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Saturday, April 12th, 2008
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8:13 pm
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So I can't decide what to watch right now: My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Super Troopers. I love the Broken Lizard dudes, but then again I'm always in the mood for a feel good sappy love story. Oh what to do? Blog for sure. I'm in the mood.
I worked today. Linda asked me if I would work the day instead of my evening so I said sure. I hate giving up my Saturday nights. If I close, it's a money maker. And if I don't close I get off at decent hour and enjoy myself. I gave it up, kind of begrudgingly. And then, I totally kicked ass. Yeehaw. I'm going to have to give a shout out to loaded real estate people who like to buy rounds for everyone and then tip enough to pay my utilities for the next couple of months. Gracias. And now I'm home eating pizza and watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I think the sappy love story won out. Why do I do this? Despite recent events I'll always be a sappy girl. It could also be the PMS.
One vacation down, one to go! And Gawd, the "adult" vacation was awesome. It was a perfect beginning of the week vacation complete with my special lady friends, shopping, San Francisco, lots of libations, great food, and a very "real" boobies at the Ani D. show. Lots happend. Maybe I should record the highlights in snippets:
-Olindas Restruant and Bar on the 152 in Los Banos serves up $3.50 shots of Patron and Bushmills. The owner was pouring. Somehow I think he might be unaware of how much is liquor is costing him. Olindas is Peruvian. It didn't look fancy but the special board in the foyer looked awesome. Peruvian food...in Los Banos? I'm going to have to eat there someday. And before I go on, thanks to DeeDee, our super sober driver. She rocks.
-Betelnut was yummy. But not as yummy as it could have been. It was kind of a glorified PF Changs, but then again, even though it's just a fancy chain , I love PF Changs. Yum. On night number 2 we ate at Osha, this awesome Thai place across the street from Betelnut. Non-descript from the outside, very posh and hip on the inside. And the food...perfecto. Except for the duckrolls. I almost forgot about those. They were wrapped in tortillas. At a thai place? Other than that, everything was awesome. Silver noodle salad, braised short ribs, Sea Bass in a hot pot, Pad Thai, and Lemon Grass Beef. It was all flavorful with just enough spice to make you sweat only a little but not to turn your nose into a leaky faucet. This weekend we had major food foreplay all weekend long.
-We stayed at the Chealsea Motorlodge in Cow Hollow. For years I've been all about staying at boutique hotels. They're so charming and unique, right? Well, they are. But they can also be cramped and minimal. I've also found that boutique also means "crappy hotel done over to attract young hipsters". This time we stayed a hotel right around the Marina District. It was comfortable and our room was conveniently located near to the ice machine.
- My special lady friends are the best! Being the rockstars they are, they were in the city only two weeks before to see the Black Crows. They put me to shame: I crashed out both nights by 2. My heartburn and chronic tummy issues kept me from drinking too much, so both mornings I was bright eyed and bushy tailed while they did what people on vacation do - sleep in until noon. Morning time was good for me. I walked around and explored. I had eggs benedict in the window of a quaint little cafe and bought $100 worth of politically correct bath products. Next time I'm going to take full advantage of my sleeping beauties and go to a spa. God bless San Francisco.
-Ani was amazing as always. I've seen her before. Everytime I go it's a whole different experience. As she grows, so does her music, and then so do I. At one point this cute little thing all tatted up like the hipster she was with her hair up in two little pom poms bounds over to me, hugs me and wishes me a "happy Ani". Um thanks. I went along with it. She was cute and I'm sure I was probably like that at one point as well. The highlight of the show was when Animal Prufrock came out on stage and rocked with Ani to Shameless. It was a very raw moment. She danced like the madwoman that she is spoke the song with her very presence on the stage. I'm just going to say this. Butch boobies. That moment made me proud to be a female and to be in the body that I have.
-Ani played at the Fillmore. That place was incredible. So full of history. I'm so going back the next time somebody that I 'need' to see plays.
- One more thing about our trip. We went on the days that the torch was passing through San Francisco. And what a ruckus it was. However, that's the beauty of our country. We are free to express ourselves without the fear of being kidnapped and imprisoned. We are also free to worship who we want to worship. I feel terribly for the Tibeten people. And what about those in Dafur? What the hell are WE doing about it?
- Thanks to my homegirls. You ladies are amazing. Thanks for reminding me what it's like to vacation and to take advantage of the good things in life. I know you read this so it's out there. You girls hold a very special place in my heart.
Next week it's the family vacation in Monterey. And I'm equally excited, if not more about that one. Me, Sophia, and my Mom will be staying at the Sea Breeze Inn at Pacific Grove for two whole nights so that we can visit the Aquarium in Monterey on the second day and then maybe pop over to Carmel before we head home. I'm looking forward to showing Sophia the ocean. She went when she was a year old for a night for the 4th of July. It was a little crazy. Let's just say at one point (somewhere around 2 in the morning) Tomas put her in the car and drove her down the 101 until she passed out. It kind of scared us from the family vacations for awhile. However now, I'm ready again and I think she'll be just fine.
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| Tuesday, March 25th, 2008
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2:53 pm
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Yesterday.
I worked as I do every Monday. I even went in early because we had a party of 75 and I didn’t want to get caught up in trying to inventory and pour drinks at the same time. No such thing though. It was the reception for a funeral and the back dining room smelled of a retirement home. They weren’t drinkers AT ALL. The servers made $179 from the party, I made $4. Whatever. So I caught up on cleaning jobs, ordering booze and stocking glasses. However what I didn’t make in tips I made up for in conversation since that’s usually what takes place at a bar.
Every two or three weeks there are these cousins that will come in for a couple of beers afterwork. Basically they’re just there to shoot the shit for one or two beers and then they head home. A couple of times Al (who’s maybe in his mid 50’s) has brought his wife and son with him. They all sit at the bar, not very long, but they have a good time. They laugh, the wife gets annoyed, but she likes it and the son just hangs. When Al first introduced his family he was very matter of fact about his son. He says to me, "He’s had an accident. He’s not normal. He’s cool though". Just watching him, he seemed to have the mind of a child. I wondered what happend.
Until yesterday.
Al and his cousin, Moses come in. They’re on their second round and I’m on my way out and I ask about his family. I can’t even remember how we got on the subject of his son. But he tells me. I think we got on the subject because his son and I are the same age. His kid was very smart, graduating high school at 15. He went on to work at Save Mart and to get married. And then one day shortly after he was married he caught his wife cheating on him with his best friend. He hung himself. Al found him and he was still alive, but the damage had been done. And now Al and his wife take care of him. They had him in a home but they couldn’t trust the people there so now he’s with them. Al cried and I cried. He said he hadn’t really cried about it at all. It was such a powerful experience, being allowed to know how much he loves his family. My heart was so sad for Al an his wife. I thought about how much I love Sophia.
Today.
I went to the gym! And I did a total workout...minus the sit-ups. I power-walked, I squated, I lunged, I pressed and I lifted. I’m going to feel it tomorrow for sure. I love the way exercise makes me feel when I’m doing it consistently. I’m proud of myself today!
After the gym Sophia and I met Arden and Owen in the park. Sophia just loved Owen. It was cool to see her want to help. She kept saying,"How cuuuute!" I can’t believe how much she talks now - like full on compound sentences! She’s napping now, hopefully for another hour and then we’ll go to gymnastics.
Tonight.
Dinner with the foodies! Well I wouldn’t really call us foodies more like people who like to eat, but it’s me, Rena, Mary, and Jason and then other people if they want to come. We all work(ed) together and want to go and have someone serve us. We usually like to try new places. Last time it was Marsol. Tonight, it’s the Daily Grill. Yummo and I like my friends.
In Two Weeks.
I’m going to see Ani DiFranco at the Filmore with the ladies. So excited.
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| Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
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1:38 am
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Tonight when I came on to my shift all my regulars did the wave and then applauded as I put my stuff away. What a great way to start a shift!
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| Thursday, February 28th, 2008
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2:23 pm - Attack of the Rabid Mothers or My Day At the Park
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Oh my Gawd. I was at the park with Sophia today and experienced a couple of situations that made me realize how different perfect strangers can be from me. I take my kiddo to the park on beautiful days like this so that she can play in the sandbox barefoot. She loves the way the sand feels between her toes. Don't we all? (I'm thinking of taking her to the ocean when me and my mom go for that very reason). Anyway being the only child that she is, she's having a difficult time grasping the concept of sharing. So every time we go to the sandbox I tell her that she has to let other's play with her things when she's not playing with them. They can even play together. Sometimes she's for it and sometimes she's absolutly not into it. Most of the time all the other parents in the vicinity chime in saying they relate and then it starts a conversation. Those are the good days. And then there are days like today. Sophia and I had just left the sandbox. She left her toys behind as that is our first stop and she's got the rest of the park to enjoy. We were over by the waterfall (which is currently dry) and I hear and see this older lady saying, "excuse me, excuse me! Give me that back right now!" and she grabs a bucket out of this little boy's hand. He was a little taken aback but more than less unfazed by the whole situation. Some other Mom walks over and hands him a toy and then everyone has to explain to their toddlers who just witnessed this display why some people just don't want to share. She did more than just talk to a child, she overreacted just a bit and set a buzz of gossip over the park...
Which brings me to the second experience. A bit after the non sharing crazy lady, I overheard these two moms as I was passing them, laughing about the situation as they watched their boys by the basketball courts. Apparently the crazy lady's grandkids had left their toys and weren't playing with them at all and she didn't want anyone else playing with them either I guess. The ladies laughing about the situation were funny. They seemed to be the moms at the park I would most likely connect with...then again, maybe not. I had followed Sophia down to the basketball courts to watch her try to roll down the hill like Superwoman. The two little boys were throwing their snacks all over the ground and then one of them just tosses his baggie on the ground. He couldn't of been more than 6 or 7 years old. I say, "I saw that". He says "So". And then it goes on like this, with me saying -
Maybe you should pick that up.
No.
Your Mother's right over there.
So.
Do you need me to tell her?
Yes.
At that point his mom comes over (the one I thought I could connect with) and asks if there's a problem. I tell her and she just looks at him and lets him run away. She turns to me and says that she was planning on cleaning up after her kids so no worries. And she turns around in huff and walks away. I think she got defensive...like I was being critical of her parenting skills. I just couldn't look away when he littered like that. That's the very thing that I get Sophia to not do. Anyway, today my lesson was...Do not attempt to parent other people's children.
I need to find a playgroup...or go back to the gym.
x-posted to myspace.
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| Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
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10:20 pm
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Holy fricken moly, Kimya Dawson is coming to the San Joaquin! Howie and Sons in Visalia, April 28th. How can we get her to come to Fresno? Help me out music people!
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| Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
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9:35 am - just a quick one
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| Saturday, January 26th, 2008
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1:16 pm
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Damn I feel good! I think I had food poisoning yesterday...like the worst ever. I went for my normal once a week fix of pho before picking up my kiddo and within an hour of bringing her home I was worshiping the porcelain godess...for hours. Sophia knew what to do. She kept screaming, "bucket, bucket!" every time I went to puke. That's my kiddo!
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| Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
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10:19 am
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My posts have been sooooo negative lately. Yucko! There's no denying that things have truly sucked, but I can't be this poopy forever. My friend Devoya has a really cool blog on myspace. With the positives there come the negatives. And it's ok. Things suck and it's ok to talk about them but in her blogs, she counters the negative with more positve. So...
things to be happy about today:
- the gym
- feeding the ducks with Sophia
- Sophia's nap
- dinner with Sabrina and Keil.
- cleaning my room
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| Wednesday, November 21st, 2007
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6:08 pm
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dear invisible people of the internet, i need a fucking break.
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(comment on this)
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| Monday, November 5th, 2007
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8:50 pm - bye bye books
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Ok, I know I spoke of this months ago, but tonight I'm tackling it for real. I'm going to thin out my books so that my shelves don't look like a dumping ground for old text books. How do I decide what goes in my cannon? Help me out?
So I'm going to also have to tackle this computer desk area. It's rediculous with clutter. Where do you store your DVDs?
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| Monday, August 27th, 2007
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12:49 am
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| Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
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10:39 pm - Half Dome
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July 16 (Half of this was typed yesterday. Photobucket went down in the middle of posting so here's the finished product.
I didn't do it!!!! But I still feel great because I hiked 16 loooong miles yesterday. Training paid off too - I kept a slow steady pace to the base of the steps before the dome. We stopped here and there, but never for longer than 15 minutes. I never got to the point physically where I felt like I couldn't do it anymore. But when I got to those steps - actually I think it began when I saw the Dome for the first time, I had a mini panic attack. What if I fell? Who would be Sophia's mommy? That's what I was scared of the most...
Here's my story in pictures:
.. </a>">
Allyssa, Bruk, Julie, and Alan. We started out at 8:15. The others were ahead of us by 30 minutes...blasted parking! I was bummed we didn't start out as a group, but in the end, it all worked out.
.. </a>">
Bruk dunks his head at the top of Vernal Falls.
.. </a>">
Alan and Julie (feeling ubercool) at the top of Vernal Falls
.. </a>">
I think rounding the corner and seeing this is when I first started feeling like I didn't want to do this anymore. I'm going to climb that???
.. </a>">
Nevada falls, 4 miles into the hike. So beautiful!
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Lunch time. Top of Nevada Falls. I make phone calls to report that we lost Allyssa somewhere along the way. Turns out she took the Muir trail to the top...Yay Allyssa!
.. </a>">
This is where Julie and I split. She's beginning her ascent up the steps to the cables. I'm taking the picture sitting down, deciding that I'm ok with not going to the top.
You're kidding me! I'm right here, in the middle of my post and photobucket goes down. Just a few more at this point...like my incredibly dirty feet.
Alright - fast forward, gotta finish this thing.
Here's what my legs looked like when I was done...
.. </a>">
And yes, they were clean shaven when I started.
.. </a>">
So this is what I sat staring at while the others were on their way to the top. That's just high! And now, two days later, I regret it. Of course I do! Then on the other hand it was just so freaking high! I should have done it. Physically I was fine. It was no breeze and am I sore now, but the cardio part wasn't an issue. At times when I was hiking I felt like I was getting into a zen sort of meditation. It was good...
.. </a>">
Keith and Melissa, on our way down.
But not before Jeremy and Julie take time to smell the trees. I had no idea that Ponderosa Pine smells like butterscotch.
.. </a>">
Hey look, it's Julie again! I just realized that I have no pictures of me in the group. But I was there, my aching behind says so. This is Julie, elated that we're back in civilization and she can have her Non-fat, Sugar-free, Cinnamon Dolce Grande Latte. I'm drinking a Non-Fat Iced Rasberry Mocha myself. Tasty. Everyone else went for Pizza and Beer in Curry Village. Julie and I hobled back to the car for Pizza and Newcastle at home. It was soooo good.
Here's Julie...
.. </a>">
What a great weekend. I met my physical goal. Even if it wasn't to the top, I still hiked 16 miles in one day. I feel like I want to run a marathon...but I'll start out with the 5K first.
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| Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007
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9:23 pm - Great for a glossy coat!
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Or something to the extent of that. I packed for this weekend kind of on the fly. When it comes right down to it, I just sort of didn't make packing a priority. So naturally I wind up forgetting some of my basic toiletries - shampoo and conditioner. I need that stuff. But here I think, I'll be fine, I'm sure there's a supply in the shower. Anyhoo, there was. It was more like an arsenal. So fine, these boys won't mind, I picked one and lathered up real good. As I'm lathering I'm noticing that clean smelling just washed doggy smell. So I pick up the bottle and the last bullet on the label says - "Garantees a glossy coat". Dang it. Needless to say, my hair was stunningly soft all day. I received compliments.
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2:33 pm - where do they put thier stuff?
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This weekend was awesome! Last time I went out of town was December - to my girlfriend's wedding for a night in Half Moon Bay. That was only one night though and I left at daybreak to come home to Sophia before I had to be at work. So now, 5 months later I piled into Shell's brand new Saturn SUV with the ladies to see the Indigo Girls at Long Beach Gay Pride. The Indigo Girls were great. They hit every song I wanted to hear. During the encore I said to Cynthia that all I needed to hear was Gallileo and bam! It was their final song. Perfection.
OOOO, and then there were our accomodations. We stayed with Scott and Tim, friends of the girls. I was a little nervous when Cynthia was telling me that it was a studio loft and that you had to use a ladder to get into the guest bed. But when we arrived she had failed to mention that it was a 1700 sq ft loft decorated and designed to entertain the masses. The place looked like a showroom. In fact, the guys had submitted pictures of thier home to be used in photo shoots or things in media. Neato huh? Here's the thing. Where do they put their stuff? Everything seems to just have a place. How is it that everything at my place seems to be busting out at the seems? For me and Linda, that was the question of the weekend. Where do they put thier stuff?
This was a great weekend. Scott and Tim were awesome hosts. Thank God for girlfriends.
On to being healthy. I really did try behave myself this weekend. We did a heck of alot of walking, but when it was time to eat, I ate very well. I went back to the gym today to meet with Mark, but he's had to take some time away for a family emergency. I decided to plug away and was on the treadmill warming up for my circuit. 25 minutes into it Sophia poops and I have to go change her. I never made it back because once she sees me, she thinks we're going. Maybe I'll go for a walk this evening.
Sophia's sleeping so maybe I should be showering right now. More later.
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| Tuesday, April 10th, 2007
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1:36 pm
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I guess you can say that I've dropped the proverbial blog ball, yes? Either March 26 or April 2 there was an article in the Fresno Bee about how people are becoming more and more narcissistic today because of the fact that we tend to write publicly about personal things that used to be left private. I do that. For years I physically wrote in a journal, but when I started a blog on LJ, I stopped. I still have my private entries, but more often than not they are public. Does that make me narcissistic or self centered? I hope not. I can't stand people like that.
So why do I blog?
-It's become a valid way to keep in touch.
-I like the accountability. (WW, Half Dome)
-I've found virtual peer groups.
-It's a great time to vent.
-Memories.
I really should be cleaning the living room right now. It's bad. Really bad. But I need to catch up here before I get into the shower.
Half Dome is coming along. It's been over a month now since I made my commitment and I'm still in the running! Tomorrow in addition to working out in the AM I'm going to go and powerwalk Woodward with Susan and Meagan. Any takers?
WW is working! Slowly but surely the weight is coming off. I'm down 8 pounds in a little over a month. It would probably go quicker if I didn't eat more than one WW dessert in a sitting. Still working on that will power.
Sophia's napping right now. It's a little windy, but I think we'll go and feed the ducks later this afternoon.
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| Saturday, March 10th, 2007
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11:47 am
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Today is a new day. I'm still so excited about Half Dome. This morning at WW my leader brought a picture of herself when she made it to the top 2 years ago. I want that to be me this summer! I talked to her afterward about what she had done to train. She said it was about 6 months of stairs, walking, day hikes, and weight lifting. I need to map this out. Yesterday I went to the gym after I dropped Sophia off at her grandma's. The stairmaster is so itimadating, but I guess that's going to be my first step right? Does anybody have any training websites that I can refer to?
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| Friday, March 9th, 2007
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11:42 am - Half-Dome or bust!
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So I got this idea into my head yesterday. It came to me after I was looking at this girl's before and after pics on line. She posts a before in which she is really big. She posts during, in which she is hiking. She's still big but she looks happy cause she knows she's losing. And then she has an after, 100+ pounds lighter. She looks so happy and sure of herself. I found it very inspiring. The hiking picture made me think of the time in my life that hiking was an everyday thing. I used to live in the mountains and did it quite alot. Everyday walking was a hike! I miss that person. So here's my idea: I want to hike Half Dome in Yosemite this summer. I need another goal than just getting into my skinny clothes again. I've done the Half Dome hike many times but have only made it to the top a couple of time. One time I went half way up those cables and froze. I wouldn't go the rest of the way! I've stood at the bottom of couple of times too. Absolutly paralyzed with fear. And then I remember when I finally did it. I was so excited I did it the very next week after that! And then I vowed to do it every summer for the rest of my life. That was 10 years ago and that was the last time I did it. I need to feel that good about myself again. I think that weight is too much into the forefront for me and that I should just concentrate on making myself healthy again. This is going to be a challenge for me. I want to do it with other people for the accoutability factor. So via bulliten I've invited all the people on my Friends page to do it with me. Once I have this all mapped out, by Sunday, I'll post what I'm going to do to train. I'm also going to try and organize a few day hikes, maybe one a month until July when I want to hike it.
So come on, do it with me. Let's call it something! Let's make tee shirts. I'm excited about this!
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| Thursday, March 8th, 2007
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1:01 pm - Please tell me if this is harebrained.
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I've been feeling quite motivated lately. Not to post, but to move more. The gym has become part of daily routine again and I've been more faithful than not to WW. I need another goal other than getting back into my skinny clothes. I guess something that's a little more health different, both mental and physical. So here it is: I want to climb Half Dome this summer. I've done it a few times before, and everytime it's been challange. I've been on the hike many times before but have only made it to the top like 2 or 3 times. I've made it to the bottem and not gone up a couple of times. I remember the last time I did it vowing to go up at least once a summer. I believe that was like 11 or 12 years ago. I need to do this again. I'm not in the same shape I was 10 years ago. This is going to take some work. And I really don't want to do it alone either so I'm going to ask everyone and make it some sort of challange to prepare for it. I think I'm even going to put it up on Myspace. What do you all think? I'll start here first. Anyone in?
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| Wednesday, January 17th, 2007
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11:30 am - let me flatter you
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This one was brought to me by ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) thecranewife:
Reply to this post, and I'll tell you at least one reason why I like you. Then put this in your own journal, and spread the love.
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| Monday, December 11th, 2006
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12:02 am - My Xmas Stocking
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