Heidi Sees

William

2009-04-12T18:26:00.001-04:00

Beautiful Day For A Concert

2008-08-02T18:30:00.000-04:00

It's very sunny today, so we finally retreated to the shade around 4 30. Terry's talking about going up to the stage for Broken Social Scene, but I'm going to hold down the fort here under the trees. I'll go up for Wilco.

Lollapalooza, Finally!

2008-08-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

I woke up at 4am in Richmond, and finally entered the festival in Chicago around 6pm. Terry has been here since Wednesday. No matter, I'm here now. Let the weekend begin!

Waiting for Skordy

2008-05-02T23:35:00.001-04:00

When I joined the Rock Babes tour group on the Guitar Hero site, Skordy was the first person to befriend me. We added each other as friends on our wiis, but she's always been offline when I was playing. But tonight she was online so I tried to create a match with her so we can play together. But I've never done this before so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. I'm just hanging out waiting but I don't even know if she gets a notification right in her game or if I was supposed to set up a meeting time in advance or what.

JW Marriott Cancun

2008-04-22T08:33:00.000-04:00

Terry and I stayed at the Marriott when we were in Cancun for Sungard's 100% Club. I can recommend it. The room was spacious, well-decorated, with a large and spotless bath. There were a few pools, and the beach. All were well-stocked with chairs, towels, and umbrellas. The food wasn't great, and the Margaritas were pre-mixed, but room service was prompt and reasonably priced. We had a nice time.

Vacuum-Packed Luggage

2008-04-22T08:22:00.001-04:00

I impressed even myself when I was able to pack for 5 days at the beach (including formalwear and a cocktail dress) and 3 days at a ski resort in just one carry-on bag. I did it by compressing my snowboarding outfit in a luggage ziplock bag. It doesn't require a vacuum, just stuff it with bulky clothes, partially seal the top, then press out all the air and finish sealing the bag. I do this by putting the bag on the floor and kneeling on it to use my legs to get it as flat as possible while sealing it up. It doesn't help to reduce the weight of clothes, of course, so it's a relatively heavy thin package. And it doesn't help particularly much with already-thin clothes. But I almost always use it in winter with sweaters, ski jackets, etc. I got mine at LLBean and have been using the same bags for years, although there are other brands available in stores.

Lang vs. Calto

2008-03-29T00:47:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I'm having this text. But Terry took me home tonite hours after Calto was falling asleep on the couch. I turned on the TV when I got home and saw KD Lang. She's looking far too much like Joe.

Standing on the Dock of the Bay

2008-03-28T17:38:00.001-04:00

Well, perhaps a bit of overstatement in the title. But this is a picture of me standing atop my homemade pier. You can see through the branches that I am standing over the water, yet keeping dry.

Building My Pier

2008-03-28T17:31:00.001-04:00

This photo was taken back on 3/13, I'm catching up on posts while I'm on the bus. I started building a pier last year during the drought when the water was too low to launch my raft from the shore. It's completely rudimentary, but I gets the job done. I just place downed tree limbs out into the water until I can walk out over the mud.

Ikea Food

2008-03-28T02:19:00.001-04:00

I took a break from shopping for lunch, and was happy that the Ikea was so close. I had intended to it the meatball platter, but saw a picture of salmon with an apple glaze and impetuously ordered that. And I was delighted to find that it looked even better than the photo. This was juxtaposed against my recent memory of the travesty at the Hardees. There I saw a photo of bacon cheese fries that looked so delectable I ordered them. But when they arrived, they look nothing like the photo. I mean, there is no way that photo could have been recreated using the ingredients served to me. What's worse is that they tasted as bad as they looked. I was going to return them uneaten and exchange them for curly fries (which actually were good). But Terry, ever anxious to avoid conflict offered of his curly fries in exchange I let it go. And I, ever eager to enjoy some fries, obliged.

So Bad!

2008-03-28T01:57:00.001-04:00

Terry mistakenly ended our computer-TV watching right when Conan was about to start. I stayed up to watch it on ';the big screen';, aka the wall. It was a rerun, but one I hadn't seen. And it was fine until the band. These losers were so bad. I don't remember their name now; I'd say it was Cemetary Texas if I had to guess, but I don't think that's it. It was some guy wearing a baby-blue cape who pressed buttons to play loops, and the male singer wore sunglasses and long braids. They really seemed like they don't have friends and they're a couple of misfits who will probably in play dungeons and dragons after the show. Poor Conan. He deserves better. The sooner Leno drops out, the better.

Beavers!

2008-03-13T18:00:00.001-04:00

The beavers had gnawed through most of this sycamore when I checked on it go the fall, but the tree was still standing. I see the beavers finished the job. I'm sorry they targeted this otherwise healthy tree, but since I didn't catch the damage in time to save it, I'm glad it's finally down. It was very dangerous when it was mostly gnawed through but hadn't yet fallen. I intentionally didn't check on it over the winter since I was afraid I'd take one wrong step and it would topple and crush me.

This one I'll have to move.

2008-03-13T17:27:00.001-04:00

This tree, while down over a fence that merely separates property and not cattle, nevertheless has squashed a portion of the fence. I'll try to fix it this spring before stuff starts growing up through the downed section and it becomes very hard to right.

What is this?

2008-03-13T17:22:00.001-04:00

This lovely old tree has always had a good half and a bad half. But the bad half seems to me to be looking worse than usual. It might not have deteriorated, I haven't been over here to see the tree since fall so I might be misremembering its condition. Regardless, I'll have the tree guy take a look at it when I next get one out here.

Recently Downed Tree

2008-03-13T17:16:00.000-04:00

On my way to the back field I was surprised to find a large pine down. The trees along this fenceline generally stay up; this is the first one I've seen come down since we moved here. But I'm not going to deal with it right away since if you look closely you can see that it didn't hurt the fence. So as long as the cattle are contained, there's no hurry to clear the tree.

Onetime Flowerbed

2008-03-13T17:11:00.000-04:00

This used to be a flowerbed with a variety of spring bulbs, but as you can see we've let it go. A few crocus and some groundcover are all that's left. But it's just as well since we're redirecting the driveway and it's going to go right over this area.

The Last Purple

2008-03-13T17:06:00.001-04:00

This is the very last purple crocus in the onetime flowerbed.

Last Crocus

2008-03-13T17:04:00.001-04:00

It was a beautiful day so I took a walk around the back acres. On my way I saw these few remaining crocuses. There were many when we first moved in, but I never did anything for them so they've dwindled.

My Business-Terry

2008-02-04T21:59:00.001-05:00

I caught Terry on the way out the door to his conference. Isn't he cute with his lanyard ID?

Driving Shoes

2008-02-04T21:34:00.001-05:00

It was somewhat annoying that Terry insisted we spend our first day in Orlando at the mall, but at least it turned out to be a very good mall. They had a Tod's outlet, which I'd not seen before. Coincidentally, I have been searching for a nice pair of driving shoes since I scuffed a pair of ribbon-trimmed stilettos on my dirty car mat a few years back. As it happens, Tod's is the only company I know of that makes driving shoes, but their pricing reflects this lack of competition. But I lucked out and found an adorable pair of driving shoes in my price range as the outlet! Jealous? Ok, you're probably not jealous if you've never wanted a pair of driving shoes, and it is admittedly low on the pyramid of life's necessities. I'm blogging from my phone so I will save my argument in favor of driving shoes for another time.

AT-Segway

2008-02-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

I had so much fun on the regular Segway, I wanted to try the all-terrain Segway. So I signed both Terry and myself up for the Ft. Wilderness segway tour. We had such fun we spent the rest of the afternoon plotting a business plan for making money selling Segway tours through our farm. We still haven't quite worked that out, but it might be part of the whole hammock camp experience. . .

This, at a Family Resort?

2008-01-30T18:14:00.000-05:00

I don't think the hotel management ever considered how their pretty pink awning would appear from the balconies of all the rooms on that side of the building. . .

The Seg Way

2008-01-29T12:39:00.001-05:00

I took the Around the World Segway tour at Epcot this morning, and had a wonderful time. I couldn't help but grin like a fool the entire time I was zipping around on that thing. It isn't as easy as I thought it would be, but it's certainly not hard. Mostly it's just plain fun.

The Lamb

2008-01-28T19:23:00.000-05:00

A few years back I picked up a really sweet Persian lamb jacket at a vintage shop. I wore it a few times, but it was a little too small to be comfortable and so mostly just sat in my closet. But when my hairdresser told me all about how she used to have a persian lamb jacket that she just loved and missed, I knew my jacket had new hope for an active life since Rhonda is petite and the jacket would fit her. I brought it by the salon before I left for Florida and Rhonda obligingly modeled it for my blog.

6 o'clock Scramble

2008-01-08T20:48:00.001-05:00

Goddess Chicken with sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts-- sounds good, eh? It's the first meal I've tried from the six o'clock Scramble site my sister subscribed me to. I can see how families would think this is great. And it's not bad, don't get me wrong. But I'm ruined since I know how to cook well, so I know exactly what steps were skipped to render this meal's preparation quick, easy and foolproof. And it's those steps that actually make a dish delicious rather than "quick and healthy". Nevertheless, I need to get back into the habit of cooking and I can actually motivate myself to cook these ridiculously simple recipes because I can prepare them in less time than it takes to drive to the Dairy Queen.

The Birthday Boy

2007-12-16T22:06:00.001-05:00

Here's the birthday boy himself with his mother--aren't they both beautiful?

First Birthday Party

2007-12-16T22:02:00.001-05:00

Here's the first of many photos from Elan's first birthday party. The theme was a Neptune under-the-sea sort of thing. I didn't get a shot of the live mermaids sitting on the fountain past the coat check, but they were pretty darn good. This is a shot of the hall where most of the action took place.

Very Flat Rollercoaster

2007-12-16T16:34:00.001-05:00

We took busses and trains out to Brighton Beach for a party this afternoon. We took the Q through Brooklyn, and much of it was above ground. I was riding backwards, and enjoyed the way the view sped by as the train rocked, and how we'd be plunged into darkness without warning as we passed through tunnels. It felt to me like I was on a very flat rollercoaster ride. After having a car up here for so long, the nuisance of the ridiculously long trip (we had seven segments one-way) was offset by the novelty factor. But we are hopeful we'll be able to catch a ride

Halloween Bed Jump

2007-11-01T11:06:00.001-04:00

I forgot to bring my camera to the hotel, so I took my bed jump photo with my phone. It came out all ghostly, which is appropriate since it was Halloween!

Is it Crazy to Live in Hoboken?

2007-10-31T18:05:00.001-04:00

I don't understand this practice. Is it for people who actually like living in Hoboken, but can't really enjoy it because of the fear that if they like living in Hoboken, they are uncool. Or is it for people who hate the fact that they live in Hoboken, but are stuck there for whatever reason and need therapy to get over it and enjoy what Hoboken can offer?

Helluva Vetica

2007-10-31T17:39:00.000-04:00

MoMA has an exhibit celebrating 50 years of Helvetica. Who knew?

Old Teams

2007-10-05T18:05:00.001-04:00

Since we all moved out of our parent's home, we no longer stay in our childhood rooms when we go back. I actually lost my childhood room the day I left for college (I spent the summer after my first year trying to share the room with my eight year old sister, then in the basement).

Entering Through The Rear

2007-10-05T17:59:00.001-04:00

This is only my second flight ever on Jet Blue, and the first flight on any airline where I entered through the rear door.

Cove Lighting! Can You Believe It?

2007-10-05T17:55:00.001-04:00

We're still in the portopotty! The mirror is nicely framed, there's cove lighting, and real sinks with running water. Even a shelf to keep your stuff clean and dry while you wash your hands. Now, have I marked myself as hopelessly provincial because I'm really impressed with the fancy portopotty? Or is this truly a rare find?

The Stalls Have Doors!

2007-10-05T17:44:00.001-04:00

True, all women's stalls have doors, even in gross portopotties. But this one has a doorknob, coathook, and wood panels.

Potty Tiles

2007-10-05T17:39:00.001-04:00

The portopotty has tiled floors! Not vinyl or linoleum, but ceramic tile! And it's so clean, even many hours into the event!

Larger Than Life!

2007-09-26T01:29:00.001-04:00

I haven't been to our NJ apartment since around March, and I forgot how compelling wall-sized HDTV is. I am mesmerized.

Port O Potty Heaven!

2007-09-21T18:08:00.000-04:00

The portopotties in Newport Beach were the best I've ever seen! Now, the ones at the PGA Presidents Cup were also in a nice trailer like this, but wait'll you see the inside!

Huey Lewis!

2007-09-21T18:02:00.001-04:00

When Terry and I heard from one of his coworkers that Huey Lewis was playing the next night at the ';Taste of Newport'; festival, we decided to go. It was a beautiful night and a good show, so we had a good time. Plus we learned what the 'uniform' of Newport looked like.

Antler Faucets

2007-09-21T17:54:00.001-04:00

I guess these faucets are harder to use than they are to look at. While I was at first interested by the angled-up design, my interest turned to irritation when I discovered the angle made them difficult to quickly turn on and off.

Hovering Helicopter

2007-09-21T13:16:00.001-04:00

It's the first time I've noticed a helicopter hovering stationary over my neighborhood, and I don't like it. It's been up there just moving a few yards this way and that, if it moves at all. My first thought causes me considerable unease since I figure there is a dangerous criminal on the loose, possibly along the path I'm walking to the bus stop. And not just a typical dangerous criminal, since at least in my neighborhood they're usually cornered by several cop cars converging, and there will be a bit of commotion and I'll hear the cops talking through their loudspeakers, but it's infrequent and over with pretty quickly. But a criminal worth watching from a helicopter? I don't like it. But my consolation is that I'm posting this from a bus going to Manhattan, and I won't head back home until this evening.

Bus line 105

2007-09-10T18:51:00.001-04:00

LA's public transport system is hardly great, but I've found it about as adequate as Charlottesville's. Which is to say that if you happen to be on one of the few streets served by a bus line and want to go to a spot farther down the same line, them there is regular service and the $1.25 fare is reasonable. I was surprised to be able to watch TV on the #105, but it's probably a good idea since I bet even short distances can take forever when traffic is bad, and tv will distract the passengers from how slow the bus is. Although I personally had no problem, my trip was fast and convenient.

Who is Moomat Ahiko?

2007-09-10T18:36:00.001-04:00

Bike Valet?

2007-09-04T21:15:00.001-04:00

As I was walking a few blocks to a nail salon, I was intrigued by this sign. It never in my life occurred to me that bike valets even existed, much less had a government-approved "bike valet zone."

Outfit Affirmation

2007-09-04T21:08:00.001-04:00

Last night at my parents' house I determined that I had overpacked. I removed about 7 items of clothing to lighten my suitcase, wondering if I removed the right pieces. I felt reassured when I wore my chosen beach outfit this afternoon and as I crossed an intersection a woman driver waiting at the light called out from her open car window, "cute outfit!"

The Vacation Begins

2007-09-04T15:49:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure why my phone can't handle the white balance at the beach, but this is the view of the Pacific from our hotel window. How absurd is it that I am complaining about the image quality of photos taken by my phone? When I was in school, if a test question was, ';In the future, how will cameras be different? '; and someone answered, ';we'll be able to use them to talk to our friends and watch tv!'; I could imagine the teacher saying, ';With your camera? But how could you take pictures outside when your camera is plugged into the phone jack? Wouldn't the camera be too large to carry if there was a tv in it? "

New Hammock

2007-09-01T18:41:00.001-04:00

My arm isn't quite long enough to get both of us in the photo, but here we lounging in the latest addition to Hammock Camp, our new Mayan-style hammock that can expand to hold four people.

Apartment Envy

2007-08-29T12:06:00.001-04:00

This is the view of Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan from Dan and Rebecca's apartment. The building is stunning, the apartment is spacious with historic architectural details. It's city living at its best. I had a fun visit with them both, but my favorite moment was when young Rebecca said, ';since you're at least three years older than me..."

WealthStation Advisory Board

2007-08-27T20:26:00.000-04:00

Lawn Bed

2007-08-15T09:06:00.001-04:00

I've been enjoying the novelty of sleeping outside under the stars. Here's my lawn bed in the morning. I need to leave the sleeping bag and pillow out until the sun dries out the dew.

Fresh as the Morning Dew

2007-08-15T09:02:00.001-04:00

Monday night was the first time I slept outside under the stars, no tent or anything. It was nice so I did it again last night. I put a blanket over my pillow and head mostly to keep from waking up drenched with dew. The top of the sleeping bag is wet but it only seems to soak completely through at the feet. The blanket on my head serves another useful purpose by keeping the sun out of my eyes so I don't wake at dawn.

Margaritaville Pool Party I

2007-08-11T10:51:00.003-04:00

What fun! A group of women from the RFB&D ball committee (myself included) threw a pool party to raise money for our charity. Margaret, our fabulous hostess, kicked up the fun by jumping into the pool fully clothed (since few guests had worn swimsuits she made sure everyone knew it was ok!). Après Margaret, le déluge. The pool was full.

RFB&D Kickoff Meeting

2007-07-24T20:47:00.001-04:00

Effervescent Watermelon

2007-07-17T01:46:00.001-04:00

Get your own at Gizmoz.com

Beer Clothes

2007-07-16T12:27:00.001-04:00

I now reveal one of my little-known eccentricities. I don't like to drink undressed beer. I keep beer clothes both at home and in the car so I'm never far from a cozy. It's not an issue at bars and restaurants since I'm content to drink beer from mugs or glasses and I almost always order draft. And now the reason I reveal my secret--I'm getting tired of my current beer wardrobe. If anyone sees cute or interesting outfits for either bottles or cans, please let me know so I can start building a fall wardrobe for my beverages.

Ariston House GBC

2007-07-16T12:10:00.001-04:00

Kudos to the members of my building's Grounds Beautification Committee! The plants they selected for the front garden look great. I really like that it doesn't look like a typical cookie-cutter commercial gardens you see around most apartment buildings.

Bright and Shiny

2007-07-16T12:01:00.001-04:00

This was my first trip through RIC since they finished renovating the terminal. It's a big improvement; instead of being dark and run-down, it's bright, spacious, and attractive. This actually makes the airport's claims that it's a good choice for business travellers credible. I think I saw a sign that the entire terminal has free wi-fi. Even before all this, I favored RIC since flights are more affordable than other nearby airports.

Still Alive

2007-07-16T11:46:00.001-04:00

As you can see, your baby is safe and happy. . .for now. But you'd better start reading my blog or else.

Rose Garden Before

2007-07-15T20:37:00.001-04:00

This is where I will plant all those perennials I got at the Garden Barn.

I Can't Even Attempt A Caption

2007-07-15T20:26:00.001-04:00

Billy's Solo

2007-07-15T20:24:00.001-04:00

Too bad I didn't catch the audio for this one; Billy serenaded us all with a heartfelt rendition of "Caro Mio Ben" in falsetto.

You'll Never See Your Baby Again

2007-07-15T20:16:00.001-04:00

Read my blog every day or you'll never see your baby again! Bwah ha ha haaa!

Finished Headboard

2007-07-15T20:11:00.001-04:00

I guess I never did get around to posting a photo of my headboard once it was completely finished (see March 31 for last interim entry). Here you can see just a bit of the headboard on either side of the bed. The top is upholstered in red to match the two large cushions, and the wood is painted the same shade of orange as the accent wall in the bathroom. Eventually, I plan to put some lantern-style lamps on the upholstered shelf as reading lights. And the pink and orange backdrop sheers are in a tentative arrangement.

Gil, Gil, Gil

2007-07-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

Another photo from the baby shower after-party. Gil demonstrated his tongue dexterity for us all, apropos of nothing. Isn't he cute?

Dave!

2007-07-14T23:01:00.001-04:00

I'm totally blogging out of order this weekend. But this is Dave, very cool music friend of Billy's. I like Dave. Even though he disdains my affection for Fountains of Wayne.

Heidi of Arabia

2007-07-09T11:29:00.001-04:00

I like to garden, but I really cannot tolerate any sun. So I wear a Solumbra top with a hood, a cap to keep it up, overalls, long socks (since my garden clogs don't cover my ankles), and gloves. Plus I wear sunscreen on my face and neck. I look ridiculous while gardening, but hopefully I will avoid the wrinkled and age-spotted skin sported by Southern women of a certain age indicative of their years outside in the sun.

Picking the Plants

2007-07-08T15:15:00.001-04:00

I saw an ad in The Hook for a garden center I'd never heard of, up in Advance Mills. So I went there after I dropped Terry at the airport. The proprietress was both knowledgeable and helpful. I described the garden where I needed to add plants and she helped me to select and arrange the plants. I hadn't gone with the intention to spend quite so much on plants for this particular flower bed, but she convinced of the benefit of instant gratification. It is already July after all, how long do I want to wait for the plants to fill in? And even though I will be redesigning the garden next year, I can always replant the perennials somewhere else when the time comes. I've been moving my existing perennials all over the place this year already so I'll just do it again in the spring.

Nice Work If You Can Get It

2007-07-07T22:12:00.001-04:00

I'm very happy with my new office. Now that I'm retired from corporate accounting, I'm switching gears and learning more about finance. So even though I prefer non-fiction, I'm not reading "Technical Analysis of Stock Trends" for pleasure. I'm nerdy, but not that nerdy. But reading my chapters and taking notes from the hammock before going inside to research and chart is way better than reading at the office and still better than reading on University grounds, although I may eventually take some advanced classes once I've learned the basics.

Into The Woods

2007-07-07T19:15:00.001-04:00

Since I really haven't been here for a summer in several years, I only recently wanted some outside seating options. The screened porch used to be enough for me, but now I want someplace that's really outside. The front porch gets full sun from mid-afternoon through 8pm and it's not only hot but also blinding. My search for a more suitable place led me to the woods, and this is my path.

Loafing Business Cats

2007-06-23T15:57:00.001-04:00

I couldn't resist picking up some necktie collars for the cats. I've been enjoying the novelty of having three little business-cats around the house. It's as if they're in solidarity with my husband, who must now wear suits regularly for his job.

Favorite Shoes #1

2007-06-23T15:16:00.001-04:00

I've got a lot of favorite shoes, so I'm going to start blogging them. I've had this pair for awhile, but have only recently put them into more regular use. They're hard to match since on the one hand they're studded leather and very casual, but on the other hand they're brightly colored and intricately detailed, and it's difficult to match them without looking busy. But in March I found the perfect dress for them! It's a chocolate brown knit dress, plain except for some shiny brown stones across the empire waist.

Washington Heights

2007-06-23T15:01:00.001-04:00

I met Julie and her boyfriend Mario for brunch at the Plum Pomidor today. It was my very first visit to Washington Heights, which was surprisingly easy to get to. It only took me 20 minutes by car, which is as long as it takes me to drive to the office downtown. We were at Broadway & 168 and the neighborhood reminded me of Cate's old neighborhood in Washington, DC.

All Together Now

2007-06-22T22:55:00.000-04:00

Heidi, Dave, Randi-Jean at the end of the evening.

Randi-Jean & Me

2007-06-22T21:39:00.000-04:00

Heidi & Randi-Jean at her apt

So Many Gowns, . .

2007-06-22T17:39:00.000-04:00

My favorite dress shop is going out of business, so I had to stop in on their last day. Two gowns fit me perfectly, but even with calling the owner, the lowest she'd accept was $900 for either dress. They were each made with antique fabric and truly one of a kind, but I just don't spend that much for a dress on principle. But they were beautiful.

I Love NY!

2007-06-19T20:41:00.001-04:00

I really forget how good NYC is while I'm away. After two and a half months in Virginia, the sheer natural beauty, peacefulness, and friendliness started to bore me. Isn't that awful? But that's what happened, so I popped the cats in the car and took off to spend the rest of the month up here. Today was my first day in the city. Ahh.

OK It Got Better

2007-06-11T23:01:00.001-04:00

I took this photo at the end of the evening as the last of us were headed out. It was soon after the cash was distributed for the evening, when I won $10! With five games,I was tied with three others for the category "Most Games Won", but we rolled for it and I lucked out and rolled a six! This was the best bunko ever for me! It's too bad I'm only a sub, I'd play every month if I could.

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

2007-06-11T23:00:00.001-04:00

First I get bunko and wear the tiara, but then I win my way up to the high table and get to ring the bell! I actually consider ringing the bell to be the best part of the game by far. It's inexplicable, very much like I looked forward to "COPY" stamp day when I worked at AMVEST.

BUNKO!

2007-06-11T21:04:00.001-04:00

I haven't played bunko since 2005, and I got a bunko! The reward is that I got to wear the tiara almost the rest of the evening (until Amy got bunko on the last game). Yay!

Aunt Jemima Cox

2007-06-01T22:23:00.001-04:00

And the night is still young! It seems like we made the right decision to run all over town until we tracked down our favorite bartender, Ted. Go Ted! Without Ted's help, I think we wouldn't have seen Andy knot his dinner napkin into a do-rag and wear it on his head.

Feet to Andy

2007-06-01T22:15:00.001-04:00

The only reason that Andy is listening to Katherine's shoes is. . well, I'm not sure. Nor could I really figure out why, prior to sitting at the table, he was walking around with her shoes in his pants pockets. But I can't be bothered to ponder antics like this, overanalysis distracts from the pure amusement value of the act.

Poolside Scene

2007-05-19T14:00:00.001-04:00

I don't think this phonecam snapshot does the least bit of justice to our setting, but you've got the idea.

Hangin' by the Pool

2007-05-19T13:53:00.001-04:00

Terry and I are thoroughly enjoying our time at the pool of the R-C beach resort while on vacation in Naples, FL.

And All That Jazz

2007-05-12T20:36:00.000-04:00

Farewell to young Dan and Rebecca, who are moving to Chicago. Dan once left us for Madison, WI, but that was different. This time he sold all his homes (personal residence and rentals) and cars. So tonight we joined a group of their friends to send them off and wish them well.

Last Night in Montreal

2007-05-10T14:17:00.000-04:00

It wasn't everyone's last night in Montreal, just for Frank (above) and Russ (on left, shown with our host Mathieu, on right). But that was a good enough reason for me to encourage the group to stay out for another round of drinks.

Coke Explosion!

2007-05-02T13:16:00.000-04:00

I moved the beverages in my refrigerator to the top shelf, since things up there get half-frozen. Better to have ice-cold beer and soda than slushy milk. Until the day I came good to find sticky brown goo splattered all over the walls, ceiling, and shelves of my refrigerator. I have heard that soda cans would explode in the freezer, so I never put them in there. For the curious, the top of the frozen can (only 1 of 12 blew up) is actually not part of the can itself, although it looks that way. I know this since I found it on the other side of the fridge, and from the clean edges on both can and lid it was easy to see the top was forced straight up and off. The mess was particularly disenheartening since I just took all the shelves and drawers out for a deep cleaning a few days before.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

2007-04-29T14:24:00.000-04:00

I witnessed a UVA awareness event while having brunch at The Nook. A bunch of male athletes, along with some women, walked the mall in heels and passed out flyers for SARA (sexual assault resource agency). At first I thought this "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" was supposed to be an empathy-building exercise for the young men statistically likely to sexually assault women. And I thought it was doing a grave disservice to the community; these guys prancing around and joking weren't going to have the least bit of understanding until they were wearing heels while trying to escape from someone larger and stronger than themselves who was threatening (or had already started) to harm them. However, once I caught a glimpse of the flyer I saw it was just to promote the resource. At which point I thought it was a cute gimmick, but perhaps the patrons casually dining in outdoor cafes weren't the citizens who would most urgently benefit from knowing about the free help available to victims.

Henry's Dirty Pickle

2007-04-25T20:34:00.000-04:00

This martini is a house speciality at Escafe, and I highly recommend it if you like gin and pickles.

Coffee Explosion

2007-04-10T17:45:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy my new Aeropress coffeemaker, but I was pushing the limits (exceeding, actually) of my coffeemaking abilities. I read on some forum that one could capture some of the coffee oils and thus body by inverting the first seconds of the press. But rather than a few drips which I presumed to be the penalty for an inexperienced press, I got a full, painfully hot coffee explosion. Lesson learned--I am too like Icarus.

Bed Built!

2007-03-30T18:09:00.001-04:00

Almost there... after another 12 hrs of labor, construction is complete. Now all that remains is to finish the piece--prime a few more areas, add more wallpaper to the shelves, paint the outside wood areas, and upholster the top. That's all.

Bed-Building Day

2007-03-27T16:59:00.001-04:00

I like to lean against the large cushions while in bed, but they take up 10 inches of the bed's length so my toes are unpleasanty close to the end of the mattress when I sleep. So I came up with the obvious solution to put the cushions on a 10 inch shelf behind the bed. But then I realized I could simultaneously solve the problem of no nightstands by extending the shelf and adding lower shelves on each side. Yesterday I designed the unit and purchased the materials. I even fit all the 8 foot boards in the car myself. Today I build. This is what I've accomplished in 4 hours.

Bathmat Cats

2007-03-25T03:28:00.000-04:00

It's cute when Rambo and Merlin are buddies.

Mint Personal Finance Software

2007-03-24T21:01:00.000-04:00

I haven't tried this software, since it's not yet available. But since I want to try the beta I am dutifully putting this link to their website on my blog.

But Did They Set It Up Themselves?

2007-03-19T11:19:00.001-04:00

I just read that some presidential candidates set up profiles on My Space. I am flabbergasted since I recently tried this myself. It hadn't occurred to me earlier to set up a page since, well, why would I need that? Apparently I need that to get one of my friend's email addresses off the site, so I filled out the questionnaire and have a space. But I've got to tell you, I don't get it. I actually found a product I want to beta test that required a link on My Space to qualify. Great! But heck if I could figure out how to add a link! I finally got the link to show up, but I don't think I did it right. So I don't know how I feel about politicians getting into this since I can't imagine they have any idea about how it all works and it's just their staff typing it all in. I swear, it's easier to make a page using RoR than My Space.

Fancy Target!

2007-03-12T15:42:00.000-04:00

I got directions to the Target in Irvine, CA but had a heck of a time finding the place. There as a shopping mall with department stores, so I was looking for a nearby lot that would have the Target, pharmacy, video rental type of stores. No such luck. I eventually found the Target behind this fancy facade. But inside was just a plain old regular Target.

Above the Park

2007-03-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

This photo doesn't do the garden justice. I'm dining at the 8th floor cafe at Saks and have a bird's eye view of the skating rink at Rock Center, and above that, two rooftop gardens. They're lovely
formal affairs, but I find it interesting that the occasional garden visitors don't seem to be nearly as fashionable as the lunchtime crowd in here. Yet I doubt any of the garden strollers wish they
were here instead, primarily since I doubt they even know this cafe exists, let alone that we can watch them like ants under glass.

Sleeping On the Ceiling

2007-03-02T10:54:00.000-05:00

We have been eagerly awaiting delivery of the new mattress we purchased back in December. I knew what headboard I wanted, just where the bed would be positioned, what I would hang on the wall above the bed. But now I have to rethink everything! This bed is so high I must hop up into it, and I'm not short! It's a good thing we have 9' ceilings! For scale I took this photo showing the nightstand we used with our old bed; it's top was even with the top of the mattress. Clearly, I need to find an alternate solution.

Food Poisoning-Shmoisoning

2007-02-22T17:47:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday night I got sick from eating food for the first time in 11 years! I could hardly believe what was happening to me! I vomited, had a fever, ached all over, couldn't eat, didn't have the
strength to get out of bed. Unpleasant and wholly unexpected. I'm out of pain now but still exhausted, although I did manage to take a shower. Stepping on the scale I expected the small consolation of temporarily having lost weight. Alas! Am I the first person ever to emerge from food poisoning and GAIN weight? Now that's adding insult to injury.

Sheik Chandelier

2007-02-09T00:59:00.000-05:00

With considerable difficulty, I installed this chandelier in our bedroom. Terry and I imagined what the inside of an arab prince's tent looks like (based on little more than our imaginations ) and agreed that I would decorate the bedroom with that in mind. Now that I don't have to work in the office anymore, I've started to fix up the apartment. This fixture is the first item I've selected for the bedroom.

Just Like In The Movies

2007-01-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

Whew! When we arrived at Richmond airport at 4pm, our 5pm flight was cancelled. Since the worst of the storm had not yet reached town and the next flight wasn't until 7:30 we decided not to hang around since that would probably be cancelled too. So we set out to drive. At 5:45 we weren't even to Fredericksburg due to poor road conditions, but Terry got the idea to abandon the drive in DC and take the train. I called from the car and reserved two seats on the 8pm Acela. We thought we could go 40 miles in two hours no problem. Then problem! We still weren't at the station at 7:30 but we were close. I was in heels so we made a plan that Terry would grab our bag and run to pick up the tickets and I would go right to the platform. I arrived as the train was boarding, and saw Terry running the length of the station to catch up. We jumped in, found a seat and sat down breathless. Then the train pulled out of the station. Just like in the movies.