So a friend of mine once said that any point in time, you can scan the radio stations, wherever you are, and you'll find a phil collins song.  I had one up as my first song tonight, and it seems appropriate because phil collins inspires the memory of the old 8-track player we had at our first house on grace drive.  

that house had a lot of memories, good and bad.


Tonight, after returning from our cruise, Ash is off to Chicago to start her new job tomorrow. It has me thinking about homes and houses and moving. Thinking of all the places I've lived, I remember more the people. Even growing up, I couldn't tell you as much about the houses we lived in, as the memories of the people there. In college and Australia, my home shifted a lot and it never really phased me. It was exciting to move in somewhere new and start over (of course, I also had a lot less stuff then).


Boston was the first time moving became a little sad to me, moving after two years to our first owned home was exciting, but the second move was tougher and I think the only change was really in me -- moving wasn't a start, it was an end.


Now, like many people out there, our lives are being changed a bit by the economy and our plans for a long life in Madison have changed. I am both excited to move closer to so many friends in the Chicago-area, and a little...I don't know really what the right word is there.


So instead, I opened a beer and raise my drink, "Here's to making plans and then making new ones."

So lots of things to write about, but not a lot of time. Ashley and I are making our 2nd trip to Minnesota, but first in the Madison-era of our lives. We are off to see friends that date back to my grade school and I believe within the next few weeks we are going to be seeing some of Ashley's friends that go back to the same time period. That is life in Madison now. We spend weekends either trying to make new friends in Madison or visiting very old ones.

It's also a good time to be interested in presidential politics living in Wisconsin. Massachusetts is not exactly a 'battleground' state. I keep toying with actually volunteering for the campaign, but find it hard to make the next leap in committment to actually stalking people I don't know to try to get them to vote for who I think they should vote for. Though, with this week, it may not matter.

Finally, do you ever hear a song and think, "this could be the song that is the basis of a movie?" I do. At first, I didn't think much of this one, but after listening to it a few times, it makes me imagine a very specific scene to an as yet unnamed, unwritten movie.

So what songs have inspired a creative thought for you, our loyal reader?

It's been a great five weeks in Madison.  We're all settled in, and every weekend we're either out exploring the area, or going down to Illinois to visit family.  Last weekend for Labor Day, we had both of our families up for the weekend for a big multi-family BBQ, so that was fun — first time we've been able to do something like that in five years.

Both of us are surprised at how little we miss Boston.  We both miss our friends, of course, but we were talking the other day about how neither of us had missed the area, yet.  At least regarding the city of Boston and the ocean (both of which we loved), I think it has something to do with our proximity — and frequent visits — to Chicago and the Great Lakes/Madison Lakes.  We're in Chicago as much as we were ever in downtown Boston, and we're always out on the lakes, finding restaurants with outdoor patios (taking our pups along, just like we did out East).  Perhaps we've just adopted a lifestyle and make the area fit that style.

Plus, we've gained everything Midwest that we've been missing.  We're currently at the beginning of Big 10 Football season, so we're loving that.  Runs and bike rides out in the country are wonderful.  We live on the very edge of Madison, so we often take our runs along the Capitol City Trail -- miles and miles of trails through preserved prairieland.  (When we run in the morning, it' s not a matter of if we'll see deer; it's how many deer we'll see.)  Everything is big, wide and open, and driving doesn't make me crazy anymore.

We're also in the trying-to-get-to-know-new-friends phase of moving to a new place, and are doing pretty well in that front.  It's a little more difficult since neither of us are in college or grad school this time around, so we've had to adopt the "go where the like-minded people are" approach.  We've had some interesting experience, but it's all part of the game.

I don't have any pictures with me, but I'll post a picture of us and our new house soon.  Hope everyone is well.

So.

This summer was a tad more eventful than I thought it was going to be.  If you read the aforementioned goals from my last post, please note that none of them truly got accomplished. 

Exactly three days after I last posted, we got an offer on the place.  A good offer.  They wanted to close in three weeks.  Here is how it all went down:

May 31 - Nate leaves for WI
June 3 - The offer comes in
June 4 - The accepted counter-offer
June 5 - The home inspection
June 10-16 - SELL ALL MAJOR FURNITURE
June 17 - P&S signing
June 21-23 - PACK PACK PACK PACK PACK PACK PACK PACK PACK
June 25 - Nate comes back into town
June 26 - Nate and Dave pack moving truck
June 27 - The closing (and my bday)
June 28-29 - Drive from MA to WI in moving truck
June 30 - Ash searches for houses (to rent) in Madison
July 2 - House found and rental application accepted
July 5 - Ashley returns to Boston (to teach classes)
July 6-18 - Ashley stays with Dave and Katie and works from Tewksbury office
July 18- Jordan (Ash's brother) flies from IL to MA
July 18-20 - Ash and Jordan drive across country (again)
July 19 - Nate (with help of his parents) move into new house
July 20-22 - Ash in Champaign
July 23 - (tomorrow) Ash finally, finally moves to Madison to be with Nate, and begins working from the Madison office

It's been a crazy, crazy two months, and I am definitely ready to be settled again.  I've been living out of a suitcase for four weeks, so it will be nice to just have a closet again -- much less everything else that we are getting.

Our new house has the following characteristics, which we are thrilled about:

-Not a condo!  (read: whole house to ourselves... 3 br/ 2bath)
-Dishwasher/Washer-Dryer
-Big back deck
-Yard/Garden
-Sliding glass door out to said deck/yard (for dogs) -- [very important, after three years of going up/down 3 flights of stairs 4 times/day for dog walks]
-In residential neighborhood next to a big park

So anyway, give us a couple of weeks to get settled in, and then come visit!!

Howdy from Wisconsin.  I was running tonight, past the cow and horse farms that are all around my mom's house in Brooklyn, WI thinking about how it was time to say hello to both our loyal readers.   It's been a strange week.

I started my new job on Monday.  To be clear, I am officially employed by Kelly Services as an consultant for GE Healthcare.  It's been strange this week because for the last few years I have been the go-to person in the office at the DOE.  I knew most of the systems and processes.  It feels strange to pick up anew and now be the new guy.  This is my first 'new job' in a long time and my role is very different.  I am officially a data analyst.  and after a few days of getting set up and a bunch of online trainings, today i finally got my first assignment and i am anxious to make an impact.  i have a lot to learn.  but i am going to become an excel master by the time i leave this place. 

And of course the other big news this week is that we accepted an offer on our condo - and after the home inspection this week, we are moving towards closing on June 27 (which also happens to be someone's golden birthday). 

immediate differences i've noticed living in wisconsin:

1. no traffic - i drive 70 miles and i just leave it on cruise control the whole way listening to a combination of npr stations
2. ale v ipa - ale's are far more popular here than ipa's
3. germans are everywhere - people know what euchre is, and there is no accent.  i kind of feel the need to drop an r
4. space - there is so much room here.

the fun part is that this morning, npr kept talking about wisconsin being a battleground state in the presidential election.  i am going to give you, our reading audience, the chance to get in on a bet i have for this year.  loser owes the winner a $50 bottle of wine.  however, i get obama.  any takers?

To any and all loyal readers: 

It is possible that the dismal posting frequency of the writers of oscarsam could drastically increase in coming weeks, due to the geographic displacement of one of its founders.

That's right-- Nate has finally made the move to Wisconsin.  On Monday, he's going to start working for GE Healthcare as a data analyst.  He's very excited.  Expect to hear from him soon, live from Cheesehead country.

I'm staying in Massachusetts until I can sell our condo.  We've had a couple of nibbles, but nothing that we can afford to accept.   I haven't lived alone since the summer of '03 when I did the summer-long documentary internship in Los Angeles.  This is, of course, completely different in almost every way.

Now: I have a big home to myself (with dogs).
Then: I rented a small room in a three-bedroom house, sharing with a Nepali couple, one Mexican, one Californian and three cats.

Now: I am living in a city that I have lived for the past four years, and have all of my friends around me.
Then: I was in a brand new city in which I didn't know a single soul.

Now: I work at a good job for a company I've been with for two years.
Then: I was a low-paid summer intern at a small production company.

Now: I'm happily married and very secure.
Then: I had only been dating Nate for 10 months.  We were serious, but anything could have happened.  I think we were both unsure about what a summer apart could have done to our relationship.

Now: The future is relatively mapped out for me: As soon as I can sell the condo, I'm going to move to WI, and Nate and I are going to find a place to live and begin our lives again, near our families.
Then: I was evaluating whether I wanted to follow the Hollywood route of so many other people of my industry, or whether I wanted to go to grad school... or a million other things. 

So, a lot of differences.  But there are some things I hope to repeat from my last stint at soloing it:

-Fitness.  I ran every day, ate really well, and got really, really fit.  Gonna try to do that again.

-Independence/sense of direction.  Before the days of GPS, I had to get myself everywhere.  I really hate driving/navigating/traffic, and I've really been overly dependent on Nate during the last four years in getting places around Boston.  So now's my chance to try to start figuring things out entirely on my own (with GPS, thank god).

-Getting out.  I was forced to get out and meet people if I was going to be at all social.  This is probably my last chance at living a single gal's life, so I'm going to try to make the most of it. 

My best guess is that I'll be out here until at least the end of August or September.  Here's to my summer of adventure.

Ouch.  That's the one word I would use to sum up Ash's and my day of skiing, but perhaps for very different reasons.  Yesterday, we finally, after four years of living in New England, took advantage of local skiing.  We went up to Mt. Sunapee with a few friends and veteran skiers.  Ashley had never been skiing and the last time I went skiing it could well have been at Cascade (though I now hesitate to use this term) Mountain.

I can tell I am getting older.  When I started skiing back in high school I had no fear.  None of us ever went side to side.  None of us braked or paused on a run (this could also be due to this size of Cascade).  Yesterday, after a 7 year hiatus, I took it safe, and after warming up on the greens, I could still navigate a few blues, but the prospect of hurtling myself downhill was significantly more daunting than I last remember.  I am definitely getting older.

As for Ashley, this was her first time on skis.  After the first run (hour) she managed to make it down the slopes with minimal difficulty, and overall it would be hard not to judge her first skiing adventure as a complete success.  By the end of the day, she was comfortable on skis, able to make a whole run and get back up after a fall.  Next time - black diamond.

So though the title is skiing, the experience of skiing, with a group, and then a pot luck dinner last night with 20 of our closest friends, leaves me feeling a little sad about thinking about moving back to the midwest.  Two years ago when Ash and I moved into our house, I'll never forget a Saturday night we were sitting on the couch trying to find a friend -- any friend -- to hang out with.  Most everyone we had known since Ash started grad school had left.  And now, with friends, sports and pot lucks - it will be very hard to leave.  I certainly miss my old friends and family, but I am used to not being around them -- this next move is going to be tough.

And on a final note: if Illinois wins today, they will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.  If you don't watch this game, Sam will come over to your house and pee all over your floors.  I've been training him.

So...

After Toronto, it was time for Christmas.  Christmas Eve was very fun; we went out for drinks, then had a great French dinner.  After that, we went to a very nice candlelight Christmas Eve service (one of about three times a year that we actually make it to church).

Mmmmm.... duck confit...



Nate's artistic candlelight shot




So while Christmas Eve was great, Christmas Day kind of blew.  All I thought about was how I was not with my family, and the multi-course prime rib dinner that we made ourselves just didn't taste as well as it should have.  I guess the first Christmas away from home is a little hard... but I don't really want to repeat it again.

Following Christmas, Nate's brother came out to visit for 4 days... we hung out and did New Years Eve activities, including much eating, drinking and card playing.

Then, I promptly got mono.  Sick in bed for 2 weeks... sorest throat ever... suuuuuuucked.  It caused me to miss my business trip to LA, which was my only hope for warm weather this winter. 

Now, I'm much better, although my throat glands are still very swollen.  They are my Harry Potter lightning scar -- whenever I get vulnerable (i.e., tired or if I work too hard), my glands pulse and burn.  It's a good warning sign to take it easy.

And now, some very cute shots of Sam:

Day three in Toronto, yah.  It's a very cool city, and it happens to be the only large city I've ever found that I don't mind driving in.  Even though the population is almost 6 million in Metro Toronto (5th largest city in North America, which I did not know) it doesn't feel like it.  Nothing feels cramped or busy or crazy; it's all pretty free-flowing and, so far, full of considerate drivers and pedestrians.  I have been quite comfortable, which is saying a lot.

I was also interested to find out that Toronto is the most diverse city in the world, as 49% of people who live here are non-Canadian born.  The ratio holds true in my class as well; I am teaching six engineers this week -- three from Canada, three originally from Asia. 

The class is going really well.  It's a 4-day customized course that I put together for engineers from CTV (Canada's largest television network), combining both operational and technical workflow topics for Avid Media Composer.  Everyone is really great, and I'm enjoying this experience a lot.  I'd definitely do similar trainings again.

One thing, though.  In the past two weeks, I've obviously been soloing it quite a bit.  And, as most of you know, I don't like to eat crap food, so I usually try to go out to somewhat nicer restaurants at night.  Don't get me wrong: I don't go crazy on my company's dollar, but I do like to sit down, have a glass of wine and an entree while I relax and do some reading.   I am totally fine with this setup.  However, many restaurant staff don't really seem to be very up-on-the-up with the scenerio.  Here is how it tends to plays out:

I walk up to the hostess stand.

Me: "Table for one, please."

Hostess: (confused) "Would you like to sit at the bar?"

Me:  "No, a table is fine."

Hostess: "Oh, ok." 

I get seated.  Eventually, waiter comes.

Waiter: "Waiting for one more?"

Me: "No, it's just me, tonight."

Waiter: "Oh, ok."

Me: "I'll have a glass of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and the Scallops."

Waiter: "Great, ok."

Waiter leaves.  Every other table in the restaurant has bread on the table.  I do not get bread.  When waiter comes back, I ask for bread.

Me: "Could I get some bread?"

Waiter: "Oh yeah, sorry."

Waiter leaves, brings back bread, but I still don't have my wine.  I don't say anything at this point. 

Five minutes pass.  I see waiter walk by.

Me: "Could I get that wine?"

Waiter: "Oh yeah, sorry."

---

And so on.

Granted, maybe it's just been a string of coincidental mediocre servers I've had in the last two weeks, but I tend to think that solo diners in general just may not get the same attention as people who dine in groups.  It just usually takes a while for things to get done, especially the credit card delivery at the end.  I'm trying to think back to my days as a waitress to remember if I was conscious of treating solo diners any different than other customers.  I can't recall it being any different, but who knows.

Anyway, two more days in the land of the Canucks, and then back to Boston, just in time for Christmas.  Hope everyone has a great holiday.

Well, I'm back from Round 1 (week in Madison) and heading out Monday morning for Round 2 (week in Toronto).  It seems I missed quite a snowstorm while I was gone, but I am enjoying walking Sam through the snow drifts.  He hops along, flailing about and sinking.  Very cute.

Being back in the Midwest for a week made me really miss it; there's something about being back in that area that just soothes me.  Madison is a great place, regardless, though.  It's a university town, so in that respect it's a lot like Champaign... but it's also part of a nice-sized city, so it has that independent, cultural vibe with lots of great restaurants and shops.  It's also a capital, so it has a stimulating political scene.  It's nestled next to some beautiful lakes, and it doesn't take long to get back to the country. 

Oh... and all of my family and Nate's family are within a 4-hour radius of it...

Did I mention Avid has an office there?

Ahh... anyway.  Boston is definitely nice around Christmas, but it ain't the Midwest.  Sometimes Nate and I go running and have a contest to see how many people will respond to us when we tell them hello.  I think we topped out at around three one time.  (This game just started innocently, of course, when we naturally said hello to people we passed... but it fully formed about the 30th time we got snubbed.) 

It's just different.