I will be heading to Bangalore, India for virtually the entire month of March 2010 to assist in bringing several of my co-workers up to speed on my current work project.  We are gearing up to have project work completed nearly every hour of the day.  You can think of it this way: while the team in California goes to sleep, the team in Bangalore (13.5 time zones away) will be awake and starting their day.  It will be a really cool setup, but it will definitely have its challenges the first few weeks while all the coordination is setup.  I'm sure we will run into things that just do not work, and we'll have to troubleshoot around them as quickly as possible.  That will be half the excitement though.

I've had other co-workers work in Bangalore, and they have provided some excellent information.  However, I'm sure it will not truly compare to my own real life experience.  I had my vaccinations last week (my arms are no longer sore), and I just need to finish up one last thing before finalizing my India business visa.

My other duties as assigned on this consulting project now include a trip to India.  My flight will take me through Amsterdam and Paris before landing 27 hours after my departure in Bangalore, India.  I will do my best to sleep on the plane, so that I am able to tackle the work month ahead of me there.  It would be nice to come back to the U.S. rested after the long return flight, but I think it will be an interesting and challenging month both culturally and work wise.

I'll keep you posted while I'm on the journey... Joel

For an explanation of Worldess Wednesday (WW) visit my first WW post.

For more photos visit flickr.

At Keystone in Summit County

For the first day of skiing we headed to Leadville, CO to Ski Cooper.  I took my first ever ski lesson which was very helpful and made my Sunday skiing much more fun at Breckenridge.  I really enjoyed Breckenridge because the green slopes were less steep and easier to get to know.  I barely fell!  On Monday my legs were protesting more skiing so the boys skied at Keystone and I enjoyed relaxing at the lodge at the top of the mountain. 

Check out the rest of our photos on Flickr.

Calista (our niece, Joel's sister's daughter) and I

Kya models her new duds!

The Smiths, The Smiths and The Rechs

... we just couldn't resist.

Travis and Sarah impersonating Kya's smile... the big cheese

Chicken Empanadas from Mexican Fiesta! (2003)

1 box refrigerated pie crusts , (15 ounces or two 11-inch crusts
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons salsa
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, choped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup cooked chicken, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
Additional salsa

Remove pie crust pouches from box; let stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat cream cheese in small heavy saucepan over low heat; cook and stir until melted. Add salsa, cilantro, cumin, salt and garlic powder; stir until smooth. Stir in chicken; remove from heat.

Unfold pie crusts; remove plastic film. Roll out slightly on lightly floured surface. Cut crusts into 3-inch rounds using biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Re-roll pie crust scraps and cut enough additional to equal 20 rounds.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place about 2 teaspoons chicken mixture in center of each round. Brush edges lightly with water. Pull one side of dough over filling to form half circle; pinch edges to seal.

Place 10 to 12 empanadas on foil-lined baking sheet; brush lightly with egg. Bake 16 to 18 minutes until lightly brown. Serve with salsa.


Notes:
Empanadas can be prepared ahead of time and frozen. Simply wrap unbaked empanadas with plastic wrap and freeze. To bake, follow directions baking 18 to 20 minutes.

For more photos of winter in Wisconsin and Molly enjoying the snow, check out our photos on Flickr.     ~br

Also, in honor of his 30th birthday, Travis has started a 101 in 1001 challenge.  If you want to keep track of what he is up to, check out his new blog.     ~br