The Phone Look-Down

It's been really hard to keep up with the blog and I think I have figured out why... FACEBOOK. It's so much easier to take one minute to upload a photo and a tagline than it is to sit at the computer and think of something more to say. From what I can tell, people are on facebook allll daaay looong. At work I'll walk into the breakroom and 6 people are sitting in front of a television show, looking down at their phones, not talking or acknowledging anyone around them. I walk outside to eat my lunch and there are 13 tables, each with one person at them, all of them looking at their phone. People stream out of the fitness center next door and they all leave while looking down at their phones, most of them with earbuds stuck in the sides of their heads. And don't even get me started on drivers looking down at their phones. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE HUMAN RACE???!!!! I don't like it. Not one bit.

This wasn't the direction I was planning on taking this post. It just evolved with each key stroke, and in direct correlation with an escalated heart rate. I had only planned on posting some halloween pictures, which I'll get to later. Anyway, technology is awesome but so is human interaction. I am guilty of the phone look-down too, but I want that to be something different about me and something non-existent in my life. . . And this post just keeps evolving. I think I'm gearing up to make set myself a lifelong goal at this very moment in time. . . definitely not what I was planning on while blogging. But it is also 4am and I can't sleep so it seems like the perfect time to make some big decisions. After reading a book on habits I have discovered that habits don't go away, they can only change. So here I am deciding to make a change. The goal I set will have to be small enough to be attainable, yet large enough to make a difference.

From here on out:  I will not walk while looking at my phone.

Seems simple enough, right? But I seriously think it would be difficult for anyone else from my generation or younger to make the change. I know it will take a conscious effort on my part. Are you up for the challenge? Let me know how you do and I'll give a personal update the next time I blog.

Now here are the promised Halloween pics. We hardly ever dress up for Halloween so it was a lot of fun. Jake was a "dressed up cowboy" with leather chaps and all! He found an enormous denim cowboy hat at a thrift shop that he just couldn't resist. He always likes to point out a Canadian Tuxedo when he sees one. What, you've never heard of a Canadian Tuxedo before? It's when a man wears blue jeans with a blue denim shirt. LOL that's pretty rude, right? But I think my Canadian friends would still find it amusing and very funny. And no-- that is not Jake's real hair. I've had a hard enough time accepting the beard that there is no way I would put up with a mullet. I dressed up as "the bride" with blood splatters and all! Or you can just call me kiddo. I was ready to make a fake sword out of tin foil but Jake convinced me to go all the way with the outfit. We were able to find an authentic katana on craigslist for less than the price of a plastic prop. I painted my asics yellow and globbed some fake blood on my face. It's all in the details! If people were born with mottos I think mine would be:

no regrets 
it's all in the details
have dessert first 
communicate
live and let live

 

Lil updates

Last weekend we went to the Phoenix State Fair and had a good time. The demolition derby met our high expectations. We even saw a car flip onto its hood. The driver was safe and wanted to keep competing but his fuel tank had been compromised. Then we wandered into the ZZ Top concert.... not too impressive. But I have to hand it to those guys for being together for 40 years and still making an effort to put on a show. This week we'll be headed to the state fair again to see Snoop Lion. Haha, the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg. It's pretty awesome that the fair sells tickets for the good seats and allows general admission for the nose bleed sections. I'm not "gangsta" but that old dogg has some pretty good riffs. I'm looking forward to it.

Speaking of riffs, Jake has been writing quite a bit of music. He went out of town to work construction for 3 weeks. Three weeks is a long time (for a wife without her beau and for a musician without an instrument.) A few months ago we found some treasures at our local Goodwill-- a 1926 Gibson banjo, and two old ukuleles. Since then, Jake has been writing music that fits more with the sound of those instruments than his usual guitar or double bass. He is creating a different sound and it has been fun to witness the process. I can't wait for him to record some albums. He and his drummer have booked their first show in the Phoenix metro area and I have been bragging about it to everyone I know. I'm so proud of my music man.

What else? What else? Oh ya, so SOMEHOW a lot of people from my past have ended up in Arizona. I guess it's a big city so I shouldn't be surprised, but at the same time I wonder what brought people here in the first place? The weather during the winter is great but the rest of the year is blazing hot and there is no water for hundreds of miles. Aaaaannnnddddd, I'm not talking it up much but deep down I'm kind of falling in love with the desert. Anyway, I've been able to reconnect with a lot of old friends and it has been great. I have some people in my life that I refer to as "forever friends." They are those people you might not see more than twice in a decade, but it's like putting on a favorite pair of comfy tennis shoes when you get to spend time with them again. Lately I've been so thankful for the life I have. My family is the best. My friends are super cool. Work is like free education. I'm healthy. Our home is happy. There's not much more I need.

Winter is here!

The high was only 87 today. BRRRR! Ha ha. Actually the weather was awesome today, and the rest of the week we're in the 90's. Not too shabby. The summer here is so ridiculous but the rest of the year is amazing. During the summer we just eat a lot of popsicles and everything that needs to get cooked is taken care of outdoors. We never turn on the oven during the summer because it heats up the house too much. Plus, it feels like an oven outside! Our toaster oven has a permanent place on our back porch. Sometimes you can find our bread maker out there too. A crock pot. A skillet. Sun tea. Yogurt congealing. You name it-- if it's hot, it's outside. Does that make Jake and I super awesome or super ghetto?? Please cast your vote below. Now if you vote wrong, well, yous guys and us guys... we're most likely not very close friends.

On a side note, I wanted to share a picture of this watermelon I cut into today because it was so incredibly beautiful. Mother Nature uses unique designs all around us, and often the insides of fruits and vegetables show interesting shapes and colors... But I had never seen such a fascinating pattern inside of a watermelon before so I had to document it. Ta-dah!

13 September 2013 (Friday)

....or Friday the 13th.

It's a superstition that I've never thought much about. Around 7pm today I realized it was a 'Friday the 13th' and I felt no different about the day than I had at 7am. Lately I've been doing quick research (thanks again and always wikipedia) on the small things that I find myself wondering about. I do this mostly because I want to feel like I'm getting smarter, even though it's a very cheap way of doing it. It's just that ever since I've been out of school, I feel like my learning has slowed down and I'm not okay with that. So ya, today I researched something I presumed would be nothing but trivial to my existence and sorry to disappoint, but that's how I still feel about the 13th falling on a Friday.

The short version:

In numerology 12 is considered the number of divine organizational completeness. DIVINE ORGANIZATIONAL COMPLETENESS. Together those three words cover so much ground. The number twelve is also commonly found in historical events and pretty much runs our lives in the form of a wristwatch. In contrast, thirteen is irregular and is therefore considered an unlucky number in some cultures. The most interesting illustration I found was in a superstition regarding the last supper-- saying that having 13 people seated at a table results in the death of one of the diners. Yuck. That is creepy and unlucky.

The Canterbury Tales popularized the idea of Fridays as being an unlucky day of the week. Wikipedia also mentioned that some professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to start a journey or begin a new project. Sounds about right to me. But really, the superstition was exploited in the 20th century by two separate novels. The first self titled book, Friday the 13th by Thomas W. Lawson, and later Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.

Have I ever been affected by this day? No. Did this research change my mind? No. But I'm glad I looked it up.

Just 6 little, but big years.

Jake and I just celebrated our six year anniversary! Some days that six years feels more like forever, but mostly it feels like not enough, like time is moving really fast. Hopefully we make it to our sixty year anniversary, I just hope it doesn't show up tomorrow. There is still so much that we want to do! Jake has been a very good husband to me. I think about what my life might have been like if I had married anyone else. BORING!

*This year our anniversary was celebrated all week long. We went out to dinner and tried a new place because that's what we like to do and because there will always be a new place to try! Da Vang on 19th Avenue in Phoenix has very authentic Vietnamese Pho. Pho sure! For those of you who are not familiar with pho, it is a rice stick noodle soup with beef, vegetables, and an extremely flavorful broth. You can usually order an oversized bowl for $5.
*We enjoyed watching the new Superman movie: Man Of Steel at the dollar theater. It wasn't as cheesy as we had imagined it would be, so it gets one big thumb up. I snuck in some Sriracha Popcorn that turned out to be delicious! My friend Carolyn gave me the idea-- melt butter and mix in some sriracha  then pour over popcorn and voila! YUM. I don't know if I'll ever eat popcorn another way.
*We also saw an amazing performance by Vintage Trouble at The Crescent Ballroom. After seeing them perform on CONAN, we bought tickets (three months before they were scheduled to play in Phoenix.) The venue was small but it was packed to capacity. We were right up at the edge of the stage, giving the singer and guitar player high-fives. There was so much energy at this show, and the crowd was great. Most of the people there were older than Jake and me by about twenty years. Vintage Trouble just did a tour and gained more of a following by opening for The Who. These guys are awesome and it makes me so happy to see musicians getting some well deserved recognition after years of sweating it out for pennies. All four of these guys are so talented.
*This week we have enjoyed a dip in the pool almost every night because, well, Phoenix is an oven. Don't get me wrong, we like living in Arizona more than we thought we would and I definitely prefer a dry heat over a 100% humidity heat. However, I do miss the thunder storms in South Carolina. This "monsoon season" in Phoenix doesn't come close to the White-Out-Rainstorms of the Southeast. But Jake and I like being from the west. I guess it's just who we have always been.
*We've also been indulging ourselves with really good food at home. The Whole Foods that I work(ed) at in Scottsdale has recently closed. Actually, they are just moving locations and I will be working at the new store in downtown Phoenix. When a store closes, it is easier to sell everything than it is to move everything. On the last day we were open, Jake and I filled a basket with some amazing food. After the marked down prices and my employee discount, we were paying about 10% of the original price. We bought a whole Thanksgiving Day meal for under a dollar. Our final ticket was $594.00 but we paid $66.00. So yes, we have been enjoying smoked herring and panna cotta all week long.
*And tonight we are going to Stand Up Scottsdale, a small comedy club here that we enjoy every time we go. On Tuesday nights it is open mic for the locals and sometimes the talent can be really funny. Other times we just enjoy the crummy bar food and the good company. We have made some great friends here in Phoenix.

Jake, you're my hot stuff. My Jakey Baby. My boo. I love you. Here's to another great year! Happy Anniversary Lovey Bear.

Quinoa Kale Slaw

Remember that awesome salad I raved about back in.... oh February? Well I'm just now adding the recipe, per my mothers request. Go get 'em Brandy!

1 1/2 c quinoa
2 1/4 c chicken stock
2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed & seeded, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed & seeded, finely diced
1 large garlic clove
1/2 c chopped red onion
1/2 c chopped parsley
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tabasco or hot sauce
1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped
2 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

Bring quinoa, stock and 1 tsp salt to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa grains sprout (about 20 minutes.) Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and olive oil and toss to coat. Cool slightly. Add remaining ingredients, except for the kale, and toss to combine. Stir in the kale. Top with pumpkin seeds and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes for great cold leftovers, as well.

Recipe from Dr. Josh Axe (www.draxe.com) 

Jake and I made a big batch of this and took it camping. It stayed good in our cooler for 3 days. I'm in love with this recipe. It's going to be a staple meal in the Boucher household.

Internet Scams... Do they really think we are that dumb?

I received a bogus message on facebook which I coped and pasted below. I usually ignore these types of things because they are a dime a dozen and a waste of my time. I guess I was feeling reather cheeky that day because I actually replied. I typed out an impulsive email and got a response rather quickly. I'm guessing english is not this persons first language (the facebook address suggests Uruguay). Their response makes me wonder about other what other possible mischief this person is involved with. Anyway, this is definitely no the best con story I've ever heard, but it entertained me for about 5 minutes of my life. Do I sound bitter? I'm not. This scam is just so outdated!
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orjiugo02@adinet.com.uy

Dear Shumway I am personal attorney to (late) Mr.E. Shumway, who lived and worked here for more than twenty years as a major contractor and businessman.before his death he and his wife and only daughter were involved in an automobile accident , he had an investment deposit totalling more than ELEVEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS (US $11.5million ) with the major bank here and now they have asked me to provide a next of kin . So difficult to send an email to ( FACEBOOK.COM) Please create a new email WWW.YAHOO.COM WWW.HOTMAIL.COM WWW.GMAIL.COM ) address ,Please reply to my private email address: orjiugo6040@hotmail.com Orji Ugo

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Dear Orji Ugo
You are an idiot for sending messages to people over facebook that say "you have 3 relatives overseas that you never knew about who all died in a car accident, as the next of kin, come collect their 1,500,000 USD." You are a bad person who is trying to con people. Beware of karma, my friend. One day you too will be conned and you might not like it so much.
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You have insulted me just now without knowing the truth and whom I am and it is a pity that someone like you can not reason with his brain rather decide to listen to hear say and news that have nothing to do with me or with this claim.  Even though scam exist or even though you have received several times of proposal does it mean that it is related to me and how sure are you that it is me or have anything to do with this claim and can't you understand that this days allot do happen where people take advantage of such opportuntiy and business in the internet to partake in it or even went as far as claiming that they know anything about the claim while they are not even the right person. I know myself but it is unfortunate that you went this low.

Orji.

My 27th birthday.... four years later.

Jake is the best husband in the world. He planned an amazing birthday trip and we had a blast. We packed up and headed to Zion's National Park for three days and two nights. We camped under the stars, hiked up and up and up red rocks by holding onto chains, climbed under a waterfall, s'mored our buns off by the fire, soaked our toes in a crisp river, and awed at the most incredible views. I love Zions Park and I love my man. It was a good birthday. And then I came home to find a big gift waiting.... a VitaMix!!!! This dude knows my heart. I've been drinking green stuff every day and lovin' it! As my friend Paul Keep would say, "It was a good day."       

Austrian CSers

Recently we had some couchsurfers from Austria. They were here for a wedding-- like 90% of people who couchsurf in Phoenix. Nobody just comes to "see the sights." But we had some fun times with them. The outdoor petroglyph museum we were headed to had closed an hour earlier than we expected because it submitted to Summer hours as of THAT DAY! So we convinced them to trespass. Jake was mad that I took incriminating photos, but I thought it was super funny. 

Sebastian & Veronika were also excited to visit a Barnes & Noble. I like going to book stores but the old B&N wasn't the same kind of adventure for me and Jake as it was for the Austrians, so we found other ways to entertain ourselves. Jake doesn't just take the escalator... he flies down the escalator! The Austrians probably don't even need an escalator to fly because they drink so much espresso. Seriously, like three or four times a day. Maybe that's why they are so thin. Oh, and maybe because they eat way healthier than most Americans.

One night they cooked us schnitzel and made cucumber salad. It was awesome. Veronika's english isn't as perfected as Sebastian's but we had no trouble understanding them. She is incredibly kind, she writes and draws and was ecstatic to see a humming bird. Sebastian is one of those creative film maker types who has an educated opinion about everything. It was pretty fun having these guys here for a week. We told them we had been thinking about taking a Europe trip and they started looking up flights for us. So nice... Maybe we'll see them again sometime in the future, and on the other side of the Atlantic.

Hiking in AZ

Today Jake and I put on our hiking shoes and headed to the Lost Dog Wash Trail. It was a little cloudy when we pulled into the parking lot but we thought it would be nice to hike without the overbearing heat of the Phoenix sun. Ya-- it was 84 degrees yesterday. Summer is coming fast.

We stopped under the trail head awning to take a quick look at the map. All of a sudden we heard a strange rumble. It got louder and louder really fast. In about 60 seconds the noise went from a strange rumble to a terrifying roar. I thought a jet engine might have been falling from the sky. We quickly realized it was rain... no... hail. Enormous pieces of hail started falling and our eyes grew huge. It was so awesome. And I use the word awesome as an expression of awe. After the awe wore off, I started laughing really hard. We picked the absolute worst day to take a hike. Luckily we were under an awning. If we had started our hike 5 minutes earlier we would have been pelted to death with nothing but the arm of a Saguaro to shelter us.

We waited ten minutes and the hail turned into a slight drizzle. We contemplated continuing our hike but Jake pointed out that we were hiking a Wash. Since Arizona is famous for flash floods we decided against it, but it seemed like a pretty cool trail so we'll be back to test it out another day. Maybe next time we'll bring a picnic and some raincoats.

Scottsdale

It's such a joke. I'm glad people enjoy being there. I do not.

Today I saw three fashionistas walking down the main drag dressed like they just stepped out of a 1980's strip joint. They were all staring at their iPhones.

It's easy to be a millionaire in Scottsdale and I'll tell you why: Because all the hardcore millionaires are in California. If you can't swim with the big fish, get yourself a little slice of heaven (more like hell with how hot it is down here) in Scottsdale.

Lots of vanity license plates.

And where I work at Whole Foods in North Scottsdale.... there is a man named Thomas who shops there EVERY day. He spends anywhere from $300-500, or roughly $2,500 a week. He is a personal chef. For only TWO PEOPLE!!!! He used to be Shaq's personal chef. Like Shaquille O'Neal. This man, Thomas, is given a very flexible allowance by a wealthy Scottsdale couple, to cook for them every day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every night consists of a 7 course meal. Plus he gets paid a crazy amount of money to do the grocery shopping and the cooking. CRAZY!!!!! That my friends-- is Scottsdale. I don't even spend $2,500 for my food, rent, gas, entertainment, etc in a months time. Who are these people?

I'll post something worthwhile tomorrow.

Bureaucracy

I've been thinking about this word/idea for a couple of days.

Webster's Definition:

1   a : a body of nonelective government officials

b : an administrative policy-making group

2

: government characterized by specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, and a hierarchy of authority

3

: a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation

Many times when a bureaucracy exists it is in a situation or place where there are technically no written rules, yet somehow there are people who feel entitled to appoint themselves as the rule enforcers. Whether or not they are give the authority, if the lowly stander-bys act as compliant cattle, then why shouldn't these bureaucrats-to-be have the opportunity to throw their hat in the ring for more power? What really gets me is this-- if there is ever an instance in which one of the bureaucrats breaks one of their own imaginary rules, it can not be held over them with much significance because:

a) they made the rules
b) they enforce the rules
c) the rules don't technically exist

I feel very Fight Club all of a sudden. I don't even know what point I'm trying to make. This has just been on my mind and I think when it really comes down to it, money always wins. A presidential election is an obvious example but let me suggest a small, insignificant example that I see every day working in a grocery store. First, let me make myself clear. I am in no way unhappy with my job or do I wish to complain about any of it. I am just observing what is around me.

A grocery bagger makes a terrific suggestion that would benefit the entire store. It could even make less work for a lot of people, save time and money and resources. They tell their idea to a cashier. The cashier brings it up to the Supervisor. The supervisor brings it to the Manager. The manager sends an email to headquarters.

Anywhere along this line of communication the person in the higher position can kill the idea. You might say that the person listening could make an educated decision and then use their authority to decide whether or not this idea is worth passing along. Well what's the difference between a bagger's job and a manager's job? Two fundamental things: Responsibility and Pay. Let me ask an easy question. Why in the world would anybody want to take on more responsibility (stress & fatigue)? You can pretend to be the better guy and say "I enjoy a sense of accomplishment or making a positive difference or the desire to learn new skills." But really there is one true answer to this question.... Money. And the person who makes more money, makes the final call. The person who makes more money is not always a smarter person. They are not always a nicer person. Like the rest of mankind, they are not always right in every decision they make. BUT they have more money, so we let them win. When it comes down to it, the person with less money can not make the bagger's idea happen without the "okay" from the people who have more money.

I am rambling. Let me apologize in advance. If I'm forcing myself to blog at least once a week then you will probably get a lot of rambling. You can take it or leave it. My feelings won't be hurt unless you leave a mean comment ;)

On a totally unrelated subject, I'll add a picture of the dinner I made because I was so proud of it. AND when I check out other people's blogs I like seeing pictures so here you go. Quinoa Kale Salad. It was super easy and totally yum.

Back in the blog world for a while.

Okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay okay!

I really do wish that I had something new and exciting to post every day but, once again, I have let life get in the way of documenting-- which I believe can be just as important as life itself. Some of my biggest "wow" moments have come after reading some of my own journal entries from years ago. We can learn a lot about ourselves, from ourselves, if we give ourselves the time. You follow me? Meditation = Good. I feel like I am in a very important time in my life where I am figuring out exactly who Cody Marielena Shumway (Boucher) is. Can I end a sentence with is? Probably not. Maybe that's something I'll work on this year.

Anyway, here I am making a goal for myself to start blogging at least once a week. I made the same goal back in 2010??? and it worked so I know I can make the magic happen in 2013. We are only 6 weeks into the New Year which is when most people quit their new year's resolutions, so I figure it's probably a great time for me to make and start some of my own. So for all of you three people who read my blog, put on your seat belts! I'm back in the game-- maybe with less pictures this time around, but definitely with a promise to put a little more thought and feeling behind each post.

Cody