hannalovescats | Recent Entries

Cold, so so cold. Ugh. We had a little bit of snow Friday into Saturday but the real news is the bitter cold. We are under a severe cold weather alert. Last night with the wind the temps felt like negative 30 or something crazy like that. They were saying being outside for just ten minutes could cause frost bite. Fun. I am definitely over winter. Ready for spring. Oh well, is what it is. We will need to make it through February and usually once March hits there is a little reprieve on the horizon. Although March is not one of my favorite months either. It's usually dreary, wet and muddy. Haha.

Anyway, not all that much else new really. Tonight is the Super Bowl which we will watch. I am really not a football fan but it's something to watch and the commercials can be kind of entertaining. Plus the half time show.

And then tomorrow it's already Monday again. Not sure I am ready for another week but hey it's only 11 am on Sunday so I shouldn't focus on that just yet. No real plans for today for me. Will just chill and relax for the most part. Maybe take care of a couple things around the house. I should put the laundry away and vacuum. Well, we will see how it goes.

Started planning our Portugal trip a little more - we leave on the 26th. Yesterday I bought timed entry tickets for the royal palace and the cathedral in Seville, Spain. We will be taking a day trip there while we are in Portugal so that should be fun. Also going to look at a wine tasting and a boat tour in the Algarve. Really can't wait!

Mail Update: A letter went out to Celia/CT this past Tuesday.

Alright, another weekend, no snow thankfully. There has been talk of a potential blizzard hitting us this weekend and I was just saying "NOOO" after the foot and a half of snow we got last weekend. It's been super frigid cold since then too so nothing has really melted much. We spent last Sunday inside, just curled up on the couch. I was reading and Mike was watching football. A low key relaxed day. And Monday we had to dig ourselves out from the snow. And of course our car was in the city garage. They also left the parking ban in effect on Monday so Mike had to park the car in the garage again on Monday night as well after not being able to get into our driveway. Since then we have just been parking on the street. A street over from us because our own street is pretty skinny at this point with all the snow piled on the sides. Fun fun. I am ready for a spring thaw but yeah I know, we still have all of February to go too. Guess we will just see how it goes.

Today spending the day binging the new Bridgerton season. Watched one episode so far and enjoyed it. I also have a new book to read. "Famous Last Words" by Gillian McAllister. Plenty of tea. So yeah that's my plans for today. Too cold to do anything outside.

Tomorrow we will go to brunch. February 1 which marks the end of Dry January. :) Looking forward to a glass of wine. Or an espresso martini. Tomorrow are also the Grammy's which we will watch so that should be fun. Today I think we will watch "One Battle After Another", the new Leo movie that is nominated for all sorts of awards.

Well, that's about it. Not too much else new. Finished all of my reviews at work so that's a big weight off my shoulders. Next week we have somebody new starting in our department who will report to me and then the following week another new hire. Exciting. Looking forward to it! And hopefully, as long as the weather cooperates, we will also have the person from Pittsburgh fly in the week after next (where we had to reschedule from last week with the snow)

And in non work related things, our wedding anniversary is also coming up. February 10th - 25 years. Crazy. I really don't know how that is even possible. How can so much time have gone by? I have now lived in the US longer than I lived in Austria. Bizarre.

Mail Update: A letter went out to Celia/CT this past Tuesday.

Another snowy weekend. This one is supposed to be pretty epic, as far as recent snowstorms go anyway. We haven't had one where we have had a foot of snow or more. It's also a huge storm that is affecting 40 something states in the US in one way or another. Down south they are supposed to get a bunch of ice. With us it is at least just snow.

Yesterday we went for brunch and eventually made our way back home after some errands. Mike then dropped off some things at the hospital for his sister (she's there with the flu and pneumonia - joy) before putting the car in the local parking garage and walking home. During bigger storms we have been doing that as the city opens up the city garage for people to get the cars off the road so the plows can work more efficiently. We technically have a parking area in the back of our house but when it's snowy and icy it can be a pain to get into and even more so out of. And also once our landlord plows the car can end up with mountains of snow all around it so it's a huge pain to dig out. So instead we have decided to just put the car in the city garage instead. No cleaning off the car that way. Just involves about a 20-25 min walk.

Anyway it started snowing about 7am today and is supposed to snow till some time tomorrow I think. Supposed to get really heavy this afternoon. But either way, doesn't really matter, not planning on leaving the house. And the way this is looking I will most likely end up working from home tomorrow. We were supposed to have people come in for a meeting tomorrow but I have a feeling that won't really happen. We also had somebody on my team scheduled to come in from Pittsburgh for the week but ended up rescheduling that to the week of February 9th instead. Hopefully we will have better luck with the weather that week. Fingers crossed.

Not too much else new really. Going to continue reading "The Woman in the Library" today while Mike watches football and stay warm and cozy inside. A relaxed snow day.

Next week Friday I have my mammogram appointment but that's about it. Nothing much else to report really.

Mail Update: A letter went out to Celia/CT this past Tuesday.

And here we are, halfway through January. January always feels like the longest month ever. But will get through it. Looking forward to the end of February when we are off to

Portugal for a week. It's been snowing all weekend and supposed to be icy cold for the foreseeable future so won't melt either. Ugh. I am definitely not a winter person. It hasn't even snowed all that much in recent years so I can't complain too much but I feel like this winter has been snowier than others in recent history. Still nothing like some of the winters we had when I first moved to Connecticut 20+ years ago but yeah.

Not too much new really. It's review season at work so I have been busy starting to work on those and have to make sure I am finished by end of January. Tomorrow, Monday, is Martin Luther King Day which we get off so I have a three day weekend which is nice. Then the last week of January we have somebody coming in from our Pittsburgh office. Hopefully the weather will be better that week. Fingers crossed I guess.

But yeah other than that not too much to say really. Reading Emily Henry's "Book Lovers" and enjoying it. Another fun, light read. Perfect for a snowy day in with lots of tea. Oh yeah, went to UK Gourmet in Bethel yesterday. It's a store that sells all UK type things, candy, chocolate, crisps, loads of tea, marmalade, lemon curd, marmite, salad cream, brown sauce you name it. Anyway got two boxes of tea there so been enjoying those.

Will get a few things done around the house and then settle in with my tea and book.

Actually just put on a new beset, a warmer wintery one and of course Wednesday was helping me. Or pretending to help, chasing the covers while I put them on and being a huge pain. I usually try to keep him away when I do this because of that exact reason. But well oh well. Anyway he is now happily sleeping on top of the new covers so I guess that's good.

Mail Update: Received a letter from/owe a response to: Celia/CT.

Made it through the first week of January which is always notoriously long or feels that way anyway cause it is the first full week after the holidays. But all in all went ok. Let's see what next week brings. Still have a lot of my teams reviews to do and other random stuff with the new year.

The weather has been a bit all over the place. For the start of the year it was really cold but has thawed out a bit in recent days which has helped melt a good amount of the snow and ice we have had around. There is talk of another storm looming on the horizon for this coming week but we will just have to see how it goes.

Had my physical/dr. apt this past week as well which went fine. Nothing earth shattering to report which is always good. Need to schedule an appointment for a mammogram soon, the joys of being old. lol. But is what it is.

Been doing Dry January which has been going ok. Been trying a few of the different mocktail type things they sell which have been ok. Nothing too amazing but they are fun enough to get me through. I really do wish they made a decent non alcoholic wine, that would be a game changer.

Nothing too much else new really. Finished reading "The People We Meet on Vacation" and watched the Netflix adaption last night. Have to say I liked the book better but I guess I am glad I watched the movie to see what they did with it. The Netflix movie wasn't terrible but I think the book was definitely better. Going to check out other books by the author to see what those are like. Easy quick reads so why not.

Also only about a month and a half away from our trip to Portugal so I am excited about that. Starting to look at itineraries and bookmarking things so we have an idea of what options we have and don't miss anything important while there.

Mail Update: Received a letter from/owe a response to: Celia/CT.

Hello 2026! I really don't know how it is 2026. I remember the whole 2000 Y2K thing like it was yesterday and here we are 26 years later. Yeah, yeah I know, I keep harping on it but what can I say? I guess it is normal that time just flies by faster and faster the older you get. I mean remember when we were little and summer vacations would feel like they would last forever and ever. And now, time just flies and flies. Well, I am over winter so maybe that can fly by too and it will be spring before we know it? Fingers crossed I guess.

We have had a little bit of snow every couple of days, nothing too major, just an inch or two or a dusting here and there but just enough to be annoying and have to clean off the car, make sure the walkways and stairs are clear and so on. It does look pretty but it just never ends. It has also been super cold. Slightly better today and supposed to warm up a bit more over the next few days into the middle of next week.

Anyway last week was ok. Mostly quiet at work with a little bit of a craziness mixed in due to so many people being out for vacation/holidays so dealing with coverage and whatnot. Worked 1/2 a day on New Year's Eve and then we headed to Southbury to see "Marty Supreme" at the Riverview Theater there. The acting was really good but overall I felt like the movie was a bit too long and the storyline/plot all over the place. But anyway was an enjoyable afternoon. Headed home after that and had some food at home and watched the CNN Times Square New Year's coverage with Andy Cohen & Anderson Cooper which is always entertaining. Stayed up till about 1.30am. Slept in on the 1st and then headed to New Year's Day Brunch at Jlaw.

Worked the 2nd and then had the weekend again which was nice. Doing Dry January again which worked out nicely last year. I think it's good to have a bit of a break after the holidays with all of the over indulgence. Going to try and be a bit more mindful with healthy eating, less sugar and all of that as well. Let's see how it goes.

Today just having a quiet day inside. Watching the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day concert I recorded, drinking tea and eventually will finish reading my book. Reading "People We Meet On Vacation" in anticipation of the Netflix movie that's coming out. About halfway done with the book and so far I really like it.

And tomorrow it's back to work and back to reality with everyone back after the holidays. It's also the start of review season which is always a busy time. Let's see what 2026 brings.

Mail Update: All caught up for once.

Happy belated Christmas to everyone! :) It's been a good week, weird with work days sprinkled into days off but a good week all in all.

Had Monday (22nd) off and we went to Oxford to check out the conveyor belt sushi place. I thought it was really cool and maybe will make it a point to go back with a friend. Mike was ok with it but I don't think it's really his thing so kind of a waste of money since it is all you can eat. But either way I am glad I got to try it out and definitely stuffed my face with lots of sushi and some other delicious things like rice and noodles.

Tuesday (23rd) I worked and it was kind of a hectic day. Then had the 24th and 25th off. On Christmas Eve we went for brunch at Jlaw and then had a feast at home with shrimp cocktail, pigs in a blanket, baguette & brie, cheese & crackers, veggies & dip and some wine. Watched "Love Actually" and "The Grinch" which was fun.

On Christmas Day we went to the movies and saw "The Housemaid". Thought they did a really good job adapting the book into a movie. Some changes but I guess that is to be expected. But all in all I really enjoyed it. Afterwards we watched some more movies and had more food.

Then the 26th I worked and overall it was a relatively quiet day. I was more or less "on call" for any emergencies but nothing too crazy came up. We will see how this upcoming week goes as we have a lot of people out and a lot of coverage set up. We will see how it goes.

Yesterday, Saturday (27th) we headed into NYC to meet up with my Austrian friend Nicole who is here with her husband & son over Christmas/New Year's. Walked through Bryant Park where they have the Christmas market/village set up which is neat. So many crowds. Crazy! But do have to say it was pretty with the snow covering the trees and all.

We had a snowstorm Friday into Saturday and where we live in Western Connecticut we got about 7 inches of snow which is more than we have had in a while. So Saturday morning we had to dig ourselves out and get the car from the city garage (about a 25 min walk) before heading into the city.

But anyway NYC was busy but was great to see Nicole and to hang out and catch up for a while. Ended up back home a bit after midnight I think so not too bad. And today we will have a low key quiet day. And then tomorrow it's back to work.

Mail Update: All caught up for once.

And here we are, the week of Christmas. I really don't know where the time has gone this year, just flown by. I know, I know, I always say that but it really does feel like that. The other day I got a new credit card because my old one's expiration date was coming up .. and the expiration date on this new card is 2030. I can't even. 2030! It sounds so futuristic and really we are just a few years away in all reality. But in my mind the early 2000s were just a few years ago but really we are almost 30 years removed from that at this point. Lord, I am definitely getting old. Crazy, just crazy!

Anyway, last week was pretty busy at work but figured that was to be expected. I am off today since I volunteered to work on the 26th. We are going to head to Oxford, CT to check out the conveyor belt sushi place that opened about a year ago. Been wanting to go and try it but just haven' gotten around to it. It's all you can eat and quite a bit cheaper for lunch during the week than dinner or on the weekends so this will be a good opportunity to see what it's like. I am very much looking forward to it!

Yesterday we drove to Lake Waramaug to go to the Hopkins Vineyard. They are doing specials for the 12 days leading up to Christmas with something different going on every day. Yesterday they had a Maple syrup & honey merchant there where you could sample their products. They also had a local bourbon place and live music. We got a special "Santa's Snack Board" which was cute, cheeses and meats that were shaped as Christmas trees as well as Linzer cookies and Gingerbread Men. And of course wine. An enjoyable afternoon.

Tomorrow I am working and then off again the 24th and 25th. We don't have any huge plans for Christmas itself. Will likely go to the movies on Christmas Day and see "The Housemaid". That's about it. But will be nice to have a couple of days off.

Mail Update: All caught up for once.

Alright here we are, one week away from Christmas Eve. I really don't know where this year has gone. And I am late with my update of course as I usually tend to update over the weekend and here we are and it's already Wednesday again. Just been busy and one day tends to blend into the next.

Not sure what exactly has kept me busy besides work. It's been kind of nutty at work lately, just a lot of coverage with people out and year-end tasks, reporting and whatnot.

Got my blood work done for my physical even though that whole thing turned into more drama than I really wanted it to. When I got to Quest, the lab where I get my blood work done, they didn't have any order from my doctor's office even though I had called the week before just to make sure they send it to Quest. Well bottom line was that I had to re-schedule the blood work to another day, chase down my doctor's office for a copy of the order, just to be told that my physical has to be rescheduled for January due to a scheduling conflict/issue with the doctor. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter because it's just a routine appointment, just frustrating more than anything.

Last weekend was pretty uneventful. Although Saturday into Sunday we got some snow and woke up to a bit of a Winter Wonderland Sunday morning. The snow has stayed since it's been really cold but now it's warming up and supposed to rain quite a bit later in the week so the snow won't stick around for Christmas unfortunately. Oh well.

No solid plans yet for this upcoming weekend. Might go to a winery or find something else holiday themed to do. I am off next week on Monday (22nd) as I volunteered to work on the 26th. Off on 24th and 25th. So it will be a bit of a weird week work wise next week.

Mail Update: All caught up for once.

Sunday Funday. :) Just a relaxing day for the most part today. Played with my new vacuum for a bit earlier. It's a Shark and I have to say I am really happy with it. It has different settings for bare floor versus carpet and you can also extend the hose so you can easily reach places. It's pretty nifty. Now I am updating my blog and after that I think I will make myself another cup of tea and sit and read one of my Christmas books on my Kindle. Nice low key relaxing day. The weather isn't too bad today but generally it's been really cold. Brrr.

Yesterday we stopped at the German deli in town - Karl Ehmer's - it's been there forever but somehow we just never go or very seldom anyway. Got some Hungarian salami and some Leberkaese. Definitely a nice treat.

This past week was busy being the week after Thanksgiving and I have a feeling it is going to continue to be busy for the rest of the year. We have a lot of people out (everyone trying to use up their leftover time that won't carry into the new year) so coverage is always a bit of a challenge. Plus all the year end clean up trying to get things closed out and buttoned up before the year is over.

Other than that really not too much going on to write about. Tomorrow we have to go to the mall which I am already dreading. But that's where the T Mobile store is. We are looking to switch back to T Mobile from Verizon. Hopefully things go smoothly, we will see how it all plays out.

This coming week I have to get blood work done for my upcoming physical which is the week after. But yeah that's about it.

Mail Update: Letters went out this past Monday to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

And here we are, already Sunday again. How does a four day weekend fly by that fast? Well to be fair it is only 10am on Sunday so I still have a good amount of the day in front of me but still. :)

Anyway we had a nice low key holiday weekend. On Thursday for Thanksgiving we went to Chuck's, a local restaurant. It's been there for ages but recently was purchased by new owners, another restaurant family from the area. All in all they didn't change too much inside and the food was still delicious so can't complain. The crowd at the bar for Thanksgiving was interesting but it made for some fun people watching. And we also ran into a couple people we knew so it was fun to hang out for a while. Also watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, both at home and while at the restaurant. And later at home we watched the new Downton Abbey movie. We had seen it before when it first came out but this was on the Blu-Ray with the director's commentary and other special features and so on.

I had Friday off for Black Friday which was nice and we ran a few errands in the morning and then had lunch before stopping into Jlaw for a little bit for Happy Hour. They had a gift card special where you got $20 when buying a $100 gift card. Not a bad deal.

And yesterday we went for brunch and watched 2 of the new Stranger Things episodes. Maybe tonight we will be able to watch the other two. I have a few projects going for the day today. Have 2 letters I need to write plus finish up the rest of my cards. Mainly the ones that need to packaged up with some other stuff. Also have my book to finish as we are discussing that in our work book club on Tuesday (Freida McFadden "Never Lie") And want to put up the little table top tree that I bought. I am planning on putting it on top of a book shelf so hopefully it will be safe from our cat Wednesday. We will see how that goes.

For Black Friday shopping, also ended up buying more than I probably should have but to be fair they were all very good deals. Got some lotions/body cream from Bath & Body Works and a new vacuum at Kohl's. Kohl's also had a deal where you got extra Kohl's cash so I will have some extra money to spend at the store. If I like my tree I may end up buying a second one to put up on another shelf. But I will have to see how the first one looks before making a final decision.

And last but not least we also booked a vacation for our upcoming 25th wedding anniversary (how crazy is that? 25 years?!?) Our anniversary is February 10th and our trip will be end of February into early March. Heading to the Algarve region in the south of Portugal. It really was a good deal. About $1500 for both flights, 6 nights in a hotel and a rental car. Really can't argue with that.

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

Sunday Funday. Spent the day doing some chores, putting away the laundry, cleaning the kitty litter and so on. And then decided to get started on my Christmas cards and have to report I managed to finish all my cards. There are a few I need to verify addresses for and a few more where I am going to need to find larger envelopes to mail some treats along with the cards but mostly I am done. So a pretty accomplished day all in all. Also had some delicious Austrian cookies and gingerbread while writing my cards along with some tea and listened to OE3 (Austrian radio station) Relaxed day all in all.

On Wednesday this week after work we stopped into Jlaw to see their Miracle set up. Miracle is a pop up holiday themed bar and Jlaw was chosen to be able to participate this year. The whole place looks like a Winter Wonderland and the cocktails were definitely interesting as well.

On Thursday we went to see the new Wicked movie at our local Bethel, CT theater. They have $5 tickets on Thursday nights which really is a steal. Plus it was opening night. And they also had fun Wicked themed cocktails. So really what more can you want? The movie was really good as well I thought. I know it got some not so great reviews but I really enjoyed it and thought they tied it together very well.

Next week is already Thanksgiving. Where has the time gone? I feel like it was just Halloween but then I say that all the time so I guess it's not unusual for the days to just flying by.

No huge plans for the holidays for us. In my memories on Timehop and on Facebook I keep seeing the pictures from when I was in Europe last year at this time of year and it makes me wish I could be there now and go to the Christmas Markets. It is what it is of course. Just not really feasible this year, maybe I will try and do that again next year, we will see how it pans out.

Yesterday we finished watching "Wednesday" on Netflix. We had never watched the last 4 episodes as they came out when I was in Austria in September and somehow we didn't get around to watching them until now.

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

Happy Monday! And another week underway.
Last week Monday I logged on in the morning to work and then had a doctor's appointment.
After that we headed to lunch before taking the train down to the city.

Had tickets to see David Garrett at 8pm. He's a German/American violinist who is classically trained (went to Julliard etc.) but also does a lot of pop/rock cross over stuff which is really cool. Stopped at the Perfect Pint for a quick drink before having dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants Osteria al Doge. From there we headed to the venue. Didn't get home till about 1am so a long day but definitely tons of fun.
Always a great time in the city, dinner was delicious and the concert was so much fun. He put on a great show and seemed to truly be enjoying himself. Can't believe it's been ten years since I have seen him live. Where does the time go?

The rest of the week was pretty normal, not too much out of the ordinary. And the weekend was pretty low key as well. Ran some errands, Bath and Body Works, Target, Kohl's and had brunch. But that's about it. I got a cute Christmas Snoopy/Peanuts shower curtain at Kohl's and some cranberry/eucalyptus soap at Bath & Body Works. The holiday season is officially underway. :)

Nothing too much happening this week. Can't believe it's already Thanksgiving next week. Getting started on my Christmas cards as well. Especially the international ones need to be mailed sooner rather than later. :)

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

Happy Sunday! Another week gone by. This week we had Election Day and all the major elections seemed to have gone in favor of the Democrats including a lot of the local smaller CT ones. Let's see how this continues. Cautiously optimistic.

Tomorrow I am starting off the way with a short work day, then have a doctor's appointment at 9.40am and midday we will head into the city on the train as we have tickets to see David Garrett at 8pm. It's been 10 years since he has toured in the US, definitely looking forward to seeing him play again. He's a German/American violinist who is classically trained (went to Julliard etc.) but also does a lot of pop/rock cross over stuff which is really cool. So that should be a good day. We have an early dinner booked at one of our favorite Italian restaurants Osteria al Doge. So delicious - can't wait. And the show is at 8pm. Anyway should be a good day. Will be a late night and not a fun Tuesday morning having to head into the office but is what it is.

Anyway not all that much else new really. Can't believe we are already heading into mid November now. No idea where this year has gone. Time is just flying and flying. No plans for the holidays really, something low key most likely.

Let's see what next week brings at work, nothing too much out of the ordinary really. Just getting busy setting up holiday coverage plus people taking time off they need to use up before year end that they can't carry over into the new year. I had my 9 year work anniversary on Friday. Can't believe it's been 9 years. I have now reached the max of 4 weeks vacation time per year which is nice. Plus we get some personal days and some other stuff. So really can't complain from an American standpoint. Of course in Austria you start with 5 weeks of vacation time but hey it is what it is. Right?

Anyway, that's all for now. Will write about the concert in my next post :)

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

A little behind with my posting- apologies - but somehow time just got away from me.Last week I had Monday to Wednesday off and Monday morning we headed out to Long Island after a stop at Dunkin Donuts in the morning. The drive out to the North Fork was all in all ok. Of course some traffic since we left at rush hour but nothing too crazy. Got to Coffeepot Cellars just a little after they opened at 11am which was honestly perfectly timed. Coffeepot is always one of our favorites when visiting the North Fork and as always they did not disappoint this time either. Hung out with Adam, the wine maker, for a bit and also got to see Laura who stopped in and of course Anna, their new pug. So cute.

Afterwards we headed to Greenport Harbor Brewing Company for lunch. Had a great burger and from there moved on to Kontokasta which is the winery furthest out towards the end. Also the one with the prettiest views as it has a huge lawn that goes out to the ocean. Lucked out with the weather as it was nice and sunny and also not windy at all when we got there. Got some glasses of wine and just sat out near the ocean for a bit. Worse ways to spend an afternoon. :) Our last stop for the day was One Woman which is always a favorite as well. Enjoyed seeing their new tasting room and as the weather was still nice got to sit out enjoying a bottle of Gruner Veltliner and a panini and some North Fork potato chips. Eventually made our way back and checked into the Shorewood Inn. Decided to stay there this time as a lot of the other hotels were just really over priced. Can't complain, was totally fine for what we needed. From there went to Cliff's Elbow Room and finished out our day there.

Tuesday morning we slept in a bit and had breakfast at Black Sheep Bagels just down the road from the motel. So good! From there we headed to Lenz Winery and hung out there for a bit before moving on to Osprey's Dominion. Osprey is another favorite of ours, well really both of them. So was fun hanging out there too and just enjoying some quiet time. Going during the week in the shoulder season definitely has its perks. From there we made our way out to Greenport for a late-ish lunch at First & South Restaurant. Another favorite we always enjoy and definitely did not disappoint this time around either. Eventually made our way back and stopped in at Cliff's Elbow Room for another quick drink and some chowder before calling it a night.

Wednesday it was already time to go back but before that we had breakfast at Panoramica which came recommended by Adam & Laura at Coffepot. What an unique funky place. Delicious breakfast sandwich as well. From there we moved on to Bedell Cellars and eventually finished up at Paumanok before making our way back to CT. Both had great fall decorations and just generally a nice relaxed atmosphere.

Thursday and Friday of course were busy at work trying to catch up with everything. The weekend pretty quiet with nothing much going on and well here we are already with it being Tuesday night already again. Just working on getting through the week and looking forward to the weekend. No real plans but that's ok because Monday (11th) we have tickets to see David Garrett in NYC so that will be a fun day.

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

Happy Sunday! The weather has been pretty cool with frost warnings overnight. But I guess we are heading towards the end of October so it's not all that surprising. You just never know. Some years it's still really nice and unusually warm at this point.

Anyway was a busy week at work with various partners/vendors coming in from international moving companies, France, Spain, Germany, Singapore. Definitely a busy but interesting week. And everyone that came was really nice and super friendly.

Friday was my birthday. (46 ... really don't know how that happened) Started the day at Starbucks with a freebie sandwich and some tea. And also stopped at a local bakery that sent me a $5 coupon for my birthday. Afterwards we stopped at Jlaw and Rosy's before heading to dinner at Rizzuto's in Westport. Our favorite bartender Brian is moving to Florida so it was great to see him again before he moves for good.

The rest of the weekend has been low key. Tomorrow we head out to Long Island for 2 nights to the North for some wine tasting and relaxing. Should be fun! It's been about 3 years since we were last out there I think so definitely overdue.

Been reading "Rules for Fake Girlfriends" by Raegan Revord. It's young adult fiction but has been really enjoyable to read.

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

Happy Sunday! The weather has been cool but this weekend it warmed up a bit which is nice. Especially since a cold front is supposed to come through tonight which is supposed to bring a bunch of rain and wind. We had a similar day like that this past week. Definitely miserable. But at least tomorrow I can stay home and work from home. So that will be something anyway.

My dentist and orthodontist appointments went fine this week. My new retainer should be ready in about a week. $220 but at least I can use my HSA money and the one I am replacing lasted me for three years so I guess it's not all that bad all things considered.

Yesterday we dropped off our old TV - I don't even remember if I posted about this or not. But our TV which was a little over 9 years old died a few weeks back. So we had to replace it. Got another Hisense one, hopefully it lasts as long. Anyway, yesterday we dropped off the TV and an old Tivo we still had laying around at the recycling center in town. So that's two less things cluttering up our place. :)

Today we are going to go for a walk at Fairfield Hills in Newtown, about a 45 min loop. With the nice weather it should be a good walk. And afterwards we will have lunch at Taco Dia. We have a gift certificate so a good opportunity to check out the place. I am hoping it's good.
No big plans otherwise, will likely just catch up on some more recorded TV or maybe we will watch "Annie Hall". We rented that from the library after Diane Keaton passed since I have never seen it.

This coming week we have a few vendors coming in so I will be in the office three days. But then I am off on Friday for my birthday. No big plans for my actual birthday. Will probably just hang out during the day, get my free Starbucks treat and later drive to Westport for dinner at Rizzuto's. Been a while since we have been there and the bartender there is also moving to Florida so it's a good opportunity to catch up before he goes. No plans for Saturday at the moment and then on Sunday (week from today) we will be off to the North Fork on Long Island for 2 nights.

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

Sunday Funday. Glad it's the weekend although of course it is flying by way too fast again. What else is new? lol

The weather has been a bit iffy but not terrible. Yesterday was actually pretty nice, at least in the morning. We went for a walk around the local cemetery. I know that sounds weird but it's a nice quiet place to go for a stroll. There is a pond with ducks and geese, etc. And the trees are also turning color or starting to anyway so it was a pretty walk.

Today it's really windy and supposed to rain later. A bit of a gloomy day but that's fine. Just going to hang out, drink a lot of tea and read my book. It's the perfect day for it. And not think about the fact that tomorrow is Monday again. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow as well, just a cleaning but it's at 2pm which is kind of annoying time. So I am only working till 1.30pm and took the rest of the day off. Which means I will need to catch up on Tuesday of course. Well, oh well, is what it is. I also have an appointment at the orthodontist Thursday afternoon. It's been about three years since I got my braces off. I have been good about wearing the retainer at night so my teeth don't shift back to the way they were. But that retainer is on its absolute last leg, falling apart. So I finally decided to call and make an appointment. They will need to do a scan of my teeth to make a new retainer.

Anyway, that's about all. Nothing else going on. Will just enjoy the rest of my Sunday and relax. :)

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia/MA and Nina/WA.

And yet another week flown by, well more than that if you count from the last post I made.

Monday and Tuesday last week went by fast and Wednesday I was already back on a plane to the US again. All in all the flight went pretty uneventful including my connection in Dublin. The good part was that my flight from Vienna didn't leave super early which meant I was able to leave the house at a decent time. However that of course also meant getting back to Connecticut pretty late. Unfortunately there isn't a way around that. It's always one or the other.

Worked Thursday and Friday which was a bit of a blur with jetlag but luckily had a relaxing weekend after that.
Sunday we took advantage of the nice weather and spent time at Millbrook Vineyard in Millbrook, NY. Likely the last 80 degree (26C) weather weekend of the year. So we took advantage of that sitting outside and relaxing.

Monday was still pretty warm and yesterday was mild too but today it has definitely taken a turn towards fall weather. Rained for a while this morning and with a cold front passing through has definitely turned a lot cooler. Not sure yet what the weekend will bring. So far it looks like maybe sun on Saturday and rain on Sunday. But we are still a few days away so we will just have to wait and see.

In other fun news booked 2 nights away at the North Fork in Long Island for after my birthday so that should be nice. It's been a while since we have been there.

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia.

And here we are, the last weekend of my stay here in Europe already. Where do four weeks go that fast?

It's definitely been a busy month. A lot of people, places, food and drink. Definitely makes the time go by fast. The weather took a bit of a turn after the super warm summer like weekend last weekend. Monday was still pretty good and even some of Tuesday but Wednesday was pretty much a wash out with rain all day and Thursday wasn't a lot better. I worked Monday and Tuesday and have had time off since then which has been nice. Wednesday my mom's speech therapist was here and on Thursday I had a lovely lunch with my aunt at an Italian place. Afterwards we stopped at Billa Plus and I stocked up on a variety of goodies to bring back to the US (chocolates, gingerbread, soups/sauce mixes etc) And on Friday I had my appointment at my hairdresser. Came out great as always :)

Then yesterday, Saturday, the weather finally turned sunny again albeit cooler. But made the most of it and spent the afternoon in St. Polten wandering around, browsing shops etc. Found a nice corner spot at a high top outside at K&K and lingered there for a while enjoying some lovely food and drinks. Since it was protected from the wind in that corner it was really perfect even feeling a bit hot in the sun. T,

oday it's quite a bit cooler again and also started out cloudy this morning. However it cleared up for a bit and the sun decided to come out after lunch so I was able to take a nice walk and also sit outside for a bit reading. This afternoon I will watch a Rosamunde Pilcher movie with my mom and drink more tea. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

No big plans for Monday and Tuesday really. Just going to hang out, read, go for walks and eventually get all my things packed up, hoping that everything fits and the luggage doesn't end up overweight. It's always a challenge.

Mail Update: Still owe a response to Celia.

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