We had a beautiful weekend. I'm so glad I decided to stay put and not pay for a trip to Costa Rica :) As if I could currently afford a trip to Costa Rica.
Instead we went to the Cape and met my cousin once removed. She's a cutie! My cousin and his wife are happily ensconced in their new life, as I suppose it should be. I only got a bit teary once, and only then at discussing my own thoughts on children in the future. Seeing a baby didn't make me want a child more or less, it just made me want to hurry up a bit.
We left early because, although the kid was cute, there's only so much baby talk I can be submitted to right now. The idea was that I'd go to church, but I slept in late anyway and ended up missing the service. Ah well, it was a nice morning in the garden.
My tomatoes are doing well and a few seeds of beans and cucumbers are starting to peep through the earth. My potatoes have made an appearance! For a brief moment I imagined a barren landscape, but everything is beginning to grow....and get eaten by some unknown pest. Note to self, must look into organic methods of aphid removal, or whatever other bug eats spinach.
In the evening I remembered why we enjoy Boston. A few friends joined us for a dinner picnic at the Espinade. It didn't cool off until far later than we expected, but by 7:30 it was just about perfect. We walked over to the North End and grabbed some gelato from a stand and made our way to Revere Park.
Monday was just as nice. I had a groupon to the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum so my husband and I cycled over despite the warmth of the day. It's really amazing how a tree lined street can be so much cooler than one that doesn't have any shade. We took a nice bike path along a park I didn't know existed. I've got to return someday and check out the rose garden when everything is in bloom!
The museum was interesting, and easy to see in an afternoon. I wish I'd read up on it before hand and looked for all the missing artwork. I did notice a few empty frames, but didn't really know WHY they were empty until I got home and googled it. I'd like to go back someday when they have music in the courtyard. If I ever become a billionaire, I want a replica of that courtyard.
On our way home we checked out our old garden plot in the Victory Gardens...it was kind of bittersweet. It obviously hasn't been completely abandoned, but our version was better. It's just such a shame that it's too far away to keep. We loved our plot...but now we've got a nice yard to care for.
Work on Tuesday is a huge post of it's own, and one that I won't be able to write with only 7% of my battery life remaining. Until then, happy belated Memorial Day!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Nowhere in the World
I don't know how your weather is, but ours stinks. Actually, I suppose I DO know how your weather is, because I've just spent the last 10 minutes trying to find somewhere...anywhere...that has sunshine. 2+ weeks of cloudy, drizzly weather has beaten me down. I was just about to flee the area over Memorial Day and find somewhere dry (what good is the beach when it's raining anyway?) but guess what, it's raining everywhere!
Where it is expected to be cloudy or rainy over Memorial Day Weekend...
Where it will be sunny and cloud free each day?
That's right, the only place in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD (as much as I can google in 10 minutes anyway) that is sunny is the area I consider home. I'd go in a flash, if only ticket prices weren't like $800 right now. I guess everyone needs a little sun right now.
Now, I know it could be much, much worse than Boston. I'm worried about the people in Joplin right now because I know a lot of students who when to my college came from, and returned to, the area. The flooding in Missouri also hits pretty close to home. The blasting of the levee along the Mississippi, and the need for the blast, also puts things in perspective.
Indeed. We ALL need a little sun right now. So do any cultures have an un-rain dance? "Rain, Rain, Go Away" just isn't doing the trick.
Where it is expected to be cloudy or rainy over Memorial Day Weekend...
- Washington D.C.
- Chicago
- St. Louis
- Asheville NC
- Charleston SC
- Houston
- Pittsburg
- San Francisco
- Dublin
- Berlin
- Munich
- Sydney
- Cape Town
- Bermuda
- Fiji
- Christchurch New Zealand
Where it will be sunny and cloud free each day?
- Albuquerque, NM
- Tucson, AZ
That's right, the only place in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD (as much as I can google in 10 minutes anyway) that is sunny is the area I consider home. I'd go in a flash, if only ticket prices weren't like $800 right now. I guess everyone needs a little sun right now.
Now, I know it could be much, much worse than Boston. I'm worried about the people in Joplin right now because I know a lot of students who when to my college came from, and returned to, the area. The flooding in Missouri also hits pretty close to home. The blasting of the levee along the Mississippi, and the need for the blast, also puts things in perspective.
Indeed. We ALL need a little sun right now. So do any cultures have an un-rain dance? "Rain, Rain, Go Away" just isn't doing the trick.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Nutritional Workshop
One of the nice things about my company is the professional development offered every year. This year our morning session was on nutrition, which happens to tie into a unit I want to teach this summer. It was very informative...but a bit frustrating from the standpoint of someone who is more organic minded.
I'm pretty sure the class was designed with a more mainstream crowd in mind. There were empty boxes of food on each table so we could practice reading the labels. We went over the evils of empty calories. Weight, shape, and BMI were all clearly laid out.
But...she made it sound like tub margarine was better than butter. She differentiated between "good sugar" and "bad sugar". She offered her opinion on cleanses...which is that anyone who does so must be crazy (because a colonoscopy doesn't make you feel better you know).
Now, my students are light years away from being concerned about the difference in glycemic count between agave nectar, honey, stevia, or maple sugar. They are completely unaware about the posibility of using wheatberries in your cooking, and have no concern about sprouted versus unsprouted flour.
So I should be particularly grateful that this nutritional "counselor" reintroduced me to mainstream thought. Not that I was planning on going so far into healthy eating as I could, but this workshop reminded me to focus on what my students will be able to do.
1) Avoid or reduce saturated fats
2) Reduce sugar intake, particularly in beverages
3) Add whole grains into their diet in some way.
4) Exercise 30 minutes 7 days a week.
5) Recognize a realistic portion size
6) Make sure eating is for nutrition, not for emotional reasons
7) Know the appropriate level for blood sugar, blood pressure, and BMI
I'm pretty sure the class was designed with a more mainstream crowd in mind. There were empty boxes of food on each table so we could practice reading the labels. We went over the evils of empty calories. Weight, shape, and BMI were all clearly laid out.
But...she made it sound like tub margarine was better than butter. She differentiated between "good sugar" and "bad sugar". She offered her opinion on cleanses...which is that anyone who does so must be crazy (because a colonoscopy doesn't make you feel better you know).
Now, my students are light years away from being concerned about the difference in glycemic count between agave nectar, honey, stevia, or maple sugar. They are completely unaware about the posibility of using wheatberries in your cooking, and have no concern about sprouted versus unsprouted flour.
So I should be particularly grateful that this nutritional "counselor" reintroduced me to mainstream thought. Not that I was planning on going so far into healthy eating as I could, but this workshop reminded me to focus on what my students will be able to do.
1) Avoid or reduce saturated fats
2) Reduce sugar intake, particularly in beverages
3) Add whole grains into their diet in some way.
4) Exercise 30 minutes 7 days a week.
5) Recognize a realistic portion size
6) Make sure eating is for nutrition, not for emotional reasons
7) Know the appropriate level for blood sugar, blood pressure, and BMI
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Electronic Fast
Last week I decided to make up for my lack of a lent this year. The idea was that I would limit myself to only 3 hours of "escapism" time every week. No internet. No random iPhone games. No books. No TV. Nothing.
This, I decided, would help me re-prioritize my time. I would exercise more. Clean more. Cook more. Generally do more things that I like, or need, to do.
It worked the first week, at least to the point that I have an organized, relatively clean house. I say relatively because the kitchen remains in a constant state of needing to be cleaned and my office needs serious work. I'm not even including Gerd's office, which I'm not touching (really, although it's so tempting). Honestly... I even baked fresh bread.
Note that last week my husband wasn't home. Somehow it's easier to do things when he's not here, even though he's really a supportive kind of guy. Even with the amount of stuff I got done, Friday night killed the fast. I gorged on online HGTV episodes until I couldn't stay awake any longer.
This week I tried again, but the rain has been my enemy. I couldn't HELP but read a book. I mean, what else should you do on a rainy day (never mind the stack of mail that needs to be sorted, or the basement could be tidied, or the bathrooms could be cleaned...) Today is supposed to be Stammtisch, but I just don't want to.
What I want to do is continue to surf the web. Somehow I had a random thought to look online for my high school. Guess what, they have a list of faculty. Most of my most memorable teachers are still there. Most, not all, but enough to wax nostalgic. I even saw a youtube performance by the band...we were way better.
It's actually a bit surprising that I'm sucked back into the world of electronics. I had a wonderful day. I woke up after a (yes, really) 10 hour night of sleep. I took my herbs, which seem to be working. I feel like I'm coming out of a fog. The school day went fabulously, and while I won't claim brilliance, all the lessons went well and students were focused. It's just that when I came home I just drained. The thought of using anymore energy did not appeal. I was tired of being peppy and cheerful.
Just do it anyway, right? Drive through the emotion... But why? I don't NEED to do anything. I have no little ones forcing me to put a nice meal on the table or ensure the house won't foster plague type bacterias. Why NOT relax and do nothing? Would I really be happier if I forced myself to do something? I'm not really sure. I've got to tell you, it's pretty interesting to return to high school for an evening (even if it does make me a bit melancholy...boy do I wish I had been more of SOMETHING back then). Thinking back is like watching a really painful yet funny movie, like American Pie.
So what teachers are still there:
Ms. Armstrong, Drama coach and English Teacher
Mr. Stinson, Math teacher (who actually got me to understand algebra enough that I can teach it...despite no training in teaching algebra :)
Mr. Niemiec, Band teacher (thank goodness they now have a separate orchestra teacher)
Mrs. Ottoman, Drama, but she was the best English Comp teacher ever
Mr. Catt (NOT my favorite history teacher, I'm pretty sure he sent Jacob Huck to the principals office for refusing to read round robin from the textbook)
Ms. Chandler (WAS my favorite history teacher, and responsible for me choosing International Relations as a major in college)
Mr. Steckler, Okay, wasn't really a memorable teacher to me at the time, but I do remember him.
Ms. Sherman, Now department chair. I still remember her Spanish idioms.
So if you're reading this, and you still have connections to the area, this probably isn't too surprising to you. For me, I haven't been back to the high school since 1996, and haven't thought about the teachers (except perhaps once or twice in passing) since about then. In fact, I rarely open my year books. I did so today, and was surprised by the lack of signatures on my junior and senior yearbooks. Did I really have so few friends? Maybe that's why I haven't gone back down memory lane before now....
And now I'm going to go back to my fast. Maybe. After I figure out whatever happened to that old abandoned house on Lantern Road.
This, I decided, would help me re-prioritize my time. I would exercise more. Clean more. Cook more. Generally do more things that I like, or need, to do.
It worked the first week, at least to the point that I have an organized, relatively clean house. I say relatively because the kitchen remains in a constant state of needing to be cleaned and my office needs serious work. I'm not even including Gerd's office, which I'm not touching (really, although it's so tempting). Honestly... I even baked fresh bread.
Note that last week my husband wasn't home. Somehow it's easier to do things when he's not here, even though he's really a supportive kind of guy. Even with the amount of stuff I got done, Friday night killed the fast. I gorged on online HGTV episodes until I couldn't stay awake any longer.
This week I tried again, but the rain has been my enemy. I couldn't HELP but read a book. I mean, what else should you do on a rainy day (never mind the stack of mail that needs to be sorted, or the basement could be tidied, or the bathrooms could be cleaned...) Today is supposed to be Stammtisch, but I just don't want to.
What I want to do is continue to surf the web. Somehow I had a random thought to look online for my high school. Guess what, they have a list of faculty. Most of my most memorable teachers are still there. Most, not all, but enough to wax nostalgic. I even saw a youtube performance by the band...we were way better.
It's actually a bit surprising that I'm sucked back into the world of electronics. I had a wonderful day. I woke up after a (yes, really) 10 hour night of sleep. I took my herbs, which seem to be working. I feel like I'm coming out of a fog. The school day went fabulously, and while I won't claim brilliance, all the lessons went well and students were focused. It's just that when I came home I just drained. The thought of using anymore energy did not appeal. I was tired of being peppy and cheerful.
Just do it anyway, right? Drive through the emotion... But why? I don't NEED to do anything. I have no little ones forcing me to put a nice meal on the table or ensure the house won't foster plague type bacterias. Why NOT relax and do nothing? Would I really be happier if I forced myself to do something? I'm not really sure. I've got to tell you, it's pretty interesting to return to high school for an evening (even if it does make me a bit melancholy...boy do I wish I had been more of SOMETHING back then). Thinking back is like watching a really painful yet funny movie, like American Pie.
So what teachers are still there:
Ms. Armstrong, Drama coach and English Teacher
Mr. Stinson, Math teacher (who actually got me to understand algebra enough that I can teach it...despite no training in teaching algebra :)
Mr. Niemiec, Band teacher (thank goodness they now have a separate orchestra teacher)
Mrs. Ottoman, Drama, but she was the best English Comp teacher ever
Mr. Catt (NOT my favorite history teacher, I'm pretty sure he sent Jacob Huck to the principals office for refusing to read round robin from the textbook)
Ms. Chandler (WAS my favorite history teacher, and responsible for me choosing International Relations as a major in college)
Mr. Steckler, Okay, wasn't really a memorable teacher to me at the time, but I do remember him.
Ms. Sherman, Now department chair. I still remember her Spanish idioms.
So if you're reading this, and you still have connections to the area, this probably isn't too surprising to you. For me, I haven't been back to the high school since 1996, and haven't thought about the teachers (except perhaps once or twice in passing) since about then. In fact, I rarely open my year books. I did so today, and was surprised by the lack of signatures on my junior and senior yearbooks. Did I really have so few friends? Maybe that's why I haven't gone back down memory lane before now....
And now I'm going to go back to my fast. Maybe. After I figure out whatever happened to that old abandoned house on Lantern Road.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wash and Fold Laundry
Did you KNOW that is Boston there's a service called delivery wash and fold laundry?! How could I not have known about this before??? $1.37/pound with pick up and delivery included. That's cheaper that it was when I lived in Fitchburg and had to drive everything over to the laundromat. They even have discounted monthly service plans. Who knew?!?
When we started our bathroom project we had our 220 volt outlet for our dryer moved...and haven't gotten the new dryer yet. We don't use the dryer much anyway usually, but the thing is...I've got a huge backlog of laundry, and it's supposed to rain for the next 5 days. Our indoor laundry rack is already overloaded... so I'm seriously considering this whole someone else doing my laundry for me thing, at least this once. Seriously, with 4 houseguests in the last month I needed to wash every sheet we own, and half of the towels (okay the towels is a bit of an exaggeration).
So what does a load of laundry cost? $20. Is that highway robbery? I'm not sure. A laundromat would probably cost at least $5, so paying someone else to pick up, launder, and deliver my cloths seems pretty realistic. Even still, I won't be using the service regularly. I mean, I probably do (or should do) at least 4 loads of laundry a month. There's no way I can justify $80/month on laundry services when I have a washing machine (no matter how tempting it sounds). But it is nice to know that if I get stuck there's a quick way out. If I can get their website to recognize my address...
When we started our bathroom project we had our 220 volt outlet for our dryer moved...and haven't gotten the new dryer yet. We don't use the dryer much anyway usually, but the thing is...I've got a huge backlog of laundry, and it's supposed to rain for the next 5 days. Our indoor laundry rack is already overloaded... so I'm seriously considering this whole someone else doing my laundry for me thing, at least this once. Seriously, with 4 houseguests in the last month I needed to wash every sheet we own, and half of the towels (okay the towels is a bit of an exaggeration).
So what does a load of laundry cost? $20. Is that highway robbery? I'm not sure. A laundromat would probably cost at least $5, so paying someone else to pick up, launder, and deliver my cloths seems pretty realistic. Even still, I won't be using the service regularly. I mean, I probably do (or should do) at least 4 loads of laundry a month. There's no way I can justify $80/month on laundry services when I have a washing machine (no matter how tempting it sounds). But it is nice to know that if I get stuck there's a quick way out. If I can get their website to recognize my address...
Monday, May 9, 2011
Find Something You Love
I have to admit, I was a bit whiny today when I got to my acupuncture appointment. I'm in a rut, a rut that includes a messy house, an upset stomach, and a general apathy for pretty much anything. It just feels like I'm treading water, waiting for something to happen. I don't DO much of anything right now.
I have far more time than most people do. I only work 35 hours per week. I don't have children, I'm not taking classes. I don't have a time consuming hobby. I'm not a fitness fanatic. I don't watch TV, or even read that much during the week. Okay, I surf the web sometimes, but even that can't account for all of my wasted hours.
Really, I should have scads of ways to spend my time. I mean, if nothing else my house should at least be clean. What do I DO with my time????
So at my acupuncturists I asked what to do if I don't do anything. Her response makes complete sense to me...find something you love to do. Find that one thing that you'll do, even if you don't feel like doing anything, just because you love it. The problem is, I don't know what that is.
Some people cook, or write, or sew, or garden. They have some internal need, or want, to do something. I like to do all of the above, but not so much that it's a driving passion. I can tell you for sure that if I don't feel like doing anything I am NOT going to want to cook. Or clean, or well, do anything.
I mean, I have a lot of likes, but not a lot of LOVES. So IS there something out there that I would love, love, love to do? I really don't know.
I have far more time than most people do. I only work 35 hours per week. I don't have children, I'm not taking classes. I don't have a time consuming hobby. I'm not a fitness fanatic. I don't watch TV, or even read that much during the week. Okay, I surf the web sometimes, but even that can't account for all of my wasted hours.
Really, I should have scads of ways to spend my time. I mean, if nothing else my house should at least be clean. What do I DO with my time????
So at my acupuncturists I asked what to do if I don't do anything. Her response makes complete sense to me...find something you love to do. Find that one thing that you'll do, even if you don't feel like doing anything, just because you love it. The problem is, I don't know what that is.
Some people cook, or write, or sew, or garden. They have some internal need, or want, to do something. I like to do all of the above, but not so much that it's a driving passion. I can tell you for sure that if I don't feel like doing anything I am NOT going to want to cook. Or clean, or well, do anything.
I mean, I have a lot of likes, but not a lot of LOVES. So IS there something out there that I would love, love, love to do? I really don't know.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Ding Dong
I don't rejoice in the death of Osama bin Laden. One friend on Facebook posted the following, and I think it just about sums up my feelings as well...
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars." - Martin Luther King Jr.
So I find myself thinking about the book Wicked, and the different perspective of the death of the wicked witch. (And that's just a movie.) Not everyone is as we portray them, and even the worst sorts have all kinds of hidden sides. I hope for bin Laden's sake that he was a person who loved and was loved by someone, and I hope that those who mourn him can find their way around the hate that is so present in our world today.
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars." - Martin Luther King Jr.
So I find myself thinking about the book Wicked, and the different perspective of the death of the wicked witch. (And that's just a movie.) Not everyone is as we portray them, and even the worst sorts have all kinds of hidden sides. I hope for bin Laden's sake that he was a person who loved and was loved by someone, and I hope that those who mourn him can find their way around the hate that is so present in our world today.
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