Movies

The furnace in the basement is chugging away. The weather outside is not frightful--yet, but it is cold and the sky has that thick gray look of snowstorm on the way. Snow is expected for around 3:00 this afternoon. Michael will be getting snow this morning just in time to for them to send everyone home again. It is time to batten down the hatches one more time.

My weekend was full of fun and relaxation. We shopped, went to church, watched the Academy Awards more than we planned to, and I worked on a scarf made with bulky chenille. It isn't the most fun yarn to work with, but when I'm finished it will be warm and snuggy and I'm sure I will like wearing it. I read recently that knitters are separated into "project" oriented and "process" oriented. I am of the "project" type; interested in finishing to see what the end result will be. Although I am also interested in knitting a cable sweater in the near future, and that is definately a "process" job. I should use cotton yarn so I can wear it this spring.

Snow doesn't keep us down anymore. We are used to it, and everyone will shovel out and go to work tomorrow as usual. Just like the Academy Awards, it is another day at the office. I only have one thing to say about the Academy Awards: it is too rehearsed and too much about fashion and what people are wearing and not enough about great film making. That is the fault of networks like E and Style, and all those who show the red carpet 24 hours a day. I have a lot of films I want to see, and that is next on the agenda for our free time. Motorcycle Diaries, Y Tu Mama Tambien and Maria Full of Grace to name just three.

Have a great day.

My next knitting project. I'm going to start making felted bags and slippers. 

Shopping the Outlet Mall

The camera is found! I'm so happy. I would really hate to lose a camera that cost $279. That still seems like a lot of money for a camera to me. When I got into the car yesterday, George had put it prominantly on the car dashboard. He had found it on the floor of the car between the driver's seat and the door. Luckily, it was snug in it's case and didn't get hit by the door. I was very happy to see it.

We went to Kittery in Maine and walked around the outlet mall for a couple of hours. We always find things there that are bargains. Yesterday we bought two casserole carriers for taking hot dishes to church. That sounds so old-fashioned. They were $1.99 each. Also perfect for two-people picnics in the forest preserve near our house this summer I thought. (If summer ever comes. Our forecase is for 6-12" inches of snow on Monday night. Nobody can believe it.)George slipped a rather expensive cookie scoop into the cart to add to his cookie scoop collection. I also bought my second Black and Decker rice cooker at the Corning outlet. I don't like the smaller Salton one we bought, which burns the rice on the bottom.

We went through the Mikasa, Villeroy and Boch, Reed and Barton and Lenox to see what they had. Villeroy and Boch is still my favorite china store, but we didn't find anything we couldn't live without.

On the way home, we stopped at Tuesday Morning and I found a heavy beige tablecloth that exactly matches the fabric on the back of our new diningroom chairs. It is heavy and simple. Tuesday Morning is an outlet of rather outlandish once-expensive items from Neiman Marcus. Yesterday I realized that most New Englanders don't really appreciate those rather "southern-influenced" items of fancy. I had a good laugh with a fellow shopper over a wreath made of rusty wire and broken terracotta flower pots with a raffia bow.

George and I have one sentence we say when we look at things. "Where are we going to put it?". If the answer to that makes sense, then we ponder it some more. Otherwise, we walk away.

George is a man who likes to go shopping and for that I am very very grateful. It is a rare man indeed who can enjoy a trip to the shopping mall.

And, Happy Day, we found the camera.

Have a great Sunday.

Paris 

Moleskines make me happy

My son Michael has shared with me his obsession with moleskines and passed it on to me. They are beautiful, compact, efficient, and mysteriously addictive. And they are black notebooks. I was reading a book last summer called Songlines by Bruce Chatwin, about Australia and traveling in the outback and he devoted two whole pages of his book to his moleskine. Where I am sitting now, I have four. One 2004 calendar, one large lines notbook, one small plain page notebook and an organizer that has compartments. I have many others.

I started to write about organizing, because that is what my day is going to be. It seems that after any trip, no matter how short, it takes a day to get the laundry done, unpack the final items, put away things and find things. Moleskines help with this. They are great for notes, addresses, sketches of the amazing things we see each day, grocery lists, lists of your favorite movies, or your 10-year goals. No matter how mundane or how lofty, Moleskines are the notebook to keep it in.

Michael has taught me alot about organizing pages and he keeps his carefully labeled and archived in a fire-proof safe. Please check this site links which goes even further. Bruce Chatwin shared that losing your passport is a nuisance but losing your moleskines is a tragedy. I have one that is my trip journal and it is fun to write in some far-away place and read about my trip later.

There is a web site devoted to Moleskinery which will explain it all, so I won't go into it here. But I never go without one tucked in my purse or my pocket, along with a Dr. Grip or a Pilot G2 pen for archival ink. My red Moleskine pocket sized address book is very important to me. Everyone I know and how to get in touch with them is in there. I gave Moleskines for Christmas presents last year. Funny how a neat little book can make such a difference.

We learned the benefit of archival ink last weekend, when something spilled in George's bag and his little (non-moleskine,I lament)notebook that he carries in his shirt pocket, the one with all his phone numbers, pin numbers and passwords, etc. was wet on the top of each page. Only the entries he wrote with my pens were legible. Because he has these written in another book, it wasn't a great loss, but we learned that Mike is right about archival quality pens and I'm so happy he introduced me to moleskines. Thanks, Mike!

Have a great Saturday and I hope we find the camera today. In the meantime, we are leaving to go to Kittery, Maine to the outlets there and breathe a little salty sea air.

A spark of hope

George told me today that he got the camera out of his coat pocket at the parking lot of the airport to take a picture of our snow-covered car. So, it didn't fall out of his pocket. He had it at the car. It is probably still in the car, or a box, or a bag. (Cleaning out both our cars is now at the top of the list for weekend projects.) Hope Springs!

Anyone seen this? 

Camera missing

We have either a minor or a major hiccup about pictures for my blog. We can't find the camera. George had it in his pocket of his coat at the airport in Baltimore, and doesn't remember much about it after that. We are looking. In the meantime, there won't be any pictures of this latest snowstorm of 5", and maybe that is a blessing. I am more than a little worried because George lost my last camera by leaving it at an airport. But that one was not an expensive one.

We will have more time this weekend to look carefully. He thinks he might have unpacked it and laid it somewhere in the late night rush. I sure do hope it didn't get lost on the airplane. I have become very attached to that little digital camera. It is far more useful than any camera I have ever owned.

George is snowplowing this morning. We are looking forward to a weekend and making plans not to make too many plans.

Have a good, safe, and hopefully, warm day. TGIF.

Amarylis bulb in bloom. 

Snow advisory

We are waking up again to a snow advisory. Here in Boston, when they say we are going to get weather, they usually know for sure. When I lived in Chicago, it seemed that the weather was much less predictable. When they say we are going to get 5" of snow tonight it is time to get the snow shovel out. George is going to come home to snowblow the neighbors driveway across the street. They are in Jamaica and coming home on Friday night. He has an airplane club meeting tonight and I'm going to stay in and hope for his safe return.

We have had 61 inches of snow in Boston so far this winter. It is no wonder that my mind is wandering to future plans for the garden. This is the type of winter that sells garden catalogs. We have new landscaping opportunities this year, since the new house went up next door and they cut down all the big trees. We have "abundant sunshine", and lots of opportunities for new flowering trees and new gardens. I looked at the grocery store for amarylis to put in the house or a flowering plant for the diningroom table, but everything looked like Valentine leftovers so nothing was very appealing.

I had the time to read the Boston Globe this morning and found a fun article on the "art" of knitting socks. As every sock-knitter knows, you have to be crazy to spend hours on something you can buy at Target in one minute for $3.00.

Today is lunch at a Japanese restaurant with my friend Dave and a race home after work to beat the snowstorm.

Have a sunny day and think Spring!

Yogurt with berries 

The foods I like to eat

When we were in Washington we had a great time eating in five different restaurants. We had sushi rolls, Japanese noodle soups, Thai seafood and, big juicy hamburgers with guacamole and chili on the side, nachos, salads from the bounteous salad bar and barbecued steak, pork, sausage and turkey at Green Fields. Oh oh, that night I also had a beautiful slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. The last day we went to a restaurant called "Hops" in Alexandria, and without a doubt had the best food and service in a long time. It was terrific. George and I split a Reuben and a Crispy Chicken Salad. They had delicious honey croissants that were...well, to die for. Now I'm back home and staring hard at the face of reality.

I don't eat like that when I am at home. At home, I eat a lot of plain yogurt. I developed a taste for yogurt when I was doing a very strict "no suger, no flour" diet a few years ago. I lost a lot of weight on that diet, and gained it back when I stopped.

Yogurt, when it is the life-giving substance of both breakfast and lunch, starts to become the nectar of the gods. When shopping for yogurt, you have to be careful, because some fruit yogurt is so caloric you might as well have a bowl of ice cream. I use plain low-fat yogurt with no more than 120 calories for 8 oz.

I still eat only plain yogurt, with a little packet of sweetener and a banana, or cantaloupe, or berries. It froths up and looks beautiful, and my co-workers are jealous when they see me eating it at my desk. I would like to leave out the sweetener, but I haven't gotten there yet. That is another goal to be worked on.

I have a weakness for potatoes, which are my comfort food. Any meal with potatoes seems like a good meal to me and George laughs at my obsession. I recently developed a craving for white or brown rice with low-salt soy sauce...I know, too much salt, but done right, it is really yummy. I usually have salad with chicken for dinner if we go out to eat, and at home I limit my meat to a 3-4 oz. piece (the size of the palm, they say in WW) and try to heap a lot of vegetables on my plate. It is not that I lose weight on this food plan, but at least I don't gain as much as I probably gained eating all that "good" stuff this last weekend.

My big weakness and the one that is the most bothersome to me is my affinity for baked things like cookies, pies and pastries. I really love to bake and George makes the best cookies ever, and I just really have to tear myself away from the stuff and it is a never-ending battle. I come from a long line of great Norwegian and German bakers (my aunts), and flour and sugar are in my genes.

It was great fun to be out and about this weekend, and not to worry about limiting our calories so much. But, "Maggie, bar the doors", now I am back on the diet-wagon and dreaming of thin spring clothes in pretty colors.

Have a great day.

I'm ready for pansies! 

Home safe and snug

We had a little delay last night at the Baltimore airport, but it was not so bad as it could have been. Most flights were delayed because of weather elsewhere, but our flight was only 30 minutes late leaving. We came into Manchester, New Hampshire at 9:00 p.m. There was 4" of snow on the ground, and at the airport parking lot, I was shoveling show with my bag as we walked to our car. The roads were a little treacherous because of freezing rain, but we took our time and made it fine. It was nice to remember that we were sitting in the sun on a bench outside the restaurant yesterday waiting for a table. I like going warmer places. Kitty is good, lonesome, and glad to see us.

George has to shovel about 5" of snow on our driveway for us to get out today and I am going to call in late to work. They are calling this ocean-effect snow on the weather channel, (MTV for oldtimers). I'm just a little pooped around the edges today, so I plan to go in around noon. I don't think anyone will mind.

We had a lovely time in Washington DC and it was really good to get out of the snowy Northeast for awhile. I'm ready for spring! I told George on the airplane last night that I can wait to get out in the garden again. Enjoy the pansies.

See you tomorrow.

Lincoln Memorial as seen from poolside at the WWII Memorial. 

Jefferson Memorial as seen from our car. 

Lost!

Yesterday George and I ventured off by ourselves around noon to go to the Pentagon City Shopping Mall, where we had visited on a previous trip. I guess that was a mistake. About a block from Mike's house we made a wrong turn and went heading off down the highway. We had to pull off, turn around, come back and start over. Laughing at ourselves, we ventured off again. Mike had given us instructions to stay on Route 1 and we would see the sign for the mall. We got all the way to that general area, turned too soon, and the road circled back. Before we could get off we had passed National airport and found ourselvs back in Alexandria not far from Mikes house. Try again. This time, we got down route 1, stayed on a little longer, and boom, just like George thought, we crossed the bridge and ended up in Washington DC, circling around the Smithsonian, and the monuments, in the same place we had been the day before.

We had two more false turns around the monument area to try to get back, and two more phone calls to Mike. In the end, we found the way back to Alexandria, skipped the mall visit entirely, and limped for home. I was in a state of dismay that we got so lost so many times. We saw the front AND the back of the Kennedy Center twice as we were trying to find out way back over the bridge. There was a parade forming, and the police and barriers were out, so we wanted to get out of Dodge fast. It was fun to see the monuments again, and the trip got us out and about...a lot more times that we thought.

Back at home, Mike laughed and commiserated and said he would take us to the mall today and out for lunch at the Fish Market in Old Town Alexandria. I was amazed that Washington streets and highways are as complicated as Boston ones. George was rather appalled that we couldn't find our way or didn't see the sign for the mall--twice. Visitors with rental cars and bad rental car company maps beware.

Last night we went to dinner with Michelle and Mike at a Brazilian barbecue place called Green Fields near Baltimore. We had a lovely time, the salad bar is fabulous, the food is so delicous and the grilled meats just keep coming to the table. I tried not to eat too much and didn't succeed. We came home and watched a TV show about the old Saturday Night Live and giggled ourselves to sleep.

Today, we get the guided tour of the mall we went to see yesterday, and then off to the airport in Baltimore for a 7:30 p.m. flight home to snowy Boston.

Maybe we should start our own reality show called "Lost! Again!"
Have a great President's Day Holiday.

The Washington Mall and the Capitol Building. Yesterday was a lovely day for a long walk. 

Chinese blue and white porcelain from the Qing dynasty (1662-1722) in the Peacock Room at the Freer. 

Smithsonian castle.  

Mike and me. 

Bas relief of war scenes. I liked this one especially because my mom was a Rosie the Riveter, working on airplanes at Cimmaron Field in Oklahoma while my dad served in the Pacific. 

George in the middle. 

The WWII Memorial. It is better to see it in the warmer weather when the fountains are running. 

Abundant sunshine

We woke up yesterday to the weather channel saying that the DC area had "abundant" sunshine, and that we did. We watched the movie "Luther" about Martin Luther, and then dressed in our warm clothes to go to the Washington Mall to see the WWII memorial and to the Freer Gallery of Art. We found a parking place, a miracle in itself. It was a long walk from the WWII Memorial to the Freer and I had left my gloves in the car, so it was a little brisker than I would have liked.

In my experience at the Smithsonian, it is always hard to find refreshments after the long walks outside and the museum tours inside. We found a tiny Starbucks in the Smithsonian castle and had rather dry ham and cheese sandwiches, large oatmeal cookies and cokes and coffee. It was very expensive and hard to find a place to sit, but we finally succeeded and had a fine snack. From there we went to the Freer and saw the Japanese woodcuts of "every day life in 16th Century Japan." It was glorious.

Dinner was at a Thai restaurant called Lemon Grass across the street from Akasaka. We were there early enough that we did not have to fight the dreaded crowds. I had seafood combo which was fresh and delicious--squid, shrimp and scallops. Mike had beef curry and George had shrimp and chicken pad thai which he thought was a little too spicy for his taste. He ordered medium, but there was a little mixup and the first one they graciously took back and brought him some that was less hot, but still too hot for him. We all dove in to his dinner too and had a great time. George and I watched Gangs of New York on Mike's big home theater system and ate vanilla ice cream to cool the tastebuds.

Today is supposed to be the rainy day, but the morning so far is partly cloudy. I think George and I are going to the Pentagon Mall for a little shopping and an indoor walk, and to see the National Cathedral. Later we will go out to dinner with Mike and Michelle. We are going to take it easy and let the day unfold.

Have a great day and I wish you abundant sunshine.

Shike by Robert Shea 

Mike's sword 

Sushi! 

Japanese themed day

Last night we went to Akasaka, a Japanese restaurant not far from Mike's house. George had yaki soba, pan fried noodles and vegetables, Mike had teriaki salmon and I had nabeyaki udon, or noodles and vegetables in broth with shrimp tempura. We shared three rolls of spicy tuna sushi. It was delicious. Usually we end dinner with a small bowl of green tea ice cream, but last night we were too full. It was a lovely long dinner and I had a great time being with my two favorite guys.

I took some pictures of Japanese things around Mike's house today. The book is Shike, which was written by his father. This book happens to be the Japanese edition. That's a picture of Omie (my mom) by the Japanese sword collection.

Today we are going to the World War II monument on the Washington Mall. It is colder than I wanted it to be, since I only brought a light green raincoat, but the forecast today is for sunny skies and 40 degrees and I can dress in layers.

Have a lovely day. Konnichi wa.

Hello from Washington DC

We always have such a good time here. The flight today was fine, but we had to leave early, so I was up at 4:30 this morning. The snow showers did not materialize to any extent that might threaten a plane trip. We parked, took the shuttle, checked in and had an hour and a half to eat a bagel and drink a cup of coffee before the flight. The plane was a new one, the stewardess said, called a 700...George says it is a new version of the 737. Whatever it was, there were more seats and smaller aisles. On Southwest there are no seat reservations so you do a "cattle" call for the seats in order of the time you checked in, A, B, or C. We were B. George said the only way we could have gotten A was to stay up until midnight and get a boarding pass online. Neither of us was up at midnight. But we got aisle seats, him behind me, and made out fine. The wind made the landing very bumpy and at the end, when the wheels hit the runway, the plane tilted in the wind and people were a bit nervous. But all is well.

Today we had lunch at Fuddruckers, large hamburgers with guacamole, and tonight we are on our way to the Japanese restaurant for sushi. We went to Target this afternoon and bought a Senseo pod coffeemaker for Michael. Food is not scarce. We also went to the grocery store and stocked up on Fruit 2-0, breakfast stuff including pancake mix and syrup, and ice cream and popcorn. Uh oh.

More tomorrow. Have a great night.

Leaving on a jet plane...again

We are leaving the house at 6:15 a.m., far too early to write a blog entry. I forgot my lucky biscotti this trip, but I'm taking my lucky bottle of Fruit 2-0. We each have a small bag and a small carryon and I worked really hard not to overpack this time. The weather in Washington on Monday is supposed to be about 60 degrees and when we leave here it will be 20 degrees. I could use a little warm sunshine. We are going to try to see the new WWII memorial and the Freer Art Museum while we are there to see the Japanese and Chinese art.

And, hey, Elfauna is back! The gamemaster powers that be in the great mist of the computer heavens brought her back in great style and she is happily roaming the lands of Norrath again. I can't tell you how happy that made me to see her again.

More blogging from Washington DC. Have a great and happy Friday!

Elfauna Eaglewing, the Everquest Ranger and Officer of Healers United, who I have devoted lots of time to in the past three years.  

The sun is out there somewhere

Today my thoughts are all about my character Elfauna in Everquest. There is a new expansion called Dragons of Norrath and I was playing on Tuesday night while I watched the dog show. Somehow, when I logged off that night, there was a "bug" because of the new expansion, and my character which I have been playing for years, Elfauna Eaglewing, a 54 level Ranger, was deleted. I petitioned the game masters last night, and they responded, but the character is still deleted. Loral (Michael) says not to worry, that all will be ok. I hope so. (It is a bit nervewracking to think that the main character that I have been playing for three years, and the one to whom I am most attached has now gone "poof"). The game designers have many problems I'm sure, and other "poofs" that have happened because of the new expansion. My problem was that I deleted a little character earlier that night, played for a couple of hours, and then said my goodbyes to my guild and then logged in a new zone, the Guild Hall. That combination of things was just enough to make this happen. I sure wish I had made other decisions that night. Oh please Tunare, let Elfauna be ok.

The news this morning here in Boston is that Teddy Bruschi, the very popular Patriots Linebacker, is in the hospital today with headache, vision problems and stroke-like symptoms. I sure do hope he is ok!

Tomorrow we leave for the airport at 6:00 a.m. The forecast is for snow flurries, but I don't think that will delay us. We will drive to Manchester, New Hampshire, about an hour North of us, and take Southwest to Baltimore. We'll be at Mike's house by noon. I am planning on having lunch at The Fish House in Old Town, Alexandria. They have a wonderful shrimnp salad that I love.

Today seems like a good day to count our blessings and say our prayers. See you later with updates on Elfauna news.

A cute picture from the dog show. 

Carlee, the 5 year old winner. 

Westminster Dog Show

I stayed up too late last night watching the Westminster dog show. I love those pretty dogs, all with such bright eyes and shiny coats, doing their best to impress their trainer. In my past life I have had dogs, and one of them was a black pedigree miniature poodle named Alexander's Black Tulip, or "Sasha". Sasha was a real pistol. He was a magnificent dark black and had black eyes as shiny as boot buttons. We all went to obedience classes, and Sasha really did want to please, but we never could get the hang of "come". He could stay, he could sit, and he was very lovable and charming, but watch out if he ever had a chance to get out of the yard. He'd take off like a bullet up the street and around the neighborhood, sniffing on hydrants and garbage cans like a holy mongrel. He ran like a black streak of lightning. The only way to get him back was to bring the car around to where he was, open the door, and he would jump back in because he loved going for a ride.

I thought of Sasha and his errant ways when I watched those beautifully obedient dogs last night. I think dogs just have to be born to want to please in order to make it anywhere in the dog show world. Sasha was a beauty, but he wasn't particularly interested in pleasing anyone else. The breeder who sold him to me said that he was as beautiful as his dog show winning father, but he was too cuddly and did not have a temperament of a winner. Maybe they say that to all buyers, I don't know. But he was a loving dog and I still have great memories of my first poodle.

At the end, the German shorthaired pointer won. In the final time that the judge was viewing each of the last 7 contenders, she stood like a statue, her legs spread back in the most beautiful pointer pose, and just stood there motionless for several seconds longer than she had to. The crowd went wild. It was an amazing dog moment. She never blinked as he stood there and stared at her trainer. She won.

Someday, in the future, I would like to have a dog again, when I have time at home to spend with it each day and time to take it for runs, and go to obedience classes, and let it be the good dog it wants to be. In the meantime, I'll just remember how wonderful that lovely pointer's pose was last night and be happy that the best dog won.

Have a great day.

In case you forgot, this is Thunder! 

Babysitting Thunder

Last evening, George went across the street to our neighbors, armed with a big heart shaped box of chocolates, to ask them to babysit Thunder (I prefer that to cat-sit) while we are in Washington. They said they were leaving for Jamaica on Friday and he came back with the box of chocolates, which they rejected. What to do? Our friends all live pretty far away -- and to ask them to come would be a real inconvenience. So today, in a bolt of inspiration, I asked the housecleaner fellow if he would like to come twice while we are away and feed and fresh water kitty. He said sure. So, now we have experienced Thunder-sitters if we want to take a vacation. Nice.

The weather is sunny and 50 today. My bones and joints are celebrating. It really does take a lot of stress off the body when you are not cold and shivering and tense from walking on ice and snow. My friend just came back from one of those expensive cruises to Costa Rica, Cozumel, and the Panama Canal. She said, "never again." "Why?" I asked, incredulously. She said it was too hot, between 95 and 100 degrees every day with almost 100% humidity. The cruise ship could not stop in Costa Rica because of rough water that made docking impossible. Costa Rica is one place I would really like to see, the wildlife and birds there are supposed to be amazing.

It seems that cruising has its drawbacks, if you don't get to go where you are supposed to go, and they give you poor substitutes. You aren't supposed to care that you spent a lot of money to see Costa Rica and you get to see choppy ocean instead. I have heard of people getting trips to Nova Scotia when they intended to go to Burmuda but were turned around because of weather.

George was on board the QEII when it ran aground off Marthas Vineyard a few years ago. Everyone got to sit on the tilted ship overnight and then were taken by boat to Newport and from there put on a bus for New York City and he had to take a bus back to Boston. An rather ignominious end to a lovely trip, huh? No refunds. All they have is the memories and a good story to tell.

Maybe that is what cruising is about--the surprises. With all that good food and drink aboard, you aren't supposed to care where you go.

Well, anyway, have a great day wherever you are.

Happy Valentines Day 

Happy Valentines Day Everyone

Today is a good day to think about how important love is in the world. I am not one who thinks that showing love revolves around flowers, candy and gifts. George and I had a little Valentines dessert last night. I made a simple yellow cake, topped it with fat free Cool-whip and raspberries. It was just fine. I bought a heart shaped box of chocolates for my office, but we resisted the temptation to buy one for ourselves. Our Valentine to each other will be this upcoming trip to Washington on Friday, and we are very happy to be going to see Michael. I can hardly wait.

It is going to be a busy day, since I have a funeral this morning, and a meeting at work tonight, and still have to clean house because the housecleaners are coming tomorrow morning. Eeek.

Have a great Valentines Day. And special thanks to Martha Stewart flowers online for the pretty picture.

This is the shawl I finished today. It will look better when not worn over a Sunday night outfit of Boston Red Sox sweatshirt and sweatpants. I have a lot of nerve. I call this a Summer Shawl--meant to be worn on cool summer evenings. On to the next project! 

prisms on the wall