Happy Thanksgiving, eh!!!

It's pretty weird to not be with family today - I miss you guys and wish I were back home with you all!!


It's not the first time this has happened though, so I'm trying to channel 1994 when I was lucky enough to go to NY for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (AOB, baby!!)... it was super fantastic to be in New York and to be in the parade - we did the tourist activities, shopped, and even saw a show. However....the 26 1/2 hour bus ride each way was TOUGH - especially on the return trip which was on thanksgiving. To this day I'm still not sure if it was a lack of planning or just the only option available, but one thing lead to another and our thanksgiving meal was at a truck stop - no lie. Not only was it a truck stop - but we were 300+ strong, so by the time those of us lucky enough to be at the end of the line got to the counter, there was no food left! Pre-packaged powdered donuts for us! Happy Thanksgiving to us!! :)

But hey, it makes for a good story, right?

That said, Clay and I woke up today and made a decision: if we can't be with family and friends, if we can't have a traditional thanksgiving meal (or even a truck stop meal), well then...we're leaving the country!!

Clay's brand new passport has been burning a whole in his pocket since he got it, we have 4 days off, so let's go to Canada, eh!! :)

ps-the Ga Tech band was in the parade this year so I was definitely thinking of them all day too - but don't worry, I checked their itenerary and they all had a big thanksgiving meal in NY before heading home - hopefully the directors learned a lesson from our trip back in 94 ;)

Mystery Monday

Hi everyone!!

Nothing too entertaining or insightful to post today I'm afraid, but I'm not gonna let that stop me from actually posting ;)

So the question of the day: what the heck is in this picture??? Several of these creatures turned up in the woodsy area by my new building and no one seems to know their purpose, so I thought I would turn to my trusty blogience to see if any of y'all know (or how creative you can be in your guesses)... I call them UFO's, others refer to them as weather balloons, and yet still others try to insist they are lights, although I have walked these woods MANY times in the dark now that it gets dark at noon), and I have yet to see any light beaming from the orb...

What do you think?? -->

Sorry - I can't help it!!

But I have to give you all a big serving of the kool-aid in this post...

I just continue to be amazed at this place. Right now I'm lounging in a cafeteria on a comfy couch with my feet propped up and my free diet coke to my right as I wait for my free transportation to pick me up and take me home. This place is just too cool. I actually drove to work yesterday because I had an appointment after work - and do you know it was the first time I've done so in a month?!? I'm saving so much on gas and wear and tear to my car (even though Clay and I now share a car, we still drive so rarely that my car battery literally died on me when I left my phone plugged in!) and as a kicker I don't have to deal with traffic and I get an extra hour back in my day in which I can work, read, nap, or surf the net.... and I don't even have to go home - you can take any of their buses so I've even taken a different one to another part of the city after work for appointments or dinner or whatever - I just love it! In fact I'm enjoying it so much it is quickly gaining on the FREE medical coverage as my favorite benefit....

So back to the couch I'm sitting on... the culture and work environment never ceases to amaze and amuse me. I'm reminded each day as I walk past (or sit in) cozy little conversation/work areas scattered throughout each building how laid back it is here, what a collaborative and inviting atmosphere they create. Do you know there are literally ping pong tables and fussball tables scattered in most buildings too? And people actually use them! What a great way to step away from the code bug you're stuck on to take a breather before you tackle it again or to run your problem by a coworker. I also love that everyone is welcome in every building on campus - even the high tech research building or the executive center - how cool is that? At shaftrust I couldn't even get into non-HR floors or suites in my very own building!

Ok so my last bit of praise before I lose you all to a sweet tooth toothache is my beloved zune... I know I've raved about it before, but they just made an announcement today that makes it even cooler: not only did they add 2 more free games to download, but they upgraded the "zune pass". The zune pass is a monthly subscription that allows you to download as many songs as you want - the only catch being that once you end your subscription, you lose rights to those songs (so basically you're just renting the songs with the pass). Cool, right? Well now not only do you get to rent as many as you want, but you get 10 songs per month that you can keep now!! Very cool considering the monthly fee is $14 so it's kinda like you pay for one album and get to rent as many as you want for free!! I'm stoked :) I'm not sure if you have to have a zune in order to use the software and the social, but there is a free 14 day trial if you want to check it out - I highly recommend it! You can also look at me and see what I've been listening to, fave songs, most played artists, etc - my tag is erikaleighc.

Ok I guess I'll let you all go now - it's probably time for a cult meeting soon anyways ;)

Love and miss you all,
e :)

Fieldtrips for...ATLANTA!! :)

Clay and I both officially have travel dates for the ATL now!!

Clay arrives 12/12 and I arrive on 12/18 (work is keeping me here a little longer so I can meet my international coworkers - but truth be told I'm actually excited despite the fact that it is keeping me from home) and we both return to Seattle (or should I say "home"??) on 12/29.

We're so super excited!

A few people have asked what we'd like to do when we're back in town (ok....you caught me - it was only my mom....but she puts forth the love of several people - not to mention the fact it makes me feel better, so I'm exaggerating this to a "few" people - ok???), and so far I haven't suggested anything outside the ordinary.

However, I just came across something that looks really interesting to me: you Hotlantans might have heard about this tons before, but it's a first for me: "Dialog in the Dark: Your Senses will Never Be the Same" - it looks super cool!!!

Bottom line I'd love to go - anyone want to join????

Love and miss you all :)
E. :0)

Field Trips Revisited...

So I owe you all a huge apology...

All this time...

We've been venturing out, exploring the city, documenting our travels, yet I've been depriving all y'all of our exploits.

I come to you now for both forgiveness and redemption.

Thus this post: a catch-up on all of our undocumented summer ventures (and yes, I understand this is probably a lame attempt at some sunshine in this dark, rainy night...but such is Seattle.... ) So I can't guarantee these pics to be timely, fully explained, or even sequential.....yet here it goes y'all....

In the past I've taken you all to pike place market at least half a dozen times, exposed you all to the friendly fremont troll, the beauty that is Lake Union and its hundreds of sail boats...brought you along to nearby waterfalls and train depots and ferries... a fire festival, a display of freedom represented mostly by naked peeps, and last but not least....the county hospital.

... and I know what you're all thinking: "what else could possibly be left, our fearless leader"???

Just you wait, kids. Just you wait.

Ok, so I'm sure that's entirely too much of a build-up, but surely it beats sitting at a desk pretending to work like you are surely all doing right this second... (ha! caught you turkeys!!!)

And so begins my first trip down memory lane - and I can promise you all (good or bad) that there will be several more to follow. (But don't worry - I promise to break them up so as not to cause you to read too much at once)

#1 on my agenda is most assuredly Leavenworth, WA:

Enter into evidence our tubin' trip of the NW. You see, Vanessa and I had been planning a get-together of sorts for awhile, and seeing as how it was merely June or July - we knew we had to take advantage of the rare summer weather. So which is it: tubin' down a lazy river or a battle with the rapids in white-water rafting?? Hmmm..... Erika had her vote - and I know you're all surprised - but it did NOT involve lots of hard work or a price tag of over $25. And so I bring you............ (drum roll, please) ........... Tubin' down the Wenatchee.

Now as much as I hate to say it - no pics of the tubes or the four of us lounging in said tubes were officially documented. But don't worry - I'm pretty sure you're much better off in this scenario than you would be in witnessing the not-always-pretty sight of our trip.

And such it begins: typical men that Clay and Bill are, it was left up to the chicaritas to do all planning (I know, such a surprise, right?). And for that I'd say we did pretty well. We had a plan: a destination, a tubin' company, and an approximate timeline. Bill and Clay, on the other hand, just might disagree.

So I admit that we took a little long getting loaded up and headed out of Seattle (the hordes of people in town for the annual weed festival didn't help...no lie.) but we were on the road at a decent hour. One stop at the world's s-l-o-w-e-s-t sub shop and we were getting closer...slowly, but surely. Then comes the mountain drives - curvy and slow, sure. What we had not factored into the time equation was the driver: you see Clay was gracious enough to drive us all, but you have to remember that Clay has probably only driven a total of 15 hours in the 5 months since he moved out to Washington. Needless to say, we had a grandma on our hands. (Insert flashback here to high school when I was driving on a back road and I was stuck behind a slow car... "Let's go, grandpa" I say before whipping around the car in my responsible, yet non-senior citizen like pace.....only to see that - swear to the good Lord above - in the car was really my grandma and grandpa. Doh!)

But I digress...3 hours later we finally made it to Leavenworth. A few phone calls and many, many circles driving around downtown later and we find it! Tube Leavenworth. Let's just say that thank goodness they stayed open an extra hour that day due to the crowds and great weather - lucky for us!!

I have to say this experience was far different from any back home, this was no Hooch folks! For starters the tubes were somethin' way fancier than down south - no simple black tires for us! They were double stuffed, had a bottom and a hammock seat - a cup holder, and even a pillow! Add to that a cooler tube and hooks on each tube to stay close to each other (and more importantly the cooler float) if you wanted to, and some FRIGGIN COLD water, and it was quite a different experience - but it was GREAT.

Once we all thawed out and started to adjust to the non-GA/FL water, we were really starting to enjoy it. A few tee-tiny waterfalls here and there, a deer - no! two, three! - deer later and I was truly feeling relaxed. Ahhhh!! a tee-tiny rapid or three just added a little fun and splash.

But quickly Bill and Clay have made some headway and are a good bit ahead of me and V. "Boys!" "Boys!!" "Where are you going?? That's not the path!!!" Fine. Whatever - V. and I are good sports - so we quickly paddle (with the frisbees provided for the task - and quite handy might I add) toward their detour. Fine... Guys 1, Girls 0.

Ok, this isn't funny kids - this is getting a little shallow. Are you sure we shouldn't have followed the teenagers that are so obviously local kids using the day as an excuse to see each other in their skivies and sneak and hide some beer on the "reeve-er"?? I really think they know what they're doing - unlike us! Ok fine. Fine! No. Really. The rocks are starting to scrape my dragging arse... This is getting un-funnier by the rock boys, but fine I promise I'll be a good girlfriend and play along...

"Ok. SERIOUSLY." Not only is my arse dragging at this point - there are times when I am really STUCK. So up I stand - to literally walk to a deeper point hobbling over the sharp rocks looking to determine which side of the river will be the most forgiving... Ahhh. Finally. The deeper waters are back and the rocks have disappeared... Or so I THOUGHT!!! Gosh darn it here they come again - "Owwww!!!!! This isn't funny!!!"

But no matter how hard I try to convince them otherwise - the boys are laughing hysterically downstream where they've pulled off and parked to watch the spectacle. "Thanks guys!" I holler, "as if I didn't have enough body image issues already!!" This is ridiculous. Quickly visions of a beached whale finally slipping back into the current after a very long 30 day fast quickly flood my brain in a panic... At that thought I quickly stand up, pick up my fancy huge tube, drag it along next to me, and WALK /RUN the rest of their "detour". PUNKS!!!

Ahhhhh finally back in the REAL river - safe from my impending doom and lonely beached life - phew. I see the local teenagers ahead. We must be safe now. And slowly I begin to relax again, this time appreciating the deep water much more than before. A few floaters cruise past, others linger as we lap them at the speed of the tortoise. "This is what I was looking forward to" I say to myself as I lazily drift down the peaceful river...

Another half hour or so and I'm still doing great, but at this point the liquid I've been sipping on has made it's way through my peaceful (yet narrowly-escaped-from-a-very-ill fate) bod. "Uh-oh" you might think...but silly you, you forgot about one of the many thrills of tubing - the lack of a need to actually find a bathroom! Ever wonder why none of your friends have to stop and tinkle on your 3 hour long tubing session?? I don't. And I'm ok to admit it kids. (Sorry!!)

So I strategically make my way ahead of the gang, pull of to a slightly shallower area (but not TOO shallow!!!), let my river flow, and hop back into my tube - the gang none-the-wiser. Back they join me, and sure enough mr. bill has my same concern....but alas, Mr. bill lacked a bit of planning that ms. management major had....

No worries right away - a hop off the tube and although cold - definitely still perfectly within tubing norms. that is....until re-boarding time.

Now to this day I'm quite convinced the upcoming show was for no one but me, but regardless (or shall I say for those less versed in vocabulary and those wanting to chap my hide just a bit more - IRregardless - look it up folks, it's not a real world!!!!) I love him that much more for putting on the show...

Let's just suffice it to say that it can be quite difficult to hop up on a double decker tube with your swimmin' trunks below your crack and no shallow riverbed on which to boost oneself up on!!! For the next 10 minutes I worked off every bit of weight I had felt in shallow waters as I watched Jesus try unsuccessfully to pull himself up on his raft. Oh - the pictures forever burned into all of our brains... I'm not gonna lie to you - it just about made up for the shallow waters they dragged me through just to see cheek after cheek try to flop up on the tire time and time again while the inner-plumber grinned at me in between attempts at launching itself up on the float - all the while arms and legs flailing in the splashes.....

Approximately 8 or 9 minutes later Bill was back up on his tube and we were unable to breathe through the laughter, but were all the happier for having witnessed the spectacle of flailing crackdom....

Thanks Bill!

So alas we were nearing the end and sadly enough the drop off point was inevitable... At that point leave it to Erika to miss the drop off, have to leap out of my double-wide, and swim panic-y against the current to make it back to the exit spot. (Note to those the current gets really strong at the end!!) It was so bad I had to actually dunk my whole body into the frigid water in a moment of survival, but don't worry kids - i also managed to save my drink which stayed above water the entire under-water doggie paddle time, all the while keeping my glasses on my face, so all in all I'd say a successful trip!!! What a blast.

We all made it safely out of the ree-ver, all managed to (gracefully or not so much so) get changed into our dry clothes in the parking lot, and drove back into town. The town is basically like Helen, GA so we ventured to a German Restaurant (Clay's favorite - not!) and proceeded to refuel after the long, long day...

What a fantastic day and a fantastic way to enjoy the Washington outdoors!

So start planning your next trip kids, and remember to request a trip to Leavenworth ;)

Happy Birthday Tanner!!!

That's right folks - I am now the proud aunt of a double-digit igit!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANNER!!!

I wish I were with you to celebrate, but since I'm not make sure to eat an extra piece of cake for me. I hope you had a great day with papa visiting your school and getting all of the presents you hoped for :)

I love you and miss you TJ!!!

Thank you Dad and Jake...

...and all of the other amazing men and women who have served to protect us all. I can never even begin to imagine what all that means - what it must be like to go to a foreign land and fight for people back home who are not able or not willing to do the same, to literally put your life on the line, to face the horrors that you did, to carry that with you always, and to do so virtually thanklessly...

Thank you seems so hollow and so little for such a gigantic task, but that is all I can think to say.... well that and I'm sending you each a huge virtual hug to accompany the thank you :)

In the spirit of today, I saw this article today and remembered the time I was lucky enough to help these guards lay a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier: http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/10/1667441.aspx. Those guards were amazing: here were 4 6th grade chorus kids incapable of understanding the magnitude of this monument, and the guards were so kind and friendly. He explained to us the exact steps we were to take, the exact moves we were supposed to make - he joked with us, smiled widely, and lined us up. But once we stepped foot outside and began our procession, he turned into a different person - hardly a person at all - more like a moving statue. There was such honor and dedication in his perfectionism. What an amazing experience. If only everyone treated all soldiers with that respect and appreciation....

Thank you Veterans.

Is this thing on?

Just checking.


I'm having flashbacks to lonely days in middle and high school when I would pick up the phone just to make sure there is a dial tone and it's still working...

Admit it - you've all done it at least 3 or 4 times in your lifetime.


Thanks guys. Thanks.


I'm going to go back and cry in my corner now.

War games in dark times....

So not only have both this blog and my entire voting state gone a bit dark politically, but they have both turned in the literal sense as well.

Do you have any idea why time it gets dark around here??

Well let me back up for a minute here, my non-commenting readers: it was back a month or two ago in a large team meeting when it happened. It all started innocent enough - a talk about our move to the new & improved HR building. Ahha, the new building has a parking deck that is a block away from the building. No biggie, right? Well....the walk to the parking deck is through a wooded pathway....so it is fine right now. But when the winter comes and it starts getting dark at 4...

"WHAAAAT?!?!?!?
IT STARTS GETTING DARK AT FOUUURRRRRR???????"

DOH!!! Was that out loud???

Immediately the other 20 people in the room start laughing hysterically at the young, naive southerner. Hahaha - she doesn't know about our Alaska-like seasons!! Teeheehee - she doesn't realize Seattle is simply L.A. - Lower Alaska!!! Haha folks, haha. My manager then says to the director in front of everyone: "Shhh - I wasn't planning to tell her that until our November one on one meeting!!"

Hilarious Seattle, friggin hilarious.

So you know what kids? It's November. And it's dark. REALLY dark. REALLY early. Apparently it's not the worst it's going to get - but I seriously left my office to walk to my bus stop a mere 3 days ago at 5pm...5 P.M. PEOPLE. Should be light, right??

WRONG. Here's what I'm immediately faced with - the picture to the right. I wish there were a time stamp on the pic so you would all believe me. 5:00 in the evening and it is already this dark!!!!

Crazy, eh??? Welcome to Seattle kids, it's dark.
...REALLY dark.
...Before 5pm.
...Seriously!!!

Now it's time for the war games...

The best part of moving to the new HR building: the new company store and visitor center are right there in my building!! Pretty cool! Not only can I shop when I need to stretch my legs, but I can also play with a Surface or see old computers and ancient pics of bill and the other original msft team anytime I want! Awesome!!

But, folks, it gets even better.

You see, Gears of War 2 just released on Friday, which apparently means that it pre-releases at 4pm the day before at our company store. AWESOME. Literally hundreds of gamers lined up for hours before and after 4pm to be the first to get the game (at less than half of retail, btw) and to get the opportunity to play it an extra 24 hours before their fellow gamers.

Hysterical folks :)

It was hard to keep working with this level of people watching around. I know it's hard to tell from this pic - but there were hundreds of them coiled around our newly established lobby and company store - and that's right people...JUST for you - I once again risk life and limb to position myself and snap pictures of these creatures in their natural habitat....

And yes, they saw me taking the pictures and cursed my documentation of the event. Or were they proud?? You be the judge.

ps-there was some cool stuff that happened lately too - I like to pretend we were not as lamo as the gamers or the early darkness, but Clay, Vanessa, Bill (aka Hey-suess), and I recently went to a comedy show that rocked my face off.

Judah Friedlander (aka Frank from "30 Rock" on the left) and Brian Posehn (aka the opera-singing mailman from "Just Shoot Me" on the right) were fabulous and they even hung around to chill with us peeps after the show.

Here are the pics to prove!

Loe and miss you all,

e. :)

Did someone give you all diamonds?

Because you guys are speechless.... Or as Ron White so eloquently put it: "diamonds: that'll shut 'er up."

Hmmmm so it is now up to me to decide if you are all:

• Obama lovers,
• you can't find the comment link on my new format,
• you are all so bored with my blog (and/or my lack of frequent posts these days) that I've lost you,
• or you have turned Washingtonian-ly politically correct via internet osmosis.

So which is it???

Well until I figure it out, I'm trying to stand strong and I'm pretending you are all having internet access problems. Deal? Deal. (and ps-if your answer is #1 then don't tell me - I'm much too fragile right now.....)

i meant no harm

....in blaming or addressing anybody in particular - I'm just unbelievably angry and disappointed where things ended up.

So I'm Done.

I'm returning my recently-acquired Washington license and tags.

As soon as possible.

In return,

I'm demanding they refill my GA license hole that they punched.

ASAP.

My beautifully wonderful GA license must be reinstated.

Immediately.

If not...

I'm moving to Mexico.

Immediately

Warning folks - this is going to get political. and ugly. FAST.

I didn't think I'd get this worked up about this gosh darn election, but here I am: sitting and stewing in fury. Obviously a large part of it is my candidate didn't win (screw the neutral bullcrap I've been bathing in up here - I'm SICK of it!!!) and you add to that the fact that the election was called before my vote had even been counted and this just blows.

I have been absolutely effing sick to my stomach day in and day out living in hippie land with obama b.s. everywhere ALL THE TIME and if I hear one more person say his effing name that sounds way too similar to an effing terrorist I'm going to pop a cap in someone's ass. That's right people: Erika is getting mad. VERY, VERY mad.

• I'm sick of hearing that the economy is all W's fault: it was NOT W who put the b.s. laws in place that mandated low-income mortgages, and the prior incumbents did NOT have the enormously difficult task of dealing with terrorists attacks on our land.
• I'm sick of having to hide my opinion in fear of being ripped to shreds by all of the liberals I work with and share a state with.
• I'm sick of hearing the word "change" without any details - or heaven forbid - any experience to back it up and prove what you stand for.
• I'm sick of ignorant people who are allowed to vote when they don't research the issues.
• I'm sick of a man who served for his country (as did generations in his family both before and after him) being harassed by his opponent about not being able to "use email" or "tie his own shoes" without the explanation that those things are impossible for him now due to injuries sustained during his unimaginable time of service and POW-time he spent standing by his men.
• I'm sick of showmanship being the deciding factor when it should be the issues and voting history of the candidates that matters.
• I'm sick of candidates who promise to use a fundraising cap and then back out when they realize they can swing more votes by spending a ridiculous amount of money on advertising. Advertising is for coke and pepsi - not something this important you idiots!!!!
• I'm sick of people who believe that anything other than "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" to be a right: god-given healthcare, home ownership, and welfare just a few examples!!!
• I'm sick of big fat-head D's growing our national government rather than focusing on states' rights when it is NOT the way it should be - not in the original founding of our country or in my opinion right now.
• I'm sick of a race that became about race when that has absolutely nothing to do with a candidate's character.
• Lastly I'm sick of candidates who stoop to the lowest common denominator - who make incomplete blanket statements so as to sway uneducated voters. Wake up and do your research people!!!

So you know what bullbama? Take it. Take this economy and show us how you can single-handedly make it so amazing when it was so obviously one man who tore it down.

I know I shouldn't be surprised - but damn if I'm not still disappointed in you America.