Frog and I went out with another couple recently, a very rich couple. We went to a Japanese restaurant, where I had the best sauteed udon and seafood on the planet, and the couple ordered a bottle of very expensive saki. I’m not much of a drinker, so it was much too strong for me.
I recently presented at a conference at a nearby university. I had been very proud of myself for volunteering myself, and even prouder when they said they were going to pay me. :)
It didn’t go as well as I would have liked it to- my old nemesis, planning too much for the time allotted to me and not being able to finish it all, kicked in- but it was done, and not horrible, and now I can put it on my resume.
I am taking an online class to develop an online class. :)
You had to apply with a class proposal, and if you complete the class satisfactorily, having developed your class to their specifications, they put the class in their catalog and will pay you to teach it if it runs.
It will be another possible source of income for me if and when I ever get the guts to freelance. The online medium, I must say, is somewhat annoying, because there is no way for misconceptions or issues to be dealt with immediately. Sometimes it seems that the posting format interferes with best communication practices. I think, though, that I will do better than this instructor in terms of clear communication when I am teaching my class, just because I am a better writer.
The best thing about the class, however, is that if we successfully finish it, it is free. (Not to mention the future income to be earned.)
Frog and I went to the beach again today, and we walked to the lighthouse again. On the way back, we knew we could detour to the nude beach, which Frog had never seen before. So we did, and once we were there, we decided to “do as the Romans when in Rome”. It was quite the exhilarating feeling to go in the ocean nude, although I was half-worried that I would get a jellyfish sting on my hiney. But no such thing happened, and we had a lovely time naked in the sand and surf. Then we re-clothed and walked back to the car so we could pick Frogette up from camp.
Fun!
Despite the fact that I live in the same state, I didn’t even know we had a Roosevelt Island until a few days ago. So on a recent trip into the city, we decided to explore.
It was right across the river from Manhattan, and the smallest place ever. There was a subway stop that would take you into the city and an airtram to go the other direction. One grocery store on the island, and very little else besides public parks and apartment buildings, with the exception of a residential hospital that seemed to be for long-term mental and physical disability care.
It was a lovely place, with a real sense of community and lots of green spaces considering the tiny size. There was a community garden, which you could join and have your own plot. Some people were growing veggies, and some flowers, and everywhere you looked, it was gorgeous. We looked up apartment prices to see what it would cost to live there as soon as we got home. There was one “green” building that we loved- made of recycled materials, partially powered by alternative energy sources, child care, workout room, and recreational facilities in the building, which we knew we didn’t have a shot in hell of affording, but we wanted to look at some other places. The cheapest apartment we could find was a 520 square feet studio apartment, going for half a million dollars.
Ha!
But we had a lovely afternoon exploring and dreaming, anyway. Something new to do.
Over 300 stairs, and you could see the whole island (peninsula?) between the bay and the ocean. Gorgeous.
oye veyajera dreamy, sheepy
All part of wwoofing, I helped to roof a structure. I was given a lot of control in the process, mostly because the gal who seemed to be in charge didn’t seem to want to be in charge. I hope it doesn’t leak!!
oye veyajera dreamy, sheepy
I learned how to weave on a peg loom a couple of days ago, and then today I broke out some power tools and some not-so-power tools and made a loom and taught some folks how to use it.
oye veyajera dreamy, sheepy
Lambs are like cheerleaders over milk. They jump around and wag their tails excessively when offered a bottle. Today I was the one being cheered by an adorable runt. Horrah for milk!
Frog and I were on the beach when the sky suddenly turned from blue to near black. The air and the light and the thick, massive wall of clouds being pushed through the air were so beautiful that we decided to stay on the bench we were occupying and just get wet. Everyone rushed past us to their cars, but we just sat and drank in all the beauty. Fun and romantic, even when we were pelted by the heavy rain, and drenched to the bone.
