Stick Figures

Nolan came home from his ski trip with a worse cold than he went up the mountain with (go figure), so I'm avoiding all his mountains of Kleenex like the plague so I don't get sick before my time in Santa Barbara this weekend. I'm hitting the gym like a maniac and guzzling water and eating oranges to try and keep myself in good health. Hopefully all those aren't old wives tales like I have the sneaking suspicion they might be...

I'm also excited to try Pasion tonight with my friend Heidi. It's advertised as "Contemporary Latin Cuisine" and it looks super dark and luxe inside. Every time I rode the muni by 9th avenue, I'd see them working on this place, and it finally opened! We've been dying to try it! I'd put a link, but since it's relatively new, their website really doesn't have much on it.

I'm not even going to start a countdown of when Nolan leaves for China, because a) that is just too sad and b) creepy stalkers and molesters will see it as a countdown to when I am alone and vulnerable. On the bright side, there MAY be a friend staying with me during that time...but we're waiting to find out more there.

Ski Happy

Nolan is going away for a ski weekend with some friends and I am SO jealous...except I have grand plans that keep me counting down the hours. I'm also babysitting tonight so I mean my weekend doesn't REALLY start until 11pm tonight. Hopefully this time she won't stay awake until then, pushing around her plastic stroller and offering me a stuffed pumpkin.

Is it weird that I'm excited to drive my car tonight to their house? I haven't driven the car in about a week and it's like returning to an old (or new) friend that I love. Plus I have the Love Actually soundtrack (thanks, Ash!) in there, and I keep putting it on repeat because it makes my ears happy.

Thankful Thursday

I think time slows down as we get closer to the weekend, because naturally we want it to speed up. And like every good thing, it seems unattainable until you just push through the slowest part of your day and then FINALLY it's yours. And absolutely worth the wait. I don't even have big exciting plans this weekend, but oh the sleeping in and the slow breakfast with Nolan and coffee while we indulge in his latest tv obsession, and my morning yoga and leisurely long shower? How sweet are Saturdays.

But wait. It's only Thursday...so I guess I should be thankful that at least there's only one more day of the workweek left.

1. I'm thankful for my dentist. I had an appointment this week and not only is he super nice and friendly, but he's thorough and he even does the teethcleaning himself, so that he can really get to know my teeth, haha. Also he got the coffeestain off of my front bottom tooth, so I LOVE HIM for that/hate that coffee and wine stain your teeth.

2. I'm thankful for my new clothes. Nolan treated me to a shopping spree recently, and I've been wearing new clothes for 2 weeks now and it feels fabulous. I feel more spunky and cute when I have cute new clothes!

3. I'm thankful for the many wonderful churches in San Francisco. We tried a new one (just to check it out) this Sunday, and it was fantastic! Did I mention we saw lots of old friends there from other worlds (college and even high school!)? Random.

4. I'm thankful and proud of my tutoree, because not only has she made amazing progress in the time we've been working together, but she is choosing Harry Potter for her next book and how could I not love that? Oh yeah, and she's taking her driver's exam next week, for which we've been preparing for MONTHS. Woohoo!

5. My life. Sound exhaustive? It should, because it is. I just have such a great life, and it is nice to take a minute and just admire it and think of how wonderful it is. Even though there are always messy things and hard things, the beautiful things make it all worthwhile. Ok I know, I'm a sap.

As my yoga teacher asks in each class, "What are you grateful for?"

roll it up

I stand corrected - as I sauntered past the Sushi place and its ridiculous line today (on my way to Tuttimelon DON'T JUDGE), I glanced inside and saw that it isn't just a build-your-own sushi place, but a Sushi-Burrito place...hence the name, Sushirrito. I also read on yelp that it's not only delicious, but also expensive and a 1-hour wait in line. So there you go.

I've been getting away with walking home from work quite often and doing my yoga 3 times a week, but I realized that it probably isn't sufficient to burn off the Tuttimelon, etc. I'm going to need to kick it into higher gear if I want to look like this:

No? Not a good look for me? I promise to tone it down but the resolution to bump it up a notch stands. Mostly because I've eaten crappy lately.

sashimi

My gym is conveniently located less than a block from my work. So when I walk to yoga, I walk in and walk out. Simple. Until they built a fast-food-sushi place next door. Let me preface this by saying our neighbourhood didn't have GREAT sushi except for at the Palace, which as we should all know is ridiculously expensive. So someone took note, and put in a fast, cheap, build-your-own sushi bar RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO MY GYM. And for all I can see it must be pretty dang good because the line is coiled around the building, down the alley. For build-your-own-sushi. Seriously. So now I have to walk around, find a gap in the busy line, muscle my way through as people get jostled by the yoga mat strapped on my back, and then beat my way back out of the gym when I leave. Sushi - go somewhere else and stop assaulting my subconscious with your deliciousness!

Poll: does anyone else imagine someone's name before you find out what it really is? Scenario: you see someone in a gym class about whom you think "they look like friend material". You imagine meeting them and how awkward/cool it could possibly be. You imagine what their name most likely is. You know, lots of people say "oh, they look like a rachel" or "I can't imagine you as anything but a steve". I do this all the time. Like a little game I play with myself. And almost everytime, when I think I've got a "Stacy" or "Brittany" nailed down, it turns out to be "Maude" or "Laquesha"or something equally opposite of what I was thinking. And I think that moment of shock is what turns people away.

400

400 posts thus far in this blog...and who knows how many pathetic ones in the old blog. It seems like I measure my time in blog posts these days. And what days! Peachy weather, light workload, and long walks home. Sounds like a dream, eh? So why do I feel so exhausted when I get home? Can't you tell from my fragmented tone here?

Milo is licking the spoon to my cereal and giving me the evil eye as I threaten to get rid of it. As soon as I finish up online, I'm going to bury myself back into my latest addition to the Dumas obsession - The Black Tulip. Set in Holland, and written in Dumas' classic hilarious style, how did this one not get the same acclaim as its brothers The Three Musketeers and Count of Monte Cristo? Mankind, you are a mystery.

Thankful Thursday

Since I've already received a comment about my lack of thankfulness today (ahem), it seems I've forgotten something. Oh right. Thankful Thursday. So let me blame it on the Monday holiday confusing me, since I genuinely forgot what day of the week it was. On that note:
1. I'm thankful Monday was a holiday. Short weeks are the best.
2. In lieu of my bitter feelings towards the USPS (see post below), I'm thankful that the mail person at least delivers our mail, albeit in confusing, stupid ways. Sometimes at work the mail won't be delivered for a few days in a row and then we'll have a slew of "why haven't you sent back my form?!". Okay okay, off topic.
3. I'm thankful for personal freedoms. Call me crazy, but I'm already not looking forward to Nolan being all censored shut over in China. My aunt sent me a facebook note from China saying facebook is forbidden over there. Hah. Hurrah for VPNs. Anyway, I also learned recently that 1/3 of the pollution in Central and Northern California is floated over from China, and China has the second highest (to Cairo) level of toxins in their air. Apparently,the European Union stipulates that any reading above 40 micrograms is unsafe. The United States allows 50. In 2006, Beijing’s average level was 141. And on top of that, hundreds of thousands of deaths every year in China are caused by breathing the terrible air (by the way, I yanked most of this info from here), but the people there don't know about ANY of this because it is all censored. What a way to live. In a bubble...of both dirty information and dirty air.
4. I'm thankful for Milo. He's a dastardly little creature, but we love him. Last night I fell asleep with him at my feet instead of curled up on me, and I was woken up at 2am by him prodding me with his head, trying to get some cuddling in under my arm. Now if only he'd give up the location of his secret stash of watches, earrings, and the like.
5. I really am thankful for our apartment. Even though I gripe about certain things (ahem, laundry), it's got this fantastic extra room that has been a lifesaver. And it's close to Tuttimelon, so you know what more could you want?
6. I am thankful for my computer. It was a lovely gift a couple years ago, and when I come home from a day at the office using a Dell (@$*#!!!), it is SO nice to have something fast and reliable. And so sleek!

With that, I'm off to bed to think of all the other many things I'm grateful for in my life. Happy Friday tomorrow, folks.

sailboat in a bottle

Sometimes walking home from work can be out of the way, or freezing cold, or inconvenient because the only reason I did it was because my muni was broken down. But other times...

It's downright gorgeous, walking over the hills, enjoying the view, and exploring new neighbourhoods as I wander different routes for 3-4 miles until I get home.

When I got home today, I checked the mail (Nolan doesn't check it because he knows I love little surprises...and opening the mailbox is clearly a form of a surprise), and I saw this:

My thought was not "oh hey, our printer cartridges are here". It was more along the lines of WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE. I mean seriously. That box is wedged in there, touching either side, in such a way that I'm pretty sure the mailman pried off the front of the boxes with his fingernails, and magicked that thing in there. There is just no other way. It's like how they get those miniature sailboats into bottles. A total mystery and complete waste of 2 peoples' time (the postal service and me). I'm now sitting here watching a movie after dinner, and guess what? The package is still in the mailbox. I guess I'll have to take a machete down there and hack off the box to get to the cartridge. Maybe I'll just leave a stinkbomb or a little tin of Milo's turds in there for him tomorrow. Afterall, who doesn't love a good surprise?

the cupcake from nowhere

It's not that I'm letting myself go, it's just that I've decided that eating a banana cupcake that my boss passed over the cubicle wall to me that she got from an unknown source sounds pretty delicious right now. Plus my belt is loose so it makes me feel free.

Even though it's still cold here, the weather has been pretty delicious, as though San Francisco sees our plans to move, and says "But wait! There's more!". Nice try, SF, you minx. Speaking of which, I was craigslisting (oh yes I did just make that a verb) apartments today and you know, we could have a 2 bedroom 2 bath and a yard and new appliances and a washer/dryer and a parking space!...for less than what we pay now. For shame. You may mock these small aspirations, but you may not have lived in San Francisco.

I get a small ounce of joy from seeing the sun sparkle on my Christmas cards from last year that I have tacked onto my wall of fame.

Just enough sun through the blinds that it reminds me that the days are indeed starting to get longer.
And what of the coffee, you ask? Have you fallen back into it's fountains of latte-goodness and money-guzzling grande cups of joy? No my friends, no I have not. If that isn't a positive start to the year, I don't know what is.

Romantic Birdhouse Mailboxes

Just because I thought I'd be photo-heavy this time, here's a glimpse into our SoCal visit this past weekend. Let me start with a written description. Friday morning we slept in, and hit the road at our convenience...which was amazing. We stopped for coffee in a place much warmer than home, and continued along the 101, marvelling at how different it was from the 5. When we hit Santa Barbara, there were literally dolphins frolicking in the surf along the highway. Amazing. And the weather was absolutely gorgeous and warm. So we cruised along the 1 just for kicks, since we didn't have anywhere to be, and admired the ridiculous houses in Malibu, looked out for celebrity homes, and checked out the view. We finally checked into our hotel in Torrance (thanks, Pop!), dropped our bags, and went on a little dinner date to Red Lobster, which turned out to be a haven for the elderly. Apparently, all of SoCal was Elderly Night or something that Friday, because we were drowning in them. Our dinner was fantastic (never-ending cheddar bay biscuits, anyone?), and a glass of wine helped me relax from the stress of traffic. Ugh. We stopped back at the hotel, and settled in for the night in our big bed.
Saturday, Nolan woke up super early to hit the ER to catch some residents there that he knew, and get to know the place a little better. I woke up a little later, went to the hotel gym to get a workout in, grabbed some breakfast and a leisurely shower, then got all prettied up for an afternoon with Nolan. We drove all around Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach, walked along the beaches and the boardwalks and got to know the areas that we could potentially live in. We went out for lunch at Red Robin, then Nolan took me on a tour of basically all the tourist attractions: Hollywood sign, Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman's, Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills, Westwood (where we stopped for Diddy Riese ice cream sandwiches), and Brentwood, where we hit up the Whole Foods and ran into Jessica Alba and Cash Warren. Excellent first celebrity sighting! Then we stopped off at El Pollo Loco for dinner, because Nolan LOVES that place, went on a mini-shopping spree, and went back to the hotel to sit in the hot tub and read, and watch some tv. Most relaxing day ever.
Next day we grabbed breakfast, packed our things (we decided to head back a day early because we missed home!), and went to Downtown Disney to hang out for the morning. We played with Legos, walked around and explored shops, got some beignets in the New Orleans part, and picked out a sweater-vest for Milo in the build a bear shop. Hah. Then Nolan met up with an old friend for lunch, while I ate and read outside in the sun and just generally relaxed in Brea. Then we hit the road and drove up the 5 back home, where Ash U and Milo were still up waiting for us. Home sweet home.
Apparently he missed us/was pretending to be hungry:


My delicious lunch in the sun:


Nolan playing with legos...


Both of us with our sculpture (that's us standing on top, hah):


Downtown Disney! Sent this picture to my mom and she thought I was at Gold's Gym...?


The line we had to wait in for our Diddy Riese...

The end reward!


One of the tasty beignets from Downtown Disney:


Walking along the beach...with dolphins in the water in the background.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that it's Thursday because it means the end of this week at work...and the end of the Stair Climbing Challenge at work. Every day I was in the office (3 days this week), I avoided the elevator at all costs. And since my building is a high-rise, it was a ridiculous workout. Each flight is 23 stairs. So one day I did 102 flights, the next day I did 226 flights (!), and today I did 149 flights. Talk about buns of steel. Here's a crappy picture of the view from my floor to the basement. 22 floors up, and all you can really see is the green of the handrail. Oh well, you can take my word that it's a long way down.


To unwind a little last weekend too, Ash U and I watched a classic movie at her place, cooked dinner, and laid on the couch in our pjs...with a glass (or two) of wine, pecan bites, and a delicious Midori sour/margarita because that's the only cocktail I really know how to make.


After our night, we walked back home and played Settlers (again) with Jacob and Nolan. Ash caught this picture while Nolan was wagging his finger at us (in his robe of course) for accidentally trying to cheat. Oops. This picture pretty much sums up Nolan...and why I love him.


As for me, I'm personally feeling really great that it's Thursday. So here we go:

1. I'm thankful for sleeping in tomorrow! I've been babysitting all week, which means SUPER early mornings and no sleep.

2. I'm thankful for my boss, who is so flexible with our upcoming busy year, and lets me work from home sometimes when I need to catch up on things. So nice!

3. I'm so grateful for the timer on our coffeepot. Waking up so early is only bearable when there is coffee already freshly brewed to greet me in the mornings.

4. I'm thankful for the family I babysit for. It's a good way to earn some extra money, and it's SO NICE to be able to drive to work for the week and not worry about parking. Plus their kids are super cute.

5. I'm thankful for Tuttimelon, because a couple times this week I've needed just a little something to satisfy the sweet tooth, and I always get to take a friend with me to get some gelato here.

6. I'm thankful for my Father-in-Law, who spent the whole week with us, and was a blast to have over. He is an easy person to entertain, and just generally very easy-going. He is a wonderful Father (and Father-in-Law) and person to be around. We love him! Not to mention, his awesome rapping skills.

I used to have OCD but now I just floss regularly

I have decidedly not made any New Year's Resolutions this year, which is why I haven't mentioned any (the espresso thing is a necessity, and I didn't start on January 1 anyway). But I have definitely started some good habits, which are sticking better than I'd hoped. Like after drinking my sparkly pink mug of coffee THAT I DID NOT BUY (I brewed it at home and brought it), I immediately rinse my mouth with water, drink several gulps, floss meticulously, drink more water...

Another one is bringing lunch every day, because lunch downtown can get expensive. Even though it's so tasty. Sigh.

And yet another is trying to sleep better, by going to bed before 10, and keeping my eyes shut while I sleep by wearing my nice sleeping mask. And I look so attractive in it! Yes, I'd say the combo of my mask, my retainer, and my nappy pajamas is sure to turn Nolan's head. Just add a dash of morning breath from the old retainer, and I'm a veritable sex symbol. The mask though, is proving hard to get used to, as I generally wake up to it on the floor, or wrapped around my throat trying to strangle me quietly in the night.

Who wears sleeping masks anyway, except for maybe Tim Fullman? But then again, Tim Fullman seems the kind of guy who most likely goes to bed early and eats PBJs for lunch and flosses every day...so maybe this all makes sense afterall.

In keeping with some bad habits of last year, I'll just post a quick link for this stumble, because it quite literally had me seeing things. Be prepared. Unless, as it warns, you have epilepsy, in which case maybe you shouldn't even click on this link.

Also, my oh-so-endearing Father-in-Law sent me a short clip he found of himself (what, I thought I was the only person in the world who googles themselves) doing what he does best. Behold, the elusive John Caldwell in its natural habitat:

Thankful Thursday

I've noticed a rapid upswing of grateful people around me lately, and inspired both by my yoga teacher asking us all what we were grateful for today, as well as by a friend from college, I'm going to institute Thankful Thursdays. Why not Fridays, the end of the week? Because I often forget to blog on Fridays, in my hurry to get home to a warm robe and my glass of wine. Or I write something lame. So: Thursdays. When I'm thankful that the week is almost over. Hah. On that note:

1. I'm thankful that the week is almost over. No really, the hardest week of the year I'm pretty sure is this one, when holidays are over, the gyms are too crowded, and people are grouchy to be back in the office. Also it's cold, and I've given up espresso.

2. I'm SO thankful for Nolan. He is the best part of my life and every day I get my daily dose of laughter to keep me healthy. I guess the rumours that marriage gets old after awhile aren't true, because I'm more IN LOVE with him than I thought I could be almost 4 years ago when he picked me for his wife. How is it possible that two people can have so much fun together?

3. I'm thankful for my yoga class. It helps me relax during the work week, meet people, and genuinely feel like I'm not getting stiff and flabby as I get older.

4. I'm thankful for my awesome friends and family! I have the best group of people around me a person could wish for. And both of my families love each other, how blessed am I?!

5. I'm thankful for my job. Really and truly, I know how amazing it is to have a job you genuinely love in this crazy time.

6. I'm thankful for my relationship with God. Though admittedly a rollercoaster ride (whose spiritual walk isn't, seriously), the times I doubt are the times that make me truly appreciate His hand in my life. It's this rock that I thank for the rare SF sunshine and run to when I'm down. How did Relient K put it? "It's the beauty of grace that it makes life not fair."

I try and remember that those things I'm not so thankful for are the things I learn to not regret, because they make me who I am today. To quote my most recent favourite:
"There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is only the comparison of one state with another. Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live.....the sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words: Wait and Hope." - The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

Warmer Legs

If you were to ask me the single most important thing you need to survive in San Francisco, I'd say it depends on the season. Most of the year it's most likely money, if you want to really enjoy San Francisco. But this time of year, and for the past couple months, it's been leg warmers. I know I mentioned this last year when I was obsessed with them, but it wasn't a fad for me - a necessity! While my fingers are busily being consumed by chilblains, and I'm deciding between flipping the pages on my kindle and hiding my hands under my thighs to keep them warm, my legs and feet are happy because I have my nice furry leg warmers to keep them warm. And I mean constant companions, because not only do I wear them to bed, but also to work, and under my gym pants at yoga. They are the first thing I put on after a shower, and the only thing I don't take off when I change in the mornings. I figure, as long as I keep washing them, no harm in wearing them all the time! So just in case you're the girl next to me on the muni and you're wondering why my skinny jeans make it look like my calves could sustain a planet of their own, fear not: it's just the leg warmers.

Year of the De-espresso'ed

Happy New Year, bloglings! I thought I'd grace you with my presence since, you know, it's been 2 weeks. But! I had a fantastic holiday vacation, and am ready to change the world again.

Or at least start the same vicious cycle again. Man, I miss the school days when I had a summer and was actually able to tell what time of year it was.

I had my first day back at yoga in 2 weeks today, and it was sweaty and hot, PACKED with people who are starting new years' resolutions, and since I was 20 seconds late, I was jammed in the back row amongst the pregnant ones who grunt and sweat like nobody's business. At least, that's what it felt like since I had to squeeze in between their mats while their pregnant bloated arms were thwacking me in the face. If you're reading this and this description fits you, I'm sorry but it's true. Also, we did a new breathing thing at the end of class, where while we're cooling down, we take deeper breaths and hold it to increase our lung capacity (I think I catch a fresh whiff of BS right there), and then we blow it out loudly for WHO KNOWS WHAT PURPOSE. Anyway, someone in there wasn't just exhaling gently, but exhaling like freaking Jabba the Hut. Like, instead of a nice strong "HHHHHHHH" it was more of a "HHHHHHGGGGGGUUUUNGHHHHAAAAA!". It was distracting.

Anyway, so Christmas happened. Here is one of my favourite pics from it, the night after Christmas and we opened our poppers and got little gifties and crowns.


And my mom burnt her wrist TERRIBLY on the turkey last week, so she had to bandage up, and guess whose employer did the job? Huzzah.


Also we finally cracked open my dad's bottle of peruvian wine that we brought him, and as it turns out, it may not even be wine...as you can see. It's green, and horrible. And tastes like melon juice, apparently. Oops.


After everyone left, Nolan and I slept in the big comfy guest bed, and took Milo and my parent's dog Daisy with us. Daisy was just so thrilled to be an indoor dog at last, that she was up in everyone's business. Milo had to adjust.


And I have to publicly say that I've again given up espresso drinks. Because if I say it out loud then I'm too embarrassed not to follow it.