28 April 2008

Workin' For a Living

Some days, it is really hard to get up and go to work, even when you like your job.

Take this morning. The Luca is over at my parents' house, so I should be able to sleep better. No such luck. Instead I had the weirdest dream...I dreamt I planned a fake wedding, with no groom, and everyone came to the boat on which I was having my wedding, and I had no groom. So I was looking around for someone to marry me, just for a few minutes, I figured, to save face. It was the WEIRDEST dream. And because of it, I woke up quite a lot. It was disturbing.

When it was time to go to work, I was exhausted. Two nights of little sleep does not a happy person make. I arrived at work and just wanted to pull a George Costanza, setting up a napzone underneath my desk and curl up. It was one of those days that I just had to plug through, but it was rough!

22 April 2008

Sevilla!!

La Clase de Reyes, 1998

In one month, I will be heading to Sevilla to meet my companeros de clase. None of us have been there in 10 years, when we all lived there, went to class, and hung out at El Capote (above). Four of the five folks meeting in Sevilla are in that photo (Pernilla is missing...she was in another class).

How much has changed in the past 10 years? It will be interesting to see. We all last met 5 years ago at Pernilla's wedding. It was late December in Sweden, so very cold, very snowy, and very fun. It started with a yummy home-cooked meal at the Prince's guest house (the hostel we stayed in, next to the castle Pernilla & Jens got married in!). It ended with New Year's Eve together, and having a great time lounging around La Casa Azul on New Year's Day.

The First Night, 2001

What will it be like to see each other again, in the place we first met?

Who knows? But I am excited to find out!

20 April 2008

Grammar Police

The introduction and prevalence of the Internet seems to have brought with it the desecration of the English language (I assume others, as well, but I mainly only go to English websites, so...). Beyond just spelling, the massacre goes well into grammar and usage. I get that language is a living thing, but there are rules, and they are there for a reason.

One that I have seen over and over: "I could care less." It should be, "I couldn't care less." It doesn't make sense. If you could care less, it means you do care a little. Sars over at Tomato Nation covers it, and other grammar blunders, well.

13 April 2008

Pale Legs on Green Grass

I am currently at the park, enjoying this beautiful day while waiting for my friend. It is the first hot weekend we've had in a long time, and we're all trying to make the most of it.

Mainly, by trying to get a tan.

Skin cancer be damned, everyone (myself included) seems to like the glow of sun-kissed skin. There are people lining the hill at the park in swimsuits, on beach towels, taking a nap and soaking up the sun.

I doubt many remembered sunscreen, instead opting to get a good "base." and tomorrow, as we all return to work with red faces...I wonder if we'll regret this decision.

07 April 2008

Early Morning Sunshine


Dateline: Sunday morning, 6.30am...the alarm goes off. I am scared for a moment; is it a work day? Why am I getting up this early?

And then I remember, it's a race day! I slowly get out of bed (I had done a core training class on Saturday, and man, my abs were killing me), and dig through my closet to find my running clothes. Luca is very excited, he thinks he, too, gets to go for a run. Instead, I take him for a quick walk around the block, and dash to make it to the starting line on time.

The Presidio10 starts at Chrissy Field, which can be a little cold and very windy. Start time was a bit of an exception - the sun was breaking through and the wind was dying down. The first group, running 10 miles, took off at 8am. As they left, the 10K-ers lined up to start a little warm up, a few stretches, and to stand close to keep warm!

At 8.30am, the gun sounded and off we went! This is one beautiful course. Most of the 10K takes place on the Golden Gate Bridge, which is one "tourist attraction" that never, ever loses its luster for me. It is epic in every way imaginable. Usually, it is really windy up there, but it was peaceful and rather quiet. On the return route, San Francisco was to my immediate left, and as we were crossing the sun was starting to burn off the fog and the City was coming to light. I dare anyone to look at that view of the City and not be in awe of the beauty. It has to be one of the more dramatic modern skylines.

I could see the finish line in the distance, but what a tease that was! There was still almost a mile to run. I finished in pretty good time - much less than I thought it would take me! Pretty good for being so sore and not having run in a long time.

Despite my unhappiness at having to get up, when the race was over, I was sure glad I did it. I accomplished more before 10am than most people would all day, and for a good cause (the race raises money for The Guardsmen, a local philanthropy group, and the Ashlyn Dyer Foundation for brain trauma). Overall, a pretty awesome way to finish up the weekend.

06 April 2008

Have Your Pet Spay or Neutered

This past Friday, Oprah brought light to an issue about which many people are ignorant: Puppy Mills. This is a horrifying practice, one which makes me truly question humanity.

I know the readership of this blog is rather small, but this is an important cause to me. As an animal lover, it pains me to know that there are thousands of puppies being born in horrifying conditions, living their lives in tiny cages practically on top of the mother that birthed them (who, likely, has never left her cage, ever, and has had litter after litter). These animals are also inbred, leading to birth defects and congenital problems. They are then shipped out to pet stores (or, purchased on the Internet by unknowing and excited new owners).

In addition to puppy mills, another huge problem is people not spaying and neutering their pets. This leads to pet overpopulation, and many of these pooches end up in the shelter and many meet an untimely death. If pet owners were responsible and took care of their pets, we would see a big decrease in canine euthanasia.

I got my Luca from a dog rescue. I have told this story before, but he was one of the lucky ones; he got picked up by Rocket Dog Rescue because the shelter he was at could not adopt him out. The SPCA didn't want him. If not for Rocket Dog, he may have been put to sleep. I encourage everyone to first turn to a rescue or shelter to adopt their next pet (there are rescues for all kinds of animals, from dogs and cats to horses and bunnies). If you must have a purebred, make sure to meet the breeder, as any good breeder would want to meet you, as well.

Please, if you are thinking of adopting a pet, please understand what that means (there is actual work involved...but the rewards are endless), and please think twice about where that pet is coming from.