I need to memorize these phrases by the time I get to London in 2015, so I better get started now...
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Thanksgiving 2013
Well, the Petersons managed to survive their first road trip as a family of three, with minimal psychological or physical damage. We took a few days off to head to Arizona for Thanksgiving with my family, which was a lot of fun. Special thanks to my kind parents for hosting the three of us for the weekend.
El Senor was a trooper, and actually did alright considering he was strapped into this chair for eight hours. Bien hecho, amigo!
As you can imagine, El Senor was the star of the show, since much of the family had yet to meet him. Here he is being gazed upon in silent awe.
I asked one of my nephews to take a picture with some of the youngest members of the family. By the time I got my phone back, he had managed to take 17 pictures to help capture the moment. I call this collection: "Wait, get your finger off the lens. Don't shake the camera too much. Sam, get out of the shot. You know what, I think we got it. Just hand me back the phone." In short, a good time was had by all. Happy belated Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The Petersons Have Their Next Assignment!
As you can imagine, I've been thinking of all sorts of similar things to shout at Sarah all day. Hopefully, if she's lucky, I'll get tired of it within the next few days. But until then...
IT'S LONDON, BABY!
Monday, November 11, 2013
The Bid List is Upon Us!
I can't believe it, but it's actually time for Sarah and I to start bidding on our second assignment in the Foreign Service! We just got the list of available positions, so Sarah and I have been excitedly going over all the different places around the world that we may be moving to in 2015. But let me back up, and explain the process a little bit.
As you may recall from previous blog posts, the first two assignments in the Foreign Service (FS) are "directed assignments." What that means is that we receive a list of available positions around the world, and then tell the State Department which ones we are interested in. They then make the assignments for us, and we are basically bound to accept them. This is different from mid-level assignments, where you personally contact the posts you are interested in, and lobby for assignments. You are also allowed to turn them down if they don't interest you. Not so with your first two tours.
For first-tour officers (which I was in September of last year), they receive a list of basically all the leftover positions around the world, which is why there are quite a few positions on that list that many people would consider slightly less-desirable (Lagos (Nigeria), Dakar (Senegal), etc). For my first-tour list, we received a list of about 90 positions and had to rank all of them high, medium, or low. We then found out our assignment on Flag Day at the end of our six-week orientation class.
For second-tour officers (which I will be soon), the process is a bit different, because it introduces the concept of "equity." Essentially, how difficult your first assignment was will determine the order in which you bid on your second assignment. Ciudad Juarez is considered a high equity post, meaning we will get to bid in the first group of bidders. Basically, assignments will be handed out in the following order: first to FSOs in Sudan and similar locales; then us; then the rest of the world.
Also unlike the first assignment, Sarah and I now have a much larger list to choose from. There are about 400 positions available worldwide, and Sarah and I only have to rank our top 30. Although there are 400 available positions, however, not all of them will work for our timing. For example, I am scheduled to leave post in April 2015. If there is a spot in Rome that opens in May 2015, I wouldn't be allowed to bid on it because there wouldn't be enough time for the State Department to teach me Italian. So it can be a bit of a bummer when you see amazing locations on the list, but realize the timing just won't work.
Sarah and I have just about finalized our list of 30 assignments around the globe. I won't be posting it online because I don't want to somehow jinx ourselves. We're hoping to find out sometime in early December. Wish us luck!
As you may recall from previous blog posts, the first two assignments in the Foreign Service (FS) are "directed assignments." What that means is that we receive a list of available positions around the world, and then tell the State Department which ones we are interested in. They then make the assignments for us, and we are basically bound to accept them. This is different from mid-level assignments, where you personally contact the posts you are interested in, and lobby for assignments. You are also allowed to turn them down if they don't interest you. Not so with your first two tours.
For first-tour officers (which I was in September of last year), they receive a list of basically all the leftover positions around the world, which is why there are quite a few positions on that list that many people would consider slightly less-desirable (Lagos (Nigeria), Dakar (Senegal), etc). For my first-tour list, we received a list of about 90 positions and had to rank all of them high, medium, or low. We then found out our assignment on Flag Day at the end of our six-week orientation class.
For second-tour officers (which I will be soon), the process is a bit different, because it introduces the concept of "equity." Essentially, how difficult your first assignment was will determine the order in which you bid on your second assignment. Ciudad Juarez is considered a high equity post, meaning we will get to bid in the first group of bidders. Basically, assignments will be handed out in the following order: first to FSOs in Sudan and similar locales; then us; then the rest of the world.
Also unlike the first assignment, Sarah and I now have a much larger list to choose from. There are about 400 positions available worldwide, and Sarah and I only have to rank our top 30. Although there are 400 available positions, however, not all of them will work for our timing. For example, I am scheduled to leave post in April 2015. If there is a spot in Rome that opens in May 2015, I wouldn't be allowed to bid on it because there wouldn't be enough time for the State Department to teach me Italian. So it can be a bit of a bummer when you see amazing locations on the list, but realize the timing just won't work.
Sarah and I have just about finalized our list of 30 assignments around the globe. I won't be posting it online because I don't want to somehow jinx ourselves. We're hoping to find out sometime in early December. Wish us luck!
Visit from the Family!
My family came for a visit last week! In the LDS church, we often have a baby blessing for newborns, which is essentially a small ceremony where we officially give the baby a name and a blessing that he can hopefully benefit from throughout his life. We were fortunate enough to have my parents and sister Jaime cone visit us for El Senor's blessing.
Updates from the Borderland!
Hey folks, sorry for the lack of recent updates to the blog. Not surprisingly, a new baby puts quite the monopoly on your time, so I'm lucky if all three of us are wearing clean clothes and relatively well-fed. Anyway, here's a recap of what we have been up to for the last month.
Hair Additions/Deletions
I decided to grow a beard for a month. Everyone says that a beard stops being itchy eventually, but I have not found that to be the case. Beards are literally always itchy! So one month was about enough. Sarah, on the other hand, decided to cut all her hair off, and looks completely adorable.
Fall Cooking is in Full Swing
It takes a while for Fall to finally show up here on the border, and we still have highs in 70s each day. But that hasn't stopped us from going nuts on fall-related grub. Case in point:
This is a pretty exciting moment for parents, because it means that you
can finally tell if your child knows who you are and/or cares about your
existence. For the first two months, babies just sit there and stare
at you, occasionally crying for no reason. So after two months of
wondering if your baby is even enjoying life, smiles are pretty
rewarding. Keep it up, little guy!
I Ran in the Juarez Marathon
That title is incredibly deceiving for several reasons. First, I participated in a relay with other Consulate staff, which meant I only ran about 7.2 miles. Second, I didn't really run all that much of the race. I cannot emphasize enough how unprepared I was for this race. I signed up before James was born, thinking this would be the perfect way to be motivated to exercise with a newborn. Ha! I think I ran once around the neighborhood before the race, so I put in a pretty sad showing. But at least I finished.
Sarah Threw Me a Surprise Party
My birthday was last month as well, so Sarah managed to throw me a surprise party with all of our friends from the Consulate. But not just any surprise party; a surprise PIE party.
If you know me well, then you know that I love pie more than just about any other dessert in existence. So Sarah made me a pecan pie, and an apple pie, and invited all our guest to bring pie as well. It was awesome. Thanks to everyone who came and brought me pie!
El Senor Went as James Bond for Halloween
I apologize for not having a better picture, but El Senor attended the annual Halloween event at the Consulate, as none other than 007. He was outfitted in a tiny tuxedo, along with a miniature martini and Walther PPK (made out of cardboard). He seemed to have a pretty good time.
We Carved a Pumpkin
Despite not having a ton of free time, we still managed to carve a pumpkin for Halloween. I don't know why, but I'm incredibly proud of this. Like I said, anything done around the house that goes beyond eating, sleeping, or washing clothes, seems like a major victory.
Hair Additions/Deletions
Fall Cooking is in Full Swing
It takes a while for Fall to finally show up here on the border, and we still have highs in 70s each day. But that hasn't stopped us from going nuts on fall-related grub. Case in point:
Butternut squash & parsnip soup. Tasty.
Chili and cornbread, a classic.
Butternut squash gnocchi (and it only took approximately 75 hours to make!)
El Senor has Finally Started Smiling
I Ran in the Juarez Marathon
Sarah Threw Me a Surprise Party
My birthday was last month as well, so Sarah managed to throw me a surprise party with all of our friends from the Consulate. But not just any surprise party; a surprise PIE party.
El Senor Went as James Bond for Halloween
We Carved a Pumpkin
Sunday, October 13, 2013
The 2013 Summer Movie Roundup
I recognize at this point it is well into Fall, but better late than never. Perhaps some of you thought that, now that I am a family man, I would stop doing the Summer Movie Roundup (which has been a bit of a tradition as long as we have had this blog); not so! Granted, I didn't get the chance to see quite as many movies this summer as I would have liked to (a trend I foresee extending well into the future), but I did my best. As a result, there may be some overlooked films that I just didn't get the chance to see. Here we go!
Here on the blog, I always try to award originality (since there are so many sequels, reboots, etc., each summer), which is why Pacific Rim just barely makes the list. It is for the most part an original story, which borrows heavily from Godzilla films. Plus, it's loud and explodey, which always wins points in my book. Much like the author of the Winnie the Pooh tales, A. A. Milne, I suspect the screenwriter may have written the entire movie based on watching his son play with toys, but it was still an enjoyable way to spend two hours.
Iron Man 2 was kind of a weird disaster, so I was glad to see a return to form with the most recent installment. I often judge how good summer movies are based on whether Sarah actually enjoyed watching them with me. Of all the loud, action-packed movies we saw this year, this seemed to be the least objectionable to her, which earns it the #4 spot.
Pixar will almost always have a spot in this list. I remember being disappointed last year when I heard that Pixar would be doing yet another sequel, but Monsters University ended up being a great film. I think what impressed me the most was that it had unique message for the kids watching. I feel like almost every kids' movie today has the same "dare to be different" theme, so I was glad to see something unique, namely the idea that "sometimes you don't get what you want, even if you try really hard," which is a pretty tough lesson for kids, if you think about it. My son seems to be working on that every day.
Huh? What movie is this? Well, let me explain. Most of you are probably scratching your heads wondering what I am talking about. This movie was only in limited release, so not a lot of people heard about it. Let me paint a picture for you: Sarah and I are visiting my folks in Arizona for a couple of days, and we're all amped to see Pacific Rim in the giant IMAX theater. All except for Sarah, who wanted to see a heartwarming coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of a summer at the beach working in a water park. What?! Who wants to see that? I want to see giant robots fight giant aliens. Summer is NOT the time for movies that make me think and/or feel things. Well, Sarah won out, and we went to see this instead. Let me tell you, it is a fantastic film, and it really captures how magical/distressing summer vacation can be when you're a kid. That being said, it could have used a giant robot battle at some point.
5. Pacific Rim
Here on the blog, I always try to award originality (since there are so many sequels, reboots, etc., each summer), which is why Pacific Rim just barely makes the list. It is for the most part an original story, which borrows heavily from Godzilla films. Plus, it's loud and explodey, which always wins points in my book. Much like the author of the Winnie the Pooh tales, A. A. Milne, I suspect the screenwriter may have written the entire movie based on watching his son play with toys, but it was still an enjoyable way to spend two hours.
4. Iron Man 3
Iron Man 2 was kind of a weird disaster, so I was glad to see a return to form with the most recent installment. I often judge how good summer movies are based on whether Sarah actually enjoyed watching them with me. Of all the loud, action-packed movies we saw this year, this seemed to be the least objectionable to her, which earns it the #4 spot.
3. Monsters University
Pixar will almost always have a spot in this list. I remember being disappointed last year when I heard that Pixar would be doing yet another sequel, but Monsters University ended up being a great film. I think what impressed me the most was that it had unique message for the kids watching. I feel like almost every kids' movie today has the same "dare to be different" theme, so I was glad to see something unique, namely the idea that "sometimes you don't get what you want, even if you try really hard," which is a pretty tough lesson for kids, if you think about it. My son seems to be working on that every day.
2. The Way Way Back
Huh? What movie is this? Well, let me explain. Most of you are probably scratching your heads wondering what I am talking about. This movie was only in limited release, so not a lot of people heard about it. Let me paint a picture for you: Sarah and I are visiting my folks in Arizona for a couple of days, and we're all amped to see Pacific Rim in the giant IMAX theater. All except for Sarah, who wanted to see a heartwarming coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of a summer at the beach working in a water park. What?! Who wants to see that? I want to see giant robots fight giant aliens. Summer is NOT the time for movies that make me think and/or feel things. Well, Sarah won out, and we went to see this instead. Let me tell you, it is a fantastic film, and it really captures how magical/distressing summer vacation can be when you're a kid. That being said, it could have used a giant robot battle at some point.
1. Star Trek: Into Darkness
I'm not even a Star Trek fan, but this was one entertaining film. It was funny, smart, and had stuff blow up. Enough said.
Well, that's it for this year. Who knows if I'll ever get the chance to go to the movies again, but here's hoping we see you all back here for the 2014 Roundup. Adios!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)