Todd's Microscope

Early birthday present! Todd examines all kinds of things under the new microscope that Oma and Opa bought him.

Ikea Instructions

These instructions for assembling a bed crack me up. The crossed-out "what not to do" pictures are especially funny. Such sad, confused faces on the characters!

Washer Knob

Trailer park living at its finest! Our washer knob broke off during a previous move, and rather than spend $20 +  shipping for a replacement part, my dad improvised a fix with a screw-- works like a charm!

Sunbathing Turtles

Red-eared sliders enjoy some sun in the fountain at a downtown SB shopping center.

Serta Sheep

Cute plush version of the Serta sheep on a mattress at Macy's. The salespeople were wondering what on earth we were doing, propping him up for a photo shoot!

No (Shark) Fishing

In this list of species not allowed to be fished for on the pier at Goleta Beach, note what's listed in the middle. Great White Shark!? Really? Since when is that a problem!? Also, note the wacky grammar -- "no take or possession"??

Happy Hour at Pastavino

One of the best happy hours in town: 1/2 off appetizers, $2.50 beers, 2-for-1 well drinks, $5 pizzas... yeah, you can eat and drink well here from 4-7pm! ;-)

Allan gets Lei'd

... at work, no less! ;-) The customer support group hosted an employee appreciation lunch in Allan's building. Free food and decorative leis for him!

Tea and Lemonade

Just like Starbucks-- but much cheaper! Passion Fruit tea, some honey to sweeten it, and lemonade. Add some ice and I've got the exact same drink as what Starbucks sells for $4+

Flowers at the bar

Flower peddler came around OTT on Saturday night, trying to sell bouquets. I felt bad for him, being turned away so late at night. So I bought myself one, as did someone else... felt better that he didn't walk out of there empty-handed!

Seed Packets

Picked up during Citrix's Earth Day celebration. Got all kinds of delicious veggies and herbs. Now-- to find a good spot to plant and harvest them!

Mini Cauliflower

Went exploring at the Lazy Acres Market on the Mesa for the first time... and amidst marveling at the exorbitant prices, we came across an adorable sight: miniature cauliflower heads!

Fancy Bill Box

When we got our bill at Alcazar Tapas Bar, this was the fancy little box it came in. Pretty nifty, isn't it?

Stevie Award

We got this in 2009 for our GoToAssist Express product. I found it near a co-worker's desk. That odd-modern-looking trophy is heavier than it looks!

Spaceship in the Office

A cool UFO adorns the cubicle of my co-worker Matt. Gives it a bit of a sci-fi-esque feel. Especially when my other co-worker, Amir, uses spaceship klaxons as his phone's ringtone. Beam me up!

Goleta Beach Pier

View of the UCSB campus amidst the blue skies and sunny ocean, from the pier at Goleta Beach, which is now a 20-minute walk from our home.

Forehead Age

Found some of Todd's old stickers while cleaning up. Couldn't resist branding Allan's forehead with a number showcasing his current age. Note the air of resignation in his closed eyes ;-)

Abstract Ceiling Art

View from Allan's cube. These weird cloudy shapes actually came in handy in catching some drywall that fell out of the ceiling one day, keeping most of it from getting all over a co-worker's cube! Yikes. Occupational hazard, anyone?

Dessert Tart

Delicious blackberry puff pastry dessert at Pastavino, which has some really awesome happy hour deals. Good prices AND good food! And of course, good desserts!

Mini Computer Lab

Co-workers set up a whole bunch of computers on one of the vacant desks. There are more that aren't pictured, too! How many can you count?

Blocked Mailbox

A practical joker makes an elaborate construction out of straws, paper plates and coffee creamer packets to block the work mailbox of a co-worker. Way too much time on their hands, methinks!

Digital washer selections

Close-up of the front panel of the washer that came with our house. Too many choices = too complicated! And electronic = more expensive/harder to fix if it goes wrong. So I'm selling the W/D pair, and sticking to my manual dials, thank you! :-P

Marmite

One of those love-it-or-hate-it things? Been a few years since I've tasted this, so I've forgotten which camp I fall into. That's also how long that thing sat in the recesses of our pantry before moving, so I don't think I'll try it again ;-)

Short Shower Stall

Allan's head pokes out above the stall door completely as he showers. And he's not even standing up straight! Further proof of his tall-freakishness :-P

Beachside Drinks

Walked from our new home to Goleta Beach tonight (a 20 minute walk), and enjoyed dinner and drinks at the Beachside Cafe. Here is my "Day At The Beach" next to my freshly-emptied Macadamia Colada. Not very strong, but yummy!

Boxes to unpack

This is what I've got ahead of me for the next day or two. And that's just the living room and kitchen-- there's more of the same in each individual room, including the bathrooms!

Good Bye Willow Springs

One final parting view of our apartment (the upstairs one)-- now empty and clean. We enjoyed living here, and will miss the staff, the neighborhood, and the parties! :-)

Almost Empty Apartment

Moving day! Almost all the furniture and boxes have been carted out by the movers by the time this picture was taken. Apartment suddenly looks so spacious again!

Canadian Paper

Came across this June 30, 2007 copy of the National Post while cleaning out my closet tonight. We picked up this newspaper from our visit to Vancouver. I've kept it as a memento ever since. But now it's time to part ways :-)

Laminate Flooring-- partly done

Allan and my dad got some good flooring progress in-- this was how it looked this morning. By this evening, almost the entire living and dining rooms floors were covered.

Carpet Gone

Carpet has been removed from the entire house. New carpet in place in the bedrooms. Here's a view of the living room and dining room, with a stack of laminate flooring, ready for use the next day!