30 January 2007

Running for the Bus


Why is it that the Muni drivers can't be bothered to check their side mirrors before taking off. If the 38 Geary driver had done a simple check today, he would have seen me making a mad dash for the bus, in 4 inch heels, no less. I was waiving my arms, hoping that he would pause just for an extra second, but no dice.

29 January 2007

Why Am I Here?


There is a new commercial running, that makes me want to cry every time I see it. It involves a series of dog pictures, clearly taken in a kennel. These dogs are happy and smiling, despite being in a cage, wagging their tails and shoving their noses at the camera. It is about the cutest thing ever.

Then you hear the voice over. It is a man's voice, speaking on behalf of the dogs. It tells us these dogs know how to sit, know how to fetch, will cuddle up with you in your downtime. But what he can't figure out, is why he's in there, and where his family went.

I have been searching for a dog. I don't know if they'll let me adopt one, today I got a dirty look because i work full time (even though I can sure provide a lot of love). But there are so many abandoned dogs at the SPCA, Animal Control, and various rescue groups around the area, that if a commercial like this really makes someone stop and think, I applaud its efforts.

(that's one of the last pictures I have of my old pooch, taken a few months before we had to put him down. I miss ya, old Bocci ball).

Passport's Burnin' a Hole...


I have the itch. I haven't felt this sense of desperation in quite some time. In fact, the last time...I ended up booking a trip to Argentina. It was around 2 years ago in April.

That day I remember clearly. I was sitting at home, watching "Under the Tuscan Sun" when suddenly I felt like I was punched in the gut. I needed to get out of the country.

I am starting to get that feeling now. I felt it a little bit last year, but I think my job search consumed most of my time. I was hoping between jobs to do a jaunt outside the country, but it didn't work out that way. And with the new job, it is hard to just take a 2 week vacation.

But I am hoping to change that. I am going to plan a trip for later this year. My new passport is burning a hole in my pocket.

28 January 2007

High Maintenance II: Weirdo Bugaloo

Wow, this show gets better and better.

There were two great storylines this week. The first, an "actress" babysitter gets a job so has to go on location for a month. Two other nannies vie for her position, and I feel so sorry for this little boy. The potential manny is a total douche, and while the kid is playing elsewhere, lays on the couch and talks to his friend about how hot the mom is. The potential female nanny is nice enough, but Lucy, the current nanny, is jealous so totally manipulates the kid into saying no matter what, she's his favorite. [eye roll]

The better storyline is of a useless woman whose rich fiancee hires her a personal assistant to help her manage her time. Basically, he hires her a babysitter (which is wrong in itself...hello? grown woman/man!). I don't use the term useless lightly, but could not figure out what purpose this woman serves, nor how a successful man could find her interesting. We didn't get to see the fiancee, mysterious "Andy," so I don't know what his situation is...perhaps he is much older and likes 'em young, or maybe she has a redeeming quality that we didn't see.

Nevertheless, the assistant shows up and they promptly go to two or three glasses of wine lunch. Then it was off to shop. I am not up on the shops of Los Angeles, but these were fancy schmancy. To show the PA her gratitude, the woman bought him a 1000$ sweatshirt. Then followed that by buying herself a 20,000$ fugly necklace.

Where do they find these people?!

The next day the assistant tried to get her to organize her closet, but that lasted about 5 minutes before she got too bored and had to go have some cheese and wine. "Andy" somehow figured out they had gotten nothing done (not sure how...maybe he has nanny cams or something) and fired the PA. Which made me a little sad, because those two were so meant for each other it was scary.

This show really is craptastic. I can't wait to see what train wreck the next episode brings!


24 January 2007

I Heart Craigslist

Recently I moved into a new condo (my own, yay!). I didn't have a lot of furniture, but what I did have, I surely didn't want to keep for a long time. Unfortunately, I couldn't sell it before I moved, because I needed it while I made up my mind on new furniture.

Well, two months later, that time has come! I finally have some new bedroom furniture, so I needed to get rid of the old stuff. Enter craigslist.

Craigslist has been a fantastic resource for me for since about 1998. I found my first, second, and fourth apartment that way; found my second job; and found countless groups/sports/things to be involved in.

And now...I have used it to sell my stuff! Before I moved out, I sold a few things (including a microwave for 20$...which the guy drove 40 miles in rush hour traffic on a Friday to buy). And as of tonight, I have sold a dresser, nightstand, and bookcase. These all took up a lot of space in my place, so it is so nice to have them out! If not for craigslist, I don't know how I would have gotten rid of this stuff. It sure wouldn't have been so easy!

21 January 2007

Mr. Sandman...Bring Me a Dream


For the last two plus weeks, I have not been able to sleep well. I am probably averaging 4-5 hours a night, and there doesn't seem to be a good reason for this trouble.

Last night, for instance, I stayed up late trying to tire myself out (or, tire myself out more than I already am). I went out, walked around a bunch, worked out, and then came home and stayed up late. At midnight, I crawl into bed, sure that I would fall asleep in no time. One o'clock rolls around, and I am still laying there, staying at the ceiling. At some point, I fell asleep...I woke up a while later, assuming it was morning and time to get up. No such luck, it was 3am.

Despite my best efforts, my mind starts going and going about nothing important. I worry about what I am going to hang on my wall, how I should arrange my living room...it makes no sense, and there is no need to be thinking about that when I should be sleeping.

I lay there and long for Dreamland. When I try to empty my thoughts, meditate, count sheep, whatever, it doesn't work. Now, going on over two weeks, it is really starting to affect me. I am cranky, gaining weight, and lacking in energy. Just one good night sleep is all I ask at this point.

Coupon Time!

The Internet is an amazing thing, especially when it is time to shop. Over this past Christmas season, I was trying to buy a present for my cousin. On eBay, the particular item wasn't that expensive, but shipping was the same price as the item. No way was I going to pay that!

Enter the Internet, where I was able to find coupon codes for free shipping. For this case, I was able to find free shipping from Kmart. While the item was a little more costly than from eBay, with free shipping, the total was lower, which meant I could buy him a little something extra. I love the Internet!

Not So Lazy Sunday

I'm the first to admit, I am not the most prolific housekeeper. I can get a little lazy at times, and most of the time I would rather find something else to do than clean.

Since moving into my new place, my dirty grout has bugged me. They didn't do a deep cleaning before I moved in, and that bugs me...especially since there is a ton of grout here in this place and it is not the easiest to clean. My kitchen is all nicely tiled, with what is now dirty grout, and the bathroom, twice the size of my old one, is tiled similarly.

So today I decided to tackle some of this. I got some grout cleaner that is supposed to be "powerful," but there must be something better. I scrubbed the grout in my kitchen for over an hour (after giving some of it a first pass a week or two ago), and while it is cleaner, it still isn't bright and sparkly. And, to top it off, when I cleaned the grout, the dirt from it seemed to push onto the tiles, meaning I have to clean the floor a second time!

16 January 2007

Rain!

I can't believe it! Despite it beinf 40F outside, it is raining! Things have been so dry lately, it is so nice to have some moisture in the air. I couldn't believe my ears, I thought there was a leak or something in my house...but no, it was rain!

13 January 2007

High Maintenance


I am watching the craziest show...it is called High Maintenance 90210, and man, these people are batsh*t crazy.

Yes, I watch really crappy TV. Name a crappy show, and there is a high likelihood that I watch it. (on the flip, don't ask me if I watch supposedly quality shows like Lost or 24, I don't) So this show is about a personal assistant agency that caters to the very rich folk. And, also, apparently these people have to be quirky as all get out.

My favorite story from this week involves a 27-year old butler. First, who knew anyone other than old men studied to be butlers. Second, this poor kid's family is totally anti-him becoming a butler. Third, they send him on three interviews, each which get weirder and weirder.

The first is with some guy whose estate is called "River House" or something. He is a middle aged gay man, who has a little hot boy toy as his "personal assistant." He needs butler to do all the things the toy can't, like give him a massage. Toy is supposedly straight, but he strikes me as that type that uses his looks and sex to get ahead, regardless of the sex of the person he is talking to.

The next is some psychic woman, with a fugly Fabio look alike hubby. She just gets a big w.h.a.t.e.v.e.r. But by far the strangest is the last guy, Norwood. He has 20 David (as in the Michelangelo statue) replicas in the front of his house. When you walk in, you are greeted by a huge painting... of the guy. (who is creepy like Michael Jackson) He sits the butler down in his living room on this short couch, while he sits on a high throne chair. And, he busts out two dogs (maybe bichons or mini poodles or something) who are DYED BLUE AND PINK.

What the ?!

To top it off, when you walk outside, he's got a huge pool...with his picture painted on the bottom. I have no idea who this guy is, other than addicted to plastic surgery, but it is nasty. The butler kid is so straight edged, I don't know how he will fit into any of these places (when asked what he would wear to a ghetto party, and the butler kid says, "a zoot suit?"). So of course, he picks the weirdest of them all, Norwood. Go figure.

This should make for some awesome TV. These E! shows are crazy addicting.

12 January 2007

Quiet Night

One thing I love the most about my new place...it is so quiet! There are noises, I can hear the folks upstairs once in a while, but compared to my old place, it's like a library. No more bus running down the street, no thin windows, no garbage truck picking up at 6am every morning, no baby upstairs, no hearing the people upstairs having sex. It is fantastic.

Holy Cold, Batman

Ok, I have complained about this before...but it is cold. I am so tired of the cold this season; it feels like it hasn't warmed up in months.

I wish the sunshine would start showing its warm face!

03 January 2007

The Holidays

The holidays have now come and gone. I have to say, this year they were pretty nice.

On Christmas Eve, we went to my Grandfather & his wife's house (on my mom's side). We now have two toddlers running around, which is really fun. They are into opening their gifts this year and get excited about the toys and wrapping paper. It is exhausting just watching them! It was nice to have all of the members of that family together; it doesn't happen very often.

Christmas Day started with our family of four climbing onto my parent's bed. We have done this since we were little...so even at 30 my mom wants us to start off the morning the same way. My brother and I then have to sit in the front room and wait for them to see what Santa gave us, and settle in their spots before we are allowed in the living room. Finally, we get to the opening gifts portion of the morning. My brother and I both became homeowners this year, and my parents gave us big gifts that didn't make it under the tree (for me, it was rugs for my new place...so they haven't even been picked out yet). My mom made out like a bandit, getting spoiled rotten by me, my brother, and my dad.

After we were done, my dad's sisters came over to my parent's house for breakfast. It was weird not having my Papa there; this was our first Christmas without him. They didn't stay too long, but it was good to see them. Starting some new traditions, I guess. We then headed over to my cousin Julie's house, who was kind enough to host Christmas dinner and invite my family over. There are a few rugrats running around there; it is so fun to see all their excitement over Santa and having everyone there.

Tuesday, I took the day off and relaxed. It was so nice. Overall, a very mellow few days, which I really appreciated!

02 January 2007

New Years Resolutions

With the New Year now upon us, I figure it is time to make some resolutions. I am trying to think of them as lifestyle changes, rather than resolutions, though, as resolutions are too easy to break.

At any rate, I have read that making things public is the way to go. So...
1. Floss my teeth at least 4 times a week
2. Go to the gym at least 3-4 days a week (cardio/weight train)
3. Weight train/Jillian Michaels program 4-5 days a week
4. Eat 3 meals a day
5. Snack healthier
6. Bring my lunch to work at least 2 times a week

They say it takes 6 weeks for changes to stick. I'll report back in 6 weeks time and let you know how it goes.

Blog on a Blog

I recently joined an organization called PayPerPost, an awesome way to earn a few extra dollars and learn about some cool products. There is also a very active community which works similar to other online communities – members offer advice (on blogs and other things), help out, and build friendships with others.

They also have a very cool blog that keeps members informed on the latest news from PPP, shows crazy videos by other members, and has all the updates needed to be a successful Postie.

Currently, the blog is revealing winners of one of the latest contests (oh yeah, sometimes you have a chance to win cool stuff, too!).

This blog is great even if you’re not a member of PPP. It may, however, really make you want to join (which you should!).

Making Movies from Books

I am currently watching "In Her Shoes," a movie based on the book of the same name by Jennifer Weiner. While I think this movie is ok, I don't think it fully does the book justice. And that is one of the biggest problems I have with movies being made from books.

Some movie adaptations are fine, although none are jumping to mind. The main problem I see is that in a movie, generally the characters cannot be as developed as in the book. That could be ok, but when they try to throw in little character quirks, it often makes no sense. For instance, a certain catch phrase, or talking about a tertiary character. We aren't given enough to understand what the heck is going on.

It takes a really good screenwriter to adapt a good book (or a bad book). Some books beg to be made into movies, but the movie maker would do well to concentrate on only certain aspects of the story, and not try to get it all in.

I Hate Reruns!

This is the time of year where no channel wants to run new episodes, so we are stuck with reruns for about a month or two. Stinks.