Another day in paradise, NOT! I wish I was in snowy Boulder.

I’ve become so freakishly horrible at updating my blog that I’ve even considered abandoning it. Facebook is my new blog and frequent short updates make it easy to keep friends and family in the know. That being said, here’s the latest installment on what we’ve been up to.

• Late-August – Settled into the new house in Boulder, Colorado (aka UTOPIA). We simply love it there! Had a fabulous trip filled with exercise, fresh air, fishing, elk spotting, biking, hiking, cooking , national park visiting, and pretty much everything else we like to do. Shane’s dad came out for a week and he and Shane fished every day. I took a day off work and finally learned to fly fish. Good times! I celebrated my 29 for the 7th time birthday with our good friends in Boulder and an exquisite dinner by Chef Shane.
• September – I think this was the last month of summer in LFT. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the pool and now it’s too chilly out. The beginning of the month was spent finishing up a huge work project. Thank God that’s over.
• October – I can’t believe Halloween is almost here! Where does the time go? Spent a week at the beginning of the month in DC for Biscuits and work. We always enjoy the time we get to spend at shows with our favorite band and friends and I always love going home to DC – the one place I’ve lived the longest. Being an Army brat, I didn’t have a chance to really settle down. DC is the closest thing I have to home.
  

Until the next time I remember to update this thing … peace, love and Biscuits!

Norway Tops List for Quality of Life

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Norway tops the annual U.N. list for quality of life and my mother proudly reported to me today that Norway is the best country to live in. Read more.

We Made It!

Twenty hours straight through from Lafayette, Louisiana to Boulder, Colorado. It was a long drive, in fact, it was a very long drive, but well worth the effort and exhaustion! Along the way we saw some very beautiful parts of the country (New Mexico and Colorado) and some not so beautiful parts of the country (10 hours through Texas -- surprising that it wasn't more picturesque). Pictures of our cross country drive to follow.

We planned to stop for an overnight in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but got so excited to reach Boulder that we pushed through to Colorado and arrived at our new home Friday evening. This gave us all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday to get settled into the new home. Things are coming along nicely and Shane is getting pretty sick of Target, Home Depot, and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Love it here! The weather is perfect and regardless of how busy we are, each day we make sure to take a walk or ride our bikes. We never want to leave.

Homeowners Again: Boulder Colorado!

There are many wonderful benefits to being a teleworker. Perhaps one of the best that I've discovered is the ability to do my job from anywhere. Well, not anywhere, I once tried to participate in a meeting while Shane was driving the car. My laptop was hooked up to my BlackBerry (used as a modem) and I was on my cell phone -- it didn't work. We had to pull over for 2 hours so I could finish my meeting. So working from the car isn't an option, but working from our new home in Boulder, Colorado sure is!

We are now the proud owners of a home in Boulder. Get the full tour in this video.

This Is How I Dance People

This video was taken by an unknown Biscuit kid at Camp Bisco 8 at Indian Lookout Country Club in New York State and posted to YouTube. It was another fabulous Camp Bisco! Very muddy and wet but a great time nonetheless. Read the reviews:

• JamBase Review
• The Disco Biscuits Turn 8 Into A Legendary Great

Virginia Telework Day Monday, August 3

On June 10, Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine issued an Executive Order to "green" Virginia – calling for reductions in energy consumption and efficiency in state government operations as well as a statewide Telework Day to save the energy of commuting.

Why? Telework is a win-win-win opportunity for organizations, employees, and the environment.

Learn more about Virginia's Telework Day:

• Telework Day Information
• Commuting Costs Calculator (registration required)
• Telework Savings Calculator (registration required)

US Airways, The Unfriendly Skies

It's been a little over a year since I've flown between the US and Europe. I wish I could have waited longer (for several reasons) but Friday, July 26, I found myself sitting on a new US Airways route between Philly, PA, and Oslo, Norway. Here’s the story – I tried to keep it short.

Once upon a time one of America’s largest airlines decides to explore the other side of the pond. Big mistake! This airline was lost, had no clue, and exhausted its weary passengers.

Now as I said, it’s been awhile since I’ve hoped the pond and I usually fly a European carrier. Still, I found some of the “offerings,” or rather lack thereof, particularly disturbing. I know I’m spoiled, but Shane and I found this flight to be so bad that I just HAD to write about it. Here are our ratings.

Seating – Cramped US standard seating, not the slightly larger seats for most European segments. (Also no personal TV screen, no leg rest, no room period.) (2 out of 5)

Food – Pasta or chicken? At least it was dinner. The only thing I had to eat all day was McDonald’s on the way out of LFT and I didn’t finish that. Breakfast was smashed Danish and I gave it to Shane. (1 out of 5)

Beverages – $7 for any alcoholic beverage!!! This is the first time I’ve seen a charge for alcohol on any flight to Europe. $7 for Bud Light??? Come on! Those are stadium prices but at least there you can buy a hot dog with your beer. We had wine and a Bloody Mary for $32.

Entertainment – Might as well have been on-existent. From Shane’s window seat he couldn’t see the screen. I could only hear sound in my left ear and they wanted $5 for the headset (remember, this is an international flight) and they showed only 1 movie on a 7:15 min. flight.

Communications – 99.9% English. The pilot or co-pilot spoke Norwegian at the beginning of the flight but then not again. Yes, I know, most everyone in Norway speaks English but when was the last time you took an international flight and the crew spoke only one language? The crew felt some kind of need to keep passengers in the dark about our arrival time but constantly reminded us to fasten our seatbelts, remain seated, and other various “helpful” tips in the middle of the night when we were supposed to be allowed to sleep.

Service – Efficient – I mean who can’t hand out danishes quickly – but no service between dinner and breakfast. All other pond-hopping flights I’ve been on included water and OJ service at least twice during the flight.

Schedule – DELAYED take off in Philly by one hour and fifteen min. Our arrival time was never announced during the flight and without the helpful screen showing your progress we had no clue if we had 30 min. left in the flight or 2 hours. As I drafted this “review” on the plane I realized we would not be landing on time.

Bailout – Why did we (the USA) bail out this airline? So they can add new routes and provide sub-par accommodations?

Price – For all of this we paid $2,461.60 round trip for each person! That’s right kids, we paid almost $5,000 for the worst flight of our lives. US Airways no longer offers bereavement fares so we were stuck paying top dollar for the most horrible flight possible. I will never fly a US carrier to Europe again.

Travel Pictures

Just a few select photos that represent our recent travels to Colorado and the east coast.

A hike overlooking Boulder, Colorado.

At Red Rocks in Colorado for the historic Dicso Biscuits performance.



Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.



At Starscape near Baltimore, MD.


Dancing queen.

Travel Warriors

We vacationed in Colorado in late May/early June with the purpose of exploring Colorado (and seeing a couple of Disco Biscuits shows of course). While we had previously discussed a home purchase there, our life in Lafayette, LA, seemed to be keeping a hold on us and we were ready to give up the dream to move "out west."

It rained almost the entire week we were there but we still managed to take a couple of hikes and explore towns around Denver. Friends and our agent assured us that kind of weather is unusual. We put a lot faith in their words and were so taken with the lifestyle that Boulder offers that we put an offer on a property in Boulder that was accepted.

We're purchasing the property as a vacation home and go to settlement on July 15. Keep in mind we have a few updates planned prior to moving our stuff to Boulder but we're excited about the opportunity we see in this unit. We can't wait to start spending time at 4764 Franklin and for you to visit! I recently found a Web site that has great photos of the new property in Boulder AND a video tour of the house. Check it out!

Only in Louisiana

I was sitting peacefully at my desk on June 17 finishing up a few things and getting ready to call it a day when … I heard a HUGE crash outside my window and saw a big plume of smoke and debris fly toward our unit. I ran out to see what happened (because that was the smart thing to do, right?) and found a drunk man who stole a cab and crashed it into the building across the street. He was so inebriated that he kept falling down as he tried to run away. Several witnesses kept him in place until the apartment staff and the police arrived. Thankfully no one was hurt but the exterior of the building is in bad shape. Luckily that unit he hit is unoccupied at the time of the incident.

True story. Only in Louisiana!

Food I Miss When I'm Away From DC

Good thing I'm in DC this week and next so I can enjoy some of my favorite eats. Here are some of the places I'll be visiting. While many of these restaurants are chains, they do not have Lafayette, LA, locations and I miss their yumminess when I'm telecommuting from Timbuktu!

Super Pollo — Peruvian chicken and yucca
Panera — Fresh baked and soup
Chipotle — Tacos
Cosi — TBM (tomato, basil mozzarella on white)
Rio Grande Cafe — Queso and tortilla chips
Matsutake — Susi
1 Gen Thai Cuisine — It's all good!
Jaleo — Tapas and sangria
Indigo Landing — Beautiful waterfront dining. The weather is fabulous this time of you and you can't beat the view!

There are many more to add to the list but these come to mind quickly. It's nice to be back with friends enjoying "the old life."

Oh, those smart Norwegians

According to this New York Times article, thriving Norway provides an economic lesson.

It's a familiar story to me. Oil rich country demands revenue for the State, invests wisely on behalf of its citizens, huge federal government oversees citizen's lives, fabulous work and "welfare" benefits, great opportunities for outdoor activities and beautiful cultural centers. I've always been a proponent of Socialism. Maybe Shane and I should consider moving to Oslo rather than Boulder!

Sister-In-Law Awarded Mother of the Year!

Happy Mother's Day to Mary Pat Julias, Linda Julias, Amy Julias and Mona Wentworth. Mary Pat, you've got the rest of them beat with your knowledge of technology. You're a crafty one! Check out Mary Pat's award video.

Wear Your Sunscreen

It’s pool season in southern Louisiana and we plan to spend time relaxin' by the pool this weekend. Wish you were here!

Neil Young Rocked the Free World

Shane wanted to see this musical great rock Jazz Fest and I can tell you the show was one for the history books! The set list included Heart of Gold, Cinnamon Girl, Down by the River, Rockin’ in the Free World and many more greats. The encore was a Beatles cover, A Day in the Life, and Mr. Young literally beat the song (and his guitar) to death. During the encore all the string s came off his guitar and he kept playing! Here’s the video.

For great photos of the event and a review visit this blog.

It's festival season. Campers, remember to write!

I’ve been remiss at regularly posting so a lengthy update is in order. To prevent this from becoming a diary entry I’ll just stick to a few key highlights.

• The Julias parents came to Lafayette for a week and Shane enjoyed some time off and showing them around Cajun country. The highlight of this trip for the boys was a fishing expedition in the Gulf of Mexico where they caught red fish and something else I’m told is tasty. You can view pictures of the entire trip.


• The last weekend in April was the annual Festival International de Louisiane and Shane’s parents were very accommodating and joined us for our second-favorite music festival in Lafayette, our first favorite is the Zydeco music festival in the fall. (In case you’re wondering, Zydeco (French: "les haricots" or "le zaricot", English: "green beans") is a form of American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 20th century from forms of Louisiana Creole music. The rural black Creoles of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas still sing in Creole French.


• The first weekend in May was spent at Jazz Fest in New Orleans with our friends the Kirkman’s and some boy their daughter brought to visit from England. I still can’t figure out if his name is Steve or Ste. Must be an English thing that this American just doesn’t get. Anyhoo, the best part of Jazz Fest was Bon Jovi and Neil Young. As you can imagine, we slept through the late-nite shows.


• Sometime during the Julias parents visit I got really sick. So sick, we wondered it was swine flu. After a week of fever, chills, aches, pains, sore throat, stuffy nose and a headache, I took my little self to the dr. where he not only didn’t swab my throat (in all reality Shane thought I had strep) but offered me a cortisone shot to feel better immediately and tried to give me crappy antibiotics. I insisted on a z-pac. No worries though, I have my Mexican friend picking up all the antibiotics I could ever want so we have a store of them and don’t have to visit Louisiana doctors. The whole experience was a little disappointing since Lafayette is a regional medical center and somewhat known for the quality of their doctors. As I so often have to conclude, they just do it differently down here.


• The kitties are doing well but for some reason Apollo keeps trying hump Maia. He must have finally reached sexual maturity. It’s kind of sick to watch and I don’t know if I’m supposed to keep him off her or let him “play.” She doesn’t seem that bothered by it so for the most part I just try to pretend like I don’t see anything.


• Work is going well for both of us. I’ve been asked to take on a highly visible multi-year project (job security!) and Shane had two job offers this week. Our plans to move to Boulder could be changing so stay tuned for more updates.
  

I’ve gone on long enough. I’ll try to post more regularly. We seem to keep ourselves busy enough these days that I should have plenty of fodder for the blog.

Seven Weekends in Lafayette

I just finished a long run of seven weekends in Lafayette. This weekend the weather was fabulous and for once we made plans to get out and enjoy it. On Saturday we went to Eggstravaganza at the Acadiana Zoo with our friend Matt and his 3 year old son Ethan. Shane and I were surprised at how nice the zoo was and how active the animals were. I even had an opportunity to feed the lamas! A good time was had by all and we will definitely go back sometime.

On Sunday we had 6 guests over for dinner and Shane stayed up way past his 9 p.m. bedtime. I won at nickels (as always) and we dined on grilled chicken, grits, salad, and a very tasty marinated tri tip. Yummy! My friend Elizabeth's mom shared her grits recipe with me a couple of weeks ago and this was my second attempt. The first time they were not spicy enough, this time they were too spicy. Hopefully I'll get them right next time but for now I'm just happy to have a good southern grits recipe to bring north with me. Come see!

It’s springtime in the south and we’re enjoying it! Thursday I head back to VA for about 10 days. I suspect the weather will be much colder there.

Facebook users show two faces to the world

I like the way this author thinks! Don't be surprised if you see me disappear from your Facebook friends list ... I'm seriously thinking of creating two Facebook pages. One for my personal life, the other for my professional life.

Boulder Quick Facts

Boulder is nestled in the foothills, where the rolling plains meet the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Centrally located near Denver, Denver International Airport, Eldora Ski Resort and Rocky Mountain National Park. Downtown Denver is just 35 minutes away. A few hours from many of Colorado’s world-famous ski resorts, making Boulder the ideal Colorado destination.

Age Demographics:
18-24 years …………………………. 31 %
25-44 ………………………………… 36 %
45-64 ………………………………… 25 %
65+ …………………………………… 8 %
Median ………………………………. 29

Elevation & Size: 5,430 feet (Denver is 5,280 feet); City of Boulder is 27.8 square miles.

Population: 102,500 residents, including 25,000 students at the University of Colorado.

Weather: Four distinct seasons and over 300 sunny days a year.
Average temperature highs/lows:
Spring (March-May) …… 63/35˚ F Summer (June-August)…… 83/55˚ F Fall (Sept.-Oct.) …….…... 72/45˚ F Winter (Nov.-February)…… 45/23˚ F
Average 83.3 inches of snowfall a year.

Recreation: Rated the “#1 Sports Town in America” by Outside Magazine, Boulder offers countless year-round recreational activities. Take advantage of the 200 miles of public hiking and biking trails, approximately 43,000 acres of open space or the Boulder Creek Path, which runs through the middle of town.

Arts & Culture: More than 30 art galleries, 4 local museums, 32 movie & stage theaters and many festivals, including the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Colorado Music Festival and Chautauqua Summer Festival.

Dining: More than 400 restaurants featuring local, regional and international foods.

Accommodations: Approximately 2,000 guestrooms, ranging from full service city hotels to rustic cabins to historic Victorian suites. Whether you are staying at a cozy Bed & Breakfast or our largest conference hotel, mountain views and proximity to activities will ensure an unparalleled experience.

Sister Cities: Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Jalapa, Nicaragua; Lhasa, Tibet; Mante, Mexico; Yamagata, Japan

Founded: City of Boulder founded in 1859.

Why Jam Band Fans Are Better Than Indie Rock Fans

Reprinted from Idolator.com, by Christopher Weingarten (an Indie Rock Fan).

I was skimming through this year's Bonnaroo lineup as part of my usual round of cyber-stalking Neko Case, and I came upon an interesting discovery—this festival kicks ass! Although one of my friends described the layout as a desert of dust and piss, and the jam-centric lineup means stupid Phish is going to play for approximately 76 hours straight, I can pretty much get behind anything that brings together High On Fire and Janelle Monae (that isn't made by the Hood Internet). Something this good could never happen on indie rock's watch! Here are five reasons why the mud-caked hippies who will attend Bonnaroo are better than your sweater-clad ass!

1. Jam band fans don't care about pesky shit like aesthetics.Why does Bonnaroo get to have awesome, underrated thrash metal band Shadows Fall, but the Scion Rock Festival doesn't? Because indie rock kids only care about fringe genres when they are fashionable. Shadows Fall, being a real metal band, bring a lot of zitty teenagers and honest-to-god longhairs to their shows, so indie blogs and mags don't touch them. God forbid someone break up the steady stream of warmed-over stoner rock and black metal bands (only the ones Hydra Head endorses!) in your RSS, guys.

2. Jam band fans are loyal.A jam band fan would sooner eat his hacky sack than give up on a band he loves. Who do you think kept the Grateful Dead alive until "Touch Of Grey"? Or between then and Devendra-fueled revisionist hipster appreciation? Ben Harper and Galactic and Moe are all playing this year, and who knows if I've heard a single note of any of them in a decade. Ben Harper could have been cryogenically frozen next to Walt Disney for all I know. In indie rock circles, bands are played out once their blog cycle ends. How did the Rapture lose all its fans before they even put out a follow-up to Echoes? Why does it seem like an eon since I've heard someone in a sweater vest tell me they're "really feeling Dipset"? Who was in Goblin Cock again?

3. Jam band fans have better drugs.OK, drugs are silly if you're over, like, 19 years old. But I'm guessing the dude on psylocibin mushrooms who's talking to a giant purple hot dog in the sky is probably going to have a more fulfilling night that the coked-out sweatball at the Late Of The Pier show telling me he knows Steve Aoki. Plus, who are you gonna trust to find you good weed? An Octopus Project fan?

4. Jam band fans support music from other countries.I only hear indie-rockers tell me about African music if the hivemind is whispering that it's OK to like Konono No. 1 this week, or Etran Finatawa the next. Meanwhile, when I go to the free African music fest in Prospect Park every summer, it's overrun by hippies! They know the score. At this year's Bonnaroo: Toumani Diabate, Amadou & Mariam, Femi Kuti and the Positive Force, Vieux Farka Touré, and the unstoppable King Sunny Adé & the African Beats.

5. Jam band fans waste their days away following bands and doing drugs and making arepas on the engine blocks of old VW vans instead of writing snarky blog posts all day.Shit.

As Cuts Loom, Will Working From Home Lead to a Layoff?

This Washington Post article seems to indicate WFH puts employees at higher risk of layoff.

Summer Tour

We've started joking that if you want to know where we are, just take a look at the Disco Biscuits tour schedule. Okay, so their tour is a little more aggressive than our pocketbooks or our schedules allow, but we are planning to spend some time with them this summer. Here are our travel (and moving) plans.

The DISCO BISCUITS:
April 17 & 18: Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
April 20: 9:30 Club, Washington, DC

FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL, Lafayette, LA:
April 22-26: Lineup TBA
Note: Shane's parents will be visiting, yay!

JAZZ FEST, New Orleans , LA:
May 2: Bon Jovi
May 2 (late nite): Blue Nile, Orchard Lounge
May 3: Neil Young

The DISCO BISCUITS:
May 29: Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
May 30: Red Rocks Amphitheater, CO

MOVING TO BOULDER, COLORADO!!!! The rest is ...

Mardi Gras Lafayette Style

Beads, boudain, and booze, oh my! That was Mardi Gras "season" and Fat Tuesday in Lafayette. I couldn’t find a local to tell me why beads are thrown so I looked it up online.

The tradition of throws (the beads) dates back to the 1920s. Each parade is put on by a krewe, and according to Hardy (quoted in the article), the Rex krewe began thetradition of throws by tossing out inexpensive necklaces of glass beads. The beads were an instant hit and were soon adopted by all the parading krewes, of which there are about 60 (in New Orleans) today.

The glass beads of the early throws were imported from Czechoslovakia and Japan. Today the plastic throws are manufactured mostly in China.

And for those of you who want to know what boudain is, it’s a tasty “sausage” made of a pork rice dressing and stuffed into pork casings. It’s a traditional Cajun cuisine and quite tasty.

Depression sets in

I no longer know what (or where?) to call home. We’ve sold our house in VA and live in a corporate apartment in LFT. I can be happy anywhere, but I’m happier in some places than in others. Shane is miserable and our trip to Boulder gave us hope we could find a place to live where like-minded people congregate.

This time in our lives will be marked as a period of reflection; a time when we figure out what we want out of life. Depression sets in because I see how unhappy Shane is. It doesn’t help that I do not know when our next bisco gathering will be. It hard to admit because it sounds so crazy, but the people we’ve met at Biscuits shows make me feel loved and I'm happy to call some of them our family. On the same accord, just listening to tDB makes me feel happy! Call me a groupie, call me whatever you want, but I can tell you that when I'm listening to their music I feel contented and full of love.

Red Rocks or Bust!

Out West

Just returned from an invigorating trip to Colorado where Shane and I had a wonderful time with friends, family and of course our favorite band. Part of the reason for making the hasty trip was to give ourselves the opportunity to check out Boulder. We loved it! In fact, we fell in love and can’t wait to make our way back there. Stay tuned for more details.

Pictures Tell the Story

Outside the Tabernacle Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, about 12 hours after we planned to leave the venue.






I left the car keys inside the locked theater.

25 Random Things About Me

1. I met my husband when I was 17 and married him when I was 28.
2. I was named after a 1967 song by the Association that was later nominated for a Grammy for best contemporary group performance.
3. I have two “i”s in my name instead of a “y” at the end because my parents didn’t want any of the letters in my name to “go below the line,” hence, Windi Kristine Wentworth.
4. My favorite band is the Disco Biscuits (wait, that’s not random, EVERYONE knows that). Listening to their music makes me feel good about myself.
5. My favorite nut is the pistachio and my favorite color is still purple.
6. Between now and mid-March I’ll be in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Miami, all for pleasure.
7. I was an international competitive figure skater until I was 17. (No connection to meeting my husband.)
8. I speak two languages and want to learn Spanish.
9. I fit in well in the South because I drink Miller Lite (heavily).
10. My friend Kelly decorated our apartment and I love it!
11. I own a gun and don’t know how to use it.
12. I’ve lived in 3 countries, 7 states, and the District of Columbia. I’m an Army brat.
13. Shane and I are considering a move to Boulder, Colorado or Amsterdam.
14. My favorite Halloween costume is Pippi Longstocking. Particularly when Shane goes as The Pimp; Pippy and the Pimp. Pippi is very unconventional, assertive and extraordinarily strong, being able to lift her horse one-handed without difficulty.
15. I’ve lived in Alaska and been to Hawaii but never the Dakotas.
16. I have a backstage pass to Arlington National Cemetery because my dad is interred there.
17. I’ve been to the top of a at least 10 mountains on two continents.
18. I want to hike the Appalachian Trail one day. The whole thing!
19. I have a 9 degree curve in my spine. 10 degrees is considered scoliosis. I wake up in pain every day and am considering seeing a doctor for it.
20. I quit smoking a week ago using Chantix. The side effects may be worse than the addiction withdrawal.
21. I am an award-winning gardener in the state of Virginia.
22. A new car has been on the agenda for 5 years and it will probably be another 5 before I finally buy one.
23. My favorite movie is Gone with the Wind and my favorite book is A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
24. If I drink coffee I drink it at night after dinner with lots of caffeine and no milk or sugar.
25. I’ve received 10 of these things (on Facebook) and it’s my cousin’s posting that made me cave and finally write one of my own.

Kelly, This One's For You

My friend Kelly says she won't read my blog until I post a picture of her. Be careful what you wish for!

Global Warming?

I've been in VA this week for work and the weather has not been to my liking.

So Huge In Fact

The job in paradise that Australia is offering is so huge in fact that the Web site crashed from all the interested job applicants trying to visit!

Best Job in the World

Position: Island caretaker. Duties: Lazing around Australia's Great Barrier Reef for six months. Salary: 150,000 Australian dollars ($100,000).

Unemployed, take heart — the aforementioned job ad is for real. Billing it the "Best Job in the World," the tourism department in Australia's Queensland state on Tuesday said it was seeking one lucky person to spend half a year relaxing on Hamilton Island, part of the country's Whitsunday Islands, while promoting the island on a blog.

The move is part of a AU$1.7 million campaign to boost tourism in the state. In exchange for the plush salary, free accommodation in an oceanfront villa and airfare from the winner's home country, the "employee" will be required to stroll the island's white sand beaches, snorkel, maybe take a dip in the pool — and post photos and videos of his or her experiences on a weekly blog.

"It'll be huge," Tourism Whitsundays chief executive Peter O'Reilly said, adding he expected thousands will apply.

Applications are open until Feb. 22 and 11 finalists will be flown to Hamilton Island in May for the final selection process. The job begins on July 1.

———
On the Net:
Best Job in the World: http://www.islandreefjob.com/

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The Fastest Growing Sport in Norway

I'm half Norwegian and spent some time living in Oslo so I had a good laugh today when a VA-based friend sent me an email about the fastest growing sport in Norway. Watch the video of this new sport.

One more reason

I'm glad Obama is going to the White House and all, but it looks like inauguration day traffic in and around DC is going to be horrid. I'm glad I'll be nowhere near DC on Jan. 20!

Here's just a few quotes from local media and county notices.

"To prepare for this event, pretend a hurricane is coming during that weekend and expect large crowds, congestion, traffic and many delays. Getting around will be difficult at best so a common sense approach will be important. Be informed, make a plan, be prepared."

I survived Hurricanes Gustav and Hanna this year. They were nowhere near as problematic as the inauguration sounds.

"If you must drive, be sure to have a full tank of gas before you leave, or you may become stranded while waiting in traffic."

If the inauguration is anything like a hurricane the local gas stations will run out of gas before the inauguration even begins.

"A staggering number of traffic restrictions has been announced for the day Barack Obama takes the oath as president. The following provides road closures, vehicular restricted zones, public transportation and pedestrian routes:" Every bridge over every river into and out of the city as well as every major and minor roadway will be closed from 2 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sounds like a WFH (work from home) day to me!

Great News!

Crawfish Time is open for business! This extreemly popular restaurant is only open during crawfish season in Louisiana. Now let's go eat some mud bugs and suck them heads!
http://www.lacrawfishtime.com/index.html

Happy New Year!

Shane and I spent the week leading up to 1/1/2009 with the Disco Biscuits in New York City. Watch this video for a close look at how we love to spend our free time. Maybe you'll finally understand why we love this band so much.;-)