Vacation

Today The Schwarz and I are on our way to Florida for a full week of vacation that is long overdue. This is the first time I'm actually taking time off work for a real vaction. In 2007 I worked 5 to 6 hours every single day of my vacation and I also worked during the holidays. 

Are you wondering about the picture? That's my Ocober 2008 calendar page showing my originally-planned vacation (October 22-29) covered with white-out.  Yes, we were supposed to take this vacation a month ago, but The Schwarz was needed at work, so we had to reschedule. It was incredibly disappointing, but I've obviously survived. 

Vaction, here we come!

Zaftigs

Yummm. Zaftig's! It's my favorite breakfast place for miles. We often eat at Zaftig's on Sunday mornings and there is usually a line out the door. I've been kown to wait for 45 minutes because there's no place else I'd rather go. We've also been for dinner a few times.

I love, love, love their Challah French Toast, and we both enjoy the Fried Egg BLT. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! 

Zaftig's walls are filled with Danny O's interesting creations. He resides in The Berkshires (like my family!). 

Stone Wall

I like the gaps in this wall because the dark shadows are mysterious and they make the stones more interesting. The smaller rock really stands out because of the black background. 

Orange

Today the sky is grey and everything looks very dull. I needed to post this picture just to give myself a burst of energy (I hope it works for you too!).  I took it a few weeks ago. 

There are very few leaves on the trees at this point, and when I look out my office window the only color I see is the florescent orange of construction cones, because the trees are bare. 

I'm looking forward to glorious white snow. 

Wool

On Tuesday, sacrebleu featured a post about FilzFelt, a company that sells products made of felt in addition to felt by the yard. Their website has a lot of information about felt, including a bit about how it's made:

"Sheep’s wool or wool fibers are continuously felted and compacted by moisture, heat and friction until a homogeneous fabric is formed – wool felt."

Isn't it amazing that wool from this sheep can be used to make pink felt or green yarn for a sweater, mittens, or hat? I'm guessing that sheep have been useful to people for as long as they've been around. Sometimes we look at animals and forget to be grateful for (and amazed by) all they have to offer. 

Disco Ball

This is exactly why I have a disco ball hanging in our window. Just look at the way the light bounces around the room. It makes the whole apartment feel happy and shiny when the sun hits it at just the right angle.

Taking a Minute

Veterans Day falls on the day that World War I ended 90 years ago. It is one of the only holidays officially recognized on the actual day, November 11th, rather than the nearest Monday. There are only ten verified living veterans of WWI, and only two of those are from the U.S. To the 40,722,128 veterans of all American wars since the revolution, today we take a minute to remember and thank you.

Technology

About a month ago, I took advantage of a beautiful Saturday afternoon and took my review books to the park to study for the GMAT. I also had to bring my personal cell phone because seriously, does anybody leave their house without their phone these days? Of course I needed my iPod to help me tune out environmental distractions. And I couldn't leave my new work-issued iPhone at home either (it enables my email-checking addiction). Oh, I had my camera with me too. 

I've gotten so used to having technology with me at all times that it feels funny to shut down and log-out. Ten years ago the internet was just catching on and most people didn't have cell phones. Seven years ago the hottest MP3 players were 32 MB (that's about 8 songs people!). Three years ago digital cameras were becoming popular and the iPhone was just some genius' crazy idea. Now we can't imagine living without these things. How quickly we change.

Side note: The Schwarz and I took the GMAT on Saturday and it's finally over! We're officially done with data sufficiency problems and reading comprehension. Woo hoo!

Contain Yourself

Here little miss spy is taking the slogan of the Container Store literally.  I'm sure the store didn't intend its bags to actually contain people, but it turns out the bag does a pretty good job of that.

Shadows

I usually think of oranges and reds when I think of autumn. Those bright colors are exactly what made this naturally black and white image stand out.     
                                         

The wall in this picture is slightly textured and reminds me of snow; I can’t stop myself from thinking that soon there won't be any leaves to cast shadows on empty walls. Winter is just around the corner, and I am so excited. I know many people loath winter, but love the brisk air and the way the sun bounces around in the snow. I'm looking forward to wearing mittens and skis.