Fritz de Quervain 3 - Brad HG 0

Come on! I previously knew that Swiss surgeon Fritz de Quervain had managed to secure eponymous bragging rights to both a mysterious thyroiditis and a super-common tendon syndrome (he beat out washerwoman's sprain in the popularity contest for this name, so you know he was good...), but I just found out that he also was the person who first thought to introduce iodized table salt to the civilized world. He is responsible for keeping us all from walking around with golf-balls in our throats, for gosh sake.

This guy's overachieving is really making my own accomplishments seem embarrassing... I mean, 6th grade state regional spelling bee runner-up should count for something!!!

He is to medicine trivia what Jason Statham is to superfluous British fast-car-thievery-OMGZexplosions-adrenaline-wowsers-action films... learn to share a little!!!

A somewhat less substantial update...

While not on the level of recommending a TV show with cheesy murder plots and smart, nimble dialogue, I do have a bit to share with you (as a means to the end of avoiding studying Clinical Medicine).

First, I think that the only appropriate thing to do would

 be to pay tribute to something truly inspiring and powerful in our world.  Yes, as I'm sure you agree, the twice-baked potato is a paragon of perfection.  Not sure what you want to eat?  Grab a potato, possibly one of the most bland foods in the world, bake that baby, scoop it out, mix in a little bit of everything that you like, regardless of how decadent or excessive it may seem, stuff it back in the potato carcass, overload it with cheese and bacon for good measure, add some more bacon and cheese, and warm it up.  Mmmmm, mmmmm...

As seeing is how my birthday is only 6 months and 6 days away, I thought I should let you know now what you should buy for me (I promise I'll act surprised).  Drive to West Chester, PA and purchase this first-edition of Dostoevsky's "Brother's Karamazov."  Please and thank you!

You may be asking yourself, what have the HG's been up to for the past 6 months since abandoning their blog?  

We have: gone back to the mitten state for the holidays, gone to NYC for new years, had fun going out in the city with friends, gone to concerts, gone to the book barn, drank a lot of coffee, read many books, etc.

Maggie has: taken German and yoga classes, gone to upstate New York snowboarding with friends, learned out to crochet like a pro, read even more books, etc.

I have: studied.

Finally, you should listen to Clare & The Reasons.  Maggie and I went to a My Brightest Diamond concert and the opener (C&TR) was outstanding.  They had character, they had charisma, they had humor, and they had blinky lights.  If you have some free time, you should watch this video to see an entire set from each band from the same tour that we saw.

A monumental post to break the silence...

You should watch Psych

Tv may rot your brain, but at least this way the ol' rotting process will be entertaining.

With no regard to chronological order...

The Flyers won last night to stay in the playoffs. We've had fun watching the games and rooting for our underdog. They are down the Stanley Cup semi-finals 3-1 in whats being called the "Pennsylvania Civil War" with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but we're thrilled with how they've done considering that they weren't expected to even make the playoffs and are now missing their top two defensemen. Its always fun when your team works best under adversity and pressure.

We went to a Phillies game. They were playing the Padres. I commented to Maggie that I think this might be the first time in my life that I've gone to a baseball game and the home team that I have gone to see has actually won! It was "dollar dog night," and many hot dogs were enjoyed. (Oh, and by the way: it's true what they say about Phillies fans. Hint: its not "they are nice and civil." It would have taken the two of us to count on our hands how many fans we saw thrown out of the game.)

We saw Spoon in concert (with openers The Walkmen) at The Electric Factory. Maggie and I have been huge fans of Spoon for some time now, and relied heavily on their latest album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" to get us through the long drives to and from Philadelphia during the move. The show was unbelievable - best live performance I've seen both in stage presence and musicianship. Their set spanned 5 albums and clocked in at over 1.5 hours, which was a show of endurance and the quality of their catalog. What made it even better was that our friend Emily, whom Maggie met in Spain and lives in Philly now, met us at the show. It was a blast hanging out with her.

We also made the quick jog down to the greater DC area to visit Maggie's cousin Terry and other family for the twins' birthday. For those who remember, these are the little premature twins that Maggie nannied for. This weekend was a blast, seeing family, hanging out with little kids who are too smart for their own good, and relaxing away from home.

I've had a chance to do a lot of reading, which I love. Having studied literature in college, you'd think I would have gotten my fair share of reading in, but its an entirely different thing reading for pleasure than reading for class. On my reading list: The New Yorker, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Engineer of Human Souls by Josef Skvorecky (Read it NOW! It both gives an intimate look into the volatile political state swinging from Socialism to Communism in Czechoslovakia and also an intimate look into what it means to be human), The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (Reading this currently. I loved the first half of it but now its turning a bit labored and misguided), and various personal finance titles.
We've also watched several great movies. One that I would say Maggie and I both found side-splitting was Woody Allen's Bananas. Between books and DVDs, we've been keeping Upper Moreland Free Library very busy.

Oh yeah, and I graduated from college.

































We hope you are having a nice Spring!

P.S. Leave us a comment to let us know that you are keeping up with us. Hmmmm... give us a movie recommendation.

Rare Sitings of the Elusive Creatures' Nest

Deep in the hustle and bustle of the Hatborian life, it is difficult to catch glimpses of the famously stylish apartment of Maggie and Brad, much like that of the evasive mating rituals of the kakapo. Native to New Zealand, it only breeds every three or four years. Thus, it has taken much concentration and patience from our skilled team of photographers to capture such priceless poses of the hatborian-homedwelling-photographic-momentus-bradagonian-maggiestific scenery. Enjoy.

Here you will find the exotically fashionable Living Room.








Where most professional chefs would drool with envy, you will find a quaintly awesome Kitchen & Spa Extraordinaire.

















The Bathroom, complete with running water and a painting of the site of The Engagement
(La Calle Alcalá, Madrid, España)









As these creatures must venture forth from their dwellings, they must first dine and then ride. This is best accomplished with the aid of a dazzling dinner table and bike storage facility.

And finally, a brief siting of one of the creatures napping with his feline companions. Shhhhhhhhhh......this is a rare siting indeed.

We're still alive, I promise...

In fact, we are very alive, and very busy. I can only sit here so long sipping at coffee before I have to take off for work, so I cannot write much. But I will give you a taste of our last week.

• I made homemade corn chowder. Not to toot my own horn, but it was outstanding.
• We successfully got our driver licenses and car registration. (After having previously been turned away from the PennDot for not having sufficient proof of residency - a bank statement with our new address did not count, apparently - the last time they never even asked for any proof of residency. I almost shoved our mailings in his face just as retribution.)
• Went to Mutter's museum and a piece of the a tumor of John Wilkes Booth and other medical oddities.
• We had two great friends from Oklahoma, Daniel and Adrienne, visit us. This was a blast.
• We had a great friend from New Jersey, David, visit us the next day. He got an iPhone and made me jealous.
• We visited with Maggie's aunts and uncles at a HUGE summer home on the Chesapeake in Maryland. This included seeing Maggie's new cousin who was recently adopted from China.

All in all, a crazy week, but a blast.
(I'll update this with pictures later...)

Oh, the Perks of Modern Pennsylvanianite Vehicular Requirements!

"So when are you going to get your Michigan plates changed?"

"I figured I'd do it in October when they expire."

"Huh, really..."

Within twenty days of moving to the grand state of Pennsylvania, one must change their car registration. In order to change the registration of your vehicle, you must have a Pennsylvania driver's license. To get a Pennsylvania driver's license, you have to apply in person and prove your residency in two ways, which can include utility bills, lease agreements, or other forms that formally state your new address. Typically utility bills arrive thirty days from when you first sign-up, lease agreements take ten to twenty days because the head of the rental company has to sign it, and usually the latest Bed Bath & Beyond flyer addressed to "Our Neighbor" just doesn't quite prove your residency too well.... Pennsylvania is also a very green state, and requires yearly inspections of every vehicle (lest you incur fines and penalties by disregarding such requirements) for brakes, general safety features and emissions. This must be done within ten days of completing the vehicle registration. I believe we have now come full circle...

We recently decided to hire Stan, our paperwork guru pictured to the left to take care of all of the necessary paperwork. We pay him in sprinkled donuts weekly.

The headaches of vehicular requirements aside, we are absolutely loving Pennsylvania. All but two moving boxes remain, and we have taken quite a fancy to their decorative accent to our new flat.


Here's hoping Stan is The Man and we successfully get our vehicular portraits published this weekend.

-M