Seasons Greetings Everyone!
12/03

Happy Holidays!

I hope your holiday season and the coming year are full of fun, health, happiness, and peace.

Work ­ Well, I'm one of the hidden stats; those left out of unemployment figures that only include people still collecting unemployment checks. Some estimates say the real stats are twice what's reported, due to those living on savings or who've taken "desperation jobs" while waiting for things to turn around.

I haven't been sitting idle though. Between my volunteer efforts, job hunting, and some consulting work, I've been pretty busy. I've had a decent number of interviews and got close to a job a few times.

There are so many of us marketing types out of work in this area-50% of the 400 in my networking group-that we spun off our own job-seekers group. I've gone to other leads groups and networking meetings too, so I know I'm in good company.

Last year I told you I started Sushi Hound, my sushi making party business. I knew I couldn't make a living at it, but thought it would be fun and bring in a few bucks. But the liability insurance was so high, it wasn't worth pursuing as a sporadic gig. However, I ended up with some really great sushi-making equipment. Anyone for an unagi roll?

I did have one contract that paid extremely well. For four months, I evaluated the customer service functionality on Qwest's Web site and redesigned their Web pages accordingly.

Now, I'm thinking out of the box-I've been substitute teaching in elementary schools. There isn't much work, and the pay is lousy, but it's fun and it gets me out of the house.

Vacations and Trips ­ Due to budgetary constraints, there's been little traveling this year. I stuck to local jaunts, and a few trips that I was lucky enough to have paid for by others.

My Dad and Armelde flew me back East for the holidays last year, and again in May for my step-nephew, Daniel's, birth. I arrived within 24 hours of delivery!...what a cutie. I went into the city to spend time with Mom, Paul, and David after that.

Last Christmas in CT, we saw the Nutcracker one night, and went to the Mohegan Sun casino for dinner, then a drink in the most amazing bar I've ever seen, Leffingwells. It's a three-story crystal mountain, made of granite "icebergs", backlit and glowing from within. The dome ceiling is a working planetarium. We spent a day in Providence and a day in Queens visiting my great aunt Eve. Then it was off to NY to visit Mom, Paul and David. I made a pilgrimage to the World Trade Center site; boy wasn't that profound. The smallest thing got me...scrape marks along the walls of the remaining buildings where shrapnel had flown by during the collapse. It was like looking at bullet holes in the buildings of European cities that survived the war. One night, Mom, Paul, David and I went out for an Italian holiday dinner, and another night, we had fun at the interactive play, Married to the Mob.

I was so disappointed that I had to miss Anna and Walter's wedding in Vienna this summer. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can make Baya's wedding on the coast of France next summer. Things better turn around by then!

In early summer, I did an overnighter at Steph and Todd's cabin in Grand Lake. We did a hike then roamed the village shops. It was a nice, low-key retreat from Boulder.

Judy, Janet and I took a road trip to southern Colorado for a few days this summer. On the way, we stopped at Fairplay/South Park (of cartoon fame) just in time for their burro races. Runners race beside their burros, toward the mountain in the same way they did back in the gold mining days. Overnight was at Valley View Hot Springs. We planned to camp, but it was raining so hard we stayed in their free "first-come-first-served" bunkhouse. We snagged the last few bunk beds, and it was actually pretty comfortable. One day we went to Sand Dunes National Monument, roamed around the dunes, 4-wheeled in Judy's SUV and a had picnic. The best part though was the bat adventure! For years, I've gone to Valley View and tried to hike up the mountain (where the stream of hot springs flows down) to the "glory hole" mine in time to see the northernmost and largest colony of Mexican free-tail bats in North America (100,000 to 250,000) emerge to feed on the plains. But, it always took me too long to hike up and I missed them. Not this time. In a nutshell, "waves" of bats emerged from the mine at dusk and flew up and out of the football field-sized hole, over our heads, into the valley to feed. There was much more to our adventure, including trespassing, coyotes, screaming, and singing TV theme songs, but I'll tell that another time.

I had a great, surprise vacation in August. Share our Strength, the non-profit that sponsors the Taste of the Nation benefit I work on every year, sent me to their annual conference in Montreal-paid for! This was my third time in Montreal, and I still love it. I made some new friends, Brenda and Theo, the folks that run the event in Fort Collins, north of Boulder. (Brenda later came down for an overnighter, and then she and Theo came down to cook a gourmet dinner for me another night). When SOS offered me the trip, I remembered that Rangeley, ME (the town I spent my summers in growing up), was about a five-hour drive from Montreal. So, I got a car and drove down for a few days. It was wonderful. I stayed with Jill's family on Gull Pond. It was so great to connect with her and the family again. The last night, we even stayed in the "Dog House", the cabin we used to stay in when we were teenagers. We swam, went boating, had a great dinner with 20 people, and partied downtown with our old friends. We took a photo at the scene of so many youthful crimes...the now defunct Doc Grant's bar. I really miss those folks!

A few months ago, I stayed overnight in Colorado Springs when Armelde was in town for a conference. We had breakfast at the beautiful Broadmore hotel and did a quick drive through the Garden of the Gods to see the fabulous red rock formations.

Visitors ­ I think Lisa and her daughter, Jackie, were my only visitors this year. They came to visit in Feb. We did the spa and a hike at Gold Lake Resort. Another day we shopped for beads and went to a large Mexican supermarket. After that, we visited the Butterfly Pavilion, where I made Jackie pet Rosie, the Tarantula. That sort of cured me of my arachnophobia and I thought it would work for her too; did it, Jackie? One evening, we had a lovely dinner at Mataam Fez, our local Moroccan restaurant-complete with belly dancer-and another night we went to a good friend, Baya's, for dinner.

Culture ­ Concerts were far and few between on my budget. I saw Michael Tomlinson at a barn in Evergreen in April. There was a free Jazz concert with some of the Brubecks and many others in conjunction with Boulder's annual Conference on World Affairs: a fantastic week of events, hosted by amazing people. I missed Roger Ebert's movie dissection this year, but did see and talk to Patch Adams, the real doctor that was played by Robin Williams in the movie. I made a new friend, Laura, at his session too. In October, I sprung for one big concert, since I've always wanted to see these guys and may never get a chance again...Fleetwood Mac. I just saw Crash Test Dummies and Erin McKeown at E-Town, the radio variety show that's taped here...it's the best deal in town! National acts for just $13.

In August, Bridgette had free tickets to a local play called Tail of the Tiger. As always, Sue came to town to do the Art Open Studios tour in October. My wonderful "gig" to assist John with restaurant reviews for the Rocky Mt. News is still going strong. I'm so lucky to still be able to eat at nice restaurants even though I'm unemployed. Thanks John! So far, I've joined him on 21 reviews this year, and found some amazing restaurants along the way, favorites being Vega, Luca d'Italia, Opus, and Restaurant Kevin Taylor.

Parties and Holidays ­ The International Wine and Dine Societies I'm involved with are still fun, with events every month. I organized one of the dinners this fall for the founder, Steve's, birthday. This year I became better friends with Judy, who I met through Bridgett, who I became friends with last year through the wine group. There are some really great people at those gatherings.

Last December, Bruce did his Christgiving dinner again. Later there was the holiday cookie party at Steph's and last but not least, a New Year's party at Felipe's Mom's house. That was a lovely cultural experience. No one but Gye spoke much English, and I don't speak Spanish, but we had a great time dancing and playing dominos and celebrating the New Year. The next day, Pennie, Rocky and I watched the Polar Bear club do their annual New Year's Day plunge into the Boulder Reservoir. I considered joining them, but woke up and smelled the icy air before doing something crazy.

In January, Kathe had a BBQ dinner for Peter's birthday. Betsy's rang in her 50th, at the Denver Press Club. Susan and Lonnie had their Valentines party, and Bridgette did a girls dinner at her house. John's birthday was at Roma's new restaurant She's a friend of John's from India and is an amazing cook! A colleague, Karon, had her 40th at a roller-skating rink -whoops! I enjoyed two Passover dinners, one at Steph and Todd's and one at Susan and Lonnie's. They were followed by an Easter potluck and egg hunt at John and Betsy's neighbors'.

4th of July's pot-luck started at Susan and Lonnie's and concluded with dessert and fireworks at the Boulder County Fairgrounds. Raftin' Ray's 50th was in the mountains; Mary Kay and Guy hosted Christiann's retirement party; and Bret and Nancy had a pool party. I had Rosh Hashana dinner at Susan and Lonnie's in Sept., then break-the-fast dinner at Steph and Todd's after Yom Kippur. Gye and Felipe hosted a combination Halloween party and birthday party for their daughter, Sol. I had fun tormenting the kids in line for the haunted house. Dressed as a chef from the Donner Party Cafe (a cannibal chef), I would sprinkle salt on each kid's shoulder and tell him or her what ingredients I'd use when I cooked them for dinner.

Halloween weekend was fun. It began with a small, family dinner at Susan and Lonnie's to hand out candy to the kids...I'm so lucky to have two "adopted families" out here, these guys and the Lehndorffs. Later, Judy and I drove to my friend's costume party, but we were one night too early (oops!). Good thing we had a backup plan and ended up at a dance club in Arvada. The next night, Jerome came up from Denver. We started at my friend's party (finally), then off to his friend's toga party.

The night of the lunar eclipse in November, I had an amazing time at "Pie Night" with John's family. This secret gathering, where everyone brings a pie, started 24 years ago. About 80 people showed up at the grange. After watching the eclipse, we ate pie. There were savory pies like onion, quiche, and spaghetti pie. And, there were tons of sweet pies. I made apple pie with raisins and pecans and a Captain Morgan's rum hard sauce. What a sugar buzz! After pie, they folded up the tables, moved the chairs, and broke out the instruments. Fourteen people (including Pete Wernick, a.k.a. Dr. Banjo) playing stringed instruments of every kind; from banjo and dobro to steel pedal, ukulele and violin...not to mention several guitars and a bass. What a night! I played the washboard for a while, and tried my hand at the spoons too. A few weeks later, I saw Pete Wernick and his band perform at another grange after enjoying a holiday evening walk-about in the quaint, little town of Niwot.

Mid February, some friends had a Fool Hardy Party where we all wrote lists of things we'd like to put behind us, and mistakes we've made, and burned them. (I actually had to leave early so I burned mine at home.)

This Thanksgiving at John and Betsy's was the best yet. We got a heritage turkey (Black Spanish) from the farmer who did our Slow Food event (see Volunteer section, later). We also made polenta out of an ancient variety of Iroquois white corn tamal flour. This year's just seemed to outshine the others...maybe I was really hungry? Betsy made her marinated cherries, John made his potato stuffing, Lisa made Italian greens, Bruce brought his pies, and I brought chestnut soup with Amaretto. Yum!!

Thanks to so many good friends, I'm stretching out my birthday celebration for more than a week. Last Friday Judy and I went on a review with John to Restaurant Kevin Taylor. They have some of the best desserts in Denver! I asked the waitress if the pastry chef was single and if I could marry him. After dinner, Judy and I watched Denver's Parade of Lights holiday extravaganza. On Saturday, lots of friends joined me at the annual Sagittarius Ball, which happened to be on my birthday this year. It's great to be able to celebrate with a rockin' band and dancing, and not even have to organize the event. On sunday, Judy and I had lunch and shopped in the Vietnamese section of Denver then went to see The Last Samurai, which is wonderful if you haven't seen it yet. Gye and I are doing another review with John on Wednesday, then we'll drive around to look at Christmas lights...or terrorize the downtown bars...or both. Lisa's is treating me to the impressionists exhibit at the Denver Art Museum next Sunday.

Other Fun Events ­ One night, Gye, Felipe and I felt like sushi so we went to a real sushi bar for dinner, then danced at a sleazy "sushi" disco. Lisa and I did a micro-adventure: Dinosaur Ridge (footprints on a hillside), Hudson Gardens, the retro Foss General Store in Golden, the "Taj Mahal" justice center, and ate Mexican food at the Morrison Inn.

Pennie and I are doing quarterly cooking adventures now. We alternate hosting and choosing a challenging cuisine. The first one, Tamales, was at her house. In March, I did Middle Eastern, which was an attempt toward cultural understanding and empathy, in the light of the war. Brazilian dinner was at Pennie's in May, then Ethiopian at my place in July. The last one was Scandinavian at her house in October. We made the best stuffed cabbage! If you want the recipe, it's e-mail ready. Next one is mine...I'm thinking Eastern European, my heritage. I hope I can find some Latvian recipes.

A few other fun events: Bridgette, Judy and I did the Indian market in Denver. I made tamales again (and chuncletas, which are the same thing, but in banana leaves) with Rena and Leecha (Felipe's mom and ex.). Lisa and I soaked in Idaho Springs in Feb. and I went to a few dog shows. An interesting night was spent at The Metaphysical Society in Denver. A woman who actually lives upstairs in that beautiful old (and haunted?) building had a potluck one night. Most everyone there was talking about the Burning Man Festival. I won't even try to explain that bizarre event-but if you are curious, check it out on the Web-and no, I haven't been...yet.

I did my annual trips to the flea market and the zoo, went Jeeping with Janet, and did a double feature at the area's last drive-in with the wine and dine group. John gave me tickets to a schi-schi wine event at the Denver Art Museum. Jerome and I enjoyed that, and afterwards went out for dinner and dancing for a really fun-filled night. Lisa, Janet and I spent an afternoon at a Colorado wine festival...yes, Colorado produces wine, and some of it's pretty good. Try Canyon Wind Merlot ('98 or '99). Leslie and I met friends at a bar at a municipal airport and watched planes take off. Judy and I did a lot of flirting one Sunday at the Little Bear in Evergreen (the place is notorious for a raucous time, great, live music, and lots of...well...flirting). Again, I took Hans (John & Betsy's son) to Six Flags. We rode three rollercoasters in a row. I won't do that again! And, a beautiful day was spent leaf-peeping on the mountain passes with Susan this autumn.

John gave me tickets for two more great events, thanks again, John! I roamed around Denver restaurants during the Uptown Sampler with Judy. Lisa and I went to the Star Chef's event (tickets over $100!). There was lovely food from many of the same restaurants I work with at Taste of the Nation, so it was a great opportunity to thank them, again, for all their help over the years.

Sports and The Like ­ I snowshoed twice, once with Gye and the family and once with 10 women for a girl's day at Rocky Mt. National Park. On the way home, Judy and I saw bobcat! That was a highlight of my year. I've never seen a wild cat in nature before. After that, we stopped at the Frozen Dead Guy Festival in Nederland (again, check out the Web if you're curious). I did a few hikes and even found a gorgeous spot called Ceran St. Vrain that I didn't even know existed. And, Mozelle got me to hike up Green Mountain...whew! No rafting this year. It just wasn't in the budget.

Volunteering ­ Our Slow Food group is coming into its own and having more events: An annual meeting at the Corner Gourmet; a cheese festival at Haystack Mt. Goat Dairy; a beer bash at Charlie Papazian's (president of the Association of Brewers); a Cuban salsa dancing party (which I organized but had to miss when I was in Montreal); and a heritage turkey tasting before Thanksgiving, where we compared six special breeds of turkey against a Butterball. No contest! The heritage turkeys were amazing...more dark meat and very moist white meat, and real flavor! We also did a series of cooking classes for a local youth group, Cultiva. They grow a community garden to sell at the farmer's market and donate to Community Food Share. The classes were a blast, and the kids loved them. One was even filmed by the guy who produced Masterpiece Theater, although the footage is only intended for Cultiva's use so you won't see me on TV...or will you? More on that later. I went to a few of the Denver group's events also: A BBQ at Sally's, and Matt's annual Ranch Hamper picnic in Sedalia. As always, I'm still doing the Taste of the Nation benefit. This year, I brought food to the 9News (ABC) studio for on-air promotion and was interviewed on the Gabby Gourmet radio show. I did a lot more work for the event this year since I had extra time.

Etc. ­ OK, here's the most unique experience of 2003. In March, just because I had nothing better to do, I went to an audition for the Food Network's new TV game show called Trivia Unwrapped. I had a second audition in April, and next thing you know...in May, I was on the show! On top of that, I won! First, I chose the equivalent of the "daily double question" and won a subscription to the BBQ Sauce of the Month Club. (I think I talked Peter and Kathe into roasting a pig next summer so we can do a BBQ sauce tasting.) For winning the game, I got an $850 gift cert. for Cooking.com. Then I tried for the big prize and missed by one answer. (You have to answer 10 in 60 seconds.) I won $900 though, which was actually a blessing in disguise, since the trip was going to be to Montana, for which I'd have to pay to get to L.A., where all trips originate. But, I don't get my monetary prizes until after my show airs, and we don't know when that will be yet, probably next spring. As soon as I know I'll e-mail everyone for whom I have addresses. The show airs Monday nights at 8:00-8:30pm MST (then repeats at midnight). Some weeks, special shows replace it. Check your local listings, as they say.

Unfortunately, James, my chef friend, moved to PA in October, just when we were getting to be pretty great friends. I had fun though, helping him with his garage sale and taking a few of his 6000 cookbooks off his hands. One door closes and another one opens, as I become better friends with Laura, who I met at the CU conference. We're doing a service exchange: She's a chiropractor and is making me healthier, while I teach her some cooking techniques.

I visited with my ex-step-brother Hugh and his wife, Dianne, several times-Once at Sushi Den, another time to help them move into their new house, and again, to meet my new step-nephew. Would you call a step-sibling an "ex" after the parents split? It's so confusing.

The most difficult stuff has been some challenging health issues for my Mom, which has been pretty upsetting for me. But, I think she's feeling a little bit better and I look forward to seeing her at the holidays. The saddest thing was that my Taste of the Nation compatriot, Tom Roberts, was murdered in September. It was a pretty awful and sensational situation that I won't go into, but it sure was hard to hear about it on the TV news. On a lighter note, Coal and I are healthy and loving all the time we've had to hang out together while I've been out of work.

Well, that's it for 2003, have a fantastic 2004!

Laura