We went to Monterey!

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Originally uploaded by girl_in_bleue

Monterey was our secret Christmas vacation location. We went to the aquarium, one of the things we've been meaning to do since we moved to this area over a year ago. Then we took a nice long walk along the water. On December 24, the town was nearly devoid of tourists; it felt like we had the whole waterfront to ourselves. We saw seals, sea lions, and sea otters in the water and on the beach. It was so exciting to see them in their natural living spaces rather than in a zoo or aquarium enclosure.

Our hotel room had a view of the water and all night long we could hear sea lions barking. In the morning we could hear birds and once we opened the blinds we saw hundreds of birds flying around past the windows.

It was a great two days. It was chilly, but sunny and with bright blue sky. We brought our presents for each other along to open on Christmas morning in the hotel. We opened the rest of our presents when we got home, then spent the rest of the night playing with our new toys and reading our new books.

See, I told you I was Christmassy

You Are Christmas

More than most people, you are able to find magic in life's small moments. Traditions mean a lot to you, and you tend to be quite nostalgic. You are a giving, kind person who really understands the true meaning of holidays. You inspire others to be as altruistic and caring as you are. What makes you celebrate: Tradition and a generous spirit At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The storyteller. You like to recount memories with everyone. On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Give a gift to everyone you know

What Holiday Are You?

Yes, I know it's Christmas, but...

But please just let me be distracted and don't tell me to relax and enjoy Christmas. I do enjoy Christmas and I am trying hard to enjoy it this year. I decorated a tree. I watched Charlie Brown. I mailed packages on time. I'm looking forward to opening presents and having dinner.

I have distractions beyond the usual distractions this year. I'm not being Grinchy or cynical. I'm just short of time is all. We found out two days ago that Mike has to report to D.C. on January 7th. That doesn't give us a lot of time to move. I'll stay behind an extra week or two to close out the apartment slightly less rush-ed-ly. But still. January 7th. Two weeks from Monday.

Logistically speaking, doing a move cross-country with less than a month to plan and execute is a little bit of a bad dream. During this particular month I'm certain it will reach nightmarish heights. Holidays, bad winter weather, not having enough time to plan and prepare, doing some of it all by myself with two stupid cats underfoot.

I'm actually not freaking out. I know it will somehow all come together in the end. But in order for that to happen I have to give up a good portion of my brain that would normally go toward feeling Christmassy.

I'll go into robot mode for a while, then I'll wake up one month from now in my hotel-room prison and wonder how I got there. (Yeah, as a bonus we spend, like, 6 months living in hotels with all our belongings in storage before heading off to Africa.)

We are disappearing for the 24th and 25th, going underground. No internets, no cell phones, no other people, just us relaxing in a secret location. When we emerge on the 26th we will be in full-on moving mode.

You know what really grinds my gears?

At the UPS Store near my home, you have to pull the door open from the outside to get in. Now, at a place like the UPS Store, you'd think a good number of customers would be trying to enter with packages in their arms. You'd think that a business that specializes in packing and shipping, and thus have customers walking in with their arms full of stuff, would at least do those customers the favor of not having to pull the door open to get inside. If they can't provide automatic doors, at least give us a PUSH door from the outside!

Peter Griffen: "That really grinds my gears."

I love my rainboots

Oh Pucci rainboots, how do I love thee?

You are practical yet beautiful.

I could have paid less money for knock-offs from Target, but I really wanted your name on my feet. You are comfortable. I feel like I'm wearing slippers. Cheaper shoes from Target often hurt my feet.

You will be useful for January winter rains in San Francisco, April showers in Washington, D.C., and downpours year-round in East Africa. You are so cute with so many skirts I already own and will be cute with so many skirts I have yet to make.

I feel both like a kid wearing galoshes and a stylish adult when I have you on. (And now that I've finally decided which pair to keep and which pairs to return, I just cannot take you off. I wish I'd made this decision yesterday when it was actually raining and I was slogging my way to the post office.)

Happy Holidays!

Yes, I'm a "holidays" generalist unless I'm speaking specifically to someone and I know exactly which winter holiday he or she celebrates. And I send holiday greeting cards. I know too many people who celebrate Hanukkah or consider Christmas more of a winter solstice festival than a religious holiday. It's easier to buy a box of cards with a snowman on them and say "Season's Greeting" then get separate cards for every one on my list. Plus, New Year's Day is a holiday. There's plenty of winter holiday to go around.

I'm not offended if someone wishes me "Merry Christmas." I celebrate Christmas. It makes me uncomfortable that strangers in stores assume I celebrate Christmas. (Especially when I'm buying toilet paper, not anything gifty.) Yet I was also "Happy Hanukkah'd" by one of Mike's coworkers recently. I tried to be polite and say "Thank you," and move on to the next person I was saying good-bye to, but the confused look on my face gave me away. She was certain Mike and I celebrated Hanukkah. We never have. I'd like to think that maybe she overheard some people in the office talking about Hanukkah and mistakenly thought Mike was one of those people, not that she just assumed because we have a Jewish last name. You know what happens when you assume things, you know.

Anyway, this year my cards legitimately are holiday cards, not Christmas cards. It would be a miracle if any of them arrived by Christmas, since they're sitting on my coffee table without stamps right now. There's no way they'll make today's mail and they all have to travel far and wide, mostly to the East Coast. They should arrive by New Year's Day. And they'll definitely be in people's mailboxes by Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.

Denny Crane Made Me Do It

One evening Mike and I were watching a Boston Legal episode on DVD. I have no idea what was going on in the show, except that Denny Crane (William Shatner) was talking about hot fudge sundaes and within about 10 minutes we were in the car on the way to the store for hot fudge sundae supplies. Denny Crane is that influential.

I think Boston Legal officially became Mike's favorite show when an episode opened with Alan Shore (James Spader) and Denny playing Wii Tennis, which is also one of Mike's favorite games. 

When the theme music comes on doesn't it make you want to stride down a hallway?

Beware of Gustave!

"Beware of Gustave!" was the subject of an email from a friend who has a friend from Bujumbura. Gustave is a gigantic crocodile that lives and hunts in Lake Tanganyika and the Rusizi River. Bujumbura is located on the northern shores of the lake.

Gustave is most likely the largest crocodile in Africa. He's a long-lost "supercroc," an ancient breed of Nile crocodile. They just don't make crocs like Gustave these days. He's estimated at being 20 feet long and weighing one ton. He's responsible for possibly hundreds of human deaths along the water's banks. He's become a local legend, and while many of the croc-related deaths may not be him, there's evidence that most are. The local villagers are afraid of him, yet they have no choice but to fish in the river in order to feed their families.

Over the weekend we watched a PBS special about Gustave, Capturing the Killer Croc. (It's available from Netflix.) While the show is admittedly sensationalized there's no denying two things: 1) The landscape along the river and lake is gorgeous. We just bought a new big screen TV and we watched with our mouths hanging open at the lush greenery, hardly believing we could be living there within 6 months. 2) Gustave is freakin' huge. It showed him laying next to regular-sized crocodiles and with hippos. I have visions of him terrorizing downtown Bujumbura, Godzilla-style.

There's a French naturalist who's obsessed with Gustave, Patrice Faye. He's been studying Gustave for years and trying to capture him to use for breeding in the Rusizi national preserve. Faye also collect specimens for the Bujumbura natural history museam, Musee Vivant. I'd love the chance to visit that museum while we're there. I'm a natural history museum freak.

For more information on Gustave, read the National Geographic article Have You Seen This Crocodile?

What I Eat in Africa

Today at What I Eat I wrote about some of the foods I hope to encounter in Bujumbura. Cross-posting love!

What I eat in Africa is something I'll be discovering very soon. In case you haven't heard, Mike's job is transferring us to Bujumbura, Burundi, in East Africa next year.

When going through the medical clearance process, no one questioned my celiac disease. And I was ready to defend it. I knew that wheat is not a major staple in most of the countries we could possibly be sent to. Since we're allowed to bring a couple thousand pounds' worth of our own pantry items from home, I knew I'd just bring Bob's Red Mill instead of Duncan Hines. I was keeping my fingers crossed for a place with lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

And I think I hit the jackpot. From eDiplomats.com:

Fresh tropical fruits, such as bananas, a papayas, mangoes, pineapples, Japanese plums, citrus, avocados, and strawberries are available and inexpensive. Vegetables, including cucumbers, green beans, dried beans and lentils, green peas, cabbage, tomatoes, artichokes, carrots, cauliflower, beets, lettuce, potatoes, turnips, onions, green onions, leeks, and green peppers are also inexpensively available. Fresh spices are also found, including thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, cilantro, fennel and parsley.... There are many local butcheries, which supply good quality beef, pork, lamb, goat, and poultry. Turkeys are raised in a nearby Italian Mission. A variety of sausages and coldcuts are made locally.... Burundi coffee and tea are excellent and inexpensive.

This is all excellent news! We've also heard that rice, peanuts, and Indian and other Asian spices are available and inexpensive. Our eating habits won't have to adjust that much, except for trying all the new dishes. And the lack of dairy--there's apparently very little in the way of good fresh milk. That will probably be the biggest culinary problem for us. (The parts I left out with the ... pertain to how what little processed food is available is expensive because it's all imported from Europe.)

I don't consider myself an adventurous eater, I just like fresh food instead of processed. Many of our peers look at this information and cringe about how they'll have to bring all their cans of Progresso soup from home. I say, "Hopefully it won't be that much different than going to farmers' market here."

"Strikes and gutters"

How much Kahlua do you suppose we need to pack for two years' worth of The Big Lebowski viewings?

We are having highs: "Weee! Africa!"

And lows: "What if my malaria pills have gluten in them?"

There's a lot to take in and we're getting a slow leak of information, little by little, yet constant. Have you ever had to grocery shop 2 years in advance? Have you ever lived next to a lake filled with hippos? These are the thoughts that plague us now. (Actual plagues are among the least of my worries at this point.)

I've treated myself to a few items that I'd set aside in my mind as "Africa presents." I ordered a pair of Pucci rain boots from Zappos. (They just arrived while I was editing this post. Must end now and go try them on!) I stocked up on fabric and notions for sewing. I won't be able to zip down to the mall or downtown for clothes shopping. We have to bring 2 years' worth of clothing and shoes and "hobby supplies" with us. But you don't open it all up and start wearing it right away. You pack it away and when you get to Africa you pretend you don't have it. Then when you think, "Hmm, my Converse are wearing a little thin," instead of going to the shoe store you go into the closet and "shop" amongst the shoes you brought. Theoretically at least. I'm going to try to keep some of my stuff in its boxes in new condition so I'll have that new-clothes feeling.

Every little household thing I do now is accompanied by the thought "Will I be doing this differently in 6 months?"

That and "How much underwear should I buy for 2 years?"

Memes don't necessarily = cheer

I don't feel very holly jolly right now. Last week I was all about Santa concerns, but a defining moment occurred over the weekend (see previous post). Now I'm all about "Don't send gifts; it's just more stuff to pack!"

Thanks Vicky!

I know I'm supposed to just relax and have fun with this. I don't feel Grinchy exactly. Just distracted. I'm extremely happy that Christmas dinner will be a low-key event at Mike's cousin's house. I practically need to do nothing and that's one of the greatest gifts I could receive this year.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper

2. Tree--Real or Artificial? Real. Always real. Growing up our family had a private tree field. "Real" to me is not going to the Home Depot parking lot; it's going to a tree farm and cutting it down. (This year I'll be heading out to Target on December 26 to buy a fake tree to pack for Africa just in case I can't find a real tree there.)

3. When do you put the Christmas tree up? It's different every year.

4. When do you take the tree down? Again, different every year.

5. Like egg nog? I'm not afraid to admit I like egg nog. But I like good egg nog, not chemical corn syrup egg nog.

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Growing up my mom had several. I don't put up any.

7 . Hardest person to buy for? This year, everyone. I'm too distracted for presents right now.

8. Tinsel or Garland on the tree? Neither. The cats would love to try eating it in either form.

9. Worst Christmas gift? I can't remember.

10. Mail or email a Christmas Card? Mail.

11. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story.

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I see something appropriate.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? You mean regift? I don't think I've thrown a present in the recycle bin. But I don't think I've regifted either.

14. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Candy canes!

15. Colored or clear lights? Colored! Clear lights are for summer evening outdoor parties.

16. Favorite Christmas Song? Bing Crosby's White Christmas

17. Travel during Christmas or stay home? "Travel" and "home" are such relative terms for us. And it's different every year. I hate traveling during the holidays but staying home means sitting in an apartment by ourselves.

18. Can you name Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen

19. Star or Angel on tree top? Neither

20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

2 1 . Most annoying thing about this time of year? Commercialism

Love, Cholera, etc.

Mike had to work on Friday night and he'd been working a lot all week long. We felt like we hadn't seen each other much lately so we had a little date last night. We went into town and browsed some bookstores. We were looking for some specific titles, and found most of them. Then we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Bijan, a Persian restaurant. There we toasted to "Not moving to the Middle East."

That's right. We are not moving to the Middle East. We are moving to Bujumbura, Burundi, in East Africa. Burundi is that little red dot on the map.

And so the next exciting chapter in our life begins. There's a lot to think about and we still don't know many details but should find out soon exactly when we'll go. It's great that we can narrow our reading and research down to one place now. My head is swimming with all the plans and ideas that have been simmering for the last 6 months. Africa means rain boots and flowy skirts and fresh mangoes. It means, quite possibly, leaving our beloved furry monster cats at home. This particular part of Africa means very few visitors will come to us, but we'll go to Europe or back to the States for vacations several times a year.

Love, obviously, because we love each other and since the day we married we knew that adventures like this would be part of our life together. Cholera because it still exists in Burundi and it's one of the many immunizations we'll need to get.

The map is from Wikipedia.

To Santa or Not To Santa?

I don't have kids and probably won't for another few years. But this time of year I start wondering if I'll tell my future children that Santa is real. I'm all for the stories, legends, and mythology surrounding Santa. I'm all for the magic of Christmas. I'm all for The Grinch, Rudolph, Charlie Brown, Ralphie, and a Grizzwald Family Christmas. But I'm of the mind that Santa coming down the chimney is a fun game of pretend and not reality. Does this one little thing make me a no-fun Christmas cynic?

Think about it. We're supposed to encourage and inspire children's imaginations. But then we throw in this one story and let them be convinced it's real. Letters to Santa. Sitting on Santa's lap. Cookies for Santa. Where do you draw the line? Does it encourage consumerism and gift-grabbiness in kids rather than magic and the spirit of Christmas?

How do you Christmas-celebrating parents handle it?

I wasn't exactly traumatized by finding out Santa wasn't real. At least, I don't remember being traumatized. I only remember sitting on Santa's lap maybe two times as a kid and every time I knew it was a guy in a costume. And I was shy with strangers. I didn't scream; in fact, I couldn't talk. It's weird. You're supposed to stay away and not talk to strangers, but once a year you get plunked down on some guy's lap and you're expected to tell him your secret desires--what you want for Christmas. And you do it because everybody else is doing it.

There's a lot of public pressure to believe in Santa. Even if you don't watch TV and thus miss all the commercials, Santa is still everywhere. On the radio, on billboards, online, in magazines and newspapers. It seems like Santa is the symbol of asking for gifts now rather than giving them. That's sad.

C3 BYOB

Intrigued by the secret code in the title? It means that the new pledge for Carbon Conscious Consumer this month is to bring your own bag when you're shopping. Whether you have canvas tote bags or leftover plastic or paper shopping bags from your last trip to the store, bring 'em along. Some stores, such as Whole Foods, even give you an incentive... five cents off your grocery bill for each bag you bring in. (It may be small change, but over the weeks it adds up to lattes!)

It doesn't matter to me if you click on the badge below and take the official pledge, or if you just keep the thought in the back of your mind until the next time you go to the store. What matters is that 12 million barrels of oil per year are used in making the plastic bags Americans get at the grocery store and on other shopping excursions. That's a lot of oil. And do I really need to remind you about the troubles with oil?

And since this is a month of mega amounts of shopping, it's the perfect time to get in the habit of BYOB.

gathering 'round the conference table

I woke up just before 6:00 this morning knowing it was nearing 9:00 on the East Coast. Somewhere I imagine a conference room filling up with people milling around the coffee, bagels, and fruit plates before settling into their seats around a big table. File folders, legal pads, pens, laptops, one of those big phones for conference calls. Banter, pleasantries, water-cooler chat. Then down to business.

Today's the day the board meets to decide on assignments for Mike's job. We suspect we'll be discussed today. We have no way of knowing at this time. Even if they do discuss Mike's placement today we might not find out until next week. But it's nice to know they've been thinking about planning the discussions.

For the last few days I've had sort of a Christmas Eve feeling about this approaching meeting date. I don't know how long I can sustain this under the guise of excitement before it becomes anxiety or full-on panic attack.

Dining with World Leaders

Well, not really. More like dining in the general vicinity of someone who's related to a world figure. We recently dined at a restaurant that's owned by the brother Afghanistan's President Karzai. I think that's kinda cool.

This restaurant where you can pretend to be a diplomat is The Helmand. There's one in Cambridge, Mass., and one in San Francisco. The San Francisco location recently moved to Van Ness.

I'd never had Afghan food before, but it was delicious! There was lots of lamb on the menu, but also a surprising number of vegetarian dishes. I had something with both pumpkin and eggplant. Pumpkin! It was so yummy. It was warm and sweet and spicy, but not too spicy.

Five days later I'm still drooling, Homer-Simpson-style, when I think of my meal.

I'm officially healthy

After nearly 6 weeks of doctor's appointments, lab work, filling out forms, and waiting and waiting, the results are in: I'm healthy. And Mike's job agrees. I'm cleared to live any place in the world. (We still don't know where that could end up being.)

You may remember I'd been waiting on one test that had to be redone several times due to inconclusive results. Those results finally came back as "slightly abnormal." One cause for abnormal results is inflammation, which, get this, can be caused by multiple testing. Oh the irony!

Health-wise, this is apparently no big deal and these results pop up all the time. You get tested again within 6 months to a year and if you're normal then, it's as if the abnormality never happened. My doctor knows the story of the mutliple testing and is certain that's the cause. I didn't even care what this meant for my health. I was only concerned about the medical clearance. My doctor wrote a nice note to go along with my results. I faxed the pages to the powers that be and waited.

And waited.

And finally... I'm clear! I'm healthy enough to live in a Third World country.

And you know, I thought it would be the celiacs disease that I'd have to defend. No one even questioned me about that.

The last name and birthdate on my medical clearance certificate are wrong. That can't be too important, though, right?