Hairy Potter

This must be some kind of new record, but I officially finished my Christmas shopping yesterday! Amazing! And not even December! And our Christmas cards are on the way, along with our annual mug...here's a little preview of our picture for this year:

Pretty, eh? It's once again all thanks to ylehsa and her photo-editing skillz that we don't look like shiny-faced boobs.

Also, our building finally decorated the lobby per tradition this season, and they usually pick really classy arrangements for the elevator hallway...but this year? They apparently decided that "sparkly human hair" was an awesome theme:

For awhile I thought I was the only one who was thinking this, but I heard someone get into the elevator behind me and whisper to their colleague "...s'like golden locks of Marge Simpson", so I guess not.

Any of you who blasphemous fools who haven't seen the latest Harry Potter installment need to go do it. It's good. Ignore the reviews and just sit back and sip your Coke, dip your fist into that greasy bucket o' buttered popcorn, and enjoy.
I would post Thanksgiving pics, but seeing as how I didn't take any myself...Anna/John: consider this your cue to send me Thanksgiving pics :

rumbly in my tumbly

One of my coworkers was out of the office today, so he let me poach his ergonomic ball to perch on...since I've been jealously eyeing it for awhile and thinking it looked like fun. The truth: yes and no. Yes because it's easier to dance to pandora when you can bounce in place. Also stretching on it is nice. No because it made me feel slightly nauseous, and I can't figure out why.


I also decorated my cube today with some Christmas goodies, while burning a handful of Christmas music from my other coworker onto my computer. Although it looks small and pathetic in comparison to my feelings around the holiday, remember it is still mid-November, so more is yet to come. Besides, I have to remain somewhat professional, oui?


feeling: happy + nauseous

feeling: lemony

Just as I am about to get my new yoga mat (thanks, ylehsa!), I was stretching before class today, and the instructor stooped and felt my mat and asked if I was getting a new one soon, and why there were huge chunks missing in mine. Obviously Milo's made an impression (as I pick a short white hair off of my artichoke this moment) wherever I go. So I told her I was getting one soon, and she brought over a nice bouncy lululemon one, and after I gave her a thumbs-up, she gave it to me! Because someone apparently had other things on their mind during class (shame shame!) and left it there several months ago. So now I have it, and immediately raced back to the office after class and scrawled my last name on the back of it with a Sharpie.

Dining: artichoke and coca tea
Reading: Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Watching: Outsourced
Thinking: about Nolan coming home to me in 26 hours.

reindeers on roses and whispers on kittens

In light of the holiday season FAST approaching, I took the opportunity of Nolan being away, and attacked the apartment with Ash U last night, with lights, ornaments, and random christmas janglies. Our home is now a delightful Christmas extravaganza, and I don't even care.
Milo got into the spirit too, donning his costume for this year, as last year's Santa costume is boring him:

Needless to say, he doesn't look pleased. Maybe I'll just stick him in the beanie I got him instead.

Cyborgs? I suspect Milo is one already.

Just when you thought technology couldn't advance any further, it pushes the limit again. Today I came across this, which seems to be proof that we are all going to be replaced by cyborgs (basically, robots that think for themselves). I mean, they've done it with rats, why not us?


A little further proof that we're becoming literally branded with our own technology. A little clunky, but hey:

I've stumbled

A few times, I've stumbled upon (hah!) stumbleupon.com, which truly is a magnificent weapon against boredom/a surefire way to learn random trivia for those Monday night trivia pub nights. So I thought I'd start posting a couple of my favourites every day. Today's so far have been:
Simple ideas that are borderline genius
and
the vertical bed.

These are all things that I want, which is maybe why I liked them...but also I didn't feel like being a ridiculous cat lady and posting all the cutesy pictures of cats I stumbled upon. Which is to say, hundreds.

A client today sent me a 1lb box of Sees...which is great, except that I'm trying to eat BETTER, not worse. Also anything sugary is my Kryptonite. I can't bring it home, because then Nolan will whine at me for tempting him. As it is, he begs me to make chocolate chip cookies, says he'll die without them, so I bake delicious tender ones, and then he says to take them away from him RIGHT NOW. I'm not a cookie person, so I get rid of them, and then...
This is the circle of life, you see?
We tend to go from this:

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To this:

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It disturbs me to think that I'll see these never-ending images on my blog for all eternity.

Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra raaaaa

You guys: this weather is jerking me around. First it's hot, then it's cold. Then it's windy, omg so windy that my ponytail is flying around on its own broomstick and sticking to my chapstick. Then it's calm and warm...ish. And then BOOM right in the middle of that it rains. Which may not surprise anybody who knows warm + clouds usually signifies rain. But it wasn't really cloudy! And I got a cold coffee, so NO FAIR. However, I had been putting this off because my mind and my frolicking heart were warring over it, and this weather change pushed me over the edge:

I had a little party at my desk where I hosted the tree-lighting ceremony, officiated by me, and attended by me. Then I threw a piece of confetti in the air and popped open a pack of chocolate whoppers. Whew.

Toms Moroccan TV

This weekend, ylehsa came to visit, and we spent a whole weekend laying about, drinking far too much coffee, and shopping around downtown. We also saw a fearsome creature we dubbed an incarnation of the chupacabra, but I'll write about that later once she scans her sketch of it. Crazed yellow eyes, I tell you!

While shopping, I finally picked up a pair of TOMS, which I've been ogling forever but haven't found in person, and was too nervous to order them online due to my tiny feet. So I slipped a pair on, and decided on these:

LOVE. Now I'm just trying to talk Nolan into a pair (albeit a more manly pattern).

Also, I think fate decided that while we're spending money, that it's high time our television broke. So...we saw the dreaded stripe and blue screen of death on our TV, and Nolan decided to immediately go buy one. Granted, it was going to be his graduation present, but what's 6 months early? So we decided on this one:

Which is a nice change from our very old one, that randomly spouted streams of numbers across the middle of the screen during movies. Sigh.

Milo also got some new things this weekend, like a new bed (because he, erm, had an accident in his old one), and a new carrier for long roadtrips. He is really well-behaved in the car, don't get me wrong. It's more that he gets motion-sickness. And he can't do anything about it. And no matter how I try, I can't aim that spew into a bag. So, we don't really want to sully our new car with that, or I'd possibly toss Milo out the car window while driving (just kidding, PETA!). Lo and behold, I took the cagey front off the carrier, loaded it with plush blankets and tossed some treats in there, and he's been totally ignoring his plush new bed in favour of napping in his carrier. Who knew. As long as he stays that way and doesn't brace his feet against the doors to avoid going in, our trip to Oregon for Thanksgiving is going to be smooth sailing!

Don't rain on my parade

Yesterday was the Giants' victory parade through downtown SF, and I think "exciting" would be the most understated way to say it. There was incredible noise, mess, and human bodies everywhere, and every time the crowd rallied while I was sitting at my desk, I kept thinking, "this motha's goin' down!" Not really. But kind of.

I've also never been a part of a ticker tape parade, so watching it from the 18th floor behind thick glass safely away from it all was pretty awesome.

Here's a close-up I stole from the SacBee:


After work, my department went out for cocktails and appetizers, and it was maybe the priciest drink place in the neighbourhood. Oh no big deal, this wine bottle's only $15,000.


I'd like to say my house was sparkling clean when I got back and Milo had a bow on his head and there was cider and a bath waiting for me, but alas my butler still only exists in my head, so I came home to Milo tearing up his favourite rug, the garbage can overflowing, and this on the stove:

...which seems to be evidence of two things:
1. Nolan needs to pay attention to his pasta (and eggs for that matter - I wish I had a dollar every time he exploded one).
2. My mother-in-law's wise choice of pots and pans to get us. At least this pasta-shell just peels right off!

Halloween, Giants, and Top 100, oh my!

I feel like it would be a gross misrepresentation of my fan-ship to write all about the Giants on here and the World Series, and seeing as how everyone's heard it all on Facebook already, I'll just sum it up by saying YESSSSSSSSSSSS! and also that this city is STILL going nuts. Hopefully I can step out for the ticker tape parade tomorrow to celebrate. Hopefully nobody gets trampled by maniacal fans. Hopefully this means I can stop wearing orange and black. Even my beloved Boudins got in the spirit (but dually for Halloween AND the Giants!):

...my coworker left this on my chair last Friday. Apparently he snagged it from a kindergarten classroom (I'm not even joking!):


Also it's high time I posted my Halloween pics, so here they are! Obviously Brystal was the meat-dress Lady Gaga (check out those shoes!!!) and I was a lesser, poorer version of Poker Face Lady Gaga (I'll put the real version below for reference). Halfway through the night I realized I could just take off the do-rag and I'd be good to go as Sandy from the end of Grease. Booyah, dual use.


Here's the reference, of what I was going for:


And Ash U went as a Sham-Wow, which was basically the most clever costume ever, that she invented about 1 hour before we took these. Amazing! So we thought we'd take an action shot of Brystal using her new sham-wow on our dusty chairs.

I have to add, that Nolan went as a shadow, and made a darn good one...except we didn't get any pictures. Not that it would have shown anything in the dark anyway, since he was basically invisible! But oh well, he enjoyed making people feel awkward and nervous, so that's all that matters.

And another announcement: the starbucks holiday cups are in, and cuter this year! This makes me feel like Christmas all over again, so watch out Bing, here I come.


Yesterday, Nolan and I tried another item from the Top 100 list:
#49 - Ginger snaps from MietteThese little guys are SUPER SPICY, like a chunk of ginger just exploded in your mouth. But they're also buttery and delicious and crisp, and make me feel like decorating my house with fake snow and icing icicles and gumdrops on the walkway...or wait, that was my gingerbread house last year.