Weekend update, y'all!
Friday
I possibly drank too much wine with dinner at my friend's house. Then, we had Girl Scout cookies and talked about boys. The End.
Saturday
I headed to the Alemany Farmers' Market bright and early. Items purchased: leeks, potatoes (COMBINE!), pumpkin bolani, sweet jalapeno jelly, oro blanco (which I think is a cross between a pomelo and a grapefruit?), Asian pears, Pink Lady apples, anemones, ranunculas,
A very dear friend is moving, so I accompanied him to IKEA. This really says something about our friendship, because - much as I love that store - I have a pact with myself to never, ever go on a weekend. I don't think my friend was much impressed with my mad IKEA skills. (I can recognize most items by name! And tell you what other finishes are available! And tell you what other pieces are part of the collection!)
I met some friends in the Mission for dinner. Perhaps I should have reminded all parties involved that parking in the Mission is NOT for sissies. It is practically a full-contact sport. You must must must leave yourself adequate time, or it all becomes way too stressful. When we all finally amassed in front of Luna Park, we had missed our reservation. (Their policy is that, when your party is complete, they put you at the top of the waitlist. I think this parking fiasco-thing has played havoc with a lot of reservations.) Our meals were absolutely delicious (minus some strangely way overcooked vegetables.) With our late start, we were finishing up dessert after 10 pm. Which is when "Living on Prayer" came over the Muzak/iPod/sound system. My friend and I started singing (quietly) into our thumbs. ("Tommy used to work on the docks") (And, as you may recall, I really really can not sing.) When we got to the chorus, we realized that ... other tables were also singing! (Whooah, we're half way there/Livin' on a prayer!") It was made of awesome.
Walking back to the car, I found a five dollar bill! I picked it up, and my friend's fiance immediately said "Is there poop in it??" It turns out some of his college buddies, actually, I can't go any further with that thought. (Use your imagination.)
So, Bon Jovi sing-along and $5! Woo hoo!
Sunday
After all the hijinks on Saturday, this was largely a day of rest. I did manage to clear out my closet (SCAAARY!) I'm moving along (month 2) in my plan to go through all of my stuff. I'm using this book, which is pretty great. Next month's project: the KITCHEN! (And there is a lot of work to be done there!)
Showing posts with label how you livin'?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how you livin'?. Show all posts
Monday, March 09, 2009
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
take california
Weekend (well ... Sunday) update, y'all!
I launched a veritable tour-de-force of ... tourism on SF on Sunday. Ah, poor visitors to the area, little do they know that I will use them and abuse them to check out the sights. I picked up my co-pilot, med skool, and we headed up to the Inner Richmond to wander Clement Street and partake of dim sum. Although, I've only been there a handful of times, I really enjoy the neighborhood: the juxtoposition of little Chinese eateries with bars like the Bitter End and Rockit Lounge.
Next, we headed over the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at the vista point on the other side (along with the majority of the Indian population in the tri-state area) to take pictures. We really had to "batten down the hatches," my hair was whipped into a Gordian knot. But, hey, I got some cool snaps.
We booted around Rt. 1 in Marin, stopping to take pictures, buy cherries from the surliest roadside stand ever, etc. etc. At some point, I evangelized about Amalia Rodrigues being the perfect accompaniment to this drive, so we listened to some fado. Since we hit Marin comparatively late on a Sunday, the traffic was going against us and there weren't as many bicyclists on the road. While eating the cherries, I complained that I'm a lousy spitter and my companion offered to give me a few pointers. I found it charming, and reminiscent of when I was seven and my mother taught me how to blow bubbles with chewing gum. Conclusion: I'm a worse spitter if I think about it too much.
After a few mis-turns (really, more like miscommunication - I thought we were headed to one site, and he thought we were trying to get to another), we parked at Stinson Beach. Beaches in northern California are blustery affairs: more windbreaker and sunglasses than swimsuit. The gigantic fleece blanket in the trunk was, as med skool put it, "clutch." Sprawled out on the sand, we both fell asleep to the sound of the waves coming in. I woke up because the waves suddenly increased in size, changing the rhythm. Also, I was very lightly asleep due to the conditions: out in the open, in public, etc. The nap was refreshing, although for the rest of the day, I kept finding sand in my hair.
Heading back into the city, I couldn't decide where to go: Mission (which I'd prefer) or North Beach (more tourist-y). I managed to get us kind of turned around in Russian Hill, and we finally picked a street to try and reach North Beach. At one point, I saw one of SF's unique "HILL" signs .... and then I noticed tourists snapping pics of the hill. Med skool astutely surmised that we were about to do the twisty part of Lombard - yet another tourist attraction - and, completely unplanned! I was really thrilled to just stumble upon it.
I found the parking garage in North Beach which has fortunes painted behind each car. (I think ours was "You are welcome at any gathering.") We walked around Columbus Street, and ended up having dinner at Michaelangelo's. Thanks to SFist, I knew to check out the new gelato place (HUUGE recommend!) We finished our gelato admiring the window display at City Lights, and ended the evening browing the bookstore.
Hopefully, if I can get my card reader to work(!!!), I will add pics to this post!
I launched a veritable tour-de-force of ... tourism on SF on Sunday. Ah, poor visitors to the area, little do they know that I will use them and abuse them to check out the sights. I picked up my co-pilot, med skool, and we headed up to the Inner Richmond to wander Clement Street and partake of dim sum. Although, I've only been there a handful of times, I really enjoy the neighborhood: the juxtoposition of little Chinese eateries with bars like the Bitter End and Rockit Lounge.
Next, we headed over the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped at the vista point on the other side (along with the majority of the Indian population in the tri-state area) to take pictures. We really had to "batten down the hatches," my hair was whipped into a Gordian knot. But, hey, I got some cool snaps.
We booted around Rt. 1 in Marin, stopping to take pictures, buy cherries from the surliest roadside stand ever, etc. etc. At some point, I evangelized about Amalia Rodrigues being the perfect accompaniment to this drive, so we listened to some fado. Since we hit Marin comparatively late on a Sunday, the traffic was going against us and there weren't as many bicyclists on the road. While eating the cherries, I complained that I'm a lousy spitter and my companion offered to give me a few pointers. I found it charming, and reminiscent of when I was seven and my mother taught me how to blow bubbles with chewing gum. Conclusion: I'm a worse spitter if I think about it too much.
After a few mis-turns (really, more like miscommunication - I thought we were headed to one site, and he thought we were trying to get to another), we parked at Stinson Beach. Beaches in northern California are blustery affairs: more windbreaker and sunglasses than swimsuit. The gigantic fleece blanket in the trunk was, as med skool put it, "clutch." Sprawled out on the sand, we both fell asleep to the sound of the waves coming in. I woke up because the waves suddenly increased in size, changing the rhythm. Also, I was very lightly asleep due to the conditions: out in the open, in public, etc. The nap was refreshing, although for the rest of the day, I kept finding sand in my hair.
Heading back into the city, I couldn't decide where to go: Mission (which I'd prefer) or North Beach (more tourist-y). I managed to get us kind of turned around in Russian Hill, and we finally picked a street to try and reach North Beach. At one point, I saw one of SF's unique "HILL" signs .... and then I noticed tourists snapping pics of the hill. Med skool astutely surmised that we were about to do the twisty part of Lombard - yet another tourist attraction - and, completely unplanned! I was really thrilled to just stumble upon it.
I found the parking garage in North Beach which has fortunes painted behind each car. (I think ours was "You are welcome at any gathering.") We walked around Columbus Street, and ended up having dinner at Michaelangelo's. Thanks to SFist, I knew to check out the new gelato place (HUUGE recommend!) We finished our gelato admiring the window display at City Lights, and ended the evening browing the bookstore.
Hopefully, if I can get my card reader to work(!!!), I will add pics to this post!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
palmistry
Long weekend update, y'all! In the interests of not boring my three readers, I will hit just the highlights.
Friday
Headed into the city with a coworker for some hijinks. I felt like I was cheating on brimful with her neighborhood (or perhaps I was the other woman - coming between brimful and the Mission.) We ate at La Provence, and then hit Lone Palm, and Double Dutch. And, um, the Skylark. Uh, and then Casanova. (Important note: I'm only able to do the bar crawl thing b/c I'm not much of a drinker - I rarely have more than 2.)
At Casanova, we ran into two guys that coworker knows. (Oddly enough, the second cousin of ANOTHER coworker and his sidekick.) 2nd cousin turns into coworker's wingman, and I end up chatting with Sidekick. Somehow, Sidekick ends up reading my palm. One of the first things he says is: "Um, soooo..... I don't know how to say this, but uh ..... is someone in your family white?"
Jigga-wha?
I quickly set him straight (um, not that there's anything WRONG with having white peeps in the family!) He told me that my fingerprints are whorls and that that trait is strictly Caucasian - Asians do not have that. I pointed out that I'm generally not what people have in mind when they say "Asian." Just so that we don't lose sight of the ball here, he tried to insinuate that I have, um, a "honky in the woodpile." (If you're not familiar with the expression I'm paraphrasing, I'm not 'splainin' it!) And he felt that that was insulting. And he was himself Caucasian.
This convo occurred after he tried to tell me three times that he's older than me. (He's not. And I had to tell him the second and third times that, "Um, well, you weren't older than me 2 minutes ago - so I doubt you are now, either.") Oh, and shortly before I challenged him to a gun show. I was going for "Dude! Why do you keep challenging me on absolutely everything?', but it ended in an actual gun show, judged by the woman standing next to us. (He won....barely.)
Sunday
In an effort to meet new people, I'm checking out some Meetup groups. On Sunday, I went on a hike with a group titled "Let's go for a hike and maybe take a break if we get tired." How perfect is that? We met up in Portola Valley and the fog was as thick as soup. We kept telling each other that it would burn off once we got going (as we squinted to try and see each other through the mist.) And, it did - the hike was beautiful, and just the right (slow-ass) pace for me. We saw a gorgeous hummingbird (ruby-throated, I think), a newt (salamander?), some banana slugs, etc. I felt a reawakening of my latent bio major. I realize that I'm pretty unfamiliar with the flora and most of the fauna of the Bay area, and I'd like to work on that.
Friday
Headed into the city with a coworker for some hijinks. I felt like I was cheating on brimful with her neighborhood (or perhaps I was the other woman - coming between brimful and the Mission.) We ate at La Provence, and then hit Lone Palm, and Double Dutch. And, um, the Skylark. Uh, and then Casanova. (Important note: I'm only able to do the bar crawl thing b/c I'm not much of a drinker - I rarely have more than 2.)
At Casanova, we ran into two guys that coworker knows. (Oddly enough, the second cousin of ANOTHER coworker and his sidekick.) 2nd cousin turns into coworker's wingman, and I end up chatting with Sidekick. Somehow, Sidekick ends up reading my palm. One of the first things he says is: "Um, soooo..... I don't know how to say this, but uh ..... is someone in your family white?"
Jigga-wha?
I quickly set him straight (um, not that there's anything WRONG with having white peeps in the family!) He told me that my fingerprints are whorls and that that trait is strictly Caucasian - Asians do not have that. I pointed out that I'm generally not what people have in mind when they say "Asian." Just so that we don't lose sight of the ball here, he tried to insinuate that I have, um, a "honky in the woodpile." (If you're not familiar with the expression I'm paraphrasing, I'm not 'splainin' it!) And he felt that that was insulting. And he was himself Caucasian.
This convo occurred after he tried to tell me three times that he's older than me. (He's not. And I had to tell him the second and third times that, "Um, well, you weren't older than me 2 minutes ago - so I doubt you are now, either.") Oh, and shortly before I challenged him to a gun show. I was going for "Dude! Why do you keep challenging me on absolutely everything?', but it ended in an actual gun show, judged by the woman standing next to us. (He won....barely.)
Sunday
In an effort to meet new people, I'm checking out some Meetup groups. On Sunday, I went on a hike with a group titled "Let's go for a hike and maybe take a break if we get tired." How perfect is that? We met up in Portola Valley and the fog was as thick as soup. We kept telling each other that it would burn off once we got going (as we squinted to try and see each other through the mist.) And, it did - the hike was beautiful, and just the right (slow-ass) pace for me. We saw a gorgeous hummingbird (ruby-throated, I think), a newt (salamander?), some banana slugs, etc. I felt a reawakening of my latent bio major. I realize that I'm pretty unfamiliar with the flora and most of the fauna of the Bay area, and I'd like to work on that.
Monday, May 21, 2007
drop the pilot
Weekend update, y'all!
Friday I've had some really weird sleep patterns recently: falling asleep way too early, bizarro dreams. In fact, early last week I finally put something together: I had been having the same dream over and over: that Gia suddenly showed up at the gym one morning while I was working out. The gym is about 1/2 a block from my apartment, and it's entirely possible that she did stroll by during her "adventure." This all added up to me crashing hard-core on Friday.
Saturday I hung out with TBF and her beautiful, beautiful 2 month old daughter (who I could call TBF, version 2.0, but I'll call her Cassie.) She's just at the age when she can smile, and she has started cooing. When she really gets going - with the cooing, the smiling, and - of course - the arm flapping, it's really something to see.
I've gone nerdcore and now carry a little notebook with me. I write down books that I want to read. It's very helpful on my frequent library visits. I've read so many blog posts that mention books, not to mention Daily Show clips, etc. and now I'm capturing all of that information. Mmmm... Type A happy!
Sunday During my craigslist blitz, I found someone who tutors in French and Spanish. How awesome is that? I've been wanting to get my French back into shape, and this sounded just about perfect. (I tried a class at L'Alliance Francaise, but that didn't give me the grammar overhaul that I wanted.) So, Sunday morning I found myself sitting at a sunny table, conversating in French. (All the while surreptiously petting the bichon frise that had so dramatically thrown himself at my feet.) And I liked it. It felt like ... weeding a neglected garden, it was hard going at first but as the minutes ticked by, I felt like I was picking up speed. At this point, I'm still very much thinking in English and translating into French, and there are various and sundry tenses that I'm pretending don't exist. BUT, things should look a lot better by the end of the summer.
In all my post-tutoring excitement, I headed to Borders to pick up a honkin' French-English dictionary. I've been very, very good about my "don't buy books" thing. But, um, while I was in line, I spotted the new Barbara Kingsolver book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. It, um, might have followed me home? Actually, I'm not going to make excuses - I love her books and have read each one that I own multiple times. Totally an investment.
Walking down the street, I saw this beautiful young teenager walking towards me. As she passed me, I realized I knew her. I called her name and we ended up having the most awkward conversation ever:
... and the whole time she was sort of looking over my shoulder and just way awkward with me. I realized what it was: she was treating me like a friend of her parents, someone their age. I felt about 9,000 years old.
So, I went home to curl up with a cup of tea and my programs (in this case, The Proposition) and rub the rheumatism out of my bones.
Friday I've had some really weird sleep patterns recently: falling asleep way too early, bizarro dreams. In fact, early last week I finally put something together: I had been having the same dream over and over: that Gia suddenly showed up at the gym one morning while I was working out. The gym is about 1/2 a block from my apartment, and it's entirely possible that she did stroll by during her "adventure." This all added up to me crashing hard-core on Friday.
Saturday I hung out with TBF and her beautiful, beautiful 2 month old daughter (who I could call TBF, version 2.0, but I'll call her Cassie.) She's just at the age when she can smile, and she has started cooing. When she really gets going - with the cooing, the smiling, and - of course - the arm flapping, it's really something to see.
I've gone nerdcore and now carry a little notebook with me. I write down books that I want to read. It's very helpful on my frequent library visits. I've read so many blog posts that mention books, not to mention Daily Show clips, etc. and now I'm capturing all of that information. Mmmm... Type A happy!
Sunday During my craigslist blitz, I found someone who tutors in French and Spanish. How awesome is that? I've been wanting to get my French back into shape, and this sounded just about perfect. (I tried a class at L'Alliance Francaise, but that didn't give me the grammar overhaul that I wanted.) So, Sunday morning I found myself sitting at a sunny table, conversating in French. (All the while surreptiously petting the bichon frise that had so dramatically thrown himself at my feet.) And I liked it. It felt like ... weeding a neglected garden, it was hard going at first but as the minutes ticked by, I felt like I was picking up speed. At this point, I'm still very much thinking in English and translating into French, and there are various and sundry tenses that I'm pretending don't exist. BUT, things should look a lot better by the end of the summer.
In all my post-tutoring excitement, I headed to Borders to pick up a honkin' French-English dictionary. I've been very, very good about my "don't buy books" thing. But, um, while I was in line, I spotted the new Barbara Kingsolver book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. It, um, might have followed me home? Actually, I'm not going to make excuses - I love her books and have read each one that I own multiple times. Totally an investment.
Walking down the street, I saw this beautiful young teenager walking towards me. As she passed me, I realized I knew her. I called her name and we ended up having the most awkward conversation ever:
maisnon: Hey! It's good to see you! It's [maisnon].
Um, do you know who I am? Our parents know each other? We were at
your house in ... October when my parents visisted? My dad went to
Stanford with your dad?
... and the whole time she was sort of looking over my shoulder and just way awkward with me. I realized what it was: she was treating me like a friend of her parents, someone their age. I felt about 9,000 years old.
So, I went home to curl up with a cup of tea and my programs (in this case, The Proposition) and rub the rheumatism out of my bones.
Monday, May 07, 2007
marinate
Weekend update, y'all!
Friday Went for drinks with the Sweetest Boy in All the Land (waay too long, we'll call him The Sweet.) Somehow, we forgot that Cinco de Mayo was impending (this was Quatre de Mayo.) So maybe a Mexican restaurant was a bad choice. The conversation was really free-ranging, including therapy, whether or not we want to have kids (um, not with each other!), etc. etc.
Saturday Errands from hell. I did a good bit of cleaning, and tackled some errands I had been putting off for a million years. It's amazing how great crossing off the oldest items in your to-do list feels!
Sunday My friend-who-needs-a-blogname just moved here from DC!! I'm so thrilled! However, she moved to the Marina. (I wish that sentence could read "And" instead of "However.") I don't much care for that neighborhood. I told my friend that I didn't feel comfortable there, and she thought I meant personal safety. Not at all. I've described it as a little slice of LA in SF (Roonie put it better than me: Bev Hills.) I feel like people are much more interested in what you're wearing and what you look like than they are in the other parts of SF. In the Mission, by contrast, I think you could be walking a llama and people wouldn't bat an eye.
We ate at Home, and then wandered Union Street. I introduced her to Lush, but I think she was a little freaked out by it. We stopped in a bunch of boutiques that sell things you can't possibly use at prices you can't possibly afford. (As we were leaving one of them, the proprietor was wrapping a purchase for a customer and said "The ribbon is hand-tied in Paris!" The customer responded "Hand-tied! In Paris! Good to know!" I managed not to laugh until I left, and I'm pretty impressed with myself for it.)
Did I mention the weather? Well, it was hot, burning, HOTT! I don't really do hot, and frankly SF doesn't really either. It was ridiculously hot, by SF-standards and everyone was out in full effect. Along the water, there was a woman in a bikini getting some sun. (I guess, considering SF's weather, you must make hay while the sun shines.) I'm pretty whine-y when I'm hot, so we retreated to the comforts of Sephora. Ah, Sephora - I feel a little girlier every time I visit you.
Biggest news: I set myself a deadline: by Sept. 1, I'm moving to SF.
Friday Went for drinks with the Sweetest Boy in All the Land (waay too long, we'll call him The Sweet.) Somehow, we forgot that Cinco de Mayo was impending (this was Quatre de Mayo.) So maybe a Mexican restaurant was a bad choice. The conversation was really free-ranging, including therapy, whether or not we want to have kids (um, not with each other!), etc. etc.
Saturday Errands from hell. I did a good bit of cleaning, and tackled some errands I had been putting off for a million years. It's amazing how great crossing off the oldest items in your to-do list feels!
Sunday My friend-who-needs-a-blogname just moved here from DC!! I'm so thrilled! However, she moved to the Marina. (I wish that sentence could read "And" instead of "However.") I don't much care for that neighborhood. I told my friend that I didn't feel comfortable there, and she thought I meant personal safety. Not at all. I've described it as a little slice of LA in SF (Roonie put it better than me: Bev Hills.) I feel like people are much more interested in what you're wearing and what you look like than they are in the other parts of SF. In the Mission, by contrast, I think you could be walking a llama and people wouldn't bat an eye.
We ate at Home, and then wandered Union Street. I introduced her to Lush, but I think she was a little freaked out by it. We stopped in a bunch of boutiques that sell things you can't possibly use at prices you can't possibly afford. (As we were leaving one of them, the proprietor was wrapping a purchase for a customer and said "The ribbon is hand-tied in Paris!" The customer responded "Hand-tied! In Paris! Good to know!" I managed not to laugh until I left, and I'm pretty impressed with myself for it.)
Did I mention the weather? Well, it was hot, burning, HOTT! I don't really do hot, and frankly SF doesn't really either. It was ridiculously hot, by SF-standards and everyone was out in full effect. Along the water, there was a woman in a bikini getting some sun. (I guess, considering SF's weather, you must make hay while the sun shines.) I'm pretty whine-y when I'm hot, so we retreated to the comforts of Sephora. Ah, Sephora - I feel a little girlier every time I visit you.
Biggest news: I set myself a deadline: by Sept. 1, I'm moving to SF.
Monday, April 30, 2007
d'habitude
Weekend update, y'all!
Friday: Headed out for Happy Hour with some coworkers. I know that I live in "suburbia" and should therefore hate my neighborhood, but I love that I can walk to so many things - including beers and nachos. So, there we were, 5 guys ... and me. An hour into it, I had to call a moratorium on talking about work. The boys naturally segued into ... talking about sports! Argh! Despite my repeated "hints" that the convo was completely leaving me out, it continued. Not the ideal way to spend a Friday evening. I begged off early-ish and went home and watched "Queens" (Reinas). I understood a lot of the Spanish, which thrilled me. It also underlined that I want to add to and improve my Spanish. At some point, I want to be able to travel in a Spanish-speaking country and handle my bidness in Spanish.
Saturday: Today, was National Rebuilding Together day. A bunch of coworkers (along with spouses, significant others, stepparents, friends, and kids) met up at a house in East Palo Alto and went to work. We tore down an old shed and built a new one, and did a HELL of a lot of landscaping (including building a driveway turnaround, planting trees, tilling the ground to get up weeds, and mulching.) We miraculously finished by 4 pm and I was able to head home and grab a shower before the BBQ. I made the mistake of sitting down post-shower. So. hard. to. get. back. up. The soreness really kicked in. There is something about manual labour and its effects - something honest, and authentic. The gym makes me sore as well, but there's something about the combination of sore muscles, a thin layer of mulch dust, and exhaustion. Maybe it's the sense of accomplishment - I made a real, tangible contribution.
Sunday: The nearly inevitable aftermath of spending all day Saturday outside - horrendous, horrendous allergies. I was sneezing so loudly and forcefully that I scared Gia. Not coo' yo, not coo'. Although it was gorgeous out, I resolved to spend the day inside. I did a good bit of cleaning, but also, um, some napping (which did wonders for the allergies.) I also started thinking about/setting my goals for May.
Friday: Headed out for Happy Hour with some coworkers. I know that I live in "suburbia" and should therefore hate my neighborhood, but I love that I can walk to so many things - including beers and nachos. So, there we were, 5 guys ... and me. An hour into it, I had to call a moratorium on talking about work. The boys naturally segued into ... talking about sports! Argh! Despite my repeated "hints" that the convo was completely leaving me out, it continued. Not the ideal way to spend a Friday evening. I begged off early-ish and went home and watched "Queens" (Reinas). I understood a lot of the Spanish, which thrilled me. It also underlined that I want to add to and improve my Spanish. At some point, I want to be able to travel in a Spanish-speaking country and handle my bidness in Spanish.
Saturday: Today, was National Rebuilding Together day. A bunch of coworkers (along with spouses, significant others, stepparents, friends, and kids) met up at a house in East Palo Alto and went to work. We tore down an old shed and built a new one, and did a HELL of a lot of landscaping (including building a driveway turnaround, planting trees, tilling the ground to get up weeds, and mulching.) We miraculously finished by 4 pm and I was able to head home and grab a shower before the BBQ. I made the mistake of sitting down post-shower. So. hard. to. get. back. up. The soreness really kicked in. There is something about manual labour and its effects - something honest, and authentic. The gym makes me sore as well, but there's something about the combination of sore muscles, a thin layer of mulch dust, and exhaustion. Maybe it's the sense of accomplishment - I made a real, tangible contribution.
Sunday: The nearly inevitable aftermath of spending all day Saturday outside - horrendous, horrendous allergies. I was sneezing so loudly and forcefully that I scared Gia. Not coo' yo, not coo'. Although it was gorgeous out, I resolved to spend the day inside. I did a good bit of cleaning, but also, um, some napping (which did wonders for the allergies.) I also started thinking about/setting my goals for May.
Monday, April 23, 2007
If Plato is a fine red wine, then Aristotle is a dry martini
Weekend update, y'all!
Friday
Realized I had wholly lost my ability to focus, so I left work at 6:30 pm - and felt like that was so early. Did a spot of grocery shopping (food! in the house! in non-frozen form!!) and settled down to watch "Kicking and Screaming." Ah, Friday night in - how I love you!
Saturday
Hesse and I dashed to Fremont for some chaat, then hit IKEA for dessert. (Totally wtf, I know! But the marzipan tart things in the Swedish food store? The yum.) Then, we went to the public library. I know, I know - sometimes the glamour in my life ... it's just too much to take.
I headed up to the city for a dinner party. Unfortunately for me, it was raining. SF drivers can not handle the rain. And they have the memories of goldfish. Every time it rains, they must re-learn the whole "drive more slowly"/"not like a jackass" thing. Every time. So there are accidents. Which means it took me nearly two hours to get to SF. Triple shot of ick. The dinner was lovely, and something I plan to write about later.
Sunday
So lazy. The one thing I've really wanted to do now that my superbusy phase at work seems to be waning is to clean. my. house. Or at least bust the messiness down to the level where someone else can come clean it. Seriously, people, the laundry situation is getting dire - and I can no longer find the floor of the bedroom.
I finally motivated and went to work for a few hours. Then, it was off to TBF's daughter's "monthday" party. According to TBF, it is a Taiwanese tradition to have a party on the baby's one month birthday to celebrate both mom and baby. Dude, there were MAD kids up in that hizzy! I think there were at least ten, but it's hard to say as they were sort of a blur of energy.
Best comment of the evening: being told that I looked "good" with a baby, and that a baby is kind of the ultimate accessory. I said, "Yeah, an incredibly EXPENSIVE accessory!" I whispered "Gucci ain't got nothin' on you" to the bebe's head, gave him a quick smooch and handed him right back to Mama.
Friday
Realized I had wholly lost my ability to focus, so I left work at 6:30 pm - and felt like that was so early. Did a spot of grocery shopping (food! in the house! in non-frozen form!!) and settled down to watch "Kicking and Screaming." Ah, Friday night in - how I love you!
Saturday
Hesse and I dashed to Fremont for some chaat, then hit IKEA for dessert. (Totally wtf, I know! But the marzipan tart things in the Swedish food store? The yum.) Then, we went to the public library. I know, I know - sometimes the glamour in my life ... it's just too much to take.
I headed up to the city for a dinner party. Unfortunately for me, it was raining. SF drivers can not handle the rain. And they have the memories of goldfish. Every time it rains, they must re-learn the whole "drive more slowly"/"not like a jackass" thing. Every time. So there are accidents. Which means it took me nearly two hours to get to SF. Triple shot of ick. The dinner was lovely, and something I plan to write about later.
Sunday
So lazy. The one thing I've really wanted to do now that my superbusy phase at work seems to be waning is to clean. my. house. Or at least bust the messiness down to the level where someone else can come clean it. Seriously, people, the laundry situation is getting dire - and I can no longer find the floor of the bedroom.
I finally motivated and went to work for a few hours. Then, it was off to TBF's daughter's "monthday" party. According to TBF, it is a Taiwanese tradition to have a party on the baby's one month birthday to celebrate both mom and baby. Dude, there were MAD kids up in that hizzy! I think there were at least ten, but it's hard to say as they were sort of a blur of energy.
Best comment of the evening: being told that I looked "good" with a baby, and that a baby is kind of the ultimate accessory. I said, "Yeah, an incredibly EXPENSIVE accessory!" I whispered "Gucci ain't got nothin' on you" to the bebe's head, gave him a quick smooch and handed him right back to Mama.
Monday, March 12, 2007
vino, vidi, vici
You know when you walk past those big display beds in the department stores? The ones that are perfectly made, with coordinating accessories, that seem almost overstuffed - bursting with plump coziness?Beds have become my new fantasy. And it's not even due to an insomnia attack. I dream of curling up into bed and ....reading, maybe napping, writing in a journal. I flip through the pages of CB2 and drool over the soothing modern lines.
It seems that I need some kind of a vacation. And I do not mean travel! My big trip to India, while quite an adventure, was not as restorative as, apparently, I needed it to be. I've also been jonesing for sitting on the beach and staring at the wonder pondering the mysteries. (I'm not talking swimsuit and margarita - I'm talking Northern California styles - sweatshirt and a water bottle!)
Resolved: by the end of the month, I will (1) drive out to the beach, set up my little camp chair and vegetate, (2) check myself into a hotel room and spend random hours in bed. (So much easier to do when you're not staring at laundry that needs to be done, or dealing with the feline roomie demanding attention!)
..........
Weekend update!
Friday: Happy Hour with work peeps, then a hot date with Colin Farrell. I think this is the first movie I've seen him in, and ... I can see the attraction. I also tried out Netflix new "Watch it Now" feature (to watch 'Big Eden') Yes, we can just call this my Big Gay Cinema Night.
Saturday: extra helping of NOTHING! I've been having these visions of spring cleaning. Sorting through closets, making lists - getting ORGANIZED!
Yeah, none of that happened. A higher priority, I decided, was bonding with my couch. Thankfully, Hesse convinced me to enjoy the gorgeous day by going for a walk. Any walk with me is a mini bio-lesson. It's probably on the annoying-side, but I can't help it. I point out trees, and other flora. The park we went to has a wealth of bird life, and I spouted off about it. Poor Hesse now knows more about red-winged blackbirds and their migratory behavior than he probably ever wanted to know. (I even broke down what the birds were chattering on about. I translated it as "Bitch, please! This is MY turf! You best get to steppin' ")
Sunday: Damn time change! Totally screwed with my sleep schedule, and nearly messed with my plans for the day! I headed into the city and picked up ads and an as-of-yet-unnamed friend and headed up to wine country. We were all running a little late, and a half step off, so we didn't hit as many wineries as we may have liked. Still, we enjoyed the barrel tasting weekend, andI will try to make it again next year.
I bought wine from A. Raffanelli (which*thrilled* me- I had a bottle of their zin at dinner in September and have been thinking of it ever since.) I was also impressed with the zinfandel at Bella (and may have come home with a few bottles - including a late harvest zin that they paired with peanut butter cups. The yum!!)
Monday, March 05, 2007
where soul meets body
I spent Saturday in one of my favorite ways: a more-or-less unstructured hanging out with someone who genuinely entertains me. I was walking home from getting new keys cut when Hesse swooped by and picked me up - my knight in white shining Saab. As I was still "gym fabulous", I made him promise we weren't meeting other people. He said, "Of course not! We just have to pick up these two people..." Nice. The day meandered on, including stops in downtown Mountain View (for Indian Chinese food and Gelato Classico), Kepler's, the public library.
And then, off to the city to meet up with brimful for some Clive Owen (i.e. Children of Men). Before the movie even started, we had an adventure - scooting around the new Westfield Center in search of Beard Papa. We finally found him, secured some cream puffs and made it to the theater on time. (How many times do you think I said, "I love it when you call me Beard Papa..." ? But, at least I managed to only say it in my head!)
(I enjoyed the movie, but I feel like I'm still ... processing it.)
Picking b up, there was a wonderfully surreal moment. Hesse was on his cellphone speaking to his friend, I was on my phone letting b know that we were arriving, and some desi girl on the corner was on her phone, yet mouthing at us to "LOOK. AT. THE. MOON!" (which was gorgeous.) Hesse, having never met b, asked me if that was her And I tried to respond. Which of course confused our co-conversants on their cellphones.
Sunday - the baby shower. That also went off just as I would have liked it - low key (NO SHOWER GAMES!), small group of ridiculously amazing women, and good food. The guest of honor (besides TBF) was TBF's mom - all the way from snowy Toronto! I haven't seen her in two years - she gave me a big hug and said, "OH! I forgot how tall you are!!"
I want another day of weekend. The weather was gorgeous, and I spent as much time as I could soaking it up, but I want more. I want to cat nap on my balcony, fall asleep in my little sunny spot.
And then, off to the city to meet up with brimful for some Clive Owen (i.e. Children of Men). Before the movie even started, we had an adventure - scooting around the new Westfield Center in search of Beard Papa. We finally found him, secured some cream puffs and made it to the theater on time. (How many times do you think I said, "I love it when you call me Beard Papa..." ? But, at least I managed to only say it in my head!)
(I enjoyed the movie, but I feel like I'm still ... processing it.)
Picking b up, there was a wonderfully surreal moment. Hesse was on his cellphone speaking to his friend, I was on my phone letting b know that we were arriving, and some desi girl on the corner was on her phone, yet mouthing at us to "LOOK. AT. THE. MOON!" (which was gorgeous.) Hesse, having never met b, asked me if that was her And I tried to respond. Which of course confused our co-conversants on their cellphones.
Sunday - the baby shower. That also went off just as I would have liked it - low key (NO SHOWER GAMES!), small group of ridiculously amazing women, and good food. The guest of honor (besides TBF) was TBF's mom - all the way from snowy Toronto! I haven't seen her in two years - she gave me a big hug and said, "OH! I forgot how tall you are!!"
I want another day of weekend. The weather was gorgeous, and I spent as much time as I could soaking it up, but I want more. I want to cat nap on my balcony, fall asleep in my little sunny spot.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Three Little Birds
Be grateful: I nearly wrote this post last night after my wine class (i.e. 1/2 a sheet to the wind.) But, I thought, "No! My readers (all four of them) deserve better! They deserve nouns and verbs. In the same sentence, even!"
Weekend update! (on Thursday, but hey - at least it's happening!)
I had an awesome weekend, and by awesome I mean I mostly did nothing, and a lot of it. Perfection.
Friday night, I took Jay-Z out for drinks to Iberia, a Spanish joint around the corner from chez moi, to celebrate her last day at work. The sangria there is fabulous, and strong! As we were leaving, I ran into a blog commenter! What's funny is that we met up once before .... at Iberia! We joked back and forth about "how come you didn't call me? I thought you had a good time on our date", etc., while her patient boyfriend rolled his eyes.
Saturday - nothing, with a side order of nothing. The big event of the day was making dinner for TBF. She is now 8 months pregnant and on bedrest, poor thing. We watched "Dazed and Confused" - how had I never seen that before?? There are such holes in my movie knowledge.
Sunday - I went to a few open houses in the city. I'm feeling a little ambivalent about whether I want to buy or not, but oddly, I really enjoy going to open houses now. I like learning a little more about the city, parking somewhere and walking around. Something I knew, but that I re-affirmed this weekend: if the listing says fixer-upper, it's a total disaster. "contractor's dream" = "buyer's nightmare." I was in the living room of the second open house when a woman and her husband walked in. We looked at each other and immediately started walking towards each other. It turns out she works for the same firm, but the SF office and we had met once months ago. We talked real estate for a little bit, and continued around the house.
Monday (bonus round, bitches!) I spent the morning in bed with "The Moor's Last Sigh." I've had a much harder time getting wrapped up in this Rushdie than the last, but I think I turned the corner. I finally pulled myself away and decided to hit the cafe. Yeah, noonish on a holiday with beautiful weather? Not a good time to hit the cafe. The cafe has a little sign about doubling up with "unmet friends" when necessary. I managed to suck it up and ask someone if I could share his table. I settled down, and reached into my backpack for the Moor ... only to come up empty-handed. Ick. I ended up chatting with my co-table occupant, poor thing. And it turned out to be a great conversation: we covered real estate, economics, studying languages , entrepreneurship, etc. Unmet friend, indeed.
Weekend update! (on Thursday, but hey - at least it's happening!)
I had an awesome weekend, and by awesome I mean I mostly did nothing, and a lot of it. Perfection.
Friday night, I took Jay-Z out for drinks to Iberia, a Spanish joint around the corner from chez moi, to celebrate her last day at work. The sangria there is fabulous, and strong! As we were leaving, I ran into a blog commenter! What's funny is that we met up once before .... at Iberia! We joked back and forth about "how come you didn't call me? I thought you had a good time on our date", etc., while her patient boyfriend rolled his eyes.
Saturday - nothing, with a side order of nothing. The big event of the day was making dinner for TBF. She is now 8 months pregnant and on bedrest, poor thing. We watched "Dazed and Confused" - how had I never seen that before?? There are such holes in my movie knowledge.
Sunday - I went to a few open houses in the city. I'm feeling a little ambivalent about whether I want to buy or not, but oddly, I really enjoy going to open houses now. I like learning a little more about the city, parking somewhere and walking around. Something I knew, but that I re-affirmed this weekend: if the listing says fixer-upper, it's a total disaster. "contractor's dream" = "buyer's nightmare." I was in the living room of the second open house when a woman and her husband walked in. We looked at each other and immediately started walking towards each other. It turns out she works for the same firm, but the SF office and we had met once months ago. We talked real estate for a little bit, and continued around the house.
Monday (bonus round, bitches!) I spent the morning in bed with "The Moor's Last Sigh." I've had a much harder time getting wrapped up in this Rushdie than the last, but I think I turned the corner. I finally pulled myself away and decided to hit the cafe. Yeah, noonish on a holiday with beautiful weather? Not a good time to hit the cafe. The cafe has a little sign about doubling up with "unmet friends" when necessary. I managed to suck it up and ask someone if I could share his table. I settled down, and reached into my backpack for the Moor ... only to come up empty-handed. Ick. I ended up chatting with my co-table occupant, poor thing. And it turned out to be a great conversation: we covered real estate, economics, studying languages , entrepreneurship, etc. Unmet friend, indeed.
I did next to nothing this weekend, and yet - every day had its own little coincidence, it's own unexpected conversation. And, sometimes, that's all you need.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Claire de Lune
WEEKEND UPDATE!
So, last weekend, I headed down to Hell-A to visit one of my favorite commenters (and incidentally, one of my best friends from college.) ILTSAE brings out ... the most obnoxious in me, and that is saying something. Once she came to visit me in DC and was greeted at the airport with a sign that said LOSER. I did it because I knew she would have to walk up to me if she wanted a ride home, or a bed to sleep in. Yeah, I'm a bitch.
Spending time with us must be a little taxing for others because we have so many inside stories (which we can summarize in pithy little comments: "that'll do for now", "not a drop in the bucket", etc.) Also, we are rapier-mean to each other (because, of course, we couldn't love each other more.)
The weekend was largely just chill, which I badly needed. After she picked me up, we wandered fabulous downtown Claremont in search of eats and then home to her cute little house. Saturday morning, I headed to Hollywoodland to meet up with J-money and Roonie for brunch. Roonie and I then took it to the hills to walk it out. Um, if you're thinking of doing a little walking/hiking - pick a trail that doesn't have a stable nearby. Draw your own conclusions.
I drove back to Claremont and swore I would never drive again. My shins actually hurt from all of the stop-and-go. On a Saturday. We met up with some of ILTSAE's friends for fabulous, fabulous sushi. Mmmm. I even sang the sushi song ("Sushi! Sushi! Sushi! I made you out of fish." sung to the tune of "Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel" I'm so mature.) If you are in the area, let me recommend Rumblefish Sushi - the yum! Then - movie night! We watched one of my all-time favorite movies: "The Broken Hearts Club: A Gay Romantic Comedy" (shut up - it's friggin' fabulous! And Dean Cain! And Zach Braff (as a blonde)! And Justin Theroux!) I left "Bring it On" for ILTSAE to enjoy later. GO TOROS!
Sunday. Sunday was a little hard on me. Something I've been really working on is not starting the sulk while the weekend is still going on. I feel that seeing someone can make you realize how much you miss seeing them on a regular basis. Thanggod for cellphones and IM, etc., but there is something about hearing a friend's laugh in person and feeling the full force of their wit in person. I felt like I missed ILTSAE while I was still there, but thankfully - it's a very short flight away.
So, last weekend, I headed down to Hell-A to visit one of my favorite commenters (and incidentally, one of my best friends from college.) ILTSAE brings out ... the most obnoxious in me, and that is saying something. Once she came to visit me in DC and was greeted at the airport with a sign that said LOSER. I did it because I knew she would have to walk up to me if she wanted a ride home, or a bed to sleep in. Yeah, I'm a bitch.
Spending time with us must be a little taxing for others because we have so many inside stories (which we can summarize in pithy little comments: "that'll do for now", "not a drop in the bucket", etc.) Also, we are rapier-mean to each other (because, of course, we couldn't love each other more.)
The weekend was largely just chill, which I badly needed. After she picked me up, we wandered fabulous downtown Claremont in search of eats and then home to her cute little house. Saturday morning, I headed to Hollywoodland to meet up with J-money and Roonie for brunch. Roonie and I then took it to the hills to walk it out. Um, if you're thinking of doing a little walking/hiking - pick a trail that doesn't have a stable nearby. Draw your own conclusions.
I drove back to Claremont and swore I would never drive again. My shins actually hurt from all of the stop-and-go. On a Saturday. We met up with some of ILTSAE's friends for fabulous, fabulous sushi. Mmmm. I even sang the sushi song ("Sushi! Sushi! Sushi! I made you out of fish." sung to the tune of "Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel" I'm so mature.) If you are in the area, let me recommend Rumblefish Sushi - the yum! Then - movie night! We watched one of my all-time favorite movies: "The Broken Hearts Club: A Gay Romantic Comedy" (shut up - it's friggin' fabulous! And Dean Cain! And Zach Braff (as a blonde)! And Justin Theroux!) I left "Bring it On" for ILTSAE to enjoy later. GO TOROS!
Sunday. Sunday was a little hard on me. Something I've been really working on is not starting the sulk while the weekend is still going on. I feel that seeing someone can make you realize how much you miss seeing them on a regular basis. Thanggod for cellphones and IM, etc., but there is something about hearing a friend's laugh in person and feeling the full force of their wit in person. I felt like I missed ILTSAE while I was still there, but thankfully - it's a very short flight away.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Rainshowers
Friday All I wanted was some time to myself, and I got in spades. I can't even recall what I did, and that - that's ideal. :)
Saturday I hate being told what to do, let alone what to wear - it brings out my barely-contained inner teenaged rebel. I've had a bad attitude about our office's holiday party ever since it was announced that (1) it would be at the racetrack (THE RACETRACK!!!), and (2) that there would be a dresscode. I toyed with the idea of not going, but it was "strongly suggested" to me that I should go (which, of course, increased my not-wanting-to-go-ness.) I was determined to, at least, flout the dress code - but the shopping gods were not having it.
So I showed up at the racetrack (THE RACETRACK!!) on Saturday night in a black and bling-y dress with ridiculously glint-y silver heels on(needless to say - uncomfortable!) And.... I had an okay time. I chalk that up to mental attitude, I decided I was going to make a concerted effort to have a good time, and I managed to get to "okay."
I was home and massaging my feet by midnight. Perfecto!
Sunday So you know the morning after? The morning where you are wearing bright pink velour pants, a pink shirt, and a candy apple green fuzzy sweatshirt? And you go to the cute coffeeshop a block away dressed like that because you're so sure you won't run into anyone you know? Yeah, I did that. In the interest of embracing that I live in suburbia and not the city (at least for now,) I decided to enjoy one of the little nearby treasures - Cafe Borrone. I went bright and early, dressed.... very.... brightly. And, of course, I ran into an acquaintance.
I sat outside by the fountain and had a very enjoyable breakfast. I read my book, ate my mushroom-y eggs, listened to the fountain, watched the kids and small dogs (and the interaction between the two.) It was like being able to absorb just a little bit of things that I don't have in my life (and don't care to, at this moment.) Also, it was like being alone together. I remember telling a college friend once that I wanted to see a particular movie alone, she said, "Me too! Maybe we can go together." Missing the point a little! I like being in public spaces by myself. Having my notebook with me to scribble way, taking breaks to watch people - it's all very cozy and happy-making.
I spent the day content in my own company - reading books, napping, aiding Gia in her quest to spread cat-hair domination throughout the apartment, etc. Things are about to spike to 11, with the upcoming trip, etc., and it was nice to just slow it down.
Saturday I hate being told what to do, let alone what to wear - it brings out my barely-contained inner teenaged rebel. I've had a bad attitude about our office's holiday party ever since it was announced that (1) it would be at the racetrack (THE RACETRACK!!!), and (2) that there would be a dresscode. I toyed with the idea of not going, but it was "strongly suggested" to me that I should go (which, of course, increased my not-wanting-to-go-ness.) I was determined to, at least, flout the dress code - but the shopping gods were not having it.
So I showed up at the racetrack (THE RACETRACK!!) on Saturday night in a black and bling-y dress with ridiculously glint-y silver heels on(needless to say - uncomfortable!) And.... I had an okay time. I chalk that up to mental attitude, I decided I was going to make a concerted effort to have a good time, and I managed to get to "okay."
I was home and massaging my feet by midnight. Perfecto!
Sunday So you know the morning after? The morning where you are wearing bright pink velour pants, a pink shirt, and a candy apple green fuzzy sweatshirt? And you go to the cute coffeeshop a block away dressed like that because you're so sure you won't run into anyone you know? Yeah, I did that. In the interest of embracing that I live in suburbia and not the city (at least for now,) I decided to enjoy one of the little nearby treasures - Cafe Borrone. I went bright and early, dressed.... very.... brightly. And, of course, I ran into an acquaintance.
I sat outside by the fountain and had a very enjoyable breakfast. I read my book, ate my mushroom-y eggs, listened to the fountain, watched the kids and small dogs (and the interaction between the two.) It was like being able to absorb just a little bit of things that I don't have in my life (and don't care to, at this moment.) Also, it was like being alone together. I remember telling a college friend once that I wanted to see a particular movie alone, she said, "Me too! Maybe we can go together." Missing the point a little! I like being in public spaces by myself. Having my notebook with me to scribble way, taking breaks to watch people - it's all very cozy and happy-making.
I spent the day content in my own company - reading books, napping, aiding Gia in her quest to spread cat-hair domination throughout the apartment, etc. Things are about to spike to 11, with the upcoming trip, etc., and it was nice to just slow it down.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Steady as She Goes
Friday The indomitable, infamous DTG was in town and we had dinner plans. I picked him up from his swanky hotel downtown (he was in town for training.) This was his first trip to SF and he'd been cooped up indoors for three days. He, very sweetly, asked if we could just drive around. The "very sweetly" part was my first clue. DTG, much as I love him, is quite the Eeyore. One of his favorite jokes is kidding around about driving off the G.W. Parkway. Yeah, it's not actually funny (but he is 110% kidding.) It was clear that from the brief snippets that he had taken in, DTG was infatuated with San Francisco.
We drove around aimlessly (and semi-aimed) for about 2 hours. Fisherman's Wharf. The Marina (I was actually a little turned around, but I knew exactly where I was when I saw the Marina girls trying to hail a cab on the corner). North Beach, etc. etc. DTG was delighted with the hills, and how the neighborhoods changed - distinctively - every few blocks. It meant a lot to me to see him so excited about a city I'm totally diggin'.
We had dinner at Dosa. That was my second attempt, and .... not much better than the first. DTG said that his curry was "just spicy enough", which of course means it was NOWHERE near spicy enough for me. Sigh. The service was a little bitchy and pretentious, but if the curry had been kick-ass, I would have looked the other way.
Saturday I had dinner with a friend who is sliding the dial towards vegetarianish, so I picked a Middle Eastern place - Ararat. Recommend! The bar covered in winecorks is a little kitschy (in a good way) and the food was good. Our reservations were for 7:45 and we had the place to ourselves, but it had filled up by the time we left.
On to coworker's party! Our entrance was a little surreal - we were walking on the block I thought the party was on. All of a sudden, we heard it, and looked up. A party-goer inside made eye contact with us and said "Hey - there's maisnon!" Very odd. The party was crowded with little groups of people who knew each other in different ways. I like parties whether either I know a lot of people, OR where I can sort of fade into the upholestery and observe. I managed to carve out the situation I wanted.
NEXT! My friend felt it was important for me to go to a trance party before heading to Goa for New Year's. At one point in college, I was very into raves (not in the baby pacifier way.) So, ten years later - things haven't changed all that much. There is still the woman in "men's style" clothing popping-and-locking. And judicious use of hair-dye, fake fur, etc. It was a great place to observe.
I called it a night at 3:00 am (I'm getting old, I guess) and my friend walked me out to my car .... to discover that someone had broken in to it. The front passenger side glass was shattered, and they tried to take the stereo (stereo wasn't having it.) It makes no sense, but I wasn't upset: I think that I had been expecting a break-in for so long, that it seemed like a relief. Plus, the car was still THERE! Bonus! I felt a corollary to my travel maxim. Here it would be, " no one got hurt, the rest is just details."
The drive home was chilly, to be sure. Why I love my insurance: I put in a call at 4 am, and the claims guy called me back at 11 am saying, "I saw what time you called and I wanted to make sure you got some sleep."
Sunday I was, of course, stranded at home. And I couldn't have been happier. I did some cleaning, some napping, I worked out. I topped it off by walking to a little artsy theater and seeing "Little Children." Sometimes I forget how much I can walk to from my apartment (the train, the library, sushi, etc.) The day felt like a little present to myself - it reminded me of when I was in law school and would have dates with myself (Sunday brunch + matinee.)
We drove around aimlessly (and semi-aimed) for about 2 hours. Fisherman's Wharf. The Marina (I was actually a little turned around, but I knew exactly where I was when I saw the Marina girls trying to hail a cab on the corner). North Beach, etc. etc. DTG was delighted with the hills, and how the neighborhoods changed - distinctively - every few blocks. It meant a lot to me to see him so excited about a city I'm totally diggin'.
We had dinner at Dosa. That was my second attempt, and .... not much better than the first. DTG said that his curry was "just spicy enough", which of course means it was NOWHERE near spicy enough for me. Sigh. The service was a little bitchy and pretentious, but if the curry had been kick-ass, I would have looked the other way.
Saturday I had dinner with a friend who is sliding the dial towards vegetarianish, so I picked a Middle Eastern place - Ararat. Recommend! The bar covered in winecorks is a little kitschy (in a good way) and the food was good. Our reservations were for 7:45 and we had the place to ourselves, but it had filled up by the time we left.
On to coworker's party! Our entrance was a little surreal - we were walking on the block I thought the party was on. All of a sudden, we heard it, and looked up. A party-goer inside made eye contact with us and said "Hey - there's maisnon!" Very odd. The party was crowded with little groups of people who knew each other in different ways. I like parties whether either I know a lot of people, OR where I can sort of fade into the upholestery and observe. I managed to carve out the situation I wanted.
NEXT! My friend felt it was important for me to go to a trance party before heading to Goa for New Year's. At one point in college, I was very into raves (not in the baby pacifier way.) So, ten years later - things haven't changed all that much. There is still the woman in "men's style" clothing popping-and-locking. And judicious use of hair-dye, fake fur, etc. It was a great place to observe.
I called it a night at 3:00 am (I'm getting old, I guess) and my friend walked me out to my car .... to discover that someone had broken in to it. The front passenger side glass was shattered, and they tried to take the stereo (stereo wasn't having it.) It makes no sense, but I wasn't upset: I think that I had been expecting a break-in for so long, that it seemed like a relief. Plus, the car was still THERE! Bonus! I felt a corollary to my travel maxim. Here it would be, " no one got hurt, the rest is just details."
The drive home was chilly, to be sure. Why I love my insurance: I put in a call at 4 am, and the claims guy called me back at 11 am saying, "I saw what time you called and I wanted to make sure you got some sleep."
Sunday I was, of course, stranded at home. And I couldn't have been happier. I did some cleaning, some napping, I worked out. I topped it off by walking to a little artsy theater and seeing "Little Children." Sometimes I forget how much I can walk to from my apartment (the train, the library, sushi, etc.) The day felt like a little present to myself - it reminded me of when I was in law school and would have dates with myself (Sunday brunch + matinee.)
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Ocean Breathes Salty
Friday. I hustled our clients out the door and dropped them off at the CalTrain session with juuuuust enough time to run a comb through my hair, pick up Jay-Z and head to the city for a co-worker's bday party. This means I didn't get to put my Halloween outfit together. :(
We had a late dinner at a restaurant in North Beach. Albona specializes in Istrian cuisine - actually, I'd say the place specialized in poking fun at people. Bruno, the owner, took great care of us and kept us all in stitches. The food was phenomenal and I will make a return visit.
The crowd continued on to Suede, but Jay-Z and I had planned to make it an early night, so we hit the road.
Saturday A day of delicious nothingness. Oh wait, this is the day I watched porn: at some point, I added all the Best Picture winners to my Netflix queue. Somewhere in my list, I have Drugstore Cowboy. So, you can imagine my surprise when, instead of drugged out Matt Dillon, the movie opened with Jon Voight, circa 1969. Whoops - Midnight Cowboy. Watching Angelina's daddy in a movie that was X-rated when it came out was not what I expected, but surprises are .... good.
Sunday More do nothingness - much of it occurring in the papasan chair on my balcony. Drifting in and out while reading Barrel Fever with the sun warming my toes = just about perfect. I headed into the city to meet brimful for dinner and our weekly viewing of Lost. Our dinner of Korean barbecue was marred by The. Worst. Music. Known. to. (Wo)man. Unspeakably bad. No, no - in fact, one step removed from unspeakably bad: these weren't just hideous songs, they were covers of hideous songs! I would be trying to focus on what b was saying, and there would be this horible crescendo, a rising wave of awfulness that would just tear me away.
In other news, and I'm not the first to say this, I think Lost has jumped the shark. The show is now annoying the crap out of me. It is possible that b will convert me to something else, maybe Friday Night Lights.
Crappy music and infuriating television programming can't ruin an evening with la brim. I had a great time (and a lemon bar, too.)
We had a late dinner at a restaurant in North Beach. Albona specializes in Istrian cuisine - actually, I'd say the place specialized in poking fun at people. Bruno, the owner, took great care of us and kept us all in stitches. The food was phenomenal and I will make a return visit.
The crowd continued on to Suede, but Jay-Z and I had planned to make it an early night, so we hit the road.
Saturday A day of delicious nothingness. Oh wait, this is the day I watched porn: at some point, I added all the Best Picture winners to my Netflix queue. Somewhere in my list, I have Drugstore Cowboy. So, you can imagine my surprise when, instead of drugged out Matt Dillon, the movie opened with Jon Voight, circa 1969. Whoops - Midnight Cowboy. Watching Angelina's daddy in a movie that was X-rated when it came out was not what I expected, but surprises are .... good.
Sunday More do nothingness - much of it occurring in the papasan chair on my balcony. Drifting in and out while reading Barrel Fever with the sun warming my toes = just about perfect. I headed into the city to meet brimful for dinner and our weekly viewing of Lost. Our dinner of Korean barbecue was marred by The. Worst. Music. Known. to. (Wo)man. Unspeakably bad. No, no - in fact, one step removed from unspeakably bad: these weren't just hideous songs, they were covers of hideous songs! I would be trying to focus on what b was saying, and there would be this horible crescendo, a rising wave of awfulness that would just tear me away.
In other news, and I'm not the first to say this, I think Lost has jumped the shark. The show is now annoying the crap out of me. It is possible that b will convert me to something else, maybe Friday Night Lights.
Crappy music and infuriating television programming can't ruin an evening with la brim. I had a great time (and a lemon bar, too.)
Thursday, October 26, 2006
All aboard!
Weekend update being posted late, late Thursday - wow, if it was much later it would actually meld into the weekend.
Thursday That's right - the weekend starts on Thursday if I say it does! And any time the fabulous Chai comes for a visit, it is a special occasion! Chai expressed some trepidation about driving to my place, so she took CalTrain! How fun is that? I live two blocks from the train station and don't take it often enough. I listened for the whistle and walked up to meet her. As you know, I eat strictly from the Trader Joe's food group, so we headed there and picked up some goodies: olives stuffed with jalapenos, baguette, chevre. Dinner was just what I wanted - gabbing over a cluster of small bowls of antipasti, while Gia scoped out her Auntie Chai. I'm so thrilled to have her local for a little while!
Friday We celebrate the birfday of one of my favoritest people. (In fact, my two closest friends have the same bday - how conVEEENient!) The crew gathered at Double Dutch for some beverages and for some shakeage of the boot-ay on the dance floor. Some friends may have had more on the beverages side, some make have done more of the shakeage, and some friends may have been overtimin' it on both. We'll say no more, as it has been adequately discussed in other places.
I went to bed every single night my parents were here, and I thought I'd be compensating with some very late nights after they left. Not so much. Driving to the city, as much as I want to hang with la brim , what I really wanted was to curl up in my own bed and read a book. Maybe light a candle. I headed home early and did just that.
Saturday Bridge School Benefit! I met up with coworkers to see this superfantastic concert for a good cause. Stream-of-consciousness: Death Cab for Cutie - all indie and "Soul Meets Body", Trent Reznor - hawt and working outside his comfort zone because of the acoustic nature of the concert, Brian Wilson - surprisingly, the Beach Boy had the crowd up on its feet and dancing, Pearl Jam - R kept yelling for "Buttermint!!" and Eddie obliged, I relived every dorm party of my first year of university in 3 minutes, Dave Matthews Band - has never really done very much for me (sorry, roonie!) Neil Young kept it "Rockin' in the Free World." The concert truly was a great experience and I may blog about it later (ha!)
I spent 8 hours at Shoreline Amphitheater. It was probably 7 before I found out that the lawn is non-smoking! This is after sneezing every 5 minutes and rubbing my eyes red. Aargh. Even with that (and ensuing phone sex voice the next day), I am planning to organize a gathering for this concert next year.
Sunday The day o' celebratin' the Best Friend's bday. First, we went to Target. I know, right?? Why is she enabling my addicition? Then we went for dim sum. Then we hung out at her house and talked about nearly-impending baby. I pretended not to be hurt that she and her husband decided not to go with [maisnon] as the baby's name.
Then, up to the city to take brimful out for HER birthday. (Lots of eating in the name of births!) First, we walked around and enjoyed the Indian (feathers, not dot) summer in the city. I had been lamenting the fact that I have a gigantic head and can't wear hats. I try to say it is the hair, but really it may just be that I have a freakishly large noggin. I even yelled "HEEEED! PANTS!" in my best Scottish Brogue. I found a hat that fit me! (Shut UP about it being an extra-large!)
B and I then hit the so-called "crack shack" to watch episodes of Lost. She hated on Jack while I tried to defend him. (His self-righteousness is insufferable; I'm hoping he is a more balanced character this season.) My love for the show is waning. As I put it to a friend recently: 1st season - amazing ++, 2nd season - less good, 3rd season - thus far, more worser.
Yeah. So a lot happened over the weekend. Every day had a touch of sweetness - a moment of connection and warmth. Friday's was seeing my homeboy at "my" parking garage, Saturday's was bonding over my choice of water with the chiquita searching my bag at the concert, Sunday's was reading sidewalk graffiti with b. ("Mr. Seahorse knows that men can have babies." Indeed.)
Thursday That's right - the weekend starts on Thursday if I say it does! And any time the fabulous Chai comes for a visit, it is a special occasion! Chai expressed some trepidation about driving to my place, so she took CalTrain! How fun is that? I live two blocks from the train station and don't take it often enough. I listened for the whistle and walked up to meet her. As you know, I eat strictly from the Trader Joe's food group, so we headed there and picked up some goodies: olives stuffed with jalapenos, baguette, chevre. Dinner was just what I wanted - gabbing over a cluster of small bowls of antipasti, while Gia scoped out her Auntie Chai. I'm so thrilled to have her local for a little while!
Friday We celebrate the birfday of one of my favoritest people. (In fact, my two closest friends have the same bday - how conVEEENient!) The crew gathered at Double Dutch for some beverages and for some shakeage of the boot-ay on the dance floor. Some friends may have had more on the beverages side, some make have done more of the shakeage, and some friends may have been overtimin' it on both. We'll say no more, as it has been adequately discussed in other places.
I went to bed every single night my parents were here, and I thought I'd be compensating with some very late nights after they left. Not so much. Driving to the city, as much as I want to hang with la brim , what I really wanted was to curl up in my own bed and read a book. Maybe light a candle. I headed home early and did just that.
Saturday Bridge School Benefit! I met up with coworkers to see this superfantastic concert for a good cause. Stream-of-consciousness: Death Cab for Cutie - all indie and "Soul Meets Body", Trent Reznor - hawt and working outside his comfort zone because of the acoustic nature of the concert, Brian Wilson - surprisingly, the Beach Boy had the crowd up on its feet and dancing, Pearl Jam - R kept yelling for "Buttermint!!" and Eddie obliged, I relived every dorm party of my first year of university in 3 minutes, Dave Matthews Band - has never really done very much for me (sorry, roonie!) Neil Young kept it "Rockin' in the Free World." The concert truly was a great experience and I may blog about it later (ha!)
I spent 8 hours at Shoreline Amphitheater. It was probably 7 before I found out that the lawn is non-smoking! This is after sneezing every 5 minutes and rubbing my eyes red. Aargh. Even with that (and ensuing phone sex voice the next day), I am planning to organize a gathering for this concert next year.
Sunday The day o' celebratin' the Best Friend's bday. First, we went to Target. I know, right?? Why is she enabling my addicition? Then we went for dim sum. Then we hung out at her house and talked about nearly-impending baby. I pretended not to be hurt that she and her husband decided not to go with [maisnon] as the baby's name.
Then, up to the city to take brimful out for HER birthday. (Lots of eating in the name of births!) First, we walked around and enjoyed the Indian (feathers, not dot) summer in the city. I had been lamenting the fact that I have a gigantic head and can't wear hats. I try to say it is the hair, but really it may just be that I have a freakishly large noggin. I even yelled "HEEEED! PANTS!" in my best Scottish Brogue. I found a hat that fit me! (Shut UP about it being an extra-large!)
B and I then hit the so-called "crack shack" to watch episodes of Lost. She hated on Jack while I tried to defend him. (His self-righteousness is insufferable; I'm hoping he is a more balanced character this season.) My love for the show is waning. As I put it to a friend recently: 1st season - amazing ++, 2nd season - less good, 3rd season - thus far, more worser.
Yeah. So a lot happened over the weekend. Every day had a touch of sweetness - a moment of connection and warmth. Friday's was seeing my homeboy at "my" parking garage, Saturday's was bonding over my choice of water with the chiquita searching my bag at the concert, Sunday's was reading sidewalk graffiti with b. ("Mr. Seahorse knows that men can have babies." Indeed.)
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Sleep to Dream
Wednesday is as good a time as any for the weekend update.
Friday. I like to spend Fridays in. It's usually a time for Target, Netflix and my couch. (Mmm, three of my favorite things.) This Friday, I felt .... not so well. And this would be a running theme throughout the weekend. For reasons unknown, I spent most of the weekend feeling like I couldn't keep my eyes open and perpetually forgetting to eat (like ... 2 meals a day. Leading to ravenous hunger somewhere down the line. Awesome.)
Saturday. Had to get serious on the cleaning up for the parentals front. Alternated between cleaning and full-on crashing. I don't much care for naps because I wake up paranoid. It takes me forever to hatch after taking a nap - it's just not worth it. I did manage to get it together and head to SJM's for a little soiree. The idea was that we would go out to dinner, but with 10 people (aka the ones who were approaching being on time), we knew that wasn't going to happen. It ended up being take-out from Chutney - a hugely good thing, as more and more people filtered in.
Sunday. I need to take a break from house-hunting - that much is clear. I procrastinated and procrastinated about getting in the car and driving up to the city. Procrastination is a sign that you are trying to make yourself do something that you do not want to do. I'm burned out on driving from house-to-house and the gladhanding of realtors and the odd, awkward conversations with other would-be homebuyers. This Sunday, I will be skipping the open houses as my parents will be in town. (Next week's weekend update should be .... interesting.)
How are we doing T-minus 1 day until parents? A lot still needs to be done - last night was the laundry extravaganza. Tonight is, well, everything-else-that-needs-to-get-done-anza.
Friday. I like to spend Fridays in. It's usually a time for Target, Netflix and my couch. (Mmm, three of my favorite things.) This Friday, I felt .... not so well. And this would be a running theme throughout the weekend. For reasons unknown, I spent most of the weekend feeling like I couldn't keep my eyes open and perpetually forgetting to eat (like ... 2 meals a day. Leading to ravenous hunger somewhere down the line. Awesome.)
Saturday. Had to get serious on the cleaning up for the parentals front. Alternated between cleaning and full-on crashing. I don't much care for naps because I wake up paranoid. It takes me forever to hatch after taking a nap - it's just not worth it. I did manage to get it together and head to SJM's for a little soiree. The idea was that we would go out to dinner, but with 10 people (aka the ones who were approaching being on time), we knew that wasn't going to happen. It ended up being take-out from Chutney - a hugely good thing, as more and more people filtered in.
Sunday. I need to take a break from house-hunting - that much is clear. I procrastinated and procrastinated about getting in the car and driving up to the city. Procrastination is a sign that you are trying to make yourself do something that you do not want to do. I'm burned out on driving from house-to-house and the gladhanding of realtors and the odd, awkward conversations with other would-be homebuyers. This Sunday, I will be skipping the open houses as my parents will be in town. (Next week's weekend update should be .... interesting.)
How are we doing T-minus 1 day until parents? A lot still needs to be done - last night was the laundry extravaganza. Tonight is, well, everything-else-that-needs-to-get-done-anza.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Pride & Prejudice
Ah, the weekend update.
Friday, I decided I needed to get serious about the impending parental visit. So, I spent the evening at Target (naturally), and then alternating between frantically cleaning and watching episodes of "Pride and Prejudice" (the BBC series) to stave off a major freakout. I've ignored the apartment/life overhaul that needs to happen to sanitize it for parental consumption, and now it will be a full-court press to get it all done. It's the best way, really. (Or at least that's what I tell myself.)
Saturday, I did more "envisioning" of cleaning until it was time to head into the city for BOLLYWOOD NIGHT! That's right, kids! Oodles was our effervescent hostess as she plied us with the food she "slaved over all day" (and it ended on a sweet note - mmmm, Bombay Ice Creamery!) This time the crowd took in a movie with SRK and Madhuri Dixit. But wait - there's more! Salman Khan! Yes, we watched Hum Tumkare Hain Sanam. Yeah, as usual, I have no idea what it means. Although it might mean "SRK as a jealous, bitter newlywed who can't get any is actually funny."
There was one stellar, stellar theater of the absurd-type scene where drunken/crazy SRK is throwing some game and/or consulting a statue of a horse. Correction, statue of a horse's head. "You have such long ears (stroke stroke) You're such a good listener. But you have no legs." Jigga-wha?!?!?! At one point, the scene cut away to a reaction shot from the horse head statue. It just doesn't get better than that.
I headed home and watched the end of the "Pride & Prejudice" miniseries. (Mr. Darcy = the yum.) I realize that 75% of the Bollywood movies I've ever seen follow the same formula: guy and girl would be great together, one or both don't realize it, comitragic series of events, misunderstandings, etc. Both now have "feelings" for each other. All's well that ends well...... aaaaaaaaaand, scene!
Sunday, involved more open houses, this time concentrating on the Bernal Heights neighborhood. The funny thing is Bernal was the first place I ever stayed in the city and I loved it. When I knew I was moving here, I wanted to live there, BUT I thought I should keep my options open and check out other parts of the city. And, now, I'm back to the idea of wanting to live there. I did the same thing with law school - I really only wanted to go to the law school I attended, but decided that if I was serious, I should apply to more schools. Yeah. I could have saved myself about $700.
Bernal Heights is called that because, not surprisingly, it's on a big-ass hill. I skipped cardio Sunday morning knowing that I would be clambering around that hill. Earlier in the week, I met SJM at Little Nepal for dinner (so that I could check out the neighborhood on a weeknight.) We drove around, stalking houses from the outside. At one point, we saw a sign that said "HILL" and I laughed ... moments later we were both kind of screaming as the car slid down a rollercoaster-sized hill. I got my workout in - some of the streets were so steep that I stopped every 3 houses, pretending to admire the view to catch my breath. Some streets were linked by pedestrian stairs (i.e. climb a flight of stairs to reach the next street.) I had a great time, but I haven't found "it" yet. The evening concluded with Vietnamese food and "The Godfather" - a rockstar combination.
Friday, I decided I needed to get serious about the impending parental visit. So, I spent the evening at Target (naturally), and then alternating between frantically cleaning and watching episodes of "Pride and Prejudice" (the BBC series) to stave off a major freakout. I've ignored the apartment/life overhaul that needs to happen to sanitize it for parental consumption, and now it will be a full-court press to get it all done. It's the best way, really. (Or at least that's what I tell myself.)
Saturday, I did more "envisioning" of cleaning until it was time to head into the city for BOLLYWOOD NIGHT! That's right, kids! Oodles was our effervescent hostess as she plied us with the food she "slaved over all day" (and it ended on a sweet note - mmmm, Bombay Ice Creamery!) This time the crowd took in a movie with SRK and Madhuri Dixit. But wait - there's more! Salman Khan! Yes, we watched Hum Tumkare Hain Sanam. Yeah, as usual, I have no idea what it means. Although it might mean "SRK as a jealous, bitter newlywed who can't get any is actually funny."
There was one stellar, stellar theater of the absurd-type scene where drunken/crazy SRK is throwing some game and/or consulting a statue of a horse. Correction, statue of a horse's head. "You have such long ears (stroke stroke) You're such a good listener. But you have no legs." Jigga-wha?!?!?! At one point, the scene cut away to a reaction shot from the horse head statue. It just doesn't get better than that.
I headed home and watched the end of the "Pride & Prejudice" miniseries. (Mr. Darcy = the yum.) I realize that 75% of the Bollywood movies I've ever seen follow the same formula: guy and girl would be great together, one or both don't realize it, comitragic series of events, misunderstandings, etc. Both now have "feelings" for each other. All's well that ends well...... aaaaaaaaaand, scene!
Sunday, involved more open houses, this time concentrating on the Bernal Heights neighborhood. The funny thing is Bernal was the first place I ever stayed in the city and I loved it. When I knew I was moving here, I wanted to live there, BUT I thought I should keep my options open and check out other parts of the city. And, now, I'm back to the idea of wanting to live there. I did the same thing with law school - I really only wanted to go to the law school I attended, but decided that if I was serious, I should apply to more schools. Yeah. I could have saved myself about $700.
Bernal Heights is called that because, not surprisingly, it's on a big-ass hill. I skipped cardio Sunday morning knowing that I would be clambering around that hill. Earlier in the week, I met SJM at Little Nepal for dinner (so that I could check out the neighborhood on a weeknight.) We drove around, stalking houses from the outside. At one point, we saw a sign that said "HILL" and I laughed ... moments later we were both kind of screaming as the car slid down a rollercoaster-sized hill. I got my workout in - some of the streets were so steep that I stopped every 3 houses, pretending to admire the view to catch my breath. Some streets were linked by pedestrian stairs (i.e. climb a flight of stairs to reach the next street.) I had a great time, but I haven't found "it" yet. The evening concluded with Vietnamese food and "The Godfather" - a rockstar combination.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Red, Red Wine
Weekend update:
Friday, more "me me me" time - I spent forever trying to pick a color for my pedicure. When I picked up a bottle and it turned out to be "Don't Wine, Yukon Do It," I took it as a sign. My feet look awesome and inspirational.
Saturday, I headed to Campbell to hang out with the Best Friend. We had dim sum - life is good. And, um, we may have hit DSW somewhere along the way. And the cutest pair of skimmers may have followed me home. Can I keep 'em? I headed home and prepared to hit TheMall with the queen of sassafras, brimful. Summary statement: Dhamaal is always good for some people watchin'. I tried to coin a term to describe "white person trying to bust the desi moves." I came up with "widget", but I think it needs work. There's a definite need for such a term.
Sunday, back to the city for open houses. At some point along the way, someone hit my car. Not so cool, but not so bad either. Mostly, I'm annoyed because I need to get it fixed pronto as my parents will be here in two weeks.
Oh, heh heh. Did I forget to mention that little stress-bomb? My parents are coming to visit. And they are staying with me. For four days. I am excited to see them, but also stressed because .... well, because they are my parents and they are staying with me for four days (it bears repeating.)
Friday, more "me me me" time - I spent forever trying to pick a color for my pedicure. When I picked up a bottle and it turned out to be "Don't Wine, Yukon Do It," I took it as a sign. My feet look awesome and inspirational.
Saturday, I headed to Campbell to hang out with the Best Friend. We had dim sum - life is good. And, um, we may have hit DSW somewhere along the way. And the cutest pair of skimmers may have followed me home. Can I keep 'em? I headed home and prepared to hit TheMall with the queen of sassafras, brimful. Summary statement: Dhamaal is always good for some people watchin'. I tried to coin a term to describe "white person trying to bust the desi moves." I came up with "widget", but I think it needs work. There's a definite need for such a term.
Sunday, back to the city for open houses. At some point along the way, someone hit my car. Not so cool, but not so bad either. Mostly, I'm annoyed because I need to get it fixed pronto as my parents will be here in two weeks.
Oh, heh heh. Did I forget to mention that little stress-bomb? My parents are coming to visit. And they are staying with me. For four days. I am excited to see them, but also stressed because .... well, because they are my parents and they are staying with me for four days (it bears repeating.)
Monday, September 18, 2006
Bay City Rollers
Autumn is a much more romantic, emotional season than spring. I, for one, am falling in love all over again.
I'm re-falling in love with my coworkers. You forget how great you have it, until your secretary is looking through your vacation pics and asks, "Is that the guy you hooked up with? I mean GUYS!" Nice! (And, NO, I did not hook up with anyone during my vacay.) Or maybe when two coworkers stop by late Friday to .... blow bubbles and give real estate advice. (I keep bubbles on my desk and refer to them as my "smoke break.")
I don't think I ever took it for granted, but I'm seeing San Francisco's charm all over again. And I mean all of it. Cities have quirks, just like people. And, like our other relationships in life, you love a city for, not in spite of, its little oddities. Case in point:
maisnon: people in SF have a novel interpretation of the stop sign - it makes me smile (and drive carefully)
b: my latest theory is that living in a non-conformist culture has this downside when it comes to traffic rules and mores
maisnon: I think that people are trying to apply some kind of logic that i don't grasp yet
b: dude the four-way stop situation is a PROBLEM ++ here
maisnon: it's kind of like a video game
b: :)
maisnon: like frogger or something.
Friday, post real-estate summit, I headed up to the city to meet the gang + friends of gang at Cha Cha Cha in the Mission. I taught the peeps the Spanish toast I learned in Costa Rica (Arriba, abajo, al centro - ADENTRO! Above, below, in the middle, INSIDE. Kind of.) Sangria doesn't really count as alcohol - not sure if you knew that. Or, at least, that's what the me of Friday seemed to think.
Saturday was me day. Which apparently meant sleeping in and doing pretty much shit all for the rest of the day. Perfection! I watched most of Lost: Season II. (J.J. Abrams, you're a heartbreaker (dealmaker?)) And, then, around midnight - I slipped into a Lush-inspired bubble bath and devoured the end of Never Let Me Go. I went to bed feeling feline in my self-indulgence.
Sunday, I cowboyed up and headed to the city to hit open houses. In most places (including the Peninsula), you and your realtor can visit a home with a lockbox (as long as no one is living there - if they are, you call the listing agent first.) It's great because you can go whenever, and really take your time. Not so in SF - most listing agents do not use lockboxes. Thus, your options are to hit the open house, or try and find a time that works for you, your agent, and the listing agent. Good luck on that one.
So, it's all about the open houses. And not every place has one every weekend. And all the open houses occur from 2-4 pm. Some agents improve the situation by starting at 1, or going until 5, but it's still pretty much a mad dash around the city. Walking through a home, you try to take the time needed to see (1) if it suits your needs, (2) if you could see yourself living here, (3) if there would be any re-sell issues, and (4) what you think of the pricing/whether you want to make an offer. And, at the same time, you know that you have X minutes left to get through the Y number of houses you have left on your list. Hence, the careful Friday evening plotting/ consultations.
I saw a couple of places I liked. I feel like I'm getting closer to finding the place. That doesn't make sense, of course, because the selection changes weekly. But, that's still the impression I get. I'm getting the vibe of neighborhoods. I'm bolder - I'll stop by open houses that are in the vicinity of things I'm visiting (which is how I ended up in a stunning $1 million dollar home in Bernal Heights chatting with another prospective in French.) So, even though it isn't logical, I'm a little excited - my home in the city is getting closer ever day.
I'm re-falling in love with my coworkers. You forget how great you have it, until your secretary is looking through your vacation pics and asks, "Is that the guy you hooked up with? I mean GUYS!" Nice! (And, NO, I did not hook up with anyone during my vacay.) Or maybe when two coworkers stop by late Friday to .... blow bubbles and give real estate advice. (I keep bubbles on my desk and refer to them as my "smoke break.")
I don't think I ever took it for granted, but I'm seeing San Francisco's charm all over again. And I mean all of it. Cities have quirks, just like people. And, like our other relationships in life, you love a city for, not in spite of, its little oddities. Case in point:
maisnon: people in SF have a novel interpretation of the stop sign - it makes me smile (and drive carefully)
b: my latest theory is that living in a non-conformist culture has this downside when it comes to traffic rules and mores
maisnon: I think that people are trying to apply some kind of logic that i don't grasp yet
b: dude the four-way stop situation is a PROBLEM ++ here
maisnon: it's kind of like a video game
b: :)
maisnon: like frogger or something.
Friday, post real-estate summit, I headed up to the city to meet the gang + friends of gang at Cha Cha Cha in the Mission. I taught the peeps the Spanish toast I learned in Costa Rica (Arriba, abajo, al centro - ADENTRO! Above, below, in the middle, INSIDE. Kind of.) Sangria doesn't really count as alcohol - not sure if you knew that. Or, at least, that's what the me of Friday seemed to think.
Saturday was me day. Which apparently meant sleeping in and doing pretty much shit all for the rest of the day. Perfection! I watched most of Lost: Season II. (J.J. Abrams, you're a heartbreaker (dealmaker?)) And, then, around midnight - I slipped into a Lush-inspired bubble bath and devoured the end of Never Let Me Go. I went to bed feeling feline in my self-indulgence.
Sunday, I cowboyed up and headed to the city to hit open houses. In most places (including the Peninsula), you and your realtor can visit a home with a lockbox (as long as no one is living there - if they are, you call the listing agent first.) It's great because you can go whenever, and really take your time. Not so in SF - most listing agents do not use lockboxes. Thus, your options are to hit the open house, or try and find a time that works for you, your agent, and the listing agent. Good luck on that one.
So, it's all about the open houses. And not every place has one every weekend. And all the open houses occur from 2-4 pm. Some agents improve the situation by starting at 1, or going until 5, but it's still pretty much a mad dash around the city. Walking through a home, you try to take the time needed to see (1) if it suits your needs, (2) if you could see yourself living here, (3) if there would be any re-sell issues, and (4) what you think of the pricing/whether you want to make an offer. And, at the same time, you know that you have X minutes left to get through the Y number of houses you have left on your list. Hence, the careful Friday evening plotting/ consultations.
I saw a couple of places I liked. I feel like I'm getting closer to finding the place. That doesn't make sense, of course, because the selection changes weekly. But, that's still the impression I get. I'm getting the vibe of neighborhoods. I'm bolder - I'll stop by open houses that are in the vicinity of things I'm visiting (which is how I ended up in a stunning $1 million dollar home in Bernal Heights chatting with another prospective in French.) So, even though it isn't logical, I'm a little excited - my home in the city is getting closer ever day.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Every Day is Like Sunday
I go to the public library on a nearly weekly basis. There's just something about touching all those books that makes me happy, and excited. Heading in there on Wednesday, the homeless guy in his usual spot outside the library called me over. And asked me about my trip. What was nice was feeling connected, like I live here. (That I should get that feeling from a homeless guy is a tidy piece of irony.)
On Saturday, I headed into the city to check out the Asian Art Museum, meet up with some peeps, etc. etc. Somewhere along 16th St., I received a text message from a coworker indicating that she had just seen me walk by. This is the second time that I've run into her randomly somewhere in SF. (Also important, I don't live in the city .... yet.) San Francisco is the biggest small town, or the smallest city.
The evening ended with me picking up my car at a parking garage in the Mission. When the parking attendant arrived, I mumbled to brimful that he was my friend. Imagine my surprise when he said "Oh! It's you, my friend. Long time no see!"
A year ago this week, I moved to San Francisco. In some ways, I'm still just visiting, but in other ways - I truly live here. I love San Francisco, and some days - I think it loves me back.
On Saturday, I headed into the city to check out the Asian Art Museum, meet up with some peeps, etc. etc. Somewhere along 16th St., I received a text message from a coworker indicating that she had just seen me walk by. This is the second time that I've run into her randomly somewhere in SF. (Also important, I don't live in the city .... yet.) San Francisco is the biggest small town, or the smallest city.
The evening ended with me picking up my car at a parking garage in the Mission. When the parking attendant arrived, I mumbled to brimful that he was my friend. Imagine my surprise when he said "Oh! It's you, my friend. Long time no see!"
A year ago this week, I moved to San Francisco. In some ways, I'm still just visiting, but in other ways - I truly live here. I love San Francisco, and some days - I think it loves me back.
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