3.28.2009

A turkish delight

So I took the siblings out for turkish last night. This was their expression when they saw the menu. It was also much the same when the server brought us pita bread and olive oil. However kudos to Jones and co as they jumped in and tried new things. We really enjoyed the turkish tea.
Joe thought they whole thing was a win win, especially the beer.
See we love the tea and beer.
Dinner looked something like this - we all got some kind of kebobs. It was yummy - even Lita tried some.
It was a turkish delight!

3.22.2009

Chain of Love

So I signed up to do this on Jen's blog. Probably a month ago but I got busy and forgot. But here I am now and remembering to post this.
Chain of Love
The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
  1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make for you! (but let's be real you WILL!)
  2. What I create will be just for you, nope I'm not taking orders.
  3. It'll be done this year - who knows maybe before June!
  4. You have no clue what it's going to be. I have no clue yet but you should see some of the craft supplies I've been buying!
  5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange or not strange. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog (I'm okay if you don't post it if you don't have a blog - because I'm just that cool). JODIE I want you to respond so you will come and take pics of my family - oh wait am I allowed to request that?

What we are up too...

Since I worked all last weekend I got to take yesterday off and hang out with JJ. I did work in the morning but no more than 2 hours. JJ and I took off for a road trip to Rhode Island. It was beautiful and sunny and "semi" warm. Here's some pics from our trip yesterday and few from today.
Boston's Skyline from the site of the Tea Party
Jay and I at the bar.
Us on the beach.
Double fisting at the dinner.
Jay and I at the beach
Silverware in the North End.
Waiting for the T.
JJ and SaraThe Garment District a super fun vintage store.
And Robert and I

3.19.2009

Oh so random...

So I have been working 24x7 well almost. I did take a little time out and hang with JJ. And some other peeps. Check it...
Me and Nick.
JJ, Me and Nick

Check this out we met some people who have a house in Liberty in Boston! This is Denise (sunglasses) and Brian (green hat) and some of our other new friends. I'm not really terrified of them.
And the adoreable Robert. Who by the way needs to write me that poem already.

Tomorrow I'm only working for a smidge. My system is in and surprisingly working well for the time being. Now I need to get my other projects into full swing.

3.14.2009

Deployment Haze

So this is the weekend of my big deployment. We have been working on it since 3pm today and we are still working on it now. I wonder if I fall asleep anyone will even notice? Probably so. But who knows. I will post more exiciting things soon.

3.07.2009

Last weekends adventures...

so I was intending to have myself an adventure today and I set out on it and decided that this cold jono gave me when I was in Indiana last week was kicking my butt and I should go back to the hotel and nap. But since I need to blog this week I wanted to share with you adventures from last weekend. For the record I think that we have to be the only people in the world who go Antique Shopping and then to SupaCross in the same day. But here's a recap in reverse order because I'm just that cool today.
We hit supacross! which is the second biggest motorsport after nascar. It was at the new stadium in Indy we didn't know boo about it really until we googled it prior to going. Prior to going I was really wishing it was a monster truck rally as I think that would be super cool. But Supacross proved to be just as great as I envisioned monster trucks would be too! Woot! Anyhow it was actually really fun, 61,000 of our closest friends were there (actually we saw lots of people we know) and we all enjoyed the main event where the two best drivers battled it out and James Stewart fell twice and still almost caught Reed. In addition to some great racing they also had fireworks (I do love fireworks) and halftime shows with stunt motocylce tricks. Anyhow a few pics for you all I took some video footage too but I haven't the slightest idea how to upload that.
Ready set go! They all line up like this prior to starting there's this pounding of the dirt dance that takes places prior to the race starting too which I do enjoy.
And yes wrecking!
And fireworks!
so prior to our supacross activities we went antique shopping. While I'm home I usually try to take jono to different places he may not have discovered in Indy yet and so I took him to midland. Which is an antique mall inside of an old storage place. We were looking for something for joe's entry way which we felt needed to be spiced up a bit and a typerwriter for me. We saw lots of cool things and bought a handful of things. We will definently be back again and likely will check out the one on the north side too. If we weren't starving when we left we might have gone to the salvage yard too but we were hungry. So ended up getting a lovely ensemble of glove display hands and shoe molds for his entry way and we think it will be a nice addition to his apartment. Anyhow a few pics...
Here's what the place looks like. I didn't get a shot of the doors which I think is one of the best parts of the building. Next time.

My favorite purchase! Yes it's a croquet set. We couldn't resist this little lovely and we plan to make good use of it this summer and have croquet parties and tournements. We are envisioning some that are like croquet mini golf that may or may not include obstacles involving the christmas tree, bicylces, and perhaps a mini windmill if we can rig it up! Everyone's invited so long as they are sophiscated enough for croquet.
The only typerwriter in the place was $60 and missing some letters in addition I doubt I would have been able ot type anything on it. So I will keep looking.
Before there was antique shopping there was adventures on Mass Ave. This is on my list of things to do this year (DONE!) unforunately it was SO cold. But we braved the coldness and still checked things out. I think I now have a new favorite store Silver in the City - they have everything random and fabulous. I think jonathan would agree it's definently a good place to get stuff. We also enjoyed some of the other shops although the toy store did not have any games worth getting. So for some pics...
They have lots of art on mass ave, perfect for timer pics.
And Mary Poppins lost or something, next to some other art.
Truth and Lies Suggestion Boxes art installation by Jamie Pawlus. I wanted to drop something in but I had nothing to write on. Next time.
Mass Ave Sign.
Another Art Installation. We did enjoy this one she does a little dance.
Oh and in other good news only 1 month until we are in the UK.

3.01.2009

I can't resist sharing this...

I accidentally discovered this site and it's interesting to read. Some of things he does are just silly but I find it interesting...
http://theplug.net/index.htm
There should be more awards like this -And The Awards For Best ThingsThat Seen All Day
They photograph odd things - Tip Jars
Leave camera interesting places.

I was going to blog about my weekend in Indy...

but it seemed wrong since I never really blogged about all the details of New York. I had the most lovely time with my friend Lili and all her chinese friends even if I can't say all of their names or understand 90% of what they were saying. It was quite the adventure and learning experience they shared so many things with me. Let's start from the top...
First Lili and I took the train to south station, we almost missed the train but luckily we hopped on, we had planned to leave extra early but didn't leave until a little after 9. We got to South Station and got literally the last two spots of the FunWey Bus (which for the record did not have live chickens despite what I might have been told). We ran to the gate just before the left running right past our SVP who had been watching for us (she was taking another bus at the same time in the next gate) she must have blinked as we ran by because she didn't see us. Anyhow the Fun bus seemed to be the napping bus - but that was fine with us since we worked until after 10:30 on Thrusday.
We arrived in Mahattan to be greeted by three of Lili's friends Dani, Ming & Sue & Fannie. They took us to lunch at some place with "yummy noodles" where they ordered just about 1/2 the menu and we only ate a 1/10 of it but I did taste the eel. I was hesitant the thought of the nasty thing made me disgusted but it wasn't so bad. Anyhow after that we all pilled into Dani's car and took a drive to his house. At Dani's I we were greeted by PauPau (which I think is chinese for grandma) but I'm not sure - she's Dani's mother in law she speaks NO english but she was very excited to meet me and kept bringing me things she was super cute. We toured Dani's house which he has been remodeling and played some pool and had a few drinks and chatted then we went out to supper. It was about this time that I started to feel slightly lost in translation. I literally know 5 chinese words and ice cream, sugar and brother are not really that common of phrases. But regardless everyone was super nice at dinner and the waiter and I had a few chuckles I don't think he sees many white midwest women in a rooms full of chinese people. We were served a 12 course meal of which the first 4 courses were various seafood dishes I don't eat much seafood particularly those things that come in shells so the waiter made a joke that he could bring me penguin, goose, or duck. And Lili told him chicken - he chuckled and said they were out. But shortly there after he brought me my own plate of chicken which he told everyone in chinese wall all mine. Yes I even ate the penguin in course 6 however I might have passed on it however Lili had stepped out when they brought it and I thought it was some kind of other bird. For the record "Happy Feet" tastes like goose or duck and it's not really bad at all aside from that they leave the heads on. Anyhow the meal continued until I thought people were going to pop from eating and then the Karaoke began. I did not take a turn as it was in all chinese characters. However others did. After that we hopped into a cab back to mahattan to check into our hotel in times square. We slept in on Saturday although we had good intentions of getting up early for breakfast with Lili's friends. Instead we enjoyed Dim Sum Brunch with some other friends. This time I was slightly less lost in translation although not entirely. Then we went shopping in chinatown and off to visit fannie and her family. It's amazing to me how many different things were being sold on the street. Did you know you could buy a brick of tofu on the street corner? On the way back to the subway we stopped in for bubble tea and then we climbed down these steps into this chinese music club where we listened to a chinese band playing. It was really super cool. They played instruments I'd never seen and they were very fascinated by my presence there as well they all wanted to know how I came to be in their music club (of course they were asking in chinese so I didn't know what they wanted). But they all were smiling and shaking my hands.
We wandered for a while and ended up back into times square we went shopping more although I bought nothing really. But we did stop in and see all the "touristy" stores. Then we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and we went to dinner and saw Billy Elliot. Billy was very good the show is funnier than the movie. And who doesn't love singing and dancing! After the show we thought about going out but went back to the hotel instead. The next day we did some more wandering before Dim Sum in Chinatown and our bus trip back to Boston. (sorry to condense the end of the adventure notes but I'm getting sleepy and I could go on forever).. But never fear a few pics to accompany it lthough for the record my pics were horrible from the weekend all weekend long I seemed to have my camera set to some weird funky setting that I swear I didn't change to from auto.

Dani, Ming, Lili and Sue (or maybe that's fannie)
All over New York I kept seeing Babies in bags! It cracked me up especially since they say don't let your child play with a plastic bag.
Mom this one is for you! While I was there I ran into Superman who was busy saving the world.
More from Time's Square
42nd street train station
The Brooklyn Bridge from Dani's Car.
Me tasting some kind of traditional chinese treat. (I didn't care much for this).
Times Square (this is what happens when someone else gets your camera).

There were these random balloon carries in mahattan.
This seems so New York to me.
Me and Bubble Tea.
Times Square during the day.
The M&M store - people in the store thought I was crazy using my phone "tripod"

Fannie's daughter. Don't you love the leopard?

This is the treat i'm eating abow.
The man who was toting his ladder about on the train. I couldn't resist taking this one.
Octopus Anyone?

Sugar Cane sold on the street not far from the tofu.
Some of Lili's friends - I think this is Sam and I can't remember her name.