bowl.baby.

After most of the kids moved out of my parents' house, one of our yearly christmas presents was a family outing to a show (lion king, etc), grabbing dinner beforehand. This was mostly because we didn't see each other as much as we'd like, so it was a nice way to combine the present and the quality time. Two years ago, instead of going to a show, we were blindfolded and driven (not really blindfolded, but may as well have been) to a mystery location. We were all guesses for a while there, but without success. Our first stop was at a little italian restaurant someone had recommended. From there, we drove another 20 mins until it was obvious where we were going...bowling! We had such a fantastic time that it's become our new tradition. While the shows were fun, bowling lets us talk and be competitive (kids against grown-ups) which all of us, our mom in particular, loves. This year, i had the best three games of my life. The first round the four kids totaled 503, and i pulled my highest score yet- 147! I felt bad since kevin also hit his highest of 135, but still lost to me. The second round i had 109, and my final was 117. I considered becoming a professional bowler- purchasing the ball, the shoes, etc.- it could be fun! Then brian pointed out how you can always tell the professionals from the every-once-in-a-whilers because they're in peak physical form. Case in point, the beer bellied fellow next to us who was clearly in need of a personal hygiene class. He got strike after strike and even showed my mom how to hit some buttons on the computer to show her the best angle to bowl the remaining pins. He also talked excitedly about his upcoming trip to vegas for some bowling thing. Maybe i'm better off sticking with my current schedule of once yearly bowling.

pop.pop.

The kids' christmas present to my mom and aunt was tickets for the whole family to go to the pops. We got my dad something else since tickets to the pops probably weren't on his list. I'm not a fan of plain old unwrapping of tickets, so i made the two of them go on a hunt to find their present. We wrapped an index card telling them to "find 14 out of place items on the tree and unscramble to reveal the location of clue number 2." The out of place items were letters cut from magazines. After a little while (and some hints), they came up with this:

Clue number 2 had a music staff with notes spelling out "dad face." It took us a while to come up with this since there are only 7 letters in the music alphabet. After rubbing my dad's face for a bit, they found clue 3 on the back of a photo of their father. That sent them to the backgammon game in which the tickets were hidden. So much more fun than wrapping them in a box!
As for the pops, they were fantastic! It had been several years since i'd last gone, and i forgot how much i liked it! This might have to become another yearly present! Here we all are...

kids.night.

Every year, when julie and brian fly back for christmas, the four of us try to get in some "kid time." The first year it consisted of a day in boston- shopping on newbury, walking through the garden, and grabbing lunch. More recently, it's involved going out to a few bars one night. This year (thanks to brian's canceled flight eventually getting him in at 5am christmas morning), we had limited free nights. Friday night we had tickets to the pops, saturday night was family bowling and dinner out, and sunday was julie's birthday. So we managed to get dropped off around 10:30pm after the pops. We hadn't picked a bar in advance, but i was thinking the beehive (or another bar with similar atmosphere) and didn't bother changing in the car like the boys. So when we ended up at the pour house (a dive bar on boylston), i was slightly overdressed in my silk top and pearls. We hung around there for a bit, then walked over to kings for some pool (we'd originally planned to bowl, but reconsidered when we realized we'd be doing the same thing the next night). I hadn't played pool in forever, and it showed! Julie, brian and i were beat (kevin referred to us as "debbie downers") so we took off around 1am and they made their way back to acton. Here are some pictures!

julie.me.kevin.brian.

bad.santa.

concentrating...

brian...

julie.and.kevin...looking tough.

b.o.r.e.d.

One snow day that leaves you stuck inside without anything to do can be a nice break. Two of them in a row= boredom. Sure, there are plenty of things i could be getting done- cleaning, organizing, exercising, wrapping presents. However, i've been putzing around all morning accomplishing little more than the 30 minutes i spent forcing myself to work on hanon and concone piano exercises. My poor left hand has lost considerable strength and speed, so i'm making a concerted effort to practice more. If i had money, i'd sign up for lessons! I just painted some swatches in the "blue room" which will still be called the blue room even when it's not blue anymore. I suppose if i get that painted today, i'll feel more productive. I also want to take the T downtown to see a movie or do some shopping, but don't know that the trek in the cold, wet snow will be worth it. Bah.

my.scars.are.paying.off.

I just got a call from children's, and they nominated me for donor of the month for february! Since i've already reached my limit of 24 platelet donations within 12 months and won't be in there before january 9th, they're e-mailing me some form to answer, and then will submit a writeup in the children's newsletter for february! I also get the bulletin board in the donor center for the month where they'll post a picture of me donating, along with "fun facts" or something. So exciting!

more.pictures...

(Portia put up her own entry with some amusing pictures from my cocktail party. If you want to check it out, click here.)

bookclubs.bookclubs.everywhere.

I'm reading the book snow, by orhan pamuk. I won't lie...it's a little rough. Party because i only have three days to read it (since i refused to read anything other than school work through this past monday), partly because it has teeny tiny print and is over 400 pages, and partly because it's not pulling me in as much as i'd like. Bookclub number 2 meets tomorrow night, and since i can't commit to reading anything once the next semester has started, i'm even more committed to finishing this one so i don't join a new bookclub as the loser who doesn't read. I'll also be able to read the book for bookclub number 1 (the view from castle rock by alice munro) since we'll also meet before the new semester starts. Then i'll be back to being on reading hiatuses from both. The funny thing is that there's yet a 3rd bookclub that i was asked about, but it's still in the hypothetical stages. For some reason, a good number of my fellow graduate students (who apparently don't spend as much time reading school work as i do) were excited about starting our own bookclub. I turned them down flat- i can't keep up with one bookclub and i'm in two. A third would be a disaster. They did suggest that i could take on the roll of advisor, so if this gets up off the ground, maybe i'll hang out while they discuss. Right now though, i have to stop procrastinating and get back to snow.

cocktail.party!

Lots of papers and finals over the past two weeks, but now i'm done, and have time to update this poor neglected blog. First matter of business is my cocktail party. It was one of the best nights i've had in a very long time. I had a total of 31 people, dressed "to the nines" (in portia's words) and the last people didn't leave until close to 1:30am. The battle field the next morning was impressive. 33 empty wine glasses (that were washed, thanks to lauren), plus an empty cabinet where the 12 drinking glasses used to live. Bottles of leftover wine? Zero. Empty bottles of vodka? Two. Pama? One. Seriously depleted rum and whiskey as well. Surprisingly, not much interest in the gin- which is my favorite! We had both fireplaces going and lots of food was eaten. The company could not have been better, and i was happy that my four groups of friends cohabited quite well for the evening. Here are some pictures to share...

Everyone in the kitchen before i convinced them to spread out.

Evil twin#1, nadine, me, andrea.

Portia, me, shirley, laura and jessica.

Eva, lauren, amie, aki, mallory and jessica.

Ben, rob and ed. They were talking about being 2/3 of the party, or something.

Cheers!

i.had.a.nightmare.about.my.cocktail.party.

Next saturday is the long awaited update to my annual "classy gourmet christmas dinner party". Because i've made a few friends over the past year, i chose to host a cocktail party instead. Now i won't worry about leaving special people out, plus, i don't have to stress out over cooking a meal! This is also serving as my "almost done with the semester" treat. I will have finished my four big paper/presentations by then (one of which i should be working on right now), and will have one more last final the following monday. So i'm quite excited about it! I found fancy crystal wine glasses at an undisclosed store for a huge deal, and just finished my handmade ornaments. (Part of my dinner party criteria is that everyone brings a set of handmade ornaments which then get handed out. So we all go home with 10 or so brand new ornaments to hang on the tree! Though i'm not making it a requirement this year since there are a lot more people, and some who i haven't known long enough to feel comfortable enforcing!)

So. Last night i fell asleep, and woke up a short time later very disappointed. In my dream (or nightmare, really), i was welcoming the first four or so guests, and we were sitting around in a bedroom. The next thing i knew, i woke up and realized that everyone else had come and gone, and had a great time without me even knowing they were there. It was so sad! Luckily it was a dream, so i'll be sure not to hang out in a bedroom next week with the first four people to arrive!

first.date.

My friend michelle just forwarded this along to me, and instead of continuing the forward, i figured i'd post it here (since i don't have time to write my own posts). It's supposedly from a tonight show episode (though truth or fiction says it's false) and it was a good break from studying!!

Jay Leno went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman ever had. The winner described her worst first date experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize! She said it was midwinter... snowing and quite cold...and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before. The outing was fun, the skiing great, the coffee hot. The day was uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon. They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte. They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and, to top it off, they were in the middle of nowhere! Her companion recognized her discomfort, and suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while. Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car. They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation. Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender! Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold. Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date's concerns about 'what is taking so long' with a reply that indeed, she was 'freezing her butt off' and in need of some assistance! He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves they assessed her dilemma. Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her bottom off the fender. As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down. Or perhaps that should be 'pants down. "Did you ever see the young man again?" asked Mr. Leno. "I married him," was the reply. "He's sitting right here next to me."

real.bread.

This is my little friend t. He comes and hangs out every so often, and helps me cook (and make beds, and do laundry- he loves that. I'm making him into a great husband for some lucky lady one day). Usually we make soup. He loves eating it, and is freakishly interested in helping me- he knows where i keep everything, and gets all the ingredients i need. He particularly likes getting the garlic and onions. Since we've been cooking soup on a regular basis, i've built up quite a supply in my freezer- probably enough to feed me two meals a day for the entire winter. The last time he was here we decided to try something new...bread. I've obviously made breakfast breads (like banana, etc) but have never tried a "real" bread. (My definition of "real" is any bread that requires yeast, therefore requiring several hours to rise.) It was surprisingly easy, particularly with my lovely kitchen aid, and came out great. Next time we'll attempt something a little more challenging.

marshmallow.

I just uploaded some photos, and found these that i took a week ago. I took them specifically to post, but then forgot, or more likely, didn't have time.
While tishka was visiting, i got the goods to make fondue- one of the main items at our first sleepover. The fondue sucked- it was too liquidy, and i turned the flame up too high and it gave the chocolate a gross burnt flavor. However, this was the only reason i had marshmallows in the cabinet a few days later when i was snuggled in front of the fire. Feeling a little snacky, i went searching for a treat. Upon finding the marshmallows, my first impulse was to pop a couple in my mouth raw. Then i remembered the cozy fire in the other room, and grabbed a skewer. Voila.

drying.up.

Every winter, i dry out a little more. Two years ago it was my face- if i didn't put lotion on right after i washed it, my skin felt uncomfortably tight. Last year it was my body- same thing. Since there are no new areas of skin to dry out, this year it's back to my face. Even with lotion twice a day, it's super dry and itchy. I've been using a combination of clinique dramatically different and cetaphil, but no luck. Still unbelievably dry. I also think i created a skin monster- after using clinque for several years, i tried another lotion and my face was not happy- it flaked and stung like a son-of-a-gun. So, after meeting portia for lunch downtown, i stopped at sephora to check out some new facial moisturizer. I like sephora because they have a million and a half brands, so are able to pick out the best one without pushing a specific brand. My skin expert gave me the entire run down on moisturizers, and basically told me i was too old to be using dramatically different- it's meant for teens and people in their early 20's. Once you get to be 30, you need to step it up. I now have their superdefense dry combo moisturizer. It already feels better- we'll see how it goes after a few days!

i.love.new.friends.

Last night was "girls night in" at portia's. Her husband was out of town on business, so she invited us all over to keep her company. I've been excited about it for weeks, but as it came closer, i realized how ridiculous it was for me to be doing anything other than school work, especially on a weeknight. Luckily, i convinced myself to go over for a few hours as a break from studying. I stopped home to change, and walked over to her place around 7:30. Portia had an impressive spread of tasty treats, and the five of us spent a couple hours talking, eating, and drinking wine. I wasn't ready to leave when two others left, so stayed with portia and shirley for a little longer. When I realized it was 1am, and insisted i needed to get going, they wouldn't let me walk the 3/4 mile home, insisting i'd be raped (which is ridiculous). So i stayed over. Thanks to their peer pressure, i was up until 4:30am. I still managed to set my alarm for 9am, and got 3 hours of studying in before heading off to work. The unfortunate part was that i missed the blueberry muffins. Darn.

chinese.food.

Our home telephone number is one digit different from that of a local chinese restaurant. We've had calls for them for years now, and while sometimes a tad bothersome, we've all adjusted and just give the caller the correct number. A few times a stubborn caller won't listen, and will call back repeatedly. We've definitely taken a few orders over the years. Because the house number is now mainly used for the dsl line, the only calls we get are solicitations and chinese orders- i can predict who it is depending on the timing of the call. Instead of being annoyed by them, i find myself really looking forward to these calls- the chinese food ones, not the solicitations. I've spoken with some very nice people. It makes me feel like i have a little company when i'm all alone.

gargamel.

Do you remember him? And azreal? I'm having serious smurf cravings and have been watching some on youtube. I may even put a smurf dvd on my christmas list. It also reminds me of some of my other favorite shows; he-man and she-ra, thunder cats and danger mouse.

today.was...

...my 100th platelet donation!!!!!! I should have brought my camera and taken pictures to post, but didn't think of it until now. Maybe another time. It's crazy to look at all the scarring on my little veins and know that they've each been poked well over 100 times (with the many no tubes/no product days (when they miss or bruise the vein, or when there's no access pressure) along with regular blood tests). I've probably been stuck around 300 times all in all, though now that they use the new fancy trima machines, it's a one arm procedure instead of two. In my years of donating (my first official donation was 12 years ago, but was at a different hospital so doesn't count towards my 100), i've been successful in recruiting another donor exactly two times. The first was mandy, but that was 12 years ago, so almost doesn't count. The second was my sister- two years ago at thanksgiving. This is a sad number. They probably make fun of me behind my back for showing up alone all the time. I wonder if i could get more people to go if i said i'd count it as my christmas present. Hmmmm.

fatso.and.weirdo.

My brother lives in seattle and has two cats; fatso and weirdo. I think they started off with "real" names that eventually evolved into what they are now. I find the whole situation hilarious. First of all, we never had cats or dogs growing up because of allergies. I myself am allergic to both, but (as you know) have managed to get attached to earl, the cat next door. Other than him, i don't tend to pet animals. I think that pets are to me what kids are to others; you always hear of people who don't like kids, don't know how to deal with them, etc, and as soon as they have their own, they're in love. That's how i'd like to think i'll be with animals. Back to fatso and weirdo. He got them when he lived in austin (they're sisters, i think from a shelter), and moved with them to his new place in seattle. Every so often he'd post photos of one or both of them watching him cooking- just sitting on a chair and peeking over the edge of the table. Cute. Recently, he's been updating his facebook status with messages about them. Hilarious messages which make me laugh so hard i cry. Here are some good ones, the last being my favorite:

Brian: woke up to Fatso meowing like crazy. Found Weirdo wandering around in the grass outside, apparently fallen from the second-story window!!!!

Brian: clarification for the worried: Weirdo is totally fine. She must have fallen ~20 feet, but was quite calm and uninjured, if a bit shaken.

(Note- I recently talked with Brian for a couple hours, and he mentioned that this has happened several times since. Even though he leaves the window shut most of the time and only opens it to vent while cooking. Apparently neither cat is the sharpest tack in the box.)

Brian: put zap collars on cats to keep them out of the kitchen. They're TOTALLY nonplussed, chilling. I tried & it shocked the S**T out of me. WTF?

Brian: cats seem to have grasped "collar beeping = walking into kitchen" & are learning. of course, what they're learning is "must get collar off".

Brian: left laptop open when i left the house; came back to find keys missing. in other news, planning on cat stew for dinner tomorrow.

Boy oh boy. I'm amused over such ridiculous things!

thank.goodness...

...that the best man won. Phew! That's a load off my shoulders. Thanks also to shirley (and rob) for hosting a fantastic election party! And to portia (and ed) for driving me there. I didn't take pictures, or i'd be sure to share. Good night.

trick.or.treat.

Friday night was the first halloween i've spent alone in this house. Usually i'd cover the door while the girls went trick or treating, but never had the responsibility of buying candy and being around to get up and down everytime the bell rang. It was a little sad, but there are some cute kids in our neighborhood, and i was determined not to be the loser house with no decorations and crappy candy. So i stocked up at bj's (we get tons of kids), and bought two pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns. I was planning to build a fire and hang out with some reading after the kids finished, but eva called in the afternoon to see if i wanted to go out later. Fire or bar? I was leaning towards the fire, but told myself i needed to get out and about more, so i told her i'd take the 9:05 bus.
Because i didn't want to try and shower while kids were coming, i hopped in at 5:45, and threw my clothes on so i could answer the door. The first group of kids were probably between the ages of 3 and 6. There were 5 of them. One little girl asked me lots of questions, "Did i have kids?", "Did isabel (the cute 5yr old next door who thinks i'm cool) come over every day to keep me company?" They were all there long enough that the younger kids asked for more candy. As they were leaving, the chatty girl looked at me and said, "you're pretty. I mean, you're beautiful. You're very beautiful." I almost kissed her. Mind you, I was standing there with wet hair and no makeup. I think i might invite this kid over more often.
Over the next two hours i got plenty of exercise running up and down the stairs while i put makeup on and did my hair. I even painted my toenails since i had the time. Towards 8:30, as things slowed down and i got ready to turn the light off and leave, a group of three 8th gradeish girls showed up. One was dressed as a dead bride, and the other two looked pretty punky. They gave me sullen "trick-or-treats," i gave them their candy, and as they turned to walk away, the dead bride paused and said "i like your hairdo." Needless to say, i was in a great mood as i headed out for the night.

g.h.

While i may not be as popular as certain celebrities, my stock has certainly gone up in the ten year old boy category. The mere fact that i could play guitar hero was shocking enough- the fact that i could beat it on hard was enough to create a cult following. So, while i should have been home working, i spent much of this morning playing the aerosmith version of one of my favorite games, and in doing so, transformed myself from the fun thirty year old to the cool thirty year old.

me.on.piano.

Here's another one for my grandmother. This one's galante by enrique granados. It's a bit disappointing- you really can't tell the huge differences in volume which (to me) is what makes this piece special. Parts are pp and other ff, but neither really come across through the record option on my very sophisticated camera! Regardless, here it is.

new.blog!

I just added a link to my friend portia's new blog. She already has a bunch of fancy pictures up there, so go check it out! Click here for now, and the sidebar next time.

how.andrea.and.i.were.almost.killed.by.the.mob.

It was early saturday morning, and we were enjoying a latte (me) and cappuccino with apple tart (andrea) at mike's pastry before heading over to haymarket. We'd picked out a nice table by the window. I had a perfect view of the street, while andrea had a perfect view of me. As i sat there, a car backed up, and just as i thought "he's going to hit that car," he did just that. In his attempt to double park, he scraped up against the drivers side of a parked car. He straightened out his car, and got out to check on the other one. This guy couldn't have looked more mafia if he'd tried. Thick gold chain, some sort of wife beater with a bright blue unzipped jacket with Italia written across the chest in red white and green. I alerted andrea to the goings on, and as we looked to see what he'd do, he looked directly at us and motioned to the car. Doh! We shook our heads and quickly looked away- no way did we want to get involved with this. The next thing we knew, he was heading into mike's. We diverted our eyes, and tried to look busy, worrying that he wanted to see how much we'd witnessed. We must not have seemed worth it, because he left us alone and went for some coffee instead. Phew! What a narrow escape!

cauliflower.and.pears.

I started a new blog http://cauliflowerandpears.blogspot.com/. It's purpose? To act as an online food and exercise diary in hopes of keeping me on track. This is how it'll work. Everyday, i'll keep track of what i eat and what exercise i do. At the end of the day, i'll post it (or maybe just update it throughout the day- not sure what will be best yet) along with the amount of weight i'm down by (which likely won't be significant on a day to day basis). Just the act of keeping track of this stuff is usually enough to keep me going, but i'd also love it if anyone who reads it could give me a hard time if i start to slack- even just by not posting for a day or something. Any suggestions you have would also be great. I somehow managed to gain 4 lbs over the past few weeks (what a surprise!), but i'm still down more than 10 from when evil and i started our last challenge. This is good. I'm starting with a time frame of twelve weeks, so hopefully i'll be more successful than the last three month challenge. The current end date is january 6th, but that doesn't mean i quit then; i just do better breaking things down into specific time periods.

cauliflower.pears.sage.

I made this dish last night for dinner and couldn't have been happier. I won't write the recipe here since it's from a magazine, but it pretty much consists of cauliflower, sage, pears, pine nuts, butter, and a few other spices. I made a half recipe since it's technically a side for thanksgiving, and ate close to the whole thing. I was hungry. Since i don't have the easiest time coming up with names for blogs (not that i have a ton), i picked my new one based on this dish. Delicious.

work.

The front of the house was a little sad looking. Originally, it had mass quantities of overgrown bushes, but i chopped all those down years ago. We threw some grass seed down to cover the bald spots, and that was it. No garden, no trees, no plants...just grass. While i'm great with deconstructing, i'm not the best at gardening. So today i called in the best gardener i know- my mom. She showed up with my brother in tow and the three of us dug a whole new garden and planted about 80 bulbs along with some irises, some kind of sage, and some tall grasses my mom dug out of her garden. It already looks so much better- i can't wait until the spring when things actually start to bloom.
After three hours of digging and planting, they took off and i went down to the basement to start cleaning out the room with the treadmill. It once was an exercise room, but has since been filled with tools, costco purchases, wine, and other random junk. Since i'm recommitting myself to exercise (oh yes, after that pathetic no-win challenge with evil, i'm now up on the horse with a full cardio/weights schedule thanks to my recent visitor), i needed to make sure i had a good place to do it. Four hours later i emerged, grungy and tired, but with a well organized place to work out in. So while i didn't technically exercise today (aside from some brief ab work), i spent 7 hours gardening and cleaning. That's acceptable for now. Tomorrow i'll start my regular routine.

k...

I've been busy. My favorite houseguest is still here (but leaves saturday morning- boo) and we've been hitting the town regularly. Friday night was upstairs on the square and then over to the beehive, saturday was the foundation lounge (fantastic!) at the hotel commonwealth. Two other dinners last week, and sunday we stayed in- cooking dinner and watching a movie in front of the fire. So romantic! Too bad she's a girl. Since i've forgotten how to prioritize, i was finishing my first real research paper last minute, but managed to get it done. Maybe not my best work ever, but not bad. Now i have a little breathing room since classes are canceled for monday, and i have no readings for next thursday. I'm kind of excited. I'm planning to go to the fabric store so i can make new cushions for the kitchen table benches. All of that sitting on them recently (while typing my paper) has made me realize they're not so comfortable anymore.

pack.rat.

E's a pack rat. A huge one. She collects everything from q-tips to old erasers to pieces of paper she's taped together. Not only does she collect this stuff, but she stores it all over the place. You may open a hallway drawer looking for a book and come across a pile of rocks instead. Or find the long missing minivan keys at the bottom of a can of markers. It got to the point where a. needed to draw the line, and instead of making her throw everything away, a decent size tupperware bucket was decorated with her name and placed by the door. Anything e. wanted to save needed to fit in that box. This was quite effective as it allowed her to control what she was going to throw away and what precious pieces of scraps lived in the box.
Recently, i was cleaning out the basement and decided to wash all the coats/snowpants/backpacks that were hanging out down there. Then when i put them away for a while, i know they're all clean. Knowing e. as well as i do, i went through every pocket, zipper pouch, and hood area with a fine tooth comb. In l. and m.'s stuff i found a few tissues. Here's what i found in e.'s:

My personal favorite? The bundle of long q-tips in the bottom right hand corner- tied together with string and a feather, each with their own color of makeup on the tip. Lord. What are they in for when she's a teenager.

company.

I have my first official (more than one night) guest staying with me at my "bunk-n-brew." A friend who moved out of the country is back taking care of some stuff and is staying here for a few weeks. I love it!! Now when i come home from school or work, there's someone to keep me company. It's only been two nights so far, but they've both been great. Last night we went to dinner at one of my favorite local restaurants, and friday we're going out in cambridge. If only i had a rotating group of guests, i'd do this all the time!

i.heart.david.

Today was the day i've been looking forward to for weeks. Three weeks to be precise. I got my hair cut. Though i liked the length, the ends were getting scrappy and kept tickling my neck. At one point i was very close to cutting the two inches off myself. Luckily, i have the best hair stylist in the world, and he didn't let me down. We decided that i've been going to him since 2002 and quite frankly, i don't know what i did before that. So now i have a new cute cut for the fall- i can still pin it back into my favorite updo, but it's much neater and more flattering.
Since i was downtown, eva met me for lunch at my favorite copley area place, the parish cafe, and i got the only thing i ever eat there- the zuni roll. Heavenly.

busy.busy.busy.

Thanks to both facebook and school, this poor blog has been neglected. I'm sorry blog. I do love you. So, i weighed in this morning for the first time in a while, and was down 2.2lbs since last check!!! This puts me 0.6 ahead of evil, though he also hasn't updated in a while so i can only hope i stay ahead. I attribute these 2.2lbs to my lack of free time (including time to eat) and my recent bouts of stress which leave me feeling nauseous and not so interested in eating. Though i did pig out at pirate night on friday. Maybe i'd be down even more if i'd skipped that, but then i wouldn't have found buried treasure.

School's great, though all this reading's killing me. I tend to fall asleep anytime i read anything regardless of the time of day or my actual need for sleep, so put me in front of massive quantities of articles, chapters and books and i start to nod off just looking at them. Aside from that, i love my classes and the people in the program. I made an instant best friend at orientation when i spied an orla kiely bag attached to a girl. The girl's name turned out to be eva. I figured she maybe had one bag, but upon complimenting her on it found out she's just as obsessed as i am, and has even more than me. Wow! After spending an hour at staples copying a binder full of articles for 13 classmates, we went out on saturday night for her birthday. Upon arriving at the bar, eva realized she didn't have her i.d. with her as she'd changed purses earlier in the day. Annoyed at the idea of spending an hour going home and back, she decided to talk her way past the bouncer. Pretty impressive for boston. Needless to say, we stayed at the same bar all night, but had a fantastic time. Here's a picture...

i.need.a.person.

Grad school's great. I love having something i'm working towards, and love making new friends. The big thing that i'm not thrilled with is how abstract most of my classes are. I'm a concrete sequential big time, so the "read a ton of articles and share your point of view" format will take some getting use to. Two of the three courses that i've started (a fourth intensive class won't begin until late october) have several papers/projects/etc to make up the final grade. The third course, cross cultural perspectives on grief (yes, the same one i sat in on last fall), has one big paper that we work on the entire semester. The general idea is to find someone of a different cultural/religious background than ourselves and discuss how they experience grief through this different background (ie- religious ceremonies, cultural norms, etc). We come up with some sort of research question that we then answer by interviewing the subject and doing other background research. I have no clue what i'm doing here. To begin with, i'm not coming up with anyone whose background is different enough from my own that i could write a whole paper on new things i've learned. Second, most people i know of different backgrounds aren't particularly religious and might not follow any strikingly different cultural/religious ceremonies in the instance of death. Though this could be another instance where i feel like a bad person for not having a hugely diverse group of friends only to realize that i'm just so accepting of difference that i don't even recognize it. But still, i need help. If anyone can send me someone who has some interesting cultural norms who isn't a white catholic, i'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

earl.

After a month of ignoring me, my former best friend finally showed up on my doorstep. Literally.


I guess he's been feeling guilty for a week or so because i found him snuggled up in that empty flower pot. I was wondering why there was always dirt on the porch.

to.do.

In case i didn't have enough on my plate, especially with all my new school work, i've been systematically fixing/painting/cleaning/organizing the whole house. This is the first (and hopefully only) time that there's so much i want to do that i can't even keep a list of everything- things keep occurring to me. So instead of keeping a to-do list, i'm making a "done" list. Hopefully when i see how much i've taken care of, it will make the rest of my mental list seem less daunting. I'm adding a new sidebar with everything done so far, and will add to it as i progress. Wish me luck!

road.trip.

Here's a quick (or not so quick) recap from my trip last week.

Day one- the drive:

1. I woke up at 6:30am (after going to sleep at 12:30am) so decided to get an early start. I packed the car and left at 7:15am.
2. I drove for a long time and listened to david sedaris on my ipod.
3. I had a momentary panic attack while driving near buffalo. All of a sudden, there were large signs directing us through customs. I didn't want to go to canada! Luckily, i was just really close, not actually there.
4. Here's a picture of me at the half way point. 5. Here's a picture of the gps at the half way point.
6. I made it to my aunt's house in chicago by 9:30pm their time (10:30pm my time). Total road time? 15hrs, 15 mins including the three gas/bathroom/lunch breaks.

Day two-in chicago:

After a nice leisurely breakfast on the porch (with perfect weather), we took the train downtown and did some tourist stuff. We started with millennium park. Here's a picture of us and the bean (not its actual name, but what my cousins call it). You can see our reflection close to the top of the bean. Then there's one i took of myself on a concave section. I also liked this water fountain thing. They took regular chicago people, videoed them smiling, etc. and played them on the front of this huge fountain. When they purse their lips, water shoots out and all the kids run through. When that stops, water pours out from all over the place- like when you squeeze a sponge. From there we went to the chicago cultural center. They have this amazing tiffany's ceiling that was just rehabbed. The whole building itself was beautiful, and they were going to demo it many years ago. What a waste that would have been! We left there, went to the art institute, and caught the train back home for dinner.

Day three- wisconsin:

Leaving chicago at 9am, i arrived in milwaukee by 10:45, just in time to head out for the lake. We met up with about 21 other people who're long time friends on a.'s family and own a house on a lake 45 mins from milwaukee. Again, the weather was perfect, and we took advantage of it. I went tubing for the second (and third) time in my life, and loved it. I can't wait to go again! They also water ski, but the water was too rough for it that day. Then was a "booze cruise" on the pontoon boat at 5, and a bonfire with s'mores when it got dark. I want to go back.

Day four- wisconsin:

This was the day i've been waiting for...the turtle sundae from kopps. It was so good. So, so, good. Here's a picture of a good 2lbs worth of frozen custard, caramel, fudge, salted pecans, and a cherry. It's a good thing i don't live there or i'd be even more behind evil than i am now! From kopps, we went swimming at their club. I maybe swam off one of those nuts. After a great dinner at a.'s parents' house we watched a movie, etre et avoir. Good for people who like kids or french subtitles. Then off to bed for a very early flight back.

orientation.

Today i, like thousands of small children, headed off for my first day of school. Orientation was a four hour long event that moved along quite well. They even fed us! We started off as a large group, and broke down into smaller ones to focus on the specifics. I met the other thirteen students in my program at this point. They seem like a great bunch (despite not really having a ton of time to talk), though they make me feel old since most are between 22 and 26. My first class is on thursday and the other two are monday. I can't wait! I love school.

road.trip.

In two days i'm driving the pilot 1,071 miles to wisconsin. I can't wait! I'm leaving as early as possible on friday, will drive as much as i'm physically able, and finish it off on saturday (to chicago, that is). Then i'll spend the rest of that day and night with my relatives in the chicago area, and make the 1.5 hr drive to milwaukee on sunday where i'll spend a few days with a.'s family before flying back on tuesday at the crack of dawn. Not only am i pumped to see lots of people i don't see much, but i'm actually excited to spend so much time driving. It's like a self inflicted quiet time. I'll also be working on a playlist for my iPod tonight- please send recommendations. On sunday (and likely monday) i'll be going without food due to the non negotiable kopp's frozen custard turtle sundae i'll be eating. I've been dreaming about it for days. Even if i lose this challenge based solely on eating the turtle sundae, it'd still be worth it. It's sooo good.

table.3.

Saturday was field day- part of andrea's birthday weekend- complete with bbq, games (water balloon toss, egg race, pinata, airplane, etc) and arts and crafts (t-shirt puffy paint decoration and tattoos). I was a tad under the weather, but managed to recover for the best parts- right around 4:30. Et#1 manned the grill and won the competition with the folks at table 4 (despite their lack of knowledge as to any such competition even taking place), andrea practiced cartwheels, ania hung the pinata, nora made the cake, and i sat around enjoying the perfect weather. The fact that five women in their late 20's to early 30's were doing things like bashing a pinata with a plastic golf club didn't seem to faze anyone. In fact, there were so many other people about that we didn't attract too much attention. There was another birthday party for a one year old (that andrea seemed slightly jealous of due to the sheer magnitude of it), large picnic gatherings, a wedding photography session, and what we believe was a quinceanera. Finishing the day off by blowing ashes at the snooty lady next to us was the topping on the cake!

friday.night.

Friday night was an adventure. It was andrea's birthday and she'd made reservations at gaslight. Because it was also restaurant week, we couldn't get reservations until 9:30pm, which turned into 10:10 since the people sitting at our table wouldn't leave. During our 40 mins at the bar (which won us free appetizers- mmm) we met this german guy named t. I'll refer to him as 7 foot tall guy since that's what he was. It's not often i'm surprised by height (being the shortest in my family at 5'9") but this was impressive. The best part was how we met him. The seven of us were grouped around the bar, talking amongst ourselves, and 7 foot tall guy was talking with one of andrea's other friends. All of a sudden, andrea started choking, and 7 foot tall guy flipped her upside down. That's right- in the middle of the bar, wearing a dress, andrea was suddenly suspended with her feet in the air. Not able to get my camera out in time, i made him do it at the next bar just for the sake of the photo. Here's two:


















There are more pictures from the night on my flickr page. Go look.

(*This is my 800th post. Yay blog!)

it's.andrea's.birthday!

Happy Birthday Andrea!!!!!!

it's.my.dad's.birthday.

Happy birthday dad!!!

i.am.a.girl.

I had to use men's deodorant this morning. It was an emergency. I was at my parents' last night and though i'd left my overnight bag there, for some reason, i'd removed my deodorant. So after showering, i rooted around in the kids bathroom cabinets for something promising. No woman's to be found, but there was a bright green men's stick in the bottom drawer. I instinctively closed the bottom drawer, a little concerned about how i'd make it through the day with no deodorant, and then stopped to think about it. What's the worst that could happen from wearing men's deodorant- you smell a little like a boy for a day. Much better than the alternative of smelling like b.o. What i didn't anticipate was liking the scent so much. It's a little concerning when you're smelling your own armpits several times a day.
On a related note, i bought myself new running socks. My old ones were ratty old cotton ones, so i figured it was time to throw them out and buy a few packs of new ones. I don't like the really thin ones (which seem to be the norm these days) but i found nice cushiony under armour cotton free socks that are perfect. The related part? They're men's. Should i be concerned?

my.new.favorite.spot.

There's a 2nd floor porch off of a and p's room that no one has ever really used (except the dogs, who've been in heaven for many years now). The screens were destroyed, so two sides are basically open. I've always thought this was a shame, but the house is big enough that there are other areas (including a porch with actual screens off the dining room) to be used and appreciated. During one of my recent unpacking kicks, i considered what to do with some extra furniture i had sitting in the garage- in particular, my favorite super comfy butterfly chair. I stuck it in a corner of the porch and found a $5 junk store table to put next to it. Immediately upon sitting in it, i realized that this porch is my new favorite spot. It's high enough that i have a nice view of the neighborhood and can hear people walking by, all while staying relatively hidden. I spent most of sunday morning sitting in that chair drinking my latte and reading my book. In fact, i'm sitting out here right now. The breeze is perfect, the temperature is perfect, and the smells are perfect. I haven't felt this relaxed in weeks.

birthday.present.

I bought myself some earrings today. They were a 30th birthday gift to myself- one i'd been contemplating for some time now. I'm very particular about my jewelry, especially earrings, and won't wear just anything. It has to be special and something i love to make it into my regular rotation (and no yellow gold, please). I hadn't bought them before now because i couldn't justify spending the money when i'm about to start school. Technically this should still be the case, but i worked double time this week and made some money i hadn't been planning on. That coupled with tax free weekend convinced me to spend some of the extra on something that will always be special to me. The ones i really wanted were $1075- a price i couldn't justify no matter how hard i'd like to- but i found these soon after and fell in love. White gold with little diamonds. They're just perfect. The only downside is that i can't easily see them. I guess i'll be walking past extra mirrors for a while.

poor.earl.

I'm cat sitting for earl, the cool cat next door. It's pretty easy- let him in (or out) in the morning, let him out (or in) in the evening, and fill his water and food bowls daily. I guess things have settled down enough that someone thought it was time to mix stuff up for me. Earl didn't come in yesterday. It's not that unusual- he often hangs out in the neighbor's house and gets food. When he didn't show up this morning either, i stopped next door to see if earl had been poking around. There he was, curled up on the porch couch, not looking so hot. He'd been there for a day and had refused to eat. Lordy. His owner thought he'd been in a fight, gotten scratched, and developed some sort of infection. He suggested keeping him inside and bringing him to the vet in the morning if he didn't seem better. After being away all day, i checked in on him around 6, and decided i didn't want to wait around for him to get worse. I bundled him up in a towel, stuck him on the front seat, and drove the 1/2 mile to the animal hospital. Poor earl. He was so mopey! The couldn't find anything in particular, but he did have a slight fever, so they gave him a shot of antibiotics and sent me home with medicine. The one thing that did worry them was that he'd gone from almost 13lbs in april to almost 10lbs now. That's almost 25% of his body weight- for a 150lb person, that would be almost 40lbs. Once his family gets back, they're supposed to take him back for blood tests to follow up. Cross your fingers that he's okay!

jack.of.all.trades.

My normal job (for the summer at least) is hanging out with two kids who live 25 miles away. This situation has worked out well since i'll be starting school in three weeks and so will the kids. This week, they're on vacation. I found out about this last wednesday, so it was a nice surprise in the middle of a crappy week. I planned to take it easy- unpack, run some errands i'd promised a. i'd do, go to the pool- just enjoy the time quietly. When it came down to it, i realized that the last thing i was mentally prepared to do was hang out in the house alone. I'd already promised my tuesday/friday family that i'd help them organize and pack for the day on sunday, and monday, tuesday and wednesday nights (they're moving too, but just in the area, not out of the country). So after spending saturday by myself, i was looking forward to some company. We made huge progress for the 7 hours i was there, but with so much to do in such little time, i went back today- for eleven hours. Tomorrow will be about the same, and probably wednesday too. On thursday i'm keeping my london friend company on her drive to the cape (to check out houses) and friday i have some appts set up. I also just finished dog sitting for one neighbor and am now cat sitting for another (earl- the coolest cat you'll ever meet). So what started as a week off has turned into a week where i'm busier than i normally would be if i was working. It's all great stuff though, and i'm happy to have this time to catch up with people i don't get to see much anymore.

online.therapy.

This has been a really hard week. The b.'s left on tuesday and i've pretty much been crying ever since. I almost hyperventilated right after they left (which i have done before during an asthma attack, so i recognized the signs) and literally had just an hour without tears from the time they left (2:10) until i fell asleep around midnight. Those of you who know me know what a big deal this is- i never cry. Even my mom describes me as stoic. I can honestly say that i've never been this sad before. It feels like i just lost five of the people i love the most in the world. Though obviously they haven't died, there's not much difference right now. I'm alone here cleaning up (literally) things they've left behind. Strangely- that's one thing that's harder than i considered it being. Moving back into the house when things are different sucks. I'm staying on the second floor (i was up on the third before) and little things like putting my shampoo and scale in the bathroom make me so anxious i almost throw up. Part of me wants to power through and unpack all my stuff- thinking that it might be easier if i get it all done sooner. On the other hand, it could be better to take it slow so that i can gradually get used to things being different. I'm also usually great about getting things done- laundry, painting, etc. Now i find my self sitting around doing nothing and letting the laundry (or painting, or unpacking...) pile up. During my slow bouts of unpacking, i'll come across something of theirs and start crying all over again. While it would have been a whole lot worse if they'd sold or rented the house, living with all the memories and expectations isn't so much better. When you break up with someone, you usually can get rid of the things that remind you of them. Not so much in this case. The loneliness factor is another thing that took me by surprise. I'm so lonely now that it just makes me realize how attached i really was to them. Blast. Crying again.
So, the good news is that all this makes me want to step it up a little bit. You know, work out more, get out more...do things to make me happier instead of sitting around moping for the next three years. I'm giving it until labor day, and then no more self pity. I'm up for anything come september, so start planning.

banana.catastrophe.

I just made two batches of banana bread with the five kids i've been hanging out with this week. We had 15 bananas in the freezer so we brought them to concord along with eggs and butter. We assumed they had all the other usual mixings. Upon further review, we found flour and sugar with the teeniest amount of vanilla (not even 1/4t), old and clumpy baking soda, rock hard brown sugar, and a dash of salt, literally. Needless to say, these loaves are easily the worst i've ever made. Tastewise they're fine, but they're more like flat densely damp bricks than the fluffy loaves i usually prepare. To mix it up a little, l. and i added a peach and pear to the second batch, and some vanilla cinnamon sugar. The slightly different flavor was great, so next time, when i have my own ingredients, i'll try this again.

headlines.

I'm sure most of you have heard about this missing girl in the news recently. She's been to our house and i've been to hers. And met both parents. It's so much creepier when it's personal and not just some glamorously tragic news story.

registered.

I registered for my classes! I'd expected to be in class four to five days per week from 4pm on, and was thrilled to learn that i could condense things a little. So, as it goes now, i'll have classes on mondays from 4-6:30 and 6:45-9:15, thursdays from 4-6:30, and three weekends in october and november. I'm not even sure i'll keep the weekend class since i'm just trying to get an extra one out of the way (so i can skip out on summer courses in favor of going to hong kong), but my advisor suggested i register for it since i'd have the option to drop it if my course load seems too heavy. This is a huge relief. It leaves tuesdays, wednesdays and fridays pretty much open- days that i'll likely be able to work for my tuesday/friday family. Phew!

sleepy.

I was up late last night working on a project for the b.'s. Just in case they read this (in all their free time), i won't say what it is now. You'll just have to wait until after the 5th to find out. As I was saying, i was up late, and now i'm exhausted. So tired, in fact, that i keep nodding off for split seconds. I'm even dreaming while awake. We'll see how long i last tonight. I may be asleep on the common! What's even crazier is that a. hasn't slept at all in the past two nights. It's not unusual for her to work late, even through the night every so often. But the most she's gotten is a two hour nap on wednesday and a 20 min snooze around midnight last night. I don't know how she functions, let alone works!

drenched.

Okay, seriously? What's with this rain. It's pretty much been thunder/lightening for a month straight. It's one thing to have some rain, but this schizophrenic weather pattern of unbelievably drenching downpours one minute followed by blinding sunshine the next is a killer. We were quite literally running in between the raindrops today, with little success at staying dry. I guess the real question is that with all this rain, why is the grass still dying?

p.e.i.

Knowing that i was getting up early today to meet krista for a run, i planned to go to bed early last night. Since i was staying at my parents', it should have been easy. No long commute, no option to pack and move stuff, just a quick dinner and visit and off to bed. Unfortunately, my parents are heading to prince edward island this weekend. The trip in itself isn't unfortunate- if things weren't so busy i'd tag along. The unfortunate part was that my mom (wanting to be prepared) borrowed "anne of green gables" from the library, and they decided to watch it with dinner last night. I started watching with them, and 2.5 hours later, when it still wasn't over, decided to go to bed at 11:30pm. I'm going to have to rent it now myself to see how it ends.

i.am.tortoise.

I almost forgot. I took this picture just for evil the other day. It illustrates a point i made not long ago.

speedy.packing.

I got a call from my landlord today. He always calls me since i'm the nicest of the three (kidding) and today's conversation started with, "I have a huge favor to ask." Fantastic. As you know, i'm currently cohabiting with three different families; my parents, the b.'s, and my two roommates. The roommates not so much, since i've only stayed at the apartment once this month, but our lease isn't up until the end of august, and i'm still on the books for rent and utilities. After advertising on craigslist, the landlords really hit it off with a guy from pa. who loved the place (especially the color scheme- "who picked out the paint colors?" he asked!) but who had to move on august 9th. The favor? Could we move the moving out up a bit. While this was music to my ears (previously wasted money now to go towards school), i doubted it would work for the other two. Jen's moving in with me, but wasn't going to be able to do anything before late august, and ben's new lease doesn't start until september 1st. I said i'd give it a shot. I called jen first, and found she was willing to deal with whatever hassles packing up early might bring in order to save a chunk of cash. Jackpot!! Ben was a trickier nut to crack since he was on vacation in no-cell-reception maine. Plus, this would be the biggest pita for him. After searching his room for phone numbers, we managed to contact someone who could contact him, and after thinking about it for a bit, he was game (long story short). So we now have until august 6th to get all our crap out. I'm hoping to get the minivan weds night to move my bed and dining room table, but will definitely need some help since i can't lift/maneuver them myself. Is anyone around? (Evil already said no, so this'll give me the opportunity to sweat off a few more pounds and pass him while he's playing on facebook, which he's apparently 53% addicted to.)

i.<3.marathon.sports.

New running shoes! This time i left with saucony's instead of my usual brooks, and i can't wait to give them a try. In my test run, it definitely felt more cushiony in the heel. Watch out evil...i'll catch back up with you in no time!

pimped.out.

Yesterday, after dropping et#1 back at her place all safe and sound (we were picking up a variety of farm share veggies nora so kindly shared), i passed this car. I'm not good with recognizing makes/models of anything outside the usual vw, ford, etc. so i have no clue what this one was, but it was pimped out. Black, tinted windows, low to the ground in the front, but high off the ground in the back, kind of retro but cool looking. This car was sweet (if you're into retro cars). The driver knew it, and gunned the engine at every opportunity. He got one such opportunity as my lane slowed down for a turning car. His lane kept moving, and he zipped right past me. I almost missed the best part- his license plate, which read "BADGUY." Maybe he was a dealer. Or maybe he was just looking the part.

last.overnight.

While not completely moved out of my apartment, i haven't been staying there at all. Most of my clothes are back at the b's, and even some of my furniture has made the trip. I was hoping to get my bed over here, but luckily, i didn't have the necessary vehicle when i had the man power. Lucky, because i realized that i never had m. over for her sleepover. The other two both had turns earlier this year, but m.'s schedule is a little trickier to make your way into. So last night was the night of choice. Both of us had to pack an overnight bag, and then we headed straight downtown for her dinner pick- fire and ice. L. talked it up enough that even m., who's not quite as adventurous an eater, was excited to give it a shot. They even got her up behind the counter to help cook- something l. wasn't willing to do. The funniest thing she said all night was while we were waiting to ask the waitress for the check- "I'm just asking out of curiosity, but do you think they serve dessert at a place like this? Probably not, right?" Ah children. So transparent. I told her i was thinking of stopping at jp licks on our way back. That was fine with her. I told her she could get whatever she wanted (hey, they're moving to hong kong in three weeks. I'll spoil them all i want right now), and she chose this chocolate dipped, jimmie covered waffle cone with mint oreo ice cream. It was the perfect night for ice cream- warm and slightly muggy, the red sox had won, and lots of people were milling about enjoying the evening. After getting home and changing into her pjs (and out of her sticky ice cream covered clothes), she found my guitar hero guitars. So instead of spending quality time together playing yahtzee or cribbage, i taught her how to play guitar hero. Though rusty at first, she zipped through the practice rounds (which i set her on to protect her from being booed off the stage) and had the controls down pat in no time. It always impresses me how quickly ten year olds pick stuff up. She played for about an hour that night, and when the birds woke her up at 5:55am, the first thing she asked to do was play some more. She probably totaled 2.5 hours all in all, and mostly on one song. I now have cheap trick's "surrender" burned into my mind.

tillie.

I was distracted from my morning latte/sudoku routine this morning by the television. A segment on cbs talked about a jack russell named tillie who is an "unusual artist" with exhibitions in several galleries around the world. Seriously? The dog chews at, claws, and rips apart plastic covered carbon paper which leaves prints on the paper below. This seems like something that any dog could do, and it amuses me that some of her "pieces" sell for $2200. I have to hand it to her owner though- if he can make money off of his dog, more power to him. Evil- maybe this should be your goal if you ever get a dog.

new.scale.

As you all know by now, evil and i are in the midst of a nail biting challenge. We're both racing to lose a total of 17.5 pounds, and are currently tied at -7.5. Only 10 to go! Since i'm living the life of a bag lady, yet want to stay on top of weighing myself daily, i'd been trucking my trusty digital scale back and forth from boston to acton. It turns out that it's not so trusty after all. When i returned it to my bathroom last night, and hopped on (out of curiosity- my official weigh in is in the morning) it registered 00.0. I tried it again, thinking i'd stepped on too fast, but with the same result. After checking it this morning, changing the batteries, and placing it somewhere else, i gave up and decided to purchase a new one. Not having any time to spare (i'm in a high stakes contest after all), i did some online research, i picked up a tanita scale. It's so fancy! It measures to the nearest 0.2lb, tells you your body fat percentage, and what your body water percentage is. How fun! You can even save data to look back on. I can't wait until tomorrow when i can test it out!

red.sox.

Look closely! Those aren't costume rings, they're the two red sox world series rings from 2004 and 2007. I tried them on after our run tonight (which is why i'm scrappy and sweaty), and took the picture to share with you.

jellyfish.

We went to the aquarium today for the small sum of $101.80 ($67.80 for four people and $34 for parking). The jellyfish were my favorite. How cool are they?

in.case.you.were.wondering.

What does snafu mean?

I wasn't exactly wondering this. I knew the general meaning ("a chaotic or confused situation") but just didn't realize that it was actually an acronym until recently. A. used it in conversation, and p. shared. Here's what wikipedia has to say about it:

SNAFU is an acronym meaning roughly, "things are in a mess — as usual". The most commonly accepted rendering is "Situation Normal: All F**ked Up" (or "Fouled Up"). In computer jargon, it sometimes is intended to mean "Systems Neatly All F**ked Up". It is sometimes bowdlerized to "Situation Normal: All Fouled Up" or similar, in circumstances where profanity is discouraged or censored. In modern usage, "snafu" is often used as an interjection, as a shorthand for the sentiment expressed by the phrase. "Snafu" is also sometimes used as a noun or verb, referring to a situation that suddenly went awry, or the cause of the trouble. The acronym is believed to have originated in the US Army during World War II.

We both decided we liked this word, pardon, acronym much more after hearing the explanation. What great things the military has given us!

bachelorette.

Grrrraaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!! Not happy.

bachelorette.

Oh my gosh. Who's deanna going to choose? Jason? Jesse? I don't know! Why'd i ever get so invested in this show.

fourth.of.july.picnic.

The plan was to meet at haymarket, get some fruit, bread and cheese, and hang out on the common for a few hours. Our adaptability was tested when we emerged from the haymarket t station to find an empty street. Blast. We headed over to mike's for coffee, and discussed options. Dim sum in chinatown? Shopping in faneuil hall? We settled on a quick shoe store stop followed by a trip to the chinese grocery store for supplies, and found a nice grassy spot on the common to enjoy it all. The combination of food was amusing- vietnamese sandwiches, sugar snap peas, lychee's, cashews, salad, dried sweet potatoes, pickled carrots, homemade jam, we we's, chinese buns and shimp flavored crackers (hmm.). It was the perfect relaxing alternative to spending the day jammed in with thousands of people on the esplanade. I almost got a nap in! Our spread's to the left, andrea and her vietnamese sandwich is to the right, and the we we's are at the bottom. I think those were my favorite, and for just $0.39, you couldn't go wrong!

wet.

Krista and i went for a run tonight. When she called at 7:30 to tell me she was home, she asked if i still wanted to go out.
"Do you think it might rain?" she asked.
I didn't know, but told her i didn't mind getting a little wet. She admitted she was looking for an excuse not to run, so we decided to get it taken care of and then feel better for doing so. We decided on a loop from her house to the arboretum, through the arboretum, and back home. There are plenty of trails to take, so we could decide how long or short to make the run on a run-by-run basis. We made it halfway to the arboretum when it started raining. Not little sprinkles, but buckets of water being dumped from the sky all at once. Since we were already wet, we kept going, hoping not to become known as "the local girls hit by lightening." This was a short run, some 1.78 miles, but we kept going. It was raining so hard that i could just look up and open my mouth to get some water. We were both thoroughly soaked- clothes, shoes, ipods, etc. As I dodged a deep puddle, i wondered aloud what the difference was. My feet were sloshing around as it was. I honestly don't think anything on my could have absorbed more water. When we were about 200 feet from her house, an acton police car was passing us and stopped to ask if we wanted a ride. What a nice fellow! Maybe we should have said yes. It's always good to see the police as nice people who don't mind getting their cruiser wet. Here's a picture of us when we got back. Mind you, we'd both toweled off, especially our faces, before this was taken.

why.wording.choices.matter.

The b.'s have a decent sized dvd collection. I convinced a. that she'd prefer to toss the cases and store the dvds in those little cd books instead of sending 90ish dvd cases to hong kong and having to find a place to store them in their much smaller home. She picked up five books that each fit 20 discs, and categorized the movies. Four of the five cases hold the girls' movies, and the last one holds a. and p.'s. At this point, i was in charge of the item by item spreadsheet documentation and value estimation, and marked these down by category; musicals, wildlife movies, animated movies, holiday movies, and adult movies. Whoops!