Unwind Friday

On Friday, I stayed home and it was blissful. After spending the day working from home, I finished all of the laundry. Then, Evie and I hit up the grocery store for some items we needed. Then, I had some pizza & red wine and watched a movie. I swear, some Fridays, I just truly need to be home. I can feel the stress leaving my body.

I watched another semi-strange movie, Happy Tears. Basically, anything with Parker Posey is going to be a little off the rails. Here's a quick synopsyis: Jayne and Laura are about to take on the first man they just might not be able to handle: their seventy-something-year-old father Joe. Dutiful daughters returning to the house they grew up in, Jayne and Laura are forced to take a closer look at their own not-so-perfect lives while dodging childhood memories.
I was expecting this movie to really go back and have these girls see how crappy their life growing up was. You know, have them go back and see these bad memories and whatnot. There were probably two things that they remembered/discussed. It was really more a story about how different the sisters are and how they dealt with their father & his dementia. Then, the movie just sort of ended. I don't recommend this movie. I love these quirky, independent films though.

Crazy of the Day

Evie & I were in the car, driving home from Safeway. This young girl was crossing the street wearing:

• Gold skirt
• Black top
• Red high heels
• Hair: 3/4 of her head was buzzed & dyed black. The other 1/4 of her hair was long & blonde

I'm pretty sure she was going to probably meet friends for dinner or something but what an outfit!

Summer in the City

A good pic of what summer is like here. Grabbed this from an SF Blog - SFist

TGIF

Well, we made it. It's Friday. I am working from home and soooo happy about it. I love getting up at 730!

Last night, I worked late & got home around 8. Evie and I went for our walk and had dinner. Then, I sat on the couch and watched TV. It was pure bliss. Top Chef & Bethenny. I fell asleep during Boston Med. I love that show!

I'm currently reading - Eat, Pray Love. Have any of you read it? I really like it. I have my own thoughts on the narrarator and how she actually got to travel to Italy, India, & Indonesia but I'll save those for later. This is is our movie of the month next week so I'm hoping to finish this book, this weekend.

I really want to read The Help, Sarah's Key, and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!

Not sure what we are doing this weekend. There is a lot going on in the city and new bars/restaurants that I want to try!

What a Wednesday

As I mentioned, work is totally crazy. Today was no exception. I really love when Clients don't listen to Brand Managers and give us different feedback than what the BM gave us. Then, when we listen to our Client, her boss gets mad we didn't listen to the BM. Are you following? Yeah, its ridic. The important thing is that when this program launches, someone will be a lucky winner of a spot on TV and in a magazine.

I had to leave work to go get a cavity filled, too. So, I rushed up there, got the tooth done, and ran back to work with my mouth half numb. I haven't had a cavity in ages. Now, after they numb your mouth, they then give you numbing reversing agent. How cool.

Anyway, after work, I met up with Kira(see photo) for her 30th birthday!! We went to a bar near work, Eddie Rickenbackers, for some beers and food. Then, we went to a karaoke bar, The Mint. I sang Dolly Parton's 9 to 5. hahaha. Yes, we have more vidoe. Kira sang "We Belong" by Pat Benatar. Fun Wednesday night!! Tomorrow I am STAYING IN.

Wednesday

Work is absolutely out of control. I have been the only one in the office for a few days. My boss is out alllll week. The Client freaked out yesterday at the 11th hour for a project we've been working on for weeks. She refused to take responsibility for herself & not speaking up for what she wanted. Rule violation in my book. Do you guys know my three rules in life? OK, Ill tell you:
1. Have Manners (Please, Thank you, excuse me....)
2. Take Responsibility for yourself (85% of people never learned this)
3. Have respect for yourself

Anyway, last night, Erik and I went out on a date. He did not have hockey so we took advantage of the evening. We went to the Park Chalet restaurant near Ocean Beach. They have Taco Tuesday deals! $3 beer, $2.50 tacos! They had a live band and it was packed. It was a fun night. Love going out during the week to break up the crazy work week.

Crazy of the Day

I haven't posted one of these in awhile but I have to share this one!!

Saturday, I was getting ready to leave our apt and walk Evie. I looked out the window to our main door first because I saw a guy looking in a car window in front of our building. Then, I took a good look at him.

He had on:

• Gray/White fur pants (looked like he skinned a wolf)
• A Black Blazer
• And, he was looking in the car window to.....

Attach horns to his forehead. (Just like the picture). Unbelievable.

ONLY HERE.

Career Revelation

I had a huge revelation this past week. HUGE. You know how I have been searching for a different job where I can "help" people? I keep going back to take classes, look at non-profit jobs, think about being a doctor, a nurse, etc. I keep finding 'IT' and it's not it. Well, what I am about to tell you is big.

I realized that, in a way, I do help people in my job. We all do. Every job each of us are in, we are helping others. I make up promotions so that people can win prizes, trips, money, grants for their school, their community, etc. And - I cannot tell you how happy these people are when they win. When we went to KY this winter to award those grants, people were hugging us and thanking us. Some people don't get to go on vacation, and we provide one to them. Non-profits and schools are struggling in this economy, we award them with money.

What I have been searching for, has been right here all along. I feel like the shackles have been cut off my wrists. I feel like I do help people & make them happy. It might not be stitching them back together in an ER or delivering food to their doorstep through Feed America. But, it's making people happy in my own way.

If you ever struggle with your job, I encourage you to try to think about what you truly value and see if you can find it in your job. I'm sure you can. I think once you find it, it makes you a better employee & you can dedicate yourself even more to your job. It makes you happier at home, and in general.

I am really really happy lately. I really don't have much to complain about. I finally love living here. I looooove Erik and Evie(when she is good. ha.) I love the volunteering I get to do. I love my friends and all of the fun stuff we do out here. And now, the career thing. I have no reason not to feel JOLLY. haha :-)

Drive In Walnut Burgers

Tonight, I made Drive In Walnut Burgers from Food Network. I didn't cook them, just made them. We will eat them this week & cook them as needed.

Here's the Recipe:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/3 cup plain dried bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large egg

Set up grill for direct cooking over high heat. Oil grate when ready to start cooking.

In a food processor, combine walnuts, garbanzo beans, bread crumbs, grill seasoning, paprika, pepper flakes, oil and vinegar and pulse until coarsely ground.

In a small bowl whisk egg, add to food processor and pulse for 10 seconds, just enough to incorporate egg. Divide into 4 equal-size parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4-inch-thick patties.

Place burgers on oiled grill. Cook 4 minutes per side.

Serve hot on toasted buns with lettuce, tomato, avocado and honey mustard.

Overflowing Sunday

Well, our Sunday was an overflowing day....literally. Around Noon, we're watching TV and I said to Erik, do you hear that noise? Go check the toilet. He went to check it & was like 'holy shit!' haha. The toilet had become clogged & was overflowing. There was a layer of water on the bathroom floor. So, we switched off the water and mopped up all of the water. Everything on the floor in my closet got wet & needs to be washed. Other than that, it was fine. Erik said I caused it but I say he caused it :-) haha.

Later today, we went to my favorite fair - The Renegade Art Festival!

Lots and lots of independent artists display everything from jewelry to t-shirts to paintings. I got a necklace that I've wanted to buy the last two times we were there...


Mine is an E, for my Two E's: Erik & Evie
The Weekend Store


Here are some of my favorite items at the fair:

Really cool city posters. gigart.com


Cute etched pint glasses. We got one with a snail on it & one with a tape(like we used to have to listen to on a radio). By Bread & Badger


How fitting for my new interest in French! Cute little plates, cups, vases...by Rae Dunn.


Super cute animal mittens for kids AND ADULTS!! By Zooni.

Love this fair. I can already see the mittens as cute gifts for kids!

Au Revoir!

French

Awhile ago, after college, I took a French class. It was just an adult education class but I loved it. I have taken Spanish all thru HS & College so I wanted to try something different.

Recently, I've been thinking of what class do I want to take next? I think I might want to take an elementary French class. I just love how French sounds. I'm looking into it. This weekend, I was reading words out of my little french book. I'm sure mispronouncing them along the way.

Here are some funny tongue twisters. When you try to say them in French, they sound really funny.

Poisson sans boisson--c'est poison!.

(To eat) fish without drinking wine is poison!

Je veux et j'exige du jasmin et des jonquilles

I want and demand jasmine and daffodils.

I would really love to go to France and tour the different regions. Do some wine tasting!

Wishlist

Every so often, I get a short list of things that I'd like in my head.


We really need a new vacuum. This one is at Target for a great price.

New Toaster. The old white one is now getting rust spots on it. haha. This one is a great price on Amazon. Amazon rules.

Orange flats. Perfect for Fall!!


A cool, turquoise, chunky necklace that is less than the $168 stella & dot price tag


A sewing machine to learn how to make my own pillow covers

Saturday in the park

Yesterday, Erik & I went to the Bicycle Music Festival. Essentially, it's a moving concert through the city that you get to by bike. We went to the concert in Golden Gate Park. The speakers/equipment was powered by someone on a bike.


I use the term "concert" loosely. There was no real stage for the band.

We brought some of Erik's homebrewed Hefewizen, a towel to sit on, and rode down to the park. His beer is AMAZING. It tastes sooooo good.



We heard a band play - Sean Hayes. He was pretty good. Then, we saw a New Orleans 2nd Line Band - New Orleans 2nd Line dance party w/ MJ Brass Boppers!


Per Wiki, Second line is a tradition in brass band parades in New Orleans, Louisiana. The "main line" is the main section of the parade, or the members of the actual club with the parading permit; those who follow the band just to enjoy the music are called the "second line." The second line's style of traditional dance, in which participants walk and sometimes twirl a parasol or handkerchief in the air, is called "second lining."


After the festival, we went up to North Beach for a few more beers. It was a fun day!!

Friday

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.

Long, Foggy Walks

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.

It's Friday! Here's to the weekend.....

Wednesday

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!

Well, another busy day at work tomorrow.

Movie Review: Then She Found Me

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.

Bad Beauty

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!

Velvet Slippers

LOVE THESE. Little Velvet Slippers from Boden.

MVP

Erik won the MVP of the game award in his hockey game last night. Woohoo!

Lights Out

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.

Long Walks

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!

Monday Memory Loss

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?

The Urban Gardener

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!