Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Wednesday


Happy Fall/Watch Hocus Pocus/Decorate the House/Welcome October Day!! Yes, today is the day that I decorate the house & watch Hocus Pocus. I am making Pumpkin Bread tonight too. I hope Evie understands that she needs to sit still and watch the movie.



In other news, I rejoined the gym and actually went today at lunch. It was nice to be back. I know I am lazy and complain and dont want to go but you know what, too bad. I rejoined because I am almost 30. I am not getting younger. I don't want to get heart disease. Or have a stroke. I want to be strong & healthy for many many years to come. So, this is a commitment I am making.

Well, if you are watching HP tonight....Enjoy!

Crazy of the Day

After yesterday's 8.0-magnitude earthquake created a tsunami around the Samoa islands, a tsunami advisory threatened the Pacific Coast. That threat, according to reports, has been lifted. A very slight tsunami lift was measured along the coast. "The tsunami amplitude - the measurable surge above normal sea level - measured a half-foot at Monterey Bay Harbor, slightly more than one foot at Arena Cove in Mendocino County, and about one foot in San Francisco."

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sunday

Today, we drove down to Pacifica to take Evie to the beach. It was so nice out today - sunny and 70's. She loooves going to the beach. When her feet hit the sand, she wants to run.







Me & Evie


She was so tired driving home.


Erik took some video of Evie running around:

Weekend

This weekend was so much fun.On Saturday, we dropped Evie at camp and went apple picking. It was so hot out. It must've been 80 in the city and 90 down south. We had to drive south to get the apples. It was definitely NOT like Bishop's or Jones in CT. It was like pick and pay & leave. There was no corn maze or cute shop to buy pies and stuff. Oh well, at least we got the apples.









We picked red delicious, golden delicious & Peppins. I never heard of Peppin apples before!


Erik, hiding behind the trees.



On the way home, we stopped at the one & only ON THE BORDER. I freaking love this place. It reminds me of being at home and I looove it. We stopped for dinner & it made me SO happy!!Of course, I took chips & salsa!! Can't wait for my leftovers.

The Usual - The 3 sauce fajita burrito with just queso.




You would've thought we had never been here before. haha.


Love


Delish



When we got home, we made an apple pie! Then, we played monopoly & watched Ghostbusters. A great way to kick off fall.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Weekend

The weekend is upon us!! I'm so excited because tomorrow we are going to PICK APPLES!! We have to drive like an hour to get there but I don't care.

Tonight, I am getting a manicure & staying in. I don't want to say it but I feel like there is a slight cold creeeeping up slowly on me. I know that eventually the stress of work.school.work.school is going to do me in. I am going to stay in & watch a movie. I love Fridays!

Have a good weekend!

Hi Mommy


I get an email from Erik yesterday while I was at work that is titled, Hi Mommy. Then, I open it and see this photo.

"I'm at the beach"

haha. Sick, I know. She looks cold & unhappy but I'm sure she was running like a maniac & having fun.

Crazy of the Day


We haven't had a Crazy of the Day lately. I mean, except for that vehicular manslaughter that happened in front of our house. However, here was a funny one I just saw. Apparently this dude stands on his head for money. Not sure where in the city he is located.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Costumes

Well, I would love to put Evie in one of these costumes. I know they are for human babies but how freaking funny are they!!??






Here are some dog costumes.


Doesn't this look just like her!!


Also, not sure what this costume is but this looks like Evie!

Halloween is coming...

...and so are the funny pet costumes! What should Evie be this year?

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Sleepy May

Fog

Mmmmmmk. Its not sunny and 80 or 90 here like the weather was supposed to be. It's normal - 65, sunny, then foggy. Check out this fog south of us. These are pics from 7pm last night at my school which is 20 min south of SF. Walking up to school, I could not see the building!



Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sunday


Today it was so nice out. It was warm & sunny! Betsy & I went to Shakespeare in the Park to see A Comedy of Errors. It was pretty good. It was nice to sit outside with the breeze with lots of food & wine. We used to go every year in CT to Shakespeare on the Sound. I just love going.

Saturday


Saturday was a chill day. Erik went down to pick up his new surf board and went surfing. I cleaned. I like being home alone to clean. I get into it. I did heavy duty cleaning while Erik was gone. For dinner, we went outside the city up to a friends place in the Walnut Creek area. This is about 40 min east of SF and is the suburbs. It is dark and nice & quiet. Sean plays hockey with Erik. Him & his wife Kelsey have 2 little boys. They had a few other friends over. It was a nice night sitting on their deck drinking beers. Sam Oktoberfest is out in stores. It's officially fall!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Sad

This is a few weeks of bad things, I think. I mean Patrick Swayze dies, I see that accident where the 24 year old dies, and now, I just heard of another imminent death. I have to say that friends come from all walks of life somehow and can be categorized in different ways. My 'friend' Harry is the owner of Evie's BFF, Wasabii. His wife was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year. Unfortunately, it was already at stage 3. She has been going through treatments and doing OK. We saw her a few times out with him walking the dog. The past couple months, we haven't seen them so much. When I don't hear from them or see them for awhile, I think something is wrong.

This time, there is. Harry's wife, Lee, is now at the stage where she is not responding to the medicine for her cancer anymore. They are moving her to opiates to help her with the pain but ultimately, preparing her to die. Their families are both here and the doctors have told them they do not know much longer she has - days, weeks?

Although I couldn't tell you Harry & Lee's last name, we know alot about each other. We see each other lot and spend time with the dogs in the park. It's like going out with your friend for a drink for an hour twice a week, except we just stand in the park! When he told me the news, he started to cry. Which in turn, I did too. What do you say to someone who's wife is about to die?
Well, I am not very religious but keep them in your thoughts and pray that he has the strength to get through all of this.

Summer is here

Sept & Oct are the 'summer' months here in SF. It is warm, less fog, & sunny. It is harvest time in Napa too which is a great time to go. Check out our weather for next week!


While the rest of the country is breaking out the corduroy and hot cocoa, we are putting on our shorts & flip flops. It makes up for August(worst month here!!) dense fog we sit in for the month.

It is a little strange going to get your pumpkin in shorts. Plus, last year on Thanksgiving, I had on a tank top. I guess that is CA living.

Friday, September 18, 2009

FRIDAY

Well, today has been one busy busy Friday. It has been non-stop with work and we are interviewing for my co-workers position up here now that she moved. We've met two people so far - one was ok, one I liked. We have more to meet with so we'll see.

Tonight, I am so ready to just relax. I am going to get my eyebrows done & a manicure. Then, I'm going to take Evie out for awhile. I am picking up a ton of pictures, going to have some wine and hopefully do some scrapbooking. I am going to catch up on my DVR'ed shows. Fun night. :-)

Have a good weekend!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Thursday

So the other day before we know who was in the accident, and I knew it was a girl, I was afraid I knew her. There is this girl who has a puppy Evie plays with. The girl who died looks a little similar to her and I was worried it was her until I saw her in person. I said to her today, I thought it was you. She said she got SO many calls from friends making sure it wasn't her. She said they all heard it was a 24 yr old girl, the neighborhood, etc and thought it was her. Scary! Anyway, she is alive & well.

Anyway, today was exhausting. Of course, I left work late. I walked Evie, and saw her puppy (from above) friend. Promptly went to smell Izzy's poop and STEPPED in it. Had to drag her home, wash off her feet, eat & leave.

Lab was tonight & lab is easier than lecture on Tues. It's more relaxed, he gives us the assignment & we do it. Tonight, we had to look at bones.

I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday. Here's to a fun & relaxing weekend.

Another article

Here is an article from the local paper on the accident:

Car claims life of S.F. pedestrian

By: Katie Worth and Tamara Barak Aparton
San Francisco Examiner
September 16, 2009

Gathering evidence: Police are determining whether pedestrian Melissa Hope Dennison, below, or the driver who fatally struck her had the right of way at Fell and Broderick streets. (Cindy Chew/the Examiner

SAN FRANCISCO — A recent San Francisco State University graduate who friends described as hilarious and quirky was killed after a car hit her on Fell Street early Tuesday morning.

A 19-year-old who lives on the Peninsula but was commuting to work in The City drove his Honda Civic to the right around a car that had stopped in front of him — a legal maneuver — according to police spokeswoman Sgt. Lyn Tomioka.

The Civic then struck Melissa Hope Dennison, 24, of San Francisco and the impact threw her “a significant distance” from the intersection of Fell and Broderick streets, Tomioka said.

The accident was reported at 6:27 a.m., fire dispatchers said.

Dennison died at the scene. The motorist initially left the scene, but drove back and told police he had been unable to find a place to stop his car, Tomioka said.

There are crosswalks and traffic lights at the intersection, but police are still investigating whether Dennison was inside the crosswalk.

“There were quite a few witnesses, or at least people who stopped to help,” Tomioka said.

There’s no evidence excessive speed, alcohol or drugs were factors in the collision, according to police. A complaint against the driver will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether to file charges.

“Inspectors are still determining who had the right of way, but the driver is required to proceed with due caution, so that’s going to be an issue here,” Tomioka said.

Betsy Hansen, a longtime friend of Dennison, described her as “probably the biggest character that any of us ever knew.”

“She always had a hilarious story of something that had happened to her,” Hansen said. “She was the type of person who would strike up a conversation with anybody. She was always meeting the most random people and then would call us and tell us about it. She’d bring a smile to our faces every day.”

Among Dennison’s many quirks was her habit of calling friends with “random factoids” she’d just learned that she was convinced they would find interesting, Hansen said.

She said Dennison grew up in Truckee and was an avid snowboarder and loved music, especially hip-hop. She went to school in Santa Barbara and finished at San Francisco State University — graduating with a degree in political science — and went on a trip to Bali immediately after graduation.

Hansen said Dennison was likely on her way to get a cup of coffee when she was struck.

Dennison’s uncle, Chris Dennison, said the tragedy is not the only one to strike the family recently. Her father is currently in an intensive care unit for medical complications.

Manish Champsee, president of pedestrian-safety organization WalkSF, said pedestrian injuries and deaths are often the result of vehicles swerving around stopped cars.

“One vehicle stops and the other people in their cars think the guy has stopped for no reason and they’re going to swerve,” he said. “If a vehicle is stopped, it’s probably stopped for a good reason.”

State law dictates that an intersection doesn’t need to marked to be considered a crosswalk, Champsee said.

Fell Street flows with swiftly moving traffic, but it’s also lined with residences and shops and has been fairly dangerous for pedestrians, he said, adding that he was pleased charges against the driver are being considered.

“Far too often, crashes occur, someone dies and no one is held to account,” Champsee said.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Wednesday

Wednesday is quickly becoming my new favorite day of the week. It is a break in between school days. It is a work from home day. It is a recharge day! Today, I am working from home and have no school. I am doing errands after work and laundry today.

Last night, I had school & we had a quiz. I think I did ok. Literally, the Prof was trying to get through ALL of the joints in the body in 2 hours. He is nuts. He does not let us out until 10:05. At 930, I shut down. At 10, we all start moving around and he says 'We still have 5 minutes!' Seriously last night, he said "We still have 1 and 1/2 minutes left".

They released the name of the girl in the accident. She was 24 and her name is Melissa Dennison. If you google her, you find articles about a Prof Snowboarder from the Tahoe area. I wonder if that was her. I do not think I know who she is. There are flowers & stuff outside. It's just so crazy to me that yesterday all of that happened and today, it's traffic as ususal!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

More accident info

Here is a new article on the accident - It's really sad. It was a 24 year old girl. Unbelievable. Can you imagine? They are not releasing her name until her family is notified. Imagine if your 24 year old lived out here and you got a call saying she was hit & killed? Horrible.

Woman Hit By Car, Killed On SF's Fell Street

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP) ― A 24-year-old San Francisco woman died early Tuesday morning after being struck by a car, police said.

The woman was crossing Fell Street at Broderick Street about 6:20 a.m. when she was hit by a four-door Honda traveling west on Fell Street, police spokeswoman Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said.

It was not immediately clear whether the woman had been in a crosswalk at the time. The impact threw the woman "a significant distance" from the intersection, Tomioka said.

The 19-year-old man driving the Honda stopped at the scene and was not arrested, though Tomioka said prosecutors could weigh charging him "because the driver is required to drive with due caution," she said.

"Apparently, another car had stopped (for the woman) at the intersection and this vehicle went around it," Tomioka said.

Tomioka said the driver was not from San Francisco but was heading to work in the city at the time.

The name of the woman is not yet being releasing pending notification of her family.

The incident is still under investigation, and police are still interviewing witnesses, Tomioka said.

http://cbs5.com/local/fell.pedestrian.killed.2.1185149.html

WHOA

Well, we had quite the morning. Just warning you - if you are squrimy/don't like bad things that happen/don't want to hear about accidents/fatalities, etc, then you might want to stop reading.....

Evie woke up at 630 barking and barking. I get up and look out the window and see a lot of cops, fire dept, and lanes of our street blocked off. We live on a main road so I thought it was a car accident. Actually, I first thought, is this that TV show they are filming? Then, I saw the police tape go up and the trucks were blocking something. I thought someone was hurt in the street. There have been a lot of incidents of bikers getting hit by cars so I thought it could be that. Well, I just had to see what was going on.

(my photos from the window)

I took Evie out for a walk and looked across the street to see what it was. I saw someone laying on the street covered in a sheet. That only means one thing - a dead body. I was shocked!! I saw their flip flops laying in the street like 10' away from them. It was like watching CSI. The cops pulled out the markers, they were taking pictures, and the news showed up. The medical examiner came and I actually saw them pull up the sheet and take pictures of this person. They were face down.

Erik and I thought maybe it was a homeless person but I don't think so. Turns out it was a female. I am finding articles online but no full details are out here.

That yellow sheet on the ground near the tree is the body.

So so so crazy!! I seriously hope I did not know the person. We know a bunch of people in our neighborhood just who own dogs and such.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Weekend

This weekend we literally did not do anything. We cleaned, did laundry, and watched tennis. Today, more tennis. Studying for a quiz on Tuesday. We had thunderstorms on Sat AM. It was scary. Apparently, that NEVER happens here. We heard thunder in the AM and I ignored it. I got up around 8 and walked Evie. I was outside and saw lightening and a HUGE boom of thunder. We were scared. We basically ran home. Turns out a big transmitter blew up, too. So, we lost power for about an hour. It was exciting for everyone since SF never sees this weather.

Anyway, today, I am feeling depressed & wondering why we live here. It is lonely. After being in CT with friends & family, we are definitely missing it. I know not every weekend will be super fun like last weekend in CT/NY. But, just having the option of being with your friends & family seems fine to me! I don't know....we need a life advisor.

Friday

Well, Friday was a fun day but sad day. My co-worker Lauren is moving and it was her last day in the SF office. She will still be on our team for a few mos so hopefully, we'll see her over the next few mos. We went out to lunch. Then, we left work around 3:30 and went to a bar. We did not leave until 10pm! I was pretty drunk when I left. We all were. It was very fun though & a good sendoff.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Thursday

Yesterday was really crazy. I was so busy at work and at the Client til 5pm. Then, I came home and walked Evie, fed Evie, and went to school. The bus was packed and smelly. I was so tired. I decided to just take my time at home and get to class late. It was lab so it was not a big deal. I can't be rushing like crazy to do all of this. Somethings are going to have to give.

Lab was very easy. We had to ID tissues and he let us go early. Thank God.

Our house is a complete disaster. We never really unpacked and the bags are just open & overflowing. I plan on starting the laundry tonight and then going crazy cleaning tomorrow.

TGIF!!!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

School Shooting

Can't remember if I told you guys what that school shooting was all about. Here is the deal. It was NOT like VA Tech by any means. It happened in the parking lot & was an isolated incident. Basically, two groups of guys were in the parking lot arguing. One guy in Group A shot a guy in Group B in the leg. The Guy who got shot ran into school for help. Obviously, the school had to take extreme precaution by evacuating the school, canceling school the next day, and offering counseling to anyone who needed it.

So, my class on Thurs(the day I flew to CT) was canceled. Therefore, I didn't miss class! My class on Tues was 2/3 full. I wonder if it had anything to do with the event last week.

Anyway, I feel safe on campus. I think it was a one time thing.

Wednesday

Today was my first day back to work after a bunch of days off. I knew it would be busy. It was non-stop all day. I was at the Client twice. Oh well, I got to listen to the HAIR soundtrack on my iphone all day. It made me happy.

Tomorrow is going to be a hard day. I am at the Client alllllllll day. Then, class(lab) all night. I will need a coffee around 8pm. whew.

Tuesday

We got back on Tuesday. I was off of work for the day which was great. I went food shopping and then to class. I was falling asleep in class. I think I was on EC time. It was 9pm and I was struggling to stay awake.

The good news is that my quiz is moved to 9/15 instead of tomorrow(Thurs). Whew. It is on 4 chapters and will be tough. I will be studying all weekend.

Labor Day

Well after 3 fun days, we spent Labor Day relaxing. My family went to Erik's house for a great lobster dinner. My flight was bright & early the next day but the great part about flying West is that you get in so early! We picked Evie up at camp by noon and she was so happy to come home!

SF NEEDS a Dunkin Donuts. I ate so much of it. I ate bagels, coffee, and donuts. I rarely eat donuts but they are so good at DD.


Eating a donut

Awwwww yeah. Iced Coffee

Glazed Munchkins.

So, we said farewell to the East Coast. Surprisingly, I did not cry. I think it is because we will see my Dad for Thanksgiving and be home again for Christmas. We left CT almost 2 yrs ago for SF. I can't believe it's been nearly 2 years. We left to go live somewhere else & try something new. However, we will eventually move back to the East Coast. It is where all of our friends and family are. When I am home, I feel full. Loved & happy.

NYC

We also went to my favorite place - New York! We all went down and had pizza at John's for lunch. Then, we went & saw HAIR. OMG. I love love loved it. It is a story about a group of teens in the 60's who are anti-war and all about peace & love. Then, one of them gets drafted to the Vietnam War. This was FULL of songs. I love musicals but you know, its usually act, song, act, song. This was mostly song. It was great. I am dying to see it again. If you go see it, beware of cast/audience participationg, nakedness, and being invited on stage at the end!

di


Watch out NY, Time Square has a new cowboy in town


Jess, Me, Marla at pizza




u


After the show, we went to dinner at TAO. It was awesome!







I looooooove new york. I can't wait to live there someday. NY just has a certain smell & energy & feeling about it. Can't wait to go back when we are there for Christmas!

Labor Day Party

On Saturday, we had a party at my family's house. It was a great way to see everyone in one spot. There was so much food & beer. It was great. The night ended with me dancing like a maniac and my Dad and Uncle playing beer pong!




Every cowboy needs a horse

Khai

Marla toting Khai around. Yes, she also did her splits. Oh and we pulled out the scrapbook from high school.

Erik and Souk

Marla, Me, Eva

Me & Marla - Buds since 7th Grade!

Me & Tara

Me & Grandma

Awww. Baby Natalie!