there were some cheeses left over from the the french dept. holiday potluck, so when it came time to come home, not wanting to waste good cheese, i threw them in my suitcase. as fortune would have it, i promptly forgot about them, and they sat in a plastic bag in my room throughout break, getting smellier (which, as cheeses go, isn't necessarily a bad thing). that is, until now...
as far as stockings go, my mother plays santa for my sister, my dad and me, so i took it upon myself to pull some stuff together for hers. it wasn't at all difficult to assemble small, inexpensive gifts for the stocking, as evidenced by her christmas list:
Hi guys, Here are some things I'd like for Christmas.
1. Clinique blush "new clover" is the color
2. Some sewing thread in a variety of colors, particularly I often use beige, tan, grey, black, navy and white, but I love all colors and use many different ones depending on the color of my purses (see coupon below)
3. A stitch ripper (see coupon below)
4. Any cool, unusual, larger buttons or beads, say from the Goodwill or an antique shop, that I can use for decorating the purses and for closing them. Whatever you do, don't spend a lot on them. I usually pay less than $1.50 even for the prettiest large beads or buttons
5. All-wool sweaters on sale at the Goodwill that I can cut up and make into a purse, Goodwills often have things on sale Tues, Wed and Thurs
That's all folks! OXOX
she wanted a cake server as well, so i put that in too. i asked my dad to pick up a bag of hershey's kisses with almonds, threw in an orange — done.
tonight, after much waiting for the parents to go to bed, i go get my mother's stocking and find that only mine is gone for filling, apparently she hadn't figured on her and dad's being filled as well. so i come back upstairs to fill hers and think of what to tell my dad. it mostly comes down to it not being a huge deal and teasing my mother about santa forgetting, but still, some kind of showing would be nice. that's when i remember the cheese.
i stuff it to the bottom of his stocking, throw in an orange — done.
22.12.07
(notice!)
just a little commentary from the management...
i refer to this as my secret blog, but more accurately it's a no secret blog. that is, your secrets aren't safe here. the lack of discretion becomes problematic as more and more people know this url (which i otherwise don't mind). for example, i mention what my mom got my dad for christmas, which is alright as long as i don't link him here to show him the lebron/kobe pic and he doesn't subsequently read the rest of the entries. so yeah, you've been put on notice, stephen colbert style.
i guess all it means is i have to be aware of you might be reading, though i (at least in part) reserve the right not to (or something).
i refer to this as my secret blog, but more accurately it's a no secret blog. that is, your secrets aren't safe here. the lack of discretion becomes problematic as more and more people know this url (which i otherwise don't mind). for example, i mention what my mom got my dad for christmas, which is alright as long as i don't link him here to show him the lebron/kobe pic and he doesn't subsequently read the rest of the entries. so yeah, you've been put on notice, stephen colbert style.
i guess all it means is i have to be aware of you might be reading, though i (at least in part) reserve the right not to (or something).
(don't meth with iowa)
I went too bed at 9 last night and woke up at 2. i quickly fell asleep again and woke up at 5. at that point i wasn't really very tired anymore, so i pulled out my computer and was wandering the internets when I found this gem:Mike Draper on NPR
It's the kind of thing that you'll mostly appreciate if you know the drape, and won't if you don't. suffice it to say that i do, thus did. if you don't, here's some free advertising for his store slash site www.thesmashsite.com If you're too lazy to check it out, there are t-shirts like 'rock out with your caucus out' and my personal favorite 'make awkward sexual advances, not war'.
It's the kind of thing that you'll mostly appreciate if you know the drape, and won't if you don't. suffice it to say that i do, thus did. if you don't, here's some free advertising for his store slash site www.thesmashsite.com If you're too lazy to check it out, there are t-shirts like 'rock out with your caucus out' and my personal favorite 'make awkward sexual advances, not war'.
21.12.07
(awesome happenings -or- sick as a dolphin)
Yesterday was easily the easiest dentist appointment of my life. The only curious thing was when the dentist asked me whether my wisdom tooth had ever bothered me. It never has, but suddenly started to last night. They must have disturbed the gum behind my tooth. At dinner last night i chewed through most of the offending gum, but it's still sore. Somewhere in there I realized that that's not an interesting story. Personally I just like the prescient question "Has that wisdom tooth ever given you any trouble?"
My mother and I were at the local liquor store buying Jaeger and Red Bull for Jaeger bombs. We ran into Sharon Wilson, who is the mother of Halle Wilson (of 5th grade fame) and cuts my mother's hair. She said she had only recently started drinking when Halle bought her a drink during a visit to Ohio State. Yesterday, she was buying cheap vodka to mix with orange pop.
I felt better than I have recently while working out this morning. I started slow on the bike then moved up to running. I read the first half of Daisy Miller on the bike. To cool off after I played basketball for a while outside. I was thinking that I would have oatmeal for breakfast, but somewhere in there I started making oatmeal cookies instead. I got to the part where I add baking soda and couldn't find any. Then i remembered the great thanksgiving fire of 2007, which my mother had extinguished with ... baking soda. apparently it hadn't been replaced. I ended up going next door (still sweaty, in my running clothes) to ask the neighbors that I don't know that well if i could have some. They were having their water heater replaced. I got that taken care of without further incident and provided amusement for the neighbors (my favorite! fun & profit!) Back home, i continued my doublebatch without incident until the oats. Unfortunately, I didn't notice until too late that my mother was keeping a strange health food mixture in the oat container. So we have sunflower seeds in the cookies too.
In the afternoon I went out to Oberlin and hung out with Sean. His sister Juliet is getting married, and Sean told me how his new favorite thing is weddings, by which he means getting drunk for free and dancing. In any case, it was a good opportunity for me to use the "all the world's men mourn" line.
My mother and I were at the local liquor store buying Jaeger and Red Bull for Jaeger bombs. We ran into Sharon Wilson, who is the mother of Halle Wilson (of 5th grade fame) and cuts my mother's hair. She said she had only recently started drinking when Halle bought her a drink during a visit to Ohio State. Yesterday, she was buying cheap vodka to mix with orange pop.
I felt better than I have recently while working out this morning. I started slow on the bike then moved up to running. I read the first half of Daisy Miller on the bike. To cool off after I played basketball for a while outside. I was thinking that I would have oatmeal for breakfast, but somewhere in there I started making oatmeal cookies instead. I got to the part where I add baking soda and couldn't find any. Then i remembered the great thanksgiving fire of 2007, which my mother had extinguished with ... baking soda. apparently it hadn't been replaced. I ended up going next door (still sweaty, in my running clothes) to ask the neighbors that I don't know that well if i could have some. They were having their water heater replaced. I got that taken care of without further incident and provided amusement for the neighbors (my favorite! fun & profit!) Back home, i continued my doublebatch without incident until the oats. Unfortunately, I didn't notice until too late that my mother was keeping a strange health food mixture in the oat container. So we have sunflower seeds in the cookies too.
In the afternoon I went out to Oberlin and hung out with Sean. His sister Juliet is getting married, and Sean told me how his new favorite thing is weddings, by which he means getting drunk for free and dancing. In any case, it was a good opportunity for me to use the "all the world's men mourn" line.
(pictures and answers)
My dad took me to the game last night. We had awesome seats (like you can see), and the cavs pulled out a win. In particular, LeBron had an awesome putback dunk right in front of us. At the end, I was jumping up and down and my phone fell down the in the bleachers. I ended up getting it back, but i missed a couple key opportunities to taunt ruthie's lakers fan of a mexican boyfriend.
This is my grandfather and I in front of my aunt and uncle's christmas tree. My aunt wasn't sure whether the hat was meant to be ironic (it was).
19.12.07
(one hand story)
i just got home, and for the first time that i could remember, the lights were on at reception. two norwegian boys were knitting caps at the desk. one was already wearing a hat; i figured he'd made that one as well. the rest on the hotel was dark as usual. the only discernible activity was the sound of my father watching steven soderbergh's version of solaris in 107. i brought a half empty box of pizza from the kitchen fridge to 112, and was watching the snow fall outside when helena stopped by. she asked me when i'd gotten in and i offered her a slice of pizza. it was mushroom and asparagus. we started watching the snow fall together. It had been falling consistently for a couple of days. except under the overhang covering the valet lane where i parked my white pickup, even the well plowed plots of asphalt were covered in a couple of inches. soon the sun went down and we couldn't see anything at all. we finished the pizza and walked a couple turns around the atrium. when we got tired, we cleared an area of carpet of furniture and set out a thick blanket featuring the logo of the canadian football team we used to sponsor. my father came out a little later with his hair uncombed. he brought his own blanket and settled in a ways away. when i woke up in the morning the norwegians were gone, but one of them left a hat. i took it with me when i went out.
17.12.07
(As the sun passed its zenith, mother and I set out in the golden accord)
Shopping extravaganza
First we went to the UPS store. I helped carry the boxes in and heckled the clerks there since they were both wearing turtlenecks (if you put on a backpack it'll be like a really weak midget's trying to bring you down).
Then we went to Perkins and made plans to a) see my uncle b) dine with the wongs and c) i forget. i also don't know what days all this visiting and dining is going down. sometime
Then we went to Meijer. This mostly involved me naysaying all my mom's choices (Whole wheat lasagna? Gross o'clock!). Also beer in a grocery store. For that, it's good to be home.
Then a chase around Sandusky trying to find clever novelty shot glasses for gifts. we pass on the following themes: cedar point, 'let's get drunk and screw', sandusky, cleveland indians, and nascar. We end up getting tall Ohio state glasses. I'll ask dad to pick up some Jaeger to go with for the party.*
Meanwhile, I went on a shoeventure at Dick's. I got a pair for $40 cause they were mispriced. yay for corporate incompetence resulting in me saving money.
We ended up at best buy, where, after much discussion, we settled on a GPS unit for my dad. Don't tell him, but it's because he gets lost more easily now.
All in all, we were gone for four hours.
*Ruthie called while we were at the mall to remind us to get red bull as well.
First we went to the UPS store. I helped carry the boxes in and heckled the clerks there since they were both wearing turtlenecks (if you put on a backpack it'll be like a really weak midget's trying to bring you down).
Then we went to Perkins and made plans to a) see my uncle b) dine with the wongs and c) i forget. i also don't know what days all this visiting and dining is going down. sometime
Then we went to Meijer. This mostly involved me naysaying all my mom's choices (Whole wheat lasagna? Gross o'clock!). Also beer in a grocery store. For that, it's good to be home.
Then a chase around Sandusky trying to find clever novelty shot glasses for gifts. we pass on the following themes: cedar point, 'let's get drunk and screw', sandusky, cleveland indians, and nascar. We end up getting tall Ohio state glasses. I'll ask dad to pick up some Jaeger to go with for the party.*
Meanwhile, I went on a shoeventure at Dick's. I got a pair for $40 cause they were mispriced. yay for corporate incompetence resulting in me saving money.
We ended up at best buy, where, after much discussion, we settled on a GPS unit for my dad. Don't tell him, but it's because he gets lost more easily now.
All in all, we were gone for four hours.
*Ruthie called while we were at the mall to remind us to get red bull as well.
(indescriminate gladhanding)
This is the part where i detail my activities for the first of nine days with which i have nothing particular to do.
With ten hours of transport, six of sleep, and twenty odd other since my last shower, this morning was pretty gross (I declined to take once yesterday upon the discovery that my mother had used all the hot water at my grandfather's house). Also cold, since no one normally lives upstairs (the vents are off!) and I'm above the garage to boot. Also cold because my blankets had fallen off (burrito homesickness!). I woke up at seven, saw my shadow, and went back for two more hours of sleep. the cold got to me by 9:30, and that was that.
(After all this complaining [drama!]), the first things i did was have a long hot shower. I also brushed my teeth twice with my sister's industrial strength toothpaste (which is, until further notice, my industrial strength toothpaste).
I then set about wandering the house in search of my mother (we have plans to go shopping [best buy, shoes]). I found her wrapping presents on the ping-pong table in the basement.* She sent me running around to get things for her, and then I started going through my toy shelves trying to sort things. Most of it is worthless to anyone but me, so it's a matter of keep or chuck. I chucked some of the most obviously useless things (pinewood derby cars, broken piece of big wheel no longer in our posession) then went upstairs.
I ate a grilled cheese on the last two pieces of bread in the house and found the family christmas card. I posted it here and then copyedited it (semicolons dad? srsly? -or- no comma before a coördinating conjunction followed by a dependent clause!).
Then I showed it to my dad, who was trying to make the wireless work on his laptop. I started writing this post, my dad solved his problem (fcn-F2, apparently) and went downstairs to make a sandwich, probably counting on aforementioned slices of bread.
*my mother wrapping christmas presents o nthe ping-pong table always reminds me of junior year of the song alamede, junior year of high school and my grandmother dying.
With ten hours of transport, six of sleep, and twenty odd other since my last shower, this morning was pretty gross (I declined to take once yesterday upon the discovery that my mother had used all the hot water at my grandfather's house). Also cold, since no one normally lives upstairs (the vents are off!) and I'm above the garage to boot. Also cold because my blankets had fallen off (burrito homesickness!). I woke up at seven, saw my shadow, and went back for two more hours of sleep. the cold got to me by 9:30, and that was that.
(After all this complaining [drama!]), the first things i did was have a long hot shower. I also brushed my teeth twice with my sister's industrial strength toothpaste (which is, until further notice, my industrial strength toothpaste).
I then set about wandering the house in search of my mother (we have plans to go shopping [best buy, shoes]). I found her wrapping presents on the ping-pong table in the basement.* She sent me running around to get things for her, and then I started going through my toy shelves trying to sort things. Most of it is worthless to anyone but me, so it's a matter of keep or chuck. I chucked some of the most obviously useless things (pinewood derby cars, broken piece of big wheel no longer in our posession) then went upstairs.
I ate a grilled cheese on the last two pieces of bread in the house and found the family christmas card. I posted it here and then copyedited it (semicolons dad? srsly? -or- no comma before a coördinating conjunction followed by a dependent clause!).
Then I showed it to my dad, who was trying to make the wireless work on his laptop. I started writing this post, my dad solved his problem (fcn-F2, apparently) and went downstairs to make a sandwich, probably counting on aforementioned slices of bread.
*my mother wrapping christmas presents o nthe ping-pong table always reminds me of junior year of the song alamede, junior year of high school and my grandmother dying.
(family xmas card)
On the left, we have a picture of a sleigh overflowing with presents and a pine tree and the text "Peace on earth, goodwill to all"
Also included in the card is a 1/3 sheet with the following blurb:
Pictured, Ruthie and Jake enjoy a waterfront café in Lucerne, Switzerland this spring. We were visiting Jake as he finished his junior year abroad in Paris; he and Jim had just run the Paris marathon.
Jake is now back at Franklin and Marshall for his senior year, majoring in French and Math. He will soon depart on a short trip to Algeria to study Albert Camus' roots, which relates to his honors thesis.
Ruthie is still in Orange County, CA, just south of LA. She enjoys her job as a business consultant, and especially her location. Business travel sometimes brings her to the Midwest for visits. We'll be visiting out there for the New Year's holiday.
Kit's new talent is hand-made purses, either knit or made from recycled wool sweaters. Very creative, and popular - she has been selling them in boutiques near Leland, Michigan, where we have our vacation cottage.
Jim is still running; he and Jake ran the Philadelphia marathon in November. His practice is busy, and he continues to participate as a preceptor for medical students from the University of Toledo on their community rotation.
We get up to Leland about once a month for long weekends, more in the summer. It's a place of great relaxation, where we enjoy kayaking, golf, hiking, tennis, and maybe snow shoeing this winter. We have made some wonderful new friends. We do enjoy hosting visitors if that might fit into your plans for 2008!
11.12.07
10.12.07
(something about staying up until 330 playing romance of the three kingdoms)
Last night it was Solaris.
5.12.07
(finished)
there is a spider in the puzzle box along with all the pieces; i'd forgotten how much puzzles relax and focus me. (please excuse the semicolon use)
i'm done with the lady with the butterflies in the middle. i'm working on all the yellow parts. this puzzle is easier than i thought it would be, but it might get harder. or maybe i'm just in the right frame of mind. maybe i just have time. it's not hot (like last time i did a puzzle).
tomorrow, i'm finished with class. the exams will happen. i'll sit for them, and then i'll leave. that part's simple. this thing with being done with classes is the bigger deal.
remember how i said that all i had to worry about now was getting a visa? it's still there, waiting to get taken care of. and it will.
sara's worried about her housing situation for next year, which is legit, but funny when i consider that i'm not particularly worried about my housing situation for next year. i guess it's so much less defined that there's no way to even grip on about it. there's nothing at stake yet. maybe there never will be.
when in doubt, hit enter twice.
i'm disappointed in the futile (punching in zero gravity) nature of this post (and it had a point too! [somewhere]). i'm done. i'm going to puzzle slash sleep.
i'm done with the lady with the butterflies in the middle. i'm working on all the yellow parts. this puzzle is easier than i thought it would be, but it might get harder. or maybe i'm just in the right frame of mind. maybe i just have time. it's not hot (like last time i did a puzzle).
tomorrow, i'm finished with class. the exams will happen. i'll sit for them, and then i'll leave. that part's simple. this thing with being done with classes is the bigger deal.
remember how i said that all i had to worry about now was getting a visa? it's still there, waiting to get taken care of. and it will.
sara's worried about her housing situation for next year, which is legit, but funny when i consider that i'm not particularly worried about my housing situation for next year. i guess it's so much less defined that there's no way to even grip on about it. there's nothing at stake yet. maybe there never will be.
when in doubt, hit enter twice.
i'm disappointed in the futile (punching in zero gravity) nature of this post (and it had a point too! [somewhere]). i'm done. i'm going to puzzle slash sleep.
(france is not [quite] a third world country)
I wish that i had transcripts of my conversations with the reception at Hôtel Albert 1 in Algiers.
I just got off the phone again with them and, while it was more or less business as usual, i was particularly amused. Once again, i made the mistake of calling on a wednesday morning, which through some cultural and geographical magic, amounts to friday afternoon there*. the person on the line tells me everyone's gone home, I say I've been waiting weeks (and is there seriously no one who can use a fax machine?), she asks me when my reservation is, I say January, she says "oh, you have plenty of time. don't worry." I remind her that I have to get a visa which takes time or a trip to the capital at which point she starts supplicating and promising that everything will work out, just please can I call again on Saturday. I ask what time, she says anytime between 10 and 4**. So i guess i'll be up and on the phone sometime between 4 and 10 am Saturday. With any luck i'll have my confirmation then.
And then I need the actual visa. I called the embassy, and after getting transferred to nowhere the first time and a directory service the second time, the phone got handed directly from the receptionist (same voice all three times) to the decision maker. I asked about how best to submit my visa request, specifically if I could do it in one or a few days. He said, with an air of secrecy, that he couldn't tell me. I verbally raised an eyebrow, and he repeated himself. Upon further questioning, he explained that the consul had to approve and sign everything, so that could take an indeterminate amount of time (from his tone I gather that the consul is a capricious monarch, not a salaried official) and then the paperwork comes down to him, which takes varying amounts of time depending on how busy things are. we discuss other concerns, like the type of visa I'm seeking. He asks me twice if I'm visiting anyone. Just before the end of the conversation, he casually drops that visa processing usually takes a week to 10 days, and it's a slow period now, so maybe less.
adventure!
*It does make sense if you consider that the weekend is thursday and friday there and the six hour time change makes it 4pm instead of 10am.
**awesome business hours for a hotel, no?
I just got off the phone again with them and, while it was more or less business as usual, i was particularly amused. Once again, i made the mistake of calling on a wednesday morning, which through some cultural and geographical magic, amounts to friday afternoon there*. the person on the line tells me everyone's gone home, I say I've been waiting weeks (and is there seriously no one who can use a fax machine?), she asks me when my reservation is, I say January, she says "oh, you have plenty of time. don't worry." I remind her that I have to get a visa which takes time or a trip to the capital at which point she starts supplicating and promising that everything will work out, just please can I call again on Saturday. I ask what time, she says anytime between 10 and 4**. So i guess i'll be up and on the phone sometime between 4 and 10 am Saturday. With any luck i'll have my confirmation then.
And then I need the actual visa. I called the embassy, and after getting transferred to nowhere the first time and a directory service the second time, the phone got handed directly from the receptionist (same voice all three times) to the decision maker. I asked about how best to submit my visa request, specifically if I could do it in one or a few days. He said, with an air of secrecy, that he couldn't tell me. I verbally raised an eyebrow, and he repeated himself. Upon further questioning, he explained that the consul had to approve and sign everything, so that could take an indeterminate amount of time (from his tone I gather that the consul is a capricious monarch, not a salaried official) and then the paperwork comes down to him, which takes varying amounts of time depending on how busy things are. we discuss other concerns, like the type of visa I'm seeking. He asks me twice if I'm visiting anyone. Just before the end of the conversation, he casually drops that visa processing usually takes a week to 10 days, and it's a slow period now, so maybe less.
adventure!
*It does make sense if you consider that the weekend is thursday and friday there and the six hour time change makes it 4pm instead of 10am.
**awesome business hours for a hotel, no?
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