Yay! Dick bought me RAM for my birthday! (that, and a trip to Hawaii, mind you) :)
RAM-arama. RAM-tastic. RAM-tacular!
I'm so excited. How many girls out there (with the exception of Willo, perhaps) would be excited to get RAM for their Birthday? Mac Chics unite!
We got a 512MB module. We tried to get two, but they only had one in stock. (we got it from the new Apple store in Union Square). My Powerbook has two RAM slots, and can hold up to 1GB of RAM. It came with 512MB, but unfortunately, it was divided into two modules of 256MB each. Kind of kooky, if you ask me, but I'm sure that was Apple's way of getting you to buy more RAM. So, in order for me to get the full capacity, I'll have to buy 2 new 512MB modules, and replace both 256MB modules. Anyhow, we installed my new 512MB, in addition to one of the original 256MB - giving us a grand total of 768MB of RAM! I figured I'll be just fine with this amount for a good long time. Perhaps, I'll upgrade to 1 GB in the future when it's feeling sluggish again. I'll assume the Apple store will have another 512MB module in stock by then ;)
You may remember that I bought an extra 512MB module by Viking when I first got my new Powerbook last summer. I think the RAM was bad, though. BAD RAM! Bad, bad RAM! :) My computer started having some glitches within a few months, and when I took out the RAM, it seemed to clear up. Apparently, my Powerbook didn't play well with non-Apple RAM. I'm hoping it takes to the new Apple RAM better. At least this time the new RAM comes with a 1 year warranty.
Banana-RAM-a :)
Monday, April 26, 2004
Prime Rib Fest
Oops - been a few days since I last posted. Sorry about that. Now I'll have to backtrack, and try to jog my memory....
Sunday:
(night) we took my family (Mom, Dad and Sis) and our Real Estate Super Agent, Pete Brannigan out to dinner at The House of Prime Rib to thank them for all of their help with our move. It was an exceptional meal.
My parents and my sister gave us a wonderful house-warming gift: "His" and "Hers" brass plates for us to put on the doors of our individual condos! Brilliant! We were hoping to get these done eventually, so it was a wonderful gift!
It was really hot yesterday - hot for us San Francisco weather wimps, that is. Somewhere in the mid-80s. Oy.
Dick and I were busy bees yesterday - we wired an ethernet cable from the downstairs unit closet (where the media center will live) down to the basement, up the wall of the building, and into my office upstairs (where our high-speed cable modem lives)! Dick ordered 1,000 feet (yep, 1,000!) of ethernet cable, and a cool little kit so we can make our own ethernet cables. We'll do a little more wiring during the week so our media center/Xbox(s) will be all ready to hook up once we make the big move downstairs.
Saturday: I spent the day with my family at my sister's place in Oakland. We painted two walls in her bedroom, and her guest bathroom. It turned out really nice. We also had a great visit from my Grandparents, who came down to do some shopping in Oakland Chinatown! They brought us Dim Sum for lunch, and we all went out to dinner in the evening.
Dick spent part of the day installing our new garbage disposal in the downstairs kitchen. yep, that boyfriend of mine - he's a handy guy! He was very excited about the project. Neither of the condos have ever had a garbage disposal installed before (that can't be too unusual in old houses) so there was a lot of work to be done. Dick did all of the electrical wiring first, used his new Dremmel tool to remove the old drain from the sink, then attached the new unit, and hooked it up to the plumbing. Wow - impressive!
The painters didn't come over the weekend, which was a surprise only because they told us when they left on Friday that they would come on both days. Oh well. I'm not sure what that means as far as our scheduling goes. Hopefully, we'll be able to move in this weekend, but I'm not sure yet....
They did manage to get very far last week, though. They prepped the whole downstairs - it took 3 guys 3 days just to do the prepping! (lots of work to be done) They are painting the ceilings today, and will probably paint the trim tomorrow. I'll keep ya posted.
Friday: Dick and I drove down to Woodside to have lunch, and a meeting with my client at Buck's. It was a yummy lunch, good meeting, and a nice drive down 280.
That's all I can remember off the top of my head. I'm sure that there were other interesting things that must of happened, but they simply escape me at the moment.
Sunday:
(night) we took my family (Mom, Dad and Sis) and our Real Estate Super Agent, Pete Brannigan out to dinner at The House of Prime Rib to thank them for all of their help with our move. It was an exceptional meal.
My parents and my sister gave us a wonderful house-warming gift: "His" and "Hers" brass plates for us to put on the doors of our individual condos! Brilliant! We were hoping to get these done eventually, so it was a wonderful gift!
It was really hot yesterday - hot for us San Francisco weather wimps, that is. Somewhere in the mid-80s. Oy.
Dick and I were busy bees yesterday - we wired an ethernet cable from the downstairs unit closet (where the media center will live) down to the basement, up the wall of the building, and into my office upstairs (where our high-speed cable modem lives)! Dick ordered 1,000 feet (yep, 1,000!) of ethernet cable, and a cool little kit so we can make our own ethernet cables. We'll do a little more wiring during the week so our media center/Xbox(s) will be all ready to hook up once we make the big move downstairs.
Saturday: I spent the day with my family at my sister's place in Oakland. We painted two walls in her bedroom, and her guest bathroom. It turned out really nice. We also had a great visit from my Grandparents, who came down to do some shopping in Oakland Chinatown! They brought us Dim Sum for lunch, and we all went out to dinner in the evening.
Dick spent part of the day installing our new garbage disposal in the downstairs kitchen. yep, that boyfriend of mine - he's a handy guy! He was very excited about the project. Neither of the condos have ever had a garbage disposal installed before (that can't be too unusual in old houses) so there was a lot of work to be done. Dick did all of the electrical wiring first, used his new Dremmel tool to remove the old drain from the sink, then attached the new unit, and hooked it up to the plumbing. Wow - impressive!
The painters didn't come over the weekend, which was a surprise only because they told us when they left on Friday that they would come on both days. Oh well. I'm not sure what that means as far as our scheduling goes. Hopefully, we'll be able to move in this weekend, but I'm not sure yet....
They did manage to get very far last week, though. They prepped the whole downstairs - it took 3 guys 3 days just to do the prepping! (lots of work to be done) They are painting the ceilings today, and will probably paint the trim tomorrow. I'll keep ya posted.
Friday: Dick and I drove down to Woodside to have lunch, and a meeting with my client at Buck's. It was a yummy lunch, good meeting, and a nice drive down 280.
That's all I can remember off the top of my head. I'm sure that there were other interesting things that must of happened, but they simply escape me at the moment.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Phase 3, Part 3 has begun...
... as the guy flying the X-wing down the trench of the Death Star said, "Almost there....." (okay, how many people understood what I just said?) ;)
Yep, we're in the final phase - The painters started today. They're figuring 10-14 days, after which, we GET TO MOVE IN!!!!
Recap:
Our general contractor finished last Thursday. his work is just amazing. He put up crown molding, and picture hanging molding, built the frame around a couple of windows so they would match the others, knocked out a "box" from the kitchen wall which had an old chimney in it, and (most importantly) built the doorway connecting our two units. It's just gorgeous.
We also had a couple of electricians in for a couple of days last week. They installed some new circuits, outlets, and light fixtures.
The floor guys came in last Friday, and worked through the weekend. They refinished the softwood floors downstairs back to their natural glory. The downstairs unit had wall-to-wall carpeting for at least a couple of decades, so it's really nice to see the softwood floors again. We also had the floor guys lay pergo in the kitchen and dinette room - covering over the old linoleum.
The last coat of varnish on the wood floors dried yesterday, and that brings us to today! :)
It's pretty funny - this is the third time we've hired this crew of painters. They were here painting my upstairs unit in early February, then they went directly over to Dick's house to paint the interior and basement (mid-March). Now they're back here, painting the interior of the downstairs unit. Doesn't it seem like we should qualify for frequent-painter points?
There's a lot of work to do, but we're really hoping that we'll be able to move in by the end of next week, or the weekend.
Yep, we're in the final phase - The painters started today. They're figuring 10-14 days, after which, we GET TO MOVE IN!!!!
Recap:
Our general contractor finished last Thursday. his work is just amazing. He put up crown molding, and picture hanging molding, built the frame around a couple of windows so they would match the others, knocked out a "box" from the kitchen wall which had an old chimney in it, and (most importantly) built the doorway connecting our two units. It's just gorgeous.
We also had a couple of electricians in for a couple of days last week. They installed some new circuits, outlets, and light fixtures.
The floor guys came in last Friday, and worked through the weekend. They refinished the softwood floors downstairs back to their natural glory. The downstairs unit had wall-to-wall carpeting for at least a couple of decades, so it's really nice to see the softwood floors again. We also had the floor guys lay pergo in the kitchen and dinette room - covering over the old linoleum.
The last coat of varnish on the wood floors dried yesterday, and that brings us to today! :)
It's pretty funny - this is the third time we've hired this crew of painters. They were here painting my upstairs unit in early February, then they went directly over to Dick's house to paint the interior and basement (mid-March). Now they're back here, painting the interior of the downstairs unit. Doesn't it seem like we should qualify for frequent-painter points?
There's a lot of work to do, but we're really hoping that we'll be able to move in by the end of next week, or the weekend.
Monday, April 19, 2004
WGI Hangover
Well...... that was fun!
Got back late last night from a fun-filled WGI weekend.
Truth be told, I didn't go to the show until Saturday afternoon/evening (Scholastic & World Finals). 30 color guards - that's just right! Personal highlights included Arcadia, Avon, Logan, Light Brigade, Aimachi and Fantasia.
It was a lot of fun. This was my second year going purely as a spectator - no member/instructor responsibilities. Just go, sit, socialize and enjoy. Not bad.
As usual, we went to headquarters after the show. I caught up with a lot of old friends. Some friends were definitely missed, though, since it was out west, and not in Ohio this year. We were at headquarters until 3:30am - a crazy tradition that Tammy and I started years back (although I didn't "close" headquaters this year, Tammy) . It's a good thing this only happens once a year! I'm exhausted - this old girl is too used to going to bed at a "reasonable time" and I'm simply not cut out for it any more!
I've posted pictures:
http://www.trinachow.com/wgi_2004
Thanks to my Mom for being the photographer this year!
Congrats to Mykail & Fantasia - you were brilliant!
Got back late last night from a fun-filled WGI weekend.
Truth be told, I didn't go to the show until Saturday afternoon/evening (Scholastic & World Finals). 30 color guards - that's just right! Personal highlights included Arcadia, Avon, Logan, Light Brigade, Aimachi and Fantasia.
It was a lot of fun. This was my second year going purely as a spectator - no member/instructor responsibilities. Just go, sit, socialize and enjoy. Not bad.
As usual, we went to headquarters after the show. I caught up with a lot of old friends. Some friends were definitely missed, though, since it was out west, and not in Ohio this year. We were at headquarters until 3:30am - a crazy tradition that Tammy and I started years back (although I didn't "close" headquaters this year, Tammy) . It's a good thing this only happens once a year! I'm exhausted - this old girl is too used to going to bed at a "reasonable time" and I'm simply not cut out for it any more!
I've posted pictures:
http://www.trinachow.com/wgi_2004
Thanks to my Mom for being the photographer this year!
Congrats to Mykail & Fantasia - you were brilliant!
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Off to San Diego!
I'm going to San Diego for a long weekend - time for my annual trek to WGI (aka Winter Guard International). I'm pretty happy about going to San Diego. WGI is usually held in Dayton, OH, and I've been going (almost) every year since 1986. I think I've only missed two.
It's really a social event for me these days - I've been out of the competitive aspect of it for almost 10 years now. It's a chance for me to see old friends from far and wide. It's funny that we usually all meet in Dayton, OH of all places.
Don't know about my crazy former-life in the world of pageantry? here's an old link that I used to have up on my site that explains what I used to do. It's old. I wrote it years ago. I don't really remember what I wrote, but I think it has some information in it :)
Okay, I'm off! have a great weekend!
It's really a social event for me these days - I've been out of the competitive aspect of it for almost 10 years now. It's a chance for me to see old friends from far and wide. It's funny that we usually all meet in Dayton, OH of all places.
Don't know about my crazy former-life in the world of pageantry? here's an old link that I used to have up on my site that explains what I used to do. It's old. I wrote it years ago. I don't really remember what I wrote, but I think it has some information in it :)
Okay, I'm off! have a great weekend!
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Let there be light!
This just in: (literally)
Our electrician just installed our beautiful alabaster light fixture in our stairwell! You may remember this light fixture from Dick's old house. We brought all of the alabaster fixtures with us to our new home. The stairwell didn't have a lamp in it before, so we're very happy to have it here.
As promised from yesterday, here's a picture of the hole in the wall! It's at the bottom of the stairwell (from my upstairs unit) leading into the hallway of Dick's downstairs unit. The contractor is working on the frame now, so I'll have more pictures soon.
Our electrician just installed our beautiful alabaster light fixture in our stairwell! You may remember this light fixture from Dick's old house. We brought all of the alabaster fixtures with us to our new home. The stairwell didn't have a lamp in it before, so we're very happy to have it here.
As promised from yesterday, here's a picture of the hole in the wall! It's at the bottom of the stairwell (from my upstairs unit) leading into the hallway of Dick's downstairs unit. The contractor is working on the frame now, so I'll have more pictures soon.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
GoLive Quick Fix
I love the web. I've been having trouble with Adobe GoLive - after a few minutes of use, the paste command stops working! it's really a drag. I usually have the quit, and relaunch the app, which is terribly inconvenient, and also a waste of time. It started happening around the time that I installed OS 10.3.3 - so I figured it was a Panther issue, and that they'd come out with a patch...
No patch on adobe.com. no mention of the bug.
I finally figured out that I should do a search in some GoLive forums, and lo and behold - dozens of people with the same complaint.
Turns out there's a quick, temporary fix. It's not a real fix, mind you, but it certainly will do until they fix the bug. So, I can't paste using keystrokes, or from the Edit menu. However, believe it or not, I can use the paste feature from bringing up the contextual menu (right click on mouse). Crazy.
Dick was quite astounded when I told him about the bug. Software guru that he is, he says it should be a really simple patch for adobe since the paste command is actually working in the contextual menu.
Oh well. Until then, I'm happy to have this newfound knowledge. I'm working on a huge project today, that requires a ton of copy & pasting.
No patch on adobe.com. no mention of the bug.
I finally figured out that I should do a search in some GoLive forums, and lo and behold - dozens of people with the same complaint.
Turns out there's a quick, temporary fix. It's not a real fix, mind you, but it certainly will do until they fix the bug. So, I can't paste using keystrokes, or from the Edit menu. However, believe it or not, I can use the paste feature from bringing up the contextual menu (right click on mouse). Crazy.
Dick was quite astounded when I told him about the bug. Software guru that he is, he says it should be a really simple patch for adobe since the paste command is actually working in the contextual menu.
Oh well. Until then, I'm happy to have this newfound knowledge. I'm working on a huge project today, that requires a ton of copy & pasting.
TOO MUCH NOISE!
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. BUZZZZZZZZZ. BUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!
BAM, BAM, BAM. BAM.
Buuuuuzzzzzzzzzzz. Buuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzzzz.
BANG. BANG! BAM!
That's what it sounds like over here today....
we have 4 contractors working on the downstairs unit right now. 2 electricians, and 2 general contractors. They knocked down the hole in the wall between our two units today. I'll post picts in a bit.
It's all very exciting, and cool, but it's also making for a noisy work environment!
BAM, BAM, BAM. BAM.
Buuuuuzzzzzzzzzzz. Buuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzzzz.
BANG. BANG! BAM!
That's what it sounds like over here today....
we have 4 contractors working on the downstairs unit right now. 2 electricians, and 2 general contractors. They knocked down the hole in the wall between our two units today. I'll post picts in a bit.
It's all very exciting, and cool, but it's also making for a noisy work environment!
Monday, April 12, 2004
It's Official...
Dick's House closed this afternoon - it's officially SOLD!!!
The entire thing went so smoothly.
I'm still shocked and amazed at the whole thing.
The entire thing went so smoothly.
I'm still shocked and amazed at the whole thing.
MINI Ladies do Lunch
I had a lovely lunch date today with 2 other women who I've met on the mini2.com forum.
One of the women was out on a business trip (from Texas). The other woman lives and works in Palo Alto, so we were able to meet for lunch along the Peninsula.
Our cars were all built around the same time, and we kept each other company, and got to know each other in the "Delivery, Shipping & Order Tracking" thread. Since then, we've started a "New Owner's Thread" so we can share stories of our adventures with our new cars.
It's wacky, I know, but nice to have a support-group, don't you think?
Here's a group photo to share.
(left to right: Brodiea (the Green MINI), "Mini Momma", "Amrov", Trina and MINI Driver (Red MINI)
One of the women was out on a business trip (from Texas). The other woman lives and works in Palo Alto, so we were able to meet for lunch along the Peninsula.
Our cars were all built around the same time, and we kept each other company, and got to know each other in the "Delivery, Shipping & Order Tracking" thread. Since then, we've started a "New Owner's Thread" so we can share stories of our adventures with our new cars.
It's wacky, I know, but nice to have a support-group, don't you think?
Here's a group photo to share.
(left to right: Brodiea (the Green MINI), "Mini Momma", "Amrov", Trina and MINI Driver (Red MINI)
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Goodbye to the Big Yellow House
Dick and I just went to the 23rd Street House to say goodbye to it.
Yep - it closes tomorrow afternoon. Can you believe it was only a 14 day close? So quick!
It's a beautiful house. It was good to us, and we were good to it. We had so much work done to it during the four years that Dick owned it. I like to think that we took good care of it. We were looking through some photos yesterday of the house from when Dick first bought it. The before and after photos are pretty dramatic.
anyway, true to typical Trina-fashion, I got a little sentimental during our final walk-through. We had a lot of good times there. but we're very happy now in the new place, and we're still having a lot of work done here. (downstairs). We should be done in 3-4 more weeks, then we'll finally be able to spread out and unpack all of our things.
Bye, house! Thanks for all of the good times!
oh, and Happy Easter, too!
Yep - it closes tomorrow afternoon. Can you believe it was only a 14 day close? So quick!
It's a beautiful house. It was good to us, and we were good to it. We had so much work done to it during the four years that Dick owned it. I like to think that we took good care of it. We were looking through some photos yesterday of the house from when Dick first bought it. The before and after photos are pretty dramatic.
anyway, true to typical Trina-fashion, I got a little sentimental during our final walk-through. We had a lot of good times there. but we're very happy now in the new place, and we're still having a lot of work done here. (downstairs). We should be done in 3-4 more weeks, then we'll finally be able to spread out and unpack all of our things.
Bye, house! Thanks for all of the good times!
oh, and Happy Easter, too!
Friday, April 09, 2004
Home Sweet Home
We're back!
We've actually been back since early Wednesday morning. Our flight landed at 5:00am.
I know I didn't do a very good job of journaling/blogging about our vacation during the time we were actually there, but hey - I had things to do! (like laying out by the pool, and eating the best sashimi of my life!)
So, let's work our way backwards, and I'll write whatever comes to mind.....
I love flying the red-eye flight. Okay, it certainly helped that we used our miles to upgrade to First Class. The best part of first class is the fact that you're never without a full glass of water. Okay, there are the other perks of better food, service, shorter bathroom lines, and more legroom, too... ;) I think I found the perfect recipe for a good flight - 1 Dramamine Pill, taken with one glass of red wine. Yep, that did it for me. I was out like a light within 30 minutes of take-off. Best part was waking up (on my own) within a minute or so of hearing the captain announce that we would be landing in about 10 minutes. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..... SFO is pretty quiet at 5:30am. We retrieved our baggage, and caught a cab very easily. The kitties were very happy that we're home.
More vacation news: not really too much to report. I confess that I spent most of my time sitting by the (fabulous) pool, sipping on fruity smoothies, reading really bad magazines. (Turns out that this my my vacation vice) It was wonderfully relaxing. We managed to snorkel (sea turtles) and took a kiyak out, too.
Food: Food is a very important component of a good vacation, no? The food at the resort was absolutely FABULOUS.Yum. I seriously ordered sashimi almost every single day that we were there. My Hawaiian vacation mantra was "must have fish at least once a day". We also had Mahi Mahi, Ohno, Lobster tails, sushi, and some other fish that I can't remember the names - Moi, I think was another. All were wonderful.
The case of the missing waiter: Although the resort and food were outstanding, we were a bit confused by the service at the restaurants... One night as we were dining outside, our waiter simply... Disappeared! Yep, he brought us drinks, took our order, and we never saw him again! Another person brought our food (was was great), but we were never served our wine. We ate. Our table was cleared. We waited..... and waited...but alas, where did our waiter go? After another 20 minutes or so, (no check-in by anyone, no dessert menu offered, and no check!) we approached the host. he apologized profusely, checked in the back, didn't really offer any explanations, but gave us a nice discount on the check. We were honestly concerned that perhaps something had happened to our waiter. When we asked if he had left the premises, the host (who seemed confused by the whole matter as well) replied, "no, he's right over there". Weird. it's hard to explain, and I don't think I'm doing a very good job, but trust me - it was weird!
That's actually the best story I have. The rest of it really did consist of eating, and sleeping. It was really wonderful.
I do have to say though - it was really nice returning home!
I'll post some more pictures in the next day or so. We caught some gorgeous sunsets.
Okay, time to go to bed now. The movers are coming to Dick's house early in the morning to get the rest of our furniture out!
We've actually been back since early Wednesday morning. Our flight landed at 5:00am.
I know I didn't do a very good job of journaling/blogging about our vacation during the time we were actually there, but hey - I had things to do! (like laying out by the pool, and eating the best sashimi of my life!)
So, let's work our way backwards, and I'll write whatever comes to mind.....
I love flying the red-eye flight. Okay, it certainly helped that we used our miles to upgrade to First Class. The best part of first class is the fact that you're never without a full glass of water. Okay, there are the other perks of better food, service, shorter bathroom lines, and more legroom, too... ;) I think I found the perfect recipe for a good flight - 1 Dramamine Pill, taken with one glass of red wine. Yep, that did it for me. I was out like a light within 30 minutes of take-off. Best part was waking up (on my own) within a minute or so of hearing the captain announce that we would be landing in about 10 minutes. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..... SFO is pretty quiet at 5:30am. We retrieved our baggage, and caught a cab very easily. The kitties were very happy that we're home.
More vacation news: not really too much to report. I confess that I spent most of my time sitting by the (fabulous) pool, sipping on fruity smoothies, reading really bad magazines. (Turns out that this my my vacation vice) It was wonderfully relaxing. We managed to snorkel (sea turtles) and took a kiyak out, too.
Food: Food is a very important component of a good vacation, no? The food at the resort was absolutely FABULOUS.Yum. I seriously ordered sashimi almost every single day that we were there. My Hawaiian vacation mantra was "must have fish at least once a day". We also had Mahi Mahi, Ohno, Lobster tails, sushi, and some other fish that I can't remember the names - Moi, I think was another. All were wonderful.
The case of the missing waiter: Although the resort and food were outstanding, we were a bit confused by the service at the restaurants... One night as we were dining outside, our waiter simply... Disappeared! Yep, he brought us drinks, took our order, and we never saw him again! Another person brought our food (was was great), but we were never served our wine. We ate. Our table was cleared. We waited..... and waited...but alas, where did our waiter go? After another 20 minutes or so, (no check-in by anyone, no dessert menu offered, and no check!) we approached the host. he apologized profusely, checked in the back, didn't really offer any explanations, but gave us a nice discount on the check. We were honestly concerned that perhaps something had happened to our waiter. When we asked if he had left the premises, the host (who seemed confused by the whole matter as well) replied, "no, he's right over there". Weird. it's hard to explain, and I don't think I'm doing a very good job, but trust me - it was weird!
That's actually the best story I have. The rest of it really did consist of eating, and sleeping. It was really wonderful.
I do have to say though - it was really nice returning home!
I'll post some more pictures in the next day or so. We caught some gorgeous sunsets.
Okay, time to go to bed now. The movers are coming to Dick's house early in the morning to get the rest of our furniture out!
Saturday, April 03, 2004
Life on Mars
We spent the day on Mars yesterday.
Okay, it wasn't really Mars, but it really looked like it. We drove out to the Hawaiian Volcanos National Park. It was spectacular! Neither of us had been there before.
We drove around, and did a little bit of walking within the park for about 4 hours. It was unlike anything we've ever seen before - miles, and miles of lava rock formations. The last major lava eruption lasted for a day in 1982.
Anyway, here are some pictures of us near the crater, and on Mars.
Okay, it wasn't really Mars, but it really looked like it. We drove out to the Hawaiian Volcanos National Park. It was spectacular! Neither of us had been there before.
We drove around, and did a little bit of walking within the park for about 4 hours. It was unlike anything we've ever seen before - miles, and miles of lava rock formations. The last major lava eruption lasted for a day in 1982.
Anyway, here are some pictures of us near the crater, and on Mars.
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Day 2 in Paradise
what a great day. It's really beautiful here. We had a nice breakfast this morning (belgium waffles w/fresh strawberries) then laid out by the pool for a few hours. (yes, we were quite diligent about using sunscreen)
Here's our view from our "lanai":
We drove around a bit during the afternoon - found a great pub for a late lunch (Hawaiian pulled pork sandwich!)then found our way to the local Costco! Yes, Costco - you read it right. Can you believe I got Dick to agree to go to Costco? We were looking for some little rubber slip-on shoes that we can wear into the ocean. The Costcos in Hawaii carry some different merchandise than the ones on the mainland - obviously, Hawaiian oriented things like Aloha Shirts, beach wear, etc., We didn't find what we were looking for, but I did have a MINI sighting (2 actually). I couldn't resist, and simply *had* to take a picture.
thought you might enjoy that. ;)
Here's our view from our "lanai":
We drove around a bit during the afternoon - found a great pub for a late lunch (Hawaiian pulled pork sandwich!)then found our way to the local Costco! Yes, Costco - you read it right. Can you believe I got Dick to agree to go to Costco? We were looking for some little rubber slip-on shoes that we can wear into the ocean. The Costcos in Hawaii carry some different merchandise than the ones on the mainland - obviously, Hawaiian oriented things like Aloha Shirts, beach wear, etc., We didn't find what we were looking for, but I did have a MINI sighting (2 actually). I couldn't resist, and simply *had* to take a picture.
thought you might enjoy that. ;)
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Welcome to Paradise...
(I've got that Greenday song in my head now...)
We're here! We made it! We're back in Paradise!
the flight went well, and was fairly uneventful - always good. We were able to upgrade to first class using our frequent flyer miles - we had been wait-listed, and didn't think we were going to make it, so that was a nice surprise!
It's gorgeous here. Really beautiful.
And yes, I do have high-speed internet access - in our room! Actually, they charge by the day, so I think we'll touch base every few days, not every single day. It's really nice and convenient, though. I'll try to take some pictures, and upload a few of them here to share with you.
more to come... :)
We're here! We made it! We're back in Paradise!
the flight went well, and was fairly uneventful - always good. We were able to upgrade to first class using our frequent flyer miles - we had been wait-listed, and didn't think we were going to make it, so that was a nice surprise!
It's gorgeous here. Really beautiful.
And yes, I do have high-speed internet access - in our room! Actually, they charge by the day, so I think we'll touch base every few days, not every single day. It's really nice and convenient, though. I'll try to take some pictures, and upload a few of them here to share with you.
more to come... :)
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Closing, and packing....
Wow - what a week it's been!
We accepted offers on Dick's house last night. It all went well, but I can't really say anything until all is said and done. More on that later.
We also closed on the downstairs condo TODAY! Yep, we're now the proud owners of both units - upstairs and downstairs! It's very, very exciting. We've been busy scheduling contractors to do the work downstairs, so we can move in (hopefully) during the last week of April.
PHASE THREE HAS BEGUN!
I say "phase three" because this is the third house that we have had all of this work done on in the last 2 months. We started by doing the floors and painting my upstairs unit, then we had the interior of Dick's house done for the staging. (it looks gorgeous). Now, we're having some minor contractor work done downstairs, then we'll have the floors done, and have the whole unit painted. The good news here is that we've interviewed/used so many contractors now, that we know exactly who we want to go with for each type of job!
Here's the VERY EXCITING NEWS:
We're leaving for Hawaii TOMORROW!
WHAT?
Yep. Hawaii. The Big Island to be exact. We can't wait. We've been so busy and stressed with all of this moving stuff, and poor Dick hasn't really been able to enjoy his sabbatical from work. So, we scheduled this vacation just last Sunday. :)!
We accepted offers on Dick's house last night. It all went well, but I can't really say anything until all is said and done. More on that later.
We also closed on the downstairs condo TODAY! Yep, we're now the proud owners of both units - upstairs and downstairs! It's very, very exciting. We've been busy scheduling contractors to do the work downstairs, so we can move in (hopefully) during the last week of April.
PHASE THREE HAS BEGUN!
I say "phase three" because this is the third house that we have had all of this work done on in the last 2 months. We started by doing the floors and painting my upstairs unit, then we had the interior of Dick's house done for the staging. (it looks gorgeous). Now, we're having some minor contractor work done downstairs, then we'll have the floors done, and have the whole unit painted. The good news here is that we've interviewed/used so many contractors now, that we know exactly who we want to go with for each type of job!
Here's the VERY EXCITING NEWS:
We're leaving for Hawaii TOMORROW!
WHAT?
Yep. Hawaii. The Big Island to be exact. We can't wait. We've been so busy and stressed with all of this moving stuff, and poor Dick hasn't really been able to enjoy his sabbatical from work. So, we scheduled this vacation just last Sunday. :)!
Monday, March 29, 2004
New site Launched!
Just launched my latest site for a new client, Buck's Restaurant:
http://buckswoodside.com/
I'm pleased with how it turned out. Buck's (like it's owner) is a very colorful restaurant, with lots of interesting things to look at when you walk in. I really wanted to convey the atmosphere of the restaurant into the site of the design.
I especially love the animated roll-over navigation elements. They're pretty funny. The butter dripping down the pancakes in the background is fun, too.
http://buckswoodside.com/
I'm pleased with how it turned out. Buck's (like it's owner) is a very colorful restaurant, with lots of interesting things to look at when you walk in. I really wanted to convey the atmosphere of the restaurant into the site of the design.
I especially love the animated roll-over navigation elements. They're pretty funny. The butter dripping down the pancakes in the background is fun, too.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Weekend of Pageantry and Movement....
What a nice weekend! First of all, the weather has been just perfect - that's always good.
Last night, we went to see a performance by Company Chaddick. We have several friends who dance in this company, and have been supporters for many years. It was a great evening. The performance was very good - I especially enjoyed the "4 Men" piece, and the last piece. After the performance, we attended the gala reception. Dick's band played all evening, as we all mingled, and ate yummy foods and chocolates. A good time was had by all.
Today, I spent the day in Hayward at the WGI Western Regional! Most of you know that this was an activity that I was involved in for about 12 years from ages 13-25. Going to the local regional is great fun - get to watch some great guards, but (more importantly) get to catch up some several very old friends (old in the sense that I've known them for years. Not in the sense that they are "old" per se) ;). It was wonderful.
Last night, we went to see a performance by Company Chaddick. We have several friends who dance in this company, and have been supporters for many years. It was a great evening. The performance was very good - I especially enjoyed the "4 Men" piece, and the last piece. After the performance, we attended the gala reception. Dick's band played all evening, as we all mingled, and ate yummy foods and chocolates. A good time was had by all.
Today, I spent the day in Hayward at the WGI Western Regional! Most of you know that this was an activity that I was involved in for about 12 years from ages 13-25. Going to the local regional is great fun - get to watch some great guards, but (more importantly) get to catch up some several very old friends (old in the sense that I've known them for years. Not in the sense that they are "old" per se) ;). It was wonderful.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Todays Musical Selection
I'm laughing at the different types of music that I've listened to today while working.
The Carpenters: Love Songs
Dee-Lite: World Clique
Green Day: Dookie
Well, at least you can't say that I'm not diverse!
...and have I mentioned how much I'm loving iTunes?
All of our CDs are boxed up and in storage for a few weeks. Luckily, all of our music has been ripped onto our computers! LOVE technology! :)
The Carpenters: Love Songs
Dee-Lite: World Clique
Green Day: Dookie
Well, at least you can't say that I'm not diverse!
...and have I mentioned how much I'm loving iTunes?
All of our CDs are boxed up and in storage for a few weeks. Luckily, all of our music has been ripped onto our computers! LOVE technology! :)
Things that are annoying to me today...
Is anyone else out there getting LOADS of SPAM in their inbox today? Actually, it looks like a virus has hit, but I haven't read anything about it yet. Dick's computer hasn't received any bad mail today, which I suppose is good, since he's on a PC. Crazy. Hope it stops soon. I got around 100 emails today related to some virus thingy. I have my Norton Anti-Virus on, so lets hope it's doing it's job. One good thing about the Mac. Do any hackers out there really think it's worth putting a virus out there to the 4% of the world who uses Macs?
Second gripe of the day: My GoLive has the annoying habit of not allowing me to Cut and Paste after a while. It's been happening for months now. Could be a biproduct of upgrading to Panther. Anyone else have this problem? Really annoying. I'm working on a big project right now, and cut and paste is just one of those things that I use a lot. I have to quit and relaunch the app to get it up and running every few minutes.
Second gripe of the day: My GoLive has the annoying habit of not allowing me to Cut and Paste after a while. It's been happening for months now. Could be a biproduct of upgrading to Panther. Anyone else have this problem? Really annoying. I'm working on a big project right now, and cut and paste is just one of those things that I use a lot. I have to quit and relaunch the app to get it up and running every few minutes.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
More reasons to love my MINI
I just got a little box in the postal mail today filled with all kinds of MINI goodies! What a wonderful surprise - it really brightened my day!
contents:
1) a MINI welcome note from the General Manager
2) a cool MINI pen - with a car that "drives" from Hollywood to New York. (it's even a MINI!)
3) a MINI plastic business card holder with little MINI cards
4) MINI Messaging Kit
5) MINI journal
6) MINI BINGO boards!
7) a new MINI Roadside Assistance card complete with VIN Number
It was all wrapped up in a big "Let's Motor" rubber band.
very cool!
I already LOVE my MINI, but this stuff makes me even happier to own my MINI!
contents:
1) a MINI welcome note from the General Manager
2) a cool MINI pen - with a car that "drives" from Hollywood to New York. (it's even a MINI!)
3) a MINI plastic business card holder with little MINI cards
4) MINI Messaging Kit
5) MINI journal
6) MINI BINGO boards!
7) a new MINI Roadside Assistance card complete with VIN Number
It was all wrapped up in a big "Let's Motor" rubber band.
very cool!
I already LOVE my MINI, but this stuff makes me even happier to own my MINI!
Signs of Getting Older...
I think there should be a rule someone stating that women with dark hair should be exempt from having white/grey hairs.
Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I find the whole thing kind of facisnating.
But really - white hairs stand out so strongly against jet black hair. I seem to be getting a lot more lately - is this what happens when you turn 33? They're popping up predominately on the front left side (by the ear). There are also a few popping up in the back - it seems like only Dick notices these, as he's the only one with that high vantage point.
My friend, Sal, used to say that he had "one grey hair for every person he ever taught" (in color guard and drum corps). I think my turn is coming, and I'm a little nervous, because I've taught my fair share of color guard students over the years.... hundreds, I'd guess. Uh-oh.
So, once they start popping in more often... then what? Do I start dying my hair? Hide them amongst highlights? eek! Isn't that one of those things that once you start, you can't ever stop?
I'm going to wait this out, and see how long I can ride the wave. I think my Mom was around 50 when she made the plunge to hair-dying. that seems really good - hopefully, I've got her genes!
Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I find the whole thing kind of facisnating.
But really - white hairs stand out so strongly against jet black hair. I seem to be getting a lot more lately - is this what happens when you turn 33? They're popping up predominately on the front left side (by the ear). There are also a few popping up in the back - it seems like only Dick notices these, as he's the only one with that high vantage point.
My friend, Sal, used to say that he had "one grey hair for every person he ever taught" (in color guard and drum corps). I think my turn is coming, and I'm a little nervous, because I've taught my fair share of color guard students over the years.... hundreds, I'd guess. Uh-oh.
So, once they start popping in more often... then what? Do I start dying my hair? Hide them amongst highlights? eek! Isn't that one of those things that once you start, you can't ever stop?
I'm going to wait this out, and see how long I can ride the wave. I think my Mom was around 50 when she made the plunge to hair-dying. that seems really good - hopefully, I've got her genes!
Monday, March 22, 2004
Monday afternoon goodness...
Mmmmm. I'm eating a slice of Carrot Cake from Just Desserts. Yum. I think it's one of my favorite desserts.
We just got back from a quick jaunt over to SF MOMA. Saw the Pop Exhibit. What a great exhibit. I was really pleased with it. They have some great pieces.
My excuse for getting a slice of carrot cake: I got hungry after seeing all of the Yummy Wayne Thiebaud paintings. :) I absolutely LOVE seeing Thiebaud oil paintings in person.
We just got back from a quick jaunt over to SF MOMA. Saw the Pop Exhibit. What a great exhibit. I was really pleased with it. They have some great pieces.
My excuse for getting a slice of carrot cake: I got hungry after seeing all of the Yummy Wayne Thiebaud paintings. :) I absolutely LOVE seeing Thiebaud oil paintings in person.
Sunday, March 21, 2004
Open House
Today is the big day! Dick's house is officially up on the market. Today is the first Open House. It'll also be open next week. :)
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Laundry Euphoria
This might sound odd to most people (although I suppose most of my blog would sound odd to most people) but one of the perks of living in my condo again is the laundry room. Our washer and dryer are mere feet away from the bedroom. Doing laundry is a breeze!
To understand this, you must know that our laundry facilities at Dick's house were in the basement. Our bedroom was on the second floor (third if you include the basement as a floor). So, doing the laundry was somewhat of a chore. It was a hike to go back and forth. (not to mention that we had annual floods in the part of the basement where the washer and dryer were)
I realize this is nothing compared to not having laundry in your house at all, and having to go to a laundromat. (yes, I've done that, too). That's not fun at all, because you have to sit there to make sure that your clothes aren't stolen.
I remember that about a year ago, my friend Mykail called me from his San Diego apartment. We were both doing laundry. I told him that it was such a chore at Dick's house because of the distance to the basement, but then I realized that I shouldn't complain because he had to take his laundry out of his unit, and to the laundry room in the complex. When I apologized to him for complaining he cracked up. He's been to Dick's house before, so he knows the set up. He told me that his laundry facility was just around the corner (literally) from his front door, and much closer than mine was.
Anyway, it's not that I love to do laundry now, but I'm happy that it's just so much easier! :)
To understand this, you must know that our laundry facilities at Dick's house were in the basement. Our bedroom was on the second floor (third if you include the basement as a floor). So, doing the laundry was somewhat of a chore. It was a hike to go back and forth. (not to mention that we had annual floods in the part of the basement where the washer and dryer were)
I realize this is nothing compared to not having laundry in your house at all, and having to go to a laundromat. (yes, I've done that, too). That's not fun at all, because you have to sit there to make sure that your clothes aren't stolen.
I remember that about a year ago, my friend Mykail called me from his San Diego apartment. We were both doing laundry. I told him that it was such a chore at Dick's house because of the distance to the basement, but then I realized that I shouldn't complain because he had to take his laundry out of his unit, and to the laundry room in the complex. When I apologized to him for complaining he cracked up. He's been to Dick's house before, so he knows the set up. He told me that his laundry facility was just around the corner (literally) from his front door, and much closer than mine was.
Anyway, it's not that I love to do laundry now, but I'm happy that it's just so much easier! :)
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Where in the World have I been?
This is cool:
create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide
Believe it or not, I've been through all of these states. When I say "been through" I've driven through them (and stopped within them), at the very least. Most of them, I've actually spent a bit of time in. Most of my travels happened between the ages of 17-24. My color guard years. My vagabond years. :) Took many a road-trip during those years. Plus, my sister used to travel all over the place for work, so I used to take short vacations visiting her. I've flown through Georgia, (Atlanta, on route to Orlando, FL) but I don't count that. Kind of amazing, no? Dick says we'll have to plan a trip out to the South to finish off my map-age.
In contrast, here are all of the countries I've visited: (not nearly as impressive. Dick can beat my socks off in this category)
create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide
create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide
Believe it or not, I've been through all of these states. When I say "been through" I've driven through them (and stopped within them), at the very least. Most of them, I've actually spent a bit of time in. Most of my travels happened between the ages of 17-24. My color guard years. My vagabond years. :) Took many a road-trip during those years. Plus, my sister used to travel all over the place for work, so I used to take short vacations visiting her. I've flown through Georgia, (Atlanta, on route to Orlando, FL) but I don't count that. Kind of amazing, no? Dick says we'll have to plan a trip out to the South to finish off my map-age.
In contrast, here are all of the countries I've visited: (not nearly as impressive. Dick can beat my socks off in this category)
create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide
Monday, March 15, 2004
Tired Cats
I'm exhausted. I think all of this moving stuff has finally caught up with us.
We had a great weekend. We went to Reeve's & Paula's house in San Jose Saturday night to celebrate Reeve's 35th birthday! What a blast, and a welcome change from what our schedule has been. They threw a magnificent dinner party. Delicious food (Fred Steak, and cupcakes!), wonderful company, and all-around fun.
Yesterday, my parents came up (again!) to help us (again) move the rest of our stuff over from Dick's house (again!). This time, we really got it all. We're leaving some of the furniture behind for the stagers to use, but everything else is here with us now. Our "storage room" in my condo (aka the dining room) is stuffed now, as is our storage space in the basement. It's such a relief to have that whole process finally over and done with. I still think it's weird that the movers weren't able to take everything over in the first place, but.....
We went to Dick's house today, and for the first time, we were able to go over, and just enjoy it, without having to feel like we need to pack more stuff. The painters are almost done. It looks fantastic. The stager will come in over the next few days, and make it look beautiful. It'll be on the market this Sunday for open house.
Everything is happening right on schedule! :) (knock wood)
We had a great weekend. We went to Reeve's & Paula's house in San Jose Saturday night to celebrate Reeve's 35th birthday! What a blast, and a welcome change from what our schedule has been. They threw a magnificent dinner party. Delicious food (Fred Steak, and cupcakes!), wonderful company, and all-around fun.
Yesterday, my parents came up (again!) to help us (again) move the rest of our stuff over from Dick's house (again!). This time, we really got it all. We're leaving some of the furniture behind for the stagers to use, but everything else is here with us now. Our "storage room" in my condo (aka the dining room) is stuffed now, as is our storage space in the basement. It's such a relief to have that whole process finally over and done with. I still think it's weird that the movers weren't able to take everything over in the first place, but.....
We went to Dick's house today, and for the first time, we were able to go over, and just enjoy it, without having to feel like we need to pack more stuff. The painters are almost done. It looks fantastic. The stager will come in over the next few days, and make it look beautiful. It'll be on the market this Sunday for open house.
Everything is happening right on schedule! :) (knock wood)
Friday, March 12, 2004
Where's my printer??????!!!!
I've been waiting for UPS to come all day. Yesterday, they attempted to deliver at 2:54pm. I was out meeting a client, and Dick was away for an hour or so. They left a tag saying they would return today between 2-5.
So I've been waiting at home, all afternoon. We're getting hungry, and would like to go out, but now we need to wait....
Hmmm.
I want my printer.
------------
6:26pm
update
UPS just delivered
:)
So I've been waiting at home, all afternoon. We're getting hungry, and would like to go out, but now we need to wait....
Hmmm.
I want my printer.
------------
6:26pm
update
UPS just delivered
:)
testing...
A new client of mine gave me this test to take as we met yesterday:
Count the "F's" in the following text:
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-
IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS...
How many "F's" did you find?
did you get 3?
or did you get more?
Please leave your answers in the comments section. It's pretty fascinating.
Count the "F's" in the following text:
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE-
SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIF-
IC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS...
How many "F's" did you find?
did you get 3?
or did you get more?
Please leave your answers in the comments section. It's pretty fascinating.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
haircut
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. I finally got my hair cut.
you may have noticed that my hair has been the longest it's been in, well.... at least 12 years. Back then, when it was long, it was also big, huge, and PERMED! aak!
here's the story (because there's always a story): My former tenant was also my hairdresser. As a hairdresser, I really liked him; he consistently gave me a good cut, he was very nice. As a tenant, it turned out he wasn't good at all: consistently late with his rent, problematic, and noisy. I was so frustrated as his landlord, that I just couldn't bring myself in to see him to cut my hair.
I only had my hair cut twice during that time - and both times he was up-to-date in paying me :) Once was in April, the last time was in October.
Needless to say, my hair grew very, very long. I actually forgot how quickly it grows. I guess the good news is that he had given me such a good haircut that it grew out really well.
My tenant has since moved out, (he gave notice in January) and moved to a different hair salon. Lucky for me, because now I'm in my old neighborhood, and I really liked going to that salon. So I walked in this morning, and signed up with a new hairdresser. He was great - gave me a good cut, and seemed to be very nice. He took about 4 inches off the length. My hair is so thick, that the extra length makes it very heavy. It feels really good!
I'll try to post some pictures soon of my hair styles at different stages over the past year. It should be pretty funny, now that you know the story.
you may have noticed that my hair has been the longest it's been in, well.... at least 12 years. Back then, when it was long, it was also big, huge, and PERMED! aak!
here's the story (because there's always a story): My former tenant was also my hairdresser. As a hairdresser, I really liked him; he consistently gave me a good cut, he was very nice. As a tenant, it turned out he wasn't good at all: consistently late with his rent, problematic, and noisy. I was so frustrated as his landlord, that I just couldn't bring myself in to see him to cut my hair.
I only had my hair cut twice during that time - and both times he was up-to-date in paying me :) Once was in April, the last time was in October.
Needless to say, my hair grew very, very long. I actually forgot how quickly it grows. I guess the good news is that he had given me such a good haircut that it grew out really well.
My tenant has since moved out, (he gave notice in January) and moved to a different hair salon. Lucky for me, because now I'm in my old neighborhood, and I really liked going to that salon. So I walked in this morning, and signed up with a new hairdresser. He was great - gave me a good cut, and seemed to be very nice. He took about 4 inches off the length. My hair is so thick, that the extra length makes it very heavy. It feels really good!
I'll try to post some pictures soon of my hair styles at different stages over the past year. It should be pretty funny, now that you know the story.
My phone is working!
Yay! My phone was supposed to be turned on last Wednesday. Never had a dial tone. I wasn't able to call SBC about it until Monday morning. They sent someone over this morning, and (eventually) it was turned on! :)
Dick and I will be sharing a phone line/number now - which is a first for us. We're using the Message Center, too. Dick has always had it. I've always used my own answering machine.
Anyhow, I'm trying out this new package from SBC: All Distance. Essentially, it includes all local calls, long distance calls, call waiting, caller ID, call-waiting ID, and the message center for $48.95/month. Not bad.
Dick and I will be sharing a phone line/number now - which is a first for us. We're using the Message Center, too. Dick has always had it. I've always used my own answering machine.
Anyhow, I'm trying out this new package from SBC: All Distance. Essentially, it includes all local calls, long distance calls, call waiting, caller ID, call-waiting ID, and the message center for $48.95/month. Not bad.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
New printer ordered
I love amazon.com.
here's the printer I chose. Seems like a nice one, and got really high reviews - plus, you can't beat the price. I've had good luck with Epson printers - had my last one for 4-5 years. I got it with free shipping, so it'll take a few days to get here....
here's the printer I chose. Seems like a nice one, and got really high reviews - plus, you can't beat the price. I've had good luck with Epson printers - had my last one for 4-5 years. I got it with free shipping, so it'll take a few days to get here....
Monday, March 08, 2004
The first casualty of the move
Crap.
My printer just died.
It was working fine yesterday. I plugged it into everything, and tested it.
Don't know what happened. Too much excitement for it's little brain I suppose.
amazon.com, here I come.
So much for retail therapy. This is just annoying.
My printer just died.
It was working fine yesterday. I plugged it into everything, and tested it.
Don't know what happened. Too much excitement for it's little brain I suppose.
amazon.com, here I come.
So much for retail therapy. This is just annoying.
My MINI meets a neighbor
I think we're going to be very happy here in the new(old) neighborhood.
Here's a picture of my MINI getting acquainted with one of our new neighbors.
Here's a picture of my MINI getting acquainted with one of our new neighbors.
Time for a break
We're taking today off.
I just sent in a (very large) work proposal that I've been working on for the last 2 weeks. It was quite a challenge getting it done during the move. I've been up and working at my computer at 6:30am the last two days, and was up late last night. Anyhow, the due date is today, and I just sent it out. I'm feeling a great sense of relief at the moment. I'm happy with how it turned out, and I know it's out of my hands now. That's all I can ask for. Fingers crossed - should know within the next few weeks.
We also made one more quick run to the old house to pack up some more stuff - will it never end????????????
We're bound and determined to take the rest of the day off. Not bad, considering it's only 10:30am.
It's gorgeous outside today. Weather reports says it'll be 75 degrees and sunny. I think we should go out for a long drive along the ocean in my MINI. Doesn't that sound lovely?
By the way, in case you've tried calling, my new phone number isn't working yet. It was supposed to be up last Thursday, but alas, no dial tone yet. SBC is sending someone out Wednesday morning to check the line.
Oh well. Happy to have a cell phone. Even happier to have high speed internet.
I just sent in a (very large) work proposal that I've been working on for the last 2 weeks. It was quite a challenge getting it done during the move. I've been up and working at my computer at 6:30am the last two days, and was up late last night. Anyhow, the due date is today, and I just sent it out. I'm feeling a great sense of relief at the moment. I'm happy with how it turned out, and I know it's out of my hands now. That's all I can ask for. Fingers crossed - should know within the next few weeks.
We also made one more quick run to the old house to pack up some more stuff - will it never end????????????
We're bound and determined to take the rest of the day off. Not bad, considering it's only 10:30am.
It's gorgeous outside today. Weather reports says it'll be 75 degrees and sunny. I think we should go out for a long drive along the ocean in my MINI. Doesn't that sound lovely?
By the way, in case you've tried calling, my new phone number isn't working yet. It was supposed to be up last Thursday, but alas, no dial tone yet. SBC is sending someone out Wednesday morning to check the line.
Oh well. Happy to have a cell phone. Even happier to have high speed internet.
Sunday, March 07, 2004
Happy Kitties
I forgot to mention - the kitties seem to have adjusted to the new house just fine. :)
Here's the proof:
PS: Marcel is sleeping on the blanket that my Grandma knitted him for Christmas!
Here's the proof:
PS: Marcel is sleeping on the blanket that my Grandma knitted him for Christmas!
March (moving) Madness!
Wow.
What a weekend.
First of all, let me tell you: I think my parents are super heroes! Really, I think their cover is "Henry & Barb Chow. Regular, everyday civilians." But underneath it all, I think they're hiding the fact that they're both super human!
As I mentioned before, Dick and I moved into the condo on Friday, but we still had quite a lot of stuff left at the old house (that the movers couldn't fit - I'm still questioning that one), and our kitchen was filled with boxes.
Lo and behold.... Saturday morning: Noon.
Henry and Barb arrive, swoop in, and SAVE THE DAY!
They are like a pair of Energizer Bunnies! My Mom immediately got to work in the kitchen - she and I spent the afternoon unpacking, and organizing. My Dad and Dick went down to the basement to rearrange, then spent most of the afternoon driving back and forth from the old house to the condo delivering (most) of the remaining goods. By the end of the evening, the kitchen was completely unpacked, and fully functional! We also managed to get a huge amount of stuff from the old house to the new. Really amazing. We couldn't have done it without them!
Dick and I were exhausted by the end of the evening. We got Chinese take-out from our favorite Chinese Restaurant in San Francisco: U-Lee. (On Hyde @ Jackson) Love that place. That was the only request my parents had! (and a good one it was!) After we ate, my Mom hopped right back up and said, "I just want to unpack that one last box in the kitchen."
Amazing.
..and even more interesting.. they keep insisting that they enjoy it!
I hope I've inherited some of their super-human-energy genes. I'm beginning to think it skipped a generation!
Thanks, Mom & Dad! I love you very much!
What a weekend.
First of all, let me tell you: I think my parents are super heroes! Really, I think their cover is "Henry & Barb Chow. Regular, everyday civilians." But underneath it all, I think they're hiding the fact that they're both super human!
As I mentioned before, Dick and I moved into the condo on Friday, but we still had quite a lot of stuff left at the old house (that the movers couldn't fit - I'm still questioning that one), and our kitchen was filled with boxes.
Lo and behold.... Saturday morning: Noon.
Henry and Barb arrive, swoop in, and SAVE THE DAY!
They are like a pair of Energizer Bunnies! My Mom immediately got to work in the kitchen - she and I spent the afternoon unpacking, and organizing. My Dad and Dick went down to the basement to rearrange, then spent most of the afternoon driving back and forth from the old house to the condo delivering (most) of the remaining goods. By the end of the evening, the kitchen was completely unpacked, and fully functional! We also managed to get a huge amount of stuff from the old house to the new. Really amazing. We couldn't have done it without them!
Dick and I were exhausted by the end of the evening. We got Chinese take-out from our favorite Chinese Restaurant in San Francisco: U-Lee. (On Hyde @ Jackson) Love that place. That was the only request my parents had! (and a good one it was!) After we ate, my Mom hopped right back up and said, "I just want to unpack that one last box in the kitchen."
Amazing.
..and even more interesting.. they keep insisting that they enjoy it!
I hope I've inherited some of their super-human-energy genes. I'm beginning to think it skipped a generation!
Thanks, Mom & Dad! I love you very much!
Friday, March 05, 2004
Moving Mania
Ugh.
What a long day. We moved today. We hired 4 guys from emerald Moving Co. on Valencia. They had a big, huge truck. They weren't able to fit everything in the truck, so Dick and I will have to do a few trips back and forth to the house to get the rest of the little stuff. (Actually, it'll take a good many trips, but I'm trying not to think of it too much) As for the rest of the larger items that were left - we're just hoping that stager can use what we couldn't bring over. Anyway, the movers were with us from 8:30am through 4:00pm. They were pretty remarkable - we have some big pieces of furniture (Large Chinese Cabinets) that they were able to navigate up the stairs, and around the bend.
The kitties are trying to figure out what the heck is happening. Poor little things - you just can't explain things like this to them. We had them in the master bathroom all day, then went back to get them this evening. We have them in our bedroom now - we thought it best to keep them in a small space until they've acclimated a little more. Plus, we have our sheets, and comforter in there, so it should smell like home. Last time I checked, Marcel was still hiding under the bed, and Noe was still hiding in her carrier. Poor kitties.
We're exhausted. Just beat.
But, not too tired to get the high speed internet up and running! :)
more later. must take a shower now.
What a long day. We moved today. We hired 4 guys from emerald Moving Co. on Valencia. They had a big, huge truck. They weren't able to fit everything in the truck, so Dick and I will have to do a few trips back and forth to the house to get the rest of the little stuff. (Actually, it'll take a good many trips, but I'm trying not to think of it too much) As for the rest of the larger items that were left - we're just hoping that stager can use what we couldn't bring over. Anyway, the movers were with us from 8:30am through 4:00pm. They were pretty remarkable - we have some big pieces of furniture (Large Chinese Cabinets) that they were able to navigate up the stairs, and around the bend.
The kitties are trying to figure out what the heck is happening. Poor little things - you just can't explain things like this to them. We had them in the master bathroom all day, then went back to get them this evening. We have them in our bedroom now - we thought it best to keep them in a small space until they've acclimated a little more. Plus, we have our sheets, and comforter in there, so it should smell like home. Last time I checked, Marcel was still hiding under the bed, and Noe was still hiding in her carrier. Poor kitties.
We're exhausted. Just beat.
But, not too tired to get the high speed internet up and running! :)
more later. must take a shower now.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
(Almost) Moving Day.....
We actually post-phoned moving day until tomorrow. Thought we could use the extra day to get stuff ready.
We're just about done. I just finished packing my dolls, then it's time for bed.
I scanned this picture several years ago when I first moved to Eureka Street. It's from the Raggedy Ann book "Marcella" by Johnny Gruelle. Packing my dolls again made me think about it....
We're just about done. I just finished packing my dolls, then it's time for bed.
I scanned this picture several years ago when I first moved to Eureka Street. It's from the Raggedy Ann book "Marcella" by Johnny Gruelle. Packing my dolls again made me think about it....
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Steam Cleaning Maniacs
My Mom and my sister came over to the condo today to help us clean for our move-in. They were both so terrific, and such cleaning pros!
They each have their own steam machines, which we used on EVERYTHING! You name it, we steam cleaned it: the softwood floors, windows, linoleum, blinds, refrigerator, counters, etc., Really Amazing!
I'm totally hooked on them now. I think I'll add one to my Amazon.com wishlist! :)
I can't find the exact model my sister has, but it's something like this one. Plus, this one has the bonus of looking like a cute mouse!
My Mom's handheld steamer cracked me up. It's called "The Steam Penguin". :) Now, if you know my Mom, you know that she LOVES and collects penguins. (like how I collect Raggedy Anns) So, you can see that this was the perfect machine for her!
Now that I'm looking these up on amazon.com, I can see that neither one has very good user ratings. Oh well - they both worked very well for us today.
A big "thank you" again to my Mom and Sister, Tiffini. They were so very helpful today. I really feel like the condo is ready for us to move into now!
They each have their own steam machines, which we used on EVERYTHING! You name it, we steam cleaned it: the softwood floors, windows, linoleum, blinds, refrigerator, counters, etc., Really Amazing!
I'm totally hooked on them now. I think I'll add one to my Amazon.com wishlist! :)
I can't find the exact model my sister has, but it's something like this one. Plus, this one has the bonus of looking like a cute mouse!
My Mom's handheld steamer cracked me up. It's called "The Steam Penguin". :) Now, if you know my Mom, you know that she LOVES and collects penguins. (like how I collect Raggedy Anns) So, you can see that this was the perfect machine for her!
Now that I'm looking these up on amazon.com, I can see that neither one has very good user ratings. Oh well - they both worked very well for us today.
A big "thank you" again to my Mom and Sister, Tiffini. They were so very helpful today. I really feel like the condo is ready for us to move into now!
Monday, March 01, 2004
Ch-ch-ch-Changes!!!!!!!!!!
We're moving.
WHAT?!
Yep. we're moving.
This week.
But, why haven't you blogged about this before?
It has all happened very fast, and we wanted to make sure that everything was in place before telling everyone.
Where?
We're moving to The Castro (a mere 1.5 miles away) - I have a little condo over there.
Why?
Ah, yes. There's more to the story than that. (there always is)
I've owned the condo in the Castro (along with my family) for over 5 years now. I have rented it out for the past 2 years, when I moved in with Dick. In a weird, (but great) series of coincidences, my tenants gave notice to vacate, and my neighbors downstairs (of the 2 unit building) also decided to sell their unit. Dick and I jumped on this real estate opportunity.
So, long story short: Dick is buying the downstairs unit, I still own the upstairs unit. We like to think of it as: His and Her Condos (some people have towels, we have condos)
The idea is that Dick can sell his big house, buy the condo (smaller investment) but we'll have the luxury of owning both units (ie: the whole building) which is the same size as Dick's big house.
We've been working out the details only in the last 4 weeks or so. Everything is squared away now, and we have an actual moving date, so I figured it was safe to share the news with the world now.
It's a 3-step process: We've been having a lot of work done on my condo upstairs (the tenants didn't leave it in great shape, and it was due for a bit of a facelift anyway). We pulled up the old carpet in the bedrooms, and had the wood floors in the entire place refinished. We also had most of it repainted - they're finishing it up today or tomorrow. It looks amazing. Anyhow, our move-in date is set for this Thursday.
We'll be moving in all of our personal items, and some of our furniture. We're having our house "staged" for sale, and will leave so furniture here, so we won't have to store anything. Then, Dick's house will be painted (in the interior) and staged for sale. It should be up on the market in the middle of the month.
Finally, we'll be moving into the bottom unit in about another month. Then, we'll be able to sort things out and move the furniture into both unit.
So, contrary to how my blog has read over the past month, we've actually been really busy on all of this. lots of packing, planning, and contractors.
That's the scoop. I'll fill you in on more later - just wanted to start to get the word out.
I'll send out an email with our new address(s) and phone number this week.
WHAT?!
Yep. we're moving.
This week.
But, why haven't you blogged about this before?
It has all happened very fast, and we wanted to make sure that everything was in place before telling everyone.
Where?
We're moving to The Castro (a mere 1.5 miles away) - I have a little condo over there.
Why?
Ah, yes. There's more to the story than that. (there always is)
I've owned the condo in the Castro (along with my family) for over 5 years now. I have rented it out for the past 2 years, when I moved in with Dick. In a weird, (but great) series of coincidences, my tenants gave notice to vacate, and my neighbors downstairs (of the 2 unit building) also decided to sell their unit. Dick and I jumped on this real estate opportunity.
So, long story short: Dick is buying the downstairs unit, I still own the upstairs unit. We like to think of it as: His and Her Condos (some people have towels, we have condos)
The idea is that Dick can sell his big house, buy the condo (smaller investment) but we'll have the luxury of owning both units (ie: the whole building) which is the same size as Dick's big house.
We've been working out the details only in the last 4 weeks or so. Everything is squared away now, and we have an actual moving date, so I figured it was safe to share the news with the world now.
It's a 3-step process: We've been having a lot of work done on my condo upstairs (the tenants didn't leave it in great shape, and it was due for a bit of a facelift anyway). We pulled up the old carpet in the bedrooms, and had the wood floors in the entire place refinished. We also had most of it repainted - they're finishing it up today or tomorrow. It looks amazing. Anyhow, our move-in date is set for this Thursday.
We'll be moving in all of our personal items, and some of our furniture. We're having our house "staged" for sale, and will leave so furniture here, so we won't have to store anything. Then, Dick's house will be painted (in the interior) and staged for sale. It should be up on the market in the middle of the month.
Finally, we'll be moving into the bottom unit in about another month. Then, we'll be able to sort things out and move the furniture into both unit.
So, contrary to how my blog has read over the past month, we've actually been really busy on all of this. lots of packing, planning, and contractors.
That's the scoop. I'll fill you in on more later - just wanted to start to get the word out.
I'll send out an email with our new address(s) and phone number this week.
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Happy Leap Day
Yep - once every four years - like the Olympics, or the Presidential Election.
Here it is.
Anyone born on a leap day? that would be crazy.
I just read this in sfgate, and thought it was kind of funny:
The Tiffany and Co. jewelry stores took out a big ad to remind people that Leap Day is the "one day when girls can pop the question.'' Tiffany would also like to remind people that it has engagement rings for $1.3 million, a sum than can make boys pop the answer of "no.''
I can see that look on your face now - No, I am not planning on proposing to Dick today. ;)
Here it is.
Anyone born on a leap day? that would be crazy.
I just read this in sfgate, and thought it was kind of funny:
The Tiffany and Co. jewelry stores took out a big ad to remind people that Leap Day is the "one day when girls can pop the question.'' Tiffany would also like to remind people that it has engagement rings for $1.3 million, a sum than can make boys pop the answer of "no.''
I can see that look on your face now - No, I am not planning on proposing to Dick today. ;)
Friday, February 27, 2004
"the snack that smiles back"
Mmmm. Munching on goldfish crackers right now. yum.
I really like their little jingle/slogan. It's catchy. It's cute. It plays in my head anytime I eat them.
It's almost as good as:
"looks like a pump, feels like a sneaker"
remember that one?
Truly random thoughts today... :)
what are your favorite jingle/slogans? (she asked, trying to encourage audience participation) Post your favorite in the comments field (just below)!
I really like their little jingle/slogan. It's catchy. It's cute. It plays in my head anytime I eat them.
It's almost as good as:
"looks like a pump, feels like a sneaker"
remember that one?
Truly random thoughts today... :)
what are your favorite jingle/slogans? (she asked, trying to encourage audience participation) Post your favorite in the comments field (just below)!
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Windows Media Center
Today, Dick and I drove to the Gateway store in Berkeley and bought a Media Center PC! (Yep, it's the latest and greatest addition to our collection of Techie-Toys)
What's a media center? Here's the description from the website:
A complete entertainment solution integrating the functionality of a DVD player, digital jukebox, Personal Video Recorder (PVR) and PC in one!
We got the FMC-901.
So, it's a PC, that has a DVR (like a TIVO), can play music (like a jukebox, but with a better User Interface Design) and can show slideshows of all of your digital pictures! It also has a DVD player, and can run any PC application (ie: we can use it just like any other PC). It comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse so (if you want) you can browse the web, check email, ... whatever!
We bought it because we needed a new DVR solution - long story. Will explain that all later.
So far, it's very cool. The DVR part works great - again, nice U.I. It is (of course) networked to the rest of our computers, so we already copied over all of our music and pictures.
What's a media center? Here's the description from the website:
A complete entertainment solution integrating the functionality of a DVD player, digital jukebox, Personal Video Recorder (PVR) and PC in one!
We got the FMC-901.
So, it's a PC, that has a DVR (like a TIVO), can play music (like a jukebox, but with a better User Interface Design) and can show slideshows of all of your digital pictures! It also has a DVD player, and can run any PC application (ie: we can use it just like any other PC). It comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse so (if you want) you can browse the web, check email, ... whatever!
We bought it because we needed a new DVR solution - long story. Will explain that all later.
So far, it's very cool. The DVR part works great - again, nice U.I. It is (of course) networked to the rest of our computers, so we already copied over all of our music and pictures.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Flood in the basement!
yep - you read it right. We had a flood in the basement from all of the rain last night. Not a huge surprise - we usually have a flood down there at least once a year, and the storm last night was really strong. The drain gets overloaded, and just can't keep up with all of the water! Luckily, we have a good system now to sweep the water out - it took 4 years, but we have a system!
It's not as bad as it sounds, either. It's just the back half of the back of the basement. We don't have much back there - just the washer & dryer, and the hot water heater, and the furnace. We've never kept anything stored back there, except for the earthquake kits that are in rubber tubs. We probably had about 2-4 inches, which I suppose isn't all that bad.
Check out this picture. I just found it on sfgate.com. It shows an intersection that's just about 6 blocks from us! So again, a few inches in the basement isn't bad at all :)
It's not as bad as it sounds, either. It's just the back half of the back of the basement. We don't have much back there - just the washer & dryer, and the hot water heater, and the furnace. We've never kept anything stored back there, except for the earthquake kits that are in rubber tubs. We probably had about 2-4 inches, which I suppose isn't all that bad.
Check out this picture. I just found it on sfgate.com. It shows an intersection that's just about 6 blocks from us! So again, a few inches in the basement isn't bad at all :)
Monday, February 23, 2004
Funny MINI article
Alice sent me this article this morning...
Who needs a date when you have the Mini Cooper for company?(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; 7/5/2002; Carey, Art
Have you ever walked into a room and seen someone so lovely, so cute, so perfect that you instantly fall in love?
Then you have some idea what it's like to meet Mini.
The full name is Mini Cooper, and it's a car. Between you and me, Mini is a car you want to adopt rather than merely buy, a car you want to sleep with instead of just drive.
Who needs a date when you have the Mini Cooper for company?(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; 7/5/2002; Carey, Art
Have you ever walked into a room and seen someone so lovely, so cute, so perfect that you instantly fall in love?
Then you have some idea what it's like to meet Mini.
The full name is Mini Cooper, and it's a car. Between you and me, Mini is a car you want to adopt rather than merely buy, a car you want to sleep with instead of just drive.
Sunday, February 22, 2004
Computer Recycling Center
Ack! Sorry - no posts for a few days. Been busy. Trying to catch up.
Thursday, Dick and I put my MINI to it's first "let's see how much this baby can hold" test. We filled it up, and made a run to the computer recycling center. The people at the center were pretty impressed with how much stuff fit in the car. We kept unloading more boxes.... they said we won the "clown car" award. Here's a short list of what we had:
17" monitor
old Epson SCSI scanner
Laser Writer Printer
color inkjet printer
fax machine
External Syquest EZ Drive
External CD/RW drive
DSL modems
4 or 5 telephones
boxes and bags full of old cables
it all fit just fine in the car. I should have gotten a shot from the side so you can really see how much is in there. You can get an idea by seeing the size of the 17" monitor in picture.
The Computer Recycling Center is a really nice service if you have old hardware and office supplies taking up space in your garage or basement. They will either donate the working equipment to schools, (repair them if necessary) or they will dispose of the equipment properly.
Thursday, Dick and I put my MINI to it's first "let's see how much this baby can hold" test. We filled it up, and made a run to the computer recycling center. The people at the center were pretty impressed with how much stuff fit in the car. We kept unloading more boxes.... they said we won the "clown car" award. Here's a short list of what we had:
17" monitor
old Epson SCSI scanner
Laser Writer Printer
color inkjet printer
fax machine
External Syquest EZ Drive
External CD/RW drive
DSL modems
4 or 5 telephones
boxes and bags full of old cables
it all fit just fine in the car. I should have gotten a shot from the side so you can really see how much is in there. You can get an idea by seeing the size of the 17" monitor in picture.
The Computer Recycling Center is a really nice service if you have old hardware and office supplies taking up space in your garage or basement. They will either donate the working equipment to schools, (repair them if necessary) or they will dispose of the equipment properly.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Why my ♥ is in San Francisco
This article was in sfgate.com this morning. I LOVE living in San Francicso. This article reminded me of some of the reasons why this is such a great City.
Now, That's San Francisco
Nothing like a few thousand gay marriage ceremonies to reignite your urban pride
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Friendly sex shops. Peet's. Dog parks. Stellar restaurants. Superlative tattoo artists. Fabulous weather. Unparalleled natural beauty. Organic foods. Fewer SUVs, more Priuses. Mission burritos. An overwhelming anti-Schwarzenegger sentiment. Sushi. Bush never visits.
There are things that make you happy to live in San Francisco, truly grateful, along with plenty of things that make you hyper-aware that you live in the country's most progressive open-minded convoluted messed-up liberal bubble, for both good and ill.
But few are the things that transcend mere gratitude, things that our struggling budget-strapped modern metropolis has offered of late that makes you say, oh my God, I am right now so incredibly proud to say I live here, I mean just look what we're doing, look what ground we are breaking, what stagnant trends we are blasting, what history we are making.
But for the moment, that's all changed. There is one astounding beacon of political and social (and romantic) action about which San Franciscans can be truly emboldened: The move to legalize same-sex marriage, to hold genuine same-sex wedding ceremonies, this should make any progressive soul proud to live in this amazing city. Deeply, genuinely, thoroughly.
Here's why: No matter what the final outcome, this past week will go down as one of those defining moments, a seminal point in American history. It hearkens back to the civil rights movement and to women's suffrage, though with less screaming chanting effigy-burning marches and beatings by angry cops, and more roses and warm-hearted grins and life-affirming smooches on the steps of city hall.
It was a delicious and heartwarming historic spectacle indeed, and there was simply no way for any person of any elevated consciousness or spiritual awareness -- anyone with any heart whatsoever -- to witness the huge line of happy, eager same-sex couples snaking around city hall and not be deeply moved, profoundly touched.
I was there. I saw the lines, the smiles, felt the intense emotional energy. It was simply irrefutable: These are people in love. These are couples who have been together for years, decades, who have started families and raised children and set up homes replete with dogs and dinner parties and antiques and regular shopping excursions to Safeway and the mall. You know, just like "real" Americans.
These are couples who are willing to go the distance, to commit and connect, and who are eager to prove to themselves and the world that their love is something true and real and momentous, something that, in truth, can only serve to reignite and reunite our stagnant, fractured, contentious, 50 percent-divorce-rate nation. Hey, we need all the help we can get.
And one other thing was very apparent: It was a situation in which you simply could not imagine anyone hurling gobs of intolerant hate at it. It would have required a serious amount of nasty, inbred ignorance and appalling nerve to march up to any of the passionate and committed couples waiting patiently in line for their marriage ceremony and say, you know, God hates you for this, you immoral disgusting sodomites, and it's intolerable and unacceptable that you wish to love and honor each other till death do you part.
Which, yes indeed, is exactly what a great many antigay groups are doing, in effect, right now.
But here's the best part: The City's brave move was not merely a giant well-manicured middle finger to the Christian Right and indignant homophobic conservatives everywhere.
Nor was it just an audacious act of civil disobedience, guaranteed to raise the ire of Bible thumpers and so-called pro-family groups hailing everywhere from Orange County to Colorado Springs. That's just a nice bonus.
It was, more than anything, an incredible celebration of love. The more than 2,600 wedding ceremonies performed so far were the purest evidence, an irrefutable outpouring of the most wondrous and messy and baffling and orgasmic and desperately needed of human emotions, the air electric and warm, the ceremonies themselves radiant and poignant and genuinely tearful.
And no question became so clear, so obvious, as the one being asked by same-sex-marriage advocates around the world: What, really, is so wrong about this? What is the horrible threat about two adults who love each other so intensely, so purely, that they're willing to commit to a lifetime of being together and sleeping together and arguing over who controls the remote? And what government body dares to claim a right to legislate against it?
It is a question no group, no homophobic senator, no piece of antigay legislation, no BushCo stump speech, no Bible-humping pastor has been able to answer with any clarity or conviction.
They can only mumble about immorality and quote some vague Scripture about sodomy that makes them all tingly, as wary biblical scholars all over the world roll their eyes and point to a thousand proofs that demonstrate, over and over again, how the Bible is basically a reinterpreted regurgitated piece of classic patriarchal misogynistic mythmaking that says exactly what the church rewrote it to say.
But I might have part of an answer. From what I can glean from some of my hate mail and the general conservative outcry, here is what the homophobes fear about same-sex marriage: bestiality.
That is, they are utterly terrified that same-sex marriage is a slippery slope of permissive debauchery that will lead to the utter breakdown of social rules and sexual mores, to people being allowed to marry their dogs, or their own dead grandmothers, or chairs, or three hairy men from Miami Beach.
In short, to the neocon Right, a nation that allows gays to marry is a nation with no boundaries and no condoms and where all sorts of illicit disgusting behaviors will soon be legal and be forced upon them, a horrific tribal wasteland full of leeches and flying bugs and scary sex acts they only read about in chat rooms and their beloved "Left Behind" series of cute apocalypse-porn books.
You know, just like how giving blacks the right to own their own land meant we had to give the same rights to house plants and power tools, or how granting women the right to vote meant it was a slippery slope until we gave suffrage to feral cats and sea slugs and rusty hubcaps.
This, then, is why it is a time to be incredibly proud. San Francisco is slapping this moronic worldview back to the dank basement of subhuman intellect, where it belongs. We have broken the taboo, challenged the ignorant and the easily terrified, made it beautifully clear that what matters most in a modern society is not unfounded, naive fears, not uptight religious puling, but a humane and equal, joyous sense of love for all.
The war is far from over. It will be a brutal battle, with much hate yet to be spewed, much Bible waving and law mangling accompanying what will undoubtedly be a slow, painful sea change for a very uptight, easily terrified American society.
But S.F. has taken the lead, has sounded the battle cry, has defined itself anew. And for that, more than any other of its wonders, I am incredibly proud that I live in San Francisco, the best city in the whole goddamn world -- gay, straight or anywhere in between.
Now, That's San Francisco
Nothing like a few thousand gay marriage ceremonies to reignite your urban pride
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Friendly sex shops. Peet's. Dog parks. Stellar restaurants. Superlative tattoo artists. Fabulous weather. Unparalleled natural beauty. Organic foods. Fewer SUVs, more Priuses. Mission burritos. An overwhelming anti-Schwarzenegger sentiment. Sushi. Bush never visits.
There are things that make you happy to live in San Francisco, truly grateful, along with plenty of things that make you hyper-aware that you live in the country's most progressive open-minded convoluted messed-up liberal bubble, for both good and ill.
But few are the things that transcend mere gratitude, things that our struggling budget-strapped modern metropolis has offered of late that makes you say, oh my God, I am right now so incredibly proud to say I live here, I mean just look what we're doing, look what ground we are breaking, what stagnant trends we are blasting, what history we are making.
But for the moment, that's all changed. There is one astounding beacon of political and social (and romantic) action about which San Franciscans can be truly emboldened: The move to legalize same-sex marriage, to hold genuine same-sex wedding ceremonies, this should make any progressive soul proud to live in this amazing city. Deeply, genuinely, thoroughly.
Here's why: No matter what the final outcome, this past week will go down as one of those defining moments, a seminal point in American history. It hearkens back to the civil rights movement and to women's suffrage, though with less screaming chanting effigy-burning marches and beatings by angry cops, and more roses and warm-hearted grins and life-affirming smooches on the steps of city hall.
It was a delicious and heartwarming historic spectacle indeed, and there was simply no way for any person of any elevated consciousness or spiritual awareness -- anyone with any heart whatsoever -- to witness the huge line of happy, eager same-sex couples snaking around city hall and not be deeply moved, profoundly touched.
I was there. I saw the lines, the smiles, felt the intense emotional energy. It was simply irrefutable: These are people in love. These are couples who have been together for years, decades, who have started families and raised children and set up homes replete with dogs and dinner parties and antiques and regular shopping excursions to Safeway and the mall. You know, just like "real" Americans.
These are couples who are willing to go the distance, to commit and connect, and who are eager to prove to themselves and the world that their love is something true and real and momentous, something that, in truth, can only serve to reignite and reunite our stagnant, fractured, contentious, 50 percent-divorce-rate nation. Hey, we need all the help we can get.
And one other thing was very apparent: It was a situation in which you simply could not imagine anyone hurling gobs of intolerant hate at it. It would have required a serious amount of nasty, inbred ignorance and appalling nerve to march up to any of the passionate and committed couples waiting patiently in line for their marriage ceremony and say, you know, God hates you for this, you immoral disgusting sodomites, and it's intolerable and unacceptable that you wish to love and honor each other till death do you part.
Which, yes indeed, is exactly what a great many antigay groups are doing, in effect, right now.
But here's the best part: The City's brave move was not merely a giant well-manicured middle finger to the Christian Right and indignant homophobic conservatives everywhere.
Nor was it just an audacious act of civil disobedience, guaranteed to raise the ire of Bible thumpers and so-called pro-family groups hailing everywhere from Orange County to Colorado Springs. That's just a nice bonus.
It was, more than anything, an incredible celebration of love. The more than 2,600 wedding ceremonies performed so far were the purest evidence, an irrefutable outpouring of the most wondrous and messy and baffling and orgasmic and desperately needed of human emotions, the air electric and warm, the ceremonies themselves radiant and poignant and genuinely tearful.
And no question became so clear, so obvious, as the one being asked by same-sex-marriage advocates around the world: What, really, is so wrong about this? What is the horrible threat about two adults who love each other so intensely, so purely, that they're willing to commit to a lifetime of being together and sleeping together and arguing over who controls the remote? And what government body dares to claim a right to legislate against it?
It is a question no group, no homophobic senator, no piece of antigay legislation, no BushCo stump speech, no Bible-humping pastor has been able to answer with any clarity or conviction.
They can only mumble about immorality and quote some vague Scripture about sodomy that makes them all tingly, as wary biblical scholars all over the world roll their eyes and point to a thousand proofs that demonstrate, over and over again, how the Bible is basically a reinterpreted regurgitated piece of classic patriarchal misogynistic mythmaking that says exactly what the church rewrote it to say.
But I might have part of an answer. From what I can glean from some of my hate mail and the general conservative outcry, here is what the homophobes fear about same-sex marriage: bestiality.
That is, they are utterly terrified that same-sex marriage is a slippery slope of permissive debauchery that will lead to the utter breakdown of social rules and sexual mores, to people being allowed to marry their dogs, or their own dead grandmothers, or chairs, or three hairy men from Miami Beach.
In short, to the neocon Right, a nation that allows gays to marry is a nation with no boundaries and no condoms and where all sorts of illicit disgusting behaviors will soon be legal and be forced upon them, a horrific tribal wasteland full of leeches and flying bugs and scary sex acts they only read about in chat rooms and their beloved "Left Behind" series of cute apocalypse-porn books.
You know, just like how giving blacks the right to own their own land meant we had to give the same rights to house plants and power tools, or how granting women the right to vote meant it was a slippery slope until we gave suffrage to feral cats and sea slugs and rusty hubcaps.
This, then, is why it is a time to be incredibly proud. San Francisco is slapping this moronic worldview back to the dank basement of subhuman intellect, where it belongs. We have broken the taboo, challenged the ignorant and the easily terrified, made it beautifully clear that what matters most in a modern society is not unfounded, naive fears, not uptight religious puling, but a humane and equal, joyous sense of love for all.
The war is far from over. It will be a brutal battle, with much hate yet to be spewed, much Bible waving and law mangling accompanying what will undoubtedly be a slow, painful sea change for a very uptight, easily terrified American society.
But S.F. has taken the lead, has sounded the battle cry, has defined itself anew. And for that, more than any other of its wonders, I am incredibly proud that I live in San Francisco, the best city in the whole goddamn world -- gay, straight or anywhere in between.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
MINIs Everywhere!
The MINI Cooper really is the perfect city car. It's small (for parking) economical, good power, and cute as can be. I've certainly noticed them a lot more in San Francisco over the past year.
The morning was the topper, though. I was driving to get bagels this morning, and spotted 3 MINI Coopers driving along the way. The bagel store is about 1/2 mile away, so that's a LOT of MINIs within a short amount of time/space. Very funny. All different colors, too! I'm red, I saw a black Cooper with a white top, a blue Cooper with a white top, and a Pepper White Cooper with a Black top.
They're EVERYWHERE! :)
The morning was the topper, though. I was driving to get bagels this morning, and spotted 3 MINI Coopers driving along the way. The bagel store is about 1/2 mile away, so that's a LOT of MINIs within a short amount of time/space. Very funny. All different colors, too! I'm red, I saw a black Cooper with a white top, a blue Cooper with a white top, and a Pepper White Cooper with a Black top.
They're EVERYWHERE! :)
Monday, February 16, 2004
Penguin Baseball!!!
This is hysterical!!!
found this on Reeve's blog:
Penguin Baseball
My high score so far: 1197.1
Dick's high score: 1214.7
found this on Reeve's blog:
Penguin Baseball
My high score so far: 1197.1
Dick's high score: 1214.7
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Update on the neighbor's Xmas Tree
Looks like they finally took it down. I think it was yesterday.
So, just for our records: February 14, 2004.
Yep, about 1 1/2 months after everyone else took their trees down.
To top it off, I think it was a real tree! I noticed that it was starting to look brown through the window.
Ugh. What a fire hazzard!
So, just for our records: February 14, 2004.
Yep, about 1 1/2 months after everyone else took their trees down.
To top it off, I think it was a real tree! I noticed that it was starting to look brown through the window.
Ugh. What a fire hazzard!
Saturday, February 14, 2004
More pictures from Chinese New Year
My Uncle Bill just sent a whole bunch of nice photos from our Chinese New Year celebration. I've added his pictures to the web site that I made.
♥ Happy Heart Day ♥
Happy Valentine's Day!
Dick and I had a really nice day. He isn't into Valentine's Day at all (who can blame him, really) so we pretty much had a nice, normal day. We made a very nice meal tonight to "celebrate": we roasted a chicken, and found a great recipe for leeks and carrots. Yum!
Honestly, I think my most memorable Valentine's Days were the years that I celebrated "un-Valentine's Days" with friends. Most notably:
Valentine's Day 1990:
"Single and Unattached Day". My sister and I were living in Dayton, OH, doing the color guard thing. We had a bunch of people over - probably 12-16. We made dinner (or perhaps ordered pizza). I remember that our friend, Beth, baked 2 heart-shaped cakes, frosted them, then proceeded to cut through them with jagged lines (like a broken heart). It was a lot of fun.
The other memorable "un-Valentine's Day" was 2000. Dick and I had been dating for over a year, and he was in Japan (on business) for the 2nd Valentine's Day in a row. Since he was literally out of the country, I went to join a bunch of friends for a "Bitter Valentine's Party". My friend, Philip, arranged it. There was a group of us (10, maybe?) who met at Nirvana in the Castro. We had a contest for "who was the most bitter". I think it was Laura who won - she had a speech about not dating because she was a "fag hag", had dated too many men who turned gay, and then just couldn't find any decent straight men. She did, of course, meet the man of her dreams later that year, and was married 1 1/2 years later. They've been married for a couple of years now, and have a little baby girl! :)
So, however you choose to celebrate (or not) Happy Valentine's Day! ♥
Dick and I had a really nice day. He isn't into Valentine's Day at all (who can blame him, really) so we pretty much had a nice, normal day. We made a very nice meal tonight to "celebrate": we roasted a chicken, and found a great recipe for leeks and carrots. Yum!
Honestly, I think my most memorable Valentine's Days were the years that I celebrated "un-Valentine's Days" with friends. Most notably:
Valentine's Day 1990:
"Single and Unattached Day". My sister and I were living in Dayton, OH, doing the color guard thing. We had a bunch of people over - probably 12-16. We made dinner (or perhaps ordered pizza). I remember that our friend, Beth, baked 2 heart-shaped cakes, frosted them, then proceeded to cut through them with jagged lines (like a broken heart). It was a lot of fun.
The other memorable "un-Valentine's Day" was 2000. Dick and I had been dating for over a year, and he was in Japan (on business) for the 2nd Valentine's Day in a row. Since he was literally out of the country, I went to join a bunch of friends for a "Bitter Valentine's Party". My friend, Philip, arranged it. There was a group of us (10, maybe?) who met at Nirvana in the Castro. We had a contest for "who was the most bitter". I think it was Laura who won - she had a speech about not dating because she was a "fag hag", had dated too many men who turned gay, and then just couldn't find any decent straight men. She did, of course, meet the man of her dreams later that year, and was married 1 1/2 years later. They've been married for a couple of years now, and have a little baby girl! :)
So, however you choose to celebrate (or not) Happy Valentine's Day! ♥
Friday, February 13, 2004
Gettin' Married at City Hall
No, Dick and I did not get married at City Hall today. :)
We were there as witnesses for the marriage of our good friends, Pete & Richard.
Pete & Richard were one of several hundred gay & lesbian couples who were married at San Francisco City Hall today. Today's estimate is about 850, plus yesterday's 90 marriages.
I was pretty amazing to be a part of our friend's wedding, and to be involved in such an important historical act.
I'm reading SFgate right now, and they state that "Same sex couples waited up to 2 hours to get married at City Hall." We arrived at 2:00, and waited in line for about 4 hours. It's was pretty cool though - it was such a joyous occasion for everyone. The couple ahead of us drove from Santa Cruz, while the 2 men behind us were on vacation from New York. I loved hearing about their day: They went to Alcatraz this morning, had lunch, then decided to go to City Hall to get married.
Congratulations to Pete & Richard, Andrew & Barry, and to the other several hundred couples who were able to get married legally for the first time ever! (we'll see what happens next week, but for now, let's celebrate!)
By the way, SFgate reports that the City stood to take in $50,000 in wedding license fee. I assume that's just for the first two days. Imagine how much money that will be by Monday night. I think our new Mayor may have found a way to reduce the City's deficit!
Congratulations, Pete & Richard!!
We were there as witnesses for the marriage of our good friends, Pete & Richard.
Pete & Richard were one of several hundred gay & lesbian couples who were married at San Francisco City Hall today. Today's estimate is about 850, plus yesterday's 90 marriages.
I was pretty amazing to be a part of our friend's wedding, and to be involved in such an important historical act.
I'm reading SFgate right now, and they state that "Same sex couples waited up to 2 hours to get married at City Hall." We arrived at 2:00, and waited in line for about 4 hours. It's was pretty cool though - it was such a joyous occasion for everyone. The couple ahead of us drove from Santa Cruz, while the 2 men behind us were on vacation from New York. I loved hearing about their day: They went to Alcatraz this morning, had lunch, then decided to go to City Hall to get married.
Congratulations to Pete & Richard, Andrew & Barry, and to the other several hundred couples who were able to get married legally for the first time ever! (we'll see what happens next week, but for now, let's celebrate!)
By the way, SFgate reports that the City stood to take in $50,000 in wedding license fee. I assume that's just for the first two days. Imagine how much money that will be by Monday night. I think our new Mayor may have found a way to reduce the City's deficit!
Congratulations, Pete & Richard!!
Thursday, February 12, 2004
There's a PC in my Mac!!!!
I just installed Virtual PC onto my Mac. I also had to install Windows XP Professional.
Crazy, man.
There's a PC in my Mac now.
I haven't had a chance to do anything with it yet, but it's pretty cool so far.
Why would I do this?
Because I believe that the world is a good place, where PCs and Macs can live together in harmony. ;)
The real reason is that I want to use it to test out all of my web sites on PC Browsers as well as Mac browsers. True, I do have Dick's PC (sitting behind me in the office) but this way I can do it all in one place. Also, I run Quickbooks on Windows, so now I can do everything from one computer.
.... or is it because I'm simply too lazy to turn around and use the other computer? :) No not really. It's mostly "Because I Can".
Omar (a.k.a. "The Oracle") is a Project Manager for Virtual PC for the Mac. I'm sure I'll have all kinds of questions to ask him! (hi Omar!)
Actually, after reading Omar's blog, I see there's an update for Virtual PC for Mac. (downloading now.....) thanks, Omar!
Will report more on this soon!
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Gallery Reception
Busy day at Adler & Co. Gallery today. We had a reception tonight which showcased the new Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Hilla Rebay Show.
We will be having another reception sometime soon. Tonight's was actually a private reception. We'll be doing another soon that will be open to the general public. I'll keep you posted.
The show will be up through May 1st. It's a pretty remarkable show - 2 amazing women artists where were really pioneers in their fields. It's very inspirational. You should drop by and see it sometime.
We will be having another reception sometime soon. Tonight's was actually a private reception. We'll be doing another soon that will be open to the general public. I'll keep you posted.
The show will be up through May 1st. It's a pretty remarkable show - 2 amazing women artists where were really pioneers in their fields. It's very inspirational. You should drop by and see it sometime.
Monday, February 09, 2004
Pictures from Chinese New Year
We had a (late) Chinese New Year celebration with my family on Saturday. It was an all day event - from 1:00 til 10:00pm! My Grandmother has always done all of the prep work and cooking for the feast, until last year. We all thought it would be a good idea to let her relax and rest more, tell us what to do, and teach us how to cook our favorite dishes! We started this new tradition last year.
It was quite a feast: Steamed Chicken, Steamed fish, bok choy, guy-lon, tin foil chicken, roast duck, spare ribs, shrimp, etc.,...
Last year, Grandma decided that Dick was the one who should help with the wok cooking! (Good thing he already knows how to cook with a wok!) She said that he's the only one tall enough to really have the leverage to work the wok well.
It was a lot of work, a lot of time prepping and cooking, but a LOT of fun! ... and did I mention how DELICIOUS it was??!!
Here are some pictures.
It was quite a feast: Steamed Chicken, Steamed fish, bok choy, guy-lon, tin foil chicken, roast duck, spare ribs, shrimp, etc.,...
Last year, Grandma decided that Dick was the one who should help with the wok cooking! (Good thing he already knows how to cook with a wok!) She said that he's the only one tall enough to really have the leverage to work the wok well.
It was a lot of work, a lot of time prepping and cooking, but a LOT of fun! ... and did I mention how DELICIOUS it was??!!
Here are some pictures.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
update on the Christmas tree...
Today if February 4th.
Our neighbors (across the street) STILL have their Christmas Tree up in the front window, and decorated! wow. I may have to take a picture of that to show you guys. It's fairly unbelievable.
I'm really curious to see just how long they're going to keep it up. It's like a game now!
Our neighbors (across the street) STILL have their Christmas Tree up in the front window, and decorated! wow. I may have to take a picture of that to show you guys. It's fairly unbelievable.
I'm really curious to see just how long they're going to keep it up. It's like a game now!
Monday, February 02, 2004
Now That's a monitor!
This just in! (I LOVE amazon.com) Here's my new 17" Sony Monitor! It's gorgeous! Just hooked it up. So far, so good. And... It's HUGE!!! It's dwarfing my little 15" Powerbook monitor.
pretty
Oh, and while we're at it.... here's my "home office" set up! (It's a little messy right now, so please ignore that) The new monitor is (obviously) on the left side, with my 15" Powerbook set up on the right. I LOVE using two monitors to work on. Makes life so much easier. My Powerbook is sitting on a clear, acrylic stand. Yes, that is my old Powerbook G3 sitting underneath. I still find the need to pull it out every once in a while, so I like to keep it available. My keyboard is in front of my Powerbook(s) - it's so nice to have a full-size keyboard and mouse hooked up to the Powerbook at home.
Ok, that's all for now. I'll submit a full report on the new monitor after a few days of using it. For now, I just know that it looks pretty!
Sunday, February 01, 2004
Day Two: Still LOVE my MINI!
Yep. Still fabulous.
Forgot to mention that after we came home from the dealership yesterday, Dick took the wheel, and drove the MINI up to Twin Peaks. It was a great ride - he was amazed at how well the car took to all of the turns! Lots of fun. Even better: it gets even better after going through the 1,200 mile break-in period! After that, we can rev it up above 4500rpm, and try using the CVT Steptronic mode! :) Unfortunately, I didn't bring our camera with us. If I had it with us, I could have taken a great picture of the MINI, on it's first day home, on top of Twin Peaks, overlooking the City, during a gorgeous sunset. Try to visualize it...... Pretty, huh?
We also had another good test of the MINI's performance today. We had dim sum this afternoon at Ton Kiang (in the Richmond district). We drove out there with Pete & Richard, and tried it out on some moderate hills - first time riding with 4 people in the car. It went well - I honestly didn't notice the extra weight. That's a good sign! We fit in pretty well, although Pete was a little cramped in the back seat. We called it a clown car when we all stepped out.
Forgot to mention that after we came home from the dealership yesterday, Dick took the wheel, and drove the MINI up to Twin Peaks. It was a great ride - he was amazed at how well the car took to all of the turns! Lots of fun. Even better: it gets even better after going through the 1,200 mile break-in period! After that, we can rev it up above 4500rpm, and try using the CVT Steptronic mode! :) Unfortunately, I didn't bring our camera with us. If I had it with us, I could have taken a great picture of the MINI, on it's first day home, on top of Twin Peaks, overlooking the City, during a gorgeous sunset. Try to visualize it...... Pretty, huh?
We also had another good test of the MINI's performance today. We had dim sum this afternoon at Ton Kiang (in the Richmond district). We drove out there with Pete & Richard, and tried it out on some moderate hills - first time riding with 4 people in the car. It went well - I honestly didn't notice the extra weight. That's a good sign! We fit in pretty well, although Pete was a little cramped in the back seat. We called it a clown car when we all stepped out.
Saturday, January 31, 2004
My MINI is HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's been a wonderfully, glorious day!
We had a 10:00am appointment to pick up our new MINI in pleasantly.
We were there for 2 1/2 hours, with our MA (Motoring Advisor) Matt. The whole car buying experience couldn't have been better!
I am IN LOVE with this car!!!! It's beautiful! It's fun! It's cute! It's drives soooo well! Dick drove it up to Twin Peaks this afternoon, and couldn't believe how well it performed!
We went out to lunch with my parents, and got our first "people staring at the cute car, and smiling" today. (I assume that was what they were smiling about, anyway)
I also had someone on the freeway give me the "thumbs up" signal... or am I just imagining these things? :)
I'm really tired from the long day, but I wanted to be certain to get some pictures up.
Enjoy!
We had a 10:00am appointment to pick up our new MINI in pleasantly.
We were there for 2 1/2 hours, with our MA (Motoring Advisor) Matt. The whole car buying experience couldn't have been better!
I am IN LOVE with this car!!!! It's beautiful! It's fun! It's cute! It's drives soooo well! Dick drove it up to Twin Peaks this afternoon, and couldn't believe how well it performed!
We went out to lunch with my parents, and got our first "people staring at the cute car, and smiling" today. (I assume that was what they were smiling about, anyway)
I also had someone on the freeway give me the "thumbs up" signal... or am I just imagining these things? :)
I'm really tired from the long day, but I wanted to be certain to get some pictures up.
Enjoy!
Friday, January 30, 2004
Happy Birthday, Tiffie!
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Medical Insurance Woes...
Okay, not thrilled with my medical insurance (Kaiser Permanente) at the moment. I ordered a prescription refill for my Depakote (for my Myoclonus). Got it in the mail yesterday, and found out that they charged me $117.45!!!! My insurance used to only charge me $10-$25 for prescriptions, but it (apparantly) changed this year. Lesson learned: I should have ordered my refill prescription before 2003 ended. So now, I have a $250/year deductable limit.
Yikes. that's pricey!
Oh well, what can I do? I need my meds.... Plus, I swore years ago (when I was diagnosed with Myoclonus) that I wouldn't ever complain about my health care costs. They ran so many tests, and procedures that would have cost so much had I not been covered.
I've generally been happy with my coverage, and especially with my doctors - especially my Neurologist. It's been tough, though. My insurance costs have tripled over the past 7 years, and (obviously) the cost of prescriptions and copayments have risen.
At least I have insurance.....
Yikes. that's pricey!
Oh well, what can I do? I need my meds.... Plus, I swore years ago (when I was diagnosed with Myoclonus) that I wouldn't ever complain about my health care costs. They ran so many tests, and procedures that would have cost so much had I not been covered.
I've generally been happy with my coverage, and especially with my doctors - especially my Neurologist. It's been tough, though. My insurance costs have tripled over the past 7 years, and (obviously) the cost of prescriptions and copayments have risen.
At least I have insurance.....
Burning Music....
I'm such a big dork.
I just spent the last hour creating a playlist, and burning a CD to listen to for when I pick up my new car! (just for the record, iTunes rocks!)
If that wasn't bad enough, I also took the time to create a pretty label for it, complete with a picture of my MINI in the background.
Yikes. Someone stop me now!
I just spent the last hour creating a playlist, and burning a CD to listen to for when I pick up my new car! (just for the record, iTunes rocks!)
If that wasn't bad enough, I also took the time to create a pretty label for it, complete with a picture of my MINI in the background.
Yikes. Someone stop me now!
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Christmas is over - isn't it?
I've noticed this for the past 4 years that Dick has lived here: One of our neighbors across the street STILL has their Christmas Tree up. It's in the front bay window, it's still decorated, and they still light it up at night. I assume it's a fake tree, so I suppose there's no worry that it's still there, but....???
curious. (she said, checking the date on her calendar again)
curious. (she said, checking the date on her calendar again)
Kitty-Cat Wake-up Call
Our cats are so funny.
Noe has a wonderful ritual of giving us the "Kitten wake-up call" every morning. She usually comes in first at 7:30am. (when Dick's alarm clock goes off, if he set it) She'll give a cute little "mew" (that's different from any other "meow" or "mew" that she may say any other time during the day) and will hop up on the bed. Then, she'll slowly walk up to one of us (I think she comes to me first) purring. When she reaches my face, she'll gently start "knitting" with her paws, and will start licking my lips. Soooo cute. Depending on the day, we'll respond by petting her, or sometimes, we'll be too tired to acknowledge her. If we don't respond, she'll leave after about 5 minutes. Here's the best part: every 1/2 hour she'll come in again, and will do the same thing. Yep, every half hour, until we wake up and get out of bed. It's really cute, and such a nice way to wake up.
If we're reallly lazy, we'll get the "Big Cat wake-up call". Meaning if we're not up and about by 9:00 or so, Marcel will walk in, jump up on the bed, walk up onto one of our chests, and lay down. Now remember, Marcel is about 15 lbs! He's quite heavy. That'll usually do the trick, and we'll all wake up, and get out of bed.
So much better than waking up to a regular alarm clock! :)
Noe has a wonderful ritual of giving us the "Kitten wake-up call" every morning. She usually comes in first at 7:30am. (when Dick's alarm clock goes off, if he set it) She'll give a cute little "mew" (that's different from any other "meow" or "mew" that she may say any other time during the day) and will hop up on the bed. Then, she'll slowly walk up to one of us (I think she comes to me first) purring. When she reaches my face, she'll gently start "knitting" with her paws, and will start licking my lips. Soooo cute. Depending on the day, we'll respond by petting her, or sometimes, we'll be too tired to acknowledge her. If we don't respond, she'll leave after about 5 minutes. Here's the best part: every 1/2 hour she'll come in again, and will do the same thing. Yep, every half hour, until we wake up and get out of bed. It's really cute, and such a nice way to wake up.
If we're reallly lazy, we'll get the "Big Cat wake-up call". Meaning if we're not up and about by 9:00 or so, Marcel will walk in, jump up on the bed, walk up onto one of our chests, and lay down. Now remember, Marcel is about 15 lbs! He's quite heavy. That'll usually do the trick, and we'll all wake up, and get out of bed.
So much better than waking up to a regular alarm clock! :)
Monday, January 26, 2004
Scheduled Delivery
Okay, I've scheduled my delivery of my MINI Cooper for this Saturday, January 31. :)
The dealership was able to have it ready as early as Wednesday morning, but I wanted to work it out so that Dick, and my parents could also go as well. Big family outing!
You may wonder what I'll obsess over after I pick up my new car.
What lies in the horizon?
If only you knew.....
(more to follow)
The dealership was able to have it ready as early as Wednesday morning, but I wanted to work it out so that Dick, and my parents could also go as well. Big family outing!
You may wonder what I'll obsess over after I pick up my new car.
What lies in the horizon?
If only you knew.....
(more to follow)
Monitor news
Thanks to Pete & Omar for their helpful opinions on what kind of monitor I should get. I ended up getting the 17" Sony from amazon.com. I went to Best Buy on Saturday to look at the different models in person, and really liked the picture quality, as well as the aesthetics. (Sonys are generally so pretty!) I ordered the monitor late Saturday night from amazon.com - it was so much cheaper than buying from Best Buy! Plus, it had a $50 mail-in rebate, and (my favorite) free shipping & no tax!
Lucky me, for placing my order when I did. Last night, the "sale price" dropped by $40, and it was only offered through J&R Music & Computer, rather than directly through amazon.com. $40 more, plus I would have had to pay for shipping.
*phew*
I'm looking forward to getting it. It's driving me nuts working off one monitor, when I've been accustomed to two. Poor me! ;)
Lucky me, for placing my order when I did. Last night, the "sale price" dropped by $40, and it was only offered through J&R Music & Computer, rather than directly through amazon.com. $40 more, plus I would have had to pay for shipping.
*phew*
I'm looking forward to getting it. It's driving me nuts working off one monitor, when I've been accustomed to two. Poor me! ;)
Sunday, January 25, 2004
MINI's First Picture
I love my Mom! Yesterday, she surprised me by driving out to Pleasanton (about 40 min from her house) to take pictures of my new car for me. :)
I have the best Mom ever.
So, here's my car, in all of it's pre-prepped glory!
I have the best Mom ever.
So, here's my car, in all of it's pre-prepped glory!
Saturday, January 24, 2004
It's Official: MINI is at the Dealer
Here's a screen shot I've been waiting to see for a long time now...
NOTE: The status changed today to "At your MINI Dealer" and the estimated delivery date changed from today to yesterday (when it was actually delivered)
NOTE: The status changed today to "At your MINI Dealer" and the estimated delivery date changed from today to yesterday (when it was actually delivered)
Almost Here!!!
I called my MINI dealership this morning - my car arrived at the dealership LAST NIGHT! It's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D!
Not sure when I can pick it up yet - they asked me which dealer-programmed options I wanted (ie: follow-me-home lights, auto locks, etc,) She wasn't sure how long it would take - it depends on how busy their service center is today, and they are closed on Sundays (bummer).
She'll be calling me back later today to schedule a pick-up time/date!!!
It's amazing - it's in Pleasanton now! So quick! (from getting off the boat that is. I was expecting another week or two)
more news to follow!
Not sure when I can pick it up yet - they asked me which dealer-programmed options I wanted (ie: follow-me-home lights, auto locks, etc,) She wasn't sure how long it would take - it depends on how busy their service center is today, and they are closed on Sundays (bummer).
She'll be calling me back later today to schedule a pick-up time/date!!!
It's amazing - it's in Pleasanton now! So quick! (from getting off the boat that is. I was expecting another week or two)
more news to follow!
Sick Monitor
Crap - I think my monitor just blew a fuse or something...
First of all, it's 5:00 am on a Saturday morning. Why am I awake? I wasn't able to sleep well at all last night. Fell asleep around 12:30, but woke back up at 4:00. :(
Anyhow, here I was, doing my computer thing, when *blip* - we have a little power surge/failure. The lights went off just for one second, then everything popped back on. Everything seemed to reset itself just fine, except....
My 17" monitor (which I have attached to my 15" laptop) didn't turn back on, and was making little clicking noises. Eventually, the green light came back on (as opposed to the orange light that was on, like when the computer is in sleep mode) but... no picture. Just black. Nadda.
My laptop was still reading the external monitor, and I think the monitor thought it was up and running. What is it? Is that like a blown picture tube? Hmmmm.
So, now what? Wait and see? See how it feels in the morning?
I don't exactly feel like buying a new monitor now - too many things going on. However, (she said, perhaps jumping the gun) I'll need one. It makes doing my work so much easier and more efficient.
Grrrrrrrr. :(
And, yes. I did have everything plugged into a power surge protector.
Geez. Good thing my laptop has a battery backup.
Perhaps it wouldn't had blown if I wasn't awake, and my computer/monitor was asleep during the power blip :(
Is there someone out there I can blame?
UPDATE:
1:54pm
Unfortunately, it looks like I have a dead monitor :(
Now I'm researching 15" and 17" flat screen LCD monitors on amazon.com. (love free shipping/no tax)
The 17" seems to average about $100 more than the 15". Dick has pretty much convinced me to spend the extra dough for the extra screen size.
Gads, like I need to spend the extra $$ that I wasn't planning on. Oh well, what can you do? I'm really missing having an extra monitor right now (and it's only been a few hours - pathetic, really), and I'm sure that as soon as I start working on my next project, I'll be really missing it.
Silver Lining: get a pretty, lightweight flat monitor. More desk space. Tax right-off.
Looking at a Sony, NEC and a ViewSonic.
any opinions out there?
First of all, it's 5:00 am on a Saturday morning. Why am I awake? I wasn't able to sleep well at all last night. Fell asleep around 12:30, but woke back up at 4:00. :(
Anyhow, here I was, doing my computer thing, when *blip* - we have a little power surge/failure. The lights went off just for one second, then everything popped back on. Everything seemed to reset itself just fine, except....
My 17" monitor (which I have attached to my 15" laptop) didn't turn back on, and was making little clicking noises. Eventually, the green light came back on (as opposed to the orange light that was on, like when the computer is in sleep mode) but... no picture. Just black. Nadda.
My laptop was still reading the external monitor, and I think the monitor thought it was up and running. What is it? Is that like a blown picture tube? Hmmmm.
So, now what? Wait and see? See how it feels in the morning?
I don't exactly feel like buying a new monitor now - too many things going on. However, (she said, perhaps jumping the gun) I'll need one. It makes doing my work so much easier and more efficient.
Grrrrrrrr. :(
And, yes. I did have everything plugged into a power surge protector.
Geez. Good thing my laptop has a battery backup.
Perhaps it wouldn't had blown if I wasn't awake, and my computer/monitor was asleep during the power blip :(
Is there someone out there I can blame?
UPDATE:
1:54pm
Unfortunately, it looks like I have a dead monitor :(
Now I'm researching 15" and 17" flat screen LCD monitors on amazon.com. (love free shipping/no tax)
The 17" seems to average about $100 more than the 15". Dick has pretty much convinced me to spend the extra dough for the extra screen size.
Gads, like I need to spend the extra $$ that I wasn't planning on. Oh well, what can you do? I'm really missing having an extra monitor right now (and it's only been a few hours - pathetic, really), and I'm sure that as soon as I start working on my next project, I'll be really missing it.
Silver Lining: get a pretty, lightweight flat monitor. More desk space. Tax right-off.
Looking at a Sony, NEC and a ViewSonic.
any opinions out there?
Friday, January 23, 2004
Getting Closer
I just heard from one of my "forum buddies" on mini2.com that his dealership called, and he's picking up his MINI tomorrow! that's great news because he and I had the exact same production date (December 18th) and were on the same boat. The boat docks in Oxnard, which is in Southern California, and his dealership is in Universal City (Los Angeles). Obviously, mine has a little further to go (but not much!) so I'm hoping to get a call from my dealership SOON!
Thursday, January 22, 2004
MINI Update
I know you were wondering.....
Yes, my car did make it on board the Elektra in Southampton on Monday December 29, 2003. After 22 days at sea (and through the Panama Canal) it arrived at Port Hueneme, CA on Tuesday, January 20th!
I just found out that it has made it to the BMW Vehicle Distribution Center in Oxnard, CA. (that's in Southern CA) It'll go through the final rounds of inspection and quality control, then eventually be loaded on a carrier and brought to my dealership!
I'm hoping to pick it up within the next couple of weeks! :)
Yes, my car did make it on board the Elektra in Southampton on Monday December 29, 2003. After 22 days at sea (and through the Panama Canal) it arrived at Port Hueneme, CA on Tuesday, January 20th!
I just found out that it has made it to the BMW Vehicle Distribution Center in Oxnard, CA. (that's in Southern CA) It'll go through the final rounds of inspection and quality control, then eventually be loaded on a carrier and brought to my dealership!
I'm hoping to pick it up within the next couple of weeks! :)
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
New LOVE stamps
have you seen these yet?
aren't they cute?
I bought 2 packets today, so I can use them throughout the year.
I've always liked the stamps in the "LOVE" series, but I think I'm partial to this year's rendition because I LOVE the candy hearts!
candy hearts = Raggedy Ann
get it?
Plus, I made the navigation icons in my Raggedy Ann site with Candy Hearts!
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Google Rules
It's even better than you thought.
Did you know it doubles as a calculator?
try this in your Google toolbar, or at google.com:
567*456
(cool, isn't it?)
now try this:
68 gallons in cups
(even cooler!)
Did anyone else know this?
(Dick just told me this - he just found out today)
One more:
1 c in mph
I love the web. :)
Did you know it doubles as a calculator?
try this in your Google toolbar, or at google.com:
567*456
(cool, isn't it?)
now try this:
68 gallons in cups
(even cooler!)
Did anyone else know this?
(Dick just told me this - he just found out today)
One more:
1 c in mph
I love the web. :)
Monday, January 19, 2004
20 years of Macintosh
I know I already showed this picture, but click here for the new commercial. It's exactly the same as the one from 1984, except she's wearing an iPod.
Clever.
Saturday, January 17, 2004
Friday, January 16, 2004
Too busy to blog...
Generally speaking, if I don't have a blog up for the day, it's safe to assume that I'm too busy working to blog. (unless, of course, I'm just being lazy......)
I've realized that I don't talk much about my work here - which is actually intentional. Client confidentiality, and all that ;)
So rest assured, I am working, I am busy, and I'm still LOVING my job!
"What does Trina do?", you ask?
see for youself!
I've realized that I don't talk much about my work here - which is actually intentional. Client confidentiality, and all that ;)
So rest assured, I am working, I am busy, and I'm still LOVING my job!
"What does Trina do?", you ask?
see for youself!
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Old cat, new habit
Our kitties provide endless hours of amusement...
Here's Marcel's latest thing:
We have a small space-heater set on timer in our bedroom. (old house, no heat upstairs) Marcel has just discovered that the heater is nice and warm! (the room is generally very cold) Over the past few nights, we've found him laying next to the heater. Not surprising... The funny part is, he likes to stretch his front paws out so that they are underneath the heater! It's pretty funny, and hard to describe, so here's a pic!
Here's Marcel's latest thing:
We have a small space-heater set on timer in our bedroom. (old house, no heat upstairs) Marcel has just discovered that the heater is nice and warm! (the room is generally very cold) Over the past few nights, we've found him laying next to the heater. Not surprising... The funny part is, he likes to stretch his front paws out so that they are underneath the heater! It's pretty funny, and hard to describe, so here's a pic!
UNIX meets LOTR
Dick just found this: it's a UNIX command that brought up all of these dates from The Lord of the Rings. I don't really get it, but somehow all of these things are just living in my computer. It's a UNIX thing... If you have a Mac running OS X, (or any computer running UNIX, for that matter) open up a terminal, and try it out for yourself!
Note: there aren't any years, just months and days.
Who knew that Dick shares his birthday (September 14th) with both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins! I didn't know that Bilbo and Frodo shared the same birthday... let alone Dick! What does it all mean? Perhaps I'm dating a hobbit! ;)
[Trina-Chows-Computer:/usr/share/calendar] trinacho% cat calendar.history | grep LOTR
01/05 Fellowship enters Moria (LOTR)
01/09 Fellowship reaches Lorien (LOTR)
01/17 Passing of Gandalf (LOTR)
02/07 Fellowship leaves Lorien (LOTR)
02/17 Death of Boromir (LOTR)
02/20 Meriadoc & Pippin meet Treebeard (LOTR)
02/22 Passing of King Ellesar (LOTR)
02/24 Ents destroy Isengard (LOTR)
02/26 Aragorn takes the Paths of the Dead (LOTR)
03/05 Frodo & Samwise encounter Shelob (LOTR)
03/08 Deaths of Denethor & Theoden (LOTR)
03/18 Destruction of the Ring (LOTR)
03/29 Flowering of the Mallorn (LOTR)
04/04 Gandalf visits Bilbo (LOTR)
04/17 An unexpected party (LOTR)
04/23 Crowning of King Ellesar (LOTR)
05/19 Arwen leaves Lorian to wed King Ellesar (LOTR)
06/11 Sauron attacks Osgilliath (LOTR)
06/13 Bilbo returns to Bag End (LOTR)
06/23 Wedding of Ellesar & Arwen (LOTR)
07/04 Gandalf imprisoned by Saruman (LOTR)
07/24 The ring comes to Bilbo (LOTR)
07/26 Bilbo rescued from Wargs by Eagles (LOTR)
08/03 Funeral of King Theoden (LOTR)
08/29 Saruman enters the Shire (LOTR)
09/10 Gandalf escapes from Orthanc (LOTR)
09/14 Frodo & Bilbo's birthday (LOTR)
09/15 Black riders enter the Shire (LOTR)
09/18 Frodo and company rescued by Bombadil (LOTR)
09/28 Frodo wounded at Weathertop (LOTR)
10/16 Boromir reaches Rivendell (LOTR)
10/17 Council of Elrond (LOTR)
10/25 End of War of the Ring (LOTR)
11/16 Bilbo reaches the Lonely Mountain (LOTR)
12/05 Death of Smaug (LOTR)
12/16 Fellowship begins Quest (LOTR)
Note: there aren't any years, just months and days.
Who knew that Dick shares his birthday (September 14th) with both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins! I didn't know that Bilbo and Frodo shared the same birthday... let alone Dick! What does it all mean? Perhaps I'm dating a hobbit! ;)
[Trina-Chows-Computer:/usr/share/calendar] trinacho% cat calendar.history | grep LOTR
01/05 Fellowship enters Moria (LOTR)
01/09 Fellowship reaches Lorien (LOTR)
01/17 Passing of Gandalf (LOTR)
02/07 Fellowship leaves Lorien (LOTR)
02/17 Death of Boromir (LOTR)
02/20 Meriadoc & Pippin meet Treebeard (LOTR)
02/22 Passing of King Ellesar (LOTR)
02/24 Ents destroy Isengard (LOTR)
02/26 Aragorn takes the Paths of the Dead (LOTR)
03/05 Frodo & Samwise encounter Shelob (LOTR)
03/08 Deaths of Denethor & Theoden (LOTR)
03/18 Destruction of the Ring (LOTR)
03/29 Flowering of the Mallorn (LOTR)
04/04 Gandalf visits Bilbo (LOTR)
04/17 An unexpected party (LOTR)
04/23 Crowning of King Ellesar (LOTR)
05/19 Arwen leaves Lorian to wed King Ellesar (LOTR)
06/11 Sauron attacks Osgilliath (LOTR)
06/13 Bilbo returns to Bag End (LOTR)
06/23 Wedding of Ellesar & Arwen (LOTR)
07/04 Gandalf imprisoned by Saruman (LOTR)
07/24 The ring comes to Bilbo (LOTR)
07/26 Bilbo rescued from Wargs by Eagles (LOTR)
08/03 Funeral of King Theoden (LOTR)
08/29 Saruman enters the Shire (LOTR)
09/10 Gandalf escapes from Orthanc (LOTR)
09/14 Frodo & Bilbo's birthday (LOTR)
09/15 Black riders enter the Shire (LOTR)
09/18 Frodo and company rescued by Bombadil (LOTR)
09/28 Frodo wounded at Weathertop (LOTR)
10/16 Boromir reaches Rivendell (LOTR)
10/17 Council of Elrond (LOTR)
10/25 End of War of the Ring (LOTR)
11/16 Bilbo reaches the Lonely Mountain (LOTR)
12/05 Death of Smaug (LOTR)
12/16 Fellowship begins Quest (LOTR)
Monday, January 12, 2004
Blog-arama!!!!!!
check it out - new section on the right side over there ---->
I have my "blog-arama" list started. you know, other geeky friends I have who write blogs. (and I do mean "geeky" in the absolute best way possible!)
I didn't ask anyone's permission to list them (come to think of it) but I assume if they have a blog out there for the world to see, them it should be okay for me to point you their way, right? (Hmmm, just let me know if you want me to take you off the list)
if you'd like to be added to the list, let me know! :)
Enjoy!
I have my "blog-arama" list started. you know, other geeky friends I have who write blogs. (and I do mean "geeky" in the absolute best way possible!)
I didn't ask anyone's permission to list them (come to think of it) but I assume if they have a blog out there for the world to see, them it should be okay for me to point you their way, right? (Hmmm, just let me know if you want me to take you off the list)
if you'd like to be added to the list, let me know! :)
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 11, 2004
Nice Weekend
I've hardly been home at all this weekend! Finally having a chance to sit at my computer to catch up.....
Friday night, we went to Pete & Richard's house for dinner. They made a yummy split-pea soup! We all love the same Jacques Peppin recipe. Mmmmmm. We played a good round of Halo on Pete's new TV, then he showed us "Voodoo Vince".
Saturday - spent the entire day with my family in Stockton. We went to visit my Grandparents. We had lunch with my Dad's parents. Grandma made us Turkey Jook, and some How-Gow. Yum! Then we went to Grandma & Grandpa Chan's house. My parent's bought them a new DVD player for Xmas, so I hooked it up while my Mom worked on some computer stuff for them. We're so efficient! My Grandpa Chan's birthday is on January 22nd. We celebrated his 87th birthday a couple of weeks early by taking him out to dinner. It was really nice.
Sunday - I met up with some friends from high school today. That was fun. We usually meet up once or twice a year. I was pretty much out of contact with all friends from high school until about 3 years ago when we reconnected. It's nice to catch up with all of them.
We just got back from dinner at Roy's!!!!!!!!!!!! In case I haven't mentioned it here before, I've decided it's my favorite all-around meal. Appetizer: blackened ahi tuna. Entree: butterfish. Dessert: chocolate Souffle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mmmmm. Decadent. We went with the usual dinner crowd: Omar & Lora, Shan, and Vivian. Very fun.
That's about all for now. Just wanted to touch base before the weekend completely ends.... (sorry, too lazy to put in links.....)
Friday night, we went to Pete & Richard's house for dinner. They made a yummy split-pea soup! We all love the same Jacques Peppin recipe. Mmmmmm. We played a good round of Halo on Pete's new TV, then he showed us "Voodoo Vince".
Saturday - spent the entire day with my family in Stockton. We went to visit my Grandparents. We had lunch with my Dad's parents. Grandma made us Turkey Jook, and some How-Gow. Yum! Then we went to Grandma & Grandpa Chan's house. My parent's bought them a new DVD player for Xmas, so I hooked it up while my Mom worked on some computer stuff for them. We're so efficient! My Grandpa Chan's birthday is on January 22nd. We celebrated his 87th birthday a couple of weeks early by taking him out to dinner. It was really nice.
Sunday - I met up with some friends from high school today. That was fun. We usually meet up once or twice a year. I was pretty much out of contact with all friends from high school until about 3 years ago when we reconnected. It's nice to catch up with all of them.
We just got back from dinner at Roy's!!!!!!!!!!!! In case I haven't mentioned it here before, I've decided it's my favorite all-around meal. Appetizer: blackened ahi tuna. Entree: butterfish. Dessert: chocolate Souffle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mmmmm. Decadent. We went with the usual dinner crowd: Omar & Lora, Shan, and Vivian. Very fun.
That's about all for now. Just wanted to touch base before the weekend completely ends.... (sorry, too lazy to put in links.....)
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Uber-Geekiness
I have found "Mac Friends" on my "MINI forum".
Yep, there's a bunch of us there, and we were all discussing the new iPod, and the Ice>Link.
It's like taking care of 2 obsessions all at once!
now I'll have to find a forum for People who drive MINIs, use Macs, and collect Raggedy Ann dolls...... hey, it's possible! ;)
Yep, there's a bunch of us there, and we were all discussing the new iPod, and the Ice>Link.
It's like taking care of 2 obsessions all at once!
now I'll have to find a forum for People who drive MINIs, use Macs, and collect Raggedy Ann dolls...... hey, it's possible! ;)
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Happy 20th Birthday to the Macintosh!
It's becoming apparent to me that I'm a geek about several things....
I went to MacWorld 2004 today here in San Francisco.
This month is the 20th Birthday of the Macintosh. It's actual unveiling (to the general public, anyway) was on Superbowl Sunday, 1984. Everyone remember that? It's likely that you don't, but let me tell you, I DO!
I was 13 years old. I had already been introduced to Apple IIE (and maybe IICs) at school. I remember hearing about "The Macintosh" - how amazing it was supposed to be. So begins the life of a geek.
To be honest, it's hard for me to say if I was old enough to understand it - especially the "1984" reference. But I do know that it left an impression on me.
I also remember trying to talk my parents into buying one for our family. These things weren't cheap, and it's wasn't obvious that every family needed a home computer yet. At one point, I remember my father was considering an Apple IIC instead - I think it was because the IICs used the (then) standard 5 1/4" floppy disks, versus the 3.5" disks for the Macintosh. Anyhow, I remember trying to convince him that the Macintosh would be the wiser purchase.
So, what sold them in the end? My Uncle Robert works for NASA Ames. He brought home a Macintosh, and taught his (then) 4 year old son, Kenneth how to use it. We went to their house one night, and Kenneth showed my parents how to turn it on, how to launch MacPaint (and maybe MacWrite, too) and how to use the mouse! That did it! They were convinced that it was easy to use.
I think we got our first Mac in the Fall of 1984. I LOVED it. I remember spending countless hours drawing with pixels in MacPaint. It was the first time I was introduced to the thought out "digital art". (no, I didn't know what it was then, I just knew I LOVED it)
Here's another good geeky story. We loved the Mac so much, that my Mom pulled my sister and I out of school for a day (she was a senior, I was a sophomore) so we could attend the first MacWorld!!! I have the coolest Mom EVER!
I think we attended a couple more MacWorlds the next few years, then I went on hiatus when I moved to the mid-west, and lost touch with all things technologically advanced. I started going again 5 years ago - once I had moved to San Francisco, and started to get "hip" to technology again.
So, here's to the Apple Macintosh! Happy 20th Birthday!
Couldn't have done it without you! ;)
Oh - I found some fun goodies at MacWorld today!
This is over-the-top geeky, but I had to have it:
I bought a cute little girls t-shirt with small embroidered letters reading:
Mac Chick
so cute.
I obviously needed this.
I also got a great deal on Disk Warrior! Remember that from last month's post? I got a great price on it - Show Special. Saved $20-$40 bucks!
I also got this groovy little "Sportfolio" for my PowerBook. It's super cool. It's very slim, very comfortable, and very durable. My PowerBook fits nice and snug inside, and feels well protected! I was looking for something that I could use when I travel with my laptop locally. I have a terrific computer backpack by Kipling, but it's rather large, and can be cumbersome on short trips. (Though it's GREAT for traveling with). This was a perfect solution. Plus, now that I'm looking on the web site, I see I got a great deal! Got it for $27.00! :)
That's about all I bought today. Yes, I was a good girl.
However, that doesn't mean that I wasn't looking into something that I may buy later this week!
Back story: Santa (Dick) was very good to me this year. I got a 40 GB iPod!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it. It is F A B U L O U S.
As you may recall, (kidding of course) I'm getting a new car soon, and was planning on buying and installing an audio input kit so that I could plug my iPod into my car speakers. Wouldn't that be cool?
Okay, it gets better: Check this out: iceLink. This is soooo Cool! You install it by connecting it to the wires used for a CD Changer (which I don't have, so this is perfect) When the CD Changer mode is selected on your stereo, it'll turn on your iPod. This is the best part: you can control your iPod through your car stereo!!!!!!!!! Even cooler: My new car has a cool Multi-function steering wheel, which has buttons on it that control your stereo. Meaning, I can control my iPod without ever taking my hands off my steering wheel. How cool is that?
I've looked on the MINI Forum that I belong to (of course you do, you're saying) and it looks like a good product. People have already installed them, and are very pleased.
Speaking of iPods: Did you see the new ones that Apple announced today? They're awfully cute, I have to admit, but I'm a bit confused. I get that they're smaller in size, and that they're cute and colorful, but either than that, I'm wondering why someone would buy one of these instead of buying a regular sized, larger capacity iPod. The iPod mini only has a 4GB capacity - 1,000 songs for $249. The smallest size iPod has a 15 GB capacity, and holds up to 3,700 songs. If you're willing to pay $249, why wouldn't you pay the additional $50 for 12 GB? Hmmmmmmm. Even if you don't have that many songs to store, you can use it as an external disk drive (which I'm doing) for backups. Why, why, why? I seem to be missing something. I think it'll be interesting to see how these do. When I first read about the new, smaller iPod (about 2 weeks ago) it was speculated that they would be priced at around $100.00 or so, hoping to attract a whole different market. I'm guessing these cost a reasonable amount to produce, so they have to make the price higher? Who knows. They're cute, but I have to say, I'm LOVE my iPod!
I went to MacWorld 2004 today here in San Francisco.
This month is the 20th Birthday of the Macintosh. It's actual unveiling (to the general public, anyway) was on Superbowl Sunday, 1984. Everyone remember that? It's likely that you don't, but let me tell you, I DO!
I was 13 years old. I had already been introduced to Apple IIE (and maybe IICs) at school. I remember hearing about "The Macintosh" - how amazing it was supposed to be. So begins the life of a geek.
To be honest, it's hard for me to say if I was old enough to understand it - especially the "1984" reference. But I do know that it left an impression on me.
I also remember trying to talk my parents into buying one for our family. These things weren't cheap, and it's wasn't obvious that every family needed a home computer yet. At one point, I remember my father was considering an Apple IIC instead - I think it was because the IICs used the (then) standard 5 1/4" floppy disks, versus the 3.5" disks for the Macintosh. Anyhow, I remember trying to convince him that the Macintosh would be the wiser purchase.
So, what sold them in the end? My Uncle Robert works for NASA Ames. He brought home a Macintosh, and taught his (then) 4 year old son, Kenneth how to use it. We went to their house one night, and Kenneth showed my parents how to turn it on, how to launch MacPaint (and maybe MacWrite, too) and how to use the mouse! That did it! They were convinced that it was easy to use.
I think we got our first Mac in the Fall of 1984. I LOVED it. I remember spending countless hours drawing with pixels in MacPaint. It was the first time I was introduced to the thought out "digital art". (no, I didn't know what it was then, I just knew I LOVED it)
Here's another good geeky story. We loved the Mac so much, that my Mom pulled my sister and I out of school for a day (she was a senior, I was a sophomore) so we could attend the first MacWorld!!! I have the coolest Mom EVER!
I think we attended a couple more MacWorlds the next few years, then I went on hiatus when I moved to the mid-west, and lost touch with all things technologically advanced. I started going again 5 years ago - once I had moved to San Francisco, and started to get "hip" to technology again.
So, here's to the Apple Macintosh! Happy 20th Birthday!
Couldn't have done it without you! ;)
Oh - I found some fun goodies at MacWorld today!
This is over-the-top geeky, but I had to have it:
I bought a cute little girls t-shirt with small embroidered letters reading:
Mac Chick
so cute.
I obviously needed this.
I also got a great deal on Disk Warrior! Remember that from last month's post? I got a great price on it - Show Special. Saved $20-$40 bucks!
I also got this groovy little "Sportfolio" for my PowerBook. It's super cool. It's very slim, very comfortable, and very durable. My PowerBook fits nice and snug inside, and feels well protected! I was looking for something that I could use when I travel with my laptop locally. I have a terrific computer backpack by Kipling, but it's rather large, and can be cumbersome on short trips. (Though it's GREAT for traveling with). This was a perfect solution. Plus, now that I'm looking on the web site, I see I got a great deal! Got it for $27.00! :)
That's about all I bought today. Yes, I was a good girl.
However, that doesn't mean that I wasn't looking into something that I may buy later this week!
Back story: Santa (Dick) was very good to me this year. I got a 40 GB iPod!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it. It is F A B U L O U S.
As you may recall, (kidding of course) I'm getting a new car soon, and was planning on buying and installing an audio input kit so that I could plug my iPod into my car speakers. Wouldn't that be cool?
Okay, it gets better: Check this out: iceLink. This is soooo Cool! You install it by connecting it to the wires used for a CD Changer (which I don't have, so this is perfect) When the CD Changer mode is selected on your stereo, it'll turn on your iPod. This is the best part: you can control your iPod through your car stereo!!!!!!!!! Even cooler: My new car has a cool Multi-function steering wheel, which has buttons on it that control your stereo. Meaning, I can control my iPod without ever taking my hands off my steering wheel. How cool is that?
I've looked on the MINI Forum that I belong to (of course you do, you're saying) and it looks like a good product. People have already installed them, and are very pleased.
Speaking of iPods: Did you see the new ones that Apple announced today? They're awfully cute, I have to admit, but I'm a bit confused. I get that they're smaller in size, and that they're cute and colorful, but either than that, I'm wondering why someone would buy one of these instead of buying a regular sized, larger capacity iPod. The iPod mini only has a 4GB capacity - 1,000 songs for $249. The smallest size iPod has a 15 GB capacity, and holds up to 3,700 songs. If you're willing to pay $249, why wouldn't you pay the additional $50 for 12 GB? Hmmmmmmm. Even if you don't have that many songs to store, you can use it as an external disk drive (which I'm doing) for backups. Why, why, why? I seem to be missing something. I think it'll be interesting to see how these do. When I first read about the new, smaller iPod (about 2 weeks ago) it was speculated that they would be priced at around $100.00 or so, hoping to attract a whole different market. I'm guessing these cost a reasonable amount to produce, so they have to make the price higher? Who knows. They're cute, but I have to say, I'm LOVE my iPod!
Sunday, January 04, 2004
New Year's Day Dinner (3 days late)
Okay, so we're three days late, but it's the thought that counts.
Dick and I are preparing a traditional New Year's Day meal - Black-Eyed Peas and Greens. Dick introduced me to this Southern Tradition a few years back. The black-eyed peas are supposed to symbolize change, or silver coins, the collard greens are greenbacks or paper money. We're also supposed to be preparing "hog jowl" (which wards off bad luck) but, well, we're just skipping that part. (keeping fingers crossed that bad luck doesn't come our way now) :)
I suppose we're also cheating in another way. We're supposed to be cooking these dishes with "salt pork", or "country ham" (which my parent's were introduced to last week in VA) but that's another thing that we just can't seem to find here in San Francisco. We're making these dishes with bacon instead ;)
Happy New Year!
Dick and I are preparing a traditional New Year's Day meal - Black-Eyed Peas and Greens. Dick introduced me to this Southern Tradition a few years back. The black-eyed peas are supposed to symbolize change, or silver coins, the collard greens are greenbacks or paper money. We're also supposed to be preparing "hog jowl" (which wards off bad luck) but, well, we're just skipping that part. (keeping fingers crossed that bad luck doesn't come our way now) :)
I suppose we're also cheating in another way. We're supposed to be cooking these dishes with "salt pork", or "country ham" (which my parent's were introduced to last week in VA) but that's another thing that we just can't seem to find here in San Francisco. We're making these dishes with bacon instead ;)
Happy New Year!
Friday, January 02, 2004
Happy New Year 2004!
Hey - where have I been? :)
We returned very late last night (1:00am) from our trip to Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It was a big family vacation - Dick and I traveled with my parents (flew from Oakland, to Washington Dulles), then drove to Williamsburg to meet his family. (Dick's Father, his sister Kathy, and her daughter Adrianne, and Dick's younger sister, Meg, her husband, Jeff, and their two kids, Peter & Grace) Adrianne's roommate from college also went with us, so we were a party of 12!
It was a really nice trip. We were so lucky that the weather was clear the whole time, and not too cold at all! Dick and I had a very leisurely schedule - usually slept in, had breakfast/lunch, walked around for a few hours, back to the hotel for a nap, then met up with everyone in the evenings for dinner. Yep, we were pretty relaxed after several days with that schedule!
I was really happy that everyone traveled so well together - 12 people! It was really nice that each family kept their own schedule, meeting up with anyone/everyone at any point, and having dinners together nightly. I should also point out that it was the first time that my parents had a chance to meet Dick's family. They had only had a chance to meet his neice, Adrianne, a few months ago.
We were there from Friday, December 26th through yesterday, Thursday, January 1st. I brought my computer with me, but really didn't use it much - although I love to watch movies on it while on the plane! I only connected to the internet once (!) the whole week. I think that may be a record for me! Anyhow, that should explain my lack of blogging....
We all celebrated New Year's Eve by having dinner together, then gathering at my parent's time-share condo. Dick's family taught us how to play Pinnacle.
I was the only adult who hadn't been to Colonial Williamsburg before - it was a lot of fun! Somehow, we spent 5 days there, and one day in Jamestown, and we still didn't manage to see everything (see: leisurely schedule above).
So, that's the scoop. I should probably write more details about it, but I'm pretty tired now. I'm sure I'll come up with funny stories to share later!
We had a great time, but we're happy to be home again. It's so nice to come home to two very happy kitties!
We returned very late last night (1:00am) from our trip to Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It was a big family vacation - Dick and I traveled with my parents (flew from Oakland, to Washington Dulles), then drove to Williamsburg to meet his family. (Dick's Father, his sister Kathy, and her daughter Adrianne, and Dick's younger sister, Meg, her husband, Jeff, and their two kids, Peter & Grace) Adrianne's roommate from college also went with us, so we were a party of 12!
It was a really nice trip. We were so lucky that the weather was clear the whole time, and not too cold at all! Dick and I had a very leisurely schedule - usually slept in, had breakfast/lunch, walked around for a few hours, back to the hotel for a nap, then met up with everyone in the evenings for dinner. Yep, we were pretty relaxed after several days with that schedule!
I was really happy that everyone traveled so well together - 12 people! It was really nice that each family kept their own schedule, meeting up with anyone/everyone at any point, and having dinners together nightly. I should also point out that it was the first time that my parents had a chance to meet Dick's family. They had only had a chance to meet his neice, Adrianne, a few months ago.
We were there from Friday, December 26th through yesterday, Thursday, January 1st. I brought my computer with me, but really didn't use it much - although I love to watch movies on it while on the plane! I only connected to the internet once (!) the whole week. I think that may be a record for me! Anyhow, that should explain my lack of blogging....
We all celebrated New Year's Eve by having dinner together, then gathering at my parent's time-share condo. Dick's family taught us how to play Pinnacle.
I was the only adult who hadn't been to Colonial Williamsburg before - it was a lot of fun! Somehow, we spent 5 days there, and one day in Jamestown, and we still didn't manage to see everything (see: leisurely schedule above).
So, that's the scoop. I should probably write more details about it, but I'm pretty tired now. I'm sure I'll come up with funny stories to share later!
We had a great time, but we're happy to be home again. It's so nice to come home to two very happy kitties!
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