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!