Pottery EXPLOSION by Rose

Jet & MB

2010-04-29T08:03:00.001-04:00

Corny engagement photo!!!!!!!

my cute boyfriend with flowers and a funny face

2010-04-21T22:59:00.000-04:00

the title says it all.

Juliet is a Running Machine

2010-04-15T19:32:00.003-04:00

Juliet ran her first half marathon on Sunday.

She basically rocked it.

By freak accident, I was unable to capture her triumphant cross through the finish line.

However, by zero coincidence, I WAS able to capture her hilarious start. Rose + camera + Juliet = funny faces.

Texture is da bomb

2010-04-15T09:26:00.002-04:00

This was a fun one. One evening I was walking along the Charles River trying to take some pictures of the sunset against these HUGE trees that line the road near Harvard. I often drive home along that route and see the beautiful orange glare on the huge trunks in this beautiful line and wanted to capture it on camera.

I didnt get to capture it, the light sucked somehow. And the angle was off unless I tried walking in the middle of the [very busy] road.

I ended up walking back home but turned around to see THIS amazing sky, with seeminly 3-4 layers of textured and colored clouds. OK I'll take this as a consolation prize :)

aaaaand I'm back. As photorose.

2010-04-13T21:41:00.004-04:00

Hi. Back in creative mode, but this time it's not clay, it's digital photogtasticness.

re-exposed to the wonders of imaging via my bf Eli, I decided to get a fancy new digital SLR. and SHAZAAM:

A portrait of my dad, 4/11/10. He wanted me to take some fancy pictures of him for his website, but I like this one more than the more formal ones. You can see he's smiling from his eyes... :)

HI DAD.

oh. hi.

2009-06-22T22:45:00.003-04:00

oh! hi! how are you?

So... yeah, sorry about the lack of updates on my normal-life-that-you-all-seem-to-think-is-interesting-or-else-why-would-you-read-this.

The last six weeks, in poetic form:

'puter broke my hands
could not type for many weeks
now with voice software

*bow*

Art acquisition, 5 years in the making

2009-05-08T07:09:00.004-04:00

I bought some new art...

...I'm pretty ecstatic about it.

This isn't just any old piece of art...

...it is a copper wire screen that has been picked and poked to form the shape of a woman...

...and I love it.

5 years ago I was in New York and walking by the Met - there are always many artists displaying their wears along the park there. I stopped at one display that was particularly good, it was a man making 3d shapes out of metal window screens. It was beautiful. I wanted to buy something, and even talked prices with him for a bit, but didnt have enough cash and was running late to catch my bus back to Boston. Ever since then, I have deeply regretted not buying one of his pieces.

This weekend Lindsay invited me to walk with her to the Harvard Square Mayfair. After sampling some free fudge and fighting through the crowds, I saw an artist booth - with 3d metal screen sculptures. I went up to the artist, "Years ago I saw something like this next to the Met in NY..." "yes, that was me."

DESTINY

I immediately purchased a piece. And yes, I was sure to get his contact info and website. Pete Smith of Burlington VT, I <3 your work.

my beautiful mom

2009-05-03T21:30:00.006-04:00

I know mothers day is a week away, but oh well

This is a portrait that my parents photoshop teacher did of them. I guess she used a few photos of them as reference and then created this picture as a painting in photoshop. It is beautiful. You can tell my mom was a total fox when she was younger - she is still quite beautiful.

My friend Lindsay pointed out that she looks a LOT like the actress Glenne Headly. Never realized it, but she's very right. I hope I inherit some of both of their excellent non-aging qualities :)

Twitter celebrity and careless stinkers

2009-04-29T22:18:00.002-04:00

one of the more emotional-rollercoastery days on record. I shall ellaborate in numbered form, per the usual:

I actually got up when my alarm went off. Lately I've been pressing snooze a lot, but there was something about this day... I think I knew it would be a weird one.
As any other day in the last several months, I checked my ever-growing twitter feed on my open/professional/general account (@rosegrabowski) and saw a funny post from an important person in the Search / SEO/ Google world. I am one of his >22,000 followers. I re-tweeted and added my own commentary

mattcutts I can't stop watching this 7 second video: http://bit.ly/kXsde
rosegrabowski 7 seconds of physics bliss. nerdily brings me back to the happy days of AP Physics & the right hand rule http://bit.ly/vd2ls (RT @mattcutts)
mattcutts@rosegrabowski AP Physics FTW :)

wait, WTF??? he replied to me, apparently he likes my nerdyness (FTW=for the win.) But the best part... he then proceeded to ADD ME TO THE PEOPLE HE FOLLOWS. and you know how many people that is? 116. Or, now it's 117.

This is a big deal. I have no idea why this guy, who is kind of a big deal at google, would follow me. But with great power comes great responsibility. I.e. I have to be careful what I tweet now, or my superiors at work might get angry :)
So that was cool.
Yup, that was cooler than meeting Ben Affleck this weekend. And more lasting (now I have a direct line into Matt Cutts' computer. holy god.) I was giddy and blushing (who the crap AM I? super nerd, thats who.)
I came home from work and on my kitchen table was a bowl of yogurt. Just sitting there. and I smelled coffee... because the coffee pot was still on. And the crud was burnt to the bottom of the carafe. My first thought was that maybe my sister was abducted suddenly from the house. Then I remembered her boyfriend was here. Michael, I know you try - but I shall continue to passive-aggresively call out acts of carelessness through my blog on an as-needed basis. Sorry :)
I ran off to the grocery to get some food stuffs for grilling tomorrow (yay! more grilling!) As I backed out of the parking spot into the general part of the lot, I looked behind me and saw someone else getting into their car behind. I figured he'd, you know, at least look to see I was backing out. I slowly moved, and just as I was about to go from R to D, I looked and saw him BACKING UP INTO ME. I beeped as harshly as possible, but to no avail. The idiot must not have looked in his rearview at all w/in 15 seconds of moving. He hit my bumper, I didnt see any damage but I still yelled at him. Or, kind of raised my voice. I dont yell. BUT I F*ING WANTED TO.

what a weird day... these orange popsicles I bought at the grocery should help keep me calm :)

Ok, officially love grilling

2009-04-27T23:18:00.009-04:00

I did some grilling today...

... it was, in a word, delicious.

I am pretty glad that we picked an apartment with a backyard and a grill.

Because, as it turns out, everything tastes better grilled.

I made some asparagus, just drizzled with olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, and then splashed with a little lime juice after. Umm, heaven. I ate most of it before remembering to take a picture of it in the serving bowl.

I then stuck on a pattie that I had grilled on Saturday (half turkey meat, half beef. when I think about it, the idea of mixing their flesh is super weird. but it was still tasty) and made a little sandwich while I put on the zucchini.

mmmmmmm zucchini. As a child I thought this was gross.

Now I think it is divine.

HAPPY MONDAY!

Easter peeps (poops)

2009-04-22T22:01:00.004-04:00

I made marshmallow easter peeps last weekend.

They looked more like easter poops.

After much experimentation I was able to form some moderately human-looking peeps

so I had marshmallow people and their poops. HAPPY EASTER!

My Mosaic Matrix

2009-04-15T22:57:00.002-04:00

a new facebook chain, but i figure this is a more polite forum. enjoy

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
b. Pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3 (http://bighugelabs.com/fl

ickr/mosaic.php).

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your favorite color?
4. Favorite drink?
5. Dream vacation?
6. Favorite hobby?
7. What you want to be when you grow up?
8. What do you love most in life?
9. One word to describe you?

anyone care to guess what words I used? :) Hint: #1=Rose. PSYCH.

Salsa Stories

2009-04-12T17:51:00.003-04:00

I went salsa dancing again Friday - that's 3 times in 2 weeks. I'm already a LOT better. Before this I had gone to Havana Club (3 blocks from where I live) only every 4-6 months, but I still remember some of the people I'd seen a few times. Turns out some of them remember me too.

This guy (turns out his name was Ivan) asked me to dance, and when I looked up at him I said "Hey, I know you!"
Ivan: "yes, last time we danced I disrobed you!"
Rose: *long pause* *more pausing* "OH THAT WAS YOU!?!?"
(took me a few seconds, but I finally remembered the time we were dancing and I was wearing a wrap dress - at one point he was turning me, and his hand accidentally caught in the loop tie at my waist, pulling the tie out. I caught it before my dress flashed open, but it was a hilarious moment.)
Ivan: "haha yes, that was me. I tell that story sometimes, it was very funny."

Glad we both had a sense of humor about it :) (and glad I learned my lesson, I never wear that dress out dancing any more!)

Happy Birthday to three important women

2009-04-08T23:50:00.003-04:00

MITRA happy birthday (4/4,) miss you love you.

JULIET happy birthday (4/5.) Umm go away.

HOLLY happy birthday (4/8) miss you love you!

in other news, this is how I feel sometimes:

nataliedee.com

Random list of thoughts - ice cream, mysterious pains, salsa

2009-04-01T22:48:00.003-04:00

I realized recently I probably consume 10% of my calories via ice cream or the equivalent (frozen yogurt, sorbet, ice cream bars, you know.) I'm ok with that.
This morning I was walking around the office and my knee hurt a bit. I had the faintest memory, so very fuzzy and unclear, of waking up in the middle of the night having put my body in a crazy position and being in pain. I know know if this was a real memory or not, it is very odd. I'm wondering what really does happen at night that I dont remember. (hopefully I'm not eating MORE ice cream in my sleep.)
I really, really love failblog. Props to Juliet for opening my eyes to this wonderfulness.
Speaking of opening eyes, check out this crazy piece of art. Yes, these are real.
I went salsa dancing last night, to a class a friend invited me to. I had intended on starting salsa lessons this year, but hadnt gotten my act together. I am an ok salsa dancer, but mostly fake it (my body can figure out most things in the club, but I dont consciously know what I'm doing half the time.) I was really impressed with how much everyone, including myself, improved by the end of the class. Much salsa dancing in the future to be had.
Mitra's birthday is Saturday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MITRA!!!
Juliet's birthday is Sunday. Juliet, you can suck it.
Just kidding, I hope you have a happy birthday too.
A few nights ago I was thinking about one of my close friends and how much I love him and his girlfriend, and what I would say if I ever get to give a speech at their wedding. And I actually started to cry. Wow. They are really special people, I hope they are happy forever.
I fell for multiple april fools jokes today. HARD. even though, every year, I resolve to be careful and not fall for anything. I am PATHETICALLY gullible.

that is all.

I love the interwebs

2009-03-29T14:28:00.002-04:00

my trip to the Holy Land instilled a desire to actually learn about jewish history/thought, and I planned on getting an annotated Hebrew Bible to try to read through.

THIS is much easier

Yale open course with video lectures on an introduction to the Hebrew Bible.
On lecture 3, so far so good!

Since it's almost easter...

2009-03-27T20:40:00.002-04:00

... get your peeps ready
(I wish I remembered where I found this months ago, sorry for not crediting the creator. Major mental props though.)

BACK from israel

2009-03-23T23:20:00.003-04:00

so much information and experience to digest...

for now I'll just post about the race I ran on Sunday, 3 days after returning from the middle east.
This was the An Ras Mor 5k along Mass Ave (i.e. practically my back yard.) I ran it net 30'57", just a few seconds longer than my time last year. But, really, with jet lag and having barely run for 2 weeks, I'm trying not to let it bother me too much.

CHECK ME OUT WITH THE FIRE ON MY HEELS!!!

Off to the land of milk and honey

2009-03-08T07:19:00.001-04:00

SEE YA

Tonight's activities

2009-03-05T23:39:00.004-05:00

pick up a package of nike merch I ordered - two new pairs of running shoes and a new running shirt. the shirt is pretty sweet.
Started some laundry. Set it and forgetabboudit.
did some sweet tempo running at the gym (5 min warmup, 2x(10 min 6.4 mph +5 min 5.6 mph,) 4x(1 min 7.8 mph + 1 min 3.6 mph,) 7 min cooldown. Wore the sweet new running top and shoes. Glanced strategically at the cute muscly guy I see there most nights. Noticed he has a soul patch on his chin. OK never mind thats gross.
Started cleaning my room so that I can actually FIND items I need to pack for Israel. Realized I'm a slob. Yup, slob.
Opened the laundry and discovered one of my fav pairs of jeans has a big hole in the crotch now. WTFFFFFF!!!!!!!!
Poured a glass of wine
Wrote this blog post
Realized I need to go continue to clean since I have LITTLE time to pack CRAP bye

My tummy says no but my taste buds say yes

2009-03-04T22:59:00.003-05:00

so... much... fondue.

Mitra, my lovely lovely Mitra, got me this electric fondue set for my birthday.

Mitra knows me well. Chocolate and cheese are two of my favorite things in the world.

and MELTED chocolate and MELTED cheese??? yeah, you done well, girl.

So I had Samantha over tonight to have chocolate fondue with me and Juliet, as a quasi late-birthday celebration (see cake with candles in lower right.

We dipped angel food cake, ladie fingers, pineapple, apples, bananas, and lemon raspberry cake.

OMG, so much deliciousness. My tummy might burst. Good thing I've been working out my abs, their raw strength is keeping all the delicious foods inside.

The three of us went through... a lot. Oops. OOPS.

I'm going to run 5 miles tomorrow. Just sayin.

I am the flower. Juliet is the bee.

2009-03-03T22:14:00.001-05:00

nataliedee.com

mmmm food

2009-03-01T22:16:00.002-05:00

Just got back from getting sushi with Sam for her birthday. We went to Snappy Sushi on Newbury Street, and I must say that there is nothing quite so satisfying after a workout (which I had finished 30 minutes earlier) as a bowl full of brown rice and thick slices of bright pink raw salmon. Yeah, pretty satisfying. And possibly more healthy than the croissant french toast I had for brunch this morning. Though that was ALSO quite delicious.

omg I love food. FOOD FOOD FOOD food food.

Oh, so THIS is why I dont run much in the dark

2009-02-27T20:35:00.006-05:00

Damnit damnit damnit damnit DAMNIT.

I dont normally run at night. It's dangerous for three major reasons - 1) cars cant see me, 2) I cant see the ground, and 3) I'm afraid of the dark. OK, two reasons. But sometimes I have to do it anyway. I mean, I dont HAVE to... I could very well just sit on my ass and feel it grow. But I'm trying not to do that anymore. Or at least do it a little less.

I'm training for another half marathon, this one in Providence in early May - which means I have to slowly work up to 13 mile sessions. That basically means that, accounting for safe increases of only around 10% a week, and with my two weeks in Israel shooting some time in the middle there, I needed to run around 6 miles today. Tomorrow is out, I'm going to an all-day conference (super excited, it's a product management conference in cambridge that is organized all grass-roots wiki style. SOOOO 2009.) Sunday it's supposed to snow. STUPID SNOW.

And tonight was BEAUTIFUL out. Perfect running weather, really. But I didnt get home until it was dark - so I got back to thinking about those two reasons not to run at night (cars, ground.) The first one is solved by the birthday present Holly gave me this year - a reflective running vest. It's super cute/shiny. But the second one... well, f*ed me up.

On my planned 6 mile run, I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk around mile 2. and freaked up my shin, scraping and bruising it as well as scraping part of my palm. I've labeled the picture at right because my leg is so bulbous it's hard to tell exactly what you're looking at. Gross. Anyway, good thing it was so nice out, plus it gave me some sweet adreniline, because I just felt like keeping going. I ran through 4 miles and then did another mile at the gym since it was starting to rain. People gave me funny looks in the locker room, but thats fine, I think they were envious. Or afraid I'd bleed my poison blood onto them. Hey, stuff happens.

Booooo Pixar's Gendercisim

2009-02-25T15:30:00.003-05:00

Interesting rant about how Pixar makes ALL Of its movies about men, even when it is not necessary. I remember the first time I was introduced into the concept of society labeling male as 'neutral' and women as 'other' (and consequently rushed to the bookstore to buy Simone De Beauvoir,) that was absolutely a turning point in my understanding of gender.

So anyway, BOO PIXAR

Couch vs Bed

2009-02-22T22:40:00.004-05:00

There's something about couches that make sleep different. Beds should, logically, be more comfortable and sleep-worthy, but there is something about napping on a couch, of nestling your frame in the fold where the seat meets the back, tucking a colorful throw pillow under your neck, of sitting half upright on it when you're sick or just tired that makes it infinitely more appealing than my actual bed. I'd rather nap on a couch than my own bed nine times out of ten. But I'd rather sleep a full night in my own queen size pillow-top. WHY IS THAT??

anyway, time to transfer myself from sickly post-nap on the couch to sickly pre-sleep on my bed.

Day three of sickness, but at least I got my ass off the couch

2009-02-21T20:45:00.005-05:00

Took thursday and friday off of work due to crippling snot-ness and fever. Today I had some of the former, but none of the latter, so I felt a bit better. Plus Juliet's med-school boy toy recommended I use some of her meds (thank you, CVS brand non-drowsy cold-and-flu treatment! I shall cherish you forever and ever.) That helped.

I made myself take a shower, the first shower I'd taken in 3.5 days. Last time I went that long w/o a shower was when I was in Arizona with Holly's family and spent 6 days on the road and in the desert. The shower at the end of that ordeal felt like bliss. This one felt not too bad either.

After walking the 2 km journey down the road to and from Trader Joe's, trying hard to breath through my mouth discreetly so as not to alert people to my sickly predicament, I decided to spend some quality time on the interwebs. Becuase you know, I hadnt done enough of that in the last 2.5 sickly sickly days. I came upon this blog that until now I had only read at a cursory level, but this time I went to the main site and found this ridiculous story of the writer's love and romance with her "marlboro man." Pretty cool how she wrote it in installments, just like 19th century novelists used to do in city newspapers. If you have a few hours on a rainy day, I highly recommend this. She is a great writer, very funny, and the story is oh-so-sweet. Of course, despite her having started the serial a YEAR AND A HALF ago, it's still going. BLARG! please write more! this girl over on my side of the interwebs is still sickly and still needs a romance fix!!

I'd been pretty sore all through my sickness, partly because my personal trainer gave me a really good workout tuesday night (Pete, you are SUPER awkward, but great at your job) and partly because fevers always make my muscles tender. But today I was itching to get out and get my heart rate up, so [after consulting the interweb and deciding that 3 out of 5 commenters/bloggers say it is ok to run if you are sick as long as you dont have a fever and sickness isnt in the chest/lungs] I went for a short 3 mile jog. Of course, nothing could go smoothly, and my Nike+ receiver wasnt working (BLAST!) but was probably better that I wasnt measuring my workout today. It could only have led to dissapointment.

Tonight I made a lasagna for dinner. I'm not sure I've ever made it before, but I'm on an Italian kick (last month I made exclusively Indian... this month it appears to be the Boot country) and I'd bought ricotta and parmesan recently. After consulting a variety of online recipes, I decided to wing it, using whole wheat lasagna strips, making my own sauce with tomatoes and herbs and pepper, sauteing a vegi mix of onions, garlic, and spinach, and throwing together a cheese mix of ricotta, cottage, and jarlsberg, with parm sprinkled on top. Mmmmmm fresh parm. The whole thing came out only so-so, I probably should have used less red pepper flake in the tomato sauce and added more salt. Oh well.

(but doesnt the freshly grated cheese on top look DIVINE?? I was too impatient to leave it in the oven long enough to brown, but thats pretty typical of... me.)

POST SCRIPT
I've been rummaging around the kitchen for something dessert-link for almsot an hour, and JUST remembered that I bought chocolate chip granola bars at TJ's today. As I approached the box on top of the refrigerator, I said aloud "Why HELLLLLOoooo" in a smooth and sultry voice. There is no one else in the apartment.

SICK SICK SICK

2009-02-19T21:44:00.002-05:00

Today's ROSEUPDATEEXTRAVAGANZA:

Good: I found this comic online. I find it very fitting for my life.

nataliedee.com

Bad: I'm sick. I freaking hate being sick. Last night when I left work I could feel that something didnt feel right, and I knew I'd be ill today. This is the first sick day I've taken since I started my job in July. I enjoy being idle or doing mindless things for an hour or two, but not for an entire day. Around 9pm i reached the end of the interwebs.

Interesting: This explanation of the credit crisis.

It's official...

2009-02-18T21:50:00.002-05:00

... I make a DELECTABLE kale stew. I've been playing around with my self-invented recipe for this for a while, but this is definitely the best I've made. It has onions, garlic, jalapenos, bay leaves, italian herbs, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, sea salt, ground pepper, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, red kidney beans, white kidney beans, and whole wheat elbow macaroni.

So today's Good/Bad/Interesting:

Good: My absolutely delicious kale stew
Bad: I think I twisted, just SLIGHTLY, my ankle when walking around in 4.5" heels in the grocery this evening
Interesting: brett made this video. glad you're doing stuff for yourself now, man :)

Hollywood ASST from Back of the Class on Vimeo.

Bad, Good, and Interesting

2009-02-18T10:35:00.002-05:00

was reading a blog post in my rss feeder about small family activities that can bring pleasure, and I found one particularly interesting:

8. During dinner, ask each family member to tell one good thing and one bad thing that happened to them that day. The good things are obviously fun to share. The “bad things” are a great opportunity for your kids to talk about things that bother them and for you to be more involved in their lives.

I would modify this to refrain from only thinking of good and bad - there are often small things that happen during the day that are neither good or bad, but are interesting in their own way.

So here's a go for my yesterday:
GOOD: My cousin sent me a funny picture of me that he had doctored on his iPhone. Yay for iPhone apps.
BAD: Google sent another "you have too many URLs in your site" message to my team. We had been getting them for months and did a bunch of stuff to take care of it, and didnt get one last month, so we thought we were in the clear. DRAT.
INTERESTING: When meeting my personal trainer at the gym, I said "how are you?" He said "good, you?" I said "Good. So how've you been?" How awkward. He is one of the most awkward people I've ever met. Nice guy, great trainer, but socially very very weird. He is so offputting that I feel enormously awkward whenever I talk with him. I mean, it's like his awkardness is contageous and I cant act like myself.

Valentines Weekend in NYC

2009-02-17T23:18:00.005-05:00

As I had previously bloggered, Mitra invited me to meet her in New York for the long weekend. It was glorious. I took the bus down Saturday morning at met mitra at our hotel, the W in union square. Lets just say, it was pretty nice - we were in one of the largest rooms, on the very top floor. This was the view... you could see all of the lower east side and some of downtown. We're fancy-like.

Later that day we walked ALL around manhattan. I mean, seriously. We took the subway all the way to the upper east side and proceeded to walk more than 4 miles down the island. At one point we passed through Bryant Park and through Fashion Week. I can't believe I didnt know it was fashion week (just kidding I never know these things) but we got to stand outside one of the tents and watch rich/famous people exit after a show. My best observation: EVERY SINGLE woman who left the tent had great shoes. My second best observation: it must be weird to be a New York cop, having to guard fancy people who pay waaaaaay too much for their garments.

Sunday we walked through SoHo, went to a fancy bakery that Mitra had read about on the interwebs (my cheese danish was delicious and nutricious. or, at least delcious, which is all that matters anyway.) Then we walked through downtown and across the Brooklyn Bridge. We were VERY touristy, stopping to look at the great views and take pictures of each other. Of course, it was no problem to ask others to take pics of us together - because most everyone else there was also a tourist and they sympathized. Oh New York, you are so fancy and yet full of randoms.

We walked around Brooklyn Heights (my conclusion : very cool area. Upon first impression, I decided that if I ever had to move to new york I'd try to live in Brooklyn) and then met my cousin Stu for pizza at one of the famous Brooklyn pizza eateries, Grindwals underneath the bridge.

I've only met my cousin Stu once since I was old enough to form long-lasting memories - when I was about 12, we drove down to southern Ohio and visited his family and played with the cows and geese on their small farm. This visit was much more mature. And pizza-filled. He, Mitra, and I each at a FULL half of a pizza. Good thing we were walking several miles each day, or I would have come back as I did after Europe.

This is me and Stu with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background - yay Kabakoff family!

Mitra and I spent the next day walking around southern manhattan and going to a fantastic mac and cheese themed lunch place (conclusion: yes, you can really pay $8 for mac and cheese and get a meal that is worth the price.) Sadly, I had to get back to boston, so I boarded the bus back that afternoon, sitting between some spoiled rich BC girls and some spoiled rich BU girls. DRATS.

Israel Itinerary (or, How I learned to Become a Jew)

2009-02-17T15:28:00.002-05:00

Just got our semi-final itinerary for our Birthright Israel trip. We leave in 19 days (ummm like woah.)

On the evening of day 4 we get to ride camels and sleep in a bedouin camp... Mom, thanks for being Jewish so we could do this!

Day 1 - Monday, March 9
• 11:35 AM arrival. Arrive at Ben-Gurion International Airport. You will be met and assisted through customs by IsraelExperts staff and will meet your Israeli tour guide and driver who will be with you throughout your tour.
• Orientation at Nachshon: Take some time to get to know your fellow participants, staff, and guide while preparing for the 10-day journey ahead of you.
*Accommodation: Afik

Day 2 - Tuesday, March 10
• Tour around the kibbutz
• Hike at Gilabun nature reserve in the Golan Heights and help collect recyclables as part of the \'Green Activity\'
• Travel to the former military outpost at Har Bental and take in a stunning 360 degree view of Israel and Syria.
• . Spend the evening relaxing in the natural hot springs of Chamat Gader
*Accommodation: Afik

Day 3 - Wednesday, March 11
• Explore Tzfat - the ancient and modern home of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Tour ancient synagogues and artists’ square. Here you will meet with Avraham Lowenthal, a student of Kabbalah and artist who will share his art and his life story.
• Visit Camun in the Galilee and learn about early Jewish settlement in this region
• Enjoy the Taglit-Birthright Israel Purim Party
*Accommodation: Olympia Tel Aviv

Day 4 - Thursday, March 12
• Learn the history of Midras in the Iron age and the roman period; hike around the Bar Kochba caves
• Mifgash (\"Encounter\") Begins. Today you will be joined by 8 young Israelis who will be traveling with you for the next 5 days. You will have the privilege to explore Israel through their eyes (and they through yours) and to forge new and lasting friendships.
• Take in the views and beauty of the Negev desert landscape at Ben Gurion’s desert home and tomb. David Ben Gurion was the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel and played an instrumental role in the founding of the state
• Spend the night at Kfar Hanokdim Bedouin Dessert Village Experience. Start the adventure riding camel-back as the sun sets over the desert. Partake in a light taste of Bedouin tradition and culture including a welcome ceremony of coffee and tea followed by a Middle-Eastern feast dinner served in the traditional style seated on rugs and pillows in a Bedouin style tent. Accommodation is in a mock up of a traditional Bedouin tent...
*Accommodation: Kfar Hanokdim

Day 5 - Friday, March 13
• Climb Massada at dawn watching the sunrise at daybreak Walk up to the earthen Roman Ramp built 2000 years ago to storm this desert fortress and view the remarkable excavations including Herod\'s Palace and stables, the ancient synagogue and the ancient water system
• Hike in the Ein Gedi desert oasis at Nachal David and float in the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth.
• Arrive at your hotel in time to prepare for Kabbalat Shabbat (the arrival of Shabbat) and candle lighting followed by Shabbat dinner. Participate in Oneg Shabbat (special deserts) with singing, stories and games as a group.
* Accommodation: Maale Hahamisha

Day 6 - Saturday, March 14

• Spend Shabbat relaxing with your group and taking walking tours.
• Engage in the “Changing Map of the Middle East” activity and discussion program, which focuses on the political and historical background that led to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, and the current geo-political situation in the Middle East.
• Get to know your Mifgash soldiers by partaking in a special activity they have prepared for you.
• Go out for dinner and spend the night out on Jerusalem\'s vibrant pedestrian mall, Ben Yehudah Street. Following the conclusion of Shabbat this open-air mall (a.k.a. \'ha midrechov\') opens up its pubs, shops, and restaurants with plenty of live music.
*Accommodation: Maale Hahamisha

Day 7 - Sunday, March 15
• Get a breathtaking view of Jerusalem from the lookout at Haas Promenade.
• Enter the Old City through the Zion Gate. Visit the Jewish quarter and be witness to millennia of Jewish history, from the time of biblical kings and prophets to modern celebrations and conflicts. Walk to the Cardo, the street built by the Romans in the sixth century, situated 20 feet below modern street level, one part of the Cardo is a restored arcade of Jewish galleries and shops, while the other part is an open-air reconstructed street.
• Take a mystical tour inside the Kotel Tunnels, built under the Muslim quarter of the old city. Explore ancient underground remnants of this intricate city and discover a true archeological wonder
• Learn about life in Israel and the Jewish religion from the esteemed Rabbi Stern
• Participate in a political panel showcasing young activists from the political spectrum in Israel and learn about the Israeli government, elections and current hot topics in Israeli politics.
• *Accommodation: Maale Hahamisha

Day 8 - Monday, March 16
• Visit Yad Vashem, Israel\'s national memorial to the Holocaust. The museum presents the historic events that befell Europe following the Nazis’ rise to power in Germany and the fate of the Jews under Nazi rule in the occupied countries.
• Visit Mahane Yehuda – Jerusalem’s largest \"shuk\" (outdoor market) for lunch.
• Visit Mount Herzl, Israel\'s military cemetery and the burial place of Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir and Theodore Herzl.
• Enjoy a night-out in Tel Aviv in an area full of trendy restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes and shops
*Accomodation: Deborah Hotel

Day 9 - Tuesday, March 17
• Drive to Tel-Aviv and explore Jaffa, one of the world\'s ancient port. Modern Jaffa has a heterogeneous population Muslims, Christians and Jews.. Jaffa is a major tourist site with an exciting combination of old and new. You may have time to explore the local flea market called
• Engage in dialogue at the Jaffa co-existence seminar. In collaboration with the Arab-Jewish Center in Jaffa, this intense program sheds light on the intricacies of life in a society that is shared by both Jews and Arabs. You will be escorted through the neighborhoods of Jaffa by two guides, an Israeli Arab (who is a pro-existence activist in the community) and an Israeli Jew.
• Enjoy some free time on Shenkin Street, one of the most popular streets in Tel Aviv to shop and people-watch in a cafe.
• Tour the Joseph Bau Museum, showcasing art influenced by themes such as holocaust and Zionism
• Experience the impact of Na L\'gaat foundation for blind and deaf. At this cultural and recreational center you will watch a play presented by blind and deaf actors and enjoy the center\'s restaurant.
* Accommodation: Deborah Hotel

Day 10 - Wednesday, March 18
• Visit Independence Hall where David Ben-Gurion proclaimed Israel\'s Independence in 1948.
• Visit Rabin Square (\"Kikar Rabin\" in Hebrew); a large public city square in central Tel Aviv. It is named after Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated at the conclusion of a massive peace rally held at the square on November 4, 1995.
• Bring the experience to an end with a concluding banquet at Svil Izim

Day 11- Thursday, March 19
* 01:00 (AM) Flight Departs

Drag Race = new fav show

2009-02-13T18:42:00.002-05:00

Lindsay: so i am working at home today and i decided to take a minute off to turn on the TV and be distracted
Lindsay: did you know that there is a RuPaul drag reality show? "RuPauls Drag Race"
Lindsay: its AMAZING
Rose: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH what channel?!?!?!
Lindsay: VH1
Rose: OMG OMG
Lindsay: i just caught the end
Lindsay: and they had two people who were at the bottom for... whatever
Lindsay: but to decide who would be out they had a lip-sync-off
Lindsay: is it weird that i saw it and immediately thought of you?

I hope that was a compliment :)

I imagine this will be either Phoebe or Izzy in a couple years...

2009-02-13T09:54:00.001-05:00

The best part is at 1min9sec

My life is complete

2009-02-12T17:48:00.003-05:00

Tonight was the BuyerZone Charity Auction, where we take items that vendors have given to us over the years (we dont let employees keep the gifts) plus items that people bring, and auction them off to ourselves and give the money to charity.

I came away with two packages:
1) a set of 4 CDs, including a "best of the 80s" and "The Real McCoy"
2) a golf calendar and BARACK OBAMA COLLECTABLE PLATE

thats right. you read me. i got the as-seen-on-tv VICTORY PLATE. Only $12. SNAP. My kitchen is gonna look sweeeeeeeeeeeet.

The other item that I bid on, but SADLY did not get, was the other Direct TV Marketing Extravaganza of Late 2008 - the Snuggy. Oh well, Mie-Yun will enjoy it for the $80 she bid.

not a bad way to look at cities around the world

2009-02-12T13:26:00.002-05:00

check out this global evaluation of cities by Foreign Policy mag

boston is 29, but 9 in "human capital"

makes me want even more to live in a few more cities before I settle down...

my job

2009-02-10T22:09:00.002-05:00

not sure if I've linked people to my work lately.... so here are some pages for the part of the BuyerZone site I own. AMAZING ISNT IT? :)

check out this state-level page, city page, and dealer page for various places/businesses in the point of sale industry. We have every city and state for over a hundred categories. yay my job!

Leif's Apple Ice Wine = DELICIOUS

2009-02-05T16:38:00.003-05:00

my buddy Leif is getting into the Apple Ice Wine business with his parents, and let me just say it is YUMMY. You may have heard of Leif Holtzman, he is of Digitas and BuyerZone fame, and I've been his buddy for going on 5 years now. This is us as Cowgirl and Cow for Halloween 2005. We make a good posse, if I do say so myself.

Still in small production but available in more and more stores and restaurants in the Boston and New England area. Check out his site for Massachusetts Apple Ice Wine made locally in Harvard, Mass. You can see where you can buy their apple ice wine here.

In other news, Leif now sits right behind me at BuyerZone and we rock out to good tunes and great product development every day. It's a pretty happening little cube-area.

I broke my butt

2009-02-04T21:31:00.002-05:00

So I joined a gym in december because the weather was getting too snowy/icy to do much outdoor running, and they gave me a free hour of personal training with the membership. I had that session this saturday, and Pete worked me HARD - it was really great, he targetted the muscle areas that would help me improve my running (and weight loss) which were especially around my outer knees, outer thighs, and butt.

The next day Juliet and I were supposed to go to Street Funk class, but I was having trouble walking.... lets just say, I was sore. I've been sore ever since, and today (a full 4 days after the training session) I was better but still having tenderness in my hamstrings and glutes. Well, I went to the gym anyway, thinking I'd just do some basic cardio. Umm that didnt work. I started walking on the treadmill and.... I broke my butt.

My right glute KILLS. I think I pulled the muscle too hard. Oh Butt, PLEASE recover soon! You are so necessary for walking, sitting, and drawing the men-folk!!!

going to NYC to see mitra!!!

2009-01-29T21:22:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking lately how much I miss my best friend Mitra - she has lived in San Francisco for the last year and I half and I see her WAY too rarely.

I saw her online today and - LUCKY ME - she said she had a trip planned to NYC for valentines/pres's day weekend and the person she was going with bailed, but her plane flight was non-refundable. So, she invited me to join her down there.

HOW PERFECT!!! I have missed her and her delicious wit charm and FUNKIFICATION. We are staying in a swank hotel in Union Square and get to spend Valentines Day together (she is my one true love after all) AND it's a long weekend so we get 2.5 full days together.

BLISSSSSSSSSSSSSS. I get to scratch my Mitra itch, travel itch, and love itch all in one fell swoop

good god these children are scary

2009-01-28T20:19:00.000-05:00

words

2009-01-26T09:02:00.001-05:00

a word I am SO over:
BAILOUT (doesnt have any meaning anymore (did it ever??))

a word I love right now:
SALT (in the non-literal sense - like a salty personality, or a dude worth his salt)

Ethan the Wise

2009-01-25T12:25:00.002-05:00

I was getting coffee with Ethan last night and was telling him how Juliet and I are going to drop in on a Street Funk class at the local dance school. He made an astute observation:

"You and your sister are like a little support group for being yourselves. A support group for your own eccentricities."

quite right :)

On a related note, I've been referred to as "eccentric" 3 times this week. I'm going to take that as a compliment.

A nice way at looking at personal progress

2009-01-23T11:30:00.001-05:00

I like to think I'm always striving to move in the north-easterly direction... courtesy of this blog

thank god for window shades

2009-01-19T19:58:00.002-05:00

I spent the last 25 minutes doing ridiculous interpretive dance in my kitchen/living room to the musical stylings of imogean heap, christina agulera, gnarls barkley, pussycat dolls, gorillaz, john legend, and black eyed peas.

it was pretty amazing. with this and shoveling the snow off my car, who needs a gym???

didnt realize how much weight I had lost...

2009-01-18T11:40:00.010-05:00

...until Juliet [finally] gave me her pictures from our last 4 trips together. Wow, what a DIFFERENCE

November 2006.
San Juan, Puerto Rico

There were MANY pictures even worse... I had no idea I was that big. You can get a good enough idea from this pic, I wont humiliate myself more.

March 2007.
Barcelona, Spain

Still packin many extra pounds. Ew. ew.

At least here there are more clothes covering it up. but you can still see, not my slimmest.

February 2008.
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

This was after I had been running for about 8 months. I still wasnt in great shape, but the running had helped a lot. CLEARLY.

October, 2008.
Boston, MA

About 3 weeks after I ran a half marathon. I cant even imagine thinking about considering perhaps venturing into this costume back a couple years ago. I mean, I was still sucking in all night, but it worked.

I have to say, running has had a huge impact on my life. It was SO TOUGH to get into, but I'm happy it has become a part of my life.

Nixon, Cheesecake, and the Hedgehogs

2009-01-14T21:48:00.003-05:00

This evening, in reverse chronological order:

I am sitting doing a little work (on my snazzy new laptop from the job) and watching a WGBH documentary on Nixon. Wow, Nixon was a D-BAG.

I just finished making an Italian cheesecake for a dinner party tomorrow. From the large globs I licked up while making the batter, me thinks it will be yum yum yum

After work I went to the Market Basket in Somerville, and when I was looking for ricotta cheese there was a 10-year-old girl standing awkward next to me, as if she was also looking for ricotta. I looked over at her, and she smiled at me and said "I like your purse!" and then [awkwardly] sidled away. How cute! I do have to say, it must have been odd to see this super tall woman in sexy black boots, a long dark coat, and a green and orange cloth handbag printed with hedgehogs and mushrooms.

IT hilarity

2009-01-14T07:20:00.002-05:00

My company switched me to a laptop yesterday, and Jessica (the woman from IT) came to switch my stuff over from my desktop to my new machine while I was at a meeting.

I came back and got this IM from my neighbor:

[16:04] Devon: so when jessica took your comp away Josh was asking about getting a new comp cuz his is old and sucking. he was asking if your old one would be his new one. she said "maybe, but we have to erase everything, so you don't get Rose's porn and stuff"
[16:04] Devon: we both laughed because of how awkward it was that she said that loudly

when it's good, it's good

2009-01-11T23:14:00.002-05:00

I'm dancing around my apartment: drinking port, folding laundry, and shaking my hips to the merengue on the radio. Not a bad evening :)

bringing back some life rules

2009-01-06T22:35:00.003-05:00

nearly one year ago I became willfully and happily unemployed ... what an amazing point in my life, possibly best ever. At that time I instituted rules for myself to make sure I was not a completely lazy bum, and they were pretty great rules, I must say.

I just decided that I am bringing back rule number 4 - to accept every social invitation extended to me as much as possible. Not that I have been turning things down left and right exactly (you know how popular I am, my mailbox is stuffed with formal letters with full on RSVP cards and pre-licked return postage basically every day, no big deal,) but I had a great week this past week and I realized part of it was that I spent a lot of time with friends.

So, that rule is back. Let the social graces commence. Sorry, TV-and-internet, I will be giving you the cold shoulder for a while. Don't be sad, there are neglected children coming into the world every day, you'll be getting plenty of attention from elsewhere.

mmmmm indian food

2009-01-04T17:15:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to try making more indian food, but I got the kick-in-the-bum I needed last week when Holly was in town and she made some delic indian. So a few days ago I made some saag (fragrant buttered greens/spinach) and chicken korma (chicken in a sweet spiced onion gravy.) the saag was DELICIOUS to the max, the korma was EH, I think too much cardamom.

Today I tried a new dish - chole, or spiced chickpeas. I used this recipe and it came out QUITE delicious.

Above, the chole - inspired by Holly, cooked in the Scan Pan she gave me for christmas, and packed away in the glass tuperware that Mom gave me for my birthday :)

Happy Rosemas to all, and to all a good night

2008-12-23T19:57:00.002-05:00

both Juliet and Leif sent me the same card from someecards... and all i have to say is that someone out there has an xmas time birthday and translated it into card comedy QUITE well.

avocado deep thoughts. snow leading to deep muscle ache

2008-12-22T19:12:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I bought an avocado because they are DELICIOUS and I wanted to make some guacamole. In the last few months I have gotten REALLY into avocados... at first I was eating them plain, with just salt. Then I started mashing them up with salt and using them as dip. Then once in a while I would mash them up with salt and add some chopped tomatoes. Once in a while I'd add cumin too. Last night I had some extra chopped onions from a stew I was making and added some of those as well.

I've gained immense joy from each of these iterations along the sliding scale between avocado and guacomole, and found that I have gotten a huge breadth of understanding of the different flavors through this process. Then I got excited about how much more I'd be able to experiment with avocadoes... over the rest of my life. That was pretty exciting, to realize that I have SO MUCH TIME to cook and eat and love food.

YUM :)

On an unrelated note, God sh*t on us this weekend and his sh*t was 20 inches of snow. This is when I get REALLY sad that I own a car and have street parking. I shoveled for an hour Friday night, at least 2 hours (over 2 separate occasions) Saturday, and then another hour and a half Sunday. This is when I start to be able to rationalize those stories you hear about people putting orange cones, lawn chairs, and trash cans in parking spots in Southie. To my IMMENSE delight, I managed to regain the spot I had spent all weekend excavating when I parked this evening after work. Otherwise someone would've gotten their car keyed. Just sayin.

To the left - the top photo is another honda civic on my block, he probably shovelled on sunday morning but the rest of the day likely caused the blockage. It is too cold for me to go out and get better photos of the poor suckers who didnt shovel at all... for them the snow pack is up to their side mirrors.

Below is a picture of my beautifully shovelled civic. My back muscles say YOU'RE WELCOME

werk birthday

2008-12-19T07:58:00.002-05:00

my coworkers covered my desk last night as a birthday present...

one of the balloons had a post-it that said "open me" and inside was a key. my computer mouse was missing and desk drawer locked, but the key didnt work on the drawer. I tried my buddies' drawers to no avail. but did see some creepy stuff in their desks in the process. You guys are sick.

After leaving text messages for 4 people (no one was in the office yet) I finally got a call back and it turned out that key was indeed a fake-out key - the real one was in another, unmarked balloon. And that unlocked my desk and revealed my mouse.

happy birthday to me. thats what I get for leaving the Beer Thursday event yesterday evening at 5:20...

Darn Big B&W Turine

2008-12-13T21:47:00.005-05:00

This is my new favorite piece... I made it out of white clay and struggled for a couple weeks to figure out how I'd glaze it. I asked my teacher for advice and he suggested this "horse-eye" design (he specializes in japanese ceramics and, apparently, this is a very japanese design.) It is painted using successively bigger ovals and is supposed to occur in groups of five.

It took SO MUCH WILL-POWER to do this in just black and white (the overglaze is clear, showing the white clay underneath,) because I'm a color person. Seriously, I never leave the house with at least SOME color on me, even if it is just in my earrings. So doing this without ANY... was tough. But it was a good call in the end, and really highlights the shape and strength of the sculptural details. In my oh-so-humble opinion.

The piece is about 11.5" in diameter and 7.5" tall, table-to-knob. I threw it as two separate bowls (the top is an inverted bowl) and then threw the knob on the wheel separately. The horse-eyes are painted with a long-haired japanese brush using black underglaze, and then the whole thing was poured with clear crackle glaze.

Deep Thoughts

2008-12-06T13:19:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, hiding chocolate from yourself actually DOES work. Until you find it.
There is a shameful but very real satisfaction in running into d-bag football players from high school at a bar, and knowing/seeing that you are now more successful. And didnt gain quite as much weight.
I love buying presents for people who have very real interests/passions. Find myself having to restrain from buying them too many gifts.
HELLO WORLD!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2008-12-04T19:11:00.001-05:00

FAMILY THANKSGIVING

2008-11-27T18:16:00.003-05:00

clockwise from lower right:

lime and grape jello, brussel sprouts, salad, peas and peanuts, pasta salad, mashed yams, cranberry sauce, gravy, turkey.

oh yeah, and mom me dad michael juliet.

Urban Family Thanksgiving (plus Bangs)

2008-11-24T19:56:00.003-05:00

First of all, i got bangs.
see self-snapped pic to the left for visual

I realized, after the fact, that I had used a picture of one of the Pussy Cat Dolls to show my hair dude what I wanted. Ummmmm weird.

Second of all, yesterday was my First Annual "Urban Family" Thanksgiving! I got the idea from a coworker - basically you invite your "urban family" (all your closest friends in the city) for a Thanksgiving Dinner the weekend before everyone goes to their family homes for REAL Thanksgiving.

It was super fun!!! I made a turkey - first time doing it, but Alton Brown / The Food Network steered me well and it came out quite yummy.

I had over 9 other people (was supposed to be 13 total but a few people couldnt make it last minute) - was suprised/impressed I was able to fit 10 comfortably. I suppose that's what a hardcover-book-raised-coffee-table and $16 Christmas Tree Shop folding table and folding-chairs-from-mom will do!

After much wine/cider/port Lindsay stole the camera and got a candid of me with the new bangs. And I followed up with a picture of the aftermath - turkey carcas and MUCHO MUCHO leftovers. Yay!! I can eat well for the next 3 days... until I eat well again for REAL thanksgiving :)

This was super fun and I am 150% going to do it again next year!

NEW CAR awww yeah

2008-11-23T00:49:00.004-05:00

PRETTY SWEET, HUH??

My brand new 2009 Honda Civic LX Sedan in Atomic Blue Pearl.

I learned I needed a new car on Thursday 11/13, test drove vehicles Sunday 11/16, Bought a vehicle 11/16, and picked it up Tuesday 11/18. Pretty speedy for a multi multi thousand dollar expenditure. I'm pretty sure it takes me longer to decide on a pair of boots!

When I uploaded these photos I found some from election day - polls opened at 7am, I arrived at 6:50 am and was about #50 in line. I got to the voting booth at 7:30 am. When I left, this was the line... HOLY CARP BALLS. I love democracy, but hate city planning/infrastructure

i <3 zombies.... but not recession

2008-11-21T10:32:00.001-05:00

tenuous at best, but i love zombies so it's ok

I BOUGHT A CAR!

2008-11-16T23:01:00.003-05:00

yes, another one

The 1999 Elantra I got before has been having a lot of issues, and after sinking a carp load of cash into it the mechanic recommended I just get rid of it (because they didnt know how much more $$ it was going to take to make it pass inspection.) That was thursday. I spent much of thursday and friday researching cars, and then today went to some dealerships with my coworker Devon. He knows a ton about cars and loves the car-buying process, so I thought he'd be a great help (plus he's a dude, and we all know how car dealers dont like to deal w/ chicks.)

My plan was to just look today, do some test driving and then decide what I wanted. Then I was going to wait until the last weekend of the month to actually buy, since I know dealers have to meet monthly quotas and thats supposed to be the best time to get a good deal. I brought my checkbook just in case I decided to buy - I figured I'd make a ridiculous low ball and see what happened.

Well, I managed to get a 2009 Honda Civic Sedan LX Automatic at Invoice price. Edmunds.com says that the true market value (i.e. what people are ACTUALLY paying at the dealerships right now) is full MSRP on this vehicle. Umm, like woah. So basically I saved a bunch of dough, which is nice since I lost a bunch on my first car. I'm pretty happy with the purchase... for now all I have is the website photo (I cant pick up the car until Tuesday since they have to install the fog lights I ordered... i hate delayed gratification!!!!!) I'm SURE I'll post live pics at that point.

On a related note - Today was my first trip through a car wash (as I prepped my Hyundai for trade-in evaluation.) Car washes are f*ing awesome!!

no energy to post more...

2008-11-06T22:59:00.001-05:00

... so here are some pics of recent pottery

Trip to Holly's

2008-10-26T22:51:00.005-04:00

When I went out to Spokane for my half-marathon I extended my trip for a couple days to drop by my sister Hol's place in Seattle.

SUPER CUTE FAMILY.

The first day we all went to Pike Place market to get some organic local produce. This was Isabella as we stood waiting for the bus. Love the hat, kid.

The next day we went for a 2 hr hike on Tiger mountain. Crazy that we could get such a great hike only ~20 minutes outside of the city.

Here is Hol, with her baby Melanie wrapped to her.

And this is my holding my ADORABLE newest niece.

I think this was my 9th or 10th trip to Seattle. I realized that it is the city I've been to the most times besides Boston. Umm crazy.

half marathon - CHECK!

2008-10-12T23:27:00.004-04:00

ran the Spokane WA half marathon this morning

13.1 miles in 2 hours, 32 minutes, 19 seconds.

highlight: the freaking awesome views from lots of parts on the course, especially the bridge around 2 miles that went a few hundred feet above the Spokane River. AMAZING

lowlight: "Doomsday Hill" at 10 miles. WTF. wtf. That was the start of a VERY tough final 3 miles, but I managed to power through (and by "power" i mean "walk large sections")

overall: glad I did it. very likely to do other HMs in the future. But, for now, I am going to go lay in bed and veg for SEVERAL hours.

in Seattle

2008-10-11T01:33:00.002-04:00

just spent two great days with Hol and her super cute family

now with Manish in Bellvue and mentally building up for the half marathon in Spokane in two days

here's for hoping that no puking on the sidewalk is involved!!!

my life is crazy/awesome and here is some catchup

2008-10-07T23:00:00.010-04:00

In mild chronological order...

I bought a present for Juliet. I dont think her boyfriend likes it very much. Maybe he is intimidated, not sure. This 2 foot plastic gorilla now resides on top of our television.

Juliet and I went hiking in New Hampshire near Lake Winnepau-sakidontknow-howtospell. Pretty awesome hike with great views at the top.

I played a little recorder at the summit to call to the birds and other nature residents. They said HI back.

I got some new pottery back out of the kiln - 4 mugs made out of black clay, with my FAVORITE glaze combo (you may recognize this from a set of four slightly-squared bowls a few months ago.)

These mugs are some of my favorite pieces yet. The handles were a bit of a creative departure for me, but I actually am pretty satisfied there.

I played in a golf tournament at work.
It's a good thing I took that Golf PE class in college (literally, I took it because I thought it might be useful in business.) I was in no way a super star, but at least I didnt 100% humiliate myself. Just around 98%.

On a side note, I'm pretty sure I carried the fashion baton for my team... agreed? agreed.

I became an accordian master.

well, no, I just played Juliet's accordian most ridiculously for about 4 minutes and she thought it was fun to take photos. But we did play a bunch of duets (her on accoridan, me on tambourine) and they were amazing, I am SO excited for our first performance in a couple weeks.

And now.... I'm off to Seattle for my half marathon!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 days with Holly and her family, then 3 days with Manish in Spokane. Wish me luck/not breaking a leg!!

The most important vote you will cast this year

2008-10-02T23:09:00.005-04:00

what should I be for halloween?

Option 1: Leeloo (of The Fifth Element)

Option 2: Cheetarah (of The Thundercats)

Option 3: Miss Congeniality 1984 (of the Great State of Alaska)
including sash AND flute!

THOUGHTS!?!??!
Plz vote. Many thx

just cleaned my wallet...

2008-09-24T22:24:00.003-04:00

... and found receipts from paris, st helena california, versailles, some highway in arizona, bruges, antwerp, amsterdam, san francisco, and capitola california

i miss my travels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(and clearly do not clean my wallet enough)

yesterday was an eventful one

2008-09-21T20:23:00.001-04:00

took the bus to the back bay
almost got hit by a car because a light was out at an intersection
spent 4 beautiful hours in the pottery studio
brought home some awesome bowls I made with some bad-ass beige-with-magnesium-black-specks clay (see photo)
found out that there is a studio at MIT that, as an alum, I can take classes with after my BCAE studio closes in February (umm, that is big news. Not only is that super close to me, but their studio is accessable 24 hours a day.... DANGEROUS!)
called the police to let them know about the broken light at mass & comm
bought my sister's car from her. Yay for no more annoying bus to work! boo for hurting the environment. See right, picture of Rose's Funkmobile
ran 10 miles. 10 MILES!!! my half marathon is in 3 weeks so I need to keep getting up there
went to a dinner party at Lindsay's in celebration of her sister being in town. Gorged myself on delicious spanish food and AMAZING cuban flan.

yay for non-lazy saturdays!!

Komen 5K last weekend

2008-09-15T23:23:00.004-04:00

i was pretty amazing, as you can see in below pictorial
and I just realized... my nose looks freakishly odd. 'just sayin.

MY ROOMATE BROKE A CUP

2008-09-13T07:24:00.003-04:00

The thing about pottery is... you have to embrace the chaos.

I am just posting this because I like this picture... it looks like Juliet's glass eyes are about to pop out of her pretty little face

MASHUPS IN BOSTON!??!?!?! OMG

2008-09-06T12:19:00.002-04:00

I just found out, by happenstance, that the San Francisco Mashup club Mitra brought me to in May is now doing a MONTHLY party in BOSTON - about a 4 minute walk from my apartment.

I am in heaven.

Not sure I can express exactly how exited this makes me...

and I just found this youtube video of one of the performances at the SF club - ummmmmmm amazing. Britney and KELLY??? DID THESE PEOPLE READ MY SUBCONSCIOUS DESIRES AND PUT THEM INTO MUSICAL/DRAG FORM?

HALF MARATHON

2008-09-03T11:05:00.002-04:00

just registered for the Spokane WA Half Marathon for October 12, 2008

HOLY CARP

road to the half marathon

2008-08-19T07:55:00.002-04:00

Manish, the friend with whom I'm running the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon on Sept 28, proposed this preparation schedule, in order to ensure full physical and digestive preparation:

Road to the Half Marathon - Terms of Bet:

1) Each participant will give up drinking (exceptions below) between August 5, 2008 and the completion of a half marathon, tentatively scheduled for September 28, 2008 in Toronto, ON. If one or both of the participants cannot travel to Toronto for the race, each participant should complete a half marathon before October 15, 2008, or the bet becomes null and void.

2) Each participant is allotted a certain number of "Get Out of Jail Free" cards, whereby the participant can partake in > 1 drinks on a given day. Manish is allotted 2 cards and Rose is allotted 4 cards. Each card is gained by the participant running at least 8 miles in one session. Cards may be stored and used as needed.

3) Each participant is alloted one glass of wine (or equivelant) per week to drink at their leisure.

4) If both parties successfully meet these terms or both fail at achieving this goal, then Manish will fund a fancy celebratory dinner after the completion of a half marathon by both participants. If Rose completes the terms of the bet and Manish fails, then again Manish will fund the celebratory dinner. If Manish completes the terms of the bet and Rose fails, then Rose will fund the celebratory dinner.

5) Each participant will update the other on Sunday night, complete with training results for the week and whether any terms of the bet were broken.

I think I got the better end of the deal... though I did have to fight for those 4 cards!

This has, actually, been super motivating... I ran 9 miles on Sunday (WHAT??? yikes. I am amazingly hardcore.)

Thanks, Manish, you're the best

getting IT

2008-08-12T23:50:00.001-04:00

interesting blog post on SEOmoz....
i have nothing of value to add in the form of commentary.

Visual Narrative of Throwing (making) an Awesome Bowl

2008-08-04T23:07:00.001-04:00

1: make awesome balls of compacted clay
2: awesomely slap the ball of clay onto the wheel head

3: Show awesome strength and concentration by centering the clay on the wheel head
4: Poke an awesome hole in the center of the centered clay

5: Pull the hole out in an awesomely even curve to the side, compressing the edge to have an awesome lip
6: Pull up the sides with an awesome sponge and both awesome hands

7: Pull up the sides an awesome second time to make them taller and thinner. Awesome thin.
8: Pull up the side one last, awesome time. Start the awesome bowl shape.

9: Use an awesome wooden rib (pictured, in my awesome hand) to create an even interior
10: Remove the now AWESOME bowl from the wheel head and attempt not to faint in the aura of its Awesomeness

Smashing my Ill-Fated Lidded Form

2008-08-03T23:20:00.004-04:00

JohnG, you said you wanted some exploding pottery... is this good enough?
(For context, click here)
BEFORE

AFTER

Someone sent me flowers... good thing I have a MILLION vases!

2008-08-03T18:23:00.008-04:00

On Friday a friend sent me flowers for congratulations on the new job - it was SUPER sweet. They came with a glass vase, but WHY WOULD I USE THAT WHEN I COULD USE A CERAMIC ONE!??!?!

Distressed Bronze Vase
Red/white clay mix; bronze green glaze with randy's red over upper area; 8" tall and 4.5" diameter

This piece came out of the kiln about a week and a half ago. I've gotten a very positive response from people, the glaze has a cool sculptural effect with the layering of two very different glazes (a matte green/blue one that normally looks like aged bronze and a crazy shiny red one that normally looks like rust) creating a ridged texture along the sides, with a neat dripping effect at the bottom.

There's a man in my studio who is infamous for making great glaze work but keeping a lot of the combinations and techniques to himself... he asked me how I did this, and when I told him I was able to counter with a question about one of HIS pieces. Not a bad way to extract information :)

Don't the tulips look nice in this vessel?!?!

new job is good

2008-07-30T00:29:00.002-04:00

first two days have gone REALLY well. The more I get immersed in stuff and understand my product and role, the more excited I am. That is pretty awesome.

However, between my full time job (BuyerZone,) my part time job (Blu Homes,) my commute (36 minutes to, 42 minutes fro,) and all the other stuff I love (running, looking for the end of the interweb, chatting with all of you people online, playing flute in my orchestra) I am VERY busy!!! And that isnt even counting POTTERY, which I wont get to do again until Saturday (GASP!)

So this is all the blog-posting you get for today. I hope it at least quenches your Rose-thirst for the near term.

reflections on the last 6 months

2008-07-27T18:45:00.000-04:00

today is the last day of my 6 months off from Corporate America.

In full corporate fashion, here is a little FAQ on what a lot of people have been asking lately:

How does it feels to be going back to work?

Great. It feels really good. I like being busy and productive, and I like being around lots of other people and having a friendly, co-worker filled environment. I am also just SO excited about this role and opportunity. I had liked, somewhat, what I had been doing before (marketing analytics and strategy.) But I hadnt loved it. I have always envied people who LOVE their jobs. I may never be someone who LOVES their job with such passion, but I hope that I can find something that I truly enjoy.

While I was on my travels, I read a lot of job descriptions online, trying to figure out if there was something I'd like more than marketing analytics. As soon as I saw Product Management roles, I realized that would be so much more exciting for me. I am so lucky to have found the role that I have - I think BuyerZone is a great company, the role is EXACTLY what I was looking for, and my boss and co-workers seem like really great people. It was funny interviewing with them... it felt different than the other interviews I've done over the last several months. In other interviews, I felt like I was on an interview - trying to impress them, trying to say the right thing, asking strategically oriented questions, being polite, telling them only select parts of what I was looking for in order to convince them that I was right for their role (when I wasnt sure that the role was right for me.) My interviews with BuyerZone felt so much more honest, because I WAS right for them, and they ARE right for me. As weird as it sounds, it was almost like the difference between a bad first date and a good first date. On a bad first date, you are straining for conversation. On a good first date, you are smiling because you want to, not because you think you should.

So... yes, I am looking forward to starting my job :)

Are you doing anything special to celebrate the end of your time off?
I feel like the last 6 months have been a celebration in their own. I dont feel like I need to go on a Last Hurrah trip, because I've been so many places and seen so many things recently. I've milked this time pretty hard, I'm not worried about one last weekend! Who needs to celebrate when the last 6 months have been a full-time celebration?

Are you sad?
No.

I have to say, I have no regrets about my decision to quit my job way back in January. I was unhappy there, and that was the first time in my life I was truly unhappy like that (i.e. it isnt exactly my normal disposition... something was seriously wrong.) So I am so happy that things have gone the way they have. Years ago, my mom told me that things have to get really bad sometimes before they get much better - the darkness before the light, etc etc. There is something to be said for that expression, for sure. My intention was always to take this time off to enjoy life and re-evaluate where I was going (i.e. quarter life crisis) and then, being in a more happy place for myself, find a job. So things have gone pretty well to plan! How could I be sad about that?!

What was the best thing you did on your time off?

The best thing? the best thing was just TAKING the time off.

In the last 6 months I have spent substantial time on my running, getting in much better shape and making real strides (no pun intended) of which I am proud. I'm planning to run a half marathon with Manish in the end of September - if, a year ago, you had told me this would be a realistic goal of mine, I would have laughed so hard I'd be wheezing. Even 6 months ago someone suggested that I train for a 10K and I laughed at him - now I do 10Ks every week. I had never understood the value of exercise and athletics for the mind AND body until the last few months, and I am grateful to have it in this form in my life now.

In the last 6 months I have spent untold hours in my pottery studio. I remember, in the beginning, some weeks where I'd be in there Monday-Friday, 10-5 every day. When else in my life will I be able to devote this much time to a craft like this? Maybe never. I love my pottery studio - the people there are wonderful and supportive. Pottery has been a fantastic creative outlet for me. And, I have made HUGE improvements in my skill and artistic acumen. The changes in my ability to make forms that are tall, wide, thin, delicate, original, beautiful, etc has been something that I have never experienced... I had always dabbled in art, but I've never spent enough time or energy on a form to make this much progress. I am very grateful to have this in my life now.

In the last 6 months I have spent time with every one of my siblings, nieces, and nephews. With my 4 siblings each living in a different city, it will be hard to ever spend substantial time with all of them, so I'm glad I was able to spend quality time with them now.

I was able to be with Sally and her son in their new home in San Diego and be there with them while Sally's husband was going through cancer treatment. It was nice to see their new house and city and to be there when they needed someone.
I spent several days with my brother, his wife, and their army of children - I always enjoy seeing them and experiencing that whirlwind of activity. I admire John and Molly a lot for how they are able to raise such a large family and stay happy and sane.
I spent two weeks with Holly and her husband, daughter, dog, and unborn baby (now born, of course.) Holly has been one of the most supportive people during this time for me, she having gone through a similar experience years ago and having taken a year to travel and be a bohemian bum herself. I am so lucky that she was generous enough to invite me on her family vacation to Arizona - the time we spent hiking, chatting by the fire, exploring a wilderness I had never seen before, was invaluable.
I spent a week in Europe with Juliet, seeing two new countries and 6 new cities. I always have a good time with Juliet, and even though we now live in the same city we arent able to spend tons of time together. It was nice to be able to spend a full week of quality sisterlyness.

I was also able to spend quality time with so many of my friends who live around the country - 4 days with Manish, 7 days with Lindsay, 4 days with Mitra, 7 days with Joanne, 3 days with Alex, 4 days with Brett, 7 days with Samantha. I love you guys :) One of my favorite personal 'rules' was the one that I had to accept every social invitation that was extended to me - I spent a lot more time with various friends than I might have otherwise. I am grateful to have all of you, friends and family, in my life.

I can't begin to tell you the number of people who have said to me, "I wish I could do that!", "I am so envious!", or, the most sad, "I wish I had done that when I was your age." I am very fortunate that the stars aligned (leaving a job, having saved a lot of money, etc etc) but I think that more people could do this. Every time someone told me they were envious, I had to ask, why dont you do it?? Not that everyone can or even SHOULD, but I think a lot of people are scared to make a big change like this. If it is fear that is keeping you back... I have to tell you, it is much less scary to be doing this than to not know why you are doing what you are doing now.

So... farewell 6 Months Off - I have loved you and will always cherish you!!!

and, thus ends my longest blog post of all time.

Some older pottery... and a tragedy

2008-07-24T00:18:00.003-04:00

I have a whole bunch of stuff I made this winter/spring when I first took all that time off, never posted it (since I went traveling around the world, of course)
here, for your viewing pleasure, a piece that is both my favorite and my most hated

Large Lidded Casserole with Rope&Bone Detailing
Red/white mix clay; Kline's gold glaze on body, shino on rope detailing and hobbit hazel on bone detailing; 11" diameter and 7.5" high

I made this in February and it was definitely my most ambitious piece to date. Not only was it huge, but it has a lid (and making lids that fit is not super easy.) AND I spent a ton of time on the handles making them look JUST SO. I was thrilled with how it came out and took probably 6 weeks to figure out how I wanted to glaze it.

So, imagine my horror when I took it out of the kiln and went to lift the lid off... and the ENTIRE PIECE LIFTED UP WITH MY HAND.

The glaze on the top had been too thick and it seeped down into the seam.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Sometimes if this happens just a TINY bit then you can take a wooden mallet and loosen it up. However... lets just say... this one is a bit of a lost cause. This kind of thing is always a risk, but most people fire the bottom and lid together to make sure they still fit after they come out (things warp in kilns, and if the two pieces warp differently then you can get a mis-fit.) I have used this Kline's glaze twice and both times it has dripped a lot like this. Note to self: dont be an f*ing idiot and ever use this glaze again.

so, tomorrow I'm going to take it outside and sacrifice it to the kiln gods (i.e. give it some quality Hammer Time.) Pics to follow.

New Niece!!

2008-07-23T17:15:00.002-04:00

My sister, Holly, gave birth to a baby girl yesterday. Yay babies! Congrats to Holly, John (dad), and Isabella (now a big sister)

insert cute family photos here:

a day of sadness

2008-07-21T23:46:00.003-04:00

my pottery studio is going to close at the end of the year. The Boston Center for Adult Education (where the studio is) had sold their huge mansion in the Back Bay a little while ago and is going to be building a new space in the South End... but we just got word that there will not be a ceramics area in it.

Um, to say that I am sad about this would be understating the situation. It is such a fabulous and nurturing place. The studio managers, Jenn and Richard, are two of my favorite people ever. And I have made so many great friends, people I would never have normally met (of all my friends over the age of 60, probably 90% I know through this studio.)

Damn.

Modern Jackass

2008-07-21T00:08:00.004-04:00

My brother-in-law, John, got me listening to This American Life on NPR (via podcast) and, while listening to the most recent episode this weekend, I found many very salient points that made me smile and laugh out loud (and garnered me the accompanying strange stares that I cherish from passers-by.) "Modern Jackass" is my new favorite phrase... just listen to the first 3 minutes, you'll understand.

Check out the awesomeness

( I know what you're thinking, Thom... YES I am a hippy liberal. )

FREE POTTERY!

2008-07-20T13:26:00.015-04:00

I'm cleaning out my place since I have to move in a month and a half - and I am getting rid of a lot of old pottery. This is stuff that is generally from my first 4-8 months of pottery-making, things that are not quite good/perfect enough to sell or to give as gifts, but still work and you may want.
So, if you want any of these things, let me know. FREE! First come, first served... and if you live outside Boston then you just have to pay for shipping :)

Blue-Grey Decorated Bowl, 7" diameter
why I'm not gifting/selling: slightly warped, outside a little weird looking
why you might still want it: still works as a bowl!

Blue and Rust bowl, 7.5" diameter
why I'm not gifting/selling: just not super refined looking. Quite warped/elliptical
why you might still want it: has a really interesting glaze effect on the inside and outside

Rust/Copper Vase, 8.5" tall
why I'm not gifting/selling: Kind of thick and heavy at the bottom
why you might still want it: Cool metallic glaze, and very stable so could hold tall/large flowers

Orange, Purple, and Grey Waved Bowl, 8" diameter
why I'm not gifting/selling: this was mostly an experiment in colored slips and glaze effects... so it is kinda odd looking
why you might still want it: this was mostly an experiment in colored slips and glaze effects... so it is kinda odd looking

Mocha Vase, 8" tall
why I'm not gifting/selling: This was an experiement in altering the form, so it is a little odd looking
why you might still want it: could be a cool decorative shelf piece

Set of 3 Rust and Blue Mixing Bowls, 8.5", 9.5", and 11" in diameter (TAKEN)
why I'm not gifting/selling: these were made as a gift but then MAJORLY warped in the glaze kiln. The middle one is severely elliptical.
why you might still want it: they are huge bowls, still functional as mixing or serving vessels, and have a beautiful rust color on the inside and blue color on the outside.

Brown and Blue Bowl, 7" diameter (TAKEN)
why I'm not gifting/selling: was an early work of Ms. Rose, and while nice it just isnt super refined... and is a tiny bit warpedwhy you might still want it: really cool glaze effect. could be good decorative piece to spice up your home (and make the ladies think you have artistic taste)

Soft Yellow Chips and Salsa Set, 10" and 5" diameter
why I'm not gifting/selling: the glaze made some weird little bubbles underneath the big piece, and it isnt perfectly round. I made this my 2nd month of working with clay.
why you might still want it: Definitely functional and has a pretty glaze

Set of 2 Blue and Rust Bowls, 6.5" and 7.5" diameter (TAKEN)
why I'm not gifting/selling: Just sort of "meh". The tiniest bit warped.
why you might still want it: Functional, and cool glazing on the inside and outside. Nest pretty well for deliciously easy storage

Black and Yellow Leave-Carved Bowl, 5.5" diameter and 5.5" tall
why I'm not gifting/selling: Cute, but not very refined
why you might still want it: Still pretty, and the carved leaf decoration on the outside is nice

Green Rounded Pitcher, 6" tall
why I'm not gifting/selling: Kind of thick sides (was the first pitcher I made) and the spout dribbles a little bit
why you might still want it: The glaze is translucent and has a neat crackling effect... this could make a great decorative piece

Beige and Pink Vase, 6" tall
why I'm not gifting/selling: kind of warped sides, not very refined
why you might still want it: still works as a vase!

the bowl I broke :( :( :(

2008-07-18T09:26:00.005-04:00

WTFFFFFFFFFFFFF

On the (minor) plus side, you can see the cross section of the vessel and how thin and even it is... not too shabby, rosey

An eventful 24 hours

2008-07-18T00:06:00.006-04:00

4 big things happened in the last day:

1. Lindsay brought over her cat, Geoffrey, for me to kitty-sit for the week while she is doing field experiments in Yellowstone.

Umm, I kind of love her cat.
Like, real love.
We're soulmates.
You know, no big deal.

Ode to Geoffrey
Geoffrey, you are so soft. So cuddly.
You make me smile when you rub your face
against my toes. Why can't you be mine?
I am yours.

2. Joe left. Joe and I have been friends for a good 4 years, ever since I was an intern at Digitas and he showed me the ropes in the office and in the pub. He's a super great guy and I'm really happy for him and where his life is going (he will be going to Business school at Michigan in the fall.) His fiance is Maura, for whom I'm working on BluHomes.

Joe also recently developed a roll of film that was taken in the fall of 2005... Two things to note in this picture: a) none of these people work for Digitas (US, at least) any more. b) I still had my nose pierced at that point. Ahhh, those were the days!

Joe, best of luck. We'll all SERIOUSLY miss you.

3. I broke one of the new bowls I made... the one that was in that amazing black clay and that was of a set of 4. WTF. I'm just not a delicate person, what can I say.
pics to come, of course.

4. JULIET AND I FOUND AN APARTMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
finally. It hasnt even been all that long that we have been looking, but it HAS been VERY frustrating. so, yay!

My Non-Pottery, Non-Running activity...

2008-07-17T10:11:00.004-04:00

this is what I've been spending a bunch of time on over the last few weeks:

BLUHOMES

I've been working part-time for my friend Maura's startup company, and recently I was project managing getting their website launched. So there it is! I think it turned out great actually... and look, pretty homes!

my new favorite website

2008-07-14T00:23:00.004-04:00

pure bliss

oh yeah.... pottery!

2008-07-09T20:42:00.007-04:00

Large Pitcher with Four Goblets
white clay; mint creme under randy's red glaze; pitcher approx 10" high, mugs approx 3" diameter and 3" high
Gift to the collection of B. Baldwin and L. Hyde of Cambridge

This was my wedding gift to Lindsay and Blair at their marriage last month. I know they like to entertain, so I thought it would be nice to make them something that they could serve guests with. And, as it turns out, Lindsay actually COLLECTS pitchers - FATE?? I think so.

I used one of my favorite glaze combinations on this, so there is the cool green/red streaking effect. The pitcher was done on the wheel and then the back of the top cut off to make the spout. The handle was hand-pulled.

EMPLOYED!

2008-07-09T00:42:00.003-04:00

big news - I got a job offer, and accepted!

I'm going to be a Manager in the New Business group at BuyerZone, doing product management for their local search (which isnt exactly a real product right now... but it sure will be when I'm done with it!)

This was exactly the kind of role I was looking for, and I think it is going to be a really really great fit for me. They called me up with the offer Monday around lunch time (and I accepted, after the necessary negotiations of course) and then a few hours later called again saying there was a company event that evening to go see the Sox, and they had an extra ticket - so I met up with my future coworkers for beer and baseball. It was fantastic, everyone was so friendly and fun. I have a really good feeling about this! Plus my buddy Leif (of Digitas Intern fame) works there, so I already have a friend!

thank you to everyone who has been so helpful and supportive over the last 6 months, you have helped me get through this, technically and mentally, in a way that I would not have been able to on my own

yay for being productive again! I start on July 28, so if anyone wants to do crazy stuff during the day (lunch, trips to the mountains, etc) before then, let me know

July 4th weekend

2008-07-06T21:40:00.006-04:00

in short:

Thursday night included Joe Johnson's Digitas going away fiesta. Joe has been at the 'tas since I was an intern back in 2004, and we have shared many memories together. He's going off to business school in Michigan, so I'm super happy for him, even if it means being denied his regular presence/deliciousness.

A ton of 'tas alums showed up to see Joe go off (Aaron, Blair, Leif , ME, Joe, Julie)

Sam decided to do the Captain Morgan leg-lift, and somewhat failed. Actually.... failed pretty brilliantly. LOVE YOU, SAM

The boys gave speeches and sang in falsetto (ask me for the video... it's amazing) to send Joe off in So-Co & Lime style

July 4th included the day at Liner's pool (UMM, amazing) and an evening with Slek, Bort, and Tim wreaking havoc on the back bay. They stole a Sam Adams star from a local bar... CLASSY ALL THE WAY. we may have been the most obnoxious people watching the fireworks on the Mass Ave bridge, and that is saying a lot.

AND, Saturday night I went salsa dancing with Juliet and Michael. See pics below... I am wearing a short electric-blue dress, also known as my "LOOK AT ME!!!" dress

Gmail helps in all of life's critical decisions

2008-07-03T13:54:00.002-04:00

This morning I found out that I got a pseudo-job-offer from a company I had interviewed with a couple weeks ago (not the one I've been telling some of you I'm pretty excited about... another company.) Only, it went into my email SPAM folder, so I didnt know about it until 4 days after it was sent.

I wonder... is Gmail thinking this job is SPAM supposed to be telling me something????

Workin hard for the money

2008-07-02T19:25:00.003-04:00

I went in to the office of the start-up I'm helping out today and put in a full day's work... and it felt GLORIOUS. It's been so long (5 months and 2 weeks, to be exact) since I've put in a full, productive work day, and I forgot how satisfying it can be. Good thing I had that pleasant after-effect, since I'll have to have a REAL job PERMANENTLY soon

In other wonderfulness, I made cookie dough tonight. YUM! SUGAR!

nataliedee.com

reminds me of band camp...

2008-07-01T08:37:00.000-04:00

marriedtothesea.com

CATS

2008-06-29T19:27:00.006-04:00

I'm thinking about getting a cat in a few months
and I just found these kitten photos on petfinder.com

OMG I want one

On an un-related note, I love this photo of some dude with a million pots:

I guess I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff...

2008-06-29T11:01:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to a BBQ party at my buddy Tim's place, and one of their friends was having band practice that night. His band ended up coming over and giving a little performance for us - it was great, but there was one song that was really fantastic. I started listening to the lyrics and was thinking "Wow, this is just such a romantic song! you can really sense that the person who wrote this was so in love... " When they finished the tune I asked who it was (thinking it was probably some indie rock band I hadnt heard of or something) and it turns out that the lead singer had written it. A few hours earlier he had told me that in a few weeks he and his girlfriend were moving in together... I've got to say, she's a lucky girl!

so sweet

PUZZLZ

2008-06-27T00:25:00.002-04:00

and.... this is why I love Thom.

this just came into my gmail inbox:

from Thomas Rutford Covert
to [friends, family, and anyone who helped]

date		Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 12:16 AM
subject		puzzle completion event!

Attention puzzle solvers:

On this fantastic evening, Riva, Rose, and I completed the puzzle! It
was a glorious event. As a reminder, we started this bad boy on
December 24, 2007. Took us a bit over 6 months to complete.

The completed puzzle is available for viewings by appointment on
weeknights and weekends. To whet your appetites, please refer to the
pictures below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbakal/FinishingThePuzzle

Sincerely.

Thomas R.

PS - if I forgot anyone who either worked on this puzzle or gave us
puzzle solvers emotional support during the journey, please let me
know!

after telling me a story about her dream this morning...

2008-06-25T07:37:00.001-04:00

"Thanks, Brain - you make the night so fun!"
-Kelsey