Dedications

One of my favorite things is book dedications and inscriptions. I love a good dedication--from simple ones like the fact that Vladimir Nabokov dedicated every book he wrote to his wife Vera, to more elegant ones like this CS Lewis one. I have a very small collection of used books that have inscriptions in them from other people. There are a couple that make my heart do a little flip from their sweetness & simplicity. One of my favorites is a book I ordered for a travel literature course I took a few years ago. It simply said, "From one world traveler to another." I love imagining the scenario behind the inscription. Was it a romantic gift? A gift from one friend to another? Or something written impulsively by the person giving up the book & meant for the next person that found it?

Double Duty

I'm pulling double duty for the next two weeks, and teaching for two program. I've been teaching for my gifted and talented high school students for the past four weeks, but now I'm also teaching for a program for Chinese high school students. I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for the past few days, but I'm loving the experience of teaching courses that are new to me. It also means that I'm putting in 12+ hours days between teaching, transportation, logistics and lesson planning.

In the meantime, my stepfather was bitten by an alligator this weekend, so there's that.

Russia: What to Know Before You Go

The first in my three part series on traveling to Russia is up on The Lost Girls. I'm so excited to have this article out there. It makes me miss Russia something fierce.

Tiki Tiki

A few weeks ago I headed up to Philadelphia to join my boyfriend for a special event-a pop up restaurant by Stephen Starr at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The pop up tiki restaurant was amazing. There were big drinks in tiki glasses, a whole roasted pig and more sides than I could possibly try (although I gave it my best shot). Although it was insanely hot out (nearly 100 degrees), it was still a fun and unique experience. How many people can say that they've dined on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art?

The Lobster Joint

This weekend involved a lot of chaos, a lot of traffic and a lot of fun. One of the highlights of the weekend was a trip out to Brooklyn to visit The Lobster Joint.

The restaurant is tiny-just a few communal tables and a bar just big enough to fit one bartender. It was perfect. The highlight of the menu is the Lobster Claw Bloody Mary. It was spicy, cool and delicious. Considering that my boyfriend and I got horrifically lost trying to find the place (we ended up 12 miles away!), the drink was a great balance to the sweltering heat we'd been wandering around in. I ordered a lobster roll BLT to go with my drink, and it was perfection. There was more lobster than I could imagine on the sandwich, and the bread was buttery perfection. We're already planning a trip back.

Happy 4th of July

This is my first 4th of July in the U.S. in five years, isn't that wild? And I will be celebrating it by...teaching all afternoon. So it might not be the most relaxing way of celebrating, but I'm hoping to sneak out to the pool for a little while in the early evening because that just seems appropriate.

Jersey Girl

I can't help it. There are things about New Jersey that I can't help but love. Walking the boardwalk on painfully hot days will always be one of those things.