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Notes from our vacation

Points to know:

1) Sid and I are on vacation. I flew to Hartford to meet up with him on July 15, and then we went to Boston for a long weekend of scooter rally-ing at a campground in Saugus. Rather than hang around in the brutal Boston weather, we headed north to New Hampshire and stayed at the Mount Washington Hotel for two nights, and then headed to the coast, staying in Round Pond, Maine, for two more nights, and are now on our fourth of five nights in Bar Harbor. When we leave here, we visit a friend of Sid’s in St. John’s, New Brunswick, then will be in Sackville, NB for several days for a music festival with another friend, then proceed to Halifax to stay with that friend for several more days. Then we head back down to Boston, gather our wits, ship my new scooter back to KC, and Sid’s back home with me until after Labor Day.

2) Sid’s documenting all this in a much more organized fashion at cto.livejournal.com (I forgot how that fancy lj mark-up works).

3) Internet (and cell data access) have been nearly nonexistent for all of this trip.

On to topics of interest.

-Skin-

You all my remember the flawless skin of my youth, the skin that random people would compliment me on and that rated me age estimations 6-8 years younger than my actual age. You may recall that until I was about 25, I didn’t even wash it, as any cleansers would irritate it more than just not bothering. Guys I dated were fixated on how flawless my skin was, smooth and perfect and makeup free, and my girlfriends were always sick with envy.

But that was the past, and the present involves Sid admitting a few days later that his first though upon seeing me at the Hartford airport was “what happened to her skin.” Things were stable for a few days, until I woke up one morning in Round Pond, ME, to discover another seven zits had erupted all over my forehead and chin.

I hadn’t realized until this week how much of my self-worth hinged on having great skin. Seeing the blotches and feeling the achey spots has put me in a real funk all week, and I must mention how embarrassed I am by my appearance to Sid at least three or four times a day. This morning I decided it couldn’t make things worse to take advantage of one of the many spas in town to get a Deep Pore Cleansing Facial, as described on their menu of services.

So I booked an appointment for after breakfast Sunday morning, and walked over to the Bar Harbor Inn’s spa under overcast skies. I was greeted by a hey woman with kinda trashy makeup ready to tuck me into bed.

Now, I’ve had a couple of facials, the most by a dear girl named Amanda who I met last winter. Amanda has a gentle touch and soothing products. This lady had serious abrasives and fingers wielded such that I was sure I was going to return to Sid covered in small bruises. Her various serums hurt, and they stunk, and she rubbed them into my hair with no offer of a shower afterward.

Let’s just hope that the ordeal results in my skin healing up nicely. Otherwise I’ll be better than I spent almost twice as much at the Bar Harbor Inn on an unpleasant and uncomfortable experience rather than trusting my skin would temporarily clear up and then beg Amanda for help upon returning home.

-Whoopie Pies-

So you all know that cupcakes are passe, right? I’d heard rumors first that macaroons, and then whoopee pies, were their heirs apparent, but not seen a lot of movement in either direction … until we reached Bar Harbor. Here, whoopie pies are available in every second storefront and cafe. If you are still wondering, I take this as confirmation of a burgeoning dessert trend.

-Softness of Maine grass-

And what’s the deal with grass in this part of the world? Every lawn and park we’ve visited have sweet, feather-soft grass. Nothing like the parched, scratchy summer grass of Kansas City.

-Sid & his camera-

My husband has a nice camera and nice lenses and loves taking pictures. When we’re on vacation, he takes a ton of vacation photos. This is great because then we have many nice photos preserving many nice vistas and nice memories. This can be a little lame because sometimes it seems that all we’re doing in any location is taking photos. Or he is, I should say, and I’m following him around kind of idly, or poking around on my own while he’s taking pictures somewhere else. This is not a big deal, don’t get me wrong. There are occasional moments where I scratch my butt and wonder why I’m there, but there are plenty of times the camera is back in the backpack and we’re enjoying a hike or a nice walk around town.

-Souvenirs-

I bought something dumb. A tiny plush moose in a tiny raincoat. I probably paid too much for it, but it still wasn’t that much, and it gives me the giggles. I’m a simple woman with simple needs and the moose is really doing it for me right now. Something to distract me from my horrible, horrible skin.

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2010 07 25 katie travel Comments (0) Permalink

Tonight I’m considering pulling the trigger on something that’s a much bigger issue in my mind that it is in practice, and doing so is an admission of defeat and vulnerability but would almost certainly not read as such to anyone else.

Yesterday I received word that I passed the online qualifying test I took for Jeopardy! several months back and have been invited to audition in person in Chicago on August 13! As part of the audition/interview I need to come up with five anecdotes about myself in the manner of the stilted and inevitably lame conversations Alex has with each of the contestants midway through the show.

In the course of considering my options, I’ve mentioned this requirement to several friends, one of whom I’m back in touch with after a ten year lapse and who, to my great surprise, still possesses a deft and keen keen sense of me. Months ago, when in the thick of my final semester, as I moaned about how I’d undoubtedly peaked at 24, no – more likely 17, swiftly reminded me that at 17 I’d been bemoaning my early peak at the age of 13 and wondering where things could possibly go from there.

At any rate, he offered a few ideas, and then suggested that my real obstacle here is that my anecdotes tend to be quite involved, and their punchlines quite subtle. I accused him of being diplomatic and countered that in fact the issue is that particular moments are so grand in my head that I don’t focus on carefully relating them to people – I assume by merely alluding to their existence that my wonder and excitement will be infectious. That, unfortunately, has not proven an effective means of storytelling. He insisted that he was being sincere, and then offered up the opening lines from one of my favorite Silver Jews songs: “Moments can be monuments to you / If your life is interesting and true.”

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2010 07 08 katie daily Comments (0) Permalink

What better way to follow up my work-out by subjecting my achey parts to several hours of yard work. The lawn got mowed and all of the beds are mulched and weeded. I’m not sure if that’s what the trainer meant by “rest day,” but I did decline to pick up a load of stones to deal with another yard project.

After dripping sweat for hours, it may have been smart to rethink the blood donation appointment I’d set up a week earlier. But I did not, and soldiered on. In the past, the technicians who tap my arm marvel at how well-hydrated I am and how quickly I fill the pint bag. Today, it only flowed with great effort and took ages. By the time I left, I was hazy and exhausted and took a long nap before heading out to my bar trivia night.

I went with my urge the other night and wrote a letter or two.

Last night around 11:30 I met my neighbors across the street who had called the cops because some guys were at the apartment building across the street shouting and throwing rocks at my house and setting off fireworks. As clues came together, it seems likely they were throwing rocks at the raccoons that were fucking on the roof. I was glad to know that I have neighbors looking out for me.

Tomorrow, July begins. And I will be gone for 20 of the next 30 days.

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2010 06 30 katie daily Comments (1) Permalink

Today I spent three hours cataloguing regional geological maps at the library, then went to the gym. I decided a few days ago that if Sid is going to be working until October, I have the time and money to work out with a trainer again for awhile to re-establish good habits. Tonight I feel fantastic, with much more energy than I normally have in the evening and eager to go for a short run tomorrow. During my hour session, though, I felt like I was going to pass out on several occasions. It doesn’t appear that I’ve lost an enormous amount of strength (though there’s still plenty of work to do in that respect) but my stamina has certainly decreased over these three lazy months.

Apparently that’s a long time to be lazy.

“Apparently.”

After a shower I went to a local cafe to meet Gayle for a “study date,” quotes because we have both received our respective graduate degrees now, but she forgot so it was a solo study date for me. More year-old New Yorkers. On the way home I bought some flower pots and some supplies to repair a damaged bathroom wall to prepare for relatively cool weather and relatively unscheduled time tomorrow. Dinner was pesto made from the basil growing in a pot on the front porch:

porch pesto

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2010 06 29 katie cooking
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Tonight I am in the mood to write long letters or emails to people I am feeling disconnected from.

What I’ve done instead is alter a ’50s choker that I bought at an antique store a few weeks ago into a longer necklace and started the process to join the bone marrow donor registry.

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2010 06 28 katie daily Comments (0) Permalink

Of late:

Sid was back for the weekend, and we:

* Went to a KC Wizards match which was a real shambles to watch after watching so much of the World Cup recently. I definitely recommend checking out the Wizards in off-years so the comparisons aren’t so fresh.

* We also checked out local craft market taking place on Saturday, and it was pretty much the usual KC suspects. There were also a few new faces/booths who had some nice things, but I wasn’t in the mood to pull the trigger – both because buying things at such markets always feels like a crazy impulse buy (even if it ends up being a wonderful purchase in the long run), but also because I knew Sid wanted to watch the USA v. Ghana match in as close to real time as possible.

* Sid also gave me a lesson in riding a vintage scooter w/ a manual transmission. It went okay. The whole thing was reminiscent of when Ryan and I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider course back in October. Then, as now, I spent the entire first day repeatedly killing the engine when I stopped. At least yesterday I was allowed to say I was ready to stop for the day when I started feeling very flustered by the whole affair and started making even more mistakes. With the course, I was stuck there, making mistakes, until 5. Luckily with the course, after a good night’s sleep, I went back for the second day and had absolutely no problems and in fact did quite well. I hope that my second go with the scooter seems a similar improvement.

* This morning I had my second go at baking vegan “buttermilk” biscuits. Sid thought that my first attempt was better, and they may have been – I believe the real weakness of the first try was that I overworked the dough and ended up with too much flour mixed in, making them a little dense and dry. This second batch actually improved over the course of the day, as I discovered when I snacked on the last one this evening.

* I continue to volunteer at the library where I completed my practicum/internship, still working with maps. This is likely to go on for quite some time.

* I have changed my face wash and tomorrow I change my shampoo, hopefully all for the better, as they are more expensive than what I’ve been using. All were acquired on good advice and so far so good in the case of the former.

* Friday morning I head to Philadelphia, where I meet Sid to visit our friends Nikki and Sean, take part in the Philly scooter rally, and then head down to the Delaware line to visit my great-aunt and -uncle.

* Two weeks later, I fly out east again to join Sid at the Boston scooter rally.

* Following that rally, we’re likely taking a two week vacation up the Maine coast and to visit a friend in Halifax, and otherwise check out the Maritime Provinces.

* This vacation is being truncated somewhat with the news that rather than being finished with work on July 15, Sid may be working in Hartford until October 4. I have mixed feelings about this.

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2010 06 27 katie cooking
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On Monday of my traveling week I went to New Haven. It was a long day alternating stops in cafes for pots of tea with hours of walking the streets of the city and campus, cruising alleys behind doors as it was move-out week, and the impetus for my visit – checking out this small exhibition in the hallway of the Humanities Department:

Invented Bodies: Shapely Constructs of the Early Modern

I saw this print:

And walked by this building:

And ended my run of the town’s cafes at Jojo’s Coffee & Tea:
jojo's coffee & tea

Sid came down to fetch me after work and we had dinner at Claire’s Corner Copia. We then got lost in a hotel lobby trying to get to their underground parking garage, which looked like a place where murders happen. Back to the Residence Inn, then, tuckered out.

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2010 05 19 katie travel Comments (0) Permalink

I commemorated the acquisition of my masters degree by barreling out of town as soon as I finished to visit Sid in Harford, CT, where he’s been working since late March. We expect him to stay there until the end of July. I’ll sum up bits and pieces of all of this soon, starting with this bit:

Wednesday was a quick day trip down to NYC. I got in about 10:30 AM, spent the next hour and a half indulging my inclination toward expensive undergarments. Then Scott met me for lunch and indulged my inclination toward expensive chocolate. We spent some time wandering about in the grey drizzle, locating vegan feta for Sid and food for Scott’s cat.

The evening was spent with Andrew and Molly and sweet, silly 15-month-old Elijah. Being around Molly and Andrew is heartening but isolating. A couple years in and these two are obviously very in love and very grateful to have found each other. I told Eli that he was lucky to have a mama who made him bits of sweet potato in a little maple syrup. Andrew reported that Eli always eats very well, and after a pause continued with a little smile at Molly: “…we all do.” She beamed.

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2010 05 15 katie travel Comments (0) Permalink

done.

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2010 05 06 katie daily Comments (0) Permalink

today i have a book to read, some articles to hunt down and read, and a paper to write. not all of that must be finished today, mind you, but it must be finished tomorrow. it’s the makings of my last paper, my last any kind of assignment, in my masters program. one would think i’d be elated and rushing to get it finished. instead, i’m overwhelmed with anxiety and avoiding it as best i can.

see, i’ve realized in the last few days that i’m terrified of graduating.

the last two years have been filled with almost nonstop work. if i wasn’t actively working on something, i was worrying about and scheduling for the next thing. it provided a great method of avoiding everything else. but in two days, that buffer zone is lost, and everything gets faced with fresh eyes and a new imperative. what will my marriage look like? my house? the stacks of neglected projects? my exercise regimen? my friendships? did i make the right choices? and what choices need to be made next?

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2010 05 05 katie daily Comments (0) Permalink