Duly Noted

I had my very first dream about blogging last night. I think my classroom planning is catching up on me. Basically, I dreamed I should include a consistent post on "The ten best...." or "Top Ten things..." So...loyal to my dream, I will give this idea a whirl: My Apartment Top Ten: 1. the huge console record player 2. the nice light in the living and dining rooms 3. the window in the shower 4. my mint green typewriter (types in cursive, amazing) 5. an Ormond Gigli fashion framed poster I found at Savers 6. my humble but ever-inspiring cookbook collection 7. a third generation couch that is retro AND unexpectedly comfy 8. the back porch (perfect for summer suppers and breakfast) 9. the old farm sink 10. a funky hand-made lamp shade

I mentioned in my boyfriend-away event run-down that I finished a half marathon with the help of some of the women from Women's Running Collective. It's too bad the number on my friend on the left isn't showing in this picture. Somehow, this crazy girl got "69." I mean, really, how did she manage that??? We asked her if she requested it, but she claimed that she hadn't. Incredible. To update ya'll, the WRC is going strong! We've been doing great at monthly run/brunch, but our weekly night runs have yet to truly blossom. For example, last Thursday, I was the only one on time. Returning my solo run, I realized that my cell had a missed call from a couple stragglers...Soooo, we enjoyed a refreshing post-run DQ. Hey, if you can't run with em', you might as well enjoy the benefits of some major calories someone burned, right?! Still, the WRC has encouraged some small group running on a spontaneous basis. In fact, that brings me to describe ...

I mentioned in my boyfriend-away event run-down that I finished a half marathon with the help of some of the women from Women's Running Collective. It's too bad the number on my friend on the left isn't showing in this picture. Somehow, this crazy girl got "69." I mean, really, how did she manage that??? We asked her if she requested it, but she claimed that she hadn't. Incredible. To update ya'll, the WRC is going strong! We've been doing great at monthly run/brunch, but our weekly night runs have yet to truly blossom. For example, last Thursday, I was the only one on time. Returning my solo run, I realized that my cell had a missed call from a couple stragglers...Soooo, we enjoyed a refreshing post-run DQ. Hey, if you can't run with em', you might as well enjoy the benefits of some major calories someone burned, right?! Still, the WRC has encouraged some small group running on a spontaneous basis. In fact, that brings me to describe ...

To meeee! My first homemade cake! Ever! Mollie Katzen's Mexican Mocha Chocolate Cake in Vegetable Heaven . Hopefully, the taste will live up to its cuteness. I'll find out soon!!!

Two black dress finds. I am serious when I say the best time to shop for something is when you are not looking for it. Truth. I adore this black lace cocktail dress! For weddings and fancy dates. This plain black dress with the bolero is Calvin Klein (50$). I imagine dinner parties on summer nights, Jackie O look-alike contests, and practical conferences/impractical days in the classroom.

For the last 20ish days, Mike has been traveling the west with Orange Mighty Trio . As professional musicians, touring is incredibly important because, as I understand it, there is no better way to get your name out there, grow a fan base, and make a few dollars while you're at it. Touring goodbyes have always been tough for me. A committed adventurer of sorts, the lifestyle of the touring musician has generous appeal: new places, new people, fresh perspectives. Yet, at this point in my life, I've needed to stay home. Over the last couple years, I've realized that, if we are going to last, I would need to make peace with the idea that Mike will continue to tour and travel for as long as he can! I can deal with that reality if I discover and create passion in my own work, projects, and daily toodling. As Mike returns home with a list of wild stories and inspiration, I can also look back on the last weeks and offer some of my own: -Canoeing seventeen miles down the St. ...

For the last 20ish days, Mike has been traveling the west with Orange Mighty Trio . As professional musicians, touring is incredibly important because, as I understand it, there is no better way to get your name out there, grow a fan base, and make a few dollars while you're at it. Touring goodbyes have always been tough for me. A committed adventurer of sorts, the lifestyle of the touring musician has generous appeal: new places, new people, fresh perspectives. Yet, at this point in my life, I've needed to stay home. Over the last couple years, I've realized that, if we are going to last, I would need to make peace with the idea that Mike will continue to tour and travel for as long as he can! I can deal with that reality if I discover and create passion in my own work, projects, and daily toodling. As Mike returns home with a list of wild stories and inspiration, I can also look back on the last weeks and offer some of my own: -Canoeing seventeen miles down the St. ...

For better or worse, in recent months, there's been a familial infestation of relocation. (Sounds like an epidemic, doesn't it? Clearly, my current read, Tracey Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains , an account of the internationally renowned doctor, Paul Farmer, has had some bearing on me...linguistically if not career-wise.) But, alas, it is true; underlying individual motivation aside, the challenge of reestablishing roots is nearly habitual in our tribe. It seems only proper, then, that my mother put aside my Grandma Jean's yellow suitcase set as she cleaned out the fortress of stuff (many treasures, I'll admit) lodged in my mom's childhood home in Pennsylvania. Knowingly, my mom thought I'd appreciate the suitcases (the train case in particular) as I've always been fond of "playing olden days" (a phrase coined by my sister and I as young girls). In transit from my parents' new home in Cleveland, my boyfriend toted the set across t...