In the US, the unofficial start of the summer is Memorial Day, at May's end, and ends Labor Day weekend, in the start of September. That means since it is halfway through July, summer is halfway over, in some respects.

I think most Bostonians would say that the summer this year has sucked, at least weatherwise. Keith and I couldn't have chosen a better month to leave town. It rained for something like 22 days straight in June 2009 and was the rainest June since 1903. So, I don't feel so bad that it rained the entire time in England and France. At least I wasn't in Boston.

The trip was fun. It was certainly long (24 days) by American standards...too long to go into a detailed, day by day play of events. If you want that, I can always do a slide show in my living room and offer you some bundt cake (just kidding).

I'm also not going to waste too much time updating life from January to now. Suffice it to say, it went something like, packed up life (again), moved (again) into newly-bought apartment, got to know neighborhood, got a beautiful Boston Terrier puppy, got a new routine, painted a lot, got my real estate license, and then, packed up for a long vacation.

We needed it. I had never been so burnt out in my entire life.

The trip had its highlights. We got to see Dan and Mandy as they adjust to life in the Netherlands. They seem like they are getting into a routine, and that's good. Routines are always good when moving abroad. Sometimes that's the only thing that keeps you going. You can hear more about that on Mandy's blog here: http://singlestitch.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/a-visit-to-cologne-with-friends/

Then it was off to Amsterdam (which we loved), Copenhagen (less loved, probably our least favorite location the entire trip), and then Sweden. Yes, Sweden.

Dan and Mandy took me up on an offer to follow us and experience a real Swedish Midsommar. And did they! Mandy experienced a little too much of the schnapps, but that's understandable for a rookie. I think they had fun for the most part. They blogged about that as well: http://singlestitch.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/midsummer-celebrations-in-sweden/

I had an opportunity, after Dan and Mandy went back to Maastricht, and some other family visitors (Kerstin's sister, mother) went on their way that I was able to have a heart-to-heart chat with my host parents and sort of illuminate what was going on in my mind so many years ago. I really am glad I kept that journal...because it has provided some really valuable clarity for myself.

Leaving Sweden always tugs on the heartstrings a bit, but this time, it was particularly painful. I admit the first time I left, after the initial exchange it was really hard--as in, it took me the better part of a year to recover. The second time I visited (June 2000) I had a sort of inner-peace with myself and my first experience that I was okay going home, and it sort of ended my reverse culture shock at that point. I was finally able to move on with my life in the States. The third time I was psyched to go home. I didn't know when I'd be back, but I really wanted to get home to my boyfriend (now husband).

Coming back in 2007 was hard, but I think in the passing weeks I got back into a routine. I do recall being in a funk for maybe a month or so. That's when I had the bright idea to move back for awhile. I really still liked Boston though and knew moving to Sweden to be a logistical nightmare in terms of finding an apartment, getting a job, etc. So, between then and early 2009, we saved and bought our first home, hoping we buy at a good rate and thinking we can either go abroad when we sell, or just buy a bigger Boston place.

But now, I don't care if we can't sell in late 2013. Hell, I'll rent our place. I just want to go. Period. Maybe I feel it more acutely since the Potters left because I would love to be in their shoes myself. Certainly there are less friends to act as a distraction here. People are busy with their own lives---they have kids or volunteer commitments. We're busy too, but, something intangible has shifted and I find myself rather homesick for Sweden all the time. For now, I'm just going to have to suck it up and hope it passes. And hope that the next 4 years go by verrry quickly.

Labels: burn out, Maastricht, re-entry shock, summer, Sweden, vacation, weather

Wow....

A couple people (lately) mentioned to me that they had been reading my blog to catch up on my life. Considering I haven't written since APRIL I'm not sure there was much to catch up on in this blog, but I'm hoping that I'll be taking the time to at least write some thoughts down.

I tend to think best in terms of dates, so I'll try to start where I left off.

Our housing search continued in the late spring and summer as the housing market continued to crumble. Other homes came to our attention, and our area of searching further expanded to Milton, MA. Milton is an inner-ring suburb that is very diverse with excellent schools, all recently rebuilt in the last decade. An even bigger bonus is that its on the Red Line rail extension running between Ashmont Square and Mattapan Square. Which means a car free commute is a distinct possibility for us. However, we can get good schools, something that Boston public is sorely lacking at the moment. Keith and I are big believers in public education and we don't want to send or pay more parochial or private schooling.

Two homes presented themselves--one in Lower Mills, Dorchester just over the Neponset River from Milton, and one just over the Neponset from Dorchester, but after two looks we ruled them out for various reasons. Then, we went away in early July with my mom to Florida (only for a couple days sadly) and begin to seriously start thinking about apartment hunting. The market was still declining and buying something you don't like in a declining market makes ZERO sense. Florida was a fun distraction though for a few days.

There were some career developments in July. First, Keith found out that his hiring contract becoming permanent was going to be delayed (which ticked us off in ways you cannot imagine). Second, I had 6 interviews (yes, 6) for a possible promotion at HBS that went on endlessly.

Meanwhile, back on the housing front, we found a rundown (but not too rundown) house in Milton that we bid on in late July. Although we were financing (by pure coincidence) with the bank that OWNED the home and willing to close in 30 days, another buyer was chosen. Our mortgage brokers did their best to contact the REO department, but couldn't get in touch with anyone. The selling agent didn't want to take into account financing---after all, his commission is based upon sale price only.

Needless to say, we never heard back....and so we did have to find an apartment--one month away from the end of our lease.

So we found an apartment and are now living here: http://www.schoolhouseatlowermills.com/. We wanted to at least live in Lower Mills so we could be closer to the area we're looking and really try the commute out. So far, things have been going well and we like our apartment--although the bedrooms are a bit "cozy" we think.

We moved the last week in August after a yard sale where we sold off a ton of stuff. And found out upon moving that we should have sold a ton more stuff. We managed to unload a bit of it and hope to unload more gradually using Craig's List, etc.

Moving was a pain as a ton of our stuff got broken, even with hiring movers. One major casualty was a Åsa Brandt glass tray that was given from my Swedish host family as a wedding gift....Keith accidentally broke it. Unfortunately, it was a huge deal to me and its irreplaceable. So I'm trying to move on...*sniffle*

God, I hate moving. I'm not looking forward to moving again anytime soon.

However, now, I am convinced that God himself is watching us and its best we didn't buy. As you all know, the stock market started going berserk-o in September and I think the bottom is yet to come. We're keeping our eyes peeled, but, we're definitely in no rush--even if we continue to save and rent for a couple more years. My money is that the bottom (although this is subject to change depending on the incoming President) will occur between April and August 2009. We'll see if I'm right.

Back on the career front...In early August, I found out that I didn't get the promotion--not for any really good reason, but a whole lot of wishy washy ones (based upon the lack of straight talk I got). My faculty were dismayed---at least the ones who commented on it. Needless to say, I've moved on mentally, quit mentally, and am going to probably progress career-wise outside HBS. Ultimately, I'll be okay if I'm at HBS one more year--so I'm vested in my pension, but beyond that....bye, bye.

There is really a dearth of options now, and so I'm concentrating on other things.

Namely my feet. The end of August I went to a podiatrist because I always have painful walking and basically my option is surgery. I have toes that curl up (hammertoes or mallettoes, depending on the joint are the common name) and the joints have become rigid and permanently dislocated. Because my toes arch upwards, they get friction (blisters, etc.) on the tops of my feet. Then on the bottom, more blisters because a misalignment of the toes puts additional pressures on the tops of the ball of your feet. So, treatment is removal of the last joints in each toe, skewering the affected toes with pins, letting like that for 3 weeks, and then pulling the pins out. I lose mobility, but hey--I didn't have it before and its not really needed. The loss of mobility is a good thing because it means my toes will stay as they ought to--nice and straight.

I had the surgery on October 10th--and it really wasn't bad. The care at the hospital (Beth Israel Deaconess) was excellent, the doctor's been great, I took a week off with my foot up and on ice. I had anti-inflammatory drugs and Percoset when needed. Keith got me a video game and I played that, caught up on reading, caught up on movies.

All in all, the surgery was a good thing. Other than our foray into Florida in July and a week long trip to PA in August to see family (my great grandmother turned 90, my dad was preparing for major surgery at the end of the month, and my dad's parents celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary), I hadn't had time to really.....unwind and de-plug. Being forced into sitting or laying down and not able to clean up, do chores, see people, etc...was good for me.

By the end of my week though, I was a little zooey--full of cabin fever. So my other foot (my leftie) will be done on Dec. 19th, so I can minimize the amount of paid time off I have to use (what if I get the flu in February?) and basically do what I do at the end of December anyway---sit around. My family will be around that week to keep me company while I keep my leg up and on ice.

Back to career stuff--on Keith's end, his contract FINALLY ended September 2nd and he has been a full fledged employee ever since. So he's all set.

September 3 we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary amidst moving boxes by watching our wedding DVD. Awwww....

Ghost and Goblin turned 4 (already!) on August 19th and celebrated 4 years with us on October 19th!

The rest of September after this can basically be summed up as follows: start of school year and unpacking.

October 3 I turned 28 years old. I felt and still feel....OLD. Especially compared to all the 18-22 year olds running around here. I truly and really feel for the first time I've arrived as an adult. We celebrated by going with our friends, the Potters, to Six Flags New England on Oct. 4th. We had a lot of fun...and I highly recommend the FLASH pass.

Lastly, in my family some major things have happened. My father had his right leg amputated in late August and is still struggling to recover and learn to walk again with a prosthetic. I haven't seen him since early August (he didn't want us coming down for the surgery) but call him every so often to see how he's doing. Keith's dad also found out in May that his cancer had returned---and in September, he concluded his radiation. He had prostate cancer about 10-12 years ago (Keith was a teenager) and thank god all the lymph nodes were removed down there then. His doctor diagnosed the cancer because he had elevated PSA's (normal for a man with a prostate, but not for a man without). Even scarier, he had elevated PSAs for 2 YEARS before anyone noticed. Needless to say, that was not easy for Keith. My mom sold my childhood home in June and it has since been taken over by an elderly couple with appalling taste. I'm happy to remember it as it was. Mom and her fiance (yes, now fiance) moved into their new home in June as well...just before our July trip.

So yes, so much has happened, and so much of these events I recount are told without little anecdotes that have occurred all along the way. I think the secret to good writing is certainly trying to bite off less so that entries are descriptive and more interesting, rather than a regurgitating of the past events of the last 6 months.

Lastly, we are no longer car-less. Moving to Lower Mills made us 2 miles away from the nearest Zipcar. We live next to a Shaw's, but...returning the car at night after a late evening in Dorchester isn't exactly wise. So, lucky for us Keith's parents decided they needed a 4-door car rather than the 2-door they had, and we have it! Its older (1996 Oldsmobile Cutless Supreme) but only 65K+ miles on it. And its free! So we don't have to sign up for car payments while we continue to try and save moolah. And we don't have to deal with Zipcar's ever more pitiful customer service (that's an anecdote I'll spare you from hearing).

Labels: amputation, anniversary, birthday, cancer, car, fall, Florida, hammertoe, house hunting, Lower Mills, moving, summer, surgery, Zipcar

This blog is fast turning into the "Alyssa Show." Its a little late to be blogging about the previous weekend the following Thursday, but I was hoping my husband would have time to share his wisdom and perspective on the blog before I wrote another consecutive entry. There is no sign of his schedule letting up, therefore, I am electing to write again before I completely forget the little nuances and details of what I want to write.

My mind is firmly entrenched in the autumn right now even if my body happens to be stuck in the sweltering, humid final days of August. I have a headache right now at work because I just spent 30 minutes trying to unclog our Canon copier because *somebody* keeps loading it with bonded paper which always has and always will jam the entire machine. With my head pounding, I am sitting here, writing this, and wishing I was back home in bed with my two cats for company. I feel like laying around today.

I dread the fact that I am sitting her spewing about eagerly anticipating the autumn when chances are I will suddenly recall in the midst of a January chill that I squandered the last days of summer longing for a more temperate season. There's something said for being in the moment or "loving the one you're with." I'm not doing such a hot job with that right now.

With no vacation to go on now, little in the way of big plans, my mind is definitely more set towards better things, better home, better occupational duties, more of this and that, blah blah blah, children eventually. Perhaps if I keep myself busier or try to keep my head cooler, I'll feel less like my brain is short circuiting. Its always a great aspect of myself that I'm always onto new and better things to always be looking for the next project or next item to scratch off on my to-do list, but I don't think contentment in the now is ever going to happen for me.

After blowing off some steam, I should talk about the fun things that occured this past weekend. Mid-day Saturday Keith and I left our apartment (which if it was a person, and not a place would have been feeling *shocked* at being completely picked up and polished for the first time in months) to meet up my mother, my youngest brother, and my mom's boyfriend to go whale watching in Boston Harbor. We saw quite a few whales with a male whale Aporn being quite the show off. The day was absolutely gorgeous with azure skies, warm but not humid, and breezy. It was the first nice summer weather we'd seen in weeks.

We caught dinner at Legal Sea Food in the Harbor area and then parted so we could take Jimmy out pub crawling. That was fun, but we only made it to two bars before the menfolk petered out at 1:30 am. We got up the next morning with Dave and Mom meeting us at our apartment so we could head out to a celebratory brunch that Keith and I treated the group to for Mom getting her new job! I showed them around Harvard, took them back to our place, where we watched old family movies and laughed our butts off at mostly my young antics.

Then, Keith, Jimmy, I, and two friends who bought tickets with us went to the New England Revolution MLS game who was playing the LA Galaxy--now the home team of David Beckham! Of course, if you've read much about this game you know that Beckham sat on the sidelines the entire time while while NE Revolution won the game. The crowds occasionally rang with the chant "Overpaid, Overpaid, Overpaid" and booing rang out when the jumbotron showed Becks sipping his Gatorade on the slidelines. Here's a news story.

Regardless, it was a fun game, something that I think more NE residents should go to because the games are a ton of fun especially watching the crazy die-hard fans in "The Fort" or the fireworks going off when there's a goal, or the minutemen militas stationed at either side of the field with muskets and yellow cards and red cards when appropriate. We had great seats for $34 a pop at half field, 11 rows up. They also have very reasonable family packages.

It was back to work at Monday and this week has had its fast moments and its slower moments. This weekend will be quiet which is good, but hopefully Keith and I will do some fun things. As always when looking towards the future, the weekend is a good thing to be focused on.

Labels: august, Boston, happy birthday, holidays, Jimmy, ocean, revolution, sea, soccer, summer, whales