Rubber Time

This week seems to have been a really long week, insofar as this past Monday feels much further away than it is in reality. It's hard to believe it's only Friday. Started out on Monday and Tuesday with a faculty and staff retreat at Black Rock (about 1.5 hours north of NYC), which was really good. We even managed a day trip to the Dia Beacon, which is an amazing space (wish I had more time there!). Wednesday was Professional Development Day, and then we spent yesterday and today getting our classroom ready for the kids. It's been good to be back at work, but get back to me in a couple of weeks when the kids start school and I actually have to teach to see if I feel the same way :) Ooh, also, last night I went with a friend to this screening of a rough cut of a movie...it was like one of those get the opinion of the audience sessions, but it was like the first cut and it was a really intimate screening session (only like 10 people - I got to go because my friend is friends with the director's assistant) and the director and editor really paid attention to what you said. It was a pretty good movie, should be interesting to see the final cut (I really only went because I love the main actor...not sure how much I'm allowed to reveal, so I'm not saying anything specific :)

Flashback

So I've been slugging out the past couple of days, pretty much reading, eating and napping. Did get some exercise in, and am eating relatively healthy, but still... Anyway, am watching Dirty Dancing at the moment and am experiencing some serious flashbacks to my childhood :) I remember watching (and loving) this movie when I was littler...heehee. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!" :) Hey, just noticed that Kelly Bishop (Emily from Gilmore Girls) is the mom in the movie. And gosh, how young Jerry Orbach looks...sigh.

More England and back in NY

So after London (where I went to the Science Museum, the V&A and Tate Modern, wandered around various markets, through several parks and just hung out really), I went up north to Loughborough to hang out with the Teo family...it was three days full of good company and good food (including Gu and excellent Belgian Leige waffles, good pasta and sausage rolls :) We drove down to Cardiff for a day, and it was a really gorgeous day (went to the Cardiff Castle, and also to the super excellent National Museum). Welsh is such an intriguing language. Anyway, when it was time for me to leave England, I almost got caught in the middle of the BA strike - in fact my flight was the fourth flight out right after the strike ended. They had cancelled all flights before 8pm, and my flight was at 8.15pm! Got to Frankfurt fine (thanks to Becky for letting me hang out at her apartment while waiting for my NY flight...ooh, saw some cars being transported on the train line...that was interesting), and got back to NY safe and sound. NY was super hot when I got back, but the weather now is fine. Have started running again, but my legs are in shock :) Also am making an attempt to eat healthier...think it's working. So it's back to the grind...not that I'm complaining. It's good to be productive again :)

England

So far, so good. The weather has been gorgeous actually, which is not something one says often of British weather :) Spent a few days lazing about in Send (a small town about half an hour outside London) with Lynn and Dave and their friend Jenn who was there too, plus of course Bonham the dog :) Ate good food, sat in the garden, wandered around fields, all sorts of super twee picturesque, village-y sorts of things. Am now in London (and will be for a couple more days before I head North to Loughborough). Doing my ususal things - meeting up with people for meals, window shopping (occasionally buying stuff of course), going to museums, eating, wandering around the city, etc. It's all good, although it often distresses me to think how strong the Pound is against every other currency. Ah well :)