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.