Lately, I've been on a Oatmeal-for-breakfast kick.
Originally, I was doing the stove-top method. That's how my Mom used to make it for me, so I had this whole comfort-food feeling from it. I'd make it with milk, and watch over it to make sure that the pot didn't boil over.
When Dick's sisters came to visit in January, one of them asked why I didn't cook it in the microwave. I said I was afraid it might boil over, but she told me that's how she did it, and never had that problem.
So then, i started to cook my milk/oatmeal in the microwave for 3 minutes. Still yummy, and less clean-up.
Last week, when Dick's Dad and nephew were here, I made oatmeal for myself 3 times in the microwave. Each time, it boiled over. I was perplexed, as it hadn't happened before.
The last time it happened, I had an "a-ha" moment. (That's when I start to sing a verse of "Take on Me")
I realized that I usually use 1% low-fat milk, and this week I had been using non-fat milk.
Could that really make that much of a difference?
This morning, I was all out of milk, so I went to the store and intentionally bought a pint of 1% low-fat milk.
I came home, measured out my oatmeal & milk, and popped it in the microwave for 3 minutes.
The verdict: no spillage.
So, lesson learned. Who knew?
BTW, I put a little bit of brown sugar and a handful of dried cranberries in my Oatmeal. It's a little something that I learned from a cool cafe that I used to go to by our old house.
Yummy! And good for you, too! (or, at least it's not bad for you!)
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Back from the airport
I just came home from dropping Dick's father and nephew off at the airport. We had a very nice visit together, and I'm so glad that they were able to come.
One of my favorite memories will be when Peter said, "I didn't' realize that this trip was going to be so special."
That's pretty sweet when it comes from the mouth of a 6-year-old. :)
One thing I really enjoy about visiting with Dick's family is that I have a chance to know them, and even Dick even more. Dick is very much like his father, and I really enjoy hearing him tell stories about Dick and his siblings from when they were young. Dick's father has always pointed out that Peter reminds him so much of Dick when he was a little boy - he certainly resembles Dick at that age, and has similar mannerisms and interests.
Dick looked at Peter this week, and noticed Peter doing or saying something exactly like Dick would have said when he was young. Dick made a funny comment to his Dad: "I can tell you how this one turns out". :)
Anyhow, a wonderful time was had by all. Peter is looking forward to coming back in the Fall.
One of my favorite memories will be when Peter said, "I didn't' realize that this trip was going to be so special."
That's pretty sweet when it comes from the mouth of a 6-year-old. :)
One thing I really enjoy about visiting with Dick's family is that I have a chance to know them, and even Dick even more. Dick is very much like his father, and I really enjoy hearing him tell stories about Dick and his siblings from when they were young. Dick's father has always pointed out that Peter reminds him so much of Dick when he was a little boy - he certainly resembles Dick at that age, and has similar mannerisms and interests.
Dick looked at Peter this week, and noticed Peter doing or saying something exactly like Dick would have said when he was young. Dick made a funny comment to his Dad: "I can tell you how this one turns out". :)
Anyhow, a wonderful time was had by all. Peter is looking forward to coming back in the Fall.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Easter Treats
This morning I was blow-drying my hair upstairs, and looking out the window on the side of our house.
I looked across the street to our neighbors house and saw one of their friends driving up on his Harley Davidson motor cycle. He was a big bear of a man.
To my surprise, he was wearing a full pink bunny suit! He didn't have a full mask on, but he had a hood with big, long ears. The best part was that he was wearing his big, huge black leather motorcycle jacket as well.
can you imagine this? :)
He hopped off his bike, and walked up the stairs to the front door. This was when I noticed that he was also carrying a large Easter Basket as well.
I love our neighborhood.
I looked across the street to our neighbors house and saw one of their friends driving up on his Harley Davidson motor cycle. He was a big bear of a man.
To my surprise, he was wearing a full pink bunny suit! He didn't have a full mask on, but he had a hood with big, long ears. The best part was that he was wearing his big, huge black leather motorcycle jacket as well.
can you imagine this? :)
He hopped off his bike, and walked up the stairs to the front door. This was when I noticed that he was also carrying a large Easter Basket as well.
I love our neighborhood.
Pride
We had dinner last night at "Catch" on Market Street, near Castro last night.
As we were walking down Castro Street, Peter asked Dick and I what all of the rainbow flags meant.
Dick had such a wonderful explanation:
He said that the rainbow symbolized "inclusion". He explained that our neighborhood and community thinks that it is very important to include everyone - no matter what their backgrounds, race, color, or any preferences may be.
I don't think I've ever heard such an eloquent description of our community.
I told Peter that we are very lucky to live in an area that embraces all kinds people.
He seemed to agree. :)
As we were walking down Castro Street, Peter asked Dick and I what all of the rainbow flags meant.
Dick had such a wonderful explanation:
He said that the rainbow symbolized "inclusion". He explained that our neighborhood and community thinks that it is very important to include everyone - no matter what their backgrounds, race, color, or any preferences may be.
I don't think I've ever heard such an eloquent description of our community.
I told Peter that we are very lucky to live in an area that embraces all kinds people.
He seemed to agree. :)
Friday, March 25, 2005
Trains, Planes & Automobiles
or rather: streetcars, taxis, cable cars, and subways
We had a great day with our guests today! Peter got a chance to experience 4 different modes of pubic transportation in one day!
We took the "F" Muni Line (which are the antique street cars which go all the way down Market street, and along the Embarcadero) from the beginning of the line (Castro/Market) to Pier 39.
We walked along Pier 39 for just a bit, mostly to check out the beautiful views. I had bought a couple of disposable cameras for Peter yesterday, so today he was able to take photos of Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was great today, and very clear! We walked along and saw the sea lions lounging in the sun, and eventually got lunch (fish & chips) at Aliotos.
By my friend, George's wonderful suggestion, we visited one of my favorite SF attractions to take out-of-town-guests, Musee Mecanique. I was a huge fan of Musee Mecanique when it was housed at the Cliff House, but had not been to its new home at Pier 45. The space was fantastic, and it was quite busy today. Peter really enjoyed playing many of the games there today.
We then strolled along and stopped at Hyde Street Pier. Peter was excited to take a quick walk along the "beach" so that he could dip his finger inside the Bay! :)
We went up to Ghiradelli Square where I had hoped to go into the restaurant to show peter the equipment that they use to make chocolate. Unfortunately, the line was VERY long, so we skipped it.
We were going to take the Cable Car back to Union Square, but once we found out that the line would take over an hour, we came up with a better plan:
We hailed a cab, and had it drop us off at the corner of California and Van Ness. Once there, we boarded a Cable Car, and took it the entire way up California Street back to the Embarcadero.
By this time, we were all pretty tired from all of the walking and excitement of the day. When I say "we", I mean, Dick, Dick's father and I. Peter was still full of energy! We decided to take the underground MUNI, or the subway, as I told Peter, from the Embarcadero back to the Castro Street Station.
We came home just in time to watch a full evening of College Basketball while eating pizza for dinner!
BTW: Yes, North Carolina did win.
Yes, Duke Lost.
No, I didn't watch the game.
I was upstairs for the entire first half or more getting some work done. Then I went downstairs to hear how close the game was. Dick's father and I decided to retire to the kitchen and eat ice-cream sundaes while "listening" to the game (ie: Dick yelling and screaming) while Peter ran in every two minutes to give us the update on the game. Each time he came in, he said, "Trina, don't come in!"
What a nice day.
Tomorrow we plan on covering Chinatown and Union Square.
We had a great day with our guests today! Peter got a chance to experience 4 different modes of pubic transportation in one day!
We took the "F" Muni Line (which are the antique street cars which go all the way down Market street, and along the Embarcadero) from the beginning of the line (Castro/Market) to Pier 39.
We walked along Pier 39 for just a bit, mostly to check out the beautiful views. I had bought a couple of disposable cameras for Peter yesterday, so today he was able to take photos of Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was great today, and very clear! We walked along and saw the sea lions lounging in the sun, and eventually got lunch (fish & chips) at Aliotos.
By my friend, George's wonderful suggestion, we visited one of my favorite SF attractions to take out-of-town-guests, Musee Mecanique. I was a huge fan of Musee Mecanique when it was housed at the Cliff House, but had not been to its new home at Pier 45. The space was fantastic, and it was quite busy today. Peter really enjoyed playing many of the games there today.
We then strolled along and stopped at Hyde Street Pier. Peter was excited to take a quick walk along the "beach" so that he could dip his finger inside the Bay! :)
We went up to Ghiradelli Square where I had hoped to go into the restaurant to show peter the equipment that they use to make chocolate. Unfortunately, the line was VERY long, so we skipped it.
We were going to take the Cable Car back to Union Square, but once we found out that the line would take over an hour, we came up with a better plan:
We hailed a cab, and had it drop us off at the corner of California and Van Ness. Once there, we boarded a Cable Car, and took it the entire way up California Street back to the Embarcadero.
By this time, we were all pretty tired from all of the walking and excitement of the day. When I say "we", I mean, Dick, Dick's father and I. Peter was still full of energy! We decided to take the underground MUNI, or the subway, as I told Peter, from the Embarcadero back to the Castro Street Station.
We came home just in time to watch a full evening of College Basketball while eating pizza for dinner!
BTW: Yes, North Carolina did win.
Yes, Duke Lost.
No, I didn't watch the game.
I was upstairs for the entire first half or more getting some work done. Then I went downstairs to hear how close the game was. Dick's father and I decided to retire to the kitchen and eat ice-cream sundaes while "listening" to the game (ie: Dick yelling and screaming) while Peter ran in every two minutes to give us the update on the game. Each time he came in, he said, "Trina, don't come in!"
What a nice day.
Tomorrow we plan on covering Chinatown and Union Square.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Word.
I've been doing some administrative work (from home) for the Always Dream Foundation this week. I've been using Word & Excel to merge documents/letters/labels from spreadsheets. I don't use this stuff very often, so whenever I come across a feature like this, I'm so impressed! It's very cool. Good tools to know.
Go Office! :)
Go Office! :)
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Stepping in for the Long-Eared One
As I just mentioned, Dick's 7-year-old nephew is coming to visit us tomorrow for a week. He'll be here for Easter Sunday.
When his Mom and I realized that, she asked if I would mind putting an Easter Basket together for Peter - he's just on the verge of believing, and not believing ;) I had thought of the idea as well, and was more than happy to help Mr Rabbit find his way to Peter here in SF.
I went to Target yesterday, with a list in hand of suggestions that Dick's sister had made. I wanted to make sure that whatever I assembled was close to what he was used to getting at home - no need to arouse any more suspicions!
I have to say, I had a lot of fun putting together my first Easter Basket. I got the standard Chocolate Bunny (named Peter Candytail), plastic eggs (which I filled with chocolates & candy), and miniature nerf football, a pair of sunglasses (which his mom said is a tradition with them) and (my favorite) a travel-sized "Simon" game. Remember that handheld electronic game from the 70s? They actually had several remakes of games from that time period. I was happy to see a new and improved version of "Merlin". I had the original version when I was about 8 years old. I loved it. In fact, I still have it somewhere boxed in my closet at my parent's house. I know my friend from junior high, Sheri, still has her's, too!
My parents were always SO good with delivering special presents from the Easter Bunny, Santa, and even "The Great Pumpkin". (Did anyone else have a Great Pumpkin deliver goodies to them?) My parents were so creative, and looking back, I really appreciate all of the work and effort that they put into making our holidays special. They used to write us notes (from Santa, Easter Bunny, & Great Pumpkin) with our gifts. I eventually figured out that they would write with their non-dominant hand to disguise their handwriting! (how clever!) One year, The Easter Bunny delivered hand-painted ceramic Raggedy Ann & Andy bookends for me. I LOVED them. I remember looking at their bottom side, and seeing the initials "B.C." engraved in them. I asked my Mom (whose name is Barbara) what the initials meant. My mom, in her ever so quick and witty way replied, "Oh - that must mean "Bunny Country"! That's some quick thinking, Mom! :)
Anyhow, The Easter Bunny (or Peter Rabbit) will be delivering a pretty cool Easter Basket to His 'n Her Condos on Sunday.
I hope Peter likes it! :)
When his Mom and I realized that, she asked if I would mind putting an Easter Basket together for Peter - he's just on the verge of believing, and not believing ;) I had thought of the idea as well, and was more than happy to help Mr Rabbit find his way to Peter here in SF.
I went to Target yesterday, with a list in hand of suggestions that Dick's sister had made. I wanted to make sure that whatever I assembled was close to what he was used to getting at home - no need to arouse any more suspicions!
I have to say, I had a lot of fun putting together my first Easter Basket. I got the standard Chocolate Bunny (named Peter Candytail), plastic eggs (which I filled with chocolates & candy), and miniature nerf football, a pair of sunglasses (which his mom said is a tradition with them) and (my favorite) a travel-sized "Simon" game. Remember that handheld electronic game from the 70s? They actually had several remakes of games from that time period. I was happy to see a new and improved version of "Merlin". I had the original version when I was about 8 years old. I loved it. In fact, I still have it somewhere boxed in my closet at my parent's house. I know my friend from junior high, Sheri, still has her's, too!
My parents were always SO good with delivering special presents from the Easter Bunny, Santa, and even "The Great Pumpkin". (Did anyone else have a Great Pumpkin deliver goodies to them?) My parents were so creative, and looking back, I really appreciate all of the work and effort that they put into making our holidays special. They used to write us notes (from Santa, Easter Bunny, & Great Pumpkin) with our gifts. I eventually figured out that they would write with their non-dominant hand to disguise their handwriting! (how clever!) One year, The Easter Bunny delivered hand-painted ceramic Raggedy Ann & Andy bookends for me. I LOVED them. I remember looking at their bottom side, and seeing the initials "B.C." engraved in them. I asked my Mom (whose name is Barbara) what the initials meant. My mom, in her ever so quick and witty way replied, "Oh - that must mean "Bunny Country"! That's some quick thinking, Mom! :)
Anyhow, The Easter Bunny (or Peter Rabbit) will be delivering a pretty cool Easter Basket to His 'n Her Condos on Sunday.
I hope Peter likes it! :)
Preparing for out-of-town guests
Dick's father and 7-year-old nephew, Peter, are coming in to visit tomorrow. They will be here through next Wednesday.
This is Peter's first time to San Francisco, and I think it's the first time that he'll be away from his parents for this length of time.
I've been trying to come up with some fun things for us to do while they're here:
SF Wharf area (horribly touristy, but I know Peter will enjoy it)
Cable Car rides
The Exploratorium
Tour of SBC Park (Peter is a huge sports fan) I took this tour a few years ago (the week after the Giants were in the World Series) It's a great tour, if you like baseball.
Chinatown/Union Square
The Jelly Belly Factory Tour complete with lunch at the cafeteria (hot dogs, hamburgers & pizza shaped like jelly beans)
We'll also be having Easter Brunch with my parents in the South Bay.
Should be a fun week! I'm sure we'll all be exhausted by the end of it ;)
This is Peter's first time to San Francisco, and I think it's the first time that he'll be away from his parents for this length of time.
I've been trying to come up with some fun things for us to do while they're here:
SF Wharf area (horribly touristy, but I know Peter will enjoy it)
Cable Car rides
The Exploratorium
Tour of SBC Park (Peter is a huge sports fan) I took this tour a few years ago (the week after the Giants were in the World Series) It's a great tour, if you like baseball.
Chinatown/Union Square
The Jelly Belly Factory Tour complete with lunch at the cafeteria (hot dogs, hamburgers & pizza shaped like jelly beans)
We'll also be having Easter Brunch with my parents in the South Bay.
Should be a fun week! I'm sure we'll all be exhausted by the end of it ;)
Thursday, March 17, 2005
St. Patrick's Day
I'm not Irish (Obviously) and I don't drink beer, but I've always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day!
When I was growing up, one of our special treats of the year was when my Mom would make Corned Beef & Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day dinner (a Chinese tradition, don't you know). We always loved it, and I don't think I've had it in several years.
I was grocery shopping the other day and noticed that corned beef & cabbage were both on sale - for obvious reasons. I thought, "Why not!" and bought all of the essential ingredients. I came home, and sent an email to my mom asking:
"How do you make Corned Beef & Cabbage?"
I was actually at her house Tuesday evening, and she was making it, so it was helpful to be able to watch first-hand. Turns out it's pretty easy, and just takes time.
I knew I had an appointment today at the gallery, so I didn't know whether or not I'd have enough time to make dinner tonight. Instead, I decided to make it yesterday. It turned out GREAT, and was everything I remembered. Dick said he really enjoyed it, too, so it looks like I'll carry on the tradition of making this an annual meal! :)
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
When I was growing up, one of our special treats of the year was when my Mom would make Corned Beef & Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day dinner (a Chinese tradition, don't you know). We always loved it, and I don't think I've had it in several years.
I was grocery shopping the other day and noticed that corned beef & cabbage were both on sale - for obvious reasons. I thought, "Why not!" and bought all of the essential ingredients. I came home, and sent an email to my mom asking:
"How do you make Corned Beef & Cabbage?"
I was actually at her house Tuesday evening, and she was making it, so it was helpful to be able to watch first-hand. Turns out it's pretty easy, and just takes time.
I knew I had an appointment today at the gallery, so I didn't know whether or not I'd have enough time to make dinner tonight. Instead, I decided to make it yesterday. It turned out GREAT, and was everything I remembered. Dick said he really enjoyed it, too, so it looks like I'll carry on the tradition of making this an annual meal! :)
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
The New Battlestar Galactica Miniseries
Dick and I borrowed The new Battlestar Galactica Miniseries DVD set from Mike last month, and we only started to watch it tonight.
We only made it through the first two hours, but I have to say: so far, two thumbs up!
Here's the funny thing (because I seem to find so many things in life funny):
I just assumed that this was meant to be a sequel of sorts to the original Battlestar Galactica series from the 70s. I used to LOVE that movie/tv show. I'm not sure what the appeal was for me, but it's something that I remember a lot about: the character names, etc., I actually had the little "Muffy the Dagot" action figure! What a geeky little girl! I even got a met the original Apollo (Richard Hatch) at Fashion Fair Mall in Fresno when I was 6 or 7. He gave us (my sister and I) an autographed photo :)
Because of this, I was awfully confused tonight. I kept wondering why all of the characters had the same names as the characters from the original! I thought that perhaps these names were "passed down" from generation to generation. I assumed that this new series took place 40 years after the orginal series that I know and loved. (the new series made mention that the last time they had contact with Cylons was 40 years ago. I figured the old war that they were talking about was the old series!)
But then, with that theory, things just got silly. I kept recognizing names for everyone. Each of the characters with the same names even had the same rank/positions on the ship. Down to the little orphaned boy named Boxey. That's when I realized: "wait a minute. This just doesn't make any sense." (plus, you know, he didn't have a dog - but did anyone else noticed that the kid looked *just* like the kid in the original?)
We turned it off after two hours so we could get ready for bed. I immediately called my Mom and asked, "Why are all of the characters names the same as in the first series?"
She totally laughed at me and explained that it's not a sequel, or continuation of the first series at all! It's simply a remake!
A remake.
(insert light bulb here)
Fancy that.
I had no idea.
D'oh!
It all makes so much more sense to me now!
I can forget everything I've ever known about the old Battlestar Galactica, and start new....
Anyhow, that's my first review, for what it's worth. We're enjoying it so far.
Thanks for lending us the DVD, Mike! :)
We only made it through the first two hours, but I have to say: so far, two thumbs up!
Here's the funny thing (because I seem to find so many things in life funny):
I just assumed that this was meant to be a sequel of sorts to the original Battlestar Galactica series from the 70s. I used to LOVE that movie/tv show. I'm not sure what the appeal was for me, but it's something that I remember a lot about: the character names, etc., I actually had the little "Muffy the Dagot" action figure! What a geeky little girl! I even got a met the original Apollo (Richard Hatch) at Fashion Fair Mall in Fresno when I was 6 or 7. He gave us (my sister and I) an autographed photo :)
Because of this, I was awfully confused tonight. I kept wondering why all of the characters had the same names as the characters from the original! I thought that perhaps these names were "passed down" from generation to generation. I assumed that this new series took place 40 years after the orginal series that I know and loved. (the new series made mention that the last time they had contact with Cylons was 40 years ago. I figured the old war that they were talking about was the old series!)
But then, with that theory, things just got silly. I kept recognizing names for everyone. Each of the characters with the same names even had the same rank/positions on the ship. Down to the little orphaned boy named Boxey. That's when I realized: "wait a minute. This just doesn't make any sense." (plus, you know, he didn't have a dog - but did anyone else noticed that the kid looked *just* like the kid in the original?)
We turned it off after two hours so we could get ready for bed. I immediately called my Mom and asked, "Why are all of the characters names the same as in the first series?"
She totally laughed at me and explained that it's not a sequel, or continuation of the first series at all! It's simply a remake!
A remake.
(insert light bulb here)
Fancy that.
I had no idea.
D'oh!
It all makes so much more sense to me now!
I can forget everything I've ever known about the old Battlestar Galactica, and start new....
Anyhow, that's my first review, for what it's worth. We're enjoying it so far.
Thanks for lending us the DVD, Mike! :)
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
South Bay Shopping
I had my annual meeting with my tax accountant today. I've been using her for 6 years now, and she is fabulous. She's really great in understanding the idiosyncrasies of having a small business in your home, and everything that goes with that tax-wise. If you need a good accountant, let me know. Her office is in Hayward, so I made an appointment for the morning, so I could swing by Milpitas to have lunch with my Mom today.
Whenever I'm in Milpitas, I like to run a bunch of errands down here. It's just more convenient than running errands in the City. At the very least, I almost always make a stop to Target since our closest Target to home is in Colma. Anyhow, while I was there, I was strolling through the grocery aisles - they have all kinds of groceries there now! And here's the surprise: I found a BUNCH of things that were considerably cheaper than what I buy them for at our local (chain) grocery store. I even found items that I could no longer find at my grocery store for about 40% cheaper! Who knew? I may have to consider doing some bulk grocery shopping whenever I come down to the South Bay. I think it'll be well worth it.
Whenever I'm in Milpitas, I like to run a bunch of errands down here. It's just more convenient than running errands in the City. At the very least, I almost always make a stop to Target since our closest Target to home is in Colma. Anyhow, while I was there, I was strolling through the grocery aisles - they have all kinds of groceries there now! And here's the surprise: I found a BUNCH of things that were considerably cheaper than what I buy them for at our local (chain) grocery store. I even found items that I could no longer find at my grocery store for about 40% cheaper! Who knew? I may have to consider doing some bulk grocery shopping whenever I come down to the South Bay. I think it'll be well worth it.
Monday, March 14, 2005
One more step in the right direction...
There's still a long road ahead, but at least we're going in the right direction:
A San Francisco Superior Court judge declared California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional Monday, saying it violates the "basic human right to marry a person of one's choice.''
Read the entire article.
PS: I'm a big fan of our mayor, Gavin Newsom.
GO Gavin!
A San Francisco Superior Court judge declared California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional Monday, saying it violates the "basic human right to marry a person of one's choice.''
Read the entire article.
PS: I'm a big fan of our mayor, Gavin Newsom.
GO Gavin!
Mango-licious!
Is it Mango Season?
I just returned from the grocery store.
Mangoes are on sale for $.99 each. Plus, they're nice and ripe!
I'm eating a super-juicy, yummy mango right now!
I just returned from the grocery store.
Mangoes are on sale for $.99 each. Plus, they're nice and ripe!
I'm eating a super-juicy, yummy mango right now!
Star Wars Trailer
In case you've missed it, here's the full-trailer:
Star Wars Episode III Trailer
Oh, yeahhhh!! Wookies and all.
The movie opens on May 19th - that's only 2 months away!
I'm sure my sister and I will try to see it on opening day again - want to join us?
Star Wars Episode III Trailer
Oh, yeahhhh!! Wookies and all.
The movie opens on May 19th - that's only 2 months away!
I'm sure my sister and I will try to see it on opening day again - want to join us?
..and on a lighter note...
This makes me laugh.
It reminds me of when I moved into my condo - the first time.
My parents came over to help me move. We were planning on hanging my art on the walls, and they introduced me to this handy tool called a "Stud Finder".
When they first told me the name of it, I cracked up! I joked that all we had to do was bring it to Castro Street, and we'd find plenty of studs. (beep, beep, beep!)
I had told my sister that story years ago. She found this cartoon strip sometime last year and clipped it out for me. I just found it when I was sorting through my tax receipts this weekend.
It reminds me of when I moved into my condo - the first time.
My parents came over to help me move. We were planning on hanging my art on the walls, and they introduced me to this handy tool called a "Stud Finder".
When they first told me the name of it, I cracked up! I joked that all we had to do was bring it to Castro Street, and we'd find plenty of studs. (beep, beep, beep!)
I had told my sister that story years ago. She found this cartoon strip sometime last year and clipped it out for me. I just found it when I was sorting through my tax receipts this weekend.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
So, tell me how you really feel....
Honestly?
Well, today I'm feeling....
sad
overweight
out of shape
uninspired
unemployed
grumpy
surly
blue
but I do feel loved.
and I know that's the most important thing.
and I'm very grateful for it.
Well, today I'm feeling....
sad
overweight
out of shape
uninspired
unemployed
grumpy
surly
blue
but I do feel loved.
and I know that's the most important thing.
and I'm very grateful for it.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Signs of the Times
I passed by a store today on Diamond @ 24th Street. It's some kind of furniture/design store.
If I remember right, it opened about 3-4 months ago.
It still has a huge banner going across the front of the building stating "Grand Opening Sale!".
I noticed today that the windows have a new sale sign painted across them:
"Going out of Business Sale".
Hmmmm.
I think they should probably consider taking down the "Grand Opening Sale" sign.
The two sales kind of conflict with one-another, don't you think?
If I remember right, it opened about 3-4 months ago.
It still has a huge banner going across the front of the building stating "Grand Opening Sale!".
I noticed today that the windows have a new sale sign painted across them:
"Going out of Business Sale".
Hmmmm.
I think they should probably consider taking down the "Grand Opening Sale" sign.
The two sales kind of conflict with one-another, don't you think?
Denied!
Today is the first round of games for the ACC Tournament.
UNC played Clemson today at 9:00am (PST). I have pilates at 10:00am on Fridays, so I knew I'd be out of the house for most of the game.
I came home at 11:20 - I figured I had left PLENTY of time for the game to finish. Plus, the Tar Heels were heavily favored. It *should* have been a safe bet that they would win.
As soon as I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, Dick looked across the room at me, and yelled, "Not Good. NOT GOOD! STAY AWAY!"
Egads.
Okay. So I closed the door, and stood outside for the next few minutes, completely oblivious to the score, or what was going on.
Turns out UNC was ahead by 4 points with 20 seconds to go. Apparently, at one point they were down 13 points with 9 minutes to go.
I'm lucky that I didn't come home to find Dick passed out on the sofa from the stress.
UNC did win - and all is well with the universe again.
Until 10:30 tomorrow morning, that is.
It's going to be a LONG weekend.
UNC played Clemson today at 9:00am (PST). I have pilates at 10:00am on Fridays, so I knew I'd be out of the house for most of the game.
I came home at 11:20 - I figured I had left PLENTY of time for the game to finish. Plus, the Tar Heels were heavily favored. It *should* have been a safe bet that they would win.
As soon as I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, Dick looked across the room at me, and yelled, "Not Good. NOT GOOD! STAY AWAY!"
Egads.
Okay. So I closed the door, and stood outside for the next few minutes, completely oblivious to the score, or what was going on.
Turns out UNC was ahead by 4 points with 20 seconds to go. Apparently, at one point they were down 13 points with 9 minutes to go.
I'm lucky that I didn't come home to find Dick passed out on the sofa from the stress.
UNC did win - and all is well with the universe again.
Until 10:30 tomorrow morning, that is.
It's going to be a LONG weekend.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Public Transportation: The Good, the Bad, and the Smelly
One of the things I love about living in a big city is having the option to take public transportation here and there. Although we certainly don't have the best system compared to most large cities, it's not bad, and I'm just happy to have it.
We live about 3 blocks away from the Castro Station, which is the underground MUNI line. It's very convenient to take downtown, or to take it to transfer to a BART station. It's often a heck of a lot easier to take MUNI down to Union Square, than it is to drive, and especially to find and pay for parking. A one-way trip on MUNI is only $1.25 (although they are probably going to raise it to $1.50 soon) one-way, but the transfer is good for two hours.
Since we moved from the Mission, I haven't had a reason to take BART lately. I took it this past weekend, and honestly, I kind of forgot how very convenient, and actually relaxing it is. I went to Stockton on Saturday for my Grandpa's birthday. I took BART to Pleasanton (about 45 minutes) then met my parents at the station. They drove from Milpitas, picked me up at the Pleasanton BART station, and the 3 of us rode to Stockton together. At first, I was planning on driving, but then I remembered that it was the same afternoon as the cranes were going under the Bay Bridge, and they were going to stop traffic for a while. Really not worth driving - that would have added a lot of time to my trip. That's when I decided to take BART. Dick dropped me off at the station, then I listened to my iPod, and read a magazine all the way to Pleasanton. very nice.
I also took MUNI yesterday afternoon. I was in Union Square, and took the K Line to Castro St. Station right smack in the middle of rush hour. I forgot how much I don't like to take MUNI during rush hour. It's generally VERY crowded - standing room only once you get on at Powell Street. So yesterday, I crammed myself into the crowded car - trying to find a space where I could have something to hold on to.
So here's when I remembered an important detail about riding MUNI during rush hour: It turns out that I am the perfect "arm-pit height". What does that mean? It means that when I'm standing in a crowded MUNI train, surrounded by lots of tall men, my nose is right about at the height of most men's armpits. Yep. that's a lovely thought. That's what happens. See, all you tall guys out there - that's probably the last thing that you think about when you board a crowded train. But we short people notice these things. ugh. Something to be aware of.... ;)
We live about 3 blocks away from the Castro Station, which is the underground MUNI line. It's very convenient to take downtown, or to take it to transfer to a BART station. It's often a heck of a lot easier to take MUNI down to Union Square, than it is to drive, and especially to find and pay for parking. A one-way trip on MUNI is only $1.25 (although they are probably going to raise it to $1.50 soon) one-way, but the transfer is good for two hours.
Since we moved from the Mission, I haven't had a reason to take BART lately. I took it this past weekend, and honestly, I kind of forgot how very convenient, and actually relaxing it is. I went to Stockton on Saturday for my Grandpa's birthday. I took BART to Pleasanton (about 45 minutes) then met my parents at the station. They drove from Milpitas, picked me up at the Pleasanton BART station, and the 3 of us rode to Stockton together. At first, I was planning on driving, but then I remembered that it was the same afternoon as the cranes were going under the Bay Bridge, and they were going to stop traffic for a while. Really not worth driving - that would have added a lot of time to my trip. That's when I decided to take BART. Dick dropped me off at the station, then I listened to my iPod, and read a magazine all the way to Pleasanton. very nice.
I also took MUNI yesterday afternoon. I was in Union Square, and took the K Line to Castro St. Station right smack in the middle of rush hour. I forgot how much I don't like to take MUNI during rush hour. It's generally VERY crowded - standing room only once you get on at Powell Street. So yesterday, I crammed myself into the crowded car - trying to find a space where I could have something to hold on to.
So here's when I remembered an important detail about riding MUNI during rush hour: It turns out that I am the perfect "arm-pit height". What does that mean? It means that when I'm standing in a crowded MUNI train, surrounded by lots of tall men, my nose is right about at the height of most men's armpits. Yep. that's a lovely thought. That's what happens. See, all you tall guys out there - that's probably the last thing that you think about when you board a crowded train. But we short people notice these things. ugh. Something to be aware of.... ;)
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
trina.com
I registered my trinachow.com domain about 5 years ago. I had originally wanted "trina.com", but that domain has been taken for several years, but didn't have anything up for the longest time.
I just checked out trina.com and it looks like it's the TriNa brand softdrink that I saw in Spain.
The entire site is in Spanish, but it's not hard to figure out the different sections in the navigtion.
There's a Trina Arcade section where they have games like "TRINAABILITY" and "TRINABLOCK". This cracks me up! Looks like you have to be logged in as a member to play. oh well.
Fun with Trina! Who knew?
I just checked out trina.com and it looks like it's the TriNa brand softdrink that I saw in Spain.
The entire site is in Spanish, but it's not hard to figure out the different sections in the navigtion.
There's a Trina Arcade section where they have games like "TRINAABILITY" and "TRINABLOCK". This cracks me up! Looks like you have to be logged in as a member to play. oh well.
Fun with Trina! Who knew?
MINI's first service
I brought my MINI Cooper in for her first service appointment yesterday.
I'm still so impressed with how cars, and car service have improved since I last bought a car in 1988.
My MINI (like most newer cars, I imagine) has a service indicator that appears for a couple of seconds whenever I turn on the engine. It lets me know how many miles i have left before I need to bring my car in for service. The service indicator takes into account both milage as well as driving patterns. The first service (essentially an oil & filter change) is supposed to be scheduled around 10,000 miles. However, since I mostly drive in the city, and don't drive as many miles per month as most people, my service indicator had me go in around 9,000.
This is pretty amazing to me, since I used to bring my old Acura Integra in for an oil and filter change every 3,000 miles or 3 months. My, how times (and cars) have changed!
I'm still very happy with the service that I have recieved at my dealership, East Bay MINI in Pleasanton. I had an amazing car-buying experience there last year, and I had heard good things about their service department as well. I was able to make, and change my appointment easily, was was told that my appointment would take about one and a half hours. My service technician was very friendly and professional, and called me when my car was ready to be picked up. (I was having lunch with my Mom). My car was complete within the hour and a half, and was also nice and clean when I picked her up.
All of this, and any other service that I need to have over the next 3 years are all covered under my warrantee. :)
I should also mention that I drive about 40 miles to Pleasanton just o bring my car to East Bay MINI, even though the San Francisco MINI dealership is just a couple of miles away from my house. I had been to the San Francisco dealership several times while I was still shopping for a car, and was never very impressed with the service that I received. I have also not heard very favorable things about their service department. I figure it's worth the drive out to Pleasanton to get great service from the dealership that I'm happy to support and recommend.
I Love having a new car!
I'm still so impressed with how cars, and car service have improved since I last bought a car in 1988.
My MINI (like most newer cars, I imagine) has a service indicator that appears for a couple of seconds whenever I turn on the engine. It lets me know how many miles i have left before I need to bring my car in for service. The service indicator takes into account both milage as well as driving patterns. The first service (essentially an oil & filter change) is supposed to be scheduled around 10,000 miles. However, since I mostly drive in the city, and don't drive as many miles per month as most people, my service indicator had me go in around 9,000.
This is pretty amazing to me, since I used to bring my old Acura Integra in for an oil and filter change every 3,000 miles or 3 months. My, how times (and cars) have changed!
I'm still very happy with the service that I have recieved at my dealership, East Bay MINI in Pleasanton. I had an amazing car-buying experience there last year, and I had heard good things about their service department as well. I was able to make, and change my appointment easily, was was told that my appointment would take about one and a half hours. My service technician was very friendly and professional, and called me when my car was ready to be picked up. (I was having lunch with my Mom). My car was complete within the hour and a half, and was also nice and clean when I picked her up.
All of this, and any other service that I need to have over the next 3 years are all covered under my warrantee. :)
I should also mention that I drive about 40 miles to Pleasanton just o bring my car to East Bay MINI, even though the San Francisco MINI dealership is just a couple of miles away from my house. I had been to the San Francisco dealership several times while I was still shopping for a car, and was never very impressed with the service that I received. I have also not heard very favorable things about their service department. I figure it's worth the drive out to Pleasanton to get great service from the dealership that I'm happy to support and recommend.
I Love having a new car!
Monday, March 07, 2005
Instant Message worm
I've been fortunate, and haven't really had any problems with security viruses or worms over the years (knock word) - it's one of the perks of using a Mac over the PC. (I should mention here that even though I use a Mac, I still think that it is important to be cautious. I run Norton AntiVirus on my computer, and it occassionally does find some buggy files.)
However, I just read about a new type of worm that has been released over the past couple of days.
Instead of using email to send around a virus, it sends a link to people in your Instant Message address book. If you had received the worm, and it infected your computer, the virus could spread by sending out Instant messages to all of your IM buddies, making it look like a message sent by you. It's similar to email viruses, but people are much more suspect of opening attachments or links sent via email these days.
I probably wouldn't have thought much about this (being a Mac user, and all...) but I did receive an IM from my friend, Martin today. It contained two lines. The first was along the lines of: "This is funny - you should see this", and the the second line was a link. Since I hadn't heard of this virus technique before today, I clicked on the link to a url that ended with a .pif file. Luckily, it came up as a broken page, meaning the page had been pulled down, and the worm no longer is operational from that link.
I IM'ed with Martin later on, and he explained the virus to me. He had received an IM from a friend earlier, clicked on the (virus) link, and it in turn sent out IMs to people in his contact list.
So the moral of this story is: be careful out there. We're trained to no open links or attachments in our email, but now it seems important to be careful what links or attachments you open over IM programs as well.
Be warned.
However, I just read about a new type of worm that has been released over the past couple of days.
Instead of using email to send around a virus, it sends a link to people in your Instant Message address book. If you had received the worm, and it infected your computer, the virus could spread by sending out Instant messages to all of your IM buddies, making it look like a message sent by you. It's similar to email viruses, but people are much more suspect of opening attachments or links sent via email these days.
I probably wouldn't have thought much about this (being a Mac user, and all...) but I did receive an IM from my friend, Martin today. It contained two lines. The first was along the lines of: "This is funny - you should see this", and the the second line was a link. Since I hadn't heard of this virus technique before today, I clicked on the link to a url that ended with a .pif file. Luckily, it came up as a broken page, meaning the page had been pulled down, and the worm no longer is operational from that link.
I IM'ed with Martin later on, and he explained the virus to me. He had received an IM from a friend earlier, clicked on the (virus) link, and it in turn sent out IMs to people in his contact list.
So the moral of this story is: be careful out there. We're trained to no open links or attachments in our email, but now it seems important to be careful what links or attachments you open over IM programs as well.
Be warned.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Basketball Diaries... er....Blogs
Hurray! UNC beat Duke 75-73 today!
Good thing, too. We are a much happier household when the Tar Heels win.
Now, you may recall that fateful game that UNC played against Santa Clara in November. It was UNC's first game of the season, and they were heavily favored to win.
Well, they didn't.
Between that game, and the UNC vs. Cal game that Dick took me to on one of our first dates (which UNC also lost - being heavily favored) Dick had since deemed me "bad luck" when it came to his beloved basketball team.
After the ill-fated Santa Clara game, Dick informed his entire family (all Tar Heel fans) that I am bad luck, and should never be allowed to watch a game live again.
Happily, UNC has had a great year so far. The best that they've had in 12 years. So far, they've only had 3 losses - the first being against Santa Clara, and the other two were very close games against ranked teams.
Generally speaking, this means that Dick "allows" me to watch most of the games with him. However, if it starts to look bad, he has asked me to leave the room, and will not permit me to watch the game until after is is over (we record it on our Media Center). Dick's sisters have both thought of calling me during particularly low points in the games to make sure that I am not watching, and if I am, to please leave the room.
UNC has had two huge games in the last week: UNC vs. Maryland (last Sunday) and today's game against Duke. These were two very important games, and it was obvious that they would be nail-biting. I was flat-out forbade to be in the room during the last 10 minutes of the games. (I tried to walk in a couple of times to see the score, and Dick would "shoo" me out)
Shhhh... here's a little secret
My sister called me today towards the end of the game. I told her that the big game was on, and that I had been banned from watching. She asked me what the score was. Since I "wasn't allowed" to go downstairs, I quickly flipped on my little TV in my office. There was only about 3 minutes left in the game, and the Tar Heels were down by 9 points. Uh oh. I immediately turned the TV off again, just in case I really am bad luck! Turns out that that was as high as Duke would score, and that UNC managed to come back from being 9 points behind, and win the game in under 3 minutes.
Today's win means that the Tar Heels have not only beat Duke (their arch-rival) for only the 3rd time in the last 16 games against them, but they also won the outright Atlantic Coast Conference title and a probable No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
See how much I've learned by dating Dick over the past 6 years? Honestly, before then, I didn't have a clue what "March Madness" referred to. Impressive, eh? Ah, what a girl won't do for her guy ;)
Dick is still bitter about the Santa Clara game. Several times over the course of the season, the commentators would say something like "How did Santa Clara beat this team?". Dick would yell back to the TV, "Two Words: Trina Chow!"
I spent the day with my parents yesterday, and didn't get home 'til late. Dick was out for a late dinner with our friend, Martin. Anyway, I came home, and saw the pile of mail on the kitchen counter. There was a Santa Clara University magazine on the top of the pile (my sister got her undergrad degree there years ago, and I've been receiving mail for her from SCU for years). Anyway, I came home, and saw a post-it stuck to the front of the magazine that read (in dick's handwriting):
Trina -
Thanks again for helping us beat UNC!
-Your friends @ Santa Clara
LOL. Very funny.
Good thing, too. We are a much happier household when the Tar Heels win.
Now, you may recall that fateful game that UNC played against Santa Clara in November. It was UNC's first game of the season, and they were heavily favored to win.
Well, they didn't.
Between that game, and the UNC vs. Cal game that Dick took me to on one of our first dates (which UNC also lost - being heavily favored) Dick had since deemed me "bad luck" when it came to his beloved basketball team.
After the ill-fated Santa Clara game, Dick informed his entire family (all Tar Heel fans) that I am bad luck, and should never be allowed to watch a game live again.
Happily, UNC has had a great year so far. The best that they've had in 12 years. So far, they've only had 3 losses - the first being against Santa Clara, and the other two were very close games against ranked teams.
Generally speaking, this means that Dick "allows" me to watch most of the games with him. However, if it starts to look bad, he has asked me to leave the room, and will not permit me to watch the game until after is is over (we record it on our Media Center). Dick's sisters have both thought of calling me during particularly low points in the games to make sure that I am not watching, and if I am, to please leave the room.
UNC has had two huge games in the last week: UNC vs. Maryland (last Sunday) and today's game against Duke. These were two very important games, and it was obvious that they would be nail-biting. I was flat-out forbade to be in the room during the last 10 minutes of the games. (I tried to walk in a couple of times to see the score, and Dick would "shoo" me out)
Shhhh... here's a little secret
My sister called me today towards the end of the game. I told her that the big game was on, and that I had been banned from watching. She asked me what the score was. Since I "wasn't allowed" to go downstairs, I quickly flipped on my little TV in my office. There was only about 3 minutes left in the game, and the Tar Heels were down by 9 points. Uh oh. I immediately turned the TV off again, just in case I really am bad luck! Turns out that that was as high as Duke would score, and that UNC managed to come back from being 9 points behind, and win the game in under 3 minutes.
Today's win means that the Tar Heels have not only beat Duke (their arch-rival) for only the 3rd time in the last 16 games against them, but they also won the outright Atlantic Coast Conference title and a probable No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
See how much I've learned by dating Dick over the past 6 years? Honestly, before then, I didn't have a clue what "March Madness" referred to. Impressive, eh? Ah, what a girl won't do for her guy ;)
Dick is still bitter about the Santa Clara game. Several times over the course of the season, the commentators would say something like "How did Santa Clara beat this team?". Dick would yell back to the TV, "Two Words: Trina Chow!"
I spent the day with my parents yesterday, and didn't get home 'til late. Dick was out for a late dinner with our friend, Martin. Anyway, I came home, and saw the pile of mail on the kitchen counter. There was a Santa Clara University magazine on the top of the pile (my sister got her undergrad degree there years ago, and I've been receiving mail for her from SCU for years). Anyway, I came home, and saw a post-it stuck to the front of the magazine that read (in dick's handwriting):
Trina -
Thanks again for helping us beat UNC!
-Your friends @ Santa Clara
LOL. Very funny.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Entourage Question
Hey, all you Entourage Gurus out there.... I have a question.
I was helping a friend with his new 20" iMac yesterday. He's had it a little over a month. When he got it, he imported all of his email, addresses, and calendar info into the appropriate Apple apps (he imported from his PC files). He has since installed a full version of Office:2004. He has been wanted to try Entourage, but had been unsuccessful in being able to import the info from the Apple Apps to Entourage. I looked at it with him yesterday, and sure enough, realized it may not be possible.
Entourage has so many options of what kinds of programs/files to import from. It does not have any of the Apple Apps (Mail, iCal, Address Book). It does, of course import from a text file (tab or comma delimited, or from a MBOX-format text file) So I thought we could just go to the Apple Apps and have them Export as a text file. No can do. It exports, but you can not choose what type of file it exports as, and whatever that is isn't a text file that Entourage can read.
I assume this may be one of those things that is simply not possible, but I thought I'd check in with the pros first.
He doesn't want to re-import from his PC because he now has a month+ of information that is only in his Apple apps.
Any comments or suggestions?
I was helping a friend with his new 20" iMac yesterday. He's had it a little over a month. When he got it, he imported all of his email, addresses, and calendar info into the appropriate Apple apps (he imported from his PC files). He has since installed a full version of Office:2004. He has been wanted to try Entourage, but had been unsuccessful in being able to import the info from the Apple Apps to Entourage. I looked at it with him yesterday, and sure enough, realized it may not be possible.
Entourage has so many options of what kinds of programs/files to import from. It does not have any of the Apple Apps (Mail, iCal, Address Book). It does, of course import from a text file (tab or comma delimited, or from a MBOX-format text file) So I thought we could just go to the Apple Apps and have them Export as a text file. No can do. It exports, but you can not choose what type of file it exports as, and whatever that is isn't a text file that Entourage can read.
I assume this may be one of those things that is simply not possible, but I thought I'd check in with the pros first.
He doesn't want to re-import from his PC because he now has a month+ of information that is only in his Apple apps.
Any comments or suggestions?
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Silly Sci-Fi Songs
My Sister sent me this Star Wars Rap. It's pretty funny.
Made me think of a Star Trek Spoof song from the mid-80s called "Star Trekking". (does anyone else remember this?) You gotta love the web - I haven't heard this song in almost 20 years. (not that I was missing it, mind you!)
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