Absquatulate

I *still* have this dream

Local!

Local!, originally uploaded by absquatulate.

I went out for a walk to the local cafe/store and onwards around the bend. I decided to head by the local sugar shack that I'd seen the sign for, but had never seen it in use. Well today there were dozens of people out and about, steam pouring out of the slat walls, and a few friendly folks waved me over when I slowed to take a look.

They had a dozen or so people crammed into the shack. In the middle was a boiler boiling away and D.M. greeted me with a warm smile. I got a full session about how maple syrup is made, a taste of fresh sap from the tree, a physics lesson on specific gravity, and a tour of the boiler and how the maple syrup is made. He then gave me a sip of hot, fresh maple syrup. BLISS.

I walked the mile or so home and gave this sip to Steve. Ten minutes later we were headed back up to the shack. We spent 45 minutes there, sang songs, pet dogs, chatted with folks from NH and neighbors we never knew we had, and bought a quart of hot maple syrup. We were offered dinner, we were offered beer, we sang with a family member who brought his guitar and watched the water vapor swirl into the lights at the sun set. We walked home along a dark road with the stars in the trees with warm maple syrup keeping our hands warm and a little cup of the golden stuff fortifying us until we got home. The carbon footprint of this syrup is probably just about 0, if you're willing to forgive the fire for the boiler.

Maybe tomorrow I'll drop off a pint of pickles for them...

It is Friday.

And because it is Friday you deserve much Awesomeness. How much? This much:

La Dolce Vita has a color

And it is orange:

TIred of just talking about it

I figured that if I started a list about places I want to visit before I aspirate on pureed peaches and kick the bucket then maybe I'd have a better shot at actually DOING it.

I need to travel. Very soon. Places I'd like to visit include, but are not limited to:

• Iceland
• The Azores
• Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Germany/Austria on a Kris Heritage Tour
• New Zealand
• Banff
• London
• Japan, preferably in a small city or the countryside
• New Orleans
• The Grand Canyon
• Austrailia (because they have the weirdest fauna!)
• Prague

What are your top destinations?

Start blog... ????... PROFIT!

Apparently a colleague of mine told some coworkers that she felt there was alot of money to be made in blogging. How apropos that the Fake Steve Jobs should write a short article that illustrates just how late she is to the party. About 8 years too late. Just ask Dooce, which is one of the only wildly profitable blogs I know of.

Heywood Wakefield

Occasionally a little piece of my heart breaks when I think about the brownstone my grandparents used to live in that was filled with Heywood Wakefield furniture. Some of it resides with my parents now, some of it has been lost or so severely damaged that restoring it would be painstaking. But I can't help but get GIDDY at the thought of actually owning some like this record cabinet. Mom, Dad, if you EVER think about getting rid of the stuff, PLEASE ask me first!

Saturday night

This is for Naava (and everyone else of course, but this made me think particularly of her). Thanks MCM!

Nine to Five

I've decided to not feel guilty for coming home after being ON and productive 10 hours a day and to take an hour or three and be OFF. Dinner, Mad Men, and a kitten isn't so horrible a failure as a productive member of society.

And by the by, for a main character Don Draper doesn't say much. Interesting isn't it?

Also, I am SO happy to live when I do.

Jill Sobule's Heir?

She's great. Take a listen. Covet her eyewear.