New travel post! A few weekends ago, my husband Will and I took Friday off and made out way north to Connecticut for the weekend. Our official reason for the visit was a gift I had purchased for Will at Christmas involving a steam engine, but we will talk more about that later.

We woke up on Friday morning a bit later than we would for a work day, packed up the rest of our electronics (seriously, we are so wired, ALL THE TIME) and got in the car. After a stop at McDonald’s for road breakfast, we made our way to I-95.

A while later, we arrived in Milford, CT. I have been deep into some Sanford family history for quite a while ago (as posted earlier, I’m a witch!) and my 9th great-grandfather and his wife are listed as town founders in Milford. Our first stop was to see the memorial bridge in Milford where they have stones naming the town founders. Unfortunately, the name is misspelled, but you can see my grandfather and grandmother, Thomas and Sarah.

Cool, right? This Instagram shot is the only one I have of this awesome stone because naturally, I had managed to leave my 8GB SD card in my laptop, which was totally at home.  Luckily, Will had seen a billboard for a camera store. In the exact small town we were hanging out in.  After a quick check to see that the public library would open in a few hours, we made our way to Milford Photo. It is actually a really nice change to go into a specialty store, since 99.9% of our camera stuff is purchased online.

Our next stop was the Milford Cemetery, since from more research on Ancestry.com and other sites, I knew that a number of my Sanford family members were buried. We found a helpful groundskeeper (which totally sounds like the beginning of a bad horror movie) and found the oldest section of the cemetery. A helpful plot map later, and we started checking out the Sanfords. One of the oldest stones in the cemetery was that of Andrew Sanford, who I mistakenly thought was my uncle who had been accused of witchcraft. I figured out when I got home that this Andrew was actually the SON of the accused witch Andrew, and so this stone below is that of my 1st cousin, 10 times removed.

We left in the middle of the Sanford search to go back to the library as it was finally going to be open. My thoughts were that perhaps the Milford history books in the library would give me some information that might be helpful when going back to the cemetery. We didn’t really find anything that changed that experience, but we did manage to take some photos and get other information on my town founder grandparents. Including some location data for their plot of land. Will also read that during church services, someone would sit outside with a gun to ward off any threats by Native Americans. That’s insane!

So we left the library and went back to the cemetery, and searched out my remaining relatives. We found a stone for Hannah Sanford, who appears to be my 7th or 8th great-grandmother, but more research needs to be done on that situation.  It was very quiet and pretty there in the cemetery (more pictures to come) and I felt really lucky that I was able to drive to a place not too far from where I live and visit these people from my family.

I plugged a mystery location into Ted, our trusty GPS, and headed to what Will didn’t know was the PEZ visitor center! We realized that Cracker Barrel was nearby and so stopped there and had breakfast for lunch. We are unable to take a road trip without a stop at Cracker Barrel to have breakfast and buy some Jelly Bellies.

So we went to the PEZ visitor center, and it was a bit underwhelming. If you have been to the awesome Hershey visitor center in Hershey, PA, your expectations will be too high. PEZ does not have a ride to tell you about the making of PEZ.

I did get to see some ultra-rare PEZ dispensers though, like this pair of William & Kate.

Tiny Edward fit right in with the PEZ. No surprise there.  After purchasing some PEZ (obviously), we headed toward Ivoryton, CT.  I had booked us into the Copper Beech Inn, as it was the closest bed & breakfast that I could find near the Essex Steam Train, our destination for Saturday. We arrived and checked in, eventually figuring out what building our room was in. We went out to find a drugstore before coming back to the Inn for our dinner reservation. I had booked some sort of spring special that was around $500 for 2 nights + a 7-course tasting dinner in the restaurant on the property, Brasserie Pip.

Our room was in the carriage house, and from the inside, you can definitely tell that the horses and carriages were previously housed here. Our room (which I didn’t photograph) was alright, but we were fighting off a wasp within 3 minutes of being in the room, and we were both very hot, with an air conditioner that left MUCH to be desired. We were not there very long before we were heading out to dinner.

…and what a dinner it was. Based on the website for this restaurant, your expectations would probably be high, which mine definitely were.  We were awkwardly seated despite having a reservation, and confused our server when we told her that we had a tasting menu that had been purchased with a package. (The B&B had given me nothing upon arrival to confirm this.) I then proceeded to order a glass of wine, which took about 20 minutes to arrive – although the wine was delicious. After we ordered the tasting menu, our server asked us if there was anything we didn’t enjoy. Will informed her that neither of us are into mussels or clams, and she went on her way. First up was a piece of raw harami, marinated in something delicious.  I do not really do raw fish, but I ate a piece (which gave Will a thrill) and passed on the rest.  The marinade was great but the fish was fishy, and I wasn’t feeling it.  Course 2 was adorable, it was some asparagus soup (shown above, upper left) with a mini croque monsieur in the center, providing some fantastic saltiness. I love asparagus so this was a winning course for me.

The next course was a bouillabaisse. Remember the part where we said we didn’t like mussels or clams? Bouillabaisse is FULL OF THAT ISH.  Our server came back and asked why we weren’t enjoying it. We reminded her, and she whisked away the bouillabaisse and promised another course. Which I believe was pork loin wrapped in sausage. The sausage was a bit spicy, but overall, the course wasn’t bad.

The next course was my favorite one. It was a chicken thigh with some pickled beets and absinthe foam (shown above, upper right). I mostly think any dish with foam is BS, but I have to give it up for this, because the anise flavor in the foam was SUPER delicious with the chicken thigh. My night would have been improved if this was my main course for the evening.

Next up, course 6 if you count the bouillabaisse, was a duo of beef. Short ribs and a piece of filet (shown above, lower left). Totally not impressive, although we had shallot onion rings on top which were lovely. But if you’re having steak and the highlight is the onion rings, it is not a good sign.

So we moved on to dessert. We obtained coffee and were presented with the first dessert, which was “aerated frozen yogurt.” Clearly this is one of those chefs that LOVES himself and can’t get enough of his brilliant ideas. I was not impressed with the odd presentation either, if you are going for deconstructed something, I think things should be more spread out. So strange, and not that delicious.

Then we had our final course, which I’m calling “murder of red velvet cake.”

Again, if the cake was better, it wouldn’t need to be assaulted and spread out on the plate before being served. Pairing with the sauces was a good idea because the cake was not particularly moist, but I’m sure you get the idea in general.

Just not an impressive experience, at all. The tasting menu normally costs something like $70/person, and while I paid less with my package, it was still disappointing. I would not recommend this restaurant at all.

We headed back to our room, which was still hot, and tried to go to sleep to prepare for Saturday’s early start. The broken cable in the room meant no TV, but luckily, Will was able to stream a Bones episode on his Nook Color. Good times.

Part 2 coming soon – we are traveling some more so things will stay slow for a bit!

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First of all, how fabulous is that font in the banner? So fun.

This explains a lot about my Halloween costume choices.

I have sort of mentioned before that I’ve been on a jaunt through Ancestry.com for a while. I was inspired by the television show Who Do You Think You Are? which airs on on NBC on Fridays. I have watched multiple celebrities travel throughout the world to explore information about their family history. I was also presented with some unfortunate photographs of what appeared to be a Sanford family member attending a KKK rally, which I determined was a large gathering of KKK members in the 1920s in Washington, DC. Interested in finding out who in my family was associated with this, I started putting a family tree together. (I still have no confirmation on who it was, only that it is possible that it is one of my Dad’s uncles.)

I had known for years that Thomas Sanford was the first in my line to come to the United States from England, in the 1600s. I will have more about Thomas in a future post about my recent trip to Milford, Connecticut. However, in the meantime, I found out while reading more about Thomas’ siblings that I’m related to an accused witch!

Andrew Sanford and his wife, Mary Sanford (whose maiden name has remained a mystery) were living in Hartford, Connecticut, in the mid-1600s, and both were accused of witchcraft! Andrew was apparently never fully indicted, but his wife, my 9th great grand-aunt, was convicted and hanged. I mentioned this on Facebook, and someone said “oh that’s cool even though it wasn’t in Salem.” My response was that this took place 30ish years BEFORE the famed witch trials in Salem, so my family members are OG witches.

There is a lot of information floating around about Andrew and Mary, googling their names plus “witch” or “witchcraft” turns up quite a few results. However, I came across a journal article entitled “New England’s Other Witch Hunt” (click to download the PDF) which is all about the Connecticut witch trials that took place in the mid-1600s, before the Salem business. I highly recommend checking out the article. As I dig more up on this, I will probably write about it again. Needless to say, this is probably the best thing I have found while doing all of this family history business. While very sad for Mary and Andrew, I am impressed that my family is so strongly attached to an event in US history.

More to come soon.

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My second interview for the blog is with someone I met in middle school! Erica Murphy and I went to middle school together, then I think Erica came to high school with me for a while and then went to another school, and then we both attended the University of Florida. (I hope I’m remembering that correctly.)

Here’s me and Erica in college. You can tell it is college because we are both equipped with the ubiquitous red cup. We are babies!

Anyway, I found out via Facebook (because really, don’t we find everything out via Facebook?) that Erica was selling everything she owned and moving to Italy.  This was sometime in the latter half of 2010, and I was intrigued.

Luckily for us, Erica started a blog called Erica’s Italian Adventure, and thankfully, has been a much more consistent blogger than I have been over time.  I asked Erica questions about how this all started for her, so let’s launch right into the questions.

I looked back to the beginning of your blog, but I can’t really get a sense of what started your Italian adventure. How did this all come about?

Yeah, good question. I never did go into details on that did I? Hmmm. Oops. Maybe I will write an update to let people know. But anyway, there were a lot of factors at play.

From a personal side, I turned 29 (2009) and got a little freaked out that 30 was coming soon. I turned 29 in Italy, and I planned a 2-week trip with my (then) boyfriend to experience all the culinary delights from Rome to Como. I wanted 29 to be delicious and memorable. Even before I went on this trip, I knew that I wanted to come and live in Italy for a while. Also, the whole “29″ and “30″ thing was freaking me out because a lot of people I knew (through friends, no one very close to me, but close enough) were suffering from illness or dying suddenly. Some of these people were older, but most were too young. A friend of my sister (age 26) was diagnosed with a huge tumor on his spine and had radical cancer treatment. He is extremely lucky to be alive today, but at the time, it was unlikely he would make it. Another friend’s mother-in-law had a heart attack due to pneumonia and died suddenly. Another friend’s father was diagnosed with cancer and given a few months to live. Again, no one too close to me personally, but close enough to see the heartache and pain. I did not want to have any regrets in my life and you never know what will happen. I never wanted to say “I wonder if I had done XYZ,” instead I wanted to know what happened WHEN I did XYZ. And I wasn’t getting any younger. I was not married, had no kids and no real ties. Now was the time for me to still have an adventure without consequences.

(On a side note, next month I will turn 32 and the past 2 years have flown by. I will have turned 29, 31 and 32 in foreign countries, which I think is pretty neat. And I have spent most of my 30′s traveling internationally- also cool. Not so sure what I was so afraid of! 30s are great! Not only for traveling for me, but also just more contentment in knowing yourself).

I also needed a change in my professional life. I loved my job, but felt that I had given all I could and had grown to my max in my position. There were no other positions that I was interested in moving into. I had worked in F&B [food & beverage] for 10 years – in many different positions (prep cook, culinary school, food publishing, research & development, restaurant reviewing, gourmet import sales, server, hostess, training manager, etc.) – but I felt like I was disconnected from food. I needed to get my “hands dirty” in it again. I wanted to learn about food and how it influences culture. And I decided that Italy was the place I needed to be.

Italy does food best. They do it with complete love. To Italians, food is not just nourishment or something they need to make 3 times a day. To them food is life, food is love, food is the reason for being. And their food is not complicated. In fact, it is the most simple cuisine. But it is pure, regional, beautiful and seasonal. So I decided that Italy was where I could learn the most about food in the way I wanted and needed to at this point in my life and career.

It was a very difficult decision. I gave my notice at work 13 months in advance! I had a lot to wrap up at work and at home. For my last year in Colorado (2010), I had a “Colorado Bucket List” and I planned nearly every weekend for the year (mostly the summer months) to complete all that I wanted to do. I ran a half marathon, completed a mini-triathlon, climbed three 14ers, camped in Steamboat Springs, mountain biked to Wheeler Geologic Area, camped and hiked in Telluride, had a luxury weekend in Vail and Beaver Creek, and had all of my friends over to my house, individually, to cook them dinner and spend time together. When I left, I knew I had solid relationships and everyone knew exactly how I felt about them (I even hand wrote each person a note- there were 94 notes in total from work and friends).

I sold all of my belongings (except my good kitchen stuff, my ski boots, my art, and my books). I rented out my town home and I drove back to Florida. Back to my parents’ house. I had to give up most of my life in order to live it to the fullest. It was hard and scary and sad but at the same time liberating and exhilarating! Through all of this, I knew that this was the right choice for me in this moment. And I reassured myself by saying that no matter what happens, any culinary experience I gain through this adventure will only serve to help me in the future. Even though this seems like a wild and crazy experience, it all relates to my career path, in some way… a way I am not certain of yet, but it will work out.

Tuscan sunset, photo courtesy of Erica Murphy.

So, you travel around and work at different farms and such for predetermined periods of time. How do you get placed at these locations?

There is no “placement”. I do it all myself and it takes a lot of time and energy. It’s actually quite stressful to constantly be searching for a comfortable roof over your head, and plunking yourself down in the middle of different families.

I joined 3 different volunteer organizations (WWOOF, Workaway.info, Helpx.net).

Willing Workers On Organic Farms, now called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). I am a member for Italy (each country has it’s own membership). Members and host farms pay a 25 euro annual fee (comes with some basic insurance- I have an additional insurance package, just in case) and everyone is able to see the host/member list. The host list is organized by region. Each farm has their contact info given as well as info about their setting- what they produce, what kind of help they need, working expectations, accommodation, languages spoken, who else lives there, farming philosophy, etc. There are over 400 farms just for Italy. I review the list for the regions I want to go, narrow it down to those who seem appealing (I prefer vegetables to animals, wine in particular, electricity and running hot water are good, as is WiFi and if English is spoken its a bonus, and near a city is good too) and then I email them with some info on me and ask if I can join them for specific dates. They respond with acceptance or not.

Workaway and HelpX are pretty much the same, but they are not limited to only organic farming. They have all kinds of volunteer opportunities from babysitting to carpentry to working in hostels to helping on sailboats and everything in between. So the nice thing with those is that you have more variety of work. And when I get tired of farming, then I like to pepper in these sites so I can have a break and do something more social. Of course the language is a huge factor in Italy. In Ireland this was a nice option.

Rosemary focaccia, photo courtesy of Erica Murphy. Click here for Erica’s original post which includes the recipe!

You’re generally very positive about everything on the blog, but (without naming names or locations) have you had a placement that you ended up really disliking? If so, why? (Again, not asking for you to burn bridges.)

When I started the blog, I wanted it to be educational, inspiring and fun for the readers and I was also coming from working in Human Resources where I had to be professional and PC all the time. It was good training and I continue to be positive, yet accurate. I don’t want to offend anyone and I don’t want to be negative. Sometimes I am feeling depressed or negative but I don’t let myself air that to the world. The internet, though intangible, is permanent and I would hate for me to post something I might regret later.

So to answer your question, yes, I had a farm that I left. But only one. It was in Chianti last March. I had agreed to come for a month and left after just 4 days. I had just ended a week vacation with my cousins who were visiting from Ohio. We went all over Tuscany and to the Cinque Terre and Florence. We had a fabulous time! The day before they left, the tsunami hit Japan, and I had just booked a ticket to Tokyo to arrive one month later. With my cousins leaving (and me feeling alone again), and knowing the devastation and unstable environment of my next destination, I NEEDED the internet to change my course. The host was not keen on letting me use his computer or the internet, insisting that I “relax and just take it easy, it will all work out”. Typical Italian. I had run out of cell phone minutes and did not have internet access and was in a very remote area of the hills of Chianti. I felt stressed, stranded and isolated. And I had a lot of communication I needed to do at that time. Also my hosts were 2 bachelors, guys in their mid-late 40′s and one was a bit emotionally unstable, going through psychodrama therapy for the death of his 4 year old son from 2 years earlier. All of this made me uncomfortable and I felt that I could not enjoy the experience there with all of this looming over my head. On day 4, I told him that I needed to leave, apologized, and asked for a ride to the bus station that morning. I was so happy I left. Instead I spent a week in Siena (one of my favorite places in Italy) and had unlimited WiFi. I got everything sorted and went back to my first family in Montalcino for the next few weeks. I’m so glad I listened to myself and got out of there. I think had things in my life (and his) had been different, I might have stayed. But I’m so glad I left.

Erica participated in the grape harvest! You have to go to her blog to see her stomping grapes like Lucy did. Photo courtesy of Erica Murphy.

Are your parents worried about you? I think my parents would be super nervous about me on a jaunt through Italy, surrounded (at least in their minds) by burly Italian men.

Good question. My parents are my biggest supporters. They have been so incredible through all of this. And all the while, yes, they are scared shitless and worried to death for me. I try my best to be sensitive to their emotions with all this and I try to be in contact with them as often as possible. Most of the time I send my mom a daily email, even if I just say hello and I’m alive. It puts her mind at ease. I know she thinks about me every day and wonders if I am OK. We try to Skype when I have good internet connection but that is honestly only every 2-3 weeks, especially with the time difference too. But as worried as they are, they are also the ones who tell me how proud they are of me. And honestly, it’s their fault! They raised me and my sister to be independent, self-sufficient and open to the world… and it worked. My sister has lived in Ecuador, Bangladesh, Costa Rica and has traveled extensively to Spain, Central and South America (as you can see, she is far more interested in Latin American culture than I am!). So between the 2 of us, we have lived for many years outside the US. They worry, but they also know I can handle whatever comes my way, and they know I have enough on my credit cards to get myself home at anytime I want. And they have my dog, so they know I am coming home to them.

Hazelnuts, photo courtesy of Erica Murphy. I will be eternally grateful to Erica for doing the back-breaking work of harvesting hazelnuts that went into the production of Nutella.

You are becoming (have become?) a German citizen. Why? Also, is it easy to attain citizenship there?

I have submitted my application and documents (which took nearly 100 hours to obtain). Germany has received them and is processing my application currently. When they approve me, they will email me and I will arrange to pick up my papers at the nearest German consulate in Italy. I will then apply for a German passport.

Why, you ask? Because Germany is a part of the EU, just like Italy. So, once I am a citizen of the EU, I can legally live and work in any EU country, including Italy, for as long as I want. (Right now, I am only here as a tourist and I can legally stay for 90 days every 6 months). Typically Germany is one of the most difficult countries in which to attain citizenship. However, because I am a direct descendant of a German Jew who escaped the Holocaust, there is an exception. I can have dual citizenship and I don’t need to learn German or take any tests. I just had to prove that my maternal grandfather was German and Jewish and left Germany on a certain date, arrived in the US on a certain date and naturalized after a certain date. So, this means I do not need a work visa to stay in Italy. And work visas are pretty much impossible to get as an American who doesn’t speak the language well, in a country that can’t even employ many of its own citizens. I also think I get free healthcare and lower tuition or something- other perks as well for EU citizens.

What distinctly American thing did you miss eating during your first long stint away?

Haha! Good one. Despite the beautiful cheeses I ate here (and LOVED), the thing I missed most were my guilty pleasure—Cheez-its. Silly, I know. But true.

What’s been your absolute favorite destination?

I have two. Courmayeur in the Italian Alps has certainly stolen a piece of my heart. It reminds me of Colorado, with all the natural beauty, but with all the perks of being in Italy and close to France too. Siena is my favorite town/city. I love it there and can’t really tell you why for sure. It might have something to with the sense of community and bond between people as well as the Tuscan food and beautiful architecture. I feel very much at home in Siena and have spent over a month there in total over the past few years.

Courmeyeur, photo courtesy of Erica Murphy. Erica’s blog post about her visit to Courmayeur is here!

Tweet challenge! Describe your adventure so far in 140 characters or less.

This adventure has been everything I had hoped for and more than I could have ever imagined. I have met the most interesting people, eaten the most exquisite food and seen some of the most beautiful landscapes. I’m hungry for more.

Don’t know if that is 140 characters and I have never tweeted before so not sure if that fit the requirements, but I tried. [Note from Jamie: You are over the limit, but since your answer is in the spirit of short and sweet, you get a pass.] That doesn’t really sum it up though. Let me work on that one, but for now you can have that.

…and the questions that I give to everyone…

What’s your favorite website?

Epicurious.com

What celebrities did you have crushes on in high school?

Gosh, I don’t think I had any. Maybe Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson from Die Hard. They were badasses. But really, I don’t follow pop culture or celebrity stuff, I don’t even watch TV. I have never had cable in my adult life until 6 months before I went to Italy and that was only to watch food network and travel channel. I go to the movies maybe once a year. I have no idea who is on the cover of any grocery checkout trash magazine.

What’s next for you?

My dream is to develop a culinary tourism company that allows me to bring foodie travelers back to the regions I have experienced. I hope that I can use the relationships I am building with farmers and the community in order to create an authentic and regional culinary experience. But I am completely open to what is presented in my path.

How can everyone connect with you online?

Facebook, Skype (EriBerri48), ericamurphy@gmail.com, ericamurphy48@yahoo.com, EricasItalianAdventure.blogspot.com

Seriously, HOW AWESOME IS ERICA? Her blog is really fantastic, and I really need to go to Italy SOON. I cannot recommend that you go subscribe to her blog, and read back as well.  It’s a mixture of cultural impressions, information on Italian ingredients, recipes, and most importantly, lots of photos. Go, now!

Thanks to Erica for answering my questions!

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Formula One in 2012 is AMAZING so far, and China was no joke. I had been hurting for some racing action in the 3 weeks between Malaysia and China, so I was super excited to watch practice, and of course, qualifying. I also had a connection that allowed me to watch the race coverage from the BBC, which is way better than the Speed coverage, which has commercials! During the race! WTF!

China

Anyway, I half-watched practice coverage for the Chinese Grand Prix from Speed, and then was pretty surprised during qualifying, when Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg claimed pole position, with his teammate and F1 legend Michael Schumacher in 3rd position on the grid. Lewis Hamilton split them up, but he’s been doing well in quali all season so this was not surprising.  Lewis would be dropped to 7th on the grid though, as he changed a gearbox and so had to deal with the penalty.

The grid. Photo from PlanetF1.

The Mercedes cars had a wonderful start and Nico Rosberg started to build his lead very early, with Schumacher holding back the rest of the pack quite well. That lead would last throughout the whole race, Rosberg only losing the number 1 spot due to the staggered nature of pit stops.  Unfortunately, a pit stop sidelined his teammate, Michael Schumacher, who devastatingly had to retire from the race when his front right tire was not actually attached to the car when he pulled away.

Nico managed to maintain his lead, while there was a massive competition for the following podium spots. There was a train of cars throughout the race which I have not seen in my short time as an F1 fan, and tire strategy ruined podium opportunities for both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, who tried stopping only 2 times only to have their tires just fall off the cliff, with no grip or performance left.  Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton from McClaren, and then Mark Webber from Red Bull, ended up passing Vettel toward the end of the race, but the victory was all about Nico Rosberg, who was 21 seconds ahead.  It was Nico’s first Formula One victory, and was fun to watch him celebrate.

Go Nico! This picture is also from Planet F1. Click the link to see their whole gallery of photos from the race.

Bahrain

The Bahrain race was dramatic weeks before it even took place. There was a lot of questioning around the race due to the ongoing political unrest there, a situation that caused last year’s grand prix to be cancelled.  Bernie Ecclestone was not about to lose any money, so he said that the government of Bahrain ensured that everything would be OK.

Things were obviously not all sunshine and flowers, because some Force India mechanics left Bahrain before the race, after being subjected to a close call with some molotov cocktails thrown by protesters. The Force India team ended up skipping the 2nd free practice session, apparently to get all of their team back into their hotels before nightfall.

So, onto the race. After a slightly mediocre start to the season, the 2-time champion Sebastian Vettel managed to claim pole position during qualifying. His stupid finger pointing came back with a vengeance, because you know that he missed it. Ugh, I am still not a fan of him at all. Usual suspects Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber rounded out the top 3. My boy Paul di Resta made it into Q3, but didn’t take part and would start 10th.

Barf. But PlanetF1 is cool and this is their photo.

The race was a combination of what we saw in 2011 and so far in 2012. Sebastian Vettel led from pole and maintained his lead throughout the race (except for weirdness during pit stops), but the rest of the podium was filled with Lotus drivers Kimi Raikkonen and rookie Romain Grojean. Raikkonen had some close calls where it looked like he would pass Vettel, but unfortunately, he just didn’t have enough.

2012 so far is still amazing. 4 races, 4 different winners, and a large number of different people who have had podium spots, instead of just Red Bull, McClaren and Ferrari all the time. There are enough drivers to have a different winner for every race of this year, but I find it unlikely that an HRT driver will be winning a race this year.

Spain in 3 weeks!

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Sunday Link Party! Click on that link to see all of the previous posts.

Photo of the week is a cropped version of one of the photos I took during the Meadowlands brush fire.

I think my hamster was bigger than this chihuahua which might be the world’s smallest dog.

Rose McGowan is one of my favorite actresses, and always looks flawless. This look from last week is no different.

Jaws is coming to Blu-Ray, all restored and amazing. There’s a great video here about the restoration process. I will now need a Blu-Ray player, because Jaws is seriously one of my favorite movies EVER.

Here’s a great gallery of drawings from Draw Something, which you should be playing on your smart phone.

I loved Red Carpet Fashion Awards’ preview of McQ Alexander McQueen. I am obsessed with boots I will never be wearing, but they are gorgeous anyway.

Thanks Buzzfeed for 13 Steps to Get You Through a Rough Day. Amazing.

Have a good week everyone!

Thanks for coming by to visit JamieSanford.com. If you enjoyed reading this post, please follow @JamieSanford on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS Feed or subscribe via email so you’ll always be updated of my latest posts! Just enter your email address below and click the Subscribe button.

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There was a significant brush fire in Carlstadt, NJ yesterday, stemming from an ongoing drought that has left the area extremely dry. Naturally, the best idea was to get the camera and drive toward the billowing smoke.  It was surprisingly easy to drive to where the fire was, pull over into a side street, park the car and just walk around. You know, near the fire.

This was right when we arrived. The whole area to the right would be burning 20-30 minutes later. It was SO fast.

Awesome firefighters.

For context, there’s NYC in the background.

The wind started blowing and everything got very serious.

This was when we started getting pushed back by the official types.

After we were pushed back. Note the trees in front of me here, they will be burning shortly.

There are those trees again.

Then it started getting dark out.

Then everything was on fire.

The fire worked its way to the right.

This was the last view before we left. The fire had burned the entire area in front of us in a matter of minutes.

The fire was contained later in the evening. We will try to go back and assess the damage and take more photos. In the meantime, you should read up on preventing forest fires.

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New feature! I have been thinking about doing interviews on the site for a while, because I come into contact with so many interesting people.

When I first started thinking about a series where I interview friends of mine who have interesting careers or have done something really cool, David FM Vaughn was first in my mind. We met during our freshman year of high school and have been friends ever since.

David knew back in high school that he wanted to pursue a career in entertainment, and nothing stopped him. He went to Florida State University and was a Musical Theatre major, and has been working steadily as a performer since he graduated. David has toured extensively, both in and out of the US, with shows ranging from Spirit of the Dance to Saturday Night Fever. His most recent theatrical stint was in Shrek the Musical.  After being a part of the original Broadway cast through the run of the show (that sadly only ran for just over a year), David took a step down (literally) to step up and play Lord Farquaad during the entire run of the First National Tour. Seriously, look at this picture.

This image of David giving us Farquaad realness is from the LA Times.

Here’s a great video of David as Lord Farquaad, tormenting a local news host in San Francisco.

What was your first official theatrical performance? How did it go?

My first official theatrical performance was in 3rd grade, during a summer camp production of “Punctuation Party.”  I was the exclamation point.  It went well, other than the fact that I forgot my costume and had to wear my t-shirt and shorts while the other kids had cool costumes.

What other activities did you do as a kid?

I did a lot as a kid.  T-Ball, little league, fishing, gymnastics, figure skating, soccer, piano, painting, etc.  It was a cornucopia of lessons.

Have you had a moment where you felt like you had “made it”?

I’ve had a few.  And each time I feel like is “the” time I made it.  First was in High school when after a production, I got my first piece of fan mail.  Then when I became a member of the professional actors union, I felt I “made it.”  But going back through my career to date, I think my “made it” moment was getting to perform on the Tony Awards.  It was exactly how I had pictured it would be, and was a moment I’ll never forget.
(Note from Jamie: I am offended that officiating my wedding was NOT the moment where David realized that he had made it.)

You cannot miss David in this video of the 2009 Tony Awards opening performance because he’s wearing that.

Did I know about this? When did you get fan mail?

It was after our production of “The Jungle Book,” and some of the classes who came drew pictures, and wrote “fan mail” to some of the cast.  I got 1 piece.  I still have it.

What’s been your proudest moment?

Strangely enough it didn’t happen in my first Broadway show.  It happened in my first big time national tour, “Saturday Night Fever.”  I understudied one of  the leads, and he NEVER called out.  This kid was a trooper.  But after 8 months, in Schenectady, New York, he called out sick, and I got to go on.  To this day, I’ve never felt so connected, confident, and ready for anything in my life.  I sailed through that show (minus a few vocal flubs) with such ease and confidence, and I felt SO powerful.  I was so prepared, that nothing could stop me. I was so proud that I had taken the time and effort to prepare myself for being a good understudy, and it paid off.

Other than performing, do you work in other aspects of entertainment?

Yes, I’ve been a composer, a director, a producer, and most recently, focused on writing.  I’ve always wanted to transition from acting to directing/writing, and I’ve started that transition in the past few years.

What have you written? Do you write alone or with others?

I have composed two award-winning musicals, and have written a few web shorts.  I also have a feature comedy screenplay and sitcom pilot I recently finished, and am currently working on other projects.  I do work with writing partners as well as alone, but prefer to collaborate, as I feel (that with the right partner) it can make your work that much better.

Tweet challenge! Describe your career so far in 140 characters or less.

I just joined twitter a few months back, so I suck at this.  My career so far has been self-made, a dash of lucky, and very fulfilling.  Is that 140?

Do you have sage advice for those looking to get into pursuing theatre professionally?

My sage advice is to do everything and anything you can.  Some people come from areas or financial backgrounds where taking classes or lessons isn’t a possibility.  I encourage them to do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING you can.  Read plays with your friends.  Learn to play the piano.  Do a community theatre show.  This business, like many businesses, is about connections.  And there is a snowball effect when you do one thing, it leads to another, and another.  So why not put more irons in the fire?  You’ll be surprised at which ones work.  (Hint:  it’s not the one you planned)

Also, I would encourage everyone to GO TO COLLEGE.  Yes, for the education, yes, to get away from your parents, but mostly to experience life by yourself as an adult.  College is the first time you fully become “you” and experiment with life.  These experiences are INSTRUMENTAL in your process as an actor.  You must experience and live life to show experience and life on stage.  Go to college.  And choose one that’s fun.

What’s your favorite website?

www.PeopleofWalMart.com.  Or my website of course!  www.DavidFMVaughn.com

What celebrities did you have crushes on in high school?

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.  Infer what you will.

What’s next for you? Are you working on any projects now?

I’m currently in LA working on a few writing projects.  Also I’ve been enjoying the sun and ocean.  Does that count as work?

How can everyone connect with you online?

www.DavidFMVaughn.com, or you can follow me on this twitter thing @davidfmvaughn.

Thanks David! Hopefully I will make a trip out to LA soon so we can hang out.  As mentioned, you can find David through his website, or on Twitter. In addition, David has a YouTube channel where you can see more snippets of his various performances. I highly recommend checking it out.

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Back from a very long hiatus, this is the 35th edition of the Sunday Link Party! Click on that link to see all of the previous posts.

Photo of the week is my Dad and a 3-week old me, enjoying Christmas. I just scanned this so it counts as new.

Beyonce is on Tumblr, and wow, I wish I was on a yacht that often.

Based on some reading I’ve done lately, and some interaction with friends, this article on staying positive and what it can do for your life is appropriate.

Tips for taking portraits in bright sunlight. Because all the light in the world isn’t necessarily helpful.

This is from last August, but how amazing is this post? Jamie Beck had actual breakfast at Tiffany’s.

I missed going to The Gun Store in Las Vegas when we were there in November, but I am totally going back and shooting a machine gun.

This is why I buy honey at food festivals or the state fair. I want actual honey, not the hot mess they are selling you. Also, have you tried different honeys? It is wonderful to see how different some of them are.

Any links to share? Drop them in the comments.

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Ametrine Jewelry from JTV

Hello, my name is Jamie, and I watch Jewelry Television.  I don’t know if this is available everywhere, but I have been enjoying watching the passionate JTV hosts do their thing for years, especially my girls Dawn and Mandy, they are amazing.

This all stems from my rough gemstone collection that I had when I was a kid and that I really hope that is in the boxes somewhere at Mom and Dad’s house. I love weird random gemstones that aren’t what everyone is used to, and JTV is wonderful for introducing rare, lesser-known gemstones that are still priced really well because the demand isn’t nearly as high for them. Diamonds are way easier to get than tanzanite, but everyone has been paying way more for diamonds because the demand has been high for years and years.

Anyway, something I saw recently reminded me that I do not have any jewelry featuring ametrine, and I really want some.

Cool, right? This stone is on clearance for $34.99.

From JTV:

Ametrine is a color-zoned variety of quartz that, as its name suggests, is actually half amethyst and half citrine that are believed to “grow” side by side in nature. How the two actually form next to each other as they do is still a bit of a mystery, but the differences in color are believed to be the result of the presence of iron in different states of oxidation from heat.

This one is a specialty cut – also awesome. This one is available for $79.99.

I could go on and on about how cool gemstones are, how amazing it is to think about this pretty rock that was formed under specific conditions, millions of years ago, and now it’s on my finger or in these earrings. That’s insane!

Let’s move on to look at jewelry.

Mandiore Ametrine, Brazilian Citrine, Amethyst And White Topaz 1.90ctw Sterling Pendant With Chain, $59.99.

I am generally not into yellow gold, but this is a stone that works really well with it. Mandiore Ametrine 7.50ct Rectangular Octagonal Concave Cut With Diamond .15ctw 10k Yellow Gold Ring, $229.56.

The center stone here is a specialty cut that is just really interesting and makes this a standout for me. Plus, the surrounding amethysts are really rich in color. Mandiore Ametrine Pineapple Cut And Brazilian Amethyst 6.90ctw Sterling Silver Ring, $119.99.

This one is a little less bold than the last one, without a specialty cut, but still has beautiful amethysts included as well. Mandiore Ametrine, Brazilian Amethyst And Diamond Accent 6.18ctw Sterling Silver Ring, $119.99.

I really want this pendant. A lot. Mandiore Ametrine, Brazilian Amethyst And Diamond Accent 5.96ctw Sterling Silver Pendant, $99.99.

The ametrine in this ring is less impressive, which is helped by the choice to emphasize the color change with the other stones in the setting. However, I like the overall setting quite a lot. Mandiore Ametrine, Citrine And Amethyst 3.93ctw Sterling Silver Ring, $79.99.

Question of the day! What’s your favorite gemstone? Share it in the comments.

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How had I missed this? Dr. Martens x Swarovski?!  I have professed my love for DMs on this site before, particularly the wingtips I bought when I was about 15. (You definitely want to click that link and check out those shoes by the way, they are busted and amazing.)

So anyway, I finally caught wind of my dream combination of leather and sparkly crystals, so here we go with reviewing the collection and deciding which pair I want the most.

So this is Swarovski 1, and it’s the most basic of the bunch. The upper is made of Italian calf leather and patent leather. The leather looks buttery in the photograph so I have high hopes for it in person. However, I think if I’m going to get anything from this collection, I need them to sparkle. Swarovski 1 is available for $125.

This is better! Swarovski 2 loses the patent leather toe cap, and adds cute little Swarovski crystals sprinkled throughout.

What I think I really want is these shoes, with a toe cap covered in crystals. That would be amazing, since I generally wear my Docs with jeans, and only the toes stick out.

Anyway, Swarovski 2 is available for $275.

Boots! This is some classic Dr. Martens realness with some sparkle thrown in. I love that the crystals are only applied to the strap around the boot, I think it’s unexpected and am wondering if the strap is removable so I can wear is as a bracelet when I’m not wearing those boots.

Swarovski 4 is available for $350.

And now we are getting to the sexier portion of this collection. Swarovski 5 here is like Swarovski 2′s slutty sister.  Swarovski 5 is available for $425.

This is my favorite one! I would only prefer that this be a bootie without ankle coverage, but you can’t get everything you want. I also want to be able to remove that sassy shoe bondagey harness thing and put it over some regular black heels, so it would be helpful if it was removable. Swarovski 6 is available for $325.

So, any interest in the Dr. Martens x Swarovski collection for you? Check them all out here.

Thanks for coming by to visit JamieSanford.com. If you enjoyed reading this post, please follow @JamieSanford on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS Feed or subscribe via email so you’ll always be updated of my latest posts! Just enter your email address below and click the Subscribe button.

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