You guys are great! I seriously needed some quality friend time, and you provided it in an awesome way. My mini-vacation has improved my mood, my outlook, and even some other things I'd rather not discuss online ;). Four Peaks, In N Out, and some baseball is always a fantastic combination. And remember, ya'll are welcome to NM anytime or LA this summer. And I might be back, eventually.
Today I got A Field Guide for Science Writers in the mail, and I am pretty stoked about it. Can you believe I'm going to be published?! I'm also working on letting go of the need to have something lined up for August. You guys inspired me with all your potential adventures, and I need to have the opportunity for things to suddenly come up as well. Just because I'm married doesn't necessarily mean I should stop doing interesting things with my life, right?
I hope ya'll have a great day, a great week, and start figuring out what it is you want to do with your summers or your lives. Thanks again!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Socorro People, Part II
So I was previously discussing a girl who verbally invited me to her bridal shower and then didn't give me an invitation. It gets better. Last Wednesday, I was on campus at a lecture with Matt, when she came over and said, "So I didn't have your address, but my shower is on Saturday if you want to come." To which I replied, "Wow, that's soon. Can you send me an email with the details or something?" First of all, she works in the same building as Matt. I'm pretty sure she could have gotten our address any time she wanted. Second of all, she never did send me that email or give the details to Matt. Needless to say, I did not go to the shower. What in the world though? Who does things like this? If you don't want me to come, don't bring it up, but if you do want me to come, get your act together. I mean seriously. PEOPLE. Maybe only one more month of dealing with it. Hooray. Although it was beautiful and peaceful here this weekend and I kind of hate to trade that for a noisy city.
Housing
Looking for housing sucks, ya'll. Although I'm wondering, did it suck a lot more before craigslist existed? (By the way, don't ever forget the 's' in the aforementioned website. Bad things will happen.) Anyways, I have been simultaneously looking for summer housing in LA and more permanent housing in Albuquerque and it seriously took up three straight days.
I think, although it has not yet been confirmed, that in LA I will be living with an 'eco-conscious vegetarian' who cooks healthy breakfasts and dinner for her residents each weekday. The property is also on National Wildlife Federation registered habitat and has two friendly dogs. I will have my own room and bathroom. It is in Old Los Angeles, whatever that is, and about 7 miles from where I will be working. It sounds like a pretty good deal. Let's hope she didn't run away with my credit card.
Albuquerque housing is a bit more challenging. We are looking to live in or near downtown for easy access to the NMT van and the bus system. We are going to attempt to live urban lives in a major sprawl city. We will see how that goes. We looked at a bunch of stuff Saturday, and it looks like either we can live in cute but terribly run-down places with single pane windows and window swamp coolers or in gated, high-priced apartment complexes. And in downtown you do not get nearly as much for your money as in other areas of the city. The price you pay for trying not to drive your car so much I guess. I have no idea what to do. We found one cute place that is in a bit of a shady area but they want tenants in by next weekend so that's a loss. If we get desperate Matt will just have to live in the Valles for the summer I guess.
Anyways, I have obviously been out of inspiration lately. I hope everyone enjoyed Earth Day. Matt and I played tennis and did not drive our cars. Have a great week!
I think, although it has not yet been confirmed, that in LA I will be living with an 'eco-conscious vegetarian' who cooks healthy breakfasts and dinner for her residents each weekday. The property is also on National Wildlife Federation registered habitat and has two friendly dogs. I will have my own room and bathroom. It is in Old Los Angeles, whatever that is, and about 7 miles from where I will be working. It sounds like a pretty good deal. Let's hope she didn't run away with my credit card.
Albuquerque housing is a bit more challenging. We are looking to live in or near downtown for easy access to the NMT van and the bus system. We are going to attempt to live urban lives in a major sprawl city. We will see how that goes. We looked at a bunch of stuff Saturday, and it looks like either we can live in cute but terribly run-down places with single pane windows and window swamp coolers or in gated, high-priced apartment complexes. And in downtown you do not get nearly as much for your money as in other areas of the city. The price you pay for trying not to drive your car so much I guess. I have no idea what to do. We found one cute place that is in a bit of a shady area but they want tenants in by next weekend so that's a loss. If we get desperate Matt will just have to live in the Valles for the summer I guess.
Anyways, I have obviously been out of inspiration lately. I hope everyone enjoyed Earth Day. Matt and I played tennis and did not drive our cars. Have a great week!
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Secret...
is finally out. I have been awarded an AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship and will be working at the Los Angeles Times Environment desk for 10 weeks this summer. I'm pretty excited, but I will miss my husband :)
Friday, April 13, 2007
Step it Up 2007: April 14th: A Day of Climate Action
In case you missed NPR's Science Friday, today Bill McKibben, one of my favorite authors and environmentalists, was featured discussing low-carbon lifestyles and the big Step it Up 2007 event tomorrow. Please, please, please, visit the website and look for events in your community and attend them! Sadly enough, I was too lazy to organize one in my town, and rather than driving one hour each way to the closest one and wasting a lot of carbon, I will be staying home and encouraging others through my blog. I admit it - I missed the boat on this one. The goal is to convince Congress to cut carbon 80% by 2050.
On NPR, Chris Goodall also suggested that the single most important thing you can do on an individual basis is to cut back on flying. Which is something I seriously need to work on. Also, eat local.
On NPR, Chris Goodall also suggested that the single most important thing you can do on an individual basis is to cut back on flying. Which is something I seriously need to work on. Also, eat local.
Sidebar and Gifts
I recently updated my "Eco living and buying" sidebar to include some newly found goodies. Among them are recycled plastic razors and toothbrushes, another green home store, and most importantly, some gift-giving options.
Living so far away from family and friends, as well as from stores, has made gift-shopping and sending rather difficult for us. It is also hard to find online donation places that allow you to send emails to people rather than actual cards (for belated gifts as well as more eco-friendliness). My two new favorites are Heifer International and the World Wildlife Fund.
Heifer International allows you to make a donation and then send either an email or a snail mail card celebrating an event and letting the person know you have made a donation in their name.
World Wildlife Fund allows you to symbolically adopt numerous kinds of animals. The gift recipient can be sent an email and snail mail with a picture and adoption certificate. If you donate more than the minimum, you can also get a stuffed animal version that would make a great gift for kids (although not so eco-friendly).
Also, Terrapass allows you to give gift carbon offsets that come with little things like luggage tags, cfls, etc. Although I am a big fan of donation gifts, it is always nice when a little something comes with them so the recipient still has something to open. (NOTE: you do have to plan farther ahead for these since shipping has to be involved - no email option.)
Anyway, for the people in your lives who have everything, these are just a couple of ideas. Many other sites allow you to make donations in other people's names, but I have not found them as user-friendly.
(Also be sure to check on the safety of your personal care products using the Skin Deep link. I don't recommend throwing anything out, but it can be helpful for future purchases.)
Living so far away from family and friends, as well as from stores, has made gift-shopping and sending rather difficult for us. It is also hard to find online donation places that allow you to send emails to people rather than actual cards (for belated gifts as well as more eco-friendliness). My two new favorites are Heifer International and the World Wildlife Fund.
Heifer International allows you to make a donation and then send either an email or a snail mail card celebrating an event and letting the person know you have made a donation in their name.
World Wildlife Fund allows you to symbolically adopt numerous kinds of animals. The gift recipient can be sent an email and snail mail with a picture and adoption certificate. If you donate more than the minimum, you can also get a stuffed animal version that would make a great gift for kids (although not so eco-friendly).
Also, Terrapass allows you to give gift carbon offsets that come with little things like luggage tags, cfls, etc. Although I am a big fan of donation gifts, it is always nice when a little something comes with them so the recipient still has something to open. (NOTE: you do have to plan farther ahead for these since shipping has to be involved - no email option.)
Anyway, for the people in your lives who have everything, these are just a couple of ideas. Many other sites allow you to make donations in other people's names, but I have not found them as user-friendly.
(Also be sure to check on the safety of your personal care products using the Skin Deep link. I don't recommend throwing anything out, but it can be helpful for future purchases.)
100 Mile Diet
Many people ask the question, is it better to buy local or organic? Buying organic is generally easier for most of us. The Smith's here in Socorro even has a small (and over-priced) organic section, while the one local farmer's market only lasts from July - October and is less than comprehensive. Local food from small family farms is probably more likely to be organic, or at least natural, than what you normally buy at a grocery store. Farmer's markets also give you the opportunity to discuss growing practices with farmers and encourage them to become more enivronmentally- and health-friendly. And food from farmer's markets does not travel 1500 miles to get your plate.
To be completely honest, I have not shopped at a Farmer's Market since I lived in Bend in the summer of 2003. A few of us would head over from work to be there close to opening since it sold out fast. We then took our (reusable) produce bags back to the office until the work-day was over. Some communities require more effort to find local eating options. The closest we get here is buying local Albuquerque or Santa Fe products from the grocery stores. But who knows where the ingredients to those products come from.
So here is my idea (which I have not discussed with Matt). We can be lazy for the rest of the time in Socorro, since we know that our backyard is definitely not meant for growing things. Then, when we move to Albuquerque, we will try out this 100 mile diet. You can also find local resources here. We have already looked into Los Poblanos Organics (a CSA) and the Rio Grande Community Farm where you can get individual plots. We will also grow some things in pots on our balcony or patio. There are nearby places that sell local eggs (not sure about meat for Matt). The biggest challenge I think is finding grains and beans, etc. Also, the challenge of preserving things for winter when not much grows. The 100 Mile Diet page has links to some places that teach you how to do this.
I am not intending to be perfect about this diet. We like going out to eat, and if we had friends, we certainly would not make them subscribe to this. But to be able to grow or buy most of our food would be a fantastic step in our relationship to nature as well as helping the environment. I know Ms. A. greatly enjoyed her time spent growing things.
I realize y'all are probably thinking, gosh, she's been talking about growing a garden for 3 years now and still hasn't done it. Please, please, please, if I don't start doing these things when we move to Albuquerque, slap me. Electronically. Leave me comments and make fun of me. I will deserve it. Sure, growing and eating local takes some research and a lot of time, but I think it will be time better spent than watching tv or playing on the internet.
Also, Matt and I made a fantastic potato, leek, and carrot soup last night. Growing up, I would never have imagined that I would ever eat leeks, but I enjoy a wide variety of vegetables now, and I am eager to see what new things I will encounter in my quest to eat locally.
To be completely honest, I have not shopped at a Farmer's Market since I lived in Bend in the summer of 2003. A few of us would head over from work to be there close to opening since it sold out fast. We then took our (reusable) produce bags back to the office until the work-day was over. Some communities require more effort to find local eating options. The closest we get here is buying local Albuquerque or Santa Fe products from the grocery stores. But who knows where the ingredients to those products come from.
So here is my idea (which I have not discussed with Matt). We can be lazy for the rest of the time in Socorro, since we know that our backyard is definitely not meant for growing things. Then, when we move to Albuquerque, we will try out this 100 mile diet. You can also find local resources here. We have already looked into Los Poblanos Organics (a CSA) and the Rio Grande Community Farm where you can get individual plots. We will also grow some things in pots on our balcony or patio. There are nearby places that sell local eggs (not sure about meat for Matt). The biggest challenge I think is finding grains and beans, etc. Also, the challenge of preserving things for winter when not much grows. The 100 Mile Diet page has links to some places that teach you how to do this.
I am not intending to be perfect about this diet. We like going out to eat, and if we had friends, we certainly would not make them subscribe to this. But to be able to grow or buy most of our food would be a fantastic step in our relationship to nature as well as helping the environment. I know Ms. A. greatly enjoyed her time spent growing things.
I realize y'all are probably thinking, gosh, she's been talking about growing a garden for 3 years now and still hasn't done it. Please, please, please, if I don't start doing these things when we move to Albuquerque, slap me. Electronically. Leave me comments and make fun of me. I will deserve it. Sure, growing and eating local takes some research and a lot of time, but I think it will be time better spent than watching tv or playing on the internet.
Also, Matt and I made a fantastic potato, leek, and carrot soup last night. Growing up, I would never have imagined that I would ever eat leeks, but I enjoy a wide variety of vegetables now, and I am eager to see what new things I will encounter in my quest to eat locally.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Socorro People
I am full of blogging lately. Today's second blog has to do with Techies. So there are two girls there that I am friendly with, which is to say, I talk to them when I see them. One I had not really been sure that I liked, but I kept making an effort until a month or so ago when she started knocking my degree. Today my hunch was verified. She has been having trouble getting a model out of my lab, and I had been considering helping her. Matt was explaining to her, exaggeratively, that I send my boss 5 emails a day and that it takes him at least a week to respond. To which she replied, "Well that's annoying; I wouldn't respond either." OKAY. SERIOUSLY. 1) I maybe send my boss 5 emails a week at the most and I am a telecommuter. That is what I do. I send emails. The point was his delay, not the number of emails. 2) How can you be so rude to someone about his wife. 3) If you knew someone that worked in the lab where you needed to get a model, wouldn't you be nice to them and ask for help. This is the problem with Techies. She and I are no longer friendly acquaintances.
Just to bring it up; the other girl is super friendly and has at two different times verbally invited us to her wedding in Albuquerque and me to her shower here in Socorro. Invitations of some sort went out yesterday and we did not get one.
People, this is what I have to deal with! I am done trying. I am done thinking I should make more of an effort. These are not the kind of people I want to associate with, no matter how few (i.e. no) friends I have here. Sometimes, it is just better to sit in your house and do crafts. And write blogs. Thank you all for being my electronic friends.
Just to bring it up; the other girl is super friendly and has at two different times verbally invited us to her wedding in Albuquerque and me to her shower here in Socorro. Invitations of some sort went out yesterday and we did not get one.
People, this is what I have to deal with! I am done trying. I am done thinking I should make more of an effort. These are not the kind of people I want to associate with, no matter how few (i.e. no) friends I have here. Sometimes, it is just better to sit in your house and do crafts. And write blogs. Thank you all for being my electronic friends.
What I Do
I'm sure many of you spend your days and nights scratching your heads over what it is I do in my (semi) chosen profession. Well here is a little taste. This is a partial screenshot of the software program I use. All these circles and rectangles have equations or logic in them that I create to replicate a natural or social system. This is an unrefined model page:
I just finished this yesterday. Believe it or not, the lower right hand, un-bordered stuff is all programming agricultural water diversions. I was trying to solve a problem as to how to pro-rate leases throughout the year. The little level system on the right finally worked out perfectly.
Next is what a refined model page looks like. Once I get it the way I want it, I color it up all pretty and delete all extraneous variables, so that in theory, someone else could understand my model.
And then there are Excel spreadsheets. This particular model is hooked up to 4 workbooks, some inputs and some outputs, with the largest one being 35MB. I have some data going back to 1897. That is correct. So anyways, this is what I've been doing for the last 9 months or so. Exciting, isn't it?
I just finished this yesterday. Believe it or not, the lower right hand, un-bordered stuff is all programming agricultural water diversions. I was trying to solve a problem as to how to pro-rate leases throughout the year. The little level system on the right finally worked out perfectly.
Next is what a refined model page looks like. Once I get it the way I want it, I color it up all pretty and delete all extraneous variables, so that in theory, someone else could understand my model.
And then there are Excel spreadsheets. This particular model is hooked up to 4 workbooks, some inputs and some outputs, with the largest one being 35MB. I have some data going back to 1897. That is correct. So anyways, this is what I've been doing for the last 9 months or so. Exciting, isn't it?
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Also
I am flying into Phoenix Thursday April 26th at 9 pm, going to Tucson on Sunday and flying out of there. I hope y'all are available to hang out. Spread the word.
NOLA Green Project (New Orleans Green Rebuilding)
This seems a little strange because so few people have donated, but that ups your chances to win a great green goody bag. See the website.
On a nicer note
My fantastic sister, Karen, took this picture in Holland. Isn't it gorgeous? You can see more on Picasa.
I Told You So
I don't really like to say that.
Okay, well maybe I do.
Here's the thing - Back in March 2003, I was going to protests like this one, below, to try to do something to convince good ol' W not to go to war. Those of us at those protests knew that the war was a bad idea. Other people thought we were idiots. The government, in fact, thought we were so much of a threat that they blocked all exits to the square with riot police. I am not kidding. This is an intimidating tactic. Because usually peace activists are so violent and all.
Even my friend who was previously a Republican came to these protests with me, because she saw the light. I did not post her picture to avoid anymore fodder for the FBI files.
Then what happened in 2004? To paraphrase Matt's shirt, OMG WTF. The American people voted to keep W in control, and accordingly, to keep us and our soldiers in the quagmire.
Fast forward to 2007. MoveOn.org held a Virtual TownHall to allow the candidates to discuss the Iraq War. Only the Democrats showed up. You can read or hear more about it here.
Okay here is my point. How the hell did it take these people 4+ years to figure out that W is a bad President and the Iraq War is hopeless. I could have told you that in 2003! Or 2001 when really, we all knew the war with Iraq was inevitable. I TOLD YOU SO! All you people who currently give Bush a 30% approval rating when you voted for him 2.5 years ago. Well those people probably don't read my blog, but still!
Don't get me wrong; I am super happy that now most of the country recognizes that we need to get out of Iraq, even though W doesn't, but think of how much better off everyone would have been if we hadn't started the damn war in the first place. And for goodness sake, please support a true, bona fide, peace-loving candidate this time around. We owe it to the world.
Okay, well maybe I do.
Here's the thing - Back in March 2003, I was going to protests like this one, below, to try to do something to convince good ol' W not to go to war. Those of us at those protests knew that the war was a bad idea. Other people thought we were idiots. The government, in fact, thought we were so much of a threat that they blocked all exits to the square with riot police. I am not kidding. This is an intimidating tactic. Because usually peace activists are so violent and all.
Even my friend who was previously a Republican came to these protests with me, because she saw the light. I did not post her picture to avoid anymore fodder for the FBI files.
Then what happened in 2004? To paraphrase Matt's shirt, OMG WTF. The American people voted to keep W in control, and accordingly, to keep us and our soldiers in the quagmire.
Fast forward to 2007. MoveOn.org held a Virtual TownHall to allow the candidates to discuss the Iraq War. Only the Democrats showed up. You can read or hear more about it here.
Okay here is my point. How the hell did it take these people 4+ years to figure out that W is a bad President and the Iraq War is hopeless. I could have told you that in 2003! Or 2001 when really, we all knew the war with Iraq was inevitable. I TOLD YOU SO! All you people who currently give Bush a 30% approval rating when you voted for him 2.5 years ago. Well those people probably don't read my blog, but still!
Don't get me wrong; I am super happy that now most of the country recognizes that we need to get out of Iraq, even though W doesn't, but think of how much better off everyone would have been if we hadn't started the damn war in the first place. And for goodness sake, please support a true, bona fide, peace-loving candidate this time around. We owe it to the world.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Easter Weekend
Saturday morning, April 7th, as we were thinking about heading up north for the weekend, our friend in Albuquerque called us. Jokingly (I think) Matt asked if it was snowing up there, and apparently it actually was. In April. So at any rate, we waited until it warmed up a bit in Socorro and then decided we were safe to leave, although we chose to avoid any winter weather risk on the way to Taos.
First thing we did was head to REI before closing so we could spend Matt's dividend. And mine, but it was only 22 cents. I got a new pair of trail shoes and a Sigg and Matt got a camp shovel and some waterproof matches. I think that's fair, don't you? Hehe. Then we headed to dinner at the Chama River Brewing Company, which has a mean hummus and flatbread and some tasty sweet potato fries. After that we hit the Target for some Listerine and ziploc bags. We came out two pairs of flip flops, a tiki torch, a care bear, 4 bags of Easter Candy, Family Guy Volume Four, a camp ax, freezer mugs, and probably some other things. Target is my downfall. But the Easter Bunny bought it all. After that we met up with our friend at the movie theater to see Blades of Glory. That's right, we paid $9.50 each to see Will Farrell on ice skates. It was actually quite funny. He and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) play wonderfully off each other, and there is a combination of low brow humor and some more intelligent stuff. Not sure if it was worth $9.50, but in our sad, pathetic, friendless lives it probably was close.
The next morning we got up bright and early to go hiking in the Sandia Foothills. First we had to go to breakfast since our bachelor friend's frig contained beer and jelly. We didn't make it to the trail, a feet streets beyond his house, until nearly 9. We hiked for an hour and then hiked out. I forgot the camera, but it had pretty city views and a flowing crick nearby. We then went to Sushi and headed over to our first Isotopes game of the season. The Omaha Royals were in town, so Matt was rooting for the other team. We got cheap tickets in the berm and dodged rolling children and baseballs all afternoon. Finally, we headed over to our friend's family friend's house for Easter dinner. Matt was the only white boy there. Both the families have a white mother and an Indian father, and three of the other guests were Indian as well with one French girl in for the mix (who lives 2 minutes from Geneve). It was a really fun crowd although I didn't get much to eat. The guy whose house it was at owns a Water Resources firm, so I did my share of networking and sent off my resume this morning. We will see what comes of it.
Only five more possible business days during which I can be notified of my summer status. I can't wait so I can start making some plans. Either way.
I hope y'all had wonderful Easters as well, traditional or not.
First thing we did was head to REI before closing so we could spend Matt's dividend. And mine, but it was only 22 cents. I got a new pair of trail shoes and a Sigg and Matt got a camp shovel and some waterproof matches. I think that's fair, don't you? Hehe. Then we headed to dinner at the Chama River Brewing Company, which has a mean hummus and flatbread and some tasty sweet potato fries. After that we hit the Target for some Listerine and ziploc bags. We came out two pairs of flip flops, a tiki torch, a care bear, 4 bags of Easter Candy, Family Guy Volume Four, a camp ax, freezer mugs, and probably some other things. Target is my downfall. But the Easter Bunny bought it all. After that we met up with our friend at the movie theater to see Blades of Glory. That's right, we paid $9.50 each to see Will Farrell on ice skates. It was actually quite funny. He and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) play wonderfully off each other, and there is a combination of low brow humor and some more intelligent stuff. Not sure if it was worth $9.50, but in our sad, pathetic, friendless lives it probably was close.
The next morning we got up bright and early to go hiking in the Sandia Foothills. First we had to go to breakfast since our bachelor friend's frig contained beer and jelly. We didn't make it to the trail, a feet streets beyond his house, until nearly 9. We hiked for an hour and then hiked out. I forgot the camera, but it had pretty city views and a flowing crick nearby. We then went to Sushi and headed over to our first Isotopes game of the season. The Omaha Royals were in town, so Matt was rooting for the other team. We got cheap tickets in the berm and dodged rolling children and baseballs all afternoon. Finally, we headed over to our friend's family friend's house for Easter dinner. Matt was the only white boy there. Both the families have a white mother and an Indian father, and three of the other guests were Indian as well with one French girl in for the mix (who lives 2 minutes from Geneve). It was a really fun crowd although I didn't get much to eat. The guy whose house it was at owns a Water Resources firm, so I did my share of networking and sent off my resume this morning. We will see what comes of it.
Only five more possible business days during which I can be notified of my summer status. I can't wait so I can start making some plans. Either way.
I hope y'all had wonderful Easters as well, traditional or not.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Trashyards
Here is the thing about keeping up appearances. Most people like to have cute little front yards.
And then they keep all their dirty, nasty, trashy things in the backyard. Or in a trailer near the backyard. (I realize it is hard to see in this picture, but I didn't want to get too close.)
Then there are the people who have see-through fences and no where to hide trash. As it turns out, they just throw their trash and dead vegetation over the fence and leave it there.
I mean really? I have to stare at it all day. You might recognize this trailer from the Trailer Trash Rainbow a few posts back. You know, I really think I would think more highly of trailer people if the trailer inhabitants didn't throw their trash over the back fence. I live in a glorified double-wide for goodness sake. But seriously, keep up appearances, huh?
On a side note, I finally took a picture of my self-made garden stone which is still curing in the shed. Ain't she a beaut?
And then they keep all their dirty, nasty, trashy things in the backyard. Or in a trailer near the backyard. (I realize it is hard to see in this picture, but I didn't want to get too close.)
Then there are the people who have see-through fences and no where to hide trash. As it turns out, they just throw their trash and dead vegetation over the fence and leave it there.
I mean really? I have to stare at it all day. You might recognize this trailer from the Trailer Trash Rainbow a few posts back. You know, I really think I would think more highly of trailer people if the trailer inhabitants didn't throw their trash over the back fence. I live in a glorified double-wide for goodness sake. But seriously, keep up appearances, huh?
On a side note, I finally took a picture of my self-made garden stone which is still curing in the shed. Ain't she a beaut?
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Videos
Both the videos below are short and hilarious. The first was posted by Paul JD on my MySpace account, and the second was recommended to me by High Country News Goat Blog (see sidebar).
Creative Juices
There for awhile I had something to say everyday and I was working on fun little crafty projects. Do you think the two are related? Since then I've been doing boring things like applying for jobs and deciding whether or not to go to school (apparently I am past the decision deadline) and it just doesn't get those creative juices flowing. Hence the lack of posts. The last post is only there because it was such a perfect Socorro moment. Things like that have to be shared.
I am blogging right now to try to regain some of my temporary creative spirit. I have to find a new way to channel my energy. I'm thinking that when I finally find out about the summer project (on or before April 16th) I can get on with my life. I feel like I am in some sort of limbo right now, and it just isn't good for the soul. Speaking of the soul, I just discovered today that Matt has tomorrow off, presumably for Good Friday. He will actually be working all day, as will I (well at least part of the day), so it doesn't really do us much good at all.
Would you like to hear my mid-term future plans (subject to change at any time)? Here they are:
1) I work while Matt finishes school by the end of summer 2009 - 3 years total
2) I get my PhD in Sustainability at ASU while Matt works and Karen helps look after anything that might need looking after... This may take up to 3 years.
3) I work while Matt takes a few years off
4) Matt and I both work and become world-famous doctors and practitioners of sustainability
Also speaking of the soul, I think this Sunday may be the first Easter in my 26 years that I will not have gone to Mass. I am breaking free of tradition. We will either be partying in Taos on the last day of ski season or at some 'small Easter get-together' with a friend in Albuquerque. Who I always thought was Hindu. No Easter breakfasts for us though :)
I am blogging right now to try to regain some of my temporary creative spirit. I have to find a new way to channel my energy. I'm thinking that when I finally find out about the summer project (on or before April 16th) I can get on with my life. I feel like I am in some sort of limbo right now, and it just isn't good for the soul. Speaking of the soul, I just discovered today that Matt has tomorrow off, presumably for Good Friday. He will actually be working all day, as will I (well at least part of the day), so it doesn't really do us much good at all.
Would you like to hear my mid-term future plans (subject to change at any time)? Here they are:
1) I work while Matt finishes school by the end of summer 2009 - 3 years total
2) I get my PhD in Sustainability at ASU while Matt works and Karen helps look after anything that might need looking after... This may take up to 3 years.
3) I work while Matt takes a few years off
4) Matt and I both work and become world-famous doctors and practitioners of sustainability
Also speaking of the soul, I think this Sunday may be the first Easter in my 26 years that I will not have gone to Mass. I am breaking free of tradition. We will either be partying in Taos on the last day of ski season or at some 'small Easter get-together' with a friend in Albuquerque. Who I always thought was Hindu. No Easter breakfasts for us though :)
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Barb's Dream Kitchen
This past Saturday, on our way home from the grocery store, Matt and I decided that we should stop by Barb's Dream Kitchen, formerly known as Tastee Freeze, to grab a quick lunch. We had been to Tastee Freeze before to acquire Tastee vanilla cones and Freezies, but we had never eaten there. Everything is still the same; we can only assume that Barb lost her Tastee Freeze franchise (or stopped paying) but kept the ice cream machine.
At any rate, when we got there, it took the lady at the cash register about 10 minutes to ring up our order. I am pretty sure I am not exaggerating here. I put in my order, filled both of our soda cups, and sat down at a table for several minutes before Matt returned from paying. When we first arrived, there was a small boy (3 years old or less) eating an ice cream sundae at the table closest to the kitchen. The table also contained numerous Duplos. Before long, the boy finished his sundae, went back to the kitchen, and returned with two 'remote' control cars attached to their controls with wires. He immediately came over to our table and began playing. He did not quite understand the concept of the cars yet, as he preferred to move them with his hands and drop them off the table, which may have contributed to why they didn't work the day before (according to one of the workers). At any rate, after awhile one of the workers came over and sent him back to his booth. He stayed there for not long before returning to us. She came back shortly thereafter, spanked him really good in front of us, and carried him back to the booth where he cried for awhile. A few minutes later he returned to our table. We warned him to go back before he got caught, but instead he 'hid' underneath our table. When Grandma came to get him that time, she said, "He must really like you." She proceeded to pick him up lovingly while telling me a story about how the other day he sat in his daddy's lap and backed a backhoe off a semi all by himself. Then she sat him back in his booth again and brought him out another ice cream sundae, which he ate with his hands. Matt and I decided to slip out at this time.
All this, and I forgot to discuss the pork I ate. Oh yes, I ordered a bean burrito, which I should have figured, being in New Mexico, would have contained chili. And I maybe should have suspected that the green chili had pork in it. But alas, I forgot. I took two bites before realizing that Matt's smothered burrito had many meaty chunks in it, at which time I inspected the innards of my burrito. Same pork chunks. Yum. One of the waitresses asked me why I wasn't eating my food but then didn't offer to bring me anything out to replace it. Alas. This is what you get for supporting local businesses in Socorro. It was, at the very least, entertaining. I don't often get to play cars with small boys at restaurants (Matt doesn't like to bring his).
At any rate, when we got there, it took the lady at the cash register about 10 minutes to ring up our order. I am pretty sure I am not exaggerating here. I put in my order, filled both of our soda cups, and sat down at a table for several minutes before Matt returned from paying. When we first arrived, there was a small boy (3 years old or less) eating an ice cream sundae at the table closest to the kitchen. The table also contained numerous Duplos. Before long, the boy finished his sundae, went back to the kitchen, and returned with two 'remote' control cars attached to their controls with wires. He immediately came over to our table and began playing. He did not quite understand the concept of the cars yet, as he preferred to move them with his hands and drop them off the table, which may have contributed to why they didn't work the day before (according to one of the workers). At any rate, after awhile one of the workers came over and sent him back to his booth. He stayed there for not long before returning to us. She came back shortly thereafter, spanked him really good in front of us, and carried him back to the booth where he cried for awhile. A few minutes later he returned to our table. We warned him to go back before he got caught, but instead he 'hid' underneath our table. When Grandma came to get him that time, she said, "He must really like you." She proceeded to pick him up lovingly while telling me a story about how the other day he sat in his daddy's lap and backed a backhoe off a semi all by himself. Then she sat him back in his booth again and brought him out another ice cream sundae, which he ate with his hands. Matt and I decided to slip out at this time.
All this, and I forgot to discuss the pork I ate. Oh yes, I ordered a bean burrito, which I should have figured, being in New Mexico, would have contained chili. And I maybe should have suspected that the green chili had pork in it. But alas, I forgot. I took two bites before realizing that Matt's smothered burrito had many meaty chunks in it, at which time I inspected the innards of my burrito. Same pork chunks. Yum. One of the waitresses asked me why I wasn't eating my food but then didn't offer to bring me anything out to replace it. Alas. This is what you get for supporting local businesses in Socorro. It was, at the very least, entertaining. I don't often get to play cars with small boys at restaurants (Matt doesn't like to bring his).
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