Vacation is great so far. We are eating far too much in the way of deep fried seafoods (at least we're going for an array this year instead of our staple, clams). We are drinking too much, too often (last year I wasn't allowed to drink due to being knocked up, so this in itself is an improvement). We are walking on the beach and making fires and playing crib and seeing friends and family.
The kid is semi-cooperative. After her stellar performance on the ten hour drive to our destination, she has decided that she no longer tolerates car travel. This is a major suck. While the whole purpose of renting a cottage is so that we have a home base and people can come to us, we still do have to do some driving to get things like groceries and beer and emergency sweaters for the baby because we're horrible parents and only brought one.
Today we drove to Fundy National Park, and while the park itself is beautiful, the drive to get there is full of gorgeous farms, small craft shops, old barns, covered bridges etc etc. I was dying to take some photos, but on the way there she slept (we CANNOT stop the car when she's sleeping) then woke up and promptly cranked. So, there is always the way back, right? Except it followed the exact same routine. But our time in the park was fun, especially for Tess.
I will make a photo post at some point, but I mostly wanted to say that if I could sum up our trip it one word at the moment, it would be BUGS. Bugs themselves don't bother me much, however it would appear that I am a particularly tasty person for mosquitoes, even when I apply various repellents liberally. They swarm me, and either leave SB untouched totally, or else he's extremely un-allergic to them and just has zero reaction when they do bite him. And I haven't notice any bites on the kid yet, but she is rarely outside during prime mosquito feast time (ie after dark.)
So, I'm using a lot of AfterBite and trying not to scratch. It makes me want to avoid the fun things like fires and beach walks sometimes, but I try not to always be the downer and take one for the team every once in a while.
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Monday, September 12, 2011
Friday, October 01, 2010
20 weeks, 4 days
Vacation was great! Little did we know that our wee mountain dog is actually a water dog at heart:
Her very favorite thing was running along the beach and exploring the giant piles of seaweed. And while she did hop in the water regularly, I think that she would enjoy it even more if it was a bit warmer!
While on vacation, I passed the 19 week and 20 week mark. Allegedly The Insider is the size of a small cantaloupe now. Also, within one day, my belly went from looking fat to looking round, as per my mother who said "Wow, you really popped overnight!".
The last few days I've been feeling a few what they call "flutters" - basically feels like gas bubbles without the gas. In one week, we have our anatomy scan ultrasound, which means we will know if we're having a boy or girl baby.
Tomorrow, I'm going to try my hand at a prenatal yoga class. I feel blobby and gross since I can't go running, and walking just doesn't do it for me. So I figured at least if I get some stretching and muscle strengthening happening it may help me feel better. Plus I'm sure a little flexibility won't hurt to help during labor. I'm going to check out Studio Bliss since one of our ex-clients is an instructor there. She won't be the teacher tomorrow, but I figure she is a very sweet woman, and if she works there it must be a pretty okay place. I'll let you know how it goes, so long as the exertion doesn't kill me.
Her very favorite thing was running along the beach and exploring the giant piles of seaweed. And while she did hop in the water regularly, I think that she would enjoy it even more if it was a bit warmer!
While on vacation, I passed the 19 week and 20 week mark. Allegedly The Insider is the size of a small cantaloupe now. Also, within one day, my belly went from looking fat to looking round, as per my mother who said "Wow, you really popped overnight!".
The last few days I've been feeling a few what they call "flutters" - basically feels like gas bubbles without the gas. In one week, we have our anatomy scan ultrasound, which means we will know if we're having a boy or girl baby.Tomorrow, I'm going to try my hand at a prenatal yoga class. I feel blobby and gross since I can't go running, and walking just doesn't do it for me. So I figured at least if I get some stretching and muscle strengthening happening it may help me feel better. Plus I'm sure a little flexibility won't hurt to help during labor. I'm going to check out Studio Bliss since one of our ex-clients is an instructor there. She won't be the teacher tomorrow, but I figure she is a very sweet woman, and if she works there it must be a pretty okay place. I'll let you know how it goes, so long as the exertion doesn't kill me.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Back to reality.
So, we're back from vacation. Been back for about a week now. It's sad. So, so, so sad.
.JPG)
I wasn't able to let go of thinking about work while we were there. I cheated a few times and checked the emails just to be sure things seemed to be going smoothly. I can't wait until I don't have to do that anymore. Because aside from that, I was able to completely disconnect from everything else in life (even FARMVILLE!!!!) and just spend time with SB.
The resort was fantastic, we couldn't have asked or hoped for more. We were ridiculously spoiled, and had nice surprises from the staff. SB got to do some active watersports stuff - I tried to get into the Hobie Cat thing for his sake, but was way too nervous. He didn't mind taking it out alone, and also did some waterskiing too. We went snorkeling together, which was amazing. So many cute fish to see!
Now, back to reality, it doesn't seem fair that just over a week ago I was eating dinner with my feet in the sand and the ocean just a few yards away in the moonlight. It's like it never even happened, like it was just a dream. At least we have photographic proof!
.JPG)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
vacation countdown and organizational madness
5 days until vacation. Which means I am now obsessively checking weather reports (it's not looking great, folks) while alternating with obsessively making lists. And it seems like these lists never get shorter.
The most stressful thing, as it is on any given day of my life, is the work situation. Trying to be sure everything is in place and ready for the girls so they have a stress-free week (or as stress-free as possible), which involves heavily coaching our clients to get their acts together and make things as uncomplicated as possible.
But this time, we have the added fun factor that The Woodge is basically half croaked, so SB's brother may come home to a dead dog at any moment. What's happening is that he is in congestive heart failure. This is surprising to me because I didn't think he had a heart, then come to find out it's about three times regulation size. He's taking three different drugs which seemed to have regulated his breathing a bit, and he's back to eating his normal meal, so that's good, but the vet gives him 4-8 months. Now, I'm not sure if we're doing the right thing by medicating him, or if it would be better to put him down, but we both have a whole lot on our plates at the moment, and medicine is easy to administer (albeit not CHEAP, by any means) so that's what we've decided to do for now. Hopefully he will be okay while we're gone, because I would feel horrible if Ren had to go through that. Even though we're expecting it to happen, I know he would feel pretty poopy about it.
And as if all that weren't enough to worry about, today I have to go for a wax. Ugh. Vacation is killing me.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday mish-mash - only one day to go!
Big big week coming up.
1. The last day of NaBloPoMo is TOMORROW!!! Gaaack - I know you'll miss me!
2. doing a lot of walking this week since one of our girls is on vacation. I had been kinda looking forward to it, and then Friday was my first day of it and it did NOT go well. It wasn't a disaster or anything, but it was just really exhausting and I'm over it.
3. taking Osha to the vet on Tuesday - he periodically gets congested and sneezy, and we usually give him some baby Benedryl and it clears up in a couple of days, but this time there appears to be no end in sight. Not to gross you out, but tonight he sneezed out a booger/snot mass bigger than I've ever seen come out of a human. So, we'll head to the vet and see what she can do for us.
4. Countdown to vacation is at 50 days!
5. Tonight is Amazing Race and Dexter. When did Sunday become my favorite TV night? I'm not sure, but it is! Dexter was so friggin' good last week I can't wait to see what happens tonight.
I'm glad NaBloPoMo is done tomorrow - not because I haven't enjoyed writing. It's actually been much easier and more enjoyable than the last time I did it. But this week is going to busy and exhausting and I know odds are I would have forgotten to post at some point. That would suck, so I'm glad tomorrow is my last official posting day. But I think I will be around a lot more than I used to be.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Honeymoon
I'm exhausted and out of ideas for today. I had a fantastic dinner out with friends, and after a pretty busy work day I'm out of ideas.
I don't think I've talked about our official honeymoon, which is coming up very very soon. Because our wedding was in September, and we really really really wanted a beach relax honeymoon, which isn't really a good idea in September because of hurricanes, we booked our honeymoon for January. Little did I know that the waiting time of FOUR MONTHS in between would be tortuous, but it makes me even more glad that we headed to Vegas for our Mini Moon because holy heck can you imagine if we hadn't?
So, we're going to St. Lucia, and staying at a Sandals. I'm pretty stoked to check out an all-inclusive that has a great menu, beautiful rooms, and 24 hour room service. And I'm also super excited about the fact that I'm pretty sure our Blackberries won't work there, so we won't have a choice but to turn them off. For the first time in....4 years. Oh, yes, it will be fantastic.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Viva Las Vegas!
For our mini-honeymoon, SB and I jetted off to Las Vegas for 4 days of mayhem in Sin City. Every single person that we spoke to before heading off said "Vegas is fun - for about 3-4 days, after that it gets to be a bit much." We were please, then, since we had only booked for 4 days, really just a getaway to relax after wedding craziness.
I don't know how other people "do" Vegas, but obviously not the right way because holy heck if I don't want to move there. We had such a fantastic time, I would go back in a heartbeat. So, my mini travelguide to Vegas.
- Don't spend a ton on your hotel - just make sure you stay somewhere on the strip. We stayed at the MGM Grand - one of the older hotels, rooms are slightly dated but clean. You don't spend a ton of time in your room, so you just want to be sure it's somewhere you won't catch bedbugs and that doesn't stink of mold.
- Do research the pool - we spent the WHOLE DAY by the pool, as we are wont to do, and we were very please that our hotel had a fantastic pool area, with sunshine all day long. In contrast, right across the street at New York New York the pool area was tiny and shaded all day. Boooo. You need to be a guest at the hotel to get into the pool area for free, so be sure you are staying at a hotel with a pool you will want to hang out at.
- Do relax in the daytime. ie plan on hanging out by the pool, doing shopping, visiting spas...whatever you consider relaxing, fill your days with that. Don't try to pack the daytime with too much shuffling about because it gets wicked hot, so you will tire yourself out pretty quickly if you are outside in it too long.
- Do explore at night - the Strip is pretty amazing, and night time is the time to really take it all in, all lit up and flashy. We checked out most of the casinos from the outside, and a couple from the inside, just by wandering up and down the Strip. The sidewalks are much, much more narrow than I thought though, so as much as I was up for seeing the sights I did find the crowds very annoying.
- Do hit some buffets. We read a lot about the Bellagio buffet, so we had to check it out. It was amazing - Under $30 per person and dudes, there was Kobe beef prime rib. And a sushi bar. And duck a l'orange. And quail. It was ridiculous. The buffet at our hotel wasn't half bad, either, and we were able to pay a "whole day" price, which gave us a discount for eating our breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. And it was yummy, not bland or gross like I expected.
I could go on and on about all the activities we did, but these are the best tips I came away with. We were there at the end of September, and the weather was absolutely amazing. Hot and sunny all day, relatively cool at night. And there is something about the low humidity that just made me sooooo happy all the time. Except when it cause our bodies to shrink and SB's wedding ring fell off in the casino, but that's a whole other story.
I don't know how other people "do" Vegas, but obviously not the right way because holy heck if I don't want to move there. We had such a fantastic time, I would go back in a heartbeat. So, my mini travelguide to Vegas.
- Don't spend a ton on your hotel - just make sure you stay somewhere on the strip. We stayed at the MGM Grand - one of the older hotels, rooms are slightly dated but clean. You don't spend a ton of time in your room, so you just want to be sure it's somewhere you won't catch bedbugs and that doesn't stink of mold.
- Do research the pool - we spent the WHOLE DAY by the pool, as we are wont to do, and we were very please that our hotel had a fantastic pool area, with sunshine all day long. In contrast, right across the street at New York New York the pool area was tiny and shaded all day. Boooo. You need to be a guest at the hotel to get into the pool area for free, so be sure you are staying at a hotel with a pool you will want to hang out at.
- Do relax in the daytime. ie plan on hanging out by the pool, doing shopping, visiting spas...whatever you consider relaxing, fill your days with that. Don't try to pack the daytime with too much shuffling about because it gets wicked hot, so you will tire yourself out pretty quickly if you are outside in it too long.
- Do explore at night - the Strip is pretty amazing, and night time is the time to really take it all in, all lit up and flashy. We checked out most of the casinos from the outside, and a couple from the inside, just by wandering up and down the Strip. The sidewalks are much, much more narrow than I thought though, so as much as I was up for seeing the sights I did find the crowds very annoying.
- Do hit some buffets. We read a lot about the Bellagio buffet, so we had to check it out. It was amazing - Under $30 per person and dudes, there was Kobe beef prime rib. And a sushi bar. And duck a l'orange. And quail. It was ridiculous. The buffet at our hotel wasn't half bad, either, and we were able to pay a "whole day" price, which gave us a discount for eating our breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. And it was yummy, not bland or gross like I expected.
I could go on and on about all the activities we did, but these are the best tips I came away with. We were there at the end of September, and the weather was absolutely amazing. Hot and sunny all day, relatively cool at night. And there is something about the low humidity that just made me sooooo happy all the time. Except when it cause our bodies to shrink and SB's wedding ring fell off in the casino, but that's a whole other story.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Gifts
When SB and I visited Paris last May, we spent a while roaming around the Louvre. It was a hot day, and we had already been to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and had walked all the way down the Champs Elysees, past the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, through Place de la Concorde, through the Jardins de Tuileries, only to end up at the Louvre for free entrance night. It was a lovely, lovely day, and would have been perfect but for my highly disappointing Merrell flats that gave me blisters all over.
Our evening at the Louvre was a timed event. We had a very limited amount of time to explore, a very diverse list of items to see, two feet nearing the status of "massacred" and a throng of enthusiastic tourists to maneuver through.
Obviously Eric's girlfriend La Jaconda was first on the list:
Then we hit up as much else as we could. I believe we were actually on the hunt for Venus de Milo, who was actually just alright, when we stumbled upon a most unexpected treasure.
This photo does not do her justice. Because when you first see her you are climbing a staircase, and she is placed in the middle of the landing, so it's like she's rising before you. I remember we both gasped. Her full name is Winged Victory of Samothrace, but they call her Nike. She is from Greece, and is over 2000 years old. They found her in pieces, many, many pieces, but they put her back together. She is strong, imperfect, bold, incomplete. I was so drawn to her, I didn't want to leave. I could have sat for hours admiring her.
For my birthday, SB gave me something extraordinary, without even really knowing. He found a foot tall reproduction of Nike. And while I know that she is special for both of us, since it was one of the most memorable, striking moments of our whole trip, I feel like it is so apt that when I am feeling so deconstructed and lost and broken that this is the gift he chose to give me.
Our evening at the Louvre was a timed event. We had a very limited amount of time to explore, a very diverse list of items to see, two feet nearing the status of "massacred" and a throng of enthusiastic tourists to maneuver through.
Obviously Eric's girlfriend La Jaconda was first on the list:
Then we hit up as much else as we could. I believe we were actually on the hunt for Venus de Milo, who was actually just alright, when we stumbled upon a most unexpected treasure.
This photo does not do her justice. Because when you first see her you are climbing a staircase, and she is placed in the middle of the landing, so it's like she's rising before you. I remember we both gasped. Her full name is Winged Victory of Samothrace, but they call her Nike. She is from Greece, and is over 2000 years old. They found her in pieces, many, many pieces, but they put her back together. She is strong, imperfect, bold, incomplete. I was so drawn to her, I didn't want to leave. I could have sat for hours admiring her.
For my birthday, SB gave me something extraordinary, without even really knowing. He found a foot tall reproduction of Nike. And while I know that she is special for both of us, since it was one of the most memorable, striking moments of our whole trip, I feel like it is so apt that when I am feeling so deconstructed and lost and broken that this is the gift he chose to give me.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Did I ever tell you about that time....
When I'm pretty sure I saw Johnny Depp? I actually had to just google his name to make sure I spelled it correctly, so that can tell you how much of a superfan I am, but nonetheless...
When we were in Paris, we had a pretty fantastic day when we just wandered around the Marais area and the area around Les Halles and Pompidou. Near Les Halles, there is this actually pretty ghetto carousel (comparing it to the one near the Eiffel Tower), and while walking past there pretty much as fast as I could to avoid all the children, I'm pretty sure I saw Johnny Depp.
As most people know, JD lives in Paris with his wife and little girl, but I figured the chances of seeing anyone famous during our visit was slim to none (we missed Lindsey Lohan (sp?) by this much as she was in Paris while we were at Versailles). Anyway, I was trying to follow SB through this weird park area trying to find the Pied du Cochon, when I saw this really cute little girl and her maybe dad who looked kinda like Johnny Depp. In the split second that it took me to walk by them I thought a) I would be a total tool to ask for a photo since I'm not even sure it's him and I totally don't have time to stop and take a better look because I will lose SB and b) that guy looks exactly like Johnny Depp except his hair is kinda weird and he is wearing weird sunglasses.
I kinda forgot about it, until last week I was watching the MTV Movie awards and he was there, and he had EXACTLY the same hair as the guy I saw in the park, although it looked freshly died a darker color.
This would lead me to conclude: I practically made out with Johnny Depp in a park in Paris.
When we were in Paris, we had a pretty fantastic day when we just wandered around the Marais area and the area around Les Halles and Pompidou. Near Les Halles, there is this actually pretty ghetto carousel (comparing it to the one near the Eiffel Tower), and while walking past there pretty much as fast as I could to avoid all the children, I'm pretty sure I saw Johnny Depp.
As most people know, JD lives in Paris with his wife and little girl, but I figured the chances of seeing anyone famous during our visit was slim to none (we missed Lindsey Lohan (sp?) by this much as she was in Paris while we were at Versailles). Anyway, I was trying to follow SB through this weird park area trying to find the Pied du Cochon, when I saw this really cute little girl and her maybe dad who looked kinda like Johnny Depp. In the split second that it took me to walk by them I thought a) I would be a total tool to ask for a photo since I'm not even sure it's him and I totally don't have time to stop and take a better look because I will lose SB and b) that guy looks exactly like Johnny Depp except his hair is kinda weird and he is wearing weird sunglasses.
I kinda forgot about it, until last week I was watching the MTV Movie awards and he was there, and he had EXACTLY the same hair as the guy I saw in the park, although it looked freshly died a darker color.
This would lead me to conclude: I practically made out with Johnny Depp in a park in Paris.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A few days late...
Sorry. I got sidetracked with all the relaxing and the vacationing. As promised, some photos from the Versailles palace:
A beautiful hall that is not open to the public, so we actually got a fabulous photo:
An interesting fashion choice:
(yes, those are open-toe, in case you were wondering).
There are gorgeous statues everywhere - just like at home!
Some teenager dropped her cell phone, and SB was the only eagle-eyed observer who noticed. She was running around with a group of other teen girls, and SB chased after them to give it back. My hero.
The whole Palace was pretty amazing. I had been before, but didn't do the audio-guided tour, which was really interesting. I wonder if I can download a copy of that somewhere so I can figure out which photos are from which rooms?
The number of photos we have are completely overwhelming me at the moment. I am very glad I took the time at the end of most days to sit down and label them all, but sharing them is a bit slow. I have posted some on facebook but believe me, there are hundreds and hundreds more. Hundreds. I promise I will never make anyone sit and look at every single one.
I'm quite glad we took so many photos. We have tons that are viable framers, and, coincidentally, we have three giant walls in our main living area with no photos on them. The lady with the socks is a prime candidate for the head of the dining room.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Paris - Day ????? who cares anymore? it's PARIS!
Well, actually, this post is about Versailles, but whatever.
Dudes, if you have an abundance of airmiles, this is what I recommend doing:
a) plan a trip to Paris when flights are cheap
b) rent an apartment in the city that is reasonable and that has internet and a washer and dryer
d) Use all the airmiles you have accumulated in the previous year to take a one-night's stay at a 5 star Westin hotel located 10 feet from the Queen's gate to the gardens at Versailles.
e) Pay a surcharge to upgrade your room and get breakfast and dinner included.
Those are sheep there. SHEEP!
I have rarely in my life had the opportunity to stay at a truly luxury hotel, but it is soooooo worth it. The people smile at you even when your hair looks like crap. They apologize for everything. They wipe your ass. No, they don’t do that, but I bet they would if you asked them to. And you wouldn't even have to ask in a nice way.
Dudes, if you have an abundance of airmiles, this is what I recommend doing:
a) plan a trip to Paris when flights are cheap
b) rent an apartment in the city that is reasonable and that has internet and a washer and dryer
d) Use all the airmiles you have accumulated in the previous year to take a one-night's stay at a 5 star Westin hotel located 10 feet from the Queen's gate to the gardens at Versailles.
e) Pay a surcharge to upgrade your room and get breakfast and dinner included.
Those are sheep there. SHEEP!
I have rarely in my life had the opportunity to stay at a truly luxury hotel, but it is soooooo worth it. The people smile at you even when your hair looks like crap. They apologize for everything. They wipe your ass. No, they don’t do that, but I bet they would if you asked them to. And you wouldn't even have to ask in a nice way.
We arrived, dropped our bags, and then went off to explore the gardens, since they were announcing rain for the following day. We were enamored by the sheep on our walk to the Grand Trianon, probably because I am addicted to animals, and also because I love the scene in the movie when M-A is playing with her little daughter and the baby lamb. We didn’t see any lambs, but we saw this guy, who had a bad haircut:
The grounds are so beautiful, and so well maintained it is incredible. We ate lunch by the
who caused a raucous the whole way down the canal splashing and yelling.
After lunch we took our books to the other side of the canal, which was in the shade, and read/napped. We originally situated ourselves a bit closer to the palace than we were supposed to, and eventually the French RCMP came and shooed us away.
After our nap, etc, we went into town to buy the essentials: wine, iced tea. The end. Actually, we probably would have bought two bottles of wine but I forgot to bring my bag with our extra cash and we only had like 9 euro.
At the hotel, I took a big long bubble bath here with a glass of wine:
While SB took a nap in the Heavenly Bed:
Sidenote:
I love the Heavenly Bed. I would love to marry the Heavenly Bed. If anyone would like to buy me a Heavenly Bed, please do so. It is so comfortable. The mattress is perfect. The linens are soft, and satiny. I did not want to leave that Heavenly Bed. Not even one bit. A photo:
I will see you again one day, HB. XOXO
End Sidenote.
After cleaning up and making out with the Heavenly Bed, we had dinner at the Veranda restaurant. It was fantastic, except for one thing. We had taken the “dinner included” package, and no one at the restaurant seemed to know what that entailed. It was annoying when we were ordering, annoying when we waited for the bill (drinks were not included and we had a bottle of wine), and annoying when we saw a small surcharge on our room charges the next day. But I was able to put all that aside (SB was too, but not before he detailed our issues to the front desk clerk, in actually a very nice way.) The food was friggin amazing. SB had: seared tuna with marinated leeks and onion, then a chicken cassoulet with green beans, onion and cabbage and finished with a cheese plate. I had: tomato chevre tarte with cucumber pesto with this mindblowing bottom crust of nuts and something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but that was extremely pleasant, lamb neck (I know, I had a hard time with the “neck” part of that for some reason) with the BEST damned mashed potatoes ever and probably something else on the plate that I forget, then, THEN my friends, there was an apple crème brulee, which was not your regular little broiled crème in a pot. Non non. It was a little free-standing pillar, with a scoop of the most flavorful apple sorbet I have ever had. It may have been infused with some sort of crazy apple cocaine. And the whole thing was flanked by thinly sliced dried apple chips.
As if this dinner was not enough, SB had brought a bottle of champagne with him which we had up in the room to celebrate. Then I tucked into the Heavenly bed and had the best sleep ever! And by “ever” I mean “in my whole live”. And by “in my whole life” I am probably including the womb, because I tend to be a cool sleeper and I hear the womb is quite warm.
Tomorrow I will post about our visit to the Palace.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Paris Day 7
Another jam-packed day with tons of walking! My feet are killing me!
First, we headed over to the Eiffel tower to finally climb that sucker. I am terrified of heights, so this was not something I was really looking forward to, but SB was dead set on it so, chin up, away we went.
To get to the very top of the tower, you buy your tickets on the ground, take an elevator to the second floor, get out, wait in another line then take another elevator to the top.
We waited in line for our tickets for about 20 minutes, which I think is pretty reasonable. While in line, the signs said that access to the top was temporarily closed because it was full - we asked the lady at the info desk and she said it will usually stay closed for about half an hour to let it empty out a bit, then they will open back up, and you can buy the ticket to get to the top on the 2nd floor. Well, about two people ahead of us they opened it back up, so we were able to buy our tickets right away, then when we arrived on the 2nd floor there was no line for the 2nd elevator and we went right up without waiting. So good because I do NOT do well in lines!
SB right after they reopened access to the sommet:
At the top we hung out for a while taking in all the different views (SB at the railing, me a few steps back....). It was nice that we didn't go on the first day we arrived because we were able to pick out all the monuments we had already visited without looking on their little guide.
After the tower, we walked over to the Pont d'Alma, which is where Princess Diana died (the tunnel where the accident was is right under the pont).
Then onto the metro back to Montmartre where we had our requisite dinner at McDo - drink sizes are smaller, fries are just as great, burgers just as un-fresh as at home. Oh, and a very weird unisex bathroom.
Lastly, we took a walking tour with New Tours - they are a company that give free tours and you pay what you can. It was really great - the tour we took was specifically Montmartre, and our guide had a degree in Fine Arts specializing in art history so was very passionate about the subject matter. We saw the house where Van Gogh lived, two cafes where he hung out with other artists, and the building where cubism was born, where many artists shared studio space. It was pretty amazing!
On this tour we also saw Sacre Coeur up close, Le Moulin de les Galettes (which is the subject of a famous Renoir painting), and the cafe des Deux Moulins from the movie Amelie. I think we will go back to the cafe - they actually have a great Happy Hour special AND WiFi, so I'm all over that!!!
First, we headed over to the Eiffel tower to finally climb that sucker. I am terrified of heights, so this was not something I was really looking forward to, but SB was dead set on it so, chin up, away we went.
To get to the very top of the tower, you buy your tickets on the ground, take an elevator to the second floor, get out, wait in another line then take another elevator to the top.
We waited in line for our tickets for about 20 minutes, which I think is pretty reasonable. While in line, the signs said that access to the top was temporarily closed because it was full - we asked the lady at the info desk and she said it will usually stay closed for about half an hour to let it empty out a bit, then they will open back up, and you can buy the ticket to get to the top on the 2nd floor. Well, about two people ahead of us they opened it back up, so we were able to buy our tickets right away, then when we arrived on the 2nd floor there was no line for the 2nd elevator and we went right up without waiting. So good because I do NOT do well in lines!
SB right after they reopened access to the sommet:
At the top we hung out for a while taking in all the different views (SB at the railing, me a few steps back....). It was nice that we didn't go on the first day we arrived because we were able to pick out all the monuments we had already visited without looking on their little guide.
After the tower, we walked over to the Pont d'Alma, which is where Princess Diana died (the tunnel where the accident was is right under the pont).
Then onto the metro back to Montmartre where we had our requisite dinner at McDo - drink sizes are smaller, fries are just as great, burgers just as un-fresh as at home. Oh, and a very weird unisex bathroom.
Lastly, we took a walking tour with New Tours - they are a company that give free tours and you pay what you can. It was really great - the tour we took was specifically Montmartre, and our guide had a degree in Fine Arts specializing in art history so was very passionate about the subject matter. We saw the house where Van Gogh lived, two cafes where he hung out with other artists, and the building where cubism was born, where many artists shared studio space. It was pretty amazing!
On this tour we also saw Sacre Coeur up close, Le Moulin de les Galettes (which is the subject of a famous Renoir painting), and the cafe des Deux Moulins from the movie Amelie. I think we will go back to the cafe - they actually have a great Happy Hour special AND WiFi, so I'm all over that!!!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Paris Day 6
Wowie we did a lot today! Even though we got a late start because we slept in a bit and had a long brunch at the apartment, we still managed to jam a lot in in one day!
First, we did a load of laundry. Sounds uneventful, however SB threw all the laundry in together and in there was a navy shirt from Banana Republic that I had never washed before. Now, usually when I buy stuff from there it is pre-washed and colorfast, so even if it had been me throwing in the laundry, the same thing would have probably happened. All of my white socks and undies are now a lovely teal-blue, and three of SB's plaid shirts are now navy, grey and teal when once they were navy grey and white. Oh well, I guess it could have been worse. It could have been a red shirt.
After that we went to the Pere Lachaise Cemetary. We wanted to see Jim Morrison's grave, but also had heard that the cemetary was quite beautiful. And while it was gorgeous, it was also very hot, and I was also severely creeped out by being in a cemetary.
For the record, I don't ever want to be buried in a cemetary. The whole thing totally creeps me out. I felt really uncomfortable there, even though it was so lovely and a lot of the monuments were really spectacular.
After the cemetary we went over to "Les Iles" - these are the two small islands on the Seine between the two banks of the city. Ile de la Cite has the Notre Dame Cathedral on it, and Ile St. Louis is where a lot of old mansions are located.
First we walked around the west end of Ile de la Cite, where Sainte Chapelle is, the Palais de Justice/Conciergerie and the bird/flower market. We were hoping to buy some seeds to bring home and plant, but since it was Sunday a lot of the flower vendors weren't open and the only seeds we could find were brands we can buy at home.
Next, we took a gander inside the cathedral, which is amazing,
On our way to Ile St. Louis, I tried on a beret, but
It was a really tight fit on my big giant cranium.
On Ile St. Louis we stopped for Berthillon ice cream, which is famous, then walked back along the water and saw where Heloise and Abelard lived.
We had dinner on Ile de la Cite (really great steak frite!), then went to the Eiffel Tower to watch it light up.
I am making a funny face because SB wanted to get the tower looming above us, and I hate when he takes pics of my double chin. So I was exaggerating sticking my chin out.
There were so many people in front of the tower! Everyone had brought picnics and the lawns in from of the Peace monument were packed. As the sun was setting the vendors who sell the mini Eiffel towers started passing with bottles of wine and champagne, but we had brought our own beer. There had also been some kind of incident at the peace monument and one of the giant panes of glass was shattered. We have a client who does mosaics so we picked up a few pieces for her. No one who was there knew what had happened, but I hope they can fix it!
Once we were installed in a nice spot, we waited for the lights. They keep some spotlights on all night so the tower is visible but every hour on the hour for 10 minutes they turn on these sparkly lights that are really beautiful.
Then back home, sleepy and with very very sore feet. Tomorrow we may actually climb the Tower finally.
First, we did a load of laundry. Sounds uneventful, however SB threw all the laundry in together and in there was a navy shirt from Banana Republic that I had never washed before. Now, usually when I buy stuff from there it is pre-washed and colorfast, so even if it had been me throwing in the laundry, the same thing would have probably happened. All of my white socks and undies are now a lovely teal-blue, and three of SB's plaid shirts are now navy, grey and teal when once they were navy grey and white. Oh well, I guess it could have been worse. It could have been a red shirt.
After that we went to the Pere Lachaise Cemetary. We wanted to see Jim Morrison's grave, but also had heard that the cemetary was quite beautiful. And while it was gorgeous, it was also very hot, and I was also severely creeped out by being in a cemetary.
For the record, I don't ever want to be buried in a cemetary. The whole thing totally creeps me out. I felt really uncomfortable there, even though it was so lovely and a lot of the monuments were really spectacular.
After the cemetary we went over to "Les Iles" - these are the two small islands on the Seine between the two banks of the city. Ile de la Cite has the Notre Dame Cathedral on it, and Ile St. Louis is where a lot of old mansions are located.First we walked around the west end of Ile de la Cite, where Sainte Chapelle is, the Palais de Justice/Conciergerie and the bird/flower market. We were hoping to buy some seeds to bring home and plant, but since it was Sunday a lot of the flower vendors weren't open and the only seeds we could find were brands we can buy at home.
Next, we took a gander inside the cathedral, which is amazing,
On our way to Ile St. Louis, I tried on a beret, but
It was a really tight fit on my big giant cranium.
On Ile St. Louis we stopped for Berthillon ice cream, which is famous, then walked back along the water and saw where Heloise and Abelard lived.
We had dinner on Ile de la Cite (really great steak frite!), then went to the Eiffel Tower to watch it light up.
I am making a funny face because SB wanted to get the tower looming above us, and I hate when he takes pics of my double chin. So I was exaggerating sticking my chin out.There were so many people in front of the tower! Everyone had brought picnics and the lawns in from of the Peace monument were packed. As the sun was setting the vendors who sell the mini Eiffel towers started passing with bottles of wine and champagne, but we had brought our own beer. There had also been some kind of incident at the peace monument and one of the giant panes of glass was shattered. We have a client who does mosaics so we picked up a few pieces for her. No one who was there knew what had happened, but I hope they can fix it!
Once we were installed in a nice spot, we waited for the lights. They keep some spotlights on all night so the tower is visible but every hour on the hour for 10 minutes they turn on these sparkly lights that are really beautiful.
Then back home, sleepy and with very very sore feet. Tomorrow we may actually climb the Tower finally.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Paris Day 5
No photos today - we only took a few and I am too tired to upload them.
We took the day to visit the St. Ouen flea market which is at the very north of the city. It didn't take that long to get there, but once we did it felt like we were miles away from our little Parisian heaven. It felt more like we were in Havana than in France. Buildings were gross and dirty, people were dirty and smelly(er) and so so rude. I've never been so nervous travelling. The market itself was kinda interesting - mostly upscale antiques, some refurbished, some not, all overpriced, and you really shouldn't buy anything unless you know what you're looking for and can really judge if it's worth the price. I saw some awesome antique typewriters and cameras, but $$$$. Eric kept getting distracted by big giant paintings and huge clunky pieces of furniture and I had to keep reminding him that there was no way we could get that home on the plane. We also met a few little dogs that were owned by the shopkeepers - they were all very cute and sweet. (sidenote - dogs here are so well behaved. It's doggie heaven!)
We had lunch at a place called Chez Louisette, which all the guidebooks recommend. They have live singers who trade off sets, but we sat very near them and it became a little bit too much because it was so loud. The food was okay, but pretty pricy for what you got, and they were out of half of the menu. I guess they can get away with it because the place is so popular.
After that we made our way back to the metro so we could get back into the city. On the way to the metro I got spit on, I'm pretty sure. Either that or something dripped on my head, but it felt like it came from the side where a bunch of hooligans were gathered. I think it was the only time in my life when I was content with ignoring them and getting the hell out of there, whereas normally I would shoot my mouth off. I also didn't tell SB until we were safely seated in the Metro because I know he would have freaked at them.
All in all, I don't recommend making the trip. Unless you are looking for some kind of specific antique. Or foreign biological matter.
We then returned to the apartment for a break - SB wanted a nap, and we had several options in mind for the evening. He ended up sleeping for like three hours (which I shouldn't have let him do, but I knew he'd be super grumpy when I woke him), then by the time we ate and got ready it was about 10:30. We took the opportunity to take a walk up to Moulin Rouge then walked up and down Clichy checking out all the little pubs and bars, and some of the signs in the sex shops. They're really funny because they are either owned by foreigners who can't translate or they try to dumb down the french so tourists will be able to get the gist of what they are offering. We were back home by midnight, and tomorrow is Pere Lachaise Cemetary, and maybe some ice cream by Notre Dame.
We took the day to visit the St. Ouen flea market which is at the very north of the city. It didn't take that long to get there, but once we did it felt like we were miles away from our little Parisian heaven. It felt more like we were in Havana than in France. Buildings were gross and dirty, people were dirty and smelly(er) and so so rude. I've never been so nervous travelling. The market itself was kinda interesting - mostly upscale antiques, some refurbished, some not, all overpriced, and you really shouldn't buy anything unless you know what you're looking for and can really judge if it's worth the price. I saw some awesome antique typewriters and cameras, but $$$$. Eric kept getting distracted by big giant paintings and huge clunky pieces of furniture and I had to keep reminding him that there was no way we could get that home on the plane. We also met a few little dogs that were owned by the shopkeepers - they were all very cute and sweet. (sidenote - dogs here are so well behaved. It's doggie heaven!)
We had lunch at a place called Chez Louisette, which all the guidebooks recommend. They have live singers who trade off sets, but we sat very near them and it became a little bit too much because it was so loud. The food was okay, but pretty pricy for what you got, and they were out of half of the menu. I guess they can get away with it because the place is so popular.
After that we made our way back to the metro so we could get back into the city. On the way to the metro I got spit on, I'm pretty sure. Either that or something dripped on my head, but it felt like it came from the side where a bunch of hooligans were gathered. I think it was the only time in my life when I was content with ignoring them and getting the hell out of there, whereas normally I would shoot my mouth off. I also didn't tell SB until we were safely seated in the Metro because I know he would have freaked at them.
All in all, I don't recommend making the trip. Unless you are looking for some kind of specific antique. Or foreign biological matter.
We then returned to the apartment for a break - SB wanted a nap, and we had several options in mind for the evening. He ended up sleeping for like three hours (which I shouldn't have let him do, but I knew he'd be super grumpy when I woke him), then by the time we ate and got ready it was about 10:30. We took the opportunity to take a walk up to Moulin Rouge then walked up and down Clichy checking out all the little pubs and bars, and some of the signs in the sex shops. They're really funny because they are either owned by foreigners who can't translate or they try to dumb down the french so tourists will be able to get the gist of what they are offering. We were back home by midnight, and tomorrow is Pere Lachaise Cemetary, and maybe some ice cream by Notre Dame.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Paris Day 4
Also known as the day my shoes did me wrong. More on that later.
We started the day off late. Again. SB uses his Blackberry alarm, and he is in charge. Allegedly it went off at 7:30, and then he reset it for 8:30, and then it went off again and he nudged me (I have no record of said nudge), but turned the alarm off rather than press snooze. So we woke up and it was 10:15. We were originally going to go up the Eiffel Tower this morning, but scrapped that for now. To make up for it, SB made eggs. They were so good that I forgave him very quickly.
We mosied on over to the Arc de Triomphe after finding our friendly neighborhood Starbucks. As a side note, the coffee here is super good, but even when you ask for an espresso allongee, it is still teeny tiny compared to the caffeine I need.
So, the Arc de Triomphe. So beautiful. Probably my favorite landmark in Paris.
We did a fun thing where SB stayed at the top of the Arch and I ran down on the Champs Elysees because I had had enough of the heights up there. Here I am:
This is when I began sensing a little discomfort in my foot. Some rubbing/blistering that my Merrell cute shoes were causing, which they had never caused before even though I had worn them many many times. Once SB finally walked down the 600 million stairs to the top (am I the only person who thinks 9 euro per person to go up to the top and you have to take the fucking stairs is just a little fucking over the top? The whole Louvre is only like 9 euro everyday.) we went to the pharmacy and I fixed some bandaids up with the hopes that all was not lost.
Then we moseyed on down the Champs Elysees, which was okay but kinda boring. We also went down de la Montaigne, where a lot of the designer shops are. I would never go inside, because a) I would hate to waste the time of the lovely salespeople since there is no way in hell I would be buying anything and b) I don't need my nose rubbed in what I can't have. But I thought it would be fun to window shop. Their windows were SUCKY. So boring. Harry Winston didn't even put any items in their windows, just pictures that looked like they cut them out of magazines. I was so disappointed.
We had dinner on Champs Elysees, then headed on over to the Louvre, where SB met his new girlfriend:
That's okay, though, because earlier, at the Arc de Triomphe, I met my new boyfriend:
My feet were done for after the Louvre. I didn't even have the wherewithal (sp?) to get to see Venus de Milo. I am hoping beyond hopes that if I slap on some bandaids tomorrow and some socks and a different pair of shoes that it will all be okay.
Oh, and also, for Jenn - need some action and the pharmacy is closed? No worries -
You should get this going in NB, sex health lady.
We started the day off late. Again. SB uses his Blackberry alarm, and he is in charge. Allegedly it went off at 7:30, and then he reset it for 8:30, and then it went off again and he nudged me (I have no record of said nudge), but turned the alarm off rather than press snooze. So we woke up and it was 10:15. We were originally going to go up the Eiffel Tower this morning, but scrapped that for now. To make up for it, SB made eggs. They were so good that I forgave him very quickly.
We mosied on over to the Arc de Triomphe after finding our friendly neighborhood Starbucks. As a side note, the coffee here is super good, but even when you ask for an espresso allongee, it is still teeny tiny compared to the caffeine I need.
So, the Arc de Triomphe. So beautiful. Probably my favorite landmark in Paris.
We did a fun thing where SB stayed at the top of the Arch and I ran down on the Champs Elysees because I had had enough of the heights up there. Here I am:
This is when I began sensing a little discomfort in my foot. Some rubbing/blistering that my Merrell cute shoes were causing, which they had never caused before even though I had worn them many many times. Once SB finally walked down the 600 million stairs to the top (am I the only person who thinks 9 euro per person to go up to the top and you have to take the fucking stairs is just a little fucking over the top? The whole Louvre is only like 9 euro everyday.) we went to the pharmacy and I fixed some bandaids up with the hopes that all was not lost.Then we moseyed on down the Champs Elysees, which was okay but kinda boring. We also went down de la Montaigne, where a lot of the designer shops are. I would never go inside, because a) I would hate to waste the time of the lovely salespeople since there is no way in hell I would be buying anything and b) I don't need my nose rubbed in what I can't have. But I thought it would be fun to window shop. Their windows were SUCKY. So boring. Harry Winston didn't even put any items in their windows, just pictures that looked like they cut them out of magazines. I was so disappointed.
We had dinner on Champs Elysees, then headed on over to the Louvre, where SB met his new girlfriend:
That's okay, though, because earlier, at the Arc de Triomphe, I met my new boyfriend:
My feet were done for after the Louvre. I didn't even have the wherewithal (sp?) to get to see Venus de Milo. I am hoping beyond hopes that if I slap on some bandaids tomorrow and some socks and a different pair of shoes that it will all be okay.Oh, and also, for Jenn - need some action and the pharmacy is closed? No worries -
You should get this going in NB, sex health lady.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Paris Day 3
Today was very long - we started at 8am and tried to do some laundry and get the heck out of here.... Little did we know european washers are slow as ass. We were out of here by like 9:30, cranky and coffee starved.
We joined back up with our Hop on Tour bus, featured here:
We took a little tour around St. Germain de Pres, which was gorgeous. We took a chance to hop off to get a breakfast about an hour after the appropriate time, which means poor SB had to deal with hungry me. We also visited Fnac, which is an electronics store because we accidentally fried our battery charger for the Canon. This wouldn't normally be an emergency, but to be efficient, we decided not to bring the smaller lens for our Nikon. And although the 55-200 lens has changed my life, it doesn't do self-portraits at arm's length. It just doesn't.
After that, we took our bus the rest of the round, then went to Musee D'Orsay where we saw this:
And also this:
After Orsay, we were exhausted, but continued walking along the Seine to find the Shakespeare and Co bookstore, which was highly disappointing. I was expecting an awesome second-hand bookstore, but all the books seemed new. And overpriced. Blah.
We then took a little break in a park next door.
After our break, we hopped back on the bus to the Champs Elysees, to pick up some supplies. Read: bubble bath, wine and sausage. Get your mind out of the gutter.
We headed on over to a little patch of grass by the Eiffel Tower where there were very few people, a couple of ants, and a whole bottle of wine to be had.
As a side note, dudes, if you like wine you have to come here! At Monoprix (officially Eric's least favorite place on Earth - think walmart crowded, but Uniprix-sized aisles. Ugh) they have wine ranging from like 20 euro a bottle right on down to 1.40 euro. For a bottle. A full sized bottle. With a cork. We've been sticking to 2.50-4 euro, but it's all been really good, and I'm really tempted to just get the 1 euro stuff and be wasted all day.
We saw the Eiffel tower at sunset,
had a crepe au chocolat,
and dragged our asses home to climb the 111-113 steps to our apartment (SB and I have both counted, but came up with different numbers). I tried to take that bath I had been planning, but the tiny tub was not cooperative. Then I waited like two hours for them to play my new favorite song, American Boy (artist is Estelle with guest Kanye West - so good!) - now they are finally playing it, so time for me to get to bed!
We joined back up with our Hop on Tour bus, featured here:
We took a little tour around St. Germain de Pres, which was gorgeous. We took a chance to hop off to get a breakfast about an hour after the appropriate time, which means poor SB had to deal with hungry me. We also visited Fnac, which is an electronics store because we accidentally fried our battery charger for the Canon. This wouldn't normally be an emergency, but to be efficient, we decided not to bring the smaller lens for our Nikon. And although the 55-200 lens has changed my life, it doesn't do self-portraits at arm's length. It just doesn't.After that, we took our bus the rest of the round, then went to Musee D'Orsay where we saw this:
And also this:
After Orsay, we were exhausted, but continued walking along the Seine to find the Shakespeare and Co bookstore, which was highly disappointing. I was expecting an awesome second-hand bookstore, but all the books seemed new. And overpriced. Blah.
We then took a little break in a park next door.
After our break, we hopped back on the bus to the Champs Elysees, to pick up some supplies. Read: bubble bath, wine and sausage. Get your mind out of the gutter.
We headed on over to a little patch of grass by the Eiffel Tower where there were very few people, a couple of ants, and a whole bottle of wine to be had.
As a side note, dudes, if you like wine you have to come here! At Monoprix (officially Eric's least favorite place on Earth - think walmart crowded, but Uniprix-sized aisles. Ugh) they have wine ranging from like 20 euro a bottle right on down to 1.40 euro. For a bottle. A full sized bottle. With a cork. We've been sticking to 2.50-4 euro, but it's all been really good, and I'm really tempted to just get the 1 euro stuff and be wasted all day.
We saw the Eiffel tower at sunset,
had a crepe au chocolat,
and dragged our asses home to climb the 111-113 steps to our apartment (SB and I have both counted, but came up with different numbers). I tried to take that bath I had been planning, but the tiny tub was not cooperative. Then I waited like two hours for them to play my new favorite song, American Boy (artist is Estelle with guest Kanye West - so good!) - now they are finally playing it, so time for me to get to bed!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Paris Day 2
Let me just start by saying that we suck at discipline.
We went to bed very late last night, and resolved that we would get up at 9ish and get the go going.
Apparently the alarm went off as planned, but SB just ignored it. And I didn't hear it at all. So, we slept until noon. Oops. I guess our bodies needed it, but still...
Once we finally got going, we hopped on to the hop-on/hop-off bus tour to get an overview of the city. We saw:
around our part of town, Montmartre:
Notre Dame:
and lots of other stuff like the Eiffel Tower, l'Arc de Triomphe, etc. It was a quick and dirty tour that basically was to give us bit of a bearing on where everything is. We had a panini on the Seine for lunch, which made SB very happy:
We haven't finalized plans for tomorrow yet, but they were supposed to include the Musee D'Orsay and the Eiffel tower. After today's little sleep in, we have some schedule adjusting to do, but hey, we're on vacation, so who cares, right?
Also, we have lots of pics of the both of us on our other camera, but we promptly fried the battery charger so we can't get the pictures out. We will work on fixing that tomorrow...
We went to bed very late last night, and resolved that we would get up at 9ish and get the go going.
Apparently the alarm went off as planned, but SB just ignored it. And I didn't hear it at all. So, we slept until noon. Oops. I guess our bodies needed it, but still...
Once we finally got going, we hopped on to the hop-on/hop-off bus tour to get an overview of the city. We saw:
around our part of town, Montmartre:
Notre Dame:
and lots of other stuff like the Eiffel Tower, l'Arc de Triomphe, etc. It was a quick and dirty tour that basically was to give us bit of a bearing on where everything is. We had a panini on the Seine for lunch, which made SB very happy:
We haven't finalized plans for tomorrow yet, but they were supposed to include the Musee D'Orsay and the Eiffel tower. After today's little sleep in, we have some schedule adjusting to do, but hey, we're on vacation, so who cares, right?
Also, we have lots of pics of the both of us on our other camera, but we promptly fried the battery charger so we can't get the pictures out. We will work on fixing that tomorrow...
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Paris Day 1
So, we're pretty tired, but we are here and safe and sound.
After about 7.37 minutes of sleep on the plane, we were both pretty cranky and testy on the flight. The most super fun moments of the flight:
a) some super grumpy guy who I noticed coming out of the Air France lounge before the flight grabbing his crotch started yelling at the flight attendents before we even taxied. He had put his carry-on and a random plastic bag with a hat in it in the overhead, and the flight attendent totally squashed it. SB said he saw her trying to cram some other bag up there and crunch. Then he cranked and grumbled and generally got on our nerves about other random things all night long.
b) The lady in front of us had some kind of "medical emergency" in the middle of the night (coincidentally, right after they served our meal and it was time to get some sleep) - she was sitting in the middle of three seats. Her husband sat to her left and some stranger to her right. She had some kind of leg paralysis or something that made her need a wheelchair, so when she had her "emergency" everyone rushed to help her, then they booted out the guy sitting to her right (assface probably got a free upgrade) and then she laid down. I'm thinking of practicing my acting so I will be ready to pull this one on our trip back.
c) SB almost lost his glasses. He had hung them on the pouch in the seat in front of him to try and sleep, and I guess when he crossed his legs they went flying. After like 7 minutes of panic and serious snippyness between us he found them in the aisle. Luckily they were not crushed.
We arrived at our apartment around 3 this afternoon, so after zero sleepytime on the plane, we were exhausted and took a nap, then took a quick trip out for groceries and made dinner in. Tomorrow we have more touristy plans, but we hadn't put much in the schedule today just in case we were feeling like ass. Which we were. But it's still way better than being at work feeling like ass. Hell, I'll be on vacation and feeling like ass in Paris 6 days a week for the rest of my life!
After about 7.37 minutes of sleep on the plane, we were both pretty cranky and testy on the flight. The most super fun moments of the flight:
a) some super grumpy guy who I noticed coming out of the Air France lounge before the flight grabbing his crotch started yelling at the flight attendents before we even taxied. He had put his carry-on and a random plastic bag with a hat in it in the overhead, and the flight attendent totally squashed it. SB said he saw her trying to cram some other bag up there and crunch. Then he cranked and grumbled and generally got on our nerves about other random things all night long.
b) The lady in front of us had some kind of "medical emergency" in the middle of the night (coincidentally, right after they served our meal and it was time to get some sleep) - she was sitting in the middle of three seats. Her husband sat to her left and some stranger to her right. She had some kind of leg paralysis or something that made her need a wheelchair, so when she had her "emergency" everyone rushed to help her, then they booted out the guy sitting to her right (assface probably got a free upgrade) and then she laid down. I'm thinking of practicing my acting so I will be ready to pull this one on our trip back.
c) SB almost lost his glasses. He had hung them on the pouch in the seat in front of him to try and sleep, and I guess when he crossed his legs they went flying. After like 7 minutes of panic and serious snippyness between us he found them in the aisle. Luckily they were not crushed.
We arrived at our apartment around 3 this afternoon, so after zero sleepytime on the plane, we were exhausted and took a nap, then took a quick trip out for groceries and made dinner in. Tomorrow we have more touristy plans, but we hadn't put much in the schedule today just in case we were feeling like ass. Which we were. But it's still way better than being at work feeling like ass. Hell, I'll be on vacation and feeling like ass in Paris 6 days a week for the rest of my life!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Here comes the sun!
I am so glad that spring appears to have sprung. Although it is still very strange to have such nice temperatures and yet see giant piles of snow everywhere, I think I will adjust quickly enough.
The past week I have spent suffering from a cold - totally not pleasant at all, especially since the worst of it came over the weekend and ruined a bunch of plans we had made. It was a particularly severe cold, and I even took the time to google if perhaps it was even the dreaded flu, but apparently not. I had some fever, but not a lot, and although I was absolutely exhausted I wasn't very achy. Plus I had extremely stuffy nose and sinuses, which apparently you don't get with the flu. I'm not sure I'll ever know the difference, but it was bad.
Feeling almost better now, and trying to get ready for our trip which is less than three weeks away. Yikes! I have so much to do, which has been hampered by the fact that our business computer is STILL in the PC hospital. It has been three weeks since I sent it, but it is supposed to arrive back today. We have made do with my Mac and Eric's laptop, but I have been putting off tons of organizational stuff because a lot of it has to do with setting up files on the computer. The anxiety is reaching a very critical point.... But I'm sure we will work something out!
With this gorgeous weather, we have been letting our little zoo frolic on the patio while we're home. Simon is particularly interested in the pigeons that are suddenly everywhere. He sits at the window and chirps at them, and when I let him out he sits int he very middle of the patio watching all around for them. So cute. If anyone has any advice on how to keep them away, please feel free. We love our patio in the summer, and I would rather not have it get plastered in bird poo all year.
The past week I have spent suffering from a cold - totally not pleasant at all, especially since the worst of it came over the weekend and ruined a bunch of plans we had made. It was a particularly severe cold, and I even took the time to google if perhaps it was even the dreaded flu, but apparently not. I had some fever, but not a lot, and although I was absolutely exhausted I wasn't very achy. Plus I had extremely stuffy nose and sinuses, which apparently you don't get with the flu. I'm not sure I'll ever know the difference, but it was bad.
Feeling almost better now, and trying to get ready for our trip which is less than three weeks away. Yikes! I have so much to do, which has been hampered by the fact that our business computer is STILL in the PC hospital. It has been three weeks since I sent it, but it is supposed to arrive back today. We have made do with my Mac and Eric's laptop, but I have been putting off tons of organizational stuff because a lot of it has to do with setting up files on the computer. The anxiety is reaching a very critical point.... But I'm sure we will work something out!
With this gorgeous weather, we have been letting our little zoo frolic on the patio while we're home. Simon is particularly interested in the pigeons that are suddenly everywhere. He sits at the window and chirps at them, and when I let him out he sits int he very middle of the patio watching all around for them. So cute. If anyone has any advice on how to keep them away, please feel free. We love our patio in the summer, and I would rather not have it get plastered in bird poo all year.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
I fell down today
Literally.
Really hard.
It was on that ice that looks like snow that is leftover on the street, and you take your step too hard, because you are sure you will squish right into it, but then whoosh, away you go. It hurt real bad - I scraped both hands and my left shin/knee. It hurts way worse than it looks, though. I didn't even bleed at all. And my hands aren't bruised or anything. Although I think I have a rock stuck in my palm, but it's tiny.
I was terrified to look down at my leg - I thought for sure I had ripped open my pant leg and would find blood gushing everywhere. But no. It's not even bruised yet, but still hurts a lot.
That's been the most exciting thing in my life so far this week. We had to send our business computer away to be fixed, which is seriously fucking with my life in a very bad way, but it will be so great to have wireless again with that computer.
I was very near a mental breakdown a few weeks ago, but seem to be back on track now. I don't think my meds are as effective this time, and am going to try to get in to see a new doctor. I'm sure the weather is having a major effect on me, but I know that it can't be all that's up. Relatedly (not sure that's a word, but I like it), I have found I love Pascale Picard and recommend that everyone listens to 'Smilin' when you are feeling down.
Last of all, we are about a month away from our trip, which I am both looking forward to and really anxious about. I am going to have a really hard time forgetting about work and all the things that could be going wrong, but I know it will be so worth it that I just need to get over it all ready.
Really hard.
It was on that ice that looks like snow that is leftover on the street, and you take your step too hard, because you are sure you will squish right into it, but then whoosh, away you go. It hurt real bad - I scraped both hands and my left shin/knee. It hurts way worse than it looks, though. I didn't even bleed at all. And my hands aren't bruised or anything. Although I think I have a rock stuck in my palm, but it's tiny.
I was terrified to look down at my leg - I thought for sure I had ripped open my pant leg and would find blood gushing everywhere. But no. It's not even bruised yet, but still hurts a lot.
That's been the most exciting thing in my life so far this week. We had to send our business computer away to be fixed, which is seriously fucking with my life in a very bad way, but it will be so great to have wireless again with that computer.
I was very near a mental breakdown a few weeks ago, but seem to be back on track now. I don't think my meds are as effective this time, and am going to try to get in to see a new doctor. I'm sure the weather is having a major effect on me, but I know that it can't be all that's up. Relatedly (not sure that's a word, but I like it), I have found I love Pascale Picard and recommend that everyone listens to 'Smilin' when you are feeling down.
Last of all, we are about a month away from our trip, which I am both looking forward to and really anxious about. I am going to have a really hard time forgetting about work and all the things that could be going wrong, but I know it will be so worth it that I just need to get over it all ready.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)