Browse Month: May 2005

OK…it’s that time again.

Last year I was in a funk and couldn’t quite get myself out the door to run as often or as long as I’d like. With all the ticker problems and all that came afterwards, it just wasn’t a good year. Now that I’m feeling better and stronger, I’ve decided that it was time for me to start training again. I wanted to get my training done this summer while the weather is good and the sun is out later in the day. So, the race that I’m eyeing is the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco on October 23rd. I’ve got the training schedule all planned out with America’s Finest Half Marathon in San Diego on August 14th.
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Today was my first long run – 6 miles! It was soooo hot outside and it was only 8:00 in the morning…*sigh*…I guess I’ll have to start earlier next week. I think one of the challenges I foresee is that I’ll be training on my own this year. In the past, I’ve had a training group with the support of volunteers providing water and snacks along the training runs. This time I’ll have to be a little more creative, but it’s ok. If anyone is interested in running one or both of the races with me, let me know.

my first taste of democracy gone sour…

I just got back from a City Planning Commission Meeting to decide on whether or not to approve a Conditional Use Permit for the ARCO AM/PM that is proposed for our Shopping Village (see entry on 5/10/05). Well, because of our efforts last week, we actually got residents to show up at the meeting to speak in opposition of the project! I was optimistic. I was proud of our neighbors who had gotten up to speak. I was cheering on Jesse as he spoke. The Commissioners appeared to care.
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Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way how powerful the Irvine Company is. Basically, all 5 of the Commissioners (appointed by the City Council and probably owned by The Irvine Company somehow) already had a decision before they even started the meeting. They pretty much had this meeting/public hearing to sort of humor the residents. It was 2 hours of listening to the applicant’s proposal and then each resident got only 3 minutes to speak for or against the project.
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After the recess, they closed the public hearing and allowed the applicant and The Irvine Company to answer questions. The Commissioners practically handed them loaded questions such as “so how are you going to ensure that minors will not be allowed to buy alcohol?” I thought, “what kind of stupid question is that?!” Of course the applicant comes back with, “well, we participate in the ‘We Card’ program and take our liquor license very seriously.” By the end of the meeting I was so frustrated because it was pretty obvious that we were getting scammed. I couldn’t help feeling like a fool…especially since one of the Commissioners who came around the neighborhood on Sunday to get our point of view. He seemed like a guy who would help us out but oh no…he flipped on us and straight up voted for the project without a flinch. So much for the democratic process.

“You talk too much.”

After much resistance, b/c I was thought that I wasn’t going to write very much, I’ve decided to update my index. Jes, my biggest critic, suggested that I expand the blog section of my “home” page so that he doesn’t have to do the “double scrolly goodness” to read past blogs. So…welcome to the new format! You’ll also find some links on the right side that may be of interest to you. Enjoy!
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By the way, if you have any other blogs or links that would be worth adding to my list, I’ve got plenty of room for more. My network of sites is still pretty small. So far, it’s just me and my brother! 🙂

Back on track!!

Today was my first day back at work since last Tuesday and I actually felt pretty good. I got a lot of work done and wasn’t dragging as I usually do on Monday mornings. I also went for a run and managed to complete 4 miles. I’m actually feeling much stronger and hills are getting a little easier. Woohoo!! For a while there I thought that I was getting old and falling apart. I think I’m back on track and it’s time to choose a race to train for. Anyone want to run with me?!

Totoro Reunion 2005

Gosh, the last time the three totoros were together was at my wedding almost 2 1/2 years ago. Since then, the three of us have gone through a lot of crazy life experiences and lost touch. I think we each had to crawl into our hermit holes at different times and now we’re all ready to play at the same time. So on Saturday morning, Heather and I got up early to pick up a gift at BabiesRUs and headed down to San Diego. We just found out that Dahlia is expecting her first baby this month and couldn’t wait to see her. We took the scenic route down (through Laguna Beach), endured some traffic at Del Mar, and finally got to her condo by lunchtime. As usual, you could smell something cooking in the hallway and as we expected, it was “Mama Bird’s” condo! When she came to the door, the first thing out of her mouth was “Did you eat yet? I gotta feed my baby birds!” It turns out that she had prepared us a steak, potatoes, sauteed mushrooms/onions, and a bowl of canned corn!! I couldn’t believe how much food there was!! Ah, I miss OT school. It was just like old times. We were so stuffed. As if that wasn’t enough, Dahlia pulled out a cake she had bought to celebrate all our birthdays from the past years.
Dahlia was all baby. From the back, she looked normal but from the side, it looked like she had stuffed a pumpkin under her shirt. That baby definitely has those Samoan genes!! Keni was home for just a bit before he had to go to work but it was nice to see him again. We had so much fun just hanging out with her at home. We shared photos with each other and finally got to catch up on each other’s lives. With Heather in Portland, me in Irvine, and Dahlia in San Diego, it’s so hard to get together. This was a really special day. I can’t remember the last time I had laughed so hard.
The drive home was quick. After dinner we enjoyed a bottle of wine and watched “Sideways”. It was an interesting movie. I just feel a little slow b/c I still don’t know why it’s called “Sideways”.

More to do and see!!

On Friday morning, Heather and I got up pretty early, picked up some coffee, picked up Elaine (my Irvine carpool friend), and headed back down to Long Beach. The morning workshop was only 3 hours but felt like an eternity. I was just itching to go back to the expo. They were giving away lots of cool stuff including tools and gadgets that I can actually use at work with my kids. After lunch at Islands, we had one more course to attend and a little more shopping to do. Whew! By the end of the day, we were all pooped out and ready to go home. It’s too bad that we were too tired to go to Zoe’s annual tequila party that night. I’m sure it would have been fun, as usual. Once we got home, Jes was pretty hungry and grumpy from being at home all day without a car. We walked to the sushi restaurant across the street for some sushi and beer. The weather was warm and pleasant and it was so much fun catching up with Heather. Tomorrow, we’re ditching the conference and driving down to San Diego to visit Dahlia. Can’t wait!