Sad News

I was upset to read Chris' post this morning about the death of his MIL in a car accident. Such a freak occurrence, and I know it happens. But I think of how sudden it was, how unexpected, how utterly tragic and unnecessary.  It hits harder, as you grow older, knowing your parents won't be there forever. I feel far, far too young to have to deal with that, though I know dad was far younger than I am when his mom passed away.  Like Justice S' son-in-law, only 49ish? How sad. Six children have lost their dad.  I mean, I just don't understand how these things happen.  Especially when it is so sudden, and you really don't expect to get that call now. Especially when your parent is so healthy, seemingly. So sad, and my prayers and thoughts are with them this week.

Toe Bummed

I cannot begin to describe how frustrated I am by my probably broken toe. It's not that I had this unblemished record of never breaking a bone, but it was a stupid, clumsy way to do it (changing the thermostat!). I am trying to be patient, but I am going crazy at the thought of not working out. Perhaps I should just be good about trying out some yoga and biking, which I am horrible at, but I am bummed that I cannot run in this beautiful morning 60 degree weather. I am hopeful that it really is just a bad, bad bruise, but I also don't want to go to the doctor to confirm that because of my squeamishness. Ugh.

So it is not the end of the world of course, but I dramatically want to protest this somewhere. Hoping it heals very quickly and I can run again very, very soon.

Scary

1. John Steele Gordon wrote this column describing exactly what our debt is, how large it is and why, and how it is ballooning out of control.
2. My toe. I can't believe I ran into a couch and probably broke it. I am going through running withdrawals. Perhaps I can look at this as an opportunity to do some yoga and bike, which I am pathetic at.
3. What the media tried to represent with Irene. Yes, there are some areas facing devastating flooding. But the world continues to turn, and frankly, no pun intended, there coverage was overblown. But what covered poor Tucker Barnes, yes, that is scary.

Tucker Barnes and the Slime

This pretty much sums up the Hurricane Irene coverage. Nasty sludgey bacteria-infected foam.  EWW.

Hurricane Hype

First an earthquake, now a hurricane. As Irene makes it way up the east coast (now in the Carolinas), the media hype is at full steam.  Grocery stores are supposedly packed, and evacuations are being called for, even in New York. I hope Pepco can do its thing, and I hope that the storm tracks further to the East.  But what a week. I predict the climate change-ologists will be bitching about how this is all Republicans fault in no time.

I do pray that our friends in the Outer Banks, particularly Ocracoke, play it safe. For as much as the media is hyping this, it really is better to evacuate.

Bad Eats, Good Company

Tonic Restaurant wins the award for my least favorite place to have eaten in recent months. It did have close competition in the supremely overrated Tru Orleans, which was just panned by Tom Sietsema, and Smith Commons.  Both were overpriced. While the latter had better food, both were too trendy for their own good, and I'm not sure we are terribly eager to return.  At least I enjoyed Liz and Ann's company at Tonic.  The food was cheap, though the service was horrid and the menu confusing. I don't feel bad for over-tipping when it took about a half hour to get drinks and even longer to get fairly average food, even if it was only a summer pizza, veggie sandwich, and salad.

Though I have to say that Foggy Bottom area is changing, with a Sweetgreen and a Roti open already, and a Whole Foods about to open. I will definitely be checking that out in a couple of weeks.

The Great DC Earthquake

The DC area experienced a 5.8 earthquake today   Yes, we all overreacted.  Kind of like snowmaggeddon.

At first I thought it was a really loud truck. I looked out my window and I realized that it wasn't.  Then for a brief second I wondered if it was a bomb.  It was a beautiful day, mostly sunny and blue skies and so like a certain day in September in 2001.  Then of course, it registered that it was an earthquake. We left the office, stood outside chatting, and then we went back up and then we left.

Steve called as I was leaving from the office, and only then did I really let it register that it wasn't some kind of terrorist attack. Crazy how that resonates still.

But yeah, it was crazy.  But thankfully, no real damage and all is safe.

Detoxified Sunday

After a fun, but too boozey, Saturday enchilada party, we took it easy yesterday. We slept, we vegged on the couch, we did a light elliptical workout, and then we we sat on the couch.

It has been a while since I felt that hungover.  The only one I can remember was after the Eastern leadership meeting, and that was partially because of the early wake-up call.  So I detoxed yesterday and forego'ed my evening glass of wine and laid off meat. Though even if the only food to eat was some version of a veggie enchilada, I am not sure I could have done that, either. I was feeling pretty eh.

But work will pick up again, and things will become hectic once again. It is four long months to Jamaica, though honestly, look how fast this summer has gone. Is it really August 22? What have I done all summer? So maybe that vacation will be here long before we know it.

Back Home to Michigan

Jay Nordlinger just wrote about returning home to Michigan in a recent Detroit News column.

These paragraphs resonated, though really his entire column did:

When I was a kid, I would spend a chunk of each summer Up North, mostly with my grandparents. I remember the long drives on I-75 and M-33 and then hitting the back roads. There were no DVD players to pull my gaze or iPods to fill my ears — just a vision of green forests and the hypnotic hum of tires on asphalt. We always went the same way and I knew every curve and bump.
Toward the end of the trip, we'd go west for five or six miles on a straight stretch of blacktop. Then we'd turn right at a four-way intersection. This was the sign that we were just a few minutes away from lakes and creeks and trails and bug hunting and perch fishing and blueberry picking and all the things that made Up North so special, then and now.

"Up north" is a place I haven't been for far too long. It might be the nicest place in the country. In fact, Sleeping Bear Dunes was just rated the most beautiful spot in America.

If we have children some day,  I would love to take two weeks and rent a cottage by a lake, or stay near Traverse City, and visit those small shops and swim in those clear lakes. It's an idyllic place. I'm glad others recognize it, too.

Mid August Boredom

Things are slooow in the office, and I admit that my motivation is at a low point.  Earlier, I had really hoped that we would be on vacation right now. It's four months away until Jamaica, although the flights are booked.  We might take off early tomorrow and/or Friday, as Steve's latest paper is done. 

So here are five things keeping me somewhat occupied...

The new music blog.
Looking for good enchilada recipes.
Mark Steyn's new book, After America. 
Figuring out what we need to buy for the house
Trying not to snack too much...been very snackie lately.

Old Star Connection

I had lunch last Friday with Tracey from high school days. It has been at least seventeen years since I had least seen her. Wow, that is almost a half of a lifetime ago.  But it was just like getting together with any girlfriend, because you always have certain things in common. Housing, babies, jobs, aging parents, married life, etc.  Everyone from school is doing pretty well.  Babies are definitely on her brain and they've had some troubles. I was never close enough with her to really open up, but it is funny that you can feel so immediately at home with someone that knew you back then. When you were fifteen and did not know what the hell the world was going to throw at you.  Or seventeen and with strangers. I guess we both did ok, after all. 

Long Weekend

I finally got some work done around the house, including de-boxing up some of the storage closet room and adding a small shelf to the master closet, so I could finally unpack that duffle bag after two months. So much I still want to be doing, least of which is unpacking and shopping.

We still need to get a pub table/breakfast bar; bar stools for the kitchen, a new coffee table, and nightstands, at least to start with. Then we need to paint and hang things on the wall. Then deal with the garden. Ugh. So much to do. And keeping the house clean is another matter. Not that I am complaining. Two months in and life could be much, much worse!

Never Let You Go

On the flight home from Toronto, I watched the film version of Never Let Me Go.  I read that book last year. What a haunting film. I was overall quite impressed by the adaptation, and I thought the three leads were perfectly cast.  Carey Mulligan was coolly calm, impassioned yet aching in her role as Kathy H. Keira Knightly was an impassioned Ruth, and Andrew Garfield fit the mold of rebellious yet hopeful Tommy.  The ethical issues of cloning were subtle and not.  These were human being, rife with emotion, and not some automatons that should be sacrificed for science. Just like the book, you never saw Kathy meet her fate. But you were haunted by what would happen to her, just as what happened to both Ruth and Tommy. Very good film.

Toronto

I have sort of lost track of the business trips this year, but I was in Toronto the last few days, staying at the Intercontinental. I was literally a block away from where Donna and Jeff lived. It was funny being in their old neighborhood, where I was just a year ago, and they weren't there.  I ran along the water a bit, and ate bar food. I always feel like I eat so badly on these work trips, but it is nearly inevitable when you can't control your food. I didn't even go anywhere fancy, just bar-esque food.  But gosh, is it good to be home.

Spotify Me

I've certainly been addicted to Spotify lately, and it's given me a chance to listen to albums I don't have (like the National's Alligator and Frightened Rabbit's The Midnight Organ Fight). True, it may be missing some tunes here or there (not sure if Adele's latest is on, for example), but it has been a great way to listen to tunes when I'm not crushing on NPR Music.

Here's a good review of various music streaming sites.

Ten Favorite Bands

U2: Achtung Baby

The National: Bloodbuzz Ohio

The Cure: Mint Car

Frightened Rabbit: Winter of Mixed Drinks

Better than Ezra: In the Blood

The Cave Singers: Beach House

10,000 Maniacs: These Are Days

Snow Patrol: Chasing Cars

Dave Matthews: Crush

REM: Belong

Honorable mentions: the Decemberists, Death Cab, Our Lady Peace, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Shout Out Louds, Band of Horses, the Killers, The Head and the Heart, the Fratellis

This Week's Soundtrack

It's courtesy of NPR Music. Concerts by Bon Iver and lots from the Newport Folk Festival: Middle Brother, the Cave Singers, the Head and the Heart, Gillian Welch, Tegan & Sara, the Decemberists, Justin Townes Earle, Amos Lee, and Delta Spirit.  All good stuff, and very good working/background music.

This week's tasks: find tickets and book trip to Jamaica! And oh yeah, get ready for Toronto.

Third Anniversary

Three years ago today, we got married. Here is what we did last year and that day in 2008.

These memories resonate three years later...having our families together. Grandma's tiny ring that got stuck. The passport debacle and find. Our playlist and putting it together.  Piano Man. The relaxation of the rehearsal dinner.  Waking up early to check the weather.  Being with the girls at Willard. The scramble for the limo ride.  Having Steve shower between pictures and the reception, the brief rain, and then sun coming out and being able to go outside, at this exact time three years ago.  Having a margarita.  How trashed people got...Tyler falling over, Jen on the dance floor, tales of hangovers from the next day.  The work people chicken dance. 

Wow time flies.  We're heading to the Atlas Room tonight for a favorite dinner.

Weekend in Detroit

Had a nice weekend in Detroit for mom's birthday. We had a homemade dinner of salmon on Thursday. Friday consisted of hanging out with Joey. Sigh. Highlights included playing cars and bouncing the balloon, blowing bubbles and playing catch over the fence, and candyland, which Joey won. Until, of course, he grew bored and decided to demonstrate his TV DVR skills. And he showed me how to check the tire pressure. I guess hanging out in dad's car with the AC is pretty cool. I think I remember liking hanging out in the car when I was a kid. Mom and I snuck in a trip to Lakeside after dad got home, and I found a $3.50 blue jacket at Sears. Score!

We had dinner at Outback, which wasn't all that bad. Saturday we went to the Tigers' game, which they lost. Lunch before that was pizza at Hockeytown, and I consumed more Miller lite than I care to again in my lifetime.And Sunday, mass and breakfast with Betty. Can I say again how nice, quiet, and normal it all was? I even got in some videogame time and pictures with Mr. Joseph on Sunday. He is growing up so, so fast, and I love when he ekes out "Lisa."  Man, do I miss the nephew!