Avocado 1: Rachel: 0

I have a gigantic avocado tree in my back yard. For the past few months, I've been anxiously (and geekily) awaiting the harvest of what I was sure would yield bowls and bowls of luscious guacamole. A couple months ago, I noticed olive-sized buds and for the past few months have watched them S-L-O-W-L-Y progressing into full-grown fruit.

As they grew bigger, I realized I had no idea when to pick them - they didn't look like the green-almost brown ones in the store. Do they fall off when they're ready? Seeking guidance from the site that knows everything, I Googled "When to pick avocados" and learned that unless I knew if my tree was a Bacon, a Hellen, or a Jim, growing seasons can be all year long and avacados are ready when they're all different shapes and sizes. It's really quite amazing how many varieties there are.

Yesterday, I noticed one hanging waaaaay up near the top of the tree and I knew - it was time. It was softball-size, was beginning to get faint brown marks, and well, I just couldn't wait anymore.

Already tasting my turkey avacado sandwich I set out to fetch a ladder, manuevered it up in between the branches, climbed to the top and couldn't reach. Hmm... I try balancing on my tip toes and shaking the branch. That doesn't work.  Aha! I have a broom. So I run down, grab the broom and start gently swatting at the avacado like a pinata. Typing this now, I realize how ridiculous I probably looked.

Well, that worked. It worked so well, in fact, that the dang thing came flying down from several feet above and hit me sqaure in the nose. I went running into the house, holding my nose in pain, imagining the horror I'd find in the mirror. ACK!  @#$*#! My nose can't really can't afford to get any bigger! (I've been blessed with "The Hochkammer Nose"). No ice to speak of in the freezer, so I soothed it with a bag of frozen corn, following the queue of my mother the night of my wedding after walking in heels all evening.

Two days later, things are under control. I have a nice bruise and some swelling and have received a couple giggles from people at work who ask what happened. The avocado is not quite rip enough yet - takes about a week. But you can bet I'm going to enjoy eating every bite of that thing.

The unfortunate scene of the crime

The nose and the prized avocado

Savvy Doorknob - Free Conference

Eek! I've been a bad little blogger and allowed myself a break. Fear not - I was experimenting with new recipes, working on some new business, snorkeling, and doing other fun activities that will inspire more entertaining entries later.

My mission for this blog is "to inspire, to entertain, to educate." In light of of educating, I've been meaning to share a tip I use in my businesses to save costs by taking advantage of free technology. It's called Free Conference. Free Conference is a fairly self-explainatory service that allows you to schedule group conference calls with others free-of-charge * (*limited to 5 contiguous hours, but who doesn't need a bathroom break once in awhile..) It's really helpful if you're looking to bring together three or more people and don't want to have to deal with having a middle man to join everyone together, scheduling lines that multiple people are trying to use, or paying for a fancy phone service.  All you have to do is register online and you get a free call-in number and passcode that you can share with whomever it is you want to talk to. You don't need to schedule anything - it's on demand - cool!

And here's a nice way to double dip on the benefits - Many mobile phone providers offer "friends and family" plans where a certain list of numbers won't rack up cell minutes. You can add your Free Conference line to that, and you won't rack up any mobile minutes for calls organized through that line. This is extremely useful if you are a remote employee or run a virtual office and have a high volume of calls with your clients, business partners or prospective clients. It even work at the beach (don't tell my co-workers..) On a personal level, it's also great if you want to have a virtual family gathering together to call a loved one abroad a son/daughter at college, etc.

Get more info on Free Conference here.

Happy conferencing,
~ Rachel

Doorknob Kitchen - Miso Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

I enjoy eating fish, but never seem to make it at home. (Seriously, I think I've made fish sticks once since I've been married). I've resolved to change that since my move to Hawaii, as the access to fresh fish is amazing and it's good for you (and I have time to cook now..)

Last evening, I tried my hand at a ginger miso glazed mahi and it was fantastic. This one is extremely flavorful and can be whipped out in about 30 minutes.

Glaze (enough for ~ 4 pieces of fish)

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 minced garlic clove
1- 1 1/2 tsp shredded ginger (depending on how much you love ginger)

Coat fish with the glaze and let sit in the fridge for 20 minutes (Any leftover glaze can be saved to pour on top at the end.)


Cook in a frying pan over a small amount of olive oil for about 4 minutes on each side, until flaky with a fork. I'm sure you could bake this too, but the pan crystallizes the glaze and gives a nice crust to the soft fish.  Pour remaining glaze on top.  Voila!

I served mine w/ a side of mashed Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes (yummmm..)

This One Time on a Band Trip.. An Adventure, An Overdue Confession, A Lesson in Deutsch

What were you known for in high school? Other than the girl who was voted most likely to marry her high school sweetheart and then actually did (five years later, after random When Harry Met Sally-ish airplane meeting, which is for another post), I was "that girl who had her appendix taken out on a band trip."  I played the also saxophone, for those who care. And somehow ended up with the tympani role in "Thus Spoke Zarathrustra" which was actually pretty cool.  (If you are unfamiliar, check out this link and put the cursor at 27 seconds.

Anyway, the high school band went to Europe every three years.  One night, we did a home stay with kids from a local school in Freiburg.  That evening, they took us out to a bar.  I've always been a kid that colored in the lines and followed the rules, but I was coerced (convinced.. ok I said yes right away) into having a glass of a Sangria in the heat of the moment.  (Mom and dad, I realize now that you can laugh about this).

The next day, I work up terribly sick - worst stomach ache EVER. Of course I didn't want to say anything because I imagined this must be what a hangover feels like, and I was deathly afraid of being outed by one of the chaperons.   So I hung out in the quarantine seat in the back of the bus with a fellow bandmate who had the flu (unless he was hungover?) and cursed myself for agreeing to the Sangria.

When we stopped for a restroom break, I ended up fainting on the bus.  Somehow, we managed to call for help and before you know it, I was on my way to the Krankenhaus (hospital) in the Krankenwagen (ambulance) with a bunch of German EMTs poking at me.  I was rushed to the maternity ward, likely due to some language barriers (stomach pain somehow translated to contractions? ). I ended with a burst appendix, had emergency surgery and spent about a week in the hospital where I learned all kinds of interesting German words, and enjoyed the curious glanced I got being "The American" in the small facility. I spent days hanging out with "Ma Oas", who stayed behind to keep me company while everyone else went to Italy and France, and waiting to have a solid bowel movement (apparently the rite of passage I needed in order to be allowed to fly home).


Funny how I ended up being a German major working in health care.

Ta ta for now.

The Start (And What's With the Doorknob?)

Well, I did it - I created a blog. It's one of the many things on my bucket list that I've acted on in the past couple of months since getting my life back. Well, fine, it's not THAT dramatic...

When I was little, my dad would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. My response was always "the boss" (except for the short periods where I insisted I was going to be an actress, then meteorologist - more on that later). It seemed like a good idea at the time, when I didn't have any pre-conceived notions of what the working world was like. Fast forward 30 years. I was working for a great company doing interesting work, but something was missing.  I was running myself ragged, ignoring my husband, focusing on my email during family gatherings - but I had a lot of airline miles.. :-/

I did some soul searching, made an appointment on my calendar to quit (seriously!), rescheduled that a few times, and eventually took a leap of faith and left my job to fulfill my childhood declaration.

After short stress detox trip to Europe to reconnect with old friends, I launched two companies - an IT consulting firm and a network marketing company in the wellness and beauty arena. Two very different industries that I love (yep - I'm an HIT nerd that likes to take care of my skin), with a larger goal in mind. I have improved myself physically, emotionally, professionally, and strengthened my relationships with others by shaking up what working and consulting needs to look like. I hope I can inspire/help others to do the same (or hey - feel free to live vicariously through me on your lunch break).

What will you find here? We'll see where it goes, but expect humor therapy stories, maybe some recipes, and interesting tidbits I've learned along the way that may interest other entrepreneurial types out there.

Oh - and if you're wondering about the doorknob thing, it's a random tribute to a favorite childhood game.   I'd say goodnight to everything in the room and the doorknob was a favorite (Not sure why this was fun). Not long ago, as I was working on this blog, my dad sent me a text message that said "good night doorknob" and it brought a huge smile to my face.

So there you have it.