a fleeting moment... or not
life is a funny thing. dan and matt's mutual grandmother died recently, and i managed to get the days off from work for the funeral even though i'm going down to north carolina to visit my dear friend patty this weekend. it's said that i never really knew dorris, but after eating a bunch of the recipes that her decendants made, looking at all sorts of old pictures that carol laid out, pouring over the geneology charts that maurice put together, and listening to the passing stories, i felt like i knew her.
and that sacred moment was then succeeded by coming back to work, from an emotionally and spiritually warm weekend in maine where family was, where home was, where earth was. and now i'm back here in boston. boston isn't bad. in fact, i had an absolutely lovely early evening when i got home and went for a job in the blossoming spring. i didn't realize how many trees there are around here. it turns out there are quite a few -- they're just not evergreens. and it's lovely! i went for a nice long jog, and then i walked back through ringer park up the street on my way back home, only to meet some friendly doggies and their owners (a couple of gay thirty-somethings) running around and sniffing each others' bums and playing catch and digging holes. it was wonderful! and apparently one of them is never that friendly with new people, but she was with me. i think that's why the owner decided that i was worthy of a lengthy, familiar conversation. then, i got back home, made dinner of mushrooms sauteed in white wine, toasted orzo, and steamed broccoli. it was magnificent if i don't mind saying so myself.
and JUST when i was settling into studying for the GRE's, ALAN PENNINGTON showed up on my doorstep! i had only a slight hint he was coming when this afternoon he gave me a buzz on my cell and said he was pondering coming down. but i didn't hear back from him, so i assumed it was a no-go. but there he was! he made it, and he and i sat down and had a great conversation.
one of the things i love the best about old friends is how you just pick up where you left off. well, not exactly. it's that the time in between doesn't matter as much, and you can talk about the things that are important to you once you have covered the basics of the past several months. before we knew it, we were talking about the theory of relativity. he's heading home tonite, and i'm more than delighted that he popped in totally unexpectedly. right now he and dan are playing a game of "magic." it's nice to have friends around. kathy is reading, i expect, and matt is getting ready for bed. how homey.
so the only thing batting against me right now is my job. and i'm not going to sully this otherwise positive entry with the "joys" of my job. it was worse than usual today, and i had a better than usual day otherwise.
goodnight!
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
what i have done for the past three hours...
Bookworm - it's an EXTREMELY addictive game. This and others at AddictingGames.com
Bookworm - it's an EXTREMELY addictive game. This and others at AddictingGames.com
Sunday, April 11, 2004
THE LONGEST WEEK EVER
Was this week long for anyone else? Initially characterized by the onset of Mercury Retrograde, which took a while for me to remember about, i was in a pissy mood all last Sunday until i remembered what the hell was going on. Simply being around people was irritating. So i went for a long, lovely walk, and read for a while.
That having been said, this week was long. Work was actually pretty good -- i even moved back to my "old" desk space at work, and it is lighter there and feels more like "home." Things that became obvious to me over the course of the week:
1. It looks like i really need glasses. I don't know what it is, but a couple weeks ago, i noticed while i was at the museum that i couldn't read the little words on the plaques next to paintings as well as i could while i was at the Louvre last April. Then this week, shit hit the fan. I can't focus on my computer screen! The muscles around my eyes hurt from moving back and forth and squinting! Looks like i'll have to get a check-up.
2. Someday i'll have to open up a vegetarian restaurant in France. A year ago on April Fools' day, i flew out of Boston for Paris, and MAN was it lovely. Website still to come. While i was there, i noticed a severe lack of vegetarian options on menues. And while i was reading A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle on the train this week, i realized why: at France, you mostly pay one fee for the one meal that's being done that day. It's easier, since they have so many danged courses. Since at least half of the courses involved meat, i never ate at any of the restaurants there other than creperies. Not that there is anything wrong with those, but i missed sitting down at a restaurant and having a whole danged meal. I met plenty of vegetarians while i was there, though, so it occured to me that a vegetarian restaurant in France is just going to have to happen, and it might be by me.
3. I have once again been reminded of why chocolate is so wonderful. Does this really need any explaining? It's a stress reliever. In a similar vein, I LOVE COFFEE.
4. I won't be able to look for a job while i'm trying to enjoy life outside of work and while i'm studying for the GRE's. It's just not feasible. So that has gone on the back burner. Thank god work has been getting better.
5. I am now the proud owner of the cutest ducky stuffed animal that has ever graced the earth.
So, this is Easter Weekend, and i didn't go out hunting for kegs on the Easter Keg Hunt at Hampshire, nor did i hang out in the Luxemburg Gardens like i did last year. But Dan and i made this a wonderful Easter Weekend nevertheless. Yesterday, we did SHIT. It was so nice. We woke up late, sat around, might have made lunch or something, and then we made our way to a pep rally for the Maine Black Bears (who unfortunately lost the NCAA hockey championship to the Denver turkeys, or whatever the hell they're called, but that's what their mascot looks like) because our friend Stef was playing in it! Actually the previous night we were blessed with her presence, and we went out to dinner at the Common Ground Bar and Grill. Good place. It was so great to see her, and she liked our apartment. Anyhow, i have been out of the sports crowd for far too long to seriously get into the pep rally, which was terminally lame, but the band was GREAT. Seriously. And Stef? The pep of the crowd -- the life of the pep, if you will. So cute, she's featured on TV for it. Last night? Matt, his girlfriend Laura, Dan and I finally watched Citizen Kane. What a great film! I can totally see why it became such a seminal text.
Yesterday's laziness was offset by the productivity and movement of today. Today, being Easter and the day of fertility, Dan and i celebrated by going to the Arsenal Mall on Memorial Drive -- all of which was closed (DUH) except for the Home Depot, which we were planning on going to to get potting soil and some new plant pots. I am going to repot my plants! Next, we went grocery shopping, and THEN, we went on a long beautiful walk. I wanted to bring him to the park at the top of Summit Hill that i discovered last week in my travels. It's really easy to miss since all the roads in that area entirely skirt around the base of the hill. I found it through one of the many enjoyable paths in Brookline. Then tonite, i baked! I threw together some dough for some basic white bread, and i kneaded the hell out of it enjoying every violent bit. I tell ya, no bread machine for me. I like to beat up dough. While that was rising i threw together some banana bread, which, other than being oily, came out VERY well. Bread, banana bread, hot in the oven while i sauteed some onions, garlic, and summer squash to go on spaghetti. Mmmm. I felt very happy throwing all this stuff together. Did the bread come out well? MMMMMMMM. One out of one Dan's agree, Lindsay's bread came out well.
Hurray for a wonderful weekend! Let's hope this week goes by quickly, because we'll be going to Maine next weekend!
And let me not forget to mention that Dan, the sweetest ever, got up at 4:30 this morning to make an Easter Egg hunt for me. It was so sweet and i was so excited, i actually did the hunt before i ate my breakfast. He sures knows how to make me smile.
Was this week long for anyone else? Initially characterized by the onset of Mercury Retrograde, which took a while for me to remember about, i was in a pissy mood all last Sunday until i remembered what the hell was going on. Simply being around people was irritating. So i went for a long, lovely walk, and read for a while.
That having been said, this week was long. Work was actually pretty good -- i even moved back to my "old" desk space at work, and it is lighter there and feels more like "home." Things that became obvious to me over the course of the week:
1. It looks like i really need glasses. I don't know what it is, but a couple weeks ago, i noticed while i was at the museum that i couldn't read the little words on the plaques next to paintings as well as i could while i was at the Louvre last April. Then this week, shit hit the fan. I can't focus on my computer screen! The muscles around my eyes hurt from moving back and forth and squinting! Looks like i'll have to get a check-up.
2. Someday i'll have to open up a vegetarian restaurant in France. A year ago on April Fools' day, i flew out of Boston for Paris, and MAN was it lovely. Website still to come. While i was there, i noticed a severe lack of vegetarian options on menues. And while i was reading A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle on the train this week, i realized why: at France, you mostly pay one fee for the one meal that's being done that day. It's easier, since they have so many danged courses. Since at least half of the courses involved meat, i never ate at any of the restaurants there other than creperies. Not that there is anything wrong with those, but i missed sitting down at a restaurant and having a whole danged meal. I met plenty of vegetarians while i was there, though, so it occured to me that a vegetarian restaurant in France is just going to have to happen, and it might be by me.
3. I have once again been reminded of why chocolate is so wonderful. Does this really need any explaining? It's a stress reliever. In a similar vein, I LOVE COFFEE.
4. I won't be able to look for a job while i'm trying to enjoy life outside of work and while i'm studying for the GRE's. It's just not feasible. So that has gone on the back burner. Thank god work has been getting better.
5. I am now the proud owner of the cutest ducky stuffed animal that has ever graced the earth.
So, this is Easter Weekend, and i didn't go out hunting for kegs on the Easter Keg Hunt at Hampshire, nor did i hang out in the Luxemburg Gardens like i did last year. But Dan and i made this a wonderful Easter Weekend nevertheless. Yesterday, we did SHIT. It was so nice. We woke up late, sat around, might have made lunch or something, and then we made our way to a pep rally for the Maine Black Bears (who unfortunately lost the NCAA hockey championship to the Denver turkeys, or whatever the hell they're called, but that's what their mascot looks like) because our friend Stef was playing in it! Actually the previous night we were blessed with her presence, and we went out to dinner at the Common Ground Bar and Grill. Good place. It was so great to see her, and she liked our apartment. Anyhow, i have been out of the sports crowd for far too long to seriously get into the pep rally, which was terminally lame, but the band was GREAT. Seriously. And Stef? The pep of the crowd -- the life of the pep, if you will. So cute, she's featured on TV for it. Last night? Matt, his girlfriend Laura, Dan and I finally watched Citizen Kane. What a great film! I can totally see why it became such a seminal text.
Yesterday's laziness was offset by the productivity and movement of today. Today, being Easter and the day of fertility, Dan and i celebrated by going to the Arsenal Mall on Memorial Drive -- all of which was closed (DUH) except for the Home Depot, which we were planning on going to to get potting soil and some new plant pots. I am going to repot my plants! Next, we went grocery shopping, and THEN, we went on a long beautiful walk. I wanted to bring him to the park at the top of Summit Hill that i discovered last week in my travels. It's really easy to miss since all the roads in that area entirely skirt around the base of the hill. I found it through one of the many enjoyable paths in Brookline. Then tonite, i baked! I threw together some dough for some basic white bread, and i kneaded the hell out of it enjoying every violent bit. I tell ya, no bread machine for me. I like to beat up dough. While that was rising i threw together some banana bread, which, other than being oily, came out VERY well. Bread, banana bread, hot in the oven while i sauteed some onions, garlic, and summer squash to go on spaghetti. Mmmm. I felt very happy throwing all this stuff together. Did the bread come out well? MMMMMMMM. One out of one Dan's agree, Lindsay's bread came out well.
Hurray for a wonderful weekend! Let's hope this week goes by quickly, because we'll be going to Maine next weekend!
And let me not forget to mention that Dan, the sweetest ever, got up at 4:30 this morning to make an Easter Egg hunt for me. It was so sweet and i was so excited, i actually did the hunt before i ate my breakfast. He sures knows how to make me smile.
Sunday, April 04, 2004
Weekend Update
I finally registered for the GRE's. I did so on Tuesday night. So now i am out $115 bucks, and because of the monetary loss, which always speaks louder to common folk than most other kinds of loss, i am finally being a better stickler about studying for it. I finished reading through and practicing bits of the verbal section, so this afternoon, i'm going to one of the Boston Public Library branches and taking a verbal practice test.
So i should go, because they close at five.
ALSO, Dan and i went to the Reproductive Rights Conference at Hampshire College this weekend. It was a real eye-opener. I tell you, you can be a liberal and think you know what's going on, but until you actually listen to the panels and listen to what is still going on that you assumed stopped fifty years ago, you don't really realize how much more work there is to do, and how reproductive rights means something completely different if you're a 26 year old poor black mother who is in jail for 20 years because you stole baby food -- most women in that situation are sterilized. Um, it was a powerful conference. There was only one part of it that really took away for me, and it was an abysmally unfocused workshop on masculinity. It was written up as how men and other masculine-identified individuals can be reproductive choice allies in the face of all the negative attention "masculinity" gets today, but instead it was more boxing in of what masculinity really means. We left.
But it is time to shower and go.
I finally registered for the GRE's. I did so on Tuesday night. So now i am out $115 bucks, and because of the monetary loss, which always speaks louder to common folk than most other kinds of loss, i am finally being a better stickler about studying for it. I finished reading through and practicing bits of the verbal section, so this afternoon, i'm going to one of the Boston Public Library branches and taking a verbal practice test.
So i should go, because they close at five.
ALSO, Dan and i went to the Reproductive Rights Conference at Hampshire College this weekend. It was a real eye-opener. I tell you, you can be a liberal and think you know what's going on, but until you actually listen to the panels and listen to what is still going on that you assumed stopped fifty years ago, you don't really realize how much more work there is to do, and how reproductive rights means something completely different if you're a 26 year old poor black mother who is in jail for 20 years because you stole baby food -- most women in that situation are sterilized. Um, it was a powerful conference. There was only one part of it that really took away for me, and it was an abysmally unfocused workshop on masculinity. It was written up as how men and other masculine-identified individuals can be reproductive choice allies in the face of all the negative attention "masculinity" gets today, but instead it was more boxing in of what masculinity really means. We left.
But it is time to shower and go.
Saturday, March 27, 2004
This just in:
Ok, so there isn't really anything that's just in. This morning i washed a couple of dishes, made coffee, and laid around in bed. It has been good and lazy. Just what i needed. The past week has been crazy. Now at work, i am a shipper. I had almost forgotten how much i enjoy manual labor. I have spent the past couple of days picking orders and finding stuff and packing them in boxes. I really enjoy dealing with space issues. That's nice.
Otherwise, i have been going through spring cleaningness lately. When i did laundry this week, i washed all that stuff that doesn't get washed every time, like the bathrobe, the jeans, the hoodie, the funny-ear-things, stuff like that. Last night i shaved my legs in cleaning mode, and suddenly got the urge to chop my hair off. Not going to do THAT, especially since i'm thinking of growing it out again to see how to deal with it now that it's not so curly anymore.
That's about it for news. Dan and i are going to find the nearest Target so we can get an air conditioner for our bedroom for the summertime, and then hopefully find some trees somewhere to enjoy the sunlight.
Ok, so there isn't really anything that's just in. This morning i washed a couple of dishes, made coffee, and laid around in bed. It has been good and lazy. Just what i needed. The past week has been crazy. Now at work, i am a shipper. I had almost forgotten how much i enjoy manual labor. I have spent the past couple of days picking orders and finding stuff and packing them in boxes. I really enjoy dealing with space issues. That's nice.
Otherwise, i have been going through spring cleaningness lately. When i did laundry this week, i washed all that stuff that doesn't get washed every time, like the bathrobe, the jeans, the hoodie, the funny-ear-things, stuff like that. Last night i shaved my legs in cleaning mode, and suddenly got the urge to chop my hair off. Not going to do THAT, especially since i'm thinking of growing it out again to see how to deal with it now that it's not so curly anymore.
That's about it for news. Dan and i are going to find the nearest Target so we can get an air conditioner for our bedroom for the summertime, and then hopefully find some trees somewhere to enjoy the sunlight.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
THE CAUSE
Everything is cause and effect. Like today: the HR manager was insensitive in the way he went about asking my co-worker and i to stick to a lunch schedule so it would be easier to have a schedule for himself in general, and the effect was the i was thrown into a foul mood and have become more driven in my job search.
But there are other causes worth fighting for. And it's always nice when your part of the fight can be so short and easy. Here are some of my favorites, and i would consider it a personal favor if you checked out one or all of them:
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com Donate a Mammogram for free by clicking a button on he breast cancer site.
www.truemajority.com A left wing political watchdog group run by Ben and Jerry and Paul Newman. Once you join, they'll send you emails sometimes, and all you have to do is click "reply" and "send" in order to send a free fax to the appropriate congressperson, representative, or senator.
moveon.org This one requires some more work. Half the time you can just click reply and send like the last one, and half the time they ask you to actually call or write your senator, rep, or congressperson. I have the time for the first half. So i do it. These guys often work in conjunction with True Majority, and was started by the likes of none other than Jeanine Garrafalo (sp?)
Everything is cause and effect. Like today: the HR manager was insensitive in the way he went about asking my co-worker and i to stick to a lunch schedule so it would be easier to have a schedule for himself in general, and the effect was the i was thrown into a foul mood and have become more driven in my job search.
But there are other causes worth fighting for. And it's always nice when your part of the fight can be so short and easy. Here are some of my favorites, and i would consider it a personal favor if you checked out one or all of them:
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com Donate a Mammogram for free by clicking a button on he breast cancer site.
www.truemajority.com A left wing political watchdog group run by Ben and Jerry and Paul Newman. Once you join, they'll send you emails sometimes, and all you have to do is click "reply" and "send" in order to send a free fax to the appropriate congressperson, representative, or senator.
moveon.org This one requires some more work. Half the time you can just click reply and send like the last one, and half the time they ask you to actually call or write your senator, rep, or congressperson. I have the time for the first half. So i do it. These guys often work in conjunction with True Majority, and was started by the likes of none other than Jeanine Garrafalo (sp?)
Saturday, March 20, 2004
Things That Make Me Happy
Yesterday when i was waiting for the red line (which i LOVE), there was a guy who sings R&B with his carry-around kareoke machine, and he's really good. He sung through a couple of songs from his usual repertoire, and then he started singing one i hadn't heard him sing before. It took me a few minutes, but soon i recognized this song as a song from my childhood. He was singing a gospel/country ballad that my mum used to play when my brother and i were little and we were all living in Parsonsfield at the top of a populationless, well-forested mountain in western Maine. It was my favorite song off that record album, and the chorus goes something like this:
I sing because He's with me,
I sing right from my soul,
and the peace I felt
When He was standing there
None others have ever known.
I haven't heard that song for ages. It brought me a great sense of peace when i heard it again in the subway yesterday, and it made me feel like everything was going to be alright.
That was a feeling i really needed at the moment, too, because i had to leave work early yet again because of a relapse of sickness. The cold i caught earlier in the week had passed, thought, but not quickly enough for me to get away with it without getting a horrible sinus infection. I actually almost broke down into tears yesterday while i was at work because i couldn't believe it, and i knew i needed antibiotics. So i called the doctor in Somerville and managed to get an appointment for that afternoon at 4:15. YAY! I was so grateful. A very nice lady saw me, and even though they haven't received my medical history from my doctor in Maine yet, they prescribed me antibiotics. YAY! I got them just in time, too, because last night was ROUGH. I pretty much went to sleep the minute i got home (around 7 or 8 is when i hit the hay), and i got up this morning at 8. And i felt HORRIBLE last night. I was mumbling incoherently and didn't even get up to greet Matt's parents who have come down to visit for the weekend.
When i went to fill my prescription at CVS, there was quite the line and quite the wait. When the guy behind the counter asked if i would be staying and when i wanted to pick it up, i answered, "as soon as possible?" He told me it would be about twenty minutes. I had a seat. I thought about all sorts of mean things about big chain pharmacies in cities and how i never had to wait twenty minutes to get my prescription filled at Clark's Drug in Waldoboro, when i heard my name called. I probably hadn't been sitting longer than five minutes. I was elated. No sooner did my mean brain have the chance to condemn then did they prove me wrong. It goes to show you that there are good people everywhere.
This morning, i was well enough to meet Dan and Carol (one of the visitors) at a couple of the free museums at Harvard. They were fabulous! And once again i had my love of Impressionist and after art re-affirmed. Not a fan of most "modern art," but i positively love everything from the Impressionists to the German Expressionists, especially Cezanne, Picasso, Leger, and my new interest, Max Beckmann. GREAT stuff in the Fogg-Art Museum, and it is free on Saturdays from 10am-12pm!
So i have had an eventful morning, and it sucked up my energy. We finished with a delicious meal at Bertucci's. Mmm.
Yesterday when i was waiting for the red line (which i LOVE), there was a guy who sings R&B with his carry-around kareoke machine, and he's really good. He sung through a couple of songs from his usual repertoire, and then he started singing one i hadn't heard him sing before. It took me a few minutes, but soon i recognized this song as a song from my childhood. He was singing a gospel/country ballad that my mum used to play when my brother and i were little and we were all living in Parsonsfield at the top of a populationless, well-forested mountain in western Maine. It was my favorite song off that record album, and the chorus goes something like this:
I sing because He's with me,
I sing right from my soul,
and the peace I felt
When He was standing there
None others have ever known.
I haven't heard that song for ages. It brought me a great sense of peace when i heard it again in the subway yesterday, and it made me feel like everything was going to be alright.
That was a feeling i really needed at the moment, too, because i had to leave work early yet again because of a relapse of sickness. The cold i caught earlier in the week had passed, thought, but not quickly enough for me to get away with it without getting a horrible sinus infection. I actually almost broke down into tears yesterday while i was at work because i couldn't believe it, and i knew i needed antibiotics. So i called the doctor in Somerville and managed to get an appointment for that afternoon at 4:15. YAY! I was so grateful. A very nice lady saw me, and even though they haven't received my medical history from my doctor in Maine yet, they prescribed me antibiotics. YAY! I got them just in time, too, because last night was ROUGH. I pretty much went to sleep the minute i got home (around 7 or 8 is when i hit the hay), and i got up this morning at 8. And i felt HORRIBLE last night. I was mumbling incoherently and didn't even get up to greet Matt's parents who have come down to visit for the weekend.
When i went to fill my prescription at CVS, there was quite the line and quite the wait. When the guy behind the counter asked if i would be staying and when i wanted to pick it up, i answered, "as soon as possible?" He told me it would be about twenty minutes. I had a seat. I thought about all sorts of mean things about big chain pharmacies in cities and how i never had to wait twenty minutes to get my prescription filled at Clark's Drug in Waldoboro, when i heard my name called. I probably hadn't been sitting longer than five minutes. I was elated. No sooner did my mean brain have the chance to condemn then did they prove me wrong. It goes to show you that there are good people everywhere.
This morning, i was well enough to meet Dan and Carol (one of the visitors) at a couple of the free museums at Harvard. They were fabulous! And once again i had my love of Impressionist and after art re-affirmed. Not a fan of most "modern art," but i positively love everything from the Impressionists to the German Expressionists, especially Cezanne, Picasso, Leger, and my new interest, Max Beckmann. GREAT stuff in the Fogg-Art Museum, and it is free on Saturdays from 10am-12pm!
So i have had an eventful morning, and it sucked up my energy. We finished with a delicious meal at Bertucci's. Mmm.
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