Well, J is back on call as of 6:30 AM this morning. He has traded one virus for another as well. Having recovered from gastro on our vacation, he now has a head filled with green sticky fluid. Niiiccee!!! Ah, the joys of working in a cess pool called "hospital."
Yesterday we went on one of those married dates. You know, the ones where you pretend you are still courting one another, but the kiss on the doorstep is rather anticlimactic as you both enter the same house and you know you are going to bed together. None-the-less, we had a great time.
We went to see "Enchanted." About half way through the movie I realized that the last two movies we actually bought tickets for were both Disney movies. I believe we saw the rat one when you still wore shorts outside...it was that long ago. Either: a) J and I need such blatant excuses to escape reality into fantasy where there are happily ever afters, b) We are ready to have kids because we truly opt to spend free time in movies that are limited to PG, or c) We've been brainwashed by Walt himself from the grave to support the Mickey empire. It was actually a cute (predictable) movie and it was worth seeing if only to watch Amy Adams who truly deserves that nomination. She must have watched animated princess movies 1000+ times just to get those expressions of glee down.
We decided to step it up a notch on the grown-up scale and head to the IMA for the largest exhibition from the Louvre. It was on the Roman empire and of course we waited until the 5th to last day. It was packed and we waited in line for about 20 minutes before getting to the first room. I'm ashamed to say that I dabble in Art History because by room #2, all of the relief work and marble busts missing noses were beginning to blend together. All I could remember was some concept called "contrapposto" where the sculptor is able to distribute the figure's weight proportionately and they aren't leaning on some stick that is disguised to look like a tree log to keep them upright. The Romans didn't quite get this concept down yet. All I remember about Roman history is that Constantine made Christianity THE religion of the State and one of the emperors, Caligula, (sounds like a STD name to me) went crazy and declared his horse a senator. Both facts are true.
As we stood in front of a large map showing the expansiveness of the Roman empire a mother was explaining to her young son what it was.
"Where's Indiana?" The little boy asked.
This raised a bit of a chuckle from all of the nearby visitors. Afterwards I was giggling a bit about the child's remark in the car.
"I didn't know whether to think it was cute or be appalled." J commented. To be honest, I didn't pay attention to how old the kiddo was to even assess that. I'll probably go with the "cute" variety, myself, given that those who fall below on the bell curve wouldn't even be in an art exhibit from the Louvre with their child.
Lately I've been extremely kid-hungry and unless the child is simply deplorable, it hasn't been satiated by even hanging around the ankle-biters. This comes from a person who would pass off her babysitting jobs often because she didn't like children! (Ironic that I ended up specializing in peds, I realize.) And yet, I realize I have about another year before we even begin planning for a family. Anti-malaria drugs + pregnancy + third world country = BAD.
In the meantime, I'll still be watching the Disney films and making boxed macaroni and cheese a la Trader Joes.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Chaos 2007
Best parts of Christmas 2007 (in no particular order)
1) Edgar being able to fly with us.
2) The annual Big Lebowski festival with king crab, champagne, and what else but white russians.
3) Dinner at Roy's in the Minneapolis airport (quite yummy and elegant truly)
4) Getting my hair cut with The Jerry
5) Seeing my Dad's side of the family
6) My father suggesting that J do crosswords to help develop his language skills, to which J replied, "Because my vocabulary is a paucity."
7) Having a glass of wine with Ginny
8) Watching Edgar bound in the snow with the new puppy
9) Flannel sheets and the smell of fresh pine trees and falling snow
10) Watching my nephew sprinkle "reindeer dust" in order to attract Rudolph. (It was glitter)
11) Going for nachos and beer with my mom and dad
12) Having mom remember the small things like what kind of cereal I like
13) Having a white Christmas
14) Watching everyone's expression when they opened our gifts
15) Coming home
1) Edgar being able to fly with us.
2) The annual Big Lebowski festival with king crab, champagne, and what else but white russians.
3) Dinner at Roy's in the Minneapolis airport (quite yummy and elegant truly)
4) Getting my hair cut with The Jerry
5) Seeing my Dad's side of the family
6) My father suggesting that J do crosswords to help develop his language skills, to which J replied, "Because my vocabulary is a paucity."
7) Having a glass of wine with Ginny
8) Watching Edgar bound in the snow with the new puppy
9) Flannel sheets and the smell of fresh pine trees and falling snow
10) Watching my nephew sprinkle "reindeer dust" in order to attract Rudolph. (It was glitter)
11) Going for nachos and beer with my mom and dad
12) Having mom remember the small things like what kind of cereal I like
13) Having a white Christmas
14) Watching everyone's expression when they opened our gifts
15) Coming home
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Flue-id Commotion
Many of you may remember last year's blog entry about combustible Christmas trees. I will say I felt a bit vindicated when this story was recapitulated around my family's dinner table and BOTH my sibling and my mother said, "Wait, so you mean they don't just spontaneously combust?" Thank God I wasn't the only one who believed Ginny's wives tale.
How I thought that would have been the end of my embarrassment of Christmas fire stories. Then last night happened.
J was post call and was sound asleep when I got home from work. I thought it would be nice to have him wake up to the scent of yummy beef burgundy stew, a nice glass of red wine waiting for him, and the warmth of the fire on a chilly winter night. I got the fire log out of the garage and began to get things ready for dinner.
In my credit (and defense) I did check the flue. I opened and closed it a number of times and even tried to look up the chimney to make sure it was open however it was dark outside so really I couldn't tell. The opening and closing of the flue was rather noisy and I didn't want to wake my slumbering husband with all that racket so I stopped. Instead I started the fire and watched the smoke. Yup, it seemed to be going up the chimney. And with that, I went back to do dinner preparations.
Not too long into my herb chopping and Brussels sprout peeling did I begin to wonder if I had turned on the oven and something was just charred on the bottom. Then I noticed the curls of smoke quite visible in the kitchen lights. It was at that moment that all of the fire alarms went off. I guess the flue wasn't quite open. Yes, the smoke went UP the chimney, but then built up and came back DOWN the chimney as well.
By now, we have a roaring healthy fire in the fireplace and my husband is up running around looking quite pissed and surprised. He later stated that he was having a dream and thought that the alarms had something to do with the Germans coming and he was at war. Now, granted, he was quite sleepy and was quite focused on shutting off the alarms. I was more concerned with the flue and the fire and not wanting to put my hand anywhere near the flame to open the flue. In fact, I was pretty paralyzed with fear about this whole fire thing although at least I was paying attention to the most likely solution vs. the alarm. Edgar was now cowering under the table with all of the noise. I actually flashed upon my previous entry of Edgar being trapped in a fire while he was at the kennel at this point in time.
I also realized that I had washed all of our oven mitts and pot holders so I began to dig those out of the dryer as I thought that they would protect my husband's hands as he opened the flue. Again, I was more likely to call the fire dept than do this myself. I finally got J's attention and asked if he would stop working on shutting up the alarm, but instead work on the flue. I also began to open up all windows, doors, etc. Surprisingly, Edgar did not run out of the house and instead just slinked around like he did something wrong. Poor dude.
Oh dear. This was NOT the evening I had intended. After all of the commotion died down I was pretty upset. I apologized profusely and tried to calm down. I could also hear my father's voice in my head, "That was so stupid!" As if I really meant to do something like that on purpose.
The house aired out quickly and I opened a bottle of wine while my husband began to write in the soot all over our mantle before cleaning it. I think it was his way of making light of the situation which worked...well, that and 3/4 of a bottle of Syrah worked wonders. While my pyrophobia isn't better now (in fact, its much worse) my husband pointed out that now I can have confidence I can start a roaring fire.
How I thought that would have been the end of my embarrassment of Christmas fire stories. Then last night happened.
J was post call and was sound asleep when I got home from work. I thought it would be nice to have him wake up to the scent of yummy beef burgundy stew, a nice glass of red wine waiting for him, and the warmth of the fire on a chilly winter night. I got the fire log out of the garage and began to get things ready for dinner.
In my credit (and defense) I did check the flue. I opened and closed it a number of times and even tried to look up the chimney to make sure it was open however it was dark outside so really I couldn't tell. The opening and closing of the flue was rather noisy and I didn't want to wake my slumbering husband with all that racket so I stopped. Instead I started the fire and watched the smoke. Yup, it seemed to be going up the chimney. And with that, I went back to do dinner preparations.
Not too long into my herb chopping and Brussels sprout peeling did I begin to wonder if I had turned on the oven and something was just charred on the bottom. Then I noticed the curls of smoke quite visible in the kitchen lights. It was at that moment that all of the fire alarms went off. I guess the flue wasn't quite open. Yes, the smoke went UP the chimney, but then built up and came back DOWN the chimney as well.
By now, we have a roaring healthy fire in the fireplace and my husband is up running around looking quite pissed and surprised. He later stated that he was having a dream and thought that the alarms had something to do with the Germans coming and he was at war. Now, granted, he was quite sleepy and was quite focused on shutting off the alarms. I was more concerned with the flue and the fire and not wanting to put my hand anywhere near the flame to open the flue. In fact, I was pretty paralyzed with fear about this whole fire thing although at least I was paying attention to the most likely solution vs. the alarm. Edgar was now cowering under the table with all of the noise. I actually flashed upon my previous entry of Edgar being trapped in a fire while he was at the kennel at this point in time.
I also realized that I had washed all of our oven mitts and pot holders so I began to dig those out of the dryer as I thought that they would protect my husband's hands as he opened the flue. Again, I was more likely to call the fire dept than do this myself. I finally got J's attention and asked if he would stop working on shutting up the alarm, but instead work on the flue. I also began to open up all windows, doors, etc. Surprisingly, Edgar did not run out of the house and instead just slinked around like he did something wrong. Poor dude.
Oh dear. This was NOT the evening I had intended. After all of the commotion died down I was pretty upset. I apologized profusely and tried to calm down. I could also hear my father's voice in my head, "That was so stupid!" As if I really meant to do something like that on purpose.
The house aired out quickly and I opened a bottle of wine while my husband began to write in the soot all over our mantle before cleaning it. I think it was his way of making light of the situation which worked...well, that and 3/4 of a bottle of Syrah worked wonders. While my pyrophobia isn't better now (in fact, its much worse) my husband pointed out that now I can have confidence I can start a roaring fire.
Monday, December 17, 2007
S is for Snowman and Shivering Scotties
Yes, this is a very pissed off Edgar in front of our snowman. As predicted, our debate of getting a tree has been eclipsed by the simple fact that we only have 4 days to enjoy said tree before getting on a plane and thus a wasted effort. In attempt to redeem ourselves, I dragged my husband outside yesterday to build a snowman. Nothing like two 32 year olds trying to play in the snow. We got a couple of odd looks from neighbors driving by.
I will admit we cheated and used the ice blocks that the plow had left, stacked them, and then just packed snow around them. Hey, it works. Somehow we were able to coax Edgar to pose with the lopsided snowman although he wasn't really happy about it and was truly shivering...should have put on his red sweater for the snow playtime.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
I'm Dreaming of a Warm Christmas
Well, I can report that J and I finally hung up the garlands. The tree is still an issue in limbo. Now instead of having three boxes in our living room filled with decorations, the big giant one is now empty...but still in the middle of our living room. I'm beginning to think of stacking the boxes on top of one another to form a pyramid and decorating those as the Christmas tree instead.
I just read that Christmas is only 17 days away. On some level that sucks. It is raining cats and dogs outside which doesn't exactly match the holiday scene. Although, it is a vast improvement from last year when we had to turn on our air conditioning for the Christmas party we threw for our three friends: a Jew, a Muslim, and an Atheist. They all appreciated their Christmas ornaments I attached to their napkin rings.
This year, J has Christmas off, which is great. I think... We booked our tickets home on Northwest. Like all airlines, they have a temperature restriction for animals. Highly understandable. I took this into account last year when we booked and made sure we connected through Cincinnati rather than the Twin Cities for example. The last thing I wanted was to show up with Edgar in his cute crate and sweater for them to reject him. This year I gambled, crossed my fingers, toes, and whatever else, then prayed to whatever God/Angel/Deity I could think of when I purchased the tickets. Northwest's hub is Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Friday I began to abandon my magical thinking and did some research. The prognostic indicator of Edgar accompanying us is poor. I then began madly calling kennels. One guy told me that his waiting list was over 90 people long. I did make reservations (finally) but then became extremely upset thinking of Edgar in a metal box for 6 days. I didn't have this problem with all other childhood animals. Henry, my first dog, actually LOOKED FORWARD and would GET EXCITED about going to the kennel. We would know this when he would pick up on the scent and start dancing around the car as we got closer to his dog camp. He'd come back hoarse from barking non-stop and looking extremely pleased with himself.
Last year one of our local animal hospitals caught fire and they just reopened a couple of months ago. I don't think they had boarding there, but I began to freak out: what if the place I have Edgar's reservation catches fire? He'd be trapped in that metal cage!! (I think I'm premenstrual as well so the thought of this really sends me over the edge.) What I forget is that ANY place could catch fire. Fire is my biggest fear. I would spend hours at night as a little girl thinking of potential escape plans from my bedroom and actually bought my parents a fire extinguisher for Christmas one year. However, if this is how I'm thinking about my dog, what does it say about my future parenting???
At this point in time, I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed for high temperatures on 12/20 and 12/26 - our travel dates.
I just read that Christmas is only 17 days away. On some level that sucks. It is raining cats and dogs outside which doesn't exactly match the holiday scene. Although, it is a vast improvement from last year when we had to turn on our air conditioning for the Christmas party we threw for our three friends: a Jew, a Muslim, and an Atheist. They all appreciated their Christmas ornaments I attached to their napkin rings.
This year, J has Christmas off, which is great. I think... We booked our tickets home on Northwest. Like all airlines, they have a temperature restriction for animals. Highly understandable. I took this into account last year when we booked and made sure we connected through Cincinnati rather than the Twin Cities for example. The last thing I wanted was to show up with Edgar in his cute crate and sweater for them to reject him. This year I gambled, crossed my fingers, toes, and whatever else, then prayed to whatever God/Angel/Deity I could think of when I purchased the tickets. Northwest's hub is Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Friday I began to abandon my magical thinking and did some research. The prognostic indicator of Edgar accompanying us is poor. I then began madly calling kennels. One guy told me that his waiting list was over 90 people long. I did make reservations (finally) but then became extremely upset thinking of Edgar in a metal box for 6 days. I didn't have this problem with all other childhood animals. Henry, my first dog, actually LOOKED FORWARD and would GET EXCITED about going to the kennel. We would know this when he would pick up on the scent and start dancing around the car as we got closer to his dog camp. He'd come back hoarse from barking non-stop and looking extremely pleased with himself.
Last year one of our local animal hospitals caught fire and they just reopened a couple of months ago. I don't think they had boarding there, but I began to freak out: what if the place I have Edgar's reservation catches fire? He'd be trapped in that metal cage!! (I think I'm premenstrual as well so the thought of this really sends me over the edge.) What I forget is that ANY place could catch fire. Fire is my biggest fear. I would spend hours at night as a little girl thinking of potential escape plans from my bedroom and actually bought my parents a fire extinguisher for Christmas one year. However, if this is how I'm thinking about my dog, what does it say about my future parenting???
At this point in time, I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed for high temperatures on 12/20 and 12/26 - our travel dates.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Decorating Dilemma
Its no surprise that our garage is a mess. As you well know, my husband (God bless him) is a pack rat. He is the type that hangs onto empty boxes and notes from 7th grade biology class: because you never know when you may need them. It should be noted that he has not once needed his biology notes. He is also a master of tetris (can I get another thank Jesus on this one because otherwise I would kill him). To date we still have all of our pots with dead wilted summer flowers outside that we never moved into the garage because 1) we ran out of time before leaving the country, and 2) there isn't any place to put them inside the garage. Yes, we are white trash.
J has figured out how to put suitcases into suitcases so masterfully that although we have a bazillion different bags, it only looks like we have about 3. He has also masterfully packed all of our Christmas decorations into the suitcases as well. We only have a couple other small boxes filled to the brim with garlands from where else, Costco. The other day I asked if he would be a dear and go wrestle with my car, the kayak suspended from the ceiling in front of the boxes, and the multiple medical journals he has yet to read that are stacked on the ground to get the decorations. I figured it would be easier as we also need to put the suitcases back. He grumbled a bit, but came back with the decorations. I'm embarrassed to say that they have sat in our living room for 3 days now. I did open one of them up...well, I tried to open of the the boxes up by ripping off the tape, but I could tell it was like putting my husband on "Its a Small World" for hours at a time and completely made his hair stand on end. He took over the opening of the boxes.
I think part of our depression about the whole decorating thing is that Costco does not ship Christmas Trees this year. This is a tragedy within itself. We're now trying to figure out if we should subject one of our cars to the potential sap dripping, needle scraping nightmare that we have envisioned or pay out the wazoo to find another shipping direct tree farm. We're in a stalemate about this one as I am leaning toward the first option and he is more about the second.
J has figured out how to put suitcases into suitcases so masterfully that although we have a bazillion different bags, it only looks like we have about 3. He has also masterfully packed all of our Christmas decorations into the suitcases as well. We only have a couple other small boxes filled to the brim with garlands from where else, Costco. The other day I asked if he would be a dear and go wrestle with my car, the kayak suspended from the ceiling in front of the boxes, and the multiple medical journals he has yet to read that are stacked on the ground to get the decorations. I figured it would be easier as we also need to put the suitcases back. He grumbled a bit, but came back with the decorations. I'm embarrassed to say that they have sat in our living room for 3 days now. I did open one of them up...well, I tried to open of the the boxes up by ripping off the tape, but I could tell it was like putting my husband on "Its a Small World" for hours at a time and completely made his hair stand on end. He took over the opening of the boxes.
I think part of our depression about the whole decorating thing is that Costco does not ship Christmas Trees this year. This is a tragedy within itself. We're now trying to figure out if we should subject one of our cars to the potential sap dripping, needle scraping nightmare that we have envisioned or pay out the wazoo to find another shipping direct tree farm. We're in a stalemate about this one as I am leaning toward the first option and he is more about the second.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Land of Oz
Well, we're officially back and into our old routine. Read: J is perpetually tired, taking a nap on his precious day off and I cleaned the bathrooms and did laundry. Ah, the typical Sunday. There are many things I learned on my latest jet setting adventure.
1) Australians love bacon and they put it on EVERYTHING. We even had bacon lasagna. Why in the hell anyone though this was a good idea is beyond me.
2) Australians love to put beets on hamburgers. I'm not kidding. We ordered a burger "with the lot" and it wasn't just a plain old burger. Nope. It had a hamburger patty, ham, bacon (of course), cheese, a fried egg, salad, mayonnaise, raw cucumbers, and beets. One of the locals proclaimed, "Ah, now that is very Australian! We love beets and beet juice on our burgers."
3) "Chips" come with everything. Even when I was at a seafood restaurant and ordered Thai fish it was paired with french fries.
4) The Whitsundays are a MUST in life. The beaches are beautiful and white, the coral gardens are brilliant, and the fish are friendly. Sailing is the best way to get around. :)
5) "Biscuits" are really cookies. Don't be fooled.
6) Ordering coffee is a trial within itself. You have a flat white, a tall black, a cap, a latte, etc. I still don't know what a flat white coffee is, but it doesn't come with milk. Go figure.
7) Breakfast is called "brekky"
8) Just because there is an unlimited amount of wine at a wedding doesn't mean you should drink it. 3 of the 8 people at our table puked after doing "Stripping the Willow" (Not a sexual thing, but more Scottish)
9) Yes, seeing a bunch of guys in different tartans and kilts is a bit odd when you are in the middle of a Japanese tea garden
10) Stinger suits are not flattering. However, they do save you from taking a trip to the emergency vinegar station by the lifeguards on the beach.
11) Non American yogurt is always superior. God, why do we have such crap? The yogurt section in the grocery stores literally almost takes up the whole aisle and they have incredible flavors like passion fruit, honey, tamarind, mango, etc.
12) Sydney has one of the most effective public transport systems I've ever seen.
13) The US is soooo far behind the world in things like carbon neutral transport, all detergents being phosphate free, putting buckets in showers to water the grass, etc. And yes, our International image sucks.
14) Taking a vacation and living in the same house for a week with your husband's ex-girlfriend is a very very bad idea. I don't care how mature you think you are, everything you learned in junior high is true: Girls are mean.
15) A "lolly" is a general term for candy. An "icy lolly" is a Popsicle.
16) It is very odd to see banners that say "Happy Christmas" with a picture of a bright sun and then jingle bells on it. Apparently the tradition in the Southern Hemisphere is to do a BBQ out on the beach. What's even stranger is that they still listen to carols like, "White Christmas"
17) Voting in Australia is mandatory. You get fined if you don't show up. In Parliament they think nothing of calling each other "wankers," "idiots," or whatever other insult they can throw at one another.
19) No where else on earth do they have so many things that can kill you. Australia has the most poisonous snake, spider, salt water crocodile (aka "salties), jellyfish, etc. One of our Scottish friends, a veterinarian, was deathly afraid of the funnel web spider and would rant on and on about how he just bets they are armed with AK47's.
20) A "hotel" in Australia does not have any accommodations. It is actually just a bar. Very misleading indeed especially if you are a drunk tourist.
1) Australians love bacon and they put it on EVERYTHING. We even had bacon lasagna. Why in the hell anyone though this was a good idea is beyond me.
2) Australians love to put beets on hamburgers. I'm not kidding. We ordered a burger "with the lot" and it wasn't just a plain old burger. Nope. It had a hamburger patty, ham, bacon (of course), cheese, a fried egg, salad, mayonnaise, raw cucumbers, and beets. One of the locals proclaimed, "Ah, now that is very Australian! We love beets and beet juice on our burgers."
3) "Chips" come with everything. Even when I was at a seafood restaurant and ordered Thai fish it was paired with french fries.
4) The Whitsundays are a MUST in life. The beaches are beautiful and white, the coral gardens are brilliant, and the fish are friendly. Sailing is the best way to get around. :)
5) "Biscuits" are really cookies. Don't be fooled.
6) Ordering coffee is a trial within itself. You have a flat white, a tall black, a cap, a latte, etc. I still don't know what a flat white coffee is, but it doesn't come with milk. Go figure.
7) Breakfast is called "brekky"
8) Just because there is an unlimited amount of wine at a wedding doesn't mean you should drink it. 3 of the 8 people at our table puked after doing "Stripping the Willow" (Not a sexual thing, but more Scottish)
9) Yes, seeing a bunch of guys in different tartans and kilts is a bit odd when you are in the middle of a Japanese tea garden
10) Stinger suits are not flattering. However, they do save you from taking a trip to the emergency vinegar station by the lifeguards on the beach.
11) Non American yogurt is always superior. God, why do we have such crap? The yogurt section in the grocery stores literally almost takes up the whole aisle and they have incredible flavors like passion fruit, honey, tamarind, mango, etc.
12) Sydney has one of the most effective public transport systems I've ever seen.
13) The US is soooo far behind the world in things like carbon neutral transport, all detergents being phosphate free, putting buckets in showers to water the grass, etc. And yes, our International image sucks.
14) Taking a vacation and living in the same house for a week with your husband's ex-girlfriend is a very very bad idea. I don't care how mature you think you are, everything you learned in junior high is true: Girls are mean.
15) A "lolly" is a general term for candy. An "icy lolly" is a Popsicle.
16) It is very odd to see banners that say "Happy Christmas" with a picture of a bright sun and then jingle bells on it. Apparently the tradition in the Southern Hemisphere is to do a BBQ out on the beach. What's even stranger is that they still listen to carols like, "White Christmas"
17) Voting in Australia is mandatory. You get fined if you don't show up. In Parliament they think nothing of calling each other "wankers," "idiots," or whatever other insult they can throw at one another.
19) No where else on earth do they have so many things that can kill you. Australia has the most poisonous snake, spider, salt water crocodile (aka "salties), jellyfish, etc. One of our Scottish friends, a veterinarian, was deathly afraid of the funnel web spider and would rant on and on about how he just bets they are armed with AK47's.
20) A "hotel" in Australia does not have any accommodations. It is actually just a bar. Very misleading indeed especially if you are a drunk tourist.
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