Another General Update.
And yet another several weeks passes with nary a post to my name :( But this time it was merely lack of time to sit down and write a blog. It's been that kind of time recently--the busy kind, but in a good way!
-I attended my niece's baptism as the godmother :) Fun times were had by all, and I volunteered to hold the baptismal candle, and somehow managed to light it from the super-tall pastoral candle, mainly by standing on my tippy-toes. It was great to see Erin & Bryan and the kids, though having not had a lot of experience with young'uns, I was often at a loss for how to handle Veronica, who is going through the Terrible Twos. Specifically, I had no idea where to draw the line between what's "oh, she's just going through a phase, let it slide" behavior, and what's behavior that needs to be stopped or discouraged.
-Brian and I managed to truck it all the way back to Pittsburgh after leaving New Hartford in the late afternoon. We got home around midnight; we had planned to stop but decided voluntarily to push through and get home and sleep in our own beds. We were buzzed from caffeine and the traffic was nonexistent and the weather was fine and clear, so we thought, why not? We also stopped at a Pennsylvania Welcome Center around 11 pm to step outside and look at the stars, far away from any city light. It was a little spooky to be out in the middle of nowhere late at night, with a giant cornfield just outside the light from the parking lot, but the view was breathtaking. More stars than I've seen in a very long time!
-For Labor Day weekend, we drove out to Norristown to crash at the Nerd Hole for the weekend. Car troubles delayed our leaving, so we got in at midnight but this time we were tired and cranky and stressed and the weather was awful and the road work caused massive traffic problems. But the weekend was fun, there was MST3K and Red Dragon Inn and a cookout, and I had more comfortable sleeping arrangements this time.
-That Sunday I drove to the Christiana Mall in Delaware to meet an online AW friend in person for the first time. It was fun! We had smoothies, played with the back and foot massagers in Brookstone, sampled high-end teas at Teavana, spent a long time in the local B&N and bought books and DVDs.
-Choir starts up for another year! It's weird, choir has replaced 'back to school' as my indication that Fall is starting up. Not that that's a bad thing :) I get that same back-to-school excitement when I get my folder and a bunch of fresh music to learn, and the days are warm but the nights are cool. Don is talking about having us do a few sections of the Vierne Messe Solennelle again for an upcoming festival mass. This should be a good year :)
-I attended an art show featuring Mike, his friend Josh, and local glass artist Stevo. Many folks from the SEI showed up, and I had a lot of fun chatting with folks and getting to know some of my coworkers a bit better. Lots of great art! A variety of interesting and healthy snacks, and my first time eating fresh figs. There was a communal art project on one wall, and I painted a sun and some clouds on a framed glass window as part of it. I couldn't go quite nuts on it, though, since I was wearing my nice velvet jacket.
-Brian and I have been watching "Ground Defense Force Mao-chan." It is the most cavity-inducing anime I have ever seen. Seriously, this show will make you weep over a tank. An honest-to-goodness tank. It also boasts an extremely catchy ending theme song.
-I attended my niece's baptism as the godmother :) Fun times were had by all, and I volunteered to hold the baptismal candle, and somehow managed to light it from the super-tall pastoral candle, mainly by standing on my tippy-toes. It was great to see Erin & Bryan and the kids, though having not had a lot of experience with young'uns, I was often at a loss for how to handle Veronica, who is going through the Terrible Twos. Specifically, I had no idea where to draw the line between what's "oh, she's just going through a phase, let it slide" behavior, and what's behavior that needs to be stopped or discouraged.
-Brian and I managed to truck it all the way back to Pittsburgh after leaving New Hartford in the late afternoon. We got home around midnight; we had planned to stop but decided voluntarily to push through and get home and sleep in our own beds. We were buzzed from caffeine and the traffic was nonexistent and the weather was fine and clear, so we thought, why not? We also stopped at a Pennsylvania Welcome Center around 11 pm to step outside and look at the stars, far away from any city light. It was a little spooky to be out in the middle of nowhere late at night, with a giant cornfield just outside the light from the parking lot, but the view was breathtaking. More stars than I've seen in a very long time!
-For Labor Day weekend, we drove out to Norristown to crash at the Nerd Hole for the weekend. Car troubles delayed our leaving, so we got in at midnight but this time we were tired and cranky and stressed and the weather was awful and the road work caused massive traffic problems. But the weekend was fun, there was MST3K and Red Dragon Inn and a cookout, and I had more comfortable sleeping arrangements this time.
-That Sunday I drove to the Christiana Mall in Delaware to meet an online AW friend in person for the first time. It was fun! We had smoothies, played with the back and foot massagers in Brookstone, sampled high-end teas at Teavana, spent a long time in the local B&N and bought books and DVDs.
-Choir starts up for another year! It's weird, choir has replaced 'back to school' as my indication that Fall is starting up. Not that that's a bad thing :) I get that same back-to-school excitement when I get my folder and a bunch of fresh music to learn, and the days are warm but the nights are cool. Don is talking about having us do a few sections of the Vierne Messe Solennelle again for an upcoming festival mass. This should be a good year :)
-I attended an art show featuring Mike, his friend Josh, and local glass artist Stevo. Many folks from the SEI showed up, and I had a lot of fun chatting with folks and getting to know some of my coworkers a bit better. Lots of great art! A variety of interesting and healthy snacks, and my first time eating fresh figs. There was a communal art project on one wall, and I painted a sun and some clouds on a framed glass window as part of it. I couldn't go quite nuts on it, though, since I was wearing my nice velvet jacket.
-Brian and I have been watching "Ground Defense Force Mao-chan." It is the most cavity-inducing anime I have ever seen. Seriously, this show will make you weep over a tank. An honest-to-goodness tank. It also boasts an extremely catchy ending theme song.