Happy Birthday Patrick!

Hello Dear Readers,

Here is a shout out to my baby brother Patrick who turns 24 today (and who is a follower of my blog, yes!)

Here is a teaser photo of what awaits you when you get home Pittie Pat, anyone want to guess what it could be?
Hope you are having a good day!

Dr. Who?

Hello Dear Readers,

Look at what Jennifer sent me from around the world in Hawaii!!


How much fun is that? For non Who fans, that is an old Dalek on the left and a new one (as premiered earlier this month) on the right with their motto EXTERMINATE! I framed it in some heavy cardstock and it's sitting on my mantle for me to enjoy. I even got Chris into watching Dr. Who, I think he's going to start with Christopher Eccleston and work up to the new Matt Smith who is my age! Hard to believe. Also hard to believe Chris and I could get much nerdier, but with Star Trek over, have to find a new world to obsess about.

In a crossover for Chris, here is a clip from Craig Fergison where he mentions Dr. Who. It sounds exactly like something MY dad would say if I said I was watching Dr. Who.....

P.S. If anyone wants a pair of knit hotpants of their very own (Jeff, I'm specifically thinking of you) just place your orders, I already have one person interested :-P.

Second Opinion

Hello Dear Readers,

So, last night I cast off my hot pants that I've been working on, tried them on for Pat, Sarah and Chris and got a unanimous look of horror from all three of them! The words "camel toe" and "are you going to wear them in public" were thrown around. Geeze, I don't think they are THAT bad! I was going for dance warm up style shorts like this, this or this.... and this is what I came up with:



Is that so bad? Oh, warning, here is the BOOTY SHOT:


The pics could have been better but I was using the timer and balancing the camera on these pointy fence post things on our deck (sorry Chris! I know you'll cringe when you read that!)
Is that so awful that I can't wear it to yoga in the winter? will it be too much to wear with my shrug and leg warmers in the winter? too much knitting? is there such a thing?

Comments from the Peanut Gallery?

"A little sea-bathing would set me up for ever." -Mrs. Bennett

Hello Dear Readers,

Chris and I, sort of spur of the moment, hopped a train for Brighton Beach yesterday afternoon. I went to the Tate Modern museum first (Picasso! Pollack! Matisse! LOVE it!) and then met him at work to take a train from Victoria. For those who don't know, Brighton is a long time beach resort for Englanders, famous for Brighton Beach Memoirs and as the place Lydia Bennet met her downfall in Pride and Prejudice. For that reason alone I have wanted to go, but I've also heard good things about it from people here.
For those who don't know, my parent's house in Virginia is on Trafalgar Lane, couldn't pass up this photo op in the Laines.

It's a little hard to see, but for some reason this tailor shop in "the Lanes" had a Dalek (Dr. Who villain) in their shop. Plunger, eyeball and all!

Here I am, basking in the sunlight on Brighton Beach, the Pier in the background.

Here is Chris, throwing stones into the sea. I told him to stop or else there wouldn't be enough pebbles for everyone..... to his left are the fun rides at the fair on the end of the Pier, sort of like Navy Pier in Chicago.

Going into the Pier....

Relaxing in a deck chair at the pier with Brighton in the background... (made me think of the time Joy and I went to Ojo Caliente in NM, but I wasn't nearly as relaxed)

King George IV's summer palace, or what looks like the worlds largest curry house (what they call Indian restaurants here).

We caught the direct train back to Putney around 7:30, it was a good afternoon, and now I have incentive to squish all the fun stuff in before I start working.

Cheers.

The Best Day of my Life

Hello Dear Readers,

Well, it's a start. Today I was pretty much offered a 5 months curatorial position at the Herbarium at Kew Gardens. (For those who don't know, this is my dream job). Funny thing, the reason I was offered this post is because I was highly recommended for the last post I applied for and didn't get, and it turns out that the person who's spot I'm filling in for is the one who got the post I applied for. Crazyness!

It's just for 5 months, and pays pretty poorly, but hey, I'm getting my foot in the door and who knows where that will go? I can start as soon as the HR paperwork goes through, so I'm going to try to max out my last week of freedom here, going to museums, maybe a little bit of shopping (get some new work clothes?) maybe a quick trip to Brighton...... but yeah, Job. Sorted.

Cheers!

The worst day of my life!

My best friend, my Ipod nano Chris bought me for Christmas in 2007 is on the fritz! It's my best friend, my running, walking work out partner! The apple icon keeps blinking on and off like a switch is stuck somewhere :-(. NoooooO! I don't want a shiny new one, I want my old Ipod.

ETA: (edited to add for those non tech savvy people)Google to the rescue, how could I have doubted you Google. Turned it on disk mode after a few tries and was able to reformat. Phew! Crisis averted!

Sita Sings the Blues

Hello Dear Readers,
Thought this was kind of neat:


The Revolution Will Be Animated from Marine Lormant Sebag on Vimeo.


And here is where you can find the full movie.