The cat who cried wolf

Our big cat, Marcel, is feeling very smug right now.

He managed to trick us into feeding him two breakfasts this morning.

Now granted, Marcel has been on a diet ever since we adopted him 5 years ago. He is on prescription diet food, and only gets 1 cup of food per day.

We often find Marcel trying to trick us into believing that he hasn't been fed yet. If I leave the house before Dick comes home from work, Dick will have to call me to find out whether or not Marcel has already been fed. This is because, regardless of if he has just been fed or not, Marcel will sit at the top of the stairs and "Meow! Meow!" trying to convince us that he hasn't had a bite to eat in days.

He did the same thing this morning. We were out unusually late (for us) last night at Shan's annual "Bond Party". (Which was fantastic, by the way. Thanks, Shan!) We got home around 2:00. I woke up around 10:00, walked out of the bedroom, and there was Marcel, sitting in the hallway screaming, "MEOW! MEOW!". Now, here I thought, "what a good little guy - he waited until I woke up to start crying." So I happily gave him a scoop of food.

When Dick woke up half an hour later, I told him what a good cat Marcel had been. Dick started laughing, telling me that I'd been had.... He briefly woke up at 6:00am, and had fed Marcel then.

We keep warning Marcel that one of these days, he's going to be the cat who cried wolf. He's going to "MEOW! MEOW!" and we're not going to believe him.

But, until that happens, we've got one smug, sassy, big fat cat who is very pleased with himself.

Burning the (past) Midnight Oil

I've been really busy over the past two weeks with work. My big project is still the gallery site re-design. We started working on it in March, then there was a lull, now we're back in full-swing. I'm really hoping to have this site up and launched within the next week.

This is my 3rd night that I've been up past midnight working.
It's kind of a nice change, and I like being busy, but I'm also looking forward to when it is done, and I can share it with all of you peeps.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday to my fabulous Dad!
(sorry that I'm a little late in posting!)

Hope you had a GREAT day!
xxooo

Field Trip!

Today, I took a field trip to the lovely suburb of Walnut Creek.

I had an 11:00am meeting with a new client (yay) then had lunch with my sister and my Dad. (My Dad has an office in Walnut Creek for about 1 1/2 days per week). Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday, so we went out on a celebratory lunch today.

Big Bonus from Walnut Creek:

Don't laugh, but I got most excited about the parking meter rates. Compared to San Francisco's ever-rising meter rates, it was a deal! I was actually able to get a full 30-minutes for a quarter! I think the last time I parked at a meter in SF (along the Embarcadero) I only got 7 minutes per quarter. (or something outrageous like that)

I also got Princess Parking right in front of the store of my new client.

My sister and I arrived at the store about 10 minutes early, so we decided to stroll around the quaint shops. We went to a thrift store to see if we could find any bargains. My sister is the Thrift Store Shopping Queen. She has bought many a Vintage Bargain - especially in our days in Dayton, OH. But I digress... I found a most excellent vintage brocade dress with a matching jacket. To top it off, it's from Saks Fifth Avenue. And the best part of all: it fit perfectly. I was so excited, as this was my first really good vintage find at a thrift store. It's super cute - very 50's.

Everybody Everybody....

(just like "Black Box" used to sing...)

Another one of my good friends is blogging!
I think it's officially a "craze" now.

Philip lives in Houston, TX.

I've known Philip for a really, really long time. I think we met in the summer of 1989. We met the week of DCI (where was DCI that year? Kansas City?) Anyhow, Philip was in the guard of "The Cavaliers" along with many of our other friends. Come to think of it, I think we knew at least half of the rifle line that year, and several of the flags. Philip was in the Rifle line, and we went to watch them rehearse before finals. When I was a young teen, and entered the world of winter/color guard around 1982, my friends and I used to swoon over the boys in the Cavaliers. (at that time, they were the only all-male winter guard). After a few years in the activity, I bought a clue, and figured out the whole gay-to-straight ratio, and came up with the motto that I still live by today: "Gay until proven Straight".

Philip originally hails from Louisiana, did drum corps in Illinois, then moved down to Houston where a whole crowd of color guard friends lived. My sister and I used to go out visit them in the summers (Summer in Texas? Were we insane?)

Philp used to come visit me here in SF, and fell in love the City. He moved out here for a few years. I LOVED having him out here. I especially miss having him call me at 3:00 to meet him for tea on Castro Street (where he worked).

He moved back to Texas the same year that Christopher moved to Australia, and my good buddy Todd moved away, too. So many friends moved away in 2002.

Philip says that he "left his heart in San Francisco" and hopes to make his way back someday. I'm really hoping that he does.

I'm looking forward to catching up with him via his blog (because for some reason the whole phone thing doesn't seem to be working)

Welcome aboard, Philip!
The more blogs the merrier!

Finished Harry Potter

Okay, I finally finished Harry Potter: Book VI last night at 2:30am. It was such a busy week that I mostly read it bed in the evening. Yesterday I had a chance to really dive into it, then hit the point where you simply couldn't stop without finishing it entirely.

Suffice to say, I really enjoyed it.
I won't put any spoilers here for any of you still reading it, but now I understand why Meg and Mykail were so anxious to have someone to talk to about it!

Bro has a Blog!

Christopher is back, and and is standing on the corner soapbox waiting to share his "wordly whims and woes" with you.

This should be very entertaining, indeed. ;)

Spoiled, spoiled Girl

I've been working on the new Adler Gallery site all morning.
(It's a BIG CSS project)

I took a break at 2:00 to take a shower.

here's what happened:

The site was working well on all browser/platforms except for Netscape on the Mac.
Dick decided that he would spend some time working out the CSS to make it compatible.

Christopher is downstairs making tuna fish sandwiches for lunch.

I'm a spoiled (and happy) girl!

Girlie Moment

Oy.

I just got out of the shower. I was working hard all morning, but I have a 2:00 appointment in Union Square.

While I was taking a shower, I started to notice all kinds of spider webs up above.
ew.

When I got out of the shower I noticed a large, brown, fuzzy (EW!) spider crawling up under the handtowel.

As luck will have it, I'm not alone today...

I yelled upstairs, "BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

Christopher came down to see what the ruckus was about. I told him about the spider. He rolled his eyes (as men do - straight, or gay) took the towell down, brought it outside, and set the spider free.

ew. (one more time)

I'm way too much of a City Girl sometimes.

Let's hear it for the US Postal Service!

Remember those wedding invites that I mentioned yesterday?

I forgot to say that I had only brought them in to our local Post Office on Saturday morning. I had already been in a few days before, having the clerks weigh one packet to make certain that I had the right postage, finding out how much it would be to send to Europe, and to double-check that they would be able to hand-cancel them for me. Anyhow, I carried my bag of invites into the Post Office on Saturday, and the nice clerk who had helped me the day before saw me standing in line behind roughly 10 other people. He came out to greet me, and asked what I needed to have done. I told him that I had all of my wedding invites, and was hoping that they could still hand-cancel them for me. He gave me a big smile, wished me well on our marriage, and took the bag from me, stating that he'd be certain to get it done. (So nice!)

Last night, I got a couple of emails (and a post from Paula's Blog) letting me know that the invitations had already made their way out to (at least to some people) in San Francisco and San Jose.

Amazing!

I'm so often impressed by the speed and efficiency of the US Postal Service. I once put an envelope addressed to my insurance agent in Milpitas into the mailbox (at the Post Office) on a Tuesday evening at 5:00, only to hear that he had received it Wednesday morning by 10:00. That's so incredible.

I had also ordered all of my stamps online a couple of weeks ago. They had a huge selection (I needed .37, .60 and postcard stamps) and they only charged me $1 for shipping/handling.

I'm sure that the US Postal Service and its employees must their their fair share of complaints about rate hikes, late and lost deliveries and customer service. Let me just make the statement that I've been very happy and impressed with the service that I've received from them for the past several years.

Chow Family Post Office Trivia

• My Uncle Wesley works as a Post Office Clerk in Stockton
  
• My Dad was a mail carrier for a few years (when he and my Mom were first married, and had my sister and me) before he went into banking.
  

Just for the Record...

(in case there was any question...)

I ♥ my boyfriend/fiance/soon-to-be-hubby.

amongst many other things..... he is a CSS GOD!
(that's just so frickin' HOT!)

Invitations are out!

(a.k.a "why I love self-adhesive stamps")

The wedding invites are out! I'm sending them out a little earlier than what's recommended because we have invited a number of guests from out of state, and even from out of the country.

They turned out really nice. We're very pleased with them.

So, this seems like as good as time as any to say this.....
(a little awkward)

Please, please, please... do not be offended or feel slighted if you don't receive an invitation.
The guest list has certainly been one of the most difficult processes we've had to go through so far.
We would, of course, love to invite all of our friends from near and far, but the truth of the matter is we're trying to keep it fairly small and intimate. We're pretty much limiting the guest list to very close friends and family (and my family is quite large).
I hope that everyone understands.

Best. Emergency. Room. Experience. Ever.

I know it sounds really odd, but my friend, Christopher and I had the best ER experience Friday evening!

As you may (or may not) recall, Christopher (my "bro") flew in to SFO from 3 1/2 years in Sydney/Manly on Friday late morning. We had a nice day planned for him: my Mom drove up to meet us for lunch, and to spend the day together. My dad drove in for dinner, and Dick would get home from work around 6:00 to meet up with all of us.

that was the plan

As it turned out, Christopher had acquired some sort of an infection in his nose last week, had seen a doctor about it, and was on antibiotics. It seemed to be doing its job, because the infection started to drain Friday afternoon. (I know, T.M.I., but it's part of the story)

Well, around 6:00, just as Dick walks through the door, Christopher comes out of the bathroom declaring, "I have a hole in my nose. I think I have to go see a doctor".

sidenote: Now, what you really have to understand here is that our very fond memories of Christopher often have "drama" surrounding them. When Dick heard Christopher's statement, he said to himself, 'Yep, that sounds about right".

So, Christopher and I are off to the Emergency Room. We weren't quite sure where to go at first. We were hoping to find an open "Clinic" but when we looked online and called, they had closed at 5:00. We went to the California Pacific Hospital up on Castro at Duboce.

First and foremost, the staff at the ER were simply amazing - so friendly, knowledgeable, etc., We were attended to pretty quickly - which is always a pleasant surprise in the ER. I guess we were early enough on a Friday night.

The doctor told Christopher that he had a staph infection. They weren't concerned about the infection (that has been fairly common over the past couple of years) but they were concerned of its location (on his septum). They suggested giving him a 2-hour drip dose IV of a more powerful antibiotic. We figured it would be the best thing to do, so we called Dick and my parents telling them the scoop, and planned to spend the rest of the evening hangin' out in the ER.

This is where the fun begins.....

When the nurse found out that we'd be sitting for two hours with an IV drip, he offered to bring in a TV and movies for us. Really?

He wheels in a large TV, and brings us a box full of videos.

Sweet!

We select "Galaxy Quest" figuring we could use a good laugh, and pop it in.

At this point, I offerred to take a stroll to the vending machines to pick up some snacks for us. I figured the selection would consist of potato chips and candy. Well, lo and behold, there's microwave popcorn in there! (and a microwave next to the vending machine)

So, I happily come back to our little curtained off section of the ER, with popcorn and Snickers bars.

Picture this: we're both sitting on the bed, watching Galaxy Quest, munching on Popcorn, IN THE ER!
it was the oddest, most surreal, yet FUN experience.

Even better: Dick and my Mom popped in around 3/4 through the movie. They brought us Pad Thai from our favorite Thai place. Mmmmmm....

2 hours later, the movie finishes, and within another minute the IV drip is done.

that was seriously the best ER visit ever.
They sent us off with a prescription for more antibiotics, and requested that Christopher come back Sunday morning for a check-up.

Harry Potter!

Check the time: 12:25am.

I just got back from picking up my copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

I wan't able to attend any book parties, because we had quite an adventure tonight (long story - I'll blog about that tomorrow). But, since I was awake, I decided to drive to the Safeway at Market & Church Street. I got there just after midnight. They had the book 40% off.

I didn't have to wait in any lines... well, I did have to wait in the regular express grocery check-out. Not bad.

I'm pretty tired, so I don't know if I'll be able to start it tonight.
I can pretty much guarantee that Dick's sister in North Carolina is awake, and tearing through the book as we speak.

Harry Potter: Book VI !

The new Harry Potter book is being released tomorrow night at Midnight!

I was originally planning to check out the HP Party at Barnes & Noble in Union Square with my sister and our Mom.

However, I found out a couple of weeks ago that my long-lost friend, Christopher (aka "Spencer" - long story) is coming home tomorrow after spending the last 3 1/2 years studying in Australia! Christopher is going to stay with Dick and me for a week, maybe two, then he'll go stay with our mutual friend (and his old roommate) David.

I got a call from Christopher (who I actually call "Bro") a couple of weeks ago, and I tell him, "Do you realize that you're coming home the same weekend as the release of the new Harry Potter book?"

He said, "What?! I've been gone for 3 1/2 years, and you're talking about Harry Potter?"

"I'm sorry, Bro, but things have changed. You've been gone, and Harry Potter has entered my life...."

Christopher flies in tomorrow morning, so I figured we'd end up spending the whole day/night catching up. I plan to make a trip to Costco early Saturday morning to pick up my copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

BTW, here's a handy little article that summarizes the first 5 books.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas....

A GREAT time was had by all.

highlights:

• The Venetian Hotel
  
• Dinner at Delmonico (and did I mention the amazing dessert?)
  
• Breakfast at Denny's (yes, that Denny's) the next morning (Grand Slam breakfasts for all!)
  
• Having my dress fly up above my head while walking over a vent on the sidewalk (and having the people behind us clap, and say, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!")
  
• The whole gang learning how to play "Craps" at the Venetian (and winning, then losing, then winning, then losing...)
  
• Me, putting in my last quarter into a slot machine, and winning $20! (I later lost $40 at Blackjack)
  
• Bloody Marys by the pool. (I swear, mine didn't have as much alcohol as the rest of yours!)
  
• Watching Bunny and Mike WIN at Blackjack at the Hilton (sounds like all we did was gamble!)
  
• hangin' out with our friends.

That was a ton of fun.
Dick is hooked on Vegas now. (yeah, who didn't know that was going to happen)
Happy Birthday to Mike!

Vegas, baby, Vegas!

We're off to Vegas today to celebrate Mike's 40th Birthday!!

Dick has never been before, and I've only been once. (six years ago with my family)
It should be a great time! We'll be staying at the Venetian Hotel and seeing Zumanity tonight.

And, no, we're not going to get married while we're in Vegas! ;)

Uncle Blane will be here to take care of the kitties. Thank you, Blane!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wedding Planning...

moving right along....
which is also the name of the best road trip song ever! (sung by Kermit and Fozzie)

Today, I:

hired a new caterer (yay!)
fired the old caterer (even bigger yay!)
arranged for transportation
started to arrange the rehearsal dinner
tonight, we'll decide of which day-of coordinator we want to hire

good grief.
(but it's all good!)

A Moment of Silence

...for the victims and their families in London.

I woke up to the news, and immediately emailed my friend who lives just outside of London. He and his partner are both fine.
I love technology.

Uh oh.....

I just got an email that my Google AdSense account has been disabled.
I think i had too many consistent clicks from my loyal fan base.
too bad.

I feel like I've just been slapped on the wrist for cheating in school... except I didn't know that I was cheating.

:(

Zombie Day

I've been awake since 3:00, and I wasn't able to fall back asleep :(
i hate it when that happens.

"Hi Mom!"

"Happy Birthday" to my amazing Mom! :)