Chicago has a song called "Saturday in the Park" and today was like that, except Sunday. I was in the park playing frisbee and Jenelle was practicing SLRing.
Back on Fresh Meadow we had panini for dinner and scoped out Beetlejuice on the tube; it's a pop culture reference point that I had been missing and a childhood memory Jenelle had been missing, too. The cats curled up, there were adult beverages, and we read and blogged and thumbed through Jenelle's handiwork (see above) until bedtime.
I have a maize and blue toothbrush and this fall is killing me.
Since last time there has been much house work. Dad was here to help with molding: crown molding on the first floor inclusive and cabinet molding in the kitchen. It all looks great now (with a bit more touching-up to do) but that was a lot of work. We learned something on Sunday and got quite a bit of practice Monday evening and by Saturday morning we were cruising. I love this kind of architectural detailing and there's a decided feeling of accomplishment when you do this kind of thing to your house. Media seems quick to dismiss the home as an investment these days, but I am quick to dismiss the idea that this is the case.
The work going on at home put the kibash on all other activities this week. On Saturday morning I ran up to the loft to grab a CD and realized I hadn't been there since Wednesday.
It was just one of those days when I hoped against hope that an ice cream cake would magically appear at about 2:45. None did and I survived - a life lesson, perhaps. Hoops tonight. Jenelle's wrapping her math class and I've spent some time to get the bedroom as clean as its been since moving day in preparation for the arrival of some furniture on the 'morrow. And is if I needed a reminder, pictures have appeared on news sites of snow to the (way) west, signaling that ski season is around the corner.
posted at 7:21 PM - comments
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Dude I was so wrong! Frisbee lives to see another week, even if our standing 'game to three' that often lasts a dozen points or so wound down at roughly seven due to extreme darkness. We ate previously-frozen roasted root vegetable soup and salad for dinner at put the first coat of semi-gloss arctic white paint on the crown molding we lugged home last night from Whitehall. Crown mo(u)lding is going to be a big job, I can see it now, but we're stoked about the way it will look when it's done.
posted at 9:08 PM - comments
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Coal is a big part of PA's history, and where there is coal there are trains. Where trains cross rivers, there are bridges. Where rivers cut wide valleys between big hills, there are big viaducts to carry trains and impress tourists:
We saw three of these massive structures, including the oldest active railroad bridge in the state, historic Starrucca Viaduct in Lanesboro. Perhaps the most amazing this about these enormous structures is the nonchalance with which they are treated; Starrucca is 150 years old and a significant engineering feat because of it, but it's just a bridge in some guy's back yard - literally - in a rural town. It struck us as odd that this structure should be an annoyance for a property owner to mow around, but when history takes the shape of a 110' tall stone tower in your backyard I guess it is a hassle. It wasn't a hassle for us, as we made a day out of it with a rented telephoto lens and a great soup and salad dinner in Clark's Summit.
In other news, trains:coal::Michigan:bad-at-football. I watched part of this online and then caught the rest later on TV. It was sad. It's hard to watch a team struggle so much at the line of scrimmage, and I find myself not looking forward to what might happen after the Penn State game next Saturday or even what might happen tomorrow morning when I have to go to work.
It's been a wild and woolly week at work, at home, on the market, and in general. For that reason I'm glad it's over; we celebrated by cutting and plucking the remaining basil and turning it into frozen tubs of pesto. That's it. Really.
posted at 9:35 PM - comments
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
First frost of fall and first post in awhile. We're listening to the debate - "Gerald Ford died today at the senseless age of 83" - and I'm struggling with the idea of voting for anybody who has absolutely no idea how long one or two minutes lasts.
There was ultimate in the park after work today, even though it's getting dark wicked early and there was a definite crisp in the air during the last few points. This has been a fun weekly thing but I'm not sure how much longer it can last. See you in spring, frisbee sports.
Not a big weekend, except for nights out Friday for First Friday in Bethlehem and dinner and game night with friends from the 'hood. I skated at Rodale for the first time in awhile, watched some depressing football, and read more of what is turning into a pretty good book: The World Without Us.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
