The Cape House

HiHowAreYouWowIHaveSoMuchToDoAhhhhhasdlkfjweoi

2012-01-15T14:18:00.004-05:00

That title is what's in my head right now.

I had a chaotic few weeks back in the States and then returned "home" to the Middle East to a total mess of a house (fun story. will get to it soon). I've been back a week and still feel underwater.

I wore a sweatshirt and jeans to work all last week, but at least I started the New Year off wearing shoes that make me happy:

I'll Be Home For Christmas!

2011-12-22T12:15:00.002-05:00

In a few hours I will finally be getting on a plane and going home! I have been out of the U.S. for 6.5 months and am thrilled to be going back. The next 21 hours of travel will seem to last forever but will be so worth it.

I felt so excited to pull my Charlie Card out of an envelope and drop it into my purse again. I can't wait to descend over Boston Harbor - that is always such a beautiful welcome!

Dubai It Is

2011-12-14T12:32:00.006-05:00

Lori got it right - I was skiing in Dubai!

I took a delightfully luxurious vacation to the desert oasis. It was 75 degrees there (in late November!) and diviiiine.

So this is what an indoor ski park looks like:

The ski slope itself is rather boring. There are 2 sides to go down and that's it. It's no Stowe. But what's wild is, you have this waiting for you outside:

Just look at that beach!

Also, there's a river (they call it a creek but whatever) and, of course, the ocean. I live inland and, as a genetic New Englander, have been dying to be close to the ocean again. I didn't realize how much living in the middle of the desert has affected me until I realized how crazy happy I was just to walk along the river in Dubai.

We also watched another winter sport - ice hockey - in one of the malls, and then checked out the aquarium and light show.

The legendary gold market was rather disappointing. I was expecting walls of gold and more over the top displays. It just looked like a bunch of jewelry stores all on the same road.

There's really good Indian, Thai, and Pakistani food if you go to the older district where a lot of the Asian workers live.

The modern sections of the city look rather space agey. Driving down the highways made me feel like I was in a Tom Cruise movie :).

I will send a postcard...

2011-12-08T13:23:00.000-05:00

...to the first commenter who can correctly guess where this photo was taken:

Oh, the Single Ladies!

2011-12-07T13:16:00.000-05:00

I recently stayed a few days at a friend's place in another city. When I arrived late in the evening she warned me that she didn't have much (or any) food in her apartment. "I have one egg," she said, "and you can have that for breakfast tomorrow and then we'll go grocery shopping."

Even though she warned me, I had to laugh when I opened her fridge:

Yep, one egg!

Tickets booked for home!

2011-12-05T05:07:00.000-05:00

I have my itinerary set and tickets booked to return home to the U.S. in just a few weeks! I am definitely looking forward to seeing everyone and getting a break from where I am right now. I haven't been in the U.S. since May.

I am still bummed that Beach Dog died before my trip home, and that I won't get to see her so happy and waggy to see me. I was trying to think back to the last time I saw her, and then I realized (to my major disappointment) that I last saw her in May, just as I was about to leave the country. I was running around, printing my boarding pass and throwing things into my carry on at the last minute, that I forgot to say goodbye to her as we raced out the door. I didn't realize until we were on the highway that I hadn't patted her before leaving. Isn't that terrible?

She died 2 months ago and, since then, I have been dying to get a dog.

My current lifestyle totally would not support having a pet, especially not a dog. Even so, I've been looking online at adoption groups.

Our neighbors just got a puppy! That's totally not helping me here.

Sigh.

I'll have another dog eventually.

Ninety-Three

2011-12-03T11:56:00.001-05:00

We received word last week that my Great Aunt died a few days before Thanksgiving. She was 93 at the time and died in her sleep.

I spent the rest of the week feeling so appreciative of her death.

Sounds weird, doesn't it? To appreciate someone's life and also their death. But that's really how I felt.

I don't write about this much on the blog, but I live in the Middle East and I am working directly with one of the conflicts in the region (I know there seem to be tons popping up right now that it can be hard to keep them straight). In some ways, I have managed to become detached from the work and just treat the statistics as, well, statistics. But every now and then I read about a family that lost 2 children in a bombing, or I meet a family that had a child abducted, or I hear stories of 5-year-olds being chopped up as warnings to their politically involved parents.

It's horrible.

It can be hard to remember, during all of that, that some people do lead normal lives and live for a long time. A lot of people do, in fact. So right now, while I'm embroiled in hearing about people dieing young, I need to be reminded that a lot of people survive up to and through adulthood and old age.

I spent a good bit of time reflecting on how my Great Aunt's death seemed out of the ordinary to me, given all of the stories that I am used to hearing. On Thanksgiving this year I felt appreciative of her long and vibrant life, and also appreciative of her calm death at such an old age.

Transcultural Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T11:29:00.001-05:00

My Aunt and Uncle always do this awesome multinational Thanksgiving where they invite a whole crowd of international professors and students from my Uncle's university and ask everyone to bring a traditional dish from their culture in addition to the usual dinner that my Aunt and Uncle prepare. This year they had representatives from China, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Brazil, South Africa, Bulgaria, Cameroon, and Canada!

I think that is an incredible way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

I "only" had Filipinas and Pakistanis at my Thanksgiving dinner this year. They were so sweet and told us about some traditional dishes from their countries (I didn't ask anyone to bring anything) which was very nice.

We also had some British men whom I adore and are hysterical. They take any and every opportunity to make fun of each other especially but other friends as well. They wore crazy ugly Christmas sweaters and then proceeded to complain the whole time about everything in a very good natured way! I know it is hard to understand how complaints can be entertaining, but it just fits with British humor I guess. They hated the marshmallows in the sweet potatoes and couldn't believe anyone would serve a main dish with marshmallows in it. They also had to point out that the Spaniards started celebrating Thanksgiving in the 1500s so clearly the Americans are just copycats :). When we were all saying what we're thankful for (which of course they thought was a ridiculous ceremonial thing to do and totally ruined the dinner), one of them said that he was thankful to live with the other Brit, "M", because M's life is such a disaster that it makes him feel better about his own! We were all rolling. They are always in competition with each other to crack a better joke.

I had another "intercultural incident" this year a few days before the big dinner when my friend warned me that two of her (non American) friends were very picky eaters and would probably not like the food. She explained that they don't eat vegetables and would also probably not like Turkey. She told me that they would eat mashed potatoes but that I should add another dish for them just in case. I asked her, "Like what?"

Her answer? "Mac n Cheese, or maybe order a pizza."

Holy Moley

"No."

Now, I am all for cultural understanding and being accommodating of guests, but I DO NOT SERVE PIZZA AT THANKSGIVING. Besides, who doesn't eat vegetables?! Now, if it had been a request from someone who simply isn't accustomed to the American palate and was asking for some rice and/or simple vegetables that were more familiar to them, then I would be totally understanding. I would even be thrilled if someone wanted to bring a curry or other traditional food. But some spoiled adult women who eat at McDonald's all the time and wanted me to make Mac n Cheese?
NO WAY.

I told her to tell them what was on the menu, and that if it wasn't okay with them, they could bring something that they wanted to eat. I ended up having to accommodate their desire for sprite and coke, but I got over it.

Please tell me that you would not have agreed to serve Mac n Cheese and Pizza at Thanksgiving!

THE dinner!

2011-11-29T10:48:00.006-05:00

As I said in the previous post, I hosted Thanksgiving Dinner for some friends this year. I have never really cooked much at all or had very much experience entertaining, but I decided to just rip the band aid off and start by hosting Thanksgiving.

I gotta say, it was not that hard!

What helped a lot was that I was off from work (all of my expat colleagues were not as it's just another normal day over here). I had off the entire week, actually, to travel and see an American friend in another city. On the one hand, this made things a challenge as I had to find the grocery stores in the new city and find the ones that carried foreign imports like canned pumpkin. I sadly wasn't able to find anything cranberry (jelly...canned...dried...nada). I was bummed because I think it makes the turkey and gravy so delicious, but I was able to move on.

On the other hand, I had a ton of free time and felt totally unstressed on Wednesday and Thursday as I prepared our meal. And I gotta say, allrecipes.com was fantastic. Everything that I used from there turned out AMAZINGLY! Also, the cider and mulled wine that I threw together as people arrived was de.li.cious.

The Turkey Adventure
On thing that we nearly screwed up was the turkey! I had remembered something in the back of my mind about defrosting the turkey, but I thought it only needed to sit in the fridge overnight. Wrong! We bought our turkey at 11pm on Wednesday and had one horrified moment when we read that it needed to sit in the fridge for 3-4 days!!! Fortunately, the package also said that we could put it in the sink overnight. Phew. Crisis averted. We then laughed for a bit at how we almost ruined dinner before even getting started.

Our turkey thawing away.

The rest of the last minute items that we got at 11pm on Wednesday.

The next day, I remembered that I had to remove the neck and giblets. I had never done this before nor watched my mother do it, but I had heard about having to do this. FYI, I have a major phobia about dead things. I know that it is wimpy to eat meat but not be willing to prepare it, but I really hate even the slightest bit of blood on a piece of raw chicken. My mother always yells at me and says if you're going to eat meat you need to know where it comes from and be able to handle it.

Anyway

I figured the turkey neck issue couldn't be that bad. Well. I had a hard time ripping the neck out of there. Sorry if that sounds graphic but that really is what happened. It was attached, which I didn't realize. So instead of cutting the skin and tissue I just grabbed on and ripped. Yes, there was screaming and squealing on my part. I didn't have tongs so I used a knife and spoon as tongs because I just could not touch it!

After the neck was done I could not find the giblets. I was so confused. I peered all inside and dug around with a spoon and could not find the bag! I wanted to call my mother but it was 3AM on the East Coast and I'm guessing this is not something she would have wanted to deal with at that hour! I ended up gchatting a friend who was still awake in CA. She doesn't cook either but she googled giblets and tried to help me out. We couldn't figure it out and she went to bed.

Finally, I decided to just go ahead with stuffing and baking it. I was really worried about what might happen if I baked the turkey with the giblets bag still in there (does anyone know what happens???), but fortunately, as I was cutting little slits in the skin to put some butter in, my knife poked what turned out to be a bag. Hooray! Potential crisis #2 averted.

I packed it totally full of stuffing and set to baking for about 4.5 hours, basting whenever I remembered to do it.

Look how pretty!

Everything was so so good. I couldn't believe that it turned out so well given that I had a) never done this before b) not planned too much in advance c) had to make do with whatever ingredients I was able to find abroad and d) didn't pay too much attention to what I was doing. I didn't time any of the cooking - just winged it! In fact, my friend just moved into her apartment and didn't have any measuring devices! I literally guessed on every single ingredient and it still turned out great.

My mom was so proud when we skyped on Thanksgiving and I showed her pictures! I am still so proud! I now feel all empowered about cooking and can't wait to work on more recipes.

PS: I even managed to impress the Food Czar!

Gathering Tgiving recipes

2011-11-20T04:57:00.001-05:00

I am hosting Thanksgiving Dinner this year.

Yes, hosting (OMFG).

I have never cooked a Turkey before in my life, nor have I prepared mashed potatoes, or pretty much anything that is part of a normal, sit-down meal, Thanksgiving or not.

I'm only just learning the basics - like how to throw together a rice and vegetables meal - but I decided to host a full on American Thanksgiving Day Dinner for myself and my American friend (because have I mentioned how much I miss fall?!).

She decided to invite over some friends. Which has me a little nervous. I don't have room to screw this up now. (Although none of the other guests are from the States so at least they won't have grand expectations of homestyle cooking!). On top of general jitters about preparing a huge meal for other people, I am worried that I won't be able to find certain important things like cranberries (or even a turkey! we might actually end up eating chicken). Also, the guests have a variety of preferences and dietary restrictions so I'm trying to make sure everyone will be happy.

So here I am, collecting recipes and grocery shopping for what seems like 40 days and 40 nights. You will notice that I selected as many recipes as possible that included the word "easy."

The Turkey:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homestyle-turkey-the-michigander-way-2/detail.aspx

Gravy:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-turkey-gravy/detail.aspx

Stuffing:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/celery-stuffing/detail.aspx

Cranberry Sauce:

Potentially this one, but I'm not sure I'll be able to find cranberries here http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cranberry-sauce-ii/detail.aspx

Mashed Potatoes:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/day-before-mashed-potatoes/detail.aspx

Steamed green beans, carrots, and parsnips

Candied Sweet Potatoes (contingent upon actually being able to find sweet potatoes in the Middle East!):

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/candied-sweet-potatoes-5/detail.aspx

Salad:

One of these, not sure which yet http://www.delish.com/entertaining-ideas/holidays/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-salads

Rolls (TBD)

Cornbread (TBD)

Pumpkin Pie:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/perfect-pumpkin-pie/detail.aspx

Apple Pie:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandma-oples-apple-pie/detail.aspx

Pecan Pie (TBD)

Mulled Wine:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mulledwine_8156

And probably K.A.G.'s wonderful cocktail recipe!

Any recipe recommendations or words of wisdom for a first timer? Also, I've been wondering this for several days now, if you are supposed to cook your turkey for 4 hours, and you only have one oven, how on earth do you get anything else cooked???

Another Fall Idea

2011-11-16T04:08:00.003-05:00

Our house had another fall themed party recently, and several friends have hosted more as well. It seems the expat community really misses fall back home!

My housemate who was the official hostess of this dinner gathering did a fantastic job of putting together some fall themed decorations, such as a bouquet of candied apples and ginger cookies. She also hosted some fun fall games like a scarecrow making competition (let me just tell you that gathering the proper materials to make a scarecrow in the Middle East is hard). Finally, she made a delicious punch with cider and spices and then carved out a pumpkin for serving! This was a great idea. Not only did it look wonderful on our fall table, but it kept the cider warm all night long.

We also had a slew of Halloween parties and I thought people did a great job of putting together fun costumes. Quite a few people came as Ghadaffi, of course, much to everyone's amusement. I was in a duo costume as the Arab Spring. A few of my favorite costumes were the Google Team and Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra.

One of my friends came dressed in a kind of brown jumpsuit. I couldn't tell what she was. Then she hunched over and started crawling on the ground making bizarre moaning noises. "Are you Golem?" I asked her. "No!" she shouted as our other friends shrieked with laughter. She was a camel! Ha! It was definitely hard to figure out at first.

Sadly, there was no trick-or-treating, but the little expat kids got to go to lots of school parties so I know they still had fun!

Little Notes

2011-11-14T03:30:00.003-05:00

~I live with an orange cat named Mish Mish. That means Apricot in Arabic :). He's a lot of fun.

~I've started wearing a "wedding" ring to ward off those Arab men who weren't socialized properly. So far, it hasn't made an ounce of difference in how they behave towards me.

~For a fall party that I hosted in late October, I made the cider cocktail featured on KAG's blog. I made it with ginger beer as she suggests and it was D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. People are still telling me how yummy it was. We served it towards the end of the party when much of the wine and champagne had been depleted and the evening was getting cold. We heated ours on the stove beforehand and it was the perfect yummy and warm cocktail to pass around at a late hour.

~I promise I'll try not to whine too much on the blog about how much I miss "real fall," but I do want to tell you that I made apple cinnamon nutmeg pancakes recently and they were fantastic :).

~Speaking of apples, I'm sad that they are so expensive here! Did you know that the Middle East imports its apples from Washington and California? We used to get cheaper (& smaller) ones from Syria but those imports stopped recently due to the political situation there. Now our only options are the USA ones that are good, but expensive. I want to make baked apples but I'm not sure it's really worth it to pay that much for enough apples.

The Food Czar

2011-11-12T13:04:00.001-05:00

One of my housemates is a Food Czar. She cares a lot about ingredients and methods and has strong opinions about how to cook and what to use.

One day she saw some parsley on the counter and went on and on about how inferior it is to cilantro, and "why would anybody buy parsley? I saw it and was excited that we had cilantro and then I realized it was parsley and got so upset. Parsley has much less flavor value than cilantro. There is no reason to use parsley."

Some days this is okay and I learn a lot of recipes from her.

Other days...well...she yells about parsley.

30 Before 30

2011-11-10T11:48:00.000-05:00

I was recently in a long and dull meeting, so I made a list of 30 things that I want to accomplish before I turn 30.

I wanted to keep all of the goals attainable and not set myself up to fall short, but I ended up landing all over the map. Some of them are pretty simple but some of these feel really ambitious. I have no idea how realistic this list is. I wrote out a full 30 items, but I'm not publishing them all on here because a few were too personal or too related to work. They are written in no particular order. Some of these things are very important to me and I have been planning for them for a long time, while others are totally random.

What would you prioritize for your list?

1-Become a licensed foster parent
2-Get through every book on my Amazon wish list
3-Live in 2 other countries (not including where I am now)
4-Learn to play the guitar

6-Adopt a dog
7-Go to Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Cambodia, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, South Africa, U.K., Peru, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Spain, Colombia, Venezuela
8-Go on an extended sailing trip
9-Host one really awesome over the top costume party

11-Feel good about my Arabic skills
12-Dabble with Persian, French, Mandarin, and ASL
13-Learn to play Polo
14-Run 3 more marathons

16-Sew 5 dresses
17-Get a Master's
18-Live in a home with exposed brick
19-Weigh less than XXX for at least one day
20-Throw a surprise party
21-Feel as though I am an expert on something

23-Be on the board of an NGO
24-Become a better friend through several awesome big gestures and many small but thoughtful actions
25-Party with E in Miami and with S & A in NYC

27-Take (or resume) Indian, Scottish, Ballroom, and Ballet dancing lessons

29-Publish at least 5 articles or op eds
30-Smash a whipped cream pie in someone's face :)

Well. That was fun.

2011-11-08T11:40:00.001-05:00

Spell With Flickr

Little Notes

2011-10-26T02:56:00.003-04:00

~My mother emailed to let me know that Beach Dog has gone to live on a farm with plenty of fields for playing and running. She was such a sweetheart.

~Little Black Cat is still alive and well and causing trouble. My mother was on the phone with customer service and had gotten through the entire automated menu and was finally speaking to a real person when the cat grabbed the phone cord and disconnected the call. She wasn't too happy but I had to giggle when she told me the story.

~I'm really missing New England now that it's fall. Fall in the Middle East just isn't the same. There are no beautiful autumn leaves. There are no pumpkin pies. It just gets cold. I recently stumbled upon a beautiful blog whose photos just feel so cozy and familiar to me.

~I celebrated my birthday last week. We did a murder mystery party where everyone is assigned a character and spends the evening trying to figure out whodunnit. It was hard and complicated and no one correctly guessed the murderer, but we had a lot of fun and some people really embraced the costume aspect of it, which was quite entertaining.

~Speaking of parties, did I miss a worldwide agreement to stop RSVPing? Or to RSVP 'yes' and then not show up without telling the host? Or vice versa? My generation seems to be rather rude.

~Speaking of costumes, my housemate and I decided to do a duo Halloween costume this year. We wanted to do a visual pun but had a hard time coming up with one. We then moved on to wearing black dresses with paper polka dots and being a pair of dice. Or going as a mermaid and the BP oil spill. We finally settled on one that I think is pretty good and I'll tell you about soon!

~Does anyone else really love musicals? I went to elementary, middle, and high schools that all had strong music and musical theater programs. I was never a good singer, but I participated in or attended all of the productions and will now forever love musicals. I listen to their soundtracks for much of the day at work.

Ending with a sweet story:

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?”
The six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Where old means ancient

2011-10-21T14:17:00.000-04:00

Pro of living in the East: Being able to dash off for a quick weekend trip and see some awesome ancient ruins.

Boston Med Images

2011-10-18T08:15:00.000-04:00

I really love and miss Boston and the Boston area. In the last week or so I've gotten hooked on watching Boston Med episodes. (It's a documentary style show with 8 episodes following doctors and patients at Mass General, Brigham, and Children's hospitals in Boston. It's made by the same people who did Hopkins, a series that I also really liked).

I watched the show when it first came out over a year ago, but I've returned to it now because of the wonderful images of Boston. I mean, look at the opening title sequence!

Each episode also contains beautiful shots.

I used to go running in this area! It is the BEST place for runners.

And there is the wonderful Charles River

And, of course, sweet boats in Boston Harbor

Sigh. Not to be all melodramatic about this, but whenever I see photos like this, I start to reconsider my career choices that have taken me away from here.

Good Intentions

2011-10-16T12:09:00.003-04:00

**Warning: Don't read this if you are eating right now or if you have issues with vomit.**

I'm new at my job, so I'm still in the trying-to-please stage. Things are going well, but I still want to have a reputation of putting in 100%.

A few weeks ago, a senior employee from a different department asked me to help her prepare and carry out a conference at a local hotel. I was, of course, pleased to be asked and eager to be helpful and do everything perfectly.

Things went well during preparations, and as the meeting began I settled into my seat in the bag and began taking notes and prepping the coming sets of slideshows.

Fairly early on I started to feel queasy. I thought for sure that it was dehydration. I have always been terrible at getting enough liquids so I grabbed a glass and began sipping lots of water. I continued to feel poorly and kept madly drinking water, thinking that I just needed to get hydrated. I'm sure that others at my table were annoyed that I took all of the water.

During the first coffee break I stepped outside and purchased some anti nausea medication from a nearby pharmacy. As soon as I set foot inside the hotel on my way back to the meeting, I felt that feeling. That IT IS HAPPENING now feeling. I walked very quickly and THANKFULLY saw signs for the bathroom right inside the doorway. I dipped inside the door that led not into a bathroom but into a vestibule off of which the bathrooms were located.

I didn't make it in time. I puked all over the floor inside the vestibule. THANKFULLY there was that door there and I made it inside to the little hallway. Otherwise I would have puked on the floor right next to everyone who was eating their breakfast in the dining room. How horrible. I was so glad to be tucked inside a vestibule/hallway thing.

I then saw that the women's restroom was closed off, and I briefly entertained the thought of ducking into the men's bathroom. I live in a strongly Muslim country, so that action probably would not have gone over well. As I was thinking about this, I was relieved to see a unisex handicapped bathroom in front of me and ran inside, just in time to puke all over the floor in there.

Good lord.

I finally made it to the toilet. (I'm sure you are all thrilled to be reading this).

I felt fairly ok after, but had a noticeable amount of vomit on my new purple blouse. (Again, I know you're glad that I'm sharing this, but life isn't all baby blue water and white sand, right?). I looked all over for something to clean up with, but this bathroom was stocked with nothing. No paper towels, no cleaning supplies, no toilet paper! Fortunately I had a sweater draped over my shoulders and was able to button it up and look almost normal. Otherwise I would have had to go back to the meeting looking like a huge mess. I could hear the guys in the hallway cleaning, and entertained the idea of hiding in the bathroom until they were gone (I felt like too much of a mess to deal with people in another language!) I did have to go back to the meeting and explain, though, so I exited and apologized to the poor boy who had to do cleanup. Oy.

I went back to the meeting but still felt icky and, after a brief consultation with the hotel doctor, was sent home. Bummer that I didn't get to help at all with the conference, but at least there was someone available to cover for me.

There were so many senior people from my organization there and that conference was my first time meeting many of them. They were all so sweet to me but ugh, I hate that my vomiting was the first thing that we talked about, and that I didn't get to be wonderfully helpful and make a good impression.

Sweet Cards

2011-10-09T13:52:00.004-04:00

Back in the spring I ran a marathon.

Yep, that's right! I actually did something that had once been just a vague dream of mine. I am kind of impressed that I stuck with it and saw it through (if you don't know, I have plenty of "ideas" and ongoing "projects" that will never find the light of day).

One thing that made me kind of ridiculously happy was the set of cards that I found to thank my sponsors. (I ran with a charity group so we had to fundraise and I wanted to send cards to my donors. I wasn't actually with a breast cancer charity, but I still thought these cards were perfect).

I found these at Bonnie Marcus and I absolutely love them! I wasn't even looking for marathon thank yous when I found them (I was looking for thank you notes for this party), but I knew they would be perfect. Don't you agree?

I also ended up buying two other sets of cards:

I really like their collection, so now I might have to host a party just for an excuse to buy and send more thank you notes!

Toy Shopping

2011-09-28T15:46:00.004-04:00

The city that I live in has a TON of imports from China (well, what city in the world doesn't?). I went down to the super cheap imports section of downtown and found some rather amusing toys for sale.

First up, we've got basically the American Dream. A blonde wife, 20 dresses, and a flat screen tv. What more could you want?

Next up, we have a way to train the children up early to do their chores.

And finally, this box reads "Let Our Children More Hardworking." Now that was definitely made in China!

Total Failure

2011-09-26T13:22:00.000-04:00

I really can't believe how hard it is to keep some simple fish alive. Does anyone else kill fish easily? I'm getting paranoid that it's just me who can't sustain life. These 3 fish were so fun to have and so colorful and lively.

They were all dead within 3 weeks.

It was awful. One by one they got slower and slower and started breathing super heavily and then were finished. I also have a major phobia regarding things that are dead (really, I couldn't even look at them in the tank once they were dead and had to get someone to remove them for me).

Maybe it was a ph problem with the water...sigh...

Sugar and Spice!

2011-09-23T05:18:00.003-04:00

We are thrilled to welcome a new member of the Cape House family! The cousin from this wedding just welcomed a sweet baby girl. She's the first grandchild in the family and the new grandparents are just beside themselves with excitement. As for me, I can't believe someone from my generation is old enough to have a baby!

The biggest change yet

2011-09-07T12:06:00.002-04:00

Well, just kidding!

I used to have really long hair. I was starting to get annoyed by how much maintenance it required, but I tried my best to let it grow out for a long time. I wanted to make a long donation to Locks of Love.

Their website says that wigs end up being 2 inches shorter than the pony tails used in them, so a 14 inch wig requires a 16 inch ponytail. Their minimum donation is 10 inches, but their site also says that most girls request a 12-14 inch wig.

Being a girl who loves my hair, especially my long, thick hair, I can sympathize with girls who want a longer wig. I get it. That's why I tried to wait a looong time and cut my hair when it was long enough to make a 14 inch donation 3 months ago.

The problem? I don't like having short hair! I am pleased with my donation but I can't wait for it to grow back. Yes, the summer was much cooler for my neck, and I am amazed by how much less work a short do is, but I still don't like how it looks and want my long flowing locks, lol!

Besides, I don't really know what to do with it. It is long enough for a (small) pony tail, but I am so bored with it. Any ideas for how to dress a short hairdo?

Well Hello There!

2011-09-06T11:01:00.005-04:00

I fully intended to post an update yesterday, but that was the very day that my internet died on me! Sorry to anyone who was left hanging!

But I am back for real today. I hadn't touched this blog in so long until last weekend when I was looking for a link to a site that I knew I had blogged about. Skimming through my old posts to look for it was fun, yet made me really miss this world enough to give it another go.

SO

In the months since we last chatted:

I went through a crazy stressful time where my father sustained a traumatic brain injury, I contracted what we dubbed "the death cough", my computer crashed a few weeks before my thesis draft was due, my housemate's father died of cancer, and my other housemate's family had to deal with radiation worries (they live in Japan where there was that earthquake, remember?). It was all in the same few weeks. It was cra-zy.

In the middle of all of that, I had a big career move and ran my first marathon. It was so hard. I have never felt more horrible in my life. It was harder mentally than physically, which I was so not prepared for and completely blindsided by. I should devote a post later to the marathon experience.

How are things now?

Pretty darn wonderful.

My father is much much better. He was able to return to work, which we weren't sure he'd be able to do (we've met quite a few people with brain injuries who had to retire early). Although, when you talk to him, you kind of get the feeling that he is still slightly "off". Who knows if that will get better or not, but given the original diagnosis of permanent vegetable we had in the days following his injury, there's no room to complain.

The housemate whose father died and I had a very therapeutic b****-fest where we more-or-less shouted, "What the ****, Universe?!" If you ever find yourself in the midst of a bad time, scream that out loud and you might feel better ;).

The computer situation is still sad. I lost a lot of photos in that crash. I love my photos :(. Oh well, I'll have to go take more!

Do you remember when I posted this image from designhergals.com?

I really liked it and it represented me very well, back when I created it in 2009. I thought it was about time to make a new one, so here she is:

Oh, that's right, she's holding a passport because of another big change that happened over the last few months.

I became an Expat!

I'll be living abroad (somewhere warm and sunny) for the foreseeable future (well, as long as I have a work contract, ha ha). I'm sure we will have fun things to chat about as I stumble through a new corner of the world!

...ending with one of my favorite quotes...

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia."
~Charles Schulz

Whoa, No Way!

2011-09-04T15:11:00.004-04:00

Well hello there!

I think.....I might actually be coming back!

Favorite Things

2010-11-12T11:14:00.010-05:00

Anne's posts - and how fun it is to have Anne back in general!

Speaking of returning bloggers, I'm so glad to see some updates on Lori's blog!

Other favorites:

Bohemians on my birthday

Pretty paper from Papyrus to send to my cousin thanking her for said Bohemians

Birthday gifts and cards

Gatsby girlfriends

(sorry for the awk photo)

Baking apples!

Making a pesto, sundried tomato, and feta pizza!

Teenage dreams

Running 5 miles six times in the last 2 weeks!

Horse shows

Making (and eating) Tiramisu!

Scarves!

Opening up the speakeasy

2010-09-27T20:11:00.001-04:00

It's hard, you know, staying in touch with people and finding time to visit. I love having friends from different corners of my life, and I love having friends from different corners of the world, but it's hard to always be missing someone. I just try to remember how wonderful it is that we are scattered about the country and world, pursuing what we love. But still...

(What on earth does this have to do with prohibition? We're getting there...)

That's why I was quite touched when several friends announced they were coming to visit me. Schedules and plane tickets be damned, they were going to spend my next birthday with me.

And that's when it turned into a three day weekend birthday party. With a theme. A theme that we have been talking about for several years. We have had this idea on our minds, but had never made the logistics happen.

We're doing it now.

In less than a month, I'm having a Roaring Twenties inspired birthday weekend.

Egads.

I recently found myself, not quite in a panic, but still quite flustered and overwhelmed by the logistics of this.

Costumes. Decor. Activities. Food x 3 days. Alcohol x 3 days. Travel plans.

It's a lot. But it's so worth it.

Here is my beginning inspiration board:

I'm sure I will be posting more planning details as I deal with them. Feel free to throw out ideas at any time. This is going to be a group effort and I could not be more excited.

"I hope she'll be a fool. That's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."

~The Great Gatsby~

Oh, the shoes!

2010-09-24T12:14:00.001-04:00

I was recently visiting with an old and dear girlfriend. I have been traveling for some time now and living out of a suitcase for much of that time. I'm getting tired of the second part of that but that's not what this post is about.

We were tidying up the room, making beds and such, and I glanced over towards my suitcase propped open by the wall and just had to laugh:

It was overflowing with shoes! I guess I had just tossed them all in there helter skelter to keep the floor clear. But that image is quite characteristic of me, especially at this point in my life: a messy suitcase full of nothing but shoes (and that black bag).

"I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty."

~Imelda Marcos~

Trafalgar Memories

2010-09-12T13:20:00.000-04:00

I think it's pretty well established on this blog that I love old family photographs. I also love looking at said photographs and imagining just what the day was like when they were taken. When I was in London, I especially loved visiting Trafalgar Square, because of this family photo, taken in 1958.

I sat by the fountains, in August 2010, watching the people and the pidgeons. Imagining my grandmother enjoying that very spot with some of her children so many years ago.

And this is {one of the reasons} why I take so many photographs as well. I hope that one day I will have a descendant who will love to look at my photos and travel to those places and imagine what it must have been like when I was there.

Glorious September

2010-09-06T11:41:00.004-04:00

I can't tell you how wonderful the Cape is in September. Many of the summer people have left but the beautiful scenery and warm weather (for the most part) remain.

One of my cousins just last week shared with us that he plans to marry at the house in September next year. The house has seen many a family wedding in its time. This will be its first same sex wedding and we are beyond thrilled.

(Can you see all of the seals?!)

The house has hosted many styles of weddings. It has seen a white linen dress holding fresh cut garden flowers marry under the elm tree. It has hosted grander affairs with great white tents and a dance floor.

I know this cousin plans an event on the larger side, and I can't wait to see what they create. It will be amazing, I am sure.

After the Rain

2010-09-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

Rainy Days

2010-09-03T22:39:00.000-04:00

When it's raining outside, be it due to a hurricane or a nor'easter....

...we stay in and cozy up by the fire....

....and peruse the (very) dusty bookshelves that contain some very old books....

....like this one that was published in 1896. That title is right up my alley....:)

This is also a perfect time to make cookies.

Earl's not turning out to be much of a hurricane, but I suppose that's for the best. Hope you are all staying safe and dry!

Preparing for Earl

2010-09-01T10:40:00.006-04:00

Have you heard? {I'm sure you have}.

There's a hurricane named Earl moving on up the East Coast of the U.S. Two days ago, when the thing was still down around the Caribbean, newspapers on the Cape were reporting that Earl's strength could already be felt by those of us in New England. How crazy is that?

We were seeing clear skies and calm waters like this:

It's hard to look at such a calm sea and imagine a hurricane. In fact, there was nary a breath of wind for two straight days and so no one went sailing. But just off shore, just a little bit out towards the ocean, we were told there were big ocean swells brewing due to the hurricane that was {and is} still so far away.

Makes you really think about the "ripple effect", doesn't it?

A family friend who is a ferry captain on the Cape told us recently about all they do to prepare for hurricanes and I thought this was all so interesting.

The ferries cannot be left tied to the docks during such fierce wind and waves. They will bang around and tear up the ropes and destroy the dock and themselves. So what happens? The captains take the boats into the harbor and anchor them on a mooring. Now, if just left alone, the ferries, when subject to such strong winds, will drag the moorings and crash into everything. So, the captains stay aboard and turn the engines on and "drive" forward towards the mooring, staying in place though due to the wind and current.

Dramatic, I'll bet.

I'd love to see ferries doing this. I bet it would be really exciting to be up there with the captain!

There are tons of other things that need to be done. South shore floats and boats must be taken either in to the boathouse, if possible, or sometimes a whole group of houses whose private floats face southward will tie their floats together and put them on a mooring. {This may be boring to some readers but I think it's really neat stuff to know}.

We have some relatives who own a handful of beautiful antique wooden sailboats which is nice {because they are beautiful}, but they are such a pain to take care of because of how delicate they are. Sometimes, if a hurricane is really coming, they pull out the plugs from the bottoms of the boats and sink them right there in the harbor! I never knew that, but apparently it is safer for them to sit on the bottom of a not-too-deep harbor than to be crashing around in a hurricane. Once it's over, they bring them back up somehow, bail them, wash them off, plug them up again, and you're good to go.

The captain friend did tell us that it is a royal pain to go through all of their preparations only to have the hurricane veer off into the ocean and never hit. But it must be done because they have to be ready just in case.

All of this talk has prompted my grandmother to tell stories of past hurricanes on the Cape. The first in the thirties, when she was just thirteen, she was was left alone in the house! She was so scared and the phone lines went out, so she walked (leaning practically horizontal into the wind) up to a good friend's house to wait it out with them.

Then in the fifties she was, again alone, in the house with her small children. She put mattresses up against the windows to shield the family from any glass were they to shatter. She also said that being in the eye is the most incredible part. You can look up and see blue sky for maybe ten minutes before getting slammed by wind and rain again.

We decided to call it a season and pulled the boats up yesterday. Many on the Cape are getting ready as the boat ramp was quite busy with everyone trying to get out of the water!

Anyway, all of the preparations may be for naught, but it's still exciting to imagine!

"You do not have to be a hurricane to turn things around."

~Marleen Loesje (A Dutch Fictional Character)~

Alright, now I'm just trying to make you jealous

2010-08-31T12:31:00.000-04:00

All I really need for a perfect afternoon

2010-08-29T13:29:00.000-04:00

Soft sand, lapping water, magazines, and a pink tote from Cuffy's.

As much as I love to travel...

2010-08-28T13:22:00.001-04:00

...there remains a special place in my heart for the place where I can enjoy this....

and this...

and these...

and this...

and them....

and, of course, the delicate little beach roses at the edge of the sand.

"I question not if thrushes sing,

If roses load the air;

Beyond my heart I need not reach

When all is summer there."

~John Vance Cheney~

Oh, How I've Missed You!

2010-08-27T13:22:00.000-04:00

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach into the sea...When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it...He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion...He is just my dog."

~Gene Hill~

Day Thirteen in London

2010-08-26T14:21:00.000-04:00

Day Thirteen was sad {leaving London} but happy {arriving in Boston!}. I mailed my last London postcards and got a Chai at the airport. I had been in London not really for vacation, but to attend a series of seminars and lectures. I did my best to run around and see as much of the city as possible, but it was hard to balance sightseeing with socializing with my new colleagues and attending meetings about terrorism {really}. All in all, I think I covered a lot of ground in London and can't wait to go back! I wish I had an excuse to live there....hmm....note to self...

Next posts will be coming at you from the Cape House!!

Day Twelve in London

2010-08-26T13:11:00.000-04:00

Almost done - I promise!

During the gap between my final meeting and our farewell dinner, I walked with a friend down Bond Street (Old and New). It is a great place for window shopping. There are tons of swanky shops (think Smythson and Tiffany) with great (and sparkly!) window displays.

...like this one:

We eventually made our way to St. James Square where there are plenty of beautiful and posh homes.

Then went down the Mall for a turn about St. James Park.

We finished by heading down through one side of Hyde Park, reaching Victoria...

..before going for dinner in Covent Garden.

Day Eleven in London

2010-08-26T12:38:00.000-04:00

Running in the morning in London is wonderful. I had several lovely early runs along the Thames, but on this particular day ran in the opposite direction, towards Regent Park. {I did run with a camera and stop a lot for pictures}.

The Queen's Gardens are really something.

On the way back, I spotted this neat looking museum.

Day Ten in London

2010-08-25T16:56:00.000-04:00

By day ten I realized that I still had not seen Buckingham Palace. At all. Not even a glimpse. During a lunch break I walked {very fast} through St. James Park towards the palace. {By the way, St. James is really my favorite park in London}.

There were, of course, a million tourists outside this well known spot. I tried not to get hit by cars while taking photographs on the mall.

Then I walked {again, very fast} down by Clarence House and St. James Palace for a quick photo snap and to see these well known men:

Then I lunched by a fountain in Trafalgar Square, one of my favorite places in London.

In the late afternoon I went back to the British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone as well as the Elgin Marbles. I love the detailing of the clothing of these ladies:

On my way home I found another Banksy painting that has been somewhat defaced, which is a shame.

The painting happens to be right next to the Banksy Bagel Bar. I don't know which came first, but I'm guessing the painting did.

"A lot of people never use their initiative because no-one told them to"

~Banksy~

Day Nine in London

2010-08-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

Not too many more to go. I have to put these pictures up now or I never will!

Here, again, is an image of St. Paul's Cathedral.

I like that this photo shows an old church squeezed between modern buildings. Very characteristic of London.

I love that London makes excellent use of it's waterfront. There are great paths going all the way down both sides of the Thames. Below is a view of the Tower Bridge.

Then I walked down to the actual Tower:

And walked across the bridge...

...and up the opposite bank....

...past some lovely old buildings....

...to Shakespeare's Globe!

I saw Henry VIII performed and it was lots of fun. I think it has been sold out the entire summer so far. A friend told me beforehand that I would have to stand for three hours if I took the yard tickets. I chose to do it anyway so that I could get the authentic Shakespeare experience :). It was a long three hours of standing, but I enjoyed being right next to the stage. The actors run up and down stairs and pass through the audience so it is really one of those plays where you want to be as close and involved as possible. The play was entertaining and the whole experience was great.

I then walked home past St. Paul's, which looked quite beautiful all lit up.

"I would not be a queen for all the world."

~Lady Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII~

Day Eight in London

2010-08-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

As you can probably tell, I tried to see as much of London as absolutely possible given the schedule I had with which to work. Day eight was spent mostly in North London.

First walking past the zoo....

....to Primrose Hill....

...which had a lovely view of the city...

....Then we came down the hill to Camden, a very, uh, different, part of town....

We then went shopping at Harrods in the afternoon. It is quite an experience. We tasted the wonderful macaroons made by La Duree, which was an excellent end to the day :).

Day Seven in London

2010-08-21T13:33:00.000-04:00

I walked so much on this day. I think I was on my feet for 12 hours straight. It was quite a workout!

We started out in Hyde Park, which is just so beautiful.

Those are the houses of parliament just above the trees.

We went to the V & A museum which had some great costumes and silver collections from earlier time periods. Then made our way back through the park to marble arch where we saw this neat sculpture.

We also checked out one of the Banksy works that is right by Marble Arch. Banksy is a street artist whose work can be elusive, but I enjoyed trying to track it down.

Then we got caught in the rain...typical for London...

Then we walked through the Rose Garden in Hyde Park:

and watched children playing in the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain:

These are the gardens in back of Kensington Palace.

On the other side of KP is a very beautiful tree lined street with lots of lovely buildings. I could not take any photographs beyond the one below because most of the buildings were Embassies, but it was a wonderful street.

The Royal Albert Music Hall:

Then it rained again, and we popped into Harrods and Top Shop for a spell until it passed.

This is the neighborhood right around Sloane Square. I love these buildings.

Finally, as the sun was getting low, we made it to Wellington Arch and proceeded up Piccadilly.

During just this one afternoon we passed by a group of Iranians protesting, a group of gentlemen in grey morning coats, an Indian wedding celebration, this fascinating exterior horizontal garden, and a group of ladies dressed as playboy bunnies! What a city!

Day Six in London

2010-08-17T05:30:00.000-04:00

Day six started out in Covent Garden. Have you all seen My Fair Lady? That soundtrack was playing in my head nearly the entire time I was in London.

And you know those fun videos of theater groups bursting into song in the middle of Grand Central Station? Well, it would make my life if I could be standing in Covent Garden when a troupe burst out with Loverly.

Next stop was the National Portrait Gallery, which is a lot of fun and has everything from the Tudors to modern art from this decade. There was an evening sketching class there and I loved watching them work. It seemed to me that that is what an art museum should be. A place to receive guidance and inspiration.

We visited Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery again because the National just cannot be done in one day.

We took a turn past Downing Street...

...and then on down to the Houses of Parliament and accompanying protesters.

And lastly we visited the beautiful Westminster Abbey before going to dinner at a fantastic Italian place in Covent Garden.

"...someone's head resting on my knee, warm and tender as he can be, who takes good care of me, oh, wouldn't it be loverly?"

Day Five in London

2010-08-10T17:32:00.000-04:00

My days in London have been very long and very full. It's wonderful, but getting up each morning has gotten progressively more brutal and I'm feeling more and more drained. But I'm still so happy to be here and trying to squeeze in just about everything!

I was very excited to hit up the National Gallery of Art. They didn't have any Gentileschi (whom I love), but I was pleased with the Caravaggio, Gainsborough, Vermeer, and others.

The museum sits right on Trafalgar Square, which is a fantastic place to sit by a fountain, eat lunch, and watch the pidgeons, performers, and people.

After seeing about half of the gallery, we headed over to lunch in Notting Hill and the fun market on Portobello Road.

The houses are just the cutest.

The market bore all sorts of goodies, like old books,

family silver collected from every direction,

and many other fun antiques.

This clothing store had antique sewing machines for some striking decor.

These beautiful blue and whites sat on a table outside a tartan shop that had the softest cashmere sweaters.

We watched crepes being made...

...and then picked up some cupcakes!

They came in cute chinese take-out boxes.

Then we jumped down to St. Paul's for the Evensong that is held each day at 5pm.

Photography is not allowed inside the cathedral. It is a beautiful beautiful place.

Then we took a long meandering walk down to the Thames.

I have about a million photos taken within the same week of this view.

This skate park with tons of graffiti is tucked in under a bridge by the river.

We then passed through Coven Garden on our way home and took a look at the posters for all of the shows out right now.

By the late afternoon, we got to Drury Lane. Do you remember that nursery rhyme?

Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?

Do you know the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane?

After dinner and a little rest we headed back out to the Chinatown/Soho area. Wow. Walking around Soho at night is quite the adventure for the eyes. I'm not sure I'm old enough to see some of what Soho has to offer.

We went to a very fun pub called Waxy's (which kind of felt like a leprechaun's treehouse inside) before spending an hour or two at a club.

The pictures below are from Picadilly Circus and were taken at 3am. (Yep, that many people on the street at 3am). Even with so many people out and going places, we had the worst time finding a cab.

"Great events make me quiet and calm; it is only trifles that irritate my nerves."

~Queen Victoria~

Days Three and Four in London

2010-08-02T12:39:00.006-04:00

London is a lot like D.C. in that the museums are free (and fantastic). During my first week here I hit up the British Museum and it's beautiful collection of dusty books (among many other really old and really cool things).

The museum is right by this square. What a great place to live.

I love the old chimney stacks. When I walk around London, I often have soundtracks from musicals playing in my head. Songs like Loverly and Chim Chim Cheree.

The next morning I stopped briefly at this beautiful building...

...that is flanked by this lovely structure...

....and is perhaps the most well known train station in the world. And I'm guessing you know just why I paid a visit.

Oh yes! I posed with the cart! There was even a line of tourists waiting for their turn. And a man handing out robes and a wand. (I opted not to pose with those).

The station has some beautiful architecture.

In the evening we passed by the impressive St. Paul's Cathedral on our way to this bridge...

...that had great views:

...and led straight to the Tate Modern. Is anyone a fan of modern art? I really am not. There were a few paintings that I liked (Pollock) and some great photography, but also a whole ton of really weird stuff that just doesn't speak to me. But really, the photography was great. Think the NYC subway in the 80s and the unemployed in the 50s.

This is St. Paul's at night after visiting the Tate.

"The history of modern art is also the history of the progressive loss of art's audience. Art has increasingly become the concern of the artist and the bafflement of the public."

~Paul Gauguin~

Day Two in London

2010-08-02T08:28:00.000-04:00

Day two was slightly rainy, but I understand that's the norm in London town.

After poking around the Royal Courts of Justice that reside in this impressive structure:

...we found ourselves at the door of Twinnings. A cozy tea shop sits inside and we spent time browsing the selection.

Each row of boxes has a small glass jar with the corresponding tea inside so that guests may open the lid and sniff the leaves.

We spent quite some time examining the teas - my favorite was probably one that was rose flavored - and then took a peak at an overcast Thames before turning in.

"Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage."

~Catherine Douzel~

T-W-O

2010-08-01T12:10:00.000-04:00

We have very unceremoniously come upon this blog's 2nd birthday. I'm sorry I don't have a juicy giveaway for you or something reflective or intelligent to share.

Instead, I will give you a photo of me when I actually was two.

Day One in London

2010-07-31T16:47:00.009-04:00

I've actually been here for a week.

A great week. A short week. A very full week.

I want to savor it (and catch my breath), and a good way to do that is to pick back through all that I've done so far.

Temperatures in the Middle East reached 100 last week. I needed a breather. I'd also never been to London (sin). So this seemed like a fantastic trip. And it has been.

My time in London started out with the East End and Brick Street markets that are full of treats to eat, collect, and wear.

I really like the styles that seem to have overrun London, but especially the boutiques and street markets. Lots of layers and ruffles and lace. It's lovely.

There were all kinds of edible treats. Fresh juices made to order, and this table of sweets. Yum!

We concluded the evening with a stop off at two pubs, one that was particularly photogenic.

"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show."

~Samuel Johnson~

Take a Guess

2010-07-25T18:55:00.000-04:00

Wine Country Wedding

2010-07-12T05:52:00.005-04:00

Weddings are wonderful, right? I especially love the outdoor summery kind with heels sinking into the grass, bridesmaids securing their hair in the warm breeze, and white tents adorned with lit lanterns.

My cousin was married this past weekend in a garden in wine country, California.

I didn't attend because I can't return from abroad just now and flying across an ocean and two continents twice in one weekend sounds a little insane.

So instead, I waited for some photographically inclined relatives to upload photos online. And they did not disappoint! I always enjoy wedding photos....

Hope you like them, too.

"Come live with me and be my love,
And we will some new pleasures prove
Of golden sands and crystal brooks,
With silken lines and silver hooks."
~John Donne~

Markets in Jerusalem

2010-07-06T17:30:00.001-04:00

I'm getting back to my series of photos from my May trip to Jerusalem. The first post was here.

Shopping in Jerusalem is like being in a time warp. You've got the old school spices, breads, and soaps propped up on carts across the cobblestone street from windows like this:

The Middle East has lots of shop windows full of shiny ruffled dresses.

The Muslim quarter smells fantastic because of heaps of spices like those below. It also looks almost exactly like Syria (Note to self: post photos of Damascus).

We found this amazing stall filled to brim with trinkets. I was afraid to exhale too strongly for fear one of the teapots perched on a candlestick would come crashing down. Everything was balanced just so and we had to turn sideways to walk into the shop, carefully brushing past the items. We sat for over an hour, drinking tea with the shopkeeper and listening to his stories of collecting items from the West Bank for the last several decades. He had some truly fantastic pieces; a beautiful silver bracelet from the 1940s, a bronze cup brought back from Mecca half a century ago.

There are tons of t-shirts for sale. Racks and racks of them, like the ones below. Some are quite funny, and a few are really inappropriate (and I won't post photos of those).

What are you doing today?

2010-07-04T07:54:00.005-04:00

Hello, dearies. I've got to tell you about the honeysuckle that's blooming on my street. It smells wonderful. Just like the Cape's honeysuckle that's also in bloom right now. When I walk down the sidewalk past the blooms through the warm breeze, I can almost hear our flag beating against it's rope, and my toes can almost feel the gravel by the side door under my flimsy flip flops. I remember an older cousin teaching me to slide out the stame and lick the sweet dollop inside. In later years, I lifted up smaller cousins to reach the sweet blooms.

...

There are certain events, words, and smells that pop up during my week that make me miss home. Not terribly, but still. The honeysuckle is a big one. Thanksgiving away is another. Independence Day is a third. It's just not the same without crowds of Americans and fireworks. I love fireworks.

....

Sigh. I love summer in the U.S.

....

I'm not doing much of anything for the 4th today. It's a work day (in the Middle East, the work week is Sun-Thur). I could go to the American Embassy, I suppose, for their bbq, although I'm totally exhausted from being out laaate last night celebrating the wins of both Germany and Spain. There IS a concert this evening that I am particularly excited about (an American band, too!).

I love holidays in the U.S. and wish I could be there for this one. Tell me what you're doing today and I'll live vicariously!

...

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country."

~Benjamin Franklin~

Day of Blog Silence For Cohen

2010-07-01T02:09:00.001-04:00

The Next Royal Wedding

2010-06-17T13:20:00.004-04:00

Whether you've heard about it or not, there's a royal wedding happening this week. Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria will be marrying her long-time love, Daniel Westling, in Stockholm on Saturday, June 19.

Will any of you attempt to watch? (Perhaps it will be streamed live online). I won't be able to see it, but I will be checking the internet shortly after to see her dress and the other details. I love the surprise of finding out what the bride decided to wear. Victoria has worn some fantastic gowns at official events so I am quite excited to see this dress! I posted before about one of their wedding gifts, and you can read more about them here.

"Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale."

~Anonymous~

The Road to Jerusalem

2010-06-12T14:09:00.000-04:00

I went to Jerusalem in May.

We walked from the Mount of Olives down to the city.

There is a Jewish cemetery on the side of the hill that we wandered past on our way down.

There is no way to appropriately describe Jerusalem to someone who has never been.

It was an unbelievably (and ironically) peaceful place. Perhaps the most beautiful trip I have ever been on.

The Old City is a collision of worlds.

It's a complicated place. A mosque, temples, and churches piled one on top of the other.

And the history. Oh, my, the history. There are ruins of the ancient city, right beneath the one that currently stands. Some are excavated.

Above ground there are markets, alleyways, corners...

...and places to lunch. With cats.

The scenery was some of the most beautiful ever. I was never able to get a good photo of it (and I don't know why all of the photos in this post are a little small and funny looking). But trust me on this, the land around Jerusalem is some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

You must go to Jerusalem.

"Jerusalem is a festival and a lamentation. Its song is a sigh across the ages, a delicate, robust, mournful psalm at the great junction of spiritual cultures."

~David K. Shipler~

Congratulations, Jen!

2010-06-10T14:02:00.003-04:00

Dear Jen,

You won my giveaway! You didn't leave a link or email, so please send me an email at anoldcapehouse [at] gmail [dot] com and I will hook you up with the CSN people.

Thank you to all who entered and please check back soon for my next post. (It's probably going to be about my visit to Jerusalem).

Can I give you a giftcard?

2010-06-03T05:24:00.004-04:00

Is there an item you've been wanting to buy?

Jumping on the CSN Stores bandwagon, the company has offered to hold a giveaway at the Cape House! The winner will receive a CSN Stores giftcard to use toward anything her heart desires.

They have everything. Seriously. (Think housewares, shoes, bags, baby things for the mommy bloggers). There is no one in the world who would not be able to find something they wanted. (Okay, maybe the Amish. But even the Amish need household goods).

I'd probably go for something from the lighting section because my new apartment is seriously lighting challenged and so very dark. Something like this would go with the red and gold decor that is ever so popular in the Middle East:

...or maybe some sandals, because this desert in which I live is getting hot.

...or maybe a new bag (because I'm always wanting a new bag).

Just go to their website and leave a comment telling me what you think you'd get if you won.

For extra entries:

(1) Become a follower of my blog or let me know that you already are

(2) Blog about this giveaway and tell me that you did

(3) Send out a tweet about this giveaway and tell me that you did

So that's a total of four possible entries. The contest ends on Tuesday, June 8 at 11:59 PM EST. Good Luck!

Pig faces, anyone?

2010-05-25T04:57:00.005-04:00

If anyone is still reading, I will say that I think about posting (really, I do), but the follow through just doesn't happen. Getting reliable internet access in the Middle East is, uh, let's just call it a challenge. Some days are great and I've even been able to stream YouTube videos. Other days, well, just loading email leads my laptop into a huge tantrum.

I've been traveling a lot as well and been trying to make the best use of my time here and, it's not that I don't love all of you, but there are many other activities calling for my attention!

It's also very hard to upload photos right now, and I just hate to have a post without photos.

........

Excuses, excuses.

........

I just saw this list from another blog and thought it was funny. Maybe you will too (or at the very least, you will understand the title of this post).

..........

I also just found out that I won MMM's Photo Card Creations giveaway! We know that I love taking photos and I also love sharing them. I know people back home will be thrilled to receive one of these with photos from my new life far away. I will let you know what I order and how it turns out.

..........

I am plugging along with my 365 photo project and will be posting many many more of those shortly.

..........

Speaking of giveaways, I've got one up my sleeve that will be debuting shortly so be on the lookout for that!

..........

Finally, a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Up North Preppy on the arrival of the ever so fantastically precious and scrumptious Baby Spencer!

More to come...

Good Morning!

2010-05-08T06:11:00.003-04:00

Good morning, all. I hope you are having a fantastic weekend so far. I have been feeling a bit under the weather this week and all of my symptoms were exacerbated by going out last night. It was a friend's birthday, though, so I didn't want to be a party pooper.

These photos were taken from the front porch of my cousins' cape house. I'm sure I've mentioned before how jealous I am that they get to wake up to this view every single day in the summer. I tell my mother every year that we need to do a house swap. Maybe this summer?

Have a great weekend!

"When you reach the heart of life you shall find beauty in all things, even in the eyes that are blind to beauty."

~Kahlil Gibran~

In the Sand

2010-05-02T05:49:00.008-04:00

I love an untouched beach.

I love perfect sand. I love the patterns and lines that waves created. I love the satisfaction of making the first footprints on a stretch of beach.

I think Beach Dog does, too.

Sand in the desert is a whole 'nother story.

Beach sand is still my favorite, but I love the opportunity to remove my shoes and run down a dune.

To leap from a rock and land in hot hot sand that has been baking all day.

And to watch a sunset.

And, you just might find a camel!

I hope you had a lovely weekend. I'm not sure I would describe mine as lovely, but it sure was fun, although my back aches from sitting on that camel and keeping my balance for 3 hours! (I discovered that it is much harder to maintain one's balance on a camel than on a horse).

*Photos from Maine and southern Jordan*

"To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour."

~William Blake~

Where did you meet your husband?

2010-04-28T13:59:00.002-04:00

Hello, loves

I'm using a different computer today and so don't have any photos to share, but I promise I have some good ones coming up - both from the Cape last summer and from my recent excursion camel riding (!), so look for those soon.

I was talking with an old friend recently and it reminded me of this funny story she once told me.

When she was packing up her things and preparing to go to college, my friend was told by her mother that college is where you meet your husband.

My friend replied, "But you didn't meet dad at college."

Her mother's response: "No. I met your father in a bar. That isn't the way to do it."

She and I got quite a kick out of that statement.

(Her parents are still married, by the way).

"Marriage, n. A community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all two."
~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1911~

The 365 Continues

2010-04-22T10:57:00.005-04:00

As I mentioned before, I am doing the 365 photography project and taking a photo each day (well, almost...sorta. I've been cheating a ~~bit~~ ton).

Here are some from way back when I was still in Chile.

{50/365}

Flying over Patagonia
[12/11/09]

{51/365}

Kayaking at Dawn
[12/12/09]

{52/365}

Election Day
[12/13/09]

{53/365}

Sunning Sea Lions
[12/14/09]

{54/365}

Reaching the Summit in Pucon
[12/15/09]

{55/365}

Preparing for La Navidad
[12/16/09]

"I take photographs with love, so I try to make them art objects. But I make them for myself first and foremost - that is important."
~Jacques-Henri Lartigue~

*This quote captures, in a way, how I feel about photography and it's place as something that I enjoy and do for myself.

Plugging Along

2010-04-16T11:09:00.009-04:00

Here we are in post 2 of my new bid to be a more dutiful blogger. I still seem to have blogger's block. Not because I have no thoughts of interest, but because I have too many.

I do want to share about my life in the Middle East. Each day is new. Each day is hard. Each day is beautiful.

I just have too many thoughts about this place right now that I cannot seem to put everything, or even something, into a succinct and coherent post.

Maybe later.

For now, though, let's reminisce about last year.

I have mentioned before that I am trying to do my own 365 photo projects, taking a photo each day. Well, I have been only slightly better at keeping up with this than at keeping up with this blog! I have certainly "cheated" a bit and taken several photos in one day to make up for several missed days.

But such is my life of organized chaos!

Here are some older ones. Some are from a vacation I took in southern Chile. Vacations make it easy to take a photo a day; real life, though, that's another story!

17/365

Beach Day

11/7/09

19/365

Comunidad Providencia

11/9/09

20/365

1115 Pedro de Valdivia

11/10/09

(My favorite building in Santiago)

22/365

Patronato

11/12/09

(One of the shopping districts)

24/365

Chai and Tres Leches at Starbucks

11/15

30/365

Las Cascadas

11/15/09

34/365

A Visit to the Art School

11/25/09

43/365

Puerto Natales

12/4/09

45/365

Driving Through Argentina

12/6/09

46/365

Los Penguinos

12/7/09

47/365

Torres del Paine

12/8/09

48/365

Glaciers of Patagonia

12/9/09

49/365

The Straight of Magellan

12/10/09

"The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration."

~Claude Monet~

Maybe?

2010-04-14T10:51:00.003-04:00

Lately, I've given very little thought to blogging, and when I have taken a minute to think about this site, I've wondered whether the blogging chapter of my life is coming to a close.

Likely this is because I have so much going on in my real life, and I would rather invest my time and energy in relationships with those people (No offense to all of you, dear readers, who are wonderful, but I need to maintain my real life friendships first).

But on the other hand, there are aspects of The Cape House that I have missed maintaining over the last few weeks (or months, really).

So maybe, just maybe, I'll give this one more shot.

Where to even start after such an inexcusably long absence?

While I think on that, I will give you some dreamy photos from a hike I went on last summer with two friends. (On the Cape, of course).

"I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Rise and Shine

2010-03-17T02:14:00.008-04:00

Believe it or not, I've had some pretty bad bloggers' block this month. Isn't that weird? I have so much going on and yet can't seem to think of a single topic to write about when I log in.

Ah, well.

Today I had a fabulously slow paced morning. There was room for lots of 'me time'. Time to drink coffee and then squeeze my own grapefruit juice. Time to moisturize twice and do a better job with makeup than the quick swipe of foundation that I've been falling back on recently. Time to blog.

It was so luxurious that it almost felt like this:

Image

I really needed this morning and was so glad to not have to be anywhere until 11. Yesterday was such a long day. I caught a cab at 7:20 to be somewhere at 8, then went full steam ahead until 6:30pm after which I had a social thing until about 9.

That might very well have been considered a standard day for me in the States, but having everything happening around me in a different language forces me to have to think four or five times as hard about every little detail. I am so wiped out at the end of each day, that it was wonderful to catch up.

Don't you just love slow, luxurious mornings?

Have a great day.

"He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate."

~Henry David Thoreau~