Almost the New Year

Today was a day of make-up shopping. Now, for those of you who know me, you may think to yourself, "Uh, you don't really wear make-up." Yes, that's true, but I still have that socialized feminine quality that makes me want to at least have make-up so that if I wanted to wear it I'd have it to wear. Plus, I got a gift-card for lots of dollars to Sephora, the beauty store that sells all sorts of make-up products under one roof. So, SP and I, with Gabe in tow, went shopping.

Here is a list of my sucker purchases...
Face cleanser -- supposedly to help reduce the redness in my cheeks, made with Soy and roses.
Face powder -- from Bare Essentials. Better for my skin? Will create a nice even skin tone. Had to buy a fancy "Kabuki" brush ($28) for proper application.
Gel eyeliner, in bronze -- oh, who knows what I was thinking, but I had to buy a brush for this item, too ($13).
Fancy Lancôme mascara -- okay, this is nice mascara.
Lip Gloss -- cause I had a sample and I liked it so I went with a regular thing of the goopy stuff.

I won't mention how much I spent on top of the gift card.

It goes without saying I was beautiful to start with, but I sure did look fancy after putting all this stuff on my face. If only I can motivate myself to put some of it on in the morning -- really. Make-up is different now then when I was younger -- they put stuff it in that is actually good for your skin, like sun block and natural minerals .

Did I do any other shopping? Sure. We were on Union Street after all. We went in to this great little shop that sold all sorts of shawls and scarves, like pashminas and what not. They were lovely and I very nearly bought a pretty blue shawl -- I'm still tempted. We also went to a toy store for Gabe, where I picked up Othello. Anyone want to play?

Then we had an early dinner and went over to see some of my friend's new art work -- self-portraits done in charcoal. Really spectacular. I can't remember his website right now, but I'll post it later.

But, I have to tell you, the highlight of the day was singing in the car with Gabe and SP -- in meows. Because, as an old Swedish Proverb says, "Those who wish to sing always find a song."

But now, here I am in bed, my face freshly scrubbed, moisturized, and eye-treated ready for sleep after all this shopping!

Eons and Eons and Eons

Okay, yes, it has been eons since I updated my blog. I've wanted to. Really, I did! I've just been so busy. I can hear it now: "Yeah, right, sure you've been busy. You're just lazy. You just don't want to do this blog thing anymore. Whatever ."

So, just to set things right, here is the update:

* Work is hell. December and January will probably be the worst two months of this project. 12 hour days and weekends are the norm.

** Had my 40th Birthday! Woo Hoo!!! I don't look or act 40, so all is good in my world. Had a big party at my place and then on the actual day, went to Gary Danko's for a dinner that was just lovely.

*** Got promoted.

**** Had another Thanksgiving Dinner that couldn't be beat (see picture below).

***** Went to an awesome Christmas Party at my friend's house.

****** Spent Christmas Day with my Slacker Bro. Played WoW. Had yummy crab cakes for dinner.

Now I'm caught up.

We're supposed to have the week between Christmas and New Year's off, but I'll be helping the team out as the prepare to go live with Human Resources in our new system. Please let it all go well... I don’t want us to go the way of Arizona State, though I can say that we have tested and tested and compared and compared person by person by person by person.

No real plans for New Year's yet. Probably just hang out with the Germans or some other friends. I'll worry about it later. :-)


Roberto titled this picture, "Down it Goes", and boy is it going down... and all the excited expressions can do nothing to stop the great Jenga collapse. This is what comes after eating another Thanksgiving dinner (just before Christmas) and consuming large quantities of wine and spirits... yes, Jenga. Welcome to my world.

Turkey Day Passeth

Thanksgiving went well. Andreas, Esther and I cooked dinner and then Thomas and Ben came by to eat. We all got to sit at the table, eat tasty food (turkey breast braised with burboun, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, salad with pomegrante), drink lots of wine, have entertaining conversation. Then we watched The Jungle Book, with Andreas translating the whole thing to Ben (that was entertainment in and of itself). Around 7:30 the rest of the gang arrived for pumpkin and apple pies and more wine. By 9:30 people were gone and I was passed out from food and wine overload. All in all a good day.

Today, well, I didn't do anything! Watched some TV. Played WoW for far too long -- lvld my new character to 17 (I created a human pally, Pirjo, on another server and joined my friends guild). Went through Deadmines in a flash of an eye -- so fast that I couldn't even keep up with the bodies. I suppose that's all I can expect when a lvl 70 is along for the ride. Managed to get some nice weapons, though, and Pirjo is now sporting a blue mace that she will do serious damage with. Plus, lots of items to sell in the AH and lots of extra cash! Ah, the benefits of a guild!

Turkey Day Cometh

Home Entertainment Update: On Sunday I managed to set up my new TV. It was an adventure. Sure enough, Andreas was able and willing to help me get the TV into the house -- which he carried in himself. Getting the old TV out was another task not so easily accomplished. First, the old thing weights a lot! Even with the two of us it was hard to get out to the car. Then, of course, we couldn't fit it into the Germans new-used -- heh -- bright green, window-tinted Cavalier (ewwww). We were, luckily, able to get it into the front set of my car, so now the Germans have a nice TV for their use while here. But we are not getting any younger, that's for sure. Andreas pulled a muscle in his neck and my back is just starting to relax days later. Ah, well, such is life.

My new TV looks beautiful. I was worried about the TV picture, but it's okay. Movies look really good and, of course, the computer connection is awesome.

Turkey Day Planning: I left work early today so I could get to the store before it got too crazy. Once again I have bought way too much food and spent more money than I should. I just can't help myself. I love entertaining and I'm too lazy to go to a bunch of different stores to get the groceries. Andronico's is great, but it ain't cheap! It is money well spent, though. I got a nice Turkey Breast (I found a recipe on epicurean.com that looks tasty without too much work), fish for Esther, stuffing, potatoes for mashing, 5 bottles of wine, two pies, beans, carrots, cheese, crackers, blah blah blah. It will be a lot of food. Only the Germans will be over for dinner, but my usual crew will show up for dessert. By the end of the evening there will be about 12 of us enjoying each other's company.

On that note, I send out joyful greetings and wish all of you who read my blog a Happy Thanksgiving and I send much affection.

New TV

My slacker brother finally decided to buy a bigger flat screen t.v. so I have opted to buy his old one from him. It's "37. Nothing fancy -- no high-end Sony or Phillips, but it should be cool. I'm really hoping to get my mac mini hooked up to it and perhaps even hook my laptop up to it so I can play WoW on a bigger screen. If it looks good, that could totally addictive. I'm not quite sure yet how I'll get it out of my car and into my apartment, though. It's heavier then I thought it would be. I'll find someone to help, but still, I really want to get it hooked up TODAY! Know what I'm sayin'? It's that need for instant gratification. Maybe if the Germans are home when I drive back to the city I can convince Andreas to come by and help me.

Registration Success

Much to my complete joy, we made it through the whole week of registration without any significant problems -- by Friday 5 pm we had registered about 5,400 returning students. Our Registrar got several emails from staff and advisers pleased with the smoothness of registration and then I spoke with a professor who claimed he was thrilled with the simplicity of the system -- and this from a prof who two and a half years ago told me he doubted we could roll something out that would work without problems. Needless to say, I was pleased.

Of course, life on cloud nine was short-lived as our HR folks hit their peak stress level to date and we are now worried they may not be able to go live on January 2. The technical side of things seems to be going well, but the functional and organizational side is having problems with feeling knowledgeable enough about the system to be able to support it at go live. And, of course, no one wants to risk any chance of not being able to have a perfect payroll. Not that I blame them. But at the same time I think the idea of perfection in a new system is unlikely. It won't be my decision, ultimately. If they don't think they can do it, we'll delay. If that happens, though, I will be a very unhappy camper.

On a non-work related note, I'm putting in some good WoW time. Pirjo and Balloch are leveling nicely. I'm enjoying being a paladin for a change. Every once in a while I go in and play Sarilo, but he makes me feel lonely so I tend not to play him too much. I should find a new guild for him and leave Mojo Juju to others.

The last few weeks have been super social and I confess I'm tired out from it all. I've had some nice visits, though. This last Wednesday I had dinner at my friend's new apartment -- complete with a great view of the city -- and celebrated our friend's birthday. This same group will be going to the foothills in a few weeks to cut down our Christmas trees.

Thanksgiving is coming up and I think it will be a quiet one for me this year. The Germans will be coming over, but I don't have much planned beyond that. We shall see. Just a few days to go.

And finally, went to see American Gangster last weekend. It was a good flick. Not great and, despite the hype, not worth an Oscar. Washington and Crowe did good jobs, but I thought the ending was a bit soft. It is worth seeing, though, so check it out. I hope to see Michael Clayton next week.

First Day of Student Registration

Well, it is nearly the end of the day for our first day having students register in our new administrative system. I'm happy to say that overall it went well. As of my last count, 1,302 students have registered. We did have a few issues, a few of which took a bit of troubleshooting to figure out, but on the whole it went better than I expected. We have the rest of the week to go, so lots could still happen, but I'm pleased with day 1.

I want an iPod

I'm posting from an iPhone. I want one of my own! Off to PF Chang's for dinner with the bro and some friends. Yummy.

Monday we go live with student registration. Me nervous? Maybe a tad bit.

Me? Slacking?

Oh, the shame! I was accused in a reader comment of being a slacker by making excuses for why I might not post much this week! So, just to prove I'm not slacking, I'm posting. So there!

Last night I got to meet my college roommate's first child. Rene. What a cutie-pie. I'll post a picture once I download the files from my camera. He was sweet, and curious, and fun to be with. I enjoyed the visit tremendously, though I have to confess it was funny to see Tammy with a baby. She's a natural and completely adores the little one. Good for her!

Scarves

Before I forget, here are a couple of pictures of my two recent scarves. The grey one with the cables was taken from knitty.com -- the Elbac Scarf to be exact. I used Debbie Bliss's cashmerino. It worked up very fast and once I picked up the pattern is was easy as pie. It was made for my stepmom. I'd been trying to make a scarf for her for a long time but hadn't found the right yarn or the right pattern. This was was perfect. She loves it.



The second scarf is from the book, Scarf Style, by Pam Allen. The pattern is Misty Garden, by Jo Sharp. Again, this worked up super fast and was super easy. It's a great pattern for a verigated yarn. I cannot, though, remember which yarn I used. This one I made for my fellow project manager (my other half in my current world). She says she loves it, too!



Now I'm working on another pattern for a special friend. This one is a much more complicated pattern than I've worked on before, but since it is a surprise I cannot reveal more details here. The issue for me will be whether or not I can actually finish it in time for Christmas! Uh, maybe I should get to work!

Busy Week Ahead

This is going to be a busy week for me, both at work and socially. On the work front, we are one week before going live with student registration in our new administrative system. As you can imagine, I'm just a tad bit stressed on this front. Next week I'll be working with the student team in our "registration command center." I can only hope we won't have any major issues, but be prepared to deal with them if we do!

On the social front, except for tonight, I'm booked all week! I hope I will so exhausted that I'll actually be able to sleep this week. Tonight I have to get the house cleaned up a bit for some company. Tomorrow night, my old college roomie comes over for dinner with her 1 year old son, whom I have not yet met. Wednesday I'm having dinner with the Germans. Thursday I'm playing WoW with my slacker bro. Friday a bunch of us are going bowling. Sometime on the weekend I'll probably go to the movies with some friends.

The reason I'm going into such detail of my week ahead? Just in case I don't have a chance to post anything! I don't want you to think I've dropped off the face of the earth!

Things to be Careful of when Dating

While at a friend's house yesterday, I was given a book to check out -- How to Tell if your Boyfriend is the Antichrist (and if he is, should you break up with him?), by Patricia Carlin. This book has some very useful advice for those ladies of you out there who are on the look out for a boyfriend or have a boyfriend you might have some, uh, hesitations about.

All the below are quotes from the book:

How to Tell if your Boyfriend is...

A Hit Man: Your boss has a broken nose and treats you with new found respect. ...end it sooner rather than later. If he decides to eliminate you, things could really get messy.

On Crystal Meth: You initially thought he was bilingual, but his second language turned out to be gibberish.

A Zombie: Putrefaction is causing major B.O.

Suffering from ADHD: You've trained yourself to come in thirty seconds. Ritalin is the only hope for this relationship. So crush a couple and sprinkle them in his Red Bull.

Suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder: Is as surprised as you are to find that human head in his freezer. Should you break up with him? Which one?

In other news... a reader comment a few blogs back asked if I was going to post any pictures of the fluffy felines. Below is a picture, taken not too terribly long ago, of Keiko (the calico) and Katja. Please, this is not an obscene picture, even if the people at kittyporn.org may try to suggest otherwise.

Kidney Relocation

Exciting family news. My Aunt and Uncle have successfully come out of kidney transplant surgery! My Uncle had been on dialysis for quite some time waiting for a kidney, but of course a lot of people are waiting for kidneys. After some time, my Aunt decided she wanted to give him one of hers. This, to me, is an act of true love and devotion. This is what you do for the people you love -- wow! After a very long time of test after test the doctors finally approved the transplant, and last week into the hospital in Amsterdam they went. Word from my cousins and from my Uncle (emailing from his hospital room!) is the surgery was successful for them both and they are now beginning their recuperation. Below is a picture taken by my cousin of Nancy and Uncle Jim at the hospital. I am thrilled to see how well they both look. As my Uncle wrote in his recent email, "My lower abdomen on the right is seriously sore. That's the location of what was formerly Nancy's kidney. She is now down to one while I'm graced with three, two of which have become bit players, one of which is an instant super star." You can read about the whole kidney transplant thing on their blog, A Tale of Two Kidneys.

Addicted Again?

Played WoW with the bro last night. I rolled a Dwarf Paladin. His name is Balloch and he is short, with lots of red hair. Personally, I think he's pretty cute (see below). Oh, and he's Scottish, of course. I'm only playing Balloch with my bro, so I decided to create another character tonight to play on my own. I actually did a few, but dumped them. I finally ended up with a Human Paladin chic. She's pretty hot, too (see below). Named her Pirjo, which I found on a Finnish name website. I think I'll play her for a while.

You'll notice they are both dressed in the same pants. I think they look better on Balloch.

So, the question is, could I be addicted to WoW again? Only time will tell.

Drug Induced Sleep is Still Sleep

Well, I did finally sleep, though I fear it was only due to over-the-counter drugs. But, even drug induced sleep is sleep.

Update on World Without End: a collapsed bridge throws the cathedral-town into chaos, political machinations of a monk bear fruit, and a young woman loses her virginity. Oh, the horror.

I got my little old Mac Mini up and running again and am ripping some of my DVDs for playing on my iPods. I keep them backed up on my external drive, and can then play them on my TV without having to find the DVD in the closet. Very handy. Right now I'm watching Pride & Prejudice, the one with Keira Knightley. In all honestly, this version has grown on me and I can watch it over and over again without getting bored.

Tonight my brother and I are going to create some new characters on our WoW realm. This time, we are going to create Alliance characters and play them together. I haven't played my lvl 60 warlock, Sarilo, in a long time, and I kinda miss him. Blood Elves are just so very cute. I did create a new Alliance character on another realm so I could play with my friend's nephews. It took a while to get used to playing again because after not playing for a while I seemed to have lost all my skills. They came back quickly!

Slowly but surely my energy level is getting back to normal. Today I managed to stay at work to nearly 6:00 without feeling like I was ready to collapse.

And the exciting news: the Germans arrive this weekend! Can't wait!!!

Sleep Did Not Come

So, despite being exhausted from being sick and from many nights of poor sleep, I still need to manage sleep well. I have that horrible kind of insomnia that both makes it difficult to fall asleep AND makes it hard to fall back asleep if you get woken during the night. I'm sure it is stress, and I blame my job. My brain just chatters, chatters, chatters and I can't get it to shut up.

For example, at 4:00 a.m. I was lying in bed composing an email I wanted to send to my whole project team (50+ people) with an update on where we are with the different ares of our implementation. I mean, come on! Is that something I should be thinking about at 4:00 in the morning?

Then I tried counting backwards from 100. I did that 3 or 4 times. Then I thought, that's too east. I can get distracted from counting and go back to the inane chattering. So I then tried counting backwards from 500, but in threes. 500, 497, 494, 491, 488... that lasted for a while as it did require me to pay attention, but when I got down to the 200s and I still wasn't any closer to sleep, I gave up.

As you can see, it was not a restful night. I tossed and turned from 3:00 am to about 4:30 am, then got up to watch some TV and try to fall asleep on the couch, then went back into bed around 6:00 am, at which point I did finally fall asleep, only have to get up at 7:20 so I could get ready for work.

Is there no justice in the world? Can't someone just give me some sleeping pills please? Or maybe a bellhop who can carry around my stress luggage?

Not all Excitement is Good Excitement

Earthquakes used to seem exciting to me, at least until 1989 when we had the 7.2 quake in SF. Since then, I suffer a different sort of excitement and it's not the kind of excitement I like. We had a 5.6 this evening, around 8:05 pm CA time. 5.6 is considered moderate by the US Geological folks. The kitties didn't seem to think it was moderate. Keiko, in particular, was quite freaked out by the event. 12 seconds doesn't seem like a long time, but with the pictures shaking, the windows shaking, the house shaking, the earth shaking, well, then 12 seconds feels way too long. It's now close to 9:30 pm and I haven't yet felt a follow up. I can only hope if there is one that it will be minor and unnoticeable as I sleep a deep and untroubled sleep.

Checked in with the Bro -- the center of the quake wasn't far from him -- and all was fine down in the South Bay, though I expect they felt quite more then I. Gave the parents a call, just in case the 5.6 made the NJ news. Parents worry.

To keep things in perspective, there was a 7.2 in the "Pagan Region, Northern Mariana Islands" today as well, though the link on the USGS Quake site is broken as I write this so I am unable to get any additional information. If I'm reading my maps correctly, this is would be north of Guam (sort of between Japan and Papua N. Guinea). I would rather have a 5.6 than a 7.2.

Anyway, I'm ready for sleep now, and hope it will come quickly. I haven't been sleeping well since being sick and I really want to get some rest. Some others are turning up sick now, too, including one of my devoted readers. I can only hope that those getting sick will recuperate quickly.

World Without End

How do you know you are starting to feel better? You can smell yourself. 6 days home sick doesn't always result in daily showers, and when you do take a shower, it's more to ease the suffering of whatever it is that ails you. Okay, I know that's kind of nasty, but I'm just trying to be honest. I swear I'll take a nice, hot shower after I post this. I'll even wash my hair! But perhaps my week alone at home will justify what will be a long entry...

Despite having the same several books on my Reading Materials list for quite some time now, I still bought a new book. I couldn't resist -- there I was in Borders and the first thing I see in the New Fiction section is World Without End. I didn't even hesitate to take a copy once I realized what it was... a sequel of sorts to Ken Follett's earlier (late 80's?) book, Pillars of the Earth.

I read Pillars of the Earth while hanging out in a little town called Roses, on the coast of Spain -- an area known as Costa Brava. This was in 1992. It was a great book, the story of which revolves around the lives of people in a town in England as a majestic cathedral is built. The timing was perfect because I was traveling through Europe and seeing medieval churches galore. I think I read all of Follett's books while in Europe then. No matter what train station I found myself in, I could be assured that a Follett book would be close at hand. But I digress. I got totally engrossed in Pillars of the Earth and even regretted finishing. It was no great work of literature, but it was easy to get caught up in the lives of the characters and to imagine myself there with them. And to see cathedrals that were similar in ways to the one described in the story made it all the better. I have recommended the book many times since then and most of those who actually read it based on my recommendation enjoyed it as well.

I've only read a short way into World Without End yet I am already getting the same feeling while reading. Follett is a great researcher and, as a person who loves history, it is always a pleasure to see fiction tied so nicely with history. The details make the scenes more realistic, but do not take away from the story in any way. It is a large book, so I expect it will take some time for me to make my way through to the end. I will keep you all appraised as I progress. So far, one of the characters has narrowly escaped a horrible fate, another has succumbed to a moment of lust that may last him a lifetime, and yet another is plotting his rise to power. Sigh. Such drama. Such excitement.

I should note that I did finish reading my last book before I started World Without End. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the first Le Carré book I've read, despite having seen all the Hollywood renditions. I was never big on spy stories, though I have read a few over time. But this was an exceptional book. Well written, intriguing, holding you to the very end, waiting to find out the identify of the Soviet mole. I shall read more Le Carré.

And another picture for your viewing pleasure. This one is a piece of detail from a needlepoint tapestry that hangs at Filoli, a beautiful historical home with sprawling gardens near Redwood City. If you live in the Bay Area, it is a place worth visiting.

Counting Tissues

Being home sick for several days is a good way to watch some movies you might otherwise never come across. For example, Love Serenade. Dare I recommend this film? I can't resist. Yes, you all must see this film. It is, in every way imaginable, one of the more bizarre films I've seen, which should not be surprising since it is an Australian film. Synopsis: two sisters living in the middle of no where with no life. In comes the, uh, sexy DJ from the big city (Brisbane). Love and intrigue unfolds. I will reveal nothing more.

Other then watching movies, there isn't much to do when you are sick. Count used tissues? No, too boring. Nap? Certainly. Play on the computer? Not so much, but I'm starting to feel better now. Look through old pictures? Sure, why not. Here's one for your viewing pleasure, from my trip to London a while back.

AARP as Aarp?

I forgot to mention in my posting last night that while reading the local senior newsrag at my grandmother's, I learned of two hot items in the senior world these days. First, AARP -- most commonly known as the American Association for Retired Persons -- thinks they should just be referred to as Aarp, because so many of their members are not yet retired. Apparently it's because so many are "feisty geezers" who want to work until they are completely bent over and dragging their feet because working until you are 90 is just so great. It has nothing to do with the fact that companies keep stealing people's pensions, healthcare is so expensive, and that so many older people can't afford to pay for their life expenses if they do retire these days.

The other news is that "senior" is no longer politically correct. The author mentioned the use of "grown-up" instead. What does that make me? A child still? (Well, maybe mentally and emotionally.)

I gave up on any further reading at this point, and did the Sudoku instead.

My Senior Star

I went to help set up a new iMac (new-used, that is) for my grandmother and while there, she showed me an article in the local Senior newspaper -- she was the featured senior of the month! My grandmother (by way of my grandfather's fourth marriage), had some significant column space dedicated to a insanely fast overview of her life. My father's side of the family is full of outspoken, vocal, honest, ethical folks who definitely lean on the left side of the seesaw. Some of them make me seem out and out conservative -- which I so am not! The article had a great picture of her and pulled out some nice tidbits on her life, though it focused mainly on her political activism and, oh, things like her sitting next to Martin Luther King, Jr. at some political event! The things I learn as I get older. *sigh*

At 87, she remains very active in her community and each time I see her I am reminded of how important it is to live by right actions. We can't fix everything, but we should always try and make the world a better place, even if it means discomfort for ourselves. A hard motto to live by, to be sure, but one worth trying for.

On a totally tangent note, I'm supposed to help my friend paint her kitchen orange tomorrow. Orange? I'm trying to reserve judgement.

Another Week Gone By

You know, it is rather difficult to write an interesting blog when nothing intersting happens. Work continues along in its usual fashion. Parents returned east Wednesday morning, ending a nice, but brief, visit. There was no excitement during the week accept the fun of a late Friday afternoon ice cream social at work. Ice cream is always a good thing.

The real event of the week was the arrival of Líknbjörn.


Líknbjörn is a most vicious bear - as his viking garb will illustrate. He does possesses, however, a deep well of compassion. While he may like to rape and pillage strange lands, he does so with a certain generosity of spirit and tries, as best as he is able, to minimize the havoc he wreaks. It will be interesting to see what the cats will think of their new companion.

How Time Flies...

While I only have a few days in Tomales Bay, coming home on Friday still provided me the weekend for chilling out. On Saturday I went to my friend's son's 6th birthday party. Let me just say this, kids can have fun in all sorts of environment. The birthday boy was supposed to have a pool party but the weather decided not to cooperate (in San Jose? Come on!!!). Rain and nippy temperatures pulled the party into the Pool House. Did this stop all those 4, 5 and 6 year olds from having a good time? Heck no. The big blow up wading pool SP bought was blown up and, even without water, the kids managed to have tons of fun. Just see the birthday boy below!


Sadly, the weekend went way too fast and before I knew it I was back to work. Sunday night I was trying to come up with some creative excuse I could use to get out of work. The winning idea was to just not go to work on Monday and when someone called to look for me I would say, in a surprised voice, "What do you mean it's Monday?" Needless to say, I didn't actually use the excuse. I dragged myself into work, back into the fray.

And the week wasn't just work. The parents arrived from the East Coast Tuesday night and basically every night I was doing something to entertain them. Of course I enjoy hanging out with them, but after a full day of work spending the evening socializing over and over is exhausting. By Friday I was done. On Saturday, however, I was having a BBQ, so there was little hope for a relaxing weekend. In all fairness, the BBQ was tons of fun. Everyone showed up, there was plenty of food, we drank too much, and my friends managed to clean out my backyard by burning everything they could find in my Weber. Any effort of mine to keep the fire down pretty much fell on deaf ears. Luckily my house is still standing.

So that's my catch up. Today I'm off to see In the Valley of Elah. I'm looking forward to it and will report back afterwards. I also finished the scarf I was making my stepmother. It's really pretty. I'll post a picture of it later.

Back at Home

I am back at home after my short break and already sorry to be home. I could have stayed in Tomales Bay a few days longer and been quite pleased with myself.

I put aside I Married a Communist for a bit because I picked up a new book at the bookshop in Pt. Reyes Station, called Sharp Objects. I just finished this morning -- just couldn't put it down. I would not say it was a great book by any stretch of the imagination, but it was riveting. Plot is fairly straight forward. Young woman reporter is sent by her editor back to her home in the middle of nowhere to investigate the deaths of two young girls. Of course our protagonist has all sorts of emotional issues, which are slowly revealed as she investigates the murders. As far as a whodunit type novel, this one was fairly predictable and I wasn't surprised by the outcome. What made the novel riveting was the main character's emotional state and her relationship with the other characters. If you like dark novels with psychological elements that you don't often find in books then you'll like this one. It was a fast read and, as I mentioned, it held my attention.

On another topic, I'm about halfway through knitting the scarf I'm making for my stepmother. Got the patter off knitty.com. It's a reversible cable scarf and the pattern is super easy. I'll be done in no time and will post a pic once it's complete. I wanted to do the scarf in a nice blue yarn, but nothing I found reached out to me so I finally selected a light grey yarn from Debbie Bliss - the cashmerino line. My stepmom wanted something soft and warm, not itchy. The cashmerino meets the requirement perfectly. Plus, it is very easy to work with.

Now I'm off to a cute six year old's birthday party. Should be fun.

Peace and Solitude

Not much happening up in the Tomales Bay area today. To make up for my insomnia the night before I slept late this morning and then had a leisurely breakfast. Chatted on the computer for a bit. Took a ride up to Bodega Bay for a late, though sadly uninspired lunch. Drove inland to Bodega with the hopes of finding the little gift shop inside the school house from The Birds open, but luck was not on my side. Back at the cottage I just spent the last hour and half sitting on the deck, reading a new book (Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn), drinking coffee (why do I always drink so much coffee when I'm on vacation?) and gazing at the view.

But there was one moment of excitement in my afternoon. It involved a cow. I was driving back from Bodega Bay and decided to stop and take a picture of a field of cows I had noticed on the way north. I got out of the car and walked over to the fence, all the while with this one particular cow watching me intently. I admit, there was suspicion in her eyes. She began to moo, a series of long, deeply expressive moo's and when she was through, a whole bunch of cows moo'd in reply. I decided to give it a try... maybe I could say something nice to them. Now, I confess, I'm no great moo'er, but I gave it my all. I even thrust my head out and made my throat long so I could get a nice, deep edge to the end of the moo.

The response to my efforts was even greater mooing -- was it in distress? Then, the cow who had been watching me ever since I pulled over, started to walk towards the fence. I wish I could say I was a brave, outdoorsy chic who waited for the cow to reach the fence so I could pet her, but I confess, the fence didn't look very strong and, well, frankly, cows are really big. I got in my car.


The cow, let's call her Belle, arrived at the fence and moo'd at me. I moo'd back. We had some pleasant words. I assured her I didn't eat beef (these did not seem to be milking cows, but what do I know about cows?) and that I had very few leather products. She didn't seem impressed. I assured her I would do my best to avoid buying cow hide in the future. I thought that would appease her, but she seemed determined that I proselytize the need to give up beef. So, you heard it first from me... right from the cows mouth, Belle says, "Don't eat beef."

I was sorry to leave her there. She really was a lovely cow.

Wind in my Hair

It was one windy day out in Pt. Reyes. I took the long drive from Marshall to Drake's Beach out in the Pt. Reyes National Seashore. I hadn't realized how vast the park was, but from Inverness, on the west side of Tomales Bay, it is still something like 13 miles to Drake's Beach, which is one of the beaches on Drake's Bay, named after Sir Francis Drake, who sailed up the west coast searching for a Northwest passage. The bay was actually originally named San Francisco Bay, but when the SF Bay was "discovered" by a group of explorers heading north up the coast the bay further north was renamed Drake's Bay.

While the weather was beautiful, the wind was a huge deterrent. I took a walk on the beach, but didn't stay long. Instead, I took my time driving back, stopping occasionally to take pictures or just to gaze at the wide openness of the area.


It was very bright out there... in the picture above you can barely make out the Pacific out in the distance because of the amount of light. But it was surely beautiful.

After being a nature tourist, I drove back to Pt. Reyes Station and wandered around a bit before heading back to the cottage for a quiet evening.

A Night out on Tomales Bay

Last night I went to Nick's Cove in Tomales Bay for dinner. Pat Kuleto refurbished the restaurant and several of the cottages there to allow for fine dining and elegant, but rustic, accommodations. The restaurant is located right on the bay and I had dinner in the covered porch area. I arrived early for dinner and the sun was still high in the sky, so I spent the next few hours eating and watching the sun slowly set. I wanted to take my time eating because there was a band performing that night (two guys with guitars and playing some lovely deep river blues) and they weren't starting until 7 pm and I didn't want to spend an hour twiddling my thumbs waiting for them -- I didn't have a book or any thing to write in and, being that I was alone, no one to talk to. So my focus was completely on my food and making the meal last as long as possible.

The food was comparable to what you would get at Kuleto's in SF. I wouldn't say it was excellent food, but it was good and the setting perfect, so I couldn't complain too much. I started off with a glass of chardonnay (Handerly) and the broiled Monterey sardines. The sardines were fantastic. They were served on pieces of french bread with some sort of mayonnaise aioli type spread and some olive tapenade in little bursts around the plate. The tapenade was lovely, but too potent to eat on the sardines, so I just ate it on its own or with some of the table bread. My only negative comment on the sardines was that there was too much aioli on the bread. I had to scrape off quite a bit. But the broiled sardines were terrific and I would order this dish again in a heartbeat.

My main course was salmon served over string beans and cannolini beans along with a butter sauce. The salmon was okay. Nothing spectacular, but certainly fine. It was a little on the bland side, but I suppose the goal was not to overpower the fish with too many other flavors. The problem was the salmon itself wasn't particularly flavorful. Maybe because it was the end of the season? In any event, it was still good, just not spectacular.

For dessert I went with a yellow peach crisp with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream. Again, this was okay, but not anything to write home about. I would have like it to be a bit warmer than it was. The ice cream was barely melting on top of the dessert. I did reaffirm that I'm not a huge peach dessert fan, but I can't complain too much about the crisp part. That was tasty. I gulped my espresso up in 3 sips, but resisted a second, and then had an after dinner drink as well. At the waitress's suggestion, I tried what was essentially a french pear brandy, but it was a bit too intense for me so I sent it back and went with a 10 year tawny. I had meant to go for the 20 year tawny, but for some reason 10 came out. It was a good port, though. A nice, rich burnished red with a great finish. Can't remember the brand, but if I hadn't been driving back to the cottage I can assure you I would have had another.

The only other thing worth mentioning was the service. My waitress was nice, but not in your face, and the young ladies bussing tables were attentive and kept my water glass full. All the folks who assisted me where polite and helpful, which is always a pleasure when dining out.

I returned to Ravensview with a full stomach and a tiny buzz and settled down to the evening with my knitting and some music. It was still early when I went to bed. All in all a relaxing first afternoon/evening in Tomales Bay, though insomnia did plague me my first night. Tonight shall be better. Now I am off to Drake's Bay.

Nevermore, quoth the Raven

I'm spending a few days at a lovely cottage on Tomales Bay, called Ravensview Cottage. I have been here all of two hours and feel I have been here forever. It is quiet except for the sound of birds -- including some rather vocal crows -- and the sound of the wind rushing through the trees. From the front deck I can see Tomales Bay shimmering nearby. I'll take pictures while I'm here and perhaps I'll be able to post one of them here, provided the new photo card reader thingie I bought works.

The drive from SF was a relaxing one as there was no real traffic (I left mid-day). The directions had me take Lucas Valley Ranch Road west, which proved to be a lovely winding ride. Most of the roads that head west from the 101 shift between being open to the hills to being covered with a canopy of trees. On a sunny day as today, those moments driving through the trees were sublime with bits of sun peaking here and there, with bursts of bright green intermixed with the dark browns of the trees and branches. I drove slower than usual, not wanting anything to cause me any unnecessary stress or anxiety. I didn't even allow myself to get aggravated with drivers going ridiculously slow.

The cottage is in the little town of Marshall. There isn't much here, but as the bay dominates the area, I can only that thank you that there are only a few buildings making up the town. I'm within walking distance of the town store and within driving distance of some of Northern California's most beautiful outdoors areas, Pt. Reyes National Seashore. While I am no big outdoors man, I do like the beaches and the ocean and expect to spend some time exploring some of the beaches around here. My first goal will be Drake's Beach and then, perhaps, Kehoe Beach. As long as I have water and wind I will be a happy person.

Once at the cottage, I spent time on the deck reading the rest of Oracle Night. All I have to say is wow. Paul Auster once again blows me away. The pace of the book, the growing tension. I sat there on the deck and at moments had to put the book down. While I was drawn into the book from the very beginning, the second half really takes the story to another level when the depth of the characters and the events that interweave their lives and experiences start to become more revealed. The story flows beautifully, but as I noted in my previous blog there is this notebook that has a sort of mystical quality about it that is pulling at my mind right now. I will need to think about it more before I can articulate its significance, but it is a weird twist to the book, as is the shopkeeper where the narrator finds the notebook.

I will leave it there for now. Perhaps tomorrow I shall have some insights worth sharing. In the meantime, I must decide which book to move on to next.

Oracle Night

I'm back in SF after an uneventful 5 1/2 hour drive from LA, stopping briefly at my brother's to pick up his new digital camera so I can play around with it over my much needed, however brief, vacation.

Speaking of vacation, one of the books I am reading right now, purchased just for my holiday, is Paul Auster's Oracle Night. If you have never read any of Auster's work, the time has come to pick one up. He is, in my opinion, one of the best American authors of the 20th and 21st centuries. Two of my favorites are Levithan and The Music of Chance (which was also made into a most excellent and disturbing film, with Mandy Patinkin and James Spader).

I am about half way through Oracle Night, and am totally hooked. If I don't finish it tonight, I'm sure I'll finish it tomorrow. The story revolves around an author recovering from an illness who purchases a notebook that seems to have some sort of magical quality to it, though just what is yet unclear. Paul Auster's writing has the kind of affect of pulling you quickly into the story and giving you the sense of walking beside the characters as they progress through the story. But they can also be dark as Auster doesn't shy away from touching on parts of the human psyche that can, at times, make the reader uncomfortable. While Auster isn't unique in this way for me, there are times when I feel like a peeping Tom, as though I am witnessing something I should not, as I read. It is easy to lose yourself in the lives and experiences of those you are reading about, whether they are real or fictional, and perhaps this is why I love reading as much as I do.

Driving I-5

I headed south to LA this weekend to visit friends of mine, including an old highschool friend I had not seen in many years. As I cruised down I-5, a seemingly never ending highway filled with 18-wheelers and surrounded by a dismal and uninspiring landscape, I was reminded of two of my pet peeves: slower drivers not staying to the right and failure to use turn signals.

I'm sure I'm not the only one to be irritated by these two notorious angst-causing driving behaviors. I try not to be bothered, but despite my efforts I am still aggravated. Don't people know to stay to the right unless they are actually passing traffic at that moment? Germans don't seem to have a problem understanding this concept and they drive much faster then we do (and I confess I am a fast driver). They might be going 180 kilometers per hour (about 110 miles/hr) but they stay to the right unless they are passing traffice. A shameless friend of mine once said to me in response to my ranting on this topic, "I'm going faster then the traffic in the right lanes, why should I have to move over just because there is no one there? Eventually I'm going to pass someone."

Uh, hello, knock knock anyone there? How about because I'm going faster then you?

Okay, and what about turn signals? Am I mind-reader that you don't need to use your turn signal?

I can't write anymore on this. I'm getting irritated just thinking about it and I need to stay calm as I will be heading north on I-5 in just an hour or so. I must meditate and achieve my inner peace so my 5 hour drive back to SF won't be filled with rage.