Your Mileage May Vary

Mr. Jetlag wants to be my best friend

Background Noise: GG, Ballrooms and Biscotti
Last Visited: DTW, Zingermans, Home
Random Thought: somehow i seriously doubt all the work i did to my web galleries when i was home and offline have actually updated and for some reason i'm envisioning hours of work to fix them.
Mood: amused by the toy helicopter floating above the carpet near gate F3

Yesterday afternoon i watched 6 year olds play hockey; i'd have used a period there, but well, it feels like i need to elaborate.

That's my little cousin Jack; there are more pictures of him and his twin brother Joe playing, but well, the pictures of Jack make him look like a hockey player and the pictures of Joe? Less so; never fear, Joe has other strengths - for instance, he can spell "leprechaun."

I'm sitting in the little desk area of the F terminal in the Minneapolis airport, the same desk area i spent three hours at last thursday, about to grab the same small non-fat mocha from Caribou that i enjoyed on my way out. I don't love stopovers (shocking!), but, there is something to be said for having nearly a whole day to either decompress into a vacation or decompress out of it. I'm still tired, but as always after trips home, it's a different tired then when i arrived.

I need to pack up to head to my gate soon; I caught an earlier flight out of metro here and i'm glad i did - there was a bumpy weather pattern coming in that we only had to deal with a little bit.

I'm so glad Al gave me the excuse to go home, take a few walks, see my family, have tortilla soup, cottage inn pizza, good time charlie's, and zingermans. I'm sorry i didn't get to see more people, but to be honest, i was quite totally exhausted most of the weekend and i'll be back in a few months.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Go find some green beer - and at the very least, wear your green socks.

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In View

Background Noise: Walcott, Vampire Weekend
Last Visited: my gallery, again
Random Thought: my awesome little brother is my new source of music
Mood: today will not be normal

There's a lot going on right now, coming from all directions. Not that this isn't necessarily normal (at least historically looking through my archives), but i beg you to believe me that right now? Right now is different. If not only because, well, most of the "stuff" has very little to do with work (amazing, right?) (well, actually, quite a lot has to do with work, as always, but there's actually stuff outside of work too) - of course, i don't actually think i can talk any more about this stuff than i can about the work stuff.

Of course.

One might wonder why i bother to blog at all sometimes.

One might wonder what the point of writing "stuff that i can tell you about it happening, but boy is it pulling me in 8 million different directions!" is.

One might have a point.

But i'd rather post something here than not; i apologize if it's ridiculously annoying.

Switching topics, I'm going home next week! I'm beyond thrilled. I booked the flight last week clutching any and all excuses i could find, and i'm going to make the most of my layover in Minn to see Heather, then home to see the fam and Al and Cathy. It will be wonderful, and hopefully a source for more pictures. Because i have to admit, i've kindof become addicted to taking pictures. Very soothing. Now if i could only find the time to actually put up my picture shelves on the wall of my apartment so i could print some and put them up....

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Frames, Take 2

Background Noise: Random tv crap, again (still)
Last Visited: flickr; figured i'd change it up a bit
Random Thought: $64 in change -> $64 starbucks card; at least i know my coffee is covered for the next 2ish weeks
Mood: ready to relax

You know what goes really well with an Election? Season 7 of the West Wing.

But i digress; i promise, this is probably, most likely, lord i hope, the last version of this little picture book of mine. Well, at least, the last version of this book until 6-9 months from now when i attempt to put one together for the Spring; i wonder where i'll have been by then.

Regardless... here we go:

Today at lunch i espied someone i once knew; at least, i'm pretty sure he was who i thought he was. I've been running into people more frequently lately who i used to be close with, and now, when faced with them, i don't know what to say. Small talk only saves me sometimes. And i find myself distracted, remembering why it's so hard to speak now; remembering them then, them now; me then, and me now.

Time plays interesting tricks; perhaps that's why i like the idea of having a picture book for each half year to remind me who, where, and when i was - and who the people are who were there with me. Then again, i could just be looking for any creative outlet i can find. Or i'm bored.

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Frames: Fall into Winter, 2007

Background Noise: Iron Chef America
Last Visited: iPhoto and Grab
Random Thought: i should have bought my camera months ago
Mood:must stay up... must stay up...

Happy New Year! (um, officially). So I have a few problems at the moment: a) i'm exhausted but, b) i have to stay up enough to fully get on pacific coast time (for real), and c) i have all of these pictures from my (fabulous!) new camera that i have to get into a book of some variety. Now, besides the fact that i don't have the whale watching pictures on this particular laptop (therefore i can't exactly press the "order" button just yet), i think i have a decent start so far:

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... hopefully i'll remember before ordering this to actually add some actual comments, or at least remember to remove the text for the default ones.

Um... yeah.

I wish i had had my camera earlier in the year - i would have loved to actually be able to put together a more complete retrospective including the weddings from this summer, the boat, the little white house, and my various wanderings in california, chicago, and new york. Also, i wish i had more pictures of the people i see and interact with every day - perhaps i'll attempt to throw some of my iphone shots in a page, see how those go.

Oh, and, judges? Truffles are never a mistake. Just for the record.

*denotes a page in flux.

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There and Back Again

Background Noise: something random on tv
Last Visited: Home, London, and Home again
Random Thought: i need to find a copy of the Shadowlands script, and get everyone i know copies of Proust was a Neuroscientist
Mood: fighting exhaustion

Well, i'm back on the west coast and fighting like crazy to stay up until a moderately decent bedtime for this time zone; i'd love to make it to midnight and new year's but, um, well, at the moment i don't really think that will happen; good thing my new year's eve plans were cancelled.

So what does a girl with nothing much to do do to stay up? Upload an initial set of pictures from her travels, of course! And let me tell you, i have a lot of pictures.

We start with a set from Christmas; the tree at my parent's house, some of our fabulous ornaments and random decoration in the living room, pictures of pictures, my Grandma Swenson, the barn at the farm, and just to be obnoxious, a picture of my little brother he'll probably hate.

Then we move on to London! I still have way too many stories to tell, and honestly, i'm not really up for all of them tonight, but in a general order we have: arrival at the hotel, st. paul's, windsor, the opera house, dinner with Cathy and Al, the British Museum, and Greenwich.

There are many more pictures - more from my camera, Barb's camera, Cathy's camera, and Chris-Damian's-Aussie-best-friend's camera (lots of cameras). And stories - hopefully stories i won't forget to tell. The long and short of it, however? I had an excellent time. Spent a good deal of time in Church, as Al says.

I'm thrilled i went, i'm thrilled my Dad made me sleep close to 12 hours last night, and i'm thrilled i'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight. I can get up and stay up when i need to be up, but let's face it: i'm a girl who needs her sleep.

And now? Well my battery is getting low and Puff is annoyed i'm not lavishing him with attention, so, I'd like to wish you all a very happy, healthy, and productive new year - i honestly can't believe 2007 is already making way for 2008, but to quote Scarlett, i'll think about that tomorrow.

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You'll Always Be the Top

Background Noise: You know you made me love you
Last Visited: the "story" of final cut
Random Thought: What? You were expecting a paper clip?
Mood: alright Princess, welcome to real life: you want this hot air machine? You carry it!

So if you've ever been curious, here's how you drive from Apple in Cupertino, CA to London. No, not the one in Texas. Amusingly enough, i've actually driven steps 1 through 27; sadly i haven't had a chance to do number 33, though i am surprised that they have you going through La Havre - interesting call.

So well done, google maps; though i'm still annoyed at you for getting me lost in downtown Oakland last weekend.

Oh right, because i hadn't mentioned that: Dave, Liz, Mike, Steve, Nina & co & I visited the St. George Distillery (a.k.a where they make Hangar One Vodka). We did a tasting ($10 = a glass, and a generous tasting shot of every. alcohol. they. make.) took the very entertaining tour, and i personally dropped more money on liquor than i have... probably ever. I bought three things: their Single Malt Whiskey, the Qi White and Qi Black.

... and while i meant to write more, Dave is now whisking me off to test drive bmw's (335s) because he wants one and needs to determine the value of active steering. Or he just needs to leave the office, either way.

But! Ellen is taking me up on my offer to "do nyc right" this spring which is basically giving me the excuse i needed to go back to nyc for the weekend i wanted... which is exciting. Now just to figure out when. Hey, B, do you still think we can go that weekend after NAB? we probably wouldn't be able to catch all 12 hours but... worth a shot maybe?

Anyways. El's timing was perfect, and i'm grateful. And thrilled. And now i'm leaving, which is wonderful.

Expression:

Pretty.

Background Noise: Harry Potter 7; reveling in the misery of the posessed boy (stupid Vatican.)
Last Visited: Well Played.
Random Thought: So funny that just the thought of playing pinball makes my stress levels drop. How curious.
Mood: reset sucessfull.

Hey, Bud, um... sorry? Hey Elle :) now the young one knows what it feels like to buy right before new toys come out.

And while i'm at it, have you seen the new commercials?

Pretty entertaining. My my this is an odd week. Wednesday evening already? Seriously - how did that happen? Ah, well; that just means it's one day closer to my going home. Oh... wait. I haven't mentioned that particular trip here yet - so sorry. I'm going home on the red eye next thursday for four days of pre-fall, football, friends, and excellent food. And i'm beyond thrilled that i'll be able to see both Barb and Al while i'm there which is as cool as it is unusual.

On the down side, my fabulous and cheap tickets home for Christmas are no more - Spirit informed me this morning via email that they aren't flying the SFO - DTW flight starting in December and my only option is a refund. So... now i have to start the search for tickets again -- after i get that money back, that is, in 10ish days -- and join the hordes of other people paying $400 and up. Oh well. The news can't always be good.

Ok: let's end this depressing stuff. Sweet dreams to all those over in Amsterdam, don't OD on the chocolate and beer, and i'll see you all in a week.

... and to bring this back to Apple, remember we have a special announcement on tuesday. "It's Showtime." Hmm... i wonder what that could mean?

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I'll Be Home For Christmas

Background Noise: Gotan Project, Whatever Lola Wants
Last Visited: morning RSS feeds
Random Thought: party in the back?
Mood: waking up

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, you heard that right: I'll be home for Christmas. How do i know? (Besides the fact that i've made it back every year so far?) I bought my plane tickets last night.

I'll pause for the stunned silence to pass.

Yes, it's August. Yes, it's before Football season. No, i don't have a concussion. Yes, i bought plane tickets 4 months in advance by my own volition.

Why? Well, it's quite simple: i found a deal. Round trip, direct flights that have me there for Christmas Eve morning and leaving the next friday for $288 including tax. I simply couldn't justify not purchasing it, since i had the money and prices will only go up from there. And if they don't... well... it's still under $300. Which is totally better than my ticket last year that cost me a whoping ~$800 after taxes.

Since, quite frankly, i have much better things to do with that remaining $500. Really. Besides, now i have ample time to figure out how to break the news to Puff that i'll be gone for 6 days....

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I'm Home! Or "Oh My Goodness my Grandmother was a cute kid"

Background Noise: Arizona v. Tennessee NCAA Women's College World Series
Last Visited: The Farm: circa 1930
Random Thought: No wonder cars were perfected here - Michigan in June is the best place to take a drive.
Mood: so happy

So, remember the other day i was talking about how the FBI was searching for Jimmy Hoffa right by my Grandparent's Farm? Well, i had been searching for a picture of the farm to put up with that post so everyone could see what the farm and the barn looked like... but i couldn't find any.

Thankfully, i'm home (!!) now, and my Grandma recently discovered¹  photo negatives from the 1930s. After editing the negative for pictures she didn't like, she had the rest printed to see what she could find. Oh i'm glad she did. Check out this beautiful shot from the back of the farm:

The Farm, Milford, Mi: 1930.

The interesting thing about this picture is, you actually can't reproduce this today: if you took a picture standing on this spot all you would see is trees, with perhaps a hint of red peeking through. I covet a print of this picture. I want it enlarged as much as possible, framed, and hung on my wall in my office.

Along with beauty shots of the houses, there were - to my great shock and amusement² - a ton of pictures of my Grandma as a adorably precotious RugRat. And the clothes, oh my the clothes. And the cars. And the clothes.

Left: Grandma's Brother, Right: Grandma; Left: Mary Jo Funk, Right: Grandma

So the fabulous hat she's wearing on the left? I told her tonight at dinner i found it quite fabulous, and she agreed that she always found it to be so... she should, she still wears that exact same style every winter. I'm not kidding. And knowing she's beeing wearing hats like that for so long... is so many kinds of wonderful.

My Mom even makes a RugRat cameo (below) in the pictures - in another fabulous dress. I love the shoes. When you get a chance take a look at the pictures - they remind me of a lot of things, the Grapes of Wrath, the Little Rascals, Anne of Green Gables, A Girl of the Limberlost; but mostly, it's just nice to see where i get my cheeks... and knowing that the dresses my mom put me in when i was this age were so much better than this hat³ somehow makes the frills and the Shirley Temple curls a bit more bearable.

left: Aunt Katy, right: My Mom

1. The Farm is a treasure trove of old interesting stuff: books, pictures, documents, Strawberry Shortcake figurines....
2. Everything i know about getting out of or destroying pictures of myself i learned from my Mother. Who learned from my Grandmother. Hillariously, we all seem to tolerate pictures until we're four or five... it's pretty much all down hill, quantity wise, from there.
3. I thought these pictures would be great for a costume designer i know to get an idea of what people wore in the 30s... my Grandma remarked that they were great costumes, but she really didn't know what time they were from. Especially the hat. She really hated that hat.

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I knew i liked that place...

Background Noise: Pride & Prejudice Soundtrack
Last Visited: Milford Journal
Random Thought: I'm half expecting to see my grandparents quoted in the new york times... how random
Mood: hee hee

Have i mentioned here before that my Grandparents live in Milford? No? Well, my mother's parents live just outside of Milford, Michigan. And since the times started reporting that they're trying to find Jimmy Hoffa on a farm in Milford "outside of Detroit" (yeah, sure) i've kinda been getting a kick out of the whole story.

Apparently the times has too.

  

The reporter they have stationed on corpse-watch must adore being in town with the cupcakes and the t-shirts. Ha. Hey, Ellen... has Phil picked up one of the tshirts yet? Because he totally should. Hilarious.

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