Mission Accomplished!

Good golly. It seems we are the proud owners of iPhone 3Gs's! Today has been too much fun. We got to the AT&T store around 6, as planned, and settled into a tiny line. An hour later, the pre-order folks went in, and by 7:30 they were letting us regular people in. We had the nicest woman help us - Chelsea - she made short work of transferring our two separate accounts, on different carriers, into one lovely little family plan bundle. Birthday plan #1, a total success, with no hassle and just enough of a "remember-that-time-we" memory to make it stick. Click on the picture, if you're so inclined - my little beauty takes quite a nice mobile photo!

Crazeballs

Yup, we're nuts. You may know that already, but do you know the extent to which Cam and I have lost our minds?

About a year ago, Cam mentioned to me that he'd really like an iPhone. I was having none of it. "You're crazy," I said. "You constantly drop things, and your job is dangerous, and you'll lose it. No way. Bad idea." Of course, I don't have any authority over whether or not he buys one, but he took my concerns and thought some more.

Six months ago. "I want an iPhone." "You'll drop it or lose it."

Four months ago. "I want an iPhone." "Bad idea..."

...But secretly? I kind of wanted him to have it. See, last year, on his birthday, I was a reallllly bad girlfriend. How bad? I went away for the weekend with my girlfriends to celebrate all of us turning 30 that year. On his birthday. More than a month before I actually did turn 30.

He had a good birthday anyway, and I tried to make it up to him, but ever since then I've known I really have to hit it out of the park this year. So I started to think, "What if I did get him an iPhone? He'd never expect it, since I've been dead-set against it for all this time..."

Once I decided to go for it, and did the research, I realized 2 is better than one, money-wise. The service plan's a lot more reasonable. And my contract was up. So I decided we'd get two. So I just needed to try to delay him till his birthday. My awesome bro-il helped, sending me an article filled with rumors about a new model being released in June, just weeks before Cam's birthday. So I sent him that, and he was excited, but it was all just rumors. And when he came back from a big trip abroad, he broke the news to me: "I think I'm buying an iPhone."

I took a deep breath, then confessed my plan. So ever since then, it hasn't been a secret, and we've been having fun trading Apple rumors. Sadly, I never learned there was a pre-sale option, that one could order the phones and have them delivered to the AT&T store for pickup on the release date, June 19th. So here's how it's going to go down. AT&T stores will open at 7 for pre-sale lucky ducks, 9am for the massses. We are the masses. So we're planning to get in line at 6 tomorrow morning. Best believe I'll be bringing my camera, and the sweet camp chair Cam made an REI run for today. Wish us luck!

Please Mom May I Have Another?

Because we're classy and have an enormous condo, Cam and I eat at the coffee table. We could eat in the breakfast nook, or the formal dining room, but that's absurd (and also more flat out lies. We have neither.). The coffee table's got shelves - a 2x3 grid of cubbies. Winston likes to lie in the one below my plate, per the above picture.


Then, at some point during the meal, he creeps out. Mom? Food? Me? Aren't I cute?


He then spends a lot of time staring at my plate, hoping. This is actually really polite behavior for him - he thinks nothing of standing up on his hind legs and fishing around on the counters for goodies. I'll try for a picture of that next.

Dinner, by the way, was rigatoni in a roasted red pepper & parmesan cream sauce, topped with windowsill basil, zucchini on the side. With homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Not too shabby!

Yummy Jonathan Adler Wishlist

I've recently come out of my cave a little bit by entering contests on a few of my favorite websites. What could it hurt, right? The Pioneer Woman has frequent, insanely awesome giveaways, which I love. Any excuse to visit her site, really. Tangentially, she also has a really simple philosophy about updating her blog: Do it daily, so people never waste their time visiting. Food for thought.

Anyway, it's the giveaway going on over at Decor8 today that sent me straight to my Blogger account. Holly Becker's giving away two Jonathan Adler gift certificates, and to enter the contest, you had to list 2-4 items you'd love to buy there. My typing wrists are resting in a puddle of drool after making my list. Here are my choices.

Pie-in-the-sky selection: chain rug

Slightly closer to earth: meurice mirror

And finally, affordable: helix bath jar


Of course, the likelihood I'll win contests on these fabulously popular sites is slim, but it's so fun to enter!

Who Feels Like Chicken Tonight?

Me, for one. I've got that ridiculous bird in the oven right now. Ridiculous because he weighs 5lbs. I wanted a nice yummy organic birdie in the 3-4lb range, but ye olde Perdue was my only option. I think it'll be fantastic anyway. It's destined for the belly of my friend who could use some comfort food. We'll let you know how it turns out, because you need to know.

So, the many many wall-ready pictures aren't up yet. I'm weirdly indecisive about this particular decorating decision. Just about every piece of furniture we've got I've loved and felt sure about, and I know I want all those pics up, but I'm having a hard time with it. I need some opinions, but I think that'll be hard to do electronically. So would you please come over and help me with that? I'll feed you chicken!

On Deck

So, the framing saga continues. While I was waiting on my custom frame job for that little zebra, I headed over to American Frame on my bro-il's recommendation. There, I picked out frames and mats for just about everything else we needed framed. I have to say - easy to use website, much less expensive than in a brick & mortar shop, and everything arrived quickly and with all the pieces. Some might see it as a drawback that they're covered in plexi, not actual glass, but it looks great and these aren't priceless heirlooms. I'm pretty pleased, I have to say.

Cam and I (OK, mostly Cam) assembled everything Monday night. Now the fun part - where are we going to hang all these beauties? Speaking of beauties, here are the credits, from L-R:

-A print of a tern we picked up on a daytrip to Ellicott City, MD
-A signed, numbered Jay Ryan print from the Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs tour. This one's called "opposite day." Jay toured with Andrew and sold his prints, especially a collection of 14 based on Andrew's songs. And when Andrew came by work, Jay came along. He gave me a stack of his work - seriously, about a dozen different prints. They are each amazing. I gave some away, hung two in my cubicle, framed these 2, and have a few more. He's incredibly talented.
-A papyrus from Cairo Cam brought back. It's of a big black cat.
-"black and white and read all over" by Melissa Bryant, also known as mywireempire on Etsy. That's the one I got framed for $70.
-Gingko leaves in a wreath from Bold&Noble, also available on Etsy.
-Another Jay Ryan. I'm a lucky girl. This one's for "masterfade."
-And another papyrus from Cairo. This one's my favorite of the stack Cam brought home.

Now we just have to figure out where to hang everything. That's the sort of project I enjoy!

45.79 Miles!

Hi there! Check out my little runner girl, down there on the left - she's so pleased! Just synced some new runs. Post to come tomorrow night, a follow-up to the framing post - we now have 6 framed beauties in need of wallspace, and I had a top-secret project that turned out well, so details soon. Sleep well, my friends!

Frames And Layers

This evening I headed over to Capitol Hill to get a mat for an Etsy print I needed framed. It was a great experience - the gentleman helping me, DJ, was quiet and intelligent, but also enthusiastic about the choices I made. He loved the frame, which was clearly inexpensive and from Target (and yeah, me and my big mouth, I totally told him that's where it was from in a weird confessional way), and thought it looked great with the mat color I picked. It was such a good experience, and so inexpensive, that I decided to get another print framed. This one was small, but such an odd shape that I hadn't had any luck finding a frame that could work. So I selected a simple white, wood frame, and a mat that complimented the image, and plain glass.

$70, and I'm assembling it myself.

I knew framing was expensive, but wow! But, also wow - what a great trade to learn. You need space, and specialized equipment, but if I could learn how to do that, that would make a great Plan B. Have you seen this article that's making the rounds right now, from the New York Times? It's called "The Case For Working With Your Hands." I like to think that's not something I've ever needed convincing about, that I've always valued work, and trades[wo]men. If it was ever something I was elitist about, all traces of snobbery have disappeared since dating Cam. He's always made his living as a mechanic of sorts - he's worked on cars, motorcycles, and boats, and now, on hydrogen generators. He's got more career mobility than I'll ever have, and I really admire the knowledge he picks up along the way and how he's constantly building upon that base, and using it to solve new problems. Everyone does that to a degree, of course, but nothing I do gets our DirecTV wired through the air ducts*. Cam took one look at where the TV needed to be mounted, and where the cables came through, and made it happen.

I have said for a long time that building and decorating cakes for Baskin-Robbins was quite possibly my favorite job. I learned a ton, and I've recently been chipping the rust off those old skills, baking cakes for friends. So far, so good, and I'd be lying if I said I'd never entertained the idea of chucking my career (after much more practice, of course) and hanging out my shingle as a baker.

Dipping my baby toe into the world of framing, though, gave me another idea (a fantasy, really). How cool would it be to apprentice with a framer, then open up a shop? I love the design aspect, of picking the right mat and frame and detail for a picture. But as appealing as that all sounds, I'm equally intrigued by the tools of the trade, necessary for cutting wood and fitting corners and sizing glass.

I'm not really someone who has dreams about what I'm going to be when I grow up. Gross as it sounds, I already got what I wanted. I got - and have - my dream job. But lately, I'm starting to get glimpses of what my next life could be like. It's a relief, really, because between getting said dream job and now, I've been a little worried about the "what next," about how to have goals and dreams when I got what I really wanted at 25. How exciting to see there's still a path ahead of me.

*On a side note, there was one home problem I should have been well-equipped to solve, and I failed miserably: wiring my record player to play through my stereo. I carefully plugged everything in, from turntable to preamp and out of the preamp into the stereo... And it sounded AWFUL. Distorted and loud and just dirty. I should have realized hey, it sounds like this is double-amplified, a problem I know how to solve when dealing with my recording equipment for work, but nope. I got a new stylus, Cam and I grounded the crap out of every stage of the setup even though it didn't sound like a grounding issue, and I even got a new, fancier preamp in case that was the issue. And then I turned to my genius friends, the audio engineers. They all thought of the same question instantly: "Hey, is there a preamp already built in to the record player?" Duh. Yes. So now I have not one, but two useless preamps. But hey, I can listen to my vinyl again!

Ricki Hits Rock Bottom

Oh man. I've never hidden my love of trashy shows of all stripes. Rock of Love, the Hills, Rob & Big, if it's vaguely reality based and on MTV or VH1, I'll probably watch it. For whatever reason, Charm School never made the list... Until today. I blame the gym! The dumbest show in the world looks downright appealing compared to staring out the window while I pant on my hamster wheel. First of all, it's got one of my favorite Brett Michaels rejects, Ashley. She's a total trainwreck, and she and her partner in crime, Farrah, are a trip. What the French! But, seriously? This show is godawful, and RICKI LAKE is hosting! Now that's the real What the French! I mean, it's a paycheck, but she just uttered the following sentence:

It makes me uncomfortable because Charm School is supposed to be the kind of environment that fosters respect.

Ohhhh Ricki. I know it's a paycheck. But... Just... NO.

Shake My Taters

First of all, is there anything quite like a Mom? Cam and I are lucky to have two of the best, and so Mother's Day was an incredibly fun holiday this year. But, really, we celebrated moms all weekend.

Saturday, after a quick perusal of some local yard sales, we headed to Annapolis to meet the newest mom I know: My friend, Susan. She had a baby boy about 6 weeks ago, and we had yet to meet him. As anticipated, he's adorable. He's got her coloring and her husband's red hair, and he screamed up a storm while we there. I have that effect on infants, for some reason. Then we went to my "nephew", Evan's, second birthday party. It was a really fun afternoon with old family friends, most of all, Evan's mom, my best friend. She's pregnant again and so cute. That night we caroused with one of Cam's buddies, then the next morning, mom celebrations began anew.

My mom is super cool so for Mother's Day, she went to the bagel place and got bagels for everyone, and when we woke up we gave her her present: tickets for the 6 of us (mom, dad, sister, bro-il, cam, and me) to go see Star Trek. It. Was. AWESOME. Seriously. I mean, exceeded-expectations good-times-for-fans-and-non-fans AWESOME. I was really worried there would be a "heh heh check us out we're in a Star Trek movie heh heh" mentality from the cast, and there was none of that. This was a rockin' good time.

After the movie, Cam and I took off to make an early dinner (is that what "supper" is? The meal after church, but not in the evening?) for another awesome mom in our lives - his. She requested bulgogi and kimchi, so after a grocery shopping trip, we spent an hour and a half buzzing around her awesome, newly renovated kitchen. We chopped, diced, mashed, blended, massaged, sliced and squeezed our way to a pretty incredible meal, and she was thrilled. It was so fun to take the time to make something new, and Cam and I are a great team in the kitchen. It's pretty rad to be with someone who enjoys feeding people as much as I do.

After supper (and cleaning the kitchen), we swung back by my parents' to bring them the leftovers for their dinner, and joined them for beers on the deck. Nice finish.

Oh, and tonight? Tonight I ran, and came home to a delicious dinner a'la Cam. That's where the title comes from - he made skillet potatoes, and jumped off the couch at one point, exclaiming, "Ooh I gotta shake my taters!" Perfect.

Loudmouths

I'm not sure exactly what it is about me, and I think a lot of women feel this way, but I think I really do receive more unwelcome commentary on my appearance on the street than the average woman. It's bizarre, because I'm incredibly average - 9 out of 10 times I'm in jeans and sneakers, I'm neither fat nor thin, I have light brown hair, etc.

The thing about me is my hips/derriere are, well, not average. My waist is small and my hips are wide, and my booty's round, and that's where the vast number of loudmouths get their inspiration. I'm incredibly lucky to be with a man who loves that about me, who feels about my shape like other men feel about large breasts, so in the past couple of years I've definitely gotten a bit less hate-y about my shape.

Often the comments are appreciative (but still gross and unwanted), sometimes they're downright mean, or sound that way on the receiving end. I think I'm going to keep track, see if it takes the sting out a little. I'm not giving them any power or fame by doing this here on my little page, and it might make me feel better. We'll see.

Of course, this morning was no exception. I was walking to the bus stop, and passed two men. Said one,

"Mmm hips is wide like a horse!"

On a scale of 1-5 of hurty-ness, I give this one a 3. Could be worse, but still sucks. As for accuracy, he actually did pretty well. Horses to get wide in the back, and they're strong, just like me. If he said I was built like a horse he'd be wrong - my legs aren't skinny, I have much better calves (haha) - but he just called out my hips. So I give him a 4 for accuracy.

Fleet(ish) Feet

I know I have a ridiculous number of blogs listed on the left here, but if you scroll all the way to the bottom, you'll see a new addition. See her, down there, my little Nike running girl? I love her. Or, more accurately, I love my Nike+. If you don't know what that is, it's basically a little kit with a sensor that sits on my shoe and a receiver that plugs into the bottom of my Nano. It tracks the distance and speed of my runs, but even better, it's a little electronic trainer. My Nike+ trainer has a woman's voice (I really need a name for her, don't I? Hmmm.), and she is the best. She tells me how far I've gone, a half-km at a time, and anytime I ask her, she tells me how fast I'm running and my exact distance. After a run in the rain last week, a new lady congratulated me - I'd PR'ed on my mile time, dodging drops. Sweet! I'm not sure how accurate she is - I'll have to test it out at a 5K sometime, or on a track (unlikely) - but I can tell you she's a great motivator.

I've only recently taken up running again, after more than a year off. It's more enjoyable than it's ever been. When I'm running, whether on sidewalks downtown or trails in Rock Creek Park, there's rarely a run where I don't feel, for at least a kilometer, like a runner. I should explain, I run very slowly. Not quite as slowly as my little runner girl on this page would have you believe - that time includes some walking after I finish my run - but slowly. And every time I catch a glimpse of myself in a plate glass window, I'm shocked. I lumber. I plod. I'm hunched over and monster-y. But I feel like an athlete. I feel like I'm standing up straighter and my legs are moving faster than they actually are. But a kid on a swing feels like she's flying, and so do I. I guess that's what really matters.

Porch Gazing

Delighted as I am to have a sweet express bus that takes me from work to home, I really love to Metro to the stop nearest to my place, then walk the remaining mile or so. It's a great walk through neighborhoods and parks, and it's so uniquely D.C. It defies easy categorization - it's very much the city, as every part of my route is just blocks from a major commercial road dotted with bodegas and liquor stores. Garbage collects in the gutters, and buses barrel through. But the on my route I pass houses, some in rows of 3 or 6, some linked for entire blocks, and many stand freely. Today there were spring flowers everywhere - daffodils in bright bunches, forsythia exploding along fences, and whatever that bush is that grows more vertically than forsythia, but in branches like forsythia, and has blushing reddish flowers. Gorgeous.

Someday I will have a house, and my house will have a front porch. The ceiling of that porch will be painted some beautiful color. I've loved that bit of unexpected color since college, when I first walked onto my friend Erica's porch and looked up to see a periwinkle "sky." Today I saw a rainbow of porch ceilings- pine green, sky blue, a bright yellow, a lot of brick red. But my favorite was this unbelievable super-saturated rose color. I'd never have picked it, but it made my heart skip a little. Sign of a good color, I'd say. And I bet it looks beautiful in the evening, sun setting and candles lit.

Stupid Pineapple Express

First of all, Cam's still not home. And I still don't know when he will be. Hopefully just another week or so. But that's not what I came here to talk about.

You know those red boxes full of DVDs popping up at grocery stores and McDonald's and elsewhere? It's a great idea - a DVD for a buck a day, no late fees. Helps fill in the gaps between Netflix rentals, or satisfies an unpredicted urge for a movie night. Good stuff! But wait. There's a catch... And I can't believe I'm the only person who's gotten trapped.

While all of these machines seem to be red, they are actually run by two different companies, DVD Play and Redbox. They look quite similar, though, and function the same way, so I didn't realize that. You can see it coming, I'm sure - I rented a DVD Play disc and returned it at a Redbox. And then found a $28 charge on my credit card for Pineapple Express, the movie I'd "failed" to return.

I can hardly believe I'm alone here. I know it's my own fault for not paying closer attention, but it seems like they've got kind of a racket going on. I'm not litigious, but this little runaround really makes me wonder.

Holding Down the Fort

Some sun and my man. That's all I'm asking for. It sounds so simple, but sun's been in short supply for weeks, and so has Cam. I still don't have a return date for him. Not soon enough, I can tell you that much.

It's weird, all this time living solo. I've never lived by myself before, and it's something Enna recommended I do at some point. There are certainly things I like about it - the eating with my fingers, the regular gym trips, the healthy food and the much lower alcohol intake. I had a fantastic weekend in Philadelphia with sister & bro-il, not to be beat. I lunched with a dear friend, visited Cam's family, and helped his sister register for her upcoming wedding. I've been out with neighborhood friends, been to two parties and a show, and dined at a new buzzy restaurant. I've taken myself - driven myself, walked myself, metro'd and bussed myself - to each event, and it's been a pleasant reminder of the first couple of years I lived in the city, during graduate school. It's fun to reconnect with it, to enjoy it on foot and on metro.

Other parts of me, however, are suffering. I don't mean the obvious - hugs and affection and laughter and love and conversation and checking-in and partnership. While I've been super productive, my creative impulse, fragile at best, is now dormant once again. I'm taking an online course designed to help me with that, and can barely muster the will to complete the assignments... And I paid for the class. I'm not really sure what to do about that.

Still and all, I'm taking good care of myself and our kitties.

Sitting This One Out

Today's Ash Wednesday, and as a non-religious sort, that means at least once today I was surprised by the smudge on a stranger's forehead*, but not much else. I'm intrigued, though, by the way all sorts of folks have popularized Lent as a sort of temporary New Year's, a time for resolutions that you only have to keep for 40 days. Some give up Facebook, others, carbs. I've toyed with the idea, since I'm always game for self-improvement exercises, but this is one that just doesn't resonate with me. And you know what? I'm ok with that. I love cultural fusions and sharing, I love finding what works for me in the systems of others. But it's also kind of cool that there's a tradition that's got nothing to do with me, that means so much to a certain subsection of the faithful. I don't judge the apropriators one bit, and I like watching what they come up with. But I'll sit this one out. Come my birthday, though, and you'll see me make resolutions a-plenty.

*Today, at work, a colleague and I reminsced -- in vivid detail -- about watching Robert Novack, years ago, on Crossfire on Ash Wednesday. His smudge was melting down his forehead, under the TV studio lights.

Sweeney and the Snowflakes

The forecasters have been predicting snow in D.C. for a while now, but last night, we finally got some. I woke up to a darker, more silent bedroom than usual, but didn't make much of it. I clicked on the radio, then headed out to feed the cats. Not too much later I heard the school closings, which can mean anything from a dusting to several feet. I took a peek behind the blind, and we had a little more than a dusting, but it was coming down pretty hard, with big, fat flakes blowing around.

I can't be sure, but I think it was Sweeney's first real snow. I pulled up the blind and plopped her on the windowsill. She zeroed in on those flakes pretty quickly, though Winston couldn't really be bothered. I shouldn't be suprised, I guess -- she is the cat who watches TV. Seriously. Whatever crap I've got on, she'll tune into for a bit. She'll sit on the floor right by the coffeetable, looking up at the screen on the wall, nodding her head a bit as she follows the action. Pretty cute.

Beans for the Beast

I have a secret.

When Cam's out of town - which isn't infrequent - I like to eat my dinner with my fingers. Last night I made a dipping sauce of greek yogurt and horseradish. I dunked cold steak and hot roasted baby potatoes, and it was nearly as good as the hot steak and roasted potatoes dinner Cam whipped up the night before. Dip, dip. And haricot vert on the side, sprinkled with salt. Next to the horseradish, the beans tasted so sweet.

About those green beans. I placed the plate of steak and beans next to the stove, then sat on the couch while I waited for the potatoes to re-heat. I looked down at my laptop for a few minutes, then realized Winston was on the counter, facedown in my plate. As soon as I looked up he felt my eyes and flew off the counter and under the chair, his prize in his maw. And what did he have firmly clenched between his teeth? Steak? Nope. A green bean.

Weirdo.

Two Little Bits

One, for me to remember when I'm having a hard time getting myself to do something:

Motivation is an effect, not a cause.

Two, for everyone, because I like it:

failure, pure and simple

so, clearly, i failed at nablopomo. but i'm a pretty stubborn kind of girl, so i'll try again next month. look for all sorts of resolutiony things, like typing with proper capitalization. and taking more photos. which shouldn't be hard because DRUMROLL PLEASE...

I GOT MY DREAM CAMERA FOR CHRISTMAS. well, sort of. what i actually unwrapped on christmas day (evening - a whole other story, but basically i work christmas so my family gets all millenial on things and time-shifts the whole affair to the evening. it's great. pajamas, coffee, waffles, bacon, presents, and adult beverages. plus my sister and her husband get the morning for his family, cam for his, and santa for last minute stage-setting.) was a block of wood in the shape of my camera, with a picture of my camera pasted to the front, and all sorts of switches and buttons and tripod mount and an sd card slot drawn on. it was freaking adorable, and nearly as awesome as the fact that though it is on backorder, at some point in the hopefully not-too-distant future, i will own a canon g10. thanks, cam, bbe!

in fact, a block of wood was not the only sorry/rad present i got. i also got a rock from my sister, on which she wrote "lump of coal." she buried this rock in the center of 8 layered boxes, each wrapped. it was a bit of subterfuge in case i remembered what she got me, which i didn't, so it came as a complete surprise when i unwrapped this badass watch in a nice normal watch-sized box. thanks, enna! fyi, winston has already chewed many little kitty teeth-holes into the strap. because he is a punk. but i love it (and him) anyway.

speaking of the cats (and don't pretend you aren't dying for an update), we had kitty christmas yesterday. winston and sweeney got a catnip lightning bolt, a new attachment for the fishing pole, cat grass, and new crunchy treats. it seems that in spite of the cereal-box-vampirism*, stinky butt problem*, and absolute refusal to sit for nail trims**, santa decided to visit. i tell you, winston must have been just a whisker from the naughty list.

*that's winston, and winston again.
*that's sweeney. she's actually really well-behaved.

december, so far

12 hours driving
11 skipped workouts
10 dollar secret santa
09 yards of pine roping
08 hours baking
07 minor freakouts
06 out of town gifts
05 hours at the maaaall!
04 etsy shops
03 homemade treats
02 engagements
and a beautiful baby olivia!

just killing time

nablopomo means one thing for sure: kitty neglect. all the time i spend with my laptop in my lap is time spent with winston staring at me from the coffee table, walking on the keyboard, or smooshing his head into my leg trying to shove the computer out of the way. sweeney's a little better at dealing because she's so small, and she likes being beside me as much as sitting on me anyway, so.

here i am blogging about my freaking cats again. it seems to come to this, because when cam's out of town (which is a lot), i spend much of time at home with them. and work's been kind of intense lately (in a good way, i'm learning a new job). and i haven't been reading enough. and when he's gone, i watch too much tv. and that's not conducive to the deep thoughts. i could do a blog about crappy tv, but that would necessitate admitting how much of it i'm conversant in. right now i'm watching some poor kid on true life (oh, how i love true life) take his date to the prom, chauffered by his dad in the family minivan, in which, of course, the air conditioning is broken. and they're the first to arrive. awkward. an observation: how come high school girls think that if their dress is long, it's ok that it's extraordinarily slutty on top? like, cut to the bellybutton, and exposing the inside half of each breast? not classy. my prom dress was short, but i'm grown and not embarassed when i see pictures, so i still think it was ok.

deep thoughts, people. deep thoughts.

the good good news!

ok so i know i said i was going to get all deep and thematic and organized on this blog, but i can't right now, there's too much good news! first of all, baby olivia is doing well! her surgery got moved up because she's so strong, and the hospital staff (and her wonderful parents) continue to be delighted and amazed with her recovery. so go o go!!!

secondly, aaaah! my bff hamm just got engaged! the details are incredible: a firetruck, a professional sports mascot, bobbleheads for all her students, and a beautiful ring: a row of pink sapphires. if you know my girl, you know how perfect this all is. i'm sooooo happy for her and her beloved - he's a great guy who moved down here to be with her, and i've never doubted his love for her for a second, nor hers for him. i'm just delighted for them. hooray! it's so nice to have some things to celebrate!

taking stock

today's blog marks the halfway home point on this blogging-everyday-for-a-month experiment. in taking stock, i give myself credit for only missing one day so far. not bad! unfortunately, though, i'm not doing what i want to do most of the time. i don't want to just blog life updates. blah blah i did this last night. i think i'll be able to come up with more compelling things to write about when i don't have a daily deadline, but at the same time, i like the daily rigor and worry that without it, this blog will just languish. plus, i want this blog to be interesting to people who don't know me. and right now it's just like any of a million billion other blogs on the web - girl has cats, has job, has boyfriend. occasionally cooks an interesting meal. borrrrring. there's no theme, there's no drama. and i haven't figured out the public/private thing yet, either.

i have this idea for another blog. i even started it, to dibs the title. i was inspired, as so many have been, by dooce's blog. she makes you care about her life, with her wit and her honesty. her photography is gorgeous, and she has a strong point of view on design. i really admire her and her site, and i'd like to, on a teeny-tiny scale, emulate it in some ways. i'm thinking, to really do it, i'm going to need about three themes, three gimicks, three pieces. i don't even really know how to articulate it. i've got one in mind, and i think the other two are within reach. i just need to spend a bit of time with it. and, oh yeah, i need this. really, i need it! ok maybe need is too strong a word. does anyone know, if i put ads on my site, does that make it a business, so i could write the camera off? just wondering...

photo sesh

this is too funny not to share.

well, actually, i can't share it, exactly. i haven't really figured out the line between my blog life and my real life, and to do so would mean posting a picture of me and cam on the internetz, associated with my fake name. and then, if anyone really cared to do so - as if anyone reads this blog who doesn't know me, anyway - they could figure out who i am. i think my biggest impulse for anonymity exists because of my job. it's a pretty incredible job, and i'd like to keep it. i can't imagine ever saying something that could get me in trouble there, but since i blog as part of my job, too, completely publicly, it just seems sort of... weird. so, right. anyway. back to the funny.

today enna and i were chatting about what to give our grandmother, our dad's mom. she wants for nothing, and doesn't like stuff. you know, the stuff that clutters. anyway, enna's got a perfect gift for her - a picture of her and her new husband on their honeymoon. grandma loves photos. so the question became, what should i do? enna suggested a picture of cam and i and our kitties, kind of funny, but sweet, too. i was a little sketched about it - is it jinx-y, since we're not married? but i decided if cam was in, i was too. i gchatted him about it, and through the miracle that is gchat, i got no response, which of ocourse made me wonder, "does he think it's weird? is this just too too?" but when he picked me up, i asked him about it, and he said yeah, didn't you get my response? "should we get matching sweaters?" that's cam. hilarious!

so we sat down tonight with the camera on a 10-second delay, in front of the tree, and tried to grab the cats and make them face the camera, smiling all the while. cam and i did ok - our pictures were pretty good - but the cats... not so much. unsurprising, sure, but hilarious in that winston, who's generally pretty agreeable and completely photogenic, kept turning his head to the side, away from the camera, in every shot. he looked like a crazy no-eyed devil. sweeney, on the other hand, just exuded pain in every picture. she detests being held. she'll join you for a cuddle, or sit on your lap, but don't try to restrain her. the girl cannot be contained. so, instead of a hilarious outtake from the shoot, you get the cats, trying to compose themselves after we finally gave up (after about 20 photos). we got a decent one, and we'll tell grandma the story. and the cats? they've fully recovered.

baby love

another weekend, another several hundred miles logged on scratch's odometer. but, as usual, it was worth it! i love philadelphia, and never have a bad time there. enna&her husband's party was every bit as fun as usual, and had a huge turnout of folks who drove hours to celebrate with them. they're so worth it! plus, they're incredible hosts. this morning i woke up and told cam i had a deam enna had a freezer full of eggo waffles for everyone's breakfast, and it wasn't a dream! we chowed on coffee, hash browns, and eggos, and slowly came back to life after a long, late night. squidpants came by to catch a ride home, and the three of us got back to dc by 3. cam and i decided we wanted steak for dinner and lucked into an amazing special - ny strip, $5.99/lb! we got enough for 2 meals each - actually, more like four, but when he set that beautiful piece of beef down in front of me, i knew there was no way i'd leave leftovers. i barely touched my potatoes, but i ate every bite of that steak!

and now the kitchen's clean, and we've got fresh flannel sheets on the bed, and the tree's glowing and we watched elf and all's right in the world. i'm so thankful for all of that, the little things, and for my wonderful cam and family. and every second my mind drifts, i'm thinking of just one thing, and if you all would too, i'd appreciate it. here she is:


she's beautiful olivia helen cheek, born a little too soon and spending some time growing and getting strong in the hospital. things are a bit touch and go for her, so if you have a spare second - staring out the kitchen window washing dishes, or folding laundry, or whatever - think of little olivia and her wonderful family and send them wishes of love, health, and strength. i know i am, as hard as i can.

mea culpa

i goofed! i failed to blog last night. i have a good excuse, though - i'm not blogging from work, which is where i spent most of my day, and right after work i hopped a metro train to alexandria to meet cam. he was out of town all week, and made it back just in time for date night. and i certainly couldn't blog on welcome-home-cam-date-night, now could i? so, i think what i'll do is a make-up blog at some point before the month is over. i think that's fair, and i've been doing well so far so i'm not going to beat myself up for it (an accomplishment in itself).

and now we're in the car flying up the interstate to philadelphia. we're late, of course. we have three parties to attend today, the most important of which is enna & her husband's annual bash, in philadelphia this year! it's always a great time, and i'm excited to hurry up and get there! we first made a (an enna-approved) stop by my cousin miche's annual open house. he's an incredible artist and architect - be sure to check out his work. it's a great event, and right up the road from where we live. and miche's wife bakes the most incredible bread... mmmm! this year he had a painting of some ibis in chincoteague that i particularly liked. he's also got an iconic sycamore that hangs in countless of my family's homes, including mine, dedicated to cam. i'll get a picture of that at some point. anyway, it was a lovely, if too-brief, gathering.

getting back

work today was like a strangely familiar. coming in, it was still somber. colleagues who met in the hall asked, just like any day, "how are you?" but instead of the usual banter, responses were measured. "ok, but it's a weird day." "you know, well, ok." "fine... ish." the day after layoffs is kind of like the gathering after a funeral. the grand statements have been made, the departed has been laid to rest. then everyone comes together, to eat, to remember. and, generally, at some point the mood lightens. that's what today was like. when we got to work, things were still pretty dour. we got through our work day, and met, like we usually do, after our final deadline. after some business, my boss posed the question, "so, how are you feeling now? are you all doing ok?" she's good about that, about checking in on us. at first, the responses were reactive, raw. many people, including me, were still having lingering "it's not fair" feelings, and some resentment toward management. but as we talked through it, we started talking about other things, and then joking, and laughing. and by the end of the meeting, we'd organized a secret santa exchange, and we all left feeling lighter. and so i think i'm feeling better. even saying that feels so callous, so... bougie. i still have a job. but the fact of the matter is that i can't mourn for the laid off forever. i should be grateful and appreciate what i have, and do the best i can with what i've got. it's all you can really do. it's just not always the easiest thing.

say it ain't so

photo by K@ja

blogging just doesn't feel right tonight. this afternoon, swirling rumors were confirmed, and exceeded. more than 60 amazing people got laid off at work today. everyone knows blogging about work is a dicey proposition at best, but i have to say something. for one, i'm incredibly grateful i didn't get the axe. i love my job, and i'm not just saying that because heads are rolling. i seriously do. two, i'm grateful to my boss. she's done an amazing job of making my division do a lot with a little, and i think we were spared today because of how hard she's pushed us. and i know that the people who had to make the hard decisions about who to cut did so with no joy. i do hope they made decisions that will see us through this recession without cutting more jobs. and finally, i have yet to hear the name of one of the 64 without thinking, "wow. s/he's on the list?" because they're all amazing. i hope they go on to bigger and better places than here, wilder successes, more complete fulfillment.

there are small comforts tonight. i enjoyed my second to last pilates class. pilates is a fantastic mental break - a friend of mine told me it's the only thing that tames her ADD, because you're concentrating so hard on sucking in your belly/squeezing your butt/articulating your spine/and don't forget to breathe! she's right, and for a full hour i didn't think about it.

i wish i could take a picture of my #1 comfort tonight, but of course, still haven't charged my camera yet. kitty bellies. that's not one of my kitties, but that's the right pose. if you have a sweet cat, just walk up to her when she's like this and bury your face in her fur. or, if you have a winston, like i do, just pick him up by the armpits (you know, like a kid), lift him to your face, drape his front paws on the top of your head, and press your face into his tummy. he loves it, i promise, and it does your psyche so much good.

called out

riding my bus home is rarely dull, and today was no exception. the driver had a virtually full bus, and as the riders started trying to convince him to skip stops because there wasn't any room left, he pulled into a packed one. he opened the door and hopeful commuters piled in, and he just kept imploring us to "move back! move to the back of the bus!" there truly wasn't any room, and it wasn't long till people started telling him about it. i should mention here that the bus is generally mostly full of african american folks, with a healthy dose of latinos, and, well, me. anyway, we've been sitting at the stop for what feels like ages, trying to invent room for more people, when one woman starts yelling out the bus's identification number, "twenty-eight-eleven," and directing people to call metro and report him. "stuff like this doesn't happen on connecticut avenue," she said, "because white people call. we can do that too! everyone call metro! twenty-eight-eleven!" she looked at me, then, and said "no offense! you can call too! you should call too!" i, of course, hadn't taken any offense, and soon enough the bus got going.

later in the trip i was thinking about how i could tell this story (i thought it was pretty funny, and i didn't even tell you about the little kid with the madagascar lemur toy that played "i like to move it move it" every five seconds), and describe how i've felt since i moved to my neighborhood, and how it's evolved. when i moved here - a neighborhood whose demographics mirror that of my bus line - i felt like everywhere i went, a spotlight was shining on my face. it wasn't that i got called out all the time or anything, though that has happened. but these days, i feel like most people who live here have gotten used to seeing me around, and i know quite a few of my neighbors on a first name basis. in reality, the dimming of the spotlight is probably much more about my comfort level than the way i'm actually perceived. i'll always be an anamoly, but i knew that coming in. anyway, i was thinking about all of this as i walked onto my block. there were three kids hanging out in front of what's known as "the bad house" - our lovely, busybody neighbor warned us about it soon after we moved. two, on bikes, looked to be third or fourth graders, and the third, maybe fifth or sixth. i gave them a pretty close look as i walked by to see if i knew any of them, didn't recognize anyone, and kept walking. in retrospect i know i could've said hello - i just tend to leave kids to their business - but i didn't, so they decided to. sort of. when i was just past their group, i hear, low and fast, "whitebitch." nice. i didn't really know how to react, so i just turned halfway around, still walking, and said, "funny."

so what should i have done, and what would you have done?

i've got my laptop to keep me warm

no, seriously. i just re-programmed the thermostat to a sensible 68 degrees when we're home, and the toes that froze on my way to work today still haven't thawed. i do have the most freakishly cold toes in history - ask cam - but i've got my laptop on my lap and toes tucked under my butt and seem to be making progress. because you asked.

the other thing that's going on right now is that both cats are sitting on one chair in the living room, staring up at this christmas ornament my favorite 8-year-old made - a little red clay heart looped with some raffia. the heat blowing on the raffia tie is making it flutter, and they're entranced. i better not get home from pilates tonight to find the tree toppled. i wish i'd charged my camera battery, it's pretty cute.

things have changed since my last make-do-with-a-smile post about the economy and a thriftier christmas. friday, 23 guys got laid off at cam's work, and today, rumors are swirling that my company's closing an entire office. it's too close to home, and i'm nervous. i think we'll be ok - cam and i both work hard to make ourselves indispensable to our companies - but there's no telling. it's weird. i've started worrying about the future (in a very priviliged person way, i know) like never before. for instance, it was always my intention to join a gym once i finished my session of pilates classes, but now, i'm worried it's a frivolity at a time like this. the contract's month-to-month, so i'm still thinking i'll join, but... it weighs on me (no pun intended).

ok now my foot's just plain old falling asleep. time to do some chores. the glamour!

portland, pt.2

saturday was an amazing day in portland. i wasn't feeling so hot - i'm fighting some strange bug, or something - but i was determined not to let it get us down. my friend fed us a huge breakfast of oatmeal, fruit, and coffee, and we headed out to pleasant mountain for a hike. she's... pretty nordic. she's incredibly fit, and outdoorsy to the point that it doesn't surprise me in the least to hear she's doing something called "frosty sailing," or some such, sailing in maine till christmas for a team. seriously. she's TOUGH. and amazing. anyway, she said the planned hike was 2.5 miles each way, and i agreed. what we didn't count on, however, was snow! we didn't make it to the summit, but enjoyed a great (challenging for me, breezy for her) hike, stopping to chat every five seconds not just because i was panting, but because we couldn't converse over the crunching of our icy steps. we were out for almost 3 hours, and i think somewhere toward the beginning of the hike i may have sweated out a fever, because i felt quite a bit better by the time we got back to her car. (note to self: heated seats are pretty great, and probably essential in maine)

after a quick stop for groceries and chicken soup for a little snack, we went back to her place for super hot showers and a change of clothes, then headed over to her friend ryan's house for... wait for it... lobsters! when in maine, right? she and ryan and their friends alyssa and aaron and i had an incredible lobster feast (i'm proud to say i went joint for joint with this table of maine-ers, chowing down on the crustaceans like a pro. extra props to alyssa, though, for going for the body meat!), complete with lobster bibs. we followed up the meal with brownie sundays and a game of mexican train dominoes, and i kicked their booties soundly, mt. rainier represent! and, of course, on this perfect maine trip, it was snowing when we left that evening, big fat flakes that we also got to wake up to. just enough to be gorgeous, but not to cancel our trip to boston today.

poking around boston today brought back great memories of the last time she and i and our good friend heather visited boston, years ago. we walked newberry street in the snow, popping in and out of shops, and picking up amazing sandwiches to eat in the car en route to the airport. it was a fantastic trip, a lovely weekend getaway, and it's also so nice to be home with my kitties, my cam, and my christmas tree, ready for another week. if it's not obvious, i'm thankful for friends.

ps. picture to come... my camera seems to be out of batteries, and it's time for bed.

portland, maine

what a night!  after a perfectly smooth day of travel yesterday (bus to metro to plane to bus - it was so luxurious not to drive anywhere!), i hopped into my friend's subaru and after a quick stop by her place, we hit portland.  i got to meet a ton of her friends - realllly nice people - and the boy turning her head right now.  i had a ball being the new girl in town, chatting with all her friends, and just seeing how my she lives here.  portland seems like a pretty sweet city (if FREEZING), and i'm looking forward to seeing more of it in the light today.  this afternoon we're going to hike at pleasant mountain (only time will tell if that's a misnomer or not... i'm in terrible shape!), and rumors continue to swirl about a big lobster dinner tonight.  the only thing i'm worried about right now is the snow in the forecast for tonight and sunday... don't want to have flight issues getting home!

finally, no word from cam yet on how the fishing tournament's going.  this means one of two things: either the stripers aren't biting, or no one's phone is working.  i think the latter's a bit more likely than the former, but we'll see.  fingers crossed for sunday rockfish dinner!

flip-side

time to lighten things up a bit - today i'm thankful for brevity! in typical sarah fashion, i need to leave the house in 40 minutes, and before then, i need to shower, pack, take care of the kitties, and blog. guess which i'm doing?

i'm headed to maine this weekend to visit a dear friend. maine in december sounds a bit insane but hell, i've been there in july, so why not really do it right this time? she's got all kinds of plans for us - a bar tonight, where there's a party her friends will all be attending. i'm excited to meet them! we'll get some exercise tomorrow (she's totally nordic), then there's a possibility of a lobster bake tomorrow night! crazy. i'm flying out of boston, so sunday she and i plan to leave portland with enough time to walk around that city, too. it's a whirlwind, but it should be super fun.

i know i've committed to blog daily, and i WILL blog tomorrow, i'm just not sure it'll show up here till sunday. if she's got internet i can hop on, i will, but failing that, i'll blog on my blackberry and save it for posting sunday. have a great weekend, friends, and i'll see you on the flip!

on a more serious note

whoa. tonight i'm thankful for life, and longevity. cam's grandmother has been staying with his parents for a couple weeks and we still hadn't been to see her, so tonight, we picked her up and took her to dinner. she's an amazing lady. she has some mobility issues, but other than that is at least as sharp as i am (she saved me from leaving my purse at the restaurant). she's incredibly kind and gentle, but at the same time, she's no fool and when she has an opinion to voice, she does. i admire her greatly, and the relationship she and cam have is wonderful. anyway, we had just begun to peruse our menus when we heard a horrible, gasping, gurgling noise from just a bit across the dining room. it was terrifying. cam, of course, knows the heimlich maneuver, so he immediately jumped up just in case the man who was admistering it needed backup. i freaked out, mostly, i think, because the sounds so closely resembled retching, and i'm incredibly (and insensibly) afraid of all things vomit. first my hands flew up to cover my ears, and then i remember thinking i needed to be calm, and i needed to figure out how to help. it seemed like the man was getting as much assistance as possible, though i couldn't quite see clearly, so i decided my best course of action was to get away, stay clear and out of the way. i did, and soon things seemed to improve, cam returned to the table, and i did too, shakily. the poor man who was choking spent a long time doubled over just staring at the ground. i'm sure his life must have flashed before his eyes - it was very, very serious there for a bit. but as cam reported, later in the car, the piece of steak exited the same way it entered, and while the man was shaken, he was fine.

it was so, so scary. much scarier, sure, for the man who could have died. i'm a little worried about my own overreaction, but since i don't know the heimlich, i guess the best thing to say is at least i didn't get in the way. we went on to have a really nice meal and conversation, and it all turned out ok in the end. it's a good reminder, though, to be thankful for the most obvious thing: life.

capitulation

it sounds awful, but it really isn't. cam and i had planned for awhile to do it up right for our first christmas living together, which meant going to a christmas tree farm to cut down our own tree. unfortunately, our ridiculous schedules have conspired against us, and tonight i convinced him that we just can't wait till the 14th... what we need to get us de-stressed and excited about the holidays is a tree, fragrant and glowing in our living room. so tonight we climbed into lucy (his old ford pickup, she's awesome) and headed to a lot just slightly out of town. not 10 minutes later we had a perfect tree in the back of the truck, and now the cats are chasing each other around it, we've got christmas carols on pandora, and all is right in the world. plus, after about an hour on the computer, i'm nearly done my christmas shopping.

the whole recession thing is making for a strange holiday season, in some ways. a week ago, my work sent out a notice about the so-called holiday happenings around the building. conspicuously absent? any mention of a holiday party. my work used to really do it up this time of year, with a huge party to which all our loved ones were invited. this year, there's a hot chocolate happy hour. that's it. no bands, no santa for the kids, no disco in the mail room, no booze. it's kind of depressing, and i'm not sad i'll be missing it. then, today, cam emailed me the notice from his work, announcing the all-out cancellation of their holiday party. and then i heard the promo for all things considered this evening: "the latest casualty of the recession? the office holiday party."

the weird thing is, even though i'm a little put out that work's not putting on the dog and plying me with cocktails this december, i'm not that upset about spending less on gifts. there are few things i love so much as finding the perfect gifts for friends and family that make each recipient feel pampered and understood, and working in tighter financial parameters just makes it a little more challenging. i know i'm fortunate - for some families santa's not coming at all, and that's true every year - but it's changed my focus a little, and so far, i'm making the best of it. i do wish i had more time for homemade gifts (or better follow-through?), and that i'd make some headway on my christmas cards, but for now, i'm happy with a cartful of etsy purchases and a tree in the living room.

remember that theme?

photo by shannon hibberd

remember how the theme for this whole nablopomo nonsense is thanks? well my cup is overflowing at this moment. this has been a day jampacked with goodness. first, my sister is now blogging! check out her awesomeness. secondly, my evening went nothing like i anticipated. not knowing what to expect at my expecting friend's house, i sort of figured we'd stop in, heat up dinner, and make an exit, so as not to disrupt the calm. negative! the soon-to-be-papa assured us they'd love our company for a bit longer, so instead of ducking out, we joined our friends at the table, had a meal they swore they enjoyed, and then played a rousing game of parcheesi. it was a perfect night, and, selfishly, it was so good for me to see my friends doing so well. plus, i came in second at parcheesi, which sure didn't hurt.

riding home with the warmth of a great night with friends surrounding me, i didn't think this night could get much better, but my inbox held further delights. first, another baby! a good friend of mine just welcomed little arlo into the world with much fanfare and few complications, and i'm gushing with excitement for the new family. secondly, my sister forwarded the photos - nearly 600 of them - from her wedding, and cam and i just watched the complete slideshow. re-living that incredible, amazing, life-affirming event has me overwhelmed and overblessed. i have more to say, a good thing in a solid month of blogging, but for now, just look again at the picture above, of love.

food for thought

i may have officially lost my mind, but on this first day of december, i've decided to join national blog posting month. it's probably the worst month i could choose, given the hectic holiday schedule, but what the hell. if i really want to make a go of regular posting, why not start it off with a bang?

in a side note, cam's sitting beside me as i undertake this challenge. he just said, "i've never seen anyone blog before. do you need some alone time?" i assured him that i don't, but at the same time, we will probably each have some "alone time" as i'll likely have to stay up past his bedtime to post on occasion.

the theme of the month, as hosted by nablopomo (awkward!) is thanks. i don't even know where to begin on that, so i'll start small. tonight, i learned that green potatoes aren't as poisonous as i feared (apparently, a 100 lb person could get sick only if he/she ingested a pound of totally green potato), and i'm thankful for that, because the bag i bought today is full of tubers with a chartreuse hue. i bought the patoots to make another batch of julia's potato leek soup for a friend who's on bed rest till her due date. tomorrow evening, cam and i will take the soup, along with more buttermilk chive biscuits, to my friend and her husband and hope the food nourishes the three of them for a night... or, at the very least, doesn't give her heartburn!

julie, julia, potatoes, and leeks

like zillions of people before me, i'm sure, digging into Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen inspired me to cook. specifically, all i have been able to think about since i started the book two days ago is julia childs' potage parmentier, or potato soup. it's the first recipe in the first book julie ever wrote, as julie notes, and it's dead easy. so, tonight, potato and leek soup, plus buttermilk chive biscuits courtesy of smitten kitchen, and benton's prosciutto. simple, satisfying, and unbelievably delicious. dicing potatoes, slicing leeks (my first!), salting and simmering, immersion blending, butter melting, sipping. perfection. thank you, julie and julia.

i don't intend to cook my way through the legendary tome, like julie did, but it has piqued my interest in blogging with a purpose, setting an impossible goal and charting its progress, warts and all. cam and i have hatched a plan. it's a 5-year (or so) plan, but if we can get the right people to collaborate (one's already signed on, one's thinking about it, and one's oblivious but should be a cinch), it could be pretty great. it's colossal, life-changing, and possibly life-making. it's also just a pipe dream, for now...

10 cards for 10 people

i stumbled on something today i don't want to forget about on the decor8 blog. a challenge: make a list of 10 people who changed your 2008, and send each a card before the end of the year. i think it's a lovely idea, and intend to do it. if you don't get a card, it doesn't mean i don't love you, or you didn't change my year, of course - it's just been a big year! i could send two dozen cards and still not be through with it, but let's keep it simple. 10 people, 10 cards. to-do.

dear blog,

i miss you. this 2-year-long election will soon be over. see you soon.
love,
emma

A Breeze

Last night when we got home from work, Cam got busy putting frosted film on the window in the shower, so we can bathe without shocking the neighbors. We had a pillowcase over it for a while, but the mildew was becoming unbearable. Anyway, in helping him, I learned how to open the windows in our place in such a way that you can flip them flat and wash the outsides. I knew they had this feature, but hadn't mastered it, but now I've got it. So while he finished the film and moved on to the blue room to hang shelves, I made my way from window to window, sliding, flipping, spraying, washing, wiping, and flipping again. Now they sparkle, the raindrop residue and the kitten noseprints are gone. In the bedroom, I left the tops open and propped myself up in the bed, listened to a great mix a friend passed along and enjoyed the breeze. Today's commute was cool and breezy, fall-like, and when I walked into work I remarked about it to my colleague, who has an infant son we call Pico. He too was moved by the breeze - last night, he scooped up Pico and headed outdoors, just so Pico could feel it ruffle his hair. "Pico," he said, "that's what a breeze feels like."

this time, with feeling

ohhhh life. so we had internet and phone for one day. one day. and now we've got it back. so seriously, for real this time i mean it (but does our isp?), i'm back. changes a'comin.

a true sign of the apocalypse

i am not even kidding you. batten down the hatches, folks, because the horsemen approach, and a million other mixed references. as of RIGHT NOW i am typing on these here internets from HOME. on MY COMPUTER. on WIRELESS INTERNET. as of this moment on june 23rd, we have television, phone, AND INTERNET. it's a miracle, i swear.

ok enough. gotta go make out with the man who got it all configured.

more more more to come!

oh, EW.

ew ew ew ewww ew. so i'm working on this new project at work (very exciting fun project, it'll be on the internets soon), and one of the less exciting things about it is working at a new desk. said new desk has the keyboard on an extender arm, an arm which doesn't fully support the weight of the keyboard so i have to sort of reinforce it by balancing it on my legs. i just now touched my leg and found something on my pants. thinking it was some creme from the joe-joe i ate a bit ago, i absentmindedly picked it off then looked at it. it was SO A BOOGER. SOMEONE ELSE'S BOOGER that i scraped off the bottom of the keyboard shelf with my supportive leg. now that, my friends, is NASTY.

nastier still? i didn't wash my hand. instead i'm typing on the nasty nasty keyboard.

ok must go wash now.

ew!!!

cam and the jay desk: a story of heroism

seriously? having a cam RULES. here's how today went.
6:45 alarm goes off for first time, for me. i snooze.
6:52 awesome coffee grinds and brews itself.
7:06 after hitting the snooze button for the 5th time, i finally get up.
7:10 in the bathroom i hear the alarm go off again. oops i forgot to turn it off. sorry cam!!!
7:32 i bring cam coffee in bed and finally leave.
8:46 place emergency call to cam. "have you left yet? i forgot to bring the camera i freecycled to work. you'll bring it? oh my gosh thanks! see you soon."
8:57 cam arrives, hands me camera with a kiss.
11:30 west elm calls, the desk we ordered is in. come and get it!
3:30 catch cam on his way home from work. "guess what, the desk's in! you'll pick it up? but i have the claim check. you'll come by? you rule. we still have to order the hutch, but maybe i can do it on the phone, but can you try? if you can't i'll go later. you rule."
3:40 cam arrives at my work for second time today. hand cam the claim check. more kiss. my friend at the front desk says, "i'm going to tell your boyfriend you got into someone's truck!" heehee, my boyfriend's driving his dad's truck, so it's ok. but cam'll be glad to know he's looking out.
3:45 cam calls - they won't let him have the desk until i call and authorize. i do so immediately.
3:57 cam calls - "i have the desk and ordered the hutch." sweet!
4:38 cam calls - "the desk is built! see you soon."

seriously? in a cam-less world, i'd have had to bus it home after work, get in my car, drive back into the city, pick up the desk, return home, and probably leave it in the trunk till someone could help me move it into the house. and then i'd have tried to build it, oh, maybe this weekend. instead, none of the guts but all of the glory, i get to go home just once tonight and organize said desk. sometimes life is just too good!

faster horses

oh life is so good. last night i was a first-rate grump, looking forward to an evening of hiding under the covers and riding it out. i got home, grabbed my book and a snack, and settled in, comforted by the knowledge that cam was cooking dinner that night. he got home a bit after i did with our friend matt and called me out of my down duvet cave... he had flowers and a bourbon for me. um, how well does he know me? i watered the flowers and set them out, then retreated again, bourbon in hand, and read for hours while periodically eavesdropping on the boys, who were drinking whiskey and talking mostly about tom t. hall. a little while after matt left the delicious smells coming from the kitchen coaxed me one last time from my cave... whole roasted trout, caught by matt and cleaned by cam, stuffed with lemon slices and sauteed onions and garnished with a slice of jalapeno; modified "stovies," improved with cream and fingerling potatoes, sans meat; and steamed broccoli. needless to say, my dark mood had disappeared completely by then! we really feel like our home's a home now, alive with friends and food and family... and it's such a trip to think that THIS is our new normal, not some lovely vacation...

here it is: the less-good

yeah. remember how i said there'd be less-good days? a man was shot about 3 blocks from my home last night, at 5:30 pm. it doesn't sound random, and doesn't happen much, but that only goes so far to make me feel better about walking home from work tonight...

this must be the place

oh wow! this week has been pretty incredible as cam and i settle into our new home. we painted our hearts out, and now have a beautiful green bedroom, in which now sits, as of 1pm today, the bed. it's enormous and extravagant and i can imagine spending all my waking AND sleeping hours in it. last night we walked to dinner in our neighborhood. do you hear me? walked. it's a delightful restaurant owned by a salvadoran couple - they met while working at a gourmet pizza place in dupont circle, and have now opened their own place just blocks from where we live. the pizza was out of sight, the restaurant was cozy, and the flan was so good we finished our first serving and had to order another. i know there will be days that are less-good, but this, this is why i moved back to the city.

the big time

well, it's official! i'm a homeowner. it was kind of... easy. ok, so making a billion phonecalls and getting my financial ducks in a row and stressing about what my final number needed at closing were kind of sucky (especially that last one... i was so stressed i temporarily turned into a monster. seriously. i think it's over now, though). and now i own a beautiful condo in which i am currently sitting... leggy oak floors everwhere, sparkly dark green granite countertops, shiny stainless and black appliances, two bedrooms, tiny bath. cam and i spent our first night here last night (after the easiest mattress delivery ever, i swear - nice guys, on time, efficient, awesome) on our fancy new mattress with luxurious sheets and down duvet. sure, it was on the floor in a blank room, but it was so cozy! there's a window over the sink in the kitchen... and another in the bathroom... two things i love. we ran the dishwasher with all our new dishes last night, and i've already placed them in the cabinets. i found the most beautiful, perfect, ME shower curtain last night - i know, of all things to get excited about, but really, check it: gorgeous.

oh, and in case i didn't mention it, i bit the bullet and ordered the bed. i can't wait for it to arrive!

ok, time to get painting! right now the whole place is this awful neutral cream, and i hate it. so the ceilings are going to be white, trim white, and color everywhere else. which means... i need to get cracking on the ceiling.

so everyone... come visit!

nesting, and fleeing the nest

whoa. this condo thing is getting serious! $5k has changed hands... with much more to come. my agent has advised me to get the utilities transferred. cam and i have selected a paint color for our bedroom (happy camper, a green). i'm seriously considering a really expensive bed. last weekend, cam and i rocked a series of home store outlets (the crate, the w-s, the pb, the restoration... you know the drill) AND an ikea, all in a matter of hours. we now own things like silverware, a hanging basket for produce, plates, hooks. and yet... friday we return to hatteras, the site of all things wonderful, a return to our cottage on the beach. a respite from faxing and transferring funds and signing documents. we're back monday, and wednesday, if all goes according to plan, i close on my own little piece of DC. our new home. crazy!

two pieces of winter fashion advice... which may come too late for most

here it is, folks: how to wear a winter coat in two steps.
1. carefully snip off the oblong label on the left sleeve that says "fabric made in italy," or "100% cashmere" in fancy script. note how it's sewn on with a few spare threads, rather than the intensive stitching featured elsewhere on the garment. that's because it's not meant to be permanent. cut it off.
2. keep those scissors handy. flip the coat over, and cast your eyes upon the vent(s) - the flap(s) in the back. note how they're sewn closed, generally with a big X-shaped stitch. again, the light stitch is a pretty good sign: it's not permanent either. read the sign, snip the thread, let your vents flap freely.

thanks. and i can take it as well as i can dish it - anyone with solutions for gross dry peely face skin or static-filled flyaway winter hair, please help!

yikes!

verbal counter-offer received, my agent's calling to discuss later this evening... exciting!

home sweet home?

i know i've been talking about it for nearly six months now, but there's finally progress to report: i've found a condo i want. it's tiny - about 660 square feet - and it's a ways out of the fun parts of town. but it's on a beautiful, quiet, residential street with tall trees and lots of parking, and it's got something i never imagined: two bedrooms. it's a conversion, so the whole unit's brand new, with granite countertops, oak floors, and black appliances. it's got a full-sized stacked washer and dryer. lots of pretty windows with sills deep enough for winston to sit on. a couple closets. basement storage. cam and i saw it first a couple months ago, together, and both though hmmm... this could be the one. and friday he and i and my agent took my parents by, and they liked it too. it's all started to feel really good, so friday we put together my offer. turns out we didn't have the proper contract, so i haven't actually signed anything yet, but tomorrow at 4:30, i'll get my pen ready and this will enter a much more serious phase. window shopping was fun, but now it's time for action. i can't afford the place, but we're hoping that the volatile market and glut of units on the market will mean i can lowball the hell out of the developer and get in at something i can afford. cross your fingers!

in other news, i've got my assignment for super tuesday: i'm headed to nyc and the giuliani event. should be exciting, since i've pretty much never been to new york... i only wish i was going to have time to see jbd and my cousin and everyone's favorite millionaire...

dude, you got a dell

woo! new laptop, and soon, new ipod! get ready, as soon as i ascertain my internet situation, for more frequent and increasingly more mundane updates and thoughts! you're shivering with anticipation, right? thought so.

true love!

my beautiful sister and her amazing boyfriend are engaged! friday night, the evening of their 4th anniversary, he popped the question! i'm beyond excited! i couldn't ask for a better match for my sister - i mean, how lucky am i to wholeheartedly love the man she's going to marry? no one's ever supposed to be good enough for your sister, and lo and behold, he is. they have a beautiful life together already, and i can't wait to see what the future holds for them. plus, selfishly, they're two of my absolute favorite people in the world, and now i get to have them together forever, and the best brother-in-law a girl could ask for!

thanks, marian

what is WRONG with me? why don't i ever go to the library? it's the best flipping place in the world! you walk in, pick out anything and everything you like, and they let you walk out with it, for FREE. i finally went after ages and ages last night and i felt like a kid in a candy store. i got three books - THREE BOOKS! the only problem? now i have all these books waiting for me at home, tempting me, at odds with my mile-long to-do list. choices. choices must be made.

prize winner

dinnertime!

men movies

snowflakes! this morning on my way to work, ditzy snowflakes bounced around in my path, just infrequently enough to make me search for the next, convinced the little flurry was over. nope! not over. and tomorrow they say more is on the way.

last night was date night, matchbox & a movie. we saw "no country for old men," and it was fantastic. i haven't read the cormac mccarthy story on which it's based so it was a complete surprise at every turn. and creepy as all hell. i had no idea josh brolin could act - really act - and when javier bardem appeared on screen, he looked like no one i've ever seen before, a face jarring in its new-ness, even though he's not new at all. haunting. i don't really know who/what the oscar contenders are, but if i had any say, i'd nominate them both.

the last movie we watched together was "children of men," so if you've seen it, you know it's been a very dark, violent, and spooky couple of weeks. i mean, not really - life's great! love and families and travel and almost too much food and drink, gifts and surprises and cuddles and the occasional inappropriate text message... maybe we've been seeing these disturbing movies for a bit of balance! even still, i think it's high time for my annual "elf" viewing... and i'm moving "waitress" to the top of my netflix queue!

a public service announcement

ok. let me say first that i'm all for getting a flu shot. i've done it every year since i started my job (where we get it on-site, for free, if we want), and so far no flu, so that's good. that said, i had a particularly informative nurse this time around, so here's what she told me before the shot, in case your nurse isn't so informative:

1. the serum is thicker this year, so it's going to HURT. take four advils after your shot and stay on it.
2. don't exercise after your shot, it only makes things worse. something about your body making more antibodies or something. so take a night off from the gym.

DUDES. don't let me dissuade you from flu-shotting-it-up, but MAN. she was not lying. i was mocking everyone in my office who got it in the morning and then complained bitterly that their arms hurt. i know now the error of my ways and have eaten my words with gusto. this freaking thing HURTS. i took two advils and can barely type for the pain (ok, slight exaggeration, but only slight!). i see more advil and quantities of bourbon in my future... you know, since i can't go to the gym and all.

a trick or a treat?

it's official... today, i got blackberried. i'm not really sure how i feel about it yet. first of all, it's going to be kind of annoying to have 2 cell phones (personal and work). second of all, there's always the, "who wants to be THAT in touch with work?" question. i love my job and my work, though, and i know i can always just ignore it, but there's a bit of a philosophical debate there even still. that said, it's pretty cool, and it'll be nice to go through my work emails on my way to work instead of wasting time doing that when i get here. plus, since i don't have internet at home, it'll be cool to be able to look up an address or directions or whatever if i need them.

and a little piece of me feels special that they think i rate one, even if i think it's a little silly.

speedbump

i've been waiting on a little extra cashflow to make a decision on a condo, and it's been put on hold... fingers crossed that it comes through! frustrating.

home sweet home

when i have my new home, i will...
-sleep in a queen sized bed... thanks, cam!
-do jigsaw puzzles
-come up with fantastic pitches surfing wirelessly from my new laptop
-have a dv-r (thanks again)
-paint all the walls, whatever color i want
-go to antique shops and thrift stores to find furniture... modern furniture is far too oversized for whatever petite condo we choose
-really notice that my (current) roommate's the one with all the good kitchen stuff
-have fewer clothes and fewer books
-relinquish my oversized stereo system for a smaller set-up
-finally be able to get a new ipod

i'm going to add more as they come to me... what's been your favorite part of owning a home, or moving in with your loved one?

in a nutshell

i have total writer's block lately. not that what i jot here counts as writing. but anyway, here's an exercise in memory...

20 years ago I...
was nine years old. i don't remember much about it. i guess i was in fourth grade... ok it's coming back now. my hair was the shortest it's ever been, and so many people thought i was a boy i'll never ever do that again. i had a blue chambray shirt with silver studs on the pockets and a khaki skirt that i absolutely loved to wear together... i can still feel the fabric of the shirt, and how good i felt in that outfit. someone still referred to me as a boy, one day when i was wearing that outfit, and it never felt the same after that. it still makes me a little sad to think about. that, and that my grandfather died that year. i was so young i didn't really understand it. i mean, i knew what it meant, but it felt like something i reacted to in the way i felt i should. i loved him a ton, but whatever mourning i've done over his death has been a mellow missing him over the years, more than a tremendous display of emotion at the time.

10 years ago I...
was 19 years old. in college, a sophomore, naive and having the time of my life. i lived in river mill, tried my first cigarette, and dreamed of boys i didn't actually know. i also had my first boyfriend, though i have a hard time calling that since the entire thing was long-distance. i remember him with utmost fondness. we had a shared love of dental hygiene. we broke up when i was in cambridge visiting family, and i can still see him riding away on his bike. yikes. it was actually a huge year. one of my best friends went to prison - real, honest-to-god lock up, and my other grandfather died. that one was a lot harder... it wasn't a surprise, but i was so far from my family when it happened... it was strange.

Five years ago I...
entered my last year of grad school in dc. it was a very intellectual time period where i held down my dream internship and wrote my thesis. i had lots of fantastically smart friends, and graduated.

So far this year, I've...
done more than i can possibly distill. it's been the best ever, full of LOVE more than anything. friends, family, kitty, and the best boyfriend in the world. i even love my job, most of the time.

Yesterday I...
grilled top-notch steaks while cam made a flawless hollandaise to go with the asparagus.

Today I...
haven't done much, but a former crush did call me a "beautiful woman." in less than an hour, cam's picking me up so we can meet my agent and see some more condos.

Tomorrow I'll...
cook up a storm for the halloweiner! and hopefully come up with a halloween costume.

vroom

this weekend i went on my first motorcycle ride. i am HOOKED!

wires and waves

it's sad, but true... i just don't go to as many shows as i used to. i'm no less a fan of music, at least, and my xm has really gotten me back into it. but shows? maybe it's a function of aging and having the kind of job that i both MUST be sharp for and WANT to be sharp for. maybe it's because tickets in this fine city are so much more expensive than in athens. maybe i'm a bit jaded and tired of standing through less than stellar opening acts (and secretly mortified that i hadn't heard of them prior to arriving... when did i go from the kind of person who knows every band on the bill and actually prefers the opener to the headliner to the kind who doesn't recognize those kids up on stage?). it stresses me out a little. but last night i got off my lazy butt and saw rilo kiley with my sister. i've been a casual fan for a while, and my admiration jumped considerably with jenny lewis's rabbit fur coat. my sister loves rk, so going seemed like a decent idea. it was SO much more than that. trust me, rilo kiley puts on a hell of a show. they were incredibly tight - no wanking between songs, just the right amount of chatter, all equipment functional and tuned... and lewis is just luminous. i can't say anything about her that hasn't been said before, but i can give you this: the show we attended, courtesy of npr. it's wonderful, and it reminded me what i love about live music. thanks, rilo kiley.

humpty-dumpty

is it really only wednesday?
i've been having a really normal week, but somehow it's dragging on infinitely.
is anyone else having this problem?

rilo kiley with my sister tonight... maybe that will help! or maybe it'll just make me tired... and the week longer... bad attitude!

is it truly location, location, location?

an update: saw a ton of condos on wednesday with my lovely real estate agent. she definitely seems to 'get' me, and a lot of the places would be just fine, if not ideal. two really tickle my fancy: one in an awesome location that's very small (and i have two people and a LARGE cat to think about), another in a less-awesome location with more space. hmmmm. any thoughts? a recent first-time-homeowner friend of mine said the conventional wisdom is "whatever you buy, you can't pick it up and move it," so you better like the location. she quickly followed that with c.w. #2: you can't make more space. so, yeah. i have no idea what to do. and there's a third option: wait it out longer, see if more places pop up, and see if i have a bit more $ than i think to play with. it's possible i will. no matter what, i'm not buying anything RIGHT away, but there is a slim possibility next month will be my last paying rent. it blows my mind every time i think about it.