It was a nice, cool, dry day, so of course it was extremely crowded, and it took us half an hour to drive down Crownsville Road.  Other than that, we had a great time with our friends Patrick and Jen.  I even got a new outfit!



We saw the Rogues, Hand and Slash, and  a new Irish band that was more electric than acoustic, but was more folk than rock...  Lots of walking, lots of food  A good time was had by all!

Here are some more pictures.

I took some other pictures that turned out well, so I'm sharing some more...

The next day we slept in a little, so we got coffee to go from the hotel and went to the corner patisserie for breakfast.  Their pain au chocolate (chocolate croissant) was okay, but they had a chausson aux pommes, which is like an apple pie surrounded by the flakiest, sweetest pastry.  Yum.



We took the metro to the Musée d'Orsay, which used to be a train station, but now holds mostly Impressionist art.  I really liked this museum.  It was a large, airy, open space.

  

I often feel slightly claustrophobic in museums, especially if they are dark and crowded, but that was not the case here.  I especially enjoyed the painting and scuplter of ladies spinning yarn (or flax or whatever.  It's hard to tell.)



After a quick lunch, we took the metro to the Paris Opéra.  (Traveller's tip: With the Musée d'Orsay ticket stubs, we got into the opera for half price!)  We did a self-guided tour and got to walk around the lobby, the library, and a box seat, where we could see the whole stage, orchestra pit, and audience-seating.  It was all so ornate!  The gift shop had some adorable tutus for sale, which Samantha would have loved, but not enough to justify the cost.  The gift shop sold shoes, jewelry, DVD's, dishes, and you name it, all at an extravagent price.



Then we walked to the Galeries Lafayette, a 10 story department store.  It was very hot and crowded (remember the claustrophobia I mentioned?) and I couldn't take it, so we went to the tea room and had a drink to recover.  (An orangina and a coke were about $6.00  Way expensive, BUT, the coke came in a glass bottle and had real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.)  Then we went to the book store where I bought a junior folio edition of Le Petit Nicholas, then to the toy level where we bought the kids lego coin banks.  If you have ever been to the Herrod's in London, the Galeries Lafayette are very similar.

( Our first attempt at dinner failed... )

( Window shopping for yarn on a Saturday night. )

Dinner was at the Tribeca.  I had a wonderful salmon with a lemony, vinagery sauce, and Jeremy had steak.  We both got tiramisu for dessert for the second night in a row.  Real cream makes all the difference in the world.

We walked back to the hotel, and I decided I wanted to take a picture of the Eiffel Tower with my cell phone for new wall paper, so we decided to run the peddler gauntlet.  When re reached the Eiffel Tower, the strangest thing happened.  All of a sudden, all the peddlers started a mass migration.  They just all picked up and left.  When we got up to Trocadero, it was the same thing.  The vendors packed up, hauled their sacks over their shoulders like so many urban Santas, and disappeared into the night.  We heard police sirens, so we figured they were getting out of Dodge.

( Then I came home. )

When I get my camera (and some spare time) I plan to come back and add the pertinent pictures, and then maybe one more entry if there are any good pictures that don't go with my narrative.  I hope you enjoyed reading about my travels.  I apologize if my writing gets a little flowery; I was listening to Stephen Fry's podgrams on the plane and in the car on the way home.

Before I continue with the visit to the unicorns at the Cluny, I wanted to interject some general thoughts and experiences I had in Paris.

I'll start off by saying that my French is not good.  I know that and freely admit it.  My accent is all wrong, and I lack the comfort with the language to get the right rhythm and vocal inflection.  That fact is even more obvious after being surrounded by it for a few days.  I do understand French pretty well though. 

Trying to get around in Paris, I became aware of the translation time lag, and to my embarrassment, there was nothing I could do about the blank look that would cross my face if someone would talk to be in french.  It's just like when a computer is loading and you get the screen with the progress bar.  I needed a screen to say translating.... with a progress bar underneath.  And of course the conversation gap was longer if I had to come up with a reply that was more than a couple words.  Especially when I really wanted to get it right.

Invariably, the Parisian would get a look of pity of his or her face and say, "Oh, english" and either translate, try again, slower, with different words.  I made a conscious decision to interpret their use of English to me as an attempt to be considerate, rather than a criticism about my language ability.  However, it was still frustrating, because I wanted to use my French as much as possible.

( Le Petit Nicholas, a blast from the past... )
And now, back to my trip.  We went to the Cluny museum.  It used to be a medieval hôtel for abbots, and now it has tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, and gold artifacts, and lots of religious artwork.  Its most famous exhibit is the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, which have a room all to themselves.





Then we went to the Centre Pompidou, which is a modern art museum.  We didn't go in, but I wanted to see the Stravinsky scupltures in the fountain outside.



Lunchtime found us in the Jewish quarter.  My friend Allison recommended a place called "L'as du falafel" which is more like a New York deli than a french cafe.  It was a good lunch, and not too expensive.



Much of this day was spent walking along and across the Seine.  We went to the rue Cler (a street for various markets) for dinner, and sat next to another American couple, originally from Texas, but currently living in London.  They were very friendly, and we talked about everything from French (she was a retired french teacher) to marching band.  In french cafes and restaraunts, in order to fit everyone in, they pack lots of tables together, usually two-person round tables in rows.  You have your own table, but the table next to you is really right next to you. 

The walk back was sooo long, and I was quite fatiqued by the end.  It was interesting how the longer I was in Paris, and the more tired I got, the bigger the city seemed.  We could have taken the metro, but I didn't think we were very far from the hotel.  Turned out, we were...

I guess it isn't good form to talk about my return trip to Paris because I never posted about the first one I took in May.  I meant to, you understand, but I never felt like I had the time to really sit down and chronicle it well enough.  But this time is different.  It's 4:30 am and everyone in the house is asleep.  I should be cleaning; the house is a wreck, but I am going to write about my trip instead.  I apologize for the lack of pictures, but Jeremy still has the camera, and he is in Copenhagen.  I will come back later and post the pictures.  Really.

It was never my plan to go to Paris twice in one year.  It's a bit too, well, extravagant.  But it's all Jeremy's doing.  Kind of.  

( The how and why of the two Paris trips... )

The weather in Paris was absolutely perfect.  The first time we went, it was grey,  drizzly, and chilly the entire time.  This time the sky was perfectly blue, and the temperature was between the mid '50's to the mid 70's.  The AirFance bus dropped me off at the Arc du Triomphe at 1:00 precisely, which happened to be the time that Jermery was planning to meet me there.  When you consider all the factors that affect your timing in international travel, trying to guess when a shuttle bus will drop you off at a given time is a little like playing the lottery.

( a brief visit to la tour eiffel )



The next full day was our marathon walking day.  We took the metro to Monmartre, which sits on a hill overlooking the rest of Paris.  At the very top is the basilica of Sacre-Coeur.    It's quite a hike, but worth the view. 



( a rant about street vendors )

Back to Sacre-Coeur.  Sadly, you aren't allowed to take pictures inside.  It took 40 years to build, and it is quite beautiful.  I'm posting a picture from Wikipedia.  (I follow the rules.)  It was early on a Friday morning when we went, so there was not a service at the time, but they still ask that you are quiet, respectful, and appropriately dressed.

( getting our portriats drawn... )

Monmartre, around Sacre-Coeur,  is a beautiful neighborhood.  It is less hetic than central Paris, and you are almost always walking uphill or downhill.



There is another side to Monmartre as well: Pigalle, the red light district.  After walking past pretty houses with little gardens, all of a sudden you start seeing night clubs and sex shops.  It's not for the prudish or faint-of-heart.  It's the location of le Moulin Rouge, and also the Mueseum of Erotic Art - five floors of it!  The show at the Moulin Rouge was trop chère (too expensive), plus we were there in the morning.  Do you think we went into the erotic art museum???

I just realized how long this is getting.  I'll break it up into chapters so people can get up and stretch, use the bathroom, or get a snack before continuing on.  (Or getting bored and hopping over to facebook to change their status to Your name here wonders why people feel they need to share every detail about their vacations.)  :-)

I've actually been pretty busy!

Let's see....

The weekend before I had to go to work, I took Amtrack to Raleigh to visit my friends Cindy and Mike.   I went all by myself, and it was really nice to not have to worry about chasing kids or anything like that.  I got caught up on TrueBlood (since I don't have HBO) and went to the flea market, where I bought a bowl like one that my grandmother has.  (The bowl wasn't something that I needed; it just made me happy.)  Taking the train was really nice.  It took about the same time as driving, but I could get up and walk around, and it was much more comfortable.  Going south I took the Carolinian, which was okay.  Coming back I rode the Silver Star, which was much nicer.  I ate lunch in the dining car, which I enjoyed a lot.  If you are alone, they will seat you with someone else, which I have no objections to, since I like meeting people.  The round trip only cost $104, so it was a great option!  (I looked to see if there is any train that goes to Bloomington, IN to see rhiannon76 , but apparently, Bloomington really is in the middle of nowhere. At least according to Amtrack.  :(

A couple weeks later, we went to Wolftrap with a herd of friends to see "The Two Towers" with the score performed by a live orchestra.  It was pretty cool.  I was definitely more aware of the soundtrack than when I was at a regular theatre.  We had lawn seats, so of course it rained.  Frequently.  But not too heavily.  By the last hour of the movie, the stars started coming out, and that was really neat.

School has started again.  I'm trying very hard to stay calm this year and not fret about things I can't control, or to take things personally when they don't need to be.  I have over 100 students signed up again, but I know a lot of them are having a hard time affording instruments.  I even bought 4 on eBay this year, and am annoyed that 2 violins have not arrived yet.

We took the kids to the Rennaissance Festival and had a great time.  We weren't going to go in garb, but Samantha really wanted to wear her dress, so everyone but Chris got dressed up.  It was fun doing the kid stuff.  We bought two-day passes, so we will go back later without the kids, too.

Speaking of dressing up, I (crazily) decided to make the kids' costumes for Halloween.  It's not cheaper, and it takes a long time, but Samantha did get to pick the fabric she wanted to be a scary witch, and I am using the same pattern to make Christopher a Robin Hood costume.  They are both a tunic/cape pattern.  I cut them big so I can extend the hems as they grow.  I plan for the kids to be able to wear these suckers for 4 years!  I've actually done pretty well; I only need to finish the bottom hems, the Robin Hood cowl, and the hats.  We have a witch's had somewhere that I bought on discount last year, so I really hope we can find it!

Last weekend we went to King's Dominion with my in-laws.  It was a really fun trip - very low stress.  This time, instead of staying in the run-down Best Western outside the park, we drove to Fredericksburg and stayed in a much nicer Marriot.  The next day we visited friends in Hernon on the way home.

Christopher and I both seem to have picked up a bug though.  We're running low grade fevers.  I hope it's a short one.

So those are the highlights of my summer.  There are some sad things too, but maybe I'll post about those later...

There are few times when I wish I had all 10 fingers - and watching these is one of them.  I would so learn to play like Chico if I could!  I bet this inspired Victor Borge!

OK, just 1 more silly piano duet:


I love his plaid pants, by the way!

Today was my birthday, and even though it didn't turn out exactly like I had planned, it was still really nice.  A bunch of my friends came over, including my sister-in-law, my brother and his girl-friend, Dave (who shares my birthday), Maike and her daughter, and Patrick.  It was cold and foggy in the morning, but there were times when it was sunny and warm.  We were sitting outside watching the kids play when it got really windy.  We decided to move into the garage which was a very good idea because it started to rain about 20 minutes later.  There was even thunder and lightening.  Of course, after Dave left, it got nice out again.  Ken, who is a professional chef, sent chicken and potato salad, and Kim, who also cooks in a restaraunt, made the vegetables.  Jeremy and Pat made ribs, and Gwen brought cupakes AND chocolate mousse.  All I did was make bread in the bread machine.  I have such awesome friends!

I'm making a Slytherin scarf for Dave.  I started it Friday, so it's not quite done (he likes long scarves, yes, like Tom Baker) He even seems interested in learning how to knit, so someday I will corner him and get him to learn,.

After everyone left, I noticed it was a very clear night and the moon looked very neat, so I decided to get out the tele-photo lens and the tripod to take some pictures.  I learned that my camera, with manual focus, will keep the shutter open for like, 5 or 6 seconds, so when you take pictures of stars, it will find ones you can't see at all.  Here are a few.  Unfortunately, it was very windy and I don't have the remote shutter button that reduces camera shake.


auto-focus


manual focus


Orion's belt with manual focus (auto didn't work at all!)  The faint stars are totally invisible if you are just looking up at the sky.

So now I really want to go camping somewhere where there is less light polution so I can get better pictures, now that I have learned something about my camera.

Busy Social Calendar:

The first weekend was the wedding shower, the second weekend we were a pre-staging location for the wedding, plus my brother-in-law spent the night, this past weekend we hosted a combined birthday dinner for myself and my mother-in-law, and next weekend we're having friends over for my birthday.  *whew*  - not complaining, but it's hard to keep the house clean for so long!  Nothing motivates my kids to play with a toy more then my putting it away.  I think I'm going to leave the leaves in  the table just to save time next weekend.

Crafting:

I finished spinning all the roving thatrhiannon76  bought me for Christmas.  I was complaining to Jeremy that it was unfair that I ran out right as I felt I was getting the hang of it.  He said, "Well, the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is coming up in May."  That is true, but I decided I couldn't wait that long, so we went to Catonsville so I could go to Cloverhill Yarn shop and buy some more roving.  So I bought about 8 ounces each of a navy blue and cranberry color.  Samantha really wanted me to buy the pink, but I compromised with her and let her pick a pink yarn out of the clearance basket instead.

So how did the teal roving come out?  Well, I set the twist and rolled it into a ball, then gave it to my daughter to hold so her cuteness would make sure that no one could notice how some parts are very thin and twisty, but some are thick and not-twisty.  I saw a Ravelry thread that referred to this stage of learning how to spin as "yarn barf."  Yes, I can knit with it; I just need to be careful about what I try to knit with it. 


So today I tried some of the new stuff.  Samantha really wanted to to spindle a whirl, so I only did a little, and set the twist.


The picture is a little (well, a lot) dark, but this is more even than my first try.  I tied some yarn onto the spindle so Samantha could give it a try.  She doesn't quite have the coordination to spin it well, but she had fun messing with it.

Travel

Jeremy has a work trip to London, and after a few months of him saying how cool it will be, and how the exchange rate is getting better every day, I finally told him that I really want to go along.  I wasn't going to, initially, because his trip is the same week as a concert I'm participating in, but I can leave after he does, then we can spend some time together after his work stuff is done.  We are even looking to Paris!  It would cost us $800 to take the train to Scotland, but only $300 to go to Paris.  So I've been listening to French online to try to remember what I have lost in the 15 years since graduating from high school...  If anyone knows of some must-see sights, let me know!

The wedding is done!  The rehearsal dinner was Friday, and the wedding was Saturday.  The bride was beautiful and the venue looked very nice as well.  It was held at the Enoch Pratt Free library in Baltimore City.  Now I just have to try to get the kids back on a regular schedule after 2 very late nights.  (They usually go to bed around 6:30 and 7:30, so for the weekend they went to bed closer to 9:30/10:00.)  They have been so fussy and whiny and bad; I can't stand it.

On Sunday, I got to go to the Homespun Yarn Party at Savage Mill.  A group of spinners and crafters got together to sell their wares, and there were door prizes and classes.  I was going to meet my friends Sarah and Maura, and was surprised by the long, long line to get in at opening.  I pulled out my cell phone to call Sarah and see where she was.  Amusingly, she and Maura were literally three people behind me!  So we got to wait in line together (it moved pretty fast) then browse the croweded stalls together.  I bought a skein of yarn for a co-worker that I owe a gift to (she knits and crochets, so it's not totally random.) I was going to buy a really cool drop spindle, but I didn't have enough cash after buying the yarn, and she didn't take credit cards.  Then we went to lunch at Potbelly and perused the pitiful needle selection at Michael's.  It was a much-needed change of pace from the wedding stress.

So after going to the Yarn Party, I was inspired to try my hand at spinning yarn.  (That, andrhiannon76 's georgeous yarns!)  So I got out the drop spindle and roving that rhiannon76 gave me for Christmas.  Apparently, I do not have a natural talent for drop spindles... but I'm not giving up.  The "proper" way (or most efficient) is to let the spindle hang in mid-air and twist it so the fibers at the top spin and form yarn.  You hold the roving at the top and "draft" it, which means pulling the fibers apart so you get the right amount of fibers going into the twist.  My hands just don't want to do that yet, so I'm spinning in a well, kind of retarded way, by rolling the spindle down my leg, then letting the twist travel up my pre-drafted roving.  So the way you draft the fibers determines the thickness of your yarn, and my yarn is all over the place.  But here is a picture of my first spindle of yarn.



I'll keep plugging away at it, and Cloverhill Yarn is carrying lots of roving for me to mangle once I'm done with my first batch.  (It is a beautiful color!)  I plan on NOT plying it, because it would be SO thick and bulky.

Finally, last Wednesday my friend Sarah (same as above) brought some Amish Friendship bread starter.  It's basically live yeast that you have to feed, and every 10 days you can make new batches of starter and bake coffee cake from.  Here's the bag of goo on day 7.



Anyone want some starter?

This weekend has been perfect weather!  Yesterday we held a wedding shower for my brother-in-law and his fiancee.  It was so nice to have the windows open and air out the house!  Then today we went for a hike.  It's threatening to rain, but so far it's still nice out.  Too bad it won't last through the week.  This is my favorite weather.

It all started when we got a 40% off coupon from Border's, plus we had Border's bucks.  I bought The House of Many Ways, which is a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle.  Turns out, there is another sequel called Castle in the Air, but they are more like stories happening in the same general area, with a few cross-over characters more than a true sequel.  Each story is complete by itself.  I really like House of Many Ways.  The main character was easy for me to relate to (all she wanted to do was read) and it made me really want to own a little white dog.

After I finished that, I re-read Ella Enchanted, which is a retelling of Cinderella.  It had been quite a few years since I read the book, and I have seen the movie a few times in there, too.  Ella Enchanted came in a set with Fairest, which I have already read and is a re-telling of Snow White, and one I hadn't read, called The Princesses of Bamarre.  I read The Princesses and enjoyed it a lot.  It does not seem to take place in the same universe as Ella and Fairest, but it is definitely a fairy tale in the same vein.

Around December I had let Samantha watch "The Wizard of Oz," and she like it when I would tell her that story, so I decided to read her the original book.  I couldn't find a copy at my parents' house, so I looked for it on the Gutenberg Project page.  They had the text version, and also some audio versions.  Well, then I decided to peruse iTunes and I bought a dramaticized audio version, which we both enjoyed listening to.  I had forgotten  the entire final part of the book since the movie wraps everything up so quickly.  After the Wizard leaves in the hot air balloon, Dorothy has to go on another quest to find Glinda to ask for her help.  (In the book, the Good Witch of the North greets Dorothy in Munchkinland.)

Then I read a blog post by my friend Maura complaining about how Hollywood has ruined great children's books, citing the recent Witch Mountain movie, along with The Dark is Rising.  I hadn't read The Dark is Rising since I got married, even though it is one of the books I have brought to my house, so I re-read that one yesterday and finished it this morning during my 2-hour delay.  It's such an awesome book, borrowing from mythology and creating its own.

Now the question is, what should I read next?

But here are 2 to make up for lost time.  (These are from Facebook, so apologies to people who have seen them twice.)

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'X' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star “@” those you plan on reading.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.

( 100 books, some read, some not. )
I''ve read 46!

( 25 Random Things About Me: )

I really don't have much to complain about personally, but my friends aren't doing as well.  On August 20, my friend Patrick's father passed away.(lrmartin-justme.livejournal.com/11798.html)  Then on Tuesday, his mother passed away.  They were 2 totally different experiences.  With his dad, it was completely sudden; he was out playing golf.  With his mom, she had been in and out of the hospital for years.  After her husband passed away, she seemed to stop fighting and give in.  I'm worried about Patrick, but I'm not sure what, if anything, I can do for him.

SO, now that I've been sad and gloomy, I'll post some happier pictures:



These are from Christopher's birthday/Super Bowl party


Feb. 9, 2009 around 8:00 pm.  (Love my telephoto lens.  I wish I had been using the tripod, though. The rest were all even blurrier.)



And some explanation:  Jeremy has been showing Samantha his Speed Racer DVDs, so one day she declared the peach box from Costco to be the Mach 5, and with the Wii Wheel, her Thomas the Tank Engine bike helmet, and her cool shades, she is Speed Racer.  Christopher is usually asigned the role of Spritle (Speed's younger brother) or Chim-Chim the monkey.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Today is Christopher's second birthday.  It's been a little over a year since I started my LJ, and what a year it's been... 

I know I've been terrible about keeping up my journal lately.  Kelly's sudden death hit me pretty hard, and since it was through LJ that I had reconnected with her, it made me not want to to a whole lot, computer-wise.  The doctor's said that she died from a heart attack.  She did have heart problems, but I really wonder, since she was having so many neurological issues...

So on to happier topics.  Christopher got to have a cupcake today at breakfast:


(No, that's not my house. Every Friday we go out for breakfast with Jeremy's mom and grandparents.)

We were going to go to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch (Samantha's idea) but when we looked at the Towson Town Center website, it was no longer listed.  Turns out, according to the article on WJZ.com, that the mall wanted to expand their retail space so they gave the restaraunt the boot.  I don't really know how successful they were, but it seems to me that in this ecomony, any store front that is not failing should be supported.  But what do I know? 

So instead we went to PF Chang's at Columbia Mall.  Instead of the usual crayons, they give out wikki stix.   (www.wikkistix.com/)
Samantha was totally psyched, because during episodes of "Magic School Bus" she's always seeing commercials for Bendaroos.
( Bendaroos commercial... )

She loved playing with the pseudobendaroos, so I didn't see a reason to correct her, and it was pretty funny hearing her repeat the commecial verbatim as she would "bend them, and straigten them, so you can play with them again and again!"  I told her she probably should keep them off the carpet, and she reminded me that "they don't stain!"  Christpher liked them too, but not for as long, and eventually he threw his on the floor.  I think the toys made up for not seeing animatronic jungle animals...

Then we went to the Columbia Mall where I returned the first dress I had bought for the upcoming wedding (It was too big, and I later found one that didn't need altered.) and the kids got to play at the play area for a while.

So what else has been going on in the last month or so?  I got contact lenses 2 weeks ago.  I'm still getting used to them.  It's taken about 2 weeks for me to convince my brain that I can see past an arm's-width when I'm not wearing my glasses.  I don't put them in every day, but I am getting better at it.  It is nice for doing yoga, or playing out in the snow. 
 

( Some snow pictures )

We're having computer issues again.  About 50% of the time when I boot my computer, it says there is an error and it does a "physical memory dump."  I'm guessing that's bad, right?  So we're thinking about getting a new computer, and I was inspired by the HP Touchsmart.  I don't think we will get one, but I like the idea of having a computer on the main floor of the house.  Since we are someday (maybe) going to have the HD/digital switch over, I was thinking of putting a computer in the corner of the livingroom where the old analog TV is.  We will probably either use a monitor as a TV, with a special tuner, or get a TV with a DVI or HDMI input.  Add a wireless keyboard and mouse, and we should be good to go.  My fear is that I am about 2 years ahead in my thinking, and that if I am willing to wait long enough, someone will market exactly what I am looking for...

Back to sad news.  The reason that I have all this time to type is that Jeremy is out with his friend Patrick, whose Mom is in the hospital again.  She really has not been doing well since her husband died last summer.  If there is anything post-worthy, I'll put it in.

My grandmother is back at home finally.  She was living with my aunt after fracturing a vertebra last fall.  She says she's not 100% yet, but doing a little better every day.  That makes me very happy.

I'm looking forward to some warmer weather this weekend.  I hope we can go out for a walk and a little sunshine.  That's all for now.
 

My mom just called and told me that my friend Kelly just passed away this morning.   Here's a picture of us when the last time I saw her this fall:



I've known her since the first day of kindergarten, when we got in a fight on the bus.  Not an auspicious start, but we were good friends in elementary school.  We had lost touch as adults, but I found her again here on livejournal, and I'm so glad that we were able to get in touch again for the last year.

Kelly could make me laugh like no one else.  We liked a lot of the same books, and I owe my appreciation of the Beatles entirely to her.  She had a difficult life and terrible health problems, but she never let it stop her, and she never wanted to burden her friends with her problems.   I just wish I had tried harder to be there for her.

The last thing she did on Facebook was to send me a hug.  Did she know she was dying?  Did she get the hug back that I sent?

I just finished my Wellness class.  Now I need to do the final project and email it to the professor.  I really don't WANT to procrastinate, but really...  I have my concert tomorrow night, I have next to no Christmas shopping done, Samantha's birthday is next week.  This is going to be tough.

For your amusement...

</a></div></div>

A few weeks ago (when there were still some leaves on the trees) we went for a hike, and feeling adventurous (sort of) I decided to take my fancy, telephoto lens.  It's great for some things, but makes taking pictures of anything close to you very difficult.


The woods were very YELLOW overall.



I think this is a swarm of termites.


This particular path goes follows and crosses a stream.  Try as hard as we might, it was impossible to avoid wet feet.

As far as other stuff in my life goes, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and having the rest of this week off.  I'm a little stressed about the winter concert happening week after we get back from Thanksgiving... Also, I have a lot of Christmas shopping to do.

I'm taking a class right now called Wellness: It's All About You.  (Silly title, I know.)  But it's been a really good class.  I'm taking it because I needed 3 more credits to renew my teaching certificate, and this class meets on 1 evening and 2 weekends, so Jeremy can watch the kids.

The class is about nutrition, exercise, and stress management.  The things I've learned about nutrition I almost wish I hadn't.  One disturbing thing is that it's very hard to get good information.  Look at how the beef industry took Oprah to court for saying she didn't want to eat anymore hamburgers! 

Here's one thing that maybe you didn't know and isn't gross:  Eating dairy products does not give your body calcium.  The chemicals produced in your liver to break down animal products actually cause your body to lose calcium.  How depressing is that? 

One last thing - the USDA says we need about 150 grams of protein a day, but doctors say we need only about 40.  So much for Atkins!

I'll get off my soapbox now.  It's not as though I'm an expert, but these are the things I'm thinking about...

I saw this on ironkite 's page and had to steal rebroadcast it.

</div>

I did vote today - the kids and I went out at 9:00.  The parking lot was crazy (2 schools share one mini-lot) but the wait was minimal.  People were constantly coming and going though.  Now we just wait until the dust settles.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, some jack-o'-lanterns:

We had a nice evening for Trick-or-Treating.  The weather was perfect!  This year, Samantha wanted to be Princess Jasmine from Aladdin.  We managed to find a princess dress instead of the chillier midriff-baring top with harem pants.  We were all set, but then she decided she wanted to be Tiger instead.  Fine with me, since it's what she was last year.  I think she wanted to match Christopher, since we put him in an Eeyore costume that my mother-in-law bought.



In other news, my grandmother is in the hospital for the second time in a month.  Last month she fell and broke a vertebra.  She has to wear a back brace for at least 3 months.  Fortunately, she can take it off to sleep.  But she has been having bad reactions to her medication (nausea, etc) so my aunt took her back to the hospital.  She's 87 and she lives be herself.  She doesn't care for doctors or hospitals, so I'm worried about her.  :(

Three out of four of has had the stomach flu on Thursday.  No fun, but at least it didn't last long.  I stayed home from work, so with election day this week, I have a 6-day weekend.  Had I gone to work, I would have only seen 5th graders, since 4th grade took a field trip and I don't see the 3rd graders on Thursdays.  So all-in-all it was a pretty good decision.

Hmmm... Let's see what else is new.  I knit 3 hats last week.  Went to my future sister-in-law's birthday party.  She said she like the tea-cozy I made for her, which is good, because I miss it.  My Brown Betty teapot looks so naked now.



Jeremy and I had babysitting last night, so we treated ourselves to dinner at Tersiguel's, a French restaurant in Ellicott City.  My high school French club went there a couple times for lunch after visiting the Baltimore Museum of Art.  It was a very nice dinner - I even had wine, which I seldom do.  Rose d'Anjou something something.  Just what I like.

I'm toying with the idea of getting contacts.  Not out of vanity, but because I'm tired of my glasses flopping around when I do yoga.  I can't take them off, because then I couldn't see the TV, and I don't know the routines well enough to do them without watching.

I hope everyone votes.  I wish there were a candidate I actually wanted to vote for.  I just think they say whatever they think will get them elected.  I know I'm cynical, but I think our electoral process has really come down to fund-raising and financial connections and wooing the media rather then really getting to look at a candidate's ideas and credentials.  Enough of that - too depressing.

Remember to change ALL your clocks!