Coincidently, the friend I went to France with, back in 1998, just got in touch with me again after I mailed off a Christmas card hoping that she'd still be at the address that I had. D and I had a great time in France, although I recall the trouble we had leaving it. We'd asked the SCNF (train) worker at the Paris station which train to get on. Although they pointed us to the correct train, they'd failed to tell us which part of the train to get on. A critical issue when it uncouples midway during the journey. We were supposed to head to Turino, Italy. Instead it was Montpilier, France. When we first got off I remember thinking "wow, they are really bilingual here," until I realized that everything was in French because we were still in France. Little detour through Nice, Cannes, and Monaco before heading to Rome, as we decided Turino was not meant to be for us. Italy and Austria were followed by Slovakia before heading back to France and home.
D called me last night and encourage me to check out FaceBook. I'd set up a profile back when I was still a grad student, but hadn't done anything with it...I hopped on tonight (although I really should be working....) and found lots of friends, many of whom I haven't heard from in years. It was really neat to see them and wonder what they've been up too.
D isn't the only friend who'd I've lost touch with that's gotten back in touch. A grad school chum from Cornell found me through my LinkedIn page. It was nice catching up. She'd since had three kids, including 1 set of twins. They are now all under 1.5 years so she and her partner are keeping very busy!
Off to logout from all things electronic...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
What to do with all that stuff....Or at least a part
Moving was like going shopping, but for my own things. For years we'd lived in either small condos or houses, which made it difficult to even unpack half of our stuff. Knowing that we'd never afford buying all those items back, we decided to suck it up and just have a bedroom "of stuff" and a garage that was well-packed to the gills. Once I had a chance (and there's still about 5 or 6 bins to tackle) the majority of the items, I realized there were still some things, despite being able to unpack, that I still didn't know what to do with. Translation == mentos from past trips: (maps, ticket stubs, coins, etc), pictures (which I plan to pull into an album), my grade school report cards -- including kindergarten (OK - yes admittedly I need to get rid of these), newsclippings (including the "newspaper" my 7th grade class put together where I had a review of the British comedy "The Young Ones" and of the band "The Cure"), and even the bracelet I had as a newborn baby.
NM -- this is for you.....I figured out what to do with the maps--especially the really colorful ones. They look great in a frame. E and I were down at IKEA this past weekend and I bought several inexpensive (because we don't say "cheap" in my house anymore...) frames. I took out the metro map I have of Paris, which is especially colorful. What made it even less painful in cutting it up was the fact it was a freebie from the dept. store Samaritaine. They try and convince you to go to their store and ride to the top of the building for the "free view." Looks like the place has been closed since 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Samaritaine.
I cut up the map and framed it. Voila -- bright new "art" for the cost of the frame.
NM -- this is for you.....I figured out what to do with the maps--especially the really colorful ones. They look great in a frame. E and I were down at IKEA this past weekend and I bought several inexpensive (because we don't say "cheap" in my house anymore...) frames. I took out the metro map I have of Paris, which is especially colorful. What made it even less painful in cutting it up was the fact it was a freebie from the dept. store Samaritaine. They try and convince you to go to their store and ride to the top of the building for the "free view." Looks like the place has been closed since 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Samaritaine.
I cut up the map and framed it. Voila -- bright new "art" for the cost of the frame.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Christmas Trees -- The Good, Bad, and the Fake
We pulled out the Christmas tree this past weekend and plugged it in. I love having the lights already on the tree. It makes it so much easier to get straight to the decorating. Not that I don't love real trees. We had real trees when I was a kid, at least until the cat climbed up the tree one Christmas and took out a clock, the tree, and a few presents on the way down. Time for the fake one....When I was in college, we were forbidden from all things green and Christmasy, as they knew the college psyche for lack of care for anything other than one's self would likely result in the "tree" turning into a fire hazard. By the time I got to graduate school, it was time for a real tree again. I remember one Christmas when E, J, and I went hunting for a tree at the U-pick place in Ithaca. We got a little over zealous, as it took about an hour to cut it and even longer to cut the trunk down to fit into the holder. Things seem so much smaller when you're outside. When we put it in the house, it was like it was spring loaded. It barely fit, but it was pretty. The cats, of course, saw this as a new toy. Drinking from the stand, attempting to eat whatever ornament was closest, and chewing on the branches (Charlie...) was par for the course. The house smelled wonderful. It reminded me of childhood. The "pine" air fresheners somehow just don't cut it....
Our tree this year.....
E put up lights around the front of the house today. Although we wanted to put some up on the facing of the house, we decided that our 2 step ladder just wasn't going to cut it and it was getting dark.....perhaps next year.
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. It's when you're snow bound (although this is the first time in my adult life I haven't lived in a cold and snowy winter climate), you are relaxing with friends and family, and celebrating just being in one another's company. It's hot cocoa, too many marshmallows, putting up the tree, listening to carols. I'm a sucker for all except the run over by a reindeer one and the song with the dogs barking in time to "Jingle Bells." My family always had clam chowder on New Year's Eve and then headed to midnight service (which was actually at 9 pm or so).
Our tree this year.....
E put up lights around the front of the house today. Although we wanted to put some up on the facing of the house, we decided that our 2 step ladder just wasn't going to cut it and it was getting dark.....perhaps next year.
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. It's when you're snow bound (although this is the first time in my adult life I haven't lived in a cold and snowy winter climate), you are relaxing with friends and family, and celebrating just being in one another's company. It's hot cocoa, too many marshmallows, putting up the tree, listening to carols. I'm a sucker for all except the run over by a reindeer one and the song with the dogs barking in time to "Jingle Bells." My family always had clam chowder on New Year's Eve and then headed to midnight service (which was actually at 9 pm or so).We're heading to New Mexico this year to spend the holidays with E's family. All his siblings will be there. We're very excited to see everyone and can't wait for the trip.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Grandma Updates and More Babies
My Grandma fell the other night and unfortunately broke her femur. She shattered it in several places and is having surgery tonight to put in a plate and screws. We are all hoping she'll be able to walk again when she's healed. I'll keep everyone posted.
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J and S welcomed their 1st baby yesterday! (: A little girl. E and I can't wait to see pictures. She was a few days later than her due due and I know her mom and dad were anxious for her arrival. They are bloggers now too so we are looking forward to their baby updates on their blog about little E.
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E and I got to see our little nephew J for the first time this weekend. He is so cute with his little baby fingers and toes so perfectly shaped. E and I both had a chance to hold him. We also got to see his big brother, M, who is talking up a storm at 2.5 years old. He's got a great disposition and personality. He likes to take things apart and see how they work (blenders, coffee makers, ect).
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We got to stock up on pantry staples at Whole Foods this weekend. Oh how I love to go there but always painful to see what I'm missing in our current city. Having used to live walking distance from one in Virginia, it's tough being so far away from one. We stocked up on various types of flours, some good olive oils, vinegars, capers, thai cooking pastes of various kinds, chips (chocolate corn chips --- good, not too sweet), and crackers. Alas we couldn't buy and keep fresh the very thing I really miss -- cheese. I love cheese, especially the kinds of exotic ones Whole Foods has. Just going the section brought back lots of great memories from when E and I used to walk over and grab some good cheese, some meat, and a little bread and head out for a picnic up on The Mall in D.C. or out at some park in VA. Alas, I don't think we'll ever be big enough to have a Whole Foods here, at least in my lifetime...
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Now that winter is here and we've been in the house since August, we have a few projects that we want to try and tackle before the spring (or at least start planning them). One is the kitchen counters. The tile has got to go. Tough to clean and difficult to work on (have you ever tried rolling out pastry or cookies on tile -- not fun). We may just end up going and getting ideas, but we really want a change. I also hope to sand down the long sofa table in the living room/dining room and re-stain a darker shade of reddish-brown. I will likely try and tackle this as spring rolls around. Most of the de-cluttering and organizing is behind us (except for the cluttered and pesky office closet -- we're still working on it) and we're looking to dive a little deeper into home improvement this coming year.
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E and I have almost filled up our DVR this fall. We've been so busy we haven't had a chance to watch too much tube. Mostly things on the History Channel (E has a program he recorded on V-day he's yet to watch), movie channels (I've got "The Wind the Shakes the Barley" and "Cold Comfort Farm" just waiting to be watched), and the ever perennial "Law and Order" franchises. However, we (OK just me -- E watches when he's in there but doesn't follow it like I do) watch a few reality shows -- namely "Top Chef." I get to deconstruct the show with fellow "Top Chef" watchers NM and V.
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J and S welcomed their 1st baby yesterday! (: A little girl. E and I can't wait to see pictures. She was a few days later than her due due and I know her mom and dad were anxious for her arrival. They are bloggers now too so we are looking forward to their baby updates on their blog about little E.
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E and I got to see our little nephew J for the first time this weekend. He is so cute with his little baby fingers and toes so perfectly shaped. E and I both had a chance to hold him. We also got to see his big brother, M, who is talking up a storm at 2.5 years old. He's got a great disposition and personality. He likes to take things apart and see how they work (blenders, coffee makers, ect).
-----
We got to stock up on pantry staples at Whole Foods this weekend. Oh how I love to go there but always painful to see what I'm missing in our current city. Having used to live walking distance from one in Virginia, it's tough being so far away from one. We stocked up on various types of flours, some good olive oils, vinegars, capers, thai cooking pastes of various kinds, chips (chocolate corn chips --- good, not too sweet), and crackers. Alas we couldn't buy and keep fresh the very thing I really miss -- cheese. I love cheese, especially the kinds of exotic ones Whole Foods has. Just going the section brought back lots of great memories from when E and I used to walk over and grab some good cheese, some meat, and a little bread and head out for a picnic up on The Mall in D.C. or out at some park in VA. Alas, I don't think we'll ever be big enough to have a Whole Foods here, at least in my lifetime...
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Now that winter is here and we've been in the house since August, we have a few projects that we want to try and tackle before the spring (or at least start planning them). One is the kitchen counters. The tile has got to go. Tough to clean and difficult to work on (have you ever tried rolling out pastry or cookies on tile -- not fun). We may just end up going and getting ideas, but we really want a change. I also hope to sand down the long sofa table in the living room/dining room and re-stain a darker shade of reddish-brown. I will likely try and tackle this as spring rolls around. Most of the de-cluttering and organizing is behind us (except for the cluttered and pesky office closet -- we're still working on it) and we're looking to dive a little deeper into home improvement this coming year.
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E and I have almost filled up our DVR this fall. We've been so busy we haven't had a chance to watch too much tube. Mostly things on the History Channel (E has a program he recorded on V-day he's yet to watch), movie channels (I've got "The Wind the Shakes the Barley" and "Cold Comfort Farm" just waiting to be watched), and the ever perennial "Law and Order" franchises. However, we (OK just me -- E watches when he's in there but doesn't follow it like I do) watch a few reality shows -- namely "Top Chef." I get to deconstruct the show with fellow "Top Chef" watchers NM and V.
Monday, November 10, 2008
New Baby - not ours! (:
S and K welcomed a new baby today - their 2nd! Little J was born at 8am this morning about 1 week early. We're heading down to visit next weekend and can't wait to see him. We hope for photos soon.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Just a quick note...We celebrated out first Halloween in our new house. We were supposed to carve pumpkins with our friends H and M last weekend, but I wasn't feeling up to venturing out. So alas our pumpkin sat uncarved until Friday afternoon. E decided he wanted to carve it -- with a Frankenstein face no less. He did a great job!
We didn't get as many kids coming to the house as we expected and ended up with about 4 extra bags of candy. I'm going to try and remember to take them to work tomorrow. Oscar decided the excitement was a bit too much for him and hid in the corner...
We ate dinner with some friends to celebrate their recent engagement on Saturday and had dinner with another couple on Sunday...Back to getting into the swing of things again. This cold really knocked the life out of me for awhile. It's nice to be back to getting out of the house again!
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Going, Going, Gone
I've been a very neglectful blogger this month. While I had great intentions of posting our latest actives, they were derailed by a few bad and persistent cold that I picked up last week. The first thing I lost was my voice. It started to go on Wednesday and by Friday I sounded like a squeaky frog. I even took several days (something I can't remember doing in the recent future) off and stayed home. Didn't even check email. I tried to sleep but afraid just as I'd start to nod off, I'd start coughing again. I found these great little things for the shower - like Vics but for the shower - and they steam and release a menthol in the shower. They helped a bit with the breathing, but really its just been time. I've neglected a pile of letters/bills that need to be gone through but thankfully the house is clean thanks to E, who incidentally was amazing and took the best care of me.
Can I just say I've got the best husband? He went out and found me mashed potatoes because it was only thing I wanted to eat. I wasn't able to taste anything due to the congestion, but the warm potatoes felt good. He brought me soup the other night. I couldn't really taste it either, but the heat was nice. He ran to the store and bought me kleenex (the nice lotiony kind), and throat lozenges, and moved my humidifier from room to room as I traipsed through the house in an effort to find a comfortable haven. I am a lucky girl.
We've been busy with a lot of little activities around the house. My dad was up a few weeks ago and he and E put together my childhood bed. My dad made this from sold oak (including hand turning all the posts on a lathe and even carving out the little buttons that go over the bolts) about 30 years ago. It's been in many houses -- VA to WY to OH to VA and finally to WA. Its a beautiful bed, complete with every little girls dream -- a canopy. My mom even picked out special fabric for the bed in which she'd made a dust ruffle, pillows, a bedspread, and a dresser cover. The fabric was from Laura Ashley, so it was very girlie -- white with little pink flowers. Unfortunately, I think the fabric is long gone and the canopy cannot go up with the current configuration of the room/ceiling fan in our house so for now it's just a pretty 4 poster bed. I also have my childhood dresser. I remember where it used to me in my old room growing up. It's odd now thinking it could belong to a child of mine. I'll post photos again when I have a chance to snap some photos.
We also got a mattress for the other guest room. There's a few cute little tables in there and it actually now *looks* like a guest room. My dad was the first to stay in it. We hope to have another mattress in the other bedroom at some point so we can house lots of guests (we always welcome visitors!).
Speaking of parent's houses...mine finally sold their house! Hooray! It's been a long road and thankfully they can buy a place out here. E and I are very glad they are a lot closer here now being a car ride vs. a plane ride away.
Can I just say I've got the best husband? He went out and found me mashed potatoes because it was only thing I wanted to eat. I wasn't able to taste anything due to the congestion, but the warm potatoes felt good. He brought me soup the other night. I couldn't really taste it either, but the heat was nice. He ran to the store and bought me kleenex (the nice lotiony kind), and throat lozenges, and moved my humidifier from room to room as I traipsed through the house in an effort to find a comfortable haven. I am a lucky girl.
We've been busy with a lot of little activities around the house. My dad was up a few weeks ago and he and E put together my childhood bed. My dad made this from sold oak (including hand turning all the posts on a lathe and even carving out the little buttons that go over the bolts) about 30 years ago. It's been in many houses -- VA to WY to OH to VA and finally to WA. Its a beautiful bed, complete with every little girls dream -- a canopy. My mom even picked out special fabric for the bed in which she'd made a dust ruffle, pillows, a bedspread, and a dresser cover. The fabric was from Laura Ashley, so it was very girlie -- white with little pink flowers. Unfortunately, I think the fabric is long gone and the canopy cannot go up with the current configuration of the room/ceiling fan in our house so for now it's just a pretty 4 poster bed. I also have my childhood dresser. I remember where it used to me in my old room growing up. It's odd now thinking it could belong to a child of mine. I'll post photos again when I have a chance to snap some photos.
We also got a mattress for the other guest room. There's a few cute little tables in there and it actually now *looks* like a guest room. My dad was the first to stay in it. We hope to have another mattress in the other bedroom at some point so we can house lots of guests (we always welcome visitors!).
Speaking of parent's houses...mine finally sold their house! Hooray! It's been a long road and thankfully they can buy a place out here. E and I are very glad they are a lot closer here now being a car ride vs. a plane ride away.
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