A Cowgirl's West

Moving My Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:52:00 +0000

I have re-directed my blog to a new site. You can find it here: http://www.jacquelinemalan.com/

Thanks for reading!

Doing Some Good

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:51:00 +0000

I am excited to announce that I am going to begin volunteering with The Growe Foundation.

The mission of the Growe Foundation is to educate children about eating and the environment. Through interactive learning, the program attempts to provide a set of tools/skills to help children make healthier lifestyle choices. Enforcing the importance of nutrition and farming, the objective is to create an enriching and fun environment while bringing awareness to health, local farming, and non-processed food substitutes.

I am excited to bring my previous knowledge in the non-profit sector, and love for food together. Looking forward to new and exciting opportunities.

Spice Shop Does It Right

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:58:00 +0000

This past weekend I discovered a little hidden gem in downtown Boulder....The Savory Spice Shop.

The shop located in Boulder is one of four locations throughout Colorado. They sell fresh ground spices that are made in house offering more than 140 original seasoning recipes. You can purchase as little as half an ounce or as much as a full bottle. They have everything from very traditional blends to exotic savory concoctions that will dazzle your taste buds.

Another unique aspect of the shop was their very creative gift sets, which are made to match every unique occasion. They included everything from a getting started collection to specialty themed sets. These include everything from a cheese lovers basket to a curry connoisseur's dream.

And in addition to all that, The Savory Spice Shop in Boulder is working with the Culinary School of the Rockies to offer a tasting series.

I will defiantly be supporting this local business for all my spices and inquires. And, I look forward to the tasting classes being held at our local culinary school.

Bluegrass in the Mountains

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:48:00 +0000

Last weekend I saw the 36th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It was truly breathtaking to see and hear an array of wonderful musicians against the backdrop of majestic jagged peaks.

The festival itself was not only musically entertaining, but also extremely environmentally and family friendly. Some highlights were a water station where you could refill your water bottles all weekend long for free, and a waste system with attendant's who told you whether or not your contents were recyclable, compost, or trash. These are just two examples of how festival planners redefined typical norms.

In terms of performers, their were so many wonderfully talented musicians (to name a few, Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, David Byrne, Elvis Costello, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, and Jerry Douglas). Musicians played both on the main stage in addition to other Telluride venues throughout the course of the weekend. I was fortunate enough to have Night Grass tickets all weekend, which provided a more intimate musical setting (a small old Opera House in town which, held about 150 people). It was at the Night Grass shows where I was able to see my favorite bands 'up close and personal.'

While most of the weekend was about music, we where able to get to do some Telluride exploring. We hiked up to the most spectacular waterfall I have ever seen in the state of Colorado, enjoyed strolling along the local farmers market, had dinner in town (as oppose to more festival food), and rode the gondola to additional hiking areas with breathtaking views.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend in the mountains with plans to return again soon.

Enjoying the Fruits of My Labor

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing Lucinda Williams perform at Chautauqua Park. A sweet country sound that reminds me a lot of Stevie Nicks, Lucinda's lyrics and harmonic sounds echoed throughout the barn venue.

She sang a song called, "The Fruits of my Labor." The song really struck a chord somewhere. It reminded me of my journey out west, my decision to leave,how things change in an instant, and the simplistic beauties that make Boulder such a wonderful place. As I sat in the theater, I thought about how much things have changed in my own life. Every once and while, it's nice to be reminded how far I've come and how lucky I am.

I have "enjoyed the fruits of my labor."

Rapidly Spreading Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:14:00 +0000

We live in a world where web 2.0 and massive technological innovations have created unprecedented potential for collaboration with no regard for geographical distances, or any of the traditional divisions of humanity.

Check out this clip from Us Now, which discusses the power of mass collaboration, media, and the rapidly changing world we live in.

International Aid

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:05:00 +0000

International aid in the food epidemic requires forward thinking and new ideas. Throwing money at tried and failed programs is as deplorable as inaction. But new doesn't necessarily mean good.

Cash distribution is something that has been floating around among, many forward thinking scholars. The UN debates:

"In a major endorsement of the approach, the UN's World Food Program, the biggest non-governmental distributor of food, is expected to announce later this month that it will begin distributing cash and vouchers instead of food in some areas according to WFP sources."

Not a bad idea, but keep in mind that most countries that really need international food aid are often not open to the help: Burma after last year's Cyclone Nargis, Zimbabwe for the past 29 years, North Korea - the list goes on. I don't think that distributing direct cash aid is a plausible or logical conclusion.

Another Great Weekend in Boulder

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:19:00 +0000

This past weekend was another reminder as to why I love living in Boulder.

My weekend began on Friday with a excellent dinner with friends in Denver at Potager.

Saturday morning we decided to venture back into Denver to check out the Psychedelic Experience exhibit. A "poster show" of the late 60’s San Francisco music scene and the anti-establishment counterculture which co-existed throughout the city and the country. If you are in the area, I defiantly recommend stopping by. After touring the museum for a bit, we decided to head outdoors and explore downtown Cherry Creek and grab some lunch. We ate at a wonderful Mediterranean cafe with a great outside terrace for dinning. The house made mozzarella and wood fired pizza was just what we needed.

Returning to Boulder later in the afternoon, I took care of a few chores and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. It was the first nice weekend in a while, so we took it upon ourselves to watch the sunset over the mountains at the Flagstaff House, where we enjoyed appetizers and champagne . It was nothing short of romantic. As the sun began to set, we headed back into town and decided to have dinner at Mateo where I had the petaluma chicken, fresh tarragon, beurre fondue, and watercress. Jason enjoyed the Maine lobster raviolo beurre fondue, and peppernatta. For dessert, we dined at Frasca with friends and enjoyed homemade gelato and some aperitifs.

Despite our activities from the previous night, Sunday we decided to hike up Royal Arch. Known as the Boulder's "stair master," it was a challenging hike, but the view at the top was well worth it.

Ahhh, what a great weekend!

Get Ready for the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:13:00 +0000

This video is simply fascinating. Making the world's knowledge computable:

Introduction to Wolfram/Alpha by Stephen Wolfram

Congratulations Brittster!

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:50:00 +0000

Congratulations to my beautiful baby sister! We are all so proud of you and your accomplishments. We are looking forward to seeing where life takes you next.

Random Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:17:00 +0000

Is the key to successful social-networking that the network should be broad but shallow? This is exactly what has made Twitter a huge success. Twitter has discovered that people want condensed, fast, information, in a 140 characters or less. Why does it seem so narcissistic? Does writing with 140 characters mean that you can't say anything substantial, which means no one can know if you have any substance? Is it like talking without the burden of having to say anything?

Just a thought...

Spring Hiking

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:01:00 +0000

Another great weekend in Boulder.

Yesterday, I completed my first hike of the season. What I didn't expect, was to wake up to three inches of snow this morning. The wonderful thing about Boulder, wait five minutes and the weather will change...

A Runner's Low...Is Also A Runner's High

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:06:00 +0000

I am a runner.

It has taken my body two full years to acclimate to the altitude of the rocky mountain west. Finally adjusting, I have felt strong and powerful running distances across various terrian while the conditions around me constantly change. The challenges that running presents in Boulder push me to reach goals that I never thought my body was capable of. Pushing myself to exceed and surpass my limit, I recently tore my IT band. While walking doesn't necessarily cut it when you're a runner, it does provide you with the ability to stop and "smell the roses." As a runner, I am often so wrapped up in running that I forget to look around me. Although my injury upsets me, I do find comfort in the beautiful screney that somehow I always managed to miss.

Slumdog and Currency in India

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:07:00 +0000

India wants its own currency symbol.

The rupee is indeed a strong currency but, if China doesn't even have a standardized keyboard and the euro sign isn't yet really universal, what chance does the rupee really have of making it as a globally recognized symbol?

However, the development of a common market (Sri Lanka, Nepal, adn Pakistan) would certainly help; bringing together more than a billion people using the same currency in a volatile region which would ultimately lead to promoting freer trader within South Asia.

What Inspires You?

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Recently my good friend and co-worker Grace Boyle asked me to be a part of "What Inspires You?" "What Inspires You," is a blog post series she's conducting on Generation Y bloggers. Through these posts she hopes to shed light on what makes us think and who motivates us.

Bio: Jacqueline Nicole Malan works for a Boulder based start-up called Lijit Networks in the heart of downtown. Fairly new to the new tech and social media, she previously worked in the non-profit sector of Washington, DC where she worked with agencies such as the National Endowment for Democracy and the United Food and Workers Coalition.

Lots of things inspire me, from simple beauties produced by mother earth to the tragedies of war and violence. What they do is inspire me to take action, to speak up for what I believe in, provide me the choice to remain silent, to believe in a greater good, to nurture, to feel compassion, and to love. But above all, I seek inspiration through my mother. Now, I know you're thinking its cliche but, my mother is an unbelievable pillar of strength and independence. She is a lioness and we (my sister and I) are her cubs.

My mother Nancy Hubsmith Rozance, born on a hot summer day in July came into this world with enthusiasm and determination. An aspiring thespian to date, it is no wonder why complete strangers are drawn to her. Her loving character and eagerness to know more about those around her is what makes her so unique. Often taking on more than she can handle, she dedicates her time and money to causes she feels passionate about(for example, when she remarried my now father Jack, they asked for guests to make donations to a local charity they support instead of having a gift registry). However, this is all just surface level. To really understand why my mother inspires me I have to give you a glimpse into our lives.

Growing up in Connecticut, we weren't your typical New England family. Most families came from a household of four or more. My parents were divorced when I was young, and my father failed to remain in our lives. My biological father has since passed, and when asked recently if it made me sad (since I had never gotten the chance to know him) straight faced I responded simply, "no." You see my mom, my sister, and I have become a three legged stool bound together through an ever enduring love. With the absence of my father's presence, I did miss certain things but, in the end it made for an unbelievably strong relationship between us musketeers, something I would never trade to this day.

My mom was a single woman who held two MBA's, an extremely competitive fireball in a predominately male industry. She worked hard but, did not forget how to nurture. As a child, I remember although she traveled almost weekly she never once missed the things that mattered most at that age. She still found time to read us stories before bed, help us with our science fair projects, drive us to every practice and watch every game, and bake cupcakes to bring into school for our birthday's. And growing up, we had more than most families with two parents.

This is what inspires me...her love. Her unwavering determination to give me and my sister the best that life has to offer. Never saying no and giving up, never complaining and always carrying her head held high, not worrying about what others think, and bringing her best qualities to life. Having the strength to raise two teenage girls by herself without any help or anyone to turn to ask for advice. This amazes me, this inspires and this makes me want to grab life with both hands knowing that anything is possible.

How far is too far?

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:46:00 +0000

I recently saw an alarming ad on television that made me think about how far is too far. A controversial anti-smoking ad that originally ran in Australia prior to the United States calls smokers to think about not their own lives but the lives of their children before picking up a pack of cigarettes.

In the ad, the star is a four year old boy, who is shown standing alone in a crowded train station. In order to make him cry on camera and shed real tears, the executive producer did indeed let the little boy lose sight of his mother during filming.

Is it okay to traumatize a child bringing them to tears if it helps fight the war against smoking?

G-20 Summit

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:24:00 +0000

This week's London Summit brings together the leaders of the world's twenty largest economic powers, in order to come to some sort of consensus in an effort to heal the global financial crisis.

One risk facing the group, is seeking a mutual decision that will add little if nothing to the existing efforts to respond on a lager scale. An even greater risk facing the group of leaders is that they are so badly divided, and the outcome is so feeble, that rushed expectations may actually worsen confidence when responding to the global slump.

Personally, I think the only people coming away with a boost to thier confidence will be either the protesters or the police.

Southern California: Good Eats

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:27:00 +0000

As you may already know, I love to eat so of course it is only natural that I fill you in on some of my recent dining experiences while on vacation in Southern California

First stop, San Diego. After working all day and traveling you can believe me, I was hungry upon arrival. As a result of getting in late in combination with the fact that we were on mountain time we decided to explore what our hotel had to offer. JRDN, was the restaurant inside Tower23 and although we were a bit nervous to settle for what the hotel had to offer, it actually took us both by surprise.

The menu is divided into three separate parts allowing you to either create your own dish, enjoy the raw bar, or tease your taste buds with fresh produce and pearl cous cous for something on the lighter side. Naturally, we opted for something in each category and paired our meal with a Owen Roe Sharecropper's Cabernet Sauvignon. After dinner, we decided to check out the local night life as our hotel also seemed to be a pretty happening place. One word, "gorgeous!" I have truly never seen so many beautiful people, they were everywhere! I think this hotel was a little to hip for me.

Since, we had two nights in San Diego the following evening we ventured into the neighboring town of La Jolla. After walking around the down town area and seeing sushi restaurants everywhere we had made up our minds, sushi it is! Now where to find the best sushi would be our next task. You know when you go on vacation the best places to eat are those not advertised, those that are "off the beaten path." And, we stumbled on Zenbu, a true locals joint. "At Zenbu, you will find "All" staple offerings of a fine Japanese sushi bar along with many delicious items you might not expect." The rolls were decadent unlike anything I have ever had, even in New York and the best part is you can order half rolls that way you have more room to try even more! One of my favorites was: The Salbacore Roll: Spicy Crab, Fresh Asaragus, Asian Pear, Cucumber, Daikon Sprouts, Topped with Seared Albacore and Avocado. Finished with a dot of Siracha, Asian Vinaigrette and Orange Zest.

Next stop, Beverly Hills.

Upon arriving in Beverly Hills, the first thing I noticed was Sprinkles!! I think the photo is does a good job discribing its taste.

Okay, so I am a bit of a pizza snob being from the east coast just a stone throw from Sally's, Pepe's, and having the luxury of living around the corner from Two Amy's (when I lived in Washington, DC). Now, I truly think that Two Amy's is the best pizza I have ever had so I was a bit reluctant about Pizzeria Mozza. However, I must tell you that it is delicious! We started with the the antipasti of crispy goat cheese & umbrian lentils, and a caprese salad. For pizza, I ordered the bianca with fontina, mozzarella, sottocenere & sage and added fennel susage. My dining companion said it was the best pizza he has ever had at Mozza and it was my own personal creation!

All in all, Southern California has GOOD EATS!

Skepticism

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:17:00 +0000

"It's a horrible situation when Bush makes a ridiculous comment (comparing President Barack Obama's foreign policy stance to the appeasement of the Nazis in 1938) but to ad to the ridiculousness of this clip then the conservative pundits receive their faxed talking points and repeat what they read ad nauseam without even understanding what they are saying."

Total Yogi

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:29:00 +0000

This evening while in yoga, I thought about how much I really enjoy taking my thoughts to mat and letting everything else go. The instructor that we had this evening really allowed the energy to take over the room and blessed us all with wonderful words of love and kindness...

I was never crazy about yoga let alone the idea of cramming into a room with sixty people with the temperature reaching a stifling ninety-eight degrees. My mom has always been a yoga enthusiast hoping that I would enjoy it as much as she but, I never really "got into it."

All the mediating and self reflecting and thinking about the "powers that be" were just exhausting. And on top off all that, I would have to hold a pose for what seemed like an eternity.

Then, I discovered Core Power Yoga which, emphasizes your core abdominal muscles. This practice method consists of a rigorous blend of power, strength and endurance while still a vinyasa based yoga. The room temperature remains hot as you begin to flow through poses while listening to music.

Now, I love yoga and I would even go as far to say that I'm addicted. Over the course of time, I have been able to weave mediation, self-reflecting and awareness into my practice. For me, it is a lot like running in terms of cleansing my system and riding my body of negative energy. It is my time to pay gratitude to the things I often take for granted remembering how blessed I am.

Boulder, Boulder!

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:53:00 +0000

Almost two years ago now, I moved to Boulder from Washington D.C. I was on my way to San Francisco where I had a job working for an international consulting firm. Boulder, was a temporary stop along the way. My new job provided me with some additional time (and as a result of spending time in Missoula, Montana)so I thought I'd check out Boulder for a month or two prior to taking my position in San Francisco. The rest is well, history... almost two years later I've learned to call Boulder home.

The intellectual atmosphere and excitement of living, breathing, and eating politics naturally drew me towards Washington. However, I began to miss hiking, skiing, camping, and all the wonderful things pertaining to the outdoors. When an opportunity drew me to the west coast, I couldn't pass it up.

Growing up in Connecticut, I never thought I could be away from the sound but, my heart ached for a life in the mountains. Needless to say, it did not take much persuading in order to change my mind. When the summer drew to end and I was supposed to head to San Francisco something stopped me. Maybe, it was the mountains, or the friendly people but, suddenly I was in no hurry to head to San Francisco.

Once I made the decision to stay, I began looking for jobs. Tech, Start-ups, twitter, I knew nothing about these things (now they are terms I use daily). I had applied to a small tech start-up and before I knew it I really felt a sense of community.

When asked to write this post for BoulderMe, I really thought about what I loved about living here. In career terms, Boulder is filled with intellectually stimulating like minded people all wanting to help each other. People from all different positions of authority are willing to take a meeting with anyone virtually anytime or place (and I don't think a CEO of a company in Boston would take the time to meet with an entry level employee). We all want to see each other succeed here and it is really refreshing.

In terms of creating a sense of community, Boulder really caters to the tech scene and everyone I've meet seems to be involved on some level. Just a few events that take place in which people dedicate time and share knowledge are TechStars, Ignite Boulder, The Boulder New Tech Meet-Up, and The Boulder Open Coffee Club just to name a few. Perhaps now you want to move to Boulder?

Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:17:00 +0000

With the Rocky Mountain News closing its doors, I began to think about the concerns facing the newspaper industry. The industry as a whole has been suffering from stale ideas and false hopes.

Thinking of innovative ways to regain readership, the Hearst Corporation plans to use e-readers to electrionically distribute newspapers and magazines.

A CNN article states that media ownership is "increasingly looking to devices like e-readers to lower costs while preserving the business model that has sustained newspapers and magazines."

As I have learned at Lijit, advertising dollars will continue to migrate to the internet where technology provides highly targeted advertising with measurable statistics. Newspapers need to find new revenue streams outside of advertising dollars to survive and I doubt that increased subscription revenue combined with lower costs can save the industry.

Today's Youth...So Spoiled

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:02:00 +0000

This was passed along to me, it's pretty great. If people spent less time watching funny clips on the internet, maybe they would get more things done in a reasonable time frame. This one is worth passing on.

Sunday Night Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:25:00 +0000

Last night, I decided to try a Chicken Parmesan recipe by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). This dish is non-traditional Chicken Parmesan which, sits over a fresh bed of arugula sprinkled in a lemon vinaigrette.

Simple yet elegant, I wowed my dinning companion who is still talking about our dinner(Men really love helping make this dish as I found out because they get to use a meat mallet!).

The original Barefoot Contessa recipe can be found on the Food Network website: click here

Enjoy Sunday night cooking!

Social Media and the O.R.

noreply@blogger.com (Jacqueline) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:04:00 +0000

I am one of social media's biggest fans, but I'm pretty sure there is a time and place for it...

According to CNN, Dr. Craig Rogers (lead surgeon in the Henry Ford surgery) said the reason for Twittering was to "let people know that a tumor can be removed without taking the entire kidney."

Sure, I understand that social media gives the general public the power to share their ideas with massive amounts of people instantaneously, but I'm pretty sure that you can share that information AFTER the surgery is over.

I want to be clear: I absolutely support the use of social media in the most innovative ways possible. I just seriously question the judgement of a medical practitioner that sees value in twittering DURING a procedure, as opposed to utilizing the same forms of media AFTER surgery. Again- time & place...

Don't you people watch medical dramas? Doctors don't need any more distractions.