Isaac climbs the Black Dike

Isaac had a fantastic weekend, too. Ever since I moved to Colorado, he has been ice climbing up a storm. He's been climbing, well, like someone who won't be living in Vermont next season and needs to experience as much as he can before he moves out West. This weekend, Isaac climbed the Black Dike with his climbing partner, Chuck. The Black Dike is a classic New England ice climb, and Isaac had a blast. He told me that it was the best climb he has done, and was extremely giddy for days afterwords. I am so happy he got to climb it before he moves!

Isaac leading the third pitch

Chuck leading the Runnel (2nd pitch?). I guess the ice was so fat that there was no scary rock traverse needed.

A day at the slopes? office?

Friday was the day that my employer arranged to send our group (everyone working in the Northern Front Range, anyway) skiing for the day at Copper Mountain. We loaded the bus at the various offices (Fort Collins, Longmont, Boulder) and headed for the mountains. We spent the day skiing/riding, having fun, getting to know each other, and eating. It was a blast, and I really appreciated getting to know many of the people in the office who I don't work with directly. The snow was perfect, as they got 6" of powder the night before. Tired and satisfied, we took the bus back home. Looking back, I just realized something ... no one (at least no one I spoke with) talked about work the entire day. Lots of joking around, talk about families, talk about skiing ... but no shop talk! How nice!

I spent the rest of the weekend trying to recover from all the activity on Friday. I went to the Yoga studio, which was good. I also got a little more settled in my new home, and searched for some food that I was craving. I wanted to find a good Gyro shop in Fort Collins. I found Yum Yum, which won the local newspaper's award for best Ethnic food in Fort Collins. It was delicious, but not as good as Cafe Mediterrano in Essex, VT, and no where near as good as Ali Baba Grill in Golden, CO. Next, I wanted to find Bubble Tea. After searching online, I found that an Asian restaurant in town has some, so I gave it a try. The fruit tea part was ok, but they were really stingy with the tapioca pearls, and they put so much ice in the glass that it was hard to fish for the few pearls that were in there. Joyce made a mean Bubble Tea back in Vermont, and that will he hard to beat.

While unpacking boxes on Saturday, I finally found my cross country ski boots. I was really excited, because that meant I could go cross country skiing, finally, in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday. Or so I thought ... on Sunday morning, I woke up and realized ... all my kick wax was still lurking in a box somewhere that had not yet been unpacked. Dang.

No sesame chicken????

One of our two regular dining establishments in Vermont was Men at Wok. It was only 1/2 mile from home, so whenever we were too tired to cook or figure out what to do for dinner, we would get carry-out. The food was good, and the prices were cheap. We probably averaged 1.5 trips a week, so they came to know us over the years. We usually ordered the same thing: Isaac would have Sesame Chicken combination dinner with pork-fried rice and an egg roll, and I would have the General Tsao's Tofu combo with white rice and a spring roll. We always put the order under the name "Isaac", and it got the the point where after placing the order over the phone, the person would ask, "Isaac?" before we got the chance to say our name.

So Isaac called me the other day and told me a funny story. He called Men at Wok and placed an order for Beef with Broccoli under his name of Isaac. The woman on the phone responded, "Isaac? No Sesame Chicken? No general Tsao Tofu? She not live there anymore?"

Damn, I miss that place. I've been been afraid to look for a new Chinese restaurant in Fort Collins. I think Men at Wok will be really difficult to replace.

So, what else have I been up to?

The next few weeks (2/11 - 2/22) were a total blur. They were filled with all that comes with starting a new job and exploring a new home.

The hunt for a good grocery
In Vermont, we had it easy. We lived about 1 mile from two really good grocery stores. Great produce, decent meat, large selection of dry goods. Nothing spectacular, but more than adequate, and it definitely met our needs. I guess it never dawned on me that this would not be the case everywhere. The first grocery store I walked into was a shock. Not much for produce, and what they did have wasn't exactly appealing. Dito for the meat. As for dry goods, the selection was far from what I was used to. Sure, I wouldn't starve, but I wasn't exactly inspired by it's bounty (or lack of ...). The next grocery I went into was even worse.

A colleague told me about Whole Foods, but warned me to pay attention because it is referred to by some as "Whole Paycheck". Sure enough, it was an amazing store. Lots of fresh produce, fabulous meats, and a good variety of organic dry goods. The prices were high, but for quality organic food, no problem. Then I looked into baking basics such as refined sugar, flour, baking powder, etc - wow, super pricey. I now understand what she meant when she says that she doesn't do all of her groceries from one store (produce & meats from one store, dry goods from another)

Boxes
The moving van arrived on Thursday Feb 14th, and filled my new home with boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. To date, I've only unpacked 10% of them. Shame on me.

An introduction to a great fabric store
One of my colleagues from work is really into sewing - even more than I am. On one of the Saturday afternoons she took me to Elfriede's Fine Fabrics, which was having a sale. They currently share the shop with a Bernina Studio that has lots of great classes, so that's pretty cool as well. Of course, I went there just to look, and came back with fabric for three blouses. They were georgous, and they were on sale. Who knows when I'll have time to actually make the blouses.

Skiing
I got out skiing at Keystone on one of the Sundays. My friend from college, Jana, lives in Denver has a condo in Silverthorne. She invited me out, and I got to ski with a friend of hers. I would have loved to ski with Jana, but she was 8 months pregnant. It was really great to see her and also to make a new friend.

Volleyball
I went to the community Women's Volleyball league. I got to play a little, but for the most part, none of the teams are looking for players mid-season. Someone did tell me about some of the pick-up nights. I haven't gone yet, but intend to go. It will be a great way to start meeting new people.

Altitude
I can't believe how strange it is adjusting to the altitude. I spent a few weeks really tired, and found myself getting winded after going up a flight of stairs. This will take some getting used to.

A trip back to Vermont (2/22 - 2/25)
I've made one trip back to Vermont to visit Isaac already. The original plan was to do a back country ski at Avalanche Pass in the Adirondacs, but they didn't have any fresh snow and Isaac thought it would be too icy. Instead, we had one last hair appointment with Piero, got the house ready for the open house, and ran a bunch of errands (Lake Champlain Chocolates, etc). I feel a little bad that I didn't contact anyone to make plans while I was in town, but I was there for only a short time and wanted to maximize my time with Isaac. It's been a little rough having him so far away, but hopefully the house will sell soon so he can join me in Colorado.

My first weekend in Colorado (2/7-2/10)

I'll admit it - there was a pretty large black-out period between when I left Vermont on Feb 7th and now. It started with no Internet at home, but I haven't had that as an excuse in over a week. So, what have we been up to all this time, anyway? Well, here's the stuff for Thursday Feb 7 - Sunday Feb 10, also known as my first weekend living in Colorado, and the first time Isaac saw Colorado.

On Thursday Feb 7th, after saying my final "goodbyes" on my last day of work, Isaac and I rushed off to the airport with my cat, Hailey. We flew out to Colorado, with Hailey in a carry-on bag stowed safely below the seat in front of us. At our layover in JFK, I once again indulged in a slice of NY-Style pizza. For my last few weeks in Vermont, every time I had the opportunity to get NY-Style pizza, I could not pass it up, fearing it could be my "last chance" until I am back East. Who knows what the pizza would be like in Colorado - could have a strong influence from that nasty Chicago-Style junk. I haven't found any NY-Style pizza yet in Ft. Collins, but I must admit that I haven't looked yet. Back to the story ...

We made it to Denver, and stayed in a hotel in Golden. It's closer to the ski hills then Ft. Collins, but still possible to find a room that allows cats. We got up bright & early the next morning (Friday 2/8), got ready for skiing, and stopped off at the hotel's complimentary breakfast. "Excuse me, are you hoping to go skiing today?", a kind woman asked. "Why, yes, we just moved here and can't wait to hit the slopes", was our response. She then informed us that the only way to the mountains, I-70, was closed because of too much snow and wind. Doh! All that snow and we couldn't get there to enjoy it. So we took a nap, and decided to drive North to check out our new home in Fort Collins and meet with the new landlord to take care of the lease. Maybe we could ski on Saturday instead.

We drove around Fort Collins, and checked out the Old Town area. We walked around for a bit, and had some ice cream at Walrus. Many people told me about Walrus when I interviewed here in December, so I had to try it out. They make their own ice cream, and man, it was fantastic. Truly a good find - we will be back. Oddly enough, it is just down the block from the yoga studio where I might become a regular - and therefore I will be regularly tempted by the irresistible Walrus.

Saturday (2/9), we got up bright and early to check the conditions. A friend who lives in the area warned us that we would need to be on the road no later than 6:30AM if we wanted to beat the ski traffic. At 5:45AM, the conditions in the mountains were still really windy and cold with near-blizzard conditions. We decided that didn't sound too fun, and went back to sleep. After the lazy morning, we decided to get our lazy butts out of the hotel and do something - it was the 4-year anniversary of our first date, after all. We discovered a really, really good Lebanese restaurant. Not only does Ali Baba Grill make a mean Gyro, but the lamb kabob that Isaac had was the best lamb that either of us had ever tasted. No joke - it was that good. I'm still dreaming of it and can't wait to return. Their baklava was out of this world - too bad it had pistacios and Isaac couldn't have any.

Next it was off to a movie theater that was a bit West on I-70 (into the foothills a little bit). Once we got up high enough to see the mountains, Isaac got really excited. They were so big! Change in plans - even though it was lame, touristy, and a total waste of gas, we went for a drive through Berthud pass, where there is a lot of back country skiing. It was really neat, and we are pretty excited to take our safety classes so we can ski there next year.

On Sunday (2/10), I drove Isaac to the airport so he could fly back to Vermont. I drove North to Ft. Collins and settled into the Residence Inn there - where I stayed for a few more days until the moving van arrived with all our stuff.

Who da (wo)man?

So, I've been driving around in a car that has the front passenger side blinker out for months now. I've felt guilty every time I go to make a right turn, and someone else is waiting to pull out on the busy street but they don't because they didn't know I'm turning. But apparently, not guilty enough to do something about it, until today. Traffic is so much worse here in Fort Collins.

Since Isaac is still back in Vermont, I can't just bat my eyelashes at him and let him take over. I had to do it myself. It's just a damn light bulb, how hard can it be? Volksbloggin makes it look so easy. Just push down on the clip on the top of the cover, and pull the cover right off. Then change the bulb. No matter how much I pushed on that damned clip, I couldn't get the cover off. Feeling frustrated, I called Isaac. Not that he could do anything about it ... I just wanted to pout and whine. After my pout & whine pity party, I did some paperwork, had a snack, wasted time on the computer ... in general, I did a bunch of stuff to procrastinate returning to my exercise in frustration.

Just when I was getting too tired to function, I went out to the garage armed with a headlamp and a flat head screwdriver. What's the screwdriver for, you might ask? Why, it is to pry, pummel, and scrape enough plastic off the stupid clip so there's not much left to hold the lid in place. The lid came off, I changed the bulb, and it actually worked.

My car is now almost legal. I have my new Colorado plates sitting in the front seat of the car, just waiting for me to get the old Vermont plates off. I gave it a good try, but the screws are rusted in place, and I couldn't budge even one. I guess I'll just have to wait for my big strong man to visit me ... but then again, I think I can get this one with a power tool.

It's hard to say goodbye

This post is long overdue, but better late than never. Now that I finally have internet at my new home, I've got a lot of catching up to do. In case you haven't heard, I have moved to Colorado, and Isaac will join me here, hopefully shortly, once my townhouse sells (anyone wanna buy a nice townhome conveniently located near Taft Corners). I have taken a new job with LSI in Fort Collins, and I am excited, scared, overwhelmed, and optimistic all at the same time.

Getting here has been quite the journey. Every step along the way was filled with agonizing decisions and a lot of work. Should I pursue the interviewing opportunities that came my way? 'Yes' to this one means lots of prep work and travel. Should I accept one of the job offers? Deciding this one was the hardest. I loved my job and cherished my colleagues. My job was challenging, fun, and satisfying. It was the type of job where I regularly learned new things and could see how my contributions made a difference. My colleagues were the best I have have worked with. It just about felt like a family because we all got along so well and contributed in our own special way. So why did I decide to leave? Good question. Sometimes I wonder myself, but I've made the decision and here I am in Colorado. There is so much about Vermont that I will miss, but I also look forward to new experiences here in Colorado.

Saying 'goodbye' to everyone has been really hard. It was great to have several luncheons, dinners, and breakfasts, but each of those smile-filled events came with tears behind the scenes. Needless to say, I will miss everyone so very, very much.

Here are some of the pics from several of my goodbye events.

Goodbye dinner with friends Joe, Carl,
May-Hung, and Christina (holding Autumn)

I was so touched when May-Hung invited Isaac and me to dinner. It was really great to get to see them all before I left, not to mention eat at Joyce's Noodle House ... I can't get enough! I'll admit it, I almost broke down as we were wrapping up dinner and lingering in the entry area of the restaurant - then I totally lost it in the car.

Goodbye luncheon with the ladies from work:
Kathy, Rashmi, Suzanne, Sue, Meg, and Della

It was also great to go out to lunch with the ladies from work. A couple of years ago, we used to go out to the perfect ladies lunch spot - The Duchess Tea Room. It was the type of place where men were afraid to go, and we could escape work have a great lunch out with the ladies. We're all engineers, so lunch out with the ladies was always a special event. Even though the Duchess has closed, we still got out from time to time. This time, at the Asia Bistro.

Some of my many fine colleagues:
Essi, Eric, Charlie, Jim, Ed, and Andy

More of my many fine colleagues:
Asad, Janak, John, Don, and Dave

A different view of my many fine colleagues:
Dave, Don, Me, John, Janak, Asad

Yet another view of my many fine colleagues:
Andy, Ed, Jim, Charlie, Eric, Essi

Of course, there was the Departmental goodbye luncheon. I don't even know where to begin to discuss how special they all are and how wonderful it has been to work with all of them. Each one brilliant and a true character - they will certainly be missed.