Bacon Wrapped Sausage Wrapped Bacon

I am going to make mixed bean chili to bring over to Joe and Vanessa's Superbowl party. I asked Steve if this sounded good to him - yes. I then asked him if he wanted to bring anything - pause. He answers with Bacon Explosion. Bacon Explosion. That's it. Steve loves bacon. I know that a lot of people love bacon, but Steve probably loves bacon more than you. I really thought he was pulling my ham hock, because all he said after that was bacon wrapped in sausage, then wrapped in bacon. He mumbled something about the New York Times, and I told him he was lying.

Hold the phone! He was serious! I should have known. Steve knows all the news, all the time, and he reads the NY Times - which featured the Bacon Explosion - on a hourly basis. I'm a simpleton, I like bacon, a piece of bacon, alone, but this looks like a serious bacon explosion could happen in my mouth, and I think I'd like it. Read about the "massive torpedo-shaped amalgamation of two pounds of bacon woven through and around two pounds of sausage and slathered in barbecue sauce" aka bacon explosion: Take Bacon. Add Sausage. Blog.

Four Images, One Weekend

This is how my weekend can be summarized:

Avalanche Awareness Class

Steve and I enrolled in an Avalanche Awareness Class with the Colorado Mountain Club. We're members of the CMC, but this is our first actual participation with it. We spend a bit of time in the backcountry, and want to both spend more time and be safe about it.

We had two classroom lectures on avalanches and will have our field day tomorrow (Saturday). Going into the class, I didn't think too much about what the class would cover aside from my main priority, not dying in the wilderness. That would be awesome. So to me, not dying in the wilderness with respect to avalanches means either not getting caught in one, or figuring out how to survive one, and I had a preconception that the latter would be the focus of our class. I obviously didn't put much thought into it. The class spent about 10 minutes covering what to do if you're stuck in an avalanche (put your elbow in front of your face to create an air bubble, try to swim backwards as you're falling), and the rest of the time (5 hours or so) discussing how to avoid getting caught in one.

Our teachers from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Colorado's research and data assembly service. They produce daily avalanche safety reports, forecast avalanches, and provide general information on weather/terrain/snowpack conditions so we can stay informed of dangers and where it might be safest to go play outside. They have a first-rate service going, and I would highly recommend that anyone going up to the mountains spend even just a few minutes checking out their destination before departure. Education is key to staying alive: http://avalanche.state.co.us/index.php

The main lesson learned was that we need to become familiar with how to "read" a location in terms of terrain, snowpack, and weather. Avalanches are created when heavy layers of snow are deposited on top of weak layers of snow. The analogy is a fat person sitting on a very small and unstable stool. The stool could break at any point because it cannot support fattie's weight. SO, being able to recognize the type of snow pack, the affect of weather on the snow and snowpack, and type of terrain and other conditions can prevent most incidents. ALL incidents are human caused. Otherwise, it would just be a cool natural event.

The 7 key items to look for when scoping out potential avalanche terrain to avoid are ALPTRUTH:
Avalanches (in the area in the last 48 hrs.)
Loading (by snow, wind or rain in the last 48 hrs.)
Path (avalanche path)
Terrain trap (slope, gullies, trees, cliffs or other features that increase severity of being caught)
Rating (considerable or higher hazard on the current avalanche bulletin)
Unstable snow (collapsing, cracking, hollow snow or other clear evidence of instability)
Thaw instability (recent warming of the snow surface due to sun, rain, or warm air)

Watch for these if you think you might be in avalanche danger. No joke.

Our field class is at Jones Pass, off of Hwy 40/Berthoud Pass, the route up to Winter Park. Here's a map of where we'll be. From what I gather, we'll spend time doing snowpack tests, digging holes and learning other ways to stay out of avalanche terrain. I'll talk about our class next week!

Who Moved My Slippers?

I work from home, which means a lot of things. First, I don't do work in my underwear. Some people have actually told me that they would work in their pajamas, which would make for a very cold day for me. My office is in the basement, which means cold temps. I never work without my big blue down vest, otherwise I get so cold that it's distracting. Well, I guess I never go anywhere without my big blue down vest. I've been harassed in public about wearing my down vest on a moderately warm day. I say a) I can where whatever the f I want, that's none of your monkey business, but 2) who cares! It's so comfortable! The arm holes and length and neck fit me perfectly. Why would I even want to take it off? I should wash it though. I think I got chicken blood on it a few weeks ago.

I'm not sure that that was even a tangent, as the blue down vest is a critical element to my work productivity and overall happiness.

But back to work at home. Again, no work in underwear, although I would really like to meet the person who would spend their entire work life in their underwear. Seriously, I'd prefer to be dressed. Slippers are the limit of my wardrobe adventures here in the dungeon. Working at home means that I am the cook, housecleaner, chicken tender (not the fried kind), trash taker outer, laundry doer, and many other things. Steve does a lot of this too, so I'm not the only person in the household who does chores, but by default, I do these tasks. Which is fine - I'd rather stay at home and be able to do that, then work in Denver and spend 1.5 hours commuting and have to take care of chores after a long day at work. Instead of hanging out by the water cooler, I spend five minutes putting underwear in ther dryer. It's a matter of priorities.

The only thing I miss is human interaction. I am lucky to have worked with most my colleagues in person before, so I feel like I am an extension of a real office, but it would be nice to have some friends around once in a while, if anything to bitch about the Raiders or talk about where we're going to get lunch. That brings up another point thought - a good one - I get 24/7 access to a working oven. I can warm up lunches like it's my job - unfortunately, it's not - and I even get a steady stream of refrigerated items at my fingertips, to accommodate my latest cravings. Other people say that they would not be able to work, because they would always think about food. I always think about food, but I've stopped worrying about it. I know myself well enough to know that if I want to eat something, I will eat it, so I might as well get it over with. No use in arguing with myself about it.

All in all, I am blessed to work from home, but talking to chickens for interaction might appear odd to some.

Yes, I've Cried at Chipotle Before. So What.

I love Chipotle, I really do. It's quick, efficient, tasty, fresh, healthy. I sometimes look forward to a Chipotle burrito as much as a vacation. Vacation for my mouth. Ay Ay Ay, burrrrrito! What. You like Illegal Petes? Really? Is is the shithouse-grade sanitation, the snarky service, the bottom of the barrel ingredients, or the dim lights? Really? Which one's your favorite?

Yes, I have cried at Chipotle because of burritomaker/customer miscommunications, mostly due to the fact that I don't like to be rushed down the line, and I sometimes can't can't put two words together to say what I want, but the tastiness of the burrito is redemption, salvation, and cooperation.

I like this guy, with his rice issues: Breaking News Chipotle Employee Just Gave Guy In Front Of You More Rice.

Three disturbingly real excerpts:

"Adding to your frustration are new reports that the customer behind you has received the same amount of rice as the customer ahead of you, thereby confirming your suspicion of wrongdoing. However, if an earlier incident at the coffee shop or yesterday's conversation with your landlord are any indication, you are expected to take this lying down, like you always do."

"More shockingly, birth records indicate that you are a full-grown adult presumably capable of communicating your thoughts and desires to an unthreatening 19-year-old burrito-assembler. Yet you reportedly continue to avoid even the most minor confrontation, despite the ramifications it may have on your upcoming sour cream and cheese allocation."

"If consulted, the Chipotle employee manual would surely verify that this is a clear breach of company policy, which dictates that a scoop and a half of rice be provided to every customer regardless of age, race, or inexcusable cowardice. Therefore, all sources confirm that you should stop acting like a little bitch who allows the entire world to walk all over him and just say something already."

Brain Teaser, Courtesy of a Dying Genre

Here's a brain teaser for you, found by Steve, my always-informed and well-read friend:

"A pickup truck struck the semi a short time later and was hit by a third vehicle. Authorities say a fourth vehicle was hit by a fifth before another semi-truck struck the first, and a seventh vehicle hit the second truck."

Denver Post: Delta man cited after 7-vehicle crash in canyon

Everyone Loves Mom

Steve found this drawing in the snow yesterday on our run. It's German for 'all my love to Mom.' Send it to your moms!

If I am Going to Get Ice Cream Headache, I at Least Want to Eat Ice Cream

I've been trying very hard to be consistent in my workouts/training, so last night, Steve and I layered up, covered our ears and extremities, and went for a run. We didn't get out the door until almost 7 p.m., because we literally could not put down our iPhones. I had just talked to Chaat about new applications, and was busy downloading them. Steve was busy taking pictures of himself with a furled brow.

It could not have been more than 5 degrees out. It had snowed lightly all day, but there was no ice as the temps did not rise high enough to melt the snow. Our minimum run time is always 30 minutes, which usually ends up conveniently being our maximum on nights and in cold weather. We braved the cold to run up the street, down the high school and back to our house - 30 minutes of fast running, an ice cream headache and frozen chin for me, and frozen beard and eyelashes for Steve. It was worth it, and made our ancho-roasted chicken that patiently roasted at home while we ran, all the more worth it. Consistency is key - exercise and food!

Another chilly day today, -2 as I write. The chickens are hopefully warm enough, their light is on and it seems to be warm enough in their house to keep the water somewhat thawed. I fed them cornmeal muffins, apples, chives and spinach this morning, as a thank you to them for continuing to pop out eggs in sub-zero temps. Woop woop chickens!

Chip Puts the Gold in Golden Buffaloes

When I competed at the National Cheerleading Association nationals in 2003, I only finished 6th. This year, at the Universal Cheerleading Association nationals (NCA and UCA are the two big ones), Chip won! Mascoting might seem easy, but it's actually quite challenging and somewhat dangerous. Parents shove their 20 lb babies and children at you for a photo or 20 (I almost dropped a baby once); drunk college dudes tackle you and think that because you look like a buffalo, they can pummel you to the ground and start punching you in the gut (I have a scar on my face to prove it); equally as drunk college women think you're the most adorable oh my god! thing that ever existed (which would be awkward for all of us if they realized that I'm a 5'6" chick), and last but not least, I've never sweat or had a harder cardio workout in my entire life as I did with 50 lbs of polyester fur and hockey gear on. Have you ever run up and down football stadium bleachers? Try doing it while wearing the equivalent of a sub-zero Everest-climbing expedition suit, made out of synthetic buffalo fur, and in 90 degree heat. Or after a sweaty dude wears the suit. Regardless of all that, being Chip was how I spent my sophomore and junior years in college and I wouldn't have it any other way. I loved it, and it was incredibly fun. Ask me about the time a KU fan screamed "Chip's a Bitch!" or about the time I got run over by a Ralphie, the real life CU buffalo.

And now Chip is champion. I'm so proud! I thought I'd never live to see the day!! Chip won first place at the UCA Mascot National Championship in Orlando from a group of 22 mascots. Let me tell you - mascoting is serious business. Colorado's an awesome school, but there are some schools out there - Michigan, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech - who are very competitive. They invest an equal if not greater amount of time, spirit and energy into their mascot programs and routines, and it's a huge accomplishment for Chip to win!

Here's Chip's application video, really well put together, than got us a spot to compete in Orlando. The video pretty much summarizes how much fun it was to be Chip! And read how Chip beat out 22 other competitors and won gold in the Daily Camera article: No. 1 Buff: CU's Chip takes home national mascot championship!

Off the Cliff and Into the Warm, Deep, Blue Waters

I started a blog and got an iPhone in the last two weeks. Who would have thought?!

It took Steve and I about 3 hours to decide to buy an iPhone on Saturday, aside from the months of thinking about it. We knew they were awesome, by sheer testament from many friends. We went to the AT&T store, fiddled around with the phone, got the rundown on costs, fees, etc. from staff, came home, and then stood in the doorway for about 30 minutes, trying to decide whether to go back out and buy the damn thing already. I, for one, needed a new phone. The volume control on my phone was stuck on high, which only actually manifested itself when my mom called - something about our two phones together. So apart from having my mom scream in my ear everyday, my old phone also went blank from time to time, and provided seriously horrible reception in my house and neighborhood. However, the pros about this compact, resistant and practical phone were many - I could take it everywhere in the littlest of pockets; it had 2 years worth of photos, texts, and memories; again oh so resistant - even fell out of my pocket into a toilet once and worked again like a charm within an hour; and so many more wonderful things about this little phone. I fit perfectly into my ski jacket, and never got too cold, never got damaged from the snow, and was extremely light. I love you little old phone, despite your old age and ills!! You stuck with me through thick and thin and toilet water, and you will now live in my nightstand drawer.

As you might have guessed, we bought the new phones. Steve gets a government monthly rate discount, and it's really handy for him to have access to email/news/music on the bus trip to work. We had also wanted to get on a family plan for a while. For me, I like having email access while traveling, needed a more reliable phone, and thought that life would be made a bit easier with an iPhone. There were some downsides. Notably, we'd have to switch networks to AT&T from Verizon, which we weren't thrilled about, because our entire families are on Verizon. We wouldn't be able to call our families with unlimited minutes. Another was cost. Even with the government discount, the initial cost of the phones, AppleCare and start-up fees were high. At the end of the day, we figured that it was worth it. The next best thing would have been to stick with Verizon and buy either Blackberry Storms (any jaunt over to CNET would teach anyone that this is a crappy and misguided phone), or get a cheaper, but worse, phone. Even though there's a certain choice here, I really didn't see much of an opportunity cost. I would rather save the money than get a crappy web- or email-enabled phone. Maybe just one opportunity cost, that of keeping the Verizon service for unlimited calling. Otherwise, the choice was clear.

So we're iPhone enabled. I had a rough first day with the iPhone. Mainly because the AT&T rep couldn't upload my contacts from my old phone (bless its little heart - it kept fighting til the end!), and I had to enter all contacts manually. Carpel tunnel, here I come. We went skiing Sunday and I was a bit paranoid all day that it would crash and burn in my ski jacket pocket due to cold, moisture, or other. It didn't, but I was worried. The phone also did not charge overnight Sat. to Sun. (user error, mea culpa), so I couldn't even use it that much on Sunday, and it died during a crucial iPhone-needed moment, while stuck in traffic in I-70. Also, I got home Sunday night and it crashed and wouldn't start up. I still don't know why, but it was emotionally trying. It was plugged in, but wouldn't cooperate. Steve got it to work, somehow. There's also an emotional aversion to this phone. I miss my old phone. It had been so good to me! And so cute and compact! It sounds superficial, but it represented a part of my life that's now over. It will never get to go on a fun trip with me again! Oh the places that little black phone had been!

My other main issue so far is also user-inflicted. I was so used to my old phone in and out (what a good little bugger!), that I get impatient trying to figure out how to delete something on the iPhone, call someone back, perform simple functions, etc. I am slowly learning, but it's an exciting learning process, in fact. There's always a sense of excitement with this phone because you never know what you'll discover next. And it does indeed make life a lot easier. Here's one of my first pictures taken, of Steve at Copper yesterday.

Anyway, the charging problems are sorted out, and I am working on shelving the emotional attachment. I can now proceed to have fun with the damn thing. I've downloaded some Apps, mostly standard ones. Google Earth, Flixster, Weather Channel, NFL info, NY Times, NPR, MapMyRide. I think this will be good for me. Morgan 2.0!

Coney Island Albino Python

Had one of the best beers I've ever tasted tonight: Coney Island Albino Python. Crazy name, delicious beer. Coriander, fennel, oats, fennel. Check it out and taste it out.

Winter Weekend

I'm looking forward to this weekend. The weather's back to normal January temps. Tonight, Schivonne, Kris and I are going to the Winter Brew Fest in Denver. A chance to taste seasonal beers and try new things. I really love tasting new beers, especially in small doses, where you can just move on. I think around 25-27 breweries will be there. Some of my favorites are Avery, of course, Deschutes, Rogue, and Stone. I love most microbreweries, actually, but I am not usually a huge fan of their high production/money maker beers. An example would be Fat Tire. Tastes gross. I prefer their small batches that might not make as much money, but that experiment with different flavors and represent the craft of brewing.

Steve gets back to Las Vegas tonight, so that'll be good way to finish the evening!

I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow. I'm sure we'll spend the day doing something either productive or fun, or both, together. If it doesn't snow, I'd like to either mountain bike Marshall Mesa, maybe go for a hike locally, go climbing, or even go snow shoeing up in Rocky Mountain National Park. I went running yesterday pretty high up, and there was still snow on the ground, despite four days of 60+ temps. So there might be too much snow to hike. I'd also enjoy going for a long run (I've been wanting to run the entire Mesa Trail for a long time), then going to the movies. One boring but necessary task is to clean the garage. Now that I think about it, though, it's in my best interest to to stay on good terms with Steve, especially after his long week of travel, so maybe we'll put that off. I can't get to the 12+ bikes we have in there over all the other crap - there has to be a better solution to our garage arrangement (and by the by, if you're interested in buying a fridge, range, oven or hood, make me an offer). We'll see about all that stuff!

We're going skiing with Ryan and Sarah at Copper (or Winter Park, if the mood strikes) on Sunday. There's a 40-60% chance of snow in the high country through Sunday, so cross your fingers for powder. Hoo ha meadows!!! If I can get my act together, I'd like to make a beef stew to have for lunch that day. I'm tired of the lunch fare at Copper and would rather have something hearty and homemade. I found an easy and good looking recipe in my Earthbound Farm cookbook that I can make in my new Creuset crock pot.

Looking forward to the weekend!!! Two more hours..

Fit for a Woman who Offers Indiscriminately for Sexual Intercourse Especially for Money

Puttanesca is one of my favorite and easiest weeknight dishes. It's a perfect dish - it basically requires a saucepan, and limited prep time.

It's somewhat of an Italian pasta dish (not entirely traditional) whose name has to do with hookers - something about a dish fit for a whore. There are other liberties taken with the interpretation. I'm not too interested. Back to food. Make it with garlic, tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, anchovies, and crushed red pepper. It takes no more than 10 minutes to prepare, and has no fancy ingredients. I keep all these ingredients as pantry staples, and usually stock up at the store, so I have the items ready when I'm in a pinch for dinner. It's a basic tomato sauce with some acidity and spice. Just make sure that you have about an hour to let it simmer. No supervision is necessary during the simmering, you can stir occasionally if you're able. Just note that it's exponentially tastier when it has the chance to cook together for an hour (and it's always better the next day too).

All you need is a 2 oz can of anchovies, 4-6 garlic cloves, a +/- 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes, a +/-16 oz can of tomato sauce, a jar of capers, a jar of pitted/halved kalamata olives, crushed red pepper, and penne pasta (a light wheat version is excellent, or white also works - the sauce can hold up to wheat). This is all fluid - use what you have, that's the beauty of the dish. These are just my favorite components of the dish, and the way my mom and aunt used to make it. If you're worried about anchovies, don't worry - you can't taste it (a kin to fish sauce in Asian food). It just adds depth of flavor.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, and add the garlic and anchovies. As they soften, crush them together to form a rough paste with the back of a wooden spoon (I've started using a mortar and pestle to do make the paste before adding it - this is just easier for me, but does not affect taste). Once the garlic and anchovies cook together for about 5 minutes, toss in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, capers, olives and about 1/2 of the brine (personal trick), and as little or as much crushed red pepper for your taste. Stir it all together, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer, uncovered, for about an hour.

Once it's simmered, generously spoon over penne pasta, serve with green salad. Delicious and satisfying. And easy!

Spring Fever

Having a squirrel dressed like Uncle Sam as the first post of my blog right now doesn't lend credibility to my deep thoughts and musings.

So I'm going to quickly say that I wish I were outside! It's been in the 60's and low 70's all week. Aside from a planned run this evening, I don't anticipate being able to get out today. I do have a couple quick errands that I need to run mid-afternoon - maybe I'll bust out the cruiser and bike over! That might mean tuning it quickly - I'll see how much time I have to devote to that in the middle of a work day.

Weather is expected to become more seasonal starting tomorrow, so I better take advantage of it. Spring fever!

Jan. 21: Squirrel Appreciation Day

I didn't want to blog again for a while, but I just found out that it's SQUIRREL APPRECIATION DAY! Every January 21st! Put on your party hats! I'm happy about this. I really appreciate squirrels. We have a couple squirrels who've taken mi casa, su casa a little too far. The Sheriff hangs out on the front yard, and Steve has a few friends in the backyard. My sister also looooves squirrels. She made 100 bumper stickers that say "Squirrels are my friends," and just ordered more. She reguarly lobbies to have them disassociated from the "rodent" family of animals. So take a minute, and think about that furry friend who likes to eat out of your compost bucket. These pictures might help:

Putting the F-U-N back in C-A-R-E-E-R

I've been meaning to post this thought for a while, but didn't want to make it seem like I wanted to change my career. I don't. I like my job and the its overarching objectives. Who knows what I'll be doing in 10 years, but for now, this works.

But I always wonder, how do you make a career? Is it ever too late to create a career? Does it need to begin after college, and end with retirement? A career is essentially a set of building blocks in the same overall direction, but do you need all of those building blocks in order to make the next step? Can you carry over any of them in order to move in a different direction? Basically, can you be doing the same thing for 5-10-20 years, then pick up and attempt to start a new career? Is it ever too late? If you're 31 and somewhat enjoying what your job entails and where you're going, but always have a longing for something different (which you can define, just don't know how to reach), have you wasted around 8 years of your life in another direction? What if you make an uneducated guess and take the first job that comes out of college, and end up sticking with it, just because it would take too much effort to go backwards, for 40 years? Is it worth it? Any why don't Americans generally support the "gap" year either between high school and college, and college and "life," to help us become who we truly want to become? I think that many of us would not be facing these challenges if we just slowed down and reprioritized.

I'm not sure about all this. Maybe it's that changing a career mid-life requires time, effort, and risk, which many are unable to take. For many reasons - family, location, financial, etc. I guess you can have anything you want, ever, if you are able to take the risk and work hard.

Put Your Hands in the Air for Chester A. Arthur. Meow!

I read an article exploring whether Obama should retake the oath. James "Chief Justice Roberts" Bond (it became so difficult to get riled up at the Republicans when Bush nominated such a foxy SCOTUS judge) fudged it a little - probably Johnny's nerves. And that day he missed Constitution 101 because he was hungover at Harvard. The article I was reading said that the only other presidents to have retaken the oath were Calvin Coolidge and Chester Arthur. Ok, cool, thanks Carolyn Lochhead of the SF Chronicle. WAIT! Hold the phone Carrie! Chester Arthur? I'm a pretty bright crayon, but Chester Arthur? I've never heard of that cat! And I just thought of the Cheshire Cat when I wrote that. Here's a picture of C.C. trying to get all up in my business, something about my outfit. I told him to back off. Speaking of outfit, Cheshire, is that a body suit you're wearing? Natural stripes?

Anyway, I went on to the new WhiteHouse.gov website to learn about my past presidents, and learned so much! Not only was Chester an all-around bad ass, but he had side whiskers. Does that remind you of anyone? Look up! Arthur succeeded Garfield, who everyone knows got eaten by a shark (or shot by an embittered attorney who had sought a consular post, whatever). And get this, Garfield is also a cat! I don't like Garfield. He's actually a very smug cat than Jon should have "accidentally" run over in his driveway by now, so he doesn't make it into the blog. I'm sure you're familiar though - think tabby. I totally dig this White House Presidents website. It's a total glorification of our Presidents, but I'm fine with that. If the White House doesn't glorify history (and forget history, as the last eight years have demonstrated), who will? For example, the authors couldn't get out of speaking to Clinton's run in with a cigar because of its history-in-the-making implications, so this is how they put it: "In 1998, as a result of issues surrounding personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern, Clinton was the second U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives." I need to talk to these crackerjack writers. There's so much heat packed into that sentence. It's awesome!

I think I should talk about Chester now. Look at him! What whiskers! Apparently he was a fashionista, and a no nonsense dude. Here are some other accomplishments before and during his dark horse presidency (I know you use it to describe unexpected Pres. nominations, but I think the shoe fits).

- Effectively marshalled the thousand Customs House employees under his supervision on behalf of Roscoe Conkling's Stalwart Republican machine. In 1878 President Hayes, attempting to reform the Customs House, ousted Arthur. Conkling and his followers tried to win redress by fighting for the renomination of Grant at the 1880 Republican Convention. Failing, they reluctantly accepted the nomination of Arthur for the Vice Presidency. During his brief tenure as Vice President, Arthur stood firmly beside Conkling in his patronage struggle against President Garfield. But when Arthur succeeded to the Presidency, he was eager to prove himself above machine politics.

- Became a man of fashion in his garb and associates, and often was seen with the elite of Washington, New York, and Newport. To the indignation of the Stalwart Republicans, became, as President, a champion of civil service reform. Public pressure, heightened by the assassination of Garfield, forced an unwieldy Congress to heed the President.

- Enacted the first general Federal immigration law. Arthur approved a measure in 1882 excluding paupers, criminals, and lunatics.

- Arthur demonstrated as President that he was above factions within the Republican Party, if indeed not above the party itself. Perhaps in part his reason was the well-kept secret he had known since a year after he succeeded to the Presidency, that he was suffering from a fatal kidney disease. He kept himself in the running for the Presidential nomination in 1884 in order not to appear that he feared defeat, but was not renominated, and died in 1886. Publisher Alexander K. McClure recalled, "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted, and no one ever retired ... more generally respected."

Overall badass.

Other things I learned:
- John Roberts and Barack Obama both went to Harvard Law (at least someone wasn't taking a cat nap during Constitution 101).
- John Roberts looks like Steve Carrell at a 30% profile.
- Have they completed casting for the next James Bond movie? (I learned that that was a question I have).
- Roberts is Roman-CATholic.
- Roberts had a seizure at his vaCATion home in 2007 and went on mediCATtion.
- I did NOT know this: President Bush worked to improve healthcare and modernize Medicare, providing the first-ever prescription drug benefit for seniors; increase homeownership, especially among minorities; conserve our environment; and increase military strength, pay, and benefits. Is it opposite day?

The Trout Whisperer

Schivonne, Kris, Steve and I spent the weekend in Carbondale, to ski, hang out with my parents and get out of dodge. Steve and I skied Snowmass Saturday. The snow was iffy, but it was around 25 degrees all day, enough to compensate for the the lack of fresh snow, and we were still able to ski our favorite Snowmass spots - Campground, Long Shot, Cirque Headwall, Hanging Valley Wall. I had my K2 Burnin' Luvs and Steve his Volkls AC40s. It wasn't the best day for our powder skis, and it was awesome to have an excuse to take those other skis out and go fast.

Anyway, the four of us had dinner at Ella on Saturday night, where Schivonne and Kris got married in September and right next to my parent's store on Main Street in Carbondale. I think The Kitchen in Boulder and Ella are my two favorite restaurants in Colorado - simple, creative, delicious and local food with reasonably priced wines and approachable, down to earth staff. Three of us had the mixed grill special - elk sausage, rack of lamb, salsify puree, mushrooms, and huckleberry sauce - and Kris stuck with his favorite, fancy mac&cheese with truffles. I'd love to make my own sausage. All I need is a sausage maker attachment for the KitchenAid. That's going to have to wait though. I need to appreciate my Christmas kitchen gadgets before I spend more money.

Now for the best part!!! On Sunday, we went for a walk along the Roaring Fork River. The RFR is a direct tributary to the Colorado River, and the spot where we walked had a bunch of diversions, adjoining streams, riparian vegetation and wildlife. Steve had an adventure bee in his bonnet, and set off on all sorts of crazy adventures, including trout whispering (the Cesar Milan of trout - ask him about the time he caught a live trout with his hands) and crawling through tunnels. It was all hilarious. The two videos below are of Steve both whispering to trout (in addition to the picture at right), and crawling through a random tunnel in search for the lost ark (hang in there with the tunnel video - it's funny).

Finally Putting That Fish Tattoo to Good Use

When I lived in California, I used to swim 2-3 times a week. This was in preparation for the imaginary triathlon in my head, which I for the most part never got around to doing. The best possible gym I could find in Fremont was the 24-Hour Fitness (what does this tell you about Fremont - awesome Afghani food, borderline terrible quality of life). Swimming was a quasi-contact sport at the Fremont, CA 24HF, as I would generally refuse to share my lane with more than 2 people (what?! 3 people is A LOT for a shoddy 10 yard pool), and then get yelled at by a random 60 year old Middle Eastern man treading water in the shallow end for being "stupid" and a woman that rhymes with "itch." Basically I would get screamed at by some asshole trying to dictate pool operations. I didn't really like that part. I still got in a good workout, but dropped swimming as soon as I moved back to Boulder. Isn't it usually the other way around? Anyway! I started up again! Liza and I celebrated MLK Jr. Day with a littel dorsal fin action - it felt so good and I could literally feel my muscles stretch out. The South Boulder Rec Center has a 25 yard indoor pool. I'm very happy to add this workout to my imaginary triathlon training regimen. I'm hoping to get over there at least twice a week.

WhiteHouse.gov

Check out the new White House website.They didn't waste any time.

Houdini Hens

Last word on chickens for the day.

When it's sunny or warm out during the day, I let the chickens out into their run under the deck. It's fenced off with chicken wire and gives them space to run and peck around in the dirt. When I'm working, I can get up, walk down the hall, and check them out by looking through the window. I just got up to make sure they were ok, and I only saw one chicken in the run. I was hoping to see three. Not one. (Pearl was relegated to the tractor because she was being pecked at.) The other two were nowhere in sight. This had happened to me before, during the summer, when the wind had blown open the door to their tractor and stayed open most of the night. I walked into the shower one morning, opened the window to check on them in the backyard, and saw that the door was open, with no chickens in sight. I could only imagine where the chickens were and was certain they were gone forever. At that time, I didn't know that chickens rarely roam too far from their home. I rushed out of the shower, threw on some clothes, and raced down to the backyard. The chickens were all there, in the covered part of the tractor, staring aimlessly at the open door. I was both amused that they didn't even think to leave, and relieved that they hadn't flown the coop. Pun! Anyway, so I run outside today, again, and Murtha (Houdini #1) is just eating grass in the backyard. She escaped, but probably figured that in this case, the chance of eating grass in the backyard is the same as the chance of venturing out and becoming roadkill. I leave her there in search of Sid (Houdini #2). No where in the backyard. Not in their house. Crap! I realized that I had left the fence door that leads to the front yard from the backyard wide open and reluctantly walked to the front yard, in search of my feathered friend. Our front yard is about 20 feet across, and separates our house from a pretty busy road. I walk out and of course she's there, just staring at the road and eating grass. I'm sure people walking along the sidewalk saw a random chicken. I had to chase after her in the front yard, and ended up pinning her up against the wall - the only way I could grab her.

Anyway - Houdini #2 is in the house, about to lay an egg (she was doing her butt sit ups right before she disappeared, so I figured it was time), Pearl is in quarantine due to the peck, and Houdini #1 and Tayler are chilling in the run. I secured the run a bit better than last time. And I'm behind on my work.

Chicken 911

Chickens are pretty amazing. They don't have much going on - lay egg, eat food, drink water, poop, sleep for 12 hours a night, peck irreverently, act like you're important, hop, wake up neighbors. Surprisingly, though, they have two-bit memories and are sometimes inherently cannibalistic, without ever remembering that they are. My opinion is that this is mostly due to temptation and opportunity, rather than lack of food or desire to actually eat their kin. It happens irregularly in our little flock. A hen might be shooting for a piece of corn on the ground, but mistakenly pecks on another hen’s talon, draws blood, and Eureka! Blood! Where the hell did that come from! Yesss!! I love it! Must peck more after my celebratory hop! Then, of course, the hen that's getting pecked might not know what's going on, she might think it’s another hen’s talon, and she starts picking at herself. Basically, chickens are attracted to blood, regardless of where it's coming from. It's like Hannibal Lecter meets Patty Hearst.

The girls could very much eat each other alive, with no real perception of what they're doing. It makes me sad, but they’re farm animals after all. They’re not too worried about it. For all they care, blood is better than the expensive feed we throw their way. Farm fresh refreshments. Regardless of what those bird brains want, Steve and I don't like it. We've researched this and it's perfectly normal for hens to pick at each other sometimes, so we're not worried about having unstable or idiot chickens. Our saving grace is that, again, they're dim (albeit lovable). They don't remember much beyond what they just put in their mouth. So we try to prevent the hens from picking at each other further by removing the evidence. We take the hurt hen aside, clean out her wound with iodine, apply neosporin with a swab, and bandage it up with sticky, self-adhesive athletic wrap. The wrap works best as it's breathable, looks like chicken skin, and sticks well so the hens can't pick it off. Plus, it covers up the blood and the hens don't remember that they've ever tasted blood in the first place.

Only Murtha and Sid really start the picking, usually Pearl and Tayler. It started with Tayler, but she started sticking up for herself, so they moved on to Pearl. Pearl is the kindest, and somewhat of a nurturer, so it might be that she puts up with it as long as the others are happy. She was wounded again this morning. I spent 30 minutes cleaning her wounds and bandaging both of her feet. It's difficult to hold a chicken under your arm and clean, treat and bandage her. Not impossible though. The trickiest part is bandaging her talons while allowing enough space between the "toes" for them to spread apart and provide balance. I'm convinced that they have few, if any, feeling or nerves down there, so she stays relatively calm while I hold her and clean her wound. M. Poncelet, Chicken Talon Wrapper. It's all good now.

I took some pictures of the hens, and their bachelorette pad. Steve spent many a weekend and weeknight perfecting the pad as to provide for maximum space, warmth, dryness, dry food, water, a nest and perches (for sleeping). I think they're happy there. They even have a window. Some people spend 40 hours a week with no window. They also have an outside run (about 48 square feet under the deck) where they run around, get all sorts of sunlight and fresh air, and eat dirt. (And a chicken tractor, a moveable house on the grass – mostly for summer.) I love those little hens! They're just so funny. Despite the gore.

Looking forward to Tuesday

Non Sequiter









15 Time Magazine Obama Covers (Gawker)

I Work in Mangos

USDA NAMES MEMBERS TO THE NATIONAL MANGO BOARD

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2009 -- Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today announced six appointments to the National Mango Board. The appointees were nominated to fill a domestic producer position, three importer positions for District II, and two foreign producer positions. They will serve three-year terms that began Jan. 1, 2009 and end on Dec. 31, 2011.

Ted J. Johnson of Sky Valley, Calif. is appointed to the domestic producer position. The three appointees to the District II importer positions are: Curtis DeBerry of Boerne, Texas and Cesar Garcia, Mission, Texas; Sue Duleba, of Mission, Texas, was reappointed. Tomas Paulin Nava of Mexico and Bernardo Jose Malo, Ecuador were appointed to fill the two vacant foreign producer positions.

The National Mango Board administers an industry-funded, national research, promotion, industry and consumer information program. The generic program is designed to maintain, expand and develop domestic markets for fresh mangos. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the operations of the board.

Exercise

I didn't really make a new year's resolution, nor do I intend to treat this as one, but I've really been trying to exercise more during the day. I never have trouble exercising on the weekends, since Steve and I spend our free time doing something outside that incidentally includes exercise. But on weekdays, especially in the winter, it's usually difficult to get exercise in, which makes me upset that I don't make more of an effort. By the time 5 p.m. comes, it's dark out, cold, windy and/or snowy, and time to hang out, do homework and/or make dinner. I can't seem to get myself out of my stupid chair during the day to go running or biking at lunch. Scott said that he focused on 8-10 mile bike rides during the day, which got me on to this idea, but I haven't been on my road bike since the Fall. I don't know why. I also don't know why I don't take a lunch break. Some weird psychological issue associated with needing to be by the phone or something. Especially since I'm alone all day. It's not the actual resistance to exercise, because I have a hard time going to the grocery store during the day, too. It's just a challenge to get out of the door! I'm working on it.

Anyway, so who cares what I'm doing wrong, but I'm trying to do something right. I don't care about my weight, I mostly want to stay strong, be able to destress, and do something healthy on days when I would otherwise just stay at home. So, I want to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise on workdays. Liza and I go to the gym sometimes, which helps, but sidewalk running at night is also an option. As is just doing it during the day, but it's more fun with Steve. We went for 35 minute runs on Monday and on Wednesday. I just loved it. Just need to watch for the ice.

I also got free running pants and shoes from Salomon, so I better use them. I would never have paid $120 for them. Someone was thinking!
Salomon XT Wings

Family

Here are some pictures from Christmas of my family at home, snowshoeing and skiing.

Food

I like to cook. I also like efficiency and maximizing time spent actually enjoying cooking rather than using the wrong tool for a job and getting frustrated. Off the top of my head, these are some of my favorite and most versatile tools:

- Peeler - not just for vegetables! Cheese, spices, chocolate.

- Mini-chopper and grinder - for garlic, spices, herbs, sauces, emulsifying.

- Lemon juicer - I don't care what Mark Bittman says, it's easier this way.

- A good paring knife and a good butcher knife - most knives are unfortunately one-dimensional. For good results either of these two usually does the trick.

- Plastic cutting boards - and lots of them!

- One other thing I like to do is have all of my oils/vinegars/sauces, and all of my spices very clearly displayed. This way, I am aware of all the ingredients I have at my disposal so that I can make the best decision and I can be creative because it's inspiring to see all sorts of products well presented.

I also love cookbooks. I have many, but always seem to go back to the same ones for help figuring out what to make. Not all cookbooks are great. I prefer those with pictures or simple layouts, a mix of resources on a wide range of foods, but also down to earth, appealing recipes, and also those that make it approachable to try new recipes and flavors. The three that I use most often for everyday cooking are below. Otherwise, I pull recipes from magazines, online or other cookbooks I have, when I have time and am inspired to try something new. Or when Steve has a yen for a far off food.

- The New Basics Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins: a resource for info on most any ingredient you can think of, also with very American-type recipes for all seasons.

- The Working Cook:Fast and Fresh Meals for Busy People by Tara Duggan: more like fast, easy, delicious and simple meals for a weeknight.

- Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook by Myra Goodman, Linda Holland, and Pamela McKinstry: taught me how to make my own granola and has great recipes and the story of Earthbound Farm.

Cure Organic Farm Community Supported Agriculture

Schivonne and I signed up for the Summer 2009 Cure Organic Farm Community Supported Agriculture. CSA. You pay up front for 20 weeks of fresh, seasonal, organic and varied vegetables and herbs (June - October). This investment not only pays for the food you get, but also helps them gather capital to support new development, innovation and farm maintenance. We got a large share, to split between our two families (feeds 4-5 people a week). We had to purchase our share this early in the year because Cure can only produce so much food on their 6 acres and needs to plan accordingly: CSAs for 150 families, their farm stand, selling at the Farmer's Markets, and produce supply for local restaurants like The Kitchen. I also believe they're one of the best in Boulder County. We're very lucky.

Here is the chart of vegetable varieties we'll get:

Vegetables Arugula Beets Braising Mix Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Carrots Cauliflower Chard Cherry Tomatoes Collards Cucumbers Dry Beans Eggplant

Fava Beans Fennel Garlic Green Beans Head Lettuce Heirloom Tomatoes Kale Leeks Lettuce Melons Onions Peppers Potatoes Pumpkins

Radish Salad Mix Scallions Shallots Snap Beans Snow Peas Spinach Sugar Snap Peas Summer Squash Sweet Corn Tomatoes Turnip Winter Squash Zucchini

Herbs Basil Cilantro Dill Parsley

Registration for new members opened today, and I'm sure they'll sell out by the end of the week. This is a great way to get healthy food throughout the season for a reasonable price, and to support our local community and the sustainable food movement. I would highly recommend it! Here are some other organic farms that offer CSAs. I've had a great CSA from Abbondanza before (eatabbo.org):
www.stonebridgefarmcsa.com
www.redwagonorganicfarm.com
www.pachamamaorganicfarm.com
www.eatabbo.org
www.monroeorganicfarm.com

www.communityrootsboulder.com

Dear Bravo TV Top Chef Producers

Dear Bravo TV Top Chef Producers,

Is this a joke? Toby Young is not a food critic. He's a carnival caricature of a comic - a bad one at best. Just because he likes to put food in his mouth, sputters the Spam equivalent of a joke, writes pedestrian novels and teases other people to compensate for his own insecurities, doesn't make him a food critic. (Or does it?) Usually, people who are funny, are smart enough to know as much, and use their wit to their advantage (usually by writing). Toby doesn't make the cut (no pun intended, assholes). I can see why he might make it on TV though. There's always a spot on reality TV when you get kicked out of print media. But this is Bravo TV bitch! Not VH1. Toby should learn some class and leave Tom Cruise and muttons out of the show. Or you could bring Gail back. Just an idea.

Spare me the irrelevant, nonsensical canned comments and just tell me how the food tastes. Or find someone with a sense of humor.

Hugs and kisses,
Morgan

This is a funny review of last night's show:
http://gawker.com/5131931/jersey-housewife-axed-in-farmhouse-slaughter

Ze Quiche

I made a quiche last night. Probably one of the most delicious quiches ever made. At least Steve thought so! He was beaming.

To 'quiche' in French is slang for vomiting - Ralphing might be a good translation. Somewhat a kin to 'cui,' the Spanish word for guinea pig (and a national delicacy, no less). In French, the French slang for testicles is 'couilles,' pronounced the same as 'cui,' or coo-wee. Funny feeling I had when Steve was enjoying his cui in Peru.

Anyway! Back to quiche! Quiche is so easy. There are three basic components - the crust (I have a hissy fit when I make homemade crust, so store bought!); any mix of vegetables, herbs and meats you choose to include or have on hand; and the agent that holds it all together, a mix of cream, milk, eggs, cheese, s&p, and spices. I cooked bacon and chopped it up; sauteed garlic, shitake mushrooms, leeks, spinach and deglazed with apple juice; then mixed together 7 eggs, heavy whipping cream, milk, s&p, nutmeg and cumin. Layered the bacon then sauteed mixture on the bottom of the crust, then covered it with the milk/egg/cheese mixture. Ze cheese and ze leek garneesh on ze top, 40 minutes at 350, sit for 10 minutes, and voila! Ta quiche est prete. Ze bacon and ze leeks - delishuss.

Pandora

Pandora is free. It helps me get through the day, depending on my mood and the work I have to do, unless I'm writing something long for work, or editing a document. Some of my favorite Pandora stations are:
- Bob Marley (a nice reggae mix)
- Kings of Leon (good for long projects, quiet)
- Katy Perry (sometimes some crappy pop music makes me chuckle - I like this one because you at times get Britney and other stuff, but sometimes you get genuine good vocalists and artists)
- Feist (although I have to skip through the 1234 children's song)
- The Beta Band (thoughtful, mellow)
- John Butler Trio (one of my favorite bands)
- Jack Johnson
- Paco de Lucia (salsa-type, fun to listen to)
- Manu Chao
- A Tribe Called Quest

I try to pick bands or artists of the general musical persuasion that I'd like to listen to.

I also really like this song, Ratatat/Justice collaboration, courtesy of Scott: http://www.tallmansmallman.com/Alex/We%20Are%20Your%20Friends%20(Bearbot%20MashUp.mp3

What is Wrong With People

I get so frustrated when people aren't fully communicative, they don't feel the need to keep people in the loop, or people go behind other people's back. That, and when people are all smoke and mirrors. What the hell kind of communication is that? I'm allowed to know things too. And I can do good things with information, if I were only given a chance. Working from home means that a lot ot the things that you only hear in passing in your office, do not get communicated to you. I can't help but feel left out. I don't like this feeling. And I appreciate teamwork. If I put in an effort to keep people in the loop, it's probably reflective of my desire to be informed by you, dipshit.

Some people might think that keeping secrets is a powerplay, but I don't buy that caca. It just makes you look stupid, distrustful, and full of issues of your own. Not to mention severely damages your credibility. The inner office or inner project politics stymie progress and make for a disastrous outcome. It's not worth it. What the hell are you trying to prove? Communicate people - use words, smart ones, nice ones. How can someone appear so smart on one occasion, and like squid brains the next? It's not nice. Makes me want to get out of dodge and work on my tan. And my Spanish. Not this gibberish baby blah blah.

Hoo Ha Meadows

Steve and Scott hiking up to our favorite powder stash at Copper Mountain. No hoo ha's allowed.

What would you do if you could do anything?

Go skiing all winter in Alta?
Get your scuba driving certification and travel around the world scuba diving?
Build a carrot farm in Mali?
Go learn a new language?
Go to cooking school and open a restaurant?
Build a 2,500 sqft treehouse?
Raise goats?
Start an eco resort in Brazil and give away free vacations?


The Colorado Powerball lottery is up to $149,000,000.

Skis

I've never skied on Line skis, but Scott does and loves them. I have the K2 Nancy skis, which I don't think they even make anymore. I love them, and actually did so much research to decide on buying them, but sometimes I think that these Line Pandora skis would be a better fit:

"Introducing one of the world’s fattest women’s specific powder skis. Its wide platform, deep sidecut and light and lively feel makes it one of the most fun and functional skis you’ll ever ride in the powder, and everywhere else on the hill. The Pandora is a true work of art from the beautifully painted graphics, to the first of its kind, real embroidered logo, threaded right into the top of the ski. The only thing that will look better is the fresh tracks you’ll be laying down on your next powder day."

Either that's really good marketing, or I just really want those skis. The Nancy's are awesome - they glide through powder, turns are easy in powder and you don't have to break your ankle to shift, they are fun on groomers (although not as fast as my Burnin' Luvs - I can't keep up with Steve and Scott on the straight shots) even though I can't carve as much. I think the Lines would be better for all mountain. The graphics are nice, but I don't care about that stuff. I guess I'm happy with the Nancys - I should continue to be happy with them, as I don't think there's too much wrong with them, in terms of my needs. Next time I'll get a bit of a wider ski underfoot, a bit stiffer, and something best suited for all mountain. Damn it grasshopper!

http://www.lineskis.com/product/pandora

Chickens are more than feathers and breasts

Our chickens make me laugh. When I open up their chicken coop, 2 or 3 of them usually fly out as soon as possible. As if they know the sound I make when I open the front door, crunch snow or grass on my way over to their coop, open the backyard door, brush up against their house, and unhatch the three latches on their door. I open the door, and within a millisecond, they poke their little beaks out into the air, like a cat slipping its paw out into the cold, to see if it's warm enough to venture outside. Unless there's snow, they usually hop right now and get to work on the dirt. Pearl takes a bit longer. She's a lost soul. Am I coming? Am I going? Do I need to lay an egg? Should I stay here?

After the initial hop out of the house, some of them get a running start and try to fly away. They usually jump up as high as they can, fly for about 7-15 feet, then slope down to a grinding halt. They look up, see if anyone was watching them try to fly and subsequently not, then they act as if nothing happens, secretly hoping that next time will go better. I sometimes like to imagine that they're trying to impress me. These chickens are the closest thing to children, at least in my reality. I need to coax them, talk to them, scold them when they are cannibalistic, and give them a lot of love. They are very sensitive, and love to be held.

Anyway, they all have different personalities, which are interchangeable among them in fact. Each of their movements makes me happy (except for the pecking and reckless jumping the ship when it's 0 degrees out). They hop around and are playful, burrow in the dirt in their run, peck at each other, run away from each other, spend time alone, follow me around in the yard, run back and forth in the yard, spread their wings, fluff up their feathers, make themselves little nests in the dirt, sometimes randomly lay eggs outside of their real nest on the ground, eat grass, bugs, dirt and leaves, and just generally have a great time being young, healthy and full of eggs.

There's no team in blog

Blogging is self indulgent. I mostly started this blog with no intended audience but my own piece of mind. I like to write, but never get to write exactly what I want. I'd like to write whatever I want, whenever I want, with no limitations. Like when I hear a funny joke. I just feel the need to get some things off my mind, even if they're inane, selfish, boring, or completely off topic. I also like to write down ideas that I think are good, or things that I would like to remember. Those are the main purposes of this blog. Help me organize my thoughts, share interesting/funny news with people, share items that I think other people might like to know about me, and finally, let friends and family know what's up!

Life

I get really worried that I will wake up in 30 years and not have done the things that I want to do. A lot of what I want to do will come from the things that I actually do, so I need to make sure to stimulate myself enough to make new things happen. Like a domino effect. Travels can accomplish this, the people we spend time with, how we treat people and other things. Also, our career path. Every move we make influences the next. But does it really? What if we're not even thrilled about that part? Can we start from zero? Is it ever too hard to start from zero? You always hear about older people who learn new hobbies, and say 'it's never too late! never think it's too late!' I like to remind myself this. But I don't want that to be a cop out. It's never too late, but it's never too early. To be happy and do old and new things to preserve that happiness. I get so worried about making the right choices, and balancing the pros and the cons, that I find it hard to be completely happy when I actually do those things. I'm always happy, and usually so excited to be doing those things though. Maybe the word is carefree.

Then again, I'm damn lucky to be doing anything. My anxiety would probably be attributed to the desire to do everything I want and hope for and experience as much as I can! Because I do know that I'm lucky to be doing all that, and that I am able to do anything I want. And not do anything that's not worth it. I want every part of my life to build upon the last part, and I want to make sure that every fork in the road leads the right way, and that I learn from it. Maybe I should stick to knives.

Designs

One of my fondest memories of Sweden is the graphic design everywhere you look. In every storefront, window, building, there's a creative element that demonstrates that real thought and aesthetic ability was put into what you're looking at. The designs are creative, inspiring, cute, colorful, fun, and pragmatic. Animals were involved in many. They all have a sense of sensible innocence. I liked that designs were everywhere - my favorites were not only the commercial ones, but the young and old images in churches or cultural landmarks, the angles of buildings, the color schemes. Design isn't just pen to paper - it can take on many forms. What are you trying to communicate with a design? What feeling do you want the viewer to have? Colors, shapes, dimensions, perspectives, can all take on infinite personalities. It's so exciting to think of the possibilities, and the change that one design can instill. Simple designs - a powerful stroke - or complex paintings - Sistine Chapel - what's the difference? I might have gone overboard with these pictures, but here are some of the images I took of design elements that appealed to me (click on the image for a larger, clearer version).