Updates and Rants, 10-22-11

October has been as busy as September. We have had something planned every weekend since early September now and we are looking at not having a free weekend well into November. I have forgotten what it's like to wake up on a Saturday and not get showered and dressed until 1pm. Since September we've gone to Monterey, Daly City, Placerville, had people over, seen a couple of our best friends get married, had some great times. I'm not complaining, but it will be nice one of these days to just not go anywhere.

I took my ASL midterm last week and scored a 49 out of 50 points. I was seriously nervous, too! I thought for sure I had at most a C. I could have sworn my teacher looked confused half of the time, but my nerves were just playing tricks on me.

There are people in class that are just helluv rude. They talk out loud on purpose and giggle about it. Not only is it disrespectful to our Deaf teacher, but it's also distracting while we're trying to get instruction from him. One douche-ass stood in front of the class during an exercise where we were describing relationships and made something up about having a girlfriend. That's fine, but when he sat down he said so everyone could hear, "I'm actually single," just to get a laugh. They will all lose the last laugh when their grades come in. My friends and I are telling the teacher who and when the speaking is going on. Yup, I'm a snitch and I don't care.

It's one thing when people whisper to each other to help each other out, but it's another entirely to speak just because the professor can't hear. You would think that in the second level ASL class these students would have a little bit of respect for Deaf people and for the language, but no. I'm sure you've heard this rant before, but it's something that really bothers me. Anyway, that's all the rant I have for tonight.

Mom's up this weekend. We've been hanging out, going to the jazz festival downtown. We went to Davis Common to the Main stage at first. After awhile we realized there was another stage across the street. We went over and listened for awhile. We painted on their art wall in front of the Natsoulas Gallery and then went in and showed mom the staircase of art and the roof. She loved it.

Mom took Chris and I to Ali Baba's for dinner tonight and it was wonderful as ever. It's been a great day. Next weekend, Halloween party!! Weekend after that, Eid!! I'm making cake pops, chili and mulled cider. I was thinking about making a pumpkin pie, but I will probably just buy one, with all the cooking I'll already be doing. Here's to the holiday season!!!

Crocker!

The Crocker Art Museum is a very old museum that once resided in a Victorian-era house on the Grid in Sac. (If you're not from the Sacramento area, that's just the colloquial term for the area downtown-"Old Sac.")

Recently, they reopened their doors after a multi-million dollar modern-art add-on. The building is incredible and is actually connected to the old buildings. It is ultra-modern looking with a bright color scheme and a mixture of curvy and straight lines. It is very impressive and their collection of modern art is enviable.

After spending hours in the Louvre in Paris this summer, I feel I can tell a good gallery. While nothing compares to the Louvre (minus the stupid pyramid), the Crocker is a welcome and appreciated establishment in the center of art and culture in the Sacramento area. The new building is also a complimentary and well-received addition to the community.

The price is right, also, at ten dollars admission for adults, eight for students and-well, I didn't actually look at the children's prices because I don't have kids and don't really care. However, on Sunday, they have a "pay what you want" policy, which everyone that I've talked to at work who lives in Sacramento says is the "free day."

Chris and I spent hours there for Veteran's Day and brought a sac lunch to enjoy by the river. We watched the Tower Bridge raise for an old ship. The horn scared the bejeezus out of me. It was only when it stopped and the bells started ringing that I realized what was happening. We watched the middle section of the bridge begin to raise as the counterweights descended. We were looking back and forth down the American River to see what was trying to get through.

We laughed when we saw it. Sails up, a masted, wooden ship was gliding down the river. They were raising the vertical lift for a pirate ship! Of course, a desperate search for the Jolly Roger and any sign of "booty" left us disappointed. This was just a regular ol' ship. Still, it was a sight to see.

After our lunch, we continued exploring the floors of the new and old Crocker museum. We had a great day and finished it off with true California cuisine: In N Out. It was a great way to spend the holiday.