11.27.2001
So, did we move to the Amazon? 'cause I thought we moved to Raleigh, NC. The back yard is like a steamy jungle (even though there are no leaves on the trees). I wonder how much our comfort with the weather is actually due to perception and expectation rather than actual physical discomfort. It's almost December; after 3 Decembers in State College, PA, I expect it to be cold. I expect it to be snowing. I expect it to be windy - so windy that it goes up my nose and makes it hard for me to breathe. I expect to have to put on 4 layers of clothes and coats plus winter clothing accessories (scarf, hat, gloves) that were not a part of my Southern upbringing. And even after all that I expect to have difficulty walking and driving. At the very least, I expect to have to clean off my car before I can go anywhere. But no, instead the weather is such that if I spent much time outside doing anything that would raise my heart rate the slightest bit, I'd be covered in sweat in an instant. And it's almost December. If it were June, would I find the heat so uncomfortable?
A request for all Raleigh-area drivers: when turning into oncoming traffic, please see to it that you factor not only the distance of the oncoming car but also the rate of speed of the oncoming car into your decision to turn. I'm tired of stepping on the brakes for those of you who seem unable to consider two factors at once.
Spent way too much time last night working on the site; nearly redesigned the whole thing but then decided against it. Came up with a holiday logo instead... at Thanksgiving my mom gave us Christmas-ey tux shirts for Henry and Jefferson and a scarf / bandana for Hannah that she made by hand. We'll never actually get the three of them in a picture together, so this was an alternative solution.
11.26.2001
11.25.2001
This is gonna have to be quick, because I really don't want to start the work week half asleep.
Thanksgiving was good, but different. Our canine traveling companions did quite well. They had a few space issues in the backseat, but overall they got along fine and behaved like angels. Hannah had some seriously stinky breath, though... whew... not fun in close quarters. Within a year we'll have to get a larger vehicle, probably a minivan - after Christmas we'll have to start some hard core saving for that.
We had an excellent dinner on Thursday night at my cousins Deidre and Kevin's house. We have always traditionally held another Thanksgiving dinner / get-together on the day after Thanksgiving at my Aunt Rexie's house. This year, that day was a little out of whack. It decided to rain all day, so we weren't able to decorate the Christmas tree that's out on the back deck. And unfortunately, my aunt wasn't feeling too great. She is taking a ton of medication, including Cipro for an infection (not anthrax), and by Friday she was pretty well knocked out. She was groggy and kind of confused ("crazy" as she put it) so early Friday evening she went to the ER. They were there about 5 hours, but she did get to come home after it was decided that the Cipro was probably to blame. Apparently Cipro can cause confusion and signs of dementia in some people, although it must be a pretty rare side effect. By Saturday morning she was much better - yet another thing to be thankful for. I told her she could make a mint selling the Cipro on the black market since she's not taking it anymore...
On our way back on Saturday, we stopped off north of Charlotte on I-85 at the exit for Lowe's Motor Speedway. We were able to drive onto the grounds and we actually drove all the way around the outside of the grandstands. It was really quite cool and it was an eye-opener to see how huge it is in person. We never were able to get a glimpse of the track itself... it was dark, rainy, and we were a bit worried about getting arrested for trespassing or something. We're hoping to get down there for one of the races next year, though.
Today we attended church and accomplished a major task at home: we finished cleaning out the third bedroom, which had sort of been a storage area since we moved in. Now it's getting ready to become Gift Wrap Central. All in all today's been pretty good and I feel fairly ready to go back to work tomorrow... if I can just get myself to go to bed!
11.24.2001
We're back from our travels, but I am dead-dog tired, so my stories about Thanksgiving will have to wait until tomorrow.
11.21.2001
Yee-ha, Happy Thanksgiving! We'll be leaving soon, just as soon as Chris gets home and we (well, okay, he) gets the car loaded. We wish happy times and safe travels upon you all.
Ryan kindly pointed out to me last night that our commenting system (Reblogger) had been down a lot lately. I knew that it was having problems because I'd read this, but I didn't know that the problems were affecting us. Perhaps that explains the [0] issue, huh? {sheepish grin} I have to admit that I still rather like the idea of being comment-free for a while, but sometime in the next several weeks maybe I will stop being lazy, learn PHP, and put up a spiffy new comment thingy.
We had a bit of excitement around our house last night. Chris and I were sitting in front of the computer, printing out some directions, etc. that will help us with our trip, when there was a very loud boom and a flash of light. It scared the living daylights out of me, and Hannah and Jefferson weren't so happy either (Henry had been to the vet for a shot and was pretty much out of it). We checked outside, and the people directly across from us had power, but the rest of the street was pitch black. We still had power and our cable TV was okay, but our cable modem was offline. Then, a bit later, there was another loud boom, and suddenly our cable modem was back online. At some point in the middle of all of this the power company parked their truck outside our house and walked around behind our fence to work on the problem. Later on we heard a third, not-as-loud boom, and our cable modem went back offline and took the cable TV with it. It was all still out when we got up this morning. I'm not complaining, because I'm very glad our power didn't go out, but as Chris said this morning, they left us one boom short.
Loud booms and flashes of light are not something you want to experience when your country is at war, even if it is only the electricity or the cable or whatever.
11.20.2001
As of today, the commenting system for our blog is gone. This is more a personal, philosophical choice than anything else. I am tired of seeing a big [0] after almost every post. I'm not sure who I write for: myself or potential readers. Either way, I think the only reason I expect comments is because we've provided an opportunity for people to leave them. If we don't provide the option, and I don't expect it, then I'll be writing more for myself, not for others. And for some reason, that feels like a good step to take. If you'd like to get in touch with us, you can always send us email.
Sorry for my lack of posts lately... at least Chris has been keeping you entertained. I've been busy dealing with an unpleasant (to say the least) situation that I can't really go into here, but it's been taking up a lot of my time and nearly all of my mental and emotional energy.
That said, we are getting ready to go to Georgia for Thanksgiving. We are really looking forward to it because it will be the first time we have seen Aunt Rexie since she was in the hospital. As far as I know, I have not missed a Thanksgiving at my Aunt Rexie's house in all of my 25 years. Even the year that my dad had a heart attack 6 days before Thanksgiving, Chris and I went on to Georgia while my parents stayed at home in Virginia (actually at their insistence). Some of my most treasured memories are of past Thanksgivings, and this year, the fact that Aunt Rexie is still with us is something we are all thankful for.
As I've grown older, I have come to enjoy Thanksgiving as much as Christmas. The commercialism of Christmas seems to have grown by leaps and bounds, while Thanksgiving hasn't been quite as affected. It seems to me to be a nice, simple, uncomplicated holiday in which we all take time to be with those we love and to focus on the things we are thankful for in our lives. It is a time to contemplate what we already have, rather than to get worked up over what we do or don't receive (of course this is not the real purpose of Christmas, but that's not the point of this post). This year, my attitude of thankfulness was threatened by the stressful situation I've been dealing with, but I think I've managed to get my perspective back, and I am looking forward to an enjoyable end of the week.
Now, if we can just get there! We are taking Hannah and Henry along, and figuring out how to load 2 dogs, 2 crates, 2 adults, and all our stuff into a sedan is not proving to be the easiest task in the world. Who wants to place bets on the length of time before we get a minivan? Anyway, having dogs is all about prevention. Both dogs now have seat belts, which means they will be safely secured in the back seat. This is good, because Hannah gets rather indignant at having to share the seat with Henry and figures she deserves to ride in the front with us. Which is obviously not good. It'll be an adventure, that's for sure, but it should be fun.
11.18.2001
My Brush With Celebrity
Ben Wylie, one of my close friends from college, has been in town this weekend. We met today at the North Carolina Museum of Art to view the Toulouse-Lautrec Exhibit. While I was waiting for Ben to show up I amused myself with some people watching. The main event seemed to be a museum guy who was obviously waiting at the information counter for some VIP to show up. "He just called and should be here in a few minutes". "He" wasn't identifed by name but I gathered "He" was coming to give a speech or lecture. "He" must have been late as museum guy seemed ansty and sprung into action when he spotted "He" walking from the parking lot. As it was a museum on a Sunday I wasn't expecting it to be anyone I had ever heard of or would recognize, but sure enough I did and I was excited. It was Ray Suarez. This may not excite many people - Ben and his friend George had heard of him but didn't seem too excited when I told them later - but when I worked at the Bookpress I listened to him for two hours every day as he hosted his NPR show Talk of the Nation. He has one of the best radio voices and a unique ability to make mundane topics seem interesting and pertinent. Which is important when you host two shows a day, four days a week. He moved on to become senior correspondent on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer a couple years ago. So Ben and his friend George arrived and we viewed the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit and some of the permanent exhibits and then were talking outside the entrance when out comes "He". I didn't hesitate this time. I was not to be denied. I stepped right up and said "you're Ray Suarez" and reached out to shake his hand "It's a pleasure to meet you". He smiled politely, shook my hand and said "thank you" and continued walking. I'm still happy. For me this ranks right up there with running into Bruce Hornsby at the Williamsburg post office. He was walking out and I was walking in. I said hello and he said hello back. I had two more "encounters" with him while I lived in Williamsburg, once when he came to the Bookpress to check out some modern first editions we had in stock at the time and another time at a William & Mary football game. I stood in line behind him at the concession stand. But it was expected to run into him in Williamsburg. It is more fun to run into a celebrity when you don't expect it. And even more exciting to actually step up and say hello. Not act like a loser stalker but just say hello, shake their hand and let them go on their way.
Ben Wylie, one of my close friends from college, has been in town this weekend. We met today at the North Carolina Museum of Art to view the Toulouse-Lautrec Exhibit. While I was waiting for Ben to show up I amused myself with some people watching. The main event seemed to be a museum guy who was obviously waiting at the information counter for some VIP to show up. "He just called and should be here in a few minutes". "He" wasn't identifed by name but I gathered "He" was coming to give a speech or lecture. "He" must have been late as museum guy seemed ansty and sprung into action when he spotted "He" walking from the parking lot. As it was a museum on a Sunday I wasn't expecting it to be anyone I had ever heard of or would recognize, but sure enough I did and I was excited. It was Ray Suarez. This may not excite many people - Ben and his friend George had heard of him but didn't seem too excited when I told them later - but when I worked at the Bookpress I listened to him for two hours every day as he hosted his NPR show Talk of the Nation. He has one of the best radio voices and a unique ability to make mundane topics seem interesting and pertinent. Which is important when you host two shows a day, four days a week. He moved on to become senior correspondent on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer a couple years ago. So Ben and his friend George arrived and we viewed the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit and some of the permanent exhibits and then were talking outside the entrance when out comes "He". I didn't hesitate this time. I was not to be denied. I stepped right up and said "you're Ray Suarez" and reached out to shake his hand "It's a pleasure to meet you". He smiled politely, shook my hand and said "thank you" and continued walking. I'm still happy. For me this ranks right up there with running into Bruce Hornsby at the Williamsburg post office. He was walking out and I was walking in. I said hello and he said hello back. I had two more "encounters" with him while I lived in Williamsburg, once when he came to the Bookpress to check out some modern first editions we had in stock at the time and another time at a William & Mary football game. I stood in line behind him at the concession stand. But it was expected to run into him in Williamsburg. It is more fun to run into a celebrity when you don't expect it. And even more exciting to actually step up and say hello. Not act like a loser stalker but just say hello, shake their hand and let them go on their way.
I'm glad I went to church today. I was reminded that even in the midst of a difficult time, I still have a lot to be thankful for. Three things I am particularly thankful for this weekend: my husband, my family, and my dogs.
11.17.2001
I have no words to describe the kind of day I had yesterday. And so far, today's not lookin' much better.
11.14.2001
Pet peeves:
- Driving 20 minutes to work and hearing nothing but talk and commercials on any of the 4 radio stations I listen to.
- Having to stand in nasty water in the bathtub while I am showering because the drain is slow.
- Having to use Liquid Plumr (is that how you spell it?) on the bathtub drain once a week because there is no way to remove the stopper and check for hair or whatever. (I should have suspected something when I saw the big industrial strength bottle of Drano under the bathroom sink when we first looked at the house.)
- Blogger's crankiness when I actually have something to say.
11.12.2001
The egomaniac's back. Be sure to check out his new site. I know I'm looking forward to reading his blog again.
I just heard on Fox News Channel that the Red Cross is offering to return donations to the Sept. 11 fund to anyone who requests that his or her money be returned. Okay, so who exactly is going to ask for their money back? Why can't the Red Cross just use the money as it was originally intended for the families of the victims of the attacks? Is that so hard? I have always believed that the Red Cross is a good organization and supported them by donating blood. After Sept. 11, I gave a lot of thought to signing up for Red Cross disaster training so that in the future I might be able to help out in a more tangible way (gotta use that psychology degree, you know). But now I'm just not sure. I feel about them like I do about so many huge corporations. They are huge and they are the most recognizable and well-established organization of their kind, and it's simplest to "use" them... but my conscience might bother me if I do. If I refuse to donate blood, learn CPR, or take disaster training through the Red Cross, where else might I be able to do those things?
I don't have a lot to say about this morning's plane crash in Queens. I'll go ahead and say I think it was an accident. Of course, I've been down this road before and I may be wrong, but my gut feeling is that it is not an act of terrorism. I feel for New York City. I've been there once, and for some reason, what happened today makes me really want to make another visit there soon. I'm not sure why. Maybe I'll try to explain it sometime, but not right now.
11.11.2001
Oh yeah... I did finally roast pumpkin seeds... YUM! I also made 2 loaves of pumpkin bread, which, if I do say so myself, are quite tasty. The bread doesn't taste very pumpkin-y but it has a nice blend of spices, nuts, and raisins. That experiment turned out well.
Well, it's been a very good weekend. My parents left a couple of hours ago to return to Roanoke. We had a great visit, which included a game of Trivial Pursuit that lasted past midnight last night. Today Chris and I officially became members of North Raleigh United Methodist Church. It felt a bit unusual to be standing up at the front of the church, joining, with my parents sitting in the congregation... it's the first time I've been a member of a church that they are not members of. But we really like NRUMC and are very glad that we joined. I also was having flashbacks to our wedding... it was also the first time since then that we've stood up in the front of a church with a minister standing there talking to us... I was half expecting him to launch into vows or something like that.
11.09.2001
I just realized (shame on me) that today is Hannah's birthday. She's two. Maybe we will have to make a little run to PetSmart to pick up something for the birthday girl...
I stopped by Starbucks on my way to work. I've had a craving for chai tea for a couple of months now, and apparently in the South, Starbucks is the only place to find it. I think I've only ever been in a Starbucks one other time in my entire life (which is why my craving has gone unsatisfied for two months). I love coffee shops, don't get me wrong, but Starbucks is something entirely different. It's basically just a sophisticated version of McDonald's. Anyway, I certainly felt like I'd wandered into a foreign land where I didn't speak the language... especially since what I ordered didn't have any original English words in it's name (grande chai latte). I don't know if I'll go back. I'd be much happier making it at home, but so far I haven't been able to get it quite right... it always tastes too weak and watery. Come to think of it, this one from Starbucks could be a little stronger...
11.08.2001
My pumpkin bread recipe, courtesy of Betty (yeah, me an' Betty Crocker are on a first-name basis), calls for 16 oz. of canned pumpkin. What I have are three big hunks of raw pumpkin that I cut up this morning. Does anyone know how to get from the raw pumpkin to the same as the canned stuff? I'm guessing there's some boiling and mashing involved, but I'm not sure.
This letter, besides being something of a tear-jerker, ties together the two tragedies that have most affected my generation.
11.07.2001
We bought a pumpkin for Halloween, but didn't carve it. We are planning to cut it open, roast the seeds and make pumpkin bread, but we haven't done it yet (will we? - I'm planning to try tonight). This morning, while I was in the shower, Hannah thought it would be fun to play with the pumpkin. I heard Henry barking wildly from his crate and heard some strange noises, but figured it was just Hannah chasing Jefferson... when I got out of the shower, I found her with the pumpkin rolled up into a corner and pieces of the once picture-perfect stem all over the floor. At least she didn't really bite into the pumpkin, and it was kind of funny, once I got over my exasperation.
I am not happy with our photo gallery. The text descriptions for pictures do not thrill me, both for the look it gives the page and for the annoyance of having to write cute little clickable captions. As a result, I'm not posting any pictures in the gallery, which is too bad, because I have some I'd like to put up. I need to think of a way to make it more attractive and interesting. My best idea so far is to just go with an index page leading to pages with thumbnails. But that's kind of standard, run-of-the-mill stuff. Problem is, my creative juices aren't giving me any ideas.
Autumn is wonderful; having to close my drapes at 2:15 pm because of the way the light hits my monitor is not. Once those drapes are closed, my mind and body become convinced that it's dark outside and time to go home. But now it really is time to go home, so I must prepare my mind and body for the inevitable shock and confusion that occurs when I step outside and find out just how much light is really left this time of the evening.
11.06.2001
The tree just outside our kitchen window is a combination of beautiful colors right now. I tried to take a picture of an entire branch this morning, and the light was all wrong. I had better luck at lunchtime, focusing on individual leaves.
I returned from lunch to find a t-shirt draped over the back of my chair. It turns out that I get a free shirt for participating in the state employees combined campaign. Chris participated as well; now we can go out together in our matching t-shirts and show everyone how proud we are to be state employees. Awww, yeah.
Even though my master's thesis is not 100%, totally, completely finished (although it's hopefully not too far from that), the bulk of the work is done. I've felt so much more relaxed and happy the last few days. I think it was an even bigger weight on my shoulders than I'd realized. There's this stereotype of young, married, childless couples as carefree and without a lot of responsibility. I never felt like I fit that until now. For the first time in many years I feel much more in control of how I spend my time, and it's a great feeling. If I want to spend three hours fiddling with this site, I can. If I want to watch the entire race on Sunday, I can. If I want to just sit on the floor and play with the dogs, I can do that too -- all without feeling guilty, which is really the best part.
11.05.2001
11.04.2001
It's been a very good weekend. I spent Friday night and most of Saturday at the Capital Area Handbell Festival. I had a good time and it was productive for me in terms of practicing my sight-reading, among other things. I also got to hear the Raleigh Ringers live for the first time. One word - incredible. It's pretty amazing to think that I am going to audition to be a part of that. The auditions are January 2 and 3 - right after we get back from our whirlwind Christmas vacation - but I'm going to do it.
Last night we watched My Fair Lady followed by Fiddler on the Roof. We didn't make it all the way through Fiddler as it lasted until midnight, so I guess we will have to try again sometime... neither of us has seen it. My Fair Lady is one of my favorite movies, and Audrey Hepburn is probably my all-time favorite actress, so I enjoyed that quite a bit. Our pup Henry's full name is Henry Higgins, although I realized last night that there are quite a few differences between the character in the story and our dog in terms of personality, but oh well.
I also got to talk to my Aunt Rexie for the first time last night. We spent a long time on the phone and it was such a joy just to hear her voice. :) She went home Friday night and is doing well.
We've spent today at church and watching the race, etc. etc... basically just your typical Sunday.
I realize this post is rambling horrendously, which is a sign that I should go to bed. Good night.
We just got back from Food Lion... Chris and I have a routine when we go grocery shopping together: he's the driver, I'm the navigator. Tonight, though, I got the cart as we went through the door...
Chris: I'm the driver!
Katherine: I'm just getting your cart ready.
Chris: So then you're the valet?
Hm, maybe you just had to be there.
11.02.2001
I have just one thing to say about this: if something happens to the Golden Gate Bridge before I get to see it in person, I will be one angry woman.
11.01.2001
Henry's picture has been entered in the Labrador Retriever Cybershow, in the "Tongue Pictures" category.
