tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198056322024-03-12T23:55:14.894-05:00Grandipants.comShe's pint-sized and amazing.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.comBlogger720125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-32942991802496614302017-12-16T05:24:00.001-06:002017-12-16T05:24:55.864-06:00Wish granted.For almost two years, I wished on every birthday candle, every backwards necklace, every eyelash for this moment. Not just for me, but for him. This guy who tirelessly carried all of my overweight emotional baggage across the ocean, brought home a Mamaroo in the front basket of his bicycle, cleaned up all the cat poop, made almost every meal and washed nearly every dish. <div>
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As I carried this new person - he carried me. For nine months I held my breath waiting and hoping for this moment. <div>
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You were meant to be a dad just like Peyton Manning was meant to be a Colt, just like Blink 182 was meant to be your soundtrack, just like tins were meant to be full of Christmas cookies, just like we were meant to be.</div>
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I'm going to have thousands upon thousands of favorite pictures of the two of you but none will ever top this first one. It will always remind me of how you watched her be born and fell instantly, madly in love and, from that first second, the feeling was mutual. It will remind me of the first two weeks which sometimes felt like two seconds, and sometimes felt like two years. How you held us both while we cried and cried. How you kept us fed and made sure we both slept. How you sometimes just looked at her and said, "I have a daughter." </div>
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Thank you for everything. For letting me eavesdrop on your private diaper changing conversations. For going out and getting us our first Christmas tree. For holding her in the bath because I'm too nervous that I'll drop her. For already being the most amazing Dad this little girl could possibly dream of having. We both love you so much.</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-61598895384287481202017-03-11T20:29:00.001-06:002017-03-22T10:46:48.050-05:00Scent of a womanI have really been struggling with buying tampons recently.<br />
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I have been buying tampons for almost twenty years now, so you would think this wouldn't really be an issue. And I'm a pretty brand loyal girl. The Tampex with the flushable applicators has been my go-to since I was old enough to need a go-to.<br />
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Recently though, they either got rid of the ones with the flushable applicators, or they hid them or something because I walk into Walgreens and I am flummoxed. I find myself standing there, looking for these boxes that I've been self-consciously carrying to the checkout line for over half my life. And they aren't there. The ones I want, my tampons, aren't there. Sometimes they have a store brand version that is almost what I want, but like I said, I am a snob when it comes to tampons (#firstworldperks).<br />
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So I stand there and I come to the conclusion that the ones I want aren't there. Then, for some reason, picking the runner up to settle for is impossible. They're aggressively adorably packaged or they're too complicated, or they seem irrationally expensive. All the options blur together and then I realize that it has been five minutes. At this point, two or three women may have come by, picked up their box and left. While I have never seen a side-eye, I have felt them walking away thinking, "Seriously? Are you new?" And after all that I finally get to a point in the mindlessly staring at boxes and just pick one up and pay for it.<br />
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Which is how I have ended up with scented tampons twice in the past six months.<br />
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The fact that scented tampons even exist is proof positive that the tampon companies are run by men. At a time when you are already feeling bloated and hungry and generally gross, to also feel like you smell so bad, that you have to deodorize the stopper you shove inside yourself. We all know that tampons are full of terrible chemicals that are slowly leeching into our organs like so many power plants into drinking water, but to add additional chemicals all in the name of keeping the people around you from being inconvenienced by the smell of so much uterine lining? It was clearly only men around the table at that strategy meeting.<br />
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So now, I'm stuck with these tampons that smell like mall kiosk body spray, that indicate I smell unacceptable, and that remind me I can't manage to pick tampons like a grown-up.<br />
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The real problem with tampons recently is that they are a sign of failure. After what seems like a hundred years, but is really only just over one year, of trying to get pregnant, every single tampon has reminded me that I am currently unable to perform my most basic biological function. Every time I buy a box (scented or no), I let myself have this brief glimmer of hope that maybe this will be the last box for a while. But for the past thirteen months of boxes, I have used the last one and then brought home another box, like a failed math test for your parents to sign.<br />
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Compounding the annoyance and tedium of a period with a sense of sometimes just, bone crushing sadness about failing again and again at something that everyone around you seems to only ever get right. And to add being bad at buying tampons to the equation really seems to bring the hammer down on my soul.<br />
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...anyway. I'm bad at buying tampons right now.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-53663031083397155572017-02-18T16:27:00.000-06:002017-02-18T16:27:51.576-06:00On Shoulds and Truths."You should write more."<br />
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I should.<br />
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I should write about my job and how it is time to put on my big girl pants and fix the problems I can, and accept the ones I can't.<br />
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I should write about how marriage is different than I expected, but probably better than I anticipated.<br />
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I should write about the existential despair that makes it so hard to get out of bed some mornings and the cure, which might be found in not checking twitter before the sun comes up.<br />
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I should write about how time works when you find out that you're trying to read a broken clock.<br />
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The problem with writing on the internet is... it is awfully public. When you're spending most of your time processing, everything comes out like a Joyce-ian paragraph without even a single comma and it can be hard to come up with simple sentences that are easily digestible by people who might happen upon them.<br />
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So here are some things that are absolute in their truth and meaningless:<br />
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The first season of Downton Abbey feels like a warm blanket on my soul.<br />
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Making a pot of coffee is beyond my capabilities most mornings. If I can't have a cup made for me, by man or machine, I'll just go without.<br />
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Every time a teacher tells me "its easier when you smile" in a yoga class, I want to punch her (or him) directly in jaw.<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-26154361412643070672017-01-01T11:38:00.001-06:002017-01-02T10:44:34.390-06:002016 in Books<div class="m_3358069068376289114p1" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
My #hottake on 2016 - I probably wouldn't have gotten married this year if I had known it would open the seventh circle of hell. Holy smokes this year was terrible. BUT! I made it past the goal of 52 books. 56 books in 52 weeks! It was nice to escape the dumpster fire for a little while in some good (and not-as-good) reads. The bolded ones are my top recommendations. Some random thoughts below.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Thirteen Reasons Why</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Martian</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>The Invention of Wings</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Jane and the Waterloo Map</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Selfish, Shallow and Self Absorbed</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Death of Cancer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Missoula</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Orphan Train</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Life After Life</span><span class="m_3358069068376289114Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Clasp</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A God in Ruins</span><span class="m_3358069068376289114Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Emma: a Modern Retelling</span><span class="m_3358069068376289114Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Language of Flowers</span><span class="m_3358069068376289114Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Prince of Nantucket</span><span class="m_3358069068376289114Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Men Explain Things to Me</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Crown</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A Study in Charlotte</span><span class="m_3358069068376289114Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Eligible</span><span class="m_3358069068376289114Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Everything Everything</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">All the Single Ladies</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">If I was Your Girl</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Girl Who Fell from the Sky</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>The Thing About Jellyfish</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Rosemary The Hidden Kennedy Daughter</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Belzhar</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Asking for It</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Breath Becomes Air</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Why Not Me?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit</span><span class="m_3358069068376289114Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Being Mortal</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">* A Short History of Nearly Everything</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Morning Star</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Let's Pretend this Never Happened</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Boys in the Boat</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sharp Objects</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Smarter Faster Better</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dark Places</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The End of the Perfect 10</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Dear Mr. You</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pre-Suasion</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Vassa in the Night</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Girls</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Luckiest Girl Alive</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Hike</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">A Life in Men</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">In the Garden of Beasts</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ghostly Echoes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Love Warrior</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hag-Seed</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">In the Heart of the Sea</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">An Ember in the Ashes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">November's Fury: The Deadly Great Lakes Hurricane of 1913</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Crazy Rich Asians</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I'm Thinking of Ending Things</span></div>
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Crazy Rich Asians is a perfect beach read. Hag-Seed made me fall in love with words (again). The Hike and In the Heart of the Sea are the best "books for boys." Asking for It and Men Explain Things to Me will make you angry. Breath Becomes Air and Being Mortal will make you sad. Dear Mr. You will give you every emotion ever. If I had to pick a worst book, its probably The Prince of Nantucket. Triumphs in young adult literature include The Thing About Jellyfish and <span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12.8px;">Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit. I'm Thinking of Ending Things was an appropriately titled book for last book of the year.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12.8px;">Happy reading in 2017!!</span></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-32693220631144408552016-10-05T22:26:00.001-05:002016-10-05T22:26:29.511-05:00Sweet Summer '16In the past, I have made myself a glorious to-do list to stretch over Chicago's summer months. It is a constant reminder to make the most of every minute caked in sunshine.<br />
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This year, I'm making my list at the end of the summer. Rather than using it to get excited, I'm going to use it as a reference - to warm me up over my months of hibernation.<br />
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This summer was all the things.<br />
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It was Saturday after Saturday of endless rounds of cocktails and laughter stretched across the patios of Chicago with my urban-family-who-is-family. One Saturday Boyfriend got so drunk he bought a cake that looked like a cheeseburger.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">It was the fourth year running the Kuma's 5K with bonus hand-holding across the finish line with my sweet Panda who ran all the way from Hot-lanta. I couldn't have struggled through that nightmare hangover without her twice-as-long legs beside me.</span><br />
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I got to give my baby cousin the biggest hug just days before he proposed to his girlfriend. Five seconds ago he was a big-eared three year-old showing me how his computer game worked and now he's old.<br />
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A helicopter ride over a glowing downtown Chicago. Chicago is best seen from the water, but second best from the air.<br />
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There were bellies to rub, new babies to kiss, and birthdays you can count on fingers to celebrate.<br />
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It. was. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2016/06/in-air.html">BALLOONS. </a><br />
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A four day play-date with Baby Brother and Boyfriend complete with pokemon, legos, and skipping school to go to breakfast.<br />
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The bright-eyed beginning and the dancing-until-the-lights-come-up end of wedding planning.<br />
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<a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2016/09/girls-weekend-in-denver.html">Red rocks</a> at the end of one plane ride. My favorite place at the end of the other.<br />
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Summer Olympics. Lake Michigan. Afternoons on the Porch. Our Batmanniversary.<br />
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Chicago Summer never does me wrong, and this one will keep me warm long into February.<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-3695747815099210022016-09-04T14:36:00.001-05:002016-09-04T14:36:44.897-05:00Girls Weekend In DenverSo you want to go to Denver? Excellent Choice.<br />
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My two friends and I had been on the hunt for a girls weekend excursion and while we were craving a beach getaway, the threat of Zika had me gently nudging them to places to the el norte. When we discovered that you can take a yoga class at the hipster mecca of <a href="http://yoga.redrocksonline.com/yotr">Red Rocks Amphitheater</a> for the low price of $12, we knew we had found our destination.<br />
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It was endlessly delightful to respond to the standard query of "what brought you to Denver?" with, "oh we came for a yoga class." Like, one class. Flying half way across the country for one hour of exercise. But it was totally worth it. I frickin' love Denver. I can't wait to go back.<br />
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<b>What we did:</b><br />
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<a href="http://yoga.redrocksonline.com/yotr">Yoga at Red Rocks</a> - they have eight classes a summer and there is a very, very real chance I'll go again because it was an out of (white girl) body experience. An awesome flow, perfect weather, incredible music, free granola bars. If Heaven has yoga classes, they're all at Red Rocks.<br />
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<a href="http://www.civiccenterconservancy.org/event-civic-center-moves_78.html">(more) Yoga in the Civic Center Conservancy</a> - if I was going to haul my yoga mat on an airplane, I wanted to make it worth my while. So I scoped out free yoga classes. Most cities have them (this is now my second free-yoga-while-traveling class, and I'm making it a habit) and it is a fun way to do something that isn't eating, walking, or napping.<br />
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<a href="http://dayhikesneardenver.com/hike-the-first-second-flatirons-trail-boulder/">The Flatirons (1 and 2)</a> - we wanted a hike that was only going to take a morning but not make us feel like we hadn't accomplished anything. Flatirons was perfect. We ended up with a 30 minute detour (the trail marking is not great) and still made it up to the end of the trail within a few hours. There was some rock scrambling and it required a little Beyonce motivation, but we did it and it was totally worth it for the views, the sense of accomplishment, and the cheeseburgers we got at the end.<br />
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<a href="http://dayhikesneardenver.com/trading-post-trail-red-rocks-park/">The Trading Post Trail at Red Rocks</a> - after the yoga class we were not feeling particularly go-getter-y. This trail was perfect for some instagramable rocks and a leisurely "let's talk about our feelings" pace.<br />
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<a href="http://www.dinoridge.org/dinotrail.html">The first .3 miles of the Dino Ridge Trail</a> - I demanded this because I love me some dinos. We parked right at the end of the road and took the 10 minute walk up, learned things, had a moment of awe over these being Actual Dinosaur Foot Prints, and walked back down. Skipped the crowd and the tours.<br />
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<a href="https://voodoocomedy.com/">Improv at Voodoo Comedy</a> - Improv and Podcast Superstar Mel Evans has relocated to the Denver area (much to the devastation of Chicago) and we saw her crush it so hard in some improv musical comedy.<br />
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<b>What we ate and drank:</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.mountainsunpub.com/index.php">Lunch at Mountain Sun</a> - If you're going to climb a flat iron, you deserve a cheese burger slathered in blue cheese. These were perfect. With delicious beers to boot.<br />
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<a href="http://workandclassdenver.com/">Dinner at Work and Class/Working Class/Work and Release</a> - (we could not ever actually remember the name of this restaurant) was exactly what these snobby-ass Chicago foodies wanted. Good cocktails, killer small plates, and no wait for a table. Everything was delicious but the mac and cheese, corn, and house salad were particularly scrumptious.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetactionicecream.com/">Ice Cream at Sweet Action</a> - TWICE. No regrets.<br />
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<a href="http://www.shineboulder.com/" style="text-align: center;">Potions at Shine Restaurant</a><span style="text-align: center;"> - on the recommendation of a colleague we had some post-hiking potions. Good for an introspective giggle (do you need a restarter or a firestarter?) bad for being not particularly delicious. Though I'm sure they were good for our souls in a tetanus shot kind of way. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.riojadenver.com/">Brunch at Rioja</a> - This was the best possible last meal of the trip, but it also could have been the last meal of my life and I would have been okay. We picked it because of my companion's aversion to eggs (making brunch a challenge) - almost everything on their menu did not require a pair of sunny-side-ups to complete it which was perfect. The service was kind of garbage but you can redeem all manner of sins with free goat cheese biscuits and honey butter.<br />
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<b>Where we stayed:</b><br />
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An absurd little Airbnb that stank to high heaven of the whacky tabacky (Welcome to Denver, I suppose). It was perfectly located next to a Whole Foods that provided the many, many kombucha varieties we needed for four days.<br />
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<b>How we got around:</b><br />
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Frontier got us there. If you're 5'2", can pack light, and always have your own snacks, Frontier is not as bad as everyone says and was $150 cheaper than even Southwest. A tiny little Chevy Spark rental got us around. It was like a Harry Potter car, it fit into every parallel parking space we found and used like 6 ounces of gas the whole trip.<br />
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<b>Other shout outs:</b><br />
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<a href="http://goldenchamber.org/farmers-market/">Golden Farmer's Market</a> (and <a href="http://www.izzybellechocolate.com/">Izzybelle Chocolate Sauce</a>), <a href="http://unionstationindenver.com/">Union Station's new make-over</a>, and <a href="http://www.dirtcoffee.org/">Dirt Coffee</a>.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-47031171126270952222016-06-26T16:58:00.003-05:002016-06-29T21:52:49.526-05:00In the Air.I measured my years in traditions. Ones that have been actual, every year traditions, and the ones we have out grown, or moved away from. I cherish the ones that may have only lasted for three years (that's my lower limit, btw, if you can get to three years, it's the real deal) with as much fervor as the ones that I inherited.<br />
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I crave the stability of traditions, despite the fact that I am impatient for a life chock-full of adventures and new things every day. The Christmas Story, an Easter Pinata, Flower Mart, a week on Nantucket -- these are my touchstones through all of the chaos I gleefully swirl through.<br />
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My parents, and their parents, and back and back used to be responsible for this, but now I seek out opportunities to lay the foundation for new traditions. Drinking in downtown Frederick on Christmas night - Classy? No. A tradition? Absolutely. The Kuma's 5K. A New Year's Day Party (though we inherited/downright stole this one, I treasure it in a nook particularly close to my heart).<br />
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My new favorite? The Great Galena Balloon Race.<br />
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When I read about it in a Time Out article last summer, I had a vision for a perfect, colorful weekend. Luckily, I had a <a href="http://rootsandthenwings.blogspot.com/">partner in crime</a> who shared this vision. So we waited patiently, never doubting for a second that this was going to be all the things we wanted it to be.</div>
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And. It. Was.<br />
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There was a moment as we were driving in that I got the cold dread of "what if this was a mistake," but the moment we saw our first balloon cresting the hill, it granted every wish I had for the weekend.<br />
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Galena is far, but not-too-far, and they're pretty loosey-goosey on the "don't bring your own booze or food" rules, making it an economically sound weekend investment in joy and photography.<br />
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Deep below my ribs I feel like I want to do this every year. I want to pack up a car, and a cooler, and rent a condo, and spend all evening on the grassy lawn watching balloons float overhead. I want to stay up too late playing games, and then drag myself out of bed for the quiet delight of the sunrise race (and then go immediately back to bed). I want to be surrounded by friends, and kids, and wine juice boxes. I want a catalog of memories of this specific place over years and years.<br />
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My goal, by putting this out into the internet tubes, is that I'll hold myself to making it a real thing. Around April of next year (and every year after), I'll send out an email to my Urban Family and Work Boos and get a head count for the condo... and we'll arrange cars, and make pasta salads, and enjoy the most joyful start to summer.<br />
<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-32332957873049331812016-05-04T22:44:00.000-05:002016-05-04T22:45:08.561-05:00Last year in booksMy goal was to read 52 books in 2015. I only managed 48, but they were a solid 48. I blame throwing a wedding in the last few weeks of the year for missing those last 4. Here's what I read. All the bolded ones are the ones you really should read too.<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Yes Please</b></li>
<li>Riding Lessons</li>
<li>My Sister's Grave</li>
<li>The Secret Place</li>
<li>The Magician King</li>
<li>The Magician's Land</li>
<li><b>The Queen of the Tearling</b></li>
<li><b>The Wide Window</b></li>
<li>Flash Boys</li>
<li>Red Rising</li>
<li><b>The Orphan Master's Son</b></li>
<li>Spoiled</li>
<li>Beyond Belief</li>
<li><b>To Kill a Mockingbird </b>(I was supposed to read this in high school but I never did. Shhhh)</li>
<li>Bird Box</li>
<li>Under the Banner of Heaven</li>
<li>On Immunity</li>
<li>Flora</li>
<li>The Girl on the Train</li>
<li>Longbourn</li>
<li><b>Destiny of the Republic</b></li>
<li>Golden Son</li>
<li>The Invasion of the Tearling</li>
<li>Go Set a Watchman</li>
<li><b>In the Unlikely Event</b></li>
<li>The Husband's Secret</li>
<li><b>All the Light We Cannot See</b></li>
<li>Wild</li>
<li><b>Everything I Never Told You</b></li>
<li>Failure is Not an Option</li>
<li><b>The Royal We</b></li>
<li><b>Americanah</b></li>
<li>Dead Wake</li>
<li>Thirty Million Words</li>
<li>Astonish Me</li>
<li>The Selection</li>
<li>I Know Why the Caged Bird Signs</li>
<li>Watergate: A Novel</li>
<li><b>Challenger Deep</b></li>
<li>Trickster's Queen</li>
<li>Jackaby</li>
<li>The Elite</li>
<li><b>Ready Player One</b></li>
<li>The One</li>
<li>Arcadia</li>
<li>Fates and Furies</li>
<li>Beastly Bones: A Jackaby Novel</li>
<li><b>The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories</b></li>
</ol>
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This list could not have happened without the fist-full of jelly beans that is The Selection series. I cruised through the first four books with such agony over how they were the worst and yet I could-not-would-not stop. If you want to feel particularly bad about yourself as an unpublished author, I highly recommend them.<br />
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Also, I recognize that reporting out on this list is five months late. How did it get to be May so fast? Considering how I'm doing on other deliverables, half a year late is really not that bad. </div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-42225905059119114102016-04-17T21:33:00.000-05:002016-04-17T21:33:43.683-05:0010 Best Puppies in Jane Austen AdaptationsWe just recorded a new episode of <a href="http://thexhour.podbean.com/">An Hour with Your Ex: Pride & Podcasts</a>, and we basically wrote love letters to Emma Thompson for an hour. You should listen because I didn't even know I loved Emma Thompson that much until I started talking about it. You probably love her that much too.<br />
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Mid-episode we discussed the delightful number of dogs in Sense & Sensibility, and Mel said she thought this was the only adaptation with puppies and was incredulous when we told her she was wrong. So then I decided that instead of getting all the really overdue, important work done that I need to do - I would prove Mel wrong. Some things are just more important than important work things.<br />
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I only looked through the ones I have watched (which are the good ones). If you are really into the 2007 remakes, write your own blog. Of course, this is only reviewing the very direct, human adaptations. If you're looking for the best dog in the adaptation business, you go <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kzJzzPI8ws">here</a>. And <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPjPWArEm4k">here</a>. Duh.<br />
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<b>#10 Pride & Prejudice hunting dogs</b><br />
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These two make a couple of appearances with Mr. Bingley. They're the cutest.<br />
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<b>#9 Lady Bertram's pup in Mansfield Park</b><br />
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This ugly mug shows up at the very end to be handed to, and then sit on, Lady Bertram while Fanny Price and Edmund wrap up the story for us. Maybe I would have liked this movie better if the dog got more screen time.<br />
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<b>#8 Sunning archery pups</b><br />
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Gwyneth Paltrow's British accent is the.worst, but I love everything else about this Emma, and I'm hella impressed that she single-handedly brought back the empire waist even though it is flattering on almost nobody. If you're going to practice archery in the sunshine next to a beautiful lake, you should probably bring these lounging delights along.<br />
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<b>#7 Mr. Darcy and this stoop sitter</b><br />
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He's not my favorite Mr. Darcy (how could he be?), and this is probably my least favorite film due to my aversion to Kiera Knightly, but Matthew Macfadyen looks pretty adorbs next to this tall drink of water.<br />
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<b>#6 Howling pup</b><br />
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This guy makes a cameo as Mary does a number on the crowd at the ball. I love a good "your voice is terrible" bit.<br />
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<b>#5 Mrs. Dashwood's lapdog</b><br />
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As I mentioned, Emma Thompson is flawless and the screenplay for S&S is perfection. Swapping out Mrs. Dashwood's child for a tiny dog with pointy ears was such a perfect call. Smug-ass ladies don't have snot-nosed children. They have tiny dogs.<br />
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<b>#4 Flashback hunting dogs</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1FdGFIZfktdEVm6UcLRcocVUv9bCSnI8RwToah9H4ad_8cNjwJTJbVTvz0uKaRpuxQh0NGIUyaFIBhscPGmjaSE-2pWp1I_HAm9QJ3Z0r_gP3OEU4ftw9sjPM1N5VpPvshYZFw/s1600/PP+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1FdGFIZfktdEVm6UcLRcocVUv9bCSnI8RwToah9H4ad_8cNjwJTJbVTvz0uKaRpuxQh0NGIUyaFIBhscPGmjaSE-2pWp1I_HAm9QJ3Z0r_gP3OEU4ftw9sjPM1N5VpPvshYZFw/s320/PP+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Baby Darcy and Baby Wickham fish and tromp through the woods with these two floppy eared muffins.<br />
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<b>#3 Doggie barouche </b><br />
<br />
This scene is one of my faves. My mom has a friend, Platinum Barb, who is basically Mrs. Jennings and who would also absolutely just pile every single pup in the carriage just to run errands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFj7_5Pz2c7rfH7C-keVFtLnXDEXS3z5TBrmqhjIHRoxZNOB3wpWMIliFRNHW7o-4hUUdNzuS5xdc_bm9PsINzRBvedKU479nRjo8nLykFCQ7w21BRYAiWax1MNIT0mOdoDDoZEQ/s1600/SS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFj7_5Pz2c7rfH7C-keVFtLnXDEXS3z5TBrmqhjIHRoxZNOB3wpWMIliFRNHW7o-4hUUdNzuS5xdc_bm9PsINzRBvedKU479nRjo8nLykFCQ7w21BRYAiWax1MNIT0mOdoDDoZEQ/s320/SS1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>#2 Lizzie's confidant </b><br />
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<br />
Lizzie B. ends up at Netherfield with a bunch of people she can't even with, so she does what ever <span style="text-align: center;">sensible girl does, and makes friends with the household pets. </span><br />
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<b>#1 Emma's glorious basket of barn puppies.</b><br />
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Like I said, Emma is pretty incredible in terms of depicting just how good the landed gentry had it back then. Back then, you could spend your entire day just snuggling a pile of barn puppies in a gorgeous dress with your friends.<br />
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<br />
Puppies and Jane Austen. This is the best way to start a week. Do you have any builds/arguments for the order of this list? Let's hear them! Thank you to Lizzie for inspiring this blog post!Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-14998274106517402016-04-07T22:36:00.000-05:002016-04-07T22:36:17.754-05:00Unadvisory: snacksI am making it a personal goal not to give people wedding advice. It is none of my business how you decide to lock it up, and all the advice tends to swirl around and make a thick fog of doubt that gives you lower back pain.<br />
<br />
So. No advice.<br />
<br />
BUT.<br />
<br />
One of the things I am the most happy about doing for my own personal marriage ceremony and dance party is picking food that brings me joy and that I can have whenever I want.<br />
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The past week has been straight garbage, and next week promises mostly more of the same. It all came to a head when I attempted to pick up at 5:58 from a store that said they close at 6...only to find them dark and locked. I trudged my way back to where a bus may or may not every appear and down the block I spotted my favorite <a href="http://5411empanadas.com/">big blue van</a>. I literally, actually, not metaphorically ran towards the 5411 truck, terrified that it was only a mirage, that my psyche had also decided to screw me over this week.</div>
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But there it was! </div>
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On my wedding day, I ate protein bar for lunch. Which was good because, post ceremony, anything resembling an appetite quickly evaporate and was replaced with medical-grade adrenalin and pure joy. I became my least favorite bridal cliche - the girl who eats nothing. Every bite of everything tasted like egg cartons. I dutifully attempted three or four swallows but eventually gave up, insisting that others eat my share since they could enjoy it far more than me.</div>
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And enjoy it they did. </div>
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The bacon, date, goat cheese empanada game that night was fire. Our 100 guests cruised through about 200 of those suckers. No regrets.</div>
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And now, every time I see that truck, I have a free pass to get myself an empanada (or two), maybe even a couple for the mister. And I get to relive that joy all over again. Of being surrounded by my favorite people, of dancing to my favorite songs with mah best girls, to my whole famn damily getting outrageous, to a midnight kiss that is scheduled to last for another 29,901 days. </div>
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But this time I get to enjoy the snacks too.<br />
<span id="goog_1247296445"></span><span id="goog_1247296446"></span><br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-23490463926940503572016-01-17T14:06:00.001-06:002016-01-17T14:06:28.383-06:00Off Day. On Feelings.Today is my first day Off since mid-August.<br />
<br />
My first day without hosting. without traveling. without a to-do list the length of my arm. Today is a glorious no-pants-no-bra-no-cares day. And a catch-up-on-blogging-talk-about-your-feelings-day.<br />
<br />
The past three months have been the.best. The actual hold-the-hyperbole b-e-s-t. I nearly ran out of happy tears to cry because they would appear 2-3 times a day when I would get to thinking about how wonderfully wonderful Q4 was for little ole Grandipants.<br />
<br />
And then 2015 tapped in 2016.<br />
<br />
And now that the fun is done, I'm left feeling all the feelings that were buried under this ecstatic-beyond-all-comprehension joy I was feeling just a few weeks ago.<br />
<br />
I'm left feeling selfish. For making everything about me. For not being a good friend, despite the fact that people moved mountains to celebrate me.<br />
<br />
I'm feeling self-conscious. For the choices I made. I made them all so quickly that I didn't have time to over think them, until right now. Now I get to overthink them until my brain turns to mush. I should-have-shouldn't-have and that's-why-people and everyone-really-hated and too-bad-there-won't-be-a-next-time.<br />
<br />
I'm feeling ungrateful. I did not thank people enough, and all of my thank yous sounded like 99 cent Hallmark cards. I ran out of words when I needed them the most. My heart was so, so, so (SO) full of gratitude and it all came out gray and mealy.<br />
<br />
BUT. I'm also feeling like a magician - I said some words and waved my hands and created a brand new family. And despite what I tell people, it <i>does</i> feel different.<br />
<br />
And I'm still reeling from wanderlustful adventures where we discovered that 31 year-old dogs can learn new tricks, and that the world doesn't need me to check my email.<br />
<br />
So today, I'm going to sit with all these feelings in my messy house and try to come to terms with some of it. Or if I can't solve anything - I'll at least finish some of the left over mac and cheese.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-76434618766292736672015-07-25T16:43:00.000-05:002015-08-01T17:07:57.700-05:00Summer Love in PastaSummer is the best time to fall in love. Its all that exposed skin, and extra hours of sunlight. This summer I have fallen hard for this <a href="http://www.acedarspoon.com/summer-orzo-pasta-salad/">Summer Orzo Pasta Salad</a>. The lovely <a href="http://rootsandthenwings.blogspot.com/">B</a> introduced us back in June and we have been almost inseparable ever since. It makes me feel nostalgic for my Mom's version of Marcella Hazen's <a href="http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/pomodori_e_vino/2011/04/rice_and_chicken_salad.html">rice and chicken salad </a>(also delicious, but slightly more labor intensive - though, now that I am re-reading the recipe, I might need to make this soon too).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfSTpk4cXDT-dgc0wWW0mG2JgEB13QV4F81VAzZqf-cEGDVTnE1B-IN9CkWF8OOMURPTLKCs7o9yc_ohv6-rOXhgFV89t1ifLww-ltmEXSsg7ROJc1EXffBE-_UfjzUWobxzvkA/s1600/IMG_8806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfSTpk4cXDT-dgc0wWW0mG2JgEB13QV4F81VAzZqf-cEGDVTnE1B-IN9CkWF8OOMURPTLKCs7o9yc_ohv6-rOXhgFV89t1ifLww-ltmEXSsg7ROJc1EXffBE-_UfjzUWobxzvkA/s320/IMG_8806.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
For the Orzo salad - I have made some modifications:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Add olives. I've been using jarred kalamata olives, but I bet you could use anything. I normally add about 3/4 of a cup of sliced olives, and then a few more - because you can never have too many olives.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Add red bell pepper. Or green or orange, whatever you want. Red just ends up being the one on sale most of the time. I use about half a pepper.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Leave the tomatoes up to the person eating. I get annoyed when tomato guts are mucking up my salad, so I often wait to slice them up and put them on until I am about to serve it. Its super delicious even without the tomats.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>You can skip the basil and the mint if you so choose. I refuse to buy herbs at the store since we started growing them, but the hot sun has not been kind to our plants - so this most recent time it was a much smaller handful.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It is an aggressive amount of dressing. I end up only using 3/4 cup of olive oil when I make the full amount, but you can half the amount of dressing and still have enough to dress the salad (especially when you're adding big flavors like the olives). But as B. will tell you - do not leave out the honey. It is the key ingredient.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Chicken broth is not necessito. I cannot really tell the difference between when the orzo is cooked in broth and when it is cooked in water, and it seems a colossal waste to just cook in broth and then drain it all out.</li>
</ul>
<br />
The lovely thing about this recipe, is you could totally add other awesome shit to it. Chicken? Yes. Grilled asparagus? Yes. Artichoke hearts? Yes, please. <br />
<br />
It makes enough for a week of lunches - and as it sits around in that puddle of dressing it only gets more delicious. I don't know if you could really call it healthy, but it is better than a salami and cheese sandwich with <a href="http://www.dukesmayo.com/">Duke's mayonnaise</a> which I had an unhealthy fling with back in early July (because every summer requires a few bad choices).Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-89189473210225004382015-07-23T08:39:00.001-05:002015-07-23T08:39:29.358-05:00Betsy.My Mom had this story that I heard over and over about how she and her friend Betsy had once, impulsively hitch-hiked from Boston to Hyannis, hopped a ferry to Nantucket, and arrived unannounced at my Great-Grandmother's (my mother's grandmother) door.<br />
<br />
The story was a lesson about always finding opportunities to be impulsive and adventurous, but also call before you show up so you don't make the matriarch mad. <br />
<br />
This story once got re-told in front of Betsy and she laughed, "I remember that day, we were so out of our minds stoned."<br />
<br />
The story was a lesson about how we don't always share all the details, and when talking about the 70's, you can safely assume that everyone was stoned all the time.<br />
<br />
Everyone needs a Betsy.<br />
<br />
We need a Betsy to laugh at our miserable faces the first time we take a sip of whiskey sour punch.<br />
<br />
We need a Betsy to send us the largest fruit and cookies basket in the known universe when Grandpa dies and the world comes tumbling down.<br />
<br />
We need a Betsy to remind us that our parents were young and stupid, just like us.<br />
<br />
We need a Betsy to tell us over and over again, how lucky we were to be born into this loud, drunk, completely insane family.<br />
<br />
We need someone with her optimism in the face of the worst hands a life can be dealt.<br />
<br />
We need her snark, and her joy, and her cut-the-bullshit.<br />
<br />
We need her life story of perseverance, and getting shit done, and love when least expected.<br />
<br />
I am so grateful that I got to have a Betsy. I am so grateful that my Mom got to have a Betsy.<br />
<br />
<i>"Oooh, that whiskey sour, it is punch with a punch, you'know what I'm sayin"</i>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-52895676867385516912015-07-19T10:08:00.001-05:002015-07-19T10:08:53.934-05:00Firsts and ForeversIn a moment of rudeness, I once asked a girl if there was anything that made her sad or regretful about getting married at 22.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"I sometimes get sad that I'll never have another first kiss."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Recently, a few of my gal pals have embarked on some really exciting love journeys. Exciting in that stones-deep-down-in-your-belly and high-pitched-squeals-and-shivers-in-your-shoulders type way that feels like maybe (maybe?!), this time it is forever (or, maybe its not, but either way, this is the most fun part - the physical reactions to this much potential). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I have been feeling 100% excitement, with just a dash of jealousy. Its a silly, grass-is-always-greener-somewhere-else jealous. The kind that you can talk about openly and make fun of yourself for, but still stays.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I will never be at a table for eight with just that one other. I will never brush hands with someone and feel that lightning bolt travel through my body for the first time. I will never have that first walk through the rain. I'll never have another first kiss.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I shared these feelings with Boyfriend, who laughed at me, patted my head, and said, "I am going to make tuna boats for dinner." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Those first days and weeks when you're carrying around a wicker picnic basket of happiness are the best, and I highly recommend writing all your emotions down in a place where they are easily accessible eight years down the line. But what we have now, with the lying on the porch all day reading books, and making things that sound funny for dinner, and going on adventures around the world and to the Pier One clearance sale, and the non-stop slumber party with jokes and snuggling - I feel like maybe (maybe?!) it is even better. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-90707846985907627122015-05-27T08:06:00.004-05:002016-04-19T09:15:27.005-05:00Summer Bucket ListBare legs with a buttoned-up cardigan mean it is almost summer which means it is bucket list time.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's the to-do list: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Stay <strike>in</strike>* on (the work deck, the apartment patio, the public beach) instead of go out, convince others that this is a good plan X</li>
<li>A sunset on a west-facing roof deck X</li>
<li>Be brave X</li>
<li>A good-bye dance party X </li>
<li>Love on some sweet, new babies X</li>
<li>Carry a watermelon X</li>
<li>More Drake X</li>
<li>Write one story and say it out loud to my cats </li>
<li>Wear Caroline's necklace at least once before returning it X </li>
<li>A brief fling with New York City </li>
<li>Do that thing where you run and it clears your head </li>
<li>Spend a night in a place where I can see stars in the sky </li>
<li>Say yes because it makes other people happy </li>
<li>Drink less, listen more </li>
<li>Make good use of the picnic blanket X</li>
<li>Take a "sick day" and load up on Vitamin D </li>
</ul>
<br />
Your move, Summer 2015. Follow along on <a href="https://instagram.com/grandipants/">instagram</a> (@grandipants) and the hashtag #carpeaestatem and here as I try to hash out why this summer is the best one yet.<br />
<br />
*edited for necessary clarity.</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-36685531920807176492015-04-19T20:42:00.001-05:002015-04-19T21:00:04.822-05:00Let it fall<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sometimes it will rain inside.</blockquote>
<br />
This is what I have been telling myself over and over again for the past few days as I prep for my first event of the (calendar) year.<br />
<br />
My boss turned me lose this year to run the event (essentially) on my own. Never one to back down from a challenge, I took the reigns and ran with them. The trails were not always smooth, but at the end of each day I felt like I could say, "everything is going to be okay."<br />
<br />
As we turned the corner to the final stretch of this week, I felt the tension - in my shoulders and in the hurried bites of lunch I did not manage to eat until 4:00 in the afternoon, but I knew if I just kept myself one step ahead, I would get through it.<br />
<br />
So I got up early, and stayed late, and worked on the couch, and skipped fun things to do work things, and spent my airplane hours on spreadsheets rather than books and booze (okay, there were some books and booze). I just needed to work harder, faster, longer - and I would get. it. done.<br />
<br />
Wednesday was a big day. Lego Death Star-type big.<br />
<br />
I had everything planned. My execution was Nadia Comaneci-level flawless. And then? It rained inside the conference room.<br />
<br />
The source of the leak has yet to be explained to me, but it rained from the ceiling tiles. First, just a little bit, so we would notice. And then - it spread. Slow enough to give us enough time to get things out. Fast enough that we couldn't do it without an all-out panic.<br />
<br />
With the help of nearly a quarter of my amazing colleagues, we managed to relocate the entire operation to another, drier conference room. Everyone laughed and high-fived and went about their days. I tried not to twitch too hard as I shook the hands of the VIPs who walked in just minutes after the final materials had been moved out of the swamp we had originally inhabited.<br />
<br />
And I kept saying to myself<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sometimes it will rain inside.</blockquote>
You can be prepared for everything and anything You can play offense and defense and special teams all by yourself but there will forever be at least one bridge troll that you cannot have even imagined would have blocked your way. So what to do you do?<br />
<br />
You surround yourself with amazing, supportive people who have your back, from here to the moon.<br />
<br />
You put faith in a smile, and a friendly, problem-solving word.<br />
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You thank people. Effusively, graciously, genuinely. One of them probably has an umbrella or will get you a cup of coffee.<br />
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You work as hard as you can but try to remind yourself, even if it is only just once a day, on the way to the bathroom, that you are only one human. You can only do one human's worth of things each day.<br />
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Today on T-minus Event Day - I needed this. I needed my mantra like I needed my flats. Like I needed my boyfriend to come build me a step and repeat. Like I needed my work-panda to run around and make a line of people disappear (this is an actual demand I made of her) and then take me out for homemade lasagna. Like I needed a dress-with-pockets borrowed from my Big Cuz. Like I needed a couple of hours of building trains with my favorite three year old last night.<br />
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You can't plan for everything. Just know that there will be an umbrella, whether you borrow it or build it out of place cards and raffle tickets.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-33761793773362356492015-04-07T21:13:00.002-05:002015-04-07T21:13:34.659-05:00Totally Clueless (part 3)Okay, so based on my blogging tendencies recently, you might think that all I do is make podcasts. This sounds amazeballs, but is entirely untrue. <br />
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I do other things and I promise, I'll get around to talking about them soon. But until then.<br />
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<a href="http://thexhour.podbean.com/e/an-hour-with-your-ex-pride-and-podcasts-%E2%80%9Cclueless%E2%80%9D-1995/">Clueless Podcast Party. Listen Here.</a><br />
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This is by far the most serious of the podcasts where we talk about oldy-timey people doin' it which is weird, because the source material is one of my favorite light hearted romps.<br />
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Also, bonus celebrity sighting!<a href="http://www.juliebrown.com/"> Julie Brown</a> (aka Ms. Stoeger) was generous enough to record a bit about her time filming the movie. It was super nice of her to do, and you should click around on her website. She is funny as hell.<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-58027994285048727722015-02-20T09:22:00.002-06:002015-02-20T09:22:47.031-06:00Mr Darcy takes a Podcast (part deux)I feel so lucky that after the first shit show, Mel Evans had me (and Jessica Kent) back to talk about more things that ruin the stuff I love.<br />
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This time it was five hundred pages of salacious, incomprehensible, "Victorian," dribble that makes me wonder how hard it actually is to get published.<br />
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Trust me when I say the podcast is far more enjoyable than the book.<br />
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<a href="http://thexhour.podbean.com/e/an-hour-with-your-ex-pride-and-podcasts-mr-darcy-takes-a-wife/">Listen here.</a><br />
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Warning - its pretty blue. So just, obviously, I have no idea what any of the words I'm saying mean, Mom and Dad.<br />
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Happy Friday. You have earned a laugh.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-55988774499941507232015-02-12T10:16:00.002-06:002015-02-12T12:39:26.365-06:00Is enough enoughI have not been writing because I have been really busy <i>trying. </i>I have been trying so. hard. and I feel like I have been coming up empty. I'm not working out long enough, I'm not eating well enough, I'm not getting work done, I'm not getting laundry done, I don't have enough <i>joie de vivre</i>, or enough minutes, or enough pairs of tights.<br />
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So <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/11/elizabeth-gilbert-on-failure_n_6608164.html">this</a> rocked me pretty hard this morning. It boggles my geedee mind that a woman who got paid bank to go to Bali and fall in love and write about it is feeling the same way I do. And then it sometimes makes me feel <i>worse </i>because like, I haven't done anything so what I am complaining about?<br />
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What am I complaining about?<br />
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I guess if Lizzy G. can feel crappy and incomplete then I should relish in the fact that I do too. Julia Roberts can play you in a movie and you can still doubt yourself, so let's just keep going guys.<br />
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A yoga teacher this week reminded me that life is too short to be anything but happy. So here is to happiness - to hair curling class, to finally getting my leg straight in standing forehead to knee pose, to a weekend that will include a crabcake, to getting actual mail from my baby sister, and emails from people who think I'm a person to know.<br />
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UPDATE! I also feel like <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/trickington/26-times-andy-dwyer-from-parks-and-recreation-wa-ink3#.ed3VM5ZYK">this</a> and it feels way better.<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-75076341481950909622014-12-29T13:37:00.001-06:002014-12-29T21:26:39.173-06:00The blogger itch(es)I should be blowing up this post with photos of my toes and the pool-blue pool in front of me. It's 81 degrees and oh-so-sunny here in the Villages.<br />
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However, I have been hurting for a pedicure for like two months and just the thought of the East Coast makes raw, red mosquito bites pop up all over my legs.</div>
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So I'm feeling much too imperfect for a pool photo shoot. Even though it is glorious and warm and while <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/likethebreadorthedressing/seven-days-and-nights-in-the-worlds-largest-rowdiest-retirem#.dnw2o0MApj">the Villages</a> would never be my first choice, it's a pretty nice place to spend a few days after the manic-insanity that is Maryland Christmas. </div>
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So you'll have to just take my word for it. Merry very-late Christmas. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-10606229954209930572014-12-21T20:18:00.000-06:002014-12-22T20:27:54.785-06:00Bye 2014-liciaI'm not going to sugar coat it - 2014 was a real stinker of a year.<br>
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There were more cumulative minutes of me silently crying into the single-ply toilet paper of my workplace's second bathroom stall and desperately attempting to find the correct words to support friends and loved ones as they attempted to traverse some of life's most emotionally crippling roadblocks then there have ever been. Like actually ever.<br>
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There were some bright shining moments, treasured that much more because they were surrounded by so much actual struggle (as opposed to the needing-new-brown-boots struggle I normally feel). Even boyfriend's bought-a-house-got-a-job-<a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2014/02/boyfriend-turns-29.html">turned-29</a> party was spoiled by the most insane <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho">derecho</a> I have ever experienced. There were so many short ribs on the floor. It was so sad. But, perspective wise, I do not even think it made the top 5 of things that hurt the most this year. There will always be more short ribs.<br>
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2014 will be the first year that I feel like the universe shook me and was like, "it is getting real. This is what it is really like to be an adult: actual challenges, true heartbreak, and experiencing joy that comes from somewhere deeper inside you than you really knew existed."<br>
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Maybe it is turning 30? Maybe it was the disappointment and sadness of the whole world hanging an even heavier weight on my shoulders? Maybe it was those few weeks I gave up <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/search/label/monday%20meals">bread and sugar</a>? I do not even know.<br>
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What I do know is that through text message, U.S. Postal Service, and genius sting operations, I have gotten the news of the potential of<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> truly wonderful things on the horizon for 2015 for me, for my family, for my friends-who-are-family. I am on-the-edge-of-my-seat excited for great adventure, big hugs, happy cries, new sights, big challenges, and, as always, snacks.</span><br>
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This Christmas season will involved the very-first-time in our six-and-a-half years Boyfriend and I wake up in the same room/city/time-zone on Christmas morning, and the very last Christmas morning any of us will walk down the stairs of 710 East Main. There will be lunches and breakfasts and shots (ugh, way too many shots, I already know). I am itchy with anticipation to get on an airplane, second star to the right - straight on 'til Maryland.<br>
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I stand present in all of the hard, sad moments of 2014, but look towards the bright light of #fabulous2015</div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-84290876513421292302014-12-12T20:44:00.001-06:002014-12-12T20:45:05.035-06:00Cheryl Miller Chicago TaxiThere are biological reasons for the emotional mess I am right now, but also very simple unbiological ones too. Like its time to <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2006/12/what-did-i-do-with-those-ruby-slippers.html">go home</a>. And my presents game is a mess. Also could every one just stop wanting things like right-this-very-second?<br />
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Anyway. I was feeling just super crabby after a particularly long morning and was in a cab on my way to what was promised to be a very long afternoon.<br />
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I was playing on facebook (as you do) when my cab driver's phone rang and she asked if she could take the call. I said of course and casually eavesdropped (as is my right as a passenger).<br />
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She apologized at the end of her call and then explained she was about to be interviewed for a news article. She was beyond. She could not even.<br />
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Having not be exposed to this level of unbridled level of excitement in quite some time, I listened as she told me about her role in the fight to unionize cab drivers in the city and try to regulate the ride share programs. Her's is a fight that I am becoming more passionate about as I realize that while Uber is real convenient, it all goes to shit when something go wrong (like a car accident, or someone getting attacked by a psychopath, or you know, whatever) and that their business plan benefits no one but those at the top. Its a pyramid scheme with a good logo.<br />
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We chatted about Uber and cab drivers but mostly I just loved hearing about her. At one point she gleefully announced, "You're going to be able to google me!"<br />
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Guys. Everything is terrible, but I am such a huge fan of <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-taxi-driver-fairness-ordinance-met-20141209-story.html">Cheryl Miller</a>. She renewed my faith in right now. Congratulations on having your <a href="http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/12/09/city-council-committee-approves-taxi-ordinance-without-fare-increase/">voice</a> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/11/us-uber-chicago-idUSKBN0JP07Z20141211">heard</a>. It was so fun to google you and share in a part of your journey.<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-56748459354055883402014-11-30T17:29:00.003-06:002014-11-30T17:35:56.473-06:00A perfect 10.One more time around the sun. One more November spent with this hideous ogre hanging over my head.<br />
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But now we are officially all done. I am hanging up my fingers or whatever and calling it.</div>
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It has been a long decade. Count those years: <a href="http://fadingophelia.livejournal.com/91229.html">Year One</a>. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2006/11/wa-hoo.html">Year Two</a>. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2007/11/every-year-it-gets-little-harder.html">Year Three</a>. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2008/11/ding.html">Year Four</a>. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2009/11/fiiiiiive-golden-rings.html">Year Five</a>. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2010/11/done-and-done-part-6.html">Year Six</a>. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2011/11/sweet-six.html">Year Seven</a>. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2012/11/eight-times.html">Year Eight</a>. <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2013/11/nine-times-nine-times.html">Year Nine</a>. (and then, you know, this year). And it is time to show myself out.</div>
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A friend of mine is embarking on writing her dissertation and she is worried about getting it all done in a time crunch. On Friday night, over beers, I shook my head at her stress. </div>
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"You just do it."</div>
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"I don't know if I can do it."</div>
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"But I know, you will just do it. You have to just sit down and start writing and once you have started, you will just keep going until it is done."</div>
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This is a weird thing to be confident about and I could tell that she was all "you don't know me," but the thing is, if I can do this - anyone can do anything. I am the procrastinating procrastinator. I have the attention span of a real spazzy goldfish. I am always hungry.</div>
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Yet, despite being me, I can get this done. So to you - who may be doubting your ability to get things done, allow me to assure you, you can absolutely get it done.<br />
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About one million years ago, my sweet baby cousin J, was attempting to teach me how to skate backwards. I tried to get her to break it down and explain it for me. After about six minutes of watching me both fail and ask questions, she stomped her little seven year-old foot and said, "you just Do It." and skated off.</div>
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So that is my advice to people who ask me, with mouths agape, "how did you do it?"</div>
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I simply shrug, "you just do it."</div>
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That is all there is to say about it. If you want to do it, you will find a way to make it work. Even if you are putting it off for most of the month, and regretting the plot you have picked, and struggling to make it better mid-story, you will get it done.</div>
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I was super embarrassed when people asked me what this year's novel was about because it was not only hard to explain, it was pretty stupid. But I knew that Year 10 was not the year to quit. So I just did it.</div>
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Now, in the words of everyone's favorite president, Josiah Bartlett, </div>
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"What's next?"</div>
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There will be no more writing of words unless true genius strikes. Instead, there Shall Be Editing. </div>
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There are 500,000 words, over three different laptops (which might mean some of those words might be lost to humanity). Through all of those words, there is a voice, there are ideas, there are small moments of inspiration in dialogue, in "showing not telling," in the giving of nicknames. So now it is time to put those all in the sausage maker and try to find something delicious.</div>
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The first goal is to uncover all those words, find as many of them as I can, and print them all out and read them, with a yellow highlighter and an open mind. Next year, by this time, there will be something. I am not sure what it will be - maybe I will have just finally found all of the words - and managed to sneak-print all 500-or-so pages at the office. </div>
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This was the easy part. The hard part is next.</div>
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As always - this dumb shit does not happen just because I open a fresh new word document. Thank you to:</div>
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The new La Colombe Coffee Shop on Foster. I wrote 12,000 words yesterday and I could not have gotten that done without the fresh hipster vibe, and delicious cappuccino provided in my new favorite Andersonville spot. </div>
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The West Wing. How did Willy Shakes write all those plays without the sweet dulcet sounds of Allison Janney reciting Aaron Sorkin's words in his ear? In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (parts one and two) are some of the most inspiring moments of anything. </div>
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Sweet coworkers and friends. All these people are so patient with this particular brand of psychosis and who provide endless hours of excellent distraction and boozy time and face time and boozy face time.<br />
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Yates. For forever and always. NaNoWriMoYates. I miss you.</div>
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Boyfriend. Who just shakes his head and says, "write your novel." Thanks (in advance) for buying my ticket to see Mockingjay Part One tonight.</div>
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Miso, the newest member of the dream team. She is so damned good at keeping legs warm. Our apartment is normally about 20 degrees below freezing, but she manages to keep the blood in my legs circulating.</div>
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Hazel. She was conspicuously absent for most of this journey, but as I rounded the bend at 48,000 words, she snuggled up and was there for the victory lap.<br />
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On to presents! Happy December everyone!</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-37940920967921185862014-11-17T08:44:00.000-06:002014-11-17T08:46:25.903-06:00Pride and Podcasts Part 1Last week, I crossed a big item off the bucket list.<br />
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I got to participate in my <a href="http://thexhour.podbean.com/e/an-hour-with-your-ex-after-dark-death-comes-to-pemberly/">first ever podcast.</a></div>
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Like any narcissist worth her salt, I am fascinated the sound of my own voice and re-hearing bits I have already done to see if they make me laugh again.</div>
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Thanks to the amazing <a href="http://thexhour.podbean.com/">Mel Evans</a> (who I have discussed <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2014/01/tbif-for-bros-and-creepers.html">ad nauseam</a> on this blog) for hosting us for this first romp of many (I hope). </div>
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Please give it a listen.Your reading or viewing of <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch-online/previews/death-comes-pemberley-preview/">Death Comes to Pemberley</a> is pretty inconsequential as we will explain all the important points of both the book and the movie while giggling. But here is <a href="http://www.grandipants.com/2012/02/crap-comes-to-pemberly.html">my review of the book</a> from a few years ago.</div>
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Also, you can totally download the podcast on iTunes (or your podcast app because it is 2014), if you want to listen to me "can't even" about most things on your morning or afternoon commute.<br />
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Thanks also to Jane Austen for the source materials. The amazing J.Ker_pow for being the calming to my manic. The cats for being an excellent source of entertainment, and the wine for allowing me to relax, maybe a little too much for my first podcast.</div>
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All critiques should be left in the comments of this blog for me to over-think and then slide into a deep depression.</div>
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19805632.post-13699560253215444462014-11-04T21:19:00.000-06:002014-11-04T21:19:18.279-06:00Dress you up (in my love).Our very first picture together:<br />
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And now our very most recent:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRkRK3HssZRGaYMetQvH7PgkoYxa2Yf1lSqlTOzCYQcFy8D9uFcaO8sDEdewLVHuhf_Sz2eNMJY84_JeL3XLR7ZsE8d4-MUVIF2Pad_H2CLz3NtV9gCka3bktqfI-0f5tfM3agQ/s1600/10432992_10103657379164717_5004156172990541286_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRkRK3HssZRGaYMetQvH7PgkoYxa2Yf1lSqlTOzCYQcFy8D9uFcaO8sDEdewLVHuhf_Sz2eNMJY84_JeL3XLR7ZsE8d4-MUVIF2Pad_H2CLz3NtV9gCka3bktqfI-0f5tfM3agQ/s1600/10432992_10103657379164717_5004156172990541286_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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For two pretty photogenic people, we take a lot of really terrible pictures. Something about Halloween though brings out our brightest, least awkward smiles.<br />
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Also, we love a good free Halloween costume.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03916529052504721195noreply@blogger.com2