I'm an aunt!!

My step-sister just gave birth a few moments ago to my nephew. Happy and healthy all around. I don’t have the actual measurements or any pictures but wanted to share. A great way to end the year. Here's to 2010!!

Just got an update from Nick and, not to be completely sexist, I discovered why it's best to get updates from women. Or maybe people (gender neutral) who have more attention to detail then Nick on this matter. He did give me the fact that my little nephew weighed in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. which is pretty good size for a good old fashioned birth. But beyond that, not much more. Here's a little bit of our conversation (slightly edited because I don't have a photographic memory):

Nick: I've got more information.

Me: Wonderful!

Nick: He weighed in at 8 lbs. 14 oz. Don't know the length though.

Me: Wow, that's big! Did you get to visit yet?

Nick: Yeah, he's doing well.

Me: That's good to hear. Does he have a full head of hair? What color?

Nick: Umm, well, I don't know. I don't remember.

Me: How's Karin doing?

Nick: She's doing well. Although tired.

Me: What did they end up with for the final name? (there was some question of the middle name before).

Nick: xxxx (first name).

Me: I know that, what's his full name.

Nick: Oh. I don't know.




Of course, all this can be discovered later. The important thing is that they are happy and healthy. Nothing to be concerned with. And that I still enjoy to rag on my little bro.

I was in the middle of writing this below, but it pales in comparison to this news.



Ok, so this is my last post for the year (if I go according to plan). Tonight I’m heading home via the supermarket (almost forgot about that, good thing I wrote it down, now I’m more likely to get off at the right bus stop) and making a chocolate cheesecake for the new years eve party tomorrow night. I’m excited as it’s going to be a low key event with close friends, dinner party style. It looks like a good mix of great friends (who are childless at this time). Half of them are musicians which I’m excited about too. More to report on that in the new year.



So, I was going to wait until tomorrow, new years eve, for the last post of the year. No particular reason why, other than I already posted today. Two posts in one day – unheard of on this blog! But at lunch I was adding to my “list”. I did away with lists a few years back because… well because they just overwhelmed me. Which defeats the purpose. If it was important enough I’d remember. I had enough lists at work to manage. I didn’t need to have more in my own life reminding me to do laundry and the such. Well, there are those things that I remember and do because they need doing, like laundry. And then I have the mental list of things that would be good for me to do. Like collect all my old pictures together and get them into photo albums. Or repair sweaters. Or scrub down the fridge. Or hang more paintings on some of my naked walls.



Well, for some reason, I have it in my head that I’ll have a good chunk of time to get all these non-important things done. It’s really just three days. Just a long weekend. I realize as I write this that it’s because, although I’ve been getting a week off for Thanksgiving and a week off for Christmas, I had no “me” time. This is the first time for a long time that I actually have a weekend all to myself – no plans. Absolutely no plans. Granted I should spend half of the time watching Lost, but honestly, I’m off TV lately. It’s really strange as I didn’t think this would ever happen to me. I love TV. That’s why I didn’t ever have cable until this year. If I only knew that having cable would cure me. Although I don’t think that’s why I’m over TV. Not sure of the source yet. Although I’m considering canceling my cable in the new year. I find that most of what I want to watch I can see on Netflix and Hulu. Why pay more? Once I find that cable that connects the laptop to the TV, I think I’ll give the cable company a call.



Again, I’ve gone off topic. Lists. The list for this weekend. All good stuff. It’ll be nice to get a few of the items off the list. I was just adding to it at lunch and reading over what I had put down while commuting earlier in the week. And there it is “Buy lamp shades”. What does that mean?!? I don’t have any lamps that need lamp shades. Right? In my head, I’ve been going through my whole apartment trying to think, is there some naked lamp that I don’t know about. But no, I’m 99.9999999% sure there are none in my place. So what do I mean? Do I mean lamps? But why put shades in the mix. Maybe I meant to write something else like window shades. Which I kind of do need and am adding to the list right now. But am pretty sure I hadn’t thought about until now so that couldn’t be it. It even has an asterisk next to it. (Note: I didn’t realize it was spelled “asterisk”. I’ve been saying “asterick” this whole time. I’ve been dropping the “s” - opps).



I’m thinking, “what the ^&*#?”. Isn’t this typical. You take notes and then can’t decipher your notes which then is almost worse that just loosing track of what you were taking notes on to try to remember. Here’s to 2010 and being able to decipher cryptic messages.



Added later: And here's to hunting for a picture of a lampshade and realizing, this is what I meant. I do have some naked bulbs hanging from my ceiling. I've grown so accustom to them though I forgot. Plus I don't think of them as lamps. I should have written "bulb shades."

A flea and a fly in a flue

I’m behind schedule! So today I post about what I’m reading – more of the A-Z. I have to add that this memoir I’m reading mirrors my life a bit. Or perhaps the other way around. He writes about how his wife has to deal (ie. is annoyed) with him peppering their conversations with random facts from the encyclopedia reading. I’ve been finding I’ve been doing that too, over the holidays and my brother was getting annoyed. Simple trick though I found in the end. Replace, “I was just reading that….” with “Did you know….” Seemed to work, for awhile, until he realized that the source must be from the book.



So, did you know...

- Elisha Gray was just a few hours late. He filed papers with the patent office on February 14, 1876, for his telephone device just a couple of hours after Alexander Graham Bell filed his.

- Capitonyms. You know about antonyms and synonyms. Capitonyms are when the meaning changes due to capitalizing the first letter, like Polish and polish.

- Liar paradox from ancient times goes: If the sentence “This sentence is not true” is true, then it is not true, and if it is not true, then it is true.

- The flower Hyacinth is named after Apollo’s male lover, whom Apollo accidentally killed while teaching him to throw the discus. Nice.




But it was under limerick that I found, “another reason to be happy – the following poem:”



A tutor who taught on the flute

Tried to teach two tooters to toot.

Said the two to the tutor,

“Is it harder to toot,

Or to tutor two tooters to toot?”



Which I have to admit puts a smile on my face. But doesn’t compare to a limerick I found the other week while I was trying to write some of my own.



A flea and a fly in a flue

Were caught, so what could they do?

Said the fly, "Let us flee."

"Let us fly," said the flea.

So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

-Anonymous

1, 2, … 3?

I realize I like counting songs. Have you ever listened to Feist’s 1234, perhaps for the apple commercials awhile back? Or Plain White T’s 1234 popular a few years back? Of course I love the color patterning in the Feist video. You know me and ordering things (books, yarn, socks, underwear…) by color.



Well, that’s not really what this post is about. Yesterday was 1, 2 and maybe 3 babies. First up, I had drop-off dinner duty for Cece and Aaron. I walk in and am greeted by Aaron and boy, does he look tired. In good spirits, but the eyes were in serious need of some cucumbers (if those things really work). But you get the idea. They have company, yet again, passing through on their way to NYC. The Great and All Powerful One (TGAPO), as Cece likes to refer to their 5 week old daughter, is very different than their first born. Not a lot of long sleeping stints and when she wakes, she hollers and brings down the house. Of course, when I was there last night, I got to see the cute little version before she drifted off to sleep again. Cece was down for a nap and just before I was about to head off she awoke and… looked tired. But still functioning. Even watched her as she made several homemade dishes for my little god-son. Who unfortunately didn’t wake before I left so didn’t really get to see him, other than on the baby monitor. But TGAPO was so cute and soft and has grown so much in the past week or so since I last saw her.



And then I was off to the other side of “town”. (When I say town, I mean the greater Boston area. And when I mean greater Boston area, I mean 495, the outer loop. I clocked over 50 miles last night I think). It was handy having the GPS I have to admit. And having the seat warmer. And having a smooth, wonderful ride. I do really like having a nice car. Anyways. Off to pick up Andrea and we headed over the maze of hospitals in Boston to visit Colleen and Mark who just introduced their young son to the world yesterday morning. She wasn’t due until 1/5, but he was weighing in at over 10 lbs so they decided to do a C-section. He weighed in at 9 lbs, 14 ounces! Crazy. And, I got the wonderful honor (just happened to be in the right place at the right time), to be the first one to hold him, besides his proud parents and hospital staff. And boy is he big. He’s like a little football player – no neck. I have a feeling it’ll immerge down the road though. And he was awake pretty much the whole of the visit. Just gurgling away and getting the hang of his hands and tongue and mouth and eyes. And he was so soft. When I first picked him up – sans clothes, I brushed against his skin and was surprised at the softness. I’m so used to clothed babies. But he seems really laid back and seems to have a good weight so he can sleep for longer chunks. It was great seeing the newbie parents. Although they were in stark contrast to the parents I had just left. They were pretty rested and excited. Ah, the journey of parenthood has just begun. Interestingly enough, there was a poster on the wall talking about newborns and they said the first two weeks they don’t cry much and then it gets bad and peaks after two months. Good to know.



Of course, by the time I got home I was exhausted and crashed into bed. But on the ride home I couldn’t help but wonder about my step-sister. Her due date was Christmas day. My nephew is late. Got an update this morning that they are still waiting. So who knows. I think 3 is on hold for just a bit longer.

Lost

I was waiting until after Christmas to get started. So today, on Christmas Eve as I enjoy a turkey sandwich from the leftovers of yesterday's festivities I started watching the first few episodes of Season 1 of Lost. I've seen these episodes back when they originally aired, but then grad school got in the way and I missed a few and that was the end of that. And I knew that there were a set amount of seasons so figured I'd just let it slide until the second to last season ended. The plan being to get caught up on the previous episodes and watch the last season live on TV. Keep the momentum going into the final season.

And then the four plus years went by and it's time. I discovered I'm completely covered by Netflix as they have the first five seasons available to watch instantly. So I started. And now I have a tv headache. This does not bode well. I was watching on mom's computer and think the screen was too close. That or the looking back and forth while I was working on a hand-made Christmas gift didn't help.

According to wikipedia there will be a total of 121 episodes all said and done including the last season. There's 18 episodes in the last season that starts on February 2nd. And I've watch the first four seasons of episode 1. So if I do hte math, that means.... 99 more episodes to go. In about a month. And I'm out of the country for the end of January most likely. Yikes!

So I'm not sure if I planned this very well. My head hurts just thinking about it. Think I'll go take Mags for a walk.

Merry Christmas!

This year we ended up celebrating Christmas on the eve off Christmas eve. It just made more sense that we have the holiday in the middle of the week that Nick and I were visiting mom. This way we don't leave her with a ton of left overs and make sure she can work her latest gadgets.



This Christmas was a technology year. Got mom set up with wireless and a MP3 player and the gadgets that go with it. And got Nick a nice fancy watch. He is in his 30s after all now.



I actually set up the wireless a few days ago to make sure it worked and it reminded me when I got her Tivo. I was setting it up and getting it working while she was still around. The key is to act like nothing is up and that what you're doing is just normal "stuff". And the gift can still be a suprise. Of course, the danger was Nick might give it all away but not ever coming down. But he's been good and pops down periodically between reading and working.



Yesterday it was light fluries here in the mid-west and got to enjoy it while taking mom's dog, Maggie for a long walk around the neighborhoods. Of course now, I'm her best best friend and she won't leave my side. Which makes me appreciate and miss my boys.



Speaking of which, I don't know if I blogged about this before, but am too lazy to check, the latest discovery is Winston and the ladder. After getting back from Thanksiving away, I had a rare moment where I was hanging out in the living room watching tv or talking on the phone or something and I suddenly realize that the cat on the ladder eating the plate of cat food wasn't little Walter but his big brother who had been to afraid to climbe the ladder before. I haven't quite figured out what to do yet, but am now faced with the dilema of one over-weight cat who is on a restricted diet and one cat who doesn't eat too fast and is on the slim side. Walter could always graze in the safety of knowing his food couldn't be gobbled down by his brother. Now, I don't know. I need to figure that out when I get home I guess. But as someone pointed out, at least Winston gets a work out climbing the ladder to get the food.



Still trying to finish the Christmas shopping and making of presents. I'm almost there, the list is shorter. Still finishing up a gift for dad who we get to celebrate with this weekend. This years plans have been up in the air, not knowing exactly when my nephew will arrive. He's due on Christmas day, but we'll have to wait and see!

A-Z

I’m on a mission. I just noticed I’m a few posts away from the big 2-0-0 so you should be hearing from me a bit more frequently in the next couple of weeks so I can time the milestone for the big new year.



I had another one of those mornings. No, not one of those kind of mornings. Although, come to think of it, my train ran out of energy and petered to a stop at Park Street and they kicked us out. And it was wicked cold this morning. Wicked wicked cold. Yesterday was ridiculous. And I’m the type to embrace the cold. Especially at the beginning of winter. There must have been a bit of wind, as it just cut through all your layers and made me realize that I really need to go out and buy some new pants – that aren’t skin tight. I didn’t initially buy them that way but they must have shrunk recently. That must have been it. I was happy that I’m local enough now to know how to get from the Park Street Station to the Downtown Crossing exit completely underground through the maze of old tunnels.



So my bus comes and it is one of those beautiful sunny, crisp mornings. And I’m in the middle of a good book. It’s perfect reading for the commute as it’s broken up into lots of little bite size readings really. It’s called “The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World” by A.J. Jacobs. He’s reading the encyclopedia Britannica cover to cover and writes about the journey interspersed with funny memoir moments. My two favorite things – funny memoir and random funny facts. Of course I can’t remember any of them, don’t know how well he’s retained all the information either. So I’ve used a pencil as my bookmark so I can mark the little quirky things I want to remember, like:

- Berserk is from the savage Norse soldiers of the middle ages, the Berserkers who went into battle naked.

- Dr. Condom invented the form of birth control in response to Charles II’s growing flock of illegitimate offspring.

- Or my favorite, a book is defined as a text with at least 49 pages long. There’s no mention to the word count on each page though, which makes you wonder.

- Casanova was a librarian later in life.

- Rene Descartes had a fetish for women with crossed eyes.

- Stinking smut is an official disease.

- Ten-pin bowling came about when authorities outlawed nine-pin bowling in colonial America.

- John Adams enjoyed his tankard of hard cider each morning before breakfast during his retirement years.

- No more pole jokes – they broke the Enigma code.

- Etruscans wrote boustrophedon style – direction of writing alternates with each line. Very efficient!

- First image ever broadcast on TV: the dollar sign. A bit foretelling.

- Fellini’s 8 ½ comes from the number of films he had directed up to that time: 7 features and 3 shorts.

- Fondue originated from a Swiss truce in the 16th century – the Protestants brought the bread, the Catholics brought the cheese.

- Duck technically refers only to the female.

- Arthur Conan Doyle had a venomous feud with Harry Houdini.



And then, there it was, something that jolted me out of my passive reading this morning:



“(By the way, the first true frat was Kappa Alpha, begun at Union College in 1825.)”



Yes, it was in parenthesis, but I was there, in that little tid-bit of fact that lies in the tombs of the encyclopedia. I had drunk beer in that frat house. I think. I’m a bit hazy of which frat house is which these days but like to think it was the one at the end of frat row, with the big colonnade porch and wonderful woodwork inside. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the building dates back to before 1825. A little bit of history, and I was there.



Now I’m up to the Hs and learned that technically John Hanson was the first president of the US, being the president of the Continental Congress. And that Hollywood was founded by a man named Horace Wilcox, “a prohibitionist who envisioned it a community based on his sober religious principles.” Funny stuff!

All Shook Up

I’ve been enjoying having a house guest this week. Granted it’s only been two days, but my schedule is different from the normal grind, which isn’t such a bad thing. I really haven’t watched tv for over a month. Maybe it’s from being home, sick for a super long time, that I got tired of watching tv and got it out of my system. Or maybe it’s because life has decided to shake things up. The snow globe of my life is no longer sitting in the background on the shelf with a clear sky, but has the flakes flying around. The downside is sleep. I think. I love sleep. As everyone knows, I’m a 9 hour girl. But usually get 8 hours during the week. Anything less and I’m not functioning well. Take last night – didn’t really get to bed until midnight (yikes!) and then took a while with the cold to get to sleep. But we did get the Christmas tree decorated (and picked an architect for the work on the Public Safety building). Nick woke me up this morning. He had wanted me to wake him up at 8 am. No problem, I’m usually up at 6 and out the door way before 8. But my schedule has done a nose dive off the chart recently. And he comes stumbling downstairs letting me know its 8:30. But it really isn’t – the clock upstairs is off by about 45 minutes - strange. Still, it’s later than expected and I just want to stay in bed. But jump up and get going and I feel fine, so maybe I can do less sleep and I’m good. It’s the other stuff that wears me down. Although, writing this I just realized I hadn’t done the math and I pretty much got about 8 hours. So there goes that theory. I’m back to being an 8 hour girl. Which just shows that theory is wrong too, because I’m not really functioning with the math error and all, so maybe I am really a 9 hour girl.


Well, back to my main point – shaking things up. There is a daily grind. 99% of everyone has it. Elements may change from day to day. You stay for drinks after work instead of going straight home. You skip brushing your teeth one night. But it’s there. And you sometimes run on auto pilot during parts. For me, I was standing on Mass Ave this morning, waiting for my bus. Like I have done a thousand times. Today I was concentrating on not feeling cold – it was windy. I opted for waiting for the fast bus versus just hopping on the first warm bus that came by. And I’m standing there, looking straight ahead, trying not to move. Seeing people from my peripheral view come and go at the bus stop as the other two buses come. And then I’m pulled suddenly from my state by someone encroaching in my space. It startled me. Nothing bad, just different. It was Nick – he had finished his shower and was coming to catch his bus and had just sauntered up, just as my bus was about to pull up. It was so strange though. I’d never expect to run into my brother, who lives on the other side of the world, while waiting at the bus stop by my house. Normally we’d leave together or I would know he wasn’t leaving. It just was one of those mornings that my wait was long enough that our lives overlapped at that moment, and I hadn’t anticipated it. It was a nice pleasant surprise. Something that puts those smiles that reach ear to ear on your face.



Which reminds me I had an ear smile last night too with a very similar encounter. I had left work and was sending a text to Nick to let him know I was on my way home when I look up and just like in the movies, on the subway platform, through the crowd of commuters, I see my friend Noah waiving at me with an ear smile on his face too. Just a happy coincidence that we were in the same place at the same time and actually saw each other.



And on a completely different note, I think I have a new resolution I’m going to try on for awhile. I’m one of those passive blog readers. I religiously read every blog post of my friends but rarely comment. Why, I don’t know? So I’m going to post more frequent comments on my friends’ blogs I follow. Not too hard since there are only three. That I know of – let me know if you have one if I haven’t posted a comment on. I’m not talking daily, maybe not even weekly but more often than my current rate.



And while I’m at it, I’ve decided to start paying more attention to the spellchecker corrections. Instead of just blindly accepting the correct spelling of my misspelled word, I’m going to try to understand the new spelling. I’ve found it useful already. I have a feeling I’ve been mispronouncing some words due to the spelling errors. Case in point, ‘peripheral’, that I just used earlier. I wrote it as I said it, ‘periphal’. I dropped a whole syllable. Well, half a syllable. Ok, maybe a whole syllable. I can’t figure it out. One thing at a time though – spelling first. Grammar later, maybe. See, there, I just learned there are no ‘e’s in grammar. But I don’t know if I’ll actually change the way I say the word. It sounds strange with an ‘ar’ at the end. I’ll keep with my accent on this one.



Oh, and, this is the final one, I’ve started listening to more music. I’ve been an avid podcast listener for awhile now, but just downloaded my NPR shows: Fresh Air, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Car Talk, TAL, PHC, Science Fridays, etc. I’ve just discovered there is a bit more to this whole podcast thing. This free podcast thing. My two new podcasts I’ve added to the library are Flop House Sessions from Band in Boston and the Tartan Podcast. The first is just music with some great gems in there. The second I admit I listen to more for the accent. Hey, it’s work related – I still have trouble understanding some of my colleagues when they get talking fast. Plus who doesn’t love a glorious Scottish accent?



So that’s that. Not sure where the last bit is coming from. It’s like a new year is about to start or something.

Trains

It’s been a crazy…. fall. I’ll put it down to the weather like everything else. I’ve definitely felt like that second guy in those movies. You know, where they are running alongside the train that is heading out of town, escaping whatever or whoever it might be. And the first guy jumps and makes it into the empty train car and turns around to reach out a helping hand to the second guy. But the train is gaining speed and the gap is growing and the second guy, no matter how fast he runs just can’t quite make it. And you never really know what happens to that second guy. The scene moves along with the train and the first guy. But I think it all works out. The second guy just deals. So that’s me. The end of October is when the train started going faster than I could run. I had a little pattern going there – body, work, family & friends, and then repeat but in reverse order.



Body – vertigo issues that just shut the shop down for a few weeks

Work – crazy week of catch up, presenting at a conference, trying to keep things limping along

Family & Friends – two weddings, one pregnancy and three babies – lot’s of drama



Family & Friends – hopes and fears all rolled into one, last week – beginnings and endings that were just mentally exhausting

Work – the limping was called out and so buckled down and picked things back up

Body – the New England cold has descended upon me and I now have that annoying cough that occasionally makes me think I’m choking if I don't drink something immediately



But this weekend, Sunday, I just started letting go. I stopped trying to chase the train. Letting go of what should be and just accepting it is where it is. I’ll catch the next train. If I even want to. I had a chance to reconnect with Colleen on Sunday. We used to spend endless amounts of time together, sharing an office and socializing and then things changed. I left and she got pregnant and it just got harder and harder to get that laid back feel again. We’d squeeze in rushed lunches or catching up after work here and there but that’s not the same. Sunday I was torn if I should just hole up and recharge the batteries and forget my social schedule. I had yet to have a good day at home for weeks. Catch up on sleep and all that. But out I went, knowing I needed the benefits of my community. I opted to spend the afternoon vegging with Colleen and Mark chatting and knitting instead of rushing home and cleaning the apartment for my brother’s visit the next day. And I listened. I think that’s what I need to do more – listen. And not the fake listening where you are ready to have something to say, ready to fix things. They had some good advice which helped me change where I was in my head on certain things. Oh and I discovered a new tea I really like. I think it’s called Lapsang Souchong. Imagine drinking tea by the camp fire. Nothing needs to be added but hot water for a perfect cup. I’m going to start drinking more tea too. I’m going to go fix a cup right now actually. Ok, I’m back and realize I’m not a huge fan of Earl Grey. Mental note, I need to get some good tea and learn how to drink hot drinks without burning my tongue every time.



So Monday I call home and leave a message for Nick that my place is completely trashed. Like really bad, but that’s the way it is. And, you know, I got some cleaning done last night, and some cleaning done this morning, and there’s more to be done, but it’s all good. We made a run to Trader Joe’s and I was going to just get a wreath as I had given up on the Christmas tree this year. My head was just telling me it doesn’t make any sense. The time has passed. But low and behold, I find I listen to my heart in the end. And say forget that, I want a tree. And it barely took any time too. And now I have a nice big naked tree in my living room.



I realized that I should just do what I want to do and in the end it all works out because I have a pretty good life set up where everything I “have” to do is really what I “want” to do anyways. Somewhere along there a switch got flipped that made life a chore and it isn’t. Fall is what I needed, to get me back on track. Not sure why I’m waxing poetic on the philosophies of living but think that from the crazy comes the peaceful. And it’s been crazy. A crazy good ride.



And all this before I have even begun to see my shrink- I start tomorrow officially. Nice surprise too. I realize I had never been covered by insurance in the past - $15 visits is such a good deal. I’m definitely going to max out my allotment. It’s always good to have an ear. So that’s where I am. Writing this, listening to Elizabeth and the Catapult (from Band in Boston podcast) and sipping my not so great cuppa. And realizing I really need to get a good soundtrack for my life. I miss good music. And realizing that tonight I’ll eat some cake (it was my bro’s b-day Sunday) and remember what it’s like to be one, like my god-son here on his recent first birthday.

Hard call

It's strange how life puts things into perspective sometimes. Friday night I was faced with making a hard phone call. I felt like I was in highschool again and calling the boy you have a crush on. I was working out what to say in my head and even figured out what to say if I got voicemail. And yet I kept chickening out and not being able to put the call in. It was silly, especially considering how many guys I've called in my life. Don't get me wrong - it's not like I don't do it all the time, but it's also not like I've never done this before. I think it's just because I think he's so gosh darn cute, and great. Well, I finally work up the nerve, call, wait, and get voicemail.



I learned that it's probably best not to practice the message too much as I basically just rattled it off super fast (and super unnatural and dorky) and hung up. I really wanted to press ctrl-z and do it over again, but no dice.



Not a fun thing, but had to be done. Well, luckily I had left the phone by my bed (which is unusual for me) because a few hours later I get a call from a friend to find out they are in the hospital and had lost one of their new born babies. More information here.



After a long night and very little sleep, I faced the next morning having to make the call. The call to tell folks about what had happened. It kind of puts the silly boy crush call in perspective doesn't it? The strange thing is later in the day on Saturday, I was on to making calls to my people - canceling my weekend plans, getting someone to feed my boys and touching base with my parents, and although I was pretty composed (still choked up and broken voice) calling people for cece and aaron, I was a mess calling my people. My poor landlady downstairs had to play my message repeatedly to figure out what I was asking. It's just a hard thing to deal with, no matter who you are. The good in it all is the community - both theirs and mine. They have a great group of folks to lean on and ask for help from. And I found it very comforting having my people I could call on and lean on as well.



They are doing better today and continue on their process of grieving and growing. I had the pleasent treat of playing mom today. I had my god-son this morning all to myself and felt very domisticated doing laundry while keeping an eye on him. I would fold the laundry on the floor in his room and he would help me put it away in his drawers. He was very interested in helping, versus just playing and emptying the drawers. He had purpose in his actions. Then this afternoon we all drove to his doctor's appointment. Aaron set up an extra car seat in my car and I took him home while they went on to the hospital to check on the remaining twin. On the very careful drive home I couldn't help admire my new "outfit". This beautiful snazzy car with this beautiful, perfect little boy in the back seat - happy as happy could be. He even took care of himself and part way home I look back and he had put his binky in and decided to take a nap - no crying, no help needed, he had it covered. It was so nice to be able to bring him in and put him down for his nap - all snuggly and peaceful. His new thing is he loves being chased. He's just a bundle of joy. And so cute too!



Well, I made it home tonight. I think I brushed my teeth for 10 minutes. It had been awhile. Quite awhile and nothing compares to a toothbrush. I've got quite a day at work tomorrow, so really need to turn in. Sleep is good.

First App!

I just bought my first App! It’s for a game that my friend Joanne introduced me too last week called SET. I bought it as an early X-mas gift for my dad and we played it a bunch last week. I love finding patterns, usually with numbers, but shapes work too, and that’s what this game is all about. Hopefully I won’t go too cross-eyed scaring at the small screen and shapes. I still love the card game best. Check out the daily puzzle on their website.

Three babies, Two weddings, and an Engagement

This last week and a half seems to sum up the goings on during my silence in posting. I just got back today from my holiday vacation. I started off in DC for a wedding of a dear friends Andrea and Chris. Chris is a part time musician with several bands and Andrea is part Bolivian part Irish so the two days of festivities were quite something. Had a wonderful time even though several Boston friends pulled out last minute in coming. I was bummed at first but as these things usually go, it worked out even better, and ended up making new friends (more on that later). Not great pics of course, but here's one with me and Andrea and Dawn.



Then it was a mini college reunion as I headed off to Annapolis area with Joanne to visit Emily who had just had a little adorable baby boy a month ago. I was amazed how normal she was. I think I’d be a complete mess: physically, mentally and emotionally. This was her second but I don’t know if that really means anything. I had to chuckle at one point where Joanne was a little confused how we knew so much about each other’s lives – it was all thanks to the blogging. Another reason to write about yourself!



I had a nice stay with Joanne and her husband Kevin. Kevin and I ended up hanging out on Monday while Joanne was at work which was another pleasant surprise. Of course I had naively scheduled the time to get some work done, but much rather preferred socializing. I was on vacation so no guilt (ok, there was some as I had just taken almost two weeks off being very ill with vertigo).



And then it was family time, my Dad and step-mum picked me up on their way down to Richmond where we got to visit with my step-sister Karin and her fiancé Adrian. It was a busy time of preparations. First it was preparing for the Thanksgiving/Wedding celebration for Thursday. My brother-in-law is Peruvian and the wedding was just close family. A small celebration with my step-mum officiating in the dining room. It was great having a chance to meet the Peruvian in-laws and I love the food! I really really need to learn Spanish now. And then a quick breather before preparing for the baby shower and mother blessing for Karin that was on Saturday in Staunton and Charlottesville. We got to stay at family friends while in Staunton. It’s a crazy house – very incongruous, at first glance, with the couple who owns it. It’s this old large house sitting up on a hill overlooking the rolling land of the Virginia hills. Unfortunately, since the last time I visited, the development has been encroaching on their peaceful homestead. This time we learned the house was originally three separate buildings (from the early 1800s maybe even late 1700s) that got connected over the years. And it’s filled with an eclectic array of decorations in the ornate, high-ceilinged rooms.



Lastly, but not leastly, as I was packing to come back home last night, I get a call from Cece. I got a little scared at first – she’s due on Wednesday and her voice was a little scratchy. But it was good news – two new baby girls happy and healthy, just a little anxious to join us in this world. So you know what I’m doing tonight after I drop my suitcase at home – hopping in the car to visit Cece and the girls. No red hair like my god son, but you never know, I’m still hopeful. Oh, and this morning when I got into work the big announcement was a colleague of mine had just gotten engaged over the weekend to her Swedish boyfriend. When it rains, it pours!

Police + Bump + Snow + Godlessness

As usual, I’m so far behind on my postings. The thing that trips me up is getting the pictures downloaded so I can upload them. I vow though that I won’t fall into my usual trap and think I need to do things in a certain order. So today I’ll just skip forward to what’s happened in the last few days.





1. Friday. I was rubbing my leg just now and am still amazed what I was able to accomplish on Friday. On my thigh is a big old bruise. For me, nothing new. I usually have one or two at any given time that mysteriously appear. I never usually remember what I bumped into to result in the ghastly black and blues. Except this time. And it was doing something good too! I was looking after my god son – our second babysitting gig. I ran into a corner and boy did it hurt. Even now, five days later, there is still a big old bump accompanying the bruise.





2. Sunday. Snow like you’d never believe. I posted it snowed last week, but not like on Sunday. It was big old plump flakes falling quite a bit and for at least four hours plus. I even captured them on my phone camera. Maybe, some day they will leave the phone and find their way to this post. I love snow. It even stuck to the ground and didn’t completely melt. Not enough to shovel though.





3. Tuesday. Yesterday, I was on my way home from work. I just got off the bus and was waiting to cross the busy street. In my town, cars are supposed to stop if a pedestrian is in the cross walk. Which they usually do, if they see you. It was dark nighttime. On my left the one car coming stopped. It was a police car and I waived thanks and proceeded to the middle of the road, looking right and realizing I’d have to wait until the swarm of cars just released from the light to pass. It was dark out and not likely they see me until after it was too late to stop. And then all of a sudden I see blue lights. The police car behind me had just turned them on to stop the traffic for me to cross. Wasn’t that sweet?





4. Today. I was on the subway this morning, doing some desperate knitting (I’m so behind on all the baby knitting I need to be doing, don’t get me started). I was people watching and noticed a strange billboard advertisement by the subway door. Usually it’s for something like a local University or visiting Bermuda or a local comedy club. This one though peaked my interest (is that the right spelling?). It was about God. Nothing new there as local churches will advertise frequently. Who knew there was a movement like this. Anyways, here’s my image for the day:

Snow this morning!

I woke up to a cast over day. Peering through the still green leaves on the trees I realize that what I thought was rain was really snow. It's snowing and leaves haven't even turned completely, let alone fallen off yet! In my mad dash out the door this morning, I spent a couple extra minutes to close the storm windows. If snow isn't a sign it's time, I don't know what would be. Of course, I'm still holding out on turning on the heat. Trying to get as close to Thanksgiving as possible. We'll see. Rumor has it, this winter will be one of the coldest on record.

Random update

Sadly, having internet at home doesn’t really translate to me using internet at home unless absolutely required. So, in the goal of trying to keep the post updated with the random day to day goings on, I revert back to the wonderful simplicity of lists.





1. New car, almost. I wasn’t going to post about this until the keys were in hand and the car was in the driveway, but technically I own a new car. It’s basically the one I posted previously, a used Infiniti G35. They’re finishing up a few things and I get to pick it up Tuesday, except I have plans Tuesday, so it will be Wednesday. Gotta love delayed gratification.



2. Test driving new car. When I was in signing off on all the paper work last week, I asked to test drive the car once more before I left. ‘ Of course’, they said, considering I own it now. I drove it around town briefly, giddy with my new set of wheels, but still guarding against possible heart break of it not working out in the end. Hopping back into my old reliable Saturn I was amazed at the stark contrast. Granted, the poor thing is run down and in need of some TLC and repairs, but it was night and day driving the two vehicles. Power steering really does make a difference, even with my amazing guns.



3. Saying good-bye to old car. This weekend I had earmarked for cleaning out the old Saturn, taking some final pictures for the family album and saying good-bye to a car that has treated me so well over the past decade and a half. This guy (gal? still unsure, it’s a bit of an androgynous vehicle) has traveled with me through so many chapters of my life, criss-crossed the country as my traveling partner, and was a low-key buddy not demanding a lot of attention (or money) over the years. I’ve probably spent more time with this car than with any other human (besides immediate family), if you think about all the hours we’ve spent together. Although I love how the new car handles, I can’t do the things I can do with my Saturn. I know exactly where the car ends and the rest of the world begins. I can squeeze through tight spaces, round corners with ease, accelerate knowingly. There is a familiarity with the car that is only developed with years behind the wheel and thousands of hours racked up. And yet, this weekend, I ignored the car. I was in denial and didn’t go near it. I ran my errands by foot (the car is truly in need of repairs, the muffler almost feel off, I think it has one trip left), cleaned the house, but did not clean the car and spend some special time in our remaining hours together. Guilt with a capital ‘G’ now.



4. Mafia. In other news, my most recent read is “Black Mass” by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neil about the relationship between Whitey and the FBI. For those of you not familiar with Whitey he was a local mob boss who owned South Boston. I guess I shouldn’t list this under the heading “mafia” as, it is the irish mob he governed. It’s been making my commute fly by recently.



5. More books. While running errands this weekend I stopped by my local used bookstore to find “Nine Stories” by Salinger. They had nothing by him but I still managed to walk away with a pile of books. Can’t wait to dig into “Radio On” by Sarah Vowell. I’ve been wanting to read her works. Thought I’d start with “Assassination Vacation” but this fell into my lap first.



6. Veggies. Still woefully behind in eating up my veggies from my CSA farm share (thank goodness I didn’t get the seafood share). But stumbled upon a good dish. Chopped cucumbers, feta, garbanzo beans and balsamic vinaigrette. I opened the can for dinner last night thinking they were white beans to mix with my black beans so had to figure out something to do with them. Happy accident.



7. Showers. Sunny days here but I feel like I’m up to my ears in baby’s again. I’m helping plan three showers and have 5 babies popping out in and around December. For that exact reason, I’ve now ripped out the sleeves to my current sunflower sweater yet again so that I can justifiably procrastinate. I really need to start knitting me some baby stuff. It will be crunch time in no time at all.



8. Organization. I took a page from my mom’s playbook and just attacked my clothes closet. I have shirts and stuff in drawers I keep forgetting about. I’ve gone through several rounds of thinning out the closet this year so I decided to hang everything I would wear outside the house (i.e. I have a lot of t-shirts used as pajamas and work out that don’t count). They are all nicely organized in the closet, with hangers facing backwards so I can start tracking the usage. It officially starts tomorrow – first day of fall. Still need to figure out what to do with the sweaters. Half of them I don’t really wear but they are home-made (by me) and I really can’t figure out how to part with them. But what to do. I’m trying to look at them with new eyes to figure out a solution, otherwise I’m just storing more yarn (in a different form).



9. Celebration Fridays. The last two Fridays I had a wonderful time hanging out with friends. Putting aside that Friday evenings are catching me at my most exhausted (long week), I had a wonderful time. Two weeks ago, the party was birthday in theme, but really a guise to meet the new guy in a friends life (I approve of the new match). The evening surprised me with wonderful live music and new friends (and a little crush, but someone younger, I’m starting to feel a little cougarish, but I guess that doesn’t count if there is only a year or two age difference). The party last week had a wonderful meal, great conversation, and catching up with friends I hadn’t seen in awhile. All in all, as I drove home that night (in a car that was about to fall apart), I appreciated the good life I have developed. The dating has been wearing me down, so needed to put life in perspective. Just the reminder I was needing.



10. Dating. And finally, the dating world is exhausting. I’ve been dating a bit via match.com. I actually have a nice network of friends who have advise from their days on match or who are currently enrolled. There is a whole other world of etiquette you have to consider. Lots of nice guys, but as one guy I met (via IM) early in the process said, it’s hard to find someone you share chemistry with. That’s for sure. It was wearing me down so I took a break, but need to get back into it all again. It’s all about the numbers (that’s my new mantra).

Travel and Knitting

I was booking some upcoming travel for work just now and was pleasently suprised so figured I'd share it with you. I'm traveling down to Atlanta for a new contract we got that I am heading up. There is a team kick-off meeting at the end of the month with a hotel picked out already. I figured it would be your normal decour of the stuffy Hilton type but found the interiors very different. Here's a picture of the lobby - nice and fresh and airy.




At first I didn't see the pictures for the rooms but than came across this one that made me have to post here. This is for a room that I'll most likely be getting. Do you see that behind the headboard? Yup, that's a full, wall size photo of knitting. Rather a knitted object. A bit strange if you ask me but hopefully I'll get used to it. it is just one night. I'm curious what larger than life photo I'll have in my room. I think I saw one of irises too.

Next car?

I’m leaning towards getting a new car this month. My Saturn and I have been through a lot over the years. It’s been just the two of us for over 12 years – a good run. And we’ve known each other since the beginning (it’s a ’94). I’ll hold off waxing poetic until it’s a done deal, but all this raises the question of what replaces such a great car. Here’s the criteria:





1. Reliable car for the next 12 years.


2. Relatively good mileage. I mainly have highway miles due to good public transportation, so not essential.


3. Handles REALLY well. I love driving. Driving for me is an experience, not a mode of getting from point A to point B.


4. Used car, but relatively new so I don’t have to deal with repairs for awhile.


5. Flexibility of use. Did I mention this is the car for the next 12 years. It should be able to handle career success and family success.


6. Not too flashy.






For me, the end goal is a Jaguar (preferable an XJS). This has been the goal since my teenage years and remains unchanged. I might be 90 before I finally get it, but one day.





Between now and then, I was thinking a BMW might be a good fit. Although I do remember my father (and the car talk guys) dissing BMW drivers. So I hunted and hunted and read and read and I found the perfect car for this next chapter in my life. At least on paper, I’ve yet to test drive the thing. It’s commonly referred to as the Japanese BMW. Here it is:



It’s the G35 from Infiniti. Not too flashy. I couldn’t afford it new, but used, maybe. And I want the first generation version. Sedan, preferably not AWD. I haven’t decided, whatever the car is, if I go the way of automatic or stick with a standard. I figured with the used market it’s better not to have too many absolutes. The best thing about it? The thing that makes the choice so obvious in retrospect? Math! I love math, numbers, and I haven’t done a thorough search but how many cars reference mathematical terms. It’s a perfect match!!!

Weavils? Carpet beatles? BUGS!

I can't quite get back into the rhythm of things yet. Vacation was great but I need another one to recoup. I barely made it to Saturday and just rested and knit all day. Didn't really do much of anything but didn't nap which was unexpected. Sunday I went over to a friends and helped remove wall paper for a new nursery. We got one wall done. There are four walls. But I won't go into her problems this post is about mine. So here's the low down:



1. Got back Sunday night (a week ago) and went to work every day but was tired and a bit jet lagged (maybe - not ever sure what jet lag feels like versus just being tired from seeing sites). I'm still not sure what I did last week at work - a bit of a fog.



2. Somehow ended up with a week filled with three doctor visits which ate into my work week.

a. My dermatology appointment I was running late and then found out I couldn't see the doctor for the mole removal since my company just switched insurance and now I'm on an HMO which means I need to get a new referral even though one is on file. Frustrating and a waste of time. Not dealing with that one for awhile.



b. Vet visit for Winston - not his favorite thing. See previous posting. It's only gotten worse each time. Now I know to split them up and not try to bring both cats in at the same time. At least his bowels were in good shape although he's scheduled for some dental work this week.



c. Speaking of dental, I got squeezed in by my dentist to look at my recent filling that was starting to cause some serious pain. The word root canal was thrown about some but the visit readjusted my bite and I might be ok. Fingers crossed.



3. Another vet visit Saturday for Walter which warrants his own number in the list of misery. He's a great guy going to the vet and is the opposite of his brother. He snuggled in my arms the whole visit and was scared but good. Near the end I noticed as the vet was lifting him to put him on the scale something on his inner thigh. We investigate and he's chewed off all his fur and there's this massive rash. She thinks it's allergies which she was already diagnosing moments earlier from his throwing up and poop issues (which he's had his whole life, but the poops got worse while I was gone). In the end I left with steroids and the special hyper-allergen cat food for him to try out - he's a picky eater and feeling like a terrible parent for not noticing the whole week I was back. But we were snuggling mostly – not grooming. Next time I’ll know to do a quick inspection upon my return. But the fact that he’s been allergic to his food his whole time is also not great. The doctor said it can get worse as time goes along. Of course the food isn’t cheap. But he doesn’t eat much, just need to keep in away from his brother. Which brings me to the second to last point…



4. This morning I bring a bowl of the new dry cat food upstairs to the loft for Walter to eat and go to remove the old food that’s giving him allergies. I immediately notice a place where it looks like he threw up but has all these “things” around it. Upon closer investigation, they are skins of small worms. No worms though. But a lot – like 30 or so. I start to clean up and go to get his food and notice more and they’re moving. Mostly next to the food not in it. And there Walter was so happy I was visiting the loft and completely oblivious to the infestation. Just rolling around. Hopefully he hasn’t been eating them. I just did some googling but don’t know what I’m looking for and didn’t spend too much time studying them this morning. I'm putting my money on carpet beatles. Of course it’s 90s and humid this week so will love spending my evening cleaning. I think I’ll need to go through everything up there to make sure I get rid of them all. I remember seeing one of the skins months ago over by the bed, so think they aren’t associated with the food – just finally discovered it. Right now it looks like I’ll do a thorough cleaning including renting a steam cleaner and I’m inclined to replace the mattress up there. It’s up off the floor, but still.



5. And finally, on my drive out to my friends yesterday, everybody and their neighbor could hear me coming. My poor car is in need of a serious muffler change and the brakes were soft and the driving was wobbly. It is an old car – 13 years, and I’ve been thinking the time will come to say good-bye.



Man, when it rains it pours. All these things have serious cha ching implications and I don’t like heat. So here I am at work, trying to get ready for a big meeting tomorrow, seriously behind because of the jet lag last week, thinking about the bugs at home eating my house, while trying to figure out exactly how much money I have for cat dental work and an allergic cat (it seems like that should be an oxymoron) as well as a new-used car. At least work has AC so I’m not suffering yet from the weather and I like my current knitting project. It’s Rossan by Debbie Bliss, knit up in sunflower yellow yarn (forgot the name so will have to add it later). Of course I really should be casting on for the four babies due this year.




P.S. I was going to get some pictures to post but realized they would just be of bugs and Walter’s rash so have an excuse this time for a picture free post.

Chinatown Cheers

... "Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came". Or so goes the song from the infamous Boston bar. I've got my only little version here in Boston that I have to blog about before I lose the moment.



So I'm back in town, haven't had a chance to go grocery shopping yet so not much in the way for packing lunch - still not back into the staple of PB&Js and need to give tuna a rest. So had to run to grab a bite again today and not wanting to pay for a $8 sandwich I made a run for chinatown to pick up a vietnamese sandwich. I asked if my coworkers were interested and they'd never heard of the sandwich. Granted I didn't either until I started working near by.



What I like about the sandwich - it has a vegetarian option and is hard to replicate at home - some of the veggies are marinated in something. Plus they're cheap. So figured I'd pick up three - two for me and one to share with folks so they could try it.



What I like about the store I go to is that you walk in and it's a crowd with all these old chinese (maybe vietanemese) men sitting around at these small tables drinking coffee. It's basically a bakery with some tables. And you feel like you're in another country - rarely hear english and when you do it's beginner english. Every now and then I'll see a westerner. Well, I don't go often, but I think it's because I've introduced friends to the place. Anyways, one of the ladies who makes the sandwiches remembers me. I order the sandwich with "no hot" and I also don't like the salty fish sauce. Maybe that's why she remembers me - she can never understand why I don't want the fish sauce. In the past she's tried to convince me it's good for me and I should have it. Today, I walk in and she does a little wave and says it's been a long time. It was so sweet and slightly awkward. I was suprised she remembered me. She got my order going right away while helping others with the bakery part. I've never really carried on a conversation with her as the language is a barrier, but I was touched.



Well, I'm awkardly bouncing around the store as there's no convienent place to stand and still be out of the way. I'm contemplating one of the pastries but luckily decide against it. I had just brought some cash with me and not my wallet. So I was super embarrased when she hands over the sandwiches and asks for $8.25 and I only had was $8. She was sweet and waved away the extra. I felt awful after her being so sweet and remembering me. I planning on going next week so will make it up then, but she doesn't know that so I feel bad until then. Still, overall it gave me the nice warm fuzzies.

Home from Europe

I could have sworn I had posted more posts over the last month. All in my head apparently. Although I'll sometimes write them elsewhere, and they never make it to blog land.



Anyways, was just gone for two weeks. I was able to swing it so that my last trip to Abu Dhabi was at the end of the month so on my way back, I had a long lay over in Europe - a week long.



First, I have to mention two things about Abu Dhabi - the weather and driving. I arrive around midnight after 24 hours traveling (on paper but not technically). Our plane deboards such that we exit onto the tarmac and board a bus. I leave the comforts of the front cabin, to walk out to the top of the stairs and my glasses fog up. I'm hit with a wall of humidity. Hot humidity. It felt like walking into a sauna. It was crazy. I was wondering if I would make it. Surprisingly I was the hottest in europe where it wasn't as hot or humid and everywhere wasn't super ACd. I did end up having to have an outfit cleaned while in Abu Dhabi though. I went out on site one morning (early before it got 'hot' - it was still hot). By the end, my clothes were soaked. Though not as bad as it could have been the week before. It cooled down for my visit - not that I could tell. It was still hot. Even at night. The weird thing though was I can't remember if it was hot the last day I was there on Friday. Either it wasn't or I just got used to being hit by the sauna wall everytime I was outside.



The second thing was that I rented a car this time. I knew my way around, actually didn't use a map and was able to wing it. So I get in midnight, pick up my rental car and it's about 1 am. I hop onto the highway to head to the center of town. Not much traffic, but as I'm coming down the entrance ramp, the cars on the highway woosh past - super fast. That's the thing. It's not chaotic driving, people use lanes and respect lights. It's just, as one person put it, you have to have 10 eyes on the road - defensive driving. There a few folks that just drive really really fast. Like 120 mph fast. So you're on the highway going 60+ mph (or more) and all of a sudden you hear a whoomp. It's the change in air pressure as a car wizzes by twice your speed. Not too bad, just need to not get in the path of the car.



The other part of driving is the floating. Speeders and floaters those are the two things to watch for. There are a lot of random drivers. You see this in the US some. You're driving along and someone floats from their lane into yours. They're not paying attention and are oblivious to others. It's entertaining once you get the hang of it. Really not that bad, although I really just drove from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the site a few blocks away. Did end up driving around some on Friday but that was more normal city driving.



Then off to Frankfurt for a few days of site seeing. I was a little worried as I hadn't booked a place as I wasn't sure whether to stay in frankfurt or travel beyond. Glad I stayed as moving around can wear you out. I was still tired after three days of walking around though. Actually the first day was torture. I have it written down so will have to post the recording of the Saturday. Check in wasn't until 3 pm. My flight arrived at 6 am. I was extremely tired as I'm not an all-nighter kind of girl and didn't sleep much on the flight.



Bought a museum pass which was a good deal and enjoyed my hotel. It was a last minute find - modernly revamped hotel near the train station and center of town. I lucked out that it was in a good neighborhood, as there were a lot of not so good neighborhoods near by. Also, it had a wonderful breakfast included - no american spread. Tons of selections - great fresh brown bread and real cheeses and meats and eggs and fruit - all great european quality. Really good to start the day filled up. My room was wonderful - not for everyone. I think it was about 6 feet wide. But everything fit - very compact and small but cozy and well built.



Then off to Stockholm to meet dad and B at the airport - they got in a few hours before me and we made it to our hotel in the town north of Stockholm where B grew up. Just 15 minute train ride from the center of Stockholm. Ended up hurting my left foot - the top is sprained. Not sure when, where or how. Lots of sight seeing, but will save that for another entry accompanied by pictures. At least that's the plan.



Got home late last night and couldn't wait to see the boys. We had a little love fest even though they weren't great in their kitty litter department. I've got some cleaning to do when I get home. But good to be home although still trying to adjust back into this world. Funny how being away seems like another reality.

Rain in June!

I didn't notice it initially, but now I'm seriously wondering if I missed a memo. It feels like April - what with all the showers. Don't get me wrong, I'll take cool showers over hot sticky summer days anytime. It's just strange and I have two complaints:





1. After 3 years of being an only child/plant - my African Violet had to make room for a bunch of new herbs this spring. My reasoning is that I like to cook with fresh herbs, I don't like to pay $3.99 to buy a few cut sprigs from the grocery store, and plants are good. After setting up the plants, dealing with the cats wanting to eat them (and then throw them up), realizing that my 3 season porch facing South doesn't really get sun due to the surrounding trees, and remembering to water them, not over-watering them and remembering they are there - I get to report that there is one plant left. My oregano died within the first week. The chives limped along for a good showing of a month or so but they died. The rosemary and thyme looked like they could endure - being hearty enough, but alas the rosemary was declared dead this morning at oh-seven-hundred hours. The thyme is all that's left, for now. I am currently blaming this failure to keep plants alive on the weather - there not being any sun for quite awhile. But, honestly, I'm slowly remembering why I've had a fairly plant free adult life - I have trouble keeping plants alive. At least the cats are doing well.





2. Second, why do people feel the need to be obnoxiously self centered and use a giant golf umbrella to walk around the crowded streets of downtown Boston? It's a GOLF umbrella, used on golf courses (or sometimes they're red sox umbrellas, but same principle). Use a normal umbrella like everyone else - it's just water, so if you get a little bit on you, unless you're the wicked witch of the east (or was it the west?), nothing will happen.





In other news, I'm a little worried about my weekend plans - specifically, I had my heart set on some strawberry picking. If it's not pouring, I'll still be out there getting my stash of fresh berries - I read June is the month for Massachusetts and strawberries.

Big Red

I can't believe I almost forgot to blog about this today. On my way into work this morning, I end up taking the "slow" bus when I should have just waited for the "fast" bus that was just 5 minutes behind. But you never know if they're on time, so you take what you can get. Anyways, finally arrive at the T and am waiting for the next train when over the intercom they announce the next train will be a high-capacity train. Immediately I start thinking about things to blog about this upcoming experience. Many of my friends know me as a "sitter" so you can see how the idea of a subway train with no seats does not bode well for me.

Well, I enter and am faced with a feeling of awkwardness in the air. No one quite knows where to go and does already in the car are awkwardly waiting for the car to fill up. At first I thought - not so bad. I was able to claim a spot against the wall, there's a bar, I'm not wearing heels, it's not that crowded. And then I proceed to have the longest commute feeling commute ever. Well not quite as long as that time I felt ill on the subway. And then proceeded to be ill in the T (station not car thankfully). That was a long ride home. But I digress, yet again. This ride was not that pleasant. I'm tired and feel uncomfortable trying to lean and read. It wasn't that crowded, but if I had to vote, I'd rather pay a little bit more a month to be able to ride a train with seats then deal with that again. Unfortunately I'm personally not a big fan of the Big Red. Good idea but not for me.

Biking

Here's the short version, from the beginning:

1. I feel blah lately - work's wearing me down, overall tired, mentally drained.

2. I know exercise on a regular basis can help bring positive change.

3. I hate exercise - only way I can stomach it is if it's a by-product of something else.

4. No extra time - at least that's what it seems like.

5. Brilliant idea - bike from my apt. to the T station. It's on a bike path - beautiful and safer. The T station has tons and tons of bikes there already - infrastructure in place.

6. My bike's not wonderful.

a. It's not my bike, but my brother's that he got cheap while in school.

b. It's a cheap bike.

7. I start telling people my brilliant idea as my first baby step. I say that if I bike for awhile to work and it looks like I'm committed I'll consider investing in a decent bike.

8. I buy a bike lock last weekend. (The bikes cheap, but I'm not naive enough to think if I leave it unlocked it won't just "roll" away).

9. I make a pack to start Monday.

10. Monday doesn't work - I had an early morning conference call. My biking start date gets shifted to Tuesday.

11. I've already forgotten why, but Tuesday didn't work - maybe it was rainy.

12. Wednesday - another early morning conference call.

13. This morning I’m blah. I’m running late in the morning. Its overcast – showers imminent. I consider pushing it off to Friday.

14. I notice a pattern – it’s now or never. Well not really, but need to get over this hump.

15. I gear up about the time I should be in to work. Tires are flat. Get everything loaded up – change of clothing, helmet. I’m ready.

16. I bike and it’s such a pleasant way to get into work.

17. I’m sore moments in – poor little muscles. They need to grow!

18. I’m surprised how fast the ride goes – I’m at the T in no time. Less than 15 minutes.

19. It takes me awhile to lock up – everyone has the U locks. I don’t. Hopefully that’s not a problem.

20. While relaxing on the subway, it hits me. The same issue that I faced a few years back with my food share – what goes down must come up. My whole bike ride was downhill. Tonight will be interesting – end of long day at work, and I’ll have to climb my way back up to home. My poor wee muscles. At least I have all evening to get home, hopefully before it gets dark.

Bruno the Lobstah!

I have to post this picture. This was sent by an old colleague of mine. She learned how to knit last year when we were at the same company. Instead of starting on scarfs like other coworkers she dived into knitted food to feed her fetish. This is her latest which is pretty amazing considering it's probably only her 4th project. The pattern I stumbled upon here and immediately forwarded, which is about the limit of credit I can take for this project.



To give you a sense of her background, she was able to complete this project after only asking two questions:

1. What does "Work stockinette stitch" mean?

2. What is m1?



Pretty amazing, no? Can you imagine knitting up a whole gaggle of lobstahs?

Trains, Texts, Landscape and Fish

It looks like I'm on a role this week - so many posts after being silent for so long. Although I haven't been posting, I have wanted to write and record some events. Unfortunately I've forgotten most of them. So before it disappears into the land of the forgotten, I thought I’d share last night. Three things converged – I left work at 5 pm, I had switched my phone to vibrate for some reason, AND I actually felt my phone vibrate (not always the case). It was a text from a friend asking about lunch tomorrow (which is today). I immediately looked up to see if I could see him on the platform of the T station as we share a parallel commute. I sent a quick text back asking – he was two stops up. Long story short, wonderful city life, we were able to catch up on our way home. He got off and jumped onto my train that was right behind his. It was really neat and I’m totally not capturing the moment. There’s something about being jarred back into the living during the daily grind of the commute. Plus I have to admit txting does have its advantages after all.



And to add, just this morning, I was thinking how I actually don’t mind my commute – it’s generally 45 minutes each way and could really wear on you if it was in a car. This while I was desperately delayed getting into work. There was a fire on Mass Ave backing traffic up beyond belief so I sat on my bus double the time. Only to get on a train that was held up between stations due to switching problems. For me though, it was a nice excuse to not get into work right away and enjoy the end of my book – The Devil and the White City. I know the world fair must have burned down, but haven’t gotten to that part yet. I’ve lucked out as the previous book I just finished, 1776 also was a good read and kept my attention during the commute. (I love Dostoevsky, but don’t try reading him on the train).



I’ve had several recent acquisitions to report – small ones really. One I can’t mention as I bought two, one for me and one for mom for Mother’s Day but it just finally came this week and don’t want to ruin the surprise for Mom, although it’s not really that much of a gift. I did acquire a small, beautiful loveseat and chair of the Danish Modern era. Need to take pictures though as I forgot to save them from the craigslist posting. But one acquisition I can share is the nice little package I received a few weeks back of an Abstract Landscape in oil on hardboard. I was brought up in a home filled with art (mom’s an artist and both parents shared their love of culture). I used to think collecting art was something you did when you were grown up. I finally realized that I was grown up so have been acquiring little pieces over the years supporting local artists. One of my favourite pieces is an etching I bought from an art student while at Michigan. This piece below is from an artist on etsy. It’s just 6 inches square and a complete bargain (art is priceless anyways, right?) Now I just have to figure out how to hang it and frame it.



Finally, I have to report I did dive into the CSF. I’m afraid it’s a lot of fish for just little ol’ me. And I’m afraid of what I have to do to prep the fish. But I can share my share and learn some more cooking skills. I do hope the lobsters and everything is dead. Granted, they’re still needing a certain quota for my pick-up location, so it might all be a moot point. Time will tell.

Fish!

Interestingly enough I'm not talking about the fish I've been talking/writing about for a year now but haven't actually posted. What I mean is that when anyone even mentions the word fish, I automatically think of this:

I've been knitting fish day in and day out for a year now I think. Ok, a bit of an exageration, but there have been a lot of knitted fish in my life recently. I finally finished the blanket this weekend and it now belongs to the proud yet oblivious new owner, baby Braun. I didn't leave Sunday until it was done. I'll post pictures soon and release the posts that I had blogged over the months.

No, what I'm talking about today is real fish. Real, fresh, local fish. When I first moved to Boston I was so excited to have fresh fish. But I couldn't figure out where the fish market was. The best I could figure is to go to my local Whole Foods which just doesn't seem right. I wanted to go to the source. Granted I didn't do a lot of research, but I did ask around. Don't get me wrong, I've managed to enjoy a lot of great seafood - especailly my favorite clam chowder. But all at restaurants. Looking back, this might be for the best as I don't really know how to cook fish. I'm not really a meat/seafood cooking kind of gal. My strength is the baked goods and I subsist mostly on vegetarian fare in the house (with some bacon on the side). That is why I'm on the fence and have decided to sleep on it before deciding.

'It' being a local CSF that was passed on by my local CSA. New to me, CSF is Community Supported Fishery. And the one recommended was Cape Ann Fresh Catch (CAFC). I started reading and thought, absolutely this is wonderful, just what I want/need, sign me up. But then I read some more and realized I didn't know exactly what I was getting into. Still maybe a good idea but nothing to rush into (although these things have a tendancy to fill up fast). The questions I have are:

1. When they say "the fish will be dressed - cleaned and gutted, NOT filleted", what exactly does that mean? I think I figured out that means they'll still have the scales. I can deal with scales, I think. I've done scales on some fish before. Will they have heads and eyeballs? Will there be bones? Will there be a tail? What do you have to do with a cleaned and gutted fish before you start cooking it? I have really no idea.

2. When they say the fish will be placed on ice, how much ice? There's really only two pick up sites for me to consider - one in Boston and one two towns over from where I live. Boston is handy if the location is near work, but maybe not if I need to lug a bunch of ice home. Can I leave the ice? Will the fish be ok? Do I need the ice? I don't have any ice at home? I live in a fairly ice-free apartment. I don't really want to hop into my car every week and deal with rush hour traffic to pick up fish but maybe that's the easier way to go.

3. What do they mean when they say "half share of whole fish: 4-6 lbs per week"? Is that a lot of fish? Do I get several different types of fish each week? You can freeze fish right? All types right? I do like fish don't I? I hope so.



So those are the big three I need to wrestle with. I think I'll do it. It supports a good cause so won't be completly wasted if it doesn't work out. Plus I bought a seafood cookbook last year I really should try out. It doesn't really matter that I've only cooked fish probably less than a dozen times. I'll manage. Plus who wouldn't enjoy "a variety of the freshest haddock, cod, flounder, hake, dabs, grey sole, monkfish, pollock, and redfish - and possibly other seafood such as clams, lobsters and scallops." I hope the lobsters aren't still alive. I recognize I need to deal with my food having a face, but still don't want to deal with the death part.

Dress for Success

Last week, work was rough - busy. Unfortunately it's sounding like a broken record. I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on things (for now), but in an attempt to keep burn-out in check I had a three day weekend. Grandiose plans of running errands, spring cleaning, sleeping, laundry, knitting and watching my netflix movies. Well, I got two done on the list (sleeping and movies). Still feel like I need a break though - a nice true vacation, change of scenery However, in an effort to address the problem, I'm trying to pace things better at work, which brings me to the subject at hand - clothes.

Clothing for me is a nice escape. I don't have a large clothing budget. My style and approach has changed (I like to think the word to use is evolve) over the years. Half hobby, half scavenger hunt, half artistic expression (of sorts). Like everyone, my body isn't perfect, but I'm more comfortable in my skin these days, and skinny is in (not like it ever wasn't). And I've always been the type of person who dressed up to take a big exam - nice clothing makes you feel, well nice. There is a correlation. In a way clothing is therapeutic for me. I love the colors and textures. And I need therapy.

So over lunch, I spent time reading my blogs, several of which are fashion. I always love the Sartorialist - which I think is on everyone's list who follows fashion. I like the underlying approach of "old fashion" - buy a few key quality pieces that last over time - very french. My local TJ Maxx has the wonderful Designer's corner that I like to pick through periodically for affordable quality pieces. That's where I discovered Theory and Eli Tahari (elegantly understated fashion) which have to be my two favorites represented in the closet these days. They have some "of the moment" fashion but in their lines they also have some good solid pieces. Almost all my blazers and slacks are from them.

And I'm adding Teenflo to round out the list. I never heard of the brand before and although I don't love the name, they have a wonderful line. I recently discovered them at a Boutique store in Harvard Square, that is going out of business. On a side note, I never noticed the store before on JFK. Killing time before meeting a friend for dinner, I popped in. Apparently this was just the location for their liquidation. They were located around the block on a side street, up on the second floor. It might be the economy, but I think it might have had a bit to do with location too. Just a guess.

So now I find myself buying less clothing and it's working out marvelously for this city girl. In my apartment, I have one dresser and one small closet. When I moved in three years ago they were stuffed full. Now, with the new clothing style approach, I have a much smaller quality collection. Yes, I spend $60 on t-shirts, but I have less t-shirts this day that take up less space. Overall it's the same amount spent, just on less. Ok, that last part I did write unmercifully just to see if Dad is reading this. To clarify, I do buy $60 t-shirts but at very deep discounts. I used to scoff at people who would spend so much money on something like a t-shirt, but I understand now why they do. Having quality material next to your skin, walking around in clothing that fits well, cut for your shape is marvelous - you hold yourself differently. However, I still don't understand people who spend money on expensive t-shirts who can't afford to. There's a big difference - spend within your means (but that's another rant for another time).

So the whole buying less thing is working out wonderful. I write this statement, while sitting here in Marc Jacobs pants. Marc Jacobs!! The day I thought I'd being wearing Marc Jacobs, was the day I would own a Jaguar. Granted, no Jaguar on the horizon - have to see how Tata handles the new ownership. I wasn't wild about the whole Ford era. Again, rant for another time though, I digress.

The point is, finding that little special piece is wonderful. It's very much a process shopping approach versus product shopping. My poor brother would be miserable as he has a stamina of about 10 minutes for shopping. I understand this approach isn't for everyone, maybe not everyone will understand it. But stumbling upon new clothing lines or bargain places is marvelous. It's like when I discovered Webs. Yarn I could afford that wasn't synthetic. Amazing.

My latest find is through another blog, Daddy Likey, and is an online store. I'm not sure where I stand on online clothing shopping. I did luck out on my winter jackets this year but haven't had a wonderful track record in years past with catalogues. I do like to try things on and feel the material. But still, this place has some really nice vintage/retro yet still modern items. And from up and coming designers - it's no Gap. I was "window" shopping, and cam across an item I'm tempted to buy:

I like the longer tops these days - more elegant and also more practical - in the northeast exposed skin gets cold. The real clincher though, is the marketing - the piece is named, A Prairie Home Companion! How could I not buy it? I really wish I could see it up close and feel the flannel. It's not cheap, but with skinny jeans and not fully buttoned up and some jewelry could be quite cute. My theory is that by being retro, it's timeless. Not sure if this is true, but it does seem retro is more often 'in' then 'out'.

Now, I'm not sure if I've convinced you of my ways. But feel I should provide full disclosure. There is one down side to the "less is more but choose quality" approach. It doesn't work well when your life is such that you work many hours, crash when you get home and have no energy or time for chores. The Achilles heel to this fashion approach is laundry. I have to admit it's been nearly 2 months now since last I did a load. It's not because the laundromat is far - it's not, laundry is in the basement. It's not because I share the machines with my neighbors - I don't, I have my own set. I blame it purely on my old college trick of always making sure you have 3 months worth of underwear. That's all you need really. The rest you can make do with what you've got.

Weekend update - MFA

I thought getting internet at home would exponentially increase my blog posts. For some unexplainable reason, it's done the inverse but at an exponential rate it seems.





I find I've got springitis. I had a busy weekend and this morning I was just not in the mood to go into work. I would have much preferred to sit at home and enjoy the nice weather. This weekend was unusually warm. I ran down to Dorchester in the morning on Saturday. Otherwise, I think I would have lounged around the house and done alot of nothing. I picked up a craigslist find of an end table and for only $25! It was interesting as I'm in the middle of the chapter in 1776 which is describing the seige Washington and his men have on Boston and their strategy to take Dorchester Heights. I couldn't quite figure out where that is in current day Dorchester but my pick up was in Savin Hill so I like to imagine it was near by. The couple selling the table were nice and thanked me for showing up. I guess a lot of craigslist sees people bailing. I was a little worried it wouldn't fit in the car as it was larger then I had imagined but I got it in... and have yet to take it out.





The rest of the afternoon was spent running errands. Unfortunately I went to Whole Foods as a splurge, on an empty stomache. So I have a lot of nice food for this week. Unfortunately I'm out three evenings. But did just enjoy a pork roast sandwhich - avacado, goat brie and roast on a baguette - mmm good. Still not quite up to PB&Js yet. By late afternoon it was up in the 90s I'm sure and I was hot, so left my sweater in the car. The whole time I was in the grocery store, I was freezing! Must remember layering is good.





Sunday I enjoyed a trip to the MFA to see the Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese exhibit. It was a very good exhibit. By the end I really felt like I knew the characters and their interplay. You got a sense of who was odd man out, how they competed and mimicked each other. It was well put together. Also, very enjoyable, was a room on the science behind the exhibit. They restored several of the paintings, and one, the Nativity by Tintoretto (I think) they explored how the composition changed over time through x-rays and such. (I know it's not x-rays, but forget what it's called). The piece was originally a scene of jesus on the cross with two angels, that was later cut in half and had baby jesus inserted and sewed all together. It explains why some of the parts seem out of place in the final painting.





I went with an old college friend's mother and her in-laws. They were quite an interesting crowd but really nice people. All I have to say is that I'm a convert to bringing along my own magnifying glass to be able to exmine the works more closely. Plus they got me in for free, so who can complain. It was a great time had by all.





And finally, to report, I think this is the summer that my gardening dreams start becoming reality. I realize I'm a bit apprehensive as I've never been wonderful at caring for plants. So figured I'd start with herbs as I had a vested interest in their success beyond just their visual beauty. I started off small with the idea of building up. The table was meant to be a plant table but I think is too low to enjoy the sun so still have to figure that part out. I got chives, oregano, thyme and rosemary from a local nursery. I brought them in Sunday evening and collapsed after an exhausting day. Only to realize the plants must live on the porch with the door closed as both boys proceeded to eat the herbs, especially Walter. I don't mind except what follows eating plants is throw up and I like to keep that to a minimum. Now all I have to do is pot the plants, figure out how they can sit high enough on the porch to get the westerly sun and buy a watering can (from what I can tell, they play a critical part in the success of plants). Keeping the fingers (and green thumbs) crossed.



Finally, I have to report that I have tons of blog postings that remain unposted. A few are on my other computer, a few were sitting in blogger land and I hadn't released them, while the majority, as usual remain in the good old noggin. I can say though, I've released two from blogger land. :



1. Tuesday List. I think you have to scroll down to the bottom to read this one. The strange thing is that I'm wearing item 2b as I write this - great sweater. And this weekend I was looking for some tweed yarn for a project and gave up - not realizing I had the purple tweed shown in the picture. Hopefully it's the right gauge.



2. Time: Daylight and Zones. This one is interesting as I experience springitis and want to skip out of work today. A bit of nostalgia back when I first started (and didn't suffer springitis).

Late Bloomer

I’ve always been a late bloomer, so I have to admit, this was my first time. Up until now, I had only flown Economy (i.e. steerage) and Premium Economy (i.e. slightly larger steerage). As I get on in the years I’ve found the long flights have been filled with less sleep and more restlessness to get into a comfortable position. The trip to visit my brother in Delhi awhile back was almost the death of me – by the end I thought I was going to collapse with exhaustion – thank goodness he was at the airport to pick us up.




Now, I write this after I just deboarded my first leg of the trip, in the luxury of the Business Class Lounge in Frankfurt – sipping my orange juice and having a bite to eat. I wanted to record all the things I didn’t even think about when looking forward to this trip – before I get spoiled and jaded.



The best thing, which is the entire reason to get bumped up, is of course, the sleeping arrangements. I shared my first time with Lufti. Now their seats don’t go completely 180 like some other airlines, but man, 170 or whatever it was is a lot better than sleeping upright. I had no trouble sleeping – I could sleep on my side and what I used to think of as a long trip to Europe just flew by. Granted, part of the time was taken up discovering all the little perks and figuring out the seat.



It was a different experience – the food was wonderful (for airplane food). They gave you a menu and you could choose your hors d’oeveres, entrée and dessert. Unfortunately, I was too full to enjoy the dessert – I was going to have crème brule and see what they were able to manage on a plane. I’m not a big fan of plastic – I don’t eat off it or with it. And everything was non-plastic (except the complimentary water bottle that was in the package of goodies and I never got a chance to drink). I love drinking from real glasses on the plane, and they were very waiter like, keeping an eye on my drink the entire flight and refilling it regardless of schedule.


No worries about where you were flying to, you got all the movies on demand. The remote, I never fully figured out, but it had over a half dozen buttons just for controlling the seat – even a memory button so you could keep your favorite configuration. The leg rest was key – being able to stretch out like on a chaise – it was marvelous. There was even a button for a massage, although I’ve never really taken to that feature – I prefer a masseuse, but I guess that’s in 1st class.



My neighbor was kind and not talkative until after we landed. However, he helped me with some of the features I stumbled on, like bringing out the table (they set it with linens before serving dinner!).



Overall quite a pleasant experience. I look forward to having a restful ‘night’ for the next leg and just sleeping the entire way.



The other perk that I remembered on my way to the airport, was that I perhaps qualified to be in one of the special lounges. It was strange as I’ve been in terminal E tons of times for international flights and never even noticed the door tucked away that led to this whole other world. The lounge had sandwiches and drinks and comfy chairs. I ended up walking around to explore and think that British Airway or Virgin Atlantic probably had the nicest lounges. But, hey, it was a step up from where I was before. The lounge here in Frankfurt is much larger and a bit nicer. They even have showers and I think I heard they had beds too, but didn’t see where. The food isn’t wonderful, but it’s nice to have free drinks (even beer and other mixed drinks if I was so inclined). The funny part about the lounges is that there is wait staff that are tucked away working on preparing the food and they just slide the mirrored backsplash and put food out. Of course the gender split is predominately male. In Logan there was a man coming out of the woman's bathroom!



On a completely different note, I had a little déjà vu arriving at Frankfurt. I realized that the last time I visited this airport was almost 15 years ago and was my most memorable experience to date traveling. Long story short, I was two minutes late and although I could see my plane, they wouldn’t let me on. By then I was a sweaty, tired, deutchemarkless teenager who only knew gezuintheit and farfenugen and no other german. And this was back in the day before credit cards and calling cards – well at least I didn’t have either. In the end, after my parents answered a frantic collect call in the middle of the night, they drove, not to Montreal an hour away, but to Newark, 6+ hours away to pick me up on a later flight and bring me home (12 hour round trip – thanks guys). In the end it all worked out, but it was a good test of coping skills for a young newbie.



Correction, I realized I passed through Frankfurt a few years back on my way to Cottbus, but the story sounds better this way.