this is cheating

This is actually not a picture from today, but from yesterday.  I meant to post this picture yesterday, but then when the three of us all had our computers out, I thought it was too good not to post.  So.... this is a picture from the end of a camp softball game vs. a camp that specializes in sports.  Our team had just been badly defeated.  Notice in the center of the picture the girl with the green shorts.  Wednesday had been super hero day and earlier in the day, she had been dressed as Super Nintendo.  It was pretty fabulous.  Anyway, my gentle readers, I will try not to disappoint you by missing more days in the future.  

And then there were three.  (Our lovely hostess came home from her trip to Prague and Paris and we celebrated by doing the same thing as yesterday, plus one.)

We were tired after work today, so we ate sushi and did this.  Green tea ice cream to come.  I'm really enjoying the reflection of us in the table.  This picture might have been a really accurate presentation of us right now had Ben's giant beard not been hiding in back of his computer.  

Ben got home today and came straight to work.  Afterwards, we were lucky enough to have dinner with a good friend who's only in town for the week and it was his birthday!  So we went for Indian food in Waltham and on our way back noticed the ridiculous shape of the bodies on the mannequins at the costume shop.

Just before Ben got on a plane to come home, I talked to him more than a few times.  Knowing he would be home in hours made me want him to be here immediately.  But on the subject of the phone: I picked out this phone because it was so hideous that I had to.  I saw it and laughed, saying "Wow! That phone is awful!" and then I kept going back to it.  I was drawn to the extreme ugliness.  When people tell me that my phone is cute (which happens surprisingly often), I have no option but to tell them that they're wrong and that it's actually quite ugly.  

My 2nd cousin, my 2nd cousin once removed to be, and me. My mom and I went to a baby shower for my cousin this weekend. We played silly games, ate good food, and saw a lot of wonderful relatives. The even better part is that I live less from a mile from my cousin and her fabulous husband. I can't wait to meet their baby in a couple months:)

Setting up the rappel at camp -- I actually have to clip in and hang to tie this knot, which is not my favorite part of the week.

mail.  when ben comes home, we'll go through it.

I'm at home in New Hampshire tonight, and my dress fitting is coming up this weekend, so I decided to try on my dress. NOT! Since our rehearsal dinner is the night of Halloween, we want it to be a dress up night, and these are my two possibilities for costume pieces so far.  Aren't they beautiful?

I was so frustrated by my lack of internet that I made my dinner plans around my ability to use the internet and I went to KnowFat, which was one of my favorite places to eat when we lived in Waltham.  I guess I was hungry too, because before I remembered to take a picture of my bison burger with cheddar and turkey bacon and air fries, my plate looked like this.  

My three not terribly guilty pleasures for the evening: Double Salt Licorice (very hard little intensely strong and painfully salty licorice candies -- they're definitely not everyone's favorite), Mother's Milk ("a robust full-bodied stout" local to the Catskills.  I went out of my way to find a store and buy it on my way back from camping.), and my Zadie Smith book, The Autograph Man (She's my current favorite author.)

couldn't just choose one....

On our way home, we stopped at Opus 40,which was really cool, despite being slightly overpriced.  This first picture is a beautiful part of it that I walked through.

This next picture is what my feet looked like after I walked through the area pictured above.  I just really didn't think the mud was that deep.

And, of course, a picture of all of us, utilizing the wonderful timer feature on my camera.

We started off Saturday morning with a hike.  We knew that it was 3.5 miles to the summit, but people were really surprised by how many hours it took to complete.  A few of us headed down a little more than a mile from the summit because more friends had arrived that morning and we wanted to see them.  We had a lovely and relaxing afternoon, lollygagging* in the creek.  But truthfully, I was a little jealous of the crowd who made it all the way to the top.  They said it was really steep and rocky up there, and when they came back, they were absolutely exhausted and starving.  Now, that's type 2 fun.

*The word of the weekend.  The ranger used it in conversation when our group first arrived and we used it to describe most of our activities.

I left right from work for the Catskills, where I was meeting some fabulous old (and new) friends for a weekend of camping.  This is what Friday night looked like.  At about 10:10, the ranger came by to remind us that it was quiet hour already and that we were being very loud.  We felt bad and started speaking very quietly and 30 seconds later, she turned around and told us that if we didn't whisper, she would make us go to bed.   

second post of the day (whoops!)

After I posted, my lovely hostess and I got some take out sushi, edamame, and green tea ice cream (of which they accidently gave us two because one was in the bag when we got there, and I said, "The ice cream isn't in the bag, is it?"  The woman laughed and said, "No! It would be a smoothie by now!" and went into the kitchen to bring us out our green tea ice cream.  It turned out that it was in the bag....).  Anyway, we were sitting on the porch eating when we got a call from our former coworker and good friend who we had been waiting to hear from this week.  This is my evidence of his visit.  

This is part of the art room (called The Factory) at the school where I used to teach.  There are some familiar pieces there and some new things, but I think it's a pretty good representation of the school in general.  I'm sitting at the school now and I really do miss it.  

This, my daily resurfacer, is my most expensive and one of my most valued facial products.  It comes in these individually wrapped packages as a little finger sleeve that is concentrated with all the good stuff that will resurface my face.  Then I just rub the finger over my face and voila! (almost) perfect skin.  I didn't even think about the confusion that these little packages would cause by being in the trash at houses I am visiting.....  

I made a new friend today.  We had a good cuddle, despite my fear of breaking babies.  We share a birthday week, so I wasn't at all surprised that we made an instant connection in the few moments when he wasn't being a cranky pants.  If you're interested in seeing more pictures of my friend, you can visit his mom's blog.  

i went home to new hampshire tonight so that i could check my mail and get my camping stuff.  i get to go camping next weekend with some of my favorite people:)  i'm very nervous that i'm going to forget important things, though.  here's what i've got so far - new coleman stove!!!, tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, backpack, pots and pan w/utensils, foods, camelback, headlamp.... when i go back to my current lodgings, i'll pack some clothes.  oh! and i should buy fuel for the stove!  

My computer bag has become a receptacle for all things that wouldn't otherwise have a home.  This is what it looks like without my computer, power cord, camera, or camera cord in it.  When I tried to find some headphones, I eventually pulled out two pairs of headphones intertwined with some ribbon and about 5 different pieces of paper.  C loved this so much that she suggested that my blog picture depict the bag in all its glory.  Hopefully, in a few days, all the extra things will get cleared out and will be put in another bag for me not to look at for months.  

My next 2-3 weeks will be spent at the home of my fabulous friend C, and her twin sister, who does (contrary to my previous adamant belief) exist.  On the day of my arrival, they were having a housewarming party.  I'm honored to say that I helped prepare the amazing food that you see on this table.  See all those tiny skewered tomatoes and mozzarella on the left?  That was me.  And the dip on the veggie plate - also me!  You probably can't tell that past the antipasto on the right, there's crostini that has beef topped with blue cheese.  The dolloping of blue cheese --- that was me too!  Anyway, I really can't take all the credit because I really just did manual labor, but it was a lovely party and everyone had a great time.  

tonight, we had a lovely shabbat dinner for my last night at my current residence.  this picture features my host's boyfriend pouring me diet root beer at the end of the meal.  notice the ethiopians on the challah cover over his arm.

My first (and hopefully only) sunburn of the summer is not sufficiently communicated through this picture.  I totally forgot to put on sunblock before I got out of my car today and since I accidently missed this part of my everyday routine, it didn't occur to me that I hadn't put on sunblock all day.  I didn't realize until the end of the day when people kept looking at me funny.  Poop.  Sunburn makes me feel irresponsible.

I was really excited that I had planned ahead and left my yoga mat in the car, because when I left work, it was perfect timing to go straight to a 7:45 yoga class.  It was such an amazing way to wind down after a not so easy day.  I bought a 10 class pass, so I hope to keep going a couple times a week, like I've been doing... I remembered to bring clothes for yoga with me as well, so I wouldn't be in camp clothes.  What I forgot was that my feet are FILTHY when I leave camp.  I was a little embarrassed for people there to see them, but whatever.  

we went for our final bridesmaids dress shopping event today.  this is not the dress that e purchased, however, this is the best in a series of funny faces that she made trying them on.  i'm so lucky to have such good friends.

we have a couple of hawks who hang out at camp all day.  here's one of them.  unfortunately, my camera sucks.  anyway, sometimes they leave us little gifts of rodent remains on the top of the climbing wall.  yum.

Card of the day from Ben.  The sparkly ones are so pretty, but so messy!

Mom and I walked to the water to get a good picture of the two of us.  She thought it was so great that I could set the timer on my camera that she decided to figure out how to do it on her camera.  I couldn't figure hers out, and since I could be of no help there, I busied myself by having my own little photoshoot using the timer on my camera.  These are a few of the winners.
 

My mom and I met at my great aunt and uncle's house in Cape Cod.  It was really a lovely vacation!  We walked a lot, ate great meals together, watched some tennis matches, and mom and I spent some great one on one time.  

Thursday was a lovely day for parachute games at camp!  

don't let ben see this. he'd be freaked out.  today, i helped with dinner by washing and cutting the mushrooms.  this was the first one i pulled out of the container.  we decided to count it as two mushrooms rather than one, but when there was a mushroom that was twice its size, we counted that as one..... and then i found twenty dollars.

i made dinner today.  well actually, we made it together. i barely did any of the cutting this time - my wonderful roommate got everything ready for cooking!  this is my family's version of shakshouka, which is really just a mixture of cooked vegetables.  we made much too much so that we'll have some for the next few days:)  yum.