no more wire hangers ....

I feel like the worst mother in the world right now.  I just gave my dog away.  Well, it's really a 'foster' situation, but still feels pretty lousy.  And, to be honest, it's not just any foster situation... he is now the lucky, newest member of the Parker-Gonsalves family of Swansea, MA.

George has received more bones, kisses, wrestling sessions on the floor and sweet puppy talk from best friends, Juli and Jeff in the past 48 hours than he ever got at 15 Second Street.  

I know there will be more fall-out from this in the ensuing days, but right now I am glad to be staying in Boston for the night with another best friend, Gale and her fab. man, Keith.  I had planned on being back home this evening, but maybe this extra night in the neutral-ness of neither here nor there, will help me feel a little less sad when I have no furry puppy with which to snuggle tomorrow eve.

still in limbo

I received a few emails this week asking how things were going in Zurich. I didn't mean to mislead anyone - I know that I told people that Mark was heading back on January 6th and that I would likely be heading over around the middle of the month - but I also must admit that I have enjoyed flying under the radar and not being so accessible for a change.

Of course my mother knows I'm still here and calls and/or stops by daily to see how she can help/(attempt to) motivate me, etc... She will be calling any moment to discuss the details of the showing of my house she has arranged for today. That will be 2 official showings to two official buyers (versus the those who have looked to rent the place). Please, let these people fall in love with the place and make an offer so I can begin to cross off at least one of the huge items from my to-do list... (some of the others: find an apt. in Zurich / sell Audi / sell furniture / figure out COBRA / figure out how to forward mail / go through every peice of clothing, every book, every scrap of paper and decide whether it's going to Z., needs to be thrown away, recycled, given to Goodwill, going to be stored in my mother's barn, etc ...)

Okay, so now I am exhausted from writing that list yet I feel a very strong urge to go get coffee, turn on some Clash or Beastie Boys and work towards being able to cross something off the damn list before the end of the day. With breaks, of course, as I had some minor surgery on my leg on Thursday and am not really supposed to be on it for long periods of time ... never a dull moment with me, kids. Stick around as it's bound to get more exciting with each day that passes... and if you know anyone with a kick-ass apartment in Zurich ... drop me a line, won't you?

a few of my favorite things

Check out my former co-worker (office spouse?), present friend Matthew Newton's new blog. Food and film - fantastic! Great stuff, Matt!

what a way to go...

What Goes Up Must Come Down
2007 Darwin Award Nominee Confirmed True by Darwin

(20 June 2007, South Carolina) A passing cabbie found a 21 year-old couple naked and injured in the road an hour before sunrise. The two people died at the nearest hospital without regaining consciousness. Authorities were at a loss to explain what had happened. There were no witnesses, no trace of clothing, and no wrecked cars or motorcycles. Investigators eventually found a clue high on the roof of a nearby building: two sets of neatly folded clothes. Safe sex takes on a whole new meaning when you are perched on the edge of a pyramid-shaped metal roof. "It appears as if [they] accidentally fell off the roof," Sgt. Florence McCants said.
This is a true Darwin Award trifecta: TWO people die, WHILE in the act of procreation, due to an ASTONISHINGLY poor decision. Bottom line: If you put yourself in a precarious "position" at the edge of a pointy roof, you may well find yourself coming and going at the same time.
Ironically, one of the deceased was named "Tumbleston."(Some reports list the name as "Tubleston.")
Reader Comments:"Not-so-Safe Sex""Falling For Her""There was no sign of foul play, only of foreplay."

still too close to call

I just voted.

I thought I had made up my mind but waivered a bit as I spoke to my good friend, Juli (just got her PhD., teaches women's studies, runs the Women's Resource Center at a university, etc...) while driving to the polling place and then again when I ran into a few people I knew who were campaigning outside the polls for the 2 people whom I had been compelled to support.

Several people that I respect greatly have been very involved in Obama's campaign and I have enjoyed speaking with them, especially my old boss and friend, Commissioner Van McLeod, who is on Obama's Arts and Culture Committee (this may not be the exact name - forgive me...).

Just before I left to pick up George and vote, I received an email from Juli which contained this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/opinion/08steinem.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin - Gloria Steinem has some great points in this oped peice. I would be lying if I said it did not make me think twice about giving her my vote.

In the end, my left hand picked up the pencil provided in the tiny polling booth and filled in the oval next to the name of one of these candidates. I feel good about my choice and great about the fact that we finally seem to have some good, solid choices this time around. (Just in time for me (us) to move out of the country ... )

damn my sausage fingers

to continue defending my newly-found reality tv interest ...

Well, to put it briefly, it is now 12:32a and I am still watching ANTP (for those of you keeping track, that's 7 hours and counting - pathetic, I know)

Tomorrow I will get things done. Really. I will. As soon as I figure out which shoes to wear to our friend, Elizabeth Bardwell's 40th birthday black-tie soiree tomorrow night.

Mark leaves for Zurich on Sunday night. We so do not have time to get everything done!#@!

all snowed in

We arrived back in Concord after taking the red eye home from Denver last night to find our driveway completely plowed in from the street and covered in what seemed to be knee-high snow. We were so tired we easily could have been pissed off, annoyed, etc... at the challenging situation but thankfully, we both found it funny and also found some humor in watching George try to navigate his way to his 'spot' in the back yard.

I could barely keep my eyes open and headed straight for bed. Upon waking up about 6 hours later, instead of rallying and beginning to tackle the huge to-do list, I decided to see what was on Oprah. When that failed to hold my interest, I picked up the book I began in Colorado My Lobotomy and finished it.

Still not feeling any sense of motivation, I turned the tv back on and immediately found a marathon of America's Next Top Model, which I had begun watching last night on the plane. I had never before watched this show and must admit that I had given a few people a hard time about watching it in the past. I'm not much of a reality tv watcher, though admittedly I have been known to enjoy Top Chef and HGTV Design Star.

We're in Colorado with some of Mark's best friends for a new year's mini break. It's been very relaxing - it's a great group of people that went to college at DePaw with Mark. We've spent our time napping, eating, playing cards, drinking, playing darts (I will be spackling the area around our host's dart board where I hit the wall many times...) playing with baby Ben and watching football. Tomorrow we ski.

I'm thrilled that we've actually been able to relax while here, given all that has to be done at home. While we have tried to get a lot done at home since we got back from Switzerland, we haven't crossed much off the 'list'.

We did have a rip-roaring holiday party after which 10 of our closest friends stayed overnight and helped us put a dent in the left overs and bottles of champange the following morning. I got some amazing footage of said guests participating in the midnight sing along "sound of music". I have not laughed that much in a very long time.

We are headed home from Colorado tomorrow night on the red eye and will have a few days to work on getting house/packing/moving/selling/etc... projects done before Mark heads back to Zurich on the 6th. Then the reality of this new year/life will quickly follow.