labo(u)r day

Labor Day - view from the roof, originally uploaded by maisnon.

Weekend update, y'all!

And, it's a LOOONG one! (Yes, my lame sense of humour knows no shame!)

Let's just hit the Labo(u)r Day BBQ. So, I'm not working. You wouldn't think a three day weekend would mean much to me, but ... it was really nice having my (working) friends around for an extra day It DID feel different, although it shouldn't.

I went to a party on a rooftop (at Cesar Chaves + Valencia), and that's the view you see here. The weather, to start, was absolutely perfect. And then ... it became a blustery day, Pooh. We had to fold down and remove the patio umbrella because there was a serious risk that it would make like Mary Poppins and fly away.

I got to hang out with a friend's fiance (he just moved to town), and a *very* recent transplant from DC (like, it was his first actual day in SF.) Listening to them talk about the things they left behind, and the things they are searching for here made me wonder about when we switch our "homes." When do you stop thinking of the last place you lived in as "home"? Is it when you open your front door and realize you can't remember the last 15 minutes? Is it when you think of something you want and you know just where to get it?

Finally, the blusteriness got the best of us, and we retreated in search of more friendly eats. (BBQs are notoriously harsh on the veg, pseudo-veg, and pescetarians.) We ended up at Beretta. Super-peppery arugula salad (food of liberals!), wine-stained risotto, and a pizza burrata. Delicious and totally all-American.

book covers

I'm fascinated by David Drummond's Covers blog. Each post is a book cover Drummond designed, usually along with a few outtakes, and a brief explanation of the interaction between the design and the book. The blog appeals to me because I love books (of course!) and also because I've been indulging my interest in design.

Enjoy.

rush for the change of atmosphere

I thought I would have this rush of energy and action after I quite my job. I mean, this wasn't a decision that snuck on me. I went through many phases, including what I called the "if I learned how to ski, I could be a ski instructor" phase. (Translation for those who don't me: absolutely, friggin' flailing about what I wanted to do next. Considering leaving The Law. Because, seriously, it takes more than a basic understanding of how to ski to become a ski instructor!) I thought that by committing to not doing this anymore, the "what happens next" would flow.

That was definitely my experience the last time I quit my job. Way back in 2000, I quit my job and within a week I had .... pruned the friendship tree, stopped seeing the guy I wasn't see anyway, acquired the beautiful Ms. Gia, and ... decided to take the LSATs and apply to law school. (And that decision definitely snuck up on me.) It was all just the most natural thing in the world - each of those thoughts and actions came to me so seamlessly - like bubbles rising to the surface of water.

So, I quit and I waited for the wave. And ... I'm still waiting. I have a good sense of what I want to do, but it seems, no "get up and go" to get it done anytime soon. And, I have to accept where I am. I've often found myself to be very objective-driven, and respecting the process often galls me. Thankfully, I'm old enough now to find my patterns and predilections amusing more than anything else. And right now, in this exact moment, I have to respect that I still have some processing, clearing, synthesizing, other action verb-ing to do before I'm ready to launch in another direction. I am the field lying fallow.

finale

And it's done. I just quit my job. Without another lilypad to jump to.

I'm excited and, how you say, shit-scared.

Cue the fireworks.

vignette

We somehow found ourselves away from the party, sitting on the floor under the dining table. Sitting on the floor, a jumble of knees and long legs, the three of us reminded me of girls - sneaking away from the adults to sip purloined wine and giggle over the grown-ups inscrutable interactions. On the bookcase near us, N spotted a section of books about trees and asked me to grab one. She flipped through it animatedly, offering commentary on some local flora. Then, she slammed it closed. Resting her hand upon its cover, she said, 'Okay, 5 favorite trees. GO!'

And in that moment, I loved her. And I loved the situation. I loved being holed up under the dining table, sneaking an arm up to grab goat-cheese stuffed dates. I loved N's intensity and sincerity in asking us (fellow 30-somethings) for our 5 favorite trees. It was this beautiful, incandescent moment of unexpected childhood.

.........

For the record, the 5 trees I chose off the top of my head were:

(1) Russian Olive - I love the contrast of the coloring between leaves and bark
(2) Gingko - it's a living fossil, yo!
(3) Eucalyptus - love the way it smells, even though it is bad if planted in areas where it is non-native
(4) Madrona
(5) The trees that make helicopters. And, yes, having taken botany in CANADA, I should have been able to remember that the trees that make helicopters are MAPLES.

Makeout King

I loved this, and I hope you will too. (H/T Crooks and Liars.)

Magnetism, Part .... who even knows anymore

So, a mere 6 months ago I purchased my first Mac (also known as My Precious.) And .. earlier this week, My Precious' hard drive bit the dust. Faithful readers may remember that this isn't the first time I've had mechanical problems. And, naturally, the backup drive that I had purchased arrived last week and hadn't been used yet.

The best part, for me, was when I picked up my laptop from the so-called Genius Bar and chica said "And since it's under warranty, you saved $320!!" I, of course, said "Uh, no - you sent out a product that BROKE and HARD within 6 months."

Will I trust My Precious again? Yes, I think so. Will I get on with using my backup drive? Hells yes. Game on!

Oh no they DI'INT!!!!

I saw this sign while our shuttle got us lost in Redwood City/Menlo Park.

LadyPartsAuto.

Lady. Parts. Auto.

Tear.

Circular

I'm a big fan of not closing the loop, apparently. BUT, I've decided to dot the i and cross the t.

My random meeting with bloggers extraordinaire was because I crashed one of the BlogHer parties. Yes, in true cheap-ass desi ish-tyle, I didn't pay for the conference, but managed to get on the invite list for the Guy Kawasaki/Kirsty party.

Behold - the largest paella in the world. Sadly, with my photography skeelz, this looks like I just macro'd in on it. Nope, it's truly truly ginormous.

We took a shuttle from the Westin St. Francis in the city ... all the way down to ..... 1 mile away from where I used to live. And thank god for that, really. Our shuttle got well and truly lost, and I was able to get us back on track ... and en route to largest paella and redonkulous swag bags!

Why You Should Never Come to Me For Advice or Commentary

LittleBro: so i found out tonight that the girl i'm seeing has wrestled someone in jello

maisnon: hmmm.

wait, so have i

in high school

LittleBro: seriously?

maisnon: and not that much jello

i'm not sure that i did any actual wrestling

LittleBro: does the amount make any difference?

maisnon: i think we basically just threw it at each other

LittleBro: oh

alright