First Email

I got my first ski trip email! WOOHOO!!!

The season is upon us. Every year a group of us get together and rent a huge house in Maine for the weekend AFTER MLK weekend (it's cheaper and blackout dates don't apply at ski resorts) and go crazy in the snow for a long weekend. Sunapee is right around the corner, one of my favorite ski resorts, and there are tons of other mountains nearby as well.

Although I'd consider people in the group friends, I don't really see many of them other than during ski season. Yeay for upcoming groups headed off for a day on the mountain. Yeay for evenings spent relaxing in the hottub.

But MLK day is far, far away you say. Yes it is. Enough time for me to buy new snowboard boots and hit the slopes, enough time to remember what I'm doing before then. Oh, and get my board waxed. Something tells me that my snowboard rusticating in the spare bedroom closet needs to be looked at again before I see snow.

Definately enough time for Gerd to get new gear. Perhaps if I buy the boots for Gerd for Christmas (returnable of course so he can get which one he likes) he'll follow through and replace his 10 feet long skis like he's been saying he wants to for the last two years. But first my boots. I could hardly do anything last winter because my heels would slip almost three inches in the heals if I didn't cut off the circulation to my toes, and if I did I'd still slip a good inch or two. So I'm afraid I got a bit whiny last year. Not going to happen this year.

I love snowboarding. I almost wish it was snowing.

My e-Library

I have discovered my library. True, I've been to my library before, it's really almost around the corner. BUT, I've discovered the online bells and whistles my library offers.

For instance...

I can create a list of books that I want to read and select books I want them to hold for me. When I select a book it tells me what place I am in order of requesters so I know if I'll be getting my book sooner or later. When my book is ready to be picked up I'll get an e-mail telling me to come down to my local library. I'm number 1 for Cooking for Mr. Latte but number 54 for Julie and Julia.

But after searching my account online I also found out that I can rent eBooks. This would not have interested me before, but with the iPhone I began using Kindle and found out that I like it I like it a lot. On the subway I don't have to bring anything along to read, I can just pull out my phone and read.

I'm not quite how this library function works for me yet, but I'm pretty sure there's a way to make this happen. The library site even has the downloadable audio book section divided into ipod, epub, and MP3. Some copies even have permission to burn to CD.

It's like a whole new world!
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Update***

Holy Cow, have you heard of Stanza before? I have just opened my iPhone to a whole bunch of new books....

Project Gutenberg (very serious stuff)
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Baen Free Library (Primarily Sci-Fi)
http://www.baen.com/library/

Free e-Books (This requires a bunch of browsing)
http://www.free-ebooks.net/

Romance Books (these you have to pay for, but costs are very low)
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/index.html

Fiction Wise (these also cost some money, but they appear to be relatively inexpensive)
http://www.fictionwise.com/

Okay, Married

Last summer was the pits.

Spring had some perks, like I got a long term sub job at a fabulous school (so THAT's how a school is supposed to work...) and we made a whole bunch of decisions about where to live for the time being (near my family for at least a few years), and we survived falling off of a mountain cliff.

But it was a roller coaster. One minute we're planning on buying a house, I'm planning a wedding, I see the future of me with this school district I love, and we're picking out baby furniture, and the next moment I'm jobless, weddingless, houseless, and very very sad.

I wanted to be married, but I didn't want to celebrate.

So I called the city clerk's office to see what their hours were in case we wanted to get a marriage license. I figured we could just get legally married and have the wedding next summer. The clerk's office in MA was busy so I called NY, figuring we could always have Wally, my step-father, sign the paperwork. The Glens Fall's office answered and said that they're only open 8-4 M-F, which would mean a day off of work for Gerd. I was about to hang up when the clerk offered to come in on the weekend and open the office for us. We were planning on visiting my mom anyway, so it seemed to work out.

I really wanted a signed certificate that weekend, but Gerd didn't want to act that quickly. We had 60 days, and it would have been nice if his mother could have come out, but he never pushed the issue with her. So in the end I finally said that Wally would marry us in the back yard on a visit and Mom would be a witness. I'd hoped to have the rest of my family there, but Gerd nixed the idea since his family wasn't there. He said we should have our wedding with everywhere there...

Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be married. I love, love, love my husband and I look forward to a life together. The thing is, we really should have waited.

I got frustrated because we didn't have anyone there. We really could have picked any backyard, my grandparents included, and Grandpa isn't doing too well and probably can't go to any weddings. We haven't quite figured out how to tell everyone (the original idea was to send out save the date cards for a wedding next summer that mention, hey, by the way we already got married) so everyone is surprised when we tell them.

I didn't tell my father right away because I knew he'd think that there's no reason to come to a wedding next summer. Sure enough when I finally fessed up Dad's so mad I didn't tell him right away and that I'm already married that he's refusing to come to my wedding. If he really won't come I'm not sure if I'll have a "wedding" (I really wanted my dad to walk me down the isle) but perhaps a big party instead.

By now I should have some sort of plan together for our wedding, but I don't. If we could just set a date we could send out something to everyone, but to set a date we need to have a location, which is tricky because of the type of wedding I want (weekend getaway with cabins and bonfires and lots of outdoor games). Plus the location of the wedding is still a problem (I want the Adirondacks but then we have to schedule around black flies and tourists).

I thought the quick marriage ceremony would take the pressure off of the wedding plans, but that didn't quite work out the way I thought it would. As soon as I figure out what we're going to do next I'll let you know.

Exhausted

Who knew part-time employment could add up to a whole bunch of tired. I only worked one day at the farm this week so I expected an easy, laid back week. Unfortunately I ended up spending most of my time at Cambridge Friends School. One of the teachers has a mother who is very, very sick. Phrases like ventilator and transplant recipient have come up when I've asked what exactly is wrong, but a clear picture of what's going on remains private.

I was called on Wednesday to sub for Thursday and Friday, but could only do Friday. On Sunday I was asked for Tuesday, on Tuesday I was asked for the week, but I go to the farm on Thursday so I did an incomplete week. Thursday they couldn't find anyone so the kids had two different subs for the day. While the kids did get used to me and we got along just fine, today was rough.

I'd love to blog about something more interesting but I'm completely exhausted. Interesting topics like marriage will have to wait for a different day. And an interesting blog it will be.

No Impact

I recently surfed up to an article on No Impact Man. This guy in NYC decided to live without lights, toilet paper, pre-packaged foods, and any form of transportation (including elevators). He composted inside (with worms, I've seen the presentation and it's not as gross as you'd think) and didn't put out any trash...for a whole year.

Now I salute anyone who makes an attempt to live lightly on the earth, but I think "No Impact" is a bit of a stretch. We all have impact. Did he cook on a stove, yes, plug in a cell-phone, yes, use water, yes.

I'd really like to see this type of experiment be run by people living outside of an urban area. Even in Boston we couldn't forgo transportation because my husband's job is well past the city limits. He'd have to cycle 17 miles to and from work. Physically he's capable of it, but just think about the dangers of traffic, the upcoming weather and the limited hours of daylight. Not going to happen.

I recently read Farewell, My Subaru by Doug Fine. I became interested in the book because the author decided to go off grid...in New Mexico. Reading into the book Fine settled in an area I'm familiar with and started raising chickens and goats and tending his own vegetables. Again, while I applaud the effort, it's not a path I could entirely live with. Frankly I have trouble with my community garden. Working on a farm is helping, but mostly it makes me aware of the incredible amount of work necessary to create food.

I also recently read in The Sun Magazine, The Decline and Fall of the Suburban Empire by Leslee Goodman. James Howard Kunstler discusses the inherent problem with our suburban setup in terms of economics. While the focus is on economics, I'm drawn to the environmental impact created by our suburban design. This was quite possibly the best issue I've read of The Sun yet and I've already re-read the article through again.

I guess the point is that there are many ways of working towards living local and living green. And actually tons of questions that make it difficult. Which is more important organic or local? What am I comfortable living without and what am I unwilling to compromise on (marry a foreigner and you're going to take some flights overseas, it's not just pleasure, it's family). Should I eat local meat or forgo all meat (local meat is expensive but I'm supporting an industry that treats animals humanly prior to slaughter and I think it's an important industry).

So for the mean time we're doing out usual thing. I continue to add more efforts to my go green mentality. I hung up all the clothes instead of using the dryer yesterday (but did dry the sheets today because we've got a guest coming). But my efforts are imperfect. And I have the benefit of an urban city.

It's not difficult for me to find local foods, Lionettes is down the street, I work on a local organic farm and Harvest Coop is only a few stops away on the T. I have a community garden in which I can grow veggies and a deck I can hang my clothes out to dry on (and an indoor rack for when it's raining). I can walk, bike, or take the T pretty much anywhere. What *is* difficult is giving up more. I already gave up my car and I'm not ready to forgo my toilet paper or internet (although frequently I think I should, it's way too much of a lure). But someday maybe I will be.

Monday Morning

I only have three things on my list of things to do today:

Laundry
Cleaning
Garden

And I did start. Really I did. But blah, I don't want to.

I've learned that even when I have the time, I still don't do the things I say I never have time to do. For instance, if I just had time I'd sweep and mop the floors each day (yeah right) and I'd weed my garden too (nope, not really).

Mom says the trick is enjoying your chores.

I do enjoy chores on the farm. I don't know why it's different there, but somehow it is. Maybe it's because someone says...could you please weed the celery field? And I do. But if I had a farm of my own, I wonder if I'd be so productive? Probably not.

Ah well, maybe music will help. That or a housekeeper. Hard to justify when you're only working part time. Oh well, Pandora here I come.

Letter to John Boehner

There must be something done to ensure that Americans who are already insured or not insured are able to survive not just their injuries, but also the medical bills they receive after an unfortunate diagnosis is made. Not only is this the right thing to do, considering we believe in LIFE, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, but it also has an affect on our ECONOMY as more people go bankrupt due to medical bills.

A public option prevents BIG corporations who are obviously mismanaged from using individual's health as a money making scheme. Large corporations have too much power and I support legislation that limits for profit organizations controlling our health.

If we do not ensure that EVERYONE IS AND CAN REMAIN covered regardless of diagnosis, and that all necessary treatments are covered, we will lag behind other nations as we already have in other sectors of our economy.

When we rose to greatness we measured our strength in our expanding infrastructure, our bridges, roads, and buildings. We believed that we were done building our nation and stopped making progress. We have deserted the drive for improvement and ignored all that made us the powerful nation we are today. We must recognize this and begin to build our nation anew.