Cynthia's Space

We successfully (well, some days more successfully than others), navigated Portugal.  We spent most of our time in the North:  Braga, Porto, Guimaraes, Vierho do Minho, and only 2 nights in Lisbon. 

 

Portugal was a very friendly country and a beautiful place.  I'd love to come back sometime and spend more days in the central/southern areas.  But, not sure when Portugal will fall back onto the list - there are so many other places to go and things to see. 

 

I've loaded my selection of favorite pictures. 

 

Just got to Hong Kong, and will have a bit of sightseeing time before I start into work.  Steve is off to Shenzhen already, so I'm on my own until I hook up with my boss. 

 

The adventure continues!

 

 

I'm travelling the world right now and having an amazing time.  Pictures from Greece are posted.  I'll continue adding as I work my way through each country!

 

In Greece, we spent time wandering the city around the old port.  We were there for Greece National Day, and got to witness a very fun parade of many children in historic attire!  We rented a car one day and drove the island - visited several beaches (and tried to drive up a goat path).  Another day we took a boat out to the Archeological site at Delos which was impressive - wish we'd had more time there.  Lots of time sitting and relaxing - naps in the afternoons, tasty good (although it took until we got back to Athens to find any lamb - wierd!).

 

Intended to spend today in Athens, but our morning flight was cancelled and we coudln't get here until evening, so no sightseeing here - just the airport.

 

On to Israel......

Thanks to McCrea winery for choosing my birthday weekend to host one of their amazing wine weekends.  There were breakfasts, lunches, and dinners arranged every day, starting Thursday night thru Sunday night.  I participated in 5 of the meals.  What a blast!!  I got to meet some amazing new people - some who live locally, others who live farther away.  I got to try several new restaurants. 

 

Thursday night started at Place Pigalle, with Bob and Susan hosting us.  It was certainly fun, and we got the extra-special treatment.  Arlene and David told the funniest story of the evening.  They've devised a way to determine if there really is an afterlife.  Apparently Arlene is planning to die first.  After the funeral, David is going to bring home some sultry brunette (Arlene is blond).  They are going to crack open the best bottle of wine in the cellar, and David is planning to serve it over ice.  :)  If there's an afterlife - Arlene will be back!

 

Friday night (my actualy birthday) was at Szmania.  My friend Jen was there, along with Fred and Eva and the Schlegels.  We started off with some really bad wine, but were rescued and did well the rest of the evening.  The chef even made a special dessert tray for me, with a sampling of different desserts, and a special birthday message written on the plate.  It was lovely.

 

Saturday night was the best night of all, though!  Sarah, Ginny, Robert, and I (along with the Berglunds) had an incredible dinner, with a huge number of tasty treats, at Lark.  We just kept eating, and kept drinking, and kept having a wonderful time.  When we finished dinner, it was only a bit after 11, so I invited Sarah, Ginny, and Robert back to my house for another drink, and just to hang out for the evening, before I drove them back to their hotel.  It was a clear, brilliant evening, so we stubmled up onto the roof for a view.  Then, sat back inside on the third floor laughing and telling stories for hours.  I think it was nearly 3am when I got them back to their hotel downtown.  What a blast!!  We're definitely going to have more get togethers in the future!

 

Sunday morning brunch at Monsoon came very early.  I could have just stayed home and slept, but I'm so glad I didn't.  Instead, Fred and Eva and I got to spend more time talking, and they ended up coming to spend the afternoon at the house.  We had great conversation.  They shared pictures of their house and wine cellar and some fun wine trips and travels they've done recently.  We're planning to get together in the future - at wine events, here, or in California.

 

I got to spend a short time at Bob and Susan's house at the end of the evening saying goodbye to everyone, before I ran off to the Sonics game with Tabatha.  And, with that, the weekend ended.  What a fun way to spend a birthday weekend! :)  Maybe I should start planning next year - how can I top that?!

 

 

First of all, you should know that my record for number of movies seen at the theater in a year (to the best of my recollection) is 4 (record set in 2007!).  I’ve already seen 3 in 2008, and it’s only January 18.  Two of them were just today – yes, two in the same day – both first day releases!  And, neither were movies at the top of my list (ok – probably not even in the middle of the list.  Well, honestly, not on the list at all).

 

The morning started at the Cinerama for the noon showing of “Cloverfield.”   “grrr…grrr…stomp….stomp….cloverfield monster”  It’s the latest monster movie from director JJ Abrams.  I didn’t really fit the stereotype of the crowd in the theater, which was white, male, 25-45 years old.  Not sure how many people were there in total.  I’d estimate the theater was probably 60% full, and out of that, about half a dozen women (I know there were 3 for sure – me, Mary, and some girl on a row in front of us, so I’m doubling it to get an estimate). 

 

All that aside – it was pretty cool for a horror, monster movie.  And, I was lucky that the shaking camera didn’t make me at all nauseas. 

 

Then, the evening ended with a showing of 27 dresses.  I like to think I didn’t fit the stereotype of the crowd in the theater.  It was a bunch of women in groups (I was with Tabatha), the theater was packed, although there were a surprising number of dates (guy-girl dates), maybe 2-3 dozen – I assume they were all pretty early in the relationship, or anything is worth getting away from the kids for a night.  The movie was the epitome of ‘chick flick.’ More proof that I don’t fit that stereotype:  A couple years ago, Jeff found a list of the supposed top 50 chick flicks of all time.  I had seen maybe 10.  I think he had seen about 20.  Tabatha had seen something like 45 of them.  This is her genre. 

 

Anyway, there were eerie similarities about the two movies.  They both took place in Manhattan.  What’s scarier – a huge building-crushing people eating monster, or some of the horrific bridesmaid dresses that woman had to wear?  Without going into the premise of the whole 27 Dresses movie, suffice it to say that at one point the main character is referred to a “Bridezilla” – see?!  it’s another link to monster movies!

 

Anyway – if I fast forward to March, I’ve still only seen 3 movies in the theater this year.  But, I’m still sure I’ll set a new record. 

One blog entry to cover 8-10 weeks should suffice to get people caught up.

 

Life got very, very, very busy in October, and by November I had to make some adjustments.  I stopped singing (won't be competing this year with the group - but hope to get back next year). I stopped my drum lessons - they were seriously, amazingly fun, and Ned is an awesome teacher, but I needed to carve out space to deal with other stuff.  I thought it would be a small break, but I haven't gotten back to it yet. :(  I found out (ok - this one was really September) that Tabatha was pregnant and due in April.  My divorce was officially finalized.  I had two bouts of random medical stuff (I'm fine though).  My parents came up around the holidays, and we spent Xmas Day in Portland with them and my sister, who recently moved there from Atlanta.  Spent lots of time with friends, old and new.  Spent some time partying and dating.  Spent time with my non-profit groups (Washington Women's Foundation and Amara Parenting & Adoption Services).  Spent lots of time working.  Oh - and early January was filled with lazy weekends watching Playoff Football!  I was NOT happy with how the Superbowl turned out - but i'm over it (Eli sucks).  Also went to some events (Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert, Sonics games, Seattle Symphony performances , National Geographic Explorer Lecture Series).  I think that gets us up to my birthday. :)

 

I'll find the Xmas photos and post them in an album.  I do have one from New Years Eve.  No date for me, but, I had a great time without one!  I went to dinner at Paul & Megan's house - amazingly tasty food and drinks!  Hung out there with Kris & Lisa and everyone else until midnight.  Then, went to Dan & Jane's place downtown for more munchies & drinks and catching up with a different crowd.  Here's to 2008!

There probably isn't anyone by now who doesn't know that I had a major house flood in October - long story - was writing a post back when it happened, but now I really donm't want to go over every painful detail.  bottom line - old nail through a pipe rusted out on the 3rd floor - managed to do damage almost everywhere.  It was raining inside the house.  I've posted some pics of the freakiness that was the drying process (that alone took almost 2 weeks!)  I felt like my houe had been taken oer by the borg (except yellow themed instead of black).  And, it was 110 degrees or more in the house while the equipment was here.  Anyway, they finally finished all of the work on the house yesterday - yes, it really took 5 months (ugh).  New carpet, lots of new drywall and paint, new guest bathroom cabinets, etc.  But, now, everything is lovely and fabulous, and hey I even got to do some decorating in the process.  I'll try to get new pics of the house posted up soon. 

There were things I couldn’t have imagined about Israel.  Some of my impressions were just wrong because of lack of information.  Some of them were wrong because of the perceptions we are led to believe in the US.  Some of them were just unformed, because I had no context, and therefore no idea, of what to expect.

 

Tel Aviv is a beautiful city.  It sits on the Mediterranean Sea.  My hotel was right on the beach, and I walked along it every morning except one (when I was so tired, I couldn’t convince myself to get out of bed an hour early).  I swam in the Mediterranean two mornings – bobbing and floating in the waves.  Feeling my feet in the sand.  Of course, I brought home seashells.  Speaking of – most of their shells, 99.8% of the ones I saw, were of one type – half of what was a hinged, mostly round, opaque shell with varying degrees of orange, red, or pink stripes/bands. 

 

The city was alive, metropolitan, filled with great restaurants, art, a unique blend of the past, the present, and the future.  We dined one evening at a marina, another at a very old building modeled to feel like a wine cave, another at an art museum and actual home of the artist (sculptor) who offers catered events, another evening on the beach, and a lovely evening at the home of the VP of our Israel Development Offices.

 

The food:

Israel is a melting pot of cultures, and the food reflects this.  The seafood is fresh and simple.  I had grilled fish on multiple occasions – just very simply caught, filleted, and grilled.  The highlight of many meals was the array of salads presented to us.  It’s an experience hard to imagine, as it’s nothing like what we have in the US.  You sit down, and generally before you’ve even ordered your entrée, anywhere from 5-15 small dishes arrive at the table.  And, each place we ate, they were slightly different – always including Hummus and Tahini, and beyond that:  BabaGhanoush, Eggplant with Tomatos, Carrots, roasted squash, Cole Slaw, Marinated Roasted Peppers, Tomatos with Mushrooms, Spicy Ground Peppers, and always Olives.  The list is simply too long to remember it all. 

 

Another misconception – I had no idea what clothing I should pack – not from a weather standpoint, but from an ‘appropriateness’ standpoint.  I brought primarily pants and basic colored blouses, conservative in cut.  I had a belief that the society would be very conservative, for women especially.  I thought it might be different for the younger girls, but probably not in the offices.  WRONG.  I needn’t have worried about this at all.  I could have worn anything and wouldn’t have been out of place.  I think the only challenge I faced from a clothing perspective was walking in the old city (2 different nights for dinner) on cobblestone-type streets.  It just meant I had to look at my feet to be sure I didn’t slip on the uneven stones. 

 

I felt incredibly safe the entire time I was there.  I spoke with some of my new co-workers about safety.  They admit there have been times in the past when there were safety concerns – that they worried when their children went out to night clubs or cafes on the weekend.  But, in the past 4-5 years, there haven’t been big issues, and most of the issues arise in Jerusalem vs TelAviv.  Some of the women I spoke with agreed that they wouldn’t tour the country alone, which I had concluded before my trip – one of my few accurate assumptions. 

 

We worked hard all week.  Every morning started around 6:30 (remember – up in time to walk on the beach), at the office by 8:30, meetings all day long, dinners with the team or partners, email back at the hotel before bed, and to sleep anywhere between 1-2 am.  I did email and worked on my boss’ presentations when we arrived on Monday.  Tuesday we met with our Development Team and heard presentations from each of them about their projects, then we met with 100% of the team to talk about the new organization.  Wednesday was a summit with local Venture-Capital firms.  My boss had a keynote, sat on a panel, and gave some press interviews.  I, of course, was in attendance for all of this (and had prepared his presentations).  The next day was a combination of Portfolio presentations from some of the firms, meetings with local team members, and then another presentation to the entire Israel R&D Team (not just those reporting under our organization).  At the dinner with the VC’s, I truly enjoyed talking with a couple of the gentleman in particular about their history (most have lived in other countries, including the US), about Israel and the culture, about their companies and the level of innovation coming out of Israel, etc.  One of the biggest takeaways from the trip is the high quality of the team we have working for us there.  This team has been built from 0 to almost 70 in about a year, and will double in the next year.  Most places where we would want to build a team of that size, we would be hiring a lot of very junior people, many just out of college, etc.  But, in TelAviv, we are able to hire most of a team who has 5-10-15 or more years of experience.  It’s incredible.  Because we are building the team at such a rapid rate, and they are working on a new product, we will probably go back in the next 6 months (minimum commitment is once a year).  I believe we are currently targeting our next visit for February/March.  I can’t wait to go back! J

Ahhhhh - before I get too far from the event......I have to share that I met another LIFE GOAL (or at least one that I've had for the past year). 

 

At the Chris Cornell concert (Soundgarden, Audioslave, old solo stuff, new solo stuff) - it finally happened!  I owe complete thanks to Kristin, who made the arrangements, once I told her of my goal. 

 

The basic details:  We arrived a bit late, after a couple drinks, and worked our way up to the front of the GA, standing room only, crowd, at The Paramount.  Kristin turned around to me at the start of 'Spoonman' and asked if I was ready to go up!  She had recruited a couple guys to hoist me onto the crowd - and off I went!  It was super-quick getting up.  I was passed along about 2/3 of the floor, and then was down.  It was a short, but incredible experience.  I had no idea how fun it would be.  Not at all scary.  A huge, exhilirating rush!

 

Of course, I only just healed, after 2 weeks, from all the bruises I received.  But, it was worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

After ending Day 1 of the HS reunion so late, it was hard dragging myself out of bed for Day 2.  But, finally I did, got ready, and went out to the picnic.  It was already in full swing when I arrived, although I was not the last one from the night before!

 

The picnic was a time for people to bring their families, and to just sit and chat.  Shannon was in charge of the grill.  Judy, Melissa, Michelle, and others kept everyone organized, took about a million pictures, and made sure everyone had fun.  A few people had brought old yearbooks, so we spent some time laughing at our old photos and those of people who didn’t make it to the picnic.  It was disappointing to hear that a number of people who still live in town chose not to come to the events.  I mean, why not just show up and see people?  It’s been 20 years.  Same goes for all those people who live within a couple of hours.  It’s not that far of a drive.  It’s one weekend out of your year.  And it’s a chance to reconnect.  We know most of them knew about the events – but just made other choices.  Oh well.

 

Interesting events from the picnic to relay:

It’s amazing how perceptions and reality can vary so significantly from one person to another.  One of the people I thought of as fairly popular (cheerleader, etc) when we were in school, approached me to ask who some different people were.  She didn’t recognize them, and was amazed that I remembered so many people.  We talked about the fact that I’d been involved in football, so I knew most of the guys that way.  And between honors classes, drama, choir, etc, etc, I just knew a bunch of people.  Apparently, she moved within her own clic, and didn’t know many people at all.  Very surprising to me.

The second thing was that, with the exception of a few people who I’d been close friends with, no one else remembered that I had a child our senior year.  Wow.  An event so significant for me (obviously), and something that I thought was perceived in a certain way in the community, was nothing they recalled, even when reminded.  How odd. 

During the weekend, I was re-exposed to a couple of catch-phrases I hadn’t recalled (or used) in years.  One is in the next section below.  Another was ‘who did he go with in highschool?’  The context is – who did someone date (for those who don’t recognize the phrase).  By the end of the 2 days, I will admit, I probably had more of a Texas accent than almost any of you have ever heard from me.  I found myself slipping into it when surrounded by people who had fairly strong accents.  And, then, of course, it disappeared as I drove away that night….

 

I had 4-6 hours to kill before heading to the dance/dinner Saturday night.  I wanted to drive around town and see what had changed, what was the same, see if I ran into anyone I knew (outside of school).  I drove through my old neighborhood.  The biggest difference was that the trees are all tall now – and the lawns are shady.  I remember not having a lot of big trees around when we lived there.  I guess that’s the kind of thing that changes over 20 years – trees grow…  I drove past the church – no one was there, of course, on Saturday.  I drove around downtown, past the old schools I attended, past stores where I used to hang out.  The Warehouse Arts Center was closed, but I peered in the windows.  It looks about the same – still thriving.  I stopped in at the library to get a map, so I could wander some neighborhoods where old friends used to live.  I looked up addresses & phone numbers for a few people – but didn’t call any of them.  At this point, the day could have gotten quickly boring.  I’d been invited to drop by Bill’s house where some of the football guys were gathering.  I told them I’d come by later in the day.  I could tell they didn’t believe me.  So, just to prove them wrong, I drove over.  And, sure enough, they were shocked to see me.  It was only Bill, Daniel, and Marcus, Bill’s girlfriend, and a couple of their cousins.  But, I hung out for the rest of the day – Drinking, some dancing, listening to music, catching up on football and on life in general.  Had an interesting experience going to the store with Bill – he really likes being the big man in town – it was fascinating to watch him interact with people.  I went with Daniel to visit ‘his people’, which consisted of several aunts, some of the local church women, and me talking on the phone with his mom.  It was quite fun.  A few other adventures and conversations ensued - if you really want to know – ask me in person.

 

Then, time for the dance.  Most of the same people – several from the picnic decided not to show up for this event.  But, I don’t think there were any newcomers that I hadn’t already seen during the weekend.  A LOT more pictures had been dug up during the day.  Rhea Portis and I noticed that we seemed to be standing next to each other in about 75% of them! J  We had a good time reminiscing.  I gave my email to several people.  I’ve already heard from 2 of them – and look forward to keeping in touch with others.  I won the ‘traveled farthest’ award.  And, I was nominated for the ‘people who have changed the least’ award.  I almost didn’t put that in this blog entry, as it actually bothered me a bit.  I would like to think that not only am I different personality-wise (which many people confirmed – apparently I’ve come into my own and had more confidence, etc), but, I’d also like to think that I changed physically.  I never thought I was all that cute in highschool, and like to believe I improved with age.  I didn’t win the award, so I guess that should make me feel better.  As an aside, I was humbled that several people commented I was living the life they had envisioned for themselves, but hadn’t gotten there.  But, anyway…..it got late, and I had to head back to Arlington for the night, before my flight the next morning.

 All-in-all, I’m so glad I went back for the reunion.  It was great to see people and catch up.  I feel good about who I am, how I look, what I’ve accomplished, and all the things I’ve done with my life.  And, if you’re going to dive back into your past, even for 48 hours, that’s a really good place to do it from.  I’ll definitely be back for the next one!