Thanksgiving
4Thanksgiving was a bit different for us this year. My parents decided to head to Florida for an early wedding anniversary trip so there was no family feast this year. JJ and I both have a ton of work to do so we thought that we wouldn’t miss the turkey…I guess this is going to make Christmas dinner that much better.
We headed to New Orleans after school on Tuesday, and took advantage of my Marriott points. We grabbed dinner at Felix’s (Right Across from Acme), and we were both impressed with dinner and the service. If you find yourself in New Orleans and do not want to wait in line at Acme, you should try Felix’s.
A Nice Cold Andygator
Seafood Gumbo
Char-grilled Oysters with French Bread for Dipping
The Spread
We left dinner and headed to Pat O’ Briens to enjoy the Piano Bar. Since we don’t have access to a Korean-style singing room, I guess this is the next best thing. We had planned on only staying about an hour, but we ended up having a blast and staying longer than planned. We left the Piano Bar and walked over to Harrah’s to play some low-stakes roulette. After losing a few dollars, it was time for a late night snack, and we somehow ended up at Krystal. We got up on Wednesday, had Pho for lunch, and then did some grocery shopping at the Korean market in Metairie. We got back to Hattiesburg in time for a nap, and although we had a great time, we missed having the traditional Thanksgiving dinner
A Little Too Early, But We Got Great Seats
After working non-stop for ten hours on my article and classwork, I decided that So-Hee needed a close-up so I broke out my flash stands and umbrellas. These smaller versions really do not give the images justice. They are going to look great enlarged and printed out.
One Cat One Light
Dramatic Kitty
Because I Love Being Busy….
06 months ago
I recently started teaching a class at the English Language Institute here at USM. I am teaching a level 2 vocabulary class, and although I have enjoyed getting back into the classroom, it has also taken some getting use to; I have never taught a class where the majority of the students do not share a native language. I have also enjoyed using many of the theories and ideas that I have learned since I started the MATL program.
I am pretty much free to do whatever I feel will best help my students increase their lexicon. We have a textbook, but I have spent most of our class-time using realistic materials and making the students use the vocabulary they have leaned through task-work. Almost all of the students are hard workers and haven’t had to stress the importance of studying hard. The students have gone out of their way to get their work done, and this has made my job a lot easier.
I will only teach this class until Christmas break, and I am not sure if there will be enough language students enrolled for me to teach class next semester. Since I graduate in May, I have already started looking for potential jobs at other university English language programs, and I have already narrowed it down to a few programs that I hope will have interest in hiring me. Hopefully, JJ and I can stay in the south, but we are not closing any doors yet.
Iron Chef Zach
06 months ago
Zach came over and treated us again with his culinary skills. Zach made Sukiyaki, and it was awesome! We don’t get much time to hang out without having to worry about studying so it was nice to kick back for awhile.
Kung-Fu Tofu
Here's the Beef
Sohee was only slightly interested in the cooking
Prepping the Broth with Sugar and Fat.....My Kind of Sauce
Zach Cooking it Up
Fall Break
1JJ and I took our friends Wanhee and Seungae to Kentucky to spend a few days with our grandparents. We left on Thursday morning around six in the morning and arrived in Kentucky at four in the afternoon. As soon as we arrived, my grandmother starting cooking and really didn’t stop until we left. I think that we all gained weight from a constant barrage of well-cooked southern food. I was so excited about eating these meals that I forget to take photos. Besides the country breakfast pictured below, we also enjoyed homemade fried chicken, pepper steak, and fried catfish with all the fixings.
It was a great trip that wasn’t long enough. We really didn’t do much besides making a trip to the Elk and Bison viewing area at the Land Between the Lakes and driving over to Illinois for a quick stop at the casino. As soon as we got to the casino, everyone headed to the restrooms except for me. In the 3 minutes they were gone, I won $300, printed out my winning ticket, and hid it in my wallet. I ended up giving JJ some gambling money and spent a little more of my winnings playing poker. After paying for dinner and gas and funding JJ’s gambling fund, I still came out ahead, which is always a great feeling.
The trip was entirely to short, but we will actually get to see my grandparents again very soon. My mother has two younger siblings, and my grandparents alternate Christmas vacations between the three children. This is our year, and we are all looking forward to seeing them when they come down to Mississippi for the holiday.
Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits, and Grits are a Great Way to Start the Day
My Grandfather aka MacGyver at work saving me a couple of hundred dollars.
Getting Acquainted with Cleo
JJ is the Animal Whisperer
Frying some Catfish and Hushpuppies
JJ and Gram
Looking Back at a Field of Bison
The was the only bull we saw
#575 was not happy with our presence
Not as good as my Grandmother's home-cooked meals
Wanhee Taking a Shot
Although we all had a great time, I had a hard time not thinking about all the school work that I had due. I struggled with knowing that as soon as I returned to Mississippi, I was going to have to give up all my free time for awhile to finish a paper. Although this weekend was homecoming and was supposed to be a great football game, JJ and I both had so much work that we had to give up our seats. I ended up giving away my tickets to a friend so at least someone enjoyed our seats. The rest of the semester is going to be fairly high-paced and JJ and I are already getting excited about Thanksgiving break.
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