I'm Back!

Hey hey hey everyone! So, what a week! Kurt and I traveled back to the east coast to see my family last Saturday. We flew Virgin America, which I still love despite that they fly into Dulles. But it was cheap and I love that when you want food, you just order it on the screen in front of you and they bring it to you. The seats are comfy too.


So, we arrived Saturday evening and had dinner at Fuddrucker's on the way home. I love the buns there! I think mostly because they are grilled with butter. Yummy. We got home late where my sister, Amy, was waiting to meet us. She had not met Kurt before (my parents did last summer when they visited here) and was anxious to do so. We chatted for a while before heading to bed.



Sunday, Pete, Daisey, Kurt and I went to Fort Delaware. It's a Civil War fort that was used as a POW camp for Confederate soldiers. When you take the tour, all the people you meet act like it's 1864 so it's really quite educational and interesting. It looks like a castle because it has a huge moat around it and it's on this island that you can only get to via ferry. So, you can see why it made a good prison. We ate the worst hot dogs ever at the concession stand there, but Kurt did get singled out to help with a reenactment of firing a cannon. He got to scream out all the orders to the other "participants" and give the command to fire. And he got to wear a fun hat! That night we went to Amy and Cecil's (her boyfriend) house for dinner. A very yummy dinner of smoked bbq pork roast and mac and cheese. Yummy.

Monday, we went fishing on Cecil's boat, but only caught three fish. Stupid fickle fish! You never know when you're going to catch any. It was windier than we had wanted, but it was still a nice day just relaxing on the boat. That night, Daisey made my favorite Chicken Pot Pie for dinner.

Tuesday, we went to Rehoboth Beach to shop a bit at the outlets (I got some new luggage which is going to be my Christmas present), walk around the boardwalk, eat some Thrasher's Fries (yum again) and have dinner. We headed back home that night and my friends XL (Jon) and his wife, Cathy, stopped by to visit. It was great to see them.

Wednesday, it was back to the airport, but we did meet up with Seth for lunch on the way at Macaroni Grill. He met us halfway, we ate, and then he drove us back to the airport. Thanks, Sethie! Daisey only cried a few tears. I think she's getting better :-)

I went back to work briefly before Kurt's friend, Rodrigo came in for the weekend. We had some great meals while he was here at Conduit and then at El Dorado Kitchen when we went to wine country. Sonoma was great even though I was designated driver. We rented a little Mini Convertible through zipcar which was a lot of fun, but I got a farmer's tan! Curses! The rest of the weekend, we shopped, ate, drank, and went to a street fair.





And then Monday, I had to go back to vacuuming and work and teaching math class :-(

But it was a great trip overall. I was reminded of what a wonderful family I have. They are so openminded and accepting - the true definition of unconditional love! And it was wonderful to see friends I hadn't in a while. And it was great traveling with Kurt, as always, and spending time with his friends, who are also incredible. I hope you enjoy the pictures from our adventures! I know I need to figure out how to arrange them better!

Visiting the Swains

Tomorrow morning, Kurt and I travel east to visit Pete, Daisey, Amy and Cecil. I'm excited and sure that good times will ensue. I'm still packing. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.

It will be good to get away, even if it's brief. The summer went by so quickly and I feel like I need some time to breathe. I'll miss all you SF readers and will post again upon my return!

A good week

Well, I taught both of my classes this week and the math class will be pretty easy to teach and the students seem nice. My freshmen seminar only had 8 of the 16 people show up. If it stays that way, it will also be great. Generally, it was a busy week at work and in the building where I had to meet with some contractors.

Massage continues to be slow.

I was told today that I would probably be the type that goes crazy and talks to myself when I'm old. I don't know how I feel about that.

I had more nightmares about Sarah Palin. Ack!

I had a mouse in my apartment last night. I think he/she got away though. I certainly hope so but I'm going to buy a trap.

And my funny story for the week: MUNI has had these 'testimonials" from drivers plastered on the buses for a few months, but they always make me laugh. They basically tell memorable stories that these drivers have and I think it's supposed to be marketing to make MUNI seem more personable and part of the community. But I think whoever did this marketing should be fired. It doesn't make the transportation system look good at all. Take these excerpts for example:

Shirley remembers: "A passenger was having a seizure on the bus. I kept calling central command but they weren't responding." Thank you, Shirley for bringing to light the poor management of MUNI.

Juan recalls: "A passenger came up to me in tears because she was heading to a job interview and we were running late that day". A wonderful reminder of MUNI's unreliability.

And finally, Yvette shares: "A crazy homeless guy started yelling at me and ran up to the front of the bus and kept pushing on the accelerator and grabbing the wheel from me. I couldn't stop the bus and we kept going through red lights. Finally, I was able to push him off the front of the bus. Thank goodness it was late or we may have all BEEN KILLED!". Really makes me feel safe as I ominously eye the crazy homeless guy sitting across from me (which is ALWAYS the case). Thanks, Yvette.

Hosting a Dinner Party

Don't ask me why, but I've been thinking a lot about celebrities this week and who we consider to be celebrities and why they are worthy of our attention. So, I propose to you this question: If you could invite seven currently living "celebrities" to a dinner party with you, who would they be and why? I'm going to think about my own list as well and post it soon.

Brevity

So, I realize I haven't been posting a lot and I think that's because I feel like I need to update the blog with a chronological recount of everything that's happened to me since last time I've posted. Well, of course that seems intimidating every time I sit down to do it. So, in the interest of keeping you, my faithful readers, in the loop, I will be trying to make more frequent, albeit shorter, posts. So, in the interest of time, here is the brief recap since last time I posted:

Massage business is slow - damn economy! I've created a more rigid budget.

I've seen only one movie - Vicky Christina Barcelona - my first Woody Allen movie. Different, but I give it 4 stars.

I have not cooked much but am considering joining a CSA that delivers local produce to my door bi-weekly to inspire me to do so.

We've started the semester so the last week has been filled with orientations and lots of meetings. Classes start for me (teaching) next week.

Kurt and I both got colds this week - ugh. But I'm feeling better! (Kurt - not so much).

That is all!