It's that time of year again! I've been listening to Christmas music for the past two weeks (yes, since before Thanksgiving). I *love* Christmas. Wanna know why?
1. I love the warmth of the indoors because of the COLD out-of-doors.
2. I love buying presents that will make people happy.
3. I love wrapping presents.
4. I love Toys for Tots.
5. I love knowing that people all over the world are genuinely concerned about the well-being of strangers, if only for a short period of time. That short period of time is these next few weeks, and I love this holiday for it.
6. I love all the little kids running around desperate to get on their parents' (and Santa's) good side just in time for the parade of presents.
7. I love turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and stuffing.
8. I love that people complain if they love their family's home-cooking but aren't able to have it. How often do you get to hear people saying nice things about being with their families?
9. I love White Elephant gift exchanges.
10. I love Christmas music.
11. I love shopping when the people around me are also shopping with the same goal -- to find the perfect gift for someone on their list. How often during the year do we have shared goals with virtually everyone around us? It's the great, invisible, Christmas bond!
12. I love sweaters and scarves and gloves. I love when they're printed with snowflakes and other cold-related symbols. Cozy!
13. I love Christmas generosity -- like when you're out with friends or family shopping, and one person volunteers to run out in the cold/rain/snow to fetch the car, while everyone else can huddle together for warmth. Or when people give money to those "annoying" bell-ringers outside of every grocery store, just because it's Christmas.
14. I love creating surprises!
15. I love overcoming a good mystery (like figuring out what my gift is before Christmas -- sorry, Bug).
16. I love the smell of pine needles and Winter spices.
17. I love to bake.
18. I love seeing a beautiful Christmas tree decked-out with candy canes and lights and presents, not to mention a star on top!
19. I love driving around neighborhoods to check out Christmas lights and decorations -- the outward, physical evidence of a community's celebration of a holiday is so special. No matter how they celebrate or why.
20. I love the simplicity of Christmas. People are generous and happy (or at least attempting to be both). And there are only so many symbols of Christmas, and yet they're re-interpreted every year and for each new generation. Santa, snowflakes, snowmen, the tree, stars, gifts, candy canes, sleighs, reindeer, lights, wreaths. Everyone knows the stories. Everyone knows the songs.
I love it! You can think it's cheesy. You can be cynical. But I plan to be happy. I plan to be generous. I plan to be refreshed by the season. You Summer-lovers have had your "day in the sun." I plan to enjoy my day by the fire. =) Happy Christmas!!!
Tuesday, November 29
Wednesday, November 23
Scattered thoughts
My mood is all over the place today. I'm listening to fast music, depressing music, foreign lyrics, hip hop, Tori Amos.. weird. I usually like to stick to one style (that's the way my moods work, anyway).
Anyway, I'm scattered today. I think it's because of the anticipation I'm feeling about this weekend. Jesse and I are headed up to Groveland for Thanksgiving tomorrow morning. We're meeting my brothers and parents there. The last time Jesse and I went away for Thanksgiving with my family, the atmosphere was a disaster. I'm really, really hoping that doesn't happen again. Also, Jesse will be worried about our cat, Phillip, because we'll be gone for longer than usual. And I'm tired. I haven't been able to fall asleep lately, but I still have to get up at the same time in the morning. =) In any case, I just don't think this will feel like a "long weekend." I think it'll be more like a long weekend.
On top of that, I'm at work today.. and lots of other people are, too. But the parking lot is empty as though no one's here. It's really bizarre. It's just a bizarre day. And I'm doing someone else's work, because that person is already on vacation.
It's sort of like the Twilight Zone. Ever have one of those days? It's the middle of the week, but it's the end of the week. Remember how I said I was having scattered thoughts? Toldja so.
Anyway, I'm scattered today. I think it's because of the anticipation I'm feeling about this weekend. Jesse and I are headed up to Groveland for Thanksgiving tomorrow morning. We're meeting my brothers and parents there. The last time Jesse and I went away for Thanksgiving with my family, the atmosphere was a disaster. I'm really, really hoping that doesn't happen again. Also, Jesse will be worried about our cat, Phillip, because we'll be gone for longer than usual. And I'm tired. I haven't been able to fall asleep lately, but I still have to get up at the same time in the morning. =) In any case, I just don't think this will feel like a "long weekend." I think it'll be more like a long weekend.
On top of that, I'm at work today.. and lots of other people are, too. But the parking lot is empty as though no one's here. It's really bizarre. It's just a bizarre day. And I'm doing someone else's work, because that person is already on vacation.
It's sort of like the Twilight Zone. Ever have one of those days? It's the middle of the week, but it's the end of the week. Remember how I said I was having scattered thoughts? Toldja so.
Monday, November 21
Multi-media reviews, in short
"Elephunk" by Black Eyed Peas
I know this is their older album, but I just imported it to my iTunes list, so I'm actually listening to it now. Good stuff! Super energetic. Great production. Catchy tunes. Not always the most elegant choices lyrically ("Let's get retarded," "The girlies in the club got the plump lump-lumpas," etc.), but it's the beat and the production you listen for... These guys are geniuses when it comes to the hook. It's money well-spent. I encourage you to listen to BEP, if you don't already. My favorites: "Let's Get It Started" (the extended album version is really good), "The Boogie That Be," "Smells Like Funk," "Shut Up," and "Hey Mama" (this is the song that made me start IMing with exclamation marks for no reason -- happy music!).
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Holy smokes! Good movie. =) I'm all caught up on the books, so they sometimes blur together in my mind. I went into the theater knowing the basic chunks of the story, but not all the details and relevant characters. Let me tell you: this movie tells the story well! I never felt like I was falling behind on the story, and yet it didn't drag at all ([ahem] Chamber of Secrets [ahem]).. in fact, I found myself gasping at some of the more adrenaline-driven moments. Amazing special effects, great story-telling (tons of the content from the book was removed with a great result), better acting overall ([ahem] Emma Watson still over-acts a little [ahem]). I even really loved the music. Yay, Patrick Doyle! I loved his work on Great Expectations, among other movies.
Go see the new Harry Potter movie. =) And buy a BEP album.
I know this is their older album, but I just imported it to my iTunes list, so I'm actually listening to it now. Good stuff! Super energetic. Great production. Catchy tunes. Not always the most elegant choices lyrically ("Let's get retarded," "The girlies in the club got the plump lump-lumpas," etc.), but it's the beat and the production you listen for... These guys are geniuses when it comes to the hook. It's money well-spent. I encourage you to listen to BEP, if you don't already. My favorites: "Let's Get It Started" (the extended album version is really good), "The Boogie That Be," "Smells Like Funk," "Shut Up," and "Hey Mama" (this is the song that made me start IMing with exclamation marks for no reason -- happy music!).
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Holy smokes! Good movie. =) I'm all caught up on the books, so they sometimes blur together in my mind. I went into the theater knowing the basic chunks of the story, but not all the details and relevant characters. Let me tell you: this movie tells the story well! I never felt like I was falling behind on the story, and yet it didn't drag at all ([ahem] Chamber of Secrets [ahem]).. in fact, I found myself gasping at some of the more adrenaline-driven moments. Amazing special effects, great story-telling (tons of the content from the book was removed with a great result), better acting overall ([ahem] Emma Watson still over-acts a little [ahem]). I even really loved the music. Yay, Patrick Doyle! I loved his work on Great Expectations, among other movies.
Go see the new Harry Potter movie. =) And buy a BEP album.
Tuesday, November 15
I got a few haircuts...
No, that's not just me being unclever, messing up the already-unfunny saying "I got a few hairs cut." I actually got a few haircuts.
On Friday, I went with two other friends to get a haircut. I went first. I didn't *love* it, but you know.. sometimes you just need to put your own styling flare on the 'do before it looks right to you. Fine. Then our guy friend got his hair cut. Then my other girl friend got her hair cut. She didn't look thrilled, but she wasn't saying she didn't like it .. just that she "didn't know." Oh well.
So we all went our separate ways Friday night.. I got home and decided I didn't like my hair. I felt like I had a mullet. Too many short hairs up front, plus long hair in back = mullet. So I resolved to get it fixed somewhere else. I made an appointment on Saturday afternoon -- it was settled. I would be getting my hair fixed on Monday evening!
On Saturday night, I went to another mutual friend's housewarming party. My haircut buddy girl friend had chopped all her hair off!! Apparently, she went home crying that night and decided to get it fixed an hour later. Our sentiments weren't too far off from each other! =)
So yesterday, I finally got my turn to get the haircut fixed -- another small fortune later, I love my hair. I went from mid-back to shoulder-length, and it's a much nicer style. Mullet is gone. The stylist said it wasn't perfect yet, because there was still a majority-rule of short hair in front, but you so can't tell. It's fixed, as far as I'm concerned.
So I went from having really long hair and only getting a cut twice a year to having shoulder-length hair after two haircuts in a single weekend. ;) Even though it cost me an arm and a leg to go through the ordeal, I'm still really happy with the result. =)
On Friday, I went with two other friends to get a haircut. I went first. I didn't *love* it, but you know.. sometimes you just need to put your own styling flare on the 'do before it looks right to you. Fine. Then our guy friend got his hair cut. Then my other girl friend got her hair cut. She didn't look thrilled, but she wasn't saying she didn't like it .. just that she "didn't know." Oh well.
So we all went our separate ways Friday night.. I got home and decided I didn't like my hair. I felt like I had a mullet. Too many short hairs up front, plus long hair in back = mullet. So I resolved to get it fixed somewhere else. I made an appointment on Saturday afternoon -- it was settled. I would be getting my hair fixed on Monday evening!
On Saturday night, I went to another mutual friend's housewarming party. My haircut buddy girl friend had chopped all her hair off!! Apparently, she went home crying that night and decided to get it fixed an hour later. Our sentiments weren't too far off from each other! =)
So yesterday, I finally got my turn to get the haircut fixed -- another small fortune later, I love my hair. I went from mid-back to shoulder-length, and it's a much nicer style. Mullet is gone. The stylist said it wasn't perfect yet, because there was still a majority-rule of short hair in front, but you so can't tell. It's fixed, as far as I'm concerned.
So I went from having really long hair and only getting a cut twice a year to having shoulder-length hair after two haircuts in a single weekend. ;) Even though it cost me an arm and a leg to go through the ordeal, I'm still really happy with the result. =)
Monday, November 7
No sleep for a good sleeper...
Last night, Jesse and I jolted awake to the sound of a loud THUMP, only to realize that our bed was no longer parallel with the floor. He was downhill from me. It was very obvious that the bed had somehow structurally failed us. So sad.
Shaken and traumatized, we resolved to get up (it was about 12:30am, I think) and disassemble the bedframe. We moved the heavy pieces to the side of the room, and went back to bed -- which was now just a boxspring and mattress on the floor. Our pillows kept falling between the mattress and the wall. Neither of us got a good night of sleep.
As if that weren't bad enough, I woke up in the morning the sound of the TV crackling (like it had been turned on) and then ceasing to make any other noise. Curious, I popped my head up to take a look around... the alarm clock was flashing "12:00 .. 12:00 .. 12:00" ... That's right, the power went out.
So I happily recalled that I have a battery-powered alarm clock next to the bed for just such an occasion. That clock read 7:19am. It's 10min fast, so it was actually 7:09am. Our alarm goes off at 7:10am. [sigh]
Shaken and traumatized, we resolved to get up (it was about 12:30am, I think) and disassemble the bedframe. We moved the heavy pieces to the side of the room, and went back to bed -- which was now just a boxspring and mattress on the floor. Our pillows kept falling between the mattress and the wall. Neither of us got a good night of sleep.
As if that weren't bad enough, I woke up in the morning the sound of the TV crackling (like it had been turned on) and then ceasing to make any other noise. Curious, I popped my head up to take a look around... the alarm clock was flashing "12:00 .. 12:00 .. 12:00" ... That's right, the power went out.
So I happily recalled that I have a battery-powered alarm clock next to the bed for just such an occasion. That clock read 7:19am. It's 10min fast, so it was actually 7:09am. Our alarm goes off at 7:10am. [sigh]
Wednesday, November 2
Doh, he's gone.
Yes, him. But not gone gone. Just on a short vaycay to visit family. I took him to the airport this morning, bright and early.. or overcast and early. =( Doh.
Oh well. Working away, waiting for the chick flick to come in the mail fron Netflix. I ordered it special, since there aren't many chances for me to get away with watching crappy TV/movies, now that Jess and I live together.
Speaking of crappy TV.. Seriously, I don't watch it anymore. And I used to watch a lot. Some of my favorite crap: HGTV/TLC home improvement shows (which I would typically only watch until a commercial came on, then would continue my surf), infomercials (yes, the Magic Bullet, the plastic containers that all fit on the spinning holder, anything by Ron "Set it and forget it!" Popeil), the MTV faux reality drama Laguna Beach, etc. I kinda miss it all. Maybe I'll channel-surf and stop on shows I actually want to watch for the next couple of days, so I can get it out of my system again. =)
I actually have lots to keep me busy.. I'm getting that movie in the mail, I'm planning to hang out with a couple of our friends (T and Mark) at their new house one of these nights, and I have to get up super early on Saturday morning to distribute voting precinct supplies for the Registrar of Voters.
That's right, California! The governor's Special Election is coming up, next Tuesday (November 8th). Don't forget to vote.
But I digress... Lots to do. I also ordered some new potholder loops so I can get started on some crafty Christmas presents. Anyway, Jesse will be home soon, and it'll be like this separation never even happened... right?
Oh well. Working away, waiting for the chick flick to come in the mail fron Netflix. I ordered it special, since there aren't many chances for me to get away with watching crappy TV/movies, now that Jess and I live together.
Speaking of crappy TV.. Seriously, I don't watch it anymore. And I used to watch a lot. Some of my favorite crap: HGTV/TLC home improvement shows (which I would typically only watch until a commercial came on, then would continue my surf), infomercials (yes, the Magic Bullet, the plastic containers that all fit on the spinning holder, anything by Ron "Set it and forget it!" Popeil), the MTV faux reality drama Laguna Beach, etc. I kinda miss it all. Maybe I'll channel-surf and stop on shows I actually want to watch for the next couple of days, so I can get it out of my system again. =)
I actually have lots to keep me busy.. I'm getting that movie in the mail, I'm planning to hang out with a couple of our friends (T and Mark) at their new house one of these nights, and I have to get up super early on Saturday morning to distribute voting precinct supplies for the Registrar of Voters.
That's right, California! The governor's Special Election is coming up, next Tuesday (November 8th). Don't forget to vote.
But I digress... Lots to do. I also ordered some new potholder loops so I can get started on some crafty Christmas presents. Anyway, Jesse will be home soon, and it'll be like this separation never even happened... right?
Tuesday, October 25
Here's the dish!
Jesse and I had my parents over for dinner this past Saturday night. They seemed to have a nice time -- we showed them around and they loved our apartment, they ate all their dinner so I guess that went all right, and they gave us money as a housewarming present. Woah! As soon as we saw it, someone (Jesse? My dad? I can't remember.) mentioned that we could use the money to buy ourselves some microwave-safe dishes. Now, when I first moved out on my own, I realized that, although my grandmother's china is pretty, and it puts on a beautiful light show when microwaved, it's probably not the best idea to heat foodstuffs on it. So I stopped. It has been two years since I have heated food in/on something other than pyrex, corning ware, or paper towels. So when the idea came up to spend money on microwave-safe dishes, I thought, "puh! not necessary."
But when my parents left, Jess brought it up again: "You know, maybe we should buy microwave-safe dishes." Ok, ok, ok... Just because I'm used to it, doesn't mean it's the best plan to live without this convenience. So we went shopping online... within an hour, we had picked out dishes we're both going to be happy with. So even though I wasn't excited about buying new dishes beforehand (what? am I not a girl? what's wrong with me?), now I'm thrilled! They're in the mail, and I'm going to receive them any day! How exciting is that?!
And Jesse and I are talking about going up to Groveland this weekend. That promises to be relaxing. Relaxing promises to be nice. And now I'm stalled thinking of things to write about, because I'm daydreaming about relaxing...
But when my parents left, Jess brought it up again: "You know, maybe we should buy microwave-safe dishes." Ok, ok, ok... Just because I'm used to it, doesn't mean it's the best plan to live without this convenience. So we went shopping online... within an hour, we had picked out dishes we're both going to be happy with. So even though I wasn't excited about buying new dishes beforehand (what? am I not a girl? what's wrong with me?), now I'm thrilled! They're in the mail, and I'm going to receive them any day! How exciting is that?!
And Jesse and I are talking about going up to Groveland this weekend. That promises to be relaxing. Relaxing promises to be nice. And now I'm stalled thinking of things to write about, because I'm daydreaming about relaxing...
Tuesday, October 11
Early Fall Primetime TV Reviews
The saving grace of my early Fall is that prime time TV is back. Here's what I watch:
Medium: Awesome. Such a good show. Great acting, great script, variety in storyline, topic matter. So good. It's hard to figure out what will happen next.
Amazing Race: doh. I'm currently boycotting this show. As one of its main proponents in the early years (read: every year 'til now), I'm really angry that they messed with a good thing. I needed my Tuesday night strategic, backstabbing race-around-the-world. Instead, it's now a family show and they have yet to leave the United States. Boring.
The Apprentice/Martha Stewart: So good! This re-vamped version of Trump's original is so much better. The candidates are annoying, but the tasks are interesting, and they've made some great improvements over The Donald's show: (1) no immunity for PMs, (2) Martha doesn't say "you're fired" at all, which makes sense, since no one has been hired yet, (3) she writes a very well-balanced and insightful letter to the eliminated candidate each week, explaining why they won't be continuing, and (4) there's no Donald Trump! No more comments about how the female candidates are beautiful, no more flirting from the candidate side of the table... it is more professional. Only downside: Guy to Martha's left, lose the cigar!
Joey: Same show, different season. It's funny, the acting and writing are good - it's entertaining and watchable. I don't cry if I miss an episode, though.
Survivor: Same show, different rules (as always!). They keep this show fresh by realizing that the strategy is the only thing the show has going for it (well, that, and all the boob and butt shots the cameramen and editors like). The rules change, the challenges seem to be genuinely challenging, and the teams are shuffled around at various times to keep the players awake and their strategies exciting.
The Apprentice/Donald Trump: I was a fan of The Apprentice the first season, but it has gone downhill since then -- the Donald is too over-the-top, the editing is bad (you never like anyone all season, then you're supposed to support one of the final two? no way!), and lots of bad, impulsive decisions seem to be made in "the boardroom." The only upside: The candidates are making better decisions about who to bring into the boardroom this season (probably because they're aware of how bad the decisions can be)!
ER: I didn't start watching this show until two seasons ago, and I'm a huge fan. The writing is consistently excellent, and the acting is always great.. the characters shift job roles and hierarchy so subtly that it always seems real .. almost like real time. Few shows can do that, probably because they can't guarantee the show will still be on the air long enough to complete a storyline. ER doesn't have that problem. Awesome. I would cry if I missed an episode of this show. ;)
Medium: Awesome. Such a good show. Great acting, great script, variety in storyline, topic matter. So good. It's hard to figure out what will happen next.
Amazing Race: doh. I'm currently boycotting this show. As one of its main proponents in the early years (read: every year 'til now), I'm really angry that they messed with a good thing. I needed my Tuesday night strategic, backstabbing race-around-the-world. Instead, it's now a family show and they have yet to leave the United States. Boring.
The Apprentice/Martha Stewart: So good! This re-vamped version of Trump's original is so much better. The candidates are annoying, but the tasks are interesting, and they've made some great improvements over The Donald's show: (1) no immunity for PMs, (2) Martha doesn't say "you're fired" at all, which makes sense, since no one has been hired yet, (3) she writes a very well-balanced and insightful letter to the eliminated candidate each week, explaining why they won't be continuing, and (4) there's no Donald Trump! No more comments about how the female candidates are beautiful, no more flirting from the candidate side of the table... it is more professional. Only downside: Guy to Martha's left, lose the cigar!
Joey: Same show, different season. It's funny, the acting and writing are good - it's entertaining and watchable. I don't cry if I miss an episode, though.
Survivor: Same show, different rules (as always!). They keep this show fresh by realizing that the strategy is the only thing the show has going for it (well, that, and all the boob and butt shots the cameramen and editors like). The rules change, the challenges seem to be genuinely challenging, and the teams are shuffled around at various times to keep the players awake and their strategies exciting.
The Apprentice/Donald Trump: I was a fan of The Apprentice the first season, but it has gone downhill since then -- the Donald is too over-the-top, the editing is bad (you never like anyone all season, then you're supposed to support one of the final two? no way!), and lots of bad, impulsive decisions seem to be made in "the boardroom." The only upside: The candidates are making better decisions about who to bring into the boardroom this season (probably because they're aware of how bad the decisions can be)!
ER: I didn't start watching this show until two seasons ago, and I'm a huge fan. The writing is consistently excellent, and the acting is always great.. the characters shift job roles and hierarchy so subtly that it always seems real .. almost like real time. Few shows can do that, probably because they can't guarantee the show will still be on the air long enough to complete a storyline. ER doesn't have that problem. Awesome. I would cry if I missed an episode of this show. ;)
Our house = warmed
We had our housewarming party this weekend, on Saturday night. It was really nice -- lots of fun people showed up. At 7pm, when it was due to start, I wondered why people always like to be fashionably late.. then I realized: I'm always late. It's karma.
So people started rapidly showing up, and then I realized: I had way too much in the way of drinks. Oh well. People ate, they drank (a little) .. but we didn't run out of anything, and everyone seemed satisfied. I never had to say "no, we ran out" if someone asked for something. That's always good for a nurturer like me. =P
Our front bonus room smelled like ant spray all night, even though we'd been airing it out for two days. And then, of course, we got ants inside the house. I think we scared them out of the bonus room and into our house. How annoying: our house is cleaner than it has ever been, and now we have ants. Awesome!
Some of our invitees didn't show up. Two of Jesse's friends didn't show, and my brothers didn't come. That made me sad. But our house was full and laughter-y well into the night, and people seemed to be having fun.
Ever since the party, I haven't been able to get up in the morning. Last week was incredibly hectic at work, and the cleaning and prep work for the party has knocked me out.. I'm ready for a vacation now.
My computer doesn't work.. it gives me some sort of error about not recognizing the non-existent floppy drive. Exciting. And the case is a piece of junk: as my brother put it, "It looks like they hot-glued the electrical, instead of soldering it." So I have to replace the case and then worry about the other stuff... Blah.
So people started rapidly showing up, and then I realized: I had way too much in the way of drinks. Oh well. People ate, they drank (a little) .. but we didn't run out of anything, and everyone seemed satisfied. I never had to say "no, we ran out" if someone asked for something. That's always good for a nurturer like me. =P
Our front bonus room smelled like ant spray all night, even though we'd been airing it out for two days. And then, of course, we got ants inside the house. I think we scared them out of the bonus room and into our house. How annoying: our house is cleaner than it has ever been, and now we have ants. Awesome!
Some of our invitees didn't show up. Two of Jesse's friends didn't show, and my brothers didn't come. That made me sad. But our house was full and laughter-y well into the night, and people seemed to be having fun.
Ever since the party, I haven't been able to get up in the morning. Last week was incredibly hectic at work, and the cleaning and prep work for the party has knocked me out.. I'm ready for a vacation now.
My computer doesn't work.. it gives me some sort of error about not recognizing the non-existent floppy drive. Exciting. And the case is a piece of junk: as my brother put it, "It looks like they hot-glued the electrical, instead of soldering it." So I have to replace the case and then worry about the other stuff... Blah.
Friday, September 30
Computer Puzzles
So, I'm buying a new computer. I ordered all kinds of things from newegg.com two days ago, and most of it has already arrived. The things that were sent from California are already here, while the things being shipped from New Jersey haven't yet arrived. They're so slow in Jersey. =P (j/k friends from Jersey, if you exist) (and to all my friends from Philly, since I know you exist, I wasn't really j/k) Now, that big puzzle of pieces just needs to be put together next week, by my brother, who has awesomely volunteered to help his little sister out.
And I also bought my first mobile phone game. Jesse bought Bejeweled, and I chided him for spending so much money on such a silly little thing... then I was inspired by his silliness, and bought Collapse! for myself. Awesome. I'm a big Collapse fan. And It's so fun to have it on my phone. I'm also really into spending money I don't need to spend right now. What's that about? =P
And that's where I'm going to awkwardly end this post. Seeya!
And I also bought my first mobile phone game. Jesse bought Bejeweled, and I chided him for spending so much money on such a silly little thing... then I was inspired by his silliness, and bought Collapse! for myself. Awesome. I'm a big Collapse fan. And It's so fun to have it on my phone. I'm also really into spending money I don't need to spend right now. What's that about? =P
And that's where I'm going to awkwardly end this post. Seeya!
Wednesday, September 28
The new and improved Busy Rooni
Hello, Journal. Long time, no see. How have you been? Good. Oh, me? Busy.
Work, work, work... Socialize, socialize, socialize. I have nothing to complain about, so I won't. =) Just busy, and I always think about writing, but never sit down to do it because I feel like I don't have anything interesting to say..
Over the weekend, Jesse and I socialized a bunch with friends: we went to a wedding on Saturday afternoon, which was really nice -- we danced a bunch and made friendly conversation. Then we followed that up with socializing at a friend's house (with fellow wedding attendees), which was also really nice. Then the next day, we helped still other friends move some heavy things into their new place. And that night, we went to a dinner party for another friend's birthday. Somewhere in there, we painted some pottery at one of those fancy retail establishments that lets you do such things. That was really fun -- the "fun" that means you put your creative brain to work to design something, then spend hours painting and painting and painting more detail until it's done. All in all, a super nice weekend.
Monday, my mom called and begged me to go to Home Depot and choose paint colors for her house. We bickered over blue-greens and yellow-greens until we settled on the very cute color "Little Green Frog." It should be very pretty.
Tuesday, my friend (the same friend we socialized with on Saturday night) wanted me to go shopping for vacation clothing, since she's leaving tomorrow morning (and I'm taking her to the airport). So that's been my week so far. Currently, I'm working hard at my place of business.
And tonight, I just found out, I'm going out again for paint color work. And over the coming weekend, I'll be cleaning and prepping the house for our upcoming Housewarming Party (the following weekend).
So that's my life.. and from this boring blog, you should be able to see why I haven't been writing lately -- not that I'm too busy, but that I really don't have anything to say. =)
Work, work, work... Socialize, socialize, socialize. I have nothing to complain about, so I won't. =) Just busy, and I always think about writing, but never sit down to do it because I feel like I don't have anything interesting to say..
Over the weekend, Jesse and I socialized a bunch with friends: we went to a wedding on Saturday afternoon, which was really nice -- we danced a bunch and made friendly conversation. Then we followed that up with socializing at a friend's house (with fellow wedding attendees), which was also really nice. Then the next day, we helped still other friends move some heavy things into their new place. And that night, we went to a dinner party for another friend's birthday. Somewhere in there, we painted some pottery at one of those fancy retail establishments that lets you do such things. That was really fun -- the "fun" that means you put your creative brain to work to design something, then spend hours painting and painting and painting more detail until it's done. All in all, a super nice weekend.
Monday, my mom called and begged me to go to Home Depot and choose paint colors for her house. We bickered over blue-greens and yellow-greens until we settled on the very cute color "Little Green Frog." It should be very pretty.
Tuesday, my friend (the same friend we socialized with on Saturday night) wanted me to go shopping for vacation clothing, since she's leaving tomorrow morning (and I'm taking her to the airport). So that's been my week so far. Currently, I'm working hard at my place of business.
And tonight, I just found out, I'm going out again for paint color work. And over the coming weekend, I'll be cleaning and prepping the house for our upcoming Housewarming Party (the following weekend).
So that's my life.. and from this boring blog, you should be able to see why I haven't been writing lately -- not that I'm too busy, but that I really don't have anything to say. =)
Wednesday, September 14
Ferocious schedule
Maybe I should start all my blog subjects with "ferocious" .. it's a pretty awesome little adjective.
Anyway, on to the schedule.. I probably shouldn't complain, but I will anyway. ;) Remember, I'm an introvert.. hectic social schedules stress me out.
I worked over the weekend (not the whole time, but still, it interfered with the whole relaxation thing) .. then Monday, there was a client visit at work -- I was with them from 8:45am to 8:45pm. Tuesday, I came home early to stress out about a report that's due this week. Today, I stayed home all day to do that report. It's done. Tonight, I'm going to a friend's house to help make wedding favors (yay helping out!). Tomorrow, Jess and I have a bunch of things we'd like to do -- make a nice dinner, play more Ratchet & Clank, watch a new movie from Netflix... but we'll probably just make a simple dinner, pay bills, watch Survivor and call it a night. =) Then Friday, I'm going out to dinner for another friend's birthday (yay Nola's!). Then it's Saturday morning at home (nice weekend breakfast with Jesse, maybe?) and off to the overnight bachelor and bachelorette parties (for the betrothed couple) we go!
Next week, I'm hoping the work schedule slows down a little. Maybe I'll feel more inspired to write in Ye Ole Blogge more if I feel like I have some time to myself here and there.
Oh yeah, and I'm working on buying a new computer -- that way, maybe Jess and I will both have nice set-ups in this home office space. Wish us luck! Wish me luck! I wish you luck. Talk to you all again sometime soon. =)
Anyway, on to the schedule.. I probably shouldn't complain, but I will anyway. ;) Remember, I'm an introvert.. hectic social schedules stress me out.
I worked over the weekend (not the whole time, but still, it interfered with the whole relaxation thing) .. then Monday, there was a client visit at work -- I was with them from 8:45am to 8:45pm. Tuesday, I came home early to stress out about a report that's due this week. Today, I stayed home all day to do that report. It's done. Tonight, I'm going to a friend's house to help make wedding favors (yay helping out!). Tomorrow, Jess and I have a bunch of things we'd like to do -- make a nice dinner, play more Ratchet & Clank, watch a new movie from Netflix... but we'll probably just make a simple dinner, pay bills, watch Survivor and call it a night. =) Then Friday, I'm going out to dinner for another friend's birthday (yay Nola's!). Then it's Saturday morning at home (nice weekend breakfast with Jesse, maybe?) and off to the overnight bachelor and bachelorette parties (for the betrothed couple) we go!
Next week, I'm hoping the work schedule slows down a little. Maybe I'll feel more inspired to write in Ye Ole Blogge more if I feel like I have some time to myself here and there.
Oh yeah, and I'm working on buying a new computer -- that way, maybe Jess and I will both have nice set-ups in this home office space. Wish us luck! Wish me luck! I wish you luck. Talk to you all again sometime soon. =)
Saturday, September 3
My two weekends, and Katrina in-between.
I had a great birthday, last weekend. I was bummed out, trying to squeeze everything in (Jesse time, family time, quiet time, bridal shower time, etc.) ... and there was a "pre-wedding hang-out session" that my friends were planning for our engaged friend who's getting married at the end of the month (it was also her bridal shower over the weekend) ... I was getting so stressed out that I almost didn't go, but my arm was twisted several times around, and I relaxed a bit over lunch with some other friends, so I ended up going (happily). And wow, it was a good thing I did! =P It was a surprise birthday dinner party for me. =P Sheesh. I don't think I've ever had a surprise party before, so I didn't quite know the lead-up warning signs.. hehe
It was super nice; we went to a swanky place called Nola in Palo Alto. (Woah, go to that link -- going there only just reminded me that it was a Nawlins-themed restaurant. Poor New Orleans.) The food was great, the company was great, and we had a sweet private room at the back of the restaurant.. I was very impressed and touched.
And then, on Saturday (my actual birthday), Jess and I packed up a picnic lunch, and he read to me on the banks of the lagoon in Foster City. I fell asleep. It was very relaxing.
My mom (who's totally my biggest fan and should've called me at midnight as soon as it turned August 27) didn't call me to say Happy Birthday, so I was bummin' out into the late afternoon... Then, of course, she called me at about 7:02PM singing the HB song into the phone, and apologizing profusely for missing my exact birth time of 6:55pm. Awww. So, I had to forgive her. And then I was in good enough spirits to go out to dinner (without my mom's call, I was totally thinking of just going to bed early and not eating dinner), so Jesse took me to a sweet little italian restaurant called Tomatina. Yum.
Then on Sunday, I went to my friend's Bridal Shower. It was bridal showery. I embarassed her with lingerie, which is pretty much the purpose of a shower, right? Then my family took me out to dinner Sunday night, staying with the Italian theme, to Maggiano's. Nice decor, but we ate outside to stay cool. Beautiful night, good food, fun joke-and-story-telling. It was nice, overall!
Then came Monday, and the hell of this past week. Ugh. So much work, so much hurricane crying. My company built a whole emergency hurricane relief application, to direct people to the Red Cross donation lines, the FEMA info lines, etc. All of this extra work piled on meant that I didn't get my original work goals for the week accomplished.
So here I am, on a Saturday, at work. Doh! Oh well. I'm fortunate enough to live in a beautiful state, with temperate weather, and my home and the building in which I work are still standing.
Poor New Orleans (not to mention other destroyed areas along the Gulf Coast). I've donated money, but I wish there was more I could do... Something tells me, though, that there's a premium on space in the disaster-stricken areas, and they don't need another mouth to feed.
It was super nice; we went to a swanky place called Nola in Palo Alto. (Woah, go to that link -- going there only just reminded me that it was a Nawlins-themed restaurant. Poor New Orleans.) The food was great, the company was great, and we had a sweet private room at the back of the restaurant.. I was very impressed and touched.
And then, on Saturday (my actual birthday), Jess and I packed up a picnic lunch, and he read to me on the banks of the lagoon in Foster City. I fell asleep. It was very relaxing.
My mom (who's totally my biggest fan and should've called me at midnight as soon as it turned August 27) didn't call me to say Happy Birthday, so I was bummin' out into the late afternoon... Then, of course, she called me at about 7:02PM singing the HB song into the phone, and apologizing profusely for missing my exact birth time of 6:55pm. Awww. So, I had to forgive her. And then I was in good enough spirits to go out to dinner (without my mom's call, I was totally thinking of just going to bed early and not eating dinner), so Jesse took me to a sweet little italian restaurant called Tomatina. Yum.
Then on Sunday, I went to my friend's Bridal Shower. It was bridal showery. I embarassed her with lingerie, which is pretty much the purpose of a shower, right? Then my family took me out to dinner Sunday night, staying with the Italian theme, to Maggiano's. Nice decor, but we ate outside to stay cool. Beautiful night, good food, fun joke-and-story-telling. It was nice, overall!
Then came Monday, and the hell of this past week. Ugh. So much work, so much hurricane crying. My company built a whole emergency hurricane relief application, to direct people to the Red Cross donation lines, the FEMA info lines, etc. All of this extra work piled on meant that I didn't get my original work goals for the week accomplished.
So here I am, on a Saturday, at work. Doh! Oh well. I'm fortunate enough to live in a beautiful state, with temperate weather, and my home and the building in which I work are still standing.
Poor New Orleans (not to mention other destroyed areas along the Gulf Coast). I've donated money, but I wish there was more I could do... Something tells me, though, that there's a premium on space in the disaster-stricken areas, and they don't need another mouth to feed.
Thursday, August 25
James Taylor Madness
Cool, calm, smooth. That's James Taylor, right?
According to the guards at the gate, who didn't bother doing a serious check of our companions' carry-in items, "This is a pretty low-key crowd. We're not too worried."
Jess and I didn't receive a pat-down at all. They didn't search our stuff. I think it's safe to say they weren't worried about riots at the James Taylor concert. Would you be? I wouldn't. In fact, I wasn't.
Well!
If you've never been to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, it's important to point out that it's fundamentally different from run-of-the-mill Amphitheaters in terms of seating: assigned seats are on big stone steps, as opposed to those stadium-style flip-open seats. So when you sit down, the person behind you has their feet right next to your back.
The people behind us were evidently getting sloshed early on. Sometime at the end of the concert -- I believe it was either the last song (before encores) or the first encore -- the woman sitting next to me (my mom's friend) suddenly jerked forward, as though she was supporting a huge weight. Sure enough, a person had toppled onto her, and a split second later, I was also being pushed forward.
In a setting like this, that's probably the only thing you worry about: "I hope no one loses their balance, cuz this could get ugly!" (it's just a giant set of stairs)
I thought someone had passed out, or was trying to pass in front of people and lost their balance. Nope. Just as I'm turning around to see if everyone was ok, people around us started yelling "STOP! STOP IT! GET OFF OF HIM! STOP!"
Seriously, folks, it was a James Taylor concert.
Jess and I jumped to our feet and stood in the aisle, trying to get away from flying fists. The fight would go on for another minute or so before two cops came down toward us. Of course, remembering that we're on a giant set of stairs, and this guy is drunk and throwing punches, it was hard for the cops to approach him. So they didn't. They just let him continue to fight as they called for back-up.
They got a third cop involved, and they all still stood far away from him until he calmed down (stopped punching and swearing at people). Then he sat down and started examining his leg, which was apparently bleeding.
Eventually, the whole group decided to get up and leave (including the fighty guy), and things calmed back down. My mom said someone stepped on her hand in the mayhem (the tip of her thumb was black with trapped blood -- it's amazing more people didn't get hurt, in the cramped conditions).
Seriously, folks, it was a James Taylor concert.
Other than the fight and minor injuries, it was an excellent concert. A beautiful night to be outside, listening to a soothing singer-songwriter. Sorry you missed it, everyone who wasn't there.
According to the guards at the gate, who didn't bother doing a serious check of our companions' carry-in items, "This is a pretty low-key crowd. We're not too worried."
Jess and I didn't receive a pat-down at all. They didn't search our stuff. I think it's safe to say they weren't worried about riots at the James Taylor concert. Would you be? I wouldn't. In fact, I wasn't.
Well!
If you've never been to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, it's important to point out that it's fundamentally different from run-of-the-mill Amphitheaters in terms of seating: assigned seats are on big stone steps, as opposed to those stadium-style flip-open seats. So when you sit down, the person behind you has their feet right next to your back.
The people behind us were evidently getting sloshed early on. Sometime at the end of the concert -- I believe it was either the last song (before encores) or the first encore -- the woman sitting next to me (my mom's friend) suddenly jerked forward, as though she was supporting a huge weight. Sure enough, a person had toppled onto her, and a split second later, I was also being pushed forward.
In a setting like this, that's probably the only thing you worry about: "I hope no one loses their balance, cuz this could get ugly!" (it's just a giant set of stairs)
I thought someone had passed out, or was trying to pass in front of people and lost their balance. Nope. Just as I'm turning around to see if everyone was ok, people around us started yelling "STOP! STOP IT! GET OFF OF HIM! STOP!"
Seriously, folks, it was a James Taylor concert.
Jess and I jumped to our feet and stood in the aisle, trying to get away from flying fists. The fight would go on for another minute or so before two cops came down toward us. Of course, remembering that we're on a giant set of stairs, and this guy is drunk and throwing punches, it was hard for the cops to approach him. So they didn't. They just let him continue to fight as they called for back-up.
They got a third cop involved, and they all still stood far away from him until he calmed down (stopped punching and swearing at people). Then he sat down and started examining his leg, which was apparently bleeding.
Eventually, the whole group decided to get up and leave (including the fighty guy), and things calmed back down. My mom said someone stepped on her hand in the mayhem (the tip of her thumb was black with trapped blood -- it's amazing more people didn't get hurt, in the cramped conditions).
Seriously, folks, it was a James Taylor concert.
Other than the fight and minor injuries, it was an excellent concert. A beautiful night to be outside, listening to a soothing singer-songwriter. Sorry you missed it, everyone who wasn't there.
Tuesday, August 23
I try to like butterflies.
It's still Summer. Jess and I live in a somewhat foggy area (it's no San Francisco, but it's cool and moist many evenings/mornings), so it doesn't always feel like Summer at home. But I'm reminded that it's Summer when I think of my schedule...
Seriously, I'm an introvert. I like to stay home and do quiet things (read, sit, think) to recharge/refuel. But ever since someone turned the sun on back in May/June, I've been busy trying to act like a social butterfly. Two of my friends are taking the marriage plunge this year (one already did in June, the other will in September) and because they're female, that means three party dates each: bridal shower, bachelorette party, wedding ceremony and/or reception. In addition, my mom is renovating two houses. Jesse and I moved, we did some renovation in our new place, and August brings both Jesse's and my birthday.
So, my quiet time has been cut back, due to everyone's need to take advantage of the Summer sun. Jesse and I tried to get away from our hectic pace last weekend by driving up to Yosemite and picnicking by a lake. It was really nice. Unfortunately, we did have to come back home. And now I'm at work, accepting and denying meetings, answering questions, and planning parties and gifts for other people's parties.
In fact, our intern had his last day yesterday (it's the end of Summer), so we took him out to lunch. My team at work is raucus and upbeat, so it was fun. Because of my recent trip to Yosemite, I was reminded of something I told my mom a few months ago: In the Summer, when you drive across Central California, you kill multiple specimens of California's bug species with your car's front end. I mentioned to her that she might not ever drive to her vacation home in eastern California if, before she left, she was given a tray of bugs and butterflies and a baseball bat, and told she had to beat them all to a pulp before she would be allowed to leave for vacation.
Is that mean? The lunch crowd recoiled and laughed uncomfortably at the story. Oh well. Sometimes it's hard for me to know if I'm funny or just inappropriate.
Seriously, I'm an introvert. I like to stay home and do quiet things (read, sit, think) to recharge/refuel. But ever since someone turned the sun on back in May/June, I've been busy trying to act like a social butterfly. Two of my friends are taking the marriage plunge this year (one already did in June, the other will in September) and because they're female, that means three party dates each: bridal shower, bachelorette party, wedding ceremony and/or reception. In addition, my mom is renovating two houses. Jesse and I moved, we did some renovation in our new place, and August brings both Jesse's and my birthday.
So, my quiet time has been cut back, due to everyone's need to take advantage of the Summer sun. Jesse and I tried to get away from our hectic pace last weekend by driving up to Yosemite and picnicking by a lake. It was really nice. Unfortunately, we did have to come back home. And now I'm at work, accepting and denying meetings, answering questions, and planning parties and gifts for other people's parties.
In fact, our intern had his last day yesterday (it's the end of Summer), so we took him out to lunch. My team at work is raucus and upbeat, so it was fun. Because of my recent trip to Yosemite, I was reminded of something I told my mom a few months ago: In the Summer, when you drive across Central California, you kill multiple specimens of California's bug species with your car's front end. I mentioned to her that she might not ever drive to her vacation home in eastern California if, before she left, she was given a tray of bugs and butterflies and a baseball bat, and told she had to beat them all to a pulp before she would be allowed to leave for vacation.
Is that mean? The lunch crowd recoiled and laughed uncomfortably at the story. Oh well. Sometimes it's hard for me to know if I'm funny or just inappropriate.
Friday, August 19
My book
Well, it's not really my book, because he wrote it, but it is for me, which sort of makes it mine. My book!
Jesse's writing me a novel. It's called The Amber Lantern, a bedtime story by Jesse Harlin. For those of you who don't already know, Jesse has made a habit of reading to me before bed. It's so relaxing, and it's so sweet -- I recommend that all boyfriends do this for their girlfriends. Yes, ladies, I read to him, too, but he's so much better at it, and he has the patience for it -- it's so great!
So, of course he's incredibly creative. Visual artist, musician (duh) and writer. He tells one great bedtime story after another -- but he's writing this one down! And it's chock full of inside jokes and references to us (you'll have to get these out of me one-by-one.. I don't want to post a list of inside jokes, because, you know.. then they'd be outside jokes).
So the copy I got for my birthday is an official, bound version, containing the first three chapters. So far, Jess has read the first chapter to me -- I wish I could tell you what the whole book's about, but he won't let me read the back cover, and the whole book's not done yet anyway. ;) I can tell you that the first chapter sets the story on Kipiki Luni Island, with a dragon who's learning to fly, and a decorative tin monkey with a colorful past, who've just met a shipwrecked duck. It's all very exciting to me -- I'll tell you how it turns out. ;)
Thank you, Bug! I know it's not my birthday yet, but I love my present, and I think you're the sweetest and the best! Tippit, Bug!!
Jesse's writing me a novel. It's called The Amber Lantern, a bedtime story by Jesse Harlin. For those of you who don't already know, Jesse has made a habit of reading to me before bed. It's so relaxing, and it's so sweet -- I recommend that all boyfriends do this for their girlfriends. Yes, ladies, I read to him, too, but he's so much better at it, and he has the patience for it -- it's so great!
So, of course he's incredibly creative. Visual artist, musician (duh) and writer. He tells one great bedtime story after another -- but he's writing this one down! And it's chock full of inside jokes and references to us (you'll have to get these out of me one-by-one.. I don't want to post a list of inside jokes, because, you know.. then they'd be outside jokes).
So the copy I got for my birthday is an official, bound version, containing the first three chapters. So far, Jess has read the first chapter to me -- I wish I could tell you what the whole book's about, but he won't let me read the back cover, and the whole book's not done yet anyway. ;) I can tell you that the first chapter sets the story on Kipiki Luni Island, with a dragon who's learning to fly, and a decorative tin monkey with a colorful past, who've just met a shipwrecked duck. It's all very exciting to me -- I'll tell you how it turns out. ;)
Thank you, Bug! I know it's not my birthday yet, but I love my present, and I think you're the sweetest and the best! Tippit, Bug!!
Monday, August 15
This is how I pulled it off...
Jesse said he'd let me tell you all how I pulled it off. I was super busy, and this is the first chance I've had to write. So, here goes...
I figured out what I wanted to do, then I told Ry (Jesse's brother) that I was thinking about it. He showed me some other Chicago-style pizzeria that shipped complete pizzas. I called Italian Delite. Anthony said, "Uh, not sure.. but I know it would be a bad idea to ship the complete pizza. The sauce would ruin the dough." Anthony also said to "Call back tomorrow. Frank will be here. Joe's here today, and I can tell you right now, Joe would say 'no.'"
Okay, so I called Frank. Sweet, helpful Frank. He said Italian Delite was thinking about doing this as part of their normal business, but it hadn't been fully explored yet. Long story short, he really wanted to help. He offered to freeze the pizza dough, sauce and cheese for me. He wanted to ship it himself, but his suppliers weren't calling him back, so we resolved that Jesse's mom (Karen) would have to do the legwork. Luckily, she was willing and available!
I called dry ice retailers (for obvious reasons), shipping companies (price estimates, ability to ship dry ice), Acme and Wawa and hardware stores (trying to find a styrofoam cooler). I also needed to get directions to all of these places, in the correct order, because Karen's internet connection was on the fritz.
SO! That's the prep. Lots of phone calls, taking notes, organization. Then I called Karen mom and explained the whole plan -- she was game! Sweet. Frank, at Italian Delite, said he didn't want me to pay for the pizza until he heard whether it worked out for us. I'd say it did!
Poor Karen got lost once or twice, because places weren't where they said they'd be, and the whole thing took a few hours, all told. But with the cooler, the pizza ingredients, and the dry ice, packaged up, she made it to FedEx by the Overnight-shipping cut-off time, and it made it to California without a scratch!
I needed a lot of time, after work, to get the pizza ready. The sauce was still frozen, and the dough was way too cold to rise. So I asked Jesse to go to Radio Shack to buy a memory card for my digital camera, because I needed to take pictures. It worked perfectly! He bought the excuse, and it bought me more time.
It's really, really hard to press pizza dough super thin. Really hard. I gave up on using my fingers (my arms were hurting), and I can't spin dough, so I used my rolling pin to finish it(Sorry to all the pizza snob foodies reading this).
I set the oven to 450F a good 45 minutes before I put the pizza in, so it was really hot. I put the dough on a thin metal pizza pan with holes in it, dressed it with a healthy amount of sauce and cheese, then put it in on the bottom rack.
It wasn't but 2 minutes later that Jesse got home. Then I started panicking -- I didn't know what else to say to him to keep him from knowing what was going on. I was hiding it the best I could. (Cook, dammit, cook!) Then it was done (I hoped), and I showed it to him -- the rest is history.
Happy Birthday (last thursday), Bug!
I figured out what I wanted to do, then I told Ry (Jesse's brother) that I was thinking about it. He showed me some other Chicago-style pizzeria that shipped complete pizzas. I called Italian Delite. Anthony said, "Uh, not sure.. but I know it would be a bad idea to ship the complete pizza. The sauce would ruin the dough." Anthony also said to "Call back tomorrow. Frank will be here. Joe's here today, and I can tell you right now, Joe would say 'no.'"
Okay, so I called Frank. Sweet, helpful Frank. He said Italian Delite was thinking about doing this as part of their normal business, but it hadn't been fully explored yet. Long story short, he really wanted to help. He offered to freeze the pizza dough, sauce and cheese for me. He wanted to ship it himself, but his suppliers weren't calling him back, so we resolved that Jesse's mom (Karen) would have to do the legwork. Luckily, she was willing and available!
I called dry ice retailers (for obvious reasons), shipping companies (price estimates, ability to ship dry ice), Acme and Wawa and hardware stores (trying to find a styrofoam cooler). I also needed to get directions to all of these places, in the correct order, because Karen's internet connection was on the fritz.
SO! That's the prep. Lots of phone calls, taking notes, organization. Then I called Karen mom and explained the whole plan -- she was game! Sweet. Frank, at Italian Delite, said he didn't want me to pay for the pizza until he heard whether it worked out for us. I'd say it did!
Poor Karen got lost once or twice, because places weren't where they said they'd be, and the whole thing took a few hours, all told. But with the cooler, the pizza ingredients, and the dry ice, packaged up, she made it to FedEx by the Overnight-shipping cut-off time, and it made it to California without a scratch!
I needed a lot of time, after work, to get the pizza ready. The sauce was still frozen, and the dough was way too cold to rise. So I asked Jesse to go to Radio Shack to buy a memory card for my digital camera, because I needed to take pictures. It worked perfectly! He bought the excuse, and it bought me more time.
It's really, really hard to press pizza dough super thin. Really hard. I gave up on using my fingers (my arms were hurting), and I can't spin dough, so I used my rolling pin to finish it(Sorry to all the pizza snob foodies reading this).
I set the oven to 450F a good 45 minutes before I put the pizza in, so it was really hot. I put the dough on a thin metal pizza pan with holes in it, dressed it with a healthy amount of sauce and cheese, then put it in on the bottom rack.
It wasn't but 2 minutes later that Jesse got home. Then I started panicking -- I didn't know what else to say to him to keep him from knowing what was going on. I was hiding it the best I could. (Cook, dammit, cook!) Then it was done (I hoped), and I showed it to him -- the rest is history.
Happy Birthday (last thursday), Bug!
Thursday, August 11
After all this anticipation...
...I won't even get to fill my readers in on what the "big deal" is about my plan(s) for Jesse's birthday! I'm going to have to let him fill everyone in...
Doh.
I've been waiting so long to be able to tell everyone.. =D
Oh wait, no I haven't.. Everyone I come into contact with on a daily basis pretty much knows. (Except Jesse--heehee!)
Anyway, it IS his birthday, but if you know the plan(s), please still keep mum! HE doesn't know yet.
...at least, I don't think he does...
Doh.
I've been waiting so long to be able to tell everyone.. =D
Oh wait, no I haven't.. Everyone I come into contact with on a daily basis pretty much knows. (Except Jesse--heehee!)
Anyway, it IS his birthday, but if you know the plan(s), please still keep mum! HE doesn't know yet.
...at least, I don't think he does...
Wednesday, August 10
Tomorrow, tomorrow.. I love ya!
I WISH I COULD TELL YOU ABOUT JESSE'S BIRTHDAY.
I'm starting to think I can't wait.. I have a lot of nervous anticipation. I hope he likes it.
I know he'll like it.
And I'm doing a lot of baking tonight.. I'm making cupcakes and banana bread. And I also have some coffee cake mix I might throw together for a birthday breakfast... we'll see if I have enough time or energy.
I'm babbling.
I'm excited! I wish I could tell everyone BUT Jesse, but he's probably my blog's most consistent reader. =P (Hi Jesse -- it's only a day away!)
I'm starting to think I can't wait.. I have a lot of nervous anticipation. I hope he likes it.
I know he'll like it.
And I'm doing a lot of baking tonight.. I'm making cupcakes and banana bread. And I also have some coffee cake mix I might throw together for a birthday breakfast... we'll see if I have enough time or energy.
I'm babbling.
I'm excited! I wish I could tell everyone BUT Jesse, but he's probably my blog's most consistent reader. =P (Hi Jesse -- it's only a day away!)
Monday, August 8
I don't bring you flowers anymore...
Yeah, so I hardly ever write. While some may not appreciate my neglect, I'm sure that Jesse will, eventually.
His birthday is Thursday. Thursday! It's Monday already. I'm obsessed with preparation. We'll see if he enjoys the effort I'm putting into it.. If so, he'll tell you all about it. If not, he'll probably tell you all about it. =)
Unfortunately, since that's all I think about (other than Jesse and tiling), and I can't talk about it -- because you-know-who reads this blog -- I don't have much to say here for the time being.
His birthday is Thursday. Thursday! It's Monday already. I'm obsessed with preparation. We'll see if he enjoys the effort I'm putting into it.. If so, he'll tell you all about it. If not, he'll probably tell you all about it. =)
Unfortunately, since that's all I think about (other than Jesse and tiling), and I can't talk about it -- because you-know-who reads this blog -- I don't have much to say here for the time being.
Thursday, August 4
T-shirts galore!
You should check out Threadless.com .. they have quite the unique t-shirt collection for sale.
All are different.
Some are...tasteless and funny, cute in a disturbing way, sweet, creepy yet artistic, blasphemous, disaffected, attempting to make a point, or otherwise awesome in general.
I know some of you will enjoy poking through these new t-shirt options. I know that I will definitely enjoy seeing them around. Have fun! =)
All are different.
Some are...tasteless and funny, cute in a disturbing way, sweet, creepy yet artistic, blasphemous, disaffected, attempting to make a point, or otherwise awesome in general.
I know some of you will enjoy poking through these new t-shirt options. I know that I will definitely enjoy seeing them around. Have fun! =)
YAY! I figured it out!
So it's still early, technically, but I have decided on what to do for Jesse's birthday. Watch for more details in his blog, as I'm sure he'll update people as more is revealed to him.. =D =D
Wednesday, August 3
keep livin' your vidas loca
Phew, this is a good little afternoon laugh... do read up, enjoy, and comment away.
"Sometimes it feels like nobody understands your rebellious, genre-defying crew of goth-rocker pals—am I right?"
Look no further.
"Sometimes it feels like nobody understands your rebellious, genre-defying crew of goth-rocker pals—am I right?"
Look no further.
It's Birthday Month again...
...and as always, Jesse's up first.
All you people in relationships where your birthdays are far apart from each other: rejoice. Jesse and I both have August birthdays, two weeks apart. And they're fast approaching.
I almost always wish my birthday would come first (in fact, we swapped birthdays last year, but it didn't work out so well). He's so creative, and I feel pressured to make his birthday great. Not that I don't *want* to anyway, but the fact that my birthday is looming shortly after his makes it intimidating -- "What's he going to do for mine? Will he think his birthday is lame in comparison with his plan for mine?"
Doh.
Oh well.. I have eight days left, and counting. I hope it goes well -- wish me luck! I have lots of ideas, but as a procrastinator, I'm not allowed to decide on a final plan yet.
All you people in relationships where your birthdays are far apart from each other: rejoice. Jesse and I both have August birthdays, two weeks apart. And they're fast approaching.
I almost always wish my birthday would come first (in fact, we swapped birthdays last year, but it didn't work out so well). He's so creative, and I feel pressured to make his birthday great. Not that I don't *want* to anyway, but the fact that my birthday is looming shortly after his makes it intimidating -- "What's he going to do for mine? Will he think his birthday is lame in comparison with his plan for mine?"
Doh.
Oh well.. I have eight days left, and counting. I hope it goes well -- wish me luck! I have lots of ideas, but as a procrastinator, I'm not allowed to decide on a final plan yet.
Wednesday, July 27
And now I'm listening to Techno Squirrels
You know, it might seem bizarre to switch from Vaz Hoil to Techno Squirrels, but they're actually closely related and strangely good together. =) Do check them out, and enjoy!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm listening to Vaz Hoil
Luv Spackle, to be precise. It's music like this that puts a smile on my face and helps me to get through the work day. ;)
Thanks, Vaz Hoil!
Thanks, Vaz Hoil!
Wednesday, July 20
I'm old.
I just got home from a business trip. I was upset at the lack of organization and planning for our arrival -- they didn't even really know why we were there. And I was really thirsty, but they didn't provide free drinking water to anyone, so I had to buy it for 55 cents. I thought that was an outrage. Not even drinking fountains for their workers. Unheard of.
Let's get back to that first sentence.. business trip. Wha? Am I old? Shouldn't I be running around Europe with a backpack and no permanent address at this stage of my life?
On top of that, while in Sacramento on said trip, I met up with an old friend from High School. We haven't spoken in five years. FIVE YEARS. Where does time go? This means that, while Travis and I were very good friends from sixth grade through high school, Jesse has never even met him. That's just weird.
My life is beginning to get segmented into eras. But, with any luck, the Era of Poop will be drawing to a close soon...
Let's get back to that first sentence.. business trip. Wha? Am I old? Shouldn't I be running around Europe with a backpack and no permanent address at this stage of my life?
On top of that, while in Sacramento on said trip, I met up with an old friend from High School. We haven't spoken in five years. FIVE YEARS. Where does time go? This means that, while Travis and I were very good friends from sixth grade through high school, Jesse has never even met him. That's just weird.
My life is beginning to get segmented into eras. But, with any luck, the Era of Poop will be drawing to a close soon...
Thursday, July 14
Illness, business, entertainment and #2
I've been sick for the past several days. It started in my throat on Saturday, then became general congestion/coughing/sneezing. Today it's basically congestion. I worked from home Monday-Wednesday, and I'm making an appearance at work today, though I'm probably just passing my germs around. =( Sorry, work people.
Anyway, life's good. Jess and I are trying to spend time together, but it sometimes feels like we're still long-distance. He went on a business trip last week, and I'm going on a business trip next week -- weekends are too short as it is, and I'm leaving Sunday night for Sacramento. Yay, work. =( ...it's like we have careers or something.
On another work-related note, Jess bought me Tetris last week (while he was down in LA on business), which was awesome. I have to get better at that game, so that when people play it at work, I have a chance of playing for more than 5 minutes without getting my butt kicked.
On a non-work-related note, I've begun to read The Da Vinci Code, which is probably the most entertaining book I've read since my junior year of High School (I essentially stopped reading for pleasure after my senior year, because they gave me so much to read that I cracked!). I'm not a particularly fast reader (I sort of have to absorb every word on the page -- I can't just skim. I have to hear all the dialogue in my head), but on the first day, I read 50 pages or so. Then yesterday, I read another 200. I only have another 250 pages to go or so, so I might just finish it tonight. Totally addictive.
While we're not talking about work, I should bring up that Jess and I watched the new reality show premier of Brat Camp last night. These "brat" teenagers are dropped off at a survival camp aimed at teaching them about routine, respect and resposibility. All the kids look like my friends from high school. It was entertaining, and I want to see what happens in later episodes -- I guess that means it's good TV. And who doesn't like a good story about campers being confronted by the fact that someone anonymously went number two out by a bush (and was dubbed the "phantom dooker" until they confessed)?
Anyway, talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic: Jess and I seem to be surrounded by random poop right now in our lives. What's that all about?
Anyway, life's good. Jess and I are trying to spend time together, but it sometimes feels like we're still long-distance. He went on a business trip last week, and I'm going on a business trip next week -- weekends are too short as it is, and I'm leaving Sunday night for Sacramento. Yay, work. =( ...it's like we have careers or something.
On another work-related note, Jess bought me Tetris last week (while he was down in LA on business), which was awesome. I have to get better at that game, so that when people play it at work, I have a chance of playing for more than 5 minutes without getting my butt kicked.
On a non-work-related note, I've begun to read The Da Vinci Code, which is probably the most entertaining book I've read since my junior year of High School (I essentially stopped reading for pleasure after my senior year, because they gave me so much to read that I cracked!). I'm not a particularly fast reader (I sort of have to absorb every word on the page -- I can't just skim. I have to hear all the dialogue in my head), but on the first day, I read 50 pages or so. Then yesterday, I read another 200. I only have another 250 pages to go or so, so I might just finish it tonight. Totally addictive.
While we're not talking about work, I should bring up that Jess and I watched the new reality show premier of Brat Camp last night. These "brat" teenagers are dropped off at a survival camp aimed at teaching them about routine, respect and resposibility. All the kids look like my friends from high school. It was entertaining, and I want to see what happens in later episodes -- I guess that means it's good TV. And who doesn't like a good story about campers being confronted by the fact that someone anonymously went number two out by a bush (and was dubbed the "phantom dooker" until they confessed)?
Anyway, talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic: Jess and I seem to be surrounded by random poop right now in our lives. What's that all about?
Friday, July 8
Flaming passionate love.
Some guy set himself on fire before proposing to his girlfriend.
Wow. I'm not really impressed -- I'm mostly just disturbed by this. I hope they're really just nice, normal people (is it possible to label them as normal at this point?) who will have a long life together, complete with interesting stories to tell their grandchildren... Good luck, guys!
Wow. I'm not really impressed -- I'm mostly just disturbed by this. I hope they're really just nice, normal people (is it possible to label them as normal at this point?) who will have a long life together, complete with interesting stories to tell their grandchildren... Good luck, guys!
Wednesday, July 6
Weekend Ketchup
If you're one of those weird Americans who pronounces that word [k a tS * p], then you get it. If you're like me, pronouncing it [k E tS * p], you're probably slightly confused, and maybe the post won't even help much.. but here goes:
It was a long weekend for me. I notified my manager long ago that I'd be taking Friday off, because it was the day I was due to be out of my old apartment, etc.. so I knew I'd need it for unpacking at the very least. Turns out, my work gives two days off for the Fourth, so I had Friday, Monday and Tuesday.. that's a five-day weekend. Sort of like a work week, when you consider that we mostly unpacked and coaxed our new kitty out from under the sofabed in the office. In any case, there was no romantic camping or picnicking for the five-day weekend. Just hanging out at home and erranding out occasionally.
So, aside from getting the cat, my only news is that Jesse is gone for the next few days, and I'll be "mostly hanging out at home and erranding out occasionally" for the rest of the week. =P
Oh, and here's a "shout out": my friend from college (and work now, too), Chelsea, got married on June 25th (she just got back to work today, so that's why it's coming up now -- you don't want to post about these things before it has been confirmed!). ;) (I'm kidding -- sheesh!) But the best part is that she got married on the beach in Jamaica. Congratulations, Chelsea and Shaun!
...ahh, NOW it makes sense why my weekend wasn't all that notable.
It was a long weekend for me. I notified my manager long ago that I'd be taking Friday off, because it was the day I was due to be out of my old apartment, etc.. so I knew I'd need it for unpacking at the very least. Turns out, my work gives two days off for the Fourth, so I had Friday, Monday and Tuesday.. that's a five-day weekend. Sort of like a work week, when you consider that we mostly unpacked and coaxed our new kitty out from under the sofabed in the office. In any case, there was no romantic camping or picnicking for the five-day weekend. Just hanging out at home and erranding out occasionally.
So, aside from getting the cat, my only news is that Jesse is gone for the next few days, and I'll be "mostly hanging out at home and erranding out occasionally" for the rest of the week. =P
Oh, and here's a "shout out": my friend from college (and work now, too), Chelsea, got married on June 25th (she just got back to work today, so that's why it's coming up now -- you don't want to post about these things before it has been confirmed!). ;) (I'm kidding -- sheesh!) But the best part is that she got married on the beach in Jamaica. Congratulations, Chelsea and Shaun!
...ahh, NOW it makes sense why my weekend wasn't all that notable.
Thursday, June 30
Let's help the guy out...
If not for the science, then at least do it because MIT houses the famous Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, Noam Chomsky.
Show some love for Linguistics (or MIT...and blogging). =D
Wednesday, June 29
Sooner rather than later...
We're going to get Phillip early! Since Jesse and I have decided to dedicate our long weekend to rest and relaxation instead of camping (which is a form of R&R, but not when you've already been packing and unpacking living supplies from your car for weeks), we're going to bring Phillip home on Friday instead of Tuesday.
Since Phillip is generally unpredictable, but usually in the garage at night, we're actually going to go over to my mom's house tomorrow night, and wait for the cat. My mom said she'd lock Phip in the garage, if she saw her around tonight.. otherwise, we're just going to have to hope she's there Thursday night.
We're pretty much ready.. we went to a pet store last night and bought various scratchable things (a carpeted post, a hanging thing for a door, a box of cardboard strips) and other supplies, like cushy pads we can insert-under-cat wherever she decides she likes to sleep, a few toys, and a litter pan & scoop. Oh, and I ended up getting that sliding glass door cat flap (from Craigslist), so... Bring on the pet guardianship!
While we're talking pets, you should check out BadRap.
Since Phillip is generally unpredictable, but usually in the garage at night, we're actually going to go over to my mom's house tomorrow night, and wait for the cat. My mom said she'd lock Phip in the garage, if she saw her around tonight.. otherwise, we're just going to have to hope she's there Thursday night.
We're pretty much ready.. we went to a pet store last night and bought various scratchable things (a carpeted post, a hanging thing for a door, a box of cardboard strips) and other supplies, like cushy pads we can insert-under-cat wherever she decides she likes to sleep, a few toys, and a litter pan & scoop. Oh, and I ended up getting that sliding glass door cat flap (from Craigslist), so... Bring on the pet guardianship!
While we're talking pets, you should check out BadRap.
Tuesday, June 28
Music and Philli-Prep
Bonjour mes amis.. =D
I'm excited about welcoming Phillip the cat into a beautiful retirement. She's due to join us as a member of the house on July 5th. (For those who didn't already know: Pip was an indoor cat until my mom got a dog. The cat promptly moved out to the garage because the dog wanted to eat her .. now, we're going to give her a dog-free environment for the rest of her days!)
I found a nice cat door on Craigslist that won't drain the bank, so I hope that works out.. and I want to go on a shopping spree for pet supplies as soon as we get two minutes of spare time (we're still big into the unpacking thing).
Aaaand Jesse got me a present yesterday -- the new Black Eyed Peas album, Monkey Business. Very nice. So, here's my shortquick review: it's great. It's a well-produced variety of high energy, club-style tracks with some great guest talent. I especially like the Jack Johnson-assisted track, Gone Going. Good stuff. It's definitely keeping me awake today. =) Thanks, Bug!
I'm excited about welcoming Phillip the cat into a beautiful retirement. She's due to join us as a member of the house on July 5th. (For those who didn't already know: Pip was an indoor cat until my mom got a dog. The cat promptly moved out to the garage because the dog wanted to eat her .. now, we're going to give her a dog-free environment for the rest of her days!)
I found a nice cat door on Craigslist that won't drain the bank, so I hope that works out.. and I want to go on a shopping spree for pet supplies as soon as we get two minutes of spare time (we're still big into the unpacking thing).
Aaaand Jesse got me a present yesterday -- the new Black Eyed Peas album, Monkey Business. Very nice. So, here's my shortquick review: it's great. It's a well-produced variety of high energy, club-style tracks with some great guest talent. I especially like the Jack Johnson-assisted track, Gone Going. Good stuff. It's definitely keeping me awake today. =) Thanks, Bug!
Thursday, June 23
I mean, what do you think this is, a free country?
I'm so glad that, in this country, we have property rights, so that we don't have to worry about having our lives trampled on by private industry or the government. Oh wait a second, that was until the Supreme Court decided today that building "a riverfront hotel, health club and offices" ... "in a working-class neighborhood in New London, Conn." ... "served a public purpose of boosting economic growth that outweighed the homeowners' property rights."
Why would anyone want to vacation or work in a community that doesn't support the rights of its own residents?
Why would anyone want to vacation or work in a community that doesn't support the rights of its own residents?
Monday, June 20
Hard to imagine.
Listen to George Dubya take a walk on the wild side, in full mash-up style...
Unfortunately, it's ridiculous.
Unfortunately, it's ridiculous.
The Big Move.
We did it! Jesse and I are now co-habitating. The big (read: enormous) move happened on Saturday (which was Fran's birthday -- happy birthday, Fran!). Jesse rented the truck, I got the breakfast, and we waited for the crew to arrive: our friends Teresa and Mark, my brothers, Matthew and Jonathan, and my dad. We packed up my apartment, which took all of an hour and 10 minutes. Then we drove for over an hour to Jesse's place and packed up his apartment, which took longer (he has some heavy stuff!). Then there was much starvation and fatigue, so we drove over 40 minutes back to the new area for lots of pizza and sitting down.
Then it was on to the unload. Ugh. So many, many heavy things. Such a small entrance into the apartment for so many people to share. The ridiculously heavy entertainment center had one reparable flaw from the move, and the only casualty was my veneered particle board desk. One side snapped, and we were going to just get rid of it, but now I'm thinking that it's sturdy enough just to use as-is. So, no real losses to report. Everyone worked so hard. We were/are so grateful!
We have so much work to do. We have to figure out where all those boxes from the living room go... then we have to unpack them. We need CD/media storage, and a new way of organizing -- we have lots of duplicate stuff. We need to make our kitchen usable, go grocery shopping, tile the "bonus room" out front, find lighting for the living room, hang artwork and other wall things, lay out rugs, buy/assemble nightstands for the bedroom, find my shoes.. lots to do. And I think we're going to need a couple of footstools for the closets in the bedroom and the cabinets in the kitchen.. why are things built up so high? The pro: lots of storage space, the con: can't get to stored items.
But we can't complain.. Jesse has confirmed that he has a beautiful commute, even though it's lengthy for the time being. And I have a choice of two commutes -- lovely or short. Not so bad! And we get to see each other every day. Bonus. ;)
Then it was on to the unload. Ugh. So many, many heavy things. Such a small entrance into the apartment for so many people to share. The ridiculously heavy entertainment center had one reparable flaw from the move, and the only casualty was my veneered particle board desk. One side snapped, and we were going to just get rid of it, but now I'm thinking that it's sturdy enough just to use as-is. So, no real losses to report. Everyone worked so hard. We were/are so grateful!
We have so much work to do. We have to figure out where all those boxes from the living room go... then we have to unpack them. We need CD/media storage, and a new way of organizing -- we have lots of duplicate stuff. We need to make our kitchen usable, go grocery shopping, tile the "bonus room" out front, find lighting for the living room, hang artwork and other wall things, lay out rugs, buy/assemble nightstands for the bedroom, find my shoes.. lots to do. And I think we're going to need a couple of footstools for the closets in the bedroom and the cabinets in the kitchen.. why are things built up so high? The pro: lots of storage space, the con: can't get to stored items.
But we can't complain.. Jesse has confirmed that he has a beautiful commute, even though it's lengthy for the time being. And I have a choice of two commutes -- lovely or short. Not so bad! And we get to see each other every day. Bonus. ;)
Wednesday, June 15
Bachelorette Party
A friend of mine asked me today, "SO, how was the bachelorette party you went to?" and I thought, "Oh, not only should I answer that question, but I should blog about it!"
It was great. =) The party was not for me, of course, but for a friend who's getting married later this month. We stayed at a four-star hotel in the city, and went out to a different kind of dinner-show at AsiaSF. I didn't know what to expect, and when you look at the website, I suspect you won't either..
But I'm here to say it was awesome. =D When you arrive, you're carded and given a buzzer (lets you know when your table's ready), then ushered downstairs, where they have a whole nightclub set-up. So you check your coat, there's a bar and a DJ, and you can hang out in a club setting until your little buzzer goes off. Then you go back upstairs and get your table. That's good planning.
The show is all up on the rubberized bar, about 6 feet from your face.. and it's reminiscent of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (a classic). The "girls" wear more risque outfits, though, and there's a certain strip club feel to it, but not in the scummy way. And of course, there's no stripping (we probably wouldn't want to see what's under there anyway). Loud music, lip-synching, he-women dancing around in 5" stilettos, putting real women to shame.. Super entertaining, great food, great service, great atmosphere. I highly recommend it for any occasion! In fact, invite me if you go, will you? =)
It was great. =) The party was not for me, of course, but for a friend who's getting married later this month. We stayed at a four-star hotel in the city, and went out to a different kind of dinner-show at AsiaSF. I didn't know what to expect, and when you look at the website, I suspect you won't either..
But I'm here to say it was awesome. =D When you arrive, you're carded and given a buzzer (lets you know when your table's ready), then ushered downstairs, where they have a whole nightclub set-up. So you check your coat, there's a bar and a DJ, and you can hang out in a club setting until your little buzzer goes off. Then you go back upstairs and get your table. That's good planning.
The show is all up on the rubberized bar, about 6 feet from your face.. and it's reminiscent of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (a classic). The "girls" wear more risque outfits, though, and there's a certain strip club feel to it, but not in the scummy way. And of course, there's no stripping (we probably wouldn't want to see what's under there anyway). Loud music, lip-synching, he-women dancing around in 5" stilettos, putting real women to shame.. Super entertaining, great food, great service, great atmosphere. I highly recommend it for any occasion! In fact, invite me if you go, will you? =)
Wednesday, June 8
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Please say it isn't so... Because of the terrible UI of MySpace.com, while I was trying to set up my username, I was concerned about which name would be displayed on my MySpace page: my username? my real name? a different, editable name? It should tell me, before I choose my username! Gah!
Well, in order to understand the details, I decided to create a fake account and go through the process with bogus information, in order to see what I could expect. =P Behold, my BOGUS MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/ferociousgravy
That's right! The BOGUS page got the actual URL I wanted on my REAL page. Stupidly, even though they say you can NEVER change your username/URL once you've chosen it, you actually CAN. I'll try to explain, but the frustration might veil the clarity...
I created an account with fake info -- my name was "Erase ThisAccount" and I chose this URL:
http://home.myspace.com/eraseaway
Cute? Sure. And it could never be changed, right? Well, wrong, obviously... I already had my regular account opened in another window, ready to set that username/URL as soon as I figured out how it could be edited after the fact. After I set up the fakie, I went back to the real account and chose my username: ferociousgravy, hit enter, and waited, proud of myself for investigating so thoroughly.
Then it loaded the new ferociousgravy URL and it displayed the name "Erase ThisAccount" -- wha wha wha?? Sure enough, the window with the real information somehow got bugged into believing it was the bogus account, and it re-assigned the right URL to the wrong account. In fact, if you try /eraseaway, it re-directs to the main site, because it apparently doesn't exist anymore. But of course, /ferociousgravy is gone now, forever, and I'm all ticked off...
As it stands now, I am without a username or URL for my real account... I thought I should cool off for a bit before attempting it again.
...and you got to hear all about it, here, at ferociousgravy.blogspot.com ...Stupid buggy sites with bad UI.
Well, in order to understand the details, I decided to create a fake account and go through the process with bogus information, in order to see what I could expect. =P Behold, my BOGUS MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/ferociousgravy
That's right! The BOGUS page got the actual URL I wanted on my REAL page. Stupidly, even though they say you can NEVER change your username/URL once you've chosen it, you actually CAN. I'll try to explain, but the frustration might veil the clarity...
I created an account with fake info -- my name was "Erase ThisAccount" and I chose this URL:
http://home.myspace.com/eraseaway
Cute? Sure. And it could never be changed, right? Well, wrong, obviously... I already had my regular account opened in another window, ready to set that username/URL as soon as I figured out how it could be edited after the fact. After I set up the fakie, I went back to the real account and chose my username: ferociousgravy, hit enter
Then it loaded the new ferociousgravy URL and it displayed the name "Erase ThisAccount" -- wha wha wha?? Sure enough, the window with the real information somehow got bugged into believing it was the bogus account, and it re-assigned the right URL to the wrong account. In fact, if you try /eraseaway, it re-directs to the main site, because it apparently doesn't exist anymore. But of course, /ferociousgravy is gone now, forever, and I'm all ticked off...
As it stands now, I am without a username or URL for my real account... I thought I should cool off for a bit before attempting it again.
...and you got to hear all about it, here, at ferociousgravy.blogspot.com ...
Tuesday, June 7
All kinds of frustrated..
Let's see, there's the Blogger.com kind, which is mostly related to the fact that you can't actually create a post from your own blog site -- you have to go to the blogger.com homepage, then log-in (or have it done automatically) and post from there. =P Bad UI.
Then there's the MySpace.com kind .. grr. I tried to set up an account, and it told me I couldn't because I had to be 16... Doh! "But I'm 24. Wha?" So I tried a bunch of times, messing around with my birthdate, etc, and eventually gave up. Then I went back over an hour later and tried again. Success! I found a few friends, then went back to work for a while, then went back to try and choose a username... it wouldn't let me log in. It gave me some seriously vague error that they're "forwarding to the technical people".. I still can't log in to the site. That site also has bad UI. And zero useful functionality, as far as I can tell.
I took my boss to the airport today, and he gave me $20 for my trouble ("for lunch")... and I was really uncomfortable with it -- I don't want his money. I would have taken him to the airport even if we were both flat broke. It was a favor I'd do for anyone (...within reason). I said "No, no.. Thanks, but I don't need your money. Take it back." and he said, "No, I know how much you make.. you need it." Ouch.
And this is a busy month. I feel like everyone up and got busy just because it's sunny outside. =P I have two parties to go to (I don't ever go to parties, really) and a wedding... and of course, I'm moving in a couple of weeks. I have to clean my current apartment so that prospective tenants aren't trampling over my clothing, dishes and junk mail while I'm at work. I think I need a spa weekend (I don't, actually.. what I really need is some quiet time).
---Advertisement---
Over-Stimulated Perfectionist Introvert ISO Comfy
Lounge Chair, Good Book and Home-Cooked Meals
for Open-Ended Vacation in Peace and Quiet
No commitments.
-------------------------
Is it time to go home yet?
current mood: ( x ),( ! ) busy
current music: Tori Amos "God"
Then there's the MySpace.com kind .. grr. I tried to set up an account, and it told me I couldn't because I had to be 16... Doh! "But I'm 24. Wha?" So I tried a bunch of times, messing around with my birthdate, etc, and eventually gave up. Then I went back over an hour later and tried again. Success! I found a few friends, then went back to work for a while, then went back to try and choose a username... it wouldn't let me log in. It gave me some seriously vague error that they're "forwarding to the technical people".. I still can't log in to the site. That site also has bad UI. And zero useful functionality, as far as I can tell.
I took my boss to the airport today, and he gave me $20 for my trouble ("for lunch")... and I was really uncomfortable with it -- I don't want his money. I would have taken him to the airport even if we were both flat broke. It was a favor I'd do for anyone (...within reason). I said "No, no.. Thanks, but I don't need your money. Take it back." and he said, "No, I know how much you make.. you need it." Ouch.
And this is a busy month. I feel like everyone up and got busy just because it's sunny outside. =P I have two parties to go to (I don't ever go to parties, really) and a wedding... and of course, I'm moving in a couple of weeks. I have to clean my current apartment so that prospective tenants aren't trampling over my clothing, dishes and junk mail while I'm at work. I think I need a spa weekend (I don't, actually.. what I really need is some quiet time).
---Advertisement---
Over-Stimulated Perfectionist Introvert ISO Comfy
Lounge Chair, Good Book and Home-Cooked Meals
for Open-Ended Vacation in Peace and Quiet
No commitments.
-------------------------
Is it time to go home yet?
current mood: ( x ),( ! ) busy
current music: Tori Amos "God"
Monday, June 6
Boxing Day & a new Lease on Life
I was at Jesse's house this weekend, helping him pack up his life. Small-to-medium boxes preferred, of course, because life is heavy.
It was a lot of stuff. There was virtually no stressing out all weekend, though, which was super great. Decisions were made, things were packed, et voila: all of the living room and most of the studio is packed up. Even though it was not as bad as I was expecting it to be, I'm still not looking forward to packing up my own crap. =P I'm an award-winning packrat.
We have an appointment to sign our new lease at 10:00AM on Friday, June 17th.
You have to check out that link. It lists other notable June 17th events from years past:
Events:
1994 - OJ Simpson involved in high speed chase and arrested for double homicide
1991 - South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, which required all inhabitants to be racially classified in order to determine their rights in society
1944 - Icelandic Independence from Denmark (now a national holiday)
1885 - The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor
Births:
1980 - Venus Williams
1958 - Jello Biafra
1898 - MC Escher
1882 - Igor Stravinsky
Quite the interesting day. I'm sure June 17, 2005 will be equally as significant!
It was a lot of stuff. There was virtually no stressing out all weekend, though, which was super great. Decisions were made, things were packed, et voila: all of the living room and most of the studio is packed up. Even though it was not as bad as I was expecting it to be, I'm still not looking forward to packing up my own crap. =P I'm an award-winning packrat.
We have an appointment to sign our new lease at 10:00AM on Friday, June 17th.
You have to check out that link. It lists other notable June 17th events from years past:
Events:
1994 - OJ Simpson involved in high speed chase and arrested for double homicide
1991 - South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, which required all inhabitants to be racially classified in order to determine their rights in society
1944 - Icelandic Independence from Denmark (now a national holiday)
1885 - The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor
Births:
1980 - Venus Williams
1958 - Jello Biafra
1898 - MC Escher
1882 - Igor Stravinsky
Quite the interesting day. I'm sure June 17, 2005 will be equally as significant!
Friday, June 3
Fluorescent details...
I had a fluorescein angiogram today, which wasn't as terrible as I was expecting it to be. I'm an anxious person, and the staff at this doctor's office is gruff and unhelpful. The same tech I (silently) accuse of having no bedside manner every time I go in (he's no good at giving eyedrops) proved himself remarkably compassionate today. I explained that I'm not good around needles, and that I passed out the last time I had an angiogram. Based on this, he decided to get me the most gentle tech in the office to administer the injection, and held my hand while that guy stuck me. Very sweet.
Although I was given Valium, the actual needle stick made my anxiety flare up -- I got a short wave of dizziness just as the needle went in, but it went away. So, there was the all-too-bright camera flash to deal with, which again has the immediate side effect of only being able to see the color red for a little while. Blah!
(Psst, stop reading if you don't want to know any more personal details!)
The best part of a fluorescein angiogram is that your pee turns an unholy fluorescent yellow ("that seems reasonable, and even expected" you might say) .. but seriously, that's amusing. It boosted my spirits, anyway. It's like someone mixed a bunch of yellow finger paint into the toilet water. That's a high concentration of dye. Anyway, what's entertainment if you can't share it with your friends?
You're welcome. =)
Although I was given Valium, the actual needle stick made my anxiety flare up -- I got a short wave of dizziness just as the needle went in, but it went away. So, there was the all-too-bright camera flash to deal with, which again has the immediate side effect of only being able to see the color red for a little while. Blah!
(Psst, stop reading if you don't want to know any more personal details!)
The best part of a fluorescein angiogram is that your pee turns an unholy fluorescent yellow ("that seems reasonable, and even expected" you might say) .. but seriously, that's amusing. It boosted my spirits, anyway. It's like someone mixed a bunch of yellow finger paint into the toilet water. That's a high concentration of dye. Anyway, what's entertainment if you can't share it with your friends?
You're welcome. =)
Tuesday, May 31
Harlin Maneuver says, "Hiccup no more!"
A friend at work comes over to my desk today and says, "Amanda, what did you say was your miracle cure for hiccups? How do you make them stop? Someone by my desk has really bad hiccups and they won't go away."
Me: "Well, it's not my technique, but it's called the Harlin Maneuver. What you need to do is.." and he stopped me, "Just come show him."
So, I walked over to their desks and began, "This is called the Harlin Maneuver, and it has yet to fail. Follow these steps:
(1) Stand up
(2) Stretch your arms out to the sides
(3) Arch your back
(4) Extend your abdomen forward
(5) Breath slowly and deeply
... and that should do it." So he feels a little silly doing this in the middle of the office (most people feel like you're tricking them by getting them to do this silly pose) but he did it, and sure enough! No more hiccups.
Genius.
Me: "Well, it's not my technique, but it's called the Harlin Maneuver. What you need to do is.." and he stopped me, "Just come show him."
So, I walked over to their desks and began, "This is called the Harlin Maneuver, and it has yet to fail. Follow these steps:
(1) Stand up
(2) Stretch your arms out to the sides
(3) Arch your back
(4) Extend your abdomen forward
(5) Breath slowly and deeply
... and that should do it." So he feels a little silly doing this in the middle of the office (most people feel like you're tricking them by getting them to do this silly pose) but he did it, and sure enough! No more hiccups.
Genius.
Eureka! We found it!
Not really in Eureka, but San Mateo. We were a little depressed about what we saw as our options for peninsula apartments, but we decided to go out for one more day of viewing this weekend. We looked at a few places:
(1) 9:00AM: a very large, bright 2-story apartment with hardwood floors throughout, a big kitchen, and some tacky extras, such as mirrors glued to several walls as accent decor, cottage cheese ceilings, and 2 "bonus rooms" (patios that have been enclosed with walls and windows). This is a 2 bed/1.5 bath, totally clean with tons of storage space.
But more on the bonus rooms: the front is about 5'x10' and has very 70s golden-orange-brown carpeting. The back is about 4'x8' and is only screened in (the sliding glass door wasn't to code, so they took out the sliding part and left the screen glued in place) with very tasteful green astroturf.
(2) 10:30AM: a sketchy duplex on the train tracks, sharing its neighborhood with a six-plex whose "courtyard" was covered in trash and old toys. We missed our appointment here.
(3) 10:45AM: Lakeshore Landing - now, www.ApartmentRatings.com warned us against renting here, because of bad parking and worse management. We thought we knew better - after all, we were always treated very well by our guide, Hilary. This was our third visit to the complex, and her tune had definitely changed. She sighed heavily when she stood up to show us around, and she only told us about one available apartment in the complex. Just the week before, there were 5 or so in our price range. We thought, "Wow, this place rents fast!" Well, while we were sitting there trying to figure out what to do, Hilary's co-worker comes over and says, "But, what about that apartment with a partial water view?" And Hilary sounded irked but said, "Oh, that tenant JUST gave notice.." The shady part is that Hilary had already mentioned that same unit to us the week before, one of the 5 available in our price range. Long story short, we walked away feeling like we'd seen her true colors, and that ApartmentRatings.com is right, again. Post there, whether you had a positive or negative experience -- it will help people to make the right decision.
So at about noon, we went home and sat around, depressed, wondering if we should even go back to our next appointment, at 2:30pm. We went, and what we saw was...
(4) 2:30PM: a gorgeous apartment. Gorgeous. Two bedroom, 2 full bathrooms. Totally clean, all new appliances, vaulted ceiling in living room, stylish light fixture in dining area, lots of greenery outside the windows, pretty terra cotta-tiled balcony backing up to a hill (no loud neighbors in the back). Off the street (quiet), and across the residential, 2-lane street from a sweet shopping center (Safeway, Longs Pharmacy, vet hospital, bakery, etc.)...
So we had a lot to think about. Numbers (2) and (3) were out. Number (1) offered slightly cheaper rent, some utilities, and a reasonable security deposit, but with no views to speak of, and had those crazy bonus rooms which I might be embarassed to show to friends. Number (4) offered EVERYTHING, perfect, but had an extortionately high security deposit, and the manager couldn't confirm that the owner would allow pets (we'll have one cat).
By 8:00PM, we had decided to go with number (1), on the condition that the owner allow us to change the flooring in the front bonus room from carpet to tile. We went to see her Sunday morning, and she consented, so we applied and gave her our security deposit. She said she's 99% sure we'll have it, but she needs to run the credit check anyway, and will let us know Tuesday... which is today. I'll keep you posted!
(1) 9:00AM: a very large, bright 2-story apartment with hardwood floors throughout, a big kitchen, and some tacky extras, such as mirrors glued to several walls as accent decor, cottage cheese ceilings, and 2 "bonus rooms" (patios that have been enclosed with walls and windows). This is a 2 bed/1.5 bath, totally clean with tons of storage space.
But more on the bonus rooms: the front is about 5'x10' and has very 70s golden-orange-brown carpeting. The back is about 4'x8' and is only screened in (the sliding glass door wasn't to code, so they took out the sliding part and left the screen glued in place) with very tasteful green astroturf.
(2) 10:30AM: a sketchy duplex on the train tracks, sharing its neighborhood with a six-plex whose "courtyard" was covered in trash and old toys. We missed our appointment here.
(3) 10:45AM: Lakeshore Landing - now, www.ApartmentRatings.com warned us against renting here, because of bad parking and worse management. We thought we knew better - after all, we were always treated very well by our guide, Hilary. This was our third visit to the complex, and her tune had definitely changed. She sighed heavily when she stood up to show us around, and she only told us about one available apartment in the complex. Just the week before, there were 5 or so in our price range. We thought, "Wow, this place rents fast!" Well, while we were sitting there trying to figure out what to do, Hilary's co-worker comes over and says, "But, what about that apartment with a partial water view?" And Hilary sounded irked but said, "Oh, that tenant JUST gave notice.." The shady part is that Hilary had already mentioned that same unit to us the week before, one of the 5 available in our price range. Long story short, we walked away feeling like we'd seen her true colors, and that ApartmentRatings.com is right, again. Post there, whether you had a positive or negative experience -- it will help people to make the right decision.
So at about noon, we went home and sat around, depressed, wondering if we should even go back to our next appointment, at 2:30pm. We went, and what we saw was...
(4) 2:30PM: a gorgeous apartment. Gorgeous. Two bedroom, 2 full bathrooms. Totally clean, all new appliances, vaulted ceiling in living room, stylish light fixture in dining area, lots of greenery outside the windows, pretty terra cotta-tiled balcony backing up to a hill (no loud neighbors in the back). Off the street (quiet), and across the residential, 2-lane street from a sweet shopping center (Safeway, Longs Pharmacy, vet hospital, bakery, etc.)...
So we had a lot to think about. Numbers (2) and (3) were out. Number (1) offered slightly cheaper rent, some utilities, and a reasonable security deposit, but with no views to speak of, and had those crazy bonus rooms which I might be embarassed to show to friends. Number (4) offered EVERYTHING, perfect, but had an extortionately high security deposit, and the manager couldn't confirm that the owner would allow pets (we'll have one cat).
By 8:00PM, we had decided to go with number (1), on the condition that the owner allow us to change the flooring in the front bonus room from carpet to tile. We went to see her Sunday morning, and she consented, so we applied and gave her our security deposit. She said she's 99% sure we'll have it, but she needs to run the credit check anyway, and will let us know Tuesday... which is today. I'll keep you posted!
Friday, May 27
Cute avatar
So, don't get me wrong.. I love Google as much as the next inquisitive girl, and I obviously like Blogger enough to use the service for my own lame self-expression. But I'm a little bummed that, unlike LiveJournal (slow beast of a site), Blogger doesn't ask you to share the music you're listening to, and your current mood (complete with cute avatar), so I'm going to do it myself at the end of this post. Nyah.
When will this Friday end? I want to get on with my life!
current mood: ( ! ),( ? ) distracted
current music: Radiohead "Fake Plastic Trees (Acoustic)"
When will this Friday end? I want to get on with my life!
current mood: ( ! ),( ? ) distracted
current music: Radiohead "Fake Plastic Trees (Acoustic)"
Thursday, May 26
"This never happened."
I hate to add another downer to the short stack of blog entries I've posted, but after the gravy burn and the Izzy Incident, how can you expect me to be having a good week? =P
For the past week and a half, I've been seeing another new spot of "shimmering" motion in my left eye's vision. I decided to man-up and go to the doctor today. It's not terrible news -- the doctor couldn't see any new scarring on my retina. However, he did see that the retina was slightly raised or something (he talks fast). He wanted to do a fluorescein angiogram (doh, I passed out during the fluorescein angiogram I had when I was 18) in order to determine whether I should have Visudyne therapy.
He gave me the option of having it done today, or waiting one week. He recommended today, but my nerves were shot and I thought I'd do better with someone to drive me home, so I'll go back next Friday.
Just informing my fans. ;) .. no sympathy, k? It won't help my nerves. Of course, you can't take it too far the other way and make jokes, either, because it's sorta serious.. so why don't we just say this never happened?
For the past week and a half, I've been seeing another new spot of "shimmering" motion in my left eye's vision. I decided to man-up and go to the doctor today. It's not terrible news -- the doctor couldn't see any new scarring on my retina. However, he did see that the retina was slightly raised or something (he talks fast). He wanted to do a fluorescein angiogram (doh, I passed out during the fluorescein angiogram I had when I was 18) in order to determine whether I should have Visudyne therapy.
He gave me the option of having it done today, or waiting one week. He recommended today, but my nerves were shot and I thought I'd do better with someone to drive me home, so I'll go back next Friday.
Just informing my fans. ;) .. no sympathy, k? It won't help my nerves. Of course, you can't take it too far the other way and make jokes, either, because it's sorta serious.. so why don't we just say this never happened?
Wednesday, May 25
CRUSHed
I have some very sad news to report.
My first car, Isabelle -- my much-loved, white-and-black 1984 Volkswagon Rabbit convertible -- is no longer in my life.
Yesterday, I voluntarily retired my baby. It was terrible. She failed smog, and I thought that the price I'd ultimately get for her would be too low to justify putting money into getting her to pass smog. My mom found this voluntary retirement program, and I didn't read the fine print. It just sounded like a good deal... I'd get a decent amount of money for the car, and her parts could be salvaged to help out other beautiful little V-dubs in need.
Well, although I took her to a "Pick-n-Pull" lot, it turns out they were NOT going to sell her parts. When I got there, they wrote "CRUSH" all over poor Isabelle in blue grease pen. I was shocked. I didn't realize it was THAT kind of goodbye. I tried to smile and act like it wasn't bothering me (a pick-n-pull lot isn't the most sympathetic environment) but I was traumatized.
I went inside to finish the paperwork. Afterwards, I was going to say goodbye one more time, but when I got outside, Isabelle was gone. They'd already taken her away somewhere. It couldn't have been more than five minutes.
I'm sorry, Izzy. =(
My first car, Isabelle -- my much-loved, white-and-black 1984 Volkswagon Rabbit convertible -- is no longer in my life.
Yesterday, I voluntarily retired my baby. It was terrible. She failed smog, and I thought that the price I'd ultimately get for her would be too low to justify putting money into getting her to pass smog. My mom found this voluntary retirement program, and I didn't read the fine print. It just sounded like a good deal... I'd get a decent amount of money for the car, and her parts could be salvaged to help out other beautiful little V-dubs in need.
Well, although I took her to a "Pick-n-Pull" lot, it turns out they were NOT going to sell her parts. When I got there, they wrote "CRUSH" all over poor Isabelle in blue grease pen. I was shocked. I didn't realize it was THAT kind of goodbye. I tried to smile and act like it wasn't bothering me (a pick-n-pull lot isn't the most sympathetic environment) but I was traumatized.
I went inside to finish the paperwork. Afterwards, I was going to say goodbye one more time, but when I got outside, Isabelle was gone. They'd already taken her away somewhere. It couldn't have been more than five minutes.
I'm sorry, Izzy. =(
Why? you might ask..
Well, because I burned myself today. I was heating up my lunch (turkey and gravy with mashed taters), and when I pulled the dish out of the microwave, it plopped down onto the counter, splattering boiling hot gravy on my hand.
(Ouch.)
Later, I decided to start up a blog because it's the thing to do these days.. but I'm not all that creative, so I asked some friends for Blog Name ideas. Though I did enjoy some of their suggestions (Amanda for All Seasons, TheManda, etc.) I decided to go with Mark's "Ferocious Gravy," as a tribute to my harrowing experience with my heat-n-eat lunch. =(
I guess that's why the box says "Let sit in microwave for 2 minutes." -- so that (a) you don't burn yourself unnecessarily, and (b) you don't give your new blog a really, really dumb name.
But as Mark says, "Like the ferocious gravy itself, it stuck."
(Ouch.)
Later, I decided to start up a blog because it's the thing to do these days.. but I'm not all that creative, so I asked some friends for Blog Name ideas. Though I did enjoy some of their suggestions (Amanda for All Seasons, TheManda, etc.) I decided to go with Mark's "Ferocious Gravy," as a tribute to my harrowing experience with my heat-n-eat lunch. =(
I guess that's why the box says "Let sit in microwave for 2 minutes." -- so that (a) you don't burn yourself unnecessarily, and (b) you don't give your new blog a really, really dumb name.
But as Mark says, "Like the ferocious gravy itself, it stuck."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)