Carol & I visited my aunt, uncle, and cousin in Wyoming during our vacation in August. We had such a great time with them -- it was so relaxing. The drive from Yellowstone to central Wyoming was gorgeous. Here Bob, my uncle, plays his Victrola phonograph for us. What a treat! Enjoy.
Here we are gardening with Nada and Bob, we had a lot of fun there and a great dinner that night.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
January 2010 to July 2010
Hello I'm back. There's not much going on with us lately. We are just working a lot and trying not to spend too much money, Below is a video that shows some of what we've been up to. Take care.
Here we are enjoying a gorgeous day in San Francisco during our staycation.
This is what you couldn't see in the video at Robb & Kathy Phillips house above (Robb is on the guitar). We were celebrating Kathy's 40th BD. Robb and I went to high school together at Lindhurst, class of 1985. Kathy is a great person too, and we are lucky to call them both friends.
This is Montara State Beach, near Pacifica. It was a nice day but too windy. If the fog ever lifted we might like to go back sometime.
This is Chico Pinocchio. He tries so hard to be a person. I wonder sometimes what it is that he longs to tell us.
As you can see, we try to find a lot of free things to do. It would be a lot easier if the weather would just cooperate; we are now in July and it seems that we still haven't kicked winter all the way out yet. Well, this is what we've been up to lately... not a lot. Feel free to tell us what you've been doing this summer. ciao.
Here we are enjoying a gorgeous day in San Francisco during our staycation.
This is what you couldn't see in the video at Robb & Kathy Phillips house above (Robb is on the guitar). We were celebrating Kathy's 40th BD. Robb and I went to high school together at Lindhurst, class of 1985. Kathy is a great person too, and we are lucky to call them both friends.
This is Montara State Beach, near Pacifica. It was a nice day but too windy. If the fog ever lifted we might like to go back sometime.
This is Chico Pinocchio. He tries so hard to be a person. I wonder sometimes what it is that he longs to tell us.
As you can see, we try to find a lot of free things to do. It would be a lot easier if the weather would just cooperate; we are now in July and it seems that we still haven't kicked winter all the way out yet. Well, this is what we've been up to lately... not a lot. Feel free to tell us what you've been doing this summer. ciao.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Birthday Dinner March 2010 - Lomo Saltado
This is a common but delicious Peruvian dish called Lomo Saltado. Carol never makes the same thing twice; she always manages to find something new to add. This was for my birthday last March.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Happy Holidays to all...
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Jolly Kwanza, Festive Festivus, and a Happy New Year to everyone. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. Ah hell, goodwill toward all the ladies too (the holidays are no time for needless misogyny eh?)
On December17th Carol finally returned home after a 6-week visit with her family in Lima, Peru. As already noted in a previous blog entry, it was a long and difficult time apart (for me anyway). Apparently Carol was so busy having fun and enjoying herself that she hardly had time to think about poor little 'ol me. Here she is in Lunahuana rafting down a river with her brother, Victor.
Carol became a little confused, she thought the rafting was done outside the raft, on the bottom. Once that little misunderstanding was settled they had a real good time.
...meanwhile I was stuck at home taking care of Chico (our little chihuahua mix) and performing all the mundane domestic chores around the apartment. I was able to find a Yule tree and have it fully decorated before Carol returned. I decided not to light this one on fire this year.
The shopping around Christmastime was mad, but we managed to take a stroll by the pier and watch the ice skaters by Union Square one afternoon.
We didn't go skating this time, but a previous Christmas we did. Here's a video where Carol ice skates for the first time. She got the hang of it and did really well, which is true of anything Carol tries.
After a visit to the pier Carol wanted nachos from the Wipeout Grill, so here's a little video from that visit.
By the way, the nachos at Wipeout are fantastic! Especially served with steak, mmm..
Carol & I shared a nice holiday together. Carol cooked a delicious meal, as always, on Christmas Eve. She baked a turkey steak in a yummy sauce, with a fresh avacado salad, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, rice, and ambrosia salad.
Carol is always a genius in the kitchen; she never runs out of new ideas. Then we opened a bottle of champagne and listened to music, and danced. We shared our gifts and had a real fun time.
On December17th Carol finally returned home after a 6-week visit with her family in Lima, Peru. As already noted in a previous blog entry, it was a long and difficult time apart (for me anyway). Apparently Carol was so busy having fun and enjoying herself that she hardly had time to think about poor little 'ol me. Here she is in Lunahuana rafting down a river with her brother, Victor.
Carol became a little confused, she thought the rafting was done outside the raft, on the bottom. Once that little misunderstanding was settled they had a real good time.
...meanwhile I was stuck at home taking care of Chico (our little chihuahua mix) and performing all the mundane domestic chores around the apartment. I was able to find a Yule tree and have it fully decorated before Carol returned. I decided not to light this one on fire this year.
The shopping around Christmastime was mad, but we managed to take a stroll by the pier and watch the ice skaters by Union Square one afternoon.
We didn't go skating this time, but a previous Christmas we did. Here's a video where Carol ice skates for the first time. She got the hang of it and did really well, which is true of anything Carol tries.
After a visit to the pier Carol wanted nachos from the Wipeout Grill, so here's a little video from that visit.
By the way, the nachos at Wipeout are fantastic! Especially served with steak, mmm..
Carol & I shared a nice holiday together. Carol cooked a delicious meal, as always, on Christmas Eve. She baked a turkey steak in a yummy sauce, with a fresh avacado salad, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, rice, and ambrosia salad.
Carol is always a genius in the kitchen; she never runs out of new ideas. Then we opened a bottle of champagne and listened to music, and danced. We shared our gifts and had a real fun time.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Scenes from Cingoli
In October 2006, Carol and I took a vacation to Italy. We visited Rome, Cingoli, Assisi, then Florence. Cingoli is the home of Elena (Sorci) who was a foreign exchange student at Lindhurst High back in 1984/85. Cingoli (pronounced CHEEN-go-lee) is a small town near the Adriatic Sea on the east coast of Italy. This was the most beautiful part of our trip. If I had known how lovely and relaxing it would be we would have planned to stay longer than one day. Elena first took us to see the house they were building on a hilltop overlooking plush green farmland (see the video below) although this day it was a little hazy. Then we drove into town and looked around a bit, and later we all had lunch in Elena & Daniel's apartment. Afterwords they drove us to Assisi to see the famous cathedral and frescos there (which I have heard sustained significant damage due to a recent earthquake).
Here are additional photos from Cingoli, and some old frescos from a small church there:
Later we had a delicious lunch which Elena made for us:
We had a fun time watching their son, Damiano, while Elena was cooking:
Then we took a lovely drive to the church where Elena and Daniel were married (the church is not pictured):
And then they drove us to Assisi and toured the cathedral of St. Francis:
There are many more pictures and videos to come, so please check back again later.
Here are additional photos from Cingoli, and some old frescos from a small church there:
Later we had a delicious lunch which Elena made for us:
We had a fun time watching their son, Damiano, while Elena was cooking:
Then we took a lovely drive to the church where Elena and Daniel were married (the church is not pictured):
And then they drove us to Assisi and toured the cathedral of St. Francis:
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
A couple videos from 2006/2007
Below is a little video in which I give Carol a hard time about getting her driving permit. After 3 years in which Carol was forced to rely solely upon me or on her trusty bicycle for transportation, she finally earns a bit of real freedom in America for the first time.
And in this video we relay a story about a funny remark Carol makes one day at the consignment shop. We always get a big laugh out of this. Enjoy.
And in this video we relay a story about a funny remark Carol makes one day at the consignment shop. We always get a big laugh out of this. Enjoy.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Our first blog post!
Hello everyone, and welcome. This is Jeff coming to you today solo from Burlingame, CA, just minutes away from San Francisco Intl Airport. Long time no see. I am flying solo today because Carol is away visiting her mother and family in Lima, Peru for a few weeks. What an experience it has been; I AM COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED! Between working, cooking for myself, taking care of the dog, running errands, shopping for food, etc., etc., I hardly have any time for myself. Being without my lover, life-partner, and best friend for 6 weeks is really taking its toll on me. But I do have a renewed sense of appreciation for all the love, care, and support that Carol provides for me each and every day. She is the best, and I am truly lucky to have found her.
And I would like to say to all my friends out there in cyberspace that I am sorry for having lived like such a recluse these last few years. This blog is an attempt to partly remedy that discrepancy. I hope that through this blog I can reconnect with friends, and share our most current news, photos, and videos with all of you, and vice-versa.
So without further adieu I want to provide everyone with a summary of what we have been up to lately. As some of you may know, Carol and I were married on June 25, 2005 (or as I like to call it, Christmas in June). Shortly after getting married we had the pleasure of attending the Lindhurst High School Class of 1985 20 year reunion. This event was the last time I saw or spoke with many of you, for which I am deeply sorry. We have so much catching up to do! The reunion was a blast, and it was really great to see everyone from my old school. I think we had (and still have) a really great class.
I've had some ups and downs over the years, during which time my life took some circuitous and unexpected turns. But I look back on those times and I am thankful that, for the most part, things have turned out OK anyway. When I turned 30, after working at a bunch of deadend jobs, I decided to go back to college. I did the community college gig for two years, then I was accepted at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the computer science program. About a year before going back to college I had picked up some books at the bookstore, just out of sheer boredom and curiousity, and tried to learn computer programming on my own. To my surprise I found that I had some aptitude for it! So I went off to college to make it my career. Things were going pretty good at college for a while, and then after a couple years at Cal Poly I started to feel depressed. I began to reflect on all the time required to spend before a computer monitor and it started to bum me out. And I thought that when I started working in my field it would only get worse. I began to feel that maybe this wasn't the career for me after all. Also I began to have doubts about certain priorites of the university administration and the curriculum, and suddenly it seemed to me like I was buying into an enormous welfare program instead of getting the best education that I could buy. Well, that was maybe 10% of it. So I quit the program and never looked back. I still carry a student loan to remind me of those precious moments spent in beautiful San Luis Obispo. While on the one hand it may seem like a waste, yet I still have the self-confidence that propelled me in that direction in the first place; I learned enough to know that I don't need a degree to make a living as a programmer. It was fun as a hobby, but doing it all the time just became a drag.
In November 2003 I got a job with a major global shipping company as a courier (I don't mention their name here because probably a team of bored lawyers from the company will get litigious if I ever say something offensive on this blog; but their color is purple). I've been there over 6 years now. It's been a lot of work and a lot of BS, but at least it's a steady job. It has helped me to provide myself and Carol with a decent living. We lived in a tiny apartment in Redwood City for about 4 years, then about 3 months ago we moved from there to little bigger apartment in Burlingame. While in Redwood City we got a little dog, a chihuahua mix, that we named Chiquito (or Chico). He wasn't legal though. We had to hide him from the landlord, and did so for about 16 months before finally we found our current place. He has been such a source of joy to us, but especially to Carol. Her adjustment to the pace of life here in the U.S. has been difficult at times. She was accustomed to living with her mother and brothers, and aunts and cousins her entire life, in a strong, supportive social environment. And when she came here... well, things were just a lot different. But I give Carol a lot of credit; I believe that she has adjusted here much better than most people would.
I first was introduced to my wife, Carol, through a website called amigos.com. It's one of those all latina/latino dating sites. When I had earned my first vacation at my new job I began to plan a vacation to visit Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca ruins, near Cuzco, Peru. While there I hoped to connect with some hot ladies and have some fun. I certainly wasn't planning on finding a wife. In fact, during that phase of my life I was content to remain single. I was ready to just have fun --- there was no way that I would marry anybody, so I thought. But Carol and I struck up a friendship, and before long we were talking on the phone a lot. By the time my vacation finally came we had already learned a lot about each other, and there was some mutual interest between us. But I didn't expect it to come to much; I still was not interested in getting tied down. However, we did decide to hang out together while visiting Machu Picchu together.
We had a terrific time. I found that Carol was adventurous, full of laughter, carefree, open-minded, honest, and much more. And it turned out that she liked me a lot; she really took me by surprise one evening as we were dining together, and she opened up her heart to tell me quite plainly how she could picture us together in the future, and how she would like to be with me. She was genuine and open in a way that I hadn't experienced in women back in the states.
It was refreshing, but still I was a little wary. I don't remember what I said in response, I think I said something kind of neutral so that I could stall for time. But the clincher for me came when we finally parted at the airport, after spending more than a week touring Cuzco and Lima together. Her eyes were filled with tears and she could barely speak. I think we both had the feeling that we may never see each other again. She didn't beg, or press me for answers. She didn't need to because that image stuck in my mind more firmly than anything she could have possibly said. I was really touched in a way that I didn't think I could be anymore. It remained with me for weeks; I couldn't get her out of my mind. Well, we did keep in touch, and now you know the rest of the story.
Fast-forward now to the present. Lately I've been busy working a lot, and spending time with Carol and relaxing whenever I can. When we first married we agreed (by an arm-wrestling competition) to wait 4 years before having children. I figured that would provide us with plenty of time to travel and grow close before the little ones came to ruin everything and run our entire lives. (Carol is going to kill me when she reads this). Actually what happened is we spent 4 years honing our rhetorical skills debating about when we would really have children. So, after four plus years of marriage I have an announcement to make... drum roll please... we don't have any children right now but maybe pretty soon we will. But I will be very happy to finally announce the birth of our child when it does happen.
We have been fortunate enough to travel a bit during the last four years. In the near future, and as time allows, I hope to include some pictures and videos here to catalog our adventures great and small. And from time to time I hope to include a much more concise update (than this one) to let everyone know how things are going with us. Please leave your comments and pictures, or links, so that we may keep in touch. Thanks for reading; there's more to come.
And I would like to say to all my friends out there in cyberspace that I am sorry for having lived like such a recluse these last few years. This blog is an attempt to partly remedy that discrepancy. I hope that through this blog I can reconnect with friends, and share our most current news, photos, and videos with all of you, and vice-versa.
So without further adieu I want to provide everyone with a summary of what we have been up to lately. As some of you may know, Carol and I were married on June 25, 2005 (or as I like to call it, Christmas in June). Shortly after getting married we had the pleasure of attending the Lindhurst High School Class of 1985 20 year reunion. This event was the last time I saw or spoke with many of you, for which I am deeply sorry. We have so much catching up to do! The reunion was a blast, and it was really great to see everyone from my old school. I think we had (and still have) a really great class.
I've had some ups and downs over the years, during which time my life took some circuitous and unexpected turns. But I look back on those times and I am thankful that, for the most part, things have turned out OK anyway. When I turned 30, after working at a bunch of deadend jobs, I decided to go back to college. I did the community college gig for two years, then I was accepted at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the computer science program. About a year before going back to college I had picked up some books at the bookstore, just out of sheer boredom and curiousity, and tried to learn computer programming on my own. To my surprise I found that I had some aptitude for it! So I went off to college to make it my career. Things were going pretty good at college for a while, and then after a couple years at Cal Poly I started to feel depressed. I began to reflect on all the time required to spend before a computer monitor and it started to bum me out. And I thought that when I started working in my field it would only get worse. I began to feel that maybe this wasn't the career for me after all. Also I began to have doubts about certain priorites of the university administration and the curriculum, and suddenly it seemed to me like I was buying into an enormous welfare program instead of getting the best education that I could buy. Well, that was maybe 10% of it. So I quit the program and never looked back. I still carry a student loan to remind me of those precious moments spent in beautiful San Luis Obispo. While on the one hand it may seem like a waste, yet I still have the self-confidence that propelled me in that direction in the first place; I learned enough to know that I don't need a degree to make a living as a programmer. It was fun as a hobby, but doing it all the time just became a drag.
In November 2003 I got a job with a major global shipping company as a courier (I don't mention their name here because probably a team of bored lawyers from the company will get litigious if I ever say something offensive on this blog; but their color is purple). I've been there over 6 years now. It's been a lot of work and a lot of BS, but at least it's a steady job. It has helped me to provide myself and Carol with a decent living. We lived in a tiny apartment in Redwood City for about 4 years, then about 3 months ago we moved from there to little bigger apartment in Burlingame. While in Redwood City we got a little dog, a chihuahua mix, that we named Chiquito (or Chico). He wasn't legal though. We had to hide him from the landlord, and did so for about 16 months before finally we found our current place. He has been such a source of joy to us, but especially to Carol. Her adjustment to the pace of life here in the U.S. has been difficult at times. She was accustomed to living with her mother and brothers, and aunts and cousins her entire life, in a strong, supportive social environment. And when she came here... well, things were just a lot different. But I give Carol a lot of credit; I believe that she has adjusted here much better than most people would.
I first was introduced to my wife, Carol, through a website called amigos.com. It's one of those all latina/latino dating sites. When I had earned my first vacation at my new job I began to plan a vacation to visit Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca ruins, near Cuzco, Peru. While there I hoped to connect with some hot ladies and have some fun. I certainly wasn't planning on finding a wife. In fact, during that phase of my life I was content to remain single. I was ready to just have fun --- there was no way that I would marry anybody, so I thought. But Carol and I struck up a friendship, and before long we were talking on the phone a lot. By the time my vacation finally came we had already learned a lot about each other, and there was some mutual interest between us. But I didn't expect it to come to much; I still was not interested in getting tied down. However, we did decide to hang out together while visiting Machu Picchu together.
We had a terrific time. I found that Carol was adventurous, full of laughter, carefree, open-minded, honest, and much more. And it turned out that she liked me a lot; she really took me by surprise one evening as we were dining together, and she opened up her heart to tell me quite plainly how she could picture us together in the future, and how she would like to be with me. She was genuine and open in a way that I hadn't experienced in women back in the states.
It was refreshing, but still I was a little wary. I don't remember what I said in response, I think I said something kind of neutral so that I could stall for time. But the clincher for me came when we finally parted at the airport, after spending more than a week touring Cuzco and Lima together. Her eyes were filled with tears and she could barely speak. I think we both had the feeling that we may never see each other again. She didn't beg, or press me for answers. She didn't need to because that image stuck in my mind more firmly than anything she could have possibly said. I was really touched in a way that I didn't think I could be anymore. It remained with me for weeks; I couldn't get her out of my mind. Well, we did keep in touch, and now you know the rest of the story.
Fast-forward now to the present. Lately I've been busy working a lot, and spending time with Carol and relaxing whenever I can. When we first married we agreed (by an arm-wrestling competition) to wait 4 years before having children. I figured that would provide us with plenty of time to travel and grow close before the little ones came to ruin everything and run our entire lives. (Carol is going to kill me when she reads this). Actually what happened is we spent 4 years honing our rhetorical skills debating about when we would really have children. So, after four plus years of marriage I have an announcement to make... drum roll please... we don't have any children right now but maybe pretty soon we will. But I will be very happy to finally announce the birth of our child when it does happen.
We have been fortunate enough to travel a bit during the last four years. In the near future, and as time allows, I hope to include some pictures and videos here to catalog our adventures great and small. And from time to time I hope to include a much more concise update (than this one) to let everyone know how things are going with us. Please leave your comments and pictures, or links, so that we may keep in touch. Thanks for reading; there's more to come.
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