Before I give the answer to the riddle, I have another infamous list:
1. Number of states I have lived in: 7.
2. Number of different cities or towns I have lived in: 15.
3. Number of different apartments/houses I have lived in: 17.
4. Number of schools I have worked for: 3, soon to be 4.
5. Number of schools (school systems) I have attended: 6, soon to 7.
6. To clarify: Number of schools (not school systems) attended: 9, soon to be 10.
AND, 6. Number of states I have visited as of today: 47. The three that are missing: Alaska, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
One more part to the Furler adventure
So many awesome moments with the Furlers, but here is another one.
On Saturday night at Laura and Corbett's apartment in NYC, Sarah decided she wanted a cupcake. Apparently Magnolia Bakery and another bakery are the big things in NYC, so Laura hoped online to get an address (I think there were about 314 locations in Manhattan alone), and Al thought getting cupcakes for his pregnant daughter was a great plan.
But the GPS drama began: first Sue was trying to get directions, but the GPS thought we were still in NJ. This was not very effective, but it was hugely entertaining.
Then, Al got the directions with the GPS (he already knew where it was located and how to get there), and we began this elaborate game while driving to the bakery: Al would try to foil the GPS, taking any route except the route indicated by the GPS. I can't tell you how many times we heard, "Recalculating route," from the computer voice. Awesome.
And I have never seen so many people in line for cupcakes, let alone at 9pm on a Saturday night. Weird.
We decided that Al has no practical use for the GPS; he just likes to outsmart it and to trick it.
Miss you guys.
On Saturday night at Laura and Corbett's apartment in NYC, Sarah decided she wanted a cupcake. Apparently Magnolia Bakery and another bakery are the big things in NYC, so Laura hoped online to get an address (I think there were about 314 locations in Manhattan alone), and Al thought getting cupcakes for his pregnant daughter was a great plan.
But the GPS drama began: first Sue was trying to get directions, but the GPS thought we were still in NJ. This was not very effective, but it was hugely entertaining.
Then, Al got the directions with the GPS (he already knew where it was located and how to get there), and we began this elaborate game while driving to the bakery: Al would try to foil the GPS, taking any route except the route indicated by the GPS. I can't tell you how many times we heard, "Recalculating route," from the computer voice. Awesome.
And I have never seen so many people in line for cupcakes, let alone at 9pm on a Saturday night. Weird.
We decided that Al has no practical use for the GPS; he just likes to outsmart it and to trick it.
Miss you guys.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A fantastic Furler adventure
The snow is falling outside, Dad is traveling again (Florida this time), Mom is taking a nap, and I'm trying to manage my self-imposed stress while drinking my 18th cup of coffee today. Mom thinks it is funny how I don't have a job, but I tend to work a lot more than most people: getting reading to teach, getting ready to take classes, reading hundreds of pages with my writing groups, trying to finish paperwork and training to teach online, and reading and writing my own fun stuff. It's good, but it feels like a juggling act right now.
Except when I can escape on my little trips. Going to visit the Furlers is like going to visit my other family. I know them and their extended family and their lives and their habits almost as well as I know my family's. It's strange the way Sue apologizes that they ordered Chinese or pizza for dinner, and I don't expect anything less.
Sue and Al asked me if I wanted to go into New York to visit the twins, and I wanted to laugh. Of course I want to see the twins. Of course I want to see Laura and Corbett. Of course I want to see Sarah and Kyle.
So, off we went: we had a great photo op in the lobby with Santa and the twins in the lobby (see pictures below), and then Sue watched them while the rest of us went for pizza. We visited the Whitney, and Sue and Sarah and I did our best to avoid the mile and a half walk in the thirty degree weather. Then, in the evening, we sat around trying to decide what to do for dinner, and the most entertaining conversation commenced. Al wanted to go to the fish and chips place in Brooklyn, someone vetoed because this was too far away, Laura thought that Sarah and I should figure something out, Corbett vetoed because he thought that Sarah and I didn't know the options, Al thought that we could decide something, Kyle and Corbett debated between Mexican and Italian and a couple of other things. This whole thing was pretty hilarious.
Sunday was at Sparta Evangelical Free Church. I saw the Scherlachers, the Schuberts, the Landruds, the Biggs, the Colliers, and plenty of others that have married names I do not recall--all send greetings to the McGrail family. Then, at the Jefferson Diner (voted best in NJ, but I still vote it as 2nd to the Sparta Diner), we ran into the Bensons who said to send a big hello to Mandy.
Monday and Tuesday, Sue and I hung out during the day, and at night, Sue and Al and Sarah and Kyle and I went out for dinner (surprise! Boonton has great sushi). I made Sue drive me down to Dover, wanting to relive some moments of shopping at the flea market and the Salvation Army there. Instead, we went for Mexican soup. Then we went shopping at some outlets, and Sue decided that I'm a worse shopper than she is. I'm a little proud of this.
Tuesday, Sue and I went to Lafayette Village (see pictures below).
Wednesday, I tried to say goodbye to Sue and Al. As I'm writing all of this, I'm missing all the funny details that I miss so much about them. Sue has this uncanny ability to make me feel interesting and smart and awesome. Al plans these fantastic and hilarious adventures that feel like capricious celebrations of the weekend and family while balancing a cup of boiling tea with one hand, reprogramming his new GPS with his thumbs, and driving along curvy 517 at the same time. Laura represents this tall, glamorous, other bossy sister that I had, and the other older sister who could make me feel so good and funny and interesting, like Sue. Sarah has this window into my youth that shows different times, like in Sharonsville when Mandy was Dr. Brown, Laura ran the town library, and I turned the lights out at "night" to deliver presents to the town. I was in my own little world then. Things haven't really changed much.
Then, I was off to visit Em and Logan. They are sort of like me: still in school, still working out the life plan around some incredibly lofty goals, and surrounded by nieces and nephews. We have an understanding. And Em greeted me with a huge hug, a Cajun soup, and a warm bed.
Hospitality is a common thread in this McGurfur clan. Miss you all.
Except when I can escape on my little trips. Going to visit the Furlers is like going to visit my other family. I know them and their extended family and their lives and their habits almost as well as I know my family's. It's strange the way Sue apologizes that they ordered Chinese or pizza for dinner, and I don't expect anything less.
Sue and Al asked me if I wanted to go into New York to visit the twins, and I wanted to laugh. Of course I want to see the twins. Of course I want to see Laura and Corbett. Of course I want to see Sarah and Kyle.
So, off we went: we had a great photo op in the lobby with Santa and the twins in the lobby (see pictures below), and then Sue watched them while the rest of us went for pizza. We visited the Whitney, and Sue and Sarah and I did our best to avoid the mile and a half walk in the thirty degree weather. Then, in the evening, we sat around trying to decide what to do for dinner, and the most entertaining conversation commenced. Al wanted to go to the fish and chips place in Brooklyn, someone vetoed because this was too far away, Laura thought that Sarah and I should figure something out, Corbett vetoed because he thought that Sarah and I didn't know the options, Al thought that we could decide something, Kyle and Corbett debated between Mexican and Italian and a couple of other things. This whole thing was pretty hilarious.
Sunday was at Sparta Evangelical Free Church. I saw the Scherlachers, the Schuberts, the Landruds, the Biggs, the Colliers, and plenty of others that have married names I do not recall--all send greetings to the McGrail family. Then, at the Jefferson Diner (voted best in NJ, but I still vote it as 2nd to the Sparta Diner), we ran into the Bensons who said to send a big hello to Mandy.
Monday and Tuesday, Sue and I hung out during the day, and at night, Sue and Al and Sarah and Kyle and I went out for dinner (surprise! Boonton has great sushi). I made Sue drive me down to Dover, wanting to relive some moments of shopping at the flea market and the Salvation Army there. Instead, we went for Mexican soup. Then we went shopping at some outlets, and Sue decided that I'm a worse shopper than she is. I'm a little proud of this.
Tuesday, Sue and I went to Lafayette Village (see pictures below).
Wednesday, I tried to say goodbye to Sue and Al. As I'm writing all of this, I'm missing all the funny details that I miss so much about them. Sue has this uncanny ability to make me feel interesting and smart and awesome. Al plans these fantastic and hilarious adventures that feel like capricious celebrations of the weekend and family while balancing a cup of boiling tea with one hand, reprogramming his new GPS with his thumbs, and driving along curvy 517 at the same time. Laura represents this tall, glamorous, other bossy sister that I had, and the other older sister who could make me feel so good and funny and interesting, like Sue. Sarah has this window into my youth that shows different times, like in Sharonsville when Mandy was Dr. Brown, Laura ran the town library, and I turned the lights out at "night" to deliver presents to the town. I was in my own little world then. Things haven't really changed much.
Then, I was off to visit Em and Logan. They are sort of like me: still in school, still working out the life plan around some incredibly lofty goals, and surrounded by nieces and nephews. We have an understanding. And Em greeted me with a huge hug, a Cajun soup, and a warm bed.
Hospitality is a common thread in this McGurfur clan. Miss you all.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
A few Furler pictures
I'll write more about the Furler adventures later, but here are a few awesome pictures of the twins and Lafayette Village. I was pretty awful (as usual) about taking pictures, and when I started uploading them today, I was thoroughly chagrined to find how few pictures I had taken.
Sigh.
I will leave the pictures to Sue. The videos are left to Al.
Sigh.
I will leave the pictures to Sue. The videos are left to Al.
Monday, December 1, 2008
It's beginning to look a lot like winter....
This is from the safety of the indoors at Aunt Barb's house. Probably won't go outside until spring. This means that if I lock myself inside with plenty of books, coffee, and writing supplies, it may be a productive winter.
Here's another cute picture from the visit to Aunt Barb's, but I cannot explain it.
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