getting closer

It's only the 20th of August and already it smells, feels and looks like Autumn. Two weekends ago my friend Blake mentioned that he smelled Autumn in the air of Manhattan...I shook it off, ignoring the prospect of Fall coming so soon. But, in the last few days of driving around, I've seen the wind carrying orange and yellow leaves from the trees. It's far too early for this, as there are about 32 days left until Autumn officially begins. I guess it goes to show that the universe and our atmosphere are changing, creating seasonal shifts earlier or later than we expect.

I thought I was quite traveled (or at least experienced with different accents) until I took this quiz: http://www.languagetrainersgroup.com/accent_game.html. My score was so pathetic that I won't even share it with you! All I can say is that my savings account is getting larger and perhaps it is time for that next vacation...so that I can come back and take the quiz again, acing it!

Today at work it was a relatively slow day, but easy. I had good co-workers to work with and, for the most part, everyone was happy and relaxed. Dinner was slow and steady, with some very friendly customers. The kicker to the evening was a table of five - they ordered appetizers, entrees and two desserts...and three bottles of wine. Now, we're not talking $47 bottles of wine. Jonathan recently upgraded our wine selection to include some pretty pricey, distinct wines. Two of the three bottles purchased were Cabernet Sauvignons with price tags of $237 and $670. YES, SIX-HUNDRED AND SEVENTY DOLLARS! As it turns out, the more expensive of the two is probably one of only 50 bottles of that wine bottled. I feel lucky to have been able to try it, as there was enough leftover in the decanter for the staff to taste. If it weren't for those bottles of wine (which were delicious - cherried, musty, full-bodied) then we would have left with crappy tips for the night. But since the table's bill came out to over $1,000, the $371 tip helped out immensely!

Right now I'm listening to one of my favorite sounds from the neighborhood. A train is moving along the tracks at high speed, just a few blocks away. It's one of the most relaxing sounds to hear when I'm lying in bed at night dozing off to sleep. Another of my favorites is the sound of rain on the leaves of the maple tree outside my window. Unfortunately, mom and dad had that tree cut down this summer to give more morning sun to the yard and pool. I miss the sound already, but I guess I'll have to find it somewhere else.

I wonder how many orange, yellow and brown leaves I'll see tomorrow on my hike through Canoe Meadows. Perhaps I'll get a whiff of summer again when the sun is high and I'm riding my bike through town...hopefully sweating in the summer heat.

mountaineering

Today was an exhilarating, if not challenging, day. Kristie and Sean came up from Providence for a day of hiking on Mt. Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. Part of our hike would include the Appalachian Trail too! We drove to Williamstown (rte. 7N) and entered via Roaring Brook Road. There is a small, dirt parking area there next to the brook.

We parked, donned our socks and boots and took straight to the Roaring Brook Trail, marked by blue paint. The first part was a foot/mountain bike trail that quickly became a foot path only. It was a steep hike, beginning at 1100 feet and moving up to 2400 feet. The trail was well-marked and well taken care of. Sean commented how nice trails are kept up on this end of the state, despite the crappy documenting done by the MA DCR. I guess there's a story behind that comment, but I'm sure Sean will get it, and that's all that matters.

Towards the top of Roaring Brook trail, we passed Deer Hill Trail and the falls, which one of the rangers at the welcome center told us is quite steep and a bit more dangerous to get to. Perhaps another time. We passed the Circle trail and a bunch of campsites on Sperry Road, an unpaved road in the woods. I stopped in the eco-toilet (you know, one of the port-a-johns with the poop-eating bacteria, yum!) and then we started on a descent where a sign said "Hopper Trail down". Little did we know we were going the wrong way until we hiked into a couple and their dog. They were also looking for the trail to the summit. They said they had started at the bottom and hadn't crossed any other trails yet. So I said, "Shit, that's where we're going too!" It turns out we had taken the wrong part of Hopper Trail.

After this discovery, we all turned to go [back] uphill. This time we went the other direction and saw that Hopper Trail connected further down on Sperry Road. The couple with the dog took the road ahead as we adjusted ourselves - donning jackets as it was starting to rain and me re-tying my boots after tossing out some pebbles. I have no idea how they get in there, but they do! Hopper Trail was nice; we saw some cute flowers, fungi (mushrooms and the type that grow on random soggy logs). I even got a photo of a beautiful frog while we were hiking.

Ascending, we passed Overlook Trail, which the ranger told us once had beautiful vistas, but now are overgrown and not quite worth the extra mileage. Soon after, we joined up with the AT (Appalachian Trail) until we reached the summit. What a gorgeous view!!! From the top one can easily see all the towns below: North Adams, Adams, Cheshire, and on a clear day, all the way up to Brattleboro, VT. There are many mountains visible in the distance, but we had such a thick cloud cover that it was impossible to see anything but those damn churches covering the town of Adams.

Atop Mt. Greylock (elevation 3491 feet!) there is what appears to be the highest built lighthouse in the U.S. It was built on top of the mountain in 1933, though originally intended for the Charles River reservoir in Boston, MA. At least no ships will ever hit the summit and ground out!

We scarfed down some PB&J sandwiches and nutty PowerBars and I tried to dry off my shirt by taking it off and letting it hang on a post. I took off my [stupid cotton] sweat-soaked sports bra and free-boobed it for the rest of the hike. Lucky for me, my hiking shirt was tight and kept me comfortable for the remainder of the day. We took some photos at the summit and then as the cloud cover increased (it had already thundered and rained a bit, but no lightning) we decided to head back before time got away from us. At this point it was just after 4pm, so we had been hiking for three hours already.

We took the descent back down Hopper Trail and followed Sperry Road for about a mile. We took a short one-mile detour down the March Cataract Trail to the falls. Kristie hung back as the trail was quite unkempt and she was resting her joints and back (she has a history of back injury). Sean and I took the treacherous route to the falls and saw that it was pretty, but not impressive. Nonetheless, I captured its beauty with my camera, realizing for the first time that my Canon has the ability to take photos in both sepia and black-and-white settings. Neat-o!

The ascent back up March Cataract Trail was only about a half-mile, but it was difficult! It was practically straight up and a bit slippery, with many moss-covered rocks and thin (maybe 3 feet wide?) trail. Yikes! We met up with Kristie and went back up to Sperry Road.

This route took us to Stony Ledge, which has an elevation of 2560 feet and the most gorgeous view of a cushy-looking forest valley. We all had a treat of pieces of Ghirardelli Mint and Chocolate mini-bars (which I now realize have HFCS {high fructose corn syrup} and PHOs {partially-hydrogenated oils}, blech!!!). After resting, chatting and taking in the breathtaking view for about 15 minutes, we moved on.

Our final descent was down the Stony Ledge Trail. It was probably one of the steepest descents I've made in a while. It was very stony, hence the name, but I was lucky enough to have found two perfect branch walking sticks at the last overlook, so used them until my knees started killing me. Then Sean gave me his poles and I was much happier for the remainder of the descent.

We returned to the car after about seven hours of hiking, about 7.5 to 8 miles for the day. Of course that's a rough estimate, but I'm sure it's damn close. I threw down a towel in the trunk and we tossed in our mud-caked boots, moving on our way back to Pittsfield.

Once in town we stopped at Jae's Spice (a new restaurant that opened about a week ago) to check out the menu and the wait list for a table. I immediately liked the food selection (I knew I would as I've eaten at Jae's other restaurants in the Berkshires), and Kristie put Sean's name on the wait list. We had 30 minutes to drive home, shower, change and get back for dinner. This was all successfully done in about 30 minutes and we only had to wait about five minutes after we walked in the door.

Our waiter, Ian, was a young, tall kid who was really sweet and attentive. I ordered a glass of Prosecco, Jae's Screaming Spicy Roll I (Yellowtail, scallion, cucumber, chili sauce) and Bibim Bab, a Korean rice bowl served in a hot stone pot. I also tried the Mandoo (beef dumplings, or potstickers as Kristie was calling them, as they were steamed, not fried) and they were delicious.

All of our food was great, except there was an issue with Sean's meal. It was advertised in the menu as General Lee's chicken, served with okra, but when it came out the chicken was on a bed of steamed broccoli. The only reason Sean ordered it was because he likes okra (go figure!). So, being the strong-headed Chinese woman that she is, Kristie approached the management, claiming misrepresentation of the food on their menu. The manager came to speak with us about the okra, saying it has been difficult acquiring it from the south; when the shipments arrive, the okra is usually mottled and bruised looking...but apparently they have frozen okra on hand. Why would anyone tell a customer that!? I don't know, but it was silly and they reduced the price on Sean's meal, given that he ate the whole thing, broccoli and all. Then, after all that, Kristie was maddened by her meal too, as it was missing the black mushrooms that were advertized on the menu. The manager (who spoke with us about the okra) came to say that the veggies are tossed up in a large batch and scooped out for individual servings and that Kristie's food was probably a scoop that just so happened to not have mushrooms in it. So he offered to bring some out and did...only they were canned straw mushrooms, not black mushrooms, as Kristie pointed out.

It was a big ordeal, but I sat there giggling at the absurdity of it all, privately and deeply enjoying my Bibim Bab. It was delicious!!! I added the chili sauce and ate every last piece of rice with my chopsticks. Ian was impressed at my chopstick skills. Oh yeah baby.

After dinner, Kristie and Sean hopped in their car and drove back to Providence. Just then, my cousin Abby and her boyfriend Jorge showed up. My parents, Abby, Jorge and I watched the Olympics' opening ceremony and discussed low-impact and low-elevation hikes for Abby and Jorge's weekend. We decided on some nature walks in Canoe Meadows and the Pleasant Valley Bird and Nature Sanctuary.

Then I snuck a few Hershey's nuggets before washing up for bed and getting to my writing. Now I'm about to pass out and I've got another full day of hiking ahead of me. Blake is coming in from NYC and we'll be hiking Mt. Washington (in MA, not NH). I have to go buy some bread in the morning for our PB&J sandwiches and refresh my Camel Back. Until next time....

bird on a wire

It's the title that popped into my head this morning as I was dressing for practice. I'm coxing today!!! I'll be in a mixed four consisting of two teen moms and two other rowers, a third whom I believe is also a teen. I haven't coxed in about a year and a half, since the summer/fall of 2006, while I was still living with Allie. I found my old coxing notebook in my tool bag, with notes of which rowers sat where, our warmups, drills, etc. Great reference. I still wish I had saved all of the paperwork from Kerner and Rick...they could be precious to me someday (if I ever coach myself or really get into coxing again).

Just like that bird on the wire, I feel as though I have recently been sitting above myself, watching what is happening below. Perhaps some of that is just plain old hindsight.

I've been afforded (if you can call it that) the opportunity this week to think with some extra clarity, reasses some of my emotions and "plans" for the next year ahead. Of course there have also been my usual hippie-based daydreams of throwing my stuff in the car and taking off across the country until I land somewhere liveable for a while. I think I can still do that, if I plan seriously and apply to school first.

Today mom finds out which research group she's in for the clinical trial. I'm excited and very anxious to find out. I'm sure she'll be off the edge of her seat all morning until Wanda, the nurse from the trial, calls with the news. I pray for her to be in the monitoring group, which receives no drug (well, I don't actually pray, but I can't ever think of another word to use...because it's more than just thinking, is it begging? but to whom?) On the other hand, it would be just as well if mom was chosen for the Interferon group of the trial...it could potentially reduce her recurrence risk by 5%, while also potentially making her sick for one month. The good news about that is that by the time she's too sick to go to work, to depressed to crack a smile or too tired to get out of bed in the morning, it would be the end of her treatments. Also, Dr. Atkins said that all of the side effects (except one cosmetic result of the drug) are completely reversible. So it's really a win-win situation! Good luck today mom....

Signing off - it's time for a quick snack before practice, yahoo! Gotta go rig the boat.

this week

...has been busy. I worked three doubles, one lunch and no days in the lab. I caught up with a few friends, made plans for the next two weekends and one friend had a baby!!! It's a boy, but I don't know his name yet. I saw photos today of a friend who spent three months in Australia for work. Jealous...it makes me want to go back. I miss all of it, but mostly Queensland. Probably the most beautiful area with the greatest tropical diversity. And there's the reef...ahhh, my daydreams come back.

My mother and I went to Boston Tuesday afternoon and stayed over night with cousins. Then Wednesday morning we went to Beth Israel for an appointment - mom is signing up to participate in a 20-year clinical trial for melanoma. Hopefully she will get randomly selected for the group who doesn't receive the drug and is only monitored. But if she does get chosen, there will be about four very long weeks coming up for my mother and my family as a whole. Luckily, the drug infusions last only one month and all side-effects are completely reversible, except one, which could potentially create cosmetically disturbing dark spots on her skin. Nothing to be worried about. I'm so proud of mom for doing this, participating in this research. She will be helping so many melanoma patients over the next 20 years...potentially herself if there is ever a relapse (fingers crossed that it's not going to happen).

I've just recently got back in touch with three of my roommates from senior year of college. Two I speak to on a regular basis, but the other, she and I are terrible at keeping in touch. So now, we have a continually-updated email chain between the four of us. We are currently trying to plan a girls' weekend (i.e. five-year reunion) in October. Lyss will be coming back from Canada to PA by October, Allie is in RI and Kat will be up in the Northeast planning her wedding! Yep, another friend is engaged!!! I am thrilled for her...we all knew it was coming eventually, but I am so glad to hear the news. They already have a super cute "family" which includes a beautiful home and two adorable dogs. Anyway, we're hoping to spend the girls' weekend in a beach setting, but we may end up spending some time in Philly, running up the museum steps Rocky-style, checking out some anatomy at the Mutter Museum and snacking on some traditional Philly cheese-steaks. No, I don't normally eat red meat but I am willing to try all foods when travelling. Maybe if I can't get myself to eat the cheese-steak I'll just shove a block of Philadelphia cream cheese in my mouth and see how much I can get to squeeze out between my teeth.

Today at work I told my boss Jonathan that I would be working at the restaurant full-time through the end of August and then possibly one or two shifts per week in September. I have got to make time to start looking for a job, posting my resume, making phone calls, etc. I plan to move back to RI this fall, study for the GRE, take the exam as soon as possible and then start applying to schools for fall 2009. I have decided to bite the bullet and go with Physician's Assistant school, but will also be looking into Nurse Practitioner programs as well. My cousin Deb is convinced that NPs will be at the forefront of primary care medicine within the next 10 years, due to rising M.D. costs and a lack of doctors in primary care (it doesn't pay well and is more boring than being a specialist). We will see how this plan unfolds as I go along.... Part of me is hoping to hit some sort of speedbump that will fuck everything up and send me sailing off to somewhere warm and random for a while...even further postponing my entrance into "adulthood".

Is it possible that I could give away most of my wardrobe, except for bathing suit, shorts and flip flops, and start a new life on the beach, teaching Scuba Diving lessons and "studying" in coral reefs and shipwrecks? Perhaps.... Perhaps I need a push towards a total bum's life...as unrealistic as it may be for me, the girl who needs a stable income so she can eventually get married, own a beautiful home and have five strong children. Pipe dreams.