Bad News

Well, can you believe it? My two friends at work got laid off today including Cristin. Unreal. Apparently the clients cut the budget another 15% and we had to cut our costs 15%. It is really sad but the good things are 1)we had talked about this being a possibility for a few mos now 2)they are young, single girls and don't have any ties here to SF 3)they don't have families to support.

They will find work. It just sucks that now there are 3 of us here. We might be moving downstiars to sit on the floor with the other agency. We'll see...This madness needs to end.

Excitement for Yesterday

I totally forgot to tell you the excitement for Monday AM. The fire truck & ambulance arrived at our apt building at like 730am. They went upstairs and didn't take anyone down on the stretcher. However, there is a male couple that lives upstairs. We know one guy Norman and then his Boyfriend. We don't know the boyfriends name. Well the boyfriend walked down the stairs but he looked like he was having trouble breathing. He was taken away in an ambulance.

Anyway, last night Evie and I went out for an hour up to buena vista. We were running and hiking up the huge hill. Despite all of that, she still pulled her antics at like 830pm. I swear, nothing is ever enough for that dog.

Made pad thai. Watched Gossip Girl. Watched Intervention. Have you ever seen that show? It is sad. Basically people with problems & addictions are given an intervention by their families. One girl was like 16 and a drug addict. One woman was a shopaholic - filed for bankruptcy twice and was $100K in dept PLUS was stealing from her 70 year old mother. Then, this girl was addicted to her pain pills. She would get so 'pilled out' (as they called it) that she would pass out while eating dinner. She literally had like a hamburger on a plate and it fell from her mouth and the dog ate it. It was sad - she had a big, loving family and was all very normal except for her.

Negativity

Well now they moved our project manager off of our business and are giving us something new. Did you know she is our THIRD project manager and we finally love her and she is great. Now we have to get someone new. Word on the street is the Client is hiring junior people to take more of the work in-house. Although I am not planning on going to school til 2010, I don't think I can stay here another year. This is totally not the company I am used to working for. This is not how this was supposed to work out.

Tonight

I am making pad thai & watching gossip girl! Yippeeee. First I am going to take Evie out for awhile since it's still sunny and nice out.

Thing to look forward to tomorrow:

More...

....Cristin & i were the only ones here today since one girl went home sick and 2 were at the client. New bossman was here and didn't talk to us. He sat in one of the offices. Then, suddenly we were like, is he even here anymore? Nope. He left. Didn't even say bye to us. What an a-hole.

We compost..

...at work now. We now have a big recycle bin and a tiny trash can. Pretty much everything goes in the recycle bin from food to tissues. The only thing going in the trash is plastic bags and plastic wrap.

I want this book

It's new & on the bestseller list already.

Crazy of the Day

A TV show pilot is being filmed here and they did an explosion scene on the highway.

San Francisco residents by the dozens gathered from various vantage points in the city to watch the filming of the made-for-TV tanker-trailer explosion, which was supposed to happen at 3 p.m. but didn't go off until moments before 6 p.m., on the King Street off-ramp to northbound Interstate 280 near Mission Bay. More article, here.

Earthquake

We just had one. It happened in San Jose so we barely felt it. I thought it was just heavy wind.

Almost April

It's almost April...I feel like April will be a good month. This week is exciting because It's my birthday this week on Thursday! I have gone from wanting to make a big hoopla about my birthday when I was younger to not wanting that at all....I would rather have a nice quiet dinner with friends or do something small. No big dinners or parties or anything. And, that is exactly what I am doing this week!

Good deal of the day

I got dishsoap today for $2.50. I had a coupon for $2 off so I got it for $0.50!

Sunday

Today, I went down to the gymnastics gym & did two parties. I think they should change their policy that we will have parties for kids 4-12, not 3-12. 3 year olds can't listen that well or communicate that well.

The 2nd party was fun because half of the kids I have had before and I remembered them and they remembered me. It was fun. They were like 5/6/7 year olds.

I took Evie out for about an hour. It's nice to come home and its light out still!

Andalu, Continued.

I booked our reservation through Open Table for yesterday at Andalu. Today, I thought - let me check my account on open table because I never got an email saying our res was cancelled. It didn't say cancelled. It said NO SHOW. Oh hell no. I was not taking that. I emailed Open Table and told them that we did show up but the hostess refused to seat us. They removed the no show. UGH.
I wrote up a nice review of them on Yelp too. I hope they read it.

Saturday

Yesterday was SO nice out. It was sunny in the 70's! We went to Union Square because Erik wanted to go to the Levi's store. I usually avoid Union Sq like the plague because it is so crowded down there on the weekends. It was fine though.

We had reservations at this place for dinner, Andalu. We were going to eat there and then Erik, Cristin, and I had tickets to this surfing movie premiering in the Mission. We showed up at Andalu at 16 mins past our reservation. They hold the table for 15 minutes. They had the rudest woman at the front desk. She was on the phone and wouldn't even look at us. People were now lining up behind us and she did not get off the phone. We told her we had a reservation & she told us about the 15 min. policy. We were recognized this but said we got here at like the 16th minute. Nope. She said we couldn't be seated. Despite the 20 empty tables and room at the bar, this woman wouldn't even try to accomodate us. What a bitch.

The best part was when Erik says to her "You don't take into account the 10 minutes we just stood here waiting for you to get off the phone into consideration for us to be seated". She stared at him and said, No. He's the man.

Anyway, we left and went to a more authentic tapas place, Picaro. Complete with mariachi band. I am not going to Andalu anytime soon. That woman was also a bitch to Cristin 2 weeks ago and was on the phone, wouldn't look at her and her friends, so they walked out on her. I guess that place thinks they get enough businesss that they don't have to be nice to people.

Anyway, the movie was all about surfing which had its funny parts but was also boring to me but Erik & Cristin loved it. After wards we went out and got malibu mojitos. So good.

Friday

Friday was a lot of fun. I had a great mani/pedi at this new salon near by. It is small but super clean, the woman was very nice and did a great job, plus they gave us champagne! After that, Cristin, Betsy & I went down to a cafe down the street for some beers then to the LIttle Chihuahua for dinner. So good. After that, we came home and fell asleep on the couch oh at like 9pm. oh well. It was fun.

OH MY GOD.

As you know, I am obsessed with Chip. Well, he only has a myspace or twitter. I don't have either of those. So, in order to see what he was twittering or whatever you call it, you have to make an account. So, I did - just for chip. Then, I clicked 'Follow Chip'. Then, I got this email -



OH MY GOD. CHIP IS FOLLOWING ME. Now he has like 700 followers but I don't care. I don't intend to open up twitter and do these minute by minute updates - i just wnat to see what chip writes. Maybe I will make my twitter updates about chip every day & he will write to me. Or think I am crazy and report me.

2 Free Samples

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So nice!

It is so nice, sunny, and warm out. It is 74! I am in shorts and flip flops. It is awesome. Don't worry around 4pm, it will go back to 60. Right now, I am loving it. I am off today & getting a lot done. Cleaning, laundry, TB test #2, and now going to the hospital to get my scrubs & meet everyone. This afternoon, I am going to get a mani/pedi then Happy Hour!! Yippeee for the weekend.

Oh and Evie says hello today:


And, a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Taralyn today!!

Volunteering

I am so excited! Tomorrow, I am going to get my volunteer uniform and meet my 'unit'. I can't wait. I will tell you how it goes!!

ER

ER is ending next week. This show has been on for 14 seasons. That is a loooong time. I remember when the show started. I haven't watched it in years but I've been watching for the past 6 weeks or so because they have been bringing back cast from the very first season. Last week was a treat because George Clooney AND hottie John Stamos were on. So, next week's episode will be so sad!

Spring

We got daffodils at the store this past week. Daffodils mean spring! It is sunny and 60 here today!

Crazy of the Day

SF loves their parades, protests, and marches. This one was new to me though -

It'll happen in a few hours, and it's an emergency. As Zombie Wrangler just informed us, "[a] thousand apologies for the late notice, but in a few hours San Francisco will be swarmed by rogue zombies. We at eatbrains have no mitigation efforts in place, so it could be disastrous. See http://www.sfzombieswarm.com/ for details.'

Crazy of the Day

Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors passed that spur-of-the-moment resolution that commends San Francisco restaurants for removing foie gras before the big ban in three years.

Additional thoughts - If they ban foie gras, don't they have to ban veal, lamb, tripe, and only serve cruelty-free, free range meats and fish? Foie gras is disgusting. I have never and will never eat it. Same goes for duck, lamb, veal, and I haven't eaten beef or pork in a few years. To make foie gras, they force feed ducks which is disgusting. But so is veal and how they slaughter cows. Where is the line drawn?

Realization

I have come to a realization that if I reduce the amount of things I have to worry about, I won't worry as much. For example(these are just 2):

Worry:
My teeth - the grinding, the gums, etc.
Solution:
The mouthguard, flossing, and NOT DRINKING SODA. Did you know soda takes the enamel off your teeth? I am on Day 3 of no soda and I feel fine. I have been drinking seltzer water with lemon and it's good!

Worry:
Not working out, getting heart disease, getting fat
Solution:
Workout. You know that I say I am lazy and am constantly printing out the gym schedules and not going. I am going for a week and stopping. So, since I like to have my systems in place - I need a system. Why can't I get up at 530am and go to the gym for an hour? Because I'm tired? I would feel better, get it out of the way, and be happier. If Kate Gosselin can do it, I can do it.

Locked Out

Ask me what I did last night from 9-930pm. Ok, I'll tell you. I was doing laundry when something happened. As I was walking down the stairs, I heard a loud bang. I ran back up only to find Evie on her leash sitting on the back porch and the back door shut. Uh oh. Evie. No, you didn't!

Yes, she did.

She was on her leash because it's easier to grab her when she is on a leash and going crazy. The leash had 2 little knots in it. She tried to follow me outside to do the laundry, the knot got caught on the door, and slammed it shut. The lock on the door handle was locked so we were LOCKED OUT.

I only had the dog, quarters, and dryer sheets with me. I knocked on our neighbors door and she let me use her phone to call Erik. Thankfully, he biked home and let us in. The funniest thing was sitting there & waiting for Evie. She actually sat there, staring at the back door & started to whimper. I was like, listen girl - you are the one who got us into this mess(b/c yes, I talk to her like she is human). So, we sat there and used one of Erik's socks as a toy until he came home.

It is always something with her!!

Oakland Shooting

Another horrible thing happened this weekend. FOUR Oakland police officers were killed this weekend.

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2 Plane Crashes

What the heck is going on. This makes like 5 plane crashes in 2 months. The fact that 7 kids died on the Montana flight is horrible. Watching the video of the Fed Ex plane in flames is also horrible.

Quote

“We have gotten into the habit of spending money we haven’t earned, to buy things we don’t need, to impress people that we don’t like. So get rid of that habit.”

- Deepak Chopra

Sunday 2

I made chicken pot pie this morning for dinner. I can't tell you how much I enjoy coming home from gymnastics & dinner is already ready. Anyway, I made it from a recipe found on Real Simple.
(Sorry Mom - I don't have your recipe here but we will try your recipe next time!!)

Here it is:


We liked it!

I like...

Paranormal State better than Ghost Hunters. Probably because PS has Chip Coffey. I just don't like the Ghost Hunters use their equipment to find stuff and don't really interact with any spirits. PS people interact with sprits and Chip knows whats up and tells everyone.

Have you seen the previews for this scary new movie, A Haunting in CT? It is the story of a family in CT who bought a house that used to be a funeral parlor. Well, apparently this happened in the 80's and our pal, Lorraine Warren and her husband investigated & cleansed the house.

I read an article that the family who currently lives in that house is getting a lot of people showing up at their house looking to take pictures.

After watching PS all of the time, I don't feel scared to see this movie. I doubt I'd go to the movies to see it maybe when it comes on DVD around Halloween!

Sunday

Today, I did 4 parties at the gym. They were all good except for one party, these two kids were out of control & had to be separated. Oh well. Whenever I go to Weddings, I realize what I do & do not want at my wedding. Being at the gymnastics parties and being around all those parents, makes me realize what I do not want to be like as a parent.

Parents cannot say 'no' or 'too bad' to their kids. For example, The gym is in a huge warehouse. The ceilings are like 50 ft high or something. When your kid lets the balloon go to the ceiling, too bad, because he's not getting it back. Parents ask us, can you get it down. We say, unfortunately - no. And, they get sort of mad. Like we are lying to them or something. You should just tell your kid, no, its too bad you let it go.

Saturday

Yesterday was a fun day. We went to the spa for our 75 minute massages. It was amazing. The Sen Spa is a modern, zen-like, buddha spa. That's how I explain it. You can go in the steam room, then go into the waiting room that has water waiting. The massage was awesome. The only thing about this spa is that it is very expensive. We would not go there unless we had the gift card to pay for it. So, we enjoyed every minute!


Anyway, the spa is all about wellness. They have Wellness coaches to "help you deal with stress that will bring you to your optimum wellness" Maybe I should go to meet with the Wellness coach to give me a plan!

After the massages, we made bean & broccoli nachos (In the latest issue of Rachel Ray mag) and made our own mini pizzas. Mine was white with shrimp and garlic. Yum-o.

Friday

On Friday, I met my friend's dog...Beans. She is a 3 mo old French Bulldog. She is so TINY. Literally she is 4lbs and probably the size of Evie's head. She is adorable. You should see her run, I was dying laughing. Here are some pictures:

So rude & disrespectful

Bad move, Obama, to compare your crappy bowling skills to Special Olympics.

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Jon & Kate Rumors

Look at this Jon & Kate rumor!!! Next week, is the season finale. Jon & Kate say in the promos 'we're in a weird spot right now'....hmmmmmmmm

When Jon appeared at the speaking engagement at Penn State University, he later told a group of people he went to a bar with that as of February 2, 2009, he and Kate had separated. He then said he was "divorcing her ass" once the TLC contract was up in one year. He no longer lives in Wernersville with the family and only goes there for filming the show. He reportedly lives with his mother in Huntington, PA. It has also been reported that when he is in Wernerville for filming, he lives in the 800 square foot apartment above the three-car garage. There are pictures of Jon with young college coeds all over the internet and he appears intoxicated in most of these pictures. He goes to Shorty's Bar in Kutztown, Legends Bar in Reading, and also various bars in Huntingdon when at his mom's. Jon recently purchased a condo in Utah (near Park City, the ski resort) and Kate is never home due to speaking engagements. They prefer this arrangement because they simply cannot tolerate one another. According to Jon at his Penn State appearance, they have gone through 15 nannies/babysitters and now are on their 16th - a Vietnamese nanny. So - they are just waiting for their TLC contract to be over to get a divorce and go there separate ways.

Bratty Patty

That is Evie's nickname today. She is bratty. When you go to put the collar on her and ask her to come to you, she comes only so far and sits. You have to go put the collar on her(well not really, i should force her to come to me). Oh plus, at 5am, she jumped on the bed and dropped her rawhide bone on my head. Not nice. Bratty Patty!

Obama's Bracket

I never participate in March Madness but this year, I have 2 brackets. They were free to enter but I could win prizes. We'll see - I just picked what I thought was best. I didn't spend hours online researching the teams like some people are doing!! Anyway, did you see that Obama did his bracket too? haha

This is the official start of decrease in productivity as people at work sit online and try to watch games & get their scores!

TBL

Wow. The Biggest Loser contestants are running a half-marathon this week. They did not train for this, they just had to go out and do it. Half of them are doing really well. Half of them are dying around 5-6 miles. Their legs and back are hurting which means they have weak cores. When your legs have to do most of the work, you're in trouble.

I really want Tara to win this. She is always pushing herself and wins a lot of the challenges.

2 Good Things

2 Good things happened today
-My boss said I did 'fantastic' presenting work today
-I got a 20 out of 20 on my paper for my class

Yippeeeeeeeeeee

Have you seen....

The new Jcrew Catalog. SF graces the cover. They shot a couple pages here, too. They were right down the street at Alamo Sq too!

To Row?

I have been interested in rowing for a long time. Unfortunately, I went to a college that did not offer rowing as a sport or else I may have joined. I have looked up clubs in the past and found some but they were always expensive and required 6am lessons.

Well, now that I have this anxiety all the time about everything, Erik said I need an outlet to get rid of it. I thought again, about rowing. There is just something about being on the water, gliding along, and doing the same motion over and over that seems peaceful.

I emailed a club I found and they have a novice clinic on 4/12. I am going to go.

Is she or isn't she

Have you guys heard about this? Actress Natasha Richardson was in a ski accident. Websites and papers are saying she is brain dead & going to be taken off life support...whaaaaat? It is not confirmed by anyone & they are publishing it. I guess her family is giving a statement tomorrow on what is going on. So sad, she is only like 45.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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Free Movie

You know those red boxes at your grocery store where you can rent movies? Well, here is a code to get a free movie!

Today only you can get a free DVD rental at your local Redbox. Simply use code: 2GR4N8. This can be used once per debit/credit card, so you can rent more than one for free by using different cards!

TV

TV tonight is going to be great. Gossip Girl AND Dancing with the stars. Thank God for DVR!

Evie's New Toy

I got this rope toy for Evie. It HAD a tennis ball on the end but she promptly ripped that apart. If you are wondering why we have the blanket on the floor it's because we are getting our rug cleaned & I put the blanket down so Evie wouldn't scratch the floor.

More drama

Ugh. Ive been at work for like 1.5 hours and already I'm pulling out the tums. My coworker said our boss told her we are on 'thin ice'. But our Pres says we are fine. They are trying to staff us with a new director from our other office in Texas. Makes no sense to me. Now what happens to the 5 of us here - its like we are just sitting here. Theres no company culture. Its strange....I guess we'll see.

Crazy of the Day

A kayaker in Lake Merced on Sunday spotted a dead body floating in the reeds on the east side of the lake. Police and the Medical Examiner showed up to drag it out, but nothing is known yet about the identity of the body or the cause of death. Call this Reason #23 not to do outdoorsy things, especially kayaking in Lake Merced.

(Sfist.com)

Anxiety

So, the entire time we were in CT, I had a stomachache. I would eat and get the stomache. I thought it was the food I was eating but I think I know what it really is. It is anxiety. I was worrying that our house was burning down in SF or the dog was getting hurt at camp. I was worried about seeing everyone in CT and having everything go well & get to do everything we wanted to do. It was a lot I was thinking about.

I ended up cutting out going down to meet someone for lunch and stop over someone else's house because I literally just needed to lay there and do nothing. I don't know what to do really - Maybe visit a meditation center and learn how to get centered or get a Xanex perscripton?? Something has to happen or else I won't be able to go away.

Friends

We went out last night and saw all of our friends again. I was sad. I miss everyone. I hate being so far away.


Yes, we brought our own food in - cupcakes & smartfood

Souk, Erik, Eva

Me & Marla - We have known each other 17 years. Unreal

Marla, Me, Jess

Taking shots because we were depressed about leaving

Erik, Jess, Erik

Erik's Party

Here are pictures of Erik & Jaime's 30th Birthday!

Back in SF

We are back in SF. It was really hard to leave and I cried, of course. We had a good week seeing everyone, eating GOOD pizza, and having fun. Here are some pics....





























































Here is what a real sandwich looks like on a hard roll with Boars Head meat!!