Surprise of all surprises, three of the "sticks" have sprouted leaves!  That being said, I'm suspicious that rapid leaf growth means they're not putting any energy into forming roots.  But I can't find out - not yet.  It's a waiting game.

My coworker left for Taiwan to get married (today was the first day without her) and I am already counting the days til she returns!!

These are my garlic plants currently.. as you can see from the shadow, the garlic don't receive the full sun they'd like.  The chimney (not pictured) jutting out probably doesn't help, but the real culprit appears to be the height of the house, which shades the two feet of ground just north of it.

Up above, my garlic in November.  How much they've grown! ::tear::

I dug up two (of the weakest) plants in March because of frustration with aphids and, in part, out of curiosity.  I wanted to check what was going on where I couldn't see beneath the ground.  Though the bulbs are small, the plants also were half the size of the others, which leaves me hopeful about the remaining seven. The severed end of the plant had a distinct aromatic smell.  The aphids, thankfully, have declined in number after weeks of vigilant patrol.

*~*

My mom gave me several (5 to be exact) unrooted cuttings from a goji berry plant, which I planted, though they looked like not much more than twigs with thorns.

I don't know how well they'll do as dried out as they were.  Researching online only gave me pictures of leafy, rooted, happy goji berry cuttings.  Two of the cuttings are serving as stakes.

They're covered with a plastic bag atop our refrigerator, for now.

Kinda feel the need to collect everything that's been incubating (hmm, not sure that's the right word) in my mind. Simmering? Yeah. Everything that's been building up in terms of motivational thoughts/phrases and guidelines as well as hopes and dreams and how to get there:

1. Taylor Swift's Eyes Open. Listening to it every day. “Heartbeat steady.” Even when everybody, or it seems like everybody, is watching and waiting for you to fail.. you've got this. And you can make it.
2. Smile. It makes all the difference. It's your best accessory. I hope to smile, often and easily.
3. “Regardless.” Nietzsche had a quote … “The essential thing in heaven and earth is that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.” This means Doing It Anyway. It means steeping in patience, as tea in water, to produce faith. It means I have the self-discipline to do what I ought to even when I feel like a wreck. Regardless.
4. Give 5 min of my morning and 5 mins at the end of my day to God – that the day belongs to him, and that when the work day is over, it doesn't fill my mind even when I'm at home.
5. I don't know what's to come in the long-term, but if I can work steadily and breathe in what's now and keep my heart open, I trust I will end up at the best place possible. The focus is not on me. Even if I'm scared, that usually means I'm onto something big, something worthwhile. Embrace the unfamiliar. Dive deep, head first heart open.
6. A thought is just a thought is a thought. “We have no right to ask when a sorrow comes, 'Why did this happen to me?' unless we ask the same question for every joy that comes our way.”
7. It doesn't have to be perfect, you just gotta do a reasonably good job and take responsibility – this is what I've learned during my brief stint in the business world. I've been given opportunities to see what it's like to just be myself and surprisingly, the world doesn't implode. It's a reassuring sign not to go on hiding forever. And, I believe it's the answer to not always needing to be needed.
8. If I had a life bio in the format of a Twitter bio, what would I like for it to read?

the weekend is here - yay - work has been a little chaotic but i have a better grasp of things.. though it seems new things pop up all the time.  not really sure what i'm going to do with my weekend, i know that's terrible because every day and moment is precious.  i know we're celebrating my dad's birthday tomorrow, not sure how that will go.  last year it was pouring rain on his birthday and we spent what is normally dinnertime outside a fire station filling up sand bags.  a really good memory for me.  there's something about an emergency and going all out to help someone that can make a person come alive.  my garlic outside is YES still growing.  well, there are leaves and such.  but they don't stand upright like happy garlic - so they are unhappy garlic [plants].  of late i found aphids were making their presence known ... used the smush and remove.. hopefully they stay away.  i feel so lost sometimes recently.  haha, at church last week, this one guy who isn't the most "warm" person but doesn't require conversation to fit social convention .. i'm pretty sure he approahced me after service and asked, "lonely?" lol.  i think it was his segue into an invitation to small groups.  i went there once but it's a small group and i'd much rather be able to hide and not feel like i'm part of an english discussion class.  he talked to me about him and his fiancee's wedding coming up.  i think people who tell me about themselves at length make me more comfortable, allows me to be the "complement," to emotionally invest in them.  there are only a handful of other people who are my age, and i haven't had any luck holding meaningful conversations with them =.  anyway just rambling on here because can't just call up a friend to meet at the local coffeehouse.  news items.  (no weekend update with seth myers) d. ravi... sometimes smart people do stupid things.  fracking in california... stop permitting recklessly and at least make it mandatory to list the chemicals used in the process.  kony... video person detained? no bueno.  TV shows.  fairly legal (which i started watching last year before i made that awesome SF trip) premiered tonight.  30 rock - the next eps. to catch up on is "alexis goodlooking and the case of the missing whisky" .. isn't that an amazing title.  melissa & joey coming at'cha memorial day weekend.... if you're hunting for a point it is not here... oh funny story, i found this old friend of mine on facebook... well more like old acquaintance?  we lived in the same apartment building but she moved away in '99 to upstate.  and i freakin' found her... been off/on searching for her since the internets got smarter.  but then i hesitated to friend her (or rather, message her first) because idk, there's a time and a place.. and it doesn't feel right.  been thinking a bit about ny and people i knew... yes, knew, because... i barely keep in touch with people..so bad.  one night this past week dreamed about winning rocky road ice cream at my old home church as part of some big raffle giveaway and then one of my dearest friends was like, oh no, this means you only have this year left to live.  apparently winning the prize wasn't the best idea...  what else?  been thinking about how some people are the same no matter where they are or who they meet, they never forget.. kinda wish i could find my "voice."

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" - Albert Einstein

“You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.” C.S. Lewis

Written or retweeted by Alimi Ballard,

Be sure and spend as MUCH time today VISUALIZING your goals ACCOMPLISHED... as you do SEEING your PROBLEMS having their way!!!!

Meet your day with indomitable PASSION, ENTHUSIASM and TENACITY!!!! You woke up ALIIIIIVE baby..:)

"The two most important days in your life are the day you were BORN and the day you find out WHY." - Mark Twain

Retweeted by Shaun Groves,

Whatever you are, be a good one. ~Abraham Lincoln

Quote of the day: @tellagraham quoting his Grandpa @billygraham"Everyone wants to be on the Mountain Top, but the fruit is in the valleys!"

"Believing that success should be instant robs us of humble victories."

Signing off.. and goodnight!

How is everyone doing today?

I tried this recipe that I got from my friend Sarah.  Fried Garlic Topped Noodles with Sweet Soy Sauce, mmm... It looked too good to pass up!

Click here to check out the original recipe.  I didn't have any Shanghai noodles, so I used spaghetti instead (which was okay, but thick noodles = yum).  Thanks, Sarah!

I made "Garden Paella" which is basically a vegetable paella.  I'd fallen in love with paella the first time I tried it.  I love the turmeric, which gives the rice a yellow tint.

Also recently bought the stainless steel pan pictured, which I absolutely enjoy cooking with. 

How I ended up in my socks at my front door at six in the evening today..

On many a morning, I open my front door to see a spiderweb traversing the walkway, usually a thin strand barely visible save for the sunlight reflecting off of it, which I have to take pains not to walk into as I head for the garage.  Never chancing to come upon the spider, I always wondered why it is that he or she had to make the web in such a high-traffic area, as someone will invariably walk into the web and the spider will have to start all over again.

Upon coming home today, I exited the garage and turned my attention to the trash cans still by the curb, about to go and tow them back in when I noticed a huge spider in my direct line of sight, just kinda hanging out in the middle of nothing.  "Aahhhh!" I said.  It was already past sunset and the street lights were on.  Unfortunately, due to a glitch having to do with daylight savings time, my porch light was dark.  Nonetheless there was just enough light from the street to make out the spider.

With nothing but my keys in my hand, I decided to take off my right sneaker and chuck it at the spider.  Phhhhhhhh, flew my blue shoe.  MISS!  (I really shouldn't have missed; it was a really big spider.)  It started climbing up.  No time to lose, I took off my left sneaker as well.  Phhhhhhhhh, flew my left shoe.  Bam!  Yea, the first one was just a practice shot.  I'm pretty sure I got it this time.

Feeling triumphant, I then had to own up to the completely ridiculous sight I must have been, a person vigorously tossing her shoes onto the front lawn while peak traffic whizzed by.

That's my "baseball" stance.

At least the spider's gone.  I wonder if I'll see a huge web spelling out "HA HA" when I open the door tomorrow.

Happy December! 

A couple of things I want to keep in mind,
 

1. If you are focused on anything but the goal, you're missing the point.

For example, I wanted to make dinner for my parents, but I worked myself up over what my parents might think of the meal that I missed the point: the joy of expressing my creative energy in the kitchen and of eating together as a family.  Or, say someone is raising funds for a charity, but instead of making the cause the priority, they insist on others approving of what the cause does, when that's not the point.

2. Living BIG means courage, and requires trust.

I tend to live small because that's how I keep everything within my locus of control.  For example, to avoid relational pain I'd much rather keep people at arm's distance than to risk opening up about myself.  But, life is about people, and the experiences you share with them.  It's not about much else.  Having that trust and not being afraid is a step toward embracing new wonderful things into my life.

One of my favorite math teachers passed away on 11/1/11.  I can count on one hand the teachers I found truly inspirational in high school and he is one of them.  He wrote a college recommendation letter for me.  His advice at the conclusion of a semester's class was, "I hope you find a career you love as much as I love teaching math."

He wasn't always warm and fuzzy.  I remember how stern he was, how he went row by row to check homework every single day, how he would randomly call on students to answer his questions.  Sometimes he would ask, "What is wrong with the answer?" after a student had raised his/her hand to answer the question.  No one would speak up.  Then he would sigh, pick up the chalk, and proceed to work through the problem.. and get the same exact answer as the student.  "There's nothing wrong with the answer!"

I didn't know Mr. Geller's "other" life, that of not being a teacher.  It's only after I graduated did I learn he was an avid bicyclist and enjoyed fine cooking.  It's no wonder he dressed up as Chez Geller for Halloween.  Mr. Geller not only taught math, but he was genuinely interested in his students' understanding: he held afterschool tutoring sessions before every exam.  Even though I was doing well in his class (but this did not come easily), I attended nearly every single one.  His tutoring sessions worked so well for me.  He gave you problems on the front chalkboard and wrote answers on the back chalkboard, allowing you to work at your own pace and ask questions.  Come and leave when you want, and there will be nothing on the test that was not covered in class or in homework.

That was the thing about Mr. Geller -- he was fair.  He gave you his attendance and homework policy and stuck by his word.  His grading system was mathematical.  He believed in returning tests the day after they were taken.  Once, he made a mistake grading my test, giving me three extra points.  When I approached him after class and told him, he got a surprised look and said, "Wow!  An honest person!  You can have the three points."

Richard Geller was serious when he said he was against cheating.  Pressure at my high school was, and still is, intense.  Unlike some teachers who threaten academic sanctions, he was frank.  I still remember when he said, "Do you want a doctor who cheated through medical school?"

Sure, he had the reputation of being the scariest teacher on the fourth floor, and had unconventional methods of waking up sleeping students, but he was also kind with a sense of humor.  And a passion for teaching math.  Even if he did yell sometimes.

A few months ago, he was invited to be the Faculty Speaker at this year's graduation.

R.I.P., Mr. Geller.