http://ajmatt.com/blog the lives of allegra and matt Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:02:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We've had a beautiful fall here in the D.C. area. While it usually seems like leaves are red one day and gone the next, the fall colors have stayed at their peak for weeks. Earlier this month, I dragged Matt out of the house, forcing him to take a break from ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/11/12/autumn-island-walk/ I've been blog tagged for the first time. Seven interesting things about myself? That’s a daunting task. I’ll start with my party-game standard. 1. I grew up without a TV, which means I have a pop culture gap that spans the 1980’s and 1990’s. I started paying attention to pop culture ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/11/12/7-things/ When the news is to depressing to bear, where does one turn? To the past, naturally. While surveying my LibraryThing account, I noticed I’ve recently toured: the plague years, frontier life, and the Great Depression. For free entertainment that will lift your spirits, head to your local library and pick ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/10/26/hard-times-fiction/ Yesterday I did one of those things that residents of the D.C. metro area never do: I went to a free local event. And kicked myself yet again, because it takes 30 minutes to get from my front door to the National Mall. 30 minutes! That includes driving to the ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/09/28/national-book-festival/ Okay, that's a negative title. I should say that this remodel went exceptionally fast, and for that I feel lucky. Had Matt and I done this on our own, we would still be tearing up floor and ripping at wallpaper. There are those few things that hang on. Painting. A vent ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/09/28/remodeling-does-it-ever-end/ There's a hole in the wall... What—you wanted pretty photos of Easter Island? Not a chance! In our infinite wisdom, Matt and I (unanimously, without debate) scheduled our kitchen remodel to start 44 hours after returning home from vacation. (A return trip that included 3 flights, 4 airports, and an 8-hour layover.) ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/08/25/demolition/ Easter Island was incredible, lots of hiking, moais, caves, and petroglyphs - and we of course promise lots of pictures once we get to a stable, fast Internet connection. Right now, we're back in Santiago airport waiting for our connection to Calama, the airport closest to San Pedro ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/08/18/off-to-atacama/ Matt and I like Santiago. It is beautiful, ringed with mountains, and mild and green even in the dead of winter. I would love to live here, if only to wake up to mountains every morning and eat at a different Chilean restaurant every night. Santiago is typically used by ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/08/14/46-hours-in-santiago/ Matt and I are midway through a five-hour stop at the Toronto Airport. “Didn’t they mention they were headed south?” you might ask. “Why fly through Canada?” It’s a good question—and one the customs agent asked. We are headed to Chile, but stopping through Toronto was not much longer and ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/08/12/a-brief-stint-in-canada/ Finally, evidence that ajmatt kitchen is getting a facelift. Last night Matt and I moved halfway out of our kitchen, and we had our ugly kitchen wallpaper removed today. On the plus side, we have already doubled our counter space, and I think the primer is a big improvement. [I'm ... http://ajmatt.com/blog/2008/08/11/no-more-roses/