Phillips on Phinney

Red Wings win in Vancouver B.C.

2011-01-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

Colby and I headed to Vancouver for a weekend of hockey, food and power shopping as a way to retroactively celebrate our birthdays from October and November. As you all know those months were sort of a bust for us so this was a great way to make up for lost time.

Being a fan of the opposing team is not the ultimate way to see your first NHL game, but the Wings won so who really cares? It was not the most thrilling game for the first two periods but the Wings came out in the 3rd and showed 'em how it's done and ended up beating the Canucks in OT/shoot out style! And only in the Pacific Northwest does one go out for late night sushi after a hockey game.

On Sunday we met up with friends, who live in Vancouver, for brunch. It was the perfect ending to a whirlwind weekend.

Ya just gotta love Canada, eh?!

Snow Food

2010-11-23T13:06:00.001-08:00

Wintry weather calls for hearty food. The first crockpot beef goulash with mashed potatoes of the season was perfect for watching the snow and wind blow around on Monday night. Looks like lots more of these meals to come this winter.

White Thanksgiving

2010-11-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

Just a few days before Thanksgiving and the snow was howling. Only about 3 inches fell on Monday, but the winds were blowing up to 40 mph and it looked like a blizzard outside for about 8 hours. Cold too -- 19 degrees when we woke up Tuesday morning. Clear, cold, and sunny on Tuesday afternoon, but another storm expected on Thanksgiving Eve with potentially more snow. What a way to start the season...

All Aboard the "Get Well" Train

2010-11-07T17:15:00.000-08:00

As I head into week two of recovery, I have no shortage of elementary school-style activities to keep me occupied. My fabulous co-workers were so kind to provide coloring books, crayons, puzzles and paper dolls for my crafting pleasure. I think I may even crack open that glow-in-the-dark jigsaw puzzle tonight.

My first week of recovery has gone well and nurse Colby has done an extraordinary job of keeping me comfortable, well fed and appropriately medicated! And he has done all of this while working feverishly on his dissertation. He really is the one who deserves all the extra TLC at this point.

A Different Island Vacation

2010-09-27T22:15:00.001-07:00

Jim & Danielle came out for a visit that took us to Orcas Island. The weather a little different than Maui as it rained like cats and dogs much of the time, but also broke apart and gave us some welcomed sunshine and nifty fog that clung to the Sound. Naturally, we got a few days of power shopping and dining under our belts in Seattle before setting sail to the Island. What a great, easy going time we had!

Paradise Found

2010-09-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Seattle has been terribly unforgiving this year and hasn't produced anything that resembles summer. So off we went to Maui in search of sun and warmth. Luckily we found exactly what we were looking for! Taking advantage of a great airfare and off-season rates we stayed for a week in a nice little condo right on the beach in Kehei, Maui. We happily spent mornings and evenings on our lanai watching sunrises and sunsets and long lazy days at the beach. We did drag ourselves off the beach a few times for some sailing and paddle boarding.

It's a good thing we got our year's dose of vitamin D, since we returned to rain and temps in the mid-50's. What a homecoming. It's a good thing we have a trip to Austin coming up in October to keep our spirits up.

The Greatest Gift

2010-06-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

When you dog sit one of the sweetest dogs on earth (Hardy), you receive the coolest gifts in thanks. Hardy's parents, Michael & Brennan, know us well enough to give the gift of fresh and safe food storage! The timing couldn't have been better since, just today, Colby participated in the second annual sausage making festival. This time he came home with 12 lbs of spicy italian sausage.

I wonder what will be sizzling on our grill this summer? Wanna come over?

Seattle Has ONE Nice Day

2010-06-07T20:38:00.001-07:00

This Saturday the clouds parted and we had one day (out of 12 consecutive days of rain) to make some progress on our raised beds. We have devised a plan to keep the nasty neighborhood cats out of our veggie garden by draping bird netting over the hoops. And speaking of hoops...it seemed like a good time to take the hula hoops out for a spin!

St. Louis in less than 4 days

2010-04-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Last week was a multi-purpose trip to St. Louis. Colby attended and presented at the annual SAA conference. I decided to tag along so we could make it a family visit and to meet some of my colleagues at AT&T.

The absolute highlight of the trip was spending the weekend with Mike, Missy, Carlyn and Chris. They showed us a good midwestern time that included some serious youth sports action, BBQ and family togetherness. We miss them already!

Ribs 'n Thangs

2010-04-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Friend, colleague, and raconteur James was in Seattle from Japan for a few days, and we celebrated his return to the U.S. of A. with a good 'ol rib smoke. Started off with some homemade sausages for lunch, then smoked four racks of ribs to go with our cole slaw, baked beans, cornbread, and wasabi-flavored Kit Kats (James brought that from Japan). Then we all laid around and groaned while loosening our pants. Success.

First Climb of the Season -- Mt. Pilchuck, Washington

2010-03-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

Well, my ski buddy Adam and I had planned to do some backcountry skiing and snowboarding up at the old Mt. Pilchuck ski area last weekend, and we took off from Seattle early Saturday morning with visions of spring t-shirt skiing (it was sunny and 60 degrees last weekend). However, as we approached the parking area we noticed things looking pretty green where we expected to be linking turns. Tough sledding for sure. So we ditched the downhill gear and strapped our snowshoes onto our packs and headed up the trail -- in the summer there is a hiking trail to the summit and a fire lookout tower. About halfway up the trail we finally hit the snow, and switched to snowshoes for the final ascent. Couldn't have been a nicer day with 360 degree viewed of the Cascade mountains from Mt. Baker to Mt. Rainier from the lookout. Looks like the end of ski season means the beginning of hiking season, which is just fine with me.

I Want to be a Freedom Dancer

2010-02-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "Happy Anniversary" like a 1980's cabaret/theater production! Colby and I celebrated our anniversary a little early by taking in a show with good friends this weekend. The Soft Rock Kid was full of 8o's music and dancing that followed (very loosely) a Karate Kid story line. This was such an original idea for a show - singing and dancing and jokes about the 80's. It was all I could do not to run on the stage and join the Freedom Dancers. If only I had a pair of leg warmers in my purse.

Be Mine

2010-02-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day 2010 did not disappoint. Colby hand-made this Domo Kun night light for me. Domo is my favorite Japanese monster whom we became acquainted with on our trip to Japan last spring. Our special dinner was the handcrafted sausage that you see in the previous post. This particular sausage is the Hungarian variety. It was so tasty...like authentic Hungarian goulash in the form of a sausage.

SausageFest 2010

2010-02-06T17:55:00.001-08:00

SausageFest 2010 was a huge success -- 50 lbs of pork shoulder cut up, ground, and stuffed into casings. Italian sausage, Hungarian paprika sausage, Southwestern green chile, and British bangers. Lots of sausage and lots of beer on a 56 degree Feb. 6 day in Seattle. Couldn't be much better.

What is it?

2010-02-01T19:55:00.001-08:00

Preparations begin for this weekend's activity. What could it be?

Game Night

2010-01-31T17:07:00.000-08:00

Saturday was our 3rd game night with good friends Viviane & Dan and Brooke & Dave. The game of choice was Guesstures, which is basically charades.

Dave Young is acting out a very impressive "rocker" clue. I tried to capture the high kick but only got the tongue wagging air guitar.

Good times!

Fall Hiking on Mt. Baker, Washington

2009-09-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

I like nothing more than Fall hikes in the mountains, and after a summer spent in the city teaching and working on the house every weekend, we finally got up to Mt. Baker for an 8 mile hike around the flanks of the mountain. Lots of great scenery, and a few "brisk" crossings of streams that were flowing fast with glacial meltwater. A high mountain setting at its best.

This Old/New House

2009-09-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Old house

New house

The fruits of this summer's labors have finally paid off. Ten weeks of scraping, sanding, patching, priming, and painting and our sad green lil' bit o' heaven is now a handsome dark gray.

Everyone should paint their house themselves, by hand, one time so that they can truly apprecieate how much work it is and why it costs so much to have someone else do it. I'll consider myself one and done.

New Blog Post Coming Soon

2009-08-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

An update on our summer project...

New Game Sweeping Backyards Everywhere

2009-05-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

OK, so this game is not new to our Midwestern friends, but it is unique to us right now. Its called Bags, or in some places Cornhole. A 4'x2' box with a 6 inch hole cut in it is what you aim to throw bags filled with one pound of dried corn through. A farmer's version of horseshoes. It is pretty addictive. I made two Cornhole boxes in about an hour and a half out of scrap wood I had in the garage. Put a case of Rainier on ice, fire up the grill for tube steaks, and you've got some low-cost, staycation fun my friend.

Garden v2.0

2009-05-10T18:40:00.001-07:00

This weekend marked the beginning of the gardening season for us in Seattle. Got fresh dirt and compost for the raised beds, and put in our initial starter plants: broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, cucumber, sugar snap peas, and sweet onions. Once the nightime temperatures stop going below 50 degrees, we'll put in some tomatoes and peppers. And then 50-70 days from now we'll be full-blown locavores (at least as far as our vegetables are concerned).

Tour of Texas Part II

2009-04-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

A few years ago we drove from Albuquerque, NM to Shreveport, LA and back, and made it a point to try four or five barbecue places along the way. We had some hits and some misses, but really, the misses weren't all that bad compared with what is available here in Seattle. Yesterday, we just returned from a trip to Kerrville and Austin, TX to visit the family and get a smoky taste of the homeland. The day we arrived we hit the original Rudy's BBQ in Leon Springs, TX outside of San Antonio, a solid and consistent #1 in my book for beef brisket. Later in the week, on our way from Kerrville over to Austin, we stopped in at Cooper's Pit Barbecue in Llano, TX. Cooper's is now the undisputed #1. At Cooper's, you line up with all the Llano regulars and tourists alike and wait to go to the side of the building where you pick the meat you want right out of the smoker (pictured above). Brisket, half chickens, pork ribs, sausage links -- its all there for the picking. You don't even know what the prices are or how much it will cost until you take your tray of meat inside and they weight it, and you don't care. Inside you buy side dishes and drinks, then sit down to picnic tables with loaves of white bread placed around and devour your meat. The brisket was excellent, fatty on top, super moist and full flavored with a pepper crust and just the right amount of smoke. Oh, and there is a big pot of pinto beans with jalapenos stewing next to the drink machine that you don't want to miss. The beans are free.

Spring Breakin'

2009-03-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

This was Spring Break week for UW, and since there was no money (or spousal consent) to spend the break in Cancun this year, a localized "mancation" was crafted. Two days of spring snowboarding, a WHL playoff hockey game, and a trip to the pantheon of cured meats in Seattle, Salumi, for a an epic sandwich. If only these days could last forever...

Pizza Perfect

2009-03-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

In these economic times, you've got to cut back on discretionary spending where you can. Not eating out is one place we have cut back, though we have not eaten out a lot regularly for a few years now, so we have even cut out ordering delivery pizza on a Friday night after a long week of work. And we're none the worse for it, in fact, we probably make better pizza at home than we can find in Seattle. Some Trader Joes' pizza dough ($1.99), jar of pizza sauce ($1.99 and lasts for three pizzas), mozarella cheese ($3.99 and covers two pizzas), and a package of gourmet pepperoni ($4.99 and covers two pizzas). So that's about $7.25 for a pizza made at home vs. $15-18 for the local delivery. I think the results speak (and taste) for themselves.

Fine Fifteen

2009-03-08T18:35:00.001-07:00

This weekend marked fifteen years of wedded bliss. To celebrate we rented a house on Whidbey Island for a couple of nights. It was just our style, a nice one bedroom cottage right on the water within walking distance of a state park beach and short drives to beach towns on the island. No crowds, no kids, no pets, just us. The weekend started sunny then turned to cold and windy with waves breaking right off the deck, followed by snow showers. Perfect for cranking up the fireplace and keeping busy with "inside activities". Capped it off with an excellent dinner at the Oystercatcher restaurant in Coupeville, probably the best restaurant meal we've had in years. Highly recommended. Now, after a nice three-day weekend its time to prep for another week of battle. But we can re-live the weekend through the photo slideshow posted at the left.

Winter Sun and Fun

2009-02-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend Kris' company had a retreat at Suncadia Lodge outside of Cle Elum, Washington. All the office peeps went up on Friday for a company meeting and "bonding", and then the families could come up and stay on Saturday and Sunday. Suncadia is a planned resort community with condos, cabins, and $1.6 million "second homes" along with all the amenities -- golf, hiking, biking, horses, swimming, etc. Not sure how they will do in these economic times, but it was a very nice place and great to get outside in the winter sun for some much needed Vitaman D. I think Cle Elum, just outside the resort is more our speed. It is a small western town with wide streets and lots of original brick buildings that house places like Mike's Tavern, The Sunset Cafe and Loose Wolf Lounge, and the Caboose Bar and Grill. It is also home of the Chew-n-Butts tobacco and liquor store. Their slogan says that it is an alternative health store. I think they mean an alternative TO health. Anyway, it seemed like the kind of place where you could get lucky on a lottery ticket, so we bought a few. Friends and family can relax, they didn't have any Chew-n-Butts t-shirts, or else our Christmas shopping for 2009 would be finished already.

Show Me the Money

2009-01-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

As usual, one of our New Year's resolutions is to clean out the house and get rid of all the extra, un-used, or broken stuff that is taking up space in our closets, basement, and garage. This year, I am making a concerted effort to turn that trash into some cash. While taking stuff to the Goodwill donation center or just throwing it away is a much easier and faster way to downsize the excess, there is nothing like being handed a wad of cash by someone who actually WANTS that stuff you are trying to get rid of. I have found that craigslist is the best option for me. I don't have the time or patience list and host auctions on ebay, and deal with shipping, making sure you get payment, etc. I've had pretty good luck selling things on craigslist, better luck than I've had buying anything. Just today I got rid of a pet/cargo divider for a Subaru that we haven't owned for more than a year. My garage is free of one more piece of clutter and I've got $75 in my pocket. Mission accomplished.

A Hardy Christmas

2008-12-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

With all the Christmas excitement of opening presents, playing with new toys, and watching the snow, a boy needs a Christmas morning nap.

Christmas is finally here!

2008-12-25T11:28:00.001-08:00

With Colby in a new apron and Kris in a new Carhartt vest Christmas has made it (barely) to Seattle as the "December Storm 2008" rages on.

Metro Bus + Ice + Hill = Bad Idea

2008-12-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's the hills in Seattle that cause so many problems. Cars and even buses with chains are unable to navigate the ups and downs of this city. When we woke up to a beautiful snowy scene on Thursday morning (12/18) it looked like a Michigan day. There was a nice 3-4" layer of fluffy dry snow covering our neighborhood. Even after watching the morning news that was saying it was utter devastation on the roads I determine it can't be that bad and set off for the bus stop.

As my bus pulls up and I step on board I have a moment where I think "can this petite young gal who is driving this bus manage the snowy conditions"? As I come to find out the answer is...Hell Yes.

We easily make it on a flat road for about 1/4 mile and then turn down another fairly main road that takes us east towards the freeway. As we near the top of the hill we can see what lies ahead of us. A bus graveyard. Approximately 6 articulated buses have not made it up/down the hill and are jack-knifed in the street. My bus driver announces that she has been driving buses for over 10 years and has only ever been stuck once. She drives around all the disabled buses continuing to make the regular stops dropping people off and picking people up.

We make it further down the road until we come to a steep hill (just like the photo above) and she announces she's going "off route". We take a turn and wind our way through some narrow neighborhood streets in the Green Lake area. We stop to pick up a few more stranded people. Now we are close to a freeway entrance where we pick up about 25 more people who have been waiting for hours for a variety of buses that were all behind us, jack-knifed on the hills. As we crawl down I-5 going about 15 miles per hour all of us on the bus are excited and thrilled to be on this bus and share our stories. This amazing bus driver gets us into the downtown area and tells us to ring the bell whenever we want off. She doesn't know where the regular stops are because we are "off route". It was brilliant, exciting and kind of scary. Metro bus driver gal driving the #355 at 8am on Dec. 18th, 2008...you are my hero!

There are two numbers on the digital readout above. One of them is the temperature in Seattle. It is not the number on the right.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2008-12-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Brrrrrr. The first snow of the 2008 holiday season has fallen on Seattle. A nice little accumulation of about 3 inches at our house. So far our only Christmas decorations are lights on an evergreen tree in the front yard. We were lucky to get them up Saturday afternoon before it started snowing Saturday night, so it turned out perfectly. Only downside is now the roads in our neighborhood are icy and will probably stay that way for the rest of the week since the high temps this week are only supposed to be in the low 30s with teens and 20s at night. But it definitely gets us into a quasi-spirited mind-frame for the holidays.

Back in the saddle again

2008-12-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Whoa, it has been awhile. Apparently updating the Phillips on Phinney blog has fallen by the wayside this fall with all of the usual end-of-year busy-ness with school and work. But we take this time to reflect on Thanksgiving, when Scott and Mindy came out for a long weekend of booze, burgers, and bros. And of course a non-traditional Thanksgiving Day Italian pot roast meal by Kris. With the quarter winding down and things slowing down at work, we should be able to reconnect with the blogosphere more often, and this post is the first step. Look for more soon.

Promoting the Eddie Bauer Lifestyle

2008-10-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Kathleen Boshears was in town on Eddie Bauer business last week, so she extended her stay to hang out of with us. The weather was absolutely perfect so we took a hike on the Twin Falls trail near Mount Si. We were rewarded with gushing water falls which is fairly unusual for this time of year. The rest of the weekend was spent catching up on gossip, sipping some nice wine and cheering on all our Michigan football teams.

Rib-licious

2008-09-21T17:32:00.001-07:00

Things quickly got back to normal upon Colby's return to Seattle. He reacquainted himself with the smoker/grill, pork ribs and fellow rib-loving friend, Jack. All is well...

Welcome Home Sucker

2008-09-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been home for three days, and already had the catalytic converter stolen off my truck when it was parked at the mall. Thanks Seattle meth freaks, I really needed this with everything else that's going on this fall.

Please stand still, this won't hurt a bit

2008-09-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Friday marked the last day of my fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum Conservation Institute. I spent the week trying to finish up the analysis of my XRF and LA-ICP-MS data for the obsidian samples that I analyzed this summer. I also worked with Jeff Speakman on a small project at the Sherman Memorial in DC to analyze some of the statues there for the National Park Service. Overall it was a successful summer, and I accomplished more than I could have hoped to during my time at the SI. Now its time to pack it up and head back to Seattle and begin the Fall quarter and teaching, studying, and most importantly, catching up with Mrs. Phillips.

Philly Shmilly

2008-09-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

That, my friends, is a cheesesteak sandwich. Food of the Gods. Made and consumed by Me.

Fresh Produce Awaits You

2008-09-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

Poor Colby. The bounty from our veggie garden awaits you! As does the jug of metamucil.

A Few More Processed Carbs For You Sir?

2008-09-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

This one is on you Safeway. How are Americans supposed to prepare a healthy meal for their hard-working families when you can't keep the shelves stocked with fresh foods? At 7:18pm on a Saturday evening there was no lettuce, no tomatoes, no bell peppers, no milk, and no one manning the deli counter. I could have done better at 7-Eleven and picked up a car air-freshener and pack of Slim-Jims to boot. Isn't this just a form domestic terrorism?

Who has good zucchini recipes?

2008-09-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest crop of zucchini from my veggie garden. That's Colby's hiking boot to give you an idea of the size. Oh, and the biggest one weighs in at a whopping 4.6 lbs.

Culinary Delights

2008-08-24T14:48:00.001-07:00

Bacon, eggs, and Cheetos -- not just for breakfast anymore.

Alien Evidence

2008-08-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Forget about the UFO crash at Roswell, New Mexico and Area 51 in Nevada. Travelers from outer space are being held for study in an undisclosed location at the Smithsonian Institution outside Washington DC as evidenced by the photo above. More info to come.

Honey Buckets of Love

2008-08-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

Monday started our neighbors big construction project. This lovely "extra bathroom" will be my view for the next month or so.

Roger & Me

2008-08-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

My adorable furry friend, Roger, came to stay with me for about 4 days. His visit couldn't have come at a better time as I was in need of some serious pet therapy. I've had some challenging days at work and without my best friend/spouse here to lean on I am relying on my canine pals to hear my woes! I'll have Hardy (Michael & Brennan's dog) next week to pick up where Roger left off.

Rednecks from Outer Space

2008-08-16T15:04:00.001-07:00

You might be a redneck if...your Apollo 14 space capsule is up on blocks in your front yard. As seen at the Smithsonian Institution's Paul Garber Restoration Center in Suitland, Maryland (thanks to Judy W.)

White Man, Black Market

2008-08-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday, in a high school parking lot near my apartment, there is an open-air market that is pretty amazing in this day and age of big-box, mega-mall consumerism. The market consists of almost 100 tents and stalls selling just about anything you can buy at Target. Gallon of Clorox? Check. Car floor mats? Check. Levis jeans? Check. Radio-controlled toy car? Check. New toilet seats? Check. All the stuff is brand new, in its original packaging. Almost all of the vendors and shoppers seemed to be of some flavor of ethnic minority, recent immigrants to the Hyattsville, MD area which is a real-life melting pot at least in terms of Latin American and African immigrants. The market is very much a social event, with many folks hanging out in the shade and talking as much as they are shopping. I imagine that many of these people are used to shopping in markets like this back in their home countries, most of which are probably under-developed nations that have not been swamped by consumer-capitalism. It is very interesting to experience, and the prices are pretty good too. I bought 12 pairs of socks (Amrican Spiirit [sic] brand) from a Vietnamese vendor for eight bucks.

After Hours Aerobics Club

2008-07-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

While Colby is doing his important research at the Smithsonian Institute, I'm back in Seattle keeping up the fun factor this summer. Friday night was the quarterly gathering of women from my aerobics class. For some reason we have all been going to class together for years but just recently, perhaps united by sweat and sore muscles, we started getting together socially.

The first get-together was dubbed a Tequila Tasting at Sara's house. It was very organized and orderly with Sara giving us interesting tidbits of information about each different kind of tequila. I learned something new at that party. I really like tequila. Not margaritas. Just a clean shot of quality tequila.

The second gathering of this group started out in a similar fashion, sipping on a few new tequilas, politely chit chatting away, etc. But before you could say Aye Caramba the party had taken a turn. A much louder, booze spilling, laughter-filled, crazy story telling turn. Hilarious!

Friday's party was a little different too. We had a delicious meal of fajitas and various Mexican style side dishes. And we also learned that Gretchen (our aerobics instructor) makes the best damn Sangria on the west coast.

Lab Rat

2008-07-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

Some of my (Colby) fans have asked me to recount a day in the life of a pre-doctoral graduate fellow at the Smithsonian Institution. I am working on my dissertation research which is aimed at understanding the social networks that may have existed among people living in the Kuril Islands in the Russian Far East some 800 to 3,000 years ago. By using obsidian artifacts and tracing them to their volcanic source, I hope to understand where the obsidian came from, the routes and extent that people moved through in the Kuril Islands, and how people might have participated in local as well as regional social networks to maintain reproductive success and access to subsistence resources.

However, unlocking these secrets of the past requires me to spend 8 hours a day in front of various instruments using elemental analysis methods to determine the geochemical make-up of each of my 1,300 obsidian flakes. The instrument pictured above is a laser-ablation inductively-coupled mass-spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS). Each obsidian flake is put into a chamber where a laser vaporizes a tiny amount of the flake, and this vapor is transported by argon gas into a plasma ion source at 8000 deg. C where ions are generated and separated and then collected according to their mass to charge ratio. Unknown specimens (elements) can then be identified and measured by this extremely sensitive instrument.

I have also used X-ray fluorescence (XRF) on a part of my artifact sample. XRF utilizes an X-ray source to excite electrons in the obsidian material, causing ionization of the component atoms that releases energy when the electrons move out of their shells. The energy (fluorescence) is measured by a detector and the instrument determines the elemental composition of the sample material (for the Mid-Z elements).

So on a typical day, I arrive at the lab about 8:30am and pick up where I left off in running my artifact samples through analysis. Sometimes this requires testing the instrument settings and making adjustments, and re-running samples that returned ambiguous or suspect results. After a break for lunch from about 12:30-1:00pm, its back in front of the instrument for another four hours or so until its time to pack up and catch the Smithsonian shuttle back downtown so I can take the DC Metro home.

The work can be slow-going and tedious, but at times there are interesting discoveries, and often frustrating technical glitches, to break up the day. This is Science with a capitol 'S'.

Espresso Anyone?

2008-07-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

At last! I finally have my very own espresso machine. It might be the world's smallest espresso machine, but that's why it fits perfectly in my one-butt-kitchen. It was waiting for me on my doorstep when I got home from work today. I immediately cleared off the requisite 9 inches of space on my kitchen counter and brewed up a shot of decaf (why waste a perfectly good dose of caffeine that will be needed come morning?). Each shot is brewed from a tiny little pod that you put into the machine. The machine came with a dozen of these pods. But just in case, I pre-ordered an extra 50 pods of serious espresso for future use. No need for frothing of milk - latte's are for wimps.

Hey Seattle, this is a hoagie roll

2008-07-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

I (Colby) love sandwiches. I love to make them and I love to eat them. Especially hoagies and meatball subs and cheesesteaks and Cuban pork sandwiches. The problem is, in Seattle you can't find a good quality cheesesteak/hoagie roll to save your life. They just don't get it there. The closest thing you can find is a pseudo french roll the Vietnamese restaurants use for their bahn mi sandwiches. Its OK. Its the best you can do in Seattle. On the East Coast, even the lame Safeway near my apartment offers a decent sandwich roll. Since I'm in DC, just a ways down from Philadelphia, I have seriously contemplated taking the train up to Philly for a day and hitting Geno's Steaks, the eastern Mecca of all things cheesy and steaky. Pretty expensive cheesesteak though: $152 round-trip on Amtrak, $8.00 for the Philadelphia Metro, $7.95 for the cheesesteak sandwich. Which makes it a $167.95 sandwich. I think I'll see what DC has to offer first. More to come...

General Disrepair

2008-07-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

Just as one might have guessed, Colby does the majority of cooking and cleaning in our house. And by majority I mean ALL. Here is what it has come to in a matter of one week:

My clothes are strewn about on half of the bed. No worries...I can still sleep on the other half.
Dinners that consist of popcorn, cereal and left over brown rice and veggies.
Right now there are probably 4 or 5 pairs of shoes sitting on the floor in various parts of the house (Colby's personal pet peeve).

Not too bad. I suppose this week I'll actually go to the grocery store and if it comes right down to it I might mow the lawn.

Wheelin' and Dealin'

2008-07-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

My level of mobility has just been increased about 500%. I am the proud owner of an $89 full-suspension mountain bike from Target. I wanted to buy it right off the showroom floor in the sports department, and the manager said "We're not s'posed to sell 'em right off the floor, you have to put in an order. But if it makes you happy to have a new bike today, then its O.K." Sold, and I'm outta here. This is the crappiest bike I've ever owned, but it will turn sweltering 20 and 30 minute walks in 90 degree temps into breezy 5 to 7 minute bike rides to the store and the Metro station.

Living in the suburbs and not having any independent means of transportation sucks. The bus only comes once an hour, and since you are screwed if you miss it, you spend a lot of extra time getting to the bus stop early and waiting around. In a normal week, having to walk everywhere and be tied to a bus schedule adds tens of hours of extra time and aggravation, and seriously reduces your overall quality of life. Every American adult should spend some significant time without a car and experience what life is like for those who can't afford a car (or to put gas in it). Then you'd see how much people would want to support better public transportation. People would also be more sensitive and alert to us wackos who insist on pedaling ourselves around town. Share the road, buddy.

There's Something About This City

2008-07-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Commuting through downtown DC seems different to me. Maybe its the massive, monumental architecture. I (Colby) have lived and worked in other big cities -- Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle -- but I was never really in awe of the architectural surroundings in other cities like I am here when I walk from the Naval Memorial/Penn Quarter Metro station to the National Mall to pick up my shuttle bus in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The buildings that I pass by -- the Kennedy Building, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Museums -- all seem solid, strong, proud. Its as if everything was built at a scale 1.5x normal. And it makes me feel mildly patriotic, not in a "And I'm proud to be an American, 'cause at least I know I'm free," kind of way, but more in a way that makes me feel connected the history of the country. Check out the slide show for more photos of what I see on my daily commute.

Free Range Wife

2008-07-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

The most common response I get when people learn Colby and I spend 2 1/2 months apart in the summer is "Wow, I could never do that". For a brief moment it makes me feel like I'm a super cool gal. Like I'm a one-of-a-kind special woman. But then I immediately change my train of thought and think...what a sad statement. Of course you could spend a few months apart from your spouse. You could do it if it helps support his dream for a new career and life change. You could do it because it makes you stronger and makes you reacquaint yourself with yourself. You could do it because it's an adventure and a challenge. You could do it because you know he would do it for you too.

But, mostly my friends take pity on me during this time and make a million plans to keep me busy - usually within the first 2 weeks. Dinners, walks, happy hours, movies, shopping, you name it. I'm thankful but also exhausted. I am learning how to be alone and quiet.

The Beagle Has Landed

2008-07-08T18:33:00.001-07:00

So here is my (Colby) first individual post to get things started. I've been in Washington DC for three days now, getting set up in my apartment last weekend, and starting work at the Smithsonian Institution on Monday. I'm actually living in Hyattsville, MD, which is a stop on the Metro line northwest of the city. Hyattsville is touted as "A Good Place to Live" on the side of the public garbage cans, and was incorporated in 1856. Today it is basically a collection of strip malls with lots of hair salons, immigrant markets, Western Union stores, and fast food. My apartment, the Top of the Park, is located north of a large public park about a mile from the Metro station.

The neighborhood is a collection of nice streets with small but well-kept houses, as well as a number of brick apartment buildings in various stages of decay. Overall, it seems like a decent neighborhood, with much more ethnic/racial diversity than is present in Seattle, even though Seattle likes to boast its "international" flavor, which basically just boils down to white and Asian.

My daily commute from Hyattsville takes me down the Green line Metro to the Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter stop where I get off and walk down to the National Mall, and pick up a shuttle bus that takes me to the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute out in Suitland, MD. Door-to-door it is an hour-and-a-half trip each way. Such is the plight of a lowly employee of the Federal Government. This will be my life for the next 10 weeks.

Kris & Colby: The Summer Experiment

2008-07-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 2008 edition of Kris and Colby's usual summer apart from each other. For the past two summers, I (Colby) have been working in the Kuril Islands of the Russian Far East on an archaeological project that is part of my PhD dissertation research.

I (Kris) have held down the fort in Seattle, working, working out, wining and dining with friends, and gradually missing Colby a little less each day until he comes back home after 8 weeks away, re-inserting himself into my almost-single-again lifestyle.

This summer is a little different. I (Colby) will be working at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC on a 10-week graduate fellowship. Email, cell phones, and this web space will keep Kris and I connected in ways that were not possible when I was working in the uninhabited and isolated North Pacific Ocean.

While having Colby on the same continent and being able to communicate regularly with him will make this summer a little less worrisome, I (Kris) still have to continue on in my role as the sole gainfully employed member of our family and go to work, manage the finances, keep up the house, and generally be responsible for everything that the two of us together are responsible for during the rest of the year. I thought it would be good and potentially interesting idea for Colby and I to share our thoughts and perspectives on being apart this summer through this blog. So here's how it will work: Colby and I will alternate blog postings about things that are going on in our lives this summer. Could be insightful, might be funny at times, and will probably be fairly mostly boring. But it will be a way for each of us to express how we are feeling and what we are doing over the summer. It will also be a place to post photos and other info about places we've been and things we've done.

The postings will probably be sporadic, but hopefully we (Kris and Colby) can manage a couple a week. So feel free to visit often and check up on us, and post comments or just say hello. We look forward to hearing from you.