"Favorites"

It has been brought to my attention that I have a lot of favorite things.  So, here's a list of some things I think are swell:

Foods
-cotton candy
-sea dog biscuits (two chocolate chip cookies with ice cream in the middle)
-fudge
-chocolate covered blueberries
 i also like non-dessert food, such as:
-spinach lasagna
-shrimp scampi

Things to do
-go to the beach/swim in the ocean
-puzzles
-sleeping in late

Music
-too many to list, but basically i have a lot of faves
-ke$ha haha

It has been so so hot in Maine recently, which is great at the beach and not-so-great sitting in all the construction going on around Portland.  Alas, can't complain since it's infinitely better than two years ago when it rained almost every day. 

I'm currently reading "Sisterhood Everlasting" by the author of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.  It's rather addictive, and SO surprising (and sad).  Also, just found out that Border's is completely going out of business, so no more long trips to browse in South Portland.  What a bummer. 

Basically, life is great, and I can't believe there are still almost two months left of summer.  I'm already so relaxed and have been loving reading, getting sun on the beach, seeing friends (and working too I guess...).  It's a lovely world. 

A happy group of frog musicians from Quebec.

happy fourth of july!

So it's officially July.  It really feels like we were just watching the fireworks last year.  Time flies.  The good thing is that it now feels very summery outside.  There are also tons of dragonflies. 

I'm going to go enjoy the weather, but first here's a funny little op-ed piece from today's nytimes: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/04/opinion/20110704_OPART.html?hp

Have a wonderful holiday and (short) week ahead!

end of june

Our trip to Canada was very interesting...Québec is an entirely different place in June (rather than February)!  We went to the Musée de la Civilisation in the city, which usually has good exhibits.  This time, there was one on different world religions and another on food.  The food exhibit was pretty thought-provoking and cool to look at.  It's based on a book called "Hungry Planet" that came out in 2005 and shows photos of how much food families around the world consume in a week, including costs in US dollars.  Here's a link with some of the pictures: http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_482785/What_The_World_Eats_-_Shocking_Photos

We saw some cute little towns farther north along the St. Lawrence.  There were great views of the river, lots of lupines, and I experienced a new side of the area.  I complained about driving 8 hours north for a vacation, but it was good.

I'm getting excited for fireworks this weekend at the Sea Dogs game and the Portland show on Monday.  Should be great!  Though I can't believe it's already July...where is the summer going?

Lastly, here's a little canada haiku:

canada was fun
pretty sights and lots of french
(but not the mail strike!)

oh canada

We're headed to Canada on a little family vacation tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not too psyched about traveling somewhere colder than Maine.  Oh well.  Hopefully it won't be too dismal and I will remember my french. 

I still can't really move from doing an ab workout on Sunday.  Even pipetting hurts my arm, how sad.  But I guess it's just a necessary part of "gettin' huge" for the fall.  Success is a decision.  I know it's a long way off, but I'm still excited for lovely fall rows on Lake Dunmore. 

The other day I finished "The Last Lecture."  I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an inspirational read.  I really admire Randy Pausch's life outlook.  It's easy for someone like me to keep on the sunny side: I have nothing major to complain about, and I would consider my life to be pretty awesome.  But even when faced with a terminal diagnosis, Pausch chose to do his best to make his last months rewarding.  Warning: you will probably cry.  A lot.  I did, but it's worth it, and it truly makes you evaluate your life and attitude.

Off to enjoy the sun!  Have a great week.

a list of happy things

-the bruins winning!
-today was sunny
-the air outside smells like flowers
-the glee project (just started watching...promising so far)
-good books
-my blog has more than 1000 views :-o

yay, can't believe it's already the middle of june!  peace.

glee and other adventures

It's been a good week.  The ticks, mice, and other small mammals were good during the first half, and I was in DC at the end of the week for GLEE LIVE!  Which was a lot of fun.  The cast is really talented, and they performed a wide range of songs from the show.  One of my favorite parts was "Safety Dance," where Artie gets out of his wheelchair and dances.  Here's a link to when they did it on the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG4WOUB3wB4. 

Also, today was the Old Port Festival in Portland.  I'd never been before, and despite the rain and cold, it was a good time.  I ate some cotton candy and saw Hot Chelle Rae perform.  They have a single, "Tonight Tonight," that has been popular recently (in case you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzlNFcT2aOE). 

I'm on to book five of the summer, A Discovery of Witches.  It's interesting so far...it involves vampires, witches, and daemons, though it's surprisingly realistic.  It's also written by a history professor, so maybe that's part of way it seems a lot more sophisticated than the other vampire books I've read (plus, it is aimed at adults). 

And here's an interesting editorial from the NYTimes today about Anthony Weiner and gender in politics: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/weekinreview/12women.html?ref=weekinreview. 

Here's to a great week ahead!

work and play

I started work today (back in the tick lab).  I've had a nice and relaxing two weeks so it's good to be a little busier again. 

My whole family went to see the Avett Brothers on Thursday night.  So good!  They're awesome live and they played a lot of my favorites.  Not from the concert, but this is a great song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9EdbZ6WjOA.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Glee Live on Thursday...should be fun!  

And a current event video clip - oh goodness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS4C7bvHv2w&feature=aso.

The summer has been nice so far, but I'm missing friends, and I can tell that come September, I'll be ready for Midd again.  Have a great week!