Qck Pstng

Seems I don't have time for anything lately, much less vowels. Super condensed update: We moved into our new house October 2nd. Love it, love it, love it. Can't wait until it has all the homey touches, like curtains and things on the wall. Right now we're still unpacking boxes.

Nicholas turned 30 this past week. I had a party in the works for him, but in early September I realized that moving + party planning = too hard. So instead I surprised him at work with brownies, cookies, banana bread, balloons, and a poster with pictures of Little Nic. He almost ruined the surprise by heading straight to his offsite customer location for the day, but luckily his quick-thinking boss called him to the office after lunch. Once the house is in order, I want to have a belated party for him. Is it weird to celebrate being 30.25?

Bibliophilia is a Good Thing

So we're (probably) moving at the end of the month. I say "probably" because the house has yet to be inspected - that'll happen Monday - and until the inspection comes back clean, I can’t say for sure that we're moving. However, that little bit of uncertainty has not stopped me from going through stacks of papers, throwing out random items that I didn't even know I owned (when and where did I acquire a golf ball?), and packing up the individual items that collectively make up our “stuff.”

We started the packing process in the living room with books. Now, I'll be honest: I love a good library in a home. Few things are as comforting as shelves and shelves of books that have been read and loved. It's more than psychological comfort - it's almost physical. Seeing my books makes me feel secure and happy. When scanning titles I'm reminded not only of what the books are about, but also where I was in my life when I read them. My Baby-Sitters' Club collection brings back happy childhood memories of going to Waldenbooks to get the latest BSC installment as a reward for a good report card and then practically devouring the book in the car on the way home. One Diana Gabaldon book was a birthday present during my sophomore year in college that I impatiently waited to read until exams were finished. I remember laying on the uncomfortable couch in the common room, so excited the semester was over and I had a great big book to keep me company through the holiday break. Two Jen Lancaster books, though hilarious in their own right, remind me of that hellish month of interferon. My substantial collection of math books makes me think back to the incredible awe I had when learning about things like Phi, logarithms, and non-Euclidean geometry.

The books don’t even have to belong to me for me to experience emotions. I was hit with a big wave of nostalgia when I wandered into B&N's children's section today. I saw books about Corduroy, Amelia Bedelia, Dr. Suess, The Bernstein Bears, Busytown, and Mrs. Piggly-Wiggle. I was overcome with good memories of being read to, of cuddling with my mom and dad as they opened this wonderful world of literature to me. It was then I realized that I equate reading with love. No wonder it's painful for me to get rid of books. No wonder I feel safe when surrounded by my beloved pages. No wonder I get a little thrill when walking into a bookstore or a library. I'm a bibliophile, and there's nothing wrong with that.

However, I sure wish books weren't so heavy. At least when I'm moving. :)

My Busyness

Whew! It's been quite a whirlwind of activity lately. Here's a quick rundown of my busyness.

1. I made a dress!

2. The fall semester started; I'm taking a class entitled "Computer Organization and Assembly Language Programming." First impression: I don't care how big a processor's bus is. I just want to write recursive algorithms.

3. I had checkups with both the derm and the onc. All is good. My right arm has been bothering me lately, though. Right after the first surgery, I had the same pain. I think it's related to nerves. The pain started after an arm-intensive weekend of rafting and playing frisbee a few weeks ago, so hopefully if I rest it then it'll be good again soon. Until then, I'll just have to get Nicholas to carry anything heavy. :)

4. Speaking of rafting, we rafted duckies on the French Broad. Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/petra.price/FrenchBroadRaftingAndCamping#

5. I saved the best for last. We're moving! To a house! Yeaaaaa! Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/petra.price/ProbableNewHouse#
It's an older house, but the inside is completely redone. New paint, carpet and flooring, appliances, counters, bathroom fixtures, etc. It has a sunroom! And I'll be within biking distance of a grocery store and a library. Couldn't ask for more. :) We close on the 29th. I'm super excited about decorating and have all sorts of ideas. The sewing machine is going to pay for itself as I make curtains for the bare windows. And pillows. And maybe a table runner.

Hope everyone had a great summer!

Link to Newsweek Article

http://www.newsweek.com/id/209319/page/1

This article caught my eye because of its title: "A Malignant Melanoma Walks Into a Bar..." It's about how young people deal with cancer. Parts of the article really hit home. Like the author, I totally remember sitting in a stupid recliner in the infusion room thinking, "I shouldn't be here for at least twenty more years." From the article I learned that my blog has an incredibly boring name. (see paragraph 7)

Quick reminder: Project Runway starts in two weeks!

[edited 09/09/09]
The author of the Newsweek article and one of the people profiled in it were on Fresh Air this week. First of all, if you've never heard Fresh Air, you really should give it a try. Locally, it's on 89.3 FM at 6:00pm Monday-Thursday. Terry Gross is awesome. You can hear (or read) Terry's interview with Iva Skoch and Kairol Rosenthal here: http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=9-8-2009.

The Escher Has Been Replaced

This now hangs over our mantle. I think it's pretty neat, but I wonder...does anyone else get it?

Living La Dolce Vita

For ten beautiful days in June, Nicholas and I toured Venice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, and Assisi in Italy. This trip marked my first excursion to Europe, and I hope it is the first of many such trips. Learning about the Italian culture, both ancient and modern, listening to the lyrical Italian language, and seeing sights I've only read about made this trip fantastic.

Here's the link to some of our pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/petra.price/Italy#
These pictures don't capture the soaring cathedrals, sweeping pastoral vistas, and elaborate monuments that convey the essence of Italy. Nor do they capture the sense of history that practically drips from every church and piazza. Nicholas and I commented several times that the U.S. doesn't have old things like Europe has old things. Sure, we might visit Jamestown, but that settlement is "only" 500 years old. We saw door hinges that are four times that age. What really left an impression on me was the contrast, or perhaps lack of contrast, between old and new. People work in buildings erected in the 1500s; they pray in churches that date from medieval times; they walk on paths Caesar walked on. And yet modern life, with all its wires and gadgets, its plugs and switches, prevails.

Here's a bit of video of Pope Benedict speaking at his weekly Wednesday audience. He delivered his address in six languages: Italian, French, English, German, Spanish, and what we think was Russian.

Review of The Fashion Show

I've been a big fan of the original fashion reality show, Project Runway, since its inception in 2004. I love watching the creativity and talent exhibited by the designers. These people make fabulous garments without patterns, from scratch, in a matter of hours. Absolutely amazing. The tension-induced drama is fun, too. "He's using my sewing machine!" "She stole by buttons!" And even when the clothes are hideous and totally unwearable, they're hideous and unwearable in a fantastic way. Heidi Klum hosts, and the incomparable Tim Gunn acts as mentor to the designers. Unfortunately, Project Runway was caught in some litigation between Bravo and Lifetime for about the past year. I don't know the details, but Bravo used to air it, and now they don't. I'm sure money is involved. Anyway, since Bravo doesn't have rights to it anymore, it now has The Fashion Show as a half-assed replacement. The Fashion Show doesn't even BEGIN to fill the strappy stilettos vacated by PR. Seriously. Even Nicholas commented that it wasn't as good as its predecessor. And that, my friends, speaks volumes. What's wrong with it? Well, for starters, the hosts are Isaac Mizrahi, a designer, and Kelly Rowland, formerly of Destiny's Child. I mean, really. I don't know about Issac's top brand, but his Target stuff is horrible - ill-fitting and the colors can be garish. And he calls the designers "kids." Ugh. And how does Kelly fit in? I find her fashion credibility suspect, and that's putting it nicely. And she exhibits NO personality on the show. "What did you think of so-and-so's design?" and "I think we know" are her two guaranteed lines per show. And the challenges, especially the mini-challenges, are a bit ridiculous. This past week's mini-challenge required the designers to do little repairs like fixing buttons and sewing a hem. BORING. Plus, tailoring is tenuously related to their design ability. Thus far, there's been way too much team work and not nearly enough over-the-top personalities. I like my designers eccentric and over-confident. Aside from Merlin and Reco, every one else is rather blah. So why is my DVR set to record this wanna-be? Because PR's new season doesn't start until August 20. Because I need something to watch while I iron. Because a crappy fashion reality show is better than no fashion reality show at all. Because I enjoy watching the designers assemble a garment from scratch. Because otherwise Nicholas will want to watch sports. So, until the first and best fashion reality show starts later this summer, I will continue to watch TFS. Just don't expect me not to groan when Issac utters the show's tag line: "I'm just not buying it." Ugh.