since I've been home...
I am still jet-lagged/exhausted all of the time. Summer is winding down, meaning it's time to get the school stuff (books, supplies, clothes) purchased. And I'm still catching up on house-related things (during my absence no laundry, cooking or shopping was apparently done. Though husband is forbidden to do laundry as a rule--there are 2 loads of pinked whites to attest as to why this rule exists).
The round-robin book project is winding down as well, with the final chapters being written this week. I have much editing to do (we're not allowed to fix grammar or spelling until completion, as these "mistakes" can turn into plot points, and they often do) and then the book-signing party is next week. Then I can finally get back into fic writing (I turned down participating in another round-robin project for this reason and because I need a break) which is good as come September, I have 2 matrithon stories to have completed. Despite my schlepping along a spiral notebook, I did absolutely no writing (and only very little thinking) on my trip. I don't know why I'm surprised, as the only long hand writing I do these days are shopping lists, but each and every time I travel I always make sure I have a nice new notebook handy, and it usually comes back just as pristine as when it left.
For those of you interested, : I landed Thursday morning in Newark, via Philadelphia. The waiting around in the airports was bearable as I hooked up with a fellow traveler (honestly, get two Jews together and if after 5 minutes they haven't discovered a connection/people/relatives in common, they're simply not trying hard enough) and there was much coffee. My sister-in-law picked me up in Newark and we drove to her house. I spent the rest of the day hanging out and trying to rest (unsuccessfully) and then that evening we went to an outdoor performance of "Singin' In The Rain." My husband and I saw it years ago on Broadway, courtesy of my former roommates as every time we went out while we were dating, it rained. The performance was good, but the inherent weakness of the plot and story still doesn't make this one of my favorites. But it was fun, and I got to see fireflies (which we don't have in the Middle East) so all was good.
The next morning I got a ride back to my in-laws' house (they are in Israel at present) and picked up the car and did various errands, seeing people and of course some shopping. My sister-in-law loaned me her GPS which was extremely useful, as I had many far-flung places to go over the next few days and despite being in possession of written instructions, this was much better. Friday afternoon I drove to Connecticut to my friend S's house. They had warned me to allow plenty of time due to traffic and boy, they weren't kidding. What should have been (they said) an hour and a half drive took closer to 4 hours. I had an absolutely fantastic weekend. S's family is so warm and welcoming and everyone was so appreciative I'd come in for the wedding. How could I not, I kept saying, but it was still good to be appreciated! The food and company were great and of course S and I got lots of one-on-one time. Every time I travel to the US I always stay overnight by her place in Manhattan; I will miss that (as she's moving to NJ to her new husband's house). Sunday morning I woke up early (did I mention my sleeping patterns never really adjusted) and had a nice walk, saw a creek (running water in the summer time is a luxury for us here), lots of Canadian snow geese etc. Then it was time to get to the wedding. And my first inkling that what people were saying about the GPS not working in Queens was...entirely accurate.
The wedding was a blast. All of our former roommates were there; I hadn't seen B since her own wedding 20 years ago, and hadn't seen F since her brother's wedding (at which her oldest daughter was only 2--that little girl got married herself a year ago). I danced up a storm and my feet still haven't forgiven me (pointy-toed pumps with 4 inch heels, looked fantastic but oh did they do damage). Afterward I offered to drive E and her husband back to their hotel near the airport, and we proved conclusively that the GPS doesn't like Queens. Thank goodness for the verbal directions the hotel concierge gave us on the phone, is all I can say. And then after I dropped them off and headed back to NJ, the GPS was working just fine once more. So go figure.
Monday morning I went to the Museum of Natural History with my brother-in-law, his wife and their new baby. I had missed the dinosaurs. And the hall of gems and minerals. Afterward they took me out to lunch and then I had to rush back to NJ and drive to Suffern for a post-wedding party at the bride's sister's house. I spent that night by my brother who lives nearby (didn't have time for a swim in their pool, unfortunately) and after a bit more shopping the next morning (and unfortunately I lost/misplaced one of the bags of my purchases which I'm not too happy about) it was time to re-pack and head for the airport for the trip home.
Everyone did fine in my absence (the lack of cooking and shopping mentioned above notwithstanding). My daughter in particular had a blast with her grandparents. It was great for me to see so many old friends and family members; I just wish we'd had more time together.
And as a bonus, as mentioned in earlier posts, I got to see the Trek movie twice more.
The round-robin book project is winding down as well, with the final chapters being written this week. I have much editing to do (we're not allowed to fix grammar or spelling until completion, as these "mistakes" can turn into plot points, and they often do) and then the book-signing party is next week. Then I can finally get back into fic writing (I turned down participating in another round-robin project for this reason and because I need a break) which is good as come September, I have 2 matrithon stories to have completed. Despite my schlepping along a spiral notebook, I did absolutely no writing (and only very little thinking) on my trip. I don't know why I'm surprised, as the only long hand writing I do these days are shopping lists, but each and every time I travel I always make sure I have a nice new notebook handy, and it usually comes back just as pristine as when it left.
For those of you interested, : I landed Thursday morning in Newark, via Philadelphia. The waiting around in the airports was bearable as I hooked up with a fellow traveler (honestly, get two Jews together and if after 5 minutes they haven't discovered a connection/people/relatives in common, they're simply not trying hard enough) and there was much coffee. My sister-in-law picked me up in Newark and we drove to her house. I spent the rest of the day hanging out and trying to rest (unsuccessfully) and then that evening we went to an outdoor performance of "Singin' In The Rain." My husband and I saw it years ago on Broadway, courtesy of my former roommates as every time we went out while we were dating, it rained. The performance was good, but the inherent weakness of the plot and story still doesn't make this one of my favorites. But it was fun, and I got to see fireflies (which we don't have in the Middle East) so all was good.
The next morning I got a ride back to my in-laws' house (they are in Israel at present) and picked up the car and did various errands, seeing people and of course some shopping. My sister-in-law loaned me her GPS which was extremely useful, as I had many far-flung places to go over the next few days and despite being in possession of written instructions, this was much better. Friday afternoon I drove to Connecticut to my friend S's house. They had warned me to allow plenty of time due to traffic and boy, they weren't kidding. What should have been (they said) an hour and a half drive took closer to 4 hours. I had an absolutely fantastic weekend. S's family is so warm and welcoming and everyone was so appreciative I'd come in for the wedding. How could I not, I kept saying, but it was still good to be appreciated! The food and company were great and of course S and I got lots of one-on-one time. Every time I travel to the US I always stay overnight by her place in Manhattan; I will miss that (as she's moving to NJ to her new husband's house). Sunday morning I woke up early (did I mention my sleeping patterns never really adjusted) and had a nice walk, saw a creek (running water in the summer time is a luxury for us here), lots of Canadian snow geese etc. Then it was time to get to the wedding. And my first inkling that what people were saying about the GPS not working in Queens was...entirely accurate.
The wedding was a blast. All of our former roommates were there; I hadn't seen B since her own wedding 20 years ago, and hadn't seen F since her brother's wedding (at which her oldest daughter was only 2--that little girl got married herself a year ago). I danced up a storm and my feet still haven't forgiven me (pointy-toed pumps with 4 inch heels, looked fantastic but oh did they do damage). Afterward I offered to drive E and her husband back to their hotel near the airport, and we proved conclusively that the GPS doesn't like Queens. Thank goodness for the verbal directions the hotel concierge gave us on the phone, is all I can say. And then after I dropped them off and headed back to NJ, the GPS was working just fine once more. So go figure.
Monday morning I went to the Museum of Natural History with my brother-in-law, his wife and their new baby. I had missed the dinosaurs. And the hall of gems and minerals. Afterward they took me out to lunch and then I had to rush back to NJ and drive to Suffern for a post-wedding party at the bride's sister's house. I spent that night by my brother who lives nearby (didn't have time for a swim in their pool, unfortunately) and after a bit more shopping the next morning (and unfortunately I lost/misplaced one of the bags of my purchases which I'm not too happy about) it was time to re-pack and head for the airport for the trip home.
Everyone did fine in my absence (the lack of cooking and shopping mentioned above notwithstanding). My daughter in particular had a blast with her grandparents. It was great for me to see so many old friends and family members; I just wish we'd had more time together.
And as a bonus, as mentioned in earlier posts, I got to see the Trek movie twice more.