November 2, 2007
Milwaukee's Best
Last Friday Flounder and I winged it out to Wisconsin to visit jords for the weekend. What a lovely time we had! The weather was crisp and clear, the company was terrific and our accommodations were top notch. Jords hosted us at her new (ish) home and she has really made her mark on the place. With the help of the 'rents, she has painted and redecorated every room, including the very spacious and luxurious guest room. If it sounds like I am describing an amazing hotel room -- good! That's how it felt! We even had out own bathroom. But on to the company...it was really great to see jords especially since the last time we had a chance to see one another was at a funeral. We knew we wanted to do something Fall-y and probably pumpkin related. Jords provided with a haunted corn maze. Unlike the mazes that Flounder and I have visited in the past, this one isn't a "maze" in the strictest sense. It was a very long path through a corn field, dotted with horrible scenes aliens, spiders, scary clowns, monsters of all types, a haunted pirate ship and much more. The whole thing was enhanced with sound effects (pirate chanting, monsters moaning, clowns laughing), and if we were traveling the maze at night we would have also encountered lighting effects and actors. All I can say is that I am glad we were not there at night!
Later that day we enjoyed the pleasures of Wisconsin cheese and watched a heart warming (and wrenching) documentary called Paperclips. It's about the students in a tiny Tennessee town and their drive to understand the scope of killing during the holocaust. The middles choolers start collecting paperclips, one each to represent those Jews killed in the holocaust, 6 million and end up doing much more. Grab a box of tissues first, but please ad this film to your Netflixs queue! We also got to spend some time with Lanie, Jords splendid cat who is as lovely as they come and so very silent. I knew Josie (our cat) is a chatter box but Lanie barely made a peep.
Finally I have to give a huge thumbs up to Midwest Airline! Every seat they sell is first class, the planes seat less than on hundred people, so deplaning was a breeze and the flight staff was honestly delightful. Is it possible for a flight to be a pleasure? That might be going a bit far, but I do give this airline my full endorsement.
Now that I am back on the ground this week I am back to fretting over just about everything! Will I get my paper done, and will it be any good? When will we get the Christmas cards out? Shop? Prepare for Thanksgiving? Now that I settled into going to school is it time to pickup the pace? Declare a major or set a career path? These are among the issues swirling around in my head. At least I am not actively freaking out this week the way I was last week. This week I am merely overwhelmed.
Quote of the Day:
What we have inherited from our fathers and mothers is not all that 'walks in us.' There are all sorts of dead ideas and lifeless old beliefs. They have no tangibility, but they haunt us all the same and we can not get rid of them. Whenever I take up a newspaper I seem to see Ghosts gliding between the lines. Ghosts must be all over the country, as thick as the sands of the sea.
-Henrik Ibsen, Ghosts
July 19, 2007
Country Road, Green Pastures
Last Friday we got the sad news that Flounder's Paw Paw passed away. I never had the chance to meet Flounder's maternal patriarch, but I did speak to him a few times on the phone. By the time I entered the picture he was already settled into his Nineties. Paw Paw passed in the best possible circumstances in my opinion, he was 97, not in pain and surrounded by his family.
Flounder and I got on the road Saturday morning for the 10 hour drive it would take to deliver us to Louisville, Kentucky where Paw Paw was laid to rest. The whole clan was gathered together to honor the patriarch's life and draw support from one another. I was actually surprised how up-beat much of the family managed to remain. This was my first chance to meet several of the cousins, aunts and uncles of Flounder and I would certainly say that the viewing and funeral were more a celebration of Paw Paw's life then a ceremony of last rites -- at least in my experience. He has lived a good, long life and most felt it was sad to lose him, but good to see him at rest. I was sad to miss the opportunity to really know the man, but the stories I heard about his life shed new light on the family history for me. I guess it was about as good as a funeral can get.
As you can imagine the whole event was draining for everyone involved. It basically took a full day to get there and a full day to get back. Amazingly Flounder and I managed to remain positive through the day long drives and arrived home very glad to be there. West Virginia with it's rolling mountains and wooded hills were particularly trying. The long haul truckers got a lot of sympathy from me this trip.
The Ups? Meeting new family, the giant tub in our hotel room, feeling included in the celebration and Sonic Fresh Fruit Slush (which is not really "fresh" by any standard, but is delish!)
The Downs? Saying goodbye to someone I never new, the mountains of WV, spending so much time with so many new people and regretfully eating nary a green veggie in 4 days.
Quote of the Day:
A sense of duty is useful in work, but offensive in personal relations. People wish to be liked, not be endured with patient resignation.
-Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)
November 1, 2006
NaBloPoMo: Metro Maddness
Back in late September I entered a rush hour Metro train at Shady Grove headed toward downtown. At first I was very disoriented by what I encountered. This was not the Metro train I can come to know and, er, tolerate. No! I stepped into Bizzaro World! Or maybe just a sample train setup to test the new configuration soon to be seen on the Green Line?
What? No Cross Bars?
Check out the circular confiuration of the overhead bars. This is the ceiling of the "vestibule" (if you will). Is this meant to discourage riders from standing in the middle of the entrance space? I don't know about you, but at 5"2', I can't readily reach those ceiling bars. What do the designers of this layout suggest I hold on to, I ask! There are still vertical bars running along the plexi dividing wall (between the door and the seats) but now there is only one wall and bar by each of the doors.
So They All Rolled Over and One Fell Out
Two interesting issues to note in the photo below. 1) The central bars that used to be located just in front of the "priority seating" are gone. Yes, this means there are even fewer bars to hold on to. 2) Your eyes aren't deceiving you, there are 5 people sitting in a row of 5 seats that run along the wall where priviously one would find the two "priority" seats and the first row of "normal" seats. I will say it is really quite uncomfortable being pressed up against a neighbor on both sides while sitting on this long bench seat.
In Over My Head
The overhead bar craziness contines as we look down the length of the train car. Note the zigzag action, the circular configuration near the doors and the ceiling to seat vertical bars halfway down the train. Also check out the ceiling mounted camera. I applaude the idea of more security on the trains, but I would be curious to know how the captured footage would be used. Monitored in real-time, watchable in real-time only in case of an emergency or maybe reviewed after an incident on the train?
But How Do You Really Feel About It?
I will admit that this layout did keep people away from the doors more efficiently then the old layout. Howeer I am concerned with what the short will hold onto when the train is really packed. Will I have to sweet talk my way over to a wall so as not to fly about the train when it gets underway? As of yet this train config, is not being implemented on the Red Line and for the time being I am grateful.
In Other Metro News
You can now download the Metro map to you iPod! Check it out here .
Quote Of The Day:
“When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
June 12, 2006
They Are Watching
Did I miss an announcement?
This morning while riding to work, I noticed a new feature in the Metro train car. At least it's new to me. Four small ceiling surveillance cameras. I haven't previously heard anything about the installation of these bad boys. Has anyone else?
Quote of the Day:
If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
Donald H. Rumsfeld
July 12, 2005
Down The Shore
Our vacation last week consisted of a day in Kill Devil Hills, a day in New Bern and two days in Wilmington. Over all we played in the ocean, visited the historic areas of the various towns, and enjoyed the wedding of a good friend.
Some highlights from the trip:
* Watching sand crabs dig out homes for themselves on the beach
* Enjoying the look on JP's face (the bride) when a pack of Navy men serenaded her with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"
* Playing air hockey with DK
* Dancing like no one was watching (Lord I hope they weren't)
* Making plans to buy a beach house, and retire to it one day (If we are very lucky)
* Finding the perfect jewelry to go with my new dress an hour before the wedding
* Laughing my butt off with my drunk friends
We made a half hearted attempt at documenting our journey in photos. If you are interested, here are the photos from the trip. I think some other friends who attended the wedding actually got the more amusing photos, which I am looking forward to seeing. Flounder also got a few good shots of the wedding ceremony itself with his camera-phone, but we haven't downloaded those yet.
Posted by La at 8:33 AM | Comments (0)July 11, 2005
David Sedaris is my Co-pilot
From Wednesday-Sunday of last week Flounder and I spent more than 20 hours in the car. Driving. Actually I rode. David Sedaris was also along for the ride. We downloaded Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day from Audible.com onto Flounder's iPod.
We listened to the sound of his voice for hours. It is strange, a bit high and pinched, but also kind of reasuring. His narratives are bound to make anyone feel a little less crazy and more secure in their own home life.
The descriptions are vivid and excruciating. Hearing them read in his own voice only enhanced the sensation of listening in on his provate thoughts. The fact that we were taveling through the very area he so often writes about, North Carolina, made the readings feel especially appropriate.
So this is what it would feel like to have five wacky siblings, OCD, a serious drug problem and a determination to be a performance artist. I thought along the way. I wish I could sing like Billy Holiday half so well.
July 10, 2005
And We're Back
We are home, safe, sound and drowning in laundry. My mind is a whirl of stories and details. Lots of good times and LOTS of driving.
Quote of the Day:
If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time.
Edith Wharton
July 4, 2005
Reading is Fundemental
Reading is important. It is because we didn't actually read the timeshare comformation notice we received in the mail many weeks ago that yesterday we were totally taken aback to find that A) New Bern is 2 hours away from Wilmington (where we are attending GRP wedding) and B) our reservation is for Thursday-Sunday, not Wednesday-Sunday as we expected. D'oh!
We have instead developed an altogether different plan. One that allows us to get enjoy the beach AND stay in Wilmington for the wedding. It goes a little something like this. We will leave home Wednesday morning, and head for Nags Head. There we will spend the night and enjoy the ocean. Thursday afternoon we go to New Burn, where the original timeshare is. See the sights, spend the night and Friday drive down to Wilmington in time for the rehersal dinner. We will spend Friday and Saturday night in Wilmington, checking out Sunday to drive home.
Yeah, it's going to be a lot of driving. Some how with this new plan we will cover all the bases we missed with the first very flawed plan.
Next time we will read.
Posted by La at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)July 1, 2005
Beach Body
If you have known me for any amount of time, you know I love the beach. The sun, sand, waves and soft breezes all bring me joy. I love the rituals you develope at the beach. The schedules that seem to revolve more around the natural world (position of the sun, tide schedules and weather forcast) than my average day does. It's my own (pseudo) way of getting back to nature.
When it comes to the beach, my weight isn't even a concern. I may look like a beached whale, but hell if I care. I can't imagine a more care-free environment. Maybe that's another reason I love it so much.
Flounder and I leave Tuesday for NC. A few days by the shore, then to GRP's wedding back again the following Sunday. As per usual, I feel totally unprepared for this trip. The are clothes to shop for, (what am I going to where?) laundry to do, the car to clean out, provision to stock (fresh sunscreen and the like), beach books to buy, the list goes on and on. I better start cracking on the list. Something is bound to fall through the cracks. I just hope it isn't remembering to pack my new bathing suit.
Yesterday I realized that my current weight is the least I have weighed in this century. Which is a big deal for me. I just can't wait to break the 200 mark. That probably won't be until mid-Fall at the earliest, but it's nice to know that day is coming.
Quote of the Day:
Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.
Aristotle
