Scuba Scuba!

So it's official.  We are both PADI Open Water certified divers.  We got cards and everything.

 We did several boat dives last weekend, on Sunday the 15th, off Catalina Island.  The conditions on the way out were a little rough, and April and I were both seasick as hell.  April puked.  I wish I could, I would have felt better.  


You wanna know a great cure for seasickness?  55 degree water!  Seriously, within moments of getting in the water, we both felt fine.  And despite the cold, it was an awesome time!

San Pedro Harbor, around 6am

April getting ready to go chase a Garibaldi

A Garibaldi!

April.  She ate the Girabaldi.  Don't tell California.

So I was just kidding about April eating the Girabaldi.  She ate the Abalone.

Kidding again.  April didn't eat anything, even this Sheep Crab.  We were in a protected area, which is why we saw so much cool stuff!

We went out on the Magician.  The folks than run this operation are solid.  They take great care of their divers, make sure that it's fun and safe, and get you back home happy and ready to go back out with them!  

We had a great time, and are looking forward to a few more trips before we head down to Key Largo this summer with Robert and Tia!

-jh

PS- As soon as I get it to work, I plan to upload some short videos I recorded. 

SCUBA!

April and I have been talking about geting our PADI scuba certification for a few years now. The Open Water Diver course means that you can easily rent gear and dive when traveling, as the renter and tour operators know that you have been trained properly and can dive safely. And their insurance will still cover them if you screw up and drown while wearing gear they rented you. Because you were PADI certified. So it's your fault!

Anyway, we started classes last week, and it has been a blast. April had a run-in as a child and almost drowned, so she has been a little apprehensive, but honestly she's taken to it amazingly quickly! We have been in the pool in full gear several times this week, getting ready, going over all the safety skills, like dealing with a mask flooding, running out of air and having to use an alternate source, etc.

But today it was time for the real thing... diving in the ocean!

We spend about an hour and a half diving in Malibu this morning. The weather was very calm, and the water was flat, but the visibility was awful-maybe 5-6 feet, so we didn't really see very much, besides a little bit of kelp and some other underwater plants.

Oh, and this guy:


This Pacific Harbor Seal showed up when we were on the surface, about a hundred yards off the shore, getting ready to dive. Apparently he trailed us the entire way under water. One of the dive-masters said he saw him a couple of times under water. I took this photo of him as I was getting ready to head to shore. He was only about 8 feet away!

So we have one more day in the classroom, one day in the pool, and next weekend we are off to Catalina Island for diving in the Kelp beds! The visibility should be much better, and hopefully we will have lots of photos to post!

Cheers!

-jh

The Story of Meow

This week we are observing Meow's 13th birthday. I say observing because we don't know her real birthday, just that it was around this time in 1999. My sister found Meow in the middle of the road that runs behind the old Cedartown Wal-Mart (now Home Depot). She was a little black and white ball of fur lying on the yellow stripe that ran down the middle of the road. Amanda stopped, scooped up the tiny kitten, and thus my life changed.

Meow hadn't been weaned. Her eyes were still blue. We had to feed her with an eyedropper every 2 hours, then massage her abdomen to help her digestive tract function. She cried constantly for days- and for a small kitten, she made a LOT of noise. I didn't have any expectations that she would live. She needed a foster mother, and no cats we knew had recently had kittens. But somehow, she did live. I was finishing my senior year of University, about to graduate. My sister was finishing her senior year of high school. And my sister couldn't keep Meow. She loved that little kitten, and I loved my sister, and to keep her heart from breaking I agreed to keep Meow - just until my sister could take her back.

There was only one problem. My then-boyfriend (now husband) Jay. He was allergic to cats (though to be fair, Jay is allergic to everything). What to do? Well....I waited until Jay had a business trip to Virginia, then went to Cedartown and brought Meow back with me to Athens. I picked Jay up from the airport with roses and chocolates, kissed him passionately, held his hand all the way home, and chatted about everything except kittens. I don't know what I was thinking; at first I thought I could keep Meow hidden in the spare bedroom and never mention her. Clearly not an option. But when we got home the problem solved itself. Jay walked through the door, flipped on the living room light. In the middle of the floor was a small black and white kitten wearing a big pink bow. Jay's first words were, "She's so tiny!" His next big mistake was letting her in the bedroom while we slept. We haven't slept alone in almost 13 years now. And my sister? Well, somehow Meow never made it back to live with her....but Meow does remember her. Whenever Amanda visits, Meow follows her around, rubbing on her, purring, and just generally being very loving. We're pretty grateful to Amanda in this house. Below is a picture of Meow the weekend she came to live with Jay and me.

Happy birthday to my fuzzy little girl!

Un-Curry!!!

Cooking together is an activity Jay and I enjoy immensely. Many Friday nights you can find us in the kitchen, listening to blues, sipping wine, chopping, sauteing, steeping, spicing, and enjoying one another's company. We cook many different types of cuisine - southern, Thai, and one of our favorites - Indian. We recently had the opportunity to take a one-day course in Indian cooking with chef Kaumudi Marathe of Un-Curry. We took a class called Indian Tea Party, where we learned about spices, tea, coffee, and how to make Samosas, Chup-chup cake, and cilantro chutney. We had a wonderful three hours, and learned a lot. I have enjoyed making my own chai at home, and we've made our own chutneys. Delicious! Samosas are much easier than I thought, and so much more delicious when you make them in your favorite way. We didn't get to take many pictures, we were pretty busy cooking and taking notes. But Jay did snap a few with his droid. Below are our samosas and cilantro chutney.



One of our yummy (and easy) samosas!



Our spicy, yummy cilantro chutney.

We had a great time, and hopefully will get a chance to take more cooking classes together in the future.

New Year, New Job, New Home, New Car!

The delay in writing this post is entirely indicative of how frantically busy our life has been over the last 4 months. I can hardly believe I have let so much time pass without a full story of how many changes have happened in a short period of time! This will be a post devoid of photos, however, as the resident photographer has broken his camera. I have a post pending that he has taken photos for already, but not loaded them for me. You know how it is.... the cobbler's wife goes shoeless, the photographer's wife never has any pictures to post!

As most of you know, Jay and I were very ready to see the end of 2011. In many ways it has been one of the most trying times we've ever experienced. I lost my Aunt Faye, a huge support in my life in so many ways, and in September we lost Jay's mom. By October, though, I thought that things had calmed down. We could grieve and begin to figure out what life was going to be like without those two women.

In November, I got an email. It was a friend asking if I would be interested in applying for a job at Amgen. For a while now I have been thinking about what to do next in my career. I was not interested in continuing in the post-doctoral track, something that would be unavoidable if I stayed in academia. I had been considering making a move to industry, but what that move would look like and when it would come I wasn't sure. The specifics of this job were very appealing to me, and I decided to apply. I interviewed right after Thanksgiving, and I was offered the position the next day. To start in two weeks.

For those who live outside the hallowed halls of academia, most job changes and moves are planned out months in advance. To give two weeks notice is unheard of. But I did it. Poor Patricia! It was hard on her. But I committed to helping wrap up the project on weekends and to write the manuscript. It's in my best interest as well, and I hated leaving a lab on those terms. It felt like a betrayal; but I also knew I needed this change.

This also meant that we had to move. Our apartment was through UCLA housing - since I would no longer be a post-doctoral researcher, we had to leave. Besides, Amgen is in Thousand Oaks, much closer to Jay's offices in Agoura Hills and Woodland Hills. The move made sense. So we completed a whirlwind house hunting, and found a two-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse in Thousand Oaks. It's less than 3 miles from Amgen, and less than a mile from the 101 Fwy. It has a washer & dryer, tons of space, a fireplace, 2-car garage, and a private garden courtyard that Meow can enjoy (and she does). Once I get Jay to take some pictures, I promise to post them.

So, here we are. Beginning of December. Wrapping up at the lab. Shopping and shipping Christmas gifts. Writing Christmas cards and getting them mailed. Packing up our apartment. Starting at my new job! Headed to visit Jay's brother for the holiday weekend.... and then it hit. I began work at Amgen as a Scientist II on December 19th. Amgen's winter shutdown was scheduled for the following week. We were flying to San Antonio, TX on December 24th, returning on December 26th. Movers arriving on December 28th. I got the flu on December 23rd. Jay came down with it on December 27th. When we came back to LA, we discovered that I had left the interior light on in the Subaru. That car was stone-cold dead, and nothing we did was getting it to start.

Moving day was chaos, pure and simple. We were both sick, and we had no car. Our movers loaded everything, and we drove together with Meow in the U-Haul to Thousand Oaks. We rented a car, and returned to LA where Jay managed to get the Subaru running. We spent the 29th and 30th in bed, trying to recover from the holidays, moving, and the flu. New Year's Eve I dragged Jay out of bed. No matter how high our fevers, by heavens I was showing 2011 the door. That year could get gone and good riddance! We finally began unpacking on New Year's Day. And we've been adjusting and settling ever since!

Oh, and the new car? That just happened this weekend. Jay decided that he wanted a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and he got one. Lucky boy! This is the first time in almost 6 years that we have been a 2 car family.

So, on the whole? I love my new job. We love the new house. Jay just got the new car, but so far it's been nice. 2012 is looking much brighter than last year for us both.

25 Questions about the Holidays

There are a lot of things happening around Casa de Hall right now... stay tuned for some big announcements soon. Things are so busy, in fact, that I am worried we won't be posting much. I thought I'd do this quick meme about the holidays to share a little about how Jay and I celebrate.

25 Questions: Holiday Style

• Eggnog or hot chocolate?

Eggnog! Especially now that Jay has a great recipe of his own. And you haven’t lived till you’ve lived through Duk-Nog.

• Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

When Santa dropped off his gifts, he left them under the tree unwrapped. Gifts to/from family are always wrapped.

• Colored lights on tree/house or white?

We use colored lights – some people think they are tacky, but we love them.

• Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope, plenty of kissing at our house without it!

• When do you hang your decorations up?

Typically within a week after Thanksgiving.

• What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Jay makes a wonderful roasted duck with apricot glaze, and I love the fresh baked rolls.

• Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Christmases with my grandparents – that was the best. My grandma had an ornament that sang like a bird, I was obsessed with it.

• What is on your Christmas wish list?

Sanity, and some peace and quiet in our lives.

• Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

No, we never do, unless we go see family on Christmas Eve that we won’t see on Christmas Day.

• How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

With eggnog in hand, listening to Christmas music, wearing a Santa hat. We have a tradition wherein we get an ornament from a place when we travel there, as a souvenir. Then when we decorate the tree we can reminisce about our memories of that trip.

• Snow? Love it or dread it?

To be fair, since I’m from Georgia, I’m not a snowy day kind of girl. I detest driving in the stuff. But I don’t mind it otherwise.

• Real tree or fake tree?

I have always liked the ease and convenience of a fake tree, but Jay loves real ones so our last tree was a real tree. No tree this time around. Maybe next year…

• Do you remember your favorite gift?

My doll Dorrie. She was as tall as me then, and I thought she was beautiful. My mom kept her put away since she wasn’t really for playing with, and I still have her now. As far as playing-with toys, probably my microscope or my robot-controlled cat. Both have clearly played a role in shaping who I am now… a scientist with a beloved pet cat…

• What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Time to relax and enjoy Jay.

• What is your favorite holiday dessert?

That’s a hard one! Every year I usually make a dessert called Chocolate nemesis, but to be honest I love the Christmas cookies we bake even more.

• What is your favorite tradition?

Watching Christmas Vacation with Jay and decorating the tree, and receiving Christmas cards. I love to hear from far-flung family and friends.

• What tops your tree?

Jay insists on an Angel, but I’ve always liked stars.

• Do you prefer giving or receiving?

Both! I love to select and give gifts, it’s especially wonderful when the person really enjoys their gift. I’m really big on giving “useful” gifts – things that I know someone will use. But when I receive a gift, it makes me feel very loved to know that someone thought of me and took the time to select something that they thought I would enjoy (that includes gift cards – that means you took the time to think about what places I enjoy shopping, and also gave me the gift of spending a lovely afternoon shopping for myself).

• What is your favorite Christmas song?

Baby, It’s Cold Outside.

• Candy canes, yuck or yum?

Yum!

• Favorite Christmas movie?

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Jay and I watch this together every year, and every year we laugh just as hard.

• What do you leave for Santa?

Homemade chocolate chip cookies and bourbon.

• Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

Just opening gifts!

• Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?

This year I did a little bit of both.

• Christmas letter or Christmas card?

Christmas card – I try to send them out every year with a picture. This will be the first year I don’t have a picture. We just had too much going on at once.

Halloween in West Hollywood

This year I finally talked Jay into accompanying me to the Halloween Carneval in West Hollywood. It is one of the largest Halloween celebrations in the world - several hundred thousand people attend each year. Technically the Carneval lasts until 11 pm, but when we finally got tired and left at midnight, there were still thousands of people there. The main reason I love it is that watching Hollywood have an excuse to dress outrageously is amazing - the costumes are all carefully planned and executed for the most part. The entire night was punctuated by "Hey, check that one out, it's _____ from ______!" or, "Wow, that costume is AMAZING!" So this post will be mostly pictures of a few of our favorites from this year.

First, Rock, Paper, Scissors:


A little known fact- in the 16 years Jay and I have been together, I have only beaten him once at Trivial Pursuit and once at Rock, Paper, Scissors. In Trivial Pursuit he has an amazing amount of sports trivia and useless bits of information. In the case of Rock, Paper, Scissors he claims he can read my mind.

Then we saw Jessica and Roger Rabbit... such a lovely couple!



Beaker was inspirational to me. One of the reasons I became a scientist. Who says the Muppets aren't educational?


It's also fun when people get a group of friends together for a theme. This group dressed as the officers from Reno 911. Jason yelled out, "Hey Officer Dangle!" and they all immediately posed for him.


Remember watching Inspector Gadget? We sang the theme song for 10 minutes after we saw this guy.


Then another incredible cartoon memory, I got my picture made with He-Man and She-Ra! I loved watching those two cartoons after school.


Perhaps my most swoon-worthy moment was when I spotted Westley from the Princess Bride. Jay told me to go ask him for a picture, but I just blushed and stammered. So Jay shoved me onto him. I ask him if he would mind getting a picture with me, and he replied "As you wish." Damn, I almost fainted. He even had the voice.


A really neat costume we saw was Russ from Up.


I'd like to end with one of the funniest costumes we saw that night. I wonder if she ever found her dog?