Boxes

So many more of these boxes are in our near future. I can't believe it's almost July, JULY! I don't love packing, I don't mind it I guess. It's almost relieving to go through one's stuff and get rid of the things that clutter your life. We have to put lots of things up for sale on Craigslist too, oy vey. I'm still trying to sell my neon wheels... that has proven to be rather difficult. Basically we still have a lot of loose ends to tie up. 

The bittersweet moment when our apartment was being shown and a check was written right on the spot proved to be a little overwhelming. On a more positive note, the soon-to-be-new-tenants loved the way we arranged our apartment and pressed us if they could have a few of the items we plan on selling. I guess that means we have a desirable living set-up! 

Pig looks ready to help in this photo, I guarantee you when the time comes she will not be so thrilled. I love moving! - Said no one ever 

Home

I tried to get a good angle of our apartment building but it's kinda hard on this street due to all the cars passing and trees blooming. You can really only see a third of the building here... we're the second floor on the left hidden behind the leaves. It's a beautiful large brick structure with bits of gothic style, what was once supposedly a single family dwelling is now a 16 unit apartment building. Like I said, it's huge! 

I did a little Googling and came across this black and white photo of when the building was relatively new. If we're speaking in house years though I don't think the building would be considered "old" today, built in 1924 it's not even a 100 years old yet. When we moved in last year it had just celebrated its 90th birthday. We know of some recent history in the building, but I'm sure every home has some skeletons in its closet. The squeeze and I both agree that this has been our favorite apartment either of us has lived in, what a wonderful first place this has been!

I know nothing we find in Austin will have the charm like the buildings in Portland do; from wonky floors to temperamental showers, fake decorative mantels to enormous bay windows. I will miss the massive brick walls we have and the loft above our bed, the crooked kitchen cabinets and the sink that sounds like it's choking on water. It will be a bittersweet farewell when we say our goodbyes to our spooky house.

Check Up

Little Pig had her official pre-Austin check up on Wednesday and she got a clean bill of health! I must admit, sometimes I haven't been the best cat parent and have neglected to take her to the vet for the past few years *hangs head in shame* I was a little nervous, and when anyone is nervous about anything medical related they temporarily transform into a hypochondriac. I feared my neglect might have led to some issues I wasn't aware of, but I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the vet looked at me and smiled. 

The only change were red freckles that have shown up near her gum-line due to her being a redhead. Phew.

She needed a couple vaccines, we learned she may need another when we get down to TX due to there being more creepy crawly things in the south. She's been lethargic the past due days, her little 6.3lb frame is probably adjusting to the dose of vaccines. But alas, we are one step closer to tying up loose ends here. I'm going to my human vet in a couple weeks to get my pre-Austin check-up as well. Hopefully I don't need any vaccines... I hate needles.

Weekends

Our weekends are usually reserved for the couch and Netflix, I know, we live dangerously. Occasionally though we do put on pants and socialize with friends. 

This past Saturday we visited my good friend Amanda, she was having a "we just installed a huge screen and projector in our garage" party. Basically we just geeked out for several hours playing Mario Kart while wolfing down burgers and sipping spiked lemonade. Amanda and I have been friends for nearly 15 years so a get together like this is the norm. Her husband is quite the video game enthusiast so he and his friends are always having some sort of gaming thing going, whether it's parting out their computers, building computers, Magic tournaments, or PAX East (Penny Arcade Expo, look it up!). This projector set-up is a project the two of them did together, it's a huge sheet of drywall with a special coating applied to it called 'silver screen,' this allows you to project images onto it and have it look nearly as clean as a huge TV. From the picture alone you can hardly tell it's not a flat-screen!

Give it a chance, with enough boozy lemonade anyone would find playing Mario Party on a projector a great time. Did I mention they moved their entire couch into the garage for this? They actually sacrificed their living quarters in favor of a gaming-cave. Again, not unusual for them. I will miss fire pits and gaming nights at the Smith residence for sure! Amanda will just need to make special parties for us when we come back to visit *insert maniacal laughter here*.

Giant

Do you have any idea how difficult it is finding a gently used bicycle? Scratch the gently used part, any used bicycle?? At least in the southern Maine area it was like trying to spot a polar bear in Florida. Usually I stick to gift cards or a bottle of Courvoisier for all father related things, but this year for his birthday my dad exclaimed he wanted a bicycle. I scratched my head at this... does he even know how to ride a bike? If he does I've never witnessed it.

So one Sunday afternoon, the squeeze and I picked up my dad and headed to Portland to go bike shopping. I figured the city out of all places would have a plethora of used bicycles to choose from, I see dozens of people cycling on my way to work every morning. What a crazy assumption that apparently was. We stopped at about four or five bike shops all over the city, and nothing. You heard me, nada, zip, zilch, nope, diddly squat. In fact, one of the places everyone mutually recommended, Port City Bikes, literally had nothing but tires kicking around in their shop.

I planned ahead in case this would happen and got a general idea of what the least expensive new hybrid bicycle would run me. That number is $400, we're talking an entry level beginner bike with no (literal) bells and whistles. Either I've been in the dark about bicycle prices because I haven't owned one since I was 13, or my frugal family genetics have me avoiding expensive hobbies. Now I know how people must feel when they shop for new cars after having the same Honda Accord for 15 years.

I told my dad if I catch it collecting cobwebs that he'll never hear the end of it. The squeeze was kind enough to buy him a bicycle helmet, with my dad's consent we picked him up a neon yellow one. I have to say I'm super excited about that in itself.

Now we just need to slap a tiny basket on the front to house a little dog.

Father's Day

I would like to wish a very, very happy Father's Day to my dad! Here he is in all his might and glory, being a good sport while trying to stay dry in my sister's XS sweatshirt out on the boat. He also just turned 52 years young two days prior, don't tell him he looks good for his age or we'll never hear the end of it (insert chuckle here).

I do want to acknowledge all the good he has done for me though, all the while looking much younger than he really is. When I was little I lived with my mum, my dad had visitations with me on Sunday's, which was for the most part usually his only day off. He would drive 40 minutes to pick me up in Windham, spend the afternoon taking me to see a movie, go to the mall, buy me Pokemon cards, grab some food, and bring me back home at the end of the night. I looked forward to Sunday's so much! 

My dad bought me my first video game, he surprised me with a Super Nintendo for my birthday one year. Whenever he would visit we would sit side by side, mouths open, eyes glued to the TV, and play Super Mario for hours. Somewhere there's photographic evidence of this. This led to quite the video game obsession and over the years my dad surprised me with an N64, Playstation 2, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advanced (not to mention many, many Pokemon cards).

Around the age of 15 I went to live with my dad, I was devastated to leave behind my school and the only friends I knew, fortunately it ended up being one of the best things to ever happen. My dad adapted pretty well to suddenly having a teenage girl living with him, I have to give him a lot of credit. 

Now at 26 I can say not much has changed, I still look forward to seeing my dad and we still have a lot of fun together. These days it's just him in the parent picture, and I'm OK with that. Papa, thanks for being you!

Christmas Farm

I've come to the conclusion that alpacas are basically deer camels. Honestly I can't even remember if this is an alpaca or llama, my Google search did me no good as I'm now more confused than ever (what are you??). This is at the Christmas Farm, an adorable little house/barn/farm animal sanctuary located near the squeeze's home in Buxton. One morning the squeeze proclaimed we should visit the Christmas Farm since it was a beautiful day out, so we headed up. You can tell you're approaching the little farm because of the "fresh eggs" sign hanging on a little post, I don't think they had any at the moment though or else I would have come home with a dozen.

There was no obvious entrance and the home's front door is mainly decorative, we didn't want to go snooping too much to find the functional entryway so we cautiously walked the perimeters of the back yard. The alpacas heard us chatting and several of them poked their heads through the tiny window of the shed attached to their grazing area. They stood motionless, staring at us, it was comical yet kinda creepy. We approached the shed and took a peek through the wiring to see many others making their way towards us, one in serious need of braces with its crazy under-bite.

Eventually we bumped into the woman who lives there and she let us take a peek inside the barn where a pile of them were nestled together. "I don't even know why we have alpacas!" She said they were thinking about selling them, they had purchased the Christmas Farm from someone else and his herd of animals came with the property. What would one even do with 15 alpacas? Shear them I guess? You can't eat them or cozy up to them, seems like a cute but useless pet if you ask me.

They did have chickens though, a whole flock of them with a feisty rooster who kept loudly cock-a-doodle-dooing. I've secretly always wanted a little chicken coop with three hens. I'd give them majestic names like Florence and Charlotte. Fresh eggs for days.

Old Port Fest

A benefit of living down town? Everything is within walking distance! For starters, it was gorgeous out yesterday, the perfect t-shirt weather. We strolled through Portland, heading towards the hustle and bustle of what was the 42nd annual Old Port Festival. Cars were congested at stop lights left and right while trying to find their way into the heart of the city, it's always quite a mess getting there this time of year. Like previous years, the festival was swarmed with people. Swarmed isn't even a good way of putting it, it was more like flooded with people. There's your typical fair food like popcorn, fries, cotton candy, but thrown in the mix are always local foods. You can buy hand-made t-shirts, jewelry, soaps, artwork, cutting boards, you name it. There's face painting, rock climbing, pony rides, live music, and even a ferris wheel. Portland may be the largest city in Maine, but it's still tiny compared to the likes of New York City or even Boston. That being said it is a whole heck of a lot of festival to cram into the streets of downtown, but they still manage to orchestrate it every year.

After we checked out every booth and took in the aromas of all the foods, we decided to head somewhere that hadn't been attacked by tourists yet. Out by the ferry that makes its way from Peak's Island and back and near the massive whale wall, is a dock that looks out to the Casco Bay Bridge. We sat with our feet dangling over the edge, black raspberry ice-cream in hand and smiles on our faces. What a wonderful way to end the Old Port Festival.

I've never been a big fan of saltwater, I don't like swimming in it and sometimes during foggy weather low-tide can sting your nose, but this view is something even lake lovers can appreciate. Portland will just be that much more special when we visit back.

Jurassic World

Well, we did it, we saw Jurassic World! After a year (but what felt like an eternity) of waiting we finally sat down in front of the massive IMAX screen and threw on our 3D glasses. In my manic obsessive ways I hit the refresh button for weeks trying to claim early tickets. When they finally became available I punched in my credit card info faster than you could say 'I love Jurassic Park.'

I was headstrong about getting there an hour early, I wanted to beat the other JP fanatics to the best seats in the house. We arrived about five minutes later than I wanted, which of course sent me into a frenzy as I watched people make their way into the theater. That being said, I am very lucky to have someone like the squeeze, he doesn't question my obsession or think I'm crazy, instead he happily modeled his JP t-shirt and filled my purse with snacks for the three hours we'd be glued to our seats.

When we arrived the theater was already 1/4 full, I thank my crazy JP instincts in wanting to get there so early. Before we knew it the place completely filled up, but not before we managed to score perfect seats in the middle row. There were people sporting JP t-shirts left and right, it was super exciting being surrounded by other JP fans!

The movie was everything I'd hoped it would be, I laughed, I cried, I cried again. There were so many references to the original movie that you couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. They played original music, (spoiler alert ahead) the original T-Rex showed up, familiar beige and red Jeeps, and even the main building with the fossil decor and symbolic banner made an appearance!

It was almost too much for me to handle. Almost.

Do I miss the days of realistic puppets and animatronics? Of course. To this day I still think Jurassic Park is one of the best and most realistic science fiction movies I have ever seen. That being said, the CGI was way better than I had nervously anticipated! It was a great 'sequel' to the original, and I think that's all anyone could ask for.

Who wants to go see it again?!

Loft

This has got to be one of my favorite pictures. The squeeze took this within a couple days of us moving into our apartment, Pig had just discovered the loft and out of the sheer excitement her pupils took over her eyeballs. We opted to keep our bed on the floor and the loft as a means of storage since we really had none, but ultimately it kind of turned into Pig's own room. When the ladder goes up, so does she. Since we keep all of our bedding and blankets up there it's quite the sweet spot for a little cat.

I told the squeeze it made me a little misty-eyed having to move her again, especially since she's taken such a liking to the ladder/loft setup, he (always) optimistically replied that when we get a house some day we'll just have to put ladders all over the place for her to climb.

I am definitely OK with this, In fact, the idea of having a loft has really grown on me. Some day!

S'mores

All that talk about s'mores while at the fire pit made me a little s'more crazy. Since we don't have approval for a fire pit in our living quarters, and I don't want to risk exploding marshmallows in our microwave, I opted for something a little more accessible. S'mores Oreos! This was actually the first bag of Oreo's I've ever even bought. Apparently the 'Limited Editions' cost you the same price but only come with 3/4 the amount of Oreo's as the regular kind do. What a jip. 

So were they good? Of course they were good, they're frickin' Oreo's. I guess this was the first time they didn't have a regular cookie shell, but rather a graham-cracker/cookie hybrid. Did they taste like s'mores? Not really. Only s'mores can taste like s'mores. That being said, does one pick strawberry flavored candy because it actually tastes like strawberry? Definitely not. Unless you live in a place where strawberries taste like whacked out psychedelic sugar bombs (I'd probably try them).

If someone reads this and senses my desperation for s'mores please help, when you get a craving like this it doesn't go away until satisfied. 

SOS

Decisions, Decisions...

We all make good and bad decisions, some more than others. I had a very nice lady come in the other day looking to upgrade to a slightly pre-owned Subaru (the good decision), she needed to replace her once brand new PT Cruiser that was taking up space in her driveway (the bad decision).

She bought this beauty off the showroom floor in 2002, it was the 'Manager's Special' and featured bright flames with special alloy wheels and an 8-ball shifter knob. Like I said, it was a beauty. Despite looks it lasted her 13 whole years before finally putting the brakes (or lack thereof) on its life. It couldn't be driven so she had to get the poor thing towed to our dealership. She genuinely loved her PT Cruiser, and nearly cried when she had to part ways with it.

Perhaps it was once majestic when it left the showroom floor... I don't know if I'd ever categorize a PT Cruiser as majestic, but maybe this was in fact the stallion of all stallions in the PT Cruiser world.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

I wonder if she'll put flames on her new Forester or if she's left her wild days behind her.

RIP stallion.

Skulls and Roses

I can officially and happily say that I finally finished the painting project our friends commissioned me to do.

*breathes huge sigh of relief*

I always feel like I have a million and one things looming over my head to begin with, so when I added this project to the list I was a little overwhelmed. But that's how I am by nature, easily overwhelmed. So one day at a time I chipped away at it, only in the recent past couple of days did I really tackle it full force. I turned into a little couch monster covered in paint, I took over the whole living room with my neon acrylics and take-out food. But alas, it is done! I know you're probably thinking 'hey, those are pretty simple images to get all hot and bothered over,' and they are. But I'm painfully a perfectionist, so sometimes things take a little longer.

Here's to the next project!