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December 31, 2004
Out with the old and in with the new
Getting ready for the new year's eve celebration, our last night on the Cape before heading up to Boston.
I'm so excited to see all our awesome friends, including her and him and her, not to mention our favorite "nephew" Adam and his new little brother Jonathan [and their parents, of course :)]. We are both feeling very nostalgic for our little apartment in Somerville (where we lived together for the first year and a half) so it will be a litte weird to be around there and not be able to go "home," but I'm looking forward to the next few days.
And then...we are really looking forward to going home!
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a kick ass 2005!!!!
Posted by Loody at 02:54 PM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2004
Ooooooo...how could i forget???
I got a new digital camera for christmas (yay!) so look for more and better pictures.
Like this one
Posted by Loody at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)
The Most Exiting Post-Christmas Post Ever!
Ok, not at all. I'm too sick to be creative so...just a few updates from the winter wonderland of Cape Cod.
We had a nice christmas eve here and then christmas day in Springfield, MA with Miss B's extended family, yummy food was eaten, presents were opened, and there was just the right amount of laying about. Her family is great (and I'm not just saying that because I know her mom reads this sometimes :) ). There is always lots of hustle and bustle and always LOTS and LOTS of love. My family is small and a bit, shall we say, reserved, even on the holidays, so even though I miss them I enjoy the big family christmas.
The day after christmas, B and her two brothers and I went to Mohegan Sun and can I just say...."Luck of the Irish, my ass!!!" We lost all our money (I mean, not ALL our money) but all the money we brought. We pretty much stuck to the slot machines but even those are seductive - you win just enough to keep going and to not notice that you are feeding the stupid machine endless amounts of quarters. Since my fantasy that we were going to win hundreds of dollars wasn't coming true, I got just frustrated enough that it wasn't fun anymore so I went and people watched while they went and lost more money (I mean, played more!). I'm glad we went, it was a fun adventure, but its not for me (which I guess is a good thing, right Kyle???)
We made it back to the Cape just before the giant snow storm (I think we got at least a foot of snow) and we have been hibernating ever since (except yesterday when we just HAD to go to Chili's and Best Buy to spend some of our christmas cash!!!). I've managed to get the cold that B had (still has) so I'm more than happy to lay on the couch and drink tea.
See...I told you it was going to be an exciting entry....
Posted by Loody at 09:08 AM | Comments (1)
December 23, 2004
You better not shout, you better not cry, you better not pout...
Family dinner at my parents house (since won't all be together on Christmas).
So far there is bickering, pots and pans banging, and big put-upon sighs...
and the kids aren't even here yet.
I know it will be nice once everyone is here and we are sitting down to dinner, but I think the holiday hustle and bustle is getting the better of some people!
Yay for getting on a plane tomorrow morning...and makin' my way towards my little bundle of sniffles.
Posted by Loody at 05:31 PM | Comments (1)
December 22, 2004
Oh, and just so you know....
my office
also "hella tight"
umm hmmm.
Posted by Loody at 02:43 PM | Comments (1)
The Little Rascals, Part II
So of course by now about 5 people have walked by my office, seen the boys in here and said something along the lines of "oh...and who is this???"
After the 5th person, Kenneth turned to me and said, "Laura, why do you keep saying nephew?"
"Because that's what you are, my nephew," I said. "Would you rather I said, 'this is my friend Kenneth'?" (ooo tricky punctuation there!)
"No" he said, "I want you to say I'm your RIVAL!!!!!"
I love them so much.
Posted by Loody at 02:09 PM | Comments (1)
Hello, may I please ask who's calling?
That's how my nephews always answer the phone at their house, it's pretty darn cute to get such a formal greeting in little boy voices.
They are hanging out at my office today (while my sister does a little holiday shopping) playing something called "Neopets" which involves creating online pets which you have to maintain (which I guess means feed and water) so that you can trade and or sell them. Very complicated - too much for my tiny brain.
After a bit of a tussle over who would use which computer I finally set Kenneth up at my desk and went into the other room to check my email. A few minutes later, I heard the phone ringing and before my brain could process (no, he wouldn't, would he?) I hear his little 6 year-old voice...
"Hello, may I please say who is this calling please?"
*running in slow motion to grab phone from grimmy little hands*
Way to be professional, Loody!
Posted by Loody at 01:05 PM | Comments (2)
December 21, 2004
Oooops!
I had a minor "interaction" with another car on my way back from lunch today. I was stuck behind someone trying to take a left hand turn and when I went to change lanes, lo and behold, there was another car. I still can't figure out if she came up really fast (not realizing I was changing lanes) or she was already there but totally and completely in my blind spot. Also can't decide whether the fact that her trunk was held together with duct tape should give me any clues....
Anyway, no one was hurt, and only minor swipe type damage to her car and mine (the whole thing was really very civil) but I'm not sure I will ever get my new work friend to ride to lunch with me again!
Posted by Loody at 09:09 PM | Comments (1)
December 19, 2004
I knew in my heart before I knew in my head...
Three years ago. Three words. Happy Anniversary Miss B!Posted by Loody at 04:04 PM | Comments (1)
December 18, 2004
Miscellany + Carrioke!
I've had computer troubles at work and at home and the sporadic access was making me so crazy that I stopped trying to post for a few days. Luckily, not too much has happened so it's not that hard to catch up!
Missing my B so much, glad it's now less than a week 'til we are reunitied (the best xmas present ever!!!). I'm having a hard time remembering what I used to do with myself when I was single...did I just come home and watch tv every night? Cause that's about the best I can do right now.
But....last night I had a big night on the town (for me anyway), thanks to Carrioke. We had the best chinese food ever, grapefruit cosmopolitans, and very lovely, easy conversation. Other people have talked about it but it was still suprising to me that you can feel like you know someone just from reading their blog. I think she is very brave for going after this music thing and I told her so!
That's it for now...off to meet my parents for brunch and then scramble to clean the apartment so the cat sitter who is coming tomorrow (to meet the crazy beasts) doesn't run away screaming. It's just that bad.
Posted by Loody at 10:16 AM | Comments (2)
December 14, 2004
I'm not 100% sure...
but I think there could be something not so right about eating Tostitos while watching "The Biggest Loser"Posted by Loody at 09:35 PM | Comments (1)
December 13, 2004
Sushi + Mayonnaise = NOT SUSHI
I'm not sure where things took such a bad turn that Japanese restaurants started trying to cater to "American" tastes by making sushi (or really maki) with things like mayonnaise and cream cheese. I'm no expert but it's my best guess that people in Japan are not actually eating tuna salad in a hand roll.
What's next? A Roast Beef sandwich maki?
I'm on this little rant because my boss took us out to lunch today, for our semi-monthly staff meeting, to a somewhat sketch Japanese restaurant. The food wasn't great but it was a nice change of pace and it was nice that she wanted to give us a little treat.
We are a pretty new staff so we have a little teambuilder/ice breaker at the beginning of each meeting. Today we did "two truths and a lie" here's what I said - you can guess which is which:
I started playing the cello when I was four
I gave academic advice to an oscar nominated actor
I know how to ice skate backwards
No cheating, Miss fitsandstarts!
Posted by Loody at 04:40 PM | Comments (5)
December 11, 2004
Starry Starry Night
The night sky is so filled with stars that you couldn't even begin to pick out constellations (well, maybe if you were someone who didn't get a C in Astronomy in college because you were passing notes with your freshman roommate you could, but that's totally beside the point!). I could spend hours out on the deck, looking at the sky thick with sparkly lights, listening to the distant roar of the ocean and the wind in the trees...
Its one of the most amazing things about this place. I love it so much that when my dad designed the house, he called the built in window benches "Laura's observatory" knowing that I would always choose to sleep there.
Because when all the lights are off in the house...its just like being outside (without the raccoons!)
Posted by Loody at 09:52 PM | Comments (1)
December 10, 2004
Sorry in advance for large blocks of text!
Lame computer that I am stuck using since SOMEONE took their laptop away seems not to recognize paragraph breaks. I promise that post below is supposed to have some pauses (instead of sounding like I was on speed when I wrote it). Of course I just realized that maybe the whole problem is my computer and it really looks fine to the rest of you so right now you are thinking 'she's not just on speed she's on CRACK!" must. stop. talking. nowPosted by Loody at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
It's kick ass, and it has a short incubation!
My favorite line from what I think could be the worst show on tv, Medical Investigation. It's the same exact show every single time. A group of people get sick, the "medical investigation" team goes off to investigate, finds them all in a row of beds in some weirdly lit hospital room (or abandonded basement), and then spouts off lots of tricky medical words and urgent directives in rapid fire monotones. In tonight's episode, for a little extra zing, the families of the sick people are fighting back with equally urgent directives... "No, you doctors are not opening up my daughter's head on the basis of some damn hypothesis!" Now that, my friends, is gripping medical drama!!!! Why, oh why am I watching this?? Well...that's just what you do when you are all by yourself on a Friday night. You watch bad tv and you eat Ruffles and then a brownie with coffee ice cream for dinner. Or is that just me?Posted by Loody at 10:08 PM | Comments (1)
Loody's Driving School Part II
San Francisco has been fogged in. So much so that last night, when I was heading home from work, I couldn't see the bridge I was about to drive across.
Driving into a big cloud of fog, in the dark, when you KNOW there is a whole lot of water right in front of you?
Spooky.
Posted by Loody at 12:51 PM | Comments (1)
December 09, 2004
Loody's Driving School
Today we hosted a holiday party for families from the local Salvation Army. We had face painting, cookie decorating, ornament-making, and gift giving (we had a list of what the kids wanted for christmas and people signed up to buy presents).
I got to go pick the families up at the bus stop and shuttle them up to campus. Nothing like waiting by the van and having a big crowd of kids running up, all talking at once... "ARE YOU HERE TO TAKE US TO THE PARTY????" "IS SANTA GOING TO BE AT THE PARTY??????" "ARE THERE COOKIES AT THE PARTY?????"
Awesome.
Now, I'm not going to dwell on the fact that I was driving lots of kids, and women with tiny babies, WITH NO CAR SEATS, in a big big van. (I got tapped for this job at the last minute and didn't quite know what I was getting into). Once the full scope of the situation became clear...I decided the best strategy was not to think about it too much, just nod and smile and take them to Santa.
Remember what I said about denial the other day? happy happy happy!
Posted by Loody at 06:08 PM | Comments (3)
She made it!!!
Just got a call from Miss B that she arrived safely in NY. Those of you that know B also know that flying is NOT her thing so it was very very hard for me to have to leave her at the entrance to the security line [I miss the days when you could see someone off at the gate :( ]
But, she made it across the country. Now we just have to hope she makes it across New York City!
my brave brave girl!
Posted by Loody at 12:53 PM | Comments (2)
December 08, 2004
Denial is SOOOO my happy place!
Yeah, so we are just sitting here, Miss B playing her playstation, me surfing blogs, surrounded by piles of clothes, sleeping cats, and suitcases.
Is she getting on a plane at the crack (and I mean CRACK) of dawn tomorrow morning? Yes
Is anything clean or packed? No
Are we going to do anything about any time soon?
*places hands over ears*
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
I hate goodbyes (even ones that are only for 2 weeks) so let's all just pretend its not happening. OK?????
Work with me people...
Posted by Loody at 11:24 AM | Comments (4)
December 06, 2004
If you build it, they will come. Not.
Just got home from staying at work late to hold a workshop for students on "Preparing for Final Exams" (Study Tips and Test Taking Strategies - sounds interesting to you doesn't it? You know it does...) but alas, not a one showed up.
Its just the way it goes, I've been in higher ed long enough to know that. Its not the first time, nor the last, that this will happen...but it's still disappointing. They need this kind of stuff, they just don't always know they need it. Or they do know, and they even plan on coming but then something (the rain, a good gab session in the cafeteria, video games, or pure unadulterated inertia) pulls them just a little harder.
On the way home, Miss B (who came with me to help faciliate the workshop) reminded me that if they don't come to you, well gosh darn it, you just have to go to them! So tomorrow, I'm going to hike up the hill, set up a table in the cafeteria, and bribe them with candy to take my handouts.
So there.
Posted by Loody at 09:11 PM | Comments (5)
December 03, 2004
Now that is what I'm talkin' about!
So at my last job, the approaching holidays inevitably brought with them a long, painful discussion about how we might appropriately celebrate them as a staff. Had to be non-religion specific, sensitive to the resource impaired (i.e. the grossly underpaid and overworked administrative assistants), and inclusive of those generally outside the "friendship circles." Usually, by the time we got done with the discussion no one felt like celebrating a damn thing.
[Side note: for the past few years we settled on "Secret Snowflake" (NOT, I repeat, NOT Secret Santa), which generally worked out fairly well except for the one guy who would forget. every time. until the last day. he was lame.]
So you can imagine how it filled me with mild trepidation when yesterday, at staff meeting, I saw "gift exchange" on the agenda. I took a deep breath and braced myself for the long drawn out discussion. Then the VP made this announcement:
"We are all going to take a slip of paper, write our name on it, write something we want that costs less than $25, and trade pieces of paper"
Hahahahhahhahahhahahhahaha
Posted by Loody at 03:44 PM | Comments (2)
December 02, 2004
And......
I get to spend Christmas with Miss B.
happy happy happy
happy
Posted by Loody at 09:29 PM | Comments (1)
The Paper Chase
This morning I was driving to work [after hitting the DRIVE THRU coffee shop...why didn't I think of that?] and just as I got to the other side of the bridge the traffic slowed to a complete stop. Strange, usually it's smooth sailing from well before this point.
So as I inched along I saw the big electronic sign [you know the one's they use for amber alerts, or in Boston, to cheer on the red sox] that said "2 right lanes closed, merge left". I craned my neck over to see what was going on [while keeping my eyes on the road of course!] and here's what I saw:
3 huge highway service trucks with flashing lights and multiple crane type attachments
2 highway patrol cars with flashing lights
thousands and thousands and thousands of pieces of paper - on the road, on the cars, in the air
3 guys in orange vests. with brooms. sweeping up the paper.
They can light up the giant electronic sign but they can't get those guys a vacuum?
hmmmmmm.
Posted by Loody at 09:02 PM | Comments (2)
December 01, 2004
It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham...AND highway robbery
So we are having a some crazy issues with plane tickets for the holidays. It's too long and complicated a story to go into here but lets just say that I am NOT handling it very well, or very maturely, at all.
I was going to rant here about the price of plane tickets (hence the title) and how it's so crazy to me that they can charge three times as much for the same flight just because it's the holidays. That two people could be on the same flight, one having paid $99 and the other $299 for the same thing is just wrong. Now I know that if we had bought them in, oh, september, we wouldn't have this problem, but that's beside the point. It just stinks. Supply and demand, blah blah blah. Stinks.
But that's not what I really want to write about. I want to write about how sad I am that all this messy business (my foolishness, our collective frustration, logistics beyond our control) is putting a damper on what is usually a very special time for Loody and Miss B. Our anniversary (3 whole years!) is December 19th, and the time leading up to that is filled with with so much nostalgia for that crazy, heady, filled-with-promise time when we were falling in love (without even knowing we were falling in love, but that's another story). That time changed my life and I love that we get to celebrate it at the same time that the world around us is celebrating. It's one big giant warm fuzzy. With presents.
So Miss B (and I apologize to the rest of you for speaking just to her for a moment), know that this time is so important to me and I want to find a way to celebrate it. Together. I'm sorry I haven't shown you that lately.
I love you more than anything in the world. Always.
And now.. back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Posted by Loody at 02:36 PM | Comments (4)