Back again

I don't really know if anyone is checking this blog anymore, but if you are...

I have just downloaded a whole bunch of pictures from my work trip to Lisbon. My camera doesn't seem to work well for night pictures, but takes some pretty good day ones.

Hopefully, I will soon upload my pictures from Paris, Utah, Boston, and Yosemite. I have been pretty busy hopping the globe lately. It is a huge blessing, but then again so is sleeping in your own bed again at the end of it all. It is also great to catch up with my friends after being away for so long. I know we are all increasingly more and more busy, but I treasure my time with you all, and miss you when I am away.

Until my next post, take care. (I think I may have another blog-project for everybody again soon, so keep tuned).

-Jeff

p.s. I apologize in advance for any typographical, spelling, and punctuation errors. I am typing quickly, and in the case of the captions, I can't figure out how to correct them once they have been published.

View from the Insyght dinner down to the port. Notice the Golden Gate style suspension bridge in the background. For many reasons, Lisbon reminded me a lot of California, which I was not expecting. The colors, the ocean, the people, the warm weather, the general overall relaxed feeling of the culture. I was very surprised by Lisbon, and will look forward to going back in the future.

Neighborhood festival decorations. I forget the reason for the celebration, though. I know World Cup was about to take place, but I don't think this was the reason for the decorations, although the Portuguese were very proud of their team.

Another view to the port

View from a neighborhood down to the port

Dinner in progress. Up on the stage are two classical guitar players. They were later joined by a traditional Portuguese Fado singer.

Early pictures of the setup for our off-site dinner at the Xebregas Palacio. This room was originally an open-air training area for show horses. The roof, as you can see, is transparent, and makes for a cool sunset dinner. In the upper right-hand corner is an open window; this was the attic room where the Insyght team could eat and watch the dinner from above.

View of the round-about, Marques do Pombal

Views from my hotel room. I believe the park below is Parc Eduardo (the 10th or 13th, or some number). The large roundabout that you may see in one of the pictures is a prominant Lisbon landmark honoring the Marques de Pombal. Pombal was famous for being the architect of the city following the devastating earthquakes and fires experienced by Lisbon in the late 18th century.

One of Lisbon's many famous feniculars (sp?). The city is built on many steep hills, and these cable-car-esque vehicles help the locals get around.

Small square in Lisbon at 2:00am

Le Meridien Park Atlantic, Lisbon. Some of our attendees stayed here. Most stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, but for some reason I didn't get a picture of that hotel.

Cookie Fun

Adrian's Pimp-kin

Harley! I would have tried to take this dog home with me, except it had a shock collar on.

Pictures

Hey everybody. Ok, so I didn't post forever, but hopefully I have made up for it with the twenty or so pictures I posted from the wedding. I also included one or two from New Year's weekend, and one that shows the view from my house. I have two disclaimers however. (1) My computer stinks, and when it crashed last, I had to restore it. when I did, I went to reinstall my Photoshop and realized that I couldn't find the access code, so....none of these pitures have been edited for aesthetic purposes. They are raw, unflitered, and uncropped. (2) I was not able to control the order of when and where they posted, so they are kind of out of order. I am sure I could have figured it out, but I was really just over it.

Please note these are being published under the annoying and overbearing pressure of Ashley Holmes, who wouldn't stop freaking out about them. Seriously, I got like 7 calls and e-mails a day about it. I hope she is happy, and maybe now she will stop harassing me. Just playing with you.

Enjoy these pictures for now. I have more random pictures of the Klintworth house, which we stayed at over New Year's weekend, and I will publish those a little later.

For now, CONGRATULATIONS SCOTT AND KELLIE!!! We love you and are so happy for you. Please return soon.

-Hamilton Out!- (no joke, I heard Bob Costas actually say "Costas Out!" the other night when he signed off from Torino. I almost choked on my Nilla wafer, I was laughing so hard)

View from my house. I am not lying.

Happy New Years

Don't ask me, I don't think I ever knew what was going on with this

Wedding fun! Honestly though, I have no idea who that girl on the right is.

Chad and Christina. Yay!

Friends, together again, really close together.

Blurry image of us practicing walking down the aisle. Too bad Dave was filling in for two people, leaving us without a guitar player, but I don't think it mattered so much because the preacher wasn't there and the wedding ended up happening in the Santa Rosa room inside. But you know what they say, crazy rehearsal, fun rehearsal dinner. Well I don't know if they say that, but it happened anyways.

Another view from the Lodge at Rancho Mirage

While we waited to take the official photographs we took our own

Rehearsal Dinner random shot

Seriously the pool guy offered Matt Larssen Sunscreen like four times.

The original group (ing of chairs that would have been the wedding location)

Rehearsal Dinner random shot

If you look closely you can see a valley full of really old people

Happy lovebirds strolling along the bluffs overlooking the dramatic valley...and a pink girl

Another shot of the beautiful couple

Beautiful clouds, but so dramatic that they forced the wedding indoors

Jessica and Jeff at the Van Atta Wedding

Matt Larssen | Matt Isbell

Congratulations Scott and Kellie

It has begun...

"Who is John Galt"

Weekly Assignment #2

Ok you guys, this one is really easy, or really difficult, depending on how you choose to view it. I would actually like for you to post your response whenever you have finished.

Using only 6 words, describe everything you know about the person in closest physical proximity to you at this moment.

Weekly Assignment #1

I have decided to start a weekly assignment section of my blog. This is one of those things that you can do or not do, I don't really care too much, but they will all be fun, creative, and I hope informative.

First Assignment:

Looking through slews of catering menus today made me realize that there are quite a few cooking terms that I do not know. Because of my line of work, as well as the sumptuous Tuesday Night Dinner Club, this is unacceptable. Sooo for the first assignment, please define the following terms:

celeriac
mache
salsify
compote
emulsion
rusks
rillettes
pernod cream
confit
frisee
ragout
coulis
bresse
mousseline
rapini
rabe (e.g. broccoli rabe)
amarone (sauce)
tian (e.g. vegetable tian)
savarin

Enjoy your assignments. I look forward to your responses!

"Without property, as things are, a man has no freedom, and no security for the necessities of a tolerable life; without power, he has no opportunity for initiative. If men are to have free play for their creative impulses, they must be liberated from sordid cares by a certain measure of security, and they must have a sufficient share of power to be able to exercise initiative as regards the course and conditions of their lives."

This treatise really made me think; a good exercise every now and then. You should however find something completely inane and useless to read after this, you know, for balance.

Bertrand Russell - 1917

Food-ism

We are indeed much more than we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than we are.

-Adelle Davis-