Jaye's Musings

Since my last (non-review) post quite a lot as gone on in the past few months. I can't believe that it was February, so yeah, been quite busy since then. If you follow me on Facebook then you've probably seen the photos, etc.

( Read more... )

...but I'm back and trying to stick with it. So, an update...

The truth is that it's been busy. Just about every other day I'm up at the house redecorating. Most of the wallpaper is off and we are now painting and should be done by the time our furniture is delivered, hopefully by the end of the month. Hence why we are still living with hubby's parents right now. So, other than that, I haven't really been doing much as I'm absolutely shattered the next day.

The best news is that hubby now has a date when he starts work! March 10th! I love him, but I'll finally have him out of my hair on a daily basis and get back to my life as we should also be actually living in our own house by then!

In other news, I...like most in the northern tier of the US...am done with winter. Last week we had a massive ice storm that knocked out power to most of the area here. We were lucky in that it only took them just over a day to get it back on, but others, even neighbours were out for 4 or 5 days. And today is another snow day and we've had well over a foot of the stuff, on top of the several inches that were already on the ground, and more to come later. Spring really can't come quick enough.

At least next week, we (hubby, #2 son, and I) will have a break from the in laws. Hubby's sister and her husband 'won' a trip to Rome for a week. Their son is a Marine on embassy duty and the USO held a competition for two sets of parents to go out...except that only two sets of parents could take time off/had passports/wanted to go. So while they are enjoying Rome (of which I'm exceedingly envious), we are going to house and cat sit for them...and enjoy a place to ourselves, with TV!!! for a week.

So that's what's going on...not exactly thrilling, but that's life, right.

Next up, book reviews.

...as promised! (I will get into the habit of this again!)

I'm trying to enjoy the quiet before the storm of hubby's retirement and moving, but although things have got to get really busy yet, it's not proving to be the quiet that I hoped for.

Last weekend, hubby and I went to Luxembourg City, which is only about 40 mins from home. We'd never been to the city centre, only to the cinema on the outskirts, and had heard that it was a lovely city. Now, whether it was the freezing temperatures, the snow, or the fact that signs for parking garages mysteriously disappeared once you got to the centre, we ended up less than enamoured by it. We did end up parking by the Casemates...parts of the ancient fortress of the city... but we weren't going to hike down into the valley and have a wander as it was just too cold and icy. It looked quite beautiful, and I'm sure is a very lovely spot in nice weather.

In the end we decided to head back to the outskirts and have a late lunch at the shopping mall (or what passes for a mall in Europe) and then over to the cinema where we saw Django Unchained. I know there has been mixed reviews on the film, and maybe it's because I love Tarantino (and Christoph Waltz) but I thought it was one of his best. Me and hubby had a great time watching it and discussing it after...which is something he rarely wants to do after seeing a film.

This week we're trying to get things organized for the move. He's sorting out the basement and I'm doing data entry...inputting all our DVDs, CDs, and books into a database so we know if any go 'missing' when we move (because that wouldn't be the first time). I've also got to scan a bunch of old photos of hubby...the embarrassing ones...so they can make a slideshow to show at his retirement.

I also want to get back in to my Roman blog, but yeah, that may still have to be on hold for the foreseeable.

Ahhh...I'm so looking forward to going to England next week!!

So it's been ages since I've posted anything here, and even longer for something that wasn't a meme or birthday wish. So, I thought I need to start posting something more worthwhile more regularly, just to occasionally remind people that I'm still alive round these parts.

I was thinking of just doing a huge update post, but that's rather daunting both for me and for the flist. So, I'll give the briefest on what's been going on in the past few months, with a handful of pics to boot.

-- Back in November, we took a trip to Rome, and I totally loved it...right down to the taxi driver taking us along the Via Appia to come into the city.

-- Hubby deployed in January, and he's still gone.

-- I made and uploaded a new mood theme featuring my favourites.

-- I started working on the novel...which ground to a halt for needed research, and I'm trying to get back into again.

-- I had a visit from one of my oldest friends, gmnoonie and as I was showing her around Trier, I went flying down some steps and sprained my ankle pretty badly. So, her first time in Germany and her tour guide has her leg propped up. But we did get to see "The King's Speech*" in Luxembourg.

-- Then over my son's Spring Break, we took a trip to the UK, and after having an all too brief visit with gmnoonie, we spent a few days in North Wales, where I had a great time doing some research for Mark's novel. It was really good to get a real feel for the landscape. We also went to Portmeirion, also known as The Village in the '60s show "The Prisoner"

( Have some photos )

Future plans are meeting up with franzi1981 on Saturday for a day of fun in Cologne!! And in June, me and the kiddo are heading to Edinburgh and then driving down England, in a very indirect route, until I eventually reach my mum's house. Stops will include Alnwick Castle (aka Hogwarts), Vindolanda Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall, Lake District, Blackpool, and York.

Then the hubby should be home!

[*] Will be making a post of some recent films I've seen here soon, as well. Gotta keep the momentum going!

Well, it's still crazy holiday busy around here, but it has calmed down a little with the hubby on his way back to the desert...having had a mini-holiday celebrations before he left. So even with the craziness, I will be able to spend a bit more time catching up on things with the muses, but I do still have a housefull with eldest home and his girlfriend here as well.

I'd just like to say to everyone on the flist...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Last night I went to my friend's annual Halloween party, and much fun was had.

Costumes were compulsory, and this year I went as...

( A Hun )

Well, I have to call the property management company as last night...in the middle of dinner the power went from both the oven and microwave. It's not the circuit breaker, and I can't reach behind the oven...so they can deal with it. It's what we pay rent for, right?

Also youngest goes back to school on Wednesday *pauses a moment for cheering* so I have to go into town with him and try and find him some new shoes. Also going to take him to a movie (probably District 9) as a pre-back to school treat. Must decide whether will also treat eldest and his girlfriend. Hmmmm.

I watched the Russian (Kazahk, I believe) movie "Mongol". Seeing as I have a Genghis pup, I thought it might be interesting, and while I'm not fully versed yet on his history (pup is solely based on a novel characterization), this was so inaccurate to make movies like "Troy" and "King Arthur" etc. seem like documentaries! I was WTFing through most of it...and this film was Oscar nominated!

( Finally, a photo a friend took of our 'nearby' wildfire )

At the dentist this morning with the youngest son, and the dentist learns from him that we'll be going to England this summer for a visit. The dentist tells him, "Well, and you'll appreciate Yuba City more when you get back."

WUT!? I wish I had been in there with him to tell him just how wrong he was. I mean, I can understand someone saying about appreciating the States more, or even California. I wouldn't necessarily agree with them, but I could understand it. But Yuba City!!! It is a hole. One of the poorest areas in CA (two of the others neighbour it). And just a nothing city.

And no, son said he wasn't being ironic (and yes, he picks up on such things).

Well, Sunday was my graduation from the University of Maryland University College. It's a unique university in that it caters especially towards service members, family members, and DoD civilians all over the world, and so it's not a traditional college as such.

The European Division commencement was held in Heidelberg Germany, at the army base just outside the city. There had been planned for the day before a river cruise on the Neckar river, but due to security concerns it was cancelled. In that event and to save money, we (hubby, my mum, youngest son, and I) didn't go down on Saturday as we'd first planned and so, sadly, missed out on meeting up with franzi1981.

As it was, we drove down on Sunday morning, about 2.5 hours and got there around 10:30. It was straight to check-in and robing, and then I had my official photo taken. Then it left about an hour and a half before the graduates needed to begin lining-up, so we had lunch at Burger King...not my choice, but it was just down the street and we weren't going drive around and search for somewhere decent, of which on an army base, might not exist.

We graduates had to arrive to line up at 12:30 for the 2:00 ceremony...and it took that long, even if there weren't that many graduates as compared to major schools in the US. So we all stood, according to our degrees -- there were a mix of AAs, BAs, BSs, and MAs -- in a tent with the weather threatening to pour down at any moment while they got us all sorted out into alphabetical order. And the Assistant Dean went through and checked that he could pronounce all the names...which in my case, with a difficult surname, I was grateful for. (He still got it wrong, but less wrong than most people.) Then we filed into the hall, sat through the speeches and commencement address...all of which sounded more like an advertisement for UMUC than anything for the students. Then it was up on stage, receive the fake diploma and off. As we filed back out of the hall, the faculty lined the aisle. One stepped out in front of me, gave me a hug and said, "Well done, [Jaye]." As the vast majority of my classes were online, I have no idea who he was! But he had clearly recognized my name from a class. Actually, I think it might have been my Brit Lit professor, as I had him for a couple of classes, but otherwise. *g*

Then it was home, and dinner at the local...and our favourite Greek restaurant!

I've never been to a graduation before, neither high school nor college, so it was a very different experience to see, and be a part of, one. All this time without one, and I've got two more in the next two weeks.


( And only for those really interested, a pic of me )