A Crazy Week

Well, I sent off nearly 30 pages to my adviser on Sunday.  Then today I realized that a page and a half-- what I thought was a brilliant new insight-- was actually a totally erroneous reading because I hadn't done my history legwork and had relied on someone else's notes.  It's okay, I noticed it before my adviser could point it out to me, I revised it, and I sent him the revised edition, but boy, do I feel foolish.  We all make mistakes, I guess.  Luckily, this doesn't affect the overall thesis. 

The craziness of this week doesn't come from a faulty reading, however.  In the past week or so I've had a snow day, a trip to New Mexico, a six and a half hour delay at the Denver airport, and my fifth anniversary with Zan.  The snow day was kind of fun-- I didn't have to go into work.  We had some friends in town so we went to a late breakfast at a roadside diner style restaurant.  Kind of a relaxing day (if any day is relaxing when I'm so far into thesis mode).

New Mexico was beautiful and sad.  We're putting my grandma into hospice care.  They found a cancerous mass in her abdomen.  She's 82, very weak, and her kidneys aren't functioning well.  The doctors said they didn't know if she had a few weeks, months, or a year, but they recommended hospice.  It seems like it might be months-- if that.  My mom and I booked a flight to see her immediately.  I thought of waiting until Spring Break in mid-March, but I'm glad I didn't.  She's rapidly declining and I didn't want to wait until too late. We had a good visit, though.  We did some fun things: got to see my aunt's new frozen custard/fudge/popcorn shop (it's all SO tasty!), had a few nice dinners out with my aunt, uncle, and cousins.  Mostly, though, my mom and I tried to spend as much time as possible with my grandma.  We watched a Peanuts special together, talked as much as didn't weary out my grandma, and my aunt brought us all Chinese carry-out for lunch.  After my grandma had gone to bed, my mom and I went to our hotel bar and got margaritas and sat outside by a fire, looking out over the mountains.  For, in spite of it all, these were hard days.  It's not easy watching someone you love... you know.  I'm sure I could write more eloquently if I tried.

But the American West is really something.  You feel so small, but not in an insignificant way-- it's like, a kind of gratefulness washes over you.  I kept thinking, "I get to live on this Earth.  What a magnificent place."  It was warm while we were there, too.  The second day, while my mom and aunt had a long meeting with hospice, I sat outside in the sun and worked on my thesis.  I felt so able, somehow.  I wrote around 12 pages in two and a half days.  At night I could see the stars so clearly, and I just kept thinking of a line in the poem I'm writing about, "This dead of midnight is the noon of thought/ And wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars."

...and then getting home we got stuck in Denver.  Not because of snow, but because of a mechanical issue.  I appreciate that we can't fly with a mechanical problem, but wow.  We didn't get home until 3:00 AM-- when we were scheduled to arrive just before dinner.  Still, I got a lot of writing done in the airport, and we had some really tasty Wolfgang Puck Pizza Express.  Seriously, the guy cooking the pizzas was an artist.  Good food really improves any experience.

And on Monday, Zan and I celebrated FIVE WHOLE YEARS together!  Since he had work until 9:30 we couldn't do anything super special, but we ate lunch at Ray's (we get burgers each year on our anniversary) and then for dinner had some homemade soup and exchanged gifts.  Simple pleasures.  So happy to have spent five years together.  What a five years it's been!   

New Mexico

Just returned home from a trip to New Mexico, where I visited my aunt and her family, and I got to see my grandma.  I hadn't seen her since 2012, when she was in the hospital with a broken hip.  This was a much nicer visit.  We went through old family albums, had lunch at Red Lobster (my grandma loves getting their margaritas), marveled over my cousin's oil painting skills, and took in the beautiful landscapes of New Mexico.  It was a short trip, and the time difference really got me this time for some reason, so I spent the days rather sleepy, but glad to see everyone.

Ocho de Mayo Celebration

After turning in my last paper of the semester on Thursday afternoon, I was exhausted.  So exhausted, in fact, that I took a selfie to document the moment.
 

I ended up not looking as bad in the selfie as I felt thought I would, but suffice to say that I hadn't showered in two days, I was mentally exhausted, and I had just listened to two different parody versions of the Game of Thrones theme song.  I also posted this on Facebook:

This more accurately reflects how I was feeling inside.  This semester has felt like one long walk to Mordor, each week more difficult.  Getting that sinus infection/tooth infection halfway through really contributed to the challenge.  But, I did it.  Despite really, truly, feeling at times that this would be the first semester that I did not turn everything in on time, I did it.  Still waiting on those grades, I guess, to prove if I really did it or not, but I faced the challenge head-on and prevailed.

Which called for a celebration.  On actual Cinco de Mayo, the extent of my celebration was this:

That, my friends, is a Bold Rock Cider in an old cactus glass which I drank with a decidedly non-Mexican-themed dinner (pasta and salad), before getting back to work on papers.  So after finishing everything up, my cousin and I went out to really celebrate.  Here's my Ocho de Mayo drink:

Ah, yes, much better.  After my goblet of margarita (which is actually what that beautiful thing above was called on the menu), we headed to a wine bar for a glass of exquisite Sirrah and a log of baked goat cheese and preserves.  What a great celebration!

Happy summer, everyone!!!!

Two Down, One To Go

As of this morning, I have finished two of my final papers/projects, and I am gearing up to throw myself wholeheartedly into the third.  I plan to finish by Thursday night, at the latest.

Last Thursday night, Zan's uncle was in town, so Zan's dad got us all Indian food and we had a feast in our apartment.  Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of it, but we had a wonderful evening.  I also got packages of new clothing that I had ordered that day, and I'm super excited about a floral dropwaist dress and dainty Oxford shoes that arrived.  I used opening the package as my motivation to complete the introduction to my project.

On Friday, my mom and I got crepes at a little crepe-stand, then ate our crepes as we walked across the bridge into Georgetown.  I showed my mom around campus (but I forgot to show her the courtyard, so next time I'll need to remedy that), and we walked around the streets of Georgetown swooning over the adorable townhouses.  We stopped at Pizza Paradiso on M Street for their carbonated lemonade and bruschetta.  That evening, my parents, Zan and I went to see Eddie Izzard!  We had an excellent dinner together beforehand, then spent an evening in stitches over his routine.  After the show, Zan headed off to participate in a 48-hour film festival, and I stayed up until the very wee hours working on my project for Approaches to teaching literature.

On Saturday, I woke up early (around 7:00 AM) and worked on my pedagogical framework until about noon.  Then, I met my friend Shea for lunch.  I again forgot to take pictures, but we had a great time catching up over all the big news in her life!  After lunch, I returned home and continued to work on my pedagogical framework for a few more hours, then watched "Frasier" and ate an artichoke with garlic butter.  Yum!!!  Late that night, my friend Alicia arrived!

Yesterday morning, I again woke early and began to write up my literature review portion of the final.  Around 10:30, Alicia and I headed out for a few hours.  I got a caramel frappiccino and lemon poundcake, and we made our way across the bridge, again to walk around the winding streets of Georgetown, and I picked up a book from the library.  After a couple of hours, we grabbed a quick lunch, and then she headed off for her ten-hour drive up the coast!

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing up my literature review, then put on a few episodes of "Frasier" while I made dinner (cornbread, blue-cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates, some pre-made Trader Joe's beef brisket, seasoned cauliflower, yum!). Zan arrived home, triumphant in the 48-hour film fest (that is, they made the film and turned it in on time).  We ate dinner, then I finished up the bibliography of additional resources during Game of Thrones.

The best part?  My study buddy.

Four Years, Cat Video

Yesterday Zan and I celebrated four years together!  We had lunch at Rays to the Third (for our now traditional hamburgers), visited Trader Joe's, and enjoyed walking out in the warm sunshine.  I snuck in a nice afternoon nap, and we finished up the evening with risotto and Robin Hood.  Nothing fancy, but a nice way to commemorate four whole years of being together!

Zan also took the time to make this silly/wonderful video of our cats-- primarily Felix-- as Navi, from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  Has anyone else played that game?  Were you consistently frustrated by Navi constantly yelling out "Hey!" and commanding you to "Look!"?  If so, you'll like this video.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go ahead and watch it anyway, because you get to see two very cute cats.  And that's always worth it.

Many Things vs. Nothing

I think I have a problem; I think many of my friends and colleagues share this problem.  See if you can spot the problem in the story below.

On Wednesday, I woke up a bit late-- it was my first day after classes, after all!-- took a shower, and made tea.  We had no milk, so I MacGyver-ed a dollop of whipped cream into "milk" for my Earl Grey, and realized that I needed to hit up the grocery store.  While drinking my morning tea, I talked to my best friend online; we haven't had a chance to talk in awhile, so it was nice to catch up.  While we talked, I half-watched a couple of episodes of Phineas and Ferb, one of my favorite shows that I haven't watched in ages.  Then, I decided to make the trek to the big galleria nearby to go Christmas shopping for my niece.  I spent a little too long picking out things for my niece, then I found a few items in the store that I wanted, too, and indulged a little.  But not too very much, since this was a Christmas shopping trip for others.  After I left the shop, I put on my blinders as I walked through the rest of the mall, and was very good and didn't even look at any clothing or shoes or anything.  On my way home, I stopped at Trader Joe's for necessary foodstuffs-- like milk, butter, salad supplies.  Hooray for having food in the house again!  Then, I watched Brave, ate soup, drank more tea (now with milk in it, instead of whipped cream).  After Brave ended, I put away my clean laundry and organized my room-- it desperately needed it.  Around 7:45, I began to make revisions to my classroom sequence for my Approaches to Teaching Writing class, and a little after 8:30 I left to get a celebratory "end-of-classes" drink with two girls from Georgetown.  As all three of us gathered 'round our delectable skillet cornbread and apple fritters, I said with feeling, "I've done nothing today."  My friend replied, "Oh goodness, I know.  Me either!"

Do you see the problem? It's in the "nothing."  Shortly after saying it, I realized, that my "nothing" referred only to academic work.  I didn't write any papers or do any reading.  I spent only forty-five minutes doing anything academic at all.

But I had a lovely day.  I felt so relaxed and happy, doing many, many things.  I think it is this trick of language, this "nothing," that so often makes me feel my life is worthless.  I need to think of another word to signify that I did not write papers or read for class.  Academics are important, but they are not everything.  Taking a day off to recharge after a semester of intense classes does not mean my life consists of "nothing." Because if spending a day talking to friends, Christmas shopping for family, watching a good film, running necessary errands, and having a late dinner with people I care about is "nothing," how can I expect to have a fulfilling life?

Thankful for Books, Cats, and Christmas Trees

I haven't yet written about Thanksgiving day or my weekend at home yet, but it was lovely, so I don't want to forget it.  It sounds quite simple: I went home for a the long weekend.  I spent time with my beautiful cats (and my parents, of course).  We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and I took advantage of online sales to get most of my Christmas shopping done.  We ate delicious food, including two kinds of pie.  After dinner, we went for a walk down DoG Street; the air was cool and crisp and perfectly autumnal.

Over the weekend, my mom and I visited a rare bookstore, and I found quite a few goodies-- including a facsimile of the First Folio (Shakespeare)!!!  Merry Christmas to me!  I also got a lovely edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass from the 1940s-- hardcover and fully illustrated for just twelve dollars (!), a first edition of a book of poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay for eight dollars (!) and Princess Mary's Gift Book-- a book put together for Princess Mary during WWI (around 1918) with all proceeds going to the Queen's "Work for Women" fund (on sale for three dollars!).  It has in it a specially written Scarlet Pimpernel story by Baroness Orczy!  Oh I love bookstores full of old and interesting books!!!  Perhaps I should take this as a sign that I should get into the rare book business.  Such joy in books and bookstores!

After spending the afternoon in the bookshop, my mom and I finished decorating our Christmas tree.  We had started that morning with my dad before he returned north for work-- we hung our traditional first ornaments-- then that night, we put in Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, popped popcorn, made hot chocolate, and finished decorating.  Decorating the tree just after Thanksgiving-- usually within a day or two-- is one of my favorite ways to usher in the Christmas season.  This year, we even put out this little Hallmark ornament set we got when I was very little called The Bearingtons of Victoria Circle.  Everything looks so festive and bright.  I just love Christmas time.

But as much as I loved the Thanksgiving food, the Christmas decorating, formatting The Tempest script for performance, and those gorgeous hours in a rare bookshop, my favorite moment of the weekend came Friday night.  All was still and quiet; a kind of drowsy, contented quietness.  I sat with my both of my kitties on my lap, the only light coming from the glow of the Christmas candles in the window, the only sounds the soft purrs and snores of Rhett and Felix.  Happiness.

Missouri Wedding

This past weekend Zan and I attended a wedding in my hometown.  Since I moved in high school, I haven't revisited Jefferson City very often, so it was exciting to get to go and to take Zan.  For two whole days I felt completely relaxed, delving back into memories of childhood, sharing part of my past with Zan, and enjoying the charm of Missouri in October.

But this was no ordinary trip; this was a Very Special Occasion-- my childhood best friend was getting married!  I've known Maggie since we were in daycare at the Little Learner's Lodge.  We quoted the Care Bears together as toddlers, and though we went to different elementary schools, we continued our friendship thanks to some wonderful parents who drove us across town for play dates.  We played dress-up and dolls well into middle school, and growing up we spent every birthday and Halloween together.  We went to Disney World together, and Cardinals games, and The City Museum in St. Louis.  In high school, finally (!) we attended the same school and got to see each other every single day.  We went to homecoming together.  We were in The Wizard of Oz together, on the Speech and Debate team together, and we both worked on the freshman play-- Maggie choreographed and performed a beautiful solo dance.  We wrote to each other every day while I was at French camp and the first Christmas after I moved away Maggie came to visit.

And on Saturday I watched her walk down the aisle.  The weather was perfect: just the most beautiful October day Missouri has ever produced.  Sunny and cool, and all the leaves changing colors.  I've never cried at a wedding before, but when I saw Maggie in her wedding dress-- looking just like Belle, so absolutely gorgeous and radiant-- I suddenly couldn't help it.  I've known Maggie so long that I literally do not remember life before I knew her, and there she was, getting married.  I felt overwhelmed with love for her, and happiness for her, and a kind of sadness, too-- like Jo March or Anne Shirley, as Meg or Diana got married.  Everything changes, and while this is a joyous change, it does mean that we'll never be two little girls together again hosting the M&M talk show in my living room.  But that night at the reception I got to watch her dance a sweet, loving first dance with her new husband and a funny, lively dance with her father, and then later I danced with her and she led me in a swing-style dance and we laughed about our Dancer's Alley training, and she's still Maggie and I could not be more thrilled for her, or more grateful that I got to share a dance with her on her wedding day.

A Real Weekend

I have weekends again now that I'm working, although starting next week they will be on Tuesday and Wednesday instead of on Saturday and Sunday.  But this weekend I had a real weekend-- a break from work, at the proper time and everything.  Predictably, I spent it with Zan.

I drove to the mountains Friday evening, arrived at his home in time for dinner, and we had an Indian take-away feast that his dad had picked up: perfect, after making my curried rabbit that I could only taste, but not eat.  We had chicken tikka masala with naan, a lamb curry, paneer and peas, samosas, and poppadums.  We sat out on the porch in the perfect evening air-- warm, with a hint of a breeze, so no mosquitos or gnats or flies.  We talked about tennis, and the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra's son, and when someone thought Lydia was the kidnapped Patty Hurst and her cat went mysteriously missing.  We looked at the sheered sheep in the fields and the blue water of the pool that will feel so good later this summer.  The next day Zan and I headed to town to see Love's Labours Lost at the ASC.  We sat on the stage, and since we knew several of the cast members we got singled out quite a bit for attention during the show.  I kissed one actor on the cheek and another gave a bit of love to Zan.  Alas, no surprise ending (no surprise), thus Jack had not his Jill.  Ah, well.  It was a very good play.  We had dinner again on the porch, and afterwards watched Doctor Who and now we're all caught up just in time to hear that Matt Smith is leaving the role.  Late last night, after we had gone to sleep, Lys and Zach arrived, so today we got to see them, and spent the morning with mugs of tea and coffee, chatting away about life and their upcoming wedding.  Then, home again, home again, to go to work tomorrow and, hopefully, to receive my costumes.  I'm itching for my shifts and jumps; they'll be much nicer and cooler to work in than my modern clothes with my too-large Historic Trades polo.

Now the challenge is to coordinate weekends with Zan so that we might take fun trips and see plays and go on winery tours and do summer things despite both having full-time jobs and different weekend days.

Down at the Mardi Gras: Part Two

We arrived back in Lafayette from New Orleans at a little before one in the morning.  As you might imagine, we were exhausted.  After Friday night at the ball, an early morning to get to New Orleans, and a late night back, sleeping late on Sunday morning was a necessity.  Still, we didn't sleep that late because we wanted to try The French Press, a restaurant in downtown Lafayette.  And I'm so glad we did!  The restaurant featured in a Southern Living article, and it lived up to the hype!

For breakfast, we all split a "Sweet Baby Breesus" appetizer-- a boudin ball on a muffin with cane syrup-- and praline bacon, which is as decadent as it sounds.  I got the Cajun Benedict for my meal: two poached eggs on French bread topped with chicken and andouille gumbo and rice.  Kay got amazing French toast covered with blueberries.  We split cheddar grits and each got a fruit bowl, which thankfully had no melon, but several pieces of kiwi!

After breakfast, my parents friends came to pick us up and we went to Morgan City, a small town south of Lafayette, for another Mardi Gras parade.  This was much calmer than New Orleans.  The Krewe of Galatea rolled, with a groovy '70s theme.  Such a relaxing afternoon parade, really felt "down home."  It reminded me of the homecoming parades at my high school in Missouri, with the whole town coming out to see the homemade floats.

That evening we had a buffet dinner at Randol's, where Cajun music played in an attached dance hall.  Kay learned the Cajun two-step, but I refrained from dancing (I'm terrible at it).  And, we tried crawfish!  I love love love it!  It tastes like tiny lobster tail bites.  We didn't peel them ourselves, as one of the members of our party (who lived in Lafayette) loved peeling them and really went at it.  I felt grateful not to have to pop the heads off myself, but I'd do it if it was the only way.

Monday was low-key.  Kay, my mom, and I had breakfast at a diner called T-Coons, where we had beignets!  Then we spent the morning in a coffee shop, just relaxing.  The past few days had really taken it out of us.  We checked Facebook and blogs, read, chatted.  We had lunch at Blue Dog Cafe (duck quesadillas!) , then napped in the afternoon.  In the evening we were to meet everyone for a night parade in Lafayette, but neither Kay nor I was feeling too alert (and it was very rainy and cold), so we opted not to join.  Instead, we walked up the street to Agave for fajitas and chorizo queso.  We even caught a few parade floats, as the route took them right past the restaurant.  A lot of people had gotten tables, ran out to see the parade, then came back in to eat.  Smart.

Then Tuesday!  Mardi Gras itself!  We were disappointed to find The French Press closed for Mardi Gras, and as we checked out other restaurants we came to realize that Mardi Gras is treated like Christmas Day in Louisiana.  Everything closed.  We grabbed breakfast at McDonald's, then met everyone on the parade route for the parade of the Krewe of Gabriel.  So much fun!  My parents friends set up a tailgate, essentially, on the route.  We had fried chicken and jambalaya, King Cake, chicken wraps, boudin, soda, beer!  The floats in the parade were beautiful.  Our friends knew many of the riders, so they got some very cool throws.

After the parade, we headed back to Baton Rouge for the evening.  We dropped my dad at the airport, then Kay, my mom, and I checked out Beausoleil again (closed for Mardi Gras) so got coffee at a La Madeleine, then headed to an eatery called The Chimes.  So. Good.  I'm almost glad Beausoleil was closed.  I had Mahi-Mahi Florentine with crawfish tails on top, red beans and rice, we split an appetizer of hushpuppies, and I had a cider with framboise.  Amazing.  Then we got white chocolate bread pudding with praline sauce to go, and ate it for breakfast the next morning before our flight.

Overall, I loved the Mardi Gras experience and would go back again, but perhaps for a shorter amount of time.  I had no idea it would be so tiring!  After Sunday I was wiped.  But, I really do feel like I experienced it all (except, of course, the chicken-chasing).  I think it would be fun to go back again for some more New Orleans parades, too, and of course, some Cafe du Monde beignets.

Pictures to come soon in a dedicated picture post, as soon as I get them!

Down at the Mardi Gras: Part One

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

I've been MIA on this blog for a little over a week because I've been in Louisiana for Mardi Gras with my parents and Kay!  As of yet, I'm low on pictures-- but they are coming, never you fear.  Essentially, my Mardi Gras experience was a bit more than a weekend of Cajun cooking, fried chicken, beignets, King Cake, a krewe ball, parades, purple/green/gold everything, throws of every make, but mostly beads beads beads.  I had no idea how many beads or how many different types of beads.  We ranged from Baton Rouge, to Lafayette, to New Orleans, to Morgan City.  We got a taste of every kind of Mardi Gras, except the really rural chicken-chasing kind.  But we heard about that kind.

We went to Mardi Gras because some friends of my parents live in Lafayette and have wanted us to come for years, so we had a very specialized experience.  The trip opened with an amazing meal at Beausoleil in Baton Rouge.  I had chicken and andouille gumbo, sea scallops on a bed of chorizo risotto, and we finished off with a white chocolate bread pudding and praline ice cream.  The next day we found ourselves in Lafayette at a fancy dress store, where I let my mom and Kay talk me into buying a beautiful one strap, blue-green sequined formal dress.  It will be perfect for Vegas.  The salesman was a friend of girl I knew in high school, so when we walked in he gave us "virgin mimosas": they were out of orange juice, so just the champagne ;). 

That night we went to the Krewe of Xanadu Ball at the Cajundome.  I really shouldn't even try to explain this one without pictures.  Suffice to say, it was beyond my dreams with the costumes, the dancing, the presentation of the Krewe Royal Court, etc.  There will be pictures.

Then off to New Orleans, for a day of parades!  We had a prime viewing spot at the Federal Reserve building, with clean bathrooms, secure parking, and bleachers to sit on if we wished.  The first parade to roll by was the Krewe of Iris, which my high school friend (mentioned above) rode in.  I saw her and called her name, and she tossed us her "good throws"-- that is, beads that were much nicer than the typical Mardi Gras bead.  We discovered that it works this way at most parades: since the riders buy their own throws, they throw the normal stuff for most of the parade, but if they see someone they know-- or someone especially enthusiastic-- they will throw their "good throws", whether prettier beads, stuffed animals, cups-- my mom even got a parasol!  After Iris we saw Krewe of Tucks, much more of a wild, "everyman" parade.  I got a throw that looks like a real necklace, and my dad got me some beads with rubber duckies on them!

Then we walked onto Bourbon Street.  Then quickly walked off Bourbon Street and back to the relative calm and security of the Federal Reserve Building.  We learned later that several hours after we left, four people were shot on Bourbon Street.  Luckily not fatally, but still.

That night, the Krewe of Endymion Parade rolled.  Endymion is a super krewe, and their floats showed it.  They were debuting their new float, Pontchartain Beach, comprised of nine segments that took up a whole city block and a half.  The float had 220 riders, all throwing things at the crowd below.  Thus, the bead catching then became a defensive sport.  I got hit in the eye, Kay has a bruise on her forehead, and my mom has a bump at her hairline.  After awhile, I retreated farther from the street in an effort to keep from becoming concussed.  But just wait for the pictures!

After Endymion, it was back across the Afatchalya Swamp to Layafette, where three more days of Mardi Gras awaited us!  Tune in to "Down at the Mardi Gras: Part Two" to hear the rest!

Here in New Mexico...

After suddenly having no more classes to take or teach, I quickly got tickets to visit my grandma in New Mexico.  She knew my mom was coming to visit, but not me, so we were going to surprise her.  Unfortunately, a few days before I flew out she fell and broke her hip, has been in the hospital for the past week, and had to have a hip surgery the day I arrived.  We decided to let her know before I arrived that I was coming, so she wouldn't think she was hallucinating on the pain meds.

Good news: right now she's doing fine, medically.  Obviously, her hip doesn't feel great.  They also found a bit of pneumonia in her left lung, but they've given her antibiotics and it seems to be clearing.

Bad news: she's confused a lot.  They did a CT scan to rule out a new stroke (she's had one in the past), so it's probably just pain meds and being in a new place, but she said she saw my grandpa yesterday (who died in May 2011) and she was worried because she didn't have an apple for the teacher.  It's really, really hard to be around her when she says things like that.  I know it's harder for my mom than for me.  Plus, just in general, hospitals suck.  People in and out all the time, constantly feeling in the way, etc.

But other things have been fun!  My aunt and her family live in the area, too, so we've gotten to go out for some Southwestern cuisine with them, and last night I gave my family my lecture on Shakespeare-- using my slides and everything!-- because my cousin said she loved Romeo and Juliet.  I also got her the 1996 version of the film (who can resist Leo?).  Tonight I think we're going to make popcorn and watch The Avengers together.

So those are the ups and downs of New Mexico, and tomorrow it's back to Seattle to start hardcore prepping for this move and writing applications.

*Photo by me, taken on a 2010 visit to New Mexico

Birthday Weekend Concluded

So, you may be wondering what happened after I got off the train in DC after a magical weekend in New York City.  Never fear, I shall tell you!

My dad was at the train station to collect us, and home we went for just a little while.  Clouds were starting to roll in and fearing rain, we drove to Screwtop for my birthday dinner.  Screwtop is a wonderful little wine bar in Arlington.  We got baked goat cheese with plum chutney, carnitas tacos, and bison sliders.  I also got a Hofbrau original beer (so, not wine, but whatever).  Such a great birthday dinner with my parents.  And after dinner?  Back down to Williamsburg with my mom for a brief 24 hours.  My mom needed to get the generator up and running (fun!), to take care of cat-related things, and I had dates to see both my friend Kristi and my undergrad/masters adviser, Professor Whittenburg!

Seeing Kristi was lovely-- her daughter Natali has grown up so much!  Almost two years old!  We chatted away without having missed a beat, and she had two very cute pairs of Mickey Mouse earrings for me for my birthday.  So wonderful.  And seeing Professor Whittenburg was similarly fantastic.  We had lunch at The Cheese Shop, talked about my academic career, fun goings on in the history department at W&M, NIAHD, and everything!  I didn't get to see Dr. Mrs., unfortunately, but he said she was doing well.  I love the Drs. Whittenburg.

Then, basically, we headed back to DC.  We stopped at a Popeye's Chicken on the way home (love me some red beans and rice), arrived in DC, got a card in the mail from my friend Maggie, and Season Two of Sherlock from my mother, and then packed for my early flight the next morning.

All of which is to say... I'm in London!  Stay tuned for the continuing adventures!

And it feels like I've never been gone...

Last week I spent a few days in Florida-- Captiva Island, to be specific.

I got off the plane and was instantly enveloped in warm, muggy air.  I haven't been so happy in ages.  Everyone says the best part of Seattle is no humidity on the few nice days we have.  While that's great and all, I grew up in the Midwest and the South.  I am no stranger to humidity.  Being able to wear a tank-top after dark, walking around comfortably in flip-flops from morning 'til night-- that's summer.

And does it get any better than days spent sitting on the beach, reading a good book and listening to the waves breaking on the seashells and sand?  Gathering beautiful shells and seeing living sand-dollars in the shallow water just off shore?  Spotting dolphins out in the Gulf?  Listening to thunderstorms after dark?  Enjoying the feel of air conditioning after a hot day in the sun?  Going for Bubble Bread and Smarvelous She-Crab Soup at the Bubble Room-- not to mention the orange crunch cake, rum runner, and Key Lime Colada?  Getting lobster tail, crabcakes, and fried clam strips at the Mucky Duck?  Watching the sunset on the ocean, with a margarita in hand?

Nope.  Nothing better.  That right there is my version of heaven.  Bring me that horizon.

Sun and Sand(erling)

When I downloaded my pictures this evening, my Adobe Photoshop informed me that I had 494 new items. That means that at the beach Zan and I (and a little bit of Lys and Justin, too) took FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR pictures on my camera alone.

That's a lot of pictures. Zan took most of them on our last day at the beach. They are largely made up of pictures of me running in the waves and looking dubiously at the camera, in addition to all of the ones he took of flying seagulls. Plus all of the mini-golf photos. Boy, do I love mini-golf.

All in all, a relaxing and much-needed beach week. I feel a little bruised by this summer, and my heart still hurts from all of the loss. I don't imagine that that will go away soon. But with a sunset over the sound at the Spaniards house, hours spent laying on the beach with a good book and new friends, 'family' dinners with all thirteen of us gathered around the table, and falling asleep at night with the sound of the ocean in my ears, I felt my world-view beginning to switch back to my usual optimism and positivity about life.




(Photo by me, if you wish to reproduce this picture, please do so with a credit and a link)