Today on my way to Langley’s for dinner…

… I made a quick stop at the grocery store. I was just going to pick up desert. Which is challenging since Langley is lactose intolerant. I hate grocery shopping, but I ran into my friend Dan and we shopped together; it made the whole thing much more enjoyable. So much so, that I actually did a whole weeks worth of shopping. It was certainly not an organized process either, we must have zigzagged back and forth across the store 3 times, picking up items we’d forgotten. All in all it was still better than going at it alone.

Let me tell you for a skinny guy, he sure eats a lot of mac and cheese!

If you are looking for a good recipe for the lac-tards try stone fruit baked with aged balsamic, salt & pepper over vanilla soy ice “cream”. Split the stone fruit (plums, peaches, etc) coat with vinegar, season with s & p and bake at 350 for 1/2 an hour. Then serve over the soy ice cream. YUMMMMMY, It is good.

Today I hob knobbed at the Trout Club…

… It was awesome. I really need to become a member there.

Today I met Teddy…

… he is the spitting image of his mother, Sara. It is bizarre holding a baby in your hands that looks so similar to someone you’ve known your whole life. The child takes on this surreal quality of already being an adult. You associate past memories of yours with them; memories they clearly could not have been a part of. They become a part of the fabric of your life within a second. It’s really mind-blowing.

It was similar to meeting my sister-in-laws niece who is her mirror image at 4 years old. You form this instant attachment to them. Needless to say it is pretty cool.

Today on my way to meet my mother’s penpal…

… I called Abby to kill some time. As usually we spent our time together gossiping about where all the people we knew from high school ended up. Needless to say, there are plenty of entertaining stories.

Today I decided…

… to be single for the rest of my life. It’s just easier, and you can do whatever you want.

Today in spinning class…

… as my instructor walked us through the first of the 5 mountain stages, I couldn’t help but note the irony. I’ve been to 3, count them 3, spinning classes ever. The first on I attended was 5 years ago… and here I am in spinning class number 3 listening to the comparison between my experience a stationary bike and that of the riders in the Tour de France. Yeah they are TOTALLY the same thing.

Note, just because I have gone to a spinning class 2 weeks in a row, does not make me a cyclist or a cyclist enthusiast for that matter.

Today I met more potenial roommates…

There is a reason I got out of selling real estate and now as look for a new roommate, I feel like I have two full time jobs. One at the office slinging websites, the other at home slinging my room. There are some freaky people out there looking for a place to lay their head. Luckily I only managed to run across two.

Today on my way past mile marker 1.5…

… on the Burlington bike path, I remembered being 12 and just starting to like boys. I was at summer camp, and I was a real tom boy growing up. I was chuckling to myself as I ran along this morning; I was remembering going to dances at the boys camps and  being astonished that boys didn’t really want to dance with me. In retrospect, I have to laugh, as I reflect on what my favorite outfit was during this period of my life.

Keep in mind I thought this was the coolest outfit to be had. I had these khaki shorts, from EMS, that you could cinch at the waist with a material similar to a teva strap. I remembered that I would pull the strap as tight as I could… you know to show how skinny I was. Even thinking about this makes me embarrassed for my 12 yr old self and it was 18 years ago. The top I wore with it was from the gap, it had black and white striped with little colored flowers all over it. Oh and did I mention, I had a boy short bob at the time.

I really wasn’t doing myself any favors. My other camp friends were from places like Boston and New York City. The had long blond hair, wore dresses and were named after things like perfume… I didn’t stand a chance. The funny part is, I didn’t see at the time why that would be more appealing, an attitude I have managed to hang onto. Although, now I do wear the dress, have cute hair and sometimes I even smell like perfume.

Today it rained all day…

… The only place I was on the way to was my couch from my kitchen. It was one of those days you pray for, an excuse to do nothing. But by the time 6PM rolls around, you are going bonkers and you realize why it is good it doesn’t rain ALL DAY every day.

Today on my way into the Brewer’s Festival…

… the security guard almost turned away a women who looked like she could have been dating my grandfather! Why you ask? Because she’d forgotten her ID! I couldn’t believe it, I mean rules are rules and laws are laws…but you’ve got to be shitting me… no one was going to jail for letting this lady in. She was 21×3!!

Today…

… I decided I can’t stand writing “Today on my way…” and since it is my blog… I am stopping the tradition right here, or at least I am making it optional. Tonight I spent another fine evening with friends at Meg & Seth’s house. A potluck to feed the masses, with wine and drink to match. A great way to spend a friday night. While it could have been improved with a keg stand or two, no one was nice enough to supply one.

Today on my way up the hill to Battery Park…

… I must have lost 3 lbs from sweating. It was so hot and humid out I felt like I was wet by the time I reached my destination. I was meeting friends for the free concert in the park. Once I was there it was well worth my trouble, good food, good friends and a beautiful view of the lake… ahh summer in VT. It’s wicked.

I also had the pleasure of discovering I don’t hate all Jazz. We caught some guy playing scat at Halverson’s after the concert… it was actually pretty good. Who knew??

Today on my way to Becky’s Birthday…

… I was running 30 minutes late because I decided last minute to take a spin class. It was actually really fun. When I got off the bike my legs felt like jelly. I am certain I will be sore tomorrow, but I feel like I really accomplished something. Maybe that is why I agreed to share baseball sized sushi with Ashley. I also forgot to get a gift and stopping for one would make me even later… the only card I had was meant for my grandfather 2 years ago, it didn’t seem appropriate. Oh well, Becky had fun and that is all that matters.

Happy Birthday Betchi.

Today on my way to work…

… I heard a news story on NPR, about a controversial New Yorker cover depicting Obama and is wife in the oval office carrying guns and burning the flag, among other things. At first I found it a bit shocking and sort of sad. Then the reporter went on to explain the motivations and I thought about it, this is the New Yorker after all, what do we expect. They have a reputation for satirical covers.

So, I sort of went about my day until I received an email from the Feminist Majority asking me to petition the New Yorker to pull the cover. I could see why they were “outraged”, but it is my feeling that the benefit far out weights their concern. So I sent an email to the editor, but mine went like this:

Subject: Thank you for getting people talking!

Dear Editor:

I received a template message from the feminist majority, but I don’t really find myself agreeing with them on this one. Individuals who are familiar with the New Yorker know it has a long standing history of leaning towards the liberal side of things and fair reporting. They would also be acutely aware of the fact that the covers tend to be satirical in nature, basically 100% of the time. Leading them to open the magazine and READ MORE.

So I part ways with my feminist friends on this one. Now people are talking. We are seeing the erroneous information about Obama that is being sold to the more ignorant Right. It is because of this cover that we have gained the chance to speak out about it, on multiple national platforms .

I can see why people are up in arms about the covers subject matter, but lets take that energy and put it where it belongs. Lets use the opportunity, this cover has provided us, to strengthen Obama and inform the nation! So, I say thank you for getting people talking; keep the cover!

Best,
M
Burlington, VT

Sorry feminist majority!

Today on my way to write this post…

… I hit me… how terribly annoying it is to come up with a sentence to follow ‘Today on my way…” every day. Yeah it is only day 14.

Today on our way back to the Orrs-Bailey Yacht Club…

… I watched my poor sister-in-law grow progressively more seasick as we crested yet another 10 foot swell. I took a wave to my face and decided now was the time for my windbreaker. I went below and was tossed nicely onto the back wall. That will leave a mark.

I spent about 3 minutes below deck and became the MOST seasick I have ever been. I managed to escape the lower quarters before I actually was sick. Back on deck I was able to calm my stomach by watching the horizon and breathing deeply. My sister-in-law was not so lucky, poor thing.

Today on my way to the fifth stop before we got to the boat…

… I confirmed, beyond hope that my father will never change. I will forever be running errands with him that could have been taken care of prior to my arrival. He will also never manage to get a meal on the table before 9PM. The man can cook though, so it is WELL worth the wait.

c’est la vie!

Today on my way to Maine…

… I was triumphant in convincing my father that staying on the boat overnight when we were not sailing… was a less than desirable idea. My sister-in-law was particularly happy, now she doesn’t have to hop in a dingy at 1AM to get to her bed.

Today on my way to Brae Loch…

… Coco calmly states “Um, I could be wrong, but I think there was a cat on a leash, tied to a tree, back there.”

At this Sarah slams on the breaks and makes a u-turn… This we had to see. Sure enough there was a cat on a leash, tied to a tree. It was not so much a leash as a long rope, fashioned in some sort of harness around the cat. The cat didn’t seem to have any interest in anything, except laying there.

I can not remember the last time I laughed so hard and I wasn’t even drunk. My abs actually hurt. I love laughing that hard and every time it happens say “I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard.” Now I remember making this statement, but never why.

Somehow I just don’t think I will ever forget the cat on a leash, tied to a tree. It was spectacular.

Today on my way home from Alex’s…

… I went over to the environmental dark side. Her father gave me John’s old A/C. I could not be more pleased; sleeping for the last 3 days has been next to impossible with the heat. My poor roommate seems to wake from her heat induced coma, as if into another planet some nights. She’ll peek downstairs from a nap, mumbles something that sound like an alien language, gets a drink of water and heads back for more.

I think she too will be very excited for our new appliance. Of course typical of Vermont, it poured rain and has cooled to a lovely 75 degrees…

Today on my way home from the “beach” at Oakledge…

… I was reminded that not all humans are created equally. And by created I mean raised. I decided to vacate my spot on the beach because a few rather young women and their gang of children had set up camp 6 feet away, with pizza for dinner. That was all well and good until the seagulls started to swarm. You only have to be shat on by a seagull once not to want it to happen again… Let’s just say it’s happened to me MORE than once, so I decided it was best not to tempt fate.

As I start to pack my belongings, things begin to heat up with the posse of chucks and their band of children. I am not sure what exactly set the one girl off, but I can venture a guess that it was a swear word released in her general direction by one of the 3 half naked homeless people, casually minding their own business on the grass. (And by grass, I mean sitting on it, not smoking it.)

The girl was grasping her baby to her over-sized bust… well body, and rattling off every 4 letter word she could think of, followed by “their are children here for fuck sake!” She then proceed to tell them “they were out of here”, meaning out of the park and then she called the cops.

I have to say the homeless people really didn’t seem to do anything to inspire such outrage. As a matter of fact, one of these men had just helped another man in a wheelchair, who’d been stuck on the beach for a good half an hour. (That is another story, about people who have been raised with proper manners, going out of their way to help someone.)

I was stunned. The irony of the whole situation was laughable. This women’s entire excuse for having these people removed from the park was that their were children present. All the while she spewed vulgarities that would rival the best frat house in town. I looked for the cops on my way out of the park, had I seen them I would have informed them that this women was the one creating the scene and egging the situation on. I mean what the FUCK… right??

Today on my way out the door…

… it became abundantly clear that I had overindulged in the vino last night. I misplaced my wallet in the cookie box at the Fiest concert. It was located for a brief period of time when Emily stuck her hand in the box for a delicious treat, only to find a piece of square leather… but as I scoured my place for it this AM it seems to have gone missing again. Nowhere in sight. Maybe it is in the carrot bag? Or in with the the jalapeño chips?

I might be spending some time combing the grass at the Shelburne Museum this evening. Good times.

Today on my way to the check out…

… my cell phone beeped. At that moment I realized a good portion of my life revolves around small electronic noises, omitted from a 2 inch by 4 inch green thing. umphf.

Today on my way into the house Jen asked…

… “Was he always this much a know it all?” She was referring to my brother. I started to answer yes and then paused and said “No actually, he wasn’t”. Maybe he was stupider when we were younger… but really I think I was just well, louder.

Today on my way to the dance floor…

… at my friend Giulia & Eric’s wedding I caught a glimpse of the hills, covered in green with the evening sun casting just the perfect shade of yellow on them.  Then turning back to the room crowded with the people I am lucky to call friends I realize, this is one of those moments where you go “oh yeah, that’s why I live here” … good decision.

Today on my way up Taber Hill…

… I was stopped by my childhood neighbors and informed that their granddaughter, Ava Birch was born at 1:25AM. She is 7 lbs 12 oz. 20 inches long. I quickly showered, sent a note to work that I would be in late and steered my car north from Stowe to Copley Hospital in Morrisville.

There I found the proud parents beaming and exhausted. I was greeted with a hug from AJ my oldest friend and stand in brother, now dad and smiling ear to ear. Grandma quickly handed over little Ava wrapped tight and snoozing away with her mouth just slightly parted. She is adorable, her shirt even says “I’m Cute”, as Regina, new mommy, says “Just in case it wasn’t clear.”

But it is; Ava has stolen my heart, with her little pursed lips and all that hair; fortunately all on her head unlike her father who is covered in it! Welcome Ava, we’re glad you’re here.

Oh and I feel I should mention the message I later received from AJ informing me of his daughter’s birth went “Maggie, get your ass up*, I had a baby girl last night. Give me a call, I love you, bye.”

*for the record I was up, running. UP and ADAM.

Today on my way to work…

… I realized that I made the poor decision to wear ALL white. What did I fall asleep last night and loose the last 30 years of my life? I am the girl who, should I ever get married, actually considers NOT wearing a white dress. I am guaranteed to spill on it… a lot. My parents still comment that I should not be eating with my fingers and tell me to watch my glass.

To top it off I realized I was carrying two liquid filled containers that leak 68% of the time. One filled with a blackberry protein shake and the other with coffee. I get out of the car and to my total, udder surprise, I have not spilled a drop… and no the little stain on my pants from the last time I wore them, does not count.

3:11PM and still clean. Take that Mom & Dad!

Today on my way to the 1.5 mile marker…

…on the Burlington Bike Path, I realized people are a lot friendlier at 7AM. These are the real go-getter’s. They are dedicated to their cause, be it health, training for the next marathon or just walking the dog. They are up, they are Adam and they are smilin’.

I finally figured out that I could wake up at 7AM, go for a 3 mile run and STILL be at work before 9AM. So turning over a new leave today I decided to roll, slide, slip… slip out of bed at 7AM for a morning run. The benefit of this groggy eyed jaunt, is that now, at 2:05PM, I don’t have to start the guilt ridden inner dialogue with myself about: if I will run when I get home, if I do run how far, should I just walk, can I make it to the gym and home before going home to walk Gizmo and so on. More often than not this usually ends in none of the above.

So now here I sit guilt free. I can go home and read a book if that’s what I feel like or hit the lake to catch some rays, that is if the sun decides to come out. Now I get it, now I know why people who are hitting the Burlington Bike Path at 7AM are SO much more friendly.