Hung out with the sister of my one (half British) (half Sudanese) friend.

The other week I went out for dinner downtown with the sister of my one (half British) (half Sudanese) friend and her lawschool classmate, because they were on spring break and I was pre-emptively celebrating my Hebrew final.

The sister of my one (half British) (half Sudanese) friend was saying that after Whitney Houston died, she spent a whole day looking up articles and old interviews on YouTube and finding out all about her.

"I didn't know much about her, just a few of her biggest hits," she was like. "What a tragic life."

She said that Whitney first really got on her radar back when she was a kid in the Sudan, because the movie "The Bodyguard" was big there, and people talked a lot about the interracial relationship in the movie.

She also was saying she's disgusted by Chris Brown because of how he beat up Rihanna, and can't even watch his videos.

"Have you read the arrest report?", she was like. "I attempted to read it, but I was forced to stop when I began to envisage it, since it made me physically ill."

I then told her about Rihanna's recent tweet recycling lyrics from one of her hits to justify working with Chris Brown again ("they can say whatever / ima do whatever / no pain is forever"), and she just shook her head.

Got pissed off the other day.

The other day I was talking with the (older) (black) (male) guard at the little corner store I shop at, and I said something about working all weekend, and he said that he knows how that feels, since he works 7 days.

I talked with him more, and I found out that he pretty much works 7 days a week, standard.

I got really pissed off, that he works so hard and such long hours at such a low-paid job. That's just not right, he deserves better.

Tutoring cancellations.

For my high schooler, I've only taught about half of the last 6 sessions, since she was sick once, and her mom was sick twice and she didn't have a ride (her mom has pneumonia, it turns out!).

Last week, the lawyer reading Greek cancelled, after a series of cancellations; he had been sick, then slammed at work, and is now going on vacation.

This weekend, the lawyer reading Latin had to cancel, and I couldn't immediately schedule for Mon. or Tues., and when I realized on Mon. I could for Tuesday, he had become busy, so we're meeting this upcoming weekend.

This weekend, this one ph.d. student who had a death in the family and was catching up on Greek caught the flu and had to cancel, and I couldn't immediately schedule for Mon. or Tues., and when I realized on Mon. I could for Tuesday, he had become busy, so we're meeting this upcoming weekend.

All in all, I'm losing out on about $300 of income because of the delayed lessons. I'm trying not to let it worry me, though; I can use the time for my own work, and I still make good money for the hours I put in, and it's still a heck of a lot more stable than teaching classes at local schools.

I don't even think I should have cancellation fees; I advertise my flexibility, which I do have, and I really don't mind the flux as long as I'm given advance notice.

I'm reading Hebrew!

Yesterday as a reward to myself, in the morning I started reading the book of Ruth.

I went through the first 10 verses, and compared the Septuagint and Vulgate translations.

It was really the goal I had been wanting to achieve for about 5 years, to be able to consult/read the Hebrew text and understand funkiness in the Greek and Latin that was attributable to it.

Over break, now, before my Hebrew reading course starts up, I hope to read through the entire book of Ruth.

The funny part is, is that I won't need Hebrew for any research I foresee, but I do feel that it's a skill that I should have, and maybe I could co-teach a class someday by partnering with someone with more competency in the texts and Jewish and Christian interpretative traditions relating to those texts.

I also have had several fellow ph.d. students comment to me this past year that I know a lot of languages. It really does seem to be atypical, I'm realizing.

Hebrew Let-Down.

I went to the academic bookstore on campus yesterday to buy the Hebrew dictionary and grammar that the prof I'm taking a class with next quarter recommended, but they were out-of-stock and deliveries will take 7-10 days.

That's a bit of a bummer, since I was hoping to start in on Jonah, Ruth, or Judges this week.

So, I checked out a dictionary and a grammar from the library - too bad I can't use my own, though.

Spice mix-up.

Last weekend I was making some southwestern bean soup with a new twist - I added in kidney beans as well, in addition to pinto beans - and I had put in chili powder and then a ton of cumin, when I went to taste the broth and the soup tasted sweet.

Then, I realized I had grabbed the spice bag of ground coriander by mistake.

So, I scooped a lot off the surface with a spoon, then I put in the cumin and a lot of pepper, to disguise any residual coriander taste.

And since I always cook in big batches since I don't mind eating repetitively and it saves time, that could have been one huge f*ck-up.

More from my mom on politics (2 of 2): Her GOP co-workers.

I also asked my mom if she had heard anything from her GOP co-workers at the library about the general election, and she said not really, but she stays away from politics.

The (white) (late-30s) (married w/kids) computer guy at the library is die-hard GOP, but my mom doesn't know why.

In terms of other coworkers, she says after everyone thought the Iraq War was a sham, my mom broached the topic with this (older) (white) (female) coworker, and then the woman starts going off about how the war was necessary because of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

"But [the woman's name]," my mom was like, "They never found any, it was a made-up excuse," which made the woman start going off on how the mainstream media was lying.

Another of her coworkers is a (white) (mid-30s) woman who runs marathons and got hurt and is now on Disability even though she still trains and goes on cruises and walks around a ton, but she votes GOP because she thinks she deserve government help, but other people don't.

Yet another of her coworkers is a (white) (mid-40s) woman whose husband works for the state and whose kids both work for the Mich. auto companies that got bailed out, but she never really talks about that.

I find the last two cases interesting, b/c they seem to exemplify the recent NYTimes piece about how many GOP voters actually depend quite a lot on social programs but either think they don't or vote anyway for politicians who oppose them.