Wish you were here . . . .

 
 
 
  

ahhhh

if you need me, i'll be on vacation.....

yay!

back in 10 days!!!!!!

Mental pictures

I saw many fun things in my adventures (thus far) today:

SEEN: Older looking-college student (male) bend down to tie his shoelace adjust his velcro shoes.

SEEN: Cars not stopping for red lights - in Bayview, natch. wtf? (I got lost this afternoon)

SEEN: The bay in a beatiful light, while listening to awesome music, dancing and chillin' at The Ramp in China Basin (which is NOT, conveniently enough, located anywhere near Bayview).

SEEN: Woman trying to sneak 7 items into the 6-item-limit dressing room.

SEEN: Movie makers...? A band...? Some random group of quasi-famous hipsters at Cafe lo Cubano.

SEEN: Lawrence & Michael. My fabulously tall and professional dance buddies for the afternoon! yay!

SEEN: Fog.

SEEN: A fabulous red and tan leather bag. Which I left on the shelf. (Thank goodness I didn't have my wallet with me!)

SEEN: Panchito freaking out, and running into the side of his fishbowl. (I promise to post a picture of him asap).

(To be) SEEN: Jaime, Vira and friends tonight for Vira's birthday! yay!

whimsical

I have a new pet Beta Betta fish! My friend J gave him to me as a late birthday gift. Such a whimsical and fun gift. Love it!

His name: Pancho Pescado. He's so cute and reddish in color. I shall post a picture soon.

I just hope I can manage to keep him alive for a while! I haven't had a pet fish - heck a pet anything - probably since middle school!

30.96647% Geek

From Jen . . . take the Geek Test. It's great fun :)

Songs in the key of . . . meme

Reply and I'll give you a letter, and you have to find five songs that start with that letter and post them to your journal. (taken from mathjedi)


1. "Pa' Bravo Yo" (Pupy Santiago): This song is on the first salsa CD I ever owned - bought my junior year of high school (I had to buy a replacement last year). That CD was a big milestone for me...my introduction to what is now some of my favorite music and dance styles.

2. Pink Panther theme (Henry Mancini): What can I say? . . . that sexy, fun saxophone theme is just contagious. And who doesn't love the Pink Panther??

3. PYT (Michael Jackson): Pretty Young Thing! It's a great dance and karaoke song...classic MJ!

4. Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison): Great song and flick. Just a feel good song, always a crowd pleaser. Makes me happy! I love hearing this song when I'm driving.

5. Put Your Head on my Shoulder (Paul Anka): I went through a huge oldies phase growing up - I had this whole set of cassettes I wore down - and I've just always loved this song. It's so sweet and romantic and good for dancing. The recent cover by Michael Buble' is fun, too.

Overheard: backstage edition**

-"Yeah, me and my brother were both born with four nipples! Wanna see my extra two?"

-"Ooh, you have four nipples? I just have the one extra, see?"

-"My husband is the [great?] grandson of China's last warlord. He killed a lot of people [as a warlord]."

-"I have always wanted to smush a cream pie in someone's face."

-"We'll put her puke-bucket off stage right, just in case."

-"mmmm. braiiinnnnssss."

-"We made good decisions as to which people we put in the tight pants. I've had lots of thank you's from the audience."

-"Time to tie me up, old man."


**You just can't make this stuff up, people. Truth is better (and funnier, and stranger) than fiction . . .

Steamin' hot cup of Hoffee

Watch this and laugh your arse off . . . !!!! Small print I have to include: That's right, it's Hofficial... your favourite cult icon wants to take you home! The one and only David Hasselhoff of "Bay Watch" and "Knight Rider" fame returns with a cover of the 1975 classic 'Jump In My Car' and its a doozy. Recorded in Sydney last year with the legendary Harry Vanda (AC/DC, The Angels), the Ted Mulry Gang tune has been re-vamped with full Hoff gusto and this music video promises to rock the socks off all his Hofficial fans. Watch it, enjoy it, share it on Google Video, courtesy of Sony BMG Australia. Want more? Buy the buy the track on iTunes Australia by clicking here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=155871591&s=143460

48 hours

I am - once again - in that odd place of wired and tired poat-show, but I think I'll be able to sleep in an hour. yay!

4 shows in 48 hours...that is a crazy schedule. After Friday night's show, a handful of us headed out to the St. Regis (conveniently across the street from the theater) for a drink and some laughs (and little wasabi peanuts!). Tonight, though, after two shows...I think we were all wiped and just went home. But tomorrow...post matinee, AH there is a cast party! I'm hoping to go to dinner with my parents and then go to the party.

I'm so grateful that they came out to see the show, along with my aunt. I feel bad because I've barely seen them at all this weekend (and AF leaves tomorrow afternoon), but there wasn't any way around that. Mom's coming in the morning to cook brunch(!) I'm so happy!

For some reason, something made me think about my grandmother earlier tonight backstage (Nana, mom and AF's mother). There are times when I really miss her. I think she would've loved Ruddygore. . . she knew how have a good laugh, that one...

yawn...........

neck is doing better, thank goodness. went to the chiropractor for some adjustments which helped a ton. that and frozen peas.

i am exhausted. i'm still in ''performance'' mode (read: 1am bedtime) despite the fact that I have to get up to work every morning. so, tonight i'm going to attempt to sleep at a reasonable hour, and I think I just might actually be able to do so.

my folks and aunt come in late tomorrow to see the show this weekend. i am so looking forward to performing again this weekend that I get all fluttery inside just thinking about it. it's been a long time since i've felt like this about singing, i think.

i've also done about 5 crosswords today...the SF chronicle and then about 4 nyt's online. (I subscribed to the crossword puzzles for a year, and am working my way through some archived puzzles). I'm working my way up through this weeks, but then have been doing Monday and Tuesday archived puzzles...you know, getting my chops up slowly to start working on Sunday puzzles.

i'm a dork, i know. but it's SO fun...it's some of the only time i have to myself, it seems. which is nice.

oh...we did get a review by SFCV. I'm not personally mentioned (doh!), but it was a very nice review indeed! I am yheppy :)

okay - time to change the laundry.

*

I am sitting on my couch - heating pad on my neck (sore from passing out dead-tired last night and sleeping on it crooked) - I am *just* about off my post-performance adrenaline high. It pretty much takes a solid two-hours to come down off that high. I've been averaging 1am bed time this week.

All that to say -

I am having SO much freaking fun. Working with this company has been such a blessing in many ways - it really is a big family. Amazing director, conductor, A/D, stage manager, cast, crew...I mean, it really does seem a case of the "trickle down" theory: integrity at the top flowing all the way down the chain of command, and into the cast.

I have learned (and am still learning) so much each time we go on. I get to share the stage with people who have been acting and performing for years together, and I feel like a giant sponge soaking it all up.

And, there are the little things, too, like seeing our big poster at the YBCA and getting to go in the "stage door". I feel special! But one of the best things? In the program there is a little asterisk *, denoting my debut! It's such a tiny thing, but it's cool :)

And, I love that we go out in the lobby - still in costume - to greet the audience afterwards...it's a neat tradition.

ah. well, i should get to bed soon, if I can. For tomorrow is a matinee!

crazy

it's been a crazy month. any of you living within a 5 mile radius of me know that!

things, though, are starting to settle down, a little.

we were 5 people in our apartment, which just meant bodies and stuff everywhere. however, one moved out last week, one moved this week, and - we think - the last will move by August 1. If he finds a place. then, sibling can move IN to a room, and off the couch, and we will be able to create some semblance of order.

Ruddygore opens this week. I am SO excited. Click the link and buy tickets for SF or Walnut Creek - it's a freakin' hilarious show. We had our tech rehearsal tonight (first time at the Yerba Buena Center theater) and oooohhh I can't wait!

my name is on the dressing room door (albeit on construction paper) and everything!!!!!! V. exciting. my only concern is the wig situation - haven't quite decided if they want to wig me or not. ack. i'm trying not to 'wig' out about it...hahahahhahahahaaha. ha. well, i hate putting those things off until the last minute.

so. three weekends of shows.

work - we moved. there are still things wrong. pieces of molding hung upside down; no switch to control the garbage disposal; lack of electricty to some outlets. you know. those things which should've been done weeks ago. argh.

on turning 27 last week - hmm. well, i don't really feel all that much different from 26, so far. i'm having an extended birthday month, i think. i don't quite know what that entails, yet. probably dancing of some sort! thanks to all the kind bday calls/emails and such...they were very much appreciated :)

anywho...now i am tired. i think i'll go to bed now - i'm finally winding down enough, i think, to do so.

ciao...

a.h.

I have fallen off the blogosphere as of late....probably because I've not known quite what to do with myself. I've gone from the depths of despair to the thrills of triumph in 24 hours and back and forth again and again.

It is an odd thing when someone you work with dies. I spend most of my time with my coworkers (as probably do 90% of anyone who works). I see them more often than my family, more often than some friends, and certainly more often then my roommates (!). And yet, it is an odd combination of impersonal and personal worlds. I saw AH everyday, we would chat, discuss music or art or weekend plans. I knew the sound of her footfalls, what she liked to drink in the mornings, how she answered the phone or dealt with a sudden crisis. And yet . . . I never met her husband, didn't know what her college major was, or even her favorite color. But still, I feel uprooted and helpless and insignificant - unable to change the past, I try to focus on the present - and that leaves me tender and raw of soul. Feelings of selfishness creep in . . . who am I to feel thusly grieved? I am not a family member, not a close friend or confidante. But I still feel. I feel for her husband, her family. They were trying to start a family of their own, and now that opportunity will never be had. I feel for her friends and students - the people on whom she had so much impact during her brief terrestial stay. Hundreds of lives touched and changed because of her time here. And for that, I am thankful.

Allez les bleus....

Imagine my surprised pleasure when I realised this morning that Il Fornaio (just around the corner) is indeed showing the world cup matches at their bar....(!)

I will go there and watch the second half of France vs. Spain (it is tied up 1-1 at the half).



I am totallllllly obsessed. But I've mentioned that........

Forza Azzurri!

oooh!!!! I went to North Beach this morning to catch the first half of the Italy-Australia match...it was exciting!! Most of the caffes were buzzing with fans. I sat outside at Panta Rei - they have a huge flatscreen set up, so that you can sit on the sidewalk and see it through their glass front! To be there with everyone, cheering for gli Azzurri (with the exception of a handful of yellow aussie fans)....the first half was scoreless, and then I had to leave for work (!) BUT, praise the Lord for internet, because I was able to track the game from work.

Italy won in the very last minute with a penalty kick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

France plays Spain at noon tomorrow....I'm going to try and watch part of that game at Cafe de la Presse again...that was too much fun last week!!!!

I. am. totally. addicted.!!!!!!!!!!!

Interview from AZ

THE QUESTIONS:
1. Is there a book that personifies your life? I recently read The Alchemist, and that really resonated with me. I don't know that it 'personifies' my life, so to speak, but I felt that book deep down.

2. If you were offered an amazing singing opportunity with a vibrant music community in France would you take it, knowing your friends and family would be in the U.S.?
Yes. I think I would. My only hesitancy is that I don't think the style of French living would be condusive for me to be a great singer (wine, late nights, smoke) etc....it would be REAL easy for me to just live there, though!

3. Which opera character do you think would be the hardest to play?
hmmm hardest to play? technically speaking, so many people say Adalgisa from norma--that it's just a killer role to sing. For me, from a characterization/acting standpoint.... right now it would be Dahlila from 'samson et dahlila." I'm so used to being the comic relief, or the old maid aunt/maid/nurse, that to play a character so overtly sensual and seductive would be a challenging shift. But MAN i love her arias and would love to sing her one day.

4. Do you consider yourself more of a risk-taker or someone who plays it safe? oooh. hmmm. I tend to be more cautious - but, as I age, I've found that i take a few more risks than i did while growing up, because I don't really care as much what people think of me. I'm still learning, though, to take more risks on stage as an actor/singer - which then carries over some into real life and vice versa.

5. What do you hope your life looks like in 10 years? Be specific.
In 10 years, I would be almost 37...hmmmmm.
I hope to be singing in some capacity - but not stressed out by all the political crap surrounding the singing world
I hope to be married
I hope to have lived abroad (again) for some significant length of time
I hope to still have both my parents around
I hope to have paid off my student loans (!)
I hope to speak more languages
I hope to have learned how to play some percussive instruments

--Maybe what I should be hoping for is *focus* lolll...the above list is kinda all over the place...***
--------------------

THE GUIDELINES: 1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me." However, If that is all you leave in your comment I will completely ignore you when it comes to interview time. 2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions. 3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. 4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. 5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

been a long time.....

been a long time been a long time been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time.......

(sorry, had one of my 'human jukebox' moments...name that tune anyone?)


what i WAS thinking was, it's been a while since the last post. i've been busy. had a show (went really well) and mom was visiting and now i have a scant few minutes.

i owe az my interview post - that is forthcoming.

i miss salsa - anyone up for dancing??

i read an article (well, okay, i skimmed it) in the chronicle today about how TB is spread. Apparently, it is still alive and kicking in SF. It is can be spread by: sneezing, coughing, spitting, and SINGING.

I never thought about that singing one before, but it makes sense. And, music dork that i am....
it gives a whole new meaning to the end of La Traviata. Violetta is dying of TB, but apparently gets well enough to sing a glorious high C....and then *Splat* she falls over dead. magnificent.

tomorrow: USA vs. Italy. Call me a bad American, but I'll be cheering for gli azzurri....

whirlwind

the last month has been a whirlwind of activity.

i went from a peformance weekend

to a wedding weekend (in minnesota)

to memorial day weekend (in colorado)

and back to sf, finally.

it's been a wonderful time, though. I got to reconnect with some dear women from college - this particular group of the four of us had not all been together since we graduated in 2001. BB got married and both mer and reagan were there to celebrate the occaison. It was a beautiful weekend, somewhat tinged with tears (both BB and Mer's fathers have passed away), but full of love and joy, as well. It made my heart glad to spend time with these folks, as we are now spread out all over the country.

this weekend, memorial day, my brother and i both went home for dad's 60th birthday. it was a tremendous occasion! mom and aunt f had enough food in the house to feed an army - and we did - for three days. We were all up in Grand Lake, CO, and there were at least 20 folks over at the house eating at any given time. As for the actual event (Saturday afternoon and evening), we probably had 60 people! Family and close friends all came up to wish my dad (and his twin sister!) happy birthday. this was more time spent with special people, whom I don't see very often.

I'll post up pictures of the "chocolate decadence" (the bday theme...)

the great streaky wonder

so, in an attempt to give myself a nice fake tan thanks to neutrogena last night, this morning i woke up to a few steaky places (of course)...but in reality, not so bad! just comical right now.

that will all be fixed, though. am going to the bay club (we get free passes!) for a spray tan...yay. i forgot that had that there until i showed allison my streaky arm today and she fell out laughing and asked me 'why the hell didn't you just go downstairs to the bay club?' ummm....

now i won't look like a total striped-freak at bb's wedding :P

speaking of weddings, i got an invitation in the mail for yet ANOTHER wedding...you smu-er's out there: Cindy lou is tying the knot in June.

*another one bites the dust*
heee :)

cyclical

I think last nights' performance went well. There was a rumor that there were reviewers there on Friday night, so who knows? Maybe someone will have something good to say about my singing about the productions.

After the show last night, there was a cast party (only until 12:30 - our hosts had to get up early this morning). I was one of the first to arrive at the party, but I accidentally went to the neighbors house first. With all of my stage make-up on, and my hair all wacky from the pin curls. He was like "You are at the WRONG house". whoops!

I only stayed until 12, then came home and crashed until 10 this morning. I have two rehearsals today, one each for my coming gigs. May is going to be a crazy month! I'm going to Minnesota on Friday, get home Sunday; then leave the following Thursday for Colorado for 6 days.

Crazy times, but fun!

Sister Christian

Greetings! Oh, this is just a preview of the nunsense to come . . . 

twist my arm, whay don'tcha

AZ and I are going to cruise the Greek Isles in September, in celebration of AZ's 30th bday this year! I am soooooooo excited.

We depart from Trieste, Italy and our ports of call include Ancona (It.); Myconos; Santorini; Corfu; Athens; Dubrovnic (Croatia) and return to Trieste.

I get a phone call yesterday saying that, unfortunately, due to a change in schedule, Costa Cruises cannot get us on a flight back to SFO the day we arrive back in Italy at the end of our cruise. However, Costa is pleased to provide hotel accomodations and transportation for an extra night's stay. In Venice. If that is not a problem for us, of course.

so, what you're saying is we get an extra night of our vacation. for free. in one of the most beautiful cities in the world???

!!!!!!!!!!!! um, YES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Sign of the apocalypse

(I meant to post this two days ago, but was interrupted by The Rant)

Heard on the radio Monday Morning:

"Kelsey Grammer to appear as THE ANGEL OF DEATH on Nbc's show The Medium."


wha...?


Does that strike anyone else as just being hilariously wrong??!

ARGH rant alert

i need to go to bed, i'm exhausted, but i just need to vent first. i'm soooo freaking pissed off..well, more like just highly annoyed and frustrated (yeah well, probably combined with pms..NOT a good thing)

ack ac afj uifew ;ofjk,uiher ;owh;03

REHERASAL TONIGHT
was just fine and ducky except for the fact that
a) our director is completely nuts
b) because she wants us ALL to like, magically get new shoes? what? i don't think so...not the WEEK of the performance...try giving us a month leeway eh?

ALSO what the HELL are you doing charging freaking 70 bucks a ticket to get in? dude. your company is NOT an alist company...you can't charge that much, especially for two shows which aren't really well known, and are a 'hard sell'......you wonder why you've only sold 25% of the house (25% of 2,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!) baaaad news bears.

not that i really care, except for the fact that i do have a signed contract. and, no, i did not get into opera for the paycheck...lmao. that's hilarious. but, it's the principle of it all.

DON'T call your leads in for an extra, random staging rehearsal and then turn it into voice lessons. i'm sorry...but helllll no. that is SO unprofessional. i'm not an ego maniac about my voice, but, believe you me i am quite aware of what I can and cannot do at this point in my vocal life. this might feed *your* ego to tweak us and give out little quick crutches, but it ultimately does nothing, but make your singers feel insecure and shitty. IF you're concerned about voices carrying in a large hall, hire singers with better technique, NOT 'chorus' singers. duh.


ugly ugly ugly post is what this is, but i just cannot help it, i am almost at my breaking point with these people. and, they are all actually quite nice people, they just have NO idea what the *&#$! they are doing. ack ack akc akc akc alk fjlkj

a couple of you can appreciate

that I am reading this book, Duende, and on one of the first few pages is this:

"Don't worry, be khappy."


Spelled. Just. Like. That.


Me gusta!

je ne chanterai jamais charlotte, mais......

bon..j'ai promis a moi-meme et aussi a lui que je n'ecrirai pas ici sur les choses qui sont pasees entre nous. alors...je dis seulement, (et bien en francias, il ny'en a pas bcp de gens que lisent ce blog qui le parle..donc...ca va ....)
mais comme j'etais entrain de dire...ouais je suis triste..mais surtout parce que avant cette heure,,,,vraiment je n'avias pas eu temps de reflechir sur tous ces choses. la journee, je travaille, et le soir je fais des repetitions. et, hier...ctait horrible, bien sur....tres dur de faire tous que je devais faire. et maintenant, jsuis seule dans ma chambre...il nya pas de bruit...tout est tranquille....et je me trouve la...pour la premiere fois les pleures se tombent. et je sais que tout se passera, mais a ce moment ... c necessaire...et, comme example..les fameux mots de Charlotte, dans l'opera Werther: "va! laisse couler mes larmes....elles font du bien, ma cherie. les larmes qu'on ne pleure pas, dans notre ame retombent, toute. et de leurs patientes goutes, martelent le coeur, triste et las. sa resistance, enfin s'epuise. le coeur se creuse et s'affaiblit. il est trop grand, rien ne s'emplit...et trop fragile tout le brise....tout le brise."

mais. heureusement je n'ai pas de repetitions ce weekend. je peux seulement "etre". toute seule....mais, pas vraiment toute seule. il ya toujours Dieu qui m'aider...Dieu qui me reponds, qui m'embracer, qui comprends tout ce qu'il est necessaire. et bien. tout se passera.....

.......13

Praise the Lord - I am not 13 anymore. Too much drama.

And yet, being an adult sucks sometimes, you know?

That is all. Talk amoungst yourselves...

Wheel in the sky keeps on turning

The title has nothing to do with this post, other than that's the song currently stuck in my head. Don't ask.

It's been a good weekend, but Monday morning - as they are apt to do - came too quickly.

Friday we had the first orchestra rehearsal and the players, they sound great.

Saturday morning, AZ and I had planned on going to the Ferry Building farmer's market, and taking a good walk along the Embarcadero. Cold and cloudy weather, however, kept us from doing this. So, we went to the YMCA, instead. Followed by a quick trip to TJ's. I was home by 11! Feeling so accomplished!

The rest of the afternoon was spent baking brownies for ty's bday; talking to Sandra - who was going to drive up from LA for the weekend; and resting up a little for the party that night. Sandra and Dennis arrived about the same time, as did Ryan and his ..."friend" L...and Ty and his two friends...a houseful of people!

Had dinner at Magnolia (very tasty and good beer - they make their own!) followed by Karaoke madness at the Do Re Mi. At one point, I think we had about 25 people crammed into the VIP room (for 18). But we weren't charged the extra person fee, I think because we started late (not our fault, we were there early!!). It was three hours of loud singing and wacky videos into the wee hours of the morning. Fun but come 2am, I was exhausted. I had been expecting a house full of people (8) to be spending the night, which would have been *tricky*, at best, but we ended up with only 4 of us. Not including my roommate.

Sunday was kinda brutal. Not bad, but, considering the night before, just brutal. Woke up around 9, had breakfast with everyone. Had to be in Marin for 12:15 costume fitting and rehearsal at 1pm. Well, the costume lady arrived at 12:45. The director's car broke down, and she never showed. The conductor arrived around 2. We *started* rehearsal at 3:15. I wasn't too happy about that. Alas. Once we started it was good. But until then, just a big waste of time.

I left Marin and had just enough time to run home, grab some drinks and head to AZ's house for dinner/house concert. Folk singer Miranda and sitar player Chris were the main event. And they were awesome. Sipping hot chai, sinking into the couch and listening to music. That's an evening well spent. Exhausted as I was, I drifed a little in-and-out . . .

Got home, wanted to fall asleep with my shoes on, but had the sense not to do that. Spoke to Dman and found out that he may or may not have seriously injured his wrist in a bicylce-related fall. Ack. The perils of not having insurance rear their ugly head. It sucks. Hopefully, it's not serious enough to warrant a trip to the ER later on today.

I fell asleep and dreamt that a golf-ball sized brown widow spider was crawling over me and settled on top of my right eyeball. It was horrible. And I couldn't move it away, or else it would bite and kill me.

Will tells me that people dream of spiders when they are stressed out.

it's always been my favorite ride at disney world

I stopped at the shell station on my way home from work today, where I traded in an arm and a leg for a tank of gas. I decided to run in and get a bottle of water (spring has sprung here in sf!) and went to pay.

The guy working at the station, Selvin, looked familiar. And, I realized, he was from Cafe Cocomo. I remember meeting him about a year or so ago there, and we'd danced a few times, and he'd asked for my number, but, I wasn't interested, and finally he was contented to receive an email address from me. I ran into him other times at Cafe Cocomo and we would dance a time or two. He is much shorter than me (what? i'm shocked....) but very sweet, and quite a good leader. It wa just really funny to run into him today - in a neighborhood where neither one of us lives, just out of the lights and flash of the club, and in our normal, daily routine.

It really is a small world, afterall.

even more interesting

You scored as Republican. <'Imunimaginative's Deviantart Page'> Green 67% Republican 67% Democrat 67% Anarchism 58% Socialist 50% Communism 50% Fascism 8% Nazi 0% What Political Party Do Your Beliefs Put You In? created with QuizFarm.com

interesting

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 79% Fundamentalist 57% Emergent/Postmodern 54% Neo orthodox 54% Charismatic/Pentecostal 50% Classical Liberal 46% Reformed Evangelical 43% Roman Catholic 36% Modern Liberal 25% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

What, me?

I have to admit, I guess, that some of the tree hugging hippy-ness of San Francisco and the greater bay area has rubbed off on me a little bit.

I'm going to the Goldman Environmental Prize awards ceremony after work today. I went last year, and it is freaking awesome. Yay!

sleepy

it's the last ten seven minutes of the workday, and I am falling asleep at my desk...struggling to keep with it. And the day is far from over. ack! oh well, i'll get my second wind long about 7:30 ish....!

red letter day

it's been a gooood day.

will got a job today. and not just any "my-first-year-out-of-school-just-give-me-something-to-freaking-pay-the-bills" job.

but a gooood job. he officially starts work at the british consulate on monday.

i'm so proud!!!

Elvis said it best

Don't you...step on my bluuuueee suede shoes.



Well, they're not really suede, but you get the point... 

Birthdate meme

...from mathjedi.

The original meme was to look up your birthdate at Wikipedia (minus the date) and list two events which happened on said day in history, two folks who were born and one who died.

However, I couldn't just limit myself to those parameters...so I had to pick a couple more.

JULY 11

Events:
1346 Charles IV of Luxembourg elected emperor of the Holy Roman Emperor
1789 Jacques Necker dismissed as Finance Minister for France for sparking the storming of the Bastille
1848 The Waterloo railway station in London opens
1859 "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens is published
1940 WWII: Vichy France regime formally established

Births:
1274 Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland
1925 Nicolai Gedda, Swedish Tenor
1934 Giorgio Armani, Italian fashion designer
1959 Richie Sambora, American guitarist (Bon Jovi)
1975 Lil' Kim, Rapper

Deaths:
1688 Narai, king of Siam
1937 George Gershwin, American composer
1989 Sir Laurence Olivier, English actor

---Free slurpees at 7-11 (most locations!)---

Tag, You're it!

Ok so the rules are, once you've been tagged, you have to write a blog with 6 weird facts/things/habits about yourself. At the end you need to pick 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says " you've been tagged" & tell them to read your blog.

AZ tagged me!

1. I do a great chicken impression. The Opera Chicken, we'll call her.

2. I don't speak much Spanish yet, but I CAN speak it with a Scots accent.

3. I used to play trombone in a jazz band.

4. I really love old people. They make me smile.

5. At work, my paperclips are obsessively divided and kept in separate containers: one for the small ones; one for the large ones; and a tin for the binder clips. I can't work if they are mixed in together.

6. I am in love with all things related to The Godfather.

TAGGING: Dennis, Sally, Jessica, Kenny O, Chris, and Sarah.

arse-kickers (as the brits might say . . . )

Seems that Ryan and I are notorious for getting strange boxes in the mail at our place. For example, Mom sent a vaccuum cleaner once (heavy!) and Ryan gets a beer-of-the-month case (Christmas present from his sister). Our building manager thinks we're nuts, I'm sure, as he's the one collecting the packages for us (and showing his ID for the beer each month).

Yesterday was no different.

Two boxes: one a small, outdoor George Foreman electric grill. (Said building manager: "You're mom didn't actually send you a grill in the mail did she?") and a bankers' box labeled "Katy's shoes" in black magic marker all over the place.

The grill was put immediately to use, for chicken fajitas and all the fixin's.

The box of shoes was opened with great curiosity. These were shoes I had not seen since the summer of 1999. They had been hiding, deep in the basement storeroom somewhere, ever since I left to study abroad and couldn't take them with me.

I had searched high and low for this particular box, but never found it. Until it arrived on my doorstep yesterday. The explanation? Dad has been cleaning out the storeroom, and now Mom is sending us our stuff. Alas, I am attempting to de-crap the house, but there is more stuff arriving from Mom, attempting to de-crap her house. LOL.

Anyways. Today I am wearing a pair of those shoes. Boots, rather, for which I have been looking for years!

It's a pair of royal blue doc martin boots I bought in London, the first time I ever voyaged to those fair, British isles. Our family went with Aunt Fran and her church choir on their tour of England and Scotland during the summer of 1998. Will and I sang with the choir; Mom and Dad were just along for the ride.

The boots are soooo comfy. :) I'll put a picture up, later.

correction

mom found her rings! in a bag of stuff somewhere. yay!

oh, sally d ...

I was talking to my mom earlier this afternoon, and she was stressing out because she couldn't find her rings. She wears her mother's wedding ring and an anniversary ring from my dad on her right hand. Lately, they have become really loose, and have a tendency to just fall off.

Well, she was cleaning out a lot of things today (files, boxes and such) and was - as of a few hours ago - going through them again, looking for any sign of the rings. She went through the trash and the bedclothes and anyplace else she could think of.

Will just got off the phone with her, and she now thinks that they fell in the toilet when she was cleaning it, and were subsequently flushed.

I know she's upset about it, because, for example, her mom's wedding ring..that's just irreplaceable. It's not the monetary value of the piece of jewelry, but the sentimental and heirloom value.

herbs

I went to cook dinner, and was looking forward to some yummy cilantro and lime chicken...but alas.

I had bought italian parsley, instead.

oh well.

I had some nice italian parsley and lime chicken. Not quite the same, but still tasted pretty good.

...go the spoils

Tuesday, I had a massage;

Wednesday, I had time off of work handed to me on a platter. And, what did I do? Used my gift certificate to Nordstrom Spa to get a pedicure;

Dang. A girl could get used to this.

Today is back to reality. In early at work. Allergist appointment. And rehearsal. Not *quite* the same as getting an aromatheraputic foot massage. But, my allergist does give me lots of free samples!

heeeeheheee!

day

well, actually now it is night time, if you want to get technical about it.

do you ever notice how dependent we've become on our electronic devices? for real...i turned my phone off today. for about 4 hours. just plain off. i was having lunch and spending time w/DGS and decided I could turn my phone off.

And wouldn't you know, as soon as I turn it back it, it was like the world had come to an end in those four hours. I hadn't barely talked to anyone in a week (busy, sick, etc), and I had 4 messages. Wha? It just made me chuckle. Mostly people leaving messages "mock" freaking out...like "OMG, your phone is OFF?!? It's the end of the world!!"

um...not.


Anyways . . . lunch was nice today...and I'm glad it happened. DGS and I were both a little out of it, but it was totally worth it. We met about halfway between our respective points of origin and hung out at Black Bear talking, eating and playing hangman. I know that my weekends are getting more complicated with rehearsals and all, and I want to make the most of the times we do have.

People say that in a relationship there has to be give and take; a sort of "meeting in the middle," if you will. And if that middle happens to be at a Black Bear Diner in Suisun City...so be it :)

(they have good food, btw!)

time for bed....

ack

On Thursday, I had to take the company visa to buy some supplies for our use in our new temporary space. I went over lunch to safeway to use the card. When I returned back to the office, I put the card back in it's envelope and place that back in the file and gave the file to my boss for her to lock away into her file cabinet.

Fast forward to this evening. I went to the movies with my sibling, and we had to pay parking at one of those automated machines. I go to pull out my debit card, and lo and behold, what should I find?

The company Visa card. They are both of the same bank, and look very similar.

Which means...MY card is (hopefully) locked up at our new digs at work.

*sigh* just a testament to how stressed and out of it I've been this week, I think.

randomly sweet

shamelessly stolen from DGS

Instructions: Do a Google Image search of the following and post the first pic that comes up....

1. Your age on your next birthday


2. Your favorite color

(one of them, anyways)

3. Your middle name:

(ellen)





4. Your bad habit:

(not putting laundry away)



5. The last meal you ate:

(Kielbasa sandwhich at Tommy's Joint)

6. Your favorite fruit or vegetable:







7. Your favorite animal:

When I heard about these animals in 4th grade, I fell in love with them.






8. The town you live in:








9. Name of your pet:

The last pet I had was a fire-bellied newt named Fig.





10. Your first name:


11. Your last name:

friday

I'm glad it's Friday.

I'm kinda sick, though, and laid up in bed. And yet, I'm not in the mood to be bed ridden. In fact, I'm a little restless, but yet I know my body needs rest. I have been go go go go for so long, that I need a break.

Will and Ryan are going out to a concert tonight, so I'll have the place to myself. This is a rare occurance, and I usually like down time alone. But, I kinda wish I was going out to do something with people.

Rehearsal tomorrow has been cancelled, and all I have to do is a voice lesson in the morning, and also spend some time looking over other music.

What it boils down to is that it is rainy and dark outside and I am feeling lonely tonight. Not sure why...I am not usually a lonely person. Probably 'cause I don't feel too hot.

oh well. I'll go fill out some myspace surveys. lol.

Random acts of Balloon Animals

So, I'm in Starbucks, and there is this guy there making balloon animals. Just a regular, office-working guy, who happens to be a clown on the weekends (he and his wife are also magicians).

I was tired, having a rough week, and I'm having coffee with my friend N. Dude asks me what I would like. And I requested a giraffe!

(I even labeled him for our move tomorrow...)

perspective

I just talked to my mom and found out that someone I grew up with as a child just committed suicide.

It's an odd feeling...hard to process. I cannot count JT as a particularly close friend as of recent times...in fact, I had not seen nor spoken to him (or really anyone in his family) in several years. Which is why my feelings are somewhat...juxtaposed. He died at age 26 - my same age - and was a regular guy: he had a myspace account, college degree, and a passion for the outdoors, just like his father. My memories of JT are of a happy boy, aged 8ish, covered in frosting and sitting at our kitchen counter making candyhouses. I remember watching him grow up, even when he got to be "too cool" for our families' Christmas traditions during those intermediate teenaged years. It's hard to reconcile the boy with his death.

I remember his two younger sisters, and how they looked up to him...their badass, older brother, who would take care of them during school.

I also found out that JT's mom died last year. From alzheimers. She wasn't very old - but I had no idea that this had happened.

Please pray for John, Ashley and Katy as they mourn the passing of a son and big brother. Especially for John; he has outlived both his wife and his first-born son. I can't even imagine.


It makes my stresses seem awfully paltry, in comparason.

:) preview

It's Tuesday of my crazy week!

Will is back in town.

Tomorrow I'm going to work early.

And then I'm going to Berkeley late.

Thursday is rehearsal.

Friday is Moving Day. Ack.

Saturday is voice lesson and rehearsal. And probably going to bed early :)

March Madness

This weekend was super fun :) After much gnashing of teeth and flinging of clothes from the closet trying to figure out what to wear, DGS and I went to Mendocino for his cousin's wedding. The drive was GORGEOUS, and we had great music and fabulous weather to escort us on our way.

I met a whole bunch of his family all at once on Saturday. It was a tad overwhelming (I'm kinda bad with names) but fun all the same. I think maybe my favorite relative was Grandma. She's a little spit-fire, and was very sweet to me. She'd come over and whisper in my ear little stories about all the various and sundry folks at the wedding. I love old people! In high school, I used to do a lot of volunteer work with people in nursing homes, and I miss that. I'm thinking about getting back into it.

The service was slightly delayed, due to craaazy wind up on the North Coast, but once we got started, there was much cheer and happiness. Weddings are great: everyone is full of joy and glad to see each other. It's a time of celebration, reminiscing and reconnecting with friends and family.

A great deal of DGS' family (on this particular side) lives in CA, and he grew up around them. I think that's really cool. Our family was always so far from everyone, as Will & I grew up in CO and everyone else was in LA. When we were little, Mom and Dad tried to make sure we got back down South to see the family at least once a year. But, after all the grandparents passed away, and for about the last 8 years, the only time our family all gets together - generally speaking - is for weddings and funerals.

This May is Dad's 60th bday, and we're throwing a party for him in CO. Of course we'll all be there, and I'm hoping that his twin sister and her family will come, and maybe even his older brother. It would be a chance for us to see one another.

Tonight, I'm so tired. I snapped at my mom when she called, because I had just gotten home from a stressful day at work, running errands, and was trying to make dinner when she called and started fussing about cleaning out a drawer for my brother - something I had already thought about doing. It was just bad timing on her part, but I still shouldn't have snapped at her. I'll have to call her back now.

I decided to skip Bible Study tonight in favor of cleaning out the aforementioned drawer (Will gets here tomorrow); paying the money I owe on my taxes; cleaning the kitchen and regaining some of my sanity from the day. I just need some quiet.

talk about stream-of-consciousness writing. this would be it. okay ya'll, KD out.

Kiss Me,

I'm Welsh, English, French, Scots, Cajun, Everything but Irish!



Happy St. Patty's Day to you all! Drink a Guinness for me! (It's Good for You).

freakin' nicholas sparks

i got home tonight just in time to catch ryan watching "the notebook", and so I saw the last 10 minutes or so. and i'll tell you what...it STILL makes me cry, albeit not the gut-heaving sobs i experienced when watching it from start to finish that time with AZ.

awwww such a good movie!

first aid bacon

Will used to collect bandaids as a child. Not used ones (ick), but new ones. I think it stems from the fact that he was always in the hospital or at the doctor's office. But I remember just boxes and boxes of bandaids, of all varieties: neon orange and yellow; camoflauge; glow-in-the-dark; superman; spiderman; snoopy; ninja turtles...you get the idea.

WELLLLLLL I came across the 'bacon strip' bandaids at Urban Outfitters, and HAD to get them for Will. And, lucky for him, as he just happened to have a blister on his heel. hahhhahahhhaah good times. 

tourist weekend

Will & Shanna are staying with me this weekend, and I am SO happy!!

We did some fun, touristy things this afternoon and had a lot of amusing experiences.

First, the weather: we left my house, and it was raining. On the Embarcadero, the sun was shining. We then went through rain, sleet, hail, almost snow, thunder, lightning and then freezing but clear all over the course of about 3 hours. Schizo, much??

My favorite sign of the night? Posted on the Hyde-Powell Cable Car:

No flatulating on crowded cable cars.

Having forgotten (d'oh) my camera, Shanna took a picture for me, so hopefully she we email it to me soon!

The best ever of the day, however, must be told in a short photo essay. We went by the new Boudin Bakery at Fisherman's Wharf, and Will subsequently fell in love with this loaf of bread:

Now, for your viewing pleasure, a short photo-essay:

Music Meme

Dang I know, crazy memes.

From mathjedi:

Write down 10 bands/musicians you really enjoy, and then answer the questions which following (be honest now, don't look at the questions first!)

So, in random order:

1. U2
2. Aerosmith
3. Ella Fitzgerald
4. MOVE
5. Cake
6. Frank Sinatra
7. Bon Jovi
8. Simon & Garfunkle
9. Marc Anthony
10. Buena Vista Social Club

----QUESTIONS----

-What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
wow. not sure, but probably something like "new york, new york".

-What is your favourite album of 8?
Live at Central Park

-What is your favourite lyric that 5 has sung?
"I need you here with me, not way over in a bucket seat." I like that song, it cracks me up.

-How many times have you seen 4 live?
wow. At least 10? At least!

-What is your favourite song of 7?
OOoh. Livin' on a prayer. That's the BEST karaoke song.

-What is a good memory you have considering the music of 10?
Seeing them live at the North Sea Jazz Fest with my brother in 2000. The pianist, Ruben Gonzalez was soo old, he had to be escorted on and off the stage. But when he sat at the keys, it was like he was 25 again! That was beautiful.

-Is there a song of 3 that makes you sad?
hmm. she has a song for every occasion. but i can't think of a sad one off the top of my had.

-What is your favourite lyric that 2 has sung?
"dream until your dreams come true"

-What is your favourite song by 9?
"No me conoces"

-How did you get in to 3?
Growing up around jazz at my grandmother's house.

-What was the first song you heard by 1?
ooh. No clue. But probably "with or without you" or "still haven't found (what I'm looking for)"

-What is your favourite song by 4?
Canta y Baila

-How many time have you seen 9 live?
only once. it was awesome.

-What is a good memory you have concerning 2?
seeing them in concert, and seeing all the aging groupies! ick.

-Is there a song of 8 that makes you sad?
"bridge over troubled water" makes me sad, but in a good way.

-What is your favourite album of 5?
hmmm i think their self-titled one. it's a great driving cd.

-What is your favourite song of 1?
"love rescue me"

-What is your favourite song of 10?
"dos gardenias"

-How many times have you seen 6 live?
sadly, never.

-What is your favourite album of 2?
hmmm. greatest hits, album lol Big Ones

-What is a great memory you have considering 9?
learning to salsa dance!

-What is your favourite lyric that 6 has sung?
ooh. again v. difficult. i love the song "i've got you under my skin"

-What was the first song you heard by 8?
probably "cecelia"

Saturday meme, Part II: 10:30 - 8pmish

I can only post 5 pics at a time! what? Oh well. I won't post the lowly picture of my alarm clock before I went to bed. It was early!

3/5/06 MEME Part 1: 7:00 - 10:30am

These pictures - one an hour, every hour, pretty much sum up my day. Except for those couple hours when I was watching a movie with Raina and forgot to take my camera with me! geez!

Blogging adventure

Taken from Sandra: day-in-the-life-of photo journey.

One picture an hour, every hour I'm awake on Saturday, to be posted afterwards.

Want to join in the meme? Post at your own blogging area...hasta manana!

I'm going to be an "aunt"!!!

My friends Jen & Henry (Jen I've known for too many years to count) are the first in our little UHBC group to get pregnant!!!!!

I got their email today and little yet-to-be-determined is due on September 10!

That kid is going to be SO spoiled by all of us "aunties" and "uncles". I cannot wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

considering I lived in TX for four years and never once made it to Austin . . .

You Are Austin

A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. You're totally weird and very proud of it. Artistic and freaky, you still seem to fit in... in your own strange way. Famous Austin residents: Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Andy Roddick

What American City Are You?

Shake, shake, shake-it

I was sitting here, talking to DGS, when *bump*. Another earthquake! Wow. Twice in one day.

Don't tell my mother.

Did you feel the mountain tremble

. . . well, we're not exactly a mountain, but we are a three-story building. It's surprisingly difficult to concentrate on the phone conversation one is having when going through an earthquake. Granted, it was a small one, but we were definitely shakin'.

Exciting times here at OLA!

From Plato, The Republic

Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the den.

Manon Lescaut

I went to see Manon Lescaut down at West Bay Opera this evening. Raina drove up from SJ and met me there.

It was a good show . . . absolutely gorgeous music. Truly. I'd never heard Puccini's Manon story all the way through before. And, there were some beautiful moments: most notably (for me) the Act II duet in which Manon and des Grieux are reunited. It is bliss for Manon - who begs her lover's forgiveness for having run off with another, richer man, but it is torment for des Grieux. He was heartbroken - the anguish written all over his face, and oozing through his body. It was just a beautiful, real moment - one infused with emotion, and then heightened to the drama that is verismo opera.

CPT asked me to record the performance on his mini-disc. So, there I sat, the mic discreetly hidden under the flap of my messenger bag, while on the supertitle screen the words "recording devices strictly prohibited" flashed before the audience. Heh heh heh . . . my own little rebellion! Mom would be proud.

Poking around backstage afterwards, it was nice to talk to colleagues I'd not seen in a while, and make new acquaintences. Just more opportunities for networking, I suppose. There were a bunch of folks both Raina and I knew in the show, and then I also ran into the bass from the Brentwood Messiah last December (he recognized me, but it took me a minute to realize who he was under all the make-up and wigs). Not to mention that it's good to show up at performances and hobnob with the conductor and director - just to remind them of your face and that you're still in the area. In tonight's case, I like very much the conductor and the director, so it was good to see them.

Networking is a necessary evil, for any profession, I think. It's not necessarily my most favorite thing to do, unless I actually know the people in some sort of capacity. I just don't like 'small talk;' I'm not that great at it, and I don't know, I'd rather do something else!

whew. okay. I need sleep . . .

slice of heaven

I love this. I want to crawl up inside this quilt and just . . . be.


ahhhhhhhhh..... 

Picture puzzle

Can you "name that airport?"


I'll give you a hint:

it's one of the airports I traveled through in 2005 . . .

winner gets ... um ... a "prize". :) 

We the people

I had to respond to my jury summons today. It was the first time I'd ever been called here in SF. I woke up at 6 (ugh) and had to take my car in for new brake pads before going to the courhouse for 8:30 this morning.

It was a gorgeous day, today, so making the walk up from SOMA to Civic Center was a nice way to start the morning. I arrived at the courthouse greeted by the line out the door of folks waiting to pass through a metal detector.

Down to room 007, the Juror Assembly Room. It was a good place for people watching, and I was reminded just how much of a melting pot SF is. Unlike my last jury summons, in Arapahoe County, CO, I was the minority (young, white, female) this time.

Young and old the jurors poured in: equipped with books, iPods, magazines, computers, or just a pair of sunglasses we gathered. By 9 am, there were about 100 of us waiting around.

Post-orientation, I was called up to a jury selection with about 40 other folks. The judge entered and told us the case would take at least 6-8 weeks. Twitterings from the crowd.

I filled out my "hardship" form, stating that it would be impossible for me to serve as a juror on this case. I have nothing against my "civic duty" other than the timing, which is what I told the judge: at work, we are just about to move and then renovate, so the trial would be taking place during our preparation and subsequent move. Highly inconvenient! I let the judge know I was happy to defer my duty until July 10.

I sat. And waited. And read. And waited some more.

Finally, after an hour or so, I got my papers declaring I was free to go. I had served my time. That was it, she didn't even make me defer my time. Interesting.

So. Lots of work-drama avoided. Praise the Lord.
----
-In other news....I was offered a role with GG Opera, which happens to be up in Marin County. They called me up on Saturday and asked for my resume and voila! It is for a small role I've already performed, and they would like to hear and consider me for a larger role and/or cover. Kinda nice, just to be called up like that.

-My brother and his girlfriend are coming to visit in a couple of weeks. I am so excited I just don't know what do to!! I am thinking that karaoke is in order . . . as for the rest of the time, Will has expressed his desire to have Dim Sum, but, other than that, not many plans.

-I don't know if I slept crooked or what, but I think one of my pinched nerves (leftover from a May 2004 car accident) is flaring up - I have had dull, throbbing pain in my neck and head all day. grrr.

-Mom and Dad are safely back in CO. I have some funny tales from their trip, which I'll post at some point this week.

-I think it's time to re-read my favorite books. I got the most recent installment for Christmas, but I kinda want to read the entire saga again. If you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know why - this is book number 6, and each is easily 900+ pages. :)

Mental Health Day

One of my coworkers brought her 6 year old son, Jack, to work today. She walks in with him and says "we're having a mental health day," which I assume means that she is taking most of the day off, and that J is out of school today.

J's a great kid: very personable, smart and full of trouble, as most boys are. I had a good conversation with him about dissecting owl pellets and frogs, as well as how to beat the current level of Sonic on his gameboy. I was also informed that the square root of 9 is 3, and yet the square root of 3 is 1.7320508 (how could that be?!)...and then we shared an apple.

About 15 minutes later, I'm sitting at my desk, sorting through months of posting history, and Jack is happily running about the office. He joins AW up front at the reception desk and takes over her computer, while she works on the other side.

N, our former colleague from the suite next door, had come by to pick up some stuff, and she was using the reception phone to call a taxi. All of the sudden, I hear from my cubby - towards the back of our large suite, "Jackson, that's triple XXX!!!" and then several people burst into laughter.

Apparently, young J had been trying to pull up some cartoon site, but intstead ended up with porn. He was all...."but I typed in such-and-such....". All of the "adults" were trying not to crack up, and to explain to him that that was not appropriate viewing, before changing the site for him. But everyone was dy-ing with suppressed laughter.

Even though I was cracking up (it was funny), it's also a little sad. I cant' believe just how much is out there for kids (well, anyone, I guess) to get a hold of, but especially kids. Forget being attached to an umbilical cord, they are attached to the internet. Wow. Really makes one long for the old days of sesame street on tv, my lil pony, and the high-techness of Atari.

Johari meme

From mathjedi . . . these are addicting, and I know you'll want to do one of your own.

Messages

If myspace used candy heart messages:

add me

thx

ur hott

new pix

comment

survey

top 8

i luv tom

My Urban Deer Valentine :)

 

time capsule

I would just like to point out that it seems the 80's are "back". And all the people buying these close did not live through them the first time, so they just don't realize that striped, day-glow, gathered tights and purple shirts with pink-polka dots and heart-shaped buttons are both bad ideas:


My definition of Urban Outfitters: had 1984 gone out and partied too much, and then returned home and threw-up, this is what would come out of it:

Hu let the dogs out?!

Around 8pm this evening, I discovered that I had been wearing my underwear inside-out all day long. I guess I had been in a big hurry earlier that afternoon, and just failed to notice until then. Inside-out knickers aside, today was such a fun day. For some reason, AZ and I tend to have the random-est things happen when we're out exploring the City. And today, we were not disappointed.

The morning started off great, thanks to "Will Farrell" and his cardio dance class, topped off with "welcome to the sex trade" (his OWN composition) as the soundtrack for our crunches.

Then, ran home to change, grab lunch & chat with DGS, and meet back up at AZ's house. Our plans were to walk to the bus from her house, and head downtown for the Chinese New Year Parade. I had never been, but every year I've lived in SF, I kept telling myself "this year, I'll go . . ." Today, I finally got to see the parade in person.

We get to Geary just as the bus pulls up. Excellent timing! As we slowly make our way down the boulevard, we realize that I could've caught the bus by my house - AZ could've called me when she was close and we could've just met up on the bus. This would haunt us later in the day.

We get downtown, and have a few hours to kill before all the festivities begin. It was a gorgeous day, lots and lots of people out and about. Perfect for people watching, too. AZ had one item on her list: to find a sundress. So, we went in H&M, Old Navy, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters (see previos post).

We then went to what is quickly becoming one of our favorite places in the city (and one of the best ever for people watching): Virgin Megastore. Not ONLY were they having a $10 sale (hello, Pink Floyd? check. Roomie bday gift? check.), but they have excellent Illy espression up at the Citizen Cupcake cafe. mmmmm. We had a bird's eye view of all the people, and there were two adorable children up there, both with red frosting from valentine's cakes smeared EVERYWHERE. It was hilarious to watch them.

-After our coffee and pocky break ("men's" pocky, at that...) we headed to Union Square to stake out our seats. We scored excellent seats on Geary between Grant and Stockton, just prime viewing. We could see and everything. The parade itself was great: so many colors, lights, firecrackers and lots of different cultures all celebrating together. What a great SF moment. The highlight, however, HAD to be the SambAsia group. We heard the drums down the street...and could see in the distance a feathered Samba dancer. And he was good. And as he got closer, we realized....HEY, that's Jaime! Our friend and Salsa instructor!! So, we stood up and waved him down & he did a little samba for us & blew kisses! Random!

I also noticed that our Carnaval Float from last year (we had the only float on the peninsula with a working cage mechanism on it) was in the parade. No longer Jaime's L.A.W. float, but rather some corporate-sponsored float, it still had the red and gold papered inside Jaime and I spent hours working on. I was happy to see it.

As 2006 is the year of the dog, several groups were dancing to "Who Let the Dogs Out?" However, let you think the title of this post is somewhat uncouth, I will mention that there was a one Mr. Hu in the parade, and we had no idea who Hu was. So, perhaps Hu is the one, indeed, who let all the dogs out.

After 2.5 hours, our legs were stiff and we were hungry, so we forewent the rest of the parade. We walked to the metreon, had a fast dinner, and then decided to walk back to Geary to catch the bus. Little did we realize that the buses were not running tonight. So, we decide to hoof it up the big hill to California street, to try the #1. On the way up, we spotted a mariachi and a woman on their way down. Just as I said "Hey! It's a mariachi," I realized it was my friend Gustavo, from SFCM. WHAT??!! Running into him here was, again, random, but lovely all the same.

We reached the top of CA street, to find out that the #1 was not running, either. We make our way to Nob Hill, and pass the Vampire Tour of SF for the night (they go to all the 'haunted' places up there) and decide to take a cab to Masonic & Geary - - near my house, and take the bus from there. Well, that's fine, except we end up walking for a long time, since there were no buses yet. Eventually the 38 comes along, and we end up almost full circle.

BUT, before we reach AZ's house, we see a couple walking towards us. The woman is carrying a bunch of balloons, and is clearly having a hard time walking straight. They stop when they reach us and ask "Are you happy?" We say, yes, and inquire if she, too is happy. Of course she is, for she is in love with her man. "And I want to give you each a balloon!! We were just a chinese wedding, and we're not Chinese of course, but to be happy is the most important." Indeed, they were not Chinese, but Russian. And the woman gave us both a balloon: silver for AZ, gold for me.

It was a perfect random cap to our adventurous day. Happy New Year, indeed.

FAZ

AW had a coupon for FAZ restaurant, down near south beach area. So, we decided to go try it out after work today. It was so yummy - mostly Persian fare, but also pan-mediterannean cuisine.

We got there, and since it was so early, they sat us near the back, at the window, where we could look out over the embarcadero and see the Bay Bridge all lit up. It was a very romantic atmosphere, but, considering that we are both straight, and I'm seeing someone...well, we couldn't take full advantage of it, I guess :P

We had great pomegranite chicken...mmmmm...a glass of good wine, and tasty foccacia bread. Then, at dessert time, we had wanted to share this chocolate, caramel, heaven on a plate thing, but they didn't have any tonight. So, we both had hot tea (on the house, because of the dessert snafu). We were sitting, drinking our tea when the busboy came by with a tiramisu for us. He said "It's on the house, I've worked for the owner for 13 years, and it's okay for me to do this. So, please, enjoy." We looked at him all agog with our jaws hanging open.

We. Were. SO. Excited. FREE DESSERT?!? Where does THAT happen??

Needless to say, it was mighty tasty.

The best part? We hadn't told the waiter we had a coupon for part of our dinner. So, we totally left it with the bill when he came to take it for payment. He didn't say one thing, but I'm sure he was thinking "We comp'ed them all this stuff, gave them the best seat in the house, and they still give us a coupon?" I admit, I felt a little redneck doing that, but dude, they made their money on us.

We made sure to leave a good tip.

quick post, as it is bedtime (hopefully)

Is it just me, or do you find that - for lack of a better phrase - we here in America are afraid to "reach out and touch someone"?

I am so used to touchy-feely types of people: my family is very much a family that shows affection through pats (dad) and hugs (mom), etc. A majority of my close friends from home (Ty, Katie, etc) are very touchy-feely, as well. And another dear friend will punch (lightly) in the arm as a sign of affection.

All this to say, is that I realized how *foreign* it is - if you are in my demographic of the working 20- or 30-something, unmarried, urbanites - to have daily, human, physical contact. I was struck by this in a few ways over the last week:

1. I hugged my friend AW at work, because she was having a horrible Monday. And I like to give hugs, but I almost checked myself, in my head saying "is this weird...to be hugging in an office?" No, was the conclusion I came to. It's not!

2. Whenever I go get my hair done, I relish when the time comes for C to wash my hair. She washes it and massages my head. AH Heaven! Seriously, just melts the stress away.

3. If I'm with DGS, just holding hands = fabulous!

4. My friend Tamra used to always say that "A person needs 7 affectionate touches a day to stay happy and healthy". And she would walk around SFCM giving hugs, squeezing shoulders, hands, whatever. All in promotion of this maxim. And you know what? I think she's right!

Babies need affection - they need to be held, and not neglected. It affects their behavior and development. I think as adults, we feel we grow out of that need. But really, I don't think so. I always notice after a trip home or something just how much of that lacks on an everyday basis.

Interesting . . . hmmmmmmmm

Leave your Problems*

*Lyrics by R. Quinones of M.O.V.E.

I've been listening to this song all week in my car. Besides the awesome drum action in it, I just really like the lyrics.

So...here is part of the chorus (used without permission, but note that all words are copyrighted by the aforementioned Ruben and/or MOVE):

The rain that stains you
Beats you down,
But will not drown you . . .

I feltthis so distinctly on Sunday morning at church. I had been in shock Saturday night, after talking to my mom about Will, and really couldn't react in any way. AZ showed up that night and she can attest to that fact. I talked to mom several times that night and throughout the night, but I was in a stupor of sorts. When she called Sunday around 8:30am and told me that the EKG and spinal tap results were normal, I felt relieved, but I still had not gotten through the initial shock of everything.

Fast-forward to church on Sunday, during which we sang "How Great is Our God" finished off with the chorus of "How Great Thou Art." It was a powerful time...the shock wore off, and I went from sadness, grief and worry to praise and thankfulness and humility. Tears streaming down my face...singing through the tears. It was an intense experience and felt very much like the "rain that was staining me" just might drown me. But, it didn't. God is good!


***SIBLING REPORT***
William is doing fine. He has an appointment with a neurologist next Thursday to try and figure out what's going on. He's thinking it might be migraines and/or something to do with his caffeine intake(!). Thank you for all of your prayers and support!!!!