After a lengthy blogging hiatus, I would like to bring you a brief message about my latest athletic aspirations. Here is the trailer for a film that I saw at the Banff Mountain Film Festival last year about snow kiting. Apparently the Camas Prairie in south central Idaho has ideal conditions for this wind-powered snow sport. I'm really hoping to take some lessons this year. Check out the trailer for last year's BMFF snow kiting video.
http://snowkitefilm.com/art.asp?id=52
Doesn't that make you want to fly through the air into some fresh powder? *sigh* I can't wait for winter!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Maybe There Could Be a Free Lunch
Sometimes Mike and I carpool to work. Friday was one of those days.
Over the past year I have learned that Mike likes coffee. I have also learned that it's a good idea for the coffee to be obtained within a few hours after the hateful duties of the alarm clock have been performed. The coffee shop of choice for non-bus days is a little drive-thru on the way to HP. Most of the baristas know his coffee order and can typically take the mug, fill it up, hand it back, and snatch the dollar in about 30 seconds. It's a streamlined operation.
On this particular morning we pulled up behind a green Suburban, and as we waited it quickly became clear that this was not a simple order. I was still working my way through the various stages of waking up at this point, so I don't really remember how long we sat there or precisely what happened in the meantime, but eventually the Suburban drove off and we pulled up to the window. The barista looked down at Mike's empty mug, held up a $10 bill with a slightly quizzical look on her face and said, "This is for you today...so get something fancy". The best we could figure afterward is that the anonymous suburban driver had left it for us.
We're still not sure exactly what happened or why, but it was one of those happy mysteries that comes along every so often and reminds me that not everyone is completely self-centered and sometimes people do nice things just because they want to. So I got a complimentary chai latte to start the day, along with a smile and a bounce in my step. It also encouraged me to "pay it forward", so I'm keeping my eyes open for opportunities.
Over the past year I have learned that Mike likes coffee. I have also learned that it's a good idea for the coffee to be obtained within a few hours after the hateful duties of the alarm clock have been performed. The coffee shop of choice for non-bus days is a little drive-thru on the way to HP. Most of the baristas know his coffee order and can typically take the mug, fill it up, hand it back, and snatch the dollar in about 30 seconds. It's a streamlined operation.
On this particular morning we pulled up behind a green Suburban, and as we waited it quickly became clear that this was not a simple order. I was still working my way through the various stages of waking up at this point, so I don't really remember how long we sat there or precisely what happened in the meantime, but eventually the Suburban drove off and we pulled up to the window. The barista looked down at Mike's empty mug, held up a $10 bill with a slightly quizzical look on her face and said, "This is for you today...so get something fancy". The best we could figure afterward is that the anonymous suburban driver had left it for us.
We're still not sure exactly what happened or why, but it was one of those happy mysteries that comes along every so often and reminds me that not everyone is completely self-centered and sometimes people do nice things just because they want to. So I got a complimentary chai latte to start the day, along with a smile and a bounce in my step. It also encouraged me to "pay it forward", so I'm keeping my eyes open for opportunities.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Home and Away
Mike and I spent the last weekend of April in Seattle visiting college buddies of mine and attending a Mariners baseball game (my first time at Safeco Field). After wandering around Kirkland on the beautiful Saturday afternoon, we made about 300 potstickers for dinner. Too bad Molly isn't eating solid food yet, because we could have used some help eating them all. I have missed you guys! I enjoyed the boba smoothies and playing with sharks at Microsoft.
More Pics from Lewiston and Seattle
This past weekend I flew down to Lake Tahoe with one of my musician friends to stay with another friend at her condo on the north side of the lake. On the way to the airport I found out that there had been some recent earthquakes in the area and there were warnings for more to come. But thankfully we didn't feel any rumblings, except for a particularly intense subwoofer during one of our hikes! We took full advantage of the beautiful spring weather to do some bike riding, hiking, and eating on the deck with the blue jays (it turns out they like cheddar cheese).
More Pics from Lake Tahoe
Just before leaving town on Thursday, I found out that the owners of the condo I am renting have decided not to keep it as a rental any more. By the time I returned on Sunday night there was already a lock box on the door and my cell phone number posted on the MLS listing. After struggling through the initial surprise and disappointment (I love the location and had great plans for the summer months), I'm now trying to figure out what to do when it eventually sells. While jogging around the north end tonight I took a few detours to check out "for rent" and "for sale" signs in the area. My current neighbors are very friendly and enjoy giving me advice on life; one of the ladies tried very hard this evening to convince me that buying one or more homes is the best thing I could do with my money. I'm still not sure whther I want to own real estate yet, but I suppose I should consider it sooner or later.
This past weekend I flew down to Lake Tahoe with one of my musician friends to stay with another friend at her condo on the north side of the lake. On the way to the airport I found out that there had been some recent earthquakes in the area and there were warnings for more to come. But thankfully we didn't feel any rumblings, except for a particularly intense subwoofer during one of our hikes! We took full advantage of the beautiful spring weather to do some bike riding, hiking, and eating on the deck with the blue jays (it turns out they like cheddar cheese).
Just before leaving town on Thursday, I found out that the owners of the condo I am renting have decided not to keep it as a rental any more. By the time I returned on Sunday night there was already a lock box on the door and my cell phone number posted on the MLS listing. After struggling through the initial surprise and disappointment (I love the location and had great plans for the summer months), I'm now trying to figure out what to do when it eventually sells. While jogging around the north end tonight I took a few detours to check out "for rent" and "for sale" signs in the area. My current neighbors are very friendly and enjoy giving me advice on life; one of the ladies tried very hard this evening to convince me that buying one or more homes is the best thing I could do with my money. I'm still not sure whther I want to own real estate yet, but I suppose I should consider it sooner or later.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Taking the Baton
We have a new conductor! The Boise Philharmonic announced last week that Robert Franz has been hired as the new music director for the orchestra, starting with the 2008-2009 season. He spent a week working with the orchestra in preparation for the January concert and demonstrated a great mixture of musical precision, personal rapport, and contagious excitement. Here's a sneak peek into his story.
The Philharmonic is holding a press conference on Thursday to present the new music director in person and to announce the concert programs for next year. At first I was excited at the idea of attending, but then Mike reminded me that I'd probably have to dress up and suddenly it seemed a bit less fascinating. There is a lot to be said for jeans and hoodies. And socks...I love my job. :)
The Philharmonic is holding a press conference on Thursday to present the new music director in person and to announce the concert programs for next year. At first I was excited at the idea of attending, but then Mike reminded me that I'd probably have to dress up and suddenly it seemed a bit less fascinating. There is a lot to be said for jeans and hoodies. And socks...I love my job. :)
Looking Around
After taking a long hiatus from non-required reading, I picked up a book last month about the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It was fascinating to read a first hand account from the perspective of a young girl who lived through it, and I found myself gaining more interest in Asian history. It also helps to have family members living in China and to be planning a trip there myself. Mark, I can't wait to finally see you! How strange that our first meeting in 9 months will be on another continent.
After devouring Red Scarf Girl in less than I week, I started into a book about the Vietnam war that begins by describing the history and culture of the country and the events that triggered the long and bloody war. It's called America and Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger, by Albert Marrin, and so far it's a painful and captivating read. My experience seems to be corroborating the idea that history becomes more interesting with age. In the past it all seemed very far away and irrelevant, but I'm coming to understand that history is full of real people with complex motives that lead to tangled stories with fascinating and unexpected turns. I guess since most people don't really seem to understand what happened in Vietnam (or why it happened), it also feels like someone is letting me in on a secret. And who doesn't love a secret.
Also about a month ago I decided that I wanted to be more informed about national and world events. In an attempt to discourage my personality from getting in the way, I set a goal of reading one article per day. It seemed like a very reasonable goal, and now it allows me to feel like an overachiever if I manage to read more than one. Sadly enough, the primary result of this venture is that I now have a more complete mental list of the places in the world where people are killing each other. Oh, and I know who the president of Zimbabwe...was...is...might be?
For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to stories about WWII, particularly from the perspective of people who had to choose between doing what was safe and doing what was right. However most of my focus has been on the German/European side of the world, with only a cursory knowledge of the war in the Pacific. Recently I watched some movies with Mike about WWII (Das Boot and Letters from Iwo Jima) that depicted the lives of ordinary men who became soldiers and lost their lives in defense of their country, on opposite sides of the globe. These pictures of real war conditions reveal a startling tendency to view people as numbers, especially by leaders making the most important decisions for the fate of their soldiers. Do they think twice and find no other options? In some cases the leaders of countries and armies seem to view the situation with the idea that thousands will inevitably die and the most important thing is to protect the cause or resist the invader. Never mind the fact that each soldier has a family that will be scarred forever when he doesn't come home. From watching these films I'm also amazed and stunned by the horrific physical pain that human beings are capable of inflicting on each other. It's weird how people can so completely lose sight of the humanity and individual significance of others when blinded by a cause that seems more important. And probably some causes are more important, but are they really so prevalent as world history would lead us to believe?
After devouring Red Scarf Girl in less than I week, I started into a book about the Vietnam war that begins by describing the history and culture of the country and the events that triggered the long and bloody war. It's called America and Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger, by Albert Marrin, and so far it's a painful and captivating read. My experience seems to be corroborating the idea that history becomes more interesting with age. In the past it all seemed very far away and irrelevant, but I'm coming to understand that history is full of real people with complex motives that lead to tangled stories with fascinating and unexpected turns. I guess since most people don't really seem to understand what happened in Vietnam (or why it happened), it also feels like someone is letting me in on a secret. And who doesn't love a secret.
Also about a month ago I decided that I wanted to be more informed about national and world events. In an attempt to discourage my personality from getting in the way, I set a goal of reading one article per day. It seemed like a very reasonable goal, and now it allows me to feel like an overachiever if I manage to read more than one. Sadly enough, the primary result of this venture is that I now have a more complete mental list of the places in the world where people are killing each other. Oh, and I know who the president of Zimbabwe...was...is...might be?
For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to stories about WWII, particularly from the perspective of people who had to choose between doing what was safe and doing what was right. However most of my focus has been on the German/European side of the world, with only a cursory knowledge of the war in the Pacific. Recently I watched some movies with Mike about WWII (Das Boot and Letters from Iwo Jima) that depicted the lives of ordinary men who became soldiers and lost their lives in defense of their country, on opposite sides of the globe. These pictures of real war conditions reveal a startling tendency to view people as numbers, especially by leaders making the most important decisions for the fate of their soldiers. Do they think twice and find no other options? In some cases the leaders of countries and armies seem to view the situation with the idea that thousands will inevitably die and the most important thing is to protect the cause or resist the invader. Never mind the fact that each soldier has a family that will be scarred forever when he doesn't come home. From watching these films I'm also amazed and stunned by the horrific physical pain that human beings are capable of inflicting on each other. It's weird how people can so completely lose sight of the humanity and individual significance of others when blinded by a cause that seems more important. And probably some causes are more important, but are they really so prevalent as world history would lead us to believe?
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
A Little Pause
Tonight I was supposed to come straight home after work and practice for our concert this weekend. It's my one night off from rehearsals and my only chance to work on any sections that aren't going as smoothly as they should.
However as I started my 2 mile walk home from downtown, I was not at all in the right frame of mind to concentrate on finger drills. Instead I found a new building to explore, stopped by Goody's for some chocolates, played on the swings in the park, and climbed the camel's back on my way home. The sky was beautiful tonight. After following the progression of colors during my walk, I reached my door just as the moon finally wrestled the baton away from the sun. Sometimes I long for a slower pace of life with fewer commitments and expectations.
My latest favorite pastime is exploring cool buildings downtown after hours. I like to see how high I can go and what kind of interesting things I can find. Today I found a mail chute that goes from the upper floors all the way down to the mail drop box on the first floor (don't put anything fragile in those envelopes!) And it's right next to Congressman Levi Sali's office. There's also a fancy men's clothing store just on the other side of the elevator, which seemed very random indeed. I love the way old buildings get turned into a mixture of retail stores, restaurants, apartments, private office space and who knows what else.
Mark has encouraged me to start blogging again, which encourages me that people actually read my blog. So stay tuned for a slightly more steady stream of randomness and seriousness to follow. :)
However as I started my 2 mile walk home from downtown, I was not at all in the right frame of mind to concentrate on finger drills. Instead I found a new building to explore, stopped by Goody's for some chocolates, played on the swings in the park, and climbed the camel's back on my way home. The sky was beautiful tonight. After following the progression of colors during my walk, I reached my door just as the moon finally wrestled the baton away from the sun. Sometimes I long for a slower pace of life with fewer commitments and expectations.
My latest favorite pastime is exploring cool buildings downtown after hours. I like to see how high I can go and what kind of interesting things I can find. Today I found a mail chute that goes from the upper floors all the way down to the mail drop box on the first floor (don't put anything fragile in those envelopes!) And it's right next to Congressman Levi Sali's office. There's also a fancy men's clothing store just on the other side of the elevator, which seemed very random indeed. I love the way old buildings get turned into a mixture of retail stores, restaurants, apartments, private office space and who knows what else.
Mark has encouraged me to start blogging again, which encourages me that people actually read my blog. So stay tuned for a slightly more steady stream of randomness and seriousness to follow. :)
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Christmas in Mexico
For the first time in 26 years I did not wake up at home with my siblings on Christmas morning.
After deciding to postpone my trip to China until the spring, my remaining options for family togetherness became few and small. Our office closes for the entire week of Christmas, and the prospect of waking up at home alone, without any of my siblings, was more than I could bear. Fortunately Mike also had to take the week off and excitedly collaborated in some vacation scheming. We ended up spending a week in Puerto Vallarta, taking pictures of palm trees and listening to mariachi bands, with periodic snack breaks for mangoes and fresh tortillas.
Our peaceful days and interesting adventures helped tremendously to offset the sadness of missing my dear family on a holiday that we have always celebrated together with hugs, warm flannel, teddy bear bread, and a camel walker.
Some highlights:
More pictures to follow...
After deciding to postpone my trip to China until the spring, my remaining options for family togetherness became few and small. Our office closes for the entire week of Christmas, and the prospect of waking up at home alone, without any of my siblings, was more than I could bear. Fortunately Mike also had to take the week off and excitedly collaborated in some vacation scheming. We ended up spending a week in Puerto Vallarta, taking pictures of palm trees and listening to mariachi bands, with periodic snack breaks for mangoes and fresh tortillas.
Our peaceful days and interesting adventures helped tremendously to offset the sadness of missing my dear family on a holiday that we have always celebrated together with hugs, warm flannel, teddy bear bread, and a camel walker.
Some highlights:
- Sitting on the rocks by the crashing waves at sunset
- Bartered in Spanish with the street vendors and shop owners
- Fresh orange juice on the beach from a guy named Arturo
- Riding the buses with all the locals
- Playing catch on the beach in shorts and t-shirts
- Eating delicious fruit, drinking limonada, finding authentic and tasty restaurants
- Making coffee for my boyfriend
- Being serenaded in Spanish on the beach on Christmas Eve
- Receiving Christmas greetings via text message from my dad in China
More pictures to follow...
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Buses, Family, and Music
Wow, my last post was really depressing. While true at the time, that's not exactly my continual state of being. Here's a little update on the rest of life.
My new condo is ideally located in several ways, one of which is the fact that one of the city bus routes goes right down my street. There's an exchange "station" downtown where I can transfer to a different bus that actually has a stop on the HP campus. A few coworkers convinced me to try riding the bus to HP after I moved to the north end, and after a month of riding pretty regularly I have become a big fan of public transportation. Granted it means that I wake up at 6:30am now, but at least that keeps me on a schedule. If only I could train myself to go to bed earlier too!
Mom flew back from China for Thanksgiving and spent just over a week in Boise, enjoying quality time with family members and seeing an amazing number of friends as well. I think she must have hired a social coordinator behind my back! This was her first trip back to the US since they moved to Shanghai in September. Three months is a pretty long time, but I guess so many things in my life have changed in my life during that same time period -- backpacking around Europe for three weeks, settling into my new job at HP, starting into a new relationship, and recently moving to the other end of Boise -- that their absence in Boise hasn't felt as weird as I initially expected. The idea that "my parents are on the other side of the world" is also easier to handle when we can talk free on Skype and email each other as often as we want. However I do look forward to visiting them in Shanghai to gain an understanding of what their life looks like on an everyday basis. At the moment that understanding is mostly one sided.
Thanksgiving weekend was also extremely satisfying in terms of extended family relationships. All the "girls" of the family enjoyed a wonderful mixture of seriousness and hilarity at our traditional Friday get-together, and my lovely cousin Tori and I had a sleepover at my place later that night. The whole weekend was very relationally fulfilling, including quality conversations with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. I'm so blessed to have a caring, fun-loving, close, wonderful family! Thank you for showing so much interest in my life.
Being a serious musician in a community as small and as large as Boise affords periodic opportunities for interesting gigs. The weekend after Thanksgiving I drove up to Sun Valley to play Handel's Messiah with a combined choir from Sun Valley and Idaho Falls. Each year this particular vocal ensemble hires an orchestra to perform a major work with them, and I think it's my third time to be a privileged member of that orchestra. Usually we stay with host families from Sun Valley, most of whom are singers in the chorus, and each year I am amazed at their large and richly decorated houses, which often include a detached guest house. And some of these families only live in Sun Valley for part of the year. It's a lifestyle of grandeur and volatility that I can't quite fathom. This year we actually stayed at the Sun Valley Lodge resort, in very nice apartments. I felt so spoiled -- it was wonderful to relax and sleep when we weren't playing. Also, I was again blessed to share a stand with Jill, my former teacher and good friend. She always has a twinkle in her eye, even when the chairs are impossibly hard and our backs ache from driving for three hours then trying to support our violins for the rest of the evening.
The really crazy part about that weekend was the fact that in addition to the concerts on Saturday and Sunday, there was also a performance scheduled for Monday night. On an ordinary weekend I would have just taken my snowboard and spend Monday on the slopes at Sun Valley, but a class that I had previously signed up for at work had been moved to start on that same Monday, and I basically had to be there. So I drove home late on Sunday night, went to work, then made the round trip to Sun Valley and back on Monday night for the final concert. We were worried about the roads because it had snowed a lot the night before, so Mike volunteered to join the insanity and drive up with me on Monday. As a result, it turned out to be a pretty fun adventure. On the way home we made our own little caravan along with Dawn to help keep each other safe on the dark, wet roads, and all turned out well. How lovely to not be alone on such a night!
This weekend I'm playing in the pit for the Nutcracker in Boise, which should be fun, but I'm also ready to have a break from music commitments for a few weeks. Maybe the apartment will finally get a thorough cleaning. :) There are still unpacked boxes sitting on shelves, and I haven't hung a single picture yet. Fortunately my kitchen is functional and all my soft cozy blankets are within arm's reach. Life is pretty good after all!
My new condo is ideally located in several ways, one of which is the fact that one of the city bus routes goes right down my street. There's an exchange "station" downtown where I can transfer to a different bus that actually has a stop on the HP campus. A few coworkers convinced me to try riding the bus to HP after I moved to the north end, and after a month of riding pretty regularly I have become a big fan of public transportation. Granted it means that I wake up at 6:30am now, but at least that keeps me on a schedule. If only I could train myself to go to bed earlier too!
Mom flew back from China for Thanksgiving and spent just over a week in Boise, enjoying quality time with family members and seeing an amazing number of friends as well. I think she must have hired a social coordinator behind my back! This was her first trip back to the US since they moved to Shanghai in September. Three months is a pretty long time, but I guess so many things in my life have changed in my life during that same time period -- backpacking around Europe for three weeks, settling into my new job at HP, starting into a new relationship, and recently moving to the other end of Boise -- that their absence in Boise hasn't felt as weird as I initially expected. The idea that "my parents are on the other side of the world" is also easier to handle when we can talk free on Skype and email each other as often as we want. However I do look forward to visiting them in Shanghai to gain an understanding of what their life looks like on an everyday basis. At the moment that understanding is mostly one sided.
Thanksgiving weekend was also extremely satisfying in terms of extended family relationships. All the "girls" of the family enjoyed a wonderful mixture of seriousness and hilarity at our traditional Friday get-together, and my lovely cousin Tori and I had a sleepover at my place later that night. The whole weekend was very relationally fulfilling, including quality conversations with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. I'm so blessed to have a caring, fun-loving, close, wonderful family! Thank you for showing so much interest in my life.
Being a serious musician in a community as small and as large as Boise affords periodic opportunities for interesting gigs. The weekend after Thanksgiving I drove up to Sun Valley to play Handel's Messiah with a combined choir from Sun Valley and Idaho Falls. Each year this particular vocal ensemble hires an orchestra to perform a major work with them, and I think it's my third time to be a privileged member of that orchestra. Usually we stay with host families from Sun Valley, most of whom are singers in the chorus, and each year I am amazed at their large and richly decorated houses, which often include a detached guest house. And some of these families only live in Sun Valley for part of the year. It's a lifestyle of grandeur and volatility that I can't quite fathom. This year we actually stayed at the Sun Valley Lodge resort, in very nice apartments. I felt so spoiled -- it was wonderful to relax and sleep when we weren't playing. Also, I was again blessed to share a stand with Jill, my former teacher and good friend. She always has a twinkle in her eye, even when the chairs are impossibly hard and our backs ache from driving for three hours then trying to support our violins for the rest of the evening.
The really crazy part about that weekend was the fact that in addition to the concerts on Saturday and Sunday, there was also a performance scheduled for Monday night. On an ordinary weekend I would have just taken my snowboard and spend Monday on the slopes at Sun Valley, but a class that I had previously signed up for at work had been moved to start on that same Monday, and I basically had to be there. So I drove home late on Sunday night, went to work, then made the round trip to Sun Valley and back on Monday night for the final concert. We were worried about the roads because it had snowed a lot the night before, so Mike volunteered to join the insanity and drive up with me on Monday. As a result, it turned out to be a pretty fun adventure. On the way home we made our own little caravan along with Dawn to help keep each other safe on the dark, wet roads, and all turned out well. How lovely to not be alone on such a night!
This weekend I'm playing in the pit for the Nutcracker in Boise, which should be fun, but I'm also ready to have a break from music commitments for a few weeks. Maybe the apartment will finally get a thorough cleaning. :) There are still unpacked boxes sitting on shelves, and I haven't hung a single picture yet. Fortunately my kitchen is functional and all my soft cozy blankets are within arm's reach. Life is pretty good after all!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
How Long Until Christmas?
This morning I awoke from a restless sleep at 3am, feeling sick to my stomach about work pressures and longing futilely for the days when I felt capable and on top of things. Some of the stress is probably self-imposed, based on my particular personality traits, but somehow this realization has failed to effect any significant change in my emotional state. Knowing that we're way behind before we even start, and that there's very little room in the schedule for learning or making mistakes, does not bring out the best in me as an engineer. In fact, not only is it completely discouraging and stressful -- it also saps my energy, confidence, and creative spirit. At first I was totally excited about the challenges and learning opportunities in my new job, but this isn't the way it was supposed to go.
Deciding that I was too wound up to fall back asleep immediately, I got up off the couch (where I have been sleeping the past few nights) and glanced out the window. To my surprise, large snowflakes were falling gently onto the wet pavement at the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately the temperature is still too warm for snow to really collect on the ground, but I felt a glimmer of joy at the sight. If only the night could last a little longer.
Deciding that I was too wound up to fall back asleep immediately, I got up off the couch (where I have been sleeping the past few nights) and glanced out the window. To my surprise, large snowflakes were falling gently onto the wet pavement at the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately the temperature is still too warm for snow to really collect on the ground, but I felt a glimmer of joy at the sight. If only the night could last a little longer.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Musings on Management
I'm starting to appreciate that being an effective manager is hard. Figuring out how to motivate individual employees and stay on top of issues while still empowering your subordinates to use their own judgement and not getting in their way or impeding their progress through micromanagement must be an exhausting and tricky balance. I have been pondering this quite a bit recently, as a result of my interactions with a number of different managers who are all stressed out about functionality that I am responsible for implementing. It also reminds me once again that I have no interest whatsoever in becoming a people manager. There are plenty of problems to solve -- that much is clear -- but they're not the kind of problems that get me out of bed in the morning.
Random fact of the day: The average life span of a major league baseball is 7 pitches.
Although don't believe everything you read on a string cheese package...
Random fact of the day: The average life span of a major league baseball is 7 pitches.
Although don't believe everything you read on a string cheese package...
Friday, November 02, 2007
Life in 83702!
I now officially reside in the North End.
My apartment is actually one of 12 condos in a three story building that is perched at the edge of the foothills, about 50' above the intersection of 15th and Hill Rd. A trail leading to Camel's Back Park winds upward from the east end of the parking lot.
This place is perfectly charming for both the location and the view. Last night I walked down to Hyde Park (about 15 minutes) in the evening for some ice cream at Goody's with the Roligs, and to my great joy there were quite a few other pedestrians out enjoying the brisk evening air as well. This evening I went for a run after work and felt quite safe among the old trees, parked cars, dogs on leashes, blinking bike lights, and drivers who actually stopped to let me cross the street. My street is just a few blocks from the beautiful Harrison Blvd, where the aging trees still cling to the final stages of their autumn glory. Sometimes I drive that way just to enjoy the canopy of color. And I have yet to ride my bike downtown, but I'm looking forward to that as well. Sooner rather than later I should probably invest in a bike light and some warm clothes that are not black. Oh yeah, and there are tons of restaurants to explore too!
But so far the best part is the view. My love for sunsets remains insatiable.
My new home also has plenty of personality. The stream of water coming from the shower head converges into a solid arrow after about 6", and I have to use two hands just to get the shower door open. There is no microwave (until I buy one) so this morning I thought I would heat up my chai latte on the stove. I tried one burner, then another, waiting a few minutes each time, but none of them seemed the least bit inclined to produce heat. Tonight I tried turning on the oven, which immediately started to emit odd-smelling smoke, and after it settled down I tried the burners again and they worked! Who knows...
This is actually only my third real day here, even though I slept on an air mattress in the bedroom for half of last week. On Saturday Mike, Eric, Sean, and the Bostons helped me move -- it took us about five hours with a Suburban, a truck, two smaller cars and two trips across town. Then Mike helped me unpack my kitchen and move the last few things back over here on Sunday, after Chrissy's baby shower (Asher is ready to be born any time!) I'm so blessed with wonderful coworkers and friends. Hopefully you have all realized that the hot tub downstairs is open for post-skiing relaxation all winter long!
Profound Thought of the Day...
Light travels faster than sound.
That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
My apartment is actually one of 12 condos in a three story building that is perched at the edge of the foothills, about 50' above the intersection of 15th and Hill Rd. A trail leading to Camel's Back Park winds upward from the east end of the parking lot.
This place is perfectly charming for both the location and the view. Last night I walked down to Hyde Park (about 15 minutes) in the evening for some ice cream at Goody's with the Roligs, and to my great joy there were quite a few other pedestrians out enjoying the brisk evening air as well. This evening I went for a run after work and felt quite safe among the old trees, parked cars, dogs on leashes, blinking bike lights, and drivers who actually stopped to let me cross the street. My street is just a few blocks from the beautiful Harrison Blvd, where the aging trees still cling to the final stages of their autumn glory. Sometimes I drive that way just to enjoy the canopy of color. And I have yet to ride my bike downtown, but I'm looking forward to that as well. Sooner rather than later I should probably invest in a bike light and some warm clothes that are not black. Oh yeah, and there are tons of restaurants to explore too!
But so far the best part is the view. My love for sunsets remains insatiable.
My new home also has plenty of personality. The stream of water coming from the shower head converges into a solid arrow after about 6", and I have to use two hands just to get the shower door open. There is no microwave (until I buy one) so this morning I thought I would heat up my chai latte on the stove. I tried one burner, then another, waiting a few minutes each time, but none of them seemed the least bit inclined to produce heat. Tonight I tried turning on the oven, which immediately started to emit odd-smelling smoke, and after it settled down I tried the burners again and they worked! Who knows...
This is actually only my third real day here, even though I slept on an air mattress in the bedroom for half of last week. On Saturday Mike, Eric, Sean, and the Bostons helped me move -- it took us about five hours with a Suburban, a truck, two smaller cars and two trips across town. Then Mike helped me unpack my kitchen and move the last few things back over here on Sunday, after Chrissy's baby shower (Asher is ready to be born any time!) I'm so blessed with wonderful coworkers and friends. Hopefully you have all realized that the hot tub downstairs is open for post-skiing relaxation all winter long!
Profound Thought of the Day...
Light travels faster than sound.
That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Challenges and Discoveries
After starting into a new job where I need to immediately become an expert in an area that has a lot of nuances and unfamiliar problems, it seems clear that my life at HP will remain challenging and stressful for the foreseeable future. But I'm starting to move from the overwhelming panic phase into the focused and determined phase. Finally I have come to the conclusion that although there may be plenty of engineers in the world who are smarter and more experienced than me, I can be as stubborn and persistent as any of them. Sure, I won't become an expert overnight, but I'm not afraid to ask questions and struggle with problems and figure things out. After all, that's what attracted me to engineering in the first place.
So for a few precious moments I feel like I can conquer the world (maybe drinking Dr. Pepper mid-afternoon is a good idea after all!) If only the program schedules included time for tasks like "learning stuff". At least I know that I have the total support and confidence of my manager and system architect, which is a pretty significant factor.
Sometimes I wish I were the smartest person in the world. But thinking about it more rationally, I suppose that first of all everyone would hate me, and secondly I would probably run out of challenges to solve. There's nothing quite as satisfying as the moment when the pieces of the puzzle finally click into place in my brain and lead to a solution that had seemed completely elusive. I suppose if the world always made sense at first glance there would be no excitement in discovery. So it seems that the relentless and competitive perfectionist in me must continue to cope with the frustrations of not being the fastest or the smartest or the most skillful at everything. Bummer. :)
So for a few precious moments I feel like I can conquer the world (maybe drinking Dr. Pepper mid-afternoon is a good idea after all!) If only the program schedules included time for tasks like "learning stuff". At least I know that I have the total support and confidence of my manager and system architect, which is a pretty significant factor.
Sometimes I wish I were the smartest person in the world. But thinking about it more rationally, I suppose that first of all everyone would hate me, and secondly I would probably run out of challenges to solve. There's nothing quite as satisfying as the moment when the pieces of the puzzle finally click into place in my brain and lead to a solution that had seemed completely elusive. I suppose if the world always made sense at first glance there would be no excitement in discovery. So it seems that the relentless and competitive perfectionist in me must continue to cope with the frustrations of not being the fastest or the smartest or the most skillful at everything. Bummer. :)
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Daily Humor from Boise
Traffic may be crazy in China, but sometimes Nampa is equally ridiculous.
Tonight I was on my way to play a Boise Baroque concert, driving down the road and eating a chicken sandwich while trying to shift and to stay more or less in my lane. Yes, I occasionally fall into the large percentage of the population whose behavior may only be scornfully dismissed with a shake of the head and the phrase "some people's children..."
Anyway, I needed to turn left (east) at 3rd street, which, you may have guessed, comes immediately after 2nd street. It just so happens that 2nd street only goes one way: west. But as the car in front of me casually maneuvered into the nonexistent left turn lane, I decided that the owner of the California plates had not yet realized this very important fact. When the light turned green I had one of those helpless, show-motion moments, watching the driver attempt to turn into oncoming traffic and realizing mid-course that there was no place to go. Thankfully he made it all the way to 3rd street without submitting any insurance claims, but perhaps Idaho is not a safe place for fire refugees after all (Kristin was talking about listing her house on Craigslist under San Diego earlier today).
My parents have become very techie while living in China. Not only do they maintain a blog, utilize various tricks for accessing government-restricted web sites, and talk to people at home on Skype -- they also communicate with taxi drivers by getting people to send them text messages with the appropriate addresses and directions written in Chinese characters. I'm so proud. :)
Speaking of internet craziness, I heard a song on the radio recently that seriously caused me to start laughing out loud in my car. The chorus starts out: "I'm so much cooler online". It's about a guy describing his fictitious online profile and its effect on his imagined social and relationship status. This could be the Case Western Reserve University fight song, I'm so not even kidding.
Tonight I was on my way to play a Boise Baroque concert, driving down the road and eating a chicken sandwich while trying to shift and to stay more or less in my lane. Yes, I occasionally fall into the large percentage of the population whose behavior may only be scornfully dismissed with a shake of the head and the phrase "some people's children..."
Anyway, I needed to turn left (east) at 3rd street, which, you may have guessed, comes immediately after 2nd street. It just so happens that 2nd street only goes one way: west. But as the car in front of me casually maneuvered into the nonexistent left turn lane, I decided that the owner of the California plates had not yet realized this very important fact. When the light turned green I had one of those helpless, show-motion moments, watching the driver attempt to turn into oncoming traffic and realizing mid-course that there was no place to go. Thankfully he made it all the way to 3rd street without submitting any insurance claims, but perhaps Idaho is not a safe place for fire refugees after all (Kristin was talking about listing her house on Craigslist under San Diego earlier today).
My parents have become very techie while living in China. Not only do they maintain a blog, utilize various tricks for accessing government-restricted web sites, and talk to people at home on Skype -- they also communicate with taxi drivers by getting people to send them text messages with the appropriate addresses and directions written in Chinese characters. I'm so proud. :)
Speaking of internet craziness, I heard a song on the radio recently that seriously caused me to start laughing out loud in my car. The chorus starts out: "I'm so much cooler online". It's about a guy describing his fictitious online profile and its effect on his imagined social and relationship status. This could be the Case Western Reserve University fight song, I'm so not even kidding.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Be Nice to Time
Question of the day:
Is it better to make a realistic to-do list and consciously decide in advance which things not to do, or to put everything on the list and try to finish as many tasks as possible before collapsing from exhausted discouragement?
When phrased in that manner, my usual strategy sounds sort of ridiculous. After all, hours after midnight really are not free, especially when there is no time to catch up on rest between 9am and 10pm. It seems like I was able to function on less sleep in college, but I guess there were plenty of breaks in between classes to allow for mental relaxation, besides the fact that sitting in a lecture hall generally required very little initiative or motivation. Maybe I should take Mom's advice these days and stop cheating the night.
It's not that I don't like to sleep -- in fact I indulge myself with waking up late as often as possible. But that doesn't solve the fundamental problem. I feel a bit like the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, who bemoans his relationship with Time, "We quarreled last March -- just before he went mad, you know--". At some point I think I must have inadvertently quarreled with Time or Calendar, or perhaps they quarreled with each other on my behalf, because they never seem to get along very well. Maybe one of these days I'll learn to not over-commit myself. :)
Is it better to make a realistic to-do list and consciously decide in advance which things not to do, or to put everything on the list and try to finish as many tasks as possible before collapsing from exhausted discouragement?
When phrased in that manner, my usual strategy sounds sort of ridiculous. After all, hours after midnight really are not free, especially when there is no time to catch up on rest between 9am and 10pm. It seems like I was able to function on less sleep in college, but I guess there were plenty of breaks in between classes to allow for mental relaxation, besides the fact that sitting in a lecture hall generally required very little initiative or motivation. Maybe I should take Mom's advice these days and stop cheating the night.
It's not that I don't like to sleep -- in fact I indulge myself with waking up late as often as possible. But that doesn't solve the fundamental problem. I feel a bit like the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, who bemoans his relationship with Time, "We quarreled last March -- just before he went mad, you know--". At some point I think I must have inadvertently quarreled with Time or Calendar, or perhaps they quarreled with each other on my behalf, because they never seem to get along very well. Maybe one of these days I'll learn to not over-commit myself. :)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Europe Pics
I finally posted some of my pictures from Europe. Eventually I'll add amusing and possibly informative captions, but until then you can use your imagination!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lindsay.tyson/Europe2007
On Thursday we had an HP lab party at Boondocks in the afternoon, which served as a virtual birthday party. We drove go-karts, played laser tag, hit in the batting cages (my shoulders are still feeling it!) and enjoyed some wild games of air hockey. After watching part of the baseball game in the evening, Chrissy, Brian, Shannon, Josiah and Mike came over to share some apple pie. All in all it was quite a lovely day. Then I spent the rest of the weekend in Seattle visiting Tim, Ian and VP (very pregnant) Liz. My two orchestra rehearsals on Sunday afternoon mandated a short trip, but we still managed to enjoy some silly and serious times together, including an intense round of glow-in-the-dark Rummy and a lovely dinner by Snoqualmie Falls. Oh yeah, and what's up with everyone buying condos?!
Speaking of batting cages, there seems to be some confusion about my MLB allegiance, and I feel that this issue needs to be addressed promptly. For the record: my two most beloved teams for the past 10+ years are the Angels and Braves, in that order. My subsequent favorites are the Dodgers and Indians (although I really only became a fan after moving away from Cleveland). While I thought it was impressive that the Rockies clinched the wild card in extra innings of the tiebreaker game, and that they are now on their way to the World Series, that is the extent of my interest in Colorado. I'm pretty ambivalent about most of the other teams, although I must say...some colors really weren't meant to be seen together! ;)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lindsay.tyson/Europe2007
On Thursday we had an HP lab party at Boondocks in the afternoon, which served as a virtual birthday party. We drove go-karts, played laser tag, hit in the batting cages (my shoulders are still feeling it!) and enjoyed some wild games of air hockey. After watching part of the baseball game in the evening, Chrissy, Brian, Shannon, Josiah and Mike came over to share some apple pie. All in all it was quite a lovely day. Then I spent the rest of the weekend in Seattle visiting Tim, Ian and VP (very pregnant) Liz. My two orchestra rehearsals on Sunday afternoon mandated a short trip, but we still managed to enjoy some silly and serious times together, including an intense round of glow-in-the-dark Rummy and a lovely dinner by Snoqualmie Falls. Oh yeah, and what's up with everyone buying condos?!
Speaking of batting cages, there seems to be some confusion about my MLB allegiance, and I feel that this issue needs to be addressed promptly. For the record: my two most beloved teams for the past 10+ years are the Angels and Braves, in that order. My subsequent favorites are the Dodgers and Indians (although I really only became a fan after moving away from Cleveland). While I thought it was impressive that the Rockies clinched the wild card in extra innings of the tiebreaker game, and that they are now on their way to the World Series, that is the extent of my interest in Colorado. I'm pretty ambivalent about most of the other teams, although I must say...some colors really weren't meant to be seen together! ;)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Roses from China
My parents ordered me a beautiful bouquet and had it delivered to my office at HP today. What a lovely early birthday surprise! I thought birthdays would seem anticlimactic after I turned 25, but this unexpected joy from the other side of the world imprinted a smile on my entire day.
Tomorrow I'm having some friends over for apple pie, which Mike helped me to make last night. The dough for the crust didn't seem particularly interested in becoming a flat circle, but after the third time of starting over from scratch we managed to produce two respectable looking pies.
In other news, I sent in my security deposit for the new apartment (condo) today. This means I should have a new address in about a month, and a whole new part of town to explore!
Tomorrow I'm having some friends over for apple pie, which Mike helped me to make last night. The dough for the crust didn't seem particularly interested in becoming a flat circle, but after the third time of starting over from scratch we managed to produce two respectable looking pies.
In other news, I sent in my security deposit for the new apartment (condo) today. This means I should have a new address in about a month, and a whole new part of town to explore!
Monday, October 08, 2007
Cheesecake!
The O'Haras took me out for a birthday dinner tonight at the Cheesecake Factory. It was SO YUMMY! And they sat through 300 Europe pictures with great forebearance. :) I'm sorry about your Yankees, guys...I guess I can't have too much pity though, because your Red Sox beat up on my Angels earlier this week. Go Cleveland!!!
For some reason I keep staying up late trying to finish a million things, even though I know it will hurt the next morning. This week my brain feels continually exhausted as I try to learn as much as possible from a departing coworker whose previous responsibilities now rest squarely on my aching shoulders. It's interesting work and an exciting challenge, but also stressful and a little daunting. Once again I find myself grateful for a busy life with diverse activities. At least if I stumble in one area there is still a chance of having other successes to lift my spirits.
The past two weekends I have attended musical performances as an audience member rather than a performer. Although I usually find myself preferring to sit on stage holding an instrument, this brief respite from the pressure of performing was a rare delight. Amusingly enough, the upper section of the Mezzanine is not a total improvement over sitting in the pit; I still couldn't read the supertitles at the opera (there's a reason our seats were so affordable!) Nonetheless, Mike and I had a great time, and it was fun to dress up in a color other than black!
For some reason I keep staying up late trying to finish a million things, even though I know it will hurt the next morning. This week my brain feels continually exhausted as I try to learn as much as possible from a departing coworker whose previous responsibilities now rest squarely on my aching shoulders. It's interesting work and an exciting challenge, but also stressful and a little daunting. Once again I find myself grateful for a busy life with diverse activities. At least if I stumble in one area there is still a chance of having other successes to lift my spirits.
The past two weekends I have attended musical performances as an audience member rather than a performer. Although I usually find myself preferring to sit on stage holding an instrument, this brief respite from the pressure of performing was a rare delight. Amusingly enough, the upper section of the Mezzanine is not a total improvement over sitting in the pit; I still couldn't read the supertitles at the opera (there's a reason our seats were so affordable!) Nonetheless, Mike and I had a great time, and it was fun to dress up in a color other than black!
Sunday, October 07, 2007
October Baseball
My beloved Angels couldn't keep up with the Red Sox this week, concluding the series in Anaheim this afternoon without a single victory. This is so disappointing after an amazing season. Fortunately Cleveland is still in the running, even after losing game three to the Yankees tonight. It's funny -- I was never really a fan of Cleveland while I was at Case, but that has gradually changed over the past few years (probably under the influence of Kristine.) I think my dislike for the Indians after their victory over the Braves in 1995 has finally abated into a grudging affection.
Life in Boise is back to full speed, with a few extra things added to the general craziness. After enjoying a virtually nonexistent commute for the past three years, it's finally time for me to move a little closer to the "still awake after 10pm" part of town. After driving around last weekend and calling a few places this week, I'm looking at renting a condo in the North End, near the intersection of 15th and Hill Rd. The condo itself is smal
ler and somewhat older than my current apartment, but the location has already stolen my heart. Perched on the side of a hill close to Camels Back Park, it has a panoramic view over the Boise treetops from the large sliding glass doors that lead from the living room to the wide balcony. The prospect of watching the sunset from my couch all year round makes my heart sigh with happiness!
Life in Boise is back to full speed, with a few extra things added to the general craziness. After enjoying a virtually nonexistent commute for the past three years, it's finally time for me to move a little closer to the "still awake after 10pm" part of town. After driving around last weekend and calling a few places this week, I'm looking at renting a condo in the North End, near the intersection of 15th and Hill Rd. The condo itself is smal
ler and somewhat older than my current apartment, but the location has already stolen my heart. Perched on the side of a hill close to Camels Back Park, it has a panoramic view over the Boise treetops from the large sliding glass doors that lead from the living room to the wide balcony. The prospect of watching the sunset from my couch all year round makes my heart sigh with happiness!
Monday, October 01, 2007
Test Entry
I'm doing a quick test of the email-to-blog functionality before setting it up for my parents.
Go Rockies! (They won the AL wild card tiebreaker against the Padres in 13 innings tonight.)
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Random Tidbits
Most surprising: I spent three weeks in Europe and only paid for a bathroom once.
Most challenging: Staying awake and trying to function after traveling for 20+ hours
Most impressive: The Chinese gymnasts on uneven bars and balance beam.
Most precarious: The steep and narrow staircases to reach the top of the Duomo in Florence.
Most beautiful: Venice canals at dusk
Most annoying: Having to pay for water at restaurants.
Most consistent: Eating gelato every day in Italy!
Most exciting: Watching Clint practically jumping up and down after we bought tickets to Wicked.
Most delicious: Indian food in Covent Garden our first night in London.
Most amusing: In Venice, an American woman with a southern accent repeatedly yelling out the window (in English) for a couple that was arguing loudly in Italian to "knock it off".
Most challenging: Staying awake and trying to function after traveling for 20+ hours
Most impressive: The Chinese gymnasts on uneven bars and balance beam.
Most beautiful: Venice canals at dusk
Most annoying: Having to pay for water at restaurants.
Most consistent: Eating gelato every day in Italy!
Most exciting: Watching Clint practically jumping up and down after we bought tickets to Wicked.
Most delicious: Indian food in Covent Garden our first night in London.
Most anticlimactic: London Bridge
Most amusing: In Venice, an American woman with a southern accent repeatedly yelling out the window (in English) for a couple that was arguing loudly in Italian to "knock it off".
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