ND Weekend

September 5th - 8th

Because of our camping and waiting situation, we have gotten the opportunity to have some mini adventures.  This weekends was to Indiana for the last Notre Dame - Michigan game.

Friday we flew into Chicago and then borrowed a car from my aunt and uncle so we could meet up with friends in South Bend. We also took my grandfather out to dinner as part of the point of this adventure was getting to spend time with him.

My grandfather spends a lot of his time trying to figure out how to make the world a better place and how we can change the world for the better. It is one of his most endearing qualities and something I love about him.

After dinner we hung out with our friends Will and Kerri at my family's house in South Bend. I have family in the area. They live about a mile from campus. They are different from the aunt and uncle who lent us a car.


Saturday is football day! Here is the lovely Dome.  Someone once referred to missing campus as "Dome Sick"  and I thought it was appropriate.  I've been back every year for one reason or another.

This has always bothered me. Hall of Engineer-ing. They couldn't have figured out a better arrangement?

This is that last time ND will play Michigan for the foreseeable future. Our rivalry seems to be more about numbers than disliking them as opponents.
		They parachuted the game ball in with the Seal Parachute Team. Which was pretty amazing if I do say so myself.
		Football!  WOOOOOO!
		Touchdown!  Go IRISH!
		Look how cute we are.  Ignore that I need a brush.
		This is how the game ended as far as I'm concerned. There were some shenanigans about a penalty or something. They made the Michigan team come back out of the tunnel so that ND could kneel the ball, which made no sense. Anyway, it was nice to send Michigan off with a shutout.

Since this was a night game (notice the darkness?) we didn't get home until almost midnight. This did not stop us from staying up to celebrate. We had a wonderful time drinking and celebrating with my family (we were staying with them).


Sunday, after everyone had lots of coffee and got over their hangovers, we went boating on Lake Michigan.

		This is where my grandparents used to have a lake house. I spent most summers on this beach.
		Tower Hill is a state park. I mostly remember the sand being blazing hot and falling/getting pushed down the dunes as a kid.
		It was a beautiful day.  Look at that sun reflecting off the water.
		My cousin showing off his fabulous skiing skills.
		We all had deadlines, so my aunt and uncle dropped us off and then headed back out to enjoy the sunset.

Dan and I went to Redamack's and then to Oink's because that is what you do when you go to Lake Michigan.  We drove back to Chicago and flew back to Norfolk.  Weekend adventure complete.  It was awesome.

Camping

Since August 15th, we have been camping out in our empty house, when we aren't going on adventures.

This is what it looks like:

I've also been keeping a PSC binder to keep track of every and any document ANY office/person could ask for.  This is what it looks like:


I ended up having to add more tabs as we got more documents, but this gives you and idea.
The one without tabs is the pets' PSC binder.  It has all their vet records and documents.

Winchester and Return of Ta

August 29th - September 2nd

Dan and I drove up to Winchester to spend the weekend with my family and to reacquire Ta.  My parents had been pet sitting her for almost 2 months.   Thanks mom and dad!

Here is Dan's reunion with our dog:

As you can see, she was very excited to see Dan after 7 months.

Saturday mom and dad took us out to Linden which is a vineyard owned by friends of theirs.  It was bit cloudy and rainy, but as you can see, it was a lovely view and we enjoyed our time there.



Sunday we celebrated mom's birthday.  She tried to get us to ignore it by throwing a Buon Viaggio brunch with several friends and family members from the Winchester area.   It was very nice of her, and it meant a lot to Dan and I that so many of them came to the brunch.

Hiatus the First

Hello Friends!

I have many adventures to share with you from the past few weeks.  I've been too busy trying to see friends and family and getting in some adventure before we leave (and of course packing) that I haven't gotten around to telling you about them all.

Since I've been a little MIA already, now is a good time for me to take a short hiatus while we do the physical transfer of ourselves overseas.  I do not know what the internet situation will be once we get to Italy, so hang tight, and I'll fill you in on all we've been up to in a week or so.

Thanks!

Anniversary!

August 27th

Today is our 3rd anniversary.

We went out to dinner at a lovely hole-in-the wall restaurant. 

The couple next to us were celebrating their 54th anniversary.  When I inquired how they got to 54 years, the wife laughed, shrugged and said "he's been very patient".  Her husband shrugged.

They looked REALLY good for having been married for 54 years.  So good on them for looking great and having been married for so long.

We went home and watched Modern Family.   It was a good evening. 

Passport and Visa Conclusion

August 26th

We go off to the transportation office, with just our IDs, because we were told we could just pick up the paperwork.  Of course we get there, go to the passport office and wait for someone to help us.  Turns out we need to go back out to the front desk, that no one mans.  Oh goody.

We ring the bell, and miraculously, someone responds.  This lady has my passport and visa and our paperwork, but because we don't have Dan's original orders and his port call message, she won't give them to us.  Sigh.  Oh joy Navy bureaucracy.

We go home, we get the PCS binder, and we go back towards base.  We don't have a printer right now, so we need to stop at Fleet & Family to print Dan's port call message.  We can also extend our lending locker items lease while we're at it, so we do.  We get the port call message and head back to the transportation office.

We ring the bell.  A different lady responds to the ringing, but goes and finds the first lady.  She asks for Dan's orders, which she does not look at AT ALL.  She does not ask for the port call message.  She has me look at the passport, and has Dan sign some paperwork.

Dan is frustrated with this process.  I am happy to have my passport and visa.  Also, this has been one of the easier transactions I've had with the Navy as of late, so I don't mind so much.

I look at the date on the envelope in which my passport/visa was delivered.  It is dated August 6th.  They have had this since the first week of August and no one called me.  They were supposed to call me when it arrived.  *Sigh*

Had we not called and investigated do you think anyone would have called us?  How close to us leaving before someone would have said something?  Would they have said anything?

I don't think anyone would have called us.   

We left base and went to explore The Hermitage Museum.  It is an old house and gardens.  The house displays a collection of the original owner's art and has space for visiting exhibits.  While there Dan and I got to see several dolphins playing in the water off of the gardens.

Check it out sometime: www.thehermitagemuseum.org/visitor-info

Passport and Visa Shenanigans

August 25th

Monday we did laundry.  While doing laundry, we decided it would be a good idea to call the passport office and see what was going on with my visa.  It has been a month since I submitted my paperwork for it.

The passport office phone number is not listed ANYWHERE.  The base directory phone line was ringing unanswered.  Dan called half a dozen or so places before getting a hold of someone who tried very hard to help, but ultimately didn't.  Some how, Dan finally found someone who got him in touch with someone who sort of knew what was going on with everything.  He was told to just show up at the transportation office because they would have the passport and visa and our travel paperwork that we needed to pick up.  For some reason we couldn't do this today.  We had to come in tomorrow.  Whatever.

To Iowa and Beyond!

August 16th - 21st

We arrived sleepy, but safely, in Moline, IL and were greeted by Dan's parents.  They picked us up and drove us back to Cedar Rapids.  It was great to see them.

Saturday evening lots of family came by to say hello.  I even got to meet some new family members (new to me anyway, not new to the world).  We had a levely evening.

Sunday we got up and drove to Minneapolis to see Nick and Stephanie.  There is a lot of nothing between Cedar Rapids and Minneapolis.  A LOT of nothing.

We got a little lost and turned around trying to get to Nick's apartment,  but we finally made it.  We hung out for a bit and then went adventuring.  I think there would have been more adventuring, except it was pouring rain for awhile.

Nick and Stephanie took us to see the giant spoon and cherry sculpture, which is apparently a thing in Minneapolis.  I found a geocache so I now have Minnesota.  Someday I will get all 50 states.

After the giant spoon and cherry we went walking along a stone arch bridge which was pretty neat, and then we went to dinner at a Mexican place and drinking at the Yard House.  We returned to the apartment to play Mario Kart.

Monday we had pancakes and headed back to Cedar Rapids.  

Tuesday we spent with Dan's mom doing odds and ends.  I got a micro-dermal abrasion facial thing from cousin Amy.  I got teased for not knowing what kind of face wash I use.  I know what it looks like on the shelf.  That should count for something!

We went to the Czech and Slovak Museum.  It was all about Communism coming in and taking over and how they eventually were freed of it.  It was well done and interesting.  I got a pretty necklace with a green Czech crystal pendant.  We also went to the Czech bakery down the road for kolaches and kolachkis.  They were delicious. 

Wednesday we spent time with Dan's Grandma before we headed off to Moline, IL to fly back home.

At the Moline airport, our flight got delayed.  And delayed again.  And delayed AGAIN.   We had a layover in Atlanta, but I was convinced we weren't going to make our connecting flight.  This could work to our advantage though.  I have friends in Atlanta.  We could go see them if we get stuck there for the night.  That would be great!  But noOOOOOoooooooo.   Our flight to Atlanta got cancelled completely.  We got stuck in Moline.  Dan got us new tickets out the next morning, but because the cancellation was weather related, the airlines didn't supply any food or hotel vouchers.  Bah.

It turns out that the Moline airport shuts down at 5:30.  Taxis stopped coming through, and after several calls, we discovered that all of the hotels near the airport were booked solid.  Apparently there were several events going on this weekend, filling all the hotels.  The nearby casino was full too.  We finally found a hotel with a room left and decided to rent a car.  Something went amiss while renting the car, so we got a free upgrade to a 2015 SUV.  So that was nice, even though we didn't need the extra space.

We found our hotel and they had had some issue while booking the room for us over the phone.  The room we were supposed to have had been booked.  The only room left was a king suite, which they gave us at the normal king rate.  This was also nice, even though we didn't need the extra space. 

The next adventure took us to the other casino in the area, which was some what disappointing.  I think they had more square footage in walkways to and from the various parts of the hotel than they did in casino floor.  Dan enjoyed himself though, which was good.

Thursday we got out of Moline and back to Norfolk with no issues.  Thus ends the Iowa adventure.  We had a good time and enjoyed seeing everyone.

ALL THE THINGS

August 15th

Bright and early this morning Habitat for Humanity came to take away the things we didn't sell on Craig's list. (Craig's list is weird and I did not have much luck with it.)  I am glad they showed up before the movers so there wasn't any extra confusion occurring.

The movers showed up around 9:30 (which was in their estimated arrival time frame).  The lead was the same gentleman who did the UAB move, so I was happy to see him.  He did a good job with that move, and it was nice to have a face that I recognized.  He brought two guys with him and they started wrapping up the furniture and moving out boxes into the truck.

Dan and I proceeded to try to stay out of the way for the next 5 hours.  I spent a lot of it hiding with W in our upstairs "Do Not Pack" room.  I played a lot of my Kirby game.

I got everybody lunch from Sam's Texas Sub Shop, which if you are ever in Norfolk, you need to check out.  They have great subs and are lovely people.

We filled the entire truck.  I think we had 5 or 6 full crates of our furniture and boxes.  I thought I got rid of a lot of stuff, but I guess not THAT much.

Once the movers rolled out, Dan and I set up our new room.  It's an air mattress with sleeping bags on top and cardboard boxes for nightstands.  How romantic.

We may have spent the rest of the afternoon/evening acquiring a topper for the air mattress, sheets, towels, pillows, and a few other odds and ends to camp in the house.

Much later....

We had a bonfire, drank, and burned some things with our friends Laura, Michael, and Michael's friend Sam.

Here are some photos:

Flaming Death Piñata	The Hot Seat

We then crashed because we had to get up at 3:45 AM to get to the airport to get to Iowa.  Dan was very grumpy about having to get up so early.  

Edit:
In case you were wondering, we found 4 chapsticks and about 18 hair ties that W had hidden under furniture. 

So Many Boxes

August 14th

The first part of the last move happened today.  Two ladies came and boxed up ALL OF THE THINGS.  I am amused because this is the same company who did our Storage move.  For that move they sent three ladies to pack up everything.   For this move, the all our stuff move, they sent two.   Seems a little odd, but whatever.

Again the movers were polite and pleasant.  They worked quickly.  I may have fallen asleep at some point while they were not packing the living room.   I may have also spent most of the move playing games on my Nintendo 3DS.  Dan got it for me yesterday to distract me from stressing out about move things.  At least that's what I think.  It's been a good plan.  I've been playing the Kirby game.  It's bright and shiny and very distracting.  Silly me is quite pleased and enough so that rational me hasn't been able to speak up.  This is probably good, for now.  

I think if we both approached this move the way Dan does, nothing would have gotten done and things would have been a mess.  However, if we were both like me, we'd both be stressed out and probably arguing a lot.  I think it is a good thing we do not handle things the same way.  Though I could use a little less eye-rolling when I suggest organizing something. 

Tonight we are sleeping in sleeping bags on our bed.  It is silly, but at least we still have the bed for tonight.  Tomorrow we will be on an air mattress.

Dan's has acquired a command to "babysit" him until we leave.  This is good so he's not burning leave while we wait.

We are still not sure where we are going to live after we come back from Iowa.  We could squat in the house until the 16th of September, but that sounds unpleasant.  Though it may be our best option.  I would like to at least be somewhere with a bed.  The air mattress isn't great.  I remember from when we camped for two weeks in the house when we first got here that it was uncomfortable and difficult.

It turns out that in an empty house with plastic on wood floors, every time Dan or I moved, the air mattress squeaks and creaks and those sounds are amplified by the emptiness of the space.   It does not make for good sleeping.

Tomorrow everything goes away and we hopefully figure out what we're doing about living arrangements.  Fingers crossed the air mattress isn't the solution. 

Last Move Prep

August 12th

Today was a long day.  Dan and I spent it running around the house trying to square away everything for the movers who are coming tomorrow.  Or so I thought.

I got a call from them that they estimated our stuff at 6,500 lbs, so it's only going to take them one day to pack it up instead of the two they originally thought.  They will come Thursday to pack and the truck will show up Friday. 

In some sense this is a relief as I am not ready.   I think Dan would be perfectly happy to sit on the couch and poke his computer while the movers do everything.   I want to be more organized than that, but I am running out of time.  We shall see what happens come Thursday morning.  It will probably end up being more of Dan's style than mine, but whatever.   We got booze to kill.  I'll just start with some whiskey in my morning tea.  That should help, right?

The biggest issue is squirreling away anything we DON'T want them to pack, either because we will need it during the next month or because we just don't want to take it.  That means our guest room is now a mess of  things we want to keep with us.   I hope they all fit in our luggage! 

TPU or Not

August 11th

Today was Dan's adventure.  I spent it doing laundry over at our friend Michael's place.  I achieved this by shoving all of our laundry into a sea bag and biking up to Michael's apartment.

Dan went in search of TPU (Transient Personnel Unit) to try to get a temporary assignment so that he does not have to burn leave while we wait to move.  TPU told him that he didn't apply to them and that he wasn't their problem.  I mean, they're the TRANSIENT PERSONNEL UNIT.  How could he possibly NOT be their problem? 

He left TPU, while waiting to get a hold of someone from the Desron, to go find the transportation people and inquire about our flights to Italy and what to do about our pets.  After informing them that no, we would not be willing to leave our pets behind, and a bit more diplomatic discussion (I probably would have just started crying), they said maybe they could get us all out together on September 17th.  Maybe.

We were supposed to move 18 August, then 27 August, and now we're at 17 September.  MAYBE.

At this point he came over and acquired me so we could get lunch and he could let me know all this had all transpired.

After lunch he went back to base to try to figure out what to do next.   He got in touch with the Desron who made some calls and he met up with a Lt. at TPU.  Despite its name, TPU apparently only deals with Service Members who are trying to get back to deployed ships.  That is all.

Dan is waiting to find out if one of the other Desrons will babysit him while we wait to move.

All of our stuff leaves at the end of this week.  We will then go to Iowa.  I do not know what Dan is going to do for work/not burning leave, and I'm not sure what we are going to do about living arrangements.  Hopefully we will have more information tomorrow.



In other news,  Robin Williams died today at 63.  It is believed he committed suicide.  I hope that he is at peace and is enjoying whatever afterlife he believed in.  The world has lost an amazing man.

The Pet Saga Continues

August 9th

Today Dan received an email stating that there was no room on the AMC flights for pets and that all commercial airlines have an embargo on flying pets until at least September.

I want to punch YNC.

Dan is going to call on Monday to yell at people and find out what is going on.  I am glad I don't have to do it.   But I am not happy about this.

Dan Returns

August 8th

Breakfast today was an ice cream sandwich and bourbon.  Things need to be consumed alright?  Don't judge me.  It was like 11 o'clock.

I spent the day tidying up the house.  BORING.  It was something to pass the time until Dan returned.  He was supposed to be landing at 9:25pm.

Around 4pm I started worrying about what to wear.  I was pretty sure Dan wasn't going to care, but I wanted to look pretty.  I decided on a dress he purchased for me when we were down in Georgia.

It finally became an appropriate time to leave, which was about 8:45pm.  Then the universe decided that things were going to be difficult.

Shortly after leaving home I came upon an accident on Granby that had my whole side of the road blocked off.  Okay, detour time!  This is not a big deal, except I get stuck behind a bus that decides to just stop in the middle of the road.  Just because.  For no reason.  For like 5 minutes (or it felt like it anyway).  The bus finally decides to turn and I zip off towards base.

The gate the GPS has taken me to is closed.  Well, now what?  I check the map and figure out how to get over to a gate and a part of base that I recognize.  I need to get onto base first, and then I can wind my way back to where the GPS wants me to go. 

I get to where the GPS tells me Chambers Field is.  This turns out to be the area where the runway intersects with the road.  GPS, this is not technically incorrect, but it is not helpful.   I drive a bit further to find a place where I can pull off and try to figure out what to do next. 

I ask the internet about where the pick up location is for Chambers Field.  The internet is not helpful.  I realize that I'm not really sure where I'm supposed to be picking up Dan.  I thought it was where he came in last time, but last time he came in on a helicopter, so maybe not.  I thought that was Chambers Field.  Silly me is starting to panic and is very upset.  Why doesn't the universe want me to get to my husband?  What if I'm late and he's the last guy waiting.  I fight the urge to cry.  I am frustrated.  Rational me takes over and finds a map of base on my phone.  The helicopter pick up was somewhere near the vet.  Let's go back that way.   I head back out towards gate 3 and to the area I THINK is where I'm supposed to get Dan.

The place looks dead.  There is one other car in the parking lot.  This cannot be right.  I go up to the doors and am surprised they aren't locked.  I wander into the building.  A service member spots me and asks if I need help.  YES!  I need lots of help!  I explain that I'm supposed to be picking up my husband, but I'm not sure where and that this is where I got him last time.  The service member inquires if Dan had said anything about an AMC flight.  I have no idea.

Where did he come from?
"He came from Dubai, via Bahrain, via Souda Bay, via Naples, via the Azores to here"
You need to go to the AMC terminal.  This happens all the time, let me give you directions and show you on a map where you need to go.

Thank you kind Service Member!  Where I am and where I need to be, are not that far apart.  I think I can just go a short way and be there.  WRONG.  I have to go back to where the GPS took me, and then ALL THE WAY AROUND the airfield.  That is the only way to get to the AMC terminal.  I set off.

I start to have my doubts about where I am going, because the road just keeps winding around, but I eventually make it to the AMC terminal.  I have been driving around for over an hour now, it should have taken 20 minutes.  I am very late.  Dan is probably alone and upset that I am not there.  Or he is too tired to care and passed out on a bench.  Either way I feel terrible.

I park and go into the terminal.  I am relieved to see so many other people waiting in the terminal for their loved ones.  Maybe I'm not late after all? 

I wait.

The evil sliding glass doors occasionally open, but no one comes out.

I wait.

I wait some more. 

A pilot type person comes out followed in a slow trickle by some flight attendant type looking people.

I wait. 

A few people come out and find their loved ones/rides.  It reminds me of the intro/ending of Love Actually.  It is very touching to see these people reunited.  One guy literally dropped everything he was carrying to hug his gf/wife person.  But none of them are Dan.

The gentleman next to me strikes up a conversation, mostly griping about the slowness of customs.  Ah, that is what the hold up is!  His wife and kids stayed overseas to finish school while he moved on to his next duty station.  We chat for a bit.  I keep watching people trickle through the sliding doors.  Each time I think, "that is not my person."

The crowd that has been waiting has dwindled down to a handful.   I have been waiting in the terminal for about an hour.  It feels like an eternity. 

I finally see Dan come through the sliding doors and I ran up to hug him.  He has a terrible deployment mustache.  He looks like a rookie state trooper, but for now I don't care.

Dan is home.

Cleaning Mania...sort of

August 6th - 7th

I have spent two days deep cleaning parts of our house, mostly the upstairs bathroom and the kitchen.  Part of this is because Dan is coming home (in theory) but most of it is because the last move is looming and I want to make sure random things don't get packed up and that other random things don't get forgotten.

The third reason is that Samaritan House is coming through the neighborhood to pick up any donations set out on the curb.  I have like 8 trash bags full of things, plus some other furniture I don't want to deal with.  I could probably have a second yard sale with the stuff going, but I did that and am done with it.  I do not have the patience or time or energy for another yard sale.   This is the lazy man's way out.  I just have to get the stuff to the curb tomorrow morning.  That will be the challenge.

I expected the kitchen to be alright and the bathroom to be terrible.  The reverse was true.  Granted about 50% of the things in the bathroom got thrown out or put in a donate bag and it's a much smaller space.  But it went fairly quickly and wasn't too unpleasant.

The kitchen, however, has been fighting me all day.  The refrigerator was the worst.  The shelves don't fit in my sink.  I think I got washed more than they did.  I'm also amazed at the random dirt/ick that got places and I have no idea how it got there.   I totally get the ick from the exploding beer bottle incident.  I tried to clean as much of that as I could, but I knew I'd miss some of it.  But the ick elsewhere?  Where did it come from?  Is there a kitchen ick goblin?  I imagine he's friends with the goblin that eats socks from the laundry.

I ended up tossing a ton of food/food items.  The movers won't pack any liquids and some of the stuff moved from Georgia and still hasn't been used.  I fear Bean Day is coming.  If you aren't familiar with the concept, Bean Day is when you are trying to eat up ay food you have remaining and end up eating a can of beans.  Because that is what is left and it needs to be eaten.  It doesn't have to be beans, of course, but the idea holds.  I fear our Bean Day may in fact be water chestnut and jello day.  

Anyway.  Super boring post.  Cleaning.  yay.  Bean Day.  eep!  

Headaches

August 4th & 5th

I have developed reoccurring afternoon headaches and nighttime nightmares.  The headaches leave me pretty worthless for several hours every afternoon and the nightmares make it so I don't sleep very well.  I'm blaming the move, which is now being personified as a lurching blob monster in my head.

The dreams I remember are usually pretty bizarre anyway, but my stress dreams are violent and upsetting.  Last night I woke up screaming and crying, because the nightmare I was having ended with my niblings being killed.  Not in an accidental death kind of way, but in a vengeance murder kind of way.  The nightmares, aside from being unpleasant, leave me emotionally confused and drained and sleep deprived.  

I don't feel terribly stressed during the day, but clearly something's going on.  I hope whatever it is it will stop when Dan comes home.

In the world of good news,  I know when Dan is supposed to come home.  I'm not convinced it won't change though, so I'm keeping it quite.  I'll believe it when I see him.

Glass and Fishies

August 3rd

If you haven't guessed by now, I'm kind of in a waiting period.  I'm waiting for Dan to come home; I'm waiting for our last move; I'm waiting to find out when we actually get to go to Italy.  As I write this, I am waiting for Dan to call.

Today I went to the Chrysler Museum with my friend Laura.  I have never been, as it was under construction until recently.  They have a very impressive glass collection as well as some other art collections.  Here are some of the highlights (in my opinion) from the museum.  I believe you can click on images to see a bigger version of them.



First up is this delightful (and I'm sure politically correct) flameworked glass chess set by Gianni Toso. 

Next are three beautiful pieces by Tiffany.   In the foreground is a flower form vase inspired by nature.  To the back right is a Wisteria lamp, designed by Mrs. Freshel for her Boston, MA home.  To the back left is "Woman in Pergola with Wisteria."  It was privately commissioned for a Long Island, NY home. Finally, in glass, we have the famous "Woman with Shrimp" figurine by Ercole Barovier.  Obviously if you aren't familiar with this piece, you've been living under a rock.  Probably with that "shrimp's" brother.

This is a giant painting. It is about 5' x 7'. "Neptune and Nereides" by Giovanni Beinaschi. I don't know about you, but to me it looks like the one Nereide is about to flick the other one's nipple. I think she's actually holding a piece of string or something, but you have to look REALLY closely to see it.
So, we all love George Washington, right? First President of the United States and cherry-tree cutting mofo.  This guy REALLY liked Washington.  This piece is titled "The Apotheosis of Washington" and it is by John James Barralet and Jean Simon Chaudron.  In case you are wondering, apotheosis is "the perfect form or example of something; the elevation to diving status."  Thanks Google and Merriam-Webster!
	This is supposed to be a grand portrait of this guy, Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson by John Wesley Jarvis.  It is supposed to represent him as "a proud and intelligent leader."   All I see is: Who ate the last cookie? "Uh....it was him!  Definitely not me...."
This painting is actually quite beautiful and I have nothing snarky to say about it.  It is titled "Venice" and is by Thomas Moran.  Maybe someday I can visit Venice, if I ever get to Italy.
Lastly is "Kâkiwi" by Deborah Butterfield.  It is a horse made of driftwood, except not.  Each driftwood piece was the cast in bronze, painted to look like driftwood, and reassembled.  It's a driftwood statue, made of bronze, cast of driftwood.  Kâkiwi is Hawaiian for "bow or bend." (Laura for scale.)

Museum adventure completed!

We walked back to Laura's place and on the way we passed through an area known as The Hague.  As we were walking past the water a school of tiny fish jumped out of the water and onto the stone area the serves as the end of the Hague waterway.  Clearly some larger fish or Hague monster was after them, but now they were stranded on land.  Laura and I to the rescue (sort of)!  We rushed over and started tossing tiny flopping fish back into the water.  Sure, we may have just handed them back to whatever it was they were running from, but maybe some of them got away.  And it has to be better than suffocating, right? 

Fish side quest completed!

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing not a whole lot.

The company I up-till-recently worked for has a reality tv show that started its new season last week.  I don't have cable so I FaceTime with Dan's parents to watch the show.  It is a bit of a silly system, but it works, and I get to talk to them for a bit during commercials.  

Dan did not call.

Edit: Dan did call, it was just very late/early.

Battle Wounds

August 2nd

I haven't decided if this will be a daily blog or not yet.  I'm not sure my normal day-to-day interactions, or lack there of, are of much interest without Navy shenanigans.  I guess we'll see how it goes.

I am one of those people who always has a bruise, cut, scratch, or scrape.  I have stopped trying to figure out where they have come from and just accept them.  I am not a graceful person.  This one is my latest.

I at least know how I got THIS bruise.  I dropped my end of a piece of furniture Michael was helping me move.  I thought my foot was clear, but it was not.  At least it's a pretty shade of blue.

In other news, W is waaaaaaaaaaaaay stressed out.  I can't really blame her though.  Her world keeps shifting around.  I keep moving things around in the house.  Strangers keep coming into the house and taking our stuff away.  That guy who used to live with us is gone and the dog has disappeared.  Who or what is next?

She has licked the fur off of her belly and now has red irritated spots from the licking.  She's also been very bitey and keeps hiding.  I've started drugging her.  Not really, but really a little bit.  It's herbal.  It's cool.  

I have this stuff called Rescue Remedy, it's all natural or some nonsense.  I originally got it to see if it would help Ta with her car sickness (it did not) and am now trying it to see if it will calm the cat.  I figure if I can spritz aroma therapy calming spray into my face in hopes that it works, why can't I do the same for W?  She gets ear rubs instead of spray to the face.  I like to think it's working.  She's biting me less than she was this morning.  She's also been more social.

Don't worry, if her belly issues don't start clearing up in a few days I will take her to the vet.  I just figured I'd give this a shot first.

Peppermint Schnapps

August 1st

What do you do with leftover Peppermint Schnapps?  We tried mixing it into a whiskey and ginger, which was mediocre at best.  We decided it was best just to drink the whiskey and give the Peppermint Schnapps away.  Maybe I just don't like Peppermint Schnapps.  We at least greatly diminished the whiskey supply.

I think Michael's roommate Christian will be the recipient of the Schnapps since he has been away and cannot decline it.  He may end up with any other alcohol that we don't finish off.  

I had big plans for today, but my body decided that instead of being productive, we would curl up on the couch and do nothing.  For hours.  Maybe that's a good thing since I've been pretty busy lately. 

Edit:  Oh!  I did successfully sell something via Craig's List without any sketchiness.  So that was fun.

Again, Now What?

July 31st

Look!  I'm caught up!  It only took two days and a major headache.  I'm proud of me even if you aren't.  

Today I woke up and didn't quite know what to do with myself.  I knew I wanted to catch up the blog (CHECK), but other than that the day has been open.

I worked on modifying a light box I made several months ago.  I lined it with aluminum foil to get better light distribution.  I'm not sure if it worked or not, but it looks neat now.

I watched Phineas and Ferb on Netflix.  Yes, it's a kid's show, but it amuses me greatly.  Stop judging.  You know you want to watch it too.

I got a call from our HHG movers that they'd like to come do a survey of our stuff if possible.  Sure!  I'm not doing anything.  They will be here at 2:30.

Dan calls.  Dan CALLS!  This is exciting and confusing.   I don't understand how he is calling, but I don't ask.  I am excited to hear from him.  Literally to HEAR HIM.  There is a slight delay, but it isn't bad.  He is annoyed at the way the Command has been handling, or not handling as the case may be, our move.  Next time, we really shouldn't try to PCS during a deployment.  This is terrible.  I point out that we didn't have much choice in the matter, unless we didn't want to leave Norfolk.  I will take this hassle for overseas adventures versus staying in Norfolk.  (I don't hate it here, I just don't like it either).

They are not sending him home when we thought they were.  I am upset.  It's a difference of a few days, but I am upset.  We are supposed to go visit his family, but he won't be home in time.  We still don't have flights out of the country, so we may be able to work something out.  It's a mess.  He is not happy.   I am not happy.  I just want him to come home.  

He has to go and says he will call again in a few days.  I can't wait.  

The move assessor arrives.  She is bright, bubbly, and easy to talk to.  The whole survey takes 20 minutes.  I am thrilled to find out that they will move my tea, as long as I put it all in plastic bags.  DONE!  (Well, not yet, but it will be!)

My friend Michael has had a long and hard day.  He's going to help me get rid of some of our alcohol tonight. The movers won't move it.  What do you do with leftover peppermint schnapps?   We're going to try some experiments.  I will report back tomorrow.