Wow, it's been seventeen days since I've written, where has the time gone?!
I'm house-sitting this week. NPR is playing in the background and I'm not even listening. It's almost 9am and I'm still in my pajamas...ahhh...it's raining out, has been since last night. Should continue through tonight. So about the house-sitting. Besides the house, there are two teenage boys - an eighth grader and high school senior (who is taking college courses, hence a loose daily schedule). The kicker is that they're both boys and I haven't ever spent much time with teenage boys...not since I was a teenage girl anyway! Last night I thought, "My god, they hate me!" It turns out I'm probably wrong. According to two of my friends, teenage boys hate everyone, haha. Each morning I have to wake the 8th grader. This morning I made him and I pancakes - I think that was necessary for the bonding experience. He's got a lacrosse game this afternoon, so I'll try and watch a bit of the game before I pick him up at 5pm. Tonight's dinner is going to be a Tostada Salad, made with ground turkey instead of beef, as the recipe calls for. This is actually quite fun! Last night at dinner (tortellini with vodka sauce, onion & broccolini and chicken sausages) I told the boys they are my test subjects - I have never cooked for teenagers before. Hah, I really don't think they care as long as they get to eat!
Working just a half day today - 9:30-1:30. Renee's grandmother died over the weekend so the funeral is today. Unfortunately, I cannot make it because I am working, but I will be attending the luncheon after I get out of work. Oh crap, gotta go!
29 April 2008
13 April 2008
Sunday
It's a brilliant day with bright sunshine, occasional raindrops and a little wind. Despite all this beauty, I'm exhausted. Visiting Mark yesterday made for a long day. I cried myself to sleep Friday night, got about five hours of rest, drove round trip to Danvers, MA and back (six hours) and the whole time tried to figure out what to say, how to act, what am I feeling?
When we got back, I decided to go out for a drink with friends. We chose a bar down the street because it would be central for us all. Ryan picked me up, Jane and Justin met us there and the other guys from Dick's came after. They were red from a day of softball in CT - they won, yay for them! It was great to see Ryan. I can't remember the last time he and I hung out...so we caught up on a LOT of lost time. Jane and I have been running into each other a lot lately and it was good to finally hang out. I think we could both talk each other's ears off for days on end. A fun night, but another late one.
I slept in today...until 11 am! I guess my body needed the time. I tried helping mom with some cleaning and organizing, but we like things different. Somehow we got talking about family stuff and it led to deeper conversation. I am amazed to find out that there are so many secrets in my family. Secrets that might have never come out of the woodwork if my mother didn't trust me so much. I am thankful for the bond we have. Not to say that we don't fight like cats and dogs sometimes, but our relationship has truly grown over the past five years or so.
Spanish word of the day: descarado - saucy, impudent, fresh.
Example: Fue una entrevista descarada. (It was a saucy interview.)
I used to write down the Spanish word of the day every day when I lived in RI and worked at the clinical lab. It helped a lot - my Spanish improved greatly while I was there. I keep forgetting to do it now. I am getting a bit nervous about my Spanish-speaking abilities. Even though I've taken five and a half years and spoken Spanish with my Latino friends (from many countries, thus many dialects), I worry that I won't be able to keep up in Peru next month. My friends keep telling me not to worry, that I will be better than I think. Deep down I agree, and I hope that my obsession for Latino culture will return :)
12 April 2008
a turn for the worse
today is the first day that i realize death is within my own reach. my cousin mark has been battling cancer for a while now...diagnosis, decisions, surgery, chemo. and a recent recurrence. he was having a great time in L.A., working hard through grad school, indulging in his passion for films...how could he not, living next door to hollywood! all the while battling cancer.
mark moved back to the east coast at the end of last year when he got sick again. in a way, he's lucky to have moved back home closer to his family...all of us (we have a big extended family). he struggled with the decision to get a job - was it worth it? how long was he going to be around? he joined a support group. i'm not sure what else he did to keep busy.
within the past week things got worse. he had trouble walking, dragging one leg. this led to a fall, a visit to the ER, and the realization that time is becoming ever-more precious. at brigham and women's hospital mark was told that there was nothing else they could do for him - the cancer has metastasized and taken over his body. not completely, but it wasn't stopping just because we might ask that it would, or that someone would pray for it to go away.
he's now staying in an excellent hospice care facility, even in his own suite. i believe he's lost function of one side of his body. we're going to see him today, spend as much time as possible with him. we're bringing brownies (he's a chocolate lover), flowers (a succulent that will survive the stuffy hospital-like atmosphere, doesn't require a lot of water) and chocolates from my brother's wedding - the ones with "Randy & Tina" written all over them. maybe some photos too, from my trip to L.A. last year. I saw Mark while I was there and we went to the Getty Museum, went out for lunch and just hung out. We had fun.
Today is going to be a bittersweet meeting, but I am looking forward to seeing a smile on Mark's face. Mark is in his late 30's.
mark moved back to the east coast at the end of last year when he got sick again. in a way, he's lucky to have moved back home closer to his family...all of us (we have a big extended family). he struggled with the decision to get a job - was it worth it? how long was he going to be around? he joined a support group. i'm not sure what else he did to keep busy.
within the past week things got worse. he had trouble walking, dragging one leg. this led to a fall, a visit to the ER, and the realization that time is becoming ever-more precious. at brigham and women's hospital mark was told that there was nothing else they could do for him - the cancer has metastasized and taken over his body. not completely, but it wasn't stopping just because we might ask that it would, or that someone would pray for it to go away.
he's now staying in an excellent hospice care facility, even in his own suite. i believe he's lost function of one side of his body. we're going to see him today, spend as much time as possible with him. we're bringing brownies (he's a chocolate lover), flowers (a succulent that will survive the stuffy hospital-like atmosphere, doesn't require a lot of water) and chocolates from my brother's wedding - the ones with "Randy & Tina" written all over them. maybe some photos too, from my trip to L.A. last year. I saw Mark while I was there and we went to the Getty Museum, went out for lunch and just hung out. We had fun.
Today is going to be a bittersweet meeting, but I am looking forward to seeing a smile on Mark's face. Mark is in his late 30's.
07 April 2008
Positively ___________ (Ad-libs, kids!)
...Energetic!
It's how I feel right now (well not right this moment, it's twenty past 11pm and I'm tired!). I went to the gym with Renee on Saturday and have felt great ever since...despite the tight hamstrings. I did all upper body with a 3.1 mi run and long cool-down walk afterwards, some abs and lots of bouncing up and down on that big ball they have at the gym. It's more fun to bounce on than actually workout on!
Saturday night Caity joined me for a mixed green salad and fresh pesto/portobella/mozz/tomato pizza at Baba Louie's in GB (incredible!). Then we had some warm tea at the Helsinki Tea Company - mine was the house specialty, a cardomom-spiced already-sweetened tea, but I forgot the name...MMM...it was like heaven. To finish off the night, we went over to "The Club" (Club Helsinki) to see The Greencards - http://www.thegreencards.com/ - a quad of two Aussies, one Brit and, recently, a young guy from Atlanta, GA (who doesn't have or need a green card). They were fantastic! Bluegrass. Some of the fastest fingers-on-strings I have ever seen...and the accuracy! I've found a new favorite.
Sunday night I watched "Transformers" with my parents. LOVED IT! Who knew that robots could be so cool and so full of emotion...aww, good robots heart humans...Deceptacons kill! Okay, geekdom there for a moment. But really, it was a great flick, with two totally cute leads (the high school kids). Albeit a few parts were a bit far fetched, but you just have to roll with it, given the topic of the movie. A must-see for potential geeks and those full of imagination.
Work at 7am today, starting up the CellDyn 3200 and running CBCs all by myself. Yikes! I was a bit nervous this morning, thinking I was going to screw up (which I only did a couple times, but nothing major). I did well - Cheryl was there all day to answer my questions. Brekky: yogurt with fresh fruit and granola. Lunch: potato pierogies sauteed with onion and mushroom over arugula. Snack after work: banana with PB.
Finished work at 3:30 and head straight for the ATM, then to The Bookstore in Lenox to pick up my Lonely Planet Peru guide book. YAHOO! My vacation is only ... one month and one day away. Oh baby. Chatted with Mr. Tannenbaum (sp?) about travel and Shamanism. Offered some Haggadah to a woman in search of them. Unfortunately she's looking for updated Haggadah, eight of them. We only have the ones from Grandma and Grandpa that probably age back from the time of the dinosaurs. Well, maybe not...time of the first homo sapiens, perhaps. Leaving the bookstore, I beelined to my car and sat there engrossed in my Peru guidebook, inhaling the cool spring air flowing in through my half-opened windows.
Next stop: the gym! Lower body today with 45 min on the treadmill, about 30 min running, the rest walking. Total: 3.94 mi and 337 calories burned. I was going to sign up for a one-month membership but the person I needed to speak to had just left for Subway to pick up her dinner. I suppose I will sign up tomorrow.
Then up to the good ol' mall, my least favorite place in the world. I was on a mission for a Victoria's Secret gift cert for a relative of ours who is in need of some new bras (due to a recent double mastectomy and breast reconstruction). She is doing well, thanks and will be undergoing chemotherapy in May...may we all wish her the best of luck and lots of love.
Stacie and mom were watching the "Transformers" movie when I got home. Mom missed half of it last night when she left the living room to wash dishes. Silly woman. So I heated up the food Stac had brought over: Indian rice, curried & coconutted mung beans topped with mango and cilantro. Mmm...and half of a homemade scallion pancake. Who can ask for a better meal?! Then I sat down and watched the rest of that robotic thriller with the family.
I suppose you are already reading this David, but now it's time to write about you. My friend Jamie's mom and aunt are convinced that I will make an excellent addition to their family. "Oh you and David have so much in common - you both like the outdoors, you both work in medicine...you're a perfect match!" The last time this was discussed was at the St. Patrick's dinner (where I indulged in that grilled corned beef Reuben...and felt no guilt!). I even noticed Margie and Nancy whispering about me and David in the middle of dinner, ha. Only time will tell...oh, thanks for the email David :) I'll get back to you.
There is so much planning and research and contacting of financial institutions to do before my vacation next month. I feel the time flying by already. (I ran into Margie at the library today. She mentioned David again...said he was going to email me soon...good timing!) I was there picking up some books in Spanish so I can brush up on my skills. Of course I picked one children's book, "Nuestros Amigos Los Animales" (Our Animal Friends), which should be easy to interpret. Who knows, maybe I'll talk to someone in Peru about kittens! The other book is a fiction, I believe, by Guillermo Orsi, "Suenos de Perro" (Dog Dreams). My first adult book in Spanish. I also have a poetry book that a friend passed on to me, "The Cricket Sings" by Federico Garcia Lorca. The poems are written once in Spanish and then on the opposite page in English.
Looks like I have some homework to do...buenos noches mis aficionados.
It's how I feel right now (well not right this moment, it's twenty past 11pm and I'm tired!). I went to the gym with Renee on Saturday and have felt great ever since...despite the tight hamstrings. I did all upper body with a 3.1 mi run and long cool-down walk afterwards, some abs and lots of bouncing up and down on that big ball they have at the gym. It's more fun to bounce on than actually workout on!
Saturday night Caity joined me for a mixed green salad and fresh pesto/portobella/mozz/tomato pizza at Baba Louie's in GB (incredible!). Then we had some warm tea at the Helsinki Tea Company - mine was the house specialty, a cardomom-spiced already-sweetened tea, but I forgot the name...MMM...it was like heaven. To finish off the night, we went over to "The Club" (Club Helsinki) to see The Greencards - http://www.thegreencards.com/ - a quad of two Aussies, one Brit and, recently, a young guy from Atlanta, GA (who doesn't have or need a green card). They were fantastic! Bluegrass. Some of the fastest fingers-on-strings I have ever seen...and the accuracy! I've found a new favorite.
Sunday night I watched "Transformers" with my parents. LOVED IT! Who knew that robots could be so cool and so full of emotion...aww, good robots heart humans...Deceptacons kill! Okay, geekdom there for a moment. But really, it was a great flick, with two totally cute leads (the high school kids). Albeit a few parts were a bit far fetched, but you just have to roll with it, given the topic of the movie. A must-see for potential geeks and those full of imagination.
Work at 7am today, starting up the CellDyn 3200 and running CBCs all by myself. Yikes! I was a bit nervous this morning, thinking I was going to screw up (which I only did a couple times, but nothing major). I did well - Cheryl was there all day to answer my questions. Brekky: yogurt with fresh fruit and granola. Lunch: potato pierogies sauteed with onion and mushroom over arugula. Snack after work: banana with PB.
Finished work at 3:30 and head straight for the ATM, then to The Bookstore in Lenox to pick up my Lonely Planet Peru guide book. YAHOO! My vacation is only ... one month and one day away. Oh baby. Chatted with Mr. Tannenbaum (sp?) about travel and Shamanism. Offered some Haggadah to a woman in search of them. Unfortunately she's looking for updated Haggadah, eight of them. We only have the ones from Grandma and Grandpa that probably age back from the time of the dinosaurs. Well, maybe not...time of the first homo sapiens, perhaps. Leaving the bookstore, I beelined to my car and sat there engrossed in my Peru guidebook, inhaling the cool spring air flowing in through my half-opened windows.
Next stop: the gym! Lower body today with 45 min on the treadmill, about 30 min running, the rest walking. Total: 3.94 mi and 337 calories burned. I was going to sign up for a one-month membership but the person I needed to speak to had just left for Subway to pick up her dinner. I suppose I will sign up tomorrow.
Then up to the good ol' mall, my least favorite place in the world. I was on a mission for a Victoria's Secret gift cert for a relative of ours who is in need of some new bras (due to a recent double mastectomy and breast reconstruction). She is doing well, thanks and will be undergoing chemotherapy in May...may we all wish her the best of luck and lots of love.
Stacie and mom were watching the "Transformers" movie when I got home. Mom missed half of it last night when she left the living room to wash dishes. Silly woman. So I heated up the food Stac had brought over: Indian rice, curried & coconutted mung beans topped with mango and cilantro. Mmm...and half of a homemade scallion pancake. Who can ask for a better meal?! Then I sat down and watched the rest of that robotic thriller with the family.
I suppose you are already reading this David, but now it's time to write about you. My friend Jamie's mom and aunt are convinced that I will make an excellent addition to their family. "Oh you and David have so much in common - you both like the outdoors, you both work in medicine...you're a perfect match!" The last time this was discussed was at the St. Patrick's dinner (where I indulged in that grilled corned beef Reuben...and felt no guilt!). I even noticed Margie and Nancy whispering about me and David in the middle of dinner, ha. Only time will tell...oh, thanks for the email David :) I'll get back to you.
There is so much planning and research and contacting of financial institutions to do before my vacation next month. I feel the time flying by already. (I ran into Margie at the library today. She mentioned David again...said he was going to email me soon...good timing!)
Looks like I have some homework to do...buenos noches mis aficionados.
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