Highlights from Thursday, April 28th, 2011

We and the client went for Ramen for lunch, and then stopped for Asian pastries, yummm...


A view from last night's plane ride home. It's finally staying lighter later; there was still a sliver of light as we landed in Denver around 8:30pm.

I feel like Snow White

Tonight after work I came back to the hotel, made a quick dinner of soup and salad, and sat on the patio to enjoy it before sunset. As I was eating the salad, a duck waddled up to the back patio and began quacking at me.


He came closer, and closer, quack quack quacking...


So I tossed him a crouton. And he ate it! And I tossed him about 6 more croutons, and he ate them all! Here he looks like he just pooped a crouton (I giggled and he cocked his head and gave me a look)...


Then I said farewell to DuckFace and ran down to the beach to catch the sunset over the ocean. So beautiful...


This week we're staying at these beautiful villas just south of Newport Beach, walking distance to the water...


I stopped at Crystal Cove, a CA state park. So many birds and bunnies hopping about this evening...


On the walk back I encountered yet another woodland creature...


This was such a perfect, peaceful end to the day.

Lonesome Dove, pg 22-23

His Colt was hanging off the back of the chair and he reached around and got it, took it out of its holster, and idly twirled the chamber a time or two, listening to the pretty little clicks.

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Gettin' the heck outta Dodge!

So I was wanting to get away for the weekend and go camping or backpacking or something, but I wimped out since it's still really chilly at night and we're having rainy weather lately. I decided to go on a road trip instead. I started with Google maps, searching from Denver in every direction until something feasible caught my eye. I wanted something far enough to feel like I got away, but not too far that I would get exhausted on the road. And I only had from Friday afternoon to Saturday night since I committed to attend an Easter brunch Sunday morning. A 5-6 hour drive would do the trick. I zoomed in and found Dodge City, Kansas. I thought, "Hey, is this THEE Dodge?" I quickly did my Google research and sure enough, the one and only!



I did consider exploring more of the mountain towns in Colorado but figured I have plenty of time during the beautiful summer months to do that. So I packed up and headed East. Here are photos from the trip...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elizorbeth/tags/dodgecity/

Btw, they uploaded in reverse order.

Oh, so I woke up in the hotel Saturday morning and thought hmmm, let's see what the weather's like today. I added Dodge City to my iPhone weather app and saw the Yahoo! link in the corner, so I clicked it to look at all the info about Dodge City. I quickly saw a news headline that WILLIE freaking NELSON is in town for a concert that night! Holy crap! He's on my must-see-before-either-he-or-I-kick-the-bucket list. I fired up the laptop and went to purchase tickets and immediately saw that the show was postponed due to poor health. Bummer, Willie. Feel better soon, m'kay? I was totally ready to stay for the concert and drive home afterwards no matter how exhausted. He's a legend.

A couple of 'interesting' notes from the road trip...

1) I passed over a stream of water called "White Woman Creek" near Leoti, KS... Curious how it got its name.

2) I packed a few goodies into a big resealable baggie and learned on day #2 of the trip that: Open bag of Twizzlers + Open bag of beef jerky = Twizzler-flavored beef jerky. And that, folks, equals YUM!

Thank you, Barefoot Contessa

I worked from Denver this week, one of the first weeks in months, and I took the opportunity to go grocery shopping (gasp!) and do some cooking (gasp gasp!). After not cooking for months, I felt a little like this...



Thanks to my Barefoot Contessa book, which is packed full of delicious recipes, I whipped up a few dishes, cooking way more than one person can consume. I have a tendancy to not scale down recipes for the appropriate number of eaters. Bad habit. Luckily I was able to pawn off some leftovers on friends.

This first photo is just a salad, not from the book, but it turned out pretty so...


Next I made Warm Goat Cheese in Phyllo with basic but tasty greens. Holy crap I will never work with phyllo dough ever ever never ever never again! It's like a bratty stepchild. And I can say that because I am was one. It has to be thawed just right and then you have to maintain the right moisture as you're working with it. Ugh. It took a whole box of phyllo just to make 2 pastries, and no, that's not how it was supposed to go. Oh and the dressing for the greens is delish! (recipe below)

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

Then I made some Savory Palmiers. I had made these before and knew they were a winner. This time I used different puff pastry and they turned out even better. Here's a photo of the prep work before rolling the puff pastry...


And the final goods...


I also made a Creamy Cucumber Salad. It turned out too creamy for my tastes but the flavor was great and others seemed to enjoy it...


And here's a photo that sums up the joy of cooking for me...


I really do love this book... "barefoot contessa back to basics"

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

"Whether you call someone a hero or a monster is all relative to where the focus of your consciousness may be."

The battle of good and evil

What's wrong with the world...



What's right with the world...

Ahh, youth

In addition to collecting frogs in my pockets (sorry mom! sorry washing machine!) and pulling the legs off crickets to see just how many legs they needed in order to keep hopping (these were the early early early years when I believed I held dominion over this earth), I had flashbacks to my favorite casette tape of 1986 -- 4th grade, 9 years old -- Huey Lewis and the News, Fore!


"Doing it all for my baby" ?? 9 years old, people!

I like alive awesome people

SELECT *
FROM [Universe].[dbo].[Earth] (NOLOCK)
WHERE Human = 'Awesome'
AND VitalSigns > 0

As memory can be kind

Did the shadows fall
to the left or to the right
when we remembered that night?
I can tell you now
that I see the beige of my suit
and the velvety maroon of the upholstery,
both which crumpled under pressure.
And still there are no shadows
and no direct points of light,
despite our intensity.
Time and weather have a way of smoothing the surface and rounding the edges,
don't they?

A gathering

Where's your sense of humor?
Did you ask to be born into this absurdity?
Did you come out tap dancing, saying "It's about damn time, now where's my lunch?!"
Or do you realize that we all just magically appeared out of something other than our free will,
and we flounder blindly, dumbfounded as to how to make sense of this life into which we've been thrust.
So pull up a chair and toast your neighbor...
We have so much to share.

Sardonic Soaps

Jo and I made soap today...

Parentheses, The Blow

Some philosophies fuel a belief in the self,
constructed to keep one's goods on one's own shelf.
Built well you're a strong letter I,
with the feet on the ground and the head to the sky.
Now and then you can bend,
it's okay to lean over my way.
You fear that you can't do it all,
and you're right.
Even diligent day takes relief every day
from its work making light from the night.

And when you're holding me
we make a pair of parentheses.
There's plenty space to encase
whatever weird way my mind goes,
I know I’ll be safe in these arms.

If something in the deli aisle makes you cry
you know I’ll put my arm around you
and I’ll walk you outside,
through the sliding doors,
why would I mind?

You're not a baby if you feel the world.
All of the babies can feel the world. That's why they cry.

A savory reduction

Boil me down to my basic parts.
I am a savory reduction of hands and feet.
I am speech,
stating the facts.
My soul evaporated with the broth,
but that's ok because I tied a piece of string to it
so that I can find it whenever I go swimming in the ether.

7. Invictus (by William Ernest Henley)

OUT of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Ripple, Grateful Dead

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung,
Would you hear my voice come thru the music,
Would you hold it near as it were your own?

It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken,
Perhaps they're better left unsung.
I don't know, don't really care
Let there be songs to fill the air.

Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.

Reach out your hand if your cup be empty,
If your cup is full may it be again,
Let it be known there is a fountain,
That was not made by the hands of men.

There is a road, no simple highway,
Between the dawn and the dark of night,
And if you go no one may follow,
That path is for your steps alone.

Ripple in still water,
When there is no pebble tossed,
Nor wind to blow.

But if you fall you fall alone,
If you should stand then who's to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home.

La dee da da da, La da da da da, Da da da, Da da, Da da da da da
La da da da, La da da, Da da, La da da da, La da, Da da

Refreshing

I opened the window to let in some crisp, cool air, and a few snowflakes just landed on my arm.

Each time the wind picks up, it brings a gust of snowflakes into my apartment, and despite a flurry of flakes landing on my computer (which can't be all that good) I can't bring myself to close the window.