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!