It's Been a Little While.
So, i think i'll rip off an idea from Melissa McCue and share a list of things from the Thanksgiving weekend i'm grateful for:
Family so understanding of my inability to be in two places at the same time. Pumpkin pie. Being considered "part of the family" in so many families. Apple pie. The fact that Thanksgiving dinner is the easiest meal in America to eat vegetarian. Maine. The subtle colors of the Maine sky. Sheepies and their amusing bleats. The ocean. The blessings of having grown up at the edge of a continent where the sky, the earth, and the ocean all meet. Amazing friends. Amazing food. Great coffee. The fact that i can never go to the Second Read without seeing people i know and need to hug. Long walks in the country. Warm coats. Leashes so i can take doggies on walkies with me. The new Terry Pratchett book Wintersmith. Cuddling with daN. Knitting. Treadmills. Stef's chocolate meltaways. Cranberry sauce. Green bean casserole. A slightly smaller and more intimate Friendsgiving (37 this year instead of 52). The artistic talent of my grandmother Norene Bradford, and the blessings that have passed that on to my mother, my aunt, and myself. Places to sleep when we go to Maine. The bed that daN and i have waiting hear for us when we get home. Good suitcases. Humungus LLBean canvas bags. Getting to watch other humans enjoying moving their bodies around and doing yoga. Knowing that they credit me with getting them into it. Self indulgence. Self control. Zantac 75. Laptop computers. Richard Cheese. Water. Warmth. Philodendrons, Geraniums, Bamboo, Spider, Jade, and other plants that don't require water every day. Yoga mats. History. Comfort. Loving and being loved.
I had a wonderful time, and i'm not sure how to encapsulate it, but a general list of half-poetry-half-prose things from the weekend to be thankful for just about does it.
There were only two down-sides -- one being woken up in the middle of the night at one of the houses we were staying at by a screeching mouse staring at us from the bureau three feet from my head. It was smoking a cigarette and telling us to get the fuck out of its room or it would feed us to the fishes. The only other thing was the indigestion + car sickness that ='d pulling over in Brunswick to find a nice clean place to be sick in. And then the NH liquor store was out of Bailey's. Can you believe it.
Not bad though. Even full sentences of the few draw-backs cannot even begin to compare to the amount of sheer love that i bathed in all weekend. I am truly grateful.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Still Love My Job
Can you believe it? It's still going well! I'm very happy. This was my second week, and I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. I am actually going to be down in New York for a training on the database that we use to keep track of things, and that's a good sign -- a place that will actually pay for its employees to be trained on the systems it uses is likely a good place to work. And the people are so great. And it's in a really cool location -- some of the oldest buildings in the country are along my daily stroll during lunch.
But anyway, life has been busy. I won't say that i haven't missed having some time off during the daytime, because i have. That's when i used to do the majority of small errand-running and housework, and that time just isn't there anymore. The yoga schedule makes it tough, too. I think i will have to cut my schedule down to teaching one class a week and taking one class a week, because taking one and teaching two means that i'm only home on two evenings. And that's hard. In addition to everything else that needs to be done in life, i miss seeing daN!
But i'm happy.
Weekends have been busy, too. The weekend before last, we went up for a Halloween Party at Mark and Stef's in NH after going to a memorial service for Eric Schocket, one of my hampshire professors who died of lieukemia recently. It made for a funny day, but it was really nice to see everyone at the party, and our costumes went over great (I was a 1950's housewife, and daN was a milkman).
Last weekend, we bombed up to Maine and back to see Zak and Mandi in Chicago, and while the leads in the show were lacklustre and left something to be desired (Roxy couldn't sing and Velma was boring) the ensemble was fantastic. The vaudevillian style didn't leave a whole lot for the ensemble of lots of characters -- it's really just about one or two people. However, i still love the show, and found it greatly enjoyable and i'm glad we went. Seeing Zak and Mandi was a joy, as always, short though it was.
This weekend, we actually managed to stay pretty much in the same place. Friday night we curled up on the couch and watched "French Kiss" -- and older chick flic with Meg Ryan and Kevin Klein -- and went to bed. Yesterday was eventful -- i taught a yoga class at Harvard, then returned a couple of puffy winter coats that aren't going to work out. I've been on a crusade for a really warm yet not completely unattractive down coat. It's not easy. Afterewards, we met the Boggies in Harvard Square for drinks and dinner -- I got a delicious martini with Bombay Sapphire -- and then we went to the Bombay Club (our favorite Indian cuisine) for dinner. It was so delectable.
And now it's Sunday. I must go -- it's definitely time for us to clean this house. We have a list.
Can you believe it? It's still going well! I'm very happy. This was my second week, and I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. I am actually going to be down in New York for a training on the database that we use to keep track of things, and that's a good sign -- a place that will actually pay for its employees to be trained on the systems it uses is likely a good place to work. And the people are so great. And it's in a really cool location -- some of the oldest buildings in the country are along my daily stroll during lunch.
But anyway, life has been busy. I won't say that i haven't missed having some time off during the daytime, because i have. That's when i used to do the majority of small errand-running and housework, and that time just isn't there anymore. The yoga schedule makes it tough, too. I think i will have to cut my schedule down to teaching one class a week and taking one class a week, because taking one and teaching two means that i'm only home on two evenings. And that's hard. In addition to everything else that needs to be done in life, i miss seeing daN!
But i'm happy.
Weekends have been busy, too. The weekend before last, we went up for a Halloween Party at Mark and Stef's in NH after going to a memorial service for Eric Schocket, one of my hampshire professors who died of lieukemia recently. It made for a funny day, but it was really nice to see everyone at the party, and our costumes went over great (I was a 1950's housewife, and daN was a milkman).
Last weekend, we bombed up to Maine and back to see Zak and Mandi in Chicago, and while the leads in the show were lacklustre and left something to be desired (Roxy couldn't sing and Velma was boring) the ensemble was fantastic. The vaudevillian style didn't leave a whole lot for the ensemble of lots of characters -- it's really just about one or two people. However, i still love the show, and found it greatly enjoyable and i'm glad we went. Seeing Zak and Mandi was a joy, as always, short though it was.
This weekend, we actually managed to stay pretty much in the same place. Friday night we curled up on the couch and watched "French Kiss" -- and older chick flic with Meg Ryan and Kevin Klein -- and went to bed. Yesterday was eventful -- i taught a yoga class at Harvard, then returned a couple of puffy winter coats that aren't going to work out. I've been on a crusade for a really warm yet not completely unattractive down coat. It's not easy. Afterewards, we met the Boggies in Harvard Square for drinks and dinner -- I got a delicious martini with Bombay Sapphire -- and then we went to the Bombay Club (our favorite Indian cuisine) for dinner. It was so delectable.
And now it's Sunday. I must go -- it's definitely time for us to clean this house. We have a list.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
First Week on the Job
I STILL love it. I feel very lucky. Here is a huge group email that i sent out a couple days ago, proclaiming my joy. Yesterday, i was telling my co-workers how happy i am to be there, how i was actually a little sad it was Friday already because i have been having such a good time. They thought that was hillarious and great at the same time, and mentioned that it shouldn't take too long for Friday to be a welcome friend again. I agree, but it certainly felt nice to enjoy what i was doing all day. I get to read some fascinating things! They're also continuously telling me what a good job i'm doing, which is always nice to hear.
Email:
Hi there! Some of you I've been in better contact than others, and it's not for lack of want. But I've been incommunicado with just about everyone lately, and it's because I've had a lot going on. I've got a new job! And i'm REALLY EXCITED! I just started a new position on Monday as the Executive Secretary with the Sciences Team at the Fidelity Foundations. It's AMAZING. No, really. It is. It's day three, and i'm still not aware of how many benefits I have. It's a lot. But that's not the best part. The best part is what i'm doing and where i am. I will be reading grants proposals, processing them, and generally supporting a team of program directors who give money away to neurodegenerative disease research. It's a very small and lovely group of people -- all women on my floor (there are only four of us anyway), and we each have our own office. Mine's a corner office with lots of sunlight.
They love that i'm a yoga teacher in my spare time, and kicked me out of the office at 5:03 because it was important that i wasn't there "late" for the sake of it. How incredible is that?
On my first day, they welcomed me with open arms. Literally. They all gave me hugs and were so excited to have me. It was quite a welcome! I have gotten to know people very quickly, and I'm fitting in better than i could have hoped. And everything that could be bureaucratic is so easy! Helpdesk helps, there are designated IT people for each buildings, etc. It's so smooth -- a nice change! I'm learning so much already and am excited to go back in tomorrow.
Blah blah blah... anyway, i'm sure the honeymoon will end at some point, but i'm very excited and optimistic. I apologize for the huge group email, but there are so many of you i wanted to tell, this seemed the most expedient way to do it.
I STILL love it. I feel very lucky. Here is a huge group email that i sent out a couple days ago, proclaiming my joy. Yesterday, i was telling my co-workers how happy i am to be there, how i was actually a little sad it was Friday already because i have been having such a good time. They thought that was hillarious and great at the same time, and mentioned that it shouldn't take too long for Friday to be a welcome friend again. I agree, but it certainly felt nice to enjoy what i was doing all day. I get to read some fascinating things! They're also continuously telling me what a good job i'm doing, which is always nice to hear.
Email:
Hi there! Some of you I've been in better contact than others, and it's not for lack of want. But I've been incommunicado with just about everyone lately, and it's because I've had a lot going on. I've got a new job! And i'm REALLY EXCITED! I just started a new position on Monday as the Executive Secretary with the Sciences Team at the Fidelity Foundations. It's AMAZING. No, really. It is. It's day three, and i'm still not aware of how many benefits I have. It's a lot. But that's not the best part. The best part is what i'm doing and where i am. I will be reading grants proposals, processing them, and generally supporting a team of program directors who give money away to neurodegenerative disease research. It's a very small and lovely group of people -- all women on my floor (there are only four of us anyway), and we each have our own office. Mine's a corner office with lots of sunlight.
They love that i'm a yoga teacher in my spare time, and kicked me out of the office at 5:03 because it was important that i wasn't there "late" for the sake of it. How incredible is that?
On my first day, they welcomed me with open arms. Literally. They all gave me hugs and were so excited to have me. It was quite a welcome! I have gotten to know people very quickly, and I'm fitting in better than i could have hoped. And everything that could be bureaucratic is so easy! Helpdesk helps, there are designated IT people for each buildings, etc. It's so smooth -- a nice change! I'm learning so much already and am excited to go back in tomorrow.
Blah blah blah... anyway, i'm sure the honeymoon will end at some point, but i'm very excited and optimistic. I apologize for the huge group email, but there are so many of you i wanted to tell, this seemed the most expedient way to do it.
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