Thursday, June 23, 2011

Birthday Cake and a Typical Day






This was all that was left of my official birthday cake by the time that the day of my birthday arrived, so Caleb planted all 22 candles in it. I've been on this chocolate mousse kick for a while now. And the new drink we like is a moscato by Luccio.

Today was a very household day. I accidently slept in till 1, thanks to the new pillow I got which was about five years overdue. Thanks also to staying up way too late having a birthday phone date with Jess.

We went to the bank, an errand we have been trying to make happen since we moved here.

We went to look at a kitchen/dining rm table that was a long drive from here through green hills and farmland that put the Illinois plains to shame with their beauty. We bought the table that reminds me of my parents' table with its pedestal base. The wife of the family who sold it to us said that it came with good karma-- it was their "grown up" table when they first had a kid, they bought it. They live in a neighborhood where the kids can run wild, "It's old fashioned-- no fences, no pesticides."

After this, we went to the store that we go to every day when we realize what item we need next to make our apartment more complete.

Then we went home, and every time we go home, my heart is filled with hatred towards the three sets of  birds who nest in the rafters above our patio. I want to destroy them. This isn't a very Christian impulse, but if you had to walk through the poop and nest debris and then into your brand new apartment with brand new carpet, you'd understand. Of course, I won't actually do anything about these birds, except call the landlord tomorrow and remind her that our apt should be on the list of apts to de-bird. I can't knock them down myself, because then I would be a bird-baby killer.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Birthdays, Nudists, and Strawberry Jam-- a little more about Madison

Well, it's my golden birthday in three days. Caleb has some tricks up his sleeve, and I'm excited about those. My birthday is kind of the event of the year besides Christmas and Thanksgiving. It's usually celebrated over a period of months, beginning in May or June and finally wrapping up in August. That will probably change this year. Although, we did get to start the celebration last Thursday with a delicious and decadent chocolate cake from Caleb's parents that we have been nibbling on all weekend. YUM.

I'm wondering about the mysteries of meeting people out of college. It's really weird not to be in a structured environment after living in one for most of my entire life. It's like living in outer space. This would be great if I was one of those create your own destiny people, but I'm not. I like other people to tell me what to do and where to go and what I should be involved in. College was great. So many things that were already set up for me to do. And now. And now. And now. And now. Here I am. Well, world, what do you hold for me today? The question is, I'm finding, what do I hold for the world? I don't really feel like I have that much in me to pioneer out there in the so called big world. The truth is, the world is HUGE. And I have no idea where to go or where to start.

We went downtown yesterday to go to the farmer's market in Madison, and we drove through the university and it was massive!!!! I've been thinking about doing a grad program there, but it's so so so big compared to everything I'm used to. I think I would get utterly lost there. But that's just the fear speaking. Everyone in this city knows what's happening, and I am content to live in the suburbs and read books. They know about politics and nuances and government stuff. Get this, there was a nudist bike ride while we were at the farmer's market. Never experienced that before. We were at a stand buying strawberry jam, and all the sudden, cheers go up and all these naked people go by on their little bikes. The lady at the stand said "Oh yeah, this happens every year." And I said, "Every Saturday?!" "No, just once a year." Well, that's good news. I knew we were moving to a liberal progressive town, but I didn't know it was this progressive. It's hard to figure it out. Some of the people really like cheese curds, and some like nudist bike rides.

Oh, an update on the pregnancy thing. We went to the mall on Thursday and there were actually reserved parking spaces for expectant mothers or mothers with young children. And then, there was a sign at the counter at Potbelly where we went for dinner that had the handicap symbol and then on the opposite side there was a symbol for a mother with children and it said, "Need assistance, just ask." Wow. Now this is a town that really caters to its pregnant women and mothers population. If all pregnant women and mothers were treated like this, they wouldn't have anything to complain about. I bet that women are so excited when they get pregnant because they can finally use the parking spaces. It's like a secret incentive. "Yes!! I'm finally pregnant! I've been waiting since I was a kid to be able to use this parking space!" It's a plan to grow the town or something.

That's all for now. From Madison, the town where there's something in the water, out.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

It's not a bad omen, it's just a dead bird

So, today, we walked out the back door on our daily Target run to get more stuff to furnish the apt., and, what do we see on the ground, but a dead baby bird. Right there. Pinkish white and wrinkly and like it still belonged in someone's womb. There's a house finch or house wren that decided to build a nest right next to our door, and every time we go out the door, the bird flies off right above our heads. We talked to the property manager yesterday and mentioned the nest to her, and she said that they come back every year and they have to knock the nests down, but the birds are so persistent that they rebuild the nests every month. She said the maintenance guy would probably come by to take care of ours. So, maybe he came by, but Caleb said that the bird didn't look developed at all. What are baby birds supposed to look like? And if that on didn't just pop out of its egg, where did it come from and why was it there? Yuk yuk yuk.

The foil of this is all the pregnant women who live in Madison. I have never seen more pregnant women in my life! Everyday we see about five of them-- at Target, at restaurants, in furniture stores. What is it about this place that everyone is pregnant? And yesterday, the guy who was trying to sell us a bed said that in 9.5 months, everyone who gets this bed has a baby. So, am I just picking up on these things more, or what's up? Maybe only pregnant women go to the store at the same time I do because they don't have jobs? Who knows?

Anyway, that's what I'm noticing these days. Married life. Today we got the bed we ordered, but no boxspring. So, we'll sleep on the mattress tonight in the living room. The frame is beautiful and takes up most of the bedroom. It's a perfect match for the dresser ; )

Needs of today: friends, job.
Loves: how the yellow spray roses look on the new nautical tablecloth.
Thanks: parents and people I love.