TeamME

Mike and I got up early and walked to our polling place, getting there just as the location opened. After about 20 minutes in line, we voted using a black marker and a paper ballot. Then we walked back home, and I went out for donuts as Mike started getting ready for work. While I doubt my vote for national candidates (president, senator, congress-person) counts for much of anything given that this is Massachusetts, I did enjoy voting for our state senator and the ballot questions. Plus, it is going to be a gorgeous day out, so it was nice to get a bit of a walk in. Yay voting!

I’m not sure why, but I have been kind of down the last week or so. There is exciting stuff, but I think it is stressing me out quite a bit. This stress has manifested itself in many ways: my playing jigsawdoku for 30 seconds only to pause for a minute because I don’t immediately see the answer, my inability to get a decent amount of sleep (I either get too much or too little), and my descent into Tri Delta drama. Yes, after five years of mostly avoiding the drama that was all too present during my collegiate days, I have finally swerved head-first into drama city. Sure, I’m trying to see her point of view, but it isn’t helping. It feels way more personal than the annoying calls I had to make to parents about their daughter’s finances. And I am about to burst.

Of course, the bursting sensation just tells me that I should repress the feeling until I feel more like myself (I’m a good New Englander). That way I won’t say something that I regret later. And I probably don’t want to hurt her feelings. But I feel that I am thinking the same thoughts I had about L Wang so many years ago, “I hope he has a great life, I just hope that it never crosses mine ever again.”

Well, now that I have vented a bit, the bursting sensation has subsided a bit. Thank you, kind (or non-existent) reader, you have truly helped!

Also, who thinks 2,551 word posts (as an outline) are a good idea? Seriously?

There are so many things I want to post about, the Tri Delta convention and our lawn being two of those things. Unfortunately, I really, really want to add pictures, and to do that, I need to first, find the camera; second, take the pictures; third, find a way to get the pictures off the camera; and fourth, find a way to put the pictures online. This list of things to do doesn’t even involve a “profit” step, so you can see why it is taking so long to get through it.

One thing I can post about that does not require pictures is my 18+ hour trek to get home from Chicago. And really, there isn’t too much to say about that other than I hate cut-offs of more than 20 minutes before departure to check a bag, I hate the liquids rule for carry-ons, I cry for humanity (or at least our portion of it) when I see rudeness and ugliness in what is a difficult situation for everyone involved, and I especially hate the fact that this could have probably have been avoided if I just figured out how to set my cellphone alarm. Also, I rely on technology way too much, seeing how by the end of the day, every electronic device I owned was way low on battery power. Luckily, Mike was at the airport to get me, and that put a smile on my face (at 1:30 in the morning).

Eva and I met with our financial adviser on Friday so we could pay off our upcoming cruise. Neither of us were brave enough to tell him our real reason for investing.

Eva and I both need to drink more water and less coke. With that in mind, we both decided to try and drink 8 glasses of water a day during lent. Everything was going fine for about a week and a half. That’s when I got home from work and had a message on my answering machine from Eva saying that there was E. Coli in the Woburn drinking water and we couldn’t use it without boiling it for 5 minutes first.

Winchester is a neat little town to live in. Each year, the town reads a book, then has some activites surrounding it. This year, we read In Revere, In Those Days by Roland Merullo, and last night, he came to Winchester to speak. Mike and I participated this year, reading the book, then attending the talk. We must have been the youngest people there just to enjoy the speaker, but that’s okay. Merullo made some sweeping statements that were probably less true than he implied, but otherwise it was very interesting. We decided to get the book signed.

Now, I have only gotten one signature before, that of Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from Buffy), and that was as a senior in high school at the local Borders. My friends and I got there early, were one of the firsts in line, and once we were at the table, I stood there silently while my friend gushed about how great everything in the whole world was. It was strange.

This time, Mike and I stood in line, chatting with each other about anything and everything not related to the book or the author. We became quiet as the guy in front of us presented a book, then we were basically silenced when the guy knew Merullo. They email each other. When it was our turn, we mumbled something about liking the book. He asked who we wanted it signed to or if we just wanted the signature. Confused, we looked at each other, and mumbled something about just the signature. As he signed it, I said, “Don’t mind us. We’re anti-social.” He said, “I’m anti-social too.”

In conclusion, read the book. It is pretty great. Plus, we have something in common with the author. Go us!

I know I was all down on politics in the last post, but Mike proved to me I am not totally apathetic after all. He snaged a “Kennedy for Congress” bumper sticker, promoting re-election of Patrick Kennedy to the House of Representitives for Rhode Island. Since I live in Massachusetts, I took it as voting for Ted Kennedy, who is up for re-election this year. After all the ads for governor, it is nice to see Kennedy isn’t promoting himself any more than usual. I would be confident too, after 40+ years in office. I look forward to mindlessly voting for my Kennedy in a few months. Kennedy’s do make politics just a little bit more fun.

I purposely did not watch Bush’s speech [news.bbc.co.uk] last night. It sounds like it was a good idea after I read the speech. I’m not sure if I would agree that the War on Terror is Bush’s geneneration’s greatest battle, when my generation (or Mike’s) is the one that is going to be stuck with the fight.

I guess I am just apathetic to the whole political process. I feel no connection to the whole thing. I guess it is like the new John Mayer song, “Waiting On The World” [onlylyrics.com], which I guess sums up why I don’t care, but I don’t think waiting is the thing to do. Mike got involved with the process, by helping out with the primaries for the mayorial race in Providence. Wow. I just can’t see myself helping out without knowing the person who was running. I just don’t feel any connection to people in office. I suppose I am just lucky that I have the ability to not have to worry about it.

It always gives me a zing to see Porter’s [missporters.org] appear in entertainment. My first (and loudest) encounter was junior year in high school when we went to see Rent [imdb.com]. When they did the Tango Maureen [imdb.com], we cheered when we heard the school, causing the actor playing Mark to swivel his head towards us. The next year, Buffy’s mother threatened to send her to Porter’s [buffyguide.com], causing a flurry of phone calls during the comercial break. The next reference I heard was with Mike while watching The Skulls [imdb.com]. Joshua Jackson mentioned that Chloe went to Miss Porter’s, and Mike hasn’t let me forget since then.

The most recent (and coolest) reference we heard was on Sunday. I purchased a Cary Grant collection from Newbury’s on Saturday, and it contained Holiday [imdb.com]. I wanted to get the movie a few months ago, but now I have His Girl Friday [imdb.com] too, so it all worked out. Anyways, we throw the movie on, and Katharine Hepburn is talking about how she aspired to be a painter, and when that failed, she wanted to act. She had the encouragement of the teachers at Miss Porter’s, but she didn’t make it much further than that. This reference dates back to 1938! At least now, when Mike says that Chloe went to Miss Porter’s, I can counter with Katharine Hepburn.

Mike and I just got back from an amazing week in MN with Rachel, John, and Rachel’s family. When I’m less busy, I’ll put up some of the pictures and a bit more about the trip. As it is, I have changes on my mind, and that is what I want to write about.

On the second day there, Mike, Rachel and I happened upon a fat monach catipillar hanging upside down from a milkweed leaf. Sure that he was about to form a chrysalis (like a cocoon, but for butterflies), we returned the next day to see how the catipillar had done. Sure enough, there was a green pod, the same color as the leaf, with gold dots on it. It was amazing. Over the course of the week, we saw less and less catipillars and more and more monarch butterflies, flying in the fields of milkweed. Absolutely gorgeous.

With all the emphasis on this metamorphosis from middle and high school teachers, I made a list of “Lessons Learned” from monarch butterflies. This may apply mostly to young, monarch catipillars, but some of the lessons have applications elsewhere.

1. Eat up. You start small, but you have to get ready. Luckily, food is all around. You may even be standing on it.
2. Be ready to do something insane. Yes, you may think that after all you ate, there is no way you are going to hang upside down and shed an outer layer, but the only other option is to get even larger. Take the last bite and plunge in.
3. Don’t worry about outward appearances. Even if you feel like an idiot, hanging around upside down, you looking amazingly cool to the outside world. Sure, you are avoiding the limelight, but there is still amazing beauty for those who look.
4. Exit slowly. You may be excited, but while you are finally a butterfly, your wings don’t work yet. Give it some time.
5. Don’t worry when you do get out. Yes, you are covered in goo, and you probably feel pretty uncomfortable, but give it time. You’ll dry off at some point.
6. Explore your surroundings. Once your wings work, go out and learn how to use them. Frolic with other butterflies and enjoy the sunshine.