Federal Court Interpreter certifiable, that is. This past Tuesday, I finally presented the oral portion of my FCICE. I had identified my weaknesses and strengths and had prepared myself by focusing on my weaknesses and really brushing up on certain interpreting modes. Turns out, I focused too hard on one thing, and ended up neglecting the portions ( Read more... )

Today (or well, yesterday, now that it’s after midnight) was George’s 32nd birthday. In typical and wonderfully-charmed-life fashion, a short essay he wrote on the final shuttle launch was featured on Jalopnik.(And speaking of “charmed life”, today he got to do what no one gets to do: say goodbye to Atlantis ON THE PAD before she goes…)

It was a ( Read more... )

We are what some might call dirty hippies. (I am?)

TANGENT TIME! Yep, I’m one of those annoying people - we are those annoying people that start using “we” for like, everything once they’re married. Fact is, George and I not only share a lot of the same opinions on The Big Subjects in Life™, but as roommates who get to make out without ( Read more... )

I feel quite blessed to have married someone who has the same quirky, twisted, messed up and dorky brand of humor I thought was matchless. I simply assumed I was doomed to go through life sad every time I giggled because a baby reminded me of a troll doll or someone said “penal code” (yep, I’m that mature).

About a year ago, George and I came up ( Read more... )

Hi, my name is Lorenia, and my husband is an addict.

I don’t use the term “addict” lightly - just to make sure you are fully aware of his addiction and will support me when I find the help he needs, let me tell you what happened yesterday…

Our phones occasionally do not register phone calls. I don’t know what it is on George’s phone, but on mine, ( Read more... )

I’m sure you all have things that just annoy the ever-loving crap out of you. I sure do! Tons. But few make me as angry as when people make serious comments about “groups”, ethnic or otherwise, because they themselves have at one point or another felt targeted, so they feel justified “getting back” or because they are related to someone who is OF ( Read more... )

It’s official: my brain is mush.

I’ve been doing so many memory exercises, studying so much vocabulary, and recording so much of my own voice doing consecutive translations that I am no longer a real human being. I am an interpreting robot. All I’ve had a real desire to do today is listen to music, play video games, and take pictures of our cats. A ( Read more... )

Being gluten and casein free gets a little complicated around holidays/special occasions… particularly birthdays. And if you’re hosting a party and have a million things to do, and you’re starting to feel old and tired (I know that saying that while still in my 20s should be forbidden - sue me!), the last thing you want is to take a full day to ( Read more... )

We’re those kinds of people: the people that think up non-animal names for their animals. Leo Tolstoi. Spartacus. And… Princess? Well, Princess was a fluke. When we got her and Spartacus, they had coccidia, which involved finding her back paws covered in poop five minutes after every feeding. Appetizing, right? Anyway, we started jokingly calling ( Read more... )

After two weeks of interpreting at conferences in Cancun, I finally flew back on a basically empty plane last Friday. (Click image for larger view.)


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