And the Spookiness Continues

I started the trip in Sleepy Hollow with the Headless Horseman and ended in Salem, Massachusetts with the most infamous witch trials in the nation.

Unfortunately, Salem pretty much closes down all the tourists tours at the end of October, so I just did some general walking around.  Also, I tweaked my back hauling my suitcase into the car the morning before so walking was a little painful.  All combined I didn't do a lot of walking around, but enough to see the 2 most famous statues in the city, and visit the oldest graveyard.






Bewitched Statue






"If I would confess I should have my life"
Even torturous witch-hunters love Rita's Water Ice!
 
Roger "Scary-Ass" Conant: founder and first governor of Salem

There's a Legend,Apparently

Sleepy Hollow, New York takes its literary legend seriously.  You can actually tour Washington Irving's home (and I may just spend another weekend there to do just that), and pretty much everywhere sells his work.

Also, Halloween is a BIG DEAL there.  There are a lot of Haunted Hollow, Horseman Hollow, Halloween Hollow type activities in October and especially on Halloween.  Unfortunately, this year Snowtober coincided with Halloween and many of the special activities had to be cancelled.  Although, several places simply rescheduled for last weekend - it loses a bit of the hauntedness in November.

Anyhow, Sleepy Hollow...the legend is everywhere, on their street signs, in the public art, and in every single store, but it is a pretty cute little town.

The Next Generation

The T3 Trunk or Treat got cancelled on account of Snowtober taking out the power to their church building so instead the kids trick or treated at home.









After the trick or treating, and obligatory eating of said treats, Nikita wanted to play Halloween Bingo. We were both surprised when a new Bingo caller emerged from the crowd. Ryker has apparently been training to take over Bingo calling duties during the Eggett camp-out at Mutual Dell. He doesn't have the same skills (or outfits) as Ferrin, but someday ... someday

Snowtober

And I thought moving to the east coast would mean less snow, and certainly no snow in OCTOBER, but this is the view from my balcony today.

Counting Down

Here we are on Day 5 of no hot water in my apartment building. We have luke-warmish water, but not hot water. It would appear as though two weeks ago when we spent a weekend without hot water it was actually an indication that the boiler was about to give up the ghost. An indication that our landlord (Morgan-Properties) totally and completely ignored; a fact Doreen quite frankly relayed to me today when I finally called to get a status update.

Now, you should all be keeping in mind that when I came home from an overnight trip to the Hamptons (why, yes, I am that fancy) there were signs up in the elevator guaranteeing that the hot water would be completely restored by Monday, October 17th, so I was showing incredible restraint waiting another 3 days to mention to management that no hot water was really, really a problem.

And wouldn't you know it, but the delightful Morgan-Properties employee that I spoke to on the phone told me it would be at least Friday before hot water was restored, and then proceeded to act shocked and offended that I felt inconvenienced by their negligence. When I mentioned that never-mind that showering is quite the adventure that I was also unable to wash dishes without hot water she told me that hot water isn't required to wash dishes?!?! Maybe in her house, but in mine...hot water is a requirement for clean dishes. To that she responded, "You know, you could just heat up water in the microwave". I am so ... just .... gob-smacked by their whole attitude, and right now I am pissed as hell that they ignored the warning signs, that their stupidity has left us in this predicament, and that on top of all of that they have the gall to give me ATTITUDE about my dissatisfaction? I am counting down the days until I am out of this place.

Occupy Philadelphia

Protesters moved into Dillworth Plaza on Thursday, October 6, 2011, and by Friday afternoon there was an entire tent city of protesters living there.  I was actually really surprised that the rain at the end of last week didn't disburse the crowd.

Some of the signs were awesome, some were funny, and some were angst-ridden.  Overall, as I've walked through their impromptu neighborhood they have been boisterous, yes, but also respectful and fun.  They do, however, smell really bad, and quite honestly, while I admire their dedication and passion, I think it's time for them to pick up stakes and signs and leave.  It's time for them to funnel some of that passion into finding political candidates who represent their values and then working tirelessly on their campaigns, getting them elected, and making real change.  Not just stinkin' up the Plaza.


This is my FAVORITE sign!




They've been very good at following all the traffic laws while they parade back and forth across the street listening to cars honking their agreement.












Why yes, that is a pull out sofa.  During the day they fold it up, and during the rain it was covered with plastic sheeting...the occupant asleep under the "tent".


Camping/Protesting in downtown Philly is no reason not to exercise!

What It Isn't

During a difficult conversation last week where I had to break the news to someone I cared about that the wedding being planned for summer wasn’t going to happen, ever, I was accused of not knowing what true love is. And as I thought about it, more than a little hurt by the words flung at me in anger, the truth of the matter is: I don’t, not really. I suspect that if I’d ever felt it, had it, that I would’ve held it tight and spent my life nurturing that relationship – carefully protecting it and helping it grow. But while I don’t necessarily know what true love is, I am absolutely certain that I know what it isn’t, and what it doesn’t do.


And that was the problem. This was full of things that love shouldn’t do, shouldn’t be. All red flags, and warning signs and everything happening all at once without time to think clearly, speak slowly, listen carefully. I’ve always been half worried that if this situation presented itself I would lose myself, my plans, my goals in the whirlwind of emotion and that I would do something rash, make mistakes, ignore items that should be marked for further discussion, become trapped. I feel reassured that I didn’t ignore the small things that led to big things that would eventually have led to unhappiness and resentment.  Reassured that I didn't waste five years trying to ignore it.   I learned more about what true love isn’t. And that brings me closer to knowing what it is.