Lazy Me

So i guess it indeed has been awhile since I last updated my blog. Okay, here's a quick catch up to what's been happening....Went up to Seattle for a quick trip for work, and the weather up there was like a monsoon. For a minute, I thought I was back in South Florida in the middle of a hurricane, I thought I left that all behind me. It is great to be back home in Portland....the weather has gotten a little chilly, still debating whether to get chains for my tires as we live up near the west hills and it may get quite icy up that way. The trees are starting to get a little bare but the turning of the leaves 2 weeks ago was one of the most beautiful things I have seen. I am looking forward to a nice quiet holiday in my little apt. Guess what? We finally sold our house back in FLA. I am very excited about looking for my new home here. It's going to be so fun searching, and with the market leveling off here, I am hopeful I can a decent size home. Looking forward to entertaining too as I have met some wonderful ppl here, not just at work, but at other places too. Thanksgiving this year was very fun. Went to an "orphans" turkey dinner at a friend's house. What was my favorite dish this year? The drunken yams of course. Marinated and cooked in Grand Marnier and topped off with a brown sugar glaze. My next favorite dish was my potatoes, and of course the gravy. The Turkey that S. made was also very good. I've never made a turkey in a basting bag before. Maybe I will try that next year. This was my first year not cooking, and it was so nice to just spend it with close friends, including my new friends Carol and Mike whom I met at a dinner party. They have this incredible house with a really cool industrial looking kitchen that Mike had worked so hard on. I loved the stainless steel and granite/stone look of their kitchen. It gives me great ideas on how I would like to envision my own kitchen. Of course not the same, but their kitchen and appliances is close to what I had in mind for my own little epicurean adventures. I only stayed for appetizers and champagne, but got to meet Mike's family while I was there. Their baby son Dash is one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. I am so ready to baby sit anytime for them! Thanksgiving was terrific this year, thank you S. for the lovely homecooked feast,and N. for the delicious salad, and Carol and Mike for inviting us to your home.
Cheers and good health to all!

Friday

022812 516 2:50 pm. Going back to Seattle via train on Sunday. Pretty exciting!

The Birthday Boy

Had a terrific evening last night at Brazil's Grille with some friends. Lot's of good healthy laughs and good food to go along. Did we feel a bit carnivorous last night....absolutely. The meats wouldn't stop coming around. Then there was the Pineapple craze. I still believe it was braised in some liqueur, but the waiter swears it was only cooked with sugar and cinnamon. One of my favorite moments last night however, was knowing that a part of the proceeds from our bottles of wine went to the breast cancer cause. Oh! The birthday boy also had a great time too! I've never heard so many toasts and good wishes before, and he ate 2 big slices of decadent chocolate cake that JBO got for him. Hey guys...There's still a lot of cake left...anyone up for seconds??? Saving a piece for Nat. Hope she feels better.

Vino!- Saturday

Dropped C. at the office on Saturday to get some work done while N. & I headed gaily off to Dundee to go hit some vineyards. Ended up at Erath, Duck hollow, and Ponzi for a few tastings. Stopped over at Ponzi's Bistro for a nice lunch of olives, and fresh Halibut fish & chips. It had been J's idea to go and eat at Ponzi so when we did find it, we thought it would be a nice place to scout for some single guys for N, and get some good grub on such a beautiful day. I'm looking forward to seeing N.'s pictures from the wine valley on her blog. C. missed out on a beautiful day. Picked up a decent bottle of Desert Wind Merlot from the Wahluke Slope from Columbia Valley Washington for C. I think N. picked up a bottle of pinot gris to kick back and enjoy with Raven. Thinking of spending Sunday with the hubby and do something outdoors, maybe a picnic as this will probably be one of the last sunny weekends in Portland for awhile. Looking forward to meeting up & seeing some old friends up in Seattle next weekend at their house for a nice brunch and champagne to celebrate good friendship!

Get Motivated!

Went to the Rose Arena to listen to a "Get Motivated" Speaking seminar today with N., S, St., & Jbo. Here are the list of speakers in no particular order:

Motivator Zig Ziglar teaching about how to lead a balanced life in business and in home.
Rudolph Giuliani will teach you how to lead in difficult times!
General Colin Powell, legendary soldier-statesman, will teach you the skills of "take-charge" leadership.
Dr. Robert Schuller, America's best inspirational speaker, will teach you how to achieve your personal and professional goals!
Steve Forbes, President and CEO of Forbes, Inc., will talk about America’s promise: Your keys in growth and opportunity!
Don Shula, Miami Dolphins legendary football coach, will teach you how to lead your team to victory.
Tom Hopkins, America's #1 authority on selling, will tell you how to strengthen your sales and negotiation skills!

I thought Guiliani, Powell, Zigler, & Don Shula were the best. The others were not really my cup of tea. I wanted to get away from selling for the day, instead we heard 2 speakers talk about Investment opportunities, and the other about real estate opportunities. It seemed very presumptious of the 2 speakers to tell everyone that they need to sign up for these investment courses and that it is possible to become a millionaire overnight! If that were the case....everyone would be millionaires! The crazy thing is that hundreds of people from the crowd started flocking to the tables with the cd.'s, books, and forms telling you that you need to hurry up and sign up for these clases, for $10,000 over a due course of time.. No problem! All you have to do is fill out the form and include.....your trusty credit card! I'm sure these courses are very legitimate, but it amazes me on just how trusting people are, that they are willing to do anything to strike it rich. Overall, this portion of the program was mildly amusing. However, I loved everyone' else's speech. Am I motivated? Absolutely! I am generally a motivated, take charge kind of person, but it's nice to hear and learn a thing or two from leading experts. We also learned a little about each other too. For instance, what is each of our personalities: The gang said that I am a Bold person, JBO and N are both Expressive individuals, while St. & S both have steady personalities. Whatever....I think each of us have a little of everything in us. All in all, I had a fun day, a little long, but a nice diversion from work and who better than to spend it with my dear friends of whom I have gotten to know better and cherish!

OMSI

Saw "Black Holes" at OMSI this afternoon. Took a stroll first through the esplanade and read interesting historical facts on the Floodings of Portland with the recent flooding of 1996. The pictures showed water levels reaching up to roofs of homes, kind of reminiscent of Katrina and New Orleans last year. Hope history doesn't repeat itself anytime soon. With this thought in mind, i finally headed inside to go to the Planetarium for a half hour of science where i got to see some incredible stars, super novas, black holes, singularities (an absolutely exception unlike another) and the event horizon....The point of no return. How eerie is that? The Black hole as explained today is a huge gravitational force that was created when a massive star collapses in itself from the excessive gravity, it's so powerful that even light cannot escape from it. (Lesson 101) The question is...where do things go when it gets vacuumed into a black hole?? Then there is the matter of worm holes....theoretically you can jump into a black hole and jump into the other side of the universe? Impossible...since the black hole is incredibly dense that anything going through it would shatter into a million pieces. But..there is a theory that a worm hole could be connected from a black hole thus leading a path to another partof the universe within space time. This my friends...is what Albert Einstein said...and proved.

Sauvie? or not Sauvie??

Today is a good day to just stay in and read a good book. I was thinking of going over to Sauvie Island either today or tomorrow as I often hear from N. just how great it is. Looked it up on line and saw that they have a haunted corn maize that will be open to the public throughout October. Not sure if this is of interest to me, but the idea of going through an un-haunted one sounds better. Oh! My dear friend from FLA is coming next weekend! I plan on taking her all over Porland. She is going to fall in love with the area. We're going to take a look at different neighborhoods and houses together. I also promised that I would treat her to a nice bowl of steaming pho before she heads back to Florida. The Saturday market is always a must for first time visitors, and of course the japanese gardens that she wants to go see. I haven't personally been there, not exactly my cup of tea but will go with her if she insists. I forgot to also mention that the reason why she is coming is for the big interview. I know m. & d. are interviewing other candidates, but it seems positive if they are willing to fly her here for a second one. I can only hope that everything goes well. N- if you are reading this, let's keep mum about this for now. It may or may not work out, however if it does, I'm confident then that you and the girls will all like her very much.

Essen Sie Getränk? Seien Sie Glücklich!

Essen Sie Getränk? Seien Sie Glücklich!
Jetzt mit der kühleren Wetterankunft ist es Zeit für gutes Bier, bratwurst, und kraut! Oktoberfest at Sherwood ist an diesem Wochenende. Wenn irgendjemand bessere Pläne hat, lassen Sie mich wissen....

A Book, A Play, & a Movie

Just finished a great book called the Wind up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. This author is extremely unconventional in his topics and his writings. Very surreal, dreamlike, and multi-dimentional. Not the typical type of books I generally like to read, but it was unbelievably good! Also recently saw an incredible low budget play called Betrayed. There were only 3 main characters and the director who is very famous in the world of theater-Harold Pinter does a great job of telling the story backwards from the first scene starting with the presenting and working his magic with the final act being the past. A few weeks before seeing this play, c & I also saw an independent british film called Confetti. I couldn't remember the name earlier today, but would love to have the girls at work see it. I'll see it again because it was so darn funny, and the Brits have a strange sense of humor. You will either love it or hate it, but I'm sure my friends would love it. N-google the movie and read about it, let me know if you want to go see it!

Bi-Coastal!

I think my dear friend from Florida whom i rave all the time about might actually have a good shot at coming to Portland!! She now has 2 hotels that will be vyying for her undivided attention. (thanks to me :) ) She is also probably one of the sweetest and charismatic women I have ever met and gotten to know. She would be a perfect fit for our team, kicks butt in the DC market, and not to mention...we can hit all the asian markets together. If the other hotel gets her first, then at least I will also feel good knowing that my friend will be honorable when going after business. I just would hate to go up against her because she is just that good.....so in conclusion, she belongs with our amazing team!

Manic Monday

Another busy day at the office. Turns out i needed a little bit of fresh air and decided to step out for a quick lunch at South Park with C, G, & G who just flew in from San Diego. Looking forward to a nice day off with my dysfunctional crew. Not sure what is in the plans, but i'm sure g. will want to go bet on some horses at the track. I can manage that, some beer, pretzles, and a hot dog should go perfectly with a winning tri-fecta. Hoping the weather holds out.

Some bad news....my Steelers lost tonight to the Jaguars. Since i don't have TV at home, i read on ESPN that this was the lowest scoring MNFL game ever! What was Ben Roethlisberger thinking coming back so soon from an appendectomy. Why would coach Cower put him back on the field. Their back up quarter back didn't do so bad last week. So he had one fumble, why not let the guy play another game? They better redeem themselves next week! Go Steelers, i believe in you guys!

Hood River - OR

C, G, & I are heading out to Hood River on Sunday and walking around Mt. Hood, to do some sight seeing before heading over to Hood River Vineyards. I want to pick up a few bottles of wine as well as try some delicious muscat dessert wines. Will also probably stop over at Sixth Street Bistro & Loft for lunch. Depending on how my feet feel, maybe we can squeeze in a quick simple hike. By the time we get back, it will be dinner and I'm planning on cooking and making a seafood medley taco meal. Bought some fresh halibut, squid, & scallops at the market early this morning to go with some tortilla wraps and a nice salad- no spinach of course!!

Oh N: since you and your mom are doing the fruit loop, don't forget to stop by the "wrap style trunk show" at Foothills yarn & Fiber.

Today

J & i had a great time at persimmons yesterday. Anytime you can spend away from the desk...enjoying fresh air, some vitamin e-rays, and a few bloody mary's is time well-spent! Today however was not too bad either. Heard good news from two of my clients, and enjoyed some decent grub in diversity city. This day flew!

Go Steelers!

Where has all the time gone! It seemed like only yesterday my STEELERS won the Superbowl. Their first opening game of the season is tonight.....against the Miami Dolphins! After living in South florida for a little over a decade, i could never get used to accepting the dolphins as my hometown team. Instead, i have chosen a steel town that punts out coaches and skilled quarterbacks over the course of NFL history as my team to root for. With Ben out for a bursted apendicitis, i'm not sure how tonight's game will go. Dolphins went out and recruited one of the top 5 quarter backs in the league: Dante Culpepper. It will be a tough game driving down the field as both teams have a powerhouse defense. Every inch and yard down the long stretch will be fought hard! Getting ready to hit the road and find the nearest pub to root for the Steelers tonight. I am confident the Superbowl CHAMPIONS will win tonight, even without Big Ben.
Here We Go Steelers.....Here We Go!!! Here We Go Steelers.....Here We Go!!!!!

Snicker-doodle-doo!!

Recipe

A friend surprised me today with one of her favorite cookies, now mine too......a snicker-doodle from the Wednesday Market! As a tribute to this delicious cookie i have included the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, 1 1/2 c. sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 eggs, 1/4 c. milk, 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 c. pecans finely chopped.
For the coating: 5 tbsps. sugar, & 2 tbsps. ground cinnamon.

Step 1: With an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then the milk.
Step 2: Sift the flour and baking soda over the butter mixture and stir to blend. Stir in the pecans. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease two baking sheets.
Step 3: To make the coating, mix the sugar & cinnamon. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into walnut-size balls. Roll the balls in the sugar mixture. You may need to work in batches.
Step 4: Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Recipe makes 30
Step 5: Bag the cookies and bring to the office to share with everyone!

The Day After...

It was a quiet day at the office. Good day for catching up and spending quality time on the more mundane stuff that i tend to put aside and procrastinate. It was C.'s first day at work today and he spent most of the morning meeting everyone up in Vancouver. His office is going to the driving range to hit a couple of golf balls early in the am and so C. is going to drop me off at the station tomorrow. I think i will go somewhere nice for breakfast, maybe find a place downtown that serves great pancakes or even crepes to kill some time before getting to work. I'm looking out at the fabulous view from my balcony right now with the sunsetting as I write this. C. is out running and we are staying in for dinner for a change. Bear and Lucky seemed a little hyper when we came home tonight. I think they are used to c. being home at least part of the day with them. S- i hope cosmo feels better, give him a hug for me!

Good wine & Spirits!- The Pearl / Oregon City

Had a relaxing weekend with the family. Saturday-Uncle John & Aunt Norma came downtown for the weekend and we all took the streetcar over to the Pearl for dinner at Oba's. Yes, i did go to Oba's earlier this week for drinks, but wanted to taste the food. Thought it would be nice to celebrate a nice birthday treat for my aunt who turned 79 and looks fabulous. I knew they were going to enjoy one of the selections on the menu, and in fact had predicted correctly that my aunt and uncle would both order the certified angus prime rib that was smoked on the mesquite rotisserie, then roasted under rock salt with chipotle horseradish cream & poblano mashed potatoes. i had delicious dungeness crabcakes with habanero aioli, buttermilk-jicama slaw and warm red potato salad. C. had halibut with sauteed belgian endives. A nice bottle of Willamette Wine Valley Pinot Grigio along with a few cocktails paired very nicely with this evening's festivities. C. & i love to go out and eat, but i have to admit...if i keep eating like this, i will seriously go broke. It's not everyday however that i get to treat my aunt & uncle who will be leaving next month to spend the next 7 months in Arizona where the weather will be warmer for them. On Sunday, C. & i are heading to Oregon City (near the berry picking farm that we went to a few months back) to see Kathy, Dan, and the rest of the family. K. made a fantastic Pork Loin grilled to perfection with a honey mustard glaze made from the drippings of the roasted loin. I made a summer salad that had fresh sweet corn, artichoke hearts, sweet tomatoes, red bell peppers, walla walla onion, topped with dried caesar infused snow peas. We had an assortment of goodies at the family picnic and a lot of good wine, some french bordeaux, an oregon based cabernet, some delicious german riesling, among others. This is what real living is all about....good food, wine & spirits, and most of all, good comic relief from members of my extended family here in the pacific NW!

Hong Kong

High in the sky-beijing

Looking forward to a wonderful holiday weekend. A great way to start out was today when i found out that c. formally accepted an offer at hdj engineering, planning, & architecture firm. One of the partners already invited him to go golfing with the rest of the office on the 14th! Then the next great news was that our realtor in Florida called and told us that someone was seriously interested in buying our house and made an offer! Sometimes i think the big guy above is watching out over us! So thank you!!!! I do however miss my house, it was our first home together, and i have great memories of each room, especially the one year we had a big halloween costume party, and also a very nice intimate New Year's Eve Dinner with close friends. I even remember making an extravagant feast and creating a festive menu for those friends. A lot of my creations come from ideas from either Gourmet magazine or Bon Apetit, a favorite of mine. Right now being in a small apartment with a tiny kitchen has not inspired me to cook, but when c. & i find the next "perfect" home, i think i will go back to doing what i like to do...entertaining friends and sharing some good wine, food, and laughter. In the meantime, i hope all my friends and family have a wonderful and relaxing labor day weekend. I'm so glad that n. is happy and looking forward to her mom's visit, that s. has a beautiful new do and that she enjoys her day boating with a few of the gang from the office, and that j. has a really fun time with momma kat and her best friend b., and as for me...i'm going to enjoy seeing my aunt, uncle, and cousins this weekend.

Cheers! - oba

A toast to new friends and to everyone that was not able to hop aboard the epicurean train today....What a day this was. J & I Started with crab rangoon, lettuce wraps, singapore curry noodles, chile shrimp, chicken & brocolli, mu-shu wraps, sweet & sour chicken at PF-Changs for lunch with the gals at POVA (What a treat...thank you so much) and then off to Sauce Box after a productive day at work where we (D, J, B, C, and myself) enjoyed peach coolers, pomegranite mojitos, red wine, fruity cosmopolitans to go with our delectable selection of sushi, eggrolls, and endamame (a good source of vitamin and protein). My day of feasting on asian fusion cuisine along with great drinks and conversation, (all very stimulating i must add), extended to Oba over in the Pearl. C had some crazy cosmopolitan that had serrano chiles in it which packed quite a punch on the scoville scale...i'm thinking around 500,000 units. I wouldn't recommend this drink for anyone with a weak stomach! So the question of the day is: what is your new favorite drink?
Oh by the ways, we missed S & N, wish you two were with us! S-Can't wait to see your new stylish haircut in the AM, and N-hope you had a blast at your concert

Sea Bass??- paris

I learned something quite disturbing today...something that I should have already known but carelessly ignored. Did you know that Chilean Sea Bass (the expensive fish that upscale restaurants like to charge a fortune for) is really not sea bass, or from Chile? It's actually a bottom type dwelling fish (like "un-raised" farm fresh catfish)an ugly one for that matter that was renamed and remarketed for the american consumer as "Chilean Sea Bass" It has actually been over-fished to the point of extinction. The ironic thing is that it was once a low-grade fish that was so unpopular, someone decided that they could make a lot of money and "re-invent" this common fish. I think the next time I am in a trendy restaurant that serves this..i will say no thanks, I'll spend my $32 on something else? Any thoughts on what you would spend $32 one??

Oyster Picking - indian beach

So far so good. My days here in Portland are pretty fantastic. I have a wonderful job, great husband and friends that I absolutely adore. Labor day weekend is just around the corner and I am looking forward to a nice 3-day holiday weekend with the hubby and a few family members. For my friends and family back in Florida, I hope Hurricane Ernesto doesn't hit you guys too hard. Make sure you stock up on water, gas, propane, and shutter your homes. I'll be thinking of all of you. Here's a picture to motivate you to come to Portland! (Chris searching for oysters)

Nat to the Rescue - Triple Falls

Monday-
My dear friend Nat fixed my sorry looking blog page. What would i do without the knitting-photo-taking bicycist! She is like a sister to me and thanks to her...i now know the basics of knitting and for the first time, am in tuned with the modern world of blogging.

C-went on another hike today- he's trying to get in as many as possible before he has to go back to work. Imagine that....I won't have someone who is going to wait hand and foot on me anymore....who's going to have the laundry done everyday, or the place vacuumed, or dinner waiting when i get home. I never thought i would be the one to say that i enjoy having a house-husband.

Took the bus for the first time today and did not get lost....imagine that! My friends back home would never believe it. One of my bosses today couldn't believe that i was actually going to take the bus and called me a princess (in a nice way of course!) :) I'm slowly evolving.......

fun on a sunday - Lake o.

Went antique shopping with a friend over at Sellwood, a quaint little town near lake o. Rummaged through some neat items, including a pair of used pump shoes that were such darlings. Ended up picking up a foot stool and a "private beach" sign that I know will look great over my desk next to my sand garden as I have to have a few memories of S. florida.

my blog begins - Sunset tc

Helped a friend move today into her new digs. Her mom made the best cookies! Going to H-block tonight for some delicious grub and beer.