Belated Cheers

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope you all had a lovely day, wherever you were. I'll post some cute Xmas pics of Thing 1 & Thing 2 as soon as I can!

What I Did This Weekend

Sooo Close . . .

My final paper for the semester is due in about 24 hours & then I'll be done, done, done! Wish me luck. ;)

Budding Photographer

So my sister's family got their Christmas tree the other day & she sent out some pics. Here is the littlest one, Thing 2, checking out the tree with a look of awe on his face. And yes, that's his huge big brother in the background, looking all grown up & stuff.

Speaking of Thing 1 looking all grown up, here he is at the Christmas store, looking like a little hipster photographer.

Which makes sense, since the little man took this next series of photos. They're remarkably poignant, given that the photographer will turn 3 in February. ;)





Good thing his auntie's giving him his very own camera for Christmas!

It's Electric!

Does a power outage count as a good excuse for not blogging? If so, pick me! Pick me!

Like close to half a million other people in southern New Hampshire, my power was out for a couple of days recently. I was spending Thursday night at The Boy's house in Dover & the power went out there around 10:30pm. We came back to Portsmouth on Friday afternoon to another power outage (since 3am).

However, we kept warm enough by boiling pots of water on the gas range & light enough by burning lots of candles. We also somehow retained hot water, so showers weren't a problem, either. Power came back in both places yesterday afternoon, so we're all set now!

Keep your fingers crossed for all the other people (including my parents & a number of friends) whose power is still out!

Back to the Beginning (of sorts)

So apparently I drafted this post on September 30th, but never published it. Oops. Better late than never?

"Driving to my sister's from my internship site in Boston today, I took a shortcut through my old neighborhood in Medford. I lived there right out of college, when my financial, professional, and romantic situations were far from ideal. As I drove through, I thought to myself, 'What would poor, intellectually & professionally frustrated Stacey (with a broken truck leaking gas onto the road) have thought of today's happy, successful Stacey cruising through the old hood in a bright, shiny new car?'

I think she would be pleased with the way things turned out. :)"

Dear God, don't let us be "That Couple"

Both of these comics pretty much encapsulate how The Boy & I think about our relationship-based interactions in public:

(from xkcd)

(from Questionable Content)

Christmas Disease

So I've been excited about Christmas since November, you guys. Seriously. I wanted to post this on like November 14th, according to my saved draft. That's some kind of craaaazy.

However, now that we have less than 3 weeks until the actual date, I can nerd out a little (other people are doing it, I swear!). I'm going to be moving at the end of the month, so it's been hard to decide where to decorate, but I'm going to break out the Christmas box soon & get crackin'! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oops. I can't believe I forgot to post last week about Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays & I've made sure to post about it in the past. Well, there's always time to correct your mistakes, right? I don't have my Turkey Day pics on me at the moment, but will try to add them to this post as soon as I can.

The Boy & I spent Thanksgiving in Massachusetts with my immediate family, which is the way I always prefer to spend holidays. I'm v. close with my sister, her family, my parents, and grandparents & I look forward to the time I'm able to spend with all of them. Now, it makes me so happy to see The Boy getting along with everyone, especially my nephews.

Excuse me, I think I just threw up a little in my mouth from all that sappiness. ;) I do apologize for it, but it remains true. My family & The Boy are two of things for which I am most thankful and I guess it can't hurt to say that, even if I make myself physically ill while doing so. ;)

Hope you all had wonderful holidays! Now for the hot cocoa soaked, tinsel draped, artificially lit extravaganza that is Christmas! (I mean this with all sincerity - I'm a Christmas freak.)

Your Mom

For those of us who really like "your mom" jokes (& alliteration) . . .

(from the always-entertaining xkcd)

Oh, the Economy

Like many other stressed Americans, I've been monitoring the steady decline in value of my investments over the last few months. However, I hadn't checked on the total decline until today. My IRA has apparently gone down -44.69% since I rolled over my 401K last August. Bleh.

Gor(e)y

Remember Edward Gorey? I've always enjoyed the sense of the macabre in his illustrations & found this one the other day. In case the text is too small to see clearly, it runs:

Lochlan's dear goldfish went missing that noon./The Duchess was summoned/to search the lagoon.

A Google image search yields many more of his dark gems. Plus, the full Gashlycrumb Tinies set here. :)

I Got a New Phone!

Yup - a new LG ENV. I've never had a QWERTY keyboard before, but I'm a big texter, so it seemed to make sense. Plus, I got the phone on sale & with a mail-in rebate. If I've done my math aright, I think I'm getting the whole shebang for free!

I swore I wouldn't gush too much . . .

But . . . today's texted sweet nothings? Were in Latin.

Is he perfect for me or what?

Childhood Sweets

Is it weird that I want this so badly: Tub of Bazooka Joe?

Oh, the memories. The chewy, bubble-gum flavored memories . . .

Conference Recap

I've just returned from a museum conference & as with last year, it was a rewarding & interesting experience. It was also rewarding to run into a good number of colleagues whom I know from my work with various organizations - many more than I met last year.

I don't often write about my career here, out of a concern that present or future employers will critique how I write about my work. I save my professional writing for my other blog. However, just wanted to update you all on where I've been! :)

Excuse Me, I'm Conferring

I'll be at a conference in RI for the next couple of days, so pardon the radio silence!

Halloween, Part II

The Boy & I went to a costume/birthday party of a friend of his in Boston on Saturday night. We played the parts of a 1920s-era gangster & his moll. Good times, good times . . .

Him, Finally

Hmmm. I've been mulling this over for weeks & I'm still not sure how to write about the new boyfriend. In the past, I know I've written a bit too much about boyfriends & probably annoyed some of my readers. He also reads the blog occasionally, so he'll definitely read whatever I write.

However, he knows how I feel about him, so it's not that big of a deal. And he posts on a message board & wrote about me weeks ago, just after our first "pseudo-date." So. I'll be brief, but schmoopy. :)

He's tall. He's handsome. He's smart, funny, nerdy, and sweet. He understands how completely weird I am & loves it. We spend nearly all of our time together, while guiltily acknowledging how annoying that must be for other people.

I left him this morning at 10:30am. He'll be here in ten minutes. And I can't wait. :)

A New Day

I'll let the good man speak for himself, with one note. I've never cried happy tears over politics before. And I sobbed during his acceptance speech, with joy, gratitude, and relief. Read below if you didn't get to hear it yourself & find out why. Forgive me, but I've marked the bits that touched me deeply & renewed the tears of joy. :)

Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.

Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Today's the Day

At 8:19 am today, I cast my vote for the man I hope will be the first multi-racial President of the United States. If you haven't yet voted, please get yourself to a polling place and take a stake in your future. Hell, even if you vote for McCain, get out there and make yourself heard. ;)

New Glasses!

Should have probably done this weeks ago when I first got them, but here are my new glasses! I got them for my birthday from my parents & grandparents & I loooooove them.

Plus, in the field of history, you don't get a ton of respect for being a young, reasonably attractive female. What you do get respect for is being smart & well-spoken. I've got those covered, but the glasses definitely help with peoples' perception of the former criterion. ;)

Attention:

I just bought these boots from Target.com.

As you were. ;)

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the website is now telling me that they won't arrive until early December. I'm counting on forgetting about them & then when they come in the mail, it will be like Christmas, people. Except that they should come right before real Christmas, so, um, anyway . . .

CBS (Crappy Blogger Syndrome)

9 posts in October? I suck. Seriously - I really don't know how that happened. I mean, it's been a busy month, but still . . . That's abysmal.

I'm afraid the "share a link" feature on Facebook may have taken over some of my attention. Since I can quickly post a link there by clicking like two buttons, I've neglected this space a little.

I promise (to myself; I know you guys don't care that much) to improve. In the meantime, though, here are the links I posted on my Facebook page this month. Maybe putting them here as well will in some small way make up for it? I know - I'm full of shit. ;)

• Barack Obama for President, from the Washington Post
• Moved by a Crescent
• Then and Now
  

Weekend Update (for reals)

My weekend at Undergrad College was, in a word, fun. :) I always have a good time with my college friends, but never hurts to add more (drunken) memories to the pile, right? So here's a photo journal of the weekend. Enjoy!

Thank you, Mr. Powell & the Washington Post

The Washington Post, in its recent endorsement of Obama for President:

Any presidential vote is a gamble, and Mr. Obama's résumé is undoubtedly thin. We had hoped, throughout this long campaign, to see more evidence that Mr. Obama might stand up to Democratic orthodoxy and end, as he said in his announcement speech, "our chronic avoidance of tough decisions."

But Mr. Obama's temperament is unlike anything we've seen on the national stage in many years. He is deliberate but not indecisive; eloquent but a master of substance and detail; preternaturally confident but eager to hear opposing points of view. He has inspired millions of voters of diverse ages and races, no small thing in our often divided and cynical country. We think he is the right man for a perilous moment.

And Colin Powell, as quoted by Maureen Dowd in yesterday's New York Times:

[Powell] told Tom Brokaw that he was troubled by what other Republicans, not McCain, had said: “ ‘Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no. That’s not America. Is something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?"

Ideological Shift

I just renamed one of my most used email groups on Gmail. Two minutes ago, it was called "Anti-McCain/Palin." Now, it's "Pro-Obama." A minor shift, perhaps, but an important one ideologically and reflective of where my head is concerning the Presidential race at the moment.

As the McCain camp turns to increasingly more dirty ploys & negative tactics, I'd like to shift my own focus to what the average liberal can do to get Obama elected. As justified as it is, my anger over McCain's appointment of Palin as his running mate & his dismissal of the pro-choice movement doesn't feel like it's going to get that done.

Starting now, I'm going to spend more time learning more about Obama & disseminating that information to both like-minded individuals and swing voters. And less time bitching about the Republican party, which I already know is batshit crazy. ;)

Promises, promises . . .

IOU both a weekend update w/ pictures & more details about the new boyfriend. However, I owe a session presentation to a conference tomorrow & two papers to my professor on Monday. :(

So in the meantime, you're going to get linkety-links. They're web comics that the new bf introduced me to, so it's kind of like getting to know more about him?

Enjoy!

• Pictures for Sad Children

• Kate Beaton (I particularly love this one because she devotes a section to her youth in the Canadian Maritimes. Fishing & genetic alcoholism - whee!)

Weekend Update

I'll update more about my weekend later, but I leave you with this. And yes, in answer to your question, that is, in fact, a dance-off you see above.

It's Columbus Day weekend!

And that means I'll be spending much of tomorrow drinking beer & watching these guys drag their old carcasses around the field @ Undergrad College's alumni rugby game. :) Have a good weekend, everyone!

In a blatant attempt @ self-promotion . . .

Happy birthday to meeeeeeeee! :)

27's not bad so far.

Item:

New boyfriends are pretty cool, especially nerdy ones who share your interests. Then, you can nerd out together. Case in point: the new bf & I spend a few minutes each day showing each other funny web comics. It's ok - you can judge us for that one. ;)

Food for Thought

When I look back, grad school is going to taste like coffee & crunchy peanut butter bars (from paper-writing marathons in the library) and draft beer & buffalo wings (from, you know, every other moment). :)

Kayak to the Future

In this, as in many things, I heart xkcd.

(Peeking fearfully around corners)

You guys, I think I might be a closet pessimist. Whenever things are going really well, I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It's a fairly recent condition, stemming from the spring of 2007. Things were going really well then, too: my then-boyfriend & I had recently come back from Scotland (where we said those words for the first time), I had just been accepted into graduate school (with a full ride to boot) and life was free 'n easy. Then May, and its accompanying shitstorm, hit. Nick broke up with me and my grandmother died after a painful illness. Talk about a big shoe, huh?

Now, here's what's going well in my life:

• classes
• work - both jobs
• internship
• family
• living situation
• car
• love life
• friends
• Red Sox

Here's what not going well:

• deciding where to eat for my birthday dinner

Therefore, I am a little nervous these days. I keep expecting locusts, rivers of fire, pestilence & despair dropping from on high. I wonder how to get over/around this . . .

Go Team!

Congrats, boys! You earned it.

Two Announcements

1. The field trip was fun! We had some funky weather - fog, sun, fog, sun - but it was a good experience all the same. I forgot my camera, but my friend took some great photos, so I'll see if I can post them once he sends them to me.
2. I don't normally pay much attention to the global financial market, but there's some scary stuff going on, people. I've lost a decent chunk from my retirement account since I switched it from a 401K to an IRA last year. This makes me sad. :(

Field Trip

Ah, remember field trips? The excitement of packing a lunch & spending the day away from the norm? Well, even though I'm well beyond elementary school, I'm going on a field trip tomorrow & I'm super excited!

I'm taking a fall course that studies the environmental history of commercial fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic & we have the opportunity to go out on one of State U's research vessels (above). We'll be out on the water for four hours tomorrow morning. I'm trying to figure out if I can bring my camera without looking like a total nerd. ;)

There's no way I could not share this . . .

If you haven't yet seen these videos, please, please go there immediately. You will not be disappointed.

I laughed so hard I knocked down one of the pictures on my wall. No joke.

Maybe if a celebrity says it, people will start listening.

Matt Damon, I may not love all of your movies, but thank you for using your stage (one that most of us don't have) to say what needs to be said:



(And thanks to Tart for posting it first)

Might I add that on today, of all days, it's important for us as a nation to reflect and consider what the best course for the next four years might be? At a time when the confident, but humble diplomacy of a Benjamin Franklin or a Winston Churchill is needed, a hockey mom from Alaska is not what I'm looking for.

I got a new car!

Well, new to me. :) A head gasket on my old car (ten years old; 150,000 miles) blew, so it made sense to get something newer, with less miles, and better MPG. So above is my "new" 2003 Saturn L200. I pick her up on Friday morning!

Also, I had both my first pumpkin spice coffee & my first pumpkin ale of the season today. Life is good.

Forget about "Sisterhood" - I want a good VP!

If this is true, it makes me sad. And angry. Don't forget angry.

If you're on Facebook, don't forget to join the group "Intelligent Women Against Sarah Palin."

Also, don't for one second let the title convince you that I am not interested in women's rights (unlike Palin). My point, along with many others', is that she is unqualified & I refuse to vote for her JUST because she's a woman.

Oh, and also that it's a disgusting ploy on the part of the McCain camp to think that women will vote for her for that reason. Another reason why I want John McCain to be my adorably crazy old uncle, not the President of my country.

UPDATED: Here is Dooce's (and her readers') take on the issue. As usual, she's said what I'm thinking, but in a much more clever way. ;)

Fenway Faithful is Right

Tonight makes 456 consecutive sellouts at Fenway. This number breaks the previous MLB record, held by Indians fans (455). So here's to the fans. It's no coincidence that the Sox have a much better home winning record than a lot of other MLB teams.

My favorite parts of the evening:

• Lester marking the occasion by throwing 7.2 scoreless innings and 9 strike-outs.
• Winning, of course. We are now a half game back from first place in the AL East.
• In the video they showed at the park (and on NESN), Tito says, tongue firmly in cheek, "Thanks for the all the advice." ;)

Today in New England Sports

Yesssssss:

Tampa Bay	85	56	.603	-
Boston	84	58	.592	1.5

But, noooooooooooooo!

Goodbye Summer!

Well, Labor Day weekend is over & I'm back to school this week. While it won't be fall for a few more weeks, I'm moving into my fall routine & that deserves a look back at the summer that's ending.

It was a good summer, on the whole. I spent a lot of time working, enjoying beverages with friends, and generally just enjoying my first summer in Portsmouth. I spent a number of good weekends at the lake with my family (most notably, Thing 1 & Thing 2). And I spent my customary wonderful two weeks on PEI.

However, I was apparently having such a good time that I mostly neglected both my "summer to-read list" and my "summer projects list." Of the 30 books on the former list, I finished just 3: Devil in the White City (which was brilliant), The Weight of Water (which was terrible), and Sons of Providence (which was ok). I did re-read a number of old books & read a number of books not on the list, though. Does that count for anything? ;)

Now for my "summer projects list." The ones in bold are the ones I actually did:

• Sand rusty vintage patio chairs & repaint
• Sort through old clothes & donate to Goodwill
• Take photos of "hidden" patios, gardens, backyards around Portsmouth
• Improve recently written article & submit for publication?
• Plant window boxes: one w/ annuals, one w/ herbs
• Maintain Museophilia
• Secure an internship for the fall
• Migrate Enigmatic Snippets to this site (tried, but alas . . . )
  
• Answer calls for papers for fall conferences
• Take a cooking class?
• Plan a January trip to Scotland or Jamaica?

Ah, well, there's always next summer!

Bathing in the Day

I know this post is essentially a reprise on yesterday's, but may I just register my gratitude for laptops & wireless internet technology? It's a gorgeous, sunny, windy day and I am currently sitting on the screen porch, drinking a glass of white wine, listening to Sonny Boy Williamson on last.fm, and blogging on my other blog, Museophilia.

Remember when "using the computer" meant holing up in a study or den all day? ;)

Ahhh . . .

You have to love a morning in which the biggest decision you have to make is whether to stay on the porch, checking email & drinking coffee or walk down to the beach to take the kayak out for a spin.

UPDATE: I am inherently lazy, so I chose the first option. ;)

(Not) Moving (for Once)

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you'd know that moving is something with which I have loads of experience. And despite the fact that I just moved into this apartment mere months ago, I was thinking about moving out recently.

It's not that I don't like my roommate - I do - or the apartment - also do. It was mainly because the GSBB & I had talked about living together. However, she's ended up moving in with The Mechanic's Older Sister (who needs a new nickname, as I haven't seen him for months).

So then I thought about getting a studio apartment somewhere in P'mouth, since I had moving on the brain. I searched for places on Craigslist, looked at a couple, and generally grew frustrated with the options.

Then, one evening, I was standing just inside my screen door while my dinner cooked, savoring a beer & gazing across the vacant lot to the mill pond . . . and it hit me that it would be massively silly to leave this place. It's close to downtown, it's affordable, all of my things are already here, and I can see (a little bit of) water from my front door!

So I'm here. I plan to sign a new lease for 8/08 to 8/09 and stick around for awhile. That is, unless I get the moving bug again . . .

I am a Bloody Idiot

I really am. For awhile now, I've been planning to migrate all of the posts from my old blog, Enigmatic Snippets, over here. However, in a fit of "social network downsizing," I canceled my Friendster account, to which that blog was linked. So now, typing the address of "baby's first blog" yields the following . . .

Not Found
We're sorry, but the address you were trying to reach has been misspelled or page you were trying to view does not exist. Please check the address and try again.

Balls.

To all the boys who don't call you back:

Haha, love this. Am not having that problem at the moment, but it's so fitting for boys who drop off the face of the earth.

It reminds me of the message Harry leaves on Sally's machine when they're fighting (in "When Harry met Sally," obviously).

"If you're there please pick up the phone, I really want to talk to you. The fact that you're not answering leads me to believe that you're a) not at home, b) home, but don't want to talk to me, or c) home, desperately want to talk to me, but trapped under something heavy. If it's either a) or c) call me back."

Photos from Last Weekend

Also known as, "my nephews are seriously cute. Oh, and there was some hail, too."

Good Advice

While it's on my mind, I wanted to share a line from my friend's sister's wedding service.

"May you grow in grace as you advance in years."

It's a lovely sentiment & if we all are able, something to shoot for.

Vacation Photos

Here's a sampling of my favorites. The full set lives here. Enjoy!

Other fishing boats following us back to the wharf at twilight

Small stone in the Murray River pioneer cemetery

Our view, on a particularly rosy-hued evening

The site of my friend's sister's wedding ceremony

Our view, a few minutes before getting in the car & leaving it. :(