Today a new semester of TAing begins, in a pink and grey stripped sweater. Unfortunately (for them), I don't teach all my discussion sections on Thursday this time around, so a 3rd of my students won't get to see me in a sweater every week.
Also, this should be the last Sweater Thursday I have to endure without my camera. As such, you'll have to make do with a Photo Booth picture today.
Today I got amazing news. Alex Rosemblat called me to tell me that my camera had been regained. It has had a long and complicated journey; a journey that is not over yet. Below is a brief graphical representation:
[Update: as of last night (1/31/08) the camera was in Alex's possession.]
This morning I read a review of the Brasserie V in the Capital Times. This was a welcome reminder that I had been remiss in relating an important moment in my blog career. Some may remember a previous post of mine concerning the Brasserie. This was not a favorable post. In fact, I may have said some things in it that, while true, were not nice. You may also remember my post about Karma, and what it will do to you.
With this in mind, our story begins on a Friday morning somewhere just south of Baltimore, MD. I was going to D.C. to visit the A-Dog (A.K.A. Rosie, A.K.A. Blats) for the weekend. My dad was driving since the parents had decided to come down for the day (my mom had been dying to see the National Museum of the American Indian) and then take the train home that night, when Martin called from Madison. He was packing for D.C./Puerto Rico, which is unimportant, but he and Yana had just been to The Brasserie V. Which is important. As it turns out, the bartender/co-owner/prime douche at the V remembered Martin and Yana. This is surprising since they had only been there once, 3 months ago. He also remembered that other friend of theirs, and that blog he wrote about the place. Which of course is me. And my blog.
This is huge. Other than the fact that I'm not welcome at the Brasserie anymore (he's worried about that fight that Tommy promised), which I don't really see affecting my life in any measurable way, this is amazing. He said that my blog negatively affected his business! That's right, my blog post had a real live effect on the rest of the world! Bizzle.
This is where Karma cuts in to dance. After hanging up with Martin I relate the story to moms and dads. I feel powerful. I then immediately realize that I have left my wallet in Phila. (I also realize that I'm just outside of Baltimore, which is almost as bad as realizing you're in Jersey, but that wasn't Karma's doing). I feel small, and helpless. That night my camera is stolen (maybe). I feel angry.
Epilogue: After reading a number of reviews of the V today, it looks like they're doing pretty good business now. My post on the place (which I think must have been one of the earliest) has now been relegated to the nether world of somewhere past the 5th page of google results, unlikely to be seen on a whim ever again. I hope this means that my camera is going to come back to me. It feels lonely.
Another Sweater Thursday come and gone, another Sweater Thursday spent without my little red camera. That's another story though. This sweater was originally owned by Joanna. I think she gave it to me sometime during our 1st senior year of college when we lived across the hall from each, next to the Magic Mirror. I'm not sure exactly why she gave it up; I used to assume that she thought she was sending off to a better home, but recently I've come to question that assumption. Maybe she regrets giving it up; it is a nice cable knit outdoorsy number, and I know Joanna likes outdoorsiness. In fact, when I picture Joanna trudging to the public library through the Iowa outdoorsiness it is usually on snow shoes, wearing a sweater similar to this.
In other news, the professor for my 9:30 class this morning was wearing a sweater. I almost snagged a quick candid of him on my cell phone before class started but it's a very full classroom. And I still need him to let me in off the wait-list. I wasn't prepared to make a spectacle of myself. I'm pretty sure he'll be participating in Sweater Thursday again though; he looks pretty crunchy and he wore a sweater last Tuesday also. On the other hand, it was -5° F at 9:30 this morning so it's possible this could all change once we get into double digit temps.
You may remember that I had a run in with the shits right around New Year's. It was a terrible experience, one that only Darcy really got to appreciate it, and in the next few days my whole family got to have their go with the Notorious Norovirus also. I didn't really think much about this until I read an article in the NY Times a couple of weeks ago in which the author mentioned a bout of violent diarrhea that swept through her family a few days after New Year's.
Then yesterday, while catching up on my Time Magazine reading I came across this Postcard: Pakistan feature, in which the reporter mentions having violent diarrhea on New Year's Eve. A quick googling turned up outbreaks in Britain and Boston also around New Year's. That brings the tally of known affected areas to Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, the countries of England and Wales, and Lahore Pakistan. I find that sort of mind blowing. Think about trying to get something to happen in these places all at the same time on purpose. That would be difficult. But infecting the whole world with norovirus seems to be no biggie fries. And then on top of that, 2 different journalist, writing for 2 different publications, both of which I happen to read, mention it in articles they write. How often do journalist talk about their own gastrointestinal health in the first place?
Anyway, as far as I know, I was the first to start shitting. And I happened to have traveled to both NYC and Boston on or around New Year's. So maybe I'm patient zero. Did anyone else have the runs over New Year's? Did your friends or family? Or, have you read about any other journalists that did? I would like to start compiling this data. Maybe I'll make a map out of it.
I got back to Wisconsin Wednesday night. It was an interesting trip with Kermit; only one conversation got uncomfortable (when a 40 year old man tried to buy Kermit from me), the security peeps loved him, and there were pictures taken by two different groups. I like pictures. Also, I'm just going to go ahead and say it, I like Rihanna. "Breakin' Dishes" and "Please Don't Stop the Music" formed the basis of my traveling soundtrack.
I wore this sweater today mainly because I knew that nobody else was going to see me (I only left my apartment to get milk, bread, and bratwurst from Trader Joe's down the street). It is both one of the oldest sweaters in my collection and one of the very few XL items I own. Also, it's a turtleneck.
Because of the general agreement among attendees that Mexican Monday was a great success, Tuesday was quickly declared Thai(/Tie) Tuesday at the Barnebey house, shortly before midnight on January 14th. Coming up with our Mexican Menu was a fairly routine affair: guacamole, tortilla soup, stuffed poblanos, fish tacos, a punch bowl of margaritas, and coffee flan for desert. The only challenge there was making sure I made enough for all 12 of us. But Thai is a bit more opaque than Mexican. At least to me. I mean I like Thai, it's one of my top 5 food ethnicities, but I don't really understand it. So what do you make for Thai Tuesday? And more importantly, what's the correct drink for Thai Tuesday (note: Mai Tais is not a valid response)? These were all questions that were eventually answered by spring rolls, coconut curry soup, green curried chicken shrimp and pork satay, Dark and Stormy's with our homemade ginger soda served in coconuts (with umbrellas), and tapioca pudding 
for dessert. Oh, and Singha beer to fill up the boot.
Unfortunately, I'm leaving for Wisconsin in a matter of minutes. And that means that Welsh Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, French Friday, and Sloppy Saturday will have to wait for the next Barnebey Family gathering.
And, as should come as no surprise to anybody, Kermit over did it again. Now I have to get him onto a plane. hopefully he can hold it together until he makes it to Madison.
I've recently completed my January 1st, 2009 blog entry à la Jobonga:
PS. A little late, but I have another challenge for you to ignore. You are going to make some resolutions and predictions for 2008 and you are going to set it to post one year from New Year’s Day on January 1, 2009. Then we can all wait a whole year for the big reveal. I plan to write mine as if my 2009 self is quizzing my 2008 self with questions like: Who is president? Where am I moving after graduating two weeks ago? Do I have a job? Do I have a chance in hell? What’s it like to be so awesome? This will be cool because if Huckabee is elected president and I shoot myself, I can creep everyone out by posting posthumously.
It's been a busy 2 weeks, and for most of it I didn't have my camera. This is unlike me. To compensate I had to have my way with other people's photographic devices. Unfortunately, I did not get to document Sweater Thursday last week. I promise I did wear a sweater. This week I am coming back en masse (with a frog). Tonight is the 2nd in the series of (Occasionally) Traditional Bi-Weekly Barnebey Family Friday Fish-Fries (OTB-WBFFFFs). Needless to say, we are both excited. Untraditionally, this Friday Fish Fry is happening on a Thursday since I'm going to visit the A-Dog in D.C. tomorrow. 
