Holiday Magic

Hey ladies,

Given that I never really post anything, I'll have to make this extra special. Love you all, and wish you a Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you're celebrating!) It's been a pretty wonderful year for me, and hopefully a pretty wonderful year for everybody else. Seems like it's been a year of big changes for everyone!

I know (from Buzz, Gmail, the Blog, Facebook, etc.) that many of you ladies are in town... But who's going to be around for New Years and other pre-New Years events? Everyone's around, right? I'd love to hear a shout-out from you guys, and to see what your plans are on days other than the 30th and the 31st!

Miss you all, and hope this finds you well! Again, although I posted this on Buzz I'll post it here too really quick - I'm up for a tenure track position at St. Mary's! I made it through the first application, and the first round of interviews, and interview #2 is coming up at the beginning of January. While I'm super excited about that, I've applied to places all over the country, so I might be looking to post some stuff here and have you guys weigh in on which jobs would be the neatest!

Merry Christmas again, and see you all soon!

~Gwyn

Liz is not alone!

I was trying to find a specific Trader Joe's greeting card online and came across this blog post. Someone else sees letters in colors!

http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-card-available-at-trader-joes.html

And Happy Birthday Abby!

Happy Birthday Rebecca!

Way to have a birthday, Blonde Giraffeeee! We love you so much! Now stretch your neck, let out your hair and celebrate!

For all those who love Charlottesville...

I recently saw a documentary called "The Parking Lot movie" that takes place there. It was neat! Check it out, Liz especially! :)

What do you think quadlings?

Shall we have a:



Comment and let us know your feelings! Also, thanks Abby for finding an "elf" to decide our Secret Santa!

Along Came Smokey

Molly and Mike are home from their 6 week trek across the US. They drove through the Smokey Mountains and stopped to see a friend in Asheville on their way home. They were on a lonely dirt road in rural Appalacia when they saw an animal barely alive. It turned out to be a young bird dog/hound pup who was starving and severely dehydrated. They took him to an animal hospital for a once-over, got him stable with fluids, and called around to try to find owners. No one has claimed him yet and the local animal shelter would only give him 3 days so he came home to MD. Lucky for Smokey, Molly and Mike start their new job running an animal shelter in Leesburg, VA in two weeks. Meanwhile, he is living with me! He goes to the vet soon for deworming, neutering, and a more in-depth check-up. I wonder how we know if he has had his vaccinations yet? Puppy care is hard work and he has already peed twice on my poor mother's oriental rugs. But look at him!

Of Montreal... "Famine Affair"

Okay, so apparently the premise is that, in the future, women have realized that they do not need men. They apparently live in polyamorous lesbian communities and keep one man around just for semen production. Kind of funny.
I especially like when they are playing in the dirt! Man, I miss dirt of that quality.

New Years

Ok, so I know it is only November, but I am sitting in starbucks next to this romantic fireplace and they are playing Christmas music. And I got to thinking of all of you and how crazier/busier things are going to get soon in all of our lives. I was hoping everyone was planning on having New Years together. I know we will all be pretty hungover after Erica's shennanigans but I was thinking we could do something mellow, or if people were up for it, we could go out. Anyways,
Is everyone planning on spending New Years together? I can't help but look back at pictures from New Year's pasts and wish I was in them......
If our wallets are not up for going out, I would like to offer my house as a potential party venue. I believe my housemates will still all be home for the holidays.
Ok, this is weird, the guy next to me just yelled out randomly "isn't this place cozy?"
"starbucks rules!" to no one in particular, and I just instinctively answered. And now he is staring ahead blankly.....err what?

tryveg.com video link

http://www.cok.net/camp/mtv/#

For All My Girls

so, there's this country song

called (and I'm not making this up) "I get tears in my ears from lyin' on my back while I cry over you"

...and I think it may have been by Jeff Foxworthy, but that does not decrease it's validity.

Sometimes, like once every 6 to 9 months, I cry myself to sleep (little known fact -- i.e. by my sisters and as of tonight Nick) I cry myself to sleep.

and tonight
It's because I miss you all so much.

OK that was very hard to d w o typos. the end.

Some Halloween Fright?

To my fellow quadlings who are so much more than friends,

At 3:30 in the morning I am compelled to tell you all how much I appreciate you. I just got home from a party where people a) discussed dating outside of one's race as if it were a topic that needed to be discussed b) made fun of Obama and c) said the n word. How upsetting. I can't believe there are groups of people who still say these things. People from our generation, too! I am disgusted. Luckily I was able to leave. Whats even more frightening is that this is the second situation like this I have been in this year. Over the summer I was camping with an old friend from high school and her boyfriend's friends were telling stories littered with the n word and complaining about immigrants. And these were two completely separate groups of people. How do I manage to find these people? Sometimes I am torn between staying in touch with my conservative friends (because I don't like to let politcal differences get in the way of friendship if I think that someone is genuinely a good person and because I believe in all kinds of diversity - and who knows, maybe I'll let a little liberalism rub off on them) or abandoning them all together. I seem to run into this ignorance that is so hard to tolerate too often with conservative groups. It really saddens me and makes me fearful for progress.

Anyway, its pretty late for a long rant so I apologize for all of the errors I probably made :)Hopefully you get my point through my rambling... I am so glad/comforted to know that each of you are in this world. Thanks for being your awesome selves!

Whew! Stewart Colbert Rally tomorrow - time to make fun of everything I just complained about!
Liz

Video!

http://www.youtube.com/350org

Pay special attention to the 40-second mark. Recognize anyone???
Seriously, you guys, I really recommend joining this movement. Even just getting the email updates so you know what's going on politically. And please vote this mid-term election! Unless... no... i don't think any of us are Republicans... so yeah, VOTE!! :)
I can't find a link to the local news story they did on us... if I can find it I'll show you guys, too.
Long live planet Earth!

pumpkin love

ORANGE!!! Everything is orange and beautiful and Nicky's post made me want to go to Boulder so bad!!!! I looooovvvveeee Fall too. The leaves in Maryland haven't exactly changed yet, but they are on their merry way. I guess Liz is the only other blogger to witness the Maryland leaves with me this year, we are all so spread out across the Americas! I went down to Virginia with my coworker and Kelly on Sunday to go have a look at the leaves and hang out at my coworker's old farm. But they hadn't really changed yet. I'm hoping to go again next weekend and possibly camp :).
Also, I think I am dating this coworker, which is good, but also scary for me.... because I'm not really good at relationships and also because work relationships gone awry can suck, so I'm trying to be careful. But basically he calls every night and we've been having a lot of sleepovers. Which is a little odd, because in the morning we go to work together. so yea, I think we are dating, and he is kind of intense. But that is how I roll.....
love you guys!

Fall

Fall hit Boulder yesterday. I love Fall. I love cold nights and foggy mornings. I love waking up while the sun starts to come up and pulling my nose under warm blankets. But here in Colorado, I have found a new, unexpected reason to love Fall: my drive to work.

I drive along a small highway on my short 10-minute drive, and through my windshield I get to see the mountain range behind Boulder. Yesterday the clouds had come over the mountain and concealed the highest peaks. They were so close it felt as if I could just lean out the car window and reach up and I would touch them. The smaller mountains had clouds that seemed to be hiding just behind the top, settling into the valleys. All the leaves have gone yellow, brown, orange and red but some trees are still stubbornly remaining green. This morning was completely different, clear, bright, and sunny. Today when I looked out at the mountains, the highest peaks were pure white. Snow from the top of the fourteeners through Nederland, a nearby (but higher altitude) town.

Amazing. Made me think of you all, of going back to St. Mary's. And it means Tokar will be back in the states soon. I love Fall.

Abby?

are you ok? i just saw your facebook post. what happened?

Song for a Lazy Saturday

Direct Link to Video (Thanks for the heads up Abbs!)

Creative Crunk

Ranging from fabulous to foul...

http://gizmodo.com/5653222/the-most-creative-jell+o-shots-ever-gallery/gallery/

Happy Birthday Lizzie!

Flashback

So, remember this http://quadness.blogspot.com/2009/03/schoner-gigolo.html ?

Well, this is why I'm friends with Kelly...

orange and red

soooo, I miss you guys! I made this kale and white bean minestrone soup last night and think that everyone on the blog would like it. I loosely followed the recipe from cookus interruptus and it was amazing! It did need extra seasoning, but overall it was super easy and really fast so I thought I would share it and also procrastinate :)
It is on the website below.
http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php?video_id=158

Its also a nice rainy day outside, perfect for staying in your pajamas all day and reading a book and baking muffins :)

I Want To Set My Mother On Fire

So after many months of discussing an all-vegetarian menu for the nuptials, and me actually SENDING OUT a sample menu to my parents/matt's/the chef in June, my parents disclosed today that they think not serving meat is inappropriate. It was actually stated "how can you expect people to drive up here and rent hotel room when you refuse to serve them a proper meal."

I've scouted out about 50 recipes for vegetable-based dishes that I think look fabu. Risottos, gluten-free pasta dishes, polenta-based vegetable mountains... How is eating one meal comprised of vegetables an inconvenience to anyone? I just don't see it. I perceive that it's different. Perhaps unexpected. I just don't see how it is a problem.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to handle this? NNTM, aka she-who-mingles-freely-with-the-carnivorous-texan-kind? I'm furious and reaching for wine...

i love you guys

I love my weird cakes. And how like you guys to know that one is just not enough for me :) The 10 lbs I've gained in the past month thanks you, too :)

I'm also really excited for pumpkin beer time and thought of you all last night when I was drinking Southern Tier's Pumking Imperial (the last bottle in the store -- the store/pub called The Bier Stein, which is my new favorite place in Eugene... ).

Love you all.

~Me

Happy Birthday (again), MCS!

Happy Birthday Spadster!

This Firecrotch has been blazing for 27 glorious years!

Have a great one Ern Blr!

Local, to our hearts at least

Ethnicity/Segregation in the US

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157624812674967/

For Gwyn

(and me...and possibly Abby and Becca and Liz - so basically for everyone besides Erica and Nicky :))

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11372095

Person to Love: Marian Henley

The 5-Question [Author+Creative] Interview

Happy Birthday Gwyn!

:)

Four Mile Canyon Wildfire

What a strange 2 days it's been. Arriving back in Denver from Austin, TX yesterday, we were greeted by a plume of smoke stretching toward our car from the Boulder Foothills. Fast forward 45 minutes, and we had reached Boulder and were driving under an enormous cloud to get out to our house in Gunbarrel. Tiny particles of ash fell on us and the light was orange through the smoke. Fortunately, we are several highways and outside of the forest (approx. 9 miles from the fire), so we found out we're not in danger. But it's wild seeing the sky lit up with smoke and an orange glow over the hill at night and then hazy smoke clouds during the day. It also smells like an intense camp fire anywhere you go, even inside. So far, the fire has burned 3500 acres and countless houses but it seems no one was hurt.

We are safe and not in the fire zone. We're keeping track of course, and I registered us for emergency updates to be texted to us from the County. If you want more info or to keep track with us, here's where we're getting our info:

wildfiretoday.com/

Boulder Fire - Google Maps

Here's what we were seeing yesterday on our drive home


Love you guys

Kind of like an even-worse Marley & Me

I did not have a chance to deliver a eulogy, but I feel that I have to say something somewhere about Bailey's passing. I want to remember him, how we met him, and why we loved him. Since you've known him about as long as we have (Liz, at least, to the very day), this is my memorial quad blog post for Bailey.

My parents buried him quietly in woods behind their house nestled amongst the graves of Dixie, a sassy Jack-Russell; Lady, the gentlest chocolate lab I've ever met (except, perhaps, for Mike); and Bradley, the dinosaur who manage to convince the world that he was a dog. After flying back to the states a few weeks ago, Matt drove up to my parents' house to pick up Zoey and solemnly carried her to the car. Even over Skype, it was clear to me that neither of them was sure how to proceed. For the past five years Bailey has been an integral part of Matt's and my life together. Now, without him, our family is different.

We met Bailey on beach day. After a heavily lubricated afternoon made memorable by Erin's epically mismatched bikini and long visit to Daffodil Valley, Liz and I came barreling up the driveway to Bushwood in the my old red convertible propelled by the carefree acceleration of a young driver who has never gotten a speeding ticket. An eclectic crowd of people were gathered in the front yard and, although this sight was somewhat of a fixture at Bushwood, on this day they had congregated to welcome, or rather examine, a guest. He was little more than a pile of fur and we spent the rest of the afternoon puzzling over his presence, guessing his age and, given the state he was in, attempting to ascertain what diseases he was likely to have. It seemed clear, almost at once, that if he was going to live, he was going to live with us. Though given his evidently deteriorated health, his survival was far from certain.

Matt, together with the housemates, spent days removing ticks and trying to nurse him back to health. We were washing him daily to banish the fleas and chip away at the layers of stray-dog grime. One afternoon Rugby Emily and I were outside rinsing him off and, although we could tell that he loathed the activity, he little more than winced to show his displeasure. She gravely observed, "he has no fight left in him." Bitten, bruised and weary - -his forlorn expression belied the reality that his life had been clouded by struggle, a conclusion further evidenced by his nonchalance about eating bugs. After we finished she went back inside, beckoned by Larry and the smell of a favored herb. I looked down at him, forcing a smile to liven his spirits, as I explained "I know you were a hunting dog but I'm a vegetarian so I'd like for you to consider a change in lifestyle." Suddenly, a firetruck drove by, its siren piercing the Southern Maryland silence, temporarily deafening us both. In that moment, I instinctively grabbed him and held him to me, covering his ears with my body. As the siren faded into the distance, he looked up at me, and his resignation had melted into a warm curiosity. I believe that this was the moment that he realized I wanted to be his friend.

Matt still loves to tell people about the first time we gave him a bath inside. We meticulously washed every nook and cranny of his body and, upon pronouncing him clean (or as close to clean as he would ever get) we swaddled him in a towel and cooed at him until he was dry. Wiggling himself free from the bundle, without hesitation, he bolted through the screen door and leapt headfirst into the biggest mud puddle I've ever seen. He languished in that mud with orgasmic fury only pronouncing his work complete after every last bit of his body was encapsulated by filth. I think after that we gave up, grabbed some beer, and took him down to the River.

This confused stray became our dog Bailey in Stone Harbor a few weeks later when we all gathered to celebrate rain, the repeal of prohibition, and fleeting moments of collegiate glory. Unsure of who would care for Bailey while he was at the beach, Matt loaded Bailey into his car headed north. On that trip, and subsequent trips for at least the next year or so, Bailey insisted upon riding at Matt's feet while he drove, wedged between the break and the outside door. Treacherous as this was, we entertained it, though we've never quite figured out why he liked sitting there so much. (someone told us that it has something to do with the layout of pickup trucks) While in Stone Harbor, Liz (I think) took the first picture of Bailey that we have. He and Matt are nestled on the carpet. In that picture, I noticed that the upturned corners of Bailey's mouth looked vaguely like the beginnings of a smile.

I would never claim that he fully adjusted to city life with us, moving from Bushwood to my parents', to Matt's parents', to Columbia Heights, then to Cleveland Park over the course of only a few years. Shortly after adopting him, and regularly throughout the time he lived with us, we would let him loose to run either behind Bushwood or, later, in the vast wilderness of northern Montgomery County behind my parents' house. We felt like he was only ever "ours" as a technicality imposed by the structure of society and animal control laws, and that if he didn't come back we were lousy dog parents and didn't deserve him. He always came back, and a regular sight outside my parents' front door (and Matts' parents', on occasion, as well) became Bailey, politely sitting upright on the step waiting to be attended to. After spotting him through the window, someone would proclaim "Bailey's home" and we'd all rush to the door, petting him and celebrating his renewed decision to spend his life with his. As ill-fitting as his urban existence was, Bailey looked marvelous in a sweater and he always indulged my desire to outfit him in one. I only regret that I never experimented with a top hat.

Although he did not prefer apartments, Bailey was an excellent traveler and he logged plenty of frequent rider miles on car trips to the Florida Keys, Asheville, Chapel Hill, Cape Cod, Ithaca, Atlanta, Rehoboth Beach and the Outer Banks, to name a few. He often shared the backseat with his beloved Auntie Erin, Auntie Becca, or Auntie Carmela and I think some of his happiest memories are of hiking with a pack (literally) of dogs in Gwyn's backyard. I think all of you have welcomed him into your home at one time or another whether in Lizzie and Becca's townhouse their senior year, Abby's Ithacan abode (even despite his often abrasive behavior towards Jack), and Gwyn's townhouse that, for all of us by this point, has become like the club house for our annual summer camp in upstate. On one trip in early Spring 2008 spent camping adjacent to a patch of rapids in the Blue Ridge mountains, Matt and I had only just begun to set up camp as the sun was setting. In the interest of efficiency, I suggested that I finish assembling our tent while he went in to "town" (one of two log cabins several miles away) to grab something for dinner. As the light faded, Bailey and I crawled into the tent and sealed it shut, not oblivious to the plummeting temperature and how easily we could still see our breath in the air. I cradled him in my arms and, although we were spooning comfortably, his eyes were wide and I could tell he was listening to the sounds of the forest, poised to protect us from danger. On subsequent trips, Matt and I realized that Bailey never slept during the night when we went camping because he was standing guard. Matt returned eventually and the next morning as we checked out of the North Carolina park, the ranger congratulated us on making it through the night alive as the temperatures had dipped into the low 20s. I'm not sure how we would have fared without Bailey.

Matt and I learned that he died on July 28 while we were playing cards in a bus station in Rio on our way to the tiny beach village of Buzios. We had known for a few weeks that he was sick, that antibiotics weren't helping and that the distant, pained little face that my mom held up to the webcam didn't seem to be showing signs of improvement. My parents did everything they could to save him, followed every vet's suggestion, and I find some peace in the conclusion that nothing could have been done. My dad came inside from gardening one balmy evening when he found Bailey lying motionless on his bed, with Zoey cuddled against him. My dad swears that Bailey was smiling.

Despite the flaws in our lifestyle and, god knows, our personalities, I believe that Bailey was happy with us. And, wherever he is now, I hope he is at peace. I am so grateful that he was our dog.

　

Update from the west

awww man.  I wrote this last night and then the computer crashed, and it was deleted.  Had I been able to actually post, I would have totally beat Abby to responsibility.  But yet again, I fail.

So anyway, we are here in Oregon.  Our apartment is OK, but as previously mentioned, kind of way too close to strip malls for me.  So I'll get through a semester and then try to move to a cute house in the woods somewhere.  Oregon is beautiful.  We went to the beach on Sunday, and last weekend, we went hiking and swimming.  I think Nick's getting tired of me forcing him to do things, though :)  I think Ziggy handled the move OK, but I can tell he misses having people around.  And I miss 'all ya'll' a lot.  I have some videos that I took of the trip out, and I'll try to take a few more of Eugene and send them all to you guys, so you can see it.

School:  So...I left DC so early to come here and take a summer class.  UO is on a trimester schedule (more on that later), so the fall term doesn't start until mid-Sept.  But the summer course I was told to sign up for is actually way, way advanced (as in, they're translating Caesar), which I'm not up to, yet.  So I dropped it and am doing nothing until the fall term.  And now that schedule is all fucked up, so I'm figuring that out, bugging several profs who now think I'm an idiot, and generally being incompetent.  So... not much new there :)  Hopefully, I'll get everything worked out soon.  I'll keep you guys posted.

OK.  And my schedule...  Actually, I'll post it as a comment on Abby's post, so it can all be together in one place.

I love and miss you guys so, so much.

~E

December/January plans

Hey all,
What's happening over the "break" (for those of us in academic related endeavors)? Can we all discuss our schedules so as to starting planning activities of the merry season? Erica, what are your bridal shower plans looking like?
And what about New Years Eve? Do we want to do Boulder? Or, Erica, if you shower is going to be over the break, maybe it would make more sense for it to be in MD/DC?
My two cents (you knew this was coming!): If we're on for a bridal shower over the holidays and you have yet to solidify any dates, some time closer to rather than later than Christmas/New Years would be awesome for this chica's schedule. What are other people's availabilities? (How much time off from work Nicky, Becca, and Liz, how much time off from school Erin, Gwyn, me?)
Rotholz: Will have ample time off from school, but am trying to get a job--grim economic outlook here, folks--and hope to spend most of the break working. Depending on when the bridal shower is I may board Jack and fly rather than driving, and if it is not going to be happening I think I'd vote for NYE in Boulder and not come home for Christmas.
How about ...YOU? :)
love, Abby

Northern Lights

check out these pictures......coool!!!!! Gwyn and Liz in Canada, maybe you can see the lights.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yahooeditorspicks/galleries/72157624653325820/

No more comments?

Is it just my computer, or did the comment feature disappear on the pages? I can't see whether anybody's responding to the (admittedly quite fun) videos or not. :)

(Today is video posting day)

You mean you didn't know?

The Skills Song - Rocky and Balls - (Inspired by Napoleon Dynamite)

Hermanos Inglesos feat. MeMe - Wanderland

Hermanos Inglesos feat. MeMe - Wanderland from Kristof Luyckx on Vimeo.

Cool wave photos

Whoa, check out this link: http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201001/slideshow-little/default.aspx
Er, maybe smoke a bowl and then check out this link. :)

News from CO :)

Hiya quadlings,
Figured it was time for news from the West! (Can you believe I will soon be considered the middle, comparatively to other quadlings? We are intrepid.)
Today was my first day at Habitat, and I have to say, it was pretty great! Now, I know I have a habit of being over-enthusiastic about new jobs, so I'll try to keep it to a realistic level. Here's a few things I really liked:
1) Everybody is really friendly and relaxed.
2) My supervisor told me that he really expects me to run the Keys program, and make changes and mistakes and we'll figure it out, but basically he's there as support and expects me to make decisions
3) Super flexible time off. If I work on the weekend (which I will) I get comp time, likewise if I work late. Awesome! (That said, I run the program, so I still have to be aware of what's going on in my absence.)
So very exciting! Here's to new work and new experiences :)
Miss you all,
Nicky

It's hard to plan far in advance...

Hey pretties-

So, with firecrotch setting off on Oregon trail in a few weeks, the Diaspora (part deux) begins. In preparation for Matt's & my upcoming nuptials, I wanted to see roughly when people are going to be where to begin bachelorette/shower date planning. Since I'll be in law school (epic groan) from Jan 10ish-May 12ish, there was talk of having these events during the holiday season super far in advance to prevent them from interfering with school and to accommodate a time when more of my favorite folks will be in town. Since the quad is always the hardest to pin down, and they are super-important to me, I wanted to see if you guys had any idea what your plans are like during that time, or if there's a random mid-April DC trip in the works etc.

If you could reply letting me know whether you're planning to be in DC Christmas 2010/ what your flexibility would be to arrive in DC (or some other location yet to be determined) between December-April 2011.

A thousand kisses,

Erica

the future...

good news, quadlings!

i'm giving my 3 weeks notice today :) i just accepted student loans and will clear out the trust fund. aaahhhh i'm super scared and excited. i think this is a good decision. but it's still scary.

i will be leaving work on July 15 and DC on the 16th, doing a triathlon with my dad, staying in NC for a week or so with the family, and then heading out west (possibly with a break in colorado).

yay!

love you guys :)

also, i keep forgetting to watch abby's videos when i'm not at work but will try to do so soon. can't wait to watch what i'm sure will be random times of awesomeness. or awesome times of randomness. either way, it will be excellent.

becca, recipe sounds delicious and congrats on the job decision. good luck!!

vacation! and food!

Hi lovely ladies!
I decided to go ahead with the training at the new job in Rockville. And if all goes well, I will have a year long commitment to this school. That said, it means my vacation time is limited to when school vacations are. This is my last week of freedom before the job starts!! Justin and I are going to rehoboth beach on Wed and Thurs and I'm really looking forward to it. Anyways, I was thinking, if you guys were serious about going to Boulder to see Nicky for New Years, I will be on board for it. I was looking up flights yesterday from Tulsa (I will be with my parents in Oklahoma for Christmas) to Denver and from Denver back to Washington, and it appears to cost around $700 for me to make that trip. But if I were to just fly to Oklahoma, it still costs about $500, so its not unreasonable to fly to Denver. Are there any other airports near you that we should know about Nicky? I'm also thinking of checking out University of Colorado's OT program while I am there. I know Christmas and New Years are a long way off, but I am really excited to be in the states this year for Christmas with my family and New Years with you ladies, since I have missed the last 3 :(!
Ok, and more news, I have 2 weeks vacation (first 2 weeks in August) where my school is on summer break. So if I get the miles from the new credit card I signed up for in time, I will be going to Portland to check out schools. But if that doesn't work out, then I was hoping to visit Ithaca for a few days. When are you guys available? I also have the 2nd and 5th of July off (so could make the trip then possibly) When is everyone else free?
And finally, I know I missed writing a good tempeh recipe for Nicky, but I thought I would tell you guys about the random delicious summer dish I just made that I think would taste great with tempeh.
-cut up a summer squash into rounds/halves
-blanch for 1 minute or so in boiling water
-remove some of the boiling water, dump 1 cup of quinoa in the remaining (2 cups? boiling water) Add vegetable stock cube if you wish. cook quinoa about 15 minutes until done
- fry up some garlic in olive oil in pan
-add blanched summer squash, add cumin, herbs de provence, flax seeds, and a little cayenne if you want
-add pinenuts
cook until sqaush is tender and delicious.
-dice a good tasting tomato (not one of those flavorless mealy ones that taste like dirty bathwater)
-dice red onion, soak in cold water for a minute to remove some of the bite,
add tomato and onion and any other veggies (such as asaparagus, zuchini, etc) to the quinoa
walah! finished in 20 minutes a delicious lunch that i am eating right now with iced mango black tea that i made yesterday.
I think this would also taste great if you added cucumber and dill. and a yogurt sauce with mint. And it would be nice with Tempeh on top so it would have more protein.
The end of the long blog posting. MWAH keep the videos coming Denty!

New computer!

Hey, after almost three years of having a digital camera and taking random little videos but being unable to get the videos off because of my ancient computer... I got a new (used) one that DOES support videos! Woo-hoo! And lucky you guys, I'm going to put up all the videos of the quad girls!
It might take me a while, and my friend is on his way to take me on a motorcycle ride (YAY!!!) so it may come in segments.
Love!

Guess who has a new job?

Me! Many thanks to Tokar for checking out the old resume, invaluable. As of July 25th, I will be working (through Americorps VISTA) with Flatirons Habitat for Humanity as their Family Services Coaching Coordinator. So far it sounds like I'll be helping coordinate the volunteers who teach families how to gain and keep eligibility for a Habitat home, maybe doing some coaching myself, assisting with some marketing efforts, and maybe some other things too! I'm super excited :)

Hair Today...

Actually, I cut it on May 15th. One whole foot to donate!


Before (bonus challenge: find the toothbrush)

After (teeth are clean)

It will grow back, but for now its easier to manage and no more dry ends! I miss you all and hope your heads of hair are happy :)

Love,

Lizzy

Cheers to us!

I'm so glad we beat the odds.

to stokar:

yo. while stalking you on your other blog, i noticed that your wedding date was last month. is 'fullbright in argentina' code for 'post-elopement honeymoon, bitches'? also, back to stone harbor?

details :)

Takoma Park house

Wow- check this out, it's kind of an amazing space: Beth & Bill's Souful Straw Retreat House Tour

We

This reminds me of what it's like when we hang out - - though I wouldn't want to impune this baby's hobby, as it is perhaps even more intellectual than saying "sophie ate the tofu khan" 75 times or making orgasm noises in a pile for the better part of a saturday night.

AHHHH!!!!!!

Whats going on? Did we decide for or against SMC reunion?
I would LOVE to come visit Ithaca. Although everything right now depends on me getting regular income (like Nicky!). I have an interview on Wed in Rockville at an Autism school....wish me luck!
Justin and I got back together, and I am moving to Frederick, just for this year.
Also, I bought a car on saturday!!!!!!!!!!!! But now I have car payments :( :( :(
which is scary because my job in Gburg will be cutting my already slim hours from 12 to 0 in the month of august! so most likely im going to find a table waiting job until something permanent likes me and i like it.
So, let me know about reunion weekend. At this point, I cannot afford to stay in a hotel and would rather save money for a trip to Ithaca later this summer. Or we can always go visit Nicky, Abby and my parents in the southwest at some point! that would be a really long road trip! Love you guys
xxx

Ithaca dating scene

Well, I guess you guys are going to get a really flattering impression of my late-night internet activities... haha. But seriously, really?! http://ithaca.craigslist.org/m4w/1742276585.html

(Becca, don't you dare!) <3

Music for the Far Away

For the most part, we're all pretty far away from each other. But we can still listen to the same music! :)

Priscilla Ahn - Dream
Corrine Bailey Rae - Girl Put Your Records On
(Saw Akron/Family at Quixote's in Denver the other night. They're doing alot of jam-bandy, experimental stuff right now. Reminded me of you guys! This is one of their mellower pieces and I love the chorus.)
Akron/Family - Love is Simple
The Go! Team - Milk Crisis
The Ruby Suns - There Are Birds

Happy Birthday Erica :)

Now you can rent a car! Exciting stuff, this getting older. We miss you!

Sometimes

when I'm standing in a club at like 4 am inhaling the smell of here, which consists of tobacco, leather and fernet, I get a mild stomach ache. Recalling that I strangely enjoy the smell of club-funk, I ponder the root of my nausea. Then I remember: it's the feeling of missing my people. Looking around a club whilst breaking it down chocolate-city style, I stare at the argentine wallflowers waiting for guys to ask them to dance so that they can have drinks bought for them and run their fingers through a head full of hair gel and tolerate a freakishly high rate of domestic violence. Fuck that. Everything is good about intelligent women in sweatshirts taking over a sleepy bar in ithaca, girls in steamy heels stepping it up at bar in a cornfield in st. mary's county, pantsuits and sundresses in miami, and the elegant pairing of MCS's long sleeve sweatshirts and my scarf-bangle combos conquering DC.

Thank you for being strong people. Thank you for having game. Thank you for doing what you want in life.

I can't even explain what it's like to be a feminist in Argentina.

Tears in my vino.

I wish I was going to a reunion with you guys, I long for the verdant fields and playful coastline of SMC and the company of each of you. Instead I shall get drunk enough to think the people here are funny.

vineyards shown: Alta Vista, Familia Zucchardi, Tempus Alba, Trapiche

further research:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/dining/reviews/28wine.html

ET's Picks: Perpetuum's Torrontes, anything Rutini, Zucchardi Q, Alta Vista's Alto, Ben Marco's Malbec, Susana Balboa's Malbec, Ruca Malen's Malbec, Catena Zapata's Malbec (not the Alamos line, which is a good value but not particularly complex)

The lady who says...

"So we can get to the city!" reminds me of Liz. Not sure why, but that is all!

OH, wait, not all: Read Abby's post about reunions :)

Let's plan some reunion-age!

Hello fellow Quadettes,
I'm going to Dan's wedding on June 11th, and, since it costs $500 roundtrip to fly from Ithaca, I'm thoroughly researching potential alternatives and conducting cost/benefit analyses. My #1 alternative idea: drive to DC, fly to Omaha for the festivities, fly back two days later, go to SMC with Erin for the later half of reunion weekend, sleep in her bed with her and Nick on Sunday (a perfectly appropriate Christian social activity), and then drive back to Ithaca on Monday, June 14th. Do you want to go down there Erin? Becca? Liz? Gwyn? (Order by assumed probability of interest in this activity). All of us?
And another "all of us" idea... COME VISIT THIS SUMMER!!! While speaking with our dear Nicola yesterday I was reminded that, of the 5 current members of the East Coast contingency, likely only Gwyn and Liz will still be here come Fall. One more reunion, with Erica and Nicky strongly encouraged to attend but not expected to? This time around we've got an actual extra bedroom at our sweet little country house as well as a huge backyard that would be excellent for fake camping. And Six Mile Creek, about 3 miles upstream from Gwyn's house, passes by across the road from my house. There is a swimming hole AT MY HOUSE. Er, ACROSS THE STREET. And a farm. And the neighbors have horses and cows. And we have a fire pit in the yard and can be loud because we are in the country! I will quit my job if necessary to accommodate the plans we might make.* So come. Let's have a blast! Early July would work best for me. Did I get anyone excited?
Mmkay, that's the end of my ganja-induced socialization sales pitch. Love you guys!
ABBY



*within reasonable limits, subject to alteration, non-binding, but also true.

becca update, gwyn and nicky's turn next!

Hi guys, its been a while since I've written and I've been yelled at for not filling in the blog with my news. so here's my news....subject to change! lots of change! in fact, the minute I post this, any news I write will most likely instantly change. Such is my life. Moving. changing. breathing. crazy.
1) I'm dating Justin (the old chicken) again. We've been "officially" dating for a little over a month but it got really serious really quickly and I decided to move to Frederick (where he lives) for the summer and then we talked about moving in together when his lease was up at the end of August, but nothing was set in stone. He said he would move to Portland or Colorado etc with me once I found out what school I got into. If I ever get around to applying. Anyways, a lot of hypothetical stuff. Over the weekend we got in a silly fight over nothing and I really disliked the way he handled it and I was very seriously thinking of breaking up with him for it (and for other things I have been questioning). Luckily, things were resolved, but I am still a little bit on my guard and am more inclined to move to Portland or Colorado at the end of the summer. Or now.
2) I have 2 new (6 weeks new) jobs. One is teaching English with a private English school in Gaithersburg. I really enjoy the job but do not enjoy the commute at all. And I get only 6 hours a week, which means I had to get another job in order to justify the drive. So I've been working in the basement with Hank and Liz at the sketchy bookseller's store. Its been good so far, but I'm looking for something more permanent in the Frederick and Montgomery County. I've been borrowing my mom's car and essentially living in Frederick with Justin when I go to work during the week.
3) I had decided to go back to school for Special Ed masters but last week I changed my mind and decided to go back to school for OT.
4) My Dad comes back from Oklahoma to visit in a couple of weeks for my sisters graduation and my parents 30th anniversary so I am hijacking the anniversary/graduation/going away party and inviting all of my friends. So you guys are all invited (it's on the 15th of may from 4-8--but probably will go later if you come )
5) I leave for a 10 day meditation course tomorrow in Virginia and won't be back until May 9th!!!
6) I'm itching to travel again, especially after seeing Tokar's photos. But it feels good to be back! 10 weeks of being home has FLOWN by!
7) I have had a really long day and I cannot believe I am watching American Idol as I write this. ahhhhhhhhh

For Abby

Today, I am wearing light jeans that are tight in the hips and super(ish) flared at the bottoms. Every time I wear them, I think: These are Abby-pants. And then, also today, I ate half of a Cliff bar and wrapped the other half up for later. Later on, I plan to take a long run and then play with my dog in the park. I may also eat kale. So basically, today, I=Abby.

The End.

Link from my dad... about poop!

http://drjenniferallen.blogspot.com/2010/04/you-and-your-poop.html

Yeah... my dad forwarded this to me. He is in the same category as me and Becca and Liz with regard to comfortableness surrounding fecal conversation. Anyway, humorous and helpful for health!
Love, Abby

Tightrope: Music for the Weekend

Grad School, Grandma, SMC, Jeremy...

Hi. First of all, excellent Spring-themed update Nicky! Those are some beautiful flowers and the font is all tropical and warm-looking. Ahhh...
Okay, grad school: Got in to New Mexico State University. Wrote them asking for financial aid, using other acceptances as leverage, hoping to get a G.A.ship or at least in-state tuition (which they can do for like, 2 students per department per year). Don't actually know if Appalachian State is going to accept me (I think yes though!) or what type of financial help they'd offer, but ya know, any chance to save $10,000 a year is worth taking, I think. So I'll probably move to Las Cruces in the beginning to middle of August. I'll get the brunt of the hot hot Southwest heat. With the current cloudy/rainy weather I can only look forward to that. Oh, and Barbie Dan lives there, and we've been talking, and I'm hoping we can be friends! He went there for his Ph.D. actually. Yes, beautiful and smart.
Grandma: She's been breaking vertebrae in her back, became virtually immobile, landed in the hospital almost two weeks ago, and died this morning. :( It sounds like it was peaceful and pain-free. I didn't come down because 1) she had not been conscious for over a week and probably wouldn't have known I was there, 2) she was wasting away and was "a shell of Grandma" that my family said would be upsetting to see, and my mother doesn't think she would have wanted us to see her like that, 3) If I used my time off to visit now I wouldn't have it for the memorial service in a couple of weeks. I felt guilty for not being there at the last, but we communicated frequently (and had a lot of visits this Winter) so, approaching the last days we did have some good quality time together. Some of you might remember that I stayed with her and took care of her for 5 days before Christmas, which at the time I think we both understood might be our last good chance to bond. And we did. I listened (with interest!) to all of her stories until she fell asleep talking, and I made her ice cream sundaes and watched CSPAN day after day. Good times.
SMC: I've looked into flight out of DC for the weekend of Dan's wedding (Dan Scheuerman marrying Jessica Rial in Omaha, NE on June 11th) and it looks doable to drive to DC, fly to Omaha for the wedding, fly back Saturday, and come down to SMC for the rest of alumni weekend! I guess I should buy my plane ticket first, and then figure out the rest of the logistics.
Jeremy: A guy I like! First person I've actually genuinely liked on like, all levels, since when I fell in love with Andrew 3 years ago. He makes me feel shy and awkward (crush style) and then instantly relaxes me with his kind smile and accepting personality. I think he'd fall into the "Abby's type" category. My cousin Alana modified it from "homeless" to "Homeless Chic" which I think is far more accurate. Anyway, Jeremy's not homeless, has a job, finished college, and is an accomplished sculpture artist. He lives with people I already know and like, and who it's really nice to spend time with. He's tall and blonde and plays basketball (played in HS and college) and drives a huge blue van. Oh, and I met him through Ben, who has been an on-again-off-again special friend since like, August, and a normal friend pretty much since i moved to Ithaca. Um... more as it develops?
Other news: (of interest to me!) I cleaned out and set up the little aquarium that I got (from Jiban) way back in... 2001, and got fish yesterday. And my kale starts are getting big, and my squash seeds have sprouted, and yesterday I planted the cherry tomatoes! I like being surrounded by living things. My room is really like, Abbyland now, and I really like feeling settled and comfortable and at home. For now, anyway. Any my boobs just starting hurting. I think my period's on its way. Soon, please! Get it over with, body!
Glad you're safe in Mendoza, Erica! And Nicky in Boulder! And Liz back in Gaithersburg! And Gwyn, travel safely until you return to Ithaca! And Becca, be careful on the big highways all by yourself! It's easy to get distracted and not be a safe driver. I want you home in one piece! And Erin, happy moving to the new place and happy dogging!!!! Huh. I just realized that a lot of us have dogs. Maybe Liz can get a dog now, too, since she's out of crazylandlordobnoxiousneighborland.
I think that's all! Happy Spring, special friends! Love, the abbigator

SMC in June?

Hey,

Are any of ya'll planning on going to the SMC alumnae weekend in June? If so, can we, like, plan to be roomies? ;) I'm kinda interested, but it would be weird going to SMC without some slash all of the Quad Blog present (although, I assume those who are now far away = Erica, Nicky, Abby (?), others (?) probably won't make it) ...

Love,
McS

If Erin was a pair of shoes...

...don't you think she'd be these?
Infinity Sandal

Amusing Things to Waste Time On

(Read no further if you only want to read things from a positive mental place, you have been warned! Lots of guilty pleasures here...)

Passive Aggressive Notes

Postcards From Yo Momma

Awkward Family Photos

The Customer is Not Always Right

Cakewrecks

FMyLife

Texts From Last Night

Happy Birthday Tiny Tilley!

Love to you... I hope that you're having a great time celebrating with Mick, Darth and Ozzie.

xoxo

tokar

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLA!!!!!

WE LOVE YOU IN ALL CAPS! Hope you are having a spankin time on the road in the sketchy van with birthday cake and all.

hugs and birthday love

becca w

New Apt in Boulder

My close approximation at least, once we have all our new furniture. :)

Forgot to wish you ladies Happy V-Day!

I celebrate this holiday both in the Vagina Monologues way as well as the candlelight and roses way.

You are each my valentines.

xoxo

Also, here's Lori in her wedding dress. Don't show the groom.

I'm still drunk.

Also, this happened.

The best sentence I've ever written:

blood alcohol level: + 3 glasses of wine, +2 beers:

"Above all, local representatives should be kind, caring, and conscientious persons dedicated to expanding the experiences of exchange students."

they call me...
ALLITERATOR!!!


... of doom.

On Vacation with Jack

Why howdy, ya'll, I'm here with an update on my time in Texas! Or, Texas -> Las Cruces, NM -> Texas, rather.
Actually, I went to New Mexico for five days, to check out NMSU, meet faculty, tour the campus, and get a feel for the town, and then returned to Texas. In New Mexico I stayed in this motel where everyone was drinking all day long, there were random dogs running out of rooms, and someone I'd never met called my room about 10PM one night and asked if I wanted to come over for some wine. It was a lady. I was confused. I asked if I knew her and she said, "Yeah, from ...with moving the boxes," or something. I think I said, "Oh yeah... um... I'm about to get to bed, but maybe tomorrow." I had no idea who it was.
While there I also had a great talk/tour of the Counseling Dept. with its chair, went hiking in the pretty hills both by myself and with a guy I met on Craigslist (Ah!!! But I didn't get raped, yay.) ate some of the spiciest Mexican food ever, and had my car break down 2 separate times. Then, leaving New Mexico, it began to snow, and unbeknownst to me, there are significant mountains in which the snow can accumulate and get real scary! I tried to take a different route out of Las Cruces, to drive by White Sands National Monument, and ended up driving through a snow storm on a windy little mountain road who knows where. I realized, upon examining the map in detail and realizing my route was very /\/\/\/\/ style, that I was going to be in the mountains for approximately 117 miles. I used them to try to remember all the prayers I had ever known. Considering that I could only go about 30 mph most of the time this meant that I misrecited The Lord's Prayer, oh, about 17 times. Eventually I got to a town, where i got a huge Diet Dr. Pepper, tortilla chips, cheese, and gas. Then I drove until Texas. I stayed in a very nice hotel (comparatively) run by an Indian man with one eye. Cool!
Then three days in Grapevine (near Dallas) including my goofy guitar-prodigy uncle's 60th birthday party (yum! I love "all the wine you can drink" parties), then 2 nights in Bellaire, TX at Aunt Becky and Uncle Rodney's house, and now I'm in Galveston! Last time I was at Becky and Rodney's it was with Andrew, 2 years ago. While they were at work we played "CRIBS" in their house, all walking up the spiral staircase and through the galley-style wet bar like we were legit rappers. They own this house in Galveston, too, and it's awesome. Kinda like if Becca Z's house was on the beach. I wish you guys were here!!! It's just me and Jack for a few nights and that's boring.
Galveston is this barrier island 47 miles from Houston, in the Gulf of Mexico. Pretty much like Ocean City, except mostly really nice houses rather than hotels. Oh, and palm trees! That's neat to see. Unfortunately it's only been about 50 most days, so it's not like being outside is really that pleasurable. So basically I'm just raiding the wet bar and drinking Patron and watching movies. And also eating potato chips, brie, and the bacon that was about to expire so I had to cook the whole package and eat it to honor the pig's life. Um, yeah. Erica knows what I'm talking about. And eating ice cream. Basically just getting really fat! Boo!! Sad, but actually true. I am considering eating nothing tomorrow to even the score a bit.
Okay, check out my FB pics of NM, etc., and I'll try to attach a few here.
Miss you guys!

30 inches, and we took it all.

Just as the snow started on Friday.

Saturday mid-day.

Goodbye, [Charlottesville]

Hello dear friends,

Most of you know that I lost my grandfather last Wednesday. He was truely a great man who, in partnership with my grandmother, his wife, worked to make our country and our town of Rockville a better place. He can now be with Grandma who passed away last June and with his first born son who passed away many years ago. They were married for over 62 years. I don't mean to be morose in this post, but you have all been so supportive and I thought this would be a good outlet for a tribute. Some of his projects included budgeting for the EPA in its early years, working for fair housing in DC and Montgomery County, Peerless Rockville, assisting in the foundation of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville, and doing archeological digs for the Rockville Historical Society. He worked for the Federal government during the Eisenhower administration and the Johnson adminstration and also spent many years in local government. He was Mayor of Rockville from 1958 to 1962. He and Grandma Jayne gave their children black armbands to wear during the civil rights movement and took them to march for civil rights in DC. My Grandmother was remarkable too. She wrote for local papers as well as the Washington Post and participated in dozens of community and politcal organizations. They truely made their mark in this world. I thank them for my liberal persuasion and my love of nature. Some of my best memories are of Papa reading me a favorite book about the indigenous people of Canada and talking nature walks with Grandma and Papa. They would always point out the smallest wonders of nature in the petals of flower or a bud on a branch and we could sit contently and watch the birds for hours. There is so much more to say, but I will leave it at that. Thanks for being such great friends. I really appreciate you.

Now to pick up where I left off earlier:

I started writing this post on 1.27 and then saved it when I got the news about Papa... the Friday I was talking about was 1.29 and the Monday was yesterday, 2.1...

Trevor and I are currently drinking a celebratory bottle of wine because he got the job he went after in Arlington. His last day at his current job is Friday and his first day at Washington Golf and Country Club is Monday. We knew this change was coming, we just didn't realize how fast it would be here! I unfortunatelty cannot leave Charlottesville on Monday because I am in the middle of a clinical rotation at the UVA rehabilitation center. I am hoping to double up on my hours so that I can leave by the end of February (and hopefully not pay rent for March). We are both going to stay with our parents in Rockville/Gaithersburg until he finds an affordable place to live closer to work. I am in my last semester at school and will be done with academic coursework in May! I also will be starting fieldwork for school in May which means I will be working full time with the OTs at Shady Grove Adventist acute inpatient rehab from May to August and then full time with an OT at Montgomery County Public Schools from August to November. Then, in December 2010 I will graduate and take the board certification exam, eek! If all goes according to plan I will finally be out in the workforce next January, 2011.



Good news: I am going to be back in the DC area, close to family, and Trevor will have much better benefits!

Bad news: I feel like I didn't take advantage of Cville enough while I was here and I have to live alone down here for a month!

So... thats my update. Bittersweet. Most of all, thanks for your friendship!

Liz

slow simmer in the district.

What is Tokar doing?

I. Clerking at Maggio & Kattar. Working on a private bill for a Sierra Leonian "refugee" (well, he was in the '90s...) whose immigration history could fill a moderately sized library.

II. Working for the "Give a Day, Get a Day" project sponsored by Disney and the Points of Light Institute. Comments reserved for post-cocktail hour.

III. Planning the Wedding. Curious? You shouldn't be. It's boring. But there is sufficient information on this: http://stokar.blogspot.com/ to satiate even the most enthusiastic quadling. I have not shared this with anyone yet and will probably delete it because it is too lame for words.

IV. Not doing anything whatsoever to be proactive about packing, subletting, or finding a place to live in Mendoza.

Here's one for the randomness file...

I think I have a date with Jiban:


Jiban Laskar January 20 at 7:11pm
Are you still a vegetarian?
Sent via Facebook Mobile

Abby Rotholz January 20 at 7:25pm
Why? Are you offering to make me dinner?

Jiban Laskar January 20 at 11:20pm
Sure denty. I'll cook for you :)

Howdy from the Lone Star State

Hey Friends,
Jack and I have made it to Texas! We are currently in Grapevine, a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. Today the Cowboys lost in the NFL playoffs. It was a sad day around here. Sad... but warm! It was about 65 and sunny!! Ahh... exactly why I decided to drive and drive and drive rather than working and continuing to live as a typical adult for the Winter. Today I even went running in SHORTS. Shorts! Maybe I will move to Texas if I don't get into grad school this time around. I like it round these here parts.
Nicky--Could you like Mik know I'm in Texas and thinking of him?
Today I also went to the nursing home where my sweet sweet tiny grandma ("Muffy") was recently moved. Jack came with me and got lots of pets and cooing voices from smiling old folks in wheelchairs. My grandma is actually one of the only ones not in a wheelchair. She has a walker for stability because she has previously fallen and broken her hip, but she uses it "to be safe rather than sorry" and is a fairly capable ambulator. Hmm... Quad Blog doesn't like that word, but I'm leaving it.
Later Alana (27 year old cousin) and I went to the movies on a nice little date. We saw "Youth in Revolt" with Michael Cera. Pretty funny. Not as awesome as "Fantastic Mr. Fox," which I still whole-heartedly advocate ya'll seeing. All ya'll. :)
Then I came back to my uncle Lee's house, swept the floor, drank a beer, and read a story in the newspaper about a boy whose face was burned off and who is hoping to have a face transplant. Really sad. He lost his eyes, his nose, his lips, and most of his scalp. Seriously. He came into contact with electrical wire while he was doing some work on his church. Really makes you appreciate even something as simple and assumed as having a face!
And to try to end this on a happy note, um... You all are lovely, talented, fine-looking women and I care for you each in many many ways. Night-night!

I've never been into New Years resolutions

... but apparently, this is the year that I start ;)

Written surreptitiously at work so apologies for typos and complete lack of sense, grammar rules, and editing.

dearest quadlings,

it has been a while since i've written, so i thought i would give you all a little update on erin. most importantly, i want to share with you a conversation i had recently, about which erica said i must blog ;) it concerns a plan that kelly and i have to start an inn in new zealand:

me: hmm
well, i'll start looking into plan: new zealand

kelly.m.bradley: I think so, look at the bright side, I am making an assload of money tax free
yay for charity waste!

me: :) yeah. so you can be the primary investor.
i will manage things.
and erek can work for us.
kate can cook.
nick can...
be the storyteller.
:)
kelly.m.bradley: nick could be a host
me: oh! the jovial innkeeper
perfect!so really, we're all agreed as to nick's future profession. we just have to convince him of this :)

in other news, i've been trying really hard to do something else. i'm going to get fired from my job. the only thing i've done in about a month is check my work email. the rest of the time, i've been looking at other jobs. i recently interviewed for one in eugene, or. i googled the town when i was applying and thought it would be a really cool place to live. but then i bombed the interview, so i was really disappointed and started looking for other opportunities in that area. turns out, the university of oregon is there ;)

simultaneously, nick started talking about wanting to go back to school for teaching, then my mom told me she was disappointed in me for not being back in school yet at Christmas, and i started thinking that teaching would be cool to do and a really good way to travel. so nick and i started looking into the teaching program at UO. turns out, it's really good.

while looking at the degrees they offered, i noticed one for classical studies (i.e. latin and greek languages). it kind of stuck in my head because, every few months or so for the past 6 years i've been pulling up this website http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~celtic/ and thinking about how much this is what i want to do but also thinking about how there's no way i can get in and also pay for it - and that i really don't feel competent enough in any of their required languages to apply and if i did apply and get in and decided to go, that i'd end up paying $30,000 a year to take undergraduate language classes for the first four years of the phd program, which is stupid.

so anyway, it turns out that we missed the deadline to apply for the teachers program, but i was still really interested in the classics studies. so i researched it a little more and decided that it would be a great way to make me more qualified for harvard without spending a lot of money, plus i've always wanted to study latin, and also, i'm bored to tears daily here, so doing anything academic related would be a plus.

so basically, on like monday (yes. this week) i decided to apply. i also found out that i made it to the next round in the interview i applied for (practical skills test - which i don't think i sucked at too bad) woohoo. but i felt like i was going into this really spontaneously, with little thought or research. so i looked into other colleges with similar programs in areas i want to live (pac nw, new orleans), so that's mainly what i've been doing this week. after researching other available programs and schools, i still think that UO is the best choice (language-focused curriculum, small but competent faculty, cheap). i made a spreadsheet. it rocks. i would post it here, but it's in googledocs. i'll share it with others upon request ;)

i also decided to train for a triathlon this summer. i think my mom and bit are going to do it with me - and i'm not sure yet if we'll do one here, nc, or fl, but if anyone is also interested in training slash racing with me, i could maybe be talked into another in the dc area -- assuming i'm here this summer. my training program will start in feb, i think.

oh and yes. nick and i decided that we would be together, for whatever comes next. so moving together. whenever and wherever that happens. scary. but good. i think. :)

so yeah. i guess i rarely write because my life has seemed uneventful this past year, but hopefully, there will be changes soon (please!), and i wanted to keep you guys updated. i feel a little bit like this is all really half-planned. but st. mary's was really half-planned. so was peace corps. and whatever the hell i'm doing now. so really, i just don't plan very well. and i'm hoping it semi makes sense.

i'll keep you guys posted if anything comes of the things mentioned in this post. but do let me know if you hear of any jobs. and please someone tell me how financial aid works. i can't believe i'm considering going back for another undergrad degree.... (sigh) i make no sense. but it does make sense. for me, and what i want to do. i think?

argh. well, sorry to ramble at you folks. i hope life is going well for everyone else. it was really great seeing everyone (we missed you becca!) at new years. i had a great time - and liz, thank molly again for hosting ;) and congrats again to erica tilley!

love,
erin

New Music for the New Year

Miss you already. And Becca always.

The word "friends" seems insufficient at this point. So, thank you for being my quad blog.

Cheers to another year,

Tokar