December 2009
19 posts
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The Year in Postcards
I have a hard time throwing away any piece of handwritten mail, especially when it’s been sent during someone’s vacation and cheerfully reminds me of the world outside of Boston and school. These half-dozen cards have accumulated on our refrigerator door throughout 2009, and today I will ceremoniously retire them to a gallon-sized clear freezer bag appropriately marked...
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Top 4 Christmas Cards of 2009, in no particular...
Jon and I had fun crafting our own Christmas correspondence this year, but it’s always more lovely to receive notes from our lubbed ones. There’s nothing more grown-up than asking the post office to hold your mail, so when I went to pick up our accumulated earnings yesterday, I was thrilled to see far more Christmas cards than junk mail. EACH ONE is fantastic, but several stood out for...
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Thirty-two little princesses in my mouth
Last night Jon and I finally returned to our apartment after ten whimsical vacation days away. Several healthy routines were demised in the process of traveling, such as cooking, budgeting, and occasionally changing clothes. Of all habits we left behind, I was surprised to realize that my own oral health had been somewhat neglected too. NOOOOO!
Sometime yesterday afternoon, my teeth started...
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'Tis the week after Christmas and all through the...
Our Boston-based lives were further than e’er,
from the family and friends whom we hold the most dear.
That poetic triplet was inspired by a loud woman recently seated behind us on a flight from Tampa who was DETERMINED to compose her entire family Christmas letter in rhyme. Loudly. I had thought that this year would be the first for Jon and me to compose a summary Christmas letter,...
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Would you rather forget your deodorant or...
I assure you there is also the option to leave both items in your checked baggage as AirTran derails your agenda and requires an overnight at the airport. Booooo.
All hope is not lost though - Jon and I just might make this cruise. At this point we are headed to Atlanta, after a 3am wake up call, and scheduled to land in Tampa at 11am.
Kristen and Patrick will be stranded and forced to cruise...
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How did you spend New Year's Eve 1999?
At this point in the week, I should be laundering clothes in preparation for a 10-day excursion, studying deeply for a beefy exam tomorrow, and assembling all required paperwork and identification for our upcoming CRUISE. Alas, I would rather b.s. an anecdotal post and bask in some sort of pre-vacation i-do-what-i-want-suckas glow.
Can you believe Y2K was a full TEN YEARS AGO? My own mother was a...
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Elemental Parental
I love days when I get to speak with both parents in separate, cheerful conversations. Today we collectively discussed topics such as boneless legs of lamb, excessively cheap Christmas cards, international travel, gambling, the pros and cons of eating Chinese food on Christmas, and Panasonic car stereos.
Though I have absolutely no idea how they ever decided to thrice procreate and spend a dozen...
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Will I ever get over it?
Several exciting updates and convos have recently reminded me just how incredibly and ridiculously awesome the experience of teaching really is, and especially how awesome Teach For America is for continuing to give more and more young gunners the chance to wallow in self doubt for at least the first semester and gain 20 lbs and assume they applied for the “wrong reasons” and wish they...
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A Handcrafted Holiday, Vol. 1
Since getting married and mailing out bjillions of save-the-dates, invitations, and thank-you cards to family and friends, it’s hard to imagine sending out just a few Christmas cards. This year, I decided to meet our holiday correspondence needs with the cost-effective, environmentally-friendly, yet time-intensive method of rubber-stamped postcards. As always, it’s much easier to shop...
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“I’m gonna go to school tomorrow and show everyone I’m awesome.”
– Bart Simpson, in The Debarted.
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"Cash, crash and pass!" or "The Week of Very Close...
God must be watching over me very carefully these days.
With just one week left in first semester, it’s understandable that stress levels are slowly rising at school. Several exams loom large next week, and winter has completely arrived in Boston. It could easily be seen as a scary time, but THREE separate incidents this past week have convinced me that everything is going to be FINE and...
Always a sucker for the excellent use of...
Celestial Seasonings must have dozens of ghost writers whipping up their seductive package messaging, because I nearly fell into a Christmasy trance upon reading this on the side of the box yesterday:
BLENDMASTER’S NOTES
“Stepping into a cozy kitchen warmed by the spicy aroma of freshly baked gingerbread - what a wonderful way to thaw a frosty winter chill! This handcrafted blend is...
Voting just feels good
I couldn’t have been a more uninformed American at today’s Senate primary vote in Jamaica Plain. There are four democratic contenders vying for the late Edward Kennedy’s seat, and I did nearly zero research before deciding to vote for the one woman on the ballot. She could become lucky #18 out of 100 in the Senate - an all-time high for female representation!
Despite my somewhat...
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Dear Journal, 12-7-92
Today Yesterday we put lights on our house. We put them on both doors, and around the house. I got to help.
What a simple memory of childhood Christmastime. Well, I don’t actually remember doing this, but this original record counts for something. I wonder if they were multi-colored or white. Big globular ones, or icicle-style. Either way, with new snow on the ground here, it’s...
6 tags
As the first December snow falls in Boston...
It seems appropriate to remember the best parts of summer in Napa. Like so.
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Eulogy for a Living Worldwide Wonderwoman
You may have seen a hint of this fine lassie if you’ve looked up once over the past year, as she has accomplished more international air travel in 2009 than most could hope for in a lifetime. I taught her everything she knows, except the fact that she may have smoked a cigar. At my wedding. I did not teach her that.
She has many classic talents and bizarre interests, and would certainly...
1 tag
Dear Journal, 11-30-92
Today all the third grade got to make rock candy. It will probly taste like honey because Mrs. Mango let us dip our finger in and boy was it yummy!
I wonder if a local pediatric dentist sponsored this project at school, because, let’s face it, that’s some sweet job security (pun intended) to get elementary schoolers hooked on making their own hardened sugar crystals. Delicious and...