Back home.

Well, we're back from Arizona and almost done with the holidays. I think both Joey and I are feeling quite strange and struggling with the concept of not working (at least regular hours in a regular setting.) On the other hand though, we have had a great time relaxing, eating wonderful food and spending time with Ronia and more recently, Amy.  Next week things will most likely fall back into place and Joey will return to the office and I will hopefully kick start my new business. As far as Ronia is concerned, we plan to increase her day care by at least 1 day a week to 3 half days sometime next month.

Yesterday I filed a fictitious name with the county of San Diego and officially have my own business. Now I just have to publish it in an "authorized newspaper" for 4 weeks according to state law.  I've found that I love to manipulate pictures with texture and feel that it may be my personal style. I'm anxious to release my website soon and it should only be a couple more weeks. The last, and most crucial part left is to figure out the budget and pricing structure. Fun times. As much as I'd like to pretend I don't need a business plan, I've come to the conclusion that I just need to write the darn thing and get it over with.

Some pictures of our trip are on my flickr site, although I regret to say not nearly as many as I'd like. Now that I've started shooting in RAW format it takes my old computer about an hour to convert them to JPEG, and that's not including any editing. So, please keep in mind I'm saving my best pictures for my website and you'll all see them soon.  Oh, and speaking of my trusty computer with only 512 Megabites of Ram, I will be investing in a new laptop this spring when my CD matures. YEA!

Well, Joey's back from the store, so time for me to go! P.S. Stay tuned to see how Joey made the bed. We're both so impressed. (So much so that I took a picture).

Off and Away

Joey and I will be on the road for the next few days. We'll be doing a loop through Arizona and plan to see Montezuma's Castle, Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon and the Grand one too.
Be prepared for pictures!

On that note,  a professional update: I have my domain and website in the beginning stages and now need to work on the legal stuff. Fun times!

Few and Far Between

Due for an update I suppose. Let's see. Last night Amy came over to enjoy my fabulous homemade cooking, some Christmas decorating and some Golden Girls with apple pie. It was a delightful time and after she left Joey and I continued some decorating and even put some lights up. The big debate now is to spend $70 to see Transiberian Orchestra on Friday or get a Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving was nice and full of good food and leftovers. Thank you to Bob and Carol for letting us crash for 3 nights. We know things can be a bit more lively than perhaps your used to.

As far as daily life goes, I have been editing all my old favorite pictures preparing for my web-site and Joey has suddenly decided that he's going to start playing the piano. Shannon- if you still have those beginner books, we NEED them. :)

Once in a while

Although our children are angels sent to us to make our lives brighter and better, I sometimes feel like they can drive us to feel like this:

Today was one of those days. While getting Ronia ready for school today, she tripped on her pants and smashed her mouth on the metal bed frame. The only other time I've really seen my daughter bleed was when she split her lip open the first time. I am incredibly grateful that she hasn't caused herself any greater bodily harm, but still hate to see anything happen at all. Thankfully, all of her teeth were still in place and she came out with a big, clean split and a couple nasty blood blisters.

Maybe it was because I missed out on my 4 hours of mommy time, or maybe it was the extra attention and love I gave today... but either way- by the end of it, I felt like, well- that picture above.

Aside from that, things are going. Joey's birthday is tomorrow and Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  I've decided to go ahead with my photography business, and now that I said it out loud, I'll just have to follow through.

Well, night for me. And probably night for Joey (he has a cold). 

They say you are what you eat.

Last night for dinner, Joey had a piece of bread, tuna, canned sweet peas, some cheese, and spaghetti sauce all mixed in a bowl together.

I had 2 bowls of Captain Crunch and a donut.

Does this mean I'm not a person of substance?

Time well spent

At times, when I spend time with other 3 year olds, I am reminded of how wonderful mine is.  No offense to other 3 year olds, of course.

Today at lunch she tells me, "Pocahontas says hello like this (and then does the hand sign for hello Pocahontas style). Why do that Mommy? I do this (and then waves Ronia style.) How cute is that?

I know it's been a while since either of us posted, so I'll just give a quick synopsis of what's been going on. Betsy came to visit last week and it was really nice to see her. It's not cheap or easy to make the trip, and I am very grateful to anyone that does. We did a little bit of everything that I typically include in a tour: La Jolla, the beaches, Sunset Cliffs, Cabrillo National Monument, Old Town, Downtown, and a desert drive with stop for pie in Julian.

Joey in the mean time has been working on a talk that he gave today. It apparently went well (surprise, surprise), and I'm sure I'll hear more when he gets home.

Amy and I also had the opportunity to hang out this weekend, which was very nice. On Saturday, after a breakfast of bagels and coffee with a view and a little tyke, we ended up at a beautiful park. It felt like fall and we went back after lunch with Jeff and Joey to play some more.

Sunday proved long and interesting but at least included a visit with Joey's friends (in their 70's), a bag of cookies, and a date night with Joey for our 3 month anniversary. (Thanks Amy for babysitting and a movie!)

Today I created a Terms and Conditions page for being a photographer, but still have yet to find a name. Arika Marie Photography sounds too cutsie, Erica Reed Photography looks boring, etc. etc. I'm thinking of Photography by Arika Reed. With the right font and the help of someone really talented, maybe I can pull it off. Then I need business cards, a web-site, and wa-lah! I'm a photographer. Hopefully.

Well, if I did my job, you're all caught up and have enough to tide you over until next time. I'm sure you're all waiting on pins and needles.... Oh yeah, pictures of tidepooling and desert drive are up. :)

California and it's damn rules

Trips to the DMV only make one hateful towards the state of California and it's damn technicalities.

For a state that has such loose driving rules like making a u-turn randomly in the middle of a residential area (no sign or turn lane), or turning left into whichever lane you choose (instead of the one closest to you), it sure surprises me that they choose to fully abide by the tiniest little details. 

Sure it's the law, sure it may be common sense, but forgive me for bringing in a copy of my marriage license instead of the one with the raised seal. So what if no one told me to bring it in the first place- I just happen to carry it around for unexpected problems. So what if you can see the seal on the copy, but you can't feel it. So what so what so what.  It only took me 4 weeks to even get an appointment at the DMV (which is really an acronym for Dreaded Magistrate of Vexation) and now, of course, I have to go back.

Good thing I ignored the beast when they told me I couldn't register my car at AAA. I registered it yesterday. Ha! Eat that, stupid dominion.

California and it's glam stereotype. Okay, so it's interesting to see people shopping at the grocery store in their wet suit. It's interesting to watch out for flying surfboards instead of deer on the highway. It's interesting to eat next to homeless people in Walmart, and it's interesting being a racial minority.  But sometimes, I just miss Michigan.

Happy Halloween!

I'm still alive

Some people may be wondering if I am still around. Rest at ease, I am alive and kicking. Right now I am in the process of working on some research, so things are a bit busy. I have a few talks to give in the upcoming weeks and time is flying far too quickly. You know what the tough thing about research is? It doesn't matter how hard you work, if ideas aren't coming, there is not a whole lot you can do. When I reach that level of frustration, I try to read a lot of papers. Hopefully in doing so I will reach some sort of HAHA, oops, I mean AHAH moment. It is also helpful to just start TEXING up ideas. The exciting thing is that you don't know when the light bulb will go off. Exciting times, huh? Have I convinced anybody to go to graduate school?

In writing this I am really thinking that I need another hobby. Nothing really seems to stick..any suggestions? I am open for anything. Well almost anything.

Ahhh, California

La Jolla_Oct142009_0348.jpg, originally uploaded by arikamarie.

I want to delete this but am too dumb to figure out how,..

Easy as 1, 2, 3

My last class in "Digital Darkroom" is tomorrow. Our final project consisted of laying one image on top of another and merging them together. Here's what I came up with...

Ta Da! 

Cute pic of Ronia for... well, everyone

Okay, so this is really frustrating. On my computer screen, in photoshop, this picture looks very colorful and just perfect. I upload it and it looks flat and boring. This is apparently a common problem, but I'm converting the file and doing everything the book says and it makes no difference. Anyway, I guess it's still cute. But it's a whole lot better in photoshop. grrrr.

The Joys of Editing

So this is a terrible quality shot, but I love that he looks almost like a drawing!

Here's the old one:

Hi, Do You Remember Me?

It has been a while from my last post. In fact, my lack of posting has probably limited the number of Erica's posts! Well, it is a good time to write now, a lot has happened since last time. The issue with trying to recall two weeks of spine tingling excitement is that you don't even know where to begin. To organize my thoughts, I will make a list. Erica LOVES lists, let's see what all the fuss is about.

1. Work: I went up to Carlsbad again. At the rate things are going, I'll probably have to head up there again. My PhD thesis will involve working on a problem very near and dear to a company up there.

2. Family Life: Taught Ronia the running man. The problem with teaching Ronia dances is that somebody will eventually have to unteach her and then teach her the right way.

There is more to say, but I'll leave that for another time.

If you need a laugh...

Today I looked into pre-school options in our area. 
This was the first one I checked out since it's practically next door.
I tried copy and pasting the tuition table, but it didn't work out. Check out the link for the prices. 
La Jolla Country Day School
http://www.ljcds.org/page.cfm?p=1982

Ha ha! Now that was worth it wasn't it? Always good to have a laugh.

Superbad

We had a great weekend at Joey's parents full of amazing food: filet mignon, belgium waffles, smoothies, hot chocolate, asparagus, oatmeal, Red Lobster biscuits, pizza and everything else you could imagine. Mmmmm. The only thing missing...?

Okay, so not really. But isn't this funny? I love that my grapes are Supergrapes! Of course, after a weekend away, they are now super bad.

So, now that we're back I am being lazy and immersing myself in cyberspace.  Joey is sick but won't let me baby him, so I guess that gives me an excuse to baby myself. :)

Since many of you haven't seen our place yet, here are some pics that show our awesome fall decorating and give you a feel of what our comfy home looks like.

 

Also, an update regarding my list and recent post...

Here in California, you're supposed to get a new license within 10 days. (It's the law.) But alas, the earliest appointment the DMV will let me in is November 5th.  Also, be prepared when calling the establishment known as the DMV. The music is surprisingly similar to the soundtrack of one of those XXX numbers.* I kept waiting for some lady to come on with a low, husky voice and say, "Ready for some fun? Press one to register your vehicle. Feeling lucky? Press two for information on smog testing." Once this day passes, I will have checked off a good chunk of my to do's.

In the mean time, we have decided to enroll Ronia in at least a part time day care/pre-school to get our foot in the door and keep her socialized. Paperwork is in our hands, now we just have to complete it.

Thank you notes are being written, and Ronia has some new shoes, socks and pants (thank you Grandma!).

Other fun things I've squeezed in include greeting cards. Here is an example of my Halloween variety.

That's all for now! Back to work.

*Note: I do not regularly call XXX numbers, but have incorrectly dialed once or twice at work. :)

List

I love lists. They help me figure out what I need to do, and also help me procrastinate by keeping me from actually doing the things on my list. Here's my current to do's:

Get a new drivers license. (This includes making an appointment at the DMV, taking a test and paying a lot of money, so I guess that's 3 things right there.)
Smog check my car (more money)
Oil change (more money)
Register my car (more money)
Get new car insurance (I see a theme)
Look into new health insurance (you know what goes here)
Remake my resume
Check into the waiting list at preschool/day care
Upload pics from trip out here
Finish unpacking Ronia's clothes
Organize filing cabinet
Call dentist about ridiculous charges
Call the bank about incorrectly printed checks
Buy Ronia new socks, shoes and clothes that fit (yes she's growing!)
Finish my dang thank you notes
Make and send a few overdue packages
Return our movie rental
Go grocery shopping (ugh, more money)
Find out how to make money to do most things on list.

*sigh*

Hey, I tried.

Leave it to me to mess up boxed muffins.

Inspirational

Last night Erica showed me some of the machinery she has learned in her photoshop class. It was remarkable to say the least. After two classes and about a week of toying around with the program, she can turn good photos into master pieces. The fact that she is into it rubs off on me. That seems to be the way things work, passion is contagious!

I couldn't help but read that Erica mentioned I let her sleep in. What hasn't been said (she is protecting me), is that my alarm is probably waking up Ronia. So I should be watching her early in the morning anyway. Plus, I get to convince her that early mornings are great. Speaking of Ronia, I successfully taught her the moon walk last night. The "Queen of Pop", is well on her way. Its funny, Ronia seems like she can become anything she wants. Whether it be painter, piano player, athlete, or mathematician (hey, you never know, one can wish :) ). The sky is the limit for her! I'm just blessed to see it happen.

1st attempts (new small size)

I have bats in my house. (Paper ones)

Puppy chow. Muddy buddies. Chocolate and peanut butter deliciousness all wrapped up in powder sugar. Whatever you call it- it's plain amazing.  And I have some. Mmmm.

For some reason I'm especially tired today. Who knows why since Joey pretty much lets me sleep in every single day... (Did I mention I married the perfect man?)  Anyhoo, I plan to spruce up this page sometime soon and will hopefully be able to put up a couple of my 1st attempts at editing.

Stay posted! 

Why can't they just move over!

Who do you think I am referring to? You may have guessed because you may have the same question yourself. Joggers and bikers seem to think they own the world. Don't get me wrong, I think that both activities are great. Running is one of my favorite past times. But I for some crazy reason, I think that running/jogging is preferable to being hit by a car. And now I return to the question, why can't they move over....out of traffic! It's all about safety folks.

I hope I didn't offend anybody with the last paragraph, I had to get that off of my chest. What else is going on? I am starting to prepare for my advancement talk. The mathematics graduate program at UCSD has three main hurdles. Your first few years are taken up with what are called qualifying classes. These are a sequence of three classes you must take (you can choose from about five possible types of courses), which culminate in qualifying exams. This is hurdle number one, and perhaps the most stressful. If you pass these exams with high enough marks, you hopefully have an idea of what type of mathematics you would like to research. Believe it or not, the possibilities are nearly endless. So you start to "shop around", doing some reading with different professors. Finally, you select an advisor. After some time, you have probably done some good stuff. At this point, you need to get a committee of five faculty together and tell them how you are spending your time. This is called advancement, and is hurdle number 2. If you have been keeping up with your work, this is no big thing. Up to this point, you may have started your dissertation. After a bit more time, you complete your dissertation and give your final defense to your committee. This final step is hurdle number three...it should be a formality. Hopefully at this point, you also have a job lined up.

Wow! That was a lot longer than I intended it to be. If you got lost in the clutter that was my last paragraph, let be reiterate that I am about to advance. At the moment I am preparing my presentation on Electrical Impedance Tomography. The presentation is being prepared with a type setting language called Latex. Latex has a presentation class called beamer....imagine powerpoint, only harder to use. Instead of drag and click, I need to type computer code. Despite the pain, the program gives you a lot of freedom.

My committee talk will probably take place in late November. Maybe I will be lucky enough to have it on my birthday. Nothing like public speaking on a day of celebration. There is an open invitation to anybody who would like to attend! Erica and Ronia have already RSVP'd :)

Tales to tide you over

I really have a lot to write about, but alas am not feeling very creative. So I guess I'll just blurt stuff out to get it out there.

Yesterday, I went to the emergency room of the UCSD hospital. Nothing too serious, just a bladder infection.  Three hours of unease for 6 little pills and a bill starting at $150 out of pocket. Things to note: people in good moods. The young couple next to me (both in the waiting room and also on the hospital bed next to me once inside the ER) were very happy and quite entertaining. At one point the patient (the guy) takes out a marker and starts drawing a big smiley face on his unsettling blue face mask. The man who brought people back to the ER actually introduced himself and I thought that made all the difference in the world.

What I didn't like was that they made people walk through the waiting room with specimen samples and then made you sit on hospital beds after you made it past the ER doors. Also, I found it a little uncomfortable that the janitor just barged through closed doors of occupied emergency rooms without warning to empty the trash.

On a totally separate note, the air show is going on. Loud loud planes. Big fancy planes.  And for the second time in my life, I was able to witness a flying formation that made me gasp. Both incidents have happened while driving and not prepared to see large, loud, military planes fly right in front of my windshield.  The most recent incident was yesterday on my way back from Henry's Fresh Market. Just driving down a low profile neighborhood street when 4 of the Blue Angles literally cross the path in front of me appearing no higher than 100 feet from the horizon.  Coolest thing. Of course, I have never had a camera.

Speaking of cameras, thanks to everyone following up on my photo editing class. It was highly intimidating and I missed the first class, so also a bit hectic.  Digital is a bit different from 35 mm in my opinion. More buttons.

Lastly (since I'm dang tired and this is the most boring post in history), Joey and I actually were able to have a date day. It was very nice. Noel took Ronia and we drove down to Coronado, walked past huge houses and people watched. Then came back here and did a photo shoot for class, went to Blockbuster to use one of our gift cards, then Starbucks to use another.

Well, time for bed for me. Wishing I could be at Robin's wedding tomorrow. I miss my girls!

Life is Fragile

For a couple days now I've been wondering about details involving an unexpected death of someone who went to my high school. Some accidents shock you more than others, but this was one I never expected- almost like it couldn't happen. It's interesting how much we take time together for granted. Of all people, I think I'm the most guilty of it. Time to re-evaluate and modify... again.

Beaming with Pride

Erica starts her photo editing class today. I am really excited for her. Last night I was looking at her text book and almost wanted to take the class myself. There is something really exciting about people learning new things, especially if one of those people is your wife. The fun begins at 6:30 this evening! I'll be getting back from my office around 5 PM, to give Erica a breather before she heads out. Then I have the honor of watching Ronia :) More to come...

Joey's sleeping with a push pop

Wow. We really need to spruce up this webpage. I get bored just looking at it.

So tomorrow I start my new class. I'm a little nervous considering it's been a few years since I've been in a classroom. Luckily, Joey picked up my new textbook and the author is hilarious. I laughed more reading a few pages this required book than, well- anything lately. Sad really- I probably shouldn't admit that.

Amy and I had some bonding time today. We walked, talked, ate and watched Ronia; just like old times.  My favorite part of today was when we were making banana bread and I said something like, "Wanna just open the pie up and eat it with a couple forks?" And she just smiled and said, "I'm glad you're back."

Now, that may not have been the exact wording or even sentence (I referred to brownies too during the process), but it went something like that- and it was nice.  And, by golly- we ate that pie with forks.

For those of you who doubt the whole banana bread story, I have also made brownies (ok, boxed), pan cooked chicken in cream of mushroom soup, and steamed veggies multiple times.  Thanks to Joey's parents and the espresso maker they got for us, I also make specialty coffee drinks.  Just call me the little woman. Now I just have to convince Joey to let me do the laundry. :)  (He pretty much takes out all the trash and does all the laundry so I don't become inconvenienced.) Did I marry the perfect guy or what?

Well, since he's pretty much falling asleep next to me while I type, I suppose I should probably go and get to bed. After all, it's a school night.

Progress can be Slow

Yesterday I had a meeting up in Carlsbad. I am starting to do some work on medical imaging and a company up there has been nice enough to work with me. Details are on a need to know basis, let me just say that I will need to draw some concentric circles for the project. Of course any third grader can do this in a jiffy, but not a grad student working with a computer. No, this pretty much took me all day.

Technology is a wonderful thing. It makes our lives just a little more convenient. However, sometimes I wonder at what cost. I am not nearly philosophical enough to answer this question. I'll leave it alone for now, don't want to be hypocritical.

A League of Their Own

Being in an environment surrounded by brilliant people sure makes one feel... humbled.  For example, at the neighborhood playground yesterday I was accompanied by a man sitting on a bench reading to his child. Age of the child; under 3 months.  Book being read; 1984.  He asks if I am a graduate student, and I reply no, my husband is. I return the question and am delighted when he answers, "No, my wife is."  For about 3 seconds I feel like I'm on the same page as someone until he follows his answer with, "I'm in law school."  Of course he is.

So I'm trying my hand at being a stay at home mom and currently watching Ronia play in the bathtub. Joey is at work, and later will be attending his "just for fun" class, Mathematical Methods for Physics. The daycare I want Ronia in here on campus is full, and although we qualify for subsidized pricing and are on the priority waitlist- there's still about 100 other families in the same boat.

Meanwhile, I've decided that I may as well jump into photography as there will never be a better time. I can take a class on photo editing here on campus a couple evenings a week, and then get Ronia into part-time care (where there is no waitlist).  Four hours isn't really enough time to drive to a job and work a shift with time to drive home, so I may as well start offering short sessions and using any extra time for editing.  This way I can have my part time job to earn a bit of money and also have fun doing it and maintaining my sanity. Ronia will be able to be socialized in a center like I want her to, but we won't have to spend $1,300 a month in a full time facility. Besides, I can use this time to hone in on my mothering skills and work on my patience.

Besides that, not a whole else is new. After killing about 10 spiders since the move in, I haven't seen any more in the past couple days. My left ear feels like it needs to be continually popped, and last night Ronia treated Joey and I to about 20 rounds of "Shake ya Booooty."  Off for now. Time to wash some hair.

Joey is DeLEriOuS

It's only 10, but if you listened to my husband- you'd think it was 2:30am. He's cracking jokes left and right and everyone should disregard any posting tonight from his username. I suppose it's because he did have one glass of sparkling wine... lightweight. :)

I Like Drinking Milk and Looking at Cookbooks

Call me crazy, but I think that a person's first blog post should be edgy, hence the title. It is self explanatory really, food ( as well as drink) tastes better when looking at pictures/descriptions of better food.

It may be a bit impulsive to post this, but that is just the type of guy I am!