outside my window (er, porthole) ... construction on the rehabilitated historic drawbridge "Bridge of Lions" St Augustine, FL
I am wearing... chinos, long-sleeve T shirt from my physical therapy place, tennis shoes, sunglasses
noticing that... the tide is slowly rising
i am hoping... that my friend Moni's situation will work out
on my mind... some good friends (J&E) who are in the process of moving ashore in San Diego, CA
around the house (er, boat) ... swim suits, nautical charts
one of my favorite things... pizza, delivered to our slip. Sunrise on water. Sharing a cup of coffee with Dan
i'm creating... a playlist on my iPod called "Wild Women"
a few plans for the rest of the week... exploring the historic city, meeting LeeAnn who I know from FB but haven't met IRL, taking a trolley tour, a bit of shopping
i'm looking forward... to getting back to Annapolis and having my stylist Ron work his magic on my hair
30 March 2010
24 February 2010
This quiz made me think
Found on RoseAnn's and Heather's blogs:
1) What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name?
~Eryka <*wink*>, or Lindsay. Or something totally gender-neutral, like Madison or Taylor or Hunter.
2) What was your worst date (as in going out on a date, not an actual calendar date…unless you have a really bad one to share)?
~Probably the one and only time I tried replying to a dating ad – it was obvious to both of us that there was no chemistry, conversation was awkward, he had major baggage including an ex and a kid and debts, he complained that I was ‘geographically undesirable’ (i.e., I lived too far away) and then he wanted to make out. So I told him that I had a long drive home – he’d set himself up for that with his ‘geographically undesirable’ comment – and left.
3) If you had to teach one subject in high school or college, what would it be?
~Geography (do they still teach geography?) During our travels, it embarrasses me to see how many Americans don’t have a clue about how the rest of the world lives. Worse, many of the island people we’ve met know more about the US than some Americans we’ve met!
4) When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
~Dan did an amazing impression of a heron, squatting, walking in that weird mechanical way they have, stretching his neck and looking for food.
5) What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
~We lived in Colorado when we got a phone call that my mom was in a hospital in NY dying of cancer and wasn’t expected to last a week. One of Dan’s co-workers simply said, give me your housekey and some phone numbers and GO! We were on the next plane. We had a dog and 5 cats and a house in the country, she took care of them, contacted our bosses and explained the situation, and made sure our house, etc was okay. Mom lasted 6 days, and with the funeral etc, all in all we were gone 2 weeks. When we got back we gave the coworker some antique green and silver teacups that had belonged to my grandmother (the coworker was a collector of green antique pottery so it seemed an appropriate gift) and she merely said, “Tell me about the person who used to own these,” which of course was exactly what I wanted, someone to keep the memory alive.
6) If money or skill-set was no issue, what would you love to do for a living?
~I would be an actress or film star. I love to play make-believe and try on other roles, other lives.
7) What is one thing as an adult/parent/spouse you do that you swore you would never do?~Yuck. Drink too much.
8) If you could go back to one particular time in your life (not to live, not to change anything, just to visit) when would it be?
~One summer when I was in my late 30s, Dan and I both worked 4-day weeks. His was Sun-Weds and mine was Mon-Thurs. That meant we each had one private day, and we still had 2 days together. We lived in Colorado and went out every ‘weekend’ (Fri and Sat, the 2 days we had off together), backpacking one weekend, canoeing the next, something in a city the third. It was a wonderful time.
9) If your walls could talk, what would they say about you (good & bad)?
~Wash me! When I retired I thought I’d have more time to make my home a calm orderly haven. Hah! I’ve been so busy adventuring, if anything this boat is more chaotic than it was when we were working.
10) If you could fix or put an end to one problem in the world what would it be?
~People wanting/using/taking/HOGGING more than their fair share of resources, or not considering their impacts on others. I think competing for limited resources are a big cause of wars.
1) What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name?
~Eryka <*wink*>, or Lindsay. Or something totally gender-neutral, like Madison or Taylor or Hunter.
2) What was your worst date (as in going out on a date, not an actual calendar date…unless you have a really bad one to share)?
~Probably the one and only time I tried replying to a dating ad – it was obvious to both of us that there was no chemistry, conversation was awkward, he had major baggage including an ex and a kid and debts, he complained that I was ‘geographically undesirable’ (i.e., I lived too far away) and then he wanted to make out. So I told him that I had a long drive home – he’d set himself up for that with his ‘geographically undesirable’ comment – and left.
3) If you had to teach one subject in high school or college, what would it be?
~Geography (do they still teach geography?) During our travels, it embarrasses me to see how many Americans don’t have a clue about how the rest of the world lives. Worse, many of the island people we’ve met know more about the US than some Americans we’ve met!
4) When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
~Dan did an amazing impression of a heron, squatting, walking in that weird mechanical way they have, stretching his neck and looking for food.
5) What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
~We lived in Colorado when we got a phone call that my mom was in a hospital in NY dying of cancer and wasn’t expected to last a week. One of Dan’s co-workers simply said, give me your housekey and some phone numbers and GO! We were on the next plane. We had a dog and 5 cats and a house in the country, she took care of them, contacted our bosses and explained the situation, and made sure our house, etc was okay. Mom lasted 6 days, and with the funeral etc, all in all we were gone 2 weeks. When we got back we gave the coworker some antique green and silver teacups that had belonged to my grandmother (the coworker was a collector of green antique pottery so it seemed an appropriate gift) and she merely said, “Tell me about the person who used to own these,” which of course was exactly what I wanted, someone to keep the memory alive.
6) If money or skill-set was no issue, what would you love to do for a living?
~I would be an actress or film star. I love to play make-believe and try on other roles, other lives.
7) What is one thing as an adult/parent/spouse you do that you swore you would never do?~Yuck. Drink too much.
8) If you could go back to one particular time in your life (not to live, not to change anything, just to visit) when would it be?
~One summer when I was in my late 30s, Dan and I both worked 4-day weeks. His was Sun-Weds and mine was Mon-Thurs. That meant we each had one private day, and we still had 2 days together. We lived in Colorado and went out every ‘weekend’ (Fri and Sat, the 2 days we had off together), backpacking one weekend, canoeing the next, something in a city the third. It was a wonderful time.
9) If your walls could talk, what would they say about you (good & bad)?
~Wash me! When I retired I thought I’d have more time to make my home a calm orderly haven. Hah! I’ve been so busy adventuring, if anything this boat is more chaotic than it was when we were working.
10) If you could fix or put an end to one problem in the world what would it be?
~People wanting/using/taking/HOGGING more than their fair share of resources, or not considering their impacts on others. I think competing for limited resources are a big cause of wars.
04 December 2009
High-Fives in the Cockpit
and a fair amount of rum, and Jimmy Buffett playing "Christmas in the Caribbean." We've made it through all the bridges and the tides and the currents and the ports ... we're anchored in Virginia Key, the first of the Florida Keys, just off Miami with the city skyline off the cockpit ... we're here! Weather permitting, on Monday we cross the Gulf Stream and enter the Bahamas!
We probably will not have internet! It could be several weeks between opportunities to post and get in touch with you all, please don't worry! We'll be traveling in company with another boat and always in radio contact. What an adventure we're having!!!
We probably will not have internet! It could be several weeks between opportunities to post and get in touch with you all, please don't worry! We'll be traveling in company with another boat and always in radio contact. What an adventure we're having!!!
13 October 2009
We're On Our Way!!
We left yesterday afternoon, after a string of errands and goodbyes, and sailed 1/2 day to tie up in the marina at Knapps Narrows again - lovely spot, interesting to watch the watermen going up and down the channel, and the drawbridge. Had quite a challenge anchoring in the current, which I wrote about in Life Afloat. Today we sailed a perfect day, warm and sunny and winds from the north, comfortably behind us, to anchor at Solomons, MD. Tomorrow is a long day, down to the next good all-weather anchorage. Thursday is expected cold and windy and rainy, and we'll hole up there and wait for better weather. Stow the provisions we are still passing back and forth daily from V-berth to salon and back again so they wont clutter the place we're living in at the moment, and hope to catch up on some writing.
01 September 2009
Everything's Falling Into Place
Finally! The weather's moderated, a hint of fall - dry and clear and crisp after the hazy, hot, humid days of August, and all the details of getting ready to cruise are also "falling" into place. The canoe and the Walker Bay and the car all listed on Craigslist; the first two magically transformed into wads of cash in our pockets. Dan spent a good deal of this morning detailing the car, we've got some eager buyers who want to look at it tomorrow.
We've emptied the storage shed we had here at the marina, got rid of a lot of stuff and are storing the rest for less than half the previous price in a self-storage in town. The new autopilot compass is installed, sea-trialed and ready to go. My office is empty (the boxes of my career packed back home to be stored in the new self-storage). We have a likely tenant for the townhouse. We've been through the rounds of our doctors and all are satisfied we're ready to go; Dr Gordon gave us a stack of prescriptions for drugs to ward off many of our most likely emergencies, from sea sickness to insect stings. The most challenging thing remaining on my calendar right now, is having time to say goodbye to all the friends we've made here.
OMG! We're leaving NEXT WEEK!
After years of having a vague dream in the mists of the future, it's here! My Facebook status is "Bittersweet - wrapping up a 34-year science career and beginning Act II."
We've emptied the storage shed we had here at the marina, got rid of a lot of stuff and are storing the rest for less than half the previous price in a self-storage in town. The new autopilot compass is installed, sea-trialed and ready to go. My office is empty (the boxes of my career packed back home to be stored in the new self-storage). We have a likely tenant for the townhouse. We've been through the rounds of our doctors and all are satisfied we're ready to go; Dr Gordon gave us a stack of prescriptions for drugs to ward off many of our most likely emergencies, from sea sickness to insect stings. The most challenging thing remaining on my calendar right now, is having time to say goodbye to all the friends we've made here.
OMG! We're leaving NEXT WEEK!
After years of having a vague dream in the mists of the future, it's here! My Facebook status is "Bittersweet - wrapping up a 34-year science career and beginning Act II."
24 August 2009
It Could Be a Headline in the Washington Post
So today I continued sorting my stuff, throwing lots away. Weird, much of what was in my file cabinet was reference copies of old journal articles - don't need these, everything is on the Web now. Heck, I even pitched author copies of my own reports - again, they're all on the Web. Science moves on anyway. There's something philosopical about publishing science in a fluid medium like the Web instead of a static medium like paper, something that reinforces that you need to continually go back and recheck, rethink, revalidate, refine your theory. And I deleted hundreds of old emails and shredded documents like 10-year-old travel vouchers and statements from my gov't credit card. AND pushed the "send" button on my 9-090 (the electronic exit paperwork).
I can see the headline in the Washington Post: Scandal at USGS! Employee Shreds Hundreds of Documents, Days Before Leaving Job! What Was She Hiding?
Whoever used the shredder before me had shredded cds (the machine is meant to be able to do this) and they fractured into tiny pieces. Every time I fluffed the shredder bag it sprayed rainbow holographic glitter all over me.
I can see the headline in the Washington Post: Scandal at USGS! Employee Shreds Hundreds of Documents, Days Before Leaving Job! What Was She Hiding?
Whoever used the shredder before me had shredded cds (the machine is meant to be able to do this) and they fractured into tiny pieces. Every time I fluffed the shredder bag it sprayed rainbow holographic glitter all over me.
12 August 2009
The Only Present I Want Is Your Presence
I don't like surprise gifts, because I hate asking anyone to read my mind. Its like setting them up for failure - an expected surprise is an oxymoron - and the best they can do is meet expectations, by definition its impossible to exceed expectations. Therefore, Dan is relieved not to try to get a gift for me and hope it works. Instead he asked me what I wanted for my birthday yesterday.
I told him what I really wanted was not to have to start the day by saying goodbye to him. So, he came to Washington with me! He had absolutely nothing to do there, he brought a goofy novel, hung out at a park bench, read, peoplewatched while I was in a meeting, met me for lunch. Then I went back to my meeting and he went back to hanging out. After work, he was there, sitting in the car with the top down, to whisk me away to meet Karen and go to Jaleo for happy hour tapas.
What an unbelieveably rich full perfect day - and what an incredible I love you gift - he spent the whole day doing nothing .... except making me feel like the most special important person in his world!
I told him what I really wanted was not to have to start the day by saying goodbye to him. So, he came to Washington with me! He had absolutely nothing to do there, he brought a goofy novel, hung out at a park bench, read, peoplewatched while I was in a meeting, met me for lunch. Then I went back to my meeting and he went back to hanging out. After work, he was there, sitting in the car with the top down, to whisk me away to meet Karen and go to Jaleo for happy hour tapas.
What an unbelieveably rich full perfect day - and what an incredible I love you gift - he spent the whole day doing nothing .... except making me feel like the most special important person in his world!
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