Underhanded Achiever

rocky mountain national park

2007-08-16T12:16:00.000-04:00

Joel and I met Amelia and boyfriend in Rocky Mountain National Park a few weeks ago. We spent three days camping and hiking there. This picture was the first lake we ran into on our first hike. This trail was extremely busy, but the further you hiked the less people you encountered. Upon reaching the end of the trail, about 600 feet up, there was a nice sized lake, Emerald Lake, with a great waterfall running into it. We had lunch there and listened to the annoying brown jays which were harassing people for food. This was a great introductory hike, about two miles to Emerald Lake.

The next day the four of us went on a longer hike, about five miles to the destination lake, which was above the treeline. The last leg of this hike was intense, it went straight up for about half a mile. This is were we ran into the yellow bellied marmots sunbathing on the rocks, cute. Then there was some technical climbing, which was really fun and perfect for a non-climber like me. We ate lunch and rested at this last lake, as soon as we got there the sky started to turn grey. We hurried to get our stuff together and get below the treeline before it started pouring. As we started decending it started to hail tiny little bits and then sprinkled for about half an hour. We booked it down the next five miles and returned to camp for an awesome steak dinner. Good times at 10,000 feet!

Learning to Shred

2007-03-16T00:35:00.000-04:00

Erin, Joel, Joel and I met my brother and company in Colorado last weekend, we went snowboarding for two days, it was my first time. I did make it down the mountain, twice actually. At one point after falling hard, i was fairly sure I'd need a helicopter out of there, or snowmobile ride to the hospital. Fortunately, Joel, or my brother, Mike, or someone in our entourage, was always close by during these gnarly spills and I recovered quickly.

Thankfully, I haven't experienced a lot of pain in my life and I've now concluded that snowboarding was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. That said, it was really awesome and I can't wait to do it next year! Thanks to all that held my hand for my first time snowboarding and to the guy who yelled out "you'll get it!" as he flew past me, it made my heart warm.

Prius

2007-03-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

It snowed so much in Omaha last night and this morning that my work and the University was canceled today! I love snow days. Joel and I have a long standing tradition on snow days that involves hot buttered rum and movies. We are taking it easy this year though; we're both feeling a bit under the weather and he has a big test tomorrow. We made it to the grocery store to get apple cider and we have a little rum at the house, if need be. We also made it to Blockbuster before they closed, we rented The Departed. The girl at Blockbuster said they were waiting for the okay to close the store from the corporate office supervisor, in Oklahoma, pobrecita.

I'm guessing we got around twelve inches, and the wind is blowing the snow so much, that at times, you can barely see the car 30 yards infont of you. The drifts are so intense on my side of the driveway, my Saturn has morphed into a Prius.

Bird seed makes life more interesting

2007-02-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

Institutional Blue

2006-09-07T22:47:00.000-04:00

Like any new homeowner, I thought some paint would be a good way to make the place mine and some do some cheap redecorating. I thought I'd offset the camel/khaki with some blue, ("river rock" actually) in the adjacent room. After starring at the paint swatch for two days, I began to see a different color of blue...institutional blue. I thought I'd better do a test plot. Turns out I have two gallons of a color I think would be better suited with flourescent lighting, orange jumpsuits and steel doors. I think the blue actually looks worse in person, it is really more grey than it appears in these pictures. Joel says it's not that bad, although I heard him mumble something about an easter egg. I think Amami is okay with it, though I've seen her happier.

Yay, I remembered my blogger password

2006-08-28T21:09:00.000-04:00

Dear readers,

It's been 3 months since my last post. If you're reading this, that means you periodically check my blog and I appreciate that. This summer has been a busy time in my life; marriage, buying a house and moving to new city have swallowed all of my free time. All of the free time I would have spent watching crappy television, surfing the internet, or otherwise farking around. I would recommend any or all of the above life changes over Rock Star Supernova and American Idol. Ha ha.

We honeymooned in Belize. I highly recommend Belize for anyone looking to relax and "go slow," that was their motto.

And so we did.

american gothic

2006-05-24T18:56:00.000-04:00

photo by eH

The Cat and the Penguin

2006-04-05T22:53:00.000-04:00

Do not playlist

2006-03-02T22:52:00.000-05:00

Joel and I are getting married this summer. Originally I wanted to have two of my favorite bands, Ripple Effect and RC Dub play. I was going to call it wedfest (other ideas were idopalooza (thanks Mandi) and Bombaroo). However, due to money and other technical difficulties it looks as though my dreams of live music and wedfest may not happen and I am preparing to have a dj handle the beats. This brings me to a list of songs I definately don't want played at the wedding.

1. hey mickey
2. chicken dance

that's all i can come up with for now, feel free to help me if something comes to mind, good or bad.

New York, New York

2006-02-08T09:39:00.000-05:00

Since Joel and I are going to New York next week, I thought I'd reminisce about our last trip there. We saw a lot of the usual tourist sites, thanks to Amelia and her Nazi express tour. She made sure we did everything, including Central Park, the MET and the Empire State building (which would have been unbearable if we didn't have that awsome little express pass). The tour also included a walk across the brooklyn bridge, which was very cool and a good photo op.

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The view from the Met.

View from the brooklyn bridge.

Toxic Sludge Is Good For You

2006-01-29T22:46:00.000-05:00

This was the scene 3 weeks ago when the sewer backed up in my basement. The drainage hole you see there is in the laundry room. Now that will make for some fresh smelling clothes. I'm imaging that cute little, dryer sheet bear bouncing around. After four days of the clean-up guys going through the usual flood clean up motions, we are left with a sticky basement floor that smells like mold and disinfectant. It could be worse, I guess. Anyways, all the floor tile is gone, half of the carpet in the living room, and almost all of the bottom 2 feet of drywall in the basement. On the sunny side of this situation, nothing of much value was lost.

Can I Wear White If We're Living Together?

2006-01-26T11:17:00.000-05:00

This question made the top 50 Q & A's at theknot.com (a wedding planning website, which I cannot allow myself to link to). I thought it would be interesting, if not entertaining to see what was going on over at the knot. It was fun to read about problems girls are having trying to plan their wedding. I thought this question was the best, seeing as how Joel and I have been co-habitating for quite some time now.

"My mother says that when I moved in with my fiance I relinquished the right to wear white on my wedding day. Is this true?"

A New Year

2006-01-05T09:15:00.000-05:00

I will not go to mcdonalds for a the egg mcmuffin extra value meal when I'm hungover.

Chicken Vegetable stir-fry

2005-12-20T19:47:00.000-05:00

"Oh my God, half of the chicken broth marinade is gone," Joel said from the kitchen.

"Uh oh."

"OH MY GOD! SOMEONE ATE TWO WHOLE, RAW CHICKEN BREASTS!"

"It was Porter, he smells like ginger."

"But the Fat Girl is licking her chops and going for the water bowl, it had to be her."

"Amami, KENNEL."

Noteworthy

2005-12-19T11:43:00.000-05:00

"Don't let health insurance stop you from doing what you want."
-Ellen Hartman

"…remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird."

2005-12-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

Last night, Joel informed me that our next door neighbor is moving out. This really has no effect on me since I only saw the guy approximately ten times in the last three years of us living side by side. I compare this with the neighbors on the other side of us which I see about ten times a day.

My final conclusion is that he is terminally ill. Although upon first moving in I had several working theories. Initially, I presumed he was head of some neo-nazi group. I formed this theory after he made a racial slur the first day we moved in. Soon after we moved in we learned he was unemployed and we noticed that he NEVER leaves his house. I mean I guess if you don't have a job, you can't go out very often. He hardly ever has any visitors, except for his mom, who comes every night and walks his two dogs. His mom mows the yard, plays with the dogs, and I'm assuming she must deliver his groceries and haul his trash (unless he sneaks it out and puts it into our trash can at night, another theory).

Then I thought maybe he had a meth lab in the basement, and that he was the drug lord for all of the Midwest. And that he never left the house to maintain a low profile and his mother was the distributor. I was waiting for the fire from the explosion of chemicals in the basement to bring out the truth. But nothing that happened in the next three years supported this theory. The only thing we came to realize is that the guy does not pay for heat. As soon as it gets cold outside, you can smell his fireplace burning (one of the only times you see him during the year is when he is restocking his firewood).

A few months back, my cat didn’t come home one night. The next day, I called outside for her and she didn’t come. Finally I heard her squealing from the backyard. I realized she must be trapped in the creepy neighbor’s garage. I was wary about knocking on his door as I had never been inside his house or even close to the porch. He reminded me of Boo Radley from To Kill A Mockingbird, with his shades ALWAYS drawn shut. After telling me that it wouldn’t be possible for my cat to be in his garage, he finally opened it. I felt like I shouldn’t look for he may have to kill me after I saw what was in the garage. But out ran Abbey, from what looked to be a completely normal looking garage.

When these theories didn't pan out, I had to assume the back-up theory, the much less exciting, sad theory, that he must have cancer or AIDS or something. Of course there is always the possibility that he is just an umemployed guy, who doesn't like to socialize, except for with his overbearing mother who still babies him. I wish him and his mother well wherever they go. Hopefully someone equally as weird and interesting will move in so that I’ll have more stories to tell. But for now, with him gone and the house across the street empty my cute little neighborhood is beginning to look like a ghost town.

The Prettiest Gift I've Ever Wrapped

2005-12-09T10:43:00.000-05:00

"Fitter, Happier, More Productive"

2005-12-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

Today at work I adjusted the thermostat, I turned it up one degree to 70. The difference is unreal; I don't have to wear gloves or use my coat as a blanket. Some may think wearing gloves at work is kind of ridiculous, I agree. However, besides the strange looks I get from my co-workers, it works out fine. I can even type with them on. It can be a little tricky handling paper; but talking on the phone, moving the mouse, and bullshitting with the guys, all the same with the gloves on. Of course, now I wonder if I should start coordinating the gloves with my outfits.

I had wanted to get a space heater for my cube, but my cube neighbors told me that I may as well start looking for a new job. I guess management isn't willing to incur the extra costs that a space heater would bring. Ah, the heater just kicked on again, this is so great.

UV Protection

2005-11-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

I hate video cameras

2005-11-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

Last week on Halloween, I put on my costume one more time and went down to the local pizza pub. They were having a costume contest and there were lots of people there. I was at the bar ordering a pitcher and explaining my Martha Stuart costume to a friend (the homemade ankle braclet really pulled together the look). The guy standing next to me overheard and turned to me, pointed a video camera at me and said, "say that again." Ughh, i did it. That's the last thing I need is every stupid thing I say recorded on video. LEAVE THE VIDEO CAMERA AT HOME, PLEASE! Anyway, I came no where close to winning, slutty bipolar bear took home the top prize.

Water, Our link to living

2005-11-08T14:41:00.000-05:00

Last week I was in the field measuring ground water levels. I had just got to my first site for the day (a two hour drive from the office). The landscape there was a lot different than the rest of our other area, like the sandhills almost, very steep hills. There was no one around, no one driving by. All the houses around were scary old and completely abandoned. The closest highway was 15 miles away and the closest town, probably 30. I kept thinking how I could die and no one would find me for days. It was cold, windy and my nose was running and then……. I couldn’t get the effing plug open. It was the only opening to the well and the bolt was rusted to the opening. I tried to get it open with the socket wrench, but it wouldn’t move. After about 20 minutes of failed attempts, it was still cold. Then, all of a sudden, I heard this noise, it was birds passing over, a big flock of cranes heading south. Ah, I’m not going to die, the cranes will save me! I love birds. It was such a beautiful moment and just what I needed to get through my shitty field day.

From the vault

2005-10-15T16:14:00.000-04:00

How sweet it is...

2005-10-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

When someone froths your milk.

Return to Equilibrium

2005-10-07T16:24:00.000-04:00

Kali is gone. Erin, my sister, took her to another friends place to try her luck there. Her new home has only only one other pet, a rotweiler that stays outside most of the time. Thank you Adam. To return to a state of normalacy, Joel trapped the cats in the basement for two days. This made them realize that Kali was gone and she wouldn't be there to bully them around when they went to the litter box or to the kitty feeding station.

Now if we could just get rid of Jaimber.

Disclosure

2005-09-30T16:09:00.000-04:00

I was playing with the dogs in the backyard this morning. Somewhere between still drunk and hungover, I was making small talk with the neighbor. She tells me that she's getting a mammogram today. I don't know what I said. Did I say what was running through my head. Have fun. Good luck. Too much information. When do I need one of those. I think I mumbled "eoooooh" and furrowed my brows. Hope that helped.

Hallelujah

2005-09-27T18:13:00.000-04:00

For the past 2 days I've been in Kearney, NE at a work conference. Every meal has been preluded by a prayer, but the last prayer at lunch today really took the cake. So I'm bowing my head, shifting between eyes closed and open, when I hear the speaker say "we pray for our president in his time of need." What? Are you kidding me? I was shocked, I looked up to see if anyone else was hearing/reacting to this. Nope, of course not. Oh man. We could have prayed for so many other people and things, how about the homeless, the troops in Iraq, a new president.

New to the job and conscientious about what I say and who I offend, I was thrilled when riding home with a co-worker. He expressed similar views of dis-belief towards the prayer session we had endured....a open-minded individual, now thats what I'm thanking god for.

10 reasons I'm excited about Fall

2005-09-24T12:27:00.000-04:00

1. I get to wear my new spiffy shoes I got at Footloose & Fancy 3 months ago.
2. Soup.
3. Halloween.
4. Ween in Omaha.
5. Turning off the effing AC.
6. Columbus Day (for the day off of work of course, fuck Columbus).
7. Less people on the bike path (not that I ride, but for walking the dogs).
8. Hot Tea.
9. More time to watch movies, fewer BBQs :(
10. And naturally, the colors.

The Evil Empire

2005-09-20T23:14:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been having a bad internet connection at home. I've repaired my network connections so many times I need a shortcut for it. It takes forever to get from one page to the next and then I get kicked off once I've linked to a point of no return. I can't help but think that it is somehow related to the 3 month discount I'm getting on road runner. You see, every year you can call time warner cable and threaten to cancel service. They then ask you if you'd like to hang on for 3 more months at half price. Are these connected,? Like Jeb counting the ballots, I can't win.

Kali at work in the office (aka under the couch)

2005-09-11T21:24:00.001-04:00

Maximum Occupancy

2005-09-06T23:50:00.000-04:00

What once was a peaceful houshold is now threatened by our newest house guest, Kali, my sisters cat. She came to stay with us about three weeks ago, when my sister moved in with a girl who is severly allergic to cats, animals, and apparently most other life forms. Kali is a pretty kitty with one very annoying habit. She sucks her paws. You'll be on the verge of sleep, when suddenly you'll hear a terribly creepy noise. You turn the lights on and find Kali going at her paw like it abused her in a past lifetime.

Unfortunately, thats not what has upset the balance in our house. Kali has taken over the dog free zone (the basement) and pused Joel's cat, Jaimber out of the basement.

Jaimber, in her mid teens, is unwilling to adjust to this new disturbance. Until now, she has been a model cat. The first dog, woah was she mad, but she backed the dog up into a corner like the bitch that she is and marked her territory, not literally. The second dog, mild depression? maybe, but she learned to live with the new clumsy one.

Now we've pushed her too far. SHE REFUSES TO GO IN THE BASEMENT! Where the litter boxes are. Well, I finally got the smell out of the second basket of laundry. More recently, she's been sleeping (I hope) about six inches away from my head and twice last week I woke up to the sweet melody of dry heaving. What to do. What to do. Someones got to go.

Turn Your Lights Down Low

2005-08-25T22:07:00.000-04:00

Working in the fields all day

2005-08-19T20:32:00.000-04:00

I just started a new job where I work with a lot of farmers and country folk. Everyone I've met at my new job asks me where I'm from. When I tell them that I grew up in Lincoln they shake their head, say "oh," and that pretty much ends the conversation.

I wonder if I should tell them that I want to be a farmer.

Of course, I will leave out the part where I dropped out of my voluntary organic farming class and that this week was my first time getting cut up by the sharp edges of the corn leaves while walking through the eight foot tall rows of corn, desprately trying not to lose the people I was following. Hmmm, maybe thats why they where jeans and boots instead of shorts and Chacos.

I think I'll get cowboy boots, cut my dreads, and say I grew up on a farmstead in Iowa. Yee-hah!

garam masala

2005-08-10T14:00:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, I went to the Lincoln Lagers homebrewers picnic with Joel. I tried lots of different styles of beer while mingling with the brewers and their wives. While the beer was great, the real payoff came when one of Joel's brewer buddies tells me that he has the recipe for mulligatawny soup from the Oven restaurant. I have always loved the Oven's mulligatawny.

The love deepens.
Ellen introduced me to the big gulp, which is a large mulligatawny soup to go. It comes in a huge styrofoam cup (bad styrofoam) and is enough to feed two once or one twice. The first step will be making or hopefully buying, garam masala.

Mmm, Mmm, good.

with a little help from your friends...

2005-08-08T19:14:00.000-04:00

The other night, Joel and I spontaneously decided it was time to give the dogs a bath. Amami went first, she always acts like she's being unfairly tortuured, as she will not look at you or even accept a biscut.

Next, it was Porter's turn. This will be his third bath. Some people take a picture of their first kids bath, I'm sure I will too. But for now, being that I love to take pictures and am slightly obsessed with my dogs, I find most photo opportunities revolve around them. So while Joel is keeping Porter from jumping tub, I grab the camera.

What's funny, is these soapy peaks of hair sticking up in the picture were artificially created by Joel during our photo shoot. It's so refreshing to know that I'm not completely alone in my sometimes scary, photo fixation of these pups.

Is the nightcream working?

2005-08-02T13:08:00.000-04:00

Typical Leah style, I renewed my drivers license this morning, about a month late. At lunch, I showed my friend Lindsay my new digital license and my old torn license and asked her if I had aged. She answered quickly "yes!"

Well maybe I have physically aged, but I'd also like to think that I have grown to become a more calm, wiser Leah than the Leah of 5 years ago. Maybe in 2010, I will have renewed my license plate and my drivers license before the expiration dates!

Dear Employer, Are you there, it's me Leah.

2005-07-22T17:19:00.000-04:00

1 interview.
1 rejection letter.
Approximately 6 applications out.
Did they all get lost in the mail?
Tell me I suck, I'll never make it, I have no experience. Just give me something to put in my Rejection Letter folder.

OR Wildlife Photography!

2005-07-17T22:45:00.000-04:00

I found this male Red Bellied woodpecker in the maple tree in my front yard.

Western Kingbird chicks.

With their mama.

Not quite wild, but Abbey will occasionally hunt her dinner.

Playing Professional

2005-07-07T15:43:00.000-04:00

So I had a meeting today, of course I hadn't remembered until about a half an hour before hand. I walk in, wearing my favorite homemade t-shirt and my best flip-flops. We were talking about preparing students for real world jobs and while they were shuffling around ideas, I came to the realization that I want to go back to school. Maybe business. That would allow me to dress up to go to work. I would be more productive if I dressed nicer at work. Yes, that's it! Meeting adjourned.

Hello Hello

2005-06-30T17:18:00.000-04:00

This is Amamioshima. She was the cutest puppy in the entire world; and I've seen the entire world, so I can say that. She enjoys shredding stuffed animals to pieces, like the penguin in the picture and setting up others for her misbehavings.