"Fatso"

The small carport to the left of the house is what we removed.

Acknowledging our recent weak home improvement efforts Jonathan and I stepped it up this weekend and were quite productive.  We started Saturday morning by tearing down the aluminum carport which stood to the left (when facing) of the original carport.  Jonathan has loathed this structure for quite some time and we needed to remove it to be able to finish painting the side of the house..

Demo required a little more problem solving than expected but after many a screw was removed we connected a tow belt from the structure to the truck and with a little acceleration most of the structure came down like a charm.  Two steel posts that appeared cemented beneath the dirt remained. We connected the tow belt to the first post and with a little tug, managed to bend it the point where Jonathan and I could twist and bend by hand to break it free. The final post was another story.  Same belt maneuver, but this time it fought back.  Keep in mind there is no top to this post so as the belt started to slip up, following in the direction of the truck, Jonathan attempted to hold the belt in place with his foot.  Truck torque vs. foot pressure.  Truck won.

I inched the truck along until I heard "STOP, oh sh**".  The belt flew loose of Jonathan's foot pressure and went sailing through the air like something catapulted toward the street ahead.  We both held our breath while it flew overhead and signed in relief when it hit the ground instead of the windshield.  Somehow on its journey the hitch managed to hit Jonathan's pinky causing quite the nasty injury.  Quite a bit of blood and a bit of pain, but no stitches required.  All of our efforts and Jonathan's injury were rewarded with an appreciated cash payment from the sketchy scrap metal yard's cashier.

The stones and brick surround were removed Sunday.

After a very tasty lunch at Sack's Sandwiches we returned home and tackled some much needed rock removal from the front yard.  Long story short the rock is rather unattractive and does not fit in with our eventual design. With flat head shovels in hand we loaded up the wheel barrel load after load and managed to clear about 1/3 of the rock from the "yard". We were both surprised at how much we were able to clear in a mere two hours.  We rewarded our days work with drinks and sushi with friends.

1/2 of the river has now been removed.

Sunday we were not quite as ambitious but still did quite well.  First we made a stop at a massive antique mall and bought another owl to add to our owl collection.  Quiet the buy for $2.75!  I picked up a new office plant at Lowes and we finished our shopping for the day at the Western Boot Outlet.  Embracing our wild west lifestyle we both bought two shirts complete with pearl snap buttons.  After we arrived home we divided to conquer our random tasks.  I primed the closet door frame in the living room while Jonathan re-grouted our main bath's shower.  After we finished our respective tasks we united to remove about 1/2 of what used to be a rather non-functional rock river that wound across our front yard doing nothing for drainage or appeal.  We should be able to clear the remainder of the river and red rock as well as paint the side of the house (and perhaps the back) in the next few weekends.  Hooray for revitalization of home improvement!

PS. Meet Fatso.  He is a piece of robot art created by a local Phoenix artist that we bought during an art show at Red Hot Robot.  Because of his art status we actually had to wait two weeks before we could officially bring him home.  Cute as a robot button.

Yip yip for bluegrass!

Jonathan picked me up from PHX Friday afternoon right around 5pm.  Making great time, thanks to a surprising lack of traffic, we made a brief stop at home to say howdy to the animals, then headed to Los Taquitos for a quick bite before making our way to the MIM.  The MIM is a privately funded Musical Instrument Museum located in Phoenix, yet very close to the Scottsdale boarder.  We did not tour the museum but instead were attending a concert by The Travelin' McCourys, who are an acclaimed bluegrass group consisting of banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and bass.  The guitar is usually played by the father (Dell) of the McCoury brothers, who play the mandolin and the banjo, however in his absence we had the pleasure of listening to the talents of the award winning guitarist from Ricky Skaggs, Kentucky Thunder, Cody Kilby.  I have never witnessed a person's hands move so swiftly with so much musical perfection as Mr. Kilby.

I can't say I've ever sought out bluegrass, but Jonathan is quite the fan, and when he mentioned the concert and I saw the preview video, I knew we had to go.  They were terrific!!  These exceptionally talented musicians with terrific voices provided a very well rounded concert.  Not all performances had lyrics but that doesn't mean they were any less powerful. I found the rapid rhythms, soulful sounds, and heartfelt lyrics in classic Tennessee/Kentucky bluegrass style, simply a delight. I would definitely recommend seeing them to anyone, even if you've never heard of, or don't care too much for, bluegrass.  Just listening to their musical talent was indeed a treat. 

Rumor has it they'll be in Tucson in a few months, and if we're able we'll likely make the trip. Check them out, here is a link to their site: http://www.thetravelinmccourys.com/

70's in Kansas City... in February??

Thursday's 70 degree forecast was deserving of a dress.  Little did I know wearing a dress would illicit a change in behavior by two men I'd interacted with the previous day.  Apparently khakis and sweater = unapproachable, but a dress is a shot out for recognition.  Nothing offensive, just much different, perhaps more bold, than the day before.

The dress I wore is one of my favorite work dresses, which is very business appropriate, not revealing in any way, thanks to a camisole, and well fitting, not stuck to me like neoprene or baggy and sack-like.  At breakfast I was spoken to by a co-gym attendee who I ran into on multiple occasions the day before without one word exchanged between us; however, this morning, while departing the breakfast area, he decided to chat it up with me about this morning's gym experience, the weather, blah, blah, blah.  Then later in the day, I was tapped on my wedding ring by a guy who commented "now why did you go and do that?".  Again, a guy I'd seen the day before with very little banter exchanged.  Was it the dress, who knows, but I'm willing to bet another pair of khakis wouldn't have brought about so much notice. I wouldn't say I'm a sucker for attention, but a little recognition always gives a gal a little ego boost.    

As usual, be sure to check out some pictures to the right of my KC trip. Not necessarily applicable to Thursday's experience, and a little lacking due to dieing batteries, but they give a general feel for the trip. Another point and shoot with rechargeable batteries is certainly on my "to buy" list.

New Adventures (pictures to come soon)

This past Friday was my last day at my previous job.  I am thankful for the personal and professional opportunities it provided since Jonathan and I were able to move to Arizona with employment in place and, as time went on, buy a house.  But the time has come to try something new.  I am now employed with another firm, and am very excited for the challenges and opportunities it brings.

Sunday afternoon, I boarded a South West flight flying direct to Kansas City, MO.  South West officially gained my loyalty when about half way through the flight I was handed Plane Crackers (clever pun intended since they were indeed some mighty plain, plane shaped crackers) and, honey roasted peanuts!  Its been a good decade since I've been given honey roasted peanuts and you better believed each and every peanut was a delight.  As the flight neared Kansas City I looked out the window to view fields, rather barren, and sandy in appearance. Strange that they'd be sandy, but at the moment it seemed perfectly reasonable. Then the passenger next to me jolted me from my moment of stupidity when she commented on the melting snow. Duh, snow, not sand. 

Nearly every place that I've traveled, or lived, I've run into my fare share of New Jersians, each encounter sparking a renewed delight in my experience in the Garden State. Just to be extra clear, I do not and will NEVER claim to be a Jersey girl, but 6 years in the Garden State has undoubtedly made a major impact on my life and enables me to claim some Jersey status.  As I waited at the hotel bar for my pre-ordered salad I met my first Kansas City buddy.  My Rutgers hoodie sparked the conversation with the bar tender who was not only born and bred in Jersey, but swam competitively and had kids who are now competing in swimming in high school.  Honestly what are the odds.  We chatted for some time before he very generously provided me with his business card complete with his home phone and email,as well as resturant recommendations, and the comment, complete with New Jersey accent, that should I "need anything, anything at all, during my stay, to let him know".  His kindness and generosity maked me proud to have spent 6 years in New Jersey.

During the day my time is spent learning the ins-and-outs of the new firm.  Rather dry for everyone but me, so I'll spare you the details, except the fact that everyone I've met has been great.  Friendly, informative and best of all, great senses of humor.  I've spent the evenings touring the shops and restaurants in the "historic" Kansas City Plaza, and despite what movie or tv characters try to sell, dinning alone is not my favorite pass time.  Sure I'm comfortable enough, but I do so miss the company of my husband.

I never would have thought Kansas City would have fog issues, but this morning there it was, looming in front of my hotel room.  My morning started off a little rough with a later than desired wake up time, gym farters and a chaotic ordering of a bowl of cereal.  Honestly when a gym is a 6x10 room packed to the gills with equipment and 5 sweaty exercisers the casual passing of gas is not appreciated.

The fog burned off by the time I packed into a car with 6 Network guys and headed to Oklahoma Joe's renown KC BBQ.  Not only is the food at Oklahoma Joe's well known in the area but it is a restaurant that acclaimed chef/world food traveler Anthony Bourdain has listed on his 13-places-to-visit-before-you-die list.  I opted for the Carolina sandwich which consisted of pulled pork topped with cole-slaw and a side of seasoned fries larger than my head. The meat, flavored by a delicious dry rub had great texture and flavor.  The sauce that was provided on the side was equally good, but not needed since the meat was so juicy and well prepared.  The slaw was a little lack luster but made a good addition to the pork's flavor.  The fries, though I could not eat many, were equally delectable.  I honestly can't say how I continued to function for the remainder of the day after eating so much, but somehow I made it through.  After work I played tourist, wandering about the Plaza with my camera, and finished the day enjoying a frosty barley soda from a local brewery, the Boulevard Brewery.


3 days down, 1 and a half to go.

Arizona?

Last night we covered our recently planted Madagascar Palms in the hopes that they would not freeze and die.  This morning on my frigid drive to work at 8:15ish, I learned that it was 33 degrees.  No one should ever have to utter the words 33 degrees and live in Phoenix... WTF.

A fine weekend indeed

A 5 mile run followed by southern comfort food, now that's a good start to a weekend. For quite some time we've been waiting for a good excuse to try out Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles and the completion of our run plus a recent job shift served as good a justification as any to head down town.

While I'm aware of my food intake/calorie content, I believe whole heartily in enjoying my culinary experience uninhibited by a socially "acceptable" waist size. That being said, deliciously opaque red Kool-aid was my beverage choice to accompany my order of Sheedah's Special (a fried breast and leg with a waffle) and my side of "candied sweets". The only disappointment in my order were the "candied sweets". Just a bit too candied for my taste. Jonathan ordered the Lo-Lo's special (two waffles + 3 pieces of fried chicken) with a side of fried Okra. We both agreed the fried chicken was darn near perfect. Unadulterated by spices the fry batter was simply delicious. We both would have preferred a crispier waffle, but the thought of requesting a modification to the menu never crossed our minds. We will certainly be back, but for our arteries sake, not in the very near future.

 While in the downtown phx area we headed to a local art exhibit that I'd read a little bit about in the Roosevelt district. A little odd, and not in a provocative way, so we quickly moved about the gallery and headed outside to take in some street art. Much to my delight some new politically flavored Lalo Cota murals (which I absolutely love) were on display as well as a smattering of other street paintings/tags. Continuing to make our way home we stopped at the Heard Museum to check out a book/museum sale where Jonathan found a very helpful copy of the Sunset Western Garden Book for $3.00. Nice find indeed. Various errands later we arrived home with new, non-diet food for Mr. Jackson, a sassy new collar/tag for Sydney and some new plants for our future succulent garden.

 







Sunday Jonathan took to removing the remaining red brick pavers from the front of our house so that we could plant our previously potted Madagascar palms. With very thick gloves and a towel wrapped around the spiky trunks we managed to remove both palms and plant them in the ground. We would have continued our gardening efforts and planted the succulents in the front garden area but with upcoming freezing night temps (down to 29!!!) we opted to keep them in their pots so that we can bring them inside for warmth.

 

On a final note, while in the gallery on Saturday I found this sticker.  I liked it for its strangeness but was struck by Jonathan's comment. As you can see, its a mythical, suite donning jackalope with the text, phxculture.com. "Does that mean it doesn't exist"? Interesting, very interesting..