Vacation in Duluth

Sunday, June 6, 2010
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 65 F (18 C)


Last month, I went home for a week to relax a little bit after the school year finished. On the first weekend, May 14-16, Erik and I went to Duluth. Duluth is a town in Minnesota, right next to Lake Superior. It is very pretty, and a really nice place to go on vacation! We stayed at the Willard Munger Inn, and it was very nice.


This is Erik opening his present from me. He needs a shave!


This is a picture of some houses in Duluth. It was a very sunny day!


This is the lighthouse in Duluth. The beach was a little cold, but fun to walk around.


Duluth has an aquarium! This is a picture of me taking a picture of me taking a picture of the aquarium.

日本語

Spring Semester - Finished

Sunday, May 9, 2010
Weather: Windy
Temperature: 54 F (12 C)

Hi guys!

The end of the semester is always very busy. I was working very hard on final projects last week, but now, I'm all finished! Hopefully, this summer, I can find an idea for my master's thesis, and I also have my job at the Donald Keene Center. But I won't be too busy again until the end of the semester. Yay!

This picture is me with some friends at the TESOL/Applied Linguistics department end-of-year party.




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Pictures of Columbia University

Monday, April 12, 2010
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 60 F (15 C)

Last week, a friend asked me to post some pictures of Columbia University. The next day, the weather here in New York was beautiful! The temperature was 82 F (27 C), and the sun was out, so I decided that I needed to go outside and have some fun.

The lion is Columbia's mascot.


These pictures are on campus at Columbia. I don't know what all the buildings are, because Columbia University is very large!


This building is very famous. Long ago, it was a library, but now, it's an auditorium and museum.


This is on the entry gate. Columbia University used to be called "King's College," when America was part of England. So Columbia's symbol is a crown!


This statue is next to one of the buildings. I have no idea what it is!


This is the Teachers College! I live in the last building on the right.


This is across the street from the Teachers College. It's my favorite restaurant for sandwiches. They have an internet connection, so I come here often to eat lunch or drink coffee while I do my homework.


These next two pictures are flowers on campus. Spring is so pretty, isn't it?


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First Flowers of Spring

Sunday, April 4, 2010
Weather: Sunny
Temperature: 74 F (23 C)

Hi everybody!

I looked out the window today, and noticed that the flowers on the tree next to my building are blooming! The weather was so nice, I just had to take a few pictures.


This is the street outside my house. The tree with flowers is at the bottom.


Aren't these flowers pretty? I took this photo on the way to the grocery store.

日本語

Spring Pasta Recipe

Saturday, April 3, 2010
Weather: Sunny
Temperature: 54 F (13 C)

This week, the weather started out really bad. It was around 45 F (6 C), and very rainy. But it has been getting better since Thursday, and tomorrow is supposed to be 70 F (19 C)! New York seems to be very unpredictable, just like Minnesota.

Recipe Corner
I found a new pasta recipe that is very simple and delicious. It tastes a lot like spaghetti, but the sauce is made from fresh ingredients instead of sauce from a can.

If you can't find fresh ingredients, canned ingredients are okay too, but of course, more freshness means better taste!

The recipe is for 4 people.

Ingredients
120g. cannelli beans (or cooked chicken)
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic (or 1/4 t. garlic powder)
15 fresh sage leaves (or 1 t. dried sage)
400g. tomatoes
salt and pepper
280g. pasta (rigatoni or penne is best)

Preparation
If you are using dried beans, soak them overnight before the recipe, and then boil them for 45 minutes.
If you are using canned beans, drain them before measuring out 120g.
If you are using chicken, cut it into little shreds.
Crush the garlic cloves.
Peel and chop the tomatoes. If you are using canned tomatoes, drain them.
Cook the pasta in water as normal. Drain.
Combine all the ingredients in a frying pan over medium heat, and toss them together, making sure everything is well mixed and heated.

日本語

Back from break

Saturday, March 27, 2010
Weather: Sunny
Temperature: 38 F (4 C)

Hi everybody. I came back from Spring break last Monday (the 22nd). It was fun and relaxing. One day, I drove to Wisconsin with my mother to visit my aunt and grandmother. Along the way, we saw a bison farm. Bison are very delicious. It tastes like beef, but almost with sort of a "ham" kind of aftertaste.



We also saw some trees where sap was being taken to make maple syrup. Wisconsin makes the best syrup!



I got a new job here in New York. It's just part time, but it's pretty important. Starting this week, I am the program coordinator for the Donald Keene Center for Japanese Culture. Right now, we are preparing for an important lecture on photography given by Yasumasa Morimura. It will be on the 14th of April.

How is everybody's Sprink break? If you are in school in Japan, right now is break time, right? Have fun, and good luck on your next school year!

日本語

Spring Break

Friday, March 12, 2010
Weather: Rainy
Temperature: 45 F (12 C)

Spring break is here. Yay! I'm going home to Minnesota tomorrow. I'll relax and have fun and take lots of pictures to post here next week!

日本語

Busy!

Tuesday, February 24, 2010
Weather: Rainy
Temperature: 40 F (4 C)

Oh my, it's been a while since I wrote last.

Winter break was really busy! I was doing something every week.

The first week was Christmas. It was fun. I got some computer software, some CDs, and some flashcards and a poster for studying Japanese.

The second week was New Year's. I spend it with Erik, my boyfriend. We had lots of fun, but it was cold and snowy!

The third week was my sister's wedding. Congratulations, Adam and Kate!
Do you want to see pictures of the wedding? You can find them if you click on this link.

The fourth week, I took a test. It wasn't even for school! It was a certification exam for Microsoft Office Word 2007. I studied very hard, and I passed.

Now, I'm back in school. For three weeks, I had two jobs! I was working with computers in one job, and also, I am a TA (Teachers Assistant) for one of my professors from last semester.

I have three classes this semester. One of them is on English grammar. Another one is on English phonology. The third one is called "Hypermedia and Education." Basically, I am learning how to make a website! It's really fun.

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