Happy New Year, 2012!

Posted on January 1, 2012 by beckyajohnson

Happy New Year, everyone! I’ll admit I was a bit sad to see 2011 end, because it was a great year for me. In 2011 I became completely debt free; ran a half-marathon while raising over $1,000 for Girls on the Run of Las Vegas; started karate and worked my way up to an orange belt; went on cool road trips with my husband to Arizona-New Mexico-Texas and Sonoma County, California; and travelled to Amsterdam, Geneva, Toronto, New York, Chicago and Minneapolis for work. Plus, I actually finished the year with money in my bank account, which is more than I can say for most previous years of my adult life.

2012 begins with much uncertainty, largely because I don’t know where we’ll be living 6 months from now. I’ve applied to several PhD programs in the Washington, DC area, and I’m waiting to hear back within the next few months. Regardless of whether I’m accepted into a program, my husband and I have realized that it’s definitely time to leave Vegas. So expect an announcement of our next big move around April.

Both because of this uncertainty and because I am actually starting the new year in the green, I have decided to make 2012’s focus the year of financial stability. I definitely felt like I’m becoming my dad when I drew up a monthly budget in Microsoft Excel yesterday — setting up specific amounts to devote to rent, utilities, gas/transportation, charitable contributions, savings, and disposable income. This also builds on one of the focuses of my blog: to explore simple living, as I’ll intentionally be trying to live off no more than $2,000 per month while having lots of amazing adventures along the way (although I imagine this figure may need to increase if I move to DC).

Here is a sneak preview of a few other things I’m hoping to do in 2012:

  1. Visit my sister & brother-in-law in Seattle later this month — free tickets thanks to all my frequent flier miles in 2011!
  2. Run back to back 10k races (1 in the morning, 1 in the evening) through Desert Dash’s Bootleg Buttkicker
  3. Compete in a karate tournament
  4. Attend the world’s largest biennial gathering of AIDS activists, AIDS researchers, and people living with HIV (and hopefully present research and engage in activism while there too)
  5. Run another full marathon — nothing’s been decided but I’m thinking the Freedom’s Run in West Virginia/Maryland in October — 26.2 miles through 4 National Historic Parks, limited to 1000 runners and an Oktoberfest at the finish. My kind of race, plus I’d get to add a new state to my adventures list.
  6. Master the Art of Bread Baking: I got a copy of the book The Bread Baker’s Apprentice for Christmas and I can’t wait to get started and try out a new bread recipe each month. First up: Kaiser Rolls.

Post in Comments: What do you hope to focus on in 2012?

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V The Ultimate Variety Show

Posted on December 6, 2011 by beckyajohnson

Donating blood in Las Vegas has it’s perks. As there always seems to be a shortage of blood in town, especially around the holidays, United Blood Services solicits donors with a different incentive each month. For donating in November, I received 2 free tickets to V The Ultimate Variety Show at the Planet Hollywood. Not a bad deal for a pint of blood and 90 minutes of my time, eh?

V is for Vaudeville and this show is a classic in that regard. Opening act Wally the juggler doubled as the emcee for the show. I’ve heard that acts can vary depending on the night, and our show featured the 2 Crazy Gauchos from Argentina (a combination of dancing, percussion and humor), 2 balancing acrobats from Russia, old-school Vegas performer “Melinda the First Lady of Magic,” 2 tap dancing brothers, a comedic routine involving audience participation and 2 roller skaters. My favorite act was the roller skaters, as I sat on the edge of my seat throughout their act afraid of who might die if they made a mistake.

Watching the 75-minute show reminded of how much talent our city has (or imports). The show runs 7 days a week at 7 pm and 8:30 pm at the V Theater in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. According to the box office, tickets start at $59.99 (if you’re not a blood donor), although the people sitting next to us indicated they bought theirs for $45 a piece.

Be forewarned that unless you invest in the pricy VIP tickets seating is General Admission and the best seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, although there is a bar inside the theater, it was closed during our show. A waitress came around to take orders, but as the drinks are overpriced (unless you really  wanted the souvenir glow-in-the-dark cup) it appeared acceptable to bring in outside beverages.

This show is also family friendly and there were a number of kids in the audience. This is a rarity in Las Vegas, with so much of our entertainment geared toward the 21+ populataion. Aside from a little provactive dancing (it’s Vegas after all), the show is completely PG.

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Girls on the Run of Las Vegas 5k

Posted on November 20, 2011 by beckyajohnson

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know that for the past year-and-a-half I have been involved in a local advisory council to establish Girls on the Run of Las Vegas. Girls on the Run International is a positive youth development program which combines training for a 5k with an interactive curriculum to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles in 3rd – 5th grade girls.

Our inaugural season in southern Nevada kicked off in August 2011 with 10 girls and 4 coaches (I was lucky to be one of the coaches!). After our 12-week, 24 lesson program, we ended with a big shebang at our season end Girls on the Run New Balance 5k this morning. It was an awesome experience for all of the girls and their families.

We had about 100 spectators come out to cheer the girls on, and we were fully equipped with an official Girls on the Run cheer kit — pom poms, cowbells, megaphones, posters, thundersticks and more cowbell.

The girls arrived about an hour before the race to get their hair spray-painted and styled by “Happy Hair” volunteers. All the supplies were donated by Girls on the Run national sponsor Goody.

When it was time for the race, the girls took off in a sprint. While we’ve tried to teach them the importance of “pacing” during our lessons, there was just too much excitement in the air.

All girls ran with a “running buddy” — a family member or an adult volunteer to encourage them along the way. Some of the adults had a hard time keeping up with the girls. I know I would have!

For more information on how to get involved in Girls on the Run in your community visit www.girlsontherun.org. We’re also recruiting volunteer coaches and registering girls for our Spring 2012 season in Las Vegas.

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California Wine Country Road Trip

Posted on November 2, 2011 by beckyajohnson

My husband and I have decided that, in lieu of buying each other anniversary gifts each year, we would take a trip or engage in another cool experience. Last year we went with friends to the Las Vegas rendition of Crazy Horse Paris, and this year we met my sister and her husband in Sonoma County, California for a long weekend.

We stayed at the Old Crocker Inn bed & breakfast in Cloverdale, which I highly recommend.  It’s nestled in the hills outside the northernmost town in Sonoma County, and had a very rural retreat feel to it. Last time we were in California wine country we stayed in a bed & breakfast on Main Street in Napa, and I really enjoyed the more remote setting this time. The only drawback is that it’s at least a 15 minute drive to area restaurants and other activities, but daily gourmet breakfasts are served and they were accommodative to my vegetarian diet.

and bring your appetite, as a typical breakfast is 2 or 3 courses!

So that I could eat/drink more during my trip, on our first full day in the region I ran the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon. I prefer small, scenic races and this event definitely fit the bill with a race limit of 2,400 runners/walkers and a course that winds through Sonoma County vineyards. It’s a hilly course, so not the best for personal records, but I’m not a very competitive runner. My only goal was to finish in under the 3:30 race cut-off (which I did without a problem), and I stopped along the way to take pictures of the gorgeous scenery and even sample a delicious sauvignon blanc.

I ran the race to raise funds for Girls on the Run of Las Vegas and I was pleased to see that Girls on the Run of Sonoma County was a featured charity partner of the race. It served as much inspiration that Girls on the Run participants served water at the aid stations.

After finishing the race, and enjoying the scent of the vineyards all along the way, I wanted nothing more than a glass of wine. Fortunately a souvenir wine glass is included with race entry, and the finish area featured a wine festival at Lake Sonoma with complimentary wine tasting.

 Unfortunately not too many local wineries showed up and the tasting lines were a bit long, so we only stayed at the festival for a few samples. However, I must give props to Destination Races for putting on a stellar race overall. I also got one of the best race t-shirts ever (a ladies’ cut long-sleeve technical tee) and a kitsch finisher’s medal.

For wineries/tasting rooms we visited during our 4 days in Sonoma County, we visited Fritz, Sbragia, Raymond Burr, Bella, Preston, Quivira and Coppola. Our favorite was Preston. Most tasting rooms seemed to charge around $5 – $10 for a tasting fee, for which you got to sample 4 or 5 different wines. The tasting fees are waived if you end up purchasing a bottle of wine. Zinfandels are the specialty of the region, however, we seemed to purchase predominantly white wines.

Taking a break from wine-tasting, we visited the hip community of Sebastopol. While there, we stopped at California Carnivores, the largest carnivorous plant nursery in North America. Not sure about transporting a new plant in our upcoming move and what kind of pests we’ll encounter at our new home, we were pleased to learn that they ship plants throughout the United States. My favorite plant was the Sun Pitcher, pictured below.

Also in Sebastopol we visited their Sunday farmers’ market, where we bought some of the best food I’ve eaten in a long time. We made a nice picnic with locally made bagels, spicy goat cheese, smoked salmon and fresh fruit, paired with a bottle of Raymond Burr Cabernet.

This picnic was enjoyed at Salt Point State Park on the Sonoma Coast. While we didn’t find the tide pools this park is famous for, there’s some pretty spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean!

One of the best road food restaurants we ate at on our trip was the World Famous Hamburger Ranch and BBQ in Cloverdale. They have some tasty local microbrews if you’re looking for a break from wine (I recommend the Cloverdale Ale). My husband devoured his plate of ribs and mac & cheese, and they also have a generous salad & garlic bread combo for vegetarians.

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Nevada Test Site Tour

Posted on November 2, 2011 by beckyajohnson

Being a native of Nevada, I’ve always been intrigued/mystified by the work that has taken place at the Nevada Test Site (now known as the Nevada National Security Site, or NNSS). So I was pleased to learn that the U.S. Department of Energy provides monthly general interest tour to the site, and that they are free and open to the public. Regardless of your personal stance on whether nuclear testing was justifiable, it is still a part of our history, and while I am still trying to understand both sides of the argument, I considered my visit to the site a visit to a historic site.

More information about how to book a tour to the Nevada National Security Site may be found at this webpage. While the tours are free, they appear to be quite popular and I booked my place over 9 months in advance. You must supply them with personal details such as personal address, place and date of birth, and employment details at the time of application, and they will run a security check on you. Our tour guide admitted that they will likely not turn anyone away from a tour, including foreign nationals.

A few other notes on logistics: The tours are operated once per month, including during the especially hot summer months. My husband and I had booked ours during the fall because we were afraid of the heat, however most of the tour is conducted on an air-conditioned bus so the weather shouldn’t be too much of a factor. Personally, I think that October-December are the best months weather-wise in southern Nevada, so if you’re from out-of-town and are interested in a test site tour in conjunction with a visit to Nevada, this is my recommendation.

Also, the test site is located approximately 65 miles north of Las Vegas, and you’ll depart for the tour from the Atomic Testing Museum. This museum in Las Vegas is interesting in itself and it’s a part of the Smithsonian consortium. We visited the museum last year.

Our tour guide for the NNSS was a retired chemist and former Nevada Test Site employee, so we got to hear first-hand from someone who had worked there. I got the impression that many on our tour came from science backgrounds, and much of the tour was science-based. Being a social scientist, I was especially interested in the history/culture of the NNSS. Highlights for me included seeing the News Nob benches from where journalists and dignataries watched the atmospheric tests, seeing “Ground Zero” from where the atmospheric tests were launched, seeing the remnants of the Apple II houses that were built specifically for the purpose of learning how they would be impacted by nuclear bombs, and learning what is was like to work at the NTS during it’s prime (I’m jealous that they had $5 lobster dinners and a subsized cocktail bar for employees).

On the tour, we also learned about some of the current work that’s being done at the NNSS. While nuclear testing ended in 1992 when the U.S. signed onto a nuclear test ban treaty, the site is still used for some scientific testing and for the storage of low-level nuclear waste. Our tour guide indicated the site will never be opened for public use due to all of the experiments that have been undertaken there.

Seeing the test site first hand somewhat demystified our nuclear history for me. although I’m still not convinced it was completely justifiable. For example, mid-way through the tour we saw a healthy flock of 40+ antelope traversing through the Nevada desert. I’ve always heard stories about how the tests have permanently harmed the fauna there, but I didn’t witness any of that. Our tour guide also indicated that a very small percentage of the test site land is still dangerous due to potential exposure from radioactive materials.

So if you’re the science/history nerdy type and are looking for an interesting and free activity to do in the Las Vegas area, I highly recommend this tour. Unfortunately no cameras are allowed on the tour, which is why this post has done without.

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