Art may imitate life, but life imitates TV.: May 2006

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

People are DYING to get in there...

That joke was taught to me by my father when I was little, and I have the old, large cemetary in Montreal in my head whenever I hear that joke, must have been the first time I remember him telling it.

Saturday I picked up my last house guest, Jim who is out in California now working in a New Urbanism planning office. We both made it through architecture school (he was in undergrad) and worked together on MiSo, the Solar House design competition. We caught up and shared work experiences over dinner and than walked around town after. It was interesting looking at things with a planner, he got excited about widths of roads, local stores and curves in the road. We did make it down to the pond where this picture is taken. I need to get a bike sometime as the bikepath goes right by this spot - gorgous and busy with neighborhood people.

Sunday dad and Uncle Bill came down to visit. We ran errands and had lunch at the rib place which I knew my Uncle would like - he loves meat. Than off to Lexington and Concord to explore the historical sites and Unitarian churches (of course- it is Uncle Bill after all). In Lexington there was this great cemetary we spent some time in. I love cemetaries but this one was great because alot of the tombstones had a passage on them along with the relevant info. There were alot of plots for the Muzzy family - funny name.

From dust I came to dust I'm come.

And now the dusts become my home.

From death's arrest no age is free.

Uncle Bill, being an interesting and eccentric person, wrote copicious amounts of notes on everything we saw from the list of town halls on a specific site to names and dates on tombstones. I don't know what he does with these scraps of paper, but it must fill a house by now. Well, I will leave you with my favorite inscription, which I memorized on my way to work today.

Behold all you that passeth by

align="center">As you are now so once was I

align="center">As I am now so you must be

Prepare for Death and follow me.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Yes, I'm a Junkie

I have info to post about the weekend, but am leaving that until tomorrow. Instead, trying to stay on top of things at work, I've started loosing steam and fall back on my old faithful - This American Life archives. I find that I reference some episodes quite often in day to day conversations, so I thought I'd list some of my favorites.

Studying Couples 3/26/05 Episode 261: Act One

A scientific approach of figuring out what quantifies a good, long-lasting relationship by observing couples discussions/arguments.

Testorone 8/30/02 Episode 220: Act Three

Staff at TAL speculate their relative Testorone levels and than get tested. Keep in mind, these are radio nerds. Interestingly, Ira referenced this episode when I saw him live and it is based on a simlar structure as Howard Stern's talk show: talk about what they are going to do, do it, talk about what they did.

On Hold Music 12/5/03 Episode 253: Act Two

Follows a producer who is getting overcharged for a MCI bill and the ridiculous maze she goes through to straighten it all out. It is humurous for being so outragous and discussions about commissioned hold music that loops.

Illiterate Trucker 4/15/05 Episode 287: Act Two

Can you imagine - your job is always different, you depend on maps and road signs to get you where you need to go and you can't read. Interesting how this man makes it all work.

Fake Babysitting 1/6/01 Episode 175: Act Three

You thought your parents were bad. Two sibilings invent a fake family that they would use an excuse to go out at night. They even take it to the next level and leave town to go with the "family" to their summer cabin.

What I Should've Said 1/16/05 Episode 257: Act Two

Classic. The opportunity to confront the first President Bush and how it all turns out.

The Cleaner 7/7/00 Episode 164: Act Two

Cleaning crime scenes - someone does it and apparently a southern accent helps the customers.

Slowest Car Chase 10/24/03 Episode 248: Act One

What more can be said, other than it is in LA! Interview with the driver is included which is useful considering noone else knew what was happening (news people and police).

There are a few more that I can't find yet, but will list later. So, if you are finding yourself procrastinating (you are reading this after all), check out www.thisamericanlife.org and listen to one of the above episodes for free (they are grouped by year).

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Good Parent? Bad Parent?

So I'm onto round two of the house guests. My cousin Catherine drove up from New Haven last night and ended up in Copley Square, which if you aren't from around here, it isn't anywhere near my house. Ended up talking her through the traffic circles and divergent roads back to my house - didn't get to bed until after midnight - tired!

The question relates to what happened last night. It has been brought to my attention that my cats are like my kids in training. Last night bringing up Catherine's luggage Walter, my little black cat, escaped, but only into the stair well where he couldn't really go anywhere. I left the door ajar while giving my guest a tour of my humble abode. Shortly thereafter I noticed Walter had come back in so shut and locked the door, got ready for bed and crashed. For some reason I couldn't fall asleep right away, being restless, when it hit me - Winston was missing. Let me interject that my cats are like other cats - independent. But my big guy ALWAYS sleeps with me - leaning next to me through the night and he wasn't there! I went and opened my door and there he was, no harm done. But the question remains still - I did lock him out, BUT in my defense I was atuned enough to realize something was up. Really it is a rhetoric question and hopefully I'll make it to bed earlier tonight to be more coherent.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Graduation Weekend

I just had a lovely long weekend with Mom and Aunt Mary. Low key and lot's of food. They flew in Thursday night and I left them to their own on Friday when I went into work. They ended up running errands and I now have a dvd player and a newly cleaned stove! (I was making a 15 layer cake - from Martha Stewart - it tastes even better than it looks - but has close to two pounds of butter in it. Anyways, in a rush for a dinner party, I accidently let the icing boil over and it was a gooey, sticky mess in my stove. This was over a month ago and I have put off cleaning it

hoping it would dissapear - and it did - thanks to mom and mary's elbow grease).

We shopped, watched movies, ate ribs and had an all around good time. Monday we went down to New Haven, they had come east for Nick's graduation after all, and had perfect weather for the Commencement. The setting was gorgous in the Law quad, and even though that looks like Nick in the far left of the picture, it isn't - the picture's from the 2004 commencemnt that I lifted from the web until people email me their pictures (hint, hint). Nick got to entertain us - taking us to an Indian Restaurant to celebrate, only to have to start review classes for his BAR exam the very next day - the studying never ends!

Yesterday was a crazy work day - trying to catch up after only being a way a day and a half. I ended up having to run an event in the evening, and didn't get home until 9 pm - long day! I knit several more rows on my baby sweater I am making Ann before dropping to bed and sleeping solidly for 9 hours. I just love how the sweater is knitting up and the yarn I am using, which is from my stash and over 5 years old, is suprising me how nicely it feels and looks, very relaxing. It's nice how it all works out and I love that my knitting hiatus has ended and I have had a good run of knitting projects lately - may the flow continue!

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Preparing

I've been getting organized and after updating my calander I just found out that I will be having house guests for the next 14 days straight! (I get next wednesday off, so I exaggerate a bit - but only a bit). Mom and Aunt Mary are flying in tonight for my brother's graduation on Monday. I did the whirlwind shopping last night - stocking the fridge and pantry. Tonight is the whirlwind cleaning and of course, being in the organized mode I have piles of items out that I've been sorting through (clothes, papers, books), so need to tuck everything away - my poor loft is becoming a dumping ground (because the office never had a chance - it's chock full). But I still think the apartment is the perfect size - I am just being slow in my downsizing of office and craft stuff.

I've been enjoying the rain - it was sunny yesterday and part of today and it was super gorgous. I am a big fan of differences in weather accentuating each other - if it is nice out all the time, you forget. However, that being said, I have the benefit of only having my basement flooded which being a renter again, I could let my landlords handle and only some of my boxes were damaged - nothing major. Others are having a more serious situation occuring with the damage happening, loosing power as well as water damage. If you want to see some pictures, check out Amanda's postings the last couple of days that show how high the flooding got in Lowell.

I'm almost done my sweater - half a sleeve left (ok, that was an exageration - I only have three rows started - so it's a full sleeve left - but it's started, so that counts). Hopefully I'll get a chance to do the dreaded blocking - I still have the tank that has been done for weeks now, as well as the pieces of this sweater to block. I'm curious to see how it comes together as you knit the bottom front half and the top front half separately and than combine at the end. I will aim to have pictures for the next posting. Hope everyone stays dry!

Friday, May 12, 2006

Glorious Rain

I am determined to post something before the week is over and I'm gone for the weekend (no internet at home)! For those of you else where in the country, Boston has been unundated with rain. I think it was started by my landlords getting our house painted - you are just asking for trouble. The painters were scheduled to put a second coat on Tuesday and when I left for work in the morning, they were racing the rain clouds that were forming. It is forcasted "chance of showers and cloudy" until thursday when it will only be "cloudy". So that is what? 9 days of rain - I love it! It must also have something to do with my mom and aunt Mary coming to visit next week for my brother's graduation - bring umbrellas!

There is nothing better than long bouts of rain, especially in spring - the weather is just starting to turn into the unbearable hot summer, and the rain comes in with the nice 50s/60s and it excuses you to focus inward and replenish - no guilt for not being out and hiking with friends or exploring and enjoying the sun. Plus I get to wear my yellow galoshes!

You know I will be getting a lot of knitting done this weekend. I am about half way through a new cotton sweater from the summer 2006 Interweave Knits called Looking Glass Top. I'm still unsure if I will love it or just like it when it is done, but have some other knitting projects lined up that I am itching to jump into. I think I will start the Pea Pod Baby Set from the same issue this weekend. I didn't know who to make it for and was resigned to just make it to have on hand when I remembered that an old, old friend from my early years is pregnant with her second child, Ann Desorb who lives in Denver - it gets cold out there, right?

To round out the cozy weekend, I just bought my first music download! It's dangerously too easy. I've had Carla Bruni's Quelqu un Ma Dit stuck in my head this last week which I heard on WERSs morning program, Coffeehouse. So after several days of deliberation I went ahead and bought her whole album (I'm listening to it now and can't wait to transfer it to my MP3 player). My french is horrible, but thing I will have the song memorized soon.

Let's see, this week has been busy, my evenings this week have been mainly filled with Aimee's Granny Circle I went to on wednesday where I had a vegan three cheese lasagna (I still think there were only two "cheeses" in it) and working on the Green Roofs Conference - helping with the tradeshow exhibit for our firm and helping give a tour of green roofs in Cambridge - yes, in the rain - but it was fun!

Sorry for the knitting talk, but have been surfing the knitting blogs out there, as well as just blogs in general - push the "Next Blog" button on the upper right of the page. You realize how global blogging has become and sometimes you feel a little bit voyeristic (I know I'm not using that word correctly, but you get my point). Cheers and enjoy the rain!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

David and Madeline

This week has been interesting and busy - I'm definately ready for a relaxing weekend. Wednesday night I went and saw David Sedaris read at Symphony Hall. I have been a big fan through This American Life and he was yet another radio personaility I was suprised when I saw a picture of his. His voice does not match his physical appearance. He read several of his pieces, one coming out in the New Yorker this summer called D'accord which basically captures life in a new city when one doesn't have a great grasp of the language. It retells his adventures when he decides to give up on asking people to repeat what they just said and goes with the approach of just being in agreement (d'accord). By the end of the story he is sitting in his underwear in a wating room with a bunch of fully clothed Parisians.

Last night was Madeline. I went with some coworkers to see her speak hosted by the Harvard Book Store. I'm not huge on politics. My exposure is the snippits I hear in the morning on NPR. I found it interesting that she spoke fairly simply, bringing items down to their common denominator and providing a fairly clear and concise view on topics - not academic at all. She read a bit from her new book, but spent most of the time taking questions. I noticed she was very systematic with her style of presenting information and arguments and than making a humorous comment - balancing the dark with the light. One such comment was her support of Bush in his belief in democracy. She mentioned this to him but than added that she was upset with him for making it sound that he invented democracy, when in reality she was the one.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Do you ever...

This morning I took the maze of tunnels to work since it was pouring out. As I was on the escalator that brought one from the subway to the lobby of the office builidng above my subway stop, I got that eerie feeling. The lighting was harsh, the commuter masses were dreary and wet, shuffling along, it was silent but for the buzz of the escalator that seemed to be in slow motion. It seemed so unreal, it seemed like I was in a movie - I almost laughed.

As I rushed through the rain, across the street to my office, I realized the irony. Aren't movies trying to capture a small snap shot of life? Even if they are sometimes skewed, isn't that just someones perspective anyways? And here, I thought it was funny that my life was a movie of my life. It probably didn't help that I had my own soundtrack playing on my MP3 player.