patriotic tat

So the beach trip was pretty great. Really it was one day at a water park and one day at the beach, which included the best fireworks show I think I've ever seen. Oh, and when I swam in the ocean I saw dolphins nearby, so that was pretty exciting. At least it was exciting until one dolphin appeared to jump toward me, and then I booked it for the shore.

fourth

I'm headed to the beach for the holiday weekend, but I thought I'd share some lyrics I always like to sing on the Fourth of July.

I see fireworks!
I see the pagaent and pomp and parade
I hear the bells ringing out
I hear the cannons roar
I see Americans - all Americans
Free!
Forever more

They're from 1776 the musical, of course, and are sung by John Adams. So remember to have a happy fourth, because John would want you to.

luddite

I finally got my tv's conversion box set up and so far I'm not pleased. Sure, the picture is great, but now when there is bad reception I get that annoying pixilation and the audio stutters. I was perfectly fine watching a slightly fuzzy picture with unbroken audio. And now I can't find NBC! I barely even watch tv, but when I do NBC is a staple. Big. Fat. Ugh.

Gus the firefly

Tonight I saw a whole slew of fireflies in the bushes beside the road while driving home from Charlottesville at twilight. It was pretty neat.

I went to Wisconsin and didn't eat any cheese.

It's true. I spent all of last week (Monday through Saturday) in Madison, Wisconsin, and I didn't have Wisconsin cheese. I did have some beer and a brat though.

I was there for a historical editing "camp" (no camping was involved, however). I learned some stuff, but the best part was meeting other people who do what I do. It was also exciting to meet a couple fellow historians of the westward trails, and I knew I had found my people when we spent a lunch break visiting the grave of the historian Frederick Jackson Turner, famous for his "frontier thesis." Overall it was a fun week of history nerdom.

Flag Day

Today, June 14, is Flag Day. It's also my Dad's birthday. He is pretty excited his birthday is always on Flag Day, and he always wears a flag shirt to commemorate. My Dad has always told me that Flag Day was started in 1949 by President Truman, which is extra exciting for Dad because that's the year he was born (hello 60!). However, I heard a story on the radio on Friday that said Woodrow Wilson started Flag Day in 1916. I immediately picked up the phone to confront my father on this huge discrepancy in the story he has told me my whole life.

Turns out he and the radio were both right. Whew.

You can learn more here, but the gist is that the design for our national flag was approved by the Continental Congress on 14 June 1777, Woodrow Wilson established a national Flag Day in 1916, and the day was actually signed into law in 1949.

Happy Flag Day, and Happy Birthday Dad!

We love us some TJ.

Maybe it's lame, but here are two pictures with the same statue.

My brother Ryan is in town for a couple days, and today we went to Monticello. I haven't been there since I was in the sixth grade, and he went in the fifth grade. So it was about time.

Alaska

I'm back from Alaska folks, and it was great. Allison and Sam got married, and I saw musk ox. Here's how it went down:

Wednesday I woke up before dawn to embark on over seventeen hours of travel, including a 6.75 hour flight in the middle seat of the second to last row in the plane next to a man who coughed and wheezed the whole time. The toils of travel were soon forgotten, however, when the man driving me from the Anchorage airport to my hotel said "Want to see some moose?" And sure enough, right there next to the road on our way into town we saw two teenage moose, and another one farther up the road. Unfortunately I was too embarrassed to get my camera out, so you will just have to believe me on this one.

I checked into the hotel at 10 pm (it was still light out!) and went to bed. Then Josefina came in a couple hours later, and I woke up to talk to her. She and Allison and I went to UPS together and were in a Bible study all through college. We finally called it a night at 1:30 am.

Thursday Allison picked Jo and me up and took us to her house, where a bunch of us set out for Girdwood. The drive there was beautiful, with towering snowy peaks and a big lake. We ate sourdough pancakes at a bake shop, then we went for a "leisurely" hike.



The best part was the hand tram that you have to take to get across a gorge, with a rope to pulley yourself across in a little cage.



Don't look down!



After the hike we returned to Allison's house to hang out and relax for the afternoon. We also played a fun game of Pictionary with her family. For dinner we joined her billions of cousins at Snow Goose. I think after that we just went to bed.

Friday I woke up early, so I walked downtown to a coffee shop, where I had a latte and scone while working a crossword puzzle. Mid-morning Josefina and I went back to Allison's house, where Jo practiced the flute with the pianist for the wedding and I helped wrap chocolate for table favors. The wedding rehearsal was at noon. I was a reader for the wedding, and everyone yelled at me at the rehearsal and told me to go slower. I tried.

The rehearsal dinner (or lunch) was at the Moose's Tooth, a great pizza place and pub. After stuffing ourselves on cheezy bread sticks, pizza, and cake, it was time for a nap. So Josefina and I went back to the hotel. At 6 pm we walked downtown to watch Allison and her sister run a 12k. (Did you catch that? The night before her wedding she ran a 12k. She also went for a hike the next morning before hair and makeup!) We watched them take off, and then we joined some other UPSers (fellow alumni and friends of Allison's) for drinks. We saw Al again after the race, and when she went home for bed the rest of us went out to eat at Orso. I had a beet salad and halibut, and it was seriously delicious. The meal finally ended after 10pm (still light out!), so we went home to bed.

Saturday The big day. Josefina and I walked downtown for a great breakfast at Snow City Cafe, then went to Allison's house for a ladies'-brunch-slash-get-ready-for-the-wedding. Once everyone was ready (Allison looked amazing!) we joined the guys for pictures at a park. The morning had looked pretty dreary but by the afternoon the sky was blue, so it was perfect. After pictures we went to the church. The wedding was very nice. Her grandfather was the pastor. Josefina played the flute beautifully, and I didn't read too fast. Allison and Sam looked great, and it was a really happy moment for everyone!



The reception was at an art museum downtown. There was eating and dancing and an overall great time. After it was all over at 11 pm (it was still light out!), some of us went downtown for more fun. That midnight sun really messes with you.



Sunday Sunday it was my mission to see a musk ox. So I made it happen. Josefina and I checked out of the hotel and went to the airport to rent a car. We were then joined by the UPS group from before and headed north of Anchorage. We stopped at the Thunderbird Falls to take a short hike. Unfortunately there were more mosquitoes there than I have ever seen in my life, and we spent the entire time swatting at them. Seriously guys, there were a ton of mosquitoes. After that we kept driving until we reached the Musk Ox Farm. It's a little non-profit co-op that is trying to domesticate the musk ox so they can harvest it's wool, which they then send out to remote Alaskan villages for women to knit into fancy scarves and hats that cost a boatload of money.



We even got to feed "treats" to the animals. They were super cute.



After the Musk Ox Farm we stopped for lunch, where I ate a BLT but sampled someone else's reindeer sausage. We then drove back to Anchorage and I dropped Josefina off at the airport.

At this point I was on my own but still had my rental car, so I went downtown to visit the weekend market. I wandered around the booths of crafts and food, and bought myself a pair of earrings. Then I decided to look for a moose.

Since I still had time to kill before my flight, and since I hadn't gotten pictures of the moose I saw on my first night, I headed to Kincaid Park, which has the largest moose population in Anchorage. There were lots of trails and stuff, and I didn't really know where I was going, but it was fun anyway. And sure enough! I saw two moose cross the path in front of me. And I got pictures. (But I didn't get the two in one shot, because when I thought I was doing that it turns out I was taking a video with my camera. Oops.)



After the moose I walked on a little farther, and then turned back and headed to the car and to the airport.

pause button

Sorry I've been such a slacker on the blogging front lately. I head off to Alaska in the morning, so I imagine you will get a post when I return.

amazing. evening.

This evening was absolutely wonderful.

First, I got to talk to my brother Ryan. I love him.

Then, I talked to my good friend Katie. I love her, too.

Next, Josh joined me in Richmond and we went to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for...get ready...a Josh Ritter concert! I love Josh Ritter. He's my favorite musician/band.



As you may recall, I saw him a year ago on the day I finished my grad school papers in North Carolina. I also saw him in Seattle in 2004 with my friend Amy. The concert was wonderful, and while I was happy sitting in my folding chair on the lawn Josh forced me to go up by the stage. Which was great.



He also bought a music book so he can get out his ukulele and woo me with Josh Ritter songs.

Memorial Day "ink"

Today's temporary tattoo:

field trip

Today my coworkers and I took a field trip to Montpelier. That's the house of James Madison, or the "Father of the Constitution." We got a private tour and time to wander around (most people hung out in the gift shop at this point, but I went down to see his and Dolley's graves). Then we ate lunch at a nice little French place in Gordonsville. I love field trips.

woot

I just booked a flight to Alaska for some friends' wedding in June. I'm afraid I will see a bear. But I really really hope I will see a musk ox.

Tomorrow I don't have to drive to Charlottesville (like I do every day) because I get to do research in Richmond instead. I'm calling it a field trip. I love field trips.

Tattitude.

This past weekend I sported a new temporary tattoo. Because I'm fun like that.

check out their stash

When it comes to my personal pistachio consumption, my grandparents are my usual suppliers. And as you can see by this shot of their garage fridge, they stay well supplied.

hodgepodge

Last week I got to meet the man whose papers I worked on for two summers at my archives internship. He was nice and I was pretty excited about it.

I also saw a woman speak who ended up winning the Pulitzer Prize for history yesterday.

I'm working on a Mozart piano duet with my cousin Sunni. She's eleven. We might perform it in a real live recital. It will be impressive.

Last night Grandpa and I went to see the Canterbury Choir perform. The choir includes boys and men, plus an organ. It was amazing. And when those little boys with their stiff white collars and purple robes move to rub their nose or scratch their ear, it's pretty darned cute.

You know what's annoying? Apartment hunting.

On Easter my aunt told some of us "big kid" cousins to go hide eggs, but we all said we wanted to hunt for them instead. So the other aunt hid them for all of us. We're definitely not little anymore, but we had fun.

Apr. 13.

Today was my birthday. I also happen to share a birthday with Thomas Jefferson. As part of my present Josh made me some temporary tattoos, and today I wore a special one to work.



Since I'm still the new girl a few people sort of glanced at it this morning but didn't want to say anything. I think they thought it might be real (even though you can tell just from the picture it's definitely not real). One guy came up and asked about it, then seemed relieved it was fake. My boss, on the other hand, was disappointed it was only temporary and thought I was showing true dedication. Overall it was a big hit, if I do say so myself.

The folks at work also threw me a little party with cake and ice cream, which was very nice of them. Then Josh and I went out to dinner. Combined with the party my family threw on Saturday, I'd say I had a pretty good birthday.

sunny weekend

I am loving the warm weather. A lot. It helped make this weekend great.

Saturday I went for a run, and when I got home I opened the windows in my apartment for the first time in several months. Then I headed to Mexican lunch with my grandparents. I had my car cleaned, which I'm pretty excited about, and I bought four books on tape for a total of two bucks at the book sale at the public library downtown (and yes, I meant books on tape because my car still rocks a tape player). I then returned home to take a glorious two hour nap on my couch, before gathering up some laundry and heading back to my grandparents' house. In the evening I accompanied Grandpa to a concert at VCU, which was fun and different.

Sunday I went to church, then over to the grandparents' for lunch. After grabbing gas and an iced latte I stopped by my apartment to change, then joined former co-workers for a walk downtown along the route Lincoln probably took when he visited Richmond on April 4, 1865. It was a fun event, and so great to be out in the sun! I also spotted a pistachio shell on Clay Street in the Court End District. While pistachio sightings are always exciting, this one was fun because friends who read this blog and know my obsession got to experience a sighting first hand.

bad news bears

Don't worry, I heard the news. Stay away from pistachios. However, I mostly eat the pistachios at my grandparents' house (or the ones they give me), and those are grown and processed in Georgia. They are also much more delicious than any pistachios I've had from normal stores ever since I started eating the kind Grandma orders from Georgia. So, uh, I'm gonna keep eating them. But if you don't know that yours came from Georgia and you think maybe they came from California, you probably should hold off. For now. I wonder if this will lead to more or less pistachio sightings???

(In case you haven't heard about the recent don't-eat-pistachios-because-they-may-have-salmonella story, here's the link a friend sent me, since I'm too lazy to look up my own link.)

daf fest

Today Josh and I joined his family in Gloucester, Virginia, for the 23rd Annual Daffodil Festival. We had a pretty solid day.

Unfortunately we missed the parade, but there was plenty more daffodil fun to be had. To start the day off right Josh bought me a pair of daffodil earrings, which I will most likely never wear again but were fun and festive.



We checked out the booths, ate fair-type food (including kettle corn), pet a llama, and saw lots of cute dogs. Of course there were also all the daffodils.



In the afternoon we hopped on a school bus and visited a daffodil farm.


We also stopped by the local middle school to see the daffodil competition. Who knew there were so many different kinds of daffodils, and so many ways to judge them? Not me.



We finished out the day with a good Thai dinner. And yes, there were fresh daffodils on every table in the restaurant.

pie lovin' history nerds

Today at work this email (and the photo) was sent around the office. Awesome.

In honor of President John Tyler’s birthday, [the boss] and I submit for your approval two versions of the “classic” John Tyler pie (aka Tyler pudding, aka Tyler pudding pie, etc.) There is voting of course. Pies should probably be refrigerated when not actively being consumed.

misc.

I have received two more pieces of chocolate.

I cleaned my apartment over the weekend, which was nice. Not the cleaning, but getting it done. I even mopped!

I also walked to Carytown twice over the weekend (once for a haircut, and once for reading at a coffee shop), and that was nice. Now that I'm working in C-ville I like to have time to hang out in Richmond and remember that I still live here. For now.

Speaking of working in C-ville, the commuting hasn't been too bad, except for the much more frequent trips to the gas station.

A few weeks ago Josh saw a DVD for sale called 1776. He wasn't sure, but he thought I might be interested. Haha. Then I told him about how I love that musical and we have the VHS back at home in Santa Fe and I have the soundtrack on CD and I took it to my history class in the 8th grade and made my class watch it and I took it to my AP history class in the 11th grade and made my class watch it and I wrote two papers about it in college and I saw it performed live a couple years ago with a professor of mine. So yeah, I was definitely interested in having my own DVD! We watched it last night, and this copy has more material than my old VHS copy, which means I saw things I'd never seen before! It was exciting.

Today I wore new running shoes for my after-work run. This is only my second pair of running shoes since I started running in 2006, and it was overdue. Now I won't get blisters every time I run!

chocolate sun

So far I have received three pieces of chocolate at work for doing a good job. On the one hand I think "woohoo, chocolate!" and on the other hand I think "why am I getting chocolate for doing what I'm supposed to?"

Also, I'm glad winter is over.

hi-ho, hi-ho

Today was my third day of work at my new job. So far so good. I haven't actually done anything yet, but tomorrow I will transition from "getting settled" into getting down to business. I'm looking forward to it.

Yesterday my boss gave me a t-shirt that our department made a few years ago. The quotes on it help to sum up (in a humorously self-deprecating way) the kind of history work we do:

"to common readers they will appear unnecessarily erudite, and pedantic."

and

"I repeat that I am too tired of the subject to go over it again. so I think I must publish it as it is."

Both were written in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to George Hay, 28 December 1811.

I'm excited.

days gone by

Nothing like driving around your hometown in the wee hours of the morning listening to the Goo Goo Dolls to spark feelings of nostalgia...

SF Rail Yard

Today Ryan and I joined my dad downtown for lunch, and then I hung out around the new rail yard area where new shops and galleries are popping up. I went in some stores, walked through the new rail park, and then headed to a new coffee shop to read. On my way there I ran into a former boss of mine from high school. He said "Hi Andi! We were just talking about you the other day because of that time you had to pick up poop." I haven't seen him since 2002. Awesome.

Last night Dad and I went to see The Wrestler. That movie inspired me to start weight lifting, so I stopped in the rail park to try and pick up a dumbbell.



Then on my way back to my dad's office to meet him and head home I had another pistachio sighting! See that flat brown building in the background? (Haha, most buildings in Santa Fe are flat and brown.) That's the state capitol.

Viva Las Vegas

My Vegas trip has come and gone, and I had a great time. First of all, it was fun to be on a family vacation. Not only were my parents and Ryan there, but so were my Aunt Penny and Uncle Tommy. I only see them about once a year, and I've never been on a trip with them except maybe camping trips when I was really young. So it was nice to spend time with them. They are also Vegas pros so they could show us around to their favorite spots.

And now for the rundown of my trip.

Thursday: Left work for the last time ever in a frenzy as I finished up my project, gathered all my things, said goodbye, and flew out the door to catch my flight. Flew to Atlanta and then to Las Vegas, where I arrived about 12:30am (3:30 Richmond time). Ryan and Aunt Penny greeted me, and we drove down the strip on our way to our hotels. The "adults" stayed at Sam's Town, which is a western-themed hotel and casino about five miles off the strip. Ryan and I stayed in a brand new hotel and casino next door called the Eastside Cannery. Our room was nicer, but their place was more fun so we spent most of our gambling and drinking time over there with the family. Plus, Sam's Town has Mystic Falls Park inside with water falls, a laser show, and fake animals that make noise. Always a plus. Anyway, we dropped Aunt Penny off at her hotel, went over to ours, and went straight to bed.

Friday: Met the family at Sam's Town for a buffet breakfast, then the six of us piled into my parents' five person car and drove way out to see the Nascar race track before making our way to the strip. We rode the roller coaster at the Sahara, then visited Treasure Island and the Venetian.


Uncle Tommy, me, and Ryan in front of Treasure Island.

Around 5:00 we went back to Sam's Town to meet up with Aunt Penny's brother and sister-in-law. After an hour in the casino playing the slots for the first time we ate a big steak dinner. Afterwards we drove downtown to Fremont street for $1.99 shrimp cocktails at the Golden Gate and to see the giant television screen that covers the whole street. We also saw sharks by the pool of the Golden Nugget. After all that I think we just went back to our hotels and to bed.

Saturday: Up relatively early to grab something to eat before heading to the race track. Uncle Tommy, Dad, Ryan and myself spent the day at the Nationwide Series race. (Just in case you're not a Nascar person and don't know about these things, there are two races each weekend- the Nationwide Series on the first day is sort of like the minor-league race, and the Sprint Cup Series on the second day is like the major league. I only went to the first day.)


Dad and me at the race.

I cheered for Denny Hamlin because he's from the Richmond area and I've cheered for him before. At one point he was in first place, but about three laps before the finish someone hit him from behind and there were lots of flames and he was out. That race had tons of yellow and red flags, so every time things started moving again there was another wreck. I also *may* have fallen asleep for a few minutes on Ryan's shoulder. After the race and the long time it took to get back to the hotel, we ate dinner and then hung out in the casino. At one point Ryan, my mom, and I watched my dad play a slot machine and mom said "the family that gambles together stays together." Let me add here that we've never been to Vegas as a family (I had never been there at all and my parents hadn't been in thirty years) and we're not really a gambling family (minus that $4 scratcher I won the other day on my lunch break). We didn't go crazy or anything, but it was fun to gamble pennies and quarters together. Plus, this was our first family vacation since Ryan turned twenty-one. So that made for even more fun times. After everyone else went to bed Ryan and I headed back to our hotel for one more drink and another three dollars at the slots, and passed a pistachio shell in the hall on the way to our room.



Sunday: Up early again so Ryan could join my dad, aunt, and uncle for Sunday's race. Mom and I ate breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the strip for a day of sight seeing. We visited the Bellagio and saw the amazing flowers and Chinese-themed display in the Conservatory, plus the world's largest chocolate fountain. We also visited (in no particular order) the MGM Grand and saw the lions, the Flamingo and saw flamingos, the Luxor, the Paris, Excalibur, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and New York-New York. We ate lunch at a restaurant in the Miracle Mile Shops (where every thirty minutes there was a thunder storm) and stopped in two hotels for a break at the slots (I won $10 at one and $15 at the other).


Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio

After all that we were pooped, so we went back to Sam's Town for a nap. Two hours later the rest of the crew was back from the race so we went to dinner at the hotel and spent the rest of the night in the casino. I finally grew brave enough to try a card game at a table, so I joined Ryan at three-card poker. It's super easy. It was also special because apparently I sat in the exact same seat Ryan sat in for his first game when he was there a few months ago (with Aunt Penny and Uncle Tommy for the National Finals Rodeo). I lost my forty bucks, but Ryan did really well. After we finally went back to our own hotel I tried the slots one last time and won twenty dollars, so I didn't feel as bad about the forty.

Monday: Up to meet everyone at nine and say goodbye to Tommy and Penny. Went with my parents and Ryan back to the strip so they could see the Bellagio. Dad was looking for some special shop so we tried the Forum Shops at Caesars, which didn't have his store but DID have a talking Caesar statue.


Thumbs up for Caesar!

Grabbed lunch at the Paris before hitting the road for home. Fell asleep in the car almost immediately, but Dad woke me up when we drove over Hoover Dam and made me get out so he could take a picture. Spent the rest of the ten hour drive sleeping or singing Broadway show tunes. Finally made it home to Santa Fe after midnight.

I will miss this place.

We just had my going away party at work. Check out my cake:



I also received a "gold-plated" staple remover hung on a sash that can be removed to double as a paper weight. Awesome.

packin'

Tomorrow is my last day of work, and I'm sad to leave the place. My job wasn't super exciting, but I liked the place, I liked the people, and I think it was a great experience to work there, both as an intern and as a real-live employee. The only nice thing about leaving (other than moving on to another job that I expect to be a little more exciting) is that everyone is being extra nice to me. Last Friday after work my whole department went out for drinks, Monday the crew I eat lunch with had a potluck for me, and tomorrow there will be a cake for my goodbye party. I'm usually not this popular.

In addition to finishing up my project and eating cake tomorrow, I will have to clean out my desk and take home my (meager) decorations. But I won't have time to sulk after work, because I'm going to head straight to the airport and hop on a jet to Las Vegas. No joke.

My parents and brother had plans to be in Vegas for a Nascar race, and the day I was offered my new position and learned I would have a week off between the two jobs I invited myself along for the family vacation. So we'll be there for a long weekend, and then I'll drive back to Santa Fe with them and hang out for the rest of the week. I expect many fun times.

Lovin' Lincoln

Nothing says romance like makin' presidential origami on Valentine's Day. Josh gave me a book on how to make Americana origimi, and tonight we made our 16th president. Because we're awesome like that.

Valentine package

My parents sent me a package for Valentine's Day, and it's pretty exciting. Notice the pink rubber ducky, the chili chocolate, and the heart-shaped pasta. And of course a package from my parents wouldn't be the same without my chocolate milk...

Thanks Mom and Dad!

exciting thing

Remember back in December when I won an iPod but was not super excited because the win was preceded by "depressingly unlucky news"? Well, that unlucky news was that my job would not last nearly as long as I (or my boss) had thought. In fact, it's ending at the end of this month. Yes, the economic crisis hit close to home. This also helps explain why I was so excited about the library, and why I was mad at the heater for resetting to 70. With unemployment looming in my future, I tensed up. A depressing cloud settled over me, and I couldn't seem to get happy about anything knowing my future was so uncertain and scary. I can't even imagine how much worse this feeling must be for all those other people losing their jobs but still having to pay mortgages and support families. These are hard times.

My own future, however, has just brightened. Yesterday I was offered a job, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and relief. Not only is it a full-time permanent position, but it also happens to be exactly what I've been wanting to do since I graduated from grad school. I won't go into details here and now (unless I know you in real life- feel free to email me!), but let me say it involves history, uses my graduate degree, and is located in Charlottesville. I am very excited, and I'm also very aware of how lucky (or blessed, rather) this offer is at this time.

Sorry about that.

It's been almost two weeks since I last posted, so sorry about that. However, I don't really have much to say. I mean, I could tell you that I went to a violin concert last Friday with Grandpa and the violinist was pretty great, so even though I'm not usually a big fan of the violin I was really glad I went. Or I could tell you I saw a few snowboarders land on their faces Saturday afternoon a few blocks from my house on imported snow. I could tell you about how I went with my grandparents to lunch yesterday pretty far away on the Southside to eat seafood next to a big lake or reservoir or something, and even though the food was average and slow, it was still fun to see the water on a warm day. I could tell you I was sad the Cardinals lost because while some people told me yesterday they had no idea Arizona had a team, I knew because they happen to be my Dad's all-time favorite team and we even put a Cardinals ornament on our Christmas tree. I could tell you the power went out at my apartment twice last week, and it's annoying because when it comes back on the heater automatically turns to 70, which is way higher than I set it when I'm gone, and that costs extra money, which I'm trying not to spend any of. Well, that's about all I could tell you, and I'm sorry none of it was terribly exciting. I'm hoping to have exciting things to share in the near future. For now we'll all just have to wait.

a tossed salad of thoughts and happenings

On Saturday I visited my BFF and his family in Fredericksburg, which was exciting because I haven't seen them since June. I saw the Rappahannock River and it was mostly frozen. That was also exciting because I don't think I've seen a frozen river before.

The contestants on the show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" make me sad for America.

My mom thought she had a pistachio sighting, but I had to ix-nay it because it was in my dad's car. That means he probably left it there himself, and even if it was an accident and happened a long time ago that doesn't cut it. Finding your own pistachio shells doesn't count. And I make the rules in this game.

Sunday Alex and I worked for about two hours on the New York Time's crossword puzzle. We only had to cheat on the internet a tiny bit, and then we finished it! Other family members helped out, too.

I make a mean pizza. It has a homemade crust that makes eleven-year-olds say "this pizza has a crust I will actually eat!"

I took a three hour nap yesterday, which was glorious.

The Anne of Green Gables series melts my heart. I asked for the three-movie collection for Christmas and finished the third one last night. I also watched all the bonus material. I want to marry Gilbert Blythe.

Today they set up a screen at work so we could watch the inauguration live, which was awesome. Unfortunately the CBS newscasters wouldn't shut up or turn off their mics.

dreamin'

When I was a kid I would sometimes daydream about the task of having to pick out new parents. It was like those daydreams when you think: What if everyone in the world had to line up and they would tie your legs together and make you jump over a tub of hot lava, and if you couldn't make it, you died. You know what I'm talking about, right?

Anyway, this particular daydream usually started with the fact that I could no longer keep my mom and dad. I don't think they died, I think they were just taken away from me and I had to choose new parents. So all of the eligible parents I knew would line up. Teachers from school, neighbors, babysitters, couples from church. They would all be standing there in a line looking at me and waiting for my decision. I would go down the line, dismissing some of them easily but thinking hard about others. "Hmm...if I pick that couple I know I'll get to watch PG-13 movies. Or if I pick them I might get to go to Disneyland more often." But in the end I could never choose. None of them could stand up to what I already had. And since what I already had wasn't really a choice in this daydreaming game, I would often get really sad and think about crying, but then realize the whole thing was ridiculous and snap back into real life. My parents never knew it, but those little exercises helped remind how lucky I already was.

snicker

Today I had a mini Snickers bar for my I-can't-believe-it's-only-been-forty-five-minutes-since-lunch-ended-when-will-this-day-end? afternoon snack. It reminded me about how delicious ice cream Snickers bars are, which I haven't had in several years. I could use one of those.

Mosaic No. 5

Hey look, I made another mosaic! I guess technically it's two mosaics, but they go together to make one piece. It's a ukulele, which I gave to Josh for Christmas.

Only four dollars more!

Waiter at the Mexican restaurant: What would you like to drink?

Me: Umm...hmm...well...

Waiter: How about a margarita! We have an excellent margarita with [fill in the blank with excellent stuff because I don't know and I wasn't paying attention]. It's only four dollars more but if you're going to buy a margarita, you might as well buy a good one!

Me: Wait, only four dollars more than the $5.99 house margarita? Are you kidding me? That's a meal.

Waiter: Ah, well, haha...uh...

Me: I'll take the house margarita. Frozen with salt.

Books and movies for free? Who knew?

I don't know about you folks, but I, for one, am being affected by this economic calamity we are experiencing. So I'm working on pinching my pennies. Even more than I used to, which was sort of a lot.

My old penny-pinching mentality? Print off a 30 per cent coupon for Borders, go over there and browse for a book or CD, get too stressed out about spending ten bucks on something I might not love, and very often leave empty handed.

My new plan? Go to the library! I went on Saturday. I checked out a David Sedaris book and, drum roll please, the second season of Deadwood. (I watched the first season with Ryan during my August visit to Santa Fe, and ever since then I've been itching to see the second, but he hasn't bought it yet and I didn't even want to pay to check it out from a video store!) One of the wonderful things about the library is that I don't have to fret over whether or not I will actually like the book (or movie), because if I don't I can always return it and not regret spending money! Because it's free!

Now don't shake your head at me and call me crazy. Yes, I've known about libraries all along, and I've been to them before. Yes, I've talked about becoming a librarian myself. Blah blah blah. The point is, I'm excited that I finally revisited a very obvious way to read books and watch movies. For free.

"on the floor in the nursery at work"

We're on a roll over here. Look what Janelle found at the hospital where she works! C'mon guys, you have to admit it's crazy how ubiquitous these pistachio shells are.

"found amongst a herd of dust bunnies"

Look there folks, another pistachio sighting! Josh found this one in the spray paint section at Lowe's.

Because lists are easier.

On my holiday vacation I...

Ate plenty of Mexican food, both at restaurants and at home.

Finished all of my Christmas shopping.

Made fudge and helped my mom make biscochitos (cookies) and rolls.

Watched a ton of "That 70s Show" with Ryan.

Pet Jackson the dog.

Walked up and down Canyon Road on Christmas Eve with my dad to see the farolitos, luminarias, and carolers. It was freezing, but we stayed bundled up. And we didn't fall on the ice or slushy snow.

Ate scones on Christmas morning. I love scones.

Visited with all of my dad's side of the family on Christmas day. We enjoyed a delicious meal, hung out, and played games.

Watched all seven episodes of the HBO miniseries "John Adams." Also watched all of the bonus material.

Walked around downtown in 22 degree weather.

Saw Maureen McGovern in concert.

Co-substitute taught with Ryan for the youth Sunday school class at church.

Got a cold.

Received wonderful new slippers for Christmas from my parents, which I am currently wearing.

hittin' the slopes

I flew home to Santa Fe on Saturday for the holidays, and today my brother Ryan took me skiing! (I skied, he snow-boarded.) I haven't been skiing in many many years. In the fifth and sixth grades they offered a program at school for students to go skiing and have lessons four times a year, and I did that. I really enjoyed it, but I didn't enjoy the green hand-me-down snow pants I had to wear. They totally clashed with my purple jacket and black and hot pink gloves. Of course those black and hot pink gloves didn't really go with my lime green jacket this time either, but I've gotten a little better at not worrying about such things.

I was nervous about skiing again, but luckily on our first ride up the chairlift I sat next to a ski patrol man, and I asked him to give me a crash course to refresh my memory. He kindly obliged. He said as much as he could and hollered "good luck!" as I headed down the mountain. It was pretty scary. It was especially scary because Ryan tried to make me go down medium slopes first thing, but I refused and yelled at him and headed down the easy slope on my own. By the end of our day, however, I went down a few mediums. And I only fell three times.


Me after I'd finally steadied myself while Ryan got his boots ready.


Takin' a break.


Bonding on the chairlift.

mascota muerta

Today I received a letter in the mail from my little ten-year-old friend in Honduras named Javier. The letter is in Spanish but includes a typed translation at the bottom. The translation isn't stellar, but I'm going to share it with you anyway, because it's too good not to.

After the "dear [Me!]" and date, it reads:

"A blessing pours you lots of blessings. We are happy that you and your family are well. I have a [the translator missed a word -mascota-] that called Scooby and our cat died he got electrocuted on cable on the roof of the house, and we went to throw it because it smelled bad, but thanks God we bought another one and we named it Peluche. It is very playful in my younger sister was very happy with the cat when she played with it. My mom took the cat away from her because it made her sneeze and developed an allergy. She was taken to the doctor and she got an ointment so she could heal. She used it, then the itching and the blisters removed. After this she wasn't given the cat again because she could get her allergy again. How are you and your family? What kind of animals do you have there? Do you have a car?"

The end. He drew a nice picture on the back of a house and a Christmas tree with an elf and sled in the front yard and the word "Felicida" at the top, complete with gold glitter.

The problem with street parking...

...is that in a torrential rain, LIKE THE ONE HAPPENING OUTSIDE, you have to wade through a river to get from your car onto the sidewalk. And if it's dark, LIKE IT ALSO IS OUTSIDE, you won't see the huge puddles on the sidewalk either.

consolation prize

Today I won a brand new iPod nano. (Which, by the way, must not be super brand new because it's the short fat kind and I didn't even realize those are out of date.) There was a drawing at work for the seventeen of us who completed a professional development program about web 2.0, and my name was drawn. You might think this means I have excellent luck, but the iPod doesn't really compare to the depressingly unlucky news I received yesterday.

this and that

I'm sorry I'm slacking on my blogging lately. I just don't seem to have much to say, or I'm too lazy to say it. Instead I'll leave a short list of random things.

1. I'm making another mosaic. It's fun. I hope it comes out okay. I'll post a picture in January (after I give it away as a Christmas present). I have also cut myself twice so far and drawn blood on my finger due to tiny glass shards.

2. The other day I came home and there was a package sitting in the hall. I looked at the label to see if it was for me but alas, it was not. However, it did say "Pistachio"-something-or-other on the return label!

3. I'm interested in the concepts of Advent Conspiracy. I'd read about it online and then I learned the church I sort-of-usually attend is using it as its advent series. I was disappointed in today's sermon though because of a lack of practical how-to ideas.

4. Speaking of advent, I'm still not quite in the holiday spirit. Maybe that's because I don't have any decorations in my apartment and I have barely started my Christmas shopping. (Notice how #4 is sort of the opposite of what I want out of #3. Ugh.)

5. This weekend Josh visited and we walked to the Commercial Taphouse and had dinner at Akida. I hadn't been to those places in a long time and I was super excited to go because having them close by (walkable even!) was one of the perks I looked forward to by moving to his neighborhood. They did not disappoint.

"Found at the mall"

(In a picture text from my cousin Jay.)

p.s. Let me just add that taking these pistachio pictures makes for some awkward moments. For example, the morning I found a shell at work a co-worker came in and was greeted with me crouching down, essentially pointing my phone at trash on the floor. "What's going on here?" he asked, but I just looked up and said "uhhh...." with an awkward smile, so he moved on. I can only imagine what it might have looked like with Jay taking a picture in the middle of a mall on Thanksgiving weekend. But don't let any of this discourage you if you have a sighting!

Miss Wishy Washy

When I was in the first grade I played the title role in the class play, Miss Wishy Washy. I don't remember what it was about, I just remember I wore an apron and a bandanna over my head. Okay, to be honest I don't even remember that very well, I just know there is a picture at my parents' house of me dressed like that with my friend Becca standing in front of a microphone as the Narrator. I also don't even remember why I decided to tell this story, because that's all I remember and the story is over.

What I really wanted to tell you is that I have the best Grandpa ever because he just came over and helped me clean my apartment. He mopped, to be exact. Yes, I could have done it myself, but he didn't approve of my little mop so he came over with his own mop and did it for me, which was super nice of him.

Okay, this post isn't really about Grandpa mopping my floor, either. It's about how mad I am that my apartment was dirty in the first place. (Let's ignore the fact that I moved in two months ago and I'm behind on this cleaning. I worked for hours scrubbing the bathroom and most of the kitchen when I first moved in, but I didn't get around to mopping the floors. Again, not the point.) The point is that I'm angry I had to clean up years of dust and cat hair that does not belong to me. I did not let the corner behind the refrigerator look like it grew a hairy carpet all over the floor and walls. I did not leave dried cat food under the stove. I did not let dust and cat hair pile up in the old radiators. I hate cats. And I don't like cleaning, but I do it. And I wish the girl who lived here before me would stop by so I could hand her my garbage bag full of her grossness.

What did Della wear?

A few weeks ago at work I found an old voucher for "velocipede fixtures," and I thought to myself, what the heck is a velocipede? I did a little internet research, and among other things I discovered there is a Velocipede Museum in Delaware.

So Josh and I went for a visit.



They had lots of velocipedes and boneshakers and bicycles. (They also had a room with lots of Tigger stuff...not sure about the connection.) And like any good museum, they let you get "hands on," so I sat on a giant velocipede.



The Velocipede Museum happens to be in historic New Castle. I am ashamed to admit that I did not know a single thing about New Castle. It is a great little historic area, like a mini Williamsburg but without the fifty dollar fee or the dressed up interpreters. We visited the Old Court House, which was also the colonial capitol and first state capitol. (Apparently the arc at the top of Delaware was determined by a twelve-mile radius from the cupola of the building.) A nice man gave us our own private tour of the place and taught us all about New Castle and Delaware. That went a little longer than I expected though, so we didn't get to visit other sites, like the Old Dutch House. We did, however, take a stroll through Battery Park and looked across the Delaware River at New Jersey. It was right around there that William Penn first landed in America.



We didn't get to spend very much time there, so I would like to visit again. And I recommend the Velocipede Museum to you all if you happen to find yourself in Delaware. It is small and won't take long to visit, and it's free!

almost like I was there

Today is my Granddad's 86th birthday. That's a lot of birthdays. But he's doing great! And so is my Grandmother. I just spoke with them on the phone a few minutes ago (obviously on the phone, because they're in New Mexico and I'm not) and they were sitting outside at the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern New Mexico watching thousands and thousands of birds fly around in the sunset. In case you haven't seen one, New Mexico has some of the best sunsets ever. As we talked about work or family or the exact route they drove to get there they would occasionally stop and gasp and tell me about the V formations of birds in front of the full moon or the "one two three four five six seven eight- Eight Cranes!" that just flew right in front of them. At one point Grandmother even held the phone away so I could hear all the squawking geese. It was an exciting moment for them, and I'm glad I got to listen in.

ubiquitous I tell you

This morning I walked into the office and what did I see? A pistachio nut shell! Right there on the floor about five feet from my desk. A single half shell. I took a picture with my camera phone, so excuse the fuzzy-ness.



I also received an email from Jennifer the other day (Hi Jennifer!) saying she had her own pistachio sighting in Scotland. I don't want to hog all the excitement people, so if you have a sighting feel free to report back and share.

jumbler

Only one lady at work wore a costume on Friday, so after her my flame tights and fake tattoo were the most exciting things going on.

I finally purchased some reusable bags for my grocery shopping. Yes, I am way behind on this one.

Today I ran five and a half miles. That is the longest I've run in a very long time. I'm excited to run more, but I'm sad it's dark most of the time I'm not at work. Also, I discovered I kind of like running west on Monument Avenue more than east.

I was just thinking about how the internet is going to make looking up incriminating baby pictures of friends (and enemies) so much easier for the rising generation of children. Good luck with that kids.

I'm liking the book I bought last week- Nick Hornby's Slam. I read this morning sitting in my chair next to the window with a cup of coffee, and it was very nice.

I still love public radio. Today while I ran I listened to a past episode of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me on my iPod, and when Peter Sagal announced that Garrison Keillor was going to be the guest for "Not My Job" I bit the back of my finger in excitement. No joke.