No quitting the band, people!

So I have been at the new job for three months. I love my clients. I have done at least eight trials. I am not so much loving having a long distance relationship and covering an extra day in court for more than a month so far because we have an attorney out on sick leave. She was supposed to be out for one month...which has already come and gone...but it will be another month or more before we get back to normal. Normal is busy enough, believe me. Grrr....

So this will probably be my one post for the next three months...unless I spend Thanksgiving on the computer at my parents' house. :)

Hope all is well with you guys, if I have any readers left.

Life so far...

The job is going okay so far. Interesting work and nice co-workers.

It's very hard being back home only two days a week. I've put over 1000 miles on my car in two weeks. If I keep up at this rate, that will be 26,000 miles for the first year. But Learner has been very supportive. And my family and Learner's friends in the new city have been great.

I would say I'm still deciding about this change. But I'm cautiously optimistic.

Prius

I bought a Prius. Woo woo!

New Job, New Place, New Car

I am about to buy my first car ever, move to a new city, and start a new job. Believe it or not, I also have even bigger fish to fry. Secret fish.

I have a lot on my mind.

So much for 13.1

Well, I have been holding out hope of running this Sunday.

Our goal was to run the half marathon in San Francisco. On the way, my knee got messed up, Learner got heat exhaustion, and we got way off our training schedule. (That's a lot of "gots.") But I was still hoping to go out and see what I could do. I went to the gym two days ago and ran/walked (because of knee pain) four and a half miles. Not really long enough or fast enough to finish the half marathon in the (pretty generous) time limit. I didn't push myself to the absolute limit, of course. I had time constraints and I am being careful about my knee. I wasn't wearing my knee brace. But, still, it's pretty clear that it would be a large challenge to try to finish the 13.1 miles, and even more of a challenge to finish it within the time required. So that's one issue.

The bigger issue is this: we have something more important to do on Sunday now. Learner wants to visit his brother and it might be the last chance for a long time.

So this is it: the death of 13.1. But I think I am becoming a runner. I have never been a runner before, and I like it so much, I don't want to jeopardize my ability to run by pushing my knee injury into an even more serious problem. I think becoming a runner (of a few miles, a few times a week) is pretty cool, whether I can race this week or not.

Stressors

I read an article about life stressors that listed both good and bad events as incidents which add to the baseline of stress to a person's life (or a family's life). So, getting married is up there with losing a job. Moving to a new house counts just like the death of a pet. I think there is an implication that the number of stressors is more important than the type, so getting married, starting a new job, moving to a new house, getting a pet, having a child, and whatever else good that might happen to a person would be more overwhelming than just one bad event.

I'm not sure that the good and bad should count equally, but I am starting to think that a large number of life changes can be very stressful. Not like I'm about to have a kid or anything. :)

What do you guys think?

Knitting Update: Starting Over

I made a mistake and then couldn't figure out how to fix it, so...I'm starting over. Tomorrow. Grrr. The ribbing and the beginning sweater were going well.

New Job

I was just offered a new job. It will involve relocation/a long commute, long hours, and low pay. On the other hand, it will be representing clients that I love to represent, training opportunities, and stable, full-time work.

Wish me luck.

Knitting Update: I'm making a sweater!

Yes, it was at least 111 degrees today, and yet I am excited about knitting a sweater. So far I have knitted half an inch of ribbing. I am very proud. I am taking my first ever knitting class---Learner signed me up for intermediate knitting---and I just don't know whether I would have done this on my own. On my own, I have made a shawl, some nice scarves, and a couple of hats. During the next four weeks of this class, I will knit a toddler sweater. In lavender. It's going pretty well so far. I love having a teacher there to fix mistakes and show me how to purl properly. (I guess I didn't manage to teach myself purling all that well---even though I thought I was doing it correctly.)

So, sweater time! I have to get back to my ribbing.

Wedding News

I loved my sister's wedding.

To start, her dress was beautiful. Next, City Hall in San Francisco turned out to be a fantastic place for the ceremony. While I had no idea what to expect, all of the details were touching, laid-back, and fun. The civil ceremony included simple, meaningful vows. The groom's two sons were the official witnesses--I didn't know you could have witnesses who are under eighteen years of age!

Dinner was wonderful. I didn't take the limo to dinner, but I heard the limo was lots of fun. Our family has a lot of kids and all of the ones at the ceremony and later at dinner were well-behaved. My sister and her husband picked out wonderful almond champagne for dinner. (They also provided red and white wine.)

Then, a smaller group of us (those without kids) headed over to jazz at Yoshi's. My parents love Yoshi's, so I've been there for jazz before, but I found out Friday that my new brother-in-law did the acoustics for Yoshi's, so he's got the inside track. We had great tables reserved for our whole group and we stayed for the second show of the night too. (You can always do that if they have room.)

Finally, my parents put on brunch the next morning at their house for the bride, groom, and groom's parents. It was nice to have even more time with them, particularly when we could kick back in jeans and sneakers. Of course, my sister was still wearing her wedding bling, but other than that, everyone was casual.

All in all, a wonderful weekend.

Yard Work...Manicure...Wedding!

It has been a long week of tough physical labor, psychological stress, and severely limited compensation, but it is here: Friday. Oh, yeah, and my sister's wedding! I am psyched. The line-up is: ceremony at City Hall, dinner at Kincaid's, entertainment at Yoshi's. Then, brunch and errands on Saturday.

The Neverending Story: More Hard Yard Work

Learner's mom has been staying with us since Saturday. There is a ton of yard work that needs to be done and that is why she came. Of course, it's so hot here that we have to start working early every morning and work until we just can't stay out in the sun anymore. She's planning to come back next week for another five days and maybe the next week after that.

I can't believe we're not done yet. We've weed-whacked, weed-pulled, cut, and raked enough weeds and branches to fill up our huge green bin for yard waste probably five times over. Maybe six. There's still more to do.

It feels good to work out in the yard, though, It's good exercise.

Hard A** Yard Work

I'm weed-whacking and raking out in the back yard in 87 degree heat. It's only 9 am and it's already 87 degrees. Of course, it's only 9 am and I've already done a ton of work. So I think it's been a good day.

My Sister's Wedding: T minus six days

My sister is getting married this coming Friday. Woo!

14 Years, 5 Months, 13 Days

14 years, 5 months, 12 days excluding the end date

Alternative time units
5278 days can be converted to one of these units:
456,019,200 seconds
7,600,320 minutes
126,672 hours
754 weeks

Walking Update: Knee Problems

Today is one week after my run with major knee problems. I walked three miles. I thought the 100+ degree heat would be the problem. Unfortunately, my knee bothered me more than the heat. Damn.

Friends are the jelly in the peanut butter of life.

That would be my paraphrase of an old Peanuts comic. I was just talking to one of my oldest friends about what's going on with her life and what's going on with my life. It had been a while since we caught up and the last I talked to her, everything at her job was going well. The situation has changed...drastically. Even though I couldn't really help her, I could listen and sympathize, just like she always does for me. Still, it brings me down a little bit when my friends (and family) are going through tough times, and I wish I could do more.

Running Update: Major Knee Problems

On Sunday morning we ran. My knees do okay on dirt and pavement but asphalt and gravel are another story. I'm recovering from some major pain now. Here's hoping I can run/speedwalk the half marathon at the end of this month.

My Poor Baby

Learner had surgery scheduled yesterday. Then he was groggy. This morning, he was still groggy...and didn't remember anything we talked about yesterday.

The waiting room was decent, though. A bunch of nice people befriended me and complimented my knitting. I finished a hat and started a new scarf.

The highlight of my day was early on: when we arrived, the "surgery information" volunteer checked us in and asked if I was Learner's wife. When I said "no, just girlfriend," she said, "That's just as good. Sometimes better!" That made us laugh.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is scary. We are experiencing triple digits here. Learner felt ill for half the weekend because of the combination of high temps and running.

My knee hurt too much to run. Lucky me.

If you're running, you're winning.

I bought a running book and it says, if you're running, you're winning. So, I'm winning!

Boogers of the sea

Learner and I went to the Arcata Oyster Festival this past weekend. (We stopped at The Sea Ranch on the way up and back.) First we stopped at a stand that had grilled oysters with garlic and butter. I tried to swallow a whole oyster...unsuccessfully. But later, I cut up a fried oyster and doused it in coctail sauce and managed to eat one bite. There are no photos of either of these incidents because they happened too quickly.

Basically, oysters are gross, y'all. But Learner had so much fun, the trip was worth it. He ate 30 oysters, I ate 1/30th of an oyster. It's all good.

Running Off the Berries

4 miles this morning felt great. Must be the fueling up on chocolate dipped berries. Wooo.

Mmmm...

Instead of watching her show, I pretended to *be* Martha Stewart today. It turns out that making chocolate covered strawberries (and rasberries) is easy. You don't even need wax paper. Just a bag of chocolate chips and a microwave. The only trick is that the berries must be absolutely dry when you do the dipping or the chocolate seizes up and becomes useless.

In case anyone is interested, here's a list of all you need: a bag of chocolate chips, a carton (or two) of berries, a sheet of wax paper OR saran wrap, a platter or cookie sheet, a glass bowl, and a microwave. Line the platter with the wax paper. Wash the berries and then dry them very well. Microwave in increments of 30 seconds to a minute. Stir the melting chips. It is better to microwave less than you think and mix than to overdo it. Dip the berries and place on wax paper. Refrigerate.

I highly recommend making this treat.

Running Update: 2 miles...2 miles...4 miles...4 miles!

After quite a hiatus, I am back to running at least a few miles at a go. Cross your fingers for 13.1 in just six weeks!

Kitten Update: Still Cute

Explosion of Roses

Baby Pomegranate Fruit

Muffin Tops

So Learner and I found ourselves in L.A. this weekend. We had a great time at Venice Beach---I haven't been there since I was a kid. First, we had an excellent breakfast at the Mercedes Grille. Then we saw a great group of acrobats called the Calypso Tumblers. They were hilarious in between jumps. I wish I had taken a camera. There were tons of vendors selling knick knacks, sketches, henna tattoos, and fortunes. There were also a huge number of police officers patrolling the beach.

We were also taken in for two days and one night by one of Learner's good friends from college. She rocked. She was the best hostess ever. And she's the one that told me that in L.A., if you have a little bit of a tummy, it's called a "muffin top" by (her words) "L.A. bitches." Then she gave me a tiny tee shirt with "busters" written across the front and encouraged me to wear it to the beach.

Tile and Grout

I never thought I would be so excited about grout. But this weekend, Learner and I tiled our front bathroom. (Learner did the heavy lifting and I fetched him tools and took photos.) And grout is one of the last steps that finishes the job and makes it look professional.




Then today, Martha Stewart had a project involving decorative tiling. When she mentioned thin set and grout, I was excited that I knew what they were and how to use them!

Free Pie

I just gave blood and got a free chocolate satin pie from Marie Callender's. They are running a promotion until the end of May, so go donate! (You get to pick any type of pie. The Blood Bank is at 1900 W. Orangeburg in Modesto)

Gardening

I am actually working in the garden! The pomegranate tree is blooming and there is a humming bird flying around it feeding right now. I trimmed the pomegranate tree and one of the rose bushes. I think we need more fruit trees. I suspect that they may be easier to grow/maintain than vegetables. (Of course, it takes a few years before you have an established tree that bears fruit...but hey.) Woo!

ETA: I've done even more pruning to several more trees. It is uber hard work. But the neighbors will be happier with us. And I think we have a ginko tree. Who knew?

Katharine v. Taylor

The American Idol final two are Katharine and Taylor. I was so hoping it would work out this way.

Tee hee

Post Party Depression

Well, not really. My mom said that this year was the nicest mother's day brunch ever. Yea!

Vegetable Gardening

I'm thinking about gardening in our huge backyard. So far, it looks like very hard work to grow your own vegetables. But it might be fun. Has anyone else grown their own veggies or fruits in the backyard?

Mother's Day Brunch

So far, my plans for mother's day brunch (for my mom, two sisters, and me) include: apple pancakes, eggs benedict, fruit salad (my mom's request), champagne (everyone's request), and coffee. I feel like something is missing. Oatmeal or toast or something should round out the meal. Maybe cake for dessert. Would it be weird to have hummus and pita as an appetizer? I made really good garlic hummus a couple of weeks ago, and you always want to give people something small to start while you pull the more complicated parts of the meal together. Hmmm...

Any suggestions, readers?

Bueller?

My Sister's Wedding

My sister set a date for her wedding. She's deciding between City Hall and Vegas. Apparently, City Hall might be too small to invite more than just the parents. I think I'm rooting for Vegas.

Houseguest

Learner's mom has been with us since Sunday. She is leaving today and then planning to come back tomorrow.

Lawn Jungle

Learner and I took a whack at our jungle (lawn) in the backyard yesterday. Today, I continued. Whew! It is exhausting trying to mow down a massive two foot high collection of grasses and weeds. The yard isn't finished yet, but looks much better.

Hard work nothwithstanding, I love that our backyard is HUGE. I can't wait to fix it up and play croquet or put up a hammock or have a picnic! Yea!

Modesto: Not a Destination Town

I'm trying to round up my family for Mother's Day.

People may actually come to Modesto.

Free Cone Day

Today is Free Cone Day. For all those that live near a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop, go enjoy!

I love free cone day, but alas, there is no B&J's here.

TV Turn Off Week

Yeah, right.

Okay, I might try to cut back this week, but nothing is stopping me from watching Veronica Mars on Tuesday night. So there.

Hometown Cockroach

Don't eat at the Hometown Buffet in Modesto. Just don't.

I direct your attention to Learner's blog for the whole icky story.

Back in the Saddle...so to speak

After missing a few runs, I was back today with a 3 1/2 mile run! What a relief. The run felt great.

A Hitch

I've been scouting a location for my home daycare business and it's perfect. Close enough to downtown, off a major street, near the freeway for Bay Area commuters, and next door to a gym with a big parking lot. The house has a good layout for indoor and outdoor play, lots of space, and separate living space for us.

There also seems to be an unlicensed daycare operating two doors down. What should I do?

The Californians

So if you blink, you miss me...and fifty other extras. I had to frame through a bunch of concert crowd scenes, but I found myself in the movie! I also found three of my friends (in a different scene) including my friend in casting who is listed in the credits.

I might have to buy this movie.

The Hilarity

Circa 2003, I was an extra in a little independent movie called "The Californians." For a couple of years, I checked imdb to see when this movie was going to arrive in theaters, or, at least, the video rental shacks. Then I gave up. But today I saw one of the stars on TV and checked again and...ta da:

My First Movie

3 miles...3 miles...7 miles!

Another milestone. Woo. 7 miles felt great. I used water and gel for the first time today. I think it was helpful.

Beta Davis and Action Alpha

Kitten Update

I wrote the following for my creative writing class:

When the kittens are bad, I remind them that we saved their lives. We rescued them hours before rainstorms hit our area and flooded the homes in Dry Creek. They reward us by scratching up our turquoise armchair and ripping apart our tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels.

Beta is the cute one, which makes Alpha the unloved one. Beta is a fluffy, gray and white, green-eyed, little faced, adorable kitten. Alpha looks nothing like her; he has exotic Pharaoh cat markings in brown and black, slanted yellow eyes, and a long distinguished face. We are almost positive they are brother and sister, though. They were dumped together outside the courthouse where I work. They act like siblings, curling up together in a way that stranger cats just don’t. And they share one characteristic: six toes on each front paw. Kittens with opposable thumbs! They are like humans; they are extra-evolved. They are polydactyl.

Okay, they are inbred.

My boyfriend Learner loves Beta better. She follows him around. He must carry bacon in his pockets surreptitiously. Or she really likes the way he scratches her hindquarters.

Cassie, our first houseguest, loved Beta better. We set up the foldout couch for Cassie with a warning that the cats might sleep on her head. They didn’t, as it turns out, but Alpha did put his face up to hers and stared at her while she slept.

Alpha likes to jump on my back like I am a piece of climbing furniture, a stepping-stone to some countertop or upper window. Alpha can jump very high on his own, but he prefers to use me. Beta learned that she cannot follow Alpha everywhere he goes. Still, she doesn’t use me as a staircase; she sits patiently and looks cute and waits. I or someone else will always help her.

Beta loves to curl up in people’s laps: my lap, Learner’s lap, Cassie’s lap. Alpha takes a couple of minutes to warm up to people. He might ignore people for even longer, but he gets jealous when Beta is picked up and carried around and cuddled. Since Alpha never gets picked up first, he purrs at the slightest encouragement. He purrs when I call his name, even before I pick him up.

To be fair, the Vet likes Alpha better because Alpha is brave. Alpha takes his shots like a man. Alpha comes out of the cat carrier on purpose.

Alpha might have survived the storms.

Sudoku Master

I am the "Easy as Pie" Sudoku MASTER.

In other news, hello, my name is Anon, I am a Sudokuholic.

Home Business

So I'm thinking of starting a home business. Who likes these names:

Little Monsters Learning Center
Do Re Mi Daycare
Head, Hands and Heart Preschool
Hop, Skip and Jump Preschool

Mailbox Issues

So I just ran across the street from our house to put Netflix in the mail and saw a notice that the postal service is taking away our mailbox because of low usage. Right after I mailed my Netflix, a woman pulled up in a car and mailed something too. Since we live across the street, we see people drop mail in this box...and they do it all the time. People drive to this mailbox. That tells me that there isn't another good option anywhere near here.

Stupid postal service. Maybe I'll start a petition of neighbors to save our mailbox.

3 miles...3 miles...6 miles!

Woo! Longest run yet. Six miles today at the local JC track. Yesterday's three miles was more like swimming than running. But I like running in the rain.

Four months to the half marathon.

Fast, short run.

Good run today, but I definitely need to run with Learner in order to work on pace and distance.

4 miles...4 miles...13.1 is kicking my butt so far.

Four miles yesterday (per the schedule!) and four miles today (ankle, knee, knee pain, so 6 mile goal became 4 miles). The good news is that I have so many months and weeks to train, I can take it a little easy this month. I'm really trying to avoid injuries, but I also want to challenge myself. It's an interesting balance.

Learner and I were very productive in other areas. We are about to tile one of our bathroom floors and we purchased tile and tools yesterday. I'm psyched. I think we'll tile some weekend soon.

The cats are getting HUGE. Still cute, though.

Ouch. Let's call this a rest day.

I forgot my sneakers. So no run this morning. My emergency backup sneakers are here, but were unreachable this morning. I walked for about four miles today (maybe more). And now a knee hurts. A lot. Just walking up and down stairs. Maybe I could have run this morning, but I couldn't even hobble outside to start a run this afternoon. DAMN.

3 miles!

Per the schedule, I ran three miles this morning. Of course, my official pacer is in the middle of a jury trial, so I ran without a watch or nifty Garmin GPS-enabled personal trainer. But I think I ran at a pretty good clip.

I missed my run yesterday (1) because I skipped the morning run and figured I would run in the evening, and then (2) Learner and I ran into friends leaving work and we had to stop and catch up with them. By the time we left, it was too dark to run outside. So I am accepting reality, which is that I *must* run in the morning.

Rest Day

No running today, per the half-marathon training schedule I am following.

According to today's Starbucks cup (which means Bruce Campbell): "If you're worried about getting a job--or keeping one--start a company of your own. By doing so, you'll reap the rewards of your hard work and you'll only get fired if you fail. This is the land of opportunity. Live in it."

5 miles!

I ran 5 miles today. (I run a 12 minute mile.) In the rain. Wooooooo!

13.1 v. Anon!

I ran 3 to 3 1/2 miles this morning. I am going to run 5 miles tomorrow. I didn't start the half-marathon training when I was supposed to, but I am going to try to catch up! Woo!

Run SFM

I want to buy a new dress.

My sister is getting married. She may have a nice party or reception, but she may just elope, which would mean...no excuse for me to buy a new pretty dress. Damn.

Quiz Mania

It's a phase. Went through a similar one in college. Anybody else find these quizzes addictive?

I know. It's lame. Yet another quiz.

Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

Harry Potter Quiz Results

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

Harry Potter Personality Quiz by Pirate Monkeys Inc.

I took this Harry Potter/personality quiz twice because there were some questions where I had no preference at all and I wanted to see what difference it would make trying each answer. Also, back in high school, I took a personality quiz with an ENFP result. Under this HP scheme, all three results make me a Weasley.

The funny thing is, I'm not an extrovert. What's up with this test?

Yet Another Quiz

You are a Social Liberal (73% permissive) and an... Economic Moderate (50% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Happy News

My sister is getting married. I have no details yet...

California, Here I Stay

I have been reminded this week of how bitterly cold it gets in other areas of the country. I've lived through a few uber-cold winters, the worst being Alaska with multiple digits below zero before you figure out the windchill. I do not miss that weather AT ALL. Let other people have snowball fights and seasons; I love the sun.

My Great Uncle Passed Away

So I got sad news this morning while I was preparing today's cases for court. My Great Uncle George passed away. His wife Jane passed away two and a half years ago and he has been in declining health for quite a while now. He was my grandmother's older brother and the last member of his generation for my entire family. I am pushing through for the rest of my work day and then going up to Willits to support my mom, who had already gone up to be with George a few days ago. Luckily, I got to visit George just last weekend. A number of relatives made it up and it made George very happy to see a lot of the children in our family. George and Jane always loved being surrounded by children.

Hmm...

You are Mohair.
You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with

others, doing your share without being too

weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely

refuse to change your position once it is

set, but that's okay since you are good at

covering up your mistakes.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Kittens!

Learner and I rescued a brother/sister pair of kittens a few days ago, right before storms and flood warnings hit our area. Alpha is the stripe-y one and Beta is the fluffier one.