'Tis the end of our Thanksgiving weekend too, and it has been a very nice one. This also marks the first time Jess and I have celebrated Thanksgiving by staying home and not traveling across the country and driving ourselves crazy. I gotta say, if you can swing it, Thanksgiving at home is a pretty good way to go. Though you do have to cook for yourselves.
Wednesday was prep day, and like any good father, I just assumed I would have no time to do anything the next day (babies are unpredictable like that) and did whatever I could. Our spread was a little more modest, but I did manage to brine the turkey and set up for both green bean and Sweet potato casserole on Wednesday. Thursday I cooked, and having a little turkey breast to cook instead of a huge honking Turkey makes all the difference, let me tell you. Ever cook a turkey in an hour? It's a little less iconic on the table, but white meat is all we really want anyway, so it worked out. Then a couple of casseroles, some Stove Top stuffing, can-shaped cranberry sauce (the best) and some brown-n-serve rolls and we were in business. Everything was delicious, and we even bought ourselves a few pies to sustain ourselves during dessert. Of course, those pies had been missing a few wedges since we had been trying them out earlier in the week to make sure they were, um, ripe.
Friday was pretty sedate, though notable because it rained, which is always nice when you can get some of that in Texas. I had the bright idea to go get some discount turkey, but there weren't any notable markdowns so we just picked up some random stuff and came home. We're still undecided about Christmas lights, whether or not we actually want to put them up, and the fact that the ground was all wet meant we didn't want to go trudging around in the yard, so we just went on a few walks and played with Tyler a lot. And a few video games, I won't lie.
Saturday I decided to knock the last thing off my long weekend to-do list and finish my latest song. I've been working on the (unofficial) Ticom Geomatics theme song for a while and had the music and lyrics all written, but I hadn't been able to record the lyrics yet because...I've been busy playing video games. So I convinced myself I wasn't allowed to play Saint's Row until the song was done, and then Jess was nice enough to watch Tyler so I could do some recording.
It's still fairly low production value, I personally think it sounds like I'm in a Karaoke Bar, but it's functional, and a worthwhile proof of concept. Maybe I can get some Ticom musicians to help me with a more professional sounding version, starting with the singer. I'm not amazing. I'll post it up in a bit, but if you get desperate, or I forget, you can e-mail me and I’ll send it to you.
Then today was Judo. Our sensei, who just got promoted to 8th degree black belt (one of only 5 in the COUNTRY) decided to have a little seminar, and so I went and Jessie came to watch. There were only about 8 of us there, but it was great fun, good education, and excellent exercise, clocking in at 3 hours of judo, which ain't bad. After that, we've been at home and just fussing around with Tyler and trying to get him to stay awake until his bedtime. I think we've managed to skype with pretty much everyone on my skype list this weekend, so you've all seen his most recent antics. Lots of crawling, getting into things he shouldn't, and eating puffs like it's going out of style.
-N
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thanksgiving survivors
Happy Thanksgiving, All!
We were very exited to be close enough to drive up to my mother-in-law's for a weekend of fun and eating. See, moving home is great, because you can get together and plan a big meal to share with you family in person, and then get together AGAIN and share it. How cool! Right? I mean, that was kinda how it turned out. Thanksgiving Eve, as it were, I started feeling not awesome- achey, sleepy, sore throat. By the time Matt came home I was reduced to shivers on the couch under a pile of blankets. In a brief moment of clear-minded-ness brought on by Tylenol, I remember 'Hey sometimes people don't like it when you bring them germs as hostess gifts.' I tried to explain this to Matt, but I am pretty sure my pathetic muttering came off as much more "Please take me to your mom's, she'll take care of me."
In the morning Matt confirmed, that yes, his saintly mother would still take us and all the germs we could carry for Thanksgiving AND put our entire, ambitious feast on the table. Whadda Woman! Picture this, I moved directly from the couch to the car, took a long nap in the car and arrived in slippers, sweats and a fleece blanket thrown over my head. I gave a big hug Betty, who made me a cup of tea, which I immediately took to bed. At some point, Matt poked his head in to ask how you make sausage cornbread stuffing. I believe my exact recipe was "Sausage, Cornbread and more butter." I woke up once thinking I might be energetic and asked "Are we having mashed potatoes?" and then went back to bed. I don't know that I felt so terrible, but being awake and suffering just didn't seem in the cards. During one of my brief peroids of awakefulness, Matt did say that he was feeling achey, maybe from his workout. This is a literary device called forshadowing. After a couple more naps and mugs of tea, dinner happened!
And let me just brag on this spread, because I optimistically committed us to it and then didn't lift a finger to get it on the table. I thought surely, the two remaining chefs would decide chard AND Brussels sprouts is overkill, or that maybe a waldorf salad was redundant considering we had like 4 other vegetable dishes on the table- but no. No pan was spared in the making of our Thanksgiving feast, which should come as no surprise given our turn-outs in the past. The centerpiece was of course a beautiful, herbed and brined turkey. Together, they made an amazing sausage and cornbread (that Betty baked fresh) stuffing, as well as Brussels sprouts with sopressetta, creamed chard, mashed potatoes and parsnips and a green casserole which I managed to muff up by giving him crunchy onions that expired 2 years ago (uh, yeah, we moved with that....). There was also a heavenly sweet potatoe dish, an heirloom quality orange-cranberry relish and a divine pumpkin cheesecake. AND a waldorf salad, which while I supposed Bety didn't grow the nuts, everything else in it was home grown AND my-mother-in-law's-best-recipe Deviled Eggs and a crazy good gravy to drown everything in. It was amazing. It took like and hour to move it all on to the table, and then on to each of our plates. And now is a good time to clarify, that yes, it was just the three of us eating. We of course ate ourselves silly, and then retired the feast to the fridge until we could consider cheesecake. I believe I had another nap. And about the time I got up to eating cheesecake, Matt said that, no, he didn't want any, he would just go to bed. Which I thought was weird- especially when I tasted how good the cheesecake was! By my bed time, my throat was just feeling bruised from swelling and I was tired, but Matt had mumbled a goodbye, and then curled up on the bed, fully clothed and passed out. Uh-oh.
He spent the rest of the night tossing and turning and feeling awful. He woke up in the morning sort of confused about it, like he often is about when his body does not respond as directed. After some discussion, we concluded that maybe you don't only need to take medicine when you are SICK, if you use a narrow definition of SICK that requires hospitalization, maybe sometimes you can take some medicine when you don't feel good. Having some aleve in him made it easier to get him interested in drinking juice, but unfortunately, his interest in food was completely off. Betty and I went for a brief sprint around town for "black friday" shopping- we went to the gallery, and her friend's gallery and the grocery store for more lemons for my lemon honey tea. I got some beautiful cards, and then was in sore need of a nap. I cannot exaggerate the amount I slept this weekend. Matt and I barely saw each other we were sleeping so much. This is partly due to illness, but I think also a cry for help in the form of blackout curtains for our bedroom. By today, we both felt with it enough to pack our own things out to the car and stay awake for the long (2 hours) drive home. Matt took a shower, put on all his warm clothes and came to sit on the couch with me. Then the cat yurped, and after he recovered his dignity, he came to be the cherry on top of our sick family sundae.
As objectively bad as most of that sounds, it was actually a really nice weekend. I mean, if you have to be sick, it is so much nicer to be around people who want to take care of you and can make tea without batting an eye. I'm thoroughly convinced our health was buoyed up by a full array of hearty and nourishing foods, prepared lovingly by my (blessedly un-infected) mother-in-law. And if we left too many germs behind, I will totally rush back to concrete to make the tea and prime the DVDs.
We were very exited to be close enough to drive up to my mother-in-law's for a weekend of fun and eating. See, moving home is great, because you can get together and plan a big meal to share with you family in person, and then get together AGAIN and share it. How cool! Right? I mean, that was kinda how it turned out. Thanksgiving Eve, as it were, I started feeling not awesome- achey, sleepy, sore throat. By the time Matt came home I was reduced to shivers on the couch under a pile of blankets. In a brief moment of clear-minded-ness brought on by Tylenol, I remember 'Hey sometimes people don't like it when you bring them germs as hostess gifts.' I tried to explain this to Matt, but I am pretty sure my pathetic muttering came off as much more "Please take me to your mom's, she'll take care of me."
In the morning Matt confirmed, that yes, his saintly mother would still take us and all the germs we could carry for Thanksgiving AND put our entire, ambitious feast on the table. Whadda Woman! Picture this, I moved directly from the couch to the car, took a long nap in the car and arrived in slippers, sweats and a fleece blanket thrown over my head. I gave a big hug Betty, who made me a cup of tea, which I immediately took to bed. At some point, Matt poked his head in to ask how you make sausage cornbread stuffing. I believe my exact recipe was "Sausage, Cornbread and more butter." I woke up once thinking I might be energetic and asked "Are we having mashed potatoes?" and then went back to bed. I don't know that I felt so terrible, but being awake and suffering just didn't seem in the cards. During one of my brief peroids of awakefulness, Matt did say that he was feeling achey, maybe from his workout. This is a literary device called forshadowing. After a couple more naps and mugs of tea, dinner happened!
And let me just brag on this spread, because I optimistically committed us to it and then didn't lift a finger to get it on the table. I thought surely, the two remaining chefs would decide chard AND Brussels sprouts is overkill, or that maybe a waldorf salad was redundant considering we had like 4 other vegetable dishes on the table- but no. No pan was spared in the making of our Thanksgiving feast, which should come as no surprise given our turn-outs in the past. The centerpiece was of course a beautiful, herbed and brined turkey. Together, they made an amazing sausage and cornbread (that Betty baked fresh) stuffing, as well as Brussels sprouts with sopressetta, creamed chard, mashed potatoes and parsnips and a green casserole which I managed to muff up by giving him crunchy onions that expired 2 years ago (uh, yeah, we moved with that....). There was also a heavenly sweet potatoe dish, an heirloom quality orange-cranberry relish and a divine pumpkin cheesecake. AND a waldorf salad, which while I supposed Bety didn't grow the nuts, everything else in it was home grown AND my-mother-in-law's-best-recipe Deviled Eggs and a crazy good gravy to drown everything in. It was amazing. It took like and hour to move it all on to the table, and then on to each of our plates. And now is a good time to clarify, that yes, it was just the three of us eating. We of course ate ourselves silly, and then retired the feast to the fridge until we could consider cheesecake. I believe I had another nap. And about the time I got up to eating cheesecake, Matt said that, no, he didn't want any, he would just go to bed. Which I thought was weird- especially when I tasted how good the cheesecake was! By my bed time, my throat was just feeling bruised from swelling and I was tired, but Matt had mumbled a goodbye, and then curled up on the bed, fully clothed and passed out. Uh-oh.
He spent the rest of the night tossing and turning and feeling awful. He woke up in the morning sort of confused about it, like he often is about when his body does not respond as directed. After some discussion, we concluded that maybe you don't only need to take medicine when you are SICK, if you use a narrow definition of SICK that requires hospitalization, maybe sometimes you can take some medicine when you don't feel good. Having some aleve in him made it easier to get him interested in drinking juice, but unfortunately, his interest in food was completely off. Betty and I went for a brief sprint around town for "black friday" shopping- we went to the gallery, and her friend's gallery and the grocery store for more lemons for my lemon honey tea. I got some beautiful cards, and then was in sore need of a nap. I cannot exaggerate the amount I slept this weekend. Matt and I barely saw each other we were sleeping so much. This is partly due to illness, but I think also a cry for help in the form of blackout curtains for our bedroom. By today, we both felt with it enough to pack our own things out to the car and stay awake for the long (2 hours) drive home. Matt took a shower, put on all his warm clothes and came to sit on the couch with me. Then the cat yurped, and after he recovered his dignity, he came to be the cherry on top of our sick family sundae.
As objectively bad as most of that sounds, it was actually a really nice weekend. I mean, if you have to be sick, it is so much nicer to be around people who want to take care of you and can make tea without batting an eye. I'm thoroughly convinced our health was buoyed up by a full array of hearty and nourishing foods, prepared lovingly by my (blessedly un-infected) mother-in-law. And if we left too many germs behind, I will totally rush back to concrete to make the tea and prime the DVDs.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Things we are learning
You know how when you move, there is kinda a cultural re-adjustment period? You know, I can't just walk in to any Seattle grocery store and presume they will have pancetta, even if I plan on using it with my brussels sprouts. Much like how in Pittsburgh you might have to make a directed effort to find a coffee shop. Matt and I are enjoying getting to explore a bit and trying out some New things for our New life. For example, Matt has been taking the bus to work. The buses here are really nice, not to crowded and reasonably convenient, especially if you just want point-to-point travel, such as going to work (so your wife and run errands and get lost and such.) I know, I never thought I'd see the day.
We are happily indulging in all products made by Tillamok, and a bountiful harvest of fall fruits and veggies. Washington apples are as good as I remember. Oh, and speaking of apples, you know that park behind our house? You know, the one with the abandoned cabin? There is also an abandoned apple orchard in there. Matt wandered up there and grabbed a harvest of small, late season apples which turned into a very rich applesauce. We feel like we are living off the land here.
And I'll just make a contrast to the general lay-out of both Pittsburgh and Seattle/Kirkland places. Where the neighborhood down-towns of Pittsburgh always have an Italian or Middle eastern grocery store, a couple of smoke shops, at least once "local color" bar and maybe coffee or more likely a deli. In Kirkland, it's like there is a mandate that if you own a strip mall, it must contain at least one teriyaki place, one Mexican Groceria and a beer store. This provides the perfect climate for the drive through coffee place. I haven't yet indulged in one of those teriyaki places yet, but it's on my list of things to do should I ever become hungry after Thanksgiving, so maybe December.
Matt and I will be headed to Concrete for the holiday, where are phone usually get spotty service. Will try to make some calls via Betty's phone to brag about what an awesome time we are having, but if you don't hear from us, assume it's a food coma. Happy Thanksgiving, all!
We are happily indulging in all products made by Tillamok, and a bountiful harvest of fall fruits and veggies. Washington apples are as good as I remember. Oh, and speaking of apples, you know that park behind our house? You know, the one with the abandoned cabin? There is also an abandoned apple orchard in there. Matt wandered up there and grabbed a harvest of small, late season apples which turned into a very rich applesauce. We feel like we are living off the land here.
And I'll just make a contrast to the general lay-out of both Pittsburgh and Seattle/Kirkland places. Where the neighborhood down-towns of Pittsburgh always have an Italian or Middle eastern grocery store, a couple of smoke shops, at least once "local color" bar and maybe coffee or more likely a deli. In Kirkland, it's like there is a mandate that if you own a strip mall, it must contain at least one teriyaki place, one Mexican Groceria and a beer store. This provides the perfect climate for the drive through coffee place. I haven't yet indulged in one of those teriyaki places yet, but it's on my list of things to do should I ever become hungry after Thanksgiving, so maybe December.
Matt and I will be headed to Concrete for the holiday, where are phone usually get spotty service. Will try to make some calls via Betty's phone to brag about what an awesome time we are having, but if you don't hear from us, assume it's a food coma. Happy Thanksgiving, all!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
I've Been Busy
As much as I'd like to imply that I've been busy raising my son or doing other super-important things, if I'm being realistic, it's been the video games. We have passed through the holiday release season when everyone wants to make sure their games our out so people can buy them for Christmas, and I have more video games than I know what to do with. Literally, I have several video games that I'm sort of playing at random depending on what mood strikes me at the time. I'm sure I'll be playing them for months, considering how long some of these are, reportedly.
Well, not just video games. It's been a busy week at work, too. We did some data collections that I helped out on, and that led to some long days, and mine weren't even the longest. Nothing terribly mentally taxing, fortunately, just writing down numbers and running some lines of code, but it does take some time to get everything lined up, so there was an 11 hour day and a couple of 9.5 hour days last week, which meant that I felt entirely justified just coming home and playing video games until bedtime. And I didn't have nearly the most work, the guy that was in charge of analyzing the data did that. He stayed up till way too late several times and still managed to meet us in the morning for collections. I'd be frustrated that he is younger than me and doing more important stuff, but he does know his signals well. That's probably why we hired him.
My very first thanksgiving in my own home! I'm excited. Jess and I have been considering the menu, and also when we want to have it, being as we are in charge and can do whenever we want. I'm considering just doing it on Saturday, just to get discount turkeys, but then is it still thanksgiving, or just a turkey dinner? Anyway, there's definitely going to be turkey, and stove stop stuffing, and cranberry sauce from a can (you and me, dad!) and rolls and a few other things as well. Also I'm keen on going to Costco just to get an apple pie. We can each have a slice and then give the rest away at work. And Ice cream. Maybe I should make my own again. Yum.
We had a neighborhood get-together party last weekend that went off just great. I made hotdogs and sausages, because they freeze well when you buy too many of them. We met several more neighbors and saw a few old favorites, and everyone thought that Tyler was the cutest baby because they had good taste in babies. I still give credit to Nana for inspiring me to do this, it's been a great hit among the neighbors, especially when I do it in the fall and it's not a billion degrees outside.
So, Tyler, I'm sure that's what you really want to hear about yeah? He's just chugging along, developmentally. He's gotten much better at chewing, though managing the tongue is still a bit of a challenge and he does still choke himself on food a little bit, it's getting better. He's also started clapping, and even cruising a little bit. (That's where he pulls himself up on things and then steps along to the side while keeping balanced with his hands, I didn't realize it had a name until I got a baby of my own.) His crawling is also very impressive, he likes going around the house (with supervision) and getting chased and also looking around corners when he thinks one of his parents will be over there. He's still not a big fan of strangers, but he's manageable as long as parents are within sight.
He's also started liking walking again, and he's way faster at it. We all had a blast a few nights ago when we realized that when I grabbed his hands he'd take off running and bouncing, especially when mommy was right behind, threatening tickles the whole way. That was fun. He's definitely getting a lot more expressive, and expressive in a way that makes me think there's a tiny, emerging personality behind it, as opposed to just the random facial movements I've seen before. Maybe that's just the proud dad talking.
Jess hired a cleaning service to come by the house. When we got back we just wandered around saying 'wow' and looking at how darn clean everything was. Especially down at the floor level where certain family members seem to like to crawl. So we signed up for them to come by monthly. Not enough that we have to stop cleaning after ourselves, but all those tasks that seem to pile up and have to get done 'someday' now just get taken care of. Dusting and cleaning mirrors and the like. Very convenient. We also hired some people to come by and trim up our trees to make them look nice. So now I have people taking care of my lawn, my trees, my cleaning, and even my baby. I just have to hire a cook and someone to do my job for me and I can retire.
-N
Well, not just video games. It's been a busy week at work, too. We did some data collections that I helped out on, and that led to some long days, and mine weren't even the longest. Nothing terribly mentally taxing, fortunately, just writing down numbers and running some lines of code, but it does take some time to get everything lined up, so there was an 11 hour day and a couple of 9.5 hour days last week, which meant that I felt entirely justified just coming home and playing video games until bedtime. And I didn't have nearly the most work, the guy that was in charge of analyzing the data did that. He stayed up till way too late several times and still managed to meet us in the morning for collections. I'd be frustrated that he is younger than me and doing more important stuff, but he does know his signals well. That's probably why we hired him.
My very first thanksgiving in my own home! I'm excited. Jess and I have been considering the menu, and also when we want to have it, being as we are in charge and can do whenever we want. I'm considering just doing it on Saturday, just to get discount turkeys, but then is it still thanksgiving, or just a turkey dinner? Anyway, there's definitely going to be turkey, and stove stop stuffing, and cranberry sauce from a can (you and me, dad!) and rolls and a few other things as well. Also I'm keen on going to Costco just to get an apple pie. We can each have a slice and then give the rest away at work. And Ice cream. Maybe I should make my own again. Yum.
We had a neighborhood get-together party last weekend that went off just great. I made hotdogs and sausages, because they freeze well when you buy too many of them. We met several more neighbors and saw a few old favorites, and everyone thought that Tyler was the cutest baby because they had good taste in babies. I still give credit to Nana for inspiring me to do this, it's been a great hit among the neighbors, especially when I do it in the fall and it's not a billion degrees outside.
So, Tyler, I'm sure that's what you really want to hear about yeah? He's just chugging along, developmentally. He's gotten much better at chewing, though managing the tongue is still a bit of a challenge and he does still choke himself on food a little bit, it's getting better. He's also started clapping, and even cruising a little bit. (That's where he pulls himself up on things and then steps along to the side while keeping balanced with his hands, I didn't realize it had a name until I got a baby of my own.) His crawling is also very impressive, he likes going around the house (with supervision) and getting chased and also looking around corners when he thinks one of his parents will be over there. He's still not a big fan of strangers, but he's manageable as long as parents are within sight.
He's also started liking walking again, and he's way faster at it. We all had a blast a few nights ago when we realized that when I grabbed his hands he'd take off running and bouncing, especially when mommy was right behind, threatening tickles the whole way. That was fun. He's definitely getting a lot more expressive, and expressive in a way that makes me think there's a tiny, emerging personality behind it, as opposed to just the random facial movements I've seen before. Maybe that's just the proud dad talking.
Jess hired a cleaning service to come by the house. When we got back we just wandered around saying 'wow' and looking at how darn clean everything was. Especially down at the floor level where certain family members seem to like to crawl. So we signed up for them to come by monthly. Not enough that we have to stop cleaning after ourselves, but all those tasks that seem to pile up and have to get done 'someday' now just get taken care of. Dusting and cleaning mirrors and the like. Very convenient. We also hired some people to come by and trim up our trees to make them look nice. So now I have people taking care of my lawn, my trees, my cleaning, and even my baby. I just have to hire a cook and someone to do my job for me and I can retire.
-N
Friday, November 18, 2011
Things are good
Great news! My life is awesome!
I supposed that's kinda a weird lead, but that's pretty much all I want to cover in this post. I've been doing awesome stuff ever since I got here. We've seen Shaoshu and Jeffrey lots, I got to go for a nice walk in the park behind the house, and I found and old log cabin. I took the bus into Kirkland for a fun adventure, and there are lots of great coffee and restaurants for investigation. Last night Matt and I went to the Kirkland Costco, which is like the Costco Mothership. Tonight we are going for hot pot, and on Sunday Matt's mom is coming to see our new place and plan our delicious Thanksgiving plans.
Oh, AND I get to continue my volunteer work at the science center off site (awesome!). If it weren't for the fact that I don't have an income or a daily way to feel industrious, I would say life is pretty much perfect. Since I am applying for jobs everyday, I'm pretty sure that is a temporary thing anyway, which makes me pretty optimistic about my future here. I just have to find someway to keep up with Matt's heroic athleticism- he and Jeffrey will be trail running for an hour after work today, and I have yet to shake off the celebratory eating of my last month or so in Pittsburgh.
I supposed that's kinda a weird lead, but that's pretty much all I want to cover in this post. I've been doing awesome stuff ever since I got here. We've seen Shaoshu and Jeffrey lots, I got to go for a nice walk in the park behind the house, and I found and old log cabin. I took the bus into Kirkland for a fun adventure, and there are lots of great coffee and restaurants for investigation. Last night Matt and I went to the Kirkland Costco, which is like the Costco Mothership. Tonight we are going for hot pot, and on Sunday Matt's mom is coming to see our new place and plan our delicious Thanksgiving plans.
Oh, AND I get to continue my volunteer work at the science center off site (awesome!). If it weren't for the fact that I don't have an income or a daily way to feel industrious, I would say life is pretty much perfect. Since I am applying for jobs everyday, I'm pretty sure that is a temporary thing anyway, which makes me pretty optimistic about my future here. I just have to find someway to keep up with Matt's heroic athleticism- he and Jeffrey will be trail running for an hour after work today, and I have yet to shake off the celebratory eating of my last month or so in Pittsburgh.
Monday, November 14, 2011
I live in Kirkland now
My last few weeks in Pittsburgh were a whirlwind of excitement and activity, leading up to a big event at the science center and a big send off from my good friends there. It was a lot of fun, but if you can picture how tired I was at the begining of the going away party, and then picture that I stayed awake until the shuttle arrived at 3am to take me to the airport... well, I am still tired is where that is going. We'll call it jetlag. And delicious food overdose. I haven't really been hungry since I got here either.
But I am here! Matt came to get me at the airport, and Man, I still really like seeing him. It was ok while we were apart, we both had things going on, it was a short period of time (I was staying with a friend who had to wait out her then-boyfriend's deployment to Iraq, so...perspective). But finally seeing him, and getting to catch up on all the new things in our lives and see the direction our new life is taking... it's been really exciting. Our friend Shaoshu came over last night to hang out a bit, and Jeffrey and his adorable son (who isn't a baby anymore) came by after work today. Even though I didn't leave the house, I sure don't feel lonely. I do need to get focused on job hunting again, however in the meantime I am just so pleased with all the other aspects of my life that being unemployed doesn't seem as awful as it once did. Some of you have seen the new place already, it is a two story duplex, and in the stairway there is a skylight, which streams in that cozy gray Seattle light that seems like it is always filtered through evergreens and rain. While I was unpacking, I found a Rie Munoz picture (girl throwing her blueberries in surprise when she finds a bear in her blueberry patch), and I hung it in the hallway in that calm grey light and I just felt like this is exactly as it was meant to be.
There is still plenty of unpacking to keep me busy for a couple days. Matt has the house fully functional, but that's just a start reminder of how much stuff we own that we don't really "need" persay. The upstairs rooms (all three of them+ 2 bathrooms) need the most help, mostly because there is lots of space to divide our things into. The cat seems to like the constant change in scenery as boxes get unpacked and moved around, creating new landscapes to be conquered. Frankly, the toddler liked it too.
Matt is trying to help me get oriented to the neighborhood, and we are exploring it a bit more together. I'll keep you abreast of any big finds. Tonight we found that we are only a couple minutes from both Woodinville and Bothell, which means I need to spend more time looking at the map.
But I am here! Matt came to get me at the airport, and Man, I still really like seeing him. It was ok while we were apart, we both had things going on, it was a short period of time (I was staying with a friend who had to wait out her then-boyfriend's deployment to Iraq, so...perspective). But finally seeing him, and getting to catch up on all the new things in our lives and see the direction our new life is taking... it's been really exciting. Our friend Shaoshu came over last night to hang out a bit, and Jeffrey and his adorable son (who isn't a baby anymore) came by after work today. Even though I didn't leave the house, I sure don't feel lonely. I do need to get focused on job hunting again, however in the meantime I am just so pleased with all the other aspects of my life that being unemployed doesn't seem as awful as it once did. Some of you have seen the new place already, it is a two story duplex, and in the stairway there is a skylight, which streams in that cozy gray Seattle light that seems like it is always filtered through evergreens and rain. While I was unpacking, I found a Rie Munoz picture (girl throwing her blueberries in surprise when she finds a bear in her blueberry patch), and I hung it in the hallway in that calm grey light and I just felt like this is exactly as it was meant to be.
There is still plenty of unpacking to keep me busy for a couple days. Matt has the house fully functional, but that's just a start reminder of how much stuff we own that we don't really "need" persay. The upstairs rooms (all three of them+ 2 bathrooms) need the most help, mostly because there is lots of space to divide our things into. The cat seems to like the constant change in scenery as boxes get unpacked and moved around, creating new landscapes to be conquered. Frankly, the toddler liked it too.
Matt is trying to help me get oriented to the neighborhood, and we are exploring it a bit more together. I'll keep you abreast of any big finds. Tonight we found that we are only a couple minutes from both Woodinville and Bothell, which means I need to spend more time looking at the map.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Genetics are the most fun!
We have had two days of making gene bracelets at the science center. It's a great event, and I don't mind saying that we had a good demo to add to the day. I was worried that it might be too involved for middle school students (score yourself for ELEVEN traits, and make a bracelet). But most kids seemed really interested (having bright colored beads to play with helps), and scored through the whole bracelet. We may have overestimated the number of beads we'll need for the week, but the whole demo is working better, and I think will probably be used again. We had a couple teachers ask for our materials, and it made me feel good to have injected a cute idea with a lot of science. It was fun. I also had a lot more time to minimize my worries about our event Saturday. There is still work to be done, but I'm sure it will come together. Tomorrow I am going on a river tour to learn about the stuff we'll find in water samples, and to gather samples for the event. Whee!
It's weird to be doing all this and also doing a count down of last days in Pittsburgh. I am trying to see my friends and have some good times before I head out. Our stuff has arrived in Pittsburgh, including the car, so Matt is making headway getting us settled there.
It's weird to be doing all this and also doing a count down of last days in Pittsburgh. I am trying to see my friends and have some good times before I head out. Our stuff has arrived in Pittsburgh, including the car, so Matt is making headway getting us settled there.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Clever title!
Halloween happened last weekend. For the most part, it really just passed Tyler by. We could have gone out and used him to get some candy for me and Jess to eat, but the same could be said for our credit cards, and MasterCard doesn't get fussy when it stays up past it's bedtime.
Most of Halloween takes place after Tyler went to sleep. We stayed up with him for a little while, saw some neighbors and some kids in costume, then Tyler got sleepy and we brought him in, changed him out of his adorable T-Rex costume, put him in Pjs, and then stayed up for a while longer until enough kids had come by to drain our candy stockpile down to a manageable level, then turned out the lights and went to sleep.
I've been wanting to put on another 'invite the neighbors over to meet each other' party for a while now, and Jess and I traditionally kick the event off by printing out fliers at the beginning of the week announcing the get-together, which then forces us to make sure the event actually happens. We just put out some chips and grilled up some hot dogs and sausages, which are great, because when you buy too many of them you can just throw them in the freezer and use them yourself over the next several months. Clever and convenient. Anyway, we met a few more neighbors, introduced ourselves, and shared some food and some neighborhood news. Nothing too dramatic.
Tyler has started to hit the age where he doesn't like strangers. We heard about it from the day care which let us know that at one point, when both of his regular teachers were out for a break, Tyler got kinda fussy and worried. He was okay when a familiar face came back. I did an experiment with him this weekend, letting a neighbor hold him for a while to see what he would do. He lasted about 15 seconds before he got an adorably cute frowny-face and lurched back to daddy. And even that wasn't quite enough. He needed some mommy cuddles before he really calmed down. But it was really cute, I assure you. So be warned, people who have taken care of Tyler before, he may not be as excited to see you next time. It's not personal, it's just childhood development.
Xmas is coming! Jess and I have made our plans and purchased our tickets, burning all my frequent flier miles in the process (and saving lots of $$$). It will be our first time Traveling, or flying, with Tyler. Best of luck to us! Hopefully he behaves himself on the plane, and hopefully we don't get sexually assaulted by airport security. I wish that was a joke.
This is the 700th post on this blog. Woohoo!
-N
Most of Halloween takes place after Tyler went to sleep. We stayed up with him for a little while, saw some neighbors and some kids in costume, then Tyler got sleepy and we brought him in, changed him out of his adorable T-Rex costume, put him in Pjs, and then stayed up for a while longer until enough kids had come by to drain our candy stockpile down to a manageable level, then turned out the lights and went to sleep.
I've been wanting to put on another 'invite the neighbors over to meet each other' party for a while now, and Jess and I traditionally kick the event off by printing out fliers at the beginning of the week announcing the get-together, which then forces us to make sure the event actually happens. We just put out some chips and grilled up some hot dogs and sausages, which are great, because when you buy too many of them you can just throw them in the freezer and use them yourself over the next several months. Clever and convenient. Anyway, we met a few more neighbors, introduced ourselves, and shared some food and some neighborhood news. Nothing too dramatic.
Tyler has started to hit the age where he doesn't like strangers. We heard about it from the day care which let us know that at one point, when both of his regular teachers were out for a break, Tyler got kinda fussy and worried. He was okay when a familiar face came back. I did an experiment with him this weekend, letting a neighbor hold him for a while to see what he would do. He lasted about 15 seconds before he got an adorably cute frowny-face and lurched back to daddy. And even that wasn't quite enough. He needed some mommy cuddles before he really calmed down. But it was really cute, I assure you. So be warned, people who have taken care of Tyler before, he may not be as excited to see you next time. It's not personal, it's just childhood development.
Xmas is coming! Jess and I have made our plans and purchased our tickets, burning all my frequent flier miles in the process (and saving lots of $$$). It will be our first time Traveling, or flying, with Tyler. Best of luck to us! Hopefully he behaves himself on the plane, and hopefully we don't get sexually assaulted by airport security. I wish that was a joke.
This is the 700th post on this blog. Woohoo!
-N
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Terrible and good
I spent a heartbreaking morning sharing hugs with friends at a funeral. This was awful, in a way that made me so grateful for my friends, and grateful that my friends also have such good friends in each other. Does that make sense? But, as much as it made me feel very close to this group I've been with all these years, seeing my coworker's family grieving together made me really want to be closer to my family for some non-mourning activities. It was a very sad funeral because this guy was such a spark of life for so many people. Sigh. For some reason I didn't think this would be such a tough day for me, but seeing some of my other students from bioethics in such a state of grief really ripped me up. I do feel better after the service, though.
And of course, the rest of my life in in a giant shake up right now, as always. Dr. Rockstar offered me a 6-month post-doc position in his lab (too late, I'm not tempted, but it did make me feel nice). In other awesome news, I got a major title promotion at the Science Center. I am to be the first ever Scientist in Residence at the Science Center, which they are hoping to make a more accessible position to bring in collaborative interactions with the local professional community. This is great for me, clearly, but I think it will be a really good move for the science center. One of the things that sold the Director on the title was the fact that I have provided them with access to my professional network. Need volunteers, or info, or to borrow some equipment? Everyone I know here is a scientist, so that hasn't been a problem for me to find these things. We'll be hashing out a description for this title this week in order to provide a framework for recruiting other Resident Scientists for relevant volunteer work and interactions. Hooray, I am valuable!
And of course, the rest of my life in in a giant shake up right now, as always. Dr. Rockstar offered me a 6-month post-doc position in his lab (too late, I'm not tempted, but it did make me feel nice). In other awesome news, I got a major title promotion at the Science Center. I am to be the first ever Scientist in Residence at the Science Center, which they are hoping to make a more accessible position to bring in collaborative interactions with the local professional community. This is great for me, clearly, but I think it will be a really good move for the science center. One of the things that sold the Director on the title was the fact that I have provided them with access to my professional network. Need volunteers, or info, or to borrow some equipment? Everyone I know here is a scientist, so that hasn't been a problem for me to find these things. We'll be hashing out a description for this title this week in order to provide a framework for recruiting other Resident Scientists for relevant volunteer work and interactions. Hooray, I am valuable!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Hanging around the 'burgh
While Matt has started his new job (which is going well, and they like him), and started getting used to living in Seattle (seeing lots of friends, exploring our neighborhood and generally having a good time), I am still in Pittsburgh, doing all my own favorite things and hanging around with my friends. And occasionally looking for work or going to the science center. The work at the science center is going well, and I am trying to find lots of ways to add value to the programs and my position. I am excited about our upcoming events, even though I am feeling nervous about them as well. We expect 4,000 visitors next week to a demo on genotypes and phenotypes (basic genetics here). And while I have the confidence to put together learning objectives, I don't have the finesse to think about what type of linens we should get for our tables or how to "display" ourselves well. That's where the guy I am working with takes over, so I am learning lots.
On a much sadder note, another reason that I am grateful that I am still here is to share my grief with my coworkers. One of our recent graduates, a very bright undergrad who took my class and asked me to write a letter of recommendation for his medical school application, passed away suddenly this week. Obviously, this was unexpected, and shocking and all of those terrible things when a young person with so much life and potential passes on. While he was an energetic, funny, caring guy who will be sorely missed by his friends and family, because I knew him in a professional context, the part that seems most unfair to me is that he was going to make a great doctor someday. It's a great loss, but I am glad to be able to share that with my friends and coworkers who also knew him.
On a much sadder note, another reason that I am grateful that I am still here is to share my grief with my coworkers. One of our recent graduates, a very bright undergrad who took my class and asked me to write a letter of recommendation for his medical school application, passed away suddenly this week. Obviously, this was unexpected, and shocking and all of those terrible things when a young person with so much life and potential passes on. While he was an energetic, funny, caring guy who will be sorely missed by his friends and family, because I knew him in a professional context, the part that seems most unfair to me is that he was going to make a great doctor someday. It's a great loss, but I am glad to be able to share that with my friends and coworkers who also knew him.
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