Mother has landed, new old friends & Tiger

The Mother has landed!  Arrived Friday - 45mins early.  How is it, do you suppose, that a flight with no stopovers can arrive 45 mins early?  Me, at the airport, all cool and calm as she walks into the arrivals lounge, looking like I'd been there forever - not so much, had arrived 5mins before only to glance at the arrivals board to discover "In Customs"!  On balance though at least the pilots remembered to land at the bloody airport.
Have been more than entertained in the last few days by un-PC who is a working example of just how tiny this world is.  Okay Wellington is tiny but still, in less than 24hrs connections were made, had me chuckle, alot!
I've resisted commenting on the Tiger saga for no other reason than I think folk are tigered out, there's been plenty of coverage.  Mostly I've been fascinated to watch how he's managed the media side of it (I claim professional interest).....either he's got the worst media minders in the world or the guy is just plain stoopid. American's love a good drama but can be surprisingly forgiving when someone calls mea culpa - but a press release just doesn't cut it!  Some say his private life should be his own - not me.  The man is a corporation, hundreds of people have their livelihood tied up in his brand, in my mind it's no different than any Company that taints its brand and is forced to front to investors, consumers and employees.  If he wanted his life to be all about golf then he should have stuck to golf, he didn't, he became the brand, time to front up - or as my work colleagues say "put on his big girl pants" (yeah well I'm not sure about that last reference either......).
Off to Vegas tomorrow!

Thunder, lightening, torrential downpours and The Mother

Sat around in my PJs this morning watching shallow, albeit entertaining, movies waiting for the weather to clear so I could hit the road.  My mission today was to run 9 miles....and so I did.  The first 6.5 in overcast but not unpleasant conditions, the remainder in a torrential downpour accompanied by flashes of lightening and thunder!  Not much I could do really I had to get home one way or another and it's not like I could call a cab (given I don't actually go running with money....cellphone.... ID....medical card....you know I think I can hear the big sis berating me.....I might need to re.think some of that....).  I felt strangely elated as the rain started to pelt down; started grinning even, I expect I looked slightly hysterical to passersby.  But hey, there were other crazy fools out there walking, now that's really stoopid!
The mother arrives Friday - yay.  Two reasons, it will be nice to see her and it will signal the beginning of two weeks off, including our trip to Vegas.  Sweetly too Marcia left me the keys to her car so that I don't need to hire one to go to the airport to pick mum up.  I love my Miata but she just ain't designed to collect international travelers from the airport, unless they pack light!  Now really I just need to get my head to small things like; clean the house, get some food in that mum might like to eat; including instant coffee I believe (and think is a crime against nature and the natural order of things).

No way to be glamorous about it.....

So I promised pics.....and here they are.  Really there is no way to look good running.....well not if you are me!  The shot on the left was taken

about 30mins before the run.  If it's not obvious I was freezing!!!!  I'd just watched the half marathoners take off and had been standing around for about 1.5hrs.  I'd wanted to arrive early as I wanted to see the half marathoners and had no real idea how all the parking etc would work.  Turned out I got a carpark really close to the race start so arrived with plenty of time.  There were tents set up displaying a range of goodies and people nervously milling about.  As you can see on the right, just after I crossed the finish line, I kept my running jacket on as I couldn't even contemplate the thought of running without it (and I had a long sleeved shirt on!).  All good in the end!

Case was delighted when I texted him with my results - he is so sweet, I gave him a tip at my training session and he gave me a hug, so cute.  He's been incredibly supportive and committed to my fitness/running - if not a little startled that I not only attempt everything he asks of me but also do my homework.  Games on again, of course, first half marathon Feb 7th, running around Golden Gate Park.  It's not far off and this weekend my task is to run 9 miles, the half is 13 miles or 21 km - yikes that sounds like alot when I type it out and not that many weeks to go.

Killed the hill....my race is done

Today I ran my 10k race in Marin.  It was amazing to be around all the hype and also to be running on such a beautiful course.  It was also bloody cold, so cold that I had to wear my running jacket as well as my long sleeved running shirt.  I stayed Friday night in Corte Madera, north of San Fran and just 15mins from the Marin Headlands.  Given this is a two to two and a half hour drive from Santa Cruz I decided it was just easier to stay close by.  On my way through I stopped in San Fran and picked up my "race bag" which, most importantly, has the race "chip" you attach to your shoe so they can electronically record your time and your race number......at this point it was all starting to feel very real!  The 10k was part of a much larger event so runners set off at different times.  The 50 mile (yep you read correct) left at about 5am, 50k at 7, half marathoners at 9 and us little 'uns at 10.  I arrived in time to watch the half marathoners set off.  Given I aspire to run one in Feb I was somewhat awed to think that the 3.5 mile hill I have lamented over is repeated (all beit different hills) three times for the half marathoners!!!  There really were folks in all shapes and sizes.  Stereotyping is interesting - I look at the lean, tall women and freak out - they simply look athletic in the way I think athletes look and in a way I will never look :-( !  Yeah well, so much for that, there was one shortish (these things being relative) woman who was  big and a very unlikely looking runner.  We had two hours to complete the course and she came in 2mins before her time was up and she wasn't the last btw.   So note to self:  size doesn't matter!  While I'd felt sickly nervous in the days leading into the event I got increasingly calmer as we actually reached the point of heading off.  It was grand fun - toward the end we link up with the half marathoners for their final leg - it's more than humbling to be passed by people who have already run 3/4 more than the distance you are labouring over......everything about running is proving to be humbling.  Not least of which the privilege of being able to run at all!
Anyway, final results 1.05 total time, 84th out of a total of 213 runners (men and women, yes a certain satisfaction was had when I blew off some boys on the hill stage....), 4th for my age group out of a total of 21 (yes yes age group 40-49....).  Oh and as a nice finisher I won a North Face fleecy jacket in a random raffle (sometimes you just need to show up!).  Pictures next week.

Thanksgiving

Love Thanksgiving week.  Work from home Mon, Tues, Wed (read extra hour in bed and stay in PJs most of the day) - ignore crazy people who think everything has to be done before Thanksgiving ....because?  Roll outta bed at my leisure on Thanksgiving day; juice, coffee, muesli with fruit and yoghurt, plan my run and what time I need to leave to get to Oakland to have a Thanksgiving feast with Michelle, Marcia, Nancy, Joan and Andreana (J & A just got engaged so double celebration!).  Thanksgiving is one of the loveliest holidays in the US.  So much easier than Xmas because it is only about good food and company - no gifts.  Everyone gets very excited about it and people are always concerned that everyone has somewhere to go.  Going to take the flip camera etc to lunch so I get record the event, if the vid/pics turn out okay I'll share.
What else?  Not long until the mother arrives, Vegas all set to go and Karen and Brice are now coming for part of the adventure (including Xmas day).  Nice restaurant booked (thanks Brice!) and generally looking forward to the whole adventure.  A week in Vegas is plenty of time (none of us are actually gamblers, play the pokies, that's about it, but there is always something interesting going on!).  Got some tentative adventures planned for post Vegas too, some places mum didn't see last time.
Check this out (takes a second to load so hang tight).  I found out Case's dad is quite a famous artist, originally photography and now he does public art using mosaic.  It's pretty fab stuff.  He also included Case in one of the pieces - NY Administration for Children's Services, Case on the left in the Cap (yes when he was a teenager...just).  He also did this very cool Obama mosaic.  Some of his work is in San Jose and one piece at the SF International Airport.

Even I have my limits

So one of the things I am not very good at is nutrition. That's not to say I don't eat well but I'm just not that into cooking (although love good food) and tend to graze more than cook full meals. Well that's not very helpful when you are exercising as much as I am.......apparently! I am shamed by Case who, at 24, has far more commitment to cooking than I will ever have. To help me along the way (and avoid my fainting at training..) he put me onto this book, which is actually really quite excellent and the food sounds yummy. Challenge is there is at least some degree of learning required to get the right balance of nutrients etc and, frankly, it bores me to death. I don't have a scientific bone in my body - I really just want someone to say "here's the shopping list and the menu plan - get on with it". Honestly I believe all the health claims, they don't need to convince me. But, here's the thing I draw the line at, substituting coffee for chicory and dandilion roots, wtf!!!!! No, I've given up drinking (at least for now, in case you are all worried for my mental health), eat very few carbs (none after 5pm), less refined sugar and very few grains (this is all easy - well carbs wasn't - but my favourtie food is sashimi so I get to eat lots more and I love veges and don't have much of a sweet tooth). I am not giving up coffee - I don't even know what chicory is and dandilions are something you blow on to watch the fairies float off in the wind......I'm not drinking them.

Recreation, work and news of the day

Seems the year is flying by!  Yesterday I did a fab 7 mile run through Wilder Ranch. A state park about a mile out of Santa Cruz.  It is a mixture of open meadow and forest, a lovely place to run. Just when you think you might get bored with the hills or forest you round a bend or crest a hill to look out across some very spectacular scenery.  I enjoyed some nice encounters with some folk too.  You can read more about that in On the Run if you are interested.

Work was busy this week.  I had to let one of my folk go, which was a little tough as it wasn't on the plan for this quarter.  Over the past year I've learnt a lot about managing a team (I now have 12 people!!!).  I've also stuck by the idea that I roll them on so I roll them off, letting people go in this economy is a tough call but part of the job.  The job has gotten exponentially bigger and I am going to have to adjust how I manage the team as 12 people working on upwards of 6 different projects makes for a lot of complexity, relationships and politics.  My "favourite" IM of all time is the one that starts "Can you talk"....this usually means "something" is up and I go into management mode.  Things in the workplace seem to move so much faster here than I remember in NZ.  Decisions generally get taken very quickly and need to be acted on equally as fast.  Working in a global environment also means managing very diverse expectations - I've got very thick skinned and figure it's a good day when most of the people are mostly happy (or, at the very least, not complaining too loudly!).

The horror story of the last two weeks for me has been the Fort Hood shootings.  This is terribly sad, not least of which because so many people are now thinking someone somehow should have been able to anticipate it.  Maybe, maybe not, hindsight's always twenty twenty - all not helped by it very nearly coinciding with Veterans day.  The shooter is still alive which will drag the whole thing out for a very long time (hard to think he's going to be considered sane enough to go to a trial).

Running, Thanksgiving and Halloween

Time is flying by!  Two weekends back I did a trial run of the 10k trail run I am doing in December.  It was grand!  The Marin Headlands are right on the coast and, while the first 3.5 miles of the race are all uphill, you get a stunning view of the bay area once you reach the summit, then you get to blast down the otherside (making up for all that slow plodding!).  I can definitely run it within the alloted time (2hrs) so am most relieved.  Given I've never run in a race before I'm sure there will be alot to learn.

Last month I spent so much time training I haven't really done much else (personal trainer three times a week then running on the other days).  Although, despite my reclusiveness, I have been invited with Marcia and Michelle to a Thanks Giving dinner in Oakland, so that will be fun.

Halloween at work was a blast.  We set up a video show with all these great halloween videos the team made highlighting "Nightmare on Change Street"....all set to Michael Jackson's Thriller video.  Igor is from Czechoslovakia so we got him to voice over for Vincent Price. Other folk also put together displays and people came to work dressed up.  It's really quite surreal.....there are photos somewhere, I'll hunt them down and post a few.

Daylight saving is over here so while I get to drive to work in daylight it's pitch black by the time I get home, bleech.

Yosemite

The week has flown by so though I'd better get on top of sharing some photos from the

weekend in Yosemite! We left Friday afternoon, only got lost once.....well the little navigation thingy didn't tell us to turn off.....arrived in the dark, of course...so predictably had trouble finding the carpark after we had

checked in! But settled into the very cute

"Tent Cabin". Note that chest on the side is for storing food, toothpaste anything that a bear might eat....it's a bear chest....designed to keep the bears out of your cabin!

Given we had storms the week prior to the trip we lucked out with the weather, it was warm and we didn't need a heated cabin (none available anyway, we would have bugged out to a hotel if it got too cold and I had my trusty woolen hat that I wore to bed - not glamorous but effective!)

Saturday morning we slept latetish then headed off to Mirror Lake.  They have shuttles that take you all over the park (well those walks nearby) so we were dropped close to the start of the

walk and ambled along. It was lovely - we walked as far as we could (only about 3 miles) then I abandoned Michelle and ran back so that I could get my daily run in. It was great to run along a trail and so lovely. It was only 3.5miles back to our cabin so a relatively leisurely run. I did encounter two deer with horns on the track, very calm they were!  Photo on the right is me not long before I ditched the pack and stared my run back to camp.

Sunday we did the Yosemite Upper Falls hike, bears, tiny snake, birds, squirrels - vertical paths! Was very relieved to get down just as it turned dark as my night vision is shite (although I did have a torch) and Michelle is still recovering from eye surgery

so would have been the blind leading the

blind. We were both exhausted but elated and tumbled into bed early - all that fresh air and exercise.

Monday the rain set in but all we had planned was brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel. It's very beautiful inside

(accommodation runs into the $100s of dollars a night).

It reminded me of New Mexico - mix of Mexican/American Indian decor and artwork. Headed back to

Santa Cruz at 1230......4/4.5 hr drive, easy enough and we were both relaxed.

On balance a great few days, limited cellphone access (and I didn't take my computer) so really was getting away from it all.

Back at work, fighting a cold (not giving in, not giving in......H1N1 is alive and well here so need to be careful that I don't ignore signs or make everyone else paranoid!).

Journey to the Top of the World: Upper Yosemite Falls Oct 20

Herewith, part 1 of our adventures in Yosemite. And yes those are real bear cubs that we encountered on our journey to the top of the Yosemite Falls! Momma bear is not so very far away and yes, it was a little terrifying! Of course the funniest part of the day was discovering that we were at 7000 ft by the time we got to the top (ignore my reference to 1000ft) and we had walked 7 miles (3.5 UP) and 3.5 down, having thought we were only going for a 2 mile hike. Took us just on 6hrs and we were both more than a little tired. More photos to come and comments welcome on my first attempt at creating a video......

Holeedays, seeing stuff, new toys and work'n

Much happening but I’m heading into a long weekend camping in Yosemite with Michelle (well staying in the tent cabins!) so this is a little snapshot with more to follow.
Eyes are working fine, fantastic even, have completely adjusted and loving no glasses or contacts, yippee.
Training three times a week and feeling the effects (both good and bad – I’m clearly no longer 20 something, body takes somewhat longer to recover, although it is grand to grow muscles and actually feel myself get fitter).
We’ve had “storms” here although not on the scale of the neverending storms happening in NZ (okay not even close, bucketing rain for 24hrs then it’s all over).
Had a hideous 430am start on Tuesday (global meeting that we were supporting, had to be onsite so stayed in San Jose so I didn’t have to drive across the 17…..during the storm…..at 3am in the morning). Funny how quickly I’ve adjusted to packing up and dumping myself in a hotel on demand.
Had a grand day pumpkin carving with Maria, Michelle and Irene. I have a little video of the entire event that I’ll load up after the weekend (recorded on my new geek toy) – I’m learning how to use the editing features so u’all will benefit from my learning curve…

No more glasses, no more contacts

On Thursday I had the laser surgery and it's .... amazing.  I went in Wednesday for an assessment then asked when I could have the surgery.  If I could make it in the next day they would give me a discount of $200, bingo, no brainer, I'll take the money.  Whole procedure took 10mins - four hours of needing to keep my eyes pretty much closed and I was out for dinner and today (Friday) seeing clear as.  Goes up and down apparently but, here's the cool thing - they offered me mono-vision. Basically one eye is set for distance and the other for up close.  That way I won't have to have reading glasses in the future.  Some people find the whole thing too disorientating but I tried it out using some glasses and it was fine, didn't make me nauseous at all.  Anyway, nothing like spontaneously having eye surgery.

Xmas, training and randomness

Okay so this is my second attempt to post this......blogger is a relatively easy site to use.....I guess that's relative to a user not screwing it up!
So in a moment of de juvu I will try to remember what I said last time starting with Xmas plans. Mum is flying over from NZ and her and I are going to Las Vegas for a week - this should be great fun. I managed to get a great deal, including flights and accommodation at the MGM Grand (right on the Strip for CSI followers), arriving Monday 21st and leaving on the 26th. As well as the varied and many "free" events I've booked us in to see Ka. For anyone that hasn't seen Cirque du Soleil in action it's a real must do - not only is the staging and costuming great but the athleticism of the performers is mindblowing. I've seen other shows including O (which is a water show) on a previous visit to Vegas and, way back when, under the bigtop in Auckland....although I can't remember the name of the show the standout in that one was a clown act, where I think for the first time I began to understand what clowing is actualy about. Going to other things of course (apart from play pokies, I'll let y'all know when we win), Hoover Dam, strip malls, maybe Grand Canyon (I've done that before, helicoptering to the bottom WOW, very cool). Other than that, randomness rules and we will see what the week brings.
I am off to an appointment to see about getting Lasik surgery so I can become a non-glasses wearing seeing eye person. I've been thinking about it for months and finally got my act together and made an appointment.
Mostly I've been training and now see my trainer three times a week....my new best friend, well that doesn't seem quite right given how hard he works me. Still I am loving it and the race is December 5, so not far away......gotta run faster......
Works quiet (which is both a blessing and a bore). Weathers changing, although it never gets really really cold here and it is lovely to have an autumn - I am sure Wellington only ever had summer and winter, okay maybe maybe a day or two of spring.

County Fair, adventuring and Untouchable Girls

Friday night Marcia, Michelle and I headed out to the Santa Cruz County Fair in Watsonville.  It was great fun and just what you would imagine, a very "All American" experience.  There was all the traditional rides, fair ground food and "competitions" for the largest squash, best apple pie and produce.  Arriving early evening we parked way way in back of the carpark and started walking only to have a tractor pulling a trailer (no hay bales sadly) pull up and ask us if we wanted a ride - sure we did, it was a fun way to start as we toured the carpark on the way to the fairground proper. They had a seal from the Monterey Aquarium there too and Marcia and Michelle each got a "kiss".  Personally I quite enjoyed watching the giant model train go around it's circuit....but then I would.  It was simple fun and we even did a couple of rides that had us all hysterically laughing, especially the one where we were hanging upside down for long periods of time.

Saturday I headed up to the city to go to a party with Dee.  We started in the Castro at a "tea dance".  I am not sure why they call it that, there is nothing "tea" like about it.  Eclectic crowd and all quite fun.  After that we headed out to the birthday party.  It was great fun, complete with mirror ball and lots and lots of dancing.  Met some nice folk and enjoyed myself.  Didn't get back to Santa Cruz until 2am so a little tired (I could have stayed in the city but waking up Sunday morning in my own bed seemed like a better option).  I drove us around SF and it still makes me giggle every time I remember that I really do live here and I am driving around San Francisco (does anyone remember The Streets of San Francisco?).

In a funny twist the roomie (Ruby) is at the Toronto Film Festival and was approached by organizers to interview the Topp Twins - she emailed Michelle and I and asked if she should....of course we both gave her a dozen reasons why, not to mention that we thought she would get a laugh out of it.  Now I see that their movie won best documentary - nice.

I'm still obsessively going to the gym and running.  I'm feeling fitter, losing weight and enjoying having a new goal.  I've set up a separate blog to track my progress.  It's only about running and training to run so not likely to be a "best seller" but a nice way for me to reflect back and chat about all things running (I'm even finding running buddies to talk to - although not run with, I like running alone and have no interest in pairing up, some people do but I prefer to go solo).

3 year anniversary and new obsessions

Well gee....I missed it! Sept 1 was my 3rd anniversary of being in the US.  I've always done something to "celebrate" and this year I just plain forgot.  I'll blame it on work, visitors and hmmm my own lack of attention.  

The last month flew by and was busy.  We survived our release remarkably well and, while I did do an all nighter, everything went in smoothly and we had limited issues to deal with - nice job. My team were fantastic.  We had a whole new set of tasks for this release and the team stepped up and did the job beautifully.  Q3 is a much bigger, more complicated release so this was a great practice run to see if our approach around the comms worked.  

Ruth and Karyn were here for four days which was grand - I didn't see alot of them (although they stayed at my house) but really enjoyed seeing them both when I could and felt very envious as they flew out for Barcelona.   

The gym is my new best friend.  I'm having a great time and feeling way fitter (even out running the streets and surprising myself with how good I feel - okay so I did have to battle through several weeks of aching muscles while my body adjusted).  I see my personal trainer twice a week and he keeps me honest!  I have signed on for a trail run in December, around the Marin Headlands just north of San Fran, which involves climbing to around 900ft (so 50% uphill) and includes spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay area in general (of course that all assumes I am physically conscious enough to notice!).  It's only 10k (she's says lightly) although there are others doing 20, 40 and 50km runs (sure next time, not).  It's great to have a goal and I'm determined not to make a complete ass of myself.  The only other thing I've done that was comparable was Round the Mountain and then I was 19 and had the added incentive of an Army Sergeant reminding me it was my body and I controlled it!

It's Labour Weekend here so I have been enjoying some quite time - been out on the bike down to Moss Landing to check out the Antique Shops.  When I ride I like to have a destination so always decide where I'll go and then enjoy the journey in anticipation of the destination.

Beautiful sunny day here today too - going to walk downtime and check out bookshops...then off to the gym then....who knows, it's a day for unstructured adventures.

New obsessions

So I took a breath, joined the gym and got a personal trainer!  I love it.  I see the trainer twice a week (shades of Army training I have to say) and "we" have chosen a mountain run to aim for in December.  The whole things been driven by a couple of things - got some inspiration from my visit to NZ (thanks G, inspiration has turned into obsession), I'm surrounded by 40 something year old women all deciding they need to run half marathons (very California) and work this year (fiscal year that is) isn't nearly as intense as it was last year when I was working anything from 50 to 65 hour weeks (and I'm not kidding....it was full on intense).  Woke up out of the work haze and realized I was doing very little beside work and hadn't been able to commit to any regular activity - now I'm totally committed.  Trainer gets how to motivate me too...."well 15 would be good, 20 excellent.....okay you can push out 5 more...." stubborn self comes into play and before I know it I have pushed out 5 more (quivering wreck of course but determined!).  

Spent last Saturday in San Fran with my friend Dee.  Went to Women's Will, Shakespeare in the park then for a two hour hike through one of the state parks near Berkley.  Lovely - not least of which because the fires that are just outside Santa Cruz have made the air quality here terrible (I'm kind of glad I get to commute to San Jose each day, just to get out of it).  Sunday Michelle and I headed down to the wharf for the Polynesian Festival, saw some very cute tots doing Hawaiian dances (hula isn't quite the word......!) as well as some of the more accomplished older dances.  It was fun, with lots of kitschy stuff for sale (none of which made it back to my house).

Works really interesting - it just keeps evolving and Michelle has reminded me that this is the longest time I have spent in a single role for maybe five or six years.  Economy's still tight but we did manage to keep all the team employed for Q1 (folk are still being laid off here, but it's slowing).

This week we did our final practice run for the big release next weekend (basically we turn off our quoting and ordering tool and they add new functionality.....takes 30 hours and it's Cisco wide so (while my part of the organization does monthly releases, this one involves the organization as a whole so a different set of compliance required).  While my team share shifts I get the midnight to go-live (when we bring the system back online) shift, so staying in San Jose.  I end up doing that shift because that one requires the most co-ordination (I wouldn't exactly call it a privilege of rank).  We send out messages throughout and then final messages when the system comes back online.  Then it gets even more intense as we manage any messages around the system not performing as expected and status......it's a full on time at work that often involves rapid turn around of information and juggling many balls at once (it's part of what keeps me interested).

Other than that looking to plan some other adventures and some holidays.

Keep'n on keep'on

Been an interesting busy few weeks.  I have joined the gym and got myself a personal trainer (feels not unlike Army training!).  Actually my first session with him is today but I've been at the gym and/or using the exercycle all week - get my body used to the idea that exercise is now at the center of it's world!

Michelle and I are off to see the King Tut exhibition on Sunday.  First we are visiting with Ruby and Mary in San Fran....Ruby being my roomie during the academic year.  Not sure if I mentioned this but Ruby was the person who "discovered" Whale Rider.  She was selecting movies for the Toronto Film Fesitival and came across a very raw tape of Whale Rider - decided it was a great pick and invited the film makers to the festival - that was the launch of Whale Rider into the world!  

I haven't seen my pal Dee since I got back from NZ, she lives in San Fran so we always have to be a little organized about catching up (she has the beach house down the coast that I've mentioned before).  Bonus - she's in town overnight so I'm going to head over there for dinner this evening.  

I'm counting down the days to our big quarterly release - these are the ones where I stay in San Jose, get not much sleep and lots of stress (love it!).  I don't think it's going to be as painful as March (well I'm hoping not) and I have more of my people involved this time so I'm not working all the nightshifts.  Sadly it's the exact time Ruth and Karyn are visiting so I'm not going to see alot of them (and if things don't go well.....even less than I am planning!). 

Back in Santa Cruz

My childcare responsibilities are over....I'll miss them.  It was quite big to be looking after five live in cats (plus one visitor) and a dog for two weeks - there are alot of logistics and a lot of personalities to deal with.  In the end we settled into a very pleasant routine and it was lovely to have pets around.  The neighborhood  I stayed in was very pretty too. Established by a civil war general it's this little pocket of colonial type housing in downtown San Jose - everyone knows everyone and they all know each others pets!  Best part was a little cluster of eateries 5mins walk away including Naglieeparkgarage.  This is a clever (and it looks like) lucrative restaurant.  It really is an old converted garage that has great out door seating.  They serve beer in jars and have a really really simple menu of good food (can't beat the trout!). Every Thursday they have live music and the place is jammed, they also play movies on an outdoor screen (not sure when that starts up).  Anyway it's a very popular local haunt, I loved it!  It's prompted me to think about where I might buy a house (actually I'm looking at a condo) and I'm seriously thinking that I'd like to buy in Capitola (south of Santa Cruz and still on the coast).  This is a very cute village that offers good restaurants, fab beach and affordable condo living.  Santa Cruz really is just a little too nutty/hippy for me.  I figure if I get something that isn't too expensive I can live in it for a while then if I want/need to move I can keep it and rent it out (or have it as my "beach house".  All quite possible as I'm saving and do/will have a good deposit.

Work is in the calm before the storm - we have a major quarterly release coming up in August, that's always very intense and (to date) has lead to those early early morning phone calls.  I've started to talk to my boss about "where next" in a career sense.  Not planning any big moves right now just want to have a sense of possibilities I should be thinking about when the economy starts to turn.  I've taken on wider responsibilities at work so I'm still learning - I'm still not convinced I'm an operations girl though, but that's the job for now!  My boss is fab, she gets that I'm way more interested in the business side so is happily coaching me.

Going to join the gym today (yep finally decided it was time to get into regular exercise - walking the dog twice a day turned into a nice routine).  Guess I also need to gear myself up to the return to the daily commute, it was lovely to be 10mins from work and be able to ride the bike everyday - still there is always a tradeoff somewhere and it's not like I'm not spoilt for choice!

Way to do it!

The video of a Minnesota couple who boogied down a church aisle with their wedding party to the surprise of their guests is a hit on YouTube.
This made me smile for quite a long time!
Kevin Heinz and Jillian Peterson, their seven bridesmaids, five groomsmen and four ushers danced down the aisle to the Chris Brown song "Forever" before the couple exchanged vows June 20 in St. Paul.

The Pets

I’ve been pet/housesitting in San Jose since Sunday and won’t head back to Santa Cruz until Friday the 31st. One of my folk is currently on a walking tour with her husband in the Alps and I volunteered to be on pet duty. So meet the pets (text mostly curtesy of Lila who wanted to give me some insights into their personalities – it’s been very helpful in interpreting their behaviour)! The Dog - Cheechoo - named for a Sharks hockey player, Jonathan Cheechoo. Big and friendly…..and could easily pull me off my feet if he got it into his head that life could be more interesting without his lead……he hasn’t tried, he’s very gentle. We have a walking regime which is proving to be very good for my health!
The Kitten – Frances. Lila picked her up off the side of the street after Frances launched herself at Lila’s feet, having been abandoned (Lila is a sucker for this type of behaviour, that’s why she has five cats….sweet). She’s quite friendly and lively, once she is sure you’re okay. Frances and Cheechoo play some scary-looking games, but unless she squeals, they are okay (apparently if Frances does squeal I am to yell at Cheechoo).
Orange Cat - Gus – The ‘gift bringer’ and the talker….skittish and shy, I haven’t received any gifts yet! He’s the soulmate of the White Cat who has a folded-down ear - Charley. Charley and Gus believe they are litter mates, they aren’t but were born a week apart and Lila got them from the vet at the same time. I guess as long as they believe they are related, they are.
Gray Cat (Russian Blue) cat - Gorda. Described as the grouchy queen of the household. Also quite talkative, with a Dick Cheney-ish tone.
Persian Cat- Missy. Quite a Zen character. Often persecuted by Gorda. Believes herself to be persecuted by Frances, but Frances just wants to play. Friends with both boys – if I had a fav it would be Missy......but I shouldn't say that out loud.
Bonus Cat - Max. A frequent mealtime visitor…….if he’s there, I feed him. He’s the neighbourhood cat, although Lila clearly takes the lead in making sure he is okay.
Fishcher's Cat - Mary, who lives across the road looks a little like Gus and will sometimes try to come over for a meal. The only bad thing about that is she will often hesitate, and sit down right in the middle of the street. Scary.
Given the diva personalities, feeding time can be a little dodgy so many logistics to manage! Bedtime is a whole other thing as everyone sleeps somewhere different. Given my parenting responsibilities it's proving easy to stay out of trouble!

Love it

Economic times.....well and the odd emotional one.....this made me chuckle - it might have been the sheep thing (7:1 in NZ btw).

Skunked

oooooook, so everyone knows about skunks, they are quite special and, well, kinda cute when you look at them.  They are not special nor cute when they freak out and decide to expend that special skunk smell.  Thursday night I'm having a perfectly nice time sitting in my house watching a DVD when a very special smell hits me (yeah I knew what it was, I've smelt it on the road....but then you get to fly past it....).  Shite, so bad I get up turn on the outdoor light and open my front door....hear scrabbling and a quiet voice from the new renting neighbors say "hello"....well "hi, is that a  possum (because I've forgotten I mean skunk because I'm startled someone spoke!)".....very quiet reply "no, my dog just got sprayed by a skunk"....."okay, well worse for the dog".....close my door, fairly confident most of what I said was lost in translation. Friday I wake up like I have the flu.....feel terrible.  Working from home and drag my laptop into my bedroom and literally work from meeting to meeting feeling like I want to curl up and leave the planet....that would be good, but I have a job to do!  Takes me all day to get to the Tylenol (read Panadol) because I don't immediately think "find pain killers"  and I am seriously napping between meetings.  Thankfully I am working from home - napping in the office might not work.  Note to self: skunks may have a detrimental effect on your physical well being, even if they don't mean to.  

Doin stuff

So I am just back from a week in NZ - had a grand time. Flew over to surprise my mum for her birthday. Spent time in Auckland, Napier and Wellington. Family time included a very lovely visit to Kathy and Janine's holiday home (check out this months NZ House and Garden article on the Sharing Shed). Although it was a very brief trip it was lovely to catch up with people where I could (and they could, everyone is busy). This is the first time I have visited since I left nearly 3 years ago - I did feel like a tourist and the nicest part was realizing that I now get the best of both worlds..........and right now I get the best of a California summer (I'm not going to mention the rain rain rain.......NZ was lovely and green though).
Now that I'm back and it's summer I'm planning a few new adventures. Biggest one is I am going to try and finish my helicopter pilots license. I am currently checking out a few places and have found one that teaches in the same helicopter I have already flown solo in. I need to find out if I can credit my other flying time - it's been several years since I've flown so will see how that all rolls out. I'm also keen to take up shooting (claybirds not animals) and have found what looks like a very fab club. They offer an intro course so will do that first.
Starting on the 19th I am house sitting a dog and three cats in San Jose for two weeks. I'm going to bring the car and the bike over the hill so that I can ride to work (it's only 7 miles and it will be great fun to ride when the weather is good). It will be interesting to have a holiday away from the beach!
Summer is always a very inspiring time and the California culture is very active so it's not hard to feel motivated.

Comments have been switched on

So in the three year life of this blog google have made some upgrades - some I've used without anyone knowing - it's now even easier to update the blog and change the look and feel (although I haven't done that because at least one reader assures me it's fine as it is because she can read it on her blackberry....).  One change they did make that I missed was that anyone can now comment - you don't have to have a blogspot account - so go on, I dare you!  

I've also loaded up my travel map.  I don't really like how it looks but I can't do anything about that right now, so will live with it.  Best of all it's been amazing to think back about the places I have visited and shameful to realize the chunks of the globe I have missed!  Whole continents remain unexplored.  Three places are high on my list: China, Russia, Alaska - gonna make me a plan.

Back up to the big city

So Ruth has been and gone and Michelle and I think we haven't laughed that much in forever - we had a great weekend.  Ruth arrived late Friday - we all stayed at this fab hotel in SF that uses mostly recycled materials for everything, including bedding.  The Good Hotel really was good. Saturday we headed out to Brunch with Marcia taking us to a fab diner - unfortunately I got a work call so after lunch had to go back to the hotel to do some work for an hour or so (how sad is it that I thought ahead and took my work laptop to SF!).  Anyway I met up with Ruth and Michelle and we wandered around the shops for a while then grabbed the car and headed to the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was a fantastically clear day (see the pic) and I realized I'd never driven across the bridge before.  After that we went to The Cliff House - check out the slide show.  Just the most beautiful coastline and near where the old public bathes used to be.  Michelle then took us to her favourite Thai restaurant - food was yum.  

We headed back to the hotel, changed and headed out to The Lex.  The Lex is an iconic Lesbian bar, tiny and jammed packed.  I'd never been before - mostly it is packed with young things but the night we were there the crowd was more mixed.  The pic on the right is the bathroom - they encourage the graffiti but here's the best thing, despite appearances it's possibly the cleanest club bathroom I've ever been in at 1 a.m in the morning.  Following day I drove with Ruth down to Santa Cruz for gay pride (this is my third year so I guess I'm creating routines).  We came down the coastal road, stopping in at Half Moon Bay then going to another local legend for lunch.  Duartes Tavern looks like a dodgy bar when you pull up (Ruth commented as much).  Very typical US experience, you never can tell what's behind that door. As well as its fresh fish it's legendary for it artichoke soup (given we were foreigners the woman who served us brought us a free sample, wasted on Ruth of course but I enjoyed it).  We met up with Michelle and then went to Gay Pride in the park - fun and the San Fran cheerleaders were still the highlight.  After that we dropped Ruth back at SF Airport and came back to Santa Cruz to recover.  All good fun.

Since I seem to be on a social roll (and owed Dee more than one meal) her and I went out for Dinner in San Jose on Wednesday (SJ is about half way between Santa Cruz and SF - where Dee lives - so it was a nice compromise).  Went to the most fab restaurant - Morton's the Steakhouse. I have to confess that when I think about steakhouses I think back to the good old days of Cobb and Co, well let that one go!  This place was to die for (and it's a chain restaurant). The food was fabulous, really lovely surroundings and a wonderful suprise (it was recommended to me so I had some confidence).  We ended up staying four hours chatting and eating - meant I got home around midnight but worth it.

This weekends been very light socially and I've enjoyed lazying around the house.  End of July I am house sitting in San Jose for one of the folk that work for me.  They have a dog and 3 cats and couldn't find anyone to house sit so I volunteered - it will be fun and it's only 7 miles from work so no real commute (that will be a change).  I guess I can think of it as a holiday away from the beach.

Out and about

Seem to have had a very busy social life of late....nice! The highlight had to be Saturday when I went along to the NCLR fundraiser in San Fran. This is the group that has been fighting Proposition 8 - which is the vote that overturned gays and lesbians right to marry in California. I went to this dance last year as well (before prop 8 happened; they fight for equal rights around lots of issues btw). There were upwards of 1000 women all dressed very fine, lots of dancing and fun. Dee invited me to join her friends (including her date) for dinner before the event (originally 6 of us but we met up with another group so had a random gathering of 12). Funniest part was I assumed everyone knew each other - turned out no, there were a couple of connections but it really was a spontaneous moment (pic on ther right is Jaclyn, Dee, Me and Sim). After dinner and before the dance we went to a pre.dinner party....more new folk to meet. Dance kicked off at 8pm and went to midnight. It was a really good mixture of music so I did end up dancing the night away. I met up with Marcia, Michelle and Sim as well...so between them and the new folk I had met I had plenty of people to hang with! I decided to stay in SF for the night so had a hotel booked about 5mins from the venue. It was fun to wake up Sunday morning, having had a great night, and stroll around until I felt ready to drive back to Santa Cruz.

Also last Thursday I drove in to SF after work to meet Dee who took me to this weekly gathering that happens in a local bar. It's a "networking" event, which really translates into girls meeting up after work. That was fun too (I did meet a couple of the people I spent Saturday night with there, so not complete strangers). Must have been between 80-100 women - a small affair by SF standards!

Ruth arrives this coming weekend so Michelle and I head into SF on Friday night, staying until Sunday when Ruth heads back to NZ. Not quite sure what the adventures will be yet - but we will figure something (shame she wasn't here for this weekend!).

Work continues to shift and turn......and grow. I've been given some new responsibilities and I am also about to do a communications needs assessment around the entire operations team (not just the change part that I currently manage)....have to make recommendations to my boss and the VP - things happen quickly here so who knows where this might all lead!

Summers here which is making me very happy as the suns out early and stays out longer - of course it also means more riding time.....yayayayayayay (not that I need much of an excuse).

Santa Cruz Derby Girls

Okay this is too cool and too geeky but not only did I take this video on by blackberry but I figured out how to upload it as well! Saturday night Sim, Michelle, Cristi (American friend of Sims who got her Masters at the University of Canterbury....would you believe) and I headed out to the roller derby....it was fab!
Oh and now I know how to take video and upload it.....expect more original work.

Sick, sick, sick, i-fly and pow wow

So two weeks ago I got a terrible head cold...yes right in the middle of all the drama about swine flu. I definitely didn't have the flu but I was decidedly unwell and still have a low level cough. Didn't leave the house for six days, although did work (as you do). Luckily Michelle, Marcia and Sim bought supplies. Anyway I'm still not right and fed-up with the whole deal...complaining over.
Forgetting all that a group of us headed off to i-fly. I wrote about this maybe a year and a half ago. It's sky diving in a wind tunnel. It's way fun and quite physically demanding. Anyway had such a good time I'm going to see if I can do the training camp so I can learn to do all the tricks!
After i-fly we headed to the pow wow...I also wrote about this a year ago. It's really big with different American Indian Tribes competing in various dance competitions.
Weather here's turned and it's now really feeling like summer has arrived - all the more reason to find excuses to ride or have the top down on the car!

Barn dancing, Mango and old friends

Two weeks back Marcia gave me a call about a barn dance that was happening at a place called Pie Ranch, just north of Santa Cruz. We hit the road just as the sun was setting, top down and the most beautiful sunset. We stopped at a local café just short of the Ranch – fab food. The “barn” is just off highway 1 and really is a barn! The place was packed with a live band and a guy who called the moves. I’ve never square danced…..it was hilarious fun. People were really into it. Really eclectic crowd, friendly and good clean fun. Dance is dry, just as well if folk were drinking it could get really untidy, the place was so packed.

Following day, with record temperatures, I headed off to Big Sur on the bike. WOW, this is the most beautiful ride. The coastline is honestly breath taking. I rode down by myself, about 80miles south of Santa Cruz, along the coast

line. The weather was scorching hot so I got to try out my new summer weight bike jacket and gloves. Perfect - I’m not one for shorts and teeshirts on the bike!
Sim has arrived to stay for a few weeks. She’s camping out in my spare room, changing out with my roomie Ruby on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Over the weekend we (Michelle, Sim, Dee and I) headed off to San Fran to go to a “tea dance” – read dance held outside (mostly), starting at 3pm and heaving with people! It’s mostly for women of colour but all welcome. It was great fun and nobody cared how anybody looked or danced…..my kind of venue. Afterwards Marcia joined us and we went off to a fundraiser for the group Marcia works with in San Francisco (El/La Transgender Latina HIV Prevention Program). These girls were wildly funny and even got some audience engagement! Sunday was mostly a day of recovery as we drove back from San Fran at about 1am in the morning.
Life certainly isn’t dull!

OMIGOD - this is fantastic!

So YouTube won't let me embed this....this link might work.  If it doesn't go to YouTube and search.....Susan Boyle - Singer - Britains Got Talent 2009 (With Lyrics).  It might not be around forever on YouTube so get in quick if you are interested.

Les Mis is my all time favourite musical...but this is quite the thing to watch!  It is somewhere between "why not me" and "I have too much to lose".

New car, Dinah Shaw and commitment

So I went and bought a car....I didn't actually intend to buy one, it was a spontaneous moment!   I had reached the point where I realized only having the bike (yeah I still have the bike!) wasn't quite workable.  I really only went to look at the car - rode the bike to San Jose, took her for a test ride and....bought her.  She's an 06 Mazda MX5 Miata and (as Marcia says) as close as you can get to a motorcycle in a car.  She's fun and has me feel entirely rewarded for the last few months of never ending work (that's my story, sticking with it).

Dinah Shaw in Palm Springs was last weekend.  It was great to see everyone and the house we stayed in was as grand as expected.  The whole event was very Southern California (very L-Word) so not exactly my thing but I really did

 enjoy myself and the "sights" ....Katy Perry (I Kissed a Girl) sang at the White Party, which was fun- I danced alot and had lots of laughs watching folk, quite an eye opener.  We also went to the "pool party".  100s of women all in various states of undress, music blasting and more than enough going on to keep everyone 

entertained.  The NZ gals were in fine form and held up remarkably well given they had travelled.  I've never been to Palm Springs before and as part of the adventures we went up the Cable Car which takes you just over 8000ft up the mountain then there is a huge park where you can hike.  It was incredibly beautiful and, get this....we hit snow.Given Palm Springs is in the desert it was an odd shift in mindset.  A couple of us then went on a self guided architecture tour....very interesting. It was so lovely to not be working, see the kiwi gals and relax. Coming back to work has been funny (and predictably full on).  This week I've had to repeat myself several times when talking - I clearly took on Kiwiana again and my accent came back in full force, it's always there but there's no doubt that spending time with Kiwi's brings it on even more!

As to commitment, well I've signed on for a second year in my little cottage.  I'm still open to the house buying but want to see how the next financial quarter goes.  It really is tough times here.  Lots of layoffs and you can't be complacent about having a job.  Work continues to be very busy, complex and full of challenges.  My boss is incredibly supportive and I've learnt alot about budgets, she also lets me get on and do my thing so it works for me.  I am also enjoying the role I have with the consultancy I work for - building business and day-to-day client liaison.  It does make for some stressful times when I have to manage small dramas but I feel like my skills have expanded hugely and I now have a far better sense of how business works here.  I've been very fortunate to land where I have and love the share size and complexity of Cisco.  In the Valley people acknowledge the different type of characters that can and do successfully work for the various companies e.g. HP, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo etc etc. Cisco is, apparently, closer to HP in culture....must be true there are a huge number of ex.HP workers at Cisco!

Michelle Shocked - 17 years on

Way back when Michelle and I went to a Michelle Shocked concert in Wellington. Here we are, 17 years on having just gone to a Michelle Shocked concert in Santa Cruz! Michelle's idea of course (I've hardly walked away from my laptop in weeks so was an easy touch when she suggested we go!). Tuesday night we headed to Moe's Alley - a legendary bar in Santa Cruz that proved to be a great venue. It's large enough to hold a crowd but small enough to create a lot of intimacy between performer and audience. The evening was a blast, particularly as both M and I remembered that Ms Shocked is, well, a little unlikeable when she isn't singing - that hadn't changed! She did put on a great performance though and had the audience singing along. At one point she invited someone up to play the guitar while she sang. A woman who happened to be sitting next to Michelle leapt up and gave a very credible performance. Only in Santa Cruz would that happen! Really was a fab night. Anchorage is a very well known song among Michelle Shocked fans, so for those that aren't, here's a taste of her folksy style (oh and just in case you missed it, she's got quite a political bent, so some of her other songs deliver some pretty hard hitting messages!).

Crazy times

It's been an all out crazy week!  As if work itself wasn't enough to deal with one of my team got fired.  Yeech, not a pleasant thing to do to someone in this economy - personally I could have done without the attendant drama.  Sometimes you can't save people from themselves and I really did try to save them (or at least was open to them saving themselves).  I'm learning a lot about management US style and, most importantly, discovering the things I do and don't enjoy about leading a group of people!  I'm still really keen to become an employee of Cisco (hiring freeze is still on) - I really do want to continue in a management role (not easy to do as a consultant) and think that Cisco is a great, complex and truly global company - culturally it seems the right fit for me.  Anyway in this economy it's hard to know what will happen. Economy wise the biggest challenge for now is to stop people talking it down so much, its becoming a self fulfilling prophecy.  There's been some notable change in the debate but if people lack any confidence to invest it's going to a very long haul out of this hole.

As you can tell, I got back from Berkeley safe and sound.  Riding the bike was a blast and I loved every minute of it!  The dance was interesting, but not really my thing.  Spending time with Dee was great and just being away from my laptop delightful.  Counting down to Palm Strings now.  So excited that everyone arrives soon.  Sim is already here in the US so one down four to go.  As well as a few "party events" Sim and I have talked about going on some outdoor adventuring, including driving into the redwoods to see the trees Dr Seuss  used as inspiration for his books - that could be fun.  Sims been to PS before so looking to her to be tour guide.

A long awaited day off!

Quick post in between getting ready to go to SF overnight.  Taking the bike to a friends in Berkeley then heading to a wine tasting in SF followed by a dance in Marin....never been to Marin, it's north of SF. Guess I'm about to find out what it's like.  I've been hanging out to have a full day off, not have to check my computer and not be on call (or get woken at 3am).  YAY I am delightedly happy to be actually doing something other than work.

Life of a working gal

So really my life has mostly been about work in the last week!  Apparently I've just been part of the largest ever IT release Cisco has had.  Now that is kinda cool and marks me as a true geek - this is one of the reasons I wanted to work in the US, you get to be part of big arse things!  Being part of it has meant incredibly long hours (closer to 15 than 10) and great highs and lows.  For the release weekend I had planned two nights in San Jose but stayed three - there came a point where going home was pointless.  While working days I've "enjoyed" being on call from 1am to 9am for several days now....which has also meant being woken at 3 and 4 am when the system crashes.  It's a global company and there is always someone somewhere awake that requires an explanation! At the same time the rest of my team goes on and I have to keep managing that.  Honestly it's been a grand thing to be part of, I've learnt alot and have been surprised at my own stamina.

Staying in SJ did mean a TV for three nights...still bemused why people pay for it when they can watch for free online (yeah okay you pay for your internet connection).  But I did get to watch Slumdog Millionaire - it's a great movie, kept me on the edge of my seat though.  I thought it was very clever how they put it together.  Kept me awake between midnight and 2am...when I had to physically go into work.  I loved loved loved the dancing at the end!

It's been raining endlessly here, making Californians a little grumpy.  It's a good thing though - this place had got way to dry and it's a welcome relief for farmers.  

Countdown is on for Palm Springs and the NZ girls.  So looking forward to that!

A Tribute to Wellington, New Zealand

This was sent to me by an Aussie that I work with in San Jose......I gotta say Katherine Mansfield looks strangely like Alison Holst.....I'm thinking something is a little "off"....you be the judge! That said this about sums up Wellington!!!!

Just to prove I do more than work

.....I did have a small adventure this week!  Yesterday I headed off to the Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Festival.  Michelle, Marcia, Dee and I headed down to the boardwalk to join the masses......and I mean masses.  Place was jam packed.  Grand fun though - you buy a tasting kit that has 5 tickets in it, paper cup and spoon (serviette too!).  Then you walk around and choose which chowder you want to try.  There were dozens to choose from.  If you want to you can then vote on your favourite.  Tasting sizes are relatively small....still I was hard pushed to use up all five tickets so stopped at four......Dee and I shared a giant can of beer as well (they do everything big here) so I think that filled me up along the way!  After the tasting three of us decided to do one of the rides - the Fireball....says it all really.  Mostly these things make me laugh hysterically (okay so it's restrained hysteria....but you get the picture), Michelle provided the screams and Marcia the wahoos.  We couldn't convince Dee; the possibility of throwing up put her off (none of us did but someone on the ride was less fortunate....I didn't see that so it proved to be good clean fun for me).  We then went on a second ride (all of us) that was less thrill but provided a wonderful sensation of flying - nice.

Gap week

So this is supposed to be my "gap week".  The week I was to have between IT releases - completed one on Jan 31, next one Mar 1.  Ha!  No such thing as gap week.  For the past three weeks my days have started with a conference call at 730 am (this as I commute to work)...busy, busy, busy commute home at 515 pm, back online by 630 pm then stay on line for as long as required (as early as 8pm on a good day and as late as midnight on a not so good day).  Weekends less time online but not far from my computer.  It's fair to say I am feeling a little tired.  Folks around me are (mostly) working as hard as I am so I am not alone in the pain (and I don't have a family waiting at home for me so in someways I am better off).  The economy is really tough so those of us that have jobs are committed to making sure we keep them - so I don't want to sound like a complete whiner.  I am still really loving what I do and feel like I am continuing to build my professional/management skills; not everyone can say that with a smile.

Last weekend, in the interests of demonstrating to myself that I had some kind of life, Michelle and I headed out to a girlie dance in Santa Cruz.  I've never been to a dance in Santa Cruz so this was a whole new world.  It was cute - Michelle and I figured we would either be among the oldest (given the university is here) or among the youngest.  The latter proved to be true!  It reminded us of the good ole days of Wellington and the Brooklyn dances.  The music was.....hmmm not what it could have been.  I did dance though so there must have been something in it.  All up we had a good time and it was nice to get out.

Sunday I took Michelle along to a friends beach house for dinner.  This was grand fun.  Six of us - four new folk - lots of laughter, smart conversation and fab food.  Had me feeling human again.

Weather here has been torrential rain (yikes I mean bucketing down).  Made me smile to think my bike was safely undercover but it does mean no walks on the beach (well I say that like I don't get home, get into my PJs and sit at my laptop!).

I'm really looking forward to April and heading to Palm Springs.  I am most definitely not taking my work laptop...although the boss did ask if I would have my cellphone (lol).  Oh well it is nice to feel needed.  I'm not expecting to get any calls, I've already organized a stand in and she is more than competent.

The cutest thing

Not only was the Koala wildly cute to look at, but the firefighter was just fab. He knew what to do (or was prepared to do something) and also thought his daughter would love to see the video. It was filmed on a cellphone. Culturally it's a very Aussie moment.
The fires in Aus are so sad...shocking....this is a little heartening.

Farewell January

January has flown by and with its end comes the biggest IT release one of the programs I manage comms for has.  That has meant craziness as emotions are high (hard to think about IT changes like that I know!) and everyone is working incredibly hard.  It's exciting and stressful (well I guess the stress is part of the excitement....in my mind anyway).  It does mean I am staying in San Jose Sunday night and working with one of my developers to make sure we get messages out etc etc etc.  I can't believe how much I have learnt about all this.   Given I have never worked in high tech before it's been an incredible learning curve.  I still feel very lucky to be here and more than startled at where I have landed!  

I am getting to do some fun creative stuff at work too.  We are pulling together our team profile for my bosses boss.  He is an amazingly energetic, outgoing, competitive smart guy. Wants everything yesterday and inspires you to want to deliver it yesterday.  To create the profile we are doing online videos and creating very cool graphics to go with it.  I have never seen myself as a marketer but at various times I have the opportunity to get a little creative, it's fun.

Last night Michelle and I went to an Amy Ray concert - she was fab!  Santa Cruz is a pretty laid back town so the show was almost like watching a band rehearsal.  Interesting crowd to, she's got quite a girlie following.

In April I am catching up with some of the NZ gals in Palm Springs - we are going to the Dinah Shore Weekend.   It is, basically, a four day girl party.  Not usually my thing I gotta say but I figured if the pals are coming from NZ I could at least make the effort to get over myself and hangout.  Thanks to Sim we have found a fab house to rent.   Pool and spa of course....very nice!

So life isn't all work....

President Barack Obama 2009 Inauguration and Address

Sat in the office this morning playing this on my computer. People around me were hugely excited (even some of the republicans - although I haven't met many). I thought his speech was great to listen to and love the way Americans don't blink from celebrating their country. All very patriotic; it appeals to me. Interestingly I had a couple of people ask me if I was going to become a citizen (actually I can't apply until I have been here for 5 years, but yes, I do want to become a citizen). Not sure what prompted the sudden interest so much as thinking those listening to the speech were feeling very proud to be Americans.

Back to everyday life

Well Xmas seems like long ago.  This week proved to be, I think, the busiest week I've had at work yet.    Mostly it was driven by needing to pull together a very complex, high risk message that was being sent out to senior executives.  I double teamed it with my sponsor comms developer - what that really means is that I gathered the info and she did the writing.  The great thing is that she is very good at what she does, calm and keeps a sense of humour!  Concurrently I have caught a cold so, as much as I liked the idea of working from home all week, it wasn't to be. Now it's Saturday and I have been able to stop and I am not sure if I feel better or worse for the pause.

Weather here is spooky warm, like in the 70s.  I so want to be out on the bike but don't think it's a good idea to be riding when I don't feel well.  Best of all, Michelle has moved into her new apartment and it comes with a covered park so I am going to move the bike there for the "winter".  

I am looking forward to watching the inauguration - history in the making and I'm very interested to hear what Obama has to say.  Given the economy I don't envy him, expectations for change are very high here.

The horsey shot

Can't believe I forgot to include this.  If, in the last few years, I've wondered what it is I am good at, what do I enjoy, what brings out the best in me..........riding horses ain't it!  

That said, bundled up against the cold (cool but not a breath of wind) and sitting on a very fine saddle, riding "cowboy" as opposed to "english" on a beautiful, gentle horse.....well I might never be good at it, but I can appreciate it!

Welcome to 2009

Post Michelle's departure Ranch adventures continued.  One very memorable day we headed out to Santa Fe and went to see the "Fashion in Film: Period Costumes for the Screen" Exhibition.  It was fantastic.  Showed costumes from some really well known movies including Dangerous Liaisons (pic on left) and Out of Africa.  It was interesting to hear that, for some movies, they do sometimes use antique fabrics for part of the design and also often make two versions of the same costume so if one gets damaged they have a backup. Given how intricate some of the designs are it's all rather impressive.  

After the exhibition we took mum to Madrid.  I think I've mentioned this long ago as a place we went to when I was living on the ranch.  It is where the movie Wildhogs was filmed.  It's a quirky little town and has a great bar/saloon that has the most interesting characters.  It's a bikers destination as well so you see a lot of motorcyclists on any given day.  It was fun.  

As promised in the last post....Xmas pic on the right, me, mum, Michelle and Brice.  As always a beautiful table setting and outstanding 

food. Here's a nice shot of Karen and mum too....I'm sure they won't thank me for posting it!

I flew back via Denver, some delays but at least I had my laptop and free wi-fi.  Stayed in San Jose as I didn't land until 1115pm and it seemed pointless to drive an hour to Santa Cruz to turn around and come back at 645am.  The economy continues to bite and most vendors are taking pay cuts to keep contracts.  Everyone is sharing the pain but I still feel very fortunate - I have a job and I don't have a mortgage or dependents.  I am quite focused on saving as I think I will buy a house here within the next year or two depending on how the job prospects roll out.  Cisco continues to offer me opportunities and I love my job and the people I work with.  

Apart from the bike I have decided to take up another "hobby"...well I am thinking about it. I've found a shooting range that does clay bird shooting and think I'd like to try that (I tried it on the Ranch a while back and thought it was fun).  I enjoy shooting (no, not hunting, definitely not hunting).  So when it starts to get a little warmer I am going to go out for a half day and see if I like it.  You walk a course so it also means I get some exercise.  We shall see, the other alternative is to take up archery again.  I will figure it out.

It's Saturday and I have woken up today with a minor head cold having slept 15hrs..guess my body wants to fight it off as much as my mind does.  I'm tucked up at home, heating on and not doing much - although my fridge is bare so I am eventually going to have to venture out!