What's going on in my life?

[xiphias]

Still haven't re-started my job search; I've been busy with house stuff. Fixed up the upstairs apartment a little; vonbeck moved from downstairs to upstairs. Fixed up the upstairs apartment -- replaced missing ceiling tiles in the bathroom, demoed the bathroom floor, and replaced the subfloor and added vinyl tiles -- which I ALMOST got right (the subfloor I did perfectly; the vinyl tiles are . . . okay), and replaced the toilet. jehanna moved from middle-of-nowhere-Pennsylvania to the downstairs apartment. Our downstairs apartment is about a quarter the size of her old place, but, on the plus side, it's HERE and not THERE.

Toward the beginning of the week, I took a brief trip to the Capital District of New York, to visit a friend and meet her family -- she was having a rough time at work and could use support, and I'd wanted to meet her kids for a while anyway, so I left on Sunday afternoon, catching a 5-o'clock bus, was in Albany by 8:30, stayed overnight, met her kids and hung out with folks on Monday, stayed over Monday night, and left Tuesday morning. It's not actually that bad a bus trip. And there is also one train a day. The bus is actually both cheaper and faster, but, on the other hand, the train is a train. I think that, if I do the trip again and on more planning, I'd probably do the train. Anyway, said friend has two ADORABLE children, one preschool-age boy and a toddler girl. They are both really awesome kids. The girl is in that phase where she's watching everything and learning everything she possibly can -- I'd make funny faces at her, and she'd try to copy them, I'd make funny sounds, and she'd practice them back at me. I suspect that my friend and her husband are probably going to be cursing me for a while for the silly and annoying sounds I was teaching her.

And the siblings really get along, too.

Anyway, while I was there, my friend re-taught me Magic the Gathering, which I hadn't played in something like ten years, and, while the game remains fundamentally the same, there have been a LOT of additions and rules changes since I last played. Obviously, I didn't and don't have a deck of my own, but she and her husband let me borrow their decks. She, her husband, and one of their friends have a single pool of cards they work with for the three of them, and each of them is working on a tournament-quality deck or two. I don't know what decks usually look like these days -- but I strongly suspect that the decks THEY'RE working with are all pretty freakin' nasty.

Said husband and their friend also taught me RACE FOR THE GALAXY while she was at work, and I also learned and played a game of BRITISH RAILS, which is actually the first time I played a train game.

Other than that, not much. I'm fighting off a cold, and chipped a tooth, and am planning out the yard and garden, which makes the upcoming snow rather annoying, since it means I've got to wait until that is over in order to do some of the stuff I was thinking of.

Comments

[ceo]

Just as a note, if you do the train, be aware that it can be monstrously late eastbound (since it's coming from Chicago).

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

But if you stay on the train north from Albany to Plattsburgh (this is the train I take when I have to go to NYC) boy it is the most spectacularly beautiful ride you could ever ask for.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*sends icon to help you battle te cold*

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

Please don't do your gardening too soon. I always tell the other owner in our building not to do serious gardening until May 1st. Every year she jumps the gun, spends a small fortune and it all dies from frost, insufficient light or drowns... then has to do it all over again...

I already had to warn her about some plants she tried to put out last week... the day before the temps dropped to the 20s overnight... she doesn't pay attention to the weather reports or understand NE weather (She has only lived in Malaysia and New York City, which do NOT match Boston area weather patterns).

[cogitationitis.livejournal.com]

If you like gaming, you should stop by for a NESFA game day. The next one is April 16th, starting at noon, so if you're not too busy cleaning for Passover and you taxes are done, it'll be a nice break. They're all at the NESFA clubhouse (504 Medford St Somerville).

Also, don't start anything outside before you start counting the omer--you'll be sorry.

[dancing-kiralee.livejournal.com]

I dont' really have much to add, but thank you for the update.

Kiralee

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

Only one train a day? What happened? The last time I headed that way, there were several trains a day. Granted, they weren't all Acelas, but the time differential isn't all that great. The Acela has to slow down during parts of the trip because it's going through populated areas. Then there was the return trip where the Acela left half an hour before my train, and about 20 minutes outside the City we had to stop to pick up her passengers. The Acela had broken down, and all her passengers were transferred to other "slower" trains.

I was mean enough to snicker. *bows head in shame*

[goljerp]

I think he meant "direct train from Boston to Albany". If you're willing to go Boston to NYC to Albany, there are more options.

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

There will be no snow. There will be no snow. Say it with me: There will be no snow.

Spring doesn't just happen, you know. You gotta MAKE it happen.