Breakfast Recipe

October 2005 I made a simple change in my life that has really transformed my life. I started to eat breakfast. You all know how much I love my sleep and I just valued that snooze more than eating first thing in the morning. Truth be told, I typically set my alarm for 7am and hit snooze until it's about 8am when I realize some of my co-workers are already sitting in their cubicles. It's that thought that finally guilts me into getting out of my cozy warm bed. Well, now I've learned that breakfast is a great routine, but I still don't like to take time to really make something. So often I just grab toast or cheese or fruit. But I feel best when I've had egg-beaters or something with protein. And I found this perfect solution that I thought I'd share. I make these quiche cups on the weekend and heat up 1-2 each morning. Sometimes I eat them over a whole-wheat english muffin and its easy to take in the car.

Vegetable Quiche Cups to Go

• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach
• 1 cup egg beaters
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup diced veggies - pick you favorites - I use green peppers and mushrooms
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• a few drops of hot-pepper sauce to spice it up

Microwave spinach for 2 1/2 minutes & drain excess liquid
Line 12-cup muffin pan with foil baking cups - spray with Pam
Combine egg substitute, cheese, veggies in bowl & mix
Divide evenly among muffin cups
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
Store in fridge and microwave for 33 seconds to reheat

Merry Christmas in Ohio

Our flights from Phoenix to Pittsburgh were ideal this year. We were delayed about an hour getting out of Phoenix due to the weather in Denver. Some great people watching near the security checkpoint - hard to realize how many people still haven't gotten the memo that you can't take entire jugs of lotion and shampoo onto the plane. No lost luggage, lines were not too long, and lots of time to read and knit.

Not a white Christmas this year in Ohio, but there was a nice frost on the morning we left. My dad has redone the front walkway into our house and it was beautiful. And it was our first Christmas with Stella, the new center of the family. She is a pretty puppy.

As usual, my parents gave us the perfect Christmas. For those of you who don't know, my family has a tradition that "As long as you believe in Santa you still receive gifts from Santa." And I must have been a very good girl this year. I got a new fun Canon digital camera - a cute little one just like Kelly and my sister Tyler have. So you can expect fun new photos on the blog. We all love to over-do on gifts and I know I inherited this from my mom. Also Ben got me a beautiful saphire ring.

My family has Christmas foods - things we eat at Christmas every year that we never eat other times. Tyler makes her ChexMix and bean dip. Dad makes his special fudge and CCs (Christmas Cookies with icing). Mom makes American Pizzas and her new roast beef sandwiches and lots of other dips. We gorged on delicious food all week and I know I gained 10 pounds. Good thing I got that pedometer for Christmas.

We have done the same exact thing for Christmas every year of my life. Christmas Eve with the McPhees and Christmas morning at our house then dinner at the farm. My family is so much fun and I love our traditions. I know that the next 5 years will bring lots of changes in our family. Mom and Dad will probably retire and potentially move somewhere warmer. Tyler may move somewhere to be with Kevin after he graduates. I'm not sure how many more years I can talk Ben into flying over the holidays. I am persuasive so far! Our traditions will probably have to change. And so we treasure them even more knowing that they will not go on forever.

Arizona growth fastest in U.S.

Saw this interesting article today on AZ Central. Guess I'm part of a larger national trend.

Scoot over, Nevada! Arizona has ended your 19-year reign as the fastest-growing state. We were the rightful champion last year, too, only we didn't get credit until today, when the Census Bureau released updated figures.Arizona had a population growth rate of 3.6 percent in 2006, census estimates show. It added 213,311 people, including about 32,000 immigrants and 130,000 people moving from other states. That brings the population to more than 6.1 million and makes Arizona the 16th-largest state. The South was the biggest regional gainer, picking up about 500,000 people. The West added 53,000 people from other parts of the United States. The Northeast lost 375,000, and the Midwest lost 184,000.

Football finally gets it right

See link above for great happy news for Prince fans like myself. Price will be playing at halftime during the Superbowl. Finally a football game I can't wait to watch!!

"Prince, the 48-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who rose to fame on the strength of such tunes as "Little Red Corvette" and "Let's Go Crazy," will perform at Dolphin Stadium near Miami on Sunday, February 4. The game will be televised on CBS, a unit of CBS Corp. This year's event, held in Detroit, drew 91 million viewers in the United States, according to Nielsen Media Research. His Super Bowl performance was announced on the CBS sports show "NFL Today," three days after he received five nominations for the Grammy Awards, the music industry's most prestigious event. "

Merry Christmas to Me?

Look at this photo and you'll see what my freezer looked like Tuesday night. Fun fun. Compressor in the fridge died. It was actually freezing over and then would stop working so everything would melt. Then after the melting was full-force it worked long enough to form the only icicles I'm going to see in Arizona this year.

So $1000 and a new fridge later, Ben and I may put a bow on our newest purchase that arrived yesterday from Lowes! Ahhh just what I wanted for Christmas. Much better than a hot-tub or a plasma tv right?

What does Alexis really do for a living?

See link above to a very nice Business Week article highlighting Microchip. Often times I am asked what I really do for a living and it is a hard question to articulate so I wanted to write it down. I am a Product Marketing Manager for Microchip, a semiconductor company who is a market leader in 8-bit microcontrollers. The requirements for this position include both a degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA as well as 8+ years experience at a semiconductor company. I work mostly with the PIC18 family of devices, which are 8-bit microcontrollers that run at 40MHz.

A microcontroller is a computer chip that is like a mini-computer. Your PC can do lots of things and is a 32-bit processor with lots of performance, memory and peripherals. An 8-bit microcontroller is a smaller version of this which solves smaller problems, has smaller amounts of memory and less sophisticated peripherals. The 8-bit microcontroller is ideal for adding "smarts" to everyday appliances like when your coffee machine turns on in the morning at a certain time. Another example, there are probably 10-20 8-bit microcontrollers in your car. One to control the power windows. Another to control the dimming in your lighting... get the picture?

So.... basically I define what features will go onto new microcontrollers - how much performance, program memory and which interfaces are required for our customers target applications. I have to made decisions about trade-offs between features and the cost of the device. Microchip has hundreds of different microcontrollers - all with different amounts of memory, performance and with interfaces that will connect to things from USB (like on your PC) to Ethernet (for connection to the internet) to wireless protocols to something as simple as an analog-to-digital converter or serial interface. They range in price from $0.10 to $10 each depending on complexity.

You still awake? Well once I define a new product, I write a business plan to justify its creation. This includes analyzing the market for this product, analyzing the competitors, and doing a financial analysis to see if it is worth investing in the development of the proposed device. If the business plan is approved by all of the key players (marketing, design, applications, architecture, management) then we assign a team to design the product. I assist with the development by trying to represent the voice of the customer.

Once the device is designed, it has to be manufactured in a fab. Then we get back initial chips which I use for early adopter programs and to gain momentum in the market in anticipation of the product launch. I have to make sure all of the supporting collateral is in place - datasheets, press announcements, webpages, development tools, and then we officially launch the new device in the marketplace with a press release, training the worldwide sales force and often times we have a corresponding advertising campaign which runs in technical magazines.

At any given time I have a few products at various stages in this process. I interface mostly with the engineers and the sales team and act as a translator between them. But I also visit customers in order to understand their application requirements. I get about 60 emails a day which are questions from customers or sales people or engineers. I spend about 4 hours most days in meetings. In 99% of these meetings I am the only female. I speak a foreign language that involves lots of acronyms, NPSR reports, Baan flags, Stellent input screess, NPPS meetings, and pieces of technology called PPS, MSSP, SPI, I2C, and ZigBee. Who knew when I decided on electrical engineering to get that minority scholarhip money that the question "So what do you do?" would be so hard to answer??

So the new short answer will be: I am a marketing engineer, you really don't want to know any more. Let's talk about something more interesting and relevant to the world we live in because I already spent too much time thinking about work for the week!

Knitting & Christmas season kickoff

I am proud to present Julia's first knitted hat (and first knitted project on circulars and double point needles). I'm such a great knitting instructor that this adult size hat in a fun cotton candy pink was originally intended to fit her cute little 5 month old little girl, but hey, at least it fits someone. She is a natural and I'll never get the whole gauge concept!

It was nice to spend Thanksgiving with 4 days off here in Phoenix with perfect weather, knitting with friends, shopping and a Vikings win at football (yes I admit it was against the AZ Cardinals which is hardly something to brag about). I did a lot of reading, working on my puzzles, and just relaxing.

I'm still working on the first piece of my knitted Einstein Cardigan. It needs to by 48" and I'm at 35". Lots of work yet to do. But amazingly I'm not yet sick of the $9/skein heavenly blue yarn that I'm working with. Although it is starting to stain my bamboo circular needles to a nice shade of blue/grey.

This weekend we have a fun event Friday night at an art gallery with wine tasting as a fundraiser for the Sorptimist club I belong to. And a Christmas party at a friends house Friday night. I guess it is the holiday season kickoff weekend. We did put up our tree and I'm already listening to 99.9 in the car. Gus loves to hang out in his spot under the tree, which of course we just put up for his enjoyment. Now I just need to get started on some actual shopping!!

Now for a quick books & movies update. Ben and I went to see Borat the Kazakhstan movie. It was funny but awful all at once. I watched the DaVinci Code on DVD and thought it was much better than the reviews said. I just finished Jodi Piccoult's Perfect Match which was a fast read and I'm almost done with Obama's Audacity of Hope - this you must all go read now because it's amazing. My mom just sent me Ann Moore's trilogy of books called Leaving Ireland. Anyone heard of them?

And a tragedy to report.... Safeway has discontinued carrying my "award winning" chocolate chip with carmel cookie dough. What will I do if I'm challenged to a rematch?

Go Bucks!

I spent some time last week in San Jose for work and the highlight was driving by Netflix headquarters. It's a fun place to see all your favorite high-tech companies.

Then, I flew to Columbus to visit. It ends up being OSU - Michigan football weekend. For those of you who are not familiar with this, Columbus is crazy about their Buckeyes. It's hard to put into words but here are a few tidbits which may clue you in.

Wednesday night at the Phoenix airport waiting for the flight to Columbus, half the plane was wearing OSU t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and or necklaces. When the flight attendant played the Michigan theme song over the PA system, there was a resounding booooo. As I was knitting a blue sweater I was acused of being "the enemy"

While shopping Thursday at Home Depot (helping Courtney pick out blinds), I wondered if maybe it was a new law that 90% of the population must be wearing some OSU branded piece of clothing at all times. Everywhere we went it was all red.

Friday night at dinner, people were still abiding to the 90% attire rule above. As we were waiting for a table, 6 people walked in in full blue Michigan attire. The restaraunt broke out into a loud song "We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan.... We're from Ohio..." And then broke into a familiar cheer in which one side of the room yells out "O - H" and the rest of the room yells back "I - O". At first I was embarassed and wanted to apologize to the poor Michigan fans, but then I realized they were in fact dressed in blue from head to toe and that it probably would have been a bit more subtle to wear normal clothes when in Columbus at dinner at this point in time.

And finally it was game day, Saturday. We drove to my aunt's house for a football party and family reunion. Upon driving into the subdivision, I joked to Courtney, maybe their house is the one with the big blow up glowing Brutus (the OSU mascot). And it ends up that yes, it was true. See proof in photo with the Alcott sisters and my puppy-niece Stella. It was a good football game and a fun visit with family.

Sunday involved a lunch and shopping with my parents and then the famous $5 pizza and $4 pitchers of beer at Rivari. Ahhh I love Ohio. But did I mention it was only 45 degrees outside?

Got back to Phoenix last night to 85 degrees and my two favorite guys - Ben & Gus. Now on to Thanksgiving, the best holiday of the year... mashed potatoes, shopping and a nice long weekend.

Grand Rapids Michigan

When I signed up for visiting Microchip's Great Lakes region to present training to our local sales team, I have to admit I thought I'd be going to Cleveland & Pittsburgh and get to pop-in on family. So when they sent me to Grand Rapids Michigan I was a little disappointed. I has there Monday - Wednesday this week. It ended up being a nice visit despite the pro-life billboards and NRA supporting clothing/bumper stickers and plethora of "A people" (see previous post about the Amish shootings). I sure was glad to get home Thursday morning. I'm still catching up on tivo shows and laundry. But it was nice to see some fall leaves!

See cute photo of our godson Gavin in full Vikings attire. Ben is so proud.

I disconnected my home phone until after the election because I'm sick of getting the political voicemails. I voted by mail several weeks ago and am tired of it all because I feel like it should be over by now. Not sure why I bother voting anyways since Ben and I just cancel each other out on just about everything. I'll be bringing in the election results with my fellow volunteers at Planned Parenthood Speaker's Bureau Tuesday night.

Can you believe the stores already have Christmas stuff out? Last weekend at Michaels they were already playing "Jingle Bells" over the speakers - those poor people who work there will definitely be going nuts by mid-December!

I finally watched Munich and am glad I watched it - long dark sad movie but thought provoking.

Now I'm reading "Finding your own North Star" by Martha Beck and "Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama. Just finished Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult.

I've been practicing doing nothing every day and it is one of the most difficult things ever. Try it.

The Audacity of Hope

I got to see Barack Obama tonight at a book signing held in Phoenix. He was introduced by Gov Janet Napolitano who I think is absolutely fabulous. When Sen Obama came out, he said he had a huge political crush on our governor. Cute. He told funny stories and serious stories and I'm very excited to read his new book. I like that he sees the best in people, the core values that unite us instead of focusing on how we are all different. Deep down, I really hope he is the real thing. After hearing him talk tonight, I believe he will run for president and that he has a decent chance. He is practical yet hopeful, and believes that if we find common ground that we all want to help people be better, help people do better, and make the country a bit better than we received it. I like his themes of responsibility and morality. That it takes courage to not be cynical in this life.

VOTE FOR JANET 2006!!

My tour of the midwest

I haven't had to travel much for work in a few years. Lucky me to inherit a product line at work that isn't doing very well so I have started a marketing campaign to energize sales. This involved visiting all of our regional sales offices to train our people how to best position and sell these products.

Monday - Flew to St. Louis, lots of rain, had a lovely dinner with my cousin Chris and his wife Thetis. Got to meet their huge puppy Macy, a golden doodle.

Tuesday - Flew to Minneapolis, highligts included driving by Prince's studio Paisley Park and sleet/snow/rain. What is it about the mid-west and so much parcipitation? Hard to have a good hair day.

Wednesday - Now to Milwaukee, actually I think my first time to Wisonsin at all, there actually was a place called the "Cheese Castle", nice. Nothing wrong with a state known for cheese & beer.

Thursday - Chicago, the windy city, the nicest weather I've seen all week. Still cold, but at leat the grey dome broke to see a little sunshine. Starting to really miss my bed.

Friday - back to Phoenix. Yeah!! Landed around 8pm and got to see my favorite guys - Ben & Gus.

Saturday - knitting lesson in the morning (finally learned alternate ways to cast on and bind off) and another wedding in the afternoon at the San Marcos.

Today? Relax, catch up on errands & Vikings football!

Living for the weekend

This weekend, Ben and I went to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West for a tour. Very interesting architecture and since his home is a bunch of buildings connected by paths we got to spend some time outside also. And it was a beautiful 78 degrees most of the day.


Mom is going back to work tomorrow - sending good strong karma toward Ohio!

I'm off on a week-long business trip to promote the marketing campaign I'm working on with trainings at some of our North Central sales offices. I'll hit St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago & Milwaukee this week. Fun fun. Lots of time for knitting and reading on the planes.

October weddings

October is the "June" of Arizona. Great time of year for weddings, perfect weather, great time to spend outdoors. Our friends Cindy & Jeff celebrate their 5th anniversary this month. And Ben and I were invited to 2 weddings this month - both at the San Marcos Resort less than 1 mile from our house. This is a refreshing change of pace from the last few weddings which required travel to Chicago, St. Louis, etc.

This past weekend we got to see my friend Michelle as the beautiful bride. Many of my friends from Acoustic were there and it was fun to catch up with them all. I miss them all so much.

I enjoy weddings much more than I used to. I even did the chicken dance and the electric slide. Life is all about making the most of moments.

I'm making dinner right now and just got home from yoga class. My favorite yoga class is a gentle yoga on Monday nights. And I'm looking forward to a nice dinner and watching Studio 60.

I'm reading Nora Ephron's "I Feel Bad About My Neck" which is a quick read and witty. She definitely lives in a different world than I do, but I can appreciate her essay on maintenance. She talks about when did it happen that women HAD to have a manicure in order to be presentable? And how hair dye did more for the feminist movement than anything else. I have "March" by Geraldine Brooks and "Digging to America" by Anne Tyler both on deck for the lots of business travel I have coming up over the next few weeks.

Also I watched "Friends with Money" and would recommend it if you don't mind a slower plot with good character development. Not a feel-good movie, but I knew I had to see it from the previews because one of the characters hates to wash her hair (and you all know I can relate to that)!

GG + VM = CW rocks

Gilmore Girls & Veronica Mars in the same night on the new CW tv channel. That's sooo awesome. Might come close to filling my Alias void!

And all new Lost tonight - ahhhhhhhhhhhh.... tivo has been busy!

Violence among the A-people

My sister Tyler is one of the funniest people I've ever met. She has a secret fascination with the Amish culture. She calls them the "A-people" so we can talk about them in public without being noticed. She also has a pet turtle named Jon Benet, but that's a whole separate blog....

Anyways, I thought of my sister with today's news that a man shot and killed a bunch of girls in a Amish school in Lancaster County, Penn. An Amish school shooting - man that is just too much.

I really do believe in freedom, but things like this make me think about the role of the press, the rights of people to carry guns, and the society we live in. Are we getting more violent or is the media just more pervasive? Would gun control just take guns away from the honest people and give the criminals more power?

Flowers and fun

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Ben surprised me with beautiful flowers for my birthday. Ahhh they smelled so good. And since I was just getting over a cold, the ability to merely smell seemed like a gift!








And here is a photo of me and my favorite ladies from my birthday bash!

Just finished reading "The Other Side of the Story" by Marianne Keyes. Fun, easy read. I started Yarn Harlot today. Haven't been knitting much but I'm looking forward to getting back into it soon. TV shows have been fun. So far I've enjoyed Survivor, Vanished, Justice and Studio 60.

My mom goes in for shoulder surgery tomorrow so sent healthy karma toward Ohio. They are sending her home with a pain pump and ice machine. Sounds like a dangerous combo to me - snow cones and drugs! I wish I were closer to her to help out and support her during her recovery.

Just booked a ticket to visit Columbus in November and see my sisters and friends. I finally get to meet my canine niece Stella!

September rocks!

So far this September, a.k.a, my birthday month:
I had dinner with Ben's family and played with my nieces
Ben and I went out to breakfast for the 3rd time since I've known him (ok maybe 4th time)
I knit with friends and started a big project, for myself..... stay tuned
I've done lots of yoga
Courtney was here and we had fun at Oreganos, Four Peaks, Iguana Macks, Pedicures, Abuelos, Chandler Mall, Teakwoods, Salty Senorita, Suggar Daddys, Pita Jungle, Serranos, and Buffalo Wild Wings
We saw Little Miss Sunshine - which was hillarious
I drove to the top of South Mountain
I had dinner with my local family (aunt/uncle, cousin & twins) and got to see the twins walking and almost walking and eat good cheesecake
I've sucessfully lived through a cold
I've been inspired by my volunteer organizations (Planned Parenthood Speaker's Bureau & Soroptimist Int'l of San Tans) starting back up after summer break - woman can change the world and it energizes me to be part of something greater than myself
Season premiers for Survivor and House have started up

And I've got lots to look forward to.

Tomorrow I turn 32. I am excited about the next year in a way that I haven't been in a long time. I have no idea what it will hold. I have no expectations about it, which is totally refreshing. And more uniquely, I have not expectations about what the next year will NOT be. I've alway been more sure of what I didn't want than what I did want. Life feels more like a journey than a set of accomplishments now. And my definitions of fun and joy have definitely changed. I've seen people move in and out of my life and I feel that it is easier to let go and trust that things happen for a reason. Half of my heart is in Ohio with my family and half is hear with my husband and friends. Neither place will ever feel totally complete and that is my lesson right now - to just enjoy what I have when it is available. That my life is bigger because my heart is in multiple places instead of just one. I've already started the bday celebrations - last weekend with Courtney in town. Now, this weekend I've got happy hour with friends on Friday, a romantic dinner with Ben at Ruth's Chris on Saturday night, and a Vikings football get-together with Colombes on Sunday. Should be a fabulous weekend!

I just finished reading Stolen Child which was interesting but not my genre. That's my favorite thing about belonging to a bookclub is that I get to read books I would never select on my own. I've joined another bookclub and they are reading March by Geraldine Brooks which is Little Women told from the dad's point of view. And in between I'm reading some brain candy - both The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes and The Yarn Harlot by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

The fall line-up is starting and I, for one, am totally excited that I have 180 hours of tivo time to record this year. I plan to put my tivo to full use!

Well, I was born at 12:01 Ohio time, in Warren Ohio. So that means in about 15 minutes I will really be 32 years old. How come I still feel about 17? I wonder if old people, still feel this way inside? Cross you fingers I get cared tomorrow night at happy hour!

Reading & Movies & Stuff

I just finished "The Case for Israel" by Alan Dershowitz - great eye opener for the historical background into the conflicts in the Middle East. I had no idea that there has been a majority Jewish presence in what is now Israel for hundreds and hundreds of years.

I've been listening to Martha Beck's "Joy Diet" book on CD in my car. I love any program that starts out with a step that says I should "do nothing" at least 15 minutes a day. Ahhhhh......

Ben and I went to see the Ricky Bobby NASCAR movie - Will Farrel is a funny funny man. I've been enjoying the previews for Snakes on a Plane, but don't think I will actually spend $5 on that one.

My sister Courtney bought a ticket to come to Phoenix and visit in a week. I'm soooo excited to hang out with her and get my sister fix!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor Pluto

Astronomers strip Pluto of its planet status - Did you hear?

Pluto was stripped of its status as a planet on Thursday when astronomers from around the world redefined it as a "dwarf planet," leaving just eight major planets in the solar system.

Don't you think they should have a grandfather clause for those planets who have that status. I have a magnet on my fridge from the Lowelle Observatory in Flagstaff (where they first discovered Pluto). The magnet has all 9 planets on it and I think that's going to be worth something someday!

Is this enough of a reason to switch from Coke to Pepsi?

PepsiCo Inc. said Monday that Chief Financial Officer Indra K. Nooyi will replace Steven Reinemund as chief executive officer of the soft-drink and snacks company, making her the No. 2 female CEO in the Fortune 500. With her Oct. 1 appointment, Nooyi takes her place in an elite group of 11 female CEOs running Fortune 500 companies. Patricia Woertz at agricultural processor Archer Daniels Midland Co. ranks first. ADM is ranked 56th in the Fortune 500, while PepsiCo, the world's second-largest soft-drink company after Coca-Cola Co., is ranked 61st.

A Girl in the Cafe

MUST SEE MOVIE: A Girl in the Cafe

This one came highly recommended from my friend Duane. I added it to my Netflix queue. It arrived and I read the summary on the DVD jacket - a romance? Not from Duane? Or what has fatherhood and marriage done to him? Or maybe I ordered the wrong movie? Well I shouldn't have doubted him. Yes, it was a romance, an unlikey pairing. But it was also some of the best dialogue I've seen in a while, at parts believalbly awkward. Not fancy, but inspirational. And it turns into a political drama on an international level, fighting poverty and compromise.

The movie ends with this quote by Nelson Mandela:

Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.-- Nelson Mandela

Non-Fiction Reading

Just finished reading "Why Terrorism Works" by Alan Dershowitz. Very interesing given the current state of affairs in Iraq, UK, Israel/Lebanon, just about everywhere. It's a post September 11th perspective, but focuses a lot on the Hammas and the sucess of terrorism in the Palestinian movement. The basic premise is that people resort to terrorism because the international community, and sometimes even the U.S. government, have rewarded them - terrorism will go on as long as it works. He also addresses ways to eliminate terrorism and the trade-offs between morality, freedom, and safety. Very thought provoking and my #2 favorite book on the topic.

What's #1? "American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us" by Steven Emerson. I read this many years ago after it was recommended by a friend of mine who works for the CIA. I got it from the library but had to purchase my own copy for reference!

I hate to shower

Does anyone else out there dread showering? I hate it. I try to go as long as possible without showering. This is difficult when trying to have any kind of exercise routine. My hair actually looks better when I haven't showered in a few days. Showering just seems like a waste of time. I'm not sure why I hate it so much. I do enjoy the feeling of being clean. And I like water in general. Any theories on why I think showering sucks?

Since we last talked

Since we last talked, here's what's new:
My mom visited from July 18 - 25th - we ate out, shopped and watched lots of movies

Our only 3 year old a/c broke when it was 115 outside, nice, of course warrenty was up

Ben got braces

Weather cooled off below 100 degrees, while the rest of the country is sweltering

Kelly turned 30 in Costa Rica!

I was the MC at a FIRST Robotics event for Microchip - For Inspiration in Research & Technology is a competition where high school kids build robots and the intention is to inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists and inventors, started by Dean Kamen the guy who invented the Segway transporter http://www.usfirst.org/robotics/

Ran into old co-workers from what seems like a previous life as a design engineer at Motorola

Trivia with Ben at BW3s, of course

Finished reading: Beasts of No Nation (interesting), Reading Lolita in Tehran (fascinating given current events), Honeymoon by James Patterson (brainless and fun)

Just started Harvesting the Heart - another my Jodi Piccoult

Planned Parenthood Speaker's Bureau meetings started back up - I'm scheduled to give a talk on healthy relationships and communication to at-risk teens next week

Both of my sisters have interviews for new jobs, Ty as a manager at OSU's Planned Parenthood and Court as a social worker at OSU hospital - GOOD LUCK!!

I really want to see the cheesey movie - John Tucker must Die and the Ricky Bobby movie is tempting too

Most important trivial news item: Prince is getting a divorce and closed down his website

Most important Political Rant: The FDA may FINALLY approve PlanB, over the counter, just like they should have years ago!!
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., charged Tuesday that the
battle over the morning-after pill was an attempt by the White House
to inject politics into science.

Seeking to overcome opposition from the Democrats, Dr. Andrew von
Eschenbach, the Bush administration's choice to head the Food and
Drug Administration, pledged that his decisions would be guided
by "medical ideology," not "political ideology."

But Clinton and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said they would not lift
their "hold" on his nomination. Under Senate rules, any member can
indefinitely block, or hold, a nomination.

The focus of the latest fight was the FDA's sudden turnaround Monday
that would allow the sale to women 18 and older, without
prescription, of the so-called Plan B morning-after pill made by
Duramed, a subsidiary of Barr Pharmaceuticals.

Planned Parenthood and other groups have argued that Plan B would
cut unwanted pregnancies that lead to abortions, while conservative
critics claim it would promote promiscuity.

At a Senate Health Committee hearing, Clinton praised von
Eschenbach's qualifications but told him he was caught up in a
debate that "has been turned into a political football and you are
on the field."

"Once we start politicizing the FDA, there is no stopping," said
Clinton, who challenged von Eschenbach's claim that women younger
than 18 might not use Plan B safely.

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the committee's chairman, pleaded with
colleagues to approve the nomination while the FDA and the
manufacturer work out procedures for the sale of Plan B.

But Clinton and Murray refused to budge until they review any FDA-
Duramed agreement.

Knitting firsts

Check this out - I finished knitting my first sweater. Baby Audrey Lee is the proud owner of my first attempt at a knitted sweater.

Modelled here by my teddy bear.















Here is a look at my yarn stash. What will I decide to create next???

I saw You, Me & Dupree today. If you like Owen Wilson, you will love it. And as much as I don't want to like her, Kate Hudson is really good it in also. Michael Douglas was also in the movie playing an overprotective father - funny to see him in that role.

Dr. Phil had a show about online dating and I actually changed my mind from thinking it was totally crazy concept to seeing that it could be a powerful tool. And it also reminded me how grateful I am to be married! This is just one example of how liberating it is to be a person who can change her mind!

For anyone who has cable, there are 2 new favorite shows this summer (well they aren't necessarily new, but new TO ME). First is Project Runway on Bravo. Hillarious crazy designers. Like the Apprentice for the fashion world. The second show is called Namaste Yoga on FitTV - an awesome 30 minute gentle yin-yoga show. My guilty summer pleasures are Last Comic Standing and Rock-star Supernova. What did we possibly do before reality tv?

I'm just finished A Wedding in December which was ok and I am currently working on Reading Lolita in Tehran. It's a little slow starting... but shows promise.

My mom comes for her summer visit this week. And it's only 115 degrees outside and our air conditioner has been acting up. Eeek! It's always fun to have her visit because we shop, watch movies, eat out and relax.

Vacation over

Well after 9 days away from work, reality struck this morning when the alarm went off.

Things I loved about my vacation:
Sleeping til 10am every day
Reading good books (Blackberry Wine, Wedding in December, Songs of a Humpback Whale)
Watching good shows (24, Entourage, Syriana, Prime, Transamerica)
Spending our 3rd wedding anniversary in Mexico, at a fabulous resort
Eating chips & salsa, drinking gin and tonics (diets and vacation don't mix)
Did I mention the lazy river?
Oh and the shaded hammocks in the sand with a view of the ocean....
Tacos
Cervesas
Rough life
No sun-burn, maybe I am learning something in my 30s....
I completed my first "evil" level Sukoku puzzle (Veronique you created a monster....)
Yoga, surprisingly, lots of yoga
The best pool party ever at our house
Got to see friends multiple times in a week
I'm almost done knitting my first sweater, ok it's a mini, baby sweater, but it actually has even arms and a collar
Ben's family all got together, even our nieces, and I was nice

Sad things about vacation:
it's over
one more year til I get to do it again
my family was all together at the beach in the Carolinas without me... and they had a hot-tub

Well, July is flying by and it's super hot here so I can't say I mind. Our last electric bill was more than my car payment. Ouch! My mom comes to visit next week which is always a fun week of shopping, movies, and food.

Tivo rocks

So I finally gave into temptation and upgraded my tivo. I bought a new hard-drive from www.weaknees.com and went from 30 hours to 180 hours of recording capacity. It's seriously the best gift ever. OMG!!! The amazing tv potential!! Now I can't wait for the fall lineup.

Just finished reading Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bojalian - highly recommend it. Made me think about gun control and vegetarianism in new ways.

My bookclub just picked Beasts of No Nation for our next book - should be a fabulous discussion of civil war in Africa with child soldiers.

I've been doing more yoga lately and really thinking about graduation from the "gentle yoga" level at the gym to something more challenging. And of course the physical fitness gods decided to curse me with a strained ligament or something in my right ankle (translation: I probably overdid.... go figure). Conspiracy, I swear.

Only 2 more days of work and then I get an entire week off. We are having a pool party on Saturday and then 3 days of total relaxation before heading to Rocky Point for our 3rd wedding anniversary. We are staying at Las Palomas: http://www.lpsgc.com/ I love this place!

Great movies/shows I've watched lately:
24 season 4
Entourage season 1
Six Feat Under season 2
The Family Stone
Prime

I just re-organized my kitchen this week out of complete boredom and now it's funny because each time we go to get a glass or plate it's like a brain teaser - we keep going to the wrong cupboard. I read an article about how taking a different route to work each day can prevent Alzheimers. Maybe this is the same thing on a smaller level.

I saw previews for a movie called You, Me & Dupree that looks hillarious: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809254373/info

I also want to see Adam Sandler's Click.

Political Rants

Legislation to ban gay marriage?? - Get over it.... aren't there more important things in life to fight about and worry about. We need to ban people from trying to commit to take care of each other. I think it's crazy. How can people be so afriad of another person's sexual preference?

Immigration - let's not punish people for wanting a better life and wanting to work hard. Most of the 9-11 terrorists came here on student visas that expired, they didn't cross the desert. I agree the number of illegal immigrants does overwhelm our medical and educational facilities but that is a separate issue that doesn't mean they should be treated like drug dealers or rapists.

Vote for Janet. Governor Napolitano is the only thing that stands between Arizona becoming the next S. Dakota. Arizonans who support abortion rights can thank one person: Gov.Janet Napolitano. She's the only thing that's stood between the socially conservative Legislature and the erosion of certain rights. Napolitano has vetoed a pile of bills aimed at restricting women's and teenagers' access to abortion. Among the bills: A requirement that parental consent for a minor's abortion bewritten and notarized. A ban on coverage of abortion in health plans for governmentworkers. A requirement that abortion providers read to patients a script,provided by lawmakers, saying that a fetus feels pain, thoughthere's no medical consensus that this is the case. Another vetoed bill would have taken a different form of reproductive decision-making out of the hands of women by banning the sale of eggs for research. Sperm sales would have remained unrestricted. For those who have thought the matter of abortion rights in Arizona to be long settled and not worth worrying over, here's something tothink about in a year in which we will elect a new governor and legislators: Napolitano defeated anti-abortion candidate Matt Salmonin 2002 by 3 percentage points. Abortion law would be very different today under a governor Salmon. If you want access to birth control and believe in reproductive choice, please support Janet this fall!

Words of wisdom from Maya Angelou:"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handlesthese three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands, you need to be able to throw something back.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

June already?

Puppy update - Stella earned "the most improved" award at puppy training classes... Family is very proud.











Rocky Point Mexico with friends in May.... we get to go back over 4th of July week!!!































Chicago for Nicole's wedding - girls weekend, beautiful wedding, hangover lastest days.....ouch!

I'm baaaaaaaacccccckkkkk......

First let me introduce my new niece Stella - Courtney got a puppy!!!!


My excuses for no new entries: I wasn't sure any of you were out there and mostly all I've been thinking/writing in the last few months involved survival mode and self doubt (which is soooo boring). But now I feel like maybe, just maybe, there is something worth writing.








Next, my parents were here for Easter and we went on at train ride in the Verde Canyon - amazing.














Books to read that rock: Vanishing Acts & My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult.

Movie Review: Brokeback Mountain - sucked, love story was not believable, fast forward button was my friend through the boring parts, BORING....

Lessons I've Learned in the last 3 months (during my absense from blogging):

sometimes there isn't one "right" decision, but multiple "ok" decisions which are all good

how to get pissed off and still love someone - still working on this one

how to cry quietly in a public restroom

how to appreciate relationships/friendships that don't always live up to my expectations

that a king size, pillow-top bed is worth every single penny

that i can stand in front of a group of people and teach classes ranging from 8-bit microcontrollers to how to talk to your kids about sex

that even though i often feel like a fraud (and everyone will see right through me soon), i am unique and perhaps even talented

that i should never say never...

that maybe adults with normal lives are supposed to procreate so that they aren't so freakin' BORED! maybe i've been wrong all this time....

that material posessions are fun to accumulate but the shopping high sure doesn't last long

that any good diet is only good for 30 lbs or 5 months and then you just need french fries and lots of mexican food

that TV is an addiction. i am so scared for next week without Alias, Lost, Veronica Mars, Desparate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, Boston Legal, West Wing, 24, House, Law & Order, ER, How I met your Mother, The Unit, Close to Home, Numbers, One Tree Hill... And reality tv like Amazing Race, Survivor, and American Idol. Imagine what one could accomplish with that amount of time....

that reading Perfect by Anna Quindlen is the only way to start a good day

that the pace of life in Mexico really is better

that no matter how much we have, we always want more

that finding a new favorite author is like finding a new friend

that cuddling with a cat can be as theraputic as talking to a friend

that sharing a bottle of wine and lobster dip at blue adobe while catching up with a friend leaves me feeling totally complete

that my mom turning 60 is a wake-up call to my own life

that finding groups of dedicated women is a blessing and rare

that through every life event, i love my sisters more

Here is a great old photo of my dad's family - he's the cute guy on the left smirking at his sister....

Stop the madness

When it rains, it pours.

I've been looking for a new job for almost 1 year with no leads. Now, Acoustic is finally making a little money and has a great management team in place and wouldn't you know I have 2 other opportunities.

I'd love to stay at Acoustic because I LOVE the people I work with. But I'm not convinced of their long-term viability. One opportunity is at Microchip which is only 3 miles from my house and headquartered here in Chandler, but not very high-tech. The other is at Freescale which used to be Motorola's chip group. The people are very nice and the job sounds open and interesting, but the company has been going through a lot of changes and consolidating much of the business to their headquarters in Austin. Lots of decisions.

On top of this my Grandma Emma passed away last week. She is in a better place I am sure but I will miss her. There are awesome old photos of her at: http://obit.lanefuneralhomes.com/obit_display.cgi?id=280202&listing=Current

The weekend before, my oldest friend Amy came to visit from Cleveland and we cheered her sister running in the marathon. We had a fabulous visit.

My tivo is full and my netflix movies are gathering dust. I need to spend quality time on the couch this weekend. And I need to knit - I've barely even picked up any project yet this month! But I am taking a sewing class through City of Chandler and I made 2 pillows so far. I think my main problem is figuring out how to put in the bobbin so that the thread is "over the top" says the instructor...

I finished reading A History of Love by Nicole Krauss and loved it, although her style is very much like her boyfriend's books (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close). She was born in 1974 - amazing that is my age. Maybe I should write a book! My bookclub discussion of Middlesex got rescheduled to February and then we are going to read A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell which looks excellent.

Happy 2006

We spent New Year's weekend in Rocky Point. Beautiful sunsets, relaxing time.

Books - Lately I finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult, and browsed through You, An Owner's Manual. My next book to read is A History of Love by Nicole Krauss.

Movies - Rumor has it with Jennifer Aniston was cute. I watched a classic with Katherine Hepburn, Philadelphia Story which was adorable.

The new year brings resolutions and it's hard work trying to fit in vitamins, flossing, the gym... we'll see how long it lasts this year. Hehehe...

My sister Tyler turns 24 on Monday. Hard to believe. Happy bday sis.

Job scene - I have an interview at Microchip next week. Not sure if I'm excited about it or not. Do I want a new job or a new career or do I really want to just not work? Is there any job out there I would like? Such an emotional roller-coaster.

Our pool is like a war-zone, 5 men with jack hammers busted out all the plaster and tile. Should be finished up and all new this week. So nice and exciting.

No knitting yet this year. I'm working on pair of socks on size 1 needles. I'm trying to do a striped scarf but not sure how to carry along the alternate color. And I'm thinking of doing a felted eyeglass case with some srap yarn.