Monday, March 30, 2009
Spring Break?


This past week, I was on spring break from my English classes and Chris was on furlough (the newest alternative to layoffs at the paper). With all the reading we have, I feel like we barely have enough time during a regular week to keep our heads above water, so we took this time to get ahead on some projects.

One such neglected project was the community garden plot we nabbed back in November. We went on the waiting list more than a year ago, when I actually had time for a hobby. So it was only fitting that we would be awarded one right in the midst of being full-time students (and, kinda, full-time adults). Fast-forward five months, and we naively arrive ready to sow some seeds only to find our 300-square-foot piece of land completely overgrown with knee-deep weeds. Chris quite adorably said, "How did these weeds get here?" as if someone had snuck in and planted them just to spite us. The thought of turning and running crossed both our minds, but instead we spent the next two days digging, uprooting, and composting, and another day putting veggies into the ground. The pictures below chart our progress.


First impression: "How did these weeds get here?"



Day one: A few hours of work, and half the plot is visible.



Day two: Woot, woot! Our plot finally looks like what we expected to find.



Day three: Tiny plants and seeds are in the ground.

That last picture is a bit anticlimactic, but you gotta start somewhere. This whole venture began with us wishing we had a bit of land to grow fresh veggies, and I'm looking forward to making some yummy summer salads with whatever the garden yields. Currently, we have tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, cantaloupe, beans, lettuce, radishes, and basil growing just a short bike ride from our apartment. I hope to get some carrots, sweet potatoes, and a few others in the ground next week.


On top of all the work we put in at the garden, and reading ahead for school, we spent a day tooling around Palo Alto. Spring really has sprung here, as you can see in the pictures of blossoming trees and sunny skies. We took a look inside Stanford Chapel and then walked around the campus before heading to the Old Pro for the KU basketball game. Aside from that loss to Michigan State, I'll say it was a nice week spent catching our breath.




Posted by Kelley at 9:49 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, March 15, 2009
Short Skirts & Shorter Fuses


Liza Machete, Nancy Drew-Blood, Golden State Warrior, and Mexican Jumping Bean (my favorite name) are just a couple of the roller derby girls we watched duke it out last night. Now, roller derby isn't something we would probably gravitate to on our own. But my friend Sara works with a couple of the players and it sounded interesting enough sooooo... on a Saturday night we found ourselves watching the San Francisco ShEvil Dead get rocked by the Richmond Wrecking Belles 164-66.

Chris and I agreed we expected a few more elbows to be thrown, but I have to give it to those girls for taking some serious tumbles that made the crowd of a few hundred yell, "Ohhh!" Most unexpected was the random halftime show in which some crazy parents thrust their child dressed up as a rabbit out on the floor to perform magic tricks. I couldn't stop laughing as he ran by.



This all took place out at Fort Mason, an old army base near the Marina district in San Francisco. Before it got dark, we had clear views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.




The night was pleasantly capped when we discovered the after-party bar was also a sort of KU dive. The owner was decked out in Kansas gear, and I forced Chris to take this picture with one of the many Jayhawk signs on the wall. It's a shame we didn't know about this place sooner, but now that we do, I'm sure will be back.


Posted by Kelley at 1:32 PM | 0 comments

Monday, March 9, 2009
Lazy Mondays


While our friends and fam seem to be doing way more exciting things than us, like traveling to Egypt or even Florida, Chris and I have been chipping away at the classes. However, it's hard to pout over our current stationary status when we get so many laid back days like today, which we spent having morning coffee, breakfast, and sharing the New York Times crossword before diving into some (albeit required) reading.

Oh, and to continue on the thread of friends doing exciting things, we met Jack McCahill (baby of Lisa and Will)! He is absolutely adorable, although just through reading their Facebook updates and e-mails, parenting sounds EX-HAUST-ING. I'd say the most entertaining part of the visit was seeing the terrified look on Chris' face when he got to hold Jack. He looked like he thought he might break him :)


Then we came home to our own little baby (the one with fur), and he made sure to remind us how cute he is, evidenced by the fact I can't stop taking pictures of him...




This one looks like he's in kitty prison but he's really just spying a bird outside.

Posted by Kelley at 8:10 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, March 1, 2009
Ha!


Great sign inside Allen Fieldhouse today, and a great win by Kansas over Missouri (not that CBS, the jerks, let us watch the end of the game). I still think a repeat title is beyond the realm, but these supposedly rebuilding Jayhawks impress the hell out of me. Rock Chalk!

Update: Er...

Posted by Chris at 5:57 PM | 0 comments