Breaking News...Cheesus

I am throwing one other thought out there today. I think this story is important, so I am sharing it. A woman found a cheeto that resembles Jesus recently. They like to call it "Cheesus." Stories like this really make me smile. I don't pay enough attention to what I eat, so I have probably missed several important resemblances in my food.

Beware the “Reply All” Button

I haven’t ever been a victim of a “reply all malfunction.” That said, I know several people who have been and I would bet you do too. Today I got an email from an academic advisor. It went to an email list of at least 500 people. The advisor mentioned that she was canceling her normal advising hours to go to a conference. Shortly after getting that email, I received an email from someone who had “replied all” to the initial message. It said something like, “Hey Mary, you’ll want comfy shoes for that conference…and a large bottle of vodka.” I can only picture the face of the poor “reply all-er” when she realized her email had gone out to at least 500 budding MBAs. I have seen reply-alls that were annoying, embarrassing and mean. I have seen graphic personal details unintentionally revealed to mothers and grandmothers. I only hope that my enjoyment of today’s reply all incident and the subsequent blogging doesn’t karmicly destine me for my own incident… Then there was the time a girl who worked for me a few years back sent an email to the entire company, executives included, that said, “I have quite a few excess paper clips at my desk, let me know if you would like any.” I got a call from an executive shortly after the email. He requested I educate my employee on when it’s appropriate to email 500 people in 15 different states. The message would have fallen on deaf (more like clueless) ears, so I didn’t bother. Perhaps that is why my current employer restricts emails to the entire company unless “Corporate Communications” has reviewed them… P.S. If you search “Reply all stories,” you can read of other fun incidents!

Satan’s Minions (or My Pet Squirrels)

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was charged by a squirrel in my back yard. One afternoon’s terror has now turned into an all-out war. One squirrel has now turned into two squirrels. Apparently, the little guy called his squirrel friends and said, “There are some low-lying, relatively healthy plants over here. Let’s party!” As such, a squirrel festival has been going on in my back yard for two weeks. They have eaten all my potted flowers and generally made me afraid to go in my back yard. Today I noticed them eating the plastic cover on our outdoor fireplace. It’s really pleasant in ABQ at night right now and if it weren’t for a) my fear of getting bitten which would inevitably result in a lifetime of rabies and b) my fear of the minions somehow sneaking through the opened back door into the house, we would be outside enjoying the end of summer. When I water “the stubs formerly known as flowers” the minions have left behind, I usually ask my husband for “cover,” since I am convinced they are waiting to attack. Besides that, I avoid the back yard at all costs and wait for them to discover the still semi-healthy plants in the front yard. Through some online research, I have learned that the pest control experts say home remedies don’t work (surprise, surprise – how else do they make money) and that as soon as the little buggers get into your house, you are toast. There is a guy called the “Skunk Whisperer” that serves the ABQ area and I can just picture us chasing around squirrels together in my home. The image may be mildly amusing for those that don’t have to participate, but for me it’s a reason to always make sure the backdoor is secure. For all those reasons, I have decided to give my backyard over to the squirrels... temporarily. With any luck, our dog, Riley, will be coming home from summer camp soon and I have a feeling “Squirrel Festival 2008” might feel a little crowded once my perpetually hungry mutt arrives.

Tag, you're it.

While not familiar with the concept of “tagging,” my friend Jackie “tagged me” and as such, here’s a little of my perspective: A. Attached or Single? Attached (literally right now since my husband is taking up most of the space on the couch)

B. Best Friend? Several for different purposes: Mom, unconditional love with a healthy dose of advice; my sister Tina, someone I aspire to be just like; Emily, a friend I don’t talk to often enough, but someone who really knows my heart; Jackie, my best friend on a day-to-day basis, has been with me through both the big and little stuff over the years

C. Cake or pie? Yellow cake w/ chocolate frosting (only occasionally as I prefer processed sugars and chemicals – like red vines)

D. Day of choice? Friday or Sunday – a toss up

E. Essential item? Sadly, my Blackberry

F. Favorite color? Carolina Blue

G. Gummy bears or worms? Worms, all the way, better if they are sour.

H. Home town? Tempe, AZ

I. Favorite indulgence? Champagne

J. January or July? January for sure… New year, new possibilities and Phoenix made me hate July forever

K. Kids? None yet. I really like my nieces and nephews. I remain neutral on most other kids…

L. Life isn’t complete without? An occasional bath and those moments when I am reminded how lucky I am.

M. Marriage date? September 1, 2007

N. Number of brothers and sisters? 1 brother and 2 sisters

O. Oranges or Apples? While I love oranges, I hate pulp - so apples (fuji)

P. Phobias? Spiders, bridges, failure. Also heights, but I overcome.

Q. Quotes? “I’m gonna come at you like a spider monkey.” -Talladega Nights

R. Reasons to smile? Talladega Nights, my husband, my dog, my family, One Tree Hill.

S. Season of choice? Spring, I think. Summer is good also, the days are really long.

T. Tag 5 people: I don’t know anyone else who blogs… It’s like playing tag by yourself. Sad.

U. Unknown fact about me? I spent at least three hours on the American Gladiators message boards within the last six months. I signed a petition and contributed money to bring the WB show Everwood back.

V. Vegetable? Zucchini and/or asparagus

W. Worst habit? Excessive use of ellipses and dashes when I am confused about comma use.

X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Depends on whether I have a broken bone or a growing baby…

Y. Your favorite food? My husband says I should put chicken fingers. I say Chipotle.

Z. Zodiac sign? Leo and it makes sense.

A Perfect Day

We headed up to Pagosa Springs for the weekend to “dog-sit” for my parents while they headed to South Bend for my Dad’s 50th high school reunion. (A pretty impressive event, if you ask me.) Saturday was an amazingly therapeutic day, one of my best in a while. I woke up Saturday morning, had my coffee, made some biscuits and read a book I am really enjoying on my parent’s deck (which has a 180 degree view of the mountain peaks.) Mid-day D. and I set off for a five mile hike. The sun and fresh air seemed to cleanse me a lot more than a detox diet or day at the spa. To give you an idea, this is a picture I snapped during the hike.

At the end of the hike, we had a celebratory cold beer and I truly felt like I had just put in an honest day’s work. That evening, we had dinner at a place that deserves pretty much perfect marks, called the Alley House. We sat on their deck in the perfect early Colorado evening sipping a lovely bottle of wine while enjoying spicy Chipotle Edamame, perfect Ahi Tuna and very fresh asparagus & mushroom stuffed trout (that last one is D.’s, anyone how knows me knows that I don’t eat fungus.) As a final treat, we had Sambuca and Crème Brulee. It was one of those meals that makes you want to memorialize every bite. As if that wasn’t good enough, my parents had called ahead and treated us to the meal as an early anniversary gift! To cap off the day, we headed to the natural hot springs in Pagosa. They have over a dozen different pools ranging from the river to 114 degrees. In a moment of pure insanity, we took a dip in the 55 degree river, which was quite cold at 10pm. Although sticking around the Southwest for another year wasn’t in my plans, I am already seeing how much I have to gain from this year. On the trip home, we started a list of all the places in the Southwest we would like to see together in the next year. We already have about ten weekend trips on the list that are within driving distance. When I think about places I have lived, I feel like I never took full advantage of all they had to offer. This “bonus year” in New Mexico lets me be close to family for a while longer and allows me to do all that stuff we haven’t focused on in the madness of wedding planning/house buying/house renovating/working 60+ hours/school applying/etc. I feel like I am finally spending some time in the present instead of just applying all my efforts to planning the future.

Randomness In Perfect Order

I would like to blog about three totally unrelated things today, but in an effort to keep my blog entries cohesive, I plan to build some rickety bridges in between my thoughts: Random Thing #1 – Happy Birthday! To: Me, From: Me (A month early!) My tickets for the sold out Jack Johnson show at Red Rocks in Colorado arrived this weekend. I really love Jack’s music, he seems to speak to a pace of life I wish I had and I have yet to see a concert of his. I have also always wanted to attend a concert at Red Rocks and it turns out he’s playing there on my birthday. They call that “kismet.” Sadly, I connected all these facts long after the tickets went on sale and after they had started trading at quite a premium on the net. Nonetheless, it was worth every dime and I can’t wait to see one of my favorite musicians at such a beautiful place.

For those that don’t know, Red Rocks is a beautiful natural geological formation in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The 300-foot red rocks that surround the amphitheater make for amazing scenery and supposedly perfect acoustics. I am looking forward to everything about the show except the inevitable bugs. It never ceases to amaze me how frightened I am of things that are less than a tenth of my size, case in point… Random Thing #2 – Attack of the Killer Squirrels I was standing in my backyard this afternoon when I heard the pitter-patter of footsteps in our side yard. Always a skittish one (especially when it comes to unexpected footsteps), I quickly turned my head to see a squirrel climbing a tree in our backyard. I realize this is a normal thing for most of the U.S., but I live in fenced-off, heavily trafficked Albuquerque and haven’t seen squirrel since my wilderness hikes of yore. (An interesting and unintentional link to Random Thing #3.) The squirrel and I made eye contact and then the squirrel did a peculiar thing, it charged me. I stood and stared for a second and then quickly realized that the distance between us was shrinking and momentum was on the squirrel’s side. I ran for the indoors just praying the squirrel wouldn’t beat me into the house. We once had a hummingbird in the house for about three hours, it was hell. Thankfully, I was able to beat it inside and now I will probably not enter the yard again for a few days. I know the squirrel could have out run me since I run a little slower these days with a few extra “first-year of marriage” pounds. (No, it’s not a baby!) It appears I am not the only one in the country with this issue… Random Thing #3 – It’s a Slightly Larger World After All I heard a news story today that actually came out several months back. Apparently, Disneyland had to take the ride, “It’s a Small World” down for a ten-month rehab in January. The primary reason being that the boats for the ride, originally constructed in the 1960s, were getting consistently stuck. It has been suggested that the boats might not be the problem, we are. I guess we are all a little heavier, on average, than the folks back in the ‘60s and the original ride can’t handle the increased weight. That was a disturbing factoid to me and I can’t wait to see what our increasing waist lines do next. When’s the last time they increased the standard size of doorways? I type this all while snacking on a beer (non-light) and white corn tortilla chips. After all, it would be a shame if they rehabbed the ride for nothing!

Peter Piper Party

For some reason, I have been in a slight funk this week. I have learned that the quickest way to kick a funk (at least for me) is to pack the kids up in the car and head to Peter Piper Pizza. Now mind you, I don't have any kids, but that doesn't stop D. and I from going. I guess it's always been a favorite of mine, I actually went there for either my 19th or 20th birthday several years back, by choice. Since we moved to Albuquerque, we have spent occasional "date nights" there when we both needed a little stress relief. As an aside, most Peter Piper Pizza's serve beer. That said, if you plan on going I would advise strongly against Fridays and Saturdays, unless you like being accosted by screaming kids that aren't your own.

This time was especially "rad" since my good friend Emily gave me a gift card to Peter Piper when I got married last year and so this trip was going to be "on her." If you are a Peter Piper Executive, stop reading here. For some reason, the folks at our local Peter Piper could figure out how to use the gift card and just comped our whole meal, tokens included. That means Emily really provided several visits "on her." I told D. that when you get something you shouldn't get free for free, you'll have to overpay for something else to keep the universe in equilibrium. He seems unconvinced.

Here's D. loving his Galaga. Watching him play really gives me a window into his life before me. He's quite good, but oddly passionate about the game.

There's me on the Dance Dance Revolution machine. There will usually be a couple junior high kids playing and we have to stare them down until they get scared or run out of tokens. We played three rounds, I only won one... D. is a dancin' machine.

Here's to a stress free weekend!!

A Family Fourth

The fourth of July has always held special meaning for my family. Besides its traditional meaning here in the USA, it was my grandmother’s birthday and my parents were married on July 4, 1963. Those of you that are quick at math will note that my parents celebrated their 45th anniversary this past weekend. I am constantly amazed at the level of commitment they have maintained through the years. Happy Anniversary to you, Mom and Dad! You have consistently reinvented your relationship and I think that is part of the secret to your success.

To celebrate, my “immediate family” descended upon Pagosa Springs, Colorado for the weekend. Since we are absurdly close and want to be together every waking (and non-waking) moment, we packed my parents’ house with 21 people. I am pretty sure that increased the population of the small town by about 10%, someone probably had to repaint the sign at the town’s entrance.

The festivities included a parade downtown, fireworks at the high school and a baseball game in the field on my parents’ land. My dad has created a baseball field complete with correct measurements, perfect mowing, bases, a backstop and team benches. We just need to work on adding lights for night time games. It was a great weekend and getting everyone together is no small feat. We had four generations together for the weekend: my parents, their kids, the grandkids and the lone great grandkid.

I must say that a highlight for me was the new board game we played, Quelf. It’s quite ridiculous and random. The game is not for the intelligent, but rather for those willing to embarrass themselves. For instance, my nephew Josh got a card that required him to say, “Here me, for I have spoken” at the end of each sentence he uttered during the hour-long game. My nephew-in-law, Matt, had to make a snorkel out of a plastic water bottle and wear it for the whole game. By the way, he also had to ask his foot permission to talk. These are a few glimpses of what makes the game so fantastic. It’s a “roll on the ground laughing” type of game and I highly recommend it for anyone that likes to look foolish or could use a good dose of foolishness. Since I fit the latter category, I can’t wait to go out and buy it. Some photo highlights:

My great nephew (I feel old), my niece, myself and my sister! (Note the matching shirts, a requirement! A gang of 21 people in matching shirts…scary!)

The group that mauled each other during a heated game of spoons: my niece-in-law, my nephew, my nephew, my nephew-in-law, another nephew and D. (Note the haircuts on the left, the Mohawk and the “Cul-de-sac” were big hits over the weekend.)

The Land of Entrapment

When I first moved to New Mexico two years ago, I was told that the “Land of Enchantment” (our state’s nickname) would be more appropriately named the “Land of Entrapment.” It appears I should have listened.

Last week, my husband, D., and I decided to postpone our impending move to Lansing, Michigan for one year. It appears that New Mexico has wrapped its claws around us and we will spend the next year attempting to get free, talon by talon. Sell one of our houses, the grip loosens. Sell our second house and the state known for its aliens (from both outer space and Mexico) is hanging on by a thread. Find my husband a replacement job in Michigan and we’re floating free.

It all began while I was living in Colorado and on my first or second date with the man who is now my husband. I mentioned that I would NEVER live in New Mexico and that I considered it the armpit of the country. Within two months of that proclamation, he received a job promotion offer…in Albuquerque. A word to the wise, never say you will NEVER do something, it virtually predestines you.

Oddly enough, I now feel that the negative connotation of the “Land of Entrapment” isn’t quite fair to a state that I have grown to like, if not love. New Mexico is like the girl who gets 7.5s out of tens in all categories (looks, personality, etc). New Mexico isn’t a stunner in any one area, but rather a solid contender for good weather, decent economy, travel options, things to do, natural beauty, etc.

During my time in New Mexico, I bought my first home, got married at a beautiful church outside of Albuquerque, worked hard, learned a ton, (poorly) played the totally foreign sport of soccer for two seasons, met some really great people and had some really good times. It has probably been the most accomplished years of my life and so being entrapped here for another year seems like it can only bring more goodness to my life. To Michigan I say, “Can you hold my spot in the line?” To you I say, “Welcome to a new blog from a girl in the city with all the Qs.”