Guess what? I actually bought a new lap top. Get this: it doesn't arrive till mid-August. So, what does that mean? My blogging shall be limited.
In brief, life in DC is muggy. It has been raining the last few days which has been music to my ears. I've been craving a good ole pounding rain storm, the kind that starts with distant thunder, bursts of lightning, sheets of rain, and continues on with the constant din of rain drops throughout the afternoon. Water is soothing ... Too bad we don't have a jacuzzi on the balcony!
What else? I reconnected with an old friend from NYC last week. I finally got together with my friend Tara who moved here two years ago for work. We once bonded over JFK, JR, at our company Christmas party. Tara also is an awesome writer and funny girl... she took improv classes in NYC and even put on her own show. I think what I loved best though was her character, Mr. Goldman Sachs Firewarden, based on a company newsletter circulated after 9/11.
Anyhow, it is wonderful to reconnect with old friends. They remind you of a certain part of yourself... My years in NYC were sweet and formative, but they seem so long ago now. And, boy, I seem to be a different woman now. Wiser, I certainly hope!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
A few pictures from May - South Bend
Karen, Mark and Chris at Mark's graduation from Notre Dame du Lac's Kroc Institute
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Wishing I were still in the Outerbanks
Well, I'm back, and feeling pretty tired. It seems to always work like this: you go away on vacation, but it proves to take so much out of you that you need a vacation after the vacation.
To make a long story short, I made it to Corolla, NC, at dawn on Sunday morning after stopping in Durham to drop some of my sister Stephanie's stuff off at her new place near Duke-- I think that was around 11pm (Saturday). So, after getting back on the road, making an unsuccessful attempt at getting a hot fudge sundae under the golden arches, we proceeded through the darkness of night, the extreme humidity of the south, and eerie rain storms. If you have ever watched David Lynch's "Dark Highway" that's what I'm talking about - mind you, I mean the darkness and not the other gunk in that movie (I don't recommend). At one point we had some confusion reading signs, and since we were right near a 24/7 Super Walmart, we pulled in and had a walk around at about 3 am. Oh, it was an adventure. I have to say that this was an entirely surreal experience; I felt as if we had landed in an alternate reality coming out of the dark mist and entering the bright light and noisy airconditioning of this sparsely populated Walmart store. We all felt as if we might be gobbled up by some resident aliens or something, but we simply ended up buying some Pringles, gum, and beverages before continuing on. Oh, and Mark led us to the electronics section for a run by.
After what seemed an eternity, we arrived at Easy Breezes (our rented house) in Corolla, NC at about 5:30 am. We were all loopy. Karen and Christian greeted us at the door and acted surprised we made it without getting lost. Ha - we showed them our powers of navigation. On Sunday, to Stephanie's and my surprise, my brother Mark was as energetic as the Energizer Bunny, frolicking in the ocean waves and running through the sand. He was insane! This all ended for Mark on Monday. Mark drove all the way from Brooklyn to DC to the Outerbanks. Supposedly he wants to add this to his truck driving application and resume (if the whole peace building and conflict resolution thing doesn't pan out).
Since I seem to be going on about these trivial details, let me jump to an update on my parents. Mom and dad actually made it on Wednesday. Four of us drove about 1.5 hours to meet them on Wednesday morning at like 3 am in Sligo, NC, near the NC/VA border. You might see a running theme in our family- ill-conceived insane planning. Christian, Karen, Steph and I sat in Powell's Market driveway and were fairly flabbergasted when my parents' Honda Accord pulled in 10 minutes later. It was a difficult journey back to Easy Breezes. Of course, I had Steph to keep me awake, but all my eyes wanted to do was close. It took a whole lotta mind over matter and stamina to make it back.
All in all, it was wonderful to get out of DC and to be isolated in the Outerbanks - granted there were moments when I felt completely cut off from civilization and wondered what we'd do if some major crises or attack occured. Cut me some slack - I live in DC, used to work in NYC, experienced 9/11 - I have this sometimes sick desire to be near the action. Probably my favorite event of the week was kayaking on the Aligator river. Mother Nature was at her finest. And, it was kind of fun almost thinking I saw an aligator (boy, did that freak me out!) and actually seeing a running black bear. I leaned my head out Christian's SUV and called, "Hi, little bear". You had to be there.
As for my dad, he continues to deal with shingles on his optic nerve. Half of his face is covered with sores and scabs and his eye is pretty much closed shut. It is not a condition I'd wish upon anyone. I'm glad we had my parents for a few days; we got to fete them with a steamed crab and shrimp dinner. It was also nice to have a little extra time with them on the drive back to DC - yes, even despite the 9-hour drive. We ran into an accident that cost us hours. It was most painful for my dad, but somehow I just dealt with it. I wasn't in a hurry to get home. I really wished we had another week at the beach! However, we were all relieved to get to my place around 5 pm on Saturday evening. I gave my parents the tour and I'd say they liked it. Everyone always "oohs" and "ahhs" when they see the 2nd floor space -- my mom was no exception. We ended up picking up a pizza from Spout Run's famous Italian Store and scouted some wines up Lee Highway. We finished off the night listening to Billie Holiday, sipping Chianti, and eating dark chocolate. Dad, of course, rested, but I think he enjoyed listening to Lady Day and Miles Davis before that.
I'll close there for now. Please pray for continued healing for dad. His eye is actually causing him more pain now and his energy is very low. Mom is doing her best to be the every faithful caregiver. Times like these really get me thinking about those marriage vows couples take (i.e., in sickness and in health). It is hard, but it is truly a beautiful, beautiful thing to see those vows lived out.
To make a long story short, I made it to Corolla, NC, at dawn on Sunday morning after stopping in Durham to drop some of my sister Stephanie's stuff off at her new place near Duke-- I think that was around 11pm (Saturday). So, after getting back on the road, making an unsuccessful attempt at getting a hot fudge sundae under the golden arches, we proceeded through the darkness of night, the extreme humidity of the south, and eerie rain storms. If you have ever watched David Lynch's "Dark Highway" that's what I'm talking about - mind you, I mean the darkness and not the other gunk in that movie (I don't recommend). At one point we had some confusion reading signs, and since we were right near a 24/7 Super Walmart, we pulled in and had a walk around at about 3 am. Oh, it was an adventure. I have to say that this was an entirely surreal experience; I felt as if we had landed in an alternate reality coming out of the dark mist and entering the bright light and noisy airconditioning of this sparsely populated Walmart store. We all felt as if we might be gobbled up by some resident aliens or something, but we simply ended up buying some Pringles, gum, and beverages before continuing on. Oh, and Mark led us to the electronics section for a run by.
After what seemed an eternity, we arrived at Easy Breezes (our rented house) in Corolla, NC at about 5:30 am. We were all loopy. Karen and Christian greeted us at the door and acted surprised we made it without getting lost. Ha - we showed them our powers of navigation. On Sunday, to Stephanie's and my surprise, my brother Mark was as energetic as the Energizer Bunny, frolicking in the ocean waves and running through the sand. He was insane! This all ended for Mark on Monday. Mark drove all the way from Brooklyn to DC to the Outerbanks. Supposedly he wants to add this to his truck driving application and resume (if the whole peace building and conflict resolution thing doesn't pan out).
Since I seem to be going on about these trivial details, let me jump to an update on my parents. Mom and dad actually made it on Wednesday. Four of us drove about 1.5 hours to meet them on Wednesday morning at like 3 am in Sligo, NC, near the NC/VA border. You might see a running theme in our family- ill-conceived insane planning. Christian, Karen, Steph and I sat in Powell's Market driveway and were fairly flabbergasted when my parents' Honda Accord pulled in 10 minutes later. It was a difficult journey back to Easy Breezes. Of course, I had Steph to keep me awake, but all my eyes wanted to do was close. It took a whole lotta mind over matter and stamina to make it back.
All in all, it was wonderful to get out of DC and to be isolated in the Outerbanks - granted there were moments when I felt completely cut off from civilization and wondered what we'd do if some major crises or attack occured. Cut me some slack - I live in DC, used to work in NYC, experienced 9/11 - I have this sometimes sick desire to be near the action. Probably my favorite event of the week was kayaking on the Aligator river. Mother Nature was at her finest. And, it was kind of fun almost thinking I saw an aligator (boy, did that freak me out!) and actually seeing a running black bear. I leaned my head out Christian's SUV and called, "Hi, little bear". You had to be there.
As for my dad, he continues to deal with shingles on his optic nerve. Half of his face is covered with sores and scabs and his eye is pretty much closed shut. It is not a condition I'd wish upon anyone. I'm glad we had my parents for a few days; we got to fete them with a steamed crab and shrimp dinner. It was also nice to have a little extra time with them on the drive back to DC - yes, even despite the 9-hour drive. We ran into an accident that cost us hours. It was most painful for my dad, but somehow I just dealt with it. I wasn't in a hurry to get home. I really wished we had another week at the beach! However, we were all relieved to get to my place around 5 pm on Saturday evening. I gave my parents the tour and I'd say they liked it. Everyone always "oohs" and "ahhs" when they see the 2nd floor space -- my mom was no exception. We ended up picking up a pizza from Spout Run's famous Italian Store and scouted some wines up Lee Highway. We finished off the night listening to Billie Holiday, sipping Chianti, and eating dark chocolate. Dad, of course, rested, but I think he enjoyed listening to Lady Day and Miles Davis before that.
I'll close there for now. Please pray for continued healing for dad. His eye is actually causing him more pain now and his energy is very low. Mom is doing her best to be the every faithful caregiver. Times like these really get me thinking about those marriage vows couples take (i.e., in sickness and in health). It is hard, but it is truly a beautiful, beautiful thing to see those vows lived out.
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