Whassup

Got this from my aunt; good stuff!



Also, if you haven't yet carved your Jack O'Lantern, why not rock the vote at the same time?

Curing the dining room

I'm still working on the Apartment Therapy 8-Week Cure. Right now I've kind of gone down a rabbit hole with what I call the dining room area. The old round glass-top pedestal table and folding chairs just weren't working out for me:

• The glass top slipped all over the place
• The floor under the table is uneven, so that made the glass top slip even more
• I do beadwork, which doesn't really work on a glass top table
• Folding chairs are a big sack full of uncomfortable

I sold the table and chairs last week on Criagslist. I'm glad some other people are getting a good use out of them now.

I turned around and bought a cool drop-leaf table on Craigslist. It was terribly scratched up and faded in places, so I decided to paint it. I thought I might paint it a cool aqua color, or red, but decided to just go with off white. I'm using Mythic No-VOC Semigloss in Cream Tulip (isn't that a pretty name? I'm not sure I didn't pick the color because of the name; I'm like that).

Also, my parents came to stay with me for the weekend. Among other things, my dad and I took a drive over to Berkeley to see what treasures we could find at Urban Ore. I ended up with these awesome, super-heavy dining chairs with a bentwood back for $15 each. They're very comfortable.

Excuse me, I'm going to go have a Joe Joe or eight.

Gleeful

Just one of those days where I'm glad to be who I am, where I am. I hope you're having a great day too.

I'm also having a deep, deep hankering for a flight to Seattle. Hmmm.

Give me that yellow jersey

IM conversation with HD, in which he recommends a bike for me:

HD:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=39271&eid=121

something like this
Me:

I like it!

No disc brakes on that one

Good price though
HD:
yes road style comfort bikes don't have discs
Me:

WHAAA?!

As a rule?
HD:
as a weight saving step and lack of requirement
Me:
Does Lance go without disc brakes? I think not!
HD:
Lance who?
Me:
There is only one Lance, my friend.
HD:
yes. Lance goes without discs. and believe me you will not be at a disadvantage when racing him without discs
Me:
lol
Touche.

Fleet Week

Just posting a few pictures from Fleet Week '08, as viewed from the Warming Hut at Chrissy Field. Well, mostly. HD and I walked from there down to the Yacht Club at the Marina to watch the Blue Angels.

My mom and dad did the same thing the next day, and from what I hear, they had as great a time as we did!

Pardon my lack of posts the last few days, I've been down with a nasty, head-spinning cold (I spoke too soon, Sue!). HD has been a spectacularly kind nurse; IMing me from work to see how I'm doing and cooking spicy kidney bean masala and rice for dinner.

He also prepared lots and lots of tea, as when I'm sick, coffee sounds disgusting to me. That's how I knew I was getting pretty sick on Monday; when I got into the office, I went to the kitchen to prepare my usual super-delicious cup of coffee from the super expensive espresso machine. It did not smell or look appetizing at all, so I put in two "creams". I put that in quotes because it's not really normal to store half & half in bins on the counter, unrefrigerated, and still call it half & half. Unless it's half petroleum product, half, oh, I don't know, hair conditioner? Whatever, it tastes just about as good as it sounds.

Woah, if I were on the debate team, I would get a total digression for that weird rant. Forgive me, I'm still not up-to-snuff.

Oh gosh, I wasn't elected, I just DID that...

Hey, Sara Benincasa? Can you be my friend please?



Apparently, she will no longer be vlogging on her YouTube channel, but will now be vlogging on The Huffington Post's humor website! Yay!

The Cure: The Interview

I mentioned the Apartment Therapy 8-Week Cure a few days ago; the first task of The Cure is to answer a questionnaire about your personal tastes. Well, it's your lucky day; I'm doing my questionnaire right here!

Favorites

1. Actress: Audrey Hepburn, Julianne Moore, Diane Keaton
   
2. Actor: Colin Firth, Bradley Whitford
   
3. Writer: Richard Russo, Ray Carver, Lorrie Moore
   
4. Artist: Marc Chagall, Natasha Wescoat
   
5. Music: Folk Rock
   
6. Restaurant: Barefoot Cafe, Tower Cafe
   
7. Automobile: Volkswagen New Beetle (but I will never own one again)
   
8. Television Show: Gray's Anatomy
   
9. Clothing (designer or store): Anthropologie
   

How would you describe your style? (3 words)

1. Creative
2. Unique
3. Bohemian

Personal History

Where have you lived?

1. Where you were born: Mountain View, CA
   
2. Where you grew up: Citrus Heights, CA
   
3. As an adult: Marin County, CA
   

Whom would you consider a role model? My aunt

What three qualities describe the qualities that you admire in this person?

1. Creative
2. Hospitable
3. Resourceful

Apartment

What is the problem with your apartment (3 words)?

1. Cluttered
2. Non-cohesive style
3. Furniture doesn't work for the space

If your apartment could speak, what would it say is the problem?

I'm very old, but I can have a new life.

What one thing would you like to do or do more of in your apartment?

Write, paint, and bead - I have a good writing desk, but not really a good place to spread out with paints and my bead kit. The kitchen table is unstable because the floor is uneven, and besides, it's always covered with a tablecloth and junk.

Eight weeks from now, when this project is done, if friends and family came to visit, how would you like them to describe your home (3 words)?

1. Fun
2. Comfortable
3. Warm

_____

Well, that took a while, but let's see where it takes me. The remaining part of the chapter explains what these answers mean to me, and how I should proceed.

I'm going to try to do this on weekdays, after work, so that I can enjoy my apartment on weekends.

This one goes out to you, Dahling!

Ahhh, doesn't it just make your heart SING?!

Misty May-Treanor's injury makes me a little nauseous

Can you imagine tearing your achilles tendon?

I have a fever, and the only prescription is....

Not more cowbell.

Actually, I've been working hard at getting the cabin to be the sanctuary I know it can be. It's small, but actually very cozy. And not that craigslist-is-full-of-liars-this-place-is-a-hole-why-is-my-shower-door-butting-into-my-oven kind of cozy, but actually very comfortable with good energy and woah, who let Deepak Chopra and Oprah into my blog?

Apartment Therapy, one of my very favorite blogs, does an 8 week cure a couple of times a year. The cure breaks up getting your apartment or house in order in small, easy-to-swallow steps. It lets you focus on really turning where you live into your home. I didn't do it right after Christmas because really, I was beyond hope with the old apartment. But now I'm in and settled and ready and I've gone out to buy the book, and I'm in it to win it, baby!

I'll try to monitor my progress here in addition to on Apartment Therapy.

Woo hoo! It's raining!

Wow, do we need this. In honor of this natural phenomenon, I give you my Rain playlist.

1. I Love the Rain the Most - Joe Purdy
2. Shelter From the Storm - Bob Dylan
3. Rain City - Turin Brakes
4. And It Stoned Me - Van Morrison (or David Gray's cover)
5. Rain and Snow - The Be Good Tanyas
6. January Rain - David Gray
7. Sunshower - Chris Cornell
8. Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain - Willie Nelson
9. I Can't Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles

I know this much is truuuuuuuue...

Dude, this song just came on my iPod.

Here's what I know is true:

1. This song kicks so much ass
   
2. Spandau Ballet kind of sounds like Tears for Fears
3. This song makes me think of Steve Buscemi

Learn yourself somethin'

Are you wondering why the federal government is giving money to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac instead of paying off your mortgage?

Me too. Sounds like a win-win. Not that I have a mortgage. But they can cover my rent if they want. Or at least a new pair of Danskos and a coat.

But that's besides the point. If you don't understand the "mortgage crisis" (as I didn't), This American Life teamed up with NPR News to produce a sort of Very Brady Bankruptcy Special. Here's the synopsis from the This American Life website:

This American Life producer Alex Blumberg teams up with NPR's Adam Davidson for the entire hour to tell the story—the surprisingly entertaining story—of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis. They talk to people who were actually working in the housing, banking, finance and mortgage industries, about what they thought during the boom times, and why the bust happened. And they explain that a lot of it has to do with the giant global pool of money.

Seriously, this is completely engrossing, and when you're done listening to it, you won't have to just nod along when people at parties start talking about mortgage-backed securities. You can either listen to the broadcast online, buy the podcast, or if you live near me, I'll burn it to a CD for you.

Worst Week

This show is uncomfortably hilarious. Like that way that Michael Scott makes you squirm every time he enters the conference room on The Office. You can tell what's going to happen, except what happens is always way funnier than you could have imagined.

Here's the pilot. You can thank me later.

Poppin' fresh

I went to Sacramento for a family dinner last night, and had a great time (and great food; my dad made homemade corn tortillas for chicken tostadas, and my Aunt Pat's apple cake is always a hit). I was telling my mom and sister about a video HD and I took a while ago, so I'm going to post it here for your viewing pleasure.