Bun in the Oven Alert

Hello!

I know I haven't posted in a while but I have a good reason. You see, none of my weekend trips seem like a big deal right now. I have a new perspective because... drumroll... I've got a bun in the oven!

Here is a picture of the positive pregnancy test I took. I'm nine weeks now and my due date is June 2nd. We had the first ultrasound this morning and it was really amazing to see the little critter. It's heart was beating sooooo fast.

I've been a little nauseous so far but I only had my head in the toilet once. I've been tired a lot and haven't had the energy to exercise. Otherwise, I've been doing pretty good.

I'll keep you posted about how the next seven months go!

Wheee!!! It's October!!!

October is my most absolutely, positively favoritist time of the year. Not just because my birthday is on October 24th (hint hint) but because the month culminates in the greatest, spookiest holiday of all - Halloween!

I've been a big fan of halloween my whole entire lifetime. I don't know what appeals to me so much about it - the costumes? the makeup? the interior design possibilites? Who knows! But every year I see the artistic possibilities and I succomb to the siren call of cobwebs, black lighting and rubber bats. I've already pulled out my collection of Halloween movies and spooky sounds CD and done my window shopping.

But this year I have to be careful about how I celebrate Halloween in my office.

Two years ago I went all out in my workspace. I erected silhouettes of haunted houses, skeletons, 5' mummy statues and stuck Martha Stewart rat silhouettes all over the walls. I've done this everywhere I've ever worked and my co-workers always enjoy it, even to the point of competition. Nobody ever seemed to mind the decorations.

But that year I had a new neighbor whose office was across from me. I'll call her Risa for the sake of anonymity. I knew she wasn't crazy about Halloween but I didn't realize the extent of it. I talked to her about it beforehand (I always check with people I work with before I decorate) and she said I could do whatever I wanted as long as I waited until October and she would keep her door closed.

Well, October rolled in and my decorations went up and her door stayed closed. For two whole days I didn't see her come out of her office at all. I thought it was strange but didn't realize the extent of it until she finally emerged on the third day in tears.

I talked to her in her office as she stood in the corner shaking:
"I see demons everywhere and you don't care!"
"But, Risa, I talked to you about this two months ago."
"Yes, but I didn't know it would be like this! This is a workplace!"
"Okay, I'll take them down."

And I ripped everything down and threw it in the garbage. When I returned to my desk I checked my email and found an angry email from Risa to me commanding that I remove everything and be more professional. Naturally, she CC'd everyone in upper management.

And, for the next year I was given the silent treatment by her entire department. (Later, I was accused of being unfriendly toward them but that's another super-fun and not-at-all-excrutiatingly-painful story.)

The moral of the story is this: Don't bring your passion to work. Be dull and ordinary and everything will be spiffy great. And definitely don't be bitter about it two years later.

Office Fun and Games

I was a very naughty girl yesterday. Our company picnic was being held at a nearby park and it involved mandatory fun and games. I really, really hate being forced to participate in any activity. In addition to this, it was extremely hot and the air conditioning was out in our office building making for a sauna-like workplace.

So what did I do? I made lemonade out of lemons. I told everyone I'd be there as soon as the air conditioning was fixed and then I stayed in my office alone all day with an illicitly gained fan blowing on me. It was great and I actually enjoy warmer temperatures so the heat was no big deal for me. I got the office to myself and got tons of work done. Plus, I didn't have to compete in a three-legged race or make artificial conversation all day.

Around 1:00 someone called me and asked if the air conditioning was fixed yet. "Nope," I said. "They're still working on it."

Yeah, it was fixed around noon. Ssshhhhh...

Hearst Castle

I've been wanting to go to Hearst Castle for a while now. I love architecture and art plus scenic views and this monument holds the promise of them all.

Unfortunately, I found it to be totally disappointing. The castle was dark and dingy and was filled with lots and lots of stuff. It felt like an episode of Hoarders where some rich white guy raped an empovershed Europe of all its art and shoved it in a mausoleum.

Even worse, all the exhibits at the visitors' center are pro-W.R. Hearst to the extreme. There's nothing balanced about it, you even have to watch a 30 minute movie about how wonderful the Hearst family is. Blech.

At the end though I found the friendliest crows outside the food court. I don't think I've ever met crows that acted like pigeons before but these guys will take the food right off your plate.

In the end, I do think everyone should go here at least once. The drive down Highway 1 is beautiful and at the castle, well, you'll definitely get some spiffy interior design ideas (as in, you'll have lots of ideas of what not to do).

Big Sur

Last weekend Jeff and I went to Big Sur. I had never spent any quality time there before and it was a great getaway for us. We stayed in a cute little cabin.

It was about the size of a tool shed and did not have a TV. It did offer peace and quiet though.
Some of the other cottages are bigger. Check out this A frame:

They have a swimming hole but it was a little too cold for a swim.
They rent inner tubes to float around in. But watch your flip flops!
There were some interesting characters around the camp:

Lots of great hiking in the area. This is Pfeiffer falls.

Check out this foot bridge near our camp. We tried to cross it but the entrances were locked up tight.

There's lots of shops and restaurants in the area. Nepenthe is good but the menu is a bit limited. This is the patio of the Big Sur Roadhouse. I like the atmosphere there and I kept bothering the waitresses to tell me what CDs they were playing (Bonnie Raitt and Norah Jones). I think that if I were to open a restaurant it would be like this one. Small, cute, lots of quirky art pieces and, most important, quality creative cuisine.

We spent one day down south checking out Hearst Castle and Cambria. I'll blog about that tomorrow though.

We had a great time in Big Sur but, of course, the time came to go and we were all sad to leave.

Par-tay!

Yesterday I threw a party for Jeff's birthday. It was a small gathering of some of some of his closest friends.

I love throwing parties. We had a taco bar, cupcakes, cookies, doggies, and prizes. The best part was when he cracked open the Darth Vader pinata and a ton of tiny booze bottles fell out (waves to Shonelle!). Of course, everybody had to try the helmet on. Here's a few pics from yesterday:

Birthday Boy

Once upon a time (43 years ago today) a young man was hatched:

Then, a few years later, he met the girl of his dreams:

And they lived happily ever after... The end!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF!!!

Jewseum

Yesterday, Jeff and I took my parents to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco or, as I affectionately call it, the "Jewseum".

Although I'm not practicing any religion, I was raised with a Jewish heritage. I can't tell you what the hebrew letters are, or what a "mensch" is, but I have lit many a menorah and I don't spell G-d. Jeff was raised Catholic and knows even less about Judaism than I do, so it was an educational experience for him as well. He took it very seriously.

The main exhibit there was of Maira Kalman's work.

She illustrates for the New Yorker and many children's work and she's absolutely amazing.

Other exhibits there include an academic exhibit about the intricacies of the Torah. Each torah is done by hand by an expert who knows all the rules about transcribing. Only certain fonts are allowed and certain letters are more ornate than others. Even the ink has to be kosher.

One of the most enjoyable exhibits there was called "Black Sabbath" and it's about the connection between black and Jewish musicians. Several stations were set up to listen to music. It was amazing to listen to Earth Kitt singing in Yiddish and The Temptations singing Over the Rainbow.

My parents got really into it too.

It was cute seeing my mom singing out loud while all the other patrons sat there like stone statues. I like my family.

After the museum, we walked around Union Square and the touristy Market area. Probably the most entertaining part of our trip was when my mom started screaming at some frightened woman driver making an illegal left turn. Even though the area was really loud, my mom was louder and everybody turned to stare at her. I love that woman.

Before going home we stopped at the SFMOMA and I bought a map of San Francisco that I've been coveting for a while.

Isn't it great? I'm going to hang it in my office.

Camping Fun

Last weekend I went camping with Jeff and my sisters at Manresa Beach, just south of Santa Cruz. I've been there a couple of times before but this was probably the best time because it was with family and we had a reason to celebrate - my sister stacy's birthday!

On Saturday we drove through Corralitos which is a beautiful rural community near Watsonville. They have tons of apple orchards and some small nurseries. Nearby, we went to Bamboo Giant, a huge nursery that specializes in, well, bamboo. They have endless trails to walk through filled with different types of bamboo plus ponds and other structures.

That night, we had tons of food for dinner and then locked up the leftovers in the food locker. Around one in the morning I heard Stacy yelling. I rolled out of our tent and found her shooing a raccoon away. After things settled down I went back to bed and was just about to fall back asleep when I heard more scurrying. Being too lazy to get up, I grabbed my camera and stuck it out the tent door. Here is the cutie I caught on film:

We threw a big party for Stacy but she didn't want any pictures of her posted. So, here's to you big sis. Happy birthday!

More Man-Eating Plants

Here are some more shots from the conservatory of flowers for you to enjoy:













This weekend: Camping at Manresa Beach and kayaking at Elkhorn Slough

Man-Eating Plants

Today's pictures are from the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park. I love this place. I could go there every day and not get tired of it. They have several rooms with different themes and temperatures so if you go be sure to dress in layers. They're having a carniverous plant special exhibit until October 31st. Enjoy!