Super Bowl Super Bummer

So, yesterday evening was the SuperBowl. I don't watch football. Growing up, I was the only one in the family who didn't. Just didn't get that gene.

However, the San Francisco 49ers were in the SuperBowl! I'm all for city team spirit, and would have loved to have seen the 49ers win! On a personal note, I know how happy it would have made my Dad, a 49er Faithful, probably since the 50s, SO happy to see his team take it all the way again.

Alas, it was not meant to be.

Dick and I were invited to a Super Bowl/Birthday party at Pete and Richard's house. For all the reasons above, we were very excited, and I managed to sit and actually watch the whole game. I sat next to Dick, who had to explain a few things here and there to me, but for the most part, I had a good general idea of what was going on.


Here we are, being spirited in our 49er colors!

I'll state the obvious, that the first half was pretty heinous. It was quite shocking, and I'm sure an embarrassment for the team. Then, right after the halftime show (Beyonce was pretty freakin amazing!), we all watched in shock when the Ravens made a 100 yard touchdown from the opening kick. (did I say that right?)

This is when I started taking to Facebook.
This is what I posted right after the Ravens scored their touchdown right after the second half started:


The bizarre power outage happened soon after that, right?
So, then we waited and waited, and I wrote another post:


Eventually, the lights came back on, the game commenced, and exciting things happened.
That was when I had a realization:


Obviously, I was doing something that was helping the team!
Word of my influence on the 49ers ability to play well began to spread, and other friends on facebook started to post about it, too! (This was actually from Pete, who was sitting mere feet from me, but we both thought it was pretty darn funny)


I can't remember exactly what happened next, but I think we had a bad play, that would have penalized us somehow, but a flag was thrown, and the play was somehow reversed. (this is how much I understand football)

Coincidentally (or was it?) I had accidentally spilled a small bit of wine on my lap during that play. Once I had that cleaned up, I refilled, and all seemed to go well again!


...and the 49ers kept on playing, and they were scoring, and doing so much better than in the first half! Word spread like wildfire, and more Facebook friends from all over were encouraging me to continue drinking!








Suddenly, we were down to the last 2 minutes of the game, and the 49ers were only 10 yards away from making a touchdown!


Sadly, it was not meant to be. All that wine consumption, and it didn't help the team win in the end. :(
I put the wine glass down, and started chugging down the water.


Even though I did all I could do, apparently it wasn't enough.


By bedtime, the wine had caught up with me, and it wasn't pretty.
That's right - I took one for the team, and I'd do it again! ;)


It really was a very exciting game, and it's really too bad that the Niners couldn't pull out that last touchdown in the end.

Thanks, Pete and Richard, for having us over for a very fun party. Thanks to all my friends on Facebook for the fun comments and posts. It was fun watching the game with you.

And one more thing: Dad, I'm very sorry that your team didn't win. They had a great season, and I'm sure they'll be great again next year!!

Today's "My Life is a Sitcom" moment...

I just had one of those fairly hilarious, "only Trina Chow" kind of adventures. I came home from running an errand and saw that I had just missed a FedEx delivery by less than 5 minutes. I knew this was something Dick was looking forward to, so I called FedEx to track it down, and to see if the driver could come back. They told me that it was type of delivery that they couldn't contact the driver. I decided that there was still a chance that I could drive around my neighborhood and try to find the Fed Ex truck. I was out for 25 minutes: during that time, I found 4 USPS trucks, 3 UPS trucks, then (finally) 2 Fed Ex trucks. The first FedEx guy told me that to look for a smaller truck. The second Fed Ex truck told me that to look for an "Budget" truck, because they're totally busy, and are having to rent trucks. FINALLY, I came across a Budget truck about 6 blocks from my house, and viola! It was the right guy/truck! He loaded my boxes into my car for me, and now I won't have to stress about missing another delivery over the next two days. :)

My 2 seconds of fame today...

There's been an unfortunate series of fires in the Castro over the last 2 days. There were three yesterday - all within 2 blocks of each other, and all within two hours. They are being investigated as arson.

This morning, another fire started - no doubt that this is an attack on our neighborhood.

The house that was set on fire this morning was put out by one of the residents quickly, so it didn't have nearly as much damage as two of the buildings yesterday. The house from this morning is only a few blocks away from my house, and I walked by it on my way down to Muni.



The house that was set on fire (which was put out) on 18th Street

I noticed a news crew in front, and stopped to talk with them about the fires. Vic Lee, a local reporter for channel 7 news asked if I wouldn't mind talking on camera.

Um, okay...

They interviewed me for maybe 30 seconds. Hard to say. Unfortunately, the quote that they used was the one thing that I said that I didn't think was terribly eloquent. Oh well. I guess it gets the point across...


Reporter Vic Lee and the Camera guy

Here's the link to the story online: Castro residents worry after 4th fire in 2 days

and here's the video of the story



The best part of this story was that Vic Lee and I wished each other "Gung Hay Fat Choy" as I left. :)

The Toto Washlets are Back!!

Behold! The Toto Washlet is Back! Warm Butts Unite!

When we moved to the new house, we had a few friends ask if we were taking our fabulous toilets with us.

Now, this may be a very strange sounding statement to those of you who have not been to our house before, or who have not heard me talk about our fabulous toilets.

It's true: we had fabulous toilets at His 'n Her Condos.

What makes them so special?

Why, they were both Toto toilets, equipped with Washlets!!

What exactly does that mean?

Here's my blog post about our first Toto Washlet over 3 years ago. Basically, it's a Japanese-brand toilet that has several features: It has a built in bidet (for both front and behind), a dryer, and yes, it even has a heated seat. All of these functions are controlled by the toilet remote. Yes, my toilet has its very own remote control. ;)

Now, I'll admit, it's a funny thing to get so excited about. I mean, really - how many people talk about their toilets?

But it is a wondrous thing, and I've had many people over who will agree. :)

Oh, sure, we had plenty of non-believers at first. Both of my sisters-in-law were skeptics. Understandably, too. I mean, who pays this much for a toilet?! But they came out for a visit, and they both admitted that they missed our toilets once they returned home. :)

Anyhow, we'll be bringing over one of the washlets from the condos. (the other was a rounded toilet, versus elongated, and all of the toilets in the new house are elongated.) We just bought a few more for the rest of the bathrooms.

The last time I ordered one, I found a local plumbing supply store that sold them for 30% off retail. That was a pretty good deal.

Last week, when I finally got around to price-comparing online, I found that amazon.com has them for 49% off retail! Woo-Hoo!

Warm Butts for Everyone!

The Washlets were delivered today, and Dick has already installed two of them. Go, Handyman Dick!

We've been in the new house for 3 weeks already, and I have to admit that we both missed our Toto Washlets! :)

..and remember: All Your Butts Are Belong to Us!

Hey!! That's MINE!

This morning, I was perusing through my regular internet sites... Facebook, Twitter, MSNBC.com, sfgate.com, etc.,

When I was on the sfgate.com site, I saw a headline at the top titled "More Schoolhouse Rock!"

Well, Schoolhouse Rock Rock fan that I am, I clicked on the link, and here's what I found:



My first thought:

"Hey, that looks really familiar!"

quickly followed by:

"HEY! That's my animation cel!"

Way back when, in August, 2003, when my little blog was less than a month old, I wrote this post about one of my favorite animation cels, and how I came to own it.


the scan that I took of my animation cel 13 years ago, before I had it framed

Well, it appears as if someone did an internet search for Schoolhouse Rock, or Schoolhouse Rock animation, and came across my post, and copied the image of my cel! I can tell it's my cel because I know it so well, and I also recognized the slight imperfections caused by the slight waves in the celluloid pages when I scanned it in.

I suppose that's what happens when you post images to the net - anyone can have access to it.

I suppose I don't mind at all that they used my image (it *is* a great one) but boy, was it weird to click on a random link on my local news site and see an image of the very animation cel that hangs right above the desk in my office!

The one thing that was a bit disconcerting was noticing how much more vibrant the colors are in the original image off my old blog post. I've had this animation cel for about 13 years now, and although I've kept it out of direct sunlight, and it has UV plexiglass, it appears as if some of the color has faded over the years. That's a bummer. I may have to move it to a room without any windows, but honesty, it makes me happy every time I look up at it in my office. I suppose that's the price to pay for keeping something out and enjoying it, rather than keeping it tucked away safely in a dark place.


a bad photo (bad lighting and behind plexi) of the same animation cel today.

I suppose it's also a bit disconcerting that the title of the blog that used the image of my cel is called "The Poop". (Apparently, it's a baby blog.)

Happy Pride!

It's no wonder why I love to read Tales of the City, I'm living in my very own version!

Happy Pride Weekend.
(a.k.a. one of 3 weekends when we don't move our cars)

I took a quick walk around the neighborhood this morning. I had to go to the bank, drop off a prescription, etc.,

This is Pride weekend, so Castro Street is pretty packed. I thought I'd extend my walk to see what's going on in the neighborhood. There's a lot of people, a lot of balloons, lots of music, et.,

But, here's the topper:

As I walked past our local pet store, I noticed something new. All week, they had a window display of little plush dogs wearing rainbow-colored angel wings. Today, there was disco music blaring out of the store, and the little dogs were replaced...wait for it...with topless men, in go-go shorts, wearing the same rainbow wings. Now, I wouldn't have thought anything of this if it were almost any other store, but, um..... It's the pet store!

I couldn't help myself. I had to take a picture :)


Only in San Francisco, and only in The Castro...

Our new Toto Toilet

...and your little dog, too!

Our downstairs toilet has been dying a slow death of the past few months. We realized a couple of weeks ago that the time had come to put it out of its misery, and to buy a new toilet. (exciting stuff, isn't it?)

The prospect of buying a new toilet had us more excited than you would think (and more excited than anyone should really be about buying a toilet.).

When we were in Japan last year, we were in utter amazement of their toilet/toilet seats. You know the kind: they have seat warmers, and are a toilet and bidet in-one. (Is this bordering on T.M.I.?) Some models even have more crazy features!

Anyhow, we decided that if/when we ever needed a new toilet, we'd try to get one of these cool ones from Japan.

...and that's what we've done.

We found out that the same company that made the toilets that we saw in Japan (Toto), also had a US Brand. So we ordered a new toilet, which is nice and all, but you know, still a toilet.

We also ordered a washlette, which is really what it's all about.

We just had our plumber in to install our new toilet and washlette. I have to say: it's pretty cool, and it really does crack me up that we're so darn excited about a toilet.

I mean, at the end of the day, it's still a toilet.
But somehow, it may be able to help make your day just a little bit better. :)

I'm guessing that the people who read this blog post will either think that we're a little crazy, sharing too much info, or this may make you want to go out and buy one for yourself!

My picture with Apolo Anton Ohno

Although I do not watch the show, I'm happy to read that Apolo Anton Ohno has won Dancing with the Stars.

I have a few friends who are fans of the show, and they've told me how great he was on it. When Tammy and I drove to Ohio, she mentioned to me that he was her favorite. I said, "Yeah, he's a really nice guy, too". This comment almost caused her to pull the car over to the side of the road. "You know him?" Well, I don't know him, but I have had the opportunity to meet him, and to speak with him for a few minutes. He was one of our guest celebrities at one of the Always Dream Foundation events a few years back. That was when he had just recently won his first gold medal. Anyhow, my Dad and I had a chance to meet him, and talked with him for a bit, and had our picture taken with him.


Henry, Apolo & Trina

I did catch a few minutes of Dancing with the Stars last night, when I was checking to make sure that our Media Center was set to record the season finale of Heroes. I happened to catch it from the very beginning of Apolo's free style dance that they did to "Bust a Move". He was fantastic, and really fun to watch. So, I was happy to hear that he won tonight.

The Easter Bunny wears Leather Chaps

At least he does in my neighborhood....

This morning, I was treated once again to one of my favorite Easter in the Castro sights:

A big bear of a man, dressed in a full pink (and furry) Easter Bunny suit, (ears and all) wearing a big black leather jacket, drove up on his big, phat Harley bike. He hopped off his bike, and toted his easter basket up the stairs to the home of one of our neighbors.

One of these years, I'm going to have to snap a picture of him...

Mad Tea Party

Today I will be attending a Mad Tea Party, hosted by my friend, Alan Greenspan. (No, that that Alan Greenspan, this Alan Greenspan.)

My friend, Alan Greenspan, is the genius behind all of the amazing hats in San Francisco's famous Beach Blanket Babylon. If you've never seen it, you really should. It's a San Francisco institution.

Alan has been designing and creating the hats since 1978. It comes as no surprise, then, he was nicknamed "The Mad Hatter". He eventually embraced this nickname, and started to collect Mad Hatter paraphernalia from the Alice in Wonderland Stories.

I met Alan a few years ago through our mutual friend, Andrew Tabbat. When Alan started his collection, Andrew taught him some of the ins and outs of building a collection.

Every year, on or near April Fools Day, Alan hosts a Mad Tea Party. I've been to one before, but it's been a few years. It's a real treat, full of wackiness and fun.

Each year that I receive an invitation, I'm always amazed at the creativity that goes into them.

This year's invitation came in the form of puzzle pieces. Once that puzzle was put together, it showed a scene from the Mad Tea Party, with a clever rhyme inviting the recipient to the party.

My sister will be attending the Mad Tea Party this year with me. We're really looking forward to it.

Happy April Fool's Day!


My invitation to the Mad Tea Party!

The day I was on the Home Shopping Network

Yes, you read it right. I was on the Home Shopping Network this morning.

Okay, I wasn't physically on the show, but I was on the show via telephone. I was asked to call to give a personal testimony on the featured product.

What was the product? Why, Karen Neuberger Pajamas, of course!

Isn't that hysterical? I received an email about a week back asking if I would be interested in calling in to give a testimonial. They said they were looking for "great customers, like yourself, to speak about the Karen Neuberger brand and your experience with our products".

How did they know that I'm such a fan? It's probably because I placed an order with them over the Holidays, but it's also possible that they may have seen my blog posts here, here, or even here.

I am nothing if not consistent. :)

There was a nice incentive involved, so I figured, "Why Not?". After all, I am a genuine fan of their product, and I've certainly been an advocate of their products to my friends and family over the years. They sent along my contact info to HSN, who then called me with the time and info of when I should call into the program. I had the choice of calling in at midnight last night, or at 7:30 this morning. (I opted for 7:30am.)

So, how did it go? Pretty well, I think. I was only on for a couple of minutes (thankfully). I said pretty much the same things that I've talked about here on my blog: I'm addicted to the brand, it's the only brand of PJs that I wear, and, since I work from home, I tend to wear them all day long. :) How's that for a testimonial?

What a funny way to start the day.


My one-minute of fame.

The One with the Big Boobs

On today's episode of "Gay Boyfriend"....

(fade in)

Christopher and I were down in the kitchen about 15 minutes ago, having a little chat. All of a sudden he asked me, "Are your boobs really big right now?"

What?!

He said, "Your boobs look really big in that shirt!"

Really?

I said that I was just wearing a normal bra that I wear often - it isn't a padded bra, or a push-up bra.

Then he asked me, "Are you wearing an IPex?"

OMG. Now we're a Victoria's Secret commercial!

That's when I realized, "Yeah, wait! I think this is an Ipex! Check the label!"

So I lifted my shirt up in the back, and he checked the label, and it was indeed, an IPex bra from Victoria Secret.

We were practically rolling on the floors howling at each other.

I also remembered that (I think) this is the same shirt that I wore to Pete and Richard's house for dinner a couple of years ago. That was the night that Pete told me that my boobs looked huge.

It must be the shirt. (just a basic turtleneck sweater, I swear!)

I should've bought one in every color. :)

(fade out)