sometimes it's just fun to see how random people end up on your page.
the latest searches bringing up my site are:
cafe tara's amsterdam (if i had know there was a cafe in amsterdam with my name, i would have visited it)
most unsafe airplane (i cannot figure out for the life of me why i am coming up for this one)
mind reading is never (is never what? i must know!)
taracare
march 14 eclipse + astrology
empire stte building (apparently i am attracting the spelling challenged crowd)
certified meeting professional
five guys hours ashburn
west elm futon blog
swoosh parker l.a. lakers
tara haircuts minneapolis
funny stuff,eh?
ps, who is searching for me from rustburg?
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
oh yeah
and yesterday, i found a journaling program that will send directly to my blog, so now i can keep all of my journaling in one place! yay!
simple things make me happy
in the quest for all things mac, i have been evaluating what types of programs might be of great benefit to me. and today i found one that makes me want to shout with joy.
i am a voracious reader, and own thousands of books. i have always thought it would be a good idea to catalog these books, as i have often purchased the same book more than once. but the idea of typing in title, author, etc. into an excel spreadsheet or some similar program was unappealing. in looking for a program that would streamline this task, i found ‘delicious library’, and holy hannah, delicious indeed.
the macbook’s have built in isight cameras, so all i have to do is hold the barcode up to the camera, and it instantly generates all of the relevant information. can you say ‘miracle’? in addition, it provides of all the necessary ‘extra fields’, like a rating system, and a place for notes, so that i can log all of the quotes i have collected from that book. and i am positively giddy about this, which sort of makes me realize what a nerd i am.
i am a voracious reader, and own thousands of books. i have always thought it would be a good idea to catalog these books, as i have often purchased the same book more than once. but the idea of typing in title, author, etc. into an excel spreadsheet or some similar program was unappealing. in looking for a program that would streamline this task, i found ‘delicious library’, and holy hannah, delicious indeed.
the macbook’s have built in isight cameras, so all i have to do is hold the barcode up to the camera, and it instantly generates all of the relevant information. can you say ‘miracle’? in addition, it provides of all the necessary ‘extra fields’, like a rating system, and a place for notes, so that i can log all of the quotes i have collected from that book. and i am positively giddy about this, which sort of makes me realize what a nerd i am.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
chivalry is not dead
i find that lately i am prone to keep personal stuff..well, personal. but in this case i can safely blog because the subject of the blog is unaware of the existence of the blog.
so last night i had a first date, and it's worth blogging about because it ranks pretty high on the firt date scale.
it started when the boy in question, whom we shall simply call 'k' showed up at my door with a dozen roses. red roses no less. now, i love flowers. i think all girls love flowers, but for whatever reason men don't typically view me as a 'flower' girl. i don't know if i just come off like i might not like them, or if men have just gotten lazy, but in fourteen years of dating, this is only the third time i have been given flowers, and the first time i have ever been given roses.
i give k mad props for this. i don't know why, but these days, men seem to reserve roses for valentine's day and anniversaries, and this clearly fell into neither category. i was impressed immediately.
after getting the flowers safely vased (is that a verb? or a word?), we were off to mini-golf. k is passionate about golfing, and i 1. love mini-golf and 2. thought this would give him the perfect opportunity to be macho. i can be pretty competitive, but knew i wouldn't even try, being fully aware of the fact that he could kick my trash. what i wasn't expecting was that even though he had the perfect opportunity to show me how good he was, instead, he wanted to make sure i felt good about myself. he played with a children's club, and worked hard to make it close, but still let me win. normally, i might be irritated by someone throwing a game, but in this case i found the gesture sweet and endearing.
i don't mean to give the impression that he was a pushover by any means. he found the perfect balance of being sweet and playful, taking great joy in teasing and messing with me, which, for some odd reason, i enjoy.
after mini-golf it was time for him to show off and he took me over to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls. frankly, i was terrified. i had no expectation of actually hitting a ball, and was fully aware of how embarrassing this could be.
but lo and behold, he was an excellent teacher, and i exceeded both our expectations. yay!
after the driving range we headed to sweetwater (man i love those rolls!) for dinner. it was an hour long wait, but the time passed quickly and conversation flowed naturally as we waited by the lake-like body of water.
eventually it was time to eat, and though a bit loud, dinner was excellent. food was good, company was good. he kept me laughing and fed--two important ingredients to any date.
following dinner we headed back to the house and popped in my latest netflix movie (poseidon-and it sucks, don't bother), before calling it a night.
he was a perfect gentleman, forewarning me early in the evening that he would smack my hand if i tried to open a door for myself. and he was in control all evening, without being the least bit controlling.
the date is blogworthy for a couple of reasons. it's nice to be reminded that chivalry is not dead, that there are still men who won't hedge around the fact that you are on a date--not 'hanging out' as mormon boys so often like to do, and who know what it is like to treat a woman well. i am a pretty modern girl--i'll go dutch on dates, i've even paid for both of us in the past (if i ask the guy out, which i used to do but don't anymore), but i can't tell you how nice it was to be spoiled.
all in all, it was a great date. i laughed a lot, i learned something new, i ate well, and was treated well. it sets the bar extremely high for future dates, now that i have been reminded that there are men who are capable of such things, and that i am a woman who deserves having them.
so last night i had a first date, and it's worth blogging about because it ranks pretty high on the firt date scale.
it started when the boy in question, whom we shall simply call 'k' showed up at my door with a dozen roses. red roses no less. now, i love flowers. i think all girls love flowers, but for whatever reason men don't typically view me as a 'flower' girl. i don't know if i just come off like i might not like them, or if men have just gotten lazy, but in fourteen years of dating, this is only the third time i have been given flowers, and the first time i have ever been given roses.i give k mad props for this. i don't know why, but these days, men seem to reserve roses for valentine's day and anniversaries, and this clearly fell into neither category. i was impressed immediately.
after getting the flowers safely vased (is that a verb? or a word?), we were off to mini-golf. k is passionate about golfing, and i 1. love mini-golf and 2. thought this would give him the perfect opportunity to be macho. i can be pretty competitive, but knew i wouldn't even try, being fully aware of the fact that he could kick my trash. what i wasn't expecting was that even though he had the perfect opportunity to show me how good he was, instead, he wanted to make sure i felt good about myself. he played with a children's club, and worked hard to make it close, but still let me win. normally, i might be irritated by someone throwing a game, but in this case i found the gesture sweet and endearing.
i don't mean to give the impression that he was a pushover by any means. he found the perfect balance of being sweet and playful, taking great joy in teasing and messing with me, which, for some odd reason, i enjoy.
after mini-golf it was time for him to show off and he took me over to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls. frankly, i was terrified. i had no expectation of actually hitting a ball, and was fully aware of how embarrassing this could be.but lo and behold, he was an excellent teacher, and i exceeded both our expectations. yay!
after the driving range we headed to sweetwater (man i love those rolls!) for dinner. it was an hour long wait, but the time passed quickly and conversation flowed naturally as we waited by the lake-like body of water.
eventually it was time to eat, and though a bit loud, dinner was excellent. food was good, company was good. he kept me laughing and fed--two important ingredients to any date.
following dinner we headed back to the house and popped in my latest netflix movie (poseidon-and it sucks, don't bother), before calling it a night.
he was a perfect gentleman, forewarning me early in the evening that he would smack my hand if i tried to open a door for myself. and he was in control all evening, without being the least bit controlling.
the date is blogworthy for a couple of reasons. it's nice to be reminded that chivalry is not dead, that there are still men who won't hedge around the fact that you are on a date--not 'hanging out' as mormon boys so often like to do, and who know what it is like to treat a woman well. i am a pretty modern girl--i'll go dutch on dates, i've even paid for both of us in the past (if i ask the guy out, which i used to do but don't anymore), but i can't tell you how nice it was to be spoiled.
all in all, it was a great date. i laughed a lot, i learned something new, i ate well, and was treated well. it sets the bar extremely high for future dates, now that i have been reminded that there are men who are capable of such things, and that i am a woman who deserves having them.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
a delayed post
4:30am friday morning and the alarm goes off.i hit snooze.
5:00am and my phone rings.
i answer it. it is my backup wake up call.
up and at 'em before the sun is up and on my way to gainesville for the company's annual charity golf tournament.
by 7:00am co-workers and colleagues are lined up with clubs in tow, to check in and get squared away.
at 8:15 the shotgun marks the start of the tournament.
the rest of the day was spent checking on holes and golfers and food, setting up awards, and manning the 'pay-to-play' hole, where male competitors could pay $5, put on a skirt and a wig, and tee off from the ladies tee. (hence the entertaining photos.)the play was extremely slow, but the weather complied beautifully. lunch, originally scheduled at 1:30 was delayed until 3:00, as there were many first time players in this best-ball tournament.
eventually by 4:00pm or so, all the golfers came home to roost, and everyone was exhausted.
this was perhaps, one of the most difficult events i have been involved with. normally an event will require a maximum of three hours on time--when you have to play the pleasant hostess. in this case, i had to be on for ten hours and it was extremely draining.but, my first golf tournament was largely successful. a few glitches and a few lessons learned, but overall a success. and more importantly, there were some hilarious photos from our communications team, and you can check them out here.
it happened again
the most awful horrible dreaded thing that has ever happened to me, just happened again. after three months of being back in my stake's singles ward with no calling, i was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with me. i wish it had stayed that way.
what most people do not know about me is that i have an extreme fear of public speaking. stick me at a party with hostessing duties, and i am fine. but give me a pulpit with all eyes in the room directed at me, and it is an entirely other story. i cannot understae this particular fear. it creates a physical reaction in me that usually manifests itself in a vomitous fashion. fortunately, that stage hits before the actual 'performance' so as of yet, no one else has been victimized by my phobia. it doesn't matter if it is a talk in sacrament meeting, or simply directing the senior management to the next meeting room, it simply makes me ill.
four years ago, almost exactly, i was asked to serve in my ward as the gospel doctrine teacher. for the benefit of my non-lds readership, gospel doctrine is a scripture study class in which each year is a different book; old testament, new testament, book of mormon, and doctrine and covenants. at the time, old testament was being covered.
when i accepted the calling then, i was simultaneously laughing and crying. i was laughing because i have been blessed to be given some foreknowledge on matters like this, and i knew it was coming. i cried because i couldn't imagine a more awful thing to have to do. and every other week for nearly two years, i threw up, and i taught. it never got any better, and it never got any easier. but at the same time, i have never stood on firmer spiritual ground, or had a stronger testimony than i did when i was teaching. and even stranger than that, i am actually a pretty good teacher. i don't know how, but my unsuspecting pupils seem to never be the wiser about my great and terrible fear.
eventually after a couple of years, i finally escaped this traumatic calling by leaving the ward. but it seems that one cannot run from destiny. last night my home teacher, who is also in the bishopric, came to home teach and extend a calling. i feared it, i dreaded it, and i was even too afraid to vocalize it, because i thought it would tempt the fates just a little too much. but it seems that was irrelevant, because, as it would happen, the calling i have been extended is gospel doctrine teacher. and ironically, i will be teaching the same set of scriptures i taught before, and once again, i am terrified and nautious.
so why would i accept such a calling? because i believe in inspiration, and i believe in service. i believe that this calling is as much about getting me on better spiritual footing as it is about any wisdom i might impart to others.
i don't really know how i am going to do it. it takes me an average of 15 hours to prepare a lesson, and i simply don't know how to do it any other way. it's my process. and lucky for me, my first lesson will be two days before my huge event in october. i continue to learn lessons about humility and submitting to the lord's will, and look forward to the day when i have that mastered. in the meantime, there will be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth.
what most people do not know about me is that i have an extreme fear of public speaking. stick me at a party with hostessing duties, and i am fine. but give me a pulpit with all eyes in the room directed at me, and it is an entirely other story. i cannot understae this particular fear. it creates a physical reaction in me that usually manifests itself in a vomitous fashion. fortunately, that stage hits before the actual 'performance' so as of yet, no one else has been victimized by my phobia. it doesn't matter if it is a talk in sacrament meeting, or simply directing the senior management to the next meeting room, it simply makes me ill.
four years ago, almost exactly, i was asked to serve in my ward as the gospel doctrine teacher. for the benefit of my non-lds readership, gospel doctrine is a scripture study class in which each year is a different book; old testament, new testament, book of mormon, and doctrine and covenants. at the time, old testament was being covered.
when i accepted the calling then, i was simultaneously laughing and crying. i was laughing because i have been blessed to be given some foreknowledge on matters like this, and i knew it was coming. i cried because i couldn't imagine a more awful thing to have to do. and every other week for nearly two years, i threw up, and i taught. it never got any better, and it never got any easier. but at the same time, i have never stood on firmer spiritual ground, or had a stronger testimony than i did when i was teaching. and even stranger than that, i am actually a pretty good teacher. i don't know how, but my unsuspecting pupils seem to never be the wiser about my great and terrible fear.
eventually after a couple of years, i finally escaped this traumatic calling by leaving the ward. but it seems that one cannot run from destiny. last night my home teacher, who is also in the bishopric, came to home teach and extend a calling. i feared it, i dreaded it, and i was even too afraid to vocalize it, because i thought it would tempt the fates just a little too much. but it seems that was irrelevant, because, as it would happen, the calling i have been extended is gospel doctrine teacher. and ironically, i will be teaching the same set of scriptures i taught before, and once again, i am terrified and nautious.
so why would i accept such a calling? because i believe in inspiration, and i believe in service. i believe that this calling is as much about getting me on better spiritual footing as it is about any wisdom i might impart to others.
i don't really know how i am going to do it. it takes me an average of 15 hours to prepare a lesson, and i simply don't know how to do it any other way. it's my process. and lucky for me, my first lesson will be two days before my huge event in october. i continue to learn lessons about humility and submitting to the lord's will, and look forward to the day when i have that mastered. in the meantime, there will be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
sast presents: ashburn hearts five guys, i heart aaron sorkin, and london. it's official
if i'm not mistaken, today is national lack of focus day. and in honor of the holiday, short attention span theater brings you the following:
they just put in a new five guys in ashburn. it seemed like a perfectly delectable dinner choice on my way home last night, but apparently that was true for every resident in ashburn as well. it took me 15 minutes in line and another 10 to get my burger, and there was no dilly dallying to be found. ashburn hearts five guys.
i admit it. i am still mourning the loss of the west wing. but with sorkin's return, last night's premier episode of studio 60 has temporarily eased my grief. i'm sure there will be mixed reviews of the much hyped new series, but as for me, thank heavens intelligent tv is back. that's not to say that i require intelligence in my tv programming--i do love reality tv after all--but it is noticed and appreciated. in addition, despite my affinity for a few of the cast members (bradley whitford, steven weber, and timothy busfield), i was skeptical of how the ensemble would work. and i don't know how it did, but it did. this show has managed to do what many attempt and most fail at--hooking me in episode 1.
it's official. i will be spending thanksgiving in london. today i used lara's birthday gift to purchase a couple of old friends--the rick steves and lonely planet guides to london. oh how i have missed you.
they just put in a new five guys in ashburn. it seemed like a perfectly delectable dinner choice on my way home last night, but apparently that was true for every resident in ashburn as well. it took me 15 minutes in line and another 10 to get my burger, and there was no dilly dallying to be found. ashburn hearts five guys.
i admit it. i am still mourning the loss of the west wing. but with sorkin's return, last night's premier episode of studio 60 has temporarily eased my grief. i'm sure there will be mixed reviews of the much hyped new series, but as for me, thank heavens intelligent tv is back. that's not to say that i require intelligence in my tv programming--i do love reality tv after all--but it is noticed and appreciated. in addition, despite my affinity for a few of the cast members (bradley whitford, steven weber, and timothy busfield), i was skeptical of how the ensemble would work. and i don't know how it did, but it did. this show has managed to do what many attempt and most fail at--hooking me in episode 1.
it's official. i will be spending thanksgiving in london. today i used lara's birthday gift to purchase a couple of old friends--the rick steves and lonely planet guides to london. oh how i have missed you.
Monday, September 18, 2006
the annual cruise
i wish my annual cruise was a bit more exciting, however, every year, my company puts on a dinner cruise which benefits the darrell green youth life foundation. although i guess men dressed up like female pigs is exciting in it's own way.
if you have been wondering what exactly has me so busy these days, this would be one of many answers.
though the event took place a couple of weeks ago, i just got photos from corporate communications and you can find all of them here.
if you have been wondering what exactly has me so busy these days, this would be one of many answers.
though the event took place a couple of weeks ago, i just got photos from corporate communications and you can find all of them here.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
in need of geeks
i just learned that blogger is going to be discontinuing web hosting, which means i will lose the ability to customize my own templates or to provide the playlists you all enjoy so much;). i know there a few computer peeps out there who read the blog..and i am only 1/4 geek. i need user friendly server space that i can easily ftp to. i don't mind paying a reasonable price, i am more concerned about ease of use.
any suggestions?
any suggestions?
i'm in love
i'm in love with my new macbook (although still working through a couple of glitches--love takes work afterall)i'm in love with the dooney & bourke bag i bought to carry my new macbook
i'm in love with the wireless mighty mouse i got to do micey things with my new macbook
i'm in love with pilates
i'm in love with migraine medicine that works
i'm in love with planning trips to london for thanksgiving
and allow me to be a girl for a minute. i'm in love with david boreanaz (i have completed the entire buffy series and have moved on to angel, and hot damn!)
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
i thought today was thursday
and i was freaking out, unsure of how i could accomplish everything i need to accomplish this week. when my co-worker informed me that it was wednesday i actually yelled 'yay!' and i meant it. and that scares me a little bit. i can't remember ever being excited that i was one day further away from a weekend than i thought i was before.
i think the whole work-life balance thing is seriously out of whack here.
i think the whole work-life balance thing is seriously out of whack here.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
a sad day for blogging
i know that i have not been very good about blogging lately, but until the end of october, i'm afraid that my life has been and will be consumed by (as in fire licking at my feet)work, so it is with hesitation that i even blog today, given the nature of the news.
i learned this morning that a dear friend suffered one of the greatest tragedies i can conceive of. rather than tell you myself, i will use the words of she and her husband, as told through an email sent to family and friends.
it is not my intention to dismiss or minimize their privacy in any way, but instead, meant to honor their courage and their faith. i can't say that were i in a similar position i would have the grace or the understanding that so clearly resounds, despite their grief. it is a testament to me that peace can come to us even in our darkest hours.
Dear Friends and Family,
We are choosing to do this through email not because we do not want to talk with each one of you, but because right now we need our space and time to grieve.
Last night 10 September 2006 we birthed Joseph Seth, but he was stillborn. He was the most beautiful little baby boy, but his time on earth was not meant to be. It was determined that he had probably been gone for about two or three days before he was delivered. Mostly likely the cause was a chromosomal problem that was not detected before hand. We were told by our mid-wife and the doctors that there was nothing we could have done to prevent this from happening.
We want to express to all of you that the Lord in his tender mercies has granted both of us great peace during this difficult time. It is a sad event, but the Lord's love has buoyed us up and is carrying us through this storm. He blessed Jae with an easy and quick labor and delivery. Our wonderful mid-wife has been another great source of comfort, strength, and peace whom we feel the Lord lead us to along this journey of the past 9 months.
We will bury Joseph's body most likely on Saturday in a small grave-side service.
We know many of you will want to express your condolences and we welcome calls, emails, and the such, but ask that you wait a few days to allow us some time alone and to complete the arrangements needed for the funeral and time for Jae to heal physically.
We express our love and gratitude to each one of you and hope all is well for you.
i learned this morning that a dear friend suffered one of the greatest tragedies i can conceive of. rather than tell you myself, i will use the words of she and her husband, as told through an email sent to family and friends.
it is not my intention to dismiss or minimize their privacy in any way, but instead, meant to honor their courage and their faith. i can't say that were i in a similar position i would have the grace or the understanding that so clearly resounds, despite their grief. it is a testament to me that peace can come to us even in our darkest hours.
Dear Friends and Family,
We are choosing to do this through email not because we do not want to talk with each one of you, but because right now we need our space and time to grieve.
Last night 10 September 2006 we birthed Joseph Seth, but he was stillborn. He was the most beautiful little baby boy, but his time on earth was not meant to be. It was determined that he had probably been gone for about two or three days before he was delivered. Mostly likely the cause was a chromosomal problem that was not detected before hand. We were told by our mid-wife and the doctors that there was nothing we could have done to prevent this from happening.
We want to express to all of you that the Lord in his tender mercies has granted both of us great peace during this difficult time. It is a sad event, but the Lord's love has buoyed us up and is carrying us through this storm. He blessed Jae with an easy and quick labor and delivery. Our wonderful mid-wife has been another great source of comfort, strength, and peace whom we feel the Lord lead us to along this journey of the past 9 months.
We will bury Joseph's body most likely on Saturday in a small grave-side service.
We know many of you will want to express your condolences and we welcome calls, emails, and the such, but ask that you wait a few days to allow us some time alone and to complete the arrangements needed for the funeral and time for Jae to heal physically.
We express our love and gratitude to each one of you and hope all is well for you.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
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