yay!

As it - randomly - happens, my cousin, H, is in town. Turns out one of his fraternity brothers from LSU who lives here in SF had H drive out his car to CA from Louisiana. As H is between jobs right now, he made the long haul out to the West coast, and just called us!

I haven't seen him in...oh, probably 2, or 3 years...? I can't really remember. So, I'm really excited. We are going to meet up with him shortly.

Hilarity shall ensue. I'm sure.

'tis the season . . .

I hate making 'resolutions.' For me, the word resolution may as well just be defined as "something to do during the month of January, and then discard February 1".

It's true. I don't know why, but there must be some sort of disconnect in my brain. I know I'm not the only one, I'm just saying.

However, I also know there are other folks who don't necessarily think like that. For some, "resolution" is just that: a strengthening of one's resolve to make a change in one's life. I respect these people a great deal, and admire their tenancity to stick-to-it.

Anyways, I was at lunch with a couple friends one day not too long ago, and one asked "do you have any resolutions for 2007?" Even though my mind can leap to some stock answers - things I know I should resolve to do (lose weight, sleep more, clean out the house, etc), I don't want to classify them as "resolutions" out loud because I just don't think I'll get it done.

2006....my biggest goal for 2006 was to decrap my house. Well. If anything, I did the opposite...got more crap to fill it up. So, whilst this is niggling at the back of my brain, I dare not pronounce it as a carry-over resolution from 2006, or else no progress whatsoever will be made.

Sitting there, thinking to myself, "what can I possibly resolve to do in 2007 that might actually get DONE?" After several minutes, and a few conversation topics later, it hit me:

I shall floss daily.

That may sound tiny, insignificant perhaps. But to me (and my dentist) it's not. I have never been in the daily habit of flossing, and that is no good. And, the best part? I *started* flossing in December. So it was kind of like cheating on my "New Year's Resolution" because I had a head start.

Am I a total nut having to double-talk my way around my own head and my own stubborness? Sometimes...

Deju vu all over again . . .

So, last week, as a result of the blizzard in Denver, hundreds of thousands of holiday travelers were stuck, due to cancelled flights in, out and through DIA. My brother was one of them. He was scheduled to leave Wednesday morning. Cancelled. A new Friday morning flight. Cancelled. Finally, he got a flight for Christmas eve night. Oakland -> Las Vegas -> Denver.

He got here, we had a lovely Christmas, and Will had even changed his return ticket to stay a few extra days in Denver, since he got in so much later than anticipated.

Well. Dad walks in from work, and he has some news. On both the Frontier and United websites (not to mention the weather channel site), there is another winter storm brewing for the Denver Metro area, including (of course) the airport. And, they are suggesting folks get out of town tonight or Thursday morning. Not (of course) Friday, when Will has a ticket. He might get stuck again.

Alas. He has tickets to the Orange Bowl in Miami for Jan. 2. We are trying to get him there!

Denver snowstorm travel advisory
United is currently monitoring a winter storm in the Denver area that may impact future travel. A travel waiver has been issued to enable customers flying in and out of Denver today through Saturday to change their travel plans.
Travel tips:
We encourage all customers flying in, out or through Denver on Thursday and Friday to consider departing Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.
If you would like to change your travel plans, consider taking advantage of United’s travel waiver that is in place through December 30, 2006, by contacting your travel agent, united.com or United reservations.
United’s lobby at DIA will open at 2:00 am on Thursday to accommodate a higher volume of customers.
Check your flight status before heading to the airport.
Check in for your flight with EasyCheck-in Online then use united.com BagCheck at the airport.
Please review the ticket waiver information below for a full list of travel
options.

Insomniacal*

List of v.cool things from this afternoon and evening (in random order):

Guitar Hero II for PS2
Lego Star Wars II for PS2
Karaoke
Green Apple Books
Birthdays
Wacky artist/musician types
Siblings
Throat Coat tea
Banana cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Icing
Myspace
Naps
Ninjas (and Pirates)
Italian Slang
Christmas decorations
New friends
Old friends
Whitesnake
Bad jokes
Good books

and last - but not least - being able to finally? fall asleep...

*not quite a real word, but I vote to start using it in my everyday vocabulary, nonetheless

of course . . .

I have a love/hate relationship with the Fedex/Kinko's store closest to my house.

I Love it because:
They have scanners
They have color copiers
They have pretty holiday paper
They are open late
They are open early
They are really close to my house

I hate it because:
Unfriendly people
Copier Jams
Expensive if you need to use the computer to print something off
Murphy's Law of Kinkos - something goes wrong every time I go there.

Yesterday was time for my semi-annual trip to Kinko's. By the time 6-months have come and gone, I usually have forgotten - or buried - my previous traumatic experiences at said copy establishment. So, full of holiday cheer (I was going to print some Christmas letters on pretty paper), I headed out. I *even* found my copy card from 6 months ago!

I get there. And wait. And wait. There was ONE other customer. And TWO staff members.
And it stilllll took me 20 minutes to actually purchase the pretty paper from them. WTF? So, I just opened up my packages and started printing on the paper, and finally one of them asked me if I needed something...um, yhello?

I got about 1/4 done copying, when we had a paper jam. Well, I've spent a good 1/40th of my life unjamming copiers, so no problem. Fixed! Immediately after pressing 'start' again, it jams. I tell the Kinko's lady that this is jam #2 (Wastes 4 sheets of pretty paper each time!). She fixes it.
Press start. Jam. Open to unjam. Bend back thumbnail all the way. Ouch.

Switch copiers. Resume copying.

Leave. Sigh of relief.

Go home, attend to now bleeding thumb.

So, here's looking forward to . . . about next June, when I shall (I'm sure) have more tales from the Kinko's . . .

shifting

so, i don't know about this blogger beta thing yet, hmmmm we'll see how it goes..

anyways. i'm working on a (non-blogging) website - compiling all my materials to make a site for my (semi?)professional singing life.

so, stay tuned. it'll take me a little bit to get it together, but the nice folks over at Voxpage1 are making it possible!

vegas, baby! part the second

Pictures:
1. Eating - inside - at the Venetian.

2. John Travolta over our bathtub!

3. Glass ceiling art in the Bellagio.

4. Oh yeah, and I won, too!




 

vegas, baby

after a truly hellacious day*I am packed and ready to go to Vegas early tomorrow morning. It's my mom's 60th bday, and we are all meeting up in the crazy city for celebrating. I'm just looking forward to a mini-break and family time. and cirque du soleil...

yay.



*my thanks to AZ, my brother and sha-na-na-na for helping to keep me sane

weird weekend

i was so looking foward to this weekend, because there is a TON of stuff going on in SF right now (Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Fleet Week, Italian Heritage Parade, SF Opera Simulcast . . . the list goes on and on).

Instead, I've been not well....but I've no idea what's wrong with me.

I got home Friday afterwork and was so achy/fever-ish feeling, I passed out on the couch fully clothed (including shoes). My wonderful sibling was so kind as to bring me a thermometer & lots of gatorade from the grocery store. At first I thought it might have been related to the tetanus booster I got on Thursday, but after talking to the doc at UCSF, that shouldn't be the cause of my illness.

Saturday morning I slept - still low grade fever - and attempted to make it to my voice lesson in Oakland. I got as far as my car, sat in it for 5 minutes, then got out and went back inside to bed. I spend all day there, until last night when I was determined NOT to miss my Berkeley Opera audition (my throat is fine...it's the rest of my body that's rebelling right now).

The audition went well enough that I have a callback this afternoon. I'm no longer feeling fevered, really, but my stomach kind of hurts. I don't know what's wrong with me! ack! I know I can sometimes be a hypochondriac...but not all of the time.

I'll try and get an appointment for tomorrow, I guess.
*sigh*

Lightning fast

Oh my gosh . . ! It's that time of year again!

In our newly renovated office space, I now have a view, which means I don't have to run into my bosses office to watch those fabulous Blue Angels zoom over Alcatraz.

Yay!

Gmail - RE: what was that song? help!

Lily over at the XM radio Watercolors station...she is my hero!

And this is why:

family files, part 549

Newly added to the vault:

My father is a good man - generous, patient, wise, loving - and pretty much impossible to shop for. (Sorry 'bout that dangling preposition, there...)

Sure, he collects certain things - keychains, postcards, model airplanes & vintage Delta Airlines swag. But, to truly get him something out-of-the-ordinary...something he *really* would like...therein lies the difficulty.

Cue today. I was on the phone with my mom, when dad suddenly pops in and excitedly picks up the phone. He has found something he wants for Christmas (that is not the usual socks or dark chocolate he loves so much). Newishly possesed of XM radio in his vehicle, he has discovered their "Smooth Jazz" station, channel #71 aka 'Watercolors'.
He says to me, "Hey, Miss Priss, I know what I want for Christmas, but it will take some mystery-solving on your part. I heard a song I LOVED on Watercolors, once today and once back in July, and I would love that album if you can find it. It's piano mostly, maybe a little orchestra and sometimes a choir...it's O Happy Day. With a rocketing piano. I don't know what it's called or who sings it or anything, but they played it today around 5:20pm."

He hhehehehe...it just made me laugh, because my dad is pretty easy to please, and when he mentions something so specific as this, well, it's fun. I've commenced my research, signed up for my free 3-day xm trial and have written the Watercolors' DJ with my question. Hopefully I'll get a reply!

rambles

I've not blogged in a while.
I've been trying my best to bask in the glow of my vacation . . .
holding on to the feel of unwindingness in mind, body and spirit.
Looking forward to the SF Greek Festival!

Since I've been back many things have happened in the lives of people I love:

new birth
near deaths
moving
not being able to move
getting hired . . . or not
falling in (and out) of love
reuniting with old friends
making new ones

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 . . .