I waited over 6 months to post this....

CONGRATULATIONS! To Merrow and C, who got engaged in Switzerland when we were in Europe last fall.

When I met up with them in Annecy, she held up her left hand and blinded me with the rock, then said "You're not allowed to say anything yet."

The happy couple on our last night in Paris. Note that Merrow is totally hiding her left hand in this picture.

There is quite a story behind their engagement, but let's just say it involves: delayed and then cancelled flights, rebooking of both airline and train tickets, multiple international cell phone calls and texts, stress drinking by Merrow, C pulling out the "but I am going to propose, you HAVE to get me there" card, the Swiss Alps, and one "I just repacked my bag, no I do NOT have room to carry anything of yours" eyeroll.

They are getting married in August and I couldn't be happier for them!

(I'm trying to go back and add some more posts about my trip to France before I completely forget all the details.)

In Which the OMG I'm 35 Trip Turns Into the F*#% Yeah I'm 35! Trip

Sunshine in Iceland!

Today was another fantastic day. We wound up getting to bed earlier than originally planned last night - it was cloudy and the Northern Lights tour was cancelled. Made it much easier to get up early this morning!

We had a quick breakfast at our Guesthouse - cereal, fruit salad, homemade bread, cold ham and cheese, and coffee/tea/OJ. Delicious! Then we got picked up for our next tour, Reykjanes Peninsula and the Blue Lagoon.

The Reykjanes Peninsula is at the southwest corner of Iceland. Relatively flat, mostly covered with ancient lava fields, and very few houses or settlements. We saw a few "villages", some of which consisted of about 8 farmhouses. Very desolate area, even though I know this is one of the more populated parts of Iceland as it's less than an hour drive from Reykjavik. It was overcast when we started out, but the sun came out and we had such a beautiful day! Driving along the Atlantic coastline was just amazing. Again, pictures are coming (or if you know me, you can check the Book of Face) but the upload speed from the hotel is just really slow right now.

We got dropped off at the Blue Lagoon Spa around 11:30. Merrow and I were starving, so we hit up the cafe for lunch - Caesar salad and wine - before spa-ing it up. After my experience at the Dead Sea, I was expecting it to be much more sulfuric than it was, but the water was mostly just salt and calcium. The locker rooms open out into a huge thermal pool area. Some parts are warmer than others, depending on how close you are to the steam vents. We did silica mud on our faces, and then just chilled in the water for a couple of hours. It was sunny, the sky was bright blue, and it was probably about 55-60F outside. You can stand up and cool off when you get too warm, and slide back down into the water when you get chilled. No extra spa treatments for us, but we did partake of the swim-up bar. The white wine was good, but the strawberry champagne was better!

After the spa, we headed back to Reykjavik. Wandered through the local flea market, grabbed cold (non-alcoholic) beverages, poked through a few shops, and grabbed an early dinner at a place called Cafe Paris. Seemed fitting. We both had burgers, which we pretty much inhaled - long day! Unfortunately, as we were eating, the clouds started rolling back in. So strike 2 for trying to see the Northern Lights. One last chance tomorrow, which doesn't look good. Ah well, I will just have to come back!

And come back I will. Iceland is just incredible. The people are so nice and friendly, and the scenery is just amazing. Completely out of this world. Merrow and I were saying to each other tonight that we've run out of words to describe it - pretty unusual for either of us! So one photo for now, and good night.

Parisienne ATDL Update

Just over 2 months to go! Merrow and I have plane tickets, a place to stay in Iceland, pretty solid plans for our Icelandic activities, a rough idea of our Parisian activities, days we will be road-tripping to the Alps (is it rail-tripping if you take the train?), a tentative place to stay in the Alps, and no idea yet of where to stay in Paris.

I also have, in my hot little hands, a brand spanking new passport (which will not be "new" by the time I go as I'm heading back to Israel for work next month) and a 5-day France Rail pass.

- Renew passport since it expires less than 3 months after I'll be traveling and it would be great if the countries I'm planning to visit didn't refuse me entry.
- Make sure taking off the Friday before is ok with my boss. Boss is A-OK with me not working the Friday we leave! Which is good, since we need to be at Logan shortly after noon for our flight.
- Research flights with the work travel agent and confer with Merrow that times/dates work for her too.
- Book flights.
- Research places to stay:
        -Iceland  Booked! We are staying here.
        -Paris (one place or two?)
        -Alps
- Book lodgings.
- Research transportation options:
        -Airport transfers in Iceland
        -Airport transfers in France
        -TGV tickets/France rail pass/Paris metro pass
- Plan Iceland activities with Merrow.
- Book any Icelandic adventures that need to be pre-booked.
- Make a list of everything I want to do in Paris.
- Edit list to a realistic length since I will be there for 12 days, not 12 years.
- Determine what on list shall be done with Merrow and what will be done on my own.
- Book any Parisian activities that need to be pre-booked. Wait, do I really need to pre-book "sit in a café for hours on end with wine, crêpes, and a good book"?
- Plan Alps Side Trip activities:
        -Determine what dates to head to the Alps
        -Determine if there is enough time to make a side side trip to Other Alpine Town
- Make any Alpine reservations that are necessary.
- Start packing.
- Oh, and re-learn French.  :)

Ambitious To-Do List - La Version Parisienne

So many things to do in the 4 months before my OMG35 trip. Time for a (very) ATDL again.

- Renew passport since it expires less than 3 months after I'll be traveling and it would be great if the countries I'm planning to visit didn't refuse me entry.
- Make sure taking off the Friday before is ok with my boss.
- Research flights with the work travel agent and confer with Merrow that times/dates work for her too.
- Book flights.
- Research places to stay:
        -Iceland
        -Paris (one place or two?)
        -Alps
- Book lodgings.
- Research transportation options:
        -Airport transfers in Iceland
        -Airport transfers in France
        -TGV tickets/France rail pass/Paris metro pass
- Plan Iceland activities with Merrow.
- Book any Icelandic adventures that need to be pre-booked.
- Make a list of everything I want to do in Paris.
- Edit list to a realistic length since I will be there for 12 days, not 12 years.
- Determine what on list shall be done with Merrow and what will be done on my own.
- Book any Parisian activities that need to be pre-booked. Wait, do I really need to pre-book "sit in a café for hours on end with wine, crêpes, and a good book"?
- Plan Alps Side Trip activities:
        -Determine what dates to head to the Alps
        -Determine if there is enough time to make a side side trip to Other Alpine Town
- Make any Alpine reservations that are necessary.
- Start packing.
- Oh, and re-learn French.  :)

Luckily Merrow and I have plans to hang out and drink wine on Saturday (after running a 5k - this is going to be ugly) so hopefully we can nail down a lot of the plans.

Saturday Craziness

Accountability status report:
I have completed 4 of the items on my ATDL, and am partially through 2 more. You'll have to wait to find out WHICH items though!

On Tuesday when the office was still closed and I needed to work remotely but still had no power at home, I went down to Merrow's to make use of her heat and electricity and laundry facilities and ability to make tea and other hot beverages. Thanks to her for both letting me come crash and also for reminding me just how much I love hot mulled cider (in addition to my beloved hard cider) AND for telling me what I need to make it. Tasty and relaxing and perfect for just before bed as there is no caffeine in it.

Hot Mulled Cider
1/2 gallon of fresh apple cider
small quantity of orange juice + half an orange peel OR one whole orange cut into 8ths
half a lemon peel
2-3 cinnamon sticks
a bunch of whole cloves

Dump everything in the Crock Pot, set it on low, walk away for several hours. Come back to warm apple-y goodness. I scooped everything out with a slotted spoon and then poured into a pitcher and put in the fridge. Reheats in 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Merrow's cider had fresh-squeezed OJ from Whole Paycheck and the orange peel. I shopped at the low end grocery chain, so made do with chopping up a navel orange. And I bought a lemon but completely forgot to add any, and the cider is still good. Not quite as fabulous as Merrow's, but still delish.

Speaking of which, I'm going to go pour myself some now and curl up in bed with a book and the kitties. If you're in the US, don't forget to Fall Back tonight. Extra hour of sleep - YAY! Driving home in the dark no matter how early I manage to get out of the office - BOO.

Photo Friday

This is my last-minute-change-of-plans costume for a Halloween party last week. My friends threw an 80s theme party. I was originally going to go a "Like a Prayer"-era Madonna, but decided lace dresses and high heels weren't practical in 6" of snow. And thus was born the idea of going as an 80s-era ski bunny.

Please excuse the crappy camera phone photo - when I asked my friends to take my picture with my actual camera, apparently they did not understand the concept of getting a full shot. I know what my face looks like, I wanted a picture of the costume, dammit!

I had the oversized turtleneck sweater, black belt, pearl necklace, and giant hoop earrings. One 20-minute shopping trip later to Target and Dollar Tree for a hot pink puffy jacket, black running tights, knee-high socks with florescent hearts on them, alpine knit booties, pink fingerless gloves, and giant white-framed sunglasses, and I had the rest of the outfit. Not bad for last minute!

Of Imaginary Friends, Real Friends, and Care Packages

I have a group of friends I've never met. Call them penpals, because that's a term that everyone understands and seems nice and safe. 21st century penpals. Which means our communication is electronic. Yep, that's right, I have a bunch of "imaginary" internet friends. Cue the older generation panicking that I'm going to be killed or sucked into a cult or have my identity stolen.

Anyway, these friends knew I had a rough winter. Got laid off at the beginning of January, my pipes froze, my furnace was temperamental (and still needs to be officially fixed...), my boyfriend first fell off the face of the planet and then broke up with me, and to top it all off, it snowed for pretty much the entire freaking month of February. Basically, I wanted to crawl into bed with the cats and never get out. Which I actually did for a couple of weeks.

So a bunch of them pooled their pennies and put together a lovely care package for me. Among other things, they sent me flower seeds to brighten my garden, a candle to light and relax with, and a nicely-funded gift card for Dunkin Donuts so I could get out of the house without having to pull out my own wallet. I was so touched I cried. I couldn't get over the fact that these women, only one of whom I had met before, and all of whom I know have their own crap in life to deal with, cared enough about me to lift my spirits.

Since then, I have contributed funds to other care packages for others who were having a hard time. I sent a bunch of postcards from Israel. And slowly, slowly I've begun meeting more and more of them in person. It helped that there was a Moot in Maine this summer, so I met a whole bunch of awesomeness all at once. I've met up with another local-ish woman for Restaurant Week, and somehow timing worked out that I got together with someone else when I was in Michigan for work last week. My "imaginary friends" are turning into Real Friends and I am so happy about it!

PS - So far I'm still alive, my identity is intact, and I don't feel any compulsions to drink any KoolAid. I do think I need to acquire a zester though...not sure if that counts for Cult Indoctrination 101 or not.

How to Ruin an Awesome Night

So you meet up with friends to go out in Beantown for a going-away celebration. Said group of friends includes your ex-boyfriend, but you figure you can handle it for an evening - you've been talking over IM for a while and you've both agreed that this night is about your friend who is moving back home overseas. And secretly, you figure the night will be a success as long as you don't wind up crying in a bar bathroom somewhere.

So you go out, and everyone has a great time. Drinks are had. Food is consumed. More drinks are had. There is some dancing at some point. And you and the ex are friendly, and then flirty, and keep "accidentally" touching each other, and it's wonderful. The night winds down, the band finishes their set, you're all hanging out at the bar finishing last-call drinks. You head to the restroom one last time, and when you come back 2 minutes later, he's gone.

You all head outside, ready to take a cab back to another friend's apartment, and everyone is looking for him and wondering where he is. Finally he texts someone that he left, and texts you, telling you that he finds you way too attractive and so is walking home. Drunk, tired, feeling both abandoned by him and annoyed with yourself, you text back, telling him to F off.

So, what had previously been a fun evening suddenly feels like it has fallen into the shitter. Cab ride back is miserable - hot, lonely even with 4 other people there, and ends as all drunken cab rides seem to: with contents of stomach no longer where they should be. You somehow manage to avoid crying (a minor victory of sorts), but do spend some time outside whining to the only friend of the group who knows that the ex is your ex.

You crash on an air mattress at the apartment, and wake up at 7 and drive yourself home. Where you promptly go back to bed for 4 hours, and then spend the rest of the day alternating between reading and napping. You kind of hate yourself for still feeling this way about the ex, even though it's been 5 months since you broke up. You also kind of hate yourself for getting your hopes up that maybe things had changed. You really hate him for not being the man you thought he was, and for, as typical, taking the easy way out by disappearing on you. And you really wish that there was an off switch somewhere in your heart or brain so you could just get over him and move on with your life already, because missing him this much cannot be healthy.

Love sucks.

In Which The Sorority Girls Go To The Stanley Cup Finals

Game 3 ticket for nosebleed seats on over-priced second-hand market: $600

The view from our overpriced seats

Dress embellished with B's logo: $30

Yes, I added the B's logo to the dress

Yellow wig, feather boa, and gold bead necklaces: $16

The Timmy Girls by the ice before the game

Getting on the Jumbotron 6 times; a taped CBC talking head segment; video on boston.com; photo on Yahoo Sports; getting our pictures taken by the Boston Globe, the Associated Press, and at least 1000 fans AND watching the Boston Bruins win 8-1 on home ice?

PRICELESS

8-1! Bruins Win! Bruins Win!

I have never been so paparazzi-ed in my life!

Post-game at the bar

Here's to the sorority alumnae group that brought us all together.

Proof that we did in fact start the evening looking (relatively) normal

First Hike of the Season!

Of which there are no pictures, because I forgot to check the camera last night and discovered partway up the mountain that the battery was dead. Ooops.

But I finally made it up Monadnock, which is effectively in my backyard and I had not hiked before.  Monadnock is supposedly the 3rd most-hiked mountain in the world, an internet factoid that I'm not sure I believe, but then again, it's a easy mountain not too far from Boston. It's certainly popular - even though it was Mother's Day and kind of overcast for the majority of the trip, there were plenty of other people.

I'm always amused by the wide variety of people you see on the trails on "easy" hikes. There were the 4 of us (I went with L and LaLa and L's brother) and we were all using it as a training hike - figure out what we forgot to put in the pack, remember where everything goes, determine what gear needs to be replaced, and in my case, remember which spots I need to tape on my feet before heading out. There was one serious hiker dude who was doing LAPS on the mountain - parking lot to top. He passed us heading up, passed us heading back down when we were almost to the summit, and then we met him going back up when we were about 1/4 mile from the parking lot. There was the guy on top in jean shorts who had put his bottle of grape soda down directly on top of the USGS marker, and couldn't understand why we asked him to move it. And then there were the 4 people just down from the summit who had hiked up with a radio, a videographer, and were doing interpretive dance. Yes, really. Good times!

Now my legs are pleasantly tired, I have a list of little things I need to find around the house to replace in the pack, and I'm itching to get out again and do something longer (and maybe something less popular). And remember folks, the USGS marker is not a coaster!

How to Crash a New Year's Eve Party

For the first time in 5 years, I have a boyfriend-type person at New Years. And yet, I spent it alone. I knew it was going to happen - Le copain français was at his parents' house and flying back on New Year's Day. He booked the tickets well before we started dating, so, c'est la vie. But not having a specific someone to go out with meant I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had offers from a couple of friends in Boston, and another offer from a friend who rented a house up near Plymouth, but really didn't want to drive. I liked the idea of spending the evening on the couch in front of the fire, watching movies and eating junk food. However, my friend Smalls guilted me into joining him for a house party at his friend H's. Smalls and I both ended up making stuffed mushrooms to take to the party, so we had an appetizer throw-down. After which, food and alcohol were consumed by all, and the hookah was partaken of by most (but not me).

Plan the First involved going for dinner and leaving around 11 to be home before midnight and all the less-than-sober drivers were on the road.

Plan the Second involved sticking around for H's champagne toast at midnight and then leaving immediately so I could go home and crash in bed.

Reality involved leaving H's at 1:30-ish after much food, plenty of drinks, and an impromptu dance party in the kitchen; driving Smalls home; sitting in his parking lot talking in my car for another 45 minutes; and getting home a few minutes before 3:00 AM. OUCH. But also, WONDERFUL.

Scotch + Hookah Smoke = NYE WIN

Let's all blow smoke into our glasses!

Our hostess H, preparing the midnight champagne toasts

Kitchen dance party!

After 1 AM, still going strong

Notes from the Great White North

Dear Canada,
Your money sucks, eh. It is about 2 millimetres too tall to fit in my zippered wallet without getting stuck in the zipper.

Dear Toronto,
Your traffic sucks also, eh. It should not have taken me over an hour to go 20 km. Was it really necessary to shut down all lanes, both directions of the Gardiner for the whole weekend? Your secondary streets are not designed to handle that amount of traffic.

Dear Blue Jays,
Thank you for winning!

Dear Boston Sports Teams,
Take note and stop sucking.

Dear Canadians,
I LOVE YOUR ACCENTS!

Dear Montreal Canadiens,
Good luck and please win. Someone needs to take out the Flyers, and I'd love to see a team from Canada in the Stanley Cup.

Dear Jack Astors,
I forgot how much I love you and your cheesy garlic panbread.

Dear R & K,
Congratulations and thank you so much for inviting me to your wedding! I had a great time, you guys both looked fantastic, and I hope you have a blast on your honeymoon.

Love, Kate