Monday, May 5, 2008
Again!
Today I locked myself out again :( Lucky the campus police seem to arrive quickly, and don't mind letting me in!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Two days in a row!
Last night our building had a bad natural gas oder and we were evacuated. It turns out the smell was coming from outside and was just pulled inside our air handling system, and there was no danger. It was frustrating to have to leave un-finished things on my desk though...
Then today at 7pm I locked myself out of my office, and in Oregon, apparently no one works late, so no faculty were left in the building to let me in! I had to wait for campus police, who fortunately didn't take too long to show up.
I think I'll head home now - maybe my efficiency isn't so good right now??
Then today at 7pm I locked myself out of my office, and in Oregon, apparently no one works late, so no faculty were left in the building to let me in! I had to wait for campus police, who fortunately didn't take too long to show up.
I think I'll head home now - maybe my efficiency isn't so good right now??
Fun at a wedding
Last weekend I flew to D.C. for a good friend's wedding. I was bumped up to first class, and when I got into town, I joined my friend at her hotel, where we stayed in the presidential suite. I felt very spoiled! We had a big breakfast delivered by room service and spent the morning ironing her many outfits for the different events. I then left to spend the day at my dad's house, to help host a pre-prom cocktail party that evening. That provided me a yummy dinner of fresh nuts, fruits, cheeses, and mini-quiches. I love finger food...
Saturday was all-day at the wedding. In the morning all the girls gathered in the presidential suite and had people help us tie on our sari's. My friend had several people getting her ready to be the bride. I brought another friend of mine as my "+1", and I put her in my own sari, while I wore a new one my friend getting married had brought back from India for me to wear. Apparently giving gifts such as that is also part of the tradition.
Then we were in the wedding precession, which was part of a nearly 3 hour ceremony, complete with someone occasionally telling us what was going on, and a program to explain the rituals. My friend looked beautiful, and she seemed to enjoy her ceremony - including some friendly playing around with her husband during the ceremony, such as when they had to pour blessed rice over each other's head for abundance - they seemed to have a pretty good time with that one!
After that there was a huge buffet lunch, followed by a 4 hour break for resting and freshening up. Most people changed clothes for the evening affairs just to show off their pretty saris.
Then the festivities began - cocktail hour, 2 hours of speeches and dances for the bride and groom, as well as everyone dancing with them (including me, though it was hard to dance in a sari), then a huge buffet dinner with the biggest dessert spread I've ever seen. There were 620 guests at the wedding, but still there was an over-abundance of desserts and a huge selection. What fun!
After that I think there was more dancing, but we didn't stay any longer because my friend had a long drive home, and it was already 11:30pm (we got there at 10am!!)
I now have a much better appreciation for big weddings - theirs was festive, and I felt like everyone was an appreciated part of things. It was a joy to be there!
Saturday was all-day at the wedding. In the morning all the girls gathered in the presidential suite and had people help us tie on our sari's. My friend had several people getting her ready to be the bride. I brought another friend of mine as my "+1", and I put her in my own sari, while I wore a new one my friend getting married had brought back from India for me to wear. Apparently giving gifts such as that is also part of the tradition.
Then we were in the wedding precession, which was part of a nearly 3 hour ceremony, complete with someone occasionally telling us what was going on, and a program to explain the rituals. My friend looked beautiful, and she seemed to enjoy her ceremony - including some friendly playing around with her husband during the ceremony, such as when they had to pour blessed rice over each other's head for abundance - they seemed to have a pretty good time with that one!
After that there was a huge buffet lunch, followed by a 4 hour break for resting and freshening up. Most people changed clothes for the evening affairs just to show off their pretty saris.
Then the festivities began - cocktail hour, 2 hours of speeches and dances for the bride and groom, as well as everyone dancing with them (including me, though it was hard to dance in a sari), then a huge buffet dinner with the biggest dessert spread I've ever seen. There were 620 guests at the wedding, but still there was an over-abundance of desserts and a huge selection. What fun!
After that I think there was more dancing, but we didn't stay any longer because my friend had a long drive home, and it was already 11:30pm (we got there at 10am!!)
I now have a much better appreciation for big weddings - theirs was festive, and I felt like everyone was an appreciated part of things. It was a joy to be there!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Big day for a little doggie
Yesterday exhausted little Audrey dog - so much to see, do, and so many people to meet!
We started the day with a quiet morning of work, and the little dog had to be patient and wait. Oh how hard it is to wait patently when your two favorite people are around and the sun is out and there are so many things to do! But patient she was....
We decided to walk with Audrey to lunch - but during lunch we had to tie her up in the shade while we ate - she had to sit and watch - and be patient, oh how hard it was! People kept walking by saying "what a cute little doggie... she looks sad!" Oh the poor little doggie...
But then, I bought gelato for all three of us - a cone for me, a cone for my boyfriend, and a whole dish for Audrey. Yep, that's right - she got her own dish of cream flavored gelato. She gobbled it up and was very happy! Those silly people who thought she was being neglected - do they have any idea how spoiled my little dog is??
Then in the evening, we took her over to my boyfriend's dad's house, where she got to play with their dog, and with my boyfriend's little niece and nephew, who promptly took more interest in her than me - and of course learned Audrey's name first. I'm used to that by now, it's ok :)
After an evening of attention and play, we went to visit one more house where Audrey got to explore around and meet someone new. It was a lot of excitement for her. Trying to be good, making friends, exploring new places...
By the time we got home, little Audrey was exhausted - she crashed on the couch, belly exposed, legs in the air, and slept hard. As my boyfriend pointed out, every morning she is like a kid on Christmas morning - each day is new and exciting!
We started the day with a quiet morning of work, and the little dog had to be patient and wait. Oh how hard it is to wait patently when your two favorite people are around and the sun is out and there are so many things to do! But patient she was....
We decided to walk with Audrey to lunch - but during lunch we had to tie her up in the shade while we ate - she had to sit and watch - and be patient, oh how hard it was! People kept walking by saying "what a cute little doggie... she looks sad!" Oh the poor little doggie...
But then, I bought gelato for all three of us - a cone for me, a cone for my boyfriend, and a whole dish for Audrey. Yep, that's right - she got her own dish of cream flavored gelato. She gobbled it up and was very happy! Those silly people who thought she was being neglected - do they have any idea how spoiled my little dog is??
Then in the evening, we took her over to my boyfriend's dad's house, where she got to play with their dog, and with my boyfriend's little niece and nephew, who promptly took more interest in her than me - and of course learned Audrey's name first. I'm used to that by now, it's ok :)
After an evening of attention and play, we went to visit one more house where Audrey got to explore around and meet someone new. It was a lot of excitement for her. Trying to be good, making friends, exploring new places...
By the time we got home, little Audrey was exhausted - she crashed on the couch, belly exposed, legs in the air, and slept hard. As my boyfriend pointed out, every morning she is like a kid on Christmas morning - each day is new and exciting!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Spring break!!
After a very hectic finals week that was chock full of important meetings, Ryan and I finally started out on our spring break trip last Saturday at around 5pm. (We intended to leave around 1...) It turned out fine though, as our only plan on Saturday was to go for a hike in Dunes recreation area on the Oregon coast - and we made it there before dusk and had a fun romp in the sand.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/recreation/tripplanning/oregondunes/
I would like to go back and see some more extreme dunes, and possibly rent an ATV and have fun driving on the dunes. As it was, all three of us (including Audrey) had fun climbing up the dunes while the sand avalanched beneath our feet.
Then we headed south along the coast and stopped for a pizza dinner before getting our motel room.
The next morning we took a very nice hike in the Redwood National forest called Damnation Creek. This was the description we found online: "Damnation Creek: Strenuous 4½ mile (7-km) round trip hike through redwoods. Located just north of False Klamath Cove on Highway 101 at mile marker 16.0. This is a steep trail that descends 1,000 feet (330 m) through an ancient forest of redwoods, Sitka spruce, red alder, and all the forest has to offer, traversing all the way to the ocean. Used in the past by Tolowa Indians for food gathering at the ocean, the trail offers excellent photo opportunities of both the forest and the ocean. Expect at least three hours to complete. Bring your own water."
It wasn't that hard a trail - but it helps that it wasn't hot when we hiked. We finished it in 2.5 hours with 15 minutes hanging out at the bottom, and neither of us are in as good shape as we were in the fall. I am glad the weather here is improving and I'll get back to more hiking again!!
We expected a good view of the ocean, but we did not expect the trail to actually end up on the ocean. It ended in a totally private rocky cove and was totally amazing. These are photos I found online - I need to get our pictures from Ryan.
That evening we drove further down the coast to Mendocino and checked into our Bed and Breakfast just in time to eat at the hotel restaurant before they closed. Good thing they were expecting us! Dinner was good - but not our best of the week...
Then we went to our room - which was very nice.
Unfortunately we couldn't stay there both nights because it was already booked up but our second room was fun - it was in an old converted water tower and was 3 stories high with a sitting room on bottom, bathroom in middle, and bedroom at the top.
Mendocino is a quaint and quiet little town that was great for strolling around. We had a quiet day including a walk to the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We didn't see any whales despite sitting by the coast for a while - but we both did get a little sun. We also walked into a pet store and let audrey pick out the treat she wanted - fortunately for me she wanted one that was 50 cents - if only ryan and I could eat for so little!!
For dinner we had one of the best meals I've ever had at Cafe Beaujolais.
http://www.cafebeaujolais.com/cb_pu_reviews.html
They made me a special dinner of gnocchi and asparagus where every bite tasted delicious. The molten chocolate cake for dessert was so amazing that Ryan and I agreed it was best we ordered two because we'd have killed each other if forced to share it.
That morning and the next morning we pigged out at the hotel restaurant for the breakfast part of the B&B. But we soon had to leave for San Francisco. We stayed in Tiburon with a friend of mine from grad school days who has also moved to the west coast. I'll post a pic of my own soon - but here's a pic I found online that has a similar view to what she sees from her living room every day - I'm quite envious!!
In San Francisco I had a work meeting, but we were also able to go to some great restaurants, go to the golden gate park and have tea in the Japanese tea garden, and shop at my favorite store, Soku hardware - the best place to get Japanese pottery (like sushi plates) for good prices. I bought a lot - but many things were gifts so I don't feel too guilty :)
We also repeated our breakfast location two days in a row at Crepes-a-go-go, Ryan's old haunt from when he lived there. We stuffed ourselves like pigs - he actually ate 3 crepes the 2nd morning! He couldn't get enough nutella strawberry and whipped cream. I enjoyed egg, tomato, cheese and avocado followed by honey kiwi strawberry... YUMM!!
After that we headed to UC Davis where I had another meeting, then on to Chico where I was giving an invited talk and meeting with a collaborator. The trip had come to an end and I had to get back to work. But hey - that's paying for the gas mileage and some smaller expenses, leaving us the money to splurge on food and the B&B so it was well worth it!
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw/recreation/tripplanning/oregondunes/
I would like to go back and see some more extreme dunes, and possibly rent an ATV and have fun driving on the dunes. As it was, all three of us (including Audrey) had fun climbing up the dunes while the sand avalanched beneath our feet.
Then we headed south along the coast and stopped for a pizza dinner before getting our motel room.
The next morning we took a very nice hike in the Redwood National forest called Damnation Creek. This was the description we found online: "Damnation Creek: Strenuous 4½ mile (7-km) round trip hike through redwoods. Located just north of False Klamath Cove on Highway 101 at mile marker 16.0. This is a steep trail that descends 1,000 feet (330 m) through an ancient forest of redwoods, Sitka spruce, red alder, and all the forest has to offer, traversing all the way to the ocean. Used in the past by Tolowa Indians for food gathering at the ocean, the trail offers excellent photo opportunities of both the forest and the ocean. Expect at least three hours to complete. Bring your own water."
It wasn't that hard a trail - but it helps that it wasn't hot when we hiked. We finished it in 2.5 hours with 15 minutes hanging out at the bottom, and neither of us are in as good shape as we were in the fall. I am glad the weather here is improving and I'll get back to more hiking again!!
We expected a good view of the ocean, but we did not expect the trail to actually end up on the ocean. It ended in a totally private rocky cove and was totally amazing. These are photos I found online - I need to get our pictures from Ryan.
That evening we drove further down the coast to Mendocino and checked into our Bed and Breakfast just in time to eat at the hotel restaurant before they closed. Good thing they were expecting us! Dinner was good - but not our best of the week...
Then we went to our room - which was very nice.
Unfortunately we couldn't stay there both nights because it was already booked up but our second room was fun - it was in an old converted water tower and was 3 stories high with a sitting room on bottom, bathroom in middle, and bedroom at the top.
Mendocino is a quaint and quiet little town that was great for strolling around. We had a quiet day including a walk to the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We didn't see any whales despite sitting by the coast for a while - but we both did get a little sun. We also walked into a pet store and let audrey pick out the treat she wanted - fortunately for me she wanted one that was 50 cents - if only ryan and I could eat for so little!!
For dinner we had one of the best meals I've ever had at Cafe Beaujolais.
http://www.cafebeaujolais.com/cb_pu_reviews.html
They made me a special dinner of gnocchi and asparagus where every bite tasted delicious. The molten chocolate cake for dessert was so amazing that Ryan and I agreed it was best we ordered two because we'd have killed each other if forced to share it.
That morning and the next morning we pigged out at the hotel restaurant for the breakfast part of the B&B. But we soon had to leave for San Francisco. We stayed in Tiburon with a friend of mine from grad school days who has also moved to the west coast. I'll post a pic of my own soon - but here's a pic I found online that has a similar view to what she sees from her living room every day - I'm quite envious!!
In San Francisco I had a work meeting, but we were also able to go to some great restaurants, go to the golden gate park and have tea in the Japanese tea garden, and shop at my favorite store, Soku hardware - the best place to get Japanese pottery (like sushi plates) for good prices. I bought a lot - but many things were gifts so I don't feel too guilty :)
We also repeated our breakfast location two days in a row at Crepes-a-go-go, Ryan's old haunt from when he lived there. We stuffed ourselves like pigs - he actually ate 3 crepes the 2nd morning! He couldn't get enough nutella strawberry and whipped cream. I enjoyed egg, tomato, cheese and avocado followed by honey kiwi strawberry... YUMM!!
After that we headed to UC Davis where I had another meeting, then on to Chico where I was giving an invited talk and meeting with a collaborator. The trip had come to an end and I had to get back to work. But hey - that's paying for the gas mileage and some smaller expenses, leaving us the money to splurge on food and the B&B so it was well worth it!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Audrey is healthy!!!
I just got the official blood test results this morning - Audrey is now Lymes free. We had to wait 6 months to make sure it was completely out of her system, and it is. A month of 4 antibiotics a day did the trick... I'm so glad she is well...
She currently doesn't look well - she currently looks very impatient for her morning walk... I need to get moving!
What she also doesn't know is that I've signed her up for an Agility class this Wed night - it'll be our first class since moving out here. I'm sure she'll be super excited when we get there. She loves to work with me, especially if there are treats involved :)
She currently doesn't look well - she currently looks very impatient for her morning walk... I need to get moving!
What she also doesn't know is that I've signed her up for an Agility class this Wed night - it'll be our first class since moving out here. I'm sure she'll be super excited when we get there. She loves to work with me, especially if there are treats involved :)
More tango
This weekend I went dancing without my boyfriend for the first time since we've been dating. I'm not sure if it was the "no guy in tow" or the really hot new tango shoes I recently bought, but I was very popular. I got non-stop dances for over 2 hours, and I had to stop at that point and call it quits because my feet couldn't take any more. I think my new shoes are formally broken in now.
It's truly amazing how much the quality of the lead matters. I've had a few private lessons in the last month so I've gotten better, but I still haven't learned how to do anything fancy in the dance - just to follow some basic leads and how to carry myself (which I'm sure will be an ongoing thing to work on).
With some leads it was so awkward - it was hard to tell which foot to step on even, and things were getting all confused. With a good lead, however, I was doing flourishes and sweeping the floor with my feet and kicking my leg up and things that I've not even formally learned. It felt amazing. I am glad I had that experience because it motivates me to want to learn more - it makes me re-appreciate why I wanted to learn this dance.
Here is a video showing off the dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=142FjGbCZTk
A student here wants to start a tango club so I may be able to dance in my town more often soon, and get more lessons. If only I can convince my boyfriend to take more lessons without me so he can make more progress... it would be awesome to dance smoothly with him...
It's truly amazing how much the quality of the lead matters. I've had a few private lessons in the last month so I've gotten better, but I still haven't learned how to do anything fancy in the dance - just to follow some basic leads and how to carry myself (which I'm sure will be an ongoing thing to work on).
With some leads it was so awkward - it was hard to tell which foot to step on even, and things were getting all confused. With a good lead, however, I was doing flourishes and sweeping the floor with my feet and kicking my leg up and things that I've not even formally learned. It felt amazing. I am glad I had that experience because it motivates me to want to learn more - it makes me re-appreciate why I wanted to learn this dance.
Here is a video showing off the dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=142FjGbCZTk
A student here wants to start a tango club so I may be able to dance in my town more often soon, and get more lessons. If only I can convince my boyfriend to take more lessons without me so he can make more progress... it would be awesome to dance smoothly with him...
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