Happy St. Nicholas Day to one and all! Did you get any candy in your shoes today? Or did St. Nicholas forget you this year?
It's rainy and cold here in Arizona... mid 50s for the high. Sometimes I think this isn't Arizona, just a microcosm of Kansas weather here for the day... with mountains.
I have been a total slacker writing here on the Blog... Let's see... We had a great Thanksgiving, Hilary, Kerry, Curtis and Glena were here, along with Eva Searcy and Brian "Natureboy" Connor. The turkey was a hit, but the risotto was a little TOO plentiful. But to tell the truth, a good meal was had by all. The wine was good, too!
Kerry, Hilary, Travis and I went camping outside of Tucson on Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend. We did a great hike to 7 Falls in Sabino Canyon - I'll post pics when I get them developed. Looks like we missed the mountain lion, too. Apparently hikers were being stalked the next day - the rangers went out and shot the animal later that day. YIKES!
Work... is the biggest professional challenge I've ever had. Next subject.
Work, part deux. I'm going to fill out my paperwork for Mesa Community College today... I'm excited about teaching my class, though I am a bit nervous. If I can get through one semester, the following semesters should be gravy. Or Beurre Blanc. :)
Our Europe trip is approaching fast! We're headed out on the 16th of December, for three weeks of unabashed touring. I can't wait - 3 weeks without work! Wooohooo! I'll try to post while we're on the road, but no promises. I have a feeling there will be an online photo album after the trip is over.
I hope everyone is doing OK- I'm very disappointed that I will be missing CRAPTACULAR again this year. :-( Save a place at the Go Girl Goddess game table next year for me!
Peace out, as my brother, the earthquake survivor, would say!
Jen-nay
December 06, 2004
November 08, 2004
CHEF!
So you're wondering what the heck I've been doing... I haven't written in a while, and laundry doesn't take THAT much time...
I'm going to be a chef! Can you dig it? I am going to start teaching a gourmet foods course at Mesa Community College in the spring. I'm way excited, but kind of nervous, too. What do I say to 30 people slavering for butter, heavy cream, and truffles? TO YOUR KITCHENS! That's right - they get to cook these great foods. I am hoping to cover all sorts of cuisines and culinary techniques, but I only get 4 hours per class. That's not much time. I hope I can keep them entertained.
Thanks to Lori Zienkowicz, KSU grad and program director, for giving me the job. I really think I want to teach college someday, so this is a step in the right direction.
I've also been arranging our Europe trip this winter, and that's been taking some time. I was starting to get worried when the first six reservation requests were turned down in Vienna. But now we've got a room at the Pension Hargita - you can check out the website at http://www.hargita.at/de/home/index.asp.
More good news is the fact that the weather is absolutely gorgeous now - so we've started hiking again, much to the chagrin of my muscles. We hiked South Mountain on Saturday, and aside from a sunburn, everything was great. The highlight of the trip was seeing the crew of American Chopper at the top. Weird. Mikey was there, but Paulie and Senior were not. We didn't know what to do, so we ignored them. I even had my camera with me and wussed out! Oh well. I'm sure they get tired of the Paparazzi.
Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away - I know Travis and I are looking forward to the long weekend. Then it's just a few short weeks and we're off to the continent!
Cheerio!
Dr. Watson
I'm going to be a chef! Can you dig it? I am going to start teaching a gourmet foods course at Mesa Community College in the spring. I'm way excited, but kind of nervous, too. What do I say to 30 people slavering for butter, heavy cream, and truffles? TO YOUR KITCHENS! That's right - they get to cook these great foods. I am hoping to cover all sorts of cuisines and culinary techniques, but I only get 4 hours per class. That's not much time. I hope I can keep them entertained.
Thanks to Lori Zienkowicz, KSU grad and program director, for giving me the job. I really think I want to teach college someday, so this is a step in the right direction.
I've also been arranging our Europe trip this winter, and that's been taking some time. I was starting to get worried when the first six reservation requests were turned down in Vienna. But now we've got a room at the Pension Hargita - you can check out the website at http://www.hargita.at/de/home/index.asp.
More good news is the fact that the weather is absolutely gorgeous now - so we've started hiking again, much to the chagrin of my muscles. We hiked South Mountain on Saturday, and aside from a sunburn, everything was great. The highlight of the trip was seeing the crew of American Chopper at the top. Weird. Mikey was there, but Paulie and Senior were not. We didn't know what to do, so we ignored them. I even had my camera with me and wussed out! Oh well. I'm sure they get tired of the Paparazzi.
Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away - I know Travis and I are looking forward to the long weekend. Then it's just a few short weeks and we're off to the continent!
Cheerio!
Dr. Watson
October 23, 2004
Culture Shock!
So we have made quite the culture circuit this week! Our weekend started with a concert at Gammage Auditorium on the ASU campus... Travis' work buddy Ed is in the choral ensemble, and they were performing with the orchestra in a concert about Life and Death. A little Shostakovich No. 2, Les Preludes by Liszt, and finally a Requiem by Fauré. Great performances - and free! Afterwards we found Four Peaks for reverse happy hour, and hung out with the work crowd for a while. Ed even brought a girl he met in choir. We were all so proud.
Tonight we went to an art showing for Jeff Lyon, a mechanical engineer that works with Travis. His art is really cool - he originally started with really concrete, almost photo-like paintings, but now he's branching out into more abstract drawings and prints - which are posted in this blog. I thought this would be at a gallery, but no, it's a loft of one of Jeff's clients. Whoa. I didn't feel like I was in a house - I felt like I was in an Ikea catalog or something. Everything was very minimalist and modern, complete with old episodes of Flash Gordon on the Flat Screen TV hung on the wall.
The food was awesome (half a globe grape with goat cheese and chopped pistachios!) - the wine was good, and all the beautiful people were there. I felt very special.
So now I am just basking in the culture, feeling very sophisticated. Almost makes me forget that I had to replace the gasket on my toilet today. Oh well- I'm off to the hot tub!
Hope everyone else is having a fabulous weekend!
Jenny
Tonight we went to an art showing for Jeff Lyon, a mechanical engineer that works with Travis. His art is really cool - he originally started with really concrete, almost photo-like paintings, but now he's branching out into more abstract drawings and prints - which are posted in this blog. I thought this would be at a gallery, but no, it's a loft of one of Jeff's clients. Whoa. I didn't feel like I was in a house - I felt like I was in an Ikea catalog or something. Everything was very minimalist and modern, complete with old episodes of Flash Gordon on the Flat Screen TV hung on the wall.
The food was awesome (half a globe grape with goat cheese and chopped pistachios!) - the wine was good, and all the beautiful people were there. I felt very special.
So now I am just basking in the culture, feeling very sophisticated. Almost makes me forget that I had to replace the gasket on my toilet today. Oh well- I'm off to the hot tub!
Hope everyone else is having a fabulous weekend!
Jenny
October 18, 2004
Finally, some cooler weather!
I can't believe it - the temperature was only like 81 degrees today! What a nice change after the 90s last week. Oh wait, I was in KS where it was only like 62 or so. I had a great visit at home - too short, especially since I had the worst flu ever all week!
I flew out to KC on Wednesday, did some shopping at Galyan's, and took lots of cold medicine. I headed out to KSU on Thursday - campus was gorgeous, and luckily everyone was happy to see me in my department! The department head, Dr. Canter, has asked if I will help teach a summer institute for high school students interested in culinary arts. How cool is that?? Then I went and got free lunch out of the deal (Thank you Mr. Pence), and Call Hall ice cream to boot! That was truly awesome. Nothing like a GIGANTIC brownie sundae to top off your afternoon! Dad, Mom and Grandma came with me - I think the ice cream was the best part of their day, too.
I managed to get some BBQ and Boulevard Beers on Friday night, and I hooked up with the old college gang (Josh, Molly, Heather, Jason, Donner, and even Chris and Betsy!) at a pub in KC. Not bad, not bad at all. It was hard to come home on Saturday - but I had to get ready for the week. I plan to tackle some serious housecleaning, grocery shopping, and finally SHAKING THIS STUPID COLD!
On a lighter note, Travis and I are getting totally psyched about our trip to Europe. We're trying to get hold of our friends in the Czech republic so we can visit them (they know the BEST places to buy beer and Svickova), and we are trying to decide which cities and countries to visit. Hmmm, do we spend New Year's in Vienna or Zurich?? The decisions we have to make! These are the kind of problems you WANT to have...
Well, I'm off to cook dinner... for all my friends that read this- it was GREAT seeing you all last week! Keep warm!
LL Cool J
I flew out to KC on Wednesday, did some shopping at Galyan's, and took lots of cold medicine. I headed out to KSU on Thursday - campus was gorgeous, and luckily everyone was happy to see me in my department! The department head, Dr. Canter, has asked if I will help teach a summer institute for high school students interested in culinary arts. How cool is that?? Then I went and got free lunch out of the deal (Thank you Mr. Pence), and Call Hall ice cream to boot! That was truly awesome. Nothing like a GIGANTIC brownie sundae to top off your afternoon! Dad, Mom and Grandma came with me - I think the ice cream was the best part of their day, too.
I managed to get some BBQ and Boulevard Beers on Friday night, and I hooked up with the old college gang (Josh, Molly, Heather, Jason, Donner, and even Chris and Betsy!) at a pub in KC. Not bad, not bad at all. It was hard to come home on Saturday - but I had to get ready for the week. I plan to tackle some serious housecleaning, grocery shopping, and finally SHAKING THIS STUPID COLD!
On a lighter note, Travis and I are getting totally psyched about our trip to Europe. We're trying to get hold of our friends in the Czech republic so we can visit them (they know the BEST places to buy beer and Svickova), and we are trying to decide which cities and countries to visit. Hmmm, do we spend New Year's in Vienna or Zurich?? The decisions we have to make! These are the kind of problems you WANT to have...
Well, I'm off to cook dinner... for all my friends that read this- it was GREAT seeing you all last week! Keep warm!
LL Cool J
October 11, 2004
Home again, home again, jiggity-jig...
Well I made it back to Arizona. The ADA convention was awesome - I had a great time with my old boss and learned a lot of great things about what's going on in the world of nutrition. The weather was fabulous, but boy things got expensive fast! Thank goodness the district was paying for that one...
I am home sick today (too much happiness in the Magic Kingdom). I will probably go into work tomorrow, then leave for KC for the rest of the week. Gosh I love working for the school district. The kiddos are off this week, so I don't have to worry about taking a sick day.
I'm looking forward to seeing KC in fall- rumor has it the leaves are changing and everything is beautiful. I can't wait - I'm getting sick and tired of these mid-90s through the month of October.
I'll talk to you all later - my medicine is really kicking in, and I might type something I'll regret later!
Jenny
I am home sick today (too much happiness in the Magic Kingdom). I will probably go into work tomorrow, then leave for KC for the rest of the week. Gosh I love working for the school district. The kiddos are off this week, so I don't have to worry about taking a sick day.
I'm looking forward to seeing KC in fall- rumor has it the leaves are changing and everything is beautiful. I can't wait - I'm getting sick and tired of these mid-90s through the month of October.
I'll talk to you all later - my medicine is really kicking in, and I might type something I'll regret later!
Jenny
October 02, 2004
Greetings from the Happiest Place on Earth!
Apparently somebody else saw my doppelganger blog post - I hadn't been in the airport 10 minutes before someone came up to me and asked, Do you watch Sex and the City? Ummm, I am going to have to watch that show and find out about the gorgeous woman with red hair...
I am here in Anaheim, California, waiting for the ADA Convention to begin. So what do I do? Head straight for the free email! (well, of course I found food and a bottle of water first, but that goes without saying) Since I am here without anybody else, I get to go and find new dietitian buddies (or old ones, possibly from KS). And if all else fails, I am going to the Disneyland hotel for breakast with the characters! They won't let me down...
The weather here is gorgeous (except for the smog), and the amount of GREEN is amazing! Birds of Paradise EVERYWHERE... thank you, Disney dollars. I am staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel, and I even get the Disney Cartoon Channel - SWEET.
Big time classes start tomorrow - tonight is the opening session. In the meantime I am going to soak up some sunshine and steal a pen - I forgot mine. :)
Talk to y'all later -
Sunny D
I am here in Anaheim, California, waiting for the ADA Convention to begin. So what do I do? Head straight for the free email! (well, of course I found food and a bottle of water first, but that goes without saying) Since I am here without anybody else, I get to go and find new dietitian buddies (or old ones, possibly from KS). And if all else fails, I am going to the Disneyland hotel for breakast with the characters! They won't let me down...
The weather here is gorgeous (except for the smog), and the amount of GREEN is amazing! Birds of Paradise EVERYWHERE... thank you, Disney dollars. I am staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel, and I even get the Disney Cartoon Channel - SWEET.
Big time classes start tomorrow - tonight is the opening session. In the meantime I am going to soak up some sunshine and steal a pen - I forgot mine. :)
Talk to y'all later -
Sunny D
September 26, 2004
Husker Highlights!
We went camping this weekend in Flagstaff with some friends of Travis' from work (Ed and Brian)- awesome views, COLD weather, and lots of humor from Brian. Brian is from Nebraska (pronounced BER-Naska), and graduated from UNL. Turned out to be a good thing, too. The first night we were there, the camp hosts decided to yell at us for doing everything wrong, and just when we thought they were going to throw us out, Brian mentioned he was from Nebraska, and suddenly they were our best friends. Bow down and worship the big red "N"!
We took a 5 mile hike up to 10,000 feet, through the Inner Basin of the San Francisco peaks. There were a lot of people on the trails, out enjoying the 60-something weather and sunshine. From the inner basin you get a great view of the Painted Desert - the Northeast corner of Arizona. After the hike, we headed down the mountain and Brian was excited to try four-wheeling in his new truck. Ed was not so sure this was a good idea, especially when Brian was driving with two wheels on the road and two wheels on the mountain!
We stayed in Bonito campground, just outside Sunset Crater National Monument, and other than the weirdness with the hosts on the first night, the place was great. Who knew flush toilets were such a great invention? We had a nice campfire, made friends with Frisbee, the local skunk, and enjoyed food prepared in dutch ovens. How can you go wrong? It certainly was nice to get out of Phoenix for a while...
Things are going to get busy from here - I am heading to Anaheim next weekend for the National Convention of the American Dieteic Association, and then I am heading to KC about 10 days after that. Travis' work has slowed down a bit, but we are starting to focus on the patio roof and other projects out in the yard. Still waiting for the weather to cool off --- though it got down to freezing in Flagstaff, it was 98 in Phoenix today. Sheesh.
I haven't finished my roll of film yet, but I'll post pictures when I get them. I guess this is why people have digital cameras, eh?
Keep the torch lit!
Silent J
We took a 5 mile hike up to 10,000 feet, through the Inner Basin of the San Francisco peaks. There were a lot of people on the trails, out enjoying the 60-something weather and sunshine. From the inner basin you get a great view of the Painted Desert - the Northeast corner of Arizona. After the hike, we headed down the mountain and Brian was excited to try four-wheeling in his new truck. Ed was not so sure this was a good idea, especially when Brian was driving with two wheels on the road and two wheels on the mountain!
We stayed in Bonito campground, just outside Sunset Crater National Monument, and other than the weirdness with the hosts on the first night, the place was great. Who knew flush toilets were such a great invention? We had a nice campfire, made friends with Frisbee, the local skunk, and enjoyed food prepared in dutch ovens. How can you go wrong? It certainly was nice to get out of Phoenix for a while...
Things are going to get busy from here - I am heading to Anaheim next weekend for the National Convention of the American Dieteic Association, and then I am heading to KC about 10 days after that. Travis' work has slowed down a bit, but we are starting to focus on the patio roof and other projects out in the yard. Still waiting for the weather to cool off --- though it got down to freezing in Flagstaff, it was 98 in Phoenix today. Sheesh.
I haven't finished my roll of film yet, but I'll post pictures when I get them. I guess this is why people have digital cameras, eh?
Keep the torch lit!
Silent J
September 10, 2004
You make the call...star doppelganger?
You be the judge - does this look like me? Are you sure?
I've been told by a couple of people that I look like this person... Not that that would be a bad thing. :)
September 07, 2004
Take it easy in a Barcalounger...
And finally, this is the recliner we've purchased. The fabric will be a mixture of southwest colors, though. It should look pretty nice in our living room, I think.
That's about it on the home decorating front... we're still in the midst of planning our patio, calling the roof guys, and praying that the weather will cool off sooner rather than later. As for work, well, let's just say it was really hard to go back after a 3 day weekend. Travis' Critical Design Review is next Thursday - we're thinking about going camping in Flagstaff that following weekend. Getting out of the heat and relaxing for the weekend will be just the ticket.
My next blog will be better - I promise. I think I've got the publishing figured out. Keep cool and stay tuned!
Mood lighting for the patio...
We these sconces would look pretty sweet out on the patio. These are featured in the Cabaret at Taliesin West.
This may be another construction project for us to hash out.
Still looking for that perfect chair...
This chair is the prototype for the Taliesin Wing Back or Origami chair. Wouldn't that look really cool on our new patio?
We think so, too. However, we don't have $4000 to buy a new one, so we are reverse engineering our own version. We visited Taliesin West on Saturday to get a closer look and gather some design ideas for our own house. Frank Lloyd Wright had some really cool ideas that we hope to incorporate into our house. Um, so far, we have the same Target halogen torchiere.
In search of the perfect chair...
Great news! We've finally ordered furniture! In our typical style, we looked at different styles for about 8 months, shopped at countless stores, spent WAY too much time online, and decided on some very unusual pieces. We've picked out a loveseat, recliner, and chaise - I'll post pictures when we get them, but don't hold your breath. We're supposed to see the loveseat and chaise sometime in December... they're being crated over from Italy.
August 30, 2004
Life in the Desert
Ok, it's official. I'm lazy. Rather than writing LOTS of emails about our life here in the Great Southwest, I am going to attempt to write a blog keeping all y'all updated on the Watsons here in Phoenix. Arizona life seemed like a good title because, um, we live in Arizona. I also thought a blog would be a good way to show pictures of our house, our hikes, whatever, without clogging all the inboxes or sending out mass emails. So if you really want to see the pictures, you'll find them here!
Needless to say, it's hot. It's August. We are waiting for the weather to dip below 100 during the day so we can get some work done around the house. We plan to put a patio and new roof on the place before Christmas, and then move on to the landscaping and irrigation before it gets hot again. These are tremendously huge projects, but boy will it be nice to have a place in the shade in the backyard.
School started in the Scottsdale district on August 10th - so I've been busy non-stop. The initial rush of school start up has subsided a bit, so things should mellow out for me at my schools. I only have 10 schools this year - the stand-alone kitchens. Another Operations Manager has taken over the receiving kitchens. However, the new director has grand plans for re-organizing the department, so who knows what I may be doing by October 1st!
Travis is keeping busy with his projects at work - he's been working on the digital side of Electrical Engineering. He's enjoying the work overall, just dealing with the everyday crap wears you out.
Bobby came to see us last weekend before he leaves for Germany TOMORROW! I can hardly believe it. Check back later Bobby - I'll post some pics for you.
Ciao for now. I'll write more later.
Needless to say, it's hot. It's August. We are waiting for the weather to dip below 100 during the day so we can get some work done around the house. We plan to put a patio and new roof on the place before Christmas, and then move on to the landscaping and irrigation before it gets hot again. These are tremendously huge projects, but boy will it be nice to have a place in the shade in the backyard.
School started in the Scottsdale district on August 10th - so I've been busy non-stop. The initial rush of school start up has subsided a bit, so things should mellow out for me at my schools. I only have 10 schools this year - the stand-alone kitchens. Another Operations Manager has taken over the receiving kitchens. However, the new director has grand plans for re-organizing the department, so who knows what I may be doing by October 1st!
Travis is keeping busy with his projects at work - he's been working on the digital side of Electrical Engineering. He's enjoying the work overall, just dealing with the everyday crap wears you out.
Bobby came to see us last weekend before he leaves for Germany TOMORROW! I can hardly believe it. Check back later Bobby - I'll post some pics for you.
Ciao for now. I'll write more later.
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