Realization

I have just come to the conclusion that I am Liz Lemon.

Thank you and goodnight.

Not Much to Say.

It's about to start raining for 10 days straight. I know I can't really complain given that the Eastern seaboard is being pummeled with snow and ice. I'll just bust out my wellies and see if I can get away with them at work.

In other news, today was the day I said goodbye to my friend. She's moving back home and I'll miss her mucho grande. Goodbye my friend, spread your wings and fly. Ok, kidding. Enjoy the sushi.

The Good, the Bad and the Indifferent.

The good...
--I'm going to see Tosh stand-up tonight - yay!
--My car passed smog.
--I got to do a photo shoot for friends who just got engaged.

The bad...
--Someone actually STOLE the tag off my license plate. Jerks.

The indifferent...
--2010 is almost over. Good riddance.

Hmmmmm.

Yes, it's been a while. What have I been doing, you ask? Well, not too much. I'm excited the snow is coming. I'm excited to wear my new snowboarding clothes (that's what it's all about, right?). I'm excited for any excuse to go to the snow. I'm excited for Thanksgiving. I'm excited for Christmas. I'm excited for my new job. I'm trying to eat better (not easy). I'm trying to work out (not easy either). I'm hoping for a big change. I'm hoping for a change in attitude. I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my new job. I'm thankful for flautas at Chevy's. I'm happy for a friend who's doing what makes her happy. I'm worried for some friends but I hope they know I'm here for them. I'm worried about me (sometimes). I'm not thrilled about much these days and I'm hoping that changes. I'm excited that I used my new coffee cup today.

Memories: Golden Gate's 50th Anniversary

May 24, 1987. I had just turned 9 a few weeks before. My parents took the three of us kids (one brother wasn't born until 1989) to the Golden Gate Bridge's 50th Anniversary walk. I'm not a person with a lot of memories from being a kid. Some things stand out but not much... this is one that stands out vividly.

I remember what stroller my brother was being pushed in. I remember what I was wearing. I remember all the legs and jackets. I'm so happy my parents braved the crowds and brought us to this! Of course, the 800,000 people caused the bridge to flatten but all in all, what a cool experience. I hope they do this in two years for the 75th.

Article from SFGate.

Photo by: John O'Hara/Chronicle 1987

This Friday Morning

Dear Girl in the White Truck with the Social Unrest sticker,

I saw you singing the lyrics to Offspring's Self Esteem. I was belting them out too. I know it was a little awkward when we made eye contact singing the same song on our drive to work. Awkwardness aside, I think we have formed some sort of singing-while-driving bond, a car karaoke bond if you will, and I hope you have a happy day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In other news, I LOVE this song. Love it. A lot. LOVE IT.

Brett Domino: Justin Timberlake Medley

Social Media Musings

Social Media - It's fascinating to most, wholly adopted with open arms by others, feared by some, and touches all in some way. Lately I've been intrigued as to why certain people gravitate towards certain social media websites.

Why does "Barney from Walnut Creek" love Yelp and post review after review after review, while simultaneously feeding those reviews to their Facebook and Twitter accounts? Is Barney just a super user? Someone who is fully immersed in social media? Why does he love Yelp so much over other social sites?

Why does "Cheryl from Chicago" only post status updates on Facebook? Why doesn't she embrace Twitter? Is she being selective? Does she think Twitter is "pointless"?

I'm going to hunt down social media user case studies because I think this subject in modern sociology is absolutely fascinating. I've fully accepted social media, I use Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Blogger (ha obviously.), and a slew of other tools and services. I wonder where I fall on the spectrum...?

Oh No You Di' int...Golden Girls Nesting Dolls

I have found the best gift ever made.

Thank you to Ginger Williams for this fantastic craft and for sharing it with the world. Check out her site - she has Saved by the Bell too!

Incredible Talent of the Day - Sewing

I think I'll start highlighting what I think are incredible talents. Today, based on a Yahoo article I read last night, I'd like to showcase sewing as today's incredible talent.

There once was a girl who lost her job and decided that she would spend $1 on a dress every day and alter it. This girl doesn't just alter these mumus and 60s bridesmaids dresses to fit her, she makes them into her own creations! Whether it's a different style of a dress or a shirt or a necklace or a jacket or a skirt, this chick is talented beyond belief in the sewing category. I'm incredible impressed. And inspired. I wish I could do this, but I'll have to find my one-a-day talent in some other field - I'm not the most domestical person out there.

New Dress a Day
365 Days. 365 New Outfits. 365 Dollars.

And she's SO cute!

Speaking of Typing.......On to Typos......"The Great Typo Hunt"

I think I have found my written word soul mates.




These guys have traveled around the country, correcting typos. My only comments on this are...

1. Awesome.
2. Why didn't I think of that?
3. I'll cut some slack for the actual typos, but I'm pretty sure most of these are because people don't know the English language very well. Punctuation and grammar. Learn them. Love them. Live them.

Typing

I type very quickly, but very incorrectly. I don't look up at the screen often, I only use my thumbs, index and middle fingers, and I don't even know what the home keys are. Despite my flaws, I've gotten along ok in life. I can IM and write emails like nobody's business. There are a few words that I have a difficult time typing though....

• "Umbrellas" Why can I *not* type this word correctly the first, second or third times??
•  Anything with a "tch" For some reason I always type "watch" - "wacth" or "switch" - "swicth." Annoying.
• "Public" I fear that I will forget one important letter in this word and be mortified for the rest of my existence.

Now that I think about it, maybe I'm lysdexic.

Smart Cars....

....are HILARIOUS. If I am in the worst mood ever and see a Smart Car, I crack up. They are so small and silly and the people crammed in them - so awesomely funny. Now, to add to the hilarity of Smart Cars, I just saw this ad:

I like them even more now.

More on Google Analytics

I know I am beating this subject to death but it's so fascinating!! All of a sudden, after 3.5+ years of having the same keywords come up in my analytics, new ones have arrived! I am proud to say that when people search for things Gordita-related, I come up. Yes, that makes me proud.

There's a camping one in there (I love to camp!), there's a lot about Briefcase Brady, a Napa rap artist, one about Comcast (they suck), and different combinations of my blog name. The bragging one is still in there, but it's now number 3.

On an semi-related note, I'm going camping this weekend and I am SO. EXCITED. Gearing up for camping season, literally and figuratively? Check out these awesome checklists from REI - helped me immensely! Now I'm the camping nerd who has everything in two bins. Wanna go camping? Let me grab my bins let's GO!

Overdraft

So, I'm beginning to realize that the only reason you'd need overdraft protection from your bank is so that you're not embarrassed when your card is denied. I don't really care about that. I mean, it's not like the movies where the waiter in a fancy restaurant comes over and cuts up your card in front of you and your new boyfriend. Really.

If I use my debit card and I don't have enough money, deny me and I'll give you a credit card. Half the time the magnetic strip on my card doesn't work anyway. I have gotten so many notices about this from Chase bank I can't even tell you. What a waste of paper. The only reason that want me to have it is so they can make $34 off of me when I obviously don't have it.

Banks suck.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

With all the driving I've been doing lately, I've decided that I'm sick of being in the car (no offense, Enrique). Don't get me wrong, I love road trips. A lot. But I'm sort of sick of driving, sitting, paying attention, paying for gas and all that jazz. I think I need either 1) a driver (his name will be Jeeves) or 2) a plane (her name will be Penelope.)

This is an artist's interpretation of my two new possibilities:

Thought for the Day...Thunk by Someone Else.

This is so incredibly true....I couldn't have said it better.

Watch out for people who have a situational value system, who can turn the charm on and off depending on the status of the person they are interacting with…Be especially wary of those who are rude to people perceived to be in subordinate roles.

~Bill Swanson, former CEO Raytheon

The Fine Art of Grammar and Spelling

Just a short PSA for the world...

When you're out there on the interweb, promoting yourself, your business or someone else's business, it's probably best that you spell check your posts, bios, contact information, company name, and other such things. You see, if someone's information is spelled incorrectly, improper grammar is used or idioms are misused, I'm never going to contact that business and would hope no one else would either. Immediately this tells me that you do not pay attention to detail, one of the most important skills to have as a professional. If you don't take the time to ensure that the information you post to the world is correct, how could I ever trust you as a business partner/vendor/consultant?

Sidenote: If you are promoting local businesses, food or other consumer packaged goods, please use "Shop Locally" and not "Shop Local." It's driving me crazy. Business Person, this is Adverb. Adverb, this is Business Person. Become well acquainted. Please.

(If you are curious which to use, just think, am I asking people HOW to do something? If so, use the adverb.)

While We're on the Subject...

...of bragging, I just want to give a little shout out to my dear friend, Dear Abby. Ok, she's not my friend. Be picky. But I have read her column every day for as long as I can remember and today's hits home for me (as so many times they do...)

Dear Abby: May 28, 2010
People who are happy, secure and socially sensitive don't usually feel a compulsion to brag about what they have.

Ain't that true, Ms. Dear Abby.

Blog Etiquette

So I'm sure I've broken a lot of these but they're a good read nonetheless for anyone's website or blog....

The 21 Worst Things To Have On Your Blog or Website
written by Chavah Kinloch

Finally, someone who agrees with me about Flash! I thought it was cool when it came out, but now it just drives me insane when I'm visiting websites. And the fact that I can't see Flash websites on my phone? Annoying. It is pretty though...

I don't really agree with the "not making people register for comments" thing. I had my blog set up that way and got spammed like CRAZY over the past 6 months. Now I have to make you register. Sorry.

This one cracks me up: Loooong Blog Posts – If it’s going to take forever to say it, break it up. Create a series. It's common sense yet so many people don't abide by this. It's usually those who like to hear themselves "talk."

Just wanted to share this good list with you...

Google Analytics

It still baffles me why "living the vine life bragging" is my top keyword result after all this time. It's too weird. If you, my lone reader, searched that phrase and got to my blog, tell me - what made you search that? I've had 124 visits to this blog from that search term alone from Jan 1 to now. Way weird.

I posted this entry about bragging way back in March of 2009. That was over a year ago. Why are people still searching that? I know this blog title brings up a lot of religious websites and blogs so maybe there's a tie there? Again, way weird. I do have one comment on that post from someone who agreed with it but who knows if that has anything to do with the keyword search results either.

What a mystery.

Lady Gagme

Reason #36217343 why I can't stand Lady Gagme.

From SFGate.com:

"I hate big acts that just throw an album out against the wall, like, 'Buy it! F**k you!' It's mean to fans. You should go out and tour it to your fans in India, Japan, the U.K. I don't believe in how the music industry is today. I believe in how it was in 1982. I don't understand bands who say they'll tour for one year, then record the next. I make music every day!"

Commentary: You were born in 1986. Shut your face.

"And the 24 year old admits she has been taking pills to help her deal with the pressures of fame: "(I use) prescription medicine. I can't control my thoughts at all. I'm tortured. But I like that... It's good to be tortured. The thoughts are unstoppable - but so is the music. It comes to me constantly."

Commentary: So it's ok to load up on drugs because your thoughts run like crazy? Sounds like someone else I know of. Pathetic. Grow up. You're not that tortured. You had a normal childhood with regular parents. You even went to Catholic school. Oh, right. You're a part of the generation that thinks they're special and more important than anyone else. Reality check - you're just another person. That's it. 


[note: I still like Just Dance but if I hear Ale-alejandro Ale-alejandro or On my telephone again, I'll go crazy.]

Funerals and Memorials

I attended my "adopted" grandma's memorial service this past weekend. This is my seventh family funeral/memorial service in the past five years. I feel I'm able to comment on these services as an expert at this point. My main question in all of this is what happens to people when a loved one passes?? In my experience, people become vultures, scavengers for their loved one's possessions. Drama always seems follows the service, or it even starts beforehand. It saddens, disgusts and appalls me. I've watched this happen with family and now again with my "adopted" grandma's family and in-laws.

Why can't people respect those who are grieving and give them time to just be before bombarding them with ridiculous requests? When someone's possessions are left, why do people come out of the woodwork and expect to be given items from the deceased's home? These people are callous and shallow and do not deserve anything.

Hmmmm.....that's weird.

So on my flight home, I was starving so of course I took the airplane peanuts. I ate one bag and noticed on the other bag this delightful note....

Are we that sue-happy of a society that we have to put a note about PEANUTS being processed in a plant that has PEANUTS and other nuts in it? Wow. It reminds me of when I first moved to Rohnert Park to go to school. I moved into Jung Haus and one of my three roommates was from Sweden. She was a little older, 24 I think at the time (hey that was old for me then - I was 19!). She had just come back from the store and said, "Why does the paper bag tell you to hold onto both handles? Obviously you should hold onto both or the other one will rip! What is with this country??" That was the beginning of my annoyance with ridiculous lawsuits and settlements. Thank you.

Monday's Travels

Monday, I had an awesome opportunity to attend the Mario Batali Foundation golf tourney in LA....talk about a photo opp. We left early to make sure we made our flights. Surprisingly in LA, the airport was dead. I'm talkin' morgue status. We ended up getting to the gates by 5:14 - early enough for me to jump onto the 5:30 instead of the 6:50. There were three open seats when I got on the plane... 1) between two very large men 2) next to a screaming baby or 3) between a large man and a teeny chick. I chose option number 3.

I asked the man if I could scoot into the middle seat, and instead of getting up, he slides over. I told him he didn't have to do that, but he said it was fine, so I got the aisle. I was so happy to be on this flight getting home over an hour early that I really can't complain....but the dude spilled over into my seat enough that I couldn't put my right arm by my side, it had to be crossed over my middle. Awesome. Oh well, c'est la vie. Between the two crying babies and a 100% full flight, we made it home with no issues and I had a date with Chevy's flautas on the way home.

The moral of the story is: be happy when things go your way. For once.

This is the end of the most boring blog post ever. If you happen to be reading this on May 21, please check Google - so rad.

I'm Too Sexy for My Age?

I just saw this and am disgusted by it. The Mommy Files on SFGate.com wrote an article about this. 



Obviously, parents put their daughters in these competitions. Obviously, adults taught them the routines. Why is this ok?!? The outfits alone are WAY too risque for young girls. Maybe I'm a prude, or maybe I'm just out of touch with "the times," but I would never, ever let my daughter wear this outfit and dance like that. INAPPROPRIATE. I'm shocked that any adult thought that this was the right thing to do by these girls. You could go on and on about how this just perpetuates the pressure that society places on girls to be perfect and sexy in order to be taken seriously. I won't do that. I am just appalled that this even happened.

Interesting Combo

What do Subway and hip hop have in common?

Nothing! But the Subway in American Canyon plays hip hop, yo. It's awesome.

Injuries and Consumption of Alcohol

I have just couple things to say here.

Wenis - I'm sorry you broke your pinky playing Just Dance. I do thank you for hours of insane entertainment with this game though. I LOVE it. We are now calling your broken pinky the Wii-nky.

My ankle still hurts. Though it's not a cankle anymore, I think I did more damage than I originally thought. This is now called my Cleankle. (see? cleat + ankle = cleankle! HA.)

Fleury Winery was AWESOME. We had an absolutely incredible time there and I can't wait to go back. The staff was so cool and the wines were delicious. Starting wine tasting on my birthday at 11am began what I am now calling the Playtex Drunk - 18 hours of a great buzz! Fun times, fun times.

Relationships

Obviously, I'm not the best person to be handing out relationship advice. Then again, hindsight is always 20/20, right? I see now what I didn't see then, and I think that only makes me a better candidate for a long-term relationship. I know what I want and I won't settle. (Hey Prince Charming, you hear that?)

One of the biggest things I see is that people don't put their significant other first. I truly believe that once you have decided to marry your SO, that person is your top priority and them yours. If you have kids, this shouldn't change! I'm not saying that your kids and your immediate family are a distant second or third to your SO, but they should be a close second and third. Your spouse is your rock, your partner. He or she is your family and that's really all there is to it. I'm also not saying that you should spend every waking moment together. I hope to have my own life and keep doing things I like to do when I find that certain someone. I don't expect that person to be my everything and it's ok if we don't hang out every second or if we have different hobbies. That what keeps it interesting, right?

That's really all I have to say about this. For now, I need to go on a first date with someone. It's a good start.

I Heart This Song.

Cake - Never There

Steve | MySpace Video

Ow.

I spent the day at a video shoot for one of our wine brands. It was amazing to be surrounded by such talented and creative people - extremely inspiring! I know I always say how I want to shoot more after these and it's true, I still need to shoot more.

Towards the end of the day, the light was getting to be perfect as it does almost every day, so as they were shooting on the little beach, I set up some bottle shots on the deck above the beach. Got a few shots in and decided to move the bottle to the railing for a different perspective. I warn you all, please do not do this while looking through your lens. I backed up, very expensive fancy camera in one hand, bottle of Riesling in the other, and tripped over a massive, rusty, horn cleat (how did I know what it was called, you ask? I just looked it up, I'm not a boater), like this one:

I can honestly say I didn't see it. That could be because I was walking backwards, one eye closed, one eye smashed to the viewfinder. To give you some perspective, this particular horn cleat was about 5 feet long and a foot wide. Not a tiny little thing...

In slow motion, I tumbled backwards, struggling with all I had to stay upright, how human adults should be. I was diligent (obsessed) with keeping my camera in the air and making sure I didn't drop it or fall on it or smash it in any way. Broken bones will heal, a broken camera will not. Here I am, crashing loudly onto the deck, with seven video crew members and three models right below me on the beach. Production stopped while they asked if I was ok, I called out that I was and more importantly, my camera seemed to be fine. My ego, on the other hand, was not. Well, that's not true. Falling down is extremely funny, especially if you're the one it's happening to. I'm pretty banged up, but hey, the camera is fine and the bottle of wine didn't even break. I'd say today was a good day.

PS: Hey, horn cleats: Number 1, your name is stupid. Number 2, why don't you stay on DOCKS where you belong and not on DECKS. That may have helped my brain remember you were there. I don't care if you are retired and you just want to hang out on the deck and watch the sunset. You're big, rusty and you have no flexibility to get out of the way when someone is about to fall over you. I'm just sayin' - go back to your home.

Pleasantville

I turn a year older this week. I'm struggling with this internally, but externally, I will show the world that I indeed love birthdays, even my own. I do have to thank the heavenly skies that the weather will be 73 and sunny, which I believe is the around the constant temperature in Pleasantville. I hope my day off on Friday will be a scene from Pleasantville.....sunny, gorgeous, and practically perfect in every way.

What does a day of off work on your birthday mean exactly?
1. A trucker breakfast
2. Wine tasting (um....what else is there to do in Napa?)
3. Rockband - no birthday is complete without it
4. Dinner with friends
5. Downtown Napa

Cheers!

Cable

I hate Comcast. This is not news. I got rid of cable last summer, as I've mentioned 38293081 times here. Over the months, I discovered that I had all of the channels I'd ever want, they were just hidden in weird numbers, such as 118-4 (Lifetime Movie Network) and 119-7 (USA). I'm indirectly paying for basic cable, so I thought I was getting these as a part of that.

After an insane 1.5 weeks of work, Wednesday night rolled around and I wanted nothing more than to sit on my squishy couch and watch bad TV. We all know how much I love my bad TV! Getting ready for three hours of The Office (GREAT TV, by the way), I switched the channel to 75-11, TBS. Nothing. I tried 75-7, TNT. Nothing. 83-6 (VH1), 86-11 (HGTV), 119-9 (A&E). Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I freaked. I called Comcast, chewed out the poor guy for my loss of channels. He told me I could go to the Comcast store on Jefferson and get a box so that I'd get the basic channels. I told him I already get the basic channels (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and randomly, Discovery) and he said that everything would slowly disappear. It wasn't slowly! I had all of those channels on Tuesday! What was happening??!

After yelling at Comcast, I called KK.DEElight to vent and commiserate. She knew exactly what was happening and was willing to indulge in self-pity with me. There we were, exhausted from work, unable to veg out and watch bad TV. She then informed me that I actually was never paying for those channels and that I had yelled at Comcast for blocking channels I wasn't paying for. I was mad at Comcast for taking away my free cable. Funny, sorta.

So here I sit, three days later, watching network television and renting movies out of Redbox. Comcast doesn't deserve my money. At least not yet. (DVR, I still miss you.)

Working Girls

I started working in the big corporate world at the tender young age of 21. I knew nothing of this world...I worked at a video store while in school and couldn't even commit to a major (hey. I have a lot of interests.) That was a good 10 and a half years ago now and needless to say, I'm old. Ok, kidding. Sort of.

Anyway.....before joining the world of laptops and Robert's Rules of Order, I started working at age 15 in a doctor's office. I was there three years, then moved on to a very short summer stint at my dad's office in the city. I was 18 and very familiar with the city, but wasn't used to wandering around 10th & Mission as the office peon. I grew up that summer, only to revert to being my true age and working in the video store for three years. It was then that I moved into software and project management. Three years into that job, I moved to a different department and lasted just over three years there. After about a year in a different position after that, I landed my current job and have been here just over three years as well.

See a pattern? I'm a three-year-chick. Not sure what that's about but it's definitely a pattern. On the surface, I look like an anomaly - I stayed at the software company for SEVEN years. People around my age typically don't do that, they bounce around - a year here, a year there. I take pride in the fact that I lasted so long there, if only for the stock options and sabbatical.

I really had no story to tell, just that there's a pattern and I wonder if some Googling of this pattern will tell me why I do this. And I believe everything I read on the interweb. I mean, it's all true, right? I'll find out what is up with me and get back to you.

Sorry for the lame post. Night night.

Hair

Hair is such a funny thing. As a chick, there's so much flexibility and fun you can have with it...colors, cuts, styles. I have been coloring my own hair since I was 18 - the first time I did it, I chose a chocolate cherry color and then forgot about it and jumped in a pool. Needless to say it looked like a shark bit off my leg and I was surrounded by my own blood. Since then, I've done everything from super dark brown, to 4 colors, to crazy highlights, to chunky colors, to A-line bobs, to being on a makeover TV show where I got the coolest cut ever. Wait, the cut was cool until I realized that it looked like a I had a mullet. I freaked and had my boyfriend at the time and my roommate cut off the bottom so I wasn't rockin' the guy-who-drives-a-T-top-Camaro look.

When I get to it, I'll add photos from the years of different hair...

Right now, I look like Linda from the Wedding Singer.


I'm hoping that once the layers grow out a little and I learn how to style it, I'll look less 80s and more funkdified. Hair does not define anyone - it's just hair. It's fun and can make you look any way you want. It's like the prime accessory. I love that I can do whatever I want with this mop on my head and know that if I don't like it, it'll just grow out. I do wish I looked good with bedhead though - with the new 'do, I just look even more 80s. It's rad.

Slugbug

Did you play slugbug? With three siblings, any time to hit each other in the name of a game was welcomed. Now, when we played, we got to hit each other when we saw a VW bug - just yell out "slugbug yellow!!" hit your opponent (aka brother). These were also pretty much the rules for the license plate game, but that's another story.

The new commercials for VW have everyone hitting each other when they see a VW. This is not the game and it's bugging me (pun intended.)

Open note to VW - please don't mess with the rules of slugbug. If I see a Jetta, I will not punch my friend. If I see a yellow 1967 Beetle, I'll yell "slugbug yellow!" and slug 'em in the arm. Thank you and good day.

Random Thoughts of the Day

Hello. It's me. It's been a while. Hope life has been treating you well.

• Cheese is delicious.
• I have the snowboarding bug again and it feels awesome. Too bad it's the end of the season.
• I can't wait to camp all summer long. Cheap, fun and unplugged.
• VH1's Top 100 or Greatest anything shows are always awesome.
• Nothin' doin' every day and now this.
• I heart Norman Rose.
• Rockband is still fun. Really fun.
• Why did summer seem sooooo long at age twelve and now time flies by and summer feels but a moment?
• Why I continue to watch bad TV is a mystery.
• I wish my hair was naturally wavy and bedhead was a good look for me.
• One brother is pursuing his dream in Oregon. My other brothers are doing what they love. My dad does what he loves and my mom does as well. At what point will I get there?
• The grass is always greener. Never a truer statement.
• Dodging a bullet is still sometimes the hardest thing to hear.
• There are a lot of tools in this town. Well not a lot, but a few I can think of. They annoy me. Like a rock in a shoe or a scratchy necklace.
• I think it's time to move up in this place. Move move shake shake now drop.
• I love birthdays, especially friends' and family's. I'm not ready for mine again.
• Tahoe is awesome.
• Why can't SUVs be headturners?
• Why can't guys shave and chicks be hairy?
• Comfortable couches make bad days good.
• My new purse is white. It's cute. I like it. I'll bet it'll be super dirty in 30.7 days.
• The iPhone needs more options for text message alerts. Everyone uses the only tolerable one and it gets confusing.
• I wish I could easily take public transportation. Or ride my bike. 
• Posting quotes on social media websites is dumb. Don't you have a thought of your own?
• Time to write my book.
• I wish there was a federal law that we had to work 4 - 10s so I could have one day a week to myself (in addition to weekends, of course.)
• Sales meetings make people wacky.
• Free food is always a good thing.
• When a New Balance ad is posted on my blog because I blog about running but don't actually run, it makes me feel bad.
• What's with all the cat videos? 

VHS

Is it just me or does anyone else think it's weird that since VHS* has become extinct, there hasn't been a replacement for it? Think about it. I used to be able to record a show by the touch of a few buttons (elusive to many, of course.) I could then remove the tape and bring it to someone else's home and watch it there. At the moment, I do not have any such device that allows me to do this. Sure, if I gave Comcast another hundred bucks a month I could get my DVR back and record shows. Can I then remove them and bring them to someone else's home? Nope. What is the deal? Doesn't it seem a little backwards?

In the meantime, I'll just continue to watch all my TV shows on Hulu. Except when I get sucked into awesomely bad (but more awesome than bad) Lifetime TV movies.

*Boys & Girls, VHS stands for Video Home System. It is a tape on which you can record. A tape is a ribbon that spans two spools and records data for playback anytime. Please refer to Wikipedia for a better description.

Pageants

Little kid beauty pageants are SO CREEPY. And wrong. And weird. And not ok in any way, shape or form. Parents should stop living vicariously through their poor children.

That is all.

Wood Truck

How much wood would a wood truck truck if a wood truck could truck wood*?

*thanks to KK for the AWESOME tagline!

Funkville

Spring is officially here and I still got nothin'. Not sure what is going on but the train to Funkville arrived a few months ago and as much as I want to ride this train back to Happytown, I'm staying in Funkville for a while longer. At least Funkville has a lot of bars to drown sorrows in and comfort food restaurants galore. Funkville also has no gyms. Is it that bad of a place to be? It is. I know. I'll work on getting my ticket outta here as soon as I can.

One funny story for you before I go...

A night out in Napa. It's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times. Saturday night leans toward one of the better nights I've had in this town of 85,000. Played a little pool, met new people, hung out with some folks I haven't seen in a while, and ended up meeting Alfred Nevarez from All 4 One. Don't act like you don't have "I Sweeeeeeaaaaaar by the moon and the stars in the skyyyyyy...." running through your head right now. He and his two friends were up from LA on a motorcycle trip and of all the people out on Saturday night (A LOT for some reason) we ended up hanging out with them! In case you were wondering, that song was playing on the bus when we were going to prom my sophomore year in high school. It won a Grammy in 1995. I LOVED that song. He was an awesome guy to boot*. He and his group were a fun addition to ours and the night ended up being really, really fun. Napa sometimes has it's benefits.

Cheers to random nights out - may they be more than you ever expected.

*What the heck does that expression even mean? "to boot"? As you know, I'm an word/phrase history nerd so this is where it comes from..."Boot here is an archaic noun meaning 'advantage,' and in the idiom has been broadened to include anything additional, good or bad. [c. a.d. 1000]"

Absolutely Incredible.

I am so happy to have seen this incredible guy...Derek Paravicini. One word...inspiring.

Nothing to Say.

When I was little and just learning how to talk, my mom was impressed by how well I was with words. I could spell at a young age and loved to read. My dad on the other hand, was surprised by how MUCH I talked. I believe he said to my mom, "She just never stops talking, does she." I don't think I've stopped since. It's not that I like to hear myself talk, I just have a lot to say and usually it's about unimportant topics. Life is just that - a series of random topics all smashed into waking hours. I just happen to comment on some of them.

As you can tell by my last post - Feb 19 - I haven't had much to say. Lots of life events have brought me down and prevented me from having anything witty, funny, random, interesting or somewhat coherent to say.

This post isn't one of the ones where I comment on life or anything. I just thought I should check in, say hello, let my three readers know that I'm still alive, and that I hope that when Spring comes in shortly, my pleasant demeanor will return with it.

Cheers.

The City

I'm going to the City this weekend and I'm actually really excited. Now that I've been off of my I-Hate-San-Francisco kick for the past couple of years, this weekend should be a blast. A co-worker from a much colder state is coming into town and it'll be great to see her too! On my way home on Sunday, I'll definitely be stopping on The Island for a much needed photo opp and some brief nostalgia.

When I'm away, my parents use my house as their Napa vacation home. This is cool for them but I have to clean and that ain't cool. Hope they don't mind that their B&B is a messy one. They're just going to have to deal with the extra clothes on the bed and the blankets strewn on the couch. Someday I'll become Susie Homemaker and get the housecleaning down pat. Maybe.

Tiger Woods and the Great Chase

What do Tigers dream of, when they take a little Tiger snooze? I believe they dream of cheating on their wives and not getting caught.

Too bad Tiger's gig is up - he is sorry he got caught, not sorry it happened. If he were truly sorry, truly felt guilt and remorse for what he had done, truly loved his wife and wants her in his life, he would have kept his pants on. I have no respect for this man or anyone else who cheats. You can deny it all you want, you can pretend it didn't happen, you can release a 13-minute public apology that your PR team wrote and you repeated with no emotion or any heartfelt words but you're still a cheater. Cheaters are despicable people who deserve all the bad karma they get.

Thank you and good day.

Fun Facts

Just a note to remind everyone that if you are high-fiving someone, be sure to look at their elbow. Guarantees a perfect high-five every time.

Gotta go....Coyote Ugly is on. (Don't judge.)


PS - I just read that this season's colors are navy and orange. I don't like navy and orange. Once again, I'm bucking the trends and wearing last season's color - teal-y turquoise. I'm such a rebel.

Being an Adult

For the most part, being an adult sucks. Obligations, bills, being polite when you really don't want to, loans, an accumulation of stuff, serious life events that I'm ok with avoiding. The only perk I've gotten lately is a set of new couches. Hmmm.

There are some big things a'brewin' in my life, things that are not fun to deal with. Remember when your day consisted of waking up late, heading to your dead end job, having fun after work, then repeating the process all over again? Remember when the weekend defined you, not the work week or the responsibilities of life? I'm ready for those days again.......if anyone knows how to get that again, I'm in.

Happy President's Day!

I have only one thing to say today...

Cadbury Creme Eggs. Welcome back.

No way.

We talk a lot about how people can be so annoying on Facebook, whether it's too much Farmville or Mafia Wars (sorry, peeps, but I hide those). Then there are those who are just obnoxious. It's usually the couples, the ones I just blogged about the other day - see paragraph three.

I guess I'm not the only one who feels this way. Check out this awesome article from cnn.com. I'll post some excerpts here... (did I mention how awesome this article was?)...

• "The too-much-in-love couple: Their updates are filled with flowery adjectives and almost always include the words "amazing," "luckiest," and "best! ever!" Don't these people have personal email addresses? Can't they actually speak to one another in person and leave the rest of us out of it? But, of course, all these proclamations aren't for their benefit, they're for ours."
• "The pathetic couple: If one gets invited to a function without the other, they use their Facebook update to announce how unfair the world is and how nothing else in life is as important as the time they spend with each other."
• "The boring couple: They update with: "Excited to stay in for 'movie and pizza night' with the hubby!" or "Gonna cook a big dinner for wifey tonight!!" Well, hey, guess what, the rest of us are going to eat dinner at some point, too, and unless it's enjoyed with a mentor we've just been granted a meal with from the Make-A-Wish foundation, it probably doesn't warrant two exclamation points...or, you know, a status update on Facebook. These people would be more sad than annoying if they weren't so smug about their domestic bliss."

I can't even begin to explain how hilarious I think this article is because IT'S. SO. TRUE. Like I said before, If you feel the need to proclaim your love to the world (via social media is the worst!) then you're overcompensating for something amiss. Pay attention to your relationship, the actual one, and not some sugary happy version you posted on the interweb.

Travel and Coming Home

I got to travel for work this week - it was a surprisingly easy trip travel-wise. Awesome airports, no lines for anything anywhere, walking distance to everything - those travel days are the best.

I love to people watch. Traveling allows me to do this without seeming creepy or weird. I'm expected to be alone, so it's not uncomfortable for me to just sit there and take in all the crazy things people do.

Here's this guy, I-Love-Cell-Phones-Guy.

When I got back to Sacramento, I was greeted by a precocious 8 or 9 year old, who was saying hello to everyone getting off our plane. She then tells me, "I love your shirt!" Who knew that a little kid could make my day like that! Thank you, little girl, for making me feel good for the whole day.

Another reason I was feelin' pretty happy yesterday was that my new couch and chair arrived! I am officially an adult now. So exciting!

The Sanctity of Marriage

Once upon a time, way before K&J got hitched, K called me from a business trip where she found out that one of the people she worked with was cheating on his wife with another person they worked with. She called me in a state of drunken shock, telling me about how she is saddened by how no one values the "shhhcannnctiiity of maaariage aaanyymore." She was right. No one does.

I'm really lucky that my parents are still together and are still all mushy mushy. Most of my friends' parents are still together also, which is surprising but also really comforting in a way. I don't think that having parents who stay together is an automatic ticket to a long and happy marriage, but it's a benefit that not many people can claim. I get to see my parents happy, together, and I haven't been through the trauma of divorce. I don't know what that would be like, and I don't pretend to. All I know is that I want what they have and I hope to find it. (Soon would be nice.)

In my opinion, this is my blog after all, your focus should always be on the one you love, not the declaration of that love to everyone else. If you feel the need to proclaim your love to the world (via social media is the worst!) then you're overcompensating for something amiss. Pay attention to your relationship, the actual one, and not some sugary happy version you posted on the interweb. They made this site for a reason, y'all. I know of a few people who could probably be submitted.

However unlucky I've been in love thus far only shows me that I had to wade through rough waters to learn some lessons so I'm ready for my lobster. Lesson 1: If he's selfish now, he always will be. Lesson 2: If he likes to be un-sober, that won't change. Lesson 3: People aren't always what they seem. Red flags exist for a reason. Lesson 4: Once a cheater, always a cheater.

It still surprises me when I hear about a couple who I know that is getting a divorce. It's really sad. People have a tendency to give up easily, or if they try and make it work, one tries harder than the other, which inevitably causes resentment. In bad cases, people really don't value the sanctity of marriage (or any relationship) and they cheat, causing all kinds of chaos. When they bring children into the world, the story should change, but it rarely does. It only gets worse. As much as I believe in karma, and actually hope it rears its ugly head more often than I see it, I wouldn't wish the pain of divorce on anyone, especially not a child. I can only hope that people can come back to more traditional ideals, the ones that value relationships and being true to your partner. The kind of adoration and admiration that can only come from quiet respect and deep love.

Slacking.

This past weekend was nice - mellow, saw a lot of people, and still managed to be quite the procrastinator. My talents in this field are quite amazing really. I can be home almost all weekend and still not get anything done. It's incredible.

I just got back from running a few errands, including buying a chair I don't need. You see, it matches one I already have so I couldn't pass it up. This being the week I get my new, very adult, never-been-sat-on-before-by-anyone-else couch set, I decided to buy yet another chair. I have a problem. After the chair-buying incident, I went to Target to get much needed toiletries for my quick trip to LA this week. After spending half of what I usually do on a Target trip ($25!) I headed home, only to look down as I'm unloading the car and see that my shirt has become unbuttoned in the most embarrassing way possible. The two in the middle, wide open like the parting of the Red Sea. Really? Really. Did I walk around Target like that and not one person told me? I can only hope that my shirt opened when I was taking the chair out of my car and not any earlier. Stupid adorable chair.

Happy Monday.

PS - This is the hilarious set up at my house right now.

As you can see, it's just me, my lone foldy chair (it's also a twin bed!) and my itty bitty side table. Thursday can't come fast enough.

PPS - See that chair in the background on the right? So cute, right? Yeah, now there's two.

PPPS - Why did I eat the whole box of mac n cheese? Why?

PPPPS - See the Rockband drums? They're lonely.

PPPPPS - My floors look quite pretty in this photo. They're really not that nice. Maybe I should make iPhone glasses where everything looks grainy and better. Like rose-colored glasses but funnier.

Guy Friends & The Friend Zone

I was just thinking about my past (an old friend resurfacing on Facespace will do that to a person), about friends, about boyfriends, about how things used to be. My core group of friends in college and soon thereafter was pretty evenly split guys to girls. Most of my guy friends are married or have someone special in their lives now, so I don't see them much. Back when we were young and crazy, I took that for granted. I miss having guy friends in my life and hope to meet some here and there to build that back up. I didn't even remember missing it until S and I hung out with a group of guys in Cabo and watched football....it was a nice dynamic.

Anyway....Have you ever wondered what The Friend Zone is? Oh, well hello, it's me. Yep, my life. Thanks to Ross from Friends, it has an official name, and I'm pretty much living it. I don't like The Friend Zone. I want out. It's my own personal Twilight Zone where every guy thinks I'm fun and we hang out, but nothing ever progresses past that. Not that I want to date every guy I hang out with but with over 15 years of being in The Friend Zone, it's getting a tad old. I guess I need to figure out what vibe it is I'm putting out there that makes people just want to be my friend. I like having friends, don't get me wrong, but I'd also really like having someone cross over into Relationshipland with me.

There's my self-pity post for the month. I can't guarantee there won't be another. February isn't a happy month...it's dark, dreary, and has a stupid Hallmark holiday smack in the middle.

Last Weekend

A bunch of us headed to Amador County this past weekend to wine taste and hang out. On the way up, we stopped at Sam's Club to get food for the weekend and, shocking to me, I was under budget AND we ended up with way more food than we needed! Anyone want to eat bacon with me (for like 8 meals...)? After Sam's Club, we stopped at Pizza Guys for dinner off of Pitt School Road which I think is in Dixon. NOT impressed. Cramped, obnoxious kids running around like short crazy people, not memorable pizza at all. I'll go back when I'm 8 years old and have fists full of tokens.

The drive up was pretty hairy - it was pouring down rain. M and I arrived at the house, the dark house, I might add, right when the thunder and lightning started. To say we were freaked out would be an understatement. The house is HUGE, some people say it's haunted (I'm one of those people), and it was just two of us for a while. Creep.y. Within 2 hours, N&D&T&M&Q&C showed up and it wasn't as bad....power hour started and we were fine. Loud music also helped. Saturday kicked off with a family style down home breakfast (I want roommates!) then we headed out for wine tasting.

The only winery I was really impressed with was Rundquist - I really liked everything on their list. Young's - not impressed. Snobville. I even wrote a negative review on Yelp about them - unfortunate. Catchphrase is my new favorite game...I can't even explain how hard we were laughing. Ab.so.lute.ly hys.ter.i.cal. I can't wait to play it again! I'm thinking MAJOR game night at my house is in order soon. Sunday morning was a big family breakfast, then we all parted ways.

I had such an awesome weekend and though we heard no ghosts, and nothing out of the ordinary or random or insane happened, it's a weekend worth writing about.

Weekends Go by Much Too Fast. Vol 2.

It's 9:09pm. I'm in bed, ready to zonk out for the night. I just wanted to put it out there into the universe that weekends are too short and they should be 3 days instead of 2. Oh, and also, I want 6 weeks of vacation every year. Thanks.

PS - KK found HGTV, Bravo, Lifetime Movie Network and Style in the higher numbers on our TVs. I don't think I need to pay Comcast for cable ever again. Stickin' it to the man.

Oh Napa.

I've lived in this town for almost three years now - three years that flew by in some ways and have dragged on in many others. As I've mentioned many times before, this town sucks. I know it, lots of people know it, and unless you're in the right place in life (i.e. married, married with kids, retired), it's just not the place to be. It's not awesome for meeting new people, especially those of the opposite gender, and the ones I have gone out with are pretty much losers. I'm not generalizing, just going by past experiences thus far. Um, remember that bad date? Yeah. Me too.

That alllll said, I have met some super cool friends here. Random meetings, like at the Chandon Pink Party, have morphed into friendships that I value so much. I've now met so many new friends who are down to earth, normal, friendly and welcoming. A wine tasting day turned into dinner with a new friend. Like pretty much anything in life, it comes down to timing. The friends I've made here are in the same place in life as I am - single, homeowners, stable jobs. This town is a hard place to crack...people usually have their groups of friends they've had for many years and that's hard to get into. I'm not from here and some of my "new" friends aren't either, but some of them are. As long as you're open, nice, normal, and friendly, it's not horribly difficult to meet new people. Sure, you have to take some risks and put yourself out there, but there are good people everywhere, you just have to be open to meeting them.

PS - If I were as good at meeting guys as I am new friends that are girls, I'd be big pimpin.

Happy Wednesday!

I was thinking this morning - this foggy, really difficult to get up type of morning - that the only downside I can think of with a commute this short is that when I'm tired and haven't gotten enough sleep, you can see it. I look horrible. With not even 10 minutes to work, this is not enough time to wake up and look somewhat presentable. Today, to kill time, I went to Starbucks. I don't care if Starbucks people see my puffy, half-open eyes and my slow demeanor. Maybe I should try getting to bed earlier. Or waking up earlier and getting back on a routine. My bed is just sooooo warm with all those blankies......is summer here yet?

I was also thinking on my drive over here that I love books. I love libraries and bookstores - two places I rarely go. I usually buy my books at the thrift store for $1 or less....I just can't justify buying a new book unless it's reference material. I love the feel and smell of books, the awkward keeping open of the page, when I can dog-ear a page. I hope the Kindle doesn't replace the printing of books. That would make me sad.

Organize. Organize. Organize.

How is my organization going in 2010, you ask? Ummmm. Slow and steady wins the race. My house looks like it threw up on itself. I swear, in the disaster I've created, I am getting more organized. The file drawer in the office? Organized. Will anyone ever see that besides me? No. Does it look like I've made progress? No. Does it feel good to get the drawer organized? Oh yes.

In other news, I got home pretty late this evening from shooting an event in the city. Always awesome but man I'm tired. Exhausted but exhilarated. I love love love to shoot. Being in the city also reminded me about how much I'd like to move back. The restaurant where the event was being held was bustling with a ton of people - my age - and it's only Tuesday. Friends meeting friends for happy hour. Coworkers enjoying a pint and conversation. First dates. All that sounds better than me + my TV. Blah.

As I got onto the Bay Bridge, I saw that they were filming a movie where S and I once stood in freeway run off. Sounds disgusting I know...because IT WAS. We had gone to a club on Harrison and were trying to find a cab to take us back to the island. This was not the night S lost a shoe in the club. In our journey to find a cab, we found a waterfall coming off of what was left of the Embarcadero Freeway. Yep, freeway run off. Lovely image, ain't it? I guess that's what you do when you're 21 and ruh-TARDs.

On that note, I'm off to bed. I'll check ya later, homeslices.

Holy Moly This is SO Funny.

The Hangover. See it. Love it. Watch it again.

Another Taco Bell Post

I'm posting twice in one week about Taco Bell. Hey, it's my favorite fast food chain by a long shot, and this story was just way too funny to ignore.

Man gets day in jail for throwing taco at manager

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) --

An Alaska man who hit a Taco Bell manager in the face with a double-decker taco has been sentenced to one day in jail and one year probation. Warren Strickland of Fairbanks must also pay a $100 fine after pleading guilty Tuesday to disorderly conduct.

The 31-year-old says he threw the taco because it contained spit after he went through the drive-thru twice because the restaurant messed up his order. He claims the manager accused him of lying to get free food.

Strickland is barred from Taco Bell during his year of probation.

Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands.

___

Information from: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Rockband

Like I may have mentioned before...I'm going on over two weeks without a Rockband fix. I hope to change this on Friday, so we'll see.

I just read this article about how Rockband/Guitar Hero sales are falling flat, that the genre is no longer hot hot hot. I have come to the conclusion based on this article that I. am. old. I JUST bought Rockband 2, I love it and would play everyday if someone else lived here. I once was an early adopter and now I'm falling just after the peak. Hm. I don't like this game. (not you, Rockband the game, I adore you.)

Ok, I'm going back to building my ark now.

Minor Annoyances

Ya know when you're sleeping and there's a bug that flies by your ear and it wakes you up? Sometimes this can be really irritating, but most of the time it's just a minor annoyance. Like when someone spills on your new couch. I mean, really, who cares, right? It's just a couch. You get over it pretty quickly. Some people can be minor annoyances too....the name dropper, the one-upper, the ever-present hypocrite, the super snob. I try to take these folks in stride and not become friends with them. The minor annoyance of their personalities would become major issues if I spent a lot of time with them and that's just not. good. for. anyone. That's all on that.

I just got home from my friend's house and from behind the gate, I spot something weird on my front porch. It's white and it looks like someone spilled something all over the right side of the porch. Lightning flashes so I hurry under my overhang, still not sure what it is. I bend down - IT'S A TON OF HAIL! I laid down and made a hail angel and then scooped some up, put it in a baggie and put it in my freezer. Ok, I didn't make an angel but I really did put some in my freezer. I mean, COME ON. When does it hail here and stick?? Never! By the way, I am super in love with the thunder and lightning. Mr. Winter - keep it comin'. This midwesterner at heart loves this.

One last note - please. stop. copying. me. It's getting really old. The whole imitation is the sincerest form of flattery thing is over and now it's just annoying. More than just a minor annoyance. There's truly no need to do it either...true thoughts and words are much more interesting than ripping off someone else's.

Ok, one more last note...Don Giovanni's is really good. Who knew. I was lucky enough to eat there today and man that ravioli was delightful.

Yeah, I'm still not done writing. It's weird how it comes in spurts. Sometimes I can go weeks and nothing - writer's block galore. Then there are days like today when I just go on and on about nothing. Oh well. That's what this blog is for.

Gordita Supreme

Dear Mr. Glen W. Bell Jr.,

I read today that you have passed on, have started your run for the border in the sky. I'm so very sorry to hear this news.

I want to thank you for starting Taco Bell well before I was born. Because of your entrepreneurship, I have been able to enjoy Taco Bell since I can remember. My love affair with the 7-layer burrito began in high school, when we found out we could make a mall run for Taco Bell and be back in time before lunch was over. Lately, my Taco Bell cravings have been satisfied with 2 crunchy tacos, 1 soft taco and a beef Gordita Supreme. Does life get any better?

From all of the Taco Bell fans around the world, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 3am on weekends and Sunday afternoons have never been more complete.

~Your Biggest Fan.

A Ramble or Two

I'm having an off day/week. I'm not so self-important that I can't admit that. Some people seem to think that whatever they post online has to be a ridiculous representation about how life is. Some days, life sucks. And that's ok. I'm big into my online persona, I know how to manage it and how to be transparent and genuine. I attend a lot of webinars, seminars and conferences. I read industry books, blogs and websites, and I follow a lot of industry professionals on Twitter. I do all of this to make sure I understand the social media standards in how putting yourself out there should be handled in a professional way.

Everything I want people to see is public. Everything I want hidden from the public is hidden. An obvious statement, but a lot of people don't seem to comprehend that. Even though my Facebook personal page is private, I'm still very careful about what I post there and I'm very particular about my privacy settings. Having 400 "friends" means there are a lot of people on there who are in my industry or are people I don't need seeing my personal silliness.

I am much more conscious about my public persona than I ever have been. I'm honest and open about my thoughts and my life in my blog because I truly believe in being genuine and transparent. Some of the main issues I see in my general blog reading out there is that people seem to put on a show. Every once in a while I come across a blog where the author is trying to make you think he/she is a certain way. They're being transparent, and not in a good way. This type of transparency is the "I see right through you, and now I don't trust anything that comes out of your mouth"-transparency. Being transparent in the social media space, if you take it seriously, is showing your true colors, good and bad, to your readers.

I do take this very seriously. Honest to a fault sometimes, I'm telling you stories here - boring for the most part, I know - but I hope sometimes they're entertaining.  I don't contradict myself, and if I do, it's because I've changed my mind, and I will call it out. What I tell you in this blog is true, authentic and real. I'm not making myself sound better than I am, I'm not making my life sound better than it is, and I'm not talking down to you, my readers, all seven of you, in any way, shape or form. There are some days I forget this thing is online, that I have just shared something with the world, but in the end, I'd rather have you know ME, not some image of me that I want you to believe. If you write a life blog for yourself, as a journal, as a way to record your life, then you'd never embellish it, exaggerate things or happy-wash things just to make your readers think a certain way.

Random Thoughts of the Day

1. Schramsberg bubbly is yummy.
2. Jersey Shore is stupid. Why do I even turn it on for a second? It's the one when she gets punched in the head...ow.
3. I love this blog http://www.doyougetbutterflies.blogspot.com/ I need to get more style.
4. A weekend of mostly rollin' solo was good for me. Did I get a lot done at home? Of course not, but I did get caught up on Tough Love 2. Yeah, that's right.
5. I'm happy cinnamon hearts are out.
6. I wish I had a valentine.
7. Avatar was pretty cool. A tad long, Mr. Cameron, a tad long. And what's with the Celine Dion-sound-alike song? Annoying.
8. I officially haven't played Rockband for 7 days. What is going on here?
9. I really like my kickboxing gym. I'm happy I found one finally.
10. I hope I sell my couch.

Hello 2010!

I've decided to make only one official New Year's resolution and then a couple things that should happen all the time, things that I want to be more conscious about.

New Year's Resolution: Eat fruits/vegetables every day. A friend told me this one and I think it's great. This is something that should be a given, considering my mom made the most balanced meals ever, but convenience trumps healthy meals much too often.

Ok I have another New Year's Resolution - GET ORGANIZED. This means the kitchen, the studio, the dining room, the closets, the nooks & crannies that make up my house, my office, my car. My mom lives by "a place for everything and everything in its place." I am adopting that this year - I want my house to be in order so that I can spend my time living and thinking about important things. I don't want to waste any more time looking for something, or letting an unorganized space weigh on me. I need to change my habits and this is as good of a year as any to do that.

(I do have a photography resolution...post one photo every day! It's much harder than I thought.)

Things to focus on: Be polite every day with everyone. Keep spending a lot of time with my family. Take more trips if financially doable. Smile.

I have decided to try a Before I Turn 32 list instead of official resolutions. It was fun to try to attempt these last year, but I didn't finish. Let's see if I can complete last year's, with some modifications.

1. Visit G and J in NY in 2010

2. Visit M and B in Martha's Vineyard in 2010

3. Run/Walk the San Francisco Half Marathon

4. Try the remaining 27 flavors at Baskin Robbins
5. Take a picnic to the beach
6. Tahoe trip in WINTER

7. Rita's for karaoke - Have to do a repeat here!

8. Start my North Bay photography project

9. Volunteer for a day

10. Take another swing dance lesson

11. Find a kickboxing class I love - FOUND ONE! me + vallejo + kickboxing = hardcore.
12. See Citizen Kane and Gone with the Wind

13. Hike to the top of Mt. Tam
14. Continue to mail notes to friends/family more often.

15. Vegas trip - hopefully with K!

Again....Send me ideas! Exactly FOUR months to go!

The Pink House That Is Now Yellow & Brown

I have come to a conclusion. My neighbors, whose home used to be pink and is now yellow with brown trim (I know you're jealous), are a combination of peopleofwalmart.com and thereifixedit.com. I know you may be intrigued by this, and if you are, please come over and check out the disaster that is my neighbor's house.

Oh, and in case anyone is in need of a Cousin Eddie RV, let me know as there is one parked in front of said neighbors house and it's FOR SALE.