Happy Birthday, Mom!

I can't really send you a hug or gift from 5,000 miles away, but know that I love you so much and I wish I could be there to celebrate with you!

Things that used to make up my life

I had a draft sitting in my posts, entitled "monotonous life things."  Likely, I had planned on wowing each of you with regales of those monotonous life moments that connect us all.  I even made a list:

getting gas
work
eating lean cuisines
drinking water (discuss new botle)
trimming toe nails
showering

That's right, I was going to discuss TRIMMING TOE NAILS.  Now, I can't fully attest to my state of inebriation, but I'm going to guess that I was sober.  So, it's a bit fortunate for each of you that I don't really think discussing this exact list in it's original form is all that interesting. (Or is it? Isn't it great that we all... have to trim our nails?)

Having been out of the USA for a whopping THREE DAYS (I know), it is the monotonous, routine things that I miss most.

Things like driving, and thus inevitably, stopping to get gas.  Or heating up my lunch in my office's kitchen, taking a few minutes to chat with the teams and people on the other side of the office and jockey for spots in the line for the microwave.  Drinking water, even from the tap if I wanted, whenever I wanted.

And from what I've heard, I'm going to be missing a good, warm shower soon, so for all of you about to enjoy your running water, just think of me, likely learning how to bucket shower and cover myself as fast as possible to avoid mosquito bites.

What routine parts of your day would you be most likely to miss if you're world was completely changed?

i got a bike!

it was a big day for the K5s here in the 'bode!  we visited the market to purchase traditional Khmer (pronounced kmai) clothes...

and even got our bikes for training!

we're really here, y'all!

How to Know You're In a Foreign Country

1. You're back is sore, likely from a long plane ride, and you're feet hurt from all that walking- why can't you just drive everywhere, including those four blocks, like you do back home?

2. You don't recognize most of the smells.  They usually involve, but are not limited to, new spices and foods, different body odors, and sometimes even human waste. Yay.

3. You're sick of what you're wearing, and you only have a few shirts to rotate through.

4. You have a ziploc bag full of dirty underwear. And only a sink to wash them in.

5. Somehow, you manage to go the whole day without eating a piece of candy and you ask yourself "why can't I be this focused/busy to avoid snacking in the states?"

6. You carry your camera around, only to realize you've really only taken 4 pictures of the backs of heads and architecture.

7. You have no idea when you're next chance at internet access will arrive.

Contributions encouraged and welcome.

Life without technology

Topher and I are almost to Cambodia, and the last few days have made me singularly grateful that I was too busy in our last month to enjoy social media and technology too much.  Not being able to blog as much, or be on Twitter or Facebook was great preparation for having no access so far!

I just finished a book for a BlogHer book review, so be on the look out for that soon!  And if you've read any Flannery O'Connor, I'd love any comments you have about her writing, person or style!

Have a great week, everyone!

Also be sure you're following my travel/peace corps blog for more consistent updates from the world of Cambodia (www.marshmellowtravels.blogspot.com.)

one night in bangkok

we've made it to Bangkok!  It's been an exhausting and exhilarating 48+ hours.  lots of attempts to sleep on planes (all 21 hours of those flights), some crappy movies, and lots of warmish airline food later, we've had a glorious night in a Bangkok hotel and our end is in sight.

now we're chilling in the Bangkok airport, awaiting the final flight.  lots of fun being had, clearly, as seen below.

the process has been pretty smooth so far, and it's been a whirlwind of names and faces.  so far, the entire K5 group of trainees, all 62 of us, seem pretty chill and ready for whatever's next.

there are 4 married couples (13% of the group), chris and i included, which is a somewhat high percentage, considering only about 8% of the corps is actually comprised of couples.

it's been a hectic few days- i actually have no idea how many days/hours have past- just that's been incredibly hard to figure out what day it is, what time zone we're in, and even- eep!- the birth control pill schedule when we essentially skipped over a 12-15 hour period. ha!

chris and i had a great final eve in the US- after our six hour flight, and only about three hours of sleep, we opted to not go out to dinner with others and just enjoyed a smattering of amazing food from whole foods.  it was a great final comfy american bed, and made the hours of flights somewhat better.

we've heard the next few days are about being a human pincushion and getting to know more about Cambodia and the PC.  wish us luck and i'll be back with more as soon as i can!

The Hallowed Hallows: How doth ye measure up, dear movie?

Let me just begin by saying that I am one of those Harry Potter fans that sees the merit and enjoys the movies for what they are- films, with actors, producers and creative directors with a vision or execution that is likely somewhat and/or completely different from what I imagine in my own mind, in my own little world of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and the rest of it.

Thus, I highly enjoyed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.  I've saved this quick review until I'd seen the film twice, and now that I have, I maintain a few things that I loved about Part I and II, and enjoy about the films in general.

In case it needs to be said, spoilers to follow, so don't read if you don't want to know.

To begin, I think we can all agree that it got a tad bit...trying to read on and on about months of camping.  When I envisioned the film, I was worried that they would prolong these months.  Luckily, the film(s) do a great job of making the story line a bit more exciting and fast paced.

I also highly enjoy how well the movies develop the visible relationship between Harry, Hermione and Ron.  While I truly feel and respect their friendship in the books, the filmmakers have taken the time to add in extra scenes that illustrate that which you only gain from reading the books in their entirety: the all encompassing love that the three share.  With little scenes throughout the films like the three laughing around the Gryffindor fire, teasing each other about writing during the summer, ad-libbing small comments here and there ("that was exciting!" "who are you and what have you done with Hermione?"), you can visualize them becoming like a family over those years at Hogwarts.

And I'll just say it: I'm a big fan of the Harry/Hermione dancing in the tent scene.  I thought it was adorable, reinforced their strong, but platonic, connection, and was incredibly heart felt.

While I don't like all of the changes they made to the film adaptation of book seven, in general, the choices felt sound.  They extended scenes I wish had been longer in the book- like the fight between Harry and Voldemort or Hermione and Ron venturing into the Chamber to gather basilisk fangs- and, in general, explained much of the premise: that love is what matters, and we should not fear death, as life without love is far worse.  Many of the scenes- though they lacked critical book components- were exactly as I imagined, such as Harry's moment of "death" where he ventures to "King's Cross", speaks with Dumbledore and sees what Voldemort is to become, and the battlefield of Hogwarts (so many spells, and giants and acromantulas galore! Perfect!)

And yet.

I do so wish that we could have flushed out all of the horcruxes in the sixth film so that the film audience knew that we were seeking a golden cup, that we could have heard the story of Dumbledore and Grindelwald so that we could have seen Dumbledore apologize to Harry in "King's Cross" and this all could have felt a bit more "whole circle."  The films don't even dive into the mistrust and anger Harry felt toward Dumbledore during the entire book- and it's so crucial to the student- Harry- coming into his own.

More importantly, I so wish Dudley, Pettigrew, Percy and Kreacher could have had their moments and scenes of redemption. Kreacher becomes a favorite in the middle of the Deathly Hallows, with the true understanding we gain of his disposition, and Pettigrew loosening his grip and then losing his own life because of remorse is SO KEY! And it wouldn't have taken much to show it all!

In part II, the return to the headmaster's office, with a wrap up with Dumbledore was sorely missed.  That moment of catharsis, of Harry greeting Dumbledore and sharing their common success is so- sorely missed. Why, in heaven's name, couldn't Harry have mended his wand with the Elder Wand as we know he does?

Finally, I have to note that Alan Rickman (Snape) ended up carrying this film franchise in so many ways.  He executed Snape's character, cold demeanor, unending love for Lily, and general persona SO WELL.  It was his scenes in the final film that had me most connected emotionally.

All that being said, I cried throughout about half of the film, so they must have conveyed the sentiments and feelings of the books well.  I can hardly believe that we HP fans don't have anything to set our sights on to look forward to, beyond Pottermore.

And lastly, the fourth movie is by far my least favorite.  If you watch the film, you'd think the only thing that happened that year was the Triwizard Tournament.  Granted it was important, but shiz happened between the second and third task, y'all!

I'll leave it there.  Your thoughts or comments on the eighth film, or any of them, really?

And suddenly it all becomes real

This may seem silly to some, but it really hit me today that Topher and I are actually, truly, really...

moving

to

another

country

for

over

two 

years.

That's approximately 800+ days; nearly 20,000 hours.  

A lot can happen in twenty thousand hours.  

This all hit me yesterday as we said goodbye to Topher's family.  It was as if all of the apprehension and excitement became sadness, with a twinge of worry.  The most bittersweet of feelings.

As I hugged Topher's little brother, it was sort of like that feeling that movies always describe that come with impending death- that whole idea of your life passing in a series of images and memories before your eyes.  Except this time, it was as though I could see the next two years of his life passing, in my absence.  I had to hold back the words "happy birthday" as I imagined him turning 21 without us there to help celebrate; "happy graduation" as I envisioned him walking across the stage, as we'll most likely miss his college graduation; "congrats!" as I saw him voting for the first time in a presidential election.  In the end, the seconds and images were gone, as I managed to eek out a simple "goodbye."

There's a lot of excitement and hope and exhilaration as we enter the last week in the U.S., but it's widely mixed with the love we have for our family and the entrenched pain we have in leaving them for two years.  I'm not looking forward to the next five days thinking about how much we already miss them, nor saying goodbye to my parents and Boomer on Friday.

Despite the heavy, it was a wonderful weekend with family- quite perfect, in fact.  Here's to more "lasts" for the time being, and a lot of packing!

Going Cold Bird

I have a blackberry.  Last week, while visiting my family, I regularly drained my mother's droid's battery playing, what else: Angry Bird!

I had never played this addicting game, and now, I can't get enough.  I think I've figured out a way to download an offline version, because, of course, I'm addicted now that I'm one week away from no longer having a smartphone and internet at my fingertips every moment.

I seriously love the yellow and black birds, and seriously cringe whenever I see that I have to use the white birds.  And now the red birds just seem boring.  I think these are signs that I've internalized this little game a bit too much.

Suggestions for going cold turkey with angry birds?

Topher Marsh and the Deathly Hallows

For the last week, darling Topher has been going on about this secret gift that he purchased for me.  He has been worried that it wouldn't arrive "in time."

I thought in time meant before our plane took off next week; but really, it was in time for this Friday.

Why?

Well, something very exciting comes out Friday.  Or really, tonight, at midnight, for many people.

I saw a version of this in SkyMall, many months ago.  Topher remembered and had one made to order by an artist.

So for all you HP fans ringing in movie 8 at midnight, enjoy! And don't tell me what they get right or wrong- I'll be seeing it on Friday, while hopefully people are at work.

And the whole time, I'll be spinning my resurrection stone around my elder wand, in my cloak, praising the world for that man called my husband that knows that this amazing, handmade piece of jewelry is exactly what I DREAM of.  Thank you hubbsy-diddles!

Happy Harry Potter day and week, all!

No Shame

Sometimes, when I sit at home alone, I engage in not-so-secret single behavior.  I do things that I also normally do around Topher but drives him nuts.

As in, I sit on the floor and paint my own toenails.  And I don't care if the fumes make me lightheaded. I kind of like it.

As in, I look spent countless hours looking up better recipes to pair with previous baked items.

As in, I watch a movie that I just watched two weeks before just because I LOVE IT SO MUCH IT MAKES ME LAUGH SO HARD EVERY TIME I EVEN THINK ABOUT WATCHING IT.

And that is what this post is truly about.

Movies that I not-so-secretly ADORE AND LOVE AND WANT TO HAVE STREAMING ALL THE TIME.

Things that every time it's "my turn" (heh, which happens pretty frequently...how odd!) to choose a movie, Topher has to add "and please not ________ or _________, we JUST watched those."

Do you have a guess on what these two movies are?  Many of my friends have engaged in this guessing game, usually throwing out movies like:

The Notebook- Image Source

or

Sex and the City (1 not 2, you crazy?)- Image Source

But it's none of the above.  In fact, the two movies I can watch at ANY GIVEN MOMENT are movies that Topher and I agree were not really written, produced or marketed for my demographic.  And yet, I CRAVE these movies and their humor.

I use sentences from them in everyday language, and very few but Topher will realize that I'm quoting them- "PANTS AT A TIME LIKE THIS?"  "TIGERS LOVE PEPPER!" and "YOU SOUND LIKE YOU'RE FROM LONDON!" and also "I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH STICKING YOU! I WILL EQUALIZE YOU!" (except, well, when I use more infamous references, such as to my "wolf pack" or the like.)

So, if you tell me that your watch-any-time movies include either of the titles below, you're welcome in my home at any given time.

The Hangover- Image Source

and

Forgetting Sarah Marshall- Image Source

What are your watch-anytime movies? Anyone a Hangover and FSM fan?

what, doesn't your family watch movies like this?

Topher and I just returned from a week in sunny, humid and hot North Carolina with my parents, brother and sister-in-law, and it was WONDERFUL!  It was pretty much the best week ever to be given three weeks before we move, and I'm so grateful we had the time (though it SPED by.)

While there, we engaged in everyday, normal family activities.  You know, we exchanged witty (and sometimes tired?!) banter over coffee on the sunporch, drank wine (and lots of it), hung on the beach (some of us...ahem, the men...attempted to fish), tried to outsmart one another in board games, and of course, fell asleep on the couch while we watched some TV.

Including a viewing of the SCARIEST MOVIE EVER (I shat you not, it terrifies me):

SIGNS
swing away, Merrill.

(Oh, M. Night, how you used to haunt my dreams.)

We insisted on protecting our minds from alien takeover as well.  As it turns out, my parents (you know, the engineer/teacher and nuclear physicist) and brother (the public health graduate) have one weakness and fear:

potential foreign bodies taking over our world and the risk of them stealing our thoughts via our brains.

So, precautions must be taken.

I'm happy to report:

all brains remain in their prior cavities, safe and sound.

Preparing for the Last...Baked Good

As our departure date for Cambodia grows ever closer, I find myself pondering completely inane things.

Such as, what should my final baked good be?  What should I prepare in my lovely butter yellow stand KitchenAid mixer before I don't have access to this lovely equipment for two years?

I could go for an old standby: peanut butter candy.  These aren't really candy- it's crunchy and peanut butter and chocolate bars, but where I grew up, our school district made these little bars and I lurved them!  This is the recipe I use.

Or a new favorite chocolate cake that I've made a few times, and posted about here:

Or something I've yet to make, like this amazingness Amanda posted at kevinandamanda a few weeks back, called Chocolate Chip Cookie and Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar.  Um, YES?!

Or how about homemade twix bars from Hoosier Homemade?

Or I could go for broke and attempt to NOT fail at cheesecake, as I did a few weeks ago:

If you had a last meal or last dessert to make for two years, what would you pick? Suggestions?

In which the one most afraid of fire and fireworks is the only one to burn herself.

In the spirit of brutal honesty, I present the following video for your Wednesday viewing pleasure.  It should be noted that:

a) I realize I am acting like a complete dork in this, spelling out love messages in sparkler and embodying Hermione;
b) any inappropriate comments are made by my older brother-- I have no control over him, and ask you to please not remain offended by any statements made herein;
c) I am the one most fearful of all things fireworks and I am the one who purchased the sparkler's as a 'safe alternative'

Enjoy.

One Year Anniversary

I can hardly believe that yesterday was the one year anniversary of this here blog, and I didn't even have time to pause and acknowledge it!

I've been thinking about what I'd say for a few weeks, but now, here that I am at the anniversary, I'm at a loss.  I've been so out of it that I didn't even realize that a vlog topic I thought up that I've been excited about was put out in the universe for yesterday (your favorite "sick day" movies!)

Yesterday was the last day of work for Topher and me.  Today is (supposed to be) a packing up day and getting ready for lots of family time.  

Last night to celebrate that we are no longer actually employed, we went to dinner at this amazing restaurant in Silver Spring- I had the BEST Ginger Lime Martini.  I wish I'd gotten a picture- but trust me, yum.

Topher also had a little surprise in the form of a FLIP CAM for me! I've been wanting one to take quick clips of our adventures for the next two years, and he got me one!  So expect fun little snippets in coming weeks.

It's officially three weeks until we move to Cambodia... I guess I ought to start packing!  Enjoy a little Boomer face in the mean time.

Happy July everyone!

The Time I Accidentally Laser-Tag-Gun PistolWhipped a Kid on His Birthday and Made Him Cry and Bleed

Yep, that pretty much sums up that story.

Oh, except, because I felt SO HORRIBLE I tried to make it better by..

wait for it...

BUYING HIM CANDY.

Yes, I thought somehow candy from a stranger would make it better.

And I'm done.