Flippin Awesome Flyers

I would like to meet the geniuses behind these posters and shake their hands.  Well done.

Special thanks to JM for finding these gems and passing them on.

A Perfect Ten

As of today there are:

 *  Only 10 more days until my fiance' and I are FINALLY reunited at last

 *  Only 10 more days of work on my current project assignment

Just wanted to put that out there.

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In other news, there was a dust storm unlike any other in Sydney, Australia yesterday.  While it had major impacts on commuting and respiratory health; it did result in some pretty awesome pictures.   Here are a few of my favorites:

http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/images/syd3_230909.jpg

http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/environment/dust-turns-sydney-sky-red/

What you are seeing is the light of dawn reflecting off of the dust particles.   These photos are real and not altered.

My Middle East Must-Haves

In preparation for the big move, I went on a MAJOR - they put a hold on my credit card thinking that somebody stole it kind of major - shopping spree to buy essentials that will hopefully "work" in my new work locale.  Pictured below are just a few of my purchases care of Banana Republic, JCrew, and The Limited.

Due to the culture of my new home, I will no longer be allowed to expose my shoulders or my knees (and the leg above them) in public.  In addition to the clothes pictured above, I also purchased a slew of stylish wraps, pashminas, and cardigans (I could not find picutres) to help a bit with the covering up.  Most of the purchases I made are in light colors and super-lightweight fabric due to the extremely hot temperatures in Qatar.  Hopefully, my wadrobe will be acceptible and they won't stone or flog me as my dear co-worker Lambo lovingly pointed out to me at 6:20am in the morning last week (not the best way to approach me in the morning). No worries  - Qatar is MUCH, MUCH more liberal than it's Islamic neighbors...or so I am told.  Guess we will have to wait and see!

White Girl Dance Moves

The best thing about being a twenty-something chic is that when you are out on the dance floor you think you are the hottest stuff on the planet:

clearly.

and you know all the sickest.dance.moves.ever.

All of which include pointing;

Lots of pointing.

and singing,

and hugging,

and most importantly, gang signs.

Oh, the white girl dance skills. Awesome.

Seattle Sunset

Sunset over Pike's Place Market

Sick Macbook

If you are a Mac owner, you know that your computer is more than just a computer.  Heck you don't even call it your "computer" or "laptop" you call it your "Mac" or "Macbook," (and even in some cases your baby, ahem).  You feel your Mac is like an extension of yourself.  You never thought you could love an inanimate object until you owned a Mac.

Well, I am feeling a little less than whole at the moment because after 2.5 years of ownership I have had my *first* ever problem with my Macbook Pro.  And when I say first ever, I mean it, I haven't even had minor problems like freezing or programs quitting unexpectedly with my Mac.  For those of you who have owned an IBM or Dell or any other Window's based computer; you know that not having even a minor glitch in 2.5 years is like a miracle.  I mean being victim of viruses and minor software glitches is almost a stardard daily thing in the Window's world.  But I digress...

Anyway, my optical drive died mid upgrade to Snow Leopard; so the upgrade disk is stuck in the drive.  Thankfully, I have Apple-Care and parts and labor for replacing the drive are FREE (for those of you that don't know apple-care is a 3 year complete warranty on your Mac for the cost of $300).  Well let me tell you, the cost of replacing the drive and the service would be WELL over that $300.  Plus they are upgrading my RAM and doing a "once-over" check on my Mac to make sure everything is up to par.  That's what I call service.

So my Macbook has been in the Mac hospital since last Friday and due to my work schedule I am not able to pick it up until this Friday.  Ughh!  I am seriously having withdrawls!  Plus, I had a killer weekend in Seattle and want to post a picture-filled blog post about it...but I can't upload the pictures from my camera without my Mac.  Bummer.

Goodbye Dear Friend

This post goes out to my beloved Toyota Cam -

Dude, you've been a totally awesome & reliable ride.

Thanks for the many sick adventures you enabled me to go on.

Thanks for never getting sick or having issues,

even though you were born in 1994.

Thanks for letting me keep that ridiculous (but awesome) roof box on you 24/7...

From the many long drives from hometown, NJ to our first home-away-from-home at Virginia Tech

To our epic journey cross country from NJ to San Fran to the wilderness of Washington;

We have shared many memories together.

You didn't even protest when I made you sit out a year while I enjoyed city living at Berkeley

(Public transportation has got nothing on you!)

You have done me proud.

You will be missed.

Enjoy your new home!

PS - You really do look awesome and not at all ridiculous with that roof box, no matter what the fiance' says.

The Living Volcano

So moving can be quite stressful.  But trying to coordinate two moves (one from Alaska & one from Washington) to a new home (which we don't have an address for yet) in a foreign country is BEYOND stressful!  All of my life plans have been totally distrupted.  Vacations I have planned have to be changed if not eliminated, my wedding plans have to be completely altered.  Yes, I am very excited about the big move and even more thrilled that I will finally get to live in the same place as my fiance', but getting there is quite the battle.

Lately, I have felt like I am going to explode.  Heck, I have had quite a few mini-eruptions (read: warning the volcano is about to blow!) already.  I don't want to have a Mount St. Helens style eruption from all the stress anytime soon.  So I have resolved to just deal with one move related task a day and try to roll with the punches.  Also, I think I might take up heavy drinking.  There is only about a month left until we leave for Qatar, so I think I am going to try to make an itemized list of all the things that we have to do (at least that I can think of) and I am just going to try to knock one off at a time.  Hopefully this will help reduce my stress level and keep me organized.  Right?

PS - Just came back to Washington from a trip home to NJ.  Will post about that visit soon! Have any of you been to the new Yankee Stadium?  Awesome!  But more on that later...