Everyone is on the verge of a meltdown. I have more things due next week than I really care to think about and I'll probably spend most of this weekend working on them. I'd like to actually complete all course requirements this year and just be done! Graduation is in two weeks, and though I still have a teeny bit of work to do before I officially get my diploma, I'm so close I can taste it!
Also fun is that this summer is shaping up to be filled with traveling and visitors. My parents are coming for graduation, then I'm going to Reno for my brother's graduation shortly after that, then we have a possible trip to Northern Nevada with Peter's family, then Peter's family is coming here, then we go to ALASKA!!! Very exciting. We haven't traveled very much at all in the past few years, and we (I) have missed it. Be sure, I will be taking a LOT of pictures (especially in Alaska), and hopefully I will get some of them posted here.
It's very hard to write a 10 page paper on hereditary neurological deafness when I can daydream about all our fun trips!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Super busy weekend
Remember how weekends are supposed to be the time you get to relax and unwind from the stress of the week? Yeah, me neither. Today, when I was eating my lunch at 4 PM at work, my boss said, "Hey, you do know it's Sunday, right?" Yeah, I'd almost forgotten :-)
Yesterday was Earth Day, so this being Boulder, we expected it to be a city-wide holiday. Sadly, we quickly realized that in Boulder, they must subscribe to the "Every day is Earth Day" philosophy. In Reno (not the hippy-est town), Earth Day was huge, with GIANT tents with dozens of cool vendors, live music and everything to make a good festival. And it's not that Boulder can't throw a good fete. In May or June, Boulder's Creek Festival is amazing, with more vendors than Reno's Earth Day and lots and lots of activities. So with these facts in mind, we set out Saturday morning to the farmer's market, which is right next to where most Boulder festivals take place. Last week, there was a big "save the planet" rally there, so naturally we expected something this weekend (the actual weekend of Earth Day).
Last weekend:
Hug your mother:
This weekend:
Yesterday was Earth Day, so this being Boulder, we expected it to be a city-wide holiday. Sadly, we quickly realized that in Boulder, they must subscribe to the "Every day is Earth Day" philosophy. In Reno (not the hippy-est town), Earth Day was huge, with GIANT tents with dozens of cool vendors, live music and everything to make a good festival. And it's not that Boulder can't throw a good fete. In May or June, Boulder's Creek Festival is amazing, with more vendors than Reno's Earth Day and lots and lots of activities. So with these facts in mind, we set out Saturday morning to the farmer's market, which is right next to where most Boulder festivals take place. Last week, there was a big "save the planet" rally there, so naturally we expected something this weekend (the actual weekend of Earth Day).
Last weekend:
Hug your mother:
This weekend:Crickets chirp...
So while we bought some lovely fresh food at the farmer's market, we had no Earth Day. Since this is practically Peter's favorite holiday, we tracked down the "main" action. It was at NCAR, which we'd often heard about and could see up on the hill from town, but had never been to. All I knew was that it was designed by I.M. Pei, which makes it important. While the Earth Day stuff was a bust (I think we were the only people there without kids and it showed, though the exhibits were cool if you DID have kids), the going-there was great. The view is incredible and the location can't be beat. There are beautiful trails all around that are more easily accessible than some of our other favorites. We will definitely be bringing visitors there now, especially if they like science, since they have some great weather exhibits in the public lobby.
"Fly fishing" under the Flatirons:
After that, we accidentally found out about "Astronomy Day" at the CU Planetarium. I'd been in there for a lab once, but Peter had never been there. We were in for a cool experience.
The planetarium had just recently acquired a "Science on a Sphere" exhibit, of which there are apparently only two in the world right now. It's basically a huge floating spherical screen that has four projectors projecting images of planets, moons, and pretty much anything else onto it. The system makes the images rotate, which makes the sphere look like it's rotating itself. It's incredibly beautiful and amazing to see the individual craters on the face of one of Jupiter's moons so clearly. Here's a video that sort of shows it, but it is much, much cooler in person. If you get the chance to see one of these, definitely do.
Sunday was even busier for me, but it was mostly work stuff. We did get to see our friend Kris perform in one of her clarinet recitals for her PhD in music, which was incredible. If you are a music buff on a budget near a university, try to find out when recitals are. The talent was incredible, it was totally free and I think things like this happen all the time.
Hope everyone else had a nice weekend!
So while we bought some lovely fresh food at the farmer's market, we had no Earth Day. Since this is practically Peter's favorite holiday, we tracked down the "main" action. It was at NCAR, which we'd often heard about and could see up on the hill from town, but had never been to. All I knew was that it was designed by I.M. Pei, which makes it important. While the Earth Day stuff was a bust (I think we were the only people there without kids and it showed, though the exhibits were cool if you DID have kids), the going-there was great. The view is incredible and the location can't be beat. There are beautiful trails all around that are more easily accessible than some of our other favorites. We will definitely be bringing visitors there now, especially if they like science, since they have some great weather exhibits in the public lobby.
"Fly fishing" under the Flatirons:
After that, we accidentally found out about "Astronomy Day" at the CU Planetarium. I'd been in there for a lab once, but Peter had never been there. We were in for a cool experience.
The planetarium had just recently acquired a "Science on a Sphere" exhibit, of which there are apparently only two in the world right now. It's basically a huge floating spherical screen that has four projectors projecting images of planets, moons, and pretty much anything else onto it. The system makes the images rotate, which makes the sphere look like it's rotating itself. It's incredibly beautiful and amazing to see the individual craters on the face of one of Jupiter's moons so clearly. Here's a video that sort of shows it, but it is much, much cooler in person. If you get the chance to see one of these, definitely do.
Sunday was even busier for me, but it was mostly work stuff. We did get to see our friend Kris perform in one of her clarinet recitals for her PhD in music, which was incredible. If you are a music buff on a budget near a university, try to find out when recitals are. The talent was incredible, it was totally free and I think things like this happen all the time.
Hope everyone else had a nice weekend!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Spring snow tomorrow?
That's what the forecasters are saying. Apparently, we could get up to a foot of snow by tomorrow evening, which makes me sad. All the flowers and trees are blooming, unaware that their effort will shortly be buried under snow. I guess I can't blame them, as the early bloomers tried last week and got snowed on, then frozen under sleet. As soon as the weather cleared and the temperatures warmed again, anything that hadn't bloomed before furiously worked on the task. So now the campus is filled with flowers of all kinds and I feel compelled to photograph them all. I love taking flower macros, and now that we've been here long enough to experience all the seasons, I've learned that I really have to seize the day, for they may not be here tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
R.I.P.
Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. The world has lost someone very unique and our culture has lost an important voice. I am very sad. I've read and loved many, many of his crazy books. I always thought of him as immortal, but at least his words are.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Honeymoonin'
Yay!!!!! At long last, we are taking our belated honeymoon! When we were planning our wedding for August of 2005, little did we know that I would be starting my new MA program just a week after our wedding date, several hundred miles away. We picked up the moving van the day after the wedding, so needless to say, our honeymoon had to be delayed.
Fast forward to now, and we are finally taking it! We had talked about Iceland, Costa Rica, Europe and other places as well, but thanks to some free tickets from my wonderful parents, we are going to our 45th state together: Alaska! Neither of us have ever been before, but we've heard such wonderful things about it from friends and family who've been.
Yesterday, we booked all the basic/important stuff. We have the place tickets, the ferry tickets (the Alaska Marine Highway, AKA a ghetto cruise, but actually it's supposed to be way better than a regular cruise and WAY cheaper), and even our car rental. Now I just can't wait for the semester to be over so we can see some gorgeous stuff! I'm planning on taking a TON of pictures and we are figuring out how to rig stuff so that we can upload our pictures to our iPod so we can clear out the memory cards. So exciting!!
Fast forward to now, and we are finally taking it! We had talked about Iceland, Costa Rica, Europe and other places as well, but thanks to some free tickets from my wonderful parents, we are going to our 45th state together: Alaska! Neither of us have ever been before, but we've heard such wonderful things about it from friends and family who've been.
Yesterday, we booked all the basic/important stuff. We have the place tickets, the ferry tickets (the Alaska Marine Highway, AKA a ghetto cruise, but actually it's supposed to be way better than a regular cruise and WAY cheaper), and even our car rental. Now I just can't wait for the semester to be over so we can see some gorgeous stuff! I'm planning on taking a TON of pictures and we are figuring out how to rig stuff so that we can upload our pictures to our iPod so we can clear out the memory cards. So exciting!!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Easter Party 2.0
Today we had our second annual Easter brunch (yes, I'm aware we were a day early, but that's how the fates aligned this year). Last year, we had an easter egg hunt in our living room, a bunch of great people, good food and a ton of fun. Part of me was a little worried this year wouldn't live up to last year's fiesta (it was the only party we had that people still talked about months after the fact). Would people be too busy on Saturday? How could we top last year's egg hunt?
Thankfully, I needn't have worried. We have awesome friends and the weather was extra crappy, so I guess we were the best thing going :-) That, and Peter had plans to expand the hunt considerably. I accidentally bought way more eggs than he had planned (they were on sale!), so we had 103 and a half eggs to hide in our rather small apartment living room. Amazingly, it wasn't that hard at all and we could have hid many more quite easily (next year, Gadget, next year).
Thanks to my sell-out video, I learned how easy and fun stop-motion movies are, so I decided to make this my next project. Want to see how crazy 20 people hunting for 100 eggs in 250 square feet is? Check out the video:
Looks like fun, huh? Join us next year when we hide 200 (or more?) eggs!
Thankfully, I needn't have worried. We have awesome friends and the weather was extra crappy, so I guess we were the best thing going :-) That, and Peter had plans to expand the hunt considerably. I accidentally bought way more eggs than he had planned (they were on sale!), so we had 103 and a half eggs to hide in our rather small apartment living room. Amazingly, it wasn't that hard at all and we could have hid many more quite easily (next year, Gadget, next year).
Thanks to my sell-out video, I learned how easy and fun stop-motion movies are, so I decided to make this my next project. Want to see how crazy 20 people hunting for 100 eggs in 250 square feet is? Check out the video:
Looks like fun, huh? Join us next year when we hide 200 (or more?) eggs!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Holy crap!!!
I juts got the email that said I passed my comprehensive exam! I really thought I was going to get called in for oral exams, and I'm not really sure why I didn't, but I'm happy!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Luxury
The past few days have been heavenly. I've done pretty much nothing, or only exactly what I want to do. It all ends tomorrow, but I've certainly enjoyed the time I've had. I like working hard, but I also like doing *nothing* really productive when possible (like most people, I'm sure). Today I was thinking about when I was a kid; I couldn't understand the concept of adults liking work. I would hear people talk about feeling productive like it was a good feeling and all I could think about was, "How is this better than playing? If you have the chance to play and choose to 'feel productive,' how is that good or fun or even remotely preferable?" I understand it now, though I'm not sure exactly when that transition took place. I can only "play" for a few days now before I start feeling restless and need to be productive. In fact, many of the things I do for fun are actually productive in some sense (or at least give me the feeling of being productive). I like making movies, taking pictures, writing blogs. Even getting through more of my Netflix queue makes me feel good in that I feel like I've accomplished something by taking three more movies off my list.
Some people lament this change from the days when playing pretend in a field was all we needed to be fulfilled. I think it's just a necessary step for a functioning society. If no one ever derived any satisfaction from a job well done (or even a job simply done), would anything ever get done? And if things did get done, would anyone ever be happy? I think it's good to enjoy doing work, but it's also good to play pretend once in a while.
Some people lament this change from the days when playing pretend in a field was all we needed to be fulfilled. I think it's just a necessary step for a functioning society. If no one ever derived any satisfaction from a job well done (or even a job simply done), would anything ever get done? And if things did get done, would anyone ever be happy? I think it's good to enjoy doing work, but it's also good to play pretend once in a while.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Sold Out
I do polls sometimes for Harris Poll. Not to get any money, since I've never won the "sweepstakes" they always claim they have, but because I can earn points for overpriced prizes with very little effort. A week or so ago, I filled out yet another survey, only this one asked to call me with a follow up. Sure! Why not? So I get the call this week, and they want to pay me real money ($75!) to make a short movie about how I use media in my life (more or less). I just have to sign something and upload the video to their website. Fine. I sure could use $75 and I can make a 1-2 minute video, no prob. Before I get the contract to sign, I'm thinking about what it might say. For SURE I think it's gonna say they get the rights to my masterpiece. So I think, well, I'll just do a half-assed job; it's not like my $75 depends on it actually being GOOD! Especially if they broadcast this shize on CNN or something (I think that's one of the sponsors of this poll).
I get the contract, sho 'nuff, I have to waive all my "moral rights" to my video. And TimeWarner can show my video "without limitation throughout the universe in perpetuity by any and all means now known or hereafter discovered..." and I won't ever get more than my $75, even if my video rocks the foundations of civilization as we know it. OK, so I just make a crappy video, right? Yeah. I wish I could. Now the video I've made is so cool, I want to make a *practically* identical video so I can show all my friends. Cuz it's pretty cool. If you are near me, or are related to me, or otherwise want to see this video, let me know and I will figure out a non-illegal way to show you (read: no YouTubing it for me on this bad boy. It's totally right in the contract).
Man. I sold my creative soul for $75. Ah well, now we know my going price.
I get the contract, sho 'nuff, I have to waive all my "moral rights" to my video. And TimeWarner can show my video "without limitation throughout the universe in perpetuity by any and all means now known or hereafter discovered..." and I won't ever get more than my $75, even if my video rocks the foundations of civilization as we know it. OK, so I just make a crappy video, right? Yeah. I wish I could. Now the video I've made is so cool, I want to make a *practically* identical video so I can show all my friends. Cuz it's pretty cool. If you are near me, or are related to me, or otherwise want to see this video, let me know and I will figure out a non-illegal way to show you (read: no YouTubing it for me on this bad boy. It's totally right in the contract).
Man. I sold my creative soul for $75. Ah well, now we know my going price.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
It's all good
I took my comprehensive exam for my Master's degree on Friday. Phew! I'm just glad it's over and I can let my brain relax a bit. Last week, I had two other major tests in addition to the comps; I honestly don't think my brain has ever been that full before. This week is Spring Break, so I've just been trying to decompress, catch up on the little things around the house I've been neglecting, and just take advantage of the eye of the storm. One of the things I want to do with this time off is post a bit more to this blog :-)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Overloading Cute Overlaod
Like Cute Overload, but wish there were more puppies? Me too. Enter The Daily Puppy, uber puppy goodness. Check out the videos too. Try not to squeal so loudly you wake the neighbors.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Awesome Video
If you've ever wondered what a man getting chased by a cartload of monkeys would look like, here's your chance to find out. (Oh, and definitely check out the first link. Guaranteed for at least five minutes of fun and wonder at our crazy language).
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Taste of Spring
Also inspiring me photographically is Threadless. I've blogged about this great site before, but they are having another sale, so last night I went on a shopping spree (well, a spree for us, anyway). They have a thing where you get credit for taking pictures of yourself wearing their shirts, and you get more credit if they love your picture, so I've been trying to think of some really creative, pretty ideas for compositions. My biggest obstacles are: free time while there's still daylight, free time in general, and a photographer. Since I have to be in the picture (wearing the shirt), it may be hard to get the results I want with someone else shooting. It's not like I have anything too fancy-shmance in mind, but I do have something in mind, you know?
Anyway, that brings me to what I've been thinking about more lately. I need to do more posed photographing of people. I'm a crappy people photographer right now and I'd like to change that. All I need are some willing subjects. Any takers?
Here are some portraits or a more (or less) willing subject:
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Finally Counting My Chickens
I got into the Speech Pathology MA program! I had been hoping I would (obvs.) and had hear from many other people that "of course I would get in," but I really didn't want to bet on it. Now I just have to pass Comps to actually get *this* MA (less than three weeks!), and finish this semester. I was freaking out about the course load for the new program, but I looked again, added up the credit hours, and it seems like it will be much more manageable than I had feared. I might even be able to take some extra classes and be done earlier (maybe). Yay for knowing what's in store!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
All Good Things
Our lovely streak of lovely weather came to a crashinghalt this morning (literally). I had been starting to feel nervous and on edge about the nice weather; I knew we were living on borrowed time with all the bike rides and weekends that didn't have snow. This morning as I left the apartment for my 8 AM class, it had just started sprinkling snow. It wasn't realy sticking much yet and our outdoor thermometer said it was only 35 or so, so I risked it with just a scarf, though I did wear my heaviest wool jacket. Thank goodness I did, because by the time I started hiking up the hill 4 minutes from our front door, the snow was really starting to come down, with the wind gently blowing it into every crevice of my scarf, jacket and backpack. Even when I got to class, there was barely a thin layer of snow on the sidewalks.
When we came out of class two hours later, though, it was a different story. Two or three inches had fallen in that time and it was still coming down. I only wore sneakers (because it was just a light snow), so I had to be extra careful with the snowdrifts and piles of slush pounded under hundreds of Ugg-booted feet. The snow caused the predictable problems with buses, driving and general mood, but luckily both of us only needed to walk places today. *Sigh* Oh well, at least this winter is going to make for a REALLY appreciated Spring!
When we came out of class two hours later, though, it was a different story. Two or three inches had fallen in that time and it was still coming down. I only wore sneakers (because it was just a light snow), so I had to be extra careful with the snowdrifts and piles of slush pounded under hundreds of Ugg-booted feet. The snow caused the predictable problems with buses, driving and general mood, but luckily both of us only needed to walk places today. *Sigh* Oh well, at least this winter is going to make for a REALLY appreciated Spring!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Another reason I love Apple
Peter bought a refurbished video iPod a month ago (a Christmas present from his parents), but he noticed that it basically would only hold a charge for 15 minutes before completely conking out. 12 hours of charging for 15 minutes is not cool, people. He just wanted to return the damn thing and be done with it. Only problem was, he couldn't just return it for a full refund unless it totally didn't work from the moment he opened the box. After a frustrating afternoon on the phone with the tech support people, he found out he could supposedly take his iPod (refurbished, remember, so much much cheaper than a new one) to the Apple store in town and trade it in for a new (non-refurbished) one. Seemed too good to be true! But he went in and sure enough, got a new iPod. We'll just have to see how this one works :-) I have the (non-video) iPod he gave me 2 1/2 years ago, and it still works quite well. Sure, I don't listen to it for hours on end, but it serves me well as I walk to and from class every day. Thank God for podcasts!
In other tech news, but without the happy ending so far, we got the "Watch Now" feature activated on our Netflix account (yay!) so we can theoretically watch movies at home anytime we want through the magical Interwebs. The program doesn't work on Macs yet (boo), but we have Peter's laptop hooked up to our nice big TV (yay!). But I've so far only had mixed success getting movies to play. Plus, no subtitles and the kind of jumpy, non-DVD quality you get from internet movies. People who think the future is entirely streamed video content seem to forget that even with very high quality internet (like we have here for free, but which usually costs a lot), so far you still can't touch the quality of a DVD. Until they really refine the process (I'm thinking chapters, subtitles, and maybe extras), I'd much rather see movies I really want to see on DVD. I'm even willing to wait a whole day or two to get it.
In other tech news, but without the happy ending so far, we got the "Watch Now" feature activated on our Netflix account (yay!) so we can theoretically watch movies at home anytime we want through the magical Interwebs. The program doesn't work on Macs yet (boo), but we have Peter's laptop hooked up to our nice big TV (yay!). But I've so far only had mixed success getting movies to play. Plus, no subtitles and the kind of jumpy, non-DVD quality you get from internet movies. People who think the future is entirely streamed video content seem to forget that even with very high quality internet (like we have here for free, but which usually costs a lot), so far you still can't touch the quality of a DVD. Until they really refine the process (I'm thinking chapters, subtitles, and maybe extras), I'd much rather see movies I really want to see on DVD. I'm even willing to wait a whole day or two to get it.
Scenes from the Boulder Bike Path
I took Bluebell out for an inaugural ride yesterday, taking advantage of an unexpectedly free afternoon and the nice weather before the next blizzard was supposed to hit (though it didn't, yay!). As I rode, I saw the usual characters: the bikers in racing gear, with fancy road bikes that cost 300 times as much as Bluebell (at least), eyes hidden behind metallic reflective sunglasses; bikers on mountain bikes or garage-sale beaters who are using the path to get from one place to another, usually riding either at a leisurely pace or standing up to pedal furiously; the runners of all kinds and speeds dressed in clothes that would make a less active person freeze; and the townfolk out for a stroll, maybe in pairs or singly, generally seen outfitted in some kind of high-tech, brand-name outdoor wear.
I also saw some unusual people. I rode behind a trio of girls, junior high-age, who blithely took up the width of the path (unheard of etiquette on the usually very busy path). They were goofing off, lifting up their legs as they coasted, weaving in and out between one another and generally enjoying the lovely afternoon, free from the fetters of school, homework, chores, and anything else that could tie these free spirits down. I was so strongly reminded on my own childhood friends and the beautiful bonds that we shared. I then remembered exactly why they make movies about those kinds of relationships: they are lovely, fleeting as childhood, and very rose-colored. I hope they can carry that lightness I saw in them into high school, puberty and beyond.
The other, extremely odd sight I was treated spurred my curiosity more than my reminiscing. It was a middle-aged man, maybe young 40s, dressed in a fleece vest over a long sleeved shirt, wearing khakis or slacks, clearly dressed for a stroll along the path, running at absolute top speed. His red cheeks were puffing, his fleece vest bouncing up and down over his heavier-than-Boulder stomach, and his arms and legs were pumping as he literally sprinted past me. What on Earth was he up to? Was he a visitor walking the path who felt shamed by all the runners and other athletic types zipping past him? Was he an engineer at the nearby lab who suddenly remembered he forgot to turn off his nuclear oven? Did he get a life or death phone call on his cell phone? My mind spun with possible scenarios, but sadly, he was running far to fast in the opposite direction for me to ever find out.
I also saw some unusual people. I rode behind a trio of girls, junior high-age, who blithely took up the width of the path (unheard of etiquette on the usually very busy path). They were goofing off, lifting up their legs as they coasted, weaving in and out between one another and generally enjoying the lovely afternoon, free from the fetters of school, homework, chores, and anything else that could tie these free spirits down. I was so strongly reminded on my own childhood friends and the beautiful bonds that we shared. I then remembered exactly why they make movies about those kinds of relationships: they are lovely, fleeting as childhood, and very rose-colored. I hope they can carry that lightness I saw in them into high school, puberty and beyond.
The other, extremely odd sight I was treated spurred my curiosity more than my reminiscing. It was a middle-aged man, maybe young 40s, dressed in a fleece vest over a long sleeved shirt, wearing khakis or slacks, clearly dressed for a stroll along the path, running at absolute top speed. His red cheeks were puffing, his fleece vest bouncing up and down over his heavier-than-Boulder stomach, and his arms and legs were pumping as he literally sprinted past me. What on Earth was he up to? Was he a visitor walking the path who felt shamed by all the runners and other athletic types zipping past him? Was he an engineer at the nearby lab who suddenly remembered he forgot to turn off his nuclear oven? Did he get a life or death phone call on his cell phone? My mind spun with possible scenarios, but sadly, he was running far to fast in the opposite direction for me to ever find out.
Coming up for air
Sorry for the long down time between posts. This past week was even busier than usual, thanks to putting in about twice my usual hours at one of my part-time jobs.
Good news:
Peter has a bike, but if we want to go out together, he has to run while I ride the bike (we'd go 50 feet if it were the other way around). We'd talked about getting another bike for me, but we didn't want to spend as much as a new bike, or even a good used one, would have cost for something I might use a few times a month. Until Monday. Peter scored this beauty:
Guess how much? $6.50! OK, it didn't have a chain then, but even with a new chain (at less than $20, with installation), it's still the deal of the century! I've named her Bluebell and she is very fun. She's a little on the small side for my daddy-long-legs, but we're going to see if we can get a taller seat post so my legs aren't perma-bent. Compared to Peter's mountain bike, she's super fast and really light. I love the lightness because we live on the third floor, and I always struggled carrying the mountain bike up three floors of stairs after a long bike ride.
And now we can go on bike rides together!
Let's see, what else? We went to see Jeff Corwin a few weeks ago, but I forgot to blog about it. We're settling in to our schedules, but it's hard to get used to seeing each other for only a few hours a day when we usually were able to spend most days together (even if we were both just doing homework). The weather has been fantastic, giving everyone a lovely taste of spring, but we've lived through enough of this winter to get nervous if the weather is nice for too long. We don't want to get our hopes up because Mother Nature will just squash them under three more feet of snow. But this stretch melted almost all the snow! There are still a few black icebergs on those streets that never see sunlight, but those are generally avoidable.
Come on, Spring! We're more than ready for you!
Good news:
Peter has a bike, but if we want to go out together, he has to run while I ride the bike (we'd go 50 feet if it were the other way around). We'd talked about getting another bike for me, but we didn't want to spend as much as a new bike, or even a good used one, would have cost for something I might use a few times a month. Until Monday. Peter scored this beauty:
Guess how much? $6.50! OK, it didn't have a chain then, but even with a new chain (at less than $20, with installation), it's still the deal of the century! I've named her Bluebell and she is very fun. She's a little on the small side for my daddy-long-legs, but we're going to see if we can get a taller seat post so my legs aren't perma-bent. Compared to Peter's mountain bike, she's super fast and really light. I love the lightness because we live on the third floor, and I always struggled carrying the mountain bike up three floors of stairs after a long bike ride.And now we can go on bike rides together!
Let's see, what else? We went to see Jeff Corwin a few weeks ago, but I forgot to blog about it. We're settling in to our schedules, but it's hard to get used to seeing each other for only a few hours a day when we usually were able to spend most days together (even if we were both just doing homework). The weather has been fantastic, giving everyone a lovely taste of spring, but we've lived through enough of this winter to get nervous if the weather is nice for too long. We don't want to get our hopes up because Mother Nature will just squash them under three more feet of snow. But this stretch melted almost all the snow! There are still a few black icebergs on those streets that never see sunlight, but those are generally avoidable.
Come on, Spring! We're more than ready for you!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
New toys
So, we are definitely delaying the new computer purchase until June, when (hopefully) the new Mac OS will be released, along with (hopefully) the new iLife. To make life bearable until then, we got the new RAM chip in my Mac, and today, we bought a simple little device that will make Peter's tiny laptop much more functional. To wit, Peter set up the laptop to plug into our LCD TV screen, increasing the screen size from about 10" to 32" (not to mention the fact that his laptop screen is dim to begin with, because it's a different kind of screen you can use in sunlight). So there's that, but then we bought a wireless keyboard and laptop so we can sit on the couch and use the TV/computer like true couch potatoes. Much comfier and easier to see. That should last us till June, right?
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