Race #1

6:15am - alarm goes off (some lame R&B song). Hand hits snooze. Nine minutes later, alarm goes off (the new Soulja Boy song that gets stuck in my head soooooo badly - Kiss Me Through the Phone). Hand hits snooze. Nine minutes later, I'm up, groggy, pull on my workout clothes, check Facespace (because really, what else am I to do at this horrible hour on a Saturday), then it's time to go. To. My. First. Race.

I ranwalked the Carneros Fun Run this morning! Artesa Winery is beautiful and has an amazing view of the valley on the west side. I started off running, but unfortunately my knee is lame and hates anything downhill, so right off the bat, I was hurtin'. I tried to run as much as I could, but I pretty much ranwalked the whole thing. I finished, finally, and had hot firemen welcome me to the finish line, then got pancakes and fruit. It's an absolutely amazing day today - I'm so ready for summer!

This is the kick in the pants I need to get running! Who's with me?

:)

Bragging.

I don't like bragging - I find it extremely unattractive and off-putting. When I write here, I'm collecting the 90mph thoughts I have about something random - work, life, friends, family, experiences. With all my heart, I hope that it never, ever comes off as bragging.

I feel that people who brag about themselves or their situation are 1) are starved for attention and 2) are overcompensating for something. If you're really happy with yourself, your situation, your choices, then you don't need to proclaim to the world many times over that you're happy. If you have to brag, whatever it is isn't that great, you just want people to think it is. This can be a fine line - like arrogance and confidence always seem to be. On one hand, you want to share your happiness with others so that they can be happy with you. If you push it, though, you run the risk of sounding like you're bragging, and as I shared in paragraph 1, bragging is obnoxious. I think that you can be happy with whatever it is that makes you happy and your smiling face, welcoming persona, and open heart will automatically let people know where you are emotionally. Writing here, you obviously don't know if I'm smiling (I'm not currently), if I'm welcoming in my demeanor (not particularly at the moment), if I have an open heart (if you know me, I don't need to tell you this anyway - you probably know.) 

On to the fine line between confidence and arrogance. Confidence requires poise and integrity, while arrogance is the easy way out - it's just acting like you're better than everyone else. It takes no effort to be arrogant - it just takes a sense of entitlement and the cajones not to care about anyone else. I'm quite sick of the sense of entitlement that my generation seems to have. Get over yourselves.

There's my serious post for the week. Take it with a grain of salt. 

Napa.

Because of the unexpected trip to Indiana, I missed last week's MIXPO through the Chamber. I'm bummed I did - so curious how it was all set up. I guess I'll have to wait until August to check it out. For my side business, I wish I could afford the Chamber dues but for now it just doesn't make sense. Mama needs a new set of business cards!

In other news, I spent the day at our far-away winery today with customers and the fantastic team up there. When I get bogged down with the details and day-to-day stuff with my job and with life, days like today make me remember that I get to do some cool stuff sometimes and that my company rocks. We did such amaaaaazing things today - blended our own wines in a friendly competition, took a vineyard tour and absorbed as much as possible in the 2 hours we were out there, tasted 20+ wines with extremely awesome commentary and information, barrel tasted, and just got to pick the brains of the winemakers. It was so unbelievably informative - I hope most of it sticks! I have a CSW test to take soon. I'm so lucky to work with such down to earth, friendly, talented peeps.

Cheers to remembering what I enjoy and having the opportunity to experience it!

Blogging

I have a lot of nothing to talk about. That's all blogging is, I know, but why oh why is it so fun? I truly have nothing to say, like most bloggers, and when I do, I fully expect no one to read it. I blog because I want to keep an account of my life, thoughts, and funny stories, and if someone reads them, giggles (or chuckles) or thinks one thought that haven't before, then my job here is done.

My dad bought me a diary at Long's when I was 6. This is a huge deal for me 1) because my dad never, ever buys anything like that (hello, it's lavender with pastel polka dots) , 2) I was 6 and we had just moved to California, I had a lot to say, and 3) the first few entries are hilarious. I re-read that diary every time I move my books around, or am bored and notice it. I had a lot of nothing to talk about back then too. I believe my favorite line from the earlier entries is that I bothered to write about how my brother had a stom sto stoma tummy ache. Awesome. Even back then I cared about my spelling.

Someday I'll go back to the first entry in this blog, way back in 2007, and get a kick about how happy I was, how random life was, and how my writing has changed. I found out this weekend that my grandma wrote poems and stories about things that happened in her life. Blogger has replaced the typewriter and paper, but it's the same. I must get it from her.

Cheers to writing! Even if it's about nothing.

Indiana Travels & Napa Valley Register!

I got home from my trip back to the midwest last night, late, late, late. I'm exhausted physically and emotionally, but I do have to say that it was great to see all of my family, even under the circumstances.

On a completely separate note, one of my photos has been published in the Napa Valley Register!! I needed this good news to come into this morning... I shot the Colavita/Sutter Home Cycling Team last weekend and they ran the headline. I'm so stoked right now but no one can tell because I'm half asleep.

YAY. More later. If I can swing it.

Sadness

I got a call from my mom this morning - my grandma passed early this morning. I'm so sad for my dad most of all - he's lost so many people over the past few years. I know we all have, but for my dad, he's lost brothers and both of his parents. I can't even imagine losing my brothers or my parents. I talk to my mom everyday and see my family pretty often. I'm very lucky to have them all and I'm grateful for having them so close.

Such a sad start to a day.

Seasonal Sweets

I want to give a quick shout out to my homies the Girl Scouts for selling the best cookies ever. Hello Samoas, how have you been? I haven't seen you in a year, and you look well. Nomnomnomnom.... Thin Mints! Great to see you! Have a great time in my freezer and I'll check back with you in a few days. Make yourselves at home.

Missed Connection: I haven't seen you in a year, and you haven't been in Target yet recently. I expected you to be there. Me: Tall, brown hair, loves sweetness. You: Short, round, chocolatey outside, creme goodness, only comes out to play around Easter. Where art thou, Cadbury Creme Eggs? I really felt a strong connection last year and have thought about you ever since. Hope to reconnect soon! I'll be the one with wild hazel eyes in the candy section. 

Last Straw

The economy sucks. I'm getting hit with it just like so many Americans and yes, it scares the crapola out of me. This unsettling feeling has crept into every aspect of my life, making me wary about my condo, my car, the Napa house, Target purchases, my Ross addiction, my love of bad cable TV shows, food even.

I've been scaling back, but I know I can do more. I can stop eating out for good. I forgot lunch today so I ate stale pretzels that are at my desk. That HAS to count for something, right? I'm trying to figure out every possible way that I can cut down on the big expenditures - re-fi the condo? Sell the car? Fake my own death and move to Mexico?

Something even more unsettling and a sign of the apocalypse is this: Sesame Street is laying people off. I'm so sad to hear this...it's hitting all streets it seems, from Main Street to Wall Street to Sesame Street, we're all hurting. I'm ready to be 22 again without a care in the world please. Thanks.

This blog posting was brought to you by the letter S and and the letter B. And by the number 31.

American Idol

Don't lie - you know you watch it too.

This is the first season in about 4 years that I've watched American Idol for longer than just the sucky singer part. My absolute favorite part of this show is the people they let through to make for good TV....people who are just awful. So very entertaining. If your mom is the only person who thinks you're good, then you're probably not good.

This season I've been watching pretty religiously. No idea why - no one's really captured my attention too much, except for the two who have heart-string-pulling life stories. It's pretty cool that there's a chick from Napa on it, well not anymore. See ya.

I will say that it's gotten much cheesier than it was when Wenis and I used to watch on The Island. Since it's about the jump the shark, I have a suggestion. Bring back the 8 winners and have an American Idol with THEM. Have them compete against each other in a crazy, hot singer showdown! They could even include the top 2 from each season just to keep it interesting. This show should be called....

The Amazing, Real Make Me an American Next Top Idol Bus

I'd SO watch this and I know a ton of people who would too. Don't lie. You would. I know it.

First Race

In keeping up with my list of 31 things (which I haven't been doing well at and need to hurry it up), I signed up for my very first race - a 5k. I've done Bridge to Bridge with Kellogg, but we walked. I've walked the City of Hope Breast Cancer Walk in the city, but this is the first race I am attempting to run.

I ran on the treadmill this morning - something I don't like much at all - and ran 2.5k. At that pace, I'll finish the race sometime that afternoon (start time is 8am). I really need to get better at this! 2.5k in 25 min? Oh man. I'm done for. Nothing I can do except keep plodding along...

It's a good thing this race has something to run towards - firemen making me pancakes at the end. Now that's a reward. And just think about how hot I'll look after I run longer than I ever have before...red, sweaty, hurting...brown chicken brown coooooow.

The Opposite of Bikram Yoga

I think that I'm going to start my own Yoga studio. It won't be hot and sweaty like Bikram, because face it, that's sorta yucky. Besides, I get really light-headed when I'm overly hot, so that type of yoga just isn't for me anyway.

My yoga studio will be cold...very, very cold. I will call it: 

Frozen Yoga.

Thank you and good night.

Oh Neighbors.

Finally, a post that's not about MY neighbors, but a friend's! 

I had dinner with TTB tonight (I swear I didn't eat that pizza. I swear.) Great evening of conversation, ok, fine, pizza, and giggles. We even told ghost stories....dude. We did.

After dinner we headed to TTB's new place sort of near Skankhouse. She showed me around, then proceeded to show me what her neighbor had left her. She was standing at her sink, washing dishes, when she hears a rattle on the front doorknob. Weirded out, she didn't go over immediately, but waited until the person had walked away. She then opened the door to find a newspaper bag hanging from  her doorknob with a note and something yellow in it.

She takes it in, opens the bag, and finds a note and an unusually large banana in the bag. Random. The note says: "Dear New Neighbor, This gift is weird but in time it will get riper." Signed "J." 

Seriously. The dude left her a banana and a note that acknowledges that the gift is weird and that the banana will ripen. I have to agree with the man, the gift IS weird and bananas usually do ripen as the days pass. WHAT??? This is probably the coolest gift any new-to-the-neighborhood girl could ever receive. Ever.

Cheers to interesting neighbors who give out fruit!

Veekend of Vino Extraordinaire

Yesterday, Saturday, I worked a table at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition. I love those events, I love meeting people and talkin' vino. It was sort of a long day, but always a fun time! I will admit, it's more fun to be the one on the other side of the table, glass out, going from table to table, but I got to see old friends, new friends, sales guys I haven't seen in a year, and meet new peeps so, check, good day.

Headed to Marin to have dinner with the family - it was my mom's 61st birthday which means that it'll be my 31st soon. Ugh. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Mom! She doesn't read this thing, but I'll give her a shout out anyway.

Today I had the absolute coolest experience - I got to help someone bottle his wine!! Dan Mills is my hero - he is a professional photographer who makes wine on the side. I'm a person who works for a winery and does photography on the side. See the parallel? Dan's work is amazing, his client list is to die for, and he has shot with the best of the best. He has the coolest studio in Rutherford and he's super friendly and just an overall cool guy.

The bottling party was so fun - we got to fill bottles, cork them, put capsules on, and voila, wine. I was there for the Cab portion but had to leave before they started Syrah. I love experiencing new things and this was right up there with one of the coolest things I've done! I met some awesome people, had some delicious hot melted cheesy goodness, and tasted Dan's wine out of the barrel. Yum. Two bottles are waiting for me in the car. What a rad way to spend a rainy Sunday in the Valley.

Guess where I am now? Sittin' on the dock of the bay, wastin' tiiiime. Ok, kidding. I'm sittin' in the condo, wastin' tiiiiimme. I'm hoping with all my might that I don't have another day of craigslist flakes. Cross your fingers for me.

Cheers to March!

Speed Dating #2

Given that my first experience with speed dating was 99.9% awful, I decided to give it another try with a different company this past Thursday. This company provides a different location (dark bar in SF over a bright community center in Albany), better age range (26-35 over 30-45), and an overall better atmosphere. 

Drank and I headed to the city, making it just.in.time. We didn't get there early enough to survey the guys or the competition. We picked a seat, and waited for the guys to come 'round. It started off awkwardly like this type of thing always does, but 7 minutes is enough time to calm down and just chat. As usual, most guys were in some sort of web job, there must be a law for that or something. Some seemed to like Second Life or World of Warcraft more than human interaction, but all in all they were super cool guys who had interesting lives and were easy to talk to. 

All except for one. 

They must have been short a few people because they let this 22 year old kid in. He saunters up to the stool and before he even sits down in front of me, he says, "So what's my competition like?" Weird question. I thought to myself 'we're only talking for 7 minutes, who cares what everyone else is like...?' but I all I said was, "they are really cool guys." and his reply was, "that wasn't the right answer, you were supposed to say that last guy was a jerk." 

All right, I see how this is going to go. He's not attractive, he is short, and arrogant as all get out. You all know how I feel about arrogant people... 

I just wanted this longest 7 minutes ever to be over with, so I let him talk. I asked him what he did for a living, he said, "I'm a director at a learning center. I have a JOB in this ECONOMY. I have a JOB in this ECONOMY." Yeah, I get that. I do too. Moving on... 

Him: "So I'm the youngest person in here. I'm 22."

Me: "Oh you're 22....."

Him: "Well how old are you?"

Me: "I'm 30 and you're 22......yeeaaahhhh."

Him: "Well you don't look 30 if that helps."

Me: "Oh wow, thanks."

Him: "I mean, I'm looking for a young professional because I have JOB in this ECONOMY." 

Me: I got nothing.

(Is 7 minutes over yet??)

Me: "So where did you grow up?"

Him: "Born and raised Bay Area." Stares at me.

Me: "Oh I grew up in the Bay Area too, San Rafael."

Him, with attitude: "That's not the Bay Area." 

Me, with attitude: "Are you kidding? It's 20 min from the city, that's closer than San Jose."

Him: "That's not Bay Area. That's the North Bay."

Me, thinking: I'm getting nowhere. That's enough fighting with a 22 year old for a day.

I met some interesting people, girls included, and had a really fun time. It's pretty expensive, so I'll probably only go every few months, but hey, even if I meet no one, these make for very, very good stories.