Planes and plains.

A whirling weekend involving impromptu travel plans began promptly at 5:15am Friday morning. I'd fallen asleep only five hours before, the twinge of excitement alive in my stomach making sleep fitful (also to blame: the nocturnally hungry cats). But the adrenaline pumped as my alarm went off and I showered, put on my pre-planned air travel outfit (slouchy dolman shirt, slouchy boyfriend jeans, a study in ultimate comfort) and threw my toothbrush in my backpack.

Arriving at the airport at 6:30am I busied myself near the gate with the iPads available to order breakfast at every seat around. Coffee, bagel STAT. An hour until boarding. Perused internet places, fell in love with some writers, felt even more motivated to write more. Mentally noted some places I could take my characters next time I sat down to write.

Boarding! Got to my window seat, opened my book, and promptly fell asleep. An hour and a half later I woke up and didn't understand why we were still on the tarmac at LaGuardia. WHAT IS HAPPENING?

And that's where everything devolved. We eased back to a different gate due to a mechanical issue with the air conditioning. And then we heard the problem could be solved! With a new part! That would take 4-5 hours to arrive from JFK airport. And so, at 10:30am my 8:30am flight was rescheduled for 5pm.

I was supposed to arrive in Minneapolis at 10:30am, pick up my rental car, and be reunited with husband, band, cool studio/house by noon on Friday. Instead, I did not arrive until well after 9pm. I spent my day at LaGuardia.

The moment that I cracked? I was waiting standby for the fourth Minneapolis flight of the day at 4pm, surrounded by the others from my stranded flight hoping to get on another, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was a co-worker who was sweating profusely.

-- Jessica! What are you doing here?
-- I've been here since 6:30am! What are YOU doing here?!
-- I am going to visit my friends in Minneapolis! I thought I was going to be late, I've been running through the airport. Oh, look my zone's boarding! I hope you get on this flight!

I stood there as she scurried to the gate agent. I watched her drag her carry-on behind her and walk right under the screen that had my name listed as #13 on stand-by priority. And then I started laughing. She'd been in the airport for maybe 20 minutes. And she was on her way to Minneapolis!

As I stood by the window to the new gate at 5pm, waiting for my original flight, I started laughing at the absurdity again. That's right: I was laughing to myself, by myself. When the plane pulled into the gate I was quite shocked. I raised my hands over my head, gleeful and unbelieving. IT'S HERE! I yelled. FULL OF GLEE.

Because many people from the original flight were lucky enough to fly stand-by earlier or get another flight or cancel altogether, I had a whole row to myself when my original flight finally took off at 6:30pm. YUP. I slept most of the way, and the adrenaline returned as I stepped off the plane into MINNESOTA. I nearly dropped to my knees and kissed the ground. But that's gross.

I picked out my rental car, plugged my iPhone into the car, entered the address for the house and I was on my way! It was actually quite a beautiful ride as I drove further into the rural countryside. And then, as it grew darker, I remembered my true feelings about rural countrysides: they are scary.

But I arrived soundly at house Pachyderm, a rental living space and music studio, where Nirvana most famously recorded In Utero. The Motion City men are recording their sixth album there. When I entered the house I was met with complete silence (it was empty since they were recording in the studio building). On first impression, the house looks like it was built in the '60s (it was), but not in the woods of Minnesota, more like the hills of California. Perhaps it was because I was just reading about the Manson murders and the death of the '60s, but I was like, this looks like a murder house. There's orange carpeting and floor to ceiling windows. It's so retro California and at night the windows are pitch black and anybody outside can look in without you noticing. These are the thoughts I have. I mean, serial killers live in the woods, right?

Reunited

Luckily Jesse met me and showed me the rest of the premises, but he had to get back to recording. He told me to relax, swim in that indoor pool if I wanted (it was very inviting after being in an airport all day!), and just chill out. So, I attempted to. The pool is poorly lit and the bottom of the pool is painted black, so pair that with the giant wall of black windows, I was little skittish. But the pool was warm! It was inviting! I got in and dipped under water. When I came back up I heard a BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! above me, like someone running through the kitchen. It ended up being Justin coming back to the house for something, but that was the moment the water grew cold and I started shivering and I tip-toed back to Jesse's room for a hot shower, locking every door behind me. 

Black bottom pool

The house is very beautiful, but, y'know, it's also feels like MURDER HOUSE at night. MIGHT JUST BE ME?!?!!?!

Saturday, my only complete day to be spent in my husband's presence, was a fun day filled with friends. Fellow MCS wives Lindsay and Jill joined, along with our best man Jason, and other new people. There was a lot of catching up and game-playing while the men wrote and recorded. We drank wine and listened to the progress of the recorded songs. I cannot wait to hear the finished versions of these songs. They have me amped. Lindsay and I are already planning dance moves at future shows. When the guys wrapped up for the evening we sat around the dining room table discussing all sorts of topics, but me, I mostly talked about serial killers.

Discussion about some keyboard parts

Takes three men to get this grill to work

Work work work

And on to another subject entirely. It must be noted that throughout this whole weekend, my best friend in the whole world was in labor. I was anxious with updates and I didn't want to go to bed until I'd heard a baby had been born. So around 2am I was able to breathe easy again and let me tell you, as the first of my close friends to have a baby, the photos of that baby made me weep with joy and dance around because he is beautiful and I am so happy for my friend. 

It was a sad Sunday morning, as only about 36 hours had passed, and I was packing up to leave again. Jesse and I made breakfast and sipped coffees looking at photos of our friend's new baby. Everyone else slowly joined the kitchen congregation and then it was time for me to say my goodbyes even though I'd just said hello. 

The drive to the airport quickly took my mind off any melancholy, however, because it began pouring a solid wall of water and my fear-filled weekend ended on a note of hydroplane anxiety. I made it fine however, because I am an excellent driver. 

I boarded the plane on time, it left on time, and it even arrived in New York on time. As I de-planed I noticed my co-worker that I'd seen on Friday had been on the same flight as myself, too. Oh, oh the coincidences--that we must not ignore, because that's the beauty of life, right?

Funny one because I like it

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Planned impromptu travel plans with the husband last night. It becomes a much more difficult task when you're thirty and have a job and a pet and friends who are nine months pregnant and plans already in your calendar for the time you're looking to escape town. But escape I will and I'm looking forward to the journey and the adventure to come in three days time. His photos have been drenched in a lush greenery and I imagine that while he will have to do some work I will use the solitary time to focus on some writing with that green decorating the edges of my focus, fueling the creativity. At least, I hope.

Scenes from winter.

The four of us entered the warm cafe last Saturday morning; our cheeks red with cold. We were all smiling and exclaiming in greeting despite the frigid air we just escaped. Our eyes focused on the birthday girl woman and slid down to her growing belly, trying to tell the difference from when the each of us saw her last (me, one week). She's the first of us, and we are learning. We noticed new, flattering glasses on one of us and discussed the raw wound of a new heartbreak and there were heated (but loving) disagreements on a novel we'd read. The birthday woman described some information about pregnancy none of us understand yet; she knows to disseminate the knowledge as we are all eagerly listening for that maybe, someday.

And I write like this now because we are 'we.' We are sisters, and we are all different, but most of the time, like that Saturday morning, we all move in unison and speak in that language that only we understand. We laugh at the jokes that are impossible to understand if overheard. We know to rely on each other when we need to, and we know happiness isn't a status but each other.

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"Your skin isn't dry?"

I wasn't sure what the manicurist was so confused about, which is why she probably continued: "For months, every single girl has dry skin because of winter. Why are your hands so soft?"

Apparently my new winter routine, which I enacted after noticing my scaly skin in Panama, has been somewhat successful. The Beauty Department posted a Dry Brushing 101 tutorial, and I was intrigued by the dry brushing concept and benefits, and the whole moisturizing with body oil before a shower (and after). So, to Amazon I went - buying a body brush and body oil. Surprisingly, body brushing doesn't hurt, but rather feels invigorating, especially in the morning. And the oil feels great, something I wasn't sure my texturally-hyper-aware and non-sticky sensibilities would like. My skin feels wonderful and I'll be sticking to this routine through to warmer weather.

That's the one winter beauty tip that I can pass along.

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Jesse arrived in Minneapolis last week on a day in which the high was 0 degrees. New York's had a few 'feels like 0' days, though. We've been sharing a lot of chapped kisses these days, but it's been nice to have him close on the cold nights. We don't usually watch a lot of television together, but we've snuggled close for True Detective and the BRILLIANT Broad City and now we're amidst The Returned (which is a French show that is not associated with that new U.S. show Resurrection, lest you heard wrong). I hope we'll be able to venture out more often (not that we've been exactly hibernating - can you truly hibernate in New York and stay sane?), but at least in a couple of weeks we'll be sunning ourselves at a wedding in warmer climates. I can't wait.

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Monet's "Snow Scene at Argenteuil"

On Friday I woke up grumpy. I could see the snow stacked up on the windowsills, I could hear the whistle of the cutting wind, and I could feel the cold chilling the apartment. The alert on my phone said: -10 degree wind chills. I could hear it! I could hear the cold.

I grumbled as I put on layer upon layer of clothes getting ready for work. My mood went into certain distress when I could not find the winter fleece socks for my weatherproof boots. After twenty minutes, I went with my weatherproof sneakers instead.

Then I stood on the subway platform for an hour and a half, saw one packed train come and leave the station without a single person getting on or off, felt my feet go numb, and decided to call it a day on that endeavor. At street level I scurried into the neighborhood grocery store and made sure to grab enough food for Jesse and I if we were to be esconced for the entire weekend because of the blizzard.

Working from home in a comfortable outfit, under the blankets on the couch, was dream-like. How perfect! I could get everything done right there, and the wind sounds faded into something more like music as I knew I wouldn't have to face them that day again. Serenity.

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I was not to stay indoors all weekend, thankfully.

On Saturday, an event I was looking forward to at the Frick: the Dutch Masters exhibition. I was in awe of the Vermeers and the Rembrandts; there were many paintings I had never seen in person that I had long ago learned about in art history. But perhaps I’m most enamored of paintings with fictional histories - I do love fiction and I read The Girl With a Pearl Earring over a decade ago, and just finished The Goldfinch. But these fictional accounts also were words upon words of appreciation for these paintings, so when I stood in front of them, it seemed like only then did I understand fully and completely their power and those words. There are swaths of pages near the end in The Goldfinch that are in tribute to the titular painting, and to the enduring legacy of art, to the communication inherent in a centuries-old painting. I was a bit breathless in the throng as I stared at the little bird; maybe my eyes welled up a bit.

I think my love for Donna Tartt's novel The Goldfinch is swelling in retrospect. I gave it 4.5 stars but now I can't imagine what I docked it for. I think now it's a 5-star book... maybe it's one of my favorite books? It's certainly one that stays on the mind, and after seeing the painting, with the atmosphere Tartt so wondrously puts to page in mind, I'm already looking forward to rereading it one day.

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Afterwards, my museum companion Erica and I went to dinner, both carrying prints of Carel Fabritius' "The Goldfinch" and discussing our other favorite piece in the permanent collection, Jean-Antoine Houdon's sculpture "The Dead Thrush." I don't like birds much in real life, but am apparently attracted to them in art. I retreated home to an empty apartment (except for the cats, of course) and in my fervor of needing more ART decided to watch two long-time must-see Criterion edition films, The Double Life of Veronique and Paris, Texas. Definitely good, definitely ART -- my need to devour such satisfied.

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On Sunday I met Amy for brunch in Williamsburg and we lamented how we'd each only been to Paris once but loved it so much and as we looked around the cafe (it has a French name) we tried imagining we were actually in Paris. But -- not even close. One day, again!

I returned home for football playoff games with Jesse. It's always fun to watch games with him, even with the Patriots aren't playing. At one point we were talking about the best films of the year and I was having trouble picking my favorite (I've been mulling it for far too long) and then he said that he still hadn't seen one of my finalists and maybe we should watch it. I never say no when Jesse wants to watch a movie! (I, obviously, am always ready to watch a movie.) So we popped it in and it solidified: this was definitely my favorite movie of 2013. More on that when I divulge my list this week...

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Yesterday Jesse and I sat on the tarmac at O'Hare for two hours and occasionally stared out the window into the infinite whiteness of the snowstorm that delayed us. I wondered every now and then how exactly this plane might take flight with such low visibility but ultimately I disregarded any worry and turned back to my book.

In the past, The New Year was a concept that made me anxious. Here comes another year: what have I really accomplished? What am I going to do this year? But this new year's different; I am simply going to let go of measuring myself against... well, whatever arbitrary standard I would decide to affix (it always changed). Because calendar dates themselves are more or less arbitrary, age less so, but I'm happy - and isn't that the point everybody's striving for anyway? I'm working at letting go of pressures, because I'd rather plan and continue in this (happy) life at my own pace, with my loved ones, and without expectations that just lead to disappointment.

I do still think it's important to reflect, take stock, understand, and learn. But I'm doing that every day, and on New Year's Eve as I danced around with four other women who know exactly what it's like to be in the kind of marriage I'm in, as I watched that husband of mine do what he loves, I felt all the joys of being in the moment. I talked to my parents at (their) midnight, I texted with my brother and my future sister-in-law and best friends, and I kissed my husband as the clock struck.

There will always be upsetting things and I will make mistakes and I will disappoint others, but I'll still enjoy navigating this life with those around me. There's too much pain out there and I feel so little of it by comparison, that all I can do is be grateful. These thoughts were fueled partly by some fiction and non-fiction I've read recently, by the full outpouring of love felt in the presence of family last week, and just by the mountain of self-reflection that always appears on that end of year date.

Last night we landed an hour later than scheduled, but made it home smoothly and without incident. There really was nothing to fear rising up into the blinding whiteness; only home to look forward to.

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As 2013 comes to a close, I am just thankful and grateful to all the family and friends that populate my surroundings everyday. I'm sitting in a hotel room in Chicago right now with Jesse while he practices for tonight's show, and last week was a wonderful few days spent with my family. These are the important things, and I just feel lucky and beyond fortunate. Here's to the next great year!

And to writing more - thanks for reading my sporadic posts. I'm working on my best of 2013 posts, too. Sometimes I feel a bit boring, but I always like writing.

Happy New Year!

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Oof. It's already been a trying day. It's always a trying day when you have 10am appointment to fill a cavity! Half my face is still numb; even one of my nostrils, which hasn't happened before. By the way, I get a lot of cavities. Whenever I look in a mirror with this numbing I expect to see half of my face slack, just a little melted-looking like my nerves are taking a rest. Thankfully I look normal, but I keep thinking people are staring at my drooping lip...which is not drooping.

Hey, people, what are you looking at?

Okay, does novacaine affect the brain?

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LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT THAT PATRIOTS GAME LAST NIGHT.

Except that I was super excited (by myself on the couch) when I heard Motion City Soundtrack's "Inside Out" play during an outro from the game! Hurrah ESPN! Way to go! Woo!!! I said to myself, last night.

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You'll be happy to know I found my sweater! It was shoved in the back of a sweater drawer that was being used for--you guessed it--Jesse's stuff. All of his wonderful glasses and lenses and cases. I think he was trying to hide it from me. I shall wear my man-repellent sweater and care not! MARRIED, DEAL WITH IT.

By the way, Jesse, if you're reading this all the way out there in California, I'm wearing a new dolman sweater today that you've yet to see! Mwahahahaha!

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Obviously that is the only way I can address Jesse at this point in time since I am going crazy (not novacaine related, hopefully) missing him. Last week he played a show in New Mexico and sent me photos from Breaking Bad filming locations! And so now I share them here with you because sometimes all I do is look at pictures of the mister:

At Walt's car wash

 

Better call Saul

In front of Walter White's house; I'm thinking of the pizza

He grabbed some coffee at Tuco's lair

So if you're ever in Albuquerque (which I hope never to spell again), the fictional meth-laden locales are there for you to enjoy!

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Tonight my friend Zan is visiting from Ohio and I'm so excited to catch-up! We used to do a happy hour every once in a while when we worked blocks from each other, and we'll be heading back to our haunt after work, even though now she lives miles away. Yay!

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Last night I was supposed to record a podcast with my friend Adam, but that was re-scheduled so all I was left to do was read S, talk to my husband, and have Jiscilla over for the high-minded intellectual viewing of America's Next Top Model (2.0).

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First, let's talk about that husband that I miss something fierce. Before he left, we were watching The League one night and he noticed that Andre (Paul Scheer's character) had a dice box just like the one he owned! And if you watch that show, you know you want to own anything that Andre owns!* Anyway, I just found this picture in my phone after talking to him last night... we paused the show so he could his best Andre WITH prop:  

And here is Jesse entertaining me last night all the way from Austin, TX. In the second screenshot, the internet had cut out on the bus so that's what was on my screen for a good three minutes. What a jokester.

*No, you don't.

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I'm off to guest-talk about Friday Night Lights for Adam's Nerd Geek Dork podcast! It's a fun 'cast, and I'll tell you how it goes! I will, no doubt, be embarrassing. So much so, that I may not even link the episode when it goes live, so you should probably follow NGD in order to stay on top of Jessica's (Likely) Embarrassing Moment.

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So this month I am going to post every day. Get ready for a lot of mundane posts, everyone! An exercise in daily life observations, let's say.

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And how to start writing on November 1st? By discussing the 31st. Or in my case, the 26th.

Last Saturday, Jiscilla and Lea hosted a Halloween party in Brooklyn! You may or may not recognize me as Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice. I was even carrying around a camera around my neck, but, y'know, that's what was taking all these photos...

The lovely hostesses! 

I ended up coming in 3rd place for my costume! And as you can see, there was a lot of competition! I mean, almost all of the Rockford Peaches were there!

Jesse was the creepy guy in the mask that all video game players ("gamers") know, but he was still scary nonetheless. Perhaps more scary for not knowing what character he was playing...

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Last night on actual Halloween I walked home from work as the little costumed children scurried around Madison Ave.* And then I esconced myself in my apartment with the cats and watched Scandal.

*WHERE DO THEY THINK THE CANDY IS? BARNEY'S? (Actually...maybe?)

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Work has been especially busy lately, but today is Friday: my favorite day of the week. I came home to the cats, cooked some steak, and sat down to catch up on my progr'ms. It's quiet around here without Jesse greeting me.

I've got some packing to do tonight, though. Tomorrow I'm heading to a wedding in Carlisle, Pennsylvania -- a place I spent a formative year of my life. I moved to Carlisle in 2000 with my family to spend my senior year of high school. It was a short but profound year of my life, and I'm not exaggerating. I met my best friend and maid of honor that year! And tomorrow we're heading back for her mother's wedding. 

I expect a lot of fun! And a good distraction from Jesse being a few timezones away.

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Of course I've had a draft of a post waiting to be completed since the weekend. But I'll just scrap it all now and start with the most important piece: THE RED SOX WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!

Friends Jim, Sam, Sean, Jenny and Dylan joined Jesse and myself for Game 6. As baseball and especially Red Sox fans are wont to do, we were very superstitious. "You have an empty beer, they got a hit the last time you had a full beer, get a beer!" "They dropped that ball because you went to the bathroom before, you better wait 'til commercial!"

Normal!

In the end, victory was sweet and we were all jumping around screaming. My parents Facetime'd in and we could see we were not the only ones celebrating! My mom, dad and his playoff beard were too:

On the call, as my parents waved around their celebratory champagne, I remembered that I had bought some champagne for the same purpose! Plus, pomegranate juice to make that RED! Here's Jesse making them for us:

Here is us still being excited, you're welcome:

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I shall save my Halloween costume posting for tomorrow... since I have a promise to myself to write here every day of November, might as well stretch out the good stuff.

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If you need something scary because it's Halloween, remember I used to live in a haunted house.

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Jesse left today for a tour that will keep him away until Thanksgiving. I'm glad our last night for a while was so fun! It would have sucked if the Red Sox lost and we didn't get to watch Game 7 in the same room. He was only home for 10 days, but the fall classic was a good background to all the time we spent together.  When he walked me to the subway at 7am this morning (our little ritual on his last mornings home), we said goodbye on a high note. Still riding that adrenaline from the win!

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A hasty photograph before getting ready. Sorry for my hair and general face area.

Today is Friday, but yesterday was my Friday - do you see? In a few hours Jesse and I will be getting into our rental car with Adam and some other guy (a groomsman I've yet to meet) for Sam and Jim's wedding this weekend. Jesse's a groomsman and Adam is the officiant. I finally get to go to a wedding I'm not IN! Yay! 

Plus it's in Connecticut at a castle! Castles are cool. I'll most likely be posting to Tumblr because that's what I do when I travel.

As I sit here writing I realize I still have to figure out what I'm wearing to the rehearsal dinner tonight. I'm letting Jesse sleep for now before rummaging in my closet.

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Birthday surprises abound all week! My best friend Rick and his lovely girlfriend Sarah had a box of Sprinkles cupcakes delivered to me at work yesterday. I gleefully devoured a couple and shared them throughout the rest of the evening. There's still a couple left...

Breakfast?

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I shared the cupcakes with Erica and Jaime after work at our favorite nail salon while we got our toes and fingers gussied up for the wedding. Another birthday surprise: Jaime wanted to gift me the experience and said I should pick out something fancy. So I picked Chanel's Peridot to go with my cobalt blue dress so I'm hoping to go for 'mermaid chic' this weekend. Is it gold? Is it green? It all depends. (Yes, above it's decidedly gold.)

I realize only nail polish superfans will understand this, and I'm okay with that.

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Last night I also watched Project Runway without Jesse! Sadly he was in the far reaches of Long Island with the rest of the MCS guys doing pre-pro and he walked in right at the final elimination.

I was totally shocked by that last elimination. I mean, it was a terrible dress but I thought she'd make it to NYFW.

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Okay time to wake him up and as my dad likes to say, "let's get this show on the road!"

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First and foremost, Motion City Soundtrack released a killer single this week called "Inside Out." I highly recommend that you listen to it and buy it. And by all means see it live because it will make you shiver with delight. Weird? I DON'T THINK SO.

P.S. The cover art is rad too!

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My new year's eve plans are SET.

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Pinterest helped me pick out my latest iPhone case. I pinned several while shopping and one of them garnered close to 100 repins, the one I'm now holding that photo above. It felt like a sign, and kind of like a vote. Now that I have a sweet case and I upgraded to iOS7, I feel like I have a brand new phone. This feeling will likely last until the new iPhones begin appearing...tomorrow.

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I think GIFs are the only thing getting me through Fantasy Football this year. I'm losing terribly and it's my singular solace. So far I've been posting a lot of cats and Seinfeld GIFs on the message boards. They are mostly sad reaction GIFs.

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I get listless sometimes without a word from you. And then 4:30 rolls around and my inbox goes from " " to (1) and for some reason 27 words are all I need to brighten up again. My productivity skyrockets.

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Last night I came home and made coconut chicken curry from scratch. It came out a bit bland, but I am going to rev up the spices next time! I suppose I write these things down here for posterity's sake. I have a serious aversion to non-professional photos of food, so you will not see any photos of my cooking projects. All I have for you are words, reader!

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Last night Jesse, myself, and a few friends went 'round to a new bar in the neighborhood. It's selling point was really the fact that it had prosecco on tap. This is the second bar this week I've seen that boasts this feature, and if this is a new trend, consider me ON BOARD.

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I think tonight I'm going on a movie date with myself, one of my favorite activities.

1193

As you all know, I've been cooking more. Mainly in the interest of not eating processed or pre-packaged foods. I felt really accomplished last night because I made a lemon-walnut pesto, mozerella-stuffed meatballs, and zucchini fries. This is me tooting my own horn because I was all by myself at the time and just did a dance in the kitchen. The invisible hula-hoop dance, of course.

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Jesse arrived late from Chicago last night and had some of the cold (phenomenal) dinner, and then we watched Breaking Bad's latest episode. His first time, my second. What a heartbreaker. What an emotional wollop. What a show that in my eyes started out somewhat mediocre but became a brilliant bohemeth. Is the opposite trajectory happening to Mad Men? It certainly happened to Lost.

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The cold is creeping in. I love autumn, so I was extra-excited this morning to wear my suede Pour la Victoire oxfords. Not that I haven't been freezing all summer in my office's air conditioning. Jesse and I noticed we were both wearing navy shoes on the way back from happy hour this evening, too.

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I've been off my movie-going game. Good thing all the good stuff comes out in the fall, and I'm revving up. I still have to see Blue Jasmine, The Spectacular Now, In a World, and most importantly at the moment, Short Term 12. We'll see when I plan to fit this all in. It may start tonight with one of the above as I head home from work to meet up with Jesse in Brooklyn....

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I'm home now and I can tell you that we decided not to see a movie. After a nice early evening out with friends, we parked it on the couch. I didn't really like Brooklyn 99, but it's a pilot so I should give it more time. I still love The Mindy Project so much. Always. Forever.

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Yesterday I participated in an excercise called 10on10 on Tumblr, in which you post 10 random photos throughout your day - the 10th day of the month. It's a fun little documentation effort, and it's interesting to go back to other 10ths of past years. I saw that I've only participated four times before, and my first one was also a September 10th. I think it's one of those dates that I remember because I always know what date it leads to -- today.

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Last night was a great, inventive double date night! My mister gets all the credit for coming up with the idea: men cook, women relax. So simple, so brilliant! Kelly and I were able to rest, drink wine, hang out with Riggins the dog, and only ever so often yell answers to kitchen questions. We even installed some technology, and as we plugged in USBs and HDMIs we felt like this was the best traditional role reversal night ever.

The men were beyond successful: dinner was delicious. It was four-star, decadent, and fulfilling.

'By golly, boys, you might be better cooks than us. Geez Louise, you may have to do this more often!'

And the pride on their faces shined all night.

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P.S. My dessert was a hit, too!

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I'm nearly done with Junot Díaz's This is How You Lose Her and it's just wonderful and different. It makes me think in Spanish more and now I know I have to check out The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I have a few other books recommended and checked out of my friends' libraries. But, I'm always open to suggestions. Read anything good lately?

Art by Ekaterina Panikanova

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Below, a digest of my weekend.

The husband delighted me with tickets to the Red Sox/Yankees game on Friday. We rejoiced through most of the game and became friends with the only Sox fans sitting nearby--a man wearing a Nomar Garciaparra shirt and his young Sox-jersey clad son. We watched the father lean over to explain certain plays to the boy, and the boy learning to high-five with his baseball glove on.

It's the second time I was able to witness a Red Sox grand slam live - a most welcome sight at Yankees Stadium.

And now a comparison: this is a photo of me when we first arrived at the ballpark, excited to be at a game. Then there is a photo of Jesse and I (taken by the Garciaparra fan) after the game. When I'm over-excited, my smile shrinks my eyes to oblivion. Or perhaps it was all the beer?

When we arrived back in Brooklyn flush with pride (and beer) for our team, not even subway-replacing hellish shuttle buses could deplete our energy. We decided to walk home through the streets of Brooklyn. This photo encapsulates how great the scenic route on a Friday night in Brooklyn can be:

Saturday I traversed Brooklyn in the shuttles to meet up with friends, and because it was a terrible experience, I'd rather not even think about it again nor discuss it here.

But my friends are another story. I laughed so much throughout the day, usually with a glass of wine in hand. At one point we gathered at my friend Amber's lovely home and discussed new jobs and tree snakes and eyebrow shaping.

These two recently began new positions and they were comparing their respective acclimations here:

Then we went to a bar, and the ensuing fun and BFF'ing can be summarized in the quietest moment of the night:

I crawled into bed with a smile, fielded a call from a girlfriend with a boy problem, handed off sage advice I hope, and texted Jesse goodnight since he was still out with all my girls' better halves. This strategy works well; when we tell the guys we're having a ladies night, suddenly a dudes night is scheduled.

Today was an (at first) exciting day of football. However, my fantasy teams both languished and the Patriots were not looking too good. In other news, I re-shaped my eyebrows, or, rather attempted to re-shape my eyebrows and let's all hope for the best.

This week I hope for good news on all angles and a quieter week at work.

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In a Vans store earlier this year.

Tomorrow I fly off to the Vans Warped Tour for four days. I've only ever gone to Warped on day visits to Jesse, so this should be interesting. My brain is telling me to keep a little 'tour diary' via my Tumblr, so keep checking on that if you'd like -- but I make no promises given the lack of internet and cell signal Jesse seems to have every day. I think I'll be doing a lot of people watching, reading, and tetris. So, it might be an incredibly boring 'tour diary.' At least I know I'm going to be seeing Motion City's rad live show every day.

I'm hitting up Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis in that time. I'm quite excited to get to spend time with Jesse, and luckily Warped has a day off on Monday so we'll be able to relax outside of 'camp' for a day! PLUS I get to see fellow MCS Wife / (Warped Wife?) Lindsay! I haven't seen that sweet lady since her wedding last year.

Now it's time to pack my backpack, dry shampoo, and shorts (in every color).

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Here are the makings of a great weekend. Told three days after the fact, given recovery time necessary.

First, get your adrenaline going and then get your brain going while moving fast on a train. I left work on Friday 15 minutes before my Connecticut-bound train would be departing Grand Central; luckily there was no ticket line and I rushed onto the train with a nice healthy sheen of sweat. Once settled, I was able to look over five scripts a friend had sent me for critique (and ultimately editing). I love giving my input on this sort of project. I wrote notes all over each version and then compiled an e-mail to the writer/director via iPhone that I was proud to press 'send' on because no matter what direction he chooses I think the final product will be enthralling. I've enjoyed an amateur capacity as an editor and feedback-giver (that is a term I just made up right now, remember I said amateur) for a few friends lately.

Second, continue your journey with good conversation, an impromptu stop and meeting, and surround yourself with great family for dinner. My dad was awaiting me in Connecticut and we began our journey to Massachusetts by recounting each of our experiences with Cloud Atlas, movie and book now that we've both taken in each of them. We stopped along the way at a grocery store to pick up something I needed to make for the next day (still cooking, guys!). While I was perusing, my dad ran into my mom in another section! My mom was just about to leave to meet us at the designated restaurant, with her visiting BFF in tow. We all headed to the restaurant to meet up with my brother and his newly appointed fiance! It was a fun meal, as always with the family. We spent the time catching up, especially on all the impending wedding details!

Third, arrive home only to be surprised by more exciting news. When we got back to the house, my brother's fiance, Katie, disappeared. After putting down my purse, she reappeared with a card and a wine bottle and said "I have something I want to ask you, I'm so excited!" Then I realized that the bottle of red she was waving around had my name on it! And asked me to be a bridesmaid! Next year! AHHHH! It was such a fun moment, we started dancing around in the kitchen after I said yes and I kind of felt like I had just been proposed to again. Obviously, I spent the rest of the evening introducing her to Pinterest. I felt it was my duty.

Fourth, prepare for your mother's preparation and let the party ensue! My mom is a master party planner, and I've been her faithful servant for years. Sometimes I had attitude growing up, but it's a testament that she can direct a few people into creating spectacular parties. On Saturday afternoon their house hosted Travis and Katie's engagement party, so on Saturday morning, we got to work. People started arriving an hour early! It was incredible, having hosted my own parties in New York in which people don't show up until at least two hours after the alloted 'start time' on the invite. We continued rushing around while conversing and catching up with the guests - no more so than my mother who was doing a million things at once. It all came together soon enough, though, and the sangria was flowing and the steaks were cooking on the BBQ. Everybody was congratulating the newly-engaged couple and their friends were arriving in droves. There were lawn games, cake-cutting ceremonies starring my father's sword, delicious meats, and hilarity.

Fifth, end the party traditionally. Parties at my parent's house tend to devolve into the 'young people' playing party games in the basement. And this was no different; perhaps it was the most epic of them all. I joined my brother and his friends for a couple hours of flip cup. You know, the best college drinking game ever. I played my Bachelorette Playlist from weeks ago since it had a party vibe, and you wouldn't believe the amount of men who sang every word of Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman." My mother even joined our flip cup game at one point (it's happened before) and around two a.m. we had slowed down immensely. Some couples retreated to their tents in the backyard, and I talked to Jesse on the phone - when I noticed someone puking next to me. They shall remain nameless but Jesse heard my whole, "Wait--what is he doing? What? Oh man...I gotta get out of here." Priceless. And it wasn't the first time one of these parties ended in that way.

Sixth, rest up for a farewell and drop-off at summer camp Warped Tour. My brother was a little worse for wear in the morning, but we all agreed it was a great party. I had to bid adieu to my bro and my future sister-in-law after a creepy conversation about lethal spiders, and I can't wait for the next time we get to hang out. My dad, mom, mom's BFF, and I headed down to Hartford to drop me off at the Warped Tour so I could hang out with Jesse for the day. It was a bummer to say bye to the spectacular family, but I was glad to be sitting next to Jesse. Even if it was in a tiny front lounge of a tour bus.

Jesse 'working.'

Seventh, let the fact that you are hanging out with your husband and good friends overshadow the searing heat and gravel dust in your atmosphere. My best friend Rick, who lives in Las Vegas, happened to be in Connecticut this weekend and he was able to join the Warped experience with friends Jared and Karyn. We rocked out to Motion City Soundtrack's set and then (due to their car) were able to grab dinner with our friends Tyler and Pete from A Great Big Pile of Leaves. Being on tour doesn't necessarily mean party party party when those dudes aren't on stage. In fact, most of the time was spent playing Tetris in the front lounge or sitting in plastic chairs in front of the bus. I had to say goodbye to Jesse after dinner, grabbing a ride home with Tyler back to Brooklyn. It was a fantastic few hours with my husband, we really enjoyed our time together and with friends and I had a smile on my face the whole time. I left not too sad, either, because I'm flying out to see him on Friday for a whole weekend on the Warped Tour.

Just fangirling my husband, don't worry about it.

RICK: BFFs since we lived across the hall from each other freshman year! We've taken this photo many times.

Eighth, make sure to get one last photo of Tyler as he drops you off at 1:30 in the morning: