I moved the birds to the top.
For inspiration.
And cause they're so dang cute.
1-2-3 AWWWW
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Pot or The Kettle?
I love my dad. A bajillion times ten. He's my buddy and has been since I was little.
BUT
There is one thing about his personality that drives all of us girls INSANE -one second he's on a high, and you say one thing to topple him the teensiest bit, one joke that went too far or was misinterpreted, one comment that came out sounding a bit too harsh and he plummets to rock bottom. My sister and I were bemoaning this fact over dishes last night. "What set him off?" we wondered. "Why does he do this?" "It pisses me off!!" I said..
THEN
Later that night I'm talking to Jam. Haven't talked to him in over a day, which considering we email at least once a day and talk once a night, is a lot for us. We exchange pleasantries, I get all excited about the 15th months til our wedding, ready to tell him about the progress I made yesterday on churches, invites, decorating ideas and even a rehearsal lunch/dinner when he says "Oh yeah, that website, by the way, my family will not want their names on it."
Huh?
My sister has been designing a fantastic wedding website mock-ups. It's nowhere on the internet, just for clarification, and she asked for his family's last names in an email. Now as someone who gets privacy and the internets, I know that we can really limit the people who see this site - and seriously, will the guests not know Jam's family's last names? On the other hand, I guess I "get" it. I guess they want privacy. I am still kind of mystified who/what they want privacy from but then again, I air my laundry out on a somewhat anonymous but detail-oriented blog, so how am I to know/judge. I tell my sister, she takes care of it. Even though this thing is still in its infant stages. But may as well nip it in the bud before there's drama, because one of the 'maids might've freaked too. Basically we didn't think about this, Jam called us out. FINE.
What bothered me so much was the high I was on was completely destroyed. Gone. I didn't even want to talk to him anymore. Was it because he asked me to change that stuff? No. It was because I barely got a word in edgewise before something critical came out of his mouth. It kind of makes you not want to discuss your other plans, you know? Plus Jamaal is at a point in school where I feel as though he'll snap if I mention one more wedding thing. Hell, I get sick of talking about it sometimes. I want it to be simple, but I also want it to go smoothly and enjoy the day, thus this planning ahead. I feel like I'm doing it entirely alone though (as opposed to with my fiance - my friends and family are awesome helpers, but it would be nice to have the FI involved) and when I do this stuff all I can think is that Jamaal doesn't really care at all and that I shouldn't even bother. But then I think "no, I'm doing this for me, for my own satisfaction because I want things to be beautiful and memorable" which is entirely true. It just sucks that I get negative feedback without any positive and that any wedding-oriented discussion seems like a burden.
Oh well.
After we hung up, I started to cry.
THEN I realized - I AM my Dad. Like the spitting freakin' image.
I groaned at the thought of this, because it was so true. F*ck.
Then I got over it and went to sleep. At this point nothing is worth that much feeling.
10 months down the road and we find ourselves at this point, THEN we need to have a discussion about whether this is even worth it. Hopefully it won't come to that. Because if I have to listen to anymore "This is why we eloped" or "this is why we did xyz at our wedding" or "I knew this would happen to you" I will FLIP OUT! I am doing what I want and liking it - I just have to get the other half on board. Boo effing hoo.
UGH.
BUT
There is one thing about his personality that drives all of us girls INSANE -one second he's on a high, and you say one thing to topple him the teensiest bit, one joke that went too far or was misinterpreted, one comment that came out sounding a bit too harsh and he plummets to rock bottom. My sister and I were bemoaning this fact over dishes last night. "What set him off?" we wondered. "Why does he do this?" "It pisses me off!!" I said..
THEN
Later that night I'm talking to Jam. Haven't talked to him in over a day, which considering we email at least once a day and talk once a night, is a lot for us. We exchange pleasantries, I get all excited about the 15th months til our wedding, ready to tell him about the progress I made yesterday on churches, invites, decorating ideas and even a rehearsal lunch/dinner when he says "Oh yeah, that website, by the way, my family will not want their names on it."
Huh?
My sister has been designing a fantastic wedding website mock-ups. It's nowhere on the internet, just for clarification, and she asked for his family's last names in an email. Now as someone who gets privacy and the internets, I know that we can really limit the people who see this site - and seriously, will the guests not know Jam's family's last names? On the other hand, I guess I "get" it. I guess they want privacy. I am still kind of mystified who/what they want privacy from but then again, I air my laundry out on a somewhat anonymous but detail-oriented blog, so how am I to know/judge. I tell my sister, she takes care of it. Even though this thing is still in its infant stages. But may as well nip it in the bud before there's drama, because one of the 'maids might've freaked too. Basically we didn't think about this, Jam called us out. FINE.
What bothered me so much was the high I was on was completely destroyed. Gone. I didn't even want to talk to him anymore. Was it because he asked me to change that stuff? No. It was because I barely got a word in edgewise before something critical came out of his mouth. It kind of makes you not want to discuss your other plans, you know? Plus Jamaal is at a point in school where I feel as though he'll snap if I mention one more wedding thing. Hell, I get sick of talking about it sometimes. I want it to be simple, but I also want it to go smoothly and enjoy the day, thus this planning ahead. I feel like I'm doing it entirely alone though (as opposed to with my fiance - my friends and family are awesome helpers, but it would be nice to have the FI involved) and when I do this stuff all I can think is that Jamaal doesn't really care at all and that I shouldn't even bother. But then I think "no, I'm doing this for me, for my own satisfaction because I want things to be beautiful and memorable" which is entirely true. It just sucks that I get negative feedback without any positive and that any wedding-oriented discussion seems like a burden.
Oh well.
After we hung up, I started to cry.
THEN I realized - I AM my Dad. Like the spitting freakin' image.
I groaned at the thought of this, because it was so true. F*ck.
Then I got over it and went to sleep. At this point nothing is worth that much feeling.
10 months down the road and we find ourselves at this point, THEN we need to have a discussion about whether this is even worth it. Hopefully it won't come to that. Because if I have to listen to anymore "This is why we eloped" or "this is why we did xyz at our wedding" or "I knew this would happen to you" I will FLIP OUT! I am doing what I want and liking it - I just have to get the other half on board. Boo effing hoo.
UGH.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Wedding Counter Thingamabob
I added a wedding ticker to the bottom of my blog!
Too bad the only reasons I'm so excited about it is the fact that it's colorful and has birds.
Oh well. LOL.
Back to work I go!
Too bad the only reasons I'm so excited about it is the fact that it's colorful and has birds.
Oh well. LOL.
Back to work I go!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Books again
I'm flying through books these days.
I guess because I gave myself a break from the ridiculously intense non-fiction I had out from the library. It really was a bit much!
I finished The Julie/Julia Project. I am in awe of Julie Powell and her commitment to "the project." If only I had known about her blog when it was happening! Of course those were the days filled with piping plover monitoring and sanctuary keeping, and I was stuck in my only little world of intense happiness and intense reverse-homesickness, so it probably wouldn't have been as striking as reading the book now.
When I got to the end, the part where Julie talks about getting a phone call from her mom, telling her Julia Child passed away, I sort of had the same reaction. Julie says something to the effect of "I didn't know her personally, etc" and then "I sat down at my desk and cried" I read that sentence and thought "well of course, you had lived with this woman's recipes for a whole year, of course there would be an emotional pull." I sat on the green line and contemplated for a second, then felt myself filling up (what is up with the emotions these days? Someone said "Dude you're pregnant." Not to overshare or anything, but I said "Dude, not humanly possible, lady business happening right now." LOL. Nevermind the lack of sexytime in my life!) ANYWHO I felt myself filling up because at that moment I realized I DID have a sort of loose connection to Julia. I'd met her! Plus Rachel and I had lived in one alleged, maybe even TWO of her dorm rooms at Hubbard House, via my calculation based upon the old room numbers listed on the circuit breaker box (which I opened with a knife stolen from the kitchen) and the various archives/historical presentations on Smith's website. Of course anything historically Smith seems embedded in rumor (ie location of Sylvia Plath's dorm room, why Helen Hills Hills Chapel has two Hills....no she didn't marry her cousin, it was random and weird coincidence she married another Hills). But we do know she lived in Hubbard for sure. Oh and the time I met her, I waited in long line in the President's garden, with nothing for her to sign. All I wanted to do was to tell her I lived in her old room at the Hub. I waited with a fellow member of the improv comedy group the SIKOS and just as it was our turn to greet the much-celebrated alum, she grumbled "no more, I have to go." I think we all sank a little. Then as she stood, leaning heavily on a cane, she reached out and touched my friend's shirt, right on the boob and said "Oh. Your shrit says Liberty Cafe. Is that still in Philadelphia?!" How Alyson managed to close her mouth and reopen it to give a coherent answer with Julia Child's hand resting on her left bosom is BEYOND me, but it is something I will never EVER forget. As Julia walked one way (towards King-Scales no doubt, where she always ate on campus, shafting her Hubbard roots, which I can't understand, since I once saw our cook grease a cookie sheet for chicken with an entire pound of butter, very Julia-esque) and we departed towards center campus, we were all silent, until Alyson shrieked "JULIA CHILD TOUCHED MY BOOB! AHHHH!" "That was awesome," I concluded. Oh it was.
Next up in book discussions is Life List, a fantastic biography of Phoebe Snetsinger. Snetsinger, at the time of her death, had seen more birds than any person in the world. It was an obsession for her, and one that, in my personal opinion (well and factually I think) led her to encounter some terribly dangerous situations - the death of her birding friend due to altitude sickness, her attack and rape in Papua New Guinea, and ultimately her death in Madagascar. I thought I would complete this book and think "what a crazy insane lady" but I finished it feeling much much more sympathetic and understanding. Would it be my choice? No, absolutely not. But do I love birds enough to understand her drive? Yes, I really do. Were I a single lady, or say, in her situation, a 50's housewife, highly educated and intelligent yet expected to stay home with 4 kids, would I have pursued a similar path? Maybe. Maybe that's why I turned out sympathetic instead of judgey.
I don't keep a life list, like Phoebe. And I don't go to places hell-bent on seeing certain birds. I do buy field guides to any new destination though. I do read through them ahead of time and try and learn as many birds as I can. I did go to Kenya hoping to see a turaco, and lord knows however many other birds. I probably missed some (though the turaco erases the ones I missed with its shear awesomeness). I did go to Costa Rica praying, quite literally, to see a quetzal, a mot-mot, and a trogon. I saw only the quetzal, but did that sighting, as well as a hummingbird sitting on my hand to feed completely undo the failed other sightings? Hells yes. So in that I am very un-Phoebe, though I still can't sufficiently express my admiration for her drive and determination, and also, her efforts in conservation. Sort of in her honor, I am going to start a life list. Luckily I mark all the birds I've seen, with dates and locations, in my field guides, so that won't be too hard. I don't know whether I've seen 200 birds or 500 birds in my lifetime, but I know that when I leave this world, I won't be leaving with the regret of never having seen a shoebill. I realized that in my reading of Life List, and I have to admit that coming to that realization was only a good thing.
Finally Commencement. Oh where do I start. I tried to go into this with no expectations. Now this is the book written by a Smith alum, set in part on the Smith campus. Hmmm. I noticed an error on the first page, and that seemed an ominous sign. The Alumnae Quarterly never ever ever ever publishes engagements and never announces births or weddings until AFTER they've taken place, for reasons you can well imagine. I thought "really, this big of a flaw, on the first page?" Then I had to tell myself to let it the f*ck go because 99% of the people reading the book did not go to Smith and out of the 1% of people who did .99 of them do not give a crackling sh*t about stuff like that. So I shook it off and read on. I love love LOVE the connection J. Courtney Sullivan creates between her characters, the close bond they feel as students. I hate hate HATE the stereotypes she creates and emphasizes in the book. I'm guessing the author was a delicate "Quad Bunny" when she refers to Green Street as the "vegan/lesbian/armpit hair" area of campus. I kind of freaked the f*ck out when I read that....I'm not sure why I felt the level of anger I did, because usually I'm great at shaking off Smith stereotypes (ie tons of lesbians, gay for four years, never meet a guy, no one shaves, everyone is "radical" blah blah blah). I guess coming from an internal source it pissed me the hell off. Why? Because I knew people who were none, one, two, or all three of those things, and that was just in my house. And I knew people who were none, one, two or three of those things who lived all over campus. I am none, and out of my three closest Hubbard friends, the other two are none, and one is one of those things. So where the f*ck does she get off perpetuating that stereotype? Furthermore, there was and is something super-catty about some of the stereotypes she talks about. I think the author does a great job with some of the issues, such as the character who comes to Smith engaged and graduates with a girlfriend, she measures the reactions of friends and family and deals with what it's like on "the outside" but some of her snarky reference annoy me. Not because they're not true (ok except the vegan/lesbian/armpit hair thing. I know I'm dwelling but that went riiight up my butt) but it's the snide way they're delivered like "she didn't want to become one of those girls watching TV with their pant unbuttoned oblivious to the rolls of fat..." and referring the the house president as a girl that looked like a middle-aged man with her belly hanging over her pants, sticking out from her white undershirt. Snark snark snark. Sorry Quad Bunny, your book was almost fantastic....
oh snap! lol. some lines are utterly perfect though and I'll share later, when I'm not at work!
I guess because I gave myself a break from the ridiculously intense non-fiction I had out from the library. It really was a bit much!
I finished The Julie/Julia Project. I am in awe of Julie Powell and her commitment to "the project." If only I had known about her blog when it was happening! Of course those were the days filled with piping plover monitoring and sanctuary keeping, and I was stuck in my only little world of intense happiness and intense reverse-homesickness, so it probably wouldn't have been as striking as reading the book now.
When I got to the end, the part where Julie talks about getting a phone call from her mom, telling her Julia Child passed away, I sort of had the same reaction. Julie says something to the effect of "I didn't know her personally, etc" and then "I sat down at my desk and cried" I read that sentence and thought "well of course, you had lived with this woman's recipes for a whole year, of course there would be an emotional pull." I sat on the green line and contemplated for a second, then felt myself filling up (what is up with the emotions these days? Someone said "Dude you're pregnant." Not to overshare or anything, but I said "Dude, not humanly possible, lady business happening right now." LOL. Nevermind the lack of sexytime in my life!) ANYWHO I felt myself filling up because at that moment I realized I DID have a sort of loose connection to Julia. I'd met her! Plus Rachel and I had lived in one alleged, maybe even TWO of her dorm rooms at Hubbard House, via my calculation based upon the old room numbers listed on the circuit breaker box (which I opened with a knife stolen from the kitchen) and the various archives/historical presentations on Smith's website. Of course anything historically Smith seems embedded in rumor (ie location of Sylvia Plath's dorm room, why Helen Hills Hills Chapel has two Hills....no she didn't marry her cousin, it was random and weird coincidence she married another Hills). But we do know she lived in Hubbard for sure. Oh and the time I met her, I waited in long line in the President's garden, with nothing for her to sign. All I wanted to do was to tell her I lived in her old room at the Hub. I waited with a fellow member of the improv comedy group the SIKOS and just as it was our turn to greet the much-celebrated alum, she grumbled "no more, I have to go." I think we all sank a little. Then as she stood, leaning heavily on a cane, she reached out and touched my friend's shirt, right on the boob and said "Oh. Your shrit says Liberty Cafe. Is that still in Philadelphia?!" How Alyson managed to close her mouth and reopen it to give a coherent answer with Julia Child's hand resting on her left bosom is BEYOND me, but it is something I will never EVER forget. As Julia walked one way (towards King-Scales no doubt, where she always ate on campus, shafting her Hubbard roots, which I can't understand, since I once saw our cook grease a cookie sheet for chicken with an entire pound of butter, very Julia-esque) and we departed towards center campus, we were all silent, until Alyson shrieked "JULIA CHILD TOUCHED MY BOOB! AHHHH!" "That was awesome," I concluded. Oh it was.
Next up in book discussions is Life List, a fantastic biography of Phoebe Snetsinger. Snetsinger, at the time of her death, had seen more birds than any person in the world. It was an obsession for her, and one that, in my personal opinion (well and factually I think) led her to encounter some terribly dangerous situations - the death of her birding friend due to altitude sickness, her attack and rape in Papua New Guinea, and ultimately her death in Madagascar. I thought I would complete this book and think "what a crazy insane lady" but I finished it feeling much much more sympathetic and understanding. Would it be my choice? No, absolutely not. But do I love birds enough to understand her drive? Yes, I really do. Were I a single lady, or say, in her situation, a 50's housewife, highly educated and intelligent yet expected to stay home with 4 kids, would I have pursued a similar path? Maybe. Maybe that's why I turned out sympathetic instead of judgey.
I don't keep a life list, like Phoebe. And I don't go to places hell-bent on seeing certain birds. I do buy field guides to any new destination though. I do read through them ahead of time and try and learn as many birds as I can. I did go to Kenya hoping to see a turaco, and lord knows however many other birds. I probably missed some (though the turaco erases the ones I missed with its shear awesomeness). I did go to Costa Rica praying, quite literally, to see a quetzal, a mot-mot, and a trogon. I saw only the quetzal, but did that sighting, as well as a hummingbird sitting on my hand to feed completely undo the failed other sightings? Hells yes. So in that I am very un-Phoebe, though I still can't sufficiently express my admiration for her drive and determination, and also, her efforts in conservation. Sort of in her honor, I am going to start a life list. Luckily I mark all the birds I've seen, with dates and locations, in my field guides, so that won't be too hard. I don't know whether I've seen 200 birds or 500 birds in my lifetime, but I know that when I leave this world, I won't be leaving with the regret of never having seen a shoebill. I realized that in my reading of Life List, and I have to admit that coming to that realization was only a good thing.
Finally Commencement. Oh where do I start. I tried to go into this with no expectations. Now this is the book written by a Smith alum, set in part on the Smith campus. Hmmm. I noticed an error on the first page, and that seemed an ominous sign. The Alumnae Quarterly never ever ever ever publishes engagements and never announces births or weddings until AFTER they've taken place, for reasons you can well imagine. I thought "really, this big of a flaw, on the first page?" Then I had to tell myself to let it the f*ck go because 99% of the people reading the book did not go to Smith and out of the 1% of people who did .99 of them do not give a crackling sh*t about stuff like that. So I shook it off and read on. I love love LOVE the connection J. Courtney Sullivan creates between her characters, the close bond they feel as students. I hate hate HATE the stereotypes she creates and emphasizes in the book. I'm guessing the author was a delicate "Quad Bunny" when she refers to Green Street as the "vegan/lesbian/armpit hair" area of campus. I kind of freaked the f*ck out when I read that....I'm not sure why I felt the level of anger I did, because usually I'm great at shaking off Smith stereotypes (ie tons of lesbians, gay for four years, never meet a guy, no one shaves, everyone is "radical" blah blah blah). I guess coming from an internal source it pissed me the hell off. Why? Because I knew people who were none, one, two, or all three of those things, and that was just in my house. And I knew people who were none, one, two or three of those things who lived all over campus. I am none, and out of my three closest Hubbard friends, the other two are none, and one is one of those things. So where the f*ck does she get off perpetuating that stereotype? Furthermore, there was and is something super-catty about some of the stereotypes she talks about. I think the author does a great job with some of the issues, such as the character who comes to Smith engaged and graduates with a girlfriend, she measures the reactions of friends and family and deals with what it's like on "the outside" but some of her snarky reference annoy me. Not because they're not true (ok except the vegan/lesbian/armpit hair thing. I know I'm dwelling but that went riiight up my butt) but it's the snide way they're delivered like "she didn't want to become one of those girls watching TV with their pant unbuttoned oblivious to the rolls of fat..." and referring the the house president as a girl that looked like a middle-aged man with her belly hanging over her pants, sticking out from her white undershirt. Snark snark snark. Sorry Quad Bunny, your book was almost fantastic....
oh snap! lol. some lines are utterly perfect though and I'll share later, when I'm not at work!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Julie and Julia
This weekend was filled with fantasticness:
Friday:
-yarn at the Wool Basket
-buffalo chicken wrap and naked juice with local strawberries from Foodies
-encounter (due to wearing of Smith shirt) of fellow '04 Smithie's younger brother. Yes I did restrain myself and did not say what I wanted to which was "Of COURSE I remember you sister! We attended an admissions event where she not only rubbed in my face the fact that she was from a wealthy town but also that she got accepted early decision! But then I had to stop hating her pretty pretty long hair and pearls and twinsets when she got to Smith, shaved her head and walked around in beaters and army fatigues and became a, what was it "lug" (lesbian until graduation). I hear she's married now to a man in the MILITARY and has two kids!!"
Instead I was nice and reserved and said "Of course I knew M, she was very close to one of my housemates. What a small world!" ahahahahah
-sleep in the car, to compensate for only 3 hours sleep previous night, therefore sleeping from Boston to NH border
-weird NH liquor store encounter to buy "closet alcoholic size" bottle of Captain Morgan. Employees ceased all activity and watched me like a hawk, as if I was going to stash the pint in my capris and make a run for it....and as if the man in the back of the store in a loose fitting tanktop that showed off his large and colorful chest tattoo who kept picking up very very expensive bottles of Belvedere and Ketel One was NOT sketchier than three of me put together. WTF?
-BALD EAGLE SIGHTING. It was a semi-religious experience, and for risk of seeming totally lame I will NOT go into detail here. ahem.
-Loon sighting (also amazing)
-Book reading
-Boboli
-Sleeping on the porch
Saturday nice too:
-Naked juice again
-lying on the dock sleeping and reading Admission (good stuff)
-knitting baby booties and hat
-baby snake
-Agony
-steak
Sunday. Well Sunday was weird.
Sunday
-the weather did not cooperate.
-I went birdwatching in the woods (eagle nest searching) only to be joined by Bigfoot, aka my dad, who uncharacteristically complained a lot and went the bathroom in the woods no less than 3 times. Um. What? He hates that we "Sit around and do nothing" in NH, and I think he was acting out or something, lol. I did see a Red-breasted Nuthatch, which was nice, but had to cut my quest for a mystery bird short by father's presence (he lacks the patience necessary).
-Got "lost" in woods, was sweaty and bug-bitten
-Had to go home, sans kayaking. Not one solitary paddle. Dang it.
-BUT I found a copy of Commencement *hurrah*
and started Julie and Julia.
And it's fantastic and hilariously entertaining. And I kind of want to do something similar, but NOT, good lord, NOT with Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Though Potage Parmentier suddenly sounds worth the effot, I will say.
No the book made me think of how happy I am while baking, even when it's a task, like it was last week for the FP yard and bake sale. I love it. It's ordered and measured. and sooo tasty.
That led me to think that I should quit my job and become a baker.
Ok I thought that for five minutes before I realized it to be a supremely bad idea.
I will say this though - last night I planned to make a strawberry-rhubarb crisp for the familia.
My dad said "WHY" and I thought in my head "why do you always question and does there have to be a reason for baked goodness?" but said instead "Oh because I have to use the local strawberries I bought at Foodies" When saying baking is necessary to use up ingredients that are about to "go bad" it is always always justified.
Now my family and I are stawberry rhubarb connoisseurs and have found two particularly awesome crisp recipes, one belonging to Food and Wine and one from Emeril. I'll have to gauge our mood but tonight I am feeling F&W, as Emeril's use of Grand Marnier is totally amazing and decadent, but maybe too rich for a Monday night!
Anywho, the whole point is: the weekend was great, I have a secret fantasy to do a Julie/Julia Project of baking, and despite some of their weird quirks (peeing in the woods!) I love my family. A ton.
Friday:
-yarn at the Wool Basket
-buffalo chicken wrap and naked juice with local strawberries from Foodies
-encounter (due to wearing of Smith shirt) of fellow '04 Smithie's younger brother. Yes I did restrain myself and did not say what I wanted to which was "Of COURSE I remember you sister! We attended an admissions event where she not only rubbed in my face the fact that she was from a wealthy town but also that she got accepted early decision! But then I had to stop hating her pretty pretty long hair and pearls and twinsets when she got to Smith, shaved her head and walked around in beaters and army fatigues and became a, what was it "lug" (lesbian until graduation). I hear she's married now to a man in the MILITARY and has two kids!!"
Instead I was nice and reserved and said "Of course I knew M, she was very close to one of my housemates. What a small world!" ahahahahah
-sleep in the car, to compensate for only 3 hours sleep previous night, therefore sleeping from Boston to NH border
-weird NH liquor store encounter to buy "closet alcoholic size" bottle of Captain Morgan. Employees ceased all activity and watched me like a hawk, as if I was going to stash the pint in my capris and make a run for it....and as if the man in the back of the store in a loose fitting tanktop that showed off his large and colorful chest tattoo who kept picking up very very expensive bottles of Belvedere and Ketel One was NOT sketchier than three of me put together. WTF?
-BALD EAGLE SIGHTING. It was a semi-religious experience, and for risk of seeming totally lame I will NOT go into detail here. ahem.
-Loon sighting (also amazing)
-Book reading
-Boboli
-Sleeping on the porch
Saturday nice too:
-Naked juice again
-lying on the dock sleeping and reading Admission (good stuff)
-knitting baby booties and hat
-baby snake
-Agony
-steak
Sunday. Well Sunday was weird.
Sunday
-the weather did not cooperate.
-I went birdwatching in the woods (eagle nest searching) only to be joined by Bigfoot, aka my dad, who uncharacteristically complained a lot and went the bathroom in the woods no less than 3 times. Um. What? He hates that we "Sit around and do nothing" in NH, and I think he was acting out or something, lol. I did see a Red-breasted Nuthatch, which was nice, but had to cut my quest for a mystery bird short by father's presence (he lacks the patience necessary).
-Got "lost" in woods, was sweaty and bug-bitten
-Had to go home, sans kayaking. Not one solitary paddle. Dang it.
-BUT I found a copy of Commencement *hurrah*
and started Julie and Julia.
And it's fantastic and hilariously entertaining. And I kind of want to do something similar, but NOT, good lord, NOT with Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Though Potage Parmentier suddenly sounds worth the effot, I will say.
No the book made me think of how happy I am while baking, even when it's a task, like it was last week for the FP yard and bake sale. I love it. It's ordered and measured. and sooo tasty.
That led me to think that I should quit my job and become a baker.
Ok I thought that for five minutes before I realized it to be a supremely bad idea.
I will say this though - last night I planned to make a strawberry-rhubarb crisp for the familia.
My dad said "WHY" and I thought in my head "why do you always question and does there have to be a reason for baked goodness?" but said instead "Oh because I have to use the local strawberries I bought at Foodies" When saying baking is necessary to use up ingredients that are about to "go bad" it is always always justified.
Now my family and I are stawberry rhubarb connoisseurs and have found two particularly awesome crisp recipes, one belonging to Food and Wine and one from Emeril. I'll have to gauge our mood but tonight I am feeling F&W, as Emeril's use of Grand Marnier is totally amazing and decadent, but maybe too rich for a Monday night!
Anywho, the whole point is: the weekend was great, I have a secret fantasy to do a Julie/Julia Project of baking, and despite some of their weird quirks (peeing in the woods!) I love my family. A ton.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Realization
My wedding stress does not come from
1.disorganization
2. money
3. opinions of others
It comes from the hundreds and thousands of fantastical wonderful ideas in the world and my ability to not use them all....and the stress of having to choose just some.
Jamaal and I talked it out on the phone last night and we came to this conclusion. Which is actually not really a bad thing, since it comes from excitement. Whoooo.
Ugh, now back to work (boo).
1.disorganization
2. money
3. opinions of others
It comes from the hundreds and thousands of fantastical wonderful ideas in the world and my ability to not use them all....and the stress of having to choose just some.
Jamaal and I talked it out on the phone last night and we came to this conclusion. Which is actually not really a bad thing, since it comes from excitement. Whoooo.
Ugh, now back to work (boo).
Monday, June 22, 2009
Green Thinking
So today I entered a contest on Style Me Pretty for some awesome invites.
There eco-friendly too, zero-carbon in production, vegetable-based inks, recyclable, etc. So awesome.
You had to write a comment to enter, and I wrote the following:
Allison says:
There eco-friendly too, zero-carbon in production, vegetable-based inks, recyclable, etc. So awesome.
You had to write a comment to enter, and I wrote the following:
Allison says:
I’m in love with these invites for so many reasons! I love that these are so environmentally responsible AND completely gorgeous and elegant. The deco is my particular favorite as it would fit in with our wedding so well; we’re getting married in 2010 at a barn in Connecticut, so we’re aiming to have a simple affair, nothing too fussy to interfere with the barn’s natural beauty, but with an elegant twist. The simple circular design of the deco invitation and the repeating motif fits the bill perfectly, plus it would play off the lace in my dress. Aesthetics aside, it does my heart good to see more and more ecologically conscious choices for brides, as well as green and female entrepreneurship!! I graduated a year ago with a MS in biology, concentrating on conservation and the environment, and one of my main reservations about having a wedding was not the expense, but the waste, both pre- and post-wedding. Invitations from WedVert, as well as the wedding website and favors, would be additional ways to add to our goal of having a “responsible” wedding, as well as a subtle (not to mention *gorgeous* way) to bring the issues of recycling, green and carbon zero product choices to our guest’s minds. Thanks!!
I was then wracked with guilt that our wedding wasn't "green" enough to be worthy of these invitations. Typical for someone with an overactive guilt complex, right, EE?!!
Then I started thinking of the plans I've been mulling over since we secured The Barns and realized that we're not doing too badly (though these invites would probably improve our wedidng LEEDS score, if they had such a thing!)
1. We're using 150 mason jar led lanterns from a friend's wedding (they're in storage!) so we have some repurposed decorations
2. No flowers on the tables. It's wasteful - very very beautiful, but I cringe at the wastefulness! Instead I'm thinking of votives and seasonal decorations, such as gourds and mini pumpkins. None of these things will be thrown away. Jam and I will probably want some of the votives and such, but gourds and decorations can be taken by guests and used for their own homes and then put in the compost pile (or as we do, throw them in the woods and let the squirrels have a field day). Plus these will all be bought locally, thus reducing the amount of fuel spent transporting these from wherever. Flowers I'm carrying and my ladies are carrying will be in season (fine because if I see another rose or hydrangea I might vomit lol) Dahlias are cool and edgy and a fall flower....just an idea...
3. No SUV limos. No no nein no.
4. Lighting: candles and LED lights. Not extraordinary, but LEDs are a better more efficient choice.
5. Homemade favors (no plastic! no made in China!)
6. Other decorations: will be kept, maybe passed on (really just lights and lanterns, we're keeping it simple....but elegant ;)
7. placecards: prob mini pumpkins. Again local, paperless, reusable/biodegradable.
8. Bridesmaid dresses: chain store bought, but hopefully rewearable, and if not, donate-able
9. Venue: no climate control. Risky, but doors/windows are opened/closed as needed to control temp of the interior. This will be noted on the website for guests so they can bring shawls/wear sleeveless as needed depending on weather.
10. Wedding website: hopefully to cut down on paper! and to preserve our sanity of course.
Places where we're sucking re: eco-consciousness:
1. Everyone has to travel, though at least very few will actually have to fly. In the end everyone travels about 2 hours. If we had it in either city, half the guests would've had to travel four hours. In the end, this equals out I guess.
2. Food: prepared by the reception venue, but unsure of how much local stuff is used. Could find this out though.
3. Transportation: not getting married at reception venue. Though getting married at church in same town.
I know there's more. The cool thing is that WedVert has a site full of tips I'm going to sort through. Knowing the possibilities makes me determined to have an even MORE eco-responsible wedding. YAY!
PS: Have fallen in love with this: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=292026&CategoryID=44022#reviews
What are my chances that Jam will love it? Not care? I'll take not care! Oooh just love love it.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Today
I made a "To Do" list with a perfect proportions, about 3/4 dedicated to work, 1/4 dedicated to personal life that can be completed during lunch and after work.
Have I started any of it?
NO
Have I wasted time looking at faery weddings?
YES
In other news:
I am pleased to announce that I summoned the tech savvy brain cells that are few and far between to come together in a moment of brilliance to restore my 5,000 missing pictures.
I restored all 24,000 files in my recycle bin.
Hells yeah. I have spent the last 4 or 5 days (a blur) picking through the tens of thousands of files to fetch my pic files and burn them on to disc. It's freaking tedious as hell but glorious getting them back.
Here's the uber weird thing: All kinds of sh*t is on there...except something I'm looking for in particular. Now I know enough to know that when you delete something, it's still on your drive but basically marked as available for overwriting. My instinct is to say "f*ck it, these files were overwritten by something else" but what makes no sense is that I have every file in and around the date on which these pics were taken and nothing. I don't even have the pics I deleted from the original pic upload, the ones I deleted before making a folder. How weird is that? It's not a huge big tragic deal that they're gone, it's no one's wedding or anything, but I am missing stuff like this:
and this:
and this little chicken:
So you see, nothing major or significant, but stuff I'd love to have back.
I'll try again tonight, but then might have to write it all off. Ohhhh well.
Off to tackle the to do list...
Have I started any of it?
NO
Have I wasted time looking at faery weddings?
YES
In other news:
I am pleased to announce that I summoned the tech savvy brain cells that are few and far between to come together in a moment of brilliance to restore my 5,000 missing pictures.
I restored all 24,000 files in my recycle bin.
Hells yeah. I have spent the last 4 or 5 days (a blur) picking through the tens of thousands of files to fetch my pic files and burn them on to disc. It's freaking tedious as hell but glorious getting them back.
Here's the uber weird thing: All kinds of sh*t is on there...except something I'm looking for in particular. Now I know enough to know that when you delete something, it's still on your drive but basically marked as available for overwriting. My instinct is to say "f*ck it, these files were overwritten by something else" but what makes no sense is that I have every file in and around the date on which these pics were taken and nothing. I don't even have the pics I deleted from the original pic upload, the ones I deleted before making a folder. How weird is that? It's not a huge big tragic deal that they're gone, it's no one's wedding or anything, but I am missing stuff like this:
and this:
and this little chicken:
So you see, nothing major or significant, but stuff I'd love to have back.
I'll try again tonight, but then might have to write it all off. Ohhhh well.
Off to tackle the to do list...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
I adore..
..this wedding
..this decorating scheme for our reception site (with modifications)
..these earrings
..new babies
I do not like:
being so scattered I can't accomplish anything: nothing wedding, nothing work, nothing in life.
It's so frustrating!
..this decorating scheme for our reception site (with modifications)
..these earrings
..new babies
I do not like:
being so scattered I can't accomplish anything: nothing wedding, nothing work, nothing in life.
It's so frustrating!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Swine and Cheese Party
First off - is it rude to put a "Please Knock" sign on our office door?
There is this one doctor here who thinks he has the right to barge in whenever the spirit moves him. It pisses me off. I think if it were any other doctor it would bother me significantly less, but because it's him and I know him well-ish and I know he's an a-hole, I want to get all passive aggressive on his ass and put up a sign. Ugh, why do I even care really? It's all quite ridiculous.
I probably shouldn't even bother. I should probably wait until someone is hired to sit at the desk he's always rummaging through (apparently there are files in a cabinet here, left behind by a nearly fired coworker, that he needs access to). Then when he comes in someone can be all "Excuse me?! What are you doing?" Heh. I think another irksome factor is that he just walked in here with an intern telling him what he needed done over the summer and was like 'Oh just come in here and do xyz blah blah." Not without knocking, you shifty bastard!
You can tell I am in a somewhat feisty mood today. It is partly fueled by last week's exposure to H1N1 aka "Swine Flu." My coworker, who has been reprimanded once before for coming to work sick and contagious, decided that she needed to come to work to finish a certain task despite the fact that she had been coughing and sneezing and flu-like for the past week. We found out on Friday that she had a pathologically confirmed case of swine flu. This didn't leave me running for the hills or preparing a will or anything like that, but I did wonder about the implications for my other coworker and myself, given our close proximity to the six one (me, six inches, her six feet or so). Turns out I had to take a 10 day prophylactic course of tamiflu.
We-ell that's all well and good, especially since it was free at the hospital pharmacy, given the work-related exposure, but it has some foul side effects. I won't go into the long boring details, but I have thrown up in my mouth four times. EWWW.
I was willing to accept my punishment if it meant a week of Mxxxxxx not sitting next to me being irritating. HOWEVER, I walk into my office today and there she is, sitting pretty at her computer. I said "Oh good morning" She says "Good morning." I say "I take it you didn't have swine flu. Thank goodness, that Tamiflu sh*t is messing up my stomach." "Oh no," she clarifies, "I had it. I'm just better now. How'd you know I had it anyways?"
UM. BECAUSE YOU WORK IN A F*CKING CANCER HOSPITAL WITH SICK PEOPLE AND THE DPH MAKES DR'S REPORT IT!
OMG!
And because of it's pandemic proportions (i.e. spreadability) we had to take the proper precautions not to infect the entire hospital, which means tamiflu prophylaxis and calling in the second we feel sick. Gosh.
I said "I am on Tamiflu for 10 days and I was told I had to sterilize my workspace!"
Her reply "Oh.....sorry...."
OMG I wanted to hit her. It's not that I thought I would die from the swine flu, or even catch it, it's simply the blatant disregard for the health of those around you. It's selfish and it's ignorant behavior. I somehow managed to be nice about sending her home, which I have no authority to actually do, but pretended I did. "And email health services before you come back to be cleared" I yelled after her.
SO there's my day today. I'm thinking I might get one of those swine flu warning signs to go with the "please knock" sign.
No one would probably pay attention anyways, though...
There is this one doctor here who thinks he has the right to barge in whenever the spirit moves him. It pisses me off. I think if it were any other doctor it would bother me significantly less, but because it's him and I know him well-ish and I know he's an a-hole, I want to get all passive aggressive on his ass and put up a sign. Ugh, why do I even care really? It's all quite ridiculous.
I probably shouldn't even bother. I should probably wait until someone is hired to sit at the desk he's always rummaging through (apparently there are files in a cabinet here, left behind by a nearly fired coworker, that he needs access to). Then when he comes in someone can be all "Excuse me?! What are you doing?" Heh. I think another irksome factor is that he just walked in here with an intern telling him what he needed done over the summer and was like 'Oh just come in here and do xyz blah blah." Not without knocking, you shifty bastard!
You can tell I am in a somewhat feisty mood today. It is partly fueled by last week's exposure to H1N1 aka "Swine Flu." My coworker, who has been reprimanded once before for coming to work sick and contagious, decided that she needed to come to work to finish a certain task despite the fact that she had been coughing and sneezing and flu-like for the past week. We found out on Friday that she had a pathologically confirmed case of swine flu. This didn't leave me running for the hills or preparing a will or anything like that, but I did wonder about the implications for my other coworker and myself, given our close proximity to the six one (me, six inches, her six feet or so). Turns out I had to take a 10 day prophylactic course of tamiflu.
We-ell that's all well and good, especially since it was free at the hospital pharmacy, given the work-related exposure, but it has some foul side effects. I won't go into the long boring details, but I have thrown up in my mouth four times. EWWW.
I was willing to accept my punishment if it meant a week of Mxxxxxx not sitting next to me being irritating. HOWEVER, I walk into my office today and there she is, sitting pretty at her computer. I said "Oh good morning" She says "Good morning." I say "I take it you didn't have swine flu. Thank goodness, that Tamiflu sh*t is messing up my stomach." "Oh no," she clarifies, "I had it. I'm just better now. How'd you know I had it anyways?"
UM. BECAUSE YOU WORK IN A F*CKING CANCER HOSPITAL WITH SICK PEOPLE AND THE DPH MAKES DR'S REPORT IT!
OMG!
And because of it's pandemic proportions (i.e. spreadability) we had to take the proper precautions not to infect the entire hospital, which means tamiflu prophylaxis and calling in the second we feel sick. Gosh.
I said "I am on Tamiflu for 10 days and I was told I had to sterilize my workspace!"
Her reply "Oh.....sorry...."
OMG I wanted to hit her. It's not that I thought I would die from the swine flu, or even catch it, it's simply the blatant disregard for the health of those around you. It's selfish and it's ignorant behavior. I somehow managed to be nice about sending her home, which I have no authority to actually do, but pretended I did. "And email health services before you come back to be cleared" I yelled after her.
SO there's my day today. I'm thinking I might get one of those swine flu warning signs to go with the "please knock" sign.
No one would probably pay attention anyways, though...
Friday, June 12, 2009
There are three parts to this:
One part heart attack
One part beautiful lovely amazing perfection
One part sensible
I'm not sure what I'd do. But this site has really given me something to think about. Take a peek at the glorious photos. I see me and Jamaal tramping around on a beach or me sitting on a tree limb and imagine the awesomeness. I also see me hyperventilating. And I also see me irrationally preserving my wedding dress, having no one wear it, and giving it to my grandkids to play with because that's the only thing it will be good for by that point.....
Sigh.
And then I look at pictures like this and think it's a great idea all over again. Hmmm. What to do?
eta: apparently there is a lot of drama surrounding "trash the dress" because if you trash the dress it can't be donated to charity, etc. Here it is, I'm admitting it: I'm not donating my dress. It's awesome that people do, but I'm not. I've donated bridesmaid dresses and prom dresses that I hope have gone on to live happy lives and make girls positively glow with loveliness on their prom night. But my wedding dress? Sorry, I'm being selfish and keeping the thing, no matter if I "trash it" (and truly trash it is not my style, I'm not the dance in paint and throw my body on a canvas type girl, I'm the "do something I wouldn't have done on the big day cause beads might fall off" girl, LOL) or if it ends up in the back of my closet wrapped in plastic. There it is. The end.
One part beautiful lovely amazing perfection
One part sensible
I'm not sure what I'd do. But this site has really given me something to think about. Take a peek at the glorious photos. I see me and Jamaal tramping around on a beach or me sitting on a tree limb and imagine the awesomeness. I also see me hyperventilating. And I also see me irrationally preserving my wedding dress, having no one wear it, and giving it to my grandkids to play with because that's the only thing it will be good for by that point.....
Sigh.
And then I look at pictures like this and think it's a great idea all over again. Hmmm. What to do?
eta: apparently there is a lot of drama surrounding "trash the dress" because if you trash the dress it can't be donated to charity, etc. Here it is, I'm admitting it: I'm not donating my dress. It's awesome that people do, but I'm not. I've donated bridesmaid dresses and prom dresses that I hope have gone on to live happy lives and make girls positively glow with loveliness on their prom night. But my wedding dress? Sorry, I'm being selfish and keeping the thing, no matter if I "trash it" (and truly trash it is not my style, I'm not the dance in paint and throw my body on a canvas type girl, I'm the "do something I wouldn't have done on the big day cause beads might fall off" girl, LOL) or if it ends up in the back of my closet wrapped in plastic. There it is. The end.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
When things work out
Don't you just love it when things work out?
I mentioned that my neighbor has leukemia, right? He's four and is in his second week of an inpatient chemo stint at Children's. I went over to visit last week and found him doing alright (his parents probably in worse shape!) but wanted to check in again. Last week there were about six or seven visitors in the room, and I know after the initial admission visits can taper off.
Besides that, we women (mother, sister, me) had gathered a parcel of gifts to deliver to the sick one, because the best way we know how to help is providing the sick one with material goods, lol. So many hospitals ban flowers and plants and latex these days (understandably) that little gifties are so much better, nevermind hospital "legal."
My sister got two awesome activity books, a lego one and a paper airplane making one, my mother bought a pile of books, some classic children's books (Ricki Tikki Tembo, etc) and activity books and I made a quilt. Actually I made two quilts, one for our little inpatient, and one for his brother. They were pretty easy to make, and I didn't want older brother feeling too left out. Plus the quilts were "I Spy" quilts (pictures soon), so this way, they could actually play "I Spy" together with their own blankets. Hurrah!
Now I can make a quilt up without too much trouble, but I totally admit to being a "lazy" quilter when it comes to finishing. Since I'm so often down to the wire with a gift quilt, the "put the right sides together and flip it out" method is the one I most often utilize, followed by tying, which I admittedly abhor. I don't finish the tops (too scary) and I never bind! I know, slacker!
We-ell I was looking at a particularly awesome quilt my cousin made me for a graduation gift and noticed that she doesn't use batting (partly responsible for my finishing hatred), and instead of a cotton backing, used flannel. I thought about it; warm cozy blanket, not too heavy, easy to put together, and maybe I could even manage to sew the top.
Because it was 1 am when I finally finished these quilts, I did indeed choose the slacker option of sewing the quilt up, right sides together, and turning them inside out....what I did manage to do, however, was sew the top down, because I hate tying (think I mentioned that) and I didn't want the quilt to be too slidey.
Here are the results (I apologize for the craptastic pics):
Here's the first quilt. I love the set up of small and large blocks.
Here are some closeups:
As soon as my little neighbor opened the gift he and his mom started playing I spy. It made me happy...
Even though he's home from the hospital now, childhood leukemia patients have anywhere from 24-36 months of treatment ahead of them. I hope that these quilts will be companions during those long days in the pediatric clinic at the cancer hospital. Maybe it will even brighten other kid's days....I can only hope it does.
I mentioned that my neighbor has leukemia, right? He's four and is in his second week of an inpatient chemo stint at Children's. I went over to visit last week and found him doing alright (his parents probably in worse shape!) but wanted to check in again. Last week there were about six or seven visitors in the room, and I know after the initial admission visits can taper off.
Besides that, we women (mother, sister, me) had gathered a parcel of gifts to deliver to the sick one, because the best way we know how to help is providing the sick one with material goods, lol. So many hospitals ban flowers and plants and latex these days (understandably) that little gifties are so much better, nevermind hospital "legal."
My sister got two awesome activity books, a lego one and a paper airplane making one, my mother bought a pile of books, some classic children's books (Ricki Tikki Tembo, etc) and activity books and I made a quilt. Actually I made two quilts, one for our little inpatient, and one for his brother. They were pretty easy to make, and I didn't want older brother feeling too left out. Plus the quilts were "I Spy" quilts (pictures soon), so this way, they could actually play "I Spy" together with their own blankets. Hurrah!
Now I can make a quilt up without too much trouble, but I totally admit to being a "lazy" quilter when it comes to finishing. Since I'm so often down to the wire with a gift quilt, the "put the right sides together and flip it out" method is the one I most often utilize, followed by tying, which I admittedly abhor. I don't finish the tops (too scary) and I never bind! I know, slacker!
We-ell I was looking at a particularly awesome quilt my cousin made me for a graduation gift and noticed that she doesn't use batting (partly responsible for my finishing hatred), and instead of a cotton backing, used flannel. I thought about it; warm cozy blanket, not too heavy, easy to put together, and maybe I could even manage to sew the top.
Because it was 1 am when I finally finished these quilts, I did indeed choose the slacker option of sewing the quilt up, right sides together, and turning them inside out....what I did manage to do, however, was sew the top down, because I hate tying (think I mentioned that) and I didn't want the quilt to be too slidey.
Here are the results (I apologize for the craptastic pics):
Here's the first quilt. I love the set up of small and large blocks.Here are some closeups:
As soon as my little neighbor opened the gift he and his mom started playing I spy. It made me happy...Even though he's home from the hospital now, childhood leukemia patients have anywhere from 24-36 months of treatment ahead of them. I hope that these quilts will be companions during those long days in the pediatric clinic at the cancer hospital. Maybe it will even brighten other kid's days....I can only hope it does.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Eyetwitch
Reasons why my eye is twitching.
1. Got a work email about preparing a timeline for the BOD packets, adjusting cancer guidelines from last year to this, and talking to statistician about what's going to be removed from benchmarking and concordance. The whole email made me go "hunh?" The lovely kicker at the bottom was "Alison (spelled wrong, ugh) tell me if you need help."
Uh yeah. But way to make it obvious.
2. I really want to invite the neighbors to our wedding. This is for a lot of reasons: they're awesome, they're fun, we never get to celebrate fun stuff - we only get together when an elderly neighbor dies, I swear....plus with my next door neighbor's having a little one with leukemia, in a year and a couple months, we might need the break, and I just plain like them. I told Jam "I'd rather invite them than....certain other....um, blood relations, if you will. Yeah, well this is proof that my cell phone is effing tapped because who friends me on facebook today? Yes. You guessed it. Oh well. Hopefully everyone will make the guest list cut.
3. Got an email from theknot.com reminding me that in exactly 16 months, we'll be getting married. This made me exuberantly happy for about 5 seconds. Then the reality of the situation and the complete lack of planning set in. Everyone says not to panic, that there's still a TON of time, and while this is true, I said that when I got the "18 months to go" email, and that seemed like yesterday.
Whew. When did this turn into a list blog? And a full of complaints blog? Oh wait, it's always been complainy. LOL.
Anyways, I have to go figure out that BOD thing (I'm thinking this means "Board of Directors"). Ooh though quick update on the hard drive, I wrote a nasty review at Amazon. Especially when I found out that if I send back the drive a refund is not guaranteed because I can't find the packing slip. Guess that fantasy of me throwing it out of my bedroom window may ust be a reality. Hot.
ALSO. I am sooo making Jamaal do this with me: Crane Chandelier
How fun/special/awesome/crafty is that?
I actually think origami may play a small role at the wedding, as a way to save cashmoney and also make church decorating more simple. Since we're getting hitched out of state but not at the reception site, I staked out a non-denominational chapel at a local university campus that allows us to get married there with our own clergy member. While we can decorate as we like, we also have to clean up every trace that we were ever there, and I don't want bridesmaids and groomsmen lingering about trying to get everything cleaned up before the reception. I would like an aisle runner with a Beatles-inspired quotation (as it will be John Lennon's bday, and my whole family has special Beatles love, as does one of the bridesmaids), maybe some candles at the altar, but I thought THESE would add a special decorative element to the church without being expensive or cumbersome. The last person out of the pew could grab it too. Obviously bigger, and not with recycled maps....
We shall see...
1. Got a work email about preparing a timeline for the BOD packets, adjusting cancer guidelines from last year to this, and talking to statistician about what's going to be removed from benchmarking and concordance. The whole email made me go "hunh?" The lovely kicker at the bottom was "Alison (spelled wrong, ugh) tell me if you need help."
Uh yeah. But way to make it obvious.
2. I really want to invite the neighbors to our wedding. This is for a lot of reasons: they're awesome, they're fun, we never get to celebrate fun stuff - we only get together when an elderly neighbor dies, I swear....plus with my next door neighbor's having a little one with leukemia, in a year and a couple months, we might need the break, and I just plain like them. I told Jam "I'd rather invite them than....certain other....um, blood relations, if you will. Yeah, well this is proof that my cell phone is effing tapped because who friends me on facebook today? Yes. You guessed it. Oh well. Hopefully everyone will make the guest list cut.
3. Got an email from theknot.com reminding me that in exactly 16 months, we'll be getting married. This made me exuberantly happy for about 5 seconds. Then the reality of the situation and the complete lack of planning set in. Everyone says not to panic, that there's still a TON of time, and while this is true, I said that when I got the "18 months to go" email, and that seemed like yesterday.
Whew. When did this turn into a list blog? And a full of complaints blog? Oh wait, it's always been complainy. LOL.
Anyways, I have to go figure out that BOD thing (I'm thinking this means "Board of Directors"). Ooh though quick update on the hard drive, I wrote a nasty review at Amazon. Especially when I found out that if I send back the drive a refund is not guaranteed because I can't find the packing slip. Guess that fantasy of me throwing it out of my bedroom window may ust be a reality. Hot.
ALSO. I am sooo making Jamaal do this with me: Crane Chandelier
How fun/special/awesome/crafty is that?
I actually think origami may play a small role at the wedding, as a way to save cashmoney and also make church decorating more simple. Since we're getting hitched out of state but not at the reception site, I staked out a non-denominational chapel at a local university campus that allows us to get married there with our own clergy member. While we can decorate as we like, we also have to clean up every trace that we were ever there, and I don't want bridesmaids and groomsmen lingering about trying to get everything cleaned up before the reception. I would like an aisle runner with a Beatles-inspired quotation (as it will be John Lennon's bday, and my whole family has special Beatles love, as does one of the bridesmaids), maybe some candles at the altar, but I thought THESE would add a special decorative element to the church without being expensive or cumbersome. The last person out of the pew could grab it too. Obviously bigger, and not with recycled maps....
We shall see...
Monday, June 08, 2009
Officially Dead This Week:
1. swordtail fish (dropsy, caught too late :{ )
2. external hard drive (refuse to pay $500-2600 to liberate files)
f*ck.
2. external hard drive (refuse to pay $500-2600 to liberate files)
f*ck.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
More Dead Birds, More Wedding
Oh this week. It's been a bit weird and hectic.
Let's see:
This week my little four year old neighbor was diagnosd with leukemia. Um, that was a bit of a shock. I think he'll be ok, but still, it's a pretty messed up situation, considering he was having a water fight with his brother in the front yard on Saturday. Plus it happened sooo fast. Saturday: leg pain, Sunday: bruising, Monday: Dr's, bone marrow bx, Tuesday: diagnosis - leukemia. It's crazy. They have a friend who works here (in fundraising...whatever) who's offered to help out so I think I'll just tell them whatever they need done, just ask. It makes you think though. Nevermind feel utterly helpless. Stupid cancer.
Then on that very same day, my father and I went for a glorious paddle in our kayaks. It was really just lovely. We started in the Indianhead River and paddled to the North River, which probably sounds impressive but really isn't at all. There were sunshine and birds everywhere. Sigh. When we got home we put our kayaks behind the shed, not sure when we'd have them out next. As we were getting ready to go inside my dad turned and looked and said "Oh my God. A bird. Allison, it's a bird." Then his voice went up a pitch, something I'm not used to hearing ever really and he said "It's the catbird, you have to help it, quick quick!!" See the catbirds have been nesting in our yard every summer since we moved there, so even though over the 17 years it's been different birds, we're attached. Besides, how can you not love a catbird? They're so sweet and charismatic and strike me as quite intelligent. Anyways, I got over to the bird and saw that it was in serious trouble. It was standing with its wings splayed and at first I thought it just had a broken wing, but then it flopped to its side. It couldn't even hold its head up. This is, as far as I know, pretty much the worst thing you can see an injured bird do. When they won't even hold their head up. I said "Oh dad, there's nothing I can do, something very bad is wrong with him." I pet the bird for a bit, then picked it up, and it died right in my hand. WTF. We were going to put him in the bird graveyard, but I told my father that we should let nature take its course with this one, as one birds misfortune could be a jackpot for another animal family foraging for food. It still sucked though. We couldn't see anything wrong with it from the outside, so I'm not sure what killed it. I'm not worried about bird salmonella now that we've eliminated our feeders and groundwaste. I dunno. Sigh.
To sort of rid myself from lingering feelings of ominousness and disease and death, I decided to do something happy. I began a wedding gift registry. Hurrah! Now Jamaal once revealed, much to my absolute horror, that he would prefer only money as gifts. I finally convinced him that putting that on an invite is the number 1 tackiest thing you can do. You can put sequins and feathers and sh*t on there and it would still be LESS tacky than putting "monetary gifts only." Gah, I SHUDDER. And I am pleased to say that all the etiquette gurus agree *smiles smugly* BESIDES a wedding is really the only time you can ask for specific gifts! And having attended many a wedding, I personally don't find registries offensive (I guess some people don't like to be told what to buy). I think they're a godsend, especially when you don't see a person that often or know what their decor is like. Soooo I started a registry. It was actually started for the sole purpose of entering a $4,000 gift card giveaway to Crate and Barrel, but since I was probably going to strongarm Jamaal into registering there anyways, I figured, why not? I only have a set of pans, a mixer, and some cake and loaf pans on there, but putting gifts on a registry gave me a giddy happy feeling :D Of course the rest is really going to have to wait til we find a place to live and til we get closer to the wedding. There's no use in registering for too much now, as it may be discontinued by the time we get hitched!
So that lifted my spirits significantly :)
Oh. I have no pictures to go with this post, I'm sad to say. My external hard drive, which held all of my pictures, crashed on Sunday. Sooo it is hopefully being repaired....I say hopefully because the computer guys have yet to call me with a clear prognosis. We'll see I guess!
Friday, May 29, 2009
It's Been a While
Oh Lordy, I haven't posted in for-ev.
It's been a busy couple of weeks. Plus there's been stuff going on.
Firstly, my dear fiance graduated! OK, actually, this is only in theory. He still has some things to
take care of, like a couple more credits, but he walked with the class and received his empty diploma folder (poor guy lol). By the fall he'll have the real thing....and hopefully a job to go along with that nifty new degree.
Graduation day was really fantastic - the weather worked out beautifully and the campus looked just gorgeous, though Babson is lovely no matter the season it seems. Jam's commencement speaker was the first blind person to summit Everest, and though he rambled a bit at the end, the speech was inspirational and at times even hilarious. More importantly Jam's parents and sister and friends were all able to gather to watch him cross the stage. Hurrah! Of course Jamaal being Jamaal he brought the experience to a whole new level, waving to the crowd as he made his way to the stage. It was very him, LOL. Afterwards we had a fantastic dinner at the Metro 9 Steakhouse.
Last weekend I went off to Smith to my 5th Reunion and everything about it was lovely and fantastic. I loved staying on campus, and a dear friend and I shared what may have been the best room in the house....certainly with one of the best views on campus! There was great company, good food, shopping, even some leg-waxing thrown in there. Hee. I think one of my favorite moments was the alumnae parade, when all the alums who've gathered for Reunion march to a central location to listen to the president speak and the Alumnae Association
president speak about fundraising, etc. We line up according to class year, with the youngest group in front and the oldest in the back. A marching band begins in the back of the line and marches through the two columns of alumnae, like a sock turning inside out (which is what we were told as students lol). This way the oldest alumnae end up in the front of the parade and get to pass through all of the other alumnae, who cheer for them with gusto. The women wave like celebrities...or comment on "how young we are" (which is what someone from the 15-year reunion class said....we were like 'um and you're only 37.....'). It's great fun. Later that night, the campus is strung with lanterns. This year the college swapped out old Chinese paper lanterns with real flame for LED-powered fabric lanterns that are fire, wind and weather-proof. It took a bit of adjusting as we were all in love with "the old way" but it wasn't too bad. The LED lights aren't quite as aesthetically pleasing, BUT the fact that Illumination Night can happen despite wind and weather is a bonus to me, as our commencement weekend illumination was cut short by a storm.
Whenever I return to Northampton I am reminded of Wester Mass's general awesomeness. It's so beautiful, es
pecially when you get a stretch of weather like we did, clear, sunny and 80 the whole four days. Noho is a fabulous artsy community, full of shops and amazing restaurants. I could've gorged myself the whole weekend, but somehow held back. I didn't shop as much as I planned to either, but that's ok. I got a few trinkets here and there and purchased a diploma frame as well, and that left me feeling sufficiently poor enough to hold back on more ridiculousness (though I SHOULD have bought that cosmetic bag at Essentials dammit!).
Of course despite Northampton's awesomeness, I'm not sure it'd be the same returning there without my ladies. It's hard going back and appreciating things without someone who has a similar experience - I'm not saying that Jamaal, for instance, would not LOVE Northampton, but he doesn't have the allegiance to it that we Smithies do. Like my sister has mad love for Fredericksburg, where she went to school. I LOVED visiting, and I think she loved visiting Northampton, but it is noooot exaaactly the same. I did really miss a lot of the ladies who lived in Hubbar
d with us though - some '04's couldn't make it and it wasn't a reunion year for many of our Hubbard friends, but we still managed to have a good time and quite often raised a glass to those who couldn't join us!
In other news, I am anxious and stressed about wedding things after a work conversation I had. Jam is trying to be a comfort by telling me to ignore my coworker's judgments and pessimism, and also telling me that married people are only trying to be helpful when administering advice, unsolicited or not. I feel bad because he is on the receiving end on the majority of my complaints, but I think that he gets that as a guy, his friends arent' going to be like, "dude, you should totally go with candles on the tables instead of flowers" whereas I get ALL KINDS OF INPUT from everyone to my mother,
who is just trying to be lovely and helpful, to the lady who does my eyebrows, who I've met ONCE. Ugh. I try to be patient with people and just smile and say thank you, because a lot of the advice is legit fantastic and I'm grateful for it, as I am grateful for the inspiration, ideas, offers of help, etc. I am GRATEFUL. That being said, I am also tired of talking about the wedding. Meh. And if my coworkers tell me one more time that Jam will never move up here, that we'll never live in the same state and that they'll believe the wedding when they see it, I may scream.
This is how I feel about wedding planning and unsolicited advice!!
Ok rant over. I actually have a very peaceful and lovely weekend planned before the madness of June starts. I plan on getting ahead with my crafting, and even do some stealth wedding planning. Maybe even kayak....depending on the cooperation of our difficult New England weather. Anyways, after this ranty bit, I am looking forward to a peaceful couple of days...oh and I think homemade guacamole may be worked into the situation as well. OH and the MARTHA F*CKING STEWART ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRAFTS! It arrived yesterday. I rubbed it all over my body. Oh and f*cking isn't really in the name, I'm using to emphasize the pure unadulterated awesomeness of this book. It's even alphabetized. OMG. It made me all tingly.
Thank you for reading my boringness :P
I am off to read my book club book while falling asleep. Whilst falling asleep. Can I use whilst? Am I allowed? It's just so lovely.....
It's been a busy couple of weeks. Plus there's been stuff going on.
Firstly, my dear fiance graduated! OK, actually, this is only in theory. He still has some things to
take care of, like a couple more credits, but he walked with the class and received his empty diploma folder (poor guy lol). By the fall he'll have the real thing....and hopefully a job to go along with that nifty new degree.Graduation day was really fantastic - the weather worked out beautifully and the campus looked just gorgeous, though Babson is lovely no matter the season it seems. Jam's commencement speaker was the first blind person to summit Everest, and though he rambled a bit at the end, the speech was inspirational and at times even hilarious. More importantly Jam's parents and sister and friends were all able to gather to watch him cross the stage. Hurrah! Of course Jamaal being Jamaal he brought the experience to a whole new level, waving to the crowd as he made his way to the stage. It was very him, LOL. Afterwards we had a fantastic dinner at the Metro 9 Steakhouse.
Last weekend I went off to Smith to my 5th Reunion and everything about it was lovely and fantastic. I loved staying on campus, and a dear friend and I shared what may have been the best room in the house....certainly with one of the best views on campus! There was great company, good food, shopping, even some leg-waxing thrown in there. Hee. I think one of my favorite moments was the alumnae parade, when all the alums who've gathered for Reunion march to a central location to listen to the president speak and the Alumnae Association
president speak about fundraising, etc. We line up according to class year, with the youngest group in front and the oldest in the back. A marching band begins in the back of the line and marches through the two columns of alumnae, like a sock turning inside out (which is what we were told as students lol). This way the oldest alumnae end up in the front of the parade and get to pass through all of the other alumnae, who cheer for them with gusto. The women wave like celebrities...or comment on "how young we are" (which is what someone from the 15-year reunion class said....we were like 'um and you're only 37.....'). It's great fun. Later that night, the campus is strung with lanterns. This year the college swapped out old Chinese paper lanterns with real flame for LED-powered fabric lanterns that are fire, wind and weather-proof. It took a bit of adjusting as we were all in love with "the old way" but it wasn't too bad. The LED lights aren't quite as aesthetically pleasing, BUT the fact that Illumination Night can happen despite wind and weather is a bonus to me, as our commencement weekend illumination was cut short by a storm.Whenever I return to Northampton I am reminded of Wester Mass's general awesomeness. It's so beautiful, es
pecially when you get a stretch of weather like we did, clear, sunny and 80 the whole four days. Noho is a fabulous artsy community, full of shops and amazing restaurants. I could've gorged myself the whole weekend, but somehow held back. I didn't shop as much as I planned to either, but that's ok. I got a few trinkets here and there and purchased a diploma frame as well, and that left me feeling sufficiently poor enough to hold back on more ridiculousness (though I SHOULD have bought that cosmetic bag at Essentials dammit!).Of course despite Northampton's awesomeness, I'm not sure it'd be the same returning there without my ladies. It's hard going back and appreciating things without someone who has a similar experience - I'm not saying that Jamaal, for instance, would not LOVE Northampton, but he doesn't have the allegiance to it that we Smithies do. Like my sister has mad love for Fredericksburg, where she went to school. I LOVED visiting, and I think she loved visiting Northampton, but it is noooot exaaactly the same. I did really miss a lot of the ladies who lived in Hubbar
d with us though - some '04's couldn't make it and it wasn't a reunion year for many of our Hubbard friends, but we still managed to have a good time and quite often raised a glass to those who couldn't join us!The time since Reunion has been spent catching up with life and work and the like. Wednesday was a pretty low point, as my little Lucy-bird died. She was my evil, but mostly sweet...when she wanted to be, parakeet that had been struggling with a fatty tumor disease since I adopted her 3 1/2 years ago. We knew she only had a little time left due to her behavior last weekend, but regardless, the death of a pet is something that kind of kills your week, you know? There are two heartening things about her passing though: 1. she is out of pain and is not suffering, which is always something to be grateful for....2. her cagemate Charlie Brown, who was a gentleman to the end, preening her though she was very sick, seems liberated. At night when things are quiet, he definitely looks for Lucy, but the rest of the time, he plays with his toys (Lucy never let him do that) and he sings and eats in peace. While I miss poor Lucy, I can only feel happy for Charlie B., finally getting a chance at life :)
Lucy in foreground, CB behind her. That's pretty much how the relationship went....
Lucy in foreground, CB behind her. That's pretty much how the relationship went....In other news, I am anxious and stressed about wedding things after a work conversation I had. Jam is trying to be a comfort by telling me to ignore my coworker's judgments and pessimism, and also telling me that married people are only trying to be helpful when administering advice, unsolicited or not. I feel bad because he is on the receiving end on the majority of my complaints, but I think that he gets that as a guy, his friends arent' going to be like, "dude, you should totally go with candles on the tables instead of flowers" whereas I get ALL KINDS OF INPUT from everyone to my mother,
who is just trying to be lovely and helpful, to the lady who does my eyebrows, who I've met ONCE. Ugh. I try to be patient with people and just smile and say thank you, because a lot of the advice is legit fantastic and I'm grateful for it, as I am grateful for the inspiration, ideas, offers of help, etc. I am GRATEFUL. That being said, I am also tired of talking about the wedding. Meh. And if my coworkers tell me one more time that Jam will never move up here, that we'll never live in the same state and that they'll believe the wedding when they see it, I may scream.This is how I feel about wedding planning and unsolicited advice!!
Ok rant over. I actually have a very peaceful and lovely weekend planned before the madness of June starts. I plan on getting ahead with my crafting, and even do some stealth wedding planning. Maybe even kayak....depending on the cooperation of our difficult New England weather. Anyways, after this ranty bit, I am looking forward to a peaceful couple of days...oh and I think homemade guacamole may be worked into the situation as well. OH and the MARTHA F*CKING STEWART ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CRAFTS! It arrived yesterday. I rubbed it all over my body. Oh and f*cking isn't really in the name, I'm using to emphasize the pure unadulterated awesomeness of this book. It's even alphabetized. OMG. It made me all tingly.
Thank you for reading my boringness :P
I am off to read my book club book while falling asleep. Whilst falling asleep. Can I use whilst? Am I allowed? It's just so lovely.....
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wedding Biz
So I got another one of those emails from OurWeddingDay.com. You know, one of those "you have done no work whatsoever and your wedding day is 1 year, 5 months and 2 days away."
OY.
Some of it sooo doesn't bother me. I was talking to my hairdresser about planning. We agreed that about 80% of the planning cannot be done before the year mark. But then we agreed that the stuff I could have done now, should be settled sooner rather than later. Um, like the church and minister. Kinda important. And the guest list and timing issues. I haven't done it. Hmm.
The nice thing was is that he totally validated the bridesmaid idea, the let's pick one color and have everyone choose a style. He was like 'THANK GOD FOR THAT!' I laughed and asked why he was so emphatic and he told me of a nightmarish wedding he did hair for last summer where the bridesmaids were dressed in floor-length salmon-colored halter dresses. He was like "Ok, honestly, the color sucked. It looked good on one person. But the thing that totally killed it was that the maids were all shapes sizes and skin tones. If the bride had just let them pick the style it would've made a world of difference." The other wedding he did featured lots of turquoise, but he pointed out that choosing a body-type-appropriate maids dress saved the wedding party. So at least that's set. Guess I should probably ask the bridal party formally. Tee hee.
Another thing - I 'trol the wedding blogs regularly, particularly on days like today, where I am grossly overtired, kinda cranky and desperate to stay awake. I looked at one site that is hashing out nail color. This bride is thinking red. I LOVE IT. Don't get me wrong, I adore a nice french manicure (and fake nails) but the truth is in the days marching up to our wedding date, I'm going to be doing a lot of physical sh*t with my hands. They're going to take a beating. One solution would be to get a set of acrylic, but I'm not sure that's my style. I had them for a while and totally loved it....but...what I really want to do is file my nails super-short, sligtly square and rock It's a Doozi, Says Suzi on both toes and fingies.
Ok enough musing for the day. Back to work I go!
OY.
Some of it sooo doesn't bother me. I was talking to my hairdresser about planning. We agreed that about 80% of the planning cannot be done before the year mark. But then we agreed that the stuff I could have done now, should be settled sooner rather than later. Um, like the church and minister. Kinda important. And the guest list and timing issues. I haven't done it. Hmm.
The nice thing was is that he totally validated the bridesmaid idea, the let's pick one color and have everyone choose a style. He was like 'THANK GOD FOR THAT!' I laughed and asked why he was so emphatic and he told me of a nightmarish wedding he did hair for last summer where the bridesmaids were dressed in floor-length salmon-colored halter dresses. He was like "Ok, honestly, the color sucked. It looked good on one person. But the thing that totally killed it was that the maids were all shapes sizes and skin tones. If the bride had just let them pick the style it would've made a world of difference." The other wedding he did featured lots of turquoise, but he pointed out that choosing a body-type-appropriate maids dress saved the wedding party. So at least that's set. Guess I should probably ask the bridal party formally. Tee hee.
Another thing - I 'trol the wedding blogs regularly, particularly on days like today, where I am grossly overtired, kinda cranky and desperate to stay awake. I looked at one site that is hashing out nail color. This bride is thinking red. I LOVE IT. Don't get me wrong, I adore a nice french manicure (and fake nails) but the truth is in the days marching up to our wedding date, I'm going to be doing a lot of physical sh*t with my hands. They're going to take a beating. One solution would be to get a set of acrylic, but I'm not sure that's my style. I had them for a while and totally loved it....but...what I really want to do is file my nails super-short, sligtly square and rock It's a Doozi, Says Suzi on both toes and fingies.
Ok enough musing for the day. Back to work I go!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Hair
One of my favorite movies of all time....probably my absolute number one favorite movie of all time, is "Out of Africa." Yes, I know it celebrates colonialism and the British stronghold on Africa, and through that the general oppression of black by white, but:
it's awesome. And romantic. And tragic and sad and heartwarming. And utterly devastating. And completely quote-worthy. And my friend David Livingstone Otieno is in it for brief second and that makes me magically happy.
I've only been able to watch it once the whole way through since returning from my four-month stint studying abroad, now six years ago. It evokes intense memories, and while they are almost all good and rich and full of life, they hurt, because I don't know when, if ever, I will get back there, and even if I do, it will never be the same. I was a tourist when I was there, but I was a tourist who lived there. Someone said to me "you can't say you've lived in a place til you've had to shop in a grocery store or pay a bill or go to the bank." I did all of those things, and a lot. I was happy, sad, laughed, cried, got drunk, got injured, threw up, peed in the bush, ate African dust, hugged Kenyan babies, went to church, went to villages, went to marketplaces all while in Kenya; I lived there, more so than I can say for other places where I have spent much more time. I am fairly sure I will never be able to embed myself in a country in that way again. I can't be sure though, and maybe it's that that keeps me going.
While it's hard to sit through the movie, I'm downloading it on iTunes (or trying, it's taking days). I need to get over whatever emotional block I have about watching it and just do it. Something today reminded me of a scene from the movie, thus provoking this topsy-turvy post where I have yet to get to the point. Here it is!
Today I went to get my hair done and had a particularly talented hair-washer-lady. She was a-maz-ing. I leaned back and relaxed for what seemed like the first time in days (I've done something foul to my back, so sitting and standing both suck, but reclining gently was AWESOME.) I kept thinking how having someone else wash your hair is one of the most luxurious things EVER. Yeah, I like a hot stone massage, and appreciate them because I can't do that to myself...I love manis and pedis because I do a bad job. Shampooing isn't exactly something that you need talent to do, and I rarely give it a second thought as I am either exhausted from the days events or still in a haze of sleep when this cleansing ritual occurs in the shower. Having someone else take over is pure heaven.
When "Out of Africa" was being filmed, Sydney Pollack wanted Robert Redford's character, Denys Finch-Hatton, to do something romantic for Meryl Streep's character, Karen Blixen, while on safari. I imagine they went through the host of possibilities, but then someone came up with washing her hair. At this point in the movie, the two have had basically no physical contact, and the hairwashing scene turns out to be intensely romantic and intimate. Of course it's en plein air, with a waterfall and hippos in the background, in the middle of the Mara. And of course Denys is reciting part of the 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' to Karen, a favorite poem of mine, ending with an especially great stanza:
"Farewell, farewell ! but this I tell
To thee, thou Wedding-Guest !
He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast. "
It's pretty damn perfect. Kind of even swoon-worthy. You see that on Karen's face at the end of the scene. Tah-rust me.
I used to think of this often when I was studying abroad. To be honest, I didn't wash my hair a ton, lol. The showers were cold water only, and it was much easier to crouch by the faucet and just douse yourself here and there rather than let your back get wet. We all lamented the moment where you have to face the water, or rather, back into the water, and let the bone-chilling cold hit your back - ugh. I used to think about how nice it would be to find someone who would wash my hair and recite Coleridge to me, but truth be told, there was no one near as sexy as Robert Redford in my program, oh God no, and I think while I may have convinced one of the Kenyan men to give it a go ;) it ultimately would've landed me in a bad situation, or they would've thought it was too ridiculous to even fathom. I was stuck with my cold showers.
It's nice that now that I'm home I can indulge in a shampoo at the salon every once in a while. There may not be hippos, it may not be Kenya, but it is still incredibly delicious. It's not like I can exactly complain.
it's awesome. And romantic. And tragic and sad and heartwarming. And utterly devastating. And completely quote-worthy. And my friend David Livingstone Otieno is in it for brief second and that makes me magically happy.
I've only been able to watch it once the whole way through since returning from my four-month stint studying abroad, now six years ago. It evokes intense memories, and while they are almost all good and rich and full of life, they hurt, because I don't know when, if ever, I will get back there, and even if I do, it will never be the same. I was a tourist when I was there, but I was a tourist who lived there. Someone said to me "you can't say you've lived in a place til you've had to shop in a grocery store or pay a bill or go to the bank." I did all of those things, and a lot. I was happy, sad, laughed, cried, got drunk, got injured, threw up, peed in the bush, ate African dust, hugged Kenyan babies, went to church, went to villages, went to marketplaces all while in Kenya; I lived there, more so than I can say for other places where I have spent much more time. I am fairly sure I will never be able to embed myself in a country in that way again. I can't be sure though, and maybe it's that that keeps me going.
While it's hard to sit through the movie, I'm downloading it on iTunes (or trying, it's taking days). I need to get over whatever emotional block I have about watching it and just do it. Something today reminded me of a scene from the movie, thus provoking this topsy-turvy post where I have yet to get to the point. Here it is!
Today I went to get my hair done and had a particularly talented hair-washer-lady. She was a-maz-ing. I leaned back and relaxed for what seemed like the first time in days (I've done something foul to my back, so sitting and standing both suck, but reclining gently was AWESOME.) I kept thinking how having someone else wash your hair is one of the most luxurious things EVER. Yeah, I like a hot stone massage, and appreciate them because I can't do that to myself...I love manis and pedis because I do a bad job. Shampooing isn't exactly something that you need talent to do, and I rarely give it a second thought as I am either exhausted from the days events or still in a haze of sleep when this cleansing ritual occurs in the shower. Having someone else take over is pure heaven.
When "Out of Africa" was being filmed, Sydney Pollack wanted Robert Redford's character, Denys Finch-Hatton, to do something romantic for Meryl Streep's character, Karen Blixen, while on safari. I imagine they went through the host of possibilities, but then someone came up with washing her hair. At this point in the movie, the two have had basically no physical contact, and the hairwashing scene turns out to be intensely romantic and intimate. Of course it's en plein air, with a waterfall and hippos in the background, in the middle of the Mara. And of course Denys is reciting part of the 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' to Karen, a favorite poem of mine, ending with an especially great stanza:
"Farewell, farewell ! but this I tell
To thee, thou Wedding-Guest !
He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast. "
It's pretty damn perfect. Kind of even swoon-worthy. You see that on Karen's face at the end of the scene. Tah-rust me.
I used to think of this often when I was studying abroad. To be honest, I didn't wash my hair a ton, lol. The showers were cold water only, and it was much easier to crouch by the faucet and just douse yourself here and there rather than let your back get wet. We all lamented the moment where you have to face the water, or rather, back into the water, and let the bone-chilling cold hit your back - ugh. I used to think about how nice it would be to find someone who would wash my hair and recite Coleridge to me, but truth be told, there was no one near as sexy as Robert Redford in my program, oh God no, and I think while I may have convinced one of the Kenyan men to give it a go ;) it ultimately would've landed me in a bad situation, or they would've thought it was too ridiculous to even fathom. I was stuck with my cold showers.
It's nice that now that I'm home I can indulge in a shampoo at the salon every once in a while. There may not be hippos, it may not be Kenya, but it is still incredibly delicious. It's not like I can exactly complain.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Ornithologically Yours
It's spring migraa-aaa-aaaation TIME!
ACK!
My favorite time of the year. Mostly because it is the true sign that summer is coming, yet it's not yet hot and sticky and humidy here in New England.
Yesterday I did a bit of community service with my dad as we joined the great river cleanup in our area. It was the first time my dad would be out and about in his new kayak.
We decided to launch from a local site - normally we drive a few towns away and launch from the mouth of the North/South River, but yesterday we thought we'd try something new. Of course the day started badly....my dear father would not listen to my suggestion on loading the kayaks on the roof of my Subaru (something I've done totally on my own for two years now) and he knocked my boat off the roof. It fell on the grass, but knocked his kayak off balance, falling on the opposite side of the car, the driveway/stonewall side. Instead of trying to steady the kayak on the roof as it slipped, my dad tried to be a superhero and rush to my aid. Ummmm, unless you're Superman, it's not happening, you won't make it to me before my kayak fall. Soooo yes, disaster strikes, the kayak falls on top of him, pushing him to the driveway, and landing on the concrete stonewall. I hear a giant "F*CK" and expect to see a blood-soaked father emerge from below my car. Luckily he was unhurt, the kayak only scratched, and my car only mildly wounded, sans driver's side miror. Oh welllllll. I guess it's good I'm pretty c'est la vie when it comes to cars. What can you do really? Replace the thing and move on. I mean if it kept me from driving I would probably be pisssssed, but I can make it to the train and back without a mirror.
By the time we made it to the canoe launch it was an hour later than the official start time, but it was cool. We met up with a guy with trash bags and were off. Of course it was all I could do to focus on trash and not birds, though most of the trash I focused on was the bird-unfriendly, like fishing line and bobbers and the like. Despite the trash here and there, carried upriver by the tide, the place was a hidden paradise. Unlike the North River, this river is not boat accessible, but just deep enough for canoes and kayaks. It was wide open in some places and surrounded by trees in others, and there was no one else out there, making me feel like we were explorers seeing a place for the first time. It's corny I know, but it was a strong feeling I've rarely felt elsewhere. Kenya maybe. Alaska a teeny little bit - but to find this feeling so close to home? Awesome.
There were hundreds of red-winged blackbirds. We also saw yellow warblers in abundance, several eastern kingbirds, several great blue herons, comorants, an osprey, a rose-breasted grosbeak, a couple of orioles and a common yellowthroat. I'm sure I'm forgetting some as well, and since it wasn't a bird-watching mission, there are species I missed. Next time....this is going to be my new spot:
We came home and relaxed for a while. I cleaned a ton and then took a shower. As I was rubbing lotion all over my naked body, I saw a flash of red go by the window. HOLY CRAP! A scarlet tanager was taking a bath in a puddle left over from car washing in the driveway. I scrambled for my camera, shot a few pics outside the window, then scrambled for a robe and rushed outside. I flew by Jamaal fishwrangling on the couch. 
He looked at me like "what the HELL are you doing?" uhhhh just taking a picture dear. I got some shots in, but couldn't find my doubler, so they weren't particularly awesome. They're great to me though :)
I then proceeded to have kind of a lousy night. Dinner was fantastic, as I went out with Jam and Amy to a great Asian restaurant. Something disagreed with my stomach in the most foul manner though and let's just say, I spent a looong time in the bathroom. The pain and nausea was so bad I wasn't sure what was even wrong with me. It made me cry and it sucked. I started to wonder if I had something heinous like a bowel obstruction but...yeah, nothing was obstructed (EW). Amy and I are pretty sure I have a nasty food allergy to something in the lettuce wraps - last time I ate at Asian C I threw up afterwards, and everyone blamed it on the alcohol, even though I only had one drink...that time I had also had a mix of food, but it's just too much of a coincidence to have gastrointestinal distress again! b8tches.
Jam was a sweetie and gave me the bed, but I was up early this morning, still queasy as hell. It paid off though because I decided to go sit under a tree in the yard and focus on a small area of the yard. I saw a TON of birds! It was such a productive hour. I don't have any photos because I wanted to try and focus on species ID, and I think that paid off. Here's the roundup:
random seagull
ruby-throated hummingbird
downy woodpecker
northern flicker
eastern kingbird (a first for our yard)
tufted titmouse
black-capped chickadee
house wren
american robin
gray catbird
nashville warbler (a first for me AND our yard and total awesomeness)
yellow-rumped warbler
black and white warbler
common yellowthroat (pure awesomeness, plus he got sooo close)
northern cardinal
american tree sparrow
chipping sparrow
american goldfinch
Eighteen species and all I did was sit on my bum at the base of tree? not to friggin' bad in my opinion. I kind of want to wake up early every day this week and bird before work. It's sad that that can get me out of bed at 6am but work actually wouldn't. ha ha ha. There are some hazards to birding though; during "greet your neighbor" time at church the guy behind me picked an inch-worm out of my hair. LOL. Nature rules.
ETA: def saw a nashville warbler, confirmed that today - also I HEARD a northern parula yesterday but didn't see one......I will track it down.
ACK!
My favorite time of the year. Mostly because it is the true sign that summer is coming, yet it's not yet hot and sticky and humidy here in New England.
Yesterday I did a bit of community service with my dad as we joined the great river cleanup in our area. It was the first time my dad would be out and about in his new kayak.
We decided to launch from a local site - normally we drive a few towns away and launch from the mouth of the North/South River, but yesterday we thought we'd try something new. Of course the day started badly....my dear father would not listen to my suggestion on loading the kayaks on the roof of my Subaru (something I've done totally on my own for two years now) and he knocked my boat off the roof. It fell on the grass, but knocked his kayak off balance, falling on the opposite side of the car, the driveway/stonewall side. Instead of trying to steady the kayak on the roof as it slipped, my dad tried to be a superhero and rush to my aid. Ummmm, unless you're Superman, it's not happening, you won't make it to me before my kayak fall. Soooo yes, disaster strikes, the kayak falls on top of him, pushing him to the driveway, and landing on the concrete stonewall. I hear a giant "F*CK" and expect to see a blood-soaked father emerge from below my car. Luckily he was unhurt, the kayak only scratched, and my car only mildly wounded, sans driver's side miror. Oh welllllll. I guess it's good I'm pretty c'est la vie when it comes to cars. What can you do really? Replace the thing and move on. I mean if it kept me from driving I would probably be pisssssed, but I can make it to the train and back without a mirror.
By the time we made it to the canoe launch it was an hour later than the official start time, but it was cool. We met up with a guy with trash bags and were off. Of course it was all I could do to focus on trash and not birds, though most of the trash I focused on was the bird-unfriendly, like fishing line and bobbers and the like. Despite the trash here and there, carried upriver by the tide, the place was a hidden paradise. Unlike the North River, this river is not boat accessible, but just deep enough for canoes and kayaks. It was wide open in some places and surrounded by trees in others, and there was no one else out there, making me feel like we were explorers seeing a place for the first time. It's corny I know, but it was a strong feeling I've rarely felt elsewhere. Kenya maybe. Alaska a teeny little bit - but to find this feeling so close to home? Awesome.
There were hundreds of red-winged blackbirds. We also saw yellow warblers in abundance, several eastern kingbirds, several great blue herons, comorants, an osprey, a rose-breasted grosbeak, a couple of orioles and a common yellowthroat. I'm sure I'm forgetting some as well, and since it wasn't a bird-watching mission, there are species I missed. Next time....this is going to be my new spot:
We came home and relaxed for a while. I cleaned a ton and then took a shower. As I was rubbing lotion all over my naked body, I saw a flash of red go by the window. HOLY CRAP! A scarlet tanager was taking a bath in a puddle left over from car washing in the driveway. I scrambled for my camera, shot a few pics outside the window, then scrambled for a robe and rushed outside. I flew by Jamaal fishwrangling on the couch. 
He looked at me like "what the HELL are you doing?" uhhhh just taking a picture dear. I got some shots in, but couldn't find my doubler, so they weren't particularly awesome. They're great to me though :)
I then proceeded to have kind of a lousy night. Dinner was fantastic, as I went out with Jam and Amy to a great Asian restaurant. Something disagreed with my stomach in the most foul manner though and let's just say, I spent a looong time in the bathroom. The pain and nausea was so bad I wasn't sure what was even wrong with me. It made me cry and it sucked. I started to wonder if I had something heinous like a bowel obstruction but...yeah, nothing was obstructed (EW). Amy and I are pretty sure I have a nasty food allergy to something in the lettuce wraps - last time I ate at Asian C I threw up afterwards, and everyone blamed it on the alcohol, even though I only had one drink...that time I had also had a mix of food, but it's just too much of a coincidence to have gastrointestinal distress again! b8tches.
Jam was a sweetie and gave me the bed, but I was up early this morning, still queasy as hell. It paid off though because I decided to go sit under a tree in the yard and focus on a small area of the yard. I saw a TON of birds! It was such a productive hour. I don't have any photos because I wanted to try and focus on species ID, and I think that paid off. Here's the roundup:
random seagull
ruby-throated hummingbird
downy woodpecker
northern flicker
eastern kingbird (a first for our yard)
tufted titmouse
black-capped chickadee
house wren
american robin
gray catbird
nashville warbler (a first for me AND our yard and total awesomeness)
yellow-rumped warbler
black and white warbler
common yellowthroat (pure awesomeness, plus he got sooo close)
northern cardinal
american tree sparrow
chipping sparrow
american goldfinch
Eighteen species and all I did was sit on my bum at the base of tree? not to friggin' bad in my opinion. I kind of want to wake up early every day this week and bird before work. It's sad that that can get me out of bed at 6am but work actually wouldn't. ha ha ha. There are some hazards to birding though; during "greet your neighbor" time at church the guy behind me picked an inch-worm out of my hair. LOL. Nature rules.
ETA: def saw a nashville warbler, confirmed that today - also I HEARD a northern parula yesterday but didn't see one......I will track it down.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Unamusing When the Alarm Is Going Off in Five Hours and Twenty Minutes
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Last night at Babson, Jam and I were roused by the fire alarm. Was I totally asleep? No. Was I seriously thinking about it? Yes. But then I had to get up, find a fleece, put on non-see-through pants over my jammies (btw we knew at least our part of the building wasn't burning, thus the taking time to put on pants. Otherwise I would have no qualms about running out nekkid). Then I sat on a stonewall outside the exec conference center and watched the firemen assess the situation. I figured it would be ok when the hook and ladder sped off campus with lights and sirens blaring, going to a "real call." Needless to say 5:20 came around obscenely early, but Jam gave me 20 extra minutes (awesomeness). Plus it's freakin' glorious out! I thought it was supposed to rain forever! It's sunny and nice and the birds are singing and the trees are blooming - can't complain too much ;)
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