new mexico sky, june

hyder park picnic, albuquerque

nashville highway

memphis in June

 

choo choo for fun

the baron: are we going on a train tomorrow?
toddler x: yes!
the baron: what are we going to do tomorrow?
toddler x: train!
the baron: who are we going to see tomorrow?
toddler x: uncle dylan!

new york city, here we come.

pregnant! again!

but reader, let us not dwell on that fact just now.

instead, as the baron, the husband, and toddler x prepare for an early december trip to new york city, let's read a bit about the city.

...

the baron's favorite part of this article?

“Rats are almost as fecund as germs … a rat at four is older than a man at ninety. ‘Rats that survive to the age of four are the wisest and the most cynical beasts on earth,’ one exterminator says. ‘A trap means nothing to them, no matter how skillfully set. They just kick it around until it snaps; then they eat the bait … I believe some of them can read.’ ”

mourning glory

the baron, the husband, baby x, and the two big dogs have plans to travel to upstate new york later this week. the husband has made this trip many, many times; the baron just twice.

they'll be visiting the husband's members of nuclear and extended family, one of whom is very, very ill. this trip is will give baby x a too-brief opportunity to meet his kin, and the baron wishes the circumstances were better.

she's got no sense of humor about this; pithy is the best she can do.

scenes from a vacation

the baron and the husband recently took a trip abroad, to ireland.

the baron thoroughly enjoyed their trip, especially:
being free of the husband's blackberry
the pleasant surprise of finding vegetarian restaurants in nearly every city they visited (and eating the vegetarian version of the traditional irish breakfast)
the weather
the excuse to imbibe every day - and she'd never had guiness or irish coffee before
the hotels
the novelty of watching 'gilmore girls' in a foreign country

the baron didn't particularly appreciate:
the lack of good fabric stores
that the husband hit two curbs
that gasoline cost 1 euro 20 per litre

below are some of the photos from their trip, which the baron has decided to present to you without context. enjoy!

that time they went to new orleans, or, that time they thought they were moving to new orleans

once upon a time, the baron and the husband thought they'd be moving to new orleans. the husband went out first, for work. he wasn't able to find a house or an apartment right away, so he and the dogs moved into the westin new orleans....


where they adapted to the lifestyle quite nicely.



then they moved into a house...




and the husband was assaulted on the street just outside the french quarter. strangely enough, after that, they decided new orleans was not the right place for them. they packed up their stuff and drove back to arizona.

that time they went to costa rica

in 2006, the baron and lalee went to costa rica. on a lark. it was a pretty good week, and from these photos, it appears to be JUST TWO OF THEM, DOESN'T IT?


in playa tamarindo at witch's rock cafe. the baron and lalee showed those nachos who's boss.


lalee's birthday, another beach. april 7, 2006.


lalee's birthday dinner, playa langosta. awww-kward.


the entrance (from the beach) to the hotel. the baron really liked those monkey sentries.


coffee and cream and sugar. a good way to pass the afternoon.


their last night in tamarindo.


trying, unsuccessfully, to set the camera's auto timer before leaving the hotel.


their last breakfast.

that time they went to tahoe for that fire grant thing

the february before the baron and the husband moved from san francisco to phoenix, they traveled to the nevada side of lake tahoe for the husband's work (something, something, fire grant). the details of this trip - the fire grant part, anyway - are murky. the following details, however, remain clear in the baron's memory.

it turns out, dexter has some kind of fascination with snow (and also sand). as in, she can't be in either one of them without going whack-a-doodle happy crazy... her joy is evident, below:




here are the baron, immediately after having FACED into the snow, and dexter, enjoying the day. did the baron mention, she's actually not that fond of snow?

that summer they went to neela's wedding...

in 2004, the baron, the husband, and their friend lalee were invited to a wedding in montana. the three went together - joined by dexter and the VERY NEWLY adopted tucker and harlan - and camped along the way.

the grand canyon: here, tucker is thinking it doesn't look so big.

here, the dogs are thinking they can take lalee and the baron into the canyon.

montana: resting on the shore of a lake, just after a two hour hike. harlan hated it, as you can see in his expression.

at glacier national park: the baron and lalee. the baron is thinking, 'is camping over now? because that would be really great.' harlan's thoughts are running along the same lines.

on extended break

on wednesday, the baron and the husband are taking a train to get to a plane to get to ireland.
they'll be gone for a good little while, and - just guessing - the baron won't be posting while she's gone.

fear not, reader, for in the meantime, the baron has decided to post a random assortment of photos. view and enjoy.

disneyland

as a condition of vacationing in las vegas, laura agreed to ask her brother, big d - who works for disney (reader, at the REAL magic kingdom, in anaheim, not that ersatz one in florida) - to sign her and the baron in to the park. he seemed happy sign them in (thanks, big d!), so on thursday they met him in anaheim.

that's him, below.




(a note: the baron thinks of big d as big for a reason... in this, she's standing on her tippy toes, as tall as she can be. if she weren't, the top of her head would reach the top of his shoulder. maybe.)









the baron and laura also spent time with the baron's cousin and her son... there's the son and travel duck at cafe orleans, waiting on their monte cristo sandwiches.








here are laura and the baron, near the end of it's a small world. the baron's thumb? covering the flash.
(it's a small world is one of the baron's favorite rides at disneyland. she always, every time she visits the park, makes an effort to ride it at least once. so. when laura and then big d told her there had been some changes to it's a small world, she was very prepared to hate the ride, or, to hate the park for having changed her beloved ride. it turns out, reader, that the changes were small (incorporating disney film characters into the landscape of the ride) and in keeping with the concept of the ride, which is to say all the new additions were done in the exact same style as the rest of the ride. phew.)



here are tbe baron and laura just inside the park. the baron suggested they smile BIG for the camera, and laura - as you can plainly see - took that advice to heart.


some conversation from thursday (names removed to protect the ridiculous):

-hey. i just parked at the pinocchio lot. where are you?
-i have no idea. what's with this parking? it used to be that the parking lot was right in front of the ticket windows. i'm turning onto disneyland drive.
-ok. you're close.
-i'll call you when i get to the garage.


(while waiting for indiana jones adventure: temple of the forbidden eye)
-dude, i think those two girls...
-are looking at porn on their blackberries!?
-yes! i feel like there could be a better time to do that.
-me too. inappropriate.


(at the churro stand and just after)
-is it time for a churro?
-that sounds good.
[8 minutes later]
-this is so good. i love churros.
-it's a good idea. fried and sugared dough. and you know what?
-huh?
-this is my first churro. i never had one before.
-[swallowing] what? dude, this is your FIRST churro? you sounded so excited about it before!
-well. i was.


(near pirates of the carribean)
-hello.
-[big d]
-we just got churros.
-[big d]
-we haven't been to calfornia adventure yet but-
-[big d]
-we're going over now.
-[big d]
-ok. bye. (to the baron) we'd better go to california adventure.


(inside california adventure)
-this place feels like knott's berry farm.
-what's that?
-it's a terrible amusement park. peanuts characters.



(after two terrible rides at california adventure)
-it's almost 6. xtina should be here soon for dinner. i'll call.
(after calling)
-we'll meet her by the california sign outside.




(at the california sign)
-xtina! you look so tan!
-yeah... just had my hair colored, which makes me look tan. so.


(at dinner)
waitress: are you related to monique?
-what?
waitress: you look just like this girl i used to know named monique.
-oh, no. i have a brother named jonathan.


(at dinner)
-so. how's everything with e?
-he's great! he just got another promotion...
-right. when are you getting married?
-right. i love getting that question.


(later, back at disneyland, while in line for space mountain)
-i am tired.
-i know. me too. i'm thinking this is the last one.
-it's 8:15pm.
-what! we've been here all day!
-do you think that woman behind us in line is dressed like that on purpose? is that a costume?
-because she's a stripper for her day job?
-or a hooker maybe?
-dude. do you think that waitress was hitting on me?
-i would not be surprised, no.
-did it occur to you as she was asking me about monique?
-yes.
-um, why did you not say something to me then? i have no ability to see that kind of thing as it's happening.

las vegas

as you know, reader, the baron was away from maryland last week, visiting friends and family. she spent part of her week away in las vegas, with her friend laura and laura's companion travel duck.



they had planned to see a show, spend time at the hotel spa, learn pai gow poker (laura did anyway), and visit other casinos on the strip, but alas... they instead spent three days at the pool. and shopping. and at the hotel bar.

snippets of conversation from the trip (names removed to protect the ridiculous):

late sunday morning:
-well. we're early.
-outlets?
-charleston street?
-ok. but we're not that early; we'll have to speed shop.

monday morning:
-what are you watching?
-dude, i think this might be the very last episode of 'charmed'.
-i don't think so.
-what? really? doesn't it seem like they're wrapping things up?
-uh.
-i'm watching tomorrow.

monday afternoon (after the pool):
-i feel like i didn't get any color.
-my breasts have red splotches on them! they're burned!
-what?
-the sun must have gone through my bathing suit!
-er. sure.

monday night:
-i think dessert is a good idea.
-it's happy hour at the bar.
-what does that mean?
-it means that beer will be half price.
-so... bar first?
-yes.

later monday night (two beers and one and one third martinis down):
-i am drunk.
-yes, you are.
-drink some water.
-don't boss me! also, i want these m&ms.
-how about every time you eat an m&m you drink some water?
-[chewing]
-dude, it's 7:45pm and we're going to bed.
-i am drunk.

tuesday morning:
-dude, i think *this* might be the very last episode of 'charmed'.
-i don't know.
-well. it's happening this week, anyway, right?
-it seems like it, but...

tuesday afternoon (to see a movie at the orleans hotel/casino):
-do you think the car is safe here?
-yeah. not sure. this casino seems a little run down.

tuesday evening (after the movie):
-even paul rudd could not save that movie.
-also, jason segal...
-needs some help. he couldn't get a comb?
-or some orthodontia.
-some teeth whitening at the very least.
-yes.

below, travel duck waits for the movie. in a very empty theatre.

change, or, you can't go back, but it's nice to visit

as she mentioned earlier this week, the baron is visiting her family and friends in california. she's staying in her childhood home in riverside, where her mother and brother still live.

though very few things have changed inside the house, the baron has noticed them all, each one an affront to her memory: that new bathroom tile? those area rugs? the jigsaw puzzle on the dining room table - since when does her mother do jigsaw puzzles? outside the house, even fewer things are different, but she spotted them too: the lavender is three feet tall now, and was there always a purple rose bush in the rose garden? the lantana has been shaped into a severe hedge, the olive trees have been trimmed to their nubs, and the lemon tree is square (really, a square, and really, it's weird).

------------------

the baron woke up just past 6:00 this morning, bullied into a corner of the bed by her mother's two tiny dogs (combined weight: 24 lbs). she pushed her way back to the center of the bed and tried to get back to sleep, but the sun - and the fragrance of orange blossoms - conspired to keep her awake. she decided to take a walk, an easy one around her neighborhood, through the streets, up to the shopping center, and back again. she had made this walk many, many, MANY times in her previous life, usually with a boy, and once when she was very drunk. in those days, before cell phones and the reinvention of apple, the baron took this walk with no distraction but the sights; today, she had her nano and the playlist from her new life.

it turned out, vampire weekend and modest mouse, the roots and the ramones were kind of inappropriate for her walk, reminders of the gym, and the husband, and maryland; she wanted something with a sublime feel to it, something easy and fun, something like the beach boys (but maybe not so pop as the beach boys). she scrolled through the playlist until she found something that felt suitable for the early sunshine, the morning's version of the gloaming hour. reader, she settled on pavement:



(isn't there something so great about pavement? something really californian about the music?)

with the perfectly appropriate soundtrack, the walk this morning gave the baron an opportunity to reflect on her childhood neighborhood, and reader, things have changed there too. she passed houses she used to know, or rather, houses that were once inhabited by families she used to know: the hymans, the avellas, the kennedys, the goldsteins, ms. farley's place. she's not sure how many of those families remain, the children having moved beyond riverside, the parents perhaps having moved to smaller houses, other towns. this saddened the baron, thinking about the change that had passed through the neighborhood - called canyon crest - that had once been the center of her life, changes that she had not even been witness to. changes that she had not even known were coming!

the streets on her walk reflected the change: every yard (really! every yard!) she passed was perfectly tended, perfectly manicured, a riot of color and growth. she saw outdoor patios, home additions, outdoor entry rooms, low stone walls and lots of bmws. she also saw many people walking dogs, enjoying the day before the heat set in, clutching a leash in one hand and a plastic bag (some empty, some full) in the other. these people, with their dogs, seemed happy to the baron. most likely, they had not noticed the changes, or, they were the change and did not know it.

the baron's walk was just 2 miles - if even that - and soon the she was back at her mother's house. the morning was still cool, but the forecast called for an 85 degree day. she came up the driveway, past her brother's truck (the one that had been their father's last and favorite auto purchase), past the squared-off lemon tree, past the lantana hedge, past the tiny birdhouses that decorate the path to the front door (these birdhouses? a new addition to the front walkway). she kicked off her shoes and was greeted by 24 lbs of fawn colored chihuahua and black and tan mutt. soon, thinking about coffee, and a shower, and breakfast, the baron's walk - and the sadness - was pushed to the back of her mind.

gone to california

reader, the baron is taking a break this week. she has traveled home, to california, to see friends and family, so her posting this week will be light.

[you are thinking, "the baron, your posts have been light recently anyway!"]
[the baron would respond, "yes, reader, i am a crappy blogger. 'become a better blogger' is on my list of things to do, right under drop 10 lbs and read that tolkien trilogy. for real."]

everything that happens will happen today

recently, david byrne and brian eno collaborated on an album called 'everything that happens will happen today'. the baron would call herself a kind-of fan of david byrne... she LOVES 'true stories' (is there a better song out there than 'dream operator'? no, reader, there is not.), both the movie and the album, but a lot of his other music leaves her cold. bored. frowning. as for brian eno, the baron's relationship with him and his music is slightly more complicated, as in: hey, brian eno, all that u2 stuff is brilliant. but that other stuff is really. really. bad. also, when she imagines brian eno, he always looks like this:


the husband, apparently, doesn't have the same complicated feelings about this dynamic duo as does his wife... he's a fan, and the baron cannot count the number of times she has hopped into the husband's car to find that damn 'ambient 1: music for airports' BLASTING from the husband's car speakers. (by the by, she has often had the thought: is there any unlikelier pairing that a chevrolet extended cab silverado and brian eno's 'ambient 1: music for airports'? she wonders if that combination - sturdy american craftsmanship and high brow english artistry - is happening anywhere else.)

a few weeks ago, when the baron casually mentioned that she had heard the title track off 'everything that happens will happen today' - heard and LOVED the title track - the husband just-as-casually asked if she had any interest in seeing david byrne live? after all, to the husband's palate, byrne and eno are two great tastes that go great together; only hearing the music IN PERSON could make the flavors any more tasty. it was soon discovered that david byrne was, in fact, touring in support of his new album: the husband, seeing that a show was coming up at radio city music hall (a venue to which neither the baron nor the husband had ever been), booked tickets for the show, tickets on amtrak, and a room at the Lexington and 49th W hotel. because, reader, what's yummier than the music of david byrne and brian eno played live? the music of david byrne and brian eno played live IN NEW YORK CITY, with a vegetarian's paradise 2 chaser.

the show was last weekend, and you know what? the baron and the husband had a super-duper excellent time. some verbal snapshots from their trip:

*******
[after a most satisfying lunch at house of vegetarian]
the baron: i want...
the husband: hm?
the baron: ... some botan rice candy.


[after a cab ride where the baron spied an ad for the barney's warehouse sale]
the baron: hey. after that lunch, don't you want to walk a little?
the husband: um, okay.
the baron: i mean, we're not THAT far from w17th, right?
[reader, they were at mott and canal streets]
the husband: okay - sounds interesting.
[15 blocks later]
the baron:... so how far do you think this really is?
the husband: well, once we cross houston we'll be close... i think houston puts us at 14th?
[15 blocks later, crossing houston]
the baron: hm. it looks like we're coming up on 3rd... so, not 15th.
the husband: ....
[9 blocks later]
the baron: hey, why are we on the east side?
the husband: we should go left.
[5 blocks later, at 5th avenue and 17th street]
the baron: yay! w17th! wait. i think we have to bear west a little more.
the husband: ok.
[2 blocks later]
the baron: oh! i remember this! there's the entrance, under that scaffolding!!
the husband: wait. what's with the line?
the baron: oh... it's the last weekend, so things are really deeply discounted.
the husband: you said nothing about a line.
[it's worth noting, the line was 1/2 a block long, it was 45 degrees, and it was windy.]
the baron: *sigh* let's get back to the hotel.
the husband: taxi!!


[at the hotel]
the baron: what time is it?
the husband: about 6:45pm.
the baron: and we need to leave at what time?
the husband: probably 7:10 or 7:15.
the baron: are you sure? that we have to be seated by 7:30?
the husband: yes.


[at radio city music hall, at 7:30]
the baron: so... where is everybody? i'm so glad we were early.
the husband: ...


[at radio city music hall, 7:45]
the baron: i wish i'd brought a book.


[at radio city music hall, 8:15-ish. the house lights dim and david byrne comes out on stage]


[at radio city music hall, sometime between 8:15-ish and 10pm-ish]
the baron: wow. people really LOVE david byrne. and, those dancers are kind of terrible. and what's with everyone wearing white? also, i think it's kind of mean that david byrne is making the back-up singers dance... those ladies are, ahem, endowed and i bet you a dollar they're not wearing sport bras.
the husband: look at all these people dancing! it's terrible, and totally entertaining.
the baron: i am definitely not drunk enough for this.


[after a most satisfying dinner at vegetarian's paradise 2, while the baron and the husband tried to hail a cab on 6th Ave/Avenue of the Americas]
the husband: taxi!
taxi: puts on blinker and slows down.
strange girl, moving ahead of the husband, as if to hail the slowing cab: taxi!
the husband, moving to block the girl from getting the cab and opening cab door: did you really just step off the curb?
strange girl, under her breath: that is so rude.
the husband: are you fucking kidding me?
*******

reader, the baron recommends that you take a listen to the byrne/eno album... you can hear it, in its entirety, below.




also, and lastly, the baron celebrated her 32nd birthday last sunday. woot!

the worst vacation ever, full stop

reader, the baron's back in town, fresh from her vacation to beautiful portland, oregon! she traveled there with a childhood friend, jrr, who is right now debating whether or not to move to there...

the baron has recounted her trip a fair few times already and is kind of tired of the whole thing. for you, reader, she'll spare the gory details and give you the truncated version.

the lowlights:

-even for the baron - a californian who hasn't quite fallen in line with the east coast's way of doing things - portland seemed a little sedate. like, real sedate. like, everyone in the airport seemed stoned... even the sober people.

-snow, and lots of it. as soon as the baron's plane descended below the cloud line, she could tell that the day was not friendly. once she saw a report from the local news, she figured that the week wouldn't be that friendly either.

-snow, and lots of it, brought the city to a standstill, which meant that many of the activities jrr had planned were, uh, CLOSED.

-snow, and lots of it, meant that walking the neighborhoods of the city (a necessity for jrr, who wanted to pick a new place to live) was super DUPER difficult.

-snow, and lots of it, pretty much confined the baron and jrr to the hotel. which meant that tv and books were all that they had to amuse themselves. which meant that they were pretty much together the whole time. which meant that they kind of, occasionally, got on each others' nerves.

the highlights:

-portland is mellow. it was kind of refreshing to go without attitude from baristas/sales assistants/cabbies/waiters.

-vegetarian house. within walking distance from the hotel, and the best hot and sour soup EVER.

-the festival of the last minute, where one can find lots of interesting and one-of-a-kind gifts, was not nearly as frightening as this sounds:
the baron: where is this place?
jrr: same place at the saturday market...
the baron: yes?
jrr: under a bridge and, uh... some tarps.

-sweet masterpiece, a small chocolate shop in the pearl district.

-snow, and lots of it, kept them mostly inside. however, they did venture to powell's books, maybe the best. bookstore. ever. the baron found patchett, didion, and fadiman - o my!



-the portland public library, which sold this bag for a mere $21:


otherwise, the baron is glad to be home. she missed the husband, she missed the dogs, and also? her feet weren't warm for like a week. oh, and jenn? don't move there, PORTLAND SUCKS.