turns out we are not failures!

who knew?!? most of you already know, but this beats doing a mass email because you check it by choice and i don't bombard your in box... but we got tickets back to vermont for wednesday, may first. we are flying direct from oaktown to beantown on jet blue with two kitties in our laps (really in bags, but they will be our carry ons). my brother will drive us to the airport, and take my car back to his house. he and his family will also house all of our stuff that is staying here (should only be a chest of drawers full of blankets and towels and things, but still it will have a home). so i think this is a good plan. and it is far cheaper and faster than driving back across the country. maybe at the end of the summer i will be ready for another cross country adventure, but i still haven't gotten over the new year's eve catastrophe. (where we shoved two screaming cats under the bed and pretended they weren't there until we woke up the next morning.) i think flying is faster and will keep the four of us as sane as we possibly can be. so that is nice. and jet blue serves snax. that is huge since we will be on there from 10(pst) am to 7pm (est). i think we will need some snacks and most airlines don't really serve food. the manix's say they will pick us up. that will be so nice to see them and hug their little pointed heads off, but soon after we get back to the v-t, we will be aching to see all of you, too. expect big hugs, and maybe some tears (but probably not, because i usually only cry at goodbyes, but dust may be another story... you know he cries all the time--mostly just since we got married...he weeps and weeps and says "why am i so trapped" through his sobs, "what was i thinking.." i just point and laugh. i've even made up a dance i call "look, he's crying again." it involves me jumping and waving frantically and pointing and saying in a sing-songy tone, "look, he's crying again! look, look, he's crying again!) i am so funny.

i'm a model, you know what i mean

well. i couldn't get any pictures of my shopping extravaganza on the blog yesterday because my photographer was ill. he spent the entire day (while i was working) asleep, then we got him some soup, and rushed home so he could take a two hour nap. the poor boy was hurting. luckily, we woke up today and he was better. much better. so our morning was spent with me doing a small fashion show complete with pictures so that you guys could see my purchases from tuesday.

the boots (not the super white legs). (again, the boots) still with tags and box said they cost somebody $260, but i got them (NIB) for $10. as you might be able to tell, they can be folded down or worn up. nice huh. i think they are good. and i can't wait to show them off on those chilly brattleboro nights. watch out, vermont!

sweet new jeans. cute pockets, but i didn't think a butt shot was appropriate. i'm not a real model, i just play one in my house.

ok. so i was saving the butt shot, but those pockets are bedazzled. and really aren't you more inclined to love me when i wear my green jeans with bedazzled pockets? now those of you who looked up the leslie hall, might remember that she collects gem sweaters. i think this may be a whole new realm for her. or maybe i am her evil nemesis--keeper of the gem pants!!! who knows. also....

how could i not get them when they came with that swanky belt. how is a girl to say no to green jeans with a metallic, pleather belt. i mean, seriously. i don't even know how those green jeans were still in the store when i got there. they are so hot. again. watch out vermonters. we're coming!!!

today was a good day

sunny and chilly. but today was a good day/ i didn't have to use my a.k.
i used all my shopping points today. and boy howdy. how did i win. i went to crossroads, a secondhand store that sells high endish things. i got two pairs of pants and a pair of brown boots for $30. i found some pants for quinn, but i didn't get a hold of her in time to see if they would fit. then i went down to our shopping district (4th street). when quinn called, i talked to her for a while and then went to visit dust at work. he is so cute in his little yellow apron. i'll have to take the camera next time so you guys can see it.
so aside from shopping, what was so different, you may ask. well... it is simple really. things are finally getting finished. abby and glenn got the tax information, so we no longer have to worry about the taxes. thank you glenn. my school got my final (that i took 3/13) yesterday. so soon my organic chem class really will be done. thank you big brain and postal service. and i ordered a pocketbook from ebay today. thank you power seller. my dreams are coming true. now we only have to find a place to live and get tickets home. yesterday, i got next wednesday off of work to go to the baseball game. go sox. and then i quit (give two weeks notice) the running shoe job in two weeks. so things are finally wrapping up. i am happy too, because i was beginning to lose sleeop. i hope the living situation gets worked out soon. i don't mind paying two rents for april as long as i know we will have a place that will have both us and the kitties. then dust can work to his heart's content and me too. so we will be home within a month. we just have to talk to the manix's about when is a good time to pick us up in boston. thanks to hilary, we found super cheap tix, but only to boston. so stop worrying about me. i am gonna make it. and i look good, too. new boots and pants and all. :) well, i must go, i have to pick up dust from work. i have already cleaned the house, folded the laundry, and started our pizza dinner. man, i am productive. love to all. and when dust gets home i will have him take pictures of all my nice new stuff. get ready!

i forgot to tell you...

one bit more of good news: skinny pants are so out. every store i go into has filled themselves with wide leg pants. thank goodness. you all know how i hate skinny jeans. maybe now both girls and boys will stop looking like they are wearing tights. i can not wait to see more wide legs and less tights. that makes me happy. we will all forget the skinny jean phenomenon soon enough. stay strong!!

strugglin'

so i have a few things on my mind. i still have not heard about my chemistry test. i know the test was mailed on st. patties day, and it has to go all the way across the country to maine, but i really am ready to know what i got. and i know i need to get started on part deux of the class so i can start school in september. help a brotha out. just let me know. please.
also i am having a hard time working. not for any other reason than the fact that being surrounded by people who are fancy has made me want to be a little fancier. not such a bad thing. there is a pocketbook i want, some pants and a jacket. but i can't get any of these things yet because i have to pay the rent. as you know i am used to treating myself. so it is hard for me to be grown up and show discretion and not make any purchases. i am trying. but i do tend to get a little more upset than i should when i think about all the things i want, you know. is that normal? dustin told me this morning that i tend to be impulsive when it comes to buying things. probably this is true, but it was not what i wanted to hear. and i figured out, if i work two more weeks, the rent will be paid, and i can get the pocketbook. then we'll work on the pants and jacket. impulsive, my eye. i am working. i just want to get myself something so i don't feel like i am working for nothing. i am a selfish one. but i feel like i miss out on so much because of a job i don't really agree with, you know. i didn't get to spend the week with my parents, i missed a whole day of dan and rose, andy and melissa are coming this weekend (and i start working saturdays then). so i will miss them, too. i know i am just feeling sorry for myself.
one good note. we went to see be kind rewind. michele gondry directed it. he has done several great music videos and the science of sleep. i am sure he has done more, but i forget. i like the way he uses his imagination to tell the stories he tells as opposed to a huge budget. (he may get a big budget for his movies, but they all have a "diy" feel to them. i thought the movie was cute. i liked the reenactments of all the movies they did. it was fun to see a movie that i felt like i hadn't seen before, you know. with romantic comedies you get the formula: boy meets girl-something goes wrong + other person must be wooed back = they live happily ever after. with comedy you get: a group of regular people trying to over come some ridiculous obstacle+ hilarity ensuing = things are fine--funny but fine. this movie had a little of that...jack black gets irradiated+ erases all the movies in the store + hilarity ensues....but it still felt original. is that silly? i'm sure, but i needed a good laugh, and that sufficed.
i have been nothing but cold today. it has been so warm out. everyone is in shorts or tee shirts. i am cold. i got on my hoodie--hood up. i hope everything is ok, because i have to get this rent paid. the sooner the better. then i can start in on my selfish tirades. but i will look good.

wow

we entertained the fam this week. it was nice to have them, but sometimes i forget how funny they are. we went to my brother's almost every day. so that was nice. they really like that baby. one day, my ma and i babysat for four hours while they went to the dmv. that baby erupts every other time she looks at me. so it was a long four hours for me. my parents were smitten. especially my dad. he really likes babies, and man, did that little girl cling to him. it was so cute.

three of the days they were here, i had to work. so that left dust to be the entertainer. man, is he a good one. who else could entertain the in laws (please read as my family more than "in laws") for a full day on their own? but he never complained. he even said he had a good time. so that was nice. you know how worried/upset i got when i had to work. but in two weeks i give my notice. just enough time to pay the rent and buy my dream pocketbook. i can't wait. so the whole thing is not a total loss, you know?

here is the run down of the family visit.
sunday night:
dust and i make mac and chee, salad and asparagus. we sit around and do wii fitness. turns out my dad is 57 and my mom is 45. not bad considering i was 47 (note the two years older than my mom. my life is just sad!) and dust was 22.
monday:
i work until 2. the three of them go to bette's (betty's for those of you that have been here) for lunch. then pick me up and go to my brother's work for a winery tour and tasting. it was nice. we had dinner at our favorite mexican restaraunt in calistoga and home we all came.

tuesday was a day of work:
not any kind of work we get paid for. my family woke up and went to napa. we were there at 11. my brother took off work early, and we got his car jumped and to the mechanic, we got him car insurance, and we got his house spotless. we have a saying in our house "mom clean". it is pretty much the cleanest you can get an area. so clean that the walls are scrubbed with cleaner as well as any other surface. there is no dust, no dirt, no little piles. it is a bit sickening, but it makes my ma so happy when it is done. she and karen able are the only two women i know who have perfected this technique. it is amazing to see the mom clean in action. we had lunch at four and came back to berkeley by six. my dad held a baby all day. so i think the day was successful. when we got back to berkeley, we got to go to the farmer's market to see dust work at his stand. that was nice. then i got word that dan and rose were coming that night. fancy. dust went to dinner with them at our mexican restaraunt that serves the mojitos, and i took my parents to zachary's, a chicago style pizza place. mmmmmm.



wednesday:
i worked selling shoes. a lot of shoes. one man not only wanted women's shoes because they were pretty, he wanted them two sizes too small so his foot didn't look "huge an bloaty". it was awesome. he picked these really nice pink and purple shoes that no one else buys because they are not good for any one's feet, but maybe two sizes too small, it doesn't make a difference. who knows. one man refused to let me even see his feet because he had not had a pedicure. i love this town. that night we went into the city to meet up with marcia with dan and rose. it was a night of laughing and stiff drinks and mexican food. not so bad. we got to hear about rose in africa. we heard about dan's senior thesis. we showed them leslie hall, and rose was in awe of those gold spandex pants. turns out even she would not wear them. it was nice to see them. they are really funny kids. we are trying to plan a trip for us and marcia to go see them in portland. that would be a ton of fun. watch out nine hour drive. we got two redheads in the car and we are a little crazy. no family visit for me on wednesday.
now as far as family business goes. this day was the day my uncle bill came into town from la. he is my dad's best friend. they have the same goofy sense of humor and they have known eachother since their acting days at cbs. so they go back a ways. so it was nice they got to spend a little time together. they all went up to napa and my brother made dinner for them all while they oooohed and aaaaahed over that emma drew. so i know they were in complete heaven.

thursday.
up to napa we go. dan and rose go back to portland. my brother needed to go to the dmv to register his car. nice. wait until the parents come and then have them and their out of town friend spend their vacation at the dmv. i only joke about this, but it did happen. we did, however, get burgers and shakes at taylors refresher. so the day was not a complete loss. and my uncle bill showed us the video of his most recent trip to russia. so that was good. it was nice to get to see him at least for a little while. he is my godfather after all. so that is nice.
we took unkle bill back to the airport thursday evening. and my parents and dust and i went for a delicious dinner at pf changs. we also enjoyed stiff drinks. nothing soothes a stressed out mother like a stiff cosmo. my dad had the hindricks gin and tonic. it was nice to see them cut loose and have a free moment. i think they forgot they were on vacation.

friday:
i get up to sell more shoes. most of the people i helped were in their fifties looking to run a marathon in october. so that was inspiring. and it made me think,"what am i doing with my time?" there is no training. no real running. nothing too cool. but i got off at 6:30 and the fam and dust picked me up. they had been to sausalito, a little hippie town on the other side of the golden gate bridge. that means they saw the ocean, too. that is my ma's favorite. so that makes me happy. they drove over the golden gate bridge into san fran. they went to the cliff's house right on the ocean. they admired expensive homes with real yards in the city (those ain't cheap!), they went to the museum and saw the real "thinker" statue. and they saw a seal. so the day was not a complete loss. when they picked me up i heard all of this was incredibly jealous. i want to see all of those things. that would have been way better than selling shoes. but again i can buy my dream pocketbook in just two weeks. so i can make it.
they picked me up at 6:30, and we came back to our house to make dinner. they had picked up the makings at trader joe's earlier in the day, too. man, they were busy. we called my brother, and played smooth moves for a while. i think my parents are in love with the wii. it was their idea to stay in and play it. and they were upset we had kept one of them. suckas.

today:
met at the coffee shop for breakfast at 8:15. early. they left and now this is happening. do you feel like you relived their trip in real time? that was my goal. it was nice to get to see my brother so much. and my parents are really proud of the parents that he and meredith are. so that, i think made their trip. more so than meeting emma. i know she will grow to like them because they will spoil her rotten. my dad will get her anything, i just know it. and my mom opened some sort of college fund for her while they were here. so that little one just won them over, i know. in fact, i sort of feel like i lost my status as top female (i was second place for cliffy--just after my mom). but with emma here, that status is now second or third (depending on the sex of the parent you are asking). they think i am jealous, but i think it is just great. that little one is pretty special. and now she has 4 grandparents who know her and love her. she is a lucky lady, that baby.

we got to laugh a lot. it was nice to see all the other visitors besides those in my biological family. dan, rose, uncle bill. what pleasant little treats. y'all may laugh, but i do love when visitors come. it makes this place seem less temporary. and it gives poor dust something to do. :) i kid. i kid. i'll put the pictures on this thing and y'all get back to whatever it is you were doing before you took on this novella.

no word on the chem final yet. i know it was mailed back to university of new england on the 17th. so it should be soon. keep your fingers crossed. hopefully, they have been crossed for the week. lord knows i have needed it/ will need it.
squeezes and indian burns to all.

there is your christmas card. aren't we cute?

they're coming

today was a day of family. talked to both karen and jack on the phone this afternoon. that was really good. it is nice to hear their voices and find out all the farm gossip. karen is looking for a place for dust and i, but i told her the soonest we could be there was april. but i think may may be the soonest because we have tix to hot chip and the red sox. both are in april. so looks like i may be working at the shoe store a little longer. not so bad, though. i get really bored when they go through the training stuff, but i like helping people, and i love being around shoes all day. :) i wrote my grandpa (poppadaddy--to those who got to meet him at the wedding) and dustin's grandma in arizona letters today. i talked to my brother on the phone. and if that weren't a lot of family, my parent's plane just landed and they will be here within the hour. oh, i am just so excited about them coming. it will really make this place feel like home. me working, and showing my parents around. so nice. i just wish i could take the week off to entertain them. but such is life, and they assure me they will be back. so that is good. i am making dinner for us tonight. we are having karen's famous mac and chee, fresh--organic asperagus, and spinach salad with dried cranberries and dried cherries, honey roasted pecans and blue cheese with raspberry vinegrette dressing. not too bad a feast. but then there is dessert. a cup cake a piece. choc with choc for my mom. white cake with chocolate frosting for my dad. pink velvet with cream chee for dust, and white on white for me. ( i know choc/choc is my favorite, but this way we can cut them and try them all.) do you see the big brain on me? it never stops. but i am so excited. it is nice to have time to enjoy all the family stuff. we get to go visit my brother tomorrow, and they will meet the baby. on wednesday, my dad's best friend is coming up from l.a. (unkle bill.) he is fabulous. it has been a while since we saw him, so i am really pumped. i will show as many pictures as i can very soon. we will surely have a few photo ops coming up. what with a baby, an unkle and cupcakes. what more could a girl hope for. love you all, and i will keep you posted.