Category Archives: Travel

Chicago

The Windy City

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Nothing better than Chicago in late winter!

So, let me tell you all about our trip to Chicago last week. I’m on a bit of cold medicine right now and I have so much to write about and very little brain power, so…I’d better just get started!

We decided to go to Chicago for a few days over Louie’s spring break—this year mine didn’t line up as easily as last year and the kids were basically split between this week and last week, but I just took a few days off, because, you just have to! Life isn’t just for working. The reason we settled on Chicago for the trip was because Louie’s grandfather was being featured in an art exhibit at the University of Chicago, and the exhibit would only be open until June, so we wanted to be sure to see it.

We decided to take Amtrak to Chicago so we could relax on the trip and not have to pay for parking. We also lucked out and were able to stay at the apartment of a relative of Louie’s. For two round trip tickets on Amtrak we only paid about $150, which seemed like a pretty good deal. The train left at 6:40 am though, and we took a cab to the station, and…it was really early.

(and glamorous)

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I remembered the last time I’d taken the train to Chicago that you get a really great view once you cross the river, so I was ready for it.

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Sort of. At least. Perhaps it’s a tough shot to get out the train window.

Anyway, the ride was uneventful. I mostly napped and read, and we talked about our plans for the trip.

When we got to Union Station in Chicago we got a 7 day rail/bus pass and hopped on a bus that (after many stops) let us off right in front of the apartment we would call home for the next few days. There was a doorman and everything! After getting cleaned up a bit, we decided to head further north (we were already on the North side of downtown) to visit Evanston where Louie’s grandparents used to live. We took the “L” and it didn’t take too long. We walked around for a few miles actually, enjoying the lake views and wishing it weren’t QUITE so windy. (I know that’s NOT why they call it the Windy City, but goodness, it certainly was windy!)

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I miss living near a great lake!

Anyway, after walking around awhile we hopped on the L again and headed downtown for dinner. We figured if we ate early we could get in to a great restaurant and we went to Frontera Grill. It was before 6 pm and we didn’t have to wait, but within 15-30 minutes the restaurant was packed! We decided to forgo our pescatarian values and split an order of duck carnitas and also got chips and guac. It was a really delicious meal!

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By the time we were done we were ready to head “home” so we caught a bus and headed north again. It was on the early side but I was exhausted from the early wake up call so we called it a night.

The next day we got up and wanted to head south to visit the Monster Roster Exhibit. We grabbed breakfast at a diner nearby then got on the L to head south where we would catch a bus to go to the University of Chicago. This was the only time we realized that blindly following Google Map’s public transportation suggestions might not be the best idea, as we found ourselves in the heart of the southside of Chicago…as we got closer to our stop I started thinking about how yeah, that’s where the crime was. However, it was broad daylight, people were chatting on their phones and minding their own business, and I figured I’d been in rough areas before. We left the station and got outside to look for our bus stop, which FOR THE RECORD I knew where it was (right across the street) and a bus driver pulled up in front of us and asked Where on earth were we trying to go? We told him, and he said, well, yeah, that’s the stop, but looked at us like we were crazy. After that I was a little disconcerted, but we didn’t have long to wait for our bus, and nothing happened. Okay, I forgot to mention the weird guy on the train going around selling part packs of cigarettes and the guy sitting across from us who bought one. But nobody bothered us, and we made it to the University safe and sound.

We spent about an hour looking at the Monster Roster exhibit. It was really neat—I never feel like I know enough about art to truly appreciate it, but I enjoyed the exhibit, especially having such a personal connection to one of the artists!

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A few of George Cohen’s works.

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Next we went to the Museum of Science and Industry. We decided to buy a CityPass which gave us admission to 5 different museums/attractions for just under $100, and that meant we had some serious tourism ahead of us. Thought MOSI is more geared towards kids we had a nice time looking at the exhibits for a few hours.

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When the museum closed we tried to walk around Jackson Park, the home of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair (the MOSI building is the only building left from that fair) but a good part of it was under construction, and no one was around, and we just gave up and grabbed a bus north. We learned from our earlier incident and took a different route, and ended up in Chinatown! (on purpose, might I add). We walked around a bit and then enjoyed a good dinner—we tried marinated jellyfish as an appetizer and the hostess complimented my chopstick use, which made Louie jealous as he always thought he was the more superior chopstick user.

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We asked about the jellyfish before ordering, and the server told us that they tasted delicious but had the texture of rubber bands. Sold!

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We also got a few Chinese pastries for the next day’s breakfast, with red beans, green beans, and other yumminess in them. We decided the day had been long enough and headed home. We picked up a few movies and watched the newest Bond movie before falling asleep—this seemed a little lame, but then again, when do we find the time to watch movies at home? Vacation is all about doing other stuff than the norm, right?

I’d thought I’d make this into one post, but who am I kidding? Obviously this is already really long to read, so I’ll tell you about the rest of the trip another time. Miles to walk, more art and stuffed dead animals yet to come! I know you’ll be waiting with bated breath…

Cat, Hiking

Concerts and Hiking and Practice, Oh My?

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Sunday nights can be kind of fun. Sometimes I start daydreaming about what I want to add to my schedule next, sometimes I relax, sometimes I have a 3 hour opera rehearsal and then get home and eat some ice cream.

This weekend was packed with activities, as is more common than not. I feel a bit anxious about the next few weeks as I have several performances and some other stressful activities, but I think I’m mostly staying on top of things…other than the pets, probably. But I digress.

Friday night Louie and I went to see the Marcus Roberts Trio at Jazz at the Bistro. We stayed for the second set (if you buy tickets for the 7:30 show you can usually stay for the 9:30 show for free, if there is space, and there always has been for us) and it was interesting to see how different each set was. We were on opposite sides for the first and second sets so that gave us a fascinating comparison. I thought the group sounded great and very polished. (This is not a review of the group as I’m hardly expert enough to try…this is a review of my life and lack of writing skills!)

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Saturday we woke up fairly early to meet my friend April and her boyfriend for a hike. We had been wanting to do the Lewis and Clark Trail from 60 Hikes within 60 Miles for over a year, and this was a great day for it. The forecast was sunny and OVER 70 degrees. In February. On our way to the trailhead we passed at least 50 percent of the population who were heading for the St Louis Zoo.

Plenty of people had the same hike idea as we did though, and the trailhead parking lot was full so we had to park on the highway, but it was fine. We met our friends and two dogs, so together we were a hilarious group of 4 people and 3 dogs of varying sizes.

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We decided to hike only the Clark Trail. We might go back another day for the longer portion, as it was a very enjoyable and scenic (for Missouri) hike!

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Overlooking the Missouri River.

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Louie tried to get all the dogs to drink water. It was a warm day for them, but they were polite enough…that is to say, Mackenzie drank first and the others knew enough to wait their turn. They all got along well, though we met a few crazy dogs on the trail.

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All in all it was a beautiful and somewhat challenging hike. Since it was such an unseasonably warm and beautiful day there were tons of people out. I’d love to go back again on a slightly less crowded day and enjoy a bit more solitude, but I’m always happy to see other people out enjoying the world.

Saturday night we went to the Tavern of Fine Arts to see my friend and colleague (fantastic cellist) Stephanie perform with a guitar player. They played a variety of pieces, many by Brazilian composers, and she also played a Bach Suite on her baroque cello. It was a packed house and the rest of the Perseid Quartet was there to support her. We didn’t get the greatest seats and ended up being squeezed on the back couch with some late comers too, but it was a really interesting and enjoyable performance.

Sunday was work day. Louie and I had brunch at his mom’s but after that I had a meeting with a bride, a student, and a rehearsal, plus practicing. We got home from brunch to see that Chloe had urinated on the front couch. Well, I think it was urine, it was a large wet spot. I chose not to smell it and decided it was unlikely she had simply spilled a glass of water. I don’t know if this means we have even more urine issues to look forward to, or if she got startled and peed, or what. She seems to be doing decently well, no new skin problems as of late…(fingers crossed). Sigh. I cleaned up the best that I could—luckily it is an old couch.

Last thoughts before I wrap this post up. I know that I am very random here sometimes, and write about all kinds of things. To be honest, that’s what I enjoy reading most. While I will read articles on a variety of topics, the blogs I enjoy most cover a variety of subjects. That being said, is there anything you’d like to hear more of? Any aspects of my life you’d like to learn more about? I’m not making promises (especially if you are too nosy, ha!) but please ask questions in the comments section! I love hearing from readers, this is a big part of why I do this…Smile

Hiking, Running

Snowball Series Race and Rockwoods Reservation

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After so much travel/busy weekends it was great to have a weekend that wasn’t too crazy! However, we ended up filling our time with activities and I missed my regular Sunday night blog time (I’m sure you missed me!).

To give myself a good reason to keep running through the winter, and to push myself, I signed up for the Snowball Series. The first race was Saturday morning at Queeny Park, a 3 mile race. It didn’t start until 9 am (this is early for real life, but late for a race) so I didn’t have to wake up until 7 am. I got there around 8:15 and had to pick up my race number and shirt…my number wasn’t there. After talking with the race director and searching my email to prove I’d registered, a woman came up and handed him…my race number. Evidently she had picked up for a group the day before and somebody had mistakenly given them mine as well. Problem solved! Since it was cold, I went back to my car until it was nearly race time.

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The race wasn’t chip timed—it just started in the parking lot and headed down a hill. I hadn’t checked the course ahead of time, but soon realized we basically ran down a steep hill, around a bit, back up the hill…and then did that again, to make  3 miles. On the one hand, I live at the top of a steep hill so I’m used to this, but on the other hand, I still hate running hills. My goal for the race was to the run the whole time, and I did that, with the exception of the water stop. I didn’t really need water since it was cold, but I thought, in all honesty, that’s not a good reason not to drink water, so I made a short walk break just to drink a little bit and then ran again.

I finished in 37:34, just in time to get to the snack tent to see people taking the last of the cliff bars and doughnuts, but not in time to actually get one myself. Race directors, even the slow runners deserve food, and parents, don’t let your kids have the snacks that are for the runners unless you are sure that all the runners have had a chance.

After the race I went home and had second breakfast (oatmeal, better than doughnuts anyway!) and then Louie, Mackenzie (the dog) and I headed out to Rockwoods Reservation for some hiking. It was a little chilly but sunny which made it the perfect day for hiking!

From my book 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles the author recommended the Lime Kiln Trail so we decided that was our best bet. One thing that the book said was that dogs aren’t allowed at Rockwoods Reservation but a little internet research told us that policy had changed a few years ago so now they are.

It’s hard to write about hiking. Well, honestly, it’s hard to write anyway, but hiking can be especially boring. We went up and then around and finally back down. There were leaves and trees and rocks and more leaves and trees. Mackenzie had a great time smelling everything and Louie and I had a great time being in nature and getting fresh air.

There was a llama and alpaca farm near the trailhead. What strange and fascinating creatures!

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The hike was a good one and we’ll go back to the area to try out some other hikes as well.

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Louie took a picture of me at this creek crossing but he hasn’t shared it yet (clears throat loudly).

So that was Saturday. Other notable weekend activities include some light Christmas decorating and going to a Korean Restaurant called Joo Joo.

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We are in the home stretch now. Only two more full weeks of teaching until Christmas break (I’m taking two weeks off). It’s a busy time, as times are, but the holidays are approaching…

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And on that note: off to work I go. Practice, teach, rehearsal, sleep, rinse, repeat Smile

Thanksgiving, Travel

Thanksgiving Travels

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How was your Thanksgiving? Did you have a wonderful meal with friends and family?

Louie and I headed to visit my grandmother, my parents, and other various and sundry relatives in NW Ohio. It was about a 7 hour drive each way, and we stayed for two nights. We had Thanksgiving dinner and a birthday party in honor of my grandmother’s 90th birthday.

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I often forget how beautiful it is where my family lives. My dad grew up there also…it’s farm land, small town, but very beautiful, especially on the land where my grandparents lived for years, because they worked hard to make it so.

Anyway, dinner was delicious. Salad and rolls to start, turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy, stuffing, corn, sweet potatoes, and baked apples. For dessert we had pumpkin, mincemeat, or pecan pie. I had mincemeat which is my favorite, and also some of Louie’s pumpkin, and a bite of pecan too. My relatives are great hosts!

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The nice weather only lasted one day—the second day we were there it rained the entire time. Boo.

We took pictures of the cousins who were there, plus a picture with significant others.

I should have taken more pictures, but the rest that I had turned out pretty horrible! Lots of pictures with eyes shut or blurry. Maybe my mom got some better ones Smile

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This was at breakfast in the hotel. We stayed at the Heritage Inn in Archbold, Ohio and one of the defining features is a giant fake tree in the breakfast area.

Anyway, today I’ve been puttering around the house, catching up on email and calendar scheduling (constant!), running various errands, and generally getting ready for the next few weeks. It’s been nice to have a day to get ready—I hate traveling and getting back at the last minute. I think that’s one of the things that made November hard was having a trip and not being able to have a day to recover. Or maybe I’m just a bit lame?

All my relatives seem to think I work too hard. I think people imagine violin teachers as people who teach a few hours a day, handing out candy while covered in cat hair. The reality is that if you want to make a decent income you have to really hustle and cram those students in! There is only so much time each day that people can come for lessons (unless they are home schooled, retired, or have flexible work schedules) so it means eating dinner late and working into the evenings. And I don’t think I work too hard…or if I do, at least Louie works hard too. We aren’t the sort of people to sit around, and I want to be making a difference in the world..and be making a decent living teaching violin!

I’m trying something new this week and scheduling some tasks that I normally do unscheduled. I’ve been reading Gretchen Rubin’s Better Than Before (I finished Happier at Home recently too) and got some ideas about how to improve my life. Sometimes I will sit down at the computer to send some emails and before I know it several hours have passed. I’m going to try to have specific wake up and get to work times, and really make sure I’m using my time wisely. The goal is to have free time where I am truly free rather than constantly working or feeling like I should. Self-employment is not for the faint of heart.

The other thing people always suggest is to check email less often. I did set my phone so that it only pulls email every hour. I wonder if looking at email less often truly does save time? Will people just call instead (this is absolutely what I don’t want, nothing takes more time than phone calls, or causes me more stress) if I don’t respond to emails quickly? I would probably prefer texts in some cases, but emails are often easier to keep track of. Anybody have thoughts?

I’m off to practice for a bit before dinner now. I read a friend’s facebook status recently that referred to his violin practice, and I’ve been thinking about that lately…practice as a constant, something you do, rather than practice as something result-oriented. I should go more into depth with that thought in a future blog post!

Food, Hiking

Laumeier Sculpture Park and ELaia

Since mostly I blog when I’m overwhelmed and tired (apparently!) right now I’m trying to blog while I’m spending about an hour purposefully relaxing. Why yes, writing my blog IS relaxing!

This weekend has been full of activity, but mostly fun activity. I’ve had a few students and a family issue (nothing to worry you about!) but otherwise Louie and I have had fun together. Friday night we went to the symphony concert…it was a little stressful coming right after what had happened in Paris, which I almost hesitate to even mention, since we ignore mass killings in non-European countries so often, but David Robertson did mention it at the concert…it seems fitting that I acknowledge it, and acknowledge how horrible things can be, and that all we can do is to continue to try to bring joy and music to the world.

So, the symphony. We are subscribers but this was a trade from next week which didn’t work for my schedule. It’s super easy to trade concerts if you buy a subscription, by the way. It took about 3 minutes on the phone. My one complaint about the symphony concert was that they had a little screen up with some words and moving animation in the back for various parts, and I found it very distracting and awful. I find supertitles to be helpful when there are singers, but other than that I don’t want quotes or pictures to “enhance” the performance. The music should speak for itself, and usually does, and definitely would have in this case. I know I can be a fuddy-duddy with classical music (using that world probably makes me one for sure!) but in this case I really think I’m right…

Saturday Louie and I walked around Forest Park enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. It was seriously around 70 degrees and sunny! And then for dinner I’d made reservations to take Louie out for a belated birthday dinner at Elaia. Wow. We had an amazing meal—it was not cheap, but I’d been planning on it for awhile, and it was a great experience. We both got a 4 course prix fixe dinner and shared each course. My favorites were a mushroom dish called “Hen of the Woods” and the Beet and Salmon Salad (totally strange combo, but it worked magnificently). It was a great evening—good food, drinks and conversation. I would say I’ll be back, but not for a long time due to the price. Right next to Elaia is Olio, which is also great and a bit more affordable, depending on how much you eat.

This morning we went to Laumeier Sculpture Park with friends. I had originally thought I’d sleep in a bit, since I’ve been complaining of being tired, but decided it was worth it to do something new with people. It was a lovely morning to walk around in the woods, the grass, and see some interesting art.

This was made by an artist using a chainsaw, if I recall. One tree trunk.

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A tree covered in aluminum. It reminds me of that tree from Lord of the Rings. Gondor?

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I liked this one with the lady playing the piano. It was a piece of art in memory of somebody, and I thought it was really nice. I hope somebody makes some art for me when I’m gone. Or maybe before that?!

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A chair made from a tree trunk. There wasn’t a sign not to sit on it.

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A cat mosaic sculpture. It was gorgeous to look at with all the different kinds of materials. Very shiny.

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I’m glad I got to do some exploring this weekend and enjoy some new activities. It definitely helped my mindset. It’s easy to feel like life is just on repeat, and that each day is the same as the day before (or in my case, each Monday is the same, each Tuesday, etc…) so seeing a new park and eating a great meal at a new restaurant were great activities for me. Even if I’m still physically a bit tired, I am mentally and emotionally a bit more satisfied, which is good.

One more full week until Thanksgiving! This week will be a bit stressful too, as I’ve got another quartet concert AND a student recital, among other things but there is light at the end of the tunnel and that light is a bright one Winking smile

Phoenix, Random thoughts

Friday the 13th

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*dusts off blog program*

I know I say this a lot, but WOW where do the weeks go? How are we one full week away from Thanksgiving already? I guess the trick is to keep your head down and keep plugging away, eh?

Or keeping busy. Sometimes I think, WHY oh why do I keep doing things that cause a lot of stress for no good reason? For instance, last night’s quartet concert caused a lot of stress because we were performing Beethoven’s Op. 59 Quartet no. 1 for the first time, and it is really a beast of a piece. I put many hours of practice into it, and we put many hours of rehearsal into it. But the fact is, there is plenty of good reason, just not financial. So often society tells us that success is measured through paychecks and job titles, but I disagree. We succeeded last night by pushing through and doing something really difficult for no real reason other than the sheer joy, no, exhilaration of performing at our highest level, and performing one of my favorite quartets. Granted, I have quite a few favorites, but op 59 #1 is up there. One of my goals is to be able to perform the late Beethoven Quartets… op. 132 is my absolute favorite piece of music. But without performing and working through and struggling with these other Beethoven Quartets, which are so satisfying and wonderful in their own ways, I will never get to the late quartets. I may never anyway, but I’m on the path. So my whole point is, yes, this stressed me out, like all performances do, but I love performing and I love finishing a performance and feeling successful and accomplished, and feeling like my life is important and that I am doing something important.

(We perform again next Saturday at the Tavern of Fine Arts. Come out and hear us play Beethoven and the Dohnanyi Piano Quintet.)

Last weekend we traveled to Phoenix to see our friends Mark and Karen get married.

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I did not realized quite how tall I was until this picture.

Louie and I stayed with my sister Leslie and her family—everybody else there plays with the Phoenix Symphony, basically.

I played with a quartet for the ceremony. It was like being at work but with a shorter yellow dress. Perhaps nearly too short for sitting on a stage.

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This was my view during the ceremony. It’s one of the things that sucks about playing for a friend—you don’t really get to enjoy the ceremony, but it is always an honor to be asked to play by a fellow musician!

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The reception was at a place called The Duce and was a lot of fun.

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Too much fun, probably.

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This picture is stolen from another wedding guest’s facebook page. Louie and I met through Mark and Karen, but failed to get a picture of the 4 of us. Actually that’s not true, as they are in the background of two pictures above, but that’s not what I mean. IMG_3755

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Since it was such a short visit, and we ended up hanging around the house each day looking a bit rough until it was time to get ready for the events, I didn’t get as many Athena photos as I should have! *vain*

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She wasn’t sure about this selfie.

Anyway, after a whirlwind trip over the weekend, the week felt like it had been going on and on. This weekend isn’t so bad, though I have some makeup lessons each day so I don’t get any official days off. We are going to the symphony tonight and out (finally) for a nice dinner for Louie’s birthday tomorrow (3 weeks late) so it should be a lovely weekend.  We’re also hoping to get out into the world during the day and hike, walk, or run, and perhaps get some housework done too. Basically there aren’t nearly enough hours left to do all the things we’ve had to put off, or to do and see the things we want, but we keep at it.

Chloe is healing…slowly. I wish I could explain why she has to wear the cone, but then maybe she could explain what’s going on with her and then we’d all be happier. Until then, lots of cuddles and petting, and cleaning up urine and gross stuff. It’s a hard time.

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I have to remind myself that life isn’t a straight line, there are ups and downs, and sometimes you take a few steps forward and a few back. I’m feeling run down and tired right now, and as usual I’m rambling, but…I’m really looking forward to some downtime over Thanksgiving (and seeing family!). I always really need to make an effort to see friends and people other than Louie-he’s great, but I can’t ONLY hang out with my boyfriend, and the same for him, we need more people! When life gets busy it’s easy to want to finish the day in sweatpants watching TV with a glass of wine, but that’s not necessarily the best thing to do every night. I think part of this age group is that we are all busy with work and then exhausted, and if you don’t plan in advance, nothing happens, but you just hate planning every step of your life in advance. Sigh.

Why do I always start complaining when I start blogging? I swear I have all these interested positive thoughts and then…I just start complaining about how hard life is. It’s not so bad. After the concert last night I met Louie at Mission Taco for our traditional Taco Thursday and had some good food and great conversation. Between now and Monday I only have 4 1/2 hours of teaching (!!) and that doesn’t seem like so much. Lots of time to catch up on all the housework Smile

And thanks for your comments on my last post, the few of you reading. I think you’re right—my writing hasn’t gotten better, but different, as I’ve grown as a person. The best thing I can do is keep reading and writing. A good excuse to read more books, to help my blogging, right?

*After hitting publish I was thinking about how I often feel tired, even after having gotten a new bed. Sometimes I think it’s because I need more exercise! But I thought, gosh, why do we keep trying to do all these activities when I’m run down, and the answer is, because you look back and you remember the activities fondly, you don’t remember nights on the couch in your pj’s. At least that’s how I feel! So it’s worth it, and I probably just need a couple days off to reboot. I haven’t had a few days off since we got back from our trip in August.