One Good Thing; One Not So Good Thing

I love that the Obamas are so obviously in love with each other and love their kids and the kids love them (and their new puppy). I love watching all the coverage about the move into the White House.

I don't like that Boston.com felt the need to post this photo on their site today:
Hello, jelly donut!!!!!!! DANGER, DANGER, DANGER!

Nothing Quite So Cosy

There is nothing like warm flannel sheets on chilly fall mornings. Seriously, you don't want to get up in the morning. Although in my case, it might not be just the sheets. (These are made by Eddie Bauer and were purchased on sale at LinensNThings.)

How much I do hate urban animals

I had to take my car into the dealer's last week Friday, after a warning light came on that basically said, "Drive me and DIE!!!!!" (sometimes called the oil pressure sensor.) When I opened up the hood to take a look, I immediately noticed a large piece of cardboard on top of the engine. Uh, that wasn't there two weeks ago when I took my car in for service. Also, there was a funny smell of something decaying.

Yes, true reader, you might have guessed it - a rat tried to turn my engine into its nest. ICK & GAG!! GAG & ICK!!! Thankfully, it died in there. Unfortunately, it also chewed through a lot of wiring in the car. And Audi still hasn't called me with an estimate about the repairs.

My stomach hurts.

I emailed my property manager telling them that I want rodent extermination escalated. I only hope my insurance will cover the repairs.

Thanks to Flickr for the photo.

Change We Can Believe In (oh please dear God pleasepleaseplease)

I got to Jackson Mann at 6:50 this morning to vote, and the line was already out the door. By 7:10, the line was down the steps and around the block. The people inside were doing a great job keeping the lines moving and staying upbeat. I can't help but wonder if they will be feeling the same way by the end of the day. Note to voters: it helps election officials if you know your ward and precinct number when you arrive. You can always check here if you don't know or don't remember.

The kids arriving for school made it quite clear who they wanted people to be voting for: cries of "Obama in 08" were heard every time a group of kids got dropped off. That made me smile. I hope that they are as excited about the presidential elections when it is their time to go to the polls.

When I was actually given my ballot, my heart started to race a little. It was so exciting to fill in the little bubble for Obama and Biden (incidentally, they are the last set of names on the Massachusetts ballot - "skip to the end" indeed.) When I put my ballot into the feeder, I gave it a little tap for good luck and then headed home.

The walk to vote had been so quiet and peaceful; the sun just coming up and a brisk autumn chill in the air. The walk home was a reminder that I live in the city, as commuters (and voters) had begun to fill up the sidewalks.

I love presents to myself...

In museums in the US, the gift shop stays open slightly later than the actual museum, ostensibly so that people can load up on stuff before they leave. In London, I learned the hard way that the gift shop closes a half hour before the museum does, and the Royal Shakespeare Company shop is not open after the play is finished. These things are, in my opinion, not the best business sense. Maybe someone wants to drop a load of cash in the shop before they leave and didn't have time to do that at the intermission because they needed to use the restroom and they are a woman so the line was insanely long. Just saying.

So I didn't get to pick anything up at the actual RSC shop. Instead, I purchased several things on line and had them shipped to me. And they arrived yesterday. It is nice to have some reminders of the awesome time I had at the play!

What's with today today?

So in my 12 years living in the city of Boston, my favorite radio station has been 101.7 WFNX. Not to say we haven't had our problems - like when the radio station got rid of Angie C in the mornings and when they changed the format (for a time) from "alternative" to "alternative rock" (gag) - but for the most part I can count on FNX to play songs that I want to hear.

When the new morning program, "The Sandbox", started, I was not terribly keen on the guys: Charlie, Fletcher, and Special Ed. First of all, Special Ed and Fletcher sound a lot alike, and they kept playing "Hey There Deliah" by the Plain White Ts ALL THE TIME, and I wanted to rip my ears off of my HEAD. But lately, I have begun to warm up to the format and the guys, especially Fletcher, who seems to like the same Brit pop music that I like.

This morning, the guys were interviewing a psychic who they were hoping would contact Joseph, the ghost living in the radio station building, in the hopes that he could get the mice out of the building, so that they would stop eating the guys' food. For a split second, and I am not even sure who said it, possibly Special Ed, someone referenced the greatest camp movie of all time (IMHO) - Congo- when he said, "Stop eating my sesame cake."

Guys, you just made me a permanent fan.

"I must to England; you know that?"

Back from England having spent a fabulous time with my friend and intrepid travel buddy, JeGlide, in London and an equally fabulous time in Stratford, where I did get to see DT and PS in Hamlet and started to cry about it once we were safely back in the hotel room. I think that I was overwhelmed that something I had anticipated with much excitement for months was finally over (and it was worth it, the money, the anxiety, the anticipation. So worth it.)

Here are a couple of photos to give you an idea of the things that we saw:









I am still utterly jet lagged and cannot stop thinking about Hamlet, not just the performance, but the play itself. Good thing I still have the Branagh version from Netflix.