Map of the world, from the bottom up. Courtesy of Lamont-Doherty.

On Saturday morning, we opened the New York times to see that Marie Tharp had died. Marie Tharp was one of the first female cartographers to map the seafloor. Outside my office is the map of the world ocean floor complied by Marie and her co-investigator Bruce Heezen. Marie was an innovator, a female who definitely forged her own path and one that was not easy by any means. I ran across a oral history she did for WHOI when I was helping TH at the archives. She was an amazing woman. Mapping is so much easier now, satellites, multibeam, huge databases and cooperative work makes it easier to integrate data. Women,though still in the minority in the ocean and atmopheric sciences, are still breaking ground.

I can't say it better than the folks at Lamont-Doherty. Here is their remembrance.

some things are better done at work

I'm home today trying to get some documentation written and now that E. dd is conked out, its working better. However, a 15" laptop screen does not hold a candle to my two 21" monitors where I can compute and then document on different screens.

Then again, my laptop is running some intensive software with a removable hard drive, so things are really slow.

I guess I can load data and empty the dishwasher while its happening.

Sigh.

Things to look forward to this weekend.

Mom and Dad coming up from SD to see their son, daughter, her TH and granddog.

20 lbs of NM green chile coming up with mom and dad.

Mom spending a bit of time showing me how to make a few persian pickles.

Three blasted days off.

A chance to see my brother before he turns into an international superstar.

A chance to run to the dump.

Three mysteries to read.

Shopping (finally) with my mom.

Er, I can't think of anything else right now.

Geez, I totally spaced that this was ending soon.

Guess my trip to the library on Friday will also include a visit to HAG to see this before it disappears.

nm

thick skinned

I started moderating comments because someone told me to Fuck off. Good enough. Now people say my blog sucks. Really?

I ask you why?

I guess when you put your life out there, you shouldn't expect it all to be sunshine and lollipops and not everyone will agree with you.

However, if you think I suck. Please tell me why so I can tell you why you suck.

Smooches on a rainy (praise the gods) Tuesday morning.

nm

bring on fall

Well, at least fall weather. I am not liking warm days, neither is TH or E. dd.

Tonight we ate pasta caprese with tomatoes from the garden, basil from the garden and spinach fettucine from pasta and co. It was a quick meal that dealt with the glut of both basil and tomato and could be put together in ten minutes. These days, dinner is a 30 minute prep or it isn't happening. Things are just crazy here and I don't see it slowing down.

I'm not big on garlic, which sounds strange, but all fresh tomatoes, whole milk mozzarella and basil needs is a bit of salt and some decent extra virgin olive oil. I'm partial to Ratto's from Oakland, but any good oil will do. I let it sit for a bit and then toss with hot pasta.

Tomorrow, we're trying roast chicken with tarragon. Its use it up week leading into the preserving hell that is September.

nm

three days to hope

Our pals Ruth and Loretta start the 3 Day walk tomorrow. They have trained hard and I am going to be cheering them on when they hit Husky Stadium on Sunday.

Check out their website - there is still time to donate.

Ruth and Loretta's 3 day site.

nm

points and miles

My god, they are starting to add up. My double miles from the American Airline 25th anniversary are starting to post and if my tmobile sign up bonus posts soon, I'll be at 2 million miles before my December trip.

Wow.

Seems that now, it may be time to move over to another airline. I'm thinking United.

Why? Widebodies out of Seattle, a SFO-CDG flight, a club in San Diego that will work for the mess by the Alaska gates. In the last few months I have been accruing 1500 UA miles with every Hyatt stay, so I'm up to a whopping 15,000 miles without having flown in the last four years on UA.

I know others hate them, but they go to Hong Kong and Australia. Try that on American.

nm

romancing the night away

TH and I are roadtripping to NM in September. I just booked us in a romance package at the SLC Sheraton for 109 bucks a night, cheaper than their regular rate and gets us champagne, strawberries and breakfast in bed for three days.

Er, I think it should be fun checking in.

I'm now working on 10,000 waves and seeing what we can get there for NM. I wouldn't mind another mind numbing chain hotel experience, but the fact the rooms have courtyards and some no tvs has great appeal to me.

nm

reason 577 for not shopping at whole foods

Reason number 577: Cashier and bagger spend the time they should be interacting with custormer carrying on a dreary conversation about existentialism and basically blowing the customer off.

Reason number 578: No locally grown foods, bad move, doodes.

Reason number 579: Screaming children running amok. Contain thy child in a shopping pod.

Other than that, I think I love my new stereo with the Ipod adapter. Apparently the ipod cable is a scarce commodity in the US of A, so I could have sold mine for the price of my car stereo.

Yes, I went to Milwaukee where I should have drunk more and not eaten at Martini Mikes. You can catch up with JK and find out what went down last weekend.

Oh, and a big congrats to AM, whose book is hot on the amazon.com list and creeping up slowly. It was published this week and our parentals got a nice dedication.

Good work, bro.

nm

midnight at the lawn of good and evil

Too much vodka and not enough mallets.

wither the garden

While I have been lollygagging all weekend in Milwaukee and Chicago, TH has been busting her keester keeping the boy amused with kong, sticks and numerous celebrity death matches with buster the cat. Buster keeps on beating Ernest, so I don't know why he even tries. We have had numerous conversations about the garden, our water bill (higher than ever), our ppatch (pathetic this year), the weather too hot to do anything.

I feel bad for her, but I really can't do anything from 1601 miles away.

So, I listen sympathetically and on occasion am secretly glad to not be home.

The garden is really in bad shape this year. Most years, it takes care of itself if we have put a good amount of structure into it. Rain, work and Ernest all came at the same time and this year, we just don't have it together. We will not get the yields we usually do, but the saddest thing is that even going to do the smallest thing - watering and picking isn't even any fun right now.

What is more important right now? Getting a tiny puppy trained or growing basil? I think the pup comes first and the basil second. Next year, things will be different. We may build a small basset holding pen or just learn that it is okay for bassets to be left at home while their people mulch.

Right now, all we're able to do is triage. TH watered and picked some stuff, our tomatoes look terrible and thankfully, we don't depend on much to make it through the fall. Trying to balance a busy life with a garden, a puppy and travel this summer has been a experience that at times has challenging to say the least, but nothing can beat watching a small basset eat his first raspberry.

nm

really I must be going

However, this little gem has come my way and I must determine whether or not my cetaphil would qualify.

Please read along with us: TSA changes to personal lubricants.

Daydreaming in Japan

Check out my pal, J's blog. He's visited us in Seattle for a brief few hours, but his pictures of life in Japan just make me want to fly there right now. Well, okay, maybe when the persimmons are ready for the picking.

Z world.

Sometimes I wish they would bring back the simpler versions of things, my Volvo 245 wagon with its boxy look, the ability to load a washier and dryer in the back and no bells and whistles. I wish I could use cold cream as moisturizer and not worry about sunscreen.

I wish ESRI would bring back ArcView 3.2 so that I could create fast and easy files that didn't require rocket science and a overblown application to create.

Sigh.

touch not my monkey

Scroll down to the bottom of this TSA directive.

Other than that, same old shit, different day.

blogging in two places

I'm testing out blogging for the world's largest frequent flyer message board right now. It's sapping up my brain power. That and Ernest and work and my weight and my lack of motivation to do something about my weight and the fact that I am surrounded by inertia.

So, excuse my lame post. I may just end up meme-ing for a while.

I'm having fun thinking about approaching the world of points and miles from the non-traditional view - I'm not a middle aged business man, a young go getting female consultant or the leisure hardcore mileage accumulator that will route themselves through Bali to get from Boise to Boston.

I'm just me, 30% of my travel is work related, the rest is fun. I buy a mixture of full fare and discount tickets, I am doomed to coach on occasion and more often than not, I don't travel with my laptop.

It has been fun.

Right now, I'm waiting for my dermatologist to give me a Rx for my moisturizer. I can't check this all the time.

Sigh.

nm

Home again

For the rest of the week. Okay, until Friday.

What can I say, my cousin N. married the beautiful Miss S. on Saturday and it was one of the best weddings I had been to in years. They are on their way to Bali tomorrow and I am looking forward to seeing them down in the Bay Area when they return.

The only damper on the festivities was R's flight from London was cancelled, so he didn't make the wedding. Well, next year in Greece it'll be his big fat Greek/Iranian/German wedding - that I can't wait for.

Neither can TH, I think.

I have lots to rant about re: TSA, airlines, mascara and the state of the world, but it can wait.

After this weekend, I am happy that my parents are still alive, healthy, happily married and hanging with their friends of 50 years that are the same. I am happy that my mom summoned up the emotional strength to make it to N's wedding and that Khaleh M. was their as her support system.

I'm happy that though life at home can be hectic, I wouldn't trade it for anything and underneath all the glitz, glamour and diamonds, money cannot buy you happiness.

Night all.

nm

eyebrows

DSC_1666, originally uploaded by flora and flying.

I miss my dog. TH is picking him up tomorrow and as far as we can tell, he may not want to come back. All that running around, sheep poop and cat chasing is more fun than hanging out at the village getting petted by overfed children.

It seems that our brave new world has hit nightmare proportions.

personal shopper

Okay, here's one you are not going to believe. I loathe shopping for myself if it involves dresses, floofy things and anything that will bring out some of my worst features - my arms, my thickened waste, my porn star boobages and my uneven tan line.

Yes, it is wedding time and I have dutifully avoided looking for a dress to wear to my cousin's wedding on Saturday.

Good thing my mom was free today. She was on a mission and she did well.

I have a dress that just needs me to haul my keester over to the Nordstrom lingerie department at lunch and get a new bra.

Thanks mom.

nm

I miss my boy

DSC_1673, originally uploaded by flora and flying.

Kisses on your big nose tiny puppy.

you know, it just never stops

Who is to think that just because you are going to a meeting, your work doesn't stop? No, in fact, in my case, things just start piling up.

Case in point, its nearly 1 am and I just finished submitting an abstract for a meeting in January.

I totally envy people that can go to conferences and not have to do anything when they get back to their rooms.

Bastards.

Just kidding.

nm

invisible girlfriend

What is with men and their need to drive with one hand up on the passenger's headrest like they are caressing their invisible girlfriend?

Trust me buddy, you could merge in traffic much better if you used both hands.

Sigh.

I could bore you with the details of my life, but today has been quite fun one, stupid dongle issues (no, it is not a dirty word), a heap of unspecified work to be heaped upon me and other things that some of you had to hear via email. Thank you for listening to me rant.

When I went downtown today to see Katrina at Red, I was lucky enough to score a great parking place and unlucky enough to see touristas in minimal dress. Try harder will ya? Its Seattle, not Orlando.

Oh, E.dd is doing just fine.

smooches from the Board Room near Gate D1 at Seatac,

nm

fish tacos galore

Off to SD tomorrow for a few days of overwhelming maphead love.

I can not even begin to tell you what is like. Glitzy, provoking, frustrating and very exhausting.

For some really good analysis, you can visit James Fee and see what I'll be doing on Wednesday morning at 8:30 am.

Now, I must swap the dongle from Thor to Magpie.

Does that sound strange or what?

nm

all is quiet on the western front

E. dd has been delivered to Goldendale and it is quiet here. It feels funny to have the house to ourselves. We have removed chairs from the couch and we can go in and out as we please without shutting the doors tight.

I think I would rather have him here, but my guess is he's having a blast with Phracey.

Sleep tight tiny dog.

nm

Um, how can I say this?

Or, can I ask for y'alls advice?

Does anyone know how to clean the carcasses of mosquitos off of their semi-flat high hide white walls? Our bedroom looks like a murder scene occured there and yes, we have screens.

It is just that TH is tasty to those nasty critters and we both spend time each night before bed performing the mosquito reconnaissance and on my low bedroom ceiling are the remnants of kamakaze mosquitos who did not return from their missions. It is sort of gross and short of painting, I can't imagine what to do to make it look better. When she gets bitten during the night, we get up to find the bastard that did her wrong, because he's going to come back for more. So my short nights are broken down into even shorter segments.

Me? I don't seem to be tasty fodder.

I'm not complaining, I'm just thinking painting the ceilings chinese red and the walls sort of moth brown all in satin would hide a myriad of sins.

Other than that, TGIF. It has a been a bitch of a week.

nm

Thursdays make me happy these days. I guess mostly its because I leave in the mornings and when I come home, my house is clean. I will admit to the outsourcing of my life. I am not proud, I am just pratical. There is no way in heck I have time to clean, mow, iron and wash my windows and do them all well.

Can I also say that I watch not one smidgen of TV or DVDs or anything entertaining and spend absolutely the minimum amount of time that I can get away with online?

Really.

Where the hell does all the time go? I get up at 6:30, am at work by 9, work until 6 and don't go to bed until 10:30. I do not stop.

How can people spend the time that I don't have watching tv and feel like they can get their house cleaned, their lawns mowed and their shirts ironed? I know you can clean while watching tv and iron shirts, but lawn mowing, that I have to see.

I'm not saying what I do is right, but right now, it is thing that is keeping me or us, sane. It means that NM does not buy shoes for the next three months (really, Ms. C) and that we cut back on eating out, but I am not sitting in my living room looking at piles of tiny dog fur building up on my floors and having it drive me crazy.

Okay, back to watering my droopy plants and molesting my dog.

nm

beset by wednesday

Almost ripe. Peaches chez nm, July 2006.

I have had a not very good day. Work was okay, it was work. I had a good one hour acupuncture appointment which was followed by more work and the realization that I had 1. misplaced or lost my moleskine calendar 2. my driver's license 3. forgotten to ticket my parent's tickets to antayla 4. book a car reservation for San Jose 5. call about transitional housing for my friend.

I hate that, I hate losing control of these things by taking shortcuts to getting things done. If I had put my liscense back into my wallet, put my calendar back in my bookbag, made a to do list and crossed off these things, they would be done.

I did find my calendar, my liscense and manged to make my car reservation. My parent's reservation requires more dedication and I must call about transitional housing tomorrow. Options are running out for our friend and our first line of defense fell through this afternoon. We're not giving up, he'll find shelter soon.

It's just frustrating.

Oh, my acupuncturist worked on my hips and tonight, while walking/running ernest, I managed to trip over him and pull something and now I'm in pain again.

Sigh.

Thorny, yet attractive

Rosa sericea pteracantha, The Edgewood Garden, July 2006.

Happy August Peeps. I'm happy the month of July is over, it sort of sucked in my opinion and many others around me. So bring on August with meetings, puppies, weddings, tomatoes, blackberries, peaches, drunken croquet and the Campari Open if I can ever get my act together.

Question of the day: A new month begins, do you ever think of it as a fresh start?

Discuss and post.

That means all of you.

Come out and even be anonymous.

smooches,

nm