Bike to Work Day

Today was Bike to Work Day in SF. A ton of people bike to work everyday but today is more of an awareness day for biking to work. Here are some pics!


Here's my bus in the background. No matter what day it is, I would be on it. haha.


Funny

Weekend Weather

Look at this weekend weather!! Awesome -

This weekend is going to be sooooooooo much fun. Kimmy is arriving tomorrow!! I am in work 1/2 day and then going to pick her up!

Saturday, we are going to the Mets/Giants game.

Sunday is Bay to Breakers - the crazy, annual, parade/drunkfest in SF.

Crazy of the Day

Yesterday - A magnitude 3.0 earthquake, according to CBS 5, "has struck near Berkeley at 3:34. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries


We didn't feel it.

Wednesday

School tonight. No school tomorrow. Kimmy comes Friday. Yahoo!!!

2 More Funny Blogs

Here are 2 more funny blogs:

Sexy People - NOT what the name implies
http://www.sexypeople-blog.com/

This is why you're Fat - It shows gross food, not people. Beware!
http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

Jon & Kate Drama

check out the cover of People. Did you know they make about $50-$75K PER EPISODE.

Biggest Loser

WOW. Did you guys see the finale. Helen totally beat the two front runners I thought for sure Mike or Tara would win. Helen is 48 and was almost 300lbs when she joined. Now she is 117!! She lost 140 lbs. Not only that, Mike lost almost 200lbs and Tara lost 155. That is crraaaaazy!! So inspiring. Also, the 'at home loser' was a 64 year old man who lost 177lbs!!! More than 50% of his body fat. It truly does not matter how old, young, or fat you are - anyone can do it.

Helen Before


Helen Now

Interesting

1. I am obsessed with purple right now. That is all I want to wear.

2. My font of the moment is Tahoma. I was all about Verdana but now Tahoma is #1

3. I went on the website of the author of 'Little Giant...' and sent her a note via the site saying I liked the book. She wrote me back!!

4. I follow Suze Orman on Twitter. She has a house here in SF and said she had dinner here one night. I tweeted to her, where did you have dinner & She wrote back!! She did a direct message to say she had dinner at Pres A Vi.

Tuesday

Tonight - The Biggest Loser finale is on, The NY Houswives Reunion is on and the NJ Housewives premiere is on. What a night. Thank goodness for DVR!!

Cristin is staying over again. I will be studying fat soluble vitamins. Awesome.

I am also talking to Sharon, our pet psychic. I'm sure most of you know that we have talked to her in the past. Ok I have. She is always right, its eerie. I am talking to her to see if she knows why Evie got bit. I will keep you posted.

Funny Site

Check out this blog for a laugh.

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

Monday

My week started out great because my friend Betsy made me an amazing dinner on Sunday night. She cooked white fish with a topping of dijon mustard and breadcrumbs. To die for. I tried to recreate this last night using chicken and it came out awesome. (Kimmy- Ill make it for you when you come)

In addition to amazing chicken, Evie did amazingly well in Petco, again. We picked up a toy for a friend's dog and we never go in the toy aisle. Evie was in heaven. She started pushing the lower toys with her face. I picked up a turtle that she loved & made a funny noise. I got it for her because i never by her toys. She successfully played with it too until she ripped it when I wasn't looking. This toy does NOT go in the toy box. I am determined to make it last.

Cristin is in town to finish her two classes so she stayed at our house last night. Yippeeee. We watched Gossip Girl and had the best ice cream ever - No idea what brand but it is Caramel Caribou or something. SO good. So we did that while I finished one of my assignments. A good start to the week considering the past few weeks!

WIN

Crazy of the Day

It's festival season here. This means there will be a million festivals for everything under the sun. Introducing, the How Weird festival. Took place yesterday downtown. While I was driving over to Erik's work, I hit the traffic for this festival. Lovely. Here are some pictures. I did see a woman dressed as Snow White walking down the street. Before I knew the festival was going on, I thought to myself 'Only here'.




Not sure what he is

What the heck is this guy? A backbone?

Sunday

Yesterday, I took Evie up to Buena Vista for a hike. It was warm, she was panting. She loves reaching the top of the park and rolling round in the grass. We took some pictures of all of the flowers up there, too.




Happy May


Cool View. If you turn to the left, you can see the GG Bridge

Eating dirt for the 100th time after I told her not to



What is this thing? Looks like it belongs in Beetlejuice



Such a lady

Our Mother's Day Photo

Doesn't it look like Evie is smiling?? haha.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! Hope you all did something nice for your Moms. We are very far away from our Moms today but I sent my Mom flowers & a gift to know I am thinking of her!!

This morning, we took Evie out for a walk and stopped to pick up breakfast sandwiches. Evie was very good as she waited outside the cafe with me. I also made Evie take a mother's day picture with me. hah.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

I finished my book, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. I picked this book up on a whim at the library and really enjoyed it. It is a story set in a small town in the 50's or 60's told by a woman named Truly. Truly and her sister could not be any different. She is large, the sister is small. Truly is made fun of, the sister is loved. They are separated when their father dies leaving them with no family.

As they live separate lives, their lives become intertwined again when tragedy strikes. There is also an element of witchcraft to the book. I kept picturing that movie with Sandra Bullock, Practical Magic.

If you want a heartfelt book that follows the life of an underdog, this is for you. I recommend it!

Classic Peg

When we got home last night, we put on SNL. I haven't seen SNL in so long but Justin Timberlake was on and he was funny. Below is the clip from 'The Target Lady' with Classic Peg.

Saturday

Yesterday it was so nice & sunny out here! I got up early and took Evie up to Chrissy Field. This is the field on the water next to the Golden Gate Bridge. We went early so it wasn't packed with people & dogs. Evie was in the water and loving it.


Erik and I went to lunch in the afternoon and then stopped for a beer. I had watermelon wheat beer. It was sooooo good. After napping & dinner, we went up to Harry's Bar to watch the hockey game.

Berries

There is a guy in our neighborhood who sells these awesome strawberries. We bought a box from him and they are to die for!! We might be making a dessert with some of them.

She's so pretty

Evie got a compliment today from an EMT. We were crossing through the parking lot and the EMTs were getting in their van. He said, she is so pretty! Awwww Evie loves getting compliments.

You know, This month marks two years that I have had Evie. I took her home in May 2007 from the shelter. I finally feel like we understand each other and that she loves me. It has taken awhile to having her, moving, moving again, getting her used to both of us disciplining her, etc. Even though she has her bratty times, I still feel like she really loves me.

Ups for the Day

-Its sunny & warm out. Supposed to be 66 today.

-I had a funny bus driver this AM

-People followed the rules of the bus today - first one at the stop gets on, first ones in the bus get a seat

-I am almost done with my book & loved it

yesterday

Yesterday, I saw one of the most saddest things in my life. I went to pick Evie's pills up to help with this diarrhea and a girl was there saying that her dog had just been hit by a car. I pretty much rushed out of there because I could really not handle seeing this. Unfortunately, when I went out to the car, the Animal control van was there and the vet techs were out there with a stretcher. I did not see the dog but only saw the Techs covering him with towels and his paw sticking out. I almost got sick.

I was really shaken up over it. Knowing this happened to the dog, what was his condition, what was going to happen, was he ok, could the vets fix him, what about the owner who was my age in there having to deal with this, could she pay for it, was everything going to be ok, what if this happened to me, i hope this never happens to Evie, etc.

I am not very religous but I said a prayer for the dog & for the owner to have the strength to handle it all.

Ups for the Day

Look at this weather forecast. Yippeeeeeeeee.


I'm getting my hair cut on Saturday and it's only costing me $20!

Kimmy comes in 1 week and 1 day

Trauma in the ER

Have you guys ever watched this show? Trauma - Life in the ER? It is out of control. It's a reality show on TLC where they film patients coming into the ER in different hospitals around the country. I watched last night and saw some sick stuff:

1. A guy with burns all over his body
2. A guy who put his arm thru a window and the doctors were sticking their fingers in his arm to pull out glass while he screamed
3. A Dad and his 2 sons injured in a car accident when a drunk driver hit them
4. A girl in a car accident and part of her scalp was ripped off of her skull!!!!

How Awesome

I got an email from TNT for the summer Sail program. That would be so awesome. However, I can't fundraise twice in one year. Maybe next year!

Jennsylvania

Jenn Lancaster has a new book and book tour out!!! She is coming to SF!! I wonder if I can stop by on my way to school & be late to class to meet her. She is so funny.

One more thing

One more thing. It's gross but Evie now has blood in her stool. I can't take anymore!!!! I talked to my vet tech friend though & she said it is probably b/c of the length of time she has been on antibiotics. So, I am going to wait and see for a few days. She is off the meds now.

She is acting fine & eating fine. She was just barking out the window and now she has the hiccups.

Biggest Loser

Wow. Did you see Biggest Loser last night? They ran a MARATHON! Even Ron who used to be 400lbs and is now 300lbs and has crazy knee problems walked the entire thing. It took him 13 hours but he did it. Past contestants showed up at different mile markers to walk with him. By the time he finished, he had like 15 people walking with him. His son was crying. It was very inspirational.

My favorite, Tara and also Helen are in the finale. It's down to Ron and his son Mike to see who i the 3rd finalist. You can vote online for one of them.

Tuesday

Well, it was Cinco de Mayo yesterday but we did not celebrate. Instead, we had citrus scallops & white wine. The scallops were soooooo good. The store across the street sells scallops, dry pack. This means that no salt solution is added to the scallops which means they are very fresh. We had a bottle of our chardonnay that we got at the $5 winery. So good.

Crazy

Because CA needs money.....

While not all out advocating the legalization of marijuana, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said it's time for California to "study whether to legalize and tax marijuana for recreational use." today, according to the Sacramento Bee. When asked about a Field Poll showing that a majority of Californians support legalizing and taxing mary jane to raise revenues for economically-strapped California, Arnold had this to say:

Well, I think it's not time for that, but I think it's time for a debate ... I think all of those ideas of creating extra revenues, I'm always for an open debate on it. And I think we ought to study very carefully what other countries are doing that have legalized marijuana and other drugs, what effect did it have on those countries?

2 Fave Items

Here are two of my favorite items lately:

1. Dial Body Wash in White Tea. Smells awesome


2. Blue Moon has a summer ale - Honey Moon. Not quite as good as Sam Summer, but good

Round 2

Well Round 1 with the Owner was in the park.

Round 2 - I sent him his last chance email & he responded. His response was not very valid though. He said how he heard Evie was bit and then claimed she was aggressive and that since she is probably part Pit, this will just go against us in court. Little does he know, he is wrong.

I called my pals at Animal Control up again. She checked & found out his dog is not even registered with the city so who knows if he is up to date on his shots. She said it is the law to report him.

You can see here, on the left, that I am ready for Rd 3 and a KO!

Still Raining

It's still raining. This misty stuff that soaks you. Evie and I went out and saw Witness #1. She said she would help us out and create a witness statement if necessary. She agreed the Owner is a ass. She said Witness #2 would definitely help too. So, when it stops raining & everyone gathers in the park again - I will bring out my witness statements to sign.

No word from the Owner yet. He has until 5/11 to respond with a payment date or here we come, Judge Wapner!


The Plantiffs


"It's Ok girls, we have strict liability here in CA"

Look for SF on TV

NBC picks up San Francisco-based medical drama. Here's a look.

NBC unexpectedly picked up BOTH of the post-"ER" hospital dramas that it was developing, including the shot-in-San Francisco series "Trauma."

While other networks are scheduled to have their "upfronts" for advertisers and media in the coming weeks, NBC jumped out front with a string of renewals and pick ups. Amy Poehler's "Parks and Recreation" was renewed, as was the cop drama "Southland." NBC also picked up "Parenthood" - based on the movie and currently filming in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland - and "Mercy," another hospital drama being filmed in the East Coast (and originally the odds-on favorite to get picked up over "Trauma").

The pick-ups of "Parks and Recreation" and "Southland" were not entirely surprising, though neither has killed in the ratings. The latter did decently well and receieved critical acclaim, while "P&R" - clearly an "Office" spin-off even if NBC won't cop to it - was an investment that the Peacock wanted to nurture. So far no renewal of "My Name Is Earl" has happened (neither has it for "Chuck," "Law & Order," or "Life."). More announcements from NBC are expected soon.

Letter

I just sent the email to Owner #1 giving him his last chance to pay or else I am filing the small claims court papers. I am nervous to see what he will write back!!

Legal Action for the Day

My legal action for today is to see if those two women who were witnesses will sign witness statements should I really end up in court. I am also sending an email to Owner #1 as one last chance to pay before I fill the forms.

Sunday Walk

I took Evie up to Buena Vista yesterday once the rain stopped.

Hockey Fans

At some point this weekend, hockey was on and will be on for like another month. However, Evie joined Erik to watch the game:

Dramatic Monday

As if this dog/going to court business wasn't enough, I look outside this AM only to see our driver side car window smashed. This has been happening in the area and it is crazy to me. I was about to take Evie out, looked outside & saw it. Erik jumped out of bed and we went outside. We didn't have too much stuff in the car except notepad, pens, cds. They took this stuff out & put it on the seat. Unfortunately, they also took the GPS system. I think it is homeless people doing this because they had pulled out all possible trays to look for money and probably bought the GPS to a pawn shop.

We called the Insurance co but we have a $500 deductible so we just have to pay for the window since it will be less than that. Also, I tried to file a claim with Renters Insurance for personal property but that also has a $500 deductible so we can't get that back. I also filed a police report so they have this break in on file.

Ok so this is the 3rd crappy thing to happen in the past 3-4 weeks. I hope that it is over!

Rainy Sunday

Today it was rainy, again. It was like a steady, misty rain which made it hard to see outside. Anyway, today I worked on a paper for school and made a lot of food. I made tortellini with sundried tomatos, peppers, zuccini & pesto. It is one of my fave dishes.

Then, I made Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. Its a very healthy recipe.



Finally, I made veggie enchiladas courtesy of Martha. I didn't make the enchilada sauce because I don't like it.

Other foods I don't like: curry, pork, beef, cottage cheese, feta, gorgonzola, hot dogs...

Anyway, the rain stopped. It was nice for a few hours and now it is foggy.

I feel comfortable using legal jargon in everyday life.

Well, after I found out about the CA law regarding dog bites & the fact that we have strict liability here, I decided I was going to get that owner to pay up for Bite #1. I have seen the woman with the dog in the park only 2xs after the bite. I was determined to find her.

I have been wearing my fanny pack full of pens, paper, my phone, and the non-emergency police phone # in my contact list. I was prepared to confront this woman, ask her to pay the bill or threaten legal action. I was nervous but ready. I spoke to my college roomate who is a lawyer and got her advice. We had the script prepared. I was ready.

Saturday, before we left for lunch, I took Evie out for a 'quick walk'. Then, I saw the woman. Time for the showdown. I will give you the quick overview.

What happened with the woman:

• Saw her & asked her to pay the bill
• She started yelling how 'this is ridiculous', 'they were playing'
• Was with a guy & told me he is the owner
• Kept yelling this is ridiculous then...yelled at me 'I HATE YOU', told me I was mean and walked away

What happened with the guy:

• Told him the sitch
• He told me that they were playing and this is what happens when dogs play
• I stated the law to him
• I gave him an option to pay or take legal action
• He said, 'go ahead take me to court'

Now, I am going to give him one more chance to pay. If he doesn't, we are going to small claims court. It costs me $30 to file the claim. This is the LAW. He doesn't have an option of not paying.

Oh and the picture of Elle Woods in court - that is me in civil court. hahaha. Bend and snap.

Dine About Town

...is happening again in June. $21.95 lunches and $35 dinners. This is a good deal at upscale restaurants that you normally can't afford!

Polka Dot boots get you free wine

Yesterday, we drove down to Half Moon Bay with our friends Betsy & Greg. We had lunch at Chez Shea and then went to the winery.

The winery had another Bottle & Cork event where they were pouring $5 bottles of Chardonnay. Well, it was rainy yesterday and the event was pretty dead. We were standing around drinking our free wine with one of the guys from the winery. The guy came over to me with a bottle of wine & said, We give out awards for best footwear of the day & you've won! I had my yellow rainboots with polka dots on them. My award was a free bottle of wine! hahaha. How fun.

After that, we went to the tasting room to taste and then had a bottle of the sparkling wine outside.

It was a very fun day despite the rain. I love this winery! We want to explore more wineries south which seem to be more relaxed than Napa....

Michael J. Fox

Last night, Betsy & I saw Michael J. Fox speak. He was with Micheal Pollan (who happens to be his brother in law) and it was an interview setting with 2 chairs on the stage. Pollan interviewed MJF on things from his film career to Parkinsons to his political stance on stem cells to his new book.

MJF was very funny too. He is very witty and throws out one liners that you have to catch. He is very inspirational because he says that Parkinsons is a gift. By getting PD, he learned what his life work is and that is to raise money & awareness for PD. His foundation has raised & given away over $1.4million to research & PD patients.

I'm sure you are wondering how he looked & sounded. And, he looked and sounded great. He was obviously moving around but I would say less than he was on Oprah a few weeks ago. He has 5 kids, a wife, best selling books, and a foundation - many gifts in his life.

*MJF trivia - Did you know that J is not his real middle initial. It was added in show biz as his stage name.

Free Coffee

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