Hi from Evie

Hey Everyone,

I'm feeling better. I get this tube thing removed tomorrow. I want to run and play already!

(Me, today, chillin in the bathroom)

Crazy of the Day

Windy much? This fishing trawler got blown into, and under the San Mateo Bridge on Tuesday night and, uh, it's still there. After this morning's commute they're planning to close a lane and finally yank the poor little thing out of there. Meanwhile, it may be leaking 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the bay.

Evie - Feeling Better

Well, Evie is feeling better. Here she is today -

Evie's Infection

Well, what a day. Remember yesterday, Erik said Evie was limping? Well, when I came home, she was fast asleep and wouldn't get off the couch. She was barely opening her eyes & didn't want to go out for the bathroom. She did eat dinner. I never see her this tired. Erik said she was like that all day so I knew something was wrong.

This AM, she was limping when we went outside. She saw her pal Wasabi and hardly played with her. Then, her bite area started to leak something that looked like cloudy blood which I know means there is pus mixed in there. Gross.

We went to emergency vet and the Vet said there was a good chance she had an abscess under the skin due to bacteria from the other dog's mouth. So, I had to leave her there. They had to sedate her, make 2 holes in her leg, to drain the fluid. I picked her up later in the day. She ran out to me which means she was feeling better! Unfortunately, this wound drainage set up is leaking - which is good. We are getting the drain thing removed on Saturday....

It is ALWAYS something with her. This is why I am getting PET INSURANCE for sure!!!

Ok - here is a pic of her injury if you can handle it!

Larry Shine

This guy was on Oprah the other day - Larry Shine. What a guy. He is a single dad with 9 kids. 1 is biological and 8 are adopted. He is an attorney during the day. He gets up at 3am to make lunches & dinner and then gets the kids up. He said he is more comfortable doing things for others than himself. His son next to him in the picture is in college and said how proud he is of his Dad. It was really sweet!

Crazy of the Day

San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi proposed legislation yesterday to establish medical marijuana dispensaries that would be owned and operated by the City, thereby making our fair city the first in the nation to become a municipal pot dealer

Crazy of the Day

Strong northerly winds will continue the rest of this afternoon and evening across most of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay region. Wind gusts between 45 and 50 mph have been reported along the Sonoma and Marin coastline with similar gusts along the San Mateo coast. At San Francisco Airport wind gusts to 41 mph were reported just before noon

Northerly wind gusts to 45 mph will be possible across the advisory area but the strongest winds are expected to be near the coast and in the hills above 1000 feet. These wind gusts will be strong enough to bring down power lines... small branches and weak trees.

Scuffle

Evie got into a scuffle yesterday. Evie is an on-leash dog. She is easily distracted, distracted by strange things, and isn't under voice control. She is getting better but in no way do I trust her to be off leash playing with dogs and not run off, chase a skateboarder, or leave a dog alone if he tells her to.Therefore, we're usually the only ones on leash and I really don't care. That is jut how it is.

Anyway, yesterday we were in the park with her usual friends. This big, oversized black lab looking thing came into the park and everyone else knew him as George. He looked sweet, was running around, and being goofy. The woman told me that he loves to play with Evie-type dogs because they are rough and tumble. Evie & George played and played. Then, George turned. He started going after her & biting her. All I could do was pull her away and the owner grabbed George. Evie was shaken up. She puked, then layed on the ground and seemed OK.

Erik called me today and said she is acting a little funny - just groggy and limping a little. I am going to check her out when I get home and see how she is.

I'm thinking of getting pet insurance. It's like $20 per month. It doesn't cover her anal gland appt every other month though. But, it's good for accidents - which we seem to go to the vet for more often. DOes anyone have pet insurance? what do you think?

Don't Eat at Domino's!!

Dinner Sucked

Ick. Dinner last night was gross. I don't know why I keep trying to grill eggplant - it never tastes good. Plus, any 'sauce' made with vinegar is gross. So, I felt really bad about buying those veggies & not eating them but oh well. It was gross. Sorry Bobby Flay but that recipe is a DON'T!

Allergies?

I think I need some non-drowsy allergy meds. I think that is part of the reason I napped like 10 times this weekend. Right now it is 4pm and I feel like I could put my head down and fall asleep at my desk.

Dinner Tonight

Tonight, I am going to try to make Bobby Flay's Farro Salad with Eggplant. I don't have farro but I have barley so I'm going to use that instead. I feel like fennel would be really good in this, too. I am going to use the grill pan & will let you know how it turns out!

Cutest Thing

Look at this ice cream koozie!! I found it on another blog. So cute! She makes them & sells them on etsy.com

Putt Putt

Yesterday while the Masters was on, I got out my putter and cup. Evie thought that was a new game and kept intercepting the ball. Soon, I was putting into her mouth. haha. She stole the ball and chewed it up.






"mama, when can I get my own set of clubs so I can play with you & daddy?"

Sunday

This weekend was all about napping. I took a 2 hr nap on Friday, a 3 hour one on Saturday and another 2 hour nap today! We were watching the Masters today and when Erik went to work at 3, I fell asleep. Even Evie passes out. Then, we went food shopping. It is really great to go food shopping at 7pm on a Sunday - no one is there!

I made a baked ravioli for dinner. The ravioli is portobello mushroom and I made a sauce. It was good!

Now, Sound of Music is on again. What a nice way to end the weekend :-)

My foot

My foot seriously hurts. I think it is from my fall on Friday. It feels like I pulled the muscles in the top of my foot.

Fooooore

Today, Erik and I went golfing and it was great. We had a lot of fun. We were paired up with 2 other guys. I was actually decent today and had some good shots. It was perfect golfing weather, too. We want to go again next week. Here's a shot of me today:

(J/K that is Paula creamer!! ha)

Wipe Out

Oh man. Friday night, I wiped out. I was at happy hour and we were sitting in a little area with couches & a table. I was sort of shuffling to get around the table and go to the bathroom. I did not realize there was a STEP to get into our area. I totally fell HARD on my hip and hand and landed on my side. It was funny. I mean, really. I wasn't even drunk. That was after 2 beers! I was sore this AM. I pulled something in my foot. hahaha.

Cool Picture

Lombard St at night

Ahhhh the weekend is here

The weekend is here. It is nice & sunny out. I left work at 1230pm. Can you believe it? It's because the Clients closed for the day due to Good Friday and there were only 2 of us in work. I came home and took Evie to Petco.

She was very very good in Petco. She actually - get this - laid down while we were in line and didn't pull any antics. Can you believe that. I was so proud of her. This is what it must feel like for a parent to be happy when their child remembers their manners.

Now, we are resting and I am going to happy hour soon at this dangerous place, Blur. It's dangerous because it is 2 for 1!

Thursday

Yesterday, I worked from home. I was glad to be home rather than in an empty office. I took Evie to get her routine anal glands done. She is so good when she gets on the scale to be weighed and then she wants to leave. They take her in the back to do the glands and then she like runs out to the lobby back to me. We got a compliment yesterday. A woman with two yappy dogs said that Evie was so good. It was a proud moment. Evie was able to sit next to me while I paid and look at me and ignore those dogs. It was amazing.

A college friend, Juls, was in town with her husband visiting SF. So, we met up for dinner. It was so nice to see them. We went to Fog City Diner which is a touristy little place but they have really good food.

Michael J. Fox

I think it is ironic that right now during this crappy time, I am reading Michael J. Fox's memoir 'Lucky Man'. It is the story of his life in show biz and then getting Parkinson's. He has Parkinson's and is still optimistic.

He is coming to SF in May to do a book tour. I'm getting tix to see him.

He has another new book out called 'Always Looking Up' - about being optimistic.

I just think it is ironic that he is like surrounding me right now when I am depressed about everything and all this crappy change is going on......

5K's

Tis the season for 5K's. 5K's are perfect because they are short, pretty easy, and you feel like you accomplished something for the day. Erik and I are going to do two in May.

We're doing this one as a group with some friends on 5/2


And then a Mother's Day 5K on 5/9. This race is only $5 and put on by that local running club that does races every week. No t-shirts or bagels but you can't beat $5!

Crazy of the Day

This is how SF'ers celebrate Easter, every year:

9th Annual Bring Your Own Big Wheel 2009
	FREE When: Sunday, April 12, 2009 4:00 PM Where: Vermont St at 20th St (Vermont St), San Francisco Who: Big Kids and Big Wheels What: BYOBW is a big wheel race that takes place on Vermont Street, San Francisco's most crooked street

Its at 4pm so too bad Erik will be at work & I will be at the hospital or else we'd go to watch this debauchery!

This kid again

Your laugh for the day

Tues

I didn't go to Erik's hockey game last night. I was thinking about it but Betsy wasn't going to go. Instead, I watched Biggest Loser and fell asleep by like 10pm. Nice. I am thinking about golfing. Erik and I are going to play at the Par 3 near our house this weekend. I can't wait. Fooooooore.

Poor Johnny

Look at this photo of Patrick Swayze. He is dying with Pancreatic Cancer. This is what Randy Pausch had too. I can't really believe that Swazye is still acting with this cancer. Randy died like 8 mos after the diagnosis.


I will always remember him like this though:

Soutwest!!!

Starting June 28th, Southwest is going to start flying into LGA!! Woohoo. That means cheap flights SFO to NYC!

Rain Rain

It is raining today. Yesterday it was sunny & 70. Today its rainy and 53. I actually went for a run yesterday after work. It was good. Good to get out and just go.......I got a manicure too. I feel like cleaner or something when I have a manicure. My nails are so short and scrappy and they look so much better when they are picked at and polished. I went to that new place again. They were awesome. The girl remembered me and thanked me for coming back. I guess I could've done my nails myself but it was only $9.

Tonight Erik has hockey......

Funny Dance Video

If you want a good laugh, watch these kids dance. Especially the little boy.

Love These

Love these, but not for $265 from jcrew. If anyone sees a knock off, let me know!

Crazy of the Day

Suze & Oprah

Last week, Suze Orman was on Oprah talking about how to survive the recession. They had a couple on the show who were making $170K per year. They both got laid off twice, had 2 kids, and are now nearing the end of unemployment. Suze said that when you get unemployment, you are only paid about 50% of your salary. She said, I want everyone here to start living off 50% of your salary. She said, I know everyone here will start whining about this but you can do it. Strip your spending to the bare bones.

Suze is right. She said that we all need 8mos savings incase we get laid off. She said, strip your budget, pay the minimum on your cards, and save because if you get laid off, it could very well take up to 8 mos to find a job.

I love Suze. Some people hate her. I guess she can be pretty polarizing but I love her.

GROSS

This bug was just on my arm. I flicked it off and now it is sitting on my desk. ICK. Cristin said it is a stink bug?

Crazy of the Day

After possibly a long night of carousing, a Muni passenger stepped off the 91-Owl bus at 4 a.m. Sunday morning at the corner of Francisco and Richardson and became somehow trapped (caught in an infamous back door?) and dragged under the bus for a block or so. The man's condition is not known, however he apparently suffered burns to his body but no broken bones or major head injuries. The Muni driver was taken off duty and tested for alcohol and drugs, "in accordance with standard protocol."

Sunday

We had another great weather day today - 75/80 and sunny! Erik and I went to the driving range today. Considering I haven't golfed in about 2 years I was surprised I could still hit decent. We plan on going back to play the course next weekend. After that, we went to the Farmer's Market and got these amazing strawberries for $5 and had lunch at the little cafe near our house.

I took Evie out for an hour after Erik went to work and we just walked in the park and then she played with her buddy, Ollie. Ollie is the black Frenchie she is friends with. They had been living in TX for a few mos but they are back!

Then, I had to battle the grocery store and now just relaxing. I'm hoping this week isn't as eventful as last week. I am off from school this week which is good!

Napa

We had the best time in Napa yesterday. It was like 75-80 out and sunny. We went to 4 vineyards - our home base, Alpha Omega and then 3 new ones.

We stopped off first for a sandwich. If I have learned anything about Napa, its the importance of eating!! We went to this great Italian Deli, Genova's. Then, we stopped at Alpha Omega where we picked up our wine club wine.

Onto ZD Wines which was OK. Pretty winery, didn't like the wine. We tried a 9 year old pinot noir that Amy & I thought tasted like sticks. haha. The girl did say it was 'smoky'.



Next up, Miner Vineyards. They had a great outdoor deck overlooking the vineyards. This is definitely a place you come to sit and stare and just be happy you are here. It was wonderful.



Finally, onto Honig. You have to make an appointment to come here but it was the best stop. The staff is very cool and personable. We sat outside in the garden and 2 of the guys came to pour wine, talk to us, sit down and chill. One of the guys even had a dog that they let me pet and hold and baby talk to. haha. PLUS, they gave me a free bottle of wine signed by everyone there for my birthday. How fun!!




Finally, we finished the day with dinner at Fume where we had great Halibut for dinner!

Evie

Here is a picture of Evie riding in the car yesterday.

Cape Cod on Fillmore

Here is a new restaurant in SF - They are saying it is Cape Cod in SF. It looks reasonable too!

Twitter

I don't get Twitter. I guess this is the digital age and people are on their phone internet all the time. I guess they want to update everyone on their every step they take in life. That is all I can really understand. Why not just use Facebook? I don't think you can reply to people or post pics on Twitter.

As you know, I made my Twitter to see what Chip was up to. Well, the NY Housewives are on there, Tyler Florence is up there, etc. I guess I might check Twitter now and then to see what is going on but I can't really imagine updating that all the time. Oh well!

Del Taco

I had a coupon for free tacos at Del Taco. I went. Taco Bell is better but man did this taste good today. So there are only 4 of us here right now. One went to the Client, the 2 that got laid off are going home, so I am going home. I am taking a nap. Our bosses aren't here today and the Client is MIA. I am laying low tonight and probably cleaning and watching TV so that I am ready for Napa tomorrow!

Birthday Night

Last night was a lot of fun. First, Cristin and I had a drink at this bar, Sugar, in Hayes Valley. They have the best fun, yummy, drinks. I had a strawberry dream or something which was a strawberry daqiri/martini type thing with rosemary in it.

Then, we had dinner at Domo, which was awesome. My numero uno sushi spot in the city. My friends Sierra & Betsy came too which was great.




Cristin and I went back to Sugar for more drinks - mojitos and mango drinks. Finally, we stopped at Candybar for champagne.

I was feeling those drinks a little bit this morning and am tired. However, tonight I will rest up because we are going to Napa tomorrow!

Hooray for Iowa

If Iowa can do it, the rest of the country can:

Iowa became the third state in the U.S. (and the first in the heartland!) to legalize gay marriage today.The Iowa State Supreme Court "upheld a lower court's ruling that found a state law restricting marriage to between a man and woman only violated Iowa's constitution." According to Richard Socarides, former adviser on gay rights during the Clinton administration, "It's a big win because, coming from Iowa, it represents the mainstreaming of gay marriage. And it shows that despite attempts stop gay marriage through right-wing ballot initiatives, like in California, the courts will continue to support the case for equal rights for gays."

Maghound

I just learned about this new service called Maghound.

You know how you can get a 12 mo. subscription to a magazine. You pay the $15 for the year or whatever. Well, Maghound is a company that lets you sign up for mags by the month. You pay a monthly fee for the mags you want and then you can switch them out or cancel them at anytime. I just picked out 3, just to test it, and its $5 a month.

I would have to write down the per issues price of the mags I get to figure out what is the better deal but this seems pretty cool!

Good Quote

We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

―Joseph Campbell

Thursday

It is bright & sunny out today but wiiiindy. I am working from home today. I can't wait for tonight because I am going out for sushi tonight at my favorite place - Domo with 3 great girls. I can't believe I am 29 today. You know, I don't mind entering the 30's. It will feel like a clean slate...

(This was probably 25 years ago!!)

Wednesday

Ok looks like I am going to start trying to find something to look forward to each day. Today, it is nearly 70 and I am going to watch Biggest Loser tonight! Nothing too exciting but I like coming home from class & watching stuff on the DVR with Evie. Next week, I don't have class because it's spring break! woohoo

Last night

Well, after crying, we went up to Betsy & Greg's. We went to clean out Erik's hockey helmet, gross. And thankfully, have a glass of wine. I'm glad we have them as friends & that they live so close.

I also took Evie out and she saw ALL of her friends - Wasabi, Mary, and Fred(short for Wilifred). They were playing and going crazy. She was happy.

I watched the NY Housewives. That Kelly Bensimmon is a lunatic. She was trying to tell Bethenny off like they were in 8th grade or something. It was not a good look for her!

Depressed

Well i cried last night. Cristin is moving back to sacramento. All of this bad news comes on top of already feeling sad and lonely from leaving CT. Now I really feel like, why do we live out here. This is just a bad time. I just need to focus on school and my future goals and maybe make a plan on paper. Plans, lists, usually make me feel better!

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.