I did it! I made apple pies from my grampa's receipe! They were part of the refreshments served at my church's fundraiser last night. I was so worried about them turning out all right.
Well, everybody who had a piece *loved* the pies! It is such a relief! And I had a piece - it tasted pretty much like I remember his pies.
I just had to put it out there: I can make pies that taste just like my Boppa's did! (Now I just have to perfect rolling out the pie crust a little thinner so I can get 4 pies out of a batch instead of 2 and 1/2!)
Best wishes,
Me :-)
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Thursday, October 13, 2005
I confessed...
Ooo - that sounds intriguing, doesn't it? But it's not really a biggie. I confessed to my mom (who arrives today for a weekend stay) that I bought a laptop. My rationalization? If I start taking more classes, I'm going to need it - and it was only $800 for a refreshed model (for you uninitiated - a refreshed model means it was used in the store for demo only, refurbished is one that was owned by someone else).
So, yes, mom arrives today. My apartment? A mess (as usual). My nerves? Shot. (If your mom was coming and your place was a mess and you had to be at work all day instead of home cleaning like you should have - how would you be?
And I'm still trying to think of a "new" story for the NaNoWriMo contest (50K words in 30 days). I didn't realize I couldn't keep working on the same story! As Charlie Brown would say - AUGH! (Oh, NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month). And my story from last year is
The Color of Darkness. Which, yess, is a different blog completely - but that was before I realized that I could have more than one blog per username. And the name? Gracy Emerson? My "nom de plume" (of course). This year's novel (which, of course, I haven't started yet - that would be cheating!) has the oh-so-imaginative (note the sarcasm) title of "My New Novel". Can you tell I've got a plot all figured out? (Please tell me you get the sarcasm in that last statement!)
Oh, well, back to work!
All the best,
Me :-)
So, yes, mom arrives today. My apartment? A mess (as usual). My nerves? Shot. (If your mom was coming and your place was a mess and you had to be at work all day instead of home cleaning like you should have - how would you be?
And I'm still trying to think of a "new" story for the NaNoWriMo contest (50K words in 30 days). I didn't realize I couldn't keep working on the same story! As Charlie Brown would say - AUGH! (Oh, NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month). And my story from last year is
The Color of Darkness. Which, yess, is a different blog completely - but that was before I realized that I could have more than one blog per username. And the name? Gracy Emerson? My "nom de plume" (of course). This year's novel (which, of course, I haven't started yet - that would be cheating!) has the oh-so-imaginative (note the sarcasm) title of "My New Novel". Can you tell I've got a plot all figured out? (Please tell me you get the sarcasm in that last statement!)
Oh, well, back to work!
All the best,
Me :-)
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Rainy Days
Well, here it is, the beginning of another work week (I'd say Monday, but we had off for Columbus Day) and my car won't start *again*!
By now I have AAA Roadside on speed dial on my cell. I'm waiting for the day when I can call them by name before they say it.
I'm wondering if it's Mirak's work - they're the Chevy dealer in town - or if it's just that my car is a little over 7 years old. But she's only got about 37K miles on her, so it's hard to tell.
Part of me worries it's all this rush hour driving. But I *love* being able to practice my singing again! I mean, with a voice as big as mine, I can't go singing out around my apartment - there just isn't enough sound-proofing for me to do that.
Maybe I should work something out with church that I can go and practice. But I don't know if that would take away too much from outside groups using the space.
And it's sooo much easier to get to rehearsals and pick up stuff for shows on the way.
I just worry that it's too much wear-and-tear on Gracie. (My car - Gracie Aileen - named for my maternal grandmother. She passed away a little before I got my car, and I wanted a good name for the car so I'd remember to be a good driver.)
So, here I am, a home (for once I'm not on the shoulder of the road or in a pharmacy parking lot). I *need* to be at work! We've got a grant report and a grant application to get out before the beginning of December. (Yes, this may sound like a lot of time, but when your work has to be approved by the dean and be double-checked by the Sponsored Research Office, well, let's just say we need to get this done ASAP!)
And we have a brush-up rehearsal tonight. (Never knew those in Syracuse, but I'm sure they're probably doing those nowadays.) And tomorrow night I *have* to finish cleaning up my apartment - my mom is coming on Thursday and she's going to see the show on Friday.
Oh, my show - I'm in "Wit" (or "w;t" according to the *official* spelling on the script). I'm one of the lab tech/med student/undergrad/Code team/stage crew roles. The hardest thing about that part is remembering your blocking! (And for me, at least, trying to keep the sweat in check - stupid thyroid!)
If you get a chance to see or be in "Wit" - DO IT! It is a *fantastic* show that, when done right, is a 'tour de force' for the actress playing Vivian (the lead), and really moving for everyone involved. Our show is being directed by Celia Couture - she is AWESOME! (If you're in the Boston area and have a chance to be directed by her - well, again, DO IT! By far one of the top directors around!)
Well, I'm going to see if AAA or the towing company is calling. Maybe I'll get to work before noon today?
And I'll try to keep this up to date - I realized I hadn't really written since my grandfather's funeral. (Which we actually called a "Celebration of Life" - a much better way to think of it, don't you agree?)
Best regards,
Me :-)
By now I have AAA Roadside on speed dial on my cell. I'm waiting for the day when I can call them by name before they say it.
I'm wondering if it's Mirak's work - they're the Chevy dealer in town - or if it's just that my car is a little over 7 years old. But she's only got about 37K miles on her, so it's hard to tell.
Part of me worries it's all this rush hour driving. But I *love* being able to practice my singing again! I mean, with a voice as big as mine, I can't go singing out around my apartment - there just isn't enough sound-proofing for me to do that.
Maybe I should work something out with church that I can go and practice. But I don't know if that would take away too much from outside groups using the space.
And it's sooo much easier to get to rehearsals and pick up stuff for shows on the way.
I just worry that it's too much wear-and-tear on Gracie. (My car - Gracie Aileen - named for my maternal grandmother. She passed away a little before I got my car, and I wanted a good name for the car so I'd remember to be a good driver.)
So, here I am, a home (for once I'm not on the shoulder of the road or in a pharmacy parking lot). I *need* to be at work! We've got a grant report and a grant application to get out before the beginning of December. (Yes, this may sound like a lot of time, but when your work has to be approved by the dean and be double-checked by the Sponsored Research Office, well, let's just say we need to get this done ASAP!)
And we have a brush-up rehearsal tonight. (Never knew those in Syracuse, but I'm sure they're probably doing those nowadays.) And tomorrow night I *have* to finish cleaning up my apartment - my mom is coming on Thursday and she's going to see the show on Friday.
Oh, my show - I'm in "Wit" (or "w;t" according to the *official* spelling on the script). I'm one of the lab tech/med student/undergrad/Code team/stage crew roles. The hardest thing about that part is remembering your blocking! (And for me, at least, trying to keep the sweat in check - stupid thyroid!)
If you get a chance to see or be in "Wit" - DO IT! It is a *fantastic* show that, when done right, is a 'tour de force' for the actress playing Vivian (the lead), and really moving for everyone involved. Our show is being directed by Celia Couture - she is AWESOME! (If you're in the Boston area and have a chance to be directed by her - well, again, DO IT! By far one of the top directors around!)
Well, I'm going to see if AAA or the towing company is calling. Maybe I'll get to work before noon today?
And I'll try to keep this up to date - I realized I hadn't really written since my grandfather's funeral. (Which we actually called a "Celebration of Life" - a much better way to think of it, don't you agree?)
Best regards,
Me :-)
Thursday, July 07, 2005
My Boppa
And that's not as in "The Big Bopper," btw. That's the name my sister and I had for our maternal grandfather. (If I think back enough, I can almost still hear me say "God bless Boppa and Gamma" in my childhood prayers.) It seemed like he would go on forever, even with Parkinson's. I mean, he didn't have any of the tremors you usually think of - just stiffness. So he would occassionally go in to the hospital for suctioning or something that seemed relatively routine.
And Mom had taken to calling me when she was visiting him - not just our usual Sunday afternoon call. (He had trouble speaking, but he could still send smooches!) But when my cell phone rang on Sunday morning with my Mom's special ring tone ("Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda" sung by Alan Sherman - always makes me smile), I knew something was wrong. You see, normally I would've been in church, but I hadn't gone because my sinus infection had started acting up again (just when you think you're safe from colds...). So at 10:15 on a beautiful July Sunday morning I found out that my Boppa was gone. And I'm still dealing with it (OK, yes, it happened on July 3 - so of course).
The thing is, I usually write a poem for the funeral. Sometimes it deals with my memories, and sometimes it's written as a 'message' from the person who passed away. (No claims of ESP or anything, this is just purely my own imagination at work combined with shared favorite moments.) But I'm having trouble this time. And the funeral is on Monday (July 10). So I just felt I had to get out my concerns here. Maybe it'll help. I'll be sure to try and get an update in later. Thanks!
And Mom had taken to calling me when she was visiting him - not just our usual Sunday afternoon call. (He had trouble speaking, but he could still send smooches!) But when my cell phone rang on Sunday morning with my Mom's special ring tone ("Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda" sung by Alan Sherman - always makes me smile), I knew something was wrong. You see, normally I would've been in church, but I hadn't gone because my sinus infection had started acting up again (just when you think you're safe from colds...). So at 10:15 on a beautiful July Sunday morning I found out that my Boppa was gone. And I'm still dealing with it (OK, yes, it happened on July 3 - so of course).
The thing is, I usually write a poem for the funeral. Sometimes it deals with my memories, and sometimes it's written as a 'message' from the person who passed away. (No claims of ESP or anything, this is just purely my own imagination at work combined with shared favorite moments.) But I'm having trouble this time. And the funeral is on Monday (July 10). So I just felt I had to get out my concerns here. Maybe it'll help. I'll be sure to try and get an update in later. Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)