Word of the Day: Chondola

Define Chondola:

a) Taco Bell's new beef & cheese offering

b) A mode of transportation

c) The dance craze that's sweeping the nation

d) Island nation off the coast of Brazil

If you guessed, b, you're correct! Turns out Sunday River is going to have North America's first high speed chair/gondola combination, or "chondola." (Why not, gondair?) Aside from looking pretty sweet, the chondola will combine a former 2 lift 2o minute journey into a one lift 7 minute jaunt. For photos and more information (including a blog, the Chondolog), check out: http://www.chondola.com/

"Blowin' and Burnin', Blinded by Thirst"

This graffiti is spray-painted on the sidewalk just across the street from the Dunkin Donuts in PO Square.

Life In the Fat Lane

The Dunkin Donuts is fairly new, so I'm not sure if the store or the graffiti came first. Either way, I get a kick out of watching people traipse across it. This is almost as good as the Pilgrim Hat Old School graffiti I've seen around the city. That never fails to make me smile.

Thompson Island 4K

Last Thursday, I ran in the 8th Annual Thompson Island 4K Trail Run. This race is a real treat!

• A lovely ferry takes takes you through the Harbor to the Island. Prior to running the race in 2006, my only harbor ride had been for a booze cruise fundraiser for someone's ski house. The boat was like a floating VFW; complete with tin foil trays of popcorn and pretzels. If memory serves me correctly, we were so hard up for entertainment that my friends & I paid someone $5 to eat a flaccid pickle that was leftover from the sandwich platter. (But that's another blog entry.)
  
• The ferry departs at 3:30, which means I departed work at 3.


• The race course goes through "204 acres of rolling hills, forests, meadows, salt marshes and beaches along the trails of Thompson Island. " (from ThompsonIsland.org)


• There's a 1.5 hour post-race BBQ on the island


• The race is sponsored by Harpoon, which flows freely during the post-race BBQ

Keith & Brad signed up for the beer, the race was just a detail

Trying to keep up with the boys

You have died of dysentery.

The Oregon Trail was my favorite elementary school computer game, but I also loved Number Munchers, Facemaker and PC Man (which was like Pac Man, only much more primitive.) Much to my delight, there's a pretty awesome version of the Oregon Trail on ThuleRoadTrip.com. There are fun updates, but the look and feel is the same. You can name your passengers, choose your vehicle, decide how many bags of food to buy, etc. The best part is that you can still hunt for food.

Not sure how Thule knows my husband so well...

A (Business) Casual Plea to Area Employers

Some time ago, I read an article that pointed to a study that found women's hemlines got longer or shorter depending on how well the economy was faring. In times of plenty, mini skirts are in; and in times of "scrimping and pinching to make ends meet" (shout out to Ramona Quimby) longer skirts are in fashion. Now, I just read that Putnam Investments has reverted back to a business formal dress code. The few times I've had to slog to work in a suit on the T have been terrible. Usually, I'm so wrinkled and sweaty by the end of the trip, that it looks like I've just completed a 5k. Also, suit pants and jackets are just so restrictive; I can buy suit pants 2 sizes too big and they'll still bunch and pull when I sit down. Nothing puts me in a worse mood than a waist line digging into my stomach while I'm sitting at my desk. Please please let this be just an unfortunate situation for Putnam and not for other Boston area financial institutions.

Bills Backers at the Harp

Nick and I are at the Harp, which is a Bills fan bar. They just scored, and the place went nuts. Unfortunately for Bills fans, such joy is usually short-lived, but maybe this is the year?
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Thanks, Mass Eye and Ear!!

This past April, I ran the 2008 Boston Marathon to raise money for the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. I can think of at least 4 doctors I've seen in 3 different departments at MEEI, so I was more than happy to raise money for a hospital whose wonderful services I can vouch for. Now, I am doubly thankful that I ran for Team Eye and Ear, because Nick had a surgical procedure done there yesterday. Every person we spoke to on staff was friendly and helpful; Nick said that he was even asked several times if his chair was comfortable enough for him in the recovery room. When I was in the Family Waiting Area while Nick was in surgery, his doctor actually came to introduce himself to me and to tell me that everything went smoothly and explained how to replace his bandages, if needed. That level of service really floored me. A couple of weeks ago, I signed up to run the 2009 Boston Marathon with Team Eye and Ear again, and now I'm especially motivated to meet my $6000 goal for 2009. Thank you, Mass Eye and Ear, for treating my husband so well!

Nick post-surgery, just chillin'...