ajmatt blog

Amtrak’s Acela Express is a nice train that provides business class service and rapid speeds between DC and Philadelphia, perfect for my travel needs. In fact, I traveled so much last year I made “select” status, which I took advantage of this afternoon on my way home by using a free upgrade voucher to [...]

It is officially June, the mosquitoes have hatched, I have a few plants in the ground, and yesterday the sky over our house looked like this:

The type of storm you can hear growling in approach, turns the sky green, and sets off tornado warnings in the burbs. For those who aren’t weather map geeks (as [...]

Having survived an overwhelming semester of two classes at the same time along with a very busy few months at work, I’ve spent the last two weeks vegetating on TV shows I’ve missed, watching Blu-ray movies I’ve wanted to see, trying new restaurants and going out to see new movies (unbelievable, I know!), and reading [...]

“On behalf of the Graduate School of Virginia Tech, I am pleased to inform you that based upon the recommendation of the Science and Technology Studies faculty, we can offer you admission to the Doctor of Philosophy at the National Capital Region Campus. Congratulations!”

Yesterday Matt and I drove 6 hours to the Outer Banks in North Carolina in an enormous (rental) SUV that had six cupholders accessible from the front seat. Really, what more do you need in life? (Maybe also to average more than 15 miles per gallon.)
Along the way we passed:

The Stonewall Jackson Shrine
A hitchhiker with [...]

Matt worked a 12-hour day today and I am stuck sitting around with a yet-to-be-determined foot injury, so we ordered Chinese at 9:30.
After dinner, Matt juggled fortune cookies. One fell on the floor and broke. I saw “hard work” between the cookie halves and said, “I think I got yours.” Matt picked the other cookie [...]

I spotted a cardinal this morning on the light post outside my bedroom window. While the pictures of him didn’t turn out great (darn screen), it reminded me of a bird Matt photographed about a month ago.

This bird was huge, had giant claws, and sat on our back fence for close to an hour. It [...]

The lunar eclipse tonight was as amazing as we expected. While I was in class, Allegra braved the below-freezing cold and snow flurries for over an hour and a half attempting to get pictures with our high-zoom camera and telephoto lens. Needless to say, once class was finished, I dashed home and took [...]

(There is no continuity in this entry. I jump around from language, to museums, to duck ponds, to hockey. Hope it makes sense.)
Visiting Montréal is like a little trip to Paris (not that I’ve ever been there)—but a shorter flight and without the jet lag. The city has a European feel, tons of French food, [...]

…is ajmatt blog? I’ll give you a hint: it’s cold.

Give up? We’re in Montréal!
Why Montréal in the dead of winter? Matt enjoys giving the gift of surprise travel. He’s been tormenting me for weeks now with dead-end hints about where we’re going. Pack warm clothes… but maybe we’re going to the Caribbean. Leave your car [...]