Bookend #1

Today I'm not going to post more about the cross-country move, like I said I would yesterday, because...I don't feel like it. And I'm kinda tired and me and GIMP are on a temporary break right now (we had words) so I can't make the little cool image of a cartoon T and myself rolling down the highway that will accompany all of the C C-C posts. Don't worry, it'll come and it'll be grade-A-amazingness.

Because my life revolves around awesonomical things such as weekends and vacations (and countdowns of any sort. What can I say, I'm easy to entertain. Better than the opposite, if you ask me), I'll consider today as this....

It isn't:
- a day where I arrived at work 3 hours late because I was feeling so under the weather this morning that I literally could not drag myself around the townhouse and get ready. (very uncharisteristic of me. No bueno...)
- my last day of work before I'll be gone for the week, which means that this place is a madhouse.
- too hot to wear a sweater and too cold to wear only short sleeves (and too high to get over, too low to get under, you're stuck in the middle....oops, sorry, MJ tangent, those happen sometimes), which leaves me in short sleeves, a scarf, and goosebumps everywhere (because I'm not built for cold weather, duh).
- the kickoff of a wannabe vacation-that's-not-a-vacation-at-all-because-of-the-all-day-studying-and-lecturing-parts week.

...and it is:
- the first bookend to this semester's Ph.D. seminar, which are always some form or another of good times
- the day before a fun road trip (yay)
- a Frithursday, which makes everything all better
- the beginning of a week of me not having to be stuck in traffic for a minimum of 2 hours a day (yessss!)
- the beginning of a vacation-that's-not-really-a-vacation-but-close-enough-cause-I-get-to-be-in-a-hotel-and-see-new-places-and-jump-on-the-bed week.

I'll go with it being a good day, no? Yes? Yes.

Today's whiteboard quote:
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
~Leonard Cohen

2008 Holidays, Part II

I left off at the band performance.

So the Heynas, otherwise known as B, T, and B's brother R, formed a little band and performed a set for family and friends on the 26th. It was good times, aside from the part where I slipped on a patch of ice outside the front door of the barn we were in, going down like a ton of bricks. I still have a bruise on my knee to prove it.

Yeah. Anyway, here are some pics.

Creepily awesome Santa and Mrs. Claus, by an amp:

The boys jammin out (like the lights? B decorated. Love the obviously man-done ribbons...):

T (with his rock star scruff) and I:

Tara (T's sister, love her) and her fiance Dean:

The next couple of days were more low-key, visiting relatives and such, then on the 29th we drove down to VA. I got to take T to Maymont in Richmond, my very favorite place although all the gorgeous flora is slumbering during the winter.

There's a gargantuan magnolia tree that we of course had to climb,

T was better at the whole tree climbing business than me (it's because his shoes had better traction, I swear!)

Then we snuck off into the bamboo forest for some quality time.

I love this shot.

After spending a couple of days in my town, we headed back up to PA for the last day or two.

Dinner with T's fam:

Then, it was back home!

You'd think that T would be used to the mild cold here in SoCal, since were were just in the frigid northeast. However, he complained so much in my living room that I had to papoose him. (I say papoose, he says homeless person):

Ok, I think that's it! Whew! It seemed to go by about as quickly as the time I spent typing this, can't wait to go visit the East again. How I miss this sky-