iJoy.us

Guess who got an iPhone today! I have been wanting one forever and since my Version service out here in the boonies (you've seen the posts with deer and turkeys) is practically nonexistent, I had to change providers. I mean it was a necessity really. Seriously, how could one live without cell phone service? What if there was an emergency and I had to make a call? See..totally necessary. Plus now we can save $$ and eliminate the land line (so heads-up to all that the 541 number might be going bye-bye in the near future - I'll be sure to update if/when that happens).

Anyway, now I'll be one of those people that pulls out the iPhone at every spare moment. Yes, I get to join the club of iPhoners. At a restaurant and no conversation..great, pull out the iPhone. In a line...great, pull out the iPhone. This weekend will definitely be iPhone education. After my shift tomorrow I plan on sitting myself on the couch with my new toy (after my shift which, by the way, I have to learn to open the store at 5:30am!)

Poll: What song should I use as a ring tone? Comment if you have any brilliant ideas!!

Note: Notice the clever Joy.us part of my website name with the Apple "i".

Polos & Pants

There is a dress code with my new job, and the days before my first day I was on a quest for a Starbucks warerobe: white or black polos, khaki or black pants, and closed-toed black or brown shoes. By the way, the first thought that came to mind when I heard this was "wow, this would fit Dad perfectly!" But going back to my quest story, besides the khaki, these items are surprisingly difficult to find. And for some reason all my nervous energy (aka Heather anxiety) about the job decided to manifest itself in finding these items. They had to be perfect--i.e. comfy, stylish, water-resistant, yet inexpensive shoes. Trying to find these items practically drove Josh nuts as we went from store to store. We really didn't find much on our excursion unfortunately. In fact, the real success was the evening after my first "orientation" / first impressions day. My boss recommended Target and that is were I had ended up having the most success. Still need more, but now I'm equipped with something!

All this fun took place last weekend. And with wardrobe set, I was able to head into this week & weekend fully prepared. And now I have a week on the job under my belt. It's really a TON to learn. There are so many different drinks and combinations-- it's craziness. I feel like it's only just starting to click after a week. It will definitely take me some time to get this all down (pumps of syrup, espresso shots, sizes). Plus, the job is more than just drink making, but register, calling out the drink, writing it on the cup, doing in-between time, clean-up, store maintenance, etc etc. Yaaouzzas!

I'll be sure to continue to write updates on my training. I learn something new each day. And fun stuff too. Not to mention, some nice coffee perks. Also, I got to taste some new Via (you should try it)!

Ninja Turkeys

News Flash: Marauding turkeys invade the front yard at N Shasta Loop.

This is not the first occurrence, but it is the first occurrence of this kind in mass. There were approx 14 turkeys marching along the yard. Last week, there were 3 turkeys. A bit too early for Thanksgiving. And it was decided the turkeys unfit for plumbing as they were caught eating junk off the road.

3 Turkey Sighting

14 Turkey Siting

Keeping Busy

With the former email job finished and the new job yet to come, I found myself with some free time. This lent the perfect opportunity to finally get to some some long awaited projects. Sadly, I start work again tomorrow, and so far I've only touched upon these projects--I've really just brushed the surface. And there is still so much I can do on them! If only I had all the time in the world and no worries. But hey, perhaps there is hope for these projects as I should only be working 20-25 hours a week (to start). We'll see.

What are these projects you ask? Well, here are a few:

Cooking/Baking: Considering I watch The Food Network practically 24/7, I thought I should actually go into the kitchen and try some of the recipes. Generally I make a bunch of Rachel Ray dinners because they are quick, easy, and usually turn out pretty good. I wanted to try some new food network folks. The past couple weeks I've tried some Melissa d'Arabian (the newest show as she just won The Next Food Network Star show) as well as Ellie Krieger who is the nutritionist on the network. All came out pretty dang good. To name a few recipes: Carrot Cupcakes, Curried Chicken Salad, Zucchini Roll-ups, Lemony Shrimp Scampi, Stuffed Zucchini and Red Bell Peppers, and Florentine Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken. Two picture below. And more recipes to try out to come!

Recipe Consolidation: Another cooking themed project. By the way, I really enjoy baking over cooking I think. But both are fun. Cooking is a bit more of an every-day necessity though. Anyway, I digress. I got this program for my Mac called Sous Chef. It's a way to add and organize my recipes. I've been trying to import my recipes (currently both online and offline--i.e. books or saved in "my recipes" folders of places like FoodNetwork.com or allrecipes.com). You also can add a picture to the recipe. It's a big project! Every time I made something lately, I try to also add it to Sous Chef.

iPhoto: I upgraded to Mac's Snow Leopard (Josh recommended - he's my in-house IT guy). With this upgrade, I opted for some program updates which included iPhoto. The new iPhoto has events and faces you can add to each picture. I'm trying to go through all my pictures to add the photo's location as well as add names to each person in the picture.

Contacts: And now another computer project. Computers and Cooking. HA! This is coordinating my GMail address book with my Mac address book. Ugh. If you've moved recently or changed your email...let me know!

Okay, that's only a few projects. I always have ways to keep myself busy. Not a problem. Guess what another big one is...this blog! Or taking all my Cooking Light magazines and picking out recipes to save, cut it out, put in a binder, and then perhaps into Sous Chef. There are also some I avoid too like reading the DMV book to get my Oregon license. Okay, I better stop; the list is never ending. Busy Busy me!

Carrot Cupcake

Curried Chicken Salad

Traversing the Yogurt Wasteland

or: how I learned to stop eating Yumi and love alternatives

You had to expect this post from me sooner or later. Actually, probably more sooner more than later...come on, really, how could I resist? I'm in love (and/or obsessed) with the stuff. I could go on talking about it forever (so beware, this might be longer than you'd care to read). But I must spread the word & share the love for the froyo. Plus, I know you are all very curious about Oregon's options. Side Note: In case you were uninformed on the lingo, "froyo" means frozen yogurt.

To start, let's delve into some of the nearby, local Eugene options.

• TCBY: This is probably the best option in Eugene for the frozen yogurt craving fix. The reason this one beats the Sub Shop (below) is for two main reason: (1) it has a variety of flavors that change every few days, (2) and the daily specials. Josh really enjoys the daily specials and he almost asks for froyo because of them, which I can't object to. They are pretty good deals though. For example, something like $1.50 for a shiver on Thursdays, which is like a blizzard type thing. The pricing in general is actually quite good. One downside is that they lean heavier on the fruit flavors, and I prefer the candy/chocolate based flavors. Also, the yogurt doesn't keep very well in the freezer for a long time. Overall, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's The Country's Best Yogurt and definitely no Yumi Yogurt, but it does help satisfy my yogurt addiction. BTW, another point earned this week from TCBY by serving Pumpkin!


• Campus Sub Shop: I don't think I would have ever known about this place (well, my froyo radar probably would have kicked in at some point) if it weren't for my friend Jessica Geller. This may lead you to ask: how did she know there was froyo at a tiny sub shop in Eugene? Well, Jessica went to U of O and we meet while I studied abroad in Madrid. And we talked much about our froyo cravings. Anyway, this is really like the name of the establishment indicated, a sandwich joint. They do have 4 standard machines (yields 8 flavors) and have the YoCream brand. However, they never change flavors. Luckily, they have peanut butter, chocolate, and vanilla. I get this mix as a quarter once a week to keep as "safety stock" in our freezer. Someone did mention they get pumpkin in the late fall though...only time will tell. For that, I'll ignore the funny smell in the store (yes, a funky store smell).


• All American Frozen Yogurt: This is at the bottom of the list. I've been only a few times, as it's not the best. The flavor and texture just doesn't compare. Plus it's inside the mall, so it's funky hours and not the most accessible. It is close to the movie theaters though, so it might work out for a pre-show treat. I ought to give it a few more chances especially since the Starbucks I will work at is in a center just across from the mall. Still, I'd probably try to head out to TCBY or Sub Shop even it is more out of the way...worth it.

And there are more options in Oregon, but not as close as the above.

• YoCream: YoCream is probably the most widely distributed frozen yogurt mix to all the froyo stores. Most stores don't actually make their own yogurt, but rather get it from distributors like YoCream, Wow Cow, or Carbolite. Anyway, YoCream recently opened their own store in Portland airport PDX at Cascade Station (next door to IKEA). They opened very trendy self-serve shop. It's like a mini-yogurt heaven with 5 machines, tons of toppings, and other yummy goodies. I am also able to purchase the mix, bring it home, and put it into my Cuisinart machine. It's not the same, but it works. This probably ties for best option in all of Oregon (alongside A.C. below) that I know of at the moment. Still, I think Yumi is the best. Yumi just knows how to mix the flavors and get the best texture. However, don't pass this up if you're near PDX. It's a hip, and lively place with great froyo!


• Active Culture: Here's the kicker on this one...the owner of this shop was a former Yumi Yogurt employee down at the Santa Clara location! He was inspired and opened his own shop, trying to follow many of Yumi's methods. I really liked this place as the temperatures seem to be set right to get a great consistency. The only probably is that the flavors change only weekly, and sometimes I've gone and they had only fruity type flavors (boo--give me cookies n cream, give me graham cracker cheesecake!). And it seemed on the pricy side. All things considered, I rank this right up there with YoCream as an Oregon top option.


• Yogurt Hut: This shop is located in Ashland (Southern Oregon) and is yet another ever-so-popular self-serve option. It serves the YoCream brand, so it's pretty good. I don't think they have the temperature quite right, so it loses a few points there. Again, a bit pricey (or maybe I just don't know when to stop!). I don't get down to Ashland too often, but it's there if I travel back to CA by car or go to a play.

And for the yogurt alternatives, I'll leave out descriptions since they are froyo after all...

• Coffee: Lots of shops in Pacific NW for this tasty alternative


• Ice Shack: Shaved Ice in Grants Pass


• Homemade Baked Fruit: Better for cooler weather--apples and bananas mostly

If you are in Oregon or know of any other Oregon options, please let me know with a comment or email!

P.S. Josh says I should actually watch Dr. Strangelove

Jumping for Joy!

Great news today...I just landed a new job here in Eugene today! And, as the title indicates, I did in fact jump for joy. I will be Eugene's newest barista at Starbucks! I'm super excited and it's something totally different than my past job experiences--not a behind the desk job, but a serve people coffee job. The gig starts on Monday where I meet with my new boss and talk shifts, training, and whatnot. Then on to coffee making! The espresso machine Josh gave me for my birthday this year will soon be brewing a much better cup than my current attempts (that or it won't be making anything since I'll be sick of coffee by the end of the day - hehe).

Someday perhaps I'll be able to get coffee to look like this beautiful cup I had recently in Vancouver...

The Critic

You'll see that I have categories in my blog. One such category is titled Review. These posts will be quality time with "Heather, the critic" and surprisingly I will review something (there's a bit of sarcasm right there). This could be anything, but I'll probably review such things as books, food (i.e. restaurants, recipes, grocery items), music (mostly just a song I like at the moment), movies, etc. I'm not really critical, and usually will chose to review something I enjoy, but hey it's a review.

Today is the Heather Book Club day, so I'll review some recent reads. Before we get into the books, I want to make a call-out to my personal librarian and book-recommender, my sister. Thanks Lindz!

• Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay: I finished this just last night! I really enjoyed this book. It isn't a happy-go-lucky type book. No, not at all. It is a World War II book about the Jewish round-up in France in July 1942. They were all round up by French police into a stadium called the Vlodrome d'Hiver. I won't go more into the history because you should read the book. Moving on, it is sad overall (again, the topic), but you go into it expecting sad so with the right expectations it's easier to "take." In general, it is very well written (a different style w/ 2 voices) and great character development. A few side notes: (1) As I looked for a hyperlink for my blog, I just saw they are making this into a movie. (2) I discovered this book by asking a lady next to me at the Sacramento airport...random I know.


• And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander: This was lighter than the above, but was again historical in style. Although this is one was on the fictional side of historical fiction - like a history beach read type book. Basically the main character is about a lady that makes some striking discoveries about her husband's past. I enjoyed the wit of the character and it was a nice, quick read.


• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: This was because I wanted a more "legitimate" vampire book that was not quite Dracula but not the teenie-bopper books. It was a very interesting take on vampires and the Dracula story. I got very wrapped up in the story. At parts it started to be somewhat repetitive, but it sort of had to be that way with the storyline. And best part, I didn't really have nightmares about vampires after reading this (although, I did dream about them).


• The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer: Okay, I admit it, I read them all. And...I LOVED them. There I said it to the world; it's out & no taking it back. A guilty indulgence. I flew right through all the books, and ended up staying up late way too many nights. The books just engulf you and suck you in (or maybe that's just me). To be honest, I am upset with all the teenie-bopper hysteria around the books. They seem more into the movie and actors than the book story. Do they really know the true Bella and Edward? I get sad because there is so much more in the book than the movie and hype. I hate those islands in the bookstore dedicated to Edward. Really? It's more like a shrine to Robert Pattinson. Geez, there are other characters too. Enough bitterness now. I just had to get that out. Anyway, you obviously get the fact that I enjoyed, and got a bit obsessed with, the book (only as I read them though).

Another review, but different topic, food. What? Trader Joe's wheat pizza dough. I made this for dinner and it was fabulous! I caramelized onions and mushrooms with balsamic vinegar. Added my roast eggplant (leftover from the lasagna from earlier), prosciutto, and goat cheese (mozzarella too of course). Delish!

Tingly Fingers and Oven Doors

Woo-wee! Lots of cooking today...

Every Thursday (more or less), a bunch of Josh's law friends get together for dinner. I'm the recent addition to the gatherings. Tomorrow will be our first time hosting at our new Shasta home. I designated the evening as prep time.

With the meal theme as Mexican cuisine, Josh and I thought we'd contribute Goat Cheese-Stuffed Jalapenos with Ranchero Sauce and Spiced Shrimp - both from my Cooking Light magazines. However, first tonight's dinner needed to be cooked. On the menu tonight was a Eggplant Lasagna from Real Simple (yes, I like magazine recipes & thanks Nada for the magazine!). Unfortunately I had quite time getting things to work. Although its a new home to us, the oven is not quite so new. Today it decided to dislodge and not close without careful maneuvering and some rather interesting sparks. After tackling the oven, I discovered a leak under the sink. Sigh. These difficulties aside, dinner turned out yummy on the positive side.

Dinner eaten and cleaned up, now on to tomorrow's food. Josh was super and got the shrimp deveined and ready  earlier, so the shrimp was quick & easy. The jalapenos were a painful though! After crying with the onions, I got tingly fingers (and still feeling it as I type now) from jalapenos. In fact, I think the jalapenos have permeated the apartment. Poor fingers! Not sure if I'll be working with jalapenos again for awhile (or perhaps with gloves). FYI - a home remedy is lime (works okay) and bleach (didn't have it).

I'd say today was a Culinary Success!

Heather in the Kitchen

Adventures in Oregonland

This past weekend was the Labor day weekend and my parents were in town visiting. And not just any visit, but the first visit to Oregon with me as an Oregonian in my new Shasta home with Josh. To help acquaint my parents, we planned some fun adventures around Oregon and hit up the local Eugene favorite spots.

• Thursday: My parents arrived in the afternoon. First order of business was lunch. And what better place than the Beir Stein, a fun German pub-type restaurant. After our tummies were full, Mom and I abandoned dad at the hotel (btw, Josh at classes all day) and got our pedi's at the Pearl Day Spa...Ahh relaxing! To wrap up the day, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Belly.


• Friday: Josh had to get some school work done, so I took my parents out to the Eugene Wineries. My dad was able to quiz the local wine makers on their knowledge of French wines and bottles (yup, the favorite one was asked: why the different bottle shapes). We started at Silveran Ridge then headed over to Sweet Cheeks (my favorite since it has a very sweet wine option). We rounded out the winery tour at King Estate for lunch. I think my wine-loving dad would say "not so bad" about Eugene wines...that translates to: success! To finish the day, we headed over to Red Agave, which Josh has wanted to try ever since coming to Eugene.


• Saturday: A day of...rain! Well, the first part at least. I drove through the downpour to get us safely to Ashland where luckily the rain ended. Before arriving we made a pit-stop at Rogue Creamery to taste some blue cheeses. Not my favorite cheese (go goats), but for blue cheese not bad! Upon arriving to Ashland, my froyo radar went off. I found the ever-so-popular self-serve type froyo spot (dangerous stuff man, I tell ya). The Yogurt Hut is decent, but it ain't no Yumi Yogurt. But I'll take it! After some Heather indulgence, we roamed the cute town. The big event of the day though, was the play (Ashland is the Shakespeare "capital"). We opted for one of Shakespeare's lighter plays, Much Ado About Nothing. If you haven't seen the movie version, you should! Great play, no rain (outdoor theatre in true Old Globe style), and great company.


• Sunday: We headed out of our Medford's lodging, and picked up breakfast and some shopping/walking in the cute historic downtown of Jacksonville. We saw art and llamas at the Sunday (no sarcastic talking llamas sadly - that would be a Emperors New Groove reference). Next we ventured into Applegate. Don and Nada's old home was looking great and peaceful as ever. We also tasted the local Southern wines at Woolridge and Schmidt. Then a leisure (late) lunch along the Rogue River. A quick stop for a shaved ice (ahhh Kauai days) at the Ice Shack in Grant's Pass and then the rest of the day was driving home (better weather of course with Josh behind the wheel).

Historic Jacksonville

• Monday: Let's go to the beach! Monday was a fun day in Florence, our closest beach town from Eugene. We walked along the water, grabbed lunch at the local fish restaurant, and then roamed the cute old town. The highlight for me, was the Heceta Lighthouse, just up the coast a few miles. We hiked the 1/2 mile up to the lighthouse for some spectacular views.

View from Heceta Light House

Tuesday my parents were supposed to have a little morning time in Eugene, but unfortunately there was some flight issues (their later flight was delayed so they needed to grab an earlier flight to ensure their SF connection). So good-byes were quickly said, but the great weekend was remembered!

August: A Post-Mortem

Okay, so I really need to stop the Corporate lingo talk. Really, a post-mortem in the blog title Heather? I've always thought it sounds so morbid. I do think I'll keep the bullet point stuff though - that's a real keeper.

Anyway, this is really just a quick look back at August. I didn't have the blog rolling in August, so I'm going to do one big update for the month. From this point on, I'm going to attempt to keep the blog updated with frequent updates, so avoid the massive entires/emails. You can already see some posts now in fact.

August was a busy month, I was traveling around or visiting with friends and family each weekend. Here we go (this is a long one folks, hang in there)...

Caroline and Gerald Visit - Part 1
The first weekend of August, Josh and I hopped into a plane and flew up to Seattle, WA. We arrived Thursday night in time for a nice dinner at a little fish restaurant in downtown's Belltown called the Flying Fish. Our arrival also was timely in that it was the end of the record-breaking heat wave in Seattle (actually, we got to experience that in our own home in Eugene).

Friday we roamed all over the city exploring the many districts and sites. Our favorite spot being Pike's Marketplace with the hustle and bustle of the different stands and fish throwing. We also got to visit Josh's family friends, Vince and Jonita. They live in the heart of the city and have a spectacular view of the city and Space Needle. But at last, in the evening, the main point of the trip arrived...Caroline and Gerald (fyi-Caroline is my best friend from Germany). After a fun dinner near Pike's Market, we headed up to the Space Needle for a sunset view of the city. Did I use the word spectacular already? Dangit! Well, it was, in fact, a spectacular view. We took this Monorail out to the needle which was a blast as well (which also made me feel like I was at Disneyland).

Seattle's Pikes Market

Saturday we spent some more time at Pike's Market in the morning, but then headed out to Vancouver. Caroline and Gerald drove, so we got to see the beautiful countryside on the way up (song of the trip: Fireflies). We even made a stop at the Seattle Premium Outlets, where we hit up some great deals. We arrived Vancouver in the evening and grabbed some grub in Yaletown and consumed some of my favorite cuisine, Thai food.

Sunday we had a introduction to Vancouver (at least, that's what the guide book said) at Canada Place. It was really just a cruise terminal, but it was neat to see the big ships in the harbor as well as watch the sea planes taking off and landing nearby. Then we hopped back in the car and headed into nature. We opted for Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge over Capilano (which is the more popular tourist spot and costs money, Lynn is free). The bridge was a rickety wood and wire bridge that goes over a deep gorge and river. Luckily no need to drop to hands and knees and crawl though. Then to beat the heat, we headed to the Museum of Anthropology and saw all the Native American totem poles and artwork. To round up the day, we went to the Granville Island where there was yet another marketplace (what's up with the Pacific NW and marketplaces? at least I like them!).

Monday Caroline and Gerald headed out to Victoria while Josh and I stayed in Vancouver (we met up the following weekend, but Josh and I had to go head home for work/school). I'm surprised I still have feet after all the walking we did Monday. We practically walked the entire city! For instance, we walked from our hotel to Stanley Park where we then took a walk - a walk to go take a walk, go figure.

Caroline and Gerald Visit - Part 2
After a great weekend in Seattle & Vancouver, we headed home for a few days of work/school. Then more fun the following weekend. We meet up with Caroline and Gerald on the tail end of their trip in Portland. The highlight was the pedicure with Caroline along the Portland riverwalk area. Girl talk time! And also some froyo at the Portland frozen yogurt find, Active Culture.

Girl Pedi Time in Portland

Irene in Portland
The next weekend, which was the middle of August, my good friend Irene from Holland come out to Portland. We varied up the Portland activities by trying out some new spots. We got a great view of the city and some history mixed in too at the Pittock Mansion. We also headed outside of town to the Columbia Gorge where the Hood River runs. Along the gorge, you hit waterfall after waterfall. The most famous waterfall being Multonomah Falls. This, as well as a cute Inn we stopped at, was made even more popular by the Twilight movie (it's perfect Vampire scenery if you ask me. I fit well since I don't tan and always have cold feet and hands...hmm). If you keep driving, you hit a totally different type of area, The Dalles. It's basically high mountain desert area and incredibly windy. This day was probably the highlight (besides seeing Irene of course!). We also tried out the Aerial Tram for some awesome views of Portland, and of course a stop at YoCream near PDX (whoops, drool on the computer there). By the way, there are 2 froyo spots in PDX in case you're wondering (froyo radar still going strong!).

Multnomah Falls with Irene

Sacramento Wedding
Getting tired yet? Well, Josh and I were certainly tired of all the traveling, but onward to more fun! And we wouldn't have missed this for the world; our good, college friend, Andrew Deller was getting married. Josh was a groomsman in the wedding and it was a very lovely ceremony and reception. Good times!

Browns in Town
After the wedding, Josh's parents happened to be heading through town on their way home to Palm Desert from Seattle. We spent a wonderful day with his parents around Eugene. We hit up some great shopping at Costco, Borders, and HomeGoods. And we introduced Don and Nada to our favorite, funky pizza joint called Pizza Research Institute (PRI) - if only it had meat, then it'd be perfect.

Well, that closes up the big month of August. My parents were the next and last visitors for us. There is a separate entry for that visit. If you want some more pictures, go to Flickr or FaceBook.

End to Email

Okay, so it's not really the end of email. How could I ever stop emailing, seriously? I'm one of those people that feels the need to check email at any chance. Must. Check. Email. Now. Sad but true.

Anyway, that's not what I'm saying here. It's more of the end of email from a employment perspective. I started with Acxiom (which was then known as Digital Impact) back in January 2005 and my last day was August 31st, 2009. That's a whooping 4.67 years with Acxiom. It was a great company and I was given many opportunities to grow and learn (i.e. 4 different positions). It's really too bad it couldn't work out & allow me to stay on in the remote capacity permanently, but that's HR policy for you I suppose. I was glad I was able to work the summer from home to help with the transition and move up to Oregon. I will miss working with all my friends, but I'll just have to visit often.

Now I'm adjusting to life with no work. It was weird, but kinda nice. The best part is I can do things I've been meaning to do FOREVER like start a blog for one. Not to mention I can sleep in! Now the quest for the next job begins...

Acxiom Recruiting at SCU Career Fair