Can I change this later?

Project Fat@ss

2011-01-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

The new year is, of course, a time of reflection and resolutions. This is my first resolution: I will reach my goal weight of 130.

I gained some weight getting pregnant and having a baby. You read that right—everybody gains weight when they’re pregnant, but who in the h*ll gains weight having a baby?! I do, apparently. I weighed 180 pounds on B’s birthday and I weighed 172 a week later when I was finally able to step on a scale. B weighed more than 8 pounds, himself! So, I’m on a quest. I’ve already dropped 30 pounds (which takes me to my pre-pregnancy weight); now I just need to lose the 12 that I should have lost before I got pregnant. And I’m sharing my numbers with the interwebz. Today I weighed in at 142.2. Only 12.2 to goal! Unfortunately, this weekend I perfected the art of the homemade cinnamon roll. Somehow I don’t think that’s going to help.

It's Alive!!!!

2011-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

I honestly wasn't sure I remembered the password. Thank the FSM for cookies. There will be new posts coming very soon, but nothing tonight. :)

The nursery is done!

2009-06-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Now all I need is a baby.

Attention, conservatives: He's JOKING.

2009-04-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

During an interview with 60 minutes, Stephen Colbert told Morley Safer that he doesn't let his children watch his show because they don't get his irony. Apparently conservatives don't, either.

Be careful what you ask for

2009-04-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

At roughly 20 weeks is when you can expect to start feeling the baby's movement and by 24 weeks I was really starting to get anxious because I hadn't even felt anything that could have just been gas. And then finally it happened--and it was glorious! G could even feel the movement right away. 6 weeks later, can I just say I'm over it? I mean, I do still like feeling him there (and it's very reassuring!), but his movements have changed from a pleasant thump on the outer belly area to more of a rolling movement that I'm pretty sure is jacking up the feng shui of my internal organs. If he's moved my spleen out of the prosperity corner, I'm going to be mad! I'm just sayin'.

Given his latest antics, G & I are considering abandoning our prior name choice and are now considering the following options. Please weigh in with your favorite.

Like our own private episode of Rescue Me

2009-04-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Just about the time G & I were about to leave for our latest ultrasound appointment, I looked out the front window to find the following scene:Note the police car blocking the driveway and the two (two!) fire trucks blocking the entire street. When I first looked out, the smoke was so thick I couldn't see across the street. Fortunately it was just the car (you can see the charred hood just past Engine 71) and not the house, but you could see the flames coming from it. Crazy.

I must be stuck in a parallel universe.

2009-04-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

Down is up. Up is down. And Iowa is now officially more progressive than California.

Well, that was annoying.

2009-03-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

The crib and dresser/changing table were just delivered--yay! But not only did they refuse to deliver the boxes inside the house (all I wanted was to just inside the door), they insisted they could only deliver it to the garage. Both boxes were shrink wrapped and strapped to a palette, which they wheeled into the garage and just left there. So now I have this random palette I have to figure out how to get rid of. That has to be the least customer-service friendly furniture delivery I've ever had. =(

Nesting

2009-03-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of the rest of my pregnancy, otherwise known as the third trimester! Woo hoo! I've spent the day getting my nursery decorating ideas together. Unfortunately, it looks like I was too late to get the fantastic rug from my inspiration nursery and that has kind of thrown everything else a little off. Here's what I have so far:

And here are the things I'm deciding on:

Supposedly, the blue drapes on the right are the same color as the blue in the rug (above). If that's true, I like the patterned drapes, but then feel I should go for a plain crib skirt and sheet (although I'm not sure the one in the picture is the right blue). If the patterned drapes aren't the same color, I'll probably go for the taupe drapes and then I like the patterned crib skirt--and I think the one pictured goes pretty well with the rug. I'll still have to see how everything looks in real life, though.

I can't believe I voted for him.

2009-03-18T19:52:00.001-07:00

Obama picked Maryland over California??!!! Fear the turtle, my @ss.

Beware the Ides of March: Knitting Edition

2009-03-16T11:12:00.001-07:00

Only I could knit for two hours and end up farther behind than when I started. Oh, yes, that's right. I'm knitting a sweater for B that has a relatively simple cable pattern up the front. It's the world's cutest sweater and I can't wait to see him wear it, but it might be at the expense of my sanity. Here's how the knitting went yesterday:

Knit three rows, realize I forgot to add the decreases at the beginning and end of the rows.
Unknit three rows.
Re-knit the three rows and include the increases. Realize I've screwed up the pattern (on the wrong (read: easier)) side.
Unknit three rows.
Re-knit 8 rows, following pattern chart perfectly and remembering decreases. Re-consult written pattern and realize I was only supposed to decrease on the first three rows.
Un-knit 5 rows.
Realize I've dropped a stitch somewhere in the middle of the cable pattern (so I can't just pick it up).
Un-knit 5 more rows and find the dropped stitch. Realize it was in the middle of the cable and probably could have just been picked up.
Put down knitting and go get ice cream. Wish it were wine.

Total rows knit: -2.

Double Digits!

2009-03-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

T minus 99 days and counting!

I no longer feel bad about my snacking choices.

2009-03-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Two words

2009-03-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

that should have never, ever been put together: maternity thong.

Bizarro Dreams

2009-03-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not a dreamer. I mean, I day dream about dinners at the French Laundry and owning a house on a Venetian canal, but that's generally the extent. They say that everyone dreams, but sometimes we don't remember our dreams. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that back in high school when we were supposed to be keeping nightly dream journals, M & I made up everything in ours because we didn't think our teacher would believe us that we simply hadn't dreamt anything.

The last few weeks, though, the dreams have been almost nightly. Most of them are more or less benign, except that for some reason I'm really, really angry and then I wake up angry. It's a very strange sensation--my whole body is tense and I'm practically hyperventilating from rage. Fortunately, I'm pretty good at calming myself down and within a minute or two I'm totally fine again. I'm not angry about anything (well, more than usual) in real life, though, so I'm chalking it up to hormones.

My last dream, however, was just...weird. I looked down and noticed a hole in my belly, out of which kept popping B's little foot. I kept poking the foot back in, because it was metal (very Terminator) and I knew B needed more time in utero to develop some flesh. Then I went around to several doctors to try to get someone to stitch up the hole, but nobody would pay attention to me. So I tracked down Noah Wiley, who graciously stitched me up. Clearly this is because Dr. Carter is back on ER. I'm not sure about the metal foot, though--maybe I've been seeing Schwarzenegger too much in the news lately?! Stupid budget impasse.

Be vewy, vewy qwuiet! We're hunting hybrids!

2009-03-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

I drive a 1996 Saturn I inherited from my late grandmother. The thing has no features (I'm the only left in America rolling down their own windows) and burns from cigarette holes in the upholstery (miss you, Grandma!). But it runs great and affords no car payment. G, however, hates the car and has been trying for 3 years to get me to buy a new car. I've resisted (did I mention I have no car payment)...until now. Now that Benjamin is on the way, I'm starting to care about the 13-year-old airbags (do they still even work?!) and the lack of LATCH system. As much as I love my Saturn (well, how free it is, anyway), it's time. New baby=new car!

So MIL & I headed out to the auto mall yesterday to check out some hybrids. G's really interested in getting a hybrid and I'm really interested in sat nav. Fortunately, these goals align nicely (if not cheaply). The first three cars to meet the criteria were the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Nissan Altima Hybrid. I'll start by saying the Camry Hybrid is right out. It drove nicely, but there were precious few features for the price. Here's how I compare the other two:

Civic Hybrid Pros

Small car (that's a plus in my book).
More responsive handling.
USB outlet (for the connecting and charging the all-important iphone).
Best gas mileage of any hybrid.
Slightly better batter warranty (5 extra years, but no extra mileage).
Honda quality reputation.

Civic Hybrid Cons

Slightly cramped trying to crawl around the back seat.
Ride was slightly bumpy.

Altima Hybrid Pros

Cool key features (locks won't engage if the key is inside the car or trunk; If the battery is dead, you can plug the key into the car and still start it).
Front crash protection (engine sits on bars that drop underneath the vehicle compartment in the event of a severe front-end collision).
Much roomier interior.
Rear-view backing camera (so cool, even *I* can back up the car, which I am notoriously bad at).
Bose stereo sound.
Rear air vents (will be important to Benjamin).
Electic seat adjusters, with really good lumbar support.
A smoother ride than the Civic Hybrid.

Altima Hybrid Cons

$7K more expensive than the Civic Hybrid.
Oddly small trunk space.
It is a bigger car, and so generally more difficult to maneuver.

So there you go. I guess now I have to drag G out to test drive at least these two. Anybody have any other suggestions for cars we should be trying?

Found our mobile!

2009-02-28T09:20:00.001-08:00

Best birthday present ever?

2009-02-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

Poor G is going to have some stiff competition for my birthday present next year. I mean, how can he top Obama ending combat operations in Iraq by 8/31/10? I'm not sure Tiffany's has anything that nice.

One two, one two, rock step!

2009-02-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

At 23 weeks, I would have already expected to feel the little guy. I wasn't too worried since it's still well within the normal time period to start feeling movement. But since instant gratification isn't fast enough for me, I was certainly starting to get impatient, even if I wasn't outright worried. Oh, who am I kidding--I was already impatient at 20 weeks! Then last night I took a Tums for a wee bit of heartburn and was lying in bed when I felt a distinct thud in the side of my belly. The best part was that G could feel it, too! And I've had a couple more kicks since then. I mean, it's not like he's training for World Cup in there or anything (Hup Holland!)...more like he's practicing for Dancing With the Stars. In any event, I couldn't be more excited.

Check back in a couple of weeks when my spleen is sore and I'm totally over the kicking. Until then, my dear Benjamin, dance on!

I've entered the shopping portion of the pregnancy.

2009-02-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm officially outed on here (not that my 3 loyal readers didn't already know), I can start talking about my nursery obsession. This gorgeous room is my inspiration:

I'm completely in love and planning to copy as much of it as I can. I've already ordered the crib and matching dresser. And as soon as I've cleared out the nursery (currently the guest room), I'll order that fabulous rug. I'm even considering the lamp shade (since I just saw it was 50% off), but I'm drawing the line at the dog. ;)

Blogging For Two.

2009-02-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

Cal's headed to the

2008-12-07T18:08:00.001-08:00

Bowl! It's a cr@ppy December 27 bowl, but it is in San Francisco and proximity is a powerful motivator. It might be interesting (I don't think the Bears have ever played the Hurricanes), but I'm still having a hard time getting motivated to get tickets. Whether from the stands or the sofa, I'll be cheering. Go Bears!

I'm thankful for...

2008-11-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

Rick Astley on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! And pie.

I had the weirdest dream.

2008-11-24T20:58:00.000-08:00

I dreamed I had boils all over my arms and legs. Only the boils were shaped like the head of R2-D2. I can't even hazard a guess as to what that means.....

Go Bears!

2008-11-23T10:56:00.001-08:00

The axe is back!

Too sleepy...

2008-11-07T20:56:00.001-08:00

to blog. I promise a better post tomorrow.

I should really just twitter.

2008-11-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Writing is so hard for me. I feel like it takes an entire day to work on a post and polish it before I feel good about it--and that's after I feel compelled by a topic. Which, of course, I don't today. My LYS (local yarn store) has the superwash malabrigo sock yarn in, which I'm *dying* to go pet, but I couldn't make it there in time today. Maybe tomorrow.

Oh, wait!! I just remembered something I feel incredibly passionate about. My MIL makes these amazing molasses cookies and G is on his way home RIGHT NOW with a batch just for me. Cookies. Now there's something I'm passionate about. =)

Sigh.

2008-11-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

I'd like to be excited about the election, but as big a step forward as Obama's election was, the passing of Prop 8 was as big a step backward. I just don't get it--it's so *mean*. It can't possibly affect you in any way if two women want to get married. Ugh.

So Vote!

2008-11-04T06:23:00.000-08:00

Back in the hospital.

2008-11-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

My nephew, Baby M, is back in the hospital for yet another surgery. For those of you who don't know, my nephew was hospitalized with an infection of RSV when he was just a few months old. They intubated him to protect his airway, but his throat collapsed and they were unable to extubate. He's lived with a trach tube for almost his entire life and, consequently, can't speak. Despite the half-dozen surgeries he's undergone to try to restore his airway, he's the happiest little guy ever.

This one is pretty major. They're expecting the surgery to last around 8 hours and he'll have his chin stapled to his chest for a while. They're going to keep him in a medically-induced coma for a couple of weeks to keep him comfortable. He's expected to be in the pediatric ICU for 4-6 weeks.

I'll keep you all posted on his progress. It's going to be a long haul.

Not a whole lot going on today.

2008-11-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

Last night G & I went to our good friend's wedding. It was a lovely ceremony and C & K are obviously very much in love and very happy. It's amazing the things you notice about a wedding after you have your own. Even G notices the little things! I'm so proud. And maybe a little bit scared.

This morning was waffles and this afternoon will be laundry, grocery shopping, knitting, and copious amounts of football. My life is so exciting. =)

It's NaBloPoMo!!

2008-11-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

And I'm going to give it a shot. The blogging has died down quite a lot over the last year, but hopefully this month I'll actually get my posts in every day. Can't promise they'll be exciting, but they will exist. Hopefully.

My aunt is not dead.

2008-10-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd make that clear from the get go. But, see, yesterday I opened a card that my Aunt and Uncle (who'd been unable to attend the wedding) sent to me & G. When opened, the back of the card was facing forward, and my Aunt had clearly started writing inside the card, but continued onto the back. It read "dead. I hear there is no cure. Love, Aunt N & Uncle B." WHAT?!?!!

I've seen a lot of death. My mother, my brother, all of my grandparents. And I've been told every way possible--by the officer who came to our house in the middle of the night, by the doctor who explained that ending life support was merely coming to terms with the inevitable, by an expected phone call that signaled the end of a long suffering. But never by greeting card. It freaked me the h*ll out! Especially since the reason that my Aunt and Uncle were unable to make it is that my Aunt is very ill and unable to travel at all.

And then I opened the card. Inside was the response card from the wedding invitation and written inside the card was "We are sorry this has taken so long to get to you but Uncle B & I are brain (and then on the outside) dead. I hear there is no cure."

Ooooooooh! =)

My Other New Favorite Website

2008-10-13T18:39:00.001-07:00

Cast your vote for Tom Seleck's mustache here!

Jean Paul Gaultier is a closet knitter.

2008-10-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

From Paris fashion week, Gaultier's Spring/Summer 2009 ready-to-wear collection.

My New Favorite Blog

2008-10-03T13:26:00.001-07:00

www.failblog.org

I have a dream.

2008-09-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

The difference between me and MLK is that my dreams are always weird. Like, for example, my dream last night. I dreamed I was about 10 and I was living next door to my best friend and we were both having problems with groundhogs. And then I spotted one...and it was an R.O.U.S. G thinks I might be a little obsessed.

Gardening for Dummies

2008-09-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, G & I rent Smurfhaus (nee Chez Partial Ocean View). And the landlord does not participate in the care and maintenance of the front and back yards. The problem is--neither do we. We pay someone to come in and mow the lawns and at some point after he moved in, G's mom (MIL) had a part of the flower beds cleared and she planted tomatoes, rosemary, mint, and a wide variety of other things I can't remember. But, since MIL lived down in southern California, the tending was left to the Northerners and this did not go well.

Groundhogs invaded the back yard and, despite a valiant effort, G was unable to hold them off. The backyard went feral and since the only one who spends any time back there is Chloe (the cat), we were pretty okay with the situation. Meanwhile, in the front yard, the grass was mostly weeds, but if I watered them they were at least green and that was good enough for me.

Until the g*dd@mned groundhogs found the front yard. Oh, I don't *think* so. It. Is On! You should understand just how p*ssed off I was that I resorted to...gardening. Let me say this again--gardening. Gardening involves the two things I hate the most: Being outside and getting dirty. Ugh!

Nevertheless, I wandered down to the OSH for some DieGopherDie and picked up a couple of hydrangeas and a small planter of mums while I was there. I planted the bushes, the mums, and installed a vibrator that's supposed to keep the groundhogs away. I have to say, it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. There are still new gopher holes periodically, but I'm told it takes a few weeks for the measures I've taken to reap their gopher-less rewards. We'll see.

Fresh off my success in the front yard, I decided to re-domesticate the backyard. So last weekend, MIL came up to lend her greenthumbitude and general gardening wisdom. We surveyed the area and she showed me what I should be doing. Holy. Freakin'. Cow. It's going to take MONTHS. Especially since the greenwaste only comes every two weeks. Ugh. But I'm committed. She & I spent about an hour pulling weeds in the lawn (she also trimmed some of the branches from the out-of-control rosemary bush and the Blackberry Monster (a blackberry bush on the other side that is so neglected and overgrown that I'm pretty sure when we finally get inside we're going to find Jimmy Hoffa). Here's what it looks like now, after the hard work. There's clearly a Long Way to go. But I'm committed. Or at least I should be.

Bowing to peer pressure

2008-08-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6am

2. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Indiana Jones

4. What is your favorite TV show? The Wire

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Yogurt and a piece of fruit

6. What is your middle name? Joy, Liana, and Kaye

7. What food do you dislike? Avacado, coconut

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I'm pretty much limited to the radio these days.

9. What kind of car do you drive? '95 Saturn SLR

10. Favorite sandwich? Bacon, bacon, bacon!

11. What characteristic do you despise? Petty vindictiveness.

12. Favorite item of clothing? My wedding dress!

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Prague...or maybe Croatia...or Scandinavia. Too many places!

14. Where would you retire to? Sonoma.

15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? 21st. My first surprise party!

17. Person you expect to send it back first? N/A

18. When is your birthday? August 31

19. Morning person or night person? Mid-afternoon.

20. What is your shoe size? 9

21. Pets? On barfy kitty, Chloe.

22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? Phelps just won gold# 6.

23. What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher.

24. How are you today? Rushed.

25. What is your favorite flower? Orange roses.

26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? August 31.

27. What are you listening to right now? Shawn Johnson performing her floor routine.

28. What was the last thing you ate? Dinner. Home-made chicken pot pies.

29. Do you wish on stars? Only the shooting ones.

30. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Raw Umber.

31. How is the weather right now? Foggy.

32. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Mary.

33. Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke.

34. Favorite restaurant? French Laundry.

35. Hair color? Light brown.

36. What was your favorite toy as a child? My little pony house.

37. Summer or winter? Winter.

38. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla.

39. Coffee or tea? coffee

40. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes.

41. When was the last time you cried? Two days ago when I thought I'd lost my wedding ring in the washing machine.

42. What is under your bed? Cat hair.

43. What did you do last night? Watched the olympics.

44. What are you afraid of? Any manner of bug.

45. Salty or sweet? Salty.

46. How many keys on your key ring? Three.

47. How many years at your current job? 1.

48. Favorite day of the week? Saturday.

49. Do you make friends easily? Yes.
50. How many people will you send this to? 0

51. How many will respond? n/a

52. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Yes.

We're Back!

2008-08-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

G & I spent the weekend up in Gig Harbor, WA attending the wedding of one G's groomsmen. The ceremony was sweet, the beer (groom-brewed) was excellent and a good time was had by all, especially the mosquitoes who evidently had quite the feast on my exposed legs. But can we talk about the awesomeness that is Virgin America? First of all, the inside of the plane is like gay disco. It's lit with purple and blue lights and as you're boarding they play techno. The only thing missing is a gaggle of shirtless pretty boys. The first class chairs have the standard footrest and complimentary cocktail while the hoi polloi board.

But the best part of the whole thing is Red, the in-flight entertainment system. Theoretically, it's powered by Dish to provide satellite television while in-flight. That lasted for a good 30 seconds before cloud cover interfered with the signal. There are also a bunch of movies to choose from, but I'd just seen half of them on the way to/from Europe and our short flight wasn't terribly conducive to a movie. There is also a completely cool in-flight message board (chat with your fellow passengers!). Incredibly excited about this, I was all ready for some verbal sparring with a couple of 12 year olds, but, alas, nobody was logged in. So G & I resorted to the coolest feature of Red--games! The 12 year olds were undoubtedly playing Doom (and therefore not on the chat board), but G & I opted for mahjong! That's right, an hour and a half of Asian Memory. That and a glass of shiraz made the flight go by in a snap. All-in-all, an excellent flight!

Uh-oh. She's ranting again.

2008-08-01T08:34:00.001-07:00

Y'all may have heard about the 44 pound cat found wandering the streets of the Garden State. Although Princess Chunk wasn't wearing a collar, it was pretty clear to all that she didn't get that porky on mice and spiders, if you know what I mean. Sure enough, the owner came forward...but she didn't take him back (she turned out to be a he--hardly surprising they didn't figure that out). It turns out that Prince Chunk is yet another victim of the foreclosure crisis. His owner lost her home and abandoned the kitty because she had nowhere to take him.

Okay, first of all, I'm pretty sure I know where the mortgage money went and I hope Purina is happy. Secondly, you cannot leave a 44 pound cat to fend for himself on the streets. He's too fat to get out of the way of oncoming cars. But he's just fat enough to make a nice coyote snack.

Friends help you move.

2008-07-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Real friends help you move bodies. I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of bodies in the boxes we shleped out of Hackpoll's place on Saturday, but I do know that I am not cut out for manual labor. Seriously, it is all I can do to type this. And it's been 24 hours since I got home yesterday! I was supposed to go to a book signing last night, but I'm afraid I pooped out on the sofa before I could get ready to leave again. Fortunately, the most rigorous thing on today's agenda was a pedicure.

Wordle to your mother!

2008-07-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

Surfing my new favorite blog today, I ran across a brilliant idea and couldn't wait to try it out myself. Wordle is a fun little piece of software that takes your text and makes a word cloud out of it. I made one from the lyrics to our first dance song--and in our wedding colors! I'm thinking of this as a picture collage frame to display a few of our wedding photos and I think my custom Wordle will go perfectly in one of the spaces!

Technically, I suppose, they were baked.

2008-07-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

The photo to the left is the winning recipe of the 2008 Pillsbury Bake-Off. They're called Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies and I'm sure they're very good. But the main ingredient in the recipe is...peanut butter cookie dough. Pre-made, pre-packaged Pillsbury cookie dough. Now, listen. I understand that this whole Bake-Off is a giant publicity stunt and, thus, the need for product placement is key. But I made a very nice loaf of bread yesterday with Pillsbury flour, so merely doctoring an existing product shouldn't be necessary. I mean, for the love of G*d--the woman that came up with this "recipe" won a million dollars! For rolling pre-made cookie dough around more peanut butter! Ugh.

Also in the shipment from the Old World....

2008-07-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

Boy, were they nasty. I mean really, really, really awful. And we're pretty sure G contracted Mad Cow from them.

Betcha can't eat just one.

2008-07-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Voila, the new obsession at Chez Partial Ocean View! We found these at the supermarche in Paris and ate the whole can in a day...and then went back for another. Of course, they're not available in the U.S., so my wonderful husband ordered a whole case from England. Yay!

When knitting becomes an obsession....

2008-07-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to be a good liberal.

2008-07-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

Some time back, I was watching this show on HGTV where they took a couple of apartment-dwelling Manhattanites, calculated their carbon footprint, and then helped them reduce it. Most of the advice was obvious--start recycling, don't dry clean everything you own, don't leave the TV on for the dog all day when you're out of the apartment (true!), etc. But they also introduced the couple to composting. By composting their food scraps and recycling paper, cans, and glass, the couple was able to reduce their trash load by 95%. I was intrigued, because let me tell you, G & I produce approximately 11,278 cubic feet of trash per day. Ok, maybe not that much, but certainly more trash than two normal people should. And definitely more than two supposed liberal environmentalists should. And we already recycle pretty religiously!

I'd talked to a few people about it, but was really uncertain about how to get started. And the Manhattan couple had a plastic tub full of worms--I admit that might have been a bit of a mental barrier. I like the environment...outside where it belongs. But over the weekend, we were at the in-laws and I found out that they compost! Just throw the stuff in a bucket and it turns into soil! No worms needed! Well, apparently, the worms come on their own, but I've decided that G can handle that part. So on Saturday, I cleaned the refrigerator out of all the food scraps I knew we weren't going to eat and on Sunday I added to it the leftover celery, carrot, and butts from the mirepoix. Look at me, I'm composting!

Well, I was. The maids came yesterday and threw it all out. I'm not totally surprised, because if you were cleaning a stranger's kitchen and found a bucket full of trash under the kitchen sink, what would you do with it? I'm going to ignore the fact that this is an "environmentally friendly" cleaning service who doesn't recognize a compost bin. Sigh.

Happy Montheversary!

2008-07-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

G & I have now been married for a whole month and it feels...well, it pretty much feels the same as it did for many months before the wedding. Only now there are large piles of boxes all over the living room filled with china. I have also officially completed the thank you notes for those boxes and I could not possibly be happier, despite having lost the use of my left hand.

You would think that a month after the wedding, it would be over, but there's still so much to do! I have to mail out the thank yous, assess the china duplicates, take the returns back to Macy's & Williams-Sonoma (more duplicates), send my dress off for preservation, and work on the wedding album (when pics are finally in from the photographer). I'm hoping to be done by Christmas, by which time I hope to have begun my new obsession--all things baby! And G thought the wedding tv was bad....

We're Married!

2008-07-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

We've created a Flickr account for everyone's photos. Click here to see the photos that have already been uploaded. If you have some you'd like to share, feel free to log in and upload them! Just email me and I'll give you the password.

G*dd@mn global warming

2008-05-26T09:41:00.001-07:00

I'm getting married in June because I didn't want to worry about rain. I'm getting married in Sonoma because I didn't want to worry about the unpredictability of San Francisco weather. So why am I worried about it raining in Sonoma on June 7?!!!!

15 days and counting....

2008-05-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

2 Legit 2 Not Get Married Within the Prescribed 90 Days From Issuance.

2008-05-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. But it's true--G & I got our marriage license this afternoon at San Francisco city hall! I couldn't believe how many couples were there for a ceremony--in the 20 minutes were there, I saw at least 5 or 6 couples. The brides were wearing cute, white dresses and clutching bouquets, the grooms were suited and boutonniered. It definitely put me in a marrying mood. Good thing, since the wedding is only 16 days away. Zut alors!

I have nothing to say.

2008-05-21T09:10:00.001-07:00

But KnittyNay has now update her blog twice (twice!) since I last updated mine, and I just cannot let that stand. (Love you, D!) Also, my FMIL has mentioned that she's surprised that I don't talk more about the wedding on here. I've been trying to avoid it, so as not to annoy y'all, but it is what takes up most of the very limited space in my brain.

So right now my biggest wedding stress is the stupid table names. They're going to be years with pictures of me & G. For example, Table 1985 will have a picture of me in 1985 and a picture of G in 1985. We've found the pictures (and won't that be a treat for y'all), but it becomes a matter of how to display the pictures--picture frames won't work because to have three frames, even at 3.5" takes up too much space on the table. So my current plan is to design a picture mat with two pictures openings to go on either side of the year. I'll have them custom made at Michael's or Aaron Brother's and then use rub-on numbers for the years. And, of course, I'll do this all in my copious free time.

Movie Meme

2008-05-07T12:00:00.001-07:00

The rules:

Pick 10 of your favorite movies. (Note: These aren't really my favorites, but they are movies I love--don't you judge me).
Post a quote from each movie for everyone to guess.
Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.

Here are mine:

1. You know, I have a theory that hieroglyphics are really an ancient comic strip about a character named Sphinxy.
KnittyNay guesses correctly with When Harry Met Sally.

2. Ah, I like that. I like tulip. Tulip is much better than mongoloid.
KnittyNay guesses correctly with Pulp Fiction.

3. Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.
KnittyNay guesses correctly with The Princess Bride.

4. All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.
FeministSAHM guesses correctly with Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

5. And I guess that was your accomplice in the woodchipper.
6-String Mike guesses correctly with Fargo.

6. Ho man, this baby must corner like it's on rails!
Maraboumccall guesses correctly with Pretty Woman.

7. What is this, "Hump a Limy" week, suddenly?
My future ex-husband guesses correctly with A Fish Called Wanda.

8. I feel like I'm Han Solo, and you're Chewie, and she's Ben Kenobi, and we're in that fucked-up bar.
6-String Mike guesses correctly with Dogma.

9. The ratio of people to cake is too big.

10. I'm gonna make Gretzky's head bleed for super fan 99 over here.
FeministSAHM guesses incorrectly (but admirably) with The Cutting Edge.

Good luck!

Medical science should really look into this.

2008-04-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

I spilled coffee on Not Bob (my Powerbook) on Sunday. It wasn't a lot--maybe a tablespoon, but as we all know, liquids and electronics don't mix. At first, I thought everything was fine, but in short order I lost my ability to click. And let me just say that on a Mac, this is bad. Really bad.

I moved quickly through the stages of grief, with an extended stay at guilt (G had given it to me, just last August, as a birthday present). I hit Acceptance and then spent quite awhile plotting with G to see what kind of story we could concoct for the guys at the Genius Bar to get the repairs covered under the extended warranty when suddenly it appeared that Not Bob was still clinging to Denial. I rebooted for the eleven hundredth time and--I swear to Ganesha--Not Bob healed himself.

It's alive! Seriously. I don't know how, but the thing works just fine now. Ok, perhaps there's an occasional "crunch" when I hit the touchpad button, but it definitely clicks. And as a bonus, every so often while I'm web surfing, I get a whiff of Peet's.

So, my toenail fell off.

2008-04-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

And that's about all there is to say about that. I just looked down and there it was, half gone. Well, a quarter gone, really. It doesn't hurt and I haven't the faintest idea how it happened, but there it goes, along with my dreams of cute open-toed spring shoes. =(

Wrist, wrist, elbow, elbow, touch pearls.

2008-04-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

As promised (although a bit tardy), here are the shower pictures! Thanks again to The World's Most Awesome Bridesmaid for a really amazing afternoon.

Do I Look Like I'm Laughing?

2008-04-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

One of my bridesmaids is currently studying in France. Her final exams are the week before the wedding and she'll arrive back in the bay area just in time for rehearsal. Yesterday, I got an email from her explaining that, because the university had been shut down for a couple of weeks due to student demonstrations, the semester had been extended two weeks to make up for the time. Since she was already only going to just make the wedding, she wasn't sure that with the new schedule that she could be here. She apologized all over herself and she was going to see what she could do. She thought she could talk to her professors, maybe rearrange some of her finals. She said she was very, very sorry and she would keep me posted.

I cannot begin to explain the immediate and total freakout that followed. My co-worker thought I was going to pass out from hyperventilating. My mind was racing--Could I replace her? Did I need to replace her? If I did replace her, could K or A fit into her dress? Nope, probably not. Could I get another dress in time? Even if I could put a rush on the dress, would there be time for alterations? Could I just order the fabric and have a dress made? Would ordering the fabric at a different time mean a different dye lot? What did I ever do to Nicolas Sarkozy and why does he hate me so?!!!

At this point, I called Bella Bridesmaid and left a voicemail explaining that I was having a bit of a bridesmaid crisis and asking if perchance there was another bride who'd ordered navy blue dresses and how much it would cost to bribe them to purloin one of hers? Or, in the alternative, did they knew any nice, short Japanese girls that wouldn't mind being called S for a day and posing in photographs in exchange for a free meal and a pretty dress? I then started breathing into a paper bag and wondering aloud about the location of the nearest liquor store.

Which is about the time S let me in on the April Fool's joke.

Clearly, she must die. But not until after the wedding, of course.

Show off your pictures!

2008-04-01T10:50:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, FeministSAHM threw me a fantastic bridal shower at TranquiliTea, a gorgeous little tea shop in Pacifica. I'll post photos tomorrow (I still need to download them), but in the meantime, if anyone has any photos of the event they'd like to share, please do! I've created a Flickr account for the purpose. The login is sixseveneightwedding and you can email me for the password!

Taking the bait.

2008-03-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Bowing to Knitty Nay's pressure, here are:

Seven things to do before I die:
1.) Take an African safari
2.) Get married
3.) Watch my child graduate from college
4.) Learn see-sign
5.) Attend opening night of the opera
6.) Take a hot air balloon ride
7.) Visit Prague

Seven things I cannot do:
1.) Whistle
2.) Real Analysis
3.) Speak Swahili
4.) Run a mile without stopping
5.) Fly a plane
6.) p2togtbl
7.) Stand avocados

Seven things I say:
1.) Man sakes alive!
2.) Mrrr?
3.) Booty butt booty butt booty butt cheeks!
4.) I'm just sayin'.
5.) Seriously.
6.) Dude.
7.) Seriously, dude.

Seven things that attract me to my mate:
1.) Makes me laugh the kind of laugh that makes milk shoot out your nose
2.) The freckle on his back that looks like a tiny footprint
3.) How unbelievably adorable he is when he plays with his niece & nephew
4.) Booty
5.) Easily the most generous person I have ever known
6.) Smart as hell
7.) Willing to save me from all manner of creepy crawlies

Seven books I love:
1.) Heat
2.) The Princess Bride
3.) Marley and Me
4.) To Kill a Mockingbird
5.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
6.) City of Falling Angels
7.) In Cold Blood

Seven movies I’ve loved:
1.) Amadeus
2.) When Harry Met Sally
3.) Fargo
4.) Farris Bueller's Day Off
5.) The Godfather
6.) Better Off Dead
7.) The Queen

It just sits there, mocking me.

2008-03-14T11:10:00.001-07:00

So, yesterday I came home from work to find a large shipping box from Williams-Sonoma in the middle of the living room--our first wedding present! So exciting! I made G come into the living room to experience the momentous occasion then ripped open the box to find...a wrapped box. G*d#%^$%#!!! You see, I felt no compunction opening the shipping box immediately because you really can't be expected not to open that. But a wrapped gift is a different story. I know you're not supposed to use any presents until after the wedding, but is it OK to open them? That way you can send a thank you note immediately, which seems the most courteous. But if that's true, then why would anyone bother with the wrapping? That really implies it's not to be opened immediately. Paralyzed with conflict (and the fear of being haunted by the ghosts of Miss Manners and/or Abigail Van Buren), I put the blasted thing on the sideboard, unwrapped, where it's still sitting. How long do y'all think I'll last?

And G thinks I spend too much time in the bathroom.

2008-03-12T15:13:00.001-07:00

There are many odd things about this story. Like: Why did she still have her pants on? Had they not been washed in two years? Did she run out of reading material? Where did her boyfriend use the bathroom? And most importantly--why does he still refer to her as his girlfriend?!

For your dining pleasure....

2008-03-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, G & I went up to the Lodge for our menu tasting. As you can tell from the photo, G was a little less than enthused about the trip. Poor guy, he was basically a captive audience while the event manager and I talked about wedding stuff for an hour solid. But onto the food:
They were awesome and had a personalized menu printed up for us to describe our choices.

Up first were the cold appetizers for cocktail hour. Starting at the top were: Smoked Salmon on Potato Cake with Creme Fraiche, Point Reyes Blue cheese with Candied Walnuts on Crouton, and Goat Cheese with Sauteed Pears on Crouton. None of these really impressed me, but G really liked the blue cheese (go figure!), so we chose that. I also went off-roading and chose a Hog Island Oyster on the Half Shell.

Moving onto the hot appetizers for cocktail hour and starting at the top: Chicken Sate, Dungeness Crab Cakes with Sherry Cayenne Mayonnaise, Five Spice Beef Sate, Garlic Rosemary Marinated Baby Lamb Chops with Mint Sauce. I'd really been looking forward to the Crab Cakes and G had been looking forward to the Chicken Sate, but neither were very good. The beef sate was good and the lamb chops were really good, but so huge that there's no way they could be eaten without a knife and fork. Since most people will be standing during cocktail hour, that seemed a bad idea. So we kept the beef for a hot appetizer.

For the starter, we tried a (unphotographed) Watercress and Endive Salad with Apple Smoked Bacon, Roquefort and Garlic Croutons, but it was fairly unsuccessful. The salad was mostly watercress and the little tails of the leaves made it difficult to eat. It tasted fine, but wasn't very exciting. We also tried two soups, Butternut Squash and Pear Soup with Toasted Pistachios, and Potato Leek Soup. You can tell by the near-empty tureen that we loved the potato-leek soup. I know--I'm as shocked as you are.

The first entree was a Roasted Chicken Breast Glazed with Lavender Honey and served with Sweet Potato Puree and Roasted Garlic Sauce. Sadly, as heavenly as lavender honey is on brioche pain perdu, it doesn't really work on chicken, so this was nixed.

The fish option is a Pan Roasted Sea Bass with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Bacon Leek Broth, and Wilted Greens. The bacon leek broth is somewhat lost in the horseradish mashed potatoes, but I really liked the potatoes, so I didn't care. =)

Finally, there is a Grilled New York Steak with Smoked Bacon-Roasted Onion Potato Gratin in a Cabernet Sauce. The steak was great, but that gratin was really, really good. Definitely a happy dish.

So that's it! All-in-all I wasn't blown away by the food, but it was pretty good overall and really good in spots. Perhaps my standards are too low for banquet food, but I'm pretty happy with the menu. I hope everyone else agrees!

Ohmigawdohmigawdohmigawd!

2008-03-05T10:25:00.001-08:00

My dress is here!!

And then there was hair.

2008-03-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had my hair and makeup trial for the wedding. I was happy with the makeup (and pleasantly surprised that when I said "light & natural" I didn't end up looking like Tammy Faye Baker, RIP). The hair is another story. G loves it, but I'm not sold.

Here are the inspiration photos I showed her.

The stylist did three iterations of the same general 'do, trying to tweak it into something I liked.

This is #1. I hated it. Looked like the sides of my head were trying to take flight.

This is #2. Much better. the back was still a bit large & in charge, but definitely better than the first.

This is #3. The front is basically the same, but she twisted a large section of the hair down to hide it and make the back a little smaller.

This is #3 with the veil (and my hair comb). I think I like it, but it's a little more glamorous than I was going for. I was thinking of something a little more casual, I think. Plus, I'm afraid it makes me look a little old. But maybe I am just old. ;)

What do you think?

Sweet revenge.

2008-02-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

KnittyNay--This is for that story of the blinking, severed head.

Because the closest I come to camping involves a hair dryer and lobster bisque...

2008-02-25T15:26:00.000-08:00

Decisions have been made, people! And by decisions, I mean reservations! Caring for the crazy Americans this June will be the Hotel des Grandes Hommes and the Hotel Estherea.

The Hotel des Grands Hommes is located in the Saint-Germain-de-Pres area of Paris, hands-down my favorite neighborhood in the city. The hotel is directly across from the Pantheon, which, while slightly morbid, does offer some truly spectacular room views (that's the actual view from one of the rooms!). It's also right around the corner from the Luxembourg Gardens and the Sorbonne. That's right, even in a foreign country, I love me a college town! I tried to avoid staying too terribly close to the Eiffel Tower. I know that all of Paris in June is chock full of tourists, but I really want to check out the sights, then return to someplace as far from the other Americans as possible. I'll let you know how we fare.

By contrast, the Hotel Estherea is right in the city center of Amsterdam. But G stayed here the last time he was there and he loved it. He said it had a really great old-European feel to it. The photos of the place really look amazing and I can't wait to see it in person!

I don't know what it is, but I want it!

2008-01-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the newest member of our family--a 52" Sony Bravia 1080p LCD television. I just call him Bubba. Good lord, this thing is enormous! The picture here really does not do justice to the sheer size of the thing. Also, I would like to point out G's impressive 1,123,936 point total. Apparently he got something called "Package damaged in transit" that was a major boost. I leave it to your imagination to figure out what that means.

Anyhoo, thanks to Bubba, we'll have a great day Saturday inspecting Tom Brady's nose hairs.

Adventures of a Not-So-Buff Bride

2008-01-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

Although I'm at a healthy BMI, I'm not what one might call "in shape." Unless, of course, the shape is question is Jello. So I have embarked on an at-home toning plan called The Buff Bride Challenge. It's generally a bunch of the same weight-bearing exercises everyone recommends for toning, with a focus on the arms, shoulders, and back, which most wedding dresses these days reveal.

Day 1 of the 12 week challenge was Monday and I can confidently say it was a disaster. I started off with what I thought was a light 3 lb. weight. Scratch that. It was a light 3 lb. weight. And I couldn't even do 12 triceps presses. Soooo embarrassing. Day 2 of strength training is today. Let's hope it goes a little better.

There is a secondary reason (aside from not wanting to subject you all to the wind gusts coming from my flabby arms)--I'm not sure my dress will fit! When the bridal salon measured me, my bust came in at a Size 6, my waist at a Size 8, and my hips at a Size 12! Cue Sir Mixalot! We went ahead and ordered the 8 because the sample dress was a 10 and too big, but let's just say that the notion of trying to cram my Size 12 booty into a Size 8 dress is a big motivator!!

It's official!

2008-01-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

We're headed to Paris for the honeymoon! After a long and annoying phone call to the United Airlines ticket office, our flights are all booked. I'm afraid to check my credit card balance to see whether we got the credit for G's missed trip to Japan. If we haven't, that's a whole other way more annoying call to United that I just don't even want to think about right now.

In addition to Paris, we're going to spend about 4 or 5 days in Amsterdam, checking out Anne Frank's attic, the canals, and, yes, the cafes. Here's hoping I don't start throwing things (if you've never heard that story, be sure to ask me the next time you see me). We'll miss tulip season, but Holland is home to the world's largest flower auction, so I may drag G off to that (poor G).

I'm still trying to locate decently-priced nice hotel rooms, which I'm coming to decide is an impossibility. But who knows? Maybe the hotel fairy will come and bestow a three-star reservation upon us. I'll keep you posted!

WW

2008-01-24T13:07:00.000-08:00

Some brides have a "winter wonderland" theme or a "beach" theme or a "vintage" theme, or some other theme that carries throughout the wedding. Me, I have a "No Stress" theme. I have implemented it thusly: If I can pay someone else to do something, I will. Then I find the absolute best vendor I can find, tell them vaguely what I want, and then let them do what they do best without worrying about exactly how it's going to look. It's an amazing feat for me, given my usual control-freak nature, but it's working pretty well so far.

As you can imagine given my theme, there is very little DIY happening for my wedding. But there were a couple of things that I saw and wanted, but couldn't outright purchase. And so there is a teensy bit of crafting afoot at Chez Partial Ocean View. One is the ring pillow. Ever since I saw this pillow (it's the bottom one in the above picture), I thought it was the Cutest Thing Ever and SO SIMPLE! You simply take a pillow, place it on an embroidered handkerchief, pull the corners around the pillow, and tack into place. Brilliant! Except that it is nigh impossible to find a large enough handkerchief. I have searched linen stores. I have scoured the depths of the internet. I have tried *everywhere*. It has now officially made me cranky and is therefore no longer thematic.

So the search began for the new ring pillows. I found some really beautiful dupioni silk, monogrammed pillows on Etsy that I really, really loved...for $35 each. And since I have two of the cutest ring bearers in the history of ringbearerdom, I need two of them...making it $70. For pillows. That I would probably throw out after the wedding. Now, I know what you're thinking and you're right. But pointing out my hypocrisy is also not thematic and I am, therefore, ignoring you.

So what's a girl to do? Why, knit them, of course! Inspired by the pillows on the right, I'm going to make simple, stockinette pillows and pucker them with a matching button. If I'm feeling really fancy I might make some cables. The only question remaining is what color--navy or white? What do you think?

Mmmmm...breakfast cake.

2008-01-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning, G & I headed back up to Santa Rosa to taste our second wedding cake option. We tasted with Fleur de Lisa Cakes. Our appointment was at 10am, but I think we were both up for some early morning dessert. Here's what we tasted:

Dark chocolate devil's food cake layered with semi-sweek chocolate mousse, with garden-fresh raspberries

Dark chocolate devils food cake with layers of espresso buttercream and dark chocolate mousse

Dark chocolate devils food cake layered with caramel and chocolate mousse

Victorian vanilla cake layered with strawberry puree

Victorian vanilla cake layered with raspberry puree

Classic white cake layered with white chocolate cream cheese and tangy lemon curd

Lemon poppy seed cake with cream cheese and lemon curd

Traditional spicy carrot cake with cream cheese filling

These were what I consider more traditional wedding cake flavors and fillings, while Laurie Lucov's cakes felt more home-made. G preferred Fleur de Lisa's fillings, but Laurie's cakes. Since my favorite cake comes from a Betty Crocker box, I preferred Laurie's everything. Plus, we both really liked Laurie's dedication to fresh, local ingredients. We were talking with her about the possibility of incorporating strawberries and she was telling us that June is strawberry season and there's a local farmer who would pick strawberries for her that morning. Now that's what I call fresh produce!

Fleur de Lisa does some really amazing cake decorating, as you can see from the above photo, but in the end it's the flavor that G & I are most concerned about, so we're going with Laurie! I'm so excited and I can't wait for y'all to get a taste of that espresso buttercream!

2 down, 61.54 to go.

2008-01-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

How much coffee will it take to kill you?

WW

2008-01-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Saturday, G & I had our first cake tasting. We tasted with Laurie Lucov, who made the cake on the left. We tasted:

Dark chocolate buttermilk cake with bittersweet chocolate ganache

Carrot and walnut cake with cream cheese frosting

Pound cake with meyer lemon syrup and vanilla buttercream

Chocolate buttermilk cake with espresso buttercream

Pound cake with orange syrup and orange infused chocolate ganache

Coconut chiffon cake with amaretto buttercream frosting

Those in the know will not be shocked that I wasn't a big fan of the carrot or the coconut chiffon. And that I really liked the bittersweet chocolate ganache and the espresso buttercream. Layer all those together and that's what we've decided we want from Laurie. The cake design would be very similar to the one on the left, as well, only with the wedding flowers at the base and on the top, as well. The cake is also finished with modeling chocolate (bittersweet chocolate mixed with corn syrup), which Laurie promises is significantly more edible than fondant.

Also, G was so impressed with the carrot cake that we may have a carrot groom's cake! Mmmm...two kinds of cake.

This was easily the most fun part so far of this whole wedding planning process. It's also the first vendor meeting I've had so far where I was fed upon arrival. I think there may be a correlation there.

G & I are tasting next week with Fleur de Lisa Cakes, so stay tuned for more cakey goodness!

To think I could have knit it, instead...

2008-01-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

2008-01-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

FBI wiretaps dropped due to unpaid phone bills.

It's not just a river in Egypt.

2008-01-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I read this article in the Chron, which outlined a University of Michigan study that concluded that parents of obese children don't realize that their children are fat. In fact, 43% of parents involved in the study categorized their (obese) children as "about the right weight." An additional 37% categorized their (obese) children as "slightly overweight." Some small percentage actually categorized their (obese) children as "slightly underweight."

Then, yesterday I read this article online about a gentleman in Louisiana who alleges he was overcharged and eventually banned from an all-you-can-eat restaurant because he was too fat and ate too much. He was quoted as saying "I ain't that fat; I only weigh 277." In reality, if he lost 37 pounds, he'd still be obese.

I'm not shocked these people are overweight--bacon tastes good and exercise is a drag. It's a miracle I'm not 277 pounds. It's the utter lack of self-awareness that's surprising the hell out of me. 66% of Americans are overweight and 32% of Americans are obese and apparently most of them are blissfully unaware.

2007 In Review: A Meme

2008-01-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? 
Got engaged, of course!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Of course not...and of course. Isn't it that the best part of being American--there's no accountability!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 
Not that I'm aware of.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Only the poinsetta on my desk. RIP.

5. What countries did you visit? 
Didn't leave California the whole year.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? 
A baby! Now there's a scary thought. Wait, nevermind. No baby for me in 2008; that would involve being pregnant by March and, Allah willing, that won't happen.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 
Definitely getting a new job and leaving behind the horribleness of my old one. It was really an awful environment, an awful job, and awful management. And, rumor has it, the place has actually gotten worse since I left.

8. What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing the Weasley sweater in time for Christmas. Poor W. He was a good sport, though. I talked to him a couple of days ago and he's anxious for it, but excited to hear about progress. I really hope it lives up to his expectations, because I have some concerns!

9. Did you suffer illness or injury? 
Both! Of course there was the Thanksgiving trip to the emergency room for my neck. And then the week of Christmas, G & I got the Worst. Cold. Ever. We were really quite the pathetic pair. We're pretty sure M brought it when he came to visit, even though he was never sick. He's still getting blamed, though, because it's either that or my having shared endless plates of cookies with my co-workers. It couldn't possibly have been the cookies...cookies are good...cookies would never cause harm. Yes, definitely M.

10. What was the best thing you bought? 
A Les Paul guitar for G.

11. Where did most of your money go? 
To the wedding!

12. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
The wedding!

13. Compared to this time last year, are you:  a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer? 
Happier, fatter, and financially about the same (see: new job, but: wedding).

14. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Knitting.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of? 
Not knitting.

16. What was the best book you read? 
Ooh, that's a tough one. And heavily biased, I'm afraid, to what I've recently read (poor memory, me). I really loved A Thousand Splendid Suns. But I just finished up (before NYE, so it still counts!) Look Me In the Eye and it's amazing. It's the memoir of Augusten Burroughs' brother, who has Asperger's. Given that my nephew has Asperger's I was really hoping to gain some insight into how an Aspergian sees the world. I'm not sure the book really provided that kind of insight, but it was so well written and full of great stories that I loved it, anyway.

17. What did you want and get?
Engaged!

18. What did you want and not get? 
A new car. I'm trying to be responsible and hang in there with my perfectly fine (if mildly ghetto) Grandmamobile.

19. What kept you sane?
That assumes I started sane.

20. Who did you miss?
My mom.

Good lord.

2008-01-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

Now milk gives you prostate cancer: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080102/hl_nm/nonfat_cancer_dc

Living the stereotype.

2007-12-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

The courtyard around my office building is really pretty nice, especially for Oakland, but the lunch choices tend to be somewhat limited. I usually stick to San Francisco Soup Company because it's reliable, it's relatively healthy, and occasionally I get to say words like "mulligatawny." Today, on my way to a warm bowl of minestrone, I thought about turning in my spoon for some popcorn chicken and ducked my head into Popeye's to sneak a peek at the menu. As I stood there waiting in line, I realized that in the restaurant were eleven African-American patrons...and me...in the fried chicken place.

Are you geographically challenged?

2007-12-18T15:17:00.001-08:00

I know I certainly am. But I did much better than I thought I would on the Chron's annual Geo Quiz. I got 19/50. Anyone do better?

Freaking Out Loud, Over.

2007-12-17T13:14:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't do it. I'm still trying to finish the first d@mn sleeve. So I got him an I-Tunes gift card to open on Christmas and he'll get the sweater in January. Once I made that decision, the rest of my weekend was amazing and fun and completely (ok, well, mostly) stress-free!

In wedding news, I had a fantastic meeting with my Day Of Coordinator and the Event Coordinator for the Lodge. Both ladies were fabulous and wonderful and really got me excited again about planning. Oh! And my Cake Issue was resolved. In the highly unlikely event that I haven't already complained about this to you, here's the story: A cake comes in our event package, but they have two bakeries you have to choose from. One is an Italian bakery, but I don't like Italian desserts (sorry, Italy!) and the other...has really awful cakes. I thought maybe I was being overly picky, so I called someone over to look at the cake photos online. She agreed--they don't even have level layers (and they're not *supposed* to be Mad Hatter cakes). But the Lodge said it wasn't a problem and I could have any bakery I wanted. More cake tasting! Mmmm...cake tasting. =) And I also found out that their house wine is Valley of the Moon, a lovely local, Sonoma county wine! It's been a while since I've had any, but I'm going to hit BevMo and stage a private tasting. Anyone interested?

Freaking Out Loud, Day 2

2007-12-14T10:01:00.001-08:00

24 hours later, I have 6" of one 19.5" sleeve completed. I'm probably about halfway done with that sleeve, because it accelerates with the decreases...but it's still only one sleeve. So here's the revised schedule:

12/14
Finish sleeve#1
Start sleeve#2
Pin out front & back for blocking

12/15
Finish sleeve#2

12/16
Duplicate stitch the W
Block sleeves

12/17
Seam shoulders
Knit kneck

12/18
Complete seaming

12/19
Mail!

Freaking Out Loud

2007-12-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

Let me start by admitting that this Freak Out is of my own making and that it could have been avoided with a) proper planning and b) a little less laziness. Because FeministSAHM has hand knit 3 complete items in less than a week. But I don't think she's human. She's got to have bionic fingers or something. Seriously.

Nevertheless, here I am with half a sweater to knit and 12 days until Xmas. And I have to ship it to the East coast. The front and back are both done and the ends woven in (no small task!). Here's what I have left to do:

Knit sleeves
Block front, back, and sleeves
Sew shoulder seams.
Sew sleeves to body and seam up the sides
Knit kneck
Duplicate stitch the W onto the front

Here's how I'm going to do it. I think I can knit one sleeve today and one sleeve tomorrow during the day (let's hear it for commute knitting!). Then 12/14 I can pin out the pieces to block. They should be dry by 12/16, at which point I can sew the shoulders, do the seaming, and knit up the neck. Then on 12/17 I can stitch the W, wrap it up and mail it off on 12/18.

There's no way. Sigh.

Today's lesson

2007-12-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

It's impossible to be in a bad mood in the face of Mariachi. Not that I'd otherwise be in a bad mood, slight Christmas-knitting-freak-out notwithstanding. I'm just saying. If I had been in a bad mood, I would be no longer.

For the last couple of weeks the fine folks at my office complex have been sponsoring holiday music every Thursday. There was a gospel choir, carolers (complete with period dress), and last week was a klezmer band (representing for the Jews, I imagine--Shalom!). Today there was mariachi, which doesn't strike me as very Holiday, but they were rockin' the carols along with the standard repertoire, so I can't complain. Besides, they were really awesome. And I think the outfits are growing on me. I just might need a pair of the studded pants.

Holy Cr@p, it's the 11th!

2007-12-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

Seriously. The amount of shopping and knitting that I have to do is staggering. Not to mention the deciding--oh, lord, the deciding! My apologies in advance to anyone who ends up receiving a used book, a vase from my cupboard, or a piece of lint. I promise that they will at least be properly wrapped. =)

My new favorite magazine

2007-12-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

And the sun shines on the bay-ay...

2007-12-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

Man, I miss San Francisco. I left my City job a few months ago for a cushy gig across the bay and, from a career standpoint, it was the best move ever. But I was back today for a seminar and, walking around I realized how much I miss it. I thinik I'll wander back out this weekend for some Christmas shopping and an urban fix.

Blogging is hard, m'kay?

2007-12-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Even though I failed NaBloPoMo, I swear I didn't intend to give up blogging completely. But, man, is it easy to let the days fly by without posting.

Since my last post, G & I went to the 110th Big Game between the Stanfurd Junior University Fighting Trees and the California Golden Bears. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera, but as FeministSAHM already reported, things did not go well for the Bears and a lack of photographic evidence is perhaps not the worst thing in the world. The day was not a total waste, however. I did get to check out the new Stanfurd stadium and I have to say--it's not bad. It's not the best, but it is pretty and new and has seat backs, which is more than I can say for my beloved Memorial. Additionally, the Cal Band played an encore of its Video Game halftime show, which through the magic of YouTube, you can watch here:

No jury duty for you--one year!

2007-11-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

So apparently my civic duty amounts to one phone call and a recorded message excusing me from further duty for the next twelve months. And lo, I remain only Ruler of the Universal Remote. But at least I rule 50% of it. Oh, who are we kidding--I rule 85% of it (it's ok, G never reads my blog).

Now that I've got jurisprudence out of my system, I can focus my attention onto something else very near and dear to my heart--delivery pizza. Monday night, a Pizza Hut delivery driver was gunned down in Richmond while on the phone getting directions from the customer. So very, very wrong. Normally, I would rail against Pizza Hut and the greasy/bready/generally gross disc they peddle, but in this we stand united:

HANDS OFF THE FU$%ING PIZZA GUY!

Delivery pizza stands for everything that makes America great and it should be considered an act of terrorism to interfere with our right to hot cheese at our doorstep! Accordingly, the pizza guy should be cherished, lauded, and tipped generously. I hope when they find the shooter they ship him off to Guantanamo for a date with Jack Bauer. Tell me where the pepperoni is!

Slacker, Slacker, pants...of lacquer?

2007-11-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

I have failed NaBloPoMo and bow to KnittyNay's superior blogging power. Between the Vicodin haze and the endless Heroes marathon at Chez Partial Ocean View, I just hadn't been able to muster the will to type. Though the Vicodin haze remains (I do love me some prescription narcotics), I'm trying to get back to life.

My next great adventure is Jury Duty. I find out tonight whether I have to report tomorrow morning. And then I find out tomorrow morning whether I have to report tomorrow afternoon. Can I just say that this is the least efficient system I can imagine--especially for people in the Bay Area who may have a multi-hour commute! My situation is bad enough, but at least it will be physically possible for me to make it to court in the afternoon, if called. I can't imagine what you're supposed to do if you commute to Sacramento or into The City from Livermore?

At any rate, I'm actually looking forward to the possibility of serving on a jury. I find our legal system fascinating, which is part of the reason. Mostly, though, I've seen too many juries Get It Wrong and, of course, when I'm on the jury, we will Get It Right. This is my tiny little opportunity to rule the Universe...or at least 8.33% of it. I can't wait!

Now, with pictures!

2007-11-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

Thanks for everyone's concern. I'm definitely feeling better, if not best. I was feeling so good after a Magical G Massage (tm) that we were able to go out to dinner last night, thus completing a solid week of not cooking at home. Slowly, but surely, I'm getting better and I'll see what I can do to find a pilates class (grumble, grumble).

In the meantime, I have pictures from the Great Turkey Fry of 2007 for your viewing pleasure:

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T21:02:00.000-08:00

Today, I am thankful for Atavan. And Vicodin. And Lorazipam. Because thanks to the combonation of these wonderful drugs, I was able to muster the strength for a drive down to SJ for a really yummy deep-fried heritage turkey and some truly amazing stuffing. Ooooh, and two kinds of pie (you should really try one of FeministSAHM's pies, if you ever get the chance). Not to mention the cranberries!! Mmmmm...cranberries.

I'm mostly thankful for my wonderful G who woke up out of a dead sleep to the sounds of my sobbing screams at 2:00am and hauled my whiny self down to the emergency room where they gave me all of those wonderful drugs. He even held my hand and made jokes while the nurse (who did not know, thanks to G, just how bad a patient I could have been) gave me the horrible shot.

So this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful to my wonderful G, my fabulous FILs, and modern medicine.

Too Much Pain to Post

2007-11-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry, guys, but all of my wit and charm have been taken over by the horrible pain in my neck. I'll try again tomorrow.

Reality check, please!

2007-11-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

I was watching one of my many wedding shows and one of the brides went on an extended diatribe about the Wedding Industry. It's designed to make give you an impossible ideal to live up to, so you spend outrageous sums of money trying. And I could totally have gotten behind her, until the narrator revealed her $100,000 wedding price tag.

Asinine Study Watch

2007-11-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

Today's asinine study takes us to the Yahoo! headline "Wives with bigger paychecks do less housework, study finds." All together now: "Duh."

Nostalgic for technology

2007-11-18T22:48:00.000-08:00

G & I were watching the latest Reaper (fantastic show, btw) and the episode featured an 8-track tape. I'm not so young that I never experienced the awesomeness of the 8-track, but most of my formative music years were spent with cassettes and, more specifically, the beloved mix tape. I'm not sure why the mix CD never caught on, but it really is a shame. But for those of us who pine for the old days, I've found this. BFF not included.

Whew!

2007-11-17T23:40:00.000-08:00

Well, it's over. We survived and had a good time, even. And the best part is that there's still half a cake left! That's what makes all of the preparation worth it--when the guests are gone and it's nothing but you and too much dessert. Mmmmm.... We also learned a great new game called Cattle Baron involving many, many different colored dice. So now I have to go online and see how many different colors I can get and torture you all with it.

It's a rite of passage, I suppose.

2007-11-16T23:08:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night, G's boss and his boss' wife are coming over for dinner and I'm completely freaking out, people. I'm not sure why--it's not like I've never thrown a dinner party before. But for whatever reason, I'm having the kind of anxiety usually reserved for first-time skydiving and OB/GYN appointments. I should be in the kitchen making the sauce for my baked ziti, but instead I'm sketching elaborate plans to develop an appendicitis in the late afternoon. A properly timed emergency surgery is sure to necessitate a reschedule, don't you think? The only flaw I can see is my lack of appendix. Plan B, anyone?