Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Joelle in Action



Today, I've decided to post a progression of photos of Joelle. I'm including the time I took them so you see how quickly she gets into trouble!
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I came upon her on the dining room table (where she isn't supposed to be), and she suddenly hid behind my dad's laptop (photo time stamped 4:55pm).

Then less than a minute later (photo also time stamped 4:55pm) here she is chewing papers left on the table.

Here she is at 5:23pm sleeping (recuperating?) on her condo.

Here she is later that night (9:11pm) back on the table.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Nap Time!



Joelle still doesn't stay in one place for long, so I was lucky to catch her asleep on the couch with my mom and Sophie!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Poinsettia Christmas Tree



I was intrigued by this Christmas Tree made of Poinsettias at Fashion Valley. I was bummed I didn't have my camera until I realized my new cell phone had a camera. Yay!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Bad Kitty?



Joelle is so hyper, it's hard to catch her when she's still. I was lucky to catch her at rest here on my bed. We had to lock her in my room for a "time out" because she was getting into trouble.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Joelle Under the Tree



One of Joelle's favorite places is under the tree. We think it is most likely because we can't reach her under it very well so it's a good place to hide after getting in trouble!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Christmas Tree Decorated



I stink at indoor photos, but here is one of the Christmas Tree after we decorated it.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Under Construction



My parents' front yard has been under construction recently. Here's a picture of the yard part way done.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Christmas Tree Memories



When I was growing up, we always picked out and then cut our own Christmas tree from the Pinery Christmas Tree lot near our house. It's been years since there were trees to cut down, but we still get our tree from the same lot. In the last few years, though, my parents usually get the tree on their own because of timing. This year we decided to bring back the tradition and we all went together to get the tree. We ended up with 2 (one for our usual tree and one for on top of the piano). Lots of fun for Joelle (my parents kitten)!


Also, I couldn't resist posting multiple photos today as you may have noticed. This dog is one that lives at the pinery. According to the people who work there, this is one of his favorite spots!


And finally, here is one of Joelle, my parents' new kitten.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Christmas Decorations



With all that was happening with my dad, I wasn't sure I would get any Christmas Decorations up this year, but I did! It's always hard to get decent photos, but I did my best.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Pirates of the Caribbean Mobile



When visiting my dad at the hospital after his surgery, we spotted this car painted with a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. I was glad I had my camera with me!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Yucca Pendula in Bloom



At the same time the one in front is dying, the yucca pendula in my back yard is blooming!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Dying Yucca Pendula



Over the course of just a few weeks, this plant went from the one doing the best in my yard to on the verge of dying. My gardener tried to save it as this photo shows, but it later died to be replaced by some babies trying to grow back in its place.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Messy Trunk



Here is a shot of my messy trunk. I must admit it's not as messy as it usually is in this picture!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Addicted to Gum!



I'm not anywhere near as bad as I used to be (probably because it wasn't exactly professional to chew gum at work at Verizon and then later when work became teaching), but I've always loved chewing gum! Trident is probably my all time favorite brand.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Messy Back Seat



As my parents are well aware, my car (especially the back seat and trunk) tend to be quite messy. Here's a glimpse of my messy back seat.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sleep Deprived



It's been a while since I took this photo, but my guess is that it was during one of my not sleeping much phases!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Remnants of My Undergrad Days!



This Kente cloth was given to me when I participated in the Black Graduation Ceremony at Stanford. It currently hangs over the door to my study for lack of a better place to hang it!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Monday, September 14, 2009

Surprise!



I was surprised to come home and find this waiting on my porch.  I don't have kids and hadn't ordered anything recently.  After looking at the delivery label, I realized it had been delivered to the wrong house!  I took it down to my neighbor later that night.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Through the Trees



I was on campus today to pick something up even though we didn't have class. While I was there, I took this shot of the blue sky through a Palo Verde tree.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Paper Flower



Here's a close up of another one of my paper flower decorations in my house.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Dinner



It's been ages since I've tried to make an omelet at home. I can never quite get them to fold up right. This one didn't turn out too bad, though! In fact, remembering it is making me hungry now.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Bejeweled Blitz Craze



I've had a lot of people asking me this week how I scored over 100,000 on Bejeweled Blitz. Too bad I don't really have an answer! When I started playing, I wondered the same thing about other players. The only answer I have is that I play way more than I should, and it takes quite a bit of luck! Here's my latest high score.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Arizona Rainbow



As I drove up to work this morning, I noticed this rainbow. I didn't have my good camera with me, so this was the best I could do!  I tried playing around with the lighting and contrast, but it didn't get much better.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Looking Down



I took this photo as I was leaving work today. I hadn't really noticed this pattern on the railing before. Probably because I'm so busy coming or going!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Monday, August 31, 2009

Black Thumb



I think I've mentioned before that I have a black thumb.  Here's some evidence.  Since it's been incredibly hot (and dry) this summer, a lot of my plants were looking a little worse for wear.  In fact, I've even lost a couple in the back yard.  Anyway, I've started watering them a bit extra once a week or so.  The only problem?  This plant was getting plenty of water and now, well I've over watered it.  I have done it before (with a cactus).  I hope it can recover (even with the rain in the forecast).

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Night Photo Experimentation



When I realized I hadn't taken a photo tonight, I headed out into the front yard. I figured I would experiment with the flash to see how big a range the built in flash gets. One thing I learned: it's hard to focus manually when you can't see what you're focusing on! This is the only shot that came out relatively in focus.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Dr. Pepper



I admit it. I am a Dr. Pepper addict. I have pretty much stopped drinking non-diet soda except for Dr. Pepper. Sure, Diet Dr. Pepper isn't all that bad, but it's just not the original!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Livestock Haute Couture?!



This article (especially this segment) in Reader's Digest cracked me up, so I figured it would make a great photo for today. I couldn't imagine spending money on something like this, but I suppose there are worse things to blow your money on than this...

Monday, August 24, 2009

Minute Rice



I was desperate tonight and saw this (empty) box of Minute Rice in the kitchen.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Forever Plaid!



I finally got to see Forever Plaid again.  I'm so happy!  It was all I expected and more.  I really appreciate Kathy & Summer going with me, though I probably would have gone on my own if necessary.  Here's the program from the show.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Arizona Broadway Theatre



I finally went to pick up the tickets to Forever Plaid today (though I purchased them a few days ago online). It was nice seeing the theatre in daylight since it will be dark when we get there tomorrow. I took this picture after running in to get the tickets.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Unpacked Shipment



I have a (bad) habit of waiting until absolutely necessary to unpack things that have been shipped to me. Here's the latest purchase waiting to be unpacked.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Jazz Wall Art



When decorating my house, I bought this jazz wall art sculpture at Linens 'N Things (before it went out of business). It looks a bit lonely on my wall, but I love it!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Keeping Cool



Even on the incredibly hot summer days, I like to keep cool. I stick it out at around 80 degrees before my off-peak hours start, but then I crank up the AC (and set the temp closer to 75 or 76) as you see here.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Yes, Another Missed Day



As I'm catching up, I realized I missed more days in August than I thought. Yikes. Still more missed days to come (unfortunately)...

Saturday, August 15, 2009

A Place to Hang My Stuff



As the title says, this is a place to hang my stuff-- at least my keys anyway.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

On Campus...Again



I've been on campus quite a bit this summer. I was back yet again today. While I was out in Ocotillo, I took this shot of one of the trees. Nothing too inspiring, but at least I remembered to take a photo today...

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Crispix



My mom sent this box of Crispix back with me when I left San Diego. Unfortunately, I don't have any milk so it's been sitting here for a couple of weeks. One of these days I'll get to the grocery store!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Looking Up



I was on campus for meetings today, and as I was leaving I looked up at the stormy skies. Since I had my cameras with me, I set down my stuff and decided to take some photos! Here's my favorite.

Monday, August 10, 2009

The Birds!



I went to get the emissions check for my car registration today at the new station in Goodyear. I was about ready to turn around and go home though when my car was continually dive bombed by birds while I was driving. I swear I have never seen so many birds. None of the photos I took could come close to capturing the massive number of birds in the area. They were everywhere!

After getting through the line at the check station, I decided to pull over and take this photo. Luckily, I was far enough away from the birds to escape without any attacks or other "surprises."

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Cable Box Reboot



My cable box decided to reboot itself tonight. It makes me crazy when it does this because for hours afterward, it gets stuck on channel 94.