Best of Long Distance Lobsters November 2011

Is it just me, or was November a busy month? I can't blame you if you had some trouble keeping up with our blog, even I did at times! So, in case you'd like a quick way to catch up, here are some of the post highlights:

Most Clicked:

1) Happy Belated Halloween

2) Happy 200 Day! [hm, that's kinda meta!] 3) Remembering 4) first snow 5) love list for eiley grace

Most commented:

1) Traditiooooon! TRADITION!
2) methods of (anti)madness
3) Movie Review Monday #28: Parenthood
4) And a lot of posts tied for 4th

Some topics to look forward to in October:

1) Christmas!   

2)   More Movies and their reviews from Emily

3)   The Regeneration Trees photo series on Human Trafficking by Zoe

4)   Poorly written movie moments by Emily

5)   Reviews on some books you might want to add to your Christmas wish list, by Zoe

Fill us in if you have some requests for topics you'd like us to write one, or if there are any posts of which you've been particularly fond and would like to see more of.

Thanks for reading Lobsters!

White . . . Thanksgiving?

 

Not that I even expect my Christmas to be white, but I must admit I was a little thrown to get a white THANKSGIVING this year! 

After some of my family's favorite breakfast, piggies-in-a-blanket and scrambled eggs with cheese, we headed out for a walk in the woods. 

Despite the fact that this is a walk Sofia and I take every couple of days, it felt brand new even for us, as we were introducing my family to our little routine. 

Everything was blanketed in white, the water was frosted over, and the sound of the wood was both dampened and freshly crunchy. 

The chaos of a busy kitchen awaiting us wafted away so quickly as we wandered through the peaceful woods. 

doesn't it just look like glitter raining down?

There was something magical about this Thanksgiving. I think it has something to do with the magic of Sofia. Despite the fact that it was the first time my family had all been in Maine together, there was something profoundly integrating about the experience. I grew up traipsing through woods with my family in Conroe, eating snow with my lil sis in Winter Park, watching my mom work wonders in the kitchen. And while There was a sense in which this Thanksgiving was all new, it seemed at the same time to be a synthesis of some of the most special moments, places, and people in my life.

Back from the woods, we got into the kitchen and got to work. Everything seemed to come along seamlessly, and even in a relaxing way, despite having six cooks in the kitchen. [likely due to my mother's culinary wizardry] So we leisurely prepared the meal. With multiple appetizers to keep us satiated, it was no problem when the turkey needed an extra hour to cook. We were all able to just enjoy the time together. Of course it did not hurt having Sofia for entertainment.

Eventually we were all able to sit down for a lovely meal together. And not too soon after, because this is how far north we live, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset just outside our windows. Despite a toddler running all around, this was one of the more peaceful Thanksgivings I can remember. Perhaps it had something to do with this integration of life experiences and people coming together, perhaps that made this holiday feel like home. Perhaps that means Maine is becoming home to me. 

Movie Review Monday #29: The Muppets

I would not describe myself as a die hard Muppet fan. I just don't have the encyclopedic knowledge that some people have in order to qualify. I am, however, a die hard Muppet Christmas Carol fan, which passes me off as a solid fan of the Muppets as a whole. 


The Muppets was released (were released?) on Thanksgiving Day, but we were too busy playing pass the baby in California to watch it/them. When we got back to Virginia, I realized that if we didn't see the film soon, I was going to start resenting Eiley and her inability to remain quiet in a theater/babysit herself. So I asked our friends Mike and Sandy if they might be willing to watch her while we indulged in some movie-going. They agreed! 


Observations:

1. The Muppets are so nice. They actually comment on how nice they are at one point in the film, and all you can do is agree. Kermit, you are one stand up frog. (And Fozzie, you are one stand up [comedian] bear. Wocka wocka!) I wish more comedy was this pure, simple, and light.

2. There were oodles of cameos. Jeff, Chadley and I played "guess how many cameos there will be" and I had the highest guess, and I won. I love winning. My favorite cameo was probably Neil Patrick Harris - it was so quick, I couldn't help but think that he and Jason were on the HIMYM set and one day Jason said "Hey, Neil, want to come be in my movie today?" Wait, scratch that. My favorite was the actor they chose to portray the man version of Walter the Muppet. You'll see.

3. Rashida Jones was hilarious. She was the most cynical character in the film, but she was somehow still so cute. 

4. Speaking of cute, I really wish I had Amy Adams' character's wardrobe. It was similar to Emma Pillsbury's, but flouncier.

5. The music was delightful. I loved the opening/closing number, "Life's a Happy Song." Jeff loved - and related to - "Man or Muppet." 
6. 80s robot was one of the characters. Cracked me up every time I saw him. Especially since they called him "80s robot."
7. Jason Segel, you are so brilliant and adorable.


In conclusion, two fuzzy felt claws up, Lobsters!

Sabbath Sunday #29

This Sunday, my little family enjoyed a wonderful concert of Andrew Peterson's "Lamb of God" Christmas album performed live by a band that did not include Andrew Peterson. I forgot how wonderful live music could be! Sofia wouldn't put up with being in the nursery today, but that's ok, because that meant we all got to enjoy it together, which was actually great. For the rest of the afternoon, I finally started getting my life back in order post-Thanksgiving hubub, and am enjoying relaxing away the last few minutes of the weekend.

How did you find rest today, Lobsters?

P.S. Happy 11 month's to my baby girl today! I can't believe she's almost ONE!

Snapshot Saturday #29 Layers

I was captivated by this texture and color. 

poorly written movie moments: part two

A husband and wife relax on a couch, exhausted after a day of travel. Their newborn flails and coos on the couch next to them, surrounded by her adoring great-grandmother, great-aunt, great-grandfather, and second cousin. The husband and wife close their eyes, just as baby's grandfather starts to play his guitar and grandmother sings a worship song. 

Hallmark movie? Lifetime? OWN? No, no, no. This little scene happened on Thanksgiving Day when everyone was meeting Eiley for the first time. I actually sat there thinking about how cheesy the whole scene was. How I would gag if I saw this in a Christian film. How my sister and I would mock it all. How Kirk Cameron should really be in the room, fawning over the baby with my grandma and singing with my mom. 


I might have teared up just a little bit because it also happened to be a completely genuine moment. And hey, I was jet lagged. Shut up about it.

Eating with Zoe: The Coffee Shop Edition

or: "A love story told in coffee shop recommendations:"


I can remember standing on tippy toes, peering over the counter just enough to be able to look down into my father's coffee mug. As he poured the cream into the deep brown, the white billows would rise up and swirl. Even before I learned to like the taste of coffee, I loved the aesthetic experience. It was a simple but romantic nightly ritual that my parents shared. My own enjoyment of coffee began in eighth grade with regular visits to Dietrich's (which sadly no longer exists outside of the keurig cup distribution). But the romance of the drink did not come for some time later.


I married a man who did not drink coffee. I brought my coffee maker into our marriage, but for years had to use it alone. Until one night, we had our friends, Faith and Erick, over to our place. As I made some coffee for the rest of us, Erick remarked with great shock at how Manny, a graduate student no less, wasn't drinking any with us. Manny is the last person to let peer pressure force his behavior. But when I mentioned to Erick how drinking coffee together was, in my mind, such a romantic ideal, Manny picked up on it, and resolved to learn to love coffee for my sake.


This 180 degree switch felt romantic enough to me. I felt heard and loved. But it was a switch that kept on giving, as coffee has facilitated so many romantic experiences for us since Manny's conversion. As students studying together for hours on end in cafe's, as parents finding the liquid strength to open our eyes to yet another day that comes too early, as two people in love relishing one another's company, Manny and I have greatly enjoyed exploring all the flavors and aromas of some good cups of joe.


Our caffeinated journey has taken us to several establishments that hold fond memories for us and perhaps some fun recommendations for YOU!


In Santa Barbara, there are a handful of cool coffee shops, but our hang out was always the Coffee Cat. Being pre-coffee-conversion for Manny, he always ordered the Calico Cat - a peanut buttery chocolately glass of goodness that they rarely ever actually had the ingredients for on hand.


In and around Berkeley, the coffee shop you frequent is an important part of your public identity. This was too much pressure for us, and also parking is a pain near campus, so we generally stayed off the beaten paths and just found our own humble little hang outs. 33 Revolutions, a record store/concert venue/cafe/coffee shop was one of our first favorites - great open atmosphere for studying - but it has since gone out of business, I'm sad to say.


Other shops where we spent hours upon hours reading, studying, and writing theses included:

• Tomate Cafe Great breakfast and lunch too!
• Buttercream Doesn't the name just make you want to go? The owner is beautifully invested in the local community of Albany, and you can feel it in the vide of the place. Delightful spot for a tea time treat!
• Blue Bottle Coffee Wanna feel cool in the Bay Area? Drink Blue Bottle Coffee. We enjoyed cups of Blue Bottle at the Ferry Building Farmers Market, but our most memorable romantic moment was at the Oakland cafe - one of our first coffee shop dates unencumbered by back packs and laptops - this was a treat we regret not partaking of more! 

One characteristic about San Diego that I adored was how often you could find public spaces where older men tended to congregate on a routine basis to hang out. It made me feel like I was in Italy, visiting the piazzas. Something about all the military bases being there perhaps. Anyways, Manny and I often found these men lounging around the coffee shops we frequented and I often had trouble focussing on my work of the day because I was so intrigued by ease dropping on the men chattering about their lives, politics, cars, weather, what have you. Not necessarily all old-men-hang-outs, but a couple of our favorite coffee places in San Diego were:

• Zumbar High quality coffee - love the hummingbird roast!
• The Living Room Yummy pastries, cozy atmosphere, ocean view [though just a sliver] - this was probably my favorite hang out spot in SD and the site of this precious moment. 

Now we're in Maine and trying to discover our new favorite coffee shops. So far we've thoroughly enjoyed the following spots and look forward to warming up at each of them throughout the long winters!

• Bohemian Coffee
• Little Dog
• Frontier Cafe 

What rituals do you find romantic, Lobsters? What are your favorite coffee hang outs? How many of you are concerned that I might have a caffeine addiction?