Say It Somehow

Tales from Doggie Day Camp

2008-11-08T14:43:00.003-05:00

Ernie is spending 3 and 1/2 weeks with my folks, since I am traveling so much for work this month. My mom sends me pictures of him and updates on his daily activites. Here's today's update:

I said to the two dogs [my Ernie and my parents' Bert] this morning, 'Want a Jumbone?' and the two of them starting jumping around like lunatics. I opened the cabinet to get them out, only to find that there was only one left in the bag. So I walked over to the regular Milkbone jar, and took one of them out for Ernie. I handed Bert the Jumbone, and she proceeded to run onto her bed in the bedroom, where she ceremoniously eats all of her Jumbones. Then I tried to give Ernie the Milkbone. He sniffed it, looked at me, walked over to the still-open cabinet and rested his head on the Jumbone shelf. I had to go down the basement and get a new package out for him so that he didn't continue to stand there, head in the Jumbone cabinet, for the rest of the day. Whatta goof!

Bert and Ernie

TWC: Upcoming Performance

2008-10-24T18:30:00.008-04:00

BACH Mass in B Minor
Sunday, November 16, 2008
5 PM
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Julian Wachner brings his expertise in the world of early music to one of the greatest masterworks of all time. Performed with internationally-renowned artists, don’t miss your opportunity to hear the crowning achievement of Bach’s life and a tour-de-force in the choral repertoire.

Plus, INSIDE THE SCORE
Saturday, November 15, 2008
10 AM - 1 PM
Georgetown Day School
4200 Davenport Road NW
Washington, DC 20016
Don't miss TWC's newest program! An annotated open rehearsal and masterclass with the chorus and soloists. Admission is free to anyone with a ticket to the performance.

Indian Summer

2008-10-12T20:47:00.011-04:00

I had a fantastic holiday weekend with Lee. The weather was perfectly amazing and the weekend was chock-full of nuttiness.

Friday started with lunch at Ruby Tuesday, then off to Jumbo's Pumpkin Patch. We roamed around the farm, took a hayride, and picked our own pumpkins in the pumpkin patch.

The highlight of Jumbo’s was the corn maze. We were told it took most people 30 to 40 minutes to complete the maze, assuming they didn’t get lost. So, we paid our $4 and into the corn we went!

We roamed through the maze for around for about 15 minutes before somehow ending up back at the entrance. Oops. We tried heading a different direction, but landed at a dead end. About 15 feet through the corn, we could see another part of the path, so Lee suggested we cut through the corn and see where that path led. I didn’t object, so we took a detour into the corn and found ourselves in a new part of the maze. We continued around a bend and, shockingly, found ourselves at the maze’s exit. Huh? We just looked at one another and burst into hysterical laugher. Victory (albeit dishonestly achieved) was ours!

When the hay ride returned a few minutes later to pick us up, the tractor driver said, “I’ve never seen anyone get through the maze so quickly! How did you do it?” Lee convincingly replied, “I’m not really sure, but we did run quite a bit, which helped. We made one bad turn and ended up at a dead end, but other than that, we were just really lucky in our choices, I guess.” She was completely dumbfounded.

Later, we went to see Quarantine. Pretty darn good horror flick! I jumped out of my seat and actually yelped out loud a few times, which I NEVER do at movies, but I couldn’t help myself. It was scary! Then we spent the evening sipping lattes and chatting at Baltimore Coffee and Tea.

Saturday, we had lunch at Thai Rice and went to Catoctin Colorfest, a farts and crap show in Thurmont. All I can say is: what a bunch of over-priced junk! There wasn’t one thing I would even consider buying, yet most people were ambling around with armloads of stuff. Madness! But Lee and I had a good time walking around, people-watching, and laughing at the country crap for sale. Our favorite thing was a ridiculous plaque with hand-painted letters reading, “God Bless the Moon – and God Bless...” then a piece of paper taped to the plaque, with a scribble: “YOUR CHILD’S NAME HERE.” Who’s buying that?!

We stopped again at Baltimore Coffee for another caffeinated beverage and a long talk on the patio. That night, we ordered pizza from the local pizza shop and stayed in to watch DVDs.

Today, we did some window shopping in downtown Frederick and had lunch at Proof, before making one final visit to Baltimore Coffee and heading off to the airport.

A perfect way to spend a long weekend.

Drugged-up Pup

2008-10-07T19:34:00.005-04:00

I'm happy to report that Ernie is home and recovering nicely from his hectic day at the vet's office. Well, maybe "recovering nicely" isn't completely accurate:

Using a squeaky pig as a pillow seems to help.

Doggie Drama

2008-10-07T09:36:00.002-04:00

Ernie is at the vet's office today getting his teeth cleaned and a lump removed from his neck. The procedures require Ernie to be anesthetized, so I had to sign a waiver stating that I understand there are risks associated with anesthetization. Of course, I've been fretting about this for the past few days. My mantra as I was getting ready today was, "He's gonna be fine...he's gonna be fine..."

So, Ernie and I walked into the vet's office first thing this morning, just in time to hear one of the vet techs saying to someone on the phone, "I know, I know...I'm so, so sorry....I know how much you loved him...He was a wonderful dog..." NOT what I wanted to hear. We almost turned around and left, but just then, another vet tech came out for Ernie and took him in the back. The tech returned a minute later to give me Ernie's collar and leash. I walked out of the building, got in my car, and started sobbing.

Say it with me: He's gonna be fine...he's gonna be fine...

MB News

2008-10-04T17:24:00.002-04:00

KB and I went to see Michael Buble in concert in Baltimore this week. His performance started off a little rough, almost like he was drunk, high, or had just woken up from a nap. But after a song or two, he finally got into performance mode and wowed the audience.

The set list included a two songs from his upcoming album, Stardust (one of my all-time favorites) and You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You.

Well Said!

2008-09-25T16:10:00.001-04:00

This made me laugh. And cry.

While witnessing, but not participating in, the home real estate frenzy in 2005 and 2006, I kept asking: Who is the idiot buying up all these mortgages issued on inflated home prices to all these people who have neither the capacity nor the intention to repay the loans?
Now I learn it was me.
TED THACKER
Ann Arbor, Mich.

Home Again

2008-09-17T20:44:00.002-04:00

I returned from my vacation at Cape May on Friday night. There’s not much to tell about the week, other than that it was wonderfully relaxing. I spent most days relaxing on the beach, reading or listening to music, or browsing around the town, enjoying the quaint shops and unique sights. Sadly, the beaches and many of the parks had “No Dogs Allowed” signs posted, but Ernie and I still enjoyed several long, leisurely walks each day.

Many thanks to my Aunt Judy and Uncle Al for allowing us to stay at their lovely home!

Mission Accomplished

2008-09-06T23:45:00.012-04:00

After many hours of work, much more than anticipated, including three hours of sweating, cursing and contorting to put up the new light fixture, my bathroom project is complete.

Before:

After:

Cape May and relaxation, here I come!

Let there be light

2008-09-05T01:29:00.003-04:00

Next time I have the bright idea of replacing a light fixture (pun intended), someone please take the drill out of my hand, stick it in my ear and pull the trigger.

On Holiday

2008-09-02T12:06:00.003-04:00

I'm officially on vacation. Well, I actually have a bit of work to wrap up today that I didn't get to last week, so I'll take care of that and then be done with work for two weeks. Two weeks!

Work has been complete chaos for the last few weeks, so it's not really registering that I don't have to do things on a strict schedule now. For instance, I just caught myself anxiously thinking, "Okay, I have to put in a load of laundry, then walk Ernie before it gets too hot, then make a list of things I need to get at Lowe's. Oh! Don't forget to call the chiropractor to make an appointment..." Sheesh! I want to smack myself and say, "Settle down!" It may take another day or two to get in vacation mode.

The first half of vacation will be spent re-doing the half bath on my main floor. I've been living with a Pepto-pink and teal bathroom since I bought the house over a year ago and I can't take it anymore:
Gross, ain't it? So far, I've replaced the ridiculous wooden toilet seat and done all of the prep work for painting: took down the ugly cabinet and mirror, removed the hardware from the walls, took down the hideous floral border, puttied the nail holes, etc. Now it's time to prime and paint. My colors are Oregon Coast and Wild Hawk. Geez, I sound like Julia Roberts' character, Shelby, in Steel Magnolias, talking about the color theme for her wedding:

Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful.
Shelby's mama: Her colors are pink and pink.

So, this week, I'll prime, paint, put up a new shelf, mirror and lighting fixture, add a few accents and voila! No more Pepto bathroom.

Then I'll go to PA to spend a few days with my folks, before heading to Cape May with Ernie next week. I'm looking forward to lazy days at the beach, swimming, reading, napping as necessary.

Ah, I'm already feeling more relaxed just thinking about it....

Weekend o' Fun 2008

2008-08-10T09:56:00.005-04:00

I took two days off last week to spend a long weekend with the gang from ONU.

I picked Lee up at the airport Thursday afternoon. Gurney and JD arrived from Ohio shortly after we got back to my house, and KB came by after work. That night, we had a late, great dinner at Bonefish, chatted a while on my deck, then called it a day.

Friday, we started off with sushi for lunch, shopping at Barnes and Nobles, then went to see a movie. KB and Gurney opted for Mamma Mia!, while JD, Lee and I saw X Files: I Want to Believe. Both were a complete waste of time. We went back to my house, relaxed for a bit, had a showtunes sing-along at the piano, went to a late dinner at IHOP (pancakes seem to taste better late at night), then KB, Gurney and I went to Pastimes to shake our groove thangs, while JD and Lee returned home. Apparently, their groove thangs were broken.

Saturday included lunch at California Tortilla, followed by several hours of shopping at Ikea. We all found great things to buy, except for Lee, who had to fly home and didn’t want to take a coffee table as a carry-on. We stopped at Bruster’s for ice cream on the way back to KB’s house. Thank God for peanut butter sauce on ice cream! That night, we opted to stay in, make dinner and drinks, and play games. Gurney made her famous chicken and stuffing casserole which took about 2 hours to cook because the oven wasn’t set at the right temperature. By the time it was finally done, we were all two sheets to the wind, since our bellies were rather empty and all we had to keep us satiated was sangria and pina coladas. Oops. But we had a great time playing Taboo and laughing till our sides ached.

Sunday, we had lunch at Ledo’s, then spent a few hours chatting and playing Trivial Pursuit: Awesome 80’s edition, before everyone had to get on the road.

Our weekends together are always a blast, but go by too fast. One of the funniest moments took place between Lee and JD:

Lee: I heard they’re bringing back Peewee’s Playhouse.
JD: Shut your mouth!
Lee: And they’re talking about doing two Peewee movies.
JD: My life has meaning!

Gurney enjoying three hot sauces at Cal Tort: Ass in Space, Ass in Antarctica, and Ass in the Tub.

Lee with his birthday gift: a gift card for Ikea, so he could buy that coffee table when he got home.

We wanted to take a group photo, so I set up my camera, turned on the timer, and positioned myself with everyone around the couch. Just then, Chloe wandered into the room and sat down right in front to the camera. It started buzzing to signal that the pciture was about to be taken, so Chloe turned to see what was causing the strange noise and Click! We have a shot of Chloe and her backup singers.

A Red-letter Day

2008-06-25T17:11:00.003-04:00

As of this month, I have just 100 payments left on my student loan. Woo-hoo! That seems so much more manageable than thinking of it in terms of the payoff date. No wonder I laugh out loud when I get letters from Ohio Northern University asking me to donate money. I'm tempted to take out a red marker, write DON'T BOTHER ASKING UNTIL AFTER OCTOBER 2016 in bold letters across the letter, and return to sender.

Norse God of Fire

2008-06-01T21:23:00.006-04:00

Meet Loki, the newest addition to the Fischer family and Dan's new best friend.

Girls' Weekend 2008

2008-05-20T17:14:00.003-04:00

Gurney came to town on Thursday and she, KB, and I spent the weekend eating, shopping, seeing Made of Honor (I was forced against my will), getting pedicures, eating some more, shopping some more...we even managed to get an hour or two of sleep here and there.

Friday night, we went to Cancun Cantina to hear a live band. The band was very entertaining, but the most memorable part of the evening was the other “entertainment”: two girls employed by the Cantina to walk around selling beer and shots, dressed in nothing but plaid string bikinis and leather chaps. Every once in a while, when a particularly suggestive song started to play, they would climb on the bar, grind on a stripper pole, shake their butts in men’s faces, then drench themselves with cold water, while the men hooted and drooled all over themselves. The whole thing made me angry. Some would probably call it jealousy, because I don’t have the body to do that sort of thing. Uh-uh. I hate that a woman would choose to demean herself – and all women – in such a way. It’s beyond my comprehension. But the weekend got even more demeaning for womankind...

Saturday, the three of us went to a dance for 30+ singles. We had no idea what to expect, but on the way there, we joked about seeing 50-somethings with bleached hair, dressed in their best sequins, and wall-to-wall comb-overs. Unfortunately, that would have been better than what we actually faced. The place was packed with creepy old men and, even worse, skanky, gold-digging women, their fake boobs hanging out of extremely low-cut dresses. It was seriously depressing, so we didn’t stay long. Apropos to the evening, we stopped at Hooters for a late-night snack on our way home.

Though it may sound like a disappointing weekend, it was anything but. The three of us had a great time, as always.

Three beautiful ladies at the dance (and a fat finger in front of the lense):

KB and I at Hooters - our first time ever!

City of Brotherly Love

2008-04-21T12:29:00.015-04:00

At last Spring’s annual auction for The Washington Chorus, I was the winning bidder on a live auction item which included a hotel stay in Philadelphia, concert tickets to a performance of the Philadelphia Singers, and a tour of the city with the group's musical director, David, who was a guest conductor for TWC last year. Well, I finally cashed in on the prize this weekend.

KB and I headed to Philadelphia on Saturday. Our trip started at 11:30, as we left my house with plans to stop for lunch along the way, arrive at the hotel around 3:00, check in, then go meet David at a rehearsal he was running for an upcoming performance of Mahler 8. We opted for lunch at Friendly’s, which offered tasty food, but horrific service, as is often the case at Friendly’s. If it weren’t for their Reese’s Pieces sundaes, I wouldn’t set foot in any of their restaurants again.

We got back on the road and arrived in Philly to find a Phillies game about to start, and us in the middle of stadium traffic. Once through it, we made it downtown to get stuck in even worse traffic. We spent close to an hour trying to cross just a handful of blocks to our hotel, avoiding Obama and Hillary demonstrators in the streets, as well as the buses that brought them to the city throughout the week. I left a voicemail for David, saying we weren’t going to make it to his rehearsal, and asking him to call when he was free, so we could make alternate plans. He called a few minutes later and we arranged to meet him in our hotel lobby at 5:00.

KB and I checked in, went to our room to drop our bags and clean up a bit, then back down to the lobby to meet David. He greeted us warmly and off we went on a walking tour of the city.

We walked many blocks, past beautiful historical and architectural sights, enjoying David’s educated and witty commentary about the city. Without a doubt, he offered more fascinating insight than you could expect from the best guidebook or any professional tour guide.

We decided to break at a quaint Belgian pub, where we sidled up to the bar and each chose a beer from their extensive selection; 325 options, to be exact. We talked for a few hours about all things musical: David’s involvement with Curtis, Mannes and the Philadelphia Singers, The Washington Chorus’ extensive search for a new conductor, what KB and I can do as singers to get work as professional soloists, etc.

Now, my closest friends are well aware of my...um..."fondness" for conductors. It all started with John DiCostanzo, my conductor for The Mikado at ONU. It continued with Harry Davidson, the conductor I studied with at the University of Akron. But my fondness hit its peak with David. How could it not? He’s a brilliant conductor with a great sense of humor, and his endearingly crooked smile certainly doesn’t hurt matters. I’d be lying if I said this fondness didn’t motivate me in a small way to bid on this very item at the auction last year.

So there I was, sitting next to David, enjoying a fantastic Belgian beer, laughing, talking like old friends, his hand occasionally resting on my arm to emphasize a particularly vital bit of a story. Then, it happened.

As David talked about his insane rehearsal schedule, bouncing back and forth from Philly to New York every week, KB said, “I don’t suppose you have any pets with that schedule.” David replied, “Well, my partner has a cat and a bird....”

Wait. Did he just say partner? As in life partner? As in... he's gay? At that point, I realized David’s lips were still moving, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying, and everything around us went kind of fuzzy. Okay, so of course I had my suspicions. I mean, how many unmarried, good looking, successful musicians in their 40s are straight? I knew from experience that the odds weren’t in my favor, but I decided to be optimistic for a change. It’s not that I expected to live happily ever after with him by ANY means, but it was fun to live the fantasy, if only for a weekend. Somehow, I managed not to fall off my barstool and pull myself back into the conversation, but the word "partner" was still echoing in my head.

We finished our beers and headed back out for a bit more sightseeing before returning to the hotel. We said our goodbyes for the night and KB and I thanked David for the fantastic tour, then headed up to the room to freshen up before going to a late dinner at Caribou Café (a recommendation from David). As you might suspect, KB and I had a lot to discuss; we talked and laughed about the day’s events over dinner and into the night.

On Sunday, KB and I went out for coffee, then enjoyed a leisurely stroll and lunch at Reading Terminal Market. We returned to the hotel, dressed for the concert, checked out, then walked to the Kimmel Center to meet David. He gave us our tickets, we chatted briefly, then KB and I thanked him for his hospitality before saying goodbye.

The concert opened with Bernstein’s Symphony No. 3 (“Kaddish”). It included narration by a holocaust survivor that was painfully stirring. Thank God for the tissues in my purse. The second half of the concert was a Korngold symphony, but we opted to leave at intermission. We both wanted to hear The Philadelphia Singers, who performed only during Kaddish, so we were ready to get on the road and head home. Which we did, arriving at my place around 6:30.

A very enjoyable, very memorable weekend.

Land that I love

2008-03-28T14:41:00.006-04:00

Last night, I attended an Ohio Northern University Alumni Dinner at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in D.C. There were about 80 alums in attendence and the only people I knew were KB and Marty Cosgrove, which was perfectly fine by me. The food was great, the wine was flowing, and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Afterwards, the three of us headed home via the Metro. As we approached the Metro platform to wait for our train, we heard a loud voice shouting from the opposite side of the platform. It was a black man "preaching" about race and the upcoming election. We couldn't make out a lot of what he was saying, but were able to catch a few key words: white people...enslaved the black man...Obama...hate for the white man. Marty said he wished he had a sermon prepared that he could preach back at the guy. I said, "Well, we could sing something." KB liked the idea as well, so we spontaneously started singing God Bless America.

We were a little shy at first, but by the time we got a few lines into it and found people looking our way with smiles of approval, we really let 'er rip. An older gentleman sitting on a nearby bench took his hat off and placed it on the ground at our feet.

By the time we finished the song, the preacher's train had come and gone, but the people standing around us applauded our performance. As the gentleman picked up his hat, he thanked us and said, "That was just great!"

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T22:19:00.003-04:00

I spent a lovely Easter day at my house with my parents, Dan, Bert and Ernie. We talked, watched movies, and ate. Mom brought homemade cole slaw and I made ham and scalloped potatoes, asparagus with balsamic butter sauce, biscuits, and coconut cream cake. Everything turned out perfectly, but the cake, well, took the cake.

A Belated Happy New Year

2008-02-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

My first post in three months? Shame, shame.

Well, I arrived in Philadelphia today and will be spending the week here on business. With a little time to myself this evening and no desire to watch TV, read, or go to the fitness center, I figured now is as good a time as any to post. So here are the highlights of the past three months in a bulleted list:

I turned 33. That's always been my lucky number, so I'm counting on this to be a particularly lucky year.
I sang a fabulous concert with The Washington Chorus. If you don't know Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, you should.
I spent a week in San Diego on business. It was my first time there and I found it to be just as beautiful as I'd hoped. The best part of the trip was spending an evening on a yacht owned by a business associate. We ate, drank, chatted and laughed as we sailed the bay, past the USS Ronald Reagan and HMS Surprise.
Football season came and went. The Steelers went 10-6, then lost their first post-season game.
I've spent a lot of time at concerts and the theater: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Don Giovanni, Avenue Q, Messiah, and Spamalot.
I spent Christmas in PA with my folks. Traditional and wonderful, as always.
2008 came in with a yawn.

And here it is, February already. What's coming up on the calendar?

A visit from Jonathan in a few weeks.
Another performance with The Washington Chorus.
A return to Philadelphia for a day with David Hayes and a concert: Bernstein, Symphony No. 3, Kaddish.

Poo Or Treat?

2007-11-05T16:42:00.000-05:00

I’m almost a week late on the topic of Halloween, but I really want to share my Halloween experience.

This year was my first Halloween in my new house and the first time I’ve ever given out candy. In previous years, I lived in apartments or houses that, for whatever reason, kids didn’t visit. Being in a neighborhood now with tons of kids around, I knew the crumb crushers (as my grandfather called them) would be banging down my door on Halloween. So I armed myself with three big bags of Milky Ways, Kit-Kats and Lifesaver Gummis.

I started out letting the trick-or-treaters ring my doorbell, but two things put a stop to that. The first was Ernie. He’s never been overly fond of children and it certainly didn’t help when they showed up on his doorstep in weird outfits and masks. Twice, I had to use my thigh to pin his snout against the door jam when he tried to stick his nose out the door to nibble on someone. Then there was the poop bag incident.

"Poop bag," you say? Let me explain. Being a considerate dog owner, I always take a grocery bag with me when I walk Ernie to pick up after him. Since there are no community garbage cans in our neighborhood, and since I myself don’t have an outdoor garbage can, I just toss the “poop bags” next to my front stoop until trash day. I had three days worth of poop bags on Halloween, waiting for the trash pickup the next morning. Now back to the night in question…

Around the fifth or sixth ring of the doorbell, I opened the door to two boys, the older about 8, the younger, maybe 5. As I opened the storm door and pulled the inside door most of the way shut behind me (which I had to do each time, or Ernie would have been feasting on a youngster), the two boys backed up to allow the storm door to open a bit wider. The younger boy forgot there were steps behind him and wound up tripping down them, falling into the poop bags, face first.

His Skittles and lollipops and Snickers went everywhere. Sure, the poop bags were tied shut, but his face was right there, resting on them. I stood on my stoop, completely frozen, mouth hanging open, as he lay there, motionless, among the poop bags. It seemed like an eternity before he showed any signs of life and before I could wake myself from shocked immobility. Finally, I dropped my bucket of candy and rushed to help him up, just as his father ran up the walkway to do the same.

"“Are you okay?" I asked as I helped him up. In a tiny, feeble voice, desperately trying to hold back tears, he said, "Yeah. “Well, you deserve extra candy for surviving that,” I said as a dropped a big handful of treats into his bag. The father helped the boy pick up the scattered candy and held his son’s hand as they walked to the next house.

From that point on, I sat on the front stoop to hand out my candy. All three bags were gone in under 40 minutes. Luckily, there was a lull when I only had two Milky Ways left, so I ducked inside and turned off my patio light to signal that I was out of the game, and enjoyed the last two treats.

Next year, I’ll have more candy, start on the stoop, and make sure there’s no poop in sight.

From the Mind of JD

2007-09-27T16:14:00.000-04:00

An email I received from Jonathan earlier this week:

Subject: I dreamed a dream...
Sorry I didn’t call you this weekend, I meant to, but now I’m glad I waited to say hey, because I have dreamed the greatest dream that I have ever dreamed or could ever hope to dream, and I have to share it with you, because you’re the only person in the entire world who will get how wonderful this dream was!

To begin, this dream was a culmination of at least two things that have happened recently, being (a) my discovery of the release of the new Elizabeth and (b) me hearing Ian McKellen perform passages of King Lear on NPR.
So in this dream, I’m following Jean-Luc Picard (oh yes, probably because Patrick Stewart played opposite McKellen in X-Men), who is flying a highly-powerful and experimental ship, the Schnitterbahn (not to be confused with the Texas waterpark, but I want to say that there’s a fair ride by that name). McKellen was captaining the Enterprise in Picard’s stead, but it was an elaborate rouse to seize control of the Schnitterbahn. McKellen killed most of the crew of the Enterprise (thank GOD!) and threw down the gauntlet to Picard by smashing up the Schnitterbahn and demanding a surrender. Picard evacuated the failing Schnitterbahn, whose crew included my sister. In a dramatic moment, Picard delivers his (apparently) last captain’s log, of which I only remember, "The Schnitterbahn is spent, her defenses weak." After finishing, Picard sets the transporter to put him on the bridge of the Enterprise only briefly enough to hand-deliver a note to McKellen with only two words written on it, "Single combat." OMG, I have chills. Picard sets the Schnitterbahn to self-destruct so that whether or not he is defeated, McKellen will be. At this point, the actress who played "Bloody" Mary in the first Elizabeth appears (love her, great comedic actress in the Absolutely Fabulous series), but with Cate Blanchett’s voice. She implores (love that word) Picard not to destroy himself, of which I only remember, "Whatever wrongs you may have known, whatever ills this world has delivered upon you, know this..." It was at this point I woke up, realized that I woke up, and screamed, "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" I’ll never have that recipe again! I'll never know what happened to Picard! Cate's words of absolution will never be heard!

Okay, back to boring reality! Later!

I was laughing so hard, it turned into tears and two co-workers stopped by my office to make sure I was okay. Thanks for sharing, JD!

Home

2007-09-17T11:35:00.000-04:00

And what a fantastically revitalizing week it was. Ernie and I left last Friday and drove five hours to Stamford, CT. We drove the rest of the way (six hours) on Saturday and arrived in Belgrade Lakes, ME around 4:00 p.m. The cabin was everything I’d hoped it would be—rustic, cozy, comfortable, nestled perfectly in the woods between Belgrade Steam and Great Pond, just far enough out of reach from the rest of the world.

The dock on Great Pond:

View of Great Pond from the dock:

View of the stream from the cabin's back porch:

The boathouse on the stream:

Stream view from the boathouse dock:

It was still sunny and warm when we arrived, so I quickly unloaded the car, unpacked my bathing suit and beach towel, and headed for the clear water of Great Pond. Ernie could not figure out what I was doing, but his curiosity was not enough to get him in the water. I told him he was a sorry excuse for a Lab, but he didn’t seem to mind the insult.

It rained hard all day on Sunday. No matter though. I spent the day reading and being lulled into occasional napping by the sound of raindrops on the roof. A disturbance came when I heard a "tap-tap-tap" coming from somewhere in the cabin. After hunting for the cause of the sound, I found that the fireplace was leaking and the entire hearth was soaked. I dug out a dish pan and old bucket from under the kitchen sink, positioned them in the fireplace to catch the dripping water, and called the rental agency. The voice at the other end of the line said he would call the owners to let them know what was happening, then apologized for the inconvenience. No trouble, really, although it didn’t look at though I’d be enjoying a fire anytime soon.

Monday was another relaxing day of reading, watching movies, browsing through the knick-knack shops in town, and walking in the woods with Ernie.

It rained all day on Tuesday, but I decided to venture out to Freeport anyway. Umbrella in hand, I browsed the beautiful town all day, spending most of my time in L.L.Bean. Man, I love that place! I would gladly take any piece of clothing, any shoes, any...anything...they sell. I bought a computer desk online from L.L.Bean about a year ago. I recently noticed the top of the desk had split, most likely from the heat generated by my laptop. When this was explained in an email to customer service, they apologized and offered a refund or exchange, my choice. Rather than trying to figure out a way to return a piece of furniture by mail, and knowing I’d be in Freeport sometime during my vacation, I decided I’d bring it with me and return it in person. So I went to the service desk, explained the situation and said I had the desk out in my car. I told her that I didn’t bring it in right away because (1) it was too much for me to carry by myself, and (2) it was raining and I’d hoped to find a drop-off location with easy access to the store. The woman was so friendly and kind. She arranged to have a refund check sent ASAP, then explained where I could drop the desk off. "Normally we ask that you drop off the item first, but it’s gross out there today and I don’t want to make you run around in the rain any more than you need to." Perfect! When I dropped the desk off at the loading area, I pointed out the crack in the wood. "Oh, yeah, I see it. But we don't ask why you're returning anything. If you aren't happy, we aren't happy and we'll take it back."

Wednesday was gorgeous. I made an omelet and toast for breakfast, then ate and read on the dock, enjoying the beautiful day. Life doesn’t get much better than that. In the evening, Chris and Angel (or as I prefer to call her, Big Yeller Dog) came down for a visit from Bangor. I showed them the cabin, the stream, the lake, and without hesitation, Angel dove off the dock into the water. I could hardly believe it! I told Ernie, "See? That’s what a real Lab does!"

Chris and I went into Waterville for dinner and a movie. We saw 3:10 to Yuma and both loved it. After coming across a fox, a raccoon and deer on the dark roads that night, we took our time getting home. Since it was after midnight when we walked in the door, and the hour-and-a-half drive back to Bangor wasn’t very appealing, Chris opted to crash at the cabin for the night.

Thursday, the weather was absolutely perfect; clear, blue skies and no more than 70 degrees. I got up with the dogs and let them out to romp in the woods while I sat on the porch, sipping coffee and reading. When Chris awoke, we chatted for a while, then went into town for an outdoor lunch, before he and Angel headed back home. Ernie and I spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching movies.

Friday, I spent the morning packing and cleaning up the cabin. Then Ernie and I enjoyed lunch on the dock before getting on the road around 2:45 p.m., bound for home. I initially thought we’d stop for the night somewhere to break up the trip for Ernie, but he seemed perfectly content in the back seat, so we just kept on driving. We arrived home at 1:20 a.m. on Saturday morning.

An absolutely perfect week.

On Holiday

2007-09-06T15:40:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow, Ernie and I will head out of town for vacation: one week in a secluded cabin on a lake in Maine. My co-workers have been asking what I have planned while I’m there. My response is simple: read, nap, watch a movies, swim (if the lake is warm enough), and go to L.L.Bean. That’s about it. "Is that enough to keep you occupied for a whole week?" they ask. Plenty!

I can hardly wait....

Ah-CHOO!

2007-08-18T12:52:00.001-04:00

I've been dealing with horrendous allergies lately. I've not had a bad reaction to ragweed season like this in, well, ever. Claritin and Benadryl didn't offer any relief and after waking up yesterday with swollen, red eyes, a sore throat, incessant sneezing and a runny nose as I have every day for the past two weeks, I decided enough was enough. I called my doctor.

She prescribed Allegra tablets, Nasonex nasal spray, and an eye drop to use if the Allegra didn't alleviate my eye symptoms. The thought of finally having some relief and actually feeling good after two weeks of misery was really exciting.

I went to CVS, dropped off the prescriptions, and roamed around the store while I waited for my drugs. When I returned to the pharmacy counter, the pharmacist informed me that my insurance didn't cover Allegra. "Really?" I asked. "What about the generic?" Nope. For whatever reason, that medication is not included on their list of formulary drugs, which seemed to surprise the pharmacist as well. "Okay, so how much is it?" $80. "Holy @#$%! I got out my mobile and called the number on the back of my insurance card.

The recording at the other end of the line told me, "Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m." I looked at my watch. 6:03 p.m. Great. So I'd have to wait until Monday morning to call back, find out what drugs they DID cover, go back to the doc, get a different prescription, and return to CVS. I got my nasal spray and went home for another weekend of walking around the house with a tissue stuffed up my nose.

I got home, walked in the front door, took off my sunglasses, and opened my purse to drop them in. Right then, I saw it. I realized that in my frustration to get the Allegra that I had completely forgotten about a coupon I printed online for a free month of Nasonex. I paid $28 for something I could have gotten for free. Sigh. Cough. Sniff. Ah-CHOO!

Good Reading

2007-08-15T16:50:00.000-04:00

I just started reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan. It's incredibly fascinating stuff. The kind of stuff you have to read very slowly, maybe several times over, sometimes because it’s difficult to process, sometimes because it’s completely mind-blowing.

The first sentence of the book explains "The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be." Page 2 goes on: "If we were randomly inserted into the Cosmos, the chance that we would find ourselves on or near a planet would be less than one in a billion trillion trillion (a one followed by 33 zeroes). In everyday life such odds are called compelling. Worlds are precious."

I actually said, "Whoa," out loud as I was reading. That’s a pretty strong reaction to page 2 of any book.