I am in a hotel by the Mall of America and the airport. After huge delays in LGA yesterday, we missed our flight to Anchorage last night by 10 minutes! What a bummer!
I could not blog about our trip since it was a surprise to KC. We are going to meet A+KC out there. I am sure he will not check this now since he leaving today. I could not breathe a word on this forum since KC is a dedicated reader. So wish us luck to get to Alaska today.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Mr. W's dream house
A Low Impact Woodland Home
If Mr. W saw this home in a reasonable commute to NYC, we would be moving.
If Mr. W saw this home in a reasonable commute to NYC, we would be moving.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Unproductive and sleepy
I wish I could say I have been taking full advantage of my few days off before things get busy, but it is amazing how lazy I can get. The weather turned on Monday to 55-60 and rain, and I have crawled into my cocoon so to speak. My energy level really rides with the sun. Thankfully there are more sunny days out here than when I lived in Michigan. My only complaint is that it gets dark so darn early out here. It gets light earlier, but that does not do me any good since my cohort likes to sleep the morning away. That is time I get to myself (early to the farm market and stores before the rest of the new yawkers wake up). Things get swingin' around noon (not like the midwest), so I like to do things before then to keep my sanity. I have been catching up on some paperwork, filing, cleaning, and vacation planning.
I have been considering taking an intro German class to prepare for Christmas. Maybe it would be better to get some tapes. I guess I could just have Mike translate since it will only be a few days (I will need translation anyways). I think I am going to swim inside today. I hate swimming indoors, but it has been cold and rainy. It is really my last week for outdoor swimming. At least I can use my fins and other accessories!
Otherwise, nothing is new. Just constant discussions about the housing market, mortgages, interest rates, and what towns are good. The scale tipped towards Armonk last night, but I still would not count Greenwich and Rye out at this point.
I have been considering taking an intro German class to prepare for Christmas. Maybe it would be better to get some tapes. I guess I could just have Mike translate since it will only be a few days (I will need translation anyways). I think I am going to swim inside today. I hate swimming indoors, but it has been cold and rainy. It is really my last week for outdoor swimming. At least I can use my fins and other accessories!
Otherwise, nothing is new. Just constant discussions about the housing market, mortgages, interest rates, and what towns are good. The scale tipped towards Armonk last night, but I still would not count Greenwich and Rye out at this point.
Glen Hansard
Oh yeah, I dig the intensity. It is a good song to sing loudly in the privacy of your car (even if you look insane!)
Monday, August 20, 2007
Letdown
The headline of the class grabbed me, and I wanted to know more. Needless to say, the description ended up being a letdown. I was suprised to see the heading, because I have met people from around here who have gone to classes to get rid of their accents. I guess I am going to have to learn to talk like a New Yorker on my own.
Superweekend
We kept busy this weekend, but half of it was low key. We went to Superbad, and we were the oldest people in the theater. Good thing it was dark! I give Superbad a thumbs up. I have been excited to see it for a couple of months.
Yesterday we raced at West Point. The race weather was good (unseasonably cold and about 55-60 degrees at race time). This is one of my favorite races. It is run in the training area for the military academy. You pass by the obstacle course, foxholes, and my favorite, the bayonet course. The race always has cadets on the triathlon team, West point alumni of all ages, and military racing. The bike course is really nice, but a tad hilly. The run is pretty hard with many steep hills. It is one of the races with the most uberfit looking people. The cadets definately seemed pressed out of the same mold (symmetrical faces, square jaws, 6-packs). The best complement I got was when a spectator asked me if I was on the USMA team. It was like being carded! I was happy with my race, but the swim course was considerably shorter (I was 3 minutes faster than usual, and W was 5-6 minutes faster). W said he thought the buoy was being pushed in closer. I was close to placing, and a short swim makes a huge difference for people who are not swimmers (like my friend W!). So much for the military precision! I have done this race 4 times now, and the swim has always been really consistent. They should have taken a 1/4 mile off of the run for me to make it even! Mike took the race yesterday by about 40 seconds, so he is the season leader (1/1). We were joking that that should be the last race for the summer! We figured out time adjustments for the short swim, and we still had our best times on the course. That is pretty good after a monumental birthday for some.
Yesterday we raced at West Point. The race weather was good (unseasonably cold and about 55-60 degrees at race time). This is one of my favorite races. It is run in the training area for the military academy. You pass by the obstacle course, foxholes, and my favorite, the bayonet course. The race always has cadets on the triathlon team, West point alumni of all ages, and military racing. The bike course is really nice, but a tad hilly. The run is pretty hard with many steep hills. It is one of the races with the most uberfit looking people. The cadets definately seemed pressed out of the same mold (symmetrical faces, square jaws, 6-packs). The best complement I got was when a spectator asked me if I was on the USMA team. It was like being carded! I was happy with my race, but the swim course was considerably shorter (I was 3 minutes faster than usual, and W was 5-6 minutes faster). W said he thought the buoy was being pushed in closer. I was close to placing, and a short swim makes a huge difference for people who are not swimmers (like my friend W!). So much for the military precision! I have done this race 4 times now, and the swim has always been really consistent. They should have taken a 1/4 mile off of the run for me to make it even! Mike took the race yesterday by about 40 seconds, so he is the season leader (1/1). We were joking that that should be the last race for the summer! We figured out time adjustments for the short swim, and we still had our best times on the course. That is pretty good after a monumental birthday for some.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Happy B-day W!
We are laying low today since we are racing at West Point tommorrow. We were the oldest people seeing Superbad last night, so I guess age is just a number!
Friday, August 17, 2007
For Mario Batali, It’s Molto Michigan - New York Times
For Mario Batali, It’s Molto Michigan - New York Times
Sounds like you should make friends and become dinner guests (A+K!)
Sounds like you should make friends and become dinner guests (A+K!)
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The little plant that could
I love to grow tomatoes, but I do not have any ground to plant them. I try to see what I can get out of containers with varied success every year. This year's crop took a serious beating. They were moved at least 4 times, and contractors took over our backyard. I just love this little pathetic plant and how it used up all of its energy to produce a fruit. It is the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of the tomato world.
Hey doggie
All I have to say, is this the best they could do? This is the dog they chose to highlight adoption from the pound?
The Swell Season Live - Lies
I just downloaded the chords, so wish me luck. I need to look up A#. The visual here is not good, but the sound is good nonetheless.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Housing crisis
We spent much of Sunday going to open houses. It instilled more hope in me since the houses were all nice (not like the million dollar dumps in Greenwich we saw a few weeks back). We looked at a fixer in Rye that was 1.3, but that was just to poke our heads in since we were nearby. The market here is slowing down and moving in our favor, but it is still a daunting idea to buy here. There are many factors we are considering, but the main one is to be a reasonable commute to NYC (in case Mike has to work there in the future). Here is the synopsis:
One of the houses was on a beautiful property, house was in great shape and updated, but the ground floor plan was not very open. We would knock a wall down where we could do it in that house. The commute was good for being further north from where we live now.
The next house I did not want to look at, but Mike convinced me. The house was in good shape, but needed to be updated. The price was good (for the area, none of the prices here are really actually "good") and it was really unique. They had 5,000 feet of decking instead of a lawn and the house was in the woods. It was like living in a nature preserve. The commute was not so good there.
The next place was in Greenwich on the border with NY. It was a more typical .2 acre lot with a colonial, but they had made some great updates inside. It had a pool, but I really do not want one (unless it is 25 yards!). The price was good, taxes were really low (taxes are 5,000 in Greenwich, but in Westchester they begin at 10,000 and go up to more that 20,000 in some towns). Good commute to city and access to highways, and we get to go to the beach in Greenwich!
We headed to Rye where there was a newly built house. The house was great, but it was on a street that was not pretty. They just reduced the price 100,000 on it!
It was funny that we were almost the only ones showing for many of the open houses. It is a slow time of year. Anyways, the realtor at the fixer for 1.3 ended up following us around. It was weird since we had really no interest in the house, and it was crawling with people. Maybe she smelled that we were looking in general on us. It was weird though. We went outside, and she popped beside us 2 separate times and chatted us up. She was not annoying though and talked a lot about the town in general too.
One of the houses was on a beautiful property, house was in great shape and updated, but the ground floor plan was not very open. We would knock a wall down where we could do it in that house. The commute was good for being further north from where we live now.
The next house I did not want to look at, but Mike convinced me. The house was in good shape, but needed to be updated. The price was good (for the area, none of the prices here are really actually "good") and it was really unique. They had 5,000 feet of decking instead of a lawn and the house was in the woods. It was like living in a nature preserve. The commute was not so good there.
The next place was in Greenwich on the border with NY. It was a more typical .2 acre lot with a colonial, but they had made some great updates inside. It had a pool, but I really do not want one (unless it is 25 yards!). The price was good, taxes were really low (taxes are 5,000 in Greenwich, but in Westchester they begin at 10,000 and go up to more that 20,000 in some towns). Good commute to city and access to highways, and we get to go to the beach in Greenwich!
We headed to Rye where there was a newly built house. The house was great, but it was on a street that was not pretty. They just reduced the price 100,000 on it!
It was funny that we were almost the only ones showing for many of the open houses. It is a slow time of year. Anyways, the realtor at the fixer for 1.3 ended up following us around. It was weird since we had really no interest in the house, and it was crawling with people. Maybe she smelled that we were looking in general on us. It was weird though. We went outside, and she popped beside us 2 separate times and chatted us up. She was not annoying though and talked a lot about the town in general too.
Glen Hansard Live at Sundance!
This is a song from the movie we saw this weekend. I need to get the soundtrack now. What a complete sound standing there in Park City with a guitar.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Smells like home
I was driving in congested traffic the other day, and I saw a car with a bumper sticker reading "My other car is a Zamboni". When I saw it, I thought it was weird to see in the metro NYC area, and it would really belong on a car with Michigan plates. As I marvelled at the car with the bumper sticker (sporting NY plates), I saw they also had a Red Wings license plate holder. So my initial Detroit instinct was correct after all. I must have Detroiterdar.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Squeeze
Be sure to finish strong with the proper ending, "If I, If I, did'nt, did'nt, Love you, love you, love you
I was suprised they played it!
Hello
I have not been updating too much lately. I have been getting ready for the fall (What???), trying to create a schedule without complete information, getting ready for my new job, trying to get a trip lined up for August, looking for a house with a wishy washy attitude (along with Mike's), and goofing off as much as possible. I have not been biking much due to horrible heat and company, so I need to get in the saddle since we are racing next weekend.
I am in new territory with my new job starting up as well. I have a non-compete clause in my contract, and I would never violate it. The problem is that many of my ongoing kids want to see me in the pool now! I try not to advertise what I am doing in the fall, but with my reduced hours everyone starts asking. So I am going to talk to the head of the agency tommorow to see what I can work out with her. It is not in my nature to have to be this guarded about what I can offer people, and it is no fun. It is also hard since I know kids who would really benefit from the service. So my legal and ethical bells are sounding loudly.
We are also trying to decide where to spend New Year's (way too early). We will be in Deutchland for Christmas, but that will be for a few days only. Any suggestions?
I am in new territory with my new job starting up as well. I have a non-compete clause in my contract, and I would never violate it. The problem is that many of my ongoing kids want to see me in the pool now! I try not to advertise what I am doing in the fall, but with my reduced hours everyone starts asking. So I am going to talk to the head of the agency tommorow to see what I can work out with her. It is not in my nature to have to be this guarded about what I can offer people, and it is no fun. It is also hard since I know kids who would really benefit from the service. So my legal and ethical bells are sounding loudly.
We are also trying to decide where to spend New Year's (way too early). We will be in Deutchland for Christmas, but that will be for a few days only. Any suggestions?
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Monday, August 06, 2007
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Design for the Other 90%: Water
Design for the Other 90%: Water
In case you were interested in the kind of work Ed is doing. It was pretty fascinating to see what is out there. The exhibit in the museum was interesting, because there were also many designs for the victims of Katrina. His company makes the moneymaker pumps and other devices.
In case you were interested in the kind of work Ed is doing. It was pretty fascinating to see what is out there. The exhibit in the museum was interesting, because there were also many designs for the victims of Katrina. His company makes the moneymaker pumps and other devices.
Weekend of Ed
As I mentioned before, our esteemed friend Ed is in town from Africa. So it was a lot of fun to catch up, and he was tolerant of how boring we are (or is being really polite!). We went to the Cooper-Hewitt to see what he is working on in Africa, and we met his boss who created the company he works for now (Kick Start). Please check out the entry below to see the pumps.
We went to some open houses today, and we finished our hot day with a hike to Breakneck ridge. No necks were broken, but ankle was turned and a knee was hyper-extended (guess who did what!). I know some of you are familiar with Euromike, but I just met Zenmike.
Squeeze was fantastic. They played all of my requests, and some other tunes I would not have expected. When they went off before the bogus encore, everyone in the place started doing the ooooweoooo from Cool for Cats. That was a first! When the show let out, there was a massive thunderstorm. Everyone was huddling in the theater lobby, and the umbrella salesmen came running! Tracey and I ducked into the first bar was saw, and it turned out to be a gay bar (not that there is anything wrong with it). That ended up being entertaining since the bartender was an outrageous dancer, and some dude that got kicked out started dancing on the sidewalk in front of the window. That is what Mike and the boys came in on time for, but it was not like that before we came in!
Friday, August 03, 2007
Squeezin' and Steamin'
Tonight I am going to Squeeze with my friend Tracey. I am excited to go, and I am sure it will be fun. Ed is out here from Africa, so we will be hanging out this weekend. Now the last minute cleaning begins!
It is really a NY summer now-totally hot and steamy! I treat some kids at their day camps, and it is amazing how hot it is for these kiddies. Many of the kids I treat are in preschool, and they go to day camp all day long. I treat some kids who go to camp in the morning, and they just turned 2 last week? What in the world is "camp" then? Just a way to over schedule them extremely early!
Yesterday I went swimming outside after a hiatus (I was fighting a cold all week). I reached for my fins, and the lifeguard first called me maam (holy shit, I hate being called maam even though it is not disrespectful. I suppose I do not look like a miss anymore!). Then he informed me that they were not allowed anymore in the lap lanes. I asked him when the possible safety concern could be (WTF????), and he told me that somebody complained after being hit by them. I can not wrap my mind around how you get hit by fins! How can a fin (made of soft rubber) hurt you in any way. The person who was hit was being the idiot in my opinion. I guess I am just a swim Nazi or something. If anyone who has been run into or hit by apparatus, that would be me, and the only thing that is painful at all is smacking arms. Even that only hurts for a matter of 10 seconds, even when you lock up with people going fast! Oh wait, it also hurts when you smack your head (or your extremities) on the wall which is generally your fault too (unless the backstroke flags have been tampered with!). OK, I will stop whining!
It is really a NY summer now-totally hot and steamy! I treat some kids at their day camps, and it is amazing how hot it is for these kiddies. Many of the kids I treat are in preschool, and they go to day camp all day long. I treat some kids who go to camp in the morning, and they just turned 2 last week? What in the world is "camp" then? Just a way to over schedule them extremely early!
Yesterday I went swimming outside after a hiatus (I was fighting a cold all week). I reached for my fins, and the lifeguard first called me maam (holy shit, I hate being called maam even though it is not disrespectful. I suppose I do not look like a miss anymore!). Then he informed me that they were not allowed anymore in the lap lanes. I asked him when the possible safety concern could be (WTF????), and he told me that somebody complained after being hit by them. I can not wrap my mind around how you get hit by fins! How can a fin (made of soft rubber) hurt you in any way. The person who was hit was being the idiot in my opinion. I guess I am just a swim Nazi or something. If anyone who has been run into or hit by apparatus, that would be me, and the only thing that is painful at all is smacking arms. Even that only hurts for a matter of 10 seconds, even when you lock up with people going fast! Oh wait, it also hurts when you smack your head (or your extremities) on the wall which is generally your fault too (unless the backstroke flags have been tampered with!). OK, I will stop whining!
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