Race to Dakar

Very sad to learn today that Charley Boorman has dropped out of the 6th stage of the Paris-to-Dakar Rally (which for some reason is the Lisbon-to-Dakar Rally this year). You can check out Charley's progress, or lack thereof, at Race to Dakar.

Personally, I'd like to see Lance Armstrong try his hand at this. Tour de France, Scmoor de France.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, MadLibs by iPod

Love don't live here anymore
Love don't love you
Love is here and now you're gone
Love is here to stay
Love is in the air
Love takes time

You're nobody till somebody loves you
You're okay
You're too good to be true
You've got to hide your love away
You always hurt the one you love
You can't always get what you want
You can't hurry love
You keep me hangin' on
You made me love you
You make lovin fun
You make me feel so young
You may be right
You only live twice

I'll be there
I'll fly away
I'll remember
I'll see you in my dreams
I'll tumble 4 ya
I'm forever blowing bubbles
I'm gonna make you love me
I'm in love again
I'm not here
I'm not waiting
I'm thru with love
I've got my love to keep me warm
I've got the world on a string
I've got you under my skin
I've heard that song before
I can't be with you
I can't get next to you
I could love a million girls
I could write a book
I get a kick out of you
I hear a symphony
I just called to say I love you
I just want to be your everything
I know where its at
I like it like that
I melt with you
I move on
I say a little prayer
I still haven't found what I'm looking for
I try
I want a new drug
I want it all
If I had $100000000
If I had you
If I were you
If it makes you happy
If you could read my mind
If you love someone set them free

Chicken Salad

So, I order chicken salad.

What does that mean to you?

To me it means shredded up chicken bits mixed up with mayonnaise, possibly some salt, a little pepper and (if you're lucky) grapes and/or raisins.

Apparently, to the person behind the sandwich counter at Cucina, "chicken salad" means a chicken caesar wrap sandwich.

Of course, much like the time I was at Taco Bell and ended up with a "carne asada" gordita instead of a far superior "beef" gordita, it meant not opening up the wrapped up package until I was back at my desk.

Sometimes there is little pleasure in life.

Today it was supposed to be in the form of chicken salad.

I think I'll take dinner into my own hands.

The Smallest Bathroom in Middlesex County

So this was the bathroom
before we moved in.




This is the bathroom now.













Needless to say "work in progress" is an apt phrase. We got one quote for $41,125 to remodel. Geesh, for that kind of money you could buy a Porsche. Sure, it would be a small Porsche, but the bathroom isn't much bigger than a Porsche.

So far we've ordered:

Clawfoot Tub:
61", #811 with white feet

Faucets and Fixtures:

Leighton 27" Pedestal Sink, Fairfax Faucet, brushed chrome (hoping this matches the "vibrant brushed nickel", see below).

Rialto Toilet (a running joke, no pun intended... this is apparently billed as "the smallest toilet on the market" yet everyone but us seems to hate it)

And, for the tub, and approximately as much as the tub (okay, more than the tub as the husband keeps reminding me)....Finial Bath Faucet with handshower and metal lever handles in "vibrant brushed nickel"

"Vibrant brushed nickel" is just another way to say 30% more for no good reason other than you'll pay it. I'd take "dull, impersonal brushed nickel", if I could get it for 10% less, do you have that?

By the way, those attractive delft sea creature tiles shown in picture #1 above will be available for purchase on Ebay. Didn't have a chance to buy a piece of the Berlin Wall when communism fell? At least you can have a piece of our bathroom.

410e9th

So finally, we've had a new entry into the blogosphere. http://www.410e9th.blogspot.com I have very high expectations.

Miami

So, we went to Miami.

Took 1 valium at 2am night before flight, woke up at 4:45am to get to the airport. Arrive at airport at 6:15-- flight's at 7am. Forgot my ipod. Need the ipod to drown out frightening mechanical sounds of engines, etc. Get McDonald's, board the flight. Step on the plane and it smelled funny, was hot and children were screaming-- it was like a zoo. I said to myself, this is bad, very, very bad.

Get to our seats-- 18 E, F-- I'm in a window. I need the aisle. 18 is too far back in the plane, the seats were like the width of seats you'd sit in in elementary school. The seat in front of me was right in your face. I pack myself in to the seat with my bag, husband's bag, etc. Start to eat McDonalds-- take 2 more valium.

Did I mention it was hot? It was like Dante's inferno in there. For whatever reason I'm like a woman in menopause--- if the body temperature gets out of wack bad things happen. I strip off my jacket, scarf, cardigan. The place was dimly lit, there were the aforementioned screaming children, all it needed was chickens and goats to start walking up and down the aisle. It wasn't a 737-300, it was an decomissioned school bus you'd expect to be driven through the Andes in. Then the pilot announces that we'll be waiting at the gate for a few minutes because of a "maintenance" problem. He doesn't say they need to refuel, that they're moving bags or that they're refilling the peanuts and snacks. No, "maintenance". This coupled with the heat, humidity and screaming children made me say-- I'm getting OFF.

Yes, I got off the plane-- I'm crying hysterically and I gather my stuff and get off. Yes, I was that person causing a scene getting off of the airplane. Husband stays on the plane and I get off. I call my parents. Am told not to drive anywhere because of the 3 valium in the system-- sound advice, especially since I'm not driving a Pinto that's paid off.

Husband calls on the other line-- the fuel pump on the plane is broken, they are going to do a change of equipment. A-HA! Vindication! Fuel pump--- that's big, that's an issue, that's a "this thing is going down" kind of maintenance problem! Finally, they changed planes and Robert got on the new plane.

SO. I decided to suck it up and board-- I figured what are the odds of two crash worthy maintenance problems happening to the same group of passengers?? I make the gate agent promise that the plane won't crash. In the event it does, perhaps this, even being hearsay might be a great claim for liability. I miraculously got a seat at a window, but in an exit row so there was no seat in front of me. By the time we taxied the valium had started to take effect.

Then-- I decided this was a perfect time to knit. I'm making a baby hat which involves adding a color occasionally (it will be a strawberry when it's finished). So here I am on the valium and I'm trying to knit. So of course I read the pattern wrong and have to rip out 2 rows of work. Fine, except I'm using circular needles and this fricking really thin yarn, so I rip out the stitches but then some of them drop out-- which means now I'm trying to re-thread this yarn on to my circular needle and I have to actually pick up dropped stitches with a super thin little sewing needle. I'm going blind as it is and here I am valium-ed up and trying to do this-- it was truly idiotic.

Flight back, not much better, got in to a fight with the Continental gate agent about seats. But now I am ready to book a trip to Italy!

The London Underground Map

Reminiscing over the advent of the London Underground Map-- hailed as a modern marvel of graphic design and inspiration for subway maps the world over-- London Transports' Assistant Secretary and Works Officer, Paul E. Garbutt, unwittingly summed up the English mind:

"Christmas, I think Christmas 1963, I thought, 'I'd run out of crossword puzzles so I'll try and redesign the map...'"