The dog days of (freezing SF-style) summer

The weekend was mostly a break for me...sleeping in, eating slowly, not putting on makeup and staying in. Sah-weet. Oh except that my mind was still churning from the week and I had a lot of cleaning to do and Milo was whining and I superglued my fingers together. And I discovered that I still secretly crave coffee every day. SOB.

But: my fingers are fine again, the house smells like flowers (and grease from my late-night french fry binge last night, haha!), and I ridded our bedroom of about 1 whole pound of dust/fur/nasty other stuff from under the bed. Not even exaggerating. And a friend today told me that one time she superglued her pants to her leg, and I thought to myself, "Hmm, my life COULD be worse."

outlandish

I had originally planned on doing normal things this weekend, but since I forgot that this weekend is Outside Lands, I am basically stuck...unless I want to lose my parking spot for the rest of the weekend, with the closest free parking being in another district. No joke. It's nuts here. So really, it's good and bad.

The good?
1. Lots of great deals going on because of the high volume of tourists/visitors in our neighbourhood.
2. Gangstas scalping tickets on street corners. It's like Oakland has come for the weekend, SERiously.
3. Free awesome music. Last night and all of today I've had my windows wide open, and just sat in my living room/on our roof while sunbathing and listened to a free live concert, loud and clear since it's happening right over in the park, with the likes of Incubus, Pearl Jam, Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews Band, etc....probably the only time in my life when I ran a chance of bumping into Fergie in my friendly neighbourhood Starbucks.
4. FABULOUS WEATHER. But that has nothing to do with Outside Lands, so let's move on.

The bad?
1. No parking.
2. Weird people.
3. The whole place reeks of pot and stale beer. Sick.
4. The music is going loudly when I don't want it to. Aka, when I'm in bed.

Tomorrow during small group is when M.I.A. and Tenacious D, etc. will be playing...so that should be interesting.

cracking the knuckles

The end of the week is as sweet to me as a spankin' new episode of The Office or when I can crack every single one of my knuckles including my thumbs, or no wait, it's EVEN BETTER:

I can see tiny little angel children floating around my desk as we speak.

And yeah, Milo will probably be angry with me when I get home, and I'm out of spinach and I desperately need to wash my hair, but hey! I can sleep in tomorrow! I can have wine tonight as late as I want! Suddenly things are looking up.

It's business time

All of a sudden here we are on a Thursday night and holy cow, how is it Thursday already? It's been one whirlwind of a week again, and I KNOW you are sick of hearing me say that, but I mean it a little bit more each week that I say it. I think my brain/body is going to combust and maybe I should take an Ambien and sleep through the entire weekend, because seriously, even Milo's been walking wide circles around me as if he expects me to explode or collapse or something. And when a crazy, actually crazy cat is eyeing you cautiously, you know it's bad. And really, the other day I got through an entire day of work, and it wasn't until I was at the gym that I realized I had been wearing Nolan's socks all day. Not only do our socks have a differential of oh, 10 SIZES, but also: WE DON'T EVEN KEEP THEM IN THE SAME CORNER OF THE ROOM. Even my caps lock key is out of control tonight.

Sob. If only my title referred to what you probably thought it did when you saw it.

tour de everything (except Belgium)

Once again, our trip plans to Europe have changed, but once again it's for the better! We're cutting Brussels from le grande tour (sorry Belgium), and putting an extra day into Holland, because after the Trader Joe's sample the other night, I'm gonna be needing me some good Gouda (or, as my mother in law says, "HOW-duh") pretty soon here.

I purposely made no plans tonight so that I could relax and compose myself for tomorrow. So far I've, uhh, eaten. Like, potatoes and chocolate. This evening can ONLY get better. Also my electric blanket is on, Milo is curled up on my pillow waiting for me, and I'm eating Cadbury and about to start a good book in bed with some peach juice. Smmmhhhh.

As if that isn't good enough, I ALSO have no plans this weekend except to do my laundry...which I thought about putting off, but I'm not going to pull a you-know-who and wear the same pair of underwear for weeks at a time because the rest are dirty. This is a topic which surfaced recently, and the idea was actually championed (is that even the right word in this situation?). I have no idea why someone would advocate the wearing of a pair of "lucky" underwear that actually is only considered lucky because it hasn't been washed in days, weeks, decades...and in which case I could grow my own bacteria in a jar and sell it as bottled luck, and here's where I realize I'm missing out on the biggest opportunity of my life...

...but then again, the male sex is a mystery to me. Oops, did I just give away who I was talking about?

TRiPping

Ever since Nolan left, Milo has had all this stored up energy from being home alone all day, and boy: does he use it when I get home. So far he's hunted me around corners, leapt off of the armoir at me, and pounced on my legs while I walked down the hall. It's like he has no fear of discipline now that it's just me and him. And I think he is going to learn quick who's boss, because I could step on him as easily as not.

One of these days when I get my life back from my 9-5 (some joke!), I'll do exciting things with my after-hours and tell you all about it. For now, I have to resign myself to bed just to start all over again tomorrow. Sigh.

top gun!

It's been a whirlwind of a weekend for me. Not only was last week insanely busy at work with another one to follow this week, but we also had Nolan's parents in town for the weekend, went to a theme park, and moved Nolan down to Fresno for 6 weeks (sniff). I mean, I love theme parks, and up until this weekend, Great America wasn't on my list of conquered places, but my work gave us discounted tickets if we are Festive Club members, w00t!, and it was just too good to pass up. Plus I needed my fix of terror since Nolan hasn't ripped out my hair recently nor have I been reading any scary stories. Roller coasters are at the top of the adrenaline list. Maybe terror is the wrong word for me (right one for Nolan though, and you'll see why). Maybe thrill or excitement or laughing so hard I am in danger of wetting myself is the right way to phrase it. Let's take a look:

(Click to enlarge)
So moving from the left...Nolan: just plain terrified. Anneliese: uhh...however I described it above. Anna: actually trying not to wet herself/throw up. John: we still haven't been able to define this one. Possibly the most frightening face I have ever seen in my life. Judging from this, it's no surprise that I went on this ride again immediately after the first time, and that neither Anna nor John went with me, although it MAY surprise you to know that I was able to talk N into going again. Let me just say that our faces looked EXACTLY the same in the second picture.

Yesterday, while still recovering from the rides the day before, we drove Nolan down to Fresno to see him off for his pediatric rotation for 6 weeks. While the parents and schtuff went down in a nice cool car, N and I took the motorcycle, and MAN MY ABS ARE KILLING ME. Like, in all serious, gasping for air at my desk today. When you're clinging on for dear life onto the back of a bike going 75mph in 100 degree weather for 3.5 hours, your abs are the only thing from keeping you from flopping around wildly behind the driver. whew. Also: my groin from straddling the seat for that long.

As you may have guessed, we don't have pictures of that. But it was all worth it for the dinner at Elephant Bar we got when we arrived. MmmmmMMMMMMmmmm potato skins!

Fixed!

Tonight's date night, and so I'm gonna keep it to a minimum here. That being, the picture documentation of my good work! wooo!

Drool

My muni car this morning just happened to be all women...until a man carrying his 6-month-old in a sling with a fuzzy cap got on the train and sat down. And boy, that was the fastest climate change ever. Within 30 seconds, the poor guy was swarmed by cooing women. Oh hormones.

Under Tow

This weekend has been a whirlwind of sorts for me. I've been here and there and trying to just get everything all sorted out in my life because I have been SO BUSY. Hhh. So I guess what happened yesterday should have come as no surprise. On my way back from Santa Cruz last night, where I was visiting with my aunt and uncle and cousins, my "check engine" light came on. Now...my car isn't exactly new, so this isn't a big deal, but I pull off on the next exit anyway, since it says there's a gas station. As I roll to a stop at the bottom of the exit, not only do I see no sign of a gas station or ANY sign of civilization, but there is also huge clouds of vapour rising from my hood, so that I can't even see the road. So I sit there for a few minutes, then when it clears a tiny bit, I roll over to the side of the road so I'm not blocking anything, and cut the engine and pop the hood. Apparently the check engine light actually meant something this time, because I almost got burnt by the vapourous clouds when I opened that hood, and saw green liquid spurting everywhere, including flickering off of the engine. Perrrfect. Thankfully, I know better than to just close the hood, so I looked around a little bit, and AHA!: a huge gash in one of the hoses.

Now, we all know I'm not car buff. And I don't carry duck tape in my purse, so I couldn't fix my own hose, so I get out my phone, call my trusty dad (who is a car buff), and then call Nolan and a tow truck. An hour later, as I'm sitting stranded on a little road in creepy Menlo Park (sorry, Sarah), the tow truck pulls up, and hooks me up. So me and my purse and my little tin of fruit jellies that I had just gotten at Trader Joe's climbed into the cab, and was off! And let me tell you: I have been on some bad roads in cars that have bad shocks, but all that was NOTHING compared to this truck. I'm halfway tempted to call those guys and see if they made it home okay, because I was positive we were going to lose a tire or I don't know, even the engine maybe, and die. It was bad. So anyway, in the cab, there are these two Israeli guys, and MAN they really made themselves at home in there, because it smelled like Israel. Like, strawberry hookah and stale bread and sand. Israel. In a nutshell. After watching several youtube videos on the one guy's phone, we make it home, and an ungodly amount of cash later, I'm free with my broken car and my perfect husband who was waiting with a hug and a clean house for me (YES! He cleaned the house! Is that really what it takes nowadays? Wow.). To make a really really long story a lot shorter, I am my father's daughter afterall, and was able to fix my own car today. YES. I still have the grease on my hands to prove it, and will post a picture of my work once it's light enough outside to get one. For the time being, I'll post a diagram of what I did. The red circle is the upper radiator hose I had to replace, and the yellow spot is where the split was. I AM SO PLEASED WITH MYSELF!

As if all that wasn't bad enough, when Ash U. drove me to the auto parts store today, I shut my own hand in the car door. Shhh, don't even ask me how.

broet

Milo is eagerly watching me as a sit here. Nay, hunting may be a better word. I'm tearing the last little piece of my bread into a bite-size piece, and I can almost smell his drool. And I mean, I KNOW that cats and dogs aren't supposed to eat chocolate, but it blows my mind that he understands that. Right now I have on my right side a piece of crappy bread. On my left side I have a tray of pieces of white and milk chocolate. He is practically wiping his butt on the chocolate as he tries to desperately snag my bread. What the heck, man. Maybe he IS mentally slow. I guess it's only amazing that he knows the difference, if you know him and are familiar with his eating habits. Aka: he'll eat anything from kibble to spinach to his own litter. Yet no chocolate. On the other hand, I have caught him a few different times recently, ACTUALLY checking himself out in the mirror, and then running away when he sees me watching him. Maybe the vain little turd has a brain afterall.

Pungent Green

I've discovered that the main reason I don't have Simple Green at home is because I'd vomit every time I used it. I have heard wonders it's done, but today I squirted a teensy bit on my badge because I had put a sticker on there and it left a residue, and OH MAN. As if being queasy earlier today wasn't enough fun, I smelled that stuff and almost puked in my pencil cup. Because the last time I apparently smelled that stuff was when we were cleaning up the guts of my dissected cat in Physio my senior year of high school, and the LAST thing I need to smell right now is something that brings back the putrid aroma of Mr. Fatty's decomposing stomach lard.

In other news, I've been feeling funny for several days now, and I think it's my body trying to get sick, but my mind overpowering it with the sheer willpower to not have to use any sickdays, since (in fact) I have none left after designating them all for Europe and Mexico. Go, mind, go!

Tap

It's too bad Nolan and I can't figure out how to friend each other on our Tap Tap Revenge apps, because while I'm zoning out over my cereal here, he's on call and zoning out in his scrubs. Heh. And I have this excellent mental picture too, of him sitting alone in a hallway, swinging his croc-clad feet over the end of a stretcher, and madly playing Tap Tap Revenge while "sipping" his 9th cup of coffee through an IV.

Hare

You know, sometimes I just have to laugh, because between my own stupid adventures, and the antics of Nolan and Milo, there's always something going on. I can't imagine adding a kid to the picture, YIKES. Recently, I've invested in double-sided, kitty-scratch-protection tape, which I've stuck all over the furniture, until Milo becomes best friends with his new scratchiing post. This tape is awesome, and super sticky because it has to stick to all manners of materials. The bad news about this is, it really does stick to ALL materials, including human. Which Nolan and I found out this morning when he decided the best way to get his wife up out of bed was to experiment with a piece of Milo's tape in her hair, and really rub it around so that it got nice and tangled up. Can you see where I'm going with this? Let me give you a visual:

That's our newest piece of art, and I hoping to get at least a free massage out of it tonight if I can milk the guilt.

This weekend I was up in Placerville, picking berries, cleaning the house, enjoying the heat, saying goodbye to my little brother who is off to college...and of course envying the dogs, because their life must be SO HARD:


...and on the drive home, I got to stop at Target, listen to the radio, and enjoy the light traffic and sunshine (all of these things are a rarity!), and zone out a little bit. And then I was minding my own business, almost on the Golden Gate bridge, when I suddenly knew I was home. How, you ask? It's quite simple, really:

And to think: my parents thought I was exaggerating about the temperatures here.

Festive Friday!

Since I am a member of the elite "Festive Club" at work, aka the "I am willing to pay $12 a year for nobody-knows-what and see what happens with it" club, I found out that $3.50 of my member dues so far have gone to purchase me a froyo with toppings. Not to mention Great America tickets for sometime this month with my in-laws, WHICH INCLUDES FREE ICE CREAM. All day.

Needless to say, I'm feeling Festive.

Much Better!

I was going to write about how straight and nice my glasses are now, but saw this awful picture and thought better of it. Yet I'm keeping the title and the picture all the same. Too bad.

Low of the day: discovering that the milk I bought a week ago is already really, HORRIBLY rancid. As in, I poured a bowl of cocoa puffs, noticed a weird smell (but attributed it to Milo, heh), and took a bite. Not only did it TASTE alcoholic and FOUL, but my mouth and throat were actually warm afterwards...like a nice glass of brandy. Too bad it wasn't alcohol, and the last time I checked, cows don't leak boozy fluids from their mammaries, so THANKS, WALGREENS, for selling me rancid, alcoholic milk.

In lieu of a nice bowl of cereal at 9:30pm, I'm desperately turning to Doritos in bed. SOB.

Moo Moo Meadows

Apparently I don't post often enough for some peoples' liking (hah!), so here I am. With nothing really exciting to say other than that I had caffeine today and it was glorious. I also got a new iPhone case (twice!), but that isn't that exciting anyway because Nolan told me it was a piece of crap and I had to return it. Needless to say I was back today and got another one. We'll see what he says about it. Seeing as how the one tiny tiny scratch I have is because of my faulty other one, I'm just hoping this one does its job. And also feeling pretty pleased because now I can play Collapse Chaos on it and the case doesn't get in the way. Which means I am likely close to beating the final level. Booyah!

I'm also hoping to get my glasses fixed today, because I think the unattractive glasses feature is wildly enhanced by the fact that they're noticeably crooked. As much as I love the titanium-ness of them, it also means they have to be melted in order to be adjusted, and I'm not about to cook them over my stovetop myself. Sigh.

Cindus came to visit yesterday, and majorly boosted my ego when she played me at Mariokart for an hour, and let me win every time except one (and that one wasn't fair, Cindus!). Also because she was here, Milo is fat and happy again for a few days, having been appropriately smothered and smacked around for several hours. He even slept through almost the entire night, and THAT is something.

oh, sage

You cannot imagine how difficult to find a hotel in London that is:
a.) cheap
b.) well-located
c.) CLEAN
The last one is the toughest component to find, and frankly, I'm shocked. I don't generally think of lice and nasty sheets in the same bracket as tea and crumpets and her majesty's carriage.

This weekend I decided to try out yet another recipe from the fabulous "America's Test Kitchen" cookbook that we have. And again, it's a winner. Chicken Saltimbocca, anyone?

The name "Saltimbocca" literally means "it jumps in your mouth", and it does just that. It looks EXACTLY like the picture in the book, and is comprised mainly of chicken rolled in flour and pepper and sage, with (as you can see) prosciutto on top, and then pan-seared in olive oil, with a white wine/lemon reduction poured over top, and graced with a toasted sage leaf. It.was.FANTASTIC.

ps-I've found a way to give up coffee EASILY. I mean other than having all funds ripped from my pitiful hands. I've started ordering the same drink at Starbucks, but with no espresso. Which makes it: a white hot chocolate or white chocolate milk over ice. Which, YES, sounds super lame, but my plan is to have these for awhile so that I don't miss the caffeine, and then eventually work my way down to bringing packets of hot cocoa from home, and voila!