AARRRHH, Matey

Happy Halloween!!! I'm starting to think I work for one of the few groups that likes to have fun. Today is Halloween, and one of the charitable groups of the company decided to have a lasagna lunch complete with pumpkin carving and costume contest. Our group decided to go as Pirates, "Land Lubers" to be accurate. There was only one other group entry (they were the different candidates for the state's gubnatorial election, and they actually won the contest). There were some other individual entries but ours was only one of two with group entries. Well, below is a picture of me and a friend from work! Aaarrrrhh!

Amazing Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Cookies
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/5 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1.5 cups white sugar (you can also substitute brown sugar)
1 can panned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract (I usually use about 2 tsp.)

Icing
2 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
3 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat till creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork. Enjoy!

To make icing
Combine confectioner's sugar, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Add additional milk as needed to achieve drizzling consistency.

The end of a busy week

Its Sunday which really means a new week is about to start...but in reality, the new week is likely to be less busy than this past one. Last weekend I was in Golden, enjoying a relaxing three day weekend. Didn't really do anything exciting but it was great to get away from H-town and work.

The beginning of the week seemed to be off to a rather slow start when I decided to do something about it and help out a co-worker who has a lot of things happening. Well that added to my workload but its good to be helping out and have something to contribute. I guess what really added to the week's activities is the past few days....it all started Thursday night when I went to a professional organization's Executive Night. It was pretty cool. I got to see a lot of people from school and work. I also met our EVP for North and South America. Then Friday, I spent the afternoon helping out at a charity golf tournament. It was a lot of fun, driving around the links selling beer to the golfers. I am reminded how many people in this industry in particular play golf....perhaps I need to take it up? Well as much fun as it was...yesterday was more fun. I was invited to another industry org.'s picnic. It was a lot of fun basically spend the morning/afternoon playing games, eating bbq, and socializing. Another plus was that my pumpkin cookies (see the recipe posted) were the hit of the picnic. Then yesterday evening I had dinner with a friend from Mines who just moved here. It was nice to catch up.

Well apart from all the social group/professional org. activities of this past week, things are going well and I have been keeping myself busy with a new book I bought for the plane ride from Denver. Its called "The Historian" and it is amazing. Its about Dracula. I would recomend it to anyone looking for something good to read, particularly with Halloween around the corner. It is a mix of fact and fiction, with various character's stories intertwined in a race through Eastern Europe and Turkey on a quest to find the location of Dracula and his tomb.

Clear Plastic Bags Make a Safety Difference

Ok. I know its all the in the name of safety and national security (and therefore we cant argue) but really, if my liquid/gel is not in a one quart sized clear ziplock plastic bag is it that much more dangerous! Perhaps we are to feel safer since we have to jump through a bunch of hoops to fly these days but clear plastic bags....not making me feel safer. What would make me feel safer is catching Osama Bin Laden. Novel Idea!

In case you are unaware of what I am talking about, among the ever growing list of safety rules surrounding carrying bagage into an airplane cabin, there is the new rule that any liquids and gels must be under 3 ounces (I can live with that) and MUST be carried in a clear one quart sized ziplock bag. Even if you only have one liquid/gel it must be in a bag. And if you dont have a bag its getting thrown away.

DRACULA

On Saturday I went to the Ballet again, this time for Dracula. It was amazing. Very dark, and haunting. Dracula had a huge cape and all the "brides" danced in white flowing gowns. The vampire dancers flew through the air during parts of the dance and at the end Dracula was killed by bursting into flame (fireworks) once the sunlight was let in. The music was classical but also fit well with the darkness and Eastern European theme.

Other than that, I have been busy hanging out with some friends from work (yes there are a few young people at oil companies, athough not many). We are trying to have some get togethers (ie. movie nights, happy hours, etc.) since so many of us are new to Houston.