Hi everyone :) I've been debating for a long time weather or not to move my blog to Wordpress.com and I've decided to go ahead and do it.
Why? I simply like their format better. Plus, I hear that Blogger is getting ready to incorporate their blogs with Google+, and I'm really not interested in that.
I've basically just imported my blogger blog over to Wordpress (all old posts and comments are all still there), and moving forward you can find me here:http://idecidedtomakeacircusjustforthefunofit.wordpress.com/
(I didn't realize how long my web address would be! lol)
If you are following me through a blog reader like Google Reader, or Yahoo Reader, please remember to update to the new RSS feed (which you can find on the new blog as well). I'd hate for any of you to miss any updates and new posts!
Oh, and I'll wait a while before completely deleting my blog here on blogger, but just know I will no longer be posting here.
thanks for reading :) I'll see you over on Wordpress.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wedding Update Thursday
Hi! We've gotten quite a bit done the last two weeks. Starting with, I hired a day of wedding planner. Let me start by saying that we were not at all planning on working this into the budget. It just felt like the money could be better spent somewhere else. But, one thing has become clear to me over the last month...there is a lot to do on the day of a wedding! There's figuring out the wedding day timeline, welcoming and coordinating all the vendors to the venue, DECORATING the venue, running the ceremony, making sure the reception runs smoothly, making sure final payments make it to the vendors, and trouble shooting, not to mention a dozen other things I'm sure I haven't even thought of. And what became clear to the two of us is that not only will neither of us have time the day of to do any of this, we actually don't want to do any of this. We just want to enjoy the day. So we've hired someone to do all the nitty gritty work for us. Totally worth the money in my opinion!
Secondly, I hired a hair and makeup person. I mean, we're gonna be looking at these photos for a really long time, so I should probably make an effort to look good :)
Also, we arranged for some fun reception things for all you guests to do. Yay for fun!
So that's it for this update. The list is getting smaller!
Secondly, I hired a hair and makeup person. I mean, we're gonna be looking at these photos for a really long time, so I should probably make an effort to look good :)
Also, we arranged for some fun reception things for all you guests to do. Yay for fun!
So that's it for this update. The list is getting smaller!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Wedding Update Thursday
Hi again. Thursdays, at least for the next six weeks, will be dedicated to posting about all things wedding. Why? Well, because I have a list of things left to do that is a mile long, and this will keep me on task.
This past week we checked two big things off the list! I had my dress fitting. And, we picked out and purchased Tim's wedding ring.
First up, the dress fitting. Let me start by saying that I love my dress. It's not your typical white wedding dress. It's unique and has a bit of color, and is sooooo me. I purchased it up in Portland when I was home last November for Thanks Giving. They shipped it to me in January, and when it arrived I unzipped the garment bag to take a look. Just to make sure it was the right dress and size and all that. It was, so I hung it way in the back of my closet where it stayed undisturbed until last week.
Knowing that I had a fitting coming up, I took it out of the bag last week and decided to try it on. And, then i freaked out a little because it didn't fit! I couldn't zip it. Granted, it is kind of a hard dress to put on all by yourself, so I stopped myself from having a total meltdown and just figured I'd let them figure it out at the fitting. But still, the days leading up to it were kind of torturous, as in the back of my mind was this nagging little voice saying "your dress doesn't fit. You're gonna have to get a new dress. eeeeek!" Followed by "why didn't you just try on the dress when you first got it to make sure it fit???"
Tuesday arrived. And much to my relief the tailor's assistant got me into the dress. So, it officially does fit! Though, I'll have to remember to enlist the help of a few people for the wedding, because I certainly can't do it by myself.
The fitting took an hour and a half, which I spent standing perfectly still in my three inch heels (which until then I thought were pretty comfortable), while the tailor tucked and pinned and shortened my dress until it was finally ready to go.
I get to pick it up on June 13th.
Because you can't see the dress yet, here's a pic of my shoes :)
Second accomplishment this week was picking out Tim's ring. This was a lot more easily accomplished then my dress fitting was, and we took care of it in less then an hour. Thanks to The Shane Company and their catchy radio adds that we've all had memorized since we were children :)
Well that's it for this week on the wedding front. That's only two things that we got done...gonna have to check like five off the list this coming week. Wish me luck.
This past week we checked two big things off the list! I had my dress fitting. And, we picked out and purchased Tim's wedding ring.
First up, the dress fitting. Let me start by saying that I love my dress. It's not your typical white wedding dress. It's unique and has a bit of color, and is sooooo me. I purchased it up in Portland when I was home last November for Thanks Giving. They shipped it to me in January, and when it arrived I unzipped the garment bag to take a look. Just to make sure it was the right dress and size and all that. It was, so I hung it way in the back of my closet where it stayed undisturbed until last week.
Knowing that I had a fitting coming up, I took it out of the bag last week and decided to try it on. And, then i freaked out a little because it didn't fit! I couldn't zip it. Granted, it is kind of a hard dress to put on all by yourself, so I stopped myself from having a total meltdown and just figured I'd let them figure it out at the fitting. But still, the days leading up to it were kind of torturous, as in the back of my mind was this nagging little voice saying "your dress doesn't fit. You're gonna have to get a new dress. eeeeek!" Followed by "why didn't you just try on the dress when you first got it to make sure it fit???"
Tuesday arrived. And much to my relief the tailor's assistant got me into the dress. So, it officially does fit! Though, I'll have to remember to enlist the help of a few people for the wedding, because I certainly can't do it by myself.
The fitting took an hour and a half, which I spent standing perfectly still in my three inch heels (which until then I thought were pretty comfortable), while the tailor tucked and pinned and shortened my dress until it was finally ready to go.
I get to pick it up on June 13th.
Because you can't see the dress yet, here's a pic of my shoes :)
Second accomplishment this week was picking out Tim's ring. This was a lot more easily accomplished then my dress fitting was, and we took care of it in less then an hour. Thanks to The Shane Company and their catchy radio adds that we've all had memorized since we were children :)
Well that's it for this week on the wedding front. That's only two things that we got done...gonna have to check like five off the list this coming week. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Kitty Photo Wednesday
Introducing to the world, our new addition: Annie
So, this all started about a month ago when, on my way to the BART stop one morning, I found a family of kittens and their mamma living in the bushes in our apartment parking lot. They were adorable, albeit very skittish. The next two weeks I spent talking about how cute they were, and how much I wanted one of them. Tim didn't like this idea. So, instead of stealing a cat from the bushes, we adopted one from the San Francisco SPCA. This was intended mostly to give our old friend Oliver a playmate. The fact of the matter is that he needs to loose weight, as he has gotten quite tubby.
Our attempts to get him to exercise last all of thirty seconds when he tires of chasing a string and promptly just falls over. So, we decided to get him a kitty friend to chase, play, and generally annoy him into getting up and moving around.
So, here comes Annie. When we first met Annie, she was so full of personality. We sat down in the little kitty room and she was all over us, purring, headbutting, and generally demonstrating her adorableness. We thought "oh how cute she is!" and promptly took her home.
And then we got her home. Where she immediately added rambunctious, crazy, maniac to her repertoire of personality traits. Seriously, this cat is nuts. At almost two years old (and only 3.5 pounds), she has more energy then any living thing I think I have ever met, as you can see in the video below. She races around the apartment like her tail is on fire. She leaps off the kitty tower like she's an acrobat, and she treats her toys like they are alive and must be annihilated. And she never gets tired. I'm convinced that the only reason she sleeps is because she gets bored.
Her relationship with Oliver is also quite interesting, and I think it has everything to do with her also being very very stubborn. She appears to be quite indifferent to him, whereas Oliver (at least initially) was really interested and friendly with her. He spent a lot of time looking at her, and trying to be around her, while she completely ignored him, as you'll see in the pic Tim shot below.
I think that Oliver is slowly growing on her. She chases him around the apartment now, and attacks him for no good reason (then runs away all offended like he actually did something to her). They share water bowls, and their litter box (which I'm quite surprised by). I've witnessed a number of occasions where she has just sauntered up to Oliver, batted him in the face, and wandered off. He just sits there, a little stunned, with this look on his face that I can only assume means he's wondering "what the hell is wrong with you?!?!". Also, they sleep in each others spots, but not at the same time. At night Oliver is in the bedroom with us, and she is out on the couch. Once we all wake up, she goes in and sleeps in his spot on the bed, and he goes out and sleeps in her spot on the couch. Basically I think she is less the best friend to Oliver we were hoping for and has filled the role of annoying little sister much more effectively. Oh well, I do think they kinda like each other.
Also, Annie seems to like Tim better then me. I'm slowly coming to terms with this :)
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Our attempts to get him to exercise last all of thirty seconds when he tires of chasing a string and promptly just falls over. So, we decided to get him a kitty friend to chase, play, and generally annoy him into getting up and moving around.
So, here comes Annie. When we first met Annie, she was so full of personality. We sat down in the little kitty room and she was all over us, purring, headbutting, and generally demonstrating her adorableness. We thought "oh how cute she is!" and promptly took her home.
And then we got her home. Where she immediately added rambunctious, crazy, maniac to her repertoire of personality traits. Seriously, this cat is nuts. At almost two years old (and only 3.5 pounds), she has more energy then any living thing I think I have ever met, as you can see in the video below. She races around the apartment like her tail is on fire. She leaps off the kitty tower like she's an acrobat, and she treats her toys like they are alive and must be annihilated. And she never gets tired. I'm convinced that the only reason she sleeps is because she gets bored.
Her relationship with Oliver is also quite interesting, and I think it has everything to do with her also being very very stubborn. She appears to be quite indifferent to him, whereas Oliver (at least initially) was really interested and friendly with her. He spent a lot of time looking at her, and trying to be around her, while she completely ignored him, as you'll see in the pic Tim shot below.
Also, Annie seems to like Tim better then me. I'm slowly coming to terms with this :)
The Big Blog Comeback!
Let's just ignore for a moment the fact that I haven't blogged since Last November. Yes, I know. Sorry. Fact of the matter is that I got bored with my blog. Not to mention I've been busy doing other things like planning a wedding :) But here I am, planning my Big Blog Comeback! Lol, really all this means is that you can probably expect to see me around here more often. You may even get several blogs every week (gasp!).
I'm planning a few regular features for your reading pleasure (also to prompt me to blog more), and I'll introduce them over the next week or so. But just to peak your interest, Wednesday's will forever moving forward be known as "Kitty Photo Wednesday." The inaugural post will follow this one :)
Cheers!
I'm planning a few regular features for your reading pleasure (also to prompt me to blog more), and I'll introduce them over the next week or so. But just to peak your interest, Wednesday's will forever moving forward be known as "Kitty Photo Wednesday." The inaugural post will follow this one :)
Cheers!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming (lighthearted randomness about my normal every day life) with a diversion to local politics. So, if you have no interest in politics, or my opinion of them, then please feel free to read no further. Don't worry, I won't mind (or hold it against you). :)
It was a slow day at the office, and when that happens I often find myself browsing the news. CNN, BBC, NBC, and finally KGW (Portland's local news station).
While browsing I found this article:
http://www.kgw.com/news/Kitzhaber-to-address-capital-punishment-ahead-of-Haugen-execution-134351233.html
Basically, Oregon's elected and sitting governor, has effectively banned the State's voter approved death penalty, stating that he will not enforce it while he is in office.
Why? Not because he thinks that all of the 37 death row inmates in Oregon are innocent, or that they haven't properly been proven guilty, or because he believes their sentence was unjustly given, but because he personally believes that it is "morally wrong."
I think that is crap.
Now don't misunderstand the point I'm making. I am in no way making a statement as to my personal beliefs one way or the other about capital punishment, and whether or not it is right or wrong. What I am saying is that it is crap that the governor feels it is fully within his right as an elected official to weigh his own personal beliefs as more important then the will of the public he was elected to represent.
Oregonians, regardless of the margin of approval, reinstated capital punishment in 1984. It is the LAW. Period. And regardless of the governors personal opinion on the subject, the last time I checked he was not above the law. In fact, as any public servant will attest, he is a servant of the law.
That is why stays of execution exist. That is why pardons exist. And, this is why the appeals process exists. But they exist to be utilized and enforced on a case by case basis, as the law directs and allows. But to make an overarching statement that he will not stand for it in any case because he doesn't believe in it's morality is not only irresponsible, but I believe it is against the spirit of his elected position: To represent the will of the people.
If he truly believes the law to be contrary to the will of the people, then allow the people to vote on it again. That is what a democracy is.
I'm sorry Mr. Governor. But this is neither a dictatorship, nor is it a monarchy. I'm sorry that your personal opinions are contradictory to the will of your state, but the bottom line is that you are no more above the law then I am, and to be frank, your personal beliefs only matter when sitting in a jury box, or when voting a ballot measure into law, not in the actual enforcement of it.
Capital punishment may be right. And, alternatively, it may be wrong. Regardless it is not your sole choice to make.
It was a slow day at the office, and when that happens I often find myself browsing the news. CNN, BBC, NBC, and finally KGW (Portland's local news station).
While browsing I found this article:
http://www.kgw.com/news/Kitzhaber-to-address-capital-punishment-ahead-of-Haugen-execution-134351233.html
Basically, Oregon's elected and sitting governor, has effectively banned the State's voter approved death penalty, stating that he will not enforce it while he is in office.
Why? Not because he thinks that all of the 37 death row inmates in Oregon are innocent, or that they haven't properly been proven guilty, or because he believes their sentence was unjustly given, but because he personally believes that it is "morally wrong."
I think that is crap.
Now don't misunderstand the point I'm making. I am in no way making a statement as to my personal beliefs one way or the other about capital punishment, and whether or not it is right or wrong. What I am saying is that it is crap that the governor feels it is fully within his right as an elected official to weigh his own personal beliefs as more important then the will of the public he was elected to represent.
Oregonians, regardless of the margin of approval, reinstated capital punishment in 1984. It is the LAW. Period. And regardless of the governors personal opinion on the subject, the last time I checked he was not above the law. In fact, as any public servant will attest, he is a servant of the law.
That is why stays of execution exist. That is why pardons exist. And, this is why the appeals process exists. But they exist to be utilized and enforced on a case by case basis, as the law directs and allows. But to make an overarching statement that he will not stand for it in any case because he doesn't believe in it's morality is not only irresponsible, but I believe it is against the spirit of his elected position: To represent the will of the people.
If he truly believes the law to be contrary to the will of the people, then allow the people to vote on it again. That is what a democracy is.
I'm sorry Mr. Governor. But this is neither a dictatorship, nor is it a monarchy. I'm sorry that your personal opinions are contradictory to the will of your state, but the bottom line is that you are no more above the law then I am, and to be frank, your personal beliefs only matter when sitting in a jury box, or when voting a ballot measure into law, not in the actual enforcement of it.
Capital punishment may be right. And, alternatively, it may be wrong. Regardless it is not your sole choice to make.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
engagement photos!
So, we've been debating back and forth about weather or not to do engagement photos. Mostly because we've been engaged for six months and we're kinda late to the game for these. Then we realized how few decent photos of us really existed, so figured what the heck....but we really didn't feel like paying a bunch for them. So, naturally, we decided buy a tripod, our own camera, and do them ourselves! Granted, they may not be all that professional looking, but I don't think we did half bad :) Plus goofing around by the Golden Gate bridge, and running to strike a pose before the camera's auto timer went off was pretty fun.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Ahhhhhhh!!!!!
Then there's the who, when, and where...good thing the what and why are relatively certain :)
Hmmmm, who ever decided to publish the first wedding magazine was a genius. I mean, they've turned wedding planning into something that could instill nail-biting anxiety into even the most level headed, even-keeled future bride. No wonder they pay people to plan these things!!!
Now I'll admit that I am a procrastinator to the core. Always have been. It just seems that I work best that way. In college it was a rare occurrence for me to begin writing a paper more then twelve hours before it was due, making the all-nighter second nature. Much to Tim's chagrin, I pack for vacations often the day of travel. The point being, it's been quite hard to convince me that you can't actually plan a wedding last minute. Not to say that this process will reform my procrastinating ways...but it sure is giving me a run for my money!!
So here is our progress report, and I'll admit I'm pretty proud of us for having figured even this much out...And, sorry folks, but I'm not releasing details yet, it's too early for that. Plus that will ruin the reveal of the wedding website, which is forth coming...
We have:
- PICKED A DATE (think spring next year)
- PICKED A CITY
- BOOKED A VENUE (think kind of non-traditional, and FUN)
- BOOKED A PHOTOGRAPHER (we got really lucky with this one)
We have NOT:
- DONE ANYTHING OTHER THEN THOSE FOUR THINGS.
Baby steps folks...that at some point may become leaps?
:) stay tuned.
PS: I like Oliver's opinion on wedding planning...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
catching up on random foggy summer days
Well, hello there! I bet you thought I stopped blogging. Nope, for some reason I just blog less in the summer. Though, I don't know that I can really use nice weather as an excuse since San Francisco doesn't really ever get nice weather. But oh well, at least we aren't buried in snow or sizzling in oven like temperatures. I'll take fog any day.
So, how have we been spending our non-sunny San Francisco days? Well, we've been on a bit of an electronics spending spree lately...wait, i should amend that by saying that Tim has been on a bit of an electronic spending spree. In the past two months we've added a second i-Pad, a 42" flat screen plasma television, and an i-Phone to the family. Basically, we've turned into a couple of nerds. :)
And, don't worry, the wedding is still in the process of planning itself. Oh wait, weddings don't do that? Oh shit, I'd better get a move on then. We'll probably start seriously planning stuff after we return from Portland for Thanks Giving. That's when we plan on venue shopping...
And now back to my brand new baby, my i-Phone. Let me just say that my last phone was definitely notsmart, so entering the smart phone age has been a bit of shock for me. You mean that I can access my email from my phone? You mean that I can keep my Starbucks gift card on my phone, and just show it to the checker? You mean that I can play Angry Birds on my phone while playing i-Tunes??? Way cool. But, my most favorite feature is the camera, which takes half way decent pictures!!! Woo-hoo! Just to test it out I went on a photo walk on my lunch break the other day, and through the use of my phones camera, and my favorite app Instagram, I snapped up the following:
and one of my favorites, because it's so perfectly random...a pair of lost shoes.
Also, as a side note, because I've decided that birthdays after the big 3-0 are officially side-notes, I did manage to turn 31 last month. We went to Napa to hang out with some sheep. Oh, and we drank some wine too :)
Hope you're all enjoying your summers!
So, how have we been spending our non-sunny San Francisco days? Well, we've been on a bit of an electronics spending spree lately...wait, i should amend that by saying that Tim has been on a bit of an electronic spending spree. In the past two months we've added a second i-Pad, a 42" flat screen plasma television, and an i-Phone to the family. Basically, we've turned into a couple of nerds. :)
And, don't worry, the wedding is still in the process of planning itself. Oh wait, weddings don't do that? Oh shit, I'd better get a move on then. We'll probably start seriously planning stuff after we return from Portland for Thanks Giving. That's when we plan on venue shopping...
And now back to my brand new baby, my i-Phone. Let me just say that my last phone was definitely not
and one of my favorites, because it's so perfectly random...a pair of lost shoes.
Also, as a side note, because I've decided that birthdays after the big 3-0 are officially side-notes, I did manage to turn 31 last month. We went to Napa to hang out with some sheep. Oh, and we drank some wine too :)
Hope you're all enjoying your summers!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Oliver wanted to say hi
He also wanted to show you all how much fun he's been having on our new porch. Since he's always been an indoor cat, and we've never had an inclosed outdoor space for him, he's never been able to spend time outside. Though, he's always loved sitting in the windowsill with the screen open to the fresh air, and sun bathing on the carpet in the morning rays.
I'm sure you all remember this:
And when there wasn't any actual sun, we ended up with something like this:
Well those days are over. It didn't take him long to realize his favorite spot in our new place. And so far, he's even proven smart enough (which I'm truly surprised by), not to jump off of it. We are on the third story after all...it's kind of a long way down.
Is it possible that he's found something that he likes better then eating?
I'm sure you all remember this:
And when there wasn't any actual sun, we ended up with something like this:
Well those days are over. It didn't take him long to realize his favorite spot in our new place. And so far, he's even proven smart enough (which I'm truly surprised by), not to jump off of it. We are on the third story after all...it's kind of a long way down.
Is it possible that he's found something that he likes better then eating?
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
An apple a day keeps the doctor away...what a load of crap!
Let me just start by saying that I eat apples. Almost every day in fact. And they most definitely did not keep the doctor away. Here's a break down of the last five weeks:
Week one: cough, sore throat. In denial about being sick. Why? Well, because I'm invincible of course, and I don't get sick. Ever. I especially don't get sick right before vacation.
Week two: Cough, sore throat, sneezing, stuffy nose, fever, & chills (a total walking advertisement for Nyquil, which I had none of since I was in another country). Totally pissed about being sick while ON vacation in Mexico, but ignoring it because I had just gotten engaged(yay!)! Finally gave in on day three and made my way to the hotel gift shop for what I think were Mexican cough drops, though I couldn't read the box.
Week three: Cough, sore throat. Post vacation..."It's nothing," and "Oh, I'm fine," become common utterances to co-workers pleas for me to go to the doctor. More denial and avoidance ensue.
Week four: Cough, hack, cough. Finally call doctor to find that doctor is on vacation until June. Sweet. More avoidance...
Week five: cough, cough, cough...Suck it up and go to acute care at UCSF, since doctor is still out of town. Result? ACUTE BRONCHITIS. Lovely. I now have a golden ticket; a prescription for three different meds. An antibiotic that I can't pronounce, but that may also be because I can't read the doctors handwriting, a prescription cough medicine, and an inhaler. Oh, and a lecture from the doctor about not waiting five weeks to get checked out.
Ok, fine. Lesson learned. Now on to the pharmacy! Dear Good Health, it will be so nice to see you again :)
Week one: cough, sore throat. In denial about being sick. Why? Well, because I'm invincible of course, and I don't get sick. Ever. I especially don't get sick right before vacation.
Week two: Cough, sore throat, sneezing, stuffy nose, fever, & chills (a total walking advertisement for Nyquil, which I had none of since I was in another country). Totally pissed about being sick while ON vacation in Mexico, but ignoring it because I had just gotten engaged(yay!)! Finally gave in on day three and made my way to the hotel gift shop for what I think were Mexican cough drops, though I couldn't read the box.
Week three: Cough, sore throat. Post vacation..."It's nothing," and "Oh, I'm fine," become common utterances to co-workers pleas for me to go to the doctor. More denial and avoidance ensue.
Week four: Cough, hack, cough. Finally call doctor to find that doctor is on vacation until June. Sweet. More avoidance...
Week five: cough, cough, cough...Suck it up and go to acute care at UCSF, since doctor is still out of town. Result? ACUTE BRONCHITIS. Lovely. I now have a golden ticket; a prescription for three different meds. An antibiotic that I can't pronounce, but that may also be because I can't read the doctors handwriting, a prescription cough medicine, and an inhaler. Oh, and a lecture from the doctor about not waiting five weeks to get checked out.
Ok, fine. Lesson learned. Now on to the pharmacy! Dear Good Health, it will be so nice to see you again :)
Sunday, May 8, 2011
mexico
Here's a few not so fun at the time, but funny in retrospect things that I learned on this trip:
* I still hate to fly, which is difficult since I love to travel. Damn you turbulence. I still will maintain that if people were intended to fly we would have wings.
* Miami has the worst most un-organized customs checkpoints ever. Seriously...EVER.
* I shouldn't use my sarcastic abilities to piss off drunk guys on airplanes (not Tim, lol). Expecially big drunk guys from the South that are sitting next to me, who spend the rest of the flight taking up all of my arm rest and foot space room, and chewing gum in my ear. Oh how much I wanted to punch him. Tim wouldn't let me.
* Try as hard a possible not to go on vacation with the worst cold ever. I failed at this. I spent the entire time coughing, sneezing, sniffling, and at one point feverish (but this could have had more to do with the extreme sun exposure on the first day, lol). However, perusing the medicine aisle at the Mexican drug store was fun.
Ok, all that having been said, on to the fun stuff...
We stayed in an all inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, just outside of Cancun. It looked like this:
The first day we were there we spent the entire day at the pool:
And, by the end of the day I looked a lot more like this:
Apparently my waterproof sunscreen wasn't as waterproof as it claimed. Oh well, we soothed our charred skin with many many of these:
Meanwhile, here's some pics from the beach:
Along the way, we had some fun:
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.
.
.
.
.
Oh, and we also got engaged.
It was a good trip.
:)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
lets go to the races
I remember from a very young age my father sitting me down, year after year, to watch The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and The Belmont Stakes. He loved those races.
At the age of seven I knew names like Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed, because those were the horses that he had either listened to on the radio or later watched win the triple crown on television.
I think Secretariat was his favorite. It's easy, givin the horses 31 length victory in the Belmont to understand why. I can't imagine what watching that race live on television, or better yet being there in the stands that day to see it in person would have been like. Hell, watching the video re-cap on youtube is enough to make me catch my breath. Watching it live probably would have given me a heart attack.
If you have never seen this race, take a moment to watch it and be amazed.
Wasn't that ridiculous?
I still watch the Triple Crown every single year, and can't actually remember a year that I've missed it. Though, as a kid, watching these races was fun, and routine, I never really got the thrill of it until recently.
We went to our first live races back in Maryland last year. Actually, it was Derby Day and we were at Pimlico race track (where they have traditionally run the second leg of the triple crown, the Preakness), to watch the Kentucky Derby telecast. It was the first time I'd bet on a horse. It was also the first time that I had won a bet. My two dollars turned into thirty-seven, but I never cashed the ticket. It's a souvenir.
I've been hooked ever since.
Everyone has their obsessions, mine just happens to be horse racing at the moment.
Out here in California we have both Golden Gate fields, and Santa Anita (though it's quite a ways down south and we haven't made it to that track yet). But we've spent Sunday's for the last three weeks in a row at Golden Gate fields betting on the horses. Now before any of you start to worry about gambling addiction, and my loosing all my money, let me clarify that a minimum bet on a horse is $2, which for me is often also my maximum bet ;) In a nine race day, the most we'll loose is $18. But our luck has been pretty good, and most of the time we at least break even. Flat out loosing on five or six races, and winning a descent chunk back on an 10 to 1 underdog a couple of times.
There's no real method to how I pick a horse that I want to bet on in a race. I haven't gotten to the point where I buy the horse journals, the tip sheets, and bring my clip boards and track sheets with me. Tim will occasionally bet an exacta or a trifecta, but we're really not all that hard core.
But I love watching the horses walk the warmups. I'll choose a horse because he's pretty,or because he holds his head high and alert, but not because he's the odds on favorite. Or I'll choose him because his Jockey's already won a race or two that day. I favor the giant dark brown ones, over the reds. So, I really have no method, which is why I loose pretty often, but it really isn't all about the money.
I just like watching these giant animals run.
And in two weeks, you can bet on finding me glued to my television, or better yet at the track watching a telecast of the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. It's been 32 years since a horse has won the Triple Crown, and I think we're long overdue.
At the age of seven I knew names like Citation, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed, because those were the horses that he had either listened to on the radio or later watched win the triple crown on television.
I think Secretariat was his favorite. It's easy, givin the horses 31 length victory in the Belmont to understand why. I can't imagine what watching that race live on television, or better yet being there in the stands that day to see it in person would have been like. Hell, watching the video re-cap on youtube is enough to make me catch my breath. Watching it live probably would have given me a heart attack.
If you have never seen this race, take a moment to watch it and be amazed.
Wasn't that ridiculous?
I still watch the Triple Crown every single year, and can't actually remember a year that I've missed it. Though, as a kid, watching these races was fun, and routine, I never really got the thrill of it until recently.
We went to our first live races back in Maryland last year. Actually, it was Derby Day and we were at Pimlico race track (where they have traditionally run the second leg of the triple crown, the Preakness), to watch the Kentucky Derby telecast. It was the first time I'd bet on a horse. It was also the first time that I had won a bet. My two dollars turned into thirty-seven, but I never cashed the ticket. It's a souvenir.
I've been hooked ever since.
Everyone has their obsessions, mine just happens to be horse racing at the moment.
Out here in California we have both Golden Gate fields, and Santa Anita (though it's quite a ways down south and we haven't made it to that track yet). But we've spent Sunday's for the last three weeks in a row at Golden Gate fields betting on the horses. Now before any of you start to worry about gambling addiction, and my loosing all my money, let me clarify that a minimum bet on a horse is $2, which for me is often also my maximum bet ;) In a nine race day, the most we'll loose is $18. But our luck has been pretty good, and most of the time we at least break even. Flat out loosing on five or six races, and winning a descent chunk back on an 10 to 1 underdog a couple of times.
There's no real method to how I pick a horse that I want to bet on in a race. I haven't gotten to the point where I buy the horse journals, the tip sheets, and bring my clip boards and track sheets with me. Tim will occasionally bet an exacta or a trifecta, but we're really not all that hard core.
But I love watching the horses walk the warmups. I'll choose a horse because he's pretty,or because he holds his head high and alert, but not because he's the odds on favorite. Or I'll choose him because his Jockey's already won a race or two that day. I favor the giant dark brown ones, over the reds. So, I really have no method, which is why I loose pretty often, but it really isn't all about the money.
I just like watching these giant animals run.
And in two weeks, you can bet on finding me glued to my television, or better yet at the track watching a telecast of the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. It's been 32 years since a horse has won the Triple Crown, and I think we're long overdue.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Pigeons, dogs?, pigs, and cats...or, how animals have played strange rolls in my world lately.
Some of you may remember me mentioning that I was accosted by a pigeon while back in Portland over Christmas. To be honest, I thought it was pretty funny. I mean how many people do you know that have had a pigeon fly into their head?
Well, know you know a person who has had it happen to her TWICE. Yes, folks it happened AGAIN. I was leaving for work one morning about a month ago. It was just getting light out, and I had just stepped onto the sidewalk across the street from our apartment. I looked to my right down the road to gauge how far away my bus was and if I would make it to the stop in time to catch it. And right as I looked to my right a pigeon dive-bombed into my head.
What the hell? Am I wearing invisible bird seed? Does my hair look like a birds nest(I guess this may be possible)? Or, have pigeons collectively just decided to up and revolt?
Who knows. God help me if it happens again though. I'm starting to feel like I walked into a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.
*********
People own dogs. I get that. Dogs crap. I get that too. But what I don't get is that people don't always understand that they need to pick that shit up. The other day I stepped out of the car directly into an enormous pile of shit. It was made even more lovely because I didn't actually realize it until I had tracked it up three flights of stairs, walked through and around my apartment and gone into my bedroom to take of my shoes. That is when I discovered that my shoe was caked in crap and that my apartment smelled like it too. What I'm choosing not to think about is that there is a distinct possibility that a dog may not have been the offender...if you know what I mean. At times like this I am reminded by my good friend Forrest Gump:
Bumper Sticker Guy: [running after Forrest] WOAH! Man, you just ran through a big pile of dog shit!
Forrest Gump: It happens.
Bumper Sticker guy: What, shit?
Forrest Gump: Sometimes.
*sigh*
*********
Last weekend Tim and I decided to go to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, because, well, what could be more fun then that? Except that we went on a Saturday, and sadly all the bean makers are home with their families on weekends so the factory was kinda quiet. But alas, we made do. This was quite the educational little tour. Did you know that it takes up to three weeks to make a Jelly Belly Bean? Or, that they package up all the misshapen, irregular, stuck together, too big, too small, and other not up to Jelly Belly standards beans into two pound bags of Belly Flops? Or, best fact yet...did you know that they don't just throw away the Jelly Beans that fall on the ground during production. Nope. They package these up, ship them off to farmers, where they are actually fed to PIGS. We all know that pigs eat anything...but apparently, the consumption of Jelly Belly Beans actually makes pigs leaner. I wish that eating jelly beans made me leaner.
*********
And, lastly, what would a blog post be without Oliver? My co-worker and friend, Lee, is also in art school. As a project she had to film a documentary. What did she choose as her subject? Why, Oliver of course. Enjoy :)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Eeeek, so I haven't been very good about my promise to post more here...SORRY
I'll let the title speak for itself...
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Ok, that having been said, I don't anticipate there being any coherent theme to this particular post. But, I promise that if you make it all the way through, you'll be rewarded by a particularly amusing Oliver update (since I know that's why most of you read this blog anyway) :)
First up, we went to Portland for Christmas!!! This opportunity presented itself solely because my employer out of the kindness of their hearts, closed the entire office for a full week. Mandatory vacation. Seriously? Yep. Seriously. --And, sorry to all of you in P-town that I couldn't fit into my trip this time around, promise you get priority scheduling rights for the next trip :)
Here is a semi-alphabetical list of why I love Portland (letters omitted because, well, it's my list and I felt like it):
A) Always knowing exactly where I am. For once I get to know more then Tim does about directions.
B) Bridges. The Fremont to be exact. I've seen lots of bridges in lots of places, but I still think this one is my favorite.
C) Crystal. Yep you made the list!
D) Dockside Saloon. And not just because it's where they found the infamous garbage which blew open the Nancy Kerrigan "clubing" case. But, because my old friends own and operate it. Mom, Jimmy, Tim, myself and Ninon met up there for brunch and a re-hashing of childhood stories. Good times. (long live long neck john).
E) Elephant's Deli potato and sausage frittata. Mouth watering right now as I type this.
F) Family. OMG my nieces are sooooo big!
G) Grandma's lemon cupcakes. These were a childhood staple for all five of us. Grandma passed 16 (?) years ago, but I got a hold of the recipe (because I'm kind of a super hero), and I had a nice frosted plate of them sitting on the counter Christmas morning. Disguised as regular cupcakes of course. Priceless.
H) Hood. Beautiful beautiful Mt. Hood.
K) Katie. Yep, you're on here too.
L) Let It Bead. Another favorite shop. And I should mention that I'm pretty impressed that after not stopping in for three years the owner still recognized me.
M) MAX. After putting up with the DC subway system, and San Francisco's lame excuse for metro, I have a whole new appreciation for Portland's public transportation system.
P) Powell's. Powell's. Powell's. Need I say more?
R) Rain. Always have loved the rain, and the fact that it poured the entire time we were there didn't ruin a thing.
S) Stumptown espresso. So good, that I now justify spending $17 for them to ship it to me here in San Francisco.
S etc.) Sara. Because you need to be on the list too.
T) Tavern and Pool. One of the lesser frequented McMenamin's bars. I'll keep going back...even though they changed their chowder recipe.
U) Uncle's Christmas Wrapping. Every year is interesting, but this year he outdid himself. All of our Nike boxes were wrapped inside University of Oregon Ducks t-shirts!
Oh, and here's one reason (possibly the only reason) why I hate Portland. PIGEONS. I was walking to the MAX stop to catch the Red line out to Gresham to visit Brenda, minding my own damn business. A pigeon flew into my face. Let me say that again: A PIDGEON FLEW INTO MY FACE. True story. I can now say with complete truthfulness that I have been accosted by a pigeon (and feathers don't taste very good). It's ok if you laugh at this.
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Second up. New Years resolutions. I didn't make any this year. Though an undocumented, continual resolution is to actually work out more. I hit 30 last year, and apparently that's the magic age for your metabolism to crap out on you. My jeans don't fit. This is unacceptable. I also hate the gym, which is also unacceptable if you are attempting to make your jeans fit again. Do you know what has made me love the gym now? Food Network. Or rather the treadmills equipped with cable television at the YMCA up the street. we don't have cable because we don't need an additional excuse to sit around the house, so I never get to watch my favorite shows. There has to be something wrong with the fact that my motivator to work out is so that I can watch shows like Cupcake Wars, and Ace of Cakes while on the treadmill.
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Third on the list. And, speaking of eating...I read "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. I won't give an in depth review because I did that over here on my other blog. But lets just say that its one of the most impacting books I've ever read.
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Fourth on the list. The California Lottery rocks. Remember a few weeks ago when the Mega Millions jackpot was up to like $340 million? Well, I too walked a block down the road to the local 7-eleven to buy a ticket, and as it turned out also a pint of Ben and Jerry's, but that's beside the point. I checked my ticket that night and was pleased to find that I had matched three of the five white balls (1 in 306 odds). Pleased that I had won anything at all I placed the ticket back in my wallet where it sat for two weeks forgotten. Seven dollars is seven dollars, but not worth a special trip to the convenience store. Well, apparently the California lotto works a little differently. It's the only state with a pari-mutuel payout. Hugh? In English, what that means is that the individual payouts are based off of number of tickets purchased and number of winnings. Since everyone and their mother bought tickets for this drawing my $7 ticket turned into $118. Thanks California Lottery for buying our tickets to Body Worlds Vitals (showing at the San Jose Tech museum) and our nice steak dinner last weekend.
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And lastly, because I promised that if you got through this random post that you would be rewarded by a special Oliver update. It's not a picture folks, it's a video!
I got an i-Pad for Christmas. There are apps for EVERYTHING, and as I found out the other night, also apps for CATS. Clearly, I couldn't pass that up. So here you go, a video of Oliver playing with his app.
In case you couldn't tell, it's a ping pong ball, and his nose is what's making it bounce around the screen. I didn't think the cat could get dumber. Clearly I was wrong.
------------
Ok, that having been said, I don't anticipate there being any coherent theme to this particular post. But, I promise that if you make it all the way through, you'll be rewarded by a particularly amusing Oliver update (since I know that's why most of you read this blog anyway) :)
First up, we went to Portland for Christmas!!! This opportunity presented itself solely because my employer out of the kindness of their hearts, closed the entire office for a full week. Mandatory vacation. Seriously? Yep. Seriously. --And, sorry to all of you in P-town that I couldn't fit into my trip this time around, promise you get priority scheduling rights for the next trip :)
Here is a semi-alphabetical list of why I love Portland (letters omitted because, well, it's my list and I felt like it):
A) Always knowing exactly where I am. For once I get to know more then Tim does about directions.
B) Bridges. The Fremont to be exact. I've seen lots of bridges in lots of places, but I still think this one is my favorite.
C) Crystal. Yep you made the list!
D) Dockside Saloon. And not just because it's where they found the infamous garbage which blew open the Nancy Kerrigan "clubing" case. But, because my old friends own and operate it. Mom, Jimmy, Tim, myself and Ninon met up there for brunch and a re-hashing of childhood stories. Good times. (long live long neck john).
E) Elephant's Deli potato and sausage frittata. Mouth watering right now as I type this.
F) Family. OMG my nieces are sooooo big!
G) Grandma's lemon cupcakes. These were a childhood staple for all five of us. Grandma passed 16 (?) years ago, but I got a hold of the recipe (because I'm kind of a super hero), and I had a nice frosted plate of them sitting on the counter Christmas morning. Disguised as regular cupcakes of course. Priceless.
H) Hood. Beautiful beautiful Mt. Hood.
K) Katie. Yep, you're on here too.
L) Let It Bead. Another favorite shop. And I should mention that I'm pretty impressed that after not stopping in for three years the owner still recognized me.
M) MAX. After putting up with the DC subway system, and San Francisco's lame excuse for metro, I have a whole new appreciation for Portland's public transportation system.
P) Powell's. Powell's. Powell's. Need I say more?
R) Rain. Always have loved the rain, and the fact that it poured the entire time we were there didn't ruin a thing.
S) Stumptown espresso. So good, that I now justify spending $17 for them to ship it to me here in San Francisco.
S etc.) Sara. Because you need to be on the list too.
T) Tavern and Pool. One of the lesser frequented McMenamin's bars. I'll keep going back...even though they changed their chowder recipe.
U) Uncle's Christmas Wrapping. Every year is interesting, but this year he outdid himself. All of our Nike boxes were wrapped inside University of Oregon Ducks t-shirts!
Oh, and here's one reason (possibly the only reason) why I hate Portland. PIGEONS. I was walking to the MAX stop to catch the Red line out to Gresham to visit Brenda, minding my own damn business. A pigeon flew into my face. Let me say that again: A PIDGEON FLEW INTO MY FACE. True story. I can now say with complete truthfulness that I have been accosted by a pigeon (and feathers don't taste very good). It's ok if you laugh at this.
--------------
Second up. New Years resolutions. I didn't make any this year. Though an undocumented, continual resolution is to actually work out more. I hit 30 last year, and apparently that's the magic age for your metabolism to crap out on you. My jeans don't fit. This is unacceptable. I also hate the gym, which is also unacceptable if you are attempting to make your jeans fit again. Do you know what has made me love the gym now? Food Network. Or rather the treadmills equipped with cable television at the YMCA up the street. we don't have cable because we don't need an additional excuse to sit around the house, so I never get to watch my favorite shows. There has to be something wrong with the fact that my motivator to work out is so that I can watch shows like Cupcake Wars, and Ace of Cakes while on the treadmill.
--------------
Third on the list. And, speaking of eating...I read "Eating Animals" by Jonathan Safran Foer. I won't give an in depth review because I did that over here on my other blog. But lets just say that its one of the most impacting books I've ever read.
--------------
Fourth on the list. The California Lottery rocks. Remember a few weeks ago when the Mega Millions jackpot was up to like $340 million? Well, I too walked a block down the road to the local 7-eleven to buy a ticket, and as it turned out also a pint of Ben and Jerry's, but that's beside the point. I checked my ticket that night and was pleased to find that I had matched three of the five white balls (1 in 306 odds). Pleased that I had won anything at all I placed the ticket back in my wallet where it sat for two weeks forgotten. Seven dollars is seven dollars, but not worth a special trip to the convenience store. Well, apparently the California lotto works a little differently. It's the only state with a pari-mutuel payout. Hugh? In English, what that means is that the individual payouts are based off of number of tickets purchased and number of winnings. Since everyone and their mother bought tickets for this drawing my $7 ticket turned into $118. Thanks California Lottery for buying our tickets to Body Worlds Vitals (showing at the San Jose Tech museum) and our nice steak dinner last weekend.
--------
And lastly, because I promised that if you got through this random post that you would be rewarded by a special Oliver update. It's not a picture folks, it's a video!
I got an i-Pad for Christmas. There are apps for EVERYTHING, and as I found out the other night, also apps for CATS. Clearly, I couldn't pass that up. So here you go, a video of Oliver playing with his app.
In case you couldn't tell, it's a ping pong ball, and his nose is what's making it bounce around the screen. I didn't think the cat could get dumber. Clearly I was wrong.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
apparently good luck comes in threes too
I had the best string of good luck last Wednesday. I'll describe the chain of events so that you can wonder in awe at my lucky-ness (in chronological order, of course).
7:07am: I arrive in the general vicinity of work, twenty-three minutes early as I always do. Just enough time to stop (if necessary) for a cup of coffee before heading to my cube for the day.
7:08am: Decision that coffee is NECESSARY for the morning since I didn't have time to froth milk at home for my normal home-brewed cappuccino. Stop into Panera Bread for a cup of joe and a breakfast sandwich.
7:10am: Coffee and sandwich ordered, I realize that my debit card (and only form of payment) is currently sitting in Tim's wallet, at home, where I left it the night before when we went to the gym. Controlled panic ensues, and sprint to figure out an excuse for why I can't pay for my breakfast.
7:11am: Right as I was about to stumble over my excuse and exit the restaurant with my head held low, the checker asks me for my Panera Rewards Card. Fifteen seconds later I realize for the first time why I'm glad I have this card.
7:12am: It appears, magically, that I have purchased enough coffee and breakfast sandwiches previously to, in the checker's own words: "get both my coffee and breakfast sandwich for free today." Seriously. The one day that I have zero dollars, and no debit or credit card, and I risk humiliation at an ungodly hour, I magically get my breakfast for free. Saved from humiliation, scorn and avoided eye contact, I leave the restaurant thrilled with the start to my day.
7:30am: Comfortably settled into my cube at work, logged in, and programs running. I call my first client, positive that he would not answer the phone. Immediate (large) sale follows. Apparently Mr. Colorado Private Investor really needs to sell his office building and has not only scheduled a reminder in his calendar to be ready to talk to me, but has gone to Starbucks, ordered his grande-double tall-extra hot- no whip-caramel latte, and is sitting at his computer logged in and ready to talk when I call. I promise...this Never. Ever. Happens.
Note: a big day at work is when you get two sales in any given day, having dialed at least 80 people, and actually spoken to maybe eight.
7:40am: Before I can even process Mr. Colarado Private Investor's credit card I get an incoming phone call (and again, just for perspective, people don't normally call me back, I am a sales person after all). Mr. California Real Estate Broker wants to take me up on my offer to advertise his listings. Second (large) sale of the day follows. Keep in mind I have had to do almost zero actual "selling" for either of these sales.
7:45am: I sit back, sip my tepid coffee, munch on my lukewarm breakfast sandwich - cheese now somewhere in that awkward, oily stage between melted and not melted- and smile about my day's quota being completed before I technically am expected to even get started.
7:45am-12:00pm: dial. dial. dial, not really worrying about anyone else actually answering the phone.
12:00pm: Lunch. Head to the bank to see if they'll let me withdraw funds from my account without my debit card. Success! I head to Whole Foods to buy Tim a carrot cake since his 30th (!!) birthday is that same day and I simply didn't have the time or patience to make him one myself.
12:25pm: Standing at the bakery counter, the day before Thanksgiving, realizing my foolishness in the midst of all the hoards of holiday shoppers. What made me think that there would be any cake, pie, or tart to spare when the biggest, most glutton filled holiday of the year is about to commence? I stare at the pathetically empty display case in utter defeat. I stick to it though, make it to the front of the line and ask the baker if he has any carrot cakes, or even just a slice of carrot cake left (trying to hide the desperately hopeful look on my face), and am informed, to my utter disbelief, that he has exactly ONE whole carrot cake left. Again...seriously? I got Whole Foods last carrot cake.
So that's it. The rest of the day followed pretty uneventfully, or I should say rather that It followed devoid of uncharacteristic and noteworthy *luck*. But overall, I'd say it wasn't a bad run. Though, I did get home and was immediately asked by the birthday boy why, given my obvious good fortune, I didn't buy a lottery ticket. Hmmmm, yes, why...why indeed? Damn it.
We could be millionaires.
:) Nic
P.S, and on a completely unrelated topic, here is a Youtube video that cracks me up every time I watch it. And we all thought Oliver was challenged...
7:07am: I arrive in the general vicinity of work, twenty-three minutes early as I always do. Just enough time to stop (if necessary) for a cup of coffee before heading to my cube for the day.
7:08am: Decision that coffee is NECESSARY for the morning since I didn't have time to froth milk at home for my normal home-brewed cappuccino. Stop into Panera Bread for a cup of joe and a breakfast sandwich.
7:10am: Coffee and sandwich ordered, I realize that my debit card (and only form of payment) is currently sitting in Tim's wallet, at home, where I left it the night before when we went to the gym. Controlled panic ensues, and sprint to figure out an excuse for why I can't pay for my breakfast.
7:11am: Right as I was about to stumble over my excuse and exit the restaurant with my head held low, the checker asks me for my Panera Rewards Card. Fifteen seconds later I realize for the first time why I'm glad I have this card.
7:12am: It appears, magically, that I have purchased enough coffee and breakfast sandwiches previously to, in the checker's own words: "get both my coffee and breakfast sandwich for free today." Seriously. The one day that I have zero dollars, and no debit or credit card, and I risk humiliation at an ungodly hour, I magically get my breakfast for free. Saved from humiliation, scorn and avoided eye contact, I leave the restaurant thrilled with the start to my day.
7:30am: Comfortably settled into my cube at work, logged in, and programs running. I call my first client, positive that he would not answer the phone. Immediate (large) sale follows. Apparently Mr. Colorado Private Investor really needs to sell his office building and has not only scheduled a reminder in his calendar to be ready to talk to me, but has gone to Starbucks, ordered his grande-double tall-extra hot- no whip-caramel latte, and is sitting at his computer logged in and ready to talk when I call. I promise...this Never. Ever. Happens.
Note: a big day at work is when you get two sales in any given day, having dialed at least 80 people, and actually spoken to maybe eight.
7:40am: Before I can even process Mr. Colarado Private Investor's credit card I get an incoming phone call (and again, just for perspective, people don't normally call me back, I am a sales person after all). Mr. California Real Estate Broker wants to take me up on my offer to advertise his listings. Second (large) sale of the day follows. Keep in mind I have had to do almost zero actual "selling" for either of these sales.
7:45am: I sit back, sip my tepid coffee, munch on my lukewarm breakfast sandwich - cheese now somewhere in that awkward, oily stage between melted and not melted- and smile about my day's quota being completed before I technically am expected to even get started.
7:45am-12:00pm: dial. dial. dial, not really worrying about anyone else actually answering the phone.
12:00pm: Lunch. Head to the bank to see if they'll let me withdraw funds from my account without my debit card. Success! I head to Whole Foods to buy Tim a carrot cake since his 30th (!!) birthday is that same day and I simply didn't have the time or patience to make him one myself.
12:25pm: Standing at the bakery counter, the day before Thanksgiving, realizing my foolishness in the midst of all the hoards of holiday shoppers. What made me think that there would be any cake, pie, or tart to spare when the biggest, most glutton filled holiday of the year is about to commence? I stare at the pathetically empty display case in utter defeat. I stick to it though, make it to the front of the line and ask the baker if he has any carrot cakes, or even just a slice of carrot cake left (trying to hide the desperately hopeful look on my face), and am informed, to my utter disbelief, that he has exactly ONE whole carrot cake left. Again...seriously? I got Whole Foods last carrot cake.
So that's it. The rest of the day followed pretty uneventfully, or I should say rather that It followed devoid of uncharacteristic and noteworthy *luck*. But overall, I'd say it wasn't a bad run. Though, I did get home and was immediately asked by the birthday boy why, given my obvious good fortune, I didn't buy a lottery ticket. Hmmmm, yes, why...why indeed? Damn it.
We could be millionaires.
:) Nic
P.S, and on a completely unrelated topic, here is a Youtube video that cracks me up every time I watch it. And we all thought Oliver was challenged...
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Back from the unintended blogging hiatus...
Well, hello! For those of you who have been wondering what the heck happened to me, since it's been so long since my last post, don't you worry! I'm still here, I've just gotten really boring since moving to San Francisco. I guess that happens when you don't have exciting things like Presidential sightings, and epic blizzards to report about.
Actually, I've been spending most of my time over here. This is my second blog. Yes, I have two, because clearly one just wasn't enough. I decided to take on a challenge back in April. To read 52 books in 52 weeks, and I've been blogging my reviews of each book and my progress on the challenge over there. Feel free to go over there and check it out, comment if you want (and disagree with my opinions if you really want to), and grab a few reading ideas if you've been feeling a bit out of touch with your bookshelves lately. It's ok, go on. I'll wait......
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Ok, you're back now? Great. On with the show. Since my last entry a few notable, and a lot more not so notable things have occurred.
First up, I turned thirty. Yep, it's true, the big three-OH. This is what turning thirty looks like, or at least what it looked like for me as I was in PORTLAND(!!!!!) with some of my bestest friends in the world who were also celebrating leaving their twenties:
And, this is how we celebrated:
It was lots of fun :)
Second in the notable category is that I got a job. I finally gave in to the realization that even though I say that I don't like sales, the pressure of it, or the high production expectations involved with it, I'm actually really good at it. So, I am now officially a sales person. And, even though I know absolutely nothing about commercial real estate, I am working for the largest commercial real estate website on the internet. So, if any of you are ever looking to open a business, or buy an apartment complex, or run a hotel...let me know, I can try to help you navigate the 750,000 listings we have on the site. And even though I might not really understand what a CAP rate is, or what's involved in a 1031 exchange, at least I can pretend well enough to convince you to buy a membership to our site!! :)
Now on to the more exciting, but far less noteworthy category of events.
What's the biggest thing to have happened in San Francisco since, well, forever? That would be the San Francisco Giants winning the world series. Prior to moving here, I couldn't have told you who Tim Lincecum was, what "fear the beard" meant, or why in the world I should even care about baseball. That has all changed now folks, I officially have Giants fever. Helped by the fact that my office is directly next door to AT&T park, aka Giants Stadium. Oh My God, I have never seen such a display of team spirit in such a large scale. And oh how it was worth it to watch a team of misfits, the underdogs, come out and railroad their way to the championship. I don't think this city is ever going to stop talking about it.
And keeping with the sports theme here, lets talk about them DUCKS. Ahem, in case you've been living under a rock, or you just refuse to acknowledge that this Pac 10 team really is this good, please refer to the BCS poll which finally caught up to all the other polls and ranked my team #1 for the first time in the school's history. It appears that it is proving to be practically impossible for them to score less then 50 points in a game. Now, just to put this in perspective, I was super proud of the Ducks back when I was a student at U of O. I thought it was pretty damned cool that the we didn't loose a home game the entire time that I was there. But this is something else entirely. This is an offense the likes of which we've never seen come out of Eugene. They're unstoppable, and they may just run themselves to a national championship. Oh, please, lets hope so.
And just to prove how extra boring we've been, and also that some things never ever change, here is a pic of how Oliver has spent the last three months:
I leave you now with this absolutely hilariously stupid short film that my brother found on YouTube, and the promise not to take another three months to write another post :)
Actually, I've been spending most of my time over here. This is my second blog. Yes, I have two, because clearly one just wasn't enough. I decided to take on a challenge back in April. To read 52 books in 52 weeks, and I've been blogging my reviews of each book and my progress on the challenge over there. Feel free to go over there and check it out, comment if you want (and disagree with my opinions if you really want to), and grab a few reading ideas if you've been feeling a bit out of touch with your bookshelves lately. It's ok, go on. I'll wait......
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Ok, you're back now? Great. On with the show. Since my last entry a few notable, and a lot more not so notable things have occurred.
First up, I turned thirty. Yep, it's true, the big three-OH. This is what turning thirty looks like, or at least what it looked like for me as I was in PORTLAND(!!!!!) with some of my bestest friends in the world who were also celebrating leaving their twenties:
And, this is how we celebrated:
It was lots of fun :)Second in the notable category is that I got a job. I finally gave in to the realization that even though I say that I don't like sales, the pressure of it, or the high production expectations involved with it, I'm actually really good at it. So, I am now officially a sales person. And, even though I know absolutely nothing about commercial real estate, I am working for the largest commercial real estate website on the internet. So, if any of you are ever looking to open a business, or buy an apartment complex, or run a hotel...let me know, I can try to help you navigate the 750,000 listings we have on the site. And even though I might not really understand what a CAP rate is, or what's involved in a 1031 exchange, at least I can pretend well enough to convince you to buy a membership to our site!! :)
Now on to the more exciting, but far less noteworthy category of events.
What's the biggest thing to have happened in San Francisco since, well, forever? That would be the San Francisco Giants winning the world series. Prior to moving here, I couldn't have told you who Tim Lincecum was, what "fear the beard" meant, or why in the world I should even care about baseball. That has all changed now folks, I officially have Giants fever. Helped by the fact that my office is directly next door to AT&T park, aka Giants Stadium. Oh My God, I have never seen such a display of team spirit in such a large scale. And oh how it was worth it to watch a team of misfits, the underdogs, come out and railroad their way to the championship. I don't think this city is ever going to stop talking about it.
And keeping with the sports theme here, lets talk about them DUCKS. Ahem, in case you've been living under a rock, or you just refuse to acknowledge that this Pac 10 team really is this good, please refer to the BCS poll which finally caught up to all the other polls and ranked my team #1 for the first time in the school's history. It appears that it is proving to be practically impossible for them to score less then 50 points in a game. Now, just to put this in perspective, I was super proud of the Ducks back when I was a student at U of O. I thought it was pretty damned cool that the we didn't loose a home game the entire time that I was there. But this is something else entirely. This is an offense the likes of which we've never seen come out of Eugene. They're unstoppable, and they may just run themselves to a national championship. Oh, please, lets hope so.
And just to prove how extra boring we've been, and also that some things never ever change, here is a pic of how Oliver has spent the last three months:
I leave you now with this absolutely hilariously stupid short film that my brother found on YouTube, and the promise not to take another three months to write another post :)
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