Carrot pesto

 1.5 cups roasted carrots 

.5 cup basil 

2 cloves of garlic 

1/3 cup cashews 

.5 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

Vegetarian

I have decided to become a vegetarian. It could be the love of my dogs or the horrifying fact that "they" (those evil animal harvesters) are completely awful to the animals before they kill them. Not to mention the icky things they inject into them. Most likely, it is all of the above. So, I begin my journey - a new, hopefully more enlightened time in my life. My youngest has decided he wants to do the veggie thing too. He says the vegetarian meals look yummier. Plus, you get to eat cheese at school. ;-)

I love his innocence and willingness to try anything. Hopefully, I won't be the one to beat that out of him. Which happens all too often to those awesome young minds. Kids, the way life should be!

Orlando in November.

Oh, what fun awaits at a conference is FL! The drone of the speaker, the slides that are endless (and DO NOT conform to any slide show etiquette standard), and the slow movement of the day. Given all that, it is still kind of fun to get away from the office. The people you meet and schmooze definitely provide excellent and valuable information that you would never get from staying at your home base. Plus, the face to face connection really does give you a feel for the personality of the individual which will inevitably allow you to obtain better rapport. To me, that is the value of a conference -- simple face time! And sure, a night or two out on the town doesn't hurt either!!

Cancun

I thought Portland was cool. WELL CANCUN was the ultimate. Let me tell you. This place was the bomb diggety. Beautiful beach, great service, and impeccable timing on our part. We went the first week in November and had the entire resort practically to ourselves. We stayed at the Intercontinental Presidente Hotel. The rooms was good expect the decor was a little crazy - Yellow walls and orange couches but that was just on the floor level. The main level was sweet. It had cool lighting and a waterfall. There were two beautiful pools right on the beach and outside elegant dining which we savored most of the nights!! We played in the sand, swam and had pina coladas delivered right to our chairs! The kids loved it too. One of the days we went to Xel-ha, for an all in-clusive nature experience. We snorkled and went tubing on the river. Bianca walked a rope - which some other jerky boys were on and we had to fight to get her a turn. Keep in mind -- she is 11 and they were 22ish. Now, boys please -- GIVE US a BREAK!! It was the most beautiful, stress-free vacation. All I can say is WOW!! It was the kids first out of the US experience -- perfect. The only downside it was quite pricey but really -- memories are worth it.

Portland

Portland rocks. And the kids loved the butts at the Portland Art Museum. They counted them. And let me tell you, there were tons. I guess I never noticed how many naked butts there are at an art museum. Must be because they are behind us and we can't see our own? I mean they are little but they thought the museum was awesome. Little kids? I know shocking to me too. But super cool, huh?
There was a life size and life like statue sprawled out on a table in the middle of the room. My youngest who is 4 sees the statue. He points and announces "Wow! Look at the size of that penis! It is huge." My middle son runs over to check it out. He states, "Whoa. That is big." It was the funniest thing I had ever heard. The innocence and astonishment they both exhibited were unmistakable. It was an awe moment!!
Besides the art museum, we visited the Forestry Museum (very interesting with fun activities) and the children's museum (a kid heaven). We ate at the Zoo. It was completely over priced and under good but hell they have a monolpy out there.
We stayed at the Marriot on Riverplace. It was a very chic neighborhood. The pool and hot tub were good. The morning breakfast was super but they don't have enough space so get there early. We ate at the habor (great atmosphere and decent food.) The best place was called Three Degrees. Best steak I have ever had. The soup was gross but the steak was to die for!! The waitress was the best I have ever had. She was nice and attentive. The perfect hostess. The view was gorgeous and the liquor was nice. We paid well for it but so the service, meal, and atmosphere was well worth the price.
To wrap it up, Portland is worth the trip. Pictures to come. Until we meet again.

Show them all.

Idealism. Do we all have it at one time or another? Funny, how one can be so disillusioned! I mean -- come on --- wasn't I supposed to be on top of the world by now? Wasn't I supposed to have made the big time? Invented something great? Created a company that makes millions? Fixed all of the things wrong with the world? What went wrong with my life? Where did the ambition go? The great break? The time? I look around at my life and :::
I am not rich.
I didn't invent anything great.
I haven't righted any wrongs.
Heck, I am just a mom with an average job who doesn't know what to make for dinner.
Will I ever make my mark? If I died today, would I leave a legacy? Would anyone know how much I cared?
The answer is NO!
All people care about is themselves and the crazy stars. The shaved heads, the sluts who steal other women's husbands, the fatties who kill themselves and scandel after scandel. If I wrote a book, I could have a scandel but I am just little ole me. A nobody from nowhere who doesn't know anyone. I am not rich or famous or noteworthy. There are millions of us. Where are you all? Why don't we stick together? Why don't we care about each other? There are more of us. Think about it.

I am back in the saddle again.

Time to catch up! And this time hopefully here to stay. So, I graduated with honors --- oooh, I know so exciting. But to me it was so I do feel the need to immortalize it. Sue me!! Anyway, got a job as a Quality Assurance Engineer for a while --- but I am just not into testing crap over and over again. Gets old real quick --- Like cheap gum if you know what I mean. So, I moved into a Systems Administrator job. Which is way better --- ya I know --- we too do the same things often but there are different problems that occur and different situations that evolve so much cooler. Unix rocks --- not sure I am as fond of Linux but I am warming up to it.

With the new job comes vacations, the first was this summer to Venice, London, and Paris. Dude, Europe is so hot in July --- go a few months later!! Saw The LION KING --- London is definitely the place to a show. Small, intimate theater --- Big, AWESOME show!! Venice is quaint and I would recommend --- however, don't expect to get a super meal or anything great to drink without a little hunting. And an air condition that works --- NO WAY. But you can find some really super artists and the place is a adorable as you have imagined.

Next on the list, Disney --- yes as in World not Land!! I would have to say it was a great trip -- hotel was fabulous (who would have thought Courtyard could be so sweet) even the contential breakfast that was included!! Plus, the pool and hot tub were delightful and we even used them in Nov! Shhhh! Don't tell anyone they might go and make it more expensive for us! The Kingdom still rules for the kids!! Epcot has some cool rides but Imagination is no longer as fun as it was. Animal Kingdom smells and I don't know about you but I am confused about Haitians working in Africa. Someone please clue me in!! But there were loads of cool animals and great rides -- My fave was the Dinosaur. And last but not least --- MGM. Nice shows and some cool rides -- Plus, Adult drinks - oh la la. I guess my only complaint was that the Aerosmith coaster was down so we missed that one. The only down side was that McDonald's has invaded the World --- which is too bad because half the fun of vacation is the eating. And if you don't upgrade your tickets before you leave --- forget about it. Also, those photo cards they give you are a must --- if you lose one --- forget about it!! Tip: If you are old school --- GET THE FAST PASS!! They are wonderful and cutting is encouraged!

Since then, just back to the daily grind. Users -- what can I say about them --- Write your freaking username down if you can't remember --- send it to yourself at Gmail. You can search --- I mean you use it every day --- how can you forget? You can't log in? What ip address are you you using? Yeah well maybe if you use the correct one -- your password will work! And are you sure that you actually saw her login with that username because we don't have a user with that name on this system. And never have --- as a matter of fact ---- I can show you the logs where she has never logged into the system --- EVER. But don't take my word for it, you are always right!! I mean the user is my customer --- I just want to know (how did all the customers get so dumb!!) And if you are just a user --- please forgive my bluntness -- I am just saying to your face what all the other admins are saying behind your back. Don't worry I will reset your password. Why? Because I am good at what I do. And despite how frustrated you make me, I like ya!

Next stop --- ??? Well you will just have to tune back in --- Won't ya?