I think I'll listen.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Pandemonium at the Salami Factory
Um. The fire Marshall and police departments asked me to stay home today due to an ammonia leak at the nearby Salami Factory...
I think I'll listen.
I think I'll listen.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Fall First
We've been bored, so we said even if the weather wasn't great this afternoon we'd go for a walk at the beach.
At work today it felt like the height of Summer, but back on my side of the peninsula it was almost the foggiest day of the year.
Constant fog (maybe I've mentioned this?) isn't my favorite, but sometimes a really heavy day of fog is fun - it's almost an experience. It makes me think of cold nights trick-or-treating, bare trees and a wet leafed ground. Getting dressed up for a warm Thanksgiving-time gathering. The smell of Christmas.
I never thought I'd say this...
At work today it felt like the height of Summer, but back on my side of the peninsula it was almost the foggiest day of the year.
Constant fog (maybe I've mentioned this?) isn't my favorite, but sometimes a really heavy day of fog is fun - it's almost an experience. It makes me think of cold nights trick-or-treating, bare trees and a wet leafed ground. Getting dressed up for a warm Thanksgiving-time gathering. The smell of Christmas.
I never thought I'd say this...
but I'm excited for Winter.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Otherwise Engaged
My family got some happy news recently. My brother, Cody, is engaged to be married.
Cody is two years older than me and while we share a handful of familial traits, we have often been referred to as "night and day". I was a loud kid - he was quiet. He is always self employed - I lack the overall motivation. My mischief making involved ill-fated shoplifting attempts - his involved ninja stars and bottle rockets. My mom says that I seemed to relish in the thrill of getting lost. My brother did not get lost. He dresses better than me, smells better than me, and probably has a cleaner house than me too.
Though we were different, as kids, we hung out together all the time. We mostly did the stuff he wanted to do: built forts, played with magnifying glasses and messed with the sling shot. Any kind of rough-housing that could lead to the little sister (me) getting injured seemed to go over well. It's been a long time since we've flung one another out of the high-side of a swinging hammock, or ridden make-shift sleds down the staircase, but overall I think we had a fun and funny time together as kids. I'm very excited to share his celebration with him on November 7.
Cody has lived in Asia for the past 5 years or so. First in Japan and now currently (and for the past two years) in Seoul, South Korea. His fiancee is Korean and they will be married in Seoul. He said its normal to take the wedding photos before the wedding - thus explains the tux and gown in that photo.
When my mom first called me to talk about the voyage across the Pacific we were approaching it from two different standpoints. I assumed that we'd go to Seoul for a week or so, have the wedding and then return home. My mom saw the trip as an opportunity to travel around Asia, to take as much time off from work as she could and to hit up as many places as the time would reasonably allow. Naturally, when I realized she aimed to take me on this trip with her, I gladly and gratefully readjusted my expectations and bought a couple of travel books.
When I went home to San Diego last weekend my mom and I spread a big map across the coffee table and looked at where we wanted to go.
We knew the dates that we would be gone (three weeks in all) so we booked our flights to and from South Korea, which felt like a big milestone. By the end of Saturday we pretty much knew what the outline of our trip would look like. As of right now our trek will take us through these places....
Seoul, South Korea
Beijing, China
Shanghai, China
Angkor, Cambodia
Bangkok, Thailand
Phuket (or Ko Samui), Thailand
Singapore, Malaysia
Seoul, South Korea
We'll probably plan as much as we can on our own and for tricky details we'll check with a travel agent. Needless to say I am ridiculously excited. Along with getting our flights we also sent in our applications for Chinese visas, a process that meant sending our passports to someone...which just seems like ASKING to get scammed to me. But apparently it's common.
On Monday we got our vaccinations and pills. I got 4 shots, mom got 3. We each got pill forms of Typhoid Fever vaccinations, malaria tablets and the ominous diarrhea stopping pills. Something about the last one being standard issue is worrisome. All in all the bill for all of the medical precautions was almost $900. INSANITY I tell you.
It's still sinking in really. I always thought I'd go to Asia, but there are so many places I want to go, that I assumed Asia might be 10 or 20 years down the line. A far off possibility. A dream.
But I know the trip will sneak up on me - after all it's less than two months away. I'm going to spend the time reading up, practicing my Korean and Chinese (which seem to come out with Spanish accents) and meditating on how to embrace every moment of the adventure. I also need to get Cody a wedding gift. A classy one. One that says "I'm here for more than just the free trip" that quietly and supportively says "Congratulations, and welcome to the family."
So if you have any trip recommendations or wedding present ideas, holler at me.
Cody is two years older than me and while we share a handful of familial traits, we have often been referred to as "night and day". I was a loud kid - he was quiet. He is always self employed - I lack the overall motivation. My mischief making involved ill-fated shoplifting attempts - his involved ninja stars and bottle rockets. My mom says that I seemed to relish in the thrill of getting lost. My brother did not get lost. He dresses better than me, smells better than me, and probably has a cleaner house than me too.
Though we were different, as kids, we hung out together all the time. We mostly did the stuff he wanted to do: built forts, played with magnifying glasses and messed with the sling shot. Any kind of rough-housing that could lead to the little sister (me) getting injured seemed to go over well. It's been a long time since we've flung one another out of the high-side of a swinging hammock, or ridden make-shift sleds down the staircase, but overall I think we had a fun and funny time together as kids. I'm very excited to share his celebration with him on November 7.
Cody has lived in Asia for the past 5 years or so. First in Japan and now currently (and for the past two years) in Seoul, South Korea. His fiancee is Korean and they will be married in Seoul. He said its normal to take the wedding photos before the wedding - thus explains the tux and gown in that photo.
When my mom first called me to talk about the voyage across the Pacific we were approaching it from two different standpoints. I assumed that we'd go to Seoul for a week or so, have the wedding and then return home. My mom saw the trip as an opportunity to travel around Asia, to take as much time off from work as she could and to hit up as many places as the time would reasonably allow. Naturally, when I realized she aimed to take me on this trip with her, I gladly and gratefully readjusted my expectations and bought a couple of travel books.
When I went home to San Diego last weekend my mom and I spread a big map across the coffee table and looked at where we wanted to go.
We knew the dates that we would be gone (three weeks in all) so we booked our flights to and from South Korea, which felt like a big milestone. By the end of Saturday we pretty much knew what the outline of our trip would look like. As of right now our trek will take us through these places....
Seoul, South Korea
Beijing, China
Shanghai, China
Angkor, Cambodia
Bangkok, Thailand
Phuket (or Ko Samui), Thailand
Singapore, Malaysia
Seoul, South Korea
We'll probably plan as much as we can on our own and for tricky details we'll check with a travel agent. Needless to say I am ridiculously excited. Along with getting our flights we also sent in our applications for Chinese visas, a process that meant sending our passports to someone...which just seems like ASKING to get scammed to me. But apparently it's common.
On Monday we got our vaccinations and pills. I got 4 shots, mom got 3. We each got pill forms of Typhoid Fever vaccinations, malaria tablets and the ominous diarrhea stopping pills. Something about the last one being standard issue is worrisome. All in all the bill for all of the medical precautions was almost $900. INSANITY I tell you.
It's still sinking in really. I always thought I'd go to Asia, but there are so many places I want to go, that I assumed Asia might be 10 or 20 years down the line. A far off possibility. A dream.
But I know the trip will sneak up on me - after all it's less than two months away. I'm going to spend the time reading up, practicing my Korean and Chinese (which seem to come out with Spanish accents) and meditating on how to embrace every moment of the adventure. I also need to get Cody a wedding gift. A classy one. One that says "I'm here for more than just the free trip" that quietly and supportively says "Congratulations, and welcome to the family."
So if you have any trip recommendations or wedding present ideas, holler at me.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Yelpers are Usually Right
I've grown almost completely dependent on YELP.COM. I won't try a new place (business, restaurant, city park etc) unless I check it out on Yelp first and I feel like it has had an adequate enough rating from other people. It's almost an obsession at this point, but at the same time it has opened the door to such delicious eateries as Luna Park Cafe and Julie's Liquor and Deli in Brisbane. Some good craft stores as well. The user review based website is the perfect place to look if you need a hairstylist, want a tattoo, are about to move or have just moved. Or if you're like me and you haven't taken the initiative to go out and "meet" the city on your own.
I wish we would have yelped housing complexes in San Francisco BEFORE we moved here, because if I had I read the reviews of The Villas at Park Merced we probably would have kept looking. Because I would have seen that of eighty reviews on a scale of one-to-ten, Park Merced gets an average 1.5 stars.
The first sentences of the entries read like this:
-This apartment complex is not even worthy of a negative review, that is how bad my experience was with them.
-Park Merced is a classic shit-hole.
-I don't even want to give them any stars... but since i have to, the star is dedicated to the fact that i don't live their any more!
-This place is a shit hole.
-I don't have horror stories like some other people, but After living here 6 months I am leaving.
-NEGATIVE STARS!
-if i could find a cheaper place anywhere close to campus, i would. unfortunately i couldn't, so i am stuck in this place that sucks fat hairy midget balls.
-This place is absolutely horrible
-GOD HELP ME! The one star I am forced to give this place is all for the grass and the grounds.
-I've lived here for four years and have had a tantamount of problems
-I'm lucky to be able to say that I've never lived here. Having spent my last four years at SFSU I know a lot of suckers who did live here and paid dearly.
-Yikes.
-Everyone else sums it up pretty well. Don't live here. Just don't. You'll regret it.
-Living in a townhouse at the villas was basically glorified camping.
When I read all of these today I'm not sure whether I felt depressed that I was living amongst the utter dissatisfaction of my neighbors or if it was the sweet reassurance I needed to solidify what I've known all along. This place blows.
It took a year or two before we really realized how much it sucked. Mold in the bathroom and a ceiling that pealed paint. A dishwasher planted in such a way that you cannot stand at the sink AND load the dishwasher at the same time. The insanely bad water pressure in the shower. Screen-less windows. Dated kitchen. White washed EVERYTHING.
I know, I know - You're wondering why we don't just move. Pack up. Ship out. Get the fuck out of Dodge. Sure, moving is a pain, but it might be worth it in the end?
What's funny is that every 7 or 8 months Jon and I go through that exact discussion. We get all riled up. We swear to each other that this is the time that we mean it, come hell or high water we will get out of this place.
But the plain truth is, we never do. The pets, the money and the commute to work are always the main factors in staying. This place has us tied down like bad credit card debt. So we settle back in and forget for at least a few weeks that living here is like serving a sentence. Together, thankfully. But a sentence none the less.
In thinking about this post on my way home from work, I wondered how I could leave it on a high note. I mean, what's there to say about a shitty townhouse? At least it's home? I stepped up to our front stoop and as I approached I noticed that the sidewalk beside our door was blooming snap dragons. After years of watering my plants on the steps above, the concrete is now sprouting these gorgeous little flower blooms all along the crack. And it did feel like home. It might just be enough to know that eventually I'll be leaving the place a little prettier than I found it.
(Don't move here though.)
I wish we would have yelped housing complexes in San Francisco BEFORE we moved here, because if I had I read the reviews of The Villas at Park Merced we probably would have kept looking. Because I would have seen that of eighty reviews on a scale of one-to-ten, Park Merced gets an average 1.5 stars.
The first sentences of the entries read like this:
-This apartment complex is not even worthy of a negative review, that is how bad my experience was with them.
-Park Merced is a classic shit-hole.
-I don't even want to give them any stars... but since i have to, the star is dedicated to the fact that i don't live their any more!
-This place is a shit hole.
-I don't have horror stories like some other people, but After living here 6 months I am leaving.
-NEGATIVE STARS!
-if i could find a cheaper place anywhere close to campus, i would. unfortunately i couldn't, so i am stuck in this place that sucks fat hairy midget balls.
-This place is absolutely horrible
-GOD HELP ME! The one star I am forced to give this place is all for the grass and the grounds.
-I've lived here for four years and have had a tantamount of problems
-I'm lucky to be able to say that I've never lived here. Having spent my last four years at SFSU I know a lot of suckers who did live here and paid dearly.
-Yikes.
-Everyone else sums it up pretty well. Don't live here. Just don't. You'll regret it.
-Living in a townhouse at the villas was basically glorified camping.
When I read all of these today I'm not sure whether I felt depressed that I was living amongst the utter dissatisfaction of my neighbors or if it was the sweet reassurance I needed to solidify what I've known all along. This place blows.
It took a year or two before we really realized how much it sucked. Mold in the bathroom and a ceiling that pealed paint. A dishwasher planted in such a way that you cannot stand at the sink AND load the dishwasher at the same time. The insanely bad water pressure in the shower. Screen-less windows. Dated kitchen. White washed EVERYTHING.
I know, I know - You're wondering why we don't just move. Pack up. Ship out. Get the fuck out of Dodge. Sure, moving is a pain, but it might be worth it in the end?
What's funny is that every 7 or 8 months Jon and I go through that exact discussion. We get all riled up. We swear to each other that this is the time that we mean it, come hell or high water we will get out of this place.
But the plain truth is, we never do. The pets, the money and the commute to work are always the main factors in staying. This place has us tied down like bad credit card debt. So we settle back in and forget for at least a few weeks that living here is like serving a sentence. Together, thankfully. But a sentence none the less.
In thinking about this post on my way home from work, I wondered how I could leave it on a high note. I mean, what's there to say about a shitty townhouse? At least it's home? I stepped up to our front stoop and as I approached I noticed that the sidewalk beside our door was blooming snap dragons. After years of watering my plants on the steps above, the concrete is now sprouting these gorgeous little flower blooms all along the crack. And it did feel like home. It might just be enough to know that eventually I'll be leaving the place a little prettier than I found it.
(Don't move here though.)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Still Loving the New Camera
Hating bloggers block on the other hand.
Here are some photos from the beach today. It was gorgeous again (I know, what can I say - we get three nice days a year and sometimes they come all in a row.) I swear I'll have new and exciting things to blog about by the end of this week. Promise.
Here are some photos from the beach today. It was gorgeous again (I know, what can I say - we get three nice days a year and sometimes they come all in a row.) I swear I'll have new and exciting things to blog about by the end of this week. Promise.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Evening at the End of the Earth
We took the dogs to the beach today around five and it was a gorgeous day. Sometimes it will seem nice at our house and when we get to the beach,2.5 miles away, it is windy and about to be covered with a heavy marine layer. There wasn't a cloud in the sky this evening and the wind was very calm...Perfect for frisbee throwing.
When I first went to Fort Funston, shortly after we moved here, it was like visiting the Earth after civilization had ended. It is calm and vast. Weathered and broken-down cement buildings pop up out of sandy hills and low tide beaches. You can see passages that once lead up through the sea cliffs and abandoned bunkers that would, at high tide be inaccessible.
But along with all of the military relics that have been grown over, there is plenty of natural beauty too. An archway that has eroded with the cliff, the trees and coastal plants, and wildlife - like the whales I saw once, or the seal we saw today.
It's a good walk, a cool view and probably the best place to see a sunset in San Francisco. We're lucky to have it so close by.
When I first went to Fort Funston, shortly after we moved here, it was like visiting the Earth after civilization had ended. It is calm and vast. Weathered and broken-down cement buildings pop up out of sandy hills and low tide beaches. You can see passages that once lead up through the sea cliffs and abandoned bunkers that would, at high tide be inaccessible.
But along with all of the military relics that have been grown over, there is plenty of natural beauty too. An archway that has eroded with the cliff, the trees and coastal plants, and wildlife - like the whales I saw once, or the seal we saw today.
It's a good walk, a cool view and probably the best place to see a sunset in San Francisco. We're lucky to have it so close by.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Bill is a Big Bitch: Pilot Episode
One day Jon and I were talking about how much we absolutely, genuinely hate Bill O'Reilly. Like, Anne-Coulter-pie-in-the-face, sock-you-in-the-fucking-balls HATE. We were bantering back and forth about what we might yell at Bill if we saw him in person someday, or how we could possibly convey our dislike in the most effective manner. In the end Jon decided that he should make a t-shirt with maybe this photo, or this one, and the words BILL IS A BIG BITCH on it. Simple, to the point, but at the same time reaching so many people.
I don't really want "Big Bitch" written on my shirt anywhere, never mind an iron-on of Bill'O. But I actually don't mind either on my blog.
Introducing the new "Bill is a Big Bitch" series wherein the author (yours truly) will choose one quote from the day's news to prove yet again, that O'Reilly needs to go the way of the dodo.
From today's (8/4/09) Fair and Balanced News on the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, O'Reilly had the following to say about Kim Jung Il:
"Clinton actually had to go to dinner with this midget, okay? He actually had to go to a state dinner and sit there and eat with this clown...and I admire him for doing it for the ladies. I don't know if I could have done it.
....Half way around the world to dine with that clown? [shakes head] uh-uh."
I don't really want "Big Bitch" written on my shirt anywhere, never mind an iron-on of Bill'O. But I actually don't mind either on my blog.
Introducing the new "Bill is a Big Bitch" series wherein the author (yours truly) will choose one quote from the day's news to prove yet again, that O'Reilly needs to go the way of the dodo.
From today's (8/4/09) Fair and Balanced News on the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, O'Reilly had the following to say about Kim Jung Il:
"Clinton actually had to go to dinner with this midget, okay? He actually had to go to a state dinner and sit there and eat with this clown...and I admire him for doing it for the ladies. I don't know if I could have done it.
....Half way around the world to dine with that clown? [shakes head] uh-uh."
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