You/Belong in a Zoo...

Tuesday, August 3 was National Night Out. In Boston, the Franklin Zoo hosted the event by offering free admission, free food, and entertainment. A random woman (we don't know if she was a volunteer) took one look at big AC and said, "free food is by the lion exhibit." He thanked her and then said to me, "is it that obvious [that he likes to eat]?" Little AC got several coloring books and crayons, and boxes of sidewalk chalk from Target, which was (unfortunately) one of the sponsors. Sadly for me, the free food consisted of hot dogs and your choice of Doritos, plain Lays, or smartfood popcorn. Outside the zoo, Boston PD had several of their Harleys for kids to sit on for photo ops and to play with the sirens. They also had the SWAT vehicle below. Little AC got inside but did not want to come out-- she kept saying she wanted to drive it! Pictures of the inside were not allowed "for counterterrorism reasons." There was also a bomb squad vehicle with a bomb detonating robot and suit on display, and coloring books, stickers, and crayons were distributed from a Boston EMT gurney next to an ambulance. Given the majority population that attended, big AC and I couldn't help but sadly wonder if this would be some kids' only interaction with the good side of BPD...



Sent from my iPhone

Closing Time

It's been 3 weeks since we signed closing documents on the house. It was a very frustrating experience, because we found out that our contact at the bank went on maternity leave and did not bother to tell us. The only thing her voicemail said (at her office and on her cell phone) was that she was out of the office, and to contact her assistant. For those of us who have been made the point of contact when bosses are out of the office, we know what that means: double the workload, less time in the day. Now we are finding out that we were supposed to do not 1, but 2 walk-throughs prior to closing, with a final walk-through 30 days after moving in. Which I need to follow up on, because we've found irritating stuff: the A/C did not work (and we discovered this during a heat wave where temps hit 100 for the first time in almost a decade), and none of the outlets in little AC's room work! AC is getting frustrated with the things we are finding. The reason this whole transaction was so rushed was the deadline for the first-time homebuyer tax rebate.

Anyway, here we are. The day we moved in, a group of kids from the apartments across the street ran over to greet us, and immediately asked if they could come in! Apparently, everyone on that side has been curious about these houses. We finally made it over to the little playground over the weekend, but I won't be taking little AC there anytime soon. It's MUCH smaller than the playground we had at Alterra at Overlook Ridge, it's been tagged (with a sharpie, not a big fat tagging marker), and there was pee on one of the slides the day we went. Ugh.

Aeroplane

Little AC and I traveled home for 10 days to consolidate our 2 storage units into 1, and to see family. (We also wanted to take advantage of her flying free before she turns 2.) Our flight out was fine; the flight attendant kindly arranged for us to have a row to ourselves.

Our flight home was a different story. Murphy's Law was in full effect:

• Full flight. We checked our bag and learned that there was a ...
  
• 30-minute delay, preceded by...
• Security line so long that the ticket agent said it could take an hour to get through. (Luckily we were shepherded into a family line and got through in 15-20 minutes.)
• Our original flight was for 1:50, but we didn't board till about 2. We pre-boarded (which I'm guessing they did because there were a total of 4-5 kids on the flight), so we were on the plane as the rest of the passengers boarded. Then, for whatever reason (the pilot did not say), we were on the runway for a good 30-45 minutes...
  
• Little AC was already tired, which I'd planned on so that she could sleep, but since the plane was not moving, she couldn't understand why we were boxed in. She began to cry and thrash about, and nothing could calm her down--not a lollipop, not her activity cards, not ANYTHING. She was like this for a good 20-30 minutes. She was That Kid. Finally, at 3:05, the plane took off and like magic, she fell asleep.
  
• Little AC slept for an hour or two, and then woke up in a good mood. Great, I thought, the worst is over. WRONG. About an hour before landing, maybe 90 minutes, a foul smell started wafting around. Yep, nasty diaper, but there were lines for both bathrooms and I know she would run up and down the aisle, given the chance. So....
  
• She got fussy. She thrashed a little and banged her head on the tray table, which caused the girl in front of us to glare at me again, as if I had any control over little AC's behavior at this point. The only thing that calmed her down was a cup of ice.
  

FINALLY, we started to descend. I made the mistake of asking her if she should see papa out the window. She started to yell loudly, "PAPA! PAPA!" As soon as we got off the plane we headed to the bathroom, and when she saw big AC a huge smile broke on her face and she started running toward him. He ran toward her too. Despite the awful flight from hell, that moment made it all worth it.

What's Going On

I can't believe it's been 4 months since our big move. At the same time, it feels like time is moving too quickly---it's Sunday evening, and before you know it, it's Friday again, and another week has gone by, and what have I accomplished? What new adventures have little AC and I encountered? As a temporary stay-at-home mom, I have minimal things on my list of must-do items but with an active toddler, sometimes even making a few phone calls can be a challenge.

I've been trying to get little AC out to the playground more often so she can not only get some fresh air and exercise but also some interaction with other kids. There's one little girl, aged 14 months, that we've seen about 3-4 times, so it's nice for little AC to have a little friend of sorts when we make it out there.

In bigger news, we have put in an offer for a 3BR/2.5BA townhouse in Boston. It's a new community; the original plan called for 300 units, but once the economy tanked the plan was revised to 20 units! AC saw an ad for the property on the medical area's shuttle, and we toured it almost a month ago. Truth be told, the route that Google Maps gave us was very ghetto, to the point where I finally blurted "Where the f*** is this place?!" Once we turned onto the street that leads to the property, things got better. It reminded me of Junipero Serra between Hickey and Serramonte. And once we arrived, we were delighted to learn that the property is up against a wildlife sanctuary, in addition to being "green." It's relatively close to the subway system, about 1/4 of a mile, and close to the zoo. The area surrounding the property is known as the Emerald Necklace, designed by Frederick Olmsted, who incidentally shot down the idea for a park (which is now Golden Gate Park!) in San Francisco.

Whether or not our offer is accepted, I have to formally launch a search for daycare for little AC, as well as resume my job search. I've dreaded doing this so far because deep down inside it means this is officially our home. However, AC has said a few times that we could be here as little as 5 years...I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I don't do well with change at all. In fact, when we put in the offer, I got a little sad, because I started thinking that I was just getting used to our new apartment, especially with spring finally here: I'm getting to know the walkable area around here; AC is starting to get into his workout routine with the on-site gym; and we're getting into a routine for our weekly grocery shopping.

(Then again, I'm sitting here listening to a couple fight somewhere down the hall, and I think to myself, "Our own place may not be so bad...")

Stay tuned to learn whether our offer is accepted!

Anniversary

I am one day late posting this, and am rather bummed about that. Yesterday was our TEN-YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. 10 years! We could hardly believe it. I didn't get to post on the actual day because we were anticipating a big storm and thus I was trying to get as much done before it hit. We managed to get out of the house just before 10. I managed to stop at an Italian bakery I'd been wanting to try; I got 2 slices of rum cake, and even got little "Happy Anniversary" plastic signs and candles to spell out 10 (one 1 and one 0) on the slices.

Unfortunately, AC left work late, so we had to pick him up at the T station. He was waiting in the downpour with a single red rose. Sweet! Since we were hoping to either eat out or have dinner delivered, we decided to stop on a restaurant on the way home. The easiest place at which to stop was Applebee's. Not what we would have picked, but the winds were picking up and the rain was coming down hard. Surprisingly, it was pretty packed, and almost all the tables that were occupied had a kid.

By the time we got home, around 8, AC was exhausted, so he fell asleep watching DVR. So much for the rum cake.

Weather permitting, we plan to do some proper celebrating this weekend in Boston. There's a book sale at the French Library Alliance Francaise of Boston, so we're hoping to not only go there but to find at least a proper French cafe nearby.

Brain Stew

It's funny how I thought that being a stay-at-home-mom would give me more time to blog. But alas, I was wrong. So I must take this opportunity to throw out some stuff that's been stewing in my head since my last post (which I started writing 1/19 and JUST got around to posting!!):

• For some reason, most public restrooms don't have toilet seat covers. Ugh.

• One day, when AC first moved to the Bay Area, we were heading to the City. It was an autumn day, which means that even though the sun is out, there's a nip in the air, especially in the City. But AC refused to believe me. So he left in nothing but a t-shirt and shorts. Needless to say, he learned his lesson. But obviously I didn't, because twice I've looked out and seen the sun shining brilliantly and told little Artie, "we're going to the playground today!" But as soon as we get outside, it turns into a 5- to 10-minute brisk walk around the playground because the wind is blowing and I've forgotten that I'm watching the sun from the comfort of our 68-degree apartment. So when AC asked me what I think of our move so far, I say I can't answer that yet because the weather is clouding my judgment. (And if we base it on the weather, I HATE IT. It's too cold to take the little one out sightseeing via public transportation. And I'm a cold person by nature, so this weather kills me. Sometimes even with the heater on I still sleep in my robe for extra warmth.)
• Up until recently, I was having nightmares about our move. The basic premise of my nightmares was the same: I had to be out of someplace by a certain time, whether it be my office/desk or our apartment. Our move was that bad. I can't talk about it yet without still getting riled up.
  
• We live in the same city as the NECCO headquarters. Did you know that NECCO = New England Confectionery Company?
• The upstairs neighbors sound like they are running a Bela Karolyi camp. You can hear 1 or 2 kids jumping and running around, sometimes as late as 11:30PM. But I can also hear frequent crying and angry stomping (like an adult angrily stomping). And one day AC came into the bedroom and said it sounded like a kid was getting "beat down" (as in disciplined hard) upstairs. So now I'm convinced that there is child abuse going on. Sometimes I lay awake composing a letter to the authorities in my head. But then I wonder if I'm overreacting. One day I took the elevator up there on our way home and walked slowly past the apartment but I couldn't hear anything.
  
• I've started cooking. Yes, ME. The one whose greatest cooking accomplishment was a perfect steamed artichoke and steamed rice in the rice cooker. (The latter is what I made for AC the first time he came over to my place. Just rice.) So far I've become a pro at stir fry, but I've tried other recipes too, which AC has praised. That means a lot, coming from a great chef like him. :)
  

More Than a Feelin'

One of the associate directors at my old job told me that Bostonians aren't friendly. For the most part, that is false, but we've noticed Whole Foods locations here (we've been to two) are an exception. The staff aren't friendly at all. The second most recent trip to the Charles River Plaza location near Mass General was a bummer for several reasons: paid parking lot and unfriendly cashier. On top of our massive grocery bill, we paid 10 bucks for parking!! We were only in there for about an hour. AC said that he said hi to the cashier and the cashier did not respond. The cashier was a punk for another reason: he did not mention that parking was validated with a $5 purchase!! I discovered this when I read the bottom of the receipt once we were home. Ugh.

The thing that drives me so crazy here is the roads...we live right off US-1, which is, for you Bay Area readers, like El Camino Real with a 50MPH limit. The exits are not all off-ramps--imagine you're speeding on El Camino at 50MPH and need to stop for gas. You simply signal and turn into the gas station, right off the road! And if you need to get to the other side of the freeway, good luck figuring out what exit will have a chance for you to turn left over the freeway. It took me 5 tries before I figured out that it wasn't the first Main St. exit, but the next one... yes, two exits named Main St. but with different cities after them. And the first 4 tries I couldn't turn left or make a U-turn--I had to find a street to turn right so I could make a U- or 3-point turn and THEN another left to get back on the right track!

And don't get me started on the rotaries...you're driving along when all of a sudden you come up to a rotary. You know, a roundabout. But with exits. So you yield to oncoming traffic, jump in when you can, and good luck if you need to cut across to take the next exit from the rotary you just entered! It is crazy and scary the first time. Visit me and you'll see what I mean. Sometimes I add sound effects if traffic is a little heavy.

One thing I do like about the parking here is that some lots have a spot next to the disabled ones for expectant mothers or parents of infants. My 20-month-old chubster is more of a toddler, but if it's the closest spot and it's open, I take it.

The Final Countdown

The 26th of December, we shipped out our stuff. I actually got a lump in my throat as the movers started putting stickers on all our boxes and furniture. This is it!

And then the 28th arrived. Our flight was at 10:15 PM. The cats were at my mom's, hiding in her bathroom. And at 7PM we were STILL throwing stuff out. So we threw out what we could, threw the rest into storage, took some stuff to my mom's (mind you poor Artianna was hungry again at this point, and luckily I had an apple and cheese snack pack to hold her over) and headed into the City on fumes! I parked on the sidewalk, got the cats, threw stuff into my mom's house (wait till she finds that bottle of Grey Goose on the table) and took off. By now it's 8:30 or so. We still need gas and to return the rental car. We stop for gas, and then Art drops me, Artie, the cats, and 5 of our 6 bags at the terminal with a cart and goes to return the car. I ask if I can check us all in, and the lady kindly says yes but Art will still need to go to the counter (skipping the line) with his ID for his boarding pass. Since JetBlue is at the international terminal, you can't take the carts with you through security. So Art is hauling one cat, one rolling carryon, and the car seat, while I am trying to get Artianna to walk while I pull her carry-on, the diaper bag, and the other cat. We get in separate lines (it's now around 9:40) and start taking off jackets and shoes. And then they tell me that I need to take the cat out of the carrier and carry her through with me and Artie. We make it through and I am trying to run but of all days Artianna decides now would be a nice time to walk and look at the big shiny ads. Meanwhile, people are stuffing toys in the diaper bag that keep falling out. I keep saying, "C'mon! Run, Artie, run!" I have no idea where Art is at this point. (His delay was taking all 3 laptops out of the carryon so they could be checked by security. In addition to taking the cat out of the carrier for the same process I went through.) Naturally, we're at the last gate, which also happens to be downstairs. I figure if I can get us all onto the moving walkway, I can run ahead, put down the cat and suitcase, and catch Artie as she comes off the walkway. Well, she came faster than I expected, and she didn't know to step off so she kind of fell off the walkway face first. As I ran to her I dropped everything else....meaning the cat. One woman saw me and felt so bad she pulled the suitcase to the elevator for me. We got on the elevator (all this time we are hearing, "Final Boarding Call for JetBlue passengers Arturo Contreras, Nancy Contreras....") and when we got off, I tried to get her to run again but she wouldn't so as I'm calling behind me I run to the counter and a nice older woman picks up Artie and brings her to me! As I'm telling the agent "my husband is on his way--he's right behind me" she assures me the flight won't leave without him. Finally, poor Art is running down the escalator, dragging the car seat, and muttering, "TOLD you we shoulda driven."

We were the last ones on, but we made it. We hardly even slept on the flight. It goes without saying that we were zombies once we got settled into our apartment.

Do They know It's Christmas?

The baby's first Christmas has come and gone. Christmas eve was nice and quiet, despite my stepfather irritating the hell out of me. It was a very small dinner: Mom, Stepdad, the AC's, and me.

Christmas Day was a larger affair. There were 18 of us at my dad's condo. Not sure why he wanted to host the event--clearly, he didn't think through the logistics: fun-loving people, with a few kids in the mix...people who love to laugh loudly...

My dad looked tense the entire time. He was trying to be a good host, even though my cousin G had coordinated everything. After we ate, it was time to open gifts [we do Secret Santa]. However, before opening gifts, my dad insisted we play an icebreaker....4 questions that he uses in business presentations as icebreakers. It's a known fact he hates my cousin L's husband. So when the husband asked for clarification, or called out the answer--I can't remember what he said--my dad said, "Oh shut up, you pompous ass." I happened to be sitting next to the husband with the baby on my lap and I couldn't believe my ears! Kudos to the husband for staying calm and ignoring the remark!

[My dad did apologize later.]

The kids [aged 7, 9, and 10] were getting a little rambunctious, and my dad asked them to settle down so the neighbors wouldn't complain. It was in the early afternoon. Who would call the cops on Christmas Day in the early afternoon? The neighbors probably weren't even home!!

And the grand finale:

As my cousin G was cleaning up, she accidentally knocked down one of my dad's many glass dolphins and broke it. Big AC looked up to the sky with a smile and said, "It's a Christmas miracle. There is a god."

Adventures in Babysitting

It's been more than 9 months since my last post. Wow! Amazing what a baby does to your blogging. ;)

We've been trying different transportation methods for my mom to watch little AC. So far, it seems the best is having big AC take her via Caltrain/BART before work, and for me to pick her up the same way after work. We can then meet up with big AC on Caltrain and go home together. However, we had one crazy week earlier this month:

Monday. I happen to mention to a colleague that I am taking BART. Colleague offers me a ride from 22nd St. Caltrain, as she drives right past my mom's house. Big AC picks us up from Millbrae.

Tuesday. Big AC drives to Millbrae and takes the baby on BART only. After work, a friend and colleague whom I'll call Rollie is with me, and he lives near my mom. Big AC tells me to pick up the car and then him. Rollie overhears and asks for a ride. We make our way to SSF and I call big AC as we get off the freeway. The call goes to voicemail. So we wait...and wait...till finally 30 minutes later AC emerges and says he'd been waiting for my call. Meanwhile, Rollie'd hoped this would be a quicker way home.

Wednesday. I think we waited for big AC at my mom's for a long time.

Thursday. Big AC drove to work. He calls as I'm heading to the City and says he'll pick me up from 22nd St. Rollie is with me again and helps me text explicit directions to the station. For some reason, big AC ignores the freeway I texted and gets on 101 from 280. I'd said 280 to Cesar Chavez!! And his logic was, The only Cesar Chavez exit I know of is off 101!! Needless to say, he got lost, was mad because I couldn't un-lost him [as if the iPhone doesn't have GPS!!!], so after an hour I decide to catch a cab to my mom's with Rollie. SO EMBARRASSED. I figure, at least tomorrow I work from home and we can save gas/reduce carbon footprint since big AC can walk to the train...

Friday. Big AC walks to train, but then calls me for a ride to work. Due to a fatality, all trains are stopped.

*sigh*

I feel guilty for all the ice caps we melted that week.

Teenagers

Just like the song by My Chemical Romance ("Teenagers scare/the living shit out of me...).

I went to Whole Foods today. I was picking up just a few things, and was at the refrigerated beverage section. While I looked for a small bottle of OJ, I heard voices behind me talking about Red Bull. I glanced over and saw the typical Peninsula wannabes: three white trash kids trying to be black. I glanced at my cart, and figured that it wasn't in their way--and I'd be moving quickly. I grabbed my OJ and quietly walked away, only to hear "bitch" as I walked past one of them! I threw him the dirtiest look I could and kept walking. But as I walked, I got angrier--why didn't I talk back??? I guess I was so shocked that anyone--even a kid--would treat me like that; I was speechless. I got one more item and when I got to the register, the cashier said "how are you tonight?" I blurted, "Okay, other than some teenagers over there called me a bitch for no reason!" She looked apalled and said, "Whatever!"

I was boiling mad by the time I got to the car, even though I kept trying to calm down for the baby's sake. When I picked AC up from the train station, he could tell something was wrong, so I told him what happened. He said, "Maybe they were talking to each other. Maybe they weren't talking to you. Were they big?"

I can't help but go through the fifty responses I coulda/shoulda/woulda but didn't.

Baby Baby Baby

I've been receiving the most interesting comments, questions, stories, and suggestions. Our receptionist is a sweetheart, but lately, I want to avoid her because the focus of most of our conversations is my pregnancy. One day, I wore a full-blown maternity blouse [the kind that ties in the back]. Unfortunately for her, I was having a bad day--and it wasn't even 9AM yet. She saw me and squealed, "Oh my god! She's wearing a maternity shirt!" I muttered "Yeah yeah yeah" and went into my cube, as I'd just had a difficult meeting with my boss. She didn't get the hint and proceeded to stand at the door to my cube [oblivious to the fact I was facing my computer] and tell me about the hideous maternity clothes from twenty years ago. Somehow, I finally said that it's the attention I don't like, but before I could explain what I meant, she was on to how I should like the attention because once the baby comes no one cares about you!

Friday, she came into my cube and said, "Oh this one time--" and she started laughing with no sound--"I was so out of it when I was pregnant..." and launched into a "pregnant women can be absent minded" story.

When I first revealed that I was expecting, amidst all the usual "Will you find out what it is?" etc., she actually said, "You're not going to name it Art Jr. if it's a boy, are you?" What if I was??

There's a new woman who works for a project in our department. A colleague and I have deemed her a little weird. When someone said to her, "Have you heard the news?" and told her I was expecting, she said, "Oh! What is this, your first, second, third?" Actually, it's my fifth, and I make a big deal every time I'm knocked up because it's a miracle!!

Friday, she heard me describing a colleague's outfit as I mocked it. She hollered over the cubes, "That skill [describing an outfit] will come in handy when your child gets lost playing under the racks at Target or Ross!" Funny, I don't recall mentioning I shop there....

Yesterday, my mom said that one of her cousins from the motherland had sent me advice: "Eat everything so it will be healthy. And don't go on a diet!" Sorry, lady, the US is at least one step ahead of you on that one...who the hell doesn't know that you shouldn't diet when you're pregnant?!?! It's common sense!

Umbrella

Sorry, couldn't resist that title.

Well, it's been a hectic week, but I finally got more sleep last night. AC hurt his sciatic nerve at work last Friday, which meant that the pain kept him in agony--I had to take him to the ER early Saturday morning. He couldn't sleep more than an hour at a time and then had to wake up every few hours for medications. Unfortch, he didn't know he could go to the workers' comp clinic [his company was shut down but he was in charge for the break for critical daily activities] on his own without authorization. He finally went on Wednesday afternoon, and he's now doing physical therapy and Motrin 4 times a day, along with the original muscle relaxer prescribed at the ER. Along with feeding Tiggerina with a syringe, my break from work was not restful! Luckily, she's doing much better--the polyp was benign, and she had her sutures removed today. She's eating on her own, and walking around again. Our big adventure today came as we left the vet clinic. As we headed to the car, a strong gust of wind came along and nearly blew us to SF!! I was trying to hold her carrier and my umbrella. Poor thing must have been so scared!! I kept yelling, "It's okay, pookie! Hold on!!" Then, as we tried to get to the freeway, a power line was down so we had to turn around with three other cars in a residential street. We're finally home but this is some CRAZY weather!! Good time to stay home, cuddle up on the couch, and catch up on the DVR and Netflix.

Varsity Blues

It's been a while. Since I last blogged, the Cardinal football season has ended, defeating not only their rival, Cal, but also USC by ONE POINT. Naturally, I bought a t-shirt for AC and for myself that has "Biggest. Upset. Ever." on the front and the score, date, and location on the back. I have photos of the game against Notre Dame [the Irish WON!!!] and the Big Game, but I'm having trouble separating the albums on Picasa, so stay tuned. Needless to say, there are some great shots of the one, the only, Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band. [They have a blog!]

In other news, my Tiggerina is sick. She had surgery Monday afternoon for a polyp that was blocking her intestine, and she also had a small hole in her duodenum. We brought her home last night. I'm so happy she's home and hope that she makes a full recovery. Please send good wishes that the polyp is benign! =^..^=

I hope you're all staying warm. Happy 2008!

Of All the Gin Joints in All the World

We've been trying to get a group of college friends together for dinner since the summer. Someone suggested using the upcoming USC-Cal game since we're all football fans. So I offered to send out a message and get the ball rolling. The trick in this is everyone's location: one lives on the coast, one lives between Sacramento and Lodi, and one lives in Walnut Creek, while the rest of us live on the Peninsula. Plus, one guy is flying in from LA, and he's the one that wanted to see the people who don't live on this side of the bay. I suggested Berkeley, but neglected to say why. One of the Peninsula guys said he won't do Berkeley because he'll "get into a fight trying to save you all after you start a riot defending USC." ??? So I kiddingly said something to the effect of him being the age at which anger can be managed, limiting this message to him and his wife. In response, this tirade went out to the entire group:

"Regarding [Meathead]...[Meathead] doesn't fight either, he's actually a peacemaker to tell you the truth. He keeps his "anger" on the field...
That is unless, someone we won't mention here decides to call a bouncer a f**** on a street full of bars (each of them with 1 to 2 bouncers) in Chicago, then decides to grab the rose-bucket girl's ass in front of said "f****" bouncer, who then confronts person whose name we won't mention here, whereupon [Meathead], peacemaker that he is, approaches and tries to persuade said "f****" bouncer and person whose name we won't mention here that there doesn't have to be conflict in this situation, whereupon what had to be like 6 guys decided that they had to "take control" of peacemaker [Meathead] by holding him down, trying to gouge his eyes, choking him, hitting his face and bending his fingers backwards (note that peacemaker [Meathead] does nothing of aggression in return). At which point I punch one guy in the face because he's choking [Meathead], whose bouncer friend then hits me which resulted in a 6 inch bruise on my upper arm, at which point [Meathead] (who then finally makes a decision to fight back upon seeing me get hurt) then grabs a hold of asshole girl-puncher's larynx and proceeds to give him a choice of whether asshole girl-puncher would like to live or die. I think that would be the only time Jess would bring his anger off the field, in defense of others.

And that's why I love this man."

We've heard this story a million times. And what really pissed me off was the blatant use of the F word [derogatory word for gay], in addition to her implying that we are as stupid as the guy in the story who started the fight. Does AC really seem like the fight-picking type? The guy from LA is the type who wants everyone to be happy and get along. It's gotten to the point where I don't even want to see this couple anymore. At their Halloween party, Meathead proudly told everyone how he told the wife to never ever put the collar with hearts on his dog again because the dog's not gay. This guy is a huge arrogant homophobe, and although I've known it, it seems to be getting worse lately. Plus, he brags about how much money he makes.

So I sent out a message clarifying [again, because I'd clarified it off line with the wife] why I was leaning toward Berkeley, and offering 3 more places [including one in the City]. Even before today, only two other people were stepping up and offering places [that turned out to not work]. But that's it. I'm done. That's the last message I'm sending out about this.

The Ghost of You

I love this day more than I love my birthday!!! I hope you're all enjoying it--even the weather this morning was foggy and gloomy--perfect!

Unfortunately, our evening consisted of a trip to the 4th & King Caltrain station to get AC's monthly train and parking pass [they ran out of the latter, so he has to go back tomorrow]. We grabbed Subway meals and got right back on the train to head home. We saw someone dressed as Jason at the Hillsdale stop, so that was a highlight for me. [I'm trying to find the "Halloween" ringtone...I heard it at Barnes & Noble yesterday!] However, I did have a highlight to my day: one of my bosses gave me a book from the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia! It's so gross! It's awesome! It's got photos of stuff like the skeleton of twins conjoined at the head; a wound with thick pus coming out of it...COOL!!!!

Saturday we went to a Halloween party thrown by our friends. I really didn't want to go, with the theme being "Pimps and Goddesses" and one of the hostesses saying she was going to be skanky. But AC wanted to see his friends, so off we went. With USC fans in attendance, AC's costume was Jim Harbaugh, the Stanford coach, complete with t-shirt that I got him that says "Biggest. Upset. Ever." celebrating Stanford's win over USC. There were two chick magnets [a big plush magnet around the neck with little chicks stuck to it--and coincidentally, worn by the host and his brother who'd driven in from Modesto!]. But the one that took the cake, and not in a good way, was the cowboy:

Yes, that's a union suit [or adult onesie, as I called it all night]. It was very difficult to keep eye contact with him all night...people cringed whenever he appeared.

Happy Halloween!

All Shook Up

Two things have happened that have me all shook up.

1. Saturday night, as we left the Caltrain lot to head home after the Stanford game, the Rabbit stalled at the light. I thought I perhaps hadn't warmed it up enough, and thought nothing of it. But then yesterday, it died three times while idling on our way home from Safeway! Once at a light on a hill as I was trying to turn left, the second and third times as I tried to turn right at a stop sign. I'm crushed. I don't want to tell my dad about it because he's the one who got it fixed, and if it can't be fixed beyond this, then...

2. For the past couple of weeks, our landlady has been telling us she needs to raise the rents but keeps forgetting to send our letter. She said she forgot to put Belmont on the envelope. Last week, she said, "Everyone else has gotten their letter, but I need to give you yours. Will you be home Saturday?" I said no, because we were heading to the City. I figured, state law dictates 30-60 day notice for rent increases, depending on the percentage increase, so we won't have to pay more till November. Nope. Tonight we got home and sitting at our door was the letter. It's dated September 5 [still not 30 days] and the envelope has the stamp in the upper left hand corner, the return label in the right hand corner, and after our street address, she didn't even write the city, state, OR zip code! It's been postmarked but was stamped "undeliverable as addressed." You think? I want to write at the bottom of the letter [we need to sign and return it], "Please note that this letter was not delivered until September 24, less than 30 days before the increase is to take place," or enclose a copy of the page I found for California consumer affairs. But AC wants me to just write, "Letter received September 24" and let it go at that.

Thoughts? I'll likely stick with AC's plan, but wonder if I'm chickening out. She's usually nice to us and has even had us over to her house a couple of times.

The Jetset Life is Gonna Kill You

GUESS WHO'S BACK?



SNUGLZ!!

Yes, 5 years since it was filed as planned non-operational status, the Wabbit is running again. It had been in our carport, till the owner of our building claimed the fire inspection said it couldn't be there [hmmm...maybe our using it as extra storage gave it away]. I planned to donate it, but couldn't bring myself to call them back to arrange an appointment. So little by little, my dad got it fixed. It needs a paint job due to little specks of rust here and there. And although AC complained that it would be a hassle, he's actually been having fun tweaking it. For example, the gas cap lock was busted [it's not uncommon for me to get back a working car with something different fucked up by my dad's mechanics. I suspect it's because he feels that they owe him favors just because he's their banker], as if someone tried to open it with the wrong key. So AC ordered a VW star-shaped one, along with a new wiper fluid pump and tube. Additionally, a long time ago, a friend of his messed up the inside passenger door handle, so AC took the panel off and fixed that, too!


Then AC noticed that you can fold down the passenger seat for more cargo room, and he decided he needed to know how to do that...

I took the two pictures above through the trunk.

So far, we've driven it to San Mateo, and to the train station a few times. I'm scared it will overheat, so I'm taking baby steps, which AC finds totally amusing. The radio is even better than the one in the Corolla--it's a Kenwood CD player with three different 6-station FM presets.

Too bad I can't make the LRP BBQ--it would have been funny to drive up in this car!

Bells are Ringing

i was flattered to be asked to be a bridesmaid in our friend's wedding. i've known the groom since college, and met his fiancee when they first moved back to california, in 1999, i think. i've gotten to hang out with them more since they moved to the bay area in 2003. AC pledged his frat with the groom, so i was expecting him to be a groomsman, not me as a bridesmaid. the invitation came in a box with a note that said, "will you be my..." and inside the box, a cookie with frosting that spelled out "Bridesmaid?" it came with a handwritten note as to why i had been selected [which made me cry], and details on the events surrounding the wedding and potential expenses.

the bachelorette party was a 4-day affair in vegas [which i didn't attend, as it had been budgeted at $1500/person!], and the bridal shower was a mellow 30s-40s-50s themed event. the weekend of the bridal shower was the same as the bachelor party, a 4-day affair in southern california.

i called in sick the friday before the wedding, so that we could pick up the best man and our other friend at Mineta airport and take our time heading down for the rehearsal dinner. I woke up at 9AM, and checked email around 9:30 to find an email asking if we could pick up 2 12-passenger vans FROM SFO for the wedding! as i closed the message and tried not to scream, the phone rang--it was the groom, asking AC if we could do them that favor. WTF?? if i'd known we'd have to pick up two vans, i would have packed and gotten my manicure/pedicure before then!!! i was very upset. i'm 4'10"! how the heck am i supposed to drive a 7' tall van?!?! AC assured me that once we picked up our friends at the airport in san jose, one of them would take over the driving of one van. well, due to everything being so rushed, and a long line at the avis counter, by the time we picked up the friends at the airport both were too drunk to drive. great. i watched as one got on the van with his suitcase, while he watched the best man struggle with a large suitcase and hold up traffic. i drove the speed limit with my knuckles white on the wheel. i lost the boys until i saw them pulled over at a turnout--the lushes needed a pit stop.

This is the van I drove.

we safely made it to santa cruz, and after delivering one van at the groom's rental house, we piled into the other and headed to the wedding site for the rehearsal. along the way, we stopped at an antique shop because the best man needed to find either a nice lighter or flask. no luck. we ambled along with one of the guys so drunk that he kept talking to me even though i'd joined another conversation. my laughing at the other conversation was no clue to him, so i pretended i'd been listening all that time. we thought we were lost and literally went in circles a couple of times till we figured out we were heading in the right direction. there was a lady in her mid-40s hitchhiking, and the best man convinced AC that we should pick her up. we dropped her off less than 5 minutes later, when we found the wedding site!

AC tries to convince The Gimp that it's morning. [It's only 10PM or so.]

the wedding was beautiful, and the rest of the evening was lots of fun--we caught up with a couple of friends we don't see often, and we enjoyed poking fun at an annoying big-boned girl who was looking for some lovin'. even the best man, who's quite the Lothario, made a face when we suggested he take care of her...

...and on the way home, i got to drive home the van in which the groomsmen had spilled a bottle of jack daniels. yum.

I Never Told You What I Do For A Living

[NB: I'm having awful formatting problems...you might try highlighting the end of the lines to read this post correctly. Sorry!]

On July 29, AC and I attended our second Projekt Revolution concert. The last one,
in 2004, had a very diverse line-up, including Snoop Dogg.  This year was
definitely more of a rock lineup.  We got there around 3, and caught one of the second
stage acts [Mindless Self-Indulgence] that reminded me of Devo.  They were pretty
good. We walked around the booths, and I took a Major League Baseball survey that
determined I should be a Cleveland Indians fan.  [Funny, the mascot looks like the
Lowell one did before it was banned.]  
I think AC and I were most surprised/amused by the population of those attending.
For starters, there were lots of Asians, which I was happy to see.  ;)  We attributed
that to Linkin Park, and my friends concurred.  But in addition to the goth kids with
black lipstick and piercings, there were also some parents chaperoning their kids,
and a few over-45 people who weren't chaperoning anyone! To think that I was afraid
I'd be the oldest person there...
The main stage consisted of Julien-K, Placebo, HIM, Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical
Romance [my main reason for going!!!], and Linkin Park [secondary to my reason for
going].  I was really surprised to see an influx of people during My Chem's set in
preparation for Linkin Park.  I was SO HAPPY we went--the weather was perfect [sunny
but not hot] and MyChem was AMAZING.  The next day my arms hurt from pumping my
arms in the air during their entire set as well as most of LP's.  And I learned that my Adidas
Sambas are great for jumping up and down in excitement!  I told AC the last song of the evening
would likely be "Bleed it Out" and sure enough, LP announced that would be the last song of the
evening as they launched into it, but as we were leaving after the song, they started playing
"Faint"!  We kept walking any way, and caught the performance on the video screens on our
way out.  Thanks to our early departure, we managed to beat the rush and were in Redwood
City already by the time my friends were getting to their car.



The bizarre/amusing moment of the evening came when we were waiting for MyChem to
come on stage.  As I talked to AC, I noticed a hand reach towards the back of his head and
slowly pull back.  I turned to the guy who was doing this and before I knew it I said, "It's
okay, you can touch his hair if you want."  AC didn't flinch--he stared straight ahead as this
was happening, probably out of confusion.  So the guy touched his hair and said,
"It looks so...nice..."