Ironically, after my post yesterday, Steve and I went to see the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." It was a powerful, fact-filled presentation of how our global environment is changing directly as a result of our ever increasing use of fossil fuels. I highly recommend everyone see this movie, and visit the website Climate Crisis.
The website has a list of things everyone can do. Here are some that Steve and I are working on:
* Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
* Use less hot water
* Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
* Turn off electronic devices you’re not using
* Unplug electronics from the wall when you’re not using them
* Insulate and weatherize your home
* Be sure you’re recycling at home
* Plant a tree - A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
* Switch to green power
* Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
* When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
My sister Jennifer and her husband Anthony have made huge progress in these areas, with solar panels and wind generators on their roof to their hybrid vehicles. They are an inspiration for us, and now, having seen the evidence, I feel compelled to follow their example.
I strongly encourage you to see the movie for yourself.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Heat Waves
Can you believe it's the end of July already? Time keeps flying by. I am glad that one of our two hottest months is coming to a close. Now if we can just survive August...
I'm actually grateful it's only been in the high 90's lately, not over 100 like a couple weeks ago. Still, all the grass is yellow or brown -- it crunches when you walk on it -- and I can hear locusts singing their rhythmic song. Funny how that sound is connected in my mind with heat.
Texas has a lot of problems with the foundations of houses. It's partially because of the drought and heat conditions and partially because of the layer of clay under the soil. Our house seems to be okay, but we may have another leak somewhere around our pool. Water has been disappearing from the pool faster than usual, but unfortunately, Steve's thorough inspection yesterday didn't turn up anything obvious. Might be time to call in the professionals.
At least the trees are still green. And thank God for air conditioning.
I'm actually grateful it's only been in the high 90's lately, not over 100 like a couple weeks ago. Still, all the grass is yellow or brown -- it crunches when you walk on it -- and I can hear locusts singing their rhythmic song. Funny how that sound is connected in my mind with heat.
Texas has a lot of problems with the foundations of houses. It's partially because of the drought and heat conditions and partially because of the layer of clay under the soil. Our house seems to be okay, but we may have another leak somewhere around our pool. Water has been disappearing from the pool faster than usual, but unfortunately, Steve's thorough inspection yesterday didn't turn up anything obvious. Might be time to call in the professionals.
At least the trees are still green. And thank God for air conditioning.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
The View from North Carolina
I'm in North Carolina this week for work. Here through Thursday, since I'm participating in two new business pitches (Tuesday and Thursday) and decided it didn't make sense to fly back and forth in between.
It's GREEN here. It rained this morning. The steady, hard rain that I haven't seen in so long. It was welcome to the natives, but since I didn't have an umbrella and was in a suit and had curled my hair, I wasn't thrilled. My suit ended up damp, especially the extra long cuffs on the bottom of my pants, and my hair went its own direction. Some flat, some frizzy. Great first impression!
Our pitch today went OK. One of our VPs was with us and made a point of reminding us in the car ride over our rule of not interrupting to add something unless it adds three times the value. His part of the presentation was at the beginning, and then another colleague and I passed back and forth through the middle. HE INTERRUPTED EVERY SLIDE. I finally had to pass him a note and ask him to PLEASE not add some comment on EVERY slide.
Tomorrow, I'll be working via telephone and internet all day, and then preparing for pitch #2. They have a really dinky gym here that I used today, and the food at the hotel is just passable. But at least my remaining colleague and I tonight went out for a nice dinner. (I had lobster! Yum.)
It's GREEN here. It rained this morning. The steady, hard rain that I haven't seen in so long. It was welcome to the natives, but since I didn't have an umbrella and was in a suit and had curled my hair, I wasn't thrilled. My suit ended up damp, especially the extra long cuffs on the bottom of my pants, and my hair went its own direction. Some flat, some frizzy. Great first impression!
Our pitch today went OK. One of our VPs was with us and made a point of reminding us in the car ride over our rule of not interrupting to add something unless it adds three times the value. His part of the presentation was at the beginning, and then another colleague and I passed back and forth through the middle. HE INTERRUPTED EVERY SLIDE. I finally had to pass him a note and ask him to PLEASE not add some comment on EVERY slide.
Tomorrow, I'll be working via telephone and internet all day, and then preparing for pitch #2. They have a really dinky gym here that I used today, and the food at the hotel is just passable. But at least my remaining colleague and I tonight went out for a nice dinner. (I had lobster! Yum.)
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Babies, Babies Everywhere...
The hardest thing about turning 29 was realizing I wasn't going to meet my expectation of having a child before I was 30. It hit me hard, and it took quite some time before I felt comfortable letting that go.
And now...five years later...I guess I'm still struggling with it. I think at that time, I adjusted my expectation to have a child before or at age 35. Looks like I'm going to miss that one, too. There are a lot of health risks that make it better to have kids before 35. I know, lots of women have successful pregnancies and healthy babies later in life. I just didn't think I would be in that group.
Several of my friends and colleagues are having babies. My friend Chad and his wife had their first in May. Tori had a huge baby boy in early June, and Forrest and his wife had their first in late June. My friend Ian and his wife are due next month. They are keeping me very busy making baby quilts (almost done with Forrest's).
Volunteering at the hospital in the Neonatal ICU helps. I was there this Monday after missing the previous two. I think it helps fill that gap for me, being able to hold these beautiful little ones.
And sometimes, I really value the freedom Steve and I have. We can sleep late (if our bodies weren't programmed to wake up at our usual time), and we can choose to go and do anything without the limitations a baby puts on you. We can travel more easily than couples with babies, lugging all that stuff you might need, and our schedules are more flexible.
I guess I just always pictured myself as a mom. It makes me chuckle and wonder how out of the three of us girls (Jenn, Steph and me), I ended up being the "career girl."
And now...five years later...I guess I'm still struggling with it. I think at that time, I adjusted my expectation to have a child before or at age 35. Looks like I'm going to miss that one, too. There are a lot of health risks that make it better to have kids before 35. I know, lots of women have successful pregnancies and healthy babies later in life. I just didn't think I would be in that group.
Several of my friends and colleagues are having babies. My friend Chad and his wife had their first in May. Tori had a huge baby boy in early June, and Forrest and his wife had their first in late June. My friend Ian and his wife are due next month. They are keeping me very busy making baby quilts (almost done with Forrest's).
Volunteering at the hospital in the Neonatal ICU helps. I was there this Monday after missing the previous two. I think it helps fill that gap for me, being able to hold these beautiful little ones.
And sometimes, I really value the freedom Steve and I have. We can sleep late (if our bodies weren't programmed to wake up at our usual time), and we can choose to go and do anything without the limitations a baby puts on you. We can travel more easily than couples with babies, lugging all that stuff you might need, and our schedules are more flexible.
I guess I just always pictured myself as a mom. It makes me chuckle and wonder how out of the three of us girls (Jenn, Steph and me), I ended up being the "career girl."
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Steve's birthday dinner
Here's a picture of us from Saturday night. (Don't know why my face is so shiny!)
Monday, July 17, 2006
Thirty-nine
(No, not me! It's Steve!)
As the fifth of six children growing up in a lean family, Steve only remembers having one birthday party. I set out to make up for that with this year's birthday.
Beginning on July 1st, I gave him a small gift to open each day leading up to his actual b-day, the 15th. His boyish grin and enthusiasm about opening these gifts was delightful to watch. Most of them were small things -- special cycling socks, boxers, camping soap, a shirt -- and others were sentimental, such as frames for his pictures of his kids.
I call Steve my Mr. Sentimental, and I think the best reaction I got from a gift was the framed collage I had made for him of pictures of his kids and him. I dug around the house finding pictures from the past, and there were several he hadn't seen in awhile. It brought a tear to his eye.
We finished off the birthday celebration on Saturday with a trip to the Dallas Art Museum, a visit to the Farmer's Market, and dinner at Cool River, where we met 10 months ago. He declared it his best birthday ever.
As the fifth of six children growing up in a lean family, Steve only remembers having one birthday party. I set out to make up for that with this year's birthday.
Beginning on July 1st, I gave him a small gift to open each day leading up to his actual b-day, the 15th. His boyish grin and enthusiasm about opening these gifts was delightful to watch. Most of them were small things -- special cycling socks, boxers, camping soap, a shirt -- and others were sentimental, such as frames for his pictures of his kids.
I call Steve my Mr. Sentimental, and I think the best reaction I got from a gift was the framed collage I had made for him of pictures of his kids and him. I dug around the house finding pictures from the past, and there were several he hadn't seen in awhile. It brought a tear to his eye.
We finished off the birthday celebration on Saturday with a trip to the Dallas Art Museum, a visit to the Farmer's Market, and dinner at Cool River, where we met 10 months ago. He declared it his best birthday ever.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Friends & Colleagues
It's so nice when you like the people you work with.
A couple months ago, my long-time friend Lauren joined the company I work for, and I've been meaning to blog about it for some time. It's been such a pleasure to work with her again, both because I respect and admire her intelligence and work ethic AND because I have a friend to goof around, eat lunch and talk with!
I'm actually very lucky that I work with a terrific group of people. The vast majority are incredibly smart and talented. But I don't socialize with many of them.
I guess it's mostly my choosing. When I began to carve out "personal time" for myself last year and not be such a workaholic, I started distancing myself from coworkers outside of the office. It's hard for some people not to talk about work when you are with others you work with, and I found I really wanted a break from "shop talk."
Now, having Lauren here, I have a trusted friend with whom I can talk about the rest of my life. In addition, she's filled a professional void I've experienced since my friend Lisa left the company over a year ago. And, just to sing her praises, EVERYONE in the company keeps telling me how impressed they are with her and how glad they are she's joined our team. Yea for Lauren!
(Now, if we can just convince Wendy to come join us...)
A couple months ago, my long-time friend Lauren joined the company I work for, and I've been meaning to blog about it for some time. It's been such a pleasure to work with her again, both because I respect and admire her intelligence and work ethic AND because I have a friend to goof around, eat lunch and talk with!
I'm actually very lucky that I work with a terrific group of people. The vast majority are incredibly smart and talented. But I don't socialize with many of them.
I guess it's mostly my choosing. When I began to carve out "personal time" for myself last year and not be such a workaholic, I started distancing myself from coworkers outside of the office. It's hard for some people not to talk about work when you are with others you work with, and I found I really wanted a break from "shop talk."
Now, having Lauren here, I have a trusted friend with whom I can talk about the rest of my life. In addition, she's filled a professional void I've experienced since my friend Lisa left the company over a year ago. And, just to sing her praises, EVERYONE in the company keeps telling me how impressed they are with her and how glad they are she's joined our team. Yea for Lauren!
(Now, if we can just convince Wendy to come join us...)
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Oh, Yah...
I really enjoyed hearing the Wisconsin accent. Steve and I tried to emulate the "Oh Yeah" that is the affirmative response in so many conversations.
It was great finally meeting all of them. Steve is number 5 out of 6 kids, and he has 5 nephews that are all in their early twenties, as well as several nieces. He's very close with his nephews, and so it was important to me to get to know them and figure out who's who! There were also aunts, uncles and cousins to meet, and of course, his mom.
Steve's mom celebrated her 65th birthday on Saturday, and Steve's birthday (39th) is coming up this Saturday. His niece Sara turns 16 later in the month, so we had a joint birthday celebration at a friend's farm on Saturday. Almost everyone hugged me right upon meeting me. Then we just hung out around a campfire, drinking beer and eating all the good food everyone had brought along. The kids ran around playing croquet, chasing the dogs and cat, and messing in the large water container for the cows, which also housed a catfish. As it got dark (and cool!), Steve put on a sweatshirt, and I donned a jean jacket. The Northerners got a kick out of that! I told them it felt like December in Texas. (just kidding, but our last morning was a crisp 57*! I thought of you, Anth!)
Some of the nephews shot off some fireworks, and the cows stampeded to the far end of the field! Poor cows. They were scared out of their skins.
We also went fishing up north (like Wisconsin isn't north enough) to the U.P. (Upper peninsula of Michigan). The lake we were fishing on was terrific, and all three of us (Steve, his nephew Chad and I) got many bites. My largest catch was about 7 inches long. Not huge, but lots of fun. Plus, the guys did all the worm hooking and fish stuff for me.
That night, we stayed in an extremely rustic cabin, owned by Chad's best friend's dad. You could tell it's a man hangout from all the 80s girlie posters and the lack of amenities -- no running water, no electricity. There was an outhouse, jugs of water, and gas lamps. We cooked over the campfire. Oh, and several mice families have made the cozy cottage their home. I thought I'd never be able to sleep after hearing them scurry and squeak, but exhaustion won out. (and they didn't bother us)
The farm, by comparison, was terrific! There was the ever-present strong smell of cows, but that's not all bad. I got to milk one of them. Steve told me how to do it, and sure enough, it worked! I squirted at his feet while he danced out of the way. The farm actually uses milking machines, as they milk 50 or more cows twice a day.
It's beautiful land in Wisconsin. Lots of tall trees and rolling hills. And everyone was so nice to me. One of his nephews even introduced me to his kids as "Aunt Emily." :-)
It was great finally meeting all of them. Steve is number 5 out of 6 kids, and he has 5 nephews that are all in their early twenties, as well as several nieces. He's very close with his nephews, and so it was important to me to get to know them and figure out who's who! There were also aunts, uncles and cousins to meet, and of course, his mom.
Steve's mom celebrated her 65th birthday on Saturday, and Steve's birthday (39th) is coming up this Saturday. His niece Sara turns 16 later in the month, so we had a joint birthday celebration at a friend's farm on Saturday. Almost everyone hugged me right upon meeting me. Then we just hung out around a campfire, drinking beer and eating all the good food everyone had brought along. The kids ran around playing croquet, chasing the dogs and cat, and messing in the large water container for the cows, which also housed a catfish. As it got dark (and cool!), Steve put on a sweatshirt, and I donned a jean jacket. The Northerners got a kick out of that! I told them it felt like December in Texas. (just kidding, but our last morning was a crisp 57*! I thought of you, Anth!)
Some of the nephews shot off some fireworks, and the cows stampeded to the far end of the field! Poor cows. They were scared out of their skins.
We also went fishing up north (like Wisconsin isn't north enough) to the U.P. (Upper peninsula of Michigan). The lake we were fishing on was terrific, and all three of us (Steve, his nephew Chad and I) got many bites. My largest catch was about 7 inches long. Not huge, but lots of fun. Plus, the guys did all the worm hooking and fish stuff for me.
That night, we stayed in an extremely rustic cabin, owned by Chad's best friend's dad. You could tell it's a man hangout from all the 80s girlie posters and the lack of amenities -- no running water, no electricity. There was an outhouse, jugs of water, and gas lamps. We cooked over the campfire. Oh, and several mice families have made the cozy cottage their home. I thought I'd never be able to sleep after hearing them scurry and squeak, but exhaustion won out. (and they didn't bother us)
The farm, by comparison, was terrific! There was the ever-present strong smell of cows, but that's not all bad. I got to milk one of them. Steve told me how to do it, and sure enough, it worked! I squirted at his feet while he danced out of the way. The farm actually uses milking machines, as they milk 50 or more cows twice a day.
It's beautiful land in Wisconsin. Lots of tall trees and rolling hills. And everyone was so nice to me. One of his nephews even introduced me to his kids as "Aunt Emily." :-)
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Alright, Alright...here's a quick post
I know I haven't been a good blogger. I must admit, the dwindling comments got to me a bit, and I figured not many people would miss my drab musings.
I thought about posting some pics from 4th of July. We had a few friends over for a cookout and pool time, and it was really nice.
I just finished a long weekend in Wisconsin (cheese country!) to meet Steve's family (I met at least 25 people) and have just arrived in Philadelphia for business. I'll be back in Dallas late tomorrow night, so I probably won't blog about the Wisconsin trip until Wednesday. But I will say that everyone was so nice and welcoming to me, and it was great to finally meet them all.
Now, it's past midnight, and I must sleep. It's nice to know you missed me!
I thought about posting some pics from 4th of July. We had a few friends over for a cookout and pool time, and it was really nice.
I just finished a long weekend in Wisconsin (cheese country!) to meet Steve's family (I met at least 25 people) and have just arrived in Philadelphia for business. I'll be back in Dallas late tomorrow night, so I probably won't blog about the Wisconsin trip until Wednesday. But I will say that everyone was so nice and welcoming to me, and it was great to finally meet them all.
Now, it's past midnight, and I must sleep. It's nice to know you missed me!
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