Excellent article

if you all haven't read this thomas friedman article from 9/30, then you should. i don't usually love everything he writes. but this is excellent. besides, it starts with a quote from the Onion.

Op-Ed Columnist
9/11 Is Over
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: September 30, 2007
I honor and weep for those murdered on 9/11. But our reaction to 9/11 has knocked America completely out of balance, and it’s time to get things right again.
READ MORE

yosemite in the rain

last weekend, d. and i took a trip back to yosemite. i haven't been back since we met almost a year ago on a backpacking trip (he was my trip leader. heheh). i was so excited to get out of the city, and to spend some time with nature...and with d, of course.


(the granite cliffs hid from us in the clouds most of the weekend)

after a ridiculously difficult drive out of san francisco (delayed by a car fire, then stuck in traffic), we arrived in yosemite valley (not the highlands), because......

It rained friday night, saturday and saturday night. which means it snowed in the backcountry (doug's favorite backpacking grounds). so, we laid low in the valley.


(yay backpacking!! er--between the car and the campsite)

and, lucky me, we splurged on a breakfast at the historic ahwanee hotel. beautiful - beams, structure (everything my dad always mentioned on our trips to historical buildings). the buffet was $20. we went for the a la carte.

fortified by some hot oatmeal and muffins, we set out.....to hang out amid german tourists, retirees and young families in the rainsoaked Yosemite Visitor's Center. It was a fun, low-key day. We ate, walked, chatted, and took a nap in our cozy tent.


(we saw a bear in a tree!!! can you see it?)

sunday, the clouds cleared and we went for a hike. it was beautiful - cool, moist, and the granite peaks were smoothed occasionally with the remaining clouds.


(i can....FINALLY see the sky!)

it was a vigorous hike. but, despite not having worked out regularly in a WHILE, i made it to the top of nevada falls! and the view was something else.


(the falls! the falls!)

on the way home, we chowed down at d'boni's (the same place we had eaten a year ago with our backpacking group. aw...). pizza with pineapple. yummmmmmmm......

argh! fall!

first of all, i've been drowning in work this month. there is so much to do to get the school year programming up and going, that i really haven't been doing anything all too picture- or blog-worthy lately. as a result, i've been dwelling on a lot of the beautifulness from my vacation and trips this past summer.


(picture of the happy couple)
one of those trips includes a visit to the cape for d's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. it was held at the lighthouse inn, where they were married in 1957. it was lovely.

and apparently, my cleavage was out of control. my mom takes full responsibility for it.

(me, doug, and my breasts)

How to clambake

Step 1: Build a fire on a pyre of rocks, let burn all day (note: rocks must not have been exposed to fire before - otherwise, they won't hold the heat well).







Step 2: After burning fire all day, rake the top so you can cook things on top of the hot rocks and ash.







Step 3: Quickly, place the following things on the pyre: Seaweed (followed by chicken wire) AND THEN.....









.....Lobsters, Clams, Onions, Corn










Step 4: Quickly, cover with 3 tarps and secure tarps with stones at base of pyre









Step 5: Wait (1/2 hour? not sure. but it has to be precise, whatever it is)








Step 6: Take off the tarps and unload the food!








Step 7: Eat! Enjoy!

well, first of all, priya got married...

it's been a while since i posted and a number of things have changed:
1. i have moved into san francisco and into my new room!!! and apartment!!! I now live in the mission in sf - it's a GREAT neighborhood. come visit me.
2. i hired 2 new emloyees at work and have been training them, in addition to getting the school year programming off the ground for the fall. so, it's been hectic.
3. i just changed gyms. yay! all part of my Life Consolidation Plan.
4. i went home for a week and soaked up new england summer - ocean, pool, lake, and river. and had a smashing clambake. as well as a wedding in northampton!! of a dear friend from smith.
5. priya got married. a longtime friend of mine since 7th grade pace class, priya's grown up, become beautiful, and gotten married - in a beautiful hindu ceremony in colorado to the whitest non-indian i've ever met. they're a handsome couple and dorks at heart. i love them.
6. i went home again for doug's parents' 50th wedding anniversary, which was held at the same place they were married in 1957 - the Lighthouse Inn in West Dennis, MA (on the cape). it was so much fun!
7. On Marit's recommendation, i convinced some friends to float the truckee river in tahoe. lazy 3 hours on an inner tube, in the sun, with a few bottles of beer. it was heaven.
8. D shaved his head (!!!). I haven't seen it yet. hope it isn't hideous.

here are some pictures from the clambake, cuz i know you wanted to see them. seriously, the highlight of my summer.