08.19.09
Posted in random at 3:01 pm by fizz
- For the record, SwissAir (which I guess is now just Swiss) has the worst business class EVER. Seats recline to NOT QUITE FLAT, otherwise known as the angle at which to best vibrate a passenger down to the footrest during strong turbulence. It was a looooong flight, but at least we got good food, real utensils and drinks. And G even scored a doggie bag of breakfast treats because he slept through breakfast.
- On the other hand, the Swiss arrivals lounge is pretty nice, especially if you don’t have an overtired toddler who suffers a massive meltdown because you’re trying to change him out of his jammies.
- Swiss trains run on time. To the second. It’s pretty awesome.
- The Swiss do not use air conditioning, even in malls. It’s been 95 degrees here the last couple days, and all we do is sit in patches of shade and pant while the kids play on the playground.
All our travels and photos are up on G’s website ….
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06.18.09
Posted in random at 2:56 pm by fizz
G’s room:
Kitchen from G’s doorway:
Other side of the kitchen - awesome views!
Living room:
The giant Pride flag at the intersection of Castro and Market - where we pick up the train. It’s a quick walk to the train, but a LOOOOONG walk back!
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06.17.09
Posted in random at 11:42 pm by fizz
G and I hit the SF zoo this afternoon. The zoo itself was great - sheep and goats wandering around to be petted and fed, peacocks also wandering free, great playgrounds - but getting there was a pain.
The L train theoretically stops at the zoo - a handicapped accessible stop, meaning it’ll be easy to load and unload the stroller and kid. But on the way there the driver announced that the last stop was the one *before* the zoo. “What about the next stop?” I asked. “Look,” she snapped, “I have five minutes to pee, so get off now.” The lower step on these trains is about a foot off the ground, just high enough for the BOB stroller wheels to get wedged under it, so I had a panicked few seconds worrying that she’d drive off before I could free the stroller.
On the return trip it was even worse - I trundled the stroller up the handicapped access ramp at the zoo station, and the next train drove right by me, with the operator signaling that I should go to the non-stroller friendly far end of the stop. Then she drove away as I was walking up to the door. I had to ask someone to help lift the stroller onto the next train…again, the wheels wedged under the door and I couldn’t heft it in. Truly a pain in the ass, compounded by drivers who all appear to have chips on their shoulders.
Coupled with the truly nasty looks I received while waiting on a Muni platform at rush hour with a stroller I have to say I’m not impressed with the SF transit system. We’ll head for a different route tomorrow and see how the stroller fares on a bus….
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Posted in Oh, Baby at 11:14 pm by fizz
“Mama, look what I draw on window!”
“Did you draw that with your popsicle stick?”
“No, my tongue!”
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Posted in random at 1:19 pm by fizz
Omer, G and I arrived in San Francisco yesterday. We are staying in an apartment in the Castro neighborhood; 95% of the inhabitants of our neighborhood seem to be gay men, and the landmark by which I navigate is the giant pride flag flying near the Castro Theater. I still haven’t figured out if the assortment of pride paraphernalia in all the local drug stores is leftover from Pride Week or if they always sell the stuff. Either way, this is a great neighborhood for G to show off his love of all things pink.
Our apartment is up a very very steep hill; my goal for the summer is to be able to walk home to our apartment without needing an immediate shower and change of clothes. Also, it makes it really hard to do the grocery shopping, as pushing G AND 30lbs of groceries up the hill is damn near impossible.
It is our landlady’s first time renting out this place, and it shows. The whole house seems thrown together from odds and ends and leftover bits of sets. The kitchen has four styles of cabinets, an oddly out of place set of new appliances, a faucet that you can’t put on full strength without soaking the wall, two different colors of granite countertop, and a beautiful view over parts of San Francisco.
G has declared “I love this beautiful house” so at least it gets his vote! We also found a very cool playground yesterday, where G met a boy who greeted him with a sharptooth face. It was love at first sight.
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01.23.09
Posted in The People's Republic of Cambridge, random at 9:34 am by fizz
Yesterday I overheard two women talking on the T. One spent a long time complaining about how comcast had screwed up her cable, and how the over-the-phone troubleshooting didn’t work.
“So now Comcast has to come to my house, and the first day they can come is Tuesday. I have a doctor appointment Tuesday. I’m going to call first thing in the morning and change my doctor appointment.”
…
Even better? The new poster up at Dunkin Donuts advertising their egg white flat bread sandwich:
“Eatin’ right. You kin do it!”
Somehow I can’t see this slogan going over really well at the Lexington Dunkin Donuts.
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01.12.09
Posted in Dance, The People's Republic of Cambridge at 9:15 pm by fizz
1. Mazda 3s might look pretty and drive well during the summer, but god help you if you try to drive one in the snow. “I am a leaf on the wind - watch how I soar” is not my quote of choice for navigating the roads of NH.
2. I love the fact that 90% of the time when I pick up a zipcar the radio is tuned to NPR.
3. Since I got back from my visit to Allison and Na’he, Mr. Fizz is the parent of choice for reading books and watching movies. In fact, he is doing bedtime duty right now. Clearly I should go away more.
4. A brief list of things in bed with G tonight:
- A toy supermarket scanner
- Marty, the zebra from Madagascar
- his “new” toy car
- a plastic dinosaur we call Aladar after the Disney character
- two dreidels
- a stuffed Nemo
- Pickles, a stuffed dog
- Milk a la G, made with 1% milk, ice and miralax. Yum.
5. G’s most frequent rant when he doesn’t want to see someone? “I mess him up! I wrap him up up up in towel and GRIND him up! I put him in trash and mash mash mash! I mess him up! Thbbbbbbt!” We think he might have a good career as a mob enforcer. And we have no idea where he got this little tirade from.
6. For the first time ever last night I was offered a joint on my way into a gig at a private party. I know that marijuana possession is decriminalized and all, but really?
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12.20.08
Posted in random at 4:39 pm by fizz
Am bored.
1. Started my own blog - Does it count if only two people read it?
2. Slept under the stars - Yes. Twice. Once in Inyo National Forest (amazed to this day that I wasn’t eaten by a bear or a mountain lion) and one on Pine Cobble in Williamstown.
3. Played in a band - Nope, never. I’ve *danced* with a band, though, more times than I can count. And I suppose if you count playing zills with the band as playing with a band, then yes. Yes I have.
4. Visited Hawaii - No.
5. Watched a meteor shower - Yup.
6. Given more than I can afford to charity - No. Should, but haven’t.
7. Been to Disneyland/world - Yes. Have no plans to go again…that is something the grandparents can experience with G.
8. Climbed a mountain - Several, in fact!
9. Held a praying mantis - Unlikely.
10. Sung a solo - In the shower? While entertaining G? Sure!
11. Bungee jumped - No. Never. No way!
12. Visited Paris - Many times.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - don’t think so
14. Taught myself an art from scratch - yes, that would be beading, knitting, crocheting, sewing etc.
15. Adopted a child - no.
16. Had food poisoning - doubtful.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - I think so, on one of our class trips? Maybe?
18. Grown my own vegetables - On my little raised lead-free bed!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - Yeah. It’s smaller than you expect.
20. Slept on an overnight train - Sadly, yes. Now we fly or take the fast train.
21. Had a pillow fight - Yes.
22. Hitchhiked - Oooh, never.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - all the time, what with odd childcare issues cropping up.
24. Built a snow fort - Yes.
25. Held a lamb - no
26. Gone skinny dipping - Not that I can remember….
27. Run a marathon - 10k is the longest race I’ve run.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - Yes. Smellier than one would expect (or maybe not)
29. Seen a total eclipse - I seem to remember something in high school.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - Seriously? Of course!
31. Hit a home run - Are we talking baseball? Then no.
32. Been on a cruise - Does a 40 foot sailboat count?
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - Yes.
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors - Errr…Been to Italy. Never been to Germany. More specific than that I cannot be.
35. Seen an Amish community - Yes.
36. Taught myself a new language - not to fluency!
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - oh, sure. It’d always be nice to have more, though!
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - Yes. Very leany.
39. Gone rock climbing - Not per se, but there have been some steep trails!
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David - Yup.
41. Sung karaoke - Many years ago in a bar in France.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - Yes
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - Yes. Some Aussie my mom and I had picked up at the local internet cafe in Rome. Took him to Al Famiglia near the train station - the place with the best thistle risotto ever!
44. Visited Africa - No.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight - Think so.
46. Been transported in an ambulance - Yes, once. After a shoulder injury in England. The EMTs spent the whole ride telling me I wasn’t injured enough to be wasting their time.
47. Had my portrait painted - Well, G *does* draw pictures of me if I ask him to!
48. Gone deep sea fishing - Been fishing in the sea, but not sure what depth qualifies as “deep”!
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - Yes.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - Yes.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling - Love snorkeling, kind of scared of scuba diving.
52. Kissed in the rain - very likely.
53. Played in the mud - Yup.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre - Sadly, no.
55. Been in a movie - No.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China - No.
57. Started a business - No.
58. Taken a martial arts class - I’m a black belt, baby!
59. Visited Russia - No.
60. Served at a soup kitchen - No.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - Door to door when that sort of thing was still done.
62. Gone whale watching - and loved it.
63. Got flowers for no reason - yes.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - Don’t think I’m allowed to as I lived in England.
65. Gone sky diving - I don’t think you could pay me enough to do this. Fear of planes coupled with fear of heights = badbadbad thing.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp - No.
67. Bounced a cheque - Not to my knowledge.
68. Flown in a helicopter - No, and no desire to!
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - Yup. G uses them now.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - 8th grade school trip to Washington? 9th grade family trip to Washington?
71. Eaten caviar - mais, oui.
72. Pieced a quilt - No. Don’t have the patience.
73. Stood in Times Square - Yes.
74. Toured the Everglades - When young, with the family.
75. Been fired from a job - Have I even really *held* a real job?
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - Yes.
77. Broken a bone - my pinkie toe in karate class. Owie.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - Never been on a motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - Yup.
80. Published a book - No.
81. Visited the Vatican - Yes.
82. Bought a brand new car - Yes. 2003 Toyota Corolla in mineral green.
83. Walked in Jerusalem - Yes, in 1997. Husband’s parents, who grew up in Israel, took us on a tour of Israel. Saw many cool things and can’t wait to take G on the same tour.
84. Had my picture in the newspaper - Oh, yeah.
85. Read the entire Bible - I read the entire old testament for my theology in literature class in high school. Who needs that new testament stuff anyway?
86. Visited the White House - Probably during one of the trips to DC.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - No, but I’ve eaten freshly killed Northern Pike on Isle Royale, which tasted better than any fish I’ve ever had.
88. Had chickenpox - Yes.
89. Saved someone’s life - no
90. Sat on a jury - Never been picked to serve.
91. Met someone famous - Hm. Not really. I once bellydanced in front of Sean Penn, and I swear I saw John Malkovich crossing Sparks St. in Cambridge….but that’s pretty much it.
92. Joined a book club - No time to read books, because I do these stupid memes.
93. Lost a loved one - Yes.
94. Had a baby - Oh, yes.
95. Seen the Alamo in person - No.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake - Been to Salt Lake City; didn’t realize swimming was an option.
97. Been involved in a law suit – No.
98. Owned a cell phone - SERIOUSLY? Does anyone *not* own a cell phone? Maybe a better question would be: Owned a land line?
99. Been stung by a bee - yes, twice. First sting involved a bee flying down my shirt while biking on Cape Cod. I was not a happy camper.
Done! Bored! Back to work!
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11.26.08
Posted in Knitting at 6:12 pm by fizz
I was making good progress on my christmas knitting when I stumbled upon the Noro Striped Scarf. It’s like knitting candy, and I can’t seem to stop.
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11.04.08
Posted in random at 12:48 pm by fizz
7:15, on our way out the door:
“G, come on, it’s time to go vote for Obama!”
“NO-bama!”
“No, G, OH-bama”
“NOOOOOOBAAAAAMAAAAA!”
The terrible twos are in full swing over here!
We ended up waiting for nearly an hour to get into the polling place; Grammie arrived just as we got to the door so G got to go home with her while I voted.
Fingers are crossed!
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