A Day in Hanna's World

Happy Spring

Spring officially started Monday afternoon which makes me happy. The weather has been ok these past few days, definitely longing for the weather to continue to warm up. Looking forward to patio season. But I'll take this for now. 

Other than that not too much new really. Last week was St. Patrick's Day on Friday. We didn't do anything really but had a corned beef sandwich over the weekend. :) On Saturday we had lunch at Rizzuto's and later watched some stuff on TV. And Sunday we went to see the new "Shazam" movie at the theater in Southbury followed by pizza at Newsylum Brewery and a few more drinks at Rosy's before catching up on more TV at home.

This week has been relatively uneventful so far as well. Yesterday we had a work happy hour after work hosted by one of our vendors which was nice. Free drinks and food is never a bad thing. :)

No real plans for the rest of the week or the weekend at the moment. Will just see how it goes.

Oh, we bought tickets to see "Bad Cinderella" on Broadway in June - definitely looking forward to that. Our tickets are side rear mezzanine but at least they weren't horrendously priced as most Broadway tickets seem to be these days.

So yeah, that's about all I have for right now.

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Daylight Savings, The Oscars, Niagara on the Lake, ..

Halfway through March, I really don't know where the time is going lately. Today was a snow day here and while it literally snowed on and off all day and sometimes quite big flakes it never really stuck. We probably got about half an inch to an inch and mostly it was covering the grass and some other areas but never the roads. I am not complaining but the way everybody was acting you would think we had a blizzard. I am guessing because we haven't had much of a winter this year with barely any snow everybody is craving a "snow day" or something. Businesses ended up closing and all, it was really bizarre. Areas north of us did get quite a lot of snow. I saw on the news that some areas of the Berkshires got as much as 3 feet of snow. Yikes. Knock on wood we really have been lucky here in my corner of CT this winter while a lot of areas all over the US have been blanketed in snow. And of course poor southern CA and all the rain. It's been nuts.

Well anyway, other than that not too much going on. Switched to Daylight Savings time this past weekend and I am never a huge fan of losing an hour of sleep so still dealing with that. I do like that it's light out later but I feel like it doesn't really help much in March. I would prefer to have light in the morning when I get up. But I guess you can't make everybody happy.

This past Sunday were the Oscars and as usual we watched them and I thought they were pretty good. Lots of moving emotional acceptance speeches and some nice moments overall.

Other than that not too much else new really. Been going to physical therapy for my shoulder but need to do better with doing my exercises at home.

Oh in other fun news we booked a 2 night getaway over Easter weekend (Fr to Sun) to Niagara on the Lake. I am really excited about that. We actually had a trip to there booked for Easter of 2020 but that obviously fell through with the pandemic and the  border to Canada being closed. But we are finally rebooked and going April 7 to 9 this year. Yay. :)

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Mohegan Casino Night, Shoulder Troubles, Austria Trip and more

And somehow 2 weeks have passed since my last post, no idea how that happened. Time is just flying by. 

Nothing too much has happened I suppose. Keeping busy at work.

Last weekend we had our Mohegan Sun casino night at work on Saturday so that was fun. I went out there with a friend (a 2hr+ ride) and we had a delicious dinner and open bar with a bunch of my colleagues. After dinner there was a scavenger hunt which involved a bunch of us running around the casino for an hour doing ridiculous things like looking for somebody wearing a cowboy hat or a person with a handlebar mustache. After all that was done we just hung out and eventually went back to the hotel. Came back the next morning and went to lunch with Mike at Hurricane Grill in Newburgh.

The most eventful thing for this week probably is that I finally decided to go to the doctor and get my shoulder checked out. My left shoulder had been bothering me since some time this past summer. I finally made an appointment at an orthopedist and was diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis aka "Frozen Shoulder. Apparently this is something very common in women in their 40ies. Welcome to getting old I guess. I have physical therapy scheduled twice a week and a follow up appointment with the doctor in 6 weeks.

In more fun news I booked my next Austria trip for mid April. Leaving April 19 and returning May 8. I will be working for a good amount of the time while I am there but do have a few days off as well. Looking forward to going back and visiting with my mom and catching up with friends.

That's about all for now. Going to catch up on some recorded TV tonight and tomorrow is already Monday again.

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Lisbon

And by no surprise it's already Sunday again and we have been back in CT since Wednesday already. Made it through work Thursday and Friday and having a low key weekend.  

Yesterday, Saturday, was Mike's birthday.  We didn't do anything much really but had a nice day. Headed to Rizzutos in Westport and had fun hanging out for a while before meeting up with our friend John at Edison. 

Today we just slept in and then had lunch at Whitlocks. Now hanging out at Broken Symmetry for a bit. Will eventually catch up on some of our recorded TV. 

But let's go back and finish my Europe recap. We reached Lisbon in the mid afternoon on Sunday and took a taxi to our hotel. The hotel was a bit outside of the city and we had originally planned on taking the train back and forth but we're faced with a train strike so we settled on taking Uber which worked out pretty well and wasn't terribly expensive either. 

Headed to Rossio Square and walked all along the main street down to the waterfront. Checked out some restaurants along the way and eventually settled on a restaurant along the main drags. Very touristy but the food was super delicious. Mike had grilled sardines and I had Paella Negra.

On Monday we wanted to check out the famous yellow Lisbon trams and made our way to the 1st stop of the line 28 tram. I knew they were a big tourist attraction but didn't think we would stand in line for over an hour to actually board one. The experience was definitely worth it in the end.  Lisbon is such a hilly city and the old trams go up and down these steep hills. If you are standing up you better hold on tight as there are quite a bit of sharp turns and sudden stops and starts. 

Had lunch at a really neat Austrian Cafe, fittingly called Kaffeehaus. After lingering there for a while we walked around some more, took the tram to some pretty scenic view points and also checked out Lisbon Cathedral. Had some wine and bread/olives at another cafe before making our way back to near the seafront where we had more tapas and wine for dinner.  

Tuesday we decided to head to Belem which is a neat neighborhood right by the water. Took a bunch of pictures and originally wanted to visit the monastery there before we found out that the line to get in was over an hour and a half long.  So we abandoned that idea,  walked around some more and eventually had lunch at a neat place overlooking the water.  Hung out there for a while before taking the tram back into downtown Lisbon. Spent some time at a cafe in the square before heading to a wine bar for dinner. More delicious tapas. Had some fried sardines as well as some codfish cakes. Due to it being Valentines Day it was pretty busy but we hung out for about an hour and a half before heading back to the main drag. Had some more wine at a touristy spot before eventually ubering back to the hotel. 

And Wednesday morning was our flight back to Boston already. Definitively an amazing trip and a super fun way to spend our anniversary (22 years ... crazy!) and Valentine's Day. 

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Barcelona

And half of our trip has already flown by. I guess I am not too surprised. It's usually how it goes, but been having a lot of fun so far so no real complaints. The days leading up to our departure were of course hectic but the work presentation in New Jersey went well and we made it back to our CT office just a tad before 4pm which wasn't bad. Was able to repack what I needed that night and work the next morning went relatively smooth. Logged off around 11am and we headed to the airport. The ride to Boston was ok as well, no crazy traffic thankfully. We arrived nice and early and had to wait for a bit for the check in counters to open but that meant we were first in line so really not so bad. And the security lines weren't bad either. Boston really is a much more calm airport compared to all of the New York ones. Hung out at Legal Seafoods for a while before boarding.

The TAP flight from Boston to Lisbon was uneventful. Didn't get a lot of sleep so the layover in Lisbon seemed to drag on forever but we eventually made it to Barcelona and to our hotel. The metro system here is really efficient and our 72 hour pass has worked out really well.

Thursday when we got here we made our way to La Rambla, which is one of the main drags/shopping streets in the city. Walked all the way up and down and also had a delicious tapas lunch at Nuria. Later hung out in Plaça Reial which is a pretty square with tons of palm trees. It is lined with cafes and restaurants. Perfect place for people watching.

Friday we started with a tour of Barcelona Cathedral followed by wandering around Barrio Gótico, the gothic quarter. Lots of narrow alleyways and neat streets to get lost in. Walked around for a while and eventually had another delicious tapas lunch. Later we walked to the Hard Rock Cafe for some drinks and from there decided to check out the Picasso Museum which was also pretty neat.

And yesterday, Saturday, we toured Sagrada Familia in the morning - what a neat experience - and from there made our way to Park Guell. What a hike to get there, so much uphill walking. But it did end up being worth it I would say. Definitely some nice views and the park has a bunch of neat whimsical structures that I really enjoyed. Definitely got our exercise/steps in during our time here. :)

After the park we headed back downtown and had some drinks back in Plaça Reial followed by some garlic shrimp & pizza before heading back to the hotel.

This morning we are just packing up our stuff and will head back to the airport around 11.30am. to catch our flight to Lisbon. Three more nights in Lisbon before we return to the US on Wednesday (15th)

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Busy Days - Almost Vacation Time

Can't believe I will be on a plane tomorrow. This past week has been a bit of a whirlwind with getting everything set up for my time away at work with coverage and whatnot. I also ended up being invited for a "Best & Final" presentation at work in New Jersey today which meant leaving work at 2pm on Monday, coming down here, staying overnight, doing the presentation and going back up to CT later after we are done. I don't mind doing these type of things. Even though I generally hate public speaking it breaks up the normal routine and gets you out of the office for a bit but with going on vacation on Wednesday it's been a bit of a balancing act to get it all set up and taken care of. 

I will need to finish my packing later tonight when I get home since we are leaving tomorrow. Our flight is a little after 6pm out of  Boston. I am working in the morning till 11am so tomorrow will be another whirlwind of a day I am sure.

We fly direct to Lisbon and have a connection to Barcelona from there. Will be in Barcelona for 3 nights and then fly back to Lisbon where we will be for another 3 nights before returning back to Boston (Wednesday 8th to Wednesday 15th) I am definitely looking forward to the trip even though I am sure it will just fly by so crazy fast.

Well, not too much else new to report. Over the weekend on Saturday we went to Ashley and Robin's baby shower which was held at Spacecat Brewery in Norwalk and actually was pretty fun. And Sunday we just went to Rizzuto's for lunch and later watched the Grammy's and a few other things on TV.

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Excited for our vacation .. just a week and a half to go

And here we are. January 29th, almost February. We leave for Europe on February 8th. Can't wait.  It will be so nice to go on a true vacation and together with Mike. Don't get me wrong I very much enjoy my trips to Austria to see my mom and spend time but it's a different type of trip than going on a real vacation together with Mike, doing sightseeing and exploring a new city. This trip will include two new cities for us, Barcelona and Lisbon. So that should be a lot of fun. The last Europe trip we did together was in December of 2019 to Austria and Croatia, pre Covid. This trip is just a week, Wednesday to Wednesday, and I know it will fly by so fast but I really can't wait.  

This past week was busy but all in all a normal week i guess.  The weekend flew by which it always seems to do. Yesterday, Saturday, we went to Rizzutos for lunch and at night were invited over to our friends John and Janas house for game night along with some other friends.  We ended up staying till after midnight and didn't get to bed till almost 1am.

Slept in today and then had lunch at Broken Symmetry. And now hanging out at Rosys before going home to catch up on some TV. 

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Half Way Through January

And almost to the last week of January. As always time is flying by. Only about 2 1/2 weeks until our trip to Spain/Portugal. We leave on February 8th. I am sure it will be here before I know it. Really can't wait. The last time Mike & I went on an overseas vacation together was at the end of 2019. We really haven't done any real vacations besides the occasional wine tasting weekends to the North Fork and the Finger Lakes, which of course have been fun, but aren't anything new. I am really looking forward to exploring a new place and doing some sightseeing. And of course all the yummy food. Will be a jam packed week but I am sure a lot of fun. 

Other than that not too much new. Had a dental cleaning appointment last week. Nothing too much going on this week I guess.

Last weekend was pretty low key as well. Saturday we went to Rizzuto's for lunch and on Sunday to Flipside. Caught up on recorded TV and some streaming stuff, but that's about it. 

Had our first vet appointment with Wednesday last week as well. Next one will be February 18th after we get back from Europe for his rabies shot. He definitely is the most adorable, rambunctious, not afraid of anything cat I have ever met. He loves to play and get into just about anything he can get into. And he loves people, he is definitely not a shy cat at all. Such a cutie pie. And Sherlock seems to slowly be getting used to him as well. It's a work in progress but one day at a time right? 

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Hello Wednesday!

Time flies when you are having fun ... or when you have a kitten in the house. :) Today marks the exact one week point of having our new kitten. His name is Wednesday and yes we got him on a Wednesday but that isn't entirely why we named him that. lol. We had been watching "Wednesday" on Netflix and thought it would be a fun name especially since we were watching "Elementary" when we adopted Sherlock (a Sherlock Holmes show) So it's all kind of fitting in its own way. 

It's been a lot of fun having a kitten in the house. He has been such a joy. A crazy little 3 month old lunatic who sleeps and plays hard. He is super social and will follow you around from room to room.

Our other cat Sherlock has not quite warmed up to him yet. I think it's going to take a bit more time but we are making slow progress. One day at a time and all that. Let's just hope we don't have another 3am kerfuffle I guess.

Otherwise not too much has been going on. We had Martin Luther King Day on Monday which means it's a shorter week for me but somehow it's turning into an extra crazy week at work.

Last weekend we went to see "A Man Called Otto" on Sunday which was a good movie. Tom Hanks does make that movie but either way I definitely enjoyed it.

No big plans for this upcoming weekend so far. Just trying to get through the week for now and then we will see from there.

Mail Update: All caught up! 

Randomness

First work week in 2023 - check. Off to the second week tomorrow. And the week after we already have a short week again with Martin Luther King Day on Monday (16th) - no complaints about that. 

The first week of course was busy but not too bad. A lot of catching up and trying to set ourselves up for success for the new year.

Nothing too eventful really happened. The weather has been all over the place. Some strangely warm days followed by colder more seasonal days but luckily no snow. The weekend has been pretty quiet too. Yesterday we went to Rizzuto's for lunch and hung out for a while. In serendipitous news we found out that somebody working at Rizzuto's has kittens he is trying to find a home for so my next post may just be very kitten centric. :)

Today we went to Red Rooster for lunch and will catch up on some shows later probably.

No big plans for next week besides the new cat acquisition :) I will write more about that in my next post once it is all settled. :) Oh and on Friday next week we have our holiday party at work so that should be fun. Our company decided to do it after the actual holidays this year which is fine by me.

So yeah that's all the news for now. Stay tuned for a lot of kitten spam in my next few posts. :)

Mail Update: All caught up!