Rainbow Chills

Vacation Continues

Day 5 of vacation (it is Wednesday, right?).

Michelle is sleeping in today. I'll wake her in a bit to make sure she's up in time for her massage appointment today.

We're having a great time. We've done a bunch of outlet shopping as well as tons of browsing (and a little buying) in the boutiques on the main street. I've finished two books- Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagan and The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett. I loved them both. Today, I'm going to start The Kite Runner or Water for Elephants. Haven't decided yet.

I can't quite get enough of the beach. Michelle said to me yesterday "I don't think I'd ever get tired of this" and I agree. In all of the years I've vacationed at the shore, the weeks I spent with my grandparents as a kid, I have never once woke up in the morning and thought, I don't feel like going to the beach today. Michelle's going to drop me off before her massage appointment today. We'll see if she makes it down. It doesn't matter what Michelle does- she has gotten sunburn every day this week- multiple applications of sunscreen, a cover-up, sitting under a towel, under an umbrella- she still gets burned somewhere. She may need to take a break today.

We're planning on seeing a drag show tonight at one of the restaurants/bars in town. There's nothing like live entertainment.

I've been knitting a tiny bit- more squares with the sock leftovers. I brought a sock with me and the aran sweater but haven't worked on either one. I stopped at the yarn store in town and, for the second time, was disappointed. I was hoping to find some sock yarn but the pickings were slim- one colorway of Lorna's Laces, one colorway of Trekking, two colors of Tofootsies (one of which I have in my knitting bag with me) and a few balls of Fortissima, none in colors that appealed to me. Bummer. I left empty handed. I gave it a shot. I had the same experience two years ago when we were here.

Speaking of two years ago, my thoughts today are with those families who are still living with the fallout of Katrina. God bless them.

Magnificent

I am currently enjoying one of my favorite life experiences. I'm having a snack after leaving the beach. I'm in a tiny cottage in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, listening to the Hairspray soundtrack.

Michelle and I started our vacation yesterday. After arriving, unpacking, and having a late lunch, we went to see Hairspray. We smiled through the whole thing (except for the part with Queen Latifa singing during the protest march- we cried at that part).

We hit the beach early today, took a few dips in the ocean (much warmer than when I went to the Jersey shore in July), and read the day away. I finished a really entertaining novel, Whistling in the Dark. I love a spunky, young narrator. I don't particularly enjoy crying on the beach but I did just that today while finishing this book.

We'll be heading out soon for dinner and shopping the little boutiques and shops.

I have lots of knitting updates including pictures of the Mystery Stole which I finished last Tuesday. It rained in Philly all week and I just couldn't get a decent picture. Updates when we get back next week.

See you in September.

Wildwood in Pictures

Famous boardwalk

Mack's Pizza

Fudgey Wudgey Man

Henna Tattoo

Sibling bonding (I'm second from the left)

The best smiles!

PS I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night and I loved it!

Wildwood Days

"Whoa, those Wildwood days, wild, wild, Wildwood days,

Oh baby, every day is a holiday and every night is Saturday night."

                                          Wildwood Days by Bobby Rydell

Tomorrow morning, I'm heading down the shore with my parents, siblings, and nieces and nephew. I haven't been down the shore (that's going to the beach for the rest of you) with my family since 2000. I can't wait.

When I was a little girl, my grandparents rented a place at the shore for the summer each year. We liked nothing better than to stay with them, sit on the beach, walk the boardwalk, ride the rides, and eat Mack's Pizza. We loved the shore so much that my Gram told us we couldn't talk about it anymore and we started calling it the "s word." My Pop counted down to the shore-- using monthly energy collections at church to mark the time- "only two more energy collections." He loved it even more than we did. He was never happier than when he was drinking a beer in the afternoon, watching the Phillies game, after a great day at the beach.

I only went to the shore one time after my Gram died and I haven't been there since my Pop died. I'm ready to be be a little sad but I also know that I have so many amazing memories with them from the shore. I'm so thrilled to be sharing the same experiences with my nieces and nephews. I think it's going to be a great time.

What will I be knitting, you ask? The Curlicue Blanket, the third-- no pictures because even though my friend Deirdre knows that I'm making the blanket and has seen it partially knit, I want her to see the finished blanket in person before on the blog. So you'll all have to wait until next week. I'm also going to be taking a sock project, although I don't know which one. I will also be taking the Mystery Stole because I somehow fell into that rabbit hole. I'd been seeing the number of Stoles rise on Ravelry for the past week when it became the number one WIP, passing the Monkey socks. I've been itching to do some lace knitting which for some reason seems to be a summer thing for me. I think it was the Harlot that did it yesterday. Anyway, I picked up some Zephyr in Ebony (apparently I'm insane) yesterday and have knit the first chart of the first clue. I have about 50 rows to go until I begin the next clue which was released this morning.

Count on lots of pictures next week of the kids on the beach and knitting progress. I'm a little worried about Ravelry withdraw while I'm away (which I'll fixate on rather than thinking about how much I'll be missing Michelle who doesn't have enough vacation days to join us). If you are waiting to get in to Ravelry, hang in there. It's worth the wait. I didn't know exactly what to do with it at first but boy, do I have it down now.

I just spent a few minutes looking at flickr pics tagged with Wildwood and Boardwalk. I really can't wait. Be back next week!

Defying Gravity

Michelle and I just got back from a four day trip to New York to celebrate the five year anniversary of our commitment ceremony. We had a fabulous time, despite mediocre weather. We saw three shows: Avenue Q, Wicked, and Grey Gardens. They were all wonderful in different ways.

Avenue Q was funny and smart. What bad can be said about a show that features songs like Everyone's a Little Bit Racist and features Gary Coleman as a character? It's fun to mock child stars, especially when the mocking is being done by puppets. We had no trouble getting tickets at 5:45 on Thursday night at TKTS at the Marriott Marquis. They had tickets for many shows and plays and the line was nearly nonexistent. If you are willing to make an on the spot decision about which show to see, I highly recommend it. I'd skip the long line that often forms for the 3:00 opening time at TKTS.

Wicked was everything I dreamed and more. I bought the soundtrack last summer after hearing it on a car ride with my parents (we always listen and sing along to soundtracks on car trips). The current Broadway cast does not disappoint. Julia Murney as Elphaba was very good and I can't say enough good things about Kendra Kasselbaum as Glinda. She was silly and bouyant, just as Glinda should be. She was also incredibly likable as a self-centered spoiled girl. Seeing Wicked is an experience in being transported to an imaginary world, a world that we both know intimately (from the Wizard of Oz books and movie) and one that we've never seen before- through the eyes of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.

Grey Gardens was unbelievable. It was a transforming experience for me. I literally felt as though I was being changed while I was seeing it. Christine Ebersole is amazing. She is such a powerful actress who is able to be vulnerable, quirky, and confident- a tough combo. Both Edith and Little Edie are so complex and seeing this reality portayed on the stage is something to behold. When Michelle and I were talking about the three shows, I said that contrasting Wicked and Grey Gardens was interesting: one is a world totally in fantasy and the other is based on reality, but not reality as WE know it. The layered concepts of independence, relationships, feelings of being paralyzed by one's circumstances, the concept of acting both professionally and in daily life, eccentricity, individuality, and mental illness all collide and combine in the second act. It's certainly not for everyone, just as I have heard varying reviews of the documentary. Some people see brilliance and eccentricity, others mentally ill people who need intervention. Can we see both? Are they mutually exclusive? I could talk and talk about this show! Christine Ebersole will win the Tony, no doubt in my mind and it will be well deserved.

A recent NY Times article said this about the experience of seeing Grey Gardens:

As absurd as they appear the Beales are comfortingly human too. Their decline from hopeful dreamers to withdrawn oddballs may be extreme, but it traces in unusually gothic style an arc that shapes many a human journey. The lives we live as adults are rarely in neat accord with the heady dreams of youth. The seismic change that occurs in the fortunes of the Beales while the audience is chatting away merrily at intermission is a sneaky metaphor for the stealthy progress of fate in our own lives.

Few will leave the theater thinking: Little Edie Beale, c’est moi! But everyone of a certain age (say 30) has probably lived through a few of those startling moments when you take stock of your life as it is and wonder: How did I get here, exactly? When did the curves come that moved me away from one destiny and toward another? I guess it all must have happened during intermission.

NY Times, 4/8/07

I could say so much more about the trip. About that most quintessential of vacation experiences- drinking wine at lunch time. About getting lost in Central Park looking for Strawberry Fields. About the beauty that was the Forbidden Broadway ice cream sundae at Serendipity for dinner on Friday. About the restaurant awning that dumped water all over me and Michelle on Satuday. About the football players in town for the NFL draft that were staying at our hotel.

I'll leave you with lyrics from Wicked's amazing Defying Gravity:

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by
The rules of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes
And leap...

It's time to try defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
And you can't pull me down

Leaving Las Vegas

The shuttle service insisted on picking me up two and half hours before my flight so I'm at the airport with some time to kill. Security was a funny experience. I've had lots of different security experiences over the past few years- from being patted down and wanded, having my bag searched, etc. This morning, the woman who checked my ID and boarding pass called me "honey." Very threatening there, Grandma. She then coughed a deep emphysema cough and sent me to the real security line. Whatever. Some days, this non-threatening exterior is suspicious, today I get treated like a grandkid. Think it was the pigtails?

Yesterday was a really good day in Vegas. I saw the Venetian which (duh) is supposed to look and feel like Venice. You can take a gondola ride through the hotel. Very cheesy but that's what Vegas is all about. I had my first experience at a store I can only call GIRL HEAVEN, Sephora. I had never been to one before although I had heard of their magic. Some days I'm a girly-girl but on a day to day basis I'm a no nonsense, little to no make-up, hair in a ponytail kind of girl. Sephora, though, makes me want to wear shiny eye shadow, perfume, and nail polish every day. It is just that amazing. My only real shopping of this trip was in Sephora.

I walked all through the shops in the Venetian as well as those at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. I saw every designer shop you can imagine: Gucci, Pucci, Harry Winston, Kate Spade, Jimmy Choo, Juicy, Lucky, Coach, Armani, Caroline Herrera, Louis Vitton etc. I saw everything including stores bearing the names of Italian and French designers who I know I should know but I don't. I tried on three black dresses in BCBG and found one I really liked but didn't like it on me. I'm too short for some dresses. Bummer. Still on a hunt for a dress for the wedding. I feel absolutely head over heels in love with a Kate Spade purse but wouldn't let myself go into the store to admire it. I kept my love from afar (through the window) as I knew it would not be in the budget. 

The weather yesterday was gorgeous so it was a great day to visit Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden. I saw dolphins, lions, tigers, and alpacas! It seems like the beautiful weather was getting to them because you couldn't turn around without seeing one animal trying to get it on with another. The children around me seemed very confused by all of the activity. Regardless of the wild kingdom mating rituals, it was a great day to be outside. I sat outside at the little cafe and enjoyed the sunshine and an orange soda.

So now, I'm leaving Las Vegas. I didn't have a drop of alcohol and I didn't gamble one red cent. I can't wait to be home tonight. Tomorrow, I took the day off. It is going to be all Olympics, all the time this weekend. I can not wait!

Good luck with your Olympic project if you have a challenge starting tomorrow.

What happens in Vegas

My Vegas experience is definitely improving. My hotel is still a dump but I ventured out last night and got to see the glitz and glamour of the strip.

I took the Monorail (which is pricey) to the MGM Grand. WOW! That, my friends, is a hotel. The place smells incredible, is clean as a whistle, and just lovely to look at. I saw Emeril's restaurant and Wolfgang Puck's. I then went to the M&M store- you have never seen so many M&Ms in your life. I got some goodies for myself and to bring home to my sweetie (funny- a pun!). I then walked on the Strip back to my hotel. I passed New York-New York and Paris. I stopped and watched the fountains at the Bellagio. There is so much to see here if you like to look at bright shiny things.

Today, I have training for half the day and then I am free. I want to go to the Venetian where I understand there is good shopping. The Siegfried and Roy Secret Garden at the Mirage is also on the agenda.

On the knitting front, I've been knitting a sock while in training. Since the training is all about working with students with disabilities, we started out on day one talking about learning. The trainers passed out all sorts of toys and things to keep our hands busy since so many adults are kinesthetic learners. They had no problems when I asked later that day if I could knit while I listened. I love people who know about learning! Many people have been interested in my knitting and asked to see it. The fact that the yarn and colors are lovely is captivating to many. I am making a sock in Trekking color 110- plain picot edge a la Claudia. Knitting this sock is fast and fun. Sock 1 will be finished today for sure.

That's all, I think, from Vegas. Internet access is pay by the day and day 2 of access ends this evening. I won't be paying for another day since I'm heading home tomorrow morning.

See you on Olympic Opening Ceremonies day!

(By the way, I keep crying during Olympic commercials...and the Dove Self Esteem Fund ones too!)

Vegas, baby

When I walked through the doors into the casino hotel last night, it took everything I had in me not to start crying. After nearly 9 hours of traveling, I couldn't believe that I had to stand in a smoky, noisy casino to check into my hotel room. I was not happy to be in Vegas. Things look slightly sunnier today even though I did have to walk through the casino at 8:30 am to get on the elevator that led to the conference rooms. I couldn't believe the people smoking and gambling at that time of the morning. Bah. The training today was very good. I already feel like the trip has been worthwhile and I still have a day and half of training to go. I guess that makes it all worth it. Tonight is going to be a hotel night for me. I'm going to get a bite to eat at one of the many venues on the premises. I am not leaving the hotel at all. I am just not up for all of the lights and noise. Tomorrow and Wednesday, I hope to see Sigfried and Roy's Secret Garden, the M&M store, and the Impressionist Exhibit. The trip has already been knit-filled. I have a shawl well underway and I knit about 3 inches on a sock cuff today. Hooray! I also watched Walk the Line on the plane yesterday and I absolutely loved it. The movie was great and wearing the headphones discouraged the man next to me from chatting incessantly. (Strangely, the coding icons are not accessible on this laptop so I am not linking to any of the sites in Vegas or the Walk the Line site. I'll have pictures to share when I get home...although not of the movie.) More tomorrow.

The Work Voice

Last night, the colleague who I am traveling with commented on my "work voice." We have worked together for over a year but she either just noticed it (when I was checking in at the conference registration desk) or she just felt comfortable enough to comment about it.

This is not the first time someone has commented on the voice. The girl I dated in high school called it the "phone voice." I guess I used it when I ordered pizza. I don't know. Every once in awhile, we'd start to argue and she'd say "Chris, don't use the phone voice on me. Don't talk to me like that!"

Michelle has commented on the work voice as well. It's a bossy voice. A networking voice. A patronizing voice. It's the voice I use when I address a group of people. The voice I use whenever I gave a tour at Rosemont (I was, of course, the president of the tour guide association.) I use it when I lead workshops. I use it when I discuss an advising situation.

What does this have to do with knitting?

I just know that I use the work voice when I teach knitting classes. And I wonder if people hate it.

Other than my worries about my work voice, things are fine. We started the day bright and early and worked for about 9 hours straight. I'm now getting ready to throw on some jeans, freshen up my lipstick and head out to dinner with my coworker. We opted out of the organized "group dinners" tonight and will find something on our own. Then I'll hunker down tonight with my cell phone, the Jen Weiner book, my knitting, and a new episode of Veronica Mars.

And what does tomorrow bring? About 3 hours of free time between 8 am and 9pm. I'll probably not post again until Monday. I'll spend that time eating lunch and getting ready to have dinner on a boat.

Be well, safe and warm. I'll be spending my weekend having breakfast with my very good friend Kelly, visiting some dead bodies with our friend Allen and his beau Chris, and eating apple fritters at Linvilla Orchard with Michelle and her parents.

Pittsburgh

Picture this: Pittsburgh, 2005. I'm sitting on a king sized bed in my pink kitty cat pajamas, blogging, instant messaging, talking on a cell phone, and listening to Delilah on the clock radio.

I have not decided if this is awesome or appalling. I think the Delilah part is appalling but it's taking me back to my high school days when we'd debrief the saddest dedications over lunch every day.

The flight today was uneventful. The conference has been fine so far. I'm dreading the opening session tomorrow at 7:45 AM! Apparently, they think we're early birds or something.

Today was pointless. We got into town around 1:30 and didn't start conference stuff until 8. I finished reading Lost by Gregory Maguire. Worth the read. I read some of Jen Weiner's new book, Goodnight Nobody. I completely anticipate finishing that book before the conference ends. Other than the reading, I ate at a place called Joe's Crab Shack, watched Gilmore Girls (the repeat on Family, not the new one), went through security at the airport twice (how scary is it that they didn't tell me I was at the wrong terminal!). Anyway, that was my day. Boring snoring.

Knitting report: none. Spent the whole flight gossiping with a coworker and actually doing work on the swanky laptop I brought on the trip.

Updates tomorrow. I can't guarantee that it will be anything interesting though!