Trick

I didn't get home tonight until 8:45pm and unfortunately missed all the trick or treaters. As I was driving home from a meeting at 6:30pm and going over all the things I would need to do when I got back to the office, I became super disappointed because Halloween is one of my favorite holidays ever and we bought tons of GOOD candy for the kids (big snickers bars and pb cups, we have no kids and tons of disposable income). So I'm driving home and feeling sad that another 12 hour work day would ruin something I've been looking forward to for the past month but then as I entered the County line I looked to my left and right and saw the hills and mountains that used to be covered in lush landscape but has now been burnt to a blackened moonscape. It made me realize that there are those out there who wont have a home to trick or treat from. Thousands who will walk down a street where one home exists and another doesn't as they knock door to door. Many have lost their homes, many have lost their land, and I feel so proud to be part of an agency that is helping them restore what was taken from them. It makes these late nights and 7/11 meals so worth it as I realize that what I am doing is making a difference. For so long I've babbled on about how much I miss San Francisco. Yet, for the first time as I drove through the moonscape I felt an overwhelming sense of love for this County. For the first time San Diego felt like home.

Photo Credit: San Diego Union-Tribune

Happy Halloween

My arse is being kicked by these 12 hour days. My typical day:

5:30 - Wake up and go to the gym

6:30 - Take a shower and get ready for work

7:30 - Get to the office

8:00 - Run out the door since I am late to my first meeting. Scarf down a boiled egg and string cheese while trying to weave in and out of traffic.

8:30 to Noon - Meetings, meetings, politicking, driving, tours, blah, blah, etc.

Noon - Realize that I have another meeting or appointment across town which I am already late for. Stop at gas station and while filling up on gas, grab a diet coke and something that I can eat quickly. Yesterday was Oreo Cakesters and while very yummy not exactly a nutritious source of energy. I'm having a really hard time with lunch these past few days. Usually I eat salads or lean cuisines. Unfortunately, I can't eat a salad in the car and I'm no where near a microwave to heat up a frozen meal.

12:30 to 6:00 - Meetings, tours, strategizing sessions, blah, blah, etc.

6:00 to 8:00 - Get back to the office and return phone calls, answer emails, make maps.

8:15 - Drive home and eat dinner.

8:45 - Watch one hour of tv and converse with Hubby.

9:45 - Get ready for bed.

10:00 - Out cold.

My Perfect Saturday

In honor of the fact that I will be working 12 hour days and many weekends from now until December (I already have to attend a community meeting this Sunday!). I am spending this Saturday doing everything that makes a day perfect for me.

7:30 - Wake up naturally feeling well rested and refreshed.

7:30 - 9:30 - Go to living room, brew a huge pot of hot green tea, curl up in a blanket on the couch and read a good book while listening to some new music. Current read: The Count of Monte Cristo. Current Music: Snow Patrol

9:45 - Get my arse handed to me at pilates class.

11:00 - Drive my sweaty booty to Panera for a french toast or pink ribbon bagel with honey walnut spread. Mmmmm ... Yum. The only reason I endure the weekly 60 minutes of hell otherwise known as pilates.

Noon - Go home and take a steaming hot shower.

12:45 - Lay in bed while watching a sappy chick flick.

2:30 - 3:30 - Nap (I love me a good weekend nap)

5:00 - Meet good friends downtown for a good bottle of wine and some sushi!!!

11:00 - Collapse in bed, drunk and happy

What is your perfect Saturday?

Day 4

My how quickly life returns to normal-ish. 36 hours ago Dave and I left the house to drive around the corner and grab a frozen yogurt treat. The entire trip lasted 20 minutes and yet the whole time I was riddled with anxiety about BOTH of us leaving the house at the same time and not being able to answer the reverse 911 call. I couldn't even relax enough to enjoy my fro-yo and had to keep fighting the urge to sniff the air every 5 minutes. Since then the winds have been calm and the fires have reversed direction. Last night Dave and I even went to Fry's and out to eat! It felt like a whole new world after being stuck in a house together for the last 72 hours. Today I'm back at work and just like I predicted my feet have hit the ground running. My day is filled with an 8am briefing, 3pm briefing, recon planning, politicking for local government sponsors, staffing needs diagrams, and lots of other stuff that only makes sense if you've just been ravaged by a natural disaster. Thanks to everyone who sent emails. Any social interaction I received was much appreciated after staring at the news so much. Posting will be light and will mostly consist of pictures that I take while doing the reconnaissance tours of the burned and damaged lands. Ciao.

Photo Credit: San Diego Union-Tribune

Update Day 3

7:55am - Life is trying to return to normal. A prime time show was actually shown on tv last night; news has re-introduced commercials; even a radio station played an actual song instead of reporting non-stop about the fires. As much as I would like this nightmare to end, I really think the media is forcing us back to normal even though we shouldn't be. While winds were calm last night, as you can see from the pic above, more fires began last night and the existing fires are still 0% contained. At this point my house and much of the County is still within danger. Heck half the County is still colored purple and under mandatory evac. I thought about getting away and going to the office this morning but then I quickly realized that beyond organizing my email, sitting in the office would be worthless. I can't go into the field since most of the roads are closed and half my landowner's properties have burned. All my meetings for the week have been canceled. And four of my ten staff is in other parts of SoCal and still evacuated from their homes.

On a lighter note: Have you all heard about the outstanding job that is being done at Qualcomm stadium? One of Dave's coworkers has been evacuated to the stadium since Monday afternoon and it seems to really be like a big tailgate party.

Update Day 2 (as of 10:45pm)

7:50 am - Well it was nice to pretend to sleep last night. The constant smell of burnt campfire and the bright orange color of the sky (even though it was 2am) make it hard to relax enough to stay asleep. We found out that we are in the evac zone but so far haven't received the 911 call. For now we will stay put since I'd rather be as comfortable in my home for as long as possible. Several sources of water and electricity were damaged last night. They are asking us to conserve water, energy, stay off the roads, and not use our cell phones. Best estimates are that 300,000 acres have been burned and over 1,500 homes. I think those numbers are conservative. Things got much worse in the night. Almost the entire coast has been evacuated since they are sure that the fire wont stop until it reaches the ocean. We're being threatened by a new fire (Poomacha) that began last night. See this blog to see the path of the fire and the green dot that is very close to our house. I think we'll be evacuated by tonight ;-( I remember how I used to joke that I wish I had lived here during the 2003 fires since my agency did so much of the restoration work and I was constantly looking at sites that had been burned before I moved down here. Now I realize what an idiot I was. I wish I wasn't here today and I know others wish they weren't here in 2003.

9:05am - I just ran to the corner grocery store to pick up a few staples that would be needed if we evacuate. I expected to walk in and see aisles and aisles of empty grocery racks. I even expected the place to be a mad house. Our neighborhoods is one of the last to receive it's mandatory evac orders and it seems that everyone and their brothers have brought their personal effects laden cars and RVs to camp out on our streets and in friend's homes. What I didn't expect was to find the Starbucks counter the most crowded part of the store. I guess that people in times of emergency find Starbucks to be a source of comfort? I seriously didn't even attempt to walk past that portion of the store because the area was so crowded with people standing like sardines in a can.

11:50am - I feel like things have gotten better in the last hour. It's hard to tell. The news is on 24/7 with no commercial breaks but is having to devote itself to 4 major fires (in SD alone) therefore receiving specific info about our location is kinda hard. At this point many emergency info websites have gone down too from so much traffic. Making it worse the largest mountain in the city limits burned this morning taking with it major cell phone towers and TV/radio transmitters. We still have TV but it has sub par quality in both audio and visual. I took a shower earlier and I must admit that I've become somewhat addicted to showers knowing that if we need to go to a evac facility, hot showers will prolly not be included. Things are so much sweeter knowing you might not have them tomorrow.

3:15pm - Life has stopped for everyone in SD. No driving, no shopping, no going to work, no going to the movies. Just sit at home with your eyes glued to the TV and wait, wait, wait for the reverse 911 call. Sending emails to local friends asking "have you got your call yet?". Same email repeated several times through out the day. Occasionally stealing 2 minute phone calls to ask the question and receive limited social interaction. Cabin fever has set in. Two entire days at home and I feel no more relaxed then 4 intense days at the office. The Poomacha and the Witch Creek fires continue to threaten us. Over 1,800 firefighters battling a 23,000 acre and a 200,000 acre blaze. Over 1,250 homes burned and 510,000 residences evacuated (which pisses me off when nat'l news reports that as 510,000 people, noooo residences don't equal people, residences equal so many more, 2-4 people per residence!) All I can do is wait at this point knowing that as soon as the fire is controlled, my work days will become 14 hours long as I race to prevent the mudslides before the season's first rains.

7:40pm - This like a scary nightmare that I am ready to wake up from. One minute things are better, the wind has died down quite a bit, and firefighters are gaining control of the fires. The next we're placed under 2 different mandatory evac zones (one for the Poomacha fire and one for the Witch Creek fire) yet no reverse 911 call. So far our neighbors are staying put therefore we are too. Night is fast approaching and I am dreading sleep (or I should really say laying in bed while one sleeps and the other stares at the news). Night tends to be when the winds pick back up and the fires begin raging out of control. I'm almost attempted to go into town tomorrow and make a visit to my office. This sitting and wait, wait, waiting is killing me. We could go to an evac center (aka the local high school gym) but I know Dave and I would both be up half the night wondering if we made a good decision and whether our house was truly in danger.

10:45pm - Time to pretend to sleep. I've never dreaded night as much as I have these past few days.


Photos by nctimes.com

Update (as of 8:25pm)

Due to the nature of my job, Dave and I are staying until the last possible minute. I'm gonna keep blogging just because this whole situation is so unreal. The fire began in the mountains but because of strong Santa Ana winds, the fire quickly flew down the canyons and into the city boundaries. A HUGE part of the city has mandatory evacuation and the rest of the city (even along the coast) is being encouraged to be prepared to leave at any time. The fire is traveling so fast and the winds are so strong plus they still have 0% containment, therefore they don't know where the fire may hit next. Already there was a small fire on the hill directly across from our house but luckily a fire engine was stationed there so the fire was put out quickly (the hill offers a nice vantage point of my town). The sky is a dark brownish red and smells horribly. Power keeps going on and off and people have been encouraged not to go to work or use their cell phones.

There was a similar fire 4 years ago that almost reached the city limits. Today's fire (in my opinion) is so much worse. My federal agency pledged $120 million to the restoration of lands after the 2003 fire. Today most of those projects have been burned to the ground. $120 million. Gone. I'm so upset about that. It looks like as soon as the fire is contained, I'll be very busy trying to ensure that mud slides don't occur when the burned land receives rain (burned dirt + rain = mud + downhill slope = mudslide).

I'll keep updating if anything else interesting occurs. This whole situation is so horrible and scary but at the same time I hope I never forget how this feels.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/22/wildfire.ca/index.html

8:56am - I totally forgot to add that Dave was supposed to fly to Dallas for week long a business meeting. Fortunately/unfortunately the airport is closed due to the smoke and limited visibility. I'd be terrified if I was facing this alone.

10:38am - Our house is almost engulfed in a smokey haze. We still haven't received the reverse 911 call that means get out now. I was supposed to box all the important (sensitive) files in my office. Unfortunately I couldn't get to the office quick enough before the area was named off limits. So far 250,000 residences have been evacuated. 250,000 residences!!! If 4 people lived in every house that means that 1 million people have been evacuated. This is far from over.

11:15am - Within a 5 minute period the sky turned from brownish-red to milky white. I almost feel like we're in the eye of the hurricane. I have attended several basic fire ecology classes (because of my job) and never have I heard of a sudden change in the color of the smoke. Surprisingly, this milky white smoke is actually harder to see through versus the brown red (we can't even see the hill across the street). This fire started less then 24 hours ago and is far from being contained. I really wonder what the next 24 hours will bring us. We already knew that the main freeway south of us is closed, as well as the road east (duh! it's where the fire began), and earlier this morning we learned that the road west of us is closed too. About 5 minutes ago the news reported that the roads north of us are closed as well. That had been our plan before (drive north upon evacuation) so essentially we're confined to a box. I have no idea where we will go if the fire continues to proceed in our direction. Right now the fire is 8 miles away (according to our best estimates). The fire originally began 36 miles away. 28 miles in 24 hours. Wow.

1:30pm - Still no idea where we're going to go upon evac. News just posted a big map showing our area as being under mandatory evac. We've been waiting for the reverse 911 call but at this point we just might pack up and sit in the car. I know that emergency resources are all heavily taxed right now and I wouldn't be surprised if the reverse 911 system fails. Since my staff and I can't even reach the office (road closures) we've all been granted admin leave for the next few days (admin leave = paid vacation). Unfortunately, my day has been anything but relaxing. News has been on 24/7, preempting regular programing and not even stopping for commercials. This fire is so sporadic and volatile that I haven't even taken a shower for fear of missing something big being reported on the tv. Luckily we haven't lost power like the rest of the county (yet) so we're much more in the know then others.

4:02pm - All around us is burning. We've been lucky (so far) and have evaded mandatory evac but it is pretty scary that we seem to be this little unburned island in the middle of hell. I finally convinced Dave to pack up the car so that if the call did come we wouldn't be running around like chickens with our head cut off. See this google map and note that all the red dots are fire. Dave, in an emergency situation, tends to favor the "ignore and it will go away" mode of thinking. I remember after I crashed my ATV in Mexico, Dave kept saying "come on get up and let's get back on the ATV". Let me remind you that I was splayed out on my back in the middle of a ravine. Getting up and continuing to ride the ATV was not an option. Anyways, I finally convinced Dave to pack the car since if we do evacuate, we'll need to stay at a make-shift high school shelter. Many of the shelters have already ran out of cots and food. Dave and I needed to pack like we were camping. Items packed: pb&j sandwiches, blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, towels, nana's china, cat supplies, pictures, and computers. For some great pics check out this blog. He's been picture blogging the entire few days and lives really close to me so many of his pics are exactly what I've been looking at all day. PS - I randomly found that blog while searching for a map of evac zones. The news is being a bit unpredictable and one minute shows our area as being evacuated and the next shows us as being clear. Oye Vey.

8:25pm - Conditions are just as severe as they were this morning. Logically everyone knew this fire wouldn't go away in 24 hours but I never imagined we'd need to try and sleep with the constant threat of evacuation. Tv and internet have become our lifelines. Our neighborhood is still being displayed on the news as under mandatory evacuation but we haven't received a reverse 911 call yet. Dave and I would both rather not spend the night on the hard floor of a gym when we could be pretending to sleep in our own bed. I think it might surprise most people to know that we live in the middle of suburbia. This fire is racing like a machete across tract homes and shopping centers. They are saying that it is the worst fire to ever hit California. I don't doubt it. Last report was 145,000 acres and 0% containment. Yep, let me repeat that. 0% containment as in this fire is burning out of control and there is no one who can stop it. They say that there are 650 firefighters working on the blaze with no hope of reinforcements (for the foreseeable future). I have no idea how these poor guys are supposed to keep fighting after being up for 24 hours straight. I should prolly also clarify that I keep saying this fire when in fact I am referring to the Witch Creek Fire. There are 7 other major fires burning in our County all at the same time (for a total of 8). At least 8 is the conservative number. There are no planes being flown so officials are having a hard time detailing exactly how many fires are burning.

Armageddon

It's crazy here. Half of the San Diego County is on fire. We're being evacuated. I've never seen anything like this.

PS - This is an actual photo. Crazy!

We've Got Everything

Ever have one of those days when you just can't feed yourself enough food in order to stop your tummy from grumbling? Today is one of those days for me and surprisingly enough I'm super busy today and usually when I'm busy or preoccupied, I forget to eat. It'll be 7pm and I'll still be at work and all of a sudden I look at the clock and remember that it is an hour past my normal dinner time, I forgot to eat lunch and my 3pm snack. Oops! Time to eat. Today I'm super busy but am interrupted every 30 minutes by the rumble and tumble going on in my midsection. At this point I'll eat anything that I can get my hands on. Hello banana! Making this even more bewildering, it's not even cold or overcast today (I always seem to get hungrier on chilly days). According to weather.com our current conditions are 74 and sunny.

In other news, I went out into the field with the super cute landowner from my last post. Damn, he makes me drool. Let's just say that the meeting was awkward thanks to my inability to form coherent sentences or words around his Holy Hotness. I ended up stammering and making no sense for most of the visit which royally sucked because I was supposed to be giving him advice and recommendations. D'oh! The whole meeting got off on the wrong foot when I hopped out of my 4x4 and I couldn't find the words necessary to greet him. He walked up to me as I am planted at the door of my truck and looked at me weirdly (prolly cuz my mouth was agape and I was staring at him). I then said the first words I could think of "cold. I'm cold". Let me remind you that it was 70 and sunny when we met and we were both wearing t-shirts and jeans. He looks at me even more quizzically (which is a way hot look for him) and says "really. do you not have a heater in your truck?". It's a brand new truck so all I could think of in response was to stare into his eyes with my mouth still wide open. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. Let's all be thankful that I'm out of the dating pool cuz that interaction right there tells you that I am not meant to ever exercise my flirting skills. Poor guy probably thinks I'm a ditz.

Hotcha Boys

Two things about life in San Diego:

1) Most people think that we are lucky enough to have a Mediterranean climate. This means that our summers are 85 and sunny and our winters are 75 and sunny. I don't kid. My next vacation wont be to someplace sunny and warm. Nope, I'll be headed to someplace foggy and cold because I am sick and tired of the same ol' weather day in and day out. Give me a little variety please!

2) Walk down a street in SD and you will be surrounded by good looking, fit people. I don't know why but it seems that this town has a much higher then average population of people that could be models. I'm very glad that I'm not single because I know I wouldn't have a chance against some of the leggy and thin women that I meet each day. Usually I interact with cute boys occasionally but lately I have a met a bevy of hotties through work. Four hotties I've met in the last 48 hours:


I was at SeaWorld today to view the yellowtail and seabass fishery. I was led by a cutie marine biology research associate who could have passed for a shaggy surfer haired Chris O'Donnell. Add some dickies and a pair of vans for a yum, yum effect.



In the afternoon I went to view a retaining wall demo. The two civil engineers on the project could have passed for Paul Walker and Ewan McGregor. Double YUM.


Tomorrow I have a field visit with a landowner who could pass for a slightly more masculine version of Enrique Iglesias. He is HOTT! Poor me will be stuck outside hiking with him for several hours. I may be married but just because I can't have the wine doesn't mean I can't enjoy the bouquet. Yum.

Guide to Loving Isaac Brock

I plan on going to the Modest Mouse concert in December and as a result I've re-found my love for Isaac Brock. Isaac Brock is the lead singer (and sex god, mmmmm tattoos) for the band Modest Mouse as well as his side project Ugly Casanova. Because I think that Brock's musical genius is often overlooked, I've made a little guide of Isacc Brock's best songs (in my opinion). Good music is yummy.

Note: Due to my laziness, I've abbreviated the band names and the CD titles. MM = Modest Mouse & UC = Ugly Casanova.

Float On - MM, Good News
Ocean Breathes Salty - MM, Good News
Little Motel - MM, We Were Dead (One of my very favs!!!)
Paper Thin Walls - MM, Baron Von Bullsh&t
The World At Large - MM, Good News
Hotcha Girls - UC, Sharpen Your Teeth
We've Got Everything - MM, We Were Dead
Bukowski - MM, Good News
Polar Opposites - MM, Lonesome Crowded West
Gravity Rides Everything - Moon & Antarctica
Dramamine - MM, Long Drive
Good Times Are Killing Me - MM, Baron Von Bullsh*t

Holy cow. I'll stop there even though I haven't included half the songs I would like to off of the Lonesome Crowded West, Moon & Antarctica, or from the Ugly Casanova CD. Hopefully you fall in love with them just as much as I have.

Good Music = Happy Soul

We all like music. I'm partial to the indie type and as we all know the indie nerds couldn't be happy just categorizing all indie music together. Nope they had to break it up in a million sub categories. I like to call my preferred category "whiny boys with guitars".

Good stuff I've been listening to lately (not all is indie)

Ugly Casanova - I love me some Modest Mouse and some Isaac Brock. As can be seen by the fact that my blog url comes from the song Heart Cooks Brain and my title quote comes from the song The View. (My last title came from a hauntingly beautiful Death Cab for Cutie song).

Brandston - Such an awesome band still touring in a beat up van.

Matt Costa - Can I marry him? He can be my 2nd husband. I love surfer boys.

John Mayer - Seriously the Continuum album rocked me like only a whiny boy with a guitar can rock me.

Keeping It Real

Things your Mom didn't tell you (but really should have):
* Your first love will most likely grow up to be a total loser. In high school he was probably the shit but as we all know that the requirements for being cool in grades 9-12 are not often the qualities that enable someone to make it in the real world. There are very few exceptions to the rule.
* Giving birth is nasty messy (think blood and poop TOGETHER). Not that I know this first hand but I've read enough blogs to know this is true.
* Breast feeding is really hard. Again not something I know first hand but I've watched enough TLC Baby Story to know this is true.
* Making dinner every night, night after night SUCKS. Luckily we have enough room in the budget for me to become a whiny baby every week (or more) but if not then I would be moaning all the time about cooking (and I like cooking).

Most importantly, the one thing your mom didn't tell you but probably should have: Marriage. Is. Hard.

Now I'm not saying that Dave and I are having issues. In fact we're just as happy as we've always been for the most part. As we all know every relationship has it's highs and lows. There is nothing to be ashamed of in that. Sometimes the highs (like in the beginning) are enough to keep a smile on your face all day and sometimes the lows are enough to make you lock the office door while you frantically call your best friends to dissect his a-hole tendencies. Other times the highs are great and the lows are sad but are less like mountains and more like rolling hills.

The hardest part of marriage (for me at least): THIS IS FOREVER. You know that annoying way he starts projects but doesn't finish them? FOREVER. How he can kinda be selfish in bed sometimes? FOREVER. How he conveniently sucks at doing the dishes? FOREVER. Yep, all minor things but mind-numbing when I'm experiencing them and thinking to myself "yay! only 40 more years of nagging him to re-attach the fire detector after taking it down to paint 6 MONTHS AGO".

Really I should be thankful. I've found someone who loves me just as much as I love him. Someone who is good with his money, honest, loving, hard working, successful, and rubs my back each night. Someone who is tall, blue-eyed, athletic, and and makes me laugh. Still for the rest of my life I will be turning on the AC behind his back and then turning it off as the house finally reaches a pleasant temp because his eyes are bulging out of his head at the anticipation of the e-bill being higher then $30. Oh joy.

In other news, I want this car. Way out of my price league but still a girl can dream.
Lexus SC 08 Hard Top Convertible

Confessions

All in all, I am a pretty normal person. I'm friendly but not that annoying person who follows you around the party chatting in your ear. I'm clean and organized but not to the point of OCD. I'm not flakey and I'm not scatter brained. I don't have self esteem issues and at the same time I'm not overly cocky. I can dress well, read a map, make intellectual conversation, or give speeches in front of audiences. I've never suffered from a mental illness other then the fact that I'm from California (we're born with a natural sense of wackiness).

My one non-normal trait: books effect me so much more then they really should. I've said how much I love reading books and how I often cocoon myself into the author's world. As I read the Twilight Series I can't tell you how many times while at home I ran after Dave yelling "I'm a vampire and you're a werewolf, now RUN!" (as you can imagine this did wonders for our sex life). But on the other end of the spectrum when I'm finished reading a really great read, I often get this sudden overwhelming feeling of melancholy that affects me much more then it should. For a few days or a few weeks after, I often don't want to eat, sleep or go to work. It's almost like I'm mourning the loss of the book and the story that will never be new to me again. Or maybe I'm mourning the loss of this imaginary world that I loved so and am regretting the return back to my mundane real world. The Time Traveler's Wife effected me so much that I refused to read another book for several months after I finished. I just couldn't bare to endure the melancholy I felt for the week or so that followed. I'm almost at that same point after reading Twilight Series. I loved Harry Potter and found Twilight to be the perfect band aid for the ache I felt but now I'm left with an even bigger ache. Whatever the case this is so not normal.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to barricade myself in my office while I further instigate my sadness by listening to Coldplay, David Gray, and Damien Rice CDs on repeat.

I'm Done with the Shaking

Yeah, I'm done. Done with the constant deluge of mini-earthquakes that we seem to be having lately. I'm a native SoCal-ian and I've been here through several biggies. I remember driving by the collapsed bridge many times after the great big Northridge earthquake in 1994. Yet, never have I experienced such a plague of so many earthquakes in such a short time period. Enough already!

Many people think that several small earthquakes are better then one big one since each rumble releases pressure. I disagree, I think the fault line is just getting angrier as time progresses (and making other fault lines angry too) and sometime soon a big one will hit. Even my fellow SoCal-ian Megan agrees.

Mark my words (and stock up on the emergency supplies).

PS - The above map is from this website. 569 earthquakes in JUST the past week. Sheesh!

My Top 10 Good Reads

Many people look to music as the fuel for their soul. I appreciate music but have always found that reading books is what I need to keep me sane and happy. I am most as ease with life when I am curled on the couch, with a good read, and a green tea. If I was ever exiled to an exotic island, these are the books that I would bring with me to keep me entertained.

Honorable Mention: Epitaph for a Peach by David M. Masumoto – Not on my top 10 list because it is the one book that I wouldn’t recommend for the average reader. The true life tale of a peach farmer in the Central Valley of California as he struggles to survive the first few years of farming. A place and a subject (agriculture) that is dear to my heart.

10. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – This might be the first great work of fiction that I really truly appreciated. Throughout my schooling I always enjoyed reading the books that were assigned in English, but never became enthralled with a book until I read this one at the age of 18. A true classic that I can always go back to and read with enthusiasm.

9. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway – What is it about Hemingway that attracts me time and again to his stories and style of writing? I don’t know but this is one of my favorite Hemingway novels.

8. The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership by James C. Hunter – This book changed the way I live my life at work and at home. An entertaining tale of how we should always strive to serve others and give them what they need (which is different from what they want).

7. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner – I appreciate chick lit just as much as the next person but often find the stories to be mindless reads that occupy my heart but not my brain. Good in Bed is different. A story that made me cry, laugh, and ache. So good that I stayed up all night just to finish the story.

6. East of Eden by John Steinbeck – Gosh I love me some Steinbeck. East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are a tie in my heart for favorites. Classic tales filled with characters that I fell in love with.

5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë – It took me a while to get into the grove of the author’s antique speech and cadence, but once I did I fell in love with this tragic tale. I love most Victorian classics but this is far and above my favorite.

4. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman – A very short book filled with entertaining stories that made me stop and think much more then I ever had.

3. Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer – These books are not higher on my list only because I don’t know how the series will finish. As I said in my post before, a tale that engulfs you in a land filled with romance and mystery.

2. Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling – There is definitely a reason why so many people across the world fell in love with the story of a young wizard.

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – If there was one book that I could go out and force you to read, this would be it. A tale so haunting and memorable that I have never ever re-read this book. To this day (one year after first reading the book) I’m not sure that I could yet go back and re-read. This book is like the tragic tale of a friend you love and enjoy who suddenly is ripped from your life. The reason I have never re-read this book is because I don’t know if I can go through that journey of emotional turmoil yet again.

First Sirius, Now Edward

Oh! Yes, hi there. Sorry I've been MIA lately. I tend to do that whenever I find a really good book that I just can't put down. I forget to sleep, I forget to eat, I avoid work and people, and I cocoon myself in a little dream world where all I do is read. In the past 4 days, I've read 3 books that each exceeded 600 pages.

This time my fixation was the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. Yes, yes, I know. Technically the Twilight Series are supposed to be for young adults but based on a recommendation by Kerflop I decided to request the books from my local library in an attempt to replace my Harry Potter obsession. It worked.

Even though I'm an avid fan of the literary arts, I tend to suck at books reviews. Royally. So I wont even attempt to give a synopsis of these books. Just believe me, they will suck you in to a land filled with angst, romance, and morality. *SIGH* Just thinking of the books makes me want to re-read them again. Which I'll probably end up doing since my only other option is to pout and write hate mail to the author since the next book in the series wont be coming out until Fall of 2008. I'm not sure I can last that long. *POUT*

Weeeeee Goes the Plane

I am sitting in the Sacramento airport, in the bar, waiting for my flight to take me to Portland. The glass of pinot grigio has me feeling good (very good) even though I really should be working on a powerpoint presentation. Some random observations.

1. I have 2 hours til my flight takes off which means I should either eat something or stop drinking. I think I'll choose NONE of the above.

2. Drunk people in bars have loud conversations that often revolve around topics I think that they would probably not talk about if sober.

3. I love sitting alone in a restaurant or bar. Give me a good book and a coffee or wine (depending on the situation) and I could spend hours people watching and eavesdropping. I rarely feel self conscious when alone in a public situation. In fact I prefer it.

4. I had a 3 day meeting in Sacramento and now I'm off for a few days of vacation to be spent with my best friend who just moved to a vineyard in Portland where her boyfriend is a winemaker. I'm hopeful that my time will be spent drinking good wine, eating good cheeses, and going for long runs amongst the grape vines.

5. Pinot grigio is yummy.

6. I really should be working on my presentation.

7. Damn I really need to find an outlet before my computer runs low on battery.

8. I have a skirt on and I am not sitting like a lady. Two reasons: a) I am feeling good after a glass of wine. b) the chairs are super uncomfortable.

9. That is all. Time to procrastinate before working on my presentation.

Update:

10. ONE hour and 2 glasses of wine plus one personal cheese pizza = I am BLITZED. To lose weight before the wedding I stopped drinking but who knew I had become such a pussy when it came to holding my liquor. 2 glasses PLUS food is pathetic.

Overdone Phrases

Back in the beginning days of Dave and my relationship, when we had sex two to four times per day and I was able to consume any food I wanted because I was exercising at the gym for 1.5 hours per day plus having all the sex, Dave invited me over to his house for an ice cream run and to watch the VMAs on MTV. For some odd reason I remember this mini-date with some of the fondest memories I have of any date that Dave took me on. Maybe it's because I really do love ice cream or maybe it's because I really do love MTV or maybe it's because back then every blog post started with "OMG. Dave is so hot. I think I'm falling in love. We have so much sex!". Whatever the case, the ice cream and VMA mini-date is one of my favorites and is one that we like to repeat each year. This year our traditional Baskin Robbins was replaced with Coldstone's because have you tasted the Birthday Cake Remix??? Ummmm ... YUM.

Watching this year's VMAs I was really filled with a huge desire to hop on the next plane bound for Vegas. This is a strong statement coming from me since I've probably been to Vegas over 50 times. When I was growing up, Vegas was our traditional vacation spot, 2 times per year, once in February (Prez Weekend) and then once again in the Summer. With college I once again jumped on the Vegas bandwagon since it was a rather short 6 hour drive from where I went to college. Now that I've gotten older it seems like Vegas has become the top getaway for bachlorette parties and cheap girl's weekend getaways.

A few years ago the saying "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" became popular and I really began to grow tired of the Vegas party scene. The place had become too popular and expensive. A typical weekend getaway cost $800. My budget and my patience for the tourists was at it's limit. Yet, watching Sunday's VMAs I felt an intense desire to experience Vegas once again. One of my best friends just found out she is pregnant. Is it kosher to host a baby shower at The Palms?

Peanut Butter Surprises

Him: How long until the cookies are ready?
Me: Well I have to let the dough set for 2 hours before I can begin balling the cookies and candy.
Him: 2 hours! What type of cookies are these? That is riduculous. I've never had to let dough set for 2 hours before making the cookies.
Me: And exactly how many times have you made cookies before?
Him: Ummmm ... None. But I did take home ec in high school.

Here is a recipe for some awesome cookies that I made for my staff meeting on Tuesday and then since Dave liked them so much he had me make them again for his staff meeting that was today. You can use snickers, reese's pb cups, almond joys, or butterfingers for the center of the cookies. I call the cookies Peanut Butter Surprises but during the holiday's you can call them Santa's Surprises.



Ingredients
2 sticks butter
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. Snickers Minis (or candy bar of liking)

Directions
1. Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars using a mixer on med. to
low until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla slowly until combined. Mix in flour, salt and
baking soda.
3. Cover and chill for 2-3 hours.
4. Unwrap Snickers.
5. Remove dough from fridge. Divide into 1 tbsp. pieces and flatten.
6. Place a Snickers in the center of each dough.
7. Form dough into a ball around each Snickers.
8. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.
9. Let cool on a baking rack or wax paper.

Yield: 2 dozen-ish

From the Woulda Coulda Shoulda File

Oh why didn't I move to a foreign country after college? Why didn't I do a semester abroad while in college? Why didn't I think ahead and do all the fun stuff while I was still young and before I had a career? Why wasn't I more selfish!

I hate regrets.

How I Spent My Weekend

(aka Creative Ways to Escape the Heat)

Here in San Diego it rarely exceeds a high of 85. The heavenly weather is great except when we get an unusual heat wave and then suddenly us Diegans are found withering on the streets since we have no idea what to do when we can't walk around comfortably in our year round attire of hoodies and flip flops. Luckily we have AC (half the city doesn't have any form of AC and swamp coolers don't work since we live along the coast) so when the temperature exceeds 87 we are able to survive. Unfortunately, I have a conservative husband whose eyes roll back in his head every time I turn on the AC as he seems to think that our electricity bill will automatically be $400 if the AC is used for more then an hour each day. I can understand his fear since we do have a rather large house but at the same time I would much rather be comfortable and have a high e-bill then sweating on the couch with a box fan set on the coffee table in front of me.

This weekend the high was 107. By 9:30 am in the morning it had already reached 98 degrees. The husband and I had to get creative. Saturday we made plans to go to the movies. Dave saw Superbad and I saw Harry Potter. We both thought that each movie was the best ever. To make our air conditioned movie experience last as long as possible, we arrived at the movies an hour early ate lunch, went our separate ways to watch the movies, then stayed in the movie theatre a while longer while we enjoyed a Cold Stone ice cream. Total Cost: $10 matinee movie tickets + $10 lunch + $5 ice cream (shared) = $25.

Sunday morning after being woken up by the weirdest feeling earthquake ever (and I am a native Cali girl and have lived through quite a few earthquakes). This one measured 4.7 and instead of being the normal rumbly sound in the distance that sneaks up on you then the ground shakes type of earthquake, this one was a giant WHOOSH that lurched the whole earth one time forward and one time backwards. They say that someday SoCal will fall into the ocean and with this earthquake I almost thought that was going to happen. I had been in the kitchen when the earthquake hit and this one sent me running up the stairs with my heart beating out of my chest.

Around 1 pm we drove 20 minutes to the mountains and went to 1 of the 19 tribes for a little gambling fun (yes we have 19 tribes here in San Diego and probably 7 of those tribes have really nice casinos). We spent several hours at the nickel video poker machines while enjoying the AC and our free beverages. After getting chilly we walked around and then ate dinner at the buffet. Total Cost: $30 gambling money (love them nickel games) + $20 for dinner = $50.

Side note: As we left it began raining and it never rains in the summer (much less any other time of year) in SoCal. So the monsoon rain combined with the earthquake and unusually high temps have Dave and I convinced that the apocalypse is coming.

Monday we both succumbed to the heat wave and decided to turn on the AC and live with the electricity costs. To curb my boredom (the house never got cooler then 80 so it was a bit too warm to do housework) I indulged my recent obsession with Switzerland. Dave's company's international headquarters are in Vevey, Switzerland. Quite often employees are asked to do a month (or longer) detail in the NHQ. Sometimes employees are even permanently re-located to Switzerland. I'm not sure that I'd want to a make a permanent move but I would love to live in Switzerland for a month (or two). I've already researched pet importation laws and learned that Fluff will be able to join us (I am so bringing my cat with me to Europe, don't laugh!). I'll probably need this so that Fluff has a nice space to stay in the hotel. I've found a French immersion class that I would be ecstatic to take during the day while Dave is at work (Vevey is near the France border and they speak French). I've researched all the touristy things to do in that part of Switzerland and France. As well as read about a million and one blogs from Americans who have relocated to Switzerland. I'm more excited then ever. As a I keep telling Dave, "when do we go???"

Random-ness Blurb Style

I've finished Harry Potter and just as I expected, I'm extremely sad to have completed the books. I can't express through words how awesome I thought the Harry Potter world and characters were. Next, I'm gonna watch the movies (I've only seen the first) and hope that they draw me out of this funk. Who knew that I would get so addicted to a set of children's books !?!
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Dave and I have found 2 new guilty pleasures: The Hills on MTV and Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream. Both are yummy.
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Secret Revelation Time: For the past year I've suddenly developed the desire to have a baby. Not just any baby but a baby girl. Luckily, my baby lust hasn't gone into overdrive and I'm not in the mood to pop one out any time soon. My long-term plan is to become pregnant sometime after my 30th birthday (2.5 years from now). In my dream world I would have a little girl and she would be a very well privileged only child. We would take family vacations to exotic locations (my form of exotic is Mexico or Hawaii) and she would attend a nice private school as well as be able to speak Spanish fluently. Up until a few weeks I had wanted to name her Ava (a nice old school name but different) until I found out that Ava was the #5 popular girls name in 2006. Who knew that today's parents had such great taste in names? Now my dream name (since I have nothing better to do then name my unborn fictitious child) is to name her Kahlil (after the poet) and use the nickname Lily if it suits her. Unfortunately, I know that my conservative husband would never allow such a funky name so I don't feel bad announcing what I think is the cutest name ever.

Sirius + Cori = True Love

Oh. Yes. Hi. Ummmm ... I've been MIA for awhile. I'd like to say that I've been busy at work or traveling the country but unfortunately that's not the truth. In all honestly I've been spending every available free minute reading Harry Potter.

I've never been too good at self control. In college whenever it was my turn to be the designated driver, my friends would always find me 30 minutes later doing beer bongs and slurring "lets call a taxi!". That's how I am with Harry Potter. I know that there are only 20 more chapters between me and the end of this book. And I know that I will be extremely sad when the book ends and I no longer can read about Harry, Lupin, James, Hermoine, or Sirius. Yet, I just can't stop myself from reading late into the night to find out what happens next.

Now if you'll excuse me. I have this horrible feeling in my tummy like I am wasting time typing when I could be reading. I have a woman doctor appointment later this morning and I plan on reading through the exam. You think I kid?

8 Things ...

I love being tagged for memes:

1. My two best friends are moving this month. This will be the first time that all 3 of us have lived in 3 different states. This Wednesday, best friend M moves to Arizona to move-in with her pilot boyfriend. At the end of the month best friend B moves to Portland as her boyfriend of 5 years who is a winemaker just got his first full time big boy job at a winery. I'm extremely upset to see all 3 of us spread so far apart.


2. Apparently, my best friends are big fans of the butt shots. Me not so much.



3. This weekend, Dave and I laid laminate wood flooring in his office. In the beginning the task was extremely frustrating but after we got the hang of it the job became incredibly easy. I'm really proud of us but am today paying the price. My knee caps are bruised from being on my knees the entire weekend (sicko!) and my hamstrings ACHE from all the getting up and down we did while laying each board. I am seriously in so much pain today.

4. We went to the Dodger's game a few weekends ago. Unfortunately, the Dodgers lost but we had great seats.



5. Postal Service rocks. To be honest I want to have Ben Gibbard's babies.

6. Number 5 also applies to Matt Costa.

7. I'm having such a hard time getting used to my new married name. Often I'll be meeting someone new and introduce myself as Cori Alpha (let's pretend that Alpha was my maiden name) and then I'll be all "oopps my name is Cori Beta" (pretending that Beta is my married name). Then the person will act bewildered and ask which name I'd like to go by. I'll explain to this random stranger that I just got married (so they don't think I have spilt personalities) and to just go ahead and call me Cori Alpha Beta. Two hours later I meet someone new and the same thing comes out of my mouth. Did anyone else have this much trouble getting used to their new married name??? My new surname really isn't difficult to pronounce or remember. It's actually a fairly common English surname. You would think this would make it easy.

8. I've been so unmotivated at work lately. I've just felt so unchallenged and I'm the type of person who constantly needs to feel the pressure of deadlines or the excitement of doing something new. Hopefully the next few weeks become magically more interesting. I'd so much rather be at home reading Harry Potter.

More Bummed Then I Should Be

I just got back from the library where I picked up the Harry Potter books 3, 5, and 6 as well as added my name to the holding list for book 7. Much to my disappointment I am number 47 on that list!

Before last week I had never gotten into the whole Harry Potter thing, had never read any of the books, and had only watched movie #1. For the past few weeks Harry Potter mania has been at full tilt and curiosity got the best of me. I figured that I would check the books out at the library and over the next seven weeks read the whole series (I usually read one book per week and sometimes two books a week if the books are quick reads). What I didn't account for was how addictive these books are. I started on Monday at lunch and by that night had finished book #1. Book #2 took me Tuesday and Wednesday. Today I picked up book #3 and am hoping that it at least lasts me until Friday.

At this rate I'm confident that I will be ready for book #7 by the middle of next week. If the library doesn't have a book available for me by then I might get desperate for a fix and actually go out and buy the book which is something I never do. Even worse, I'm worried what will happen when I have finished all seven books. Although I've only read two books, I've sorta become attached to Harry, Ron, Hermoine, and Ginny. What will happen when there are no more books to feed my new addiction???

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I'm a big fan of Cooking Light magazine and often use it for inspiration. This is one of the few recipes that I make exactly as it is printed. The chicken comes out very flavorful and moist. This is a great recipe when dining alone (the chicken tastes wonderful when re-heated as leftovers) but also works great for a dinner party (easy dish to bake and comes out looking quite nice). I usually serve this dish with a nice ceasar salad or grilled asparagus. Works well with a nice slighty sweet wine such as a gewertzaminer.



Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
5 teaspoons butter, melted
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place broth in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 15 seconds or until warm. Stir in butter and garlic. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and paprika in a medium shallow bowl; set aside.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, oregano, and pepper. Top each breast half with 1 slice of prosciutto and 1 tablespoon mozzarella. Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion. Dip each roll in chicken broth mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place rolls, seam side down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 rolled chicken breast half)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 297(30% from fat); FAT 9.9g (sat 4.4g,mono 3.6g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 45.5g; CHOLESTEROL 125mg; CALCIUM 94mg; SODIUM 619mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.8g

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1134074

PS - In the future I'll post my more "original" recipes and include my own pics.

I've never felt so OLD!

Gosh, this question makes me feel incredibly old. I know these shoes have been all the rage for awhile but I haven't purchased a pair since I really don't need tennis shoes except when doing the gym thing. But I saw these in the last Kohl's circular and I do need a cute pair of shoes when doing the night rides at Disneyland next week. Plus, these shoes = SUPER cute. My question that makes me feel super old: what socks do I wear with the shoes? Do I let my socks show? Do I not wear any socks? Wont my feet chafe? Shouldn't I know these things??? Am I that old and un-hip?

Update: Much thanks to Erin who helped answer my questions. I bought the shoes on Tuesday and have been wearing them since. So adorable and so comfortable!

Healthy We

I've written a lot on this blog about my attempts to lose weight through exercising and a few times I've mentioned various diets that I've been on. What I've neglected to emphasize is just how important healthy eating is to me in my daily life. In the past I've led a healthy lifestyle to lose weight but now as I've gotten older I've changed my focus to being heart healthy. In the past this was very difficult since David has always been naturally trim and fit but lately (especially after he quit smoking) Dave has begun to develop a tiny baby gut. Even though he is having a very hard time dealing with his new metabolism, this has actually been a blessing in disguise since I finally feel like I have 100% of Dave's participation in healthy eating and exercising.

In general my diet consists of 1200 calories per day divided between 6 meals. For the most part I try to eat non-processed foods with an emphasis on fruits, veggies, and lean meats. I usually cook dinner each night and when I do so I choose recipes that are easy, cheap, quick, healthy, low calorie, and tasty. What is that I hear? Snickering. Oh yes. Getting all those qualities in one meal is not always easy but definitely do-able. In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes that are regulars in our diet.

Now you may also be asking how in the hell I only consume 1200 calories per day, yet still eat 6 meals. Introducing my daily diet:

5:30am Meal #1 - Pre-Workout Snack (100 calories)
I usually eat something slightly sugary and carby to give me that extra energy boost needed for my morning workout. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry I'll grab a Luna Bar or Kashi bar but usually I eat a half slice of fiber rich whole grain wheat bread, with a thin layer of peanut butter, and a drizzle of honey.

9:00am Meal #2 - Breakfast (200 calories)
Yoplait yogurt plus banana (or some other type of fruit)

Noon Meal #3 - Lunch (300 - 350 calories)
Usually my lunch breaks consist of me sitting in front of a computer, rapidly typing out emails, while trying to consume a meal. Due to these reasons, lunch is the only meal in which I consume processed foods. My typical lunch is a lean pocket, healthy choice meal, or lean cuisine with a fruit (typically grapes) and diet cherry coke.

3:00pm Meal #4 - Snack (100 calories)
An apple with sugar free caramel dipping sauce is my perfect mid-afternoon snack. The apple has enough sugar to give me energy but also fiber to keep me full until dinner. And to be honest I hate apples (don't know why but I do) so the sugar free caramel dipping sauce helps me like to eat the apple. Sometimes if I'm busy I'll grab a Luna Bar or Kashi Go Lean Bar.

6:00pm Meal #5 - Dinner (400 calories)
This is where things get complicated. My goal each week when cooking dinner is to have one vegetarian dinner, one fish dinner, and only one red meat dinner each week. The other nights are usually chicken, turkey, pork, or leftovers. As I said before all recipes must be quick, cheap, easy, healthy, and tasty. I usually don't include a carb (even as a side dish) unless the recipe requires it such as veggie pizza (must have the crust) or fish tacos (need the corn tortilla). Most importantly, I try to make my dinner portion size the same as what I would eat for lunch. In the past I would over eat at dinner which is a shame since my body didn't get much of a chance to metabolize my meal.

9:00pm Meal #6 - Dessert! (100 calories)
My favorite meal of the day! I love sweets so my dessert is usually a sugar free skinny cow or sugar free banana pudding with chunks of banana. Mmmmm!!!!

My Dinner With Meatwad

It's 7:30p on a Friday night and my lovely husband is knocked out on the couch. I'm actually not upset since tomorrow I'm gonna either be laying by the beach or climbing a fake rock wall. Surprisingly, both tend to exhaust me the same amount so I'd like to try and reserve my energy as much as possible. Plus yesterday, Dave and I had a late night at a company dinner with several of his coworkers from St Louis (read: expensive and drunken meal on Dave's company dime). I knew Comic-Con was in town so I was prepared to encounter some "interesting" individuals (read: big fat geeks) on the downtown streets. What I wasn't prepared for was this to be greeting me as soon as I stepped out of my car at valet:



I thought it was a giant, 6 foot raspberry but evidently the characters name is "Meatwad" and he is a shape-shifting glob of red meat. Aqua Teen Hunger Force was having a private event at the same exact fancy restaurant that we had chosen for dinner. I'd probably be all excited about this but I've never seen an Adult Swim cartoon nor do I feel the desire. On the flip side I would feel un-hip and old but the private event was attended by mostly middle aged geeks who had struck it rich by drawing and voicing animated junk food. The whole evening left me wondering: how high do you think they were to not only imagine a chunk of raw hamburger that talks but also pitch and sell the idea to the rest of their comrades?

Recently, I've Been Thinking

Recent random thoughts that have passed through my brain:

Work. Work. Work. Bored. Don't want to work. Crap, 6 more hours til I can go home. I want to leave early. Must set example for employees. Can't leave early. Bored. Let's look at MSN news again. Nothing interesting. Ooo! Monkey steals tourist's glasses. Read. Bored. Back to work. Bored. Mmmmm .... raspberries + perrier water. Mmmmm ... raspberries + champagne even better. MMmmmm ... diet cherry coke + coconut rum. Going to the beach on Saturday. Maybe I should pack a picnic lunch? No. My friend is too picky. She wont eat what I pack. Work. Work. Work. I should blog. I have nothing interesting to say. Work. Bored. I need to be more stimulated. Bored. I want chocolate but I'm on a no sugar diet. No chocolate for me. I should lose more weight. No I should stay at my same weight. No I only have 20 more pounds to go. No I like the weight I'm at and I'm tired of dieting. Sex. Work. Work. Work ...

Weekend Update (Vignette Style)

I've been MIA lately since work has all but consumed my last few days. Unfortunately, it's not even the productive type of work that makes me feel good about the long hours and clean desk. Nope. I've been in a series of meetings, meetings, and more meetings. The week before last I had two days of meetings on Thursday and Friday that were all day and required a 3 hour round trip each day. Last week I flew to our State Capitol for a 5 day training on employee relations, and then next Monday I'll be driving another 3 hours round trip for my last meeting.

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Today is David's birthday and we plan on celebrating it by napping and participating in general laziness. Tomorrow we'll drive up to LA and go to the Dodger's versus Mets game. Go Dodgers!


Then next week Dave is gone for a meeting, the week after that he is gone for a second meeting in Arkansas, then the week after that he is gone for a company exhibition that will be held at Disneyland. The good news (besides the fact that one day I can drive up to Disneyland and get to do night rides) is that for the next 3 weeks I'll be able to indulge in all the red wine and sushi dinners that I could ever want (Dave hates both sushi and wine) and that I'll also be able to gorge myself on Lifetime movies and other assorted chick flicks. The bad news is that I'll miss him and I never sleep as well when he is not by my side ;-(

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Forgive me father, for I have sinned. Not only did I shop at Walmart! I completed an almost greater sin: I GROCERY shopped at Walmart! I know, I know. I feel so dirty. Californians have been very zealous in the past about their hatred of all things Walmart and it's evil empire. For a solid 2 years, my feet never even crossed the Walmart threshold. But ever since we bought the new house, there has been an evil Walmart located fairly close to our house and I have been weak and unable to avoid the low prices. In California, we've been succesful in stopping Walmart from doing the supercenter thing so luckily none of our stores offer a complete grocery store. Yet, Walmart has slowly begun creeping in two or three aisles of dry goods and one aisle of frozen/refrigerated items. The other day I needed a few things from Walmart and had planned to also make a stop at the grocery store until I found that all the items I needed Walmart carried. I felt dirty but I also knew that I was short on time. Time prevailed and now I have to live with the guilt and the self promises that I will never do this again. Yeah right! I'm weak.

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I have a girl crush, which is rare for me since I'm usually all about the guy crushes. Her name? Victoria Beckham. She's so freaking cute and self-deprecating funny. Not to mention that she has a super hot husband. I watched part of the Coming to America special that was on Thursday night and spent most of the time charmed by her antics. Maybe I'll convince David to drive up to LA so that we can catch a Galaxy game.

Little Things

Today is 7/11/07 which means free slurpees at your neighborhood 7 eleven. I went to grab a perrier (I'm addicted) and decided to walk slowly past the slurpee machines and drool. I love me a good frozen treat during the summer months but unfortunately slurpees just contain too many calories and regardless if they are free will not be touching my lips. While walking slowly and cursing my slow metabolism, what do I see??? Could it be true? Five calorie, no sugar Crystal Light slurpees in berry pomegranate and raspberry lemonade. Oh my! Combine this with several good book finds at the library and I would say that I am having one stellar day. It's the little things ...

Instant Mood Enhancers

So handsome

I've never felt prettier.



My thoughts at that moment: "please don't fall down the stairs. please don't fall".

My heels sank as I was walking down the aisle because the grass was wet. I almost did a total face plant in front of everyone.

Stunning. I can't believe that this was actually my wedding.

I do

When it came time for the kiss, Dave frenched me! In front of everyone!

The Recessional

So Happy



I loved our cake. It was vanilla toffee caramel flavored. Mmmmmm!



Being announced as Mr & Mrs

The End.

More On The Blue Thing

Well I guess I should be completely honest and clarify that when I said I was blue, I meant I haven't had the desire to get out of bed or do anything productive. I think I've called in sick the last 4 days straight (which for those of you who are keeping track means the whole week). I wouldn't call it depression but more like just bummed about life. I've come to realize that so many of the monumental, exciting parts of life have already gone by for me (college, dating, engagement, wedding). Dave and I are still uncertain on the whole kid issue so for now there really is nothing to look forward to. Add to it the "people stress" that I talked about in my last post, which becomes even more of a downer when you realize that life is never easy! There will always be someone in our professional or personal lives who is either out to get us or out to get themselves (and bring everyone down with them). I'm not sure what the point of getting out of bed is, when there really is nothing to look forward to (besides making and spending money).

Last night my mood began to improve. Partly because I worked out (working out clears my brain) and partly because I took the time to release my emotions (through this blog). It really did feel like a small part of the weight was lifted from my shoulders. I actually felt like going to work! So this morning I woke up early, got dressed, and just as I'm about to walk out the door, I get a call from my office. Computers are down and there is no point in coming in to the office. Oye Vey.

Spanglish

Hola

It's been uno week since we got back from Mexico and I'm having a muy dificil time getting out of the hablar espanol mode of thinking. I can comprende espanol fairly well and can hablar my thoughts decently bueno using basic spanish. Just don't ask me to use past or futuro tense because then I clam up and begin stammering. Over the past week, Dave and I have taken to slaughtering both the espanol and ingles languages by speaking a spanglish hybrid. Complicating matters even worse is that I am currently reading Three Junes by Julia Glass which contains the occasional french. Every so often my speech is peppered with "comme ca" and other popular french phrases which I mispronounce.

Lately, I haven't posted because I've been feeling a little blue and down trodden. I can deal with the type of stress that involves impossible deadlines, tediousness, and running around like a cat with my head cut off. In fact I thrive off that type of stress! But the minute you add people stress in to my life, I fall apart. In recent weeks in both my work and family life I've experienced people acting passive aggressively and it tears me apart! Passive aggressiveness has always been a special pet peeve of mine that borders on instant contempt (to me it means that you are a weak person who doesn't have the self esteem to stand up for things and instead have to be deceitful to get what you want). Unfortunately, I just can't run away from work or family problems so instead I am forced to endure other's actions. To help myself cope I've been trying to repeat the Serenity Prayer. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference So far it hasn't been working. C'est la vie (or so I'd like to pretend).