txensen

texas style

I finally got some pictures off my camera from the past couple of days.

I've had some adventures since last post. Last night, we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and I got some of the best chicken-fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and steak fries ever.

Today, I was hanging out with the kids while McKay and Kim did some shopping and I got bit by a snake! The kids found this snake in the backyard and it was scaring them. Nolan wanted to kill it, but I thought it was just a gardner snake, so I looked it up on the internet. It matched, so I went out and got it's head under a broom handle. Just when I reached to grab it right behind it's head the broom handle slipped and the snake just latched onto my finger. I couldn't get it off, and the kids were kind of freaking out at that point, so I decided to just start heading toward somewhere where I could set it free and figure out how to get it off my hand when we got there. So while I was walking through the house, I pried it off - but once it was free to bite me again, I got nervous and dropped it IN the house! Then the kids were really screaming! So I just grabbed it again real quick without getting bit again and dropped it in the gutter across the street. It didn't hurt or anything, but everyone was really shocked.

I got some ingredients to sew a little star on the shirt I'm going to wear for the 4th. Kim is cooking the most delicious smelling roast right now. Mom, Brandy, and Macayzsha will be here in a couple of hours and I'm really excited. Evan and Stephanie will get here later. So far, I've had a blast... and I'm loving this place. It's what would happen if Utah and Arizona had a baby.

houston, can you read me?

I've been hanging in Texas with McKay, Kim and his crew for the past couple of days. It has been quite a vacation thus far. We spend 90% of our time hanging out in the garage, which doubles as an open-air living room when the door is up. The neighbors are all members of the family, like one big block-wide household, they come and go from each other's houses, exchanging kids, pantry items, and gossip freely. It's such a change of pace, relaxed and mellow. I've jammed guitar with the neighbors, taken walks with the kids, enjoyed the paths of the local arboretum, and dare-deviled the local water park the whole family (all the neighbors too, of course.)

I have gotten acquaited with McKay's kids, and we've had a really fun time. I really love sitting with coffee in the morning in the garage. All the neighbors come, have their coffee and start their days with you... and it's real nice. I don't even know my neighbors names (or faces.) It's a big contrast.

week of thompson

My Friday bday surprise was goofy golfing, batting cages, arcade and homemade by Mark brownies with candles. A blast. But, I lost the SD card with the proof on it. Eva arrived Saturday evening (right after I got home from taking Stephanie to the airport.)

Venice Beach drizzle sand castle Sunday

Eva's kids are very industrious sand architects. After we built this castle, we built a hot tub.

Hollywood Boulevard Monday

They have street performers and costumed people for photos with tourists all along here. Chana had funny run-ins with both. First, a guy who did the robot really good got her to do a "white girl dance" in his show. Later she realized that what looked like red tights on this costumed guy was really just red paint on his skin - and he was only wearing a little leather g-string with tassles on his belt. She went over to try to clandestinely take a picture of his bare bottom to show her friends and he turned around and caught her. After that, he kept winking at her and waving, and then later came over, stood right in front of her, and started shaking his booty at her. It was one of those painfully funny embarassing things.

I had a good time hanging out with Roger, which I did a lot of thanks to our common love of roller coasters. Likewise for Mark and Eva with their common disinterest in coasters. (They went to the park together with the girls on Wednesday when Roger and I ditched them for the siren call of Magic Mountain.)

Knotts Berry Farm Tuesday

All but Mark went to Knotts. That park is perfect for a family with varying tastes in ride intensity. Roger, Chana and I (and sometimes Sade) broke out of Snoopy's Camp for some high-thrills. The Xcelerator shoots you like a rocket 80 mph in 6 seconds for 32 seconds worth of straight up, over a hump in the track and straight down into some loops. The Silver Bullet is probably my favorite (because the wooden coaster is closed for repair this year) - the bullet is a smooth, feet dangling coaster with lots of loops and cork screws. But the highlight of the day was seeing Aubri and Marissa become the next generation of coaster junkies. Aubri's quote, "That was awesome! Let's go again! My favorite part was when the skin on my face felt like it was falling off. Did you feel that, too?" Marissa also loved the rides, but was not big enough to feel her face fall off (she would have if they'd have let her.) So she stuck to the log ride, which was the scariest in her height bracket - and rode it 11 times.

Six Flags Wednesday

Roger, Chana, Sade and I hit the big-kid coasters. We rode every coaster at Six Flags except Superman and Tatsu. We worked the park pretty good. I've been to this park a lot of times, but surprisingly had not been on very many of the rides. The Riddler you ride standing up. The X2 - well, that one is really unpredictable - one minute you are laying on your back going up the track backwards, the next your seat swivels unexpectedly to face your head next to the track right before you plunge down. You just never know where you are going. We sat in the front row. My favorite is Batman or DejaVu. I learned that you can get too much of a good thing - after throwing up all night and still feeling like I was on a coaster all day at work the next day.

Wicked @ Pantages Thursday

I could watch this show every week. Poor Roger. Little did he know what he was in for when he insisted that he and Eva should do more for my birthday than just visit me. They treated me to this show - and it was a wonderful performance... I cried again. And I realized that one of the reasons I like it has a little to do with Eva (The Good One) and Mona (The Green Sheep) mirroring the storyline's path through friendship with one another, and ending up being Changed For Good by one another.

This one is for Eva: You asked for it.

Hollywood Driving Tour & Universal City Walk Friday

Mark took the fam on the usual drive around local points of interest. A very good Journey tribute band was playing the City Walk - and some b-boys gave a modest show. I hold Marissa to tell me I was hip, and she called me a hippo.

China Town Saturday

I collect paper money from around the world, and I got some Chinese Yuen and some Iraqi Dinar (with Saddam's face - but Mark thinks it's fake.) I don't have any pictures because I forgot to copy Eva's SD card before she and her beautiful family left today.

i love LA

For lunch, my crew took me to a swanky Carribean restaurant, Prado, on Larchmont for my bday.

After work and dinner, Nancy joined Mark, Stephanie and I for a walk over to the modern art section of the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art... we checked out some Warhol and had a nice time. Nancy had never seen the Tar Pits, so we walked through there, too. And I got a cupcake on the way home. And I rolled down the tall hill at the Tar Pits like a little kid.

We walked over to the paper store "Pulp" on the corner, where a film crew was just wrapping up shooting of the TV show LIFE. We got to walk right up to the window of the store, as the bright lights were shining into it. However, the actors were already wrapped.

We're planning to celebrate my bday for real on Friday. Today was kind of mellow, but nice. I enjoyed it. I can't believe I'm 32.

steph's first show

We walked down to the El Rey to see a few local bands play at a show that Stephanie picked out. She loved Cold Forty-Three, which was a kind of generic-punk novice band. She talked to them after their set for about 30 minutes, and they gave her a sampler CD, tickets to their next show, and a T-shirt. They even signed the CD (which was a big deal, because no one had a pen, so they had to send a groupie to the drug store for a sharpie marker, and he came back with candy, too - which they also shared with Stephanie.) They were really nice and ate up the attention from Stephanie and vice versa.
After their set, Karisa Winett played. She had all this attitude on stage, but she had the voice to back it up, and played pretty classic hard-rock. Her band was also very talented.

Then, Profit and Business... this was Mark's favorite, and probably mine, too. But it was hard to like them. They would go from this really melodic post-rock ambient loveliness, to screaming heavy metal and back again. It was a little chaotic, but going back and forth from yuck to yum made the yum part yummier. I don't know. It's hard to explain. Anyway, we had fun.

not perfect, but not too bad

That's how my exam went. Not well enough to suppose that I passed, but well enough to have a small ounce of hope.

As for the rest of the day, some scrapbooking and a second delightful serving of WICKED which was just as good re-heated as it was fresh from the oven. Stephanie is still making fun of me for actually crying at parts. (She also liked the show.)

As for catching ya'll up on my step-o-meter - my current daily average is 11,674 -
Day 6: 12,347
Day 7: 16,456
Day 8: 13,833
Day 9: 11,722
Day 10: 8,947
Day 11: 7,595
Day 12: 16,793
Day 13: 8,516

(I unapologetically studied on day 10 & 11. I have no excuse for today. And I did not do a weigh-in this week because I blew the diet during the few days leading up to the exam... but no more of that. I'm back on track.)

knotts berry nice

Sierra Side-winder; Stephanie's top selection for "go-again" status.

We got what we came for ~ drenched. Design flaw: you have to scream, ergo water in your breathe-hole.

Stephanie rode Montazooma's Revenge THREE times. And yes, it cost me dearly in bribes. She's not a coaster junkie like me and her mom. But, we are both determined to make her one.

I studied quite a bit yesterday, and again this evening. My test is tomorrow morning. I'm not sufficiently prepared, and I don't want to have unwarranted optimism... but I couldn't help it. I got all the problems I did today right, and got a little seed of warm, buttery hope blooming and waiting to have it's soul crushed in two months (that's how long I have to wait for my results.)

hanging with stephanie

We went to the Lucky Strike for bowling. I rolled the best game of my life, and got a 138! (Okay, I realize that this is pretty sad for an all time high.)
And I found out that you aren't supposed to wear your shoulder strap of your seatbelt under your arm. Apparently, this is enough to get you a ticket.

And Stephanie REALLY doesn't like her picture taken. But she is so cute. I just love to catch the reaction when she realizes that I'm taking one.

I've been looking forward to making this sand castle that I saw some people making before. You drizzle drops of very wet sand to make a bunch of spires, and it looks really melty and cool. While we were at the beach, I started to show Stephanie, and grabbed a handful of wet sand and started drizzling it and thousands of gross small crabby bugs started crawling out of it and swarming all over. I freaked out started screaming and ran into the ocean to wash it off my hands, and everyone on the beach, included Stephanie, was totally cracking up. I was too busy screaming my head off and trying to make sure they were all off me.... it was hilarious. (And freaky.)

not so baby steps

Day 1: 13,137
Day 2: 11,379
Day 3: 10,188
Day 4: 9,456
Day 5: 12,308

My daily average is: 11,293.

My supervisor's average is above 17,000. Last I checked, we were in 45/92-ish place. Some crazy team in Australia is averaging 20,000 per team member. They must have a lot less work to do, or their boss is paying them to walk all day. Our supervisor is encouraging us to take a few breaks each day to walk around the block... so I guess the competitive edge works in my favor.

I'll do better after my exam, I hope.

wii declare the economy stimulated

The economy, feeling out of character and tipsy from all the wholesale forclosuring going on, found it in her heart to give us tennis in our living room in order to somehow kick the strange feelings of vertigo. Wii stimulated her, and gave her a tickle in the back pocket, if you know what I mean. And she is stimulating us back (with the aforementioned tennis in our living room.)

stuff that is keeping me from posting

Diet: Counting every calorie and writing it down - three weeks in. This also means cooking. I have already seen some happy making numbers. Let's see it last, so I can have some food-as-a-reward and undo it. Catch-22. And why is it that as soon as you go on a diet, everyone in the world invites you over to dinner?

Exercise: Doing the Global Corporate Challenge. Officially starts tomorrow, but I have been walking to ease my way in. My goal is 10K+ steps per day on average. Basically, you take a virtual walking tour around the world, visiting different cultures by putting in your steps and following a trek. We start in Chile, so for the kick-off tomorrow, I am preparing a Chilean dish for a lunch. My whole department is on my team and we are competing against 15 other Farmers (and our parent co Zurich) Teams.

Study: Test is not next but the following week. Totally not ready. Also, reg'd for a vocational training course, required supplement to actuarial exam - which is the equiv to a college course in three weeks. That starts day after exam. This ride never ends. Sorry, I mean "learning adventure."

Reading: Okay, so I totally took a much needed break from my brain and read the book WICKED in two days. It was really dark, and exceptional. I feel really guilty, but deep inside, I'm smiling.

Summer planning: getting airfare, tickets, etc arranged for our action packed fun. So far, I have my Texas airfare for 4th of July w/ McKay, SeaWorld passes, an annual pass to Six Flags, and cheap seats to see WICKED again with Stephanie. More fun to come... fuh-shuh.

for everyone who helped with the roses

Thank you. Thank you so much.

I talked to mom today. She said she cannot stop going outside to look at her "rose stumps."

(She loves rose gardens, so we gave her one for Mother's Day.) The flowers were shipped in from Jackson & Perkins, and arrived just at the perfect time for planting. Eva and Roger worked in the soil conditioners and put the bareroots down on Saturday, when I am told they were met with actual squeals of delight. There are already some plans in the works for a pretty border, and perhaps some plaques. I don't have any pictures, yet. But, obviously, they're just stumps at this point. If you would like to see the varieties we got for her, you can follow the links below:

MISTER LINCOLN - HYBRID TEA ROSE
DREAM COME TRUE - GRANDIFLORA ROSE
GEMINI - HYBRID TEA ROSE
JOHN F. KENNEDY - HYBRID TEA ROSE

By July, she should already be seeing her first blooms, so everyone can go hang out and smell the roses with her pretty soon.

Don't forget that it's never too late to contribute toward this gift of fragrant evenings. There will be endless weedings to volunteer yourself toward. (I know, I really need to work on my sales pitch.)

happy mother's day

My mom just kills me with how amazing she can be. Look at her up there. You can tell by how young my dad looks that those five kids have them in way over their heads. We're talking old school. Before disposable diapers and wet wipes. And I think Mary looks like me, and Paula looks like Aubri. And Dale looks like Dallon (without the hair.)

loser

I somehow survived week 1 of the new "life system." I lost 3 pounds and didn't die of starvation. I rediscovered Chai Tea and remembered how much I love fruits and veggies.

I am the only member of my team at work that does not have exams this week (mine is in three weeks.) So, I am holding down the fort by myself and trying not to be too terrified that all the questions my boss should field and work my coworkers usually do is being passed to me. On Friday, I practically blacked out from the pressure. Luckily it was a half-study day.

Look at me. Blogging when I should be studying. Peace out.

day 2 of new diet

Too weak to type.

Rules: 1000 calories (net of exercise) per day and <30% in fat.

Things I have learned in two days:

- Artichoke is a thistle. (I think of the food pioneers who first thought, I'm going to eat THAT.)
- Do not order a salad at a restaurant. Get a burger. They have the same # of calories, and you won't mind working off the burger. (Better yet, get a grilled chicken sandwich.)
- You can make your own yogurt pretty easy. Also, homemade indian food is so much better than the buffet. But, although it is healthy, and has lentils and all, it is in no way low calorie. Rice. Need I say more? Wait, yes. Clarified Butter (ghee.)

Happy Scrapbooking Day Randomness

I am so self-absorbed that I keep a Blog, a Journal, a Scrapbook, a Mona's Greatest Recipes Book, and write letters telling people how wonderful I am. It is a terrible side-effect of paper addiction, but one I embrace with a Vulcan death grip.

So, gradually, they are merging a little. I want to print my blog archives into a book using BLURB. And gradually, my journal entries are getting pretty scrapbook-y. Today, I glued a newspaper clipping onto a journal block onto chalked and edged designer paper and fastened it to my journal using sticker letters/title. It's the end of the world and all the alternate universes are colliding into one!

I had a burning question about taxes today. Can strippers deduct breast augmentation on their taxes? It seems like they should be able to.

I'm still studying a little each day with little or no remarkable progress. I'm hoping that I'm like the baby who doesn't talk for a long time and then suddenly just starts talking in complete sentences... but, obviously without the drool, and with math, not language... since I already talk (about myself, see paragraph 1.) I found this great website on options, if you are interested in being very frustrated with figuring out market derivatives with me. Yay!

4 weeks, but who's counting

I am still hanging in there and working hard on my exam material. It's a lot to master, but every little hour counts. It is a worthy adversary.

I'm getting in some good time now that I switched from 3 hours every other day to 1.5 hours every day. It does burn me out to do it every day, but I feel like I don't lose as much momentum, and still have a little time for myself everyday.

I've been guilty of rewarding myself on fancy coffees, so I am sure that I will gain 10 pounds trying to pass this bad boy. (But, food is a worthy adversary, too.)

My LAbff is basquing as we speak (yes, she is in the spanish riveria, that jerk.) So, basically, I have no one to giggle with over the pimp that I keep seeing at the coffee shop. Dude seriously looks like he is dressed up as a pimp for halloween, but every day: purple velvet suit with tall derby hat and white shiny leather cowboy boots... with his hair shimmered back and gold chains galore. It's fantastic.

these booties are made for walkin'

I enjoyed the March For Babies event today at Griffith Park. I was able to meet my fundraising goal (and exceed it) thanks to many generous gifts. We will still be raising money through May, and I still have baby blankets and hats available, if you haven't had a chance to donate yet.

I am a big Battlestar Galactica Fan, so I was really excited that not only was Edward James Olmos (the Admiral) there, he was wearing a Farmers shirt and eating lunch with us. (He walked within 3 feet of me while I was getting my food... so did Dayanara Torres) Some other celebs were there that I didn't see - or just didn't recognize, which happens a lot... like I saw this one girl at the lemonade and later saw her signing autographs, but I still don't know who she is.

It was a neat family activity.

Update 4/27: I found out who the girl was: Camille Winbush - Actress of such shows as 'The Bernie Mac Show' and 'Grey's Anatomy'

Caribou @ The El Rey

Last night we went to a small concert. Very fun. Great opening band. I feel like a regular hipster.

child's play

Every once in a while, I make myself sit around learning how to do stuff in Photoshop. And, I always pull out cute pictures that I don't mind staring at for a couple of hours to mess with. This was todays' goof-around.

And while I was doing the technology, I thought of a vague generalization in looking at this picture. You don't always realize that you are enjoying what you are doing WHILE you're doing it. But, once the initial shock is over (at least this is true for me) - I usually love doing new things. Take studying for my exam. I struggle with new topics - feeling miserable. Then the light bulb goes off. Then it's no big deal to work some problems and master the skill, and I enjoy being able to know more and do more. It just takes a little perseverance and courage to get past that first "Oil and Water" state, in order to make delicious pesto.

For this photoshop lesson, I found some free brushes (flourishes, dingbats, and grunge borders) figured out how to install them, and figured out how to load them and use them. You might say, "didn't you do that last time you posted a learning-photoshop-blog?" Yes. Yes, I did. But, my brain is a dangerous place where nothing lives long.

LillyAnne

Saturday, April 5th at 10:51pm.

6 pounds, 13 ounces

{18 inches long}

More pics

wicked fun

I really cannot say enough about how really amazing the show was last night... and the people who went with me. It was just - contagious energy. Check out the evening's pictures.

I was not expecting the show to be so funny. I was completely cracking up. The music was spectacular, and the sets so incredibly detailed and beautiful - it was a sensory overload of the best kind: grand cure for general ennui.

they sing to me.

So, guess what I'm doing in a few hours... hint: it will be wicked-fun.

Post-show thought: AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Babies

This year, I am fundraising for the March of Dimes. I will be walking in their annual fundraising walk and I am selling a select collection of mom's crocheted baby blankets ($30) and hats ($5).

If you would like to make a donation on-line, please visit my MOD Homepage:
www.marchforbabies.org/mmccowen

If you would like a baby blanket, I am willing to ship it.

what I've been up to

All I've been talking about are these posters that I got to scrapbook at work. The first one was for a floor contest to determine a theme for another contest. I had a lot of help and we got 2nd. place. The one that won was really elegant and professional...

So, for the second contest, with a cash prize of $300, I made this with a lot of help from my coworkers: Again we didn't win. But, I've had a lot of people tell me that they think I should have won. I feel like we did a really good job, and I'm proud of this entry. If for no other reason, I got some boys from my group do some of the hand stitching around the 80. And I got to spend time and meet a lot of people from our department on a somewhat more social level.

Lastly, this is what happens when I try to study on vacation. (I did study about 7 hours... and not counting this one.)

Friday, March 28th at 4:51

Alecia Nicolle
6 lbs 15 oz

{18 and 3/4 inches long}

I just got back from a weekend in Arizona to find these pictures in my email inbox. Just look at those sweet cheeks!

learning by osmosis

My cat, Kira, can be such a riot. This is her studying with me.

I am behind on my studying, but it is such a gorgeous warm day, that I have the urge to do what the cat is doing, and just soak up the wonderfulness.

I have been scrapbooking at work for a poster contest and trying to keep up with life.

I fly out to Arizona in a couple of days on a work sponsored vacation. I'm representing my company at an event at my Alma Mater for a couple of hours. I am hoping to split the remainder of my time: study and relax. I need copious amounts of both.

together

I love the beach. I had to study today, so I made it fun by doing it in a nest of pillows and blankets in the rocks next to the ocean in Malibu. Note - just because it's the ocean and california and everything... I still need to pack some gloves next time. I stopped by the paper store for some reward. I'm trying to get away from the food as a reward and replace it with paper, which - since I'm already addicted - is not so tough. (I impulse-purchased a Snickers in the checkout, though... so I'm still losing the war.)


I estimate that if I do a SB layout a week, I will have 2007 wrapped up in about a month. I notice that some years have tons and tons of stuff going on (lots of pictures) and then there is 2004 - where I see no point in even scrapbooking it. The entire year is like Memento, but without any polaroids at all. Take a picture today, or it will be like it didn't happen.


P.S. I'm on some strange documentary kick. I watched five documentaries in the last few days. I enjoyed: Sicko, Cocaine Cowboys, & What the Bible Says.

Oh, and while I'm at it, see Juno on my recommendation and then remember that I like odd-ball comedy and wonder what's wrong with a person that can joke about a baby in such unorthodox ways.