Browse Category: life

Weekend Roundup

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I had a pretty full and relaxing weekend. The sun was out and lots of stuff was happening. On Saturday, Jes and I went to the North Beach Festival to have some lunch with friends and to take in the sights and sounds. We got some drinks at the beer garden, ate in the patio of a cute little Italian restaurant, and even scored $20 of zipcar credit and t-shirts. Here are photos from the afternoon festivities.

Today, I went to see Sex in the City with Susie and enjoyed it. It was a cute and very sappy movie that was perfect for a Sunday afternoon. This evening I finished up my photos for last week’s wedding while I watched a nail-biting Lakers/Celtics Game 5. It wasn’t a pretty win but a win is a win.

I also managed to get up early for class both on Saturday morning and this morning to get my butt kicked twice this weekend. I’m starting to feel soreness in muscles that I didn’t know existed so this had better pay off.

Day Off

I need to take more random days off.  I got so much done and feel ready to take on my weekend!  This morning, I took inventory of all my camera gear and double and triple checked all the details for the Saturday gig.  Then I met up with Susie for an hour-long ass-kicking ballet/yoga/pilates class.  Then Susie took me to the billion dollar babes sale for a little shopping.  I picked up a really pretty smoke quartz handmade necklace for $35 and had a lot of fun just browsing all the high-end designer stuff.  Afterwards, I went to Crate and Barrel to buy a gift for Ranee’s bridal shower tomorrow and then drove the Bangs to the airport for their trip to Maui.  Phew!!  Despite all the activity, I feel so relaxed and my mind is clear.

Now it’s about 11:19 pm and I need to go to bed.  I have a big day tomorrow and need to be rested and focused.  It’s going to be my very first paid gig and I don’t want to mess anything up.  I even borrowed Michelle’s identical Nikon D70s as a back-up camera.  Tomorrow should be fun and exciting.  Wish me luck!

Doing My Part

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Today is Earth Day and I’m happy to report that I’ve done my part so far this year.  We’re on Day 84 of the “We Have No Car” Experiment and so far it’s been just fine.  With the rise of gas prices, constant “Green This” and “Green That” everywhere I look, and more money in the bank to play with, I think the slight inconvenience is worth it.  Zipcar has been working out well and has become a fun game against the clock.  Public transportation has been mostly efficient with a sprinkling of annoyances and getting cab in the city has been pretty easy.

SF is certainly a liberal place but maybe there’s a little benefit to it.  Grocery stores are no longer allowed to use plastic bags, there’s a recycling bin just about everywhere you go, and bike lanes are everywhere.   All of this might help us reduce our carbon footprint a little but I just consider it a nice excuse to buy a cute tote bag.  🙂

Around the House

I thought I’d share some photos of stuff that’s going on in my home.

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I made some Khao Thom Gai, which literally translates into “Chicken Boiled Rice”, on Saturday morning. It’s one of my favorite homemade dishes and I think it tasted pretty close to how my mom makes it. I made the broth from scratch, poured it over some cooked rice, and topped it with some salty preserved cabbage, fresh cilantro leaves and homemade fried garlic oil to give it an authentic flavor. Yum. The photo above also features one of the three small square dishes that Holly bought for me…so cute.

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I also bought a garden bunch of purple tulips at Costco on Thursday, which have started to open this weekend. Since Spring is just around the corner, I thought I’d freshen up our home with some color.

green noises

On Monday, we tried to reserve a zipcar but none were available next door so the next best choice was a Prius just around the corner. I thought it would be fun to try out a hybrid but it turned out to be a little awkward. It uses a little rectangular pseudo-key that inserts into a little slot and has a START button. Once you push the button, nothing happens…at least not for a few seconds when you finally hear something that sorta sounds like an engine. When you drive the car, it’s soooo quiet. But then it makes random sounds like a light honk, a squeak that sounds like a little mouse is in the trunk, and another strange creaking sound. The engine stays on for only a few seconds at a time and it’s a takes a little getting used to when you’re idling at a red light and the engine turns off. It’s hard not to think that the car has turned off or has broken down. I’d say that it’s really an ideal car for driving around in SF since it doesn’t have much power when you accelerate and feels kinda unstable at 40 mph.

Anyway, now I can say that I have had a true experience with “going green”. Not only are we participating in car sharing but we’re sharing a stinkin’ hybrid. All I need now is a composter in my kitchen and a solar-powered TV! I hate myself.

At home with House

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Weekends are so great. Sometimes the best ones are when you spend them at home in your PJs. It was raining outside so I stayed indoors for most of this one. I took care of some house chores and played with my computer while watching the entire Season 2 of House. I watched episodes here and there before but there’s something very satisfying about watching all the episodes in order with no commercials.

This evening, after two days of hanging out at home, we went to Michelle and Ryan’s for dinner and to watch the Oscars. I consider it like the Super Bowl of entertainment. I watch it because everyone else does even though I have no idea who is involved each year and who has a chance of winning. Ryan tried to trump Jes’ super-whitey Pot Roast dinner from last week with ribs and corned beef with cabbage, which were all very good. We also got to see Jack who was showing off some of his new tricks like opening his mouth really big instead of laughing out loud. Check out these other photos of Jack that evening.