March 02, 2009
If you were interested...
I put up some more detailed tattoo photos.
Posted by kelseyfrost at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2009
The owner of the building I live in just did an energy audit.
It was decided that we used too much heat (!!) in this large office building full of massage therapists. And Dave and I were promptly told that we needed to keep the heat much lower (!!) than we had been doing previously. (We are the supers.)
That's okay with us, of course. It can get hot in here, requiring us to turn down the radiators (something other tenants don't know how to do, for some reason). But these massage therapists.. they like to have warm work rooms. So, every time one of them complains about the cold, our boss tells us to turn the heat up... and here we are. In a too hot and expensive to heat building.
All the tenants received a memo last week about how it was important to conserve energy and be greener, so we were going to keep the heat lower and see about fixing some drafty windows. Who doesn't like that plan? I was totally all for it. Especially since our windows are terribly drafty and tend to fall down ever so slightly at the top, leaving a 1/4" to 1/2" gap for the wind to blow through on the coldest nights. The window repair man came a few weeks ago to "fix" our drafty windows, and he tore down my duct-tape-and-old-tshirt solution. But the windows fell down again and we've been freezing ever since.
But! We need to conserve energy and be green, so the window man came again today to look at our situation. Which apparently requires new windows. Which is apparently a little more dedicated to conservation and green-ness than our boss had in mind. The roll of duct tape I bought after work isn't quite enough to seal up all the gaps, so I'll have to get another one tomorrow.
Posted by kelseyfrost at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2009
Back in November I had an adventure.
Dave and I went to Montreal for the purpose of getting me a new tattoo with Lionel from France. (Back when I wrote that post, I didn't have very high hopes for ever getting an appointment with Lionel- but I bugged him a little on MySpace and he let me know about his visit to Glamort in Montreal.)
When I confirmed my appointment with Lionel, and asked him how much he charged per hour (so I could begin to save up my sad grad student wages), he said: "Oh, no I don't charge by the hour-- this way we can have lots of time and spend the day together figuring out the perfect tattoo for you!" And that was the last we spoke of it until I emailed him in September or October to say how much I was looking forward to my appointment.
I was the most nervous about that conversation, leading up to the "perfect tattoo." And when I got to Glamort and we began talking... I only got more nervous. I got the impression that, usually, he had more contact with his clients, or that they had elaborate stories that they knew they wanted depicted on their bodies. I just liked his art. So, after explaining some of the elements of his work that I was most drawn to, we flipped through a sketchbook he'd been working on. While I talked he drew a little and then said, "Ok, I think I have an idea."
He then got out some markers and started drawing on my arm, occasionally saying "No, no-- don't look yet" or "Hmmm... something is still missing." Finally, he said I could look in the mirror and he began to explain the picture. "These black houses, they are all connected by one line, and they're the old houses, in back. The red houses, in front, are the new houses. And the smoke here from the chimneys turns into birds. Then there is winter sun at the top."
I really liked the design, so he got to the tattooing, which (as seems to be the trend with my tattoos) took about two hours. When he was finished, I had this beautiful piece of art to take with me.
(Photo by Max)
What's funny is that, before the appointment, Dave said to me: "You have your Spain tattoo, and your Paris tattoo. Now you need a New England tattoo, because that's a big part of you." And, even though we didn't talk about that- Lionel and I -the houses and smoke and cool sun really make this feel like it's my New England tattoo. Which is kind of special, too.
Note to self: next time, consider getting tattooed in warmer weather. In the winter, the tattoo is hidden and hard to care for!
Posted by kelseyfrost at 08:24 PM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2008
Beverages
One of my favorite things about living in the Northampton area is that we have a couple of great beverage delivery options. When we lived on South Street, we used to get our milk delivery from Mapleline Farm. We had to stop when we moved into our new apartment because the door to the building is locked at normal (early) delivery hours. Recently, thanks to Kelsey Flynn, we found out about Harmony Springs soda delivery. After a brief period of... well, unemployment... we just placed our first order in months. It's really nice to have great local seltzer, in bottles that you return so they can get reused. While they have their own "Harmony Springs" bottles, you frequently get bottles from other old soda companies. Here's my favorite from this batch:
(Yes, we decant wine into our old milk bottles. Sorry, Mapleline Farm.)
Posted by kelseyfrost at 08:01 PM | Comments (0)
October 29, 2008
Lovely Obama video
Posted by kelseyfrost at 09:25 PM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2008
Surprise afternoon
I somehow managed to forget that Hampshire is on October Break until tomorrow, so I rushed home from the law office so I could catch the bus. Luckily, I looked at the syllabus before I left and figured out that I don't have to be there. Here's hoping I make some use of the time and read a couple of essays for at least one of my classes. So far, I've just been cleaning the house and watching movies, though. And in just under two hours, I have my evening class, so I'll have to figure out what to do with them.
Posted by kelseyfrost at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2008
On the transition from school to a job
I have to constantly remind myself that I don't need to check my work email after work. This is hard to remember and understand, so far.
Posted by kelseyfrost at 06:39 PM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2008
I don't care what Radar magazine says.
Classes started at Hampshire College yesterday. I'm teaching two Spanish courses, one beginner and one intermediate. I always forget this and am so happy to remember it: I fucking love Hampshire students. They're smart and motivated and weird in nerdy or too-cool ways, but totally and completely genuine and sweet about how nerdy or cool they are. And they want to speak Spanish, all the time in class. They work harder and care more than any other students I've taught. I'm pretty sure they don't think they're getting ripped off by their school
Posted by kelseyfrost at 04:09 PM | Comments (0)
September 02, 2008
A sad weekend and a nice weekend.
Dave and I spent a few days in Maine last week, first at a fly fishing camp with my mom and step-dad, as well as with Eliza and Brian, and my step-brother's family. While I didn't fish much, some others of us were very enthusiastic about it, getting up at 6:00 AM to take out the boat, or standing on the dock all day in hopes of getting a bite. No one caught anything worth keeping, apparently. If they had, I heard that the camp's kitchen with fry your catch up for your breakfast!
The weekend came, and we headed to Dexter for my grandfather's funeral. Which was sad, but also nice, because we got to hear and share memories of him and remember just how great he was.
Posted by kelseyfrost at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)
July 29, 2008
The most fascinating thing you'll read today.
Unemployment has given me plenty of time to make oatmeal in the morning. I tried for years to like those little packets of instant oatmeal, but it never worked. I've been working on figuring out the best things to add to steel cut oats for a while now, being a picky person who's not really into dried fruits or anything too sweet. This summer I have managed to find something I can have every day for breakfast-- which is a first for me. Once a week I make a big pot of oats, and every day I can have a bowl with a little agave nectar, fresh berries, and a splash of whole milk. The agave nectar is sweet, but not as sweet as honey, and the berries are the right mix of sweet and tart. I don't know what concoctions I'll come up with once berry season is over, but I'm looking forward to finding out!
Posted by kelseyfrost at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2008
catch up
You know how you go a long time without blogging, and then the pressure starts to build... and you start to think about the post you have to write about where you've been? Yeah, I'm looking for a job. That's where. There's something totally depressing about getting your advanced degree, finding the job that you never thought would be available, that you think is perfect for you and vice versa, and then not even getting past the phone interview. Yeah.
So, apart from hunting for jobs in a sad market, my flickr page should give a broad overview of where I've been. A loft was built, a craft space is in the works, and some folks got married. It's been a nice summer, over all. Despite the frightening lack of money...
I have been really enjoying not being a student anymore, though. I've gone with Dave on weekend Winterpills weekends, visited friends and family, and read a few fun (non-medieval) books.
And my sister got engaged! Woo! To this guy:
Posted by kelseyfrost at 10:28 AM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2008
Back from Spain.
I've been trying to work up to blogging since I got back from Spain. Let's see if this works!
Eliza and I had a good trip-- our first ever sister vacation! We spent a day and two afternoons/nights in Madrid, and the remaining five or six days in Cordoba. There were a few disappointments:
1. It was cold and rainy. I had promised Eliza that it would be sunny and hot. Why? Because I have been in Cordoba/Spain in May four times, and never has it rained! Never has it been cooler than 100-degrees out! I was beginning to doubt my memories, but all the native cordobeses assured us that this was not a normal May. We spent the week in the same jeans and sweaters and had to buy new, non-smelly clothes for the trip home.
2. Too much walking=injuries. I have some sort of tendon sprain in my knee, which kept me in pain for a lot of the trip and meant we spent one morning in a Cordoba clinic. Once I got my anti-inflammatory medications, I felt slightly better. What was I supposed to do? Not walk around? Eliza hurt her foot, too. We blame the deadly flip flops/cobblestones combination for her injury.
3. For a few days in Cordoba, we kept somehow not getting on the right food schedule. I don't know how it happened! So we'd end up hungry at the wrong times and unable to find anything to eat. Until our first really good lunch at the Patio de la Juderia restaurant, Eliza had a very grim outlook on Spanish food.
Other than that, though, it was a great time. We stayed with my friend Nadia (actually, with her aunt) in a house that was in a fantastic part of the city. I got to show Eliza my favorite things in Cordoba: the mosque, the gardens at the Real Alcazar, my old school, the windy streets, the Plaza de la Corredera, my favorite cafes and bars... We explored Madrid and went to the Reina Sofia museum, saw a lot of great contemporary art. We wrote an unbelievable number of postcards, which I can thank Eliza for, since I am never much of a postcard writer. And Eliza really improved in her Spanish that week-- especially with Nadia, who was a big factor in my own experience becoming a comfortable Spanish speaker. She never lets up, but in a friendly and funny way, to the point where we spent whole evenings with just the two of them talking to each other and Nadia saying, every time Eliza looked to me for help, "Your sister's not here! Ignore her!"
Plus, Eliza now likes olives. A big accomplishment.
Posted by kelseyfrost at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)
