Ooops

I missed a few days. It's only February. Work got the best of me. Bugger.

Too Complicated

On Saturday, Dave's golf course is having a tournament. The catch is that the two-member teams were drawn tonight and then auctioned off. If the team members themselves did not win their auction, they could pay the winners 50% of what the auction proceeds were for their team. The proceeds raised in the auction are then allotted to the 'owners' of the winning teams. This is all way, WAY too complicated for me. Dave's team sold for $700, which the guy is writing up on the board in this shot - I'm hoping he comes home with thousands on the weekend...but I've probably just jinxed him.

Reconnected

Apparently it is too much to ask to hook a Canadian XM radio up to a US subscription. Dave was very distressed when they cut him off and we ended up having to order a new radio to get reconnected. Dave's a happy camper now that he has good music for his long drives around the 22-square mile country.

What Every Living Room Needs

Beggars!

Pouter

It's gotten very 'airy fairy' at Dave's office - much more so than the days when I used to work there! Recently each member of senior management was required to undergo some sort of 'behavioral assessment', conducted by a third party. Dave got his 'report' today and parts of it were highly entertaining. Some of the more comedic insights were:

~ His tendency to prefer to work alone and to deal with activities which limit his contact with people may contribute to his appearance of being non-aggressive. Yet when the need for confrontation arises, David may take up the challenge. This may surprise those who have not previously seen that aspect of his behavior.

~ He may also tend to sulk, becoming sullen and aloof, if he is not getting his share of the limelight

~ One of the ways he could 'increase his effectiveness' was listed as 'avoiding rigidity in his thinking and being "dead right"'

Aftermath

Some turkey drippings accidentally hit the top of the dishwasher last night (i.e. the part where the controls are). Roxy ever so helpfully alerted us to the situation by immediately launching a full scale tongue attack on the dishwasher with her tongue. However, the damage was clearly already done - the dishwasher was running at the time but all the lights started blinking. Once the cycle completed, it would no longer turn on. Poor Dave was so disheartened...there were so many dirty dishes left, including this stove full of pots and pans. It would be days, if not weeks, before we could get someone to come look at it.

Thankfully, a bit of a rest seemed to do it some good...it appeared to have fully recovered by this morning and most of those pots and pans are getting a bath as I type this. I am pretty sure this resurrection elicited more glee from Dave than any of his Christmas gifts!

deets: f/2.8, 1/60, 58mm, ISO1600

Happy Holidays from Bermuda

After we opened presents this morning, we took the dogs (and the champagne) to Elbow Beach. The weather has been pretty s#@tty lately but kindly gave us a much appreciated break for Christmas Day.

deets: f/4, 1/1250, 28mm, ISO100

Apparently You Are Actually Supposed To...

...stop at stop signs.

Deets: f/4, 1/80, 50mm, ISO200

Warm Croissant, Anyone?

My wonderful in-house pastry chef (aka Dave) whipped these up, based on a sketchy recipe I found online....lesson learned in this exercise: read a recipe the whole way through before starting, to ensure it makes freaking sense!

These turned out remarkably well in the end...although I'm not sure my ass thanks me!

Deets: f/1.6, 1/200, 50mm, ISO800

Disparity

It's Thursday. It's quarter end. I'm an accountant. My husband is an accountant. I spent 11+ hours at my desk today. My husband spent 1 hour at his. The rest of his time was spent (a) on the couch watching the British Open, b) playing a round of his own golf and (c) relaxing in the yard with a beer. What is wrong with this picture?!

Deets: f/2.5, 1/500, 50mm, ISO100

If You Don't Watch Where You're Going

...this could be you. At least he had the sense to stop after nine holes and come home this time....

Deets: f/1.4, 1/100, 50mm, ISO200

It's a Small World

...and even smaller if you live on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere. In what I find a weird situation, though I can't really explain why, Dave had a meeting at my office this afternoon...with my boss. Clearly, such an occasion calls for pink knee socks.

Deets: f/1.4, 1/160, 50mm, ISO800

Formal Wear

Beth, this one's for you.

Deets: f/2.8, 1/500, 42mm, ISO400

All Me Monsters

Dave and Lola watching US v. Ghana. Roxy watching Dave and Lola.

Deets: f/1.4, 1/160, 50mm, ISO200

Summertime in Bermuda

Although the term "Bermuda shorts" seems to be bandied about in connection with any knee length shorts, the true version of Bermuda shorts are actually a form of mens formal wear. Properly worn with knee high socks and a collared shirt, they can be made more formal with the addition of a tie and even more formal by throwing a blazer in the mix. A large proportion of men with white-collar jobs sport these shorts to the office regularly during the summer months, although with varying degrees of formality - ranging from a no socks, boat shoes and a golf shirt combo all the way up to blazer-level. It takes a while for a newcomer to the island to stop smirking at the sight of these outfits about town...but after a while, you hardly notice it.

Here's Dave's Friday-casual look (no tie). (Those wild & crazy British blokes are much more apt to sport pink than their North American contemporaries.)

(When you look at this shot, imagine a lot of accent-riddled moaning about having to take posing direction and the pain endured in holding a smile for such a long period!)

Deets: f/3.2, 1/100, 50mm, ISO200

Grillin'

The house chef, hard at work. (Lotsa noise in this one.)


Deets: f/3.5, 1/100, 27mm, ISO1600

Early Birthday Present

I get gadget lust, especially if the gadget is an "i"-something. However, I thought I had the lust beat this time. In 2003, I bought a first generation iPod....I still have it but it looks like a Commodore 64 now. I also have an iPod Shuffle, an iPod Video and an iPhone. I'm bowing my head in embarrassment. The Video was justified by passing the first generation on to my husband, the Shuffle was justified because the Video is too big for the gym and the phone was justified, well, because it was a phone. I thought this over-consumption had taught me a lesson - never buy the first generation of any of Mr. Jobs' inventions because a few months later, a slicker, more powerful version will appear on store shelves.

So, when the iPad became available here in April, I was convinced I didn't need one. I wanted the souped-up iPad, with multi-tasking, app folders, a camera and memory slots...surely it would be just around the corner after the launch of the 4G phone. It wouldn't be more than a year. I could wait.

But then two months later I found myself stopping the ffwd function during PVR commercial skip so I could watch the iPad ads. It seems as though this subliminally encouraged Dave to buy me one, but "only the 16G, WiFi version, so we can justify a better one when the next generation hits shelves." Brilliant work, Mr. Jobs and Apple marketing team.

Deets: f/3.5, 1/320, 70mm, ISO800

Ferry Point Park

Deets: f/4.5, 1/3200, 70mm, ISO400

How has he survived this long?!

I took a photo of this small shrine today, as it is the eve of our 5th wedding anniversary. Most days I can't believe the poor guy puts up with me...but I sure feel lucky and glad that he does. Love you, Super Dave!

Deets: f/1.4, 1/200, ISO800