Savor the Moment.

Thanksgiving this year could have been a disaster. The Townsend’s had left to New York and little-sis Estelle was in Cape Cod... Which left Danielle and I, the dynamic duo, with no family to celebrate with. What were we going to do?! Feast on chicken wings and a kung-fu flick? Perhaps we could bury our miseries in a 12-inch pumpkin pie, fresh from Costco...

I mulled over our bleak possibilities, occasionally thinking back to past thanksgivings. Last year on the beach in Bali, a few years ago at the US Deputy Chief of Mission's house in Jakarta and then my first Thanksgiving in America... All those past experiences reminded me how far I have come, how much I have already accomplished and of course, how much further I have yet to climb. So, if worse came to worse, Danielle and I would spend our Turkeyday with each other. I reminded myself that we had a roof over our heads, money for the Costco pie and most importantly, heat for our cold little Asian bodies. I am most thankful for the warmth.

Come the day of guiltless gorging though, we found ourselves accepting a very gracious invitation for a Thanksgiving meal. My roommate Tashi had a friend from work who pressed his parents to take us three hobos in for the evening - an invitation we gladly accepted. (Thanksgiving Miracle #1) So after an hour of three girls trying to dominate the bathroom, we headed over to Trevor Barnyak's house for Thanksgiving.

Arriving a half hour early, (Thanksgiving miracle #2) I could not have imagined what a fantastic time we would have. The Barnyak’s are warm, loving people with big hearts and even bigger appetites for good food. The 26.8 pound turkey was cooked by the master chef (a vegetarian – Thanksgiving Miracle #3) along with the different types of potatoes and grilled veggies. Yum!

We gathered around the table with some of the Barnyak's family friends - the Alterman's, who were also very warm, fun loving people. (Lots of 'kids' around my age, so there was a good balance at the table). Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, who says we can't get along? (Thanksgiving Miracle #4) Conversation at the table was varied and very interesting... From Brian Alterman and his Classic Islam class (which Danielle promptly quizzed him on), Ken Alterman and his recycled retail business (did you know there are 1000 retail apparel stores for one second-hand shop?) and Beth Alterman on her adventures as an analyst. Jim Barnyak also gave valuable insights about interviewing tips, such as:

Q. What does it take to be successful?

Wrong A: Good communication skills, good organization skills, willingness to work hard.

Correct A: First of all, ask for further clarification (pipes in Ken). What type of success are you talking about?

You need three things to be successful (in your career at least)

1. You need a long-term vision. Know where you want to end up and always have that end-result in mind. You should set up incremental goals to get there, and have a development plan in place to act as a road map.

2. You need the passion and determination to work towards your goals, to meet and then exceed them. Things are not always going to be easy, interesting or fun.

3. You need the discipline to get through the mundane everyday tasks and to execute everything perfectly.

4. One that I think he missed though would be patience (but perhaps it goes under discipline). Things don’t progress immediately overnight, but since you’re in it everyday, it’s hard to watch it grow.

Another fun Question and Answer:
"Why are you applying for this position?"
"Because my astrological signs are strong this year."

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain

Wind, sleet, hail, snow, cold, fog, ice

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain

-Steve (Not sure of last name) -

Alright, so I did it again. It's been a week since I last posted - guilty as charged.

But I had an impromptu night out with my sister today, which turned out pretty amazing. We went out to the theater, to see a play called Memory House. I thought my experiences with you, because it really lifted my spirits.

The play is two-person cast, set in a small New York City apartment. It's centered around the relationship between a mother and daughter and the pressures that they both feel from the outside world and from each other.

What really struck me about the play was that it nailed the fundamentals. The tension was believable, the emotions raw and engaging and the dialogue witty while heart wrenching ... The play brought out the extraordinary in the ordinary - the complexity of human relations and the beauty of the bond between mother and child.


Should you go see it? A resounding yes. Two thumbs up, fine holiday fun!
I've included information about the play below, and links to where you can buy tickets.

LEO K THEATRE
Memory House
by Kathleen Tolan
Directed by Allison Narver

November 16 – December 17, 2006
Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Tickets Available Here

There are times when we are called upon to define ourselves. Kathleen Tolan’s Memory House takes an intimate look at one of those moments, shared between a mother and a daughter. It’s New Year’s Eve, and Maggie, divorced and jobless, is facing the prospect having to live alone again as her adopted daughter Katia prepares to leave Maggie’s home. Katia is struggling to write a personal essay required for her college application. As the clock ticks down to the postmark deadline, anxiety and emotions lurking beneath the surface begin to erupt. Memory House confronts the anguish and guilt we feel when we know our actions will hurt someone we love. Memory

House was first developed at Seattle Repertory Theatre as part of the Women Playwrights Festival.

In my last post, I stated that "Danielle is happy as a clam in school at the UW." Well, here is her response to my post in the form of 3 different e-mails:

Alright,
so it's been awhile since I wrote last, and most of the things I have been posting have be fun, upbeat things - and the occasional cool stuff I've read/bought/seen. But I'm sure there are some of you out there that probably want to know what's going on in my life...

Here's a little recap.

The fall/winter is upon us in Seattle, as I get home from work and it's dark already. On top of that, the rains are starting to fall steadily (forecast is for, surprise surprise, rain rain and more rain for the rest of the week). So, I might be a little edgy, a little depressed - and it doesn't help that some of you are in sunnier latitudes than I. In fact, one of you is surrounded by not one, but TWO bodies of water near your house in beautiful New Zealand... (I hate you Chris, I mean, I love you terribly, but I hate you)

Wed 55° | 39°

Thu 50° | 40°

Fri 51° | 42°

Estelle is in gallivanting around New York with her boyfriend, and Danielle is happy as a clam in school at the UW. I on the other hand, am having a miserable time at work - which carries over into my personal life. I'd have you guys take me out for conciliatory drinks (and lots of them) if it wasn't for the fact that I don't touch alcohol... So presents in the form of cute shoes (8.5) or shiny things (no yellow gold please) would be very much appreciated.

I figure I'll try this work thing for a little while longer. If things don't work out, I'll initiate my backup plan - marry a rich man and live happily ever after. Hey dad, perhaps you were right all along... =)

Good night folks, enjoy the beautiful weather, where ever you are.

"So i check your blog eveyday...so you need to add things everyday to
entertain me. Okay?"

E-mail from my twin sister Danielle. Yes Madam, I'll see what I can do.

Alright, I don't usually do this - but this is too cool to pass up. (Plus I know you girls would slaughter me if I didn't clue you in).

So working at the world's largest online retailer has it's perks, and here's one that I would love to share with you.

The shoe team is giving Amazon friends and family an additional $20 off any $80 purchase with this coupon code: KKCTMQXI. This is ON TOP OF the $20 instant rebate they have going on right now, which comes to a total of $40 off a $80 purchase. You can use the code over and over again too (so split up orders at the $80 mark).

Caveats?

I'm pretty sure it's only shoes from the Amazon.com retail store (so no 3rd party) and some (ok, perhaps a lot of) brands are excluded. I neglected to find out which ones though, but I will be sure to post them once I find out. Actually, when I find out I'll be sure to make the links below automatically discard shoes that don't apply... But for now, happy shopping!

UPDATE

OK, I found out which brands aren't included... And unfortunetly, it's a lot.

Allen Edmonds
Bite Footwear
Brooks Footwear
Etonic Worldwide Footwear
L.B. Evans Footwear
Nautilus Safety Footwear
Neil M Shoes
pediped Infant Footwear
Rochester Shoe Tree C
Robeez
Sandro Moscoloni Footwear
Sperry Kids
Stride Rite - Children's Shoes
Woolrich
Zelli Classic Exotics
Bostonian
Clarks
Deer Stags
Dr Martens
Florsheim
Reebok
Rockport

Ever felt the need to trek to three post offices to find certain stamps? These hot babies were sold out at each and every location I went to... When did stamps become fashionable? I ended up having to buy them online on the USPS official website, since none of the brick-and-morter places could keep them stocked.

Needless to say, they will look awesome on the comic-book note cards I have.

Man, I'm such a dork.

BBQ is serious business, as illustrated by the contents of my friend Ross's Fridge. Many balmy summer afternoons were spent at his house, drinking strawberry lemonade and feasting on his delictable burgers, brats, steaks and hotdogs. The symphony of BBQ sauces in the fridge? Certain combonations make for zippy, well balanced sauces - as none can stand on their own. I've joked in the past that perhaps my wedding would be a BBQ in the backyard... If and when that ever happens, I think I at least have found my grill master. =)

So, I suppose you noticed that my blog looks a little different? I hope so, because it's taken FOR EVER to get it looking this sweet. Having a brand new left-nav is going to make my blog UBER COOL because now I can showcase all my picture albums etc there...

Also, it will allow me to find more fun stuff to showcase, which I will be thinking about in the next couple of weeks.

Kudos to Andrew, who finally broke down after weeks of resisting my cries for help and plugged out the code to make it work.

But for now, it's bloody late and I should get some sleep.
PS - If you hate it, I don't care, because I LOVE IT!

Hey,

I know I haven't posted in awhile... And that's not really my fault. Things have been crazy at work, and when I get home, I want to improve my blog (like a left nav would be awesome) but I never get anywhere. (If you know how to add a left nav effectively, by the way, PLEASE help me out).

But that's why I've sucked at posting.

But I did want to share a couple of cool costumes I saw around for Haloween:

1. A guy with four legs at work. He looked totally normal, with a tan trenchcoat, and four legs. I wish I had a camera.

2. A huge 6-foot penguin guy. He was adorable, in a creepy sort of way. Again, I wish I had a camera.

3. My sister and her boyfriend who puts up with anything as a dynamic duo. (By the way Danielle, I would like my necklace back... Although Toby did look good in it). Thank god someone had a camera.