oh the joys of city living...

We were sound asleep for about an hour last night, when Glenn was awoken by Eve trying to walk all over his head. While this is not unusual in the early hours of the morning when she's hungry, it is odd behavior for midnight. So Glenn gets up--mostly because he can't sleep with paws on his eyes, and discovers that there is a large cockroach on the wall above the bed. Eve is trying desperately to attack this bug. Probably because she thinks it's fun, but I'll try to believe that she was protecting us.
So Glenn wakes me up, and I go running about trying not to turn on any lights (the roach would run for cover, and make him difficult to catch) and fetch the standard cockroach removal tools. A glass and piece of cardboard. In case any of you find yourself in a similar situation here's the technique that works for us:
1. Put glass over bug
2. Slide cardboard under cup and now the cockroach is trapped!
3. Have your team member open a window and toss that bug, or move to the bath room and flush the toilet. When the water begins to swirl and go down toss that bug--with some force to make him leave the glass and shoot down the pipes.
The only problem with this last part is I always think about him crawling out when I use the bathroom... *shudder*
Other options include cornering the roach and spraying him with an array of household cleaners--scrubbing bubbles works exceptionally well.

Everyone reading this knows how much i love all the critters of the outside, and that given the chance I'll rescue bugs before I squish them. But these guys are a different thing---2 inches long, creepy, and responsible for allergies and other not great stuff....I don't feel particularly inclined to save 'em.

So quite the adventurous night for us. Eve got an extra treat today for being the brave protector of her two humans. She for sure earned her keep last night.

But this just confirms my desire to get the heck out of NYC...

Back in Brooklyn

I'm back in Brooklyn, after a wonderful (though too short) trip home. I had a fantastic Christmas with my families. Got to spend some time with my mom, which was certainly one of the best parts. Here are a few pictures from the different places we visited to cap off 2008.

On Robertson Christmas Eve:
Danielle and I opened gifts from Grandmom...

Glenn and Kim shared a moment...


On Christmas Day we watched 'Paint your Wagon' with my parents. Not the most captivating movie I've ever watched, but I think my dad was happy.

And not everyone made it through the movie :)


Then on Saturday we had Christmas at Danielle and Seth's where I was able to spend time with my other boyfriend.

And we had some fun with Kiley's microscope gift. (That red thing on the TV is Glenn's tongue!)

Token self-portrait shot with the new SLR camera, which came out pretty decent considering.

Guys in the kitchen.


Then it was off to Vermont for the annual skiing trip! I rented new equipment, and experienced a whole new world of ability on the slopes. So much fun. We also rented snowmobiles!


And then I dragged the boys out to a Very 'local' bar to watch Penn State lose to USC. But we had fun.


So now here we are in 2009. And there are so many things to look forward to already! I'll be attending my very first conference tomorrow (Association of Science Teacher Educators--ASTE) with my friend and colleague Kara.
Danielle and Seth are visiting this weekend, and my mom will be down in February.
Classes start up again in 2 weeks, and while I'll be missing Jhumki everyday for the rest of my career, I'm excited for the semester to start.
Plus Coleman will be here in May! I can't wait to be an almost-auntie! And we already have 3 weddings for the month of August. Looks like it will be a busy summer...

But in the mean time its good to be back home with my own little family.