A Special Blend

My new pal Audrey

2009-04-18T13:11:00.001-07:00

Raptor Center

2009-04-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

I went to this place called the Raptor Center. It's a conservatory for birds of prey who are injured. I didn't love it because its not really my thing, but I did I enjoy the presentation. I thought this volunteer looked a bit like a bird herself.

The Raptor Center is part of a bigger nature preserve called, Latta Plantation. Where they have lots of trails and horseback riding and kayaking. Pretty cool find.

Breakfast

2009-04-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

I love to eat breakfast here and either watch the sun rise or look out on the green space (depending on what day & what time it is).

This beautiful furniture came from Kim's store...I got more for my balcony.

Hello!

2009-03-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

My blog is resurrected.

I'm pretty excited, I just bought myself a camera. It's very basic, but I've assured myself that if I use it regularly I will treat myself to a nice camera someday. Here is a start...

This is me...how I spend a great deal of my time (in the car):

I take this bag everywhere. (Thank you, Sarah!)

I am thoroughly enjoying this book right now.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-11-29T20:16:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

Just felt like saying, hi.

A quick update on my last post...
The wall is now red. Very red.
I am now shampoo-free and still deciding how I feel about it.
It is a bit too cold to walk to the lake right now (we drove instead, walked around for a minute in the brrrr cold, and then ran back to the car).
We found a Chipotle in Charlotte and drove to it. Mmmm, Chipotle.
Mark is here in town and for a full week right now. Yay!

In other news, we have watched a lot of movies this week:
"Becoming Jane"
"Tropical Thunder"
"Get Smart"
"Forbidden Kingdom"
"Quantum of Solace"
and tonight, "Hellboy II"

Hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving weekend!

I've been tagged

2008-11-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

by my good friend Dahlia.

So 7 things about me that you might not know:

1) My bedroom wall is gray, on its way to being red.

2) I have my first bumper sticker ever on my Prius. (Mark stuck it on and I can't decide how I feel about it -- it seems so loud.) It's an Obama sticker, you might have guessed. And yes, we did stick it on before he won. It is my contribution to NC going blue.

3) I put 30,000 miles on my car in 10 months. (Thank goodness for 48 mpg!)

4) I'm considering going shampoo-free.

5) I can walk to a lake from my apartment, but I have to trespass to get a good view or drive to a public spot.

6) Chipotle is quite possibly one of my favorite foods to eat out. Mmm, Chipotle! Starbucks is my other favorite "out" place. Mark and I walk to Chipotle and or Starbucks with great frequency when we are in Baltimore.

7) I miss Mark.

I am just about obsessed with this song.

2008-10-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

I find it to be so peaceful and calming and it makes me smile...

"I'm yours" by Jason Mraz

enjoy.

Tortilla Happy!

2008-08-15T17:24:00.001-07:00

For several months now I have been dreaming of making my own tortillas. I don't know why...I just wanted to be in charge of the ingredients in my food (no preservatives, you know?) and tortillas seemed like they'd be easier than bread.

Last week one of our stores relaunched with a huge Hispanic section and it turns out we were selling tortilla presses! I bought one for less than $20. A friend of mine guided me in my choice of corn flour, gave me a few tips, and...voila! It is SO easy. I had fresh corn tortillas in minutes -- with no preservatives! This one looks just like mine...

2 cups corn flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups water (just as much as you need to be able to turn the flour into dough)

Use your hands to squeeze the water through the flour until it turns into a dough in your hands. Make small balls of dough.
Put plastic wrap on both sides of press. Press ball of dough into very thin pancake.
Peel off of plastic wrap.
Cook on Med-High heat in a non stick pan.

I found that if I let the tortilla cook on its first side until it was smoking just slightly (a couple of little burnt spots are yummy), then cooked it on its second side until it started to balloon slightly (puff up) that they were just right.

Check this out!

2008-08-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

http://pandora.com/

Your very own radio station. Pick a song or artist you like, and the radio begins. Offer feedback on songs to help the radio hone in on your preference (if you want, or not). Create multiple stations with different sounds. Save songs and/or artists in your bookmarks when you find a new one you like. And/or...just enjoy listening to your favorite songs on your very own radio station.

Right now my stations are built on:
1. Black Eyed Peas
2. Norah Jones
3. Justin Timberlake
4. M.I.A.

Perfect listening while I'm making dinner!

I had a really good day.

2008-08-05T18:55:00.001-07:00

I'm not gonna say a whole lot more than that...just "I had a really good day."
No work blogging for me.

And since I still don't have a camera here, I figured I'd post a picture from things I should have posted months ago.

These are from the trip to Monticello we took when we were in the Shenandoah Valley way back in April.

Yesterday we discovered Lake Norman

2008-08-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

Oh wow! Okay...now I'm understanding the whole commute to work thing.
7 minutes has nothing on the tranquil paradise we found in some of the places we looked at yesterday. How's this for a front yard?

Only question now is...how can we afford the one we want?

*********************************

I think both of us kind of fell in love with North Carolina yesterday. We were just exploring one little area (which was incredible!), and we thought we'd died and gone to California heaven. NC has this great parks and recreation webpage that has a lot of really cool places we want to visit (like Hanging Rock). And on top of all this, NC is where our favorite beach rental homes are, true it's still a 5-6 hour drive from where we are, but still, you gotta give NC credit where credit is due.

Let the posting re-begin?

2008-08-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I am negligent -- this I know from the constant reminders of my dear mother (I love you, dear mother) and several other faithful blogging family members and friends.

So here I am now, moved to an entirely different state and I have no blog posting to show for it. I suppose it is time to remedy that.

I live in North Carolina...and Maryland.

On Monday I started a new job (a huge promotion) at the corporate office of the company I've been working for these past 2 years. On Sunday, I moved to North Carolina, where the corporate office is located. Mark is finishing up his PhD program this year at Hopkins, not to mention we own a house (which we are not too eager to let go of in this market), and so my better half remains in Baltimore.

Our plan is to take turns commuting every other weekend. This first weekend is Mark's turn, and he's here visiting with me in my tiny (though comfortably furnished) little temporary housing apartment. Our plan this weekend is to drive around and start learning the area to narrow down where I (we) might want to live when the temporary housing runs out.

Right now I live 7 minutes from work. Whew. That is quite a change from the past 2 years where I've been driving an average of an hour to an hour and a half to stores. I LOVE my 7 minute drive. The only problem is, this town that I am staying in is a very tiny town. So the question is -- Live 7 minutes from work and commute to fun on the weekends? Or live in fun, and commute 35-50 minutes every day, each way?

I am excited that I've already found the natural foods store in this little town. I bought a bag of red lentils, a bag of quinoa, and a bag of granola so far.

I'm pretty impressed with my eating habits so far. Historically I go out to eat habitually. Yet, since I've been here I have made myself breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And it's good stuff, too. Bulgar wheat salads, yummy chicken tacos, broccoli, lentil soup...seriously, I'm impressed with myself.

This morning Mark woke up with a cold. He stayed up all night setting up my computer -- he is so awesome! And he didnt' get enough sleep, so I am taking advantage of the time and the cool computer set up to get this post out to you all. (or should I write, "y'all" now that I'm a southerner?)

Mark and I have been up to a WHOLE lot before I moved here, too. We've been trying to get in as much fun as we could before we were geographically separated.

We've been out to Kent Islands, renting a house with friends, riding boats and even a sea plane! We've been inner tubing at our favorite spot up north of Baltimore and also in Virginia. We've been camping, we've been boating, we've watched lots of movies, and gone out dancing. And out of all of that, I don't seem to have more than a handful of pictures. So here is my one, symbolic picture of the fun we've been having lately. This one is the river in Virginia (we rode the river all day and got picked up by a bus at the end). Cheers.

Oh wait, one more. Our friends were making fun of our "camping" set up...calling it the "Ritz."
It was a tent that sleeps 7-8 for just the two of us. We brought an air matress, and laid out "carpeting" with blankets.
I thought it was quite cozy. :)

Chicken's Eye View

2008-05-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Chicken's Eye View -- 2

2008-05-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

Poly-Face Farm

2008-04-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

The weekend after we got back from Jamaica, we drove down to the Shenandoah Valley in Viriginia with Mark's parents and stayed in a bed n' breakfast there.

On Friday we saw Shakespeare's "Henry V" in a cool replica of The Black Friar (which was one of the two original theatre's Shakespeare wrote his plays for). I didn't get any pictures, but it was very cool. Actors played many different characters. The audience may as well have been sitting on stage (and some were!) because the actors wandered out into the seats whenever they felt like it during big speeches. King Harry himself jumped of the stage and stepped along on the empty seats during a speech. It was VERY fun. Armor costumes were made out of catchers gear. :)

Then on Saturday we went to THE famous Poly-Face farm from Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma. The farm was everything I expected times ten. It was absolutely the most beautiful pastures of lush grass and dandelions. We got to talk to Joel Saladin's wife as well (Theresa, I think it was...she was pretty cool) :)

Jamaica

2008-04-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Mark and I have been quite the busy bodies this month.
Earlier this month we went to Jamaica--we won a free pass to a resort at a nightclub!

The weather was absolutely perfect. High 70's, not too humid, not too dry, no bugs. Perfect!
Unfortunately, in our vacation mode, we got a little lazy about toting Mark's big fancy camera around, and we missed all the best shots of the sunsets and the beach.

Here are some pictures we did get. Ya mon. (No problem)

If you look real close you can see a portrait of Bob Marley on the back of this shuttle.

Reading, Reading, Reading

2008-03-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am having a dandy old time with my head buried in a bunch of books.
Currently, I am reading or listening to:

The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization, by Peter M. Senge
In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan (author of the Omnivore's Dilemma)
Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama
The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman

I've been reading Fifth Discipline for months, Audacity of Hope for weeks, Fierce Conversations for a week or two, and In Defense of Food for a few days. I've been listening to the World is flat for a few weeks also.

I am very excited that I am on the verge of finishing one of these books. Wooohoo!
I've got less than 40 pages left of Obama's book. I've really enjoyed it--especially the current chapter, "The World Beyond Our Borders." If you haven't read this book yet, you should think about it. It's very interesting. I particularly appreciate the acknowledgment of the role we play in the system of global relationships:

"...nobody benefits more than we do from the observance of international 'rules of the road.' We can't win converts to those rules if we act as if they apply to everyone but us. When the world's sole superpower willingly restrains its power and abides by internationally agreed-upon standards of conduct, it sends a message that these are rules worth following..."
"In military parlance, legitimacy is a 'force multiplier.'"

Why I support Obama

2008-03-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

I wrote this on another website a few weeks ago. I'd like to post it here as well.

My ideal leader is one who leads change in the system itself, rather than poking at the symptoms. My ideal leader can identify gaps in thinking and unused resources to go at a problem in a fundamentally different way. My ideal leader doesn't need to live his or her life just the way I would...he or she does need to hold the same fundamental values I do :
--empowering and motivating people (leading rather than managing)
--uniting people (leading with a shared vision)
--listening to people (feedback is critical!)
--constantly learning ("if you do what you always did, you're gonna get what you always got")
--attention to detail, or an ability to see gray (nuance must not be overlooked; "authority without wisdom is like an axe without a blade...fitter to bruise than to sharpen")
--pride through accountability (there is no pride in being babied, coddled, or let off the hook...we will need to work and sacrifice for what we want, and it will be so much sweeter when we get there)
--respect (for other's values, other's decisions, other's work, other's priorities...my way is just that--"my" way; other's see things differently...that's okay, and even GOOD)
--understanding motivation (being able to look past an action or a stereotype and relate to others through common threads of motivation)
--willingness and even dedication to identifying one's own flaws, or one's own contribution to an existing problem (this is how we move forward...we must look at ourselves first)

I believe Obama encompasses these fundamental values.

Sprigfield Farm

2008-02-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

I'm still planning to go to Poly-face Farm in April, but I thought I'd get myself ready by visiting a farm nearer us.

We bought a Prius!!!

2008-02-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Mark and I bought a 2008 Prius (hybrid) last Saturday.
I looooooooooooooooove it! Our camera is currently out of commission so I snagged a picture off the internet. This looks exactly like ours except they have suped-up rims and green grass. :)

Why I love our Prius:
1) no more stick shift for 2, 3, 4, 5, and sometimes 6 hour driving days
2) Smart-Key--I don't have to take my key out of my purse to do anything (not to open the car, start the car, or lock it)...this is wonderful, since I am usually a mess of bags on my way to and from work.
3) Navigation system!!!
4) Hands-free bluetooth phone
5) Voice command activation for navigation and phone
6) 4-doors with enough room to actually comfortably seat 4
7) Steering-wheel buttons--everything I need to adjust (phone, air, audio) is right there at my finger tips
8) Audio jack, so I can plug my iPod right into the audio system (instead of dealing with the static of an FM transmitter)
9) JBL speaker system
10) 45 miles to the gallon!!!!!!

AND...I'm also feeling pretty cool because I totally negotiated the price I wanted and better. Mark said he was pretty impressed with me :)

I almost forgot!

2008-02-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

I probably represent about a hundred of the 15 million who have watched this video since super tuesday. I'm a little bit hooked...it's the pop-music addict in me. :) Enjoy.

I cried twice today...

2008-02-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

Once, as I lay my whoozy head back on my sticky mat--nauseous, just as my instructor told me I would be during my first day of "hot yoga." 103 degrees. 90 minutes. And a surprising drill sergeant of a sweet little yoga teacher. Just a tear or two as I psyched myself up to give another go at the next pose.

Then, again, at the sound of our national anthem being sung before Obama gave a speech at a Baltimore rally this afternoon. Why? Normally, I grimace a little at the anthem...especially at ball games and other "luxury" settings. And today I realized that it didn't necessarily have to be that way--that my bitterness is not for the song, but for the reminder it serves of lost pride (worse...of false pride?). I realized that I just might have the chance to wear that pride rightfully again--pride in "my team," "my organization"...my country. It hit me kind of by surprise, so again I let the tears roll, and I let myself hope for a country that truly can lead--and can lead by example.

I can't wait to vote tomorrow. Can't wait.

I am not big on forwards...

2008-01-14T20:33:00.001-08:00

...but I am glad to pass this link on.
Consider this short video about global warming.
Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDsIFspVzfI

Okay, and a little on me...

2008-01-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

So, me? Well, work involved a LOT of travel in October and November, and then December was just about the slowest month I've ever worked in any job. I was just about to throw myself over the edge out of pure boredom and worthlessness. But, here I am in '08 with a brand new schedule of travel and training and good solid worth-full-ness work. Yippee!!! I love to be productive!

I had a splendiforous Christmas in Georgia with Mom and Wood and Bryan and Kim. Kim and I made gingerbread houses. It was my first time (and maybe Kim's?) so we used kits that had done all the hard work for us. It was super fun...more fun than I thought it would be. Gingerbread houses just don't show their glory in a photo. You gotta be there up close to see all the wonderous sugar dripping and hanging and oozing from the house. :)

Then Mark and I spend the tween-week ('tween Christmas and New Year's) in Chicago at the MLA conference. I LOOOOOOVE Chicago. I could move there right now. Even though it was bitterly cold some days, I LOOOVED it. We stayed in our friends' (Lee and Chelsea's) apartment, and rode the train in and out of the city. We even enjoyed a bit of theater, which was really top-notch independent theater. It was called "The Sparrow" and I recommend it to anyone planning a trip to Chicago any time soon.

We spent New Year's back here in Baltimore, with Mark's parents and we ate like kings (and queens). The food was just about the best food I've had in many years, any where. (Nice cooking, Ed!). From a shrimp appetizer to mushroom and brie soup, to the most delicious lamb ever (I don't even usually like lamb, but THIS was mmmmmm!) All in all, good food. Mark kept me pretty happy on Cosmo's, too. :) We watched the fireworks over the harbor from the 8th floor of Bonnie's building, where there is an outdoor area with a garden and the pool and a viewing area over the water. It was quite nice.

Now I'm pretty much back to work. It was a great vacation, and I'm refreshed and ready to go. I even spent most of the day yesterday, scrubbing and cleaning and vacuuming the house with all the vigor of spring cleaning in a winter day. Turns out I kind of like living in a clean house. Who would have thought :)

More on Mark

2008-01-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

We were in Chicago last week, for the MLA conference where Mark and all the other potential professors (thousands and thousands of hopefuls) meet up with all the hiring institutions. It was quite a site...huge convention-sized hotels packed to the brim with academic hopefuls and presenters and interviewers.

Mark had two interviews: one with Mississippi State and the other with Yale. The Yale interview came at the last minute and was a wonderful surprise. It sounds like Mark did very well in both interviews--he was pleased with the way he presented himself. He's pretty "green," I guess you could say, as far as applicants go, so we were not necessarily expecting a job from either of these interviews...just a great opportunity to be a part of the job market, see how things work, and exercise his interviewing skills. The interview with Yale was a great experience.

So far, we've heard back from Yale, and have not heard back from Mississippi yet.
Out of the hundreds of people who applied for the Yale job, Mark was picked to be interviewed with what was probably about 8 or 9 other applicants. Schools generally pick the top 3 finalists from the interviews and invite to visit the campus and give a talk to the department. Mark was informed that he was #4. I consider this a HUGE win. #4 out of the all those folks out there?

Anyway, it looks like no Yale for us next year, but Mark and I have been having a great time making plans for all the things he'll need to accomplish before next year's job market to be an undeniably kick-ass applicant. I'm so proud of him, and really excited about what he's going to accomplish this year.

Mark's Debut

2007-11-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon, Mark made quite an impression on the Hopkins English department, and on me as well. Dressed smartly in his fawn colored wool sports jacket and a baby blue tie, Mark gave a handsome delivery of the second chapter of his dissertation, also known as his "job talk." Each graduate student is required to give a "job talk" to the department just prior to his/her entry into the job market. The idea is that the graduate candidate will have the opportunity to practice presenting a paper and then be grilled by his/her own colleagues and professors in order to prepare for upcoming interviews and real job talks--the kind that might result in acquiring a job--at hiring institutions. This tends to be a very nerve-racking experience as the Hopkins English department is known to be very exacting of speakers in the question & answer session, not to mention that it is the first time graduate candidates have the opportunity to own the podium for such a formal occasion.

The paper was, in fact, received warmly. Mark gave a great performance from the podium , and I must admit, I spent the duration of the presentation wearing a silly grin on my face out of sheer pride.

We celebrated after the occasion with a fire-side beer & burger at our favorite neighborhood pub (Dizzie Issies) and a night filled with good company.

I am one proud girl.

anOTHER book

2007-09-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

My goodness, I don't know when the last time is that I read so much...

Here's another great book. Finally, some fiction in my life. Katie gave me this book when we visited them in Boston, and I am really enjoying it. I recommend to all who would like to read something a little different for once.

Fantasy Football

2007-09-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last week I came in dead last in my league.

I picked very carefully this time.
I'm hoping I come in at least higher than last. :)

Family

2007-09-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

It sure is nice having family in town...

Last night, Mark and I went over to Bonnie's apartment and we ate dinner and watched college football with Bonnie and Ed. Bonnie and I abandoned the football for a while and enjoyed a cocktail together in this great Lebanese restaurant on the street level of her building. Mark and I built a Fantasy Football team for me online (I joined a league with some of my friends), and then I dozed off on the couch while Mark and his dad watched a night full of college football.

Great company. Great food. A lovely night.

Also, it was our (Mark and I) 9th anniversary yesterday. With how much I've been out of town lately, it was just so nice to hang out together with great company.

Di has Moved to Town!

2007-09-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

Boston

2007-09-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, Mark and I shot up to Boston for a quick overnight trip, so Mark could visit with one of his advisors who has retired and get some advice on his dissertation.
We stayed with Matt and Katie, and I got to hang out with them all morning. We went to a Sunday brunch jazz club.

And then, we visited, Walden Pond!

Matt and Katie swam while I held down the fort and started reading a new book Katie had lent to me.

"Reading"

2007-08-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

I just finished listening to Freakonomics on my iPod (via audible.com) in my car on the way home today. I loved this book. It was recommended to me a year or so ago, and I just finally had the opportunity to go through it. I LOVE numbers and data and charts. You should see me at work... I'm turning into a data freak there as well :)

I think I love data so much, because I am often guided by my emotional senses and I love to see what is really truly out there, completely separate from what I feel is out there. And if the data "truth" matches up with what I feel...even better :)

Tubing in Maryland

2007-08-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Mark and I did just about the most fun summer thing we have ever done in Maryland. We went tubing on the river with a bunch of friends. We were on the Gunpowder Falls River (which does not actually have any falls where we were) near Monkton. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera so here are a couple of pictures from the web to give you a very faint idea of just how beautiful, fun, and refreshing it really was.

This first picture gives you an idea of the serene beauty.

Our group wasn't quite this big and we had the old fashioned black rubber tubes--we were much cooler than this group. Also, we walked down a beautiful rock path in a forest and then climbed down a steep river bank to get into the water (instead of this weird, open, industrial looking space.)

New York, MOMA

2007-08-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, Mark and I drove up to New York with Mark's parents.
Would you believe that after 5 years of living in Baltimore, this is the first time I've made it up to New York? What a shame. I love, love, love it.

We drove up and back in a day to visit the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). I think I might get a memebership...it's amazing!

We did under-estimate the drive and ended up back home well after 1 am on a Sunday night. Poor Ed had to leave for the airport at 5:30am.

Nevertheless, it was worth every minute. It was a wonderful trip and it was great to visit with Bonnie and Ed.

Bourne Ultimatum

2007-08-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Mark and I saw The Bourne Ultimatum.

It was fun, as expected. There were some dizzying, head-ache causing fight scenes though. Be ware. (To be fair, I was pretty sick with a head cold when I went). Otherwise, I recommend the film.

Lake Shasta continued

2007-08-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

more of my favorite pictures....

Lake Shasta

2007-08-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

Last week Mark and I went to Lake Shasta and rented a house boat with 9 of our friends from college.
It was unbelievably relaxing and fun. I am completely converted to lake vacations. I can't wait to go laking again. Here are some pics. I'll add more later.

Great Falls, again

2007-07-15T13:25:00.001-07:00

Mark and I made it back to Great Falls (in Virginia) again this last weekend.
It's so nice to get outside and enjoy the water and the trees...

Fun on the 4th of July

2007-07-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

I had lots of fun painting faces on the 4th of July. Here are a few of my favorites...

How I spend my Saturday mornings...

2007-06-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, I am not always working... :)

Here is where I spend most Saturday mornings with Mark, getting bagels for breakfast and picking up the dry cleaning:

(hopefully Mark will forgive me. he did not want this picture to be put up. And, yes, he does often wear his sun glasses inside.)

Outer Banks 2007

2007-06-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Mark and I rented a house in Salvo, on the Outer Banks, with a bunch of friends from Mark's school. There was lots of sun, swimming, and lounging about :)

There were two more beach-goers than this, but they had to leave earlier in the week.

Some close-ups...

Here's a picture of Mark on a cool, deserted beach we found on Ocracoke Island. And here's one of me... (always the photographer...never the photograph.) :)

One night, the house behind us burned to the ground. It was the most surreal thing I've ever experienced. Especially because everyone else was sound asleep, and it took some convincing that it had actually happened the next morning when there was no house in sight. I have my proof in these pictures. We're not sure what happened, but the family staying there DID get out safely. Their suburban burned up in the accident, though. One more house (to the right in the picture) caught fire as well, but the fire fighter's were there in plenty of time to save that one. Pretty crazy.

My Visit to Oregon: Part II

2007-04-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

We went to the Children's Museum on Saturday.
It's in the same parking lot as the zoo. Pretty handy.

First, the discussion: What to do today--so much to do, so little time...

I'm telling you, this is a dream play place for kids. I would have had a blast here when I was 3 (or 4...or 10...who am I kidding...or 27).

The dentist...

The grocery store...(I always did love playing "grocery store")

Emergency Response Team....

Ellen dispatched herself. :)

Those two munchkins were almost as cute as the ones I was traveling with :)
Isaiah wanted to play in the ambulance, but he was feeling a little shy and wasn't quick enough before these kids popped in.

The Theatre...

And where has Isaiah been all this time?

With the Trains...

Face & Hand Painting...

Ellen and I posed glamorously with our art. I painted a flowering vine on her hand, and I'm sure you can tell, despite the flash, that Ellen painted a big yellow school bus on my hand..."just needs a few more colors" she said...

The Picture Frame...
(on the way in)

(and on the way out...)

Poor Isaiah. He was a good sport, but he just wasn't feeling good.

My Visit to Oregon: Part I

2007-04-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

I had a great visit this last weekend with Sarah and Dave and the kids.
I brought some stuffed animal crabs to help them remember where Maryland is, and that everybody here likes to eat crabs...a LOT of crabs. I went ahead and got Ellen a pink crab (a very rare species) :) ...I was relieved to see that she didn't notice (or mind) that Isaiah's crab was much bigger.

...Isaiah was a very cool dude in his shades.

This air-mattress contributed hours of fun to our visit On the floor, it was good for many giggles when you'd jump on it and send the munchkins into the air.

Against the wall, the mattress was Isaiah's favorite "crash" game. I'm not sure there was anything he liked to do with me more (aside from let me watch him play with cars and trains) than hold my hand while we both threw ourselves head-long against the air-mattress. (If you're wondering, that was most definitely his idea, not mine) :) Unfortunately, that great adventure did not get captured on my camera.

More to come...

2007-03-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm reading this book right now. I'm really enjoying it.
The part I'm reading right now talks a lot about individual people's talents. The book is meant for managers...to learn about their associates. But I'm learning a lot about me. The book is helping me relax because lately I've had a lot of anxiety about needing to turn myself into a particular image I have of a business person, but this book really encourages the thinking that our differences can be our strengths and that we should spend more time finding ourselves and the right fit for who we already are, and less time trying to turn into some cookie-cutter employee (and/or leader). I've been taking advantage of this encouragement and have done my best to unleash the silly girl in me. I'm having fun. I think it makes me better at my job, too. That might not be true for any job, but I think I actually AM in the right job, and have just been trying to change myself into someone who might not be right for this job.
Yay, for being myself.

My Johari Window

2007-03-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

This is cool. Click on here and choose the top 6 characteristics that match me...I'd love to learn what my blind spots are; and also my facades... Thanks.

http://kevan.org/johari?name=Anne+Davis

SUPER BOWL

2007-03-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Payton won the super bowl!
...oh wait. Sorry, slight delay. :)

Blue skies in Baltimore today. Welcome spring!

Go Colts!

2007-01-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

That's my boy, Pate-y!
...Sure made me proud last night.

Battlestar Galactica

2007-01-20T21:08:00.000-08:00

Mark and I are pretty hooked on Battlestar Galactica. We've been watching it on Netflix. We're almost to the end of the second season. Jill, didn't you and Gavin recommend this show a while back? If so, thanks! We're hooked :)

The Little Bundle

2007-01-20T21:03:00.000-08:00

The little green bundle in the last post is an Herb Sache that I made out of leek leaves. It's stuffed with rosemary sprigs, thyme, peppercorns, and cloves of garlic (or something yummy like that). It was part of the sorrel, potato & leek soup I helped make for New Year's Eve dinner. It's kind of an alternative to using cheesecloth to keep the seasonings from getting mixed in with the soup. I was very proud of it...it took me quite little while to get it together, and when I did, I felt like quite the sous chef. :)

New Years

2007-01-17T17:49:00.000-08:00

Hmmm. It occurs to me that I didn't do a very good job of capturing our whole trip to San Francisco. I did capture our crabs boiling, and Mark captured--to great extent--our day trip to Muir Beach on New Year's Day.

Christmas

2007-01-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Mark and I had a great time in Georgia for Christmas.

The tree was beautiful.

Wood and I took many pictures of the tree and the cute things below it.

The house was decked out quite nicely.

We played poker (Bryan won).

Mom put on some crazy socks.

Mark and I built this cool shelving unit (which will hang on the wall) for Bryan's Christmas present.

Kim added her decorative touch.

Mark eyed our new Sonicare Toothbrush suspiciously.

The boys all crowded around Wood's cool new airplane model.

And a fun time was had by all.

The Fountain

2006-12-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

Mark and I watched The Fountain in the theater yesterday.
For some reason, after years of hardly ever going to the movie theaters, we've started going every weekend and sometimes more, in the last month or two.

I would say The Fountain was less of a movie than an experience--a trip through someone else's psychological or philisophical musings. I also thought it was absolutely wonderful, despite the raving (mad) reviews of the folks that were sitting around us in the theater.
The film made me feel immensely sad and beautiful all at once. Usually, I want nothing more than to be silent after something like that, but this film also provoked a rich and lively conversation for Mark and I, despite the tears leaking down my face.
I recommend the film to anyone who wants to experience a sort of intense exposure to someone else's difficult thoughts. I do not recommend the film to those who prefer a manageable, linear plot. Running a mere hour and a half, the film is sure to give you your money's worth with the unmistakable sensation that you've in fact been entertained (or detained) for several hours.

I Like to Decorate

2006-12-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

This week, I got to be in charge of decorating the store at work.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Baltimore

2006-11-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

Mark and I made a hearty beef stew for our Thanksgiving dinner. It was gooood.
Mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, onions, rosemary and pan-seared steak bites. Mmmm.
While we were waiting for the stew to cook, we dined on a fresh loaf of olive bread, camembert cheese and our favorite Ravenswood Zinfandel.

For dessert (and, I think as an extended birthday treat), Mark made a beautiful and delicious apple pie: "Apple Cider Pie."

Mark and I discovered that Breyer's Butter Pecan ice cream does wonders served with apple pie. Hmmmm...that pie....I'm getting hungry. I think it's time for day-after-thanksgiving breakfast: more apple pie & ice cream!

Building a Garden Wall

2006-11-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

Mark is building a little wall in the backyard so we can have a raised garden area.
It's going to be a short brick wall, but first he had to make a concrete "footing" on which to build the brick wall. He dug a trench, laid down sand, and plotted the position of the rebar.

He worked late into the night one day, finally pouring and levelling the concrete.

Below, Mark in concrete-laying nativity scene.

"We" learned that concrete-layers should wear gloves and knee-pads in the future. (I say "we" because I called it on the knee-pads.) Mark's poor hands are all bruised and cut up and and he has concrete solidified in his cuticles. Ow. His skin got dried out so I've been lending him the most intensive care lotion I have. When he rubs it on his hands he says, "ow." Indeed, next time--gloves. The concrete looks great though. Stay tuned for brick wall.

Here Lies Theo

2006-11-23T07:10:00.000-08:00

Here lies Theo, the rat.

Last week we had quite a lot of rain. When it was time to take the trash out, (early in the morning, me-dressed in a suit for work), the big trash can out back was full of water. I heaved and I pushed, trying not to get my pants dirty, and finally...WHOOOOSH. Out poured 30 gallons of water, two empty, soggy concrete bags, and a one jumbo sized, water-logged rat.

I looked at the giant beast for a moment, contemplating how interesting it was that my fears of having a rat jump out of the trash at me are now validated. I also noticed how pretty he looked for a rodent--this guy had soft-looking grey back fur, and pure-white underbelly fur...obviously he'd had quite a long bath. I kept my distance for I was sure he would dry out, shake it off and jump at me all the same.

I left the darn thing there, poured out onto the soggy concrete bags in our yard, knowing I was more or less leaving it for Mark to deal with when he woke up and headed off to school. I figured I'd clean it up when I got back if it was still there and still looked dead.

As I was driving to work, I started to think about how long the rain had been coming down. I wondered at what point the rat found his way into our trash can. I imagined the poor thing treading water for hours as the water level rose slowly (Titanic-style), until he finally fell exhausted and drowned. Poor thing, after all, his under-belly fur looked so nice and white.

When I got home the rat was still there, still dead-looking.
Mark had imagined some incident with the rat in which the rat was originally alive when I encountered it, and I had had to kill it. I laughed, imagining myself swinging the longest shovel possible clumsily at the rat, trying to beat it to death from 10 feet away. No, no. Thank god that thing was dead when I found it.

In the end, we both somehow got mildly attached to this rat over the course of the day. Mark announced that he had named the rat, Theo, and that he was going to bury him. So bury him we did. But actual words?...we decided we would reserve saying words over the deceased for something more important, like next time if it were a squirrel.

Dad & Sandy Came to Visit

2006-11-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

We had a very fun, but relaxing weekend. (I was glad to have you both here, Dad and Sandy!)
We visited all the coolest places I could think of in town. And I was surprised to realize that there were more pretty cool places in Baltimore than I remembered.
We went to the Owl Bar for crab cakes, fire-baked pizza, and good beer.
We went to good old Eddies Market, down the street, for bagels and "the best coffee in town."
We went to One World Cafe for a healthy lunch.
We went to the Wine Store for wine, but got distracted by the Holiday Beer tasting that was going on, and inevitably walked out with a few cases of tasty holiday beer.
We went to the (our) living room for a spectacular viewing of TROY.
We went to Dizzie Izzies for some of that "Balitmore's favorite pub food."
We went to Rusty Scupper for a great view of the harbor and fresh seafood.
We went to Bloom to see what's "Different" in the grocery business.
And finally, back to Dizzie Izzie's for some more of that Baltimore flavor.
Below: us, enjoying our second night at Dizzie Izzies.

A Very Cool Pumpkin Patch

2006-11-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

While we were in Georgia, we got to stop at this very cool place:

Mark is a very cool guy.

I Like this Place

2006-11-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

This was taken in a Lodge up near Amicaloa State Falls, when Mark and I went to visit Mom and Wood.

What am I Learning?

2006-11-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

I talked to mom the other day and while she was trying to convince me to resume posting, and while I was whining that I hardly do anything of interest besides work (which I don't feel comfortable posting about), she gave me an idea of what to talk about: What I am learning.

That's a good one because if there is one thing I'm trying to do right now, it is LEARN and grow.

I'm trying to learn how to talk charismatically without letting my voice get high pitched and preachy.

I'm learning that telling other people that you're good at something just doesn't quite work the same as when they can see it for themselves.

I am learning to balance my work and my personal life by making strict cut-off times during the day. No work before a certain time. And no work once I get home in the evening. (So far so good).

I am trying to learn how to use the time I am home--and not working--effectively or in a fun way.
Right now I'm reading "Good to Great" which is a great book, but it does make me think a lot about work.
Mark and I were watching the third season of The Wire (from Netflix) each night, but that just ran out. Now we're watching Battle Star Galactica. I love this time together, but it does seem to have me in a regular routine on the couch each night.
Every Sunday I still work the farmer's market. I'm not sure how much longer that will be though. I like this, too, and I'm very glad it gets me out of the house, but it is kind of hard to have half of every Sunday already committed to something (Not to mention that it usually leaves me napping for the rest of the day, since we have to get up so early).
It's getting dark at about 5:30 now and it just makes me want to curl up and rest.
Whine...whine...whine...

In other news, we had about 10 tricker treaters last night. Most of whom were dressed in plain clothes or promiscuous clothes (maybe that was the same thing?), most of whom were too old to trick-or-treat, most of whom were hooping and hollering and yelling at the few little kids that were with them, and of whom would shove at least two plastic grocery bags in my face (pressing uncomfortably toward me) saying curtly, "For me," "and my cousin." Right...

Whatever people. Here just take the candy.
I don't like Trick or Treating. Not here in Baltimore. Why can't I have cute little kids like Ellen and Isaiah come to my door?

That's the other thing...when I am trying to get control of a crowd, whether they are pressing at my door for candy, or just not listening while I have the floor in a class: I raise my voice to be heard and if they still don't listen, I raise my voice again and sometimes even a third time, and I end up sounding really desperate--b/c my raised voice gets kind of high. I don't like that. I wish I didn't get worked up. And I wish my voice had the calm sound of authority.

Spending so much time talking with people, talking in front of people, and being counted on to "reach" people...man, that can wear a kid out. Sure makes me aware of all most converstational short-comings.

Mark laughs at me because last week I came home celebrating how people were just coming right to me with questions and asking for advice. That felt good. But this week, so far (after day 2) I feel like I'm having to force myself on people, in an effort to avoid feeling like I might not be doing my job--might not be making a difference where a difference clearly needs to be made.

Well, that felt nice to vent. Sorry to sound so negative on my first post in a long time. It doesn't really sound like I'm actually "learning" much at all. But at least I've been able to point out and focus on the things I want to learn. :)

Amicaloa State Falls (Georgia)

2006-10-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

I think I owe a few

2006-09-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures around the front yard. (These might be some of the last green for this season).

Anniversary

2006-09-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

Mark and I just celebrated our 8th year together.

We spent the weekend in DC where we are very much in love with the cafe culture.
Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures. But we did enjoy a delicious dinner at Mezza Luna--a tapas restaurant--on Friday night. Then we went to some random bar next to the restaurant and it turned out to be a fantastic little place where we sipped excellent beverages (Cosmo for me) and people watched out the second story window.

On Saturday, we walked down to Dupont circle for some iced coffee and (new to me) an Iced Green Tea Latte (very interesting, and, I think, good) at Starbucks. We sat outside in the sun and discussed business politics for a long time. It was so nice to just talk and sit out side. (Cafe culture!). We rode the metro around a bit, shopped for quite a while, ate a very impressive lunch at Panera Bread (try their new pizzas after 4:00pm--Wow!), and finished up the night at some clubs up on U-street.

We had to head back early to work at the farmer's market this morning, but we still had a really great time.

Fall?

2006-09-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up to a beautiful (almost Spring-like) rain.
It has been deathly hot here, muggy, icky, for months. I wasn't expecting this light, refreshing rain today. I wonder if fall is on its way already? It's so nice.

My New Job

2006-09-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying my new job. It's amazing that I am paid to just spend time with people, read people, and coach people. It is also amazing how exhausting that can be. Last night after two delicious and much-desired beers, I just about cried my heart out watching an episode of ROME, in which my favorite character lost everything he cared about. Mark is such a sweetie, just smiling and listening as I sobbed and blabbered on about poor Pullo.
This morning I feel greatly rested and more optimistic about Pullo's future :)

One of the most exciting things about my new job, that I have been able to capture on camera, is my new dress code. For the last 3 years or so, I have been assigned a polo shirt and jeans as my uniform. While, yes, this is quite comfortable, it really doesn't do much for a girl's self esteem.

So here are a few pics of my grown up feeling self in business casual:

This is my first day of work. I drove out to a place about 3 hours from my house and stayed in a hotel for several days of training. The camera is in my trunk and I am pretending to be getting something out, lest someone walk by in the parking lot and suspect I am taking a picture of myself on my first day of work.

Here, I am feeling proud for two reasons. (1) my new outfit, and (2) I'm so grown up that my company actually puts me up in a hotel! And a pretty nice one, at that. Yes, I realize how unexciting this may be to you all, but after working for small companies my whole life, I'm feeling pretty darn cool right about now.

I'm starting to realize these pictures aren't very exciting. But I wanted to share something of my new experiences.

Gualala, CA

2006-08-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Mark and I got to visit his family in Gualala this past week.
We went on an absolutely beautiful kayaking trip one day, but I didn't bring my camera for fear of water damage. :(

Here are some pics of all the rest.

THE VIEW

FAMILY

AROUND THE HOUSE

AT THE BEACH

(if you look closely at this next picture, in the bottom lefthand corner--at the base of the big rock--you'll see three river otters. they were running from the ocean to the little river/stream outlet on the other side of the beach.)

HIKING AMONG REDWOODS

THE SWIMMING HOLE

MENDECINO

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 1

Friends

2006-08-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my last day at work.

These are some of my friends that I am really going to miss:

and, even though we've been missing you already, Mandy...

Oh My Goodness!

2006-08-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

My camera wasn't working very well, and I finally just got it fixed.
I found these pictures that turned out way clearer than I had expected:

This, again, is the evil bug that terrorizes me in my room:

EEEEeeeeek! (they are definitely out to get me!)

My Niece and Nephew

2006-07-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I spend a lot of time just absolutley LOVING my niece and nephew (via my sister's heaven-sent blog). I figured maybe it was time to post my own pictures of them (even if I did steal them from my sisters photo album).

I love these picture (I love how they capture the delight and wildness of childhood in my two most wonderful munckin kin):

Update

2006-07-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'll be updating my website soon. Thank you everyone for your feedback. It's extremely helpful!
I'm just trying to re-do the site in Dreamweaver, so I've been studying and learning how to use the program.

Also, I've been a little distracted...

I've been waiting eagerly (and distractedly) for a couple of job offers.
One of them just came in last night.
I am a very happy and excited little lady.

I'll keep you posted once I make a decision and things go through.

Check It Out

2006-07-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

I now have an online resume/website.

I would be delighted to receive any and all feedback.

Right now the site is in its first/rough draft stage. I created it in a free trial program that has many restraints. But I wanted to get something up and running, while I learn how to use a real program like Dreamweaver.

Thanks in advance for any help/comments anyone might offer.

And Finally, What You've All Been Waiting For...

2006-07-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

The long-belated wedding pictures.

I have to admit. I did not get m(any) good pictures of the ceremony--which, by the way, was a really awesome ceremony. Between the skeptical looks I was getting from Mark and the bit of distance b/t myself and the couple...well, a lot of the shots are mostly out of focus (and some in focus) heads.

But here are pics of the guest (us!) and the reception.

From left to right: Mark, me, Brian, Beth, Lisa, Kit, Katie, Matt.

Lee & Chelsea did all of the deco themselves! It looked great.

The cake was very cool, too.

Chelsea rocked the dance floor, wedding dress and all.

She wasn't the only one dancing though. The party was too wild for even the cameras to catch :)

Anyone Know What This Is?

2006-07-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

I think I keep having these in my house.

They keep showing up in my bedroom. One was in the livingroom, but I think it followed me up to my room. I'm pretty sure that one died.
A few weeks ago another one popped up, and disappeared.
Now one is back again--showed up in my room, and followed me to the bathroom.

It definitely likes light and open windows...hangs out on the window screens whenever possible.

It kind of flies like a wasp.
But it's faster and seems like it targets you if you get too close.
When he's landed, he looks a lot like a little cricket or something.

I don't like him! Do you think he will bite or sting? Doesn't seem like there's any end part to him at all, so maybe the stinger is not a problem...
Also, mine looks like he only has the two back sets of legs.
You can barley see the "feelers" in this pic, but mine have them very prominently (very waspish/cricketish?).

The bugguide doesn't have much. I'm not buying the bit about an "aphid."
Anyone?

Santa Barbara: Lake Cachuma

2006-07-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

As Chelsea commented on my last post, I am a bit tardy in completing my Santa Barbara pics posts. Things have been a bit crazy in the last week or so. But I'm back in action, now!

Mark and I spent a wonderful 5 days in Santa Barbara, visiting in honor of Lee & Chelsea's wedding. On Saturday, we rented a patio-boat with our friends on Lake Cachuma for an entire day.

It was beautiful!

I captained a bit.

Mark captained a bit. And here is Lee, the groom.

Jessica, joined us for the weekend, home from Berkley.

Lisa snapping expert photos of the groom to be.

Chelsea's siter and Brian--my god, Brian, look how sexy you are even when you're not putting your socks on!

It took the boys a while, but they finally figured out (between the 4 of them) how to light the little BBQ.

And the food was good! (I actually DO like burnt hot dogs)

Matt and Katie, home for the weekend from Boston, brought guacamole, tri-tip and mojitos! Man, they had us spoiled.

Kit and Lisa enjoy the front bow of the patio boat. Later we learn from the helpful lake patrol officer that this is illegal (since the boat was moving). Oops.

Chelsea, the lovely bride.

Yoooou!!!!?

And, finally, Lee captained a bit.

All in all, it was an excellent day.

Santa Barbara

2006-07-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Belize--Dan & Diane's Wedding

2006-06-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Belize--The Resort

2006-06-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

Savage Mill Park

2006-06-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

We're trying to get out and go for a hike every weekend possible.
We've been to this place before, but we got to explore a lot more of it this time.

Farmers Market: Crepes

2006-06-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Mark and I have started working at the Farmer's Market selling crepes with my friend, Mitch.

Oh, yeah

2006-06-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

One more favorite

Outer Banks Continues

2006-06-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

At the House

*********************************

*************************************

More Sampling of Trips

2006-06-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Outer Banks, NC

A Sampling of Trips

2006-06-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Loch Raven and Assateague

more to come...

Favorite Things

2006-05-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

Home-made, bite sized banana bread.

Thanks, Sarah! It was delicious!

Sneak Peek of Things to Come

2006-05-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

******************

Front Yard, farther along

2006-05-23T18:10:00.000-07:00

2006-05-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

A new method

2006-05-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to find time to post everything I alwasy want to post.
As a result, a lot of my posting ideas fall to the way side.

Let's try one pic at a time.

For now, it's front yard continued. Soon: Assateague Island!

The Front Yard Under Way

2006-05-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

I hope you're ready for some serious posting.
I've got more pictures than you've ever cared to see of our front yard as it finally begins to take shape.

Behold:

I didn't take any "before" pictures, and these pictures sort of miss the yard itself, but...remember when we first moved in?

Now, imagine this dirt-lot-full-of-weeds with weeds standing 2 or more feet tall.
We actually got a ticket for the weeds because they looked so bad!

Anyway, Mark has been slaving away. He dug up everything. There must have been decades worth of weeds with their brilliantly deep and complicated root structures putting up quite a fight against the shovel. Once all the hard work was done (I did help a little--I shook the dirt clods out of the grass and weed clumps and then threw the weeds away) Mark enlisted me to help shop for cool new plants and I even helped put some of them in.

Mark seeded the front area with the same grass seed we used in the backyard. This time it grew twice as fast (in less than a week grass popped right up). We suspect that it is the abundance of sun as well as the large amount of fertilizer Mark used--compared to the backyard which is entirely shaded by a huge tree and on which we used far smaller quantities of soil product.

See how helpful I am?

This is one of my favorite grasses that we bought. It's called Blue Fescue.
I will say though, it is far less remarkable when it's burried in the ground--all you have left is a little tuft on the top...I just didn't realize how much the bright orange pot was adding to the look.

It's time for bed now...more pictures soon (I hope).

Oregon Ridge Saturday Hike

2006-05-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Mark and I went hiking...(well, the term "last weekend" has pretty much expired for this story since its taken me two weeks to finally post).

Our plan was to hike as much as possible this summer and to explore all the neat places in Maryland. We sort of started out our stay here in Maryland as pessimists--just missing "good ole California." But it turns out there are lots of great and beautiful places to be out doors just minutes from Baltimore.

This place is called Oregon Ridge for some reason. Just nearby is also "Oregon Lake," which is the remains of an old iron-ore excavation which has now been filled in with water, grown over with foresty wildlife and prepped on one side with sand, life-guard platforms, snack bars and ticket takers. The "lake" was sort of closed for the season (open season starts after Memorial Day), but the gate was still left open for hikers to pass through on the state park trails. It was pretty, surreal, and very odd. Mark and I stood there looking back and forth in confusion for several minutes before heading out on our hike.

Mark also talked me into entering the small nature center at the beginning of the trail. I tend not to like nature centers because there is often an overwhelming display of taxidermical "art."
Well, this nature center did have one room with stuffed heads on the wall, but they also had the coolest science room that seemed like what I imagine an 8th grade science classroom should look like. There was a live, glassed-in beehive hooked up to the window (I stared at that for quite a long time), and cool snake and toad and turtle displays. It was a very small place and very few people were there, but it was so nice and charming and comfortable. I liked it a lot.

I also really enjoyed our hike.

Look at these crazy, crazy gobs of caterpillars (or worms). I've never seen anything like it!
They were all over this one big tree and a few other trees nearby. There were probably 20 or 30 nests in total.

We also stopped and and ate lunch at this beautiful little pond half way down the trail.
For some reason the only thing I thought to take a picture of here was our dangling feet from where we sat on some rocks. It wasn't the most quiet/relaxing rest stop though. Some hiker and his friend had brought along a beautiful dog that was very smart and well trained. The hiker was a pretty loud guy who was very proud of his dog and kept all pond visitors well informed of the dog's capabilities of fetching a giant stick from the middle of the deep pond over and over and over. The dog was definitely having a good time, though.

Dazed and Confused (Favorite Things Saturday)

2006-04-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

That was weird, somehow I woke up this morning and thought, Hey, it's Saturday! Better post my Self-Portrait Tuesday pictures. Wow...

So here is my Favorite Things Saturday:

SATURDAY MORNING

Being able to sleep in and be perfectly irresponsible and unaware of what the heck is going on, on Saturdays (unlike Monday-Friday when one might be trying to run a business, and unlike Sunday when one might be trying to get the house in order for the coming week).

Self Portrait Tuesday

2006-04-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Instead of posting a picture of anne-as-flag-on-pole, I thought I'd offer a peak at the super cool shoes we wear in pole class. These shoes serve a variety of functions (even though they just look insane)--
1) The high heels not only help you keep your toosh out (very important in pole dancing), they also give you a much more intense workout in the legs.
2) They are generously padded to help keep your feet comfy.
3) (And I believe most important) The plastic parts help you hold onto the pole with your feet so you can climb (and maybe even one day hang from) the pole.

I went to class again last night and discovered that it's $5-Friday! Whoohoo. I'm always going on Friday (normally its $9/class). I learned a couple of new spins last night, but was not able to master them all. That's good though--it keeps me interested in class, and it makes me want to be stronger and more flexible, which then makes me want to exercise! What a great deal.

Speaking of exercise, I think if we can drag our butts out of bed (Mark! :) ), we might get to go on a big hike today.

Self Portrait Tuesday website

More fun Pictures for Work

2006-04-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

1 & 2

3 & 4

We had a fun photo-shoot on the lawn to create pics for a giant poster-sized advertisement.
#2 and #3 are two of my favorites.

An Attempt at Randomness

2006-04-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

I think I generally hold back what I write on my blog, for fear of saying something I shouldn't (I guess maybe about work...).

But I love reading everyone else's random thoughts that they post on their blogs. So I thought I might attempt a bit of randomness today.

I love my pole dancing class (did I mention it before?). It's great exercise and lots of fun. I go to this place where only women are allowed (no children; no men). Women of all ages and backgrounds come to work out at this special fitness center where we learn to get fit and feel great about ourselves. I just graduated from the Beginner Pole class, which is mostly walking in circles and clinging to the pole for dear life while trying to hold your knees up.

On Saturday, though, I went to Pole 1. Now I'm clinging to the pole for dear life while I fly in the air, spinning to the ground. Sound scary? It is a little, but that's what all the upper-body strengthening was for in Beginner Pole. Anyway, I love it.

Whenever our instructor says, "How're you feeling girls?" If all is well, we must respond in full volume, "HOT!" My favorite instructor is a Kindergarten teacher by day who works with kids with special needs. She is very cool.

Self Portrait Tuesday

2006-04-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

I live in a brick rowhouse. I love the way our brick houses stack against each other and stack into the sky.

Self Portrait Tuesday website

Visitors

2006-04-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Ed and Bonnie came to visit us last weekend. We had a wonderful, relaxing time: we went to two baseball games (Angels v. Orioles), dined out Saturday night, Mark and his parents surveyed some Hopkins lectures Friday morning, and Saturday-day we had a day in the yard.

Ed helped Mark install an outdoor light over the garage entrance.

While Bonnie and I carefully supervised.

And watched the grass grow. Come on grass. You can do it!

Ed even joined us in grass-watching for a few moments.

But in the end, he seemed skeptical.

Finally, I decided I'd better at least LOOK helpful. So I tacked on some protective covers over our fence posts. As the boys wrapped up their job, we learned in fact that it takes only two grown men to screw in a light bulb :) (just kidding)

The light fixture looks fabulous!

Finally, we let our guests rest :)

On Sunday night I cooked a fresh fish dinner for them. I think it turned out pretty well (though definitely not perfect). All in all we had a really great time!

Favorite Things Saturday: Light

2006-04-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Morning sunlight...particularly summer (spring) light, is quite possibly one of my favorite things in the world. I love the way the bright light cuts in lines through windows and blinds, and falls bright and breezy across white walls and wooden furniture.

Favorite Things Saturday Blog

Check it out!

2006-04-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Whoo--hoo!
Our grass is growing!

We finally spread grass seed about 2 weeks ago. It was lots of work!

First we spread special soil to help balance the chemical make up of our dirt.

Then Mark tilled the ground with a Tiller we rented from Home Depot. (That thing was scary!)

And then, of course, lots of water and love...

and needlessly staring at the dirt for two weeks :)

Then, yesterday, THIS:

What beast?!

2006-04-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

Some horrid creature has ripped up my pretty tulips! Grrr.

A Special Blend

My new pal Audrey

Raptor Center

Breakfast

Hello!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend

I've been tagged

I am just about obsessed with this song.

Tortilla Happy!

Check this out!

I had a really good day.

Yesterday we discovered Lake Norman

Let the posting re-begin?

Chicken's Eye View

Chicken's Eye View -- 2

Poly-Face Farm

Jamaica

Reading, Reading, Reading

Why I support Obama

Sprigfield Farm

We bought a Prius!!!

I almost forgot!

I cried twice today...

I am not big on forwards...

Okay, and a little on me...

More on Mark

Mark's Debut

anOTHER book

Fantasy Football

Family

More Reading

Di has Moved to Town!

Boston

"Reading"

Tubing in Maryland

New York, MOMA

Bourne Ultimatum

Lake Shasta continued

Lake Shasta

Great Falls, again

Fun on the 4th of July

How I spend my Saturday mornings...

Outer Banks 2007

My Visit to Oregon: Part II

My Visit to Oregon: Part I

My Johari Window

SUPER BOWL

Go Colts!

Battlestar Galactica

The Little Bundle

New Years

Christmas

The Fountain

I Like to Decorate

Thanksgiving Dinner in Baltimore

Building a Garden Wall

Here Lies Theo

Dad & Sandy Came to Visit

A Very Cool Pumpkin Patch

I Like this Place

What am I Learning?

Amicaloa State Falls (Georgia)

I think I owe a few

Anniversary

Fall?

My New Job

Gualala, CA

Friends

Oh My Goodness!

My Niece and Nephew

Update

Check It Out

And Finally, What You've All Been Waiting For...

Anyone Know What This Is?

Santa Barbara: Lake Cachuma

Santa Barbara

Belize--Dan & Diane's Wedding

Belize--The Resort

Savage Mill Park

Farmers Market: Crepes