What next?

Regular readers of this blog will remember that just a couple of months ago we had to have the sewer line from the house to the city line replaced which resulted in our front yard being decimated.  Then we had the dishwasher crumble before our eyes.  Well, we must have been cursed when it comes to water and water related appliances because yesterday we lost our water heater and then this morning the coffee maker started emitting puffs of smoke.  Hopefully the water heater can be repaired (we'll find out tomorrow afternoon) and the coffee maker is already replaced (20% off at Bed, Bath & Beyond - those coupons work even when expired!), but seriously, WTF?

It's been a while since I have posted.  I've been feeling mostly ok but am still having bad days, too.  Been trying to keep up with some pop culture. Tina Fey's book doesn't disappoint, it's one of the better of that genre (Sarah Silverman's recent book was good, too).  At the movies, Insidious was really f-ing scary and Scream 4 was a lot of fun but not that scary.  Was on the lookout for Michigan landmarks during Scream since it was filmed in the A2 area but didn't recognize anything.  Was that downtown Plymouth I saw?  Not sure.  On TV, Portlandia is the funniest show in ages (and I love seeing Portland because I miss it terribly) and The Killing is really good (shout out to my friend Amy D who works as an editor on the show!). Also still digging 30 Rock, Community, etc.

With the nicer weather (never mind the snow today) I've been trying to get out for walks more, too.  Dogs are digging it and on Wednesdays Jenny and I are doing the nature trail thing (unless it rains and then we go to the mall).

Thanks to all who donated to the cancer walk.  It's not too late if you meant to do it but didn't quite get there.

More soon.

Cancer patient flies kite

Sounds like an Onion headline, doesn't it?

David bought a kite at The Rocket last week and we took the dogs up to the school yesterday evening for a test flight. It was super fun! I don't think I've ever successfully flown a kite in my life before yesterday! Once you get it up in the air it's all about keeping moving and giving the string little tugs if it starts to fall. Also, wind really helps.

When is the last time you flew a kite?

We had an all-around lovely day yesterday: I took the day off and in addition to our kite-flying fun, we went to see Scream 4 which wasn't very good but was a whole lot of fun.

What's your favorite scary movie?

Today was another lovely day: grocery shopping and then lunch with Wendy at Beezy's. This afternoon David napped while I read on the couch with the dogs and the wind and rain whipped around outside. I can't believe I have another whole day off tomorrow! What kind of fun will we have? Stay tuned!

Well, hello there!

Wow, it has been a long time since the last update! DT here, slightly shamed since I believe it was I who promised to never go a month without an update. Um, sorry?

I wish I could say we've been busy but that's just not true. It does feel a little like we are slowly waking up from our long winter's nap. There are some lovely signs of spring out there: birds now acompany us on our morning walks, the plastic sheeting is off most of the windows and there are a few green shoots poking up in various places. I was thinking of posting some pictures of our front yard; what with the giant clumps of dirt and the tire tracks from the backhoe it almost looks like flowers blooming on the moon but instead I'll post this:



Front row: Greg, Emily and Dave; back row: Ellen, Amy Beth, Anne, David, Melissa, Tom, Jenne, Stan, Matt, Jenny, Raegan, Kramer, Karen and Matthew. Despite our smiles, we were missing Jane (who was sick) and Dana & Debbie (who broke her foot) and so many others who wanted to walk with us.

Here is Team Martini in lovely East Lansing last Sunday for the Spartan Stride 5K. We were the last team to arrive and the last team to cross the finish line but we had the best t-shirts!

Isn't that awesome? A million thanks to Matt Sturm for the sweet logo. This is actually the second shirt I've owned that Matt designed. He also came up with a fantastic Flash Gordon-inspired design for our bowling league a few years ago. Besides being a very talented designer, Matt is an all-around great person. If you have any design-related needs, let me know and I'll put you in touch!

Thanks also to Emily who coordinated the production of the shirts and to Jenny who got this whole ball rolling. When we first heard about the walk, we never imagined that anyone would be getting up early on a Sunday morning to drive over an hour to walk in who-knows-what kind of weather. And then people started signing up, people we know, people from other cities and states! Once someone mentioned t-shirts I knew I had to do it!

So, thanks everyone for spending a lovely day walking with us. Let's do it again soon!

And before I forget, you can make a donation here. Tell them Team Martini sent you.

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone is enjoying what counts as spring where you are!