Resignation

Not from blogging, from match.com and okcupid.com

That's where things have gone.  25 and I had a conversation two weeks ago that went like this:

Me: Are you still on match?

Him: Uh, I think i still have a membership but I never go on it.

PAUSE

Him:  I guess stop it so it doesn't auto renew me when it ends in April.

Me: Does that mean you're ending your match membership?

Him: Yea, I think so.

Me: Ok, I'll end mine when it's up in May too.

We met on match.  Somehow, all my ridiculous online dating stories turned in to a "success story", but don't tell match.com that or I'll probably have to do some shmarmy commercial.

We started really slow.  I think our first three dates were spread over about six weeks or so.  We both dated other people for a couple months. We never had a typical commitment talk.  We've talked about what we might want going forward but never exactly a talk to figure out if we are "together", dating, involved or whatnot. So this was our talk.

I assume, and feel good about that assumption, not that I'm making an "ass out of u and me" (think about it!) that we are together.  I see him at least four evenings a week. We have plans throughout the summer including camping, concerts and weekends away. If that doesn't mean something then having a "talk" wouldn't either.

I feel good about giving the online dating a rest.  Luckily, should the need arise, it'll be there for me to peruse again.

Arizona and Sedona

Driving near Tuzigoot

After two nights in Flagstaff we headed south to Sedona.  The red rock area that's part way between Flagstaff and Phoenix is a must see. It may not be quite as well known internationally as the Grand Canyon and I won't venture to guess about it's domestic reknown.  I had been to Sedona once as a teenager when we stopped there as a family.  My mom went to school at the University of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and consequently had spent plenty of time in Sedona, less than a hour drive.

Sedona near Chapel of the Holy Cross

In many ways I prefer Sedona to the Grand Canyon.  The rock formations extend up above car level, not below like the Canyon.  The colors are more vibrant.  The formations lend themselves to imagination.  They are named by what people thought they looked like: Bell Rock, Snoopy Rock, Coffeepot Rock, etc. The colors change a lot as the sun moves.  The color contrast between the bright blue sky, the green scrub brush and the red rock is breath taking.

Jerome Saloon

While staying in Sedona we saw Chapel of the Holy Cross, and day tripped to Cottonwood, Jerome: an old mining town that was nearly abandoned in the 1950's when the mine closed and the population dropped from 1000 to less than 400 people.  The town still has an old west mining feel and is mostly supported by tourism now. We saw the Tuzigoot National monument which is Native American ruins from roughly 1125- 1400AD.  On the drive down to Phoenix we tried to go to V-bar-V to see petroglyphs but it was closed so we made do with Montezuma Well and Montezuma Castle which continued the trend we saw starting with Tuzigoot of really poorly named things. 

Montezuma Well: a self sustaining well with a constant spring in the bottom, middle. Two Native American groups consider it their source of origin.

Tuzigoot is a derivative of Tuzighoot which means crooked water in an Apache language, named for the creek that runs nearby. Tuzigoot (with a different emphasis) means nothing in any language. There was a reference at most National monuments in this area to the Sin Agua Indians.  That name comes from a Spanish explorers name for the  hills nearby, Sierra Sin Agua, though most historians now recognize that there were never a people who referred to themselves or were referred to by others as the Sinaguas. Montezuma, of course, was never in Arizona but the inital discovery team thought that both the well and castle may have been part of the Aztec empire ruled over by Montezuma.  Hey, it was the 1800's, no google back then. There were again references to the Sinaguas at MC and MW.

Old World Brewery sampler.  The Season was Yard Dog - a sour version of the Dark Knight Porter.

The last night in Arizona we stayed in Phoenix due to our 5am flight the following day. I wasn't sure how we'd pass the time until I found a LivingSocial deal for Old World Brewery. Two tasting flights of five samples each, two pint glasses, a six pack for $17. We met Matt, the head brewer and chatted him and another employee up about their beers.  That earned us three more tastes, two off the tanks in the back. The Dark Knight Porter is their most popular beer and I can understand why.  The guys then recommended Angel's Trumpet to us.  Wow.  I wish that Angel's was in Seattle.  35 taps including local beers and imports.  Three taps turned over in the hour and a half we were there.  We each got a six place sampler for $9 and picked different from each other to have the biggest spread. What a stellar selection.  The food was plentiful and very good.  We even saw Matt from Old World again!

Final thoughts on the trip:
It proved to be a very good, potentially important step in my still budding relationship with 25. We got along through navigation snafus, nights of very short sleep, familial trials and lots of time together. We stayed near our loosely outlined budget, neither left the other on the side of a road, and, speaking only for myself, I enjoyed my time immensely for the historical aspects, the romantic possibilities and the breathtaking scenery.

I Survived!

We both did actually.  I didn't kill him nor vice versa, though we all know which was the bigger threat.  I made it through my first trip with a someone-I'm-dating. Prior to this, my only trip with a someone was when I came back to Washington to visit family.  That doesn't really count because the stress was about a 1.2 on the Richter scale, not a 7.5.  There wasn't any flying, setting an agenda, navigating, etc. We had all of that plus he met my mom and step dad.

We flew out at before the crack of dawn on Friday.  It was painfully early, and I'm kind of a morning person. The flight to Phoenix was direct and by the time we picked up the rental car it felt like it should have been three in the afternoon when in reality it was 9:30 am. We snagged a quick bite and headed for Flagstaff, where we would stay two nights.  He very wisely suggested a nap and we were both semi-conscious at best by then. El Capitan provided a great pre-nap snack complete with high class beer  . . . a PBR tall boy in a paperbag.

We went to Lowell Observatory that night and saw Jupiter plus four of it's moons.  There is a telescope there that was built about 1906. It was educational and interesting.  The area smelled like the world's best campground, wood smoke and piney.  The staff were all amazingly friendly and knowledgeable. There is a AAA discount and we spend a whopping three plus hours there. I recommend it.

That night we went to Beaver Street Brewery that wasn't far away.  We split a sampler of all eight beers they had on tap, all their own.  A couple were very good, like the Red Rock Raspberry.  A few were disappointing.  My Pesto Cream Cheese bake was stellar though to claim it was unhealthy was an understatement. His chicken soup taste like it had been left out in the woods to get gamey.  ick.

Saturday we went to the Grand Canyon.  I'd never been and was excited to go.  It's a couple hours drive there and we had a stutter start with low tire pressure and snack finding. The weather was good enough but without direct sun the Canyon takes on a strange 2D quality. It looks like all the postcards you've seen.  The closer levels of red rock look 3D and have depth and detail.  The North Rim (we were standing on the South Rim) looks very flat and the edges are fuzzy. The point of focus in the distance isn't really one point but a line.  It's strange but not entirely unappealing.  We spent about six hours walking around, taking in the visitors center and geology museum.  We walked about five miles, walked, sat, snacked, people-watched and really enjoyed the day there.  It was a fantastic day.

I do need to comment on some of the looney toons at national parks.  I understand that National Parks are made for the public, but I don't really like the public.  If I were ever to be ridiculously wealthy I would pay for the privilege to go to some of these sites alone. sort of a "I'll make a huge donation if you close the park for me for half a day" kind of thing. End of March/early April is spring break for some schools and of course lots of folks take their families to the Grand Canyon, but man, why does everyone have children? UGH!! There seemed to be very few well behaved, quiet children.  There were children with whistles, children running around in the walking path of others, etc. We also noted the man who walked out to the edge of the Canyon for photos and the presumed entertainment of his friends.  He was dressed head to toe in Columbia/REI gear which was overkill considering the rims of the Canyon have paths and little trekking. There was a family who had a couple of kids.  They'd gone to the trouble to bring their kids all the way to the Grand Canyon but were "smart" enough to keep one kid in the stroller staring at an ipad so that he didn't get any exercise or enjoy/see/learn from the experience.

 It was nice to see that the US government hasn't caved and put rails and glass on every edge of the Grand Canyon to prevent people from accidentally or intentionally maiming themselves. That said, it did mean that I contemplated throwing a particularly irritating child in to the canyon. I wouldn't but it was a nice thought.

Sunday was Easter.  We found a little place called Bellevia for breakfast.  It was very busy with a high turnover so we didn't wait long.  The Eggs Benedict selection was interesting and different; I had the king crab and jack cheese.  If you need a singular reason to go it's the cafe aloha!! Think mocha but with coconut cream instead of chocolate syrup.  Afterward was a leisurely stroll around town in the sun and some shopping. Sunset crater was our destination for the day.  There were two associated sites there and apparently we missed the third/last/best site.  Other than that, the day was kind of a miss for seeing something interesting and amazing.  The company and weather were good but I got a bit surly and we gave up on the sites.  That evening we headed back in to town to meet up with my mom, stepdad, sister and a couple that are family friends. Dinner at Salsa Brava to wrap up the day before we crashed.

I'll wrap up the trip in Sedona in the next blog post.

Pre-trip Jitters

Today is a big day.  Not because I fly to Arizona tomorrow.  I'm not a nervous flyer, never have been.  I do always get butterflies for about eight to twelve hours before my flight but I reckon that's because I'm nervous about missing my flight.  As soon as I'm at the gate waiting to board, the butterflies take a nap.

Its not because I'm going to the Grand Canyon (finally, right?).

It's not because I'm once again intrusting the lives of my "kids" to someone else.  I happen to have a reliable pet sitter who, as far as I can tell, does well by my cat and dog. I will surely have several days of the shadows when I get back though.  They follow me around relentlessly for at least three days after I get back from any trip longer than two days.

No, today is a big day because tomorrow I go on a trip with someone I'm dating. This is a first. Virgin Territory for me. I didn't even go on a real trip with my ex-husband.  I don't count a trip from Utah back to Seattle to visit family, doubly so because we drove and there was no hotels or equal stressors.

We fly out Friday very, very, painfully early and we'll be back almost as early on Thursday. That means fully six and a half days together. That means practically living together for those days.  We will be eating, sleeping, um . . everything-ing together. He's going to meet my mom and step-dad for the first time too. Which I'm not terribly concerned about but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at all concerned about.

I think we've maneuvered through the minefield of expenses pretty darn well so far.  We haven't been seeing each other so long yet that we've merged incomes and unfortunately, neither of us is independently wealthy.  Instead, we had to have a talk about expected expenses for the trip, how much each of use can afford, how we like to travel (five-star hotels or one-star tragedies?), etc.  We have both put money out for reservations so that if either back out, we're equally screwed.

We've made some rough plans about things we want to see, like the Grand Canyon and a huge telescope, but left the overall itinerary mostly open. I feel like it will be a good "test" (I don't really want to use that word, but have here for lack of the exact sentiment  I want).  People are different when they are under stress, in airports, trying to give or take direction, worried about costs and keeping their partner happy.  To be honest, I'm more worried about him seeing a side of me that surprises him or turns him off than vice versa.  I've cautioned him about the seasoned traveler in me that shuns meandering in the airport and packs sparsely. I'll definitely need to remember that I'm not traveling alone for work and act accordingly.

Wish me luck. You'll hear about it next week, whether you want to or not!

Happy I-didn't-die-in-the-last-year Day

I had a birthday. Hooray.

I haven't been big into birthdays for quite a few years. I had birthday parties every year as a kid.  Some great one like with pinatas or build your own tacos or pizzas. As you get to be an adult though, birthdays change.

Gifts, for example, become sort of superfluous. As an adult, you make your own money.  If there is something you really need or want, you'll buy it.  Additionally, the items that you want as an adult are vastly more expensive than what kids want.  This year I am considering a Mariners six game pack of tickets (roughly $180), a backpacking sleeping bag ($100plus), potentially a new high end rain jacket or television. It's hard to ask anyone to spend that much on you.  I don't know about all of you, but I have gotten a little pickier about what I want over the years.  I don't want just any old sleeping bag.  It needs to be under three pounds, pack size less than 7x16, minimum temperature 30 degrees, ideally with a hood and ability to zip to another bag. That's a lot to ask someone to look for, especially if they aren't at all interested in sleeping bags.

Parties are different as well. As a kid my parents (probably mom) arranged everything. The cake, the food, the gifts, the theme.  It feels almost as self-center/egotistical to make my own party as it does to write a blog and assume people read it. The crux of the deal is that I did arrange a get together and was mildly disappointed at the minimal turn out. Out of 17 invites, five people showed up, two leaving after dinner.  That being said, those were the folks I am closer to and would want and expect to show up. This year, dinner, drinks and then a variety show was a great way to celebrate.

I may be jaded or snarky, but it does seem sort of silly to celebrate birthdays because everyone has one.  We are celebrating the fact that you managed not to die between your last birthday and this one.  You didn't bore yourself, your mother gets the credit there.  You didn't accomplish anything to earn your birthday, you didn't have to purchase or claim it. Everyone gets one. I can see celebrating birthdays for senior citizens because, as crass as it may be, hey! they didn't die!! Celebrating birthdays for kids could be pertinent too since in the olden days lots of kids did die. In 2013, in a first world country (I'm ignoring the obvious conversation we could have here about how appalling the state of healthcare and how high the infant mortality rate in the US is), it seems less necessary to have birthdays.

That all said, thank you for the birthday wishes.  It is nice to know someone stopped and thought of you.  I'm not the best about doing the facebook birthday wishes but I do show up for drinks, events, etc.

Weird Eats

I mentioned that I'm on a health kick lately. I've been going to the gym, eating less fried food and sugary stuff.  On that note, I've also been eating a lot of vegetables.  Now I like fruits and vegetables.  As a kid mom used to tell me I'd make myself sick because I would eat a whole bag of cherries or three nectarines.  Somehow I never got sick. Maybe that was a foreshadowing of my steel stomach that got me through SE Asia. I didn't mind vegetables growing up but I'm not sure I had a particular fondness for them.  I can't recall.

I learned to cook by cooking with my mom.  I know how to make tomato pasta sauce, meatloaf, various chicken dishes, potatoes au gratin, among other dishes, because I helped her make them.  My sister and I were often allowed to help prep and cook food for dinner in addition to making cookies, brownies, cakes and the like.

I can't imagine why this liver wasn't appealing.

My folks both grew up having to eat liver and hating it. As a result, I've never had liver. Dad spent part of his childhood on a farm.  He'd had sweetbread (cow brain), liver, rabbit. All sort of things that are maybe less common now that they were in the Fifties and Sixties or on a farm. Neither of my parents were the hugest seafood fans, which is a bit of a pity given that we live in Seattle.  We had white fish or salmon fillets but that was about it.  Veggies were run of the mill - broccoli, salads, asparagus, corn and potatoes.


As a consequence, there are lots of things I don't know how to cook but I've begun adventuring.  Sometimes I start with a recipe. I made Thai chicken noodle soup from this article in an Outside magazine.  It was intimidating as I started the stock cooking.  The combination of soy, hoisin and fish sauces made it very black. The end result however, was fantastic and produced about six servings.  I'm going to attempt both beef jerky and kale chips from recipes this week.  My first ever batch of banana bread didn't go to badly either though I've got a few tweaks to the recipe to try. Oh, and don't forget the Sri Racha salt I've made but yet to try.


Other times I sort of make up dishes. I made was was deemed by someone other than myself, a very good dish that seems gumbo-esque. Jalapeno and cheese turkey sausages, brown rice, bell peppers, onion, spinach with a cohesive lemon/herb/teriyaki sauce. I've been pan warming (very lightly cooked) all kind of veggies - bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, squash, spinach - in varying combos with different seasoning every time.  I roasted a bell pepper stuffed with a mix of tofu, asparagus, spinach and topped with a slice of dill havarti cheese (a current favorite).

White turnip and sweet potatoes

I also am conducting tests to see what I like.  I bought a sweet potato, a yam, a turnip and a beet.  I cleaned and sliced them then baked them.  It was a great opportunity for me to see the difference in cooking time, taste and consistency.  It also prompted me to do some research.  Why, other than taste, would one eat a turnip instead of a potato? It turns out that turnips have fewer calories and more vitamin C.  Turnip greens are especially full of vitamins and anti-oxidants but so far I'm having trouble finding turnips with the greens left on.  Beets were definitely my least favorite, took the longest to cook and seem the least versatile.  I think some seafood will probably be next on the testing list, first fish then shellfish.

Dry rub, good for all sorts of meat

I've been using more tofu to bump up my protein in low fat ways.  I add ground flaxseed to lots of things because it doesn't have much taste and sort of cooks in to sauces. I've made some sauces and soups plus my first batch of from scratch chili, that end up being re-imagined in all sorts of ways.  Chili tacos were a good one.  I'd gotten some advice about using dry rubs on meats that has proven to be invaluable.  When using a dry rub on chicken/pork/beef, slather the meat first in yellow mustard.  Cheap, generic yellow mustard.  Then cover it in the rub and wrap tightly in plastic wrap for 18-24 hours ideally. When you are ready to cook, unwrap and roast/bake/grill.  There isn't even a trace of mustard taste but it keeps the meat really moist and juicy plus seems to allow the rub flavors to adhere to the meat better.  The chicken was fantastic and just as good left over.  We tried it with pork rib meat to the same result. It's been added to my cooking rotation.

The end result looks a bit like this.

Retaining Sanity and Losing Weight

Since I'm waiting to find out where I'll be working next, and with which company, I've got some time on my hands.  When you're working full time, time off sounds great.  When you're waiting to work and don't know when your next paycheck is going to come in, time off can be the kiss of death. If I already knew when and where I was going to start working, I could go on vacation, maybe scuba somewhere or visit some friends on other continents. Since I don't, I end up trying to stay home . . . a lot.  Inevitably, leaving the house means spending money.  I go to Home Depot to get supplies for house projects, I go for acupuncture, I go out to have a meal with a friend.  It all costs.

To try and keep the costs down while maintaining what's left of my sanity (I hear you snickering, I know there's not much left!), I've been hitting the gym.  I already had a membership, so no additional money out the door there.  It gets me out of the house and since it's Spring in the PNW, the weather is more often than not still pretty lousy (see yesterday's post). Not to mention that everyone else is working so it's darn tough to find a hiking/snowshoeing buddy midweek.

I had my first monthly check-in with a trainer in nine months.  Now, I'd gotten on the gym kick not long after I moved back to Seattle.  The problem came first during the holidays as I got out of the habit and when I was on the road.  Sure there was a gym at the hotel, but it didn't have the set up I wanted and really, after an eleven hour day, it was the last thing I wanted to do. So, my first weigh in, measurement check since May of 2012.  Honestly, I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.  I could tell a few ounces here, a few more there had snuck in.  I am up about ten pounds from where I was in May. By May, I had been working out about ten weeks solidly so I was lighter than when I first got back.  That being said, half of that ten pounds I put on was lean muscle and my tape measurements (weight, hips, etc) hadn't changed much.

I've got some goals on the horizon and instead of doing what I usually do, which is: I don't tell anyone that I'm making changes, hope someone notices, am accountable to no one else, and end up falling off the wagon. Intead, I'm telling all of you.  I mentioned that I want to do four mud run/obstacle courses this year.  I'm hoping for one in each month of June, July, august and September.  Anything beyond that is a bonus. The Tacoma metro area also hosts fun runs and pub runs that start as short as two miles.  I'm going to do at least two.  While I realize that I could go out and run on my own without paying an entry fee ranging from $10 to $75, I know I won't.  I hate running.  I'll swim, I'll bike, I'll do the elliptical at the gym, but I won't run unless I'm financially and socially obligated. I know I'm not the only one since these runs have gained a huge following in the last several years.
I want to lose at least fifteen pounds and gain definition, tone and health. I want to be ready for a four day backpacking trip in September.  I want to keep up with the hiking group much better than last year. I want to feel great in a swim suit this summer.

On that note, I'm off to tackle a to do list.  I've gone to the gym the last three days in a row and I'm so sore I could hardly get my coffee cup off the shelf today.  I'm taking the day off the gym and instead doing fun things like hanging artwork, and a closet door, painting patched up dings in the hallway, and cleaning the bathroom.  Wooooooo!!!