Longiloquent

Hello, I Must Be Going

2010-08-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

2010-08-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

Ramble, part II

Late in the afternoon I headed back to the Ramble for free Skinny Pancake. Decatur Street was still going strong with even more people and lots of bands playing. My favorite was Up Up We Go, featuring a banjolele, a regular banjo, and a bass guitar (as well as sundry kazoos, harmonicas, etc.) Here's a good sample:

I traded a bag of gorp for one of their CDs.

The Decatur Street carnival culminated in an "Epic Bike Ride." I didn't actually intend to participate in the ride, figuring my little three-speed wasn't up for anything epic. But as I headed towards the free crepes, I saw one of my co-workers in a crowd of bikes and she said "come on!" so I did. We rode all over the North End, escorted by the Crucial Couriers, who sped ahead of us and stopped traffic at intersections the way that police do for funeral processions. This procession was anything but funereal. At one point someone counted 160 bikes; I'm guessing it was closer to 200.

We ended up on North Winooski and had free crepes and dancing until dusk.

Did I mention lately how cute Burlington is? Yeah.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Today is the North Burlington Ramble.

It's a homemade celebration of creativity and art. I wandered to the O.N.E. (Old North End) World Market where there were booths of glorious Nepalese silks and African jewelry for sale. Then I headed up to the Decatur Street Carnival, where the locals were offering excellent services of sundry types:

I had my nails done by 8 year olds. They picked the colors:

Up by the Old Spokes Home, a Tuba, Glockenspiel, Accordian, and Clarinet were rocking out.

Next door at Junktiques a crowd was helping the store owner glue toys and buttons to the doorjamb. (I thought I got a picture but I must have lost it.)

Across the street at the Bobbin Sew Bar & Craft Lounge I checked out a street display of repurposed clothing by Gracy's Green Earth, which is the summer project of an Oberlin student who got funding to study thrift stores and how people use/reuse/discard clothing. I don't know if her name is really Gracy or not but I picked up her business card.

As always, I got lost in the neighborhood. The streets are all kattycorner to each other and so when you think you're going North you actually end up heading East. Nevertheless, my pink and green fingernails gave me the strength to go on and I found my way back to the house.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

First, some flags I forgot to post:

Today after dinner I went down to the lake to get a little bottle of water & pebbles for my brother-in-law, who collects them. I went to where the lone sailor stands...

...looking out into the sunset.

Mission accomplished!

I would like to note that the place was not a place where you usually go down to the water, but no one even thought it was slightly weird for me to come rattling up on my bike (which now has pride beads decorating the basket), take out a small bottle, pick my way down to the water, get the sample, come back up, take pictures of myself, and ride away. That's why Burlington rocks.

Joe, we'll bring it to you next time we come to visit.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Was feeling grumpy today until the Pride Parade came by. Now I feel terrific!

2010-07-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Rather than stay inside to read my much-neglected journal and review research, I headed down to Battery Park to take in the weekly Free Concert while I read.

I plonked down my blanket and got a good chunk of reading done, which is a good thing, as this research has been sorely neglected due to lots of exciting pre-litigation stuff at work. All around me were Burlington hipsters, their children and dogs, all having good clean family fun.

The music was not bad for a free band. They played a not unpleasant, somnambulant folk-funk, punctuated occasionally by irritating but mercifully rare episodes of that annoying pseudo-blues into which local bands in every town tend to lapse with a frequency in direct proportion to their lack of imagination and/or musicianship. This band was blessed with reasonable dollops of each and so managed to maintain a relatively enjoyable, if non-mind-blowing, musical atmosphere.

When it got dark I came home. Not a bad Thursday evening.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

Our awesome office manager Bonnie invited me out to her house last night. She lives in the mountains above Waterbury with her husband, Mark, and three dogs: Rosie, Greystoke, and Stella. Bonnie & Mark are like Rachel & Iain and Erika & Nathan rolled up into one couple; I felt instantly at home. The dogs are awesome, more like kids than dogs. Mark & Bonnie made BBQ chicken for dinner, and I spent the night; we sat out on their deck that overlooks the mountains...

(Sorry, you'll have to imagine the mountains in this picture--they were behind the fog.)

...laughing and talking until midnight. Then I went to sleep in the guest bedroom, where the window opens out onto the sound of a mountain stream chuckling to itself all night, and the stars play around in the tree tops. I slept exceedingly well.

In the morning I had breakfast au terrace, looking out over Bonnie's lovely flower beds...

...and woods...

Rosie was the only one of the three dogs who woke up early enough to see us off:

So it was that I had my first home-cooked dinner since May and got to hang out with new good friends who remind me of my old good friends at home.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-16T18:16:00.001-07:00

Today's post is about South Hero, an island at the top of Lake Champlain, so named because it is one of two tracts of land granted to Ira and Ethan Allen. The other island is North Hero, of course. I don't know whose island was whose.

There are two ways to get to South Hero: by car, and by bike.

Every Thursday my cohorts and I go to Pizza on Earth, followed by a tour of Interesting Vermont Places. Everything is very close together, and there are a ton of interesting places, so it's always fun. Last night we went to South Hero Island. The way you get to South Hero by car is to drive up highway 89 and then turn off onto a long long long long long bridge that takes you out to the island (something like the bridge across Lake Pontchartrain that takes you to New Orleans, except not so many alligators.) Here's what it looks like:

North:

South:

Ryan on the way to the island:

Anisa on the way to the island:

Me on the way to the island:

Once on the island, the only thing to do was to get ice cream. Anisa and I got root beer floats; Ryan got peanut butter ice cream on a cone.

Today as I was biking home from work, I thought, "I'll just go up the bike path a little way, to work off some of that pizza and ice cream." Nine miles later, I was at the causeway.

So I thought "I'll just go take the bike ferry over to South Hero and get something to drink and come back."

The causeway is breathtaking!

When I got to the ferry, though, they were having problems, so I didn't go all the way to south hero. Instead, I watched the coast guard help them out for a while:

The bike meditated on the beauty of the lake:

Here's how close it is to the other side:

It was actually a good thing that the ferry wasn't operating; because it was a spur-of-the-moment bike ride, I hadn't brought anything to eat or drink, and my knees were getting pretty sore. So I turned around and came back to the house. But you better believe I'm going to take that ferry over to South Hero. Maybe I'll get some more ice cream. Maybe I'll do it Sunday.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

After work this afternoon I went, as I often do, down to sit by the lake.

The mountains were groovy as always:

The sailboats were bright white:

And then the clouds started rolling in:

For all this drama, Burlington is still standing, and it didn't even rain. However I now have photographic evidence that the sun, given sufficient provocation, will eat you.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-10T19:18:00.001-07:00

Last night one of my coworker's friend's band was playing at Parima, a Thai restaurant with an interesting roof that I've often noticed on Pearl Street. The interior is utterly charming, with booths in sweet little nooks, a vaulted ceiling, cool woodwork, and an atmosphere of deeply hip coziness. I have no idea how they pull it off, but I, who usually don't feel comfortable anywhere outside of a bathtub, was happy as a clam. The band, Coba Stella, was a fine example of Vermont imitating life, by which I mean they were entirely charming. If any New Englanders can be said to play trip hop, these New Englanders pulled it off with style.

I hear a rumor that there is salsa on a regular basis, which in my opinion is the only sensible thing for a hip venue to do when it is located in a state that has a 10-month winter.

2010-07-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

As soon as Christopher left the temperature went up to 95 degrees. This is a phenomenon akin to having a hurricane in Kansas--it just doesn't get that hot here. The Vermonters are freaking out! Can human life be sustained in temperatures over 85?!?!?

To be fair, most of their buildings don't have air conditioning, so it is a bit warm. But they're pretty well convinced that it's the end of the world as we know it, and they can't imagine why I feel fine. All I'm saying is that if someone wanted to put together a heat management class up here, she'd make a killing.

The heat makes the mountains disappear:

Apparently that haze comes about in hot weather because the midwest burns so much coal. Not that Vermont's power is clean; their little nuclear power plant, Vermont Yankee, is constantly springing leaks and splooging heavy metals into the Connecticut River, which empties into Lake Champlain, which was a superfund site, which still has "dead zones," which now has creepy algal blooms that cause nerve damage and liver failure so they have to post warnings because people swim in that lake. Christopher, now do you believe me that it's a bad idea to get into that water?

Luckily my commute to work is still beautiful. Sometimes rather than take the lake route, I take the high road through this lovely shady arcade:

Here's one of the many random things I pass on this route:

Walking home the other night I met a cat:

He came over for a chat:

Then cat #2 came up and wanted a chat:

Apparently they know each other because they immediately started playing a game that involved a parked car, underneath which Cat #1 crouched while Cat #2 gave him the stares. It was a pretty good game. Cat #3, a splotchy calico of whom I did not get a picture, watched from across the road. So we all had a good afternoon.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

We had such a terrific time we forgot to take pictures! But here's what we did:

Christopher's flight got in around midnight so we slept late Saturday morning. Burlington has its big fireworks celebration on July 3 instead of July 4, for reasons that were never quite clear to me. So we spent July 3 on foot, tootling back and forth around downtown. Lunch at Sadie Katz, dinner at ¡Duino! (Duende). We sat for a long time by the water front, watching the fireworks crew take the fireworks out on a barge to the breakwater, where they set them up to fire off the breakwater itself. Here are some pictures of us watching:

We are both somewhat ambivalent about fireworks but, being downtown anyway, we decided to take in the show. Well. Apparently Vermont (and, I'm told, New England) takes Independence Day very seriously. Here's a link to pictures I didn't take but they're worth looking at - it was the most spectacular display I have ever seen. Ever.

The crowd was unbelievable too; walking back to the house was a little like being a salmon trying to swim upstream. I can't remember the last time I saw that many people in one place.

We got to the top of the hill and I said "let's cut around back to the street behind the house - I bet it's quieter." Well. Turns out that the Hannaford Fife and Drum Corps puts on a special unofficial show every year after the fireworks display, on Lakeview Terrace only, and 300 people come to see it. (Scroll down in the article to read about it.) So here we are, stumbling out of the fireworks crowd to see crazy drunk New Englanders following a fife and drum get-up complete with muskets firing (blanks) and weird accents.

At this point C. and I looked at each other and said "boy howdy, they don't do it like this back home!"

You would think it would be impossible to top that perfect day, but we managed. The next day we caught the Scenic Narrated Cruise on the Spirit of Ethan Allen III, which was absolutely as cheesy as it sounds, and absolutely enjoyable. Here are some pictures of us enjoying the tour:

Here's what Burlington looks like from a boat:

After the boat ride we both had Ben & Jerry's ice cream, just to make sure we were thoroughly supporting the local tourism scene.

Today we took it easy, mozeyed over to Fresh Market for lunch and got some snacks for C. to take on the airplane. And then off to the airport. We had such a tremendous time; I miss him already. But I'm so glad he got to come to Burlington -- it's definitely the kind of place for us.

Love,
Sarah

2010-07-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

My co-workers and I have been plotting a trip down to Pizza on Earth ever since we heard about it. Tonight was the night!

Here's Ryan, who is the biggest Vermont booster ever:

Ryan grew up in Vermont and may well end up being governor of the state.

Here's James, who just moved here from New Mexico, and, like me, can't quite believe this state:

Pizza on Earth is a farm near Charlotte, Vermont. On Thursdays and Fridays during the summer they make pizza and gelato out of ingredients that they grew. Here's where they grow it:

Here are Ryan & James eating chocolate chip mint gelato made from real mint grown in a little plot behind them:

After the gelato, Ryan took us down to see the ferry dock. Here are some geese:

Here are a bunch of sail boats:

Here is the ferry:

I swear this whole state is like living in an episode of the Bobbsey Twins. I can't wait for Christopher to get here tomorrow so I can show him all of this.

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

By popular demand: pictures of my de-spikified haircut. I'll get the spikes back, and this morning I washed all the blow-dry nonsense out so it's not quite so suburban. Here's how it looks now:

Way more interesting: the mountains have been very clear these past few days. You can't tell from the picture but I can make out individual trees on those shores.

2010-06-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday up at 4:00 am to get to Brattleboro in time to set up for the big event. It was a roaring success, albeit too long. The highlight was Bernie Sanders giving a roaring pro-union speech:

He was followed by a gubernatorial candidates' forum. Let me just say that if you think there are some wingnuts running around in Indiana and Kansas, you should listen to some of the wackos running for office in Vermont.

Today I went south on the bike trail, and ended up at another lighthouse:

Here's me looking at the lighthouse:

Here's me with the lighthouse:

I sat on the shore for a long time watching boats and ferries and sailboats and ducks and swimmers and seagulls and clouds and mountains... it was a very busy beach.

Here's a henge:

Being good Vermonters, the henge-builders wanted to make sure that future archaeologists had no doubt as to what the henge was for, so they stuck a clearly-marked sundial in the middle of it:

I imagine, however, that future archaelogists will say to themselves, "These jokers had digital watches. What the hell did they need a henge for?"

Here's a cool old drawbridge across an old canal that was built when Burlington was a big lumber center. (The draw bridge is the tall square thing. The arched bridge is part of the bike path.)

There are mysterious doings right now on Depot Street:

Turns out there are blackberries getting ripe! It was picked pretty clean but I did find a couple ripe ones. Here are some not-ripe ones:

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

Late-breaking local cat:

This guy is usually on the other side of the street but he was working my side tonight and came up to hang out with me on the porch while I was on the phone with Christopher. He moves fast;

He checked out the house through the front door very carefully to make sure I wasn't hiding any twinkies in there:

Can I keep him?

I'm calling him Colchester until someone tells me different.

2010-06-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

I was in an earthquake yesterday.

I thought the people upstairs were moving furniture until I saw the timber beams above my desk start wobbling around. I moved out of there mighty fast, but nothing came down. Apparently Burlington is on the St. Lawrence fault and gets lots of earthquakes.

Haven't had a lot of time/adventures for taking pictures lately but here's a group photo of my fellow LSUS students, who are all now scattered around the country at different projects, and the AFL-CIO Associate General Counsel who coordinates the whole thing, who is one of my favorite lawyers in the world:

In other news, apparently JCN's class of 1990 is having its 20-year reunion in July, which means I'm getting downright antique. On the up-side, lots of fun phone calls from home today made me feel less homesick and more perky, even though it rained torrentially (as per usual) while I was waiting for the bus home. I guess it takes all this rain to make a state so green. The sun is shining loriously now - I might go for a walk after dinner.

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

By popular demand, a quick tour of my immediate outdoor environs. They're not much, which is why I haven't bothered before.

The house looks kind of janky on the outside:

The back yard isn't much:

Here's the view north on my street (I have no idea who the person with pink hair is):

And south:

Wayyyyy more interesting to me are the mountains on the way to Montpelier! This one had its head in the clouds on the way to the capital, but coming back to Burlington it was clear:

love,
Sarah

2010-06-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

On the way downtown there was this extra bad cat in a garden:

By the lake, a very inquisitive seagull made sure I was properly documented and registered:

After the seagull encounter I was hungry so I went to the Sadie Katz Deli...

where I had a really truly east coast Egg Cream!

Also some corned beef which was out of this world. Yummy!

Then over to the library, where I wandered around some art galleries in the children's section, which is in the old part of the building. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it's really gorgeous:

I scored some free books from the library basement and spent the afternoon reading here:

And there:

Not quite as spectacular as the bike ride, but a very groovy day nonetheless.

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Didn't start out intending to bike all the way up to the Winooski river today, but once I got on the trail, I never wanted to stop.

I found places where people swim in the lake. Unofficially:

And officially:

You bike and bike and bike through woods and hills and I took a detour into the suburbs to get some sunscreen(!) but eventually I got to the old train bridge across the Winooski. If you look east off the bridge, you see the river:

If you look west off the bridge, it's all lake and mountains:

Either way it's pretty spectacular. The bike took a break to look:

After the bridge there's a little causeway and then some suburbs. I didn't find the end of the trail; not sure how much further it goes on.

Here's me and the bike enjoying the bridge:

When I got back to the house, there was the neighbor's cat in the garage:

He's a Hemingway cat!

We communed for a while:

I think I biked maybe 12-14 miles, which is small potatoes, but I will sleep well tonight!

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

My phone camera is just not cut out for wildlife photography, but here are some ducks, or rather, some duck derrieres, in the lake (at the end of the rocks):

A little further on, some ducks that were still sleeping one off (those little dark dots next to the driftwood are, indeed, sleeping ducks):

An encouraging sign:

But here's what you see when you look up, which is not so encouraging:

The other side of the sign:

It's all very mysterious but charming.

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

There are wild roses everywhere, and they smell beeeeyoootiful. For that matter, there are flowers all over the place here:

I pass this pile of clothes every day. It's not always the same clothes.

Here's a cool outbuilding with no paint left on it:

You've heard of the Loch Ness monster? Well, we have the Lake Champlain monsters:

The local minor league baseball team is the Lake Monsters, in fact.

Here are some sailboats:

Here's me sitting on some rocks at the lake shore:

Here's the hill that I have to climb in order to get home:

Halfway up the hill:

If you make it to the top without having a coronary, this tree smiles at you:

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

Biked to work this morning! My route goes right down the lake so I took some pictures (closer up) of the lighthouse:

Here are some foggy mountains in the distance:

Here's me and my bike:

It was 70 degrees so I didn't bother with a coat. More fool I. This afternoon it dropped back down to the 50s and I bummed a ride home rather than bike home in the cold rain. When I got home I put on six layers of everything. Then I looked outside and saw firetrucks being mysterious in front of the house two doors down:

Heather my co-worker (who hooked me up with this place) told me there's a fabulous view from the attic of this house, so I went up there to see -- she wasn't kidding!

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

This morning I opened my window and saw sunlight!

So I went to the Old Spokes Home to their secret upstairs storage room where they keep the Really Cheap Bikes. I found this blue 3-speed Valiant cheap!

They tuned it up for me and off I went. First I went to this store that I've seen on my way to work that has a little Japanese garden out front:

Here's my bike parked in front of the Japanese garden:

Then I biked all around downtown. Here's an installation in a little art gallery that used to be a fire station - it's a really cool art space now:

I probably overdid it a bit; I'm pretty knackered and maybe exacerbated the sore throat but it was worth it. Having a bike is one of my favorite things.

Love,
Sarah

2010-06-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

Today was my first bus-only day. Apparently women built my bus stop, which is nice:

Here's a yard in my neighborhood that's all about frogs:

After work I went for a looooong walk downtown. Lots of lakeside pictures:

Here's the Burlington Shipyard:

You can't tell but these are pictures of a lighthouse:

Here's some pay-only gig that was annoying:

Eventually I turned inland and wandered into the jazz festival that's raging downtown. These chicks are sitting in front of a sign that says "Please Do Not Sit On Platform:"

The next block over was a big crowd:

As I got closer I could hear what they were crowding around: Salsa!

The salsa was playing in front of a castle:

Salsa + Castle = a uniquely Vermont combination:

I happen to adore salsa so I had a good time bobbing around and watching the people. A note on New Englanders: They are without exception tall and thin with beautiful noses. The men all look like Spalding Grey, and the women have no rear ends. Neither sex has any rhythm, which makes them funny to watch in front of a salsa band. Some professional salsa dancers got up on stage to demonstrate how it was done, and when the female dancers moved their hips, I actually saw a couple people spontaneously combust. I'm going to remember next time there's a frost advisory: to get warm in New England, listen to music that was not made by northern Europeans. Aiiiiiiiiyaiyaiyai!

2010-06-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today was kind of a bust for pictures. I had to return the rental car so I spent a lot of time on buses where nothing interesting was happening (which is good.) Work was lots of research and not much interesting but I did take this picture of the sign behind my desk.

It rained nonstop and didn't get up to 60 degrees so I was grumpy. Then bus #5 was late, which meant I missed the connection for bus #7, which meant that I just gave up and hiked home rather than waiting for the 5:45 version of #7. My slacks were sopping all the way up to the knees by the time I got home. Now the sun is shining, natch. Tomorrow should be sunny and warmer.

Love,
Sarah

A Ton of Pics

2010-06-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Didn't update yesterday b/c I was busy moving into the house where I'll be staying for the summer. It's in a cool neighborhood (something like East Lawrence) and it's one street over from the lake, which makes it exciting. A virtual tour:

Hallway:

My room:

Living room:

Kitchen:

Me in the house:

When I got home tonight I went for a long walk - I have to take back the rental car on Thursday so from then on it's all hiking and biking. So I went down the lakeshore trail to see how long it takes to walk to work. Here's what I saw:

The ferry, up close:

A building with flying monkeys on top:

A glimpse of the lake between houses:

Mountains across the lake:

It's a lot like being at the ocean; there are seagulls everywhere, and boats, and ocean-type buildings next to the lake. Everything is huge mountains and green; considering where I come from, it's a little like being on the moon. But it's awfully pretty. My walk to work will be the best commute on earth!

Love,
Sarah

Rain

2010-06-06T17:01:00.001-07:00

It got all the way up to 57 degrees today!

This afternoon went to the Fletcher Free Library and got some stuff done for work. It's pretty; not as big as Bloomington's but a nice place. Here are a couple pics:

Wandered around downtown a little more and found the local coop and got some local Macintosh apples and some other goodies for the week.

All the public buildings have this sign:

I was thinking it was just a winter thing, but given today's weather, it may be a caution for all year.

Love,
Sarah

Downtown Burlington

2010-06-05T14:28:00.001-07:00

Today I did my first exploration of the town, which is a college town and therefore full of cute streets, shops, etc. The coolest thing I've seen about Burlington so far is the lake:

Down at the very end of this street is a ferry that will take you to New York, although why you'd want to go there is beyond me:

Rather than have the pedestrians fight with the traffic, the city has closed off all of Church Street and devoted it to consumerism:

And I accidentally bumped into the Farmer's Market, which is as big as Bloomington's, only with fried samosas and eggrolls and stuff:

I also looked at a room someone's trying to rent out; good news is that it's in an adorable house in an adorable neighborhood and my housemates are never there. Bad news is I would have to share. That seems to be basically what's available in this town - I think summer housing is a premium because Burlington is a vacation destination. So I may just have to bite the bullet and share. (Those of you related to me know how difficult a proposition that is for me!) I'm willing to do it to get out of the hotel; while my suite is a very good temporary situation, it is inconveniently located and ill-appointed and I will be really glad to have a place with things like a place to hang my suits, an iron, and bathroom counters.

The good news is that I have met exceedingly helpful, friendly, all-around decent people today! Even the guy who was showing me the room seems like someone C. and I would naturally hang out with. And speaking of C., a special message: Dupa! Every male person here has a huge beard! There's a place for you in New England!

Love,
Sarah

A few pictures of VT

2010-06-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

So, I went to work at 9 this morning. Met my supervisor, who debriefed me on my projects, and met all the cool people I'll be working with--I have an awesome office of folks to work with! Here's a picture of the outside of the office:

I can't talk much about the things that I did today, except to say that one activity involved sitting in a meeting with a gubernatorial candidate. It was 3pm before I realized I hadn't eaten lunch yet so I walked down to a little wine and cheese shop and got, in addition to some pasta for lunch, fixins for a nice organic salad tonight. All the food I've seen so far has been some astonishing gourmet delight. Also, apparently everyone in Vermont is tall, thin, and beautiful. Maybe this weekend I'll get some pics.

There's a jazz festival downtown this weekend - Arturo Sandoval is one of the headliners - so once I've caught up on my sleep I'm going to head down there and check out the scene. This afternoon I went to a meeting at one of the hospitals, and on the way back, the lady I was riding with took me through downtown so I could see the sites. You head down main street and all of a sudden there's this deep blue lake at the end, with mountains up behind. It's a wonder to me that anyone can drive down the street without wrecking; all you want to do is look.

So, I didn't get any pics today -- too busy -- but here are some trees outside my hotel window:

And here's me grinning like a maniac in my hotel room:

I won't be in a hotel the whole time; I'm going to go check out a couple places this weekend so hopefully soon I'll have a real address. Until then, just email me or leave a comment here :)

Love,
Sarah

Vermont by way of Washington D.C.

2010-06-03T18:42:00.001-07:00

So I've been in Vermont for roughly an hour and have no pictures, much less impressions. But spending three days in D.C., even though it was wall-to-wall meetings with no free time whatsoever, did turn up a couple of pics. First, and this will only make sense to fans of P.G. Wodehouse, the Drones Club!

Second, I was secretly bemoaning to myself that this is my second trip to D.C. during which I have seen none of the sites, when they took us up to a conference room and we looked out the window and check out the view!!!

It was particularly exciting because when we asked whether we could take pictures, the GC said "take all you want through the window, but don't try to go out onto the balcony or the snipers will get you." I thought she was joking until later in the meeting I looked out the window and saw guys in all black walking across the White House roof. I turned to the attorney next to me and said "so...are those guys fixing the air conditioner?" and he said "Nope, those are the snipers. There's also a huge anti-aircraft gun that you can't see from here." I said "I think that may be the creepiest thing I've ever seen." And I wasn't even kidding.

Love,
Sarah

COMING SOON

2010-05-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

10 weeks in Vermont with the American Federation of Teachers, supplemented by pictures taken with my new camera phone thus:

...including running commentary re: Burlington, projects, Vermont, and various occurrences and vicissitudes as they happen.

Image courtesy nationalatlas.gov (public domain) at http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/reference/pagegen_vt.pdf

State population: 600,000
State capital: Montpelier
Burlington population: 50,000
Burlington industries: manufacturing, trade and transportation, government, education (University of Vermont), and healthcare

Burlington was organized in 1785; resisted involvement in the War of 1812 although it was shelled for about 10 minutes by the British in 1813; became a manufacturing and trade center after the completion of the Champlain and Erie canals; incorporated as a city in 1865; Ben & Jerry's ice cream founded in a Burlington gas station in 1978; city is located 80 miles south of Montreal and 200 miles northwest of Boston.

July 30

2009-07-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

A quick guide to the rain in Pittsburgh:

If it starts to sprinkle, that's fair warning. You have approximately ten minutes to take cover before the deluge. It's never the case that it sprinkles and then stops. If it's sprinkling, you're about to get soaked. (I've been caught in more apocalyptic downpours this summer than you would think possible.)

The rain will rain all day once it starts. It's like a tap stuck in the "on" position. There's no half-sunny, half-rainy day. If it's raining, it will stay that way, perhaps for a week.

Always always always take your umbrella with you, even if you think you don't need it. I have a little tiny one that fits into my purse. I never leave home without it.

Yesterday evening after work I was walking to the bus stop through a torrential downpour (under my teensy umbrella, which I had prudently brought with me.) At the corner was a guy with a tremendous umbrella--you could have parked a car under the thing. Then three sopping wet girls without umbrellas came to the corner. He took one look at them and raised the umbrella so they could take cover.

Here's a bird pretending to be Mondrian:

A sign on an office at work:

And finally, I'll have only spotty internet access until Sunday evening, so here's a little something in honor of my last full day in Pittsburgh. I've had a lovely time, and I'll miss it, but I'm ready to go home now.

Love,
Sarah

2009-07-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

To get to Squirrel Hill, I get on the 64A Bus at the corner of 5th Ave & Highland. At this corner is a grotto type of thing with these fixtures inside.

Turns out they're not urinals. Rather, it's where people used to water their horses.

Just up the street is Chatham College, one of the first women's colleges in the US, where they used to chain themselves to ballot boxes and that sort of thing. It's very parklike. I got a brilliant sunburn on the back of my neck reading a book there Sunday morning.

I felt I should visit Homestead, the site of the infamous Homestead Massacre. Here is how they've memorialized it:

Seriously, it's Target, the Gap, and Pier One as far as the eye can see. As if to make it clear how utterly the Union was defeated.

Last night we attempted to go to the Pirates/Brewers baseball game. We started with a sandwich at Primanti Brothers, which was everything Sam said it would be and more. Here's what a sandwich looks like. With typical Pittsburgh practicality and efficiency, they just pile the french fries and coleslaw right on to the sandwich. It's all going to end up in the same place anyway, right?

Here's Amanda, Andrew, and Bob enjoying their sandwiches.

After dinner we walked across the bridge, which was blocked off to traffic, to PNC Park.

It's cool because the ball park is right on the Allegheny so you can look across and see the city from a different angle. We looked across and saw storm clouds lowering.

The geese were not concerned about the rain, which steadily intensified.

After standing there for an hour, during which a thunderstorm came through, we decided they couldn't possibly play a ball game and went home, hoping to catch the make-up on Wednesday. This morning we found out that after all that, they played, and they won.

Nevertheless, my co-workers got me into a baseball park, and I didn't have a terrible time there, even with the $4.25 soda. And the experience was consummately Pittsburghian: it rained, our plans went down the tubes, we enjoyed ourselves anyway.

Love,
Sarah

July 4 and beyond

2009-07-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

July 4 started when Joe & Di (Chris's brother and sister in law) very kindly came and rescued me from the big city! I got to stay at their farm all weekend and hang out with them and their kids & grandkids.

Here's one of my grandnieces, whose mom makes adorable clothes & bows for her. She is a cherub.

Here's her little brother, also a cherub.

We were at a 4th of July party. Water balloons were thrown. Threats were made. I escaped un-dampened.

Here's Joe with either Solo or Panzer, I can't remember which. Don't be fooled by the scary exterior; underneath is a complete teddy bear. (The dog is friendly, too.)

Labrador Puppies! Maybe some of these are related to Marley, who came from Joe & Di's business.

But wait, there's more!

Spaniel puppies!

More spaniel puppies!

The real reason I haven't posted lately--my arm was eaten off by puppies!

Here's a puppy running to eat my arm off.

So that's what I did for 4th of July. When I got back, I dove into the project that has eaten up my time and brain power for the past week. We sent off the letter yesterday and I now have a writing sample that will hopefully maybe help me get jobs.

Note to Sam: I have been meaning to tell you, there's a Primanti brothers right around the corner from where I work. I keep trying to go there, but it's jam-packed with business people every day for lunch! So I'm going to try to get there some weekend when I don't have to fight my way through the suits. Thank you for the tip!

Love,
Sarah

While you wait

2009-07-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Have a look at the link my brother sent me:

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

Pictures of July 4 Coming Soon

2009-07-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

But not before I finish this Position Letter (i.e. Brief for the Regional Counsel, viz., one buttload of work.)

June 28

2009-06-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a quiet week in Lake Duquesne...

I did find out that there's a Trader Joe's Store very near my house, which I'm told is a good thing. I went to check it out and came out with the silliest bottle of Pink Lemonade I think I have ever seen:

The weather has been fickle, almost like Kansas. Here's what it looks like downtown when it's about to storm:

I didn't have anything to do this afternoon so I went to the Mellon Park to read. It's an odd mixture of grandeur and dilapidation:

I walked by a horse truck and peeked inside to find donkeys, goats, and cows. I think they were a petting zoo.

Here's an old adding machine. I don't know why it was in the park or why someone decided to stick it on the balustrade. I imagine it was once hurled at the head of an unlucky clerk or secretary by an angry Mellon.

Maybe it was put there by this chipmunk, who was decidedly disgusted with my encroachment on his little Eden:

Then it started to rain (you can't see it in the picture, but trust me, it's there.)

I stayed dry under some thick trees & my umbrella. When it let up I came home. As soon as I got inside, the sun came out and it's been shining ever since. I don't mind; rain here isn't ferocious like rain in Kansas. It sort of pelts down gently and then says "there, there" and moves on. Everything is cool and still and quiet now.

Happy Anniversary, Jon!

Love,
Sarah

July 21

2009-06-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

My dad's in town this weekend. Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday we rented bikes and biked on the Eliza Furnace Trail which goes along the Monongahela River, both sides (you bike across a couple bridges). We stopped and had a picnic, and then biked by some abandoned barges with trees growing in them.

Today we took a Just Ducky Tour on a refurbished amphibious vehicle from WWII. Yes, amphibious means it goes on land and on water. It was pretty cool. Here's Dad on the duck boat:

The best part was seeing downtown from the water. I got a good shot of the USW building (it's the one that looks like a waffle iron.)

When the tour was over, we were right there so we went up the Monongahela Incline, which is a funicular that goes straight up the southern bluffs. Not the most calming experience for an acrophobe. I made it though.

Once you get up there the view's pretty spectacular - that's why all the postcard pictures are from up there.

Here's a shot of me with the USW building in the background.

Here's what the fountain at the point looks like from far away:

Remember my first day when I took a picture of that church up on top of Duquesne Heights from downtown? Well here's what it looks like up close:

We're getting up really super early tomorrow to get Dad on his plane. It's been awful fun having him here, and now I know some really cool things to do when you come visit!

Love,
Sarah

2009-06-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

When I get on the bus in the morning I stare at these rooftops and wonder if they did it on purpose.

If you were a preschooler in a city, your school might look like this:

Here's a cool bridge that you can walk across if you're brave:

Sunday afternoon my boss gave us interns some of his season tickets to the Pittsburgh Symphony. They were playing Mahler's Resurrection with the Mendelssohn Choir. So off I went.

There was a ton of traffic because they had a lot going on downtown - the Arts Festival, the Gay Pride Festival, and a bunch of other stuff. So some folks had been waiting for the bus a long time.

I noticed the lady in front of me kind of lolling about, but the woman sitting next to me seemed to be supporting her. Then the supporting lady got off the bus and the lolling lady started lolling a lot worse, and I realized she was having some kind of seizure. It looked like she might bang her head so I jumped up and held her head. Somebody else got the bus driver to call the paramedics. We ended up getting her on her side on the floor of the bus with her bag under her head for a pillow. A few of us stuck around until the paramedics showed up. She was about my age and still had on a hospital bracelet -- someone had just let her out of the hospital. Luckily there was a guy there who said his mom had epilepsy and he just kept holding her hand and saying "It's ok Tammy, help is on the way."

When the paramedics got there I got off the bus (luckily just a few blocks from Heinz Hall) and called my co-workers to let them know I was on my way. Luckily I'd left early (I always do because you never know whether the buses will be running on time) so I got there in plenty of time. I was pretty depressed and a little disoriented and stopped in at the CVS across the street to get Advil and some water. Then I headed into the hall.

It was the perfect place to be after such a disturbing experience. I've never been much of a Mahler fan--he always seems so schlocky and post-romantic and hyper-chromatic. But they played the Resurrection Symphony (No. 2 in C minor, for anyone who wants to look it up). OH MY GOODNESS. It was magnificent! He starts off in the lower registers and gets them going to a real fever pitch, all in the first movement. Then in the second movement he does this hilarious pastorale Teutonic fantasia stuff--I kept having flashes of Bugs Bunny in drag on a fat horse. (I know, that's Wagner but same idea.) The third movement is this delightful snaky peasant dancy kind of business, and then in the fourth movement the solo contralto comes in - again, lower registers, which is frankly a relief. And of course the fifth movement he gets the whole thing going, choir, organ, tubular bells, harps, off-stage horns and drums, on-stage horns and drums--if he'd known how to write for a kitchen sink, he would have thrown that in too. If your hair isn't standing up on the back of your neck by the end of the piece, you must be comatose.

After the concert the boss said "how about a bite to eat, my treat?" So of course we accepted, and had an awfully nice time with him and his wife and another attorney and his wife. They are really cool, funny, kind, intimidatingly smart folks to work with. Then to top it all off the boss gave both of us interns a ride home, and pointed out landmarks along the way.

Today was the Penguins victory parade. They were already lined up at the barracades when I got downtown at 8:00 am, and they didn't leave until 3:00 in the afternoon. In between it was quite a hootenanny:

Random marching band:

Hockey players:

Either hockey coaches or hockey owners, I'm not sure which:

An exuberant ensemble:

Amphibious vehicles (irrelevant but no one cared):

Somebody famous:

Penguin fans that I work with:

My favorite part of the parade:

Before the parade:

During the parade:

After the parade:

Whoopee!

2009-06-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

I just figured out why the ice cubes are in the shape of penguins.

June 6

2009-06-06T17:02:00.001-07:00

I went downtown to check out the Three Rivers Arts Festival that started this weekend. It was mostly boothes of starving artist paintings and cheesy new age jewelry but there were a couple of cool things. It was fun to watch Pittsburghiacs enjoying the sun.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, a hockey team, are playing the Detroit Wings, another hockey team, for the Stanley Cup. Everyone's gone Penguin-mad. So I got into the spirit, too.

Here's a duck who was into the spirit.

This is what Fort Pitt Tunnel looks like from the other end.

There are roses all over this city, even at the bus stops.

Because of the Stanley cup, the whole city is like a big family picnic right now, complete with jovial drunken uncles and moms yelling at their kids. It's actually pretty cute.

Love,
Sarah

June 4

2009-06-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

This morning I looked out of my office window and saw skydivers.

I couldn't see where they landed. Here's a picture of the Alice in Wonderland park where I eat lunch sometimes.

At the point where the Allegheny and Monagahela collaborate together to make the Ohio, the French built a fort in the 18th century.

A century or two later, the Americans built a fountain.

This is my favorite spot to eat lunch. It takes about 5 minutes to walk there. Pictures don't really do it justice.

love,
Sarah

June 3

2009-06-03T11:05:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I look out my office window and think "Wow! I'm in a skyscraper!"

June 2

2009-06-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of empty offices at work so they called the IT guy in and had him set up computers for us. So now I have an office with windows! How cool is that?

They took us out to eat today at a restaurant attached to the Pittsburgh symphony. It's pretty cool; we ate outside next to a waterfall.

Here are some of the people I work with:

Dan, Andrew, Sasha

Katy & Dan

Love,
Sarah

May 27-30

2009-06-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't take many pictures this week - too busy just learning my way around -- the office, the city, my neighborhood, the grocery store.

I made a scrumptious thai curry last night which is easy-peasy:

Take 1 cup of light coconut milk and heat it up with 1 tbsp of red curry paste for about 10 minutes. Stir in juice from 1/2 lime.
Meanwhile, chop up 1 large or 4 baby bok choy into bite sized pieces and boil them for about 5 minutes until tender.
Saute two fish filets (I used tilapia) in 1 tsp olive oil until cooked (about 5 minutes).
Remove fish filets from skillet and cook bok choy, juice from the other 1/2 lime, and 1 cup sliced shiitakes (get 'em fresh, it's easier) until everything looks hotsy-totsy.

Put the veggies on two plates, then a fish filet each, then drizzle the curry sauce over the top. I had mine with rice.

Today I'm going to the coffee shop to take advantage of their internet connection and do research for work. This is not as onerous as it sounds; I enjoy the coffee shop and I've been hiking all over my neighborhood for the past two days. Also, I'll need the coffee as I was up late last night. Doing what, you ask?

I never claimed not to be a nerd.

Love,
Sarah

May 26

2009-05-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

It was rainy today so I had lunch in the conference room at work. The outside of the USW building is designed a little like a waffle iron, and the windows inside are shaped accordingly.

My big triumph today was finding the bus stop! It's been hiding from me because of all the construction downtown but I finally found the little bugger. It's the difference between a 15 minute ride home and a ride that can take an hour plus. It's a little like finding the holy grail.

When I got home I needed to return some stuff to the library so I headed down the alley behind my house and found the following delights:

The local library really does need to be remodeled; here's what it looks like now.

Remember the monstrous huge church that I took a picture of a few days ago? This is what it looks like up close:

To get to the library I have to cross the Busway. The Busway is a special highway that's only for buses. The Busway is what makes my ride home only 15 minutes when a regular bus takes an hour. It doesn't look like much but the Busway is one of my favorite things about my neighborhood right now. As I was taking the picture, my bus came running under so I got a good shot of it. I waved.

Love, Sarah

May 21-24

2009-05-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I started my internship, which is exceedingly cool. So far I'm just doing research (one Duty of Fair Representation case, one weird case involving a company who won't pay up). The folks there are really fun and they took us out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant downtown, which was very scrumptious. Still learning my way around down there. Here's a picture of a random skyscraper:

On Friday, rather than spend a three-day weekend in a city where I know no one as yet, I decided to come back to Ohio with Chris (the drive is about 1.5 hours) and hang out on his brother Joe's new sailboat. Here's us being boaters on Saturday:

Saturday night we had a cookout and tossed a frisbee around for a while. Today Chris brought me back to the city and then headed back to Indiana. I miss him an awful lot; it's been mighty fun exploring the city with him.

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Love,
Sarah

May 20

2009-05-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

Today I had my video teleconference interview with the NLRB in Indy - yes, I'm still in Pittsburgh; they just networked with the regional office here so we could talk about the externship. They said they'll let the applicants know asap so we can work around our class schedules. So we'll see. That was another big adventure downtown - I always manage to get where I'm going but I still have to walk around a bit to find the bus stop to go home. Doing so in high heels is a joy.

In the afternoon Chris and I stopped by the bodega around the corner and found that it's full of Turkish delight. Well, not quite full, but in addition to the usual candy, soft drinks, cigarettes, lottery tickets, and odds & ends, it's got halva, dolmas, baklava, couscous, and yes Turkish delight. So if I get a bug up to cook mediterranean at midnight, I'm set, even if I don't have the ingredients in the house.

Then we went to the Mellon Park, which is about 5 blocks away from my sublet. A very fulfilling afternoon.

May 18-19

2009-05-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

May 18: We headed into town about midday, through the oddly adorable industrial town of Steubenville, WV, which involves the prettiest bridge I've ever seen in person. It sort of looks like an angel from a distance.

But when you go over, it looks like a spider.

Going into Pittsburgh you have to face the Fort Pitt Tunnel, which actually goes under a mountain, which is a little scary when one has grown up in the open fields.

But then you come out onto the Fort Pitt Bridge into downtown, and it's like coming into, well, the Emerald City, actually.

We got the apartment all squared away. These pictures don't quite do it justice b/c I took them at night. During the day, light and air pour in through the windows. For such a small space, it's surprisingly well-appointed.

We went to the Giant Eagle, which is the normal grocery store about 3 blocks away (there's a Whole Foods just down the street but it seems to be frequented entirely by self-righteous yuppies complaining about the bananas) and got provisions for the week. I was sawing logs by 10:00. Big day.

May 19: This morning up early (the sun coming through those windows really makes it easy to bounce out of bed) and rode the bus downtown to see how long it would take. Took a picture of Duquesne Heights, which is a neighborhood perched precariously on the bluffs just across the Monongahela River. (Chris and I are getting a kick out of pronouncing Duquesne the way it's spelled, as opposed to Doo-Kayne, which is how it ought to be spelled if they wanted it to be pronounced that way.)

Here are some pictures of my neighborhood.

In the afternoon I got a library card at the local branch of the Carnegie Library (!) which I probably won't use as much as you would think because in June they're closing the neighborhood branch for remodeling. Oh well.

I'm still figuring out the internet connection. My plan is to get into the habit of getting up early, heading over to the coffee shop for my morning cuppa, and using their internet to do whatever needs doing. Posting may be spotty until I establish some sort of schedule.

Love, Sarah

2009-05-16T06:10:00.000-07:00

I'm going to attempt to keep everyone updated via blogging this summer, if I have adequate time/internet access. Stay tuned.

wow.

2009-05-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

A letter from the President of IU concerning the flu and its effect on graduation proceedings.

Wow, Sebelius got confirmed!

2009-04-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

Article

Now if we can just get Dawn Johnsen in, the number of Women Who Rawk in this Administration is going to be seriously impressive.

Happy Birthday, 92!

2009-04-20T04:58:00.000-07:00

Today our little punk rocker turns 1.

This guy gives 92 a run for her money.

2009-04-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

2009-03-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

2009-03-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

some poems

2009-03-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

poems by me

2009-03-09T06:12:00.001-07:00

wow. looks like drugs but apparently it's just broccoli.

yeah

2009-02-23T07:48:00.001-08:00

Go Vote Yes. Of course we still need unions. Now more than ever.
http://www.parade.com/export/sites/default/news/intelligence-report/archive/does-america-still-need-labor-unions.html

ohhhhh long john

2009-02-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

This I do not believe.

2009-01-31T08:46:00.001-08:00

2009-01-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

According to the French Republican Calendar, today is Nonidi (the ninth day of the week, which is 10 days long), Nivose (month of snow) 19, Marbre (Marble).

Dadgum.

2008-12-18T13:55:00.001-08:00

2008-12-07T14:17:00.001-08:00

2008-11-13T04:20:00.001-08:00

2008-11-10T13:14:00.001-08:00

This is my new favorite thing about Bloomington.

I just want to say that the sludge saved my life today. lord. help. me.

2008-11-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

Finally.

2008-10-26T06:45:00.001-07:00

2008-10-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

um. yeah. um.... I have to get back to work.

Why we're ordering wheel chairs

2008-08-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

2008-08-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

(a review of this revolting item is available at mathlete.)

Like Feaelin, I'm starting back up next week. Unlike Feaelin, I'm probably not going to blog much, although I'm taking nifty classes (Labor Law, Investigation, First Amendment, among others.) So, if you happen to drop by in the next 9 months, please bear with my absence and just know that if I weren't in moot court plus three boards plus my regular class schedule, I'd totally still be blogging.

Re-Gurgitate

2008-08-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

I keep looking at re-nest, thinking that they'll have some useful green tips and links. Once in a great while they do.

But usually it's stuff like "Hey wow! Did you know that you can turn a tablecloth into a curtain?!?"

Let me just say that if this simple maneuver has never occurred to you before, then you have either too much money or not enough imagination. Or both.

If you haven't figured out that one can use, say, bum CDs for coasters, or books and boards to make shelves, or saucers as candle holders, then I have a couple of toilet paper rolls that I've cleverly turned into cat toys that I'd like to sell you for $40 a pop.

2008-08-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

2008-08-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Meet 92.

2008-08-12T06:01:00.000-07:00

Kitten Day.

2008-08-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hope there's one this good at the pound.

2008-08-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yeondoo Jung takes children's pictures and makes them into photographs.

Baby Tony!

2008-08-07T06:09:00.000-07:00

It's a brand-new one!

2008-08-06T06:12:00.000-07:00

The No-Dig Garden

2008-08-04T06:06:00.001-07:00

Bugger. I wish I'd heard about this before we tore our arms off rototilling the yard.

Here are instructions and an update.

2008-08-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

www.johnnouanesing.net

2008-07-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

Test your vocabulary and donate rice at the same time at FreeRice.

2008-07-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

Parcours Saint Germain art contemporain

Not a Cat

2008-07-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

I am sheepish about it. But it works like a charm.

2008-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

This might be a good one. Wonder if the fishbowl is included.

2008-07-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

Only problem is that I bet it's dumb as a post from inbreeding.

2008-07-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

My brother sent me this link. Go there now.

2008-06-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

(image from a poster store)

In an effort to whittle off my 1L ten, I've been eschewing noodles for the past couple weeks.

This picture made me weep.

2008-06-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Tyger tyger burning bright....rowr!

Procrastination Tip #32

2008-06-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

If you're in the mood for a new desktop background, this site has some brilliant arte nouveau wallpaper.

2008-06-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

This is Teen Tony. He's a medium-sized version of Tony. We were seeing Baby Tony all the time for a while but now all we see is Teen Tony. We hope it's because Baby Tony finally ate enough to get big, but it happened over night so we're a little worried about Baby Tony. Anyway. Teen Tony was right outside my window just now with a can of spray paint and a bottle of Boone's Farm. Ah, youth.

2008-06-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Go listen to the Tomato read his excellent poems on WFIU!

2008-05-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Yes. That grew in our flower garden. Right out front for the neighbors to see.

2008-05-28T06:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday, Doc!

Hope you get lots of bike stuff!

Love,
your esteemed colleague

2008-05-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

Our Darling Kitty

2008-05-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

...is spending the weekend in the hospital, and it doesn't look good.
If you've got any extra white light lying around, please send it her way.

2008-05-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

Ten Things You Can Do To Help The Bees

2008-05-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

I doubt that this would work but it certainly addresses a problem that I have.

2008-05-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a bit about earthquake/disaster kits, about which I have mixed feelings.

On one hand, since the government is apparently completely incompetent in the face of an emergency, one ought to be prepared.

On the other hand, it's completely unrealistic to list "a gallon of water per person per day" because a) how would one calculate how many days one will be displaced? and b) just the Tomato and I would have to haul around 8 gallons to get through 4 days. Which, if we ended up on foot, with a cat carrier, and camping gear...maybe they should list "wheelbarrow" as one of the items to keep in your emergency kit.

And on yet another hand, who's got storage space for all that gear? We're already overflowing our 700 square feet. Where exactly would we stash this truckload of stuff we probably won't get a chance to use?

And on a fourth hand, who's got funding for rechargeable radios, solar cell phone chargers, extra cash (!), and first aid kits? They should rename this the "Emergency Disaster Kit for Rich People."