Browse Category: photos

Rockin’ Out

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We went to The Bridge School Benefit this afternoon to watch our very own Rockstar Joel play on the Side Stage. He got us in for free before the doors opened to the public and we also got to hang out with him “backstage” before his performance.

We also inadvertently got invited to a very deep Navajo “saging” ceremony to commemorate a man that adopted Neil Young into their family/tribe many years ago. He used to bless the stage each year but passed away recently. So, his daughter and grandson were in a handmade tepee that was on display and they burned some sage to bless the concert and remember him. It was very special but a little awkward since we just happened to go inside just to check out the cool-looking tepee.

Anyhoo…The name of Joel’s band is Everest and they’re in the process of recording an album that is scheduled to release early next year. They performed on the Side Stage just next to the mainstage an hour before the concert kicked off and sounded great today. A lot of people stopped to watch the show and were interested in who they were and if they had a CD for sale. We also sat next to a few young future groupies who were getting all excited to meet the band members and thrilled to get their sample CD. It was great to see Joel up on stage doing what he loves most. I can remember him always sitting in a dark candlelit room at Roebling playing his guitar for hours and I’m pretty excited for him. Once his performance ended, we actually didn’t stay for the actual concert but I’m sure it was good…if you’re a Metallica or John Mayer fan.

Here are some photos from today’s concert.

Winefest

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We went to the Harvest Festival at the Ferry Building last night to taste some organic wine. The Bangs came along and we got nice and toasty by the end of the evening. For $15, I got a bracelet for 5 tastings. I’ve never actually had organic wine before and some were pretty good while others were horrible. My favorites came from Paul Dolan Vineyards, which had a pretty good Sauvignon Blanc and Deep Red. Now, Jes has always said that I’ve never met a wine that I couldn’t drink but the one I had from Clif Bar Family Winery tasted like rubbing alcohol and I actually had to pour it out after one sip. They should probably stick to making energy bars.

The food tastings were all around $2 each, which I considered pretty steep for a small toast point with stuff on it. So instead we went to Acme Bread and shared a huge onion bread slab for $2.95. The one thing that we did pay to taste, however, was the awesomest Japanese pumpkin croquette I have ever tasted. The outside was perfectly fried (not oily) with a silky smooth center and tiny lumps of pumpkin. It was from a Japanese delicatessen that I’m going to have to try for lunch one of these days.

Other stands were showcasing their olive oils. I tried a pretty interesting blood orange olive oil and another oil that was described to be “buttery with a bite” and it sure was.

Along with wine, there were organic beers to taste but I didn’t try any until the end of the night when one of stands was closing up shop and giving out beer if you happen to be standing around them (like I was). Haha. I’ve never had organic beer before and whatever I had was pretty good.

Here are some photos.

Run Together

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Last night we had a carbo-load dinner at our place and Jes made some tasty risotto and penne. This morning I got up at 5 am, made my coffee and peanut butter sandwich, and got a ride to the Start Line from Victor. Thanks, dude! I started the race with Vyl but I lost her in the crowd somewhere in the 2nd mile. I ran the rest of the race alone since I couldn’t find Susie but I still had a great time. The weather was very pleasant – sunny but cool. The hills were as difficult as I remembered but I survived. I even scored a finisher’s necklace AND t-shirt when I crossed the Finish Line since they weren’t checking bibs this year. Yes! This year’s race went rather smoothly. My pack didn’t bother me, my earphones stayed in my ears the whole time, and my iPod and Nike+ sensor did a great job recording my race. I guess the only hiccup was that my Garmin stopped working a couple weeks ago. Boo… Afterwards, we had brunch at Home Plate with the Bangs, Tammy, and Angela, which really hit the spot. The rest of the day was spent in my PJs and watching TV. Oh yeah, my finishing time was 2:20 and some seconds.

Here are some photos from Wednesday night’s NikeTown party and today’s race.

Weekend Stuff

I think I had a pretty well-rounded weekend.

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On Saturday, we watched college football all afternoon. It started out at the sports bar next to our building where we watched Cal play the Ducks.

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Afterwards, we went upstairs to a friend’s old work building to hangout on the deck with some Coors Light. That was pretty random. We then ended up at Victor and Susie’s where we watched a very strange UCLA game. By the end of the afternoon, everyone had a nice buzz goin’ and both Cal and UCLA won.

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imgp0621.jpgThis morning I woke up bright and early for the 12K (7.46 miles) Bridge to Bridge Run with Susie. It’s a scenic run that starts at the Ferry Building (Bay Bridge), continues down The Embarcadero, over to Fort Mason, turns around at the Golden Gate Bridge, and ends in the Presidio. It was a beautiful morning and the course was nice and flat. Afterwards, we came home, showered, and had some Dim Sum at a nice hole-in-the-wall nearby. The afternoon was spent running errands in Daly City and now Jes is over at Victor and Susie’s building an entertainment center…no thanks to Jimmy. 😉

I also finished uploading the photos from Michelle’s Baby Shower and Frank & Kathleen’s Wedding.

Ah…what a fun, yet productive weekend.

cake and presents

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My 32nd birthday turned out to be a pretty good one. It started early in the morning when I was woken by my phone, which was a text message from my mommy. She’s always the first one to call and this year it was at 6:45 am. I decided to give my brother a wake-up call too. I called him at about 8:00 am PST, which happens to be 5 am in Hawaii…muhahaha. I actually beat my mom this year.

Throughout the day I was getting phone calls, text messages, emails, and even a few Facebook messages from friends and family. I even got a call from my co-workers from Irvine. That was pretty cool. At work, everyone sang Happy Birthday to me and we had brownie sundaes. I also got off work early to help Jes with the dinner he was preparing. Friends came over in the evening for Jes’ standing rib roast with all the fixin’s. He actually got the timing almost perfect and we were seated and eating by 8:30 – unlike our reverse dinner with the cousins last year.

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There was also the pleasant surprise of ice cream cake and presents. At 32, I don’t expect presents anymore and it was pretty fun opening gifts that friends had picked out. I got a San Francisco version of a moleskine and chocolates (made to eat with certain red wines) from the Sokol-Juns and a Crumpler bag from the Masayas. Thanks, guys!!

This year was weird not celebrating my birthday with the brother and the rest of my family but having friends around makes up for it. On top of that, it’s not every year that you get to celebrate your birthday on a Friday night. I love Friday nights and this was perfect. Thanks for the awesome dinner, Jes. I wonder if I can Yelp my husband…

Here are photos from the dinner.

Jes and Beak went up the hill…

dsc_8617a.jpgOn Saturday evening, Jes and I went to Frank and Kathleen’s Wedding. Frank is one of Jes’ buddies from his Xpedior days so it was like a mini-reunion for him. The wedding took place at The Fairmont, which is located on California, which means it’s at the top of the hill. We took Muni from our condo, got off at Powell, and then HIKED up the hill. At one pointm it got really steep (looked like it was a 30-degree angle) and was pretty rough – especially since I was wearing 3-inch heels that slipped a little with every step. Those little rubber nubbins on my running shoes could have really come in handy. When we finally made it up the hill, we barely made it to the ceremony and we were pretty winded and sweaty…gross.

The wedding was pretty extravagant with the Grand Ballroom decorated to the nines. Frank got pretty emotional at the altar and Kathleen looked simply beautiful. We had a pretty good time and everyone got to catch up with each other. Luckily, we got a ride home and didn’t have to make the trek back down the hill in a drunken stupor.

Update (9/30/07): Photos from the wedding are ready!