why i haven't posted in a week

after returning from a truly ideal weekend in maine for molly and jorge's wedding, and with excited anticipation about posting the pictures from a great time had by all, i promptly spilled the contents of my water bottle in my purse, killing both my ipod and my camera.

so now, musicless, i'm hoping i can save the pics i took by brining the memory card from my camera to a local photo shop. wish me luck!

puppets. and shakepeare.

last night i had a fun little adventure. i went to the california shakespeare festival in orinda, ca - just over the hills from sf bay. the landscape over there is so different - it gets much, much hotter in the summer and the hills remind me alot of the south of france - dry, brown slopes with green spots of leafy bushes or trees here and there. it's very impressionistique, s'il vous plait.

ANYWAY, there's a cozy round outdoor theater in the wilds of orinda (right near the freeway, but you feel like you're in the middle of a forest!), and every summer they do a series of shakespeare productions. last night, i saw "the merry wives of windsor", featuring actors and...puppets.

yes, puppets. which i was initially really skeptical about. but to be honest, it was pretty funny. very, very cartoonish - with sound effects (like "boingggggg" and "splat"). and i didn't think it would work. but it did, due in large part to the actors dressed in black voicing the puppets and moving their little cloth limbs around. and i can honestly say that the actors and puppets (some characters were played by actors not in puppet costume) interacted together really well on stage. i can't pick my favorite, really - master ford was hilarious (nonpuppet), but the french doctor (actor+puppet), fenton (actor+puppet), and falstaff (also actor+puppet) were brilliant too.

the night was also gorgeous. clear as can be with an open sky of stars above us. no clouds to be seen. and we brought our own picnic to munch and there was a wine tasting (for free! free!) in the open picnic area outside the theater. i expected a huge ampitheater, but this was actually really comfortable and close - not a bad seat in the house, but still with the benefits of an outdoor theater (casual, comfy - you can bring beer, wine, food into the theater and gnosh while you watch). all in all, i'd highly recommend it. and they have a GREAT deal for the under 30 crowd. Check it out - http://www.calshakes.org.

MOM - if you're reading this and planning a trip to CA anytime soon, i'd love to take you!

ps. one thing i do love about living here - there's a wine tasting just about everywhere you go! reminds me of europe. yum.

this month, I...

1) am continuing to realize that maybe my life will be completely transitional for at least a couple of years. and that i should chill out and enjoy the transience (thanks to liz applegate for her brilliant postcard from france).

2) have realized that i have been buying the same brown corderouy coat in various incarnations over and over again since i was five years old. the other day in a second hand shop in oakland, i almost did it again.

3) have been alternatively terribly homesick and sheepishly hopeful that everything will work out. and also determined to stay out of new england for at least a year. if not more. even though i miss the green! and the food! and so many other things i never thought i'd miss!

4) have been reminded over and over again how important my family is to me as the firm foundation of everything i am and everything i do.

5) remembered that i HATE commuting.

one more russian rivah pic

jenn just sent this to me - here we all are at the end of a long, hot day of laziness. BLISS!

da russian rivah'n'blues

this is the first weekend in about a month during which i haven't had to a) work OR b) go out of town. so, yesterday I celebrated with the best thing ever. i went to the russian river blues festival with jess h., tristen, ashby, and jenn. so much fun. it was a HOT day (approaching 100 degrees), SUNNY, and we were about 10 feet from the river. the day went like this:
1. set up camp
2. lie in the sun, listen to music
3. swim, listen to music
4. dance to music in the water
5. go back and lie in the sun, snack, nap
6. repeat from 11am to 6pm

it was HEAVEN. and the music was wonderful. it was a great, great saturday.

trip #2 to the east side

i don't have pics from grad (but hopefully will have some soon from the parents...which i'll then have to scan and post), but i promise i did get my degree from hah-vahd. it was a soggy, cold day but i had a lot of fun. and my bro, tim, was the regular superstar in his brown corderouy jacket, vest, and red satin tie and pocket hankie.

after a soggy graduation, i spent a soggy weekend up in vt with best friend and bride-to-be leia, as well as her sister (and one of my good pals), marit. their last name is davies. together, we form: MELAVIES. here are the pictures of melavies in vermont. (at my parents' house up there and also frolicking in the rain at the burlington jazz festival...we'd had a few martinis).

irresponsible poster.

y'all. i am such a jerk! i should have been posting more. since the last time i posted, i have gone back to the east coast AGAIN, graduated from grad school, went to vt wi/ leia and marit, came back, and am preparing to leave again on thurs, 6/22 (molly and jorge are getting married in maine on june 24!!! can't wait!!!

i ALSO forgot to post pics of my FABULOUS bbq during smith reunion. we were rained out that friday night but rescheduled for saturday daytime. it was a blast. loads of smithies from different social groups just hanging out and grillin. here are the pics!

RE-UUUUUUNION!

I can't believe it was only a week ago! here are the pics - few captions; too many pictures to comment on!

First, we had a class get together at good ol' Packards in Noho. (no narrative, i'm just gonna let these roll - too many pics for captions!)










Then, we went out to the WWII club (i'm officially a member and officially danced up a storm. a couple of pics (including one of emily's classic hips-out-slouch-pouty dance):





Then, the alumni parade! with tons of brilliant old smithies who always yell "it gets better from here, girls!!"
i definitely teared up. (naturally, someone brought mimosas!)









and our class dinner (oh, yeah, i got myself voted co-vice president!)

HUNGRY! RANGOONS, WHERE ARE YOUOUUUU!

pictures from reunion are coming soon. i lost the chord that connects my camera to my computer, and then found it again. so....hopefully tomorrow.

i'm at the yoga studio on my shift and starving. and all i want are crab rangoons. i even turned to google to find some rangoons in california. i found many other transplanted east coasters searching for some rangoon action in their area (LA, mostly). but none here! i can't eat another gross wonton cheese puff! i can't eat drippy red west coast sweet n' sour sauce! where is the orange, thick duck sauce of my youth!?