european holiday

We went on a spring European holiday in conjunction with J presenting a paper at Oxford. The overpriced food and underinflated dollar made up for the nearly free accomodations and J's travel completely covered. Another idea hatched when I felt a little heardier on the travel front, but I pushed my pregnant tired just a bit to see new things in Oxford and London. J traveled a bit earlier to Oxford to attend the bulk of his conference (and give his presentation) and to give me time to finish out a big admission event at work. I love traveling with J, so I couldn't wait to get near his comfy shoulder nook. I was on an overnight flight on my own to London and then I took a coach to Oxford getting in late afternoon. I had just enough time for a nap before J came back to wisk me off to dinner with tired eyes.

These tired eyes widened when they took us in to eat dinner in the room adjacent to where Harry Potter ate his meals in the films and things fly around the room. Believe it or not I didn't have my camera with me, so I will post some from our friends hopefully. This room is part of Christ Church (one of the many colleges at Oxford) and they actually still use it for most meals. There was a meal set up and ketchup on the tables so even though it had fancy portraits, huge working fireplaces, and a vaulted ceiling, it seemed very mundane. Before dinner we had drinks (I had yummy flavored water wine for the "preggers bunch" as the funny guy put it) in the Buttery where there are vintage rowing oars and plenty of evidence of other folks getting buttered there. The dinner was served in authentic Oxford fashion starting with an empty plate that they spoon the food on to in front of you. I had the obligatory conversation with some academic that didn't quite figure out who I was, but wanted to know what I thought about VA Tech and Hillary Clinton. I tried to avoid getting too political with the economists and political scientists, because in general they know too much. It's hard to believe that some people live in this atmosphere everyday. Even the trip to the restroom felt like I was entering a dungeon where JK Rowling was hiding in the corner writing her next book.

I spent the next beautiful day (J's last conference day) wandering around Oxford by myself. It was the perfect day. Just me and my camera wandering around the campus and the botanical gardens. I was obsessed with watching people race around this calm little canal in these paddle boats. I had lunch of egg mayonaise which they kept asking if I wanted on buttered bread (uh no)... yum one of my favorite egg salads ever with a touch of tandori or something. My camera feasted and my feet where tired from carrying me for miles all day. By the time I made it to Thai dinner with J's crew I was deliriously smiley. It was so rare to have time completely to myself with just me. I was refreshed and the vacation had barely started.

The next morning J and I headed to London to see everything in the best in three days recommendations in our book in less than a day. We had unknowingly come the weekend of the London marathon so we were in good company with many other wanderers. We came out of the Tube right under Big Ben, wandered down towards the Parliament, by Westminster Abbey, by the London Eye, and past St James park. We searched out yummy chocolate ice cream near Buckingham Palace. We then hopped back on the Tube and went to see St Pauls, across the Millenium bridge, past Shakespeare's Globe theater, all the way down to cross the Tower Bridge, and then we peaked over the wall of the London Tower. It was a full day that ended with a quick jaunt around Piccadilly Circus which is a weak attempt to imitate Times Square if that is really what they are attempting.

Throughout the rest of our visit we visited Kensington Palace, Diana's garden, Notting Hill, Chelsea, the National Gallery, and the Tate Modern. We also caught the London version of the Blue Man Group for half price (I was shocked that it was virtually the same as the Boston version. They had only one act that was completely different. It was interesting to see it in a different theater with a much more reserved crowd). It was a very full trip and my camera was nearly full. Here are some snapshots...

fron London...







In Oxford...





Our hotel in Oxford, the Cogswold Lodge:

I will post more on flickr and try to get these to stay vertical sometime soon...

is philosophy bullsh!t?

That is the actual title from Professor J. Brennan's "conversation" with the Janus Forum this past Thursday. The actual topic is philosophical dissensus, essentially if we always disagree about the truth and that is what we strive to determine will we ever? or is it all crap? The discussion series is billed as "an engaging conversation about important ideas and issues shaping the world today". The bullsh!t complete with explanation point was part of the quarter page table flyers passed out at the Ratty (which is the endearing name of the meal hall here). J wasn't sure if he was embarrassed or amused by the title, but that was what he planned to talk about. The answer is no, obiviously, but I did attend to be sure that they wouldn't break him down. I also attended in a mild guilt complex stemming from the fact that I still haven't read all of J's dissertation. Bad wife, I know. I don't remember him reading my comp questions from my masters degree... but I still am guilty. I was proud of him, and felt engaged even in my tired delirium. He's a convincing bullshit buster - that's why I married him.

first egg hunt

I have vivid memories of easter egg hunts. Most of the time we were searching for eggs with our first initial on them as quickly as possible. I realized that it takes effort to find cool little doodads that will fit into a tiny plastic egg, especially for two and three year olds. We were going to meet up with our Romanian friends to introduce their little three year old, Luca, to how the easter bunny leaves eggs. He didn't quite get it at first, but he eventually caught on to picking the eggs out of the bushes and from behind trees. He bounced around the yard screaming eggs and then some combination of adorable gibberish in english and romanian. He was excited when we went back inside to discover that there were toy trucks, froggies, candies, and stickers inside the eggs. He kept handing off the eggs saying that they were stuck. I thought it couldn't get any cuter, but then we repeated the hunt with my two year old niece the next day. Kayley was an expert egg hunter and you can see her stomping around J's grandma's house at this link.
She's planning where to look for more eggs:

father daughter celtics game

I had a photo gig to meet up with a group of girls and their dads at this local RI chain restaurant to get their photos before they head out to a Celtics game in a hummer limo. It was nearly impossible to catch real candid moments because the girls were fixing their hair or their darty eyes were meeting the camera. I guess when you're in 8th grade you have more camera awareness. It was fish night at the crowded restaurant, so they got more than their share of attention. I'm still hoping that my RI network will expand. This is the perfect type of group for that, but we'll see.

our babies' first home is outfitted!

We've outfitted a whole house! We needed some major pieces to fill our two living room areas, our dining room, and our baby room. We ended up with a sleeper sofa with sleek lines in a cranberry soft fabric, a matching sofa and loveseat with removable pillows and sleek arms that get narrow toward the ends, and a dining table that expands with clean line slats on the chairs. I got a very simple crib that is actual wood with a matching dresser changing table. My favorite purchase of all was a glider swivel chair that looks like an actual chair (not just a rocker with exposed parts). It has a gliding ottoman too! J's favorite part was a new huge leather chair with a gigantic ottoman. I made sure it wasn't too puffy and had at least a little bit of a tailored look. I got to pick out the fabric on everything... I love ordering adult furniture since last time we just got generic stuff. The special orders will have perfect timing and will be delivered right when we move in at the end of May.
Here's the sleeper sofa (ours will be in cranberry) and the crib (The others don't show up on their website and I can't get the photos off my cameraphone):


Can't wait to get in to the new place to nest. I've already started collecting boxes ;)

april fools?

Visit this link.

taste in furniture

We will be in our new house on or before May 29th assuming everything goes well with the inspection on Wednesday. We locked in our amazing mortgage rate and we are fully approved already. I can't wait to nest in again to my own place. I day dream about colors on the wall and furniture arrangements. We went up to Ikea and Jordan's in furniture central up in Mass yesterday to check out the pickins. It was really hard to find things we like. J found a set almost identical to our old furniture and he was ready to buy it again. This is a guy that buys the same pair of sketchers shoes over and over again. If it works, it works is his attitude. I'm ready for a change. I can't get over how many couches are white, which just seems like a bad idea. Most of Ikea's couches must have stuffing made from not-so-recycled wood chips because they are rough. You crash into them expecting cushy and you get crunchy. The Jordan's Colossal Clearance Center had hundreds of options for people with bad taste. We'd get such a great deal if we had bad taste, really it's a shame.