Wow

Is it over? Really?? After two years of election related ads on the radio, newspaper, tv, cars, walls, billboards, email, etc. it's suddenly very, very, quiet. I'm still in a bit of shock and just can't believe it has actually happened. He won. No, WE won.

I watched President-Elect Obama make his election night speech and was stuck by one line in particular: "It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America." How powerful.

I went to his website to see what kind of information they had posted and found a link to a bunch of election night 'behind the scenes' photos. Also, you can get a free "Yes We Did" sticker if you go to the moveon.org and order one.

Historically, voting has been a social event. A reason to get together, see friends, and have your voice heard. Despite the high number of early voters I think history repeated itself this year. When I've gone to vote in past years the lines have been pretty short and the people in line were quiet. This time, the line wrapped around the building and people were chatting and having some fun. Although this didn't happen at my polling place, I heard from others that they were given free hot chocolate, soup, books, etc while waiting in line.

At my polling place there was an African American woman in her 90's who was voting for the first time. She was so excited and took her responsibility so seriously. She kept saying, "This is the first time I've voted and I'm voting for change ... for my man .. Obama." Let's just say that I wasn't the only one tearing up.

Obama has a lot of pressure on him to make changes, make them fast, and keep his campaign promises. At change.gov we can track some of his pre-inaugeration progress.

I am so excited for the future of our country. GOBAMA!

Vote .. and get free stuff!

Oh boy, who doesn't like free? Well, a group of businesses have come up with some incentives for you to vote.

Here's a list:

Starbucks is giving away a free cup of coffee.

Ben and Jerry's is giving away a free scoop of ice cream.

Krispy Kreme is giving away a free star shaped donut.

(Umm, images not available?)

and .. just saw this on msnbc.com ... Babeland is giving away free sex toys. You gotta love America.

Halloween 2008

I'm not normally into the dressing up part of Halloween. Give me a pumpkin and I'll carve it, have kids come by and I'll give them candy, I'll even decorate my house ... but dressing up - no thanks! This year some friends decided to organize a "Ugly Prom Dress/Bridesmaid gown" outing. I've never been a bridesmaid so I volunteered to be the official photographer for the event. I got into character by wearing a black hat with a 'press' sign, a tan trent coat, a black tie, and carried my camera around my neck. You'll notice that some of the dresses are 'uglier' than others .. I especially liked the ruffles, butt bow, and lace that two of the dresses were covered with. We ended up going to a club in downtown DC and while I took pictures we were all too busy talking to focus on real photography! Some pics below:

Ha ha ha ha ha!

From msnbc.com - Sarah Palin becomes a Cabbage Patch Kid - Doll will be auctioned on eBay, along with McCain, Obama, Biden models (#2 in the slideshow)

Sarah Palin Paper Dolls (#4 in the slideshow)

The Palin Condom (#8 in the slideshow)

Another Palin Compilation

We'll start with a photo ... and a link to the article by Jason Linkins of the Huffington Post: "Palin Fashion Includes Scarf That Encourages Voting...For Democrats"

From huffingtonpost.com - "Sarah Palin on SNL: Costume Designer Says She Wanted Nicer Clothes" - "The "Saturday Night Live" costume designer Wednesday night revealed the struggle he had in dressing Sarah Palin: she wanted to wear nicer clothes than they had picked out for her, reflecting the new image she has carefully constructed on the campaign trail."

From Wonkette.com - scroll down to Oct. 22 - BARACK THE BARGAIN HUNTER: Conservative blog TownHall.com investigated those fancy Obamas to see how much they spent on clothes. Barack & Michelle’s nomination night outfits cost under $3,000, or about 2% of Sarah Palin’s RNC shopping spree — and that includes a custom-made suit for Hopey. The Obamas also apparently bought their clothes with their own money, like Americans who support capitalism.

From Washingtonpost.com - Juliet Eilperin - "Veeps Run the Senate, Palin Tells Third Grader" When asked about the role of the vice president yesterday, GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave an expansive interpretation of the legislative role and indicated she would be "in charge of the United States Senate" after taking office.

From christiansciencemonitor.com - Jimmy Orr - "Did Palin really need $150k for a new wardrobe?" No one is saying that Sarah Palin should be required to walk around in flip flops and a hefty bag as she campaigns over the next two weeks. But the $150,000 price tag on to get her dudded-up for the campaign trail has left many a political observer agog at the news.

Some fun Palin nicknames:

"Bible Spice" - from digg.com - 'Biden "The Hammer" vs Palin "Bible Spice"'

"Caribou Barbie" - funnypicturevideo.com - "Caribou Barbie Doll Sarah Palin"

And the fun continues ...

I've received a number of links from friends so it's time to update the blog. Reading some of these articles, commentaries, blogs, and reports I just become more and more concerned about the possibility that Sarah Palin could possibily become the Vice President of the United States. This is an 'oy vey' situation if I've ever seen one!

From 23/6 - Jerome Halligan - "Couric to Palin: Do You Know We're Recording This?"

From 23/6 - Joseph Minton Amann and Tom Breuer - "The Real Reason McCain Picked Palin."

From the Huffington Post - Nico Pitney - "Palin Misquotes Albright: "Place In Hell Reserved For Women Who Don't Support Other Women""

From BuzzFlash.com - Mark Karlin - "By Any Measure, Sarah Palin is a Radical Political and Religious Extremist."

From Washingtonpost.com - Anne Applebaum - "Palin's Imaginary Washington"

From the Huffington Post - Jeffrey Feldman - "Is Palin Trying To Incite Violence Against Obama?"

From 23/6 - Popular Features - "236.com Sarah Palin Video Library - Definitive archive of every Palin gaffe that we have."

Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart

This one not only deserves it's own blog entry but I don't think an introduction is even needed. From Daily Kos - the "Sarah Palin Debate Flow Chart" by adennak

I know some folks out there might have had trouble following the Vice Presidential debate. Particularly, trying to parse meaning from the things that Sarah Palin said. With that in mind, I have compiled a handy resource for your perusal. I hope to update this chart, both graphically and grammatically, when it is no longer ten to five in the morning. For for the mean time. . . enjoy!

Post VP Debate .. Have opinions changed?

Overall, I think we can agree that Palin succesfully met expectations, as low as they were, and the debate was not a total failure. While it could be 'ok' to not answer questions, while it could be 'ok' to debate using the tactic where one barely responds to a question and then goes on to talk about another topic, it's not ok to think that ones' charm and personality is enough to qualify you to be Vice President of the United States.

Not articles but funny anyway:

Jib Jab's "Time for Some Campaignin"

A move preview from "College Humor"

Here are some interesting Palin articles:

From slate.com - Fred Kaplan - "She Still Knows Nothing" Palin proved that she can speak in complete sentences, but not that she understands anything about foreign policy.

From washingtonpost.com - Tom Shales - "Palin Takes On A New Foe: Her Image"

From huffingtonpost.com - Arianna Huffington - VP Debate: McCain's Big Gamble Comes Up Snake Eyes

From The Christian Science Monitor - Linda Feldmann - "Palin rebounds in debate – but is it too late?"

From washingtonpost.com - Juliet Eilperin - "Palin Picks Ferraro as Favorite 'Vice President'"

Political Commentators, err, Comedians?

This blog entry is dedicated to a variety of news sources and their commentary on Sarah Palin. Some are funny, some are serious, most are scary.

If you have one you'd like to add to the list PLEASE send it my way!

Here are some of my favorites:

The Jon Stewart Show - "Sarah Palin may be the ideological opposite of Hillary Clinton, but she's her gynecological twin." The clip: John McCain Chooses a Running Mate.

By Fareed Zakaria - "Palin is Ready? Please." McCain says that he always puts country first. In this important case, that is simply not true. Published Sep 27, 2008. From the magazine (Newsweek) issue dated Oct 6, 2008.

From a Katie Couric interview with Sarah Palin - As Wonkette notes, the first couple of minutes and the very end are priceless! Also, I just like to watch Katie's eyes glimmer as she asks the 'difficult' questions! The clip: Couric Interviews Palin.

From the Huffingtonpost.com - "Palin Claimed Dinosaurs and People Coexisted". Need I say more??

Saturday Night Live - "Palin and Clinton" - too funny!

Saturday Night Live - "Palin and Couric" - also very funny!

Time.com: In Search of Sarah Palin - The McCain campaign has squirreled Sarah Palin away from the press -- a clear vote of no-confidence that does no service to the candidate, to women or to voters.

From the Huffingtonpost.com - Jack Cafferty: If Sarah Palin Being One Heartbeat Away "Doesn't Scare The Hell Out Of You, It Should"

From CNN's Campbell Brown - Campbell Brown Calls Out the McCain Campaign: Stop being Sexist

From MSNBC's Countdown With Keith Olbermann - Keith Olbermann makes good on his promise to pay $100 to charity every time Sarah Palin lies or repeats a lie in the course of campaigning. This week Keith donates $3,700 to the Alaskan Special Olympics Fund and one lucky Countdown viewer will win a can of Aunt Sarah’s Moose Stew. The clip: Keith pays on his promise.

From MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show - Pig lipstick: Rachel Maddow blasts McCain/Palin distraction

From The Washingtonpost.com's 'Media Notes' by Howard Kurtz 9/30/08- "Meanwhile, I seem to have kicked up a fuss on the blogs with my column yesterday reporting that CBS has tape of more potentially embarrassing answers by Sarah Palin. These are part of Katie Couric's "Questions" series--Joe Biden fields the same queries--and will air Wednesday and Thursday. I can now report that one of the questions deals with Supreme Court decisions, and that the Alaska governor was unable to name a single ruling other than Roe. " Also check out the Huffingtonpost.com article on this topic.

From The National Review - Kathleen Parker's article "Palin Problem: She's out of her league."

From salon.com - The Sarah Palin pity party, By Rebecca Traister "Everyone seems to be oozing sympathy for the fumbling vice-presidential nominee. Please. Cry me a freaking river."

From The Christian Science Monitor - Campaign 2008: Patchwork Nation Blog "Dump Palin?"

From The Christian Science Monitor - The Vote Blog - "Palin to Biden: Bring it on!"

From the Washingtonpost.com - Colbert I. King - "Hanging with the Palins? Not for me."

From the Huffingtonpost.com - Robert J. Elisberg - "Where Should the Bar Be Set for Sarah Palin?"

From the Huffingtonpost.com - Sam Stein - "Palin, A Journalism Major, Can't Name A News Source She Reads."

From The Christian Science Monitor - Andrew Halcro - "What it's like to debate Sarah Palin."

From the Slate - Hart Seely - "The Poetry of Sarah Palin - Recent works by the Republican vice presidential candidate."

Yummy Vegetarian Chili

I decided to try a new vegetarian chili recipe this weekend. I based the recipe on one that I found on www.allrecipes.com but made some changes based on the feedback that people had provided on the site.

Here are the changes I made:

• left out the jalapeno peppers and chopped green chile peppers
• added 2 full chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• added 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped and seeds removed
• drained and rinsed both the kidney beans and garbanzo beans
• added 1 bag (instead of 1 can) of whole kernel corn
  

It turned out really well and with some grated cheddar, a bit of sour cream, and cornbread it was a yummy Sunday afternoon meal. Enjoy!

The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World

Submitted by: calead910 Rated: 5 out of 5 by 297 members

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ready In: 1 Hour 15 Minutes Yields: 8 servings

"Break out your soup pot and fix up a batch of this delicious, spicy vegetarian chili today! It's ready in no time, and packed with vegetables, beans - and flavor!"

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 medium onion, chopped 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon salt

2 stalks celery, chopped 2 green bell peppers, chopped 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained

2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed 1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained 1 (15 ounce) can black beans 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2.	Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 9/14/2008

August and early September

Yeah, yeah I know, I'm a slacker. I haven't been updating the blog on a regular basis ... I'm sorry! So, here's a recap of my last couple of months.

At the end of July I went on a road trip to Georgia and Tennessee to visit family and friends. I love to drive so the drive down to Georgia was fine. I left early on Saturday morning and drove straight through to Savannah. I spent four days with family - we went out to eat, to the beach, the pool, shopping, etc. My brother bought a Wii system and we all had fun playing tennis, bowling, and especially playing 'Rock Band'. I have to say, we kicked butt on some of those songs ... and some of those songs kicked our butts! We had a blast.

We also had lots of fun playing with a doggie sprinkler that I bought for the kids. Here's a pic of the sprinkler:

My next stop was in Monteagle, Tennessee where I spent a few days with Amber and her family. I always enjoy spending time with them!

After getting back from my road trip I started to count down the days until the American Idol 2008 concert! It was a pretty good show and helped to reinforce why the top 3 are the top 3! They were definitely so much better than the rest of the cast. Once again, thanks to friends adn connections, we were able to get back stage passes to meet the Idol's. Here's a pic of David Cook, the 2008 American Idol:

Last Friday I went to see Gwen Ifill - 'Gwen Ifill is moderator and managing editor of "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." She is also frequently asked to moderate debates in national elections, including the Vice Presidential debate during the 2004 election and the upcoming Vice Presidential debate scheduled for October. Ifill is also the author of the forthcoming book The Breakthrough: Politics in the Age of Obama. During the 2008 campaign season, Ifill is bringing Washington Week to live audiences around the country on a 10-city tour.'

We went to see a live taping of her show: "Gwen Ifill kicks off the general election season with a special Campaign '08 edition of WASHINGTON WEEK from The George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in front of a live audience." Here's the link to the show.

All in all, it has been an interesting summer. I'll keep you updated as interesting things happen. :-)

Philadelphia Day Trip

On Saturday, Kerri, Sergio and I decided to head to Philadelphia. We arrived in Philly, toured the Liberty Bell, and then jumped on a double decker bus tour so that we could get a tour of the city.

The weather was hot but the breeze was perfect as we toured the city. Philadelphia plays an important role in the history of our country so it was fun to see some important landmarks. We learned that the city of Philadelphia was founded by Quakers, was designed by William Penn, and is situated between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. We stayed on the bus for most of the tour but did get off at Reading Terminal market for lunch. The market sells seafood, fresh vegetables, baked goods, and also has a cookbook stall, flower market, crafts, etc. Once back on the bus, we headed toward Chinatown (the third largest in the US, after New York and San Francisco), the Rodin Museum, Logan Circle, the "Rocky Steps" and statue, the Philadelphia Zoo, and some other landmarks. Once we were done the tour, we decided to head the Philadelphia Firemen's Hall Museum. An interested place with lots of old fire fighting equipment, pictures, and memorabilia. To see some pictures, check out the link to the right!

DC Moments

Today I had the opportunity to hear Al Gore speak at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall. As I walked back to the office, passing the White House and the Washington Monument, I had another of those 'DC Moments' where I realized just how much I really do enjoy living in this area.

Al Gore spoke about climate change, and issued a challenge to our nation - to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.

His speech was full of quotable moments and there are two that really made me sit up and listen:

"We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that's got to change."

and

"When we send money to foreign countries to buy nearly 70 percent of the oil we use every day, they build new skyscrapers and we lose jobs. When we spend that money building solar arrays and windmills, we build competitive industries and gain jobs here at home."

It was an interesting speech but I was a bit disappointed and left feeling like we had just heard one of his political stump speeches that we heard during his run for the White House in 2000. Regardless, the speech was filled with content that we need to pay attention to.

Check out http://www.wecansolveit.org to find out more about his challenge and the 'We' organization.

Recipe - Penne with Creamy Walnut Sauce

I tried this last night .. the color is a bit overwhelming (bright green) but the taste is great!

Penne with Creamy Walnut Sauce

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

10 ounces fresh spinach

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped*

2 cups low-fat cottage cheese

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil

Ground black pepper to taste

1 to 1 1/2 pounds penne (tubular pasta)

1 head broccoli

*Toast walnuts in a single layer on an unoiled baking tray in a conventional or toaster oven for about 10 minutes until fragrant and golden brown.

Bring a large covered pot of water to a rapid boil.

While the water heats, wash the spinach and transfer it to a separate large pot. The water clinging to the leaves should provide enough moisture to steam it. Cover and cook the spinach on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, until wilted but still bright green. Drain.

In a food processor or blender, combine the spinach, walnuts, cottage cheese, garlic, Parmesan, basil and puree until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Add pepper to taste and set aside.

When the water boils, stir in the pasta, cover, and return to a boil. Then uncover the pot and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes.

While the pasta cooks, cut the broccoli in to spears and steam until it is just tender, about 5 minutes, and set aside.

Drain the pasta and serve immediately, topped with spinach-walnut sauce and several steamed broccoli spears.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, if you wish.

Serves 6

Source: Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Summer is in full swing here in DC. I always know that summer has arrived when I see the 'Folk Life Festival' signs and big white tents going up on the National Mall. Each year, the Smithsonian hosts a 2 week festival of living culture. Check out their website here.

This year the nation is Bhutan, the state is Texas and the 'other' is NASA. Michelle and I walked through some of the Bhutan exhibits today. Over the next couple of weeks I'll go back to visit the Texas and NASA exhibits.

While we were walking through the festival we decided to get some lunch. We shared Bhutan's national dish of chili peppers and cheese over rice. At one point I was convinced that the burning was never going to stop. Here's a picture of the chili peppers we didn't eat! We were also going to buy some water but because it was so hot outside they were giving the water away for free!

Food:
I was also impressed by the variety of arts that were displayed.

Embroidery:
Dancing:
Knife carving:Traditional outfit:
Weaving:

Another day at the office .. or not?

There are days when I'm reminded that I don't work in just some 'ol city in the US but that I work in Washington, DC, where so many of our political leaders, for good or for bad, are based. My office recently moved to the National Press Building (NPB) which is just one block north of Pennsylvania Ave. The NPB is where, appropriately so, many news organizations are based. It's also where the National Press Club is located.

Today we had a number of big wigs attend an event in our building. The biggest wig was Vice President Cheney. He was the guest speaker and presenter at an awards ceremony.

We knew this was going on the building because there was a calendar of events up in the elevator and we could see the long line of black SUV's outside on the street!

Michelle and I were going to lunch and decided to take the elevator to 'see what we could see'. So, we went out to the lobby and hit the elevator button. A minute later the door opened and inside the elevator were three men and a dog. No, there's no joke coming ... the special security dog with his handler, and two additional special security guys were on their way down to the main lobby. The funny part was that when the doors opened, the dog handler asked "Still want to get on?" - it really was pretty funny.

Anyway, Michelle and I did get on the elevator and went to lunch. When we came back to the building we went through the lobby again and just as we were walking toward the elevator another famous name walked by ... Henry Kissinger. He was so close to me that I could have reached out and hugged him. But, while he looked like Kissinger (duh!) I wasn't sure it was him. And no, for the record, if I had been positive it was him, I still would not have hugged him. However, I would have reached out to shake his hand.

I found this picture, and no I didn't see Greta Van Susteren, but I have to admit that it was pretty cool to see Henry Kissinger in person!

Anyway, just thought I'd share my story. All in all, a not so typical day in DC!

Road Trip - Longwood Gardens

I haven't been on a road trip in a while so I called my friend Stephanie and we headed north to Longwood Gardens. The grounds are beautifully manicured and taken care of. There are also a number of special exhibits – water lily display, bonsai display, palm house, fern passage, rose house, and more. I can understand why people become obsessed with orchids because they are gorgeous. The weather was perfect for a day in the garden and I definitely plan on going back for the holiday display! Here are a couple of pictures but click on the link to the right for more. Enjoy!

Ouch

Really, what else is there to say other than 'ouch'?

Welcome Baby Eyan!

I'm so happy for Kris and Brian ... baby Eyan has arrived and is doing his part to keep his parents awake. :-)

Music

This past weekend I bought speakers for my ipod so that I can listen to music at work. Today was great! I was able to listen to my music and stop it and start it when the phone rang, someone came into my office, I left the room, etc. Well, at the end of the day the battery on my ipod was in the red and so I couldn't listen to music on the way home. As I walked to the metro I was reprimanding myself for not charging my ipod during the day. I was still mad as I got onto the metro car but that feeling quickly disappeared because I realized that all I had to do was walk through the metro car.

I got on the metro car through the very last door in the back of the car. The guy next to me had his music up so loud that I could clearly hear Carrie Underwood's 'Before He Cheats'. I stood there until the song was over and then walked toward the middle door. I stopped after a few feet because I could hear some hip hop from the guy sitting in the seat to my right. Once his song ended, I continued toward the middle of the car where an older woman was sitting. Her ipod was so loud that I could tell she was listening to classical music. She got off at the next stop so I decided to stand on the other side of the middle door to find some new music. A young girl got on the metro with her mother. She had headphones on and was listening to Miley Cyrus. After that song ended I was tired so I went up to the very front of the car, where there was an empty seat, and listened to the ipod behind me. I think he was listening to a mix of heavy metal and rock.

What I learned from this ride home is that I don't need to charge my ipod anymore!

Back in the Kitchen

It has been a while since I've taken the time to try new recipes. This weekend I tried two new recipes and both were great! I found both of them on www.allrecipes.com which is one of my favorite go-to sites when I'm trying to figure out what to cook. One of my favorite parts of the site is the search function because you can search by the ingredients you have on hand and recipes will pop up!

The first recipe I tried is called 'Yummy Lemon Salmon Burgers'. I replaced the canned salmon with fresh salmon that I broiled and then cooled before adding it to the rest of the ingredients:

Yummy Lemon Salmon Burgers

Prep Time: 12 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes
Ready In: 20 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 (16 ounce) can salmon, drained and flaked

2 eggs

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1/4 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 pinch dried basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the salmon, eggs, parsley, onion, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of basil, and red pepper flakes. Form into 6 firmly packed patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
   
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the patties, and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned.
   
3. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of basil. Use as a sauce for your patties.

The second recipe that I tried is called 'Creamy Asparagus Pasta'. I used half the amount of butter, half the amount of cream, whatever pasta I had on hand, and topped with grated Parmesan.

Creamy Asparagus Pasta

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pint light cream

1 pound linguine pasta

1 lemon, juiced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes; drain.
2. In a large saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Sauté garlic and asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add linguine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and transfer to a serving dish.
4. Stir lemon juice into asparagus mixture; pour mixture over pasta

Unique Training Spaces and Who's Out There?

Well, my week in Costa Rica has come to an end and on Friday I head back to DC. I was here to conduct a workshop for our NGO partners on how to use OFDA's Proposal Guidelines. The workshop was held in a casino that is connected to the boutique hotel that we're staying in. The meeting space was a card/slots room of the casino. At night it's a card playing, liquor drinking, cigarette smoking, slot playing space. During the day the card tables are removed and the slot machines are unplugged to make it a pretty decent meeting space.

Here's a picture of participants hard at work with the slot machines in the background:

The workshop went really well and the participants were active, cooperative, and fun to work with. When the participants are having fun I'm having fun and that definitely makes my job more satisfying!

I'm wondering if anyone is reading this blog - well, except for Oscar and Danielle since they already told me that they are - thanks guys! Oh, and note the new feature to the right - the "My Photos" section. I'll be adding more of my photos over the next couple of weeks.So, if you are reading the blog drop me a line every now and then. Blogs can be interactive you know. :-)

Ok, that's it for now. I have to get the rest of my food channel/HGTV cable fix before I fly back to my cable-free home.

Love, Alisia

The Costa Rica Adventure

After two weeks of some of the worst stress I've ever experienced I was very happy to pack and fly to Costa Rica. The adventure began early Sunday morning when I was picked up by a taxi that was already full of other people. Yes, it sounds odd but apparantly the taxi company didn't have enough vehicles on Sunday morning and decided to combine passengers. The driver was a bit nutty and as we flew down 16th St. we were also given a combination tour - DC history/how to save our souls. Ok, maybe it wasn't exactly a soul saving lecture but the gospel music, combined with the driver's lecture, defitinely made me feel like he was on a mission.

Jane and I arrived at the airport and found out that our flight was cancelled but that the earlier flight might have some seats available. So we were checked in and put on the stand by list. Luckily, we were given the last two seats on the flight to Miami. I did feel a bit guilty about taking the them because a couple heading to a cruise was also waiting for seats. However, I didn't feel guilty enough to give the seats away! We arrived in Miami, hung out for a few hours, and then got on the flight to San Jose. What I liked most about these two flights is that that entire travel time was less than half of that of one of my 'normal' trips to Africa, Asia, etc. Who knew you could get to a foreign country in less than 24 hours?? :-)

We arrived in San Jose and after being dropped off at the hotel decided to walk to a nearby park where an arts festival is taking place. Apparantly it only takes place every two years. We walked around the festival, bought some jewelry, had a snack, watched a parade (which ended at a Chinese culture center where the five olympic mascots are set up), and then walked back to the hotel. Here's a picture of a mask stall at the art fair:

After resting a bit we jumped in a taxi and went to a local seafood restaurant. The atmosphere felt like a beach boardwalk type restaurant with ok food. After dinner we came back to the hotel and I watched the food channel before heading to bed. Have I mentioned that one of the reasons I love to travel is that I get to watch cable tv (I don't have cable at home)? Yes a bit shallow but, oh, so much fun! Food has been a challenge here. Costa Rica is definitely a country of meat eaters so trying to find non-meat dishes has been a bit difficult

On Monday we went on a tour to Poas volcano, the town of Grecia, and the town of Sarchi. On the way up to the volcano we saw a sloth hanging onto electric wires on the side of the road - pretty cool!

After arriving at the volcano we hiked up to the crater of the volcano but because of low clouds and rain we weren't able to see the crater. We then walked up to a small lagoon where we were disappointed again because we couldn't see it due to the clouds.

After visiting the volcano we went to lunch and then drove to 'the cleanest town in Central America' - Grecia. Grecia also has one of the only metal churches in the world. Apparantly, the only other metal church is in Milan. The Cathedral de la Mercedes is a gothic style church made from metal pieces that were imported from Belgium in the 1890’s. It is a deep red color and is beautiful both inside and out.

We then traveled to Sarchi where we toured the ox cart factory. This town has been making ox carts for over a century. Here's a blurb from a Costa Rica city guide: "A national symbol of Costa Rica, the oxcart plays a key role in the country’s history, as they were used to transport coffee beans to nearby and faraway markets. Highly ornate, these oxcarts are elegantly craved and are usually painted with bright colors. The largest and oldest oxcart factory is also found in Sarchi. The Joaquin Chaverri Oxcart Factory was built in 1902, and is considered to be the birthplace of oxcart handicrafts in Costa Rica." Once we were done in Sarchi we drove back to San Jose and were dropped off at the hotel.

Jane and I decided to walk back to the festival where we had dinner - pupusa's, green mango, and churros (fried dough with sugar) - yum! That's it for now - time to double check that everything is ready for tomorrow's training ... enjoy the pics. More to come!

Love, Alisia

Births

It happens every 3 - 5 years. There must be something in the water ... is it a government plan to increase the population of the US? It must be, because every 3 - 5 years a bunch of my friends become pregnant!

March - June of this year I'll have 5 new babies in my life because Danielle, Heidi, Kris, Amy, and Joyce are all due within weeks of each other.

Two have already arrived .. welcome to:

Luke Gervais Sodani- born March 19, 2008

Henry Atticus Yoon - born March 26, 2008

Kampala videos - quality NOT guaranteed!

Here are some videos taken from the balcony of my hotel room. These are my first attempts at using my camera as a video and unfortunately, the pictures are a lot clearer on my camera than they are here. For some reason, that I haven't figured out yet, they became fuzzy when uploaded to the web.

View from my hotel room during the day, click on the picture to hear the birds:


It was fun to watch this Marabou stork walk across the roof, again, sorry about the shaking video:


Sunrise from my balcony, click on the picture to hear the birds and frogs:


There was a conference held at the hotel while we were there. Click on the picture to hear some women singing as they walk toward the reception. I apologize in advance for any motion sickness you feel at the beginning of the clip: