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!

pack.up.

This weekend is the big packing weekend. The girls were dropped off at memere's house on friday, and i'm at the b's helping a. pack. The ocean shipment gets picked up on monday, so i'm helping them decide what's going now, what's waiting for the air shipment, and what's being left behind. They don't have to physically pack stuff (one of the many benefits of relocating for work) but they do have to gather it all together and make a spreadsheet of every single item and its estimated value. I've learned two things during this process. One; little things like contact lens solution, cetaphil lotion and shampoo, when bought in bulk, add up to a significant amount, and two; they're unbelievably lucky that they're keeping this house and therefore can leave a majority of their stuff in it. This also means that i'm lucky, because while the place will be missing many things (rugs, paintings, etc), most of the furniture and second rate appliances are staying (ie- the big fancy expobar is going, but the old starbucks barista is staying). There will be enough free space for me to make my own, but it won't feel echo-y and lonely. The official moving day is august 5th. That's when their flight leaves. I however, have already started slowly moving my stuff back in. I brought all my knives and cooking utensils over today. I think i might move my bedroom furniture next weekend. Anyone want to help? It'll be a good workout, so hopefully i'll catch back up with evil.

tae.bo.

Many years ago, i worked at a day care center part time while i was at bu. I got along quite well with both the assistant director and director, alex and amy. At the time, they seemed much older and more mature that myself, when in reality, they were only 24 and 27- spring chickens at this point. This was in the mid nineties, right when tae bo became popular. As a staff bonding exercise, alex got the three pack of original tae bo's; basic, advanced, and 8-minute workout. We use to get a group of people together after the center closed, and all do tae bo in the gross motor room (inside gym). Good times. I continued working there after both alex and amy had left for greener pastures, and when i left, i took the tapes with me. They'd sat in the office collecting dust for some time, and i couldn't picture the new director ever partaking in a group exercise class. I may have used them once or twice in that following year, but they suffered the same fate with me as they had at the center. At some point they ended up with my sister. I think she actually used them every so often. So, once it became clear that it was significantly easier to stay at my parents' house on weeknights when i didn't have other plans, i had to come up with an alternate form of exercise. I can only run around their block so many times before having enough. Luckily, i had spied the three billy blanks videos on my sister's shelf, and squeezed in the 8-minute workout yesterday, and the one hour advanced workout tonight. Let me tell you...it's a killer. The cardio part is pretty standard- it's interesting and keeps my heart rate up- but the floor work for your abs and gluteus was ridiculous. Mid way through, i was so dehydrated that i paused it, filled up my nalgene, and chugged about 25 oz. I almost threw up when i got going again. I don't even remember doing this ten years ago in the basement, though i do remember amy laughing that she felt like a dog. My rumpus is going to be angry with me tomorrow.

what.the stars.say.

I've always wanted to read the astrological forecast on my birthday so i could read the section entitled "if today is your birthday." I always forget, and realize it after the paper's been sent off to be recycled. This year i remembered- in part because i like doing the sudoku and they share a page. I saved this section but never had it with me when i was posting on my blog. Finally, more than a week after my 30th, i have both the newspaper and computer together. Here's what it said:

Everything can be put to rest this year if you take the initiative and make it so. Love will take unique twists and turns, allowing you to find true happiness. Emotional matters can be resolved and a chance to follow a dream will now be made availavle. Embrace the future with open arms and an open mind. Your numbers are 11, 19, 26, 28, 32, 37.

The general gemini category on the 17th said this:

The time has come to lay your plans on the table and see what kind of a reaction you get. Speak freely about what you want to do and initiate moving forward. Once you have everything out in the open, you will feel less stressed and more confident.

This all sounds good, right? Maybe the mere fact that i read it this year for the first time ever means it will prove to be accurate.

day.three.am.

Day two was good- ate better (aside from some tostitos which are killers), and even kept driving when i saw one of those great local ice cream places. I was craving it like the dickens, but i was good. When i told evil, he texted "you should have TWO! go for it." Such a good competitor. Since i'm living like a homeless person (at the b.'s, at my parents', maybe at my own place but just for the 7 hours i'm asleep), i've started carrying around my scale. I figure it's the only way to stay consistent, and i do better when i can weigh myself every morning. I didn't have it with me yesterday morning, but when i hopped on today, i was down two! I tend to fluctuate greatly within five to eight pounds, so tomorrow i could be back up one. It's a good start either way. I ran last night, but my legs were sore from monday night, so i took it easier. Tonight i'm planning to give the tae bo a shot. From what i remember, that makes me pretty stiff too.

vote.for.me!

I posted my own poll over there since evil has one on his blog. I'm worried that he'll get all his nyc gang to try and psych me out. Not going to happen.

day.one.

It wasn't fabulous, but not a total bust either. It rained for the entire day, so i was stuck inside for many hours at a time. I started off eating well, had a brief setback mid day with some annie's mac and cheese and a few animal crackers, and finished strong with roasted chicken and cauliflower for dinner. I'm staying at my parents' twice a week in order to cut down on my gas usage (i'm working 5 miles from their house this summer) and tonight is one of those nights. Not having my regular running route mixed things up and forced me to lap their neighborhood four times. It's a little over a half mile each loop, so my total was only about 2.5 miles this time. They live at the top of a hill, so i was always ending on an uphill run which burned a few more calories. It also made my knee happier. It's really become an issue, and the incline helped out on that front. Tomorrow i'm hoping to buckle down on the food front, and make a trip to the grocery store and the local farm for some good meat and produce. I'm also looking at my old tae bo videos (yes, you guessed right- vhs tapes) that are sitting in my sister's room. Maybe if i get up early enough tomorrow, i'll add them in for some stretching and strengthening. Billy blanks! Billy blanks!

steph.vs.evil.

Here's the deal. Evil's wii fit told him he needed to lose 17.5 pounds to be considered "normal." That's about what i want to lose, so i challenged him to see who could do it first. If you're interested in the comment chain that led us to this decision, check it out here. If he wins, i have to do five date-or-die entries (examples here) and if i win...well, it's the same for now. My creative genius is currently taxed, and due to the weekend, no one who knows him well was available (or interested) in giving me an idea. Since the challenge starts today, he can opt out of any losing consequence and fall back on the date-or-die, but i'm still hoping to come up with something good. Post ideas below. We came up with a small list of rules, and they're as follows:

1. daily weight checks at the same time of day each on our own digital scale with precision to the half pound.
2. we'll both add a sidebar to our blogs and update (at least every two to three days) how much we've currently lost.
3. winner is the person who loses and maintains (for seven days) 17.5 pounds or more first.
4. maximum time frame is three months. If no one's lost 17.5 pounds by then, the person who's lost the most will be declared the winner.
5. upon completion of challenge, the loser has four months to complete their task.
6. challenge starts at 12am on monday june 23rd, and ends at 11:59pm on tuesday september 23rd.

I can tell you there's no way i'm writing date-or-die entries, which means no laziness for me. Evil's going down!!!!

jumpy.

Today was the "jumpy" party. It was dubbed so many years ago due to the main attraction- a big jumpy. Along with it comes a popcorn machine, a bunch of tables, chairs, two tents, many people and a ton of really good food. Besides allowing the kids to get more exercise than any one should in one day, it also serves as a bi-annual family reunion. There are many june birthdays, so this is the one big celebration. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time. In keeping with tradition, i was dragged into the jumpy for about 30 mins. It was undoubtedly the best workout i've had in a year (since the same time last year). I'd jump around for a minute or so, and then take a break to allow my heart rate to recover before starting again. By the time i rolled out the safety door, i was drenched in sweat and dying of thirst. The girls and their cousins were in there for no less than 6 hours throughout the day. I bet they've all lost at least five pounds.

Isn't he cute? I was in charge of the fruit salad since i told a. not to buy a watermelon boat from lambert's. I was sure i could do a better job for a better price. After cutting the top off, i decided to make a jack-o-lantern. I love how it came out (especially the rope nose), though next time i'd flip the watermelon around to make the green side show. Live and learn...

why.thirty's.better.

I can't believe how many birthday wishes i got on and around my birthday. People were quite literally coming out of the woodwork to wish me well. (Maybe literally is taking it a bit far, but it wouldn't have surprised me.) Not only did i receive cards, e-mails, calls and facebook posts from the usual suspects, but a whole new batch stepped up this year. My mailbox was full of cards for the four days surrounding the 17th. I've never been good at mailing anything, let alone cards, but i have to admit they were fun to receive. I know my mom hopes this will motivate me to write more often. Besides cards, my phone was ringing off the hook! Aunts who'd normally give a shout out through my parents called; my brother in texas called (amazing that he remembered when he forgets his own birthday); and today, my cousin kate called. I use to spend a month or so each summer with her outside of chicago when i was a teenager. I helped out with her kids and basically got to spend time with the part of our family that lived out there. Though i saw her in february, i never catch up with her via phone, so it was a great surprise to do so today. I think she just couldn't believe that i was thirty. My guess is that this was the consensus all around, thus explaining all the extra attention. Either way, i'll take it! I wish i could turn thirty every year!

snoopy.snow.cone.

Look what my parents got me for my birthday:


You have no idea how cool this is. My brother and i bought the very same one close to twenty years ago with birthday money from my grandparents. It takes about an hour to get one little cup full of shaved ice, but it's worth it. Maybe i'll make these at my august party.

birthday.celebration.#.2.

Today was a good day. Jen took me to lunch at the parish cafe- another one of my favorites- and i got my usual zuni roll and a mango mojito. It was beautiful, and we sat at an outside table under an umbrella (to protect us from those harsh uva/uvb rays). After lunch, i went to bella sante on newbury since a. had so graciously shared her gift certificate with me. I didn't have an appointment, but managed to get an hour long massage 10 minutes after arriving. It was fantastic- i was almost drooling by the end. If i could make this place part of my regular routine, i'd be thrilled. Since i was downtown anyway, i meandered through the gardens and common and got my usual soft serve swirl from the make way for ducklings ice cream truck. Before hopping the bus back home, i got a rosemary and basil plant from the copley square farmers market to add to my vegetable garden. After stopping briefly at my place, i zipped over to the b.'s house so the girls could give me cake and presents. Usually i have dinner with them, but since a.'s stuck at the celtics game, we're doing that another night. Here's l. and e. setting up the candles, and me blowing them out. After some back and forth, i accepted my dad's offer to cancel his meeting and come in with my mom to take me out to dinner. Since it was last minute (literally), i wasn't about to make the trip back into boston, so i made reservations at masona grill- the fun neighborhood restaurant we can walk to. I had lamb, spicy cilantro and pepper rice, green beans and grilled zucchini (and my second mango mojito of the day). My mom had duck and dad had ribs. Everything was delicious and we're already planning another trip once i'm moved back in. The funny thing is that my mom licked her plate clean. I've never seen her finish everything, let alone beat my dad and me. The proof is in the picture. Hers is on the right.

birthday.celebration.#.1.

Tonight was the beehive with andrea, nora, and et#1. We got dressed up and i wore my favorite favorite red silk oilily skirt that i'm always looking for an reason to wear. I'd been to the beehive once before, and my brother got a grilled cheese sandwich. The waitress told us her favorite was the short ribs grilled cheese, so that's what i'd been dreaming about for days. It was exactly what i wanted, and coupled with the flat thin fries with sage- absolutely delicious. Here's a picture of me eating it. We didn't make it to midnight since everyone else actually had to work today, but i got there earlier than i'd thought, so we had plenty of time for fun. Nora even made me a cake that we snuck in. I guess they charge a per person cake cutting fee, so we just kept our forks and ate the cake from the container. Rebels.

father's.day.

For father's day, i took my dad to the golf store and let him pick out whatever he wanted. He chose a travel bag so when he golfs in different states, he can kick butt with his own clubs. Upon returning to their house, i explained the plans for dinner- homemade ravioli. Despite the lengthy preparation process, they were fantastic. We started with two kinds of pasta- one made with semolina, and the other with regular all purpose flour. I liked the all purpose better. For filling, i made a sweet potato with prosciutto, parsley, and parm, and a spinach with ricotta and parm. They were fantastic. I have the leftover dough and filling in my fridge, and it's on my to-do list for tomorrow. Here are some pictures of the process. I was making funny faces in all of them. I guess i was really concentrating.

this.is.the.deal.

As mentioned before, i couldn't get my act together to plan a party, and decided to celebrate my twenty-tenth with dinner out. After some back and forth today, it seemed to make the most sense to skip the dinner part, and just do drinks. It looks like the tentative plan is to meet at the beehive this monday the 16th around 9-9:30ish, have some drinks, and eat bar food (delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries with fried sage are on my mind). I'd love to have as many people stop by as i can rile up, so plan to play hookey on tuesday (or not), and grab a drink with us on monday.

so.strange.

I woke up this morning and noticed a little light bulb on the night table. I was momentarily confused as i tried to remember if it was there the night before, and decided that it must have been, and i must not have noticed it. Then i looked in the lamp, and the bulb was missing. Since i used that very lamp last night, i must have gotten up and removed the bulb in my sleep. It must have been tricky too since the shade is long and thin, so takes some maneuvering to figure out. I have no memory of it.

big.news.

I got in! The big envelope was shoved in our little mailbox yesterday evening when i stopped by. I couldn't stop smiling all the way up the stairs, because everyone knows what a big envelope means. I waited until i opened it and read the congratulations part until i let myself believe it. Even though i was 98% confident that i'd get in after that fantastic interview, i didn't want to get too full of myself in case they rejected me. It's better to tell people you were accepted to a highly competitive program than rejected from a place you knew you'd get in to. I didn't tell anyone last night (partly because it was pretty late by that point) and i really liked having it to myself for a bit. This morning i showed a. the letter, and called my mom and sister (my dad was out golfing). I used the b.'s for their central air and spent the day at their house to escape the 95 degree heat. The girls and i took a walk to the liquor store mid-day for some mike's, but that was the extent of my outside activity. While eating dinner, i noticed a car pulling up the street, and then coming back and angling in the driveway. I thought they were turning around, but when i heard doors opening, i got up to see my parents arriving with a bottle of champagne and a huge bunch of peonies. Even though they'd come straight from a graduation party, we forced some food on them and then all toasted with the champagne. It was so nice of them to drive all the way into boston just to celebrate with me, especially with gas prices as they are. Thank you! Now i'm able to breathe a little easier knowing that every thing's set for the next two years; i have a place to live, a school to go to, and loans to accept- it couldn't be more fantastic.

sometimes.i.don't.get.it.

Sometimes i write a post and i think, "boy, this post was made for comments. It'll get a ton, maybe even the most ever!" Other times it's the opposite "i'm just writing about something that happened today. It's pretty trivial and no one may be interested, but i like it." A lot of the time i'm right, but a significant portion turns out to be the complete opposite. Like a recent post for example. The part about my mom's graduation may not have warranted any remarks, but that photo? Seriously? I thought for sure there would be some smarty-pants comments on that one. No dice. I guess it just goes to show me that you readers are an unpredictable bunch. I'll have to keep mixing it up and see what pans out.

brights.

The other day on my way to work, three cars in a row flashed their brights at me. I wasn't speeding, but i double checked, and waved to each car. Once i passed the cop, i paid it forward, and flashed a few cars coming the other direction. The strong feeling of camaraderie was satisfying, and made me think about how situations impact group dynamics. Not that we really had any dynamics- the split second in passing barely allowed us to see each other let alone speak. Yet we were all looking out for each other, even if it was just to stand up to the speed trap at the side of the road. I wonder if we would have liked each other, or if we would ignore each other given half a chance. Like in high school when all the students band together against the unfair teacher, and for a moment it doesn't matter who's cool and who isn't. I'm sure there have been tons of papers written on this topic, and maybe one day i'll read them. For now, i'll take comfort in the fact that most drivers are looking out for me. Thank goodness.

talk.about.a.morale.booster...

The 6 year old i hang out with on tuesday and friday made me this picture yesterday. I've only known them for about six months, but she's a pretty smart kid. Reads and writes very well for her age- she sounded all of this out by herself.

happy.birthday.l.!

Today's l.'s birthday. She's eight. I can remember the day she was born, and it's crazy to think about how long ago that was. I visited her at the hospital a few hours after she was born. I got there before m. (and the people who were watching her) and held l. for quite some time. I can even remember the shirt i was wearing.
Today was also the last day of school, and anticipating that it might be hard for them (last time they'll see most of their friends for a few years), a. took the day off. Since i'm a slacker and don't work on wednesdays, i spent most of it with them. First was prize day (awards at school for highest gpa, public speaking, etc), then we all went and got manicures. Julie's flying out of boston tomorrow (so won't be here for my birthday), and she drove in with some cupcakes and kimball's ice cream. What a nice sister! We went to a couple of stores, and then met back up with the clan and did some art projects. Then was dinner at a nearby shabu-shabu restaurant (l.'s choice). Julie was forced to tag along since we didn't have time to go home first. I think she was really upset about it. Despite getting car sick on the way home, i think l. had a great day. I sure did!

like.dislike.

I like...
...peonies. I love them. This is the time of year they're in bloom, and i lucked out with three from my mom's garden. Not that i'm one of those people who has their entire wedding planned out years in advance, but i'd seriously aim to have it in june just so i could have peonies. My favorite is the light pink large flower. Like this one on the right, but lighter. My mom gave me white ones called easter bonnet peonies (i think) and they're fantastic too! I couldn't find a web image, so i'll try to take a real picture to post at some point.

I dislike...
...wide screen computer monitors. They horizontally stretch photos and make everyone look chubby.

my.left.eye's.better.

Thanks to recent events (evil's focus on facial imperfections, evil twin #1's comment on my freckles (which come out in the sun), and jen's 10x magnified and lit mirror), i've been paying more attention to my face. It's true that my freckles have come out early this year, but i've never had an issue with them. In fact, i like them (and for the record- when et#1 mentioned them, she said she liked them too). For the most part, nothing new has come from this slight increase in face time. The only thing i've noticed (and this also has to do with spending some time uploading pictures) is that my eyes look different when i smile. The right one's okay, but the left one's great. It crinkles at the bottom corner a little more, and makes my whole eye look twinkly. I also like the lid and eyebrow line better. I don't tend to like left either (though i do think it's cool to be left handed (which i'm not)). Just like i don't like odd numbers. No reasoning behind it- i just think it's bad. However, whenever i see my left eye, it's in a photo or mirror, so it's on the right to me. It was a little tricky to find pictures to share here, but i managed to come up with a few that illustrate my point. Don't you agree??

ha.ha.ha.ha.ha.ha.ha.ha.ha.

As mentioned before, my mom recently completed her masters in education. The graduation itself was two weeks ago, but since julie was visiting from california, my mom invited some close family out for dinner tonight (though i wasn't asked until last night. Do you think they were hoping i'd be busy?). My dad came up with the idea of inviting a bunch of other people, and making it into a surprise graduation party. He planned everything down to the lie my uncle could tell her (if needed), and everything worked out seamlessly. Many guests (some who i should have known, but didn't remember) congratulated me on doing such a great job putting the party together. In reality, all i did was pick up a few things at costco, and meet the guests in a nearby parking lot. The best part about it was this poster my dad put together. I don't think there's ever been a funnier picture of my mom in all her twenty-nine years.