Find A Happy Place

So my happy Friday was followed by emotional Saturday. The week was overall challenging but Friday night was a bright spot. Apparently the universe was just taking a breather before continuing to make sure my week would not end on the happiest of notes. It all ended up turning out ok but I was certainly glad to see a new week. Ensuring that this would happen, I did make sure to visit my favorite cupcake place in NYC. Though I refrained from buying a full dozen (it was not easy) they did look so pretty in the box.

And if one more man in my life states that "men are simple" immediately following a display of confusing and complex behavior that makes astrophysics look simple, I do reserve the right to rip off his arm and beat him with it :-)

Happy Friday

It was indeed a very happy Friday both for being the end of a rather complicated week and a good day all on it's own. Too many late nights and being swamped at work made coming home tonight an evening I walked through the door utterly exhausted. Add to that an impromptu trip that I am heading out for early in the morning and it was a good night to stay in and get things accomplished. So what did I do? Of course I went salsa dancing!

It starts late enough that I could get home and get things done quickly. It was so much fun, as it always is. It's impossible not to smile when salsa dancing and there was plenty of that to see. As fun as it is to dance, it's nice to catch your breath and watch everyone on the dance floor. There were some amazing dancers and they are delightful to watch. The very cold night air felt good to walk out into. So while I was lucky enough to wake up with a smile, I am double lucky to be heading to bed with one!

What a Difference a Few Days Make

Last week was a very busy one with all kinds of stuff going on. Of course, we had a 50 degree day on Friday. It was really windy but such a touch of Spring. Then today, a foot of snow. Apparently Mother Nature needed to remind us it is still winter. And honestly I am happy for the snow so I can get some cross country skiing in this weekend.

It was nice to have a snow day today. It wasn't really a snow day but I did get to work from home. It took quite a while to shovel my car out. It may have been light and fluffy snow but dammit there was a lot of it! The photo is the view from my skylight, before it was completely obscured.

The Case of the $4 Donut

Tonight was a lovely dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Blue Ginger. This week was busy, crazy and non stop. It was nice to have a busy day at work, head home, change and head to dinner. He got there a bit before I did and made it without getting lost like he had feared.

It was wonderful to sit down, chat and have a drink. I love the ginger lime gimlet they make but boy do they go down far too easily. The appetizers were the tuna poke and mussels in lime leaf and green papaya. I had the butterfish (an aptly named fish if there ever was one). He had the scallops. All was wonderful. I was up for dessert and he was not. The warm, spiced, kabocha donuts caught my attention. He was not as impressed as I was but they were wonderful. He, being ever practical, noted that I was eating $4 donuts. As I pointed out to him, the pleasure of my company was worth feeding me the $4 donuts. He agreed :-) He also rightly guessed that I really was thinking about licking the plate. For the record I did not.

It was a fun dinner and so very good. I feel bad for people who eat out with me as I love food and make it very clear I am enjoying myself if I am eating something scrumptious. I can't help it. Food makes me happy :-)

Ready, Set, Date!

So this week's adventure was a speed dating event with the girls. I've done speed dating once before and figured why not. If anything, I can make conversation with just about anyone for 10 minutes. And I did. I also gained a new appreciation for just how very long 10 minutes can be. Most of the men were perfectly fine, no one I was really interested in, but there were a few that just were conversationally challenged. One man decided he had questions for me me. That was fine. What was not fine was that he asked me his questions all at once. I couldn't get a word in edgewise or answer any of them. So I just let him talk.

The highlight of the evening, beside spending time with the girls, were the nachos. They were so very good (I was also very hungry so that may have had something to do with it.) It turned into a very late evening for a Tuesday night. The rest of this week is equally busy with work and social butterfly activities.

Postal Confusion

So I moved a little over a year ago. The three family house I live in converted to a two family. It wasn't a huge move (other than having to move all of my belongings up one flight of stairs) and it involved a minor address change (essentially one letter to another). No problem.

Flash forward to today when I realize the post office has been returning my mail to sender. Why? Well my forwarding order has expired. Fair enough. The asinine part is that they slapped a yellow forwarding sticker with my new address on an envelope that had my address EXACTLY the same as the one on the yellow sticker. So the post office was trying to forward mail with my current address to my current address. Hmm. Well obviously that isn't going to work. And it does explain why I have yet to get my replacement corporate credit card. The post office keeps sending it back.

For explanation the woman at the post office I called today said that our local street listing had me still listed at my old address. I filed a change of address at the post office. Why would you then take a locally published guide as rule of where I live? She also suggested it would have been less confusing if I had just moved to a whole other address. Apparently.

So tomorrow I have to do battle at the PO and try to get them to stop returning my mail to sender. I am sure it will be just as delightful as I imagine it.

Staring at Venus

It was a lovely weekend full of lots of fun things. I did see that Venus was visible above the moon late last week but driving home from NH on Saturday night, it was well below the crescent moon and brightly shining. I love looking at the stars in a clear night sky.


The girls headed north for some cross country skiing. It was on the cold side but one thing you are guaranteed with this activity is getting really, really warm very quickly. It was fun and good to get out and play outside. I did feel a bit bad when I got tired as my friend had run a 5K prior to skiing. Then I remembered she is a superhero and I was ok. The funny thing was we ended up running into another friend completely at random. Neither of us knew the other would be there. And for us to meet up at just the right time and on the same trail was indeed a pretty amazing coincidence!

Today the highlight was not the Superbowl but puppy breath from the roly-poly, warm and very sleepy new puppy of my Aunt and Uncle. I was the lucky recipient of many little puppy kisses :-) and fell immediately in love with the little guy. There is nothing like puppy breath!

Ice Cream and Salsa

There is nothing I love more than dancing. Add ice cream at one my favorite places in Cambridge and I had quite a fun evening.

It was a very last minute invitation to head out to Friday night salsa in Central Square. It didn't start until later so we met up and had some ice cream first. Cardamom for him and burnt caramel for me. Both were so very good.

Then it was time to salsa and work it off. I always forget how sweaty dancing can make you. It's a fun workout on a very cold night. And the best part is how everyone there had big smiles on their faces from the sheer fun of dancing.

We danced for a bit then called it a night. It was actually good to head into the cold night air and cool down a bit. I knew I'd be working a bit over the weekend so it was nice to take a break and kick off the weekend with fun.

Yes, We Can

This has indeed been quite a day! I can't remember this positive feeling of community, coming together and history - certainly not around a recent presidential inauguration. I have had this smile on my face all day watching the events. And I can tell my friends are feeling the same way from the excited emails I've gotten all day. It's amazing to me that this country that was so divided, has pulled together and elected someone that, in our not so distant collective past, would have had to sit at the back of a bus or been banned from using the white only water fountain. The whole day was amazing and watching him take the oath of office made me tear up.

So hopefully, things will get better. This country is in bad shape with the recession, unemployment, and the uninsured. But for today the feeling of hope is too strong to wipe the smile off my face. And what else? Our new president is a fellow left handed person :-)

Snow Bunnies, Sex Kittens and Social Butterflies

It's absolutely freezing here with a lovely Arctic blast. It was funny to me to have been in Tahoe for work this week and enjoying relatively balmy temps in the 40's. I did laugh after all the hype about how great the skiing is out West as compared to New England. Sure, it's great if they actually get snow. With temps in the 40's and the sun shining it was very icy on the slopes. But I was fine as it felt like home to me. I did manage to get a few bruises from spilling while boarding but they are fading now.

I was traveling for the next round of trainings in our database relaunch at work. This was a fun group of salespeople and the training was a good one with lots of questions and comments. Given all the chaos leading up to me getting on the plane, it was an exhausting trip. Add to that the head cold that just keeps lingering and I was very happy to come home, in spite of the frigid temperatures. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. I did find myself feeling a bit unsettled when I got home. I had this nagging feeling that something was bothering me but I could not quite put my finger on it. I guess now it was just me being so very overtired that was putting me out of sorts. I am using this weekend to catch up on my sleep and find I am back to my usual self :-)

So with the training out of the way and the next ones yet to be scheduled, a few good meals and some sleep, I am able to get back to my social butterfly ways.

Happy New Year!

This New Year's Eve seemed to kind of sneak up on me with having to work and battling a nasty cold. The year ended with a crash (of a broken glass) and came in with a squeak. Yes, I lost my voice. It happens when I have a cold and I think working yesterday and chatting a bit last night just did me in. I have talked to a few people today and they all agreed that I sound awful. Which is funny because I feel ok. So for anyone I did not call to wish a Happy New Year to, be grateful that I spared you from the squeak! I will be vocal again tomorrow (hopefully) as I have plans to head to my favorite tapas restaurant for dinner. And it still beats the New Year's Day I woke up with Scarlet Fever.

Happy New Year! Here's wishing everyone a fabulous 2009.

Feed A Cold

I am a firm believer in the above so that is what I did today. When sick, you need soup. So I made some chicken soup with the sinus clearing properties of a very hot jalapeno and some chipotles. It's lip tingling good and just what I needed for a long day of work. And it has been a nice change from the endless cups of tea and honey my sore throat has demanded.

I was not thrilled to be working during a holiday weekend but it needed to be done. The three girls needed today (of which I am one) were all up and in contact early this morning waiting on the other person to do his part. Of course, some confusion (his not ours) occurred and we started the process 3 hours later than planned. It was a bit annoying and add to that a VPN problem and it looked like I would be working all afternoon and night. Thankfully with my iPod firmly attached, everything got done and I got to gorge myself on some new music I got this week. The first was a gift from a friend and the second was a gift to myself from Amazon. I have enjoyed exploring both.

Work is done for today but I have to get up very early tomorrow to complete some database processes. I am hoping that I can take a bit of a breather Tuesday and finally decide on my New Year's Eve plans.

So This is Christmas

I am still having a bit of a hard time believing that today is Christmas. This year has certainly flown by. This week at work was so busy I didn't have time to wrap the presents until late last night. As a very organized person, this drove me a bit nuts to be so delayed. But it was unavoidable due to the project that will be occupying my Sunday. With a full belly and warm heart from spending a great Christmas Eve and Christmas with people I love, I am not thinking about work tonight.

For my family like many others, Christmas is all about the food (well actually, any holiday is all about the food for us.) This year, my brother did a killer job on the best pork roast with fig sauce. The pork was so juicy and tender. It makes me want to drool thinking about it. And the potatoes. Mmmm. Cheesy and so very good. Add to that baked manicotti, roasted vegetable soup and antipasto. I have basically been eating non-stop since 2pm yesterday when I participated in about three of the seven fishes of the Christmas Eve feast of my downstairs neighbors. The food was great, along with the champagne. I was the lucky recipient of plenty of leftovers from our dinner now taking up space in my fridge. Of course, just when I think I am not hungry I am eating something else.

Of course the other part of this holiday is the gift giving. Everyone seemed very happy with their presents and I am with mine. It was fun watching my very hung over brother trying to wrestle with the complexities of tape and wrapping paper. I am so in love with my new Sorel boots I will admit to having worn them around the house for about 30 minutes. It's important to make sure they fit :-)

So with that, the butter cookies are calling my name. Merry Christmas!

Holiday Spirit

So if the events of the last few days have not gotten me in the holiday spirit, nothing will at this point. I was lucky enough to finally see the Aimee Mann Holiday Variety show with my friend. Yes, I know Aimee Mann is not necessarily the first person you think of for an cheery, upbeat Christmas song but it was a fun show. And she played some of her non-Christmas songs so it was all good. What was not good was the torrential downpours that were occurring. It was crazy to drive home through these giant puddles.

I did realize that my town got some ice but did not realize how bad it was just a few miles north of me. People are still without power today from all the ice and damage. When I left for NY on Saturday morning, I saw a line of utility and power trucks heading into MA from CT and there had to be about 20 of them all coming to help restore power.


I arrived into Grand Central, and much like last year was besieged by Santas. If getting dressed up as Santa, slutty Santa, or a pimp Snowman, singing bawdy Christmas Carols, and drinking at 10 am are your idea of fun then SantaCon is for you! Think of a Santa Pub crawl and you've got the idea. All fun, except when you get stuck on the 6 train with about 20 of them pretty well sauced up and singing at the top of their lungs.

It was freezing in the city but this time I did remember to bring my hat with me. It was so great to be back and I had a lot I wanted to do. I was unable to catch up with most of my friends but was actually happy to have a weekend in the city with no set plans.

The tree was lovely and had the usual crowd around it. Fortunately the things I had to do were in much less congested parts of the city. I am still puzzled though by how people can stop dead in the center of a crosswalk like a deer in headlights. I know there are a lot of people, cars and shiny objects but gawk from the sidewalk, not in the road!! I did give out a bunch of directions, which I don't mind. I like helping people along.

The food was good and I did manage to get my cupcake on Sunday. Full of sugar, I decided to head back home a bit earlier than normal. The next few weeks are going to be extremely busy at work and I preferred to drive back in the daylight.

Cinnamon and Evergreen

With the first snowfall this weekend (only a little but there were flakes so it counted) it was the perfect day to get my tree decorated. I always forget that I manage to get covered in sap whenever I deal with a Christmas tree. A little peanut butter on my hands and a wash got me unstuck. It's a cute tree and it makes my house smell like Christmas. The cinnamon came via a great Yankee candle. All in all my home has been chock full of holiday scent today.

It was also a good day to bid adieu to a delusion man. We were on entirely different levels (I am in reality, he was in the 80's, 50's, or an elevator in '91) and with the incident of calling me the wrong name I was happy to set him straight and on his way :-)

This week is going to be a very busy one with work and my impending NYC trip next weekend so it was nice to have a day to relax and get some decorating done.

Banged up and Bruised

Well it's been quite the week and weekend. I managed to sneak out of work a bit early Friday and spend some time with the ladies of my family prior to my Uncle's birthday party. It was fun, spontaneous and silly. All things I needed after a busy and stressful work week. And spending time with the ladies provided a nice dose of feminine energy after a bit of a testosterone soaked week.

The rest of my weekend was pretty good. Other members of my family have not quite fared as well. My grandmother had to go to the emergency room due to a sore hip. My Dad tripped over the pool robot (it was wintering in the garage). My uncle got hurt by a ladder at a fire (he's a firefighter and he's ok). My brother threw his back out and can only stand. My mother, well, she takes the cake.

While getting out of the car at the grocery store and looking very cute, by her telling, she got her heel caught in her purse and took a dive into the parking lot (fashion can sometimes be painful). She ended up with a chunk missing out of her chin, covered in blood and with two very bruised knees. She did not break her glasses, which was good. She's going to be really sore tomorrow.

Add to that my aunt completely wiping out my Mom's air freshener (the kind with the sticks and oil) and creating a lavender scented oil slick in the front hallway and it was quite the weekend.

Weekend Update

So this weekend started with a nice dinner on Friday night. You can never go wrong with a steak wrapped in bacon and crusted with blue cheese. Mmmmm, blue cheese. The rest of the evening was interesting but left me feeling a bit out of sorts and like a cat that's been petted the wrong way. Saturday early morning yoga and a venting phone call with my girl in Portland helped me put things in perspective, which I sorely needed. The evening was catching up with the girls helped along with wine and pizza from Upper Crust at a charity wine tasting. It was held in Crate and Barrel, which was really fun. The wines were great, expect for the one Argentinian red that made us all sad and unhappy.

Also making me unhappy was the man who did not understand the difference between being polite and being interested. I was being polite as he was a friend of a friend. I figured he'd take the hint when I just turned and headed to the bar to get some more wine. Nope, he waited about 2 minutes and followed me. Then proving to be a master of the painfully obvious uttered "I followed you". No kidding.

Today was spent sitting at the kitchen table vistin with my Grandmother and being fed by my Mom. A good day all around!

I Voted!

Today was finally the day to vote. At least for me, as I know friends in other states got their ballots by mail already. I personally love going to the elementary school gymnasium where I cast my ballot. The sweet old ladies who check my address and the dapper elderly gent who hands me my ballot are the same people I see every time I go.

Voting in my town means connecting two brackets with a Sharpie marker drawn line. It’s not so much civic duty as art and crafts time! If I manage to walk out of the booth with no black marker all over my hands it’s a victory. This is no easy task for a lefty who smudges ball point pen when writing.

This time it really seemed important to get out and vote. Even though I am not in a swing state, I feel that after these last 8 years of having my personal rights stamped on by an administration that forgot all about the people of this country while engaged in their own selfish self-interests, I needed my vote counted.

So tonight, I am trying to avoid the pundits and their ceaseless conjecture about who is winning before the results are in. I am gorging myself on the visually beautiful Mad Men as I work through the pile from Netflix on my coffee table. And when I am done, I hope we have a new president!

Ninety Nine

It has been quite a year for grief in my life see here and here.

Sadly I am now also mourning the matriarch of my Mom's side of the family. My great Aunt was a truly amazing lady and didn't seem to be 99 years old. She was spared the other ailments of growing old and managed to a fiercely independent life. She was a teacher and when she retired she became a volunteer for the Elder Service Corps. She did this until she was 90. It cracks me up to think she was volunteering for the elderly - when she was in her 80s!

My mother's parents passed away when I was very young, so I did not really know them. My great Aunt was my link to that side of the family. While I occasionally scratch my head at how I fit in with my Dad's side of the family, spending time with my Aunt made crystal clear where my love of books, cream of wheat, intellectual conversation and shoes came from. We also shared a good bit of moxie and a disdain for the willfully ignorant. She once said of a cousin's boyfriend that he was "really nice to look at but didn't have a lot going on upstairs." She was right.

I will miss the wonderful notes that would find their way to my mailbox wishing me well and getting me thinking of our next Sunday tea. My Mom and I would go and spend a few hours having great conversation, laughs, tea and lunch. My Mom, who doesn't really have a sweet tooth, did like my Aunt's oatmeal cookies even if she didn't get the hang of dunking them in her tea! I was not really fond of the orange jello mold (my issues with jello go way back) but ate it so as not to offend.

So my dear Auntie, thank you for everything. We certainly have a void in our lives but are all the better for having you in ours.

Portland

While my travels to the Midwest were fun, the highlight of my August on airplanes was heading to Portland, OR to see my very dear friend. It's where she landed after leaving Cambridge this spring and I've missed her dearly. So I was nearly beside myself to get out there. Of course, the entire northeast corridor airspace was really busy the Friday night I left so I got in two hours late. My seat mates were a lovely hippie Mom and her little blond two year old. Normally I would not be thrilled to sit next to a toddler for a cross country flight, but she was a doll and fell asleep soon into the flight. As we were getting into Portland I could hear this little voice calling my name. She was up and wanted to tell me about her book. I could not wait to get off the plane and see my friend. The suspense was just killing me and it seemed to take a billion years to get my luggage.

Portland was a blast! It was slightly odd because while her place is totally different than her Cambridge place, it felt really familiar seeing all her stuff. We had the best time laughing, chatting, giggling, losing wallets, drinking coffee, drinking beer, buying earrings and hiking. I had one of the best meals in Portland. The rabbit was out of this world. It also was the evening of the most lame attempt at a pick up. The man at the table diagonal to us smoothly came over as we got our cauliflower appetizer to tell it was really good. Not two seconds later he blows it by saying "what is that" and pointing at the appetizer he just told us was really good. Smooth.