Moving, Moving, Moving

In a scenario eerily reminiscent of last August, we interrupt your regularly scheduled vacation recap & present . . . "Stacey is moving again!" That's right, kids, I'm about to embark on my thirteenth move in seven years. Admittedly, many of my moves between 2000 and '04 were into & out of dorm rooms and therefore did not necessitate address changes, extensive cleaning, or excessive furniture moving.

However, as I start to move into my fourth apartment since college, I'm hoping this one will stick a little longer. Assuming all goes well, I'll be in this place for both years of my graduate program. I haven't lived in one place for two straight years since I grew up in my parents' home!

Anyway, the new place is awfully cute & today was my first day of residency. Sort of. I'm doing what I did last year & overlapping two weeks between the new & old apartments. And because I'm still working full-time in the Boston area, I'm making my move to Portsmouth gradually over the next few weekends. I bring the first load up this Friday after work & will be completely in by the 31st.

In the meantime, want to see pictures? I know you do! ;)

Stairs to my room & office (you can imagine how much
I'm looking forward to getting furniture up those stairs!)

My room (all furniture has been removed by
my housemate in preparation for my arrival)

Two-windowed wall

My favorite part! See the fireplace? :) It's not currently working, as the chimney is being repaired. However, I've got my fingers crossed & it's a lovely detail in the meantime. The bed shown is no longer there & I'm contemplating putting my Adirondack chair & an occasional table there instead.

Not shown is my office/study, which is one room away, through the laundry room. You guys - I have a study/office! I've always wanted one. Now, I just have to decide which to call it. ;)

So that's my new place! It was built in 1736 for a Portsmouth sea captain on one of the Isles of Shoals & moved to its present site in the 1770's. It's about a five minute walk from the house to downtown Portsmouth (including my part-time job) & there's a shuttle bus to campus one street over. Plus, I'm paying $300 less than I pay in Boston - for the same amount of room & the same amenities. :)

Creepy Encounter in Concord Center

I'm a pretty careful person, you guys. If I'm walking alone at night, especially in Cambridge or Boston, I make damn sure to scan the surrounding area, walk purposefully, and actively think about what I could use as a weapon if the need arose (keys, high heels, purse, hot coffee, etc.).

However, sometimes creepy situations come out of nowhere. The other night, I was accidentally way too early for a lesson with a student: I got our meeting time mixed up & realized I was there an hour early! No biggie, I thought, I'm near Concord center & I can grab a coffee at the coffee shop where I used to work.

That, of course, took all of five minutes & I was left with lots of time to kill. So I started wandering up Thoreau St. from the coffee shop, heading towards Concord center. My dream is to one day live in a big, old, more-expensive-than-I-can-afford-now house within walking distance of the commuter rail station there & take the train every day to a great job in fun, hip Cambridge. A girl can dream, right? ;)

As I walked past the commuter rail station (opposite side of the street), I saw a guy sitting on the low wall. He was probably in his early 40's, short, and greasy-haired. He was wearing a nylon track suit & looked kind of scruffy. Hmm, I thought, he's a shady character.

However, I tried not to be judgmental & was quickly absorbed by the sight of the cute little houses along my walk. I meandered along - checking out front yards & porches and daydreaming. At the end of the street, I turned right onto a wide road & headed towards the gift shops about a hundred yards further down. It was a typical Concord road: well-marked crosswalks, neat gravel sidewalk, and large, well-tended lawns leading up to beautiful homes.

All of a sudden, I got a weird feeling. I glanced back & the creepy guy had left his perch by the station & was about twenty yards behind me. I turned around quickly & hastened my step. I tightened my grip on my purse & coffee cup and thought to myself, "I will throw this hot coffee right in his eyes, don't think I won't. And then I will run. Very fast. I wasn't a track star for nothing, you know!"

After another quick look backwards, during which I determined that he was still there & maybe even a little closer (I wasn't completely sure - I was a little freaked out by this point), I decided to cut my trip short. At the next crosswalk, I crossed the road & started walking back to where I'd parked via the opposite side of the road. Just when I thought I'd been acting silly & started to breathe a sigh of relief, I heard him yell, "Nice round trip, huh, gorgeous?"

After I finished cringing, a glance back determined that he had crossed the road behind me, but mercifully, after tossing that comment at my retreating back, headed in the opposite direction. Shudder. It's times like these that remind me how vulnerable women are sometimes & how very angry that makes me. However, once I knew that I was safe, I thought, "I am so blogging about this."

(Also, Jason, I blame you b/c it's your town.)

Yet Again, I Lied

You guys need to stop trusting me. My sister sent me some of her pictures, so I'm breaking my promise & posting some more PEI pictures. Forgive me? ;)

Me on the Maggie Jane
(courtesy of my friend Chad's wife Adina)

Thing 1 & his uncle Andrew at Peake's Quay

My bro-in-law, his brother & my dad jumping
off the pier at Basin Head Beach

The little guy looks like Lawrence of Arabia (with modern shades!)

Thing 1 trying on his Grammy's glasses

He sleeps with his bum in the air & here's proof!

Me enjoying a cigar & a beer with my dad & bro-in-law

Thing 1 & auntie leaving Beach Point wharf on the Lady Shelby

Thing 1 pointing at a mackarel his daddy (or uncle, not sure which) caught

Steering the boat!

Fishing boats out by the bell buoy, just before a squall

Vacation Recap

Unlike last year, my vacation this year was calmer and more all-in-one-place. No weddings, no extensive travel within the Maritimes, and no exhaustion from said travel. Just nine straight days at my summer cottage, spending time with my family & visiting with friends & extended family.

Also unlike last year, I didn't return with tons of photos & won't be boring you with numerous "vacation recap" posts. Just the one, unless I think of something wildly entertaining that happened which deserves its own post. And my mere twenty-five pictures are here.

Things on the Island that I don't miss:

• 1 bathroom - for six people! 
• Limited access to Red Sox news 
• Being single among my Canadian friends & their wives/girlfriends 
• The American dollar being nearly the same value as the Canadian (thanks, Dubya!) 
• Sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground 
• The uneven sunburn that I get on the first day @ the beach - every year
• Did I mention 1 bathroom for six people? ;) 

Things on the Island that I miss very much:

• Arriving @ the cottage at 11:30am on the first day & being on the beach, beer in hand, two hours later
• Canadian beer 
• Opening the tent flap in the morning to the lovely view (see above) 
• A whole eight days with my sweet little nephew 
• Bonfires down by the lighthouse 
• Entire days that passed without my putting on shoes 
• Or showering
• Or taking off my bathing suit ;)
• Zooming around the Harbour in Murray's twin-engine jet boat 
• Being with my Canadian friends (despite feeling like a little like a 5th wheel) 
• Spending time with my family w/o having to schedule it :)

Oops

Hi peeps. So I got home from work around 9pm, made supper, checked my email, caught up on what felt like a thousand blogs, and suddenly realized it was nearly midnight & holy-crap-I'm-tired-and-am-working-late-again-tomorrow-night-therefore-must-go-to-bed-immediately.

So no big, fancy, thoughtful vacation post tonight. However, I give you my apologies & a cute picture of my nephew running around in the yard at the cottage. Will post something more substantial either tomorrow night or Wednesday night, promise.

Home Safely!

Hi all. I'm home from Canada safely (though not happily). ;)

Will post more tomorrow night after work!