Wedding Stuff

Well as most of you who read this already know...Don and I are finally getting married. Hopefully thats not too big of a suprise for anyone given how long we have been dating. The date is December 20, 2007. According to the calendar thats only about 46 days away. People are always asking me if I am excited...I am, but its hard to be super excited when I have loads of work stuff to worry about.

Luckilly most of the arrangements are taken care of...got the dress, location (Dalhousie Castle in Scotland), minister, visa (you have to have one to marry in the UK if you are not a resident), hotels, plane tickets, flowers, cake, ring bearer (his name is Bandit, see picture)...We are working with a group called Highland Country Weddings. They are based in Inverness Scotland, but also have an office in LA. So far its been pretty good, and rather easy.

We decided to register at Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, and JC Penney. At first we weren't going to register since it will be a small wedding but some of the people at work are throwing us a shower and wanted us to register. Its not like we need a whole lot of stuff, but it was fun to pick things out.

Funny and very true

Hurricanes and cars

Well it looks like Houston has avoided the first major hurricane of the season. It would have been a nice few days off work but also a hassle to deal with. I think that the consensus for most of my friends and neighbors is that we are likely to stick it out here in H-town. The reasoning being that we are far enough inland to get any major damage. Now if an evacuation was ordered for our area (unlikely) we would leave and head north. Yes I do have an almost full tank of gas in the event of an evacuation. Although don't forget that my car does run on an electric battery also.

Speaking of cars, Don bought a new one this weekend. Its very cool ... a Nissan Versa. Its a small hatchback, ultra low emissions and above 30 mpg. It also has a surprising amount of space and cost about half of my car. Below is a picture (shamelessly borrowed from Nissan's website). It's pretty cool because of some of the technology that is built in. It is Bluetooth capable and has a hook-up for an mp3 player. But the neatest thing is that you can keep the keys in your pocket and start the car. Its hard to explain but weird to watch at first.

Other than that not much happening outside of work. A group of us got together for a night at one of the Museums called "Mixers, Elixers and Imax". Basically its a Friday night event for those above 21 to explore the museum and watch an Imax with a cash bar and appetizers. It was pretty fun and there were a wide range of people in attendence. It appears to be a summer things (probably to get people out of the heat and humidity). Well thats all for now folks!

Good Search

If you google a lot you might check out Good Search http://www.goodsearch.com/ . Its a search engine powered by Yahoo! that allows you to select a charity and for every search you preform that charity gets 1 penny. This can really add up over time as more people use it to search...

Its been a while

Its been a while since I last posted something, and yet it doesnt seem like much has changed. I am still employed, perhaps over employed would be more suitable. My project at work has become a massive endevor, suposedly on the radar of the CEO. It seems like I am always behind where I should be and can never seem to get to a place where I can take a breath and relax. One of my good friends is moving to a different area, which is sad for me because his work is very good and I could use the help. Its a good opportunity for him though so thats the happy part.

Outside of work, the summer is well. Don is here so life is pretty good. We have been to Austin and San Antonio but not really farther than that. The days quickly turn into weeks and the weekends are too short, particularly since I seem to be spending a lot of them in the office. In fact that is where I write this blog...my office on a sunday. Its not pretty here since the ac is turned off on the weekends and Houston summer without ac is unbearable.

I wish I had some really exciting thing to post but unfortunatly nothting comes to mind. If I'm not at work I am working out at the new company gym or reading/watching movies. In a way its good since I can save some money to put towards my car, but otherwise pretty booring.

Don and I did go see a frogs exhibit at the Museum of Natural Science. It was really cool. They had all sorts of different frogs on display with some facts about each. They also had some preditors (snakes and piranahs). I'll try to be better at keeps this up to date....

Running in the Rain and other News from the past month...

February 24th, I ran in my first 5K race. It was exhilirating. Well I didn't run the entire way but I finished in about 43 minutes. Not bad for my first time, huh? It was the 20th annual ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run. There were over 7,000 people participating and it was raining for pretty much the entire time. All the money raised goes to support scholarships.

I guess this is also from February, but we (a charity orginization at COP) had its annual Chili Cook-Off. It went really well and was a lot of fun. As you can see from the above picture, I was on a team "The Mad Cow Chili Chefs". Don't ask how we got someone to dress up in a cow costume but it did get us an Honerable Mention for Theme.

In the weeks since that time things at work have been very busy. I think this month is probably the most extreme. I will be away from home for some period of time every week this month. Yikes... at least I am earning some miles for most of the trip. Some highlights so far....

Amarillo: I was in the Panhandle for a few day and I was supprised that there is a canyon that is actually quite pretty. Also, most of the towns were bigger than I expected (bigger than Yale for the most part). We made sure to stop by the Big Texan but no one attempted the 72 oz. steak.

Oklahoma: I just got back from Oklahoma, for the most part its the same as I left it. My flight was 3 hours delayed because of bad weather in Houston. Its the state's centennial this year so that was neat. Plus is was good to see some friends and family.

Up for this week is Dallas and Austin for work related stuff, and then back to Oklahoma next week for some new hire training. I think that is all that has been happening recently. Oh, I did move to a new apartment, only its the one next door to my old one. Its a long story but basically the complex is remodeling and now I have a remodeled apartment.

How Well Traveled are You?

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Very Well Traveled in the Southern United States (62%) You Are Well Traveled in the Middle East (50%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Scandinavia (40%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the United Kingdom (38%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Western Europe (36%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Southern Europe (33%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Northeastern United States (29%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Africa (25%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Midwestern United States (25%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Eastern Europe (20%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Latin America (7%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in the Western United States (5%) You Are Untraveled in Asia (0%) You Are Untraveled in Australia (0%) You Are Untraveled in Canada (0%) You Are Untraveled in New Zealand (0%)

How Well Traveled Are You?

National MS Awareness Week

Its National MS Awareness Week this week (March 5-11). So in to raise awareness here are the basics on MS (FYI... I did plagarize this piece from the National MS Society so if you want more info be sure to check out www.nationalmssociety.org).

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord. It usually strikes adults in the prime of life, between the ages of 20 and 50. It is a disease of the central nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord. One new case of MS is diagnosed every hour.

What Is Multiple Sclerosis?

• MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves. Surrounding and protecting the nerve fibers of the CNS is a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps nerve fibers conduct electrical impulses.
• In MS, myelin is lost in multiple areas, leaving scar tissue called sclerosis. These damaged areas are also known as plaques or lesions. Sometimes the nerve fiber itself is damaged or broken.
• Myelin not only protects nerve fibers, but makes their job possible. When myelin or the nerve fiber is destroyed or damaged, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is disrupted, and this produces the various symptoms of MS.
• People with MS can expect one of four clinical courses of disease, each of which might be mild, moderate, or severe.
• MS is a chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that affects the central nervous system.
• MS is not contagious and is not directly inherited.
• Most people with MS have a normal or near-normal life expectancy.
• The majority of people with MS do not become severely disabled.
• There are now FDA-approved medications that have been shown to "modify" or slow down the underlying course of MS.
  

Relapsing-Remitting Characteristics: People with this type of MS experience clearly defined flare-ups (also called relapses, attacks, or exacerbations). These are episodes of acute worsening of neurologic function. They are followed by partial or complete recovery periods (remissions) free of disease progression. Frequency: Most common form of MS at time of initial diagnosis. Approximately 85%.
Primary-Progressive Characteristics: People with this type of MS experience a slow but nearly continuous worsening of their disease from the onset, with no distinct relapses or remissions. However, there are variations in rates of progression over time, occasional plateaus, and temporary minor improvements.Frequency: Relatively rare. Approximately 10%.
Secondary-Progressive Characteristics: People with this type of MS experience an initial period of relapsing-remitting MS, followed by a steadily worsening disease course with or without occasional flare-ups, minor recoveries (remissions), or plateaus. Frequency: 50% of people with relapsing-remitting MS developed this form of the disease within 10 years of their initial diagnosis, before introduction of the "disease-modifying" drugs. Long-term data are not yet available to demonstrate if this is significantly delayed by treatment.
Progressive-Relapsing Characteristics: People with this type of MS experience a steadily worsening disease from the onset but also have clear acute relapses (attacks or exacerbations), with or without recovery. In contrast to relapsing-remitting MS, the periods between relapses are characterized by continuing disease progression. Frequency: Relatively rare. Approximately 5%.

Top Ten London - Finale

So to finally finish my London post (only took me one month)....

8) Borough Market ~ Spending Saturday mornings browsing the market for goodies like fresh fruits, cheese, and of course brownies. YUM! This open air market is perhaps one of the coolest places in London and its featured in "Bridget Jones' Diary". In fact we saw where she lives in the movie just by shopping at the market.

9) New Years Celebration ~ New Year's Eve was a cold and rainy night, but luckily for us we had a wonderful inside view of the festivities. Not only could we watch the fireworks through the windows, but we also got to see all the crazy, drunk people down below. Loads of fun!

10) Walking ~ London, unlike most American cities, is an amazing place to just walk around. There is so much history and so many amazing buildings that you can find just by walking around the city. This year we decided to walk from Royal Alber Hall, through Hyde Park, by the Palace and Green Park, past Westminster, across the bridge to the London Eye, and then on to the apartment. Its a long way but very worthwhile.

Weather Stuff

Apparently there was supposed to be a massive ice storm move into the Houston area Monday night. Well I went to the grocery store for my regular food shopping and and lo and behold...so did everyone else. I think the whole community must have been there preparing for what they thought was going to be a blizzard. I have never seen the grocery store that crowded. Anyway the ice never hit and life is returning to normal.

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Work is good. It looks like I will be moving to a new area shortly, Permian. I will still be based in Houston (which is good because I just renewed my lease), in the same office even. But I am excited to be joining a different area. Its more active than the Panhandle for us so there should be some challenges. The move will officially be in the next month or so but I have already gotten some work from the new area.

Top Ten London - PartTwo

To continue.....

5) Trips outside the city ~ Ok perhaps they dont belong on a list of "Top Ten London" but really one of the cool things about this trip to the UK was getting outside the city and visiting Windsor Castle (a royal residence for over 900 years) and Bath.
You cant take pics inside the castle so all I have are outside shots but it was really awesome and worth a day trip (or half day if your like us and sleep in). Bath was also cool, we only saw the Roman Baths and the Abbey then walked around the city. There are many more museums that we didn't get to.

6) Food ~ I never thought I would say that a top ten thing about London was the food but its suprisingly true. I think my favorite was L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (five stars, lamb chops were outstanding, mashed potatoes out of this world, I wish I could have gotten 10 of the prawns). Also good were the Butcher and Grill (pork chops were excellent), the Savoy (Christmas Dinner), and Browns (gotta have fish and chips). Of course for places easy on the wallet Wagamama is great noodle bar and La Tasca is good for their selection of Tapas (yum!). I'm sure I'm forgetting some but the food in London has definitaly improved in the past few years.

7) Shopping ~ Well let's face it most girls like to shop, in keeping with that tradition....I really like ot buy clothes in the UK . I dont know why but they just seem to be very smart in style and fit. Although you have to be careful since the size scales are different from the US. My favorites are Next for work stuff and Monsoon for more casual / fun clothes.

ok I'm about to be kicked out of my apartment computer lab so ...till next time.......

London Top Ten

1) Ceremony of the Keys ~ Probably the coolest thing about this trip to London was the Ceremony of the Keys, or the nightly locking up of the Tower of London. It is a ceremony that has been preformed every night for the past 700 years. You can go and watch but you have to request tickets 2 months in advance. Check out
http://www.historicroyalpalaces.org/webcode/content.asp?ID=704 for more information.

2)Tea Time ~ What could be better for a tea drinker than a country that actually sets aside time in the day for drinking tea. Not only that but not just any old tea will do...the variety of teas is amazing...assam, darjeeling, breakfast, earl grey, oolong. And to top it off, you can have tea in a 300 year old tea shop that sells to the Queen.

3) Stonehenge (aka Stonehedge) ~ After racing around the English Countryside in the rain, when we arrived at Stonehenge the rain stopped and instead rainbows were out. Of course part of the fun about Stonehenge was a certain person mispronoucing it.

4) Theatre ~ For only being in London for a little over a week you would like it difficult to see many theatre preformances and concerts....wrong. We went to four shows (Wicked, Spamalot, Avenue Q, and Phantom of the Opera) and two concerts (Christmas Eve Carols and New Years Eve Vienese Music).

ok I got to top four....the rest are comming soon.....

Celeb. Look Alike