P & P & B

For Sar's birthday yesterday, we played a little Pride and Prejudice (BBC version) drinking game. We were drinking just beer and alcoholic lemonade, not the hard stuff, so we didn't get inebriated at all, but it was a good time nevertheless. I think it could be adapted so more drinking could be involved (it is a 5 hour production, after all), but here's what we started with.

Take a drink when:

1. Lydia rolls her eyes
2. Lady deBourgh theme plays
3. Lizzy says "insufferable"
4. Collins puts his hands to his lips
5. Miss Bingley insults Lizzy
6. Mr. Hurst is passed out
7. Mr. Lucas says "Capital"
8. Mrs. Bennet says "Oh Mr. Bennet!"
9. Any reference to annual income
10. Bingley disagrees with Darcy
11. Darcy rides a white horse
12. Someone takes a turn
13. Any of the Bennets performs
14. Mary says something sour
15. Dogs

Also, when you see the floating head, chug!

Add in visits to Bed Bath and Beyond and Michael's, some Indian food, and you have a rollicking good birthday celebration!

Birthday girl!

In honor of a certain birthday, here are 28 things I love about Sar.

1. She loves the penguin from The Chipmunk Adventure as much as I do.
2. She can turn a simple errand to buy tire chains into a hilarious adventure.
3. She shares my sentiments regarding Mr. Ferrars, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Rochester, and all the other misters.
4. She knows how to say no.
5. She likes to act like a stupid teenager, too.

6. She once vandalized a sign that supported a ban on gay marriage.
7. She is the best gift wrapper ever.
8. How could I not love my fellow Edgewick creator? To say nothing of Marissa and her ghostly drums...
9. She never says "I told you so."
10. She is a very funny drunk. (Note: not actually drunk in picture.)

11. She once dressed up for Halloween as a bellhop.
12. She painted "On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." on her bedroom wall.
13. She has an enviable ability to focus.
14. She once developed an entire dance sequence to We Didn't Start the Fire. (She had help.)
15. She is willing to pose for many an arms-length photo.

16. She flew with me to Austin, for a weekend, to be a dorky fan.
17. Her all too familiar pale gams.
18. Cornelius, Humphrey, and everyone else we've been over the years.
19. She rocks at Apples to Apples.
20. She gives good "Bitch, please" face.

21. She's loyal.
22. If you ever need a duet partner for a Eurythmics tune, she's your gal.
23. She made a fabulous Christine Daaé.
24. She can decorate a mean Christmas cookie.
25. She can bust a move.

26. She is a constitution expert.
27. She never stops searching for what will make her happy.
28. Without a doubt, she's gotten wiser, nicer, funnier, and finer with age.

Love you, sissy!

Game on

Tonight Josh and I got invited to go with a couple of his friends to a pre-season 49ers game. I'd never been to a football game in person, other than the game I went to in Paris a few months ago, and we figured, why not? So we schlepped through post-work traffic to Candlestick.

It was fun, but COLD. It was hot down in PA, so I didn't bring too many layers, because I could barely bear to put on close-toed shoes in my apartment. That was ill-advised, since at the game in my three layers I was still so freaking cold that I couldn't focus on the game until Josh's friends kindly lent me their blanket. Then I managed to pay attention and kinda enjoy the game.

In general, sports are more fun in person. Hockey is super-fun in person; basketball an absolute fave. But football I actually find more engaging as an at-home spectator because there's so much more in the details. It's hard to grasp all that on the larger scale playing field, even though our seats gave us a great vantage point of the entire field.

At any rate, once I warmed up, I had a darn good time and it was nice to try something different. I'm not sure I'll be painting my face red and gold anytime soon though. ;)

Sky rockets in flight

An unexpected delight tonight -- Josh and I heard popping noises and poked our heads out the window to see a big fireworks display over at Stanford. It was their first football game of the season, and they won, so merriment was exhibited. It's been ages since I watched fireworks, and we were just the right distance from them, so I enjoyed seeing them. There were the sparklers, and the happy faces, and all the bright colors with that deep booming coming from far away. Josh and I hovered on our balcony, watching, till all that was left was the smoke.

Also, I went to a boot camp exercise class today, and I don't think I'll be able to lift my arms above my waist tomorrow. That might be problematic. I'm hoping no one says, "Raise your hand if you don't want to be stabbed with a bayonet!"

Tomorrow is another day

8-9am meeting
9-10am meeting
10-11am meeting
11-12pm meeting
12:30-2pm meeting
2:30-3pm meeting
3-4pm meeting that I will probably skip
4-5pm meeting

Hmm...I'm really going to relish that free hour!

At least today was good! I got a good lookin' t-shirt for a project I work on. I dropped a cookie on the ground twice and ate it anyway. I led a productive meeting for a project I am kinda running. I got a bingo in Scrabulous. I did squats until my thighs burned. I painted my nails after being inspired by all the '60s style on Mad Men. And there are just two days left till a three-day weekend!

Mmmmm.....

Oh vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, how you have met my needs! How I delight simply to look upon your unexpected presence on the dessert table today! What benevolence of the gods that I should find you before me, shoddily piled in a display belying your reigning supremacy in the court of flavor.

You are the most delicious of cookies, with your rich sweet chocolatey goodness, your oaty texture with that sublime hint of cinnamon. You are moist chewy rapture on my tongue! Holding you in my mouth's embrace brings me such joy, I cannot doubt it is the sole occupation for which I was destined.

How I wish we could be together forever, cookie of mine. Yet even as my taste buds do their blissful salivary dance with you, you have already begun your inevitable descent. Down you shall travel o'er the winding esophageal road, cross the churning Stygian river of stomach acid, and pass into eternal oblivion all too quickly.

Adieu, adieu I bid you, cookie! Our time together was bittersweet.

Mad about it

Today Josh and I started watching Mad Men, which I'd been meaning to check out for ages. It is damn well done -- planned in minute detail, with gorgeous costumes, smart dialogue, and all those throwback references. (Mom, I think Phil would like it.)

What a character they've made in Don Draper. We're barely a few episodes in, but already he's such a mystery man, with plenty of issues, and plenty of charm. I've barely seen any of Joan Holloway yet, but she's already another intriguing office presence.

If anything, I can be glad I don't work at an ad agency in the 1960's.

The Sunday blahs

Ugh. Why is it that Sundays are so often ruined by the knowledge that the next day you have to go back to work? It's like being a kid and knowing that the next day you have to go to school. (This doesn't exactly make sense, because I did like school even as a kid -- it's more the feeling that your fun times are coming to an end.)

Today Josh and I just lazed about. I think running around in the hot sun in the morning really wipes me out, because the rest of the day I kinda had a headache and just wanted to flop on the couch finishing the first season of Gossip Girl (how did you make me like Chuck Bass, you diabolical show) and flipping through magazines (all the fall fashions have resulted in my wanting about 18 pairs of impractical heels).

On the upside, I did discover some tasty chocolate-coconut crackers. Mmm...

Mmm...ice cream cake

Today I:

- rode the exercise bike
- lunched at Chevy's with Corey
- did some laundry
- bought Josh some birthday presents
- brought Josh and his friends some hot dogs
- ate a hamburger
- watched some Gossip Girl
- at some mint chip ice cream cake

DELICIOUS.

Tropic of Thunder

Yay for movies! Tonight Josh and I went to see Tropic Thunder. I hadn't really read any reviews, but someone I know said it was disappointing, so my expectations were low. But it exceeded them!

It was idiotic and strange and over the top -- all those things, but funny too. The end was just a little off for me, but I liked Jay Baruchel and I loved Robert Downey Jr. There were some ridiculous scenes but they did at least pack in plenty of humor poked at themselves and the ridiculousness of it. And, as Josh said, there'll probably be some great outtakes!

Now I'll probably end up reading reviews to see what other people thought, but in that dimly lit theater with other people cracking up around me, I enjoyed it.

I'm also happy that I'm slowly but surely knocking movies off my list! Definitely I'll miss some before they make it out of the theaters, but it's good to be going to the movies more frequently again.

All work and minimal play make Julie...

When you have a job like mine, which demands a lot of your time and your mental space even outside normal work hours, you tend to develop a bit of a skewed view of the importance of your work and how much it means to you. (Note: this is exacerbated if your boyfriend works at the same place.)

Why do we work? So we can get a paycheck, of course, and also a sense of purpose and the feeling that we're being productive in the world. Some of us work because we love it, because we're doing what drives and inspires us. Some of us don't -- our work exists to fund the rest of our life.

But what happens when you realize that your job, which isn't your dream job, is no longer just funding the rest of your life -- that it's seeping in and expanding and overtaking the rest of your life to the point that it nearly consumes it? (Note: this is partly your fault, of course. You should be better about pushing back on things and not taking your work home with you even in the mental sense and not being such a perfectionist.)

When that happens, you're going to have to make some changes, I think, to your work life. Because work life is just life, isn't it? And there is more to life than work.

We are a goofy, goofy family

Mom visit August 2008

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

The good, the bad, and the bloody

The good: I got a massage today. I love massages. I tend to get pretty tense in my back when I am stressed or worried about things, and it's great to have someone get in there and pummel it out of you. Massages are such a treat, an indulgence. I don't get them very often, but I got one today for a specific reason.

The bad: Mom left today. I knew I'd be bummed, so I scheduled the massage a few weeks ago when I knew I would need a bit of a pick-me-up. Past Julie was right: Future Julie was totally sad to see Mom go. It was great having her here for the last week. I eat a lot, laugh a lot, drive a lot, talk a lot, and just have a freakin' lot of fun. I'm sure if she lived here all the time I'd gain ten pounds because I wouldn't exercise as much and I'd eat all her delicious food. But I'd be pudgy and happy.

The bloody: I donated blood today. It is such a weird and uncomfortable experience, just thinking about what is going on while the needle's in there, but definitely rewarding to know you are doing something that is going to have such a positive and irreplaceable effect on someone. This was only my second time doing it, but I already felt calmer knowing how the process works and what to expect. I'm usually in and out pretty fast -- this time it was a pint in 6 minutes -- so at least I get it over with quickly. I'm glad I did it.

So what were the good, bad, and fill-in-the-blank of your Tuesday?

Mom's top three meals while here in the bay area

1. Zachary's pizza (this is pretty damn delicious)
2. Rubio's fish tacos (I have never tried these)
3. Misc eats at La Mediterranee (so good why do I eat there so seldom oh right it is in SF or Berkeley)

Why does she have to leave tomorrow? There is still so much wonderful food to be had in the bay. We didn't go to The Counter, or to La Bodeguita, or to Pampas or Janta or Bistro Vida or...

Sigh. I guess she has to come back!

The weeks in culture: August 4-17

Watched
The Dark Knight (already discussed how awesome this is)
Vantage Point (meh)
Clue (CLASSIC!!)
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (satisfying)
Little Women (I can never not cry at this!)
Nine to Five (thematically relevant to my life)

Heard
Love on the Inside, the new Sugarland CD. It's pretty good, if you like Jennifer Nettles' voice. If you don't, you'll probably want to stab your ears out with a letter opener.

Read
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
No, I'm not a teenager. I just like to stay abreast of current trends in pop culture. And, hey, I was a pretty big Buffy fan once upon a time.

The weeks in soccer
It's kind of sad, but I can't really remember last week, other than that it was abysmally hot. I did score a goal that I thought wouldn't go in but surprised me. Then today I got another one that just tucked in the corner right past the keeper. Good times!

"I shouldn't have touched those Fritos."

It's always a pleasure to spend time with people who are as weird as I am.

Things we have done in the last day or so:

- discussed whether anyone finds Raggedy Andy erotic
- watched Nine to Five
- Mom tried to convince me to write a Raggedy Andy movie
- eaten a bag for Fritos Honey BBQ Twists
- laundry
- hair-brushing
- watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
- talked about how redheaded men aren't that attractive
- played with stuffed dogs and a panda
- watched MacGruber skits on NBC.com
- taken pictures with fake moustaches and cigarettes
- been lazy

It was nice to have a great slacker day.

Trees and eats

What a lovely day!

Got up late, bid Josh adieu, then headed up to San Francisco to pick up Sar and make the trek to Muir Woods. We took a bit of a detour and ended up in Muir Beach first, which was nice because Mom wanted to check out the Pacific while she's here.

Muir Woods, once we actually managed to park, was lovely. I'd been there before, several years ago, and it was nice to go back. The trees are amazing, and it was so still and calm. We saw lots of French tourists, which made me think of Murry. :)

After Muir Woods, we plodded through traffic to make it to Zachary's pizza in Berkeley. Oh, the sweet cheesy miracle of a spinach and mushroom pizza! Is there anything more heavenly? Sated, we headed back down to my apartment and are now watching the classic '80's film Clue.

I'm pretty sure we're going to eat some Fritos Honey BBQ Twists soon, so I'm not sure the day could've gone any better.

Imminent sloth

I have taken tomorrow off of work. Given how busy I've been lately, even a one-day break is a welcome respite from the constant onslaught of meetings and brainstorming and emails and updates and launches. I'm sure my mom came to the bay area expecting excitement and her normal bouncy energetic daughter. She must be wondering what this slack-jawed goon is doing her in place, talking about action items and dialog with PMs.

Even though all I really want to do is sit around on my butt and watch movies and eat bonbons, I'll try to muster up the verve necessary for some good mother-daughter bonding time.

After all, it's when you actually do interesting things that you have interesting things to write about. Right?

I want to have a life worth writing about.

Long day

Today I:

- arrived at work around 8am
- led a meeting about a project I am driving but feel scattered on
- sat through a meeting about a project that others are leading and wasn't that helpful
- ate a brownie
- rewrote a glossary for translation
- saw demos of a project that went from disorganized to organized and back again
- talked with someone who I will be training, though I'm not sure it's the best idea
- ate a salad with peas, edamame, parmesan cheese and cashews for lunch
- talked through an intern's final project that won't turn out how she planned
- talked through another intern's project that will turn out pretty well
- met and planned more for the launch of that disorganized project
- led another meeting about that first project
- returned to my desk
- ate some cheese crackers and drank a sparkling apple cider
- worked until 8pm
- resented my boss

On the upside, my new shirts arrived from the Gap! That's huge.

I am not totally unhealthy

Today a coworker scheduled me for lunch. When I met her outside the cafeteria, she said "we're getting our cholesterol checked!" (They were having free screenings in one of the lobbies at work.) One stabbed finger, one Bugs Bunny bandaid, and 5 minutes later, and these were the numbers I saw:

Total Cholesterol: 168mg/dl
Supposed to be below 200 for sure, and below 170 if you have a history of heart disease or diabetes.

High Density Lipoprotein: 60mg/dl
Supposed to be 45mg/dl or higher.

Glucose: 89mg/dl
Supposed to be between 80-140 mg/dl.

Yay for liking leafy greens, fruit, and whole wheat!

Guess who is coming tomorrow?

Yay!

Get your read on

This is a list of books from The Big Read, a project trying to get people to pick up literary reading in a big way. I got it from Abbey, who pointed out the interesting/depressing statistic that the average adult has only read 6 of these top 100 books.

Bolded = Read
Underlined = Loved
Italicized = Plan to read
Strikeout = Wouldn't ever read

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 The Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (I could not get through this!)
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (about half)
15 Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

So I've read exactly half of these books, if I did the math right. Some of them I might've read and can't remember, like Alice in Wonderland. Some of them I haven't even heard of, like Birdsong. Some of them I love love love, like P&P.

Of the Modern Library lists, I've read only 13/100 (board's list) or 19/100 (reader's list). Of the Time list, I've knocked out 23/100. Of this reader-voted list, I've taken care of business with 44/100.

One thing is clear: I've got a lot of work to do.

Dark and light

This morning I witnessed something beautiful, light, joyful, and full of love: I was graciously invited to the wedding of a couple of my parents' friends. These friends have been together for 37 years, and they were finally making it official. Why now? Because they both happen to be men. Whatever your opinions about what's natural or appropriate, I'm of the opinion that a 37 year commitment transcends them. I felt honored to be there and to see the love written on their faces as they said their vows. That kind of love makes me believe in equality.

Tonight I watched The Dark Knight, which was incredibly good. Much more complicated and darker than I expected, though, given the tone of Batman Begins. I'm so impressed with what the actors, director, and writer did. The fact that a blockbuster film, a superhero film, can be a moneymaker and still maintain its artistic integrity makes me hopeful about the state of filmmaking today. Maybe it was the success of the first movie that enabled them to be so uncompromising on the second movie. Whatever the case, they did a wonderful job.

I'm not sure I could find any fault with the movie. I did enjoy it, was very impressed by it, but it left me feeling kind of raw. It is satisfying, but not in the easy way most superhero movies are, giving the audience those moments of triumph and the bad guys all defeated in the end. The script was great, full of twists and turns, playing heavy on the morality theme and surprising you again and again just when you think it's played out. Subtle, too; the direction so assured, the performances so precise, obliterating any other performances you might've known in the past (if you were worried about that sort of thing).

What great writing, great acting, great vision. I'm so interested to see what they'll do for the next one.

Are you glad this week is over?

I am, so very much. It was among the more stressful weeks I've had since I started working full time. I'm a writer, y'all. Much of my work is meant to be done on my own, to a soundtrack of quiet or maybe some classical tunes. (If I listen to something with lyrics, at least English ones, the words tend to end up in my writing.)

Lately, though, it's meetings meetings meetings all the livelong day. It's hard to find time for the writing part of my job, since everything else lately seems to overwhelm it. Why are there meetings? Well, you have to know what you're writing about. And you have to meet with other people to decide on particular wording for things. And you have to find out about other people's projects that kind of touch on writing. And you have to coordinate how your writing will be implemented. All this, of course, assuming you do the actual writing at some point.

This week, in particular, was just really demanding. My office hours, which are often attended by only one or two people if any, were packed to the gills when I really could've used the time for solitary writing. While trying to have a meeting first thing in the morning I was bombarded by a flurry of IMs and the inevitable emails popping up in my inbox about this or that urgent thing. Between trying to sort out some political headaches and trying to finish a long-overdue project, I was frazzles. It was just one of those days where everybody seems to want something from you and all you want is some peace and quiet. Or possibly a stun gun and the liberty to use it.

How was your week?

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Today was my little bro Drew's fifth birthday. Crazy! I can remember when he arrived in this world, and it doesn't seem like too long ago. He is so tall and articulate now, so much his own personality that he's grown into over time but that you knew was there almost from the moment he blinked his eyes and looked at you with his little squinchy elf face.

Since he's now 5, here are 5 of my favorite Andrew memories:

1. Burping bliss
When Andrew was very small, and I was living with Dad and Nilofer, unemployed post-college, I used to do the late night feedings. I would be up until 3am sometimes, or I'd wake up at 2 or whenever to give him his bottle. He'd guzzle like it was ambrosia and then sometimes get all gassy and be grumpy and fussy 'cause he'd practically inhaled it. I remember one time in particular where he was crying a fair amount because of it, and was starting to annoy me a fair amount because I wanted to go to BED, yo. And all of a sudden he lets out this enormous belch and then just looks up at me all "ahhhh" with this big goofy smile. Man, that smile!

2. Dance craze
Drew has always liked music. When he was maybe a year or a little younger, you'd put on some Al Green and he would get down with his bad self -- hips shaking, head bopping, bouncing with soul. He liked us to dance with him, too. At that time I had really long hair so I would whip it around in a circle and he would laugh and laugh and say "more" while doing his little sign language. Never knew quite what he liked about it, but it was a hoot.

3. Flowers
Pretty recently, Andrew's been into painting. While babysitting him one day, we started painting some pictures. Being rather a sub-par artist, I went with the good old standby: flowers with one stem, one leaf, a round center, and petals -- maybe 5-7 of 'em. I showed Andrew how to make one, and he put our names on it. A month or two later, I talked to him on the phone and learned he's made more of those flowers since then -- and he writes both of our names on them, because he did them, and I taught him.

4. Giggles
I can't remember how old Andrew was when he first started laughing; I just remember at the very beginning, pretty much only Dad could get him to do it. He'd do it by fake-munching on Andrew's neck while making gobbly noises. We thought it had something to do with the scratchy beard, because none of the rest of us could product the same effect: Andrew would crack up in this little bubbly fountain of giggles that were so delightful, every time. It was such a neat trick. I still love to see him laugh.

5. Poo face
As Drew ages, numerous things get added to the list of "ammunition for if I ever want to embarrass him later." It's a long list. One of the first things to go on it was his poo face. As a baby, you always knew when Drew was taking care of business. He'd make this little O with his mouth, open his eyes wide and look from side to side. "Nothing to see here, folks, move it along." I think he'd have whistled if he knew how. We all tried our hand at reproducing the poo face, but there was something angelic about Andrew's version that none of us could capture. It had a style all its own, which one day I shall use to torment him as a big sister should.

What an awesome kid.

I have been negligent

I am so out of date on my movie-watching. It is shameful! There are so many movies that are out now that I want to see.

1. The Dark Knight
   
2. Mamma Mia
   
3. Pineapple Express
   
4. X-Files: I Want to Believe
   
5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
   
6. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II
   
7. Hancock
   
8. Get Smart
   
9. Tell No One (Ne le dis a personne)
   

What happened to the girl who used to skip out to the movie theaters to check out all sorts of flicks?

Oh, right: she graduated from college, got a full-time job, and got lazy.

5 things about today

1. I saw a rainbow!

2. I watched the finale of "I Survived A Japanese Game Show".

3. I had Mixed Vegetable Masala for dinner.

4. Josh bought an iPhone.

5. While waiting for a prescription at Longs, I bought a bunch of candy and a bunch of greeting cards.

And a bonus!

6. I really need to shave my legs.

The week in culture: July 28 - August 3

Watched:
It was not a big movie or TV-watching week here in the Beckmann-Veltman household. While Josh was off bachelor-partying, I watched these two:
Broken English
Disappearing Acts

Read:
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
A sci-fi classic! I was so happy that I finally made it through this, because it was damn good. It reminded me a bit of Neil Gaiman's work in that it is so creative and intellectually mind-blowing, that it creates this fantastical, full universe that is both like and unlike the one we know, and that the plot relies heavily on myth. Definitely reminiscent of American Gods -- only better!

The week in soccer:
Man did I miss this game! I played two games this week -- and surprisingly spent a lot of time in goal since our goalies were out of commission. The first game went well and we won by a large margin. The second game we won by a smaller margin, but I scored a highly satisfying goal, left-footed, in the corner, after a quick turn. It felt cheap, but it also felt pretty good.

Purchased:
I bought some comfy casual clothes with Corey at the Gap. Now I am on kind of a shoe spree. It's funny; I was never that into shoes till I realized I could buy them online. I don't really love shoe shopping in person, but being able to be roaming around on the internet, spot an "ooh that's cute" shoe and immediately have it sent to me for an in-house tryout is right up my alley.

And on the shoe topic, what is up with ankle booties? They just don't look good. Or do I just not know how to make them look good? I think the former, but correct me if they have redeeming qualities I'm immune to.

Whatever your stance on the ankle bootie, I think we can all agree that this shoe is an atrocity.

On ira tous au Par(ad)is

As promised, I'm keeping it real here this weekend. Real lazy. I got up this morning and went to bikram yoga for the first time in a long time, so I also kept it pretty damn sweaty for a while. But it felt good.

So, trip reports! Let's start from the beginning: Dublin.

Unfortunately, I have zero photographic delights to share with you about Dublin. I have virtually no pictures of Dublin because all I did there was work. Well, work, watch Lost and go to the pubs, where Josh drank and I ate a variety of unhealthy food and no vegetables. My system was not particularly psyched about this, tasty though my fried delicacies were. I also drank a lot of Diet Coke in an effort to combat the mid-afternoon blahs.

My visit to Paris was the exact opposite of the blahs -- it was fun, action-packed, goofy play. And here is, as they say, the play-by-play:

Friday
- Shopping at Printemps (where, unfortunately, we did not find shoes)
- dinner at Vapeurs (Vapors?) where we had the steamed foods of our choice
- shopping at Gallerie Lafayette (success! snazzy French apparel!)
- Le Roi Lion (awesome. the sets: insane.)
- Board games into the late night

Saturday
- croissants for breakfast (delectable)
- haircuts (Murry looked so chic)
- American football (it was a hoot explaining the rules to Herve)
- Murry's delicious as-yet-unnamed dinner (give me the recipe already!)
- played "Tous au cinema" game (which apparently is my one talent in life)

Sunday
- more croissants
- book fair and park (soccer and cards)
- crepes for lunch (ooh, they look like the surface of the moon)
- watched the Euro 2008 final (I even drank a beer so Spain would win)
- looked at pictures!

Monday
- lunch at Curieux spaghetti bar (mmmm pasta)
- strolled the Champs Elysees
- walked around Montmartre (Murry's old digs)
- bought groceries (more fun than it should be)
- took pictures
- got sad and had to go :(

As usual, it is always so wonderful how Murry and I slip right into the rhythms of our friendship. Some things don't ever change.

Maya's still just as fiesty (if a bit fatter).





Murry still garnishes her food with nectarine slices.


Our something-stinks squinch face is still super-attractive.


Two words: Monster Munch!


Two more words: Persian Grandma!


I still love a good picnic.


We still like to see things from...er...an unusual perspective.





But some things are different...

LIKE THIS GUY!


Hmm, let's try another view.


Isn't he the hotness? He is. But more importantly, Herve is "the happiness" for my best bud. Isn't it just the best when a friend who you know is great gets lucky enough to find someone also who thinks she's great and makes her feel great and happens to be pretty great himself? It totally is. It is the best.

Murry, even though we don't see each other that often, I loved getting a glimpse of your life as it's going on all the time while I'm not around to see it. Knowing that you are loved and have laughter and good conversation and silliness and comfort in your life is an absolute joy for me!


P.S. Those crepes were SO GOOD. I want one right now!

August and everything after

It's hard to believe it's already August. 2008 is going by in a flash! Inconceivable. Maybe it's because I've already taken so many trips this year.

January - Vancouver
February - Disneyland
March - New York
April - umm...guess I took a break for my birthday?
May - Ensenada
June - Dublin and Paris
July - Beijing and Tokyo. And San Diego.

August...I am staying put! And Mom is coming to visit, which is absolutely delightful. I could use some good solid Mom time. She can finally see me play soccer. We can eat Mexican food. I can make her play Scrabble with me. We can brush each other's hair, and go shopping, and get pedicures, and throw a Frisbee, and watch dorky movies, and cook. YES!

September...I don't know. Maybe I'll just stick around here too.

October...Josh and I are thinking maybe Hawaii. It might be time to lie around in the sun and read and drink lava flows and frolic in the surf with my man and get a tan. Damn that sounds sublime.

November...maybe a pre-holiday break?

December...I guess it's down to So Cal with the fam.

And then January, maybe Togo? Or Boston? Or something crazy like that.

Where do you think I should go next?

The...months in culture: June 16 -July 27

Watched:
Penelope
Seasons 1-4 of Lost
Iron Man again
Open Range

Read:
Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Lapsing into a Comma by Bill Walsh
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker
Confucius Lives Next Door by T.R. Reid
Letting Go of the Words by Janice Redish
Boomsday by Christopher Buckley
The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
Whew! It was definitely book month for me. I loved it. (And by the way, Mom, that's 6 non-fiction and 4 fiction.)

Heard:
One of the Boys by Katy Perry (darn you Abbey, this is catchy!)

Visited
Umm...since my last post? Eeeks.

Dublin, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, and San Diego. That brings it up to 6 countries, 3 continents for the year, if North America counts.

Trip reports for those are, I hope, forthcoming.

Site of the months:
Abbey posted about it, but what the heck -- so will I! It's Chic and Charming, and oh boy is it both. It is like The Little Lady Agency as a blog.

Also, I've been on Goodreads a ton. Maybe one of these days I'll actually start writing reviews for it, if I can stop working 16 hours a day.

The months in soccer:
There really hasn't been any, due to all my travels. Ok, there has been one game of pickup. That is it. That isn't nearly enough! I am so looking forward to it this Sunday.

Question of the day:
Should I buy these shoes?