9-0

Tonight was a night of mourning...for anybody from Texas. Seriously, talk about an embarrassing loss in the World Series to the Giants. I mean, I'm happy about it, but I just felt bad watching ball after ball after ball...51 pitches in the 8th inning from the Rangers, and that's AFTER the first 2 outs. Geeze. Let's go GIANTS!

On a slightly different note, my gym had it's Halloween celebration today, so they were giving off all sorts of freebies and food. I took part in the free spray tan (never done it before) and now look very sun-kissed! Perfect for my costume, haha! Though I'm still sticky a little bit AND I think I was grimacing during the spray due to it being cold, because my dimples are definitely still white among the tan of the rest of my face.

Yesterday, Nolan somehow got stung by a wasp on the BACK of his leg while running (is that even possible?), and has been limping around and moaning ever since. I meanwhile, have no pity because his life has been one giant vacation lately and will be for the next 2 months. Boo.

the fleece effect

Sometimes when I reflect on my childhood, I just remember running barefoot through yards until the 5 o'clock horn blew. And building boats of banana boats to float down the muddy rivers. And climbing to the top of 60 foot pine trees to throw pine cones at cars passing by below (oops!). Needless to say, I lived in a world of alternate reality. However, articles like this one still don't manager to surprise me about PNG and the country I know/knew.

Continuing on our trend of eating through the Top 100, today I tried the fish tacos at Underdog's.
#10 - Nick's Baja-style fish tacos at The Taco Shop at Underdog's

Nolan had already had these, so I just went with a friend and brought him back one because they're so delicious. And this from someone who HATES fish of all kinds. Scrumptious!

We broke out the flannel sheets for the beginning of the real cold season here, and let me just say it was blissful. We nestled down into the clean, warm, soft flannel and conked out immediately for the best sleep I've had in awhile. Even Milo was peaceful (mostly).

Also today I had a mini panic-attack when I boarded the muni home, and there, jammed right next to me was a man with curly black hair. YIPES. In case you don't know me, KNOW THAT I FEAR MEN WITH CURLY BLACK HAIR. Not all, just ones with a certain look about him, and this one had it. Like he was hiding a hook on his hand under that trenchcoat of his. Why, you may ask? Have you ever seen The Fugitive? I saw it too early for my impressionable mind I guess, and have had an irrational fear of men with curly black hair very nearly as serious as my fear of sleeping in dirty sheets.

back in the swing

We've kinda been slacking on the 100 things to eat and drink before you die in SF list, but today we hit it again full swing! I stopped by the Ferry Building and other spots today and thought I'd hit as many spots as possible in an hour period. Only hit a few, but hey I'll take it. More to come tomorrow! Anyway, to kick things off:

#40 - Cheeseburger with sweet potato fries at Taylor's Automatic Refresher (now called "Gott's", but still the same thing, same menu)
This place was awesome. I was so hungry for the meal that I forgot to take the picture until I was almost done with my half...Nolan had the other half, since we both felt bad about having the whole thing. The fries were sweet and crispy, but with chili powder sprinkled on them, and a light sauce to dip them in. The burger was fresh and crisp, with delicious beef and sauces. Mmmm!


#28 - A Gibraltar at Blue Bottle Cafe
This place makes only the real stuff - no fluffy sweeteners or syrups, no diluted blends. Taking its roots from Turkish coffee, this place makes real coffee. And real delicious. The Gibraltar is basically a tiny latte in a tiny glass the size of about 2.5 shot glasses (that's a guess), and the glass itself is what is called the Gibraltar, which is how the drink got its name. 2 shots espresso, steamed hot milk with foam on top...voila! I was surprised to find that I actually LOVED this drink, even though it was super strong with absolutely no sugar. Though after I finished it, my tongue was buzzing, so who knows.


#87 - Sesame balls at Yank Sing
This place is known for greasy, but delicious and way overpriced Chinese food. Kind of a schmancy place. But the sesame balls, at a little over a dollar a pop, are delicious bean curd confections that taste like some asian bean version of a funnel cake. Tasty!


I also had to stop at Boulette's larder, even though they aren't on the list (they should be!), for some of their sea salt brownies, which are actually cookies. Tiny little things, but tasting like cocoa with sea salt on top and mixed in. SO DELICIOUS.



Yesterday, Nolan and I took our pumpkins over to Ash U's house, and carved them up, and made a homemade pumpkin pie from the innards of one of them (it was awesomely tasty!), and roasted the seeds from the others for salads (thanks, Mom for the idea). There was cider, Sinatra, scones, and candy corn, and I feel so holiday-ish anyway that it was good times. Nolan was originally going to make an intricate carving of a spider in a web, but gave up after 2 cuts in the pumpkin and decided to carve Milo's name and profile into his pumpkin in the end. I went with an owl in a tree and a slivered moon. Nolan's STILL looks better if that's possible. Milo's a big fan of both, as we've been sticking treats in there to get him to fish around through the holes with his paw.


ylehsa sent me this blog today, which makes me feel better about going to IKEA solely for the swedish meatballs.

Quote of the day:
My mother-in-law: "Does Nolan have a thing for your clothes??? LOL John loved some of mine because they were soft so he could polish his toys."

At a breakneck pace

In some small way,I think listening to Christmas music too far in advance of the season robs you of the joy it brings the day after Thanksgiving when most Scrooges out there finally sigh and turn to the one station that shares my early sentiment. Or create a new Pandora playlist. And yet here I sit, robbing myself of that joy I could be experiencing later more fully, but telling myself it doesn't matter, because have I EVER gotten sick of Christmas music, EVER? This from the girl who pulls out the holiday singles in June. I also have no problem justifying it because I know the INTENSE SORROW that January 1 will bring as I am forced to take down the tree and delete my pandora playlist and wait another year until Christmas.

I'm also thoroughly enjoying the empty gym. As the holidays are upon us and swimsuit season is over, there is a dramatic lack of people in the gym when I go, even in my yoga class. I can now show up and fully expect to have one of the small exercise balls all to myself, whereas before I'd have to wrap my legs around a giant one, and I know for a fact that I heard a few sniggers behind me. Of course when everyone is back to work on January 4, 2011, the gym will be packed with all those "resolution" folks, hoping to buoy their doomed aspirations at least a week until that chili dip calls their name and they forsake the gym altogether.

Giants lost last night, but chances at the World Series aren't doomed yet! Meanwhile, the Ducks absolutely ANNIHILATED UCLA last night. Yes Nolan, even though I wear my Ducks shirt to bed, I do, in fact, care.

Today also marked the first day of wearing boots for the season, which although it seems like a small marker, actually means I can start tromping in puddles and making applesauce and crocheting my never-ending blanket (which I started in 2007 when we moved to SF, and is still waiting to be finished) and watching old classics with Jimmy Stewart and maybe even new classics like...Harry Potter. For now I'm content with passing my days at work, running through the rain to my yoga class, eating a crunchy salad, and sipping a hazelnut latte while I plug along and listen to my Christmas playlist. And my nights are some blissful combo of all of the above, except I also get to add Nolan and Milo into my equation.

Days Until Thanksgiving Break: 32!
Days Until Christmas: 63!

Why can't blackcurrant tea taste like it smells? Why?

Back to yoga today after a week's hiatus due to Health Fair mania. But good ole Sandy was out and a new teacher was taking her place. And the energy he had...whoo. I haven't actually felt like sitting down on my crappy little mat with claw marks in it (because someone thinks it's a scratching toy) and sobbing because my arms were sore in quite some time. Bravo.
ps - get me a new mat for Christmas. thx.

Trader Joe's has these little microwave meals that are generally pretty awesomely delicious. But. I tried one awhile ago that was like...couscous with roasted veggies and garlic and parmesan. It never made it to my mouth because while I kept it in my insulated lunch bag in my locker while at the gym in the morning, it melted and I had melty eggplant and couscous juice dripping out of my bag and on my stuff. I tried to laugh it off and told a girl on my floor at work that it was like junior high all over again, but she just gave me a blank look which told me that kind of thing never happened to her. Awkward. Anyway, so I still wanted to try it - it sounds delicious! Right? NOPE. Not only was it still drippy (this time I kept it cold and in the fridge the whole time!), but it was also DIS.GUS.TING. Also the juices ran all over my hands and MUST have gotten on my water bottle, because I was sipping it and all I could smell was this weird rotten plastic/fish smell. I had my coworker sniff it and she didn't notice anything funny. Who knows. So I tossed it and opened a new bottle. And then microwaved a leftover lean pocket that I had sitting in the fridge. Yay.

After some quality hours of sleep yesterday, I feel almost fully better now - and better rested. Just in time for the weekend to sleep even more, hah!

Alas, no amount of rest can get me back into scrapbooking mood. I want to facebook and watch new episodes of Outsourced and eat cereal and crochet and stroke Milo and hurtle into Nolan's stomach when he walks in the door, but not scrapbooking. It's about now that I think I've scrapbooked myself to death, and can't force myself to do it, or it'll turn out to be some sloppy photos of an ocean pasted over a Mexican coin with maybe some cornflakes and bits of Milo's fur stuck in the glue. So I'll stop until I feel like it again.

Tines of Power

Even though I'm sitting apart in "my room" which is formerly the guest room (and will be if you come to visit, promise!) and scrapbooking space, I know the Giants just won the game tonight, because of a lone shriek of joy that I heard from across the street. Confirmed by Nolan and also the fireworks I'm now hearing lit. One more game, and SF is golden for their ticket to the World Series!

I had to go home sick from work today, and I'm not sure if it was because of the flu shot/H1N1 combo vaccine I got yesterday, or the lack of sleep I've endured recently. Probably both. I'm a strictly 8-hours of sleep a night person, or else I feel the effects of it sorely. Who knows why. Anyway, so I came right home, and crumpled onto the bed in "my room" for a few hours to nap with Milo while Nolan worked at his desk. Feeling ok, but still looking forward to more rest tonight.

Therefore, last night's Hockey game was probably not the best idea, as I was feeling a little queasy even then, but I thought I'd push through it. It was a sad loss of the Sharks to the Carolina Hurricanes, but exciting for us - our first NHL game! And free tickets, my boss's boss's boss gave us his super nice-seat tickets (and also to my coworker, who came and brought his son). Good times. Couldn't have asked for better seats, made even better by Nolan's hot latte and my tasty garlic fries. Check out how close we were to the ice! We could practically smell the blood as they rammed into the glass every 30 seconds. Evidence:




This past weekend I was up in Placerville visiting my parents, and though Saturday was pretty hot again (I spent the entire day in shorts still!), Sunday was actual fall weather, and there was ample feeling of autumn when my mom was helping clean the pool. Nothing like a gigantic crunchy leaf to remind you that it's almost the holidays!

M&M

I made the mistake of watching Marley & Me tonight. All I can say is that now not only do I want a puppy even MORE than before, but also my eyes are nice and moistened because my mom and I were sitting here SOBBING for the last 20 minutes of the movie. Maaarrrrlllleeeeeeey!

Another mistake: drinking a big bottle of water all in the car on the way up here. I was quite literally doubled over in the car until I was so blinded that I had to take the nearest exit and beg. This also could be because I was putting on my makeup this morning at 4:45am, and lived only on coffee. It does that to you. Speaking of which: my friend pointed out that I am the soccer mom of these. Who knows what that says.

you.crew

Apparently, there's a new Goodwill 1 block from our house. I usually hate Goodwill stores (hah, I have no goodwill towards them), but thought I'd go in with Ash to look for Halloween stuff. And instead I found a cute J.Crew shirt (who knew?) and it's pink and sparkly and $5, which is basically a recipe for LOVE. Also FUN. Now the only issue I have is finding a time to actually wear this:

Also, ignore my pink eyes - I've been forced to wear my glasses for a straight week now because of weird dry eyes. BOO.

underground

A friend and I were talking today about how amazing it must be to be one of those miners who were trapped under the ground for 69 days, and finally be hoisted up in this claustrophobic little cage to see your family and the sunlight again for the first time in over 2 months. It makes me wonder if those miners want to never see each other again, or if they've bonded like a family? And if they're going back to their jobs (My guess would be no)? And. and. So many questions. Such an interesting situation down there, but I echo Obama's sentiments that their tears of joy are our tears.

The heat wave here in SF hasn't actually been felt as strongly as I thought it would. They kept saying "excessive heat, beware!" practically implying we'd all metl into nothing unless we locked ourselves in our freezers. Apparently not, and just like good old days, excessive heat just means over 70.

Since I've been babysitting this week instead of hitting the gym early, I have been trying to fit in workouts more creatively. So although I always miss seeing Nolan when he has to be in class late, I secretly enjoy that it means I can work out in my living room with the Wii and not risk being laughed at. Because oh yes, it is laughable.

Quote of the day:
DG: "so I found a picture of the first Chilean miner to emerge from the tunnel..."

Voldything

Fall is truly the beginning of all things awesome in the year. Like, Christmas, Starbucks' holiday drinks, decorations, peppermint bark on sale, and the second-to-last Harry Potter movie. Speaking of which, tonight is Harry Potter night at Ash U's, and we're watching the 6th one, and I'm having another coffee right now so I can make sure and not fall asleep.

I start babysitting again this week in the mornings (Tues-Fri), so if you talk to me, expect clipped, tired-sounding sentences, because as if getting up so early wasn't enough, those kids wear me out! The positive? Money for all of your Christmas presents: done. Also driving their car to work instead of taking the muni is pretty awesome.

I feel like Darcy has been a new addition to the family rather than just my insurance policy. I have been looking for excuses to drive him around or tag along with Nolan so I can test out the backseat. The only downside is that now I feel like I need to wash him every 2 days to keep him shiny and sparkly! Mostly because cars in the city get SO dirty SO fast, and I just never realized it until we had a car with a nice paint job. Huh.

Flying Machines of Death

Apparently it's Fleet Week already again here in San Francisco (which means any Indian summer we could have had is probably gone, SOB), because all day we've been swooped on by jets tearing through the sky. Even during yoga it was crazy loud, ripping the atmosphere. I heard one of my coworkers admiring the jets, while another was muttering "I think it's terrifying."

Mostly today I'll just put up some quotes of the day, since I couldn't decide which one to use:

In reference to this post:
My dad: "Ironically, my rental is a new corolla. She's red and definitely female, proud, a bit impertinent but I fancy her none the less. I think I shall call her Elizabeth!"

And:
Ash: ps it smells like your building out here
Anneliese: hahah omg wait i've got it: moldy kibble + urine + chinese food + grease
Ash: all those PLUS dog
Anneliese: oh. sometimes we have that too, but i get it mixed up with the kibble
Ash: i know because our vacuum still smells like buddy...and that's it plus like humidity

The Civilized West

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of celeb sites and general mind-trash like people.com, gofugyourself.com, etc. Hey, I'm educating myself in the fine art of "pop culture". Also when we have trivia nights I know all those random facts that nobody else pays attention to. Oh yeah. So maybe it's not the most intelligent fluff to fill my head with, BUT STILL. So when I saw this article posted, I felt vindicated because I knew it would give at least one person a laugh. Also I am considering mailing this woman a check :)
Massachusetts Woman Threw Dog Poop In Driver's Face
I guess if we move to Boston, we'll just have to drive nice and slow in residential neighbourhoods.

Why is it that when you get something new, you feel a compulsion to check on it all the time? Like, that car isn't going anywhere and it is parked on a nice safe curb, but I still feel like I have to go look at it each day just to make sure, even though I regularly forgot about the old car. On another note, my nightmares have disappeared, so I'm back to my regular old dreams, like about Milo and flying and occassionally the circus.

Darcy.

As promised, even though I'm DEAD TIRED, I have my news and photos...we bought a car on Sunday! I know, right? Quick work after what just happened to the other one. But really, I have been looking at these for quite some time, and was only too ready to move forward. And what a deal! We ended up getting a 2010 Toyota Corolla! And it's sparkly black, and if you've ever known me, you know how I love sparkly things. Also I've always wanted a black car...let's face it there is a lot I have always wanted in this car. I even asked Nolan's permission to name it: Darcy. Mostly because I've been in a Jane Austen mood lately and cannot resist. Actually Nolan's been pretty overall amazing in helping/supporting me through the crash and getting a new car in general. So I suppose he's going to want that backrub now, thankyouverymuch.

...Except he just looked at the pictures below and said, "You know what those pictures look like to me? Look like it's parked on a Tuesday (streetcleaning side). Hrmmm."

Here are a couple shots I took today while admiring it. So pretty!



Also, while we speak, Milo is gnawing on the leftover crusts of our Pizza Hut excursion tonight (Nolan's treat for taking me to the dealer on the motorcycle even though it was cold and windy), and sneezing in his excitement to eat it all before he thinks we notice him. Little beast. The other day I tried to get on camera his playtime with his little felt mouse, but all I got was him watching it stupidly:

And eventually making a grab for it:


In all seriousness, I am convinced I have PTSD from the car accident. I haven't slept since, because I have been waking up every 15 minutes after the same nightmare over and over again, with the most intense stress I have ever experienced, except last night I was in the new car when I crashed it. UGH. I can practically taste the ulcers. And it made getting up at 5:40 to hit the gym downtown really fun :(

Integra-ty

So. It's been another week-ish since I've updated. Sorry! But I promise I have excuses. See:
1. I've been applying to schools. Alllmost done.
2. Working/trying to sleep.
3. Trying to sell car, and on that note:
4. Wrecked my car after I got in a collision this week and am still having nightmares about it, which equals no sleep which makes me grouchy and you don't want me updating this grumpy, do you?
5. Tired of looking at a computer screen with a sore neck.

So. In a nutshell: On the way up to sell my car to someone (who, as it turns out, was going to stand me up anyway), I rammed into the back of the car in front of me, and had to leave my car by the Napa raceway. My dad came all the way down to pick me up from Sacramento and drive me home, because he is a superhero. I can't put into words how relieved and happy I was to see him drive up after such a scary/stressful thing. And even though the situation sucked, it was really really nice to have him stay with us for a night and spend some time together. And today he is picking it up, fixing it to make it drive, and then driving it up to Placerville to hopefully sell it for whatever it's worth now. Like I said: superhero.

So we're car-less, which is okay for now, but hopefully we'll be buying a car pretty quickly here so we can continue with our lives at a normal pace.

Hopefully I'll be back up and running with updates soon!