Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Alaska Pics

here's some pics from our alaska trip: glaciers, wildlife, city of anchorage, city of talkeetna, dog sledding, etc.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Alaska, Day 1

Hello all!

Since many of you don’t read our blog, or my personal blogs on myspace, I thought I’d send everyone an update of our present whereabouts in Alaska….

We’re in love with this place.

Although P and I did not “plan” ahead of things to do (which really isn’t our style anyways), we came up here on a last minute desire (Thank you again, Thomas. We absolutely LOVE and miss you) and decided to just wing the trip in all.

But seriously, we LOVE this place. And I know my exposure so far is JUST the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended, hahah).

It’s everything we imagined it to be and more.

We arrived to Anchorage late Thursday night and drove our rental to this ‘lil Bed and Breakfast only 10 mins from Ted Stevens International Airport. We crashed and woke up this morning to this HUGE homemade breakfast and then hopped into our rental en route to our fist Alaskan adventure, Portage Glacier.

The drive was scenic and downright breathtaking. Surrounded by the Chugach Mountains, we drove along the Turnagain Arm and stopped along the way to view Dall sheep trekking in the rocky mountain side. I had brief “moments” where I SERIOUSLY felt as if I were in a clip from the hit T.V series, “Planet Earth”!

For REALS.

It was CRAZY.

After about an hour or so (like 50 miles), we finally reached the small town of Alyeska. It’s sleepy ski village with lots of cute and friendly dogs and their nice owners.

While here, we stopped at a candle factory/mini bookstore/coffee clutch, bought a few souvenirs, and headed to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. At this place, P FINALLY got to see his beloved “Musk Ox” and some reindeer, and I got close to a brown bear cub (Behind a wire fence of course).

It was pretty neat.

Lastly, we reached Portage Glacier after another 15 minute drive and got lost in the scene.

It was OBSCENE. SO AMAZING.

I cried because of the beauty.

The backdrop was so white that it was blinding. It almost reminded us of the snowy/icy backdrop from “Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back”. As we stood there, motionless, we could imagine these huge robots emerge like in the movie…..unreal!

We loved it. Spent a while browsing, snapped insane pics, ate some reindeer sausage, and headed back to Anchorage for a brief nap.

Tonight, it’s all about the Alaskan king crab, baby….

We have reservations for a spot downtown that was recommended by our neighbors/homies back in Portland, Trevor and Megan. The place is called The Glacier Brewhouse and we’re told that the beer is off the rocker and brewed to perfection….my mouth is salivating.

Tomorrow, we head north towards Fairbanks to Trevor’s hometown, Talkeetna, to meet his family, go dog sledding, and maybe pick up some fresh wild salmon which we will transport back to Portland. (Thanks Trevor for the hook-up!! We’ll take pics of the fam and send our love). We really appreciate the tips!

I’ll do my best to keep everyone updated.

If not, it’s cool….we’ll send everyone some pics soon!

Lots of love,

Paul and Mel

P.S. - Forgot to mention that while driving back to our place, we discovered this older couple walking their dog AND their pet reindeer (named Star).

P.S.S. - We decided that we are never leaving.

Just kidding. Or not.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Alaska & Nike 5k

2 real quick things:

1) Mel and I are going to Alaska tomorrow night for a few days. Yeah, just like that. We're headed to Anchorage. We're going to eat Alaskan king crab legs in Alaska. We're going to drink Alaskan Amber. We're gonna ride on a dog sled and pet Alaskan husky and Malmute puppies. We're going to see moose and caribou and wolves and bears. We're going to eat Alaskan salmon and halibut. We're going to see glaciers. And the aurora borealis. should be a blast. come look for us in Anchorage if we don't return once going 'into the wild..."

2) i signed up for the Nike 5k for kids. sat, june 7th...i've got a couple friends running it with me. 3.1 miles...

be good.

pauly.

Friday, March 21, 2008

update

Waiting at the mexican joint to pick up some tostadas for dinner. Ran 2 miles today. Prior, I was only able to run 1.5. When I started, about a month ago, I could only do 3 laps, or .75 of a mile. Feeling good...its my stress reliever. Last yr it was biking, but now I value my time on the bus and train, as that is where I bang out much of my school reading...

School is tough. Lots of reading case studies and discussing complicated business strategies and possible ramifications.

Obama was in portland today. Tickets sold out quickly. Mel tried to get them. I hope he wins.

Lots of chai tea lately. And more and more vegetarian meals. Clear mind and body. Helps me focus. Acupuncture again tomorrow.

Alaska trip soon. Can't wait. Mels mom visiting for a week in 1.5 wks.

Stay well.

pauly

Monday, March 03, 2008

Acupuncture 2

I have sensitive skin...

acupuncture

Mel and I went to our first acupuncture treatment on Saturday. The
acupuncturist is our neighbor- http://drcatherinegurski.com/ I think is
her site... Check these pics!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Winter Favorites by Melenie

Yep. Rainy season is in FULL EFFECT. It's driving me nutso...stir crazy...Bleh. However, I have come to fully accept the very fact that I live in the Pacific Northwest and it rains here. Alot. Period. Especially in the winter. With that said, although I get nutty from the drub, I do know that this rain is responsible for creating the ginormous trees and ferns I've come to love since I relocated. And I love the green come spring!

So I've compiled a list of favorite things that I turn to when I feel drab from the long rainy season here in Portland. (For those of you that live here or in neighboring Seattle, you can relate so enjoy). For those of you that live afar, send me sun if you have it.

1. I love wine.

I joined a wine club over the summer (Maresh Red Barn). This wine ROCKS. Really. It does. I love the fact that this dude who works there always wears the same blue overalls (his name is Sam) and he remembers my name. Plus their vieww of the Dundee hills is SICK. (Think Sonoma/Napa County meets a wave of green and a few alpacas). Love this place.

Also love the Portland winery Hip Chicks Do Wine. (Google their website). Their located 15 mins from my house and they have yummy wines. The winery is also solely run and operated by two VERY COOL women that are driven and super smart. They inspire me. If you go late in the day, the nice lady working the retail store/tasting room will give you a short tour of the processing room. Very cool. Something very chill to do in the rain. And the wine is considerably less expensive than those in the Willamette Valley. (their harvests come from there though) :)

Finally, the BEST wine for the price that I've indulged in recently is Charles Shaw's (formally known as "2 buck chuck" for you west coasters) Nouveau Valdiguie. The bottle is a mere $2.99 and tastes so close to a Beaujolais from the rack of a pricier wine specialty store. It's yummy. I like it. A case only costs $35 bucks. When I first moved here from philly I went Charles Shaw crazy...It was February and my first "Rainy season"...

One of my resolutions was to indulge in good wines in 2008. Cheers to that! Holler.

2. Title Wave Bookstore rocks my world.

If you live in Portland you know about this place. If not, then you must discover. I go here atleast once a week. (Sorry Powells, I love you too...BUT...) This bookstore is owned by the Multnomah County Library and holds books that are overstocked or outdated from each branch (which are quite a few). I swear my book collection has TRIPLED in the past year due to this place. All books are priced at like $1 to $3 from ANY realm and they have magazines for 25-50 cents. I just bought seven praxis/math guides, two zines, a political journal, and book for 8 beans. They often have sales where they offer you a bin to fill with as much stuff as you can for 10 bucks.

Go there.

3. Ristretto Coffee Shop makes an OBSCENE latte.

Seriously. It's my new favorite latte spot. I have a list of fav latte joints. But since my move to the Concordia 'hood, it's been a while since I've been to a few of them. Costello's Travel cafe rocks. Tiny's Rocks. Gold Rush rocks. and Stumptown will always have my heart. (Although it competes with Aj Java and Portland Roasting Co.)

4. Dragonfly Chai is BLAZING.

Buy a bottle for 5 bucks. Cop a box of soy milk, measure half/half, warm it up over the stove, mix in the mug. Indulge. I have one every night after dinner...it's from a local company here in Ports. If you want a bottle, holler. If I love you I'll send one. :) They have many flavors. (Black Tea, Roobis Red, and Green). The Roobis is my fav.

5. Stews and Soups are a big part of my winter life.

(ok. it's been a minute since i've blogged. So forgive the length.)

I LOVE cooking. Really. I do. And in the winter time I love making my homemade Juk and wonton soups (yes, from scratch my friends). We often go out for udon/ramen or pho, but it's fun to make it at home too. P and I have also broken out our Fondue kit that we got as a wedding gift and never used. I must say that this thing ROCKS. We recently made a "hot pot" and did it up sukiyaki style at home. It was life altering. We also used it during NYE for cheese and chocolate...yums. **Note: everything in moderation people!

6. Buy the pork carnitas from Trader Joe's. Like now.

So yummy. Rip the pack open, dump it in a cast iron pot, add a cup of beer (light or dark), a can of corn, and your favorite salsa. (I typically chop up LOADS of garlic and onion too). Let it simmer. Add cilantro. Enjoy. When I'm too lazy to cook an entire meal this pack saves me. I never added tequila to it, but I bet it would be a nice substitute for beer...

7. Rogue Beers RULE against most others.

www.rogue.com Visit this site. The Chocolate Stout is by far my favorite.
ok...enough for now. I'll add more later.

Nonetheless...Happy New Year everyone. Sorry I haven't called. Been busy hibernating.
Cheers.


Currently reading : The United States of Wal-Mart
By John DickerRelease date: By 16 June, 2005

Saturday, December 22, 2007

toyota yaris


this is the car we bought today, same color, toyota yaris.

buying a car

cant decide, new car or used car?

new cars i'm looking at are the floor level toyota yaris, maybe the kia (only because of the 6-10 year warranty), maybe honda fit, but its out of my budget. i dont want to finance.

OR...used toyota or honda accords...

looking to drop around 10k....

what to do, what to do... the new car will put me at 12-13k though....

Saturday, December 08, 2007

December

It's been awhile since my last post. Things are going really well, though pretty stressful learning to adapt with a couple of hours of reading a day for school. My first two classes are over this weekend and two new ones start this week: finance and managerial assessment.

had a little Babson holiday party last night and I have my work one tonight, which should be a blast. things are going great, i'm juggling some potential very large sales right now, should find out some news by end of year about them...

i think we're gonna buy a car this month, as we need to get out and explore more on the weekends, if we can get away from schoolwork. melenie's taken over cooking on the weeknights. i miss it. she does a great job, however, as she's an awesome cook also.

facebook.com is my new favorite web hang out. im probably mad late on joining that party, but i dig it, nonetheless. def. way better than myspace.

happy hanukah and merry xmas.

p

Sunday, November 04, 2007

bday wknd

Thank you for the birthday wishes.


Family visit was a blast. had some great times, some great food, some great laughs. i got a Nintendo Wii, a dope digital voice recorder, a bbq kit, cast iron pans, home depot gift card and a homemade apple pie. couldnt ask for more...dinner at Carlyle was fantastic, breakfast at Columbia Gorge Hotel even better and lots of wine and brandy tasting. oh, and honeycrisp apple eating, the best apples in the universe.


busiest week for me in ages...school and work proved to be super stressful this week with team conference calls lasting 2 hours each night and a long in person one on friday night....


Babson issued a press release about our class this week...


pumpkin carving video w/ me, erica and melenie:



Friday, October 19, 2007

School/DC/30

Life has been hectic, really hectic lately. First off, I've started school and went through 5 days in a row of 8am-8pm class from thurs-mon. Then, the next morning I woke up at 4am to fly to DC. Worked at a conference until this morning and now I'm waiting in DC to fly home. Cool thing is though, I fly through philly and have a 3 hr layover there, so my mom and sis are gonna pick me up to chill for a lil bit and maybe grab a cheesesteak. Waiting at the airport now blogging (writing this) on my cellphone and doing some observations for class. I'm REALLY excited about school, the kickoff was very inspiring. My class is about 45 very bright mid-30s to 40 guys from Intel, Microsoft, Nike, GE, Apple and more...mel is quitting her job next week, my parents and Er come out to visit next week and I turn 30. Getting old stinks. Pauly.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

breast cancer walk

My cousin Abby’s team for the fight against breast cancer and the huge walk this wknd in Philly raised over $60,000!!!!

 

That’s amazing and I am very, very proud of her.  Abby, my mom, Aunt Lo, and many more are walking like 50+ miles this wknd for the cause.  Congrats on a great job, ladies and have an awesome weekend.

 

Paul

Saturday, September 08, 2007

update?

sorry for not writing for such awhile...

been fixing up the condo a bit, learning how toggle bolts, how to put up mirrored closet doors, etc. bbq to meet all the neighbors last night was fresh...made 2 racks of ribs and some sum thum. oh, and we made sangria too...delicious.... so erica and rich came to visit...then a few weeks later, kellie and jesse came to visit...we went wine tasting and to the coast both times....def. our favorite things to do here...winter's hill is our current favorite winery.... we're off to america's dopest sake producer next time - Sake One.

studying accounting today. very fun.

we now have a new pet, a beta fish. its name is bater.

i got a promotion at work. yay!

ive been on cholesterol meds for awhile now and riding my bike all summer but my lipids are worse? nay!

i like these comedians, they're flipping hilarious. flippin! (like flight of the conchords...)

john heffron
http://www.comedycentral.com/comedians/browse/h/john_heffron.jhtml

demetri martin
http://www.comedycentral.com/comedians/browse/m/demetri_martin.jhtml

we have 2 other visitors coming this month...nicacelly, an ill clothing designer who se know from stink and mecca and my girl marisa tener...and also tim sword, from Food Export, USA, who we went to India with in December....

Sunday, August 05, 2007

rich and erica visit

new spot is coming together very nicely. mel turned 29 on aug 1. rich and erica came to visit this wknd. wine tasing, chess on the coast, seafood eating, bar hopping, here's the Rogue brewery, best beer in the world:


Thursday, July 19, 2007

school/condo

i've been accepted to 2 schools thus far for grad school and am waiting to hear back from 1 more. i'm torn between a very prestigious, top 25 school (according to business week) And #1 entrepreneur school worldwide according to newsweek... but MAD expensive... $50K for the 2 yr program... so torn between that school and a good local school thats very reasonable on the pocket...about 1/2 the cost of the prestigious one...i figure if i make $10k more per year with the prestigious degree, even if it's 5, well then i make that back in 2.5-5 years...so i'm gonna attend the prestigious school if student loans will assist enough....i've already got the burden of rent going up by $350 a month because it's not rent anymore...now it's mortgage + HOA dues...

new interpol album is boring. sales are great right now. new condo has the coolest neighbors...10 units and all the owners are cool peeps that are our age.

its been absolutely gorgeous here with the most perfect temperature and weather. 75 and sunny today. can't beat it.

im off to do some super late night moving.

p!