Yesterday, I got out of work a little early which was great. Did some cleaning & then Amy came over so we could try Erik's home brewed Hefewizen. It is SO good. It tastes fruity & spicy - Blue Moon-ish. Yum.
Our friend, Brooke, from Dickinson & her husband are in town this weekend so we went out to the Little Chihuahua for dinner. I was home by around 930 and in bed, asleep by 11.
I think we are going to try to go to the Renegade Craft Fair today and Erik is also interested in going to the Bicycle Music Festival. Apparently, you ride your bike to different concerts around the city or something today. The weather is still gray/fog/cold/low 60's.
Well, it was SUPER Foggy & cold last night. When I got home, it must have been about 58 degrees. It was sooooo windy. People had winter hats on! The fog swirls and is a light mist and is cold....
Well, I was determined for Evie & I to do a 3 mile walk. I mapped it out on mapmyrun.com. Then, we got a little lost. haha. Oh well, we still did 3 miles and we got to explore! Check out how we realized we were going the wrong way & back tracked. I really wanted to walk thru Cole Valley, which we finally made it to.
I love that SF is a residential city. There are beautiful homes here with little yards & gardens. It makes me feel like we don't live in a city sometimes!
Cool Door Another cool door We made it to Cole Valley. A few blocks of cute shops, restaurants, etc. Mani/Pedi place Cute little, dive looking bar Bambino Italian Restaurant smelled amazing!
When we got home, Evie was still ready to play. After she ate, she calmed down & then fell asleep on the couch. Her energy levels never cease to amaze me. I tried to watch The Color Purple. Did not like & do not recommend. Read the book, instead.
Also, I watched that show - Boston Med(?) where they follow doctors among three big hospitals in Boston. It was SO sad when a baby had to have surgery because his lungs/heart werent hooked up properly. THEN, the doctor went in and did the surgery WRONG. He had to admit it to the parents and then re-do the surgery. The baby was able to go home when he was 4 mos old. I hope they sued for malpractice and got a shit ton of money. SO sad. I cannot imagine giving birth and then immediately putting your kid in the OR.
Today, I worked from home. I got all of the laundry done, which was great. I haven't worked from home in so long so it was nice. We are so busy right now. We are trying to hire someone, asap.
After the bad mani/pedi experience, we went on our long walk. Today, we took one street(Divisadero) which turns into Castro St. I mapped it out on MapMyRun.com when I got home and we walked 2.3miles. Sure enough, Evie passed out on the couch.
Erik hurt his ankle in his game last night. I think he sprained it. He drove to work today & is probably not going to surf for a few days. Sprains hurt!
Tonight, I watched a movie called "Then She Found Me". It had some great stars in it - Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, & Matthew Broderick. Helen Hunt actually directed this film, too.
It's the story of April(Hunt) who is a 39 yr old teacher in a boring marriage who is desperate to have a baby. As her marriage crumbles & she finds someone she truly likes, she finds out she is pregnant! But, things aren't always as they seem. What she thought she wanted or didn't want, might not be what she wants now.
In the middle of all this, her birth mother finds her(Midler). And she goes down that complicated path of figuring out the relationship with her mother.
NY Times had a good article about the movie, Here. This was a combo between a drama & serious comedy. I liked it though. It was different.
I have been really needing to get my eyebrows done & a mani and pedi. I worked from home today and walked over to a place nearby. I have been there once before for everything. Last time I was there, this sweet woman did everything but her daughter was there. This girl must be maybe 7 years old. I think that I went on a school holiday or something and that is why she was there.
Well, today I went & she was there again. She is SO annoying & her mother just let her yakkety yak to me. She was sitting in the seat next to me trying to play I Spy. How ridiculous is that?? Finally, her Mother told me to leave me alone. The Manicure/Pedicure was fine.
Then, when I paid her, she tried to tell to tell me she didn't have change for a $10. Then, she was like oh wait and found a different drawer with singles. Can you believe she was possibly going to let me believe that she didn't have change. That is the last time I am going there. I really don't need to spend money to be annoyed by a child for an hour!
SO, Erik said I was cheating when I didn't call B11. I guess I should just call what comes up & let them get mad. What do you think??
Last night, I made more falafel & tabouleh for Erik & I. His hockey game wasn't until 11 so we had time to spend together. Then, he plugged in the little heater and blew a fuse. Oops. So, this happened when Marla came to visit in Dec and I just flipped the switch on this box that Erik has all of these plugs going into. That didn't work. We knew we needed to flip the acutal switch on the circuit thing but have no clue where it is. So, Erik called PG&E to come out. WE waited approx 2 hours. It was fun. We sat in silence and at dinner and chatted. I secretly hoped that the guy wouldn't come and I could lay there and read my book with a flashlight and pretend I was Jo March. But, he came to fix it. The Guy literally went downstairs, found the thing & flipped the switch. Well, now we know where it is.
Last night, I rushed home to walk Evie & eat a quick dinner before Bingo. So, Bingo is really funny sometimes. If one letter/number combo comes up every game, some of the ladies get mad. They keep a little post it note and mark down when it comes up. Last night was B11. I pull a few numbers at a time so that I dont have to mix up the balls every call. Well, B11 came up EVERY game. One lady (who wears sunglasses while she plays) was making this grunt every time it came up. So, if it came up, I didn't call it. haha. I guess this is cheating but honestly, I knew they were getting mad!!
Oh well. I got home around 8 and Evie & I went for a long walk. We walked for about an hour. I let her lead. We ended up deeper in the Castro this time. I found a cute little bar called, The Residence that I want to try. It looked like someones living room or library inside. Also, found this really weird store called My Trick Pony. I'm going to assume this means something that I don't understand. Wait, I looked it up and it looks like a t-shirt store. However, they had all of these weird pony figurines in the store window. (I remember having this toy when I was younger. It was on springs & made neigh sounds) (Scary)
Also saw some items that I didn't know what they were. Can you help? Bahahaha. Things that were so relevant just a mere few years ago. Wait, so let me get this straight. People used to have to plug this into the wall to hear music? How much does this thing weigh?
???? Is this a phone? What is that cord doing on there? You mean, people used to have to find one of these in town to make a call? haha
Anyway.....After Evie & I walked forever, she came home & got a bath. Then, she passed out on the couch. The walk tired her out. I think the mental workout of seeing/smelling new things helped. I guess this is the new workout for her for now!
I went to the dentist to get a cavity filled today & they told me I was there on the wrong day. Oops! My dentist even texts me a few days ahead to confirm my appt. But, I had the wrong date on my calendar so I didn't even double check the day/time. Now, I have to go back next week. Oh well, at least I got a nice little stroll out of it. Which, I then thought that I should take the time to take a 30 min walk every day at lunch just to get moving. It's not good to sit at your desk alllllll day.
I'm so tired. I woke up in the middle of the night because I was hot, thirsty, and Erik was moving Evie out of the way. Tonight, I have Bingo with the ladies. I really love calling bingo because it is the most low key thing ever. I just sit there & call numbers. They are so happy when they win!
I also started a new book - Eat, Pray, Love. I want to read it before I see the movie. Have you read it & did you love it?
Here's a shot of Erik tending to his garden. This is his new hobby. We now added lettuce & eggplant to our garden. He puts on his rubber gloves & gets to work watering the plants, every day.
We are seeing buds on the tomato plants & a little pepper on the pepper plant. The mint is growing like crazy. The cilantro is able to be used in dishes. The cucumber, pumpkin, hops, and scallions are growing, too!
Yesterday, Amy & I did Habitat for Humanity in Oakland. This job was a lot different from our experience in June, in Bay Boint. We worked in a new, Habitat village that was being built. The land had previously been an abandoned field. Now, 20 new homes stand on the land. Amy & I worked together putting in a floor in a bathroom.
The house we worked in Habitat Village. I wonder what the feeling is, in the community, about this area. I wonder if people are proud to live in such nice homes but know they are Habitat. Or, if there is a sitgma that living in a Habitat home is a bad thing. I'm not too sure.... The cool homes in the village Getting started. We sanded down any bumpy areas & vacuumed up any debris. Laying out the tiles to see how we are going to do this... Laying out the tiles. We first had to make a chalk line to line the tiles against. This resulted in re-positioning the tiles to make sure they lined up like ten times! Heather the Tool Lady. Just kidding. I found this tool belt in the tub & had to put it on. Ugh, we had to cut around the toilet. Amy had a wonderful idea to use the chalk line tool to rub the shape onto the tile so that we could cut it. It worked out well. Laughing, trying to get the circle shape laid out properly. I think this is a funny picture. A)I was laughing but B)I look like i have a sweater tied around my neck. I really don't. I had a long sleeve tshirt that I took off & tied in a weird way around me. hah
The finished product!! We cut all of the tiles precisely so that the next group can come in & glue them all down. Once we were done with this room, we started on another but the day was over before we knew it.
Of course, we had a lot of fun just working together in the bathroom all day. We had a cool leader named Blythe, who is an Americorps volunteer. We also had an awesome lunch that included a side of Cool Ranch Doritos & Rice Krispie treats. Yum.
Amy & I have a company that we started. It's called - Renegade Contractors. We are slowly building our contracting portfolio up. SOon, we will have a business sales video. We envision it will be similar to Prestige Worldwide:
I just finished the book, The Color Purple by Alice Walker. I never had to read this book in school and wanted to read it because I have heard so much about it.
The book is written as a series of letters from the main character, Celie, to God. Then, they become letters to & from her sister, Nettie. Celie & Nettie are separated at a young age but write to one another. The book is set in rural Georgia in the 1930's.
The book started off explaining the abuse that Celie experienced from her step father & the children that resulted from that experience. The first third of the book reminded me of the movie, Precious. I really don't like books/movies like that because honestly, it shows me how bad the world is.
However, once the letters start between the sisters, I started to enjoy the book more. It really is a wonderful story about overcoming tragedy & finding out who you are and what you stand for. I really liked the story between the two sisters. Although they were separated for many, many years, they always knew ea other was alive & could feel the others presence despite not talking.
I definitely recommend this book not only because it is a classic but because the story behind it is one of hope & overcoming obstacles.
Wow, I watched a horrendous movie tonight. I wanted to love this movie because Rory Gilmore is in it. But, it was bad. Alexis Bledel played, Rory. Just like she did in Post Grad. Can someone please get this girl a new role? She needs an Ari Gold in her life to find her new & exciting roles. Expand her horizons in her career.
But anyway - the movie was like watching a day in the life of 3 Manhattanites. Beth is dating Tommy but likes Daniel. Tommy is dating many more women than just Beth. So, you can imagine what happens.
In the beginning of the movie, it's all about Beth going on a trip to Italy for work. The trip gets cancelled & she gets offered a job in SF. However, this story line never gets developed. She doesnt agonize over moving to CA. She hardly talks about it - it's not a huge problem in her life but it pops up about 2 more times in the movie but is never really figured out. Thought that was strange.
I REALLY think that Daniel, in the movie, looks like Erik. Does anyone else think so??
Goodbye week. Hello weekend. Tonight, I am doing NOTHING. I am getting out of work early. Getting groceries delivered from Safeway. Hopefully finishing my book - The Color Purple. Watching a movie. Resting!
Tomorrow, Amy & I are doing Habitat in Oakland and leaving at 8am.
Sunday, I am going to my friends house to try on dresses to wear to Sarah's wedding in Sept.
The other night, Erik got in a fight at his hockey game. He said that a guy on the other team accused him of hitting him with his stick. The guy punched Erik's helmet & tried to rip it off. Erik was shit talking to him the entire time.
This happened at the end of the 2nd period and they got penalties. They sat out for the ENTIRE 3RD PERIOD, in the penalty box.
Erik thinks fighting in the adult men's hockey league is a waste of time. You're not in the NHL getting paid millions to fight. You're an adult with a real job. If you break your arm, you're out of work and that opens up a huge can of worms.
So, nobody got hurt. WEll, Erik's neck did hurt the next day from trying to have his helmet ripped off. haha.
Well, apparently we just had a 3.5 earthquake. I didn't feel a thing. It's SO crazy though because my friend works around the corner from my office & she said her desk and chair were shaking! Normally when they happen, I feel something but don't think they are earthquakes. This time, I didn't feel a thing.
Yesterday, Evie and I took a looooong walk - about 1.5 hours. We strolled into areas we typically don't go down. I let Evie just turn where she wanted to turn and we found some great stuff! Cute Sushi Place
L'ardoise -Little french bistro that was packed & people were waiting outside to get in Cute bike shop Fun little salon This restaurant looks great - Catch Yummy looking burger spot: Super Duper
On Wednesday, the Dickinson crew that went to New Orleans met up. We went to the Tipsy Pig. Thankfully, they had Abita Purple Haze. Abita is a New Orleans brewery so we had to have some!!
We met up with Mike & Laticia, had a few drinks & laughs. It is really nice having those guys in the city as friends. I feel like we have known them forever since we have the Dickinson connection PLUS, the NOLA connection.
Speaking of NOLA, Amy & I are doing Habitat this Saturday. I love doing it. I feel like I am reliving New Orleans by doing Habitat.
Last night, I tried my hand at making some Mediterranean food. I made falafel & tabouleh. Both were super easy to make. For the falafel, I added a little cilantro from our garden. For the tabouleh, I used mint from our garden. Finally, a use for that mint!
Both were really good & easy to make. Thank goodness for a food processor!! Next, I think I will try to make some tahini and hummus. I really don't like hummus that much but if I can make it on my own, I wonder if I can get the consistency to be better.
I was going to play tennis last night but it was so gray, cold, & windy out. My ears were hurting riding my bike home. It was only about 60 out. Some summer.
Well, I got all of the laundry done and watched Bachelorette. I'm still convinced that she is going to pick no one at the end of the show.
Tonight, I watched "Last Chance Harvey" with Dustin Hoffman & Emma Thompson. Harvey & Kate are in similar situations, but in cities across the Atlantic. They meet when Harvey goes to London to his daughter's wedding. After leaving the US & almost losing his job, he comes up against more disappointment at the wedding. To save his job, he tries to rush back to the US.
After missing his flight, he meets Kate. She is lonely, hates her job, & taking care of her sick Mother. They need each other. Of course, it's not that easy to get together. A few bumps in the road occur for this possible couple but you hope that they get together.
I thought this movie was boring & too predictable. It was sad to watch these two live lonely lives and face disappointment. I don't recommend it.
