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.

final score: 173

i just won scrabble by turing "id" into "idolatry" and leaving only a blank tile in my rack.

final score:
me - 173
gil - 171
dad - 127

a christmas miracle

today i drove stick shift for the first time on real roads, from medford to lawrence: about 23 miles. i'm still getting the hang of the gas and clutch dance that starts groovin' at every stoplight and rotary. it was a somewhat stressful experience, but i was smiling as soon as i stepped out of the car, and stopped feeling shaky about ten minutes after we arrived. according to nate, i had the same expression on my face the entire time:

("hoooooooooooooly crap")

bag #1

i made it!

which is sadder?

1. at my volunteer gig i was asked to create a sign, which i did in a very simple way - all words, no pictures, straight to the point. i used markers. i was highly praised for my skill set. i was told my verbiage would be used in an email and asked if i wanted to be credited in said email. it was the most praise i received for my work all week.

2. alone at home a few nights ago i watched 28 days, starring sandra bullock. actually, what i did was select it from amongst all the free On Demand features to watch. and then i watched it. the whole thing. and was only moderately disappointed with myself for spending almost two hours of my life doing so.

you know what has been amazing recently?

saying no >> saying no to trusteeship for two more years. saying no to more volunteer desk-time after work. saying no to all my flight instincts, and instead, remaining engaged through a tough conversation.

leeks >> specifically, in the mediterranean vegetable dish for which they were procured. and then, again, slightly browned in a frying pan before topping a pizza.

taking personal days >> even though i ended up staying at home, sick and lethargic, just the decision to take off a few just-because days for myself felt really good.

feeling vulnerable >> and saying so out loud.

bobbins and threading >> i finally filled a bobbin and threaded the sewing machine all by myself.

finishing sewing projects >> for real! i made napkins for nate - both because he needed some and because i needed practice before making some as a wedding gift for some beloveds. and, a tote bag.

flannel sheets >> and flannel blankets.

telegram, september 16 1915

"instructions to the government of aleppo [city in northern syria]: it was at first communicated to you that by order of the jemiet, "the ittihad committee" had decided to destroy all the armenians living in turkey. those who oppose this order and decision cannot remain on the official staff of the empire. an end must be put to their existence however criminal the measures taken may be, and no regard must be paid to either age or sex or to conscientious scruples."

.sent by mehmed talat pasha, turkish minister of interior affairs from july 1913 to october 1918.

snaps of turkey: the fairy chimneys

nate, ann, and i biked through some of cappadocia and visited the famed fairy chimneys. two different layers of volcanic rock have eroded at different rates, leaving unique formations in the sandy, rocky landscape in the center of turkey.





d.i.y. diplomacy - we talk travel with some people visiting turkey from iran.

snaps of turkey: avanos

avanos is known for it's pottery. the nearby riverbeds are rich with various clays, and the town with various pottery shops. after wandering up one street, we are met by a runner and quickly sheparded into one such shop filled with beautiful goods in the front. and in the back...


...the Hair Museum. locks of hair, all from women, line several rooms. most accompanied by a name, town and country. some with all manner of contact information. the creepiest phone book ever.


one of a million or so submissions.


nate trying his hand and foot at the potter's wheel.


nice ashtray, nate.


this way.

snaps of turkey: goreme

morning in goreme.

cave church



exploring some carved dwellings



ann, totally relaxed after her time at the turkish bath house.



downtown goreme.

snaps of turkey: antalya

want a hint that you're in antalya? look for the famous fluted minaret. it's a dead giveaway.


view from the roof balcony of our second try at digs. after a night in a less than satisfactory hotel, we find a grandmotherly type running this place, and decide to stay with her and the lovely view, despite the ceramic figurines of dolphins and cherubic black boys lining the shelves in room number 7.



yummy coast.


we go to the pebble beach. arrive in the late afternoon and hang out with the locals.



look past nate's spectacular farmer's tan - see the droplets of water on his skin? proof nate went swimming in the sea! hooray!



you can lead a horse to water... a lady brings a horse to the sea, apparently trying to get it to go swimming. it's more than reluctant. after trying a few times to see if the horse will change it's mind, they start to leave, delayed by several kids who run up to say hello.



when special people came to visit our household when i was growing up, we might make a special dessert or perhaps take our honored guest out on the town. if you were emperor hadrianos, you had a massive monument in stone made and named after you. hadrian's gate is a good landmark for entering or exiting the old city of antalya. within the old city walls, small and personalty-filled cobbled streets lined with buildings restored as hotels and shops as well as ruins. outside, a bustling modern city, complete with fast food chains, internet cafes, and boring office building landscapes.

nate's pictures from antalya

snaps of turkey: kayakoyu, a ghost town

inside the church. indicative of the rest of the town, anything removable has been removed. no efforts to repair or restore evident. and, like the rest of the town, no part is off limits. climbing, scrambling, and generally playing adventurer raises no eyebrow. the town is described as having been first populated by people whose ancestors were christian greeks who were then relocated (perhaps they were "relocated"), and replaced by a population of muslims from macedonia, who decided they prefered their own, more fertile, lands better and moved back.



detail from mosaic flooring outside the church, made from black and white stones laid on their sides.



the steep road paved with large stone slabs running from the flat of the land near the church up to some of the highest-placed structures. nate soldiers on ahead.



on the highest hill is a lookout tower. on one side of the hill you can see all the many structures dotting the land of this town once inhabited by people of greek descent. and on the other side...



...the uncleared land leading down to the clear blue mediterannean sea, and other hilly parts of the shoreline. follow the hillside down for about 2 hours and you would make it to the oludeniz beach, a destination in it's own right for many of the other tourists who crossed our path.



lots of thistle on this hilltop.

snaps of turkey: fethiye

i love visiting local grocery stores to get a feel for the food priorities of a place. in fethiye we discovered high concentrations of olives ( all varieties, most available fresh at the deli counter), much cheese, lots of yogurt and fresh produce, as well as plenty of bread baked on the premises. also interesting, this special deal: 2 bottles of coca cola with a free package of coca cola branded rice.



at the waterfront promenade people-watching and snacking on sesame-covered breadsticks and fruko soda, so potently carbonated we were belching like big rigs.

nate's pictures from fethiye

snaps of turkey: ruins at efes

sitting in the theater and looking out to a wide avenue lined with columns.



from inside a covered passageway into the theater on the hill.



too bad i don't know that dude on the hill, would've been the perfect shot. nate kindly took my direction and climbed around, but i made a mockery of that shot, so i refuse to show it.



one small detail of carving from the entire city site.



beautifully restored facade.




the site at efes is a paltry few kilometers from selcuk. to get there we took a dolmus (shared minibus with low prices that go around and between towns). on the way back, we walked. armed with water, head coverings, and the tree-lined main drag, we survived the heat of the day. we also stopped to watch the herding of some cows.

nate's pictures from efes