Wondering

Sorry for my prolonged absence, friends. I know you were all just waiting on the edge of your seats for me to update. Well, now that I have a brief (rare) lull in my work, I can share with you some of my recent adventures.

The new job is going well. I was absolutely terrified on my first day: scared I might screw up, scared I'd screw up and ruin my boss's day, scared I'd screw up and ruin the Chief's life, etc. However, the girl who had the position before me has come in twice to show me the ropes and help me figure out all the little details. She's been a lifesaver. I'm jealous of the fact that she left the job so she could go to India for at least four months and set up an environmental policy program at a school there with one of her friends from college. Someday I'll get to do cool things like that, too.

The Chief is hilarious and one of the most brilliant guys I've ever met (as is necessary when you're a world-leader in Immunology research). He believes in yelling in place of intercoms, and often requests green tea in the afternoons. I think I'm going to like it here very much, though that doesn't mean I don't still live in fear of screwing up. I've just gotten better at hiding it.

This past weekend saw some very fun events. Friday night I got to see Dylan for the firs time since mid-May. God, that boy has grown! He's now standing on his own and running around like a speed demon in plane pajamas. He can even eat entire peaches on his own (one of the cutest things ever, as long as you take it away before he eats the pit). And the faces he makes! He's at the point where he can understand what's being said to him, but can only respond non-verbally. So basically, if you say something he doesn't like, he give you a frowny-"you're crazy" face. He screeches a lot, too, meaning he's right on the verge of speech but gets so excited to say something he just lets out sound instead of words. I'll be seeing a lot more of him as the summer winds down and fall heads towards us.

On Saturday night, Yuval and I went to his parents' annual BBQ, which was mostly overrun with friends of his sisters' from HS. I was intimated by their brazen hookah-smoking, something I've never done. But there were also some adult-types there, family friends, who were very engaging. I met a Greek man who worked at the company that, back in the 70's, invented what we now call "e-mail." He also invited Yuval (and I) to his annual lamb roast in September. Though I won't be eating the lamb (as I don't eat any baby animals of any kind), I will be partaking in the roasted chicken and other sundry items. I'm told it will be the most delicious meat I will ever have in my life.

Sunday saw me try something I've never done before: fly in small, one-engine aircraft. Yuval's Dad, Tsachi, is certified to fly one-prop, single engine planes, and so he took the two of us up in a Piper Cherokee Warrior III towards North Adams in the Berkshires. His mom had made plans for us to see an exhibition of Australian performance art called "Swoon!" at the Mass. Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA), so she and his sisters' drove there while we flew. It took me a good 20 minutes to stop being terrified of the way the plane swooped and trembled with every tiny gust of wind: nothing reminds you you're 4,000 feet in the air quite like a small plane. But it became a game to see how the wind would blow us about, and I ended up enjoying the flight immensely. Plus, western MA is beautiful from the air. The performance itself was short, but amazing. Made me want to go back in time to Movement for the Actor and introduce the concept of 15 ft. bendy poles for us to strap ourselves onto. If Australia's Strange Fruit are ever anywhere near you, go see them! Totally worth it. Daniel Kramer would flip out over them.

And that's all I got. I need to get back to work anyhow, seeing as this is the longest break I've ever taken in my almost-week on the job. Hospital's are busy place, dudez!

Read
The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) by Jonathan Stroud
Larklight by Philip Reeve
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation by M.T. Anderson

Seen
Deadwood: Season 3
Maxed Out