New Zealand dollars....
Look how pretty!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Sunday, November 12, 2006
1 week to NZ!
Ok, trip planning updates!!! And how I previously stated that I was going to try to keep this "itinerary free". Well, that's not happening. I now have a calendar with our route and stops blocked out. Its mainly b/c we want to do some really cool excursions and I fear that they'll book up. Which means we need to plan and figure out which day we'd want to do the excursion so we can book it now. So much for trying to be all spontaneous.... Now its only partially spontaneous. lol
We're going to do a half or full day wine tour here:http://www.marlboroughwinetours.co.nz/index.cfm/home This is the main wine making region in the country. We think its smart to take a tour, rather than us try to sample wine and try to drive this standard transmission RV on the wrong side of the road. See, I can be smart if I try!
We've booked a sea kayak trip with these people:http://www.southern-exposure.co.nz/guided.htm
Its a guided 2-day catered tour, where you kayak during the day (and play with fur seals) then camp on the beach. Fun!
We're re-arranged our trip a bit, based on recommendations on someone I've found on the Lush Australia/New Zealand message board. Turns out she's a kiwi that lives on the South Island, who does travel bookings. What luck!
Originally, Will wanted to head here:http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/destinations/moeraki.htmlIts basically a bunch of large round rocks on a beach. We'd be driving a good bit out of our way to see them, and I was wondering if it was worth it. I know we like taking pictures of rocks and everything, but this seems a bit extreme. My NZ person said that they were cool, but more as a "place to stop along the way" rather than "lets make it a destination" place. And its all farmland.
She instead suggested that we stay on the west coast and explore their glaciers - its the only place in the world where glaciers flow directly into rainforest.
We were going to drive over http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/destinations/arthurs-pass.html Arthurs Pass. However, we'd only be there to spend the night (and have the afternoon/morning to explore a bit) before we drove to those boulders. I'm thinking we'd have a lot more fun scrapping this stop for something really unique that would require a full day to explore (rather than driving half a day, then hiking b/c we feel obligated to do so, before we drive off some more)
I've got inquirys into a few companies:
She recommended these guys: http://www.franzjosefglacier.com/activities.asp
We'd either do a 3/4 day or a full day glacier hike, which gives us about 5-6 hours on the ice. Our guide book recommended Fox Glacier (about 1 hr down the road) - stating that there's fewer people who go there (Fox only has one licensed guide company, Franz has 2 - meaning there's double the people), Fox is cheaper, and that the hike to get on the glacier is 30 min and a medium ascent, vs 1 hr and a zig zag trail up the glacier face.
So, I've also made an inquiry to these people at Fox Glacier http://www.foxguides.co.nz/trips.asp
I've asked about the full day tour (which has actually less ice time than the Franz tour) and the Helicopter tour. I think the helicopter tour could be *amazing*. However, I'm worried that there will be kids and annoying/whiny people who's fitness level isn't up to our standards. I'm almost betting that these types are attracted to the helicopter tour so they don't have to do the ascent or hike for as long.
My NZ contact has also recommended a helicopter tour at Mt Cook, which I think we'll do. I mean, this is the place to do a helicopter tour. And we have our 0% credit card. She also suggested that we visit this http://www.earthandsky.co.nz/ while we're in Mt Cook. Will really, really liked the observatory we visited last April in west Texas, so I think this would be a really neat opportunity. To see stars that we'd only get to see in the Southern Hemisphere.
And finally, we were trying to figure out which boat tour to take at http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/001~National-Parks/Fiordland-National-Park/index.asp Fiordland National Park Most people take the https://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/MilfordSound/ Milford Sound tour. But, me with my aversion to crowds and idiots, I'm thinking we'll do the https://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/Doubtful/ Doubtful Sound tour. My contact recommended that we do both (which we don't have time for), but from the information I've found, the Doubtful Sound is definitely the less popular tour. Plus, you get a lake cruise and a power plant tour - in addition to the boat ride in the sound!
And then I'm still working on trying to get Will to go http://www.canyonz.co.nz/ canyoning..... water slides down rocks in a canyon! Sweet! I can't imagine a better way to break bones!
We'll also do JetBoating in Queenstown and maybe bungee jump....
We're going to do a half or full day wine tour here:http://www.marlboroughwinetours.co.nz/index.cfm/home This is the main wine making region in the country. We think its smart to take a tour, rather than us try to sample wine and try to drive this standard transmission RV on the wrong side of the road. See, I can be smart if I try!
We've booked a sea kayak trip with these people:http://www.southern-exposure.co.nz/guided.htm
Its a guided 2-day catered tour, where you kayak during the day (and play with fur seals) then camp on the beach. Fun!
We're re-arranged our trip a bit, based on recommendations on someone I've found on the Lush Australia/New Zealand message board. Turns out she's a kiwi that lives on the South Island, who does travel bookings. What luck!
Originally, Will wanted to head here:http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/destinations/moeraki.htmlIts basically a bunch of large round rocks on a beach. We'd be driving a good bit out of our way to see them, and I was wondering if it was worth it. I know we like taking pictures of rocks and everything, but this seems a bit extreme. My NZ person said that they were cool, but more as a "place to stop along the way" rather than "lets make it a destination" place. And its all farmland.
She instead suggested that we stay on the west coast and explore their glaciers - its the only place in the world where glaciers flow directly into rainforest.
We were going to drive over http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/destinations/arthurs-pass.html Arthurs Pass. However, we'd only be there to spend the night (and have the afternoon/morning to explore a bit) before we drove to those boulders. I'm thinking we'd have a lot more fun scrapping this stop for something really unique that would require a full day to explore (rather than driving half a day, then hiking b/c we feel obligated to do so, before we drive off some more)
I've got inquirys into a few companies:
She recommended these guys: http://www.franzjosefglacier.com/activities.asp
We'd either do a 3/4 day or a full day glacier hike, which gives us about 5-6 hours on the ice. Our guide book recommended Fox Glacier (about 1 hr down the road) - stating that there's fewer people who go there (Fox only has one licensed guide company, Franz has 2 - meaning there's double the people), Fox is cheaper, and that the hike to get on the glacier is 30 min and a medium ascent, vs 1 hr and a zig zag trail up the glacier face.
So, I've also made an inquiry to these people at Fox Glacier http://www.foxguides.co.nz/trips.asp
I've asked about the full day tour (which has actually less ice time than the Franz tour) and the Helicopter tour. I think the helicopter tour could be *amazing*. However, I'm worried that there will be kids and annoying/whiny people who's fitness level isn't up to our standards. I'm almost betting that these types are attracted to the helicopter tour so they don't have to do the ascent or hike for as long.
My NZ contact has also recommended a helicopter tour at Mt Cook, which I think we'll do. I mean, this is the place to do a helicopter tour. And we have our 0% credit card. She also suggested that we visit this http://www.earthandsky.co.nz/ while we're in Mt Cook. Will really, really liked the observatory we visited last April in west Texas, so I think this would be a really neat opportunity. To see stars that we'd only get to see in the Southern Hemisphere.
And finally, we were trying to figure out which boat tour to take at http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/001~National-Parks/Fiordland-National-Park/index.asp Fiordland National Park Most people take the https://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/MilfordSound/ Milford Sound tour. But, me with my aversion to crowds and idiots, I'm thinking we'll do the https://www.realjourneys.co.nz/Main/Doubtful/ Doubtful Sound tour. My contact recommended that we do both (which we don't have time for), but from the information I've found, the Doubtful Sound is definitely the less popular tour. Plus, you get a lake cruise and a power plant tour - in addition to the boat ride in the sound!
And then I'm still working on trying to get Will to go http://www.canyonz.co.nz/ canyoning..... water slides down rocks in a canyon! Sweet! I can't imagine a better way to break bones!
We'll also do JetBoating in Queenstown and maybe bungee jump....
Monday, November 06, 2006
2 weeks before NZ!
Things are starting to fall into place..... sometimes its a bit like forcing a square peg into a round hole, but hey, why would things go easy for me just b/c I'm going on vacation...
I booked our tickets waaaay back in March, with Travel**** (think gnome). Why them, I really don't know. They had a good price with a very good itinerary. Problem #1 - they issued us paper tickets. Who issues paper tickets anymore? I never got a good reason for this, either. Some mumbo-jumbo about us flying on 2 different airlines or it being international, or arriving and departing from different cities. Whatevs. Being that we booked well, 8 months in advance, OF COURSE our itinerary changed. First, it was that our departing flight from Queenstown was bumped back and didn't allow us enough time to switch planes in Aukland. Fine. We switch our Aukland to LA flight to something later, and now we have a 4 hr layover in Aukland. Fine. Then our outbound LA to Aukland flight got bumped back an hour, meaning we wouldn't have enough time to clear customs and make it to our plane to Christchurch. Another call to the gnome call in center in India, another flight change. So, basically, the only paper tickets which are still good is our initial leg, from Houston to LA. Not really helpful. And since the gnome issued paper tickets, they can't re-issue them over the phone. Meaning we'd have to be there in person to get the correct tickets. They suggested arriving at the airport and EXTRA 2 hrs early to take care of this. Um, no thanks!
So, being me and slightly paranoid and OCD, we went to the airport this past weekend to get our tickets re-issued. This was complicated by the fact that we're flying Air New Zealand from LA to NZ and vice versa, and well, there isn't an ANZ counter in Houston. They were booked as "United, a partner to ANZ" so we strolled up to the United counter, thinking we were doing the right thing. A very confusing 20 minutes later (somehow the gnomes still kept our old flights, which we wouldn't have been able to catch AND booked us on new flights) the United agent managed to not only confirm our booking BUT ISSUED US AN E-TICKET! Yay!
Of course, I'll still be paranoid about "do we have the right itinerary???" but hey, at least now my paranoia isn't compounded by the fear of losing our paper tickets.
One of the "fun" activities we're going to do while we're down there is a 2-day sea kayak trip, catered with camping on the beach. We researched companies and decided on the one we liked best. A week ago, we booked on-line. 3 days later, no confirmation, so I emailed them. I finally got an email from them last night (6 days after booking) - telling us that sorry, they don't offer a trip on our requested day, and sorry, the website is wrong and you can't park your RV at X location for storage, you have to drive it to our facility 1.5 hrs away.
Again, me with the OCD, we have a trip calendar, which outlines where we'll be each night. Its mainly so we are able to see as much as we can without rushing or driving 12 hrs in one day. So, I break out the calendar, and the prospect of re-arranging things so we can take this kayak trip with this company one day later is making me hyperventilate. Badly. So, I email company #2 to see if they have availablity. And wow, they emailed me back 1 HOUR LATER telling me that they have 2 more openings for our requested days. Woo! I don't like their proposed itinerary as much, but hey, they responded quickly AND they confirmed the details posted on their website. Sounds like a winner to me.
And finally, clothing. I was really hoping I'd be a bit skinnier for this trip. But given the set back with my swim team, it hasn't happened. I should be happy to have maintained, really. But, I still wanted some cute casual clothes for the trip, so Will and I went shopping Saturday. It wasn't fun. Hardly anything fit, or if it did, I didn't feel like paying for it. It was depressing. But I did get some cute cargo pants and light weight khakis and even a pair of shorts.
I think we're just about set for the trip. I need to email the RV (excuse me, campervan) people to see if their vehicles have a cassette tape deck (so I can use my XM cassette adaptor for my MP3 player) and to see if they'll give us the phone number for our Vonaphone. We also need to exchange US money into NZ dollars. And book a wine-country tour.
And of course, I have to get my hair cut and highlighted. And do about 5 packing run-throughs.
I booked our tickets waaaay back in March, with Travel**** (think gnome). Why them, I really don't know. They had a good price with a very good itinerary. Problem #1 - they issued us paper tickets. Who issues paper tickets anymore? I never got a good reason for this, either. Some mumbo-jumbo about us flying on 2 different airlines or it being international, or arriving and departing from different cities. Whatevs. Being that we booked well, 8 months in advance, OF COURSE our itinerary changed. First, it was that our departing flight from Queenstown was bumped back and didn't allow us enough time to switch planes in Aukland. Fine. We switch our Aukland to LA flight to something later, and now we have a 4 hr layover in Aukland. Fine. Then our outbound LA to Aukland flight got bumped back an hour, meaning we wouldn't have enough time to clear customs and make it to our plane to Christchurch. Another call to the gnome call in center in India, another flight change. So, basically, the only paper tickets which are still good is our initial leg, from Houston to LA. Not really helpful. And since the gnome issued paper tickets, they can't re-issue them over the phone. Meaning we'd have to be there in person to get the correct tickets. They suggested arriving at the airport and EXTRA 2 hrs early to take care of this. Um, no thanks!
So, being me and slightly paranoid and OCD, we went to the airport this past weekend to get our tickets re-issued. This was complicated by the fact that we're flying Air New Zealand from LA to NZ and vice versa, and well, there isn't an ANZ counter in Houston. They were booked as "United, a partner to ANZ" so we strolled up to the United counter, thinking we were doing the right thing. A very confusing 20 minutes later (somehow the gnomes still kept our old flights, which we wouldn't have been able to catch AND booked us on new flights) the United agent managed to not only confirm our booking BUT ISSUED US AN E-TICKET! Yay!
Of course, I'll still be paranoid about "do we have the right itinerary???" but hey, at least now my paranoia isn't compounded by the fear of losing our paper tickets.
One of the "fun" activities we're going to do while we're down there is a 2-day sea kayak trip, catered with camping on the beach. We researched companies and decided on the one we liked best. A week ago, we booked on-line. 3 days later, no confirmation, so I emailed them. I finally got an email from them last night (6 days after booking) - telling us that sorry, they don't offer a trip on our requested day, and sorry, the website is wrong and you can't park your RV at X location for storage, you have to drive it to our facility 1.5 hrs away.
Again, me with the OCD, we have a trip calendar, which outlines where we'll be each night. Its mainly so we are able to see as much as we can without rushing or driving 12 hrs in one day. So, I break out the calendar, and the prospect of re-arranging things so we can take this kayak trip with this company one day later is making me hyperventilate. Badly. So, I email company #2 to see if they have availablity. And wow, they emailed me back 1 HOUR LATER telling me that they have 2 more openings for our requested days. Woo! I don't like their proposed itinerary as much, but hey, they responded quickly AND they confirmed the details posted on their website. Sounds like a winner to me.
And finally, clothing. I was really hoping I'd be a bit skinnier for this trip. But given the set back with my swim team, it hasn't happened. I should be happy to have maintained, really. But, I still wanted some cute casual clothes for the trip, so Will and I went shopping Saturday. It wasn't fun. Hardly anything fit, or if it did, I didn't feel like paying for it. It was depressing. But I did get some cute cargo pants and light weight khakis and even a pair of shorts.
I think we're just about set for the trip. I need to email the RV (excuse me, campervan) people to see if their vehicles have a cassette tape deck (so I can use my XM cassette adaptor for my MP3 player) and to see if they'll give us the phone number for our Vonaphone. We also need to exchange US money into NZ dollars. And book a wine-country tour.
And of course, I have to get my hair cut and highlighted. And do about 5 packing run-throughs.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
ok, I admit it, I suck
Sorry blog friends! I suck. I do! I'm a terrible blogger and internet buddy.
In the past month, I've been to NOLA twice, worked my ass off on a report, booked more things for my New Zealand trip, was sick for 4 weeks, tried out a different swim team, quit that swim team. And I haven't once updated you on my life. Again, I suck.
Will's racing Sunday, so I plan on getting my peeps caught up on what's going on in my world. Because I know you all care.
Or don't. I just need to get back in the habit of blogging.
In the past month, I've been to NOLA twice, worked my ass off on a report, booked more things for my New Zealand trip, was sick for 4 weeks, tried out a different swim team, quit that swim team. And I haven't once updated you on my life. Again, I suck.
Will's racing Sunday, so I plan on getting my peeps caught up on what's going on in my world. Because I know you all care.
Or don't. I just need to get back in the habit of blogging.
Overheard in the gym locker room
So, no more swim team. (at least until my old team’s application to swim back at the ghetto school is approved). I was trying to swim with another team, but I didn’t like the pool or the coach or the members. So much for that! Then I tried swimming at the pool at my gym. Only the chlorine fumes made me nauseous – so, that’s not working either. My latest solution – spinning!
Anyways, I need to get on with the whole point of this post - a funny quip I overheard in the locker room, post-spinning. So, these two girls (skinny, cute, younger than me. Basically bitches). I guess they were both teachers and were discussing life and all that crap. Like “ohh, how great it is that we help kids!” then they segued on the topic from teaching kids to actually having kids. Here’s my attempt of capturing their conversation, although, keep in mind I’d just done an hour of spinning before the sun was up. And I hadn’t had coffee yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skinny Bitch (SB) #1: So, you ever think of having kids
SB #2: yeah, I want kids. I’m ready for kids. But you know, I’m single. And I don’t have a boyfriend even. So, I don’t have a husband. So, I’m not sure how that would really happen. You want kids?
SB #1: [wrinkles face, looks in horror ] [editorial comment - maybe she’s not such a bitch? Just skinny? Nah, skinny = bitch]
SB #2: well, I suppose that working with kids all day makes you not want to have kids yourself.
SB #1: well, that, and you know, overpopulation. Just think if everyone had kids, what that would be like.
SB #2: wow, I know what you mean. Just think of how crowded all the restaurants would be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow. Just wow. Forget the strain on the government, public resources, the planet, the environment. Remember, overpopulation’s most major threat is unnecessary over-crowding of public eating establishments.
And with logic like her’s (SB #2 teaches 6th graders…. shudder), maybe THAT’s good enough reason to not have kids. So that way your kids won’t end up having a teacher as ridiculously oblivious as she is.
Anyways, I need to get on with the whole point of this post - a funny quip I overheard in the locker room, post-spinning. So, these two girls (skinny, cute, younger than me. Basically bitches). I guess they were both teachers and were discussing life and all that crap. Like “ohh, how great it is that we help kids!” then they segued on the topic from teaching kids to actually having kids. Here’s my attempt of capturing their conversation, although, keep in mind I’d just done an hour of spinning before the sun was up. And I hadn’t had coffee yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skinny Bitch (SB) #1: So, you ever think of having kids
SB #2: yeah, I want kids. I’m ready for kids. But you know, I’m single. And I don’t have a boyfriend even. So, I don’t have a husband. So, I’m not sure how that would really happen. You want kids?
SB #1: [wrinkles face, looks in horror ] [editorial comment - maybe she’s not such a bitch? Just skinny? Nah, skinny = bitch]
SB #2: well, I suppose that working with kids all day makes you not want to have kids yourself.
SB #1: well, that, and you know, overpopulation. Just think if everyone had kids, what that would be like.
SB #2: wow, I know what you mean. Just think of how crowded all the restaurants would be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow. Just wow. Forget the strain on the government, public resources, the planet, the environment. Remember, overpopulation’s most major threat is unnecessary over-crowding of public eating establishments.
And with logic like her’s (SB #2 teaches 6th graders…. shudder), maybe THAT’s good enough reason to not have kids. So that way your kids won’t end up having a teacher as ridiculously oblivious as she is.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Off to the Big Easy..... hopefully
Headed to New Orleans tomorrow, hopefully. I've been planning this weekend for a month. There's a convention in town and a bunch of my friends will be there, meaning drinking (hopefully at free convention parties) in the quarter, with much debauchery. I'll be staying with my SIL, who lives on Bourbon.... so even more debauchery. I haven't seen her since before Katrina, and I suspect she's been having a rough go of things lately, so I want to spoil her a bit.
The only kicker is that I've been sick for 3 weeks now. 2 weeks of a head cold which has now migrated into my chest. I was doing much better last weekend and in the past 2 days have become worse. And the idea of driving 5 hrs each way by myself while sick doesn't sound great. Neither does partying while sick. Seems like a dumb thing to do.
However, I'm not exactly known for being smart. Which is probably why I relapsed - my new swim team is at an outdoor pool. 5:30 AM in 60 degree weather, wet, AND sick? Yeah, not smart.
So, hopefully when I wake tomorrow I'll magically feel better (or on the way to better) so I can have a 3 day weekend drinking and eating tasty food.
The only kicker is that I've been sick for 3 weeks now. 2 weeks of a head cold which has now migrated into my chest. I was doing much better last weekend and in the past 2 days have become worse. And the idea of driving 5 hrs each way by myself while sick doesn't sound great. Neither does partying while sick. Seems like a dumb thing to do.
However, I'm not exactly known for being smart. Which is probably why I relapsed - my new swim team is at an outdoor pool. 5:30 AM in 60 degree weather, wet, AND sick? Yeah, not smart.
So, hopefully when I wake tomorrow I'll magically feel better (or on the way to better) so I can have a 3 day weekend drinking and eating tasty food.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Long time no blog (again)
I've had a head cold for two weeks and its kicked my ass. I've kinda gone into hermit mode. But I finally broke down and saw the doctor last Friday and am starting to feel mostly human....
Thought I'd give an update on what I've been up to....
Jewelry - worked a craft fair last month. Only sold $75 to strangers and then another ~$100 to friends. Not a stellar outing. I'm going to enter a different craft fair in October and see how that goes. And I haven't sold jack at that gym, so I'm thinking of pulling my stuff.
Swimming - haven't swam in 2 weeks due to this dang head cold. Hoping to swim with the new team tomorrow. I've entered a swim meet that's in 2 weeks, which is kind-of a joke, as I haven't done anything resembling fast swimming all summer long. I got pretty complacent this summer. Partially b/c I could only swim 2x a week and it was at the 50 m pool. And I was the leader of the slow lane, b/c well, I prefer to lead and make my own pace rather than be last in the fast lane and get my ass kicked. I know I did myself a disservice by doing this, b/c I had no one to push me into going faster. But it made me happier, so 'evs. I'm entering 100 IM, 100 free, 50 free, and 100 breastroke. Didn't put fast seed times. Hoping just to survive, mainly b/c I haven't done much of anything in the past 2 weeks.
Work - its mostly good. I don't hate the place, so that's a start. Trying to figure out politics, etc. Where I fit in in our office, how I can get ahead. My main problem is lack of diversity. See, we only have one project manager for the kind of work I do in our office. And she's got 26 projects open, which is about 15 too many. And she's the type that needs to know 100% of the details. While I understand the reasoning behind it, it still doesn't help me much, b/c she's the log jam on most of my work. Meaning, I end up waiting on her a LOT. And I was hired to help her out and relieve some of her work load, but frequently, I feel like I'm a gnat buzzing around her, rather than an asset. I need to diversify my project load (ie - get other sources of work). I've got one project out of our NOLA office and they LOVE me, so I'm hoping that will pay off. I did really good work for them last week, and they were very vocal in their appreciation of me. I told them that if they liked what I did, to keep me in mind for future stuff. They warned me about being careful of what I wished for - so I take this as a good sign. I don't have a lot of friends at work, which I'm ok with. Everyone is nice, but busy. And I'm pretty much over the whole needing to have friends at work thing, so its no biggie. As long as no one's stabbing me in the back and I like the kind of work I'm doing, its all good.
Fun things - did a pub crawl last Friday with my husband's friends. It was pretty crazy. Cheap tequilla shots, broken glass, Will's foot bleeding, me driving our drunk friend back to our house and making him spend the night. Good times. Next weekend I'm going to NOLA to hang out with my SIL and some other friends, so that should be a good time. Hoping I remember most of it....
That's honestly about it. I'm pretty lame, I know, but I'm hoping to have fun stories after next weekend.
Thought I'd give an update on what I've been up to....
Jewelry - worked a craft fair last month. Only sold $75 to strangers and then another ~$100 to friends. Not a stellar outing. I'm going to enter a different craft fair in October and see how that goes. And I haven't sold jack at that gym, so I'm thinking of pulling my stuff.
Swimming - haven't swam in 2 weeks due to this dang head cold. Hoping to swim with the new team tomorrow. I've entered a swim meet that's in 2 weeks, which is kind-of a joke, as I haven't done anything resembling fast swimming all summer long. I got pretty complacent this summer. Partially b/c I could only swim 2x a week and it was at the 50 m pool. And I was the leader of the slow lane, b/c well, I prefer to lead and make my own pace rather than be last in the fast lane and get my ass kicked. I know I did myself a disservice by doing this, b/c I had no one to push me into going faster. But it made me happier, so 'evs. I'm entering 100 IM, 100 free, 50 free, and 100 breastroke. Didn't put fast seed times. Hoping just to survive, mainly b/c I haven't done much of anything in the past 2 weeks.
Work - its mostly good. I don't hate the place, so that's a start. Trying to figure out politics, etc. Where I fit in in our office, how I can get ahead. My main problem is lack of diversity. See, we only have one project manager for the kind of work I do in our office. And she's got 26 projects open, which is about 15 too many. And she's the type that needs to know 100% of the details. While I understand the reasoning behind it, it still doesn't help me much, b/c she's the log jam on most of my work. Meaning, I end up waiting on her a LOT. And I was hired to help her out and relieve some of her work load, but frequently, I feel like I'm a gnat buzzing around her, rather than an asset. I need to diversify my project load (ie - get other sources of work). I've got one project out of our NOLA office and they LOVE me, so I'm hoping that will pay off. I did really good work for them last week, and they were very vocal in their appreciation of me. I told them that if they liked what I did, to keep me in mind for future stuff. They warned me about being careful of what I wished for - so I take this as a good sign. I don't have a lot of friends at work, which I'm ok with. Everyone is nice, but busy. And I'm pretty much over the whole needing to have friends at work thing, so its no biggie. As long as no one's stabbing me in the back and I like the kind of work I'm doing, its all good.
Fun things - did a pub crawl last Friday with my husband's friends. It was pretty crazy. Cheap tequilla shots, broken glass, Will's foot bleeding, me driving our drunk friend back to our house and making him spend the night. Good times. Next weekend I'm going to NOLA to hang out with my SIL and some other friends, so that should be a good time. Hoping I remember most of it....
That's honestly about it. I'm pretty lame, I know, but I'm hoping to have fun stories after next weekend.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
I am soooo bummed
I feel as though someone has ripped my heart out of my chest and tossed it on the floor, and all I can do is watch it stop beating.
Got an email from my swim coach today - starting the 18th, he's moving all swim practices to a pool that is very, very far away from me. As in I'd have to drive an extra 50 miles AND leave half-way through practice to get to work on time. In other words, its possible to swim there, but not remotely practical.
In April, we lost access to the HS pool we were swimming at. Turns out our coach was paying the HS coach under the table to grant us access. Well, the HS fired the coach and changed the locks. And guess who was screwed? Us! The solution was to swim T-Th at an outdoor pool which is on the way to work for me and M-W-F at the far, far away pool.
So, its already been sucky to have my practices reduced from 4x a week to just 2. And now I'm essentially losing my team until we can get access to our very-centrally-located-former pool again. Which, I've been told, we're doing thru proper channels, but since its a public school district, they don't move very fast.
I'm bummed for so many reasons. These people are like my family - I've got a few "moms". Some really good friends. I'm challenged, but not in a way that I'll end up hurting myself. And its a good emotional/physical release from stress - had it not been for swim team during my past job, I'm not sure I would have ended up killing a few people. And I've been with these people for 2 years. Its amazing how you bond at 5:30 AM when you're cranky and half asleep.
Mostly I'm bummed over this disconnect from my friends that I see at practice. When I moved to Houston, I had a hard time making friends (despite what you hear, I don't find Houston a very friendly place.... unless you're a specific type of person, and by that, I mean not me). So, I joined a gym, in high hopes of meeting someone with common interests and goals. And no one talked to me. And they looked at me like I was a freak when I put on my "I'm really fun and friendly" face in hopes that maybe someone will strike up a conversation. I was really hurt over how hard it was to make friends in a social-sports environment. I even joined a social volleyball team, and all that got me was a broken thumb. From beach volleyball, In December. I've always had a fairly easy time making friends in sports - two of my best friends I met in summer league swim team when I was 17. And now I'm on this team and I'm comfortable and I have friends. And now its like our parents got a divorce, and our parents are on opposite sides of the country, and we (the team) are having to pick which parent to live with. And unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to have to live on my own for a while.
So now, I have to shop for a new team. And I'm not sure any will "fit." A few are at night and I'd have to fight heavy interstate traffic. A few are in the morning, but even earlier than my current team - but its fairly easy to get to work.
I've got a few calls and emails out for research. But overall, I'm just really, really bummed that I'm losing my family, even if it is for a month or so.
Got an email from my swim coach today - starting the 18th, he's moving all swim practices to a pool that is very, very far away from me. As in I'd have to drive an extra 50 miles AND leave half-way through practice to get to work on time. In other words, its possible to swim there, but not remotely practical.
In April, we lost access to the HS pool we were swimming at. Turns out our coach was paying the HS coach under the table to grant us access. Well, the HS fired the coach and changed the locks. And guess who was screwed? Us! The solution was to swim T-Th at an outdoor pool which is on the way to work for me and M-W-F at the far, far away pool.
So, its already been sucky to have my practices reduced from 4x a week to just 2. And now I'm essentially losing my team until we can get access to our very-centrally-located-former pool again. Which, I've been told, we're doing thru proper channels, but since its a public school district, they don't move very fast.
I'm bummed for so many reasons. These people are like my family - I've got a few "moms". Some really good friends. I'm challenged, but not in a way that I'll end up hurting myself. And its a good emotional/physical release from stress - had it not been for swim team during my past job, I'm not sure I would have ended up killing a few people. And I've been with these people for 2 years. Its amazing how you bond at 5:30 AM when you're cranky and half asleep.
Mostly I'm bummed over this disconnect from my friends that I see at practice. When I moved to Houston, I had a hard time making friends (despite what you hear, I don't find Houston a very friendly place.... unless you're a specific type of person, and by that, I mean not me). So, I joined a gym, in high hopes of meeting someone with common interests and goals. And no one talked to me. And they looked at me like I was a freak when I put on my "I'm really fun and friendly" face in hopes that maybe someone will strike up a conversation. I was really hurt over how hard it was to make friends in a social-sports environment. I even joined a social volleyball team, and all that got me was a broken thumb. From beach volleyball, In December. I've always had a fairly easy time making friends in sports - two of my best friends I met in summer league swim team when I was 17. And now I'm on this team and I'm comfortable and I have friends. And now its like our parents got a divorce, and our parents are on opposite sides of the country, and we (the team) are having to pick which parent to live with. And unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to have to live on my own for a while.
So now, I have to shop for a new team. And I'm not sure any will "fit." A few are at night and I'd have to fight heavy interstate traffic. A few are in the morning, but even earlier than my current team - but its fairly easy to get to work.
I've got a few calls and emails out for research. But overall, I'm just really, really bummed that I'm losing my family, even if it is for a month or so.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Why I've been so quiet.
I've been making jewelry like a woman posessed. Why? I entered myself in a craft fair here in town and I'm petrified I won't have enough goodies to sell. So each weekend and most weeknights have been dedicated towards the persuit of making bling. Its in 2 weeks and finally, as of today, I feel that I have enough product to sell.
So, visit my website and let me know what you think!
http://www.thebeadedtrail.com
Some of my favorite new creations:
So, visit my website and let me know what you think!
http://www.thebeadedtrail.com
Some of my favorite new creations:
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
funny spam
Sifting thru my spam-box today trying to locate and email that got lost...
Subject:
New and hot You crave to shoot like a film star…
Date:
Wed, 9 Aug 2006 01:48:39 -0400
Order it on-line and impress your girlfriend with your wonderful
shooting Don’t be afraid I think, yes. Now it’s possible to do with magic tab
You always dreamt to rock hard erections… See our shop:
http://ksader.com/gal/gsm/
Never judge a book by its cover. Better wed over the mixen than over
the moor
I'm still not sure what all of this put together is supposed to mean.
Subject:
New and hot You crave to shoot like a film star…
Date:
Wed, 9 Aug 2006 01:48:39 -0400
Order it on-line and impress your girlfriend with your wonderful
shooting Don’t be afraid I think, yes. Now it’s possible to do with magic tab
You always dreamt to rock hard erections… See our shop:
http://ksader.com/gal/gsm/
Never judge a book by its cover. Better wed over the mixen than over
the moor
I'm still not sure what all of this put together is supposed to mean.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Updates in no partucular order
Following up from my last post, Project “please, lets just find something minorly interesting to watch this summer” has commenced. Watched Eps 1 and 2 of Firefly – good stuff. Watched Ep 1 of Twin Peaks last night with Will. He did not like it. Complained that it was the slowest tv show ever in the history of man. I didn’t remember it being that slow, but then again, I was ~14 when it aired and all I remember was the crazy Lodge and Bob, and the more bizzaro stuff (log lady anyone?).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We didn’t do the Subaru scavenger hunt (that we did last summer). Main reason was that it started practically in Galveston (50 miles away) and we really didn’t feel like driving all over for 5 hours and burning $60 in premium unleaded gas. The finish line was at the bar we frequent by our house. So, we just hung out and watched Firefly in our air-conditioned house and showed up ~30 min before the hunters did. (seriously, we are at that bar too much. We walked in the door and the owner, who was behind the bar, greeted each of us by name. And our usual waitress had Will’s beer waiting for him. AND they kept the kitchen open late for all the Subaru people. THAT is service, people!) Anyways, I think if we did the hunt, we would have fared well, as I had a lot of the random items in my house. Xray of your hand (check – when I broke my thumb in 2002). Pic of teammate in full on ski gear (tons of already developed pics of this, I wouldn’t have even had to dress up for this). Other items (in case you care):
Pic of teammate in a shopping cart holding a block of cheese
Pic of teammate in a porn movie theater holding a mop
Pic of teammate with a stripper (sense a theme?)
Pic of teammate in a dumpster – one with head sticking out, one with both feet sticking out
Pic of teammate doing a handstand in a hot tub
Pic of teammate in a bathroom tub display
Etc etc…. lots of random stuff. This is probably the last Hunt for the Subie crew. Not sure how I feel about that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Job update – its going ok. Have had some deliverables. Think I’ve done ok on them. At least well enough to not get yelled at. I’m figuring out personalities now – who’s responsible, helpful, lazy, short-tempered. I think my boss may be on the short-tempered end, b/c she expects perfection. However, she’s very clear about those expectations and seems to communicate things fairly well. So its more like “if I screw it up, its my fault” rather than like at my last place where I did as I was told and they couldn’t tell me I was doing the wrong thing until my review where the slammed me. I just have to remember to keep my edge and stay focused. I used to be more like my boss, with the expect perfection bit, until my last job, which totally just killed any motivation. I don’t want to be a perfectionist again, mainly due to the stress, but I do need to eliminate “oh hell I don’t care this is good enough” attitude. Because, clearly, that is not going to cut it. Still rocking the Fridays off, though. Woo!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swimming update – we’re still homeless. So, when its not raining, I’m swimming outside Tu and Th. Fridays off I’m swimming at the other pool, but its too far away to swim at on the days that I work. I also joined a pilates studio and am doing an hour long reformer class once a week. I have no races to train for, so it seems like I’m in a bit of a rut.
I’m becoming slightly obsessed over trip details to New Zealand. Trip 2.5 weeks in Nov/Dec to the South Island. Only our airfare is booked. I think the plan is to rent a small campervan (think a van with a pop-up top that has a stovetop, benches and smoosh together to form a bed, and a teensy tiny bathroom) and tour around.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Typically, when I plan a vacation, I become obsessed and plan everything down to the minute, ensuring that we squeeze as much as possible into our time there. It can be fun – but its also exhausting. And Will is also more of a “hang out and do nothing” type of guy. I’m more of a “if I wanted to hang out, I would have just stayed home for free” type of girl. He is usually a good sport, though, and plays along w/minimal complaining.
So, I’m really fighting the urge here to plan-plan-plan. For starters, this whole campervan thing is wigging me out. Can I tolerate such cramped quarters for 18 days? Can we access all the places we want to go? Will there be enough room for all our luggage (and all the Lush NZ stuff I plan on buying early in our trip when we’re in Christchurch – they have different products that I can’t get here). So, Will and I are going to go (probably this weekend) and look at RVs locally. Just so I can visualize this. Downside is that RV sales people are going to harass us for the next 5 years, thinking we’re buying something. Sweet!
Then the other thing is that I’ve got ~5 months where I can research, research, research. I literally feel like I want to read as much as possible, so we can pick and choose as we go along. My worst fear is to come back and have someone ask “didn’t you do this – it was so cool?” and our answer is no, we didn’t even know that existed. However, there’s a balance for me between crappy touristy junk and doing once-in-a-lifetime activities. How to balance that, I’m not sure yet. And there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of information (online, message boards) devoted purely to the South Island that covers more than main/populated areas of the big national parks. For me to feel comfortable, I want to see pictures, and there just isn’t a whole lot out there (at least that I’ve found so far).
My point is, I’m trying very hard to quell my OCD tendencies. The whole point about this trip is to hang out and explore. No rushing. The goal is to focus on 3-4 regions and explore at a leisurely pace. I have regions in mind, but being OCD about this stuff, I have to research to make sure we’ve chosen wisely.
Anyways, the first regional selection is the Marlborough Region, which is the NE corner of the South Island. Tons of vineyards, pretty scenery, hopefully not a ton of people. The Marlborough Sounds is basically a bunch of inlets/finger peninsulas, and most of the land is accessible only by hiking/biking or boating. So, adventure # 1 is sea kayaking here: http://www.marlboroughsounds.co.nz/ Not sure if we’d do a one day tour, overnight camping, guided. I just figure it would be a good way to see some parts of the country that aren’t over-ridden with LOTR crazies, and still have a relaxing adventure. You jealous yet?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We didn’t do the Subaru scavenger hunt (that we did last summer). Main reason was that it started practically in Galveston (50 miles away) and we really didn’t feel like driving all over for 5 hours and burning $60 in premium unleaded gas. The finish line was at the bar we frequent by our house. So, we just hung out and watched Firefly in our air-conditioned house and showed up ~30 min before the hunters did. (seriously, we are at that bar too much. We walked in the door and the owner, who was behind the bar, greeted each of us by name. And our usual waitress had Will’s beer waiting for him. AND they kept the kitchen open late for all the Subaru people. THAT is service, people!) Anyways, I think if we did the hunt, we would have fared well, as I had a lot of the random items in my house. Xray of your hand (check – when I broke my thumb in 2002). Pic of teammate in full on ski gear (tons of already developed pics of this, I wouldn’t have even had to dress up for this). Other items (in case you care):
Pic of teammate in a shopping cart holding a block of cheese
Pic of teammate in a porn movie theater holding a mop
Pic of teammate with a stripper (sense a theme?)
Pic of teammate in a dumpster – one with head sticking out, one with both feet sticking out
Pic of teammate doing a handstand in a hot tub
Pic of teammate in a bathroom tub display
Etc etc…. lots of random stuff. This is probably the last Hunt for the Subie crew. Not sure how I feel about that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Job update – its going ok. Have had some deliverables. Think I’ve done ok on them. At least well enough to not get yelled at. I’m figuring out personalities now – who’s responsible, helpful, lazy, short-tempered. I think my boss may be on the short-tempered end, b/c she expects perfection. However, she’s very clear about those expectations and seems to communicate things fairly well. So its more like “if I screw it up, its my fault” rather than like at my last place where I did as I was told and they couldn’t tell me I was doing the wrong thing until my review where the slammed me. I just have to remember to keep my edge and stay focused. I used to be more like my boss, with the expect perfection bit, until my last job, which totally just killed any motivation. I don’t want to be a perfectionist again, mainly due to the stress, but I do need to eliminate “oh hell I don’t care this is good enough” attitude. Because, clearly, that is not going to cut it. Still rocking the Fridays off, though. Woo!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swimming update – we’re still homeless. So, when its not raining, I’m swimming outside Tu and Th. Fridays off I’m swimming at the other pool, but its too far away to swim at on the days that I work. I also joined a pilates studio and am doing an hour long reformer class once a week. I have no races to train for, so it seems like I’m in a bit of a rut.
I’m becoming slightly obsessed over trip details to New Zealand. Trip 2.5 weeks in Nov/Dec to the South Island. Only our airfare is booked. I think the plan is to rent a small campervan (think a van with a pop-up top that has a stovetop, benches and smoosh together to form a bed, and a teensy tiny bathroom) and tour around.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Typically, when I plan a vacation, I become obsessed and plan everything down to the minute, ensuring that we squeeze as much as possible into our time there. It can be fun – but its also exhausting. And Will is also more of a “hang out and do nothing” type of guy. I’m more of a “if I wanted to hang out, I would have just stayed home for free” type of girl. He is usually a good sport, though, and plays along w/minimal complaining.
So, I’m really fighting the urge here to plan-plan-plan. For starters, this whole campervan thing is wigging me out. Can I tolerate such cramped quarters for 18 days? Can we access all the places we want to go? Will there be enough room for all our luggage (and all the Lush NZ stuff I plan on buying early in our trip when we’re in Christchurch – they have different products that I can’t get here). So, Will and I are going to go (probably this weekend) and look at RVs locally. Just so I can visualize this. Downside is that RV sales people are going to harass us for the next 5 years, thinking we’re buying something. Sweet!
Then the other thing is that I’ve got ~5 months where I can research, research, research. I literally feel like I want to read as much as possible, so we can pick and choose as we go along. My worst fear is to come back and have someone ask “didn’t you do this – it was so cool?” and our answer is no, we didn’t even know that existed. However, there’s a balance for me between crappy touristy junk and doing once-in-a-lifetime activities. How to balance that, I’m not sure yet. And there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of information (online, message boards) devoted purely to the South Island that covers more than main/populated areas of the big national parks. For me to feel comfortable, I want to see pictures, and there just isn’t a whole lot out there (at least that I’ve found so far).
My point is, I’m trying very hard to quell my OCD tendencies. The whole point about this trip is to hang out and explore. No rushing. The goal is to focus on 3-4 regions and explore at a leisurely pace. I have regions in mind, but being OCD about this stuff, I have to research to make sure we’ve chosen wisely.
Anyways, the first regional selection is the Marlborough Region, which is the NE corner of the South Island. Tons of vineyards, pretty scenery, hopefully not a ton of people. The Marlborough Sounds is basically a bunch of inlets/finger peninsulas, and most of the land is accessible only by hiking/biking or boating. So, adventure # 1 is sea kayaking here: http://www.marlboroughsounds.co.nz/ Not sure if we’d do a one day tour, overnight camping, guided. I just figure it would be a good way to see some parts of the country that aren’t over-ridden with LOTR crazies, and still have a relaxing adventure. You jealous yet?
Sunday, July 02, 2006
My (hopeful) solution to the summer tv blahs
Is is me, or does this summer's prime time TV options suck more than it usually does? You know its bad when you're watching PBS or the Science channel b/c there's nothing better on.
The only new shows I'm currently watching are: 4400, Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency, and Treasure Hunters. That's it. 2.5 hrs per week. My tivo is really feeling neglected!
So, my solution to the "what the heck do I watch at night" issue is to put a bunch of tv series dvds on my Netflix cue. This week its Season 1 Disc one of Firefly (somehow, we missed this show when it aired) and Twin Peaks. I figure we'll work our way thru both of these series and then we can watch old Alias or X-Files episodes to pass the time after that. The series DVDs seems like a good solution b/c its easier to commit to watching 1 or 2 1-hr tv shows than an entire movie.
So, what shows would you like to watch for the first time or re-visit this summer?
The only new shows I'm currently watching are: 4400, Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency, and Treasure Hunters. That's it. 2.5 hrs per week. My tivo is really feeling neglected!
So, my solution to the "what the heck do I watch at night" issue is to put a bunch of tv series dvds on my Netflix cue. This week its Season 1 Disc one of Firefly (somehow, we missed this show when it aired) and Twin Peaks. I figure we'll work our way thru both of these series and then we can watch old Alias or X-Files episodes to pass the time after that. The series DVDs seems like a good solution b/c its easier to commit to watching 1 or 2 1-hr tv shows than an entire movie.
So, what shows would you like to watch for the first time or re-visit this summer?
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Stacy and Clinton - where are you???
My group leader is in major need of Stacy and Clinton's help. The woman is seriously fashion impaired.
Now granted, I've yet to see her wear something even "decent." When I interviewed with her, she had these fakey turquoise contacts (which she wears all the time), and a pants/shirt combo that was just too tight. She's not huge, but well, she's not exactly 21 with a hot bod anymore either. In fact, she's ~38 with a 2 yr old and is still carrying the baby weight. But I digress.
We were meeting with a senior technical guy all day today in preparation for a mtg with a client that's tomorrow. I'm wearing a brown linen eyelet skirt (hangs just below the knee) and a lace necked cotton shirt. Slightly casual, but cute and nice. and WORK appropriate.
My group leader shows up in a tan MINI (micro mini?) skirt and a tan long sleeved beaded knit/ribbed top. She sits down and the skirt is so short, you can almost see up it. Then at some point, she scoots her chair over to this white board and is facing me (and sr technical dude), still sitting in her chair with this TINY skirt and I swear, you could not help but look right on up her skirt. It was horrible. Awful. Then I sat there hoping she had the sense enough to at least let this thing be a skort. I have no idea if it was, but I prefer to think of whatever item of clothing I saw under her very tiny skirt was in fact part of her skort, rather than processing the fact that I just saw my boss' underwear during a meeting.
Now granted, I've yet to see her wear something even "decent." When I interviewed with her, she had these fakey turquoise contacts (which she wears all the time), and a pants/shirt combo that was just too tight. She's not huge, but well, she's not exactly 21 with a hot bod anymore either. In fact, she's ~38 with a 2 yr old and is still carrying the baby weight. But I digress.
We were meeting with a senior technical guy all day today in preparation for a mtg with a client that's tomorrow. I'm wearing a brown linen eyelet skirt (hangs just below the knee) and a lace necked cotton shirt. Slightly casual, but cute and nice. and WORK appropriate.
My group leader shows up in a tan MINI (micro mini?) skirt and a tan long sleeved beaded knit/ribbed top. She sits down and the skirt is so short, you can almost see up it. Then at some point, she scoots her chair over to this white board and is facing me (and sr technical dude), still sitting in her chair with this TINY skirt and I swear, you could not help but look right on up her skirt. It was horrible. Awful. Then I sat there hoping she had the sense enough to at least let this thing be a skort. I have no idea if it was, but I prefer to think of whatever item of clothing I saw under her very tiny skirt was in fact part of her skort, rather than processing the fact that I just saw my boss' underwear during a meeting.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Working hard at home!
I'm working from home today due to flooding. Damn cats aren't helping though - all they're doing is sleeping, and consequently, making ME sleepy! And then I try to put stuff on them for a stuff on my cat photo, and they freak out, which only makes me more distracted with the goal of getting a photo worthy submission.
Yup, getting lots of real work done here!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Elk, Bears, Mountains and Crown - Montana June 2006
What more could you ask for! If you don't feel like reading the following novel, pictures tell a thousand words! Erin's Flickr Pics - Pages 1-3
I flew out to Billings a few weekends ago for the weddings of one of my college friends. This was basically the last time the 5 of us will be together, b/c two of the crew are moving to Africa for work (yeah.....).
Anyways, commentary on moving aside, I was very excited to head back to Montana as I hadn't been back since my Glacer backpacking trip in 2004. I decided to get a cabin in Cooke City Thurs night and spend Thurs and Friday exploring Yellowstone and the Beartooths. The rest of my friends were a)lame and b)bridesmaids and had to attend the rehearsal Friday, so I was solo for my adventures. Which I loved.
I'd been to Yellowstone/Beartooths twice before. The first time was for a Field Ecology course in college, where we spent a week camping, hiking, learning in the area. Which was bad ass. However, I didn't see anything remotely touristy. And my last time we were there, it was January and we didn't have snowmobiles, so again - no tourist attractions. I decided that this time, if I wanted to see it, I would stop, no matter how "cliche". Old Faithful, check. Geysers, check. Yellowstone Lake, Check.
I got my car at 11 AM Thursday and made a beeline west on I-90 to Livingston, then down to Gardnier to the park entrance. Make kick-ass time - was in the park by 2 PM. Woo! I loved seeing places I've been before with fresh eyes, noticing new things along the way. And since it was the first weekend in June, there weren't too many people (aka idiots) out. Woo! I'd drive and pull over is something was picture worthy. Take a short hike if I felt like it. I had crazy good timing with seeing wildlife and attractions. I pulled up to Old Faithful 15 min before it went off, not even knowing when it was supposed to go. Yay! I can check that off my list. I also saw (from a distance, thru a scope) a pack of 4 wolves with a kill (sweet!) and 3 black bears (close enough to see them w/out binocs [which I'd stupidly left at home] but far enough away where you wouldn't get hurt).
Total wildlife viewing tally:
Bison (tons), elk (tons), white tail deer (tons), 2 bighorn sheep, 1 trumpet swan, 1 blue heron, 3 bears, 4 wolves. Good day!
Some picture highlights from Thurs:
That was all from Thursday. Needless to say, I was a wee bit tired. Got to my hotel at 9:30, ate at 10 Pm. Woke up to the annoying sounds of highway construction at 7, was on my way out by 8 AM. Stopped in Cooke City for some coffee, asked the store owner about some good "quick" morning hikes before I had to head back to Billings. He recommended Trout Lake back in the park, then some stream behind this lodge just outside of the park "there's no trail, but if you follow the stream back for a mile, there's a nice waterfall."...
So, I went to Trout Lake first. Very nice!
I drove around the park some more (more killing time, I know its rough!). Then I tried this "waterfall" trail. It consisted of bushwacking thru hills with some pretty big downed trees. I managed to scratch my legs 3 times (so badly blood ran down my legs - two weeks later I still have a scab on one of my legs), then I saw fresh bear tracks and scat, so I decided to turn around...
Got a sammich in Cooke City, found this nice little waterfall (below) off the side of the road and had a lovely picnic lunch before taking the Beartooth Highway back to Billings.
Some pics of the Beartooths (some of my fav mountains)
Rolled back into Billings at 4 PM. Went to the rehearsal dinner, then out. Much craziness ensured. My friend H got very drunk, then decided to make out with the greasy guy with a comb-over. I so wish I had my camera, b/c she still doesn't believe me!
Saturday morning, we all headed to this tiny salon west of Billings - it was like the MT equivalent of the place in Steel Magnolias. Just bizarre. Anyways, I was the only one of the group who wasn't a BM, so I did errand running, which... whatever.
Then the wedding - they had a cash bar, but we were smart enough to bring 3 bottles of crown. Which about 6 of us managed to drain thru the course of the evening. Anways, the wedding was fun, slightly bittersweet, and beautiful.
The next morning, however, was not so pretty, thanks to the 3 bottles of crown and the fact that we went out afterwards and closed a bar down... But, this is true to how our group usually is, so it was nice to go out with a bang! However, in the future, I will do my best to not fly home hungover ever again, b/c it really, really sucked.
So, that was the last trip of the summer. Now all I have to look forward to is my 2.5 weeks in New Zealand over Thanksgiving! Wooo!
I flew out to Billings a few weekends ago for the weddings of one of my college friends. This was basically the last time the 5 of us will be together, b/c two of the crew are moving to Africa for work (yeah.....).
Anyways, commentary on moving aside, I was very excited to head back to Montana as I hadn't been back since my Glacer backpacking trip in 2004. I decided to get a cabin in Cooke City Thurs night and spend Thurs and Friday exploring Yellowstone and the Beartooths. The rest of my friends were a)lame and b)bridesmaids and had to attend the rehearsal Friday, so I was solo for my adventures. Which I loved.
I'd been to Yellowstone/Beartooths twice before. The first time was for a Field Ecology course in college, where we spent a week camping, hiking, learning in the area. Which was bad ass. However, I didn't see anything remotely touristy. And my last time we were there, it was January and we didn't have snowmobiles, so again - no tourist attractions. I decided that this time, if I wanted to see it, I would stop, no matter how "cliche". Old Faithful, check. Geysers, check. Yellowstone Lake, Check.
I got my car at 11 AM Thursday and made a beeline west on I-90 to Livingston, then down to Gardnier to the park entrance. Make kick-ass time - was in the park by 2 PM. Woo! I loved seeing places I've been before with fresh eyes, noticing new things along the way. And since it was the first weekend in June, there weren't too many people (aka idiots) out. Woo! I'd drive and pull over is something was picture worthy. Take a short hike if I felt like it. I had crazy good timing with seeing wildlife and attractions. I pulled up to Old Faithful 15 min before it went off, not even knowing when it was supposed to go. Yay! I can check that off my list. I also saw (from a distance, thru a scope) a pack of 4 wolves with a kill (sweet!) and 3 black bears (close enough to see them w/out binocs [which I'd stupidly left at home] but far enough away where you wouldn't get hurt).
Total wildlife viewing tally:
Bison (tons), elk (tons), white tail deer (tons), 2 bighorn sheep, 1 trumpet swan, 1 blue heron, 3 bears, 4 wolves. Good day!
Some picture highlights from Thurs:
That was all from Thursday. Needless to say, I was a wee bit tired. Got to my hotel at 9:30, ate at 10 Pm. Woke up to the annoying sounds of highway construction at 7, was on my way out by 8 AM. Stopped in Cooke City for some coffee, asked the store owner about some good "quick" morning hikes before I had to head back to Billings. He recommended Trout Lake back in the park, then some stream behind this lodge just outside of the park "there's no trail, but if you follow the stream back for a mile, there's a nice waterfall."...
So, I went to Trout Lake first. Very nice!
I drove around the park some more (more killing time, I know its rough!). Then I tried this "waterfall" trail. It consisted of bushwacking thru hills with some pretty big downed trees. I managed to scratch my legs 3 times (so badly blood ran down my legs - two weeks later I still have a scab on one of my legs), then I saw fresh bear tracks and scat, so I decided to turn around...
Got a sammich in Cooke City, found this nice little waterfall (below) off the side of the road and had a lovely picnic lunch before taking the Beartooth Highway back to Billings.
Some pics of the Beartooths (some of my fav mountains)
Rolled back into Billings at 4 PM. Went to the rehearsal dinner, then out. Much craziness ensured. My friend H got very drunk, then decided to make out with the greasy guy with a comb-over. I so wish I had my camera, b/c she still doesn't believe me!
Saturday morning, we all headed to this tiny salon west of Billings - it was like the MT equivalent of the place in Steel Magnolias. Just bizarre. Anyways, I was the only one of the group who wasn't a BM, so I did errand running, which... whatever.
Then the wedding - they had a cash bar, but we were smart enough to bring 3 bottles of crown. Which about 6 of us managed to drain thru the course of the evening. Anways, the wedding was fun, slightly bittersweet, and beautiful.
The next morning, however, was not so pretty, thanks to the 3 bottles of crown and the fact that we went out afterwards and closed a bar down... But, this is true to how our group usually is, so it was nice to go out with a bang! However, in the future, I will do my best to not fly home hungover ever again, b/c it really, really sucked.
So, that was the last trip of the summer. Now all I have to look forward to is my 2.5 weeks in New Zealand over Thanksgiving! Wooo!
Reno trip
So, this would be a lot more vivid if say, I'd written this post right after I got back instead of a month later..... but all you really care about are the pictures anyways...
Erin's Flickr pages - Reno is pages 5 - 7
I needed some R&R between jobs and my HS friend Rochelle had M-W off, so with my handy dandy free ticket (me looove Southwest Airlines!) I booked a trip out there for 5 days to visit. And go gambling. And camping. And stock up on Moose Drool.
So, Monday we just vegged, went to the casinos that night. She went thru her allotted $40 like water, I played for ~1 hr and only lost $10.
Tues we decided to take her dogs and go camping in the Sierras. Now, I like dogs, but I don't actually own dogs - and camping with 2 very large dogs is well, different. Especially when you are all sleeping in a 3 man pack tent and the biggest dog (Griffin, 120 lbs) decides to use your torso as a pillow.
I can't remember where the heck we camped now, but it was by Truckee, CA by a set of 2 reservoirs off an old forest service road. Very isolated and pretty. Unlike anywhere I've camped in TX (except for Big Bend). I was a happy camper.
Pretty Sunset:
Wednesday we woke up, ate, packed up and took the dogs to the lake to play:
Had a nice picnic lunch lakeside, then headed back to Reno.
Thurs, Ro had to work, so I rented a car and decided to head to Tahoe. Because if you absolutely *have* to kill some time, then Tahoe really is a pretty good place to go. I know, it was rough, but I was a trooper. So, more photos!
Thurs night we made tacos, drank Moose Drool out on the patio. I miss cool, dry nights. Friday, I went back to Houston... Booo!
It was really one of my better ideas to head out that way to play. I came back grounded and relaxed - not to mention I got to hang out with one of my best friends and see mountains!
Erin's Flickr pages - Reno is pages 5 - 7
I needed some R&R between jobs and my HS friend Rochelle had M-W off, so with my handy dandy free ticket (me looove Southwest Airlines!) I booked a trip out there for 5 days to visit. And go gambling. And camping. And stock up on Moose Drool.
So, Monday we just vegged, went to the casinos that night. She went thru her allotted $40 like water, I played for ~1 hr and only lost $10.
Tues we decided to take her dogs and go camping in the Sierras. Now, I like dogs, but I don't actually own dogs - and camping with 2 very large dogs is well, different. Especially when you are all sleeping in a 3 man pack tent and the biggest dog (Griffin, 120 lbs) decides to use your torso as a pillow.
I can't remember where the heck we camped now, but it was by Truckee, CA by a set of 2 reservoirs off an old forest service road. Very isolated and pretty. Unlike anywhere I've camped in TX (except for Big Bend). I was a happy camper.
Pretty Sunset:
Wednesday we woke up, ate, packed up and took the dogs to the lake to play:
Had a nice picnic lunch lakeside, then headed back to Reno.
Thurs, Ro had to work, so I rented a car and decided to head to Tahoe. Because if you absolutely *have* to kill some time, then Tahoe really is a pretty good place to go. I know, it was rough, but I was a trooper. So, more photos!
Thurs night we made tacos, drank Moose Drool out on the patio. I miss cool, dry nights. Friday, I went back to Houston... Booo!
It was really one of my better ideas to head out that way to play. I came back grounded and relaxed - not to mention I got to hang out with one of my best friends and see mountains!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Further evidence of my freak magnetism
I had to go to Atlanta for a safety coordinator training session. I have never had so many safety-related trainings for a job ever. Its craziness. Anyways, they flew in several ppl to our Atlanta office for this training. Our instructor (regional safety mgr for the company) was an hour late, claiming he forgot about the training. And he also was happy to report that at least he wasn’t hungover today, b/c he’s had to teach this class hungover before, and he sure didn’t think that was too much fun. Professional, huh?
Anyways, training was supposed to end at 5 PM, and I had a flight back home for 9:30. Well, despite starting an hour late AND taking an hour lunch break, we finished at 3 PM. A group of 5 of us decided to head back to the airport and try our luck at booking earlier flights. It was me, another girl named Erin, a guy from Florida who was cool, and 2 people from Ohio who were older, and well, socially challenged (a man with terrible teeth who kept fishing for work saying he was very good in the field, yet couldn’t figure out how to calibrate sampling equipment…. and a woman who just got her ears pierced 5 times 3 days ago, to prove her 15 yr old daughter “wrong” that she was indeed cool enough to have multiple holes in her ears….)
I was lucky enough to get an earlier flight, but we still had a few hours to kill, so we went to a restaurant for beers and food. We had a decent time eating and chatting. Then it was time for me and the other Erin to leave for our flights. We all left the restaurant at the same time, stood around saying our good-byes. The Ohio woman (fueled by her Long Island Iced Tea during dinner) hugged the 3 of us younglings good bye.
Then the guy takes my hand. I thought he was going to shake it. Um, no. I do not have that kind of luck. He takes my hand and KISSES IT. I just stand there. He said that I had the furthest to fly, so that’s why he kissed me. The other 2 younglings stood as far away from him as possible and did the kind of handshake where your fingertips barely touch.
I’ve never wanted to wash my hand with OCD tendencies more in my entire life.
Anyways, training was supposed to end at 5 PM, and I had a flight back home for 9:30. Well, despite starting an hour late AND taking an hour lunch break, we finished at 3 PM. A group of 5 of us decided to head back to the airport and try our luck at booking earlier flights. It was me, another girl named Erin, a guy from Florida who was cool, and 2 people from Ohio who were older, and well, socially challenged (a man with terrible teeth who kept fishing for work saying he was very good in the field, yet couldn’t figure out how to calibrate sampling equipment…. and a woman who just got her ears pierced 5 times 3 days ago, to prove her 15 yr old daughter “wrong” that she was indeed cool enough to have multiple holes in her ears….)
I was lucky enough to get an earlier flight, but we still had a few hours to kill, so we went to a restaurant for beers and food. We had a decent time eating and chatting. Then it was time for me and the other Erin to leave for our flights. We all left the restaurant at the same time, stood around saying our good-byes. The Ohio woman (fueled by her Long Island Iced Tea during dinner) hugged the 3 of us younglings good bye.
Then the guy takes my hand. I thought he was going to shake it. Um, no. I do not have that kind of luck. He takes my hand and KISSES IT. I just stand there. He said that I had the furthest to fly, so that’s why he kissed me. The other 2 younglings stood as far away from him as possible and did the kind of handshake where your fingertips barely touch.
I’ve never wanted to wash my hand with OCD tendencies more in my entire life.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
this goes under the "only this could happen to me" file
I was just in the ladies room, and the lock for the stall door got stuck "locked". Like the threading in the latch got stripped or something. So, I had to wait for ppl to leave the bathroom before I got on the floor and shimmied out from under the door. I barely fit.
I am *so* special.
I am *so* special.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
home..... what's that?
Sorry for the lack of updates, I really haven't been home much. I still owe a post on my adventures in Reno. And I just got back from Montana for a wedding, and have plenty of stories/pics to share. But I don't seem to have much time these days, and once again, I'm oot this weekend to swim in the Danskin Triathlon. So, I'll do my best in the next few weeks to at least do a photo post, b/c I took some damn fine pics this past month.
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