whoa is me.

So, I know I've been noticably blogging less, and that my last post was pathetically short. Like the rest of the world, I've resigned to "status updates" as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family. Not that there's anything wrong with Facebook and twitter, it certainly has put so many of my friends in touch more frequently, and narrowed the distance gap. But I think we all need to consciously make an effort to do more than tweet, or we will lose our depth in relationships. Texting is not the same as talking.

I read a quote from John Mayer the other day (who I usually can't stand) where he said he stopped using twitter because it was "making his mind smaller". By always thinking in 140-character counts, he couldn't compose an entire song anymore, probably not even a complete thought. That pretty much says it for me. I need to return to a healthy mix of tweets and longer sentences, paragraphs, blogs, emails, letters. And while I'm at it, I also need to get back to using my Nikon instead of my lazy little digital camera, which admittedly takes great photos on a whim, but it's not what I think of as photography. I really wish the rest of the world would return to at least pocket digital cameras instead of camera phones. Gah! I know, I know, iPhones are different but mobile phone cameras are awful. We can't let photography go extinct.

Looking through my little photos, I realize that I have done a lot and not shared much on this blog in the last 6 months, so I'm going to do that now.

It's hard to talk about, but Chris' relocation to the East Coast has not been as swift as we had hoped; there's been job interviews, but nothing quite right. I am racking up Southwest Airlines rewards visiting Colorado every 2 months and Chris'll be here next month. I try to keep busy, see new things in New England, listen to my Good Mood music, and "carry on" (cheerful Tim Gunn voice).

In carrying on, I am blessed with good friends, Chris' family, and also a job that is enlightening and encouraging. In fact, Facing History allowed me to take my week-long July seminar with teachers at the Denver office instead of here in Boston, so I could spend a more time with Chris. I had an incredible time experiencing how we teach teachers, and engage students and I learned so much about the United States' horrifying history with discrimination (specifically around Eugenics and immigration exclusion policies). It made me want to be a high school history and civics teacher, actually.

I lucked out that I missed the horrid heat wave in Boston that same week I was in Denver. My RAV-4 is doing quite well, which may sound funny to some of you. but I really, really miss that car! Lately I'm constantly monitoring the news about an electric (EV) RAV-4 that Toyota's begun manufacturing for 2012, because I think it's my only consolation; it's the only way I can come to terms with admitting the old '97 RAV-4 will have to retire someday. But not yet!

When I moved out here, a stream of good luck was following me, and I knew before long, that life would balance itself out with some bad luck. Well bad luck caught up to me last month - I lost my wallet, then had my car towed, and seemed to be getting hit with bills, fees, parking tickets, insurance letters, what have you. I almost melted down last week, but my great boss, Karen told me to go home, and chillax, so I did, and had an Abita on the porch, and then a nap.

Thankfully the bad luck had no influence on my moving to JP. I love the apartment, I love my landlord, Mary, I love the neighborhood, I love the espresso bar next door! The house I'm renting constantly reminds me (without even having to say it) that I own way too much stuff. Mary keeps clutter to a minimum and every drawer half-empty. There's no freaking pen drawer in the kitchen overflowing with 100's of pens, post-it notes, and office supplies, unlike every place I've ever lived. I hope her good habits rub off on me.

A lot of people asked about my recent knee surgery. I have had what is called "theater knee" since the trip to Europe in 2006 where your knees feel crunched in a seated position, even when they're not crunched at all. But a specific pain had been growing in one spot on the kneecap since I got to Boston, and driving more than an hour in the mini was almost becoming impossible. I had tried a lot of things, but finally had an MRI and the doctor noticed a small tumor in the spot where my knee was aggravated most. So they did a quick, no-drama outpatient surgery, also found a "plica" (tissue fold that you're born with, and can hurt) and removed that. I was walking normally after 24 hours and the only recovery involved was icing it for about a week.

Having seen many doctors and specialists leading up to the surgery, though, I've realized the (sort of hard) truth that the general knee pain is really a result of too much weight on my knees as well as lazy postures like hyperextending the knees when I stand, or walking uneven on the edges of my feet when going up stairs. One of the times that the P.A. was reviewing my MRI, the radiologist's report described my issue as "globular fat" which was extremely funny, and made for a great punchline all that day. But let's face it, I've been spending my years in Colorado not biking, not hiking, hating running, and walking the dog in my flip-flops. I do a little yoga and pilates, but it's time to get serious now.

Conveniently! - my new apartment is up 3 flights of stairs! - so it's a behavioral adjustment for both my quads and my brain (trying to remember everything you need before you leave the 3rd floor is now more important). And living 2 miles from work, I have started biking to work, since there's a beautiful green park (thank you, Fredrick Law Olmstead) between here and there, which is very good rehab for the knee. I constantly feel like I don't fit in with my clumsy bike riding, since I don't wear a messenger bag (seriously, everyone) or walk my half-pit bull mutt (the SPCA is around the corner) but otherwise I feel very settled and comfortable in JP. I'm getting the hang of it.

Yesterday I went to a little Art Fair in Providence and explored that city for the day. Today it's pouring rain out, so I'm spending some long overdue time updating iTunes, my photos and other stuff on my laptop. Here's some photos I should have blogged along the way:

I think this bank just got themselves a new customer.
Crazy bignazo puppets in Providence, who were there to harass... er... entertain customers
Spin Art!!!

Every time I go back to Colorado, the on-air "talent" on the news there is getting more plastic and um, sexier. Who in the HECK approved this wardrobe choice?!

East Coast friends who have moved West - drool now

My first bike since 5th grade! courtesy of Bikes Not Bombs

This is me in disbelief that I could be ever wear such a dorky thing as a bike helmet. nutcase is right.

pretty summer porch on my new rented house in JP

My room

most of the rooms in Mary's house look like they belong in a magazine (unlike the next house you're about to see)

The above wall stripes were in my childhood home circa 1975-85 (to be fair, it was my sister and my playroom, but still), and it still survives as evidence of the Brady Bunch Era today. We visited in July and were BLOWN away how everyting remained the same on the bottom floor of the house. And it was hard to express our awe and laughter to the new owner without offending!

Curtains in my dad's 70's office, in tact and still hung up!

our zig zag rug from the 70's... just AS I remember it

My Uncle Bill and I at the Patriots' Day Parade

beautiful guitar shop, the Music Emporium in Lexington

From the deCordova sculpture park in Lincoln... you might think these hearts are cute and romantic, but up close, there are body parts and faces poking out of the cement like people were buried alive in them. That's contemporary art, for ya!
Soma-vull likes the Goonies
in Pittsfield

colorful taps at Harpoon Brewery
Chris' niece and nephew and I at (an old favorite of mine), the Children's Museum's Hood milk bottle. I often think to myself, it's nice to finally live somewhere were a preppy rainbow bag with crabs or whales on it doesn't seem square.

wild color

Whoooooo. Having the craziest schedule this month between knee surgery, a week of my parents visiting, and now spending a week in Denver for a Facing History seminar on Race & Membership. While my mom and dad were in town, we went to Tanglewood for opening weekend (easy activity for the elevated & iced knee) and also managed to see the newly reopened Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (aka Mass MoCA) in North Adams - which is a remarkable reinvention of an old factory/mill complex.

Here's a few photos of the Chihuly (blown glass) exhibit at the MFA, which is probably the most popular exhibit the MFA has had in decades, and gives new meaning to the term "eye candy":
And a few photos of the Sol LeWitt exhibit at the MoCA which they say is a "temporary" exhibit, though it's contracted to stay there 25 years:
I look uncharacteristically monochromatic by comparison - And a Katharina Grosse exhibit that looks like mountains of crushed cray-pas:
This last work, also at the MoCA, was a collection of photos of the sun, printed from various Flickr users:

somerville open studios

Today Somerville hosted an "open studios" where artists of all kinds throughout the city open up their studios or their living rooms for neighbors to walk door to door as if every street is a string of galleries. I really, really dug it and was so impressed at how many people here were involved! There were about 100 different locations you could visit and at least 400 artists on display. I went to just five.

Warshington

So I think I'm often criticized for taking too many building pictures and not enough people pictures. In D.C. last week I had some fun with self-portraits-in-front-of-a-thing on a really beautiful day -- crazily enough, people kept passing me and saying "Can I take a picture for you?" - and I had to give an awkward "No, thanks!" I didn't intentionally coordinate my red, white and blue but it was downright hot out, I needed Julius. Yes, the cherry trees were pink. No, I didn't get to meet Bo. Yes, President Obama was born in the United States. Come on, people.

more photos over here

Wide Open Spaces

I don't normally ooh and ahh over Colorado - unless it's Mexican food we're talking about - but I have to admit it was a gorgeous day yesterday. In fact, we were swearing at ourselves for not wearing shorts. Today, of course, the Spring's sick sense of humor returned, and it dumped snow midway through an otherwise sunny morning while we were walking outside in light jackets and t-shirts. The photos here are from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, a free park that's unparalelled on scenery. We also spent a good chunk of the day in a penny arcade in Manitou Springs where they have four rooms of Donkey Kong, Frogger, Space Invaders, Ms. Pac-Man and you-name-it (all still in working order) for a quarter, plus all the pinball and "love testers" you can dish out for 5 cents. I scored high at skeeball, as usual. The Elton John pinball machine (below) was super vintage cool and in great condition.

Boston Space

I've been meaning to upload pictures of my room but wanted to get 3 posters framed and hung up, and that took some procrastination. But I got to it today, at last. The walls are not as frighteningly yellow as they look here, they're a bit more bland but it's hard to get good lighting in there.

Kate gave me these adorable prints for Christmas that say "Some days are better than others... but the sun always comes out tomorrow"

The below poster is from a show I went to on the official first day I moved in to the apartment -- 10/15/10

Every other weekend, I try to take about a four-hour afternoon walk for fresh air, even though it's a bit cold! In the rare sun today, I took a few pictures of my 'hood:
Christmas decorations are still hangin' in there:
I like this combination of garlands:
Somerville Library:
The site that someday will be a new Green Line T stop, just a few houses away from me:
I was really thrilled earlier this year when we got our very own "Geezers Crossing" sign, and the one with the little heart is cute, too:

Cambridge Library all lit up at night:

Inman Square's famous poultry shop, they don't mince words:

More fun with the liquor store marquee:Just came back from a weekend visit to Colorado, packing a half-gallon of green chile in my suitcase, and two Costco-sized bottles of Cholula. It was both great and terrible to see Chris and Derby. I wish they were here.

I would love to blog more but I am so......... flippin'............... tired. Work has picked up, as they promised it would, and now I just save every second of free time after work to get to sleep early.

Zzzzzz.

Lord.

I spotted this statue in the driveway at work the other day.

It's a perfect symbol of how everyone's feeling about the snow this Winter in Boston, an "I surrender" kind of feeling.

A lot of my colleagues are working from home and the office has been closed three or four times since we're a school, too. I generally just take public transportation.

The conditions generally haven't been that bad, except last Monday when it was 1 degree on my commute to work. I was really bundled up, but it was like Minnesota for a few minutes there.

What's been unusual is how constant the snow has been -- it's snowing a few inches to a foot about every other day -- so it's more than Massachusetts is used to, and the piles when they haul it into parking lots are getting to be 2 to 3 stories high (really).

The local weather guys are giddy at the attention, and love any excuse to use special Wintery vocabulary like freezing drizzle and thundersnow.

My take on the silver lining -- I can't help but notice that the more perilous the weather, the more strangers and neighbors talk to one another. It's perfectly "Boston" that the worse the conditions of the day, the more likely people are to open up and talk to each other. They don't share smiles and hellos, but they'll share a complaint or an eye roll.