Monday, September 28, 2009

Catch Up and Killer Spiders

It has been a while since I updated. I thought it was time to catch up. Here is what has been going on....

1. I started a new job... well kind of.

I was lured back to an old work place to join the small ops team that supports the financial system for the organization. I am happy to be back working with some great folks, some old and some new. I get to be part of interesting projects and learn some of the technical stuff I never got to do at my old job.
Now for the hiccup. My direct supervisor who is also a dear friend just went out for 6 to 8 weeks after having her hip replaced. I barely had enough time to get up to speed. Unfortunately my co-worker has had me attached to his hip so I can eventually be a help to him and less of a burden. Since I started three weeks ago there have been 5 days of all day workshops or conferences thus hindering my progress on learning how to handle the day to day support issues we have to deal with. On the plus side I have been super busy and everyday I run into an old friend who is still there. It has been great to catch up with these people who I enjoyed working with so much in my last tenure. It is like coming home.

2. I have almost been killed three time by spiders.

I know you are thinking I am crazy but this will change your mind...

Attack #1
In the Shower.
I was in the shower about to wash my hair and just as I turned around to adjust the shower curtain out from behind it jumped an evil spider in attack mode. I was naked and at my most vulnerable. Think Psycho people. Of course I screamed and almost fell, luckily Mel was at my place, she had to rush in and save me. Ramona and Henry who I am now referring to as The Domestics were of no use. Henry was on my sheets cleaning himself. As usual.


As a matter of fact Ramona is not even a good watch dog anymore. My neighbor just came down to inform me of the new washer and dryer begin delivered on Friday. We were 5 minutes into our conversation before she realized someone was at the door and started barking her head off. I could have been dead by then, geez...but I digress back to killer spiders.

Attack #2
In the Car. Mel and I were driving around doing errands last week and I saw a spider on the outside of the windshield. Naturally I put the windshield wipers on to fling it off but the dang thing fell into the front of the car. I had this sneaking suspicion this was not the last I would see of it. Later that night I was dropping Mel off and the little fucker crawled across my windshield on the INSIDE of the car. I almost froze but managed to keep my composure. Mel was like, "I do not have a tissue". WHAT?!?! Luckily I had a poop bag next to me in the car door, I pulled it out and gave it to her. She killed it while I managed not to kill us in a car crash. I was remarkably calm. So to Mel's credit this was her second save, but in the future it would be nice if she had spider killing equipment with her at all times and I think she was going to leave the bag with the dead spider in it in my car. Yeah, I do not think so.

Attack #3
On the Deck. I was rigging a homemade clothesline on my deck. I was trying to get my kayak straps around a vine covered pole on the other side of my porch railing, so naturally I was standing on my cooler to reach around the pole. All of a sudden this huge spider came out from the leaves and almost threw me off the deck. I jumped so far back off the cooler with my arms flailing that I broke my watch strap. It took a good 10 minutes of jumping up and down and brushing off my clothes violently to make sure he was not still attached. I gave up on the vine covered pole and rigged my Kayak paddle to hold up the other end of the homemade clothesline. Unreal.



Needless to say it is obvious I have done something to piss of the spider community.

3. I have become obsessed with Glee....I really cannot watch enough. Mel and I keep re-watching portions of the episodes on my TiVo. Love it.
Here are just a couple of the reasons.



and



Finally Jane Lynch is getting the recognition she deserves.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Camp Scully



I finally got out to Western Ma this past weekend to see my grad school/W. Ma friends who I have been woefully neglecting. Every time I go out there I know it should be more often. Mel and I had a fun filled two days hanging with my buds Carolynn and Jason(my male doppelganger) in Noho on Friday night and then we packed up The Fit Saturday morning and headed out to North Adams to Camp Scully to hang with Amy Scully, her new husband Jessie, Noah, Sebastian and some other friends.
Mel was amazed what a small town Noho is, we ran into some old friends on the way to dinner on Friday night on the street, then Saturday at the supermarket we saw everyone who was going to be at Camp Scully later that day getting provisions.
Amy is one of the first people I met in my grad program. The first week she took our whole cohort white water rafting. It was a blast and I am still in awe that at 5 feet tall and about 100 lbs she was able to guide us down the river. Exhilarating. Camp Scully is in the N. Adams woods behind the Mass College of Liberal Arts Athletic fields. You have to take a dirt road to get to it, but once you arrive you are in a different world. So quiet and peaceful. Exactly what Mel and I needed this weekend. With me starting a new job and Mel moving we needed some Happy Valley. It worked. It could not have been a more perfect day. We kayaked on the lake, swam, barbecued, caught up on all of Amy's funny wedding stories, played lawn games, drinking games and basically just soaked in one of the last days of summer.

Some highlights:
- $6 Chimay on draft at Sierra Grille
- Playing pool at Ye Olde Watering Hole(The valley's only beer can museum)



- Getting all four of us in The Fit with all of our stuff
- Hearing Amy's wedding stories, I knew they would be hilarious. We were not disappointed
- Seeing Watts and Finn again. I miss those pups



- Hanging my feet over the Kayaks as we tooled around lake



- Remembering that Jason and I are basically the same person. His LF thinks we should get married so we can be old grumpy people together drinking pretentious beers and kvetching



- Washers



- Playing flip cup by fire pit with head lamps



- Amy's trash talking her hubby in flip cup
- Explaining and justifying twitter to everyone, but still being made fun of with each new tweet



- Quality time with some of my favorite people
- 8:30am kayak around pond before we headed home



- Making plans to go back in winter to snowboard at Berkshire East, a short drive from Amy and Jessie's new house. I cannot wait.