A Slow, Long Stretch

2010-01-12T21:25:00.001-08:00

Euf and I took our delayed honeymoon over my Winter Break a few weeks back. We went to LA, and then Palm Springs. It was the first time I actually enjoyed going to LA.

A few pics now, with some more at a later date, when I'm in the mood. :)

Needless to say, it was a gloomy day.

I feel like reviving this blog.

2009-07-04T18:17:00.001-07:00

I miss writing. I've been reading like a hound since I've been on break from school. Library books, used books I bought years ago, old emails from the courtship of Euf and I, my old Nanowrimo novel. Reading, reading, reading. And Euf's been writing like a hound. After I decided the novel was not worth editing, we decided he could adapt it into a screenplay. And he is. Which is awesome. It's been fun tossing off inciting incidents and visual motifs together.

But all this reading makes me miss writing. I wrote in journals pretty regularly from the seventh grade, all the way up to my NYC days. And when I moved to SF, I started blogging. In the last year though, where has the outlet been? Missing.

I've been tossing around short story ideas, reading books with writing exercises, even jotting down shitty poetry, but it all feels like so much pressure. And then I remembered my neglected blog. So here I am. What better way to get into the habit again.

Because reading old stuff reminded me that I like recording my personal history, no matter how pretentious or self-indulgent it is. I always have. Otherwise your memories just become vague foggy visuals. When I read through the old emails Euf and I used to send back in 2001, I was shocked how many stories I'd forgotten. Brief moments of meaningfulness to me that just evaporated over time.

Anyway, I'm back. For now. We'll see how long this lasts.

Finally! San Francisco, July 2008.

2008-08-16T12:23:00.001-07:00

Ok, these are all my pics (that I care to share, I have a gazillion more crappier ones) from my trip to SF this summer for Crazy Girls' Weekend, as it came to be known. The six of us from Cuse all gathered at Annika's home in Oakland to celebrate our common 30th birthdays this year. There was wine, cake, gang signs, hysteria, crafts, and lots of pictures. Good times all around.

Next blogging catch up project: Twin Cities/Webster 4th of July pics. Hopefully I'll get them up in the next week or so before my school year starts. In fact, I can almost guarantee they'll be up before August 25th, because frankly, I won't have time to do it after that, with my rambunctuous first grade class roster. :)

2008-08-16T12:18:00.001-07:00

The good old N-Judah and the approach to the ballpark. Sigh.

2008-08-16T12:14:00.001-07:00

Annika cracks me up.

Willie!

Love that wide angle lens.

2008-08-16T12:08:00.001-07:00

To think they were freshman roommates in college all those years ago. :) This is up on a hill in an amazing cemetary in Oakland. Beautiful views of the Bay.

Gene Simmons tongue!

Stained glass in Winchester Mystery house.

2008-08-16T12:01:00.001-07:00

Loved this spider window in the Winchester Mystery House.

And so begins the "13" gang symbol we created that weekend. That, in fact, was the moment of creation. And you might be able to sense the craziness in Annika's eyes. About ten seconds after this picture was taken, both of us were in tears uncontrollably laughing. We lost our shit entirely. The tour guide was bad, and mockable, and it made us nuts.

We're less crazy here. Hooray for fresh air!

I like how Sue's head looks like it's floating.

2008-08-16T11:55:00.001-07:00

More Healdsburg stuff.

2008-08-07T08:22:00.001-07:00

This was Healdsburg Day, and people were already going a little bit bonkers. :)

Drunk!

I love the look of suspicion, but I especially love the picture on the laptop. :)

2008-08-07T08:17:00.001-07:00

Fun with continuous shot mode on the camera! Yes, we're grown adults.

2008-08-07T08:10:00.001-07:00

And then there was the bubble wrap.

"Be a tiger!"

This is what happens after you watch Project Runway. Geriann is very serious here.

Heh, that reflection off the frame behind Audrey's right hand makes it look like she's holding a cigarette, all classy-like. How model-esqe.

Her best haute couture pose.

2008-07-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

"I don't see where it says lactating bitches on this!"

"Oh, right there."

2008-07-31T08:06:00.000-07:00

Introducing Saltay, the official cake of Crazy Girls' Weekend 2008, courtesy of Audrey and Geriann. We always bake cakes when we get together and this was no exception.

Let's just say that lighting 30 candles in the shape of the number 30 with really old candles from the convenience store across the street...well, the candles didn't hold up so well.

I actually have a series of pictures I took (again, with E's continuous shot mode) of Annika doing some cool taekwondo kicks, but this one is the coolest by itself, I think.

Believe it or not, there were MadLibs. Annika has a picture of me reading one, Regina smiling in her sleep and Geriann falling off the couch in laughter. Good times.

2008-07-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

This is Regina's bitchy face. It is a classic, and I feel downright honored to have captured a more recent picture of it. :) Oh, we're at the Japanese Tea Garden in these pics, hence the tea. :)

Nothing says love like your friend flipping you off.

2008-07-28T22:52:00.001-07:00

And the Chihuly exhibit at the DeYoung! One of the best art exhibits I've ever seen!

2008-07-28T22:43:00.001-07:00

The Farmer's Market near Annika's house was amazing! Audrey and I couldn't help ourselves and ended up buying enough stuff for both lunch and dinner that day. Lunch: steamed sweet corn, guacamole & chips, and a lovely fresh salad. Dinner: Steamed artichokes (um, but slightly burnt) and burgers on a fresh loaf of sourdough. So good.

And the strawberries! And blueberries! And nectarines! Sigh.

2008-07-27T20:43:00.001-07:00

A bunch of these pictures look like we're having really serious conversations and whatnot, but I believe we were all drunk. In the middle of a Sunday afternoon. We spent the day drinking wine, eating fresh farmers' market goodies and crazily making arts and crafts.

2008-07-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Dr. Sue is sad because she can't open the doggie gate.

Instead of helping her, I continue to take her picture to document the moment.

The arts & crafts shenanery! We made photo albums! By ourselves! After drinking a bunch of wine!

The finished project. The title comes from the fact that Audrey (and subsequently all of us) started many a sentence with the words, "Now that I'm thirty..."

My SF wanderings.

2008-07-27T20:13:00.001-07:00

I spent one Monday entirely in SF, mostly by myself, except for choice meals with old friends. It was lovely seeing the city wake up and start their day while I just kind of watched. I managed to drive, walk and public trans around the city and I ate my face off.

My first stops? A drive through Golden Gate Park.

2008-07-27T20:05:00.001-07:00

Ah, SF hippies. I took a lot of pictures in the Haight because I had some time to kill between dropping my peeps off at SFO at 5:30 am and when the Pork Store Cafe opened at 7 am. The Haight at 6 in the morning basically consists of one homeless dude, the really early morning commuting crowd, and the people unloading fruits and veggies for the market. Really quiet and nice.

Always my personal favorites.

2008-07-27T19:56:00.001-07:00

Gloomy Haight Street

Lovely Golden Gate Park

This might not be that interesting a picture to you, but the fact that I actually walked by a MUNI bus where the driver had to get out and rehook up the electrical dodads was AWESOME. It's the little things you miss.

I'm just a sucker for the street signs.

Ah, Four Embarcadero.

2008-07-27T19:30:00.001-07:00

I miss biking along that mural. There was nothing like biking home from work seeing all the people on the N-Judah trapped like sardines, and you're biking easy with the wind blowing through your hair.

I even went up to Coit Tower! What a freaking tourist I am. Like I haven't already been there like 6 times.

I love this shot though, love the gloomy SF sky. Sweet loving gloominess.

And hey, one of the last things I did in the Bay Area was get a haircut! Woohoo!

Whoa pictures!

2008-01-06T17:28:00.001-08:00

And so begins a giant blog update. These next 8 billion posts are just a sampling. If you want to snoop through more, drop me a line.

The entire Xmas crew.

I still don't know what my sister is doing in the picture.

Aw, he's actually framed perfectly with his stocking!

Pretty typical post-meal shot. Wine and talking at the table, long after the food is gone. My dad looks like he's on a roll here.

My folks.

Family, Part 2

2008-01-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

Outside the Homestead

2008-01-06T16:54:00.000-08:00

I just have to say that I've taken this particular photo from our deck so many times over the years. It always feels right to take this shot. I should dig up all the old ones and see how it's changed over the years.

Inside the Homestead

2008-01-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

The house I lived in since the fourth grade. I still love it.

My mom knit those stockings when we were little. I wonder if anyone does that anymore.

Great shot by E.

My parents' wedding photo.

The many faces of my sister.

2008-01-06T16:21:00.001-08:00

My favorite subject in the world, mostly because she makes great faces, both knowingly and unknowingly.

Our first day back East

2008-01-06T15:24:00.001-08:00

We took an red-eye into Boston, about 30 minutes before the snow started falling. My sister picked us up and we gallavanted a bit in Boston before heading to my parents' house. Our first stop was this place specifically for the Mapparium:

The last time I was in this particular part of Boston, it was summer and I was trying to find my way to Fenway Park on foot without a map. Ah, the memories. It looks quite different during snowfall.

After all the traipsing and driving in the snow, we had beer. Good times.

Walking the Freedom Trail

2008-01-06T15:08:00.001-08:00

Our last day in town, we went back to Boston (where we were flying out of that night) and walked most of the Freedom Trail. Good times.

I am shallow. I like this picture because of the red brick line signaling the Freedom Trail, but mostly because I look pretty good from behind! Woohoo!

There's just something about the old cemetaries right there in the middle of the city.

Ah, Quincy Market. So crowded and anxiety-ridden, yet still so pretty.

The Holocaust Memorial

Providence!

2008-01-06T08:19:00.001-08:00

So, one the days we spent back East, E and I decided to drive the hour down to Providence and wander around checking it out. Partly because we like new cities and partly because we have a tentative long-term plan about maybe moving back East and we wanted to check out some options. Anyway, it was a fun, easy day. Providence isn't very large, so it was easy to bump around.

I personally liked the old industrial New England feel, plus we ran into a neat little arty section downtown with TONS of neat stores, where we were amongst the Providence arty doing their last minute Christmas shopping. Frankly, the stuff we ran across was fabulous and I'd wished I'd had a little MORE shopping to do. Who ever says that?

So, some pictures!

Euf's pics of Big Nazo Lab. This place had these amazing puppets in the windows. Apparently they're a big arty puppet-type collaborative, and if that didn't make me smile and think of my pal Tina, I don't know what would. :)

A little more Providence

2008-01-06T08:07:00.001-08:00

This one's not mine, but E's and holy crap, I love it. It was his first shot of the morning and it kills me. This was right downtown, across from Johnson and Wales, I believe.

Cellar Stories Books was ironically located on the second store, but it was the best used bookstore I'd been to in a long time. It rivaled Green Apple in San Francisco, frankly, and I didn't think any bookstore could do that. (And yes, Eufrey and I are geeks who go to new cities and purposely research used bookstores to visit ahead of time.)

For the record, the look on my face is, "I wonder if that parking lot across the street has a garbage can I can throw this empty Dunkin Donuts coffee cup into."

These are all mine. Figures that old books finally get me to get my camera out and shoot something. For the record, I bought an old hardcover of Wuthering Heights here. I needed some memento of the store, and nothing better than a classic I've yet to read.

How I Spent My Birthday, Part 4

2008-01-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

More pics of the ballpark.

Weirdest thing was the giant floating pepsi bottle during pre-game.

Is it me, or is this Kerry Wood? LOL. Poor bastard.

How I Spent My Birthday, Part 3

2008-01-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

The first two games of the NLDS - Arizona vs. Chicago. Good times were had.

The kid's sign actually says, "Don't listen to my dad...He's a Cubs fan!" LOL. A very mixed crowd there at Chase Field, especially because of the ex-Chicagoans we kept running into who'd retired to Phoenix and felt awfully conflicted.

How I Spent My Birthday, Part 2

2008-01-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

This was the view from the pool at our hotel, which we got a cheap rate for from hotels.com. It was a good half hour from downtown Phoenix, which kind of sucked, but we really liked the idea of being somewhere relaxing. And it totally was. Our room even had a jacuzzi tub, which was a great way to unwind after seeing playoff baseball.

How I Spent my Birthday, Part 1

2008-01-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

Considering my birthday was three months ago, these pictures are a little bit overdue. We spent my 29th birthday in Phoenix, as an excuse to see some DBacks/Cubs playoff games. We drove down from Vegas, past the Hoover Dam and through Arizona. Our first stop was the Arizona Biltmore, full of Frank Lloyd Wrightiness and apparently, lawn chess.

Eh, the pictures don't do the lobby justice.

1. Yes, I'm wearing a skirt. I figured Frank's lovely hotel deserved a mild dressing up.
2. I swear, I'm making the same face in my fourth grade Lassie League picture.

I WISH I had a picture of this story.

2007-12-10T22:08:00.001-08:00

I saw a couple get married in a drive-through chapel the other day. They were sitting on the back of a convertible getting serenaded by an Elvis impersonator. Days later, I'm still in disbelief.

Also, I'm teaching kindergarten now. Hooray!

E and I are heading east to visit my family for Christmas. It will be the first time in five years of so for me. Many pictures will be had. I am stoked.

2007 will be a year to remember, to say the least. I'm very much heavily into the end-of-year retrospecticus (to steal a fake word from an old friend) right now. Looking back, taking stock, re-evaluating, all the good stuff that just tumbles forth in December. This time a year ago, I was feeling sorry for myself, but right now, there's not much I'd be doing differently if I could.

Some twelve months sure do pack a heavier punch than others, I suppose.

Sketchiness continued!

2007-11-26T21:10:00.000-08:00

But a little bit because of the hookah lounge next door.

The Best Sketchy Strip Mall in Town

2007-11-26T21:05:00.001-08:00

Mostly because of the Pinball Hall of Fame really.

Sculpture park in Rhyolite

2007-10-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

More Rhyolite

2007-10-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

I love this picture mostly because of the sign in the foreground. Stay out, Stay alive! LOL.

Goodbye Death Valley, Hello Rhyolite

2007-10-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

The road we took out of Death Valley back into Nevada:

Welcome to Rhyolite, one of the biggest set of ghost town ruins in Nevada:

I love this picture of E taking a picture of his sister in this random phone booth.

And just for a more complete picture, here's what he was taking. He has such better skills than I. Actually they both do. Damn that clan and their superior photographic skills. :) Plus the look on C's face in that second pic cracks me up.

Yet more Death Valley

2007-10-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Greenland Blvd is funny to me.

The Borax Museum!

Suspicion and Disappointment:

I'm fond of pretending I'm injured by things in pictures.

More Death Valley

2007-10-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Death Valley Roadtrip

2007-10-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

Nevada is desolate, but gorgeous.

A mile up at Dante's View in death Valey, looking down at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the US. The pictures won't capture how awesome it really was, but I'll say this. Getting out of the car and walking up to the edge and seeing the view for the first time, well, I couldn't stop swearing. It was uncontrollable the things coming out of my mouth. I just forgot how to communicate otherwise.

Death Valley Roadtrip

2007-10-06T13:27:00.001-07:00

So, E, his dad and sister and I took a day long roadtrip out to Death Valley. I have so many pictures, so this is just the beginning. And just so I'm clear, all these pics in this post are from my old point and shoot. Badass.

Hey! The only winery in Nevada! And the wine was actually pretty good.

We actually hit a flooded spot in the road and paranoidedly charged through, praying we wouldn't get stuck.

Random Nevada desert. Love it.

Lost City Museum in Overton

2007-10-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

Neat little musuem not far from Valley of Fire State Park.

I don't know what it is about my folks on vacation, but this is the second time they've been stopped while bring touristy to participate in a documentary. The first time? In San Francisco's Chinatown a few years back for some Korean documentary.

So here's my dad and I being filmed. LOL. I let him do most of the talking. :)

Various State Parks!

2007-10-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Pops and I at Red Rock Canyon:

Beehives (not real ones) at Valley of Fire State Park:

The folks and I at Valley of Fire:

E at Valley of Fire:

Random Vegas Family-ness

2007-10-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

My sister looking skeptical of the monorail. Or maybe she's just hungover. :)

Hooray for fake Paris!

Barry Manilow is scary, especially when he's that large and staring down at you while you lounge in a pool.

My youngest cousin, freshly 21 years of age, clearly bored by her old drunk cousins. :) Just wait til you're our age!

Lake Mead

2007-10-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

The family decided, while we were at Hoover Dam to stop by Lake Mead and take a boat ride. A lovely time.

The view from the back of our paddleboat:

My pops:

My cousin and I:

My aunt:

I have no new pictures.

2007-09-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

But I feel like posting anyway. So there.

Random things:

1. My family's coming to town this week! Woohoo! Can't wait to see them all. Can't wait to take lots of pictures. Can't wait to do fun things and show them around Vegas. I'm thinking of driving up to Rhyolite (a big Nevada ghost town) with my parents.

2. I bought an Oakland A's t-shirt. I still feel kind of conflicted about this, as the Red Sox are my team. But I've always counted the A's as a part of my second-tier favorite teams, and the shirt was really cute and it didn't come in Red Sox. So there.

3. I just started reading The Psychology of Baseball by Mike Stadler. So far, so good...very up my alley. Just finished The Photograph by Penelope Lively. Lovely sad read, actually.

4. Other books sitting around waiting to be read or finished: In Persuasion Nation by George Saunders, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (a sequel! to my favorite children's novel!), You Got to Have Wa by Robert Whiting (an older book about Japan/US baseball and how the differences mirror the cultures) Swimming for Fitness (due back soon at the library), and two how to play tennis books.

5. I had an amazing burger last night, at the 24 hour diner at the Cannery Casino of all places! Those diners often blow, but this burger (with mushrooms, bacon and swiss) was awesome. A big piece of burger, perfectly cooked (medium rare), with a good bun that soaked up all the evil grease. It definitely broke my record of healthy eating, but it was worth it. I hadn't had a good burger in months, and now I know where to go for my next one.

The desert

2007-08-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

I'm growing really fond of the desert.

I like how the mountains loom at the edge of the valley, all 360 you can look. I like how present they are during the daytime, yet how they disappear at night, blending in with the dark sky. I can still feel them there though.

I like how after two weeks of steady dry heat, there will be a day of gray gloomy skies, and how inevitably that means a sudden downpour of rain, some dazzling lightning, and bright claps of thunder...and the next day it will be back to normal, bright and hot, but with a tiny hint of humidity in the air, to remind you of that storm. And those storms have always come at night, when it's dark. I don't understand that. Is this just a coincidence? Is there some scientific reason behind it? I'm curious, but not so curious to ruin its romance with research.

I love desert nights, especially where we live. It's so dark that I can easily see stars. It's so quiet too, just crickets chirping and that electric hum of air conditioning.

It's so peaceful at night. And even though I've always lived in relatively peaceful neighborhoods, there's something different about this.

Even the way the clouds mar the sky at night kills me a little.

Non-sequitors on a bored Wednesday night

2007-08-15T23:08:00.001-07:00

1. Not having cable over those four years in San Francisco was wonderful. But now I've fallen back in like a junkie. Damn you, Top Chef! (Howie is an asshole.)

2. Three assorted San Diego pictures below, taken by my poor abandoned digital camera. I took like 8 pictures with it, but eventaully succombed to Lazlo. I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to neglect you. You still take lovely pictures.

3. Something that makes me feel older: The fact that I get into new music, but YEARS after everyone else. I mean, I was never one of those people who was super in tune with pop culture and upcoming trends. But still. I was pretty decent. I could usually say, "Yeah, I've loved CURRENTLY_TRENDY_BAND for a while, back before HIT_SINGLE/ALBUM/SELLING OUT TO THE MAN made it so big." You know what I'm talking about. And now I can't say that as often. Although I still hear the names, it just takes me longer for the music to get in my hands. Guess it's just not such a big priority anymore. That's sad.

Moral of the Story: I sure do like Andrew Bird. And there will be snacks.

3. I am faux-serious in candlelight.

4. I enjoy the act of blogging. Sitting down and writing and looking at pictures and making decisions. The act itself pleases Juan.

5. I went to Red Rock Canyon and I only took two pictures. Word on the street is that Las Vegas is hot. I still enjoyed the 14 mile scenic drive from air conditioned Danno. The desert is perty.

6. The cd's just switched in the cd player from the aforementioned Andrew Bird to the Flaming Lips, specifically Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. It's just good. It's about robot love for god's sake!

7. This blog will just exist about three years too late from now on. I'll be all, "Hey, sure do enjoy this 2004, eh? Are you reading The DaVinci Code, too? Word."

San Diego!

2007-08-08T20:42:00.001-07:00

So E recently splurged and bought a Pentax D-40 (or something like that), a lovely digital SLR. And he was smart to buy it just before our long weekend jaunt to San Diego. We shot hundreds of pictures between the two of us.

I feel like apologizing to my camera though. I barely used it. All of these are from the SLR, which E named Lazlo. I love the telephoto lens, I love the wide angle fisheye. Love it all.

E took this one, obviously. (Most of these are my pics, but I'll note when it was E. There were a few of his gems I can't resist posting.) It was our first stop after geting our rental car Thursday morning. The Mission, a breakfast joint near Petco Park downtown. So freaking good. I was chugging a hammerhead, half coffee, half espresso (which is why I was able to smile after being awake at 5:30 am). It was delicious, as was the french toast.

Some Balboa Park shenanery:

A surfer near Crystal Pier:

I like my boyfriend.

2007-08-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

He's good at being a photograph subject. I am not as good at it. I can do about three shots and then I start feeling shy and weird. But he's so great at it. Love me that arty boy. :)

The Shrug in Old Town Temecula

2007-08-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

The shrug became the theme of the weekend after a moment of delirium that first day in San Diego. We were driving around Mission Bay and getting hopelessly lost in a tangle of exits. E took this moment to tell me about the double-actioned shrug he sometimes uses in conversation, just to see how people react to its ridiculousness. What you basically do is:

1. Shrug normally.
2. Hold the shrug for about 5-10 seconds, for it to start becoming uncomfortable for everyone involved.
3. Finally, raise the shrug a few inches higher, to punctuate the ridiculousness.

E was telling me how really it's been a failed conversational venture for him, as no one seems to know how to respond, and generally just plow on past, pretending nothing happened.

For some reason, this was the funniest thing I'd ever heard, and I could barely drive, I was laughing so hard.

And we ended up taking pictures of the shrug the rest of the weekend.

You probably had to be there.

Offroading in Temecula

2007-08-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

We drove up to Temecula for a little winetasting. But my favorite pictures were the ones I took from the car as we drove down some random dirt road. Perty.

Lake Elsinore Storm

2007-08-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

E and I have a baseball problem. Not only did we see a Padres game in our long weekend to San Diego, but we drove north for over an hour to see a minor league game as well. We watched the Single A Lake Elsinore Storm (a Padres affiliate) take on the visiting Lancaster Jethawks (the Red Sox affiliate). Good times were had. The park was fairly new and lovely, a bit of a ripoff of Fenway, actually.

E actually took this one:

They were honoring Tony Gwynn tonight, which made recognizing any given player kind of awkward.

Thunder, the mascot:

Thunder being resusitated, for some reason.

I can't even remember this bunny's name, but he seemed to be some kind of secondary mascot. But he was kind of lame. He did pop out of the right field scoreboard when the Storm scored, though, and did a very stupid dance. I felt ashamed for the poor bunny.

More Lake Elsinore Storm

2007-08-08T19:45:00.001-07:00

My favorite picture of the whole trip:

E took this one too:

Love these kinds of pics, the ridiculous mixed with the somber. It feels very minor league-esqe.

The Shrug in Lake Elsinore

2007-08-08T19:36:00.001-07:00

More shrugging action. The delirium continues.

More Lake Elsinore Storm

2007-08-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Ferry to Coronado

2007-08-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

Petco Park

2007-08-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

We missed Barry tying the HR record by ONE day, but that's ok. It was a great game (even though the Giants lost in the end), a beautiful day, and a gorgeous park.

Our awesome hostess:

Love the wide angle Fisheye lens:

A handful more Vegas drive pics...

2007-07-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

because I think they're pretty.

More Photo Dumping! The Vegas Drive!

2007-07-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

These are all examples of what happens when you get stuck in unmoving traffic on the 5 and you happen to have stuffed animals with you.

Photo Dump - Red Sox/A's

2007-07-31T16:47:00.000-07:00

I have a crush on Dustin Pedroia. My love matches that of Jeff Frye and Jody Reed, previous diminutive second basemen for the Sox.

This picture cracks me up, because Youk and Papi love one another, while poor JD Drew looks on, wondering why he is overpaid and underloved. I haven't given up on you yet, JD, but you're making it difficult.

I am a pervert. I like pictures of ballplayers getting stretched out by trainers. It's just funny to me. I believe this was Wily Mo.

Sigh.

I actually got a real haircut. And color!

2007-07-26T16:30:00.001-07:00

Pensive outdoors:

The nice highlights:

Wha?

I will eat your children:

Welcome to Las Vegas and whatnot

2007-07-26T15:19:00.001-07:00

The view from my front yard. Desert mountains are pretty.

And the weird thing? I haven't even been here a month, and yet when the temperature was only 85 or so this morning, I actually said, 'It's kind of chilly this morning."

Weird.

Harry the Hedgehog

2006-10-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

No pictures, just a story.

I do one-on-one tutoring with a third grade girl. Mostly writing-focused. Getting her to write is like pulling teeth some days.

So on Saturday, she was finishing her up math tutoring, so I walked over and said, "Ready for some writing?" I looked down and she's in tears. My boss, who tutors her in math, was all, "I don't think she's quite ready." It's not the first time she's ended up in tears at tutoring. She's done it with me too. (Like after her first week of school when none of her old friends were in her class and she wasn't making friends and she thought everyone hated her.) :(

So I sat down with her, and told her to take some deep breaths because it's helped in the past and she's doing that super sad sobbing where you can barely breathe. She starts calming down a bit, and I notice she's got a stuffed animal in her lap. So I say, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

She eventually brings him up to the table, wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and says softly, "This is Brownie."

I look and it's a beaver. The exact kind of silly stuffed animal I would own. I told her how much I liked him and decided to tell her about one of my own favorite stuffed animals, my little hedgehog Harry.

So we get to talking and before you know it, she's smiley and giggly and having a good time. So I tell her I think we should do some writing about our stuffed animals. She brightens up and gets her pencil and we do, both writing a paragraph or two about Brownie and Harry. We trade papers, read each other's aloud, do some editing. She looks at me funny when she reads my sentence about Harry getting in trouble because he likes to do magic. I tell her I'll bring Harry in next week and she can talk to him herself.

And while we're writing, my boss walks by, sees her diligently writing, occasionally stopping to giggle with me over some detail, and says, "You're amazing."

the birthday boy

2006-05-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

This didn't really techinically begin my Memorial Day Weekend, but it was the first thing I brought the camera to.

E's brother's place up in Twin Peaks was our first stop on Sunday, for a birthday party for S (pictured here). I love S to pieces. He's hilarious and sweet and has made me feel like a part of the clan from the get-go three years ago. He deserved every bit of the fabulous party that he got.

And it was a fabulous party. Homemade pizzas, booze galore, tons of people, playoff basketball, glorious sun. Good times all around.

insanely yummy psuedo-birthday cake

2006-05-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

16 year old A made these little brownie-ish bites, WHICH WAS SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING CHOCOLATE GOODNESS I'VE HAD IN AGES.

the polaroid/fortune cookie tradition

2006-05-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

There's a long tradition up at the Twin Peaks parties involving Polaroids and fortune cookies. Every guest has to get a picture taken, and then choose a fortune cookie. Your fortune gets attached to the picture and VOILA...instant hilarity often ensues, given the fortune and the picture. It's funny because the very first picture I ever had taken at a Twin Peaks party is hanging up on the wall, with all the other family members. I feel so loved. I've had many pics taken since that first one. But I have to admit, the most recent one is probably one of my favorite all times, as you'll see below...

Ps. There's also plenty of funny stories about E's old Polaroid camera, but I love that this picture shows that it says "nekkid 4 life" on it. It's so teenage, I love it.

Does the ax equal the wisdom of the ages?

2006-05-30T22:58:00.001-07:00

Me and E, crazy-style.

Considering E took the shot with one hand stretched out himself, I think it came out pretty well. He totally missed the bottle of Sam Adams Summer Ale (thank you Andronico's for your wide variety of beer) that was sitting on the chopping block.

Click on the pic for a bigger shot if you can't read the fortunes. Good times. I have no idea what E's fortune on the bottom means. Any ideas?

polaroid picture props

2006-05-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

E and I decided to take our Polaroid together this time. These were some of the props. You can see the picture starting to develop on the chopping block.

(We weren't drunk yet, I swear. I'd only had two beers.)

bjork in the house

2006-05-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

pictures galore

2006-05-30T22:56:00.006-07:00

my flower problem

2006-05-30T22:56:00.005-07:00

I have a flower-loving problem. Especially lately. (See: Conservatory pics)

my flower problem continued

2006-05-30T22:56:00.004-07:00

drunken perspective

2006-05-30T22:56:00.003-07:00

At this point, I was drunk and trying to re-learn how to use the depth of field stuff on my camera while wandering about the garden/patio area. Plus, all the gorgeous purple flowers were just killing me.

the fire pit

2006-05-30T22:56:00.002-07:00

I just love the symmetry of this shot. And I love that fire pit. I've roasted many a marshmallow in that fire pit. It always reminds me of bonfires by the water back home.

the patio

2006-05-30T22:56:00.001-07:00

the view below

2006-05-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

I love the view from this apartment.

wilbur in your face

2006-05-30T22:55:00.002-07:00

Wilbur is a monster now. I first met Wilbur when he was just a little kitten and I was making my first trip out to SF to meet E during our long distance shenanary. Wilbur was a part of his household then. He's as cute now as he was back four years ago. Just a lot bigger.

Thank god for allergy meds.

(I have to say that I have so many other pics, but they all came out blurry because I was drunk and refused to use the flash.)

new york city bound

2006-05-30T22:55:00.001-07:00

I think A is going to own New York City.

the pursuit

2006-05-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

After the Twin Peaks shindig, we were off to the Richmond. To bid a final farewell to A, who moved to New York Monday morning for a new job, life, etc.

And of course, there was Trivial Pursuit. Always will there be Trivial Pursuit.

baseball girls

2006-05-30T22:54:00.003-07:00

Monday, I was back in San Jose to take my pal A to see the single A Giants. I've becoming insanely fond of ballgames down there.

1. It's so much cheaper.
2. The food is better.
3. The people are wonderful.

But most importantly, it feels like the way baseball should be. The players are young and imperfect and talk to the drunks in the stands. You can pay $9 and sit wherever the hell you want. There's silly games between innings and there's kids running around having a good time and it just feels right.

baseball girls

2006-05-30T22:54:00.002-07:00

baseball girls

2006-05-30T22:54:00.001-07:00

a matching pair

2006-05-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

accidental feet

2006-05-30T22:53:00.002-07:00

This was a total accident picture, but there's something I love about it.

45

2006-05-30T22:53:00.001-07:00

cheering kids

2006-05-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

NOT on the South Beach Diet

2006-05-16T20:43:00.001-07:00

SF in the evening light

2006-05-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

A glimpse of outside

2006-05-16T20:42:00.001-07:00

Glowy

2006-05-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ghostly

2006-05-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Reflections

2006-05-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Dreaming of escape

2006-05-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

Supermodel the butterfly

2006-05-16T20:37:00.001-07:00

Supermodel profile

2006-05-16T20:37:00.000-07:00