Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Cherry blossoms, Rainier on the five way, April 2007.

We've recovered from Easter. I have found only one egg in the garden. I am impressed. Good job hunters. We missed some of you, next year, there may be an night time hunt.

Right now, I am just overwhelmed by the tax year (oy!), traveling next week and my half marathon on Sunday.

The weather is divine and all I can think of is playing in the dirt.

It is going to have to wait until next Saturday the way the week is shaping up.

nm

Thursday, April 05, 2007

What may be the truth


As seen on an airconditioning unit somewhere in Savannah.

Beautiful here. I have very little energy to discuss anything, but I have been battling duplication of effort all day.

I love that.

nm

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

words to write a nsf grant by

In no particular order -----

data borderland
synthesis
actors
metadata
collaborative
clearinghouse node

add cross walk and interoperability and you have a nsf proposal title.




Bingo

TH is in a meeting for the next few days that seems to be very interesting if you are interested in global change, polar issues and modeling and mapping. However, even with a group of the best and the brightest talking without all the suits in the room, they are still prone to speaking in tongues.

You know, bullshit bingo speak. Words that just make no sense.

She just sent me a bingo message. She also told me yesterday that there was talk of carbon neutral arctic research. I guess those researchers all going up to Greenland in April are planning on canoeing? I'll have to ask Miss S. next time I see her.

I am eagerly awaiting her five words of bingoness.

Never heard of bullshit bingo? Consider yourself lucky. If you have and want to play along, go here.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Shop window, on canal st. martin (the non-dodgy end), Paris, France, February 2007.

On Wednesday morning I leave for another VAF. This time in Savannah. It should be fun and TH has never been there. We'll catch up with one of her father's grad students who is now a professor and see more of the extended family.

If it wasn't so damn hot and muggy. I can't not abide by that combination. It makes me sluggish and it makes traipsing around looking at buildings and taking pictures harder work than it already is.

Ernest is going to the kennel. He suspects something is up because we have premeasured his food and washed his bed.

Mrs. El-hakim's third grade class project carpet (the hideous gabbeh carpet in Maria Teresa brown) we have in our in living room is getting deep cleaned for easter. It lived a pristine life while we were petless and now is quite well, doggie. The window cleaners are booked and my parents are coming up for a few days.

If only I could make work seem so organized, but that is the biggest challenge.

Unfortunately, I am involved in a project that keeps on throwing me curve balls, it seemed relatively easy at first, but oy, it just keeps on getting more complicated.

Oh well, maybe getting away from the office will give me some time to think.

And you?

nm

Friday, March 16, 2007

Thank someone its friday

Getting to the bottom of it, Ernest the young man, March 2007.

If I liked to drink, that is where I would be -in the bag totally snockered. Instead, I took off relatively early, tired of looking at tiny screens of numbers and took Ernest for a looooooooong walk.

It did us both good.

He even let us eat dinner without interruption.

Wonders never cease.

All I can say is the if the weather this weekend is as nice as it was this afternoon, we're golden.

Rhodendendrons, do or die weekend gardening, taxes!, dog wash, Eats in Westwood village and getting ready for New Year.

TGIF.

nm

Thursday, March 15, 2007

No, I am not premenstrual

Dogtooth violets, March 2007, Seattle.

Today Seattle vexed me. I have lived here 38 plus years and sometimes I just can't get over how much people find the mundane things about Seattle to be so freaking charming- traffic, cupcakes, cookware stores and little soap boutiques. I think these noobs as I will categorize them just can't realize that while Seattle tries hard, it isn't New York, so just give it up.

Parking downtown, the lack of affordable housing and the 16 dollar pizza will be the downfall of the city. It could also be the proliferation of the three dollar cupcake, but I'll leave that for the economic analysts to sort out.

In a perfect Seattle world or the one that the city, the blawgs and the chamber of commerce portrays life goes like this... Lets all take the bus or the streetcar to work, unless we can walk or rollerblade. We all want to live in the now artificially created South Lake Union neighborhood ( genetically engineered for only 750,000 to start) and buy everything from expensive boutiques. Heaven help you if you need a pair of of less than 10 dollar underwear or buttermilk after 10 pm or a pad of legal paper in case you have a thought that does not require a computer.

Then again, look at me, I am guilty of some of these things I detest. I got a sixty dollar haircut and two 16 dollar pizzas downtown and then fought traffic for 30 minutes just to get home, because some asshats on Eastlake don't abide by the no parking between 4-6 pm signs. Fuckers, I hope your side view mirrors get taken off by busses. Yes, busses, the bane of my existence in the District and downtown.

Enough of that.

I sometimes long for the pre-development up the ying yang, pre-Nickels, pre-Vulcan Seattle, the one I grew up in and the one I wish to god would return.

I know its gone, I just wish I could have enjoyed it more.

nm

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

catch up....

Crocus, March 2007, Seattle, WA taken with macro lens.

Catching my breath here. It has been a week and it is only Tuesday.

My spacebar seems seems to be having some issues orshouldIsay,myspacebarseemstobehavingsome issues?

Oy!

I have caught a small cold from some unknown vector. Half the folks
at my meeting last week were sick. I am not amused. I am still functioning, however, part of me would be quite happy to curl up in a corner and take a nap. The other part would love to be staring at my computer screen trying to reconcile data formats and decide how to archive model runs.

Wow, what excitement my career has brought me!

I love my new very lovely macro lens. It rocks the free world, whatever that means.

I am going to California twice next week. It is a secret, so don't tell my dad.

Tonight was the eve of the last Wednesday before the new year (Persian New Year). I know I have blogged about it before, but this year, I was caught off guard. I did receive my Adele by Mail - Deluxe Noruz in a box kit for young Iranian women who can't get it together in time. Thanks Mom!

I just need to drop all the goods in my own containers and I'm done. The last few years we have been in Italy for Persian New Year, so I have managed to put assemble my travelling haft-sin. This year, I'm here sort of and I can't get things arranged.

It'll get done, trust me, even if I have to call every freaking bank in the Seattle area to find new one dollar bills.

Other than that, last week, Ernest turned one. He's quite adorable. Go see him here.

We're still doing the race a month thing here at floraandflying. Trying to convince my dear friends that the race for the cure is a decent day of running and walking and that we can all wear pink boobage enhancing shirts. I am trying to convince a few (ehem, you know who you are) that it is for a good cause). I may have to bribe them with boas.




Monday, March 05, 2007

Little things

Okay, from 20 floors up, the beach looks great. I may get out tomorrow after my talk and see it.

Spanx are the greatest thing invented for women who don't want to wear hose and need control.

I still need to befriend someone with a car.

I have been chocolate free for almost two weeks.

I miss TH and Ernest. I wish I was home gazing at all my bulbs and running the boy.

Sigh.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

barking at a ball

The dog is barking at his squeaky. His squeaky makes a sad stick substitute and it does not cooperate and he gets cranky. The crankiness of the dog, in turn, makes me cranky. Combine that with little sleep, work issues, playing a surrogate travel agent to my parents and everything else and we're all a bit cranky. Naw, make that really cranky.

I have been following the concept of the Compact for the last few months. I like it on one level, but on another it gets my goat. However, alot of the peeps that originally participated are middle to upper class professionals so it can't be too far off from my current lifestyle and leanings.

I'm trying to sort of compact my life. Partially due to end of the year spending and paying for it now and partially because we have too much crap. I'm obviously going to not recycle my cooking oil into hair conditioner, but I'll think twice and maybe three times before I consider buying something. Its amazing what you can not buy once you start analyzing the reasons behind your need for l'object du moment.

I don't know how you can compact and do work travel. However, I am thinking about it. I will admit I'm even compacting trips for leisure. Unless a trip has a purpose - bbq, a half marathon, a wedding or a concert is a reason, for pure mileage collection, no dice.

Yes, I'm trying to figure that one out as we speak.

Thanks for listening.

I'm off to bark at the ball too.

nm

Sunday, February 11, 2007

a race a month, that is all I ask

Sometime last Fall, I agreed to walk a half marathon. I didn't really train, but we went and we did it. It was a very cool experience. After that, my friend J and my friend G and I decided that setting goals like this are a good way to keep ourselves accountable to each other and a fun way to explore new places. We made a plan to do a half marathon in September in Philly and we'll do a few more in more exotic locales.

This morning J and I met and did a fun 5K around Greenlake. Next month, we're doing a race for St. Patrick's day, the following month, we're thinking Vancouver and I'm even going to try and convince a group of bbq loving flyertalkers that a 5K in Kansas City will allow us to each drink one more beer.

So, our goal is to go from walking, to jogging to running. We'll probably not be the fastest peeps on the trail, but we'll have the most fun getting there.

nm

Saturday, February 10, 2007


Texture and contrast, March 2006, Seattle, WA.

What is happening?

I am very fine, thank you, just super busy.

Ernest and I did a nice bunch of walks today. Tomorrow I am sorry to say, he will not be joining me on the love 'em and leave 'em 5K, but we'll go to Greenlake earlier just to get him sort of tired. It doesn't really work. He will walk for three miles, come home, nap and then go for another three miles without even batting an eyelash.

Other than that, spring is springing here. Tulips, irises, crocus, witchhazel and forsythia are amazing to watch.

Bring it on baby.

nm

Monday, February 05, 2007

Really?

Grumpy workers are the best workers.

Just thinking that maybe I'll stay a little more grumpy.

My office mate just left for a nicely paying position in private industry. Sorry to see him go, but honestly, he's young and needs to buy a house.

He'll do great.

I'll miss him.

nm

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

all sorts of stuff

Bleeding heart, March 2006, Seattle, WA.

Thanks for your well wishes. Ernest is just fine after a spacey and clingy Tuesday night. He is currently getting ready for bed by jumping on his new squeaky dinosaur. He went to Mud Bay today (the place we can't even go into without the boy) and promptly made a basset line for the hard treats. We bought him a bag of soft treats instead. They are peanut butter and shaped like little gingerbread people.

How cute is that?

His breath is sweet, but he still is shy about showing us his gnashers.

Uncle Frank and Aunt Beth are working to put together a dental health kit for our boy. Maybe Uncle Frank wants to use Ernest as a after case for better gum brushing, afterall, tomorrow is the beginning of National Pet Dental Health Month. I wish Ernest had not taken it so seriously.

Stay tuned.

Great news from the state of Maryland. Looks like NKK is back in charge of things for another four years. Yeah! They got it right down both sides of the aisle.

Sad news from the state of Texas - Molly Ivins died today. Read some great things that she said here.

I usually disagree with Nancy Leson, our resident food critic. Today she dissed Rachel Ray. Tonight I made a great tortilla soup that I adapted from one of her cookbooks. I am not crazy about either woman, but I like her take on tortilla soup.

I'm off to San Diego this weekend to see my parentals and my uncle and aunt who are here from Germany. I'm not sure what we all have planned, but I have a feeling that I'll be dragging someone to the La Jolla Farmer's Market in search of some citrus.

I realize that my whole pantry is full of Trader Joe's foods. I can't imagine when that happened. Short of stuff I preserved myself, enchilada sauce, green chiles and some wierd ingredients, our staples all can be found at TJs. Yoikes. Things will change as we start growing our own and going to the market, but right now, it just works.

I even spied ibuprofen back on their shelves and TH has me hooked on their gummy vitamins. I hate taking regular vitamins and these are pretty decent and fruity as well. Now if they can only sell real butter puff pastry, aspirin, new mexico green chile and isernio's chicken italian sausage, we'll be in heaven.

Okay, I've rambled enough. I should tell you all that I have been remiss about taking pictures. I have no idea why. TH bought me the most amazing macro lens for the holidays and I have yet to really play with it. Maybe when Ernest is feeling better I'll get a close up of his teeth.

later taters,

n.m

Sunday, January 28, 2007

almost perfect


All I'm saying is that if I was either stuck on a plane, at work or in California these past two days I would have been so pissed. Glorious weather here in the Emerald City. Enough to make you want to open your windows, hang your smalls outside to dry and start doing some winter yard clean up.

Oh wait, I did all that.

The rest of the week looks good, well, unless you don't like air stagnation.

I see a car wash in my future and many more smalls to be dried outside.

Yipee.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Forgive my radio silence.

I am still sick. Sick enough that I have not been at work for the last three days. That is sick for me. I come in with the dengue fever.

TH is better and thankfully took Ernest with her today.

Nothing much to report. We have crocii and snowdrops blooming. The hellebores are starting as well. I think I'm going to force some forsythia this week.

Has anyone been to Greece? I'm going in September for my cousin's big fat Iranian/Greek wedding. I'm hoping to spend 10 days there - mostly with my parents and then a few in London. I'm excited to go, not excited to plan.

How is that for a change?

nm

Sunday, January 21, 2007


We're all home. Safely and soundly.

Thank god.

No travel until the first week of February and that is easy.

Nothing interesting to report. I'm dealing with all sorts of news, some good, some sad.

More later.

Friday, January 12, 2007

swooning while powerpointing


Is this possible?

I am so hosed.

I cannot get this going. I will be up until I leave for SAT on Monday am just getting my presentation together for AMS. Why?

I just can't get into to it.


I just can't figure out what to say. Partially due to the fact that I am not doing the programming, but sort of managing the project and honestly, that makes it harder. A concept of operations will be fine, but not very interesting.

So, here I sit, totally rocking out to Blitzen Trapper, Final Fantasy, Bedroom Eyes and other bands featured on 3hive. I even bought a few cds today because I was swooning to the same songs over and over again.

I like that.

Well, short of a miracle, I will be in SAT with completed presentation on Monday afternoon, ice storms and what not be damned.

nm

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Weather - yipee

I am going to Phoenix this weekend with the delusion that I can walk 13.2 miles in a row without collapsing. With all good intentions, I really thought I could train for this, but things (life) got in the way, and now, I'm just going and hopefully glide, two pairs of socks and the fact that it will be cold will help.

I hope.

Ditto for San Antonio, should be damn cold, which is better than hot because it will be okay to bundle up and wear jeans and sweaters and down for my meetings.

Yes, I need a better meeting wardrobe. I am working on it, really!

Other than that, life goes on.

nm

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Snow day

Global warming? I think not.

More of the white stuff and below freezing weather for the emerald city. I was at work and we had two inches of snail - hail and snow combined. Its not a meterological term, its mine.

So, my drive home was interesting because everyone was afraid to go up the hill to the main road. Granted tomorrow morning will be ugly because the road will freeze into sheet ice. I don't really need to go in, I can work from home, but I probably should make the attempt anyways.

Its strange these new fangled snow days. I remember as a child spending all night wondering if school would be cancelled or not and listening to the AM radio station with my mom in the morning to see weather our district and later our school was closed or had a two hour late opening. Now everything is posted on the web, I suppose its also announced on the radio, but the web just makes it easier but less suspenseful if you know what I mean.

The snow was perfect here, not too much, the roads are clear, but probably now icy. I have to leave in a few minutes to pick up my brother from the airport. All the plants are underneath their little blankets and covered with mulch, boughs and lit up with balls of christmas lights. It looks quite festive. The lemons have taken refuge in the front hall. I am looking forward to the building of the library in the next year or so so that they can be wheeled in for the winter.

I'm hoping that you are all snug in your homes as well.

nm