The Vermont (and New Hampshire) Years

Yes, Genevieve and Roger have traded in their renter status and hi-rise life in Chicago for a thirty-year mortgage and a two-bedroom townhouse in the verdant, wooded Upper Valley. Bye, Lake Michigan! Bye, deep dish pizza! Bye, comparison shopping and three Banana Republics within three blocks! Hello, Green Mountain Coffee! Hello, EMS! Hello, Manchester Fisher Cats (the local minor league baseball team)!

This blog (or vlog - get it? Vermont Log) will record G/R's many new experiences living in rural New England. New home, new states (Vermont/New Hampshire), new jobs (Roger at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Gen TBA). Feel free to stop by and check the new news.

CUBS ... DON'T WIN
About nine months ago, Roger discovered BASEBALL. The Cubbies were in the play-offs and we found ourselves going to bars to watch games and drink beer from ice chests. Although our beloved Cubs did not reverse the curse, the run for the pennant stirred in Rog a new interest in sports. We'll miss Wrigley Field - really THE BEST place to watch a game.

Anyway, our nights now often revolve around ESPN's Baseball Tonight. We're trying to get on the Red Sox bandwagon too - although their fans are very intense. Both the Red Sox and the Cubs are in second place in their respective divisions (behind the Yankees and Cardinals, respectively). Here's hoping a miracle happens, or at least a wild card spot.

Tonight's games' outcomes: Cubs don't win (vs. Cards, ugh, it was their last meeting for the season and at WRIGLEY; Gen's favorite pretty boy, relief pitcher, Kyle Farnsworth gave up way too many runs); Red Sox do win (vs. Mariners) (go David Ortiz!)

GENEVIEVE'S NEW FAVORITE APPLIANCE
Can you call a car an appliance? I've recently inherited my brother's RAV 4. Although I was apprehensive about driving at first, I really, really, really like it now. It helps with the grocery shopping. The farthest I've driven is to Woodstock, Vermont, which is about 15 miles away. I hope to tackle interstate highways soon.

GENEVIEVE'S SECOND FAVORITE APPLIANCE
The food processor is an AWESOME invention. It chops, it slices, it purees. It makes it so easy to incorporate GENEVIEVE'S NEW FAVORITE VEGETABLE - celery - into meals! Before celery was boring raw stalks that needs to be eaten with dip. Now it's making appearances in soups and stir-fry. Woo-hoo, more vegetables in our diet is a good thing!

MOVIE JOURNAL
Spider-Man 2: Thumbs way up! Go Alfred Molina!
Barbarian Invasion: Very impressive Canadian film. Great ensemble cast. Watch for the pig-tailed girl who stole the show for us.
American Wedding: Roger says, There are a lot of naked people in it.
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE: The Incredibles (out in November)

ON OUR BOOKSHELF - we have way too many, need to weed soon
We haven't found a bookstore that we absolutely love yet - Brookline Booksmith is still our favorite but that's in the Boston area, at least an hour-and-a-half away. Woodstock has a few, but they're more travel-oriented. And the Dartmouth Bookstore, once a thriving independent, is going out of business. We recently picked up:
The Thinking Fans Guide to Baseball (Leonard Kopett) - great essays on the game
Unless (Carol Shields) - so far so good

UV SCENE
Bringing to you a little bit of the Upper Valley. Check out these local web sites! We enjoy them.
King Arthur Flour (their new cookbook won the James Beard award, www.kingarthurflour.com
Manchester Fisher Cats, www.nhfishercats.com

SM'ACTS (SMALL FACTS)
This blog's URL is named after our stuffed panda - Spanda, the Super Panda, aka Hua Mei of the San Diego Zoo.