I guess I will use this space to chat about life in general. If I start getting too "nerdy" and technical, I might just start a new blog about my exploits in that realm. For now, enjoy these pictures of what I see out of my office at least once a week. |
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Monday, December 31, 2007
Hi
Sunday, December 30, 2007
New Year's Resolutions
As in, resolutions for the New Year.
Knit a sweater.
Learn Italian.
Crochet a sweater.
Take a painting class.
There are a few more, but I've lost my list! At least that gives you an idea of where I'm headed. :)
Knit a sweater.
Learn Italian.
Crochet a sweater.
Take a painting class.
There are a few more, but I've lost my list! At least that gives you an idea of where I'm headed. :)
been a while, eh?
So, we have introduced individual accounts for Alex and me. You will now know who is talking, and when! Nobody quite knows what we're going to be posting here, but you can expect general Life News, info about Alex's work, and about Melissa's goings-on at home. (Her work life is at www.thestarbucksdiaries.blogspot.com --top secret, naturally.) Hooray!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
apple picking
If there's one thing Melissa loves, it's apple picking. Not just grabbing apples off a tree, but going to an orchard, swigging cider, examining pumpkins carefully before deciding no, I guess we don't need those after all, etc. Bonus points for hay rides, animals, and fresh-made foods.
This would probably be a good time to mention that she went picking earlier this autumn, and is going again on Oct 23rd or so.
This would probably be a good time to mention that she went picking earlier this autumn, and is going again on Oct 23rd or so.
new apartment! (furniture needed)
So here we are, living in our new 2-bed apartment in Hampton, NH. Yes, the one we posted about earlier. (Yay, we got it!) Latest news includes the fact that Sparky is having an allergic reaction to who-knows-what and is licking himself to pieces. (Why do we love this cat? "We don't. Get rid of him!" Alex replies.)
On Tuesday we go down to Boston again and will be shopping for some good furniture, including another bookshelf and some kind of dresser/wardrobe arrangement. We will be posting pictures after that, since Melissa REFUSES to show the apartment in the state it's presently in.
On Tuesday we go down to Boston again and will be shopping for some good furniture, including another bookshelf and some kind of dresser/wardrobe arrangement. We will be posting pictures after that, since Melissa REFUSES to show the apartment in the state it's presently in.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Hampton, NH
Tomorrow we go down to Hampton to do the paperwork on a 2 bedroom apartment! We won't say much more about it now (lest we jinx it) but should it all go smoothly, look forward to pictures and stories of our harrowing move. :)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
okay, so.... an apartment
Well, at long last we have discovered that we have NO chance at buying a house this year. We are now apartment-shopping. We found a really nice one for $750 a month that we're currently negotiating for. Wish us luck!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Happy 4th of July
Yesterday we went to a cookout at Melissa's aunt and uncle's house. She is still getting a kick out of being able to see her family pretty much whenever she wants!
We are now up to our eyeballs in real estate listings, and are about ready to say forget it, we're living in a TENT. We had found a lovely house that we really, REALLY liked, but it turns out it's classified as "seasonal" because it doesn't even have a septic system or anything, just a "holding tank". So if we want to live there we have to pay to get it pumped out all the time, and the town won't let us license a car from that address. Argh!
We are now up to our eyeballs in real estate listings, and are about ready to say forget it, we're living in a TENT. We had found a lovely house that we really, REALLY liked, but it turns out it's classified as "seasonal" because it doesn't even have a septic system or anything, just a "holding tank". So if we want to live there we have to pay to get it pumped out all the time, and the town won't let us license a car from that address. Argh!
Monday, July 2, 2007
psychotropic evil moth
When you take Lunesta, make sure your window is open or the moth won't be able to get in and hypnotize you to sleep! :)
Friday, June 29, 2007
high-speed internet!
It's a good day today!
The heat wave finally broke, and we actually had to use a blanket last night. The house has stayed cool all day! Also Melissa's Aunt Sandra came up to see us (she's the one whose house we're borrowing) and took us out to a yummy Chinese food buffet.
And you, reader, get to hear all about it because Alex just installed DSL, so it doesn't take 900 years for a page to load anymore!
Other news: Melissa is applying to a medical transcription job that should be really great and let her basically do whatever she wants with her schedule, and Alex has officially started his own business, AB Computer Solutions. Things are Happening!
The heat wave finally broke, and we actually had to use a blanket last night. The house has stayed cool all day! Also Melissa's Aunt Sandra came up to see us (she's the one whose house we're borrowing) and took us out to a yummy Chinese food buffet.
And you, reader, get to hear all about it because Alex just installed DSL, so it doesn't take 900 years for a page to load anymore!
Other news: Melissa is applying to a medical transcription job that should be really great and let her basically do whatever she wants with her schedule, and Alex has officially started his own business, AB Computer Solutions. Things are Happening!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
health food nut
Melissa has been meaning to write about her recent food epiphanies for a while. Here are some of her thoughts, observations, etc. (not really with Alex's input, so this is straight first-person):
I have always been a little bit of a health nut. For instance, the only kind of macaroni and cheese that I can eat a whole box of without feeling sick is made by an organic provider (Annie's). And I can't have anything with Splenda or other artificial sweeteners in it, because the filler substances give me flu-like symptoms or blistering headaches. I just had a little eye-opener by traveling across the country and actually seeing the way animals are treated, and it made me a lot more interested in making sure I'm eating good food.
The big thing about just buying random meat is that you really don't know what the living conditions were of that animal you just ate. There are a lot of horror stories you can find online about stuffing animals into tiny crates and so on, but nothing compares to actually seeing it. Especially in California, we saw, in the space of a suburban block, at least a thousand cows standing more than ankle-deep in mud (and probably their own waste) and shoving each other away from tiny troughs which were literally the only thing they had to eat. What are the odds they were eating nice, healthy grain feed?
Because of the cows' living conditions, goat's milk is really probably a better idea than cow's milk. Goat milk has a bad name. People think it smells bad, or is dirty, or something is just WRONG with it because it doesn't come from a cow. HOWEVER, because goat's milk is usually drunk by crazy health nuts, providers are more inclined to treat the animals well and not use a ton of hormones, antibiotics, and so on. Especially if you get organic goat milk. I have grown up with an inability to digest cow milk properly, so I've tried various kinds of soy, rice and goat milk. The goat milk has the closest taste to cow milk and makes me feel really healthy. After drinking goat milk, cow milk tastes like milk that's a bit too old. My final word for goat milk is that it doesn't create mucus because the proteins are smaller than cow milk (email me or comment if you want more info on that). So don't hate goat milk just because it's different!
Next subject: organic and/or fresh eggs. At Delphi I wasn't able to eat eggs without feeling a bit nauseated, unless I ate them with a bunch of other carbs to trick my stomach into believing it wasn't eating eggs after all. However, Delphi's eggs were, out of necessity, packed up in giant crates, shipped from who knows where and stored at the school for up to several weeks. At my grandmother's house, I had organic fresh eggs from a nearby farm and I was able to scarf a bunch of them down with no ill effects. Hmm.... Then I had a little portion of fresh, regular (non-organic) eggs after that, and those went down the hatch pretty well too. Conclusion? Don't let eggs sit for too long, and it can't hurt (other than financially) to go organic. I am genuinely contemplating having my own little chicken flock to just make fresh eggs for me. All you have to feed them is cracked corn, and you get fresh eggs all the time!
Pigs are another classic example of bad living conditions. Earlier we posted a picture of adorable piglets driving by us in an 18-wheeler, but we also saw at least ten empty piglet-transporters, and the insides were splattered with all sorts of filth. Also, the trailer with the piglets was extremely crowded--there were no piggies laying down in there! To handle the fact that the pigs are surrounded in crowded filth, they have to be fed lots of medicines. Then when you eat the pig, you may get residual medicines too.
I'm not quite a total pessimist though. For instance, in Kansas there were about a hundred cows on, I don't know, a thousand acres or so. They got to just roam around and eat whatever they wanted, and they were literally knee-deep in delicious green grass. So I'm not saying don't eat beef, just try to be aware of where it's coming from. My friend's family farm makes DELICIOUS beef and it's not too expensive. Whenever I eat that meat, I can definitely taste the difference.
On the subject of tasting the difference: While we were at Grandpa Jack's house, a friend of his brought over some fresh cucumbers from his garden. They were literally the yummiest cucumbers I've ever eaten, because they actually TASTED like something. In comparison, store-bought ones after that tasted really bland and foamy. My mom used to also grow tomatoes next to our house, and they were the only tomatoes that I didn't think were gross. A tomato fresh off the vine is not going to be mealy or overly squooshy. And if you grow your own, you know you're going to get the kind you like!
The upshot of this is that organic and animal-friendly food is definitely something to look into, and about a year from now don't be surprised if I have my own vegetable garden and chicken coop. :)
I have always been a little bit of a health nut. For instance, the only kind of macaroni and cheese that I can eat a whole box of without feeling sick is made by an organic provider (Annie's). And I can't have anything with Splenda or other artificial sweeteners in it, because the filler substances give me flu-like symptoms or blistering headaches. I just had a little eye-opener by traveling across the country and actually seeing the way animals are treated, and it made me a lot more interested in making sure I'm eating good food.
The big thing about just buying random meat is that you really don't know what the living conditions were of that animal you just ate. There are a lot of horror stories you can find online about stuffing animals into tiny crates and so on, but nothing compares to actually seeing it. Especially in California, we saw, in the space of a suburban block, at least a thousand cows standing more than ankle-deep in mud (and probably their own waste) and shoving each other away from tiny troughs which were literally the only thing they had to eat. What are the odds they were eating nice, healthy grain feed?
Because of the cows' living conditions, goat's milk is really probably a better idea than cow's milk. Goat milk has a bad name. People think it smells bad, or is dirty, or something is just WRONG with it because it doesn't come from a cow. HOWEVER, because goat's milk is usually drunk by crazy health nuts, providers are more inclined to treat the animals well and not use a ton of hormones, antibiotics, and so on. Especially if you get organic goat milk. I have grown up with an inability to digest cow milk properly, so I've tried various kinds of soy, rice and goat milk. The goat milk has the closest taste to cow milk and makes me feel really healthy. After drinking goat milk, cow milk tastes like milk that's a bit too old. My final word for goat milk is that it doesn't create mucus because the proteins are smaller than cow milk (email me or comment if you want more info on that). So don't hate goat milk just because it's different!
Next subject: organic and/or fresh eggs. At Delphi I wasn't able to eat eggs without feeling a bit nauseated, unless I ate them with a bunch of other carbs to trick my stomach into believing it wasn't eating eggs after all. However, Delphi's eggs were, out of necessity, packed up in giant crates, shipped from who knows where and stored at the school for up to several weeks. At my grandmother's house, I had organic fresh eggs from a nearby farm and I was able to scarf a bunch of them down with no ill effects. Hmm.... Then I had a little portion of fresh, regular (non-organic) eggs after that, and those went down the hatch pretty well too. Conclusion? Don't let eggs sit for too long, and it can't hurt (other than financially) to go organic. I am genuinely contemplating having my own little chicken flock to just make fresh eggs for me. All you have to feed them is cracked corn, and you get fresh eggs all the time!
Pigs are another classic example of bad living conditions. Earlier we posted a picture of adorable piglets driving by us in an 18-wheeler, but we also saw at least ten empty piglet-transporters, and the insides were splattered with all sorts of filth. Also, the trailer with the piglets was extremely crowded--there were no piggies laying down in there! To handle the fact that the pigs are surrounded in crowded filth, they have to be fed lots of medicines. Then when you eat the pig, you may get residual medicines too.
I'm not quite a total pessimist though. For instance, in Kansas there were about a hundred cows on, I don't know, a thousand acres or so. They got to just roam around and eat whatever they wanted, and they were literally knee-deep in delicious green grass. So I'm not saying don't eat beef, just try to be aware of where it's coming from. My friend's family farm makes DELICIOUS beef and it's not too expensive. Whenever I eat that meat, I can definitely taste the difference.
On the subject of tasting the difference: While we were at Grandpa Jack's house, a friend of his brought over some fresh cucumbers from his garden. They were literally the yummiest cucumbers I've ever eaten, because they actually TASTED like something. In comparison, store-bought ones after that tasted really bland and foamy. My mom used to also grow tomatoes next to our house, and they were the only tomatoes that I didn't think were gross. A tomato fresh off the vine is not going to be mealy or overly squooshy. And if you grow your own, you know you're going to get the kind you like!
The upshot of this is that organic and animal-friendly food is definitely something to look into, and about a year from now don't be surprised if I have my own vegetable garden and chicken coop. :)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
we have lost our camera (temporarily)
That's why we're not posting pictures. :)
Hey, we just found it! Here's a picture of the place we're staying. It's a gloomy day outside, but it smells like flowers.
Anyway, we have arrived and are mostly settling in. Alex is staking out an area for his computer setup and working on setting up his new Delphi Boston job, and Melissa is getting acquainted with the kitchen and finding out where the local bank, grocery store and other such useful things are. She found a Starbucks down the road a few miles which is now hiring, so she may apply there. It all hinges on whether they care that she's moving out of state in three months or less.
Lo and behold, we found evidence that we've arrived in the right neighborhood:
We may not have that much news to put up in the next few days because we're just getting oriented, and that's not much fun to write/read about. However, we will keep checking in as interesting things happen!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
translation
Apparently some of you are perfumed landlubbers who don't speak Pirate. Here is a translation for you poor souls:
Yarrrr!
HI.
At one of the smaller seas we've sailed on our trans-continental voyage,
WHEN WE WERE DRIVING THROUGH KENTUCKY,
we found ourselves with E-van-gelicals to both port and starboard. "Surrender to cap'n Jesus or yer a scalliwag!" They bellowed, aiming fifty cross-cannons at us. "Ye'll rot in the bilge for the rest of yer days, arrrr."
WE SAW A BILLBOARD THAT SAID "ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR NOW OR REGRET IT FOREVER!"
"Scurvy dogs, the lot o' ya!" we growled, putting them to stern with the wind full in our sails. "We'll not surrender while we've rum left or ocean ahead of us!" They rattled their sabers and cursed us for sea-dogs, but our ship (the Penske) proved herself the fastest in the waters, and we soon escaped to more civilized seas.
"WELL GOSH, THAT'S KIND OF A SILLY WAY TO GET PEOPLE INTO YOUR RELIGION," WE SAID, AND DROVE ONWARD.
Let this be a lesson in the fact that Pirate is the best language around. :)
PS--If you like pirates, research Pastafarianism. You'll probably find it to your taste (ho ho ho).
Yarrrr!
HI.
At one of the smaller seas we've sailed on our trans-continental voyage,
WHEN WE WERE DRIVING THROUGH KENTUCKY,
we found ourselves with E-van-gelicals to both port and starboard. "Surrender to cap'n Jesus or yer a scalliwag!" They bellowed, aiming fifty cross-cannons at us. "Ye'll rot in the bilge for the rest of yer days, arrrr."
WE SAW A BILLBOARD THAT SAID "ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR NOW OR REGRET IT FOREVER!"
"Scurvy dogs, the lot o' ya!" we growled, putting them to stern with the wind full in our sails. "We'll not surrender while we've rum left or ocean ahead of us!" They rattled their sabers and cursed us for sea-dogs, but our ship (the Penske) proved herself the fastest in the waters, and we soon escaped to more civilized seas.
"WELL GOSH, THAT'S KIND OF A SILLY WAY TO GET PEOPLE INTO YOUR RELIGION," WE SAID, AND DROVE ONWARD.
Let this be a lesson in the fact that Pirate is the best language around. :)
PS--If you like pirates, research Pastafarianism. You'll probably find it to your taste (ho ho ho).
up with the sun
It's 7:25 AM and we've already been on the road for more than an hour! Don't panic--we did reach our final destination. BUT we still have to return this fat rental truck. We reserved the truck way back in the day when we thought we were arriving in Massachusetts, so we helpfully set up returning the truck.... in Massachusetts. Oh well!
Once we drop off the truck we're going to visit Delphi Boston, where Melissa's mom and other sister are hard at work today. They didn't get to come up and see us yesterday night, and they want to get the chance to do so before shipping out of state on various family visits.
Good news! Due to popular demand and to the fact that we enjoy writing this silly blog, it will continue to exist, be updated, etc.! Future posts may include: "Dammit, we hate mortgages", "we're moving to Massachusetts!", "Oops, we lost the cat in the NH wilderness", "Hey, we found him!", and so on.
The little town-ish we're staying in has groceries, Staples, movies, a kitchen outlet and a gardening store right down the road! It also has WalMart, a bigger movie place, and a Starbucks (which is currently hiring) if we go a bit farther down the road. It looks like quite a nice place to spend the next few months.
Once we drop off the truck we're going to visit Delphi Boston, where Melissa's mom and other sister are hard at work today. They didn't get to come up and see us yesterday night, and they want to get the chance to do so before shipping out of state on various family visits.
Good news! Due to popular demand and to the fact that we enjoy writing this silly blog, it will continue to exist, be updated, etc.! Future posts may include: "Dammit, we hate mortgages", "we're moving to Massachusetts!", "Oops, we lost the cat in the NH wilderness", "Hey, we found him!", and so on.
The little town-ish we're staying in has groceries, Staples, movies, a kitchen outlet and a gardening store right down the road! It also has WalMart, a bigger movie place, and a Starbucks (which is currently hiring) if we go a bit farther down the road. It looks like quite a nice place to spend the next few months.
Monday, June 18, 2007
*whew* we made it
The Eagle has landed.
We made it to the house, and our intrepid explorers (we) and a crew of hearty helpers (Melissa's dad, sister, and brother-in-law) unloaded the entire truck and car and got it all into the house in a pretty logical manner. We even are able to brush our teeth and get dressed in the morning, so it was definitely a success.
We are pooped/tuckered out/however else you want to say it, and are going to BED. More on our new digs and life tomorrow.
We made it to the house, and our intrepid explorers (we) and a crew of hearty helpers (Melissa's dad, sister, and brother-in-law) unloaded the entire truck and car and got it all into the house in a pretty logical manner. We even are able to brush our teeth and get dressed in the morning, so it was definitely a success.
We are pooped/tuckered out/however else you want to say it, and are going to BED. More on our new digs and life tomorrow.
Here there be Christians (or: Talk Like A Pirate prep)
Yarrrr!
At one of the smaller seas we've sailed on our trans-continental voyage, we found ourselves with E-van-gelicals to both port and starboard. "Surrender to cap'n Jesus or yer a scalliwag!" They bellowed, aiming fifty cross-cannons at us. "Ye'll rot in the bilge for the rest of yer days, arrrr."
"Scurvy dogs, the lot o' ya!" we growled, putting them to stern with the wind full in our sails. "We'll not surrender while we've rum left or ocean ahead of us!" They rattled their sabers and cursed us for sea-dogs, but our ship (the Penske) proved herself the fastest in the waters, and we soon escaped to more civilized seas.
At one of the smaller seas we've sailed on our trans-continental voyage, we found ourselves with E-van-gelicals to both port and starboard. "Surrender to cap'n Jesus or yer a scalliwag!" They bellowed, aiming fifty cross-cannons at us. "Ye'll rot in the bilge for the rest of yer days, arrrr."
"Scurvy dogs, the lot o' ya!" we growled, putting them to stern with the wind full in our sails. "We'll not surrender while we've rum left or ocean ahead of us!" They rattled their sabers and cursed us for sea-dogs, but our ship (the Penske) proved herself the fastest in the waters, and we soon escaped to more civilized seas.
Leaving town (Carlisle)
This is our last day on the road. Huzzah! We are leaving Pennsylvania in 150 miles or so, and going through New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts pretty swiftly before arriving at home-sweet-home-for-the-moment in Milton, New Hampshire! We expect to see many more cows before the day is out.
The kitties helped us pack up the room this morning (by guarding the "homestead").
Things we are most looking forward to:
Melissa: finding out where her sneakers are (aside from "somewhere in the truck") and not having to wear flip-flops anymore.
Alex: setting up an office with high-speed internet.
Both: Oh yeah, we're kind of excited about GETTING A HOUSE. :)
Also, tonight we get our first look at the newest of the nieces, Rebecca (Becca) Webber. We expect her to be adorable and charming. We also expect her to hoist many a box while we unpack (the Force is strong with this one).
And since we have a ton of pictures that we haven't put up, here are some photos (we call them "Virginia--what's the appeal of this damn state, anyway?"):
The kitties helped us pack up the room this morning (by guarding the "homestead").Things we are most looking forward to:
Melissa: finding out where her sneakers are (aside from "somewhere in the truck") and not having to wear flip-flops anymore.
Alex: setting up an office with high-speed internet.
Both: Oh yeah, we're kind of excited about GETTING A HOUSE. :)
Also, tonight we get our first look at the newest of the nieces, Rebecca (Becca) Webber. We expect her to be adorable and charming. We also expect her to hoist many a box while we unpack (the Force is strong with this one).
And since we have a ton of pictures that we haven't put up, here are some photos (we call them "Virginia--what's the appeal of this damn state, anyway?"):
cuz dat's how we roll
That's right, we fill up at both pumps at once! (We found the cheapest gas on the roads we're traveling, at $2.75 per gallon.)
Sunday, June 17, 2007
The day started with Alex dragging our tow dolly up Jack's steep driveway. 
Melissa was standing around taking pictures while the dolly very nearly went backwards down the hill, but she figured out that she was needed and came over and gave the last shove to get it up over the bump.
We did a lot of driving today! We went a bit over 600 miles, and look how many new states we passed through!
Virginia took most of the day. The one thing we noticed is that their entry and exit ramps to the highway are SHORT. This made it so a lot of dumb people showed up RIGHT in front of us, going about 40 miles per hour. We did a lot of yelling "GO FASTER!!!!" and didn't actually crash into anybody.
West Virginia was very quick. We just popped right out the other side and into...
Which also blew right by. It was literally 45 minutes between leaving Virginia and arriving in....
When we hit Pennsylvania we saw some Amish people--horse-drawn carriage, paisley cotton dresses and bonnets, et al. There was probably more than that, but it's late now and we're going to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow so we can make sure to be in New Hampshire by the afternoon!
Melissa was standing around taking pictures while the dolly very nearly went backwards down the hill, but she figured out that she was needed and came over and gave the last shove to get it up over the bump.We did a lot of driving today! We went a bit over 600 miles, and look how many new states we passed through!
Virginia took most of the day. The one thing we noticed is that their entry and exit ramps to the highway are SHORT. This made it so a lot of dumb people showed up RIGHT in front of us, going about 40 miles per hour. We did a lot of yelling "GO FASTER!!!!" and didn't actually crash into anybody.
West Virginia was very quick. We just popped right out the other side and into...
Which also blew right by. It was literally 45 minutes between leaving Virginia and arriving in....
When we hit Pennsylvania we saw some Amish people--horse-drawn carriage, paisley cotton dresses and bonnets, et al. There was probably more than that, but it's late now and we're going to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow so we can make sure to be in New Hampshire by the afternoon!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Grandpa Jack's
We forgot to put up pictures of St. Louis yesterday, so here's a picture of the St. Louis arch (Gateway to the West, and thus to the East for us) now. After we made it to Jack's house we just climbed into bed for the night. Going through all these time zones has been really strange for us.This morning we went over to pick up a nice big desk from storage nearby. Jack has been wanting to give this desk to us, so it was good to actually pick it up. We almost couldn't fit it in the truck, but it ultimately worked. It's a very nice desk--Melissa was shopping around for a desk almost exactly like this one a few years ago, but never found one. Now it's just fallen into her lap! :)
Then we came home and had some soda and relaxed a bit. Alex made sandwiches for lunch, and they were very yummy. We're thankfully having a mellow day, and we even get to sleep in the same bed twice before shipping out tomorrow morning!
Grandpa Jack's
We forgot to put up pictures of St. Louis yesterday, so here's a picture of the St. Louis arch (Gateway to the West, and thus to the East for us) now. After we made it to Jack's house we just climbed into bed for the night. Going through all these time zones has been really strange for us.This morning we went over to pick up a nice big desk from storage nearby. Jack has been wanting to give this desk to us, so it was good to actually pick it up. We almost couldn't fit it in the truck, but it ultimately worked. It's a very nice desk--Melissa was shopping around for a desk almost exactly like this one a few years ago, but never found one. Now it's just fallen into her lap! :)
Then we came home and had some soda and relaxed a bit. Alex made sandwiches for lunch, and they were very yummy. We're thankfully having a mellow day, and even get to sleep in the same bed twice before shipping out tomorrow morning!
Grandpa Jack's
We forgot to put up pictures of St. Louis yesterday, so here's a picture of the St. Louis arch (Gateway to the West, and thus to the East for us) now. After we made it to Jack's house we just climbed into bed for the night. Going through all these time zones has been really strange for us.
This morning we went over to pick up a nice big desk from storage nearby. Jack has been wanting to give this desk to us, so it was good to actually pick it up. We almost couldn't fit it in the truck, but it ultimately worked. It's a very nice desk--Melissa was shopping around for a desk almost exactly like this one a few years ago, but never found one. Now it's just fallen into her lap! :)
Then we came home and had some soda and relaxed a bit.
We're thankfully having a mellow day, and even get to sleep in the same bed twice before shipping out tomorrow morning!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Where does the time go?
Just wanted to let you all know that up until this point, all posts (by us) and comments (by you) were listed in Pacific Daylight Time. They are now (in honor of our crossing the TN border) in Eastern Daylight Time (where they will stay).
critter puppy things
So, on to the topic of the wildlife at the Price/Bowling house.
Last night, Alex's dad spotted three mysterious critters playing outside the window of his basement lair. What were they? Puppies? Foxes? The whole family piled down to the basement to watch them chasing bugs and generally having a great time being rowdy with each other. Hmmmm... maybe coyotes? They looked a lot like the coyotes that hang around Delphi. We're still not sure what they were, but they were damn cute. Feast your eyes on some low-light and generally dingy-looking photos (the best we could do without venturing out where Momma might have been). The pics have been majorly photoshopped to increase visibility, so that's why the colors and stuff are a bit weird.
Last night, Alex's dad spotted three mysterious critters playing outside the window of his basement lair. What were they? Puppies? Foxes? The whole family piled down to the basement to watch them chasing bugs and generally having a great time being rowdy with each other. Hmmmm... maybe coyotes? They looked a lot like the coyotes that hang around Delphi. We're still not sure what they were, but they were damn cute. Feast your eyes on some low-light and generally dingy-looking photos (the best we could do without venturing out where Momma might have been). The pics have been majorly photoshopped to increase visibility, so that's why the colors and stuff are a bit weird.
St. Louis is the worst piece of roadwork in the country
We just nearly got hopelessly lost in the morass that is downtown St. Louis.
The road signs lied TWICE, at crucial moments. Luckily, between the GPS, Alex's bad-ass driving and Melissa's intrepid navigation, we sorted ourselves out and escaped. But not before going up and down the same patch of highway at least three times. :)
We are now out, but it's okay because we're only going 7 miles per hour on a double-lane highway outside St. Louis (which has been single-laned due to construction).
The road signs lied TWICE, at crucial moments. Luckily, between the GPS, Alex's bad-ass driving and Melissa's intrepid navigation, we sorted ourselves out and escaped. But not before going up and down the same patch of highway at least three times. :)
We are now out, but it's okay because we're only going 7 miles per hour on a double-lane highway outside St. Louis (which has been single-laned due to construction).
who wants STUFF? (we do, we do)
Last night at the Price/Bowling compound (which has exciting wildlife, but we'll get to that later), we were laden with many Stuffs--some of which were a little bit silly, like a dinosaur-shaped pancake maker. BUT we also were given some beautiful family heirlooms, which we are very happy to take with us. We'd put up pictures, but everything is presently packed away securely. Instead, please allow us to substitute a picture of our demon cat, Sparky. (We just want to illustrate that he's not a total Nancy-cat all the time.)
As this is written, we are crossing the 3,000 mile mark on our trip! And we have roughly 1,700 to go. Aaah, 2/3 done. :)
Tonight we'll be visiting Grandpa Jack in Tennessee, and shortly thereafter we conquer the Appalachians! (By driving up through a valley that runs between some of them.) We are mere days from our landing spot!! Now, if we can only figure out how to make room in the truck for the Stuffs that Jack has ready for us....
Thursday, June 14, 2007
last pictures for today
Melissa's Grammy Barbara's has made her house into a whole model to teach people how to live without being so wasteful.
Welcome to Arizona! We seem to have misplaced our other welcome pictures for the moment.
Melissa taking a mini-nap at a rest stop (Alex, why is the picture crooked?).
Welcome to Arizona! We seem to have misplaced our other welcome pictures for the moment.
Melissa taking a mini-nap at a rest stop (Alex, why is the picture crooked?).
more pictures
Here's Sparky roaming outside Grammy Barbara's house (with her solar cooker in the background).
A habanero pepper--apparently this little guy can just about knock you flat. We're bringing it to Melissa's dad. :)
Melissa's shoulders didn't appreciate their first sun of the year being during high noon in the desert. This only took 15 minutes!
There are a lot of these things in New Mexico!
A habanero pepper--apparently this little guy can just about knock you flat. We're bringing it to Melissa's dad. :)
Melissa's shoulders didn't appreciate their first sun of the year being during high noon in the desert. This only took 15 minutes!
There are a lot of these things in New Mexico!
some pictures
We have a lot of pictures that we haven't put up yet, so we're going to try to catch them up here:
We keep seeing this logo--is it the same truck?
We finally figured out that the lone windmills we see all over the place are being used to pump water up into cow troughs.
This truck full of piglets just drove past us--so cute!
Bo likes playing in pillow forts.
Here are some of the storm clouds Oklahoma has:
We keep seeing this logo--is it the same truck?
We finally figured out that the lone windmills we see all over the place are being used to pump water up into cow troughs.
This truck full of piglets just drove past us--so cute!
Bo likes playing in pillow forts.
Here are some of the storm clouds Oklahoma has:
2600 miles and three time zones
We have discovered that when traveling eastward, you make a lot more progress if you actually go EAST. :) We spent the first three days driving south and went over 1000 miles sort of tacking sideways from where we actually want to be. Since then we have swung east and as of tonight will have occupied three time zones in three days! Apparently (and this is really Zen if you think about it) if you want to get somewhere, you've got to actually head that direction. :)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
a flyswatter is all you need
We stopped for dinner at Denny's, and wouldn't you know it, it finally happened--we both hopped out of the truck and dutifully locked our doors, leaving the keys inside in the center of the dashboard.
Oops.
We went in search of a wire hanger to unwrap and reach into the window with (which we had helpfully left cracked open to ventilate the cats), but the nearby hotel only had wooden hangers! Luckily, there was a very nice man at Denny's who gave us one of the restaurant's fly swatters to use.
Melissa had to stick her skinny arm through the crack in the window because Alex's arms are too big, but she couldn't reach the top! Alex hoisted her up about four feet off the ground, from which point she could reach the swatter down to the inner door handle, snag it and pull it out toward the middle of the cab. She did it! But she didn't account for the fact that her arms are much bigger since starting yoga classes a few months ago.... In the process of opening the door, she bruised her bicep against the edge of the window!
Here you can see a lovely blue just starting to blossom on her arm shortly afterward.
We're waiting to see if it will become a really gory and dramatic battle wound, but it looks like it's just about stopped purpling up already. But we got back in the truck, which was the point of the whole operation!
Despite the mayhem, we were able to have dinner and get back on the road in short order. We also got gas for $2.89 per gallon, which is the lowest price we've gotten yet. We filled the whole tank and didn't even hit $75!
Now we're cruising to Wichita for the evening. Tomorrow, we rendezvous with the Price/Bowling clan in Missouri (pronounced "misery" according to Alex). Hopefully the thunderstorms we've been seeing all day will have gone ahead of us and cooled it down there.
Oops.
We went in search of a wire hanger to unwrap and reach into the window with (which we had helpfully left cracked open to ventilate the cats), but the nearby hotel only had wooden hangers! Luckily, there was a very nice man at Denny's who gave us one of the restaurant's fly swatters to use.
Melissa had to stick her skinny arm through the crack in the window because Alex's arms are too big, but she couldn't reach the top! Alex hoisted her up about four feet off the ground, from which point she could reach the swatter down to the inner door handle, snag it and pull it out toward the middle of the cab. She did it! But she didn't account for the fact that her arms are much bigger since starting yoga classes a few months ago.... In the process of opening the door, she bruised her bicep against the edge of the window!
Here you can see a lovely blue just starting to blossom on her arm shortly afterward.
We're waiting to see if it will become a really gory and dramatic battle wound, but it looks like it's just about stopped purpling up already. But we got back in the truck, which was the point of the whole operation!Despite the mayhem, we were able to have dinner and get back on the road in short order. We also got gas for $2.89 per gallon, which is the lowest price we've gotten yet. We filled the whole tank and didn't even hit $75!
Now we're cruising to Wichita for the evening. Tomorrow, we rendezvous with the Price/Bowling clan in Missouri (pronounced "misery" according to Alex). Hopefully the thunderstorms we've been seeing all day will have gone ahead of us and cooled it down there.
Continental Breakfast
Every place we've stayed so far has had a "Continental breakfast" of cereal (usually cheerios) and juice. What kind of cheap bastards are we on this continent, anyway?
Moriarty
No, not Sherlock Holmes' famous nemesis, but a blip-on-the-radar town slightly to the east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. We are staying at an EconoLodge, which has given us quite a nice room for $60 (pet fee and all). We didn't catch the fact that we had a time zone change when we crossed into New Mexico, so we accidentally arrived at the motel around 1:00 AM. But it's okay, we actually weren't that tired.
We also got to see one of Alex's fraternity brothers, Craig, while we were in Albuquerque. "He showed us a good time at an... okay place." It was good coffee and good conversation. We invited him to visit us on the East Coast when he's over there on business some time, and maybe he will. He and Alex reminisced about the good old college days, before they went soft in their old age. :) Also Craig and Alex have a secret plan that will make them millions. We'd tell you about it, but then we'd have to kill you.
The cats are now officially nip-heads (aka "kitty stoners"). The first thing Bo did when he got out of the box was to try to pry open the catnip container.
And finally, a closing message from Craig:
"Come to Albuquerque--it's great!"
(He later confided in us that Albuquerque sucks.)
We also got to see one of Alex's fraternity brothers, Craig, while we were in Albuquerque. "He showed us a good time at an... okay place." It was good coffee and good conversation. We invited him to visit us on the East Coast when he's over there on business some time, and maybe he will. He and Alex reminisced about the good old college days, before they went soft in their old age. :) Also Craig and Alex have a secret plan that will make them millions. We'd tell you about it, but then we'd have to kill you.
The cats are now officially nip-heads (aka "kitty stoners"). The first thing Bo did when he got out of the box was to try to pry open the catnip container.
And finally, a closing message from Craig:
"Come to Albuquerque--it's great!"(He later confided in us that Albuquerque sucks.)
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Oregon vs. California (at last!)
Okay, here we go:
Oregon countryside California countryside
Oregon mountains California mountains
We've been away
Here we are in (very) sunny Arizona, visiting with Melissa's Grammy Barbara.
We accidentally let the laptop's battery run down entirely yesterday, but we're back up and running now! We cooked a yummy dinner together last night, and this morning Alex was mostly in charge of breakfast. Steamed potatoes fried up with eggs, cheese, and LOTS of garlic. We discovered that we have the good fortune to all enjoy garlic, so we put a lot in pretty much everything.
We took a walk later to exercise ourselves and the cats.... We forgot that they're black, so obviously not well equipped for the hot desert sun! We only made it a short way out before we had to turn back for water and a break (lying on the cool concrete restored them quickly). Bo was smart and mostly hid under bushes while he was "hiking". Sparky cried a lot and cussed at the fire-ant hills, but did stick with us through the whole way. :)
We are about to get back in the truck and make our way to Albuquerque to meet up with one of Alex's fraternity brothers for a late dinner, and then we have a very long day the next day so we can make it to Columbia by the 14th! Look for more pictures to be put up while we're on the road.
We accidentally let the laptop's battery run down entirely yesterday, but we're back up and running now! We cooked a yummy dinner together last night, and this morning Alex was mostly in charge of breakfast. Steamed potatoes fried up with eggs, cheese, and LOTS of garlic. We discovered that we have the good fortune to all enjoy garlic, so we put a lot in pretty much everything.
We took a walk later to exercise ourselves and the cats.... We forgot that they're black, so obviously not well equipped for the hot desert sun! We only made it a short way out before we had to turn back for water and a break (lying on the cool concrete restored them quickly). Bo was smart and mostly hid under bushes while he was "hiking". Sparky cried a lot and cussed at the fire-ant hills, but did stick with us through the whole way. :)We are about to get back in the truck and make our way to Albuquerque to meet up with one of Alex's fraternity brothers for a late dinner, and then we have a very long day the next day so we can make it to Columbia by the 14th! Look for more pictures to be put up while we're on the road.
Monday, June 11, 2007
freeways, desert, and ... more desert
Just a little FYI, both Melissa and Alex write this blog, thus the third-person all the time.
Alex is vastly impressed with himself today for having survived the dreaded Southern California Freeway System. Bonus points were awarded for driving a 5-ton vehicle AND obeying the speed limit (mostly) while everyone else drove like maniacs. This morning's attempted escape of LA county was a success despite (because of?) Melissa's pitched battle with the "groggy" GPS. We have determined that all roads (except one) lead directly back to LA, which turns out to be the reason so many people reside there. They can't find their way out! At least, that is the only theory that makes sense to us (with the exception of a small oasis of goodness called Costa Mesa).
The comparison of photos from Oregon to California is still pending. We have picked the photos, but inertia has us in its clutches. Patience is requested of those on the edge of their seats.
As for now, we are currently witnessing the "splendor" that is the Mojave National Preserve. It is such a wonderful thing to have a drastic change in scenery. OK, enough sarcasm, to the right is what we are currently seeing lots and lots of.
The incredible thing is that we're able to post in the middle of nowhere. Below is a screen shot of the GPS illustrating the middle-of-nowhere-ness.
We've had enough North/South movement, and we're happy to finally be really moving Eastward!We'll resume Northward when we see some Appalachians.
In closing, Alex noticed a strange sort of tree growing in the desert and thinks it might have something to do with the wonderful Internet connection...
Alex is vastly impressed with himself today for having survived the dreaded Southern California Freeway System. Bonus points were awarded for driving a 5-ton vehicle AND obeying the speed limit (mostly) while everyone else drove like maniacs. This morning's attempted escape of LA county was a success despite (because of?) Melissa's pitched battle with the "groggy" GPS. We have determined that all roads (except one) lead directly back to LA, which turns out to be the reason so many people reside there. They can't find their way out! At least, that is the only theory that makes sense to us (with the exception of a small oasis of goodness called Costa Mesa).
The comparison of photos from Oregon to California is still pending. We have picked the photos, but inertia has us in its clutches. Patience is requested of those on the edge of their seats.
As for now, we are currently witnessing the "splendor" that is the Mojave National Preserve. It is such a wonderful thing to have a drastic change in scenery. OK, enough sarcasm, to the right is what we are currently seeing lots and lots of.The incredible thing is that we're able to post in the middle of nowhere. Below is a screen shot of the GPS illustrating the middle-of-nowhere-ness.
We've had enough North/South movement, and we're happy to finally be really moving Eastward!We'll resume Northward when we see some Appalachians.
In closing, Alex noticed a strange sort of tree growing in the desert and thinks it might have something to do with the wonderful Internet connection...
Sunday, June 10, 2007
We're in Costa Mesa
We got to Grandma Mardell's around 3:30 this afternoon!
She took us out to a great dinner at Souplantation, which is a salad and soup bar. They had the best sourdough bread we've ever tasted. They also had delicious strawberry lemonade and brownies with ice cream and lots of extras on top. Yum! We will be hunting for this restaurant elsewhere. It doesn't exist on the East Coast, so we'll have to get our fill on the way over.
We also showed Mardell all the pictures we've taken so far, plotted out the ne
xt few days of our journey, and had a grand tour of all the quilts in the house (which Melissa was very interested in). This is her favorite:Unfortunately, Alex's aunt Cyn has already claimed it (darn!), so Melissa will have to try making her own. There were many more quilts, but all the pictures wouldn't fit here! Mardell has even more on a CD somewhere that she's looking for right now. Alex has been tinkering with Mardell's computer settings to make the computer a little more streamlined for her.
Tomorrow morning around 4:00 or 5:00 AM we will be having breakfast, at least partially from Mardell's yard. She is v
ery graciously going to be up to help us get out of the house in time to make it all the way to Arizona by tomorrow evening! Melissa's grandmother lives out on a mesa in the beautiful countryside, so we're looking forward to many more pictures of that. Melissa remembers a donkey that used to live down the hill from Grammy Barbara's house, and is wondering whether he's still there. She and it used to "haw" at each other, because the donkey was strangely deficient in "hee"s. :)
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