Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The stars at night...
A huge shout out to my friend the Asian Texan Jew, who has decided to make Texas her permanent home. Welcome, pardner! YEE HAW!
I'm baaack...
I have been informed by my beloved husband to work on my blog because - and I quote - "I’m tired of looking at the same damn thing every time I check it."
Honey, this is for you.
So, I have been the worst blog mama ever. I have abandoned you, C'est la vie, and I apologize. I wanted to blog, I truly did, but you know it goes when you've let something slide for so long, it just becomes harder and harder to get back into it. The pressure! Now I feel as if I must write something incredibly witty to recapture my dear readers - all 4 of you.
This has been one hell of a summer, really one hell of a year. In the past 5 months, we have decided to sell our house, put said house on the market, searched for another house, sold a house, bought a house, and moved. I could've just said, "we moved," but that just wouldn't have done it justice.
Getting a house ready to sell is a huge pain in the ass, dear readers. Add to that hassle the fact that my darling, beloved husband LEFT TOWN while we were getting it ready to show it (hey, you asked for this post). I never fully understood the stress of househunting til now, and I have a new appreciation and empathy for everyone out there who is trying to sell their home. It's a lot of physical work, and then a lot of fretting. We were lucky, though, and sold our place within a couple weeks of listing it. We were also fortunate to find another place that we absolutely fell in love with.
I know that people move everyday. I won't say that we worked harder than anyone else (though we did have an incredible amount of crap). But I will say that this was more than just a relocation; it was a reassessment of our life. One that I'm very thankful we made - it has lifted an emotional burden I hadn't even fully realized I was carrying. But coming to decisions like that isn't easy.
So here we are, a few months later, the move thankfully behind us, the sweltering summer days (apparently) just a memory, and ready to take on the next challenge in life, whatever that may be. I've been waiting for fall this year more so than any other time in my life. Gone are the days when I dreaded the end of summer. This fall, to me, has signified a new beginning, a renaissance if you will. To me, the cooler days of autumn, when the earth seems alive and breathing again after the oppressive, humid summer, have been my beacon. Just make it through the summer, and you can calm down in the fall, I told myself.
And you know what? I have. Our life is probably not all that less hectic now; in fact, with September comes the multitude of meetings and receptions that every organization starts up again after Labor Day. But I feel so much lighter, more settled, more energetic. We still (much to my husband's chagrin) have boxes to unpack, furniture to find or rearrange, pictures to hang...but we're getting there, and it feels great. We love our home. It feels more like home after one month than our previous house did at two years. We love our neighborhood, our neighbors, everything. I'm happy.
Lots of other things have happened this year. Life does, as they say, go on. Perhaps I'll delve into some other issues at a later date. For now, I will just say - I'm back.
Honey, this is for you.
So, I have been the worst blog mama ever. I have abandoned you, C'est la vie, and I apologize. I wanted to blog, I truly did, but you know it goes when you've let something slide for so long, it just becomes harder and harder to get back into it. The pressure! Now I feel as if I must write something incredibly witty to recapture my dear readers - all 4 of you.
This has been one hell of a summer, really one hell of a year. In the past 5 months, we have decided to sell our house, put said house on the market, searched for another house, sold a house, bought a house, and moved. I could've just said, "we moved," but that just wouldn't have done it justice.
Getting a house ready to sell is a huge pain in the ass, dear readers. Add to that hassle the fact that my darling, beloved husband LEFT TOWN while we were getting it ready to show it (hey, you asked for this post). I never fully understood the stress of househunting til now, and I have a new appreciation and empathy for everyone out there who is trying to sell their home. It's a lot of physical work, and then a lot of fretting. We were lucky, though, and sold our place within a couple weeks of listing it. We were also fortunate to find another place that we absolutely fell in love with.
I know that people move everyday. I won't say that we worked harder than anyone else (though we did have an incredible amount of crap). But I will say that this was more than just a relocation; it was a reassessment of our life. One that I'm very thankful we made - it has lifted an emotional burden I hadn't even fully realized I was carrying. But coming to decisions like that isn't easy.
So here we are, a few months later, the move thankfully behind us, the sweltering summer days (apparently) just a memory, and ready to take on the next challenge in life, whatever that may be. I've been waiting for fall this year more so than any other time in my life. Gone are the days when I dreaded the end of summer. This fall, to me, has signified a new beginning, a renaissance if you will. To me, the cooler days of autumn, when the earth seems alive and breathing again after the oppressive, humid summer, have been my beacon. Just make it through the summer, and you can calm down in the fall, I told myself.
And you know what? I have. Our life is probably not all that less hectic now; in fact, with September comes the multitude of meetings and receptions that every organization starts up again after Labor Day. But I feel so much lighter, more settled, more energetic. We still (much to my husband's chagrin) have boxes to unpack, furniture to find or rearrange, pictures to hang...but we're getting there, and it feels great. We love our home. It feels more like home after one month than our previous house did at two years. We love our neighborhood, our neighbors, everything. I'm happy.
Lots of other things have happened this year. Life does, as they say, go on. Perhaps I'll delve into some other issues at a later date. For now, I will just say - I'm back.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Yay books!
Breaking news from fellow blogger and book nerd Risa:
Dallas - well, the metroplex - is about to get a new independent bookstore. Legacy Books, located in The Shops at Legacy in Plano, will be the largest independent bookstore built in the US in years - 24,000 sf of book-reading fun.
"All you hear about is independent bookstores going under," said Teri Tanner, managing partner of Legacy Books. "Well, we are opening one."
Ms. Tanner – a Tyler native whose retail experience includes both big nationwide book chains – was working with Borders a few years ago when it considered a location at the Shops at Legacy.
Borders ultimately decided not to do the deal, but Ms. Tanner couldn't get the site out of her mind.
"This is a great niche location in Plano," she said. "The demographics are great, and this is a place where people like to hang out."
****
Legacy Books plans to offer the expected magazines, books and coffee bar, plus an area for cooking demonstrations and a separate Wi-Fi bar.
The store, now under construction, will be done in a modern style designed by Dallas architect Morrison Seifert Murphy, which also did the new One Arts Plaza tower in downtown's Arts District.
The interior plans show an open space with floating staircases, bright-colored fixtures and large windows.
****
"We're planning on having 100,000 titles," [Ms. Tanner] said.
Avin Mark Domnitz, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, said while other independents are opening around the country, Legacy Books is the largest in memory.
It's set to open in "late summer." I'm thinking a fieldtrip will be in order. Here's the whole story.
Dallas - well, the metroplex - is about to get a new independent bookstore. Legacy Books, located in The Shops at Legacy in Plano, will be the largest independent bookstore built in the US in years - 24,000 sf of book-reading fun.
"All you hear about is independent bookstores going under," said Teri Tanner, managing partner of Legacy Books. "Well, we are opening one."
Ms. Tanner – a Tyler native whose retail experience includes both big nationwide book chains – was working with Borders a few years ago when it considered a location at the Shops at Legacy.
Borders ultimately decided not to do the deal, but Ms. Tanner couldn't get the site out of her mind.
"This is a great niche location in Plano," she said. "The demographics are great, and this is a place where people like to hang out."
****
Legacy Books plans to offer the expected magazines, books and coffee bar, plus an area for cooking demonstrations and a separate Wi-Fi bar.
The store, now under construction, will be done in a modern style designed by Dallas architect Morrison Seifert Murphy, which also did the new One Arts Plaza tower in downtown's Arts District.
The interior plans show an open space with floating staircases, bright-colored fixtures and large windows.
****
"We're planning on having 100,000 titles," [Ms. Tanner] said.
Avin Mark Domnitz, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, said while other independents are opening around the country, Legacy Books is the largest in memory.
It's set to open in "late summer." I'm thinking a fieldtrip will be in order. Here's the whole story.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Born
I heard this song on a rerun of Bones a couple weeks ago, and can't get enough of it. The artist is Over the Rhine, the song is Born. I recommend the whole album, plus some. (click on the green link at the bottom to hear the whole song)
A while back I posted on the disappearance of honey bees. Here's up update of this most serious situation.
Guilty pleasures
So I was doing my usual morning routine of checking out the entertainment section of Huffington Post when I saw this headline: "Tori Spelling Reality Show a Surprise Ratings Hit." According to the article, Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood is a hit among women ages 18-49. Oh man, do I feel validated.
I don't watch reality TV. I've never seen The Bachelor, or American Idol, or Survivor, or any of those silly shows. But I have to admit that I am fascinated by Tori and Dean. I started watching when they moved to Fallbrook to open their B&B; I followed every second of her first pregnancy, and now her second; and I'm loving the whole house hunt they're doing now. Before this show I had very little regard for Tori Spelling, and thought I would watch the show much as one watches a train wreck. And now I have such affection for her! I mean, she may be Tori Spelling, but she's just like me! Ok, maybe not just like me, but she is much more normal that I had expected. She has her insecurities just like the rest of us. She struggles to be a good wife and mother. In short, she's human.
And it turns out I'm not alone. So there you go, I've admitted to one seriously guilty pleasure, and I feel pretty good.
I don't watch reality TV. I've never seen The Bachelor, or American Idol, or Survivor, or any of those silly shows. But I have to admit that I am fascinated by Tori and Dean. I started watching when they moved to Fallbrook to open their B&B; I followed every second of her first pregnancy, and now her second; and I'm loving the whole house hunt they're doing now. Before this show I had very little regard for Tori Spelling, and thought I would watch the show much as one watches a train wreck. And now I have such affection for her! I mean, she may be Tori Spelling, but she's just like me! Ok, maybe not just like me, but she is much more normal that I had expected. She has her insecurities just like the rest of us. She struggles to be a good wife and mother. In short, she's human.
And it turns out I'm not alone. So there you go, I've admitted to one seriously guilty pleasure, and I feel pretty good.
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