After lots of cat cuddling and talking with both Erich and my original manager at work (who seems to be having similar issues to mine), I'm feeling a bit better. Between their support and the emails and comments I received from you all, I really do feel better. Thank you to everyone who gave advice-- on a variety of the issues. :)
I really do try to not spew forth vitrol about situations, but every once in a while I just hit that wall, and last week was most definitely one of them. *sigh*
Anyway... here are the things circling my brain today...
Wedding: The more I think about it, the more I really, really want to pursue Mount Hope Farm. It just feels right. But before that really goes forward, I'd like Erich to see it-- so we're going to see about arranging a quick look-see next weekend (in early August) for him, and then when Mom comes up, go forward with booking. While both Erich and I were easy going about having any day of the week for the wedding... my mom said on Monday that she really wanted to keep it on a Saturday. In the spirit of "pick your battles," that's fine. If she's willing to drop $1,000 more just because it's the most popular day, I'll go with it.
And I already have a caterer in mind, who comes with good reviews from a couple of co-workers who have been to events they've done, plus the event planner at Mount Hope Farm.
So as of right now, if everything works out right... we're shooting for September 2007 with an old-fashioned New England clam bake.
Bugs: Aside from the REALLY FRIGGIN HUGE Junebug that scared the crap out of me at Park Street station last night (dude... any three inch long bug that lands and then crawls on my shoulder is going to result in a very big EEP! and freak-out flailing from me), our bug problem seems to be quieting down. With the cat food removed from the kitchen floor, the ants have disappeared in the kitchen. I'm well aware that it takes very little to entice them back (having dealt with the aggressive ants in California at my mom's former houses), so we're going forward with the scrubbing & spraying/baiting with taro plans for the weekend. Once everything's set in the kitchen, I'll be doing the cat dishes/plates in water trick for the summer and early fall, and see how things go. I imagine that Noby will ensure that there are wet paw prints on everything once that water's down... but hey, it's better than the ants. :)
Elly has also ensured that our house remains flying bug free, being the Mighty Huntress that catches (and of course immediately eats) anything that manages to fly in when we open the screen door. We've watched her stalk the house, staring at the ceiling a few times.
Illness: Finally starting to feel better, although I think there's something coming out of the air vents at work that is causing me to cough more. It only seems to really affect me at my desk. Last night, after one of those "settle down" coughing fits, I finally got about 5.5 hours of solid sleep... almost my normal nighttime average. I felt surprisingly rested this morning when I woke up.
Journals: All but one of my journals for the 1001 Journals Project are now enroute to the first person on the list. The last one will go out Friday. I'm psyched to see what happens with them!
Stitching: Due to being sick, I really wasn't able to stitch as I'd hoped this past weekend or much so far this week. I just didn't have the focus to read the patterns. :( Last night I managed to get about an hour done on Apache, but an hour equalled perhaps 30-40 stitches because I started to cough a lot. I'm hoping that I can plunk down tonight and tomorrow (backstitching slot) and really push Apache forward. If I keep moving, I'll get all of the cross-stitching done plus perhaps a bit of backstitching done on the left border of the piece.
I'm also trying to decide which of my Teresa Wentzler pieces I'm going to put into the UFO ("Unfinished Objects") Round Robin that starts in September... or if I should reconsider and find something else. As I mentioned a couple entries ago... I'm leaning toward Magical Night. I also have Millennium, Floral Bellpull, Fantasy Triptych and Noah's Ark that I *could* send. Magical Night is probably the most straight-forward design (other than Floral Bellpull). It is quarter-stitch and backstitch heavy, but no over-one stitching. Due to all of the over-one (and really predominantly over-one), Noah's Ark may not be a good choice, even though it is otherwise probably the easiest TW piece I have sitting around. Millennium has a mix of over-one and standard stitching to do, and would probably be a good piece to move along. I'm going to alter the wording at the bottom, though... but haven't decided what I want it to say. Floral Bellpull would be fine to send, but with all of the fantasy TW stitching I'm interested in, I thinking that the bellpull would be a nice change for my own stitching... but still might be a good one to consider sending. Fantasy Triptych is absolutely impractical, due to the weight of the thread with the kit-- with everything in a large ziplock bag, it literally weighs more than Elly does. I'm not going to ask people to spend the money to send 6+ pounds of stitching materials around the world.
So right now, I'm deciding between Magical Night, Millennium, and Floral Bellpull. I'm still thinking Magical Night is the most practical to send. Of course... with over a month still to go before sending it out into the world, who knows. I'll probably change my mind four more times. :)
But yeah... I'm feeling better, and working on being myself again... :)
26 July 2006
24 July 2006
Annoyances big and small...
I've had to prevent myself from posting after a rather nasty Thursday morning at work. For the better part of my waking hours since then, I've been silently - and occasionally not so silently - fuming about it. I'll be going into detail more with the notify list because some of it's probably not good to post on my journal. I'm planning on beginning the search very quickly for a new job. I'm just... done. Sick of the bullshit. Just... done.
The only thing right now that I'm waiting to do is to book a date and place for my wedding. Once that's set, my focus will go to job hunting. If I try to do both at once, my brain will explode and I won't get either done. So pacing is the key. All of the other wedding stuff (flowers, dress, etc.) will fall into place fairly quickly because I've had wedding on the brain in some form for 18 months now.
Another large annoyance lately has been the damned commuter rail trains. While the trains are never all that great, the last two weeks have been downright shitty with the train schedules. Last Tuesday, Erich and I were catching the 7:50 a.m. train from South Attleboro into Boston, and wound up having a 2 hour, 45 minute train ride as our train was instructed to become a rescue train for the 7:10 train from Providence that apparently died on the track and had been sitting there for about 30 minutes. It took over 40 minutes just to hook up to the broken train. And then, with the train being 14 cars long (and twice as long as the stations), we had to make two stops at every station.
Add to that the issue of air-conditioning on the trains... or the lack of it lately. Metal frame trains running all day in the blazing sun = vicious discomfort in 85+ degree heat. The air circulators are blasting hot air into some of the cars, making them intolerable to stay in for more than five minutes. One day last week, we just wanted to sit down and dealt with it. By the time we got home, we regretted the decision. Any complaints to the MBTA are ignored.
This evening, I arrived to South Station in Boston (where I always meet Erich) to find a horde of people just standing around... never a good sign. All of the trains were running late. At about the time the 6:10 train to Providence is supposed to be leaving, they finally announce that it's boarding... on track 4. Erich and I scoot out there, get on the train, and celebrate that we found a seat on a car with air-conditioning... something that has become extremely rare on the commuter trains.
About five minutes later, a couple guys get on the train and say to no one in particular "are you guys going to Providence? Because they switched the train... it's now on track 6. This one is going to Worcester." Mind you-- we're physically on the train. In fact, the train's about 3/4 full at this point. No MBTA official has bothered to announce this TO the people sitting on the train, so no one has a clue. Erich and I scoot off, and he sees a conductor standing over on Track 6. He yells over to verify that Providence is in fact leaving on Track 6.. yes. It is. We have to walk all the way back down the boarding platform, go around the bend, and get on the NEXT platform to walk all the way back down to catch this new train. And it's immediately a winceable situation. Not only is the train short one car, but we're now being stuffed onto an entirely single-level car train (the other was all double-deckers) which is entirely too small for the line we take home. And as we get on the train? No A/C. For two cars out of five.
We don't get a seat now-- we get to stand. For a while. And as people pack on the train over the next two stops, it gets so crowded that the doors can't shut. People are turned away from the train. Just to add insult to injury, the train is CREAKING about as slowly as it can possibly go and still be moving most of the way home. We finally get home at 8 p.m.-- significantly later than should have happened.
The kicker on this is that any complaints to the MBTA are met with silence. They claim they're fixing the trains. They claim that due to the horrible accident in the Big Dig tunnels a couple weeks ago, they've added additional trains to help divert commute traffic. No-- they haven't. Maybe they've added some buses, but no trains. In fact, I'd argue that the trains are shorter these days and therefore much more packed.
And as of January, they want to raise my monthly pass fee to $250 a month. A full 25% increase. Yeah... because I see the value of adding that much money to my commute. For what? Shitty trains that neither work nor run on time? And of course... there's the parking fees on top of that. Gee, what a value.
Screw that. Yet another reason to find a new job.
A slightly smaller annoyances from work... Erich and I have both caught the latest incarnation of the commuter train plague. It's yet another cold-- continuing my streak of not being healthy for a single month this year. Once again, Halls drops have become my lifeline to not looking like an idiot as I cough myself to death. I haven't had a full night sleep in three nights due to this damn thing. I envy Erich, who seems to be able to sleep all night. I think I'm running on 3 days of 4 hour sleep intervals now.
On an even smaller annoyance scale: We're dealing with an infestation of teeny tiny ants in the kitchen. So far, the infestation has been limited- they're bee-lining straight for the cats' canned food plate. *sigh* So for the time being, the cat food has been removed from the kitchen and moved clear across the house into the sun room in clean bowls fresh from the dishwasher. I wiped the area with vinegar tonight to eliminate the scent trail. This weekend I'm going to scrub the entire kitchen floor with a one part bleach to ten parts water mix. We'll also need to hit Lowes or Home Depot to pick up some stuff to spray on the outside of the house. Any recommendations?
But in trying to end this entry on a good note... I think I found the place for the wedding. I've mentioned it before in my journal as a possibility, I think- Mount Hope Farm. I absolutely loved it. It's not yet booked. I'm going to look at a couple more places first... but by the end of August, I will officially have a date (gasp!). My mother needs to physically be here to put her credit card down as the holding deposit due to both Erich and I being extremely po'. After talking with her tonight, she's going to try to get up here during the latter half of August for a couple days to go see Mount Hope and possibly another couple places before we make a final decision.
I need another vacation.
The only thing right now that I'm waiting to do is to book a date and place for my wedding. Once that's set, my focus will go to job hunting. If I try to do both at once, my brain will explode and I won't get either done. So pacing is the key. All of the other wedding stuff (flowers, dress, etc.) will fall into place fairly quickly because I've had wedding on the brain in some form for 18 months now.
Another large annoyance lately has been the damned commuter rail trains. While the trains are never all that great, the last two weeks have been downright shitty with the train schedules. Last Tuesday, Erich and I were catching the 7:50 a.m. train from South Attleboro into Boston, and wound up having a 2 hour, 45 minute train ride as our train was instructed to become a rescue train for the 7:10 train from Providence that apparently died on the track and had been sitting there for about 30 minutes. It took over 40 minutes just to hook up to the broken train. And then, with the train being 14 cars long (and twice as long as the stations), we had to make two stops at every station.
Add to that the issue of air-conditioning on the trains... or the lack of it lately. Metal frame trains running all day in the blazing sun = vicious discomfort in 85+ degree heat. The air circulators are blasting hot air into some of the cars, making them intolerable to stay in for more than five minutes. One day last week, we just wanted to sit down and dealt with it. By the time we got home, we regretted the decision. Any complaints to the MBTA are ignored.
This evening, I arrived to South Station in Boston (where I always meet Erich) to find a horde of people just standing around... never a good sign. All of the trains were running late. At about the time the 6:10 train to Providence is supposed to be leaving, they finally announce that it's boarding... on track 4. Erich and I scoot out there, get on the train, and celebrate that we found a seat on a car with air-conditioning... something that has become extremely rare on the commuter trains.
About five minutes later, a couple guys get on the train and say to no one in particular "are you guys going to Providence? Because they switched the train... it's now on track 6. This one is going to Worcester." Mind you-- we're physically on the train. In fact, the train's about 3/4 full at this point. No MBTA official has bothered to announce this TO the people sitting on the train, so no one has a clue. Erich and I scoot off, and he sees a conductor standing over on Track 6. He yells over to verify that Providence is in fact leaving on Track 6.. yes. It is. We have to walk all the way back down the boarding platform, go around the bend, and get on the NEXT platform to walk all the way back down to catch this new train. And it's immediately a winceable situation. Not only is the train short one car, but we're now being stuffed onto an entirely single-level car train (the other was all double-deckers) which is entirely too small for the line we take home. And as we get on the train? No A/C. For two cars out of five.
We don't get a seat now-- we get to stand. For a while. And as people pack on the train over the next two stops, it gets so crowded that the doors can't shut. People are turned away from the train. Just to add insult to injury, the train is CREAKING about as slowly as it can possibly go and still be moving most of the way home. We finally get home at 8 p.m.-- significantly later than should have happened.
The kicker on this is that any complaints to the MBTA are met with silence. They claim they're fixing the trains. They claim that due to the horrible accident in the Big Dig tunnels a couple weeks ago, they've added additional trains to help divert commute traffic. No-- they haven't. Maybe they've added some buses, but no trains. In fact, I'd argue that the trains are shorter these days and therefore much more packed.
And as of January, they want to raise my monthly pass fee to $250 a month. A full 25% increase. Yeah... because I see the value of adding that much money to my commute. For what? Shitty trains that neither work nor run on time? And of course... there's the parking fees on top of that. Gee, what a value.
Screw that. Yet another reason to find a new job.
A slightly smaller annoyances from work... Erich and I have both caught the latest incarnation of the commuter train plague. It's yet another cold-- continuing my streak of not being healthy for a single month this year. Once again, Halls drops have become my lifeline to not looking like an idiot as I cough myself to death. I haven't had a full night sleep in three nights due to this damn thing. I envy Erich, who seems to be able to sleep all night. I think I'm running on 3 days of 4 hour sleep intervals now.
On an even smaller annoyance scale: We're dealing with an infestation of teeny tiny ants in the kitchen. So far, the infestation has been limited- they're bee-lining straight for the cats' canned food plate. *sigh* So for the time being, the cat food has been removed from the kitchen and moved clear across the house into the sun room in clean bowls fresh from the dishwasher. I wiped the area with vinegar tonight to eliminate the scent trail. This weekend I'm going to scrub the entire kitchen floor with a one part bleach to ten parts water mix. We'll also need to hit Lowes or Home Depot to pick up some stuff to spray on the outside of the house. Any recommendations?
But in trying to end this entry on a good note... I think I found the place for the wedding. I've mentioned it before in my journal as a possibility, I think- Mount Hope Farm. I absolutely loved it. It's not yet booked. I'm going to look at a couple more places first... but by the end of August, I will officially have a date (gasp!). My mother needs to physically be here to put her credit card down as the holding deposit due to both Erich and I being extremely po'. After talking with her tonight, she's going to try to get up here during the latter half of August for a couple days to go see Mount Hope and possibly another couple places before we make a final decision.
I need another vacation.
17 July 2006
New stitching rotation
I'm trying a new rotation through the end of October to see if this system works for me... I'm realizing I just can't work on an hourly rotation. :(
I'm doing a day-specific rotation with a travel slot for my train commute in and out of Boston (where I'll stitch a smaller piece). In September, I'll be participating in my first round robin, so I want to make sure I provide ample time for that, too.
Apache Wedding Blessing is a gift for a friend (she knows it's coming). Ideally I'd like to have it done by her anniversary in October, but I'm more likely to have it done for Christmas.
Commuting piece: Home Is Where the Cat Is (mini version)
Mondays: TW SAL- Egyptian Sampler
Tuesday: Apache Wedding Blessing
Wednesdays: UFO RR (starting in Sept. Until then, Apache Wedding)
Thursdays: Backstitching (any project that needs it)
Friday: Cat pieces: Cats on a Staircase
Saturday: Open day (usually busy with other things...)
Sunday: UFO RR (start in Sept. Until then, Apache Wedding)
I'm doing a day-specific rotation with a travel slot for my train commute in and out of Boston (where I'll stitch a smaller piece). In September, I'll be participating in my first round robin, so I want to make sure I provide ample time for that, too.
Apache Wedding Blessing is a gift for a friend (she knows it's coming). Ideally I'd like to have it done by her anniversary in October, but I'm more likely to have it done for Christmas.
Commuting piece: Home Is Where the Cat Is (mini version)
Mondays: TW SAL- Egyptian Sampler
Tuesday: Apache Wedding Blessing
Wednesdays: UFO RR (starting in Sept. Until then, Apache Wedding)
Thursdays: Backstitching (any project that needs it)
Friday: Cat pieces: Cats on a Staircase
Saturday: Open day (usually busy with other things...)
Sunday: UFO RR (start in Sept. Until then, Apache Wedding)
15 July 2006
The yard keeps growing
I have to boast about my tomato plants because I'm shocked at how many are growing. The cherry tomato bush on the right has over 30 on it. I'll be eating homegrown tomatoes in a matter of weeks. I can't wait. :)
I've uploaded a group of new yard photos to my Flickr account... things have changed a bit since we moved in at the end of June last year. Other than potted plants (and my one little hydrangea), we haven't changed anything yet in the yard... just doing upkeep. We're still a bit behind with weeding, but for the most part we're now doing quite well with it. All of the rain this year has it looking nice and lush.
I took all of the photos here about a half-hour ago after we finished mowing and attacking the poison ivy.. again.
More to write about tomorrow-- Erich and I are hoping to get to the drive-in this evening to see Pirates again. Happy weekend, all!
I've uploaded a group of new yard photos to my Flickr account... things have changed a bit since we moved in at the end of June last year. Other than potted plants (and my one little hydrangea), we haven't changed anything yet in the yard... just doing upkeep. We're still a bit behind with weeding, but for the most part we're now doing quite well with it. All of the rain this year has it looking nice and lush.
I took all of the photos here about a half-hour ago after we finished mowing and attacking the poison ivy.. again.
More to write about tomorrow-- Erich and I are hoping to get to the drive-in this evening to see Pirates again. Happy weekend, all!
14 July 2006
Rotation planning
Now that I have The Castle out of the way, I'm trying to come up with my new rotation for stitching. All things considered, I haven't really been doing well to make my 2006 stitching goals. But I know why-- World of Warcraft. It's sucked away a ton of my time. For the second half of the year, I want to balance that a bit more.
So, fellow stitchers, I'll give the info that I have on my stitching habits. Please give me any advice you have on making a workable rotation. :)
My rotation history: For 2006, it's been non-existant. I've really only stitched on two pieces all year in a bit of a screaming fashion. In 2005, though, I was a 10 hour minimum stitcher, but would continue for another 10 hours or so on a piece that I found myself motivated to work. I only had a 6 slot rotation, but it would often take me 2-3 months to complete it.
My original goals for 2006: 1) Finish 2 TW's (not going to happen. I finished one. I'm considering this complete.)
2) Finish both wedding samplers (again.. not going to happen... revising to one.)
3) Finish five other pieces (I've finished one other so far.)
Obligations: My biggest obligation is Apache Wedding Blessing, which is a gift for my friend Ivanna. It's currently at about 25% done (not counting backstitching). Ideally, I'd like to finish it for her anniversary the first weekend of October. Realistically, I'm shooting for this Christmas.
I also have signed up for the UFO Round Robin over on Worldwide RR's. That will begin mailing on September 11th, and I'll have six weeks to do approximately 20 hours of stitching on each project before mailing it and receiving the next one. Since I have so many floating in UFO land, I will be selecting one of my Teresa Wentzler pieces to send on this RR. (I'm leaning toward Magical Night).
Non-stitching obligation is to plan my wedding. We are having a more casual wedding, so once I get a place reserved, I should be in good shape. Right now I'm shooting for a spring '07 wedding.
Weekly timeframe: On an average week, I currently do about 10 hours of stitching. If I cut into the WorldofWarcraft addiction a bit, I would add another 3 hours on weekends. :) My stitching time breaks down to about the following:
Weekdays: 1 to 2 hours stitching on the train. Tuesdays at lunch (for office Stitch & Bitch). Rest is in the evenings at home-- about an hour per night.
Weekends: Flexible schedule.
Other UFO/WIPs: None of these are a priority to finish, so they can be added or subtracted to my rotation in whatever fashion. For those not as familiar with the individual pieces, I'm including the size of the piece. If this list doesn't excite you, a (roughly) full list of what I have is here (from the StRIP board).
One TW Piece (currently Egyptian Sampler) - XL piece
Cats on a Staircase (Bucilla) - L piece
Elemental Dragons- fire is done, need the other four (Dragon Dreams) - S piece
Astrology Sampler (Witches Stitches) - M piece
Fantasy Wedding Blessing (Dragon Dreams) - M/L piece
Smoky Mountain Cats (Pegasus) - L piece
Home is Where the Cat Is (Leisure Arts mini) - S piece
Why I Love New England (Sampler Needlework) - XL piece
Leaping Cat (La-D-Da) - M piece
Mirror Mirror (Abbey Lane Designs) - M piece
Things I'd really like to fit into the rotation...: So here are ideas that I'd like to incorporate if possible...
1) A focus on Apache to get it done
2) A backstitching slot, for both Apache and TW's
3) Some way to fit the RR in... Rose on the rotation board suggested a Sunday/Wednesday RR slot.
4) A definite TW slot-- I have a ton of her pieces I want to do, so I need to have one going in every rotation
5) A definite cat-related piece slot, for the same reason
Other than that, the pieces I work, the number of pieces, etc. is completely open...
So... whatcha think? :)
So, fellow stitchers, I'll give the info that I have on my stitching habits. Please give me any advice you have on making a workable rotation. :)
My rotation history: For 2006, it's been non-existant. I've really only stitched on two pieces all year in a bit of a screaming fashion. In 2005, though, I was a 10 hour minimum stitcher, but would continue for another 10 hours or so on a piece that I found myself motivated to work. I only had a 6 slot rotation, but it would often take me 2-3 months to complete it.
My original goals for 2006: 1) Finish 2 TW's (not going to happen. I finished one. I'm considering this complete.)
2) Finish both wedding samplers (again.. not going to happen... revising to one.)
3) Finish five other pieces (I've finished one other so far.)
Obligations: My biggest obligation is Apache Wedding Blessing, which is a gift for my friend Ivanna. It's currently at about 25% done (not counting backstitching). Ideally, I'd like to finish it for her anniversary the first weekend of October. Realistically, I'm shooting for this Christmas.
I also have signed up for the UFO Round Robin over on Worldwide RR's. That will begin mailing on September 11th, and I'll have six weeks to do approximately 20 hours of stitching on each project before mailing it and receiving the next one. Since I have so many floating in UFO land, I will be selecting one of my Teresa Wentzler pieces to send on this RR. (I'm leaning toward Magical Night).
Non-stitching obligation is to plan my wedding. We are having a more casual wedding, so once I get a place reserved, I should be in good shape. Right now I'm shooting for a spring '07 wedding.
Weekly timeframe: On an average week, I currently do about 10 hours of stitching. If I cut into the WorldofWarcraft addiction a bit, I would add another 3 hours on weekends. :) My stitching time breaks down to about the following:
Weekdays: 1 to 2 hours stitching on the train. Tuesdays at lunch (for office Stitch & Bitch). Rest is in the evenings at home-- about an hour per night.
Weekends: Flexible schedule.
Other UFO/WIPs: None of these are a priority to finish, so they can be added or subtracted to my rotation in whatever fashion. For those not as familiar with the individual pieces, I'm including the size of the piece. If this list doesn't excite you, a (roughly) full list of what I have is here (from the StRIP board).
One TW Piece (currently Egyptian Sampler) - XL piece
Cats on a Staircase (Bucilla) - L piece
Elemental Dragons- fire is done, need the other four (Dragon Dreams) - S piece
Astrology Sampler (Witches Stitches) - M piece
Fantasy Wedding Blessing (Dragon Dreams) - M/L piece
Smoky Mountain Cats (Pegasus) - L piece
Home is Where the Cat Is (Leisure Arts mini) - S piece
Why I Love New England (Sampler Needlework) - XL piece
Leaping Cat (La-D-Da) - M piece
Mirror Mirror (Abbey Lane Designs) - M piece
Things I'd really like to fit into the rotation...: So here are ideas that I'd like to incorporate if possible...
1) A focus on Apache to get it done
2) A backstitching slot, for both Apache and TW's
3) Some way to fit the RR in... Rose on the rotation board suggested a Sunday/Wednesday RR slot.
4) A definite TW slot-- I have a ton of her pieces I want to do, so I need to have one going in every rotation
5) A definite cat-related piece slot, for the same reason
Other than that, the pieces I work, the number of pieces, etc. is completely open...
So... whatcha think? :)
13 July 2006
SBQ's
I'll be doing a stitching update this weekend-- probably Sunday. Erich's dad celebrates his birthday this weekend, and Erich's taking him out for a full round of golf starting at 9 a.m. I, on the other hand, will be avoiding the forecasted 90+ degrees and humidity and will spend the day stitching in front of the TV.
So yeah... stitching updates & photos Sunday. For now: SBQ's. :)
June 14, 2006: How many cross stitch books do you own and how often do you use them? I actually do not own any books dealing with technique for cross stitch. To date, I really haven't done enough specialty stitch work where I'd need one. If I need to reference anything, I just head to the 'net. I do own some collections books, though-- Teresa Wentzler's fantasy collection (which got a ton of use as I backstitched The Castle), her Christmas collection, and a beautiful Asian motifs book that Jason and Jen gave me for my birthday (in which I already am scoping for a project late next year once I get some obligation stitching done).
June 21, 2006: Have you ever used a magnifying glass while stitching? If so, did you find it helpful? When I was in elementary school, my mom would have me stitch in front of her magnifying makeup mirror so that she could see what I was doing to help me. She was in denial of her need for glasses at that point. :) I don't currently use one, but I'm thinking of purchasing one for the over-one stitching I have over several projects these days to help me stitch them a bit faster.
June 29, 2006: What do you do with your charts once you've stitched them? Do you keep them or dispose of them? If you keep them, do you organize them in a way that is different from the way you keep your unstitched charts? I work from photocopies so I can highlight as I go. Those get tossed in the trash. I do keep the originals if they're in good shape. (my original copy of The Castle is so battered it will be tossed... but I have it anyway in the collection mentioned above). Right now, I don't really have enough completed charts to organize them differently-- but I'll probably create a binder of them at some point.
July 5, 2006: What is the biggest mishap you have had with your stitching material (i.e. spillages)? In March of this year, about half a bottle of Diet Coke that I hadn't twisted closed properly spilled all over The Castle in my work bag. Thankfully, I noticed it very quickly (probably a half hour after it happened) and immediately soaked it once I returned home. I soaked the entire piece in a 9x13 glass baking dish with some Dawn soap, gently rinsed it, and placed it flat on a towel to dry. All of the damage came out. :)
Considering how often I stitch with an open glass of soda next to me, I'm very lucky.
July 12, 2006: Since you started blogging, have you noticed any difference in your stitching habits? Tell us about them. For me, it's not a change in my habits-- it's just completely opened the doors to new avenues in stitching that I'd otherwise not know about. My blog wasn't created for stitching-- it was created to help me work through some things in my head back in 2001. When I started stitching again at the end of 2004, it was just one of those life topics I started including in my writing. :)
The connection to other stitchers is wonderful- the encouragement keeps me going. Feedback has been so helpful-- through responses to my blog entries, I learned about the Rotation Stitchers board, and started stitching in a rotation style. I've discovered many new designers. I learned about Silkweaver Fabrics. I learned (finally) that no, you didn't stitch everything on evenweave like you did on Aida (aka "over one"). And starting later this year, I'll be participating in a stitching round robin for the first time.
Above all, I've met a ton of stitchers worldwide with whom I can connect on a hobby that gives me a ton of satisfaction. And that's the best part of all. :)
- Mel.
So yeah... stitching updates & photos Sunday. For now: SBQ's. :)
June 14, 2006: How many cross stitch books do you own and how often do you use them? I actually do not own any books dealing with technique for cross stitch. To date, I really haven't done enough specialty stitch work where I'd need one. If I need to reference anything, I just head to the 'net. I do own some collections books, though-- Teresa Wentzler's fantasy collection (which got a ton of use as I backstitched The Castle), her Christmas collection, and a beautiful Asian motifs book that Jason and Jen gave me for my birthday (in which I already am scoping for a project late next year once I get some obligation stitching done).
June 21, 2006: Have you ever used a magnifying glass while stitching? If so, did you find it helpful? When I was in elementary school, my mom would have me stitch in front of her magnifying makeup mirror so that she could see what I was doing to help me. She was in denial of her need for glasses at that point. :) I don't currently use one, but I'm thinking of purchasing one for the over-one stitching I have over several projects these days to help me stitch them a bit faster.
June 29, 2006: What do you do with your charts once you've stitched them? Do you keep them or dispose of them? If you keep them, do you organize them in a way that is different from the way you keep your unstitched charts? I work from photocopies so I can highlight as I go. Those get tossed in the trash. I do keep the originals if they're in good shape. (my original copy of The Castle is so battered it will be tossed... but I have it anyway in the collection mentioned above). Right now, I don't really have enough completed charts to organize them differently-- but I'll probably create a binder of them at some point.
July 5, 2006: What is the biggest mishap you have had with your stitching material (i.e. spillages)? In March of this year, about half a bottle of Diet Coke that I hadn't twisted closed properly spilled all over The Castle in my work bag. Thankfully, I noticed it very quickly (probably a half hour after it happened) and immediately soaked it once I returned home. I soaked the entire piece in a 9x13 glass baking dish with some Dawn soap, gently rinsed it, and placed it flat on a towel to dry. All of the damage came out. :)
Considering how often I stitch with an open glass of soda next to me, I'm very lucky.
July 12, 2006: Since you started blogging, have you noticed any difference in your stitching habits? Tell us about them. For me, it's not a change in my habits-- it's just completely opened the doors to new avenues in stitching that I'd otherwise not know about. My blog wasn't created for stitching-- it was created to help me work through some things in my head back in 2001. When I started stitching again at the end of 2004, it was just one of those life topics I started including in my writing. :)
The connection to other stitchers is wonderful- the encouragement keeps me going. Feedback has been so helpful-- through responses to my blog entries, I learned about the Rotation Stitchers board, and started stitching in a rotation style. I've discovered many new designers. I learned about Silkweaver Fabrics. I learned (finally) that no, you didn't stitch everything on evenweave like you did on Aida (aka "over one"). And starting later this year, I'll be participating in a stitching round robin for the first time.
Above all, I've met a ton of stitchers worldwide with whom I can connect on a hobby that gives me a ton of satisfaction. And that's the best part of all. :)
- Mel.
10 July 2006
Just tired of it all... (rant)
This entry will most likely border on the TMI for a bit... just for forewarning. If you're not one to tolerate discussions of bodily functions and the annoyances they sometimes cause, forgive this doctor's daughter for an open entry here, and just skip it...
I've been in one of those Oh God the Admin Is Cranky moods today. It started shortly after I arrived at my desk, and has just continued throughout the day. This is thanks to a number of factors, all of which are annoyances on their own, but together add up to just... gah.
Problem One: The Post-Move Stupidity... Again After last summer, I swore if I had to deal with another department move, I'd make sure that it wouldn't de-evolve into chaos again. Last year was pure hell. Sadly, despite everyone claiming that it's been a much smoother move this year, I'm not seeing much of a difference. I've now been back from vacation for a total of four working days. I have yet to have more than a five minute stretch without someone in my office with a complaint or a problem or some random issue that couldn't be solved simply by walking around and FINDING THE SOLUTION (i.e. "where is the fax machine?!?"). And I just can't get a break to get my shit done.
I seriously wonder how some people survive in the world. I wonder how they manage to raise children. Are they just that incapable of trying to find the answer themselves? And why are they so shocked, after seeing (I kid you not) a line five people deep outside my office, that I might actually say "I don't know where the new conference room XYZ is-- I haven't had a chance to leave my desk to walk around yet and find it"?
Add to that the problems that I'm now getting blamed for by my managers that THEY created, and I've just been trying to band-aid to keep myself sane: they take our department's meeting room off the outlook planner at large... well, then Facilities instructs me to manage reservations for the room. And then my managers bitch about the temporary system-- which I clearly said was temporary and would be adjusted upon feedback- system to do said reservations. Why yes, BiggerBoss, it does cause a lot of confusion- not to mention extra email and work for me. "well just put a calendar outside the room for people to sign up for it"-- then just put it back on OUTLOOK, for gods sake! And don't complain that people might think they have to ask permission for supplies if they're in a locked room-- that's what YOU asked Facilities to do! You required the supply cabinets to go into a room which has a door that automatically locks... and also tell me to put a computer in there that's on a roller cart with no way to otherwise secure it.
That scream of pain you hear is me pounding my head into my new office wall. I'm breaking it in, you see.
Problem Two: The Digestive System Since birth, I've been one of those people with an intestinal tract that works on its own schedule, regardless of what really would be ideal. Unfortunately, if I stray too much off of my normal routine and intake of liquids or food, it costs me dearly. Since the Bahamas trip ended, I've been on an every-two-day constipation from hell and then full body cleanout stretch (with all the stomach pains and bathroom trips). I know that it originated from getting dehydrated while I was there, despite all attempts to drink water by large bottlesfull. But last week, I wound up having two nights of really random and short-lived fever spikes as some bug gets through my system. I'm tired of feeling bloated. I'm tired of unproductive trips to the bathroom. I'm really tired of the side effects of Immodium that last for a week after one dose, even if it does help in the short term. And quite honestly, I'm getting really sick of having any thoughts whatsoever about my bowels and the movements therein. I don't feel shitty enough for it to be a case of Montezuma's Revenge. Well... perhaps it is that shitty... but in the literal sense. I have no idea.
But it needs to end. Now.
Problem Three: Wedding Planning The couples are getting married. Everyone's got their dates, their dresses, their sites, etc. Me? Yeah... well... I'll get there.
No change in the planning, other than what could possibly be considered an actual fight with Erich (so rare, it's notable)... all of a sudden last week he was pushing to get this moving and I was (due to the preceding two issues) just NOT in any shape to deal with it and fighting tears as he kept pushing at me until I did the only thing I could to get it OFF of my plate of issues: "well then you call her."
And so he did. And immediately, thanks to both how I felt physically and emotionally, I had a visit to the toilet to puke.
This is where I now am with the stress level of planning my wedding- it's causing me to throw up.
All of a sudden, my mother's changing her tune... oh no, her expectations for the guest list were only "suggestions." Yeah... um... no. They weren't. Any explanations I gave for a small wedding were met with "I want you to do what you want to do for your wedding... BUT..."
The problem with my wedding is that I'm well aware that there's this attitude of "well do whatever the hell you want," but that in reality, the grief I'll get for doing whatever I want is simply not worth it to me. I realize I can't please everyone here. But I'm trying to avoid the blatant issues that, through experience, are GOING to come up.
Add to that my own emotions about just getting it over with and eloping vs. some "where the hell did THAT come from" dream of having a wedding day with everyone around is just tearing me apart. It seems like such a fucking waste of money to spend on one day, but it seems like such a fucking waste to not celebrate what is, quite frankly, probably the last celebration for MY life that involves both sides of my family.
The one good thing I have to say has come out of the discussion between Erich and my mom-- she gave us a budget. Finally. So at least I have THAT to work with, and thankfully that can lead to a lot more leverage in my direction.
So much for feeling happy and relaxed from vacation. I'm already more stressed out than I was before I left.
I've been in one of those Oh God the Admin Is Cranky moods today. It started shortly after I arrived at my desk, and has just continued throughout the day. This is thanks to a number of factors, all of which are annoyances on their own, but together add up to just... gah.
Problem One: The Post-Move Stupidity... Again After last summer, I swore if I had to deal with another department move, I'd make sure that it wouldn't de-evolve into chaos again. Last year was pure hell. Sadly, despite everyone claiming that it's been a much smoother move this year, I'm not seeing much of a difference. I've now been back from vacation for a total of four working days. I have yet to have more than a five minute stretch without someone in my office with a complaint or a problem or some random issue that couldn't be solved simply by walking around and FINDING THE SOLUTION (i.e. "where is the fax machine?!?"). And I just can't get a break to get my shit done.
I seriously wonder how some people survive in the world. I wonder how they manage to raise children. Are they just that incapable of trying to find the answer themselves? And why are they so shocked, after seeing (I kid you not) a line five people deep outside my office, that I might actually say "I don't know where the new conference room XYZ is-- I haven't had a chance to leave my desk to walk around yet and find it"?
Add to that the problems that I'm now getting blamed for by my managers that THEY created, and I've just been trying to band-aid to keep myself sane: they take our department's meeting room off the outlook planner at large... well, then Facilities instructs me to manage reservations for the room. And then my managers bitch about the temporary system-- which I clearly said was temporary and would be adjusted upon feedback- system to do said reservations. Why yes, BiggerBoss, it does cause a lot of confusion- not to mention extra email and work for me. "well just put a calendar outside the room for people to sign up for it"-- then just put it back on OUTLOOK, for gods sake! And don't complain that people might think they have to ask permission for supplies if they're in a locked room-- that's what YOU asked Facilities to do! You required the supply cabinets to go into a room which has a door that automatically locks... and also tell me to put a computer in there that's on a roller cart with no way to otherwise secure it.
That scream of pain you hear is me pounding my head into my new office wall. I'm breaking it in, you see.
Problem Two: The Digestive System Since birth, I've been one of those people with an intestinal tract that works on its own schedule, regardless of what really would be ideal. Unfortunately, if I stray too much off of my normal routine and intake of liquids or food, it costs me dearly. Since the Bahamas trip ended, I've been on an every-two-day constipation from hell and then full body cleanout stretch (with all the stomach pains and bathroom trips). I know that it originated from getting dehydrated while I was there, despite all attempts to drink water by large bottlesfull. But last week, I wound up having two nights of really random and short-lived fever spikes as some bug gets through my system. I'm tired of feeling bloated. I'm tired of unproductive trips to the bathroom. I'm really tired of the side effects of Immodium that last for a week after one dose, even if it does help in the short term. And quite honestly, I'm getting really sick of having any thoughts whatsoever about my bowels and the movements therein. I don't feel shitty enough for it to be a case of Montezuma's Revenge. Well... perhaps it is that shitty... but in the literal sense. I have no idea.
But it needs to end. Now.
Problem Three: Wedding Planning The couples are getting married. Everyone's got their dates, their dresses, their sites, etc. Me? Yeah... well... I'll get there.
No change in the planning, other than what could possibly be considered an actual fight with Erich (so rare, it's notable)... all of a sudden last week he was pushing to get this moving and I was (due to the preceding two issues) just NOT in any shape to deal with it and fighting tears as he kept pushing at me until I did the only thing I could to get it OFF of my plate of issues: "well then you call her."
And so he did. And immediately, thanks to both how I felt physically and emotionally, I had a visit to the toilet to puke.
This is where I now am with the stress level of planning my wedding- it's causing me to throw up.
All of a sudden, my mother's changing her tune... oh no, her expectations for the guest list were only "suggestions." Yeah... um... no. They weren't. Any explanations I gave for a small wedding were met with "I want you to do what you want to do for your wedding... BUT..."
The problem with my wedding is that I'm well aware that there's this attitude of "well do whatever the hell you want," but that in reality, the grief I'll get for doing whatever I want is simply not worth it to me. I realize I can't please everyone here. But I'm trying to avoid the blatant issues that, through experience, are GOING to come up.
Add to that my own emotions about just getting it over with and eloping vs. some "where the hell did THAT come from" dream of having a wedding day with everyone around is just tearing me apart. It seems like such a fucking waste of money to spend on one day, but it seems like such a fucking waste to not celebrate what is, quite frankly, probably the last celebration for MY life that involves both sides of my family.
The one good thing I have to say has come out of the discussion between Erich and my mom-- she gave us a budget. Finally. So at least I have THAT to work with, and thankfully that can lead to a lot more leverage in my direction.
So much for feeling happy and relaxed from vacation. I'm already more stressed out than I was before I left.
Webring cleaning
Back on Diary-X, I'd maintained a little webring called "A Glimpse of Time." It's happily still going, although I'd forgotten to update some things with my new template (and with the demise of Diary-X).
So if anyone's interested in joining or rejoining, all of the links are now fixed, and the new homepage is here.
- Mel.
So if anyone's interested in joining or rejoining, all of the links are now fixed, and the new homepage is here.
- Mel.
03 July 2006
Now off Carribean time...
My computer has been annoying for the past two weeks, so photo uploads are slow. I'm not sure what the problem is, but every time I play World of Warcraft, my computer just shuts OFF suddenly. I can start it right back up, but it'll shut off again if I play WoW. I imagine something's overheating. :(
In any case, Erich and I have now moved my computer downstairs to the living room for the summer (with the AC), and I can actually sit here to write entries and do little projects without sweating to death.
So... the Bahamas... are you ready for an all-in-one recap? Looooong reading ahead.... :)
We had a ton of fun. It was a very expensive week, which now Erich and I are seriously in the hole for until... well... at least October. But we had a blast.
The photos for this, by the way, are not at Flickr. I'll be uploading some of my favorites of the trip to Flickr, but I wanted to make sure I didn't use up my entire month's uploading bandwidth right away. The entire set of all photos (that weren't fuzzy) are uploaded on my website here with captions.
My overall feeling of the Bahamas are that they're definitely working toward being a huge tourist spot, but they're not quite there yet as far as the normal vacation services that most Americans expect. I enjoyed myself, but even being laid back about most things, I found restaurant service to be incredibly slow and most things frighteningly overpriced. There literally were no cheap eats places to go. Prices for food were comparable to Boston and NYC, but quality was spotty.
I see the area as definitely up and coming-- it reminds me a lot of Hilton Head in the mid-80s as it was developing its timeshare communities for vacationers. For now, though, it's a bit rough, a bit confusing, and there's definitely a bit of a culture shock as far as attitudes despite only about 100 miles of distance from Miami. But there's a ton of building going on, and it looks like the number of things for tourists to do are increasing.
Ultimately, this vacation was a destination wedding trip. Our friends Seth and Gina had decided to get married at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort, and had invited only family and close friends. The friends contingent is a mix of people I've mentioned over the years in some form in my journal as the Boston-turned-Providence crew. Although a few members of the group have sinced moved to other states, everyone else lives in Providence now and is either an alum of Boston University, or the significant other who was brought into the circle. We've all known each other for at least nine years.
To make life easier, the friends contingent decided to stay at the same hotel- the Nassau Beach Hotel. It was located on Cable Beach on the north central region of New Providence island, named for the first underwater communications cable connecting Nassau to Miami. It's an older hotel, definitely dated in decor (it had a matching shell sink to the one in our house), and definitely worn around the edges. Apparently it used to be the swanky place when it was built in the late 60's, but it hasn't aged well. But for the obnoxiously cheap price, our room was clean and provided what it needed to- a place to sleep and a place to shower.
As the week went on, Nassau Beach was dubbed the Adventure Hotel by most of the members of our group of friends. Everyone had some sort of an issue-- although the one Erich and I had was hotel-wide (a broken hot water main). Between obscene waits for check-in, missing towels, and a few room switches due to absolutely gross conditions, it was... an interesting stay. Not a place I'd recommend, even if the beach was fantastic. From what I've heard, though, the hotel is going to be torn down sometime in the next year along with all of the other hotels in that strip to start work on a new huge multi-hotel resort to compete with Atlantis. (more on that place later...)
Erich and I were the first of the crew to arrive, having decided to do a Friday to Thursday trip. We arrived in Nassau around three, got through customs with no trouble at all, and went straight to the hotel. Because we arrived late enough, we didn't have much trouble checking in (although it took a while for them to find keys). We dropped our bags and immediately sought food, thanks to the stupid airline policies these days where if its a three or less hour flight, they don't provide anything. With only thirty minute connections, we hadn't eaten yet that day.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that we didn't need to exchange our currency. Bahamians use their own currency and U.S. currency interchangeably. One US dollar = one Bahamian dollar. That helped tremendously.
We grabbed conch fritters (a local favorite... they taste like fishy hushpuppies) and burgers, our first alcoholic fruity drinks, and then went back to the room for a nap. In the evening, we went out for a swim in the man-made lagoon, where a small ray came swimming right up to us.
The next morning, we got up fairly early and decided to do a bit of area scoping while we waited for the others to start arriving. Rather than take a taxi, we took the local bus (they call it a jitney) downtown-- the trip only took about 10 minutes, and cost a buck.
Almost immediately, we found a little mom-n-pop style breakfast cafe, which would prove to be our cheapest meals on the island. Erich went traditional with his food. I tried, and loved, one of the local favorites- corned beef and grits. The corned beef was chopped hash style, but mixed with tomatoes and onions, giving it almost a goulash type consistency. The grits were nice and thick with butter for flavor. Despite not growing up in the South, I did grow up with grits for breakfast in the instant Cream of Wheat variety. I'm picky- no soupy grits for me, thanks. Mixed with the corned beef, they were heaven.
After breakfast, we wandered downtown a while, looking at shops, popping into the duty free stores to check prices, grabbing hats and the toiletries I'd noticed we hadn't brought enough of to last the week, etc. By 10:30, it was already scorching hot and too uncomfortable to walk around. We headed back to the hotel to beach bum it the rest fo the day.
The ocean water was heavenly. Low to mid 80's in temperature- bath water. But compared to the sun's heat, it was still wonderfully refreshing. Over the course of the day, people arrived and filtered onto the beach.
As a group, we decided to spend the evening at the Junkanoo festival, which was a mini version of Carnival, just down the road from us. The parade was fantastic- just a moving blur of sound, dance, and color. Unfortunately, we found THE wrong place to get food-- it took forever (I think some people waited more than an hour after they'd ordered). But the company was good, and we kept drinking throughout the evening.
Sunday was the day of the Bachelor/-ette parties. We divided off early in the morning. The guys took a speedboat out to an island that apparently had a pack of wild boars on it (discussions of Lord of the Flies and the guys' survival abilities ensued later among the women), and the girls headed off to a more family-style excursion to Rose Island, where we spent the day beaching, swimming, and snorkeling.
My one regret on this trip is not having bought an underwater camera-- the snorkeling blew me away. Rose Island had a reef that was perhaps 50 feet from shore. The water was crystal clear, and the fish were amazing. I saw fish easily a foot across in colors that I couldn't believe existed in nature. At times, I was surrounded by schools of fish. I saw eels and jellyfish. One of the girls in our group saw a small shark. Rose Island was definitely a highlight of the trip. And I'm now hooked on snorkeling. Next vacation to somewhere warm? I'm buying my own to bring along.
That night, the festivities continued, but as time went on, many of us started dropping out from suntime exhaustion. By the end of the night, some of the girls had gone dancing. The guys had ended up in the casino near the hotel, teaching Erich to play blackjack at the ten dollar tables.
Monday was the day of the rehearsal dinner. In the morning, Seth and Gina had to attend to the legal paperwork for their marriage, so we were all on our own until dinner at 6. We all headed back downtown to go shopping at the Straw Market for souvies and such.
The Straw Market was fun. It's been around since after WWII, with numerous tight corridors packed high with just about everything. It reminded me of all of the middle eastern bazaars I always see on TV-- vendors sitting on chairs in front of their wares, trying to entice tourists to buy. Haggling is encouraged. Much of it is actually straw items-- hats, bags, fans, etc. But you can also find knockoff Coach and Kate Spade purses, t-shirts, sarongs, little wooden figurines, jewelry, and even Cuban cigars in there. I did get a bit claustrophobic-- with the exception of one, the rows were tighter than the average supermarket with walls that were ten feet high-- the vendors used poles to get higher stuff down. I walked away with a cute straw hat, two pretty batik sarongs for the beach, and a little Bahama style happy cat figurine for a total cost of $40.
After another ocean dip that day, we headed over to the rehearsal dinner at one of the all-inclusive resorts, Breezes. The food was very good-- a big family-style Italian meal (what IS it with Italian food for rehearsal dinners?). Afterwards some people headed back to the hotel. I stayed with a few of the others, managed to get myself extremely hammered, and had a blast on the dance floor until about 2 a.m., ignoring the fact that other than Gina's aunt, I was probably the oldest person out there. Since the legal age for drinking is 18 in the Bahamas, the nightclub was FULL of recent high school grads. One extremely drunk kid tried to pick me up, and his expression was priceless as I gave him a sarcastically sweet mile and tapped my engagement ring in time with the music.
Heh. It sent him running. Quick.
Anyway... I stumbled home with a couple others around 2. Erich was highly amused. In my now slightly sobering state, I realized that the girls had planned to head over to Sandals the next morning around 10 a.m., per Gina's request. I quickly wrote a note to one of the other girls and walked up to slide it under her door to let them know not to be concerned if I wasn't up on time.
But somehow, I was up-- and sans hangover - with plenty of time to spare the next morning. Some amusement at "who the hell is DrunkenMe(!)? was commented on-- my L wasn't clear at the end of my signature, apparently. In one big pack, we headed over to Sandals.
Now, Sandals is one of those super-exclusive, all-inclusive resorts. If you're not staying there, you can't go in. But as part of their wedding arrangement package, they added day passes for all of us to be able to enjoy the resort for the day (so that we didn't have to just come an hour before the wedding, and leave an hour after the reception ended). Once we were on the resort, purses and wallets went away-- all food, all drinks... everything was included.
And everyone took full advantage of that. :) Particularly with drinks. The drinks started flowing around 11 a.m. as everyone - except Gina, who was getting a massage on the dock - plunked into the pool and made full use of the bar-- that was in the pool (with underwater barstools).
Throughout the early afternoon, all of the girls filtered over to the resort spa for appointments that Gina had helped make. I got my first pedicure (which I loved and now will budget for each month). Afterward, we rushed to one of the empty rooms that Sandals ahd been kind enough to allow us to use to dress in. I was the last one in the shower, and wound up being THAT ONE who was late to the wedding.
As in-- Gina was already standing at the end of the aisle when I arrived with Toni and Jen. For the next several minutes, I was fighting back tears of anger and embarrassment. I'm one of those people who HATES to be late. And to a wedding? Yeah... *sigh* Add to that the fact that my hair was still sopping wet and I just felt completely disheveled and ugly... my mood was NOT good.
Thankfully, the ceremony started nearly immediately, and it helped me calm down for the most part. It was a lovely, simple ceremony, followed by a rip-roaring party. Everyone was dancing. Most people abandoned shoes for the floor. It was a great time. Seth and Gina had not chosen to do a first dance song. That, of course, simply would not stand with the group of characters in the Providence crew-- which happily surprised them with a special dedication... of "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. (almost all of us were in tears from laughing.. including the newlyweds).
After the reception ended, Seth announced that the celebration would continue in the pool (which was celebrated by all of us-- now extremely hot and sticky from dancing so much). And virtually everyone from the reception (with the exception of the kids, who were not allowed to stay on the grounds because it's a couples-only resort) got in. It was heavenly. We stayed until around midnight, feasting on the romantic Midnight Buffet (which was entirely made of fruit and different styles of chocolate).
After that day, Erich and I agreed that some day, we're saving our money for a couples trip to one of those places. It was incredibly over the top in the Mount Olympus fantasy-style resort. But wonderfully romantic. :)
Wednesday was our last full day there, and we wanted to see the Atlantis resort (which everyone on the island was talking about). We managed to meet up with everyone in the early afternoon, headed over to the resort by a ferry boat (or... the adventure boat. This thing should NOT have been used as a water taxi. We were very thankful to get over in one piece, and decided we'd skip the return ride and just get a real taxi to get home). Atlatnis was again, over the top. Very elegant, very expensive (they have a suite that runs $25,000 a night!!), but fun. We grabbed lunch in the marina village before going into the resort itself. One of the highlights we'd heard about was the aquarium, but it had a $30 entrance fee, and we got mixed reviews from some of the people we'd talked to. We were pleasantly surprised to find a free trail through what was called "The Dig" - a pseudo-archaeological underwater site that had what was considered a smaller collection of fish. But all of us had a blast in there-- there were a bunch of different small display tanks, plus one ongoing portal-view of a huge tank with a variety of different fish. The photo of the manta ray is from that uber-tank. Erich took a ton of photos from the free walkthrough. All of us were impressed and satisfied with The Dig, so we didn't even bother going into the pay aquarium.
The casino tables required a bit too high of a minimum bet for our tastes, so we stopped by the casino bar for a round of very yummy frozen drinks before heading back to our hotel. All in all, we thought Atlantis was quite nifty, but other than the free aquarium, a bit over-rated for the obscene nightly price they asked for rooms (I think the cheapest is around $400 a night-- and not all-inclusive like Sandals was).
We spent the evening low-keying it between the hotel and the casino. Erich again played some blackjack. I had some fun at the slots. I didn't win anything, but had fun being silly with playing one credit per game on the penny slots, and trying my luck at a quarter machine where I'd nearly broke even a couple nights before. An elderly British woman at the machine next to me won over $2,000 on a quarter machine pull.
As the evening went on, the group slowly filtered to bed-- and we said our goodbyes. We finally wrapped things up around midnight, knowing we had to get up and pack to leave the next day.
Our travel back was relatively smooth-- customs was a pain in the ass with about four layers of checking and rechecking before we got on the plane. Our connection was extremely tight in Charlotte, but we made our plane. But by 6 p.m. on Thursday, we were home. Our bags, not having made the connecting flight, arrived home around midnight.
All in all, we had a blast. We're broke, but now know to better prepare for a Carribean trip with additional savings beforehand. It was a needed week off, and we made some wonderful new memories, both as a couple and as the larger group of friends.
In any case, Erich and I have now moved my computer downstairs to the living room for the summer (with the AC), and I can actually sit here to write entries and do little projects without sweating to death.
So... the Bahamas... are you ready for an all-in-one recap? Looooong reading ahead.... :)
We had a ton of fun. It was a very expensive week, which now Erich and I are seriously in the hole for until... well... at least October. But we had a blast.
The photos for this, by the way, are not at Flickr. I'll be uploading some of my favorites of the trip to Flickr, but I wanted to make sure I didn't use up my entire month's uploading bandwidth right away. The entire set of all photos (that weren't fuzzy) are uploaded on my website here with captions.
My overall feeling of the Bahamas are that they're definitely working toward being a huge tourist spot, but they're not quite there yet as far as the normal vacation services that most Americans expect. I enjoyed myself, but even being laid back about most things, I found restaurant service to be incredibly slow and most things frighteningly overpriced. There literally were no cheap eats places to go. Prices for food were comparable to Boston and NYC, but quality was spotty.
I see the area as definitely up and coming-- it reminds me a lot of Hilton Head in the mid-80s as it was developing its timeshare communities for vacationers. For now, though, it's a bit rough, a bit confusing, and there's definitely a bit of a culture shock as far as attitudes despite only about 100 miles of distance from Miami. But there's a ton of building going on, and it looks like the number of things for tourists to do are increasing.
Ultimately, this vacation was a destination wedding trip. Our friends Seth and Gina had decided to get married at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort, and had invited only family and close friends. The friends contingent is a mix of people I've mentioned over the years in some form in my journal as the Boston-turned-Providence crew. Although a few members of the group have sinced moved to other states, everyone else lives in Providence now and is either an alum of Boston University, or the significant other who was brought into the circle. We've all known each other for at least nine years.
To make life easier, the friends contingent decided to stay at the same hotel- the Nassau Beach Hotel. It was located on Cable Beach on the north central region of New Providence island, named for the first underwater communications cable connecting Nassau to Miami. It's an older hotel, definitely dated in decor (it had a matching shell sink to the one in our house), and definitely worn around the edges. Apparently it used to be the swanky place when it was built in the late 60's, but it hasn't aged well. But for the obnoxiously cheap price, our room was clean and provided what it needed to- a place to sleep and a place to shower.
As the week went on, Nassau Beach was dubbed the Adventure Hotel by most of the members of our group of friends. Everyone had some sort of an issue-- although the one Erich and I had was hotel-wide (a broken hot water main). Between obscene waits for check-in, missing towels, and a few room switches due to absolutely gross conditions, it was... an interesting stay. Not a place I'd recommend, even if the beach was fantastic. From what I've heard, though, the hotel is going to be torn down sometime in the next year along with all of the other hotels in that strip to start work on a new huge multi-hotel resort to compete with Atlantis. (more on that place later...)
Erich and I were the first of the crew to arrive, having decided to do a Friday to Thursday trip. We arrived in Nassau around three, got through customs with no trouble at all, and went straight to the hotel. Because we arrived late enough, we didn't have much trouble checking in (although it took a while for them to find keys). We dropped our bags and immediately sought food, thanks to the stupid airline policies these days where if its a three or less hour flight, they don't provide anything. With only thirty minute connections, we hadn't eaten yet that day.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that we didn't need to exchange our currency. Bahamians use their own currency and U.S. currency interchangeably. One US dollar = one Bahamian dollar. That helped tremendously.
We grabbed conch fritters (a local favorite... they taste like fishy hushpuppies) and burgers, our first alcoholic fruity drinks, and then went back to the room for a nap. In the evening, we went out for a swim in the man-made lagoon, where a small ray came swimming right up to us.
The next morning, we got up fairly early and decided to do a bit of area scoping while we waited for the others to start arriving. Rather than take a taxi, we took the local bus (they call it a jitney) downtown-- the trip only took about 10 minutes, and cost a buck.
Almost immediately, we found a little mom-n-pop style breakfast cafe, which would prove to be our cheapest meals on the island. Erich went traditional with his food. I tried, and loved, one of the local favorites- corned beef and grits. The corned beef was chopped hash style, but mixed with tomatoes and onions, giving it almost a goulash type consistency. The grits were nice and thick with butter for flavor. Despite not growing up in the South, I did grow up with grits for breakfast in the instant Cream of Wheat variety. I'm picky- no soupy grits for me, thanks. Mixed with the corned beef, they were heaven.
After breakfast, we wandered downtown a while, looking at shops, popping into the duty free stores to check prices, grabbing hats and the toiletries I'd noticed we hadn't brought enough of to last the week, etc. By 10:30, it was already scorching hot and too uncomfortable to walk around. We headed back to the hotel to beach bum it the rest fo the day.
The ocean water was heavenly. Low to mid 80's in temperature- bath water. But compared to the sun's heat, it was still wonderfully refreshing. Over the course of the day, people arrived and filtered onto the beach.
As a group, we decided to spend the evening at the Junkanoo festival, which was a mini version of Carnival, just down the road from us. The parade was fantastic- just a moving blur of sound, dance, and color. Unfortunately, we found THE wrong place to get food-- it took forever (I think some people waited more than an hour after they'd ordered). But the company was good, and we kept drinking throughout the evening.
Sunday was the day of the Bachelor/-ette parties. We divided off early in the morning. The guys took a speedboat out to an island that apparently had a pack of wild boars on it (discussions of Lord of the Flies and the guys' survival abilities ensued later among the women), and the girls headed off to a more family-style excursion to Rose Island, where we spent the day beaching, swimming, and snorkeling.
My one regret on this trip is not having bought an underwater camera-- the snorkeling blew me away. Rose Island had a reef that was perhaps 50 feet from shore. The water was crystal clear, and the fish were amazing. I saw fish easily a foot across in colors that I couldn't believe existed in nature. At times, I was surrounded by schools of fish. I saw eels and jellyfish. One of the girls in our group saw a small shark. Rose Island was definitely a highlight of the trip. And I'm now hooked on snorkeling. Next vacation to somewhere warm? I'm buying my own to bring along.
That night, the festivities continued, but as time went on, many of us started dropping out from suntime exhaustion. By the end of the night, some of the girls had gone dancing. The guys had ended up in the casino near the hotel, teaching Erich to play blackjack at the ten dollar tables.
Monday was the day of the rehearsal dinner. In the morning, Seth and Gina had to attend to the legal paperwork for their marriage, so we were all on our own until dinner at 6. We all headed back downtown to go shopping at the Straw Market for souvies and such.
The Straw Market was fun. It's been around since after WWII, with numerous tight corridors packed high with just about everything. It reminded me of all of the middle eastern bazaars I always see on TV-- vendors sitting on chairs in front of their wares, trying to entice tourists to buy. Haggling is encouraged. Much of it is actually straw items-- hats, bags, fans, etc. But you can also find knockoff Coach and Kate Spade purses, t-shirts, sarongs, little wooden figurines, jewelry, and even Cuban cigars in there. I did get a bit claustrophobic-- with the exception of one, the rows were tighter than the average supermarket with walls that were ten feet high-- the vendors used poles to get higher stuff down. I walked away with a cute straw hat, two pretty batik sarongs for the beach, and a little Bahama style happy cat figurine for a total cost of $40.
After another ocean dip that day, we headed over to the rehearsal dinner at one of the all-inclusive resorts, Breezes. The food was very good-- a big family-style Italian meal (what IS it with Italian food for rehearsal dinners?). Afterwards some people headed back to the hotel. I stayed with a few of the others, managed to get myself extremely hammered, and had a blast on the dance floor until about 2 a.m., ignoring the fact that other than Gina's aunt, I was probably the oldest person out there. Since the legal age for drinking is 18 in the Bahamas, the nightclub was FULL of recent high school grads. One extremely drunk kid tried to pick me up, and his expression was priceless as I gave him a sarcastically sweet mile and tapped my engagement ring in time with the music.
Heh. It sent him running. Quick.
Anyway... I stumbled home with a couple others around 2. Erich was highly amused. In my now slightly sobering state, I realized that the girls had planned to head over to Sandals the next morning around 10 a.m., per Gina's request. I quickly wrote a note to one of the other girls and walked up to slide it under her door to let them know not to be concerned if I wasn't up on time.
But somehow, I was up-- and sans hangover - with plenty of time to spare the next morning. Some amusement at "who the hell is DrunkenMe(!)? was commented on-- my L wasn't clear at the end of my signature, apparently. In one big pack, we headed over to Sandals.
Now, Sandals is one of those super-exclusive, all-inclusive resorts. If you're not staying there, you can't go in. But as part of their wedding arrangement package, they added day passes for all of us to be able to enjoy the resort for the day (so that we didn't have to just come an hour before the wedding, and leave an hour after the reception ended). Once we were on the resort, purses and wallets went away-- all food, all drinks... everything was included.
And everyone took full advantage of that. :) Particularly with drinks. The drinks started flowing around 11 a.m. as everyone - except Gina, who was getting a massage on the dock - plunked into the pool and made full use of the bar-- that was in the pool (with underwater barstools).
Throughout the early afternoon, all of the girls filtered over to the resort spa for appointments that Gina had helped make. I got my first pedicure (which I loved and now will budget for each month). Afterward, we rushed to one of the empty rooms that Sandals ahd been kind enough to allow us to use to dress in. I was the last one in the shower, and wound up being THAT ONE who was late to the wedding.
As in-- Gina was already standing at the end of the aisle when I arrived with Toni and Jen. For the next several minutes, I was fighting back tears of anger and embarrassment. I'm one of those people who HATES to be late. And to a wedding? Yeah... *sigh* Add to that the fact that my hair was still sopping wet and I just felt completely disheveled and ugly... my mood was NOT good.
Thankfully, the ceremony started nearly immediately, and it helped me calm down for the most part. It was a lovely, simple ceremony, followed by a rip-roaring party. Everyone was dancing. Most people abandoned shoes for the floor. It was a great time. Seth and Gina had not chosen to do a first dance song. That, of course, simply would not stand with the group of characters in the Providence crew-- which happily surprised them with a special dedication... of "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. (almost all of us were in tears from laughing.. including the newlyweds).
After the reception ended, Seth announced that the celebration would continue in the pool (which was celebrated by all of us-- now extremely hot and sticky from dancing so much). And virtually everyone from the reception (with the exception of the kids, who were not allowed to stay on the grounds because it's a couples-only resort) got in. It was heavenly. We stayed until around midnight, feasting on the romantic Midnight Buffet (which was entirely made of fruit and different styles of chocolate).
After that day, Erich and I agreed that some day, we're saving our money for a couples trip to one of those places. It was incredibly over the top in the Mount Olympus fantasy-style resort. But wonderfully romantic. :)
Wednesday was our last full day there, and we wanted to see the Atlantis resort (which everyone on the island was talking about). We managed to meet up with everyone in the early afternoon, headed over to the resort by a ferry boat (or... the adventure boat. This thing should NOT have been used as a water taxi. We were very thankful to get over in one piece, and decided we'd skip the return ride and just get a real taxi to get home). Atlatnis was again, over the top. Very elegant, very expensive (they have a suite that runs $25,000 a night!!), but fun. We grabbed lunch in the marina village before going into the resort itself. One of the highlights we'd heard about was the aquarium, but it had a $30 entrance fee, and we got mixed reviews from some of the people we'd talked to. We were pleasantly surprised to find a free trail through what was called "The Dig" - a pseudo-archaeological underwater site that had what was considered a smaller collection of fish. But all of us had a blast in there-- there were a bunch of different small display tanks, plus one ongoing portal-view of a huge tank with a variety of different fish. The photo of the manta ray is from that uber-tank. Erich took a ton of photos from the free walkthrough. All of us were impressed and satisfied with The Dig, so we didn't even bother going into the pay aquarium.
The casino tables required a bit too high of a minimum bet for our tastes, so we stopped by the casino bar for a round of very yummy frozen drinks before heading back to our hotel. All in all, we thought Atlantis was quite nifty, but other than the free aquarium, a bit over-rated for the obscene nightly price they asked for rooms (I think the cheapest is around $400 a night-- and not all-inclusive like Sandals was).
We spent the evening low-keying it between the hotel and the casino. Erich again played some blackjack. I had some fun at the slots. I didn't win anything, but had fun being silly with playing one credit per game on the penny slots, and trying my luck at a quarter machine where I'd nearly broke even a couple nights before. An elderly British woman at the machine next to me won over $2,000 on a quarter machine pull.
As the evening went on, the group slowly filtered to bed-- and we said our goodbyes. We finally wrapped things up around midnight, knowing we had to get up and pack to leave the next day.
Our travel back was relatively smooth-- customs was a pain in the ass with about four layers of checking and rechecking before we got on the plane. Our connection was extremely tight in Charlotte, but we made our plane. But by 6 p.m. on Thursday, we were home. Our bags, not having made the connecting flight, arrived home around midnight.
All in all, we had a blast. We're broke, but now know to better prepare for a Carribean trip with additional savings beforehand. It was a needed week off, and we made some wonderful new memories, both as a couple and as the larger group of friends.
02 July 2006
High School Madness
stolen from Bozoette, while I figure out what the heck is wrong with my computer. Photos and Bahamas recaps coming later today...
High School Madness!
1. Who was your best friend? Andi and Darren (my boyfriend)
2. What sports did you play? I gave softball an attempt my sophomore year of high school, but otherwise I stuck to jazz and ballet lessons outside of school. Oh, and some Tae Kwon Do.
3. What kind of car did you drive? My dad's Mazda RX-7 mostly. On occasion, his Accura Legend.
4. It’s Friday night. Where are you? High school football or basketball game, followed by bowling (frosh, soph years) and/or making out (junior/senior).
5. Were you a party animal? No.
6. Were you considered a flirt? I never heard that I was. I would presume no, since I had the same boyfriend throughout high school.
7. Ever skip school? Not a full day, no. But I did occasionally forge notes when I was running late. :)
8. Ever smoke? I tried a few my freshman year because all of the "bad kids" were doing it, and I honestly had a desire to tarnish the obnoxiously goody-goody image I had.
9. Were you a nerd? Yes. Resounding YES.
10. Did you get suspended/expelled? Never.
11. Can you sing the Alma Mater? Yes! :) And the warped version of our cross-town rival's that we used to sing.
12. Who was your favorite teacher? Mr. Tangen, the band director. Absolutely incredible guy. Tough as nails exterior, complete teddy bear interior, and treated high school students like the young adults they were. He gave respect, but demanded mature behavior in return. AND he honestly worked to have us learn classical music. How many high school band directors would give their band the full version of Cappricio Espagnol or Holst's Planets suite to work through and perform (at proper speed)?
13. Favorite class? Band and english.
14. What was your school’s full name? Billings Senior High School.
15. School mascot? Bronc (sans Denver -o)
16. If you could go back and do it over again, would you? Parts, yes. But for the most part, no. College on the other hand...
17. What do you remember most about graduation? It was the first time that my parents were together after their divorce. I remember being on edge the entire time they were there. I also was in an ankle brace for graduation, so I remember having to wear my black converse high tops because no other shoes would fit.
18. Were you 18? Yes – I turned 18 that January.
19. Favorite memory of your Senior year? Honestly, senior year was a very difficult one for me. I spent a good chunk of the year dealing with a relationship that was crumbling (and with no past experience, it dragged out most of the year). The sad memories have evaporated the good ones.
20. Were you ever posted up on the Senior Wall? I don't think we had one.
21. Did you have a job your senior year? Yes
22. Who did you date? Darren all year, although one of his good friends from the Mormon ward, Che, took me to senior prom (one of those little parts of the whole bad senior year thing)
23. Where did you go most often for lunch? As soon as I had my license at 15, I went OUT. Almost every day.
24. What did you do after graduation? That night was an all-night grad party at the school. Then I went back to the same things I did every summer-- dance recital, two weeks in Hilton Head, see the grandparents in PA, and then head to California to spend the last month with my mom.
25. When did you graduate? 1993
High School Madness!
1. Who was your best friend? Andi and Darren (my boyfriend)
2. What sports did you play? I gave softball an attempt my sophomore year of high school, but otherwise I stuck to jazz and ballet lessons outside of school. Oh, and some Tae Kwon Do.
3. What kind of car did you drive? My dad's Mazda RX-7 mostly. On occasion, his Accura Legend.
4. It’s Friday night. Where are you? High school football or basketball game, followed by bowling (frosh, soph years) and/or making out (junior/senior).
5. Were you a party animal? No.
6. Were you considered a flirt? I never heard that I was. I would presume no, since I had the same boyfriend throughout high school.
7. Ever skip school? Not a full day, no. But I did occasionally forge notes when I was running late. :)
8. Ever smoke? I tried a few my freshman year because all of the "bad kids" were doing it, and I honestly had a desire to tarnish the obnoxiously goody-goody image I had.
9. Were you a nerd? Yes. Resounding YES.
10. Did you get suspended/expelled? Never.
11. Can you sing the Alma Mater? Yes! :) And the warped version of our cross-town rival's that we used to sing.
12. Who was your favorite teacher? Mr. Tangen, the band director. Absolutely incredible guy. Tough as nails exterior, complete teddy bear interior, and treated high school students like the young adults they were. He gave respect, but demanded mature behavior in return. AND he honestly worked to have us learn classical music. How many high school band directors would give their band the full version of Cappricio Espagnol or Holst's Planets suite to work through and perform (at proper speed)?
13. Favorite class? Band and english.
14. What was your school’s full name? Billings Senior High School.
15. School mascot? Bronc (sans Denver -o)
16. If you could go back and do it over again, would you? Parts, yes. But for the most part, no. College on the other hand...
17. What do you remember most about graduation? It was the first time that my parents were together after their divorce. I remember being on edge the entire time they were there. I also was in an ankle brace for graduation, so I remember having to wear my black converse high tops because no other shoes would fit.
18. Were you 18? Yes – I turned 18 that January.
19. Favorite memory of your Senior year? Honestly, senior year was a very difficult one for me. I spent a good chunk of the year dealing with a relationship that was crumbling (and with no past experience, it dragged out most of the year). The sad memories have evaporated the good ones.
20. Were you ever posted up on the Senior Wall? I don't think we had one.
21. Did you have a job your senior year? Yes
22. Who did you date? Darren all year, although one of his good friends from the Mormon ward, Che, took me to senior prom (one of those little parts of the whole bad senior year thing)
23. Where did you go most often for lunch? As soon as I had my license at 15, I went OUT. Almost every day.
24. What did you do after graduation? That night was an all-night grad party at the school. Then I went back to the same things I did every summer-- dance recital, two weeks in Hilton Head, see the grandparents in PA, and then head to California to spend the last month with my mom.
25. When did you graduate? 1993
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