lucky me

I am sitting in the presidential suite of my hotel, not because I'm the president (though Ernest may enjoy it), but because I asked for a room that was not on the atrium. The room they gave me was not cleaned, I went to the front desk to ask for my original atrium room back so that I could collapse. The front desk dude clicked a bunch of keys on his computer and gave me a key. He hoped I would be happy with room.

I am, I could have forty people over right now and I wouldn't even notice they were here.

I have the beginnings of a cold. I am overwhelmed by the amount of information and processing that happened today at my meeting. I am still trying to play catch up for the day and hopefully it will happend before too long. I'm bushed.

On the flip side, I found a marimekko store in Silver Spring and a cakelove. Cakelove is great, but marimekko travels better.

Here I sit in DC, sitting digesting my delicious dinner that JK and I had at Teasim and considering the salted oatmeal cookie for dessert.

It has been a week.

Really.

I am still decompressing from all sorts of work stuff, dealing with a dog in his terrible tweens, travel planning for not just me and having my parents come up for the weekend.

Its all under control now.

I hope.

Now, if I could only find something to watch on tv while reviewing my documents for tomorrow's meetings.

nm

All I can say

I lead an event driven life.

I am escaping into my hole now.

See what Kerrio's up for some fabulous summer/fall foodage.

wordless wednesday II - very few words

On my way out of the building before all hell breaks loose.

On my way in this is what I was greeted with:

Aren't they beautiful? The picture on my phone sucks, but they are magnificent and I'm touched.

When I went to pick up the dog from the groomers, this is what he looked like:
Very tired.

We then left him to go see the Be good tanyas, they are better in a smaller venue.

Now, I am at work, not really doing much of anything, but setting up directories for tomorrow's downloading of data to refine our models.

nm

home work II

You both walk the dog and you realize that your conversation is about subtracting one raster from another to compare changes in a digital elevation model and it doesn't even phase you.

God, can we just leave it at work?

nm

an amazing abundance

Still life with fig, August 2007.

The two houses on either side of us have huge green fig trees. I suppose at one time we may have had one. I just don't know. I must remember to ask Marge, our next door neighbor if they planted their tree or it was there when they built the house in the early 60s.

The trees are loaded this year and we are enjoying their fruits. On Friday I macerated the figs with some cognac and a bit of sugar and served them on top of a cake that Kimberly McK baked for Shauna's visit.

I am in love with this cake (i'm sorry I didn't take a picture of it, it was pretty). Today, we decided to try something new...

We're making fig bars.

Right now the figs are cooking away, tomorrow, in the heat (ugh), I'll make them base and then spread the lusty dark fig concoction of top and bake them. The following day we'll eat them plain or with a foil of greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream.

My friend B and I are fiends for fruit foraging and canning. She has devised a way to freeze figs, I am not sure that I want to go that far, but maybe this year we can work on making fig jam.

A fig is a terrible thing to waste...

pure bliss

Home grown peaches, yogurt and leftover lemon/almond cake.

I was a total slug all weekend. I may pay for it on Monday and hear about it for a while, but I just was tired.

I read four trashy books, did minimal decluttering, minimal gardening, minimal of anything and you know what, it felt okay.

This week should be a bear or something like it. Pray for no deep sea earthquakes, that is all I'm saying...

nm

Ratouille au four, over and over again, August 2007.

Sometimes I think it is better to just not read the newspaper. Then I won't get as riled up and maybe everyone will be happier.

I have nothing of interest to report, those who have been talking/emailing me know that I am not having the best of weeks.

I don't think next week will be any great improvement, but we can look on the bright side.

There are lots of blueberries and blackberries in the freezer and in a few weeks I will be sitting drinking g&ts with lime/no lemon in with a wolfhound using my shoulder as a chin rest.

Before that, there are two half marathons, a work trip to DC along with a million other things to cross of my life list.

nm

Another reason to question our mayor and our city council's sanity.

Screw art, public events and culture, let's rip.

Fuck them all.

Tag....

Late summer blooms, September 2006.

This one is for Jen.

1. Best cupcake to make? (I need to bake tomorrow!)

Make the cake I mentioned yesterday. Glaze with a chocolate frosting and they'll never know there is anything healthy in it. Use the olive oil or canola oil instead of butter to speed things up.


2. What is in full bloom in your garden right now?

Crocosmia, anemones, lavenders and phlox. Lots of weeds too.

3. Best race day advice?


If you are not racing for time, then use the portapotties en route, if you are trying to make a personal best, you can always pee later. Oh, Glide is your friend everywhere and so is desitin (in those places that only you'll discover after not using it on a long walk/run). I am so not kidding. Book massage for following morning as well.

4. Book of the moment.

Mirror Garden

5. Next major travel destination?

Philadelphia, London, Greece and Paris in September. I am so not excited right this moment about this trip. Sad, I know.


Now, you can do this too, simply follow Jen's very good instructions:

Want to play now? Here are the rules if you do:

1. Leave me a comment saying anything random, like [the food you hate most in all the world]. Something random. Whatever you like.
2. I respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better.
3. You will update your [blog] with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be asked, you will ask them five questions.

nm

Donut day

Tomorrow I move offices. I am neutral about the whole thing. Its a lateral if now downward move, but it will bring our whole group together and that should make me feel the love. Right?

It also means that I am moving divisions, though technically I moved two years ago. It means that my mailbox moves and more importantly, I leave my coffee hour group.

They are not letting me leave.

So, in honor of Dennis, V and all of the fine folks that bring us climate variability and el nino predictions, I made a chocolate and zucchini cake from the Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook. I love this cookbook, I have made a few things out of it and some things over and over again.

This is another winner.

Behold, the cake.
The recipe can be found in the chocolate and zucchini archives, here.

Bon Appetit!

nm

wordless wednesday

Ernest watching the soccer match - the Indian Ocean tsunami workshop attendees v. the world, August 2007.

neighborly advice

We have a neighbor with whom we have little contact compared with the rest of our awesome neighbors. It could be her metaphysical aura, her long winded conversations or that I just don't like her.

Anyhow, it was so lovely for her to tell me yesterday that she had lost twenty pounds by quantum physics or what it that she redirected her hypothalamus?

I did not need to hear that....as I gain weight while prepping for half marathons and eating a balanced correct calories for my weight/metabolism diet.

Other than that,Dallas was very depressing. I am still processing what my aunt is going through. My dad is sad and that is hard to see. A major link to my father's history is now lost. My cousin is taking care of my aunt sixteen hours a day and I can't even imagine what her life is now like.

My friend B. promised me that if I'm ever incapacitated she'll make sure all my chin hairs are plucked and my bimonthly manicures will always happen.

She knows I'd the same the same for her.

nm

bending to my will

Codfish head chopper, St. Pierre, June 2003.

Nothing is bending to my will, so I really have nothing to say, nothing positive.

I have had a long week of work, family and ernest.

I could use a break, so I'm flying to Dallas tomorrow for one!

Not. I'm flying to Dallas tomorrow to meet my parents and see my ailing aunt.

I can do without very ill aunts this year, thankyouverymuch.

I'll be back on Saturday with tales of yours truly navigating Texas. Wish me luck.

nm

er, screw you blogger

I am not a spam blog.

I don't even like spam.

Bite me.


I was going to wax poetically about the cutting up a 30 lb fresh halibut and eating lovely grown from the garden produce, but that is so just going to wait.

click on the next blog, someone may be trying to sell you those gel candles or tell you all about their really boring day.

smooches,

nm

Seriously.

Had a great weekend, now just trying to catch up with work, garden and sleep.

More later.

nm

Hey!

How are you doing?

I'm up really late. Why? Because I'm not going to work tomorrow and I'm not flying anywhere! I'm going to Vancouver for the VFMF and even though I'm not crazy about the line up, its a good weekend to find a tree and read a book.

So what if the US dollar is crap compared to the Canadian dollar?

I'm hoping to hit the Granville Market round noonish, take some pics, grab some lunch, check into hotel and then not participate in the Birkenstock 500, but still capture my place on the hill to listen to the opening night show.

Its cooler here. I'm picking raspberries like mad, the garden is definitely drooping, but hopefully we'll get all watered before we leave town.

Yes, dear ones, the Ernestmeister will be in lock down.

Have a great weekend!

nm

Tiny dog, in the heat.


Erm, this past Sunday while I was dashing out the door for the Seafair half marathon, I managed to upset my dog.

He has learned to bay.

My boy is growing up.

nm

oh, more

best parts of today's race, in no particular order --

the swag bag and decent shirts
meeting becky and her friends from Dayton and finding out that they give good stuff at the end of the nike women's marathon (tiffany necklaces)
becky running to find out if one of the marathon runners was male or female, we, the other four had to know... she was female
the butts on the marathon runners - good incentive
the hills weren't that bad
someone saying "i smell bacon" around lake hills, and it did smell good
the great people and organizations that personed the water stations
the bagpipe player
the lake hills starbucks and their samples of white blueberry tea at the right time
walking past some of the childhood remembrances of bellevue --- my mom's hair salon, my pediatricians office, my dermatologists (oh the benzoyl peroxide of my youth), my now accountant office
walking with J and her being a good sport towards the end
having my mom and dad at the finish line

Nuff said.

Finished faster than I had thought, in a little bit of pain (hamstrings) and feeling pretty good. Took a nice long nap, moved a stove and did some garden rearrangement and enjoyed a nice grilled halibut nicoise for dinner.

August is our slacker month. We're doing a 10K or 5K towards the end and then Philly in two months.

Time wasn't too bad, I'm working on shaving a minute off each mile by September, this will require a little bit of dedication on my part, but hey, its way flatter and way faster.

I can't believe how far we've come since January!

nm