-3 hours: Mountain Standard Time

I first want to comment on the current title of my blog: "Blogging in Arizona is lame..." I always had plans to blog once I got to Argentina, mostly because communciation is a bit more limited and I thought it would be a great way to document my travels and stay connected with family and friends. While discussing this before leaving Atlanta, I made the comment that it would be lame (and rather narcissistic) if I were to blog during my 3 month stint in Arizona. After all, it's pretty simple to pick up the phone and call a friend to check in on life.

However after realizing how taxing my job would be on top of the fact that Arizonans are crazy and this is the only contiguous state that doesn't observe daylight savings time, I find myself waking up when my friends are already at lunch and calling my mom on my way home from work to tell her goodnight. Therefore, I decided a blog would allow people to check in when it was most convenient for them. Now the only problem is staying up to date with what's going on in each of your lives... please drop me an email, voicemail, or even snail mail so I can stay tuned in :)

Last weekend was my first weekend in Arizona & I had the privledge of visiting Scottsdale Gun Club. Thanks to 2 friends from DAC who are club members, I got to shoot a 22 pistol and a 9MM (like the one from those shoot-em-up video games). And while I was too afraid to shoot it, I did hold an AK-47. Nothing like a warm welcome form the state with the most liberal gun laws in America!

Today was my first day really exploring the tri-city area. I woke up early to one of the five rainy days Arizona sees all year, and hit the trails of South Mountain, just a few miles down the road. I then headed over to a local organic farm, The Farm at Stone Mountain where a beautiful outdoor wedding was taking place. After wandering the grounds a bit, I lugged the 5 books I'm currently reading to check out Cartel Coffee Lab and Essence Bakery. Nestled in the heart of ASU's campus, both exceeded my expecataions as cozy Saturday afternoon coffee & reading spot.

I rounded the day out with a trip to the farmer's market to grab the rest of the ingredients to make some tabouli salad. Key learnings: (1) think about portion size when you live alone & (2) it's is easier to make with a cutting board (not an Urban Outfitter's bag)...

Dinner tonight with co-workers and friends then back to the grindstone tomorrow!