Wanderings

Thanksgiving '11

2011-11-24T14:30:00.000+11:00

New tip for Turkey Day: Take the whole breast off the bird before slicing. Thanks Bobby Flay

Ruff. Ruff. I'm Spencer

2011-11-11T19:00:00.000+11:00

I'm a black English Cocker Spaniel. I'm about 18 months old, so I have lots of energy. A few weeks ago I misplaced my family in Southern Indiana and ended up at a shelter, where I had to share the humans with a bunch of other dogs. I worked really hard on my I'm-cute-take-me-with-you look and finally managed to convince 2 humans to adopt me and take me back to their place. Two humans all to myself! That's 4 hands all dedicated to scratching behind MY ears.

Bubble & Fizz

2011-10-30T03:06:00.000+11:00

New toy for the kitchen adds a little sparkle to any beverage.

Ten Lobsters

2011-10-27T18:00:00.000+11:00

Sitting on dry ice
...waiting for a nice hot bath.

Fresh Picked: Muchos Poblanos

2011-10-24T15:30:00.000+11:00

Mmmm roasted poblanos. Definitely to be repeated next year.

Paddling in Wallis Lake

2011-09-30T15:30:00.000+10:00


	Kayaking in the brackish water between Forster and Tuncurry, dodging the oyster leases.

World's Greatest Beach

2011-09-30T09:30:00.000+10:00

One perfect mile of sun-soaked sand and surf.

Latte Love

2011-09-22T11:00:00.000+10:00

An ode to Australian coffee.

Fresh Picked: Romas

2011-09-02T17:30:00.000+10:00

Best return on investment in the whole garden patch!

The Suitcase Substitute

2011-08-22T21:55:00.000+10:00

Pros: Ultraportable, lightweight, easier to run between gates with than traditional suitcases, low likelihood of being forced to gate check due to crowded overhead bins
Cons: Less useful in maintaining personal hygiene.
Verdict: The numbers are clear - pros out number cons.

Today's disgruntled rant proudly brought to you by Continental Airlines and the ground staff at Newark airport who wanted us to stop over a little longer (aka 24hrs) en route to Madrid.

Good Things Come in Red Packets

2011-07-24T23:25:00.001+10:00

As any asian or semi-asian kid knows, good things come in red packets. This one came with a pay raise and promotion.

Fresh Picked: Yellow squash

2011-07-22T23:42:00.000+10:00

It just keeps grow'n 'n grow'n... and taking over the plot. The tomato plant is huge, covered in future caprese salads and pasta sauces.

Boston Whale Watching

2011-07-17T15:00:00.000+10:00

With Suzanne, Mel D, Diane and 4 little girls. The whales were out in force, so at $40 for the trip, it was less than $1 per whale sighting. Between breaching and mouth feeding, we saw everything, with minimal zooming required.

"Bate, Wates, Hooks"

2011-07-09T16:31:00.006+10:00

Loudon's well stocked, well labeled tackle box... He is quite the enthusiastic angler.

All the little fish in Lake Hayward were lining up for a turn on his hook. He still needs to figure out how to unhook them himself though :/

Fresh Picked

2011-07-03T19:56:00.001+10:00

First harvest from our little garden. Grabbed it before the birds got to it.

Emote with Zimbra

2011-06-23T15:14:00.002+10:00

Our new email program recognizes emoticons... with amusing results. :P

Sleepy Puppies

2011-06-21T08:40:00.005+10:00

To avoid being woken by Sam knocking on the door at 6:30am, leave the door open.
Sam happily sneaks in to bed and sleeps til mid-morning.

Taken for a walk

2011-06-20T18:23:00.001+10:00

Sam-sitting

2011-06-19T14:19:00.000+10:00

Dog-treats were most definitely harmed in the creation of this picture.

ACA NOLA: MSY-ORD

2011-05-31T22:57:00.001+10:00

3 hours late because AA can't maintain a fleet of functional planes.

ACA NOLA: Restaurant August

2011-05-31T12:35:00.011+10:00

It would have been wrong to only go once.

Best value lunch ever. 3 (+2) delightful courses for the special 2011 price of 2011 pennies.

ACA NOLA: Cafe du monde

2011-05-30T20:26:00.002+10:00

Beignets at Cafe du Monde involves equal proportions of powdered sugar and fried dough.

Skipped the worst of the heat and queues by visiting in the evening.

Maze?

2011-05-23T14:27:00.001+10:00

Find the path through the maze of correlated atomic vacancies.

Its a sign!

2011-05-15T16:28:00.005+10:00

	Brushing up on some sign writing.
	Pete taking care of the sign-posting.
	Its a sign! - One of the hoops we are made to jump through as part of the Historic District.

Lil' Veggie Patch

2011-04-24T14:53:00.004+10:00

1 Roma tomato,
2 summer squash,
strawberries,
2 poblanos,
1 sweet pepper,
100s of onions.

Tulip bulbs

2011-04-02T15:02:00.001+11:00

Neglected to get these into the ground before winter. Hopefully it's not too late.

FloydFloydFloyd

2011-04-02T13:08:00.002+11:00

Good beer. Good food. Good company.
Great label art.

It's Spring!

2011-04-02T11:56:00.000+11:00

I am master of the z-matrix

2011-03-30T12:05:00.002+11:00

Hurry! This sale won't last

2011-03-13T14:41:00.000+11:00

Mission Transatlantic

2011-01-11T23:33:00.002+11:00

Spreading the good word about X-ray PDF at Diamond.

It's cold. Really.

2010-12-27T12:32:00.000+11:00

Christmas '10

2010-12-25T14:29:00.002+11:00

	Presents under the tree... these are all Ben's.
	Christmas dinner.

Pearl Harbor

2010-12-20T10:27:00.001+11:00

Excellent memorial and museum - like the opening chapter of a WWII history tour, for which we'd already seen the conclusion at the Peace Museum in Hiroshima.

Aloha Pacifichem

2010-12-14T16:17:00.002+11:00

Best way to unwind after a long domestic flight.

R&B: Stop by for dinner sometime

2010-12-10T11:23:00.003+11:00

A truck full of furniture-shaped gifts to fill our empty rooms.

Our new cherry dining from table from Pete's parents and Room & Board.

First snow

2010-12-10T10:22:00.000+11:00

A fantastic first snow fall of ~5 inches to kick off the weekend.

Lady & Mo

2010-11-26T12:22:00.003+11:00

	Lady thinks she can sneak up onto the couch because she's camouflaged.
	Mo is totally hypnotised after having her belly rubbed.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T15:21:00.002+11:00

A full house for Thanksgiving, with Pete's dad, Mike, Suzanne, 3 little people and 2 furry four-legged people here to visit (where visit means help on house projects).

Turkey: perfectly golden brown courtesy of its cheesecloth blanket.

Happy Anniversary

2010-11-24T19:17:00.000+11:00

31 years

Sticks and stones

2010-11-23T10:30:00.001+11:00

Mantle decor

Cutting in

2010-11-22T21:08:00.000+11:00

More than half the painting is complete. I cut in. Pete rolls out. This is Corn Husk Green in the loft area.

Halloween

2010-10-30T18:02:00.000+11:00

Happy Halloween - our first with real live trick or treaters.

Insert Fireplace Insert

2010-10-28T19:01:00.004+11:00

So the house came with a fireplace but the chimney sweep informed us that we needed to line the flue before lighting up.... So we installed a new flue AND a new fireplace. It's an energy efficient insert - so we qualify for a tax rebate :) . It took quite a search to find one that would fit into our mantle (but not in a log cabin) - european of course.

Lounging around

2010-10-24T15:50:00.003+11:00

Found a furniture bargain, at the Chiasso clearance sale, to help fill our empty rooms. We're tempting fate a little with the pale shade, but that's what Scotchguard is for. We scored a couch big enough for 4+ people, a matching chair, a slat bench/coffee table, light fixture and cool photo frame.

Xtals

2010-10-20T11:23:00.001+11:00

We're getting so efficient at preparing samples we can make 2 different ones at the same time.

Mini MUMs for sale

2010-10-12T09:26:00.006+11:00

Mums. Now on sale at your local ace hardware. Comes in a convenient travel size. Nothing compared to the real thing though.

Star Washer

2010-10-06T11:29:00.006+11:00

Our new, super energy efficient washing machine. Apparently its going to cost us $11 per year to keep our clothes clean.... based on eight(!!!) loads per week (who does 8 loads?). At that rate we would be washing multiple times between wears - or going through multiple costume changes per day. I'm guessing that it will be closer to a handful of quarters for us.

Painted

2010-09-23T18:14:00.003+10:00

Ocean pearl and Restful

Color conundrums

2010-09-20T16:13:00.000+10:00

Wallpaper is evil

2010-09-14T16:12:00.005+10:00

Our wallpaper was possessed - with layers of old newspaper, embossed wood veneer and paper overlay. The exorcism was a multi-day affair.

Only small patches of wall were left unscathed (the brown bits). Everything else needed skim coating.

95 yrs old

2010-09-11T16:12:00.001+10:00

95 years of living leaves lots of bumps and scraps in the plaster and many layers of ugly paint on the walls.

We're smoothing things out before hitting it with a coat of paint.

A place of one's own

2010-09-10T15:09:00.002+10:00

It's all ours.

Sold!

2010-09-08T06:47:00.001+10:00

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Hi lobster! Nice to eat you

2010-08-28T06:42:00.000+10:00

Larson's fish market: The best value seafood on MV.

Vacationing with the First Family

2010-08-27T10:43:00.006+10:00

Back on the Vineyard. This time we're hanging with the Obamas.

No close up photos though.

A Harpoon Sampling

2010-08-25T16:55:00.001+10:00

Harpoon Brewery. The best free beer tasting in Boston and very conveniently located near the conference center. Even the little lady, marking the entrance to the bathrooms was joining in the fun.

Trident Bookshop

2010-08-24T09:42:00.001+10:00

Best breakfast in Boston.

Lemon ricotta stuffed french toast. It was goooood.

Non-nano nanoparticle@ACS

2010-08-23T14:36:00.000+10:00

A cold one.

2010-08-23T05:43:00.000+10:00

A glass so frosty that you could fingerprint our waitress.

The Barking Trap

2010-08-21T22:40:00.000+10:00

At the Barking Crab they "don't quote wait times", but will let you know that you are the 18th group of monkeys in line for a table. The tourism factor has increased significantly since we last dined here, no doubt due to the many favorable write ups in guide books . Themed T-shirts, shot glasses, and stickers are available for purchase while you wait, wait and wait for a table.
Steamed appetizers were perhaps the culinary highlight of the meal, but the most memorable moment came courtesy of Mark wrestling his lobster out of its shell. Priceless... And well worth the wait.

The Last Rent Cheque

2010-08-21T09:46:00.004+10:00

.... next stop mortgage-town.

Lucky 13 Beer

2010-08-13T19:36:00.002+10:00

Scaring away Fri-13th blues with a friendly beer tasting.

Some people left with six-packs. Mark went for the full carry-on size, hereafter known as the Mark-pack.

Kevin & Lisa

2010-08-11T18:29:00.002+10:00

Kevin and Lisa agreed to feed the mosquitoes while I played with my camera. They may have been motivated by their need for a family portrait for Kevin's mum's birthday (rather than a desire to be a good officemate or a willingness to nourish the local insect population). Happy Birthday Gram Beyer!

Dog pillow dog

2010-08-03T19:32:00.003+10:00

A westbound wagon delivered Mike, Suz, Maddy, Loudon, Marisol, Lady and Matisse to our front door. Its almost like the circus coming to town: animals that perform tricks, kids with frozen treats hanging off your arms, and endless entertainment. It was great seeing you guys!

Say Churros!

2010-07-29T20:55:00.001+10:00

From XOCO, the most recent addition to the Frontera family.
The tortas (sandwiches) are very tasty, particularly the one that is not available "to go" (because it is too messy aka fun).

The Purple Pig

2010-07-28T18:47:00.009+10:00

Post-conferencing dinner at the Purple Pig, a Mag Mile eatery which promotes snout-to-tail dining. We started near the snout with pig's ears (fried beyond recognition) and proceeded to the braised pigtail via the pate-ed pig's liver - both yum. Vegetarians need not attend.

ACA, Chicago

2010-07-25T08:54:00.001+10:00

Downtown on a misty Sunday morning for some crystallography. I must like xtals a lot to get up this early.

Pin Attack

2010-07-14T10:58:00.002+10:00

Another arts & crafts session involving cable rewiring - enough already.

Le bicycle rouge

2010-07-04T04:57:00.002+10:00

Faux french is really starting to catch on.

Hooked on Hot dogs

2010-06-29T11:22:00.001+10:00

Travel is really just an culinary adventure. After a few days on the docks at Oak Bluffs, Po Po is now hooked - hooked on hot dogs. Dingy dogs, with their Kosher dogs and fresh relish, are not only tasty but a surprisingly affordable snack in the middle of Tourist central.

Chappy

2010-06-28T14:01:00.003+10:00

4th trip to MV, but a first for Chappaquidick. A certain Kennedy senator could have avoided a big scandal if only he had heeded this sign.

Black dog first

2010-06-26T16:30:00.000+10:00

4th vineyard vacation, 1st black dog t-shirt

History by the pound

2010-06-26T14:02:00.000+10:00

A perfect gift for the person who has everything.

Ugg bit too much

2010-06-26T10:07:00.002+10:00

The Ugg phenomenon has "jumped the shark". Not only are there Ugg-brand thongs/flip flops/jandals* in the surf shops, they are fur-lined to keep you toes toasty??
*Note my multi-lingual talents

"I think we're going to need a bigger boat"

2010-06-25T10:57:00.002+10:00

Heading to Martha's Vineyard with a car full of Aussies keen to weigh in on the MV vs OZ coast debate.
We had to upgrade to a minivan in order to fit everyone in.

The diamond that had to be broken

2010-06-21T10:13:00.002+10:00

They say it happens to everyone eventually, and now it has happened to me... I broke my first diamond :-( . This might be more accurately stated as "someone broke the first of my diamonds" or "Joe broke the first of my diamonds" - but whatever. To be fair it was a speciality diamond, with a large inclusion (aka hole) and it WAS important to document its "limitations".

RIP Napertree

2010-06-19T11:51:00.000+10:00

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2010-06-05T16:15:00.000+10:00

A Fist Full of Ties

2010-06-04T17:35:00.005+10:00

A bunch of Calvin K's and Kenneth C's.

Hair raising

2010-06-01T10:17:00.001+10:00

More pins than hair.

The red wire or the blue wire?

2010-05-19T16:22:00.001+10:00

37 lead cable + blood + sweat + tears = adapter cable .... hopefully.

Pete has an owie

2010-04-30T20:25:00.003+10:00

...but at least he still has a thumb.
No more chopping onions for you buddy.

42 Overdue tasks

2010-04-12T14:12:00.000+10:00

OMG I'm so behind

Napa-ing

2010-04-08T13:29:00.000+10:00

Beautiful day. Beautiful scenery. Major tourist trap.

Spring MRS SFO

2010-04-07T20:23:00.000+10:00

So much better than Boston...

An Australian in SFO

2010-04-05T11:31:00.001+10:00

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Ski Tahoe

2010-04-03T13:12:00.001+11:00

Spring skiing doesn't get better than the 2 foot of fresh powder at a ski-in ski-out venue.

Swiss-........

2010-03-23T23:17:00.001+11:00

Talk about brand-identity.

New Toy

2010-03-08T11:14:00.001+11:00

Includes a target so the X-rays know where to aim.

Ski Devil's Head, WI

2010-02-21T15:45:00.000+11:00

Different day. Different ski field. Very different ie. excellent ski experience. The slope difficulty ratings were a little overestimated and we made it down ALL the runs including the double black diamond mogul hill.

Lesson learned this weekend: Any ski resort lacking accommodation is, by definition, not worth skiing a second day and therefore probably pretty poor overall.

Great Dane Pub

2010-02-20T19:42:00.001+11:00

Apres ski venue: a brew pub in Madison, WI. The bison burgers with fried sweet plantains are highly recommended. The $1.50 sampler glasses are a great way to try the many many brews available. As a warning, approach the "Habanero Hellfire" wings with extreme caution (and an iron stomach).

Ski Cascade Mountain, WI

2010-02-20T14:39:00.003+11:00

... or more accurately, wait-in-lift-queue-with-short-downhill-interludes Cascade Mountain.

Snow conditions: Fresh snow on packed ice.
Difficulty rating: Bunny-level
Popularity rating: Overpopulated

Now entering Osage county

2010-02-09T23:50:00.000+11:00

An intimate portal to an OK family home as the equilibrium shifts. Surprising laughs.

Nespress yourself

2010-02-08T22:52:00.002+11:00

All colors lead to brown.

Free February @ the Art Institute

2010-02-06T14:40:00.000+11:00

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P-P-Poker face

2010-01-16T21:58:00.002+11:00

Pete was feeling lucky after Kevin's quarterly poker tournament - I suppose being a beginner makes one's "strategies" difficult to predict.

J Apple Crisp paper

2010-01-15T12:44:00.001+11:00

A new personal record! Most figures in a manuscript.
For IUCr journals, this feat carries its own punishment - having to upload all 17 tiff images individually over more than an hour.

New Year, New Calendar

2010-01-11T10:43:00.001+11:00

I'm particularly chuffed with this year's calendar. Flower pics by an X-ray technician and photographer (just like me!).

...at the local super Target

2010-01-10T15:13:00.004+11:00

"Pepperidge Farm... That's in Victoria right?" --Greg
"Its a biscuit!" --Ben

"Vegemite in aisle 2 then?" --Karena

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