I wanted to round out the notes from the weekend. For starters, everyone is in great health and humor and the old family homestead is in great shape. Papa indulged me by spending a lot of time with my NEW digital voice recorder (Thanks, Noel!) helping to record some family stories. Once I make up my mind about which software to use on these files, I'll work on compiling some of these to share. I've got some classics here- and some new and interesting stuff too.
We celebrated Papa's birthday at the Down River Grille, a classy restaurant where Nana and Papa are TOTALLY regulars. They even brought out a piece of chocolate cake to celebrate Papa being 92- Papa wants everyone to know that he needed Nana's help to blow out the candle. Like he said "I couldn't have done it without her."
Nana kept us busy, day dreaming about craft projects with Betty, dinking around in the garden and puttering through the kitchen. We didn't cook as much this weekend- what with all the celebrations- but Nana did concede to let Matt air out his fool-proof meatloaf. The secret is Italian Sausage. They will probably be eating Meatloaf and Chocolate Zucchini Break (Cake!) until Thanksgiving.
Matt and I had an uneventful return trip from Spokane, and I am already trying to sort out when I can go back. It was fun to combo visit with Betty- I am sure I could be urged to combo visit with someone else. Who is headed to Spokane next?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Birthday Bash!
Matt and I are this weekend in Spokane, enjoying a boisterous weekend with the grandparents. Seriously- these two wear me out! I've been collecting some great stories from Papa (did you know he crossed the Panama Canal in his Navy years? Or that the men in his family had all been coal miners? This is why he never thought he'd have a 92nd birthday), and made some valiant efforts in Nana's garden. Matt has been the ultimate Mr. Fix-it, which he LOVES- He's installed new doorbells, showerhead, fixed a bathroom fan, destroyed a hornet's nest and done all the other 'Tall Person' work.
Nana and Papa of course make this more than worthwhile- they invited Matt's mom to join us for the weekend, and we celebrated an early birthday for Matt on Saturday. Sunday, of course, was Papa's big day, and when asked he was going to celebrate he said "Well. I am going to read the paper. I am going to take a nap. We've got dinner plans later, and then I'll watch the Sunday Mystery." Needless to say, his birthday plans went off without a hitch. More updates later- I just wanted to brag about what great time we were having!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Gone Runnin'
Today Jess and I went out to get some exercise along Brushy Creek Trail We didn't go along the whole thing, but my estimates put my run at approximately 2.5 miles out, and then the same back again. I wasn't always running, to be fair, but that is a definite distance record for me, so I'm proud. Now Jess and I are resting off our morning exercise after having some delicious lunch. I made some homemade bread and we made grilled cheese sandwiches on our brand new...grittle! Thanks so much Sandlin! We've already gotten a couple of uses out of it, once for breakfast, which was great because you can make a massive dose of pancakes, all at once, and then agian for grilled cheese. It warms up really quickly and you can easily control the temperature, which is very nice.
The the parents, we also got your other present in the mail, a pair of kitchen shears. They're really nice, and the two blades unhinge from each other for easy dishwasher cleaning. Thanks so much again!
The arcade was really neat. It was Buzzing, full of people, a lot of competition going on. Most of the games were competitive fighting games, which is great because it fosters a sense of community in your arcade when you meet up with people, play with them, and actually get to see their face. I played a bunch and then Jess and I came home to relax.
Oh, and the fish was great, too.
-N
The the parents, we also got your other present in the mail, a pair of kitchen shears. They're really nice, and the two blades unhinge from each other for easy dishwasher cleaning. Thanks so much again!
The arcade was really neat. It was Buzzing, full of people, a lot of competition going on. Most of the games were competitive fighting games, which is great because it fosters a sense of community in your arcade when you meet up with people, play with them, and actually get to see their face. I played a bunch and then Jess and I came home to relax.
Oh, and the fish was great, too.
-N
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Is my birthday!
Yesterday, Jess made me cupcakes, orange cake with buttercream frosting. Really good. I had about four myself and gave away the rest to people at work. Protip: If you need help from someone, offer them a cupcake. They will never refuse. I got a surprising amount of work done yesterday, thanks to cupcakes.
And today is my birthday proper. I've already had a few packages show up, and a very nice card from some very caring grandparents. Thanks so much, Nana and Papa, you make very excellent elders. Hugs and kisses!
Today Jess has some sort of 'mystery errand' planned for me, which should be fun, but I'm mostly just happy that she likes me enough to do stuff like that for me on my birthday. She likes me a lot, I think. The kitties have also gotten in on the action, cuddling and meowing adorably this morning while we were trying to sleep.
And in the evening, I get fish and video games! I'm going to met up with some friends at McCormick and Schmick for some delicious fish fare (especially nice when I can be sure of its origins) and then we're going out to a place called Arcade UFO. Arcades have been a dying breed in America ever since home consoles and PCs became popular and it was just easier and cheaper to play your games at home. Some people still keep them going, though, and Arcade UFO was opened recently by arcade enthusiasts just a few years ago. I'll go patronize them with a couple buckets of quarters. For old times sakes.
-N
And today is my birthday proper. I've already had a few packages show up, and a very nice card from some very caring grandparents. Thanks so much, Nana and Papa, you make very excellent elders. Hugs and kisses!
Today Jess has some sort of 'mystery errand' planned for me, which should be fun, but I'm mostly just happy that she likes me enough to do stuff like that for me on my birthday. She likes me a lot, I think. The kitties have also gotten in on the action, cuddling and meowing adorably this morning while we were trying to sleep.
And in the evening, I get fish and video games! I'm going to met up with some friends at McCormick and Schmick for some delicious fish fare (especially nice when I can be sure of its origins) and then we're going out to a place called Arcade UFO. Arcades have been a dying breed in America ever since home consoles and PCs became popular and it was just easier and cheaper to play your games at home. Some people still keep them going, though, and Arcade UFO was opened recently by arcade enthusiasts just a few years ago. I'll go patronize them with a couple buckets of quarters. For old times sakes.
-N
Friday, September 4, 2009
For a Thursday, it was pretty awesome
Yesterday, I took our Graduate/Professional Student Association up on thier invitation to atttend a breakfast meeting with local Congressman Mike Doyle to discuss health care reform. This was actually a really nice event- he clarified a lot of the confusion about the healthcare debate, his positions on them and also other things that were currently up for proposal. Being a graduate student meeting, there weren't any ballistically ignorant people there, so it was a very civilized and informative discussion. I was really glad I went.
I am starting a course (my last required class for my whole life if I can help it) at the School of Public health, where I ran into my friend Hui, who I thought had moved to Baltimore- Happy Surprise! I also overheard my classmates talk about being asked to move out of their downtown apartments for the G20- what?! Boy, am I glad I don't live downtown.
At the end of the day, I had harbored enough energy to go out to a new restaurant for dinner, it was an appropriately pretentious French restaurant that mostly served crepes and ambiance in a recently gentrified area. We hung out on their back patio, soaking in the sauces, and crepes and wine like real sophisticates. Pretty great day, all things told.
Also great- packing to go to Spokane! We catch our plane at 7 tonight, so I'll be hugging Nana before bed tonight! Yea!
I am starting a course (my last required class for my whole life if I can help it) at the School of Public health, where I ran into my friend Hui, who I thought had moved to Baltimore- Happy Surprise! I also overheard my classmates talk about being asked to move out of their downtown apartments for the G20- what?! Boy, am I glad I don't live downtown.
At the end of the day, I had harbored enough energy to go out to a new restaurant for dinner, it was an appropriately pretentious French restaurant that mostly served crepes and ambiance in a recently gentrified area. We hung out on their back patio, soaking in the sauces, and crepes and wine like real sophisticates. Pretty great day, all things told.
Also great- packing to go to Spokane! We catch our plane at 7 tonight, so I'll be hugging Nana before bed tonight! Yea!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Evolution of the Bath
These are two before picture of the "office" that will become the master bath. The picture following is the after shot.
The two following pictures are the before and after of the "old" master bathroom.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
G20 or H1N1
I've been debating back and forth which would make a better blog post- the impending G20 summit that will be happening HERE in Pittsburgh, or the Pandemic flu outbreak that I will inevitably get first of all our family members. I decided on both, since I will have to come back to both later in their own time.
First- G20, it's happening.
For most of our readers, I suspect that G20 will be hosted in Pittsburgh is little more then a ticker headline, so I'd like to add some color to that description. This year's Leader's Meeting will presidents from the world's most influential 20 nations to talk about the issues that they agreed to deal with last year. It is a kind of economic summit, biege in topic, but explosive in its ability to completely derail the entire city's infrastructure. The 20 Presidents (and their motorcades, and their delegates, and their entourage) will be hosted downtown at the convention center. Most of the downtown buildings will be EVACUATED to minimize the security threat- this means office buildings, stores and COLLEGE DORMS. You know what I would do if I had to leave my dorm for 3 days from some money summit? Protest. You know where the "Designated Free Speech Zone" for the summit is? Across the opposite river. Yeah. That's where all the protesters will head. Sure.
Don't get me wrong- I am super excited that this event it taking place here, it will give Pittsburgh a chance to show it's new face to the world, and in some ways is an ideal venue. But I don't yet have faith that anyone in Pittsburgh knows how to approach an angry protest mob. Hopefully this won't be a topic for a future blog post- all I know is the city is going to be gridlocked around motorcade traffic and I am going to work from home.
Pandemic Flu Stalks Nation- H1N1
We've been talking a lot about H1N1 at work, possibly because we have been inundated with carefully worded memos urging us to wash our hands, get plenty of rest and stay home if we have a fever. More likely because H1N1 is already on campus. As I've mentioned before- Pandemic means it spread well- it doesn't mean it kills you any more. There are some predictions that suggest this might change later in flu season (like, cases reported in August is early, long time since the last H1N1 strain was out, ...) but in the meantime, it is just a flu we have a name for.
We also have the first case in the building I work in. Given that I am planning to fly to Spokane this weekend, I am being extra SUPER careful, especially with disease carrying undergrads swarming campus. Not that I ever want to be sick, but knowing that there is a particular germ with a name hanging around makes me feel like I am being stalked.
Matt and I are looking forward to a long weekend in Spokane, to celebrate Papa's Birthday, Matt's birthday and Labor Day! Matt's Mom will be joining us, which means we will be having a no holds barred awesome weekend. I'll also be taking my AWESOME digital voice recorder to collect more family stories, once I get my act together, I'll try to format them for a larger audience.
First- G20, it's happening.
For most of our readers, I suspect that G20 will be hosted in Pittsburgh is little more then a ticker headline, so I'd like to add some color to that description. This year's Leader's Meeting will presidents from the world's most influential 20 nations to talk about the issues that they agreed to deal with last year. It is a kind of economic summit, biege in topic, but explosive in its ability to completely derail the entire city's infrastructure. The 20 Presidents (and their motorcades, and their delegates, and their entourage) will be hosted downtown at the convention center. Most of the downtown buildings will be EVACUATED to minimize the security threat- this means office buildings, stores and COLLEGE DORMS. You know what I would do if I had to leave my dorm for 3 days from some money summit? Protest. You know where the "Designated Free Speech Zone" for the summit is? Across the opposite river. Yeah. That's where all the protesters will head. Sure.
Don't get me wrong- I am super excited that this event it taking place here, it will give Pittsburgh a chance to show it's new face to the world, and in some ways is an ideal venue. But I don't yet have faith that anyone in Pittsburgh knows how to approach an angry protest mob. Hopefully this won't be a topic for a future blog post- all I know is the city is going to be gridlocked around motorcade traffic and I am going to work from home.
Pandemic Flu Stalks Nation- H1N1
We've been talking a lot about H1N1 at work, possibly because we have been inundated with carefully worded memos urging us to wash our hands, get plenty of rest and stay home if we have a fever. More likely because H1N1 is already on campus. As I've mentioned before- Pandemic means it spread well- it doesn't mean it kills you any more. There are some predictions that suggest this might change later in flu season (like, cases reported in August is early, long time since the last H1N1 strain was out, ...) but in the meantime, it is just a flu we have a name for.
We also have the first case in the building I work in. Given that I am planning to fly to Spokane this weekend, I am being extra SUPER careful, especially with disease carrying undergrads swarming campus. Not that I ever want to be sick, but knowing that there is a particular germ with a name hanging around makes me feel like I am being stalked.
Matt and I are looking forward to a long weekend in Spokane, to celebrate Papa's Birthday, Matt's birthday and Labor Day! Matt's Mom will be joining us, which means we will be having a no holds barred awesome weekend. I'll also be taking my AWESOME digital voice recorder to collect more family stories, once I get my act together, I'll try to format them for a larger audience.
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