productivity

usually i: make it through work; putter around; and do alright.

today i: accomplished a boatload of work; did a significant amount of assigned reading; went to class; paid two forgotten credit card bills right before the payment due dates; repaired one broken hairpin, two necklaces, and one bracelet; took pictures of my first completed knitting project (if only i could find the cable to let me transfer them to the computer); watched a couple of television programs; and called my mother.

i don't want to take from this that a 3 p.m. cafe au lait and ginger cookie break makes me more productive, but the correlation is unavoidable.

here's how the rest of the year will go: i will work a day, go to a party in honor of a friend and her on-the-way-baby, go fabric shopping, do a lot of assignments, go back to work two days, go to class, go to work, pack, go see family for thanksgiving, come back, go to work for two days, go to class, go to work for two days, go to class, go to work, get on a plane heading east across the atlantic, be on vacation for 8 days, get back on a plane heading west this time, go to work two days, take a final, go to work two days, take another final, go to work, take a breath and figure out what the hell is going on, have a weekend at home, go to work four days and then it's christmas, then it's after christmas, then it's the new year.

holy crap.

Nora

i've been remembering some of my dreams more vividly over the past few days. over the weekend i had a series of dreams one night which, after telling to nate, clearly seemed all about ruining things for other people. this has been on my mind lately, so it makes perfect sense. i've not followed through on things i should have done for myself, i have skipped out of plans with friends without much warning, and i have not been the paragon of girlfriendliness that is my usual.

but, the dream that sticks out the most now i had two nights ago. in it, i was at a large theme-park with a very long slide. like topsfield fair on growth hormones. major growth hormones. the top of the slide looked down to little ants of people plodding back and forth between other amusements and various food vendors. i was there with some people, including nora, katy's niece. (nora was with us on my first visit to the fair, so that's not that strange. here's the strange part coming up:) i'm not sure if nora morphed into something else, or if she was something else all along, but when i talked to and looked over at nora, she was a candle. one of those little tiny birthday candles striped with colored and white wax. nora was blue and white. her wick was not lit, but i think it had been since it looked charred. to walk along with me to get to the head of the line she sort of pogo'd along, as one might imagine a candle doing it it needed to get place to place. almost like the candelabra in disney's version of beauty in the beast. and almost like those crazy CGI dollar bills in some add about money working for you. at some point nora stopped bouncing along, paused, dropped to her side on the ground and rolled her way ahead. smart girl, that nora. to take the slide, i had to hold nora the candle in my two hands in front of my chest. i talked to nora and she talked to me, but her voice was very quiet because there's not a lot of room in a candle to make much noise. i think it's the missing lungs that might be a problem. so anytime nora the candle wanted to talk to me, i would tell her to hold on, and i would lift her up to my ear. i was treating her wick like the sound came from there, but it was hard to tell. we rode down the slide for what felt like forever. down and down, and over a bump, and down and down some more.

i woke up before we reached the bottom of the slide.

road trip

just back home after a night drive from western mass back east. twisty dark roads, cups of tea and coffee, conversation, and a big and low orange moon. contentment is running high.

surprise

oh dear. i just found out in a very round-about way that there is a surprise in store for me. it's a birthday surprise. and... having checked the calendar just now... i see that both birthday and surprise are exactly three weeks from today. i am a horrible surprisee. just hearing about it and my face got all flushed and my stomach turned and tumbled.

it doesn't matter if the surprise is a big one (a finger monkey, a carnival just like at the end of annie -- and even my biggest enemy could come and ride the elephant and we could all be happy, a boat ride with samberg and t-pain) or a small one (a pat on the back, a piece of candy, a coupon from the sunday paper inserts). truly does not matter. any which way, it's a big deal to me.

i mentioned i am a horrible, horrible surprisee, didn't i?

this will drive me bonkers. absolutely crazy up and down walls, inside and out of my head. and, yes, i have been known to resort to cajoling, begging, whining, tantrum throwing, pleading, eyelash batting, needling, and any other activity i think may elicit information.

three weeks is a very long time. BUT. will it be longer for the surprisor, or the surprisee? time will tell.

i've been feeling out how it might be to take two classes this semester, only two weeks in and i'm getting my groove down. if i don't shoot myself in the foot by checking my favorite websites frequently like the 'net addict i can be, i might just find the time to do all my readings and assignments and come out just fine at the end. it also doesn't help that style network keeps airing programming of amazingly low quality but high entertainment value.

nate has been hard at work, getting into the thick of a time management book for technonerds. this one appears to resonate a bit more with him than "getting things done" ever did. is this attributable to the focus on core principles rather than on a specific system? perhaps. is it because it speaks to the technonerd audience directly and the examples are all based on work experiences nate relates to directly? maybe. is it because o'reilly is the publisher and this is one in a series of technonerd books that are revered, and yep, there's another woodland creature on the cover? could be. i won't argue with any of this. the author gets right to his points, he appears knowledgeable and humorous, and kept my attention through the introduction. i especially appreciated his brief section about how to spend newly found time, suggesting all sorts of activities to get the technonerd away from the desk and out into the rest of the world. kudos. extra super duper brownie points for end of the book suggestions of ways to lead a life broader than the nearest laptop.

so nate's been reading, taking notes, and starting to take names in his own work task list. it's nice to see. and i am reminded that i should bring that own focus back into my own tasks. now would be a good time, so i don't let pretty sparkly diversions distract me from the things i most want: shared experiences with my near and dear, some moments to reflect each day, and time for unplanned amusements without feeling guilty for choosing adventures over obligations.

i'm spinning: erik friendlander's "block ice and propane"
i'm reading: barbara kingsolver's "animal, vegetable, miracle"

4 years young

today nate and i celebrate four years of each other's company. we are planning a dinner out.

four more years!

that is a pretty great phrase to yell. i may try it out at home later tonight.

the only romantic thing left

mimi weddell, 95 year old actress/model, on hats:



(posted today on my new favoritest blog, advanced style.)

july was marked with chaos, august has been marked with pleasure. my class ended in the first week, leaving me with four weeks before i'm next responsible for assigned readings and other work. no extravagant uses of these days really, just an easy enjoyment of extra hours each day, and extra days each week. i've made time for friends who haven't seen me since april or earlier, i've made time for fun errands and outings with nate, and i've made time for magazines and books and couch and silly tv.

the students are back in harvard square. the sidewalks are crowded with amorphous clusters which seemingly expand to the whole width just when you want to get by. the bookstore aisles are packed with bodies. the wait time to order and pay for lunches has lengthened.

i love this time of year - the palpable excitement in the air. (or, is it anxiety?) usually i'm inspired to reorganize my desk or alphabetize my cd collection, or perform some other ordering and neatening in recognition of either the ancient harvesting season or the more likely modern back-to-school buzz.

organization is still key this year, but it has more to do with finally finding spaces and places for the items still in cardboard boxes. two months after we moved and last night my old sturdy bookcase friend was reassembled and filled to the brim with four (or was it five?) boxes worth of books. this was the big push. the majority of what was left un-unpacked were those books.

this will be a nice weekend. it will be rainy and perfect for lazing about, and putting nails in walls for holding frames, and maybe a movie or two, and some friends. and maybe a little more pleasure and calm before the fall energy starts in earnest.

2 years

and i miss grandma still.

compliments from a 2 year old

"i like your feet."

"i like your tummy."

and, no words necessary, crawling or wriggling into your arms or lap.

new home on a hill!

it's finally starting to sink in, this whole thing about having a new home. i've been going to sleep and waking up in a strange new room for a week and a half, and i'm finally starting to remember even in my groggy states to lift my feet over the raised floor boards in the doorways. i'm getting the hang of the front door key and i remember now which bathroom switch is for the light, and which is for the fan.

we've already welcomed a handful of friendly faces, and it's been fun to show people around and get their reactions to the space. my favorite things include the great light in the front of the house, the deck, the beautiful old wood, and the room we have for visitors. i think there are plenty of other things to love about the new space, like a dining room and the enclosed back porch. until those spaces are really usable, they remain further down on my list.

the kitchen is starting to see what nate and i expect from it. we've made a few meals, and nate made a batch of cookies last night. here's what we've learned: we're not used to it at all. pots and pans seem to all be in the most counter-intuitive places, but we haven't yet figured out how to store them better. we took one step forward by moving the cutlery back into the kitchen and not in the built-in cupboard in the unusable dining room. two steps back for leaving the dish rack out all the time effectively cutting our surface space by one third. fridge is good, pantry is disorganized, and shelving, though abundant and seemingly custom fit to the space is not maximized, and there is plenty of space out of reach. one of our first purchases: a TWO-step step stool.

in order to take showers with some privacy, i rigged up a second shower curtain, cut to size, in the very large bathroom window. i still think frosted glass would be better. for the moment, the curtain also protects the window sill, which otherwise gets all splashed with water. we've noticed that the tile grout needs to be redone. well, the whole bathroom can be redone at that would be okay. something about the beige and dusty pink tile makes my skin crawl. that's something for a little farther down the road, of course.

the additional bedroom, which we're using to store books and desks and computers, is great. the smaller sofa fits in here and makes a cozy reading nook. before the end of the month we'll get our hands on an inflatable mattress to properly host our first scheduled overnight guest, my mom. we've got a couple of plants in there, but they are far from the windows and so they may be moved out before we kill them. i'll be considering ways to make the room a little more guest-friendly. i think this won't be a problem at all.

what else? well, we still haven't figured out how to store our bikes successfully. where do you put three bikes when both stairways up to the house or down to the basement are narrow, and the front entry area isn't big enough, the back entry isn't big enough, the garage has no security, and you don't want your bikes to be exposed to the elements?

with just two exceptions, i've been biking to and from work. this in some of the most insanely wet late june and july days i can recall. my reputation for being a fair-weather biker is on the line. lessons i've learned from biking in the rain: the rain layer does work; bring extra socks; bring extra undies; and don't be too afraid of the traffic - the drivers are more cautious than usual. the return trip is not very taxing until the lead up into teele square, a slow but constant grade gets you into the teele area, then there's two hills to traverse before turning onto our street. the last couple of minutes are what kill me - i arrive at the front stoop panting and sweaty, discombobulated with lungs heaving, heart racing, and temples pounding. when i conquer these hills, i will pump my tiny fists in the air, and i will shake up a bottle of champs and spray it all over myself.

so, the settling in is going well. we're identifying areas for improvement, finding the corners we love most, and getting adjusted to a new set of doorways, cabinet doors, and lights. and, at some point (hopefully before the end of the tour de france), i'll be able to hold a conversation as soon as i get home. if you swing by before then and i just gasp and wheeze, know that i'm trying to say, "welcome!"

always a way to procrastinate with technology

at our temporary home, we've found close to no internet available to us. a few days ago we could sit at the very front edge of the house and get two little bars of activity, signaling we had successfully latched on to a neighbor's account. they may have noticed, because now there are no bars. last night we resorted to reading for hours. it took a while to get used to this new arrangement. nate kept fiddling with his iphone, trying to send lengthly emails and show me new posts on dlisted, which just strained my eyes. and rather than dig right into an exciting new chapter in the psychology textbook, i tried one last time to connect to email, failed, and then - lo! - i discovered i had downloaded one of dirtyboots' november novels to my desktop, and had never read it. salvation, once again, from my own best interests. so that's how come i'm a few chapters into a story about a time-traveling older brother and a sister who is trying to find him using audio archeology and a few chapters behind my abnormal psychology readings.

[psst...clare... i never saw the X-files episode you mentioned, but i recently saw the same premise on Fringe: they were playing back a window pane which had melted a little wavy bit in an intense heat blast from something akin to sponteneous human combustion! a two-fer!]

housing update

no turning back now. we've shut down the dojo temporarily. as of wednesday afternoon we and all of our stuff were out. for the week and a half while we have no place to call our own, we have shelter courtesy of V's extended lease. we're living in cramped but quiet quarters, trying our best to fly under anyone's radar.

tomorrow morning dad and i sign paperwork in exchange for money, and my home for the last 4 years legally becomes someone else's joy and headache. nate and i take over our own joy and headache next friday. we'll be moving from between Harvard and MIT stomping grounds to near Tufts stomping grounds. Ah, Greater Boston - never too far from school.

the next week and a half we'll be finding excuses to leave our temporary digs for more hospitable and less claustrophobic climes. i'm thinking more bike rides, more trips to the gym, more lazing about on public green spaces. sounds really great, actually.

i've also decided on a summer course, and will be busy each week, starting next tuesday, learning about abnormal psychology. this is the fascinating stuff that generally gets exploited by news and movies: ooh, mood disorders! aah, personality disorders! ohh, shizophrenia!

so the summer is shaping up: we'll have a house to make into a home, i'll have coursework to keep my brain spinning, and a few little fun trips and activities to keep us feeling fresh and energized. by the time we get to all that, perhaps the weather will actually cooperate and act it's season.

knock some wood for us

the big news of the day: nate and i got the approval letter from the bank for our mortgage. we're about to take on the biggest debt in our lives, and actually, i'm really happy. how could i not be? this was the last big hurdle between us and a home to call our own. i'm very excited. of course, all that excitement comes with a bit of apprehension. i've never taken on any type of debt at all. nate has more experience at this - he's taken out loans for school and his car. i don't know if that's preparation, but owing vast amounts of money may not be the entirely unfamiliar situation for him as it is for me. regardless, i'm a grinning palm-sweating jubilant mess. dad emailed to welcome me to the american dream. (yes, thanks.)

another month and we'll be plunking down a big ol' check of our own, a big ol' check from the bank, and ready to move into a new home. in the meantime, all the big pieces that were causing me stress are now in place and i can sigh the biggest sigh of relief. that, and i had a good review from my supervisor at work and the reassurance that my job is still mine for another year, and i'm about to have a second great weekend in a row. thank you, world.

damn good weekend

i was just looking back a couple of posts ago and realized my calf injury was just about two months ago. i'm actually doing well. i've got lots of get up and go, and my calf has been cooperative. two months seemed like it would take forever, but it flew by after all. it helped that i have been able to bike now for weeks. but i can see and feel how i still won't be at full "HIYA!" power for a little while longer. i'm jonesing for a dance class, and plan to try again in maybe a week or two.

speaking of biking and jonesing...

this weekend has been full of lovely things. i rewatched "Se7en" on Friday night; took a road trip with nate, V. and S. to North Adams to attend the 10th anniversary ball at Mass Moca and ended up on stage with v. singing back up for Miss Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings; showed up late and during the torrential downpour on Sunday afternoon to a cook/hang out at the house of nate's former co-worker, Ted, and gorged ourselves courtesy of the potluck offerings and the big tent draw, Meat-a-palooza; and today, a slow leisurely start followed by a 30something mile round-trip ride to Walden Pond.

i crossed several things off my life's to-do list over the past three days, and feel utterly relaxed and happy. with all that and my leg feeling stronger...well... that's one damn good weekend.

dang

i am impressed:

giving back my keys

early next week dad and gil leave nyc and head to california, and 41 5th gets a new owner. nate and i visited last weekend, but i left my keys in boston by accident. at least i think it was an accident. this morning i mailed back my set of keys to the apartment.

41 5th.
where dad thumped around my room, chasing a mouse in the middle of the night without waking me up.
where i got ready for the prom my junior year before being picked up for a double-date, and dad had to run outside with the camera because i refused to wait around for the obligatory photo session.
where we watched 5th avenue paraders in the summer, and cross-country skiing in the winter.
where one year eric got ready for halloween in the middle of the night, donning a cheerleading costume and making me spray his blond wig with gold glitter, which landed in every conceivable crack in the wood flooring and drove dad crazy for years afterwards.
where there used to be a murphy bed in the second bedroom and i sometimes fell and got wedged in the gap between the head of the bed and the wall unit.
where i recovered from the chicken pox in 5th grade and an ovarian cyst in 10th.
where i put a "no smoking" sticker i got at school on the mirror in my room and finally took it down years after dad quit.
where doug brought his mom to meet us for a bagel brunch before our first date in sixth grade ("the naked gun" at a theater on 8th street)
where dad used to have a white shag rug and a mirrored wet bar in the living room.
where i could find dad for the past 23 years.

ok, i'm lame... i promised a picture of the lovely handiwork sent to me, but i am now proven a liar. i'll post it soon, promise! now, for the news:

1. i turned in a paper and got a decent grade!
2. i created and performed a research proposal presentation and did okay! even though public speaking makes my voice and legs shake!
3. someone wants to buy my apartment and i'm going to let them!
4. that means nate and i are really looking for real for a new place to live!
5. i can walk again! my calf muscle is healing, and i've even gone to the gym and used the stationary bicycle for a few minutes!
6. it's feeling like spring! about time!
7. i started flossing my teeth again!

the belly of the muscle

last night i was getting my groove on in dance class and had a freak accident ripping my calf muscle. the name of the muscle is the gastrocnemius, the large and bulky muscle in the back. the doctors tend to call it the "gastroc" in conversation, which of course sounds much cooler. i like to think they are really saying "gastROCK!"

the injury is in the belly of the muscle, which also just sounds ridiculous. but yeah, right in the middle where all the magic happens, that's where i tore it. the upshot: i'll be crutchin' around for about a week, and after a weekend of icing the muscle, avoiding weight on it, and generally acting protective, i'll switch to heat and start some gentle stretching. by gentle stretching i mean, flexing and pointing my toes. after i can do that well and without a problem, i can start standing on a stair with just my toes and use gravity and resistance to work the muscles more.

i am really not patient enough to be a good patient. however, i could get used to the white-glove-five-star-hand-servant treatment i'm lucky enough to get from nate. this alone helps me want to treat myself better. this much effort and energy into assuring i rest up and do right by myself from someone else would be such a shame to waste. i was even loaned ninja pillow this afternoon - he's been watching over me as i rest and nap and stay out of trouble.

here's my not-so-secret secret: i am pissed off. it's the first day of spring for crying out loud. it's beautiful and glorious and i want to be riding my bike, and i want to be enjoying the blue sky and the fresh breeze in the air with a spring in my step. my step is decidedly unspringy right now. leaden is more like it. certainly there are so many worse things that could have happened, involving long term rehabilitation and physical therapy, even surgery. so all in all, i'm not doing too shabbily. so when i feel a bit bummed i just think about the belly of my muscle and how seriously dumb that sounds, and it makes me crack a smile.

plus, i am totally going to enjoy the crap out of the rest of this year. once i have two working legs i'll be walking and springing and skipping and biking and street-funking and yogaing all over this piece. so just watch out. i will seriously gastROCK all over 2009, so don't say i didn't warn you. in the meantime, can you hand me the remote so i can watch my programs?

(p.s. - next time i post here i'll show y'all a picture of the awesome needlepoint that miss dirtyboots sent me. handmade! quite a saucy renaissance woman, that clare.)

jon stewart & cnbc mayhem

i watched the first daily show clips of jon stewart going after cnbc, and i watched jim cramer's appearance on the show, and then i read the new york times article about the entire brou-ha-ha.

it kills me that both jim cramer and the new york times missed, or ignored, the point jon stewart was making.

cramer attempted to cover his ass, essentially by saying no one can see the future and he should have done a better job, but didn't. and i don't blame him for his defensiveness, since cnbc basically threw him to the wolves on this one (hey - that cramer fellow, he's funny and acerbic, he'll be able to take on stewart! yeah, let's send him to do the clean up!)

alessandra stanley spent most of column space talking about the way stewart "act[ed] out a cathartic ritual of indignation and castigation" with cramer during the interview. she seemed to find most interesting stewart's use of embarrassing footage of cramer.

come on - really? that's the best each of these people could do? stewart repeatedly and continually uses his show as a forum to ridicule the sad state of affairs in news media: that should be a hint. stewart even admitted that it was a shame that cramer now had to be the face of cnbc in this public 'feud' since his point isn't that it's just cramer (although he is part of the problem):

it's the ethos of cnbc, which bills itself as the place to look for financial information, in that they are in the business of entertainment more than they are in the business of helping the regular joes and josies figure out how to protect their financial resources.

stewart's point, which cramer couldn't see during his sacrificial place in stewart's spotlight, and stanley didn't bother to write about since it's not the more entertaining hook to her coverage of the segment, is that cnbc lets its reporters get away with not being reporters and they have just as much responsibility as any other news media source to check their facts and sources, build their cases, and report the truth behind the PR talking points.

the daily show and stewart make their living from criticizing what and who makes the news. like any good jester, stewart mocks the power players and tells more truth than any one in the court. the fact that he and his team actually do a better job as journalists/reporters within the confines of their comedy show says way too much about how the news is told today.

they aren't going up for any pulitzer prizes, but the way everyone else goes about the business of telling news, it just looks like that wouldn't be such a far-fetched idea. the daily show has more credibility than any of the rest of them, and that's just sad. and that is the part that gets jon stewart the most angry.

love

elephants on wheels, by Croatian ceramic artist Saulius Dirse:

huh?

today at 1:28 pm, the following quote from President Obama was posted on the white house website as part of a larger story:

"Let me say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,"

so, the question on my mind, perhaps taking dave's recent post into consideration, is when did we start a combat mission in iraq, and what happened to the war?

i just saw this video posted at d*s - it's beautiful and simple. just lovely. and it doesn't hurt that the vocals are reminiscent of neil halsted. all details about oren lavie and the folks involved with the making of the video can be found at orenlavie.com.

for artists, book-lovers, design junkies, and nerds

designsponge worked with the new york public library and artists in nyc to put together a short video series that follows the artists (who use various media) as they draw inspiration from the collections at the library. this is a fun and neat look at artists' processes, the breadth of the collections in the libraries, the accessibility and versatility of research, and cross-polination of ideas. (not to mention, the total awesomeness and rocking of librarians and librarianship.)

check out the video series from start to finish (posted in reverse chronological order)

fyi

it's never going to stop snowing.

snow. plows. waking up. my brain.

snow was already deep on the ground by the time i woke up this morning. another white blanket of sound-dampening softness blah blah blah. there's so much snow this winter i might be all tapped out. i'm losing my enthusiasm for packing snowballs and being the first to tromp through an undisturbed patch. i keep getting all crotchety at the state or the city or whomever is supposed to keep the roads clear: winter has never managed to surprise us. it comes every single year. how come the unpreparedness in dealing with it? why do roads still close down, and how is it that with all the plows and salt there are days the snow is left uncleared on major roadways? but this morning is different. i woke up this morning cranky and in no mood to start the day. (truth be told, this actually happens to me quite frequently, i'm no morning person despite various attempts to train myself otherwise.) so here i am, all out of sorts and brain not fully working at maximum capacity, eyes not opening to maximum wideness, etc. and i realize i'm that person who can't get prepared for the same thing to happen over and over and over. i should be more crotchety with myself about not being ready for morning, or, i should be more understanding when winter come and the roads are a disgusting mess of dirty slush and there's mayhem all over the streets. of course, i could just go to bed earlier. what's their excuse?

found

unchaining hearts

it's been a day for hearing about friends' relationship tumult. just on cue, ray charles is on my stereo moaning to have his heart unchained. his phrasing, tone, and emotional conveyance is all spot on. and i'm thinking of past aching, the kind that can come back to haunt my heart with phantom pangs of my emotional frailty - the way my knees twinge in winter weather reminding me of my physical brittleness.

i hope joy, comfort, and salve is not far away. that current pains turn one day to nothing more than scarring: proof that battles of love have been survived and created even stronger lovers.

noga

noga is my new practice of not making it to yoga classes. although i may go down in history as the person responsible for identifying, perfecting, and perhaps even perpetuating this practice, i am confident i'm not the only one who has made this practice part of their routine.

LC

a co-worker of mine recently went on a business trip to south africa. she spent her own money to buy little mementos for the people she would meet there, over $200.00 to make these new far-off colleagues feel appreciated. in part of her presentation she showed an image of our new president-elect and his family, to great cheers in the room. many folks wanted to congratulate the people of the U.S., saying they didn't think we would ever be brave enough to elect a black man as president. apparently they had some really interesting conversation. she came back with great big wide eyes, stories told excitedly of her time there, and little trinkets for all of us. she has many strengths and interests, but above all she cares greatly about the world around her and treating people well and with respect. she makes that clear with every decision, every comment, every act, every thought. i think i've found another hero.

friday night at the dojo

franch fotos finally

a full set of my pictures from our vacation in france this fall are now compiled.

See my Tabblo>

mo distractions

i find it really hard to concentrate on the multimedia software package that supports the statistics textbook we use in class. every time one of the animated activities come on it is narrated by someone who sounds exactly like mo rocca. which is awesome, but highly distracting.

walnut grove on the banks of the dordogne river

nate and i went to france in late september - we spent a week biking in the south, and then a couple of days in france. on the second day of our trip we left a town called gourdon in the bouriane region and headed towards vitrac, located in the dordogne river valley. nate had to try a fresh walnut from this grove.

enough of that other sarah

two SP posts in a row? inconceivable. on to other subjects - ones that don't raise the blood pressure so high.

nate and i enjoyed a very mellow day recovering from our latest international travel adventure: almost two weeks in france. in short, we had a wonderful time. we each have plenty of photos and anecdotes that will slowly leak into our normal lives. rebalancing the pressure between life at home and life on vacation always takes a bit of time, moving those images and stories into the airspace around home.

today was about a full night's rest, buying groceries for our pitifully empty kitchen, doing a few loads of stinky laundry, cleaning, cooking, and running a couple of errands. all in all, we managed to catch up to our normal frequency in time for the weekend.

on my plate for the next two days: homework, crafting, napping, and meeting up with my cousin, maggie, who is in town for a friend's wedding. if i'm lucky, maybe even some more bike riding and other bodymovin'.

oh yeah-
a BIG shout out to veronica whose help with round-trip airport transport (and support in the face of baggage claim delays) was invaluable to vacation peace of mind.

sarah palin debate flow chart

news from alaska

Alaska Women Reject Palin Rally

keepin' on

what nate says is true, we treated ourselves to a special night in honor of year 3.  we had a clear and twinkling view of boston from the top of the prudential building, and a lovely dinner to the sounds of a jazz trio (complete with ponytailed drummer!).  afterwards, we took a little walk to the mac store and acted a bit nerdy.  all was well.

and nate - yeah, i'm all for keepin' on keepin' on.

pushupdate

after 2 weeks of doing the pushups i was only able to do 5 more pushups in a row than when i started (25 vs. 20).  

however, i did feel a little bit better after i was able to successfully complete the 1st workout of week 3 (5 sets: 20; 15; 15; 13; 20).

even if i had to rest between them, i'm still pretty impressed that i could make it through 83!

body movin'

after waging war with a summer cold and sore throat i have been most recently in battle with a strange allergic reaction which affected only my left eye. i wish i'd thought to wear a condom as an eye patch and join a hip hop group. sadly, i was not that imaginative. instead, i bought some antihistamine pills and hoped for the best. all seems well. i look much less like the fun-house mirror version of myself that i did last wednesday. added bonus of the drugs: i spent the weekend in a cat-laden household and experienced no allergy symptoms. so, yay drugs.

i visited rachel who was house and cat sitting for her sister in winooski, vermont - just a backbeat away from burlington. it was a lovely couple of days filled with good conversation, weather and food, with some swimming and riverside walking thrown in for good measure.

i came home with the swimming bug and some pink scalp and a huge craving for more fresh cherries and tomatoes. so i've got a shopping list in mind, and a rekindled desire to use the pool at the Y. however, if i insist on going to bed at midnight i'll never realize my dream to take swims before getting ready for work.

so, no refreshing early morning swims for me yet. though nate and i did get through a good arm workout yesterday, and i started my second week of push-ups. and i am reminding myself that sore muscles are better than muscles in stasis. i need to keep reminding myself every time i move so i don't say inappropriate things in the office.

grandma

last week marked one year since my grandmother's death.  when i was at my grandparents house in july, celebrating my grandfather's 94th (!) birthday i came across this picture.  i adore this image of her.  i love seeing the same joy, style, and composure that i recognize from the older woman i knew radiating from her in this shot. 

100 pushups

new-to-me site hundredpushups has a training plan for people of all fitness levels in order to work up to 100 pushups.  i'm about to give it a shot.  anyone else in?  i've even put the site in my list to the side for easy access.  how much simpler could it be?

mass ave portrait

last fall nate and i met mary on the mass ave bridge to be models in potential shots for reflector, the zine associated with Bikes Not Bombs.  (she ended up using a close-up of nate's sexy fixed gear.)

mary  just got her website up and running and put up a picture of me from that day on the bridge as part of her online portfolio.  check out the portrait.

anyone know swahili?

tushirikiane kwa wema tuishi kwa neema

that's what's printed on a beautiful textile veronica gave me. i found a few of the words on their own, but am having no luck with the phrase in it's entirety.

thanks, v.

rich

last year i had asked my family if it would be okay if i had my grandmother's sewing machine. i remember the machine best as set up in the house in rye, ny and grandma showing me how to sew a straight line of white stitches onto a long panel of white fabric that was supposed to be curtains. it was exciting to be operating a very grown up piece of equipment, and to see so readily the result of my attentive eyes and guiding hands. (the satisfaction doesn't change.)

grandma and i spent a lot of time together, and she had a multitude of talents and interests which she shared with me. (baking, cooking, gardening, clothing, storytelling, writing, knitting, flying, hosting, fundraising, traveling, tennis, and teaching are just some of the activities which are impossible for me to even think about without accompanying thoughts and memories of her). this singular tool holds a lot of tangible evidence of her. the kitchen and garden where most of my early lessons in jam-making, cobbler-baking, weed-pulling, and fruit-harvesting took place belong to some other family now. their plane isn't in the family. most of the other associations, and rightfully so, are about spirit and personality, mind and soul. but the sewing machine - it's tangible and more than anything, i think of my grandmother's hands on it, and her hands guiding mine. and i wanted to be connected with it.

mom and grandpa were fine with the sewing machine coming to live with me. we arranged to have it shipped from florida to my office when i was visiting with them on july 4th weekend. that's how i ended up at the UPS store on tamiami trail in sarasota on a quiet saturday, quietly brushing away a few tears while handing over my grandmother's sewing machine to the blase and distracted man behind the counter. (how could he be so uninterested in the yellowing thread still running through the machine? still in play with some also discolored fabric still on the bed? doesn't he understand how i feel seeing her handiwork stopped dead in its tracks? of course not. answer the questions. sign the forms. give my credit card...) though there was plenty of sense in shipping it, i felt scared sending it off and separating from it - what if it was lost or broken?

neither of those things happened. what ended up happening was i came home and nate's mom had bought me a new sewing machine. deb had loaned me one of her machines to practice and play with, to use for as long as i wanted, and then it got a little sick and i got a little frustrated. i was about to buy a new machine for my every day use. in the airport waiting for my flight back to boston nate let me know this gift was waiting for me at his mom's house. we picked it up and brought it home and i started using it immediately. and, a few days later my grandmother's sewing machine arrived at work, all in one piece and right on time.

now i have two machines. one that is wholly my own and starts my own story. one that still bears some thread from my grandmother's story, which i will safekeep and be caretaker of until it's time to pass it along to someone else. and both machines are awash in love. and i want to thank both deb and my family for supporting my interest in handwork, and supporting me and my very full heart.

craft malaise

rocky road with this current project.  i have a strict/tight deadline, and just when i finally got the rhythm down for unscrewing the whole sewing machine to reposition the motor belt when it falls off, now there's something funky with the bobbin so that the thread all bunches up and so the stitches don't catch.  if anyone has advise, i'll gladly take it.  i just spent half an hour looking for machine reviews online and trolling craigslist to see if there are any cheap and decent used machines out there.  tomorrow night the sewing shop in davis is open late -  i may stop by after work to see what i can see.

i'm off to florida on friday morning, back again sunday.  and i'm hoping to have my project done by the following friday night... maybe i should use the plane ride to consider back up gift ideas.

too much work

feeling kind of overwhelmed by the deluge of chores at the office.  rather than get things under control as my appointment winds down, things just keep heating up.  i'd rather be organizing and getting materials ready for whomever will be taking over, but instead i'm barely keeping status quo.

nate was right, despite my exhaustion, making it to dance class tonight felt incredibly good.  it was a long stretch in my ergonomically correct, yet still not comfortable, chair trying to plan travel for 21 people.

being at work that long and insulated makes me feel dumb.  what is happening in the world?  when did those yucky smelly trees start spewing all their crappy pollen all over the place?  who did that great new mural outside the american apparel in harvard square?  the celtics are good again?

5 things about my day

1. this morning they were tearing up my street with all manner of big equipment. the jackhammering came early, much like it did yesterday and the day before. good thing i've been getting to bed early. oh wait, no, last night i went to bed after 2am, that's right. i almost forgot.

2. it's a time of long hours. putting in extra time in order to get loads done and try to get ahead of the curve. at this rate i'll just be doing my regular job really well. i'm going to have to put in even more hours. dang it all.

3. i'm listening to santogold at mary's insistence. and enjoying it tremendously. so very spring fun.

4. in the last 9 hours i have gone: to the kitchen twice; to the bathroom three times; outside not at all; insane a handful of times.

5. as a treat i did some online purchasing midday to help with a secret surprise project. i am very excited to get mail in the next few days!

nice night for it

i joined the critical mass ride last night and though a cool front blew through, it was a lovely night for a lazy ride around boston. both nate and dave made it, too.

we hit south boston, downtown, close to charlestown, east cambridge, harvard square, across the river and up comm ave, over through to brookline village and (as a much smaller group) jamaice plain. 7 of us ended up at james' gate for food and drink. i've never socialized with strangers post-cm ride, but i would definitely do so again. it was a lovely way to cap the ride.

dave, nate and i, along with another lady heading to cambridge, biked back around 10pm. dave was on his new bike, a bright shiny red thing - isn't that the way, get a new bike and someone tries to plow you down? dave was in little physical danger but did twist his wrist. i think we totaled close to 22 miles. added bonus - few altercations on the road. i think one person got into a heated argument with a driver, but beyond that, it was a relatively confrontationless ride. more like that, please.

(note - one dude riding beside me turned to his friend and said he kind of wished there was more aggression on the ride and then turned to me with a wicked grin. i said something about how nice it was to know everyone was riding safe and sound. he ignored me for the rest of the time.)

more stupid QandA

i knew katy would have something fun for me to do upon my homecoming...


1. Where is your cell phone? by my bed.
2. Your significant other? nate's on the couch, wearing his #2 pencil sweatshirt.
3. Your hair? total bedhead.
4. Your mother? kicks ass.
5. Your father? also kicks ass.
6. Your favorite thing? life, the universe, everything.
7. Your dream last night? so weird. first, i was lost trying to find the school bus stop. then i tried helping a little girl with an allergic reaction, but just ended up giving her some potato chips. finally found the bus stop, and was asked to look over a classmate's photo portfolio, which had some interesting ideas. then i woke up and thought about trying some of those ideas out.
8. Your favorite drink? currently, remembering some yummy peach juice i had on vacation, as well as a beer local to sopron called, strangely, soproni.
10. The room you're in? the bathroom. i'm not proud.
11. Your ex? the most recent one... i don't know at all. he could be anywhere. or nowhere. i wish i knew. or maybe i'm glad i don't.
12. Your fear? losing passion.
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? somewhere i wouldn't expect.
14. Where were you last night? home again, home again, jiggity jig.
15. What you're not? pushy.
16. Muffins? nate just yesterday bought me a double chocolate muffin at the amsterdam airport. he knows.
17. One of your wish list items? a bike tour vacation.
18. Where you grew up? us/new york/manhattan/UES&the village
19. The last thing you did? made breakfast; watched some crappy tv.
20. What are you wearing? jammie pants and my longsleeve honda shirt.
21. Your TV? sizeable and in the living room.
22. Your pet(s)? no pets, just three plants.
23. Your computer? macbook. still in hiding - i'm using nate's.
24. Your life? not too unusual - an average blend of all parts of the spectrum. so far i've been dealt a pretty decent hand.
25. Your mood? today - positive.
26. Missing someone? a few people.
27. Your car? nonexistent. although, i do now carry the extra key to nate's honda.
28. Something you're not wearing? bra.
29. Favorite Store? i can't think of one - maybe one of the local bookstores.
30. Your summer? some intense work is coming up, a weekend in july with family, and not too many plans yet. hopefully lots of time with my bike and friends.
31. Love someone? as katy said, "lots of someones."
32. Your favorite color? changes all the time - today i'm feeling a plum/beet kind of thing.
33. When is the last time you laughed? joking with nate not too long ago.
34. Last time you cried? last night while watching new year baby.

final day in hungary

to end our time in budapest, nate and i used the hostel's two cruiser bikes for a great last day around town. we biked along the buda side of the danube to the city limits, passing along the way lots of sunbathers and boat rental places and fish fry restaurants. the path extends from germany to the black sea, so we only did a small section. we saw lots of weekend warriors in full road bike gear and riding highly expensive bikes - all quite overkill given the pancake flatness of the path and the leisurely pace of most riders. from that path we stopped at a restaurant for lunch, explored margaret island, and stopped at a square hosting a wine tasting where we watched a wedding party, and purchased dried fruit and candies from a booth for a snack.

after the danube path, we biked to the pest side and up andrassy utca. our goal was to visit the house of terror - a testimonial to the nazi and communist regimes that oppressed budapest for decades. the terror house website has the right feel and look of the museum, but doesn't do the exhibits justice. no cameras were allowed inside, which is too bad because i would have loved to share some of the powerful displays. this may be the best exhibit i have seen that used various technologies and medias to express content. almost none of the displays had english, though there is an audio guide in english, which we didn't use, and informative handout sheets in hungarian and english in each of the rooms. (a brief description here.)

we ended the day by going into the park area behind heroes' square, and then stopping back at the square to watch a few kids doing tricks on bmx bikes. nate tried to teach me how to pop a wheelie, but i don't have the timing right yet.

we're not too much about the souvenirs, but nate and i both brought home a lot of freckles and plenty of pink scalp. we did spend a lot of time with cameras in hand, so we'll post shots at some point.

beyond budapest

the visit to sopron was lovely, despite some colder than expected weather. we wandered the inner old city in the dusk and evening, searched for restaurants that weren't the worst of the tourist traps (we steered far from the "english pub" style restaurant) and found a relatively inconvenient short-cut to the street of our hotel.

we spent one afternoon going out to visit the esterhazy palace, just a shell of its once awesome splendor. no visit of the palace is allowed unless guided, and so we paid for the hungarian guide and were led around like puppies. impressive spaces, despite the absensce of just about all the original furnishings. esterhazy was a great patron of the arts, and even built separate quarters for hayden to use, and use he did - for close to 30 years. an impressive bit of forest to the rear goes with the territory. they also had a separate building for marionette shows. (nytimes did an article on esterhazy and the region, including sopron. (read here)

on the way out of any town, as soon as you hit the fields of green and grapes there are also thousands of poppies. they are so beautiful and vibrant. a single poppy is flimsy, and looks like a breath of air will knock it down - the petals are thin but look wide enough to catch the wind. a whole field of them and they become a red glaze in the sun. i think i'm in love with them now.

we spent yesterday in vienna, only 2.5 hours away by train from sopron. unbeknownst to us, austria was on a bank holiday. that explained why my first impression of vienna was that of a ghost town. streets were quiet and empty, and far from what i expected of such a large and prestigious city. despite almost no street life, we found a cafe for lunch, wandered the grounds of belvedere palace, and visited prater, vienna's amusement park - home of a giant ferris wheel called the riesenrad, erected in 1897. each compartment is actually like a small train car. of course we took a ride!

and now, we are back in budapest. we arrived midday and spent the afternoon in the var district, visiting the castle and wandering streets within its walls, as well as taking an hour or so to see the national gallery. it was a beautiful day and we used up the rest of the daylight people watching and hanging out in the south of the city. we ate dinner at an outdoor cafe.

all of our four dogs are barking. we may just lay horizontal for awhile and read or maybe just fall asleep early. tomorrow we will try to take some bikes out around town, maybe along the river banks. we've been recommended the terror museum twice now, and also got an inside tip today about a place to find great graffiti work. the weather should hold. we're hoping for a fantastic final full day in hungary.

see you soon, budapest.

all packed up and breakfasted, almost ready to leave budapest for the western hungarian town on sopron (pronounced SHOH-pron). a couple of hours on a train and we'll be shoulder-to-shoulder with bordering austria.

they've had sporadic rain showers over the past two days - first we got caught in a fast and furious storm as soon as we paid entry into Statue Park, a permanent resting place for all the propagandistic statuary extolling the power of communism. seemed a fitting atmosphere for the activity. nate and i tried to take a few appropriately off-kilter angled photos while dodging the rain drops, with some success. as we exited and waited for the bus back to budapest, the rains ended again. that was after a gloriously sunny early part of the day on the buda side of town, enjoying the novelty of a train ride up the hills, the system entirely run by children. nate has a link up.

yesterday we stayed in the central part of pest and checked out the jewish museum in the synagogue which is the largest in europe, and the second largest after emmanuel in nyc. they have a somewhat interesting museum and a striking monument to the many lives lost in the holocaust, and close to a $20 entry fee. we spent only slightly more on lunch. we traipsed off to the downtown area - banks and consulates and governmental buildings - and then walked along the pest side of the danube to approach the parliament building, and get a really nice view back over our shoulders of the castle on the buda side. after a bathroom and gelatto break, we bought our train tickets and took a nap. dinner was at the "hummous cafe" - our cheapest, most satisfying and tasty dinner to date. to burn off some of the falafel, we walked from octagon square down andrassy street (old palacial homes now mainly embassys, museums, and doctor offices) to hero's square (statues of hungarian heroes) and back. then the rains started in earnest, lulling us to sleep, and making it very difficult to wake up.

still raining, and we're leaving unity hostel. we'll be back in budapest in three days for more exploring here.

liszt

our hostel room looks over the liszt music academy. the weather is warm enough that we have been leaving the windows open, and from mid-morning until night there are all sorts of talents and skills being practiced. yesterday afternoon we heard a melange of piano, violin, flute, and a female operatic voice. tonight, some more piano and string instruments. a nice and unexpected perk of this place.

pest. buda.

things we have learned so far: malev, the hungarian airline, has a logo that makes it look like a metal rock band. when taking the metro, look on the wall directly next to the train, instead of on the platform, to find which station you have just approached. despite many warnings about the hazards of biking on the streets of budapest, compared to boston it actually looks fairly tame and manageable. the meatloaf is not to be trusted - ask nate. buda is to the west of the danube, it is the more bourgeois residential side. pest is to the east of the danube, it is the city side with lots of shops and restaurants, downtown offices, etc. both sides have places for lap dances. magaret island is in the middle, accessible from one of the bridges. it is comparable to the boston common or central park. you can find plenty of people who speak english. i can't pronounce hungarian yet, hence the preceeding lesson is very useful. this is a relatively safe-seeming and lovely, if crumbling, city.

today and tomorrow we continue to explore. then we head to west of the country to a smalland supposedly nice town, where we can supposedly rent bikes. the plan is to poke around the countryside one day, and take a train ride into vienna another.

on the road again...

nate and I are now on the plane which will soon leave the gate and head to Amsterdam and from there, to budapest! so far, the security folk helped Nate find his missing paint scraper in the depths of his bag, and we ate pizza for dinner. Vacation is always fun and full of surprises.

yes, i'm procrastinating

katy's blog made me do it:

A - Attached or single? attached.
B - Best friend? nate, katy.
C - Cake or pie? cake. preferably chocolate.
D - Day of choice? thursdays are pretty darn good.
E - Essential item? chapstick with spf.
F - Favorite color? really feeling hot pink today.
G - Gummy bears or worms? worms.
H - Hometown? nyc
I - Favorite indulgence? jammy pants in the daytime.
J - January or July? january.
K - Kids? not yet, not for awhile.
L - Life isn't complete without? side-splitting tear-streaming laughter
M - Marriage date? n/a
N - Number of brothers and sisters? zero.
O - Oranges or apples? apples.
P - Phobia and fears? shallow standing water; drinking milk past the sell by date.
Q - Quote? worry pas.
R - Reason to smile? biking weather.
S - Season of choice? fall.
T – Time of day? evening hours.
U - Unknown fact about me? i'm not really five feet tall.
V - Vegetable? spinach, mushrooms, zucchini,...most!
W - Worst habit? snooze button.
X - X-ray or ultrasound? x-rays should be one of my phobias (the lead blanket makes it scarier), but it wins over the bladder-straining effect of ultrasounds i've had to date.
Y - Your favorite food? still obsessed with dried cherries.
Z - Zodiac sign? libra.

otro muerde el polvo

doorstop photos

ok. a few issues with the doorstop. i used a lightweight fabric, so it doesn't hold its shape very well. i may also have not trued up the fabric. however, it's got going for it that it's heavy, cute, and moveable. i played around a bit with decorative stitching on the handle. the fabric is by amy butler.

heh.

the doorstop is super cute. i really like it. however, i had not enough beans, so it's a bit floppy. nate assures me i can buy more beans, rip my handstitches, fill to the max, then resew. i sure can. not sure yet if it's worth it.

katy also lets me know that i am free to use her patterns at any time. good friend. next time i will certainly do so. at least i know i can make a pattern and it works. confidence boost in place, perhaps i should make all sorts of patterns going forward. maybe i will, once i master the art of the backstitch that doesn't make a seam look like crap.

oh, and pictures still to come. i had to use nate's camera because mine was out of juice, and he hasn't unloaded his memory card yet.

while typing that last bit i thought of that movie "batteries not included" and really wanted to watch it again just to see that cute little pepsi can premie ufo

i have spent the majority of my awake time today focused on making a doorstop. both the front door and the bathroom prefer stasis, returning to their closed positions when i most want them propped open. one of nate's shoes has been working as a counterweight - an imperfect solution on many levels. after much talk and much less action, i hunkered down to read and work with the project in the lotta jansdotter book on loan from katy. however, most of the measurements are in a pattern in a sealed pocket at the front of the book. instead of tearing apart someone else's book, i spent the early afternoon creating my own pattern based on the pictures and general directions. i've been at this for hours, figuring out what size i wanted, seam allowances, drawing and measuring, cutting, ironing, folding, pinning, and finally sewing. the results are good and it turned out to be a good way to spend the day. as soon as nate gets back from a few errands i will have dried beans for the filling. then i can hand-sew the opening and put it to work. pictures to follow upon completion.

extra spicy trees?

is it allergen-heavy today? my eyes are all itchy and cranky. i stared at the computer screen no longer than usual today. i got a relatively normal amount of sleep. i've been hydrating. i'm confused. it's making me think i'm tired.

vacation

-clue number 2-

gotta get away

before even realizing it, both nate and i managed to take tomorrow off. thursday really is the new friday. nate deserves his little holiday - he's been working hard, and working long hours, including late into the night and on weekends. good for him. as for me, i just wanted to use another day or two of my accumulated vacation before work gets crazy and they won't unchain me from the desk. tomorrow - last friday of the month, and we'll be taking as much advantage of it as possible. my plans include some time on my bike, checkbook balancing, cooking, and a healthy dose of midday hugs, so rare in the office environment and so wonderfully abundant in the presence of my homeboy.

meanwhile...in bigger and better vacation news, we'll be going on a 9-day trip beyond the shores of this continent come mid-may. once again, off to a destination not yet explored by either of us. can you guess? some of my people come from this place, and i've been thinking about visiting it for a while, though i haven't talked a whole lot about it. nate has had his picture up for a couple of days already. here's my first clue:



there are many details to square away, so much unplanned, still malleable. we have our plane tickets, and everything else is a work in progress. this is the second exciting and nerve-wracking part of the planning. the first was buying those damn tickets. (are you sure? should we? we should, right? okay, you ready? alright, okay, i'm going to...)

competing interests

today's breakfast included both coffee and matzoh, totally confusing my body.

friday,...and spring? life is good, and it's a day worth celebrating. in honor of the abundant sunshine and warm temperatures, i traded grays and browns for sage green, khaki, and tans. i also biked to work for the first time since last fall. and so, after i leave the office for the day i'll take a little ride. tonight, i've got my sights set on nachos (thanks for the recipe refresher, katy!) and nate and i were talking about breaking into the cupcake care package received earlier this week (thanks, mom!).

the only thing this day could possible be lacking is a street party, complete with thumping tunes and ginger beer. if anyone's got one of those, let me know.

cupcakes!

mom sent me the most amazing care package of supplies to make cupcakes, based on an obsession i had with them last week. (every week, really...) all sorts of baking fun in a box - cupcake mix, frosting, decorative candies, the accordian-folded cups that house them while baking. i'm very excited.

last night nate used the package of mix he got over the holidays - white chocolate batter, raspberry frosting. sweet explosion! they were tasty, but i have to admit what should come as no surprise - real chocolate, the darker the better, wins every day in my book.

i have promised pictures of the final product. after two back-to-back cupcakes last night, i may have to wait until next week at the very least before the next batch gets made.

eugene, oregon follow-up

my trip was super brief, and fairly last minute, and yet i still managed to get out a little and see a small slice of the place - more than any of my other business trips here have allowed for.

- lucky noodle: very nice dinner. definitely thumbs up. seems to be a good place for almost all demographics. i saw all sorts hanging out here. prices weren't too steep, and the atmosphere was nice. also, gelatto!

- collins cycles: lovely bright and open space for a bike shop. great new models on display, a good selection of sale items, both bikes and clothes, as well as all the usual supplies and gadgets, shoes, bags (messenger, backpack, and panniers), along with a helpful and friendly staff. kids section was well stocked, too.

- the main branch of the library: on ann's recommendation, i carved out time for the library to check out the courtyard. so glad i did. the outdoor space, even without greenery yet, was really lovely. bench seats and tables in kids' sizes, and a couple of sculptures, all covered in gorgeous and unusual mosaic stylings, including poetry about reading and books, and built-in chess/checker boards. the focal point on the open patio is the elephant laid out on the ground, it's entire perimeter taken from "oliphaunt" by tolkien. worth noting also: the entire children's section was very well done and seemed to be actually used and liked by both kids and parents.

- many a beer place. regional beer: quasi-religion out this way. would have stopped in, but i settled for the regional wine and snack tasting on the puddlejumper between eugene and seattle.

- eugene hilton and conference center: location of our meeting. had bikes outside the main door for use by it's guests. staff were very helpful and friendly. the room was standard and suitable. but let me say again - the staff were extremely competent and good folk.

- democratic convention: there was a picture of chelsea clinton on the nytimes homepage standing in the lobby of above hotel. i was there! (i was there a day earlier, but still...)

- also: mountains/hills in the background, bike friendly streets, i spotted an orange lotus, public art all around.

a nice place to visit. since i have friends in portland, it's likely if i go back to oregon it will be there and not eugene, but if i found myself back there i would not be so sad.

day 2 of 2

Okay, so maybe Hillary won't be here. Too bad. I hope I overlap long enough to see some of the coterie. May not happen.

It's been a whole lot of quality hotel time. I did go on a date, nate's word, last night with this really lovely lady who is a consultant with my group. we strolled up pearl street and looked in a few stores, then found our way to lucky noodle for a delicious thai meal and some great conversation.

i might have to stop there again today for gelato. according to their marketing, it's good. let me be the judge of that, i say. i think i'll have an hour or two for a stroll once this conference wraps up and before my flight out. ann recommended I go check out the public library's courtyard, so i may head that way, too.

eugene - democratic hotbed

the a/v guy at the hotel just told me that tomorrow through sunday they are expecting hillary, chelsea, and possibly obama's wife for... um... i don't know exactly what. but here. not just eugene, but this hotel in which we have set up camp. who knows, maybe i'll get to say hello to secret service tomorrow morning.

ships in the night

all of nate's stuff is now out of the place he was renting and so that means he is all moved in. now that he's here, i've been asked, fairly last minute, to go across the country to staff a conference. ha.

tooths and trees

i wore brown pants and a green sweater today, so clearly i was just asking to be compared to an ent. i am proud that i had no idea what an ent was until it was explained to me. sort of diminishes the embarrassment of recently recalling, fondly, out loud, and in front of another living person an episode of star trek: the next generation featuring the borg.

so, i remind my orthodontist of a nasty and grouchy overgrown shrubbery. that's alright. i just had my second to last appointment there. instead of bi-weekly, i'll be going again at the end of june, and then i don't have to go back unless some retainer emergency arises. and, i get to stop paying him to torture my teeth. all this, and my snaggle tooth has been tamed.

i have found out a small number of things about my orthodontist over the past 3 months - he like sculpting, teeth and wood; he actually carves wood in his free time; he considers himself "earthy;" he is a fan of the lord of the rings; he notices peoples shoes. that's about it. i thought about getting him some sort of small wood carving tool as a little thank you, but then i remembered i just paid him over a thousand bucks and that you can buy a lot of tools with that much money.

awareness

beyonce and her voluptuousness

my bamboo plant, beyonce, has been with me for close to 7 years now. she has spent all that time in a tiny little ceramic cup. recently she looked like death was at her doorstep, so last night i took it upon myself to relocate her to more spacious grounds. i found a simple carafe on sale at crate and barrel for 9 bucks, and a store between work and home was selling some river rocks. the only real trouble was getting beyonce out of her digs. her root system was, well, quite well developed. (she really does resemble the real beyonce in many ways). i had a hard time getting her out of that shell. i thought i might have to break her out. but no, aftert much prodding and pulling, i did free her from the confines of that sarah jo-imposed prison. i found a bunch of floral foam had been holding her in place, and the pebbles just covered the surface. i broke her off in several pieces during this process. she may not recover. but i figure at least she has room to try, rather than the slow and certain death that awaited her. and at the very least, she looks much better now. an airy, clear container with stones versus the grimy old fake antiqued pottery she had been in. if she does die, she does so with great grace and style. wish her luck.

neck-warmer, lovingly created by casers

my neck-warmer and i have a mutual admiration club going on. thanks, casey.

thanksgiving, revisited

i just found this photo nate took on thanksgiving day of my surprise attempt at preparing turkey. i am simultaneously feeling responsible and up to the challenge, scared out of my brains that it's going to be a disaster, and uncomfortable about getting forearm-deep in a bird from the business end.

keeping it short

katy sent me a link that showed up at jezebel the other day about a study being done on a gene connection between long lives and short stature in women. the study is actually on ashkenazi jews. here i was, all concerned that i was out of the most important demographic, and this study shows up. vindication! the post is here - it contains links to two other mentions at science daily, and scientific american.

in honor of that short but sweet story, i offer news in a short and hopefully sweet format:

1. last tuesday there was a deluge of noxious water/anti-freeze from the ceiling at my place of employment. there was flooding. there was mayhem. all that remains of the horror now: a heavily stained and smelly carpet. my office was close to the epicenter, but i am fine, and have a great new story to tell at parties.

2. vades is likely moving back up to the boston area for more schoolin'. she's whipsmart, that one. she will come to the area and bring her strong, bitter, and thoroughly amusing personality to the greater boston area. it, and she, will be welcomed with wide open sarah jo arms.

3. i've been eating oatmeal for breakfast. seriously, this may be the most dramatic news of all. i think i have overcome my pure and unadulterated disgust of hot cereal enough to eat a very sticky version of the stuff.

4. nate will be the second of two residents of "dojo sojo" in a matter of weeks. all manner of emotions have been bubbling up. but mainly a whole lot enthusiasm and joy to be sharing more of my world with nate. and, i am super supremo excited that neither of us will spend large portions of our lives moving back and forth every few days, living like nomads.

5. may i recommend making individual apple-blackberry pies in your muffin tin? you will thank yourself. i used this recipe, but tweaked. i had no lemon, so i used some orange juice. i used black instead of rasp. i used store-bought pie crust. and finally, i had to put a little more flour in the filling because i had no corn starch. the recipe still stood up. of course, you could do almost anything to a pie and you'd be forgiven.

screwed

an ambulance with lights and sirens coming around the corner in harvard square today had a drive with a concentrated frown, and a co-pilot riding shotgun who had out a big ol' map, pointing back and forth between the map and the roads ahead. they did not look like they were getting to where they needed to be.

nice patch:

on messenger bag, from the timbuk2 bags website.

open letter to mom: the snowstorm came and i am doing fine

everything has been hush in this snowstorm. at work, the hallways were emptier than usual with several out of town on trips and then the weather warnings prompted early departures from another few. by the final hour last night, there were a handful of us dutifully chugging away, every so often heading to the windows to watch the wind made visible.

the streets filled steadily throughout the day. tromping around in it was difficult, especially in harvard square with all the bricks. the snow was compacting a bit, but remained fluffy enough that it was difficult to walk through. and the snow went sliding on the bricks, so i was both walking with high, wide steps, and trying not to skid everywhere by bringing my feet down as carefully as possible. walking was a lot of work. i ran a few minutes late in the morning, and a few minutes late at night. few cars or pedestrians out, everyone either on time or altering their schedules to avoid hazardous road conditions. less traffic, what traffic there was muted by the soundproofing of the snow. white snow and gray shadows showing up against the the snow banks simultaneously as it fell. monochromatic magic.

practically everyone i know in the area has been hit with some form of whatever flu and cold is current. most recently, nate fell victim. he has spent the last three nights in a feverish, glassy-eyed stupor trying to find any corner of the couch or bed that is at all comfortable, while his white blood cells and the infiltrating germs do their war. the house is quiet, while he naps, or forces himself to eat, or stares off at distant points, or tries to stay focused enough to watch some tv or listen to something i have to say. most of the time he's sleeping, his body grinding to a halt and i think of him as prisoner of the fighting forces - forced into a still and mute battleground. i poke around online, i read, i watch anything i can find to which he might otherwise object. i make myself a plate of pasta, i listen to him breath hard in his sleep, i get a little stir-crazy and roam the rooms and settle back down somewhere with nothing better to do than before.

but everything is safe around me. no skidding cars out of control, no power lines down. heat, and food, and power all available. i made it to work. i made it home. all is well. i'm going to make some pancakes, and in a few hours i will venture out to boston for a movie, and maybe walk myself into the public garden for some fresh air. all is well. just very still, and very hush.

p.s. - dad left yesterday for a cruise somewhere warm. he's missing all the northeasterly fun.

my homeboy's homies made it happen

everything went down like a dream. nate was completely and happily surprised to have so many friendly faces around to wish him a happy 33rd birthday. all his old crews were represented from high school, college, and the years since. thanks to everyone who was able to participate. this year ice cream, next year...bowling?

thanks be to katy for being the man on the ground and keeping it all together even in the haze of a horrible cold. and to lea for bringing the party hats. nicely done, ladies.

weekend physical fun

katy and i did our second yoga class together yesterday. it was pretty manageable - the pace was good for those who need to ease into practice, and the instructor and her assistant were very attentive and thoughtful. we even did handstands against the wall, which was a first for me and highly entertaining. my guts are all sore again, which i see as a good thing.

it was an active sunday for me. stretching and strengthening, followed by an afternoon cross-country ski adventure in new hampshire. nate and i avoided the crazy multiple personality weather system that raged in the sky and ended up in the sun, on skiis, traipsing around a snowy golf course. crisp air, wind in hair, lot of layers making me sweat, families out and about on snowshoes and skiis. i went down a few small hills, blazed a few new trails in fresh snow, and had a great time.

there is almost no evidence of my weekend warrior nature (nate did manage one shot from his iphone of my ski trails along some fresh snow). most of the proof is in my tender hamstrings.

the least interesting weekend activity had the most effect on me - i wrenched my back good and proper carrying my older ikea coffee table a couple of blocks to dave's house. i took ibuprofin and did a few modified moves in yoga, and tried to treat it gently. it's still tender, but the stretches and the skiing may have helped work out some of the muscle pull. dave better use that g.d. thing every day.

every. day.

super tuesday vote-tacular

Project Vote Smart
non-partisan research on the background, voting record, positions, and campaign finances of elected officials and candidates.

Register to Vote
Information about registering, and voter education.

The League of Young Voters
for all the whipper-snappers out there.

MA election information

The League of Women Women Voters, MA

MA League of Environmental Voters

missed the start

we were assigned reading for the first class. i had no idea. first class in and already i'm behind. i hate that crap. maybe this is a sign that i made the right choice to take this class no-credit.

oh dear.

i think it's all the dried apricots and cherries i ate today.

growls about parking permits

huge. mental. block. getting between me and a 2008 visitor parking permit issued from city hall. i have now stood in line twice at 8:30 in the morning only to realize i have illegitimate proof of my residence. yesterday it was the magazines - no magazines allowed. why not? they are dated. in fact, one of them is a weekly, and would definitely be delivered within the month. and i didn't check carefully enough yesterday, but all the mail i had with me (and in fact, all the mail i have received and haven't recycled yet) is undated. they all are pre-paid postage pieces with no postmark.

what the hell happened to my correspondence? i just corresponded to myself from work. hopefully i'll get my incredibly depressing self-sent mail within the next couple of days.

my favorite moment in this minor struggle was the comment i got from the city clerk when i suggested they make the rules more explicit on their website: "lady, do you know how long our website would be if we posted every possible rule?" here's a guess: just long enough, asshole.

as dad quipped, that's what i get for trying to fight city hall.

future almost perfect

my hemming and hawing is over. after much internal debate i have decided to take a class on museum studies. i'm taking it for no credit, mainly because the idea of doing it for credit scared me too much. i was getting all anxious and skin-crawly whne thinking about being graded on it. not quite sure why that is, but think it has to do with it being close to my undergrad major and a potential career path of mine which i abandoned.

the final exam for social psych was on friday, and now i have my fridays back. big sigh of relief. i enjoyed the class, but i will enjoy so much more the ability to relax immediately after work, and the ability to make plans to be out of town on weekends.

i definitely have my job until march. past march everything is undetermined. not that my future where i work isn't being considered by others - there is just no firm vision of what my role will be and what i can expect as an offer. stay tuned for more.

brief conversations about possible 2008 vacation ideas for me and nate have begun: i suggested a bike tour in croatia, or italy, or france. nate's not sure he wants to do an organized tour. nate suggested egypt. i have internalized paranoia about being conned and ripped off at national monuments there, based on honeymoon stories my parents told me. (stories from 1968, mind you.) i've also been thinking about spain and morocco and algeria. feedback is highly encouraged.

today

recently i heard someone wishing for the "aughts" to be over soon because they are a pain in the ass to say. i happen to like them, maybe even more so because saying "aught-eight" sounds so incredibly old-fashioned but, look! it's the two-thousands! strange? maybe, but not for me - i generally like anachronistic things: handwritten letters and calendar books; ladies fashion gloves; despite it's debatable charms, the music of my youth; typewriters; the future as its depicted in the past. and yes, here we are, now fully a week embedded into '08 and i'm knee-deep in anachronisms - wearing slips and hand-kneading my cookie dough (though secretly envious of grace's new kitchen tool.)

without completely losing sight of the old or the present, i have some forward thinking thoughts for this year. and of course, many more resolution-type ideas than may be good for me, at least according to this entry over at the nytimes. the overarching themes include general health and wellbeing goals, as well as more consistent efforts at enjoying home, hosting, and home-made goodness. a week into the new year and all that still seems perfectly manageable.

grandma believed that there was no point in wishing for tomorrow before today was over. the earliest memory i have of hearing that was during a beach walk when she and grandpa still lived at seaplace. i couldn't have been older than six or seven. if i can continue to enjoy today for what it is, and not skip it in my search for a better future, then i think those resolutions for the year will become my everyday actions. it's a way of seeing the world and my place in it which can always be improved upon. and there is my one true guiding principle for this bright and sparkling new year. funny, it comes from so long ago.