the sun is shining! the birds are chirping! i am listening to nobuko imai’s version of mendelssohn viola works, but it wouldn’t really matter what she was playing because she’s my favourite. and i did pilates for the first time in forever, and amelia’s cooking something all sizzly and aromatic, and sodapop the turtle is paddling about with gusto — and gusto is always encouraging to see.

one week in this house and we’ve discovered that it gets freezing at night. it’s been pretty much freezing anyway; it’s not supposed to be forty degrees in may! but we have also discovered that family dinners are a huge success (amelia made tabouleh salad and falafels, amyboots made mushroom stroganoff, and i made linguine with fresh tomatos, basil, olives & feta). our cookbooks are stacked on the table and we spend our spare time leafing through them deciding what to make next week. i’ve learned how to cook and eat artichokes, how to store basil (not in the fridge – it turns black), and how to quickly peel fresh garlic cloves. and — all in one spectacular day — i got our plane tickets in the mail so now nick and i can really come home in june, and that provided me with proof of address so that i could get a library card!

and last night the pittsburgh symphony played haydn’s sixth, bartok’s divertimento for string orchestra, and tchaikovsky’s pathetique and it was so good. and nick declared that he should put blinders on me in the grocery store but how would he like it if i passed up an excellent deal just because i was so focused on getting only what i came for? we ended up having a lovely midnight snack of corndogs, combos, diet coke with lime, and ice cream. (his mom told me to fatten him up!)

the end.