December 29, 2006

Million Mile Flyer Update

*Still* no news or recognition from United for flying over 1 million miles with them. Meanwhile, as I'm waiting for my big prize (which I do hear is a lifetime award of Premier Executive status), here are a few pics from my flight path.

From left to right, top to bottom:
1.) a shot I took of Burj al Arab in Dubai (okay, I confess, I didn't fly UAL to get there!), 2.) Tokyo in the morning from the Park Hyatt Tokyo, 3.) A beer in hand and a dirndl on body at Munich's Oktoberfest, 4.) New Year's Eve lights over Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, 5.) Somewhere at the top of the Alps with Riley. 6.) Running the LA Marathon (notice everybody else is walking... hmmm, tells you how fast I was sprinting...), 7.) Mimicking a poster in Japan, 8.) A pristine mountain lake in Switzerland, 9.) Horses waiting in Salzburg


Happily, there is no more flying for me this year. I'll end it out with United at 59,019. My next trip is with my favorite pilot in my favorite window seat... Road Trip!

It's a wrap!

 
 
 
 

After Christmas, we chowed down on turkey leftovers, played with our presents (I'm addicted to my new Zune), and enjoyed our last days together with my mom. We also met up with Robert's parents and caught up with them before their long drive back to Colorado.

This morning, we dropped my mom off at SFO for her 2 hour flight back to Seattle. The house is now quiet again, except for the menagerie of squirrels, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, finches and other assorted feathered friends. Tomorrow we're off to Yountville for an NYE celebration at the winery, Domaine Chandon.

Wishing you the best new year ever! Posted by Picasa

December 27, 2006

Another Movie! Christmas in Ross 2006


Christmas in Ross 2006
Video sent by katson
A few snaps from Christmas Eve at Insalata and from Christmas Day in Ross.

December 25, 2006

English Christmas 2006


English Christmas 2006
Video sent by katson
Here is our little Christmas video from London and Norfolk. Don't worry - it's not all me doing bizarre dancing as shown in this clip (ouch... wish I could change that still!)

December 24, 2006

Celebrity Chef + Big Time Journalist + Cameragrrrl

This was taken our last evening in London. It is one of a few shots I took that evening (along with some choice video which will remain unpublished... for now!).

Paul and I met at Lucianos, a swanky restaurant in London, very near the Ritz Hotel and St. James Street (near the Prince's and Queen's respective residences... aka, palaces). We caught up over a drink before being joined by Marco Pierre White, celebrity chef most known for being the youngest recipient of 3 Michelin stars in the world!

Marco (middle) is the owner of Luciano's, which is named after one of his sons. He also owns a few other restaurants in London, and his name graces a line of high-end cookery pans. Most recently, his autobiography - White Slave - was released in London and you can soon purchase it here in the states as well (coming out in January).

Marco is a great guy (despite what the press says) and is always good for a load of fun. This evening, he gave us a very theatrical demonstration of how to shoot sambuca. It was hilarious! But even more amusing was watching Paul, Dominic and Sunil replicate the shot (there was no way I was going to!). More on that later ;-)

December 21, 2006

1 Million Miles Flown with United!

I'm off to pick up my mom at SeaTac tomorrow, as she's coming out to stay with us for our first Christmas in Ross. She's not much of a flyer, so I have to escort her - which means I have to leave home at 4am to catch a 6am flight. Then I return with her at noon.

I just checked my mileage with United and as of this minute, I've flown 998,848 miles with United alone (flown miles - not just earned via spending with my credit card or mileage bonuses!). And after tomorrow's round trip, I'll be at 1,000,204.

Do you think United will notice? Will they pop a bottle of Cristal for me? Hmmm, somehow I doubt it. But I'll let you know ;-)

Lunch Buddies

When living in London, Mark Ward and I would regularly get together for lunch to catch up on the latest tech or internet happenings (he's a technology journalist for the BBC and we first met when he wrote this story - which was the first ever story to be published about blinkx).

Mark recently completed an investigative report on Internet Security, which launched him directly into the public eye with numerous TV appearances and 15 radio interviews in one day!

Meanwhile, he was able to make time to meet up for lunch at a London institution called Langan's Brasserie - check out the details below.

Mark is also an avid bee-keeper and I;ve been lucky enough to receive a jar this year for Christmas! Bzzzzzz!

Langan's Brasserie, London


Langan's Brasserie, London, originally uploaded by kathyjohnson.

Here's an interior shot of Langan's - before it completely filled up for lunchtime. Mark chose this as our lunch spot - Great Choice!!!

According to their website: The legendary Langan’s Brasserie situated just off Piccadilly, even now in its 30th year continues to go from strength to strength.

With it’s Anglo/French style of cuisine it remains one of London’s top eateries to be seen in for Celebrities, Business People & Joe Public alike. Whether you feel more comfortable in Smart Casual Dress or a Dinner Suit, you will not feel out of place here where everybody is given the same warm Langan’s welcome.

With it’s constant “Buzz” and “Hustle & Bustle”, walls covered with fine art and our famous haphazard selection of lampshades, the Ground Floor has such a unique atmosphere that once you’ve experienced it, we’re confident you’ll be back for more.

The Brasserie’s menu which is hand-written daily includes such a vast array of Starters, Main-Courses and Desserts that there is sure to be something to tempt even the most particular of palates.

With mouth-watering starters such as ‘Field Mushrooms & Bacon topped with Lancashire Cheese’ or ‘Smoked Duck Breast with Celeriac Salad’ followed by a Main Course such as ‘Grilled Calves Liver & Bacon’ or our infamous ‘Langans Bangers & Mash with White Onion Sauce’. If you still have room, why not treat yourself to one of our many tempting desserts such as ‘Banana Pancakes with Toffee Sauce’ or ‘Apricot & Whisky, Bread n’ Butter Pudding’ then finish off with one of our wide range of Liqueurs and Coffees.

The Brasserie offers a diverse wine list with something for everyone, including many French favourites such as ‘Chablis’, ‘Muscadet’, ‘St.Emilion’ & ‘Chateauneuf du Pape’ or from elsewhere maybe a ‘Chardonnay’ from South Australia or New Zealand, a ‘Rioja’ from Spain, a ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ from California or a ’Shiraz’ from South Africa.

For the more discerning wine connoisseur we also have a specially selected ‘Fine Wine List’ available on request.

A clear winter day in London


Check out the blue skies here! It was a bit nippy, but the weather was gorgeous as we drove into the capital.

 Posted by Picasa

Christmas Shopping...

...Olivier-style.

After a tiring trip around Hamleys, Olivier decided that it was all too much for him and collapsed into the shopping baskets at Boots (with a little help from his Dad!) Posted by Picasa

Little Man

Although he's only seven, you can tell he'll be quite the heart-breaker in his older years, as he already knows how to bring a woman to her knees (umm, literally now and figuratively later)...

Here we are at our Christmas Dinner - I had just come down after getting ready (all feathers and sparkle). And Olivier's first comment was a whistle. Too cute!!! So I asked if I could have a picture with him and he immediately ran away -- to get his bowtie! Awwwww!!!

So here we are - watch this space as James Bond Jr. develops into a real ladies' man! Posted by Picasa

Three Generations...

Olivier had just opened his prezzies -- here he's trying out his spy car and spy gloves (and check out those medals from Ft. Lewis that he pinned on his shirt!). Meanwhile, Terry was slaving in the kitchen - at work on his first goose. And Dominic was sporting a gourd. What can I say... Posted by Picasa

December 20, 2006

Norfolk Christmas

We were so busy in Norfolk that I wasn't able to keep up on the blog. But now that we're back in Ross, I've finally been able to filter through all my pix and share some with you.

This collage captures some of the highlights of our time together with Olivier, Terry and Jennifer. We first went to a cute little pub called the Three Pigs and had a wonderful dinner of pig parts while Dominic and Olivier exercised their wit over a few games of chess.

On Friday, we celebrated Christmas Eve for Olivier, and had a fantastic and festive feast of goose, specially prepared by Terry; complete with all the trimmings, including an English Christmas pudding alight with brandy butter. Delish!!! We also had homemade Christmas crackers made by Jennifer, which were loads of fun. Balloons that squeaked and twirled were treasured by Olivier and Freya, and they gave us grown-ups the benefit of testing our lung capacity... which seemed to be sadly lacking!

Dominic, Olivier and I also attended a "panto" in Sheringham -- my first ever. For those of us non-UK types, it's a theatrical performance that is humorous and interactive and designed for kids. We saw "The Wizard of Oz" - but it wasn't the show you'd expect. The Wicked Witch engaged the audience by having us scream BOOOO at her, as her Boo-meter registered our decibels (man, little kids can be sooooo loud!!!). We also had to respond to the actors with phrases like "Oh no you don't" and "Behind you!". I had low expectations going in, but it was quite fun!

Olivier also got to open his gifts from Santa. And as a good boy, he left out a snack and glass of sherry for Santa, along with a bowl of milk for Rudolph. But he was stunned to discover that Santa is a kleptomaniac! His comment was, "Santa's a cheeky bugger! He stole our glass and bowl!" Ooops! Good thing he didn't look in the dishwasher ;-) Posted by Picasa

Husband's new blog

...To Perfection: Shrimping Violet

Yeah, and don't assume I'm a shrimping violet. He's got a big idea and a big appetite... and an even bigger budget for his wine education... so do check it out ;-)

December 14, 2006

DPG in London

I've told you about Vic before, but now you can put a name to a face. Here is my good friend Vic Keegan and I in our first self-portrait. We were meeting to catch up and share our paintings for this month's Deadline Painting Group. Next month, guess what our subject matter of the month will be.....? Self-portrait! That will be interesting as neither of us have ever tried that before. Our deadline is January 14th.

Photoshop or Real?

Here's a self-portrait with Vic's painting. I thought the perspective turned out quite cool -- it looks like the composition of the three of us was staged, but it was spontaneous.... How come my head looks so much bigger?

Boyz Night

After our 10 hour flight from SF, Dominic brushed himself off and met up with the boys for a drink at our old haunt, The Zetter, in Clerkenwell, London. In this pic: Graham Duckett, Godwin Oji, John Bick, and Dominic.

Vic's paintings at the end of dinner

I thought it was pretty cool that both Vic and I have experimented in black-and-white acrylic portraiture! Meanwhile, his apples were painted in oil and look fab. He's been taking lessons from a real pro, and one of her tips is to blend the subject's primary color with the shadow (for example, include some of the green and red from the apples into the shadows for more life-like appearance).

Deadline Painting Group - December

Here's my submission for this month's theme: Celebration. I've entitled it "Bearing and Wearing Celebration." Her dress is a random listing of thoughts and stories about why I celebrate on a daily basis.

December 11, 2006

Miles and More... to London

Today we'll be boarding another United flight to London to celebrate an English Christmas with Terry, Jennifer and Olivier. But first, we'll be hooking up with old friends when we land. Dominic is off for a boys-night with the lads while Vic and I catch up over dinner and wine before revealing our artwork on the subject of "celebration" for the Deadline Painting Group (check out Flickr tomorrow!)

We'll spend the rest of the week with the family in Norfolk, where we'll cap off our early Christmas holiday with a grand feast of goose and all the trimmings!

Before returning to SF, we'll make a pass through London again to pick up a few bits, check out the decorations, and hook up with a few more colleagues and friends.

Meanwhile, according to United, I now have a lifetime accumulation of 988,112 United flight miles (geez, this doesn't include all those Lufthansa, British Airways, or other airlines I've flown over the years...!). This trip will add another 10,000 or so more miles, plus another flight to Seattle will accrue 1200. Apparently, once I hit 1 million miles with United, I get an extra bag of pretzels on every flight!!!! :-) Posted by Picasa

December 10, 2006

Terry and his best friend Todd


My father-in-law (affectionately also known as Daddy-O) just lost his best friend, canine-companion Todd. Terry had held Todd in his arms when he was just a tiny puppy and nurtured him through his life for the next 14 years. They would go out for long walks in the woods together each day, both returning full of life and with peace in their hearts. Whenever we'd gather around in the house, Todd would perch on his dog sofa and listen in on the conversations. And of course, whenever Terry was gone for a few moments, Todd would greet Terry's return with the biggest dog-smile you've seen.

Terry honestly reveals his heartbreak on his blog here:
My Life: The giving of life, the taking of life

My heart goes to Terry and my prayers to Todd, who now rests comfortably on his dog sofa in heaven, still accompanying Terry on his daily walks through life.

December 07, 2006

Jeff Dejelo (YouTube CFO), Chad Hurley (YouTube Co-Founder), Joanne Wan, and Kathy Johnson

Here's me using Joanne's camera (since I didn't have mine with me! Yikes!). We took about 10 shots together, which was quite humorous. Sometimes there was only half of somebody's face (one eye of Joanne, or just the mouth of Chad), but this one is pretty good.

It was a great party - met loads of new people (I hadn't met Chad before, but he's a sincerely nice person.... refreshing since he just sold his company to Google for $1.65 billion!!!!). The food was tasty too. And it was all held at an art gallery - very classy.

Om Malik (GigaOM), Chad Hurley (YouTube), and Joanne Wan

We were invited to the Business 2.0 holiday party last night, which was great fun. Unfortunately, since we were straight off a flight from DC, I didn't have my camera with me so I used Joanne's instead. Here's a shot I took of Om, Chad and Joanne.

December 03, 2006

Christmas is coming, the corgi's getting fat...


Awww, look how cute ;-)

But why does everybody keep saying he's looking a bit chubby... He's not chubby, he's fluffy!!!

 Posted by Picasa