salty.mess.

This is the hat I wear when I go running. Notice the salt rings (they continue all the way around). Because my hair is long enough to get in my eyes and face, but too short to really pull back, this is what I'm left with. I love it. Clearly. However, I have standards, and can't continue to wear this when it's so obviously disgusting. It's in the wash right now. Hopefully when it comes out, it's a happier, cleaner hat. Then it can go back to mopping the sweat of my head.

clean.clean!

I cleaned the bathroom today. It didn't really look that bad, but once I started scrubbing, it quickly became apparent how grubby it was. I scrubbed the walls (they're all tile) from top to bottom, then the sink, toilet, tub and floor. It took an hour and forty-five minutes. But now it sparkles- literally, it sparkles!

movement.

I had my meeting with the child life specialist at children's hospital yesterday. Due to hippa, I couldn't actually shadow her, but I spent an hour and a half with her, talking, touring, and asking questions. It was fantastic. I got a much better idea of what it will be like, and even got info on the master's program. Now I just have to get all my references, immunizations, etc in to the volunteer office so I can get started on my 100 hours before april.

cooking.night...

...at andrea's. Taking our queue from my brother and his friends, we've instituted a monthly cooking night. Tonight was the first one, and andrea was brave enough to host. The plan was for each of us (andrea, nora and me) to pick a recipe, bring the ingredients for it, and all cook together. Dali joined us last minute, which was good because she was my sous chef. Being fall, our menu was centered around cool weather treats and ingredients. Nora made a fig and plum flognarde (her and it bottom left), andrea a potato something-or-other (I'll add the name in here once I get it from her (got it! It was a salmon, leek, and red potato gratin, with horseradish-dill crumbs)), and I made the sweet potato soup with caramelized onions from the "new england soup factory" cookbook. That's dali and me peeling the sweet potatoes up there, and andrea taking a big spoonful of it over there. Cooking with a bunch of other people made the whole process so much more enjoyable, despite the fact that our nice fall night was actually 92 degrees, and probably much hotter in a third floor apartment with the stove and oven on. Andrea joked that we really sweated over this meal! Everything came out great, and we're already planning our next meal at nora's house. Hopefully it won't be even hotter next month!

they're.done.

Kind of makes your mouth water, huh?

cookies.

Today I used my birthday present for the first time. I've been trying to come up with a brilliant concoction to mix up in it, but finally decided to stick with what I know. In this case, I chose "good-luck cookies," a delicious gingersnapish cookie that my mom's famous for. They're fabulous- soft and chewy with a little sugar on the top (literally), and the one cookie of hers that I can replicate very well. Surprisingly, we had most of the ingredients thanks to our last grocery trip and jen's spice collection, so I only had to pick up molasses. I have to say, one of my favorite functions on this mixer is the "stir" setting. Instead of turning it on low and having the flour fly all over the place, you can turn it on stir and it does just that; stirs the ingredients together until they're slightly mixed. Then you turn it up to mix them thoroughly, and the flour stays where it's supposed to be. You don't even need the handy bowl guard. They're in the fridge chilling for an hour or so, and then I'll roll them and cook them. If you're lucky, you might just get a few!

new.tv.

It's season premiere week! I just spent fifteen minutes looking at tv.com to figure out what shows to tivo. With all the new ones, it's hard to pick which are tivo worthy. I missed out last year, and didn't get into heroes. The year before, it was lost (I spent two days watching the entire first season to catch up). So hopefully I won't miss out on the hot show this year. The good news is that jen likes most of the same shows I do, so there aren't many conflicts. Plus, I managed to set the tivo up so we can watch one channel and tivo another. Phew.

i.love.boston...

..I love boston, I love boston. I know there are plenty of other wonderful places on this planet, but I can't imagine not living here. Today was beautiful. I forced myself to watch "citizen kane" this morning since I netflixed it and have had it for more than a month. I was distracted, so couldn't even give it a fair chance. Once that was over, I knew I had to get outside. I realized (at 12 noon) that boston parks and recreation was doing a watercolor workshop at the public gardens from 12-2. I'd brought the girls to some other workshops, and we really liked anita, an older woman who was pretty much in charge. She'd mentioned doing the watercolor workshop, so I decided to show up down there. I didn't make it until 1, but then spent a full hour and a half painting away. Anita introduced me to some of the other painters (there were probably 40 total, all spread out across one side of the park) and gave me some techniques to try out. Despite my lack of painting talent, I managed to leave with a decent interpretation of trees, the duck pond, and a lamp post. Plus, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I'd brought my current book (water for elephants, which is fantastic!!!) and a blanket, so I walked over to the common and spread out to read for a bit. Everyone was out and about, smiling and happy. I made a concerted effort to walk slowly and really appreciate the city and its people. I love boston!

toothpaste.

I had a sleepover with four little friends last night. I brought my overnight gear, but forgot that I'd finished off the toothpaste in my toiletry kit. So when I went to brush my teeth, I had to use colgate kids toothpaste in bubble fruit flavor. It might have been better to leave the fuzz on my teeth. That stuff is nasty.

fire.hazard.

Last night was the first night we used our "new" grill. It's technically my sister's that she bought used off of someone else and then used for her last year of college. I was in no situation to throw away a couple hundred bucks on a new grill, and despite its ragged exterior and having to light it with a match, hers works beautifully. Since it's on our second story porch, I was a little wary lighting it and leaving it alone (in case it exploded into a huge ball of fire), so I sat outside with a beer and a book, and enjoyed watching our neighbors through their windows. The chicken was delicious- I marinated it in dijon (I love dijon!) and random spices (since we haven't built up a good supply yet) and it was perfect- juicy, flavorful, and best of all, left no pans to clean up after!

out.of.paint.

Another productive morning for me. I woke up with the birds, went to the gym to run, returned some stuff at one store and picked up paint at another. The paint was for the back hall- the one "room" we'd yet to paint. We had about 1/3 of a gallon left from the front hall (which is the same color) and I convinced myself we could get away with getting only 1 quart extra since the back hall's smaller than the front. Oops. I was literally scraping the bottom of the can even though I was stingy with the roller. I had to paint a two foot by seven foot strip with a paintbrush since I'd bled the roller dry and had no more paint to give it. I got the paintbrush paint from the grooves in the rolling tray, and the edges of the can. The hall will definitely need a second coat, but I can tell you this much, it ain't happening anytime soon.

addiction?

It's probably because I have significantly more free time, but I find myself checking my favorite blogs over and over again throughout the day. This is disappointing because no one (not even me) updates their blog that frequently. Coupled with the fact that the less often updated blogs have all been updated recently, I'm left with a nagging sense of disappointment every time I check in. If I'm lucky, there will be some new comments somewhere that amuse me briefly, but then I'm left with nothing to read. I think it's an addiction.

lost.

I guess not enough of you read my last post in time. You'll have to work extra hard on friday.

sox.

The red sox need to step it up. Right now, we're in the top of the 8th, and it's 2-1 blue jays. The stupid yankees are also in the 8th, and it's also 2-1, but they're on top. If we lose, and they win, we'll only be 1.5 games ahead of them. That's unacceptable. So cross your fingers or send them some good thoughts (or prayers, if that's your thing). Whatever it takes to get them out of this slump and back to the kick a** team they are. Thanks.

clinique.again.

Check your makeup stash and see what needs replenishing. Clinique bonus time is at macy's from october 7th-21st. Find yours here.

just.my.luck.

On saturday, jen and I spent the entire day doing errands. Container store (which I'd love to work at because it's my idea of heaven), crate and barrel, sur la table, radio shack, old navy, tj maxx, best buy, you do it electronics, new england soup factory, filene's basement, new england mobile book fair, joann's fabric, and roche brothers. We started at 10:30am, and didn't get home until 5:30. It was a long day, but we managed to pick up most of the random stuff you need in a new apartment. At the grocery store, we grabbed a toilet bowl brush, and jen asked if we should get a plunger. "No," I said, "let's just deal with that later." I figured we could get it cheaper at target or something, plus, how often do you need a plunger, once every three years? Because the universe likes to mess with me, the toilet wouldn't flush right tonight, so I found myself back at roche brothers, picking up the very plunger we'd debated only three days ago.

unemployment.is.great.

Today was my first day of unemployment. I have to say, it was quite nice! I managed to accomplish a bunch of stuff including; painting five of the eight dining room chairs (they take forever to paint. I hate it.), washing all the window sills which were filthy, sewing the pillows and shelf panel, e-mailing the woman in the child life dept at children's to set up a meeting, and bringing down tons of cardboard boxes, tubes, and trash for trash pickup tomorrow. I also hung out with our little neighbor theo for four hours. He slept most of the time, and smiled at me when he wasn't sleeping. Not a bad day! If I could afford to not work for three months, I think I could get a lot done.

autumn.braising.

Today was cooking class number 1- autumn braising. I picked andrea up at 9:45, and made it to the atrium a few minutes before 10. Since the mall doesn't open until 11am, we got a top level parking spot- pretty rare these days. In my head, I'd pictured the cooking class as a small affair- maybe 10-15 people, all clustered around a cooking surface taking turns trying out new techniques. In reality, there were 27 people, and while we were all clustered around the in-store stove and prep area, we were observing, not physically cooking ourselves. The cook was finishing up the sampler of chicken cacciatore which braised while we learned (and which we ate at the end) and then started in on a basic info session about braising tools, pots, etc. Though a tad unprepared (they were printing out our syllabi (and her notes) when they opened the doors, so she wasn't as fluid in her descriptions, etc) she was certainly knowledgeable, and answered the many questions without complaint. She showed us how to butcher a whole chicken (which was great!) and then went through the whole act of braising. My stomach rumbled as the time ticked by and the air filled with good smells. We wrapped it up with a plate of the braised cacciatore at 11:30, and then zipped over to bookclub for our noon meeting. I'm excited for the next class on knives. Apparently I need some lessons.

platelets.

So I tried to donate platelets yesterday after a two month hiatus. It was the first time in a very long time (I'm talking years here- like three or four years) that I was able to check off "no" to the question "in the past 8 weeks, have you donated blood, platelets or plasma?" In all honesty, it made me a little sad. But what matters now is that I'm back, and will still be able to make the limit of 24 donations in a year. Apparently my veins weren't happy about the 2 month break either, and weren't as cooperative as they could have been. My return line went in like butter (if there's a problem, it's usually with the return) but the draw line wasn't so cooperative. The first person to try missed, and tried to dig around a little for the vein. Then she handed it off to the woman who got my return line. She couldn't find it either. They finally called in bev- one of my fail-safe techs. She moved, twisted, pushed in, and drew back the needle, and finally got some return. They started to run the machine, but couldn't get enough access pressure, and eventually had to pull out and move me to another machine (you can't attach another draw needle and keep it all sterile, so they have to chuck the entire kit (which runs them about $125)). I have another good vein in my draw arm, so lisa went for that one, and although she picked it up easily, there wasn't great pressure either, and it kept pausing the machine. After poking and twisting and repositioning that one, they eventually pulled it out too and called it a day. Despite all the poking and prodding, there only seemed like there would be one place where I'd have a little bruise. Last night I was noticing that my arm was sore, and just wrote it off to the rough day it had. But when I looked closer, it looked swollen, and looked like there was a bruise down my arm along the inside vein. When I woke up this morning, it was definitely bruised, but in a strange pattern. Kind of all along a vein in an area that wasn't really messed around with. Now it's all the way down my arm about two inches away from my palm. It's still swollen, and makes a hollow sound when I scratch any part of my inside arm. I'm no stranger to bruises, and consider them par for the course, but this one worries me a little more then normal. I guess I'll have to keep up with my every two week schedule from now on so my veins cooperate more. Little stinkers.

pictures!

I know I promised apartment pictures a while ago, but nora, andrea and et#1 were coming over tonight, and I thought I owed it to them to see the place first hand before showing everyone pictures. They saw it and liked it (so they say), so now I'm posting them for the rest of you to check out. There's a lot more where these came from on flickr. Feel free to browse, and keep in mind that it's not done yet. Still some futon recovering, taking trash out, hanging pictures up, etc to be done. So don't judge harshly. Here we have my bedroom, the living room, kitchen, and porch (with the beautiful plant my mom got us as a housewarming gift!) I'll do a separate post with the dining room table photos. I want to get some my mom took of the process first.

comfortable.

Today was a ballet day, and I was sitting in the waiting area with e for two hours while m and l had lessons and did homework. I spent the entire two hours talking with a mom I've known for a while, and whom I really like. We talked about my plans for work (friday's my last day with the girls, and then I'm officially unemployed for a bit), and she gave me some ideas. Then she told me that I'm every parents ideal nanny, something I've heard before, but have always taken with a grain of salt (usually it's from someone who likes me, so hopefully they'd think I was doing a good job!). Her word to describe me was "comfortable," as in I'm comfortable in any situation (gym class or cocktail party), with any person (kid, grown-up, school administrator) and am outgoing enough to make others feel comfortable too. It was one of the nicest compliments I've ever received, and it drove home the fact that the b's were lucky to have me all those years (just like my mom always said!), and that most nannys aren't as "comfortable" as I am. It put a smile on my face for the rest of the day, and made me realize how easy it is to make someones day. I'm going to try to compliment people more, but not in an overdone, false way.

for.nora.

This is a post specifically for nora. You need to make an account so you can comment on my blog. I know you read it daily, and it's really easy to do. Then you can comment instead of e-mailing me things. My aunt even did it, and she's not of our generation. So go ahead. Register and comment away!

i.feel.so.grown.up.

I just signed up for three technique classes at williams-sonoma. They're offered free, and cover a bunch of topics. Here are the three I'm doing:

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 Autumn Braising
Braising is the ideal cooking method as the cooler weather sets in as it provides delicious, robust meals with minimum effort. Master the technique of braising and learn delicious ways to use it from tough cuts of meat, to whole chickens and even fruit.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14 Knife Skills
Kitchen cutlery is redefined by each generation of cooks. Knowing which knife to use, how to hold it and the proper way to slice, dice and chop are some of the basics this class will cover.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 Pie Crust Essentials
In preparation for the holidays, master the art of making beautiful pie crust each and every time. Learn the techniques involved, baker’s tips for success and the tools necessary to create delicious pie crust. This step-by-step instruction will guide you through the process and have you ready for your holiday pie-baking.

They're from 10-11 on sunday mornings, and there's limited space, so if anyone wants to do them with me, call now. (I'm going to the chestnut hill one.)

julie.wins.

I got my first piece of mail today, and it was from my lovely sister julie. Now I kind of feel bad about not sending her anything in california. I've never been good with the us post office. I'll go so far as to buy the card, write it out, even stamp it, but never mail it. I must have some sort of mental block about it. Maybe I had a bad experience in a post office in my early childhood that I've buried in my subconscious. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Either way, I need to get over this fear and put together some little package for my poor volunteer sister. Just don't hold your breath julie.

groggy.

Recently I've been writing my blog posts so late at night (one, maybe two am (and I change the time so the date's correct)) that I often nod off as I'm writing. Literally- I fall asleep and jerk awake a few seconds later wondering what happened. Generally I write my entry, and then read over it to make sure I didn't completely mess something up. However, since I'm recently exhausted after nights of painting and unpacking, I'm lucky to write the darn thing and end up with it somewhat comprehensible. Many times, I don't even remember what I wrote, and am amused the next day when I read it. For example, I wrote a post of lost items a few days ago, and didn't remember adding the part about the million dollar check until julie commented about it and nora e-mailed asking about it. I'm thinking that I should start going to sleep earlier. Tonight it's actually early- 11:48pm, and I'm ready to sleep. No turning back the clock for me!

yay.mom!

My mom finished her last class for her masters in teaching today. She's been a 5th grade teacher for years, and decided to join the rest of us college/grad school kids and get her masters because she "just loves learning" (or something to that effect). I'm not sure how much she loved writing papers and researching stuff, but as she said, she'll never have to do it again. With julie (and now my mom) done with school, there's just one kid left to pay for, and he's in his last year. They're not going to know what to do when everyone's out. Maybe I should volunteer to go back for another degree on their dime- just to help them out of course. Congratulations mom!

p.s.

I found my camera in a brown paper bag. I'll take some pictures and post them tomorrow- or today as it's 1:10am right now. Okay. Goodnight.

lumber.aisle.

I just remembered a funny story that I meant to blog about last weekend. Here goes:

My dad and I were at home depot picking up wood for the table legs. He was standing by the cart while I was looking for the best pieces. This guy and his girlfriend (or wife, but probably girlfriend) came walking up the aisle. He was a pretty macho looking guy- solid, strong jaw, a little stubble going on, you know the type. She was a cute girl. They were both late 20's, early 30's. He was computing how long of a piece he needed, and came up with ten feet. He asked out loud (and directed it at himself, his girlfriend, my dad, and me) how many inches were in ten feet. I answered "120" and he clearly felt like an idiot. He joked about it briefly, and then his girlfriend must have been busting his balls, because as they walked away, he said "don't emasculate me in the lumber aisle" loud enough for all of us to hear. We all cracked up.

stitch.free.

I got my stitches out today. They were really tight, so my doctor had to dig a little to pull them out enough to snip them. That was fun. On the upside, I left with a free* pair of little scissors and tweezers since they only use them once and then throw them away. Sometimes sanitary medical practices can be so wasteful.

*After a $15 copay and whatever ridiculous sum they bill the insurance company

alone.time.

The camera's still missing, so no pictures yet. If I had it, I'd take a picture of our cute porch. It's small because it's the roof of the entry porch, but we can't wait to get a grill out there and shovel snow out of our way to cook. The landlord and his wife just had new flooring put down, and also had some guy build an extension to the railing since the existing one was too short according to new codes. Today they were both out there discussing paint, and one of the 4 year old twins locked them outside. When I found them, they were trying to get someones attention with no luck. I guess it's good that the girls have school and I was hanging around the apartment trying to get stuff done.

phantom.limb.

I'm having a similar experience, but not with a limb. Now that I'm occasionally wearing contacts, I'm apparently missing my glasses. Not only do I reach to take them off before a shower or when I'm applying makeup, but I swear I actually feel them putting pressure on my nose. Even though they're light, my glasses (when I wear them) tend to rest on the bridge of my nose in a way that can be uncomfortable. I generally squish my nose or push them up slightly to relieve this pressure. It's sad now when I feel that same pressure, but can't do anything about it. Maybe it will go away once I'm used to the contacts.

vote.now.

Guys. I have google stats on this blog. I know how many of you are coming here to read about my fabulous life (hah!). Yet, the poll over on the right is seriously lacking in the vote department. Only six people (and I had to vote for my mom) actually voted. You have three days left, so get cracking. If there's less than 10 people. then I'll just pick myself.

mix.up.

Since I built my own dining room table, that meant I had no chairs. In keeping with the "build stuff out of trash to save money" theme, I started picking wooden chairs up at thrift stores for $3.99. I had two, bought three, and still needed three more to make eight.
Today was trash day. Since I'm traveling to the b's house instead of just rolling out of bed at eight, I was outside before the trash men came. As luck would have it, our neighbors were getting rid of three perfectly good chairs. They were exactly what I was looking for- wooden, all different, and funky cool. I snatched them before someone else did, and then zipped to home depot for the color. My theory was that if I got eight completely different chairs, and then painted them all the same color (something daring enough to make them cool instead of blah), they'd all sort of "go."
We got to home depot, and after some hemming and hawing, I picked out a deep eggplant color (the color I'd been drawn to from the start). It'll go well with the paper bag brown in the dining room, but still pop enough to contrast with the blues of the kitchen and living room. I wanted high gloss (to further proclaim "I'm cool!" to anyone who sits on it) and the nice paint guy entered in the info and went off to retrieve a gallon. He slapped the label on it, opened it up to add the color, and found not white, but bright blue paint inside. He guessed that someone had put it in the wrong place, and went back to get another gallon. This time it was bright pink. The third time he tried it was bright blue again. I was tempted to guess that he was the one confused, and was picking them up from the wrong spot. The fourth gallon he brought back was from a different box in the back of the shelf- not somewhere a mixed up gallon would have landed. He asked the girls what color they thought it would be, and L said orange. She was correct. It was so unimaginable that we couldn't do anything but laugh. The paint guy thinks the company made the mistake since the fourth gallon was from somewhere no one else could really mix up. We were running tight on time, so I had him color match the paint swatch and make it in a different brand. How often does this happen??

what.a.mess.

My camera is missing in the mess, so I'm unable to take pictures of our new place. Sad. I really need to get things settled so I can find stuff. Also missing? My tweezers, the small hammer, dental floss, and my million dollar check, just to name a few.

home.

Today was the final big move day. I specify "big", because while there will be no more large pieces of furniture and back and forth trips, there will be many more "little" move days this coming week. My lovely parents helped me out (and swore that if I ever move again, I better hire movers) and we made a huge dent in what I have left to move. The tv cabinet made it out in several pieces, but is put back together and ready for the tv, tivo, dvd, etc. I also built our dining room table, but will do a separate post about that once I get some pictures to illustrate. Right now, I'm sitting in bed in my new room, ready for my first night in a new place in over seven years. Crazy.

vote.for.pedro.

Per the hose's example, I've added a poll to the sidebar section. The question is this- we have an extra room in our apartment. It's about 7 feet by 11 feet, and is off of the kitchen. Right now it's home to the piano and rug, and soon to be home to a comfy chair, small table and bookshelf (which is home to a ton of music books and reading books). We're (oh alright..), I'm trying to come up for a good name for this room. In my current place, I have an extra room, and it's called "julie's room" because she's the one who slept in it the most. I've been practicing with the options listed, but haven't pinned it down to one yet. So pick the one you like the best and vote for it. If you have a better idea, post it as a comment, and then people can vote for it too.

our.paint.is.magic.

We made huge progress on the painting front today. I was supposed to be in acton building the dining room table, but thanks to my finger mishap, that didn't happen. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be ready for it. Since there was no building, I was able to meet jen and tom and libby at the apartment for some serious work. There are nine rooms in our apartment; the three bedrooms, the kitchen, dining room, living room, front hall, back hall, and bonus room (there will be a future post discussing this room in more detail). We'd done the three bedrooms this past week, and I'd started the kitchen last night. Today we finished the kitchen, the front hall, the living room, and the bonus room. So that leaves two rooms to be painted, hopefully on monday! Our apartment is usually super sunny. So when it got dark, and we were still there at 11pm, we noticed how different the paint looked. The kitchen, which is a grayish blue (remember- magazine gray?) looked very dark, and almost greenish later in the day. The bonus room and living room which are both a lighter version of magazine gray, looked much darker as well. We decided that our paint is magic, and changes like a chameleon. Now you see me, now you