Hodoeporicon

Thursday Night Detritus

2008-07-17T23:22:00.006-04:00

I miss not being in love. There, I said it. It's one of those things that young, independent, single women like myself aren't supposed to say, or even think. But there it is.

I stood at the bar tonight & listened to a very dear friend recount the "talk" that she & her now boyfriend (as a result of that talk) had yesterday. I was so happy for her, but the story lit a spark that fanned a flame that is now consuming me (all for the want of a horseshoe nail, right?).

What I have is this:

a nice guy who thinks I'm "awesome," but can't commit to more than casual dating
a great guy who I've treated casually for a few months now. Now, however, I think I really like him & can't figure out how to communicate that.
That's all. What I have isn't bad, but it's not much.

And I want more. I know it's silly to pine for love & "it will happen when you least expect it." That's all well & good, but what do you do when you're staring out at the lights along the river & wishing fervently that you had someone special with whom to share it?

Books, Books, Books

2008-07-16T08:31:00.001-04:00

Trying something different today, from a friend.

"The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed."
1) Bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE (I'm putting parentheses, since Blogger is weird about underlining).
4) Reprint this list in your own blog.

1 (Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen)
2 (The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 (Harry Potter series - JK Rowling)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 (The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 (The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 (Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne)
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 (Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 (Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson)
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Ronald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Now you try! Here, I'll even tag some of the big readers I know to get you started. ;) Susie, Kristin, Melissa, Sarah, Kate D., and Teensy - have at!

(Last) Weekend Update

2008-07-14T15:31:00.004-04:00

Jeez, I've been a seriously sucky blogger lately. The only excuse I can offer is that I've been working, traveling, and spending most nights out enjoying the season with friends. At any rate, here are my belated photos from last weekend: July 4th & my friend Shawn's visit from LA.

Thing 2 with my friend The Artist & my dad

Shawn, The Artist, and her boyfriend, enjoying the lake

Portsmouth Harbor cruise

Shawn & I on the harbor cruise

Samplers on Portsmouth Brewery's patio :)

Sox on Fire

2008-07-09T16:53:00.003-04:00

Is anyone else seeing this? ;)

The Sox went into the 7th inning of today's game against the Twins with just a 2-run lead (7-5). Then, all hell broke loose. Here's the box score:

July 9, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Minnesota	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	0		5	13	1
Boston	0	0	4	0	2	1	7	3		18	23	2

I love being home from work early to be able to enjoy this. :)

More Nephew Cuteness

2008-07-01T01:01:00.000-04:00

Just had to share this picture of me & Thing 2 from Memorial Day weekend. Makes me smile just to look at it. :)

Out with the Old, In with the New

2008-06-29T23:56:00.004-04:00

I had a moment of awesomeness yesterday, wherein the new love interest sarcastically quoted the old love interest with perfect comic timing & reduced me to a giggling mess.

And don't feel bad for the old love interest - the quote in question was one in which he was putting me down to a mutual friend, behind my back.

As you were. ;)

Today's Moment of Zen

2008-06-26T13:42:00.005-04:00

The sunset view over Great Bay from the General Sullivan bridge.

I've been wanting this picture for a long time now. Last night, I drove east over the bridge, realized the time, raced home for my camera, and raced back for the picture. Hurrah for adventures in photography!

While there, I encountered an older couple who rode over the bridge in their golf cart & parked at the peak with their coffee thermos to enjoy the view. If I end up spending a summer evening or two like that fifty years from now, I'll count myself very lucky indeed.

Overheard at Camp

2008-06-25T22:31:00.005-04:00

So I'm being a camp counselor this week for a bunch of 6-8 year olds. It's been pretty awesome so far - 3 hours of crafts, outdoor play, and snacks every day.

Plus, kids really do say the darnedest things. Here are a few gems from the last few days:

First boy: "How many miles are on your car?" Second boy: "I don't understand the question."
Boy playing marble game (not actual marbles, but a guessing game using them): "I keep losing my marbles. Look, I lose more every second."
Another boy: "I got bit by a spider & now I can jump really far. I still can't shoot webs, though."

Priceless. :)

All that Jeopardy finally paid off . . .

2008-06-24T01:28:00.003-04:00

I'm writing this wearing my tied-for-first-place winning t-shirt. :)

My team, Nietzsche Contra Wagner, tied for first tonight at trivia night at Biddy Mulligans. I got a Smuttynose t-shirt & pint glass, which I am now proudly wearing/sitting next to.

Yay for us! :)

Kitties

2008-06-22T11:41:00.002-04:00

I'm cheating today - yet again - with a picture post. Some of you may remember that my former landlord died in mid-March. The executors of his estate were able to take care of most things, including helping me relocate, but the question of his cats remained.

Now, I am emphatically not a cat person. I love dogs & their unquestioning loyalty. Cats have always turned me off with their gosh darn independence & cunning. However, I am also emphatically an animal person. So when the choice came down to the cats being put down or my new roomie & I adopting them, my choice was clear.

Meet Speedy (black) & Zane (grey), our "new" additions (we got them in April, but I'm just writing about it now). They're actually a lot sweeter & more personable in this house than they were next door, probably due to the trauma & stress of their owner's death. Either way, they're ours now & it's not too terrible. ;)

Oh Hell Yes

2008-06-18T00:47:00.001-04:00

We just won the NBA championships! Can you f-ing believe it? :)

Return from the Dead

2008-06-16T22:03:00.007-04:00

Or from a week off from blogging. ;)

I didn't do it on purpose - I swear. It was just a busy week & nearly every night was spent out with friends or preparing for my weekend trip. But I'm back now & I have pictures!!!

I met my dear friend K. in the Newark airport, with a much more awesome destination ahead of us. We were off to Edinburgh, Scotland to see the Scottish bit of the world & learn how to understand weegies. And stop in a few pubs, as she once said, "just to see what they look like."

Now she's all growed up & the very happy bride of a very wonderful woman, C. They were married over the weekend on Lake George in the Adirondacks. Here are a few photos from the wedding weekend!

Aren't the last two awesome? The couple rented a photobooth for the reception, stocked it with great props & we all had a fantastic time taking the most outlandish photos we could. :)

I know you're all probably sick of this . . .

2008-06-10T19:44:00.008-04:00

but seriously. My nephews are awfully cute. :)

And awfully big! Thing 2 is just over four months & Thing 1 is just over two years. Just look at these bruisers:

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

2008-06-08T23:51:00.001-04:00

It's so hot, you guys . . .

The only things that saved me from a complete meltdown today were a medium coffee coolata, a drive around 1B to catch the sea breeze, and a half-hour on a cool granite bench on Peirce Island.

How did you beat the heat?

Also, GO CELTS!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2008-06-04T21:05:00.012-04:00

Did you guys know that "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" features a female? Actually, did you know that the song has other verses besides the chorus? ;) My point, however, is that arguably the best known baseball song in America is about a female named Katie Casey (full lyrics below).

I love this. Naturally, being a female baseball fan. In honor of the song (which turns 100 this year), go check out these baseball blogs written by females: Babes Love Baseball, Basegirl, Center Field, Cursed to First, and Papel-Blog.

Enjoy them & the full lyrics to the song!

Katie Casey was baseball mad.
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday, her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go,
To see a show but Miss Kate said,
"No, I'll tell you what you can do."

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song.

The Randomness of Life

2008-06-04T00:33:00.002-04:00

Thought I'd share this random, quirky life moment with you all. During my lunch hour on Saturday, I walked down to Prescott Park to enjoy the view from the river. I walked out onto one of the piers & realized that the three guys on the neighboring pier were singing "The Gambler."

Still don't know why, but hey - it made me smile. :)

Sox/Celts

2008-06-01T23:29:00.001-04:00

So I should have done this sooner, but . . . congrats to the Celtics for winning the Eastern Conference Finals & advancing to the NBA finals for the first time in 21 years! :)

I'm definitely more of a Sox fan than I am a Celtics fan, but I do like the men in green. In imitation of Center Field, I'm posting a pic of a Sox player at a Celtics game to bridge the gap. The pic is of Lucky & David Ortiz, courtesy of Center Field.

In purely Sox news, Jacoby Ellsbury is a stealing MACHINE. The boy has stolen 27 bases this season, 7 of them in the last 3 games alone! I would love him no matter what, but he's doing especially good things for my fantasy team's "stolen bases" category this week. ;)

Countdown

2008-05-31T21:19:00.004-04:00

This is my 396th post on Hodoeporicon. I've written more than 400 posts overall, if you count the 29 posts on Enigmatic Snippets, my old blog and the 23 posts on Museophilia, my professional blog. However, it's still pretty exciting to be this close to 400 posts on this, my most personal & creative of outlets.

Maybe I'll write my 400th post on the night Manny knocks in his 500th homer. ;)

UPDATE:
Haha, I love it! Twenty minutes after I posted this, Manny hit #500! Nice birthday gift to yourself, eh, Manuel? :)

I want to ride my bicycle

2008-05-29T23:06:00.002-04:00

You guys, I have a new bicycle. OK, it's actually a forty-year old bike, but that's part of the appeal. My mum still has her bike from 1968, an old Phillips. It's spent the better part of the last year sitting in what used to be an animal shed behind my grandfather's NH house. This weekend, with her help & permission, I liberated it & brought it down to Portsmouth.

On Monday night, I walked it to the gas station, filled the tires, bought a bag of chips, and rode back home with the chip bag gripped in my teeth. And I have to tell you - I forgot how f-ing joyous riding a bike down the street can be (note that I didn't say the actual f word; this is a family show!). Remember that feeling? Riding down the street, weaving in big loops back & forth, free and easy? I haven't had that feeling since I was 10.

The plan is to ride to work most days & take the bike for fun rides on other days. Will update more later! :)

The Real Title Town

2008-05-26T20:15:00.000-04:00

Just two things to say on a night like tonight:

1. Go Sox! (game at 10:10pm)

2. Go Celts! (game time 8:30pm)

Cute pictures of the boys

2008-05-24T01:01:00.006-04:00

(Taken during the month of May)

"Any minute now, my ship is coming in"

2008-05-21T08:33:00.000-04:00

I was listening to a song by Colin Hay last night (don't you love it, Jenny?). It's called "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin" & I love the idea behind it. In essence, he's looking for his ship to come in. And, really, aren't we all at some point in our lives?

However, for me, it's complicated. My move to Portsmouth was based on practicalities. I needed a graduate degree to get the jobs I really wanted & this was a good location from which to attend State U.

Somewhere along the line, though, this life I've created here in Portsmouth became the life that I've always wanted. Here, I have good friends, a good job, a good apartment, and a deep sense of place. I feel as though I've finally found somewhere that I never want to leave.

I'm halfway done with my degree now. And while that's exciting, it's also incredibly scary because it means that one year from now, I no longer have an excuse for staying in Portsmouth. :( I feel so invested in my life here - this life that I've constructed, piece by piece, all by myself. I just don't want to give it up.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can find a job next year in a place that's close enough to commute. Because otherwise? I don't know what I'll do. I came to Portsmouth to live because it was cute & convenient. And now I never want to leave. ;)

Gotta Hand it to the Kids

2008-05-20T20:32:00.006-04:00

(Photo courtesy of Boston.com)

As if regaining our first place position in the AL East wasn't enough, Jon Lester pitched a no-hitter last night! I wasn't able to watch the game, unfortunately: I was at a bar with friends in Campus Town & there was just one TV. In the totem pole of sports, a regular season Sox game falls below both the NBA & NHL playoffs, apparently.

They did, however, flip to the end of the game & I looked up to see the score (7-0) and Lester's teammates mobbing him. "Oh, neat!," I said, "he pitched a shut-out." Another friend with a better view of the TV said, "No - a no hitter!!!"

So congratulations, Lester. And can we all just reflect on the wonderful job that our farm kids are doing? Ellsbury's diving catch last night helped keep the Royals hitless. And it's been less than seven months since Buccholz landed his own no-no last September. The future's so bright, we've all gotta wear shades. :)

The Universe has righted itself

2008-05-19T01:27:00.004-04:00

For the moment, at least.

American League East

	W	L	PCT
Boston	27	19	.587
Tampa Bay	25	19	.568
Baltimore	23	20	.535
Toronto	23	23	.500
New York	20	24	.455

Itty Bitty World

2008-05-15T22:43:00.009-04:00

Oh, Portsmouth. How I love you so, but how very teeny tiny your world is. ;)

Let me explain. I had dinner plans with two of my bosses tonight, then was going to meet up with a couple of friends for drinks afterwards. The ladies & I wandered down to the Poco's deck for dinner, where we ran into the friends I was meeting for drinks later! (Turns out my friend left me a voicemail saying they'd be there, but I totally missed that part somehow)

As we were sitting there, enjoying nachos, sangria, and beer, I noticed two guys on the deck that I know very vaguely - one of the downstairs bartenders at the Brewery & another history grad student at State U., who I just met last night.

OK, so that's just two people, right? Well, four if you count my friends, who I should have known would be there. Around the time we were getting ready to go, however, I looked over at a different part of the deck & noticed that one of my other bosses & one of the guys I used to date had arrived (separately - they don't know each other). Oy.

Funnily, they were sitting at tables next to each other. They were also right by the door, so we had to say hi on the way out. Awkward conversation ensued. Again, Portsmouth, I love you, but you make it hard to enjoy a drink in anonymity. ;)