geeta's 365

The next project!

2009-08-28T09:09:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't yet figured it out, my second 365 project is located here.

Day 365: Vegas at night

2009-08-27T00:01:00.003-04:00

We started the day (and by started, I mean 12:01 AM) at the bar at the top of THEhotel. Gorgeous view of the strip. I thought it was a fitting last post on my 365!

Day 364: Good times

2009-08-26T23:24:00.000-04:00

Now this is the type of chip I like to see.

Day 363: A room with a view

2009-08-25T09:20:00.002-04:00

The view from our hotel room was of the gorgeous pools at Mandalay Bay...much quality time was spent here!

Day 362: Empty flight

2009-08-24T21:12:00.002-04:00

The flight to Vegas from Washington DC was SO empty that I had an entire row of six seats to myself. And I wasn't the only one. I think there were maybe 15 people total on the plane. Even the flight attendant commented that she hadn't seen a flight this empty in years.

Day 361: The new kids come for dinner

2009-08-23T19:39:00.000-04:00

As it's the start of a new academic year, the new post-docs and fellows have arrived and are settling in. This is the position S was in just a year ago. How far he's come since then! Remembering the confusion and chaos of that time, we invited Vani and Tariq over for a homecooked Indian meal. It was also Ganesh Chaturthi, so we thought it would be good to celebrate a bit. I think everyone would agree the night was very successful.

Day 360: Dinner with David

2009-08-22T20:36:00.002-04:00

Our friend David was in town, so he came by and hung out with us for a bit before he had to head off to a wedding reception in the afternoon. The reception ended sort of early, so he gave us a call and he came back over to our place. We had a few drinks (he claims I got him a bit drunk with my newfound knack for making gimlets) and then went for dinner. He stayed the night as well. I love having unexpected guests!

Day 359: An unexpected pleasure

2009-08-21T09:34:00.002-04:00

I completely didn't expect a postcard from the Mediterranean, but I was quite pleased to get one! I love receiving postcards. That's a hint, by the way!

Day 358: What's wrong with this picture?

2009-08-20T21:41:00.002-04:00

Could it be that there's a mattress in the living room? We've had a heat wave over the past week and finally I couldn't bear to go into the hot bedroom to sleep (we only have A/C in the living room). So we moved the guest room's mattress in the living room. It was a mini sleepover!

Day 357: City Hall

2009-08-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

I walk by City Hall on most days when I'm on my way back home from work.

Day 356: More Madness

2009-08-18T20:42:00.001-04:00

Another sick day at home. Good thing we renewed the Season 2 Mad Men DVD so I had something to do. Here is the gorgeous John Slattery playing Roger Sterling.

Day 355: Sick day

2009-08-17T21:39:00.003-04:00

I was sick enough that I needed to stay home from the office. I don't get sick very often, so it was a bit surprising. This was my view looking down from the couch, which is where I stationed myself for most of the day.

Day 354: New York's gone mad

2009-08-16T21:34:00.001-04:00

A bit of a crazy decision, but S and I drove out to New York to attend the premiere of Mad Men in Times Square. It was very cool and despite us both being under the weather, I'm glad we did it. We even saw Bryan Batt, who plays the fabulous Salvatore, on stage!

Day 353: Mira blatantly disobeys the rules

2009-08-15T16:31:00.000-04:00

Mira and I drove out to the outlet mall and were fondly remembering the last time we went shopping. We spent about 30 minutes at a cookware store sampling the dips. Here is Mira recreating that experience by refusing to use tongs.

Day 352: Gimlet preparation

2009-08-14T21:29:00.001-04:00

In celebration of Mira's arrival and the impending premiere of Season 3 of Mad Men, we purchased the ingredients to make gimlets. My first attempt was a success!

Day 351: My hair is still long

2009-08-13T20:46:00.001-04:00

A friend asked if my hair was still long following the recent hair cut. I said yes, because I thought it still was. I confirmed this in the mirror of a dressing room.

Day 350: Couldn't have said it better myself

2009-08-13T09:16:00.004-04:00

So appropriate that I spotted this just after I'd left the library with books in hand! I'm checking out this artist's shop and may have to purchase a few things...

Day 349: The original Frank Pepe

2009-08-12T09:20:00.004-04:00

We all went to Frank Pepe for some original New Haven apizza. Pepe's is arguably the most famous pizza place around, and for pretty good reason. It was founded in 1925 and uses only coal fires in brick ovens to create the goodness that is apizza. The Wiki says:

"Pepe's is a busy establishment, and New Havenites will cheerfully wait in line outside the restaurant for hours in all kinds of weather. Having to wait to be seated is almost as much of a New Haven tradition as the pizza itself."

Other than a minor quibble (we're called New Haveners, not New Havenites!), this is quite accurate. We waited for about 40 minutes outside in line. It was worth it, though!

Day 348: Specs, goggles, or sunglasses

2009-08-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

I think I lost a pair of my sunglasses when we were on holiday in Cape Cod a couple weeks ago, so now all I have are my old pair. They're the exact same brand/model as the newer ones, but they're scratched up and not as nice. Plus I've lost the original case, so they're housed in this one I got from the opticians near my uncle's home in Bombay.

Day 347: Finished puzzle

2009-08-09T21:06:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend we finished the puzzle I'd bought in Northampton on the day we met Laura. It's very pretty. I don't want to take it apart just yet so for now it's occupying the coffee table.

Day 346: To the sea

2009-08-08T13:02:00.000-04:00

We took the parents out to Hammonasset for a picnic on the beach. No swimming but we did get a fair amount of sun. It was a lovely day weather-wise.

Day 345: Notes at Noon

2009-08-07T12:30:00.000-04:00

On certain Fridays in the summer, there are bands playing in the courtyard near my office. We walked over to see one today. They were pretty good.

Day 344: Close up

2009-08-06T17:13:00.000-04:00

More digital macro fun...this time in black and white.

Day 343: A sign I never thought I'd see

2009-08-05T19:36:00.000-04:00

Spotted at the grocery store. Heelys!? What has this world come to?

Day 342: Time for a hair cut

2009-08-04T17:21:00.002-04:00

My super cool boss gets his hair cut just around the corner from our office, so I thought I'd give it a go as I hadn't found any place great for my hair yet in New Haven. I should have guessed that a salon that's kitted out in gorgeous vintage stuff would be my kind of place. Holly is my new local hairdresser!

Day 341: The B&B

2009-08-03T09:57:00.001-04:00

Our lovely vegetarian b&b. We were so sad to leave! Gorgeous house, beautiful surroundings, and friendly people. Couldn't ask for more, really.

Day 340: Cape Cinema

2009-08-02T18:47:00.000-04:00

We drove up to the very tip of Cape Cod and visited Provincetown, and then drove back down for dinner and a movie. The Cape Cinema was built in 1930 and was restored over 20 years ago. It's got a gorgeous old proscenium stage with a red curtain, suede seats covered in white cloth, and a vaulted ceiling with a mural of the heavens painted on it.

Day 339: Glass blowing

2009-08-01T13:43:00.002-04:00

The first stop on our mini-vacation was Sandwich, which is the oldest town on Cape Cod. It was a lovely little place. We visited the Sandwich Glass Museum, where we watched a demonstration of glass blowing. The girl made a mug and here she is attaching glass onto the side to make a handle. Unfortunately the cup broke at the very end. But it was cool anyway.

Day 338: What a surprise, it's raining again

2009-07-31T10:14:00.002-04:00

It's pouring yet again here! We have had very little summer at all. I hope the weather's better this weekend.

Day 337: Evil seagulls

2009-07-30T10:12:00.002-04:00

Every day that I take the shuttle to work, I walk by this empty lot. For some reason, a huge flock of seagulls has taken up residence in the lot and they are always there, squawking and flying about. They're really disgusting. My coworker Mark thinks they come here because it's like their own private beach. I can't wait until something gets built in this lot!

Day 336: New Haven Fire Department

2009-07-29T07:58:00.002-04:00

My apartment is pretty close to a firehouse which I never really thought much about until Sotomayor was nominated for the Supreme Court.

Day 335: Boston Stock Exchange

2009-07-28T15:36:00.004-04:00

Quick trip to Boston and I had an hour before my meeting, so I took a walk around the hotel. It was really hot but I did see a few nice things, such as the Stock Exchange.

Day 334: Cake at Claire's

2009-07-27T13:34:00.000-04:00

I had been craving a cupcake and a friend suggested I get some Lithuanian coffee cake at Claire's. It's one of their specialties and I'd not had a chance to try it, so we did after lunch. Good. Very good.

Day 333: Adam manning the door

2009-07-26T02:31:00.001-04:00

A number of us volunteered to help out at CTLX, which involved mostly setting up, cleaning up, or sitting at the door checking registrations. At the exchange, there were two late night dance sessions from 1AM - 5AM. I wisely did not volunteer for those shifts, but poor Adam got stuck watching the door from 2AM - 3AM. He told me he had to stand up for the entire hour or he'd fall asleep. So here is Adam demonstrating his door monitoring technique midway through the shift.

Day 332: Dancing in Beinecke Plaza

2009-07-25T13:24:00.002-04:00

CTLX (Connecticut Lindy Exchange) started on Friday, July 24 and today we had outdoor dancing in Beinecke Plaza on campus. Luckily the rain held off and we had a hot and sunny three hours of lindy. Here are two of my favorite dancers, Mai and Aaron, with the cool Calder sculpture in the background. (That sculpture always reminds me of Chicago.)

Day 331: Little hobo

2009-07-24T17:39:00.003-04:00

On the way home from work (and on the way to the first night of Connecticut Lindy Exchange!), I thought I'd stop in at the vintage store (see Day 171) just to see if there was anything I might want to get for the weekend. I found a cute summer blouse for only $6, and it was presented to me in this little bundle on a stick. I was thrilled and carried it home on my shoulder. On our way out of another shop, a guy asked, 'Running away from home?' Hee!

Day 330: I'm going to Paris

2009-07-23T17:01:00.001-04:00

Booked the flights yesterday and today I booked the Eurostar from London to Paris. I'm beyond excited!

Day 329: Rain, rain, rain

2009-07-22T07:40:00.002-04:00

Last night it absolutely poured and it didn't really let up until this morning.

Day 328: Future swing dancer

2009-07-21T20:07:00.001-04:00

Hmm...a baby at dancing?? This is Kaylee, and she is the daughter of the coordinators of my dance class in Middletown. Every Tuesday, Kaylee gets set up in her playpen on the edge of the dance floor and watches us dance. She participates sometimes as well, and she also is the recipient of loads of attention from all the dancers (including me!).

Day 327: Finally, we've got tomatoes

2009-07-20T17:38:00.001-04:00

We've been anxiously waiting for our garden to produce something other than basil, and now we've finally got some tomatoes that are starting to turn red. Sadly not much else worked, other than one lonely zucchini plant that we're hoping will produce something. Of course these are the landlord's tomato plants, rather than ours. Maybe next year!

Day 326: Hartford

2009-07-19T16:11:00.000-04:00

We took a trip out to Middletown to visit the Hindu temple, and then had a few hours to spare before Y's flight, so we went to Hartford. This is the Capitol building. I think I've been to three state capitols now, plus Washington DC.

Day 325: Lindy bomb!

2009-07-18T22:35:00.002-04:00

Today was a lindy bomb at the farmer's market in Wooster Square. Yale Swing & Blues organized it and I turned out for it despite being exhausted from the night before. It was brill! Here is a not-so-great photo of Chris and Clare doing a lift. Can't wait until more dancing tomorrow.

Day 324: A visit to the Anchor

2009-07-17T23:15:00.003-04:00

We had a friend over for dinner, and then we got a call from another friend who was out and about in New Haven. We decided at the last minute to head out and meet her and her friends, and they were at a bar called Richter's. We had a drink there (Smithwick's on tap! I introduced my sister-in-law to it.) and then headed to the Anchor. As I said in Day 295, the Anchor is a bit of a legendary dive bar in New Haven that I've been wanting to visit. Just today at work, someone suggested we go there tonight, and so we did! It was exactly as I thought it would be too.

Day 323: Rubbish

2009-07-16T08:31:00.003-04:00

Our next door neighbors have had a new tenant move in, and in the process of getting ready, they decided to clean out their garage and basement. Great. But that means we have been living with this lovely mountain range of rubbish in front of their house for the past few days. People have even been coming by to pick through it! I have fingers crossed that this is going to be picked up today.

Day 322: Yashica's here!

2009-07-15T21:29:00.001-04:00

My sister-in-law Yashica arrived this evening after a long trip from the west coast. We took her to dinner as it was her birthday! We went to the weird sushi place and ordered way too much sushi, but it was fun. We told our server we couldn't even fathom dessert, but he didn't listen to us and brought her ice cream with a birthday candle in it. The servers all sang happy birthday to her as well.

Day 321: Lunch from the carts

2009-07-14T12:38:00.002-04:00

It was warm and sunny, so we grabbed lunch from the carts. Every weekday the local restaurants set up food carts around campus at lunchtime for the employees and students. Here are George and Mark walking back towards me after having bought some lunch.

Day 320: New painting at Claire's

2009-07-13T12:45:00.002-04:00

I met S for lunch at Claire's today and we noticed they've put new paintings up. This is a nice one of the Green. Much more appropriate than the snowy one I posted on Day 162.

Day 319: Butter tea with L&J

2009-07-12T12:50:00.004-04:00

Today we took a trip up to Northampton to meet my friend Laura and her fiance John who live in Scotland and were visiting. We went to a Tibetan restaurant for lunch. Laura and I were adventurous and tried the butter tea. It was NOT nice.

Day 318: Home again with a dosa

2009-07-11T16:48:00.002-04:00

I had a brilliant trip to Philly and got back to New Haven hungry for some Indian food. So S and I went to Thali Too for some chaat. I had a dosa...yum.

Day 317: The Liberty Bell

2009-07-10T12:44:00.001-04:00

On my mini-trip to Philly, we had to see some of the historic sites. So we went to visit the Liberty Bell. I'm sure I've seen it before when I was a kid, but I can't remember it. So I'm glad we went.

Day 316: View from train

2009-07-09T19:14:00.000-04:00

NYC skyline on the way from New Haven to Philadelphia. I'm taking a last minute mini city break!

Day 315: Validity

2009-07-08T22:45:00.001-04:00

My ID will be valid again once I apply this sticker...now I can check out books again at the library.

Day 314: Important traffic safety notice

2009-07-07T17:58:00.002-04:00

Hee! Seen on the streets of New Haven. I love it! I even found something about it on the net:

http://www.ctmuseumquest.com/?page_id=485

Day 313: Changed the calendar

2009-07-06T14:39:00.000-04:00

I changed my calendars over at work and this is what was awaiting me for July. Very pretty! It reminds me of Nice, though, rather than Australia.

Day 312: Goodbye to H'burg

2009-07-05T13:01:00.001-04:00

Packing up the car and heading out from Harrisburg. I'm already missing my Mira!

Day 311: Happy Fourth of July

2009-07-04T19:57:00.001-04:00

How better to celebrate the Fourth than with a glass of Pimm's and lemonade and a hat from Canada Day?

Day 310: Goodbye to Charlottesville

2009-07-03T09:55:00.001-04:00

My last day in C-ville! I had some time in the morning before I left so I walked along the mall. I'll be back in the fall.

Day 309: Last day!

2009-07-02T13:52:00.001-04:00

The last day of grading! We had such a great team. This is Sloan and Brindha chatting before we all dispersed.

Day 308: Canada Day

2009-07-01T19:50:00.000-04:00

The Canuckles sang O Canada for us in celebration of Canada Day.

Day 307: Footy

2009-06-30T12:46:00.002-04:00

The guys on our team took a break from grading to play some football. This is Craig, Kristen, and Sloan. Brindha and I were the cheerleaders.

Day 306: Litter from Sloan

2009-06-29T16:44:00.000-04:00

A senior grader named Sloan sat next to me and felt the need to throw the seals from the exam books on the floor between us. Litterer!

Day 305: Correction tape

2009-06-28T15:42:00.001-04:00

The bane of my existence...correction tape that doesn't really work.

Day 304: C-ville

2009-06-27T21:39:00.002-04:00

And so it begins...the week in Charlottesville starts out on Saturday at Fellini's. It was great to see all my old friends and meet new ones too.

Day 303: Boston Harbor

2009-06-26T12:37:00.001-04:00

Had a lovely trip to Boston! We even had a bit of time between meetings to catch some rays at the harbor.

Oh no....

2009-06-25T23:59:00.001-04:00

Yep, it finally happened. I forgot my photo today. The worst part was, I didn't forget as I'd been thinking of things to photograph all day in Boston. But I didn't remember to actually take out the camera and shoot the photo until 12:09 AM the next day. Ah, well, life goes on.

Day 302: A present

2009-06-24T20:55:00.000-04:00

Okay, not really. But books are always presents for me. This one was so old and fragile that it was wrapped in paper for protection. I had to request it from the archives and when I picked it up, I was very surprised to receive this package. It's good so far!

Day 301: Vinnie's

2009-06-23T23:01:00.004-04:00

Another day, another variation of Vincent. My latest swing haunt is Vinnie's Jump and Jive in Middletown. I'd known about it for a while now but had never gone. The stars aligned and I put in an appearance. Finally, the lindy I'd been looking for! Loads of good dancers, very appreciative and friendly leads, and decent music. I happily came home with the tired and bruised feet I always used to get after a hard night of dancing. I'll be back to Vinnie's when I return from my travels!

Day 300: Softball

2009-06-22T18:06:00.001-04:00

We had our department's annual softball game today. We didn't think the rain would hold off but other than a couple light showers, things went pretty well. I was on Vinny's team...please don't ask me why 'hit' is in quotes as I really don't know.

Day 299: Solomon Douglas Trio

2009-06-21T21:42:00.000-04:00

Tonight at swing dancing, the Solomon Douglas trio played for us. There was quite a turnout and people stayed all the way until the end at midnight. This photo doesn't even show the man himself, Solomon Douglas, as he was playing keyboards to the left of the drums and bass.

Day 298: Squirrel in Sterling

2009-06-20T12:39:00.001-04:00

We went to the library for a big check-out of books for me to read while I'm traveling and look who was in my favorite reading room? He was frozen like this for about 5 minutes while I kept taking photos.

Day 297: Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem

2009-06-19T13:04:00.002-04:00

My dad clued me in to the fact that Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem were playing at the Arts and Ideas festival today, so we went to check it out. They are a folk band that we were introduced to as one of the members is the son of a childhood friend of my dad's. He is on the right playing guitar. This is the second time I've seen them play and I realized I like their music a lot.

Day 296: Desi yogurt

2009-06-18T20:41:00.000-04:00

When we were at the Indian grocery store last week, we picked up some 'desi' yogurt. Desi is a sort of slang term that refers to Indian or South Asian in general. I'm not sure what makes this yogurt 'desi', to be honest. It was good, though!

Day 295: The Anchor

2009-06-17T18:46:00.003-04:00

This is a local dive that I walk past every so often when I'm around town. It is basically what we'd call an 'old man's pub' in the UK. I think it would be great fun to have a drink here sometime, so whenever someone ventures to visit me, we will be checking this place out.

Day 294: Owl

2009-06-16T18:06:00.000-04:00

Hmm. This is what greeted me at the front desk in my office building today. I am frightened of it.

Day 293: Guest bedroom

2009-06-15T20:04:00.003-04:00

The new guest room has a bed, lamp, nightstand, rug, desk. It's nice! (Please excuse the unironed duvet cover.) My sister-in-law will have a place to sleep when she visits next month now. I'm well pleased about it and am hoping my brother-in-law doesn't see this as he had to sleep on the floor in a room filled with moving boxes when he came to stay.

Day 292: They Might Be...

2009-06-14T20:16:00.003-04:00

Giants! The International Festival of Arts & Ideas kicked off this weekend and They Might Be Giants were the headlining act. Luckily the weather cleared up just in time for a great turnout. We saw a lot of people we knew which was fun. There were loads of people on the green and the show was much fun.

Day 291: Amherst College

2009-06-13T17:11:00.004-04:00

We took a road trip out to visit Dr. P's alma mater Amherst College and the towns in the Pioneer Valley. It was a lovely warm day and everything looked pretty and peaceful. We had lunch in Northampton and then took a long walk around campus. We also stopped in South Amherst at the farm store and got scones, jam, and fudge. Successful trip all around!

Day 290: Happy hour

2009-06-12T20:07:00.002-04:00

A swift one (or two) after work...we usually don't get George out for a drink, so we had to take advantage of his evening off.

Day 289: Radio City

2009-06-11T17:38:00.002-04:00

Had more meetings in the big city so I was up at 5AM to catch a 6:23 AM train. Gray day today here in New York. I'm looking forward to summer arriving sometime soon!

Day 288: New couch

2009-06-10T17:36:00.003-04:00

I rushed home from the office and what did I see? My new couch! Yay! It's a little bit more plush than I remember at the store, but it's still a keeper. I envision lots of naps taking place here in my future.

Day 287: Entertaining chez nous

2009-06-09T21:40:00.000-04:00

A number of our friends are going out of town for the summer so we are trying to get together with them before they all head off. We had Aditi and Ashwini over for dinner as they leave tomorrow for three months in India. I'm jealous of them.

Day 286: Lunch on the water

2009-06-08T13:08:00.000-04:00

We had such nice weather that we couldn't resist going to lunch at a posh restaurant on the water. It was a bit chilly outside but I sat near the sun so I could warm up a bit. It was lovely!

Day 285: New chairs

2009-06-07T11:36:00.003-04:00

We have been scouring Craigslist for furniture and finally found two vintage chairs. A girl who just moved in right down the street had posted them for sale and we walked over and decided to take them home with us. I love them! Not sure where exactly they will go, but I think they will fit in somewhere.

Day 284: First strawberry

2009-06-06T08:35:00.002-04:00

We finally have a ripe strawberry in the garden! There was one other but it looked like the birds had been eating it so we left it. This one was delicious.

Day 283: National Donut Day

2009-06-05T12:30:00.003-04:00

Today is National Donut Day! Dunkin Donuts is giving away a free donut if you buy a drink. My usually-quite-sensible boss bought a drink and refused the free donut when it was offered to him! I couldn't believe it when I heard this so we all went to DD to get donuts (and my boss redeemed himself by getting one for our assistant). Here are my and my colleague's donuts (chocolate glazed with sprinkles and Boston cream).

Day 282: For my dad

2009-06-04T18:28:00.002-04:00

Who wanted a photo of the house with the rhododendron bush so he could see how it looked. Pretty! The bird's nest was in the bush just to the left side of the porch. :(

Day 281: GCT

2009-06-03T17:02:00.001-04:00

Another trip through Grand Central Terminal, this time traveling to New Haven. We've spent a lot of time going in and out of here over the past few days. I'm back down to the city again next week too.

Day 280: Back to the city

2009-06-02T22:57:00.000-04:00

I had business in the city and wanted to say goodbye to my cousin and his family who are going back to India after two months in the US. We took the train down and went over to their apartment. My cousin was out to dinner with his colleagues so we went to Greenwich Village with his wife, sister-in-law, and the two boys to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner. It was great - all veg and many dishes were made with mock meat. We really enjoyed it!

Day 279: Smores

2009-06-01T20:18:00.002-04:00

We were invited to some friends' home for a veg barbecue so headed over there after work. We ended up having to get another grill because it took a while for the coals to get hot enough to cook the vegetables! Once we got the fire going, it all went smoothly. And for dessert, we made smores! We had to explain them to some of the non-Americans among us, though.

Day 278: Coney Island

2009-05-31T14:20:00.000-04:00

We'd never been to Coney Island before so decided to take the hour-long trip out and see it. It was a bit unusual...kind of like a near-dead carnival...but interesting. We didn't ride on the rides or sit on the beach but spent most of our time at the Coney Island Museum which had a side show. I was chosen to pull a sword out of the sword swallower's mouth! It was kind of gross.

Day 277: Kayaking on the Hudson

2009-05-30T14:17:00.002-04:00

Who says nothing's free in New York? I had read online that there was free kayaking at three boathouses on the Hudson, so we made our way out to Pier 96 (at 56th street) to check it out. We took out a double and paddled around the basin. I would definitely recommend others try this out.

Day 276: NYC trip begins

2009-05-29T20:14:00.001-04:00

We left New Haven at 5:30 and reached my cousin's apartment a little before 8PM. We hung out with Manju and the kids for a bit before my cousin and his wife returned from shopping, and then we all had dinner (Manju is setting the table in the background). Parth and I raced to see who could take a photo quicker.

Day 275: Sweet

2009-05-28T21:54:00.001-04:00

We had a dinner for work and afterwards my colleague gave me a ride home in his Porsche. Cool!

Day 274: Service announcement

2009-05-27T18:44:00.000-04:00

Seen on the door of the Ecuadorian consulate: how to prevent the flu. In Spanish.

Day 273: Blooming!

2009-05-26T17:42:00.004-04:00

Yay, the rhododendron in front of our place is finally blooming! The neighbors on either side both have them and we all have a slightly different shade of purple/pink.

Day 272: A last bit of magic

2009-05-25T23:52:00.000-04:00

Entertaining six children under the age of 12 can be challenging at the best of times. But our six were pretty good all weekend long. Right as we were all about to go our separate ways, they decided to practice a few more magic tricks.

Day 271: Happy birthday Amar

2009-05-24T20:10:00.000-04:00

My cousin's birthday was today so we ate out at a Chinese restaurant and had cake at his place afterwards to celebrate. With fifteen of us around and him having to take care of three little girls, I'm not sure how happy his birthday was, but I'm thinking it was a memorable one, anyway.

Day 270: Telephone call to my dad

2009-05-23T21:06:00.000-04:00

My parents were meant to join in on this family reunion in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately my mom hurt her back and they had to stay home so that she could recover. We miss them very much! My uncle called my dad to let him know we were all thinking of them.

Day 269: The boys playing Wii

2009-05-22T22:03:00.001-04:00

We arrived late after a long six hour drive from Connecticut to Bethlehem. My cousin and the kids played the Wii for hours.

Day 268: Showman

2009-05-21T23:01:00.002-04:00

We went to see Penn and Teller at a casino about an hour and a half away. It was a trek but it was nice to see them again. Here is a terrible photo of Teller right before he left...they were very busy as they were driving out to Atlantic City for another show but as always, they stuck around and took photos and signed autographs for every last fan. We hardly had a chance to speak with Teller but at least he did say hello to both of us and we had a quick chat.