Black Swan... I mean Squirrel

Today, I saw what I thought was an apparition or some sort of mythical creature.  I saw a tiny black squirrel.  It was exactly like the grey squirrels in EVERY way, except it was jet black.  It was so odd that I stopped and watched it on the street for about 10 minutes.  It would scurry away everything I tried to get close enough to get a good picture.  But, I managed to snap a few that will show you what I'm talking about:

Can you see him/her sitting there eating?

on the run from me

I googled black squirrels and found this on Wikipedia:
As a melanistic of the Eastern Gray Squirrel, individual black squirrels can exist wherever grey squirrels live. Grey mating pairs may produce black offspring, and in areas with high concentrations of black squirrels, mixed litters are common.^[1] The black subgroup seems to have been dominant throughout North America prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, since their dark colour helped them hide in virgin forests which tended to be very dense and shaded. As time passed, hunting and deforestation led to biological advantages for grey coloured individuals.^[2] Today, the black subgroup is particularly abundant in the northern part of the Eastern Grey Squirrel's range.^[3][4] This is likely due to the significantly increased cold tolerance of black individuals which lose less heat than greys.^[5] Black individuals also enjoy concealment advantages in denser northern forests.^[1]

^{And here are a few more professional pictures so you can really see what these mystical creatures look like:}

^{Crazy, right?  Have you ever seen one of these?  I must admit, the little guy I saw was pretty darn cute!  I wonder if Mike would let me have one of these since we loved Hammy the Hamster (officially known as Prince Charles) so much...???}

^{Yours in squirrel love,}

^whitney

It's Here. It's Here. It's Here!!!

Today we celebrate the Winter Solstice, a.k.a., my 32nd birthday!  And by 'we', I mean me. You don't have to celebrate if you don't want to. Today, I feel like a real grown-up.  I feel like my 30s have been so good to me, and they're getting better and better.  I woke up energized and ready to reflect on what 31 meant, and what 32 will bring.  And in those reflections I'm reminded that it's a somewhat bittersweet day. The bitter is that I have shared this day, for the last 31 years, with my beloved Mema.  This will mark a new time in life where I will carry on our birthday solo, but I know she's celebrating with me in spirit.

As for the sweet part, I kick started the day with a call from my Mama, Miss Susie, at 6:06am.  That's the time I was born, and to date, we haven't missed a phone call or bedside wake-up at that time in 32 years... and counting.  Love you, mama!

This past weekend we had a lovely little soiree to kick off the bday celebrations.  There's nothing like a beach themed, backyard BBQ, pajama-jam, game night to start things off.  Sadly, my camera died early on in the festivities so I can only offer a few photos from the beginning of the evening.  We played games, we danced, we ate delish food and desserts, and we celebrated.  So. Fun.

Cheers!

Warming up by the 'fire'... so flickery and bright! 

Ryan and Sarah... our party planning support

Hooray for red lipstick and leis!

Minute to win it balloon games

Treats!!

TREE!

silliness

I couldn't have asked for a better evening with such wonderful friends. I'm truly blessed. 

Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!

Love,
Whitney

*Birthday Countdown: 365 days

Get up, Stand up

Friends,

It's time to stand up! 

I've been pondering the idea a lot lately, discussing it with my co-workers and gym friends.  And, alas, I've finally decided to just do it.  I'm standing up.  At work, that is.  My 'IT Guy' (which is a term of endearment more than a job title), Tom, built this mock-up for me to test out. 

It's a stand up workstation!!  I've been wanting to do this for so long, but kept procrastinating because I wasn't sure if I'd like it forever.  A few weeks ago, I finally bit the bullet and set this up, and I haven't looked back.  It's SO much better than sitting all day.  And, as soon as I set it up, I started seeing so many articles on the news about the benefits of standing and moving around at work vs. sitting all day. 

While this is still in 'mock-up' format I'm able to figure out what I could use, what I like, what needs to be raised or moved, etc... it's been great to sort of design my own station.  When I'm ready, Tom will build me the final version compete with the bells and whistles I need/want.  Joy!

My friends Lindsay and Joe got me a nice mat for my birthday present, which makes standing for 7.5 hours so easy on the feet and knees. 

I can honestly say that I see myself doing this indefinitely.  It's funny when Professors and other staff stop by, at first they're slightly confused, then intrigued, then they usually conclude that they'd like to do this too.  Maybe I'm starting a healthy trend here at Yale.

Here's a good article from Mark's Daily Apple about standing up at work.  It's worth giving it a try.  Don't make any permanent changes until you live with it for a few weeks.  But, if you're like me, and you're tired of leaving every day with your shoulders slumped forward, your elbows bent at funny angles, and swollen feet and ankles, I highly recommend giving this a try.  Now if only I could get Yale to spring for a slow walking treadmill to stand on, I'd be on cloud 9!
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/standing-at-work/#axzz1h0luf5B3

*And, incase you were wondering, or don't know me that well, yes, my desk is that cluttered, and I do drink a lot of water each day. 

Have you ever tried a stand up station?

**Birthday Countdown:
2 days!!!!

yours in workplace comfort,
Whitney

Twi-hards

*Warning, a rant of opinion is about to be unleashed*

Two nights ago, Mike and I went to see the current Twilight movie in the theater.  I don't know its proper title.  This stemmed from a weekend of couch lounging due to sickness (as previously discussed) and a twilight marathon, on repeat, on one of the movie channels.  Firstly, how do you have a marathon when there are only two Twilight movies?  You play both of them, back to back, repeatedly for about 9 hours on Showtime, that's how.  I had no real desire to see any of these movies, let alone pay $12 a person to see the new one, but alas, Mike loves movie popcorn and it seemed like a good way for him to indulge his craving.

So here's my beef with these movies.  Their primary audience is the tweens and teens, right?  And the basic premise is that this high school aged girl, who formerly had a great group of friends at school and a good relationship with her parents is now obsessed with and totally 'in love' with both a vampire guy and werewolf guy, and that becomes her sole identity.  OK,  so the lesson for young women to take away from these movies is that you are nothing and your life means nothing unless you are with a boy.  And, not only will this boy make your life worth living, but he's so important that you no longer need any other friends, your family, your schooling, or your dreams.  All you need is to breathe the same air he does (which, PS, he's a vampire, so he's not really breathing anyway) and know he's there.  I am so concerned about the young women that will see this movie, or the previous ones, and think that a boy, or man, or whomever is what should define them.  Does this concern anyone else?

As I watched the 'marathon' and then the new movie, I was so upset to see that this young woman, Bella, was so willing to give up her life, her family, her self for this vampire character.  She attempts suicide when they can't be together. She leads on the werewolf because she can't stand to be alone and independent.  This is scary stuff to be teaching our young people, and adults!!!

It really concerns me, and I know there are many people out there who love these movies.  I just worry that we're fostering a generation of insecure, co-dependent young people with no self worth or identity. 

And, for what it's worth... in a totally teeny bopper way, I like the werewolf better anyway.  He seems more level headed and logical.  Just saying.

Ok, rant over. Thanks for reading. 

Birthday countdown: 6 days!

-Whitney

When all else fails...

I'm going on day 10 of this cold, accompanied by cough, sore throat, hoarse voice, and snotty nose.  I had a feeling this would happen once I finally slowed down at work and was able to catch my breath.  It turns out that my breath, once finally caught, was filled with coldish germs and virus.  Ta-da!!!  I got sick. Sick.Sick.Sick. 

I had no taste for food.  I was too tired and unwell to go grocery shopping or cook (poor Mike).  I just laid on the couch, the other couch, or in bed and alternated a rhythmic pattern of sleeping and coughing.  At times I interrupted the pattern by placing a wet wash cloth on my nose and face to breath through... you know, for humidity.  No, I don't own a humidifier, nor a de-humidifier for that matter.

And when nothing seemed to make me feel better, I turned to the old stand by.  When all else fails, there is always this:

GRILLED CHEESE and TOMATO SOUP!!!!

In my sickly fog, I had forgotten this most essential combination of goodness and warmth.  I was suddenly filled with energy (sorta) and I put on my 'can go outside in these' slippers from LL Bean, drove to the grocery, and purchased the essentials:  Sourdough sliced farmhouse bread, Land O'Lakes White American Cheese, Campbell's tomato soup (family size!), and butter.  Ok. I also bought cranberry ginger ale.

I sped home, washed my hands, and got to work in the kitchen.  15 minutes later I was enjoying the Mmmmm Mmmmm Goodness of this favorite old standby.  Yea, it's loaded with grease and oil, and yea I do the half water/half milk trick to make the soup creamier.  Who cares.  It was, and has been for the last few days, the only thing I had actually tasted in days. 

This ain't no pity party for love or well wishes.  The primary message you should take away from this entry is that when all else fails, and you can't see the light, just remember that grilled cheese and tomato soup are still there to save the day.  Dang, why don't I make this more often???

That is all. I hope you're all well and getting excited about the holiday season. 

Birthday countdown: 1 week!!!!!

Yours in crispy golden grilled cheese love,
Whitney 



Dinner Parties are Underrated!

This past weekend we had the pleasure of joining some great friends for a wonderful 'Ugly Christmas Sweater' dinner party.  Why don't people do this more often?  We usually end up meeting friends out at a restaurant or bar- it's noisy, the wine is expensive, and the food is so-so.  A dinner party, on the other hand, is the way to go.  You're in the capable chef hands of dear friends who have thought of all of the details to make your evening enjoyable, comfortable, and so much fun.  We're blessed to have such thoughtful and entertaining friends!

We arrived to the sound of the Country Christmas music channel playing and a house filled with the smells of holiday food and fireplace.  We did a little twirl to show off our tacky sweater ensembles.  We discussed the ways in which we'd aquired our sweaters, the sorting methods we used at various goodwill stores, and the difference in sizing and buttoning between women's and men's sweaters.  The boys were a little thrown off by buttoning on the other side.  In all, I'd say we looked pretty sharp for a group of tacky sweater wearers.  You be the judge:

We enjoyed home cooked food, wine, and some incredible new Woodchuck champagne type cider, and laughed well into the evening.  Dinner parties don't have to be stuffy and boring... at least no when this group gets together.  We told funny stories, Mike and Jeremy acted normally:

All of this is not only to show off all of our great tacky sweater ensembles, but also to remind you that dinner parties are a great way to have a small group of friends over and simply enjoy the evening.  We made our way back to the living room somewhere near midnight and snapped a few more tacky photos.

note our gracious hosts on the top left and bottom right... they were su buy hosting and snapping pics that we missed their photo op in front of the fire.

Special thanks to E and C for hosting such a fun gathering.  I'm looking forwrad to the next themed occasion.

I hope you all have a chance to attend or host a dinner party yourselves; it's such a great way to catch up and enjoy each other's company.

***Photo credit to Carla O'Brien***

Birthday Countdown:  15 days- woo hoo!

-w

***This was meant to be posted yesterday***

'Tis the season, right?!

December 1st brings up so many things for me; it's hard to believe it's actually here. 

• This officially begins my birthday month
• Today is my dear friend Padraig's birthday
• The year is coming to a close and I have so much yet to do
• Busy season at work is ending
• Christmas is coming!!
• Holiday parties and plans are happening
• The smell of evergreen is filling my house
• Sweatpants are totally appropriate attire to wear outside the house
• The balance of heat and no heat in the house begins
• Most stores and malls are nearly inaccessible
• My email box is filling rapidly with special offer messages from my favorite stores
• The baking of holiday delights begins- Miss Susie's Zucchini bread, sugar cookies, pies, mmmmmmm....

So in order to welcome December in with open arms, Mike and I went out last weekend and chopped down our own Christmas tree!  It was quite an adventure... and it continues to be a daily battle of sorts.

We set out for Jones' Tree Farm in Shelton, CT.  With a Dunkin Donuts box o' joe in hand, we were ready to brave the elements and trek out, deep into the acres and acres of trees to find 'the one' for us.

Upon our arrival, we were thrilled to see that the lot had also reduced the tree cost from last year. Score!  We disembarked the vehicle, gloved up, and headed out with coffee in hand.

Got the saw- check. Note red flag to find car later- check. Bypass large families on the walkway- check.  We wandered to and fro, near and far, up and down marking trees 'under consideration' with random pieces of straw and twine so that we could come back to them for a reassessment.  Somehow I really believe in my heart that if someone else spots our consideration tree and notices that it's 'marked' with this stuff, maybe they'll pass it by understanding that we've got our eye on it.  They probably won't, but it makes me feel better to mark it anyway.

It's tough because you've got your Blue Spruce, Frasier Fir, White Pine, White Fir, Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, and them some cross-breeds. This is an important decision because you're going to be living with this bad boy for over a month.  Or, if you're like me.. .until February! What?  It's hard for me to throw out the tree I knowingly killed for my pleasure.

Mike is a fan of the Blue Spruce tree, which I think is pretty from afar, but way too prickly to decorate or brush up against.  I am a fan of the Balsam Fir and Frasier Fir. They are super green, have a wonderful smell, and they don't hurt when you decorate them. These are very important things to think about when selecting a tree.

Alas, we narrowed it down to 'the one.'  Covered in sweat (because we dressed for the occasion not the weather forecast), having walked a mile or more back and forth in deliberation, Mike got to work chopping down our tree. A Balsam Fir. 

A'int she a bute?  While still alive, this sweet tree was about 8+ feet tall.  I always feel so bad during the sawing process... I talk to the tree, apologize for hurting it, reassure it that we will love it and decorate it beautifully, and keep it warm. It is kind of a sad and selfish ritual if you think about it.

When she was down, Mike dragged her through the fields, some mud, some sparkly sand, water, and straw before she made it to the wrapping thingy.  The men manhandled her, spun her up in twine, and tossed her aside for us to collect.  We loaded her up in the truck, turned up the Christmas music, and headed for home with our sweet Christmas tree.



Once at home, we realized that we hadn't cut enough of the under branches off to fit into the tree stand.  Mike retrieves the saw from the coat closet (???) and attempts to trim the tree... alas, the saw broke in half with the first swipe.  Next up, Mike's Swiss army pocket knife saw. After that bent and became cemented with hardened sap, we decided to forgo the rest of the under branches.  We jammed the tree into the stand (by 'we', I don't mean 'me') and screwed the bolts into it's thin trunk.  The tree was precariously balancing in the middle of the stand, not touching the bottom, and not held in by all 5 bolts.  I didn't want to discourage Mike, so I kept quiet.

We pulled out our decorations.  Took a trip down memory lane to see all of his Nan's beautiful ornaments dating back to the 40s and 50s, and included some of my own pieces from over the years.  I love decorating for Christmas.  We turned pandora on for the holiday stations and rocked out. 

Our friend Rich came over later and crashed at our place.  The boys stayed up into the early morning watching funny clips and shows on the computer while I was fast asleep.  The last think I remember is Mike asking me to make bacon in the morning.  No problem.

I woke up at 7am, went downstairs to brew coffee and found the tree completely horizontal on the ground.  Ornaments were broken (not the old ones thankfully) and sap, water, and needles were everywhere.  I wish I'd taken pictures, but I was panicked and didn't think of it.  I pushed the tree back up and all the way against the wall to rest there.  Rich woke up and helped me try to adjust the tree and stand. He also reminded me that Menorahs are SO much easier to deal with than Christmas trees, and eventually we got it to stand somewhat upright.

After the crash, one third of one of the six strands of lights began to blink.  Yep, about 50 actual bulbs on the whole tree now blink and won't stop. I. hate. blinking. lights!  So if you notice a dark gap in the front of the tree in the pic below, you'll know that despite six attempts, I couldn't take a picture when the blinking was actually 'on' instead of 'off'.  Oh well.

Here's our final product... slighty crooked, minus a few branches and needles, and half lit:

Happy December to you!

BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN:

20 days

-Whitney

For the love of my Mama

HI Friends,

Work is gradually slowing up and I'm hoping to get back to my regular blogging routine once again.  Today is the last day of work this week- thank you Yale- and I am SO looking forward to a little break and some thankfulness.

But first, a little recap from one of my favorite things... a visit from my Mom. Two weekends ago, my Mom, aka Miss Susie, came up from the Sunshine State for a quick visit.  I don't think I ever really realize just how much I miss her until she's here and the hours and minutes speed by so quickly, threatening to end our visit sooner than I'm ready for.  It always seems like forever until she arrives and then in the blink of an eye I'm driving her back to the airport.  Sometimes it's just not fair. 

Growing up we went on many vacations around the south, and on ski trips out west, but we never really visited the Northeast.  I'm actually so thankful for not having spent much time up here previously because it makes every visit with my mom so special.  We plan new adventures, drive places neither of us has ever been.  We experienced NYC for the first time together in 2007.  It's so much more fun to go on these adventures with my mom, knowing that both of us will be seeing something or experiencing something for the very first time together. 

And this past trip was no exception.  Mike helped plan a wonderful few days for us, complete with a beautiful drive through the Hudson River Valley, a visit to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America), Mohonk Mountain, leaf looking, FDR's house and memorial, The Griswold Inn, and much more. 

 

And although these adventures brought us new memories and stories, the best part fo the trip was our quiet times just talking as we sipped our tea in the mornings.  You don't realize how much you need a dose of Mama until she's sitting at your table bundled up in comfy clothes, talking about whatever we fancy doing for the day.  That's the best part.  It's not that I ever forget how much I enjoy our time together, but I'm so much more aware of it when she's here and we're on a timeline.  There are times in life tha I wish I could press fast forward and get on to the next part but not when my mom and I are together.  It's in those times that I wish I could press pause and stay in them so much more.

And so on the third day in this week of Thanks, I am so thankful to have my Mom.  She is my best friend, my confidant, my mentor, my voice of reason.  And, I'm one lucky girl.

Here's to planning our next adventure... we're heading West in June for the red rocks.  I can't wait... mostly just for the Mom time. 

Love,

Whitney

BOOM goes the...smell of gas in our house.

Dear Blogary,

I've missed you.  Work has kept me away from writing and sharing all of the adventures and craziness of late.  However, after last night's events, I decided I had to take a quick break to share. 

I worked late again last night and Mike was rushing me home because he had made dinner plans that would apparently self destruct if I wasn't there by 5:45pm.  (Yes, I thought that was early bird special time, too!)  I rushed home in the rain as fast as I could.  I raced to the front door just to drop off my lunch box and work bag, only to be met by an overwhelming smell of gas pouring from the house.  I'm not talking about the "I had beans for lunch" kind of gas; I'm talking real deal gas stove gas.  Yikes!  I race in the house, careful not to cause a static spark or clink my keys against anything else.  I'm shouting, "Mike, we have to call the gas company!  This is an emergency!  You've been sitting here in this?!?!"  The smell was so strong it was dizzying. Seriously.  Forget about the self destructing dinner plans, we were about to blow up the block!

I enter the kitchen to find one of the dials for the stove top turned to 'light' with gas just pouring out of it.  Apparently it had been doing so for quite some time- like since the morning.  Neither of us is sure who bumped the stove, and regardless of blame, this was a super scary situation.  We opened the windows, cut off the heat, and contemplated what to do next. At one point, Mike mentioned that he had been sitting in the house earlier with candles lit!!!!!!  Seriously. It's a wonder we didn't blow up the neighborhood.

Not having grown up with gas, I am no expert of this stuff so I don't really know what to do in a case like that.  Mike decided we should go to dinner and check it out afterward since we couldn't stand to just sit in the house smelling it.  After dinner the smell was still so strong that we opened every single window and door on both floors and froze all night long with no heat while the gas slowly leaked out of our house.  Needless to say, I didn't sleep and I worried that every move we made in our fleece blankets would ignite a static spark that would blow us into oblivion and destroy all the condos on our block.

Thank goodness we were OK and a major crisis was averted.  This morning, everything smelled normal again.  I do have a ridiculous headache and am very tired, but at least we made it out without harm.

Be careful, my friends!  If you think you smell gas, you probably do!  Don't wait or give it some more time.  It's a distinct smell so you're not imagining it, and it's not onions in the trash can as Mike thought it was.  Call the gas company, check your appliances, BE SAFE!

Happy Friday!  I'm thankful for our safety.

Whitney

Whirlwind

This last 10 days has been quite a whirlwind. I've been working on huge projects at work, carving pumpkins, participating in fundraisers, SNOW, halloween, and the list goes on. Whew! I'm pooped.

Here are some photos from the last week+ of activities and adventures.

Last Saturday, I participated in Barbells for Boobs, which is a CrossFit event that raises funding for Breast Cancer research and treatment.  Our gym raised over $6,000 and held a friendly competition event.  Participants had to perform the WOD called 'Grace' which is 30 clean and jerks for time.  I finished in 3:09 at 95lbs.  All photos borrowed from Aaron Poach- a friend and fellow CFNH member.

The day was electric with energy and stories of triumph, survival, and spirit. We had a cookout afterward and then awaited the snow to fall.  I couldn't believe I was seeing snow come so early in the year. October 29th.  Many parts of CT are still without power today; however, Milford wasn't too hard hit so we managed to not relive our Hurricane Irene lifestyle. 

More on Halloween and the snow to come. Hope you all are having a good week. Happy Wednesday!

-Whitney