Pictures!

We forgot to mention - bell hooks visited OSU.
Ally got to chat with her, lucky ducky.
Top: Vintage store photo op
& Schmidt's Sausage Haus
Bottom: Kitten Mittens & bell hooks

Happy December!

Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving, Colloquium, Winter, Religious What Not and New Years. (We had some catching up to do and I figured, why not go for all of em). It's been a while since we last posted about our life here in Columbus but don't worry its mostly because we got busy. Ally is almost completely over her mono, her energy is still sapped sometimes but she's doing well. I got a job, so we can eat which is awfully nice. I work for county government logging things like voter registration forms and making sure people aren't getting food assistance in Ohio and Florida. I'm also in the midst of applying to doctoral programs and hiding from sallie mae. (what fun!). I was a robot for Halloween, Ally was pirate wearing a pumpkin hat. We had a vegan Thanksgiving with some fellow Boston - Columbus transplants. We also had a second Thanksgiving meal a couple of days later with some new friends because I demanded ham. We also now have a real honest to goodness bed (like adults) and let me tell you friends, sleeping in a bed is so much better than sleeping on... anything else really.

Sara Kleman gets a triple gold star medal for being the first friend to visit us. My brother visited too but he didn't stay over so he only gets a silver medallion. Sara also made the cats' booties and went with us to a sausage buffet. (Don't worry, pictures will be forthcoming). A sausage buffet? you say, 'who ever heard of such a thing?' Yes yes, that is perhaps what happens when you combine a historically German enclave (called German Village over here) with the Midwest (who doesn't love lots of (fill in the blank) at the low low price of (fill in the blank)). Probably won't be going there again, at least not for the buffet, but it was certainly a fun time plus there was a candy store down the block with the same chocolate covered marzipan that relatives in Germany sent my family when I was little.

Let's see what else? We miss you guys! We got cable last week and we wish we could invite you all over for a proper Bravo marathon. Bob is having a hard time understanding why he shouldn't stick his nose in our mood lighting (he keeps burning his whiskers) but otherwise the boys are doing well. We are both going back east for the holidays - Ally is off to Portland and I'm off to NYC. We wish you all a fabulous and healthy New Year and we promise to keep posting. Apparently Columbus's zoo is freaking amazing and there is a Chihuly exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art. Who doesn't like pictures of animals and pretty glass sculptures? Better not be you!

Out and About

Alrighty, things are in swing here in Columbus and we have some photos to prove that we don't stay home with the cats all day. Ally looking in awe at the OSU library, myself enjoying a two dollar milkshake, oh and frat row which we don't live far from. We actually got out this weekend, saw some of the nightlife of Columbus and got a little tipsy. (fyi mono plus alcohol, maybe not the best combo). Anywho, if any of ya'll come out to Columbus we recommend Jenni's Homemade Ice Cream, (seriously, seriously good), Club Diversty (for way strong martinis, pleasant older gentlemen, free popcorn and live jazz), and perhaps Lemongrass, which we haven't been to yet but we've heard the monsoon shrimp is banging. Still looking for work, going on interviews, trolling the internet and biking around town. Accidentally biked into the crimson wave that is OSU right before a game this Saturday. I wasn't wearing red. It was scary.

Its cold.

Its so cold, Dizzy is using eminent domain to take over my lap. Bob got tired of Dizzy trying to sit on him and left. Its okay boys, its not like I'm working or anything...

The weather has changed here in C-Bus...

Yup. That's right. Yesterday I was standing at my bus stop, buttoning my coat against the wind that was making foul whistling noises through the plexi-glass shelter and thinking about how it almost feels like New England. Granted, in New England right now I would be wearing a hoodie underneath my light coat (as opposed to the light-weight work shirt I am wearing) and wondering where I stashed my smart wool socks that I would be needing in a matter of weeks. That said, the change in weather, now that the humidity has taken flight, has energized me for school. I am feeling better--the mono just makes me tired now, as opposed to waking up, aching, and feeling in general like I want to die. This development in health has led Cat and I to explore Columbus a little bit more.

On Friday night we actually went on a date. We found this little one-screen movie theatre in Clintonville (a neighborhood North of us, just past campus) that serves beer on draught and sandwiches so you can eat and drink during your movie. There is also an old Pac Man machine, which apparently, Cat RULES at playing. (I blame my sisters for hogging the only Pac Man machine we ever came in contact, which was at our dentist office, for my own poor performance). So Cat had some kind of IPA and I had a Root Beer on tap as we split veggie sub and watched 500 Days of Summer. It was a perfect evening, it turns out. BUT our last bus came at 9:30 or something, so if we had gone to a later show than the 7:00 showing, we would have needed to cab it home. One downside of Columbus's cheap public transportation.

We were also able to get to a Sunday Brunch since Cat last wrote. We walked the two blocks downtown looking for some place for eggs and coffee and stumbled upon the apparently immensely popular North Star, which has outdoor patio seating, an ordering-your-entrees-at-the-counter system, and locally-grown, organic, and humanly-raised food. I got the pancakes and a carrot juice, Cat got a mushroom frittata and a tea. She couldn't figure out how the loose-tea contraption came out of the mug, but after a minor faux-pas, a nice staff person helped her. The food was kind of expensive ($30 for the two of us to eat) but the atmosphere lovely and the entrees tasty.

Otherwise, I am muddling through my first classes, trying to fit in napping and full nights of sleep in between reading, course-planning, and attempts to make friends. All in all, things are looking up and the wind can't keep me down!

Some general observations...

Hi folks! Mono update: Ally stayed home from her first day of teacher training today because she couldn't fathom expending the energy to get to campus. This is a good thing! She needs to rest before her actual classes. Her fevers haven't been as extreme but she still needs to sleep about 18 hours a day.
Other observations...
Columbus is a sports town, I believe we mentioned this. Those of you that are living or have lived in Red Sox Nation have an idea of what that is like. This last weekend was the big game between OSU and USC. Ally and I happened to go out to get ice cream the afternoon before the game. Everyone, and I really mean everyone, was wearing buckeye apparel. Old people, young people, dogs, toddlers, everyone. Except me of course, I was wearing my pink monster t-shirt. We felt lucky that Ally had put on her red head scarf before heading out. Having procured our ice cream, we basically made a bad choice and walked back home through the greek houses. I have never seen so much beer pong happening (on people's front lawns) at 3 in the afternoon. Anywho, lots of people had their barbecues going and flags waving, basically it felt like a holiday. I am actually looking forward to going to a game sometime (when Ally can stay awake) for the experience of being with that kind of crowd and maybe even to see some good football. I'm (slightly - to be honest I don't give a hoot about football) sad to report that OSU lost to USC that evening. Don't worry friends, they'll bounce back.

Why we haven't posted.

Where are the pictures? The stories of Ally getting lost and Cat wandering off..? Well friends, here is the update.
Day 1: After our bobblehead breakfast we sent Prema and Matt off on their own journey back home, not asking them to help with the Uhaul unloading. The breakdown of the Uhaul en route and the drive itself were all we could ask of that fabulous pair. We unloaded two thirds of the Uhaul and get tired, cranky, and itchy.
Day 2: We finish unloading the Uhaul. We ice Cat's ankle, which she twisted on what we suspect is a buckeye nut on the lawn and rest. We discover our box spring will not fit up the stairs to the bedroomor down the basement stairs out of sight. We sleep on a mattress in our new room (with air conditioning!) and dream of an Ikea bed.
Day3: We return the Uhaul, get a rental car, and treat ourselves to Vietnamese food in the Short North (artsy district).
Day 4:We spend way too much money at Target (yay vacum ) and then treat ourselves to a movie. Ally is tired, Cat is still itchy.
Day 5: We get some use out of the rental car, exploring German Village. German Village includes a book store with 32 rooms of books, none of which Ally wants to buy, and a Jewish deli that the NY times wrote up. We get sandwiches and pickles. Cat is happy. We conclude that cobblestones = $$$ judging from German Village and Beacon Hill.
Day 6: We find Trader Joes in a strip mall- like area of upper Columbus. Ally thinks it is ritzy since its near Lord & Taylors. We stock up on wine having discovered that our corner liquor store has way more varieties of Alize then wine.
Day 7: After returning the rental car we decide to see how long it takes to walk to the part of campus Ally will have classes. We think it takes 25 minutes but neither of us have watches. After the walk, Ally is exhausted, so we stop in the library for an iced coffee. The library is new and impressive. We then swing by the north side of campus to pick up a router at Radioshak. Cat gets a 2 dollar gigantic milk shake at United Dairy Farmers for the walk home through the area with all the scary greek houses. Cat says its just like the beginning of Legally Blond (the movie), (it is!). Returning home, Ally feels achy and feverish and discovers her temp is 99.7. Her mom tells her "You're fine."
Day 8: Ally's fever escalates to 101. Cat puts together the kitchen cart and bookshelf we bought at Ikea.
Day 9: Ally tries to put together a bookshelf, fails, and asks for Cat's help. Fever still hovers at 101. Cat makes her take Advil and makes her vegetable soup.
Day 10: Ally's fever hits 102.2. She becomes increasingly pathetic and neurotic.
Day 11: We discover that no clinics are open Labor Day weekend. Cat goes on a long walk, discovers North Market (an indoor, multi-vendor food market with nice cheese and other tasty bits), the Dollar Tree (candy!), and a lovely park with really large lilies.
Day 12: Ally's fever hits 102.7. We worry. Cat's computer refuses to work.
Day 13: Cat goes to the genius bar in Easton. The genius cannot help and so her computer is mailed away and her credit card is that much more worn. Ally's fever goes down, then goes back up.
Day 14: Ally goes to the health center. She finds out she has mono. Cat asks her where she got mono. Ally has no answer. Ally then goes to meet her mentor to talk about the class she'll be shadowing. Then she goes home and sleeps for 4 hours.
Day 15: Ally's toothbrush moves out of the toothbrush holder. Cat vacuums. Diz eats an unknown amount of butter and is banished to the basement.

We made it!

We are actually in Columbus, in our house and we even went grocery shopping yesterday! We are extremely grateful for all the moving help - could not have done it without you guys!! Thank you to the moving crew, which made moving two apartments in one day possible and, of course, the driving crew, who went waaaay out of their way on their vacation to get us safely to Columbus. Bob and Diz keep walking around and meowing ('where are we? what's all this stuff? can we eat it?). They look a little bit like walking dust mops at the moment because they've been traipsing around the basement. We can't get the box spring upstairs but we are happy to say that the house is pretty nice. We're a 5 min walk to the grocery store and another few to campus. Had a classic diner breakfast at Jack and Benny's today- was a little startled to see the OSU bobble-head display (the entire team watched us eat). OSU stuff is everywhere, I even came across some OSU buckeye salsa while food shopping. Will be finishing up with the Uhaul and exploring Cbus by rent-a-car today. Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures. For now I'll just leave you with this one. Bob's been leaning against me while I write this on our newly assembled couch. Cheers!

Reflection on the Boston Harbor Islands--7 Days until THE MOVE

So Cat started this blog last night, which I think is a rather swell idea, if for no other reason, it keeps us distracted from the bursting poison ivy sores that we both contracted last weekend camping on the Boston Harbor Islands.

Camping on the Harbor Islands has become a sort of tradition for us the past two years in Boston, ever since my friends Sean and Stacy came down for a visit with a list of cheap fun things we could do in the city. Since I know Sean and Stacy from our days of sharing residency on a lobstering island off the coast of Maine, island-hopping in the Harbor seemed like a natural excursion. I invited my school-friend Cat to come along on this first camping trip because, being a city girl, I knew she had never experienced the juices of a hot dog sweating from the stick on which its roasting over the campfire. So we packed our gallons of water (one gallon per person per day), food (instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal, instant coffee, fresh veggies, s'more fixings), tents, sleeping bags, and water bottle full of rum. The first night on the island, Cat was like a jabbering 8-year-old, too scared to sleep in the island's rustle (note: there had only ever been one deer spotted on the island, and no animal any bigger). I kissed her then in the tent, partly to shut her up, but mostly because I felt this need that was verified by my sweaty palms and stomach butterflies. From that point on, I was hooked on the Harbor Islands.

Until last weekend. Our third camping trip, our first being just the two of us. We decided to try a different island and do just one night--a short trip and escape from the growing mountain of boxes that has become our shoe-box-sized bedroom. The whole trip was kind of miserable, so we should have suspected disaster from the beginning. We barely slept because our bodies ached from the ground. Neither of us could focus on enjoying our bisquick dough boys over our bech campfire because the list of things to do before the big cross-country move (continuing job search for Cat, class sign up for myself, internet installation? do we need a modem and a router or do those things come together?) We came home a little grumpy, a little restless, a little itchy.

Two days later, I realized that the two bug bites on my arm that I had been itching nonchalantly why chatting over a glass of wine with our friend Candace had grown into a monstrous blistering rash. My left eye was swollen near shut. The ER doctor even called my poison ivy "impressive" and that's without even seeing the purple blisters on my stomach and in my bikini line.

So now I'm on steroids. And benedryl. Cat's got some blisters on her arms and stomach. We are going to Ikea for bookshelves today, bearing the 94 degree heat so that we can unpack our 1,000 plus book collection as soon as we arrive in CBus. And I'm wondering, in my misery, looking on at Cat's misery, if this poison ivy is just one way of Boston to say, "Get the hell out already!" And I wonder, too, how much I'll miss our ritual island-hopping once we are landlocked?

Why blog? and why call it Hi Cbus?

Q: Why blog?
Good question, thanks for asking. We would like to keep in touch with all the friends and family we are leaving back on the East Coast. We also like doing stuff together. We have no idea what we are getting into in moving to Cbus and perhaps people will find our encounter entertaining.

Q:Why call it Hi Cbus?
Well, first of all, why not? Second of all, any name involving Buckaroo seemed to be taken and in my disappointment with this fact, my creative will was sapped. Why Buckaroo? Because according to Wikipedia, Buckaroo is a "sport" that involves "stacking as many things as you can on top of an unconscious friend before they wake up" as well as another name for a cowboy. I was also thinking of coining Buckaroo (assuming this hasn't happened yet) as the term for a buckeye in training. Oh, for the non-Ohioan readers, the Buckeye is the Ohio State University's mascot, the state tree, and a peanut buttery, chocolate covered regional delicacy. So you see Buckaroo as a blog name would have combined our desire to keep our friends' conscious of our existence (by stacking up posts until they finally just had to read one) with our status as newly minted residents of Columbus, OH. So instead, I decided to just be generally congenial.