Fly Away Friday
If I could be anywhere today, I would want to be here:
And I would want to be wearing this:
And drinking a lot of this:
Blame it on the DVR
Dear Bravo TV,
I know I’m a few days late on this, but I just caught the finale of “Shear Genius” on my DVR and all I have to say is, really? Brig?! Really?!? Bump that…
Team Janine all the way!
How Sad, On a Scale of 1 to 10
Seriously, on a scale of one to ten, how sad is it that when I saw this display in Lowe’s I actually thought, “Maybe I can learn to garden after all!”?
The Byrd’s the Word
Here in Richmond, there is an eighty-year-old movie theater called The Byrd. It’s known for having cheap movie tickets, a beautiful antique decor, and seats more uncomfortable than a middle school breakup.
Every Valentine’s Day, the Byrd feels the love and for a $5 donation, you can sit up in the balcony during the matinee show. The balcony is usually closed to the public, so Greg was all about making sure we went this year. As luck would have it, this year’s matinee was New Moon, so – oh yes – the Byrd got my husband to say out loud, “Honey, can we please go see the new Twilight movie?”
I know it wasn’t because he wanted to oogle Ashley Greene, just like I didn’t agree to go just so I could oogle Robert Pattinson. Mmmmm. Robert Pattinson…
Oh, sorry. Back to the Byrd. It really is as gorgeous as it’s hyped to be. Very 1920′s classic with dramatic red draping over the screen, gorgeous paintings and art deco detail everywhere you look.
Plus at two bucks a pop, the ticket price can’t be beat. The seats though, really are as bad as people say. Even my wee little five-foot-nothin’ legs were all bunched up and I felt like I spent every 15 minutes doing the booty shift shuffle.
But not even the funky seating can ruin this theater, and I definitely can see what the fuss is all about. You can bet I’ll be making it a regular stop for cheap movie tickets and a little tender loving glamour.
Spring Fever
Who has two thumbs and is super excited about the fact that spring is here? This kid!
I thought last weekend was beautiful when I didn’t have to wear a jacket to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Roanoke, but it has just gotten better and better all week. And in case your wondering, “parade” is not code for bingeing on green beer. That’s what we did after watching the parade. It brought out Greg’s inner leprechaun…
But enough about my fighting faux-Irishman. The weather has just gotten flat out gorgeous. Today was 75 and sunny, which gave the perfect excuse for heading down to Carytown to have brunch outside with my awesome sister- and mother-in-law. Fried green tomato BLT, Heineken and sunshine make Wendy a happy girl. Not only that, but on Wednesday I picked up some flowers from the grocery store that have made the inside of the house just as cheerful.
Happy spring everyone!
Aww Nutz…
This morning I was perusing through my Google Reader (it’s like the newspaper for 20-somethings), and came across the breaking news of the morning – Individual game tickets are FINALLY on sale for the new Richmond Double-A Affiliate team, the Flying Squirrels!
You might be saying to yourself, “Oh no she didn’t,” but oh yes she did. Not only did I get tickets to opening day, but I also got the hubbs and myself tickets for one of the 4th of July weekend games. What can I say? After living in Boston and New York, I’m excited to have access to baseball tickets that don’t necessitate selling a passport or an organ on the black market. I’m also a sucker for the new mascot Nutzy, even if his name, body language and wardrobe choices have recently been called to question. He looks like Butters when he’s sprinting across the backyard… after squirrels…
In other news, I’m heading to DC tomorrow to pick up the Peer Group for a 3-day visit. Still not sure what to take her to go see and do while she’s here, but the weather’s supposed to be awesome, so the city will be our oyster.
Image from here.
A Very Good Place to Start
I figured a good place to start on this journey to find out what makes a home would be the beginning, and reverting back to elementary school, the beginning was always the good ole, handy dandy dictionary. The one I’m looking at is from 1979 (hey, I work for a non-profit-what do you think we have on hand), so if it includes words like “groovy,” don’t hold me accountable.
¹home n
1 a: a family’s place of residence : DOMICILE
b: HOUSE
2 : the social unit formed by a family living together
3 a: a congenial environment
b: HABITAT
4 a: a place of origin <salmon returning to their ~ to spawn> [he said spawn... tee hee]
b: HEADQUARTERS
5 : an establishment providing residence and special care for disabled persons
6 : the objective of various games; esp : HOME PLATE
at home adj
1 a: relaxed and comfortable : at ease
b: in harmony with the surroundings
2 : on familiar ground : KNOWLEDGEABLE <teachers at home in their subject fields>
²home adv
1 : to or at home [you have to love those definitions that use the word to describe the word]
2 : to a final, closed or standard position <drive a nail ~>
3 a: to an ultimate objective (as a goal or finish line)
b: to a successful or rewarding end
4 : to a vital sensitive core <the truth struck ~>
So now, how does this compare to the definition for the more generic “house” definition?
¹house n
1 : a building that serves as living quarters for one or a few families: HOME
2 a: (1) a shelter or refuge (as a nest or den) of a wild animal; (2) a natural covering (as a test or shell) that encloses and protects an animal or a colony of zooids
It goes on, and to be honest, the definitions were a lot more convoluted than I was expecting, but from what I can gather, the dictionary would have us believe a house is a physical structure for gathering, whether it be for protection, legislation (à la House of Representatives), or to store your stuff, where as “home” can be used the same as “house,” but can also be the place you come from, a place that gives you a warm feeling in your belly, or a place where you’re comfortable to do things you can’t do on the street, like spawn. Who knows? Maybe you’re into street spawning. Who am I to judge? Point being, “house” is a straight forward structure, but “home” has a connotation of comfort, familiarity, happiness and security to it and can be a general location as opposed to a specific structure.
It also doesn’t seem like one is at all dependent on the other. There are some people who feel more at home at their office than in their house, or people who can’t leave their house (or their town for that matter) because they feel jittery or anxious when not enveloped in the warm, fuzzy feeling that “home” affords them.
Then there are those of us who have moved around so much, that they can adjust to feeling warm and fuzzy pretty much anywhere, but the feeling of security (read: finality) that comes with a house feels less like home than the myriad of apartments, dorms and hotel rooms that sheltered them around the world. Not that I would have any idea what that’s like.
Image from here.
New Year, New Goals
I know I’m a little late on the New Year’s Resolution post, but with all of the changes going on Chez Nous and the renewed enthusiasm that comes with a new year, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to make some adjustments to the ole blog. The main reason is because this started out as a joint project with the Gregger, but he has his hands full managing his own site now, Recommended Daily. With Rooted in Richmond left to me, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how I want to use this site, where I ultimately want it to end up, and, most importantly, what it is I actually have to say.
First, I should point out that our decision to move to Richmond was a bit of an elopement. It was a whirlwind romance. A few short visits (for me at least), a handful of good reasons and a job offer later and we found ourselves living in a city we had only really considered in flash daydreams while face first in some stranger’s armpit on the subway.
Secondly, for the last 7 and a half years, I have been a nomad, a mover, a wanderer. In 7 and a half years, I have moved 15 times. That’s an average of twice a year. I have lived in 5 different states and 4 different countries. Let’s just say that setting down these roots and purchasing Chez Nous has been a bit of a transition. I would even say it’s been harder to adjust to than being married, and not because my husband is so adorable.
So, how does this tie in to Rooted in Richmond? Well, I think this would be an excellent forum for me to explore the idea of “home.” What it means, what it consists of, and how to build one for myself and my family (AKA – Gregger and Butters) that doesn’t feel constraining after almost a decade of constant movement.
Wish me luck…
The Terrible Two’s
Yesterday was my little man’s 2nd birthday.
Happy birthday monkey face!
We’ll be having a birthday party for him on Saturday. Yes, I said it. I’m throwing my dog a birthday party. What of it? I’ll be sure to get pictures of him blowing out his candles.
Birthday Week
As of this morning, my birthday is less than a week away, which means I am totally already in birthday girl mode. For my second crack at being 25, I am already plotting a week (and then some) of festivities.
This Thursday, in honor of my birth, Nick Saban and co. will be issuing a brutal, but classy, ace whooping to our long horned friends from Austin. Or at least that’s the birthday wish I’m sending up to whoever the patron saint of birthdays and ace whoopings is.
The rest of the birthday week will also consist of a little of this…
A little of this…
Probably a lot of this…
Another one of these…
And enough of this place to make me not want to eat for two days…
And yes, I did say second crack at being 25. I don’t mind getting older, I just don’t like how 26 sounds. I have no qualm, however, about turning 27, 28 or 29. We’ll tackle 30 when we get there.
