Category Archives: work

City of Angels

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hotel pool

It’s 9AM on Wednesday. Why is no one hanging by the pool? Could it be that it’s, like 50 degrees?

I found myself in Los Angeles earlier this month. I say that as if it’s a surprise. In fact it wasn’t, just another business trip for work. In my new job I get to meet with publicists and such. One such meeting took place at CBS Studios. Kind of fun to see these big sound stages and all. And, like, the below:

NY St, CBS Studios

Gal at the security gate told me to park on New York Street and this is what they meant.

 

New York Street

Does this precinct look familiar? I’ll be on the look out for it in the future

New York Street

Parallel parking was embarassing. The grips on their union break, watching me and laughing

I had a free night and made a date with my parents. They chose a place in Chinatown (just a couple of miles from my hotel, yet it still took almost 30 minutes to drive there due to crazy traffic). Ocean Seafood, on Hill Street.

In the same way some parents cook their kids their favorite meals when they return home for a visit, so my mom decided to order the Peking Duck at this restaurant. I also suggested lobster, since it was a seafood restaurant. Wow. I am one spoiled child. I’m okay with that.

Peking Duck

Peking Duck, with a shrimp chip on top. Fancy.

I also suggested lobster, since it was a seafood restaurant. Wow. I am one spoiled child. I’m okay with that.

Steamed Lobster

They even brought it out (alive) to let us take a look first. How thoughtful.

It was a quick trip, where I had spent as much time in a car as in any of my meetings, or so it seemed. I certainly racked up more mileage in my 2ish days than I have in Seattle over the past two months. I was glad to be home, where I can sleep in a familiar bed.

Although, I could have skipped this weather:

Seattle University Village

Meanwhile, back in the PNW, any icy fountain at U-Village

 

2-a-day

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The last time I did a 2-a-day? Was probably the previous decade. Probably related to rowing. The term “2-a-day” infers more than just doing 2 workouts in a day, more than once a decade. But, I’m gonna use it here because it’s sort of a momentous occasion. Much like running a half-marathon in my life (once every 8 years seems pretty doable).

5:30 AM: WOD. Worked on my Wendler Deadlift (Week 3). Then,

6 Min AMRAP:

6 chin-ups

10 burpees

THEN

10 strict Toes-to-Bar

15 Russian Twists with 10 lb Plate

30 AbMat sit ups.

I’m writing this out because I forgot my phone! COuldn’t take a pic. The Strict T2B. WTF? I was like a dead weight just hanging there. I killed it in the AMRAP then took so long with the T2B I was the last one to finish. Not that I was keeping track.

ms5k-2013-resultsSo, that was the morning. In the PM, I ran the Microsoft Giving Campaign 5K for the third time in a row. I hope not my last. For some reason I like competing against nerds and geeks. Though this year I was like 30 seconds slower that previous years. The course changed, and they did away with a short flight of stairs and replaced it with a long incline.

At least, that’s my excuse.

There was one other element that may have caused the slower time. I cheated. Remember how I always complain because so many people start in heats that are faster than their actual pace. Then I get stuck spending my first mile dodging and juking around all of these slow pokes, or worse, the ones who start walking and become obstacles. Nothing against having to walk, but try to be considerate. Don’t hog the sidewalk.

So, I cheated this time. Snuck into Heat 3 when I belonged in Heat 4. It was great! Paced myself very well for the first two miles. Under 9:00 mins for miles one AND two. Then, mile 3. Woowee. I looked down at my time and was like Wha? 10:36?

Yes. 10:36. And the final time is posted up above.

So, what did cheating, what did sneaking into Heat 3 get me? A whole lotta nothing! Instead of being motivated by passing everyone left and right, I was passed left and right! That’s a blow to your motivation. So. No more cheating.

Well, except that today was cheat day. I’m on South Beach Phase 1 for the week and after the race I had a bagel. Thank you, Blazing Bagels. And a banana. Oh heavens, a banana.  I might have had some chocolate. Confession time over.

(Mostly) Whole Grain Banana Muffins

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Here is a cut and paste of a email string from late last week (you’ll have to read it bottom up):

From: RunSenoRun
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 2:26 PM
To: ChattyCha
Subject: RE: Seno Out

 
ha ha

From: ChattyCha
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 2:02 PM
To: RunSenoRun
Subject: RE: Seno Out
Hi,
If you aren’t back on Monday, I am taking the bananas from your desk and making banana bread.
Just FYI.
 

 

From: RunSenoRun
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 9:00 AM
To: Our team at work
 Subject: Seno Out
 Rough night. As it stands, this spot by the computer is one of the few comfortable locations in my apartment, so I’ll probably be online most of the day. At this point, I could not curl myself into a car to get to the doctor so the best thing for me to do is just relax all weekend and see what Monday brings.

Indeed, my next-door-office neighbor did not make it back into the office on Monday, so last night I took his very ripe bananas home with me. The toddler and I had a grand time baking. She fiddles around with kitchen gadgets that I hand her and I do the actual baking. Then she has a fit when she can’t lick the spoon (raw egg, no eat), and I try to distract her wth other stuff. I did promise her a muffin when they came out of the oven, but by then (12 minutes later), she had promptly forgotten about the muffins because she was watching Ni-Hao, Kai-Lan. Is it a bad thing that I reneged on my promise (it was, after all, bedtime, and I didn’t want her hopped up on all sorts of sugar and such).

banana muffins via chattycha on flickr

These muffins have a combination of all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour and oat flour, plus both white and brown sugars. I am experimenting with different levels of whole-grain flour to come up with an ideal taste/texture combination. I think we are pretty close with these. There is a slight nuttiness of the whole wheat, but it’s pretty subtle, and barely there when you eat them warm. Not a peep from the husband, the toddler, or any of the co-workers who have tried these, so I think I’m on to something.

Sadly, banana office neighbor is still out with back issues, so he will not enjoy the “fruits” of his labor. 

Sidenote on gadgets:

  1. I totally love the mini-muffin tins I got from Sur La Table last year. Bought them on sale, felt a little guilty, but now I’m glad I did. Perfect size for the toddler. One mini-muffin comes out to about 80 calories. Now that’s a muffin I can believe in.
  2. While we tend to shy away from unnecessary kitchen gadgets (mainly due to space issues in our kitchen), the mother-in-law gave us this nifty pancake/muffin batter dispenser. Yes, this means an extra gadget that requires washing. But, in my opinion, TOTALLY worth it! It really works like a charm and I’m impressed.

Blue Ribbon Cooking School

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So as you know I’m back at work, it’s been a full week now. Just in time to attend my (new) team’s morale event, at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School. We basically gathered together to cook a really great meal and eat together. We had a terrific time and I discovered that cooking and baking is soooo much more fun when there are people hired to clean up after you; when the kitchen you are using is larger than the studio apartment I lived in as a grad student; and when bowls, spoons, pans and other tools are stacked up to the ceiling, available for you to use.

I, along with two wonderful bakers, volunteered to bake the dessert, Caramel Walnut Upside-Down Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It was simple and delicious. Here are some pics of our creations. We didn’t create the first two apps … the chefs at the school had them waiting for us when we arrived (along with the exciting beverages)

Italian Bread filled with Warm Herbed Mushrooms and Gorgonzola

Italian bread filled with herbed mushrooms and gorgonzola

Mini Salami and Roasted Red Pepper Puff Sandwiches with Cognac Mustard

Salami and roasted red pepper mini puff sandwiches with cognac mustard

Of the two, the mushroom/gorgonzola app was much more appealing to my palate.

Lavendar Lemonade, Strawberry Ice Tea, Cranberry Ginger Ice Tea

Lavendar lemonade, strawberry peppermint iced tea, cranberry ginger iced tea

Lovely beverages, for ChattyCha, who prefers non-alcoholic drinks during work functions.

Grilled Marinated Eggplant, Fresh Mozzarella and Heirloom Tomatoe Salad with Basil

Grilled marinated eggplant, fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomato salad with basil

Our first creation, by Matt and Reed. Wonderful. Some people do not like the texture of eggplant. I am not one of those people.

Artichoke-stuffed Chicken Breast with Proscuitto and Basil

Artichoke-stuffed chicken breast with proscuitto and basil

Main entree, plus Lemon Pasta Salad with tomatoes and feta; skillet-glazed baby carrots and sugar snap peas. Main entree credit goes to: MattH, Phil, Stewart, Keith, Jen. Pasta salad goes to Rob and Laura, who I think also did the veggies. Everything was cooked quite well. No disasters with our group.

Caramel and Walnut Upside-Down Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Caramel and walnut upside-down banana cake with vanilla bean ice cream

Finally, the dessert I mentioned earlier, which I helped bake next to the boss and Jessica. Incredibly sweet caramel sauce combined with a subtle cake made for a sublime dessert. A modest portion (we baked in individual cups) meant no overindulging.

Lovely meal! I didn’t stuff myself and really enjoyed having a nice meal that wasn’t rushed or wolfed down, for once. Eating with a baby at your side, you don’t always get that opportunity.

Five

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Today marks the five-year anniversary of my stint at the firm. It is the longest tenure I’ve held at a company in my job-holding years. To celebrate this truly exciting milestone, it is customary to bring in a pound of M&M’s for every year you have worked at the firm. I did not know until this weekend that M&M’s don’t always come in 1 lb bags. Depending on what you get (Peanut vs. Almond vs. Peanut Butter vs. Plain etc), it could be 11 oz, it could be 14 oz, it could be 12.5 oz. I bought all of the different types, including some holiday stuff that was on clearance. Hey, M&M’s are expensive, and if you haven’t noticed, we’re in a recession.

Note, in the pic, the little thing of hand sanitizer. Take the hint and use the frikking Dixie Cups! C’mon people. I still saw some hand grabbers, though. Nasty. I kept a stash stored away as to avoid the grubbiness. I also separated the plain from the peanut. Good for those nut allergy prone kids.

5 lbs of M&Ms

5 lbs of M&M's

 

This actually isn’t 5 lbs. I took the pic at around 2PM and by then several co-workers had stopped by for some sweets. Also, I still have a bag left on my desk which I didn’t manage to get into the tupperware (dark chocolate, plain)

Holiday Potluck in C/1089

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Who needs a fancy work party at the Westin? We’ve got a hot potluck in the big conference room.

Everyone loves a good potluck, right? Especially when one gets awards. I didn’t go for the award this year, actually. Too much other stuff going on to spend time dreaming up the “best original dish”. But, take a look at the best original dish, prepared by Alejandro. Chicken Empanada:

MSN Empanada. Now thats team spirit.

MSN Empanada. Now that's team spirit.

I brought a pasta salad. Made with tri-color rotini, marinated artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers. I forgot the olives and ditched the capers.  An easy dish that took all of 20ish minutes to make the night before. Maybe next year I’ll be up for the competition again.

Good fun was had by all.

Connector-ing

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I’m trying out the new Connector service that is available by the firm. My trip so far:

8:40 am: leave my house to go to MM to get a latte. I figure 20 minutes is plenty of time to get a latte, even if the line is a bit long.

8:50: it’s my turn at the front of the line and I decide, no, not enough time to get a latte, so I order a short drip with room instead. The lady at the espresso maker is going at 33 RPM in a 45 RPM world. As much as I hate Starbucks, I know they can get through a line of 9 people in what seems like 9 minutes. Not the case here.

9:00 am: Board the Connector, find a good seat. Take a tour of Wedgewood as we pick up more and more worker bees. Predominantly male. I think I’m one of 2 women taking the Connector on this route. Unsure if this is reflecting the departure time (9am, with a 10 am arrival to your building), or if it reflects the alternative commute options. Hm.

9:24 am: We’ve just got on the ramp at Montlake. Traffic is not as bad as at 7:30, as well it shouldn’t be.

9:37 am: Just got off at the 148th Ave exit. We’re pretty much on schedule.

9:56 am: Sitting at my desk, finishing this post. The shuttle to my building left “West Campus” at 9:45 (Two minutes after the scheduled arrival time of the Connector. Not bad). While on the Connector I had enough time to review some email and proofread a document. The ride was quiet, comfortable, and didn’t smell like some of those Metro busses do.

All in all, a positive experience. Hooray! As much as I’m enjoying this (wi-fi! Lookit me, I’m online, trying to be productive!), nothing beats the Vanpool. Are you hearing me, Eva? Nothing beats a quick pick up route and drop off right in front of my building.

Fashion Forward

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A few notes about the Women’s Conference held at the firm, for the firm’s employees. Yes, a great opportunity to learn more on career development, do some networking with others from the firm (4,000 attendees is the number thrown around), hear some motivating speakers, both fellow employees as well as writers/speakers/etc (Last year I saw Dr. Pamela Peeke speak, and today I saw her climbing out of a cab in front of the conference center for today’s session.)

But what did I concern myself with? People-watching. Really, women-watching (and if your question is, can men go to the women’s conference? the answer is yes). This conference brings together devs, testers, PMs, Sales, Managers, GMs, Marketing, Editors (like me). The spectrum is wide. So is the wardrobe. I’m tempted to spend the next keynote doing some research. How many women walking in are casually dressed? Dressed for success? Wearing $150 jeans? Wearing a swag t-shirt? Of course then I would want to cross-reference with how many are from Seattle/Puget Sound vs. the rest of the country vs. the rest of the world (and, where in the world. I saw people from Brazil, Spain, Nigeria, Norway, India, the U.K., etc).

Very few women today were wearing suits. Many many were wearing jeans. I saw lots of Sevens, a few Luckys and many that looked expensive. Not as much fleece as one would expect. I wonder if these lovely ladies did as I did, and dressed it up slightly (nice jeans with a sweater and cute heels). Cute gauchos on a woman from Latin America. A beautiful patterened dress (yes! a dress) on a tall blonde. The U.K. PM had a silvery/white knitted top with baggy sleeves. She was also wearing brown cowboy boots. Peasant blouses, silky tank tops. Suede boots. Lots of Coach bags. Lots of LV, too.

I brought my camera with the second day, but it was rather crowded in the halls and don’t think I would have gotten any good footage.

Oh, and back to the conference. While I attended many good sessions with many great motivating speakers, all talking about mentoring, networking, negotiating, breaking through the stuck points, that kind of stuff … probably the best session I went to was a technology panel discussing the firm and Web 2.0. Go figure. Am hoping they do more of those in the future. I can only attend so many sessions on negotiating skills.