I went to Maui last week for much needed rest and relaxation and started off the vacation checking voicemail and jumping up and down with wild excitement. Kevin wondered what had gotten into me. I had received the message I had been secretly hoping for but not counting on. I am a finalist, again, in the REI cooking contest.

I struggled to come up with a recipe this year. I analyzed the types of recipes that had been victorious in prior years. And I culled my mind and menus for similar dishes that I could adjust to be cooked on a campstove. Kevin's life is all about simplicity, so he suggested I enter the same recipe from last year. Given my proclivity to make my life more challenging than it needs to be, I adjusted the recipe and added some fresh spring rolls.

I didn't feel particularly confident as I hit the send button, but I had spent weeks thinking and didn't have any better suggestions. And, we were in LA visiting Emily and Roger and needed to hit the road, so I bet on pad thai and fresh spring rolls.

This year, the final cook off is in Denver. The final prize is a hiking trip. And, drumroll, I have yet another opportunity to become world famous, since the whole thing is going to be taped, edited, and aired on the Food Network.

I'm not sure what's more exciting, being a finalist or having a legitimate excuse to miss another day of work.

Work sucks. People spend more time contemplating, getting in a tizzy about, and commenting on attire, overall appearance, appetite, food choices, and other petty things than they do focused on working. There are some really cool people I've met through the experience, and one or two really mean, selfish, condescending people. But overall, I think the company is getting the better deal out of my relationship with it, and plans are in the works to change that... especially when the Food Network offers me my own show as Iron Chef of the campstove!