Birthday trip

In celebration of Jonathan's birthday (the big two six) his parents came out for a trip to the Grand Canyon, among other sites. We started our adventure bright and early Saturday morning with a departure deadline of 8. Smack at 8 we piled into the car, and with Jackson in my lap, we drove to casa Hare where Jackson would be staying for the weekend. After supplies were handed off and instructions were provided we were whisked back to the car to head off to our first national monument, Montezuma's castle.

It just so happened to be a free parks weekend so instead of waiting outside the park entrance like a bunch cheap-os we strolled along with Jonathan's parents and uncle. Of course the obligatory hand held pics were taken and can be seen in the slide show to the left. I was most delighted that I as able to stamp my trusty national parks/monument passport, since the first time we visited the park we were passport-less, and I'm not dedicated enough to pay the $5 just to get the stamp.

Continuing on, we made it to Flagstaff around 1 and picked up lunch to be eaten at casa Hare numero dos. Granted it was about 15 degrees cooler (give or take), the sun was mighty toasty and the fresh air was delightful! With lunch out of the way, it was time to stop dilly dallying so we piled comfortably into the Sequoia and made our way to Walnut Canyon (photos to the left) and 4 wheeled in luxury over to the Grand falls (Navajo Reservation land). Apparently the Grand Falls are only grand for a limited amount of time due to the snow melt, and we just happened to be lucky enough to catch it in, or at least around, its prime. Day one summary: Early, on time departure, check, national monument, check, 4 wheeling until coated with dust, check, Mexican food dinner, check. A darn fine first day indeed.

Up with the sun on Sunday, being the delicate flower that I am, I managed to hurt my neck/upper back attempting to put on my shirt. Next to me Frankenstein would have looked like gumby. Oh well, no time for pain, the Grand Canyon waits for no man. The drive took a little over an hour and included plenty of lovely scenery plus an over sized Fred Flintstone hosted dinosaur park. Like good economy stimulators we ate lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge restaurant then started touring about the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. At 3 PM we attend a California Condor chat, and I don't know about the rest of the party, but I was darn skeptical that the chat would result in a condor sighting. Well, slap me silly and call me Sally, because those birds just kept flying over. Some may consider it a bad sign when a bird that specializes in eating decomposing carcases constantly hovers over-head, but I consider multiple California Condor sighting worth looking like a rotting meal.

With dinner reservations looming and plenty of sights to see we took off on a short rim trail hike. Little did we know that our hike would include not only gorgeous canyon views, but some up close California Condor sightings. Our vicinity to the condors was such that with a little extra zoom you can clearly view their tag numbers. According to the lecture there are currently 350 California Condors in existence, which is still a small population, but a much needed improvement from the 23 in existence only a few years back. They're no macaw, but their big feet, 9 ft wing span, shiny black feathers, and bald red head and neck have a beauty all their own.

After we shook some dust off of ourselves in our respective rooms we made our way to the restaurant in El Tovar for some delicious food and libations. Good food, wonderful company and a window side table looking out at the Grand Canyon at sunset, not a bad way to finish off day two.

Our final day in the canyon was spent busing/hiking to the farthest point on the South Rim trail (Hermits Rest) and enjoying canyon views, each uniquely beautiful. While we enjoyed the canyon I was delighted to receive word that Mr. Jackson was enjoying his visit with Zoe, Natalie, Max and Maggie. Its always nice to hear that your hairy kid is enjoying himself and providing good entertainment for all.

Our return to the valley was complete with a 20 degree rise in mercury and a very happy, vocal kitty greeting. Jackson seemed happy to see us when we picked him up, but would have surely been content to hang out with the Hares a while longer. During the Jackson pick up we learned that he found great joy in dragging a faux-fur bed throw from the guest bed, down the stairs and out into the formal living room. He apparently has a taste for the finer textures in life and I'm grateful he finds a way to continue sleeping on his fake sheep fur bed.

Be sure to check out the slide show to the left complete with Canyon views, cheeky hand held shots and of course a few pics of the California Condors.

Comment of the day

One office worker is talking to another and says, "I saw you brought your grandkids to the fair this weekend". Pause. "No", second office worker responds, "I don't have grandkids, I only have two children".

One might consider this an appropriate "oh shit" moment.

The conversation continued awkwardly and drew to a close much slower than the offending party probably would have liked. Today's lesson, when in doubt opt for the comment that makes the other party feel youthful, or at least, doesn't offend.

When will it end?

Open mouth sneezing is NOT cute. Combine with baby-talk, its down right despicable.

I suppose I understand if you're a very little kid, because the ole motor skills might not be spot on (no less gross), but when you past the age of 4, especially if your beyond 50, for the sake of not infecting the entire world, cover your stinkin mouth!

Quality control?

Seriously who puts live milk cultures in Soy yogurt?!? Its soy for a reason people, and I'm pretty sure that reason isn't for the joy of squeezing moisture out of a bean. Rarely do I shell out damn near double the price of regular yogurt for the needs of my fragile flower stomach, but with this ingredient revelation, those times will become even fewer and far between.

Had it been labeled, sure I would be the fool, but good ole fashion milk isn't even listed in the ingredients. That would be tomfoolery, by golly its Soy yogurt. It was only after some squinty eyed searching that I noticed the tiny, blurry print advertising "contains soy and milk (our live active cultures are milk based)". Damn it all to milk hell!

Scratch this brand of the happy stomach list. Leave me and my non-milk products be you damned lactobacillus!

Fit for a Modernist Furniture Add

Toby enjoys a minimalist lifestyle.

Empty, white furniture.

His kitchen is only stocked with condiments.

He stares into the distance to contemplate consumerism.

Got Biscuits?

Nothing says "Monday" better than your dog presenting you with the fresh cat biscuit that he's managed to dig out of the pile of leaves. Silly me, I thought he was going to bring me a toy...

Finally!

Despite a rocky start, Saturday, March 19th , turned out to be a good day. Jonathan's grand aspirations for finishing the sanding of the wood beams came to a quick end when the last remaining sanding belt was ripped to shreds by a mischievous random nail. Then, despite our best efforts to spend some money we left many a furniture store empty handed. Time for some fast food therapy. We stopped at the always tasty In-N-Out Burger, and after enjoying our lunch, confirmed the dirty rumor we'd heard a while back that In-N-Out prints bible verse references on the bottom of their cups. Further inspection would reveal that it didn't stop with the cups, because apparently your delectable side of fresh cut fries comes with a light salting of Jesus as well. I suppose, for the sake of In-N-Out's tastiness I'll come to terms with the subtle proselytization, but if they start saying it at the cash register, we might have a problem.

By the time we arrived home our mail had already been delivered. After a quick glance at the pile on the floor I spied an overstuffed envelope from the Supreme Court of Arizona. Upon first glance I choose to ignore the little beast. Jonathan had run into some "unique" characters along the path in obtaining his license to practice, and the past 60 days, if not 7 some odd months have been unnecessarily, shall we say, challenging. I figured it was best we not live our lives in fear of a pudgy envelope and decided to hand it to its rightful owner. We both stood in silence while Jonathan read over the contents. After a few lengthy seconds of reading he spoke the words we've been waiting to hear for months. They're granting me the license. Its finally over.

Hooray!!! Jonathan appeared to be in a bit of shock, but after the process he/we've been through, its understandable. It may sound odd, but that letter, that moment, and those words, were even more exciting than finding out we got the keys to our house. Finally, after much stress, and one hell of a nasty roller-coaster ride, Jonathan can start his legal career as a licensed attorney. It will be another two weeks until he gets his official number, but at least its no longer an issue looming over us. Saturday, March 19th turned out to be a good day indeed!

Shared Office Etiquette 101

If you're going to eat something that smells like fart before its even processed through your body, out of consideration for those who share your office space, kindly eat it elsewhere!

Happy Friday!

Good to know

To prevent my car from spontaneous combustion I opted to stay a little further behind this truck than usual.

Easy Rider

Its taken a little time but Jackson has finally figured out how refreshing a rolled down window can be. When I first tried to show Jackson how awesome the fresh air is he was a bit hesitant, but now that he has figured it, anyone sitting in the passenger seat or even the driver's seat is a mere step ladder to the open window. Now that's one happy little dog! And, doesn't he look heavenly with the sun rays shining down on him : )

Everyone is happy when its warm and sunny outside and you're cruising with the windows down!

Finished Tile

D & D Tile finished our tile backsplash this past Friday and it looks great! Really ties the room together, does it not?

Kitchen update

Yesterday we had D&D tile (The Mosaic Guys) install our tile backsplash. They are returning today to finish up the grout, and I can't wait to get home to see the finished product. Even though the pictures below show an unfinished product, it already looks pretty good. We stacked, opposed to staggered the matte white 2x4 subway tiles and accented the backsplash with semi-random lines of black/gray/charcoal glass tiles with little white swirlies. Pre-installation Jonathan was a little concerned that the glass tile accents were not going to work with the kitchen, but we both agree that they look fantastic. They help tie together the black/white theme of the kitchen and bring just enough pop to the design to catch your attention. Nothing too busy, just a little something extra.



One thing this remodel has taught me is how to be flexible. The near completion of the kitchen remodel has made us realize that our kitchen has definitely benefited from a few last minute detours from our original design plans. A few months back, following quite a bit of back and forth we had decided to have a white stone countertop installed in the kitchen. However, after learning of "additional installation costs" in excess of $700, which would top our already tight budget, we decided to go with our initial choice of butcher block, and it looks terrific. Not only did it save us about $2,500+ but the butcher block brings a great amount of natural warmth to the kitchen and has worked much better for the overall design than the cold white stone would have. In addition, the first range hood we ordered was stainless steel, but thanks to a shady online business and an order that was inexplicably delayed for months, we canceled the order and found an awesome matte black hood that works better with our kitchen design.

We still have some decisions to make about shelves and molding, but hopefully by the end of April we'll be able to consider the kitchen... completed!

Happy Friday

Just in case you were wondering, Rage Against the Machine is a very appropriate way to start the day.

More home improvements to come... stay tuned.

Work quote of the day

Male supervisor: "I'm glad I could get it up for you"

Female employee: "I'm glad you could get it up for me too".

The tragedy being neither of the computer nerds involved realized the blatant innuendo of their comments. Just continued discussing computer parts sans chuckle, smile or comment, and I wasn't about to be "that guy" and bring it up. Hyuck hyuck, no pun intended.

Off the wagon

I think Toby may have "a problem".

Mom's visit

A few Saturday's ago, my mom arrived after a 12+ hour drive down from the the lovely island of Alameda, CA. The ginormous truck she was driving came packed with all kinds of goodness, like the much anticipated stacked washer dryer unit, a sweet poang chair,and some slightly scary family "heirlooms". I was really excited to see my mom, and quite relieved that I would no longer be making weekly trips to the sketchy Laundromat.

Unfortunately, Jackson didn't seem to share our excitement for my mom's arrival. After an initial sniff and grumble and then an eventual bite, we found out Jackson was a bit more aggressive than expected. It was reminiscent of a bad infomercial, there we stood, shocked and dismayed at our wild animal's unruly behavior. Luckily for us, and Mr. Jackson, my mom has considerable experience with dogs and working with them using many of Cesar Milan's amazing dog whisperer methods. I kid you not, given a few days of one on one time my mom was able to whip Mr. Jackson into shape. We are still working with him every time someone comes over but since her visit he plays better, he has learned words (toy, bone, treat), he has learned a "sit" command and overall seems to enjoy a little more structure and having more of an established role in the pack.

To the left are some pictures of Mr. Jackson as well as an awesome mosaic my mom completed during her stay in Phoenix.

Sappytown

For the last two weeks the Winter Olympics has brought tears to my eyes on a nightly basis. You name it, ice dancing, down hill skiing, snowboard half pipe, even bobsledding brings about uncontrollable eye moisture. And, these tears are not patriotic, no, they appear for American teams, German teams, Canadians, you name it, I'll cry over it. Its now to the point where I can't talk when the Olympics are on because my voice breaks, giving away the emotion I'm trying unsuccessfully to control. This level of emotional devotion may make you think I have some freak affinity for the winter Olympics, but this isn't the case in the least. The last time I was aware the Winter Olympics were taking place was when they were in Salt Lake, back in 2002, and I'm pretty darn sure I didn't watch any of the coverage.

Yesterday during my drive into work the mere mention of the Canadian ice skater, who recently lost her mother, started to get me chocked up. In a futile attempt to prevent pre-work tears I changed the station. Little did I know, the sweet melody of Cyndi Lauper would also bring about a case of the vapors. Its so pathetic I can't help but laugh as tears form.

After a night sans Olympics, and avoidance of any Olympic news coverage I was relieved when Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" managed to get my Friday off to a tear-free start.

Mine now

For my own well being I decided it was best to let demon Toby sit in the new chair.

Late 20’s + Ear Infection… honestly?

Day 1: I tried to pretend it was only an ear ache, and that with some tender love and care it would go away.

Day 2: My middle ear was now swollen to the point that I could only hear muffled noises out of my left ear. If I was daring enough to endure the pain to open my jaw wide enough to shove in some food, all sound was lost as I crunched on my cereal. Time to see a Dr.

Following the slightly insulting comments of “must be pretty bad if you came to a Dr. for an ear ache”, the nurse took my temperature. Her awesome comments continued when she informed me that my temp was 99.5, “indicating that there really was something going on”, “not to say we didn’t believe you”. Good to know they were expecting a lying hypochondriac. A good 10 minutes after the nurse left the Dr. came in prepared for a weight loss program speech since the nurse had added an extra 100 lbs to my chart. Awesome attention to details. After some obligatory chatting the Dr. shoved something in my ear already sensitive ear, and jostled it around to the point that my left eye was watering uncontrollably. As if the first time wasn't bad enough, after a little diagnosis chatter she decided she needed another look. Yes, indeed it hurt worse the second time, but thanks for the extra effort.

Since I am now the proud owner of an HSA insurance plan (aka, I pay every dime until I hit my premium of $1400) after she recited the "tests" she wanted to run on me I asked her how much they cost. I could hear the thought-hamster-wheel loud and clear. Post "ums", "uhs" and blank stares she finally admitted she had no clue how much they cost. I didn't care too much that she was ignorant of the cost she imposes on the patient, so as she climbed onto her "I’m a conservative" soap box and explained to me the "problems with health care", my admiration for the view from the 25th floor grew. Her mentioning of the disconnect between Dr.'s, Pharmaceutical companies and patients didn’t help the fact that, as a Dr. with no concept of how much medical tests cost, she was only contributing to the problem. I opted to hold off on the blood draws.

At this point she wrote a prescription down on my trusty chart and walked out of the room. She returned a good 10 minutes later to inform me she had done some research to find out the price of the tests. Super, couldn’t you have done that on your own time, instead of mine? She then told me she was going to “write up the prescription”. Surely this should have taken 30 seconds while she scribbled it on a little pad and sent me off on my now in more pain way. No no, not at this state of the art office. I had originally appreciated the fact that this office was predominantly electronic, but when it took them 15 minutes to type up my Rx, and print it out my appreciation for the technological efforts had faded.

When I originally scheduled the appointment I was asked, if I'd be making this Dr. my primary care physician. Odd question to ask of someone who hasn't even met the Dr., but I said yes to move on with the appointment set up. I suppose they gave it their all, but after an hour plus long appointment that resulted in my left ear becoming numb to deal with the pain from the assault/inspection I have a funny feeling I won’t be returning any time soon.

Goober

I wonder what kind of day its going to be when on the way to work I almost start crying while singing the non David Bowie version of Major Tom? Honestly, Major Tom?