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Happy Reverse-The-Curse-iversary, friends!

20 years ago tonight, I made sure to miss the requisite two innings of the final game of the 2004 World Series by going out to dinner with friends to celebrate mrieser's birthday (at Dali, stuffing ourselves on queso rebozado con miel and albondigas de cordero and gambas con ajo). When it was all over, the Sox had neatly swept the Cards under the ruddy glow of a total lunar eclipse, and amid the utter chaos in the streets of metro Boston, I stared up at the moon and smiled peacefully, overwhelmed by all the changes in my life in the preceding weeks, but once again believing that change could bring good things, too, if I just had faith. And patience.

(The part where, uh, memerath and Mel called me from Davis Square to try to get me to come out to the bar to celebrate and I turned them down for alternative activities (🔒), well, chalk it up to twentysomething shenanigans. Oh, younger self. :) )

(Original post.)

Least flattering, most heartwarming photos of precious time with my Boston best beloveds Saturday night. Catching up since the last time (six months or four years) amid pizza devouring, cookie baking, genial mockery, and all of the laughter. We love and miss you all. 😘 (Original post has more pictures.)

Thursday:

"Never forget," they say, and every year, the voices shouting that catchphrase get more and more shrill, as if we could forget what we saw, and who we worried for.

Seven years and one day ago, she wrote about seeing a rainbow from her office window near the top of the World Trade Center. Seven years ago, it was so bright out it hurt my eyes, and I couldn't believe that such horrible things could be happening on such a beautiful day.

I take a quick ride down to the river; it's grey and cool, and it helps.

*

Tuesday

It rained for most of our trip to Vancouver last month, yet I spent three days out of four there riding around town on a rented bicycle. Pedaling around Stanley Park, hefting my bike onto the miniferry, getting lost in Upper Kits, losing track of time and having to pedal the fastest I've ever gone in order to get the bike back before the shop closed. Me, flying up the seawall, a steady drizzle trickling its way down my neck, joyful.

( Turns out this was good prep for my inaugural bike ride across the river into Boston proper. )

Friday

I want more of my days to be this full of magical discovery.

Biking up the Minuteman Trail to pick up a bridal shower present for melissaagray in Arlington Heights, my longest ride to date. Splashing through puddles, grateful for my fenders, even if I am thinking of spray-painting them to coordinate with my shiny blue thing. (Horrified at the man I followed from Park Ave down to Arlington Center; I now understand exactly what kind of wetness pattern bike fenders prevent on your clothing, and why it looks especially gross on a mustard-yellow shirt.)

Coasting down through Davis Square, dismounting to make the turn on Elm Street towards home, when I look up at the Somerville Theatre marquee and notice that ( Dar Williams and Shawn Mullins are playing that night. )

Saturday

Pedaling as fast as I can down the Mem Drive bike path towards Watertown. Quickchange into dress too delicate for that ride, then another hour in the car with fes42 out to the Wistah suburbs. Sitting in melissaagray's sister's living room, looking around at everyone who's come to fête her, realizing I've known most of these people for five years or more now. Biking back, a serendipitous turn down Mount Auburn results in me following my nose and the tempting scent of meat to Harvard Books and Bartley's; three used Tamora Pierce books, a chocolate egg cream, and a Sarah Palin (grilled onions and cheese sauce; sadly, not a mooseburger) make the trip home with me.

I've done three long rides this week, every one of them an adventure. Tonight, I'll bike down to BU for class again, and hopefully a quick dinner afterwards with a friend. Sunday, I'll go 10 miles at Hub on Wheels (any other locals wanna bike on Storrow Drive with me? and eat Redbones afterwards? :D ).

This is what life on two wheels is like.

*

(I need a good biking icon. Where should I look?)

Still alive! The South may be trying to kill me with cholesterol, but I'm still tickin'. ;) It's been a much-needed, relaxing, nearly responsibility-free vacation.

Tuesday: Arrived chez Park. Ate a wide assortment of Korean food. Napped frequently.

Wednesday: ( sliders, Crystalis, and multicultural appropriation in a Southern grocery store. Of which I highly approve and am vastly amused, being one of them crazy blended peoples and all ;) )

Thursday: Feast! Turkey, natch, with yummy gravy (at which Hyoun's mom kicks ass; must learn from the master) and cranberry-Asian pear chutney; apricot-chestnut stuffing, garlic mashers, candied sweet potatoes, cider-roasted veggies (carrots, parsnips, zucchini, shiitake mushrooms), buttered corn, pan de sal, sesame green beans, spinach salad with goat cheese and candied pecans and blueberry vinaigrette dressing; strawberry-rhubarb pie for dessert. And of course, more Crystalis. ;) And Bubble Bobble!

Friday: ( fannish references in an art museum, awesome pizza, deep-fried Oreos. )

Saturday: ( the Smoky Mountains, farmers' market natch, Biltmore Estate, wherein I have to cut myself off at a WINE TASTING, and seeing Emily and Ben! )

Today: it's off to the Smokies again for a wee bit of hiking, plus barbecue for Hyoun and steak for Jane. Plus finishing Crystalis when we get back for me!

I mostly ignore online petitions, since most of them are ... less than weighty, shall we say.

However, there's one right now calling for an apology from ABC and the writers and producers of Desperate Housewives for the racist remarks written into this Sunday's episode, and I agree pretty strongly with it.

In a scene in which Susan was told by her gynecologist that she might be hitting menopause, she replied, "Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines." ... A statement that devalues Filipinos in healthcare is extremely unfounded, considering the overwhelming presence of Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the medical field. The Philippines produces more U.S. nurses than any other country in the world.

Given the recent amounts of media attention that has been given to Michael Richards (against African Americans), Isaiah Washington (against gays), and Rosie O'Donnell (against Asian/Chinese Americans), it is ridiculous that this type of hateful speech made it through various screenwriters, the show's producers, the show's actors, and ABC itself.

I hope to see more prominent news coverage about this in the coming days.

(via the Racialicious del.icio.us)

*

In much more soothing news, my friend Liane has just launched her craft shop Craft Attack on Etsy, specializing in hand-knit goods and soaps. I'm looking forward to trying the Cinnamon Oatmeal bar a try myself :) Go check it out!

In yummy news, bending sed to my will is so much easier with help and a piece of warm pecan pie. Also, I need to learn more about sed and awk, because a job that was going to take like, four hours of manual tedium? Just became a half-hour stretch-your-brain session in configuration, and as I get better at this, I can see this coming down to mere minutes, if not seconds.

But really? Mmm, pie. Must save room, though; am going out with hyounpark and my fam tonight to Craigie Street Bistrot. They change the menu nightly, but given their current sample menu? Drool.

Happy birthday, mister_skip!

( golden compass memery )

In other news, that Supernatural Brownies recipe that was in the Times a few weeks ago has been getting test-kitchen levels of practice chez moi, between baking for choir and friends under the weather, and it's almost to the point where I've got it memorized. It's incredibly simple, but so moist and fluffy it's worth the extra 15% effort above and beyond box-brownies. And it scales very easily, too; I've quartered the recipe for a personal pan-size one and the only weirdness was that the baking time was still almost exactly the same, wtf. (remark, when you get a chance, how do I add a compact version of this to Gal's recipes? *G*)

( cut for food pr0n )

Things I never imagined doing that I in fact did last night: helping to teach noghri's mom how to play Wii Tennis. She had trouble with serves, but got a couple of good rallies going against Steve, who was playing with his non-dominant hand. He's pretty banged-up from the accident, but it could've been a lot worse, and at least both his parents were *already* coming to visit for the weekend; they just pushed their tickets earlier.

Finally caught up on picture galleries! :)

Subjects include:
- the booze cruise
- 17-mile drive
- the monterey bay aquarium
- my 10-year high school reunion
- dania and jp's wedding

Yes, I took over 400 pictures in the last nine days. Yes, my camera is currently being held together by a ponytail holder. *grin*

( the promised trip update )

Took a couple of days to recover, and then Saturday was Meghan's 30th, and my first ever "booze cruise." And as I predicted to kazulrw, I spent all of my time running around taking piccies and none of my time actually consuming alcohol. Hee! But it was actually quite fun - there was a rockabilly cover band, and yummy little appetizers, and a cool breeze blowing in off the ocean. Then Friendly's with melissaagray and fes42 and stranger78, Apples to Apples at the afterparty, and then driving down Route 1 at 3 am. You're only as old as you feel!

Yesterday, I made the mistake of dairy when it was both 95f out and the first day of my period. So hyounpark brought me Tylenol Flavor Creator, since I can't swallow pills, and my god, this is like EXACTLY what I was hoping for as a kid. Granted, I also thought I'd be the one to invent it (since "normal people swallow pills" and thus nobody cared about making medicine taste tolerable), until I couldn't wrap my head around the chemistry involved, but still! I am going to be very sad when litigious American society eventually runs this product off the market because some idiot didn't keep their medicines locked away firmly enough, and their kid drinks an entire bottle and has to go to the hospital and the parents don't dare show weakness by assigning any amount of blame to themselves.

Anyway, it's funky. I thought it would be some sort of clear syrup that you mixed flavor crystals into, but it's a cherry-based syrup, and you get a bunch of flavor packets with the package. You pour out the syrup dosage into the measuring cup, then dump the flavor crystals directly on top, and then chug immediately. On reflection, I'm honestly not 100% sure this is actually kid-oriented, because I felt like I was doing a shot. True, I needed to take the full three teaspoon dose, and most kids will be fine with the recommended 1-2 tsp, which is much more "sip" and much less "down the hatch!"

So yes, that's how we spent our first anniversary, building furniture (well, okay, I watched) and me semi-loopy on new drugs. *snicker* We'll make up for it later, but tonight is girly night!

happy belated birthday, chrisg! (and at the rate i'm posting these days, might as well say happy early birthday, noghri!)

it's finally gotten warm enough again here that i'm not minding walking. it's downright gorgeous out tonight, and i'm half-debating walking to choir, except i dislike the construction zone of lower mass ave. maybe i'll compromise; walk down to central and take the 1 across the river instead, then walk to choir from hynes. i forgot to get my t-pass this month, so for the most part, i've been trying to walk places where normally i would've been trying to figure out some complex route to maximize the use of my t-pass and minimize the freezing of my ears and fingers.

i keep forgetting that yes, davis and central squares really are within normal walking distance once the temperature's reasonably above freezing. so i end up at someday cafe with my laptop and live the cliche my way - nestled into a cozy corner, laptop open to IRC, peoplewatching the hipsters with my accomplice the mint italian soda. i cut corners and realize that the harvard bookstore is a 15-minute walk from my front door when there's no ice to slip on. i stroll down to the new branch of petsi pies to meet up with nolrak and alissa as they meander up mass ave.

my choir friend polina and i rarely see each other outside of choir, despite living mere blocks away from each other. (this happens with elements and berkman, too, and should change!) but in the past week, i've run into her three separate times just walking down the street. i like this community feel.

i'm counting down to the farmers' markets opening again in the last week of may. i'm looking at weekends to host that first summer barbecue to sort-of celebrate my half birthday (june 4 i have a concert; june 11 i'll either be singing in fenway park or driving up the california coast; june 18 is a little too close to hyounpark's birthday and our anniversary. so i'm debating either moving it back to memorial day weekend or forward to the fourth of july.)

*

( baseball! )

( saturday, in which there is over seven hours of driving, three dozen bottles of beer acquired, and damn good pizza )

( sunday, in which there is even more driving, a damn good breakfast, and a true coupling. )

wedding piccies. i took so many pictures of the ceremony that i ran out of battery by the time the reception rolled around. the ceremony itself was so perfectly emandben, combining jewish and episcopalian heritage with unitarian beliefs and scholarly footnotes. (two american religions scholars getting married. hee.) a minister and a rabbi; episcopalian vows and a ketubah; the updating of the kiddushin to reflect true partnering (instead of the bride circling the groom seven times, em circled ben three times, then ben circled em three times, and then they both circled each other one last time to make the proper seven). stomping on the glass together. and through it all, they glowed. ne'er a doubt, fully aware of the commitment they were making and joyously solemn throughout. god made the world in six days, rested for one, and ever since then, has been yentl - making matches. and though i admit i've become slightly more worldly and jaded over the years about finding one's soulmate and finding the one, watching ben and emily, it's easy to see - they've found their beshert. may i be that lucky!



also, i would so go to services with that rabbi. heck, i might still be a catholic today had the good monsignors been as engaging as the rabbi. *ggl* very sensible and down-to-earth, liberal, cheerful, hearty. LOVED the rabbi. perfect complement to the services. here, have a look:



( the last of the whirlwind )

so, highlights:
- harmonizing to noghri's a cappella mix through connecticut
- devouring seven slices of pizza for lunch at kinchley's
- boozing it up in a random hotel room in suburban new jersey
- chocolate egg cream!
- winning both apples to apples and poker
- delicious breakfast
- doing memerath's hair
- wonderful, personal wedding ceremony
- seeing faraway friends, even if only for mere moments
- the night-drive peace after the craziness of the previous 36 hours