Wicked Wit of the West

My hands smell like garlic all the time

2010-01-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

In our continuing efforts to feed ourselves, this week Josh and I made:

- Chicken Cutlet Parmigiano
- Baked Sole with Roasted Asparagus
- Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti

I also ate several pomelos, but you don't cook those, you just meticulously peel them and then enjoy their succulent flesh.

This is why my hands smell very much like garlic, although the citrusy tang of the pomelos does diminish it somewhat. Check 'em out.

January dinners

Enjoy the pictures! I'll keep adding to the album so you can enjoy all the visuals of what we've been cooking.

Awesome + awesome = ?

2010-01-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

I am a girl, so I like fairy tales (most of them). My favorite fairy tale is Rapunzel. Though there are numerous variations, I like the one which ends with the blinded prince wandering the forest till Rapunzel finds him, and her tears cure his blindness. Then, of course, they have their happily-ever-after. I always found that rather poetic and lovely.

On a completely unrelated note, I really like the TV show Chuck (NBC Monday 8pm). It's sort of light and funny, with pop culture references and some action and romance and one hunky semi-geeky charismatic tall drink of water leading man, Zachary Levi. I find him sort of spastically charming and also rather pleasing to the eye.

So what delight should arise when I learn that Disney is finally doing an animated version of Rapunzel, with Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore (who I also love) as the main voice actors! What delight indeed.

I really like some of the concept art images giving a peek into the style of the film, but it's unclear whether the end result will actually look that way; I guess they've gone through several revisions.

Who knows, maybe all my many years of hoping for an onscreen rendition of my favorite fairy tale will turn out great, or maybe they'll completely butcher it! My expectation is somewhere in-between -- it's hard to believe that they'd make it as dark as the story I love, but it could be good anyway.

Adios, Christmas tree...hello kitchen

2010-01-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Friday night Josh and I took down our Christmas tree, an activity that always makes me a little sad even though I know if we kept it up all year it'd lose some of its magic. At least the "after" picture was pretty entertaining.

Josh removed the branches for recycling, leaving it with sort of a Seussian profile. You can see "Moon at Magome" sitting on the floor to the left. Not sure quite where to put it just yet.

Also, this week Josh and I have been trying something new -- I guess it's called "cooking"? It's where instead of someone else making food for you to eat, you make it yourself. Weird, right?

Anyway, we've been giving the whole cooking thing a try, in part inspired by the film Julie & Julia. We watched it Sunday night, and I came home Monday to find Josh had bought swordfish and veggies and was ready to rock. So we made this sort of breaded fish dish that turned out quite tasty, despite some bok choy-related obstacles. Then later this week we tried out a shrimp stir-fry and beef tacos in lettuce shells.

All of it has been decent, if not spectacular; it's a good start and sort of fun once you get in the groove. On Saturday morning I was even so motivated that I got up and made some blueberry scones (from a mix). They turned out all right, but I'm not giving Icing on the Cake a run for their money just yet.

What should we make this week?

Lucky

2010-01-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

I feel incredibly lucky to start the new year with so many wonderful gifts, friends, family, and opportunities. At the risk of being super-cheesy (which is a risk you all know I'm willing to take, unlike trying a new cream-based food), I want to start off the year by appreciating all the joys of the holiday season and musing on my hopes for next year.

This year I got so many fun, thoughtful gifts, I was really surprised and delighted. Among other things, I received a vintage Lincoln print, a Hasui print, and a real-life companion cube, along with plenty of good books from my Goodreads list (see the swanky widget on the left of this page).

I also had a lot of time to "kick it" (as the kids say) with family and friends -- making gingerbread houses, cookie decorating, attempting to replicate migas with Sar, meeting the newest addition to the Quaresma family, watching the ball drop with the Veltmans and then watching P&P with D&N. So many great ways to spend my days off! I was having so much fun I barely even thought about work. For me, this is a big accomplishment. :)

This year I hope to be more social and try more new things. I'm not big on new year's resolutions, but I hope to enjoy 2010 as much as I possibly can.

Until I see you in person, enjoy these dorky pictures of me and my loved ones during the holidays!

How is he 6 already?

2009-08-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Damn. Drew turning 6 means it has been MORE than 6 years since I graduated college and nearly that long that I've been working at the G. How the time flies!

Oh well. While I bemoan my impending decrepitude, I give you this cuteness:

We had pumpkin cake, a pull-tab pinata, and some really tasty celebratory food. Good times.

Classic!

2009-05-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

So, the other day I happened upon an Entertainment Weekly list of the "new classic" books -- the 100 best reads from 1983 to 2008.

So, as with any "have you read it" list, I've got to give this one a go.

Have Read:
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

34 ain't bad.

Definitely Want to Read:
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)

How 'bout you?

L.A. Story

2009-05-08T08:21:00.001-07:00

Josh and I headed down to L.A. for a long weekend recently. We stayed at his very hospitable Grandma Elaine's in Brentwood (neighbor to the stars!), visited a museum and an observatory, ran around UCLA and down to the beach, lazed about reading, and, to my delight, had the obligatory star sighting.

All in all, it was quite a successful visit, even if the sun didn't come out enough for us to swimsuit up and get tans, and even if we didn't spy Conan. That wily bastard! ;)

Hawaiian vacation....ohhh delightful

2009-03-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

Josh and I went to Hawaii -- specifically, the island of Lanai, which we also went to back in September 2007. We didn't take many pictures, because we were too busy relaxing and drinking Hulopoe Punch and reading mystery novels to get out the camera much. But we did snap a few:

Yeah...it was pretty hard coming back to work after spending five days in Paradise. But (sigh) that's what it means to be an adult!

I'm coven it

2009-01-26T17:41:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night Sar and I got our Gothic on at the Edwardian Ball in San Francisco -- an annual event celebrating the macabre style and elegance of the late great Edward Gorey though music, dance, storytelling, circus acts, and other strange homages.

While Sar and I did our darnedest to bedeck ourselves in attire befitting the occasion, we were by no means the most extravagantly dressed. Some rocked costumes appropriate to the period -- high frilly-necked white blouses with corsets and long skirts, or suit jackets with tails and top hats that whirled as they twirled and waltzed. Some were quite tarted out in gowns that could only loosely be tied to the Edwardian era. Some (okay, one) were wearing headgear featuring lanterns.

Sar and I were bummed that we'd neglected to attend the Edwardian dance lessons prior to the ball, since the ballroom dancing seemed to be the main interactive activity. We were limited to the spectator sport of people watching (which it must be said was still a damn good time). Still, next time we'll get a group together and learn to shake a tailfeather beforehand.

Isn't it great to live in a city where weird, fabulous stuff like this is going on all the time?

* This update brought to you by Imajen Bulkance and Ares Mancbank

Did you miss me? Probably not.

2009-01-22T17:47:00.000-08:00

So, I took a few months off from blogging. Clearly.

And while I wasn't blogging, I was:

Celebrating my Mom's 50th b-day in New Orleans...

Christmasing in So Cal...

and anniversarying in Yosemite.

I also read a lot (which you can see from the little Goodreads gadget on the left, or by visiting my Goodreads page). A lot of it was mysteries. Big mystery phase. Got a good one for me, let me know.

I didn't watch that many movies, though -- which means that I have a mega list of them to get to now that the Oscar noms have been announced. I think at the top are Slumdog Millionaire and Gran Torino. I think there are also a couple cheesy chick flicks coming out in the next few weeks that I'll probably try to make it out to see. Otherwise, the Netflix list is a-gonna get pretty lengthy.

I haven't heard much music lately, but I'm looking forward to the French R&B CD I just got from Murry for my birthday -- along with some chocolate cookies that I can't wait to eat.

I went to a bunch of Warriors games, too. Ah, my W's. They are not doing so excellently, though I do appreciate the wealth of Belinelli play time (prior to his recent ankle injury), and am looking forward to the impending return of Monta Ellis.

Pretty much all I feel like doing lately is reading, eating cupcakes, and not working. Do you think there's anyone out there who will pay me for this? If pressed, I suppose I could write some mean cupcake reviews. (Mean as in excellent, not mean as in harsh. Hard to go wrong with a cupcake if you ask me.)

The months in culture - through October 26

2008-10-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Whew. I haven't exactly been prolific here, but let's move on from that, shall we? And we'll do an abbreviated "last few months" post.

Best thing I watched:
Speak (unexpected, subtle, moving)

Best thing I heard:
The Quest, by Bryn Christopher (it really got stuck in my head)

Read:
Water for Elephants
Three Cups of Tea
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Marley & Me
Gone Baby Gone
What Was Lost
Belong To Me

Best thing I read:
Gone Baby Gone (dense and unsettling)

Pop culture site:
My friend Heather's blog about her travels in Spain and Portugal.

Soccer highs and lows
A hat trick three two weeks ago -- that was great. Hearing my knee pop as it did this weird wiggle when I landed on it wrong -- that was not so great. It is doing okay, though it doesn't like having weight on it, or anything that requires it to move from side to side. Boo for injuries, though. :(

Best time
Dancing with Josh at his friend Logan's wedding. He never danced with me before(!), but he had enough booze that he felt comfortable, even in his tux. And the music was great. And I had a couple Bay Breezes (though not enough to get me drunk, at all). And all Josh's friends and girlfriends were there, dancing dorky too. Damn that was fun. Dancing is one of my hands-down favorite things to do, and I just don't get a chance to do it often enough.

Second best time
Tea at the Crown and Crumpet in SF with Abbey. She convinced me to take a day off work to head up there with her for some Earl Grey and pastries and a long leisurely chat. And I definitely needed it! That place is uber-cute and we had a fabulous time. I really wish we could hang out more.

Music memories

2008-10-08T12:42:00.000-07:00

Abbey did it, so here I go to do it too.

What song or songs is/are most "atypical" on your player?
This funky techno mix of Sarah McLachlan's "Possession". I'm not really sure why I bought it. Either that or maybe some really hard core rap.

If someone new were in your car, what song on your player would you be quickest to skip out of embarrassment?
It's a song from High School Musical 2. I know. I'm as disgusted with myself as you are.

What song(s) on your player turns you on?
There are a bunch of them! There's a reason I have a playlist entitled "bow chicka wow". Probably the sexiest is Paula Cole's "Feelin' Love". "#1 Crush" by Garbage is pretty good too. And you can't neglect Marvin Gaye or Barry White here!

If you wanted to get a member of the opposite sex in the mood, what song would you program to come on when they are in the car?
"P.D.A." by John Legend -- because it's silly-sexy. You'd have a good laugh about it . Now, if I had "Pony" by Ginuwine or "Too Close" by Next, now those would be just a little too obvious. ;)

What is the longest song on your player?
Miles Davis' version of "My Funny Valentine" -- it's about 14 minutes.

What do you think is the silliest song on your player?
Other than that HSM2 song (the shaaaame)..."Just The Two of Us" from the Austin Powers soundtrack (actually, I have no idea how this got on there, since I have never owned or purchased it. maybe it was a gift from the iPod gods.)

What did you most recently add to your player?
A few songs from the Mamma Mia movie, "Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale, and "Disturbia" by Rihanna.

What did you most recently delete?
I don't delete. I think I might've removed some Christmas music for now since it isn't "the most wonderful time of the year" but it'll definitely be back come winter.

What is your favorite song on your player that is from a movie?
"Last Train Home" by Ryan Star (from the movie P.S. I Love You)

Is there a song on your player that is only there for someone else’s benefit?
"A Little Bit More" by Jamie Lidell. It's from those Target commercials and Josh would always dance to it. I liked that. :)

What song or artist do you find yourself skipping most frequently and therefore should probably delete?
Shelby Lynne. I got her record years ago, but it never really resonated with me. It's like I recognize that the songs could be good, but I just don't ever care to hear them. I'll leave her on though; I'm not a deleter.

Without cheating, start your player and list the first 10 songs that come up in random play.

Hey Julie - Fountains of Wayne (hey yourself, iPod!)
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
If You Can Afford Me - Katy Perry
Les Jours Tristes (Instrumental) from the Amelie soundtrack
One Week - Barenaked Ladies
Home Life - John Mayer
Come On Over - Christina Aguilera
The Music's No Good Without You - Cher
Dirty Man - Joss Stone
Searchin' My Soul - Vonda Shepard

With the exception of the Cher, for which I blame Corey, everything else here is pretty representative of my tastes. I think it actually doesn't span a wide enough range of the things I like, but most of those listed are in decent rotation. There isnt' enough recent stuff on there, either -- this is more like what I would've listened to three or four years ago.

What song brings back the best memory?
I guess "We Used to Be Friends" by the Dandy Warhols might be a bit too obvious...

What songs bring back memories of an old boyfriend/girlfriend that you can't stop listening to...even decades later?
Sleep to Dream Her, Dave Matthews Band

Oh, I can stop listening to this one. But it'll always remind me of that first guy and that first painful breakup. If I had "Saved The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams, then that would be on there in honor of my first slow dance. Laaaaaame.

And to add my own question:
What songs do you sing along to the most? (Loudly, in your car...if you're me)
I have a whole singing loud playlist! Of that, a few that probably get belted out the most are:
So What - Pink
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Misery Business - Paramore
No End in Sight - Katrina Elam
Gardenia - Mandy Moore
Makes Me Wanna Pray - Christina Aguilera

So what are YOU listening to lately?

The weeks in culture: August something - Sept. 7

2008-09-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Watched:
Quigley Down Under
Mamma Mia
No End in Sight
Shooter
Ridicule
and, as I said, Tropic Thunder

Heard:
ABBA, Ashlee Simpson, and Shania Twain. It has not been a particularly highbrow few weeks.

Read:
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Yeah, I wanted to see how she'd end it. I never got particularly into the series, but I do appreciate how an author creates a story arc and sees it through to the end. How their vision is realized, what it culminates in. I didn't love it, but I did think the very end -- just the last couple pages -- had a nice twist.)
Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott (Harlots in turn-of-the-century Chicago. Good times.)

The weeks in soccer:
I'm pretty sure they went like this:
1) Great game -- a hat trick by me, though I can't really remember the details.
2) Decent game -- maybe I scored? Maybe we won?
3) Crappy game -- so hot and too few players. I scored, but we lost by a lot. Frustrating and exhausting, other than my goal, which was pretty. Even the ref complimented me on it. :)

Do you believe in magic?

2008-09-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

I just grabbed a glass of club soda from the cafe before holding office hours today. And they were playing the awesome/awful song "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band. You know, the once that rhymes "abracadabra" with "I wanna reach out and grab ya"? That one.

It's just one of those songs that fills you with delight even as it makes you kind of cringe.

The title of this post, however, just makes me cringe -- it reminds me of a period of McDonald's ads that were set to the "do you believe in magic" song. I think they lyrics went something like

Do you believe in magic? And I hope you do,
you'll always have a friend wearing big red shoes

while a creepy Ronald McDonald bopped around a group of kids like a killer clown with a penchant for fresh child-meat. I remember Sar and I, kids ourselves at the time, emphatically stating to each other that we most certainly did not want a friend wearing big red shoes.

P & P & B

2008-08-31T23:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-08-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-29T23:16:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

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.....

2008-08-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-22T23:47:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-08-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Mom visit August 2008

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

The good, the bad, and the bloody

2008-08-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

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."

2008-08-16T23:36:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-14T23:44:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-08-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

Yay!

Get your read on

2008-08-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-08-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-08-07T23:13:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

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.

The Dark Knight
Mamma Mia
Pineapple Express
X-Files: I Want to Believe
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II
Hancock
Get Smart
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

2008-08-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-03T00:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-02T00:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

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?

The weeks in culture: June 2-15

2008-06-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Watched:
Crocodile Dundee II (Josh and I are considering a trip to Australia)
Apollo 13 (Josh and I were watching some space documentaries)
You Don't Mess With the Zohan (Josh and I have questionable taste)
Nancy Drew (I have the taste of a teenage girl)
Iron Man ... for the second time
Michael Clayton
Syriana (Clooney kick!)
P.S. I Love You
Over Her Dead Body
Something New
Pride and Prejudice (movie version with Keira Knightley)
We're also looking for another TV show to start watching during the summer lull. Any suggestions?

Read:
The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
Took my time and savored this one, a smart, perceptive pleasure. While the idea of a life split into two versions based on one event isn't new (see, e.g., Sliding Doors, the smart parallels in this work make it really interesting and full of new surprises.
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Rigler
One of those books that, though it does have a good premise, doesn't quite live up to it with either the plot or the quality of the writing. The kind of book that makes me want to write because I think maybe I could do it better. (Maybe.)

The week in jewelry:
Grandma, remember the moolah you sent for my birthday? Well, I finally spent it, and this is what I bought:

The gems are apatite and green onyx, and you probably know more about them than I do. I just know I thought it was pretty. :) Thank you for my lovely gift!

Pop culture site of the week:
The Unique Vintage clothing store that Abbey pointed out to me. I love all the retro duds -- pencil skirts, swimming caps, dramatic silhouettes. I think I was born during the wrong time.

The weekends in soccer:
The first weekend was tournamentastic -- five one-hour games in two days, in hot, windy Morgan Hill. Games at 8 in the morning both days. Hours of sitting and waiting between games. We didn't do that well, but I scored a goal and we won a game, so it wasn't a total flop. And I did get to play hours of travel Scrabble. The next weekend the fam came to watch the game, and that was an unusual delight. So seldom do I have a cheering section!

Activity of the week:
Fathers' Day kite flying!

Did the kites behave? Not exactly. Was it fun anyway? Yes! And the Mexican food afterward was deeeelicious.

The weeks in culture: May 12 - June 1

2008-06-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is late, but I'm splitting it up into two posts anyway. Deal with it.

Watched:
Cloverfield
Hoop Dreams
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Sex and the City (plenty of eps, and the movie, too)
Charlie Wilson's War
The Golden Compass
Laurel Canyon
Grindhouse: Planet Terror
Grindhouse: Death Proof
Sorry, Dave, those last two weren't my cup of tea...but I did absolutely love Hoop Dreams. I can't believe it wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. BOOOOO. For best movie of those few weeks, it's a toss-up between that and SatC, which totally ruled, even if it didn't end on quite as great a note as did the series. Darn I love those ladies, though.

Read:
Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer by Moira Allen
Stiff by Mary Roach
Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
I used to hear all this talk about how great Stiff was. I liked it, but I didn't think it was the absolute bee's knees. It was published a few years ago, and I feel like it was at the beginning of a trend of more accessible, entertaining nonfiction for the masses, so it got a lot of great press. (Actually, it might've just been the beginning of when I started to hear about good nonfiction, since before that I'd always been a fiction fan.) Anyway, while it was a solid read, compared to a kick-ass fiction book like The Devil in the White City, it wasn't anything to write home about.

Heard:
Hideaway by The Weepies

Visited:
Ensenada. What, you didn't spend Memorial Day on a Carnival Cruise to Mexico? 'Cause I totally did. During which time I learned that apparently aviators are a total dude magnet. Or maybe reading is. Either way, I got hit on a lot more than I wanted to. Gracias, pero no gracias, gentlemen.

But I did eat some incredibly delicious shrimp tacos, drink an incredibly delicious mango margarita, and talk to a senior citizen named Bob about how incredibly great a show My So-Called Life was. So...win?

Site of the week:
Scrabulous. I forgot how fun Scrabble is! I've been playing online with a friend from work, and it's a great little break when my brain needs a few minutes to de-stress. My one gripe is that the double/triple word/letter scores aren't clearly defined. But since it calculates the score for you automatically (when I play I'm usually too lazy to take score), I guess I shouldn't be too hard on the poor game. Challenge me to an email game sometime* - you don't even have to join the site.

* If you're not my dad. Or, if you're my dad, and won't be too ashamed that I score about 1/3 of your score, you crazy word-knowing freak.

The weeks in soccer:
Took a bit of a break, and now it's the start of a new season. It looks like we'll have a pretty good team, and I'm looking forward to playing with a few of my teammates instead of against them like the previous two seasons.

Since I don't have too much to say about this season yet, and yet I feel like oversharing, remember those leg bruises I mentioned a few weeks back? I took pictures at the time and wanted to show them off a bit. Check it:

I am sooooo hot. No wonder those drunk 21-year-olds wanted to be all up on me.

The weeks in culture: April 21-May 11

2008-05-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Watched:
Baby Mama - Every modern woman thinks Tina Fey resembles them. I am no different.
Death at a Funeral - Quirky British comedy of errors
Select Sex and the City eps - Not quite the marathon Sar and I had planned, but we did watch some classic moments (Miranda proposes to Steve! awwwww)
Select Grey's Anatomy eps - Josh was gone, I was bored, I wanted to relive the glory days when Meredith and Derek got their flirt on and all was right with the world.
Iron Man - Awesome up one side and down the other. Witty, visually appealing, action-packed, with morals, flirting, a message, and a fabulous performance from Robert Downey Jr., who I've always had a crush on. This movie did nothing to diminish said crush. If anything, said crush was strengthened by shirtlessness and sardonic humor of RDJ throughout film. Note to self: see film again.

Read:
A General Theory of Love by Fari Amini and some other fools
Listen, I like non-fiction that reads like prose. This ain't it. It doesn't behoove writers to get so flowery about the inner workings of the brain that it makes it difficult for their explanations to be understood. Know your subject, know your audience, and don't diminish your message by clouding it in a lot of unnecessary adverbs.
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano
Read this one for a book club with some coworkers. It has kind of an On The Road vibe to me -- and I didn't like that either. 650 pages of indulgent, meandering, competent but meaningless prose. All you self-absorbed poets, who hop from bed to bed and smoky, dimly-lit bar to bar, who think your dabbling in metaphors and hedonistic relationships is going to unravel the keys to the universe, who think you're revolutionaries who are challenging the status quo, who flatter yourselves with your knowledge of obscure literary figures? Get a job.

Highlight of the weeks:
Birthday soccer! ...Or Iron Man. Did I mention Robert Downey Jr. is smokin' hot?

Lowlight of the weeks:
Incompetent coworkers. I'm hoping one of them gets shit-canned.

Pop culture time waster of the weeks:
1980's and 1990's lyrics trivia. Nostalgic and surprisingly tough. It helps if you kind of say/sing them to yourself, but you also might feel like a super lame-ass.

The weeks in soccer:
Aside from super-fun birthday soccer, I've had an okay time. Last week I managed to pull off another curving corner kick goal - I think if I practice I might be able to improve my consistency at it, and that would be delightful indeed.

Toward the end of that same game, though, another woman fell on one of my legs and my ankle made this horrible cracking noise. I walked it off and played the rest of the game, but later it swelled up like mad and kind of didn't want to be bent at all. That sort of interfered with general movement, as you might imagine.It's fine now; I played yesterday and didn't manage to tweak it anymore, which is good. It was kind of cramping my style.

Una fiesta de futbol -- con fotos!

2008-05-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've been shamefully lazy in finally getting up a post about the raucously fun time I had celebrating my birthday this year. So I'm finally just going to crank it out, and it won't be that long a post, because I'm lazy, and it won't be that great a post, because things that are fun to do aren't always as easy to describe, or take pictures of, as you can see.

So, see:

As the pictures depict, I celebrated my inexorable march towards death (26, egads!) by getting together some people for an outing to the indoor soccer field in Redwood City. Mostly it was Josh's friends and family, but I did convince Sar, Corey, and Nathan to come out and represent me. We had the field, and the whole soccer building, to ourselves for a couple hours one Saturday afternoon during which we played quite a few games (first to five points) that were punctuated by Gatorade/Coke/Bud Light and Dorito breaks. Clearly we have our health in mind.

Actually, maybe we do -- despite the competitive level of play, no one was seriously injured (does a semi-broken toe count as injured? I guess it kind of does). I was pretty seriously bruised, though, as I imagine we all were. And I kind of have a huge knot under my right knee that looks disturbingly like a second knee. But the main complaint I heard from people post-game was soreness. I consider that the soreness of having a fantastic time! Booyah! Which I know I did.

I hope everyone had a good time -- there were solid plays and good athleticism all around. Some of us went balls-out a bit more than others (I'm looking at you, Andy!), but we all took our turn in the goal (not as bad as I'd always thought) and we all went home with hundreds of tiny pieces of rubber from the somewhat-ghetto astroturf-in-decline of the field. A little something to remember the day by.

I may have celebrated my 26th like a 10th, but I did enjoy myself a hell of a lot.

The week in culture: April 14-20

2008-04-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Watched:
Lots of Monk
The Ten (goofy Ten Commandments comedy from the writers of the skit show The State. very hit or miss, but pretty entertaining throughout.)
Dear Frankie (rewatch of this cute one with Gerard Butler and Emily Mortimer)
You Kill Me (biopic about a ninja stand-up comedian -- not)
The Care Bears Movie (I do have a little brother, after all!)

Read:
America: The Book by Jon Stewart and the Daily Show crew - I am so behind the times here, but I really liked this one. What dorky fun! Who knew you could make so many clever, knowledgeable jokes about the history and politics of our great nation?
The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth by James N. Frey - bought this one about six years ago, I think, and finally got around to it. Frankly, I'm not sure we should take Mr. Frey's grandiose, overblown advice in this dumbed-down Cliffs Notes version of Joseph Campbell. On the upside, it was a quick read.

Heard:
As I mentioned long ago, one of my absolute favorite songs is "God Give Me Strength" from the movie Grace of My Heart. To give you some indication of how much I like it, it was one of the very first songs I ever downloaded from iTunes. Unfortunately, the version iTunes had available wasn't the one from the movie -- it was some watered down version later recorded by the same singer. I'd never been able to find the original film version, which I loved...but finally I tracked it down and a kind soul emailed it to me. I listened with delight. It is mine, all mine.

Celebration of the week:
Passover! I'm not Jewish, but I'll celebrate with just about anybody as long as it involves perfectly cooked green beans (delicious!) and flourless chocolate cake (crazy delicious). Maybe one of these years it'll actually be my turn to recite the ten plagues in Hebrew. That should be a riot.

Highlight of the week:
Bought super-cute shoes -- and they're comfy to boot.

Lowlight of the week::
Migraines. I don't get them very often, but I got two pairs this week -- especially disorienting bouts that completely knocked me on my ass. I get "classic migraines", which means that the standard head pain is accompanied by blind spots, numbness in my face and hands, nausea, dizziness, and mental confusion (particularly trouble finding words). Classic or extra-crappy? You be the judge. I am at least lucky in their infrequency. This week, though, they weren't exactly infrequent. Thursday I had to head home for a mid-day nap to kick one set before returning to work. Then Friday night I was about to bed down when another set kept me awake and queasy till the wee hours. By "set" I mean that I develop one on one side of my head, then when it goes away get an entirely new one, with the full range of symptoms, on the other side. A fucking tea party it is not.

The week in soccer:
I totally dragged after my migraines, and definitely did not give the game my typical level of hustle. I'm pretty sure we lost, and I didn't even care that much. Next week should be better -- for a variety of reasons. Just you wait!

Movies I won't be seeing: The Strangers

2008-04-15T10:49:00.001-07:00

I am such a chickenshit.

The weeks in culture: March 24 - April 13

2008-04-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Ummm...better infrequent than never?

Watched:
Another 48 Hours
Beverly Hills Cop III (ridiculous, but we had to finish our Eddie Murphy fest)
Season 1 of Monk (though I fall asleep during the show so much)
I Am Legend
61* (good even if you this baseball is a good sit-down spoiled)
Battlestar Galactica: Razor (rediscovering the love of this one after a long absence)
Things We Lost in the Fire
The Snow Walker
Plenty of basketball...

Read:
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich by Mark Kriegel
Loose Balls by Terry Pluto
Seven Seconds or Less by Jack McCallum

Heard:
Michael Johns' version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" (I don't watch American Idol, but I caught a snippet of this, and damn but isn't this guy a little bit of all right!
A few older ones I love, like Audioslave's "Like A Stone", Roxette's "It Must've Been Love" and...shamefully...Montell Jordan's "Let's Get It On Tonite" (deplore the spelling, can't help but shake my booty to it).

Random activity of the weeks:

Flower arranging! You're looking at the results of a class at Filoli that I was lucky enough to attend. I've never thought of myself as a particularly artsy-crafty person, but I had a good time and I think I learned a bit. The materials we had to use weren't quite my favorite (I prefer more vibrantly colored blooms) but I think it turned out rather nicely. And I definitely appreciate being invited. :)

Link of the week:
Dolly Parton rocks, does she not? She's her own woman, that's for sure. I dig this collection of quotes from the lacquered, bedazzled country queen. Who wouldn't love to have that great a sense of herself? I know I would.

The weeks in soccer:
Plenty of it these past few weeks. Two games a day, lots of scoring, so much so that I can't remember the exact scores. Today we won both my games by a lot, and it was super-hot. Literally. At 8 in the morning, when we realized how comfortable we were (rather than freezing like normal), we knew it was going to be a scorcher.

My highlight of the game was scoring off a corner kick - that I kicked! It felt very "bend it like Beckmann" as I managed, for once (I'm fairly inconsistent when it comes to big kicks), to just launch up a great arc that soared over the players' heads and goalie's hands to land in the far upper corner of the net. It was a beaut.

The weeks in culture: March 10-23

2008-03-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

This post should actually be titled 'The weeks in culture...or lack thereof' since I have been completely undedicated to my cultural education of late. I mean, look at this paltry compilation of my cultural consumption since March 10:

Watched:
Beverly Hills Cop II
Michael Jordan: His Airness
Becoming Jane
48 Hours
Independent's Day

Read:...in progress
Heard: ... (crickets) ...

Seriously. That's nearly nothing! How can this be?

I'll tell you how: basket-frickin-ball. Whether it's attending Warriors games in person, watching them on TV, watching pieces of other NBA games on TV, or watching UCLA and Stanford games, my March has definitely been mad so far. Let's break down all the games I've watched the past couple weeks:

Mar. 12 Warriors v. Raptors (in person)
Mar. 13 Warriors v. Suns (on TV)
Mar. 14 UCLA v. USC (on TV, PAC-10 tournament semi-final)
Mar. 15 UCLA v. Stanford (on TV, PAC-10 tournament final)
Mar. 15 Warriors v. Grizzlies (in person)
Mar. 18 Warriors v. Kings (on TV - partially watched)
Mar. 19 Warriors v. Clippers (on TV)
Mar. 21 Warriors v. Rockets (in person)
Mar. 22 Stanford v. Marquette (on TV)
Mar. 22 UCLA v. Texas A&M (on TV)
Mar. 23 Warriors v. Lakers (on TV)

Umm...it's no wonder I haven't been doing anything else. Even though I multitask, it's hard to really absorb a book or compose a heartfelt, entertaining email while you're trying to watch a replay that will show whether Monta really got fouled when he missed that layup (chances are, he did). So my lack of productivity, both in terms of chores and in terms of cultural prowess, should not be a surprise.

I also, however, did play a little soccer! However the downside of that is that I can't remember any highlights. I was kind of annoyed during one game because I kept booting it up to the forwards, but they were being a bit too lazy to run after it and put it in the goal. So that was irritating. And I failed to score on my one awesome breakaway - also irritating. But it's hard to get too bent out of shape when the weather is almost sinfully gorgeous and you get to run around for a couple hours.

Site of the Week:
So, Better World Books isn't Amazon in scope of titles. But it IS actually good for the world, I think, overall, so maybe you should buy your paperbacks there, instead? I just picked up a couple. We'll see how it goes.

Pop Culture Zen of the Week:
In the interest of my recent basketball obsession, enjoy Baron Davis' version of the Oscars. (If you don't know who he is, he's the closest thing the Warriors have to a star -- and he has one sweet beard.) I can't say that I necessarily agree with all his picks, but he's got some goofy fun categories, if nothing else.

Trip Report: NYC with Murry

2008-03-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Psst...you might need to view this one in Internet Explorer or the pictures won't align right.

Two weekends ago, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting NYC with Murielle. It was short, but it was a blast. It was Murry's first time, so we did some classic tourist stuff (Staten Island Ferry, Broadway show, the Met), and some classic Murry-Julie stuff (trying on dresses at Macy's since it was so darn wet outside).

See it all:

NYC with Murry 2008

You can even see us describe it all (in French) since I put a dorky video up on YouTube for Murry's boyfriend. Ignore how terrible I was at getting both Murry and I in the frame -- the nifty little camera I was using is super-easy to use, but hard to angle properly.

Assorted thoughts:

- Some experiences, while fun, are a one-time thing.
Did I enjoy strolling through Central Park in the pouring rain? Yes. Would I do it again? No. Well, probably not. On the upside, Central Park was nearly deserted, so we got to walk through it relatively unbothered by other tourists. On the downside, hard as we tried to squish our entire bodies under one shared umbrella, our pant legs got completely soaked, which made our subsequent visit to the Met a bit soggier than desired.

-The sights are unbeatable.
The skyscrapers in Times Square disappearing into a dense fog. The set design of Phantom of the Opera, a boat skimming over waters lit by hundreds of candles. The "Moonrise" by Harpignies at the Met. Some things, you only see in New York -- that's why you have to go back again and again.

- We like a wide range of food.
From the unaffected homestylings of the Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich Shop to the messy, unusual Meskerem to the friendly, authentic El Parador Cafe, we consumed mass quantities. One thing's for sure: Murielle loves American service. She practically wanted to make out with our friendly server at the Olive Garden (don't worry, Herve, she did restrain herself).

- The Museum of the Moving Image is totally boss.
It's in Queens, in this kind of sketchy neighborhood, so you probably wouldn't stumble on it; you'd have to make a point to go there, which we did. But we did pass by the Kaufman Astoria Studios on the way there (too bad we didn't see Will Arnett). There were so many great interactive exhibits -- voiceovers, creating a stop-motion photography video (a la Wallace and Gromit), a ping-pong video game without controllers. I was totally entranced by an exhibit that showed how a baseball game is edited live from numerous different camera views. It was fascinating!

And, since I do it every time, a little comparison of how apparently we never change.

We still have hair issues.

Things still go wrong with our clothes.

We are still visions of loveliness in green and pink.

I still don't photograph well.

Then there's this series of gems...

Ah, persian grandma Murry.

And after all the fun we have, it's still a bummer to have to say goodbye, and I try to brave it by making funny faces.

Hahahahahaha

2008-03-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Heeeee. That's pretty good. I think the "invisible [item]" lol macros might be my favorite.

PS: I seriously am working on the NYC post -- maybe in the meantime we can enjoy a little "invisible strangler"?

Man, I take some seriously unattractive pictures. Aren't y'all lucky I share them with you? Je n'ai pas de honte.

PPS: Steve Young was in line next to me at the grocery store yesterday. His little daughter was really cute.

The week in culture: Mar. 3-9

2008-03-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

Watched:
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Beverly Hills Cop
Friends with Money
Rendition
Juno (again -- on the plane)
Wedding Crashers -- Murry's first time seeing it! A perennial fave.

Read:
Bastard Out Of Carolina by Alison Smith. Not really an upper, but well-written; I love the line about her mom "turning down anything that looked like a down payment on something she didn't want to sell."
Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter. Not the best I've read, but it makes those mental gears start turning.

Heard:
Life in Slow Motion, David Gray's latest (to me) album. I just love his voice, and the songs are mellow but catchy.

Pop Culture Site of the Week:
I can't remember if I linked to Rich Sommer's blog before, but it's super-cute. He's an actor on a hit show (AMC's Mad Men, but he's very down-to-earth, family-focused, nerdy, and irreverently funny. The best part is how frequently he puts up a slew of adorable pictures of his baby girl, complete with amusing commentary. Dads + kids = win.

Visited:
My big trip of the week was to...New York City! But I'll do a long, dorky post about that later. Don't you worry. ;)

Here's a taste...

Yeah, that's Central Park. It's basically underwater at this point.

The week in culture: Feb. 25 - Mar. 2

2008-03-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

Watched:
The Feast of Love
Gridiron Gang
Rescue Dawn
Definitely, Maybe
I Could Never Be Your Woman
French Connection II

Read:
Magazines? Though those don't count now do they...I guess this was more of a movie week than a book week. Still, I've broken my streak of at least a book a week. I'll have to do at least 2 next week (which shouldn't be a problem since I've got a 5-hour flight on Thursday.

Spectated:
Warriors v. Sonics - they pulled out a narrow victory, but it was satisfying after that loss to Atlanta the previous week. Also, Kroshere really rocked his minutes -- guess he is trying to make a difference while Biedrins is out. And he is, in his slightly ungainly way.
Warriors v. 76ers -- at last, a resounding victory. Belinelli didn't play (alas!) but we did get to see Brandan Wright with quite a bit of game time, though the guys behind us were pretty big d-bags about it. They also didn't like Kroshere, but that guy has been exhibiting serious hustle lately!

The week in soccer:
A win! A windy wind, too -- it was a gorgeous day but the wind really picked up during the second half and was blowing the ball to many unexpected locations (e.g. out of bounds). I managed to head the ball while on the ground (not a dangerous play) and get called for high-kicking (which was just dumb, since my foot was not near anything delicate and in fact can go waaaay higher than waist-level).

Pop Culture Dorkiness of the Week:
I think I've linked to this before, but Married to the Sea makes some freakin' hilarious comics. They're so wrong, they're right. I think the "Listen, Michael" and the muffins one. But there are so, so many, and many of them just hit the spot. An acerbic delight for any day...and there are over 700 of them so you could read one a day for the next two years or so. (I'm pretty sure you'll want to read them faster than that, they are so fun.)

The week in culture: Feb. 18-24

2008-02-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

This one's a little late 'cause I kinda forgot to post it. I know you all are just SO torn up about that because you LIVE for this blog.

Watched:
3:10 to Yuma - oh, Bale, you can do no wrong. Someone nominate this guy for an Oscar already!
The King of Kong, an enjoyable documentary about one man's quest to become the World Champion of Donkey Kong. Nerdery at its best!
My Best Friend's Wedding - years since I'd seen it. I forgot she is supposed to be 28 in that movie. 28 as the age when you figure if you're not married, you might as well throw in the towel? That seems extreme.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - just makes me want to re-read the books.
Dedication - weird indie romance, but a good performance from Mandy Moore
The Jane Austen Book Club - just as excellent the second time around

Also, the Oscars! This wasn't the most exciting year for me, as I hadn't seen/didn't feel particularly passionate about many of the nominees. Still, it was nice to see Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova win for their great song from Once, and there were some nice speeches and nice dresses (apparently Helen Mirren is incapable of looking bad). John Stewart did a commendable job, getting off some nice one-liners and those goofy montages.

And may I just say that Tivo-ing the Oscars, then watching them when you can fast-forward whatever you like is so the way to go. It was a jolly good time watching them in that fashion with Abbey.

Read:
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - finally! This had been on my to-read list for ages. It was fast and unusual, with a likable lead character and mysteries that weren't just your run-of-the-mill murders.
A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham - another book that was perennially on the list. Frankly, it could've stayed there. A lovely writer, but his books just dump you in the doldrums.

Spectated:
The Warriors sneaking in a win against the #1 Celtics. Despite the irritant of the tall, vocal Celtics fan in front of us, we enjoyed a heck of a game, capped by Baron Davis' winning basket with 0.3 on the clock. Those Warriors know how to pull off a close one, don't they? (They do.)

Also, the Warriors losing what should've been an easy win against the Atlanta Hawks. That was a frustrating one, but they were missing two of their best players (Jackson and Biedrins), so maybe it shouldn't have been a total surprise.

The Week in Soccer:
Non-existent! Due to all the glorious downpour that the bay was treated with, my game was rained out.

Pop Culture Site o' the Week:
Goodreads, which I keep meaning to get more involved with, is a nifty little site that lets you track what you're reading and share it with others. (My blog is the highly low-tech version of that.) If I get some time, it would be good fun to go write some reviews and roam around for recommendations from people with similar book taste.

The Week in Culture: Feb. 11-17

2008-02-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Watched:
The TV Set
Evan Almighty
The rest of season 1 of Ghost Whisperer

Read:
The Office of Desire by Martha Moody
Him Her Him Again The End of Him by Patricia Marx

Spectated:
Dos juegos de los Warriors:
Warriors (120) v. Wizards (117) - Captain Jack rallied at the end for a heart-pounding victory. great first NBA game for Sar and Carmen!
Warriors (120) v. Suns (118) - totally thought they'd lose this; so sweet when they didn't!

Random Culture Moment of the Week:
I know Valentine's Day is over, but these e-cards are a riot -- and really, you could send them other days of the year than V-Day. Really, roam around the site a bit. You'll find many a card that sound like things I'd have written, or wish I could've.

The Week in Soccer
Victory! 4-1. And it was the nice field! I scraped my knee (boo) but I scored (yay) so it all came out well in the end. Next week, back to the craptacular field. But it's not an 8AM game, so maybe the field won't be quite so water-logged.

Trip Report: Disneyland

2008-02-15T22:19:00.000-08:00

Our company trip this year was to the "happiest place on earth," and aside from the California Adventure (which didn't really frost my cake, though I could see how it might appeal to out-of-staters or younguns), it was a true delight.

For starters, we stayed at the (jungle-themed!) Embassy Suites Anaheim, which was a complete blast from the past for me. The design of the hotel (a rectangular arrangement of rooms facing inward around a central fake oasis) reminded me of being a kid, either of soccer tournament trips or overnights with my Girl Scout troop. I can't remember which it was (possibly both) but it absolutely put me in the right mindset for a trip to Disneyland.

Among the fun things experienced at the Magical Kingdom:

- The Enchanted Tiki Room (a fave of Josh and a first for me, to my recollection)
- Space Mountain (hysterically fun)
- Tower of Terror (umm, legitimately a bit terrifying)
- Star Tours (love the little touches of humor in that one)
- Indiana Jones (a favorite, but it goes by so quickly!)
- the Haunted Mansion (a classic that actually frightened me with one new section)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (revamped to include Jack Sparrow anamatronics, still fun)
- lunch at the Blue Bayou restaurant (the fake-outdoors one next to PotC)
- Storybook Land Canal Boats (retro fab -- and totally empty)
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (a rollicking good time)
- whatever they called the rapids ride where the front of my shirt got wet
- unfortunately, no Jungle Cruise (closed -- alas!)

In the evening (8pm-1am) the park was open to just my work people, so there were virtually no lines (yes, I know I'm spoiled). Josh and I got to ride PotC in our own boats, it was that empty. Surprisingly creepy, but well worth it: an experience I don't think I'll ever have again. Still, racing through the lack of lines means you don't take the time to appreciate all the effort that goes into creating the environment and ambience of each ride for the people who are waiting in line. There's so much detail; it can really transport you to another place when you're immersed in caverns or blinking electronics during your wait time. I admire the "set designers" who create the experiences. That seems like a fun job.

By the end of the day, my feet were sore, and I was cold and tired, but oddly not that hungry (heightened motion sensitivity and corresponding stomach grumpiness a delightful side effect of aging).

Every time I go back to Disneyland, it seems a little smaller. I know I'm not getting bigger anymore (much as I dreamed of being 5'8'', that ship has sailed), but the fairy tale castle looked shockingly tiny this year. No matter; I still love it. I think I've finally reached the age where I'm looking forward to taking my kids someday. Of course, for myself, there's still Disneyworld to explore; I've never been there, and man do I love geodesic domes...

The weeks in culture: Jan. 28 - Feb. 10

2008-02-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

Watched:
Eastern Promises - really smart and suspenseful. highly recommended if you can stand the violence (or if, like me, you know when to avert your eyes)
Un Coeur en Hiver - one of the best movie titles ever I think
Assorted episodes of Newsradio, seasons 1-3 - I forgot how funny this is
Assorted episodes of Ghost Whisperer - JLH hair: lovely; not a show that really strains the brain in any way

Heard:
Not much of anything...what do you recommend these days? I guess I've been listening to the Dixie Chicks' two most recent CDs; those never get old.

Read:
The Undecided Voter's Guide to the Next President by Mark Halipern
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Spectated:
Warriors v. Bulls (a game we should've won)
So, so many games on TV. Julie has turned into a veritable b-ball addict. It's like I don't even recognize myself...and must therefore be referred to in the third person.

The week in soccer:
Rained out one week, and a high-scoring loss the next week. We played on a new field that did not have any lines. It also had long wet grass that soaked through the socks and left me with sodden, stinky feet. Now my car even smells. Eeeeew. Looking forward to next week and the faux-grass field again. And maybe actually scoring a darn point!

Cultural tidbit of delight:
I don't get particularly into the whole political debate. I think people should vote, but they're welcome to their own opinions and don't need me to critize their beliefs or how they want the government to spend their money. However, I will say: Moustaches + politics = awesome.

Uber-cuteness of the week (via Sara):
Baby polar bears! HUG HUG HUG DEATH

*Stay tuned for a subsequent trip report that got too long to be part of the "visited" section of this post...

Canadian photo takin'

2008-01-31T17:36:00.000-08:00

You wanted 'em? You got 'em.

Vancouver - January 2008

I forgot to take pictures of plenty of places -- Stanley Park, the Granville Island Public Market, our amusingly enormous hotel room -- but here are a few that at least show you how pretty, and pretty damn cold, it was.

The week in culture: Jan 21-27

2008-01-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

Watched:
Stardust
27 Dresses
North and South (BBC, not Swayze)
Hairspray
Atonement
Wallace and Gromit (their three short films)

Read:
Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase (oh the shaaaame)
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Heard:
Natasha Bedingfield's new album, which is OK.
The Psych theme song in Spanish, which is awesome.

Pop Culture Zen of the Week:
The Men of Jane Austen. Yum! Darcy is where it's at, but Wentworth from Persuasion ain't too shabby either.

Random Cultural Observation:
Over the past few years, I've become less and less involved with the awards shows. I still like to look through the magazines to see all the stylish duds, but it feels less critical to me to see all the nominees and figure out in my head who will/ought to win. As the years pass, it seems more evident to me that awards show recognition doesn't exactly mean quality as it does industry clout, and that many worthy shows, films, and actors are left out. Hard to muster up enthusiasm when it seems that the things you think are great are straight-up ignored. (The Emmys being the worst offender in this category.)

Soccer Update:
An awesomely fun time this week, playing in the rain on a grastroturf(?) field that wouldn't get wrecked or turn to mud. It was alternately sprinkling and solidly raining while we played, and the field didn't have completely proper drainage so it was rather soggy and slippery, but it was still quite delightful -- even when I fell in the grass and suffered completely sodden shorts as a result. We lost, 5-3, but I scored a goal so I wasn't entirely bummed by it all. No indeed!

The week in culture: Jan. 14-20

2008-01-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

Watched:
The rest of season 4 of The Wire (best season yet, IMHO)
Eagle vs. Shark (quirky-crappy indie flick)
The Bourne Ultimatum
S1 of Friday Night Lights (rewatch with Josh)

Read: (from Pulitzers to trashy romance!)
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser (Abbey you ought to borrow this)
Goddess of Spring by P.C. Cast
Unmasked by C.J. Barry

Visited:
Vancouver! Josh and I spent a long weekend in this pretty coastal Canadian city. Pictures to come!

Random Site of the Week:
Mad About Martha, which just got a rockin' new columnist. Her latest post is rather "Best Week Ever" and it's giving me a new appreciation for the domestic arts. ;)

Random Factoid of the Week:
Josh's grandma, who lives in Brentwood, will apparently be getting a new next-door neighbor soon: Conan O'Brien.

Could I be smarter?

2008-01-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

I just peeled a grapefruit that I thought was an orange.

In my defense, my coworker and I had just been talking about blood oranges, and how we had them in the kitchen, and I thought it was one of those.

Still, could I be smarter?

Yes. Yes, I could.

The week in culture: Jan 7-13

2008-01-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Watched:
Juno
The Wire, Season 4 (not a movie but wanted to be clear that I haven't avoided the screen entirely)

Read:
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (so interesting, and a bit chilling)
Restless by William Boyd (I'm really into spies lately -- any recommendations?)

Heard:
Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths
I Don't Want to Be in Love by Good Charlotte

Events:
Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzles, 1/11
(The Warriors were victorious, happily. Isn't b-ball so much more entertaining in person? Especially if you have good seats.)

Random Culture Moment:
Battling superheroes (click the 'defeated by' error to scroll through 'em)
My fave might be the Magma Carta. HARR.

The Week in Soccer:
A new season has started. I think we tied? Or we might've won by one point. I didn't score, but I also didn't play the whole game (we had subs), so I'm trying to console myself that if I'd played a bit longer I could've put one in the goal.

The week in culture: Jan 1-6

2008-01-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

Here I go, posting my weekly consumption of books, film, and whatever else lies in the pop culture domain. I'm going to try to keep up with this, and we'll see how well I do. Expectations are not high!

(Note that it's an abbreviated week this time because the year just got started, and I'm leaving 2007 in the dust.)

Movies Watched:
The Lives of Others
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
The Kingdom
My Brilliant Career
Ratatouille
BEST: The Lives of Others

Books Read/Finished:
Can I Keep My Jersey? by Paul Shirley (it was a slow week)

Songs on my playlist:
"Last Train Home", Ryan Star
The Reminder, Feist (late to the party, I know)
"Breakin' Dishes", Rihanna
"Wonderful World", Sam Cooke (a classic)

Random Pop Culture Joy of the Week:
These daily puppies. I cannot decide which is the most adorable. The husky-corgi mix? The great dane? The samoyed? It pains me! DEATH BY CUTENESS.

What pop rocked your world last week?

Guess what I saw this morning?

2008-01-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

A tumbleweed.

I was driving to work this morning and just passing the big empty field next to Charleston Park when I saw it bouncing into the road, propelled by the high winds heralding an impending storm. (We've got some lovely dark clouds now too.) I think it must've come from the field -- there's a lot of dry brush and whatnot there -- and it was heading towards Shoreline Amphitheater. Maybe it wanted to see a show.

Why do I like tumbleweeds? I don't know. There is no logical reason. Maybe because they seem like such a goofy phenomenon. Maybe because they remind me of long childhood road trips with my family through otherwise unbroken, boring terrain. Maybe because I have somehow oddly anthropomorphized them into having 'aw shucks' travelin' cowboy personalities.

I'm kind of weird, huh?

My feet hurt

2007-10-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Three hours of soccer will do that.

Yesterday I played my third soccer game with the Palo Alto women's rec team I joined a month or so back. Damn, but it is super fun! I haven't lost all my old skills (though certainly a few of them), and I'm still in reasonable shape, so I'm one of the stronger players on the team.

It helps that the age minimum is 25, making me the one of the youngest (and spriest) players; most of the players are around 35-40 or so, I'd wager. My relative youth and energy made the other women decide I would play midfield (the position with most running), which I'm just getting used to after many years of playing defense and 1 year of forward. One of the great players on our team is Sue, who's about 50 but still in great shape and has a really good sense of strategy and solid ball skills. She's fun to play with; we both play mid-field so we make a lot of plays together, passing around our opponents and finding opportunities to move the ball towards the goal.

We've apparently found quite a few of those opportunities; we won the last three games I played in (2-1, 5-4, 3-2...I think? we don't keep standings), and I scored a goal in each one. Wooo! Yesterday I guess I was feeling so energized by our most recent victory that I stayed on to play for the next game, since the teams were short players. The games are 90 minutes, so that came to three hours of soccer in the sun.

Whew! I ran a decent amount in the first half, but not surprisingly, I was feeling rather lazy by the end of it. In the second half I spent most of the time dribbling around players and using fancy footwork to evade them rather than running with the ball. (I cannot tell you how delighted I am that I have not lost my ball skills, aka finesse as my former coach Deb Duggins used to say.) It was a strategy that appeared to work; I scored 3 goals in that game. But my feet are quite angry at me today; I'm counting something like 5 blisters and a cut from an overlong toenail. Boo. Homegirl needs a pedicure.

While it is really fun to get back into soccer now after so many years away, it makes me a bit sad I didn't stick with soccer through high school. Chatting with Sue, she just assumed I'd played for my college team and was quite surprised I didn't. Not even! I wish I'd been less of a chickenshit and just tried out for our high school team. Much as I love all the yoga and running and kickboxing and such that I do to work out now, I've definitely missed soccer. It's exercise that really feels like play in a way nothing else does for me.

Anyhoo, though I've never been much of a spectator myself, Josh has been nice enough to cheer me on at the last couple games. (I'm sure that has helped me play better.) You all are welcome to come too! If you do come, be prepared for me to fall on my butt a lot. If there's one thing I've lost since I last played soccer in (gasp!) 1995, it appears to be balance.

Linky linky bo blinky, banana fana...

2007-08-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

God, I'm lame. You'd think I weren't 25 damn years old!

- Now this is lame. Faith Hill is totally respectable looking for her or any age, and yet Redbook photoshopped her into a vacuous fembot with twig arms and . See the original and the altered version in which her arm is the circumference of a Sacagawea dollar. If Faith Hill is so hideous she needs to be retouched, then I'm a fucking troll.

- I would be so excellent at this job. Right? It's the ideal combination of my love of the entertainment industry and my love of writing blog post titles. Now how do I get this job???

- How many of these words do you know? I'm ashamed to look at some that seem sooo familiar but I can't quite get my lazy brain to define.

- What song was #1 the day you were born? I've got "I Love Rock and Roll" by Joan Jett. My little bro has "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce feat. Jay-Z (not bad!). Josh's is "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (supremely excellent). Find out yours -- then leave it as a comment.

- I went to Bikram yoga with my sis, and her buds Carmen and John last week. It was at YogaSource, just a block from my house. Handy! And I got so, so, so sweaty! (It's in a heated room; I'm not just a wimp.) It was a great workout, the instructor was solid, and I definitely plan to go back.

- This movie suggestion site is kind of nifty. Even if it isn't 100% accurate, it could help you with some movie ideas if you're stuck in a rut.

- So many awesome people visit The Goog: Julia Glass, Diane von Furstenberg, Maria Shriver. Why should they be the only ones to enjoy their guests? They aren't! You can watch their talks too on the @Google YouTube channel -- nifty for those who miss the talks 'cause they're hard at work, too.

- Just looking at this list makes me hungry. Who wants to try some of these with me? (The restaurants, not the cobbler shop or otherwise.)

Since I was hungry, guess what I just ate? SO DELICIOUS.

Ten albums I'm currently digging

2007-08-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

In no particular order (or, okay, in somewhat ascending order, but don't hold me to it) are 10 of the albums I've really been diggin' on this summer.

John Legend - Get Lifted
Favorite Tracks: Used To Love You or Stay with You

Ray LaMontagne - Trouble
Favorite Tracks: Shelter or Hold You in my Arms

Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Favorite Tracks: Little of your Time, Won't Go Home Without You

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - "Once" Soundtrack
Favorite Track: When Your Mind's Made Up

Brandi Carlile - The Story
Favorite Track: The Story

Kelly Clarkson - My December
Favorite Track: Can I Have a Kiss

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Favorite Track: Back to Black

The Weepies - Say I Am You
Favorite Tracks: Take It From Me or Nobody Knows Me

KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
Favorite Tracks: Other Side of the World or Universe & U

Mandy Moore - Wild Hope
Favorite Tracks: Looking Forward to Looking Back or Gardenia (and the whole damn album -- seriously)

One thing I've realized from this list is just how often the title track from a CD really deserves the title.

What are you listening to lately?

Pop goes the culture bonanza

2007-07-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

I've been long overdue with a linkspam about all my various pop culture devotions. So here ya go.

- I totally agree with Kelly Clarkson that for a song to really resonate, you have to believe the singer, whether or not their vocals are perfect. (Maybe that's why I heart that damn Mandy Moore album so much. This is one of my favorites.)

- Performance artist/writer/actress Miranda July has this crazy-cool website for her new book. It's inventive and interesting, like the kooky lady herself.

- Totally not obsessed with the Reel-Style.com blog. Oh, wait, yes I am. Most of it is trashy "starlets", but there are some classy dames in cute togs, and you can find out where to get them.

- Just...ew. This reminds me why I don't really eat fast food anymore. In fact, looking at it, I might not want to eat anymore, period.

- It makes me happy that I'm not the only one ascribing awkward thoughts and behavior to people in low-rent clothing advertisements.

- Maybe it's a bit extreme, but I like Bruce Willis' method of keeping his daughters' gentlemen callers in line.

- I'm not sure the Goog would ever go this far, but this is kind of an interesting idea. Maybe Dad ought to consider it for Appropedia.org?

- Their marriage on Veronica Mars was totally creepy, and separately I find them both sort of bizarre-looking and non-human, but Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna as a married pair are actually sort of cute. I guess I just dig it when married couples look like they like each other, even if they are somewhat plasticky and/or ho'ed out.

- Looks like I'm not the taken in by Shia LaBoeuf's charms, given his recent popularity in film projects. I'm hoping he has the talent and the class to stick around for a while and not take the typical child star f---up route. If this interview is any indication, he'll be fine. (Too bad he smokes.)

- I'm finally going to read Harry Potter 6. In fact, the plan is this: watch Harry Potter 5 when it comes out next week since I can't remember what in the Hades happened in it; read Harry Potter 6 during the week following so I can be caught up for when...Harry Potter 7 comes out on July 21. I've been spoiled for character deaths in the last two books, and I refuse to have the final book spoiled for me. That would simply suck.

- Want. Dorgi. Pleeeze?

Don't be rash, darling!

2007-07-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

So, I had a root canal last week, right? (It was actually a root canal re-do from one I had in high school that was still having issues.) My endodontist was Dr. Mehran Fotovatjah who did an awesome job and it was totally painless and not at all unpleasant, etc. (I encourage those of you who are crappy-toothed and in the area to look into him should you ever require such services.)

So I was taking antibiotics related to the root canal, and the morning after I stopped taking them I noticed a bit of tiny pink spots on my chest and upper arms. I assumed it was related to the pills, called up the doc and he said same. It would go away on its own once the drugs were out of my system. I could take some Benadryl if it got itchy.

Well, it didn't get itchy, but it did get ugly. Later that day my entire self was covered with angry red blotches. Stomach, back, arms, legs, neck, you name it, even my feet were covered with the offensive spots. De-freakin-lightful, but at least it didn't hurt at all. I felt fine, even if I looked heinous. Lucky for me, it was at its worst yesterday, when I had the day off work for the 4th of July. So I was spared public ridicule, shutting myself in the house to watch TV all day, feeling like that kid from Mask, only with no Cher around to comfort me. Alas.

The rash is on its way out now -- the spots are more diffuse but less bright -- to my extreme relief. It's been pretty weird looking down at my arms and legs and feeling that they belong to some spotted alien giraffe demon instead of a human, specifically, me.

Other things that are up with me:

- Thinking this dog is really cute. The one in the middle of the page where he's standing up? !!! (Incomprehensible high-pitched squeals)

- Loving the new Mandy Moore CD to pieces. It's a total post-breakup CD, so not exactly applicable to me in my current romantic situation, but the melodies are catchy, the lyrics honest and memorable, and her voice a better instrument than I'd expected from her previous work.

- A frozen yogurt shop opened directly behind our apartment. It is delicious, theoretically not that bad for us, and open late. This could become a problem.

- Josh has to go to Dublin for work for a week starting next Saturday. You know what that means...Party at my place!!! (Just kidding. That really means "Romantic comedy movie festival at my place." I am a loser.)

Ok, that's it for now. Maybe in the next few days I'll do a pop culture link bonanza post of things I've been saving up for a while. Look forward to it, unless I get too lazy. Which is likely. Sorry!

Je suis retournee!

2007-07-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

So here I am, back at home. Got back a week ago and am happy to be back.

I'm feeling pretty lazy at the moment, so I'm not going to do a picture-laden post. I'm just going to link to my Picasa album where you can view all the pics from my trip.

Italy and France 2007

And I'll point out a few highlights and notable things:

- driving through the Tuscan countryside for the first time, when the song "Karma Chameleon" started playing on the radio. Very surreal.

- my first taste of pici, a "typical pasta" that's like, as Josh said, spaghettier spaghetti

- one interminable lunch at a rustic cafe in Radda, where the menu was set, the waiter old and toothless, and the dessert home-made

- peeking into the door of the community center in Sorrento on a Sunday to see old couples dancing to old songs at their social dance night

- the sublimely delicious four-flavor cup of gelato with chocolate mousse, banana, cappuccino and coconut. I wanted to mix it all up, pour it in a giant bathtub, and soak in it.

- Italian men hitting on me. I forgot how persistent they are, how constant their attentions despite brush-offs, how they seem to have radar for single ladies. It was definitely a relief to head to Paris and the blissful inattention of the Frenchmen.

- the view from my hotel in Sorrento. Ridonkulously pretty, any time of day.

- my seatmate on my flight from Napoli to Paris: British fashion designer Patrick who was very chatty, very nattily dressed, and very fond of his gin-and-tonics

- Le Relais D'Entrecote, a recommendation from my boss, was a great tasty laid-back steak-and-fries place on my first night in Paris

- pain au chocolat. Just...guh...can I eat it every morning?

- L'Eglise D'Auvers-sur-Oise, one of Van Gogh's paintings at the Musee D'Orsay, absolutely stunning in person. Full of energy and unsettling.

- the baby-poo-colored carpet and creepy vignette-covered wallpaper at our hotel in Paris

- visiting the Sacre Coeur for the first time when a service was going on, and the sounds of the nuns' song soared throughout the building, angelic, delicate, uplifting in such a beautiful setting

- the quaint adorableness of, oh, every single pastry shop in Paris. It just reminds me why I once told my family if I were ever to rob a place it would be a bakery.

Aaaaaand that's it! It was a good time. I didn't stress much, I saw a lot, and ate a lot, read a lot, walked a lot, and was even happy to be back home when I stepped foot in the door. What more can you ask from a vacation?

Ciao di Italia!

2007-06-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

Dopo di passare una buona settimana a Toscana, sono qui a Roma per solo una notte. Sono appena arrivata al albergho dopo di fare un giro a tutta la citta. Whew! Fa caldo qui. Domani andro a Sorrento per due notti, e poi a Napoli per una notte prima di salire per Parigi.

Exciting, right? Well, at least you all know I'm alive here in beautiful Italy, even if you couldn't understand what I just wrote (try Google translate if you're curious; it's probably not all right anyway). Tuscany was absolutely gorgeous, and I am feeling 100 percent more relaxed than when I left. I've eaten enough pizza, pasta, and gelato to keep me satisfied for many days to come (latest mix: berry, dark chocolate, and coconut -- sinfully delicious). Now I have a few days to myself before meeting up with Sar and Josh again in Paris, and I plan to use them well (aka, more sitting around eating and reading).

Baci a tutti!

Help me make a freakin' decision

2007-05-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here are your choices:

1) Southern Italy.
Ravello, Sorrento, Positano. Maybe a bit of Puglia?
PROS: Nearby, parlo italiano, food.
CONS: Same old, same old?

2) Greek Islands.
Santorini, Aegina, Mykonos.
PROS: Gorgeous. Different. Mellow or ancient site-seeing filled.
CONS: Filled with honeymooners? Hard to get around tiny islands?

3) Croatia
Dubrovnik, Hvar, Zagreb.
PROS: Varied scenery: forests, beaches, historic buildings. Totally new.
CONS: Totally unknown.

It's just me, and I've got about 5 days. What do you think? Also open to other suggestions. Not particularly interested in Spain, for no reason I can really determine, but anything reasonably close to France/Italy would be acceptable. I've given brief thought to Prague, Vienna, and Turkey, for what it's worth.

HELP ME.

OMG like so cute..ish

2007-05-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

This dog, from the Daily Puppy a couple weeks ago, keeps cracking me up. He's so...proper, or something. Very composed, which is odd because his head doesn't even look like it belongs with the rest of his body.

Do you all remember that Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons where Bart gets the power to make his thoughts real, and people have to all be very careful around him, because if he doesn't like them, he'll smite them or turn them into human jack-in-the-boxes, like he did with Homer?

That's what this dog reminds me of.

Things to be excited about

2007-05-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

- I just ate some really good strawberries

- A three day weekend is nearly upon us

- Maroon 5's new album came out yesterday

- Knocked Up comes out next week

- Two weeks from tomorrow, I'll be in Italy

- Two weeks after that, I'll be in Paris

- Manicure/pedicures this Saturday

- The project I was working on yesterday as if demonically possessed is finally finished, and I'm not dead

- This dress is really pretty

- These shoes make me want to wear yellow (whether or not I'd look disgustingly sallow in it is a separate issue)

- Hot nerds

- This hilarious random comic

- The word "f***ery", as used by Amy Winehouse in her song "Me and Mr. Jones", off her album Back to Black, which is excellent, particularly the title track

- The library

You can always be excited about the library.

You tell me

2007-04-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Questions!

1. Should I dye my hair red again?
a) yes
b) no
c) it doesn't matter, you'll be beautiful no matter what (just making sure there's a clear option for Josh)

2. What language should I try to learn next?
a) Arabic
b) Hungarian
c) German
d) something else I will explain in the comments

3. At the gym, I feel:
a) totally buff and competent
b) comfortable using a few simple machines
c) winded in about three minutes
d) pasty, doughy, and other words used to describe bread
e) "gym"?

4. I just saw Blades of Glory. What should I see next?
a) The Namesake
b) The Lookout
c) The Lives of Others
d) Zodiac
e) Read a book, you ninny!

5) The best thing about spring is:
a) the weather
b) the fresh fruit
c) members of the opposite sex wearing less clothing
d) purdy flowers
e) it's easier on your Seasonal Affective Disorder

Happy Friday!

A backlog of links

2007-03-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have this tendency to bookmark things on my computer that I find interesting, with the intention of at some future point sharing them with my lovely, if small, audience. The links have been building up for quite some time, so I'm going to put down at least a bit of them, in an attempt to rid myself of at least some of the growing pile.

- These freaky Valentine's Day cards are hilarious. I was looking at them at work and I had to keep clicking away and muffling my laughter, particularly at this one and this one. I'm still laughing.

- My perennial favorite comic is Calvin and Hobbes. Ergo, I was pretty jazzed to find this collection of Calvin's macabre snowmen scenes. Hee!

- Upcoming Batman movie. Christian Bale + Heath Ledger was good already. Now we add Aaron Eckhard and Maggie Gyllenhaal (in place of Katie Holmes) and I am getting psyched at unnatural levels.

- Speaking of casting things I like, you know the next Indiana Jones movie that is fiiiinally getting made? Cate Blanchett is going to be in it. SCORE.

- And dude, Ryan Gosling is so interesting and hot. Isn't it a surprise that he really didn't get along with Rachel McAdams when they filmed all their hot scenes in The Notebook? I love the idea of two people not getting along at all, then later realizing they should totally be together.

Hmm...now I'll briefly enumerate some of the things I've been up to lately, for those of you who like that sort of thing.

1) Taking Italian class. So much fun! It's amazing how much I've forgotten, but it's always a pleasure to remember things. The class focuses on conversation, which was never my strong suit, but I think if I read my book a bit to refresh some vocabulary and verb tenses, I'll get back to the level I was before. Ish.

2) I bought a laptop. It's a Thinkpad, pretty much the same one I had at work. Why did I buy a Thinkpad? Because I am apparently one of four people on the planet that uses only the little red eraser mouse thing, not the touchpad. The touchpad irritates me. It is totally irrational, and yet I bought a computer based on it. Go figure.

3) Sporting! I played soccer this week. Kept falling on my ass and laughing hysterically, but I had a ball. Next week softball with Josh and other assorted Googlers begins. I should probably make some feeble attempt to practice first, or I am going to be absolutely craptacular on the field come Monday.

Yeaaaaah, that's it for now.

City livin'

2007-03-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

I've been promising to deliver the pictures of my new apartment for those of you folks who aren't near enough to come visit it. Now, at long last, here they are!

So you walk in, right? There's a half-bath to your right, and the kitchen to your left. We've got the standard dishwasher, fridge, and stove. (Unfortunately it's not gas, but what can you do?) Happily, there's more counter space than our last place, but we seem to be filling it up fairly well already. There's less food storage space, but I guess that means we just have to buy more fresh fruit and less packaged crackers...though I will admit a recent weakness for Fritos Honey BBQ Twists. Shameful, I know.

Keep going past the kitchen, and you'll be heading into the main room, with the dining area on your left. If you turned right, you'd head downstairs to the master bedroom.

Keep going past the dining area and you head straight into the living room/couch mecca. Yeah, our big beige L-couch didn't fit up the staircase into our new apartment, so we had to say sayonara to it. After several Crate and Barrel visits, we acquired a new couch and two new swively chairs. They are satisfyingly comfy and a nice change from our previous behemoth. You can't exactly tell from the photo, but the main room has high ceilings with skylights, giving it an open, airy feel that I love.

Josh also has his own nook to the right of the TV. It's not as nook-like as it could be, but it's convenient if we want to check something internetty while upstairs. (Aren't the shelves nifty? He put them up himself. My boy is handy.)

Walk past the TV and you'll head down the stairs that lead to the office/exercise room. The previous tenants were using this as the master bedroom, but it doesn't have any door to close it off from the upstairs, so we nixed that plan. It does, however, have great light during the day, and enough space for my desk as well as all our various exercise equipment. Nice compromise, though I do miss my old pseudo-nook just a smidge.

It's a bit of a mess right now, but once we get the desk cleaned off, I think the plan is for Josh and I to share it. Ish. I am fairly territorial. ;)

Downstairs we also have the lovely washer and dryer (a definite plus for this place!) and a couple bathrooms, which means that Josh and I each have one. This works out well since I like to work out in the mornings so it lets him sleep in without all my fluttering about and dressing and occasional blowdrying and whatnot.

And last we come to the bedroom, which has a glorious view of the roof of Gordon Biersch. Yes, this is rather convenient. The bedroom isn't too interesting, but it's got enough room for our enormous bed, space for the TV, and even a nook for a bookshelf, since we have so damn many books.

And that's the place! So far I've really been enjoying its proximity to everything. Josh and I head out to trivia nights at local pub The Rose and Crown. We do the block-and-a-half trek to Whole Foods for yummy sandwiches and fruit. The library is barely two blocks away (though unfortunately not open on Sundays, my preferred book time). I'm taking Italian lessons maybe 5 or 6 blocks away.

Right now I can even hear the rain on the skylights up here. That's one of my favorite sounds in the world. As you can imagine, I'm pretty satisfied.

Change. It's what's for dinner.

2007-03-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

This post was written a while ago (try Feb 26) but I didn't get the picture uploaded until just now. So travel back into the past with me, why don't you?

Almost immediately after I returned from Dublin, I up and switched locations at work. We've moved to a new building, pretty distant from the main campus. It's a bummer in terms of the walk to the main campus, which is now a good 15-20 minutes away in proper footwear (let's not even talk about wearing heels). And it doesn't have a cafe yet (yes, I'm spoiled, I already know) so I've been eating fairly unhealthy because I don't have easy access to my beloved make-your-own salads.

However, the office that I now share with a couple other coworkers is pretty nice. It's spacious and light, owing to the lovely large windows that cover one side and offer a pretty sweet view. I'm not the best picture taker, and it really merits a panoramic photo since the windows are so wide, but you get and idea of how far you can see into the distance.

It's nice being able to look out the window into the world and see that, hey, there are other things that exist besides just my computer! Kind of a wacky idea, I know, but after staring at a monitor for hours, sometimes you get a little crazy.

One small demerit:

I've just realized that the head honcho offices are directly opposite from the bathrooms on my floor. Um, I don't really want my department VP knowing how often I pee, if that's cool? Looks like I'll be heading downstairs in future, or flirting with dehydration...

Belated travelogue post, part II

2007-03-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

After Strasbourg and Murry, it was time to head to Dublin. Unlike France, my purpose in heading to Ireland was nearly all business -- it's where much of the international support for my team is located. I went out to go spread the goodwill, educate people, get feedback on the current state of things. Nothing too glamorous, but definitely worthwhile.

I arrived in Dublin late at night on Tuesday. My first action of note was to get on the wrong Airport Shuttle. Turns out there are two routes that the Aircoach takes. Luckily, when I arrived at the final shuttle stop, waaaay out in the suburbs, and realized my mistake, the bus driver was kind enough to return and drop me a bit closer to my hotel. The fact that I burst into hysterical tears may have helped.

My hotel room at The Davenport, when I finally reached it after midnight, was fabulous. It's a good thing, too, because it really became my headquarters over the next few days. I spent quite a bit of time there, as you will soon learn. Quite large and posh, right?

The next few days were just work, work, work. I didn't get out at all, because I didn't know the city, and wasn't in much mood to explore after long days at the computer. I got my dinners from the snack rooms at work, supplemented with Nutella, bread, and fresh fruit from the local Spar market. I am not proud of how much Nutella I ate, but I will not attempt to conceal the fact that it was a lot. I only eat it when I'm in Europe, so it has fond and particular associations for me, despite its availability in the US.

Saturday, however, I finally exited my comfortable cocoon. First, I went for a run around the city in the morning, to get the lay of the land at last and become a bit more familiar with the city. As luck would have it, Spencer, one of my coworkers from here in CA is doing an ambassador program in Dublin, so he and I headed out for a tourist bonanza...or so we thought.

Our first stop, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, was excellent. The highlight was The Long Room, a very old two-level library that I wanted to permanently settle in. Unfortunately, pictures were verboten. But it was just glorious to be in there for as long as we were. When I build my dream house, it's going to have a replica of the Long Room. Sound good, Josh? ;)

After that, though, things just didn't go our way. Dublin Castle wasn't open. Neither was Jameson Distillery. The line at the Guinness Storehouse was revolting. Even our attempt to go to lunch at The Cedar Tree was thwarted. Whyyyyyy? The tourism stars were simply aligned against us. Accordingly, you'll just have to settle for this picture of the exterior of Christ Church.

Finally, with tired feet, we sat down in St. Stephen's Green while we waited for our tea-time at The Merrion Hotel with a few other coworkers. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the first high point of my visit. I'd like to have tea every day! That's a tradition I could get behind. See? Look how psyched I was!

The scones, breads, and little tarts were delicious, as was the steaming Earl Grey tea I chose. Perfect after a day of wandering outside in a chilly wind. The company was lively and fun, too, so we agreed to meet up again for dinner later that day.

After a brief rest, we did exactly that. By chance, we decided to dine at the popular (and deservedly so) Bang Cafe. I had a prawn stirfry and a chocolate mousse with banana sorbet. It was ridiculously delicious. Still feeling fairly energetic, we headed just a couple doors down to O'Donoghue's pub, where we listened to a ripe old accordion player and each had a Baby Guinness. It was surprisingly tasty. My companions, better drinkers than I, continued to swill regular Guinness, and we chatted until about midnight, when I gladly headed back to the hotel with a smidge of a sore throat.

Sunday was a great day, because I finally got out of the city. Personally, when I think Ireland, I don't think buildings -- I think rolling green hills and mist-covered beaches. I got a taste of that idyllic scenery by heading to Glendalough for a hike with Spencer as well as one of our Dublin colleagues, Uladzimir, and his wife Tania. Spencer and I hopped on the DART for half an hour, winding our way along the picturesque coast to Bray, where Uladzimir and Tania picked us up and drove us to Glendalough, an old monastery with gorgeous hilly hiking trails.

The weather was ideal -- sunny in the morning, only darkening and becoming a bit windier as the day wore on. You can see that it gave the monastery a bit of an eerie look, however -- like an oddly lit movie set.

Glendalough (aka "valley of the two lakes") is stunning. I mean, lake + hills = pretty, right? Abbey would have loved it and taken pictures till the battery in her camera died.

As it was, the hike itself might've killed us. You climb pretty steeply, aided by railroad ties that give you a bit more stability and traction. The path is thickly wooded, with a pretty waterfall. We passed a number of outdoorsy Irish folks who offered friendly greetings. When we got to the top, the view was definitely worth it.

After the hike, we were famished. We drove back into Bray where we excitedly sat down to a "carvery" lunch. It's a traditional Sunday meal for the Irish -- like a buffet, but with shepherd's pie, roast, stew, carrots, cabbage, and the ubiquitous potatoes. I particularly loved these slightly crispy roasted potatoes. So tasty. And Uladzimir and Tania were really gracious hosts. They are about the friendliest, nicest people you'd ever meet. Plus, Tania likes Grey's Anatomy, so we had plenty to talk about. :)

By the time we headed home shortly after 5, I was exhausted. I spent the evening in, happy to have finally been out and about. Still feeling the twinge of potential impending sickness, I downed copious amounts of tea as well.

However, it was to no avail. I awoke Monday feeling like dung. I dragged my corpse-feeling self into work, where I shuffled through the day bleary-eyed and aching. After work I retreated home, smuggling several Vitamin C-rich Innocent smoothies, my favorite beverage in Ireland, pilfered from work. I made tea, sprawled in bed with the smoothies, the tea, the tissue box, and the remote. A real party, as I'm sure you can imagine.

The next couple days, I continued to feel a bit wonky, but I kept working. Time was short, and there was a lot of work. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do any more sight-seeing or socializing, but I did eventually feel better in time to go home. Of course, "home" had changed by that time...but that's a different story, and one I'll get to in another post.

In conclusion, I love Irish breakfast.

Belated travelogue post, Part I

2007-03-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, right?

So, first I went to France. And it was excellent.

Murielle and I were happy to see each other.

I was pretty darn exhausted, though. That first day we went to lunch with her new (to me), awesome boyfriend Herve at this delicious little restaurant with a very cute, quirky ambience and place settings. Josh's mom would've loved it. We walked around quite a bit, and zoned out quite a bit at the hotel, since the jet lag stick had pretty much beat me upside the head by mid-day. As per usual, we had plenty of dorky fun, no matter what the activity. We were just so durn happy to see each other.

Our hotel was right in the middle of downtown - ideally placed for maximum wandering. (Check out the view.) The next day we went to a cooking class at the Musee du Chocolat. It was a fun Valentine's Day-themed menu where we learned how to make a lovely three-layer mousse au chocolat and these chocolate-dipped pralines. It was awesome, not just because of all the chocolate, or because Murry and I kept giving each other amused looks during the chef's somewhat bungled demonstration, but because I actually understood nearly all the French. That boggles my mind.

Later that night we went to see A la Recherche du Bonheur with Herve. Fun! And, more importantly, I managed to stay awake throughout. This was key, people. We had to bid adieu to Herve (unfortunately, didn't get to see all that much of him, but enough to know that he is a good egg and cute enough for my best friend). Later that night, we went out to dinner at the savory Canas y Tapas restaurant, where we plotted our screenplay.

Monday was our last full day together -- alas! Time always goes by way too quickly. Even so, we tried to enjoy ourselves. We spent a rousing day going throughout the city for various reasons. First, we walked all over creation in search of a crepe restaurant, finally finding an open on (Crep' Mili, where I had some yummy alcoholic apple cider and a galette with zucchini, gruyere, and garlic. It was incredibly satisfying.

Post-food we did a spot of shopping. We first made some failed attempts to navigate French clothing stores, but then headed for the fnac. Fnac has everything. Okay, not everything -- it's more like Borders smushed with Best Buy: you can find books, CDs, DVDs, and computer equipment. Murry and I trolled around for livres en francais. I snatched up Ne tirez pas sur l'oiseau moqueur, while Murry grabbed a French translation of a Jonathan Kellerman mystery.

Next, it was on to Auchan. Auchan really does it have everything. It's like Target, on steroids, with a supermarket attached. We went in search of cooking supplies, but milled around and found all sorts of things. For some reason, I find it absolutely delightful to look at grocery stores when traveling abroad. It's both foreign and familiar. Murry introduced me to the most addictive snack, and I also picked up some cute ghost crackers for later. Why are they so cute? I have no idea. They just are.

That night we ate pizza, watched Les Poupees Russes, and talked until late. The next day, Murry and I woke up late, took a lot of dorky photos, and then had to hustle in order to make it on time to our respective workday and flight.

And that was it. Another visit, short but sweet.

I'll get to Dublin soon enough...

Epiphany, Part II

2007-02-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

I have now discovered that Nutella + Irish brown bread = crazy delicious.

It's totally cool for me to eat just that for dinner, right? Maybe if I put some bananas on it and have a glass of milk it will cover all my food groups. As a consequence, though, I might die of food-related joy, so maybe it's not the best idea.

Boyfriend = awesome

2007-02-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

I am so spoiled. It's Valentine's Day, and I ditched my true blue dude to go scurry off to Dublin for work. Harsh, right? Well, not only is he not upset...he's a total freaking sweetheart about it.

See, he got points before I even left by taking me out for dinner last week and getting me a pretty necklace as a gift. Pretty suave, I thought.

I figured he'd be bummed while I was gone, so I got him a few things and hid them away in the house. I figured I could reveal their location on the 14th, and he'd think it was sweet of me. (I was just lucky he didn't find them while he was cleaning out our apartment in preparation for our move. That would have been sucky!)

Turns out, I didn't even know "sweet." Homeboy showed me up! He sent me gorgeous flowers and a card and a picture of us. To my hotel. He had them put it all in my room. That, my friends, is sweet. And look how pretty! It's not as good as having him around, but it definitely makes me a little less sad to be without him on this Great Day of Romance.

My man rules, does he not? He totally does. Gold star for Josh!

What did you all do for Valentine's?

From boulangeries to pubs

2007-02-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, I was in California. This morning, I was in Strasbourg. This afternoon I was in Paris. Now, I'm in Dublin. It's been a long few days, but good ones. It's always good to see Murielle! It's also good to head to our international office (and a city that's new to me).

I'll write more later, but wanted you all to know that I'm alive and kicking (if seriously jet lagged). See?

Hair today...

2007-02-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

So, up until recently, I had been working some seriously long locks.

I mean, there's so much hair, that's really the first thing you notice. Generally, I'm fine with that, but I never really did anything with all my masses of hair, and I'd had it the same for about three years, so I figured it was time for a change. I used to change my hair constantly, cut and color, the whole shebang, but since I became a working girl, I got into a bit of a rut. Though it had become quite heavy, I liked the way the long hair felt (just like my mom!), but thought it looked sort of blah.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know I'd pondered the Alexis Bledel and various other hair styles, as well as various hair colors. Heavy bangs? Maybe not with the glasses. Should I go auburn or chocolate? Blunt or layered? Oh, the myriad of choices...

I eventually meandered over to TheHairstyler.com, where I tried a lot of different styles on my badly-photoshopped head. I also flipped through my hair file (a folder with all the various styles I've ripped out of magazines over the years). Finally, I settled on one, and made the appointment at Priorities/Mona Lisa Salon before I could change my mind.

And here I am, immediately post-haircut, all curled and styled by the lovely people at the salon.

I loved it immediately, even the moment she hacked off my whole ponytail. (She did it that way because I'm donating it to Locks of Love.) Apparently most women spaz out when they cut off a serious bunch of hair (mine was about a foot), but right away when I saw it short, I thought: "Yep, this is right. What was I thinking with that bohemian look?"

As you can see, it is quite curly and awesome, however, so I was a bit concerned about being able to replicate its awesomeness back in the comfort of my own abode. Skill with hair is not innate to me, but I really didn't want to get back into the mode of ponytailing it every day (though it does make a cute little stumpy ponytail, per my request).

Well, after some trial and error, I've managed to get things down to a fairly quick blowdry + curl process that produces this sort of results, which I'm perfectly happy with.

Originally I'd thought about going dark brown post-chop, but I'm surprisingly digging the honey blonde a bit. I haven't had my all-natural hair color in ages (maybe since 2001 or so?), so I think I'll run with this for a while.

Thoughts?

Happy Happy Joy Joy

2007-01-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

It's Friday! Lots of reasons to be happy!

- I saw The Painted Veil last weekend, with Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. I love both of them, particularly Edward, who I have long considered one of the smokin'est men in Hollywood. This interview does nothing to diminish my adoration. Why this fantastic movie, and this extremely talented hottie, weren't nominated for Oscars is beyond me.

- However most of these folks were nominated, and it's a pleasure to read a roundtable interview with all these forces in Hollywood. Brad Pitt does love to heckle, doesn't he?

- While Brad's sorta funny, this is freakin' hilarious. I nearly burst out laughing at work, and immediately forwarded it to Josh with glee.

- It's surprising to see how celebrity quotes can be used out of context, even in major publications. Check out Renee Zellweger's quote about marriage in this People piece, then read the original Life article. In the original, she's talking about her thinking when she first got married. In the snipped-up People story, she's talking about her outlook for the future. It's a little thing, but I imagine it must be frustrating to have your words twisted however the publication prefers. Maybe I'm the only one who'd love to be an entertainment journalist and finds this sort of detail interesting...

- Okay, if you found that sort of thinking random and tedious, then you'll probably enjoy these links, which require no thinking at all. Seriously, you only have to use your lizard brain to respond to this insane cuteness. Eeeee!

- Random cat pictures, why do you entertain me so? Is it your drowned alien rat look or your dumb feline expressions? Who can say.

- Though I'm not sure I approve of his penchant for watching pigs get slaughered (a bad joke, perhaps?), I am not immune to Jake Gyllenhaal's charms. Word on the street is he's looking for a good baby mama. The line begins behind me, ladies.

- Tonight I have plans with Abbey. Mysterious plans! No, we're going to go to the salon, out to dinner, then to a movie. As I said to her, it's like a date where your date watches you get ready first! Hee.

What are y'all up to this weekend?

It makes the people come together

2007-01-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

I know Corey knows the answer to this one, Jeopardy-style. It's "What is music?" Woo!

In the past few months, I haven't bought many CDs. The last I probably wrote about to all you folks was La Aguilera's Back to Basics.

I don't know why I don't buy many CDs. I think if I had iTunes, I would completely splurge, but I'm waiting to get iTunes until I get my own computer. Maybe I'll do that soon.

At any rate, back in November I bought Regina Spektor's latest CD, Begin to Hope when I heard one of her songs on Veronica Mars. That song was "Fidelity", and it's since become a favorite of mine, particular for loud car-singing. The video's pretty neat too.

After Regina, there was a musical drought until a couple weeks ago, when I bought three CDs. I list them here in order of enjoyment.

Beyonce - B'day
The first single, "Deja Vu", didn't really grab my attention, but I definitely liked the crazy "Ring the Alarm" and the melodic "Irreplaceable". As is the case with the first Beyonce CD, it's the singles that I like best from this one. The rest of the tracks don't really get me going, except for maybe "Upgrade U". So B'day, while it does have some great tracks, doesn't have the consistency that makes it worth regular rotation.

Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSound
The incessant radio play of "SexyBack" pretty much has me skipping that track every time it comes on, but the most recent single, "My Love", still has me tapping my food when I hear it. There are other good ones on the CD too: "Summer Love" is breezy and fun, and the title track has a groovy Prince-like vibe in my opinion. As with Justin's previous solo CD, the slow ones are the weakness of the album, but it's really "Sexy Ladies" that I wish he'd left on the cutting floor.

Nelly Furtado - Loose
Unlike the two albums above, all the tracks on the album are keepers, not just the singles. In fact, "Promiscuous," the most heavily-played song from the album, isn't one of its best tracks. I would give that honor to her more recent single, "Say It Right" or the more mellow ballad "Wait For You", but really it could be almost any song off the album; my favorite changes every day. With strong beats, it's great to groove to or to work out to -- it's been the soundtrack for most of my cardio the past couple weeks. I'm a big fan of all Nelly's CDs and admire her ability to jump genres and topics while still maintaining listenability. If I'd bought this a couple weeks ago, it would've been my favorite album of all last year.

What's in your CD player these days? Okay, I'm dating myself. What's on your iTunes?

March madness, 2007

2007-01-23T21:12:00.000-08:00

Josh is looking forward to March. So am I. He's excited because UCLA is good at basketball this year, so the NCAA championships should be really fun. I'm excited because it's Oscar time again!

If you're not an entertainment fiend like I am, you can find the nominees here.

I won't be going through the whole list at the moment, but it does put me in mind that I've been a bit lazy on watching high-quality movies this year and have my work cut out for me if I want to catch most of the performances and films before the awards night.

Here's what I have on my to-see list:

Half Nelson
The Pursuit of Happyness
Little Children
Dreamgirls
The Departed
Volver
The Queen
Pan's Labyrinth

Really the only Oscar-nominated movies that I've seen are Babel and Little Miss Sunshine. Honestly, I don't think either of them is best picture material. Babel maybe, though it didn't really have a point. But Little Miss Sunshine was just paint by the numbers indie in my opinion.

Sigh...

iTunes (err, WinMedia) 8-ball

2007-01-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

I was getting a bit stressed today, trying to make some decisions, so I thought I'd do a silly meme. Most of the questions are part of the standard version, but I added a couple at the end for my own particular confusions.

Here's how you do it: Put your iTunes (or WinMedia) on random, then ask it each question before going to the next song.

What do you think of me, WinMedia?
"Do It" -- Nelly Furtado
You want to groove with me. That's sweet!

Will I have a happy life?
"Shoot the Moon" -- Norah Jones
Apparently I will be lonely. Bummer. Or maybe I will be happy, only seasonally? I have Seasonal Affective Disorder?

What do my friends really think of me?
"Time After Time" -- Cyndi Lauper
A nice sentiment, but I'm not clear on whether I'm always there for them or whether they're the reliable ones.

Do people secretly lust after me?
"Green Grass" -- Bonnie McKee
I'll take that as a yes.

How can I make myself happy?
"Alcohol" -- Brad Paisley
Kind of a dangerous road, WinMedia, but I can't fault you for being vague.

What should I do with my life?
"Through With You" -- Maroon 5
Is life breaking up with me? HARSH.

Why must life be so full of pain?
"Breathe Me" -- Sia
Apparently, it's my fault.

How can I maximize my pleasure during sex? (not my question!)
"It's Good To Be In Love" -- Frou Frou
Duh, I knew that already, WinMedia. Way to be helpful!

Will I ever have (more) children?
"Strano Il Mio Destino" -- Giorgia
My children will be Italian? Or their babydaddy will leave me?

Will I die happy?
"The Right Man" -- Christina Aguilera
Apparently only if I get married. Thanks, WinMedia.

Can you give me some advice?
"Walk Away" -- Kelly Clarkson
Are you threatening me, WinMedia?

What do you think happiness is?
"I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy" - Fall Out Boy
Great. So you want me to be a groupie.

What's my favorite fetish?
"Turn Off The Light" -- Nelly Furtado
Seriously, WinMedia? Having the lights off isn't close to a fetish.

Should Josh and I buy a house?
"Rock Your Body" - Justin Timberlake
I guess it'll need a disco ball...

Should Murry and I do a mini-trip?
"Maneater" - Nelly Furtado
Yeah, that's what I've always thought of her, too. ;)

Okay, that was fun! Now let me go write something of actual merit.

2006: A Year in Books

2007-01-21T21:07:00.000-08:00

Another year, another list of books. I read 41 "books worth noting" last year (which means I leave out super-trashy romance novels or books I don't read 100% throroughly), which doesn't sound like quite that many. There are some I just forget to write down, so it's probably more than 41, really. But who cares! Let's list 'em, shall we?

The Brothers K by David James Duncan
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
Bones of the Moon by Jonathan Carroll
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
Straight Man by Richard Russo
The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard
Waking Beauty by Elyse Freidman
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Three Junes by Julia Glass
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Love Monkey by Kyle Smith
Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley
My Boyfriend's Back by Donna Hanover
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace
No Way To Treat A First Lady by Christopher Buckley
Alamo House by Sarah Bird
My Kind of Place by Susan Orlean
More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult
Pearl by Mary Gordon
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
Generation X by Douglas Coupland
Brainiac by Ken Jennings
A Woman in Berlin by Anonymous
Otherwise Engaged by Eileen Goudge
Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding
Swapping Lives by Jane Green
The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner
The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne
The Thing About Jane Spring by Sharon Krum
Apex Hides The Hurt by Colson Whitehead
How To Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pressl
Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers by lots of people
I Married A Communist by Philip Roth
The Ha-Ha by Dave King

Fiction: 34

Non-fiction: 7

Favorite: Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Least Favorite: Generation X

There's always more to read -- I have an enormous list of books that grows faster than I can cross items off -- so 2007 looks to be a banner year. I'll aim for a book a week. I think I can do it. I'm always happier when I'm reading a lot.

Got any recommendations? :)

Lazy Tuesday*

2007-01-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

By now I assume everyone has watched Lazy Sunday, but I link to it just so you can experience the joy (and recall the reference).

I didn't get to go to Magnolia Bakery when I was in New York, but for Christmas Sar got me the next best thing to being there. Okay, maybe not the next best thing, because that would be an actual cupcake, but this shirt has all the awesomeness and none of the calories. It delights me. (You can click on the pic for a close-up.)

Just look at the smiley cupcakes! Don't they make you happy? If they don't, you might be dead inside.

*The title is a bit of a misnomer. Work was really busy today! I am trying to mellow now by making nonsensical posts about adorable clothing. It's working.

Julie vs. the kitchen, Round 1. Fight!

2007-01-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

One of my New Year's resolutions was to cook at home more. (Not like I cook a lot outside home, but you get what I mean -- make food at home instead of picking it up or eating elsewhere.) Twice a month was my goal. Not very lofty, but more than what I do now. And I mean actual meals, not just spaghetti and meatballs or veggie burgers or something. "Dishes", if you will.

I don't know how to make very many things. I've always felt a bit daunted by the act of cooking. It definitely doesn't come intuitively to me. I'm forever overcooking meat (undercooked meat=scary!), undercooking vegetables (impaaaatient), and clueless as to what spices should be used with what foods.

But, I figure I am of average intelligence, and people all over the place cook every day, so I should just suck it up and make some attempts. What's the worst that could happen -- omelets, marmalade, and blue soup? (Actually, that's fairly likely. I consider my culinary skills about on par with Bridget's.)

I've made a few forays into food preparation before -- chicken cheese casserole, white chili, falafel, green minestrone, chicken couscous, veggie lasagne -- all with varying results. The only thing I can make with any degree of tasty reliability is garlic cheese biscuits.

Tonight was my first stab at the edible arts in a long while. After perusing cookbooks for a good period of the day, alternately watching Josh beat The Legend of Zelda and get irritated by Rayman Raving Rabbids on the Wii, I finally selected a menu that seemed within my limited skill set.

Israeli Spiced Chicken with Two-Tomato Relish and Zucchini with Mint

Looks good, right? Here's the recipe. It actually turned out pretty well, and looked not too dissimilar from the picture. If I'd been thinking clearly, I'd have taken a picture of my own meal for comparison. But alas! Next time. (And there will be a next time!)

I cooked the chicken in a pan rather than on the grill. It was tasty, but a bit overdone, which is par for the course for me. I actually prefer dry chicken, but Josh (and most normal people) like it a bit moister. Maybe the grill would've been better for that. The spices were yummy, though -- hard to mess up.

The tomatoes were pretty plain, just a hint of lemon/olive-oil "dressing" (I use the term loosely here, since I don't like things that are generally thought of as dressing). I don't know that I'd make that again, since it wasn't quite Josh's preference, but it was fresh and easy.

The zucchini actually turned out the best in my opinion. I have a long history of trying to cook zucchini and failing to cook it sufficiently. I don't know why. Maybe every time I think, "It can't possibly take this long!" But this time I waited long enough, and it was done enough, and the mint was good, and it were actually quite yummy.

The verdict: not bad. I've been spoiled by my exposure to some really good cooks (my mom, who makes it look easy, and Josh's mom, who has it down to an art), so I've become accustomed to a high standard of culinary excellence. I don't think I'll get near that good, at least not for a number of years, but I'm aiming for a base level of competence.

Know any good recipes? ;)

My hope for 2007? More red here.

2007-01-05T23:05:00.000-08:00

Abbey just did a lovely post about New Year's resolutions, but I haven't got anything near so comprehensive. I think all that's on my list is to cook more and write in my journal at least once a week (kind of a daunting prospect, given all the writing I do the rest of the time).

One other thing I want to do is add more red to this sucker. (Red are the countries I've visited.) Maybe something in South America or Asia. Or is it the right time for Beckmann-Szabo Hungary '07??? I think it might be.

create your own visited countries map

What are your New Year's resolutions? Maybe you can help me come up with a few more good ones.

Ay me, work hours seem long

2007-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

All my life, I've flip-flopped between the important question: Matt or Ben?

This has me veering into Matt territory, for the day at least.

Blue skies are gonna darken, put on a happy face

2006-12-16T00:18:00.000-08:00

I am awake and hyper for some reason (Christmas spirit finally kicking in?), and noticed this on tomorrow's weather forecast on my Google personalized homepage.

How happy does that make me? Very. I freakin' love thunderstorms. It might put a bit of a damper on some of the outdoor shopping I was planning to do tomorrow morning, but it definitely gives this time of the year a more holiday feel than plain old cloudless skies.

This being California, a white Christmas is pretty much out of the question. But I can hope for a gray one, can't I?

Silliness

2006-12-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

I am a TOTAL NERD. We all know this, right? Good. This post will pretty much evidence that fact.

- Female friends of mine, take a moment to think about which animated Disney character you are. You know you've thought of it! Mulan, Belle, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty. Then read this. I'm sure it contains valuable insights about how you view yourself. If you're a dude, I suggest you read it as well, as it has psychological implications for you too.

- I vote for for the Noid. That is one creepy f---er. The Hamburgler (not present), in contrast, holds a special place in my heart.

- Is it weird that I kind of want one of these jobs? Maybe Abbey is rubbing off on me. Or maybe it's now been three years since I've been at one company, and I'm getting the itch. Maybe I'm must sad that they took away the snack rooms. The thrill is gone, folks! ;)

- Surely I can't be the only one who finds this funny or this sweet. Awww...bovine loooooove.

- Okay, so we've decided I'm getting my hair cut like Alexis Bledel, or possibly Jennifer Morrison (fig 1.) or the like. Follow-up questions below:

a) Is this a decent idea? Or do you think it would only work on someone with THICK hair?

b) As you can see from Mena Suvari and Jaime Pressly, it don't look too good on the blondes. What should I be instead of blonde?
-- red like Debra Messing
-- browny-red like Melinda Clarke
-- light brown like Faith Hill (first two pics)
-- dark brown like Lauren Graham
-- none of the above (you tell me)

c) If you think this is a poor idea, tell me what I should do instead. My hair has been the same as long as my job has been the same. That's a long time, people. New year, new hair, I say. What do you say?

Movies!

2006-12-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Oh, pop culture. You get me every time! I know I post an awful lot about TV (on that other blog and I'm always going on and on about books over here, but I don't say too much about movies.

I heart movies. This weekend I saw The Holiday and Casino Royale, both good and fun. I was particularly surprised with how much I liked the Bond flick. Daniel Craig....rowr!

Now here are some movies I want to see in the future:

Catch and Release. Julie heart chick flicks!

The Good German. Blanchett is luminous, Clooney is charming, and I'm intrigued.

The Painted Veil. Two great, dynamic actors (Naomi Watts and Edward Norton) in an epic tale. I'm a sucker for marriages of convenience that blossom into true affection.

Miss Potter. Ewan McGregor's moustache is where it's at. Oh, and I guess there's some plot about a famous authoress or something...

Because I Said So. Pro: Lauren Graham. Con: Mandy Moore. Possible rental...? Or one of those shameful theater visits with Abbey...?

What do you want to see?