journey of life

One of the worst things about moving is trying to find a place to get a reasonably priced haircut. The local place near us is $60 for a haircut and as much as I would like to support the local business, I can’t fathom paying that much. After a few failed attempts I may have gotten lucky.  With prices that are unheard of in this area, it’s worth a try.

Graham Webb International Academy of Hair
1621 North Kent Street, #1617LL
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: 1.703.243.9322
Email: president@grahamwebbacademyonline.com

Yes, believe it or not, I’ve got “the most wonderful time of the year” on the brain.  Do you have your shopping done?  In the midst of unpacking boxes, I came across all of the Christmas cards I’ve received.  Yes, I’ve been a pack rat.  I have years worth of cards.  Until today.  I parted ways with all of your cards.  With limited storage space in our new house, it just made sense.  Of course, I had to carefully go through all of them, read all of the letters and look at all the pictures, but they are now in the recycling bin.

Which brings me to another dilemma…whether or not to send holiday cards this year.  Last year I spent close to $100 on cards and postage, plus countless hours on addressing the cards and writing a holiday letter.  For several years I’ve refused to buy cards during the after Christmas sales, determined that this was the final time I was mailing cards.  But, I LOVE getting holiday cards, and I get suckered into sending them.  I’d like to think of something creative to do instead.  Like a slide show, a movie or something in lieu of cards.  But I know that if I can’t come up with something, you can bet the spirit will rise within me and I’ll be slapping stamps on envelopes once again.

This is THE question that ALWAYS stumps me on those email questionnaires. I have the hardest time thinking of somebody…original. If it could really happen, Jesus would be breaking bread with everybody and it would probably be impossible to get a date with Hitler, Stalin, Ghandi, Einstein, Columbus and my dead ancestors. And, if you think about it, dinner wouldn’t be so grand. You’d be more interested in asking questions, not eating. Maybe the question should be rephrased to say tea and crumpets or coffee and donuts. That would be more appropriate.

Katharine Hepburn is someone who always comes to mind. Her sharp wit, her demeanor, not to mention her defiance of popular culture. She was someone so sure of herself and her place in this world. And since I love to meet people who choose to be counter-culture, who go against the grain, make their own path in life, not afraid to stand up for what they truly believe in, I know we would get along famously.

But, yesterday it dawned on me who I’d really, really like to have dinner with. Gilda Radner. Actually, I don’t know if I could do dinner with her, either. She would probably get me laughing so hard that my drink would come out of my nose. But, it would be so worth it. Everybody loved Gilda. Men swooned over her. Women wanted to be like her. I truly believe she was one of those people with a heart of gold and it poured out love to everybody that met her. Gilda used humor as a survival tool. As a fat kid, she made fun of herself before the other kids could. As a bulimic, she once told a reporter she had vomited in every toilet in New York City. And, when she was dying of ovarian cancer, she did everything she could to fill her life with friends, laughter and love. Now, her memory lives on in Gilda’s Club’s all over the world.

So, in my afterlife if I am so lucky to cross paths with Gilda Radner, I’m going to make some comfort food and break bread with her. And, if you want to come along, just bring along a dish.

“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.”
- Gilda Radner, 1946-1989

1 whole salmon
6 tablespoons butter, softened
juice of 1 lemon
3 teaspoons dry mustard
3/4 cup brown sugar
heavy duty aluminum foil

Butterfly salmon with Ulu knife; remove head, tail and fins, run knife down backbone of fish until it opens flat, careful not to cut through. Or, just buy some salmon already prepared for you! Tear off a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to handle salmon, coat lightly with cooking spray. Place salmon skin-side down on foil. Spread softened butter over flesh of salmon, drizzle with lemon juice and dry mustard. Cover with brown sugar, using more sugar if needed. Place foil with fish on barbecue grill over low heat, cover. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Salmon is cooked when flesh flakes easily.

Recipe from the Alaskan Ulu Cookbook.

I know that the cold winter weather seems so far away when the weather is this blistering,  but if you are feeling summer heat sans humidity and have dry cracking hands and cuticles, try this product. It has truly been a lifesaver for me. For several years now my hands have become dry and cracked throughout the winter months and if I use a product with fragrance or dyes I can have an allergic reaction. As a little girl I remember my mom using Neutrogena hand cream, so last year I bought some to try it out. And last winter was the first year I had any relief from dry hands…and no allergic reaction. I began carrying it around with me everywhere and having a tube beside my bed to apply at night. Unlike lotions, it has a thick consistency, so it’s very concentrated (a little lasts you a long time, supposedly 200 applications) and it doubles as a lip moisturizer, so essentially you have a two-in-one product! It was designed for Norwegian fisherman and now many nurses swear by the product to keep their hands healthy through repeated washings. For under $5.00 grab one the next time you are at the store so when cold weather blows in you will be prepared!

2 sticks butter (1 cup), room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 eggs

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together; add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Sift baking powder and flour together, add alternately with sour cream, starting and ending with flour, and beating at low speed just until combined. Spread batter in a 10″ tube pan that is coated with butter and then dusted with flour. Bake at 300° F about 80 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool 10 minutes; turn out of pan and cool on rack.

First things first. THANK YOU to Bill, Chris, Paul, my mom and Ronnie. We could not have done this move without your help. Seriously. You guys are saints.

Secondly, we are NEVER moving ourselves again. This move did us in. I know there may be a point in time where I eat my words, but this move has convinced us that hiring movers (even at some exorbitant price) is worth the hassle. So, the next time we move, and we mention moving ourselves, please shake us and remind us of this move.

While I’ve loaded my mom’s car full of stuff to give away/sell/take to the dump a total of two times now, we still have things that won’t fit or we don’t need. Big items and big ticket items include two old cameras, a treadmill, a washer and dryer (that came with the house), a chest freezer, two computer desks and over forty moving blankets. Someone bought the blankets last night and we’ve got someone coming to look at the freezer tonight, so we are at least making progress. We are downsizing from 2900 sq. ft. (plus garage and attic), to less than 2000 (without garage and attic, just a storage shed). I am inspired by friends who live in Europe, who manage to live quite pleasantly in small quarters, and our friends Dru and Jeannie in Columbus, Ohio, where they have maximized their itty bitty house to its full potential.

…to have a house again. A really good feeling.
And, minute by minute we are falling more and more in love with our neighborhood. I mean, how can you not fall in love when:

- Several neighbors have already introduced themselves and even loaned us tools.
- People are pushing strollers and walking dogs everywhere.
- I asked a lady at the grocery store carrying coupons for recommendations on shopping spots. She spent ten minutes offering detail descriptions at the pros and cons of each store…all the time her husband wandered around pushing the shopping cart, patiently.
- The preschool kids go walking by your house on trash pickup day and the trash men smile (yes, actually smile! I didn’t know trash men smiled!) and wave to the kids as they drive by.

As you can imagine we are pretty smitten with the place. However, there’s a lot that we still need to get used to. For one, we haven’t completely adapted to the urban suburban setting. When people walk by or cars slow down by our house, we often look to see who it is, knowing full well they aren’t stopping to see us. Along with people, we can hear planes, trains and automobiles. They aren’t really obtrusive (we aren’t on top of an interstate, after all), but it will take some getting used to. But we are really up for the adventure to try something new and enjoy what the neighborhood and community has to offer.