Happy American Halloween

It is nice to be back in the US, where holidays are celebrated. Granted, most holidays are overly marketed in order for retailers to exploit them and cash in, but at least most people get into the spirit and the resulting festivities can be really fun. And now that the seasons and holidays are synchronized the way I am used to them being (i.e. Halloween being in spooky Fall and NOT happy Spring, as it was for Seth and me the past two years) it makes the experience that much more complete feeling!

For Halloween Seth and I wanted to kill two birds with one stone and go out to Salem. Not only would we be able to celebrate in the nearby city famous for its witchy past, but we also hoped to do a little sightseeing while we were there. We unfortunately got off to a late start and didn't have enough daylight for typical 'tourist' activities, but we got there just in time to find a great parking spot and walk into town to witness the mass-hysteria that Salem brings out on the most magical night of the year.

Salem celebrates Halloween BIG. For starters, the entire month of October is dedicated to festivities, including a huge month-long psychic fair. For some reason, the city is also now home to hundreds of wiccans, and its streets are dotted with dozens of metaphysical shops. Not surprisingly, when we were there they were all open and offering discounted spiritual readings.

Around 6 or 7pm people started to really pour in, many in costume, and roam up and down the streets. It was like a big Franklin St, only not as drunken and sloppy, as only a college town could offer. Many of the costumes were extremely elaborate, with a fair few gothic witches, of course. Somewhat unsettlingly, I am pretty sure some of them weren't costumes at all.

Carving pumpkins grown from the compost plant in NY

Salem, MA celebrating Halloween

There were some really great costumes!

Of course, there had to be the bible-thumping Fun Police

...and I don't know if these were costumes or people actually being serious, but it was funny either way

The Salem Witch Museum, downtown

This guy had lots of fun with his house!

Australia outweighs the United States

This may be a few months old, but a study from the Baker Heart Research Institute found that Australia in fact exceeds the United States in its percentage of overweight individuals. But of course, Australia can't honestly blame the spread of American culture for their recently adopted unhealthy lifestyle. Ask any Aussie, and they will never admit to indulging in one of their very many "Macca's" (i.e., McDonald's). Maybe they should instead blame the meat pies and snags? Or beer?

Lots of cooking

Running in Prospect Hill has been really great. Even though it is sometimes a little repetitive trying to milk enough distance out of the small-ish park, there are still lots of trails and hills to choose from. Lately, however, it has been a little harder to run because of all the fallen leaves, which conceal potentially irritating (and painful) rocks and dips in the trails. Nonetheless, it is great to be on dirt and away from traffic!


Having a nice kitchen and a little extra time, I have been able to practice my cooking. Here are a few of the things we've had the past couple weeks.


Apple pie made with Northern Spy apples from Seth's yard in NY. Seth's mom showed me her pie baking tricks and when I returned to MA I was able to try making one for myself. This pie won't win any beauty contests, but hey, it was my first one.

Veggie dumplings (potstickers). Ignore Seth's face--they were delicious.

Butternut squash pizza with rosemary and spinach.

Very quick no-boil veggie lasagnas (they came out a little flat).

Our Apartment

Even though we have only been here a few weeks, I have really grown to enjoy our apartment. The location is so convenient we only need to drive the car once a week or so, and since all the utilities are already included, we don't have to stress over things like the lengths of our showers, or the amount of electricity we use, etc.

We have been slowly and deliberately furnishing the apartment, and last week we made perhaps the best addition yet: a dining table and set of four chairs we bought off Craigs list. This may not seem like much, but the dining set was actually an unbelievable find: a large (36" x 60") glass wrought iron table with matching chairs (and thick cushions) in perfect condition from Pier 1. We bought it for $150 from an extremely nice recent divorcee who was moving into the city and wouldn't have room for it anymore. He didn't seem interested in the money and was just happy to get rid of it--he even drove it to our apartment in his Jeep because it wouldn't fit in Seth's car. When we got home I looked up the set on the internet and found the same table and (7) chairs being sold second hand for $1300. I don't know how accurate that posting was, but I could definitely see how this set could normally be very pricey.

It is amazing how the dynamics change when you get a table. Seth, even during his 8 years in North Carolina, never had a table. We would always eat sitting on the floor with a plate in our laps. Now we can actually put our food on something and eat like cultured people! Conveniently, the kitchen is also the best room to pick up wireless, so it has been nice to sit at a table and use the internet. And notably, now that we have chairs, we can put two in the sun-room and make better use of that half of the apartment, while before we would only sit on our futon in the bedroom.

Carrie and Edgar's Wedding in Raleigh

Carrie and Edgar's wedding last week (in North Carolina) was really sweet. The bilingual ceremony was fairly small and packed full of Mexican traditions. Among other unfamiliarities, I noticed some coins being passed around, there was something about a candle, the bride and groom had to kneel in front of a large, colourful, Virgin Mary behind the alter, and my favourite part involved a lasso at the very end. I wish I knew more Mexicans...


For the reception it seemed like Edgar's friends and family really pitched in to run it. There was lots of Latin dancing and music, and as a professional chef Edgar was responsible for the food, which was absolutely amazing--a combo of Mexican and American fare (there were even two cakes), the best dish having to be the lamb enchiladas.

It was great to visit with some high school and uni friends: Carrie, Laura, Bill, Kate, Andy, and especially Bo and Monica. I wish I could see them more often, particularly now that Bo is at NYU and Monica is in St. Paul, but NY City is just a bus ride away, and St. Paul is near Andrew, Jennifer, and Carter, so I am sure I will be able to visit them fairly regularly!

My battle with Dell

Since returning home, I FINALLY have access to my Dell laptop, a Studio 15, I ordered back in July. There was some confusion and much, much frustration over the shipping of the stupid thing, and even though I have it now--three months later--I am still sore over the whole situation. To begin, I ordered it during the peak 'back-to-school' computer season, and they told me it would be shipped within one week. Though I was about to head up north for a few weeks, I would be back down in Raleigh for a few days in mid-August to pick it up.

The annoyances first started when Dell began pushing back the estimated shipment date of the computer. It was delayed nearly two weeks, then when that date approached, again for another two weeks. After the first notification of delay, I wasn't sure if I would be in Raleigh to receive the package, so I changed my shipping address (via an online form) to have it sent to Massachusetts. However, when I was finally notified that the order was shipped, I tracked the location of the package and saw it was actually being sent to Raleigh. I called up Dell and asked them why it was being shipped to Raleigh after I had changed the shipping address. The customer service representative said for security purposes they can only send it to the address designated at the time of purchase. However, she suggested that if the delivery is unsuccessful (meaning DSL tries delivering it three days in a row, and if no one signs for it they eventually send it back to Dell) they would be able to then change the address for me. Unfortunately, I did not get in contact with my parents in time and that afternoon Dad unknowingly picked up my computer from DSL.

Since my computer was delivered to Raleigh and I was in MA, my second option was to fill out a "Pick up and redelivery" form on the Dell website. I filled out the form, requesting to have it redelivered to my current location. Upon submitting my request, the website said Dell would review it and notify me within a few days. I waited several days with no word from Dell and so I resubmitted the form. After another week or so, I again resubmitted the form. No luck. I eventually called customer service (I think I spoke with the same representative), and she said the online "Pick up and redelivery" form was no longer active and since my computer was delivered I was solely responsible for organizing a redelivery and Dell would have nothing to do with it.

I emailed Dell Customer Service, not once, not twice, but five times, asking for help. Here is an excerpt from one of my emails:

...I have two issues I hope Dell will be able to consider.

1) Why could I not have changed my shipment address after ordering the computer? Why did the website lead me to believe it was possible to change the address? If this just happens to be the Dell policy, then Dell could have at least been responsible enough to give me a more accurate estimate of the shipment delivery date (the date was delayed by 3 weeks). I understand that I ordered the computer during a very busy time of year, but it was not appropriate for Dell to delay the shipment date twice, without the option for me to change the shipping address. Dell should realize students go off to college during this time of year and addresses change!

2) Why is the pickup and redelivery service no longer offered? And more importantly, why is it still on the Dell website? I submitted a request three times, never aware the request was not getting through.

I hope Dell sees how this shipment issue has been unethical, that 1) Dell delayed the shipment by 3 weeks 2) I was unable to change my address and 3) the option to Pick-up and Redeliver, which is posted on the Dell website, is not available. After always using IBM computers in the past I decided to try Dell this time--I decided this because of its good reputation. Please help me by picking up and redelivering this computer to my current address.

Thank you,
Michelle Landstrom

However, NONE of my requests were answered--Dell never even bothered to answer my simple questions, like why my online Dell account allowed me to 'change' my shipment address (even though it wasn't actually changed), and why the inactive redelivery form was still posted on their website. I went as far as telling Dell I would return my computer if they did not provide redelivery, but they did not even acknowledge this threat. At this point, three months later, I finally do have my computer, though during this entire time I have had to use my 'on the verge of collapse' laptop I bought second-hand in Canberra. Since I have not received support, much less actual help from Dell's Customer Service (despite my two phone calls and five emails), I suppose complaining via this blog will be my only outlet against them. Ergh.

Home again

On Monday I flew down to Raleigh for my high school/uni friend, Carrie's, wedding this weekend. The flight seemed like such a piece of cake--no checked bags, non-stop, and less than two hours long. I ended up waiting at the airport for longer than the flight. "Easy breezy."

Over the past few days I was able to catch up with Danielle W. and Matt B. (old friends I met in middle school band), and I have even been meeting with Matt for morning runs around Lake Lynn. I still have a few people I would like to visit before I leave, but I'll see how things go.