Pre House Warming Warm Up

Tonight we are throwing our first gathering at hale street with the new roommates. Its the pre-housewarming warm up - a small gathering, I hope. And basically a chance for us to get a little silly without having a huge clean up tomorrow. I'm currently in the process of making a play list because leaving my ipod on shuffle often times gets too obscure for some people. We shore'd today and I'm a fab shade of red that will turn delightfully bronze by tomorrow. Anne Longstreet - be jealous.

New job is great. If not for nothing else, I'm in the water ten hours a day and have therefore cut out all other kinds of working out. So thats nice. My kids are so cute, and mostly Indian so remembering names has been an adventure. But I adore them, I'm already sad to think they're done in five weeks.

Ugh. Must. Aloe.

apologies

I've been a totally delinquent blogger all week because I've been living at the pool - ten hours a day of teaching snotty kids how to tread water and master rotary breathing. I'm tired. I'm sore. I'm black and blue, and I'm sorry I've been MIA. A real post will follow soon.

le sigh.

she and him. download it. immediately.

ready. set. go.

The Water

First day of work yesterday - I taught a women's only class. There were about ten women who had pretty much never been in the water before and one who had had lessons for a few years. I volunteered to work with her, we'll call her S. Many of our women take the class because their religious beliefs don't allow them to be in bathing suits around men, S is one of these women. Her freestyle was pretty good so we tweaked it a little bit and then she told me she was afraid to swim in the center lanes and wants to work on her confidence level. Being me - I stuck her right in that lane and we swam about four laps together - she did GREAT. This class brings me back to the days of working at Slim and Tone - the women are just so excited to have someone to work with them!

Since I'm only teaching two days this week, Mom and I went down the shore today. It was pretty nice and we both made it back alive - and no one cried. All very rare happenings when we're left alone for too long. The roommates start trickling in starting tomorrow - thank god. Its getting a tad lonely in here.

Ten Gallon Hats

I swore I would never ever do it. I was wrong. I spent last night line dancing at the Colorado freakin' cafe. The hats. the boots. the boots with jean shorts and hats! the confederate flag belt buckles.... it was overwhelming. I have a certain red neck friend, M. Its not really M's fault she's a little bit of a red neck - she's from the very top of New Jersey and there are tractors present in her home town. This is not something I understand. Where I'm from we have gangs and drug czars- there are no bails of hay where I grew up. Not for nothing - I had a WAY better time than I anticipated. And after a hand full of gin and tonics M even managed to get me out there - flip flops and all. I will never know why white people feel the need to dance in lines - but they do it well.




Anyway, I'm procrastinating calling my boss and setting up my schedule - tonight being my first night. Lets be real - I don't know shit about teaching kids how to swim. This is gonna be great.

The Wonders of International Flight

Yes, it's true. I'm home. Back to my real life, my job on Monday, moving tomorrow. etc. But I like to think of today as my purgatory day - the day between Europe and New Brunswick. Clearly there are lots of Swiss reflections to get to, but I just woke up in my mom's house after sleeping off my jet lag and I'd like to blog about morning sun. I get the absolute best morning sun in my room on Briner Lane. I was the last person to inherit this room. When I was growing up my Nonna lived in it. When I was in high school it was my sister's room. Finally, I weaseled my way in here and I will tell you - it makes coming home to the often chaotic Hamilton Sq, a pleasure. Oh, it also gets really beautiful late evening sun. I guess you have to be here to get it. Regardless, I guess its not so bad being back.

Also -

Dear Anne,
I miss you too. I don't, however, enjoy 3am text messages about play group. Actually, they were cute. I lied.
Love you
AP

Twitter

Okay. I'm doing this now. Like I need yet another thing to obsess over.

Das Alps, jah?

We ventured yesterday by train, ferry, train again, giant up-hill hike to the top of the planet, and finally, ariel car to the top of mount rigi in the luzern neck of the woods. Supposedly there were some alps involved but mostly we saw a lot of fog. The lake was like glass and soooo green - like the Caribbean, and the fog on the mountains was tres Jurassic park - esque. It was probably the most beautiful nature-like thing i've ever seen.










Caroline and I met her friend (from - i won't tell you where) Sebastian in Zurich the other night for a few drinks. Apparently, Portugal had just beaten Turkey in the Euro2008 match in Bern (maybe?) and there were lots of crazy drunk Portuguese men out on the street causing a scene - it was pretty much hilarious. Sebastian had lived and studied in America and had that very "indie kid from brooklyn" way about him - so that made it feel like home a little. He came complete with mean jokes about New Jersey. great.

okay it's finally nice out so....we're off to the grocery store! or should i say, survivor migros. Last week we found out that the roof of the migros has a buffet and a patio and a play ground for the kids - so obviously this has become my new favorite place. If only they served liquor...

Rainy Day

Yesterday was the first rainy day since I've been here (today is the second), so I wanted to show you what four adults and two babies do when they're stuck in the apartment

first I got my hair stuck in the blow dryer AGAIN


then Catie played dress up with every pair of Caroline's shoes


finally, we painted. guess which is mine?

freakishly large butterfly? check.

Laurie Berkner Band, etc.

Just over a week now until I head home to NJ - new place, new job (thank you, erin). I'm going to miss the insane landscapes, the running cows, the homemade meals, the train rides, and Cate's Laurie Berkner video we have to watch every damn day. I can not tell you the last time I woke up not singing one of those incessant songs. Laurie Berkner, you are off somewhere making a mint and ruining my life. And so I leave to you, Caroline, who has come to take over for me - singalongs, three pm naps, snotty swiss people, and a giant baby stroller. Have fun, I know I did.

Somemore of the Rhienfalls, because it was just that lovely.






It's like a brother-grimm book, f'real.

Roaming Gnomes

We checked out the Rheinfalls and the german border yesterday. They were like woah. Normally I'm not all "yee haw crunchy granola lets get dirty woooo" but I'm starting to come around. This morning my cousin Caroline came in from Washington - she's never been across the pond so she's staying with Anne and Rick for a few weeks? months? who knows - on her first Euroadventure.

Alanna and Erin moved into our new place today in New Brunswick so I'm a little sad not to be there - which I wasn't expecting. It was really hard to be in Florence without Alanna so I'm really excited to be living with her - in our delinquent fifth year. No judgements, thanks.

I'm off now to score some cake before my dessert-obsessed sister goes to town. I'll never figure out how she can partake in cake and yet her size 0's are forever falling off of her - damn you, switzerland.


up hill again? f'real?


falls, so hot right now.


it was damp. my hair got huge, per the usual.