I am moving to a smaller, more crowded, much less nice office. But hopefully it will be quiet. And child-free.

Labels: Miscellaneous

I am going batshit crazy!

A lady I share an office with has dumped her ill behaved, noisy, contentious kids in the office and taken off, for the third day in a row!

Labels: Miscellaneous

That time drags on when you want it to fly by is unfortunate. That time flies by when you need to stretch it is frustrating.

I came in to work at 7 am this morning, I can't believe it is already 11.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Owing to the fact that I felt kind of terrible all week, and I'm a little on the poor side right now, I didn't do anything but work, read, and watch movies all weekend. So sorry but no good pictures this week unless something really cool happens during the week. Pretty unlikely though, considering I don't go out during the week, but instead go to bed at 9 pm like a ten year old.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Once the rain abated, after the shopping and the drinking, we stopped at the liquor store to pick up provisions for the evening (champagne) and for the next day (cans for tubing). That's right. Yeah, that's a picture of the cat puke inside Erin's handbag. And Mak's near fatal wound. Please bear in mind that we had been drinking all day. Kate's Irish flush. Drinking all day. Ezra rocking my girlie hat. Which is actually a men's hat. And then things fall apart. Jill's hot new boyfriend Jared. Did I mention we'd been drinking all day? I actually don't remember any of this, how nice that we have photographic evidence of our shenanigans.

In the morning, after a delicious breakfast at El Jebreakfast in America, we tied the tubes to Jared's truck, and headed out for some tubing. We usually inflate the tubes when we get there. But this was definitely funnier.

Labels: Jill, Mak and Kate, What Was I Thinking?

Labels: Miscellaneous

Before I put up more pictures from the weekend please let me vent a little. I am having the worst day at work. I woke with a headache again this morning and fearing that it was the start of another migraine took some medicine straight away. The medicine has made me unbelievably groggy, and kind of nauseous all day. I almost lost my cookies when my office mate ate his lunch.

I can't get any advice from anyone about what kind of resolution we really need for the spectrometer I am supposed to order, except that it should be the cheapest one out there with the highest resolution. No kidding, but what is the minimum resolution necessary? This is an important question!

I have spent the greater part of my day trying to match XRD peaks manually, I'm not really getting anywhere, and I'm getting increasingly frustrated because there is a software package installed on the computer downstairs that would do it for me in about thirty seconds! The professor in charge of said software package just won't let me have access to it for god knows what reason. Bear in mind that my research group pays for access to the software because the raw data is kind of useless. Shenanigans!

I'd say I was looking forward to the weekend, but since I was out sick on Tuesday, and my boss just told me he wants a report by Monday, it looks like I'll be working all weekend.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Sorry to keep you hanging, but yesterday I had a wicked migraine and stayed in bed all day. Now to get on with it... Our first stop, after picking up some McDonald's, was the Sky Bar for $12 cocktails and some fun in the sun. I love a bar with a pool. Or a pool with a bar. Whichever. They dragged me away from Harry Potter for a little swimming. But not for long. Kate's friends rolled out to meet us for cocktails. The weather turned nasty, but we had packed it up and left just in time. Headed around the corner for a little bar food and some light shopping. Stay tuned for part 2.

Labels: Jill, Mak and Kate

On Friday Jill and I met the Ladies and went to see Cirque Du Soleil's Corteo. Here is what they have to say about it:

"Corteo, which means "cortege" in Italian, is a joyous procession, a festive parade imagined by a clown. The show brings together the passion of the actor with the grace and power of the acrobat to plunge the audience into a theatrical world of fun, comedy and spontaneity situated in a mysterious space between heaven and earth.

The clown pictures his own funeral taking place in a carnival atmosphere, watched over by quietly caring angels. Juxtaposing the large with the small, the ridiculous with the tragic and the magic of perfection with the charm of imperfection, the show highlights the strength and fragility of the clown, as well as his wisdom and kindness, to illustrate the portion of humanity that is within each of us. The music, by turns lyrical and playful, carries Corteo through a timeless celebration in which illusion teases reality."

Like always, it was unbelievable, flawless really. There was an act that involved one man and a ladder, and all I can say is that I am still amazed at what some people are capable of.

After the show we had dinner at the Wazee Supper Club. I have always heard great things about this place, and I am sorry to say I was a little underwhelmed. I will definitely give it another shot, but with many fewer people. It was awesome of Suzie to organize this night out, if she didn't, we would never be able to coordinate these kinds of outings. I called it an early night, I was home before ten. I watched a movie (Hackers, delightfully cheesy) and then at half past midnight I made my way to the store and procured my copy of the final Harry Potter. Showing what is for me amazing restraint I only read it until three in the morning and then went right to bed so I could get up at 6am to go to Aspen. But more on that later...

Labels: Jill, Sarah, Suzie

First off, Aspen is not cheap. At all. Not that this came as a surprise, but I thought I'd reiterate that here. Mak and Kate are awesome, and it was awesome to see them. The thing that happens when you hang out with them, is that you laugh all the time. It's not only that they are both hilarious, but all of their friends are too. So much laughing.

Harry Potter was awesome, I am going to start re-reading it tonight and I can't wait. I thought it was great, and say what you will about this children's book, I was loathe to put it down. In fact I was harangued all weekend for reading here and there when I got a chance.

I have to go home for lunch today because I left my flash drive at home, and I need it to continue some research this afternoon. While I am enjoying my lunch (probably lasagna again, I can't wait to finish it so I can eat something else) I will try to upload a couple of pictures for your entertainment.

Labels: Books, Mak and Kate, Miscellaneous

Today at work is kind of weird. I am doing some test work that involves a lot of waiting, and as I have lots of fun plans this weekend I am antsy to get to the end of the day. Well the waiting juxtaposed with the antsy-ness is making time absolutely crawl by.

I know, I know... I had planned on doing absolutely nothing this weekend except reading and lounging and eating good foodstuffs. Well here's the thing, I forgot we had tickets to Cirque u Soleil's Corteo tonight, and then dinner reservations at the Wazee Supper Club after. After that I'm heading home instead of hitting the town so I will be ready to hit the store at 12:01 to pick up the new Harry Potter (I know I've mentioned that once or twice lately).

Well, now I have talked to Kate and I have decided to head up to Aspen on Saturday morning (early) to spend the day poolside with her at Sky bar (she-she) while Mak goes and climbs a fourteener with his (our?) buddies, followed by some tubing on Sunday.

And then I talked to my mom about going to my folk's house for the weekend because she wants to go to the fair and then see Hairspray. So I need to decide.

All I know is that I'm not spending the weekend at home like I previously stated. Statements.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Last night I spent finishing up HP:HBP so I would be ready to go at midnight tonight for HP:DH! Weee! I'm so excited I actually a little hyper. Murph, Kitty and I chilled out on the patio, and I grilled up some supper. Check out my pretty garden, I have kept these flowers alive for almost a whole week now! Ate lots of tasty blueberries, and a glass of nice cold chardonnay. I don't usually care for chardonnay, but this one wasn't really oak-y, and not too buttery.

Labels: Kitty, Murphy, Toys

I love it, it might be more comfortable than my couch! Yesterday was so hot, but in the evening something rolled in and outside it was cool and breezy. I sat outside all night eating dinner, drinking wine, and re-reading HP:HBP in anticipation of tomorrow nights (midnight) HP:DH release. It was so pleasant, and now I am really glad that I took the plunge and got the ottoman because Murph and Kitty piled on and relaxed with me. It was so nice that I ended up sleeping outside on the porch! What a lovely sleep, and what a nice way to wake up this morning to the sunrise!

Labels: Miscellaneous

Using leftover dough, sauce and cheese, I grilled up some zucchini and made this huge pizza, I had enough for lunch the next day. When I was at the farmers market on Saturday, I came across these green tomatoes, and I remembered a recipe for grill fried green tomatoes I have been wanting to try. Simple and delicious. Coat the tomato slices in olive oil, dip in cornmeal and grill 5 minutes a side. Results are tangy and crunchy if not traditional. Last summer when I bought all my new furniture, I decided to leave the patio until I had some more money, and until now had been sitting on folding camp chairs. Well, they aren't that comfortable to sit in and read all day, and I have been meaning to get some comfy chairs, but patio furniture is so expensive, I just hadn't taken the plunge yet. Well yesterday I resolved to stop spending money on things that weren't necessary, at least for a couple of weeks, and no sooner do I make this decree I come across this set of 2 patio lounge chairs for $49.99 on clearance at Target. Now I have been keeping an eye out and this is a better deal than I have seen at wal-mart or K-mart. I decided to but them, but I was on the fence about the ottoman. It really is too big for the patio, but would give Murph a place to sit, and me a place to relax and stretch out. And at only forty bucks, it's a steal! I decided to get them both, and after a little assembly, I now have a patio I can't wait to spend time on. A few flower pots and a couple of hanging plants, and it really is a tiny bit of paradise. And all for less than $130.00!

Labels: Food, Recipe, Toys

Are there any people you guys see on a daily basis but have never met? There is this one guy who used to live in my neighborhood when I lived in that basement apartment down the alley. I haven't lived there for over a year, but I still see him all over the place. At Safeway, at the coffee shop, around campus, at GCB, climbing on North Table. Granted Golden is a really small town, but I see this guy everywhere.

Now here is my question, do you think this guy sees me everywhere too, or do you think that maybe the recognition is all one sided? Don't be misled, I'm not checking him out, I just see him a lot.

P.S. 3 more days!

Labels: Miscellaneous

At the farmer's market on Saturday I picked up some nice ripe peaches and cherries and decided to try my hand at making a pie. I peeled and sliced up the peaches. And pitted the cherries. Sweetened them up with some vanilla sugar I had left over from making the Limoncello. Let them all sit so that the juices from The fruits seep out. Take the juice and boil it with some cornstarch to thicken it up. I made the dough in a food processor, it was a snap. 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour, 1/2 c. very cold butter. Pulse in food processor until the size distribution is somewhere between coarse crumbs and pea-sized. Transfer to a shallow pan (I just use the pie pan) and using a for mash in about 3 Tbsp. ice water until it just barely comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about a half an hour. Roll out, put it in the pie pan, and weigh it down with something and pre-bake for about 20 min. in a 400 degree oven. Next, fill with the cherries, peaches and sauce, brush with egg wash, and bake at 350 until the pie is bubbly and the crust is done. This takes longer if you are using whole grain flour than it does if you are using refined flour. The egg wash makes the top of the pie glossy when it is finished cooking. I think the appearance of the wheat crust takes a little getting used to, but it tastes great. Keeping it really really cold the whole time ensures a really flaky crust. Next time I'll probably double the crust recipe so I can make a thicker crust, and I'll definitely cut back on the sugar. But for my first pie I think it was a huge success!

Labels: Food, Recipe

I finally got the nice, relaxing weekend I've been talking about for months. Met the ladies for happy hour on Friday. Chip and Nicki showed up. Sarah and her little sister Gwen. Suzie had some great hair! And I finally got to meet Frank. Saturday I hit up the local farmer's market and went to see HP:OP. Saturday night I stayed home and watched movies and made a pie. On Sunday I headed over to Fritz's and spent the day poolside. Not a bad weekend.

Labels: Jill, Sarah, Suzie

I like to make my own pasta, that way I can make sure it's whole wheat, I can roll it out paper thin, and it's kind of fun. It's really easy too, I mix it all up in the food processor, knead it out, and roll it through the machine. My pasta maker is an old school hand crank one, I can't imagine how easy it would be to make this pasta with an electric machine.

Once it's all rolled out, let it dry for a bit (I use my towel rack, kooky I know). Once the pasta has had time to cure, boil it for only about half a minute, then drop in cold olive-oil spiked water to stop the cooking, and lay out on clean towels.

I layered the cooked pasta sheets with skim-milk ricotta, fresh mozzarella, some of that great sauce I made from the grilled veggies (spiked with some more garlic and anchovies), and walnuts. Totally different flavor profile than your traditional lasagna, but really delicious and delicate.

Labels: Food

I haven't really felt like doing much lately, and I know that lends itself to some pretty boring posting. I doubt you want to read about what I have for dinner every night, but apart from working (which you really don't want to hear about) I haven't been up to much for a couple of weeks. I might get out this weekend, but ennui has got me feeling a little less than festive these days, and I just don't know. About all I am looking forward to is the new HP book. Which I guess about sums up my state of mind right now, a children's book. So, if you live in the Denver metro area and you want to hang out give me a call, otherwise I might just stay in all weekend drinking wine and watching Law and Order reruns. Which doesn't sound too bad actually.

Labels: Miscellaneous

I threw the leftover pizza dough in the fridge for later use, and turned the leftover veggies into a sauce which I then turned into lasagna made like this, but with my own pasta recipe. It's really good, but I don't have any pics right now. Maybe later.

Labels: Food

We parked under Rock Bottom, and then waked up to the Downtown Tavern where we headed up to the patio to enjoy an ice cold Bud Light while waiting for the game to start.

Despite my best efforts (and $30 a ticket) we did not have seats in the shade for this ballgame.

Around the sixth inning we went to get hot dogs, and when we came back, the stands had cleared out due to pouring rain.

The weather went crazy, and even the players helped the grounds crew secure the tarp. Maybe you saw it on the highlights?

Later the sun came back out, hot just as hot as before, and then the Rockies lost.

Labels: Baseball, Mom

No, really, Eureka is back, I'm super psyched. Check out the sci-fi channel for this creative adorable show.

Labels: T.V.

I sure do wish I'd never tried these new Cheetos. The dude I share an office with (the mumbler) told me about them, and said they were baked, and therefore lower in fat. Well, I bought a bag, tried them out, and holy crap are they good... but not baked. Natural, i.e. no preservatives, colorings, additives, etc., but not baked, and definitely not lower in fat. Shucks.

Labels: Food, Product Endorsement

So, grilling lobsters. You don't want them crawling around on the hot grill, but I also don't like doing that ice-pick through the brain move either. One totally acceptable solution (for me at least) is to throw them in the freezer for about half an hour. This stuns them so that they don't crawl around, and they don't shriek and squeal like if you boil them.

Don't forget to remove the rubber bands around the claws!

Rub olive oil on the outside of the shells, and throw the lobsters on a hot grill.

It's time to turn them over when they turn red and their tails curl.

Oh Yeah!

The sauce on those grilled veggies is like a bagna cauda, garlic, anchovies, capers, olive oil. Next time I'll add some walnuts.

A little drawn butter...

Some bubbly...

And a nice citrus-y lemon drop martini...

One hell of a casual barbecue. I don't think we could have eaten this well had we gone out, and grilling everything make for easy clean up!

Labels: Food, Grillin', Mom

I needed a change of pace this weekend, and since my dad was camping, I went to hang out with my mom.

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to grill out on the porch. My mom had seen some lobsters at Albertsons and I had my eye on a recipe for great looking grilled veggies, so we went shopping and got fixins for dinner and a couple bottles of champagne. We got home, put the game on, and got cooking.

I got the veggies, an eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, and fennel, tossed with olive oil and on the grill.

We also picked up some scallops, I marinated them with a serrano chili, some garlic and some grapefruit juice. If I had thought about it I would have zested the grapefruit and a lemon to punch up the flavor a bit.

I double skewered the scallops so that they don't twist around on the grill when you flip them.

Labels: Food, Grillin', Mom

Because we all had Wednesday off, Jill and I met Sarah and her entourage Tuesday night at the Platte River Bar and Grill. I had never been before, and I had a great time. We played trivia, drank buckets of beer, and I had one of the best BLT's ever.

When trivia is over, the cheesy DJ played some cheesy music for dancing. Tons-o-fun, a good time was had by all.

Labels: Jill, Sarah

Because Jill needs something to look at at work today... You see, it always starts off innocently enough, sitting in the sun, drinking some beers...

Then some more beers, and the next thing you know we end up at a country bar singing out loud on the dance floor. My mouth is wide open in all of the pictures and Jill thinks she looks like a dinosaur. I will have to admit that Christine's pictures of this particular Saturday night are a lot better than mine were.

Labels: Jill

My mom is coming to visit tonight, and she thinks we're going to dinner, but I think I'm going to try out that franks-n-beans recipe I thought up last week. If it sucks, then we'll go out for dinner. This is what I've decided to try:

slow grilled sausages

served over

beans:
cannellini beans, sm onion, 2-3 garlic cloves, sm jar fig jam, dry white wine, dijon, cider vinegar (if needed), and a couple dashes Tabasco.

topped with grilled mushrooms, arugula, and grated granny smith.

I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow.

Labels: Mom, Recipe

So the absolute last thing I wanted to do today (just like you) was come in to work. But at least it's already Thursday. I had a pretty uneventful holiday, they never seem to live up to the hype. Ended up downtown with The Lurker, who wasn't as charming as last time, but still very cute. I'm pretty sure his sister was giving Jill and me the stink eye. Boo sister, mind your own business.

So yeah, work, work, work. I'm already looking forward to the weekend.

Labels: Holiday

Labels: Camping, Mak and Kate

So, except for Justin cutting off his knuckle, camping was totally fun.

Lots of swimming/tubing/drinking/jumping off a cliff.

I didn't wear pants for 70% of the weekend, and instead just ran around in my swimsuit.

It was really really fun to see Mak and Kate, and I can't wait to go visit again soon.

Labels: Camping, Mak and Kate

Labels: Camping, Mak and Kate