Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Ugh.

So I don't really like Derby. Growing up we could never really do anything on Derby day because we live so close to the Downs (but not close enough for people to park in our yards and make mad money!). Anyway, this article is just another reason not to like Derby. With people living on one dollar a day or less throughout our world, the C-J wants to glorify this?

Ridiculous. Friggin' ridiculous. I'm not saying that people shouldn't enjoy themselves. But this is beyond excessive. Ice from the arctic? A trip to Milan? Renting two mansions side by side instead of staying at a hotel (and not in the Penthouse suite) like normal people?

One more reason why I don't like Derby. (But I love Louisville, which most people would say my dislike of Derby negates, but there you go.)

Monday, April 28, 2008

Can-u Canoe?

I don't take credit for this blog title. It was the name of a unit at a camp I worked at, and I thought it would be appropriate for this posting. WHO KNEW that canoes were so damn expensive? I need to find some camp or something trying to get rid of some old canoes. Rick lives near several good places to go canoeing, so we thought it might be fun to get one. But they're really expensive, even the low end ones! Who knew? Not me. So if you have a canoe you're looking to get rid of for about 100 bucks, call me. We'll buy it off of you.

In other news, only a week left of school. Woohoo! Technically there's two weeks left but I'm determined to be done by Monday. So I've got a new work schedule figured out to get everything done writing-wise by Friday and take my two exams Monday. Then a couple of days next week with Rick (as well as this weekend) and then Europe for two weeks. Just got to get these papers written.

Still no word about a job. Lame.

And my sister turned 24 yesterday, and my brother graduates from college this weekend. Huzzah!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Dude...come on already

No word on the job front. Still. I'm supposed to hear something this week (hopefully). I'd really like to have this squared away before Europe, but if I don't get either position then I will probably have to wait to look for a job when I get back at the end of May. There's just no way I'll have time before that. Sheesh. Three papers, one bibliography, one short response, and two exams left. And two more classes. Then this semester is done. Woohoo!

Needless to say, I'm ready for summer to get here.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Summer Beer is Here!

I just realized that it's been a week since my last post. My life is so taken over with papers and such that I forget what day it is. Oh well. Anyway, Rick and I had a great weekend this past week. Friday night we went to Imperial, which is only the best Chinese buffet around. And I didn't have to work so I got to his house early, put a chair outside, read my book and drank beer. Huzzah! And then on Saturday while Rick had to work I planted grass seed and washed and waxed my car. I only did one coat of wax, but it made a huge difference. Then it was off to church (for which we were late, but only because I was really dirty from yard work and car washing and Rick washed his car too), but we made it. Then back to the house, grab the cooler, and off to the drive-in! It's one of our favorite past times, both before we met each other and now together. There's no better way to watch a movie than at the drive-in. And there are several near Rick's house. The one we went to was a little bit of a hike (halfway to Providence RI in Mendon) but it was definitely worth it! We saw Horton Hears a Who and Nim's Island. They both were OK. Horton was better than I expected, and I didn't know anything about Nim's island, but it was interesting. In a couple of weeks the drive in near the house opens. Woohoo! Up on the list to see: Harold and Kumar, Prince Caspian, and INDIANA JONES (needless to say I'm excited about that one. Who isn't?). Then yesterday we slept in and then went for an 18.5 mile bike ride. Since we were in Worcester I got to use my new bike again! It's amazing how good it feels to ride that thing. We went out into the countryside some and saw some beautiful places, so that was nice. Then it was back to New Haven.

This is the last week of classes for me. Next week is reading week and then the next week is exams. I still have so much to do, AND start packing up my apartment AND get ready for the Europe trip. It will all get done, it just makes life a little hectic.

Re: the title of this post, summer beer season is here! We have emerged from the heavy dark and spiced beers of the winter into the glorious, golden, cloudy days of the wheat beers of summer. Needless to say, summer is my favorite season. Not because of the beer, but that's an added bonus! Favorites:
Sam Adams Summer: Sam is a staple around here, and while the Boston Lager isn't necessarily my favorite beer of all time, Sam's Summer Ale is pretty amazing. It's cloudy, it's flavorful and doesn't necessarily need the orange or lemon slice with it.
Sam Adams Cherry Wheat: This isn't really a summer seasonal, except for back home. In MA you can get it all year round, but I think it will always have summer associations for me. This is my mom's favorite, and I like it as well. It's pretty fruity though, so if you don't like fruity beers, don't go for this one! But it has a nice full-bodied flavor, unlike some fruit beers I've tried.
Wachusett Summer Ale: This is a local favorite. We live about 30 minutes from the brewery and have a growler, so we go up there on weekends when we can to get it filled. The people there are awesome and they make a great brew. This is an interesting beer. I always thought it was cloudy, but I guess I never paid attention. The one I poured last night was clear, which is weird for a wheat beer. But it has a great flavor, and the lemon is not too overpowering. A definite must-have if you're in a locale where this beer is available.
Blue Moon They've started coming out with beer for all seasons (Full Moon, Harvest Moon, and New Moon I think is the spring) but the regular Blue Moon is still a favorite. And it's the one I can find most consistently on tap when I go places. Great flavor, great color, nice and cloudy, and perfect with an orange.
Goose Island I can't remember the name of their wheat beer, but it's really good. This is a more recent discovery. I think the brewery is in Chicago or somewhere thereabouts, but they make a great beer. Can't get it here in MA, but I like to have it when I'm home. I don't know this one as well as those above, so I can't comment on it much more, but it's good and if you can get it, I suggest you try it. I've also had their lager...but not their IPA (I don't really like IPAs in general, so it's nothing against the company)
Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat I think that's how you spell it. Anyway they're out of the midwest and make a few wheat beers, but the sunset is my favorite. Hard to find in some places, but I've been able to get it in both MA and KY, which makes me think they're expanding. Like Goose Island I haven't had this one too much, but every time I do I enjoy it.
Harpoon UFO I'm putting this on here because it's a local beer and it's not bad. If I had my choice of any of the above I would go for them, or even a Wachusett Blueberry (which I also really like) or a Sea Dog if I can find it. I'm not a huge fan of any of Harpoon's stuff, although their Irish Red isn't bad. The Harpoon Raspberry UFO is also fruity (like the Sam, but Raspberry not Cherry) and is good, but you have to be in the mood for it. The regular UFO is OK too, but again I'd go for a Sam Summer or a Blue Moon any day (which are the two other wheat beers most likely to be on tap up here).

Well, there are some hints on summer beers, if you're interested. Mom, I've already introduced you to most of these, so I'm not sure this will be very helpful for you ; ) But next time you're up here we'll go to Wachusett and Sam Adams and go on some brewery tours. Woohoo!

On another note, I've had another contact rip. These things are supposed to last me twelve months (2 each). I've had them 3 months and have gone through 4. I had one right contact tear but I'm not concerned about that. The left ones have been tearing ridiculously often. There's definitely an issue here, and hopefully I can figure it out. Until then, I'm wearing glasses, which sucks because I don't have any RX sunglasses so I spend every minute outside squinting. Joy.

OK I've procrastinated enough. To the Milton-mobile! (aka a place to read Paradise Regained).

Monday, April 14, 2008

Yo yo.

Howdy. Not much going on here at the moment. Just waiting for Rick to call. We were in Jersey this weekend, and he didn't get home until after midnight, and then had to get up and go to work. I didn't really get to sleep until he called to tell me he was home, but I'm sure he still had a little unpacking to do. We went to spring show and go,which is a VW and Audi show in Jersey. It's fun, and there's always an awesome collection of air-cooled cars there (vans and bugs). Rick didn't show this year, for a few reasons, but it allowed us to get out of there sooner (it was windy and cold, so that was nice).

Things here are starting to wind up/wind down, depending on how you look at it. We only have two weeks of class left, but I still have several papers of varying lengths and two exams. Not to mention getting my apartment packed and moved into storage and getting ready for the Europe trip. I'm getting more and more excited about that but I have so much to get through first that I can't think about it too much or else I get distracted. It's hard to find good travel books for the countries we're visiting, but I'm keeping my eyes opened.

Oh and my sister passed the boards and is now an RN! I'm super proud of her--she got married, had a baby, went to school, and worked all at the same time (relatively) and now she's got herself a license and a job and woohoo for her! Now I just have to get a job...eventually...

Friday, April 11, 2008

Droppin' By

Thought I would just drop by. Things are going ok...school mostly. I've reached my school threshold for the semester...AKA I'm ready for classes to be done. Luckily we only have two weeks left, and then exams, and then Europe, then Westies, and then hopefully a summer job. Other than that...I'm just working on papers. Had a paper due today that I finished on Tuesday. 1 down, 3 to go. And 2 finals. Woowoo. Rick and I are headed to NJ for the weekend to visit his family and go to a car show. It's supposed to rain, but hopefully it won't. Other than that...not really too much other than school work. I had a stomach flu virus last weekend. It was awful. And then Rick got it. And then his roommate picked it up, so it's a powerful bug I guess. But luckily it's not long lasting. I got sunburned yesterday from sitting outside reading at 10:30 in the morning. It's ridiculous. I'm such a pasty white kid. I also emailed a couple of potential PhD professors and both emailed me back with positive input, especially the one at my number one choice, so that was super exciting! My job interview went well today, and I have another one (for a different job) on Tuesday, which I also hope will go well. I should know something by the end of April, either way. And hopefully it will be something positive. I leave for Europe in about a month. The trip looks cooler and cooler the closer we get to it. Hopefully it will be as neat as it sounds. Well, that's about all I have for now. Just school school and more school.
Hope you're enjoying spring.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Update.

I couldn't think of a good title for this posting, so it's just "update."

I'm currently taking a break from reading Paradise Lost. I have to get through 4 more books tonight. Sheesh. It's a lot. I didn't go to my Chaucer seminar today because I needed to finish the research for my exegesis and read for Milton. I finished the research and now I'm working on the Milton. Woowoo. Still haven't written the Chaucer paper. The research is done and ready to go, but I have an exegesis due on Friday that is more pressing, and then I have to get cracking on Milton. Chaucer's deadline got moved to May 12 so I have some time on that one. I guess I'll write it during reading week.

Things have been kind of crazy lately. I found a place to live next year, which is exciting. I'll be living with 3 other women in a house not too far from campus. They're a cool bunch o ladies so that will be fun. And the rent is the cheapest I've ever had in New England. So cool people and the price is right. I also have a job for next year...I'm going to be a Berkeley chapel minister. I won't know what it fully entails until I start doing it, but I'm excited. It should be a good learning experience. I also have an interview for a job on Friday. I'll say more about it once I know if I get it or not. It looks cool, though.

Mom was sick recently, which was a huge bummer. I wish I could have been home. Warren (the priest at St. Luke's) said "well yeah but what are you going to do?" And I said "Be there." Which is a very CPE-esque answer but it's true. Half the time the best thing you can do for someone is just be there...even if they're asleep. But she's doing much better now and went home yesterday! Thanks to everyone here at school that has kept her in their prayers...they really paid off! Then this weekend I got food poisoning/a stomach virus. We went to cracker barrel, got free meals because they messed up our orders (we didn't cause a fuss and didn't even ask to see a manager or get a discount...it was really no biggie) and 10 minutes after we left I was winning the vomit olympics INSIDE RICK'S VAN!!!!! Thank God he loves me so much. He was a real sport about the whole thing, and now the van is cleaner than ever, after he cleaned it out on Saturday. I was a blob that day and pretty much just slept most of the day. Then yesterday we de-winterized our cars and I came back to New Haven. But now Rick is sick, which is why I think it was a virus. I wish I had known that and I would have made him stay 20 feet away from me! But we both thought it was food poisoning. Go figure. I just feel bad because I can't be there to take care of him...I could have driven up there this afternoon, but to be honest gas is just too expensive right now. It's 3.49 a gallon at the station near my apartment. Crazy. But last I talked to him he was feeling better. I'm calling him in a few minutes to check up on him again.

And speaking of Rick, he wrote the sweetest blog post. Just wanted to let you know he's awesome. :)

On a bummer note, I think my external hard drive has crapped out on me. It has all of my pictures on it, as well as my music and documents from college. I'm going to have to take it to a data recovery place and probably have to pay a bajillion dollars. Ew. Makes me feel queasy just thinking about it.

Other than that...I'm just working on papers. I got my new Keens today. They're bright "emerald" (it's really more teal) and super comfy and waterproof. I'm totally wearing them tomorrow. I've been looking for new capris, since mine ripped in June. I have a pair from Penny's, but you can only get them online and I really don't want to pay the shipping on them again (I got a pair with a gift card), and old navy didn't have anything. Wal mart didn't either. I guess maybe I'll check Target and fashion bug next time I'm in Worcester.

This weekend we're off to Jersey for spring show n' go. It's the first show of the season, and there's usually an awesome selection of air-cooled vehicles to look at (they're the older VW's), so that will be fun. I hope it doesn't rain, because that would NOT be fun. But whatever. I'm just ready for Westies, because that means it will be summer! (it's the campout we go to that's a bunch of VW vans camping out. It's awesome!)

Until then, I'm just waiting for the trees to become green. It's really spring at home. It's only kind of here, and even less so in Worcester. Maybe soon we'll hit 60 degrees. One can hope.