Honeymoon in Vermont

Stephen and I have decided that our honeymoon should consist of a nice, leisurly trip through New England. It will feature a variety of lodgings (everything from a brief two day stay at "the cabin" at the beginning of the trip, to a random campground here and there, to a stay at the lovely Middlebury Inn in Middlebury, Vermont.

The above picture shows the porch at the Middlebury Inn. Why go to Middlebury, you ask? Well, I attended the Ecole Francaise de Middlebury College for my MA for 4 summers between 1996 and 1999, and I just fell in love with the place. I can't wait to go back. Vermont is a really gorgeous state...IN SUMMER! I have not had much experience with the place in winter. I'm happy to keep it that way.

The first summer I went to Middlebury (which we dubbed, "Club Midd" to make ourselves feel better about sacraficing so many summers working like slaves toward our MA), my mother and I drove up together. We stayed at the Middlebury Inn and were charmed. It is situated on Midd's pictoresque town green (and essential of all quaint New England towns, right?), and the laid back Vermont mentality.

I was totally enamored by the wrap around front porch, outfitted with comfy adirondak chairs that lend themselves perfectly to an evening of people-watching.

I asked Stephen if Middlebury could be a stop on our trip, and he was more than happy to comply. I'm also excited because the Midd summer session will have just started, so I can try to visit some old pals at the college.



Here's a picture of the front of the Inn.



These lovely chairs are situated on the back lawn. Perfect for wasting away an afternoon reading, sipping a glass of wine, dozing off, or just basking in the sun.



And here's my alma mater, Middlebury College. Many of my classes were held here in "Le Chateau." Yeah, that's the kind of building you get to have classes in when the price tag of the education reads like a phone number.




Here's Midd in the fall. I was never around for this view, but I believe it to be even more spectacular than even this photo could suggest.

thirty more days to go until the wedding.

Green Green Grass of Home

Another Monday mercifully over.

Aren't Mondays the worst? Today was particularly difficult to get motivated to go to work because finally, after 4 straight days of relentless, driving, horizontal downpours, the sun was out in force. It was the kind of day that you want to spend sitting in a park reading for hours on end. But, alas, it was back to work. Isn't that always the way?

But I have to say, as depressing as the rains were, it seems to have given way to a whole new, fresh, lush and vibrant world. The lawns and leaves are a green that defies this humble author's ability to decribe. I won't even try.

It is a little cool out there, but the air is fresh and clean and pregnant with an almost herbal fragrance. I'm loving life today.

I did lots of lounging around this weekend because hiding out under a warm blanket with a good book or sappy Lifetime movie was a much more attractive option when compared to going out in the monsoon rains. However, all productivity or notions thereof were not entirely lost this weekend. I managed to get my arse to the gym both days, and got the wedding flower order taken care of.



The above-pictured purple cala lillies will feature prominently in all floral arrangements.



And these purple roses (along with cream colored roses) should round out the bouquets very elegantly.

Let's hope purple was a good color choice. The Brattle Florist guy really usually knows his business, so we'll put our trust in his abilities and hope that he does not disappoint. Somehow, I cannot imagine that he will.

I also did some far less exciting stuff like clean my bathtub and try out my new wok with a pretty basic Asian chicken stir fry.

I had a meeting after school today, so no trip to the gym came to fruition, but I didn't mind the day off, to be honest. It was kind of nice to troll around after school and take care of a few errands.

Hey, I also opened up mine and Stephen's joint checking account today. That felt oddly adult and grown up.

Anyway, I'm gonna go finish watching the Sox/Yanks game. Things are not looking good for the Sox. Fingers crossed for a come-from-behind victory.

Huh?

I was on the train this morning, headed to the gym, when I noticed something that simply has to epitomize the word "Ironic."

I had never noticed this before because, knowing the T like the back of my hand, I have very little occasion to ever look at the map of the routes. But today, as the train (not surprisingly) stood halted for about ten minutes just three feet short of the station platform where I wanted to disembark, I found myself looking rather passively at the T map. I looked at the little legend to see what special features can be boasted at the various stations around the system. One of the little icons is the universal "handicapped" symbol, which indicates wheelchair accessibility.

Here's where the irony comes into play.

With the exception of one, every single station on every single line sported the little "handicapped" icon. Not bad, considering the fact that Boston's T is the oldest subway system in the nation. I guess they've gone out of their way to make sure that wheelchair bound people can access the full spectrum of the system.

Back to the ONE station that does not have wheelchair access. That station would just so happen to be LONGWOOD. What is so ironic about this, you ask? Well, anybody who lives in Boston probably already understands my shock and awe. For my more geographically far-flung readers, allow me to explain. Boston is a city of hospitals. The world's best hospitals are all located within a stone's throw of each other. And they are all located in a neighborhood of Boston called....you guessed it....
LONGWOOD.

Now I'll spell it out. The only station lacking wheelchair access is the very station that services the hospital district of the city.

I freakin' LOVE the T!!!

Apple of my Eye

I've decided NOT to teach summer school this year. It sucks. It may be decent pay for short hours, but the kids are hideous, the school is boiling hot, the administration could not be less supportive, and it affords me no break whatsoever from my day-in-day-out dealings with kids.

Every summer I say I'm not doing summer school. Every summer, I end up doing summer school.

This year will be different, however. I've purposely let the "apply by" date come and go for the summer school positions. I never even so much as glanced in the direction of the link to the online applications. Screw that.

But, of course, I am in no financial position to be a woman of leisure. That comes later in my teaching career. For now, I'm still one of the "yung'uns" who has to work her way through the summer vacation.

I was in the Apple Store a couple of weeks back and it dawned on me that it might be kind of fun to work there. So, I filled out an online application (they don't even have paper applications; they just gave me a little card thingee with the web address where I could apply. Of course...they're Apple. D'uh!) and was asked to come to a group interview this afternoon.

There were a few interesting things going on at the interview...

First of all, I was the lone woman among 4 male interviewees. However, the managers conducting the interview were both women.

I was wearing whatever I wore to work. Considering the fact that today is completely subarctic here in lovely New England, that would have been a pair of white Gap pants, a pink LL Bean sweater, and my red clogs. One of the guys was dressed in jeans, a button down shirt and a pair of hipster sneakers. He seemed to have the complete Apple look. Now, I know they say that you should always dress one level above what the company usually expects when you go on an interview, but considering the fact that Apple store employees galavant around with cheeky sayings on their t-shirts, and open-toe flip flops, the two guys who showed up in the 3 piece suits looked very nice, but a little out of place. Then there was the guy who showed up in the complete porn star/aging gangsta outfit. You know what I mean...the long, greasy braid going down his back, the shirt open three buttons so I could make out the slightest supconne of chest wig, the Mr. T. gold medallion starter kit, and the badly executed eyebrow piercing. Pathetic.

The aging gangsta showed up fifteen minutes late, took 3 calls on his cell phone (until the interviewer had to eventually tell him to turn the thing off), and continued to ask questions about the as-yet-unreleased Apple iPhone. He kept asking if there were any advance models, if, as an Apple employee, he'd be able to purchase one before the public, and whether there was any printed information with specs and other technical crap. Although the women told him over and over that Apple employees are literally kept in the dark as much as possible about new products (in the interest of copyright/trademark security), he kept asking questions in this vein.

When one of the managers asked us what, other than iLife applications we like to use on our Macs (and she specifically said, "other than the iLife suite...no not iPhoto, iTunes, etc), this asshole, even after listening to all of us talk about non-Apple suite products, said, "I love my iTunes!"

And, last but not least, when the other woman asked us to discuss a time when, as a retailer or in any service capacity, we could describe how we had successfully or unsuccessfully handled a situation, we all illustrated our strengths as customer service people by talking about how we'd put out fires on our jobs and left people feeling satisfied, or at least less upset than they had been when they came in. Aging gangsta started talking about how a salesguy at Best Buy was giving him a hard time. Ahhh....talk about missing the point, BOPO!

I don't know what'll happen. They said they would take three weeks to get back. Whatever. I'm not really holding my breath or awaiting too anxiously. There's always some idiotic job out there to be had. But I have to admit, the official Apple job title of "Mac Nerd" really appeals to me. The power of knowing how to do everything on the Mac is a little intoxicating. Sure, sure...I could help customers and earn a few bucks, but with the knowledge of the extensive Apple training, I culd unleash the full potential of my own Mac and then....well, I'll wake up the freakin' world!!

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

My back's totally effed up today. Gotta get on the heating pad.

Gilmore Girls Series Finale...Must See At All Costs!

About a year ago, Reesie got me started on the Gilmore Girls. I'm not sure how that even evolved, but before I knew it, I had taken temporary possession of her entire Gilmore Girls DVD library and was oddly compelled to watch three, sometimes four episodes in one sitting.

I found myself enjoying the show immensly. I was quickly drawn to the quick-paced signature Gilmore banter, the ceaseless pop culture references, and the endlessly likable characters and their even more adorable small town, Stars Hollow. I was hooked. I even found myself going to Target to buy one of the seasons that Reesie was missing from her collection. I simply had to see how things worked out with Jess, Logan, Luke....or whatever gorgeous looking boy/man was haunting Loralei Senior and/or Junior.

Anyway, it was only through reading Reesie's blog last blog entry that I realized that the Gilmore Girls Glory was in its Swan Song final phases. Only two episodes left, she reported. Suddenly, I started to feel guilty. I haven't even watched all of the episodes this season. Do I even have the right to lay claim to Gilmore Girls departure sadness? Finally, I decided that I do, indeed, have the right to be sad at the loss of a great show. I can be, at once, a fair weather fan, and a mournful viewer. Why not?

I figure that at one point, Reesie and I will sit together and have a Gilmore DVD marathon, and I will eventually catch up on all the episodes I have missed.

The thing is, I'm going to stop commenting here for two reasons::

1. I don't want to spoil the final episode for anybody who hasn't seen it yet.

2. Reesie's entry will undoubtedly be far more heartfelt than mine, and will easily eclipse anything I have to say, both in conent and sheer literary talent.

I'll leave the true work of analysing the final Gilmore episode to Reesie, in other words.

I also thought I would note that it was so vital that I see the Gilmore Girls that I rushed home in order to do so. Well, I TRIED to rush home. I had to wait for the bus for over an hour, though, when it should have been there every 15 or 20 minutes or so. Christ.

And by the time it finally came, it was so freakin packed. It wasn't just packed from home-from-work commuters, either, but rather with people who had apparently just returned from an epic round-the-globe journey a la Shackleton. The amount of suitcases, trunks and other large, cumbesome luggage was unlike anything I'd ever seen in my life!




I thought about taking another bus, but then I remembered that some dealy had caused 3 previously scheduled busses from this route to miss their run. I decided against chancing it, and hopped aboard. After all, I had to say goodbye to Loralei, Rory, Kirk, Luke, Sookie...etc.

Back from the Big Apple

Stephen and I ventured into New York City for the weekend and had a great time!!

Stephen's godparents own a gorgeous home in Brooklyn Heights (the total Cosby Show neighborhood) and they graciously invited us to come spend the weekend at their place. They could not have been any kinder or more generous to us. We arrived on Friday evening, having taken the very relaxing and punctual Amtrak Acela train from Boston Back Bay to Penn Station. From there, we managed to very uneventfully catch a train to Brooklyn, and find their place without incident. In other words, the travel part was easy and surprisingly pleasant.

On Saturday morning, we got up, had a great breakfast with Murry and Shirley, and then hit the town. We left their place at around 9:30, and set out on foot to cross the Brooklyn Bridge to head into Manhattan.



The weather was awesome and the walk across the bridge was really beautiful. We obviously ended up in lower Manhattan, and from there, we walked all over the city. We hit Canal Street (China Town) where I partook of the illicit knock-off handbag trade, purchasing a fake Kate Spade purse, and a cheap-o Coach wristlet purse. Very cute. Very cheap.

Canal Street is really fun, but incredibly overwhealming. There are swarms of humanity crowding every square inch of the place. I was only able to handle the scene briefly, before pushing on to other crowded, but decidedly less insane areas of the city.

Our meanderings took us uptown, but we sort of stopped our northward trek at around 25th street. Going further uptown would have taken us to Times Square and midtown, but that wasn't what we were really interested in doing. We really wanted to check out the Greenwich Village area, and enjoy a trendy, but less cheesy part of town. Don't get me wrong, Times Square is awesome, and we were trolling around there before getting on our return train from Penn Station this afternoon, but for yesterday's strolling, we wanted to do something that we really hadn't done before.



We also really enjoyed Washington Square and the park. Very cute. Very beautiful in the picture-perfect weather.



And finally, to keep the Bon Jovi theme going, I have to post this picture of the absolutely massive 3 storey banner of Jon Bon Jovi hanging in the Virgin Mega Store in Times Square. He's been involved with some Kenneth Cole charity thing for a while now, and this is his latest sollicitation venture.

What a great way to end the trip to NY.

Ain't he Purty?

Idol Chit Chat

So, Jovi's on Idol tonight. I'm actually writing this in "real time." (Commenting during the commercials as the show is on.)

Jon Bon Jovi is just the quintessential nice guy, isn't he? He won't say anything negative about anybody. The one borderline disapproving thing he said was that he wasn't sure it was wise for the beatbox jerk to go 16 measures without singing on a show that is meant, after all, to showcase vocal talent.

I , of course, am hardly Saint Jovi, so I will definitely take advantage of this opportunity and use this forum to filet the contestants.

Let's start off with the Justin Timberlake wannabe guy with the bald head and the dead caterpillar eyebrows.

He did "Blaze of Glory" and was, I thought, pretty damn good. Of course, Simon was critical of his "bad actor impersonation" of a rock star.

But whatever, I didn't think the guy was that bad.

Then there was the 17 year old woman who was all psyched to meet Jon Bon Jovi because HER MOTHER is a big fan. Could I really be getting so old that my favorite rock singer is the hearthrob of the MOTHER of a 17 year old?

Anyway, she sang, "Livin' on a Prayer" and was, in my humble opinion, pretty crap. She was changing all the notes, and didn't even seem to be hitting the notes she set out to hit. She was slammed by Simon. At least she had the sense to agree with his criticism and admit that she was crap. I gotta give her some props for that.

Ok, then came LaKisha, who admittedly had never even heard a single Bon Jovi tune in her life. She's heard of them, but has never heard a single track by them. I thought that was pretty funny. Anyway, she did "This Ain't a Love Song." At the beginning, I thought she sounded like a dead fish, but she did really well at the end. Really well.

I thought they'd crucify her for sounding hideous at the beginning, but Simon actually kissed her. What the hell is up with that?

As for the beatbox dude doing the rap version of "You Give Love a Bad Name." Jesus, what was going on there? I can't believe he had the audacity to screw up a Bon Jovi classic. As Simon said, though, "half the audience will absolutely love it and half will absolutey hate it." Count me among the haters!!

Ok, now there is some guy I've literally never seen on the show before sounding like a dying cat and "singing" to Jovi's classic, "Dead or Alive." I think, based on this hideous performance, they should skip the voting and kick this asshole off the show right now. I envision some big hook coming out to the stage to drag him off into oblivion.

Randy is now calling the guy "baby" and admiring the "twists and turns" he placed on the song. Even Simon is being somewhat forgiving, giving the guy some wiggle room because this isn't his style of music.

Before the next person comes on, and while I have a minute to opine...

I've always thought of myself as being possessed of a "good ear." How else would I have become so good at speaking French? How would I have become fluent in German within a year of living there? As far as I am concerned, you can't learn a language with any proficiency unless you have an excellent ear to hear what people are saying. I think of myself as having a pretty good ear for music and such, too.

The thing, is, though, that I always think I can immediately tell that these people haven't hit a single correct note in a song or whatever, and that they sound like they're singing through the world's worst head cold. The ones that I think are the worst, are the ones who earn even the coveted kudos of Simon.

Then the ones I think are pretty good are systematically berated by the panel...even Paula.

Ok, so this woman Melinda just went and sang "Have a Nice Day." Jon Bon Jovi loved her. (He loved all the black women in the competition.) She was good, and she is incredibly talented, but her voice (the big, powerful black woman voice) is just somewhat unoriginal, isn't it? I mean, of all the folks here, she is undoubetedly the most talented...hands down. I just ask myself what is so different about her?

Ok, now George W Bush just appeared on the show. Christ, I was enjoying it up to that point!




I just want to make one more, non-Jovi related point before closing out for the night.

What is up with Simon's hair? I mean, he isn't a bad looking dude. He has really nice teeth. But hasn't anybody suggested to him that he might want to blend the sides and not have the "Sponge Bob Square Wig" look?

I mean, you can't tell me the guy doesn't have the loot to stop into a freakin' Supercuts and have that taken care of.

A JOVI-al episode of Idol!

Six minutes to American Idol. No time to screw around. I can't miss a single minute of the show because my boy, JON BON JOVI will be there, guiding these talentless ass-clowns through another week of painful renditions of songs that once were classics, but have been rendered acoustical mincemeat by the contenstants.




Hey, by the way, as I was searching for a good photo of Jovi, I happened upon this photo of Bill Clinton with Jon Bon Jovi. This warms my heart. I loves me some Bill Clinton. As far as I'm concerned, he's still the President of the United States. I do not acknowledge the Bush Administration. I think Bon Jovi and I have that in common.