I'll wake up and feel somewhat melancholy, like I'm missing something but I don't know what. It's like I've lost something or am missing a person that I have no recollection of knowing or missing. It's a weird feeling but it's hard to shake. I described this to a friend and asked, "You know? Doesn't that happen to you?" She said no. I am all alone in my nap-time melancholy. Strangely enough, writing this silly little blog that my two (maybe three) blog friends will read has helped.

yo habla espanol

i wish i spoke spanish.

why do i do the things i do

it's 11:04 p.m. i fly out at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning for seattle, which means i should leave by around 5:30 to get on the train to the airport where i will get on a plane for a 6 hour flight. i am still awake, though i am already exhausted. i am wasting time blogging and 'cleaning out my inbox' when i should be packed and sleeping.

but my middle-sized suitcase broke the last time i used it and i only remembered tonight. all i have are two little bags. so, packing will require much forethought. and i will have to remember to check the bag carrying my toiletries because of the stupid flight regulations on liquids.

so, with all of that looming over me, i am making a choice each minute as i sit on my rear end and decide not to pack but to play on the internet and listen to my classic rock radio station.

i am sleepy. i am going to turn up the radio and get my packing groove on...

On Being Sunburned.

Do people think that a person who is sunburned is completely oblivious to reality? Yes, I should have worn a little more sunblock. No, I didn't really think about the fact that I was probably getting a little too much sun. No, my skin is not blistering nor do I really look like a lobster. But, yes, I do realize that I am not my 'normal' color.

And yet, I find it highly annoying when people point these things out to me as if I didn't already know them. I mean, does the fact that I have a little sunburn make me a complete moron who, because of overexposure to the sun, cannot really grasp the current state of her skin?

If I had time, I'd show you a picture of my mild sunburn. But, alas, I must go prepare for tomorrow's day of teaching where students will most certainly ask me again, "Ms. Prahl, what happened to your skin?" (have they never seen a sunburn? or, do they not realize that I'm a human?)

Lovely Samantha...

This picture was sent to me by my sister, with the sole purpose of Blog publishing. This is my neice (yes, her again) in her front yard in Florida. I just adore her.

my younger neice...

little hannah with rosy cheeks...at 3 months.

my wonderful neice

I still believe that my neice Samantha is the most adorable, beautiful, smart and sassy little girl that I have ever known (her little sister Hannah is currently still drooling and learning how to roll over...)

narcissism

how much of blogging is just plain narcissism? i am having trouble finding reason to blog, as if i need to advertise some part of me to the world, but only a part that i actually want them to see.

been a long time...

It's been a while since I've blogged and this is mainly a test to see if Kathy still checks my blog to look for new additions. This is a picture of me along the riverside in Boston checking out the icy ground...trying not to fall on my, well, just trying not to fall.

grammys

i'm watching the grammy awards and wondering why rascal flats is doing 'hotel california'. there are some songs that should be left alone by the country singers. well, maybe there are a lot of songs. leave the eagles alone please, and everyone else for that matter. write your own stuff. maybe that's only my opinion.

another (boring) New Year's Eve

Last year, I spent my New Year's Eve in a hotel room with two friends watching VH-1's "I love the 80's" for a few hours. I was driving up in my little Budget truck on my way to my new life in the Big Apple. I guess that isn't so boring. And it's been one year, which is hard to believe.

I spent the day with my family, having breakfast with parents and taking my 3 year old neice on a date to the park, the mall and the bookstore. Here's a picture from the date. I am excited to get back to the city, but I will miss this adorable sassy girl, along with many others!