Sunday, October 21, 2007
Playing Catch-Up
Golly! I've been away for days. During that time, I've been tagged by Kim at Knit Whimsies, which I will deliver on in another post, my family and I have helped a friend move, I've gone to work, I've read more stories in "Logorrhea," I've checked Jeffrey Eugenides' book "Middlesex" out of the library, I've almost finished knitting a bath mitt, and I've gotten my new issue of Wired magazine in the mail. Such a useful magazine, Wired is. There's not a single issue wherein I haven't learned something. Since their redesign, they've made it a point to publish even more letters from readers, which I appreciate. Hey, there are some experts out here! I just wish I knew who wrote the smart-ass intros that lead off reader letters.
We've had rain, rain, and more rain in central Minnesota. It makes me think back to high school French class, where I learned to say "Il pleut," which means "It's raining." You say "pleut" as "plu" - kind of a short "u," but with some "e" mixed in. It almost sounds like rain when you say it, especially the sort of gray, plodding rain we've had. My mom told me that she had heard that if all the rain we've had lately were snow, we'd have 180 inches. Bring it on, baby! The white stuff, please, not more rain. Have we turned into Portland or Seattle?
We've had rain, rain, and more rain in central Minnesota. It makes me think back to high school French class, where I learned to say "Il pleut," which means "It's raining." You say "pleut" as "plu" - kind of a short "u," but with some "e" mixed in. It almost sounds like rain when you say it, especially the sort of gray, plodding rain we've had. My mom told me that she had heard that if all the rain we've had lately were snow, we'd have 180 inches. Bring it on, baby! The white stuff, please, not more rain. Have we turned into Portland or Seattle?
Labels: family, french, friend, jeffrey eugenides, knit whimsies, knitting, logorrhea, middlesex, minnesota, mom, portland, rain, seattle, snow, weather, wired magazine
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Atlanta on My Mind
The Hubby and I are going to Atlanta this week on a work-related trip. Having gone to Portland, Oregon, two years ago, I still have in mind the airport rigamarole. That whole business scares me, what with the paranoia caused by Homeland Security. Our goal is to have only carry-on luggage. During the Portland trip my checked bag got lost and I'm not eager to experience that again. It did get delivered the next day, but what if it had gone into some black hole of lost luggage forever? I shudder to think. Each of us is allowed one carry-on piece, plus one personal item. There are all sorts of rules about what is allowed in carry-on luggage and how you're supposed to pack it. Liquids and gels under 3 ounces have to go into a plastic quart-sized baggie. Trouble is, I don't know whether all of the liquid/gel items go into one baggie, or if each goes into its own baggie. Luckily we don't have a whole lot in the way of liquid/gel items. Do solid deodorants count as a liquid? It wouldn't seem so, but does it have to go into the baggie, too? This whole thing just makes me nuts. Why doesn't the airport just require us to unpack all of our suitcases in front of security personnel and be done with it? Sure, it would cripple air travel as we know it, but wouldn't we all feel so much safer? (That's sarcasm, folks.)
Along with packing, the other thing that I tend to do before long trips is to have a mad cleaning frenzy in the house. I don't know if it's because I think I might not make it back alive, or if I simply like to come home to a clean house. I prefer the latter explanation, because the first is too morbid. Besides, I'm going to live to be well into my nineties. So there. Yesterday I cleaned our downstairs bathroom to within an inch of its life. I even scrubbed the shower, which I haven't done in ages. And by ages I don't mean to falsely imply that I cleaned it a mere two weeks ago. I mean that I haven't cleaned it in so long that I don't remember when I last did it. Hey, it's a shower. We stand in it and the sweat and filth and body odor wash down the drain.
Hubby did a bunch of cleaning, too. Vacuumed and mopped the floors, and basic tidying. He also made bread that was to die for. We had guests over last night - seven altogether - and four loaves of bread disappeared instantaneously. He made more bread today. Mmmm, mmmm. Dipped in a mixture of Roma tomatoes and basil from the herb garden, it makes a meal unto itself.
Along with packing, the other thing that I tend to do before long trips is to have a mad cleaning frenzy in the house. I don't know if it's because I think I might not make it back alive, or if I simply like to come home to a clean house. I prefer the latter explanation, because the first is too morbid. Besides, I'm going to live to be well into my nineties. So there. Yesterday I cleaned our downstairs bathroom to within an inch of its life. I even scrubbed the shower, which I haven't done in ages. And by ages I don't mean to falsely imply that I cleaned it a mere two weeks ago. I mean that I haven't cleaned it in so long that I don't remember when I last did it. Hey, it's a shower. We stand in it and the sweat and filth and body odor wash down the drain.
Hubby did a bunch of cleaning, too. Vacuumed and mopped the floors, and basic tidying. He also made bread that was to die for. We had guests over last night - seven altogether - and four loaves of bread disappeared instantaneously. He made more bread today. Mmmm, mmmm. Dipped in a mixture of Roma tomatoes and basil from the herb garden, it makes a meal unto itself.
Labels: airport, atlanta, bread, cleaning, husband, luggage, packing, portland, travel
