Christmas in a-town

2011-12-28T14:02:00.001-08:00

I love my in-law'd family. They are generous and kind and welcoming and selfless. Everyone should be so lucky.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

2010-01-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

i have moved my blog to: www.avoidingtheinevitable.tumblr.com

i enjoy the flexibility of posts and the iPhone ap - will make frequent posts more likely. so all y'all - change your RSS feed settings!

e

concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

2009-10-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

post wedding bliss and being up for almost 36 consecutive hours {mini cat nap in between long-A drives with bestie holly} left me in new jersey. best time ever. sleeping in a twin bed given up by my favorite little chicken. waking up for toast and eggs. then back to sleep - no baby was waking me up this day. playing with ella & fia twinners {thanks for the hand-me-downs V - em wore the jean skirt today. drop dead gorgeous.} guest at arnold {other arnolds} family dinner. loved. great discussion with seminary peeps of common liberal ground. the church is good. more sleep. starbucks run after school drop off for the chicken. miss him. drive to new york. 2 wrong turns, even with my gps, & 3 radio listens to jay-z's empire state of mind later i arrived at kassey's casa in astoria, ny. what happened next was the stuff of babyless-mommy-on-the-town legend {i.e. nothing too crazy, everything liberating}. fun.

photo documentation

{sorry, none of the chicken family as i was too tired with photography from the nuptials}

my best little j impression {season one}

kass and nyc friend sarah
{total fun times girl - wish i could pull of the 2-toned hair - she be fierce}

s and i overwrought with celebrities on the street

finishing free marg #3

230 fifth  
{rooftop}

{yes, they had snuggies gratis}

{yes JR} lothar made an appearance

 i was scared for wolf mans in the lobby - damn you halloween

this last one reminds me of over 1/2 the pictures i took in college

with all the love in my heart and headbands on my head,
erin

Odoteis

2009-10-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

took some pictures at the wedding i was at this past week. i had the honor of doing the bride's hair and getting to run around with the bridesmaids for a few days before. i love these people so much i can't even stand it. so much that i took five days leave from my preciousness. here are a few pics of the happy couple. taking pictures of them is so fun - they are so beautiful.

these shoes were a special gift from the groom's parents.
so she wouldn't be barefoot and pregnant {she's not pregnant btw, nor does she plan to be soon} i love that melissa is the kind of girl who would get shoes the day before her wedding then decide to wear them the day of ... plus they're fierce.

gorgeous.
e

what baby? GroBaby!

2009-10-19T10:55:00.001-07:00

after much thought and trepidation, i am ready to take the plunge into cloth diapering. i have been afraid of the washing and cleaning of icky diapers. however, many friends do it - and successfully. and, i have made my choice in diapering goodness - GroBaby! i like the snaps. i like the colors. i like the inner liner-ness. seems like less mess.

and they're giving away a free bio soaker for posting! i can't wait to try them - being that i've been putting off making the leap for a few months now.

here's to the diaper revolution.
e

a battle i'm winning

2009-10-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

while she looks unsure about it, i'm trying to convince my daughter that bows are awesome, bows are her friend, she should be glad she has enough hair to wear bows without bands, bows make an otherwise gender neutral outfit very girly and we like girly around here ... i think i'm getting through to her.
exhibit a.

exhibit b.

i can't believe i'm leaving this munchkin for 6 days starting tomorrow. argh.

but, i'll have some distractions :: miss lissa's getting married. hizzah! and i get to hang out with one of my favorite college friends kassey in new york city {she just may be both my most fab-fabulous & my most globetrottingest friend} AND, to top it off i get to spend a day with the chicken and his family!

what a way to avoid what will be the inevitable sadness
erin

bragging rights

2009-10-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

{{taken by auntie holly this weekend}}

she's dang cute.

i want to eat her face.

don't you?

erin

seinlanguage

2009-09-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

my baby's doing signs y'all. here they are in order of acquisition:

hello: waving like a royal - hand up, wrist a turnin' {just started to say HI}

goodbye: same as hello only with scrunched up nose and laughing eyes

fish: make a pa-pa sound {this is the most consistent sign} taught by grandma in hawaii - used for actual fish and goldfish crackers

you're-talking-on-the-phone sign: head cocked to one side, hand up to the ear, babbling.

duck: just the word. duc-duc-duc. often while grabbing her feet - she has yellow jams with ducks on the feet.

milk: i wanted to pick a different sign, but "milking a cow" just came naturally. you should know that she now makes this sign when she catches a glance of me in my all together. thanks kid. i know. i make milk.

blue berries: imagine you're making the 'b' sound, only remove the sound and just do the action with your lips. today she was insistent that what she was eating was NOT blue berries, that she wanted blue berries, and that grapes were just not cutting it.

she also dances. claps for music she likes. gives kisses on demand. and just acquired the emerging skill of standing no-hands.

i cannot believe she is this grown-up. i feel her moving further into herself and farther away from me. it's a joy and a sadness.

sorry no pics. in the move i haven't had time to upload. promise they are coming soon and very soon.

erin

annie to her friends

2009-08-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

i've been reading anne lamott's book grace (eventually) thoughts on faith and i love it. i think miss lamott is genius {a word i use far too frequently to refer to everything from the salsa bar at maui tacos to the way my bro uses 'zor' to finish off words (btw, try this it's awesomezor) - however she deserves the praise i give her}.  i love that she's intense about almost everything. love that she is self-deprecating in a way that always points back to the goodness and faithfulness of god. i love that she sometimes reminds me of the best parts of my dad & adore her openness while fervently disliking ALL things bush administration. and, i nonetheless (or nonethemore) get to sit at her feet and listen to her life.  at this juncture  i would say that she is my very favorite author {sorry c.s. lewis and j.k. rowling, but a non-brit with a sorry lack of an initialed moniker has taken your place}.

this portion of her book spoke to me this week which has been a different kind of week for me...

all i knew was that help is always on the way, a hundred percent of the time. Rumi said, "someone fills the cup in front of us." i know that when i call out, god will be near, and hear, and help eventually, although it is hard to envision this at the moment ... god always hears our cries, and helps, and it's always a surprise to see what form god will take on earth: the the old joke, a man whose plane crashed in the tundra bitterly tells a bartender that god forsook him - that he waited in vain for divine intervention & would have died in the snow ... if it hadn't been for some f---ing eskimos's who came by

to the tundra!
e

squawk squawk squawk

2009-08-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

this is my brother. his name is mikey {{ but he'd rather go by 'mike' or 'dj mikezor' }}

he's a baller

he just graduated from high school and most recently fulfilled the requirements to become an eagle scout.

he's been a part of bsa since he was six.

my bro thinks he's pretty bad ass. and, he's right.
he also happens to be a pretty decent young man.

i love my little brother. very much.

we {{his family }}are very very proud of him.

b and i got to attend his eagle scout court of honor on our first weekend back in california.

scout master fog was in attendance.
{{high fives all around }}

little known fact: i was a girl scout until junior high when it became tragically uncool. so, {{ with great haste }} i quit. cross stitching, camping, roasting smores & sewing quilts was not considered hip {{glad these things have made a resurgence in my life... well, except camping }}i'm so glad my little bro stuck it out and stayed committed.  i hope that he can continue to pick the unpopular thing when he knows it's the right thing. i am glad my daughter gets to grow up with such an uncle.

a excerpt from b's section "the voice of the eagle" read aloud while perched above the congregation
{{wink }}

And now, that you are standing at the summit of the trail, in the glory of sunshine and wind and cloud at the threshold of your goal, we applaud you and welcome you, for you have done your climbing in a true Scout-like manner.

here's to melodramatic rights of passage,
erin

acting from a place of anxiety

2009-07-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

graphically yours,
erin

she loves the brine

2009-07-13T12:11:00.001-07:00

em has a new love, and that love is pickles. she particularly likes the ones i picked up this week in nyc at the pickleguys.

the biddles {not unlike her mom} prefers the half-sours.

she'll suck on them until she's green in the face {pun intended}

warts and all,
erin

come on up mr. sun

2009-07-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

{ from our hotel room in new york }

gorgeous
erin

three h's

2009-07-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

{{ hem. hathaway. husband. }}

so in case anyone was wondering i may possibly have one of the better husbands around.  it annoys me to no end when bloggers gush on and on and on about how 'hot' and funny and thoughtful and amazing and perfect their spouses are - gag gag gag.  however, today is a day that i join ranks. why you may ask. well, on our last week here on the east coast mr. a is taking me and his-girl-friday to nyc for a chance at seeing my favorite folk band :hem: score the shakespeare in the park version of twelfth night with anne hathaway as the lead. he is so lovely, so lovely indeed, so much so that he will be studying for this while em and i visit here and here and here while pretending to be them.

he even got us a upper east side location so em and i can trip all over town and drink latte in central park, giving me one last day of city living before we go suburban for a while.

i really love this guy. he is like the very best ever. here are 2 more reasons:

to the big apple we go
erin

cheese penitentiary

2009-07-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

em's first cream cheese.

loves it. of course.
her mother's daughter.

so messy, so good

we've purchased a mobile cage for children & small animals.

we call it: baby prison.

for packing and mommy sanity with our little crawler
 {she's quick and loves cords}

here are some pics i took on a recent trip to rikers

{{ gang signs }}

{{ a hardened criminal in the yard }}

{{ contemplating her prison tat }}
mom heart or railroad tracks with an eagle...

it's good and cheesy on the inside.

erin

dontcha know

2009-07-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

i got new hairs today alla vidal sassoon hair salon on newberry street (a great deal and an awesome cut/color)

here's a pic. because JR asked for it.

in other news: recently i have been trying my hand at more formal photography. i did an engagement shoot all over harvard square for miss lissa & odoi and a newborn shoot at home for my dogu & cass friends. it was super fun. here is a little taste of my faves.

m & o

{{below shot at my favorite: crema cafe}}

now introducing archer the extraordinarily cute baby brayley
{{previously known as spunk}}

{{gotta love the new mommy gaze}}

also, we move to cali in 2 short weeks. arriving oakland international from logan at 10:45 pm thursday the 16th of july.

get ready golden state the arnold's are comin' back.

enjoying all stages of family,
erin

veritas

2009-06-11T07:05:00.001-07:00

the day finally came when

 b took his place amongst this kind of pompous mayhem


and these guys walked all around "marshalling" things
{btw none of the graduates took me up on the dare to steal one of their hats - wusses, all y'all}

where this baby crawled all over her daddy's name

and thought he was dressed so silly

and was very very poised at all times.

except when she did this with her new fancy toy gavel {thanks HLS}

and family came all the way from the left coast!

where besties-who-never-read-this-blog were being awesome.

and law school best friends were re-enacting favorite musicals

and interacting with their futures {my favorite pic of the day}

all in all, i'm a very proud wifey.

congrats to my little cum laude husband

in latin,
erin

"By its very definition, Glee is about opening yourself up to joy"

2009-06-09T05:16:00.000-07:00

this is gonna be HUGE. i watched this pilot last night while B continued his affair with barbri {all you law peeps know what's up - but for those out of the know, barbri is like kaplan for the bar, only it has grown large red horns & demands the lifeblood of your first born son}. watch this, seriously, like right now.

also, re-watched 'can't hardly wait' with friend cassie yesterday while em slept in their empty longing waiting crib [come on baby brayley - anytime you are ready to come after your mom's spa day next week would be great}. i forget to remember how much i love that movie and how much it reminds me of my favorite people. {sigh}

92% yo!

erin

we have a cute girl in our midst

2009-06-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

some of my favorites from yesterday at the arnold arboretum in jp.

are your eyes watering from her preciousness yet?

all smiles,
erin

in the park! in the park!

2009-05-12T10:57:00.001-07:00

we went to the park today since b is done with finals!!! we took lots of pics of the munch. i'm working on lighting - forgive to over over exposed shots.

high five

2009-05-11T10:42:00.000-07:00

susannah of good but hard - i accept your challenge. here are five of the top things about being a mom with corresponding pictures.

1. watching new skills that are 100% em and 0% me.

i love that there are things my little girl does that i have no part in. i get a kick out of being on the sidelines of her development. i am amazed by her everyday. for instance she is crawling and sitting and speaking french.

2. my baby daddy

b is a good daddy, like really good, like get-out-your-pens good. being a mom means getting to be a part of b becoming a dad. sharing this experience of parenthood with him is pretty unbelievable and the most interesting & rewarding portion of our life together thus far.  and, i love how much em loves him {we are looking at a serious daddy phase in the near future. mom will be sooo last season.}

3. the cuddles
cuddles! cuddles! cuddles are the best! the force of her little breath on my face. the mini-noises as she settles in. the suprising awake stillness when i pick her up after a nap. sometimes when she's really chill she'll take her open hands and brush my arm back and forth - b calls it 'light touches'. she has the softest little finger tips when she doesn't use her sharp sharp sharp nails to rip the flesh from my nose or lips.

4. the laughs

being a mom means being around hilarious shiz all day long. whether it's the razor sharpness of her pinky toe or her pretend laugh-slash-cough or her {new trick} shaking her head no in response to any statement in the form of a question, i am left in stitches all day long. she makes the best faces too.

5. our relationship

relationships are my favorite. love them. well, healthy ones... mutual ones... authentic ones... being a mother to my daughter is awesome. i am so excited to be in this relationship with her. to interact with her and learn about her. to talk with her about the things that interest her. to have inside jokes. to be a good parent to her. to see her become more and more lovely. to stand next to her when she's a pre-teen and say 'i know you, and still like you'.

i feel like i'm starting to get closer to my best self when i'm mothering my munchkin. sitting down to hold her until she's almost asleep gives me such satisfaction that sometimes i'll hold her for a few more mintues just to savor the feeling of being mommy. i adore being her favorite person. i relish observing her throughout the day. i am jealous of the time she spends alone sleeping in her room.

xoxo
erin

mii fit?

2009-05-07T13:19:00.001-07:00

my wii family.

wonder of wonders - brett has given me more "free" prizes. he is an expert at using online resources to gain new technologies. we have "purchased" 2 iPods (most recently and iPod Touch for me), a digital SLR camera, multiple lenses, and now a Wii Fit. how does he do it... he is crafty and patient.

so, now i measure myself every morning {how i love getting reminded that i'm not only overweight but 10+ wii years older than i am}. however, i am not alone. em is also 4+ years older - she has really poor balance.  she is also considered overweight for her height.

seriously wii fit? 6 months old. 2 feet tall. 16 pounds. overweight?

{my profile is locked. no peeking at the post-partum weight for you.}

and, the wii is nice enough to add a little belly tire for more fitness inspiration.
time to exercise.

up in the gym, workin' on my fitness
erin

not raining but showering

2009-05-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

this weekend i threw a baby shower for this lovely friend.

here are a few pics of the day...
the forecast called for rain we would have none of it.

i couldn't resist posting another shot of the fetching mrs. brayley

i think pregnancy suits her.

after the party we all relaxed. played a little wii. and sat with naked baby amongst the spoils of the day.

quite satisfied actually.
erin

high of 94

2009-04-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

you are infectious. you open your mouth wide wide wide when you're excited or happy or bored. you put your head on my shoulder when you are sleepy and sad. you got a heat rash on your back this weekend. you have sensitive skin like me {sorry kid}.

you are happiest when the ratio of people to you is more than 2:1. you have petite agile fingers that like to lift daddy's computer keys. you got significantly brighter when he came home today. you love cheese {much to your dad's chagrin and my delight}.

you have begun to sleep with both arms free. you can soothe yourself to sleep. you are diligent and do not get frustrated easily {unless it's about food, then there's no fury like your fury}. you shared a rice pudding with me today {both eating off the same mini baby spoon}.

you are just so very wonderful, and you are mine.

:love:
momma

laughing coughing skreeching bear

2009-04-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

for those far away, we send this to you.

erin & brett

celebrity status

2009-04-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

right after we got married - maybe even on the flight home from our honeymoon - b and i saw carrot top in the las vegas airport {where i more recently spotted snoop & his dogg pound}.  mr. top was just as creepy & off-putting in person as in the media. not only that, he walked through the terminal like a real so-and-so. :: he is not a real so-and-so - brad pitt is a real so-and-so, maybe even rob schneider {also creepy in person} could be considered, but the guy with crazy hair and crazier eyes is not.  all that to say: we were not impressed. 

i am, however, impressed by my daughter. em has jumped into the wide world of solid foods. she has been jealously vying for our adult food for weeks and the advent of solids in her diet has not disappointed.   and we find that she is a food primadonna - pitching a fit whenever the jar is empty or when the spoon takes more than one second to reach her lips.

for instance, this is what happens when i take pictures instead of putting more carrot puree in her face::

emmie lesson #47: do not get between my girl and her food. you. will. be. sorry.

erin

Oh, wasn't the spring, whooo...

2009-04-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

lent is over {more on this later}. easter has come and gone once more, and we are left with the grand mystery of redemption. spring has also come. ah, spring. i love you spring. love. love. love. you. btw, i heart phoenixes {phoenix's, phoenixs, phoeni}. in the fall i'm giddy thinking about the phoenix-like nature of the changing season - a burst of color & fury & passion & fire then dust. however, in the stories the phoenix rises from the ashes rather quickly - like immediately, almost before the proverbial dust has time to settle. it rages forth full of healing tears and mythological strength - spring. new england will have none of this part of the metaphor - here, new life takes eons. for instance, there have been buds are the branches for weeks, but no bloom. this week the bloom has barely begun. thank. god. the temperature hovers around 50 most days - i wear capris & flippy-floppies.

spring has brought other things - people ... from the west. bff holly & ryan came 2 weeks ago, bff JR & cameron & baby addy came last week, and mother-in-law sheryl comes this sunday. feeling the love. spring has also brought back my favorite thing about boston - the RED SOX! and what better than to combine best things. so, we ventured to fenway with em for the first time with our besties from the westies the joneses. good times never felt so good, so good, so good.

em

addy

daddy

the beginning of these girls being mistaken for twins

cameron, addy, JR, me, emma-biddles, brett

loving spring.
loving best friends.
loving matching twin babies.

erin

go east young man

2009-04-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

last friday was a day of favorites.

favorite people.
favorite museum.
favorite drink from starbucks.
favorite bookstore.
favorite cookies.
favorite east-coast city.
favorite NGO.


we had a lovely afternoon last friday in d.c. before the IJM global prayer gathering {my favorite event of the year bar none}

we spent a few hours strolling through the national portrait gallery. yum. i could go on and on and on about how much love portraiture - painting, photography, sculpture, decoupage... i think it has something to do with people and how much i love people {being cooped up with an infant only confirms what i already knew about the severity of my extroversion}. so many tingles standing in front of a six foot face - so much face - no matter their expression you'll only get smiles from me.


official market portrait of em & me
03.27.09
brett arnold, photographer

{{i love everything about this picture - every single thing. }}

at the conclusion of our afternoon we went over to eastern market for some much needed refreshment - never underestimate the appetite  one can work up while staring eye to eye with thomas jefferson. black & white cookies {contemplated bringing some back for our coming house guests the joneses who first turned me on to this particular brand of glory}, apple fritters {thank you ryan}, and red velvet cupcakes served us well.  with only 20 minutes left on the meeter we had to visit the stacks & stacks of used books at my favorite bookstore in the universe - no question.

there are only a few things i know for sure about the afterlife, but this is one of them: there is a room in heaven that looks like this::


be assured, it was a very good day. joy was abundant.

going to read my used copy of jane eyre now.
erin

you get sprung

2009-04-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

little girl morning nap has ended. look out the window. the ground: boring brown, trees: bare bones, sky: hazy shade of winter. guest are coming, need milk & wine - essentials. time for trader joe's. bundle up baby. head out the door. refuse to wear uggs for the 100th time this week - tops of feet freeze in ballet flats on the way to the car. walk into the trader's. hit square in the jaw with spring for $2 a bunch.  take home 30 stems.

s.a.d. held off for one more day. i question the psychotropic effects of daffodils.

my current love affair with yellow continues.
erin

ahhhhh-choo

2009-03-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

em has a wicked cold. ugh. so much liquid nastiness leaving it's crusty filth on my baby. the quantity of which demands i call her snotface - which reminds me of drop-dead-fred and that makes me giggle a little.

for example:

thankfully, it's finally petering out.  though, it has left her with the cutest and most severe sneeze.

unencumbered.

b has been telling emmie that sneezes are merely demons leaving the body, and not to argue with him - it's just science.

snottily yours,
erin

exhibit b

2009-03-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

the cow wins. he always does.

bovinelicious

2009-03-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

this is mr. cow

he thinks he's better than the other barnyard chew toys - he rattles and has crunchy arms.

i asked for a child that would pick favorites.

done.

mr. cow + biddles emmie = true love

{{ in related news }}
em has begun to roll from her back to her front.

however, there is only one thing she will roll for. guess what it is:: her mother's lovely face - nope. a tall glass of breastmilk - uh-uh. a flashing dancing singing t.v. screen - never. a silly stuffed cow - every time.

{{ this is a picture of her very first roll, for those concerned with such things }}

jealously yours.
erin

"if happiness truly consisted of physical ease and freedom from care, then the happiest individual would not be either a man or a woman; it would be, i think, an american cow."
william lyon phelps

a week late and a dollar short

2009-03-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

i have decided what to do for lent.
{thanks to best-friend-holly's mom pat for the suggestion}

time. tiempo. zeit.                   时间;时

during the day it is the thing that gets away from me and the thing i most often waste.  i miss-spend miss-allocate and miss-calculate the time i get. no more. for the next 35 days i will give up wasted time in order to do things that god loves - read scripture, create things, grow friendships and serve my family (read: clean-up the house).  more succinctly, i plan to spend 20 minutes every day in stillness. btw, stillness is the antithesis to motherhood.  and, just so you know i've never been good at mediation or stillness or standing in one place for very long. people have told me that i'm good at doing nothing.  true. only, more accurately i'm good at doing nothing constructive. or better yet, i'm good at being lazy. sometimes lazy is good. especially when one's best friends and husband are more type-Aish - it's good to be the one that encourages days upon days of doing nothing but watching west wing re-runs. however, in preperation for easter i want to become a better steward of my time, along with creating an empty space through the discipline of stillness. let's see how it goes.

{{ here is one of the ways i plan on spending time }}

{{ first time reading the bible before bed with dad. totally cheesy cartoon board book, i know. totally made me get misty thinking of her future relationship with her dad, these stories,  and this jesus }}

erin

for serious?

2009-02-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

"Night after night I found myself awake exploring inward and outwardly, sending my gaze back and forth between my physical inner workings and out of a high rise window over a sea of lights, all the while in awe of the collective super-subconscious." - jason mraz (in japan)

i enjoy jraz's blog. good mix of humor, self-congratulatory nonsense and clever insights. once in a while it gets a little too ridiculous - today was one of those days. i actually stopped reading mid-post right after this quote and thought to myself - ok... what? blog this, we must and came directly here.  {ok just went back and read the rest - more of the same - awesome!}

namaste to you jason.
e

what the eff?

2009-02-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

almost 60 in the shade at noon on my back porch.

a few questions:

do i live in new england?

is it februrary?

are we going to pay for this next week?

YES!

taking my short-sleeved baby outside,
erin

for six years

2009-02-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

we have been married.

i picked well. b is the best.

he got me this with Lexis Points

it took this picture of the flowers he got me

and of the baby we made.

i am blissed and blessed.

e

lent

2009-02-25T21:38:00.000-08:00

i have been a christian for as long as i can remember. growing up in a mainstream run-of-the-mill somewhat-if-not-completely-and-sometimes-extremely-conservative non-denominationalish evangelical church (more on this to come - hizzah! to full disclosure) i never fully grasped lenten practices. perhaps they were too tied to a letergical way of showing one's faith ((which was out of fashion for the whole of the 90's in run-of-the-mill churches)) or perhaps i went into a daze whenever fasting came up in church (this is the most likely option - as i don't like pain and there was much of the non-religious to divert my attention during sunday school - read: friends and boys). ho.hum.

so, this year i want to take part in lent. i want to be a good steward of the time leading up to easter. i want to take part in the mourning season in preperation for the spring. and i want your help in figuring out what to do. but, before you get all foolhardy and make suggestions like: give up t.v. (yeah, right... i'm in the throws of a very torrid affair with the gilmore girls, don't mess - i'm nursing) or give up alcohol (a prerequisit to my lenten fast is that it not interfere with any social events - example:: you: "erin, why are you turning down the lovely overly salted margarita, you love super salty super taquillay margaritas??" me: {very piously} "oh, i've given up alcohol for lent" you: {internal monologue} "what a pious b****h turning down my super salty super taquillay marg. she thinks she's just so awesome." {out loud} "that's fine. good for you." ... you see what i mean, not a good way to go.). i want to give something up that would occur daily, but not otherwise motivated by weight-loss goals and would inevitably posture me towards easter. i'd actually love for the practice to be non-food related. all this to say, please share with me some of your ideas or past positive experiences of lent.

un-piously yours,
erin

oh, and since today was ash wednesday i was remembering a day in college when my besties and i decided to get smudged (not the offical term). this is what i recall: 1. our dress: two of the three of us wore overalls. {p.s. i heard they're coming back. hmm.} 2. the delicious adrenaline rush of the unfamiliar service - when do i get up? when do i sit down? how do i take communion? do i need to cross myself with holy water? ... delicious confusion 3. but, mostly i recall being in awe of how barren the church walls were in comparison to the last time i had visited, there was a sense of acknowledged emptiness and a longing to be filled - i guess that's what i want while i wait for ressurection sunday.

confessions of a maternityjeanaholic

2009-02-18T13:43:00.000-08:00

hello.

I'd like to believe that AtI is a safe place (p.s. i just decided, right this instant, to give my blog a shortened title - makes me feel fancy). A place where honesty is held as the highest virtue. Where people can feel at home to be themselves - no gimics, no trite answers, no spin... well maybe a little bit of spin - i love spin. so, i need to come clean; the truth needs to be told. Here it is :: 3 months out & i am still wearing maternity jeans (there will be NO picture of this phenomenon, sorry). Reasons are two-fold: 1. up until recently no other jeans fit, 2. in case you hadn't heard i got wicked stretch-marks (not happy) and what i call "hard jeans" hurt like hot iron pokers into tender flesh. So, what is the cure? I've asked around to no avail. However, today I may have found an answer - DISCOUNT SHOES!!!! two-thirds off and one-hundred percent awesome::

$13

$15

$11

bought these last month from j.crew's online final sale. it has taken me 2.5 winters to get snow boots. lame, i know. but, i got a great deal on them
$35

also, since i was photographing my purchases i thought i'd put in a plug for my favorite store: LUSH. I got this shampoo today, I'm hoping against hope that it puts a little more platinum in my blond.

fyi: $8.50

so, after a little smidge of retail-therapy i'm feeling okay with wearing pantalones de maternidad for the foreseeable future. Another confession - they are the most comfortable pants I've ever worn (except they are starting to sag ... ugh) and when I first put them on 9 months ago I said outloud "I'm not sure I'll ever wear anything else ever again!"

here's to eating my words,
erin

blog addendum #1:

newsflash - one of east coast besties Melissa K got engaged this weekend. Em and I got the pleasure of her company today. I got some good coversation & a latte, Em got a snuggle & nap in Miss-Lissa's arms. Here is a pic of the lady showing off her amazing engagement ring (props to fiance Odoi for picking it out). I kind of want one. Sleep with one eye open Melissa!

blog addendum #2:

Em is back in the bowl - not so happy about it. Mommy is mean. :)

blog addendum #3:

the little girl loves her momma. so much that she now cries when i leave the room, don't look her in the eye while she's awake (like to talk to another person or read an email or blink), and if i talk while nursing ... blood curdling screams. em demands that if you are in her presence you must act as if no one else exists - i try to take it as a sign of love. funny side note: if i am the one to put her asleep she can be cranky-cranky tired with red eyes and big yawns, but if she can make contact with my open eyes she will fight to stay awake. though, the minute i close my eyes but keep "looking" at her she will follow suit and go to sleep. silly baby.

i kind of crazy about her too.

2009-01-30T17:50:00.001-08:00

I am a delinquent blogger. you must forgive me.

holly said the best way to get blogging again is to just jump back on the horse. so here's my proverbial jump (stolen from her blog) :: A photo- journal/journey to my inner-most self. I love photo mosaics & Flickr & answering personal questions, so here it goes...

Here's how you do it:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name. (or if you're not a member of Flickr, do your blog name or email name or something like that)

here are the links to the flickr pages of the pictures in my mosaic

1. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!, 2. ah, se a magali visse essa foto..., 3. Bald Eagle, 4. Wasn't There Supposed To Be Another One?, 5. Reese Witherspoon 2, 6. Rootbeer Float, 7. Sunset over River Seine, 8. 20080716 52 Cremé Brulle, 9. Day 106 - I am a librarian, 10. Family Portrait, 11. New Mom and Baby - Quilled People, 12. Are we negotiating? Always.

An Unavoidable Update

2008-11-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

We are officially 3 days overdue people! Baby girl Emelyne will come at her own sweet time. You should know that I have a habit of speaking for her as if I can hear all her thoughts. At the beginning of the pregnancy I would tell B that I didn't know what she was saying because she only spoke Japanese - well, now she's fluent in English a bit sassy and wiser than her months. She says things like "dad, this is just the beginning of you needing to exercise more patience than me" and "I really need apple fritters and organic milk" (she was very into watermelon this summer). My mom came into town a week ago to prepare for Emmie's arrival. We've been having fun doing crafts, going shopping, watching crime scene dramas, and today we're celebrating Mom's birthday by seeing a movie-musical, eating donuts (emelyne....) and taking a long-hopefully-labor-inducing walk. We're hoping that Em comes today - but she may come tomorrow or the next day. The doctors assure me that she will come sometime before the beginning of next week - either of her own will of the will of a petocin drip (those of you taken to praying can pray for a more natural birth situation in the next 6 days).

In other newsworthy news an official announcement - We're coming back to California in Summer '09. That's right friends - we're comin' home! B accepted a job from Cali-based trial law firm Quinn Emanuel. We're pretty stoked, though we'll miss New England and our dear dear friends here.

In preparation for our move I'm doing lots of research on real estate websites like Zillow & Redfin (beware - these sites are major time vacuums). We plan to live somewhere in the East Bay (see map below - Contra Costa County is most likely).

When baby comes we promise more updates and of course pictures!

Duely yours,
erin

Now Starts the Craft of the Father

2008-08-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

I have written that over the last nine months many of my besties have had babies - some firsts and some seconds. But, what about the fathers? Where is their song? Where is their moment? Here is a little montage dedicated to my best friends' husbands & fathers (who luckily, are also some of my bff's too).

most recent addition, my cousin Brady Anderson with second-time daddy Matt
07.28.08

Niece Joanna Shields with first-time grandpa Glenn (B's dad)
-- couldn't get a pic of Jim with Joanna... but, here's his blog --
birthdate 12.14.05 adopted 06.04.08

Nine-month-old Isabella "Bella" Kristian with 2nd time daddio Jeff
11.06.07

Beautiful 10 week-old Hannah Joy with first-time dad Matt
05.15.08

Bjorned little Adeline Rose with brand-new daddy Cameron at Holly's Wedding
05.23.08
(b's birthday too!!)

So... Yeah Dads!!! I will post more from the trip to California soon. Plus, get psyched for some good ones from our upcoming vacation ... back to Northern California ... leaving on Friday.

paternally yours,
erin

Bonus :: here's 2 new bump pictures:

24 weeks with blousey shirt

27 weeks
self portrait

what i have to show for all this time

2008-07-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

after 3 weeks in california i was sadly disappointed with ZERO celeb-spotting occurances. the shame - as i am pretty good at this form of stalking. well, i am in the sacramento airport and finally i've found one - a good one. she's small, she's blonde, she's one of b's favorite singers:

Carrie Underwood

she's on my flight to boston through dallas - doubt she's in coach like me.

flight-boundly yours,
erin

I'm so over america

2008-07-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

For the last three years I have been a loyal watcher and supporter of the fox phenomenon 'so you think you can dance' - going around thinking it was a legitimate finder & keeper of dance talent - and, more significantly, I have for many years been under the impression that the democratic process works - even going so far as to send in absentee ballots. FALSE ONE, YOU HAVE DECEIVED ME! POWER TO THE PEOPLE - HA! AMERICA'S FAVORITE DANCER - HA! ALL DIRTY ROTTEN LIES! Friends, this week's results show on sytycd has disillusioned me. I walk in a fog of pain and fear. America cannot be trusted! I won't bore you all with the gritty details and minutia of my feelings tonight, but know that I am upset beyond comprehension. Necessary facts are these: this week's decision on who was to leave the show was left in the hands of the watching American public, and America went down; plummeting to the ground in a fury of flaming ignorance & fascism. Moral of the story: wisdom cannot be left of the masses - vote independent.

2 of my favorite moments from 2 of my favorite dancers on the show.
America should be ashamed.

R.I.P.
spoiler alert

disenchantedly yours,
erin

go granny! go granny! go granny go!

2008-07-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

After a day starting at 4:30am EST I landed at the Burbank Airport midafternoon to begin my 3 week adventure. The flight was mostly uneventful - even if I could go on & on & on about the infuriating nature of the new baggage policies ($15 for a single under-50 lb. bag.... come on!). For as long as I was in transit the hugs and string cheese upon arrival were worth the ride. Best-friend Holly lives in Pasadena, where I will be making my week-one headquarters. Since leaving my 3-year home, the place where B and I became an 'us', I often wax nostalgic about the quaintness and village-like atmosphere amidst the hustle and bustle of Greater Los Angeles that is Pasadena ... however, I have not missed the smog.

my favorite pasadena building

city hall

Not only am I excited about re-exploring one of my favorite Cali towns - but I am waiting in great anticipation for a glorious friend reunion - All 3 of my bestest friends will be together for 2.5 effervescent nuptial filled days in Santa Ynez. Plus, between now and then I get to see many of my closest and dearest friends and family at the harbinger of baby showers in B's hometown. I truly am blissed and blessed.

:: the sisterhood of the migrating maternity pants ::
taken this past fall (rt to left - shara (no longer preggers - baby bella is here, round and stupid-cute),me (obvi currently growing a little still un-named girl person - currently spaghetti squash sized and reeking havoc on my lower GI), JR (recently birthed baby-girl addy - super precious and total boob reliant) and holls (not at all prego, but plans on practicing a bit with new hubby before adding mas small humans to the mix)

the nearlyweds for whom i travel many miles, gladly.
and, to other bloggers with concerns of absentee newlyweds i'm sure old Ryebread won't go AWOL on ya.

matron of honorly yours,
erin

The Start of Something New

2008-06-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

B got me the best prize eva eva eva for my birthday 2 weeks ago. The Nikon D80 SLR camera. I am beyond pumped to embark upon this new artistic life medium with great vigor. Here are some of the most recent pics - including some more obligatory bump shots.

me and my lady lumps + bump in South Dartmouth this weekend.
((B's firm threw a little soiree for some of the summer associates at two of the partner's summer homes in souther mass... it was deliciously awkward if not a little bit contrived (I get it, if we join your firm we can live by the ocean with our kids in big-A houses all the while selling our souls to daddy warbucks, I get it... and I'm not wholly opposed) - but the food was legit good... btw, I am so in love with gazpacho shots! ))

We are so married.

The corner O'Baby in our bedroom...
What, Me? Worried about upcoming shower & space? Nah?
(enter sarcasm here)
((Also, we bought baby her first piece of furniture - ah, nursery chair goodness, as I write I glide.))

down by the river charles i'm really digging my new wrap shirt - way to go target! plus i got $7 maternity pants that don't fall down ... s-c-o-r-e !

And, lastly a peek into my possible reproductive prowess....

tay-tay cousin's baby
me

Tomorrow I leave for California for 3+ weeks. (enter Phantom Planet's "California") So get ready for some posts heavy on the shower, wedding and friend/family reunion vibe. Plus B and I get to meet our niece Joanna - recently adopted from China. Stoked doesn't even glimpse the iceberg's tip.

photographically yours,
erin

Jump for Bjorn

2008-06-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

We have begun the inevitable journey towards lots and lots upon tons and tons of baby shiz. Before getting pregnant I was unaware of a few things about the business of being born :: including, but not limited to, the stupid amount of junk bringing a new human into the world entails. Seriously, when we meet out little un-named-one she'll be about seven to nine pounds naked and approximately five-hundred-seven to five-hundred-nine pounds with all her equipment on. Don't make fun of her weight though - she's self conscious. One thing that will help us lug her fat ass around is the baby bjorn we got in the mail yesterday from some of our favorite relatives. Here is B with Moxy our Ugly Doll and Hop-Hop the Bunny trying out the new gadget.

I love this man.

(Hop-Hop misses his best-friend Vinnie.)

Increasingly heavier & yours,
erin

Since You've Been Around

2008-06-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

For B's 1st Father's Day and my 27th birthday we went to Concord for a little excursion conoeing down the Concord River and eating dinner at the Colonial Inn. It was fun fun fun!!!
Here are some pics from the conoeing segment of the day - we were too hungry at dinner to take any photos.

20 weeks.
(baby girl kicked me for the first time last night!)

not only my belly is growing... seriously...geez.
(docked at The Old Manse next to Old North Bridge)

B and I on the river - we are pasty-new-england-white

ze boat

water ratedly yours,
erin

living life in black & white

2008-06-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

:: excuse this obligatory blog crossing the line into uber-cheesy & baby crazy ::

We're having a baby girl!!! Here are some of her first ultrasound pictures. Also, we are glad to report that baby-girl-arnold seems healthy. So check her out, being all skeleton chic (fyi - it's the hot-mess look for summer 08').

here she is laying back takin' it easy with her perfect little spine and very round head. (also, if you look closely in her chest you can see her baby heart pumping nice and fast)

From kind of creepy bone baby to the creepiest baby picture ever. Welcome Skeletor Baby!! (her face from the front) Notice to the left of her face she's tossing us a peace sign. I'm glad that I'm growing a progressive little girl ... even inutero!
Perhaps she shares sentiments with Kimya Dawson.

Regarding names - B and I are un-lame. So, the name will be revealed as soon as it's decided. We're down the the final 3 - my goal is for it to be done and decided by July 6th...

Thanks for taking a look inside my womb.

sonagramaly yours,
erin

bump

2008-05-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

here's my baby bump.
is it exciting to finally showing - yes.
am i annoyed that a stranger would just think i'm fat - yes.
would i call this striped shirt "prison chic" - yes.

6 days until our baby gender determining ultrasound.
am i having dreams where we're late to the appointment
so the desk-nurse turns us away and then i cry on the floor - yes.

voluptuously yours,
erin

бабушка

2008-05-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

Cyrillic for Babushka = Grandmother in Russian, also Baba

About 30% of who I am & what I do today can be directly drawn to my Baba. My Dad's mom, Nadya McCann, was a fierce and fiery woman who lived half her life in China and the other half in San Francisco. And, was as complicated a woman as vodka is Russian. Spoke over 8 languages, played golf like a pro when woman were an exception on the course, never shopped sales and could curse my Dad under the table (often ending our visits with a somewhat slurred and thick accented "Alan, you ass-hole. I love you. Scratch my head" - which, come to think of it, take away the slur & accent we're left with my Dad's departure comments as well... hmm... apple, tree, not far to fall). And, though cliche to a Babushka, nonetheless true - she was unbelievable in the kitchen - the borsche, the pashka, the pilemeni, the stroganoff... OMFG... my pregnant-mind often dreams of her buttery concoctions. I can honestly say that I have yet to have a better meal than the last Russian Orthodox Easter we had with a healthy Baba in 1997. I attribute 100% of my cooking prowess and 75% of my profanity to her (college roommates get the other 25%).

One of my more lasting memories of Baba was luckily capture on film (thank you Daddio for knowing comedy and awkwardness when you see it). A little set-up: Baba loved Vegas... L-O-V-E-D it. A perfect Baba day consisted of golfing during the day and dollar slots accompanied by bottomless vodka tonics and Budweiser at night. On 2 occasions my Dad and Baba took my sister Rocket and me with them on their golfing & gambling excursions. Once we saw Tom Jones and the other Cirque De Soleil. And, I could write like 2 million blogs about what Rocky (9 then 11 years old) and I (11 then 13 years old) did during the days we were left alone in major casinos with nothing but the Vegas Strip, $200 dollars and 8 hours of youthful ambition to keep us company. After one such day ending with Baba saying something along the lines of "how could you girls spend ALL that money in 8 hours? Erin you're 11 years old. You know better", she decided to take a long soak in the in-room jacuzzi while we just hung out waiting impatiently to go to the buffet downstairs. It was at this point that Big-Daddy posed this picture:

Rocket, me, & Baba.
Luxor Hotel. Las Vegas, 1994

Mid-pubescently yours,
erin

what time is it?

2008-05-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

summer time,
it's our vaction!
what time is it?
summer time,
school's out,
scream & shout!!!

how do i know, you may ask. well...

1. B sans finals

oh, freedom. i love you.

2. finally, plentiful not-as-expensive watermelon

nothing smells sweeter to my pregnant olfactory sense than the fresh crisp scent of newly cut watermelon. yum... hold on a sec, i have to go cut one of the two I bought today at Costco for $6... and we're back.

3. all my prego friends are a poppin'

hannah (baby) and joy (new mommy) asleep after what I assume was a very long day. maybe the cutest picture of all time...

4. the end of american idol (phew - sorry, not a huge fan save the final 3 or so episodes) meaning the beginning of So.... You.... Think... You... Can.... Dance !!!!!

not a single things screams summer louder than shooby-dooby-dance.

Hot-Tamale-Train-ely Yours,
erin

our baby's all growns up and he's all growns up

2008-05-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

my brother is about to be a senior in high school. he's gone to prom & kissed a girl, and he's applying to college & is growing far beyond 6 feet. he makes me feel old... and short. makes me wonder about the passage of time - how someone can go from a little punk kid to a big punk high schooler. makes me think that it will be no time before our bumble arrives. garsh. when b and i got married he looked like this:

yes, my brother gave us a wedding gift called "the gas we pass" and b had super cute spikey hair 5 years ago. and, my mom is a stone cold fox.

in closing, time does weird things.

anciently yours,
e

laughing, crying, sharing...

2008-05-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

as the end of the school year is upon (or close to upon) us we can pause and reflect...and perhaps send one another an e-greeting or two. my new favorite site for sending out the occasional flirty comment or witty banter is where these e-cards can be shared (btw - these are all chosen because I could have sent them myself):

enjoy the warm weather and send me some funny e-cards.

serendipitously yours,
e

thanks to Krystal P for the e-suggestion.

If it's free take two...

2008-05-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

This piece of Daddy-McCann wisdom is hard to pass up with Coldplay handing out new songs like candy. (Daddy-0's other bits of wisdom include gems like: never split 10's in blackjack - I was 7 the first time I heard that one) This new uber-opus from the UK's second favorite sons hit me as different from their earlier work. To be honest it reminded me - in a good way - of a toned down version of the Beatles' Helter Skelter off the 'White Album'. Overall, I enjoyed the listen and am anxious for the upcoming album release. For all those Chris Martin haters - sorry - but, I really like him and his somewhat toolish eco/trade-conscious ways. The album cover artwork is pretty cool - in that French Revolution Chic kind of way.

So, get the song free here. And decide for yourself if reinventing the Beatles' wheel is folly or fortune.

Ubiquitously yours,

e

ps that blog was way way to serious.

Over Due, but Never Late...

2008-04-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

You know what’s the business? I’ll tell you. Mommy Bloggers. For serious. They can be legit funny and insightful. Always Honest. Something about being more than just a working stiff or a bitter student/wife/baker/photographer, they have something significant to contribute - bits about vodka cocktails at playgroup, baby/home decorations that don’t make me gag, and seemingly endless diatribes about the truly touching and ridiculous. Kids make for great material.

Over the last 3 years I have become somewhat obsessed with a few of these Mommy (and one Daddy) Bloggers. While writing styles and blog gimmicks vary - they ALL take UN-believable pictures of their kids/dogs/furniture. I highly suggest the following Parent Bloggers... in order of favorites (of course):

1. Sweet Juniper This stay-at-home-Dad and fab-professional-Mom make up the blogging duo of SJ. Of the many things I love about Juniper’s parents is their unwavering commitment to well written prose. Particularly touching are their multi-part birth-story narratives... superb. Something about the way they document their lives makes being a parent seem artful and hip.

2. Dooce (pronounce deuce) Legendary is her own right, Heather Armstrong is perhaps HRM Queen Mother of all mommy bloggers. Starting as a single-person blogger, then a married-person blogger and now a mommie-person blogger Ms. Armstrong is as honest as one comes and often cynically delicious. Frequently falling on the age-old adage - if it’s not broken, don’t fix it; mock or complain about it. If blogs were like bar drinks Dooce would be the strong stuff - the vodka cranberry ... hold the cranberry stuff. I love her.
3. Simon Family Blog

B and my next-door-neighbors are the said Simon’s of the Simon Family Blog. They are pitch perfect comedic geniuses without delving into the sardonic stylings of some of my other favs. Their child - Vinnie - is my favorite little guy east of the Rockies. Everything he does - from picking up rocks instead of Easter eggs to dinosaur walking the aisle in a wedding - makes me belly-laugh. The only reason these parent-bloggers don’t rank #1 is their newness to the blogosphere - - maybe a jump in a couple years when they’ve been tried and tested. B and I value our friendship with the Simon family so much. We will miss them when they are living in LA this summer, but look forward to reading about their adventures - as I hope you will too.

(vinnie and i discussing the finer merits of songs sung by squirrels)

All this to say that I will be joining ranks this coming fall. If one needs it spelled out - Brett knocked me up around the mid-February which makes our little bumble due October 31st and me currently at 13.5 weeks prego. Zoinks! Though planned, we are equally thrilled and terrified to become parents. And many things have precipitated from the growing fetus - most significant, me quitting my overtiring and stressful job 4 weeks ago. Hooray!

So, get ready for stories about baby names, ultrasounds, round ligament pain and how hearing your baby’s heart-beat sounds like a symphony of little angels riding a submerged steam-train.

Sperminatedly yours,

e

p.s. for those interested: bumble is the size of a lemon and no longer has a tail (that part freaked us out)... i sort-of have a baby bump - - or I'm wearing a weird-fat-shirt in this picture, you decide:

Incriminating Evidence of my Filth...

2008-02-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

This past weekend in Vermont our hosts Brian & Katie took many fun pictures of us cooking, playing, skiing, and being silly... then they posted them on the web, then I looked at them and was horrified. I didn't shower most of the weekend (not unusual for me), nor did I take the time to apply make-up or comb my hair - but I looked especially tore-up even under these conditions. Why, would you ask, did you look like a street urchin the weekend long amongst new friends and strangers? Well,... I have no excuse expect the pure exhaustion of my weekday job. By the time weekend comes I'm a bit - how-do-you-say - trashed. Here's the evidence:

Maybe the worst picture ever taken of me ever. I'm deliciously-ugly while preparing Tortilla Espanola for our Tapas extravaganza. (Brian also pictured - he doesn't look nearly as worn out as me and had been skiing all day while I was lounging...hmm...)

Even after a good meal and 3 cups of Sangria I still look like hell.

I decided to shower only minutes before we took this group picture - I'm looking a little better, but B still seems to be disgusted by me. (btw work-friend-Katie is on Brian's shoulders in pink)

showering plus less stressful job equals prettier erin.

haggardly yours,

e

Oh NO! Oke-MO!

2008-02-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

Sad day in Boston as the entire North East goes into an unexpected bout of seasonal depression after yesterday's loss. I am not so excited to see what types of symptoms my clients bring to the table (I'm sure all new diagnosis will be S.A.D. this week). Football, or any pro sport for that matter, hasn't mattered to much to me since the early 90's and Joe Montana's Niners. So, let's remember sweeter days....

Sigh.

In other news... B and I went to the mountains of Vermont this weekend with some new friends. It was wonderful. He skied and I painted my nails while watching Goldie Hawn's Housesitter. The condo we stayed in was what they call 'ski in ski out' - - basically it was right off one of the runs and whenever the skiers were tired or hungry they would just hop in for some light snacking or warmth. It wasn't Tahoe, but Okemo wasn't half bad. The best part was reliving some of my earliest ski memories vicariously through the little SKIwee's (as they are called).

So cute with their little helmets.

May the Pats' season rest in peace,

e

At The Urging of My Fans...

2008-01-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

I had every intention of sending out a obligatory holiday blog (F), then a sneaky back-door new year's blog (hoping the readers who happen to inevitably stop by would forget to remember the promise of more blogs), and finally a pitiful sorry-i-haven't-gotten-around-to-blogging blog (F). Failed blogs they all were - each with a witty title and 2 or 3 pithy sentences - each ending in defeat by a forced early bedtime. If you could all only see the 'draft' portion of my post-box you would know how many times I endeavored to write.

So, I will write neither an apology nor an obligatory family newsletter-esc update -- rather I will return to the blogosphere as if my hiatus was only a figment of imagination... gone in the ether.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Los Angeles visiting cousins and best friends and their respective VIPs. It was a rainy trip - not uncommon to L.A. in January - staying inside watching B and cousin-baby-tay-tay jump together and glue shapes while singing Sunday School Song medleys was wonderful. Yeah for husbands playing with babies!

Here are some updated pics of the little Taylor bug:

And, yes... hanging out with tay makes my ovaries ache. (overshare... perhaps)

I got to frequent one of my favorite So Cal establishments - the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Yum. I had a Enlglish Breakfast Tea Latte - it was deeeeelish. And, I'm not sure if you guys know this, but I have spidey sense when it comes to celeb spotting. Seriously, I should be a paparazzo... for real. Anyway, at the CBTL I spotted the actress who plays the middle sister on 7th Heaven (I don't watch the show - not that I'm beneath it, just not my cup of tea).

btw, she didn't look old enough to have a baby in real life.

It was less than thrilling and somewhat awkward. Here's my problem, and it occurs every time I celeb spot - Rob Schneider at a coffee house (super weird, even though I made him laugh), Mom from the O.C. at a concert standing mere feet away, Mandy Moore & Zach Braff next to me at a merch table at a Hem/OTR concert, Robin Williams at a sushi restaurant in Tahoe singing happy birthday to my cousin - I always experience the paralyzing effects of celebrity. I loathe that feeling. It's like High School, standing in line for a cup'o'soup or cheese zombie in complete silence shoulder-to-shoulder with the boy you've had a crush on since kindergarten who never talks to you even though he lives 12 houses away (not that you've counted or anything) - the magnitude of unspoken shared knowledge is so great it's suffocating. I wish I could be like my sister Rocket who last week bumped into one of the Backstreet Boys and said "Hey, you're AJ from the BSB. I love your stuff. My name's Rocket. How've you been?" and proceeds to have a 5+ minute conversation. I, instead, do the not-so-subtle over the shoulder nervous glance punctuated with the occasional louder-than-necessary laugh. Seriously lame = me. Che Sera Sera.

So, I'm glad to be back in Cambridge getting psyched for a weekend of snow, possible Vermont skiing and an inevitable New England Super Bowl Victory!!!

Go Pats!

e

"Poultry in the Big Apple" ... or "the first half of a longer blog"

2007-11-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

They say that a rolling stone gathers no moss - well it also gathers little sleep, minimal connection with loved ones and eats a lot of unhealthy food/coffee. This is all in order to say that my new job keeps me movin a bit more than I'd like to be movin . So, in all this craziness the last thing I want to write about it is my past two months of ridiculous therapy. Instead, I will share some pics and stories from a recent weekend in New York with Best-Friend-Holly, South-Africa-Melissa and Fuller-Seminary-Crystal. There were a few celebrity cameos including the actor with dwarfism: Peter Dinklage, in the village as we waited for Magnolia Cupcakes (yum, btw)...

He looked just like this - black leather jacket, intense eyes and all. He had a completely unremarkable dog on a leash as he stood outside a local bookstore probably waiting for a tall buxom blonde to meet him. And as we stood there mouths watering for butter-cream frosting every other person stopped him on the street using his leashed friend as an inroad to an awkward conversation where both people pretend that one of them is not famous. I always enjoy spotting celeb spotters.

However, the most notable cameo of the weekend came by way of the New Jersey Turnpike and over a 13 hour period ate his weight in gummy candies... drumroll please... welcome, the Chicken!!!! In case you, the reader, have not heard of the Chicken - here are the basics: he's a 5 year old who, at a harvest festival 2 years ago, Holly and I spotted running into a bounce house dressed in a chicken costume and flip-flops... we were in love. Since that sighting we have befriended both Liam (Christian name of the Chicken) and his parents Bill and Val. The whole Chicken family met us in the city for a day of good eats and lots of walking. Here is my favorite picture of the Chicken taken at the Apple store.

Very Serious.

Liam picks favorites. FYI: Children who pick favorites are awesome. I cannot stand children who indiscriminately love or despise people at large - no time for them at all! I hope many things for my future children - but an ability to pick favorites is a non-negotiable. Well, Liam picked his favorite - and it was South-Africa-Melissa. See Exhibit A, B and C:

Obviously, South-Africa-Melissa fell in love too.

-- Okay. So, I want to blog more tonight, but it's past 10 o'clock and I need to go to bed since I have two consecutive 12 hour days before flying towards the western skies for Thanksgiving with the fam.

Hopefully this little taste of my New York trip is enough to keep you checking back at Avoiding the Inevitable every couple days for the rest of this post.

Swing It Shake It Move It Make It

2007-10-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

just because i'm feeling nostalgic...

delicious.

zigazigah,
erin

pick a pail of pickled peppers. hmmm, or apples as the case may be...

2007-10-04T21:57:00.001-07:00

Brett, me, new law friend's Mike & Lauren, and next-door-neighbors Josh, Melissa & Vincent. We picked 20 lbs of Central Mass apples for $20 (plus a hay ride!!!) at Honey-Hill Orchards. I made apple crisp this week... you should know it was seriously kick ass.

Me and B

Josh and Melissa's one year old Vinny - he's wicked fun and loves helicopters.

Hope you enjoyed a quick (like really super brief) bite of our past weekend - we might go back to the Cranberry Bog this weekend... who knows what the future holds.

happy fall from new england.
erin

Stone Eggs in My Heart

2007-09-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

These are two videos from my recent trip to California.

Above is my cousins Kristi & Matt's baby girl Taylor with me & my cousin Megan at my Aunt Wendy's (Mimi) house. Taytay is just beyond.

Below is my 'baby' brother Mikey on our way to the city showing me how the kids are dancing in the Bay these days - his coolness factor is astounding, or as a client referred to me this week: he is 'mos def wit the coolness'.

my relatives are funny, i miss them.

hope you had a nice swim in my gene pool,

erin

updates never cease to amaze

2007-09-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

Dearest friends - and Ambiguous blog readers,

sorry about the long hiatus... didn't feel much in the creative zone this summer. with the combination of a rough summer gig, adjusting and readjusting and adjusting once more to east coast towns, and starting the official professional career... I was left blank for my internet masses (i.e. holly, JR, and other friends who might read but don't comment - - yes that was a sad ploy for more feedback). So, here's a highlight reel of my summer.

1. Shimmering visions by the light of the dancing flame...

This summer was marked by Wednesday and Thursday nights in long succession. Fox captured me for a few hours each week with its summer hit "So You Think You Can Dance". Little to say, it was a great way to mark time over this most eventful summer. Knowing that my baby Tivo was recording fine dancers & innovative choreography made my heart soar during the midweek long Metro ride home through the oppressive DC heat (p.s. seriously, whoever decided to put our nation's capitol in the middle of a swamp needs to be flogged by the side of the Potomac!).

Talking about SYTYCD is also the perfect segue into sharing my favorite thing/person/old-new acquisition of the summer... a female housemate. For those out of the know - B and I lived in a big ol' townhouse on Capitol Hill for the summer with a boat load (read: 3) of HLS students. One of them was a girl named Vanessa. Let me tell you, she is the queen of fabulous land. We had so much fun cooking and talking and camping and watching many hours of dancing & "What Not to Wear" together. Here is a picture of V looking so very chicly Zen during our hike in the Shenandoah Valley.

I have missed daily female companionship since college. It was nice to have such a high quality girly around. Thanks to Vanessa for being a great sport and friend this summer.

2. I think I'll try defying gravity...

Throughout my childhood musicals played a very influential part - I can honestly say that the heroes of my youth were Barbara Streisand and Annette Funicello. In my post-marriage years I have had a noticeable lack of mus-i-cals in my day-to-day... perhaps a function of my increasing patronage to live music performances or as a perfunctory courtesy to my dwindling pocketbook. Either way, I have been reborn, and Kristen Chenoweth has breathed into my deflated lungs the song of witch friends and Oz-ian goodness. Though I have yet to see the Wicked stage-play, I have listened and listened and listened to the soundtrack - making it the anthem of my summer. I even got into a car accident along the GW parkway during my first listen of 'Popular'... this did not dissuade me from exchanging information, observing the damage, getting back into the car and click-wheeling myself back for a second listen. Wicked - it's worth everyone's time. Thank you to Holly "Elphaba" Snyder and Eric "Dillamond" Nguyen (even though he's sworn to never read my blog again) for teaching me that celebrated heads of state and especially great communicators don't have brains or knowledge... they're pop-u-lar!

Speaking of heads of state - DC! I loved living on the Hill... running in the morning by the Capitol & Supreme Court, going to Eastern Market on the weekends & buying muchos hand-made goods, and catching the very contagious feeling of self-importance that runs up and down Pennsylvania Ave. I could go on & on about the many things I learned about myself and all things politic - but I will not bore you with the details. Here's the basic run-down: I'm much more to the left than I once thought (Hillary for prez!!), there is far less glamor in working for the Senate or DOJ than the West Wing would have me believe, and very significant things go down in the district all the time - things wholly unnoticed by people like yours truly (I will listen to NPR more).

[ Oh, Abraham - we love you... you're so noble and just and marble ]

But, of all the things I learned this summer and things I saw nothing touched me more deeply or will have a more lasting impression than my time (vicariously & otherwise) amongst the interns & staff of International Justice Mission. B was a law intern in their HQ office, he did lots of law research & wrote law memos and was the world over a fantastic lawyeresc person all summer. The organization continues to impress me with it's professionalism and commitment to tangibly working for the poor & oppressed.

Brett's IJM intern class at a very special dinner. So much hospitality, wit and wisdom seeped into my person during the course of this evening that I was full to overflowing. Sigh.

3. Hey little girl goin window shoppin', I've got something traffic stoppin'!

Like many prepubescent girls the world over, I too have Zefron fever. Between the blockbuster musical Hairspray and made-for-disney-and-my-heart HSM2 I can't get enough of this tanorexic teeny-bopper. Enjoy two of my favorite moments in my 2 favorite films of the summer:

((hear this: if you have not had a chance to see Hairspray stop whatever you are doing and get your sweet bottom to your nearest theater, disappoint - it will not))

4. Well, it's been a long, been a long, been a long, Been a long day...

My summer job was rough - really rough. I was working as a play therapist with children with developmental delay at a Maryland childhood development center. It was long days and strenuous/exhaustive personnel experiences. But, it's over so... onward and upward.

I have a new job as a child and family therapist in a community mental health center in South Boston. It's ridiculous to have the job I got a degree to perform. I am excited and a bit nervous to be working as a pre-licensed MFT. My job affords me supervision and a very wide client base. I am sure that many therapist inside jokes about HIPPA compliance and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will be in the works for future blogs. For now, I am feeling a bit like the picture below of Eric, Brett and Doug (friends at the law school) re-enacting a scene from "How to Succeed at Business Without Really Trying" ...

Rip, Rip, Rip... the Chipmunks off the field...

5. Green eyes, yeah the spotlight, shines upon you. And how could, anybody, deny you...

At the end of this summer I finished the 7th and final Harry Potter book. It is an important work of fiction - that's all I'm going to say in critique, even sharing my feelings about any part of the story may taint the reading experience of those unread.

I will say this, along with watching Hairspray (moreso actually) I have no stronger recommendation from this summer than to let the little boy wizard into your heart - let his story sit with you and simmer. If you do, you too will find yourself weepy in the small hours of the morning and laughing aloud alone in your car without warning.

And, that is all I have for you tonight. I am quite blogged out, though intend to post more often. With very little time who knows what this site will reveal.

Seacrest Out.
erin

I'm Just a Bill...

2007-06-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Update: We've arrived in DC. More on the move and the new digs soon.

Color Me Suprised

2007-05-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

This video made me smile. Far too few Broadway-esc music videos have graced our satellite dishes & tivos over the past decade. A big thank you to Feist for taking the time & effort ... I give you 1, 2, 3, 4**

My best guess: this has been the work of Hug-o-Lot Bear & his gang of Care Bear Cousins.
How else can the unmatched rainbowrific cinematography be explained?

Cheer Bear, Out!

** Thanks to the hilarious and illustrious H. A. Snyder-84

Holla!!!

2007-04-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

This is an official shout out to best-friend Holly...

pictured below, revealing herself as my favorite literary hero of Concord Mass

So, in honor of Holly - as a gesture of love and appreciation since I've been so neglectful & busy and in so doing have not connected via tele - I will insue to write a top 5 list of the last 2 days of my life.

Erin's Top Five ALL TIME occurrences of my life in the last 48 hours:

1. SUPERMAN should have stayed in Krypton

I watched and sort-of enjoyed the new Superman movie.

2 redeemable points: One - anything with Kevin Spacey as the quirky antisocial Lex Luthor, Two - SPOILER ALERT finally an answer to the age old question of Clark Kent's procreative abilities. After that the movie fell somewhere between Batman Forever and Sky High. Though, I do appreciate the care they took to make the movie harken back to the days of Christopher Reed, but on second thought, that just made the movie tragic and sad.

But, I will say my favorite part of the entire movie is when the triumphant Messianic Kent says to his little sleeping halfling "You will be different, sometimes you'll feel like an outcast, but you'll never be alone. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son." Seriously?!

2. Moping the floor with the sweet sweat of a hard days work.

We cleaned our apartment. It was boring, but took up a large part of Saturday so notable. The floors are clean and the laundry put away - oh goodie. Oh, and I took a shower.

3. Law School Birthday Party

I have learned that when budding legal minds gather for light snacking and heavy boozing things get interesting. Here are a few highlights: Participating/Observing a well articulated and rationalized argument about whether Jenifer Anisten or Angelina Jolie is better for Mr. Pitt, which morphed into a discussion about Brangelina's adoption practices & their legality, Being force-feed an almost ripe watermelon smothered in goat cheese, Being horrified by a graphic description of slaughter houses coupled with an uninvited diatribe about the finer points of vegetarianism, and eating a birthday "cake" made out of dim sum.

4. Oh, Sing to me Peter Gomes

Brett, law-friend-Eric and I went to church this morning at Memorial Chapel to hear the Right Reverend Gomes. He spoke with eloquence and candor unmatched. Then we went on to eat Pho at a local Vientamese restaurant and talk about our collective summers in DC. I equally enjoy the Albus quality of Gomesie & the fine banter between the husband and the law-friend.

Here are 2 things I learned today:
1. You can measure most relational variables between two hands. Imagine each finger as a tentacle of compatibility of each person, the level to which the persons are matched the fingers will interlock. This is both a quick-and-dirty way of measuring relational quality & a clever hand gesture when speaking with friends. For example: on the measure of humor, five out of five fingers makes for a full hand-hold of interlocking fingers, a three of five creates a stable but non-robust grasp, and a one/two of five makes for a casual/unstable connection.
2. It is widely agreed upon that people who do nothing but talk about money from the pulpit or any other place are, as the Reverend put it "most annoying and irritating". Simple words, profoundly true.

5. Bringing the Juices into the Wires

These are the songs I downloaded today:

1. I'll Stand By You (cover) - Carrie Underwood

Ms. Underwood has capture my heart and my wallet. She has a voice like a songbird in flight. She is a lot bit country and a little bit rock-and-roll. Now, she's no Kelly Clarkson, but not many lady singers get Brett rockin' out on his guitar covering their sassy ballads.

2. Come Again - Sting

The sultan of Channai Pop comes round with this delectable treat of lute & fife. Brett received 2 free songs from Ticketmaster after purchasing John Mayer tickets for the summer - this was my pick. Never has a 1500's cover sounded so sexy.

3. Too Little Too Late - JoJo

This one comes from left field. Brett has recently had a hankering for teeny-bopper pop music. Of all the songs of iTunes to pick he chose this one. Know that a role-reversal has taken place in our home recently, when on numerous occasions my lovely husband has scanned all the radio channels looking for this song while I was having a penchant for NPR - Go Figure!

So, friends (but mostly Holly) that was my weekend. I love you all and miss you and wish I was better at figuring out my time so I could talk to you more.

Seacrest, thank you for moosing it up every week to deliver gems like Carrie & Kelly to my doorstep,

Erin

Pearls of Wisdom

2007-04-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

I love everything about this short film - down the the smallest curl on Will Ferrell's head... every single piece of footage makes my sides ache & my body contort into some kind of pretzel or reduced-fat crescent roll.

I love Pearl - I would join her for a cold one anytime.

-Erin

"Hizzah! Her sides are made of angst" or "A moment among friends to vent"

2007-04-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

ARGH!!!!

Is it possible to live in limbo for an entire year?! Seriously, can a single person - or in my case a couple - live for 12 whole months in a constant state of uncertainty and live to tell the tale? Whether or not you wanted an answer to these obviously rhetorical questions, here it is.... kind of.

Since last April the Arnold's have been going from one state of unknowing to the next. Here are a few of the questions I've/we've had to live with over the last year:

1. Law School?
1a. Go to law school at all?
1b. If yes, which law school in what town?

2. Where to live for the summer? this one is a repeat offender on the list.

3. Where to store belongings for that summer? so is this one.

4. How to move said junk cross country? Ship. Drive. Fly. Combo.

5. Once in new town what to do with self? Work. Study. Make friends. Cook. Combo. this doesn't seem like a hard question to answer, but believe me that I have spent many a day this past year stuck on this question (just ask my tivo).

6. Should I get a full-time or part-time job?
6a. Job in counseling or play therapy?
6b. Job at Peet's?

7. When is the best time to finish my master's thesis?
7a. Will the thesis ever be finished?
7b. Who can I blame for the thesis taking 6 months longer than expected?

8. Should we stay at Harvard?
8a. How long should we give this whole lawyer gig?
8aa. What are we going to do when we find out lawyering is not that bad?
8b. Is it okay to miss California and friends while really enjoying New England?

9. Where are we going to live this summer?
9a. Is it a good idea for me to go with Brett to D.C. or better to stay in Cambridge?
9b. Having made above decision, what am I going to do about my work... will they hold my job over the summer?

10. Where is Brett going to internship for the summer?
10a. What are we going to do with our house and stuff if we are not in Cambridge?
10b. Is working for IJM is best option? Should we hold out for something else or go with what we know is good and solidified?
10c. Are we going to be able to withstand the humidity of a summer in DC?

11. Who is going to sublet our apartment if the entire town is overrun with subletting options?
11a. Can I blame Alfred Marshall for my economic woes?
11b. What will I do if a gaggle of teenage French foreign exchange students are my only option? subquestion: can I handle having my couch smell like the cigarettes they swear they don't smoke?

12. Will I be able to get a job working in Autism & Floortime this summer? Will it pay enough to have some financial freedom?

So, a question for every month. Just reviewing all these decisions and transitions makes me begin to understand why my body is over producing norepinephrine these days. If after reading the list your heart is beating a bit faster, your palms are becoming a bit balmy and you are fearing not being able to fall asleep tonight - don't worry, these are just empathic side effects.

I realize that I could write an opposing list; full of all the questions & ponderings that have been life affirming this year- you know, the half-full stuff. I could write that list, and it would probably be good for me. I know. It just seems trite. Like an unnecessary and undeserved pat on the back - I would be patronizing myself. Being patronizing is never aceptable - NEVER ever, especially to one's self. In the same breath, if I look closely I can see all the beautiful things I've experienced this year in the heartbreak of the undecided. It's not all anxiety and black holes of angst, but there's been a lot of that too.

Thanks for listening. Now back to our regularly scheduled broadcast.

Seacrest, bathe me in the melody of the Sanjaya.

Erin

Colin - Ya Shouldn't Have Done That!

2006-12-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

There are words that could be said here, but instead I'll let the ecards speak.

Seriously Mr. Darcy, Seriously?
-e

V is for Victory

2006-12-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

Remember, Remember the seventh of December
My final class, finished & fought,
I see no reason why my final class
Should ever be forgot

I finished my final class for my master's degree today!!! In the eternal words of my best friend in High School upon scoring goals in water polo - You Know!! In 2 hours I hand-wrote 10 pages on ethical reasoning in regards to poverty, capital punishment and just economics. I am a final writing machine! I still have to finish my thesis, but all "class" work is D-O-double-N-E... done!!!!

So, now I feel like I just won the Karate Championship Light-Weight Title,

or scored the winning goal in the Women's Soccer World Cup.

Or perhaps, my feelings are so full that if expressed completely they would terrify the Queen of Daytime herself (see example below):

Now, a message to my thesis.

Dear Thesis,

I need to tell you something. If you knew what was good for you, you'd run...fast. Hell, I'll give you a 5 minute head start, and when I catch you I'm going to grab you by your devil horns, pull you real close and whisper these words in your godless ears... "say my name thesis. SAY IT!"

The time for your little games is over Thesis. No more messing around with me. No more holding me down. No more! The die has been cast and you are going to be a funny little footnote on my Epic ass!

Okay She-Bitch, Let's Play
-E

Girl with the Lost Pearl Earing

2006-12-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Sad days!

I have officially lost one of my favorite pearl earrings. I know, I'm totally lame for wearing pearl earrings all the time. Once, while wearing said pearl stud earrings my friend made a side comment about how snooty elitist women wear pearl earrings and cardigan sweater sets, which I wear both, often and regularly. Anyways, these earrings were of particular significance because my parents gave them to me for Christmas on my 21st year. They go with a necklace my paternal Russian grandmother (Baba - for those in the know) left me when she passed away. So, this thanksgiving the left-stud went MIA. I have yet to find it - searching every corning and clothing item in my house - like the proverb of the old woman who lost her coin, except it's a pearl earring and I haven't found it. I've mostly given up now. But, this blog is sent out in hopes that maybe, someday my pearl earring will come back to me.

In Memoriam

The Earring 11.22.06

Returning to Things I Love

2006-12-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

Friends, I am returning to things I have cherished all or most of my life. I care deeply about these three things and I want them back. These are all things that I have given too little of a care, that ends now. For all time, I will be known as one who has deep affinity for: Church, Reading and Amy Grant.

1. Church

We have found a church in Cambridge!!!! After many months of going back and forth between two spectacular churches Brett and I have decided to attend the Cambridge location of the Greater Boston Vineyard. We love the services and the people who attend the church. We are excited about all the opportunities the church affords to work in the community. They love art and community and worship and authenticity and multiculturalism and justice and so so so many things we love too. It feels good to have a place that may someday feel like home. Brett and I have never really done the whole 'we have a church home' thing since we got married. We both loved and served our church in Davis together. So, technically we've had the same church home. However, we are making this church decision together, and it feels very different and adventuresome. I am excited about getting to know people from the area and having friends who are not only 23-30 years old. I am thankful to Jesus for providing a place where we feel at peace and can worship with ease. The church exterior is nothing too special - tan brick, which would look special in California, but not in New England. However, the interior is truly magnificent. The church used to be a home to a local Catholic Church, though for some reason or other the membership dwindled and the building was sold to the Vineyard. They reconfigured the sanctuary so the congregation faces the back of the original building and enters/mingles through the alter area. The church service literally occurs in the narthex - an image I read about in seminary about how church really occurs in the area where people are meeting and catching up - in the narthex. A member of the church took some of these, you can find more at (http://flickr.com/photos/radioflyer007/page55/)

2. Amy Grant.

Now I know that many scoff and roll-eyes at the fallen Christian Music Diva. Something about her moral decisions over the last few years have made some church-going folk turn their backs of this pop-Christian celeb - shame. All that aside, Brett and I have been foraging through our house trying to find her Christmas CDs - always an Arnold staple during the holidays. Ms. Grant has a special place in our home. Before Brett and I were dating he would "just happen" to come over to my house with his roommate/friend Matt who was dating a roommate of mine, Joy. Brett would pass the time watching Letterman or amusing me by lip-syncing and dancing to Amy's rendition of El Shaddai. So, after much searching I have found her and welcome her back with open arms. She is now delighting our holiday ears.

3. Reading

I can't wait to read again. I have been into reading for pleasure more since moving out to Mass. But, while I am cramming for tests to finish this final class and struggling to focus on writing/conceptualizing my thesis I sit with longing for novels. I love fiction. I love love love it. All types of stories - maybe that's why I like therapy so much, it consists primarily of stories. Well, I read a blog/column by the pastor of the Vineyard church Dave, and I couldn't agree more. He put what I believe about reading so succinctly. And in doing so, pretty much sealed the deal with Brett and my continued investment at his church. Here's a blurb for all our enjoyment:

I have a theory about why we want to read books-why we want to read them, not why we actually might read a given book. We want to read books because reading books is a unique kind of fun. There's a unique pleasure in reading something longer than this column, of connecting with another consciousness in a sustained way, and that strikes me as being a pleasure that connects to what it means to be alive.
...
One of my favorite questions to ask my friends is, "What are you reading?" Now a lot of my friends don't read very much at all, and there's nothing wrong with spending time on, say, people. But for those in my circle who do take the odd hour here or there, there are always books about God or church in some form, but that's a subject for another day. Men, in particular, tend to abandon reading fiction (too trivial) in favor of job-related or general non-fiction. And there's no shame in that, but today let us praise trivial books-most fiction, for instance. Let us praise books you don't have to read, that promise you nothing more than the most primary reason we read at all-not so much to be informed as to connect, to-in the words of Shadowlands-know that we're not alone. ((to read more see: http://www.bostonvineyard.org/davescolumns/dec06/))

Amen Brother!

Here are a few books I intend to read when this crazy thing called grad-school is completely finished: (If you have any more suggestions on good fiction/non-fiction reading I would love love love to hear from you!)

I'll end with the immortal words of Brett's favorite fiction writer: Mark Twain.

"Good friends, good books: this is the ideal life."

Erin.

Thanks to the Giving

2006-11-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

My mom, dad and brother came to visit us in Cambridge for 10 days over this past week. It was super fun - adventures and laughs a plenty. We walked the Freedom Trail, went to some great restaurants, toured the U.S.S. Constitution (from which point my father referred to my brother as 'powder monkey', not to be outdone my 6'3" brother responded by calling my 5'11" father 'short stack'), visited Lexington/Concord & Plymouth, and of course ate a huge feast. Here are some pictures from our time together.

Me and the turkey named Tom. I will never understand why people insist on naming things they are about to eat. My mom was quite disappointed that when we went to put the turkey in the pan my kitchen was sans cooking string - as if I tie up birds and vegetables all the time. Without the proper string we combined our creative energy to come up with the chop-stick turkey. Notice my hair - dressing like food is so in this season.

In this picture my father is posing next to a stranger's truck like Nacho Libre. You should know that as this picture was being taken Dad was saying "these are my recreation pants, my robes were stinky".

Mikey and me in front of the USS Constitution in the Boston Harbor. My bro is really growing up, everyone should have a brother 9 years their junior. Highlight: sitting next Mike in the backseat while he tried to trap me with a blanket in his fart cloud which he assure me smelt like roses.
Mom and me in Plymouth. My mommie is so pretty. And she would be glad to know that while this was her first trip out east, I totally agree with her that she is from New England.

I love my family and miss them lots.

The Maui Misadventures Revealed

2006-11-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

Enjoy this video best-friend-Holly took during one of our Maui misadventures last year in Hawaii. I was inspired by my parents recent foray into the blogworld giving pertinent information about their condo. For more information on Hawaiian Misadventures see: http://hollytopfive.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_hollytopfive_archive.html

Baptism of a Foodie

2006-11-21T21:08:00.000-08:00

I have been sanctified & bathed in the 'holy water' of artisan cheeses and fine foreign wines. A few days ago I got a little mis-directed coming home from Newton, Mass and came upon a cheese and speciality grocery store four blocks from my house. I knew right away that I had to take my mother there once she was in town. Well, Mother and I were on our way to buy some thanksgiving dinner items from Trader Joe's when I suggested we stop over for a little morsel of cheese from this random cheese shop. One should know that this little stop became a 2 hour voyage into the recesses of cheesedom and back again. Mom and I drank deep with delight as we meandered among intoxicating ripening aromas. We sampled expensive wines paired with olives and goat/cow/sheep cheeses - we were told by an excentric middle-aged connesuire of all things formaggio that the wine and cheese-cows were raised on the same earth, making them partners from their conception... seriously!? With or without the kookie wine taster we raised our glass high to a particular pairing of a semi-soft french cheese with a chardonnay from the hills of Champagne that turned sweet on our palates. Little to say, for all of you who love cheese and love me (equally or with partiality) you MUST come to Cambridge and be swept up into the fray of Formaggio Kitchen (http://formaggio-kitchen.com/index.php). Happy cows may come from California, but happy cheese comes from Cambridge, Mass.

This day I lived out the most wise words of my father: If it's free, take two.

Erin.

Twisted Old Eucalyptus

2006-11-10T21:05:00.000-08:00

Everyone, do yourselves a great favor and sample to buy the newest album Reprieve by the righteous babe herself: Ani DiFranco. I am particularly sad tonight because I missed her show in Boston this evening. However, I have her lyrics to keep me warm. She says things about humans, their lives and their rights. There are few singer/songwriters who speak with as much honesty as Ms. DiFranco. I think it behooves us to listen. She is poetic and beautiful and strong and pregnant... but more than anything she is real. Here is a taste of why I love her:

This is the cover of Reprieve. It is an artistic rendering of the picture below. This tree is special because it was photographed in Nagasaki days after the atomic bombing. To the photographer (Yamahata) and the many other viewers since 1945 the half-dead tree is symbolic for resilience and hope.

I have measured and found her wanting for nothing,
Erin

A Musical Recantation

2006-11-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

In the last four years I would like to think that I have become a connoisseur of tasty music. Music is a tricky thing - it mingles the best and worst that pop culture has to offer. For instance, best = lyrical genius of Over the Rhine/Joni Mitchell, melodious stylings of Jason Mraz and prophetic kick-ass rock of U2, worst = most of Stacy Ferguson's solo jams, mind-numbing slam metal, and the production, consumption and representation of anything remotely connected to Popozao.

I love being a part of the musical elite. I think this is because I spent most of my young life being musically illiterate - I once traded by oh-so-hip-sister a Beatles album for a Debbie Gibson tape... ouch. It wasn't until late high school with the charisma of Bono and slurred jams of DMB that I awoke. Then it took years of listening and gentle guidance to become an elitist. Still, many years later I continue to owe most of my iTunes library to the great gifting of those music snobs, who taught my heart to palpitate upon the utterance of the phrase 'So, have you heard ____?' To keep up my musical education I even subscribe the to very witty and increasingly racy music magazine Blender. (Word to the Wise: do not, I repeat, DO NOT have your shady magazines forwarded to your husband's honest lovely innocent agrarian parent's home in California (see cover of Ms. Aguilera)... shame only scratches the surface of my experience when receiving this issue in Massachusetts with my father-in-law's handwritten address correction).

All that to say that today I must retract all previous claims to musical superiority.I am a fake, a fraud, a disgrace - I broke the cardinal rule of music connoisseurs - I self-reflected. And now all that is left is a shell of a previous musical elitist. I have realized the great folly at my assumptions to know better than the general listener. I have fallen, like many, into a common trap of the musically conscious: I have come to assume that things that are mass produced have been tainted by "the man", which renders them to be nothing less than an abomination to my ears. One such artist has become prey to my haughty and unconscionable preconceptions: Mr. Michael Buble. I assumed that his mommy demographic, Sinatra-wanna-be ways and bubble-sounding surname constituted a singer who's art was beneath me. Friends, I was wrong - he is a crooning delight. I wish I could pass my apologies along to Mr. Buble. My mockery of him while viewing his cameo on Brett and my favorite t.v. guilty pleasure Las Vegas lead me down a path that ended with the purchase of his Holiday Let It Snow EP. (understand that I recognize that the previous sentence was filled with many mock worthy confessions 1. I watch Las Vegas often and regularly, 2. Said NBC drama lead me to sample cameo stars' on iTunes, 3. I purchased a Holiday CD months before Christmas and intended to begin listening stat).

The Aesop message for other elitists is this: don't listen to me when I mock mainstream artists and do not fall victim of the same prejudiciary predisposition. Also, listen to Michael Buble when taking long baths, making out with boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, enjoying yuletide cheer, and sucker-punching yourself for being close minded.

I plan to begin a new chapter in my musical education. I intend to be open and gracious and picky. To honestly and earnestly assess the notes and lyrics that pass my way, taking the indie-folk-rock with the buttery-glossy-pop - without unnecessary meanness or prejudice. I will listen until my eyes bleed, this I promise.

Sorry K-Fed - you're still out,
Erin

The Blog Returns

2006-11-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

So, it's already the fall here in New England - and i'm a tool because my posting has consisted of nothing more than a lame midnight post on packing and a video flashback. But, sadly I have not much better today. A picture of us in the fall colors along the Minuteman Trail. I post this so y'all readers know that Brett and I are still alive and kickin'.
We went to Maine to see the colors and take a mini-break. It was beautiful, I highly suggest it.

That's all for now.
Will write again when I have something to say.

Erin

An Uncanny Resemblance

2006-11-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

>
for all of you who missed my childhood: just replace her brown hair with white-blonde and you have Erin circa 1988! (sorry friends, this video has become unaccesable due to copyright infringement - you will have to take my word for it, I have found my childhood voice's doppelgänger)

Just Picture My East Coast Life

2006-11-01T15:26:00.000-08:00

Note: I am not in the habit of making caveats for lack of humor, but this will NOT be funny - do not expect to laugh or cry or have experience any outlayers of the emotional bell curve. The blogging world has eaten a few of my blogs - so I now resist the urge to re-create something I have already spent time upon. However, I want you all to know the goodness of these past weeks in their pure picture form with minimal comment.

SEPTEMBER:

Apple picking in Western Mass with the DeJongs was so much fun - Cara and I even canned our own applesauce.

Brett is excited because he's about to fill the bag he's holding with 1/2 bushel of apples.

Best-friend JR and husband Cameron visited Boston. Pumpkin-Spice lattes, the Freedom Trail and best friends are more than a recipe for a good good time. We love the Jones’ & Freedom!

Went to Fenway Park with Harvard students & friend Matt DeJong! So fun! I am officially a fan of the Sox - including the Green Monster and Big Papi. I’ve been warned that if I get too close they’ll ‘break my haa’t” - I'm a little afraid.

OCTOBER:

New Harvard friends at a Cranberry Bog in Cape Cod - we love Agritourism!

We met with friend Dave in New York City where he lives and attends NYU law. We took this picture with magazines that were written in NYC or with NYC in mind. We assume that this proves that our location is New York, not let's say... Davis, CA.

I'm in a Book Club with ladies from the Boston area, organized by the great and illustrious Cara DeJong (pictured to my immediate left). It is so much fun! Last month we read The Other Boleyn Girl - - - daring and delcious. This month we're reading a memoir caled Miracle in the Andes - - - haven't read it yet, but everyone who isn't a big slacker like me is saying "omg, erin you have to read this book, it is changing my life, seriously!".... so I guess we all should read it (I haven't heard such lofty claims since Ms. Portman's review of the Shins) So, read... and read non-school literature (either assigned or themed) it's good for you and will make you more human, I promise.

Till we meet again,
Erin

2006-08-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Cambridge... and other things to talk about more.
Hi friends. Just a quick little note to say that Brett and I have arrived safely in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We have some sweet digs and are spending all the time I should be spending writing my thesis organizing the house. We are thrilled to be in this place of elitist learning, opinionated sales-people, east-coast sarcasm, and real honest-to-god seasons. We do not have internet or a land line or good t.v. reception - but that's okay because I've always wanted to live in the 1900's. Anyways, we are missing all our California friends and family. More on all of this later - for now I have to leave my current post (sitting in front of a closed cafe/local grocery that has free wireless) and return home to unpack salad tongs into a drawer.

Love Love Love from the Eastside.

2006-08-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

Beware of flying babies and magical wands...

This is a little note sharing a bit of my spiritual experience in Oxford - land of over-educated Brits, high-walled gardens and inspiration. With Brett and I preparing to move to Cambridge, MA I am taking a moment to marvel at another city making home to an institution of elitist learning. C.S. Lewis and Lewis Carroll may turn in their graves at the notion that my favorite part of their shire of goodness was neither the second Lewis' luscious college gardens nor the first Lewis' old pint shop (the Bird and the Baby also called the Eagle and Child -
disturbing cameo on the placard outside the pub showing a Baby flying away with a large bird - like in some act of benevolence this beast of nature picked up the baby from it's slumber with its ginormous talons - seriously?!). This place - this place of bestial babycide - was not my absolute favorite. For some of you this may not be any surprise, because you do not know that I believe that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are two of the finest literary minds of all time. For others this might come as a suprise - knowing my deep and undying love from Lewis' wordsmithing non-fiction and Tolkien's hero development. This place of so much literary history and inspiration might have been the "it" place for me in Oxford, but alas it was not.

The highlight came when, after turning a corner into the New College cloisters (by the way American needs to get on the cloister train - they are wicked cool and soothingly serene little courtyards - i want one), I entered a realm of enchanted creatures, wands and children. While not impressive to some people, walking straight into a set from the Harry Potter films was a bit more than magical for me. Here below is a picture of me under a tree where .... well watch Movie 3 and find out for yourself. (actually this tree is featured in Movie 4 (thanks Hols), but watch both movies and be doubly pleased) I am giddy and happy in this picture. A friend of mine says it looks like I'm trying to hijack some nice kid's senior picture, but really it's just my dorky self full of the excitement that only the close proximity to anything truly Potter-esc brings. (My Religious Study Prof from college said that adding 'esc' to the end of words makes anyone sound smarter... so true L.D., so true)

Do not judge me on this account - I love Harry Potter to a degree that is almost laughable ... and I'm comfortable with it. Also, I want to document a moment in time when I was genuinely pleased to be in the place where I stood, because this is currently not the case. I am so tired of being not home. Brett and I have been mostly homeless and in moving limbo for almost 2 months now. The closer we are getting to moving the more anxious and sad I am becoming. I do not like living out of a suitcase - neither the part where I can't find that specific tank-top I want in the piles of uck nor the symbolic representation of having no where to put my shtuff. Though, I must remember that while it sucks right now it will all be over in a week, people suffer much more than me (not finding the right piece of apparel doesn't hold a candle to, let's say mass poverty, the effects of global economy on Indian basket-weavers, or the AIDS crisis), and it is okay that I am sad about moving and being without a space. Space is important - though the over-usage of "space" as a metaphysical concept can be quite irritating, I being a major perpetrator here. So, in the literal sense I will be coming into a fine 800 approximate square feet of Cambridge space in one week (Aug. 12), hopefully some metaphysical space is included in the absurdly high rent.

However, I am being a huge downer - so I will lighten our mood here with something that might become a mainstay of Avoiding the Inevitable- quotes from Jason Mraz's own blog/journal. Not only do his words bounce off the walls like ping-pong balls on glass jars at a county fair, but they are my favorite way to avoid whatever inevitable activity is waiting at my door (like my thesis at the present). So, while I am so melancholy I will entice us with little J-raz, as he discusses his euphoria (circa May 2006). Enjoy his toolishness - and feel at liberty to say at any point and often, "seriously Jason? seriously?!?":

I’ve been feeling so thumbs up lately. Actually, the last 58 days in a row have been the best my life has seen. Not one dull moment. For almost two months I have experienced pure joy. Like some wise Yogi came up and pressed my forehead and opened my third eye. My consciousness is expanding, said one of my teachers. Not a day goes by from now that I don’t wake up and do a soft shoe across my floor, dancing to a song in my heart, wearing nothing but a smile...

Can freshness &/or wearing Euro-shorts be considered a crime?
Apparently the self-proclaimed wizard of oohs and ahhs and falalas doesn't think so....
Your thoughts.

2006-08-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Too many people blog. It’s almost infuriating the amount of blogging that goes on these days - from mySpace tweenies and trekkies to B-list rock stars and presidential candidates! In the world of competing voices why should you listen to me?!? I know I like the sound of my own voice, but... So, blogging is becoming our new national pass-time. Actually, I think the word 'blog' was once the national word of the year - if there is such a thing, I think there is; and 'podcast' was this year's word (if I am not mistaken). The damn internet and making up words. My husband and best friend are always telling me that I make up too many words - mainly making verbs out of nouns. But, if the internet has no problem with it, neither do I. But, I digress - blogs. While there are so many blogs out there that my eyes bleed and my retinas burn at the sight of them, I have decided to join their ranks with an obligatory blogging apology note (as many bloggers begin). Perhaps the blog apology is suggested of beginning bloggers - albeit required by those snooty self-aware falsely modest folk who scoff at the production of words merely for self-publicity. So, I will not apologize, for I have never been ashamed of self-publicity and I am always interested in what people say about/for themselves. So, maybe this is a study is self-awareness and publication or just the modest musings of someone who will be missing her friends who are far away and needs messages in binary code to connect to them... either way I embark on a new literary quest. I make no promises here, nor do I make any apologies. Love and Lit for all!

{{ avoiding the inevitable }}