bloogs blowing by

we're going to red sox nation!!

there's something amusing about tae's fondness for the red sox - namely that she's never watched a real baseball game in her life.  (though she loves to watch kids play down at the park, maybe that should count.)  anyways, she really has no idea what red sox nation is.  but like a good bostonian, she donned her red sox hat, and got excited about eating popcorn (she read this in a book somewhere - about popcorn at ball parks).

so today, when we went to fenway park for my university's family day at fenway, i think neither of us really knew what to expect.  except that we were going to red sox nation, and tae was excited.

i think tae expected there to be people playing baseball.  if there were people playing baseball, we missed it while standing on line for air brushed tattoos.  but we had a fun time exploring fenway - talking about how the person inside the wally the green monster costume got out (tae thought there was a zipper somewhere), eating ate ice cream out of a pretend baseball hat - because as tae noted - it would be too messy to eat out of a real hat.

i enjoy getting out in to boston, and exploring together with tae.  it was my first time at fenway park too.

i'm officially done with winter...

... which starts tomorrow.

boo.

today, my car got stuck again, this time in my parking spot at work.  i park behind my building in a little spot that doesn't get adequately plowed.  ironically, after spending 5 minutes spinning my tires, i went to go knock at the realty agency next door.  the guys who work there routinely illegally park in my spot.  and when i went in to ask if someone could help me, they kinda gave me some attitude.  hello?  holiday spirit anyone?

geesh.  and anyway, i really just needed another set of hands (unfortunately, tae's hands don't count).  i mainly got myself out, but just needed someone to push while i steered and gave the car some gas.  the guys from the realty said, "well, you know, we push for tips."  sorry.  no tips.  it took them longer to walk out the door than to help me.  eh.  what was i supposed to do?

and the forecast says snow again tomorrow.  please, let winter be over.  (unfortunately, that's not our snowperson.  ours was on the front porch and melted already.  we are very sad about the melted snowperson, but with any luck, we'l have plenty of snow soon enough to build a new one.)

it snowed again.

this morning, i wanted to tell tae that she was wrong when she exclaimed at 7am: "mommy, it's snowing again!"  i wanted to think that what she meant to say was "the snow is still here."

unfortunately, she was right.

luckily, we spent the entire day cooped up in our house instead of cooped up in the car.  and i got some help unearthing my car from the mountains of snow. 

i love new england, but i hate this snow business.  and i'm a little nervous about what it will be like tomorrow morning.  the snow turned to rain by mid afternoon, so it's pretty nasty out there.

the fun thing that i did was a built a small snowman on the porch - he is already melting, and tae is already talking about how we will build another one the next time it snows.

the blizzard: we're at home

so, it's not really a blizzard, just a mess out.

and we got home.  at 9:15pm.  i left my office at 3:30pm.  it was a hell of an evening.

literally right after i wrote that tae was awesome for sleeping through everything, she woke up.  of course.  and of course, she started singing her favorite song... it goes like this:  momma can you carry me, momma can you carry me... and it's to the tune of WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

and in the middle of WAHHHH!!!!! an ambulance pulls up behind me with its sirens blaring.  except there's no where for me to go.

after the ambulance passes, tae starts in to a litany of "i was something."  "i can't talk right now."  "my head hurts."  "can you carry me?"   "I'm so tired."  "i have to pee."  grrrreat.

we survived with no accidents.  tae became distracted when she realized the car in front of us was stuck on the ramp to storrow dr.  i had noticed the car spinning a little as we approached the ramp, and kept my distance.  the poor guy got majorly stuck.  so majorly stuck that the plow coming by stopped to try to help push the lexus out.  like push it with his plow.  tae thought that was so funny, "did you never see a plow pushing a car?"  but even though the plow helped, the plow left before the car was truly unstuck.  so tae and i watched and cheered the people on who were helping to push the car out.  they made it, eventually.

then it was my turn to go up the hill.  and i got stuck.  luckily, the same guys who helped the lexus out were really really nice and helped me up the hill.  my car seemed to handle the hill a little better, and within minutes we were up and over the hill. 

i have to say that i am so thankful for the help of three random guys who were in the street.  two of the guys had cars somewhere behind me, and one of the guys was driving a city snow plow.  the poor guy said that people had been yelling at him all evening, because everyone was stuck and cranky.  so, maybe he cursed out some people who had started honking at us, but i'm sure his day was even worse than mine.

we took it slow and careful back to our house.  i was getting really nervous because we live up a huge huge hill.  but, the upshot to spending 6 hours getting home, is that by the time we got home, the plows and sanders and salt trucks had been out in force.  there is a layer of salt an inch thick on our street. 

so, we had to park a block away because of all the snow.  i should take pictures tonight because tomorrow i bet it's just going to get dirty and ugly.  but, i'm just glad to be home, in my house, with a sleeping tae.

the end.

liveblogging: a blizzard, part 2

here are some funny/remarkable things i've seen in the past couple of hours:

• a woman who fell asleep in her car because she was sitting for so long
• a random stranger get in a woman's car to help her get out of the ice
• a sides street full of cars collectively redirect themselves around a stalled van
• my wonderful amazing kid who is sleeping through ALL of this.

argh

when in rome...

let me just preface this by saying that i am not a sports person.  i am not one to follow or support professional sports.  heck, it took me days to find out that the red sox were in the league championships or whatever they're called.

BUT.  tae changes everything.

tonight ordering dinner:

me:  tae, do you want white sauce or red sauce on your pasta?
tae:  red sauce!!

after the food arrived:

tae:  there's boston red sox on my pasta!

[apparently, now, top of the 5th, boston still clinging to lead.]

why having a car sucks, #24

today when i pulled up to my office, there was a line of orange cones blocking the driveway to our little parking lot.  i made a quick turn, and found a spot in two hour parking.  i parked there, figuring i would move my car before the 2 hours were up, and before tae arrived at my office.  the next closest parking lot has no elevator, so it's a long trip with tae in tow, and our many multiplying bags.

but, one thing led to another, and when tae arrived, i still hadn't moved my car.  i saw my car out the window of the office, and seeing no orange envelope on the windshield, i figured i was ok.  maybe i've parked in two hour parking for more than two hours before, and maybe nothing has ever happened.

but then 90 minutes later, i looked outside, and my car was gone.

ooops.  damn street cleaning.  i ran outside to read the sign, and sure enough, street cleaning 12pm to 4pm every 2nd and 4th wednesday.  am i really supposed to know what number wednesday it is?  doh.

so, i got on the phone.  but then i realized i didn't know my license plate number.  so i pulled out the receipt from when my car was  in the shop last week, and used the license plate number listed there.

i must of been on the phone a lot, because tae started mimicking everything i was over-ennunciating into the automated phone system: parking violation!!  yes!!  i called about 10 times over the course of 2 hours, to the point where the woman who was answering the phone recognized me.  i was worried why my plates weren't showing up in their database.  when she suggested that i report the car stolen, my heart skipped a beat - my ibook was in the car!

but, then she looked up the plates, and told me that they had been canceled 6 years ago (the first time i moved out of massachusetts).  so, i had to call my insurance company to get them to tell me what my license plate number was.  the woman who took my call was very helpful, and reassured me that lots of people don't know their license plate number.

finally, i tracked my poor car down.  it was in a tow lot in a neighboring town.  thank god.

thank god my boss has kids too, so we took off from work early and he drove me and tae to the lot where my car was.  my car was fine, my ibook was fine.  and maybe i've finally learned that being lazy doesn't usually pay off, especially in the world of parking.  blech.

some day, i hope not to need a car.  but seeing as i feel like i live out of mine, i'm in no position to give it up for now.  so, in the mean time, i'll decorate with fun stickers and do-dads in an attempt to feel better about my car-driving lifestyle.

the snowy day

a pigeon outside my window

3:30pm outside my window

5:00pm outside my window

i heart new england

file this under only in new england.

yesterday reached a sunny high of 70 degrees.  i love the energy that spring brings in new england - it seemed like people were just pouring out of buildings to get to spend time outside.  all the tiny green spaces in the city were filled with people, frisbees and softballs.  i did laugh a little to myself to see folks on the same sidewalk in uggs and puffy jackets and flip flops and tank tops.

and of course, today is 50 and gray and rainy.  and tomorrow it will be 30 and snowy.

last night in the car tae looked so confused.  she exclaimed with confusion - "no mittens!  no hat!  no jacket!"  (she then proceeded to take off her shoes and socks to add to the confusion.)

only in new england.  and despite what i might say, i am loving it.