Boston, Mass

Make Way For the Ducklings

In May, my mom and I went to Boston and the surrounding area for a week. I love going places to see the history. Boston’s big on history.

Caught in the Rain

Holocaust Memorial - each pillar (six) represents 1 million Jews killed. Etched on glass are their numbers

Our first day we saw the sites in the city. We followed the Freedom Trail around the city for nine hours. It was cold and damp but it was fun. Needless to say, we were tired and our legs were close to giving out on us.

We Boston sweatshirts and ate mini Boston cream pies. We saw where Paul Revere lived and where he was buried. We saw the church where the lanterns were hung: “One if by land, two if by sea”. We walked through buildings that were over three hundred years old. We walked the decks of the USS Constitution – Old Iron Sides.

"One if by land, two if by sea"
Lanterns were hung in steeple

Paul Revere and John Hancock are buried here

Deaths dated 1661 and 1678

We visited Salem, where the witches were hung. We toured the House of 7 Gables made famous by Nathanial Hawthorne’s book.

House of Seven Gables

Witch House - only surviving house from the witch trials. A judge lived here

We learned the way of life of the pilgrims when they settled in Plymouth, landing on Plymouth Rock in 1640. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the famous rock. Construction was being done on the structure that protects the rock. Scaffolding and plywood blocked my view. It’s just a rock though, right? And who’s to say it was the exact rock that the pilgrim’s feet touched.

Mast of Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower

Plimoth Plantation is a village that was built to model the time and the people working there spoke in the English of the time “just yester week I was speaking….”.

We toured the elite’s summer homes in Newport, RI. These houses were occupied by railroad tycoons and the like. Parties every night, one trying to out do the other. Homes such as The Breakers were only 70 rooms. Much smaller than the year round New York home that was about 150 rooms.

The Breakers owned by the Vanderbilt family

The best part was whale watching. We left from Provincetown and saw the most amazing things. To be in the presence of these mammoth creatures. To be RIGHT THERE while they fed. It was literally breathtaking. There is a feeling of peace and awe to be there. A feeling I hope to remember for years to come.

"It is an old maxim and a very sound one, that he that dances should always pay the fiddler. Now, sir, in the present case, if any gentlemen, whose money is a burden to them, choose to lead off a dance, I am decidedly opposed to the people's money being used to pay the fiddler...all this to settle a question in which the people have no interest, and about which they care nothing. These capitalists generally act harmoniously, and in concert, to fleece the people, and now, that they have got into a quarrel with themselves, we are called upon to appropriate the people's money to settle the quarrel." - Abraham Lincoln, January 11, 1837

The scale of my dreams

I had a dream last night that I bought a new bathroom scale. I also had a dream that I had a job interview for a decorating company with Sean Penn (but he looked like the Chris Penn) and Robert De Niro.

In the dream, I got on the scale four times. The first three times it said I was about 50 lbs less than what I am and the fourth time it was what I really weigh. Meaning? Only step on scales a maximum of three times.

I'm still waiting to hear if I got the job.

Hungry

I want some more guacamole.
Then I want some chocolate cake.

G.A. Baby

In honor of Grey's Anatomy starting up tonight I thought I'd do a little G.A. quiz.

You're the best at what you do and with that comes a well-deserved amount of pride, but you're not quite a bold in going for what you want in your personal life. Go, grab some happiness for yourself already. You're not as prickly and unlikable as you might think, even if you go out of your way to cultivate the impression of someone who is completely unapproachable.

The thing about death is... it hurts.

The anniversary of my grandpa's death is drawing near. Saturday will be three years. There is still not a day that goes by that I don't think about him. There are several days a year that I am overcome with grief from missing him. Sometimes I ache just to hear his voice again or feel one of his hugs.


I just feel like my world was a better place with him in it. He was so kind, gentle and funny. He held so much love in his heart. I never imagined feeling the void I do since he's been gone.

I miss him.


"A heart can be broken; but it keeps beating just the same" - Fried Green Tomatoes

Let's talk nonsense

Since about Sunday, I’ve had increasingly gotten more and more uncomfortable in my skin. I’m sure some of it is lack of some nutrient and physical exercise but it’s also stress. I don’t stress much on a day-to-day basis. It’s usually something that triggers it and it sits and stews in my mind and spreads throughout my body. I carry stress in my neck and shoulders and face and right now I can’t relieve the pain. It’s tight. My shoulders, my arms, my legs, even my forehead are in constant need of being stretched and massaged, like I’m constricting in on myself. I can think about the oddest things and dwell on them. Of course there is the country’s financial state. I don’t concern myself with the details because I don’t understand them. I do concern myself with the tone of the news and how it’s affecting those around me. I absorb others’ stress. I’m sleeping hard but waking exhausted. My eye is twitching.

This weekend I watched The Savages and had the sudden desire to call my mom and ask her to clarify what she wants me to do if she were to become ill and/or die. How morbid is that? What terrible thoughts. Especially since I plan on my mom living forever. I can’t and won’t imagine my life without her. Probably the only reason I didn’t call her was because I didn’t want to bother her with such an insane question while she was enjoying her road trip through South Dakota, Utah, Colorado and wherever else. I know she’s already got her wishes expressed in her will but I suddenly felt completely overwhelmed with the ifs and whens. I held back the dialing and just tucked the thoughts away. I’ll ask her at a more appropriate time (which translates to: when I’m sobbing uncontrollably and my back has gone out from the tension).

Let’s add to that the daily thoughts of having a significant other and children – and whether I will have (or want) either (this is for another day). And I’m starting that whole stressing about aging thing. I keep telling myself, when I’m 50 I’ll wish I was 36 again.

So, I continue stretching and trying to rub away the knots, cracking my neck, back and fingers and sleeping and thinking.

Does Calgon really work?

Shower curtain

I made myself a shower curtain that matches my bathroom perfectly. It's not busy. It's simple and pretty. The curtain itself is bought. Plain "waffle" texture and I added the ribbon and embellishments. I am very pleased with how it turned out.

On another note, I have a new upstairs neighbor. For the most part it's been fine but he's a heavy walker. I'm hoping that all the commotion is just him settling in (he just moved in this past weekend) because last night, in the evening, the stomping and creaky floor noise went on for over two hours. Dude! Just sit and take a break! Have a pop and popcorn and watch The Biggest Loser! Several times Sam looked at the ceiling with a look of worry, I'm sure wondering if the guy is going to fall through onto our laps. We worry about such things. Luckily, he hasn't...yet.

Way back

I love looking at pictures. I always have had a camera with me trying to capture the perfect Kodak moment.

So, this is me and my BFF from high school. It's dated about 1995 so we're about 23 years old. For some reason I really love it. There are so many memories hidden in this picture.

I had my hair down to a science I was having fun and I was damn cute. When I showed my friend (pictured) this photo I said, "I loved that sweater!" She said, "Yeah, you wore the hell outta that sweater". I did.

Here's my motivation

Rachel Weisz makes me want to go to the gym.

A girl and her dog

I love this picture of my sister and her dog.

Feeling crafty

I'm sort of a hermit. I spend a lot of my time alone and I love my alone time. It may seem anti-social but it is who I am and I'm not unhappy with it. I love to learn new crafts. Several years ago I learned to knit. I absolutely love it and moved from scarves to socks earlier this year. However, I've only knit one sock so far - but it fits!


The past week or so I suddenly got the strongest urge to make my own soap. Specifically shampoo bars. I know, strange idea and where did it come from. I have no clue but the more I read up on it, the more fun it seems. I may start with the melt and pour method where you start with a soap base and add scents and texture. But I really want to start from scratch, you know, with the lye and the oils and the mixing and the six weeks of curing.


Some other things I'd love to learn are:

1. sewing clothes


2. crocheting


3. water painting


4. photography

Marital Bliss

Congratualtions Mandy & Dan - September 12 2008

I left my heart in Asheville

As I noted in a previous post, one of my all time favorite trips was Asheville, NC.

After flying into Charlotte and driving two hours to Asheville, my mom and I spent a day driving along parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Returning from Grandfather Mountain we wanted to be sure to see Cold Mountain so we drove on a road that we thought would be a shortcut, that would come out right on the parkway just a mile or so from where we needed to be. The map we had was not to scale but how far off could that little wavy line be?

We found ourselves going up, up, up a winding, zig-zagging road with no guardrail. There was trees on one side a straight drop on the other. My mom, on the passenger side, would occasionally look out the window and moan. My knuckles were white and I literally couldn’t take my eyes off the road for even a brief second for fear of plunging to our deaths.

This road went up the mountainside for at least 20 minutes. In that time we never passed another car and there were no other roads branching off. There was absolutely nowhere to turn around. We were stuck on this road to hell. I was pretty sure we’d come upon a hillbilly baracade where they would club us over our heads, drag us up the mountain to a lonely shack and steal our teeth. Somehow we survived without incident, saw Cold Mountain and returned to the hotel before the hillbillys got us.

Another thing we did was visited Blowing Rock (waste of time) and Chimney Rock. Chimney Rock and Hickory Nut Falls were used in scenes in the movie “The Last of the Mohicans”. I was so proud of my mom for climbing those wooden stairs. She has an intense fear of heights and I nearly shat myself climbing the stairs. The view from the top was spectacular.

One of the things I didn’t want to do but my mom talked me into (and paid for) and I was later really glad we went was touring the HGTV Dream Home that year. It just happened to be near Asheville (Lake Lear, NC) and tours were offered before the winner was announced. This place was truly amazing. It was elaborate yet cozy. The decorating was comforting and welcoming. The view. Oh, the view! Enough said. I decided after that, that someday, if I ever build my own house in the mountains, I must, must, must have a sleeping porch.

The very best part of the trip was visiting the Biltmore Estate. This is something that everyone must see, must experience. We spent four hours touring the house and some of the grounds. Had everything actually been in bloom I know we’d easily have spent another couple hours. This house was incredible as was the tour. The following day we spent browsing and shopping in all the little, unique shops in the Biltmore Village.


I want to go back someday and next time I'll include a trip through the Smoky Mountains.

I'm a tight-wad

I will admit it, I don't like to spend money on frivoulous things. I'm a saver. I always have been. So when the guys at work wanted to know if I'd chip in for the $108 million lottery tonight I got a little hesitant. I'm not a gambler. Maybe because I've never really won at anything so it's basically taking any amount of money and putting it in a Dumpster.

My $2 better win us some big money.

Walk the walk and talk the talk.

My mom and I try to take a trip together every year. We have so much fun sightseeing. However, I tend to get a bit obnoxious and my mom more or less ignores me or pretends that everything is perfectly normal. A trick she uses to get me to stop perhaps?

Wherever we go I tend to talk (to my mom only) in whatever accent is native to the area. It makes the vacation more.... festive... if only in my own little world.

When we went to Asheville, NC (best trip ever by the way) I talked with a bit of a drawl and said "ya'll" a lot.

When we went to New Orleans I said everything in a French accent and was disappointed that the locals didn't. (Metarie, Cafe du Monde, etc.).

When we went to Boston I didn't say my R's. Harvard became "Hahvahd" and car became "cah". I also switched over to an English accent because, after all, "The British are coming!"

When we went to Mt. Rushmore, I wanted to (but restrained myself) to recite to all, while holding my invisible lapel, Lincoln's Gettysburg address. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation..." Since this is all I remember of the speech it would end there. Of course, Lincoln isn't one of the four presidents on the hillside but it's just that patriotic there.

I think our next trip will be D.C. Do they have an accent I can torment my mom with?

Holy moly, guacamole!

I made the best - THE BEST - guacamole last week. Like I said before, I'm not a cook but this doesn't require any stove or oven type behavior. I learned to make this guacamole from hovering over my brother's shoulder pointing and asking, "what's that"? And "How much of that did you put in". Basically, it's just whatever and however much and it can change at anytime.

This is the first time I made it solo and oh lawdy! it was so good I could have cried. (I think that way about chocolate cake too).

Radio star

I did some tracking and found my best friend from sixth grade! We went to different schools by 7th grade and she moved about 30? miles away in high school. We stayed in touch and I had visited her a few times at her house that was "out of town". She was so much fun and we had so much fun together. The last time I spoke to her was probably 15 years ago.

We used to tape record ourselves singing songs or just record our conversations. I wish I would have saved those tapes!!

I've thought about her so many times over the years. Anyway, I tracked her down. She works for radio station in Omaha, NE. She's a DJ in the afternoon during the week and I can listen online.

Just now I got a shout out! How cool is that? If I would have known I would have tape recorded it.

It kinda made my day.

Happy birthday, Sam I Am!

The baby is eight today.

Call the Tooth Fairy

I was going to write about something completely mundane until just moments ago.

I just helped my boss pull the cleaning guy's tooth.

The cleaning guy (we call him Speedy because he's the complete opposite) came in today with one of his back molars sitting sideways in his mouth but still connected. He was miserable and I really couldn't care less but when I heard my boss was going to pull it, I had to be a part of it.

I work with mechanics, not dentists.

We sat Speedy in an office chair in the parts room. Boss Man went to get "a clean rag" and a needle nose pliers much like this but with grease and grime on it. A pliers not too unlike these:

Boss man wraps the pliers in a "clean rag", I grab the top of Speedy's head in a headlock. The whole time I'm chanting, "ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod". Bossman gives a little yank and Speedy doesn't even flinch. The tooth pops out and I commence gagging to the point tears are running down my cheeks.

Today I decided I love where I work.