Bodleblog

A Dance with Dragons

2012-01-28T14:17:00.002-06:00

Well, finally on to book 5. I can't seem to put these books down. But when this book is over, it's over. Until Martin can finish books 6 and 7. And then it will really be over. I will have to go back to my old New Yorkers for the past 4 months that I haven't been reading.

Because I am obsessed with these fantasy books.

Book Four

2011-12-27T19:43:00.002-06:00

I am on to a Feast for Crows, 4th book of A Song of Fire and Ice series. I can't get enough of it. I'm so glad there is another book left and two more "forthcoming".

Martin has no issue with killing off main characters in an abrupt and shocking way. And then resurrecting them in another twist. I can't wait to find out what happens next!

A Game of Thrones

2011-11-02T19:44:00.003-05:00

I have to admit that I LOVE A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. The book, that is. I haven't had a chance to see the show because we don't have that fancy cable. :)

I just finished book one and it is amazing. I don't usually consider fantasy. I don't even peruse that section of the book store, Amazon (for my kindle of course) or library. Dragons, swords, kings and queens. Never really thought it was my thing.

I did read the Lord of the Rings but only after I got in to the movies. I enjoyed them, certainly. But Tolkien puts you to work with all the details (probably really helped Peter Jackson out with set design though). I tried to read these books when I was younger, maybe middle school, but couldn't do it. And that says a lot because I read everything, under the covers with a flashlight until all hours of the night. (Don't tell my parents) ;)

A Game of Thrones is fun. And although I live in the 21st century, somehow I can identify with the characters and the delicate balance of society that they contend with. Somehow I get the expectations that are put on all of them by archaic hierarchies and rules. There is something familiar about what is required and expected of allies (personally, politically).

I burned through book one and am starting on book two. As soon as I hit the "publish post" button.

Mini-vans, moving and time that flies

2011-08-07T20:04:00.003-05:00

10 years ago I moved to Boston. My parents drive out with me--I in my mini-van and they in theirs. Both packed full of most of my earthly possessions. Including my cat Sassy. Oh boy, that was a trip. Sassy yowling all the way to Boston. The tranquilizers didn't do much to her except make her stay up all night AND keep me up all night. I had a rough time driving the next day.

We used walki-talkis to keep in touch, which was pretty fun. Our halfway point was Rochester and we stayed at P's parents' house, even though they were out of town. It was nice to be somewhere familiar. When we got to Boston we moved all my crap into my tiny little room on Dimick St in Somerville. I had 3 new roommates, a new neighborhood. My parents and I explored the city, picked Paul up from the airport the night before they had to drive back to Ohio.

For the first night or so I actually stayed with my friends K and G. It helped me transition into this new life. It took some time for me to get used to the driving, the buses and subway. Just the number of people everywhere.

3 apartments later and Somerville is home. 10 years has sped by and I imagine I will be here another 10.

Summer sun

2011-06-15T17:18:00.002-05:00

So on May 1st I got a sun burn on the left side of my neck. Just one of those spots you miss sometimes. It happens.

But, this was different. It got irritated, turned into a rash, and stuck around for 6 WEEKS! Yuck, 6 WEEKS. That's right. Gross. I switched from a lanyard to a clip on name tag, bought scarves and hats and new sunblock. I bought a face powder with sunblock in it.

I tried several lotions and ointments with little luck until the past week.

Needless to say I am now more than paranoid about the sun. I just bought three tops from Coolibar for my trip to New Orleans next month and ordered more sun screen.

It's possible I am somewhat overreacting to this sunburn/rash thingy. But why not prevent something I can prevent. I don't want to go through this worry again if I must not.

Lotion up everybody. And look for me in my scarf, sunglasses and fedora hat. You will be dazzled.

The Fellows

2011-04-14T19:38:00.002-05:00

I have 6 weeks left in my fellowship. It has gone by quickly. I have learned so much from the other fellows. It has been an interesting dynamic with all women and occasionally we discuss how it might have been different if there were any men in the group.

Well, I doubt the new mother in the group would talk so openly about breast feeding or insomnia. We probably would not have shared as much personal information. We have shared a lot of professional information as well. I have a new respect for medical residency and the continued struggles faced by women in male dominated fields.

In the process I have given myself a little room to grow, recognizing that I have many years ahead of me to keep improving my skills as a therapist, "ethicist" and in personhood overall. I plan to continue work in medical ethics where I work and perhaps beyond that. We'll see what comes my way (or what I go chasing after).

Truthfully I am looking forward to some rest from academic ventures at least for a couple months. Between the DPT and this I've been a student for the last 3 years on top of everything else!

ArtBarn Gala

2011-03-28T16:58:00.003-05:00

April 2nd join me for the ArtBarn Gala Fundraiser for a children's theater here in Boston. It's always a lot of fun. And you can see me in a small but very important role negotiating bedtime with a witch.

http://vimeo.com/21570766

Fun video

2011-03-20T20:36:00.001-05:00

Radio Shout Out

2011-03-03T20:55:00.003-06:00

The Grownup Noise got a radio shout out on WGBH, one of Boston's NPR stations today at 3pm. It's at the end of this segment. The song is actually "Carnival" and you will hear it through the end of the show. Go to 15:05.

Memories

2011-02-25T19:39:00.002-06:00

Last night I watched a favorite movie from my childhood called Explorers (1985). It was fun to watch young Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix. It is about 3 young boys who discover this force field that allows them to travel to outer space. I loved this movie as a child. I definitely made my parents rent it multiple times.

Now I find it a little silly, a little boring, and more sexual than I recall. But I still felt a bit of the magic I felt watching it way back when.

Residue

2011-02-04T17:23:00.002-06:00

Everyday I work with people who have had something major happen in their lives. There is a strange energy that comes from my job. I leave it behind on the bus or tucked into my book like a bookmark. When I get back onto the bus in the morning I open it up, take it in and ready for the day.

Sometimes there is a slight film, a bit of a residue from the day that stays behind. Lingers a while and brings just a hint of exhilaration or melancholy that stays.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-20T18:07:00.003-06:00

We couldn't get ourselves together to get Christmas cards out this year. So here is our digital surrogate Christmas card. Merry Christmas everyone we love you all bunches. Hope you all have a good holiday season and on to a joyful new year. B and P

Another video

2010-11-09T18:49:00.003-06:00

OK so we crack ourselves up watching this and it is the final I'm Still Here installment, I promise.

2010-11-09T18:47:00.000-06:00

Hanging out on the Harvard Yard on the last nice weekend in October.

I'm Still Here

2010-10-31T19:26:00.005-05:00

I am very proud of my home made video camera. Our costumes were well received at the party too. It was a good year for Hansen Halloween.

Kindle

2010-10-23T18:19:00.002-05:00

I gave in to my curiosity and desire and bought myself a Kindle. The price has gone down over the past few years. Otherwise I would still just be curious.

I have to say that I LOVE it. I can put all my PDFs from the fellowship on it, there are tons of free books through Amazon and other websites. I can carry 100s of books in my work bag at once when I need a break from ethics. Now you can even put music on it, which I have yet to try. The battery lasts forever too.

It is a lovely thing.

Fatigue

2010-10-15T19:01:00.003-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been crazy busy at work. Once last week and once this week I actually went in at 6:30 am. For a physical therapist this is kind of ridiculous and unusual. But I had so much paperwork (the day to day stuff and the things like finishing someone's performance review so they can get their raise in their paycheck) to do.

Lately if I leave "on time" then I have to come back the next day super early to finish paperwork and then prepare for the new day. I have a lot more sympathy lately for my staff who have 6 patients. I theoretically carry 4. More if we're busy, less if we're not. But I have been steady at four patients for the last few months with little time to devote to program development, documentation reviews etc.

And thus is the reality of any job, I know. Just feeling it more these last few weeks.

Howl

2010-10-09T15:14:00.002-05:00

In college I had a lengthy love affair with the Beat Generation poets. In particular I read lots o Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Hearing Kerouac read his poetry aloud is like a warm buzz from a glass of wine. The first time I read Ginsberg's Howl my head was spinning. You must read it start to finish to get the full effect.

James Franco (love him) proves his skill as a true actor in a movie based around Howl. He plays Ginsberg as a young man, manages to sound like him reading Howl to a crowd of 50s hipsters. The publisher that helped Ginsberg's poem reach mass audiences is on trial for obscenity (wouldn't those prosecutors be surprised today?). If you were ever into the Beats you will certainly enjoy "Howl".

The Women

2010-10-04T19:20:00.002-05:00

There are 9 women (including myself) in my fellowship program. The facilitator is also a woman. It makes for an interesting dynamic. They are all really intelligent and coming from such different places. It makes the experience interesting. I'm intimidated but forging ahead and commenting, speaking up and feel like I'm running into a lake sometimes. Hope there's no sudden drop.

Thus far we have had two classes and I feel like I know a lot about my peers in this group already. We spent a lot of time on the first day introducing one another. It seems a perfect blend of intelligence, compassion, backgrounds and motivation.

Love, love love it!

Forgotten songs

2010-09-30T18:38:00.001-05:00

I used to love this song. I still do. I think the noise in the background gives it such a cozy feel.

Grrrrrrr! and Running!

2010-09-29T20:27:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I missed the challenge by one post. Seriously. I fell asleep last night, totally spaced on putting up a blog post. But thems the breaks I guess and I've definitely been inspired to write more often on the blog and really put some thought into my posts.

In other news, I went for a run today, which I haven't done in almost a year. It was HARD! But totally worth forcing myself to do finally. We have a stationary bike that I hate, but at least it's some exercise. I just can't make myself work that hard on the bike. But when you're running you have to keep up at least a certain level of work.

You can work harder by going faster, up a hill, different surfaces. But you at least have to work as hard as running. So I will keep it up. I forgot how much I actually enjoy it.

You are the

2010-09-27T20:33:00.002-05:00

Bees Knees

Some contribute the origin of this saying to the fact that bees carry honey back to their hive in sacks on their legs.

Lovely.

Sunday night blues

2010-09-26T20:25:00.002-05:00

Slept in late, wide awake but tomorrow starts yet another work week.

2010-09-25T19:33:00.002-05:00

the sound of the water soothes
feet hot in the sand
sleeping lightly
satisfied

Fellows

2010-09-24T17:32:00.001-05:00

Had my first fellowship seminar meeting this morning. It was AWESOME. All 9 of us are women, 4 are physicians and the rest are from very different walks of health care life. I think I'm going to learn so much from these ladies. And I'm off to see hubby's band again so more about the smart and beautiful women later.

Confessions of a Nervous Shiksa

2010-09-23T20:58:00.002-05:00

So I finished Confessions of a Nervous Shiksa early this week. It was fun, definitely in the category of chic lit. I appreciate it for the humor and the affirmation that I DO NOT want a career in the entertainment business, EVER. Unless I'm doing PT with someone famous for a movie (that could be fun). I just can't believe all the crap that is considered end of the world important, need to be seen and wear ridiculous clothing etc.

Also made me glad P and I don't come from extremely different religious backgrounds and didn't have to deal with converting or the possibly of converting for one or the other. I would imagine that is extremely stressful. In fact both of our families were saints helping us plan our wedding. No life altering conflicts involved.

So, read it. It's good on the bus/train or waiting for the bus/train or in any other situation that you don't want to focus too hard and want a decent laugh.

Smart Phones

2010-09-22T19:37:00.003-05:00

I take public transportation to and fro work most days. Sometimes I walk and sometimes my hubby drops me off. But when I am on public transportation I am surrounded by Smart Phones. I want to dislike them, I want to wonder why people won't take in their surroundings and start conversations.

And I get pretty irked when you're in a conversation and there is that moment where you can't remember something OR you have a dispute on some fact, and someone looks it up right away. No chance to think it through or drag it out of the depths. It kind of takes away a little of the fun. And being at a post-work hang out and all the young-uns put their phones out on the bar so they can see them ring or answer a text. What about THIS moment we're having, can we have it together or do you need to include that text message.

And when will I really need to check my e-mail on the run, really? And facebook, facebook???

Despite my urge to despise, I secretly covet and desire a phone like that. Like a beautiful iphone 4G. There are apps for the bus schedule . . . Justified?

Can't wait for

2010-09-21T20:09:00.002-05:00

2010-09-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

soooooo sleeepy.

Struggle

2010-09-19T16:20:00.004-05:00

Posting something every day has been quite a struggle. But an important one. I think it's good to have to think about something other than your usual everyday routine or to get out of your head for a little while.

Routine is essential to human life. It keeps us sane, gives our brains a chance to rest and helps us to get through the day efficiently and effectively. At the same time it can render us fearful of change and void of spontaneity. If we come to rely on routine too much we won't know how to live without it, even for a moment.

Getting out of our own heads is essential too, and something we so obviously crave. Otherwise we wouldn't have movies, video games, television and fiction writers. I mean the dangerous, critical, pushy part of your head that is reminding you of all the things you must do, should do and want to do AND all the possible reasons you have not done these things. The skeptical part that is paralyzing when considering politics, people we meet, the world at large. . .

We need to find something to do everyday that is a bit of a struggle. I think it will keep us healthy, keep us interested and keep us sexy.

2010-09-18T18:18:00.002-05:00

Put that fire out.

Reading is sexy

2010-09-17T22:24:00.002-05:00

So back to books and reading

In some of the earlier grades we had "reading time" as part of our classroom day. So for about 20 min I would guess, we could read something of our choice, probably something we had picked up at the library earlier. I constantly got in trouble for "ignoring" my teachers when they called us back together at the end of our reading time. But I wasn't ignoring them by any means. I just literally could not hear them because I was so into my book.

Today I was waiting for my new I.D. to be printed (for my giant nerd fellowship) and the fella at the counter had to call my name loudly more than once. I sheepishly apologized and explained that I get really into my books. He smiled, shook his head and asked what I was reading. Well, Confessions of a Nervous Shiksa, of course. Which I am really enjoying, it is slightly better than fluffy chic lit.

sooooo

2010-09-16T20:32:00.002-05:00

So I'm a little drunk. That's OK. There's no reason at this moment that I shouldn't be. So there. Someone's leaving my staff who is great, so we went out. I had some beer. And that's that.

Uggggh!

2010-09-15T20:37:00.001-05:00

It is a goal from here on out not to merely post about my day. But I am exhausted and cannot think about anything clever right now. In fact after this I'm going to bed. At 9:30 pm on a Wednesday. And I will love it.

The Grownup Noise show was AWESOME last night and we got home late. I did not drink because I find late nights + drinking make working that much more difficult the next day. So home late, sleep an hour and then our horrible hard wired fire alarm starts going off.

It is loud (as it should be, if there was really a fire I would want to be woken up. As it is it took me at least a minute to realize what was going on after Paul woke me up) AND the fire department takes about 10 minutes to arrive. Perhaps it's because they know if there was really a fire we would call and say "ACK, THERE'S REALLY A FIRE."

Instead someone in our building called and said "Our alarm is going off, can you please come turn it off." Which they did. The firemen have to turn it off because of the way it is wired into their system. Plus if you had a drowsy neighbor who turned it off there could really be a fire and everyone could, ya know, exhaust in that fire.

So there we are on the sidewalk, neighbors staring at us and even a couple young fellas wandering over to make sure everything was OK. That was pretty nice.

Needless to say when my alarm went off this morning I was not happy. I pushed through the day and then left work without finishing A LOT of paperwork. Thus the ugggggh of getting to work super early to get everything done.

I'm off

2010-09-14T17:49:00.002-05:00

I'm doing a quicky post here to avoid my challenge losing mulligan. I'm off to Passim to see hubby's band tonight. I'm excited, I haven't seen them play since the beginning of their tour. I've never seen a show at Passim and I hear it's nice and chill. Plus I'll get to see a bunch of folks I haven't seen all summer.

Books, books, books

2010-09-13T19:58:00.004-05:00

There is a house I pass on the way home from the bus stop that occasionally has a box full of free books on their front stoop. A couple months ago I took two books and found them both to be just OK. And today I picked up another, which I hope is better than the last two. The thing for me about reading is that I can't stop a book I have started. Maybe once or twice EVER in life have I done this. And I've read a lot of books.

I was the kid under the covers with a flashlight after she promised to go to bed after reading this last sentence, paragraph, chapter. Now I enjoy my bus ride to and fro work because I get a chance to read and I don't have to feel bad that it's not school work.

I scored lots of personal pan pizzas in the old school Pizza Hut "Book It" summer campaign (do they still do that?) and have a deep love of libraries. We spent hours there at the library when I was a kid. Any chance you get, you shoulder wander the Boston Public Library. It is spectacular.

One of the books I picked up from the stoop this summer was "Magical Thinking" by Augusten Burroughs. Although I did laugh out loud many times, I couldn't get past his bitterness. I don't think I'll read another of his books. The other book was "Misfortune" by Wesley Stace. I had not heard of this author before, but thought the writing was very good. I just didn't quite enjoy the story. But I finished all 560 pages of it. On the bus, in the airport, in bed.

The one I picked up today is "Confessions of a Nervous Shiksa", the main character is a movie producer. I like the movies, so I will at least make it through this book. And, it was free without a due date and 25 cents a day late fee.

Giant Nerd

2010-09-12T17:02:00.002-05:00

Me, that is.

I'm starting a fellowship in a couple weeks in medical ethics. I'm pumped! It's going to be so interesting and when all is said and done I should be able to do ethics consultations on my own. I will be a Clinical Ethicist. This is exciting.

I also LOVE writing papers. I know, I know. Who loves writing papers?

I do.

I love doing the research, sorting out my notecards and making some sense of all the information. Although these papers will be shorter, so maybe no notecards required. There's something pure and meditative about the process. It's like a workout for the brain, except each and every time you have a tangible item that you have produced.

I get to use the med school library and attend fun, free events I would otherwise not even know about. And I'm going to meet a bunch of cool people who do all sorts of things (cancer research, women's studies related to medicine, pediatrics and so on).
The instructors are well known in the ethics scene (at least in New England).

I am one excited nerd.

I'm Still Here

2010-09-11T14:44:00.003-05:00

Last night we saw the documentary "I'm Still Here" about Joaquin Phoenix's exit from Hollywood society and acting. Casey Affleck directed and produced along with J.P. (as his calls himself in his attempt to become a hip hop artist). There are convincing cameos by P. Diddy and Ben Stiller and rather convincing rants and rages by J.P. saying horrible things to his friends/assistants/entourage. So I still don't know. Was this all a big joke?

If it is a joke it is hard to tell that it is, and is a brilliant commentary on the pressures of Hollywood, the media, acting in general and the ego that is buoyed and crushed simultaneously by it all. If it is NOT a joke it is a brilliant commentary on the pressures of Hollywood, the media, acting in general and the ego that is buoyed and crushed simultaneously by it all. And it makes me really sad.

Wild

2010-09-10T20:39:00.003-05:00

Last week we helped some friends move into a new apartment. After about, oh, 30 minutes of hard work, we took a beer and pizza break. Suddenly we hear a crack and see what looks like fireworks some from behind a tree in front of the street across from us. The cracking, popping and fireworks continue and we realize that a transformer or power line is starting to blow across the street.

The roof caught on fire, the tree caught on fire. A.S. called the fire department and we started screaming for anyone in that house to get out. So did many neighbors who recently joined us in the gawking. A girl ran out of the house and started to cross the driveway just when the power line breaks into two pieces and she almost got hit by one end of it.

FOUR fire trucks and 3 police cars arrived. It was terrifying to watch and exciting at the same time. Luckily no one got hurt, the fire went out and so did the power for that whole block! NSTAR to the rescue after all was said and done.

Bits and Pieces

2010-09-09T19:18:00.004-05:00

We get broken down into bits and pieces
Body parts
Pieces of cloth
Scrutinized to the details
Colors and places
Bodies and faces

We get broken down into bits and pieces
Religions and prayers
Fears and stares

Sideways emotions
Suffering and waiting
Making our way through the muck
Working for something we cannot see

Messing with the movies

2010-09-08T20:00:00.003-05:00

There is a tremendous movie that I absolutely love called Let the Right One In. It's a Swedish Vampire movie. It is beautiful. Well acted, good scenery and cinematography. I also enjoyed the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Girl who Played with Fire. Also Swedish, well acted and great book to movie adaptations.

Because these movies did well both in Sweden, but also in the United States, American filmmakers feel compelled to make their own versions. Rubbish. Rubbish I say. I will protest "Let me in" and the U.S. version of "The Girl . ." series. It's completely unnecessary to remake these movies, COMPLETELY! A quick buck and (I predict) watered down versions of truly great films.

Don't see these knock offs. See the original first.

OK so I missed a day

2010-09-07T17:07:00.002-05:00

So my mulligan is gone and we still have so long to go. I was beat last night, crashed at 9:30 pm and woke up super late for work. I didn't even shower today! That said I am going to try keep myself in the challenge.

I highly recommend the movie Get Low with Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Robert Duvall. The acting is great, the script is great. An all around great artsy fartsy film. We saw it on Sunday after we got back from a lovely weekend in Maine. Yesterday we saw The Last Exorcism, while not on par with Get Low, was also a pretty fun movie. It is in the fake documentary style and follows a Reverend to an exorcism. I was terrified, on the edge of my seat. Just what you need from a horror movie.

I love movies so much. I can't even come close to counting the number of hours I have spent on my toosh in a movie theater, not to speak of the many hours spent at home. This is a love cultivated when I was a kid renting VHS, RCA Video disc (we had a player, it was awesome!) and going to the dollar theater. In high school my friends went every weekend to the Midnight Movie for $!.00 a pop. Fortunately I married a fella whose family is also really into movies. Thank goodness, because I can't give them up.

Breakfast

2010-09-05T16:50:00.002-05:00

On our honeymoon P and I had breakfast served to us in our room every morning. I think that it just came with out tour package. And it was the most delicious breakfast I have had. And I can't tell you just what it was about that breakfast.

Maybe because we were on our honeymoon, or the food was traditional American food (a break from our delicious Indian dinners), or the coffee was made in a small pot just for us with steamy hot milk. But I think it may be that it was nice to have someone bring you a meal to your room, set it down on the table with a smile and you get to chill in your robe or p.j.s AND not wash any dishes afterwards.

(OK, so I promise to move on from talking about P and I so much. But we did just have a lovely anniversary weekend in Maine. On to different topics next week.)

Blogs away!

2010-09-04T06:43:00.002-05:00

I was inspired by Maria to join a "blog a day" challenge" The Yo La Tengo Late Summer Blog Challenge. I think it will help me to write more frequently and hopefully I'll stay on this kick long after summer is gone.

Thanks for the motivation ladies! And this is my post of the day.

Road trips

2010-09-03T16:02:00.001-05:00

A large part of my time spent with P involves road trips. Not as much now that we live in the same city and don’t get home as much as we’d like. But in the beginning we drove to Denver together for spring break, which is a good 24 hour drive from my parents. We have done that drive four times! Not to mention countless drives to and from Athens to Rochester or Dayton. And now the drive from Boston to Rochester or Boston to various New England points of interest.

Now that is a way to test your relationship. There is high potential for disagreements—driving skills and techniques, when to stop for gas, where to stop and how often, what are you going to listen to on the radio. Am I allowed to read while you drive and please don’t fall asleep while I’m driving.

We really don’t disagree about those things listed. We are very diplomatic about what we listen to—the infamous “song for song” or fun talk radio. (Although P usually chooses a 14 minute jazz tune) I have given in to eating wherever is available because now getting food in my stomach is more important than the type of food I get (I am a grumpy hungry girl). I feel really lucky to know we could drive across country and enjoy it. It’s a great opportunity to just spend time together.

The biggest issue is my serious fear of driving. Which I know I have posted about before! I have to tell you that I feel much safer in our new van—Gertrude. She steers like a car and rides nice and smooth. She is in stark contrast to our previous van—Eugenia. Eugenia, although good in theory, just didn’t stand up to what she promised and four years after we purchased her, we had to give her away.

Needless to say I love going on road trips, particularly with P (who can drive long distances without needing me to take over).

Wedding cake kiss

2010-09-02T12:17:00.001-05:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Four years later

2010-09-02T09:32:00.003-05:00

Another year has passed since P and I tied the knot! We lived together before we got married and had fairly well merged our lives. So, what's the difference about being married? I wasn't sure that there would be any difference. But after we came back from our honeymoon and got into the rhythm of life again I realized that things did change.

There is something deeper between us, something that I can't quite explain. The love that we have has grown and changed into something more meaningful. We are in this thing called life together no matter what.

I want to thank you all again for your love, support and enthusiasm about our relationship. Our families and friends have so much to do with the passion we have for the world at large which reflects back onto our relationship and makes it even stronger.

Yes, I am sappy and emotional. But I believe in love, in the connections we make with family and friends and the joy felt because of those conncetions.

Thanks P and all for making our world a wonderful place!

Sleep

2010-08-25T21:06:00.002-05:00

Alas sleep escapes me again. Maybe if I stop looking online I will be able to catch some Zzzzzs. I feel silly because when P gets back I'll sleep like a babe and crash long before he gets to bed. But when he's gone I just stare at the ceiling, or hulu or netflix or Sassy. Grrrrrrrrr.

Show and Tell

2010-06-14T19:47:00.005-05:00

Share poetry, we all wrote this together. The trick is you could only read 1/2 a line that was written before you, complete that line then add another half. The full line was folded over so the next person only had 1/2 a line to go from. It is beautiful, one of my favorite things to do!

Here is what we wrote:

The air conditioning feels cool, but it is ruining my soul
But the light stabbed into the velvet
Do it by the 8s with protection of your heart for future reference
You should know that I like to eat circus peanuts when I see elephants dance
And perform while wearing a tutu
It inspires me to murder innocent sparrows
And steal their wings to dip in Buffalo sauce,
The spicy condiment goes well with a hot summer day ending.
He smoked,
The Cherokee chief wore his best headdress to dance around the fire
Once the sun went down, the bats emerged
And even though his leg was broken from the fall
His colon was unharmed
And just when the day couldn’t get any worse
The guitar strings snapped, the sun refused to set, and there was nothing left to do except dance along the border between turbulence and order
Then suddenly a car exploded and everyone was screaming
And in the chaos, I held my breath for too long
There is no end to living life.

Things I Learned in Haiti

2010-05-01T09:26:00.004-05:00

There are so many things going on in Haiti and so many stories I could tell. I met many people who have been impacted by the earthquake with personal loss and ongoing struggles and out of respect for them I will not put those stories on the WWW.

What I can tell you is what I learned about myself:

*I can eat the same food for every meal for two weeks but I get sick of those fancy protein bars

*I don't read nearly enough at home and I really should

Read these books:

The Piano Teacher

The Time Traveler's Wife

Anansi Boys

*I can tolerate a significant amount of sweating, but really prefer to shower at least once a day

*I am not as socially awkward as I presumed myself to be and can get along with many different types of people (perhaps this is a survival skill learned from moving every two years with the Air Force), too bad it took me this long to realize it

*I thought I was addicted to the internet, but in fact can live with checking my e-mail every other day

*I don't know that I could go two weeks without actually talking to P (thank goodness for donated satellite phone service)

*I definitely want to do this kind of work again

Fanatical

2010-04-15T20:06:00.003-05:00

I tend to not be too fanatical about things. I get excited about things, care about things but never consider myself fanatical.

Anywho, this past weekend I did something I never thought that I would. I went to the Boston Comic Con. That's right, I said it, I went to a comic book convention.

I have to admit I had a lot of fun. I now have a picture of myself drawn Manga style and I got to meet Ben Templesmith, an author and artist I love. He is super friendly, seems down to earth. I was pretty excited, a little bit shy to meet him. He did the artwork for 30 Days of Night which became a movie. He writes and illustrates some of his own stories and illustrates many others. I bought a copy of Dracula he illustrated and it is beautiful.

I am a dork. I know it. I'm proud of it!

Yay Spring!

2010-03-07T18:17:00.002-06:00

It was in the 50s today, everyone was out and about. I hope this is headed our way more permanently. I can't wait to put away my winter coat for a few months!

Childhood memories

2010-01-31T16:18:00.002-06:00

These are some of my favorite things from Sesame Street. My favorite by far is the stick of butter. LOVE IT!

Sleep No More

2010-01-03T17:06:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago I was at a party and someone was talking about this performance in Brookline. A theater group from was putting on Macbeth, with an awesome twist. They rented this old high school and put together sets in classrooms on four floors of the school. The audience roams the school, all four floors. You can explore the sets and hope to stumble upon a scene in action. Sometimes you are two feet away from the actors, same level and all. The sets are intimate--like a play is happening in your living room. They walk down the hall in character and that's your chance--follow or miss the scene.

The hallways are lit with candles, the sets with whatever they're using in that scene. The temperature, the music, and even the smells are suited to the scene.

They used every aspect of the school--running over the tops of lockers, using old doors as props in fight scenes, jumping up/down stairs and over railings. And you are right there. I mean, I really can't describe it completely--you just had to be there.

Through word of mouth the play was extended through February and EVERY SHOW is sold out. I say call everyday, see if you can get tickets. You will not regret it.

It is one of the best things I have ever seen in my life, seriously. Amazing from every angle.

Sick Day

2009-12-23T12:11:00.004-06:00

Today I am home from work sick. I fall asleep when I read, when I watch TV. I'm in and out of being slightly awake or currently awake because I just ate lunch. I'm basically trapped in my apartment but wouldn't want to go anywhere anyway. It's similar to how I felt on the plane trip back from our honeymoon. Trapped, lethargic, gross.

2009-12-13T19:10:00.002-06:00

Every year at work we have a patient party and a staff party. We are asked to bring desserts for each of these events. Last year I did the easy thing and bought one of the boxed mixes. It's quick and pretty tasty. But this year I really wanted to make something from scratch, something that we used to make when we were kids. For many years my sister, Mom and I would bake loads of cookies. We made several types of cookies and they were all delicious!

I asked my Mom for one of the recipes. For some reason I never asked for this particular recipe before (but I have several of the others already).

Grandma's molasses cut out cookies!

I can't believe I have missed out on these cookies the past several years. The recipe makes 6 dozen, which seems like a lot. But really, you can never have too many cookies at Christmas. I couldn't stop myself from snacking on the dough and eating a couple cookies when they were done. Ya know, just to be sure they taste OK.

There's something mysteriously wonderful about family traditions. The familiar smell and taste of these cookies brought back some strong and happy feelings. Just sitting in my kitchen I felt peaceful and whole.

And also a little too full of cookie dough.

Home for the Holidays

2009-11-25T09:17:00.002-06:00

After a successful "Champsgiving" with some friends P and I are headed to Ohio for Thanksgiving. It has been 8 years since I've gone home for Thanksgiving. In fact I've only gone to Ohio for one holiday since I moved to Boston.

P has never been to my parents for Thanksgiving. When we were dating we would visit each other's families the day after a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Once we were both living in Boston we went to Rochester because we could drive there, and as I'm sure I've mentioned before I can only take time off around one holiday. (And as I've also said before, I really love working at a hospital, so it's OK). Once my parents met us in Rochester for the great turkey. That was a lot of fun.

This year we're going home so P can experience a Bodle Thanksgiving. I'm really excited to be there and hang out with the fam and our extended turkey day fam. Hurray!

Disclaimer to all the Ohio folks: We're going to try to maximize our time with family so don't be offended if we don't get a chance to visit. We'll have a gathering next time we're in town!

Pics from Columbus Day

2009-10-18T18:30:00.003-05:00

Columbus Day in Rochester:
We went on this great canal trip and a walking tour of Mount Hope Cemetery. My dad with two cameras of course !

We got to see Susan B Anthony's gravesite. If you're ever in Rochester check our her house--they have a really cool tour. Hurray women's suffrage. Mount Hope is gorgeous too--Frederick Douglas is also buried there. Neat history, beautiful landscape and some cool old monuments. It's so different than the cemeteries in Boston--no skull and cross bones on the stones.

We had a lot of fun-too much food and lots of great conversation.

This is our second Columbus Day trip to Rochester to meet up with my parents and I think we're going to make it an annual event.

Driving

2009-10-12T17:07:00.003-05:00

I have never really loved driving. But I could drive myself from home to college and to P's family's house. I moved to Boston (it is crazy to drive here!) and drove to work an hour to and an hour from everyday. Then P and I moved in together and he needed the car for work, and I could take public transportation to work. I much preferred the bus or getting rides from people anyway.

My fear of driving has steadily increased over the last few years. To the point where I might have a panic attack just thinking about it. Yikes!

So I'm working on a self-imposed intervention that I must drive whenever we go on long trips.

Today I had a very successful six hours driving back from Rochester with only a couple minor stresses.

Hurray!

Summer moves on

2009-09-27T15:28:00.002-05:00

So it is officially fall. It's time to wear jackets to work in the morning, and I have to throw a nice light scarf on too. I get really cold and will be wearing gloves at the bus stop in no time. The leaves are starting to change and the foliage watchers will be showing up to New England in droves. It reminds me of college, of a rebirth of sorts. Starting fresh.

The dying and dropping leaves. They have to fall so new leaves can take their place next spring. It is beautiful in its own way. Cuddling up on the couch with a blanket and cup of tea, a bowl of hot soup.

If only I could hold it there and move straight in to spring. Skip the need for snow boots and calf length downy coats and Snow Emergency parking bans.

Oh fall, come and stay a while. Pumpkin beer and apple cider. Delicious and lovely.

2009-09-07T18:48:00.002-05:00

Today we wandered around Walden Pond, I watched P and others swim in the "warm" water. (Who are they kidding, as soon as you get out you're freezing). We went EARLY so we could beat the crowds and I'm so glad we did. By the time we left the parking lot was packed, the beach was crowded and the trails were busy.

It's nice to be out of city but not too far away. A bit of quiet, sunshine and wilderness.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

A couple favorite pics from California

2009-08-26T14:28:00.003-05:00

Just what you want to think of in the bathroom!
A fun pic of the two of us. Lucky that P has such long arms.
I don't know why, I just love this picture!

California, I'm coming home . . .

2009-08-18T17:40:00.002-05:00

So what to say about California. I went from Santa Cruz (lovely beach town) to Berkeley and San Francisco (Grownup Noise played at a great place there) to Sacramento to Los Angeles!

My favorite place was definitely Berkeley. KF was staying there during a three week intensive class. We could walk from her apartment to a BART station and head straight to San Fran from there. BART is pretty user friendly and quick. Berkeley is cute, friendly, has a nice college town feel to it.

Los Angeles was not as hideous as I supposed it would be. Actually, aside from the driving, I thought I could make a home there if I could find the right neighborhood. Somewhere I can walk or catch a good bus line and close to good restaurants! The area around Kodak Theater and the Chinese Theater was crazy, overrun with tourists and stores. Unfortunately if those two things weren't there you might think you were anywhere--Sephora, the Gap, etc, the stores that are in malls everywhere were also there. It was fun to hang out with CW and see other friends who live there too. Sorry folks, no celebrity sightings!

Didn't get as much time in San Fran as I hoped BUT I definitely want to go back for another visit. Santa Cruz was extremely relaxing given the fact that we were steps from the beach the whole time we were there.

Last and least thing to mention is the droves of homeless people. I mean, it's warm there almost all the time. If I was homeless I'd probably make my way to the West Coast too. After all, "California is good to the homeless, Califor-o-o-or-n -i-a is good to the homeless!"

Crazy town!

2009-08-15T20:13:00.002-05:00

I will elaborate when I return, but I have been in LA for less than 24 hours and it is one crazy place! So much traffic even at 2 in the morning. We walked down Hollywood Blvd this afternoon and as you get closer to the Chinese Theatre and Kodak Theater the crowds increase exponentially. We saw Marilyn Monroe among other actors who hang around in costumes all day hoping for tips when you take your pic with them. Where in the world does Marilyn keep her change?

Pictures and more tales to follow once I settle back in to Boston living.
Having a great time!

Living alone

2009-08-04T18:58:00.002-05:00

I have never lived alone. I have lived with my family, then on to roommates in college and roommates in my post-college adult life. From roomies to P. I know lots of people live alone. I know most of them really enjoy it. I think it's mostly a matter of what you're used to. I am a home body, a social person but prefer hanging out in someone's apartment or another. I think I would be good in a pub style bar with couches, with board games and Charades. OK sociability is beside the point.

I like to hang out with someone in the same room, not necessarily doing the same thing. That's what roomies (or hubbies) are good for. Company but doing your own thing.

So NOW I have three weeks of living alone. It is strange. Time seems to drag me along through the night. It is slow but racing at the same time. I find myself more talkative at work (I know, that's hard to believe!), futzing around our apartment doing mindless but meditative tasks. I feel a bit directionless at times, but also glad to finish these meaningless activities that would drive P nuts!

And so in conclusion I say living alone is good, bad, indifferent.

And they're off!

2009-07-26T19:08:00.002-05:00

So the Grownup Noise left this morning to start their country wide tour! So now it's a glass of wine to fall asleep for me, and checking that I have my keys about a million times before I leave the house.

I'm so excited to for them, anyone out there in various cities around the country GO SEE THEM PLAY! They sound better than ever. Don't believe me? Check out some songs from Friday's show:

Artist Type

Jump Around

Just So You Know

A new one (not sure the name)

I know I'm slightly biased, but I really think this band is great! www.myspace.com/thegrownupnoise Check the schedule

Weekend at the beach

2009-07-20T19:56:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we went to a fun wedding in Falmouth, MA. We had such a great time and really got to spend a lot of time hanging on the beach and with our pals.

Belated Birthday Post

2009-07-08T20:40:00.006-05:00

I wore M's helmet and she wore her daughter's. How could I, of all people, forget my helmet?!
The streets of the Vineyard--I think we were in Oak Bluffs.
We had a lovely seafood dinner at Nancy's, dark and stormy's and biking uphill a little saucy afterwards! Thanks M and B!

Some fun pics from my b-day trip to Martha's Vineyard with M and A. We had a great time biking around the island and even though my bike weighs a ton I still made it about 20 miles! Hurray.

Ouch

2009-06-21T20:05:00.003-05:00

I was making some yummy Indian food today and used a hot chili. I didn't wash my hands right after I put the chili pepper in and then I touched my face. My lip, eyelid and cheek were on FIRE and got all red and puffy.

I put yogurt on my cheek and eyelid because I had to keep making the food and that helped only a little bit.

I tried to take a shower but the pepper from my eyelid just got into my eye. After the shower I put Aloe Vera gel all over one side of my face. But really, the only thing that helped was just time.

4 Days

2009-06-15T18:49:00.003-05:00

I just spent four magical days in Colorado. The least of the magic was the complete beauty of Colorado mountains. I got to spend four days seeing people that I rarely have the chance to see. I saw someone each day from different periods and elements of my life at Ohio University. I got to see some family too! One of P's cousins I hadn't seen since our wedding. It was so great to catch up with everyone and spend a lot of time really talking. I had a great time!

Perspective

2009-06-09T18:33:00.003-05:00

I need some, that is.

I am really having a hard time with this birthday.

The funny thing is I know I'm young, but something has changed in my view of the world, or of my place in the world, or what should be important.

Things really do change when you get older (maybe by collections of years instead of year by year). And they should change some, right? We should be more mature or something. More tolerant instead of less, more easy going instead of tense.

To be truthful, the things I notice are more related to vanity (yes, I am worried about my looks, I know it's hard to tell sometimes). I have wrinkles that almost disappear with the right eye cream, I have scars that are taking much longer to heal. When I go to the gym after a little "gym vacation" I am sore for days as opposed to a day. I can't trim down a few pounds just by eating salad for a couple weeks.

I know I have years ahead of me and many other changes to come. This is a phase I'm going to pull myself out of.

I've got to enjoy my beautiful life now and everyday so that I won't even notice the day I turn 93 instead of 33.

Stuck in a Show

2009-06-04T09:11:00.002-05:00

The Grownup Noise played this past Sunday night and were featured on Boston Band Crush, a lotcal website. There's a video of one song and a lot of great pictures. Check 'em out!

Graphic Ads

2009-05-29T16:04:00.001-05:00

Holy smokes!

World No Tobacco Day 2009 brochure

SHOWING THE TRUTH, SAVING LIVES: THE CASE FOR PICTORIAL HEALTH WARNINGS

The theme for World No Tobacco Day in 2009 is “Tobacco Health Warnings”. Health warnings on tobacco product packaging are critical to any effective tobacco control strategy. They increase public awareness of the serious health risks of tobacco use and help to ensure that the packaging tells the truth about the deadly product within. Tobacco package health warnings that include images are a particularly powerful and cost-effective vehicle for communicating health risks.

Check out the picks through the link at the top. Gross but perhaps temporarily effective.

2009-05-28T17:26:00.002-05:00

It's cold today in Boston. Gray and drizzly. I stand quietly, wait for the bus.

I read a book purchased at a library sale--the label on the spine still in place and a simple stamp on the inside cover. Old forgotten books that don't deserve to be lost. Two bucks for a bag full o'books. Time to make room for the new books, dust free and stiff. I've given these forgotten books as gifts before, try to give them new life and maintain some memory of their existence.

A woman on the bench furiously combs out her hair. Where is she going? Her coat is bright red, a match to her now detangled hair.

Finally the bus arrives and we obediently file into line, swipe our cards to gain admission. I keep reading and ride patiently.

Language

2009-05-08T20:04:00.002-05:00

I have these funny memories from childhood that are directly related to language and my father.

Example 1: My sister and I loved the song "Material Girl", Madonna. The funny thing is that we took the term "Material" literally. Exactly as it sounds--material, like what you sew with.

My dad thought it was horrible that we loved this song for the implications of "material"

Example 2: "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna (the chorus was "I'm keeping my baby, I'm gonna keep my baby). Surprisingly I did NOT take this song literally. I thought she was talking about her boyfriend, i.e. her "baby".

Now, you don't have to guess why my dad would hate this one.

Example 3: "Leroy Brown". I would sing this chorus over and over again. "Bad, bad, Leroy Brown, the baddest man in the whole DOWN town."

So the real song is "baddest man in the whole DAMN town." My dad thought we liked to sing this over and over again so we would have an excuse to curse.

Hilarious

So, therefore

2009-05-03T15:09:00.003-05:00

We had the fortune of seeing the Dalai Lama speak this past Saturday. We had to buy tickets, but all the proceeds went towards building a Tibetan Heritage Center in Boston. Apparently there are over 500 Tibetans who now live in Boston.

The Dalai Lama was so interesting to hear speak. His first "lecture" was about the basis of Buddhism, but also talking about mental peace and why we struggle. He spoke about a few different religions and respects them all. He said that Buddhism isn't for everybody and maybe Christianity is better for some people. He basically just wants people to be happy.

The second talk was focused on inner peace. How does he have inner peace, how can we all have inner peace. It was so interesting. He talked about mental strength in relationship to physical strength. If we have mental strength then a big stress is easier to handle. If we have mental weakness then even small stressors are devastating. Which is similar to our physical health. He said we should all study to gain and maintain that mental strength and that even he studies at age "almost 74".

He seems to be a jolly man, finds joy in small things and tries to think about the big things (like how he's been "homeless" for 50 years, exiled from Tibet) and come to peace with them.

I don't necessarily believe in Buddhism as a religious practice. But the main principles apply to everyday life in a very logical way. I think it can be considered a very healthy and beautiful life philosophy. He's a darn cute old guy with a lot of love for the world. What a lovely way to spend a day!

Facebook freakout

2009-04-14T19:06:00.003-05:00

So, facebook is this weird thing for me. I try not to share intimate information to the many "friends" I have on facebook. I tend to write messages directly to people and not on their walls. I just think it's strange that some of those conversations are held so publicly.

There are so many people I was not in touch with prior to facebook after high school or college. There are some that I am so excited to re-connect with and others that I'm pretty neutral about.

Yesterday I found out by mass facebook message that a girl I went to high school with, who I did not keep in touch with or know anything about, died in a car accident. So weird. I mean, I would not have ever known this information otherwise.

I don't know if I should see facebook as a convenient way to get this information (I wouldn't read the obituaries in my parents' home town). Do I see it as "the grapevine" or do I see it as the gossip chain. I just have such weirdness about it. Maybe I shouldn't feel so strange about it. But I do.

Exercise!

2009-03-31T16:06:00.003-05:00

So I've been going to a personal trainer twice a week for a few months now. It is awesome! I love it (most of the time). Except now when I'm done with work and don't have training until 6:45 pm but if I went home now I'd just turn around again to travel back to the gym (Life of a bus rider). So I'm just at work for another half an hour. If I left work and went to hang out near the gym I would spend money on something. Either coffee or tea or some obscure book at the used bookstore nearby. I won't get home until 8 pm. And you all know what an early to bed kinda gal I am. So today I am just not looking forward to it.

I don't have fear of commitment, I swear. But I HATE to know that every Tuesday and Thursday I have to go to the gym. I must or I'm out some cash. I feel trapped in my schedule. Even if I don't have anything better to do. Why complain, you say? Well, that's a good question.

That's that.

Watch it! This is not a review!

2009-03-21T17:00:00.002-05:00

This Wednesday, March 25th 2009 at 10 pm (EST) The Real World is playing one of it's final episodes. That's not the exciting part.

The exciting part is that a band you know and love has a song playing during this episode.

That's right--The Grownup Noise song "Oldest running feature" is going to be played. No, the band is not on the show. That would just be too much :).

The name of the song and of the band will blip at the bottom of the screen.

You guys always give such love and support to The Grownup Noise and I appreciate it so much. If you feel up for The Real World please watch this episode!

See it

2009-03-14T19:16:00.002-05:00

You have to see Young at Heart--the documentary about the chorus from North Hampton, MA. They have traveled to Europe and all over the country. The members of the chorus really care about each other and about singing--although they are not always thrilled about the songs chosen by the director.

It is exactly what to watch when you need a pick me up!

Other pick me up movies:

The Cruise

The Big Lebowski

Any Fraggle Rock episode

Love is . . .

2009-03-05T10:17:00.001-06:00

Your husband carrying a bag full of puke off the plane for you.

skype

2009-02-21T17:32:00.001-06:00

OK so Paul and I are going to try out this Skype thing. If you are on it let us know. We are "Paul and Beth Hansen". I hear that everyone's doing it.

More good stuff

2009-02-21T17:17:00.002-06:00

Last night we saw this great band called Other Lives. Formerly known as Kuneck. They are a great band with a small follow. If you are a music lover you should give them a listen. Their new album comes out in April.

Fabulous!!!

Check it!

2009-02-19T10:13:00.003-06:00

1) One of my staff members is running the Boston Marathon to help raise money for the hopsital--if you're feeling generous please check out her Firstgiving site
http://www.firstgiving.com/maureenashe

2) Go see Coraline! It was SO GOOD. Not recommended for kids younger than say 10 y/o. Musically, visually and just spectacularly specatcular!

365 days later

2009-02-11T20:12:00.002-06:00

So I finally had my first review as PTCPL. I.E. a supervisor. So I strongly believe that no one should be surprised at their review--that communication is really important as well as feedback. Fortunately my two bosses (the PT Department Head and the BI Program Director) have the same belief!

No surprises. There are things to work on and things I do well. Overall I got a good "score" and had a nice discussion with the two of them about how things are going. Again, no surprises, but a relief to know that two people I respect and work with regularly think I'm doing a good job.

The lifelong issue of conflict management . . . .ahhhhh if only my face didn't turn so red when I'm upset.

One man's art . . .

2009-02-09T20:32:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I saw an exhibit of Shephard Fairey's work. He is now most well known for his cartoonish picture of Obama that was a big part of the Hope campaign.

Some of you may remember the stickers of Andre the Giant sticking all over the country, graffiti and really cool street art. When I was in grad school I received a bunch of these stickers as a gift from my roommate's boyfriend (now husband). At the time I didn't realize the extent of the work, just a vague understanding of the concept. Art mocking propaganda.

I was skeptical (no, me, really?) about this work seen as art. But I was pleasantly surprised. The whole concept of propaganda, using images to create compliance and belief in something you may not otherwise believe in, is a little scary. But it's out there ever

y day, everywhere. On TV, the side of buses, newspapers, text messaging ads, plastered to the side of a building. It's like a CD that you don't like on first listen but you like it because you hear it over and over again. Do you really like it, do you accommodate to it's presence. Do you accommodate and then absorb and start to believe in it.

As a concept and with every piece displayed together, it is very artistic. Some pieces alone would not stand out, in my opinion.

The ICA in Boston is lovely too. Lovely.

Both are recommended.

Katt Williams

2009-02-08T20:15:00.002-06:00

Katt Williams is HILARIOUS! Great stage presence, a fun mix of physical comedy and great stories. (beware of lots of cursing). If you haven't seen him or heard of him you should check him out!

Katt Williams

He has a few other specials too, or check him out on YouTube too. Good stuff.

Memories

2009-02-01T19:06:00.002-06:00

For those of you who don't know-P and I met in college. We were in a band together. A super college band--poetry and music. I mean, super college, too artsy for itself kinda band. It was awesome! The drummer from that band lives in Boston, in fact, he's marrying P's cousin. :) He had all this VHS footage from one of our shows and for P's birthday he put that footage on DVD.

It is wild to see yourself 12 years ago on stage. Young, idealistic. Surprisingly I was drinking water not beer! Maybe I was still 20 at the time. Who knows. I personally think I look almost the same--plus a few pounds. P looks a lot younger, bad hair and wearing a turtleneck. Oh boy! It's the first time I've been able to watch or hear any of that old band stuff without feeling completely embarrassed.

It was a blast and I am so glad for every minute of it. Thanks S for bringing back some good memories. LampHamperSocketBLATT lives on in our hearts!

Movie Watch

2009-01-18T19:46:00.002-06:00

This list is not in any order either chronologically or quality. Just a few we've seen over the past few months.

1) My Bloody Valentine 3D: OK, so P and I like the horror genre and we went on opening night. But not only was it a great horror film but 3D effects have come a long, long way. It was SO MUCH fun. I recommend it for anyone who likes horror movies. It had unique "kills", decent acting, forward moving plot.

2) Milk: Wow. I mean if you want to be inspired see this movie. Sean Penn and James Franco are outstanding! The story is incredible. I was definitely crying in the dark during this one. Highly recommended!

3) Twilight: OK, yes. I saw it. I didn't have high expectations given that the books (which I LOVE) are for the tweens I knew that the movie would be focused on that population. And I wasn't disappointed. It was fun, silly. Bonus is they followed the book pretty much verbatim. There is a lot of speculation that the forbidden intimacy between Bella and Edward is a metaphor for sex, especially considering that Edward won't turn Bella (ya know in to a vampire) unless they get married. Teenage love and vampires. Can't beat it. Oh and P didn't see this one.

4) Slumgdog Millionaire: You must, must, must see this movie! It follows the story of a poor kid in India who gets onto the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. They use flashbacks to tell the story of his youth and how he got to be on the show. It has great music, acting, scenery and you will leave with such a great feeling!

Man I love the movies!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T19:24:00.002-06:00

I had an awful day at work on Dec 31st. I came home in no mood to socialize at a big party. It took about every ounce of will for me to shower and get ready. But I am SO GLAD! that I went to the party. So glad that I didn't notice the time until our ride was rounding us up at 4:15 am. There was lots of chatting and hanging out, and then about 2 hours of dancing and running up our friend A's iTunes bill!

Sometimes you just need a night like that--like you are still in college or live in NYC.

Recommended! :)

Lovely Christmas

2008-12-27T17:40:00.003-06:00

Even though Paul and I were on our own for Christmas we still made all the yummy goodies for Christmas dinner. I tried to make a few things from scratch like the stuffing, pie crust and dinner rolls. They turned out great! But I learned a few things--

1)P does not like celery in his stuffing (he likes mushrooms, which I knew but forgot)

2) Our oven heats unevenly and one side of the pumpkin pie crust was burnt

3) Two people do not need a full batch of monkey bread for Christmas breakfast

We had a lot of fun :)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T12:34:00.002-06:00

We are not doing cards this year. I was a little lazy I guess. But we have received lots of great photos and cards from our friends and our families.

So Merry Christmas everybody!

Love

Paul and Beth

Christmas

2008-12-13T17:15:00.003-06:00

This year Christmas will be quiet. The major downside of working at a hospital is that hospitals don't close for the holidays. I love the hospital setting and I'm not ready to give that up. In exchange I can only take time off around one holiday. This year I chose Thanksgiving.

(Now don't feel sorry for me. It doesn't bother me nearly as much as it bothers others).

P and I are going to make dinner--a whole chicken instead of a turkey, and all the rest of the good stuff, watch movies and drink delicious wine. I'm sure we're going to sleep in, late :). I'm looking forward to hot cocoa and relaxing with my honey.

I do happily anticipate the crazy days of kids opening gifts, wrapping paper everywhere and more cookies than a human should eat. But for now quiet is good.

Cleaning house

2008-11-24T20:41:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow directly after work we are hittin' the road. I mean I will not be home after 7 am tomorrow until maybe midnight or so on Sunday. Our place was a bit messy but that's the last thing I want to come home to.

As in the tradition of my parents I have to clean before I leave for a trip (with the exception of my honeymoon--we had just moved in and it was a wreck. M and S will confirm w/vigorous head nodding). So as best I could muster this evening I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed etc. I changed the litter box, watered all the plants and loaded up Sassy's dish with cat food. It's not my usual standard of cleanliness, but I've still got to pack and get to bed.

Something is better than nothing. Is this type A becoming a Type B+?

(don't worry, M is checking on Sassy--she is not abandoned for so long)

Laundry

2008-11-18T19:08:00.003-06:00

I am 32 years old and I still take my laundry to my parents' (in-laws) house anytime I visit. Pitiful, I know. But for those of you who have your own washers and dryers perhaps you have forgotten what it is like to drag everything to the laundry mat.

Pros: You get it all done at once, you don't have to fix or replace a broken machine or ever clean out the lint filter

Cons: You lose a night or an afternoon, you have to lug the laundry down and then up 30 stairs and you have to put away two weeks worth of laundry at once

We used to drop off our laundry and have them wash, dry and fold it for us. But they definitely shrank some items and they don't take things out for you that need to be line dried. And, admittedly, it's not really a wise financial move. Only $10 more/wash BUT that adds up quick. Man, it was awesome though!

So when we head to Rochester for Thanksgiving we will take our laundry along for the ride.

The Grownup Noise

2008-11-13T21:16:00.003-06:00

The Grownup Noise played a couple songs on our local Fox network this morning.

There's a live song "Grey Skies" and a video--you have to click on the video to the right of the initial video.

Fox 25 clip

They sounded great and looked good too!

Regressing to my Tweenage years

2008-11-11T19:24:00.002-06:00

My current obsession, which I stumbled on as the results of a lengthy flight delay is the Twilight Series. Although it is clearly written for the teenage reader I just can't put it down. There's something naturally exciting about falling in love--that "first love" excitement.

I.E. this series is perfect for a girl who loves vampire stories.

I can't wait to see the movie. I hope it doesn't muddy the mental movie I play while reading. I'm a latecomer to the series, but the loyal tweens who love it were upset initially at the actor chosen to play the leading man. But truly no human being could live up to the description of Edward and to imagine so is just, well, naive. And the actor they chose is actually quite stunning--a lovely blend of beauty and edginess required for this character. (Do I sound a little creepy? The actor is only 21 or so).

Speaking of book to movie I also have high hopes for The Road film adaptation. The book is tremendous--one I would have considered (if only for a moment) skipping work to finish. If you haven't read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I highly recommend it. Read it before you see the movie, please!

And no, I haven't given up on comic books just yet. Just trying not to break the bank--my favs are in trade (5-6 issues collected into 1) and are $10-13 each. Thus far there at least four more for each series I haven't purchased.

If only the library had more of these . . .

2008-11-05T00:06:00.002-06:00

At last it is over, we can take a breath and hope for the future of this country. Both candidates were so gracious in their addresses, focusing on "reaching across the aisle" and working together as a country. McCain was tremendous--encouraging his supporters to support Obama and work towards the betterment of this country. Although he was met by booing he continued this approach. He was genuine and honest about the course of the election and demonstrated his patriotism clearly and beautifully.

Obama too demonstrated a respect for McCain and a desire to work together for the betterment of this country but honest that not everyone will agree with him in his approach. I think no matter what happens this is a great demonstration of the spirit of voters when it really comes down to it and the optimism people have for the United States of America.

Just because someone is liberal or a Democrat does not automatically mean they are not patriotic and I think that the patriotism of all Americans was shining today.

Thank goodness for everyone who voted, no matter how they voted. People used their voices tonight, the democratic process at work.

Halloween

2008-11-03T19:00:00.003-06:00

Another Halloween has come and gone. This year I was pretty lazy--I recycled a costume from a few years ago. I was just about to take those items to Goodwill too. But it was still fun to get dressed up and to see everyone else's costumes.

I saw some good Sarah Palins, hockey moms and Joe 6 Packs. I didn't see too many scantily clad ladies, but I didn't get too far out of my neighborhood either.

And as usual I want to get started on my costume for next year. Yeah, right!

New Hobbies

2008-10-15T17:44:00.003-05:00

For the "holiday" P and I went to Rochester to visit his parents and my parents (who generously drove up from Dayton). It was such a chill, nice visit. Everyone gets along so well and we really enjoy each others' company. Lovely.

We also pursued our new hobby--comic books! There are loads of comic book stores in the world, including Rochester NY. We went to two stores and I highly recommend if you live in Roch and are even the slightest bit interested in comic books that you check out "Comic Book Heaven". The owner is so friendly and knowledgable. He's got a huge stock of back issues and all the latest and greatest.

In Boston we have Hub Comics right down the street from us. There's also Million Year Picnic (what a great name for anything one could love), New England Comics, Comicopia, Comicazi. It's spectacular. There are some really silly and really strange comic books out there.

P is following Ghostrider, Proof, Marvel Zombies (yes, all the super heroes become zombies in an alternate universe. it's AWESOME!). I am following Marvel Zombies, "Y" The Last Man and The Walking Dead. I will read Proof when we get our hands on the first 5 issues so I know what is going on. Oh, and there's also Old Man Logan--Wolverine in his retirement days. (it is also AWESOME!).

The Walking Dead=zombies, zombies, zombies and a particular crew of survivors. It's so fun!
The Last Man=all men on earth die except for one guy and his pet monkey. No one knows why and total chaos results.

These things are the best kind of escapism for me. I love to read and I love to watch movies. Comic books are a great melding of the two art forms in my mind.

I know, I know. To my high school friends I made fun of for reading comic books, I am sorry. I truly, truly misjudged the world of comics. This is great stuff!