A fool's prerogative

No Sleep Till...

2011-03-07T19:36:00.003-05:00

There's really something about Brooklyn. No matter how long I'm away, when I come back here, it's like I never left. It revives me. It's like the opposite of Kryptonite. It's like the Yellow Sun to Superman.

I walk around this place, no matter what neighborhood, it's all Brooklyn. The attitude. The pride. I can ask for an everything bagel with coffee (milk, one sugar - and they know what I'm talking about when I say that) and it comes out perfect. Pizza and garlic knots for lunch (carb-a-licious)? Uh, yeah!

I mean, seriously. How awesome is this?

I need to come here from time to time, just to recharge my batteries. To see my family. To see my friends. To see where I grew up (even though my house isn't there anymore). To eat the pizza of my youth. And real bagels. And have a "regular" coffee.
I love it here.

And then I'm ready to go home to my love and my puppy.

Day 7 - Rest and Recovery... Reykjavik in the Rain

2010-06-27T18:11:00.000-04:00

Originally we had planned to go to Þorsmork (Thor's Woodlands) on Friday, but after the 14 Hour Bus Tour, which ended after midnight, we decided that it would have been too much to do another 10 hour tour. So we decided to sleep in a bit, hit a few places in downtown Reykjavik that were closed earlier in the week, and have a nice dinner.

We lunched on hot dogs and sleazy burgers, and they were goooood. I've already waxed poetic on the awesomeness of the hot dog. We decided to go to the "sleazy" burger joint that Ari had mentioned. I'll tell you this, this place makes a great, simple burger. You will not find as rare a burger as we ate as we did at this place by the harbor. Ahhh... rare burger...

We just wandered around after lunch, visiting an artist workshop called Niu Heimar or "Nine Worlds." Turg felt an affinity to this place as he has a representation of the Niu Heimar tattooed on his shoulder. We chatted with the owner and artist in residence, Ari. He is incredibly talented, all his work beautiful and unique. First, Turg bought a necklace with representations of Odin's two ravens. Then, he mentioned that he was planning to get a tattoo at Reykjavik Ink, and that there were specific runes he wanted in this tattoo. Turg then asked Ari if he would design something for him... and he agreed. He needed some time to get inspired.

Ari and Turg

We left Ari, wandered around the city, did some gift shopping and went to dinner, because it started to pour. We went our for steak, since we were starting to get tired of lamb...

Turg at the steakhouse... see the bull in the background?

The steak was good, but not fantastic. But during dinner, Turg got an email from Ari saying that he had designs ready for him. Excitedly, we finished dinner and rushed back to the gallery. The designs did not disappoint - they were exactly what Turg was hoping for, and more. And Ari specifically said to make sure the tattoo parlor understood that these designs were for Turg only... they were not to be used for anyone else. Needless to say, Turg was quite honored.

Bindrune and Runestaves from Ari

Thanking Ari, we left for Turg's tattoo appointment at Reykjavik ink... when we arrived, well, Houston, we have a problem... and that problem was sunburn. The tattoo artist basically told him that if he got the tattoo with the sunburn, when it healed, well, it would not look very good. And he would not do a tattoo if he did not believe it would come out good. Given that Turg got this amazing, original design for his tattoo, he decided that he did not want to risk it. So... sadly, we left without the tattoo.

But the day was not lost. We got gifts, and we got an original design for Turg's next tattoo, which he will likely get in the States. Back to the hotel to rest up for our last full day in Iceland...

Next up... Whales and Puffins, part II

Day 6 - 7 Interlude - Sunrise/Sunset

2010-06-26T20:27:00.000-04:00

This photo does not really belong on Day 6 or 7, so I think it deserves it's own post... This was the sunset from our hotel room after we got back from our 14 Hour Tour. This sunset was a little after midnight... the sky didn't get dark at all. We were up for a little while after this, and we noticed that the sun began it's journey back up around 1am.

Iceland Adventures, Day 6 - 14 hours on a bus, but so worth it

2010-06-26T19:34:00.002-04:00

After a day of rest and relaxation, it was a good opportunity to go out to the eastern part of the country via the south coast. Iceland has one main road that pretty much follows the circumference of the entire country - you can take this road pretty much anywhere, unless parts of it have been washed out by, oh, I don't know, flood or lava flow. But they rebuild sections of the road that have been wiped out very quickly, so no one is cut off for very long.

Our first stop was a rest stop, about an hour or so outside of Reykjavik. This was going to be a long day, so they wanted to give us as many opportunities to pee and eat as possible. Joseph and I picked up some snacks, including a very curious package of bacon flavored crackers. That's right. Crackers. That are bacon flavored. Which were next to packs of paprika flavored crackers... those crazy Europeans.

Bacon flavored crackers... from LU, the tea biscuit people. The crackers were actually pretty tasty - they just needed a piece of cheese to round them out.

Our first actual tour stop was Skogarfoss falls. These falls are about 80m tall, and are very beautiful. They don't have the power of Gullfoss, but an elegant quieter beauty.

Skokarfoss

The sun came out just long enough for a mist rainbow to appear

Our touristy photo... or proof that we we didn't just get these pictures of Wikipedia

We had a photo stop at the side of the road to look at the glacier Myrdalsjökull, which is the larger glacier directly east of Eyafjallajökull (perhaps you heard of that one). You can see the glacier creeping down from the mountains at the horizon of the photo. On the ground in front are stacks of rocks. People stack the rocks to give them luck for safe travels.

Myrdalsjökull creeping downward

Back on the bus. We took a quick lunch break at a hotel in the middle of no-where, and were back on the bus quickly for another hour to Jöjulsárlón Glacial Lagoon. In this lagoon, icebergs break off the Vatnajökull glacier, the largest glacier in Europe, and slowly travel their way down the river into the ocean. The lagoon was jammed packed with icebergs... unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate that much, so the it's a bit grey out.

Here we are!

It's the Snoopy Glacier!

While were were out in the middle of the lagoon, something happens that is not witnessed often - an iceberg flipped over. The lagoon is part sea water, since it's connected to the ocean through the river. This sometimes causes the underside of the iceberg to melt faster than the exposed side, causing a weight shift and flip. Our tour guide had never even seen this happen before. But while she was talking, all of a sudden people were pointing behind her and WHOOOOSH!!!. I wish I got it on video. It was really awesome, and the sound was immense!

The icebergs have been on their travels for hundreds of years... so this ice I'm holding is hundreds of years old... and I ate it! Don't worry, the tour guide gave us all a piece.

The view from the hilltop.

After the lagoon, we drove to the town of Vík, which is the southern-most town in Iceland. This town is very quaint, and has these beautiful black lava sand beaches right on the Atlantic. We stopped for dinner and a walk down to the beach.

The black sand beach, cliff and rock outcropping called "The Three Trolls"

Our final stop was to see Seljalandsfoss waterfall, at the foot of Eyafjallajökull, and near the Þorsmork Valley. This waterfall is beautiful, and you can walk behind it after a short climb...

Waterfall from the front...

and the back...

Back on the bus and back to Reykjavik. We had a couple more short rest stops, and some photo op stops, just to take in the beauty. On the entire ride, our guide told us all sorts of stories about Icelanders, elves, hidden people, etc. It was really cool, and some of the stories he told were really great... mostly because many Icelanders do believe in elves and hidden people and magic. This is a magical country - and everything we saw during our 14 hour tour made me believe it even more.

Next up - Rest and Regroup in Reyk

Day 5 - Renewal Day at the Blue Lagoon... aka the WORST SUNBURN EVER!

2010-06-25T19:53:00.000-04:00

After days of being pretty much everywhere, we needed a day of relaxation and pampering. Knowing this, we scheduled a visit to the Blue Lagoon for the mid-point of our trip. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa where the water has "healing properties." The silt has is silica based and is great for the skin (not so much for the hair), the algae is detoxifying, the perfectly heated water... blah blah blah... whatever, I don't care how it works so long as it's relaxing.

It's really hard to capture the beautiful opalescent color of the water.

Turg and I arrived a little after 10am, and immediately changed and went for a dip. The water is really wonderful. There is something to being in a hot spring on a 60 degree day... you go in, warm up, come out, cool down, repeat...

Ahhh... so relaxing...

For Turg too...

After our morning dip, we robed up and went to the Lava Restaurant for a buffet lunch. The buffet was traditional Icelandic cuisine - meat (lamb) soup, different fishes, whale, etc... and it was really quite good. There really is something luxurious about sitting in a fancy restaurant, in a bath robe, at the spa.

Enjoying my whale sashimi... that's right, I said whale SASHIMI

After lunch, it was back in the lagoon. I partook of the silt to become a "mud person," refreshingly exfoliating my face -

Aren't I attractive?

Turg very much enjoyed the waterfall, which is used to massage your neck and back-

Looks relaxed already, doesn't he?

We also got ourselves some massages in the lagoon (pampering at it's best), where we floated on these mats on the water while beautifully tanned men and women massaged us into relaxation... A massage that I can say was very unique and absolutely enjoyable.

There was one unfortunate part of the day. See, the weather was quite perfect out - clear skies and sun, and about 60 degrees. Why is this unfortunate? Not because it ruined the day at all... quite the contrary. We stayed outside nearly the entire time. The problem was, since the air temperature was quite cool, we were both getting really sunburnt and didn't realize it until it was FAR too late. And I mean SUNBURNT. Probably some of the worst sunburn that either of us has experienced, perhaps ever... Go figger, we come to Iceland and get sunburned.

After we returned to Reykjavik, we went out for a nice relaxing dinner at Icelandic Fish and Chips, followed by a walk back to the hotel. The sun was still out and strong, so the walk was really lovely. We stopped to take a photo of the viking ship on the coast...

Just to give you an idea of how much light there is, it's about 10pm in this photo.

Dispite the sunburn, it was a wonderful day. Next up on our adventure - the 14 hour bus tour

CawfeeGuy - This post is for you

2010-06-25T18:14:00.005-04:00

Dear CawfeeGuy,

We were wandering the streets of Reykjavik when we passed this T-shirt in a shop window. We immediately thought of you... I hope you enjoy.

Why, right here of course!!

Love,
N'il and Turg

Iceland, Day 4 - The Golden Circle... Indescribable Beauty

2010-06-25T07:03:00.015-04:00

We spent day 4 (Tuesday) of our Iceland Honeymoon doing "the most popular tour in Iceland," The Golden Circle Tour. This tour hits all of the hotspots around the Reykjavik area, and gives just a small taste of the wonders that are Iceland.

The tour started with a trip to the (currently) largest geothermal power plant on Iceland - Hellisheidi. This plant provides the power and hot water for much of eastern Iceland, particularly Reykjavik. Iceland is powered solely by geothermal or hydroelectric power, which is amazing. There are no other types of power generation for the island. So the carbon footprint of Iceland is nearly zero (with the exception of gasoline powered cars and boats).

Turg and I at the Hellsheidi (the plumes of steam behind us are from the plant)

Our next stop was Þingvellir, which was the location of the Alþing, establishing the first Icelandic parlament (and perhaps the first parlament anywhere) in 930 AD. The valley is of significance because it is literally the place where two worlds collide - the North American and Eurasian plates collide right here. It makes the landscape both beautiful and extreme. The temperature in the valley was quite warm, the cliff faces sheer, and the water cold and crystal clear. It was positively breathtaking.

The ridge on the left is the North American plate and the ridge on the right is the Eurasian plate.

One of the gorges in the valley. Note the person in the left bottom of the picture for size reference.

A stream cutting through a different gorge.

The next stop was to Gullfoss, or the Golden Waterfall, where we had lunch and some time to explore the falls. The water that feeds into the falls is from Langsjökull glacier. The falls are enormous, and more powerful than Niagra. Several decades ago, the Icelandic government proposed building a hydroelectric power plant at these falls. However, a local young woman protested this, and threatened to throw herself into the falls if they went through with the plans. Even though the bill was passed to build the powerplant, it was never put into place because of the conviction of this young woman. The woman´s decendants now run the cafe at the falls where we had lunch... talk about taking up a business opportunity.

(I have to mention one thing about lunch - lunch was a traditional Icelandic meat (read: lamb) soup. We really didn't expect that much since it was, you know, a touristy cafe. But the bus driver really recommended it. I'm so glad we got it - it was positively delicious. American roadside-tourist stands selling food could learn from these people... okay, back to the tour.)

Gullfoss

Don't we look oh, so touristy

And here's a short video showing the power of the falls:

Back on the bus, and off to the Geyser geothermal area. Now, this is not just a valley of geysers. This is the home of THE Geyser, the one by which all other spouting geothermal fountains are named. Unfortunately, the thermal spring that is Geyser no longer spouts regularly - it only goes off when there's some sort of seismic activity in the area. Fortunately, there is a spouting spring called Strokkur.

Strojkkur finishing a spray

Of course, in my brilliance, it didn't occur to me that, although I could watch this video vertically in the camera, there is no way (that I've figured out yet) to rotate it online... so enjoy watching the geyser Strokkur going off sideways...

There was also this very unique dual spring, which is connected together. But one half has clear hot water while the other has an opalescent blue water, similar to what´s at the Blue Lagoon. It's stunning to behold, particularly since these two springs are connected, yet the waters appear to remain separate.

Clear waters to the top and opalescent blue on the bottom.

The final stop of the day was Ska´holt church, which was the ancient seat of the Icelandic bishops. The church was quite charming, and there was a cellist there playing music when we arrived, making the experience quite haunting.

Ska´holt Church

The image of Jesus on the wall is created from a mosaic of tiles. The effect is meant to give the onlooker the impression that Jesus is coming through the wall... note the cellist in the right bottom - the sound of his cello added a haunting tone in the church

Next up - Ahhh... the Blue Lagoon

Day 3, Part 2 - Solstice Day in the City... Endless Light

2010-06-25T06:48:00.009-04:00

We spent the rest of Solstice Day just tooling around the city, taking photos and exploring. Reykjavik is such a colorful city with such warm people.

The view from just down the street of our hotel. Covered by the clouds is Mt. Ejsa, which is the mountain that guards the city.

A quirky street to the sea

Hallgrimskirkja church - the tallest structure in Reykjavik. Awe inspiring to behold. The stature on the right corner is Lief Eriksson, discoverer of North America

Below are various views of the city from the top of the church bell tower:

One thing I go have to mention about being up in the bell tower... As with nearly all church bell towers, this one tolled the time every quarter hour. We reached the bell tower not long after the last one, and quickly forgot that in 15 minutes, it would go off again. So, we're standing up there, innocently taking pictures, when all of a sudden... *GONG!!!! GONG!!!!* HOLY SHIT! Scared the bejezzus out of both of us. The bell was separated from us by only a few inches of wood plank. And even though we KNEW that in 15 minutes it would go off again, nothing could prepare us from being startled our of our skins. It was hysterical... every time.

And now a Solstice Day message from Turg...

Next on our travel adventures... The Golden Circle

Day 3, Part 1- Solstice Day in the City, The Rotted Shark Experience

2010-06-22T18:11:00.014-04:00

June 21. Solstice Day. The longest day of the year. And the day where the sun pretty much does not set around these parts (technically, it does set, but th sky doesn't get dark). We spent the day tooling about the city, taking the time to enjoy the sites we didn't get to enjoy during our previous day's "Not So Much" City Tour.

We walked down the Reyk coastline from our hotel to the downtown area, where we stopped for lunch at Cafe Loki, which serves traditional Icelandic fare, including the famous "Rotted Shark."

The Menu - note how Rotted Shark is nicely called "strong tasted shark"

My Dish

The "Rotted Shark"

As requested by Phineas and Adrian... video of The Rotted Shark Experience:

I'll just let you all chew on that one for a while...

Next, Day 3, Part 2 - The Beauty of Reykjavik and Unending Light.

Day 2 - Searching for dinner (aka, Whale Watching)

2010-06-22T17:34:00.012-04:00

I jest... Day 2 in Iceland was all about a city tour and Whale Watching (with a short detour to Puffin Island).

The city tour was really not all that. It was more like a city and outskirts tour, and at such a frenetic pace, we really didn't get to enjoy anything in particular... that and the fact that our tour guide was the polar opposite of Husky (i.e., so unengaging that we were falling asleep). So I won't get into this tour at all... we did a better exploration of the city ourselves - more on that for Day 3.

The highlight of Day 2 was our evening Whale Watch, with a short detour to see the puffins on Puffin Island. There are many types of whales that inhabit the Icelandic waters at this time of year, but the most common is the Minke Whale (aka, Day 1's lunch). On our way out we stopped to look at the puffins.

Puffins are also known as the "Clown Bird" because of their cute/funny looks and the awkwardness of their persona. Let me explain. See, puffins are pretty darned good flyers, once they get IN the air, that is. The problem is the take-off... especially the water take-off. They are NOT good at lifting themselves out of the water. There's a lot of paddling going on with their feet underwater and a whole lot of frantic flapping with their wings. In person, it is really, really HILARIOUS.

Look at the concentration on this little guy's face... it's as if he's saying, "FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!!!!" (photo courtesy of Turg)

Turg got some great shots of the puffins and other birds with his snazzy new telephoto lens... check out the Flickr page for all his shots.

The whale watching portion of the ride was really quite exciting. Whale breaches on the water surface are only somewhat predictable. So, there's lots of staring at the water, looking for a characteristic swirl and just plain guessing. A typical breach sounds kind of like this: "Okay... there are the swirls... it should be com... THERE THERE THERE!!! 1 o'clock! COMING UP AT 1 o'clock!!" It was like that for an hour - extremely exhilarating. Our guide, Ragnar (seriously, these names kill me), was really cool and fun.

This is really as much of the whale as Turg could get a shot of by the time he had his camera aimed at the right spot.

The boat captain, and Ragnar and me doing our best "Blue Steel"

We loved the whale watching so much, we're probably going to do it again. And hopefully we'll spot more whales.

After the whale watch we stopped and got some lobster soup (again) to warm ourselves up, followed by a quick bite at a Tapas place (Tapas with an Icelandic twist), where we has some escargot, lobster and *ahem* smoked puffin...

I know, we're terrible people. But everything is sooooo tasty.

Next up... Solstice Day in the City.

Day 1, Part 2 - Mmmmm.... Beeeer

2010-06-21T05:19:00.012-04:00

So, what would a trip to Iceland be without a little drinking? Iceland is world renowned for their drinking culture. What do you do when the daylight doesn't end? You drink, of course. And those endless winter nights? How do they get through those?? More drinking! So, we decided that the first tour of our first day in Iceland should be to educate ourselves about, you know, beer.

The tour itself was at one of the larger (and oldest) breweries in Iceland. You gotta love a tour that begins with your tour guide welcoming you with, "How about a beer before we begin??" Well, twist my arm.

Beer...

Our guide, Husky (don't know if that's how you actually spell it, but he did say, "like the dog"), was fun and entertaining, taking us on a historical journey of Icelandic drinking culture... which is both long and storied, and quite odd actually. Like the US, Iceland went through a prohibition period in the 1920's. Unlike the US, when the ban was lifted, Iceland did NOT lift the ban on beer. Wine, sure. Hard liquor? Absolutely. Beer? No way. Beer was not legal for import, sale or purchase in Iceland until 1989. Seriously. '89. They could make and "export" (read: sell it to the foreign air base and embassies) beer, however.

The beer that was "exported"

What did Icelanders do to get alcoholic beer? They produced non-alcoholic beer and added spirits to it! Yeah... this did not taste very good.

The green can is the non-alcoholic beer... mixed with spirits? Well, not so tasty.

We took a short tour of the brewery, where we all donned some lovely hairnets...

Don't we look attractive?

Husky in a hairnet

And ended the tour with a shot of the traditional Icelandic Schnapps, Brennivin aka "The Black Death." Traditionally, this shot is drunk out of a horn. Not the tastiest shot in the world... hints of caraway or cumin. Certainly not like the schnapps that I'm used to, but it wasn't bad.

Ska'l!

Finally, we ended with something sweet and non-alcoholic. Apparently, Icelanders mixed a malt drink with an orange soda, and it's drunk on holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.). I'm not a soda drinker, but I have to say, the combo was quite yummy.

Surprisingly yummy combination.

That was the end of the wonderful history of Iceland alcohol consumption. Is there any practical application for this knowledge? Not really. But, hey, it's alcohol, so who really cares.

We ended Day 1 with a really wonderful meal at Vox Restaurant in the Hotel Nordica. Local ingredients, a little molecular gastronomy (strawberry snow, anyone?), and an overall really delicious meal. I probably would have enjoyed it a whole lot more if I wasn't falling asleep (seriously, between the jetlag and the endless light, my body is confused - it's getting better though).

The next chapter in our Iceland adventures... City Tour and Whale Watching.

Day 1, part 1 - Moby Dick on a Stick

2010-06-20T11:31:00.008-04:00

We've been in Reykjavik for 1.5 days now, and I have one comment - OH MY GOD IT'S COLD! I know, I know, it's Iceland. Well, it's not freezing (about 12 degrees C), but compared to the 80-90 degree F weather we came from, it was a bit more shocking than I had expected. I'm sure by the end of the week I'll be fine. The other bit that, again, more disconcerting than I had originally expected, is the constant light. I'm sure I'll need more than a week to get used to that. All I have to say is, thank goodness for darkening curtains.

So on our first full day in Reyk, we only had one tour planned late in the day (more on that later), so we simply wandered around the city for the morning. We woke at 8am - my body was screaming at me, "What in the hell are you getting up at 4am for?!?!" since we're obviously not quite over the jetlag yet. But after breakfast, we wandered out into the city. It was cloudy and chilly, but the walk was pleasant. We stopped here and there to take pictures (nothing fabulous due to the cloudy day), but Turg and I quickly agreed that it was perfect weather to stop at Saegrefinn (The Sea Baron) for their lobster soup. Again, one of those great hole in the wall places that's been around for ages that locals and tourists alike love to go to because the food is simply that good (and inexpensive).

Mmmmm... Lobster Soup

The lobster soup was everything that we expected and more. It was delicious, rich and the lobster so tender that it melted in your mouth. Definitely the thing for the drizzly day. But as we were sitting there eating, the couple next to us was served this wonderful smelling kabob. (Vegetarians, turn away right now) "What is that??" we asked. It was whale. Seriously, whale - or Moby Dick on a Stick, as we've seen around town. Well, when in Iceland...

Moby Dick on a Stick

I have to say, the whale was really quite good. It's heavy, kind of a cross between tuna and a beef steak both in taste and in texture. It had the briny-ness that one would expect of something out of the sea, but the meatiness of a mammal. Although, one would think that eating whale meat would be verboten, as was explained to us by a later tour guide, whaling, along with other types of fishing is done in a sustainable manner. After centuries of whaling, a ban was put into place on hunting whale. This ban had unexpected consequences - it depleted the cod and smaller fish population on which Iceland is almost wholly dependent, since the whale population grew so much. So now, they've reinstituted whale hunting (on non-endangered whale only) in a certain fishing radius, and with strict quotas to maintain sustainability of both the whale and fish populations. Okay lesson in sustainability over.

Turg with the proprietor of the Sea Baron

The next chapter of our travels... BEER!

Land of Fire and Ice... and awesome Hot Dogs

2010-06-19T06:31:00.004-04:00

We are here. YAY!!!!

We landed at Keflavik Airport a little after 11pm local time (7pm EDT) - about 30 minutes earlier than our scheduled arrival. This was actually a good thing, since it took a while to get through security (just like when you check in at the airport - same deal, only you're trying to leave). We picked up our luggage and found our shuttle (which was easier than I thought, since the guy was standing at the exit with a paper with my name on it... never thought I would ever be one of "those people" with a driver waiting for them at the airport - it was kind of cool).

Our driver (heehee, "Our Driver")was named Arri, and he was totally cool, friendly and funny. The ride into Reykjavik was really enjoyable because of him - Fun Fact (he said that a lot): Arri apparently learned how to speak English watching a lot of TV and movies... which he proved to us by doing all sorts of really funny accents ("GET TO THE CHOPPA" a la AR-nold). It was also kind of surprising to hear the word "lardass" uttered with an Icelandic accent.

Well, lots and lots of chatting we got to talking about how hungry we were (it was dinnertime according to my tummy), and mentioning that we wanted to get a hot dog.

Now, I have to pause for a moment to explain. Apparently, Icelanders LOVE hot dogs. And there is a place near the harbor in Reykjavik that apparently sells the best hot dogs in Iceland. It also happens to be open until 3am for the late night revelers. So when we said that we wanted a hot dog, it was not only because we wanted to try these apparently amazing meat in casings, but because it was the only place that we knew would be open when we arrived. Okay, back to the story.

So we tell Arri that we want to get a hot dog, and his eyes just light up - "Oh, Baejarins Bestu!" Why, yes, that's exactly where we want to go. Well, he offers to take us on a slight detour... instead of dropping us directly at the hotel, he would take us through the city center, show us some places and bring us to the hot dog place (told you this guy was cool). Needless to say, we were thrilled, because that meant we would not be wandering around a strange city at 1am looking for a hot dog shack in a parking lot. As a thank you, we told his we would buy him a hot dog (there's no tipping in Iceland). He took us up on that without thought or hesitation.

So, he drove us through downtown, pointing out good places to eat, fun bars, his favorite clothing store, and some "sleazy" places to eat while we're out drinking (his misuse of the word "sleazy" was both adorable and confusing, until we figured out he meant "greasy," then it made sense) - good places for a "sleazy" pizza or burger while drunk. And it so happens that several of the places that we had heard we should try by the guide books and Travel Channel were also some of Arri's favorite place, so we knew that we were in for some good stuff.

Anyway, we finally got to the hot dog place. And I am so happy Arri offered to drive us there, because there would be NO WAY we would have been able to find it. It is, quite literally, a shack in a nondescript parking lot. But the hot dogs (with everything) were truly awesome - skin with a nice snap, great flavor (there's lamb in the dogs), soft bun and great toppings (the fried onions gave it some great crunch). So good that both Joseph and I went back for seconds... and will definitely be coming back for more during our stay.

Baejarins Bestu - see? Shack in a parking lot.

Half eaten second dog

Turg and Arri

A perfect end to a long day of travel... now where's that Thermal Pool?

Dusting myself off... aka blogging Iceland

2010-06-15T15:44:00.004-04:00

*cough cough cough* Helloooo???? Whew. How did it get so dusty around here? Oh, yeah. That would be because I haven't been around that much. Right. Well, life got in the way of a lot of things recently. Trip to Boston (where I met my new great-niece -- her name is Aly Rose, by the way), several trips to the homestead in Brooklyn, and overall crazy at work has kept me away.

But now I'm back (at least for a little while) to fill this space with pictures and stories of our upcoming trip to the Land of Fire and Ice (or the Land of the Unpronounceable Volcano, if you prefer), ICELAND!

Why Iceland? Why not Iceland? I mean, there are volcanoes, and hot springs, and glaciers, and geysers, and puffins, and best of all Thor's Woods! (although, Thor's Woods is currently covered in ash, so that trip will be played by ear). Turg and I are planning to post our adventures here (with some photos), along with more photos on Turg's Flickr page.

So, if there are still any of you out there in the blogosphere still listening (I know, I've been gone for a long time), check it out here, and on Flickr to see our Iceland Adventures. We fly out of JFK on June 18th. So hopefully, things will start popping up soon thereafter!

Ska'l!

Great Aunt x's 2!!

2010-04-05T19:45:00.004-04:00

JP and Cyn had their little bundle of joy 8 weeks early, last Thursday, April 1. The yet un-named baby girl is 4lbs 7oz and 17 inches long. She'll be in the NICU for a little while, but according to Cyn she's doing well.

Just by happenstance, I'll be going up to Boston for a meeting on Thursday, and will be there the week. I was going to bring the Peanut her birthday gift and late Christmas gift. And a baby gift for the expectant little one. But, that gift has now become a "welcome to the world!" gift.

So now, the current count: I have 4 nephews, 2 nieces (plus 1 by marriage) and 2 great-nieces.

*pictures and a name once I know*

Snowpocalypse 2010, Part Deux - The Blizzard Edition

2010-02-11T13:21:00.008-05:00

Well, another foot of snow fell yesterday since the weekend. We did not lose power this time, and were definitely more prepared in case we did.

We did a good job. Piles are much bigger.

A foot more on the deck.

This snow storm was much different than the previous two we've had this season... not as much snow but an incredible amount of wind, making it much more dangerous all around because of the lack of visibility and white-outs. There were moments yesterday, while looking out the front window, where I could not see the end of the driveway - it was THAT bad.

Our neighbor (with the end house) allowed us to start throwing snow on his yard because our piles were getting too high!

But the sun is out. The driveway is shoveled. The street outside is plowed (what it looks like outside the neighborhood is a mystery).

Look ma! The pile is taller than me!

The front of our house is the icicle house of horrors!

I've been home as the gub-ment has been closed for the past 4 days. I think we'll be open tomorrow, just in time for a 3 day weekend.

As of 2pm yesterday, the 2009 - 2010 winter is the snowiest winter on record. The numbers were revised upward a bit this morning, since it continued to snow until 10pm last night. Apparently, the official total at BWI airport for the season thus far was very nearly 80 inches! Holy crap!

That's 27 inches currently in our back yard... it was over 30; there's been a little settling down.

You think Thor will jump into that waist-high drift to my right? I think he may get permanently lost...

Snowpacalypse 2010 - Some Thoughts and Lessons Learned

2010-02-08T12:20:00.005-05:00

The snowfall this weekend was a doozy. We got 25 inches measured in our front driveway. I know more fell in the area (Dulles Airport apparently measured over 30 inches). But I woke up this morning feeling pensive... there are certainly things that sucked about this weekend. But there are many more things now that I am truly grateful for. And some things I learned.

I am grateful that:
- I have a wonderful husband and dog, who kept me warm when we lost power and heat.
- While we lost power and heat, we did not lose hot water, and were able to take a hot shower.
- Our homeowners association was on top of the plowing and the roads were clear enough such that when it got too cold that...
- We were able to get to a hotel, that looked the other way when we told them we were bringing the dog.
- We lost power for only 40 hours. I have too many friends who are still without electricity and whose streets are not plowed. I'm thinking of you.
- The Federal Government was wise enough to close for the day to allow the roads to be cleared more properly... so that it's safer for everyone.
- For the little things - like heat, or a warm drink after shoveling in the cold, or a hot shower, or a hot meal.

Things I learned for next time:
- Always do laundry before the snow comes. It would suck to run out of socks and underwear with no way to replenish (I came dangerously close).
- Make sure the firewood is stocked. We really rationed our wood, using it only to dry clothes, etc. But it would have been nice to use it to simply keep warm.
- The garage is a great fridge in the winter when there's no power.
- All cell phones and Blackberrys should be fully charged at all times - they are the lifeline to civilization right now. Turg and I rationed the power on those too - always having at least one off, so that we had a backup for when another died.
- Lighting a bunch of candles can actually warm up a room pretty significantly - not like a roaring fire, but noticeably enough that we were grateful for it.

Icicles of Death

And because some shit is just too perfect:

Yesterday, after being home for a couple of hours without power, we decided to call-in our outage again to the power company (as suggested on the radio). I went through all the menu options, typed in our account number and got the following message: Pepco crews are currently working in your area to restore power. The estimated time for restoration is approximately 4pm. (it was 3:15pm when I called). I had the phone on speaker, looked at Turg and said, "Hey, 4pm!" and hung up. Literally one second after I hung up the phone, everything in the house powered back on. Stunned, I look at Turg and he says, "You should have called them sooner!"

They are forecasting another 6-12 inches of snow for tomorrow night to Wednesday. We know what we need to do to hunker down. I love the snow generally. But this is exhausting.

**UPDATE** Now they're saying 10-20 inches. I'm already tired thinking about the shoveling we'll need to do...

Team Building...

2010-02-05T12:04:00.005-05:00

As we hunker down for DC Snowpocalypse 2.0 or 2010 or whatever people want to call it, I pose the following:

Q: How many engineers does it take to build a 5'6" tall snowman?
A: Apparently, it takes 4. In just under an hour.

We call him "Lumpy."

I can't wait until Monday to see how much he's buried... and how much bigger we can build another.

I'm still alive

2010-01-25T12:19:00.003-05:00

But I am buried in work. I'm essentially doing 2 jobs at the moment, until I can get the rest of the old documents off my desk. Then I can concentrate on being boss lady (well, middle management, but who's counting).

Everything has been both wonderful and hectic at the same time. The holidays and New Year's passed in a blink, and I'm shocked that February is next week. At some point, it'll slow dow, right?

Snow Day!!

2009-12-21T08:06:00.004-05:00

There are plenty of benefits to working for government... who knew that one of them was snow days? That's right. I have a snow day* today. It's like being a kid again!

This was the deck near the end of the storm on Saturday night.

I do have to say... after 3 hours of digging out the car. It's nice to not have to go anywhere.

*I won't mention that I actually took this week off anyway to get last minute Christmas stuff done, because the snow day essentially means I don't have to take a vacation day. Which is always a bonus.

Happy Birthday, My Husband

2009-12-16T12:25:00.002-05:00

I love you.

It's that time of year!

2009-12-12T07:36:00.002-05:00

This was my favorite Christmas song as a kid. It was only when I moved to Maryland, and didn't hear it for a couple of years did I realize that this is a New York thing. No one I knew from outside the New York Tri-state area had ever HEARD of this song. Thank goodness for the internet!

Happy Effing Noo Yawk Christmas Everyone!

Happy Friday!

2009-12-11T10:24:00.003-05:00

I'm with CawfeeGuy...

2009-12-04T09:19:00.004-05:00

and am extremely upset and disappointed with the outcome of the Gay Marriage vote in New York.

I only hope, that people will listen to Sen. Savino from Staten Island... truly listen to her words. I listened. And I cried. Because she is right.

Who's having a birthday? I thought is was Thanksgiving...

2009-11-25T08:56:00.003-05:00

Yeah, yeah. I know. These are the wedding cupcakes. I just want a cupcake, okay?

Huh? Wha? How did it become late November?

2009-11-25T08:32:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy couple of months 'round these parts. Far more busy than I could have imagined... Right after getting back from my mini vacay after getting married, I learned that I got the promotion that I interviewed for. I was really happy, excited, stressed and totally bummed out at the same time.

The first three reactions are pretty obvious. Of COURSE I would be happy and excited for this new opportunity. Of COURSE I would be stressed because of all my new responsibilities and because I would, essentially, be doing 2 jobs until they hire someone to take my old position. But bummed out?

Let me explain. When we moved to our new offices, so far away from our old office (and more importantly, home), one consoling fact was that I would be sharing the hallway with all of my crazy friends. See, the office is build in 2 sections with a main atrium in between. Because of the way the offices were distributed, our division got offices on both sides of the atrium, with the majority of the group on one side of the atrium. So, a bunch of us plotted to choose offices on the OTHER side. And once we moved in, it became exactly what we had hoped - a hallway full of misfits, where crazy would break out at any moment, and where laugher was the rule versus the exception (oh, and because of the personalities, we are also able to get all our work done too).

Well, one of the things that had to happen when I got promoted to management was that I had to move into a "management" office, i.e., an office in the main group with everyone else. I begged and pleaded to stay where I was. There were plenty of members of my branch on that side of the building. It was "quieter." I would be able to work more effectively. Nope. I had to move. I was able to delay it a couple of weeks... but it could not be avoided. And so came the fateful day...

And the day I moved, I had some "help" from my friends... who would occasionally steal some things back from the cart I was using. I know. Wah wah. I got a promotion. There are consequences. But I truly feel like I'm missing out on the fun. Which I guess is part of the point of management, huh? But I miss them. And the joy. And laughter... across the atrium. But I know they miss me too...

*sigh* It makes me sad too.

Man and Wife! Say it!

2009-10-16T10:21:00.003-04:00

We could not have asked for a more perfect day. Rain and clouds gave way to a beautiful, sunny afternoon and a gorgeous sunset.

There is not much I can say about the day other than it was everything that I had imagined. It was perfect.

Let me in the sound!

2009-09-30T10:09:00.005-04:00

Last night was just amazing. AMAZING. Nearly perfect, in fact. There's not much that can top a perfect dinner at the new Cava on Capitol Hill followed by an incredible U2 concert. (Well, we'll see if something can top it in, oh, 10 days.)

I think I'm pretty much convinced that I will never, I mean NEVER get tired of seeing Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam in concert. They are just so amazing live, in Arenas Stadiums, small spaces and large. They are just incredible performers, and Bono really knows how to work a stadium crowd.

They played about half of their new album throughout the show, but there was so much previous and classic material played, much to everyone's joy (they played, for the first time since I began seeing them in concert, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," which I had only seen "live" on Rattle and Hum). There really is nothing like you and 20,000 of your closest friends all singing in unison while Bono stands on stage taking it in. It was cool.

The stage was HUGE! And FedEx Field is not that big, so our seats were great!

Oh, Bono.

There were only a couple of odd things in the evening*. There was a woman passed out in a bathroom stall before U2 came on stage... We never figured out what happened there. And the guy next to me seemed very irritated with the political and social messages throughout the show - HELLO? It's effing U2! What the hell was he expecting?

But those were little things. It was all amazing. The dinner, the show, the company. Amazing.

*Oh, and Turg fell asleep during the middle of the show for about 4 song. Fitti, B_Cat and I were very amused by this. It was actually quite impressive. But he was sad he missed the acoustic "Stuck in a Moment" - a song he likes a lot. I tired to wake him up, really.

Ambush Shower!

2009-09-22T18:43:00.007-04:00

Crazy, Dr. Lim, Miss Nancy and I went out for a "Girls Lunch" today, because Dr. Lim said in her email "I want to go to lunch and I never see you guys." I found this funny, because I feel like I see Dr. Lim all the time, but as we are only in the office one day a week all together (Tuesday), I didn't think much of it. Well, apparently, this was part of a ruse. When we returned from lunch, and were walking back to our offices, Dr. Lim turned around all of a sudden, followed by Crazy and Miss Nancy. Curious, I followed them into the conference room.

I entered the room, seeing much of my softball team and other friends and workmates sitting there... then hearing "SURPRISE!" And, me, not getting it, asked, "What's this for??"

Duh.

It was quite a lovely and sweet surprise. I'm not big for show, and really have been only telling people of Turg and my upcoming nuptuals when people ask, or when it comes up in conversation. So it really was a surprise to see that many people sitting there.

Of course, there was cake:

Can we tell that Crazy and Dr. Lim picked up the cake?

Again, hanging out with people I like and having good conversation. What a lovely surprise.

Perfectly showered

2009-09-18T11:10:00.010-04:00

This past Sunday, I was showered with much love and joy at my bridal shower. Magenta* and Clio did a wonderful job planning and executing a shower that perfectly suited me. There were no games, I did not have to embarrassingly sit in front of everyone and open gifts, no ribbon bonnet, no toilet paper bride. A very un-showery bridal shower. In other words it was perfect. And very me. A gathering of some of my oldest and closest friends and family (I was quite sorry that my sister and niece-in-law could not make it), chatting, laughing and having a wonderful relaxed time.

Here are some of the highlights!

Lovely Ladies

Me with a very stylish CawfeeGuy and CawfeeMate

I felt Chewie needed some libations too

Sis-in-Laws

The former MzHines (now MrsSwan) and Trish

Two Muses and M

I want to thank everyone for coming and celebrating with me. I had such a wonderful time and felt so incredibly loved. Magenta commented after everyone left that everyone who came were the people we would be sitting in the corner talking to at any larger party. She was right. The corner was the whole party. Again, perfect.

*Magenta, I completely agree with Clio's assessment regarding your party planning/cooking/hostessing skills. Get over yourself. :)

Super-duper Cutest Nephew. Ever.

2009-08-11T09:01:00.003-04:00

Getting this by email yesterday morning just brightened up my day. Andrew is now my desktop on my work computer... I see him peeking around my log-in window. It's fantastic. Thanks for the pic Jay!

Recovering (naughty) puppy

2009-07-15T15:43:00.002-04:00

Thor continues to recover nicely. Strange looking but recovering. However, because he's been recovering so rapidly, he's beginning to get antsy - wanting to do all the things he's not supposed to in the first 2 weeks of his recovery (jumping, running, twisting...).

The other problem is that, because his movements are supposed to be restricted, he's being spoiled. We have to carry him up and down the stairs. In the beginning, we would carry him back if he got tired on his walks. He got to eat chicken rice with his food for the past week because the medication necessitated a bland diet. Spoiled. And getting naughty.

So last night, Turg and I are hanging out with Thor in the basement, watching TV and eating spaghetti for dinner. Thor is looking at me sitting on the floor, with my food, with longing eyes, because he's always hungry and we never feed him (in his mind). Anyway, I leaned over into his pen to grab a toy for him. He took this opportunity to pounce - face disappearing into my pasta bowl fast as lightning. When I yelled for him to stop, his face emerged, a load of spaghetti dangling from his mouth. I wanted to be mad. I really did. But he looked absolutely hilarious and I could not stop laughing. Hysterical.

*This is not Thor

*sigh*

Well, apparently discipline has gone out the window along with getting spoiled. We have a lot of work to do once he's fully recovered...

Office Moving Day

2009-07-10T08:58:00.005-04:00

Well, the day that many of us at the office have dreaded for years is finally here. It's moving day. We (and all our stuff) are moving in phases to the new snazzy facility... much further away from here.

Some history - this move has been planned for years. I mean YEARS. But, life moves at the speed of government, and because of budget cuts, etc., the move date kept getting pushed back and back and back. When I started 4 years ago, we were supposed to move within a year. Then the date got moved. Then moved again. Wolf was cried so many times that we (hoped) that it would never happen. But when the final announcement came that today would be the day, and our moving crates showed up 2 weeks ago, well, we knew there would be no more denying it.

So we've been packing over the last 2 weeks. And yesterday was the final frenzied push by everyone. I mean the place was a disaster area. And today, we're all working at home while our stuff gets moved. And (theoretically) everything will be there, computers hooked up and everything, when we get there on Monday.

They kept telling us to make sure to label everything (including our keyboard and mouse (seriously)) or it would not get moved. So, just to make sure that nothing got left behind...

*Thanks to my friend Timmy who came up with this idea and took the picture.

Franken-weenie

2009-07-08T23:44:00.002-04:00

Look at the zipper-like staples... and the shaven chicken legs!

And then, the random shaven square on his side (with drug patch):

To make that random square even worse... take away the drug patch - I waxed the poor little guy. Boy did he glare at me:

Recovering Puppy

2009-07-07T10:15:00.002-04:00

Thor had surgery last Thursday, and came home on Friday - I thought this was really rushing it at first, but seeing the improvement he's making, I'm really happy that he's been home. The neurosurgeon apparently removed an "amazing amount" of ligament and debris from the surgical site. Which essentially means, there was a lot of crap making him bad, and now that it's gone, his recovery should be great.

And it has been thus far. Everyday, he has more energy, he walks further, etc. Even from the day we got him home, he was walking better than when we brought him in. It's really quite amazing.

He's also shaven in the most bizarre ways. He kind of looks like Franken-dog right now because of the line of surgical staples on his chest. He also had (until last night when I ripped the thing off the poor puppy) a Fentanyl patch on his side - they shaved a perfectly square patch into is right side... it looks like an access port.

I have pictures at home that I'll post tonight. Thanks for all the well wishes. And, as always, in lieu of other gifts, Thor requests cookies.

Poor broken puppy, Part III

2009-07-01T09:22:00.002-04:00

Thor did not seem very good when we got home on Monday night. So rather than wait until Tuesday evening to bring him to the neurosurgeon, we decided to bring him in the morning. Just so that he would have people watching him to make sure he would not get himself into any trouble, or hurt himself more.

Apparently, Thor has been charming all the nurses into giving him cookies. With that face of his that says, "Look at me! I'm cute! Feeeeed me!!" It's his defense mechanism... it's all he's got. And he was apparently doing okay, since they did not feel the need to drug him at all.

Thor was scheduled for surgery at 7:30 this morning. I got a call from the neurosurgeon's office at 7:45. The resident immediately told me that Thor was doing just fine (he knew we were worried about him getting worse), relaxing, and getting lots of cookies (of course). But, his surgery was being postponed since the surgeon is home sick. They will do the surgery tomorrow morning, assuming the surgeon is out of bed by then. But they will keep him happy (read: full of cookies), and comfortable until then. I told him to make sure I didn't have a fat puppy when I picked him up.

It's been emotionally trying. And now we have to wait another day. So, please continue to send the Dog of Thunder your good juju. He's using all his charm to keep himself content.

Poor broken puppy, part II

2009-06-29T10:31:00.003-04:00

Well, it's confirmed. My poor broken puppy is truly broken. Six hours at the puppy neurologist/neurosurgeon on Friday, and an MRI* later and the vet showed me that Thor has a ruptured disk in his neck - the C6-C7 disk to be exact. What does this mean? It means that tomorrow evening, Turg and I drop him off at the puppy neurosurgeon and early Wednesday morning he has surgery. Then a few days of recovery, and then home, where I'm sure there will be weeks more of recovery.

The whole day Friday was extremely emotionally trying. Knowing that surgery is really the only option, there is nothing to do but to say that we can do all we can. Because if we do nothing, he will get worse.

Send happy juju to the puppy.

*I'll post pictures later of post-MRI shaven puppy. But here's the image - Thor with shaven wrists, looking like he has chicken legs and wearing Sherpa booties.

Poor broken puppy

2009-06-25T17:50:00.003-04:00

Thor does not like stairs. He really doesn't. He's never liked stairs, but he's gotten used to (most of) them over the years. Thor does not have good traction on hardwood floors... he mostly bounces or bucks like a bronco and slides into place. Put those things together, and what do you get? Broken puppy.

Last Tuesday, Thor was trying excitedly to get up the 3 wood steps in our foyer to the living room. He didn't make it. He slipped, slid, Turg tried to catch him, and then tumbled to the floor. Then, the next day, we noticed that he started limping. So, we did what we normally do, and have him a couple of baby aspirin to bring down the inflammation. It didn't work. He limped more. Turg took him to the vet on Saturday, and got some anti-inflammatories and pain-killers (with opiates) to keep him calm. He seemed to be getting better, slowly.

He wasn't. It was masking things, but things started to get worse. Last night he was dragging his feet behind him. Walk walk draag. Walk walk slip. It was really hard to watch. We took him to the vet again to get x-rays this morning. The vet said the problem appeared to be neurological and not orthopedic, since he was getting worse.

So tomorrow, I am bringing him to the doggie neurologist (right? who knew) to get a work-up. Apparently, this doggie neurologist said that he's not surprised given the symptoms and the breed. Hopefully, that means that the treatment will not be bad.

Thing is, Thor is not allowed to have any food after midnight tonight. Which means he will not be having breakfast tomorrow morning. His appointment is at noon. That means I will be driving in the car with broken, grumpy, hungry, whiney puppy tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

My poor puppy.

Bizarro-World

2009-06-23T14:53:00.004-04:00

Since Turg and I got engaged, my Dad has slowly but surely been getting used to the idea of the fact that Turg's not going anywhere. For a bit of background, my Dad has pretty much spent the last nearly 12 years doing everything in his power to deny that Turg existed. I would try talking to him about Turg, and be ignored. Turg would try talking to him, (you know, general pleasantries, like "how are you?") and would be answered with nothing more than a grunt. But we got engaged, and I got the generic Dad response of "Good luck to you."

Then Turg had hernia surgery. Ever since then, Dad has been incredibly concerned about Turg's well being - constantly asking how he's doing and if he's taking it easy, etc. Flash forward to this past weekend, Father's Day, watching TV:

Dad (thoughtfully): (Turg)'s a nice guy.
Me (cocking head like a puppy): *blink blink* Er?
Dad: Don't be too hard on him...

WHAT?!?! Don't be too hard on him?? I felt like I was in Bizarro-World, where no means yes and everyday is opposite day.

Under water

2009-06-03T10:24:00.002-04:00

I am so busy that I am barely keeping afloat.

*gurgle*

Age (In)appropriate

2009-04-20T13:07:00.003-04:00

This is a real conversation I had at Best Buy during lunch today:

Me: *places Super Smash Brothers Brawl on the checkout* Good Afternoon.
BB Checkout Guy: Er, um. Shouldn't you be in school by now?
Me: *raises eyebrow* Excuse me? You're kidding right?
BBCG: No, really.
Me: How old, exactly, do you think I am?
BBCG: I don't know, 17? 18?
Me: Are you serious? Try doubling that.
BBCG: I don't know, man. I'm just sayin'...

Okay, the Checkout Guy was CLEARLY younger than I. Was it the fact that I was purchasing a video game in the middle of the day? The lack of the full make-up on this rainy day? I know I look youngish, but I have not been pegged as a teenager since I was in my 20's. Generally, people are about -3 to 5 years from my real age - it's the Chinese genes. Seriously, though, 17 or 18? I'm not sure if I should be complimented or insulted.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-24T09:29:00.001-04:00

Just feeling a bit overwhelmed. Okay. I'm done.

Happy Belated Birthday Magenta!

2009-03-16T09:30:00.004-04:00

I know. I suck. Your birthday was Friday, and I was not near a computer to post this. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me? Are you rocking out with your new guitar? I thought so. Keep rockin' till I get there to rock with you.

holy crap the icicles are going to fall and stab you in the heart and kill you!

2009-03-03T14:40:00.003-05:00

If that happens, can I take a sick day?

**Picture of super-icicles on our roof courtesy of Turg.**

Quote of the week

2009-02-24T20:11:00.002-05:00

"Quicken has taken all of my transactions at Krispy Kreme and has automatically categorized them as Medical." -- Magenta Sequins

Pain in the ... gut

2009-02-17T10:02:00.005-05:00

her-ni-a –noun. Pathology. the protrusion of an organ or tissue through an opening in its surrounding walls, esp. in the abdominal region.

Turg has a couple, which, because of the stresses of moving, and lifting heavy (and not so heavy) boxes, got worse. And he is going into surgery today to get them fixed. It's been a pretty bad couple of weeks, and seems that since the pain started, it's only gotten progressively worse.

The surgery is ambulatory, which means that he'll be coming home this evening, if all goes well. Then he'll be down for a week or so. So, if you're out there on the interweb and are reading this, send some good juju his way for a good surgery and speedy recovery.

Total timesuck

2009-02-09T16:22:00.002-05:00

aka shameless thievery from CawfeeGuy:

I like it cuz I think it actually looks like me... well, maybe not the midsection.

'tis the modern age, and I am blogging on jury duty

2009-01-22T09:01:00.002-05:00

Seriously. Montgomery County actually has WiFi in the jury lounge. They even have some computers available for those who did not bring a laptop. This is a far cry from the last 2 times I served on jury duty (once in NYC and once in Baltimore County). Previously, all I was allowed was a book. No cell phones. No electronic equipment. Even Walkmen (Walkmans?) were frowned upon, since you may miss being called.

But, today, I have my laptop. I have my cell phone. I have some work. I have a book. I have my iPod. I guess it won't be horrible...

Happy 2009. Everything is nuts

2009-01-08T17:31:00.003-05:00

Yes yes. Promises promises. I know. I've been saying that I would tell the story of our appraisal limbo, our settlement craziness, and finally, and most importantly, the acquisition of our house. I promised. And I will keep it. It's just been so crazy since before Christmas... We have not stopped.

We are packing. And packing. And spending boat loads of money on electronics. And packing more. But at the same time, I have work - including 5 documents due in the next week. So I've been more than a little busy. But moving day is Monday (YAY!!). And we will have FiOS by the end of next weekend.

Once the dust settles a little, I'll tell the full story. Promise.

WE HAVE A HOUSE!

2009-01-02T09:45:00.001-05:00

Undermined by underwriters... or, Dammit, we didn't close today

2008-12-29T19:56:00.003-05:00

So today was supposed to be closing day. I say 'supposed' since, after all sorts of crap, running around, doing the walk-thru, and frantic calls to/from my loan officer, the underwriters decided that the very generous gift that Turg's mom gave us for our respective birthdays to buy furniture was suspicious. It's been (hopefully) cleared up. But that means that closing will happen tomorrow (Tuesday), instead.

Turg and I went to the attorney's office and signed as much as we could. But since the final bank papers are won't be ready till tomorrow, Turg transferred power of attorney over to me (MWAHAHAHA) for the final paperwork. If all goes well, we will be home owners just in time for when Magenta, DugDug and Mini Chewbacca show up.

I'll post on the rest of the appraisal drama later. Too much for my brain now...

Happy Birthday to the Love of My Life

2008-12-16T11:07:00.003-05:00

Just kidding, Sweetie. Given everything that's going on, I hope that you're not expecting another surprise party.

Love you.

Imagine the possibilities

2008-12-01T14:20:00.005-05:00

There hasn't been much to update on the Stardust River Jewelry front since I basically took my toys and went home a couple of months ago. I have totally exciting news now.

First, I got a very (and I do mean BRIEF) mention in the Nov/Dec Bethesda Magazine* because of the boutique that was selling my jewelry. Meaning, the blurb said that the boutique "also features local designers such as Stardust River Jewelry of Gaithersburg." This mention got my creative juices flowing, and I designed more pieces for sale.

It is the holiday season. And 'tis the season of ~~shopping~~ giving. But where can one find products from Stardust River Jewelry? Perhaps in the jewelry section** of the online store for Imagine Boutique. I am totally excited!! I'm hoping this will give me a little more exposure...

I am still in the process (life has gotten in the way a bit) in setting up my own online store at etsy.com too. Hopefully, after the new year, I'll be able to get pieces photographed and up.

Let's see what this brings...

* I saw the blurb while sitting in the waiting room of the dermatologist. Imagine my surprise at seeing "my" name. I nearly shat.
** Thanks to Turg for helping me with the photos. I'm really happy with how they came out.

I know Halloween was a month ago. But it's a month until Christmas, and the Christmas crap hasn't stopped since Halloween...

2008-11-26T12:00:00.009-05:00

Turg and I dropped by CawfeeGuy's house to pick up may camera. So now that I have it back, here are the long awaited photos from the Halloween party (well, maybe not long awaited, and certainly anti-climactic since it's been almost a month, but hey).

Aren't we a hot pair?

How much do we love that CawfeeGuy has redeye in these pics? I think it's perfect.

Woohoo! Flamer!

At some point, Justin and I thought it would be a good idea to trade wigs... I won't post the pic of me in the mullet - it's a bit too... scary

This day is no different than any day of the year

2008-11-25T08:43:00.004-05:00

Well, for me it sorta is, because it's my birthday. Growing up, I never really had any big birthday parties or anything like that. Actually, I only ever had one where I had friends over and stuff, when I was in 7th or 8th grade. I wasn't very popular back then (read: big nerd), so it wasn't really all that fun, nor memorable.

Mostly, my memories of my birthday growing up are mooshed in with Thanksgiving, since it's always so close. Turkey, chinese food, and Carvel ice cream cake. The idea of celebrating my birthday independent of that only came about in adulthood. But I have such wonderful friends and family who care, and remember, and are generous, more than I think I deserve, and I am forever grateful for that.

I reflect on this year, and I am excited about the possibilities. I'm engaged to a wonderful man, had some good stuff go on at work, sold some jewelry, and am (hopefully) in the final stages of buying a house. I'm happier than I can remember. Tired, but happy.

I'm hoping next year will be as great.

Seriously the happiest baby ever

2008-11-12T16:38:00.002-05:00

I get the occassional mid-day phone call or voice mail from Jay of this little guy giggling/laughing up a storm. This is pretty much how I imagine he looks like when I hear him.

It always brightens my day.

Some post-Halloween candy anyone?

2008-11-06T09:19:00.002-05:00

My sweet (get it, sweet? heehee... yeah, fine) Great-Niece, Lina...

Thanks for the great pics Cin!

State of affairs

2008-11-05T10:10:00.006-05:00

Yes we can. I am so excited and relieved about the outcome of the election. I am hopeful that President-elect Obama, his cabinet, and the Congress will begin to move this country in the right direction again.

At the same time, I am disappointed about the outcomes of some ballot measures across the country. I am particularly disappointed that measures in Arizona and Florida banning gay marriage passed. The vote in California is still too close to call. I don't think I will ever understand the fear people have of two loving adults declaring legally and publicly that they want to spend the rest of their lives together.

For all the history that was made in this election, we obviously still have a long way to go.

UPDATE: Looks like the Proposition 8 in California has passed. I am saddened. However, the San Francisco City Attorney's office plans to challenge the validity of the ballot measure.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." - The Declaration of Independence

I voted so I could get the freebies

2008-11-04T10:50:00.003-05:00

I think you all know how I voted. I've never seen so many people in line to vote before. It was really exciting. Now, we all wait.

In the mean time, to get the rest of my freebies.

Word of the day

2008-10-28T16:20:00.002-04:00

I love learning new words. Here is today's word of the day:

orchidometer

I will let you read the definition for yourself.

Really, I don't want our President to be someone I would like to have a beer with. I want our President to be too busy, you know, governing.

2008-10-28T09:40:00.007-04:00

I don't usually talk about politics here, simply because most everyone who would read this already know where I stand. I am a social liberal. I have great respect for intellectuals. I am, in my heart, a scientist. I believe (huge shock here, I know) in the theory of evolution. But I also believe there is a God, and that She has given us this great gift to make our own choices, you know, free will and all that. So when I hear shit like "Palin praying that God will do the right thing on election day", it makes my head hurt.

What's also been making my head hurt is all the anti-intellectualism being espoused by the Republicans during this campaign. Science is the enemy. Being really well educated makes one an "elitist." As if the work put into prusuing higher education is somehow less worthy or lazy compared to good old fashioned "hard work." Intellectualism, learning, free-thinking - they are all somehow ruining the American society. They are somehow counter to American values. You know, the values of Joe the Plumber, Joe Six-pack, Peggy the Soccer Mom, Bob the Builder and Dora the Explorer.

There is also this idea that is being thrown around that there are those of us who don't live in "Real America," are not "Real Americans." Those of us who live in big cities, like New York City or Washington, DC. Who have somehow "avoided" all the crises that this country has faced. *rolls eyes* We don't live in "Real America" because, apparently we don't have real American values. Do you live in "Real America?" Are you a "Real American?" By their standards, I am not.

I am extraordinarily disappointed with John McCain. I respected the John McCain from the 2000 election. I lost some respect for him over the last 8 years. I have no respect for him now. The choices he has made only go to show that winning is more important than standing up for what one actually believes in. Pandering to the most conservative of the Republican base. Or maybe this is actually who he is. Who knows. I know that I'll never believe anything from him ever again.

I've never understood the idea of wanting to have a "folksy" President. A President you want to sit down and have a beer with. Someone "just like me." I don't want the President to be just like me, because I know for sure that I don't have the skills to run this country. The majority of people don't. I want our President to be highly intelligent, in touch with the country and what is going on in the rest of the world. I want the Vice President to be as learned, ready to take on the role of Commander and Chief at a moment's notice. To know much more about foreign policy besides "Russia is in spitting distance from my state."

I am hopeful, and afraid, for this election.

Ah, babies

2008-10-22T20:37:00.003-04:00

Look at this charming smile!

"A minute ago, Andrew was riding on my shoulders when he proceeded to spit up/puke on top of my head. Fun fun fun." - Jay, via email this afternoon

I love my nephew.

And because it's always fun to go to costume parties in pairs

2008-10-17T16:16:00.003-04:00

I am going to be the Alice in Wonderland to Magenta's Queen of Hearts. This is going to be such a fun party.

I am so totally getting the long blond wig.

The Staredown...

2008-10-15T09:26:00.001-04:00

... who will prevail?

**This pic is a couple of months old, but I just realized I never posted it. It's one of those priceless moments only a parent can catch...

Purple haze...

2008-10-08T11:16:00.004-04:00

*I will note for the record that I only saw the aftermath. However, this story is too funny not to share.*

Yesterday, a little after noon, I received a phone call from Crazy. She sounded strange. I mean REALLY strange. Like drunk. And I was thinking to myself, "Has she been drinking? It's way too early to be drunk." So here's the story.

Crazy was at a morning long meeting off site with a couple of her workmates, listening to talks and evaluating science. During a break, she went in search of Advil because her back was hurting. One of the people with her, Mitch, said, "Hey, I have some Advil. Take 2." and hands her 2 little orange pills with an 'A' on them. About a half hour after taking them, in Crazy's own words, "The speaker has 3 heads and all the slides are in 3D... I don't think that was Advil." After doing a little searching, and evaluating, Mitch realizes that he, indeed, did not give Crazy Advil. Instead, he gave her Ambien. Two of them.

Briefly, Crazy has absolutely no alcohol or drug tolerance. None. Squeeze a grape and she's drunk. So taking 2 Ambien, and then trying to stay awake. I have to say. When I stopped by to pick up Mitch from Crazy's house, she looked pitiful. Pit-i-ful. Totally high. And sleepy. And slurring speech. It was altogether sad and hilarious at the same time.

I just stopped by Crazy's office, and not surprisingly, she said she had a great night's sleep...

Happy Birthday, Clio!

2008-10-03T14:35:00.002-04:00

And many more fabulous years!

Out of the mouths of babes, III

2008-09-19T11:00:00.003-04:00

Chatting with Trouble (nearly 11 years old) at the bus stop at 9:00am yesterday:

Trouble (in an exasperated tone): I just want this day to be OVER.
Dr. K: Sweetie, the day hasn't even started yet.
T (more exasperated): I KNOW! I just know it's going to be a long and BORING day.
DK: Oh, yes. The rough life of a 5th grader.
T: Totally.

Even More of Sarah and John's Fabulous Wedding

2008-09-16T22:20:00.005-04:00

The Bride spots us and takes a moment to congratulate Turg on our engagement. Uh, wedding day! It's about you, Sassy!

Fist pump, yeah!

I could have danced, danced, daaaaanced.... Aaallll niiiiight!

Quite the beachy weekend (aka Ring-a-ding-ding)

2008-08-26T15:38:00.010-04:00

King Neptune. No really.

Turg and I took a lovely (and far too short) mini-vacay to Virgina Beach over the weekend. It was a weekend planned, very clearly, to NOT include laptops, Crackberries, or any other technology other than our cell phones, music and reading material (i.e., books and mindless magazines). The plans for the weekend included no plans, no scheduling save for dinner reservations at a beautiful restaurant on the oceanfront. (quick backstory on this restaurant - the only other time we'd ever been there was after I ran the 1/2 marathon, and I fell asleep at the dinner table, so we knew returning to this restaurant was a must)

We spent all of Saturday walking on the beach. And walking and walking some more. It was great. After walking for what seemed like hours, we headed back to the hotel room to relax, and get ready for dinner. I love Salacia. The outdoor veranda seating is beautiful, on the ocean, gas-light lit, benches with pillows (actual pillows, not just throw pillows), and if you get cold (like I did), they bring you a really soft blanket.

After a dinner with champagne (seriously, Turg suggested champagne because he's "on new acid medication, and red wine would be too much" Sheez), wonderful steak and lamb (yes, I ordered lamb again, and this time I didn't fall asleep), we were just sitting chit chatting when:

Turg (in a tone one would use to say "pass the salt"): Will you marry me?
Me (not having really heard him): What? Say that again?
T (more seriously): Will you marry me?
Me (because I'm a bitch): Not without a ring.
T (raises eyebrow): Why?
Me (getting nerdy): It's like in Babylon5*, when Sheridan asks Dele'en to marry him, he said, "On Earth, we have a tradition where we give a ring, as kind of a down payment for another ring. The kind that you get when you get married."
T: *raises eyebrow*
Me: That's what you get for making me watch Babylon5
T: No, I'm just amazed you remember the quote better than I am right now. But, okay... *produces ring*

This was the point where I got all giggly and girly (he thought I was going to cry). Of course I said yes. So after about a bazillion years together**, we are getting married!!

The Ring (this was the day after the proposal)

Turg was taking a little risk about asking me at the beginning of the weekend because, while there was much assurance that I was going to say 'yes,' you know, there's always a chance of not. Then the rest of the weekend would have really been awkward. But it wasn't. The rest of the weekend was as perfect as the proposal.

* Turg was actually the one who got me into watching Babylon5. Bet he's sooo glad he did that now.
** Before anybody starts in on "it's about time he asked you," let me make clear that I was the holdout, not him. So if you're going to get on anyone's case, that would be me.

"No man is complete until he's married. Then, he is finished." - Foxtrot Yankee (very good friend of Turg's)

"Congratulations, and may all of your ups and downs be between the sheets." - random guy who overheard us talking over breakfast

Oh Baby!

2008-08-17T21:03:00.010-04:00

A weekend with babies!

No, seriously Ang. Show me some love. Drop some apples down here... he won't mind... he's not even looking at you...

Super Dads! I think I can see a bit of a resemblance between the Little Man and Jay, no?

JP, Cin, and the Peanut

Aunt and Great-Aunt... at the SAME TIME!

Parallel parking - baby style

The Peanut and Mommy... and The Little Man's feet too

Apparently, the Little Man is already learning to smile at the ladies

Mmmm, tasty fingers... must be leftover apples...

It is so wonderful watching my family grow. I count myself lucky to have such a wonderful and loving family.

Pig races. PIG. RACES. Seriously.

2008-08-11T14:38:00.007-04:00

I had so much fun this weekend. It's sometimes amazing how simple it can actually be. Beautiful weather. A fun activity. Good company. HB, aka Thor's first girlfriend, came down for a visit prior to embarking on the journey called "college." And, in honor of her visit, we went to the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. Having never been to a county fair before, I had no idea what to expect. Mind you, having grown up in NYC, I spent the summers going to fairs - but these were street fairs, where the only live animals I saw were the goldfish to be won or horses with police men atop.

The three of us, me, Turg and HB, wandered, ate all sorts of bad food (oh, but it was oh, so, good), visited farm animals, rode carnival rides and brought farm fresh fruits and veggies. By far, though, the highlights of the day were the bumper cars and the pig races. That's right. I. Said. Pig races. But I'll get back to that.

We were riding the ferris wheel. Really a gondola wheel, they don't actually have ferris wheels anymore, do they, what with all the people falling off of them... - sorry, got distracted there. Anyway, we were on the big round rotating thing when we looked down and saw a tent with bumper cars. I had not done bumper cars since I was really little, and all three of us pretty much lit up at the thought. And it was fun. Some observations about bumper cars: 1) It is much more fun when the group is mostly adults. The reason is because adults seem to be able to control the cars better, and there are fewer pile ups (which I got caught in with a bunch of kids). 2) Five minutes is not NEARLY long enough. At the end of the second session we did, I literally thought I could do that all day. 3) Turg's maniacal face that he makes when readying himself to ram someone scares little children.

Back to the pig races. During the pig races, they not only raced regular farm pigs, but also billy goats, ducks and Vietnamese pot bellied piglets. Our favorite races of the day were definitely the goats and the pot bellied piglets. For the goats, because the goats are like children with ADD. While racing around, about a 1/4 way around the track, one of the goats sees a teddy bear sitting on the ground, stops running and is all like: Oh, look at the teddy bear. Isn't it cute... *looks around* Where'd everyone go? Oh, I'm supposed to be running. Wait for me... Oh, look at the kid.

The pot bellied piglets were just soooo terribly cute, what with the really short legs and bellies dragging on the ground, they really kick up crap while they're running. But the best part was after the race ended, one of the piggies came back out and was all: HI! Hi there! Look at me! I'm totally cute! a la Mini Chewbaca. The handler literally had to pick him up to stop his showboating.

The day ended with a trip to the crabhouse for dinner, then Cold Stone Creamery for dessert. I could not have asked for a more perfect day.

And so it goes... all glitter and sparkles

2008-08-06T15:10:00.003-04:00

Of course, immediately after I decide that I needed to reclaim my stock of jewelry from the boutique, a piece is sold. I wish I could show you which piece, but it's one I have not yet photographed... AND, some earrings were sold a couple of months ago that she forgot about. So not only did I pick up jewelry, but I got a fair check too.

There is a little of the "taking my toys and going home" (as Magenta says) going on. But I need to take a step back and reconsider some things... like price point, design sensibility, etc etc... I'll likely sell some of the earlier pieces on etsy - once I get my profile set up, that is. Damn, so much to do.

I'm not done with this yet by a long shot.

Out of the mouths of babes, 2

2008-08-04T09:37:00.002-04:00

I love all of the kids in my life. They're all so much fun and intelligent and, of course, say the darnedest things... Friday night, hanging at Crazy and SweetPea's house after dinner. SweetPea's Son (D - 16 yo) and Daughter (K - 14 yo), and Trouble playing Guitar Hero on Wii. Before I leave, D decides he needs to show off for me, to very little success. K and Trouble, in the mean time get bored and get out the laptop. K begins to dance to a video she's watching. The following conversation ensues:

D (stops in the middle of a GH riff): K, why are you dancing so provocatively?
K (giggling): If you saw what I was watching... this is sooo funny.
D (in the most serious tone I've ever heard from him - the kid is rarely serious): I really don't think that's appropriate.

It was at this point that I start hysterically laughing. Neither D nor K, nor even Trouble know what the heck is so funny. And I, of course, refuse to tell them.

On a completely different note, but because it's funny too - categorize this under "Adults say the darnedest things." At dim sum with friends - 4LL is swatting away the hand of her son (M), reaching for the sugar to put in his tea...

4LL: Why do you want the sugar?
M: I want to put it in my tea.
4LL: We DON'T put sugar in our tea.
M (in whiny kid voice): Whhhyyyyyy?
4LL (very sternly): Because we're CHINESE!

It just never stops, does it?

The Inner Light

2008-07-29T12:21:00.003-04:00

Okay, it's time to put my nerd hat on. Why? Because last night Turg and I remembered just how much of a nerd I/we am/are. See, SciFi channel has been showing Star Trek: TNG . Sometimes we catch it, sometimes we don't. (Mind you, we have all 7 seasons on DVD, so we could just watch whenever we want.) Last night, we sat down for dinner and TV and turned on ST:TNG.

Usually, within seeing the first few seconds of any episode, either Turg or I* or both can identify what episode it is, and whether or not we're going to like it (see, nerds, geeks, whatever you want to call us). Well, the second episode of the four being shown last night started with a scene of an "unidentified probe" on th bridge viewscreen. On sight of this, I start tearing up. Why? Because it means that it's one of my favorite (if not my all time favorite) episode of TNG: The Inner Light.

This episode makes me cry everytime I see it. Every. Single. Time. In the same places. Crying. So predictably that I got a box of tissues out to be ready for it. Even Turg knows at what points in the episode I cry, that he kept looking at me to see if I was (in turn, I kept yelling at him to stop staring at me). Big ball of crying, snotty, nerdy mess. Crying at ST:TNG.

*Incidentally, just an example of total geekdom - on one of our early and most memorable dates, Turg and I sat in Pizzaria Uno for hours playing ST:TNG trivia. Yes, this is geek dating at its best.

Twitter hates me.

2008-07-25T11:20:00.001-04:00

Tweet... hello?

2008-07-24T09:36:00.002-04:00

Not sure what happened to my Twitter thingie. But this morning when I looked, I wasn't following anyone and no one was following me... I feel so alone.

The interwebs hate me.

No, Seriously CawfeeGuy?

2008-07-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

Is this really necessary?

Out of the mouths of babes...

2008-07-18T10:50:00.003-04:00

Crazy's daughter (Trouble) cracks me up. All the time. Because Trouble's 10, but I always forget that she's 10 since, most of the time, she speaks like she's 40. So, when Turg got this unsigned message from an unfamiliar email address the other day, it's not surprising that he couldn't figure out who it was from:

"hey i have been extremely busy trying to fit everyone into my tight and already very busy schedule. talk to you later. bye-bye"

I mean, seriously - "my tight and already busy schedule"?? This girl's planning world domination. Just wait for it.

Ruminations...

2008-07-17T09:52:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I just feel like a hack. It's a very strange thing. For all of my accomplishments, and even with all the people in my life, work or otherwise, telling me how proud they are, how highly they think of me, or whatever, I often feel like I don't deserve it or that somehow I've got everyone fooled. I mean, people come to me for my "expert" opinion about crap. That's what I'm paid to do. To give an expert analysis. Whatever.

What brought this on this time? I interviewed for another temporary promotion the other day, and was told yesterday that I had been selected for the second half of the term. I was very surprised and excited, particularly since this position is in my current division. This morning, I had a short chat with my director and she said she thought very highly of me, and even though I'm not ready yet for a permanent position(something I very clearly agree with, and said so in my interview), I will be soon, and that there will be more opportunities soon... "If you know what I mean."

Oh, god.

I'm surrounded by so many incredibly intelligent and talented people. And I'm not one who compares oneself to others, but it is intimidating sometimes. For all of my confidence and bravura, I still sometimes think that I'll be discovered for a poser - that somehow that's who I really am. Eeeeeeehhhhhh.... *breathe*

I'll be better tomorrow.... I hope.

Hey! It's Andrew!

2008-07-14T09:06:00.004-04:00

Hey! Look at me! I'm sitting in my new highchair! I'm starting to eat solid foods now.
Let's try this stuff out...

Ma... Um, this seems really messy. Ummm, mmm.... It's not going down. I'm pretty sure that there's more on my bib than in me. Can I have a bottle now?*

*Dramatization, since, you know, Andrew's only 4.5 months old and can't talk.

Please don't put my head in there again...

2008-06-30T09:56:00.004-04:00

Finally a picture from Andrew's baptism last weekend. I just love the horrified look on his face that just says: DON'T PUT ME IN THERE! That and the fact that his foot is in the baptismal font.

Everything about the day was beautiful (well, except for the torrential rains that started just before we left for brunch). How could it not be?

No longer in charge

2008-06-24T15:17:00.004-04:00

Well, the two months of my temporary promotion are over and I am back in my office, trying to do my own work again and I'm feeling really disoriented. I mean, I can't even remember where shit is in my own desk. I'm trying to figure out what work I have to catch up on, what came in while I was gone that now I'm in the middle of, and where the hell my F-ing paperclips are.

I'm all sorts of grumpy today. After being gone for the last 2 months, I am truly afraid that I'm going to be really bored doing my own job. I was already starting to need more before I left (which is one of the reasons why I left), and now that I've seen all of the stuff that's out there, I look at my own work and think, "Huh, well... that's quaint."

There's some reorganization that's going to happen soon, which will most definitely shake things up. But as it stands, it doesn't look like I will be very affected by the reorganization, so I'm somewhat disappointed. *sigh*

Things I have learned over the past couple of months:

I like being an engineer more than a chemist
Lasers are really cool
Working on cosmetic devices makes me feel cheap somehow
I really like my work at home days
I like having a window office
The air is thinner on the third floor
Maybe stability isn't all it's cracked up to be

We'll see how things go. Maybe I need to take some reviewer details to see what else is out there. But I'm quickly learning that I'm not likely to get very far where I am, since there are so many other people who have been here so much longer than I have, and they are already the "go-to" people. It would take a lot for me to get to that point around here. There are more decisions ahead of me... much sooner than I had originally thought.

All A-twitter

2008-06-14T16:55:00.002-04:00

I just don't know if I'm ready to commit to another online community... but at the same time, I don't want to be left out...

*pout*

Oh, what to do...

I seriously tried on about 100 pairs of shorts this weekend

2008-06-08T17:41:00.005-04:00

I have this issue with shorts. I haven't owned a pair of shorts that wasn't the athletic kind (a la, I look like a soccer mom - thanks Magenta) for many years. I've been doing the crop pant, capri or skirt thing in lieu of shorts for quite a few years. But, it's been about 1000 degrees these past few days, and everything I have has been far too warm, so I felt it was time to deal with the situation.

I made it my mission this weekend to find at least 1 pair of shorts that I liked, which looked somewhat good, and didn't make me feel like I had a huge ass or mile wide hips or thunder thighs. Let me tell you, this was really tough. I'm hyper critical of my legs, for various reasons, not the least of which was my Mom telling me when I was, oh about 13 years old, that my thighs were really big - bigger than hers, in fact (my Mom was also 5' 2" and less than 100 pounds before she had kids). Just the kind of thing to say to a girl at the beginning of puberty who has self esteem issues, right?

Anyways, I went to a whole bunch of stores, and tried on something like 100 pairs of shorts. At a certain point I was going to give up, because trying on 100 pairs of shorts, of various different styles, colors and lengths, most of which DID make me feel like my ass or my hips or my thighs were huge is very, VERY bad for my self-image. But after much pain and many, many hours searching and trying, I actually found 3 pairs I liked. And even though Magenta warned me a couple of months ago that they would be a huge step (considering I don't own shorts), one of the pairs are knee length "walking" or "dress" shorts. Heck, the pair fit so well and were soooo comfortable, and I actually liked the way they looked, I figured I'd give it a try.

I'm going to wear the "dress shorts" to work tomorrow - mainly because they turn the AC off in the building over the weekend, and it's going to be a sauna there tomorrow, but also because I want to see how they go over. This may be the beginning of a new stage of fashion for me. Or, perhaps, I'll just be comfortable this summer.

More evidence of getting old

2008-06-06T14:20:00.007-04:00

Everyone hits a certain age where they feel like things start to go, literally and figuratively, south. And recently, there have been many things which make one feel "Older than the Crypt Keeper." You know, small poochies and wrinkles where there were none before. I offer into evidence (and these are not flattering pictures at all, but they are candid) my discovery that I am beginning to get old-lady knees:

Blegh.

Babies!!

2008-06-02T13:24:00.001-04:00

Look at them grow!

Andrew at 3 months:

Carolina Grace at 3 weeks:

Introducing Kiwi

2008-05-28T10:19:00.002-04:00

Yes, CawfeeGuy, I too have been assimilated. But for me this was a long time coming. I've been quietly considering getting the Nano since it came out. It was the first iPod design that I was attracted to (well, other than the U2 Special Edition that came fully loaded with their entire library, but that really had nothing to do with the iPod itself, per se). So, after grumbling to myself about how the mp3 player we had was not compatable with Vista (I'm not so sure I'm really compatible with Vista, but that's another entry), that I could not easily make playlists, etc... after convering with Magenta to decide on the color, I made the trip to Best Buy and bought one.

I introduce the 8 gb tiny wonder, Kiwi:

Seriously, I cannot possibly still be THIS tired.

2008-05-28T09:24:00.003-04:00

I didn't do anything last night. And yet I'm still totally exhausted. I'm totally convinced it's because I've gotten so used to having a work at home day that my body is completely rebelling against the fact that I haven't taken one in nearly 3 months. I know. Weh! I'm sure no one feels sorry for that.

Whatever.

Mario Cart Wii + Skype = Awesomeness

2008-05-19T09:11:00.002-04:00

Total awesomeness. It took a while to figure it all out, but once we did, it was so fun. Magenta, Turg, TTW and Fibji played all weekend. And watched each other play via webcam. Lots of teasing and trash talking, which makes the game oh so much more fun.

Every once in a while, I really love and am amazed by technology. So, who else wants to join the fun?

Separated at birth?

2008-05-15T11:31:00.004-04:00

I saw this photo in a magazine this morning, with a tag line of "Soft, but unsually strong."

I get the feeling sometimes that the above photo is how Thor views himself, instead of like this:

I know it's how he acts sometimes...

We're not weird. We're just ... different.

2008-05-08T11:10:00.002-04:00

One of the interesting things that I've had to deal with in my new temporary job is having to deal with a disgruntled employee (DE) who has been terminated, whose last day of work is tomorrow. Beginning with emails emploring me, if I have any influence at all, to give him another chance, to lashing out during group meeting at his mentor for doing things "behind his back." Frankly, this person was released from his job for lack of performance, and it's pretty obvious, even to me, who has known this person for all of a week.

The confrontation in group meeting began because I gave DE a document back because I did not understand how he came to his decision. If I'm going to put my signature on a document, I need to understand how the decision was made. I simply could not. The argument started with DE blaming is mentor for lack of mentoring and then escalated to him talking about how he was unfairly treated. I told him I would speak to him about the document, and only the document, after meeting.

During this after meeting conversation, DE continued to try to give me all the reasons why it was unfair that he had been fired and why I should give him another chance. I repeatedly told him that the decision was made, I had no influence over it, and I wanted to discuss the document. The conversation kept going around and around for 20 minutes. I should have closed the door, but I didn't think of it at the time. And the conversation was heated enough (read: kinda loud, but not yelling), that the Associate Director poked her head in to see if everything was okay.

After it was over, Lisa came by to see if everything was okay. In her words, "I don't think I've ever heard that tone of voice from you before." You know, that firm but serious tone. But why would she? Needless to say, I think I demonstrated that even though I am here temporarily, I'm not going to take crap.

Later on in the day, at the point where I was pretty much chilled out, another member of my branch (whom I had known only as the Guy Who Slapped His Dummy During CPR Class) pops in for this amusing commentary:

GWSHDDCC:

Me:

GWSHDDCC:

Me:

GWSHDDCC:

Me:

Meet my Great-niece!

2008-05-07T08:51:00.005-04:00

That's right. Great-niece. JP and Cyn gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on April 30. 8lbs 6oz. She's heavier than Andrew was!

Take a first peek at my beautiful great-neice - Carolina Grace

Obligatory picture of Mom and Baby sleeping:

"Daddy's little girl"

Speaking of superheroes

2008-05-03T19:28:00.005-04:00

Conversation at lunch before going to see Iron Man:

Turg: It's the summer of superhero movies. I just wish that teaser they showed for the Batman-Superman movie in I AM LEGEND were in the works.

N'il: They can't even figure out who they want to play Wonder Woman, and that's been in the works for ages.

T: Who could play Wonder Woman? ........ M(agenta)? Yeah, that's it. I can't think of anyone else.

N: Yeah. I can't think of any strong, statuesque, brunette actresses.

T: Maybe Catherine Zeta Jones. But I can't really see her as Wonder Woman.

N: No. I can see her as Diana Prince. Not as Wonder Woman.

T: Yeah... M(agenta). She's the only one I can think who can be Wonder Woman.

N: Yeah.

Seriously? Robert Downey, Jr.? Yeah, I'd hit that.

2008-05-03T19:21:00.003-04:00

It's the beginning of the superhero movie summer. I'm terribly excited. Turg and I saw Iron Man today. Loved it. Totally loved it. Good story, engaging, funny, witty. I could go on. About half way through the movie, I was sitting there thinking to myself, "Wow. Robert Downey, Jr. is pretty hot in this. Who'd have thought?"

P.S. - If you go see it, stay through the credits (that means you, CawfeeGuy)

Feeling uncreative

2008-05-03T12:20:00.003-04:00

I'm in sort of a creativity rut. This whole jewelry venture was so exciting when I started. I was so happy and excited and nervous about the possibilities. And when I sold a couple of pieces, so soon after I had placed them in the store, I was even more excited. But now, it's been so long since that one sale. And nothing else has been sold since then.

I brought new pieces for the store at the beginning of March. Things that I thought were really beautiful and fun (I have to post the photos when I remember). Better and possibly more creative than the first pieces I brought in. Nothing. Not. One. Peep.

And I'm all frustrated. I've been saying that I would go to a couple of other places to sell some things, but now I'm scared. Maybe it's not such a good idea. I'm not doing so well where I am. But then again, maybe I should expand, so that more people see my stuff. The store my jewelry is in right now is relatively new, and their business is only starting to grow. They don't sell that much jewelry to begin with. So maybe I should go somewhere else... but I'm still afraid.

And all of this has put me in a creative rut. I'm uninspired and afraid. I look at my beautiful gemstones and don't know what to do with them. *sigh*

I was requested to post something, since I haven't in a long time. But not about work. Sorry, I need to talk about work for a moment, so bear with me.

2008-05-03T12:10:00.002-04:00

So this week was my first week on the job of my temporary promotion. What the hell does this mean. Well, for the next 2 months, I am officially a manager. Not like those times (for those of you who have Google Chat) where I state "I'm in charge." Those times were unofficially - taking on some duties on top of my own job. I was really no more than a conduit for documents in and documents out. Now, I am managing in a Division that is not my home Division, a group of people who I don't yet know, and am being officially recognized for it. I'm even on the revised Organizational Chart (Woohoo... whatever).

Anyways, I had a moment my very first day in my new job, where I was all: WHAT THE HELL DID I GET MYSELF INTO!?!?!?!?!?!!? I think I'm okay. Apparently my decision was received well, and I impressed people. *WHEW* Overall, it's been okay so far. But then again, I'm still trying to get names and faces matched. So we'll see.

The hard drive for my work laptop failed yesterday. Failed. As in, I cannot access anything. I cannot even boot up.

2008-04-19T20:24:00.002-04:00

It happened at 5:30pm. On a Friday. Which means I cannot even report it until first thing Monday morning. All I keep thinking is "I haven't backed up in a really long time. All my work is essentially gone."

I want to throw up.

Nerdiness of the day

2008-04-15T09:47:00.006-04:00

For anyone who doesn't know, I love quantum and particle physics. I don't pretend to completely understand what everyone is talking about, but I find the subject absolutely facinating. I was more than a little excited when Ang's Dad took me on a tour of the Rhic particle accelerator at Brookhaven National Labs a few years back.

The thing about these particle accelerators is that there is always some fear that a black hole will be formed from one of the experiments. So, the new particle accelerator/collider at Cern is about to go online, and these fears have again resurfaced. Will scientists, in their quest for knowledge, destroy the earch because they will form a black hole or release some dangerous relativistic particles? You gotta love the New York Times Science Times. Every once in a while, there is just a quote than pretty much encompasses it all:

"Besides, the random nature of quantum physics means that there is always a minuscule, but nonzero, chance of anything occurring, including that the new collider could spit out man-eating dragons."

I know. It's nerdy. But I find this absolutely hysterical.

Yeah, so what if I don't remember high school French

2008-04-07T14:43:00.003-04:00

I admit it. I suck. I can't remember a lick of French right now. But we're in New Orleans. And I think that makes up for it.

PS: There is WAY too much food.

Caption this picture.

2008-03-28T10:12:00.003-04:00

Turg and I were walking through the Smithsonian Natural History Museum after seeing U23D on Saturday when we came upon this display called "Taming a Goat." I think many more interesting caption opportunities for this picture:

Have fun.