Friday, March 26, 2010

Dictionaries, They Are Big Books with a Lot of Words...


For much of the day today, conservatives around the nation have been wetting their pants with excitement as Sarah Palin returns to the stage to campaign for John McCain as he pulls out all the tricks to keep hold of his  Arizona senate seat. I know I've posted this before, but lest anyone forget or not know what the word "rogue" really means, here it is again. I, after all, do like to keep people educated and informed.

rogue (noun):

1. vagrant, tramp
2. a dishonest or worthless person: scoundrel
3. a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave
4. an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation

rogue (adjective):

1. resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable
2. corrupt, dishonest
3. of or being a nation whose leaders defy international law or norms of international behavior

rogue (verb):

1. to weed out inferior, diseased, or nontypical individuals from a crop plant or a field

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Snow Day

We had a snow day today, but looking outside now, you'd have to wonder why. Not that I'm complaining.

The weather was actually really bad. Things seemed fine yesterday morning. It was starting to get cold, but the skies were still blue. But out in the distance, over the mountains, you could see the clouds rolling in. By about noon the clouds looked really dark and gray and ominous. It started to rain in the afternoon, and by 2:00 or 3:00 the rain turned into snow. The flakes were big and fat and they were falling fast. They were also falling sideways. The winds were really starting to pick up. A few people who live in the Denver area left right away so that they could avoid the traffic problems on the freeways. Even a few people who live in Boulder left early. At that point it didn't seem so bad. Because it's been so warm this week—it was almost 70 degrees on Monday—the roads were still warm so the snow melted right away. I took some work with me and left around 4:30. At that time the snow was falling fast and hard, but it was that really heavy, wet snow. I had to clean off my car before leaving, but by the time I started to clean off one side and move to the next side, a new layer of snow was already covering my car. The roads were wet, but they weren't that slick or icy. The worst part of the drive home was that the driving snow made it difficult to see. I made it home safely without any problems, but some of the people who live farther away spent two or four hours on the road. Thankfully I live only three miles away!

It snowed non-stop all night, and because things were getting so bad school districts were already closing down. Our office rule is that if the Boulder Valley school district closes, we also close. So, because the school district closed, we did too and the announcement came out late last night. When I woke up this morning—at my normal time—I was watching the news and they kept reporting on how bad the roads were. So I was glad that I didn't have to get out and drive to work. I had plenty of work to do for most of the day and I was able to check e-mail. The snow stopped around noon and the sun started to come out. Right now, at around 4:00, the skies are blue, the sun is shining, the snow is melting fast, and the temperature feels quite comfortable. It's actually really nice outside.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Feel the Burn

For the past few weeks, I've gotten back into my exercise regimen. Yes, I realize that I go through a phase like this every year, and in the past I've always fallen off the wagon and stopped exercising after a week or so. But, so far, I've been very disciplined and have kept up with my workouts for the past four weeks. I lift weights about four days a week. Because I started lifting weights in high school, my muscles have good memory and are able to get back into shape relatively quickly. Even though I might be sore for the first few days, it's usually not long before I start to feel stronger.

On my "off" days when I'm not lifting weights I either rest or do some other type of exercise. Because I don't have the greatest flexibility or balance, I decided to try my hand at yoga. And, yes, I was also inspired by seeing how great and beautiful some of my friends look as a result of yoga. I wanted to start out slowly and start with some yoga that focused on stretching/flexibility and relaxation. After all the stretching, it feels great to not feel stiff all the time. The relaxation part is also important to me, because I occasionally have problems sleeping and, naturally, I'm often stressed because of work. I'm just following some videos, but after the first "session" I felt really good. I've since tried a few different videos that focused more on balance or strength and endurance. It's surprising how something that looks so simple and easy can really work your muscles and make you feel really sore the next day.

So, after these past few weeks of yoga and working out, I've been feeling really good. And I think that it's something that I'll actually stick to for a change, because it's something that I actually look forward to and I don't see it as something I "have" to do. And, if I may be so egotistical to say so, I think I'm starting to look pretty darn good, too!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Cooking Adventures - Linguine with Zucchini and Roasted Red Peppers


One of the benefits of my job is that we publish a lot of cookbooks. Today I decided to try a recipe from a cookbook that we will release in a few months. Because of what I had on hand—and because of what I forgot to buy at the store!—I made a few variations here and there, but for the most part it turned out great.

First of all, the recipe calls for roasting red peppers. I've never roasted peppers before, so this was completely new to me. I've also never really used the broiler in my big oven before—I've only used the broiler in my little toaster oven—so that was new to me, too. I cut two red bell peppers in half, took out the seeds and ribs, then put them skin up under the broiler. After about 20 minutes they got all black like they were supposed to, and I put them in a bowl and covered the bowl with plastic wrap to let them cool. While the peppers were cooling, I started to work on the rest of the dish. I sauteed some garlic and shallots in olive oil. The recipe called for sauteing in vegetable broth, which I've never heard of before, and because I didn't have veggie broth on hand I just sauteed the garlic and shallots in oil. Then I added the zucchini and crushed red pepper and sauteed that for a while. Then I added some white wine and the (chopped) red peppers. The original recipe calls for adding just a little bit of salt, pepper, and thyme, but I also added some basil and oregano. Then I tossed it with some linguine and voila! I had a very nice, refreshing meal.

Because there wasn't a traditional, thick sauce for this pasta, it was really light, so I think it will make a great summer pasta. The flavor was pretty subtle and, quite frankly, most of the flavor came from the red peppers, which got really sweet after the roasting. I think that when I make it the next time, I might add a little more crushed pepper to give it some more spice and heat. And, if I'm not keeping it a strictly vegetarian dish, I might add a little bit of chicken stock to see if it adds another level of flavor. But, even as is, it was very good, if I may say so myself.


Current mood: full
Current music: iTunes on shuffle—Melissa Etheridge "Meet Me In the Dark"

Current drink: Bella Sera pinot grigio (the leftovers of a miniature bottle of inexpensive white wine that I used for cooking), but I'll probably have some red wine before the night is over.    

Friday, March 19, 2010

This and That

It has been a long time since I've posted anything here on my blog. I'm sure it is no surprise to hear that things have been busy. Work continues to be busy, which is a good thing, I suppose. And I also took on some small freelance jobs to make a little extra money. This recent job was a small one and ended up being only around $100, but, hey, that's enough to cover my cable and internet bill or groceries for two weeks. Any money is good money.

I'm actually writing from home right now. The weather lately has been typical spring weather for Colorado. It has been warm and sunny for most of the week, and the temperatures even crept up to around 70 degrees. It started snowing late last night and it hasn't stopped since. When I left for work this morning there were about four or five inches of heavy, wet snow on my car. Because of the warm weather, the roads were still warm so they were wet but fortunately not icy. I got to work at 8:00--normal time for me--and the parking lot was empty. For a moment I had a passing thought that maybe it was Saturday, then I wondered if the office had been closed for the day. Although the office was still open, several people decided to stay home and work from home today. Many who actually made it into work left not long after they arrived. No one wanted to deal with the evening commute if the snow continued. And the snow has continued. I stayed at work until about 2:00, then decided that I might as well go home. In the time that I arrived at work and decided to leave, there were another five inches of snow on my car. It's still snowing, and now it's getting windy so the snow is swirling. And, as to be expected in Colorado, I'm sure it will all melt away within a day or two. 

Friday, March 05, 2010

New Computer

After my old computer crashed, I did everything I could to save it. Nothing I tried seemed to work, but fortunately I was able to save all of my important files. I got to the point when I didn't really care about the computer itself, but I really wanted to save things like my photos and important documents. I even took my computer into work and had one of our IT guys take a look at it. He tried everything and said that the computer was pretty much dead. It was about five years old and I got a lot of good use out of it, and it was a great computer up until the point that it died. But it was also getting old, getting slower, and running out of space.

So, after a lot of research and after seeking advice from family and friends, I went out and bought a new computer. In fact, this time I bought a laptop. I wanted a laptop this time because they are more energy efficient and eco friendly and you don't have to deal with all of the cords and wires overloading an outlet. And, naturally, there is always the option to take it with me if I need to go somewhere important.

I'm now on Windows 7 and Microsoft 2007, so I'm still getting used to the new system. But quite frankly so far the hardest thing to get used to has been the keyboard on the laptop. I'm so used to desktop keyboards after using my old computer and work computers for so long, so it's taking a while to get used to all of the keys. Yes, they are all in the same place, but it feels so different. So, if there are errors in this post, I'm going to blame the new keyboard! Although, even harder to get used to is the track pad. My hand keeps brushing on the pad and accidentally clicking on things, so I sometimes don't know where I might end up.

In a nutshell, I'm thrilled to have a computer again. Now I feel like I'm part of the world again!

Current mood: happy
Current music: Loreena McKennitt
Current drink:
Remy Martin VSOP Cognac (I have to celebrate!)