Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Move

Hi, guys. Still working on the post for Boston. It's becoming lengthy. And my memory sucks. Also, I tried to bring it up to work on it, and blogger...wouldn't. I'm trying not to panic. STOP PANICKING!!!

Ahem.

So, yeah. I moved. To Colorado. It all happened VERY quickly.

I had an interview by phone with the Pastry Chef at the Lodge at Vail on Monday, October 25. It went INCREDIBLY well. She kept saying she loved my resume. Always a good sign. We talked about 20 minutes and she said she would make her decision by Wednesday of that week. I would most likely hear from Human Resources by Friday. Eeep!!

Too bad I didn't. Hear from HR, anyway. I was going out of my MIND the whole weekend. Nothing on Monday, either. Finally called Tuesday. No answer. Left a message. Gah!!

Got a call Wednesday, November 3rd. They were out of the office the day before and had I received the job offer through email yet? Uh...NO. Well, they resent. I GOT THE JOB!!! YAAAYYYY!!!! Um, starting the 11th? Like, in a WEEK? No bueno. Start date changed, after deliberation, to the 18th of November. EEEEKKK!!!!!

Still hadn't sunken in. Surreal. Bizarre. Me? Colorado? Move? Wha...?

Oh, and Laura, the Pastry Chef, DID make her decision that Wednesday morning to hire me. Somehow, I didn't find out for a week. Clerical error my...butt. ; ) Gave my 2 weeks notice that day. With my current schedule at Snowbird, my last day was actually the 13th, so the move occurred the next day, November 14th. A Sunday.

My room. Mid-packing. Chaos. 

Trailer, van, and my car all packed. I slept 
on the floor that night. 
Good bye, room!! *sniff*

I was accompanied on my move by my awesome dad and my two crazy/wonderful younger sisters. I'm so glad they could come and we were able to spend this time together!! I love you guys!!

Um, thanks? Weirdos. 

My awesome dad was willing to haul the trailer.
Thank you daddio!!

I'm sooooo GLAD I didn't have to pull the trailer!! I had to return it, and let me tell you, it was crazy. And it was empty!! It almost hit my car while I was trying to back up. Um...don't ask. 

Windmills!! Somewhere in Utah. Yay!

Ashleigh is SUPER EXCITED to be driving my car. 
I needed a break. : )


My best friend, GPS, and Sven, my polar bear
from IKEA.

Alex. Stoked to be in the back seat. ; )
And her new Blackberry. 

Um...what? And no services? WHY IS THAT TOWN THERE?!?

Man, these town names...

GASP!!

I felt welcomed. : ) 

Ironically, we saw a rabbit here. By the side
of the road. : (

Sweet dad still towing. : )

A VERY blue building.

Interesting mountains. Pretty!

TUNNEL!!

INSIDE TUNNEL!!

That's the West-bound lane above us.
Yeah. I-70 is crazy. 

Getting closer!! Whoo!!

Almost there!!

ARRIVED!!! And yes, that's a Wendy's.
Hallelujah!! Haha. ; )

I work here now. 

Work uniform.

But more about that later. Anyway, things are good. Feeling pretty much settled after a month. 

I'll try to update more often, but you know how it is. Or at least how *I* am. Heh. 

So...later!! : )



















Monday, November 22, 2010

T-shirt Obsessed!!

So, I'm having a bit a brain-fart when it comes to blogging. I'm trying to write about Boston, but I've forgotten some stuff and keep getting distracted and crap. Frustrating!! So...in the mean time, here's an easy post that hopefully won't bore you. Enjoy!

The Doors!! Love me some Classic Rock!! : )

The Hunger Games. Heck yeah!

More Classic Rock. Floyd, anyone?

Brings back good memories. 

WIN!!

Not mine! My sister's, but AWESOME.

Good cause. Look it up.

Ah...good times. Mostly. ; )

Newest one!!

*chuckle*

Whoo!! Love it!!

Gotten many compliments on this one.

Super ladies UNITE!!

Classic. 

And just...yes. ; )

Hope you enjoyed them!! My collecting shows no signs of stopping. They make me happy!! Hope they do the same for you. 

<3

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Technical Difficulties: Part 2


Hey, all. Been a while, I know. At first I was like, "Whoa! That post was suuuuper heavy. What can follow that?" and then I was all, "I'll do it later." And then I got mad at my computer (or actually online job applications specifically) and closed it in anger. It didn't respond after that and even restarting....it wouldn't boot up. Gah!! I hate it when I do stupid things that ruin everything!!

*sigh*

I took it in on Friday. $159 at least for the fix. IF it doesn't need new parts. Crap. Well, C'est la vie.

So, anyway. I wanted to blog. There's a bunch of stuff in my brain that I should really get out and pictures and things that should be seen. Hopefully Charlie (that's what I decided to name my laptop) will be fixed by Tuesday!! Cross your fingers for me!!

Oh, and pray that they can save all my data and stuff. Cause if not, I'm screwed. 

: )

Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Falling Man

Note: This is a more serious post for me. I've tried to document my feelings on this anniversary before --last year in fact--but I...couldn't. I'll try to explain why.

Today is the 9th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, World Trade Center attacks. Everybody knows this. This day will always be remembered. It's strange how one day on the calendar, a day like any other day, can be forever changed. It's there. Always. Ever present. Even seeing those numbers on the clock, 9:11, sparks that memory embedded in my brain. Everyone has their memory. A story to tell about that day 9 years ago. I've decided to add my memory to the masses. 

In Fall of 2001, I was a sophomore in high school. 15 years old. The 11th of September was just another school day. I got up, got dressed, had breakfast, as I did every day. Nothing special. I carpooled with my neighbors, the Orgills. I remember the little red car they had, a stick shift, that we were riding in that day. The radio was on and there was a Breaking News bulletin. A plane hit a building in New York City. Wow, I thought. That's terrible. I bet Air Traffic Control is freaking out. What a terrible accident. I wonder what happened?

Minutes later, we got to school and I went to my first class, Banking and Finance. I walked in and saw the tv was on, which was unusual, but as I sat at my desk and glanced at the screen, the second plane hit. I was shocked. How could a second plane just happen to hit the building right next to the first one? Then it dawned on me. It wasn't an accident. 

I remember watching tv during that class, and in the next class, and the one after that. The bells kept ringing. We kept going to our scheduled classrooms, but all we did was watch the news. I watched the towers fall. Then the news about the Pentagon. And a plane crash in Pennsylvania that was supposedly headed for the White House. I couldn't believe it. Things like this just don't happen. This is the United States of America! We're invincible! Or so I thought. That day changed everything. I remember calling home from someone's cell phone (I didn't have one of my own at the time) and my mom was crying. She had heard already. Did we know anyone in New York? I asked her. No. I felt relieved. 

At 15, I knew that this was a terrible tragedy. That many people had died and my heart ached for them, but I don't think I really "got it". I didn't know anyone who was there or anyone who died, so it didn't affect me personally. And it was so far away. Images on a television screen. That's all. 

I went to New York City in 2004 with my high school choir. We went to Ground Zero with a tour guide. I remember him getting emotional talking about it. In fact, he couldn't say much at all. We just wandered around, looking at the signs and pictures on the fence, taking pictures. It just looked like a construction site to me. 

Every year on the anniversary of 9/11, I would remember, as we all do. We think back to that day and say a prayer for those who lost their lives. Year after year, the same thing. Remembrance. Memories. Moments of sadness. But it still hadn't sunk in for me. Sadly enough, it took me 8 years to finally "get it". 

I have to interject some information for a moment, just to help you understand. I'm not an outwardly emotional person. My family always makes remarks about how I don't cry in sad movies or books and they can't believe it doesn't affect me like everyone else. I feel bad about it sometimes. Like there's something wrong with me. Ice queen, perhaps. Incapable of emotion. But that's not it. I've figured it out. I don't LET myself get emotional. 

I've learned that I'm a very controlled person. No matter what emotional turmoil I may be feeling on the inside, I'm pretty good at keeping it in. Not letting it show. I don't know why I'm this way, but it's something I'm still trying to come to terms with. Part of it is because whenever I DO let something in, let myself feel the sorrow of 9/11, for example, it stays way too long. I dwell on it. It starts to take over and slowly comes to the surface. This happened last year on September 11. 


Last year, I made the mistake of watching tv with my parents that day. CNN was airing the news coverage from 2001 in a constant loop. They showed the news of the first plane, the confusion over what was happening, and as a camera was trained on the towers, the second plane hit. They showed that footage over and over again. It had happened quickly, so no one really knew what had happened. Was it a bomb? Some sort of explosion as a result from the plane hitting the first tower? And then they showed the footage frame by frame. A frozen image cleared things up. A plane. Another jumbo jet commercial airliner full of people  had hit the second tower. 

I watched the whole thing. All the coverage. I continued watching after it started over again. It was happening. I should stop, I knew. But it was sinking in. Getting stuck in every part of me. Grabbing hold of my psyche and wrapping itself around my mind. At some point, I stopped watching and went downstairs to my room. That should have stopped it, but no. It stuck. I looked up that day on Wikipedia and started reading. There was so much I didn't know or had tried to forget. Then I came upon an entry about the people who decided not to wait for death. The jumpers. These were the people who were trapped above where the plane hit in the towers. Many tried to take the stairs down the 90-something floors, but for some, it was impossible. Smoke, heat, too many people trying to escape...they knew they wouldn't make it. 

On the news footage, you can see objects falling from the towers. Not many realized that they were people until after the fact. Some say that they could never take their own life. I would probably say the same, but until you're in that situation, no one can say for sure. 

This photograph really hit me. The Falling Man taken by Richard Drew at the Associated Press. There are pictures of other "jumpers" where the person is falling, flailing out of control. In this one, he seems to have direction. Control. He's chosen his fate and has no fear. This is ridiculous, of course. The photographer took several photos of this particular jumper and he was falling head over feet, careening out of control. But this particular photograph was taken in the one second where the man is vertical, one leg bent, shooting like an arrow toward the inevitable death below.  There was an article about this photo in Esquire Magazine in 2003. I read it one year ago and it shook me. The author talked about the photographer, that day in general, and the unknown identity of the man in the photo. 

By looking through the other photographs and enhancing the photos, they thought they had found the identity of The Falling Man. By looking closely, the man appears to be wearing a tunic of sorts, not a regular shirt or jacket. It looked like a chef's jacket. Just like the one I wear every day at work. This could possibly be one of my comrades, a fellow pastry chef. This made it very personal for me, oddly enough. I read on. Those investigating the photo tried to contact the man's family, but they would have nothing of it. They wouldn't even look at it. They were convinced their husband or father would never do such a thing. He would find another way. Is it better to not know? I'm not sure.

While looking for this photograph to post, I read something more recent than that article that said it was not the man they thought. Perhaps it was an engineer who worked in the same area. To this day, The Falling Man's identity still remains a mystery. 

After that day a year ago, that image and so many others stayed with me constantly for over a week. It put me in a strange set of mind, almost a depression that was hard to shake. I don't think anyone knew, but it was evidence of why I don't get emotionally involved. Don't let it in. It has a habit of staying. 

I'm still trying to find a good medium between being unemotional and becoming a wreck when I DO get emotional. This may reveal a little too much about me, but don't worry. I'll be okay. :' )



Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What is this thing you call "BEDA"?

Ahem. So, I'm willing to admit my failure. Yes. I failed to blog every day in August. I did pretty well in the beginning, missed a few days, got back on the horse and then completely fell off and kind of just laid there on the ground for the rest of the month. Crap.

I had the best intentions, and I could give a million excuses, but I won't. *cough* Mockingjay *cough*

Anyway, I tried. I failed. But it's okay. It did make me realize that it doesn't HAVE to be super long to be called a blog post. A picture or five, a few paragraphs...call it good. So lets hope that if any good comes from this, it's that I may be inclined to blog more often, if not every day.

On another note, Mockingjay was AWESOME. Surprising. Shocking. Angering, at times. But for good reasons.  You know it's a good book when it raises emotions, makes you care, makes you take sides and argue to the bitter end to prove your point. Wow. That is one kick-butt book.

Read it. Love it. But be prepared to have it (and the rest of the series) consume you life for a good 2 weeks. Depending on how fast you read. : )

Now. On to my next book endeavors.

This is what I am currently reading:


I love it so far. 

Next in line (and just came out today):

This is the first book in a prequel series to Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series. Which I also HIGHLY RECOMMEND. First book in that series is "City of Bones". Wicked awesome. : )
















So these will consume my time for the next little while. I'm a nerd, I know.

Last note: I can't believe it's September tomorrow!! I feel like I should buy school supplies, although I have no real need for them.

Also makes me think of a line in song:


"August, die she must, 
The autumn winds blow chilly and cold; 
September I´ll remember. 
A love once new has now grown old."

--"April, Come She Will"
 by Simon & Garfunkel

Farewell, Summer. Hello Autumn and hoodie weather!! : )



Monday, August 23, 2010

MOCKINGJAY!! YAY!!!!


Have you read "The Hunger Games"? No? Well, what about "Catching Fire"? Huh. Yeah, I guess it would make sense if you had only read the 2nd book in a trilogy....

Anyway. If you haven't, you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD!!! So not kidding. 

They are amazing books. I love them whole-heartedly. 

The 3rd book comes out TOMORROW!!! Yup. August 24th, 2010 is the release date for "Mockingjay". I can't even use enough exclamation points or caps lock to portray how excited I am, so I'm not even going to try. 

You may not see much of me tomorrow. And this is why. : )

Read them. Do it. You'll thank me later.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Technical Difficulties

Hey, all. Sorry I've missed the past few days, but this time it's not my fault!! My laptop has been glitchy lately. Shutting off whenever it feels like it, usually when I'm about to blog. Heh.

So, sorry about that. I'm gonna take it in this weekend, see what the hopefully-not-expensive-to-fix problem is. Until then, I'll do my best!!

Laters!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Closer to the Edge



That is the title of a song. An amazing song. By 30 Seconds to Mars. The lead singer is Jared Leto. I blogged about this a while ago when I went to their concert. Mind-blowing. But that's beside the point.

It also describes me, at this moment. It's hard to put into words, but I'm going to try.

Right now, I feel like I'm on the edge, right at the precipice of something big. Something life-changing. I know it. With every fiber of my being, I know that something's coming. I'm getting impatient because I'm SO ready for it. I need it. Badly. I can't just...stay...anymore.

I'm made enough changes and enough changes have been forced upon me in the past year that I feel more ready for this. MORE ready. Not completely, because by nature I've always been a more reserved person, but being so open to this change, this time of transition, it's hard to keep getting pulled back. It's like I'm on a cliff, ready to dive into the unknown, but there's a bungee cord that keeps snapping back, just enough to keep me...here.

I need release. I need to cut the cord. It's time.

I pray for patience. I pray for opportunities. I pray to be ready.

It's all I can do.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Eat Pray Love



So...I finally finished my book. It took me 2 months or more, which is ridiculous to me. I'm used to blowing through a book in a week! And it's not cause it wasn't interesting or that I didn't WANT to read it. I absolutely LOVED the book and it completely blew my mind. I'm still reeling from it, in fact. I can only say that it took me this long because of...distractions. Life in  general. Lack of sleep made it hard to sit/lie still while remaining conscious. (p.s. it took me a good 5 minutes to decide whether it was supposed to be LAY or LIE. Things lay, people lie, right? I'm still not sure...)

So here's my review of this incredible book. Loved it. Highly recommend it. You should read it, if you haven't already. : )

To me, reading has always been and integral part of life. According to my mom, I started reading Reader's Digest at the age of 6. There were times where she would have to hide my book so I would do my homework. Or she would bribe me with books or reading time so I would do chores. The written word has always captivated me. Taken me to far off places, given me mind-blowing new ideas, filled my head with more awesomeness than I could possibly comprehend. I LOVE READING!

So this book. Fantastic. I loved the travel, the food, the people, the languages, and her writing is so effortless to read. She really is a great author. I'm gonna look up her other stuff.

I learned a lot too. So many things that I never even thought of. So much advice given to Liz that I swear was meant for me. That quote from a couple of posts ago, about being "zapped"? Yup. Totally for me. The book is really quotable, which I love. I even HIGHLIGHTED some passages, which I pretty much never do. I think it's a bit sacrilegious to damage books. I'm overprotective when it comes to my books. You ruin my book while in your possession, you buy me a new one. My sister Ashleigh can attest to that. : ) And NO DOG-EARING. No. That's what bookmarks are for. I usually use a receipt, a movie ticket, a post-it, whatever. I haven't used an actual bookmark in years.

But, anyway. Yes. Very quotable. I think I'll share a few of those quotes.

Liz: 
"...I seriously believed David was my soul mate."
Richard from Texas: 
"He probably was. Your problem is you 
don't understand what that word means. People think a 
soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. 
But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you
everything that's holding you back, the person who brings 
you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true 
soul mate is probably the most important person you'll
ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake.
 But to live with your soul mate forever? 
Nah. Too painful."


"Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. 
If we truly knew all the answers 
in advance, as to the meaning of life and the nature of God 
and the destiny of our souls,
our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a 
courageous act of humanity,
it would just be...a prudent insurance policy."

"Destiny is...a relationship--a play between divine 
grace and willful self-effort.Half of it you have no 
control over; half of it is absolutely in your hands, and
your actions will show measurable consequence. 
Man is neither entirely a puppet of the gods, 
nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny;
he's a little of both."

"...I can choose my thoughts."

"I will not harbor unhealthy thoughts anymore."

"This is the supreme lesson of karma--to take care of the problems now,
or else you'll just have to suffer again later when you screw everything
up the next time."

Felipe:
"We must have your hearts broken sometimes. This is
a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we 
tried for something."

"--I was not rescued by a prince; I was the administrator
of my own rescue."

Amazing. Amazing quotes. Amazing book. Read it. I can't wait to see the movie, but there's no way it will compare. Sigh. I need to contemplate some more. Good night, blogging world. Until tomorrow...

: )

Saturday, August 14, 2010

CAGED!!!

Hi. Late night post. You ready? Mmkay.

So, "Popular" was one of my all-time favorite tv shows. Incredibly awesome. Seriously.

This episode is SO fantastic!! It's called "Caged". This is what happens when 5 girls have their "lady time" simultaneously and are locked in a bathroom together. HA!!! Love it. : )

The whole episode is on youtube so you can enjoy the goodness in its entirety. But if you don't want to watch the whole thing, at least watch this particular part from 5:00 on. So. Funny. Dramatic, yes, but scarily enough, not that far off.

I may or may not be able to identify with this at this specific moment. *cough*

So, enjoy!! Oh, and watch out for all the actors who went on to bigger and better things! And those who didn't. ; )

G'night!

Friday, August 13, 2010

Wide Open Spaces

Hey, guys. I'm tired. Again. I know, I'm sure you get tired of me complaining about it. Well, I'm tired of being tired too!! Sigh. Shake it off!!!

Ahem. So, I've been looking at jobs. Quite a few out of state. Nothing solid yet, but the idea of a new town, new job, new experiences....SO EXCITING!!! And a little bit scary. Definitely.

Anyway, this song comes up on shuffle on my ipod every once in a while. Totally strikes a chord. I'm ready to move on! Explore! Have my own life!! I'M READY!!! YOU HEAR THAT WORLD?!?

So, I posted this video. It's just the song playing with the lyrics. I like the picture, though. A canopy of trees sheltering a long country road...I like.

So, enjoy!! : )

Thursday, August 12, 2010

So NOT Kosher!!

We've all heard the term "not kosher", right? It usually means something's not okay or not allowed. Yeah, well, I had the privilege of learning the literal meaning of the term. Lucky me. : )



NOTE: I apologize in advance to any Devout Jewish people I may inadvertently offend with this post. I know next to nothing about being Kosher except from preparing the food for 2 weeks. I'm 87.4% sure that none of you will find this blog, but you never can be too careful. So sorry! And shalom...or something. : )


Hi, peeps!! Sorry for that disclaimer above. I just wanted to cover my bases cause I'm about to complain. Ready?

*clears throat* KOSHERIZING AN ENTIRE KITCHEN AND BAKERY FOR 200 PEOPLE AND KEEPING IT THAT WAY FOR 2 WEEKS IS A PAIN IN THE BUTT!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU KNOW NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!!

Whew. Glad I got that out of my system.

So, basically, there was a group of 200 who we know was coming months ago. We were prepared. Or so we thought. Preparations involved scrubbing every single surface and sanitizing, buying new equipment and labeling it correctly, keeping red and blue items separate ( I'll explain that in a sec), designating areas in the fridge and freezer for kosher, and finding somewhere else to prepare food for the OTHER groups who are at the resort at the same time.

So, red and blue. Basically, those who keep Kosher don't eat meat with dairy. At all. Which means every meal was either a "meat plate" or a "dairy plate". Red for meat, blue for dairy. So when preparing a meal for a meat plate, no dairy products can be used and all red-designated equipment must be used. Here's a few pics to illustrate:

Red-taped tongs, spatulas, and whisks 
for meat plate

BLUE.


Blue on the left, red on the right.

The fridge. It's Kosher.

Oh, and we had to line the shelves
with foil. Mm. Good fun. : )

So there were some visuals for ya. Awesome, right? Uh huh. So, once something has been kosherized, it is designated meat or dairy and stays that way for the duration. No switching around. BAD. Yellow was used for things that are neutral, like flour, sugar, oats, nuts, etc. You can use a yellow item for meat or dairy, but once it's used for one or the other, it stays that way. However, you can "kosherize" something and re-designate it by steaming the piece of equipment for 15 minutes, boiling it for 3 minutes, and then letting it air-dry. Dunno why, but them's the breaks. Oh, and NO equipment with wooden handles. Not allowed.

Oh, and after the cleaning and taping things and stuff? Yeah. It had to be okay'd by the Rabbi. We got a certificate and everything. Whoop. And he hung around for a while every day just to check up on us. He also helped himself to whatever food he could find, mostly without permission. Definitely has a sweet tooth. Lucky us. 

So, this went on for 2 whole weeks. And then we were DONE!! YAY!!! But then we had to put things back to normal and some of the new equipment for kosher got packed away for next time. NEXT TIME!! I really really REALLY hope I'm not here for that. Gah. 

Well, that was my little spiel. Lovely, I know. Now lets NEVER speak of it again. Mmkay?