In the last two days I’ve read an entire Harry Potter book and completely redesigned my personal website.

I am waaaay behind on the Harry Potter craze and although I have seen (and loved) the first five movies, I only just finished reading the first novel: HP and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I could not put it down and I read fast anyway, so at the rate I’m going it will only take me about two more weeks to be completely caught up. :)

I put off starting the second HP book until after I finished redesigning my art site… I quit my full-time job last month to concentrate on freelance work and this is part of that progression…

I’m very happy with the new design and organization.

When deciding on a game console a few years back, both Eric and I thought long and hard between the GameCube, Xbox, and PS2 and because we are such fans of the Nintendo-brand games (Zelda, Mario, etc.), we went with the GameCube (which has since provided us with hours of entertainment). We knew we wanted the Wii as soon as we heard about it and have been trying to locate one for months using a method that would not involve us standing in long lines at ridiculous hours of the morning.

Two weeks ago, Eric got an web-alert that Circuit City had a bunch in stock online, so we quickly ordered one (happy birthday to me!) and waited impatiently for it to arrive.

Because it’s the way thing work, we received the Zelda game and extra remote early last week, but no Wii. It took until Saturday to arrive and we tore into the box with great anticipation. After three hours of playing tennis, boxing, and bowling on Saturday night for upwards of three hours, both Eric and I were very sore. This is not your traditional sit-on-the-couch video game system… I certainly do not feel lazy playing video games on this thing!

One of the neatest things is creating characters that look just like us. :)

Papers published in journals are important scientific milestones, and this weekend I received the official acceptance on a paper in review for the past few months. This copyright form is the last bit of paperwork!

Unfortunately, a license to publish is not nearly as cool as a license to kill, or many other licenses for that matter. In case you are wondering, the paper is “Divergence in expression between duplicated genes in Arabidopsis.” Interesting, no?

I have a few things floating around in my head, but nothing I feel like writing a whole post about…

We are going to Montana in two weeks and I am busy putting together a waterfall itinerary for that trip. This will be my third trip to Kalispell and Glacier National Park (Eric’s second), but we’ve just done the traditional stuff and haven’t ventured far beyond the visitor’s center. Pup is all set up with Camp Bow Wow and according to our peeking in on the web cams during the last two trips, she seems to be enjoying herself.

Last weekend we booked a trip to Curacao with my dad… American Airlines reduced the miles required for many of their Caribbean destinations, so we were able to get two roundtrip tickets for 50K miles and $100. Not too shabby. We are staying at an all-inclusive resort (it was the best deal by far), so stay tuned for many photos of me enjoying champagne by the pool at completely inappropriate hours of the day.

Speaking of my dad… about two weeks ago he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. (Like how I just snuck this in?) Thankfully, it’s in the very early stages and there are a lot of options open to him. It hasn’t even been a year since my mom passed away, so this is probably hitting me even harder than it should, considering the circumstances. However, my dad is behaving very positively about the whole thing, and that is definitely helping me cope as well.

I’ve been out of work for over a month now and need to work on a good schedule to keep myself painting, exercising, looking for freelance work, and otherwise occupied… wish me luck!

(the final Nova Scotia post)

Sea Kindly, Merigomish—Our first experience with B&Bs in Nova Scotia was a great one… after following a twisty road to a house on the water, we were greeted by our host offering to help us carry in our luggage and ply us with hot tea. We had already eaten dinner in Truro, so we stayed eating coffee cake and chatting with the other couple staying there (from VA!) and our hosts.

Our room (and bathroom) were spacious and tastefully decorated. When we mentioned our love of waterfalls, Debbie gave us a map to a private waterfall with an easy hike nearby. Oh yeah, and I had my first experience with both blood sausage and local blueberry juice—different and good.

The Inlet B&B, Dingwall—This place is certainly out of the way of many travelers, but for those visiting Cape Breton, it’s a great location with a tasty breakfast to match. We stayed in the actual house, so our room was just off the kitchen, with easy access to breakfast. The setting here is very quiet and our hosts were friendly and full of great stories.

Birchill B&B, Liscomb—We completely underestimated the drive that would get us here, so when we arrived at 8pm, all I really wanted was to just get out of the stupid car. When the hosts offered us homemade brew and a couch to hang out on upstairs, I felt instantly rejuvenated. These B&B owners are younger than other places we’ve been to and as such, it felt like we were hanging out with friends, not our parents (not that we don’t like hanging out with our parents, mind you).

Our large room was very private and quiet with it’s own entrance and a private bath down the hall. Plus, free wireless and a tasty breakfast!

Four Points by Sheraton, Halifax—We tried to find a B&B in Halifax, but they were booked up by the time we started reserving our rooms. We switched hotel choices twice because nothing was that close to the university where all of Eric’s conference would be. We decided to stay here because it’s a block from the water with lots of restaurants nearby (so I would be close to everything) and I just drove Eric to and from the conference each day.

We were given a 6th floor room which supposedly came with a free breakfast but thankfully we booked a room/breakfast package, because the 6th floor offerings were spotty at best. Our package really only got us a $20 credit at their restaurant (not a complimentary breakfast as advertised). More about Niche here. The hotel room itself was fine, the bed was very comfortable and the tolietries were above average (they even embossed our toliet paper). Our room overlooked a courtyard with painted buildings made to look realistic, but alas, no water view at this hotel.

We never had trouble finding a parking spot in the adjacent garage, either… which is good considering the $17 per night fee. If this hotel was cheaper, it would come highly recommended by me.

We built the deck box in April and planted a few things. By May everything was looking really good and we were confident that the placement of the box next to the deck was the best spot in our yard for the peppers and tomatoes.

Here’s what it looked like this week…

Out of control!

The tomatoes are growing fantastically well, but because they are indeterminate, they are also growing out at odd angles and generally encroaching on everything else. We have quite a few baby peppers and I’ve had to give the parsley a haircut several times.

I plan on making pesto this weekend before the basil starts bolting. I’m not sure how well the baby carrots are doing because we weren’t here for a week and it didn’t rain that much, so they might be a bust.

Overall, I’m really happy with the deck box, but next year… one tomato plant will be plenty!

Not only does his auto insurance go down, he can rent a car!

Ryan, you will always be my little brother, no matter how old you are…

(my brother and dad circa 1985ish)

Happy 25th!

One of Eric’s favorite things about summer is fresh corn from the farmer’s market. His schnauzer growing up, Mandy, used to eat corn off the cob, so we gave it a try with Riesling…

She loved it!

Plus, she was a pro, munching away while I turned the ear.

I should add that I watched her very closely while I was shucking the corn lest she wander off with a cob when I wasn’t looking.

The sweet corn I picked up at the farmer’s market was the main course… I surprised Eric with aged manchego cheese, smoked speck, and membrillo with toasted crostini and pumpernickel bread as an appetizer (and wine, of course!) I figure anyone that has to work on a Monday deserves a well-presented and tasty meal when they get home. :)

Red Stag Tavern—This touristy place (Alexander Keith brewery tours begin just outside the entrance) was right across the street from our hotel and seemed a good place to get some quick food after out first two choices failed us. They were serving brunch until 4pm, so Eric took advantage and ordered one of the brunch specials while I got the maritime-prepared mussels appetizer. All the food (and service) was good and my shandy was delicious (AK red ale and ginger beer). We sat up on the rooftop to take advantage of the sunny weather and the people watching was great.

Garrison Brewing Company—At first glance, I thought this place was also a restaurant but nope, it’s a brewery that sells beer tastings and tours and has their bottled beer available for purchase. We took home a blueberry ale, the porter, and the stout (and a pint glass, of course!)

Your Father’s Mustache—After a full day of conference-going for Eric and wandering around town for me, we wanted something a little casual and we found the perfect place. We enjoyed a delicious roasted pepper, white cheddar, and sun dried tomato dip accompanied by toasted pita wedges with a pint of Rickerd’s Red and Honey Brown, respectively. This place is right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Spring Garden Road, casual and tasty.

Niche—This was our designated breakfast place because of the $20 daily coupons we received with our hotel booking. Even though we were on the executive floor in our hotel, their complementary breakfast was minimal at best, so we had a hot breakfast at Niche every morning. The only problem was that the breakfasts were priced from $9 to $13, so it was impossible to have a “complementary” breakfast with tax and tip under our $20 coupon value. The service was fine, the setting was very well done, and the food was satisfactory, but I would have preferred smaller portion sizes for less money, or more fairly priced a la carte menu selections. For example, a mug of coffee was $2.50 a la carte or free if ordered with a $10 breakfast special. Hmm.

Baan Thai—I read about this place being the best Thai food in Halifax from several sources and we weren’t disappointed. While I felt this place was overpriced ($7 for hot and sour soup?!?), my spicy prawns and Eric’s curry were very good. Just expect to drop some money here.

Maxwell’s Plum—Our pourer at the Garrison Brewery tasting recommended this bar for it’s many beers on tap. We took advantage of the huge barrel of free peanuts (throwing our shells on the floor just like everyone else), and they were able to scrounge up a sampling tray so I could try six of their drought beers. We just visited for a drink, but plenty of people were eating and drinking here.

Doraku—I had to have sushi once while in a port town, so I choose this out of the way, nicely decorated place for lunch on my own. Everything was delicious!

Il Mercado—This Italian place also came highly recommended, so we celebrated Eric finding out he was owed back pay for his online summer teaching job here with a bottle of sparking wine. I ordered five antipasto appetizers and we split a wood-fired pizza for dinner. The pear and smoked speck (ham) combo on the pizza was good, but Eric thought it would have been better with green apple. The service was great and the place was completely packed by the time we left.

Pete’s Frootique—While not a restaurant, I did gather lunch from this grocery store one afternoon and I thought it was worth mentioning. Similar to a Whole Foods type place, I got a fresh baguette and some sun dried tomato hummus along with two sparkling juices.

Tribeca—Our last dinner in Halifax was just okay, the flat bread appetizers we ordered were basically just pizzas and one was overdone. I think the waiter was helping out a friend, but it wasn’t good that I started to wonder where our food was and we were the only two people in the place.

The Split Crow Pub—After Tribeca, we walked a few blocks down to the oldest pub in Halifax for a beer. We decided to grab a table outside when a chorus of over-imbibers began singing at the top of their lungs next to the bar. They have a great location next to a pedestrian walkway and we had at least two waiters ask us if we wanted another round. They had a food menu available but I think there was a cover charge for the entertainment after a certain time, we snuck in just before 8pm.

While we were up in Chicago, Eric and I (with the help of my dad) sorted through several rooms of stuff to either throw out or donate. For some reason I still had a few stuffed animals left in my closet and we gave one to Riesling to keep her occupied while we were cleaning.

She took to it right away and my dad made sure we didn’t forget her new buddy when it came time to pack up the car. She is still carrying this tiger around and it’s almost as big as she is!

(She looks so pretty—freshly groomed with a pink bandana!)