The Finer Things

I moved to San Francisco (okay Berkeley) in January of 2006. Those of you familiar with the bay area know that winter is not like the Utah winters I was used to. I was looking forward to the snowless, mild winter. Unfortunately, I didn't get the memo on the rain. It rained the day I drove into the state thus causing the drive from Reno to Berkeley insanely long (6+ hours). And then I don't remember it the rain stopping until mid-April. What a glorious day it was when I first looked out over the bay from my office window. The sky was blue and the bay was covered in little white triangles. At that moment I knew that I had to meet myself a wealthy young gentleman that sailed.

Enter Dallas:


I guess I should say Captain Dallas. He got his Skipper license and we got to go sailing on the beautiful bay on a warm, sunny, breezeless day. It was fantastic--even without the breeze that propels the boat along.



Thus started the Alameda chapter of the Finer Things Club. Members are: Dallas (obviously-even though he technically isn't an Alamedan). Me:



Courtney:



and the Bakers: (If the batteries in my camera hadn't died I would have mine own pictures of the lovely couple. Instead you will have to settle for ones that I'm pretty sure I took--click on the link)

I'm flattered but....

So, as I've mentioned before, I get a lot of junk mail. A lot. And about once a month a new catalog is added. The Discovery Channel, Oriental Trading Company, Red Envelope, REI, Entertainment Weekly, Nike store.com, Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn kids, Major League Baseball, Outdoor Adventures, Cold Water Creek (I must ellaborate on that one because it almost made me cry, it came to me at work. The catalog gods clearly hate me), the list goes on--it seriously does and I have no idea how I got on all of these subscription lists because I honestly don't buy this much stuff--it's a bit ridiculous. Anyway, I think it may have gone too far this time.



This is the catalog for Barney's New York. I know what you are all thinking and yes, I do have a fancy job and live in San Francisco. But let's be real: I live in San Francisco. Who can actually buy stuff from the Barney's catalog? So, while I may be flattered, I think I'm going to have to continue to make my wish lists from one of the many JCrew catalogs I get every single week.

A Thumbs Up Weekend

That's right. Last weekend was a two thumbs up weekend. I stayed up way too late and had way too much fun. Courtney turned thirty and wanted a big, San Francisco celebration.

You'll have to check out Courtney's blog to get any details and pictures from the night.

I got home late, went to bed around 3 and slept in late until 9 on Saturday morning. I got up, got ready and went to San Francisco to play with Jerilyn. I love it when my friends come visit me. Okay, I love it when they have to come to San Francisco for work related purposes and spend time with me.




And then it was Halloween time. On the bus ride home on Friday, I decided that for Halloween this year I wanted to wear fake eyelashes, lots of sparkly makeup and wings. So, I decided to be a butterfly. While out with Jerilyn and her boyfriend Spencer I bought a pair of Tinker Bell wings at the Disney store. Then I got some purple leggings, some pink pom poms, some black pipe cleaner and a headband--and tada...the caterpillar emerged from her cocoon and became a pretty, pretty butterfly. A huge thank you to my make up artist Kara...I love having you around. Don't you think that the getting ready for Halloween, is always the most fun?




Some samplings of how much fun we had.
Me and Amy (a deviled egg):



Mackenzie (Adriane, from Rocky):



Cameron (Winnie the Pooh):



Marcus and Vicky (Blue man group Tobias and Rita from Arrested Development):



Ashley (props to Amy on the make up):



The Eggertson's (Scott and Melissa as Jim and Pam. Liz as a go-go girl):



Another night that I stayed up way too late and slept thru ward council in the morning. Once again though, it was a jammed packed weekend full of good times and great friends.

Comedy Night Done Right

Thursday night is the only good night of television. It is just a sad, hard fact. This has been the case for much of my life...with the exception of the TGIF of my youth--I so loved Full House. Anyway, I heart Thursday night television on NBC. I'm not affiliated with the stations, so this is a completely unbiased opinion about their Thursday night programming. It starts at 8 with My Name is Earl. Honestly, people say it is funny, but I've never gotten into it and therefore don't watch it. It's basically like a free 30 minutes to get ready for the next hour and a half. At 8:30 the fun begins. 30 Rock is so super fun. I heart Liz Lemmon. Seriously, if you don't watch this show, you should check it out online. I promise you will not be disappointed. Next, The Office. Yes, everyone loves the office and rightfully so. It is hilarious. So fun that Pam and Jim are dating. And finally, (after waiting an extra month for the season to start) Scrubs begins at 9:30. This is the last season of Scrubs. So, basically this means that after this year there will be no more perfect comedic Thursday evening. We must all therefore enjoy what we have now with all of our hearts.

Last Thursday night was perfect. The Bakers came over and we went to Romero & Sons. Best Taqueria in Alameda, so good!!! And enjoyed one and a half hours of comic bliss. Just look how happy we all are.

Whitney is always adorable:



Gnu is too cool to just pick it up and eat it like a man:



Courtney seems to be confessing her undying love for her burrito:



And me, using the burrito to mask the massive lip zit...such horror...such pain....several more pictures from the weekend coming up where I was unsuccessful at hiding the horror:

Sunday Night Done Right

So, I finally did it. I got a new camera after drowning my old one. I still haven't figured out all that it does. Mostly I'm hoping that I'll be able to take awesome jumping pictures. Now I just have to hope my life gets super exciting so I'll have stuff to share.

This weekend was exhausting. So exhausting and busy that this was needed:



The Andersons came up for dinner on Sunday and Courtney made delicious butternut squash lasagna, and I made dessert. I probably should have taken a picture of the other side that doesn't have that hole in the frosting. Oh well, it tasted delicious. Chocolate cake with a mint whipped cream frosting.

Addie is getting so chubby. She's adorable...so is Courtney:

I am no expert but....

Do you think this store also owns stock in chiropractics. Seriously, bean bags for children's beds?

Nicknames

I have an amazing gift for nicknames. Just kidding. But I still don't have a camera and need to write about something. There are those people that are always trying to come up with nicknames for people with no regard to people's given names. Why is this necessary? Is it so difficult to remember a name?

In my history, yes, it is too difficult to remember a name. Two of my years spent in Logan, Utah I went by the name Al Baker. Ryan Cheever likes to think that he started this nickname for me, but it started much much earlier when I used the same piano books as my older sister Amanda. To differentiate my star from her "A" star, my piano teacher labeled my star "Al." I secretly loved this and would sing the Paul Simon classic to myself. Ryan began calling me Al because he could never remember if my name was Alisa, Alyssa, Alica, etc. This name died when I went on a mission with the exception of Mr. Paul Larkin who still calls me that.

I've tended to use nicknames to avoid confusion when talking about people. This is how Gnu and Bigandtall both received their nicknames...they just seemed to stick after awhile. And I'm pretty sure that Bigandtall is not willing to part with his name at all. My bff Laurie has also used this reasoning to give me the nickname Maurice. Yes, that is a nickname that a handful of people can call me and they must have the last name Armstrong, Grover, Ruggle and Weidner.

Now, Courtney and her friends all have nicknames. They all go by their nickname in that they use these to introduce themselves to others. In fact, I did not know that several of these guys had real life different names. No offense, but really? Are you ashamed? I don't understand. Please enlighten me.

And finally, if nicknames are meant to be a term of endearment passed on to a friend or loved one, why must some of them remain a mystery? I ask this question to my mother. The background: when I was a young, beautiful, adorable child my father had a nickname for me. Apparently, this nickname was so horrible that it scarred me for life. So much so that I've repressed all memory of it and my childhood. I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to remember the nickname in order to remember any memories from my childhood. Not knowing it, I'm no better than an orphan without parents and a family. Again, just kidding. The true story: My dad had a nickname for me that my mom found inappropriate. She won't let him tell me what it was and none of my sisters can remember it. I'm an adult now and am still not privy to the nickname. Can you believe it? So, what do you think it could be? What possible nickname could my dad had given me that would be this offensive? I'm h-in' adorable, c'mon. Please feel free to offer any suggestions. Mom, Dad, you too.

Reflections

I sat around a dinner table with five other amazing women on Sunday discussing our current single situations. Oh, let me pre-empt this with the following: I do not plan to use this blog as a place for my diatribes or reasonings on why I'm single, frankly, those blogs irritate me. As we sat there talking about how old we thought 25 was when we were 18 and how we would could never imagine ourselves as those "poor" women. We were so young and brainwashed. Anyway, sitting around listening to my friends' stories got me to think about my own life. I'm single. I have been single for 28 years. I see myself being single for the foreseeable future (read: no legitimate prospects). So, as I've begun to age (I'm 28 now, yikes!) I've started to evaluate interesting patterns in my life that I find highly amusing. These patterns could be the contributors to the singlenss, further exploration and evaluation is needed. One of the most baffling patterns is the unexplainable failure for guys to actually take me out after they've already survived the asking. I've been asked out more times than I've actually gone out. In other words, there is a tendency for guys to ask me out and then never actually take me out. I will now provide examples. I was tempted to make up names, but then figured I don't care and can therefore share real names.

Incident #1:
To the best of my knowledge, the first incident took place in 1999. I was 20 years old and home from school for the summer working at the Gap. A cute little senior at Riverton High School named Nate was also working at the Gap this summer. As well as another girl whose name I do not recollect. Both of these kids went to school with Jeanette who probably knows them both and can pass this story on to them. Anyway, I was standing by the register folding clothes. Then Nate was standing there too folding clothes. We started chatting. Then he asked me if I had ever been paint balling. I said no, I hadn't, but had always wanted to because it looks so fun. Then he asked if I wanted to go with him the next day. I immediately said yes. Paint balling was going to be so cool. In fact, I'm pretty sure I started to think about what I would wear. As Nate walked away, I began to wonder if this was a date. It didn't matter, I was going paintballing with a cute high schooler, awesome! Later that night Nate and the other girl were by the dressing rooms folding clothes. She had gotten word of the "date" and was no happy. I had to drop something off over by them. As I'm walking towards them, she asks me, "So, Alisa, how old are you?" I looked at her and said, "20." I had no idea this would be an issue, but it was. Nate looked up with huge eyes and exclaimed, "What? You're 20." I said yes. I guess he didn't know that I was just back from school for the summer. Who knows? Anyway, the next day Nate called me and said that something had come up and he couldn't go paintballing anymore. I don't remember the exact excuse, but it was lame. I was mostly bummed about the paintballing....I've still never been.

Incident #2:
New boy Dallas moves into the ward. Friendly guy. As all guys should do, Dallas quickly ascertained the lady situation in the ward by taking every opportunity possible to meet and further interact with the sisters. Myself included. When Dallas learned that I worked in the city, he asked me to lunch. Concrete plans weren't made, but a definite plan to do lunch was made. Well, since there were no actual concrete plans on the day of the lunch "date," I wasn't upset when Dallas ended up bailing (and forgetting) about the plans. We tried to reschedule a couple of times and had a super awkward phone call on the bus once. We never ended up going out. Further evidence that it's tough to take me out.

Incident #3:
Please see Dating Advice Tip #1.

This is a two part incident because a few weeks after this Bret (I'm past protecting his name) called me again to say hi. He was getting ready to go out of town for a week but would be back the following weekend and said we should do something. Then he said he'd call. Well, guess who never called? I got a sorry text a few days later and then a "We should go camping sometime." text a few weeks after that. Both elicited no response from me. C'mon, don't be ridiculous.

Maybe three incidents spread out over 8 years aren't a pattern, but there is something here. I know it. I haven't figured it out yet, but I will. Also, please note that I don't consider myself someone who gets stood up, because I'm not. I'm someone that guys can easily ask out but not take out. It's that simple.

Alisa v Mandy

It has recently been brought to my attention on several occasions from different sources that I look like Mandy Moore. As much as I loved her performance in Saved, she's one of those actresses that I couldn't care less about. Speaking of Saved, I think that is one of those movies that I could always watch: I am filled with Christ's love. Although I do give her props for not becoming crazy like others of her generation. Way to stay strong Mandy. Oh, and you were funny on your cameos on Scrubs: That's so funny. Hmmm, maybe I do like Mandy Moore. Nah, I'm still indifferent.

Anyway, besides the matching brown hair cuts and the huge sunglasses, I don't get it. This could be anyone. Your thoughts? I'm not opposed to looking like Mandy Moore, but it just isn't obvious to me. When I was younger I'd get Punky Brewster, but I'm an original and don't get that celebrity look alike thing all that often. So, I wonder if I've somehow transformed into Mandy Moore without realizing it. Does this mean I have to start dating Zach Braff? Hmmm, fine by me.

Come to think of it, maybe I do like Mandy Moore. On Monday night I was at the multi-ward pirate party on Treasure Island and a girl that I've never met or seen before tapped me on the shoulder and said hi and asked how I was doing. I politely answered and inquired after her as well. It was a lovely exchange. Now that I think about it, she knows Mandy Moore and thought I was her.

I figured it Out

You know how Gnu loves jumping pictures? Well Renee quickly jumped on the band wagon (he he he he, that's an original). I too love jumping pictures and try to capture them all of the time. However, I recently made a very important discovery. Does this look familiar to anyone?



So secretly Gnu is a huge High School Musical fan. He must have given the crew some pointers because this one is even better.



Gnu, do you really know the cast of High School Musical? I want to meet Zac Efron. He seems gay. Must be fun to shop with.

The Grand Scheme

Stolen directly from Leslie's blog, I'd like to incorporate this into my repetoire of hilarious things I say. (Note: you will need to click on the link to Leslie's blog if you want to know about the Grand Scheme).

Courtney and I are the funniest people in the Berkeley student ward. There are other funny people, but we are the funniest. Gnu likes to add "self-proclaimed" in there, but no one is competing for this title--they all know they don't have a chance. Now, we are hilarious girls, but we are far from the funniest ever in the whole universe. Luckily for us, we came into the ward at a relatively dry time and were quickly the funniest and have been able to hold our title while other funnies have joined. Anyway, we have recently discovered (side note: she's probably going to get mad at me for stealing this blog topic, since I can imagine her writing up a doozy on the topic) that a large percentage of our jokes are covers. We have some Baker/Forester originals that we do really well, but some of our best jokes are covers. (Meaning they are our version of other jokes we've heard or seen--some classics, others obscure, think Free Bird).

As Amy can attest to (she has no blog or I would link to it, instead I choose to link to this: Iheartamy), I have an uncanny ability to make references to pop culture particularly television shows and movies of the "chick" variety. There is a gold mine of jokes that are easy to cover in both of these mediums. Courtney remembers everything thus adding to our possibilities.

Now, don't think that because we do covers, we aren't originally funny because we are...plenty of covers are easily better than their originals. I'm just saying that the fact that we have covers and Baker/Forester originals adds to our diversity and credibility as the funniest in the ward, Gnu. Anyway, I'm definitely going to add the grand scheme into the repetoire. I don't know when. I don't know how. But I know someday it'll happen.

Jeanette Tagged Me

My adorable little sister Jeanette, against her will, started a blog a while back. It's pretty nice being able to know what is going on in her life. Anyway, she tagged me on her blog and, as I've often said, I'm definitely a joiner. So, without delay, I bring you more facts about me!

Four Jobs I've Had:

• Resident Assistant
• Bartender
• Gift Wrapper
• Camp Counselor

Four Movies I Can Always Watch:

• This Time Around
• What's Up Doc?
• Fever Pitch
• Chipmunk Adventure

Four Places I've Lived:

• Logan, UT
• Greeley, PA
• Seoul, Korea
• Berkeley, CA

Four TV Shows I Enjoy:

• The Office
• Scrubs
• 30 Rock
• Gilmore Girls

Four Favorite Foods:

• Cheese
• Cupcakes
• Apples
• Chicken Tikki Masala from Breads of India

Four Websites I Visit:

• www.anyong-news.blogspot.com
• www.dailycandy.com
• www.theonion.com
• www.gofugyourself.com

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:

• My bed
• My couch
• A day spa
• Disneyland

Four Blogger Buddies I'm Tagging:

• Natalie
• Courtney
• Gnu
• Kellie

World Peace

Now, besides the fact that it is sad to see our once beloved AC Slater on Dancing with the Stars and now hosting Miss Tean USA instead of reprising his famous role in Saved by the Bell the major motion picture, I wouldn't be surprised if Miss South Carolina even knows where the US is on a map. Even harder to imagine, why are beauty pageants still on and a career possiblity for women like this?

Thank you Pappy

Dads are wonderful. I've learned all sorts of wonderful things from dad throughout my life. I remember him teaching me how to ride a bike. I'm pretty sure we all learned on the red bike with the white seat. My dad taught me how to do magic. I can now make my leg disappear with the help of a large handkerchief. And my dad taught me how to take pictures. He's practically a professional when it comes to photography. The folks were recently in the bay area visiting us and this is what they shared with him. After he learned of the death of my camera, my dad was great at forwarding me all of the shots that he had taken so I would have something to blog about. You can all thank him yourselfs. What I didn't expect, was how great the pictures would be and the story that they tell.

These should be in a gallery they are just brilliant.







I'm so glad that dad was able to capture these amazing shots and memories. Especially when I have no pictures since I have no camera. Oh, this just in. The memory cards have not been damaged. I still have pictures. More to come!

Thanks for the pictures dad.

No More Pictures

I realize that my recent blog posts have been a little light on the pictures (read: there have been none). And I realize that for some of you this has been rough. I too love the pictures; it makes it easier to read...all those words for recreation? Exactly.

Well, I would like to blog with pictures, but I've had a death in the family. I went rafting yesterday and took the camera along and now I'm in the market for a new one. It is still undecided if the memory cards are going to give me access to all of my memories. I kind of hope so.

Now, you are probably thinking that it is my own stupid fault that my camera got wet and ruined when I chose to take it rafting. Let me explain. I've been rafting several times. Several. I go every year with my friends to the Snake river. I would never take my camera if it wasn't in a dry bag on that trip. There are actual rapids and you get wet on that river. So, last year I was super excited for the annual ward river trip. The plan was to raft the Russian River. I'd never been or heard anything about it. Silly me, I assumed that it would be like every other river I've gone down and include some rapids and some good times. Plus, with the ward we are guaranteed a little water fighting. Imagine my shock and disappointment when the river was about a foot deep and barely moving. We had to row the whole time if there was any chance of finishing that day. No rapids anywhere. No water fights either. I came out of there super dry. Nothing got wet. I had gone all prepared for Niagara falls and came out like I'd been in the Sahara desert.

August comes around again meaning the annual river trip is back on. New river this year. However, there are no rapids on this one either. I like to consider myself someone who learns from her lessons. Therefore, I didn't get all raft geared up and loaded up my backpack with supplies: granola bars, water, first aid kit and camera to capture the moments and God's green earth. Well it turns out this was a bad decision. We were drenched from water fights within 15 minutes. Everything got soggy. Even the food, nasty. Anyway, lots of fun and stories happened on the river last night. It was a good time. But among the damages was my camera. It was old and had had a good life. It had been to Europe and Seattle. It had a full successful life by providing me with memories and joy. Thank you camera. I hope I can find a cheap replacement that will make me just as happy. However, until then, there are no pictures on the blog.

More Fun Facts, Part II

As promised, I'm going to continue to share useless, interesting and fun facts about myself with my reading public. Again, some of these may be new, some may not. Some show my hidden depth while others confirm that I'm completely hollow inside.

51. I don't like kittens, cats or puppies....I can tolerate dogs if they are big. I'd be just fine if I never had a pet.
52. I have no idea how I survived before discovering pedicures. Thank you Amanda for getting married and having mom buy us all pedicures.
53. I have to sleep in the middle of my bed. I also try and take up as much room as possible.
54. I hate getting ready for bed. I don't hate washing my face, brushing my teeth or flossing. I hate the energy exerted to "get ready for bed."
55. I love pre-sleeping (taking a quick nap on the couch before getting ready for bed) but try to avoid it because I tend to wake up at 3 in the morning to go and get ready for bed.
56. On lazy Saturday mornings, I turn on the television and always hope that TBS or ABC Family will be having a bad movie marathon that day (by bad I mean awesome movies that you can't admit to liking because it is just not cool). This rarely happens and am I forced to watch something stupid while I eat my cereal.
57. I've been meaning to decorate my office at work since I moved in in January.
58. I practice my signature until it looks cool...it has evolved into an A with a squiggle and I couldn't be more pleased with it.
59. The Minnesotan accent is by far my favorite. I think this may have derived from Drop Dead Gorgeous.
60. I don't know how to drive a stick shift...and I really don't care if I ever learn.
61. I don't remember ever having church treats as a kid; however, now I can't go a Sunday without snacks for Sunday school--except fast Sunday.
62. I love getting non-junk, non-bill mail...random letters are the greatest things ever.
63. I have really good cop karma...I have no idea why, but I'm not complaining. Some people can always find parking places; I don't get pulled over.
64. I look adorable in hats although I never wear hats. I always buy them too because I'm adorable...I wonder what my problem is.
65. I have a way with parents. All women over the age of 40 find me absolutely adorable and perfect for their son, grandson, nephew...impossible to be perfect for all of them, sorry.
66. Friday eve is my favorite day of the week.
67. I've planned out my funny anecdote to tell on Letterman when I become a famous movie star and promote the release of the show--fake laughs and all.
68. I am very skilled at instant messenger and gchat--I surprise myself with the number of conversations I can carry on at the same time. I owe all of my fake typing skills to interoffice IM.
69. I'm not normally afraid of the dark, but sometimes I can freak myself out enough that I get totally scared and it only makes the fear worse.
70. I don't have tivo. This means that when I find a show that I love to watch, I plan my night around being home to watch it. It is bitter sweet when shows end, I get my life back but it closes an era (exhibit a: the Gilmore Girls)
71. I like listening to "bad" music that is awesome on KOIT 96.5 on the radio. I have a theory that lyrics to those songs are ingrained in our souls...think about how many of them you can easily sing along too. Just ask Courtney, she knows.
72. My sales rep in Seattle thinks I look like Mandy Moore. She tells everyone this too. I don't see it. Maybe the bangs.
73. Whenever Lori and I go out to dinner we always go to Stoneground...especially after the stinky cheese incident at Bombera.
74. I get a little sad when I hear or try and speak Korean now because I've forgotten so much. I'm grateful when Koreans humor me and let me talk to them and they say I'm good. I know they are lying, but it makes me feel good.
75. I really enjoy flowers and know how to take care of them, but I have a tendency to kill plants. I think it is a lazy thing.
76. I love reading fashion and entertainment magazines on airplanes and on the beach.
77. I miss being able to sleep in past 8 on a Saturday. Back in college, I could easily sleep in till 1 or 2. Walking up to go to work everyday has totally ruined my internal clock.
78. When I was younger I thought that one day I would have enough freckles that I would be all brown and perma-tan. That never happened.
79. I get an insane amount of junk mail.
80. I bruise really easily. I always seem to have one and have no idea where it came from.
81. I'm on a quest to discover/create the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever.
82. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if it were a musical.
83. Raw tomatoes make me want to die...I had to eat them "to be nice" in Korea and it almost killed me. They are disgusting.
84. I miss being able to stay up for Letterman every once in awhile back in Utah. Prime time starts so late in California.
85. I love having house jokes that we can get all of our friends into. (Who's glad that guy's gone? What the h? Number 1, Ne na ne na, etc)
86. I always think I want a job that I have to be dressed in business formal all the time, but then when I have to wear a suit for a few days in a row, I'm totally glad that's not the case.
87. I'm pretty sure that I'm tied for funniest person in the ward. Self-proclaimed.
88. I play two chords on the guitar really well...the rest, not so much. I should practice.
89. I've lived in California for 18 months and am still driving around with a Utah license. I'm not so sure that is legal. I don't want to have to take a driving test.
90. I ride the bus every day with basically the same people. They all seem to be a lot more social than me since they will chat with each other while waiting. I just stand there and wait for the bus. I do however have two friends on the bus: Melissa and Scott. Awesome!
91. I don't wear glasses or contacts. I want a pair of glasses to wear as an accessory.
92. I often determine what I'm going to wear based off of the shoes that I want to wear.
93. It takes me forever to use gift cards that I receive. I either wait until there is something I really want to buy, or I forget I have them and just pay for stuff instead of using the gift card.
94. I like checking things off of to do lists. Sometimes I'll write down things that I do every day just so I have something to check off.
95. I keep to dos on post-it notes on my desk, along with reminders and things. This causes my desk to fill up with lots of post-it notes. I hate it when they lose their sticky and get stuck to my arm or move around on the desk. I also hate it when I use sub-par post-its and they leave a sticky residue on my desk.
96. I prefer using Sharpies and construction paper for most things (grocery lists, letters, sign up sheets, etc.).
97. If they didn't bleed through paper, I would only use Sharpie markers. I don't make mistakes and can handle the permanent ink. Just kidding--I just like the fine point Sharpie's.
98. Every time I clean my office and bedroom, I'm amazed at how quickly they get cluttered again. I'm not a dirty person, stuff just builds up.
99. Dirty bathrooms and kitchens gross me out.
100. I have a good sense of direction and can follow maps very well.

Let the Celebrations Begin

I officially started my birthday celebrations last night at Lark Creek Steakhouse. It is super delicious if any of you are starving in the Bloomingdale's mall and want a big, tasty dinner.

This is also why I didn't have time to finish the 100 list last night, and why I didn't get to eat a French Dip sandwich yesterday. I still claim I'm in the club even though I haven't had participated in three months.

This week the annual NABE and ABA meetings are here in San Francisco (it's a big lawyer seminar) which means it's like traveling for week long meetings without the benefit of having the rest of your life on hold (or at least out of your hands) because you are far away. There's just too much to do when they are all together. So, some of my team was in town and we went out to dinner after the meetings. Dinner was good as was the snickerdoodle cookie with a candle that I got because it is my birthday on Saturday!!! Hurray! The celebrations have begun, and I'm in full "I'm so happy it is my birthday" mode! Not liking the fact that I have lots of work and meetings and have to stay late in the city every night...but I'm psyched that it's finally my birthday.

I'll keep you all posted on the rest of the celebrations. I think it may get pretty spread out this year since my parents are in town for the actual day and celebration, my work party won't be until next week, and the friend party will have to be later too.

Let's talk about me, baby. Part I

I've seen these lists going around on several of my friend's blogs lately. H, I've seen it on stranger's blogs, I just haven't read it because they aren't as entertaining if you don't know the person...I digress. I was obviously hesitant at first because 100 interesting factoids is a lot. But since I like to talk about myself and can easily type as I think up stuff--just as Natalie can attest to--I'm sure I'll be able to create a great list for you all. So, in no particular order and without further adew, I bring you 100 interesting facts about yours truly that you may or may have not already known. Keep in mind these go from shallow to deep and back again, and I could probably write an entire blog entry about each and every one (I won't though.)

1. I don't care for ice cream. I'd much rather eat cakes and cookies.
2. Apples are my favorite fruit. Honey crisp apples make me so happy.
3. I have an iPod that I never ever use.
4. Some days I know exactly what I want and then the next day I want something completely contradictory. I actually want both but know that will never be possible (e.g. stay single forever and be married).
5. I love being around friends. We don't have to be doing anything. I just love to sit around and chat. In fact, I prefer this to being all alone (although there is a season for everything).
6. I love all of my nieces and nephews and love returning them to their parents when they have dirty diapers or have eaten (this comment refers to the boys).
7. I love the sensation of dead arm when I wake up. How on earth can my pillow weigh so much?
8. I hate my laugh. It is loud and I can't control it.
9. I love laughing. Especially when it makes me cry and my stomach starts hurting. And love it the most when I have to run from the room to the bathroom so I don't pee my pants.
10. Sometimes I wish I could quit my job and open up a bakery that is only open at night time (that's the best time for cupcakes). However, I fear being a small business owner because all the business stuff is a lot of work. Yes, I majored in business. Oh and all of my recipes are stolen from the Barefoot Contessa. So this is a silly plan.
11. I love fresh flowers...I love solid vibrant colors.
12. I love to dance. (Said in the Sarah Jessica Parker Girls Just Want to Have Fun voice)
13. I love movies.
14. I love ABC Family movies and pray that one day I'll be able to buy them on DVD so I can watch them all the time. Especially This Time Around.
15. I get obsessed with albums and will listen to them over and over again until I'm sick or them or find something else. Then I rarely come back to them once I've moved on. It takes me a lot longer to get sick of an album then most people.
16. I love getting non-work emails from friends.
17. I enjoy writing stories rather than telling them even though it takes a lot longer and is sometimes more confusing.
18. I love shoes.
19. I told all of my sisters that I was the favorite and then told my parents and I've gotten the entire family to believe me and act accordingly. Now I really am the favorite.
20. I love my little sister even though everyone (my mom) thinks I was mad she took my "baby" status from me. I'm glad I'm not the baby.
21. I love how different all of my sisters are from me.
22. I love listening to people tell stories.
23. I'm not that great at listening and remembering.
24. I said I contradict myself sometimes.
25. Water is my favorite beverage. I seriously love it more than anything else and always order it at restaurants even though it makes the server mad because it is free.
26. I tip well even when the server doesn't deserve it. I could probably count the number of times that I was so annoyed that I didn't tip well. It's not a lot.
27. I really enjoyed being a server and a bar tender. I sometimes think that I should quit my job and work at a hoity toity restaurant in san francisco and sleep in every morning...then I remember I don't get weekends off and I have to be nice to everyone.
28. I love not having to do my hair.
29. I wish I was better at wearing make up. Some people can make thier eyes looks so cool. When I try I feel like I have a ton of make up on and that I'm playing dress up.
30. Getting emails from Natalie and Amy still makes me happy...every single time. Because I know they will be long and full of inconsequential tidbits that we can analyze.
31. I love discovering lost acquaintences in the blogosphere. A couple of weeks ago I found this kid that was my fhe dad at Utah State for like a semester before he transferred to BYU...I've since lost where I tracked the blog down and hope to run into it again.
32. I love sleep and have no idea why I always stay up too late thus causing me to get less sleep than I would love.
33. I love obvious dating/realtionship/health/life lesson articles on MSN and Yahoo. If you've ever read them you totally know what I'm talking about.
34. I love reading the news on my phone on the bus ride home when I'm avoiding studying.
35. I hate sitting next to strangers on buses and airplanes. I think as small as possible and avoid contact as much as possible.
36. I love my freckles...and I'm super glad that Abbie has adorable freckles too.
37. I'm obsessed with sunblock. I hate getting sun burns and will put on SPF 50 numerous times in an outing.
38. I feel stupid when I do get sun burnt.
39. I love getting more freckles though. I also love when I've been out in the sun and they are brighter than normal.
40. I love that the freckles on my legs camoflouge the leg hair thus allowing me to go bare legged when I really shouldn't because the leg hair is quite long.
41. I love making up nicknames.
42. I could watch any episode of Gilmore Girls with my mom in her monstrous bed any time and still love it.
43. When watching the Gilmore Girl episodes by season numerous time, I'm a little sad every time it gets to the end because I don't want it to end.
44. Full seasons of television shows on DVD is the greatest invention ever.
45. I love to read on the bus and am anxiously awaiting the end of the perma-studying because there are so many books I want to read.
46. I can never decide what I want for Christmas or my birthday until it is right upon me.
47. I love my birthday more than any other day in the entire year.
48. I only eat kid cereals. Adult cereals gross me out.
49. I have a tendency to create awkward moments or make semi-awkward moments even worse.
50. I have grown to love the awkward. They make for excellent stories.

Due to #32 I'm going to have to go to bed. I'm super sleepy and I've got a busy and early day tomorrow morning. I'll finish this list later.

Tie a String on your Finger

After my own forgetfulness last month, I'm not going to let this month's French Dip Tuesday go by uncelebrated. Let's all get French Dip sandwiches tomorrow...yum!

My Sabbatical

As many of you may have noticed, I took a month long sabbatical from the blog. During this time, I have been able to do a lot of quality research and gather the information needed to further the entertainment derived from this blog and its entries. According to my mother, my blog is hilarious, and I should write a book. This is something I already knew. I'm h-ing hilarious and could easily be the equivalent of a mormon Sophie Kinsella--with the help of my life coach, of course.



I did a lot of this on my sabbatical. Here I am thinking. Thinking about the meaning of life. Thinking about my purpose here on this earth. Thinking about what the future holds for me. Thinking about what to blog about. Truth be told...I'm posing for the picture so I look like I'm thinking. There was no thought process in my head besides I hope this picture doesn't make me look fat because I'll just delete it.

I'm confident that this month long sabbatical will result in a plethora of funny posts that will one day be the basis for my best-seller and chronicle my life's adventures. I'll try and keep you entertained this week Leslie.

What's more American than Independence Day?

Nothing. Nothing.

What's more American than getting a good spot for the Alameda parade?



Nothing. Nothing.

What's more American than barbecues?



Nothing. Nothing.

What's more American than Amy?



Nothing. Nothing.

What's more American than baseball?



Nothing. Nothing.

What's more American than squinty eyed smiles?



Nothing. Nothing.

What's more American than fuzzy pictures taken while bouncing crying/sleeping babies?



Nothing. Nothing.

What's more American than Red Dawn?



Nothing. Nothing.

What's more American than High School Musical?



Nothing. Nothing. Seriously, absolutely nothing here. I've heard of this from Abbie and had to Netflix it...good call!

Well Done Me

As many of you know I'm studying for the GMAT. I love standardized tests. I also love doing math that I haven't done since junior high. Luckily, I think I may be smart enough. Check this out:

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Too bad none of the questions on this little quiz have appeared in my GMAT study book. Wish me luck!

The Crimson Wave

A few weeks ago I officially joined the Alameda Bike Gang. The gang started just over a year ago when I moved to Alameda and Courtney, Sarah and I decided that we would start a gang and beat up other people in the ward that didn't live on the island. However, since I didn't have a bike, I couldn't really go on the gang bike rides. When Gnu moved to the island he instantly became a member of the gang and threatened my expulsion from the gang because I didn't have a bike. Therefore, in an effort to keep myself in the club, I finally bought a bike.



Even at the risk of making this sound like a Craig's List posting (where I actually found the bike) I will continue to talk about it. According to the previous owner this is a 50's Schwinn World Tour Cruiser. I have no idea if that is correct or what that even means, but I love it! It has a basket. It is red...well, like a burnt redish color. It has one speed so I don't have to worry about all of that gear shifting thing. It has a foot brake, again, I don't have to worry about all that handle bar stuff. It is perfect for getting around the flat little island I call home.



Now, when the gang goes out late at night to cause trouble, I can go too. This bike has been around the block so many times, I can't even count. It's furthest trip has been a late night run to the library to return an overdue book. I still need to get myself a bike lock--I'm paranoid that it'll disappear the second I leave it somewhere even with a lock on it (can you blame me? Who wouldn't want this beauty?) I also need to get a helmet. Although I personally don't like helmets and am sure I will look like a total dweeb in one, I am pro-safety and tend to follow such safety guidelines (seat belts, closed toed shoes at Lagoon, etc.) in an effort to conform to society and regulations determined by the man. That and I think dying by getting my head bashed in during a bike accident would totally suck. So, I need to get these two things, and I will then ride my bike more often.



Today is the perfect day to go for an afternoon bike ride along the beach. Check out my shadow. That is the shadow of someone wishing she was on the bike and not wearing a dress thus preventing a "G-rated" bike ride for the kids in the neighborhood (read--I don't want to go around flashing my white biker shorts underneath my dress).



The Alameda bike gang is always looking for newcomers. All you need is something with wheels (a bike, long board, roller skates, Razor scooter, etc.). If we get big enough we could be in contention for a spot in the parade next year.

Freaks and Geeks

I don't know how many of you caught this little gem back when it originally aired. However, thanks to Netflix you can do what Courtney, Gnu and I did and watch it all day on Sunday. I highly recommend it!

Spending five hours of my day watching this show has gotten me to think about what exactly it means to be a freak and/or a geek. I did the little quiz on Cindy's blog. I also was a total nerd...fine, I buy it, whatever. However, it still didn't answer the question as to what it means to be a freak and/or a geek.

This quandry reminds me of a little game my friends and I played one year in college. Remember when you were in elementary school and you would break into teams for dodge ball/kick ball/red rover (insert your favorite school yard game here). Then do you remember standing there hoping that one of the team captains would pick you to be on his/her team, desperately hoping and praying that you wouldn't be the last one standing there. All of this stress because the last kid standing there was automatically designated to be on the other team by the first team captain saying, "He's on your team." We all know what that meant and nobody wanted to be that guy. Well, the game we played was basically putting people on our friend's team. Chelsea's team got loaded up with people that we found at Six Flags--yes, let your minds imagine the types of people we found there. While Brynn's team filled up with all awkward guys--she hated us so much for it. In essence, we put the "freaks" in Chelsea's team and the "geeks" in Brynn's. In hindsight, yes, I was a total jerk and should have treated all of these people as children of God, please forgive me. Nonetheless, I was trying to define the definitions of what it was to be a freak and/or a geek.

Do we ever outgrow being a freak or a geek? I spent most of last week melting in Phoenix (seriously 115, it was horrible!!) and observing many alleged freakish behaviors. It would obviously be rude to take pictures, but I was able to pull out my notebook and write them down so as not to miss anything.

I saw a lady with a bejeweled denim jacket. I love bedazzling my clothing as much as the next guy, but this may have been a little over the top. Every color of the rainbow was represented in plastic shiny jewels stuck to the shoulder and upper back of the jacket. How is it possible to not have these things poking you while wearing a bag across your shoulder?

While on a ride along with my sales rep in Phoenix, we visited a paralegal who had a sequined blue shirt on. Completely sequined blue shirt that she wore to work in an office on a Tuesday. She also had feathered bangs and side bangs and straight hair in the back. I hadn't seen this look in years...okay, I'd never seen this look in real life only movies and tv shows on Nick at Night.

I ate lunch at an average restuarant that appeared to be a local hot spot. While waiting for the server to return with the check, I looked over and saw an older gentleman reach down into his cowboy boot to pull out his wallet. People actually keep their wallets in their cowboy boots...how awesome is that? I've got to get myself some cowboy boots.

I spent about a day and a half at our booth on the exhibit floor for the Arizona State Bar show. Usually, I don't tend to see too much odd behavior amongst attorneys, they tend to be an old conservative bunch. However, two people caught my eye. The first was a lady just walking around. Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to her, but I made a mental picture of her outfit that I will now try to describe for you. I'll start at the top. Her black hair was in a pony tail covered up by an American flag bandana. Then she wore a red mesh top over a blue leotard. Then she had on a pair of pink, blue and red leggings with pictures of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean on them. I got stuck on the leggings and have no recollection of the shoes. This outfit was a masterpiece. I wonder if she wears that in the courtroom? Next was a man going by the name of David Brown. I don't know if I can believe him because I caught him being dishonest about a few other things. First of all, he had a toupee on his head--can't be honest about the status of his hair. Second, he had the initals ADS monogrammed on his shirt. Where do you get ADS out of David Brown? How am I to believe such a man? He showed up the second day of the conference in the exact same outfit.

These people all had one thing in common. It didn't matter if they were a freak or a geek, they were happy. My observation and judgment didn't change they way they acted. Not one of them seemed sad or miserable or even cared about what I or anyone else thought about them. So, now, I don't only know what it means to be a freak or a geek, but I also don't know why it matters in the first place.

So, the doomed question. Am I a freak or a geek? Do I do things that make other people giggle and write about me in their blog so all of their friends are amused by my antics? Am I being placed on someone else's "team" in an effort to mock and torment that person? Are my friends therefore freaks and geeks too? Must it be that we all have a little freak and geek in each of us and the goal of life is to just let our freak flag fly?

Just Another Day at the Park

It is summertime which means baseball time. I'm not a big baseball fan, not at all in fact. I've been to a handful of Giants games. I was with friends so I could occupy my time fine enough. However, my first A's game was super close thus allowing me to actually watch and enjoy the game. Hey, did you know baseball games can be fun? There are two rules to make baseball games fun. 1) Sit at least this close. And 2) Have a guy that looks like this sit in front of you and hit on you--awesome!