hy's blog

Brief respite from the rain. This was our rainy camping trip a few weekends ago. See Lucas and his face.

It is today!!! I get to find out who my Secret Pal is...

I already sent an email to my spoilee and gave her the url to this blog.

The person I spoiled is: http://supasolsista.blogspot.com/

Hats off to all the SAHM out there. I must have lost my touch after returning to work when Marlis was 5 months old. Her school is closed the last 3 days of August and I was a SAHM yesterday and today. It is constant, no break, not even during her nap time because I am busy cleaning up the mess from when she is awake!!! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having fun with Marlis but I need a break. I guess it is the same for her too because she was thrown off her routine.

It is on days like this that I really miss not living in Basel. We would have gone to hang out with Jenny and Elia, played in Schutzenmatte Parc, rode the bicycle along the Rhein, walked on the Fuess path near the dam to get reflexology benefits, did a Kneipp foot bath near the Papier Muehle museum, taking her to the Marionette Theatre, the list goes on and on.

I read somewhere that it takes an expat roughly 2x the length of time spent abroad to fully repatriate. GREAT. This means that it will take me about 5 more years before I stop missing our Basel life and adapt to NJ life. How depressing.

I digress, I had planned a playdate with someone today but that never worked out because we (me and the other mom) kept delaying the playdate time until both our children had napped sufficiently. Marlis did not go down for a nap until 16:00hrs and then it will be dinner time and then bedtime.

On another note, I received my Amazon order this afternoon. I ordered 2 DVDs (My FAIR Lady and Once Were Warriors) AND the book "Greetings from th Knit Cafe". I flipped through the book when I was in Barnes and Nobles in Chelsea and really liked how colourful the book is. I also liked the patterns but considering how quickly I finish projects, I will be old and decrepit before I get around to knitting any of these patterns. The other knitting bloggers must be very quick knitters because they seem to finish their projects in days whereas, I am a "months and months" person. of course, frogging doesn't really help either. I really really had to frog my Hour Glass Sweater because I think I was off with the gauge anyhow and it would have ended up pretty tight.

Today is a frogging day. I frogged the 10 rows I knitted (months ago) on the Hourglass Sweater. I frogged the Herringbone Lace scarf (knitted only 10 rows) and decided to use larger size needles. What will I frog next?????

I am completely exhausted. I have been staying up late attempting to brush up on my vocabulary. Memorizing 10 words per day is tantamount to watching paint dry. So my patience is really limited and I actually screamed at Marlis at Whole Foods this evening and carried her out of the store while she was wailing. Also, I have had enough of these 7:30 am telecons with the Basel colleagues to review the SDS document line by line. Why can't people read the document on their own (150 pgs and this does not include the appendices)???????

Good night.

I did a practice test from www.princetonreview.com and scored a total of 890 (verbal and quantitative combined). I am so discouraged. Sept 25 is getting closer and closer.

We went camping in Lake George, NY this past weekend with some friends. Marlis liked it. It probably would have been more fun if it hadn't rained the entire weekend. Our tent is still set up in our bedroom, drying, full of sand. I did take some pix which I have yet to download off the camera.

We are going camping this weekend. Um, car camping where you drive your car to the camp site. Should be fun, I guess. Car-camping....what can I say???!!! Not much of a workout there.

Anyhow, we will be in the Adirondacks this weekend by Lake George. Marlis is very excited about sleeping in her new sleeping bag (we got her a North Face bag - kids today have it all- I never had a brand-name anything until I was old enough to buy it myself) and in a tent. We wiggled around the living room tonite in our sleeping bags, pretending to be a caterpillar.

Bon weekend!!!

Dinner tonight was:
- Prosecco aperitif
- chicken with madeira and shallots
- accompanied by garlicky mushrooms sauteed in Semillon and chives
- with butter-sour cream mashed potatoes

We drank a Semillon with it and then moved on to a Rotlan Priorat and then to a Haut-Medoc

- Salad of spinach, beets, cucumbers, and heirloom tomatoes with a Dijon-Champagne vinaigrette

- Dessert was a Chocolate-Rum Pudding cake with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream (did not make the ice cream; ran out of time but Stoney Farms makes a decent one without high fructose corn syrup in it)

- Dessert wine: Banyuls

What I had planned for tonite was not was we had, except for the dessert. My plan to make a watercress, beet, and grapefruit salad, and duck breasts with a port-cherry sauce with mashed sweet potatoes. But there was no fresh duck breasts to be bought at the store and no watercress. Still dinner turned out great.

Our friends from Basel came by for dinner. These were friends who used to live here and then we moved to Basel and then they moved to Basel and we moved back here. Funny, we really began to hang out together after we moved to Basel.

It was great to see them and we always have the greatest conversations. Because we were all from diverse cultural backgrounds: me (a Hong Kong born Canadian having lived in Swiss-land and now living here in the USA), Richard (an American who moved every 3 yrs as a child with his family and then stayed in Austin for 20 yrs, lived in Swiss-land and now here in USA), Cornelia (a German who grew up near Muenchen, lived here in the USA and now living in Swiss-land) and Andreas (same situation as Cornelia but I think that he did not grow up near Muenchen but another region of Germany). We talked about cultural differences and even though we had experienced some frustrations living in Basel, apparently, they being German did as well. They told us about a friend of theirs who lives in Nuremburg and visited them in Basel, he was shocked at how happy the Swiss people all look and by how friendly they were. (Richard nearly fell off his chair at that because he always had a different impression). We talked a lot and Andreas said that the only way to know who you are and how your surroundings influence you is to actually live in a few places. But does that mean I know who I am? Not really sure about that.

Faux pas: I asked the cashier at Whole Foods if he was well, meaning I asked him how he was. Because in german and in french, asking someone how they are and if they are well, mean the same thing. I did not realize that by asking he cashier if he was well, I was implying that he was unwell. Yup, the cashier looked taken aback and asked me if I thought he looked ill or something. Boy was I ever embarrassed.

I am almost finished the baby cardi, I just need to find either a button or velcro thingie. More progress on the baby blanket I am knitting for a friend, due in September!! See the cute little bee? It is a measuring tape, from Lantern Moon!! I already have the sheep but couldn't resist the bee.
And I started (again, after frogging) the GumDrop sweater from MinnowKnits (no pix until I get further along, knitting with mohair is interesting), and another scarf using the yarn I bought in March when I was in San Francisco from Artfibers ( www.artfibers.com ). The yarn is 100% Tussah silk in Chai colourway, absolutely gorgeous!!! I love that shop, if I lived in San Francisco, I would completely spend all my paychecks there, mmmm, ok, maybe 75%, the other 25% on sushi and chinese desserts!!!

The weather was perfect on Saturday for our company picnic. Sunny, not too humid, warm. The venue took place at the Tomahawk Waterpark in Sparta, NJ. Here are some pix of Marlis on the Swan pedal boat and of her and her friend Leo, eating ice cream and cotton candy (she had an extremely small portion of cotton candy!!)!

Are we the only unfortunate sods who end up befriending flaky people or is it just a NJ/NYC phenomenon?????

Ever since we moved back to the NJ/NYC area end of 2004, we have been meeting with people who we think we can actually be friends with. What usually ends up happening is this type of scenario:

Us (eagerly): "let's exchange details and we can get together for dinner or something"

Them: "yeah, sure"

Exchanging of details, etc... Some time later:

Us (me, rather): "Hello, remember us, we met at such and such a place, daughter played well with your child, etc...Would you be interested in coming over for brunch?"

Them: "What a great idea!!"

More exchange of dates, times, addresses

The DAY of brunch, 5 min before they are supposed to ring our doorbell. Phone rings:

Me: Hello?

Them: We can't make it. Our child has come down with a terribly infectious skin ailment just now. We'll call you to make another date."

Me: "Ok, I hope your child feels better. Sure, no problem"

(Me: bloody sods, why couldn't they have called earlier in the morning, instead of waiting for the last minute. All the trouble I went through for this bloody brunch. ...expletives...)

So, this type of situation seems to happen to us A LOT. In fact, we have been back for almost 2 yrs now. We have met 6 couples (and their offspring) and about 5 of them have done this to us. Some of these people don't do this on the first few meetings but I would say, after about, the 5-6 meeting, we experience this. Some excuses we have heard are (the usual "sorry" is added in there somewhere):
- Can't have dinner with you, I have to write my audit report.
- I had this terrible sinus problem. (we met this couple the day after at their child's party so that was the reason for their no-show to some play we planned to go together)
- My fiancee is ill.
- I forgot you invited us to dinner but we now have this incredibly important function to go to.

I am not saying that we have never cancelled an planned engagment but we don't do it either at the last minute or no show at all. There were times when Marlis had a fever and we did not want her to go out so we called hours early to cancel.

We don't remember experiencing this when we lived in Basel. People there (or at least the ones we met) were clear on whether they wanted to get together or not. People there (at least the ones we met) were clear on whether they can commit to something or not. It's ok to say "No, we can't do it" or "No, this is not for us".

It is just plain rude to say "Yes" even though the intention is already, "well, we'll just cancel at the last minute and no harm will be done".

Well, as a FYI, we think this is ill-mannered and shows low character. Say what you mean and do what you say. Is that too much to ask?

Yup, I finally got off my big butt and registered to take my GRE. September 25! I wanted it to be over and done with before Marlis' 3rd b-day. And now I am kind of wondering what mental state I was in when I registered!!! I don't seem to have enough time to re-learn highschool math and to memorize th dictionary and practice writing essays.

Why do I do this to myself???????????????????????????????????????????

Me and the husband have been at war these few weeks over the a/c temperature setting at night. I think it should be set at 74 F and he sets it at 70 F. We had a tussle over this tonite. He told me to calm my hormones on something else!@!#!

I wished I had a comeback to his comment but what could I have said??? "Jerk off, you idiot??" Anyhow, I ignored him and will set the thermostat higher a few degrees once he falls asleep. hehehe...Calm my hormones on something else indeed.

What type of Fae are you?

I saw this from another blog (but I can't remember which one!!!) and the idea came from this: www.figandplum.com.

I bolded what I have done:

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71.Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an illness that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

Most of the blogs I have been reading seem to always feature some food or something. Anyhow, this what we had for lunch today. Vegan pizza from my fave bakery in town, The Montclair Bread Company (www.thebreadcompany.com), hummus on whole grain bread, and a summer salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and basil.

The vegan pizza from the bakery is amazing, eaten at room temperature. The crust is made with spelt and toppings usually consist of su-dried tomato, swiss chard, onions, zucchini, and either cubed tofu or grated tofu (hehehe, pretty clever cuz it actually looks like cheese!). Heather (worker at the bakery) makes the most amazing hummus (lemon garlic!!!). [We will miss Heather when she leaves the USA in January 2007 to live in Costa Rica! She is going there to build houses and to further her pottery repertoire]

Unfortunately, the hummus we ate for lunch was not from there because me and Marlis got to the bakery just when another customer purchased the LAST container. (Lucky lady!)

AND their cranberry date spelt buns (with yummy maple syrup glaze) are the best, esp fresh out of the oven. Saturdays at 10 am is the time.

Tonight, we will be having dinner at a friend's place. He will make a classical French meal. Our contribution to the meal will be a bottle of Cava for aperitif and vanilla gelato for dessert, which I churned this morning and it is now curing in the freezer! Home-made ice desserts are the best! No preservatives and definitely no artificial colouring!!!!

BTW, I found out that I was unable to post or read blogs at work. They have set up all kinds of filters so that we can increase our productivity at work!

The great thing about container gardening is how little time is needed to care for it. No need to weed, or add topsoil, just water and sunshine, which we get plenty of on our balcony. Another bonus is that I can grow yummy herbs and veggies without having to worry about animals and other nasty little insects feeding on them, pesticide-free!

Update on my attempt at composting: ugh! There's obvious a science to this. My compost ended up having so many maggot larvae in it that the husband had to throw it out. Gotta learn how to compost on the balcony.

August 1 is the Swiss National Holiday, like the equivalent of Labour Day in Sept. sigh... If we still lived in Basel, we would have had today off.

On to other news: there was an explosion of manholes today in the center of town this afternoon. I think no one was hurt. See this url for coverage: www.baristanetnj.com

GRE: my GRE exam is about 1 month away and I finally got off my fat-ass and started to study for it. Started the math section and 30 min into, I am completely distracted by, the Williams-Sonoma catalog, my bank statement, Marlis' books. It's going to be long and tough road for GRE-studying, I fear.