The Pixie Pit & Random Status Report Bits

I've been having a great time shuffling here and there visiting friends and family, but in such a prolonged journey out and about one starts to feel the lack of structure in one's day, week, month and so on. I am quite thankful that I do not have to find such structure via the tyranny of paid employment, but how to give stability to my days?

Three words answer this query my friends: The Pixie Pit.

The Pixie Pit (see link to the right), aka "on-line Scrabble", is there for me every day (provided my opponents take their turns) and one game ambles amiably through the weeks, serving as the thread that holds it all together for me. If you find you are lost, uncertain about your future or hesitant in any way about what to do, when to do it and where to do it, there is help! Just venture into The Pixie Pit and let it take all your worries away. If you need an opponenet, feel free to invite me into a game. I'm a good opponent if you like to win because I rarely do. I tend to stress "interesting" words or "cool" plays over point value and I give next to no thought to strategy concerning the board and where one might play what in order to screw one's opponent.

In other news of my world:

I'm getting PRETTY nervous. In the last year or so I've burned through 31 Spenser novels (see previous post "Small Vices", circa July) and am on the very last one, just released this year. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. A friend's hunny bunny suggested Dennis LeHane, another author who writes about an ace PI in Boston, and I'm trying one out, but it really just ins't the same.

I'm getting extremely excited about Halloween. I have a friends' party Saturday night and then fly Westward to OR on Sunday in time for a night of Halloween and Monday Night Football. Hopefully I'll manage to get some photos of it all and be able to sweet talk Blogger into working with me in efforts to post them.

I got to get a real workout in today! I've been doing pretty well with getting some sort of exercise the last month or two, but often it is limited to my morning yoga and some walking around. I did spend one morning biking and ran once as well, but the gym visits have been quite sparse due to excessive gallavanting about and the lack of a gym membership anywhere. Right now I'm in picturesque Newburyport, Mass visiting my cousin and her enjoyable family. This morning Johnny had school and Tatum had her weekly Wednesday morning sitter so my cousin and I got to go to the Fitness Factory (that's really what it is called.) Right now I am riding high on the post-workout endorphines, heightened by a big lovely lunch and hot shower. I think I'll take a nap now................... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Okay, I'm back. Lastly, I'm really looking forward to busting a move outta the Northeast. I like the west coast. I prefer it greatly to what I know of the east coast. I feel better about myself, enjoy myself more on the west coast and overall just feel more comfortable and natural with how it all works. And the weather is way better. Some fall stuff and spring stuff totally rocks out here, but all in all it isn't even a competition. And the nasty "NorEaster" we just had - despite being gorgeous in its own abstract, I get to hide inside all day, sort of way - isn't doing much to convince me otherwise. For all my NE amici - I do love you, but I think you all should come to visit me next time.

Gallivanting About the Northeast

The rains stopped just in time for me to have a lovely, lovely weekend in NYC. Friday was a bit soggy and I (and my luggage) got rather soaked making our way from the subway to my amico's apartment, but we dried out okay and by the time we went out to dinner it was barely raining at all. And then Saturday and Sunday were fantastically beautiful. Saturday morning I met a friend dating from as far back as middle school for brunch and then we laid about in Central Park, basking in the sun. My basking in the park was then transferred to much of the same, but in Prospect Park in Brooklyn where a former hunny bunny from high school and I had lunch and chatted. The night was spent at yet another amico's apartment - this one in Brooklyn - and the early morning found me perky and on my way to Manhattan for a stint at the MoMA before - you guessed it - more loafing in the park.

Unfortunately all of my friends are caught up in this whole "work" business and I don't have plans to go to Boston until Wednesday so Monday morning found me lost and lorn in the big city. I had been contemplating a jaunt down to Philly (just $20 roundtrip on the China Town Bus) but was feeling a little leery about it. I've spent the last five months getting away from Philly and the unpleasantness of my last year or so here. Why would I want to go back to a place where things sucked so thoroughly? But there are lovely, lovely people who I like a lot in this town who I wouldn't get to see otherwise. So I sucked it up, hopped on a bus and made my way south. I couldn't very well show up and be a mere two blocks from my former place of employement (and again, there were lovelies I really did want to see) so the first stop was my old office. It was nice seeing people and I'm going to be having lunch with a few today but after an hour or so of being there I really started to feel "bad." I was sorta drained and irritable and just very down. So I fled right quick to see a dear amico in west philly before making my way to friends' apartment for the night. And it has been lovely. In a couple of hours I'll be meeting one lovely for her lunch break before meeting other lovelies for their lunch break before hopping on the bus back to la citta grande to the north.

And besides - NY state doesn't have powerball while PA does. I don't even know what the total is up to now but it is over $315 million and I wouldn't have a chance at it if I didn't come down for the night, right?

Exile Over (for now)

"Did you get lonely?" Asked one of the people for whom I've been house sitting.

"Not at all," I replied.

And I didn't. The last day I was a triffle bored as I didn't know when he would be arriving back at the house, it was still pouring down rain so I was disinclined to go outside and I didn't have a good book to read or a crossword to do. I couldn't start one of the books from their library as I would be leaving before I could finish it and the paper didn't get delivered that day, hence the lack of crosswordage. But otherwise I trully didn't find myself unhappy a twit or longing for other people. In fact, while I'm looking forward to my upcoming weekend in NYC with friends and visiting friends and family around the NE for the next couple of weeks, I'm really looking forward to my next housesitting stint in OR - starting Oct 30. That round will be far less isolated as I have a ton of family around, some friends, and my dad's office is on the property (which includes and employee.) But I will still have a significant amount of time to myself.

So I guess I'll have to resume dressing in clean, coordinated clothes, brushing my hair, shaving and other such things that make a body "presentable." Oh wait, I've never been much into any of those things. PHEW, at least I won't have THAT to worry about!

Pakistan Earthquake

In general, Wayward Princess tries to be light and cheery. This means I try to avoid compaining, whining, discourse on political things (even when they are REALLY important to me) or other unpleasant things.

The earthquake in Pakistan, and its aftermath, is an incredible human tragedy and therefore isn't the sort of thing I generally get into, but there are things YOU can do to help. So look at the info here and do what you can.

The following is from a friend of a friend who lives in Islamabad in Pakistan - The region worst hit by the recent devastating earthquake. I can't seem to make hyperlinks work so please copy and paste the urls... thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are a number of ways to contribute toward relief efforts for the tens of thousands of people in need of medical assistance, food and shelter, as a result of the recent earthquake in northern Pakistan and Kashmir. I have listed some of these resources below, particularly relevant for those of us who reside outside Pakistan. Please pass this around.

Friends report that at least two local organizations are doing great work on the ground in the areas worst hit - Edhi Welfare Trust (http://www.edhi.gwat.net/) and Sungi Development Foundation (http://www.sungi.org/) - details of how to donate directly to these organizations are below. The President and Prime Minister's relief funds are also making urgent appeals for contributions. You can also make donations to international organizations involved in the relief effort, including UNICEF and OXFAM, online.

This list includes information that I have collected through speaking with friends and relatives in Pakistan, searching online, and speaking to representatives of Edhi, Sungi, PIA and the Pakistani consulate in New York. This also includes information sent out by my friends.

Edhi Welfare Trust
You can also mail a cheque or money order made out to -

'Edhi Welfare Trust' to
Edhi International Foundation,
42-07 National Street
Corona, New York, 11368
U.S.A.

SUNGI Development Foundation has been working in the areas worst hit by the earthquakes for a number of years. They are accepting money transfers:
payable to SUNGI DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
a/c 412-2
branch code: 0585
MUSLIM COMMERCIAL BANK, STAR BRANCH
ABBOTABAD
SWIFT: MUCBPKKAA

President's Relief Fund
Please send all checks to 236 Massachusetts Ave, NE, Suite 207, Washington D.C. 20002. The checks should be made out to the President's Relief Fund.

You can also make online secure donations for the Presidents Relief Fund at the United Bank of Pakistan Click N Remit Website - http://www.ubl.com.pk/ You'll need to register as a new user, for which they ask for details such as your social security number (which they are required by law to collect). They also charge a small processing fee.
Details:
Recipient: Presidents Relief Fund
Account #: 01091428
Region: Karachi
Branch: City Branch, Karachi

For recipient's address you can use Seretariat building, Islamabad.

Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA)
http://www.appna.org/Home/Home.asp?MainLink=Home&SubLink=Achievement
Accepting donations by credit card over the phone, and accepting checks.

OXFAM: you can donate online specifically for earthquake victims.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/what_you_can_do/give_to_oxfam/donate/asian_quake.htm

UNICEF: You can also make online donations for earthquake victims, especially children.
http://www.unicef.org/

Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
https://icnany.org/Donation/Donation.php?a=relief

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has offered to transport in-kind donations, most importantly of the following items:

1. Shelter
Tents and plastic sheets
Blankets
Mattresses

2. Food Items
Pre-cooked tinned food (Halal)
High energy Biscuits
Survival Rations

3. Medicines
Antibiotics
Typhoid Medication
Fractured related Kits
First aid kits
Surgical instruments
Water Purification tablets

I'm still trying to figure out how PIA will accept these in-kind donations, since they want the donation to be certified by the Pakistani consulate (due to Homeland Security regulations?), who don't have the logistics to make the collection and prefer people to make financial contributions. As soon as I learn more about this, I'll let you know.

In Canada, you can donate to:

Donations to UNICEF Canada's South Asia Earthquake Emergency Appeal (www.unicef.ca), can be made on-line at https://secure.unicef.ca/portal/SmartDefault.aspx?at=1211, by telephone at 1-877-955-3111 or by mail at UNICEF Canada, 2200 Yonge Street, Suite 1100, Toronto, ON M4S 2C6.

World Vision Canada
http://www.worldvision.ca/home/content-archives/content-stories/pakistan-devastated-by-earthquake/

Care Canada
https://www.strategicprofitsinc.com/wn/care/sp_don_e.php

Raining Carrots

Okay, it isn't REALLY raining carrots. But it has been raining a lot (way more than cats & dogs, even more than snakes & lizards) and it just so happens that I also have a ton of carrots... So it is kinda like raining carrots, right??

Well, maybe it is a stretch.

But ANYway, I'm house-sitting in the Hudson Valley and it is just plain lovely. I've banished my phone and shun the company of other humans. TAlthough we are being pelted with rain now, the first week it was really warm and summery and I spent huge chunks of the day outside. I biked a bit, went for walks, knitted in the backyard and so on. On Wednesday I found out about a farmers' market in Brewster (about 20 minutes away) and that was where I found myself saddled down with piles of carrots. The women there are wiley. I gave them a dollar and asked for just a couple (as in TWO) carrots - the things were humungoid and two would be enough to sink a battleship. When I protested the five carrots in the bag, the fiends - instead of taking some out - put about five more carrots in the bag. I came away with pounds of carrots. Easily five or six pounds - maybe more. What is a wayward princess, self-banished for two weeks, going to do with heaps of carrots???

Corn & Carrot Quesadillas
Carrot Soup
Yam & Lentil (and Carrot) Stew
Cut Carrots (for nibbling)
Carrot & Apple Muffins

And so on. If the next time you see me I have an orange palor, you'll know it isn't the reflection of the glorious fall leaves, or a strange moldy mildew from the rain, it is the carrots.

Luckily now that summer is totally gone and we are being deluged (can you make deluge into a verb like that?) with buckets of rain, and I'm not taken up with biking and loafing outside, I have a lot of time to hang out inside cooking with carrots.

A Connecticut Wedding

This last weekend I spent wedding-ing. It was just one wedding, but it was a whole weekend event. A beautiful friend from college, Katrina, was marrying her lovely now-husband, Eric and it was pretty much a weekend-long kick-ass party.

They are "adventerous." They met doing Semester-At-Sea (a study abroad program where you literally sail around the world, stopping off for several days at numerous ports along the way) and just got back from a year of travelling the world. The wedding was at a summer camp near Sharon, CT and wedding activities included canoeing, swimming, volley ball, soccer, frisbee, bonfires, etc. - in addition to the normal wedding activities of a rehersal dinner, social hour, WEDDING, reception. We slept in large dorms with the 20 or so people from Rochester all in two adjoining rooms, Eric's cousins and friends from high school were in another room and so on. The wedding ceremony was at an outdoor chappel and the bridesmaids all wore matching dresses but in various fall colors (garnet, deep green, cocoa, rich orange.) It was beautiful and harvesty and quite elegant - enhanced by the natural surroundings, rustic though they were.

I think weddings are nice but this one was really fantastic. It really made me think about relationships and - here's where I get a bit cheezy - love and all in a very inspiring way. I won't wax further on this. It was just lovely and on top of that the whole weekend was very fun.

And now I find myself in Carmel, NY house-sitting for some friends and availing myself of the whole fall splendor thing. But doing it very quietly - the cell phone is off and I'm spending huge portions of the day biking alone, walking alone, knitting in the backyard, cuddling with the kitties, cooking and so on. This quiet time has been much longed for during my busy summer. E-mail and such is the one allowance to the outside world I've made. And I find myself feeling a bit irritable at that even!