21 December 2009

Now I Really Want a Roomba

For quite some time, I thought it would be fun to torture my poor pooch with a Roomba. I know, I know...as if Luca isn't terrified enough most of the time, but I think it would be funny as hell to watch him simultaneously try to chase it and run away from it, which is what he generally does with the regular vacuum.

After watching this video, and laughing myself silly, I think it would have been more awesome had we had one when Gata Gata was alive, and our family dog Bocci. Gata totally would have tortured Bocci like this dog, and Bocci, rather than swiping her ass right off the Roomba, would have sat their like an idiot, just like this pitty.

Enjoy!


20 December 2009

Peter Pan is Alive and Well

I assume it is a rather common sickness in larger cities (NYC, Chicago, Boston, etc.): the Peter Pan Syndrome. This illness is characterized by a refusal to grow up, evidenced by late 20/early 30 years old who are still running around, playing in group sports leagues, hanging out at bars playing drinking games...

This is one epidemic that is pretty prevalent in San Francisco. My friends, mainly around my age, still do all of those things I mentioned, but in SF there is the added twist of constantly being dressed up in one costume or another. We don't give a second thought to it, because we're all doing it...be they single, coupled up, married... And yes, we think about "growing up," but it's hard to find role models because once people are ready for that, they tend to move out of the city, or to the more family-ish neighborhoods.

While I don't think this is completely unique to San Francisco, I do think it is more rampant here. Our weather is pretty nice, so we can enjoy the outdoors (and things like kickball, dodgeball, flag football, etc.) for most of the year. This doesn't fully explain it, though.

My friend A had an interesting theory, and I think it's one to which I can subscribe. Her thought goes something like this: in SF, we have an inherent trust that our friends will get us home, or we will get ourselves home with trustworthy cab drivers, kind Muni drivers... We don't concern ourselves much with getting mugged on the subway or taken advantage of by our taxi driver. In other cities, her theory goes, there is more wariness towards these things, so people don't tend to go AS nuts.

I can see that. There may have been mornings where I've wondered how I got home the night before, I may have questioned having paid the cab driver, and perhaps I didn't tell anyone I left wherever we are. But I think if I lived somewhere that I was really worried about my safety, I may not get as inebriated as I possibly did. (um, don't worry mom, this situation is totally made up)

Having never lived anywhere else as a full-fledged adult (I mean, I guess technically I was an adult in college and Spain, but those don't count), I can't tell for sure. I know I've visited other cities and had a lot of fun, but probably stayed more in control than I sometimes am here. But I know what I know here, and I know I often find myself singing, "I won't grow up, I don't wanna go to work..."

17 December 2009

Time of Her Life?


I was never a huge fan of Meryl Streep. I thought she was a good actress, but something about her really bothered me. After the "House of Spirits" movie, I was pretty much done with her. She didn't play the role as I had imagined it from the book (I loved the book), and her low voice didn't seem natural or in tune with the character.

But somewhere around the time of "The Devil Wears Prada," she started to win me back. She was able to play that role with the right balance of evil and vulnerability, which I was right on the spot. By "Mamma Mia," she had pretty much won me over. She exuded such a joy in that movie, like there was nothing she could be doing that would be more fun. And now, she has a new movie coming out, where all the previews show her with a permagrin.

And that, is awesome!

It's like she realized that she has a pretty awesome job, that she gets awarded accordingly, and that she should enjoy it. It makes it really fun to watch her movies. Again, Mamma Mia was made even better by this inner glow of hers. There is a lightness to that movie, and she really added to it. It made me smile throughout...in the last scene when she's in disco gear, the amount of fun she is having is even most apparent.

I wish we could all have that much fun at a job we've been doing for more than 20 years.

14 December 2009

So Current: Is it Working?

This is a newer holiday commercial, but it cracks me up every time.

Why?

Because it is totally something my family would do. In fact, we probably have done something like this...I love that the kids are cracking up, and the mom is trying to discipline while trying not to laugh. If you've ever seen my mom & my aunt try to discipline my bro & cousin, you know why this resonates with me...



08 December 2009

The First Time

Last week I had a first.

Get your mind out of the gutter! I was talking about my very first professional fotball game.

We had a group of about 20, and all of us congregated at Candlestick Park for a little tailgating and football. We were told by the organizer that we needed to be at the park at 9am. We were not to be late.

Well, a few of us arrived on time. The organizer, not so much. But it was ok, it meant more Bailey's and coffee, and then mimosas, for us early birds. It also meant we got to enjoy the sunshine a little longer!

Yes, sunshine, at Candlestick, at the end of November. It had to have

been about 70 degrees F, and none of us were prepared for this heat. I personally had a few layers of clothing on, with several more layers waiting in the car. My friends were similarly dressed, adding Uggs and other boots to the mix to keep their feet warm on what was supposed to be a cold day. Needless to say...we were melting out there.

We ran on a little long at the tailgate; it was hard to tear away from guys like the ones in the picture (they performed several ditties for the crowd, all about the 49ers, to the tune of Mambo #5 and other fantastic songs). And, outside, the beer was a lot cheaper than the beer inside the stadium.

But eventually we did make it in. Our seats were up there, but it was still fun. They were in the sun the whole time, so it required us moving a few times down to the shade near the concession stands. A few guys in the group also decided to go shirtless, which was an interesting choice since 1. we had no sunscreen, and 2. their chests hadn't seen the sun in quite some time. But they all survived!

It was a really fun day. The 49ers won, which was good for those in our group who are fans (growing up, after the Raiders moved, most of my family cheered for the 9ers, which meant I cheered for whatever team was playing them, because someone had to. And the Bears, always the Bears.) I am looking forward to getting to go to another game someday; hopefully it won't take decades like it did this time!

05 December 2009

So Retro: Peeeettteeerrr

The holiday's are upon us, which means...I get to share some of my faves. Last year, I focused on songs and movies, of which there are so many more...but on my mind right now are commercials.

This one is definitely one of my favorites. It ran from when I was little until sometime in the past few years (they've updated it for this year). But I love that the smell of crappy coffee will wake the whole family up and that they all look so good early in the morning. Ahhh...the 80's!



02 December 2009

Boo: IKEA Do-It-Yourself



Generally, I like IKEA. They have pretty good stuff, the quality has gotten better, and usually it's not too hard to put together.

Usually.

Who'da thunk that this simple drawer set:

Would have resulted in this:


Yes, that is my hand. Yes, that is blood coming from said hand, a result of the hammer making contact with it while trying to build one of those stupid drawers.

The good news is that the drawer is now pretty much done. I hope the 2 months it took to build it and the mauling to my hand is worth it.