The Upper East Quartet

Birthing Class #6

2012-02-07T19:09:00.009-05:00

After a few weeks worth of classes, lots of videos and discussions...we graduated tonight.

But not before we took a crash course on newborn care. Let me just say, Dev is a swaddling PRO! I was a little overwhelmed by the sheer size of our mock 9lb newborn manikin. I was trying to hold the bugger, and it was longer than my arms or torso! Lets hope that this little miss is on the smaller size (at least in the beginning).

Sneak Peek at the Little Lady

2012-02-04T17:13:00.001-05:00

It is truly remarkable to be alive in the 21st century, to see how far we've come as people and what technology is capable is beyond amazing. Just a few short decades ago, regular ultrasounds weren't very common, and now there's 3D ultrasound capability!

Dev and I easily rationalized the non-essential luxury experience of a 3D ultrasound. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what does that make live footage from inside your womb?! We booked our session 4 months in advance (since the window for best photos was a small one: 27-28 weeks). This past week couldn't come fast enough. I wanted to see her, to put a face to the name, and we planned a whole day around it in celebration.

The session itself was everything I could have expected, hoped for and more. Unlike the stark hospital rooms I have been getting previous ultrasounds done in, this room was beautifully decorated. Warm, inviting, almost as comfortable as home. The staff were patient, friendly and really took the time to help ensure we'd get a few choice photographs of our girl. She was asleep of course, but they had a few tricks up their sleeves to get her moving (bathroom breaks, jumping jacks, some chocolate). This helped a little... but the real ticket to getting the fab profile pics we did... was Dev's singing.

The minute he started singing, we got these:

We got 30 shots of our little angel, and a good half hour of video footage. We watched he hiccup, roll over, hide behind her hands. We saw her open her eyes, make fishy faces, and even caught a yawn or two.

It was absolutely magical. We are of the consensus that she has my nose, Dev's cheeks and chin. She looks so peaceful in there and beautiful. We couldn't stop smiling.

We topped off our morning by stopping in at RAVENOUS and feasting on a savory crepe, followed by a delicious dessert crepe. The perfect end to a perfect day.

26 Weeks and Counting

2012-01-28T22:14:00.002-05:00

The Dreaded DMV

2012-01-25T22:00:00.001-05:00

Was a walk in the park this morning which was utterly shocking.

Unlike the cool and Wala'au (Hawaiian for "talk story") inducing environment of the Kauai DMV, the one here in Albany may in fact be the outermost circle of Hell. I kid you not, it's a wretched and soul sucking place. The lines/wait could measure up to those experienced in Disneyland attractions, the people are cranky regardless of day, time, your disposition and paramount to all things unholy, they appear to on occasion turn people away on whim.

We have been trying to get Dev's license changed here in New York for what seems like forever. Prior to todays success story, we had gone to the DMV for the same thing, 2x and were ushered about for half our day only to be rejected. The first time we had the legal court order document specifying the name change. The second we came with said legal document plus several other forms of ID with his "new and official" name, which everyone else recognized. Even though they say third times the charm... we weren't taking any chances.

We got there early, 3rd person in the line early, figured this way no one could have ruined their day yet and we brought 9 points of identification, even though all we needed were 6 points in his "new" name. It took about a half hour, but man did we luck out. Devin's license finally reflects the 3 name standard. YAY.

Just in time for baby. I didn't want his name wrapping around 2 lines worth of space on her birth certificate. LOL.

I also had a quick stint at the DMV renewing my license. Aside for the words grumpiest dude, who chewed me out for forgetting to initial a small box in the corner of my form (which in my defense, totally looked like something "official" for DMV personnel), it was quick and successful.

All in all, a productive morning.

Singing to the Babe

2012-01-19T21:42:00.000-05:00

Dev and I sing to our little girl regularly. We've even doctored new versions of some of our favorite songs to incorporate her name and be a little more personal. She enjoys music and singing so it seems. Whenever Dev sings to my belly, she always shifts positions so she's closer to his voice. She's a big fan of Daddy's musical talents.

Birthing Class #2

2012-01-17T21:10:00.002-05:00

We got the grand tour of our birthing facility. 7 individual labor/deliver/recovery rooms (4 with whirlpool jacuzzis), and 2 pools for water birthing. 4 recovery only rooms, 3 prelabor rooms and all pretty spacious and not the stark white medical type rooms you'd expect. We talked birthing plans, and went through a few massages and positions to help ease the pain of labor.

Started to feel really real, and as excited as I am, there are times I wonder if I can do this. Not going to lie, labor intimidates me.

Homework this week: Develop our birth plan. We already got it worked out in our heads, now it's just about putting it down to paper for the nurses and docs.

Car Seat Relay

2012-01-16T17:12:00.004-05:00

With 15 weeks to go, Dev and I are really stepping up our game on researching the best/most cost effective carseat, stroller, crib, swing, carrier, mattress in efforts to plan ahead for upcoming purchases and to finalize our baby registry. This week we tackled the car seat/stroller issue.

We spent a good 2.5 hours at Buy Buy Baby - one of the local retailers - checking out and weighing the pros and cons of the travel systems (car seat, stroller, carrier) or individual options. And even though we had research brands and came with a list of 5 we had sort of whittled down to... once there... in front of all those options we basically started our comparison over.

Some of our criteria were serious and logistical (size, weight) others were more fun (how fast can we break down this stroller combo, walk to the end of the aisle and put it back together again). Admittedly we spent more time on the relays than anything else. How I wish I had snapped a picture of Dev, putting our invisible future daughter in the carrier, and breaking down the stroller system with one hand and weaving around people to check out mobility and maneuverability. I even busted out a stop watch and recorded it all. It was quite official.

It was time well spent. We came to a good conclusion, and feel pretty good about the minimal compromise we had to make. It is unfortunately one of the more pricey options that we considered... but we figured flexibility and longevity make it work the extra bucks.

The winner is: Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30 Travel system in "adventure". With an under 10 second break down and set up time, one handed set-up and dismantling, easy adjustability and full recline, we are very happy with our choice.

Birthing Class #1

2012-01-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

Technically this was the 2nd day of class, but our first as we just so happened to miss out on the "introduction" day while we were on holiday in Asheville. We didn't miss much - just a lot of talk about how my body has and will be changing... most of which I knew from the 6th grade puberty talk, 8th grade sex ed, and countless years of biology classes and more books on parenting.

Class 2 (our first day) was much mroe beneficial. We jumped right in with a birth video - a natural birth - I might add. Talking about the difference between Baxton Hicks and real labor and knowing when its really happening and to get to the hospital.

Fun Fact of the night: Given our birth plan (a water birth) we would need to bring our own 25' garden hose (brand new) and a fishing net.

Holidays In Asheville

2012-01-07T18:09:00.003-05:00

The holidays are never quite "holiday-y" without a gaggle of relatives to keep you company. Dev and I try to rotate our familial engagements much like the Olympics... you know every 4 years. Of course sometimes we luck out and to get visit with our favorite familials more.The first year we spent in NY we were fortunate to have time enough to spend the Christmas Break (about a week) with Dev's mom... and being that it's been 4 years... we thought it was high time to repeat the expedition.

You can tell we do the whole "Cross Country Roadtrip" thing a lot (a total of 6 times now). This trip we tetris packed our car the best (leaving the whole back seat open for pillows and bugs (the dogs) and made the best time yet. GPS says our journey should be 13 hours, but it almost always takes closer to 15 with traffic, pit stops and gas fill ups. This year we actually did it in 13 hours - even with my small bladder.

Once there we got to enjoy 2 weeks of relaxation, family time, feasts and holiday spirit. We actually arrived late Christmas-eve Eve. So once we caught some Z's we headed out to do some last minute shopping to make sure we didn't forget anyone. Dev loitered in the appliance section of Best Buy while Sheila and I picked out some good computer gadgets for him. I think I suffered the more pleasant scenario of cruising in the awesome rocking chairs of Babies R Us as Dev and Sheila picked out a choice items for our baby girl. We spent the evening decorating our tree... (as you can see I am finally sporting a bump).

Christmas morning was soon upon us. Ian-Andre sweetly woke us up with coffee (caffeine free preggy tea for me) and cinnamon rolls. We then headed over to the couch and began the extensive task of sifting through mountains of presents and opening up sweet surprises. All in all it was a mellow day.

The work week following the holidays was pretty casual for us. Dev spent most of his time backing up databases and doing computer work. I did some light reading. In the afternoons we played wii games or dungeons & dragons with Ian Andre, and in the evenings we helped cook dinner and watched movies.

When New Years Eve came around, we did a nice little ritual with Sheila, lighting candles to burn away and release some of our lesser habits and also pave the way of change and hope for the new year. We toasted champagne (and sparkling apple cider) and even learned a nice Irish toast... although the verse keeps changing every time we recall it.

New Years Day is a big thing for Dev and I. My parents use to always say "what you do on NYD is what you'll do for the rest of the year, so start it out right". So we did. We woke up early, did yoga, ate a healthy home cooked breakfast. Settled in for an 8 hour work day (completed outstanding tasks) and then headed over to the dog park to unwind. The girls had a blast chasing tennis balls and even though the water was 2 degrees above frigid, they both took a quick dip. We capped off the night with a festive feast, a movie, and some reading in bed. I could certainly live that day for a whole year, it was peaceful and yet productive.

We also set aside a day to celebrate a belated birthday for Sheila who officially turned 50 this year. She got kick off her real birthday in Jamaica, but we still wanted to do something nice and just from us. So we made her breakfast in bed, did some yoga together, a whole lot of wii dance games, grabbed a bite to eat at Travinia (a posh little bistro) and caught Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. It was a huge success and she loved the fresh made incense I mixed together for her practice.

Our last work week there, we spent in and out of downtown, Dev doing a lot of technical configuring in Sheila's office and us running the occasional errand. Highlights include stealing away for lunch with Sheila... we hit up Green Life for organic delicacies, went out for sushi, and grabbed some Asheville Pizza, a must have whenever we are in town.

All in all it was a beautiful family trip and a great way to celebrate the holidays.

Baby's Almost 1st Christmas

2011-12-25T19:26:00.000-05:00

Considering our little Junbug is still incubating, she might have just scored the mother-load of all Christmas celebrations. As you can see she has already staked a claim in the hearts of friends and family. We are still organizing the nursery area, but now there are new boxes containing:

A new humidifier
Baby Bjorn carrier and Moby Wrap
Baby bullet
3 holiday dresses and 3 sundresses
Diaper bag and changing pad travel pack
Hooded towels
Her first teddy bear and an Easter Snoopy
Stacking cups
Registration at STEMCYTE for Cord Banking (Special Thanks to Oba and Oji to be)

Christmas Loot

2011-12-25T19:09:00.004-05:00

While cards/calls are forthcoming with our personal thanks, I wanted to write up a brief thank you to everyone who sent us a holiday card or package. Dev and I are of an age where we weren't expecting anything and your continued love, support and spoiling was a happy surprise. We are eternally grateful for your generosity.

Dev swears he had the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! His bounty included:

A new mousepad, and a wrist pad for his keyboard
A CPU cooler
A new UPS (uninterrupted power supply)
Some Steam Games (SKYRIM, Fallout 3, Shogun 2: Total War, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood)
An awe inspiring new laptop (from both me and his mother; he chipped in too) with i7 quad-core CPU, AMD graphics, BlueRay, full HD screen. He is very excited about it.

My personal stash included:

Portal 2, Dungeon Defenders, and Deadspace 2, Michael Jackson: The Experience and a new Just Dance game
A gorgeous turtle carving from Jamaica
4 new maternity tops, 1 pair of jeans, and a sweater
Jewelry including a moonstone necklace (Grammy), coconut set (Sheila), and Peruvian seed set (Sara)
Spa quality soap, bath salts and comfy bed boots
Technically the Canon Rebel T3i - from Dev
A bluetooth Presentation Clicker (for Interviews... impressive no?)
2 pairs of harem pants... so soft and gentle on the belly
Tons of baby stuff!

US:

Food and goodies from home
Food and goodies from Singapore
New booties!

Crafting for Keiki - Domestic Project #5

2011-12-18T19:35:00.006-05:00

Haven't crafted in a while, but finding out what we're having, a whole new world of crafting opened up!

I started with my very own personalized onesies!

Looks great right?!

To be fair, not all of them came out so well. The first two I made are reserved for laundry or serious cleaning days. But as I progressed, so did the art! It was hard, but I was able to stop at only 7 for us... the rest are Christmas presents for other preggy friends.

We're Expecting a...

2011-12-14T09:30:00.006-05:00

We knew from even before we got pregnant that there was no way we were going to be able to hold out until the birth to find out what our bundle of joy is. We're really not surprise people. We like to plan. We wanted to know as soon as stinking possible so we could start conversing with our little one on a first name basis.

25 Old wives tales / gender predictions later, with 16 in favor of a BOY, and a closing poll of 12 to 5 in favor of a BOY we are ready to reveal that the little tenant in my womb is with the highest level of certainty is a...

GIRL!

It's funny, because during the whole appointment the baby was sound asleep, on her belly, using my placenta as a pillow (sound familiar?- Dev sleeps the same way). She's a sound sleeper too, wouldn't budge or roll over to give us a good pic of her face (maybe camera shy too?). As we were walked through the measurements, I pipped up and said I thought it was a girl, because like a good little lady, she had her legs closed. The technician said based on the baby's attitude she agreed it was a girl... it took a while longer to finally get the shot that confirmed our sneaking suspicion.

Leading up to this appointment, Dev was starting to receive some "I'm having a girl" vibes. So neither of us were surprised when we got the news. Big smiles spread across our faces.

We're thrilled, she looks healthy and beautiful... and Dev remains the King of Queens.

Showing off my 20 week bump!

2011-12-07T21:55:00.001-05:00

Christmas Ornament Tradition

2011-12-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

Since Dev and I got together, I started a tradition of summing up our year with a new ornament. This way our Christmas Tree gets all decked out in memories, instead of just baubles and tinsel.

We've got ornaments for each pet, our first home-cooked thanksgiving dinner, our honey moon, our trip to Spain, etc. It's a good way to highlight our big accomplishments or joyful times.

This year's ornament was a no brainer:

BOY vs GIRL

2011-11-29T18:04:00.012-05:00

Dev and I knew from the very beginning that we weren't the type of people to hold out for the "surprise" at the actual birth. In fact, holding out for the 20 week mark to check our baby's goods was tough enough. So to help pass the time, and evaluate whether any of the old wives tales have any scientific accuracy, we set out to record the prediction of a wide variety of tests.

Right off the get go, we checked out the Chinese calculation system based on mothers birth/age and month of conception, which indicated a BOY! **Although, one website said GIRL**

The Mayans (according to legend) apparently had a similar test, which compares the mother's age at conception and the year of conception. If both are even or odd, it's a girl. If one's even and one's odd, it's a boy. Oddly enough, another website said they just added the two values and then if the sum was even it was a girl and if odd it was a boy. Either way, 27 years old and 2011... that puts us with one vote for a GIRL.

A variation of this (from some unknown source/culture) is to add your age (at the time of conception) and the number of the month in which you conceived. So 27 + 8 = 35.... an odd number therefore GIRL.

One of the blog rolls suggested pendulum usage. If it swings in a circle, a little guy's in your future. If it goes back and forth, you've got a girl. Circled more than swayed... so either its undecided... or more likely a BOY.

According to ayurvedic texts (noted in For a Blissful Baby) you can generally guess with a fair amount of accuracy what the gender of your child would be at a mere 8 weeks. Apparently if the embryo is decidedly knot like it is a boy... and if it is more muscle like (I am guessing spindly) then it is a girl. Judging from our earlier ultrasound pics... I'd have to say this little bugger is very fortune cookie shaped... which is more or less "knot-like" so... A BOY.

One of the popular theories on baby gender prediction is based on the baby's heart rate. The theory states that if your baby's heart rate was 140 beats per minute and above, you would be having a girl. If the heart rate was under 140 beats per minute, then you would be having a boy. When we got to hear the rapid flutter of circulation for the first time, Doc said it was roughly 172 bpm (at 8 weeks) so a marathon running GIRL. **Note: Although the heartrate has gotten lower and lower since then**

We even put some stock into possible predictors based on symptoms:

Lots of morning sickness vs none... We we're moderately sick... that's another point for a GIRL.

Morning sickness in the morning vs evening... it started in the afternoon and got progressively worse as the night unfolding. So BOY.

Sweet or sour cravings... Early on, lemonade was a godsend and tart popsicles heavenly... guessing BOY.

Severe acne vs mild... Considering my face is usually really clear, it was more than I was use to, so I will say GIRL.

Dry hands... and how... oh BOY.

Graceful vs clumsy... I don't know if it counts because I was never "graceful"... BOY.

Carrying high vs low; Mostly middle, but more low, so BOY.

Full/Round face vs long/narrow... the usual long/narrow... BOY.

Big legs vs. lean legs...and they looked relatively the same (gonna say lean here) so another vote for a GIRL.

Laying on Left or Right side, I preferred my right: GIRL.

Bigger left breast vs right... again not sure if it counts if this was always the case, but my right is slightly larger indicating a BOY.

Darkened vs unchanged areolae... probably too much information, but it's gotten itself a tan.. it's a BOY.

A quiz based on the above symptoms and several old wives tales combined (See: http://www.babygenderprediction.com/old-wives-tales/index.phtml) suggested a BOY with 73% confidence.

We even played around with some of the more far out suggestions, like mixing equal parts baking soda and urine in a cup, and if it fizzes- boy, if it doesn't fizz- girl! While I spare you the image, I will say it looked like the head of a glass of beer: BOY.

The Cabbage Test — Cut one red cabbage into chunks, boil for 10 minutes, then set aside. Head for the bathroom, and pee into a cup. In a separate cup, mix 1 part urine with 1 part cabbage water. If the water turns pink or red, this indicates boy. If the water is purple, it’s a girl. This was a fun vote for a BOY.

Or the eye test, where you examine the white part of the left eye looking for a “V” or “branches”. Marks... check, that means... GIRL.

Some also say, that if the daddy to be packs on the pounds... it's a sign of a girl. Dev hasn't officially gained any pounds, but his tummy is sure pudging out little bit. Sometimes I joke and say that's the baby's twin. So GIRL.

Also, apparently birth order based on your parent's kids/your siblings. If you are the first born, you will have what your mother had but starting with her second child. If you are the middle child, you will have what she said, but starting with the third child. If you are the last child, you will have what your mother had in the exact order. Alright. Me, then AK... so a very rascally BOY.

Oh and Madame Zaritska, an online fun and games predictor swears by the sun and stars that our youngin will be a BOY.

Now most of these are bogus, because every person and every pregnancy is different. That being said however, it came out to 16 boy : 9 girl votes.

Only 2 weeks left to vote on the poll. What do you think we're having?

We have a name!

2011-11-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

After many months, books, websites, lists and debates... we finally have the perfect name for a BOY and an equally perfect name for a GIRL.

While we started out on this journey hoping for a boy, the name we picked out has us on the fence again. I think in truth, we'd be immensely thrilled either way, and just a touch sad too. But we'll save the name (no spoilers til the kiddo is born) for the next one.

It's MOOOOOOVING

2011-11-24T22:46:00.001-05:00

The highlight of our Thanksgiving was by far feeling the belly bean move for the first time. For a while there I had been feeling pretty left out as far as the baby's development goes, because while the critter was growing - I wasn't really showing. The baby bulletins I subscribe to didn't help either, they kept sending me crap about feeling the baby move... (for 2 weeks now) and all I could say was "I'm not there yet!"

But the timing was beautiful, and I am sure my super stuffed stomach (YAY thanksgiving feasts) helped too. We were laying in bed, I on my right side, reading the latest Eragon book, when I rolled over onto my back... and left part of my tummy behind. It was weird. My left side was flat, but my right, was all puffed out. It was as if the baby got pushed out. We laughed and Dev went to help shift it into place, but when he pressed down against the protruding womb wall, he felt the little one, "swim" away.

His smile was as big as a kid on Christmas. It got even bigger, when he realized that I hadn't felt that... that he felt it first. I felt it later on that night. But Dev spent the greater part of an hour gloating (in between chapters) that while I may be carrying the kid... he felt the bugger move first.

The Preggy Brain Strikes Again

2011-11-18T17:53:00.005-05:00

The Pregnancy Brain is a state of mind, where the brain of the mother to be remains physically unchanged, however sharpness, memory and acuity decrease. This phenomenon is not a myth... although the actual cause is undetermined.

Some say it's surging hormones, others lack of sleep, others still argue it's due to differences in priorities. I for one, think the preggy brain is the female version of male stupidity. The kind of stupidity when blood flows to the smaller of their heads and knocks all usual common sense out of their normal logic regions. I assume in the female version, decreased blood flow to the mothers brain is the result of increased blood flow to the developing baby. Hence, when my stupidity strikes, I consider it a good sign - if my baby is leeching my brain cells, they must be getting smart!

The first time I feel victim to this lapse in judgment, I was getting dressed for work. Apparently I skipped over a few items of clothing, and went from my bra straight to my sweater. Didn't even notice, until hours later, I was feeling a little warm at work... thankfully before I reflexively took off my sweater I checked. Saved myself a lot of embarrassment and some serious explaining.

My most recent relapse... sending my dad a electronic birthday card. They happen to be in Singapore, and I was unable to catch him on skype to extend my celebratory wishes in person so I made an e-greeting card (and sent myself a copy too). Days later I got a reminder email to view the greeting card. I was confused. After opening the card, I realized. I sent it to me from my dad. Oh man.

Peanut Butter Your Way

2011-11-15T19:43:00.006-05:00

I don't think I have been taken by any of those weird pregnancy food cravings in these first 4 months. Although, I have resorted to old childhood favorites and other creative ways to make the standard Peanut butter sandwich more appealing - gotta get that protein in.

PB + coconut syrup + coconut flakes - my childhood fave
PB + banana slices - everyone raves about it, and I finally tried it. It's good.
PB + honey
PB + nutella
PB + a wide variety of jam - my fave is orange marmalade (with peel)

Hand-me Downs

2011-11-13T18:56:00.006-05:00

Today I sifted through 2 trash-bags FULL of maternity clothes (Thank you Sara!).

Some of them were definite no's based on size (once belong to a woman who had twins), some were a little big, but were put in a maybe pile (because you never know how much I might end up gaining), and some were just right.

I had a fun time putting on a little fashion show for Dev. And occasionally stuffing the pouches with stuffed animals for good measure. I think I am all set.

And as you can see, I am finally sporting somewhat of a little pouch of my own.

First BIG "new baby" purchase

2011-11-12T16:21:00.002-05:00

Dev and I have had are sights set on upgrading our awesome pocket point and shoot Canon, for an UBER Canon. A digital SLR. Mom & dad (my side) tried to stay our camera frenzy for a while by letting us borrow their Canon Powershot S5 IS (the in between model of our current and dream cameras). It worked, bought us another year or two... but with a baby on the way...

and us wanting to catalog every moment, capture every memory, and immortalize this journey in the most prestine and lifelike fashion... we simply had to upgrade.

We watched the sales, and low and behold some pre-Black friday magic happened...

Welcome to our family little Canon!

It's charging now... tomorrow we go for a field test. So EXCITED! Gotta get all the practice in before the bean arrives.

On the Menu This week

2011-11-11T13:02:00.001-05:00

Since my little binge on Spam Musubi, it's been healthy eating all the way.

We've had a wide array of salads, salad wraps, vietnamese spring rolls...

fresh made falafels...

and spinach pie.

It's been good eating at our place.

Breakfasts have been especially decadent. Waffles & fruit, Eggs & hashbrowns, Organic pancakes with bananas and WHIPPED CREAM. Obviously, not all at the same time.

I only gained 1 pound according to the doc (3 according to my scale) in the last month... so we're doing great!

Hawaii-kine Craving

2011-11-02T17:54:00.007-04:00

I've been pretty diligent about eating healthy. Getting a good mix of all the right things. But, today all I wanted was a spam musubi.

I figured why not.

The cashier at our grocery gave me the strangest look after scanning half a gardens worth of organic veggies only to come across a can of spam. Oh well.

It was everything I had imagined.

Still, to fulfill my healthy meal plan goal... I topped off our dinner menu with a fresh made salad (lettuce, dried pears, walnuts) and a Gorgonzola vinaigrette.

Goodbye 1st Trimester

2011-10-30T18:03:00.001-04:00

I am ~~happy~~ ~~relieved~~ thrilled to say we have successfully survived the first trimester! Goodbye nausea, extreme fatigue and hello to feeling like me again.

While there are still foods I'd rather avoid (tomatoes, most dairy), I feel pretty fortunate that I wasn't nearly as sick as some of the horror stories I had heard (like my mother).

All in all I gained 3-4 lbs, expanded about 3 inches, and only threw up on 3 separate occasions. WIN!

Sensuru

2011-10-27T13:57:00.002-04:00

When Dev and I were planning our wedding, we partook in the old Japanese tradition of folding 1000 cranes for a wish/blessing on our union and with the artistic talents of my Auntie Paulie, we also got a commemorative frame/art piece featuring said cranes.

I wanted to do something similar for our baby, so shortly after finding out I was pregnant, I ran to the nearest craft store and bought up a bunch of cute colorful origami. I figured regular origami would be a quicker fold than the very unforgiving silver foil we used for our wedding.

Whenever I have a spare moment, I try and fold a few. Ceri thinks this is an amazing feat and watches *supervises* on a regular basis. Although if I am not careful... she has on occassion tried to taste my newly made cranes.

In truth, this is a LOT more slow going than I remember it being the first time around (and I ahvent lost a single one to Ceri yet). Perhaps I wont do this for "this baby" persay... because then I'd have to do one for each (as to not play favorites)... maybe instead it will just be a family wish. We'll see. So far I have all of 26 cranes folded. OI.

In other baby news. I think I officially popped. I look HUGE in this photo and I swear I am not that noticebly preggo yet. But this was an early morning photo (only had a bowl of ceral) so it is a rather honest estimate of my pouch. I have only gained about 4-5 pounds so far... they say the camera adds 10. Havent switched to maternity clothes yet, but I do have to wear my pre-preggy jeans unbuttoned.

12 Weeks, Ready to go Public

2011-10-17T20:09:00.009-04:00

It's hard when you tell people you are trying to start a family, because at some point you know/or think you know that they are wondering "how about now?" and even if you do get good news right off the bat, trying to contain your "secret" for 12 weeks is torture!

We are PREGNANT!!!!

We wanted to wait til we passed the "danger zone" and got the level 1 screening done for genetic defects. While we are still waiting on the results from today's intense ultrasound, things are looking pretty normal and we're feeling confident that it's all G... and since we're practically bursting at the seems with joy it's high time we shared our happy news with everyone who matters (not really ready for the facebook "out" yet though).

(You'll notice previous posts with baby news, which I have included for posterity, I had been writing those experiences down and had been saving them for this FIRST official announcement. )

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Even though I was expecting good news from the doctor today, I did get a little nervous as the ultrasound scans commenced. Our "belly bean" as we refer to the newest bug in our lives is a real mover and shaker. He/she was dancing up a storm in there, tossing, turning, basically rocking out. It took a good hour to get a decent measurement. We joked that he has daddy's restless legs... and my were they long legs indeed!

Then of course, when the doc came in and wanted our little fella to move, he was pooped. Not a very cooperative little stinker, she jiggled me, made me cough, move, roll and what not, and he wouldn't budge... but I guess this means he's a sound sleeper... which is good right?!

It was amazing to see how much he's grown/changed in the last 5 weeks. He does look decidedly human, and we saw all his fingers/toes and even got to watch him adorably suck his thumb for a touch. Of course the cute moments like that weren't photographed... only the blurry, almost skeletal image of belly bean got snapped. But it will have to do - for now.

I was trying to keep my eyes open to see if I would be able to detect the beans gender. There was a good photo op of "his" femurs, with which I swear I saw a tiny penile like structure. Of course, when I went home and googled development pics at this age.. I learned its a genital tuber... and looks identical on both boys and girls. So no definitive answer on that one yet.

As for his nuchal cavity... that one measurement they patiently waited to get... they say anything under 2.5mm is good... we were a slim and sexy 1.4mm. WOO HOO. Blood sample for some hormone level checks also came back good and normal!

Gender Dreams

2011-09-21T20:08:00.000-04:00

Dreampt last night that I was looking for a specific nail polish. All over the house, in every drawer. Found a bunch, but they weren't the right color. Eventually found the one I was looking for a dusty pink... and woke up. That was the first time I thought this could be a girl. Generally though, I feel like its a little dude not dudette.

We've been examining different old wives tales and "tests" (1 a week so far) to see what the signs say as far as girl vs boy. Saving that for a massive post near the 20 week mark.

First Official Pic

2011-09-19T08:30:00.002-04:00

Last week we had our first official "we're having a baby" appointment with our new OBGYN. We had thought that was going to be the first ultrasound, but they are currently in the process of moving to a new Childbirth Center... so instead we had the not so exciting pelvic exam and personal health questionnaire. When we jokingly told the doc that the pelvic exam was a let down, she smiled and found an old ultrasound machine and brought it in for us.

It was a good 40 years old, there was no paper, no speakers, no way to measure the baby or anything (I guess they weren't planning to take that to the new location). She warned us that that early on, all we might see is the sac, but we just wanted to know implantation had occurred in a safe spot and things were looking normal.

At first we saw the sack, then our growing fetus came into view, and then his/her heartbeat came into focus. It was so clear and bright, each pulse flickered like a strobe light. It was almost more powerful without the sound of blood flow and heart beat. It was beautiful, and Dev and I both got teary as he reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. (THIS IS WHAT I WILL REMEMBER)

Needless to say we were DOUBLY excited then to go to the "Official" ultrasound yesterday. We thought this time they would really show us what was happening in utero and let us listen to the heart beat, even snap a few pictures of the event. Well our cameras battery died. The lab tech was hating life. And it was a rush job that left us with more questions than answers, although we did get a print out of our little tadpole (head on the left, butt on the right). Thankfully, the place we went for the ultrasound was just a subcontracted lab to host these needs until the new childcare center is up and running (next month), so thankfully that is the last we will see of them. Dev joked in the car ride home, that while she might do this everyday... this was our first time... so a little hand holding would've been nice. We didn't get to hear the heart beat, although she did record the wavelength and inform us that the little bug is pounding away at 172 bpm. (I was a little worried, since I had read the average was 140-160... was this too fast.. but there was no time for questions). She didn't use any of the words I was hoping for "normal", "healthy", "looking good", but things seemed well enough, so I'm not stressing out.

Based on his/her size... my estimate is right on the money 8 weeks and 1 day (as of yesterday)... which puts the estimated due date 4/29. Although I am pretty positive based on time of conception that this one is going to be a May baby. I have gained my first pound (113 as of this morning), and things are looking and feeling good from our end.

Feeling perfectly normal

2011-08-30T20:02:00.000-04:00

While it seemed I had hawk eyes for each and every new sensation that could be a pregnancy sign and symptom in the early days post ovulation, after the affirmative test things quieted down. There were still days that I was hungry every 3 hours, but there were also days felt completely normal. As overjoy-ous being pregnant is, I found myself eagerly waiting for the months to come when we could feel the baby kick or rock the maternity wear.

Dev suggested I beat my early pregnancy blues by retaking the pregnancy test.

Since I had so many cheap internet pee sticks, I did. And it was a brilliant suggestion, the second I saw those 2 bold lines (again) I was overwhelmed with excitement and happiness. Even though we already knew we were expecting, it was nice to relive the celebration and moment of extreme fulfillment.

Hurricane Preparedness

2011-08-28T23:09:00.001-04:00

What is it with me and "I" themed hurricanes. First Iniki now Irene, of course after Iniki... this one is likely to be a walk in the park. Iniki was a category 4 hurricane which caused around $1.8 billion in damage and six deaths. Even though it was almost 20 years ago (Sept 11, 1992) I can distinctly remember half my neighborhood hiding out in our basement, venturing out during the eye of the storm looking for safe shelter (my house was trashed), living off MREs (meals ready to eat), and not having power for a good month!

Hurricane Irene, is likely to only be a category 1 maybe 2 by the time it hits NY...
which will be early tomorrow morning. Being that we are so far inland, I am expecting more rain than gusty winds and heavy damage. Still, I can definitely see us losing power for a stint... so we made sure to get our plan and prep together.

Valuables stored in the closet (no windows and dry), to go bag packed (2 pairs of clothes, vitamins for 4 days, and important docs), car fueled up (and packed with water and trail mix + blankets and spare towel), cash in pocket, a wide variety of non cook snacks and a plethora of candles, flashlights and spare batteries. I even filled our bath tub full of water (which may be over kill, but Iniki taught me well).

We were expecting a rather uneventful morning, and ended up sleeping through the "worst" of it. Yes, even the dogs. When we were awake, we made a few trips outside for bathroom breaks (just the dogs), read, and played card games. We ended up losing power for about 4 hours, but it was back on with plenty of time for a warm meal.

In our surrounding area there was a lot of flooding, road closures, power failures and a few deaths (people being swept away) but we were high dry and just dandy.

The Real Downward Facing Dog

2011-08-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

I try to set aside time every week to get a good yoga session or two in on the weekend. Usually my Saturday morning routine is grabbing a quick bite (granola bar or oatmeal), taking the bugs for a walk (in this case 3 miles) and then while they grab a few more Z's I get down to stretching and breathing.

Usually, they are unfazed by the various positions I go through, perhaps occassionally peaking open an eye to see what all the commotion is about. Lately however, Ceri has been much more intrigued by the practice of yoga. I don't know if she needs a little more love and attention or just wanted to do it with me...

Every time I would come down into Downward Dog, she would lift up her head and give my nose a kiss. I got about halfway through my routine before the cuteness overtook me and I just cradled her up in my arms and held her close.

Afternoon Shock

2011-08-24T21:48:00.002-04:00

It WAS an eventful day. Shortly before 2pm, Dev called me to inquire if I had felt the earth move. He proceeded to describe to me how our apartment rocked back and forth and his computer monitor jiggled across the desk. Having lived in California for several years, I was no stranger to earthquakes, and I told him as much, that that sure did sound like an earthquake to me. He tends to be a little skeptical, and was under the impression that perhaps the new bottle of juice he sampled had fermented and he was tripping something fierce.

No sooner do I hang up, does my Dad call to ask if I felt the earthquake. LOL. That guy gets better news coverage than all the stations up here for sure. Apparently there was a 2.2 (pretty minor) earthquake, 6 miles away from our home, 13 miles below the surface. Enough to rock Adams Station, and call for an evacuation of the Albany Medical Center/ Corning Tower (government buildings). I was across the river and didn't feel a thing.

I am kind of bummed I missed out on the tremor, I rather like earthshakes (they are like a gentle massage). Dev's excited because he finally got to experience a quake (he slept through the 6.9 one that hit Hawaii several years back). The bugs, much like their daddy, slept through this one. Vida might have peeked out of one eye, but to them there was much hullabaloo about nothing.

Natural Excellence

2011-08-23T22:52:00.000-04:00

One of the many reasons why I love Dev is because I profoundly admire his ability to pick up something new and excel at it. He has an innate talent. Whether it be a clarinet, new graphic software, photography, or game his learning curve is quick. It never ceases to amaze me.

His mad skills were particularly brag worthy (only to me, he is ever so humble - another reason I love him), was because he turned our kitchen into an authentic Italian pizzeria. We decided to make our gourmet pesto veggie deluxe pizza with fresh made dough. Dev expertly rolled it out and then just for the heck of it, tried out his hand tossing skills.

He had never done it before, and man oh man I held my breath (it could have turned out pretty bad), but up up up it went like a rotating disc of yum, and landed perfectly on his fist. After that he went higher and higher, and I got a few good pics in. It was such a thrill to see.

10 minutes later, a fresh confection of perfection came off the pizza stone and it was everything my taste buds had imagined. That guy is wicked cool.

Early Morning Excitement

2011-08-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

I barely had a half hour of work under my belt, my whole days plan ready to play out before me when the fire alarm went off. It took me a second to realize that it wasn't the first of the month (test days) or a Wednesday (pay day reminder) so chances were that it was a legitimate fire alarm and not some hokey drill.

When the power went out... well things started looking even more serious. I took off my gloves and headed out the nearest exit. Notice I said nearest exit, I went out the back... not exactly the route I am suppose to go to get to the designated safety zone.. but out was definitely a safer place than in. I do want to mention that this all happened in a span of a few minutes, I really wasn't la-dee-dah-ing or anything. Anywho, once outside me and a few others made our way to the waiting area and tried to fish for any insider knowledge as to what was going on.

It took a good long while before local police, fire and paramedics show up which would have been disheartening if not for the rare instance where today of all days someone cut the auto emergency call out so they had no clue we were in distress until people actually called in as per back-up protocol. All in all, we had to wait outside for about an hour, for the crews to come, and sweep our building to a) figure out what set off the alarm and b) make sure it was clear for us to return.

In hindsight, I could have prepared better for the evacuation. I should've grabbed my phone, and camera... and maybe some of my precious mosquitoes (at the very least my back up data files). I will have to have my own impromptu fire drills I think. Also, there should be snacks.

Everything turned out ok, in fact it was kind of fun being out in the real world (instead of inside the brick building) enjoying the sun. Construction crew seemed to trip a wire, but all was well and good and I got to go back to work without further adieu.

Mother of All Tests

2011-08-23T08:00:00.002-04:00

I promised myself I wouldn't buy a pregnancy test, since a friend of mine recently found out she was expecting so she was going to give me her spare tests, which helped keep me from testing prematurely. However, when I got them on Monday (8/22) it was a struggle to fight temptation. I knew that was only 13 dpo (days post ovulation) and perhaps a day or two too early to test, so I figured I would put it off for just one more day and do it first thing on the morrow.

I picked up an amazing brownie cupcake for Dev, figuring it would serve as either a great CONGRATS on a job well done... or a better luck next time consolation and hid it in the fridge. I told him I got the test and that perhaps tomorrow we'd be lucky, he said ok. Then there was silence... a content, not going to push the envelope type of silence, which broke me. I had to test right then.

I told him good news or bad, he wasn't going to get the "surprise" (as in his cupcake) until the morning, because reacting today could be premature (in the case of a negative). I went and did the deed... and watched ever so carefully as the faintest of faint lines sprung up. Like the road runner I yip yipped, and high tailed it to the kitchen, grabbed his surprise and raced over to him. He looked at the cupcake, looked at me, jumped up and down and said it's a YES!

We celebrated for a few moments, that's when he accused me of peeing on the stick wrong (I guess he didn't want to get his hopes up) and ran to the bathroom to double check. Knowing false positives are really rare, we were pretty confident with the result, but the joy/shock of it lead me to look at the pic of the original 2 lines a good 20 times, partly in disbelief, partly in sheer wonder. The next morning there was no denying the two vibrant pink lines testifying our entry into parenthood.

The wait was excruciating, but it totally paid off. We are so incredibly happy, excited, blessed, thrilled, and in awe to be beginning this incredible adventure. Little baby M is currently 4 weeks and growing fast.

Surviving the 2 week wait

2011-08-18T07:40:00.005-04:00

We're nearing the end of our first official cycle of "trying". We got into a pretty good routine, managed to keep our humor and spontaneity up most days and made sure to elevate my tush/legs for extended periods of time after the fact. On more than one occasion I even gave his "boys" a pep talk, and encourage them once inside me to stay a while and set up shop. Overall we had a lot of fun, and while not trying to get ahead of ourselves, are feeling pretty confident. Of course that doesn't make surviving the waiting period for an optimal test day any easier.

I've been crafting a lot, reading, gaming, watching movies and cooking to keep me occupied, because the moment I get a chance to space out and day dream, I start googling early pregnancy symptoms, two week wait activity suggestions, or examining my basal body temp chart with a fine tooth comb wondering if I counted wrong and it would be possible to test now.

Generally things have been normal, and while I am not sure whether I am documenting for posterity or wishful thinking, the following have been the few not so ordinary occurrences we've seen:

8/12 3 day period of heavy heavy snacking... I just seemed to be so hungry
8/14 feeling bloated
8/17 woke up in the middle of the night to pee - that never happens
8/19 tenderness
8/20 so tired
8/21 soooooo tired

Starting to think that if I am not pregnant, that there is something seriously wrong with me. Will know soon one way or another. Getting nervous though, we so want it to be positive.

Crafting for Keiki - Domestic Project #4

2011-08-17T22:15:00.004-04:00

Babies love tags, and I happen to be particularly good an sewing little blankets (because it hides my sometimes uneven lines) so the next brilliant idea on the list was little taggies (which sell upwards of 20 bucks!). I got two more in the works, but the first is signed, sealed, delivered and I LOVE IT!

Yes. Owls. Another cool feature of garden themes.

A few others:

Crafting for Keiki - Domestic Project #3

2011-08-14T10:11:00.002-04:00

Dev and I spent a leisurely Sunday morning watching movies and chilling on the couch. In the evening, while he partook in his weekly video game binge... I set about making a few plushy toys from the fabric scraps (left over from the tapestry).

A few quilted cubes. Simple. Fun. Next time I will put spots on them, so we can have plushy dice to play with. LOL.

Tis the season to be BBQing

2011-08-13T21:00:00.002-04:00

With the brunt of the summer heat passed us, every weekend seems to be hosting a new BBQ/potluck/cook out at someone's house.

7/22 - Adam Station feast with the neighbors. Volleyball, badminton, wii dance offs. OH AND TONS OF FOOD.

7/30 - This past weekend we had a grand old time at Victoria and Jonathan Zogby's. I wish I could show some pics, but we spent most of the afternoon just gabbing, and my photo muse happened to be little Miss Violet (18 mos) so while absolutely adorable they are not for me to share.

8/2 - Continuation of the Conn Crew shindig, this time at Jessie and Tom Atkin's.

8/13 - Last BBQ of the season, hosted by Sara and Brian Bickersmith. It was tons of fun, I got to chill with Violet, Be a kid again, and even my buggies got to enjoy some free time in the sun out in the yard with everyone dropping food (some accidentally, some not so much). Great times!

As you can probably tell, next BBQ is totally on us to host... but since we don't really have a yard... I'm thinking we'll do a movie night when it gets too cold to go outside. :)

Crafting for Keiki - Domestic Project #2

2011-08-12T21:43:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite back yard past times is cloud watching by day and star gazing by night. Having a GARDEN THEME means being able to incorporate my love of bugs, flowers, grassy fields and that massive blue sky. Creative juices have been flowing lately, and since garden themed items are around, but not so common, I figured this is one area I can really focus my crafting in. I mean as much as people might gift us in the long run, I have to live with the decor in the nursery (especially since it's going to be a corner of our bedroom), so why not be something I dig too?!

This project didn't take nearly as long as the tapestry, although it did take about 20 hours. I put together new curtains, choosing the same blue of the tapestry and in the end it will be framed in the chocolate that goes with our room to tie it all together. Cutting out the stars was the tricky part. Look long and hard... can you identify any constellations?

First Photo: Top left: Orion, the hunter - for strength and focus; Bottom right: Monocerus (unicorn) - for fantasy and creativity
Second Photo: Top center: Ursa Major (The big Dipper) - and therefore North star to lead the way; Bottom Left: Lyra, the harp - to symbolize peace.

I figured those constellations were among the easiest to pick out of the night sky, had some of the cooler stories to go with them, and embodied some of the virtues I'd like my child to embrace. Can't wait until I start putting the corner together, but that's still a ways off.

Another Angel

2011-08-11T23:30:00.003-04:00

This morning my Grandma: Bernice Mabel Nordmeier passed.

For the past 15 years she has been battling severe diabetes, has survived half a dozen strokes, and more than a handful of surgeries. She was one hell of a fighter. This past weekend she had been admitted to Honolulu and doctors wanted to amputate her leg... how much seemed to vary with each discussion. Grams decided that she didn't want surgery, she wanted to be home, with family, and whole.

She was released on Tuesday and returned home to Kauai and settled in. She was in a lot of pain, and given the state of infection she had, hospice had been contacted. Still she was in good spirits. Early this morning, her breathing changed and she passed peacefully in her sleep. Many relatives were there beside her, others arrived shortly after. It was faster than any of us had expected, but she went on her terms surrounded by love.

She will be thoroughly missed, although we have many a good memory of her to keep us cherishing the life she lived. And while I am saddened that our children will never have a chance to know her as we did... I know her spirit lives in me always. If our upcoming bundle of joy has half your strength, spirit and faith... I will count ourselves blessed.

In the words of MEN IN BLACK- Grandma is not dead... she just went home. <3

New OBGYN

2011-08-10T11:12:00.002-04:00

For the past 4 years I have seen the same group practice in downtown Albany. With everything I went through with the cysts, I have come to know the staff and doctors pretty intimately, and for the most part I have had no qualms when it comes to well woman care. However, when it came to babies, I wasn't so sure.

I know people who have delivered with them and they have had good experiences all around. As a result, they felt like a good "safety", although not my first choice. The majority of my reservations were because that practice had a very western feel. Very stark, hospital like, pro-epidural and a little in and out; a wham bam and here's your baby ma'am. I want a very spiritual setting, I want comfort and a natural pace... so I started looking around for centers that included midwife care, an open mind and water birthing centers.

Yes, it's a little early to have our labor plan... but we've been thinking about this for years. Maybe my ideas will change over the next year, or in the spur of contractile pain... but ideally I want to be in a apartment style room, where I can labor, deliver and recover all in one.. I want to have a natural birth in the water... and Saint Mary's offers all that and more. On paper, it was everything I could have imagined.

So I made an appointment. Our preconception check up with the new doc... and unofficial interview to determine if we would in fact make the move. It got off to a rocky start, they were over an hour late to see us (emergency procedure, so excusable), and the receptionist had a snake in her boots.... but the nurses were gems. I felt so welcomed and loved and it was our first time there! The doctor was AMAZING. She was the cool natural, hippie, earth mother that I was hoping for and she spent almost an hour talking to us about our health history and goals and foreseeable problems.

The minute she started suggesting herbal teas to help us conceive I knew she was the one. She actually spent time looking over my basal body temp charts, and discussing our ethnic backgrounds and risks. She seemed genuinely interested in us as people, not just as patients. Not to mention her aura just exudes comfort, so much so that I think I could discuss all kinds of gross biological things with ease (which I figure is key in a pregnancy). Dev and here even got into a good discussion about local soccer leagues. This was what healthcare should be like. We are very happy with our NEW OBGYN.

Results of our meeting:

Daily Red Clover tea (thins cervical mucous, making one more "fertile")

Suggested 1 hr of post-coital cuddling with legs overhead.

And if by November we're not expecting, we'd be excellent candidates for Clomid treatment. Which would increase our chances for twins by 5!!! Neither of us wants to have twins on the first go, but perhaps next time. I'd love to have a fraternal pair.

Crafting for Keiki - Domestic Project #1

2011-08-04T21:33:00.004-04:00

Nesting (v) - frequent instinctual occurrence throughout pregnancy to cook, clean, organize and then some. Is often a sign that you are about to welcome your baby in to the world!

I have always been a hands-on, craft loving, artsy engineer or good times. Couple my genuine love of making things with trying to make a baby, and you open up endless crafting possibilities. Since we don't plan on living in NY permanently, or even this apartment for more than the next year or so... we don't plan on painting the nursery. Which, while practical, is kind of depressing, doing up the nursery is one of the coolest parts of expecting a baby. So I put on my thinking cap and decided I would make a tapestry, a large, semi-mural scene that we could hang behind the crib to decorate the nursery (and easily take down, wash and relocate when needed). It seemed like a brilliant idea, and I added other cool aspects to my brainstorm by mentally insisting that I use various fabrics to create a multi-texture sensation. I had no idea when I started it how long it would take, or if it would even come out (sometimes I bite off more than I can chew).

I started it the weekend before I headed off to brazil, sketched out the concept (AN IN THE GARDEN THEME), bought my fabric, and started cutting out pieces. I figured an appliqué style would work and hide my more obvious limitations in quilting (which I have never done). With Dev and the bugs out of the house, I made good headway and once I came back I picked up a few hours here or there on weekends to continue with the project. All in all, I think it took me about 40 - 50 hours.

Check it out:

Did you see the spider? the gecko? the snail? Not to toot my own horn, but cute right?

Also, there are a few "easter eggs", you know cool little hidden gems.

It came out better than I had hoped, particularly seeing as I have never done this sort of thing. I absolutely love it, but I don't think I will be doing another any time soon. Good thing, garden themes, are pretty timeless and are fitting for boys and girls.

Old School Date Night

2011-08-02T23:59:00.000-04:00

Tonight was a product of my "lets get out a do stuff together in NY" and "shop the sales budgeting". Side note: quick thank you to /plug for LIVING SOCIAL, which was offering 2 tickets to the double feature drive in and popcorn for $8.00. That's like 4 movies for the price of one, it was too logical to pass up, even though this drive in was 40 minutes away (gas $) and we were bound to get lost having never been before.

We had to use the coupon by the end of summer, so we watched for the weekly movie selections and waited for a night when both movies seemed like decent picks. I didn't want to drive ALL the way out there for ho hum stuff that put us to sleep. When the pairing COWBOYS & ALIENS and HORRIBLE BOSSES came up, we figured why not. Sure there we likely to be better movies, but a half decent pairing was not worth the risk of holding out for a better one in the limited 3 weeks we had left to make a play for it.

Given our schedules (Monday night kickball, and SYTYCD) and the fact that we planned to take the bugs, we thought Tuesday was a good day to go. Not likely to be over crowded. We prepped: 3 blankets for cushy comfort, a body pillow for our backs, turned down the back seats in the car so we could completely sprawl out in the back, and put together a Smörgåsbord of snacks (popped 2 bags of popcorn, made sandwiches, picked up bottled juices/tea and chocolates, twizzlers, BBQ chips and Reese's pieces). We also packed some toys for the bugs, a water bowl and their own jug of h2O.

Once we were all piled into the car, we began the long haul. As anticipated we made a wrong turn and got a little lost, but we stumbled upon a beautiful lake, which was glowing orange in the sunset. Missed the photo op because we didn't want to be late to the movie. Maggie, our GPS (short for Magellan, but with the female voice) failed, and so Dev had to call the theater and try to siphon off info from a not so helpful high school employee. Needless to say we made it and the opening credits were still rolling. I think all we missed was Daniel Craig waking up in the middle of no where - thank goodness for easy plot lines.

The movie wasn't bad. Predictable, simple, but still relatively entertaining, even Ceri watched most of the first film. Seriously, she sat and stared at the big screen (lot of horses and dogs in the movie); Vida just stared at the food hoping for a hand out. We all cuddled up in the back seat and it was really nice, until... the mosquitoes swarmed. Man oh man, Drive in theater tip #1: never forget the mosquito punk / citronella candle. We were eaten alive. Even with the blanket covering our legs (with jeans) and our sweaters on, we walked away with a few bites on our fingers, eyebrows and ears. This by the way, totally brought on some flash backs of my time in Brazil.

During intermission, Dev took the bugs for a walk, the ate some popcorn and we stretched our legs. At about this point we learned Drive in theater tip #2: you can never have enough blankets. It's not that we were cold per say (although it did get a little chilly, even with our layers), but our butts and hips began to hurt from laying on the hard backing of our trunk. Not enough to spoil the night, but enough to keep us shifting every so often.

Horrible Bosses was very entertaining. We laughed a lot. The bugs (ours, the skeeters had left by then) started getting a little restless during this movie, mostly because some high schoolers had parked near us and they were playing a game of truth or dare which occasionally involved them to run past our car and startle my should be off-duty guard dogs. They were almost near angels though. We had about 10 minutes left of the movie when we learned drive in theater tip #3 the hard way: running your car during intermission is not enough time to recharge your battery. That's right - our car died. It wasn't such a big deal, I am pretty sure it happens all the time at a drive in, all I had to do was swing by the snack shop and the dude brought out a portable jumper. The only prob was we missed the dialogue of the climatic end scene.

With our car running again we packed up and got ready to go, when we realized that even running the car as briefly as we did ate up a LOT of gas, and we were near empty. We left the theater and drove to the nearest Maggie directed gas station, which was closed. At this point my contacts were on the fritz and I could barely see or play navigator. There was a brief moment of panic (everything seemed closed down at this point and we didn't want to be stuck out in the middle of no where), but we made it the extra 2 miles to the freeway and the Mobil station there. PHEW. Drive in theater tip #4: Fill up BEFORE the movies.

The ride back seemed a lot faster than the ride up, but we still arrived home near 2am. So, last but not least, Drive in tip #5: there's a reason weekends are more popular... you can afford to sleep in the next day. Still as colorful as it seemed, it was a TON of fun. I loved cuddling with my family, the stars were out, the movies decent... and I even saw a shooting star.

I'd definitely do it again, although next time, I think we'll go to the one closer to home (10 mins. away).

Can you Keep a Secret?

2011-07-31T21:44:00.004-04:00

We figure since the only people who read our blog are close friends and family... and many of you already know (Auntie Margie knows how to spread news fast LOL)... I figure it's time to make the "announcement" official. Dev and I have progressed from the planning stages and are trying.

You might remember this post, where we discuss my unhappy cystic ovaries, and being in the active planning stage of parenthood to come. We used words like "prepared", "stable" and "financially secure" to keep ourselves grounded and focused on a 2 year plan, thinking the best time would after graduation, landing a new job and the big move.

It was a good plan, yet we woke up one morning and just knew there was no better time than right now. Yes, I am still in school, and perhaps it will be a lot to juggle, but I will never have as much freedom, time and flexibility as I do now... and that sold it for us. Our budget may be tighter that we would like, but for our first keiki... we want the time to love and bond and get it right. It's time for our next great adventure, and I can't even begin to describe how excited we are growing every single day, we couldn't be happier to be starting that journey together. That's right... Parenthood here we come!

Pre-pregnant milestones we've hit:

5/4 - Goodbye caffeine/alcohol... helloooooooo prenatal vitamins :)

5/31 - IUD removed.

6/24 - Reached my ideal pre-baby weight. WOO-HOO!

7/13 - No ovarian cysts, doc cancels surgery!

7/23 - First period, Doc gives green light... we're officially TTC!

Native Dead

2011-07-30T13:30:00.002-04:00

Dev and I have worked around dead bodies before. We've both spent a lot of time in Anatomy and Physiology labs, dissecting cadavers. Not to say we're de-sensitized, but it does tend to be more awe (for the strength and flexibility, sheer endurance a body can withstand)and science (how, what, where, who) than trauma.

We both clearly agree that if we saw someone die, that would be traumatic and sad. Particularly if it was a very painful or angry death. Much more so than the peaceful passing of someone old and ready to go. But neither of us particular thought discovering a dead body would be devastating or haunting.

Perhaps it's all the Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones and CSI, but the idea of being an anthropologist/forensic entomologist, solving crimes and speaking for/avenging the dead, could be a second career path for me. The prospect is in it's own, non creepy or morbid way, exciting.

Today, we (Or rather I, Dev was driving and carefully watching the road) saw our first Native dead body. I say Native, because the body was dead on the scene... not removed, cleaned, patched up and isolated for scientific inquiry. The minute I saw him, I knew he was dead. No one's arms can contort like that, it was as if he were made of jell-o (you probably wont be eating that any time soon).

Police were already on the scene, the body hadn't been covered up yet, and a few witnesses had been pulled aside to explain how the accident occurred. Local news reported he was speeding and failed to negotiate a turn - slamming head on into he side rail.

I just want to use this story to encourage people (particularly on motorcycles) to be careful. Watch your speed, wear protective gear. Life is too short to take chances. And while I believe if it's your time to go... then that's that... lets not take any unnecessary chances.

Summer Fun

2011-07-24T17:42:00.002-04:00

One of our traditional summer haunts is the Normanskill river. It's one of the girls favorite ways to beat the heat. It's near a nice 2 mile hike and a community dog park... but neither of those seem to interest our bugs. The get their kicks swimming in the shallows, fetching sticks, climbing trees (yes they are part monkey) and rock hopping.

Check them out:

Ceri likes to follow in Dev's footsteps when he rock hops. Sometimes she needs a little encouragement to keep going.

Oh and check me out:

Did I mention I lost 17lbs!!!!!

A Blogger Resolution

2011-06-28T14:55:00.005-04:00

Dev pestered me about my lack of commenting on other peoples comments... but what he doesn't know is that I usually do the return commentary directly, or via fb, txt message, email etc. I mean why would people come back to the same post that they already read for an update...

Still, he might have a point. And since this blog is more than just a place for me to put my thoughts to "paper" as it were... and getting a few more readers, or an occassional follower would be a pleasant win... I am trying to rectify that right now (you'll notice a few return comments in the last series of posts).

I, Naomi, of mostly sound mind and increasingly healthier body, do hereby resolve to be more forth coming on the "comment backs" from here on out.

Of course this means you'll have to start commenting, so I can prove my commitment.
;)

Updates from Base Camp

2011-06-26T22:34:00.002-04:00

Every field collector knows that when your on site anything can happen. We've all heard the stories of people collecting for a whole month and coming up empty, and we definitely know the value of being adaptable. So while it continues to rain here in Boa Vista, we continue to be persistent.

Here's me dipping for larvae thru a barbed wire fence.

Oh and here's one of Izis, Fredy and I taking a quie respite after a corral collection; riding on the back of the truck bed on our way to thank the owner.

All in all, I'd say our cause is not yet lost, we are getting some mosquitoes, just not in the volumes that we want (adults or larvae)... perhaps things will begin to look up for us.

Meanwhile, I can fill you in on a few interesting stories:

1) While collecting at a horse farm I got to watch them breed to thoroughbreds. It was interesting because it took 6 people to make it happen. These horses are multimillion dollar steeds so one held the female, two were on either side of the male to help stabilize him and the last man had the unfortunate job of helping to insert the penis. I get that these horses are expensive and that you want to make sure they don't get hurt in the process, but come on, horses have been breeding in the wild unassisted for years... I think they can handle it on their own. LOL.

2) On another corral collection Fredy spotted a small boa constrictor. Now being as I am from Hawaii and we are snake-less this was a big deal (even cooler than the garter snakes I've seen in NY) . It was not tiny... but it was a far cry from being an anaconda, so I got up close for a second to snag a picture. While it was just sitting there it was rather cute, but when the sucker started slithering around in search of a mouse for a meal... then it started looking a little more dangerous. I watched where he/she exited the corral and made a mental note not to go that way again. There is nothing craven about being safe.

3) While driving to a larval collection Fredy and I spotted a Tamandua (ant eater) asleep on the road shoulder. We blazed right by, turned around and went back hoping for a picture. Well of course by the time we had done all this all we caught was the tail end disappearing into the trees, and seeing as Fredy and I heard a horror story or two about people being eviscerated by their claws (apparently they are very aggressive) we did not pursue it. It was much bigger than I expected.

4) The rain situation has gotten so bad that they are actually rationing gas. I guess it started because people were a little worried and filling up everyday just in case it ran out.. but as it turns out there fears were not unfounded. We've seen several gas stations close up shop because they are empty and with the weather as it is, no new trucks with fuel can come up north. The gas stations that ARE in operating order, play host to the longest lines of cars and motorcycles I have ever seen. One time the line circled the entire block.

5) I sort of unofficially adopted a puppy here in Brazil. We were at the farm getting ready to collect mosquitoes when the owner brought home this little street urchin puppy, all skin and bones. I gave her the rest of my cheese tart and we were fast friends. She has all the sweetness and love like Ceri, but Vida's strength. She followed me around that night, playing tag with my boots, and was a fierce guardian - she chased away the horses for me. It was cute. The owners haven't given her a name yet so in my head she is Doce (portuguese for Sweet , like dolce is for Italian). She made me miss my bugs, so bad.

6) On Jan's last day she read Fredy and I some of her poetry (new ones she wrote while in the field) and I was totally inspired. Not just to write a poem of my own, but to look at the word through a different view point. So here's the little poem I put together. It's nothing like my bosses, but I thought I would share:

A sun sets on the horizon
casting purple shadows across a grey black sky
heavy with the threat of rain.

Cachoros whelped 1 month ago
roost with the chickens
to the thwang & shudder of a turkeys puffed up defiance.

Alone I wait beneath the trap,
insects stand out like stars against the black shannon
nao tem mosquitoes.

Ducks arrive to scavenge the crumbs of my dinner
a loaf of bread and some cheese
this is the company I keep as I wait for the mosquitoes to come.

My companions hang their hammocks and watch novelas as they rest
in time it will be they who greet the anophelines
torch and aspirator in hand.

Darkness settles
the cackle of hens simmers to a quiet coo
the mosquitoes fly at midnight.

7) Spent a day In Guyana, well more like the first town across the border (since this was as far as you could go without papers). Apparently, this is where a lot of people go to shop, because things are real cheap - as such I was expecting something like Tiajuana... and was largely disappointed. There were maybe 4 shops, with few wares in each. Prices were decent, and cheaper than things in Brazil (although US is cheaper still)... with the exception of PUMA and NIKE shoes. Those were so cheap they had to be hot, or fake. Didn't buy any - good deal or no- my feet are too wide for them and I would hate to guess at Dev's fit. I did get one gift for a steal, but that's a surprise.

8) Overall this has been a safe trip, but this past week we experienced our first causalities of field work. One night while collecting mosquitoes at a corral one of the owners dogs got spooked and mauled me. Came up and started chomping on my hand betwixt barks and growls. I was quite lucky that he was only half serious in his effort, because he didn't break my skin and there was very little damage done. I got a mean bruise from a few of his teeth, but all in all I am good. A few days later, Freddy was feeling quite ill, but it passed. Then it came back with a vengeance. Worried it could be malaria, we made plans to go to the hospital and spent the greater portion of the evening in the emergency room. Blood test results seem to suggest Dengue, but this hasn't been confirmed. He's being treated and while under the weather and miserable he'll be alright. In any case, I'd about say we're done with this field trip and that its time to go home.

9) It's OVER, the collection portion has ended. All in all it wasn't bad, but with only 300 adult mosquitoes - it was the worst collection we've had yet. Although the larvae portion was much more fruitful. Still I think our research needs have been met. I'm eager to go home and get cracking!

AND

10) After 87 larvae pools, 36 Corral Collections, 32 overnight camp outs/collections, 5 holes that were taped to hold, 2 broken buttons and 1 busted zipper... I am happily retiring my field clothes! WOOT!

Establishing Base Camp

2011-06-08T10:46:00.010-04:00

Our time in Belem was short, just near enough to fulfill our our logistical responsibilities. Going to the Notary, registering with the Federal Police, having a delicious lunch buffet at Mangal las Garcas... update our colleagues on our projects and watch futbol in the evenings. Yes I know it's tough.

This year they put us (Fredy and I) up in a small cabin in the Primate facility. The house is cute. A small two bedroom apartment, complete with kitchen (which really means it had a sink, a fridge and a microwave). Wasn't too bad, we were able to nuke a cheese pizza and toast to our upcoming mosquito fortune with some Coca-cola. And at night we could hear the sounds of the jungle all around us. Pretty nice. However, there is no internet or working phone up there and when it rained the first night. Fredy's room leaked. I offered him the extra bed in my apartment, but always the gentleman he moved his bed to the dining room floor. In the afternoon when all our errands were done, we strolled through the Primate Enclosures, but not in the back reserve area since we were warned about cobras. I do not know who was observing who as we walked around the different pens, those monkeys were very curious about us. They were very cute to watch, and I suppose they thought we were very amusing hairless cousins.

Before you knew it we were over-nighting our way to Boa Vista to start the actual field work. This is the part I like the best. It's rugged, dirty and quasi dangerous (jaguars, boas, tarantulas OH MY!). This year we have the added complication of the rain. The past 2 weeks have had a record rainfall so much so that most of the area is flooded. For example, I recall a nice restaurant near over looking the Rio Branco, which we enjoyed a meal or two at in 2009... well, you can't even get to that area, because the river got a whole lot bigger, and rose high enough to flood the overlook and nearby streets. Also, we once collected at this cute little farm that had a series of fish ponds (great for larvae) and when we tried to go back this year, we found that the fish had been liberated by the rain.
Mother nature 2 : Entomologists 0.

That is just the tip of the iceberg. In truth, the rains have been so severe (and just starting) that it is going to be impossible for us to follow our original plan of driving from Boa Vista to Manaus and collecting in cities along the way. So our plan is to use Boa Vista (and this hotel) as a base camp and go north. This is very exciting, since it will give us new populations to look at, new towns to explore (and photograph) and our set up at this hotel is quite nice. We have a pool, internet and a spare room to use as a laboratory. Honestly, I rather like these little misadventures, they make each trip unique, which keeps things interesting (not that I could actually get bored).

So far our collections are going alright despite the rain. We first collected at the old abandoned Evangelical Camp - which is abandoned no more; we even got to stay in the air-conditioned dorms on bunk beds and had running water and toilets. WOOT! We got 17 in one night, which isn't great, but considering the traps we are using and the rain, this is an improvement to the previous years. Our first corral collection fared better, although we took some casualties. The rains made the ground slick, Galiza fell in the mud and hurt his shoulder, although he seems better today. Fredy and I got stuck in a few spots of quicksand/manure sludge, but got out unscathed and with our boots still on (a real plus believe me). On top of designating one eye to watch where we stepped, one eye to watch the cows in the corral and one eye to spot the mosquitoes... (wait... 1, 2, 3 eyes??? LOL) we also had to avoid over ripe mangos that were raining down upon our heads. No one was hit, but there were a few close calls. Who knew hard hats were a part of the field collectors PPE (personal protective equipment).

So it Begins

2011-06-01T15:59:00.006-04:00

I don't know about you, but I get anxious just before I travel. I don't know if "anxious" is the best word to describe what I feel, because it's part excitement, part nerves, part intrigued... but there is a good deal of tension reserved for anticipating what might go wrong.

You may recall, that during my last trip to Brazil, everything seemed to go wrong. There were delayed flights, missed friends, missed connections, looooong lay-overs which don't seem so bad in hind sight, but if you read about them HERE you'll see that at the time it was quite an ordeal.

Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst, I arrived at Albany International Airport. I only made it so far as the counter before things started to go south. My flights (Albany to Newark, then Newark to Sao Paolo) were canceled due to bad weather. Alright.

An awesomely efficient flight/check-in staff helped me fandangle a new route through Chicago, which surprisingly has GREAT weather right now (who would've thought?!). This get's me into Sao Paolo at 9:30a tomorrow. My connecting Brazilian flight is at 10:55. If I thought the original 2 hour layover was pushing my luck, this is a recipe for disaster. I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but it's just not too practical to assume I can go to the baggage claim, claim my hikers pack, go through customs (which took my 3 hours last trip), check in at the Brazilian airlines and get through security in that time. Thankfully, after explaining this vivid scenario to the awesomely efficient flight/check-in staff, they also booked me on the next available flight out of Sao Paolo (which isn't until 4:30) so I will have TONS of time to meander through customs, grab a bite, browse the shops, blog... which is good. I don't mind waiting, I got a great book and as long as I have wifi - I can be a happy camper.

So, feeling a measure of accomplishment and calm I proceeded to the security check point. Did the routine, shoes off, lap top out bag of liquids through. I dress so I rarely ever beep and I waited on the other side of the conveyor for my goodies. Apparently my back pack is too chock full of electronics that they needed to remove some items to x-ray them separately. I offered to help assuming those items would be my camera case and the box of energy bars. Perhaps it's standard operating procedure, but they did not accept said help. Instead I watched as the agent took out my camera case, the box of energy bars, my hair brush and the clean set of underwear and socks I had packed (Dad taught me a clean set of clothes is ALWAYS a good back up plan in case luggage is lost of flights delayed) and sent those through the x-rayer. Seriously my underwear. *Shakes head*

I was delayed on the Albany tarmack due to mechanical issues, but before long I had arrive din Chicago and from here on out it was SMOOTH sailing. And even though I had grave reservations about my ability to clear customs in just over an hour... I DID! I am not sure how it worked out, the gods must have been favoring me this day, for I walked right through customs, waltzed thru baggage, samba'd over and through the domestic check-in, moonwalked my way through security and pranced right through the gate. OK, if you were watching it certainly didn't look THAT eventful or graceful, but it sure did feel that uplifting.

I made it to Belem, right on schedule. Perhaps this is an omen for the good things (lots of mosquitoes) to come.

Cherishing Time with My Family

2011-05-26T22:26:00.000-04:00

Good-byes, have always been hard on me. Just knowing it's looming on the horizon tends to put me in a pretty sad-in-serious-need-of-a-cuddle state. So on my last day with Dev and the bugs, we really soaked up the time together. After a nice organic breakfast with Dev's mom (mmm.. lavender French toast) we took the girls to a dog park and just lounged.

We hung out for hours (4 to be exact), reading to each other, smelling the fence line and rolling in the dirt (the bugs did this part). Afterwards, we walked over to this little lake/pond nearby and let the girls swim. Vida of course wasted no time in climbing into the water and dog paddling her way into a thicket of trees. Ceri needed a little more coaxing, so we played fetch in the water... and when she left Vida to do all of the retrieving, Dev ever so gently threw her in. It couldn't have been all that bad, she stayed and raced Vida for a few more balls.

It was so much fun watching them romp around in the mud and knowing that Dev brings them here when I am gone, made me happy. Someplace as fun as this, would be sure to pick up their spirits when they miss me too much.

We spent the rest of the day with everyone. Hanging out at a small local used bookstore, enjoying wii mini games, watching movies. I tried to stay up as long as possible to inhale every bit of life and love I could from my wonderful little family. Being without them is the hardest part of my job, and while every year I am thankful that I get a FULL year between these field collections, I can't tell you enough how THRILLED I am that this is my LAST trip. Life just isn't the same without dogpiles, couch cuddles, a full bed, and lots of kisses to go around.

Fun Depot

2011-05-25T22:04:00.001-04:00

Our days were awesomely spent challenging Randy to Wii, and having breakfast or lunch breaks with Dev's mom. It was time well spent, chatting, catching up, and planning for our future. The afternoons were Ian-Andre's time and once we picked him up from school it was ON - at the Fun Depot.

Basically, the Fun Depot is like the Fun Factory (if your a Kauai Kid - you know what I mean), except there's MORE. Dev and I basically got to be kids again and that was FANTASTIC. An onslaught of pictures will follow depicting the Mini golf, mini bowling, skee ball, arcade games, laser tag and go-kart racing that ensued.

Yes, I actually played Laser Tag. Surprised me too, seeing as I am quite anti-gun. I don't even care for water guns or nerfs. If I had to pick a weapon. It would be a good old fashion bo (wooden staff) or a Sword... and for long range, it would be a bow and arrow, although I could never really pull back without Akira's help. Yes I know we are a bit archaic, but that's what... never mind I digress; I'm not big on guns. As it turns out though, Laser Tag really is fun. Ducking behind pillars, sneaking up on Ryan and Ian-Andre in a blue light glowing room, working the tactical angle - not too shabby. I even did pretty well. So while I am not thing biggest fan of actual metallic death barrels, the fake stuff - well I can see the appeal.

Another thing I never expected myself to actually do was go to a batting cage. Ironic, seeing as one of my romantic date ideals involves going to a fun park and having Dev teach me how to bat. It definitely was an experience I will never forget. LOL. Dev was pretty stinking good, but I am not surprised - he tends to have a natural aptitude for a wide variety of skills/past times/hobbies/sports. And I am not that bad either, as in I hit almost every ball - however, my form could use some work. I am certainly my mothers daughter.

The Great Trek South

2011-05-21T23:56:00.000-04:00

Every year, just before I head off to the jungles of Brazil, our little family pile into our CR-V jam packed with computers, kennels, clothes and multivitamins for a road trip down to North Carolina. There, I get to enjoy a weeks vacation with Dev's family (mothers side) and Dev and the girls partake in an extended vacation once I am gone.

This year our schedule was hectic. I had SO MANY problems with my Visa, that I was heading back and forth to NYC on day trips to the consulate and not sure whether I'd get a vacation before Brazil - or even if I would be going to Brazil.

But as luck would have it, the consulate wanted 10 days to process my request, and we figured "why stew up here in Albany?" so within 24 hours of my pick up notice, we were packed up and ready to go. Of course getting out of the house is a different story altogether. Dev always feels as if he is missing something, and we did need a few hours of sleep before we began the long haul so at about noon we actually piled into the car and I posted this:

On the road. Finally.

The trip itself was quite peaceful. The girls slept in the backseat, and Dev and I took turns reading to each other as we crossed one state line after the next. We weren't entirely sure which book series we were going to embark on next, so we switch off books after the first few chapters to see which one stuck.

We made a few stops here and there for gas, or a quick bite to eat. I lucked out and found a panera's on route. WOO HOO. All in all, it was a pretty comfortable journey - and rocking my overalls didn't hurt either.

Small side note: We happened to be on the road when RAPTURE was suppose to occur. We weren't expecting anything grandiose, but in any case it was good to be together as a family. All the same, when 6pm came and went (and we gave it a 30 min window in case Jesus was fashionably late) I posted this:

If the rapture came and went... We missed our ride.

We got into Asheville somewhere between 3 and 4am. Caught a fews Z's and then we were ready to go. With just under a week of vacation/family time for me... I wanted to make the most of it.

A Game 0f Numbers

2011-05-09T20:31:00.007-04:00

330 applicants applied for the 5 College Dissertation Fellowship. They accept 4 of these prestigious fellows, to spend 9 months on their campus teaching a class (solo) and chipping away at their thesis. Not the best of odds.

There are other fellowships like this, but this was the only one of it's kind I could remotely consider applying for (since I do science and there was the possibility of having to commute back to lab)... probably why in the history of this program, there has never been a science person (philosophy, music, literature... yes; but no hard science because we work right up until the very end). In any case, I submitted my application and all necessary documents by Jan. 3rd of 2011 with the expectation of knowing in March whether Dev and I would be relocating to Western Massachusetts for my final year of school.

Well, I patiently waited often using "patience" quotes as my status updates on FB (remember any of those), but when I started running out of eloquent anecdotes on waiting, I started getting antsy (and apparently there aren't that many patience quotes, so I am not the only one who has an issue waiting). On the 24th, I emailed just to follow up. Apparently the committee was still deliberating and that by the end of the month they will be notifying the awardees. March came and went. Not wanting to hound anyone there, because I do understand it's highly competitive and you want to ensure a good fit for success. I held back until mid-April (21st), when I sent another email. No response this time. So I called (27th). Apparently, 2 of the schools have reached a decision (source: web forum of 330 other frantic pre-docs) and there are short-lists for the other two committees to determine their finalists.

I was notified that I was on the short list and that they hoped to have all the decisions finalized by the end of the week. Which if you are keeping track was 2 weeks ago. Still no word.

Recap:
330 brilliant masochistic students, within a year of graduating are competing for 4 positions. Decisions are 2 months overdue. I have fared better than most, as I am still in the running.

Do I want it? Yes. It's an honor and adding this to my CV will definitely boost my job competitiveness and I will get to teach my own class from start to finish at a school that has a little more teaching emphasis than my university (not as much as I want, but more than what I am used to here). Of course the prospect of up and moving is not ideal, but there's a pay increase. Knowing I will likely have to sign a year lease and then commute back to NY (1.75 hrs) for 3 months - is also something I am not particularly looking forward to. Moving back to NY the following year (because I am thinking of pushing back my dissertation for a few more published articles) adds insult to deposit and rental truck injury.

========================================================
3 Weeks after finding out I was on the short-list, I decided to call and check for updates. As it turns out, they made a decision for the school with which I was shortlisted for, and it wasn't me. It was good news and bad. Sure, I was bummed I didn't get this totally awesome opportunity, but it was great with respect to being able to stay here, and keep working with my lab who I truly would miss otherwise. There's a lot of good opportunities to pursue right here, and few plans Dev and I have that really benefit.

Working off the Winter

2011-05-06T22:49:00.003-04:00

I'm not going to lie. Dev and I have put on a few pounds over the season/year. Now that the weather is nice out again... it's time to shed off the layers (of clothes) and trim a few pounds (or more than a few).

Just charting my progress. Seems like a long way to go, but I am highly motivated.

Spring is HERE

2011-04-29T17:51:00.004-04:00

Finally...

After months and months of rain, slush, sleet, and snow. Spring is creeping in.

How I know this:

I no longer require my snow jacket

We take longer and longer walks everyday

My hair is starting to frizz up in the growing humidity

Our backyard is a swamp right now

The bugs get bathed daily, due to all the mud they track through

We can hear peepers in the night (frogs)

Frequent stops while walking to munch on grass

All in all, it's a good time and a change we have all been looking forward to.

Our First Easter

2011-04-24T23:33:00.005-04:00

I don't think Dev and I have ever actually celebrated Easter together or rather, haven't done any of the typical Eastery things. This year we went all out.

It started with a typical, sleep in on sunday, leisurely morning. Then we read a little, engaged in an amazing conversation and then shifted gears to the kitchen to get us some grubs. Cheese blintzes, strangely scrambled eggs and fresh orange juice.... ooooooo.

Then while Dev devoted some time to homework, I met up with Sara and lil miss Violet for some egg painting!

We had a chill night of movies and cuddling, but not before the bugs partook in their very first ever easter egg hunt. Thought I would share the footage...

They LOVED IT. Ok... Vida loved it and was a natural.... Ceri was not so good at this game. But it was too cute. (And yes I know it's suppose to be edited...ugh, too excited for good spelling)

A Date 6 Million and 4 years in the Making

2011-04-23T20:04:00.006-04:00

That's right, 6 million and 4 years. How is that possible? Well, nature began to slowly craft Howe Caverns some six million years ago... and it took us 4 years of living in NY and wanting to go to finally do it. (Since this should be out last year in New York we are finally kicking it into gear and trying to do and see all NY has to offer)

It was AMAZING.
It was cool and crisp some 156 feet below the Earth's surface. We walked through subtle lit chambers, listening to the sounds of a pristine underground river, and snapped a whole lot of pictures. It was so much fun, and a gorgeous look at the natural elegance of our world.

MY two Fave Shots:

My Fave Shots Dev took:

Born to Teach

2011-04-09T20:59:00.000-04:00

I recently attended a "Preparing for the Professoriate" Conference, and was part of a research poster and oral competition. I did the poster session, straight up, very formal research like. However, I didn't want to do the same schpeel when I did the research talk. Partly, because the audience were from across the US and from a wide variety of STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, and I know how obscure my particular field tends to be. Mostly though, I thought, this is a teaching conference, why not teach?! So I put together a presentation that talked about my research, but that presented it conceptually. Lots of figures, diagrams and anecdotal stories.

Of course, as more and more people presented their also straight up oral research talks, I started to second guess myself. WHAT WAS I THINKING. I didn't want to appear unprofessional, or condescending with my potatohead family illustration of phylogenetics. I started sweating bricks and I let myself panic for a good 20 minutes. I thought of ransacking the labs for a computer to borrow so I could change my talk on the fly, I even thought of simply walking out and not presenting... in the end of course I decided that even if it took me out of the running for the competition, I wanted to do something different and no other conference I attend will afford me this type of leniency, and if nothing else - this would be true to who I was.

I did, present a caveat "this won't be your typical research talk... since most of us are here to prepare for the professoriate and in my case that means a small liberal arts college, I am going to present my research conceptually and hopefully you will all learn something new regardless of your field or academic progression" (seeing as there were undergraduates, grad students, a few post docs and some tenured professors milling about).

It went well. Really well. After that, for the next few days at the conference I had student attendees and guest lecturers alike, comment on how wonderful my talk was. How everyone in the room was engaged, and how I will make a great teacher, and that I should totally win. I am not going to lie, it felt good... real good. How I wish I got a job offer, but most of the professionals were from research schools... and they could tell that wasn't my cup of tea (more like the sugar to sweeten the deal.... since STUDENTS are what I am most interested in). These comments alone made all my hard work and anxiety completely worth it, and it helped solidify my dream, it wasn't just me telling myself I'll be a good teacher, but others. That alone was worth everything.

Although, on the final day, I was in for an even awesomer surprise. They were announcing the winners for the student competitions. (I bet you already know where this is going). The 3 individuals who I thought would take 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed... but two tied for 3rd and the other took 2nd. Which was confusing to me, because I couldn't fathom who could have done a better job. Their research was relelvant, they were eloquent speakers and it was professional (read: straight science). Then people started whispering among themselves, it's you they kept trying to signal to me. I just smiled, I mean there was no way in my mind... but then they called my name.

WHOA. They called my name. I won first place in the oral presentations. The judges, some of the mechanical engineers at Purdue and others Mathmaticians from Hampton University... it blew me away. What an honor... and the $300 aint bad either.

Notes on a Sidewalk

2011-04-01T20:02:00.000-04:00

Over the last year we've gotten close with the neighbors who moved in downstairs, we hang out with them on weekends (bbq's, dance offs) and when the weather is nice we play soccer with their kids (10 and 13). Usually it's the young one dinging our doorbell asking if we can come out to play, which we usually do. We also, remind/ask him to knock instead of ringing the bell because we have dogs and one (Vida) is absolutely FREAKED out by the sound of a door bell, and it's best for all neighbors involved if her guard-dog like defenses were not primed by the high pitched "ding". Being ten, he often forgets.

Today was not that day. When I pulled into our cul-de-sac and into the spot where I usually park, there was a little note left for me in multicolored sidewalk chalk.

It read:
Nai and Dev can you please play soccer.

TOO CUTE.
The answer of course was YES.

Mystery Book

2011-03-25T18:00:00.011-04:00

Today I got a(n)_________________ surprise.
(insert adjective)

When I went to the mailbox, there was a thick, slightly heavy package waiting for me. Feeling the contours of the manila envelope I knew it was going to be a book.

Ooooooo a book how ______________________.
(exclamation)

That's when I realized that I hadn't ordered a book. I couldn't imagine what book I was suppose to be expecting. I checked the postmark (March 21st) and confirmed that on Monday I was no where near a computer to order a book... and for good measure, considered 5 days prior. Then I checked the senders address (Favorite Books) and racked my brain to no avail. I even checked my email, no invoice or shipment under the book title or company. so I tried good ole google... the company doesn't seem to exist.

But the hardcover book, addressed to me, about something that is relevant to me says otherwise.
There's no invoice with it, no written note on the inside sleeve. This book is either a gift from the Grad School Gods, or I hit some sort of jackpot: the 100th person to check out their 100th library book.

And if by some chance you sent it, thank you. However, please don't tell me; the intrigue is kind of exciting.

P.S. My original comments were pleasant and AWESOME! However, my madlib would have been nefarious and gadzoooks!

Happy Anniversary

2011-03-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Celebrating 8 wonderful years together; It’s amazing how fast time flies. We were 19 when we fell in love, and being two very passionate (can be read: crazy if you are referring to our early years) individuals it's been quite the ride. With big ups, the occasional down and plenty of laughter along the way. It's a match I'd bet on again and again.

Now we're older and wiser -- and just like we have over the years, our love has grown. So here's to our Happy 8th anniversary, celebrating the day it all began, with a special ode to the number 8.

The number eight is considered particularly auspicious in Chinese culture because it sounds similar to the word for 'prosper' or 'wealth'. It is pronounced like "bah" in Mandarin (pinyin: bā)

Hanukkah lasts 8 days and 8 nights

A cube has eight verticies

A byte is a grouping of eight bits

Sphenic numbers always have exactly eight divisors

8 is the base of the octal number system

The number 8 is a Fibonacci number

It is similar to the infinity symbol

That last is my favorite. Here's to another wonderful year together.
I LOVE YOU DEV!

Welcome to the Late 20s

2011-03-14T23:50:00.001-04:00

Dev and I both lucked out pretty handsomely. On my birthday, there was some bad weather - so while I was set to present for Journal Club , class got pushed back a whole week! No class, no public speaking, no homework -- SWEET! Dev's birthday week was even better, NONE of his 5 classes had any homework assignments posted for the whole week. Which basically meant we got to celebrate our respective days STRESS and GUILT FREE!

For HER
Dinner at Shalimar's Indian and Pakistani restaurant. We had hot coconut soup and samosa chat to start with, followed by Baingan bhartha (eggplant curry), Aloo chana (chickpea and potato curry) with onion naan. It was nom nom-tastic! Special gifts to self included new shoes (winter and running) and a collection of multicolored toe socks!

I also started reading an aptly timed book by Terry Goodkind - one of our favorite authors who's epic series THE SWORD OF TRUTH has been a frequent squatter on our night stand as we make our way through presently book #8. This book is aptly timed because it's about how turning twenty-seven may be terrifying for some, but for Alex, a struggling artist living in the Midwest, it is cataclysmic. Something about his birthday and his family; it happened to his mom when she turned 27 and now it's happening to him. What? I don't know, but I intend to find out and pass the book onto Dev. :)

For HIM
Dev decided for his birthday we would spend it lounging. So we ordered in a giant Pizza from Adrianos (with Chicken on his half), mozzarella sticks, beer battered onion rings, soda (basically all the foods we don't usually eat - although we do do pizza, light veggie pizzas) ate in bed and watched movies together as we cuddled. Special gifts to self included the Dreamweaver package. About $2K worth of design and development software (which we got at a huge student discount).

And, because he is impossible to shop for gift wise, and I never would have known about that great software package deal, I surprised him with food (my specialty). At exactly midnight between 3/13 and 3/14 he got a small Irish Creme Cupcake. Then at 7:20p, the exact time he was born, he got a multilayer German Chocolate Cake (his favorite), which of course was too big to eat in one sitting so for the whole week he got to celebrate with some good grinds.

Going back to School

2011-03-11T18:22:00.005-05:00

I don't think we mentioned this, but it's awesome news. We finally qualified for FAFSA so Dev's back in school! Not only are they paying for all his classes, and books, but we get a little pocket change on top of that too! SWEET!

The financial stuff came together only at the last minute, so we had to haul butt and get all the documents, shot and degree advising done within a day or two. I am super proud of him, because not only is he a full-time student, but he's still working full-time too, making time to play with the bugs and keeping his evenings free for couple couch time!

Folk Guitar

2011-03-05T23:40:00.001-05:00

The Back Story
I recently was given the honor of being awarded the BDEID Fellowship a second time, and while it is an honor - funding changes made more compromise than award.

For example, they no longer cover family health insurance. We shopped around for options, but if we purchased a second coverage plan or paid our own plus 1 coverage we'd barely break even (or more likely be out extra), so Dev is utilizing the basic coverage he gets from school during this 1 year deferment.

I do get a small raise being on this about $500 more a year, and the fact that my salary is coming form an external source means my boss can use the funds she would have paid me (because I am under contract to not get paid from more than 1 source) to hire/pay for a post doc - in this case my good friend Jose from Panama. It also frees up cash for me to do more lab work, order more sequencing and primers; basically giving me a "green light" on all things SCIENCE.

Still my boss/mentor felt bad that I was giving up so much in order to help her - Jose, the school, and the program - out. So when she and her husband couldn't make it to a Guitar show, she gave us the expensive tickets for free as a thank you!

The Main Event
Dev and I made a night out of it. We got dolled up, drove into town almost 2 hours early, because we had high hopes of finally trying out EL MARIACHI's the Mexican/Aztec restaurant. We heard it was AMAZING, and it must have been, because it was jammed packed. We waited, and waited and waited, and no matter how many people left or were seated... we somehow still managed to be 3rd on the list with an estimated wait time of 15 minutes. Without trying to sound too melodramatic, my heart was being broken into little pico de gallo pieces, I had been SO looking forward to that and even knew exactly what I was going to get! After waiting over an hour with no go, and cracking jokes about this being the WORST DATE NIGHT EVER, we walked over to the performing arts center.

We were the YOUNGEST attendees by a good 20 to 40 years. That didn't matter though, superb guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke had sounds that spanned the ages. If you’re a guitar nerd at all or like jam bands (he collaborated with Mike Gordon from Phish in 2001) then chances are pretty good you’ve at the very least heard Leo’s work, if not his name. The guy has been playing professionally since the 1960s and is incredibly respected for his fingerstyles. His music is a mix of folk, jazz, blues, and face-melting awesomeness.

His show was primarily instrumental licks, the kind that sounded so mystical light, I could listen to it for hours. And while my saying it is the ideal music for a dentist office, or falling asleep may sound bad - it is the highest compliment I can think to give him... for his groove was one of peace and inspiration. In between songs, he cracked jokes, told stories, with a gnarled voice and dry humor; he was absolute entertainment.

After the show, we were flying high despite our stomachs rumbling - and we thought WHY NOT, and headed right back to El Mariachi's for a second attempt. Now that it was 10p, we were seated in under 2 seconds, ordered in under 5 minutes and served in under 10! WOO HOO! It was everything we had been expecting and more, the food was scrumdidlyumpcious and our shared mango margarita topped off the night. It was now, the BEST DATE NIGHT EVER!!!!

Liberator of Trees

2011-02-27T13:06:00.003-05:00

After a hefty snow storm on Friday (yes another 1 foot fall of snow) the bugs and I did our usual rumpus in the fresh fluff. They absolutely love all things winter (except maybe the freezing cold), so an afternoon climbing the mounds snowploughs left behind and digging tunnels was a regular dog day in heaven.

They wouldn't sit still for a moment, so taking pictures of my pals were out of the question (no one wants to see snap shots of doggy butts whizzing through the frame). Instead, I noticed that there were many pines around our apartment complex, bent over, weighed down by the compacted snow on their branches. A few of the branches had buckled under the pressure the night before and lay broken on the unmarred cotton landscape. I didn't want that to happen to any of the other branches. So while the buggies frolicked and played, I marched around the various courts and shook off the curtains of snow, thus freeing the branches.

It was addicting in a way, I felt like a kid with the cold fluff raining down on me, and occasionally falling in between my skin and clothes sending cold chills down my spine. On top of that, the rush I got when the branch stretched out and climbed upward was inspiring.

While the snow would've melt on its own and the trees would have reached up towards the light when their wintry oppression was over, and while that has worked for centuries, it just doesn't seem nearly as exciting as my rebellious thwarting of winters dreary weight. It's my small way of sticking it to the man and encouraging spring to come forth.

Have you liberated anyone lately?

Green 17

2011-02-20T23:54:00.003-05:00

Must be the "luck o the Irish", and in my case, Irish by association. I happened to win 2 tickets to attend the SOLD OUT Flogging Molly Concert here in NY from our local radio station.

It was kind of awesome, and I felt like a little VIP. My name was on the guest list, and the security dude, simply asked if Dev was "with me?" before letting us into the joint. Once inside we were just like everyone else. Grabbing some beer, and scouting out a good place to stand/dance/mosh/watch.

The show started out with special Guests: Moneybrother and The Drowning Men... building up in intensity until the seven-piece Irish-American Celtic punk band took the stage to thunderous applause and chanting.

To put it simply: it was an awesome night. A pint of Guiness in our hands, a smile on our faces, and great music blasting through the club. PERFECT!

We even got a few clips of our favorite songs... check em out!

Just Dance

2011-02-13T13:06:00.002-05:00

Last night, we celebrated the long anticipated weekend (I had a very long week full of late night meetings for various clubs/organizations) with the neighbors. These sporadic get-to-gathers remind me of the block parties we used to have back home. There's food, friends, music, some wine or beer and a game.

In the past we've enjoyed rounds of Loaded Questions, Cranium, Partini and Charades (an all time fave of ours), tonight we upgraded from our usual board games and broke out the wii. Laughter ensued with round after round of hill billy, boy band, disco inferno remixes to the JUST DANCE game. It was AWESOME.

As good as I was doing, nailing the feet and arm coordination (even though only the hand movements count) Dev schooled me (and everyone else) by a land slide. That guy has got some innate rhythm; to me he will always be King of the Dance Floor. Or maybe because he's Irish, he sound be Lord of the Dance. I dunno... which one sounds more manly?

In any case, we had a fantabulous time, and I can't wait to get our hands on the Michael Jackson version Michael Jackson: The Experience. Cheeeeehooooooooo!

Wordless Moment

2011-02-12T12:17:00.001-05:00

They were just tooo cute sleeping like this on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

I couldn't help but just sit there and watch them for a few minutes.

Career Building

2011-02-11T18:48:00.006-05:00

Truthfully, things are going pretty well. No classes, my projects are based off MY IDEAS now, and I can 85-90% of the time understand a given scientific article. SWEET! Based on my predicted time line, I will be finishing the summer of 2012. Of course a lot can happen in the next 16 months... so that end date is variable. But I am keeping it as my D-day (dissertation/defense) in hopes that I can "get 'er done".

Being as I am technically considered ABD - all but dissertation. I am officially "marketable" for job ops. Of course it's a little premature to be filling out applications, but we've begun to research the types of jobs out there and the places we'd be willing to live.

It started last September. I took one of those Princeton Review "Best Colleges for Me" questionnaires/search engines for a spin and based upon a particularly limited geographic range, required majors and class size specifics I got a list of a whopping 436 Colleges. I figured if it's a school I could attend, well then I certainly could consider working there.

So over the next 4 months, I visited each and every one of those colleges websites, and took meticulous (read: OCD) notes on courses offered, mission statements, website usability, research (possible collaborations, requirement to publish), teaching course load and benefits. Then I scoured the nearby areas, checked out crime ratings, real estate prices (could we settle down here), good places to live, good publicity (#2 Best small town in US), and misc activities (aquarium, theater, etc) and laws. In the end, I whittled that LONG 400+ possibilities, to 70 VIABLE options.

Of course considering the academic job market (heck the economy as a whole) I will probably end up mass producing applications and spamming my CV to every job listed in hopes for a hit. But I got 70 jobs that I will really shell out the time and effort for, and hopefully hold out for a good offer from. It's pretty exciting.

In the meantime, I continue to build up my resume with this club or that activity. Well, truth is, I am my mother's child-- so volunteering and leading committees is something of a hobby for me.

Which brings me to the real point of today's post (aside from my wanting to keep this blog updated and break my yearly record or posts) is to celebrate the kick off of the Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate Student Organization's personal website. It went LIVE today!!!!

It was a project that Dev and I got to work on together. I learned a lot more about computers and code than I probably wanted to, but it was a lot of fun getting to mess around in Dev's world for a touch.

Healthy Strides

2011-02-05T12:08:00.001-05:00

Sick and tired of putting on some weight over the holidays? Grumpy because the cold cold winter (ice and snow) limits the amount of outdoors stuff to do? I know we are!

We still haven't joined a gym, for all the good deals around and my neighbors raving reviews of the one down the street. So we get creative. Dev utilizes the pull up bar in our hallway and I bike a lot (which is easy if I'm watching Desperate Housewives on Netflix).

The aim is 4 times a week we do a good hour of something-- and try to vary it up. As you can see from my planner, I have been biking, doing kinesthetics, walking, and belly dancing. It's a good start.

Take your snow and shovel it!

2011-02-01T13:04:00.002-05:00

I know the last post was all thrills and bells about the wonders of white fluffy joy, but it's been TOO DANG COLD lately.

I should be grateful, because after a couple of days with a good foot each early last week, we had 3 days of snow free reprieve... but between midnight and this morning we got another 8 inches, and there expecting another footfall tonight. Don't get me wrong it's still beautiful, but it's knee deep-can't drive your car-beautiful... and that's on a normal sized person. For me it's practically thigh high!

We all have our own ways of dealing with the perpetual downpour. My toes are a permanent shade of purplish blue and almost always numb. Ceri shivers anytime we step foot outside the door, and that's WITH her snow jacket. Vida, seems to handle the cold alright, but almost always drags me home after a few moments outside for fear of the abominable snow man that lives down the street. Dev tries his best to chase the bugs around the living room to avoid having to bundle up and brave the frost.

Class got canceled, a few of our extracurricular commitments/meetings got pushed back a few days, we had time to exercise (indoors), catch up on some reading, romp in the snow (who am I kidding- complain as I will- I still love it). I am actually hoping to rent some snow shoes this weekend and take them out for a test...hike.

In the meantime, we still enjoy our brief bundled-up-like-the-marshmallow-man ventures out into the cold. The girls LOVE snowballs, picking icicles off people cars and chomping on them and making little tunnels in the makeshift Everest that our landlords have built up with the fluff from our parking lot.

Good times.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

2011-01-18T19:35:00.006-05:00

It has been a very frosty, freezy, icy, white wintry season up here in the Albany area. Which is good for the most part, since the bugs LOVE romping through the fluff, I can't wait for another sled day and Dev... well he likes to see the ladies in his life happy.

The storms - and we've had 3 so far, each with a good 12 inches of snow - have been pretty evenly spaced out, which has been a blessing. For the most part, we get the one night/day of heavy snow fall... where the only sane option is to lock your doors, wrap some blankets about you and if you must go out (like the bugs) you bundle up tight. Then it's pretty sunny, clear and mild for a few days so you can actually enjoy the winter sports/opportunities. Just when last weeks snowman has melted into a decent fort for the bugs (see below pic), we get more.

We had 2 snow emergencies so far, both days the Lab shut down and I got to stay home. I can't tell you how thankful I am that I have one of those jobs that can afford to skip a day. If I were a Jamba juice attendant, a Starbucks barista or a TSA baggage/people checker...I'd have to come in. Shift work is too hard to reschedule on the spot. Likewise, if I were a surgeon, or a dentist or a vet... people (and cute furry family members) would be depending on my going to work-- lives could be at stake... and I'd have to come in. But being a Research Assistant affords me a lot of freedom. Sure there's work to do, but deadlines are flexible, most of the computer software I can run from home, and there's always a good portion of my day that is spent reading scientific articles to keep up in the world of Mosquitoes and Malaria (yes they are capitalized for emphasis only). And even better, when I become a teacher one day, I will also have the benefit of snow days and get to stay home when the weather takes a turn for the worst. WOO HOO. Way to pick careers! But in all seriousness, it's just good sense. We happen to live in the outskirts of town, and I work in the country side... so you can imagine that the roads don't get shoveled/plowed on a regular basis. I'd rather not unnecessarily risk my neck. Unless of course I am risking said neck while sledding down a mad crazy slope. Then... I am game!

It really has been a wonderful winter this year. We've had many a rumpus, the bugs LOVE chomping down on icicles, and we all enjoy a good snow ball fight or two. I should mention however, that the snowplows (while my personal best buds this time of year) are on Vida and Ceri's radar. As you can see from the above pic, anytime one drives by they are piqued with interest, and appear ready to run (whether that's to chase them down, or flee... I am not so sure). They do love the aftermath though, giant mounds/mountains of ice they can climb over and dig into... great stuff.

My favorite moment, is the very beginnings of the storm (not because this is before it gets all dangerous and slick). I like to be out when the first flakes start to fall, especially when it's dark out-- with no one out and about (as the normal people are all snuggled in bed and asleep)-- and me and the bugs can walk in the first inch of fluff, while the streetlights glow and we walk through our very own silent picture (the old black and white style). It's magical. Especially since the white parts, glitter and flicker and sparkle like a million tiny rainbows reflecting off glass.

I don't know exactly where our lives will take us after school, but I do know that (even though my fingers sometimes go numb from the chill) I will miss the winter season and particularly snow (unless by good fortune we still live someplace frosty--or we invent the next Google and can afford a "winter home"). Just visiting from time to time will be alright by me too.

Rumpus

2010-12-28T17:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Albany had a state of emergency. Snow storm left roads closed, visibility near zilch and gale force winds worthy of a class 2 hurricane kept people indoors. We made the most of it. We're talking French Beignets for breakfast and some hot chocolate. Followed by many many rounds of the new Trivia Pursuit, where you get to bet on whether your opponents know it or not (which makes it both interesting and leaves winning up for grabs).

It was good times.

Of course, with snow falling all around, you had to take breaks every now and again to frolic in the wintry fluff. So, I busted out my snow pants and Ceri's jacket (Vida, no longer fits hers...) and we went outside to rumpus. That's right, I said rumpus. In fact we rumpused throughout the day. Multiple times even. Now for those of you who haven't brushed up on your Where the Wild Things Are, there are 3 full pages of rumpusing, whereby the Wild Ones pounce, bound, and create a ruckus. It is even officially defined by the online dictionaries that be as a noun referring to a state of commotion, recreation or noisy clamoring.

For us, this meant bouncing up and down saying "rumpus, rumpus, rumpus"... right up until we opened the front door and froze our mouths shut. Then we did the silent pounce and bound, but only because our teeth were chattering so. It was GREAT FUN. Each episode lasted just over 10 minutes (Did I mention that it was FREEZING????), but we (primarily the bugs and I) were on a rumpus and repeat cycle. Boy do they LOVE that snow.

So today, with the roads clear, and the wind reduced to a chilly, but intermittent breeze, we packed up our gear, got our layers on and headed to the golf course for some SLEDDING! Everyone had a great time, and we kept mostly toasty... enough to enjoy over 2 hours of snow, acceleration and gleeful laughs. Check it out!!!!

Between the adrenaline rush when we rocketed down the slopes, and the workout of hiking back up the hill... all 3 adults were pretty beat. Although the consensus was an undeniable WIN for a genius idea and a perfect 10 afternoon. Vida and Ceri also enjoyed every minute of it. And, being as they chased each and every one of us down hill, and raced us back up... were certifiably pooped at the end of this adventure.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T22:00:00.004-05:00

It's been a wonderfully low key Christmas. Dev's bro, Ryan came in for the holidays... no hiccups in travel and no bad weather thus far. We've pretty much spent our days taking walks at the golf course, playing every computer, wii, and playstation game we got and watching lots and lots of movies. Christmas was no exception... although this time we did it festively.

We woke up early, and opened gifts while sipping on fresh made chai. Even though we did most of our shopping together, and on Christmas Eve of all days, there were still a few surprises... which was great. Even the bugs got in on the present opening action.

Once the gifts were opened, a few of the big ticket items had us engrossed in our own little worlds for an hour or two, but then it was back to the games, movies and playful challenges.

For dinner, I put together ginger and almond crusted salmon, garlic green beans and a sweet butter sauce for rice. It was well received by the guys and even though I made enough for a full dinner party there was hardly anything left. We of course capped off the night watching LOVE ACTUALLY, which is a small tradition of ours, because there is no better message for the holidays.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2010-12-22T17:08:00.000-05:00

You may laugh or cringe, but since I have furry babies it seemed only natural to partake in the Petsmart annual Santa weekend photo op. I've wanted to do this in the past, but the bugs always seemed to go into heat right around the holidays (which means all of us end up under house arrest).

Somehow we lucked out this year. WHICH WAS AWESOME. there was no line, and a very jovial Santa who eagerly offered his lap to both our babes. And, like some human children they weren't too sure about this jolly dude in a suit. But they hung around long enough to take a pic or two.

Apparently they were so well behaved, that "santa" brought them 2 stockings full of toys this year instead of their usual 1. The 50% off special was too good to pass up.

Babies and Chocolate

2010-12-19T20:44:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was the 1st birthday party (today was the actual birthday) for little Miss Violet. A small affair (not like in Hawaii--where it's a massive Luau) with family and close friends. It was splendid. We ate good food, chatted it up, watched the little one unwrap her presents in a very slow and meticulous fashion.

We got a cute little ladybug adventure book/stuffed animal (because you know I love bugs). Honestly, if she had gotten a duplicate, I would've kept it myself and gotten her something different.

Aside from the gifts, we *ahem* I, also pitched in by bringing some dessert. I spent all of Friday Night working on my own Candy Factory. Following the jungle theme, and throwing in some cookies, and LOTS of Chocolate, I put together some yummy chocolate covered oreos. It was a long process, to get each layer of flavor/color down before the next, and there were a few rejects that had to be eaten on the spot, but I think we managed.

We we... because while I was in charge of the dessert, Dev and the bugs, kept me company by dragging in a chair and reading to me. Plus he helped me decide on the "pretty ones" that would be honored above all other cookies to go to the party.

They were a big hit.

Entomologists do it in the field

2010-12-16T20:30:00.000-05:00

This past week I headed off to sunny San Diego for the Entomological Society of America's Annual Meeting. I would be spending a few days listening to other peoples research, sharing my own, and warming up in the sun before settling into the Albany Winter.

The conference itself was GREAT. I had a good time attending the different sessions, wrapping my brain around complex ideas, and networking (and I continue to get better at this). Although the BEST part would have to be celebrating my awesome talk, where I basically summed up the last 3 years of my work into 10 minutes. Talk about CRUNCH. Once that was done, me and my buddies from around the world (Panama, Spain, Colombia, etc), headed into town to grab some lunch and walk Mission Beach.

I can't tell you how absolutely wonderful it was to feel the sand squish beneath my feet, to smell the salt in the air and hear the waves roll in. OH I MISS HOME!!! I rolled up my pants, and ran through the water. It was GREAT.

Double D Cup Cakes!

2010-12-03T20:24:00.004-05:00

There are mythical creatures in this world that if you catch them you will find great treasures. This of course is difficult to do as object of great power tend to be on the move. Still, you can't help but keep your eyes open in hopes of fetching a crock of gold from a leprechaun, 3 wishes from a genie, and some gourmet cupcakes from Betty.

That last one you may not be familiar with, but Betty is well known in Albany. She drives a double decker bus, in frosting pink no less, around town. Occasionally she'll pull over in the far corner of a parking lot and open her doors. Usually there are 15-20 odd flavors of cupcakes, that you can purchase on the bottom floor, and then take them upstairs to dine in style.

This may not seem like such a quest to you, and maybe there IS a short cut - she just got herself some space at the food court in the Colonie Center Mall. But part of the thrill and satisfaction is in the hunt. Thus, to do it right, I have been hunting the Double D cupcake for the past 4 years. I have studied the lay of the land, taken notes on the well known haunts around town (Hewitt's Lawn and Garden Shops in every town), and been ready to make my play should I ever see this tasty mirage.

Today was that day. There it was, parked all pretty like, Sara and I immediately pulled over trying to contain our excitement. We snapped a pic or two with our phones, texted them to our then envious husbands and climbed aboard.

It was a simple set up, but the flavors sparked my creativity. Being the most awesomeness wife ever (a self proclaimed title), I picked up six of the most outrageous, unusual, unique and sure to be delectable cupcakes I could find. And, this is the key to the awesomeness, I didn't touch them until I got home and could share them with Dev.

Behold (from L-R and top-bottom):

Keylime Pie, with lemon center and graham cracker sprinkles on top.
Eggnog
Mai Tai
Rootbeer float, complete with straw
Coconut Cream Pie
Bailey's Irish Cream

WOW. That is really all I can say. They were sweet, they were zesty, they were sugary dreams made true. A few were a little too sweet - which I didn't think possible, but soooooo worth it. My personal fave was the eggnog, Dev went for the Irish Cream, which I figured. They were all really good though. And I was inspired to make some cupcakes of my own... thought up a few tasty combinations. Now all I need is my own double decker bus... perhaps in sky blue????

In all serious though, between cuddling on the couch, feeding each other desserts, and enjoying a cute little romantic comedy. It was a perfect evening.

Never a Dull Moment

2010-11-30T20:12:00.007-05:00

Now that my Mom and Dad are safely home, life has thrown one of those fantabulous curve balls that makes you wonder is there anyplace that's safe and quiet?

We live in a small suburban countryside just south of the capital. It's quiet, the crime here is non-existent and the only times I ever see the fire department or cops are for cat rescues from trees or burned quesadillas that smoked out a kitchen or two.

Tonight however, I got stuck in some heavy traffic. There were camera crews, police, fire, ambulances. Very much out of the norm for this quiet and peaceful town. I didn't think much of it, because- like I said- this town is really really safe. If you check family watchdog (which I always do before moving to a new place) there's no blips whatsoever (a good clean sign). Besides, while lights were flashing, no sirens were blaring and the officers and emergency response teams weren't running about frantically, it looked under control.

When I got home however, the tell tale sound of sirens started. That's when I got the text.

Avoid Cherry Ave, a bomb has been found.

Found, this wasn't a threat called in, an actual BOMB was found. In my neighborhood. In an apartment complex, across the street from the local ice cream shop. What the heck?!

Maybe I am jumping ahead a little bit. News crews are only reporting that a suspicious-looking collection of chemicals were noticed by a neighbor in the common area of the basement. Although, subsequent events suggest it is something. Officers on the scene concurred and Hazmat was called in. Then the building and neighboring buildings were evacuated, the forensics team was called in, and 6 hours later, the place is still swarming with officials (although the traffic hasn't been diverted). Something is going on, although very little information is being released.

I don't particularly feel in any immediate danger, rather I am stunned that something like this happened so close to home, and in such a quiet and pleasantville like community, and flabbergasted that the chemicals and potential bomb are the work of a young boy.

Parenting has always been difficult, but I swear it's getting more and more difficult with technology. My folks only had to worry about my brother slingshotting the chickens, not taming the next unibomber. Apparently this kid has a history: his house exploded last December.

The world is changing. Not enough that we should run around panicked like mice avoiding an elephant stampede, but enough that we can't get complacent. There's always signs that something is amiss, be observant and don't be afraid to take action when you see something that could escalate into a bad situation. It could be nothing, but could you really live with yourself if the kid you watched get bullied his whole life turns your local school into another Columbine? Or if what you thought was just boys being boys leads to an arson? Manslaughter of an innocent bystander that was just in the wrong place at the wrong time?

It takes a village to raise a child. Yes the parents are primary, but there are teachers and friends and even strangers along the way that leave imprints on a persons heart and help direct them along the path that is their life. No matter who you are, one should regard themselves as a role model; live your life well and try to help others along the way.

Home(ish) for the Holidays

2010-11-28T16:13:00.013-05:00

Wonder of wonders, when I drove into the Albany airport to pick up a special package (my folks) the first Christmas song of the season began to play on the radio. It was "I'll be Home for Christmas". Talk about perfect timing.

My folks, avid travelers they are, decided to cap off their Tampa, New Orleans tour with a quick stead up north with Dev and I. I was THRILLED!!! Any excuse to hang out with mi familia is a good one. The dogs LOVE spending time with their grandparents, they most certainly remembered them and were glad to have new cuddle buddies.

We didn't do too much. Mostly we chatted, played games (wii, and the old board game types), caught up on all the old Harry Potter films, saw the newest one, ate like kings and did a few small projects together between sight seeing and event hopping. It was great.

The FOOD:
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Pan Fried Panko Tomatoes and Mozz
Eggplant Bowls
Apple Cider and Apple Cider Donuts (from Indian Ladder)
Greek Gyros (for thanksgiving)
Spam Musubi (for the movie)
White Chicken Chili
Ono Soup (wine mussels and clams with orzo)
Blue Spice Thai (ate out on our final night)

That's right, we ate Greek food for Thanksgiving. My parents are NEVER traditional. Instead of the "white" dress for their wedding day, my mom wore FUSCHIA. Instead of the grand cathedral or immaculate church, they got hitched on the cliffs of Maui. Instead of honeymooning in a romantic getaway, they rode mules to see the leper colony. Needless to say they have always opted to be a touch different. Thanksgiving is no different. They used the holiday to help us learn more about tolerance and giving thanks to EVERYONE. Sometimes we'd have Puerto Rican food, or Brazilian, so a Greek themed feast was just up our alley.

As far as projects go there was a brief afternoon spell where Dad and Dev worked on installing our roof rack:

While mom and I put together a brand spanking new wreath for our front door. Times are changing, I had to switch out the festive autumn foliage for something a little more winter wonderland. Ironically, neither Dad or Dev noticed until we went fishing for their thoughts on the wreath. "What wreath?" Oi Vey.

We finished off the vacation with a trip to Washington Park for some Christmas Lights in the Park.

Saying goodbye (I'll see you later!) was difficult as usual, but I had a blast with my folks, and texting them throughout the day as they made their hop skip and airport jumps back home helped transition me. Now I am home and the house is too quiet and the dogs, keep glancing at the door looking for their straggling grandparents. In short, I miss them.

<3

An Ode to the Wheel of Time

2010-11-24T17:22:00.003-05:00

By far one of the BEST series we have ever read. The characters are complex, the people memorable (although it IS rather difficult to keep track of them all over the complete series). It's a dark good vs bad apocalyptic type story that spans 15 books (if you count the prequel and the finale that hasn't been written yet), with each book being upwards of 600 pages. IT IS INTENSE.

Anywho, the most recent book, Book 13: Midnight Towers just came out on November 2nd. We had our pre-ordered and ready to pick up... and we finished it last night. OH MY.

I have no idea what we are going to do with ourselves while we wait for Brandon Sanderson to finish looking over the notes by the GREAT Robert Jordan and finish his legacy.

In the meantime, we picked up right where we left off in the Sword of Truth Series, another really good one--however boy is it DARK. I don't know how we keep finding these great books but it's a blessing and a curse, because once you start one of these epics-- you got a looooong way to go before you can switch gears. I feel as if Robert Jordan has been a second husband of mine, given the amount of time I have spent reading his work. LOL.

Needless to say, there are more contemporary pieces that I have been itching to read (ie the Hunger Games) but haven't gotten around to it yet. As soon as this is over I SWEAR!!!

2010-11-06T19:36:00.001-04:00

Down in front of the Hendrix Experience. Compliments of the radio show prize. Sweet.

Crafty Friday

2010-11-05T19:59:00.008-04:00

I was feeling MIGHTY creative today.

Instead of the usual coffee, or the coffee with a scoop of hot cocoa, I created the Dirty Cocoa (also known as a reverse Mocha) - Hot Chocolate (with milk) and a shot of espresso.

Instead of running the usually variance parameters when looking at my mosquito population genetics, I thought outside the box and ran for 3 geographical groups knowing that there were NO boundaries to gene flow... would you believe I have pretty high support for 3 lineages!!!

My creativity spark was in full fire, so we Sara and I took a quick trip to Micheal's (Craft Store--in case you didn't know) and picked up a few odds and ends. A frame for my new spray paint poser I picked up in Tampa (I call it Shangri La), an apron and some red fabric paint (for my Malice in Wonderland outfit for family pictures) and a bunch discount silk flowers of fall foliage.

Last year when I was in a similarly crafty mood I made this:

But it's a little TOO early to have that on our door, even if my tree is already up (what! It's my favorite part of the holidays).

Seeing as last year we picked up a small orange leaf wreath to work the pre-christmas season (you can call it autumn, but pre-christmas really calls a spade a spade if you know what I mean). It was alright for the time being, but the longer I had to lok at it, the more I came to loathe it's very existance... it was just so bland. Nothing about it looked festive to me, nothing about it made you smile and feel welcome when you came a calling at our door. It had to go, or at least undergo a massive make-over.

With some original thought, and a lets see where this takes us attitude, I dabbled a little here, added a few autumns silks here and voila:

Quite the improvement in my door decorating skills. Looks like I will be re-doing our Christmas wreath sometime soon. I mean, really... Pre-Christmas wreath can't upstage THE Christmas wreathe. Alas tomorrow will not be equally festive and full of scrap-booking or otherwise fantastical engagements. Tomorrow is a cleaning day. Sigh, but it must be done.

It was a good day for the spark of ingenuity. On top of all that the dogs and I went trail blazing, I matted Shangri La myself, AND I splattered barn red fabric paint all over the apron like blood splatter.

2010-10-26T21:53:00.004-04:00

So I missed our 200th post milestone some 52 posts ago, oh the shame. But I still intend to celebrate... by sharing some more pointless and completely irrelevant info about me, Dev, Vi and C.

101. My feet are the one "really" ticklish place on my body. I hate when people touch my feet (unless it's a very serious massage).
102. Vida also can get a little moody when her feet touched. Totally my bug.
103. Dev's a man of many musical talents. He can pick up any instrument and play it.
104. I am not exaggerating.
105. This includes obscure instruments like the Aboriginal didgeridoo.
106. Ceri's hair zigzags down her back. It's like she's part Ridge-back, or a distant cousin with wavy hair.
107. I love carbs, couldn't give them up - mmmm Bread (the best stuff on earth).
108. Dev teases me because my favorite candy bar (Twix) is the one with a cookie in the center.
109. Speaking of food, we are a family of weird eating habits. I don't like my flavors to mix (serious dressing cannot run into my rice).
110. When Dev eats chips, he eats the delopitated ones first and savors the perfect circles for later.
111. He calls it "Culling the weak".
112. As an evolutionary biologist, I like to see survival of the fittest in action.
113. Ceri grabs mouthfuls of food and then chews her goodies a good 2 feet away.
114. This leaves a little trail, which thankfully she munches on later.
115. Vida is the oddball, she has no weird food quirks. She'll eat anything and anyway.
116. Although she does tend to swallow food whole, practically inhales stuff.
117. Switching gears; if I were a superhero I would be Captain Cliche.
118. They maybe overused, but that's only because they are dang good.
119. Dev would be "Back-handed compliment man".
120. Every time he says his superhero name, he says it in the movie announcer voice.
121. Ceri has a signal to let me know she wants in under the covers.
122. She paws at the comforters edge.
123. Vida on the other hand, waits patiently beside my bed until I invite her up to cuddle.
124. That's why I call her my angel bug.
125. That and she knows a good bajillion tricks.
126. Ok, not a bajillion, but a good many.
127. Ceri gets very excited when I put on jeans.
128. She knows that means I'm ready to get my walk on...and she's 9 out of 10 times to come with (unless I'm off to work).
129. One day we'll get another cat.
130. I want her/him to be an orange tabby.
131. I'm going to name it Puma.
132. Do you think my size complex is obvious?
133. Ceri runs like the wind, she is SO FAST!!!
134. And surprisingly given her size and lightness, you can hear her feet pound the earth like horse hooves.
135. Vida is not a runner.
136. Ceri literally runs circles around her, as she sits and observes.
137. When Vida is unsure of something, her hackles rise.
138. We call it her hyena hair.
139. It gives her an extra 2 inches in height.
140. Her faux hawk is more funny than intimidating.
141. Dev and I are night owls, we somehow don't seem to get sleepy until midnight.
142. However, we are trying REAL hard to be morning people.
143. Generally this means we are in bed early, up til late, and hitting snooze one too many times when we wake.
144. Still, I think it's progress.
145. Back to the midnight comment. For some strange reason when the clock strikes 12, I get silly.
146. Dev can actually guess the hour of day, based upon my level of incoherent goofiness.
147. Vida was a cuddler as a pup, but got independent at about 1.
148. Although, she's taking up cuddling at night again.
149. I love it!
150. Ceri has always been a cuddler.
151. And the cutest sleeper I know.
152. Sometimes Ceri munches on wind biscuits in her sleep.
153. If she's especially comfy, she sleeps with her tongue just peeking out of her mouth.
154. Vida is the only member in our family that snores.
155. It's the adorable kind of snore, not the loud annoying one.
156. Dev's a mover and shaker in his sleep.
157. His occasional restless legs might contribute to the problem.
158. I barely move at all.
159. Which may be why the bugs prefer to sleep next to me.
160. I do however have a tendency to steal ALL the covers.
161. Ceri checks on me if my showers run longer than acceptable.
162. Dev and I are die hard Rocky Horror Picture Show Fans.
163. Dev knows all the AP (audience participation)lines.
164. I don't, but I go all out in costume!
165. We were born to do the TIME WARP!!!
166. Vida is such a good big sister, she cleans Ceri's ears.
167. And she always lets Ceri eat first.
168. It's not that she thinks Ceri's dominant. If its a special treat, she'll try to muscle her way to butt C out.
169. Ceri is pretty oblivious to those things.
170. She is however terrified of me fanning clothes to get the wrinkles out.
171. Or when you are opening an empty trash bag.
172. One of Ceri's nicknames is "Scaredy Ceri".
173. Vida loves to de-stuff dog toys.
174. She also likes to bust squeakers.
175. We playfully call her the "Destroyer".
176. It's not really about destroying, she likes to puzzle things out.
177. When she was little Dev used to tie up her feet and she would Houdini her way out.
178. It's one of her favorite games.
179. Dev considers this training.
180. In the event that Vi and I are ever kidnapped, she is now wholly capable of saving us both.
181. Dev and I actually have a secret handshake.
182. I know revoltingly cute.
183. Back to the food topic. We make our own pizza.
184. It's gourmet caliber.
185. Making the perfect pie, has become an unspoken challenge for us.
186. We're getting pretty close.
187. No pizza is perfect to me unless topped with bhut jolokia pepper.
188. It's insanely HOT, good for the sinus.
189. I've turned Dev on to reading fictional novels.
190. Before he was much more into textbooks and manuals.
191. Dev and I are sudoku masters.
192. We're trying to be more consistent with our Yoga routine.
193. It's difficult, because anytime we're in downward dog, the bugs want their bellies rubbed.
194. Halloween is by far my favorite holiday.
195. I'm not going to lie, one of my reasons (at the bottom of the list, but still on the list) for having a child is so I can use them to get a large supply of candy.
196. Dev agrees buying them from the store is somehow not as satisfying.
197. We all dress up. The bugs too.
198. Christmas would be next on our list of fave holidays.
199. But the thrill is mostly about tree decorating.
200. In fact i didn't take my tree down from last year!

Monkey See, C-monkey Do

2010-10-26T20:51:00.003-04:00

C monkey. One of the many cute little names I call Ceri (others include Wiggle worm, C monster, and short stack). This is a short little story about my little peep squeak.

The scene: I get home from work, tell my eager furry children that we're about to go on our afternoon walk, and steal a quick kiss from Dev. But before heading out the door, I take note that I am starving and in need of a little nourishment for the road. I make a quick trip to the kitchen conuter, grab a handful of BBQ chips for the journey. Ceri, sitting ever so patiently beside Vida on the entry carpet sees this.

And then - cuteness abounds.

As I am hooking Vida up to the leash, Ceri runs off down the kitchen to her food bowl, grabs a mouthful of kibble and prances back over dropping a few pieces along the way. Once I get her leashed up, we are out the door... me and Ceri munching away as we go.

LOL. She is SO MY KID!!!!

9 months

2010-10-21T18:33:00.009-04:00

A lot can happen in 9 months:

You could complete a school year
Fully develop a human baby
Resolve the San Fran cyclist's and SFPD conflict
Or finally get around to finishing a craft project

Which of the above do you think applies to us?
I'll give you a hint, it's the simplest and probably least exciting option.

That's right. Tonight, after 9 whole stinking months, Dev and I went back to the Pottery Place and finished the set of 4 coasters (which we started as a date idea for my birthday--and you can read about it here). And truth be told, we only pushed ourselves to go tonight, because I found a 20% off coupon that would expire if we waited any longer.

It may not be a huge accomplishment, and not nearly as rewarding as creating new life or making the streets safe for the healthy earth conscious folks, but I am thrilled to have it done.

Now, I am anxiously awaiting their kiln to fill so they can fire up our goods. Which really doesn't take long, they said I could have my new coasters within a week. And considering I could patiently put the coasters out of my mind for 3/4ths of a year, I think I will manage the anticipation.

**Update!!!

We picked up the final product yesterday. THEY LOOK FABULOUS! Can't wait to make more.

I am Published!!!

2010-10-07T18:32:00.005-04:00

After 3 years of grad school, 2 months in Brazil, and a good dozen drafts/rewrites I had a manuscript ready to submit. We decided Malaria Journal would be a good place to make my debut, with a good distribution, relevance and a large audience, so back in April we submitted my manuscript.

I waited months and months without word, and started getting worried... wondering if there was something wrong with my work, my data or my conjectures. When I arrived back from Brazil in September I got the acceptance letter I was waiting for, and a very heartfelt apology for the extended time it took them because they had trouble finding people in my field to review the article (which I was not expecting). I also wasn't expecting all the good feedback.

While the revisions they wanted were minor (Fig. to Figure type formattings) other advances in other projects had me re-evaluate a few key points in my conclusions. So I changed it up a bit, to lead in a little better to the next paper and sent it back. At this point we played tag, where MJ editors asked if this was the final proof of my manuscript, and I said yes, and they asked if I would confirm that it was perfect and I said yes, and they double checked and I said YES; and they triple checked and I said YES! Then we waited while the grant paid... Dont even get me started on that backwards rational--people who write fictional stories and get published get paid to do it, scientists working on real life changing things have to pay to get their papers published--it doesn't make sense!

Anyway, after the payment was sent... I checked everyday, often more times a day than a persons sanity could stand, waiting for the moment I would see my manuscript read like a bold headline. Nothing. UGH, it was torture. Then today, I get an email from my boss, who says that they emailed her yet again to ask if it was ALL SET, she said YES. At this point I had to laugh, it was like a good Rapps Hawaii sketch:
Rapps: "You sure"
Hotel guest: "yes" (in response to passing on the pickled pigs feet)
Rapps: "You sure you sure"
Guest: "yes"

But low and behold, this afternoon I got an email from my buddy Marta (who ironically was the first to notice it was up--and is in the middle of a field collection in the jungles of Peru) shoots me an email saying "I SAW IT!!!" So I jumped right on to their website, and there it is, bold and beautifully looking like their #1 scoop:

Within a few days, they will finish all the formatting for the actual journal and then put a new pdf version up online with the standard "newspaper double column look" which will kind of finalize it all for me. I think that will seal it in my reality for me. But either way, even now, I am on cloud 9. I am officially published. I am googleable for something noteworthy and intellectually stimulating. And as weird as it may sound, I feel older and wiser. LOL.

While I am sure we will celebrate in our own special way (perhaps go out for sushi), tonight we are taking it easy at home. But, given the festivities going on in my ego, I did pick up a few party favors: fixings for Hard Creamsicles!!!!

Exploring

2010-09-27T15:00:00.001-04:00

Sunday was a girls day out - Brian was at a Red Sox Game and Dev was enjoying some insurgency game play. Me and the girlfriends met up with Sara, little miss Violet and Sage and took a 1.5 hour hike.

It was AWESOME. Sara and I got to chit chat, I got my baby fix (so did Ceri after licking her feet), Violet stared wide eyed at the world - soaking it all up, and the dogs romped over brush, meandered under bridges and splashed through shallow pools.

It was a pretty relaxing afternoon, quiet and serene up in the cool mountains. There was a brief moment of excitement when we came across two trail blazing joggers, which spooked Ceri. She had been up a head with the big dogs, but when these joggers came upon them, rather that getting pet like Sage or Vida, she BOLTED. She ran away from them, right past Sara and I... and kept running.

Her expression was one of sheer terror, I don't know what she thought she could have done to deserve being hunted by total strangers, but she wasn't sticking around to plead her case... and apparently didn't trust my protection skills either. I had to jog back after her, and ahead of the still jogging joggers, calling out all the while that it was OK, and that mommy was here and she could come out.

You may roll your eyes or laugh that I talk to my dogs, or that we use Momma and Daddy with them, but they KNOW those words. And sure enough, she heard me say "mommy" and a furry little head stuck up out of a big thicket just off the trail. She peered out from her hiding place, checked the see the coast was clear and then trotted up to me like it was no big deal. I held her in my arms, praised her for being good and coming when called, then smothered her with kisses because I had worried for her. This kept her pretty calm while the joggers passed us by, although she still eyed them suspiciously.

Once they were around the bend, she was back to her "fearless" self and back up in front with the big dogs, romping and playing like nothing had ever happened.

Balloon Festival or Bust...

2010-09-26T21:30:00.000-04:00

Well it was a BUST.

Last Spring, while on the Train to John Hopkins University to present my research I checked out the NY events magazine and read about a hot air balloon festival and knew instantly that I would be attending. I was so gun-ho (local Kauaiian chinese term for "into it") about going that I even made a note about the balloon festival in my cell-phone; the small pocket sized life line I am never without.

So when the weekend of the festival finally came, I was ecstatic. We planned out our day, so we could take the bugs for a walk and not feel guilty about putting them in the kennel while we took an hours drive up north and then some. We left early, thinking we might hit traffic, and killing a few hours before the launch wouldn't be so bad as there were sure to be vendors and live entertainment.

Well low and behold, the drive was quick and painless, there was absolutely no traffic... until we were 1.3 miles from the event. Then, while we waited in the left turn only lane... we got shafted.

Everybody who was anybody, drove right up along side the "thru traffic" only lane, and then right at the front of the turn lane, cut in. We sat in the same spot FOR TWO HOURS, while everyone rudely snuck right past. There wasn't much anyone could do at this point, except let these pushy people go... otherwise there would have been a whole lot of accidents to report. It was frustrating, we planned, we left early and here we were getting scooped by last minute party-goers.

It became agonizing, when the 5-o-clock launch time, came and went... and we were still 0.9 miles away. I was bummed, I had never seen a hot air balloon in person before, I had excitedly planned the glorious photos I would take, I felt awful about leaving the bugs for nothing, and irritated that we made this long drive out here and had nothing to show for it. Dev tried to keep my spirits up, saying that we would see the balloons up on the horizon and still get to experience the event, albeit from our car -at least then we could pick the soundtrack. But we continued to press our luck and inch our way to the event field.

We didn't see any balloons. We passed a few professional photographers on the road, who were all camped out with their gear and watching the horizon, with perfectly framed shots of the foliage and sunset skyline. We asked if the balloons had launched, they said no.

"Hmmm.. running behind schedule, ok, there's still a chance."

We FINALLY make it to the parking lot, we pay $5, and got primo parking, we jump outta the car and see a few balloons still filling up, and start making our way to the main entrance. No sooner do we cross the road, do hoards of people exit. Afternoon balloon launch was canceled due to high winds. UGH.

We still went in, it was a free event, and we DID pay for parking. We decided to make the most of it, by utilizing the port-a-potty, snapping a picture of a half deflated balloon, another of them folding up said balloon, and one of a souvenir hot air balloon wind chime (because at least that one was fully expanded).

In under 30 mins, we were back in the car... oh and you guessed it, back in traffic. We finally made it home 6 hours after start time, Dev hung out with the guys downstairs for a much needed beer, and I enjoyed many a game of keep away with my buggies. We had almost recovered from our seemingly pointless expedition (whose only true redeeming quality was that Dev and I had a blast reading to each other and chatting in the car) until I jumped on facebook and saw a handful of friends recently uploaded pictures of their experience at the Hot Air Balloon show that morning.

Next year, we are going to the 5am launch.

Family Photos

2010-09-19T22:48:00.006-04:00

While we were down in Asheville, Dev's mom arranged for us to take some family shots.

We met Jerry Nelson, and instantly dug his laid back-one with nature vibe. And while his name is J Nelson, he was tapping into some serious J Garcia; he was groovy. Jerry is a nomadic photographer, he literally does not have a home and travels state to state, job to job on a whim. Some of his jobs are high profile and high paying (Newsweek, USA Today) and others are tokens of his appreciation (headshots for a pack of cigs).

He was one cool cat. If you are a photo-hobbyist like myself, or a full-fledged photographer and your interested in checking out his body of work, you might want to glance at Journey America. There is nothing I find more inspiring than checking out another photographers portfolio. There is no better way to get tips! Besides, I need all the help I can get if I am ever going to bring my (pipe)dream of being a photographer for National Geographic to fruition. Heck, if a single photo was published by them I'd consider it a win! Seriously, as a biologist who loves to travel, could you think of ANY better job????

Anyway, that is a long road, and most likely in the opposite direction of where I am headed seeing as I have little to NO experience actually taking photos other than for myself. So back to my point:

We posed, we pretended to be candid, we ended up having such a good time that we really did forget the camera was right there. We got couples shots of Dev and I as well as Sheila and Randy. There were momma and her boys shots. Three brother shots. Us and our furry kiddos. And of course a few of the whole gang. It was good times.

I already turned my favorites into "scrapbooked" pages.

Field Collectors Log 4

2010-09-02T16:52:00.005-04:00

This last week was perhaps the most unsettling for a couple of reasons, I shall try to catch you up to speed.

On the final corral night in Jacunda we arrived to find one cow laying on its side, near death. This in itself might not have called for a cancellation, but when we turned the corner, there were 4 others, laying in the mud in a puddle of their excrement. They were sick, they were dying, and we did not want to pick up anything or worse spread something to another farm. The owners insisted that they were just tired from a long travel, but unless they WALKED the entire trip from the south themselves... there was no way those cows were dying from exhaustion. Which made me glad to be a vegetarian, because I worry that they might have sold the meat afterwards. UMMMMMMMMM..... yeah.

Then, on the first day of larval collections in Maraba, I was thoroughly creeped out. As usual, we got permission from the owner, and hiked into a valley, and starting dipping in the middle of no where. As we collected I started getting the sensation that someone was watching me... so I turn around and there's this guy standing in the woods, with a burlap bag staring at me. He must move like a ninja, because neither Fredy nor I heard him come across us. I tried to be friendly, said Hi. He didn't respond and just kept watching. So, not wanting to be "nervous", but wanting him to know I wasn't alone, I called out "Fredy, 15 minutes more". Fredy came out from behind the thicket he was collecting from and tried to explain to the guy what we were doing and inquire a little about him. He didn't say much, except that he didn't live on this farm, didn't work on this farm... so what they heck was he doing on their land??? He left before we could ask him... but he didn't go far, he circled around and took up another post behind some bushes, where he continued to watch me. Yes... thoroughly creeped out. There was a brief moment when I thought "screw protocol lets get out of here" but with Fredy nearby and me thinking "I could take him" I figured we could finish those few minutes and then be on our way...

I did however, write a poem about the event. I mention this because my boss happens to be a published poet, and while I read late at night between collections she sits and gets inspiration from the jungle and writes Haikus. I had tried to summon my muse in several previous localities to no end... but the heebie jeebies makes for decent subject matter if not so good in actual poetic quality. So here it is:

Watching every move
My fan remains unnoticed
A fly on the wall.

After that we collected 2 nights in a row at a pig farm, which in itself was fine. Except at feeding time, pigs make the most horrific noises you could ever imagine. They were more like sharks than any land mammal, the unearthly squeals sounded as if they were being eaten alive.. or chewing on razer blades. It was loud, it was disturbing and it conjured every memory and gory detail of the Silence of the Lambs pig murder which again, made me glad to be a vegetarian and those visuals kept me awake most of the night in my hammock, even though I had long since drowned out the sound with my ipod.

On a happy note... overall this trip was much more successful and smoother than the last one... even with all the plane delays and cancellations. We got a good 400 more adult mosquitoes than last year, and I got 6x more larvae. Which means I will be busy busy busy when I get back. To celebrate, on my last day in Maraba I went and got another mani/pedi. LOL. This time I got Blue and Silver polish--going all out!

Fredy and I also took some time to go to the zoological center and check out the wildlife. Here we saw an Onca, one that was just recently collected from Tucurui... Yes that's right, the place we were just at not tooo long ago. And while, he looks OH SO CUTE in this photograph, we learned that every other day he ingests a whole cow. After just a few moments of watching him silently flaunt his agility and speed, we were glad that we saw him AFTER the collection ended.

We also checked out other big cats, and a variety of monkeys and birds. Of course I have to laugh at the fact that I was more afraid for the Iquanas walking around the park freely than of the wild and free monkeys who are apparently quite aggressive (so our guide had a stick to beat them off--although that circumstance didn't arise) and of the Puma who was growling at my attempts to photograph his majesty.

On a final note -- this is my last "On location" type post. I am happy to report that I am back in Belem, and we be leaving Saturday for the States... as long as Hurricane Earl doesn't mess up traffic control in Georgia, I will be back on Sunday!

Field Collectors Log 3

2010-08-27T10:45:00.004-04:00

Another update, the collection continues to be going well. We have been lucky thus far, with pretty plushy hotels, and for the most part, good locations (with bathroom access) for the overnight collections AND we have been getting decent numbers of mosquitoes and larvae. An all around win.

Still, I am happy to be able to update you with a few highlights from my more rugged experiences: This may be too much information for you, but it may just be THE event in my book that sums up field collection to a T:

You know the collection has really started when you find yourself waking up at 4 in the morning needing to pee. Stumbling through shrubbery, hoping to avoid any lizards and snakes, and popping a squat out in the woods. There is nothing more nerve racking that peeing out in the wilderness. For one, you hope no humans stumble upon you in your moment of weakness, and more importantly you hope no dangerous animals come by while your pants are around your ankles. Needless to say, I did my business and was back in my hammock before anything eventful happened.

Now just because I got to pee in peace doesn't mean we've been avoiding nature. We've camped out in plenty of places that have had the lions and tigers and bears of Brazil-- snakes, gators and jaguars. And while up until now it's been filled mostly with tarantulas and a geckos, local wildlife has picked up-- Iquana sightings, wild parrots and ponds full of little Jacare (Cayman). I've gotten a few pictures, although from a distance. These guys may make a big tell-tale splash, but they are a lot smaller than those we saw in the zoo last year, so they tend to be more afraid of us.

I befriended a baby boar. Who followed me around as Fredy and I scoped out larval pools. He was TOO CUTE, seriously about the size of a small chihuahua, and let me pet him. I also make it a point to befriend each and every dog I come across on the farms. Mostly this is because I just happen to really like dogs, and am fairly certain my animal spirit is a majestic wolf. But, I will admit the added bonus of having friends to protect me in case an onca shows up (jaguar) has it's appeal too.

Speaking of Onca's... I sort of, kind of, if you squint really hard and imagine it's so... saw one.

OK Ok. It's a cat, but this cat definitely has the markings of a Pintara (leopard) and given the motion blur, I am going to record this in the books as a baby onca sighting. It's my memory, I can do what I like. LOL.

Aside from that, I have completed reading both books I brought with me (1200 pages combined)... next time I need to bring 3. I also watched all my podcasts and 3 DVD's worth of episodes of Charmed (re-watching the series, am now on season 5). I still have a few films on my Ipod, and a handful of scientific articles to go through as well.

However, if I could guage my state of "readiness" to go home based on the dwindling pile of entertaining escapes... forget for a moment the almost permenant crick in my neck, the growing state of weariness and my immense missing of my family... I'd say, I am just about excited to be on the final leg of the trip. As much as I enjoy field work and Brazil in general... there is no place like home.

HOORAY for only 9 days to go!!!

Field Collectors Log 2

2010-08-20T08:51:00.009-04:00

It wasn't until after we left the first location, Moju, that we learned that the name is derived for the Portuguese words for River of the Cobra. Apparently it is quite the haven for snakes. Guess we got lucky. Not that I am afraid of snakes-- ok, well there is a little fear there, but it's more respect for them as a hunter and adversary-- not irrational misplaced fear that makes my skin crawl as in the case of lizards. But after hearing a tale spun by Eduardo (Buffalo farm owner) about the 30 foot Anaconda that looked at him and for all intents and purposes challenged him to a dual-- Which he killed by running over it 2x, shooting it in the head, lasso-ing it from afar, dragging it home from the back of the car and then slept in the car for good measure just to make sure the bugger would still be dead in the morning... I consider myself very lucky indeed.

The drive to our next destination was LONG (3 hours plus) and this seemed to drag on all the more when our cars air conditioning died out. Lucky for us, just like God provided the Israelites with manna on their journey, we too got sustenance (Tangerines- this is Brazil after all) from the sky (or a speeding truck on its way to the juicer). God is not without a sense of humor though, those tangerines were TART, for that matter I bet the manna was stale. But it was still a highlight in our trek south.

The next location, Goianesia, was a very small town. So small that we could walk the whole thing in an hour or so. Collections here were so so. We'd get tons, but of the species we don't really want. Still I wouldn't consider it a total loss. Besides we had a pool, which meant that I got a few quick half hour dips to unwind and escape the heat in. Right now I am sporting a killer tan, and if one were to gauge my work ethic by the tan lines they would think it non existent, but I swear-- I DID work.

An interesting story here, although minor in retrospect, is about the cars that drive by with giant speakers strapped to their backs. It's a job, they are the local broadcasting service for any public service announcements. Of course most of the time they are sporting WAY TO LOUD music. But on this one occasion, there was real news being updated and given that my Portuguese is of questionable skill, I was quite concerned when I heard a list of the following countries: United States, Honduras, Angola, Canada, Columbia, Nicaragua, Argentina, Venezuela... Wait??? What's going on???? So I ask Fredy, who says there are massive black outs here. And I'm thinking WHAT in the HECK is going on in the world if half the countries are losing power. Then, Izis, our resident Brazilian, calmly explains while holding back a fit of laughter that those are street names. And this town -- just this town -- will be having its power shut off later today. OH.

But now I am in Tucurui, which is a highly populated city that is slightly more expensive due to the giant hydroelectric dam. No pool this time, but I have internet in my hotel room. WOO HOO!!! This location is the halfway mark of the trip. We are still trucking along quite well.

Often in the most rural--and beautiful of locations:

Ironically, I had some free time and pampered myself with another mani/pedi. I have to laugh that 2 of the 3 times I have ever splurged and gotten it done professionally it has been done while out in the boonies, hours before mosquito collections. I was missing Marta especially today. And this time I was a little mroe adventurous and got candy apple red on my toes. :P

Field Collectors Log

2010-08-18T21:08:00.006-04:00

I am happily writing you to tell you that after spending 12 hours in the Sao Paulo airport, I was able to catch my (re)scheduled flight at 9:30 and arrive in Belem (my final destination) at a very early 1:30am. Marinete and her husband Pedro met me at the airport and transported me to their home. They are our Brazilian collaborators and long time friends of Jan.

After a few hours of sleep and a hearty breakfast, Jan and I were off to run errands in town. This meant getting new passport photos done since I forgot my spares at home ($5 and 15 mins), xeroxing all the used pages in my passport ($2 and 5 mins), getting these copies notarized ($83 and 5 mins) and presenting these photos and copies to the Federal Police department so that I can be registered with them for security sake ($200 and 2 hours). What an ordeal. **Quick note, those amounts are in Brazilian Reais, so the total is actually divisible by 2. Still It is a lot of money for something that the consulate assured me I didn't really need to do, because my stay here is less than 30 days. Better safe than sorry tho eh?

Either way after one day in the city, we were wrapped up and on the way to the first locality. 120Km away, was the small rural town of Moju and a GIANT buffalo farm. We spent the last 4/5 days out in isolation, away from all people and civilization with the buffalo and mosquitoes. No exciting stories as of yet- I haven't been shot at, no Jacare (crocodile) sightings yet and no close encounters with snakes. I did see 2 giant tarantulas, one of them had pink feet—which was very cute, although those words do not come to mind when thinking to describe large and poisonous spiders. LOL.

This collection is already 1000 times better than last years. Our first location was a real hit. I got hundreds of mosquito larvae, and a feeling quite hopeful about the species composition—I am very excited to bring these buggers back to the states and work on them in the fall. Adult collections have been going well, although we get high numbers we are mostly getting species that we are only secondarily interested in. But I think we still have enough of our main guys “the albitarsis complex” to keep everyone happily working for a year. :) Good news.

Aside from the collections, I have been happily eating a variety of fish and beans. Enjoying long morning walks around the farm in the company of both people and buffalo, afternoon naps in my hammock and long stretches of breaks between mosquito identifications where I get to read my book as I lounge in the hammock. Seems like easy living, no?

Well the vote is still out on that front. Mostly it's pretty leisurely, but then there's the early morning wake up to collect larvae from 6-8, the tedious microscopic examination of all larvae and adult mosquitoes, corral collections (which means dodging nervous cows and hungry lizards to collect a few precious mosquitoes) and then of course the 12 hour collection traps, which we rotate 3 hour shifts.

All in all, things are good so far. I am well, and have less than 20 bug bites. Which is progress considering last year. It's hot, but I think I was better prepared for it this year since Albany was equally unbearable before I left. I have been trying to go for daily walks, stretch and maintain a healthy and “normal” routine while here. Last year I lost 6 pounds (of sweat I presume), and feel as if I toned down. I weighed 58 kilograms upon arrival... with clothes on. So we shall see.

A Letter to the Insects

2010-08-08T16:21:00.001-04:00

Dear giant bugs,

I was here last year, you know the one with the sweet tasting blood that you guys mobbed and left scabbed and scarred. I can't imagine you forgetting me the way you pounced like Yogi on a picnic basket.

You do remember, great.

So here's the deal. I am in transit right now, in less than 24 hours I will be leaving the comfort of the airport terminal, the air-conditioning and the city for the swampy, rainforest-y and rural wilderness that you inhabit. In this down time, I'd like to arrange a little treaty if you will. Yes, I am well aware of the fact that I have come to Brazil to trap/collect you're women and children, desiccate them and ship them oversees where you will never see them again, and that's a hard scenario to compromise with. In my defense, you're women are bloodsucking fiends who spread disease.

I'm thinking, you guys can come around the camp site, and let me catch you BEFORE you feast on my flesh... and if you would, spread word to the non-mosquitoes, to stay away. I don't want them tasting me either. What's in it for you? Funny you should ask. How about infamy, and the promise that your lives will contribute to something magnificent, the bettering of public health. Which could save countless lives, not to mention you'd be helping to put a very dedicated girl through grad school. That's the kind of gift that keeps on giving.

So what do you say???
No.
I figured. But you can't blame me for trying. So, I guess this means you do your thing and I'll do mine. Bring it on buggers, but I will warn you, if I come back home with tons of new scars, my husband will come down here and DEET you ALL!!!!

Murphy: the anti-saint of travelers

2010-08-08T10:45:00.004-04:00

The old saying "if something can go wrong, it will go wrong" applies ten fold to international travel. I was packed, ready to go, and for the most part - more excited than nervous or sad to be heading off to Brazil for another collection.

The early morning automated phone call from Delta that woke my parents at 2am to inform them that my flight had been delayed should have been ominous, but being rather chipper I passed this off as merely efficient. Even though the flight was delayed 3 hours, I still had to check in at the 10am time; "just in case" they told me.

This in itself wasn't too bad. Originally I was to have a 6 hour layover in Atlanta, which does not have free wifi; but Albany does. So the hours ticked off pretty quickly while I streamed Veronica Mars episodes and chatted off and on with Mom, Dad, Akira, and mostly Dev.

Got into Atlanta fine, except for the startling voice-mail by my friend and collaborator Fredy who was suppose to meet me in Atlanta to continue on our way together. He regrets to inform me that he was unable to make the flight, and would be flying out the next day. To put it briefly; I was on my own.

Now, I am not particularly fond of traveling by myself as it is. Put in the fact that I know a restrictive 20 words in Portuguese, I was feeling like a little fish out of water. Add to that the fact that my flight out of Atlanta was overbooked, delayed and slowed by gulf streams and you got a right mess. I arrived in Sao Paulo resigned to the fact that I was bound to miss my connecting flight to Belem.

I held it together though. I made my way through the 2 hour customs line, claimed my baggage and meandered my way to the check in desk and got the next available flight--a totally late and inconvenient arrival at 12:45am the next day.

Now, I am camped out near a trash can, next to the only outlet in sight. I purchased 24 hours of internet so I could inform the boss that I would not be there at my original 2:30 arrival time. As unfortunate as travel woes go, it could be worse. Apparently flights from Buenos Aires were "meteor delayed" whatever that means-- myself I am picturing Armageddon over Argentina.

Busy Body

2010-08-04T17:28:00.000-04:00

Being "Single" is pretty motivating as far as the "getting stuff done front". Mostly, this is because I dread going home to my way-to-quiet-home that is seriously lacking in charm without Dev and the bugs.

My day:

Woke up at 5:45am; before my alarm clock I might add.
Skateboarded the mile to Pam's house; carpooled to work.
Did some personal accounting:
- Hounded people in accounting to pay me the $500 they withheld from my Spain reimbursement because they claim the workshop said "meals included", to which I clarified by meals they meant lunch, sans breakfast and dinner which is what I wanted the money for.
- Hounded people at All-State, still missing the $250 reimbursement for the rental car I needed as a result of their client's failure to stop.
- Neither party answered/responded to the email.
Did some financial planning:
- Called to cancel that free credit report plan that the bank offered.
- They talked me into waiting to cancel until after I saw the credit report.
- Inquired as to an online means to view said report.
- Called them back and promptly canceled, well within the free 30 days.
- Applauded myself for having a pretty impeccable score and actually getting it canceled.
Compiled a travel voucher for accounting, hoping to get the NYC travels reimbursement filed before leaving for Brazil so it will be available when I return. (Otherwise I have to wait until October--the turn around sucks).
- To be honest, I am not holding my breathe.
Skateboarded to the Post Office and put a hold on our mail for the next month.
Skateboarded to the bank to square away checks, currency exchange and billing while I am out of town.
Paid rent.
Cleaned house up a touch more, since friends will be staying while we are gone. (Trying to be a good hostess at McKeon B&B).
Packed some reading materials for the Train ride to NYC.
Updated my podcasts as backup.
Watched some Veronica Mars.
Called loving husband between tasks because I miss him so.