LaLa Land

The Better Late Than Never Farewell

2009-05-03T12:29:00.003-04:00

For any of you still waiting to hear from me on this site, I do apologize. The past year has been full of change and after giving it some thought I've realized that this blog and I just don't fit together any more. It was lovely while it lasted.Thank you for reading and commenting. If you're into tiny bite-sized updates, you can find me on twitter as @lonestaraussie.Best of everything.LaLa

It's Not You, It's Me

2009-02-01T12:34:00.003-05:00

I apologize for disappearing for so long without a peep. We lost someone at Christmas-time and I haven't felt much like writing. I'm beginning to feel more like myself though so I should be back soon. I've been thinking of my blog friends and hoping you're all well.

Blink Faster

2008-12-05T08:19:00.002-05:00

The other night I was sitting at a light (why do all my stories begin this way lately?), waiting to turn left. So, being a responsible driver, I had my blinker on. It was a long light. And I drive an old car. Perhaps I should not have been surprised when, about two minutes into the wait, my blinker … went on the blink. Instead of its usual bink.uh.bink.uh.bink it started blinking at a

Shopping Tips from the Most Insensitive Person Ever

2008-12-02T23:20:00.001-05:00

After work tonight I drove around running errands – picking up drycleaning, going to Home Depot. (I always try to visit Home Depot wearing my girliest clothes. The service is much snappier.)As I was sitting at a light not really listening to the radio I gradually tuned in to what I was hearing. It was a commercial and it started off something like, “Are you having trouble finding Christmas

A Thread Runs through It

2008-11-25T23:39:00.001-05:00

Shakespeare’s King Richard cried, “A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” And you just knew he meant it.For several days now I’ve felt exactly the same way about cat poop.And believe me, I NEVER thought I’d say that.I got home Friday night and over the course of several hours pieced together a little story for what my cats had been up to that day. (I’m actually embarrassed to confess how

Vanished into the Old West

2008-11-16T15:24:00.010-05:00

- I have a tea towel problem.- I hate vacuuming. It makes me swear. Seriously. My mental monologue while vacuuming would shock you.- I thought I was going to confess the really embarrassing tunes I have on my ipod but I’m not. I’ll admit to having Juice Newton,* Maroon 5, a

Things I Loved in Denver

2008-05-01T23:15:00.006-04:00

So here's the thing. I've been in Denver for the better part of a week for a museum conference. The conference was fabulous. I'm serious. I loved it. I'd have loved it just a tiny bit more if they'd served more cookies (let's face it, any cookies) between sessions, but really, that's my only complaint.My only complaint about the conference, that is. I do have one other complaint about

Ridiculously Small Ears

2008-04-26T11:38:00.002-04:00

Remember when you were really little, about 3 or 4, and you'd go to the doctor? That was the age when everyone and everything was a lot bigger than you were. Someone probably helped you up onto the examining table and you sat on the edge with your legs hanging over, squinching up the paper with your hands (because of the cool noise it made) and banging on the side of the metal table with your

If All Else Fails, Imitate a Raccoon Backing out of a Chimney

2008-04-25T21:55:00.003-04:00

Last month my friend MKA came up to visit. Actually, that's not an accurate statement. For about 4 weekends in a row our social calendars overlapped in a way that might suggest we were near neighbors, rather than friends who live in Boston and New York respectively. She came up one week, I went down to NYC that weekend, back to Boston to work, back to NYC for the following weekend, she came up

Tiny Sox, Tiny Parade

2008-04-25T21:43:00.003-04:00

I've lived in my current apartment for more than 3 years now. For me that's got to be some kind of record. One of the all-time best and most fantastic things about this place is an annual event that always catches me by surprise.The first year I lived here I was enjoying a quiet cool spring Saturday to myself. I'd slept in and was reading a book over a late breakfast at my kitchen table when I

Brand New Neighbor!

2008-04-25T21:38:00.003-04:00

I have a brand new neighbor. He's just a little guy - just over 8 lbs actually. My friend and neighbor Miss Krafty had a little boy last week. I don't have a photo to post of him, but I will show you the little cardy I made for him:Pretty cute, if I say so myself. Only about half as cute as the little mister himself, though. Welcome to the 'hood, sweet pea!

You Lookin' at Me?

2008-04-25T21:35:00.003-04:00

Despite the squinty-eyed glare, his reaction to a mid-nap portrait? Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

It's the Little Things

2008-04-22T13:42:00.004-04:00

Happy Earth Day! We're doing all sorts of green programming here at the museum today. We're all about the green.Here's a handy little list of 50 little things anyone can do to help lessen the effects our lifestyle has on the planet. From using pretty reusable shopping bags (the pretty part is important!) to turning the water off while you brush your teeth - every little bit helps.

And Another Good Idea...

2008-04-21T09:52:00.002-04:00

Following the genius of the Target on Ice inspiration, I found this listing in today's TV Guide describing tonight's content for the PBS series 'Great Performances':"America's national parks are celebrated in dance."This just made me giggle.

Target on Ice

2008-04-19T11:02:00.002-04:00

My local Target is about a 20 minute drive from my house. Last Saturday my friend MKA was in town, visiting from NY, and we got up early in the morning to go to Target. (For us, on a weekend, 'early' was 9 am.) So around 10 there we were, driving through my neighborhood on a day that was turning out to be gorgeous. It wasn't supposed to be. According to the weather forecast it was supposed

Blink. Everything's different now.

2008-04-14T12:56:00.002-04:00

Did you ever have one of those moments when you look up all of a sudden and it’s obvious that everyone in the whole world got a memo that you missed? This happened to me a few years back with cell phones. I didn’t have one, wasn’t worried about it, blithely living my heedlessly anachronistic and old-fashioned life and then WHAM! All of a sudden I realized that EVERYONE, including young

Let Me Paint You a Picture

2008-04-14T09:34:00.002-04:00

Ah, springtime in Boston. I was just talking with my friend Cat yesterday about how disappointing this season usually is in Boston, especially if you grew up in the South, when April really does feel like spring. Up here this time of year is one big dose of never-realized anticipation. Today it's not so bad though. It’s bright and sunny, almost sparkly outside. Rumor has it we may even top

Sweet and Mo Sweet

2008-04-07T10:01:00.004-04:00

I was away in New York this weekend and when I returned I found a sweet little card waiting for me:When I opened it up, this is what I found:This is apparently what happens when you tell the world how much you love rainboots - and your nephews. Internal art courtesy of 2 year old Seth, who refers to all the colors used as "blue and mo blue".

Confusion Reigns

2008-04-03T09:56:00.003-04:00

Ankles or socks? Wrists or sleeves? Bostonians appear to think these are not either/or questions. When it comes to dressing for the season, why choose? Compromise! That's the ticket.Today I saw a woman wearing corduroy capris. Seriously. That's just weird. I think corduroy capris are as baffling a concept as short-sleeved turtle-necks. I believe rather strongly that if it's cold enough

Sugar, Sugar

2008-04-02T13:54:00.002-04:00

I have had a cold this week. The usual end-of-winter plague: scratchy throat, no voice, panicky dependence on kleenexes. It's going away slowly. I did have voice enough for a phone interview yesterday so that was a relief.One of the side-effects of having a cold is that your head gets sort of woolly and vague. At least mine does. Just how vague was made clear to me last night as I was baking

Vocal Roulette

2008-03-31T14:28:00.002-04:00

Every few years or so I'll get laryngitis and lose my voice. It's SO WEIRD. You don't know for sure if you lost it - or even if it came back - until you try to speak. And then... nothing. Or, worse than nothing, those squeaky scratchy little whinnies that sound like a rusty hamster-wheel and tend to embarrass both speaker and listener. I don't have full-fledged laryngitis right now, just a

It Was Never 'Just a Phase'

2008-03-19T12:02:00.002-04:00

We all go through phases. This morning, as I splashed to work in the midst of my latest one (more on that later), I began a mental catalogue of some of the phases I’ve been through – some of them were the kinds of phases everyone goes through, but others were… strange. I threw myself into them, strange or not, with passion and commitment. Some of them lasted a long time (still going!) and

How's Your Sniffer?

2008-03-14T16:35:00.002-04:00

I have always had a pretty good sense of smell. In fact, my family used to call me 'The Nose' because on one family road trip through West Texas the smell of the oilfields woke me from a sound sleep miles before anyone else in the car could smell them. It's a gift and a curse.Having a vivid sense of smell ensures that some memories are stored only in the 'nose' part of the brain - they don't

For the Glamor-Puss in Your Neighborhood

2008-03-13T09:54:00.003-04:00

Pointed out by my friend MKA, THESE are truly astonishing.Apparently cats who've played with socks to achieve this look have been slumming it all these years.

I Know It's Not Nice to Gloat...

2008-03-05T09:25:00.002-05:00

But here's what's left of my neighbors' snowman:He was a stout short little guy, but solid, and he's been taunting me through the kitchen window for the better part of two weeks now. Our mini warming trend has taken care of him, though, and I can't help feeling happy about it.

Spring! (Shhh, Don't Scare It Away)

2008-03-04T09:40:00.001-05:00

This morning it was 52° in Boston. That was the STARTING temperature. That’s AMAZING!!! I got ready for work today and left my hat, scarf and gloves at home. I wore a coat but left it unbuttoned. I know it won’t last but I can’t help being completely thrilled that today is not cold. I walked to the T station without once glaring or muttering vindictively at the shrinking piles of snow and

Bloglets

2008-02-25T13:39:00.002-05:00

Aside from the mouse invasion and visit to the eye doctor, I’ve had nothing much to report lately. No full blog posts, only blog-lets. In no particular order. Came across this entry in the museum’s accession register the other day: Dated 1931, someone had donated a jacana, which is a kind of bird, to the museum. “Donor wishes bird to be anonymous.” I can solemnly promise you I have NO IDEA what

Eyes Scrunched Shut

2008-02-21T16:36:00.002-05:00

The cute one on the left is my sister. I’m the totally nonchalant girl on the right. (Flannelette, anyone?) This picture was taken long before my current neurosis about eyes had reached its adult strength. I cannot stand anything eye-related – contacts, sweater fuzz in eyes, eye surgery, talk about eyes, watery eyes, fingers in eyes. Ew. Ew, Ew, EW!!! So when it was time to attend

Rodent Redux

2008-02-17T12:01:00.002-05:00

Dear Mouse, Yay! You're back! I've really missed you. It just hasn't been the same here since your last visit. I know my owner feels the same. She stood transfixed when we both spotted you on the stove last night. When she did finally speak, I noticed she used that special voice she reserves only for you. And before we went off to bed, she left you a goody bag that smelled like peanut

I Could Have Danced All Night

2008-02-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

When Audrey Hepburn sang that she was really talking about how much she loved Rex Harrison. Not me. I’m singing about how much I love the dancing. I went dancing last night for the first time in ages and really had a marvelous time. I’ve had an on-again-off-again affair with dancing all my life. From ages 3 to 14 I took ballet lessons, with a little tap, tumbling and jazz thrown in for

Run over by Nuns, Impersonated by a Flower

2008-02-05T14:01:00.000-05:00

My Super Tuesday is way more strange than super. It’s gray and rainy here. This morning on the way to the T station I stood at the side of my local crosswalk in my highly visible red coat, carrying a red umbrella, and nearly got run over by two nuns in a Nissan minivan. Getting run over is unfortunately pretty common at that crosswalk, but the nuns were a new twist. At work this

Feburary 1, 2003

2008-01-31T17:07:00.000-05:00

Five years ago I was living in Nacogdoches, Texas, preparing to move to Boston for a new job. I had just come back to Nacogdoches (pronounced ‘nack-a-doe-tches’ – silent ‘g’) from my last apartment-finding trip to Boston. I had exactly one week left before the big move. I was in that “I’m going to miss everything” stage – friends, co-workers, potholes, restaurants, sights. And I was

When Paper Cuts Are a Good Thing

2008-01-31T09:45:00.001-05:00

Isn’t this beautiful? The Art Studio in our museum has a paper-cut curtain in one window. I was in the Art Studio one morning this week (to assist with a program teaching 2nd graders to paint pictures of birds from our natural history collection - which is another story entirely) and was completely distracted by this curtain, and by the shadows it made on the wall. The curtain is made

Girl, Step AWAY from the Ruby Slippers!!!

2008-01-24T12:01:00.000-05:00

This link was sent to me with a fairly “isn’t it shocking?” and ‘tsk-tsk’ preface. As I read the article, I was not at all shocked. I couldn’t figure out where the shock came in. And then. I scrolled down… To the pictures and the dialogue… And I literally gasped aloud. I may have even put a hand over my heart to stop it from failing. Museum person’s cardinal rule: Don’t

Keepin' up with My Worryin'

2008-01-24T10:49:00.000-05:00

I come from a long line of worriers. My great-aunt Margie used to say, “I’m gettin’ behind on my worryin’” and I have to say, I know exactly what that means. These days I try to keep ahead of my worryin’. Always good to have done my worrying, so when the hypothetical occasion I’ve been worrying about becomes real, I’m already prepared with my worrying script, as it were. Here’s what I

Why Bother?

2008-01-21T11:10:00.001-05:00

I saw a woman wearing these shoes on the train today. (She wore them with black socks.) The picture hardly does them justice. Metallic leather hippie clogs with studs, a bejeweled buckle AND a black patent-leather strap. Wooee. This is wrong. A crime against basic aesthetic common sense. Either you prefer comfort without benefit of style - which many of us can

Britney, Stop Being a Moron: A Simple How-To

2008-01-15T09:55:00.000-05:00

Britney, stop being a moron. I write this because I am profoundly, deeply, devotedly not interested in you, and I would like to return to a world where the story of your sad, pitiful life doesn’t chase me from television to laptop to magazine covers with the dedication of a maddened attack dog. I want you to get better, partly because it just hurts to hear about yet another of your mistakes

Snow Day!

2008-01-14T18:48:00.000-05:00

The snow fell overnight and into the afternoon.A lunch-time view of the neighbors' backyards.Hmm, what shall I read today? A useful tool... especially when used by someone else.... to clear the neighborhood sidewalks!A little soap

Look, I'm Just Trying to Buy a Pincushion...

2008-01-14T17:43:00.000-05:00

This weekend I had a bizarre conversation with a salesperson. I had gone to a local shop to buy something crafty for a friend for her birthday. I knew this shop carried chenille pincushions in the shape of cupcakes and that was what I wanted to buy. I found one I liked and I went to the counter to pay. A man and a woman were behind the counter. The woman waited on me, while the man talked

Proud, Sensible and Persuasive

2008-01-11T14:14:00.000-05:00

It started as a trickle but by the middle of this week it had become a flood. I'm talking, of course, about the number of my (female) friends who have called or written to anticipate the PBS Austen-fest which starts this Sunday. So, in case you’ve managed to avoid all references, please consider this your invitation to… Strap on your bonnets and round up your chaperones! Starting with

Toby Trumps Mermaids, and other bits and pieces

2008-01-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

A collection of recent observations: - In the past year the overwhelming majority of strangers who have stumbled onto this site did so because they searched for information about mermaids. This is surprising because I have never, not even once, offered opinions or information about mermaids in any form. But I did, just once, refer to the women in

The Problem of Jane Eyre

2008-01-08T16:35:00.000-05:00

This is an unapologetically literary (even book-club-ish) sort of post. You can blame it all on Toby Stephens. After seeing the BBC version of Jane Eyre starring the Divine Toby Stephens – and the equally talented Ruth Wilson, to be scrupulously fair – I’ve had the story in my head. My mind has been munching on it for a few days, and I thought I’d share a few of the conclusions and

Ruby Slippers

2008-01-08T13:47:00.000-05:00

My friend MKA gave me ruby slippers for Christmas. These shoes will go down in history as one of the shiniest, sparkliest, most thoroughly successful random-yet-thoughtful Christmas gifts in history. Here they are, for your admiration. 100% red glitter!!!: This photo, expertly taken by me, is of my own feet shod in ruby slippers at the end of a long festive evening, the wedding of

Actually, that's not exactly what that means...

2008-01-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

My oldest nephew is 7 and has just recently become a devoted reader. This fills me with joy. As a devoted reader myself, I have been the book-pushing-aunty for years now, marking every nephew’s birthday and Christmas with yet another new and beloved (at least by me) book. I love that Ethan has so many good books to look forward to. This year I gave him the Encyclopedia Brown omnibus and

A Moment of Silence for the Divine Toby Stephens

2008-01-07T10:29:00.000-05:00

I hadn’t thought about that evening in years. But there it was, his name in old-fashioned script on the television screen. It all came back in a rush. The summer of ’95 I lived in London with my friend Cat. We shared a truly hellish one-room apartment – called a ‘bedsit’ – in the transient, back-packers neighborhood known as West Ken (West Kensington). We called our bedsit Chez Wombat,

Living on the Edge

2008-01-07T10:22:00.000-05:00

My sister bought me a Baker’s Edge pan for Christmas. Apparently bakers nation-wide were after this pan for the holiday season and they were back-ordered for weeks. Mine arrived last week from the Spoon Sisters. (A name I find very satisfying and hilarious.)This was a *very* sweet thing for her to do because Kelsey is not an edge person. If she could have all-middle brownies all the time, she

Christmas Means Chick-a-wow-wow

2007-12-28T23:52:00.000-05:00

I just came back from almost 2 weeks in Texas, also known as the Land of Nephews. They are all adorable and precocious and endlessly fascinating. Despite certain play-time crowd scenes and noise levels that could lead one to suspect a much higher number, I have 3 nephews. In case you were wondering, that is the EXACT SAME NUMBER as the number of chipmunks in the Chipmunk Movie seen

Shhhh, It Can Hear You

2007-12-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

So in a big ol’ case of Don’t-Think-I’m-Not-Listening, Winter went a little haywire here yesterday. It wasn’t the biggest or worst winter storm we’ve ever had – in fact, we only got about 8 inches of snow in Boston – but it hit at just the right time to create the worst traffic jam Boston has ever seen. It was gridlock in the purest sense of the word ‘lock’. Thousands of cars just sat on main

The Mysteries of Winter

2007-12-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

I’ve lived in Boston for almost 5 years now. Originally from Texas, in the past having made myself at home in Australia and England and New York, it has still taken almost this entire time to make me feel relatively at home up here. There are many things about Boston that I love and will miss when I eventually leave. (Oh, I’ll be leaving, that’s for certain. I can’t believe I’ve stayed here

Why Strawberry Shortcake Does Not Go with Roasted Chestnuts

2007-12-11T16:13:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine has granted me permission to tell one of the saddest Christmas tales I have ever heard. Hilarious. But tragic. It goes like this. Once upon a time in western Massachusetts there lived a family consisting of Mom, Dad and two little girls. My friend was the younger of the two daughters. Let’s call her… Kate. This little family was part of a MUCH LARGER family and

Secretly I am 8

2007-12-06T12:38:00.000-05:00

I love this. Beyond all reason. It just makes me happy. Here’s why: - Three words: Doo. Wop. Christmas. - None of them have eyes. - When the solo reindeer hits a high note, his tail wags. - Santa

Sisters, Pantsuits and Poodles

2007-12-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

In just over a week I’ll be heading to Texas to spend the holidays with family. Perhaps because I’ll get to see her in just a few days I’ve been thinking of my sister quite a lot. We can get pretty silly when we get together. Let me tell you a story… One day my sister and I went shopping. Not to the Mother Ship, which is our usual favorite shopping destination (Dillard’s to those who aren

Almost a Recipe

2007-12-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

“You’re once, twice, three times a LAY-DEE.” I have no idea why that was in my head. Anyway. My sister has referred to my Pita Bread Pizza recipe on her blog. To be precise, I don’t exactly have a recipe. But in the interest of satisfying a curious public, I’ll describe my pita bread pizza building process and you can do with it what you will. Pita Bread Pizzas These

Leap Frog

2007-11-27T10:14:00.000-05:00

Three signs I’ve totally skipped the “Becoming Just Like My Mother” phase and am already deep into “Just Like My Grandmother”. 1 – There’s been a daddy-long-legs* in the bathroom corner above my bathtub for weeks. I haven’t named him. But I haven’t killed him yet either. In fact, I feel far friendlier toward it than I ever do toward spiders. My grandmother used to say goodnight to her

A Pie Pan of Thankfulness

2007-11-21T10:13:00.000-05:00

Thank you and welcome to all who visited this week from over Jeana’s way. Glad to entertain you. Whiskeymarie mentioned that she is very thankful for pie and I have to say, that is a good thing to be thankful for. Especially this time of year. Being from the South, pie is one of the major food groups in my opinion, right up there with Fried Stuff, Things Held Together with Mayo or Cool Whip

Thankful

2007-11-19T11:20:00.000-05:00

I know it’s a couple of days early but I decided it was time to whip up a nice timely list of things for which I am thankful. Just to get us all warmed up for turkey and family on Thursday. - There are many things about my life that I would like to change and I am thankful that they are things that are within my power to change. - Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Diana Ross)