Topsy-Turvy

Does it seem like I haven't been blogging as regularly?
Am I not home when you call?
 Has it been a while since you've seen me?
It's because it is SUMMER PROGRAMMING and the Nikiverse is topsy-turvey.
Since we do libraries in the summer and they want shows when families can attend, there are way more night and weekend shows.
How many more? you say.
 I just did a schedule where i am on 4 night shows in a row!
  Of course, I am understaffed, so some of these shows I have to do myself (though shout out to Stacey for sending her staff with me whenever she possibly can and to Erin for coming with me next week). This means that my normally hectic and chaotic schedule (if you could call it a schedule) is even MORE all-over-the-place then normal.
This makes for interesting sleeping and eating patterns.
 It also means I have made some interesting discoveries.
Recently I found a public park in Catonsville that i never knew existed. Mind you, i drive by the sign several times EVERY DAY. I knew the Senior Center and the ballfields were there, but apparently there is also a picnic area, a playground and a nature walk. Yesterday I was driving home from the gym when i decided to take a quick nature walk, just to see the condition of the trail. It is pretty nice, with multiple loops; some of it is cleared, some is packed, some is even paved. Nothing is marked, however, and i had a really fun time seeing how many blind turns i could make and still find my way out. I don't live in a particularly urban part of town, but it certainly isn't the country either. It was nice to find some forest to explore less than 2 miles from my house. I saw 2 big birds of prey (Jonah - larger than a peregrine, but slightly smaller than a red-tail; dark brown face and wings with a mottled tail) sitting on a branch together - i couldn't tell if they were about to rip each other's faces off, or if they were in love. There were these incredible damselflies (2 words you don't normally put together) who had bright iridescent green bodies and onyx-y black wings. I didn't have my camera (cause even I am not dedicated enough to take my camera to the gym), but will definitely be going back.
It is a crazy time right now, but it is nice that the craziness is making me look at things from a different perspective and discover treasures that have been right under my nose all along.

I know what I want for Christmas

On Friday night, as part of our summer celebration/fundraising weekend we showed Back to the Future on a huge, inflatable outdoor screen right outside the doors of the museum, on the Inner Harbor. I have GOT to get me one of these things. I could turn my backyard into my own private drive-in. Of course, i'd need the extra strong projector and the sound system, but i figure if every single person i have ever known chipped in together... (somebody get on that ) You may or may not know that Back to the Future is Ron's favoritest movie, ever. So he came down and met me for the screening (and he brought a date who seemed very nice as far as i could tell since she was recovering from strep throat and didn't say much). It was so much fun to sit out in the middle of the city and watch this great movie from my youth. (speaking of youth, was Michael J. Fox about 12 when he did that movie - wow does he look young) It has been several years since i have seen it and i had to laugh at the fact that i still remembered most of the key lines and exactly when they happened. A good time was had by all and now i know what to put on my wish list for Santa.

mmmmmmmm... pie

As i was putting my lunch in the fridge at work today i saw a lovely key lime pie on the top shelf and thought, What a lovely key lime pie; i wonder who it belongs to and where they bought it. A little later, in the Happy TSP Corner, team member Lauren announced "I made a Key Lime Pie last night." Oh yeah, she made it and it belonged to us. Score! Nothing like unexpected pie, i say!

That reminds me of Kate C. and how she like limes, especially in adult beverages -

Happy Birthday, Kate!

Solstice

Happy Longest-Day-of-the-Year-in-the-Northern-Hemisphere, everybody. I love sunshine! On beautiful, clear days like today I can really see how various ancient cultures worshipped the sun. I hope you had a chance to spend some time outside making lots of Vitamin D (while avoiding skin cancer of course) and if you haven't gone outside yet, there is still plenty of sunlight left : GO!

Spontaneous

Sometimes being spontaneous blows up in your face, but sometimes it works to your advantage. Matt (who lives in California and had been roadtripping in parts unknown) called on Saturday asking if i was available 10-6 cause he was in town for the day. Unfortunately, I had to do a library show in the afternoon so i couldn't spend the day with him. But he also needed a ride to the airport that evening for a standby redeye he hadn't technically booked yet. So we planned for me to pick him up after work. It wasn't exactly a high energy adventure, but it was lovely to see him, especially since i had thought i wouldn't see him until August. Despite the tight schedule (north from Baltimore to get him from his parent's house outside Bel Air then south past Baltimore and DC to Arlington, VA) I had him to Regan National in VA an hour early so we went to dinner. As i'm leaving the airport (which i have never driven to before because we normally fly out of BWI) I see signs for I-66 and realized Colleen had to live close. I called and her plans for the evening had been waylaid so i went over to visit. We're watching Codename: Kids Next Door and sipping Cactus Juice (which was disgusting by the way; avoid it) when she suggests calling Matt to make sure he had gotten a seat on the flight and wasn't spending the night in the airport. Turns out he did get a seat, but then volunteered to give it up for a free roundtrip ticket. I went to get him and he hung out with us until 5am when i took him back to the airport. So i thought my Saturday was going to be work, gym and home, but instead i got to spend the night with good friends including one who shouldn't even have been in this time zone. I think we could all use a bit more spontaneity!

Amelia

Yesterday was the first day of summer programming for us. I normally don't talk about the actual locations of shows, but i got to go to my favorite library, Amelia Givens. This place is always ready for us, has GREAT children's librarians and always has a really good audience. Shows there are a delight. Plus, the library itself is beautiful. The last line of the directions on our paperwork was "library is on the right; looks like a castle." Really. You might think it was someone's lovely old home that was repurposed into the library, but no. Amelia Given -apparently a real lady with a lot of money- thought her cozy little PA town needed a library and had this one built. Shaped like a castle. The side turret is the fiction room with hanging lights and comfy chairs for reading and tables with lamps for studying: To the right of this picture is a balcony with an ironwork staircase leading up to it. The whole place is decorated with turned woodwork: Rob has 4 other pictures (reading room, turned wood, amelia's place and midnight) here. It is the kind of library that makes you LOVE books and if you already love them, it feels like a slice of heaven on Earth. It was a good way to start the season.

Happy Flag Day

I am all for patriotism, but WOW! Happy Flag Day!

RIP, Mr Wizard

Goodbye to a 90-year old pioneer of informal education. Though i was personally never a big fan of his TV show, Don Herbert changed the face of science education forever. I might not have a job now if it weren't for him. So thanks, Mr Wizard. Let's all blow something up in his honor. http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/12/obit.mr.wizard.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Roy G Biv Challenge

Some of the amazingly talented women i crop with have a blog called Scrap A Latte. They started it a few weeks ago and i wanted to give them a chance to get some content before i talked about it. They are posting pictures they've taken, projects they've completed and they are giving each other (and ostensibly anyone reading) various challenges. The Roy G Biv challenge is the first one i have had a chance to do, given crazy schedules. We are supposed to take a picture for each color in the rainbow. I was so excited when i read about this challenge this morning i immediately went out to do it. So here are my pics of the rainbow while running errands: red - i had to stop at work to turn in my timesheet and this prayer flag hangs over the desk across from me orange - my favorite wildflower is the tiger lily; though technically these are orange day lillies they are a nice orange and are growing next to the sidewalk on my walk home from the library yellow - the newspaper bag always surprises me with its yellowness in the grass, especially since no one in the house pays for the paper and we aren't sure why it keeps being delivered green - going to turn in my timesheet at the Acting Director of Education's desk and HELLO green CD! blue - i was despairing for a clear, lovely blue when, DUH, i looked up indigo - not a color you see a lot, Lydia's car is the closest dark bluey/purple thing i saw violet - my favorite hue and my favorite skirt, which i am conveniently wearing right now

Congralations, Rickki!

YIPPEE! My cousin and best friend, Rickki, has been trying and trying and trying to open a Scrapbooking Retreat Center in the Amish country of Ohio for a long time. Her bid on a house got accepted this week and the Grand Opening for Memory Lane Lodge is set for July 20th! It is only a month and a half away, but i KNOW she can do it. I am sooooooo proud of her for doggedly pursuing her dream. Please take a moment and wish her luck. Thanks!

Plan X

At one point yesterday afternoon i was done with my current life. Stacey and I were discussing staffing issues and i was done : not angry, sad, frustrated or having a bad day, just done with what i am doing right now and ready to move on. I decided that if i am living Plan A (which is what you call the life you are currently living even though we all know this is no where CLOSE to my actual Plan A), then Plan B is to become a cross-country locomotive conductor with CSX. I could get a lot of new states, meet new and interesting people (and not just hobos, Erin) and learn whole new skill sets. The website is very informative -did you know that there are special college classes you take to be a train conductor? - but not very forthcoming about salary. And i do really like being around people. Equally appealing is Plan C : to get married, move to the country and have 6 kids. Okay, given my advancing age i might have to adopt some of those kids, but i am still viable for a few. Of course, there is the issue of not having any candidates for the first part of the plan. Apparently, according to some, i am picky about men. No, no, i say, i am actually picky about everything and quite frankly i prefer the term “exacting” to “picky” anyway. I just don't believe in settling. So if you know anybody who is smarter than me, funny, well-read and adventurous while having the same faith in God and inflated sense of honor as me and who is ambitious and driven, but emotionally available and sexually compatible to me and is not too horribly disfigured, please send him my way. Oh, and did i mention NOT already married to someone else, please. Jason and Kate were over for ice cream last night (mmmmm... party leftovers) and we discussed this. It isn't that i am unhappy with where i am in my life – i LOVE my job and am healthier and happier than i have been in... well, maybe ever. I just don't have any new goals right now. Matt and I were talking about goals a few nights ago and it really hit me today that i have no big goals laid out in front of me. I have been living a life of survival for a long, long time and i don't want to just survive anymore. So i posed the question to Kate and Jason “what do you think i should do next?” Jason put forth that it would have to be high-energy, utilize my organizational strengths and creativity. He started at party planner, went to event planner, then cruise director (Colleen has called me the “Cruise Director of Our Destiny”) and finally settled on special events director at a smallish, liberal arts college. Not bad. It certainly holds some interest for me. After some sleep and a bit more reflection I think there is a possibility that i might just REALLY need a vacation, but it is interesting to think about, so, dear friends, what do YOU think should be the next Plan in the Nikiverse?

shameless plug

Rob bought his awesome balloon bag (or the haversack - as i like to call it - which he has customized himself with pockets and zippers and a pair of scissors attached) to my house on Monday and late in the afternoon we started with requests. I had been working on my request for a few hours. I don't try to stump him, but rather give him something i'm sure he hasn't made before, just to see what he comes up with on the spot. It really is amazing and kinda mesmerizing to watch. I requested an ostrich and boy did i get an ostrich. Just as Rob finished him, he pulled a camera out of his pocket (Rob, people, not the ostrich – ostriches don't have pockets; try to stay with me, okay?) prompting the comment “he really is always prepared.” (see, Rob's an Eagle Scout and carries everything in his pockets – nevermind, it really was funny if you know him) Ossie quickly became Lord of the Stereo and even tried to take the camera away from me (i am also always prepared) Sara requested a whale and got a cutie-patootie cartoon whale with water spout: Lauren requested high-heels to go with the bitchin' black and white polka-dotted halter dress she was sporting, causing Rob to declare that it is really hard to render anything sleek and pointy in the medium of balloon: Annie got a giant pink rose, but resisted having her picture taken. Here is the shameless plug portion of the blog: Rob started a few months ago to take balloon commissions and to do centerpieces and things for parties. He is really good – you should check out the superheros and characters from Cars. And he is still new enough to the business side of things that his prices are really reasonable. For those of you in the Baltimore-Washington Metroplex who might be hosting parties, birthday gatherings, Fourth of July celebrations, wedding or baby showers, bar or bat mitzvahs, etc, consider something totally different (that none of your friends have done yet) in the way of decorations and/or favors : GO BALLOON ART! Support a cool, local artist and friend, reachable through his website or i have his business cards.

Where has Niki been?

If you've been wondering where i've been, the answer is that i have been busy – very, very busy. The end of programming year on Friday meant that i finally had a little time to catch up on stuff i've been setting to the side. Firstly the apartment needed cleaning. I was going to have the team over for lunch on Monday as a act of appreciation and as a farewell for Thom. Some of them had never seen the apartment, so it had to be spotless. Saturday i did what i do when i am under the gun to accomplish something i don't really want to do – find ANYTHING else to do. After the gym, I spent the day doing two more words for my front wall in the living room : wonder and share. The picture for “wonder” is of tulips and daffodils covered in snow after a freak snowstorm in April as few years ago. I love that picture and wanted to capture the yellow of the daffodils. I really like how it came out, especially the vintage beads, but think the tone on tone letters might be a bit too much up on the wall. Surrounded by complete mess and with only a day and a half to go i thought after finishing “wonder” that i really should get to cleaning, so i started another canvas. The picture is of Rickki and me at Scrap Camp dressed alike in a country/western theme. We have bright magenta neck scarves so that was the color i wanted to pull out, but i struggled with what word to use as the focus. How do i capture the emotion i have for my oldest and closest friend – a woman that i used to be able to convince people was my fraternal twin (we were in the same grade and had the same last name)? How do i capture what going to Scrap Camp -3 days to be together without any family obligations or responsibilities - meant to the 2 of us? Finally i decided on “share” cause we have shared so much of each other's lives. I am really happy with both quotes i used and the overall layout, but now wonder if maybe i should have painted an antique white border around the picture to make it pop. After finishing and hanging both pieces, which of course involved hanging some unfinished pieces as well to work on spacing, i cleaned up a little and decided that i needed to update my book log and commonplace book. Yeah, cause that was pressing. Which somehow led to unpacking a random box and then another. Eventually i had created even MORE mess that i had cleaned up, so i went to bed. Sunday was spent doing some laundry and seriously cleaning. I'm not just talking about picking up a few things, but rearranging bookshelves, unpacking boxes and scrubbing any surface i could get my hands on. My vacuum broke at one point so everything had to stop for repairs. Today's Public Service Announcement : the inside of your vacuum cleaner is HOT after it has been running; think about that before you reach inside to adjust the belts. By 8pm i still hadn't finished the menu, so there was no grocery list for me to even go shopping, the living room and bathroom were done, but the kitchen was in disarray and i hadn't even started on the bedroom. But there was no time to panic. Things continued to be crossed off of the To Do List, but it was moving along at a snail's pace. Shopping was finally done by 11:30. At 2am Matt texted this message “Go to bed” but i still had cold cuts to finish rolling for the party platter. Today's Second Public Service Announcement : if you get meat cut ultra-thin, don't try to roll it, stupid. Nap at 3:15am, up at 5:30, at work by 8:15 to check and copy schedules and write the agenda for the meeting. Have the meeting, leave by 11:15, stop at the liquor store to be home setting out food by noon when the team started arriving. Piece of cake (though technically there was no cake; dessert was homemade big cookie (made by Sara and Lauren) and ice cream sundaes). The gathering went very well. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we had a fond farewell to Thom. By 4:15 i was cleaning up and eventually laid down for a nap, which turned into reading a book. I did finally fall asleep and woke up 10 hours later. Guess i was tired, huh?

TGIF!

phew... 38 weeks, 407 venues, 783 shows and we are DONE for the 2006-2007 school year! 12 days of no programming and then summer programming starts. But for right this second we are done! It has been one heck of a year - mostly very good, with just a touch of very bad. The only sad part of today is that it is Mr Thom's last day. But Rob made him a GREAT t-rex for a goodbye present. Time for a margarita and/or a nap!