Nougat

What exactly is nougat anyway? Our office had a whole big thing about nougat this morning, complete with talking over cubicle walls and multiple mass e-mails debating the topic. Of course by the time this had been going on for 10 or 15 minutes there were eight people craving Snickers bars. The natural end to this kind of thing was the inevitable run to Duane Reade for a bag of Snickers and Milky Ways and subsequent Passing Of The Nougat. I love quiet days in the office.

The afternoon was even better! We haven't seen Shirley since she left on maternity leave at the end of July, but she came in today with her two-month-old Davey. About an hour later (and by pure coincidence) Sal's wife shows up with their five-month-old Parker Izabelle. There have been only three baby office visits in the history of our company. Two in one afternoon was fantastic!

Davey (at about 1 week old)

Parker Izabelle

Anyway, bigger things are happening than just babies and nougat. In fact, I've been pretty busy since I last posted.

I drove down to Annapolis with Greg's parents last weekend (and found out they read my blog! Hi Teresa and Hap!) to help move him out of his apartment. The four of us and his brother Paul packed up just about everything Greg owns, then headed out for a delicious dinner at a sushi restaurant in downtown Annapolis, followed by a round of drinks with the S. clan, then another with the Navy clan.

The next morning we loaded everything into a 16' moving truck. Total cargo weight: 1,300 lbs! (Not that I'm one to talk, but the boy owns a lot of stuff.) After lunch, we headed to Ikea to buy a sofa. We found one that we all liked alot- especially since it has a replaceable, machine washable slip cover. (Yeah- our new couch is going to be in a bachelor pad for the first six months of its life... it's going to need to be washed!!) Greg and Hap managed to fit the couch into the truck (which was exactly wide enough!), which thankfully saved us from having to repack the whole thing.

Teresa and Greg were staying one last night in Annapolis before heading down to Charleston, but Hap and I had to get on the road. We said our goodbyes in the parking lot, which was just as well: it kept me from getting too sappy. It wasn't hard, though- we would see each other in a few weeks. Our plan leaving Annapolis was that we would see each other at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and work out two additional visits: one in the spring and one in the fall. It worked out that we would go one month, one month, six weeks, and six weeks between visits. It was all planned.

Unfortunately, every time you think something is all set, the Navy steps in. Of course. Greg found out on Tuesday that he has class on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which makes it impossible for him to come north for the holiday. :-(

Since we really can't change Greg's schedule, we've been working on changing mine. We thought about me flying down to Charleston for Thanksgiving, but apparently the reason they don't have Friday off is that they will be in an important testing period, so having me around as a distraction is probably not the best thing. Not to mention that flights are outrageously expensive that weekend. So we're thinking that we'll do Thanksgiving like we do my birthday, our anniversary and Valentine's day: a week early! (We've been dating for over two years and have yet to celebrate any of those days on the correct date. Ah well- we're getting married young- we'll have 50 or 60 years together to fit those in!)

Unfortunately, I only have three vacation days left, and it's unclear if the office will be closed between Christmas and New Years. I've put myself down for vacation days on the Thursday and Friday of that week, and I'm saving one for some time in November to see Greg. (We think he might have a long weekend for Veteran's Day, so I'll take my last vacation day then.)

Between worrying about my lack of vacation time and the difficulty of getting to Charleston, I've been all stressed and upset for the past two days. Annapolis was easy: four hours on Amtrak and I'm there. Only $84 each way. Charleston, on the other hand, requires an airplane and a lot more money for a short amount of time spent together.

So it looks like our schedule for both the fall and the spring is going to be six weeks apart, one long weekend together, and six weeks apart. Yuck, yuck, yuck. We'll have about one week together over Christmas, so hopefully I won't have to work those other two days.

I know that we're going to have much longer periods of time apart, and that this really isn't bad, but we've never lived less than four hours apart. At least we'll be able to spend lots of time together when we're preparing for him to go out on deployment.

Something about this makes me think about when I used to babysit for toddlers. When the parents left, the kid would cry. No question. They'd be all upset for a little while, then they'd settle down and be just fine. What was much more difficult for them was when the parents left me with the kid then went upstairs to change, reappeared for a few minutes, left to go to the car, came back to get something they forgot, and then left again. As soon as the kid had settled down, the parents would return. Each time they left again, the kid would get even more upset, and stay upset longer. (Honestly- do parents realize they do this to babysitters?)

I feel kind of like the little kid. It's not that I fall apart when we leave each other, I just feel like something's missing, and it takes me a few days after seeing him to pull myself back together and readjust to being alone. Sometimes it almost feels like teasing to have such a short period of time together, just to go back to missing him almost immediately. It's like being hungry and being offered one M&M- you want it so badly, and you happily eat it up. It's great while it lasts, but it's gone before you know it and you're somehow hungrier than you were before. What gets you through is remembering the flavor and looking forward to the next meal.

Now, all these metaphors aren't meant to imply that I don't want to spend those long weekends with Greg- I want them more than anything. I'm just happy that he's going to be around that week in December. We'll get to spend some real time together, and I'll feel much better.

They say that time flies faster and faster as a wedding draws closer, and I wonder if that will be true for us. It's so weird to know that we will have just three visits together before we're moving him out of his apartment in Charleston and into our first home together. We'll be married in just over six months, and I'm sure it will feel like time has flown. In the mean time, the next several months are going to be like pieces of nougat- I know I'll enjoy them, I know they'll be sweet and not last very long at all, but I have no idea what they'll be made of.

"One Minute, Please. I'll Be Right Back..."

"Excuse me for a minute, I'm just going to go over there and yell and scream about something completely unrelated to what you just told me."

Does anybody else ever feel like saying that to someone? Or telling them to their face that they just made your life more difficult?

I am more than happy to help out with finding crew for Morning Glory. Well, happy... ish... sometimes. Okay- actually, it makes me nuts, but I do it because it helps Carl out, and I simply adore Carl.

I tried using a web form at the beginning of the season to sign people up. Then I e-mailed. Then I picked up the phone and called people. Do you have any idea how long it takes to leave the same voice message for 40 people? How about 60? Sometimes I can ask in person on the boat or the Yacht Club lawn, but nobody ever has a calendar then.

I really don't like harassing people from April through October to just arrange for five or six people to be on the boat- it seems like it should be so unnecessary! And how does it always happen that once plans are finally set, people always bail at the last minute! GRRR!!!

Take the phone conversation I had a few minutes ago. I've been calling this couple for about a month to get them on board for the American Yacht Club Fall Series. I spoke to the wife, who told me that they would be very interested in signing up for both weekends, but that she would check with her husband and get back to me in a day or two. When I didn't hear from them, I left several messages over about a week. I finally reached the husband early this week- they had been out of the country. Whatever. So he says that they'll probably both be able to sail and that he'll call me in a few hours to confirm. Well, long story shorter, I left a few more messages when I didn't hear back (again!), and I finally got hold of him this morning. He will be able to sail one day each of the two weekends. His wife? Well, she's pregnant and won't be able to sail at all.
It's great that she's pregnant, but YOU DIDN'T KNOW THIS ON MONDAY?!?! GRRRRR!!!

Anyway, yeah, so- if anybody wants to sail this weekend, let me know. Especially if you're a tactician. Right.

Anyway, I'm meeting my Mom and Kathryn (the lady making my dress) at Saks tomorrow around lunch time to look at veils and talk about bridesmaids dresses. Should be fun!

Whew!

I've been really, crazy busy lately, with no time to post. So, here's the update!

I worked until midnight last Thursday night- which actually wasn't that bad. I can get a lot done when I don't have meetings and conference calls and e-mails coming in. Friday was a long day because of my late night the day before, but Greg had a long day, too. When he was leaving Annapolis to drive up to New York, another driver pulled out of a parking space without looking and backed into Greg's passenger side door. The damage is only cosmetic, but it's a hassle- especially since Greg is moving early next week!

Greg finally arrived at my parents' house at about 10:00 pm. After some pasta and caffeine, we got back in the car, this time with me in the driver's seat. We drove up to Albany that night, arriving at the hotel around 1:00 am.

Saturday morning we were up at 7:30 am to attend a Pre-Cana class in Albany. I mentioned several posts ago that finding a place to fulfill our Pre-Cana requirements was very difficult, mainly because there was only one weekend between August and the wedding that it was possible for us to go. I looked everywhere from Boston to Albany to Pittsburgh to Richmond and finally found a one-day class that worked.

Pre-Cana wasn't nearly as painful as we had expected. We were pretty sure the topics would include Natural Family Planning, Natural Family Planning, Natural Family Planning, a few minutes on Conflict Resolution, and Natural Family Planning. To our pleasant surprise, there was a reasonable amount of time spent on Conflict Resolution, and even more on finances (budgeting, managing student loans and credit card debt, etc. Thank God neither Greg or I have any credit card debt!) Natural Family Planning was discussed a bit, but really only for about 20 minutes at the end of the day.

We left Albany around 3:00 pm and drove back down to New Rochelle. We fit in a quick (and much needed!) nap before hopping a train into the city.

We had a quick dinner at Grand Central before heading to the Snapple Theatre to see "The Fantasticks." Oh, I love that show! My parents took me to see it on my 16th birthday, (with Allie, my grandparents and friends Kate, Ellen and Jamie,) and I just loved it.

The story is about a boy and a girl (who do have names, but are primarily referred to as "the boy" and "the girl") who fall in love, but must grow up a bit before their love can grow from a childhood infatuation into a deeper, more meaningful love. The show played at the Sullivan Street Playhouse from 1960 to 2002 and holds the record for the longest running musical in the world. (It is the longest running show in the US, and the second longest running show in the world. That record is held by the production of "The Mousetrap" that has been running in London since 1952. For those arguing that Les Miz holds the long-run record in the states, realize that The Fantasticks ran Off-Broadway, which, incidentally, is a distinction based on capacity, not geography. Off-Broadway theatres have between 100 and 499 seats.)

The show is charmingly simple, with an eight member cast, a piano and a harp. The set is minimal, consisting of a low 4' x 8' platform, some poles, two trunks, a bench, one or two black boxes, a chair, and a painted bed sheet for a curtain. Oh- and a moon. That's it. There isn't really a stage; most of the action takes place on the floor, on the same level as the audience. Charmingly simple.

Well, Greg had never seen the show, and I was hugely excited to see it again with him. I knew that our tickets were for really good seats, (A105-106) but I don't think I had mentioned it to Greg. He was very surprised when we sat down literally front row, center. "How did you get these seats?!" :-D We were right in the action- there were literally times that I uncrossed my legs to avoid kicking an actor!

The characters in "The Fantasticks" occasionally address the audience directly, and Greg and I were spoken to directly more than once. "El Gallo" even gestured at the two of us when we were holding hands during a monologue:

El Gallo: (describing the scene where two lovers will meet in secret)

You wonder how these things begin. Well, this begins with a glen. It begins with a season which, for want of a better word we may as well call- September. It begins in a forest where the woodchucks woo, and the leaves wax green, and vines intertwine like lovers; try to see it. Not with your eyes, for they are wise, but see it with your ears: the cool green breathing of the leaves. And hear it with the inside of your hand: the soundless sound of shadows flicking light. Celebrate sensation. Recall that secret place. You've been there, you remember: That special place where once- Just once- in your crowded sunlit lifetime, you hid away in shadow from the tyranny of time. That spot beside the clover where someone's hand held your hand and love was sweeter than the berries, or the honey, or the stinging taste of mint. It is September- before a rainfall- a perfect time to be in love.

I think the most special parts of the show, though, was that "Thomas Bruce" was playing "The Old Actor." If you read his bio in the Playbill, this is what you will see:

THOMAS BRUCE (Henry) originated the role of Henry in the original Sullivan Street Playhouse production of The Fantasticks. This is his first appearance on the New York stage since December 1960.

Naturally, this had the audience buzzing about how neat it was to see the actor who originated the role in this famous show. What most of them didn't know, though, was that "Thomas Bruce" is a stage name. His real name is Tom Jones, and he wrote the book and lyrics for the show. I, of course, being the theatre nerd that I am, knew this before we walked into the theatre, and was absolutely giddy with excitement. (No, seriously- actually giddy.) He was just, well, fantastic! He was hysterical, and it was truly special to see him recreating this role after over 45 years.

After the show, Greg very patiently waited with me at the stage door to meet Tom Jones. We were the only people left there when he came out. I thanked him sincerely for both the show and the performance, and told him that the show had been very special to me since I first saw it eight years ago. As he was signing my book of "The Fantasticks" (yes, I have a book with the history of the show and the full script), he said "you waited all this time just to see me?" "Yes!" I don't know whose smile was bigger. It was a really nice experience that he probably won't remember, but I always will.

We left the theatre at 10:30 and headed down to the East Village to meet up with the Branford crowd. After searching for the bar for a little over an hour, we finally found them in an old speakeasy- very cool. We spent about two hours there, drinking wine and mixed drinks out of teacups! There was a book case next to where we were standing that was being guarded by a large bouncer- we eventually learned that it was the door to a back room. There was even a rumor that Scarlett Johansson and Jake Gyllenhaal were there while we were.

So, after a very long Thursday, a very long Friday, and a very long Saturday (I mean really- Pre-Cana in Albany, then a show, then a bar in the Village! Yeesh!), we slept in on Sunday. Which is not to say that Sunday wasn't ridiculously productive, too!

Greg and I had breakfast in the city, then my Mom picked us up at the train after church. The three of us headed straight to Rye to taste wedding cake samples. We decided on white cake with a layer of lemon curd and a layer of chocolate ganache. Seriously yummy. So, we've picked a flavor- the design will be decided some time this winter.

After cake, we went back to the house to wait for John Tucker; a family friend in the jewelry biz. We selected a yellow gold millgrain ring for Greg's wedding band. :-D

After cake and ring were checked off the list, we headed down to the Yacht Club for a drink on the porch with my Mom. Dad and Allie eventually came in off the water, then it was home for Pork Chops. Mmm mmm good.

Greg left for Annapolis after dinner, and I headed into the city to pass out at my apartment. I really can't believe how much we did this weekend- Pre-Cana, "The Fantasticks", picked a wedding cake, and picked a wedding band for Greg. It was a really productive weekend!

I'll write more soon, as I had a special visit last night from one of my very best friends, but this post is already inordinately long, and I need to get back to work! Ta!

Kyrie Eleison

Sang Mozart's Requiem at Carnegie Hall this morning with the Juilliard Choral Union and the Juilliard Orchestra. It was a moving event. Check out what the New York Times had to say.

My Dad came (Mom had jury duty) and told me afterward that he had been sitting next to a woman who had been in the second tower. I remember trying to get in touch with him that morning all too well, and then how scared I was about him going to Grand Central around noon. I'm just really glad he's here.

The view from my roof tonight.

Footballs and Potatoes and Submarines, Oh My!

Oh, what a weekend!

I took a train down to Annapolis on Friday evening. I somehow planned it so that I would be in Maryland when the storm was knocking out power in New York, and only caught a few hours of the storm down south. Nice.

It was raining pretty hard when Greg picked me up, so he met me downstairs in the New Carrollton station. I had hardly stepped off the escalator when he started laughing... I was still limping badly! (I'm finally better... pretty much... I still can't stand on my toes.)

We wound up taking a major detour home to avoid the traffic on Route 50. We hit Ledo Pizza & Pasta for dinner (mmm... peppers and onions!), then headed back to the apartment to crash.

We woke up Saturday morning and hit the Annapolis mall. We waited for about 15 minutes at Sears for someone to unlock the case of electric clippers, (I'm told that knowing how to cut men's hair is a requirement for Navy wives,) but finally left after no one was able to help up. (Yeah- Sears gets a big thumbs down on customer service. Why put something in a locked case and then not have someone around with the key!) I did, however, finally find a new pair of jeans.

Ok- quick rant: Jeans shopping. Why do they make it so hard?!
I just wanted to replace the pair of Gap jeans I bought about a year and a half ago. I had tried once before and got so frustrated that I left after five minutes. So here's what gets me so upset: First you have to find the style you want (ok- finally found "Long and Lean" on a table, mixed in with three other cuts.) Then you have to find your size (My old pair is an 8-long, though I could be a 6 or a 10 in another cut at the same store!) Then you need the color (and not just the color, but a solid color, please, none of this shiny, glittery denim or the faded stripe down the front nonsense that makes my thighs look 22" round, thank you!) And finally, make sure there are no weird features on this pair that weren't on the other 16 pairs you've already looked at (such as rouched pockets, button fly, no back pockets, no belt loops, tears, slits, frays or other kinds of "wear".) Ugh! So I took a few pairs into the dressing room. The 8-longs fit, the 8-regulars were tight. Same store, same style, same size. I just don't get it. Ugh!!!! ANYWAY!

So, after our mall extravaganza, Greg and I packed up his car with all sorts of coolered goodness and headed over to his Lt.'s house for a pre-football tailgate. We hung out for about an hour (yup- actually an hour!) before the other guys arrived- they had been stuck in parade traffic near the stadium. (The entire Brigade of Midshipmen marches from the Yard to the stadium before every USNA football game. That's about 4,000 people marching about a mile through the narrow streets of Annapolis, plus the thousands of spectators that line up around town to watch and throw candy and snacks to the Mids. It's fun to watch, but I'm told it's not as much fun to participate in.) In any case, the other Ensigns that Greg works with finally arrived with food and a keg, and we had a fun barbecue... even if it was in the drizzling rain.

The highlight of the tailgate, though, was when a pair of F-18 fighter jets zoomed over the house- literally a few hundred feet directly over us! They were on their way to do a flyover at the game: Lt.'s house is on the same line as the end zone, only a few blocks away!

We eventually made our way over to the stadium, a short walk which included a bunch of quasi-drunken Naval officers singing Happy Birthday to my sister Allie. (Happy 22nd, Pipsqueak!)

The game was fun- we arrived just in time for the end of the first half. One of Greg's buddies had some connection that got us into the VIP area, which was pretty sweet. I met the mayor of Annapolis, which was nice, but a little odd. How many people have you ever met who respond "thank you" when you say "nice to meet you"- a bit off, yes? In any case, we scored second row seats in the end zone for the second half- very cool. (Better seats than most of the other 33,000 people there!) Navy beat out East Carolina with a final score of 28 to 23. Go Navy! Beat Army!

With Greg at the game

After the football game, we were all pretty well shot. Greg and I headed back to his apartment to watch a movie, and he made good on his offer of a calf massage.

Oh! Regarding that massage! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, see the comments from my previous post.) After Greg promised to help me out with the ridiculous leg pain that HE CAUSED, he called me up and asked what I was making him for dinner. I explained that he must have read the post wrong: I promised to buy dinner for anyone offering a calf massage, not make dinner. Well, Greg can be stubborn, (I love you!), and he insisted that I make him dinner.

So, the next day (Sunday), Greg had to go sailing with the Navy team. I went to the store and purchased the makings for meatloaf, garlic roast potatoes and Grandma Padin's famous chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Unfortunately, my day of girly domesticity was cut short when Greg and his roommate John arrived home from practice several hours early. In any case, I made the cookies first, which took forever. Not only does Greg's apartment not have an electric mixer... oh, no... they don't even have a wooden spoon! I mixed a full batch of oatmeal cookies with a tablespoon!

The meatloaf and potatoes were easier, and they turned out pretty well. It turns out that the "big" onions that the recipe called for referred to baseball-sized onions, not orange-sized. I used less than the three onions it called for, and the resulting loaf was delicious, if a bit oniony. The potatoes, though, were sheer culinary magic. They were like garlicy candy- I'm going to have to start making those all the time!

By the way, Greg now takes any opportunity he can to quiz me on my Navy Wife training: "Navy officer ranks: go!" He slips this in while we're in the car, while we're grocery shopping, doing dishes... really no place is off limits. (By the way, I've got the officer ranks down cold. The enlisted ones, too. I'm thinking if I get entreprenuery I'm going to market flashcards for Navy fiances.)

On Monday, we went over to the Academy for a tour of the USS Annapolis; a Los Angeles class Fast Attack sub, which is very likely to be the type of boat Greg winds up on. The tour was certainly an education for me! There is next to no space inside a submarine: narrow passageways and absolutely minimal living space. The little 9-man room that Greg will probably be living in for his first few deployments makes my apartment seem palatial! Hell, even my cubicle is big in comparison!

There are switches and gauges and dials and levers everywhere on the boat. Obviously, anything that was classified (such as screens showing depth and speed capability) was covered up, but we still got to see some neat stuff. Get this- the enlisted guys sleep in the torpedo room. Yes, with the torpedoes. As in, if you roll over in the middle of the night, you can cuddle with a giant missile. Freaky. I don't know what I expected torpedoes to look like, but for some reason it surprised me that they're green.

I knew that Greg would have minimal personal storage space, but I'm glad I've seen what "minimal" means so that I don't send him things that are too big. The storage area for personal property under each rack (bed) is about the size of my desk blotter and around three inches deep. There is another little compartment the same size for clothes. Wow. I'm thinking now that when I send Greg care packages, they will include CDs. That way he can have letters and photos and music and whatever else, all in one place, and it won't take up any space. This is, of course, dependent on his getting a lap top, since he'll be sharing computers with other people on the ship and probably won't be able to do things like listen to music on them.

The USS Annapolis

After taking the launch back from the submarine tour, ("Lizzie- the enlisted guy with the crow and single chevron on his sleeve: what's his rank?"), we grabbed lunch in town, then headed back to the apartment for a nap. (Greg has learned that if he's going to get me up early for a Navy thing, it's probably a good idea to let me nap afterward- makes for a happy Lizzie.) It was Greg's turn to cook dinner, so we eventually headed back out to the grocery store for some inspiration. We wound up with a Campbells meal-in-a-box type of kit that yielded some delicious herb chicken, which we rounded out with some frozen corn and leftover potatoes. Yummy. (By the way- the enlisted guy was a Third Class Petty Officer.)

After dinner, Greg took me back to the New Carrollton station to catch a train back to New York. It was a really fun weekend full of lots of goofy "I'm just glad we're here together" moments. We both know we're running out of weekends like this before he heads down to Charleston, so we're making the most of our time together. Next up: Pre-Cana and The Fantasticks, followed by packing up his apartment in Annapolis. Lots of fun still to come.