for those of you keeping track

My date was great! We had so much fun.

Dinner was delicious! I was taken to La Suite and we had champagne, wine, 2 delicious appetizers, and then our main courses. Truly delectable and I would go there again!

Corteo was really fun and the coolest part is we were in the front row! It was really cool to be so close and see the minute the details of a show of that magnitude! We could see the intricate make up of the complex machinery on the very ceiling, and a lot of the performers and effects before the rest of the audience saw them. Because we’re both geeks, we really liked that. :) The show is really sweet and you’re definitely swept away into their circus world. It’s apparently a story about a clown’s dream, and so it was kind of ethereal and random… and most all words spoken were Italian, so it set the mood for a very dreamy feeling. The main character clown is really cute (not to mention the little people :) and there were many times I gasped or outright screamed from being so scared of some of the death-defying acts they were pulling off!

Since we didn’t have time for dessert, we actually ended up going back to La Suite again! I had a Bailey’s on ice to compliment our tasty treats, and we even got a complimentary sampler plate to try a bite of everything. yummm. With the night still young we hit one more “hot spot” (it really is, if you like those kind of places. but we had a hookup there that treated us like royalty, so it made it really fun) for a few more drinks. Overall the night was a blast! Thank you, to my date who’s name I will not disclose here! :)

:::

Now I’m off to dress up like a faerie! bye!

i heart gbc

I am getting SO excited for Thanksgiving dinner!!! I’m dreaming of eating (lots of) GBC (Green Bean Casserole), stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey & gravy, and I can’t forget the pumpkin pie with whip cream! mmmmmmm!!!! I can’t wait!!!

What’s even better is I get to spend it surrounded by my friends! Ted & Misty are hosting Turkey day this year and I just know that means it’s going to ROCK. Especially when Misty’s invite went something like, “1pm doors open, 3pm dinner, Drinking all day”. hahaa. I love her.

Plus, Ali was just as excited about the GBC as I was AND she’s even bring her Watkins family recipe (their tradition was to substitute the Cream of Mushroom out with Cream of Cheddar! YUUMMMM!), so we’ll have 2 GBC’s! I can’t wait!

something i feel like yelling today:

I’m going on a date tonite! Neener, neener, neener! :)

:::::::

Lastnight Ali & I hit the Broken Social Scene/Feist show and it was SOOO GOOD!!!! Have you ever seen Broken Social Scene?! OMG. I saw them 2 years ago (god, I can’t believe it was that long ago!) and they blew me away just as much. They are just SO DAMN WONDERFUL! 12 people on the stage = lots of guitars, beautiful layered vocals, 2 drum sets and lots of horns!! AMAZING.

Feist opened and she has the most beautiful voice! Not to mention she’s beautiful! Or at least her body is because she was looking goooood in her white top & tight white jeans. She’s vibrant and genuine, and her voice… oh maaaan she has SUCH a beautiful jazzy, soulful, unique voice. Seeing her live was SUCH a treat lastnight. Watching, dancing and enjoying the beautiful musical force that is Broken Social Scene was a treat and then Feist came out and joined them!! So great.

By the end I was feeling a tad impatient with the packed crowd and Kevin’s (somewhat dreamy – if not for his adorable personality alone – lead singer of BSS) drawn out ending… but I think that had more to do with the venue than anything. The Regency Ballroom isn’t my favorite, but I think Ali & I did good at scooting up as close as possible, which equated to roughly 10th row or so. It was loud so thank goodness we had our earplugs – and I even ran into my friends Manny & Joel! I missed seeing you there, Eric T. – did you enjoy it?!

Next up is My Morning Jacket at the Fillmore tomorrow night. Did you know it’s going to be filmed for a video, so everyone’s encouraged to dress up as Faeries, Goblins and Wizards!? Oh man, it should be interesting. Ali and I have both agreed that it will take some work, but we’re going to try looking faery-ish as much as possible. I told her we’ll act like we’ve been waiting our whole lives for a show to request this! hahaha. Bottom line though is there’s going to be some quality people watching happening!!

hump day

When I was leaving the gym this morning, a guy was walking in wearing a “Good Bush Bad Bush” sweatshirt. Quite timely for my post yesterday. ;)

Yay that Prop 73 failed!! Also, if you haven’t seen it already, this Arnold’s Neighborhood site is pretty funny. It’s so sad that our government is such a joke!

I listened to Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market at the gym today. I am 1/2 way through it, so they’re just getting to the sex industry part of it all, but the first 1/2 was all about the drug trade and cheap labor. It’s so insane to learn about how ass backwards the system is around migrant workers and how hard Mexicans work for only a couple dollars a day, risking their lives and sleeping on floors. It’s almost dumbfounding that this is happening today! It sounds like something that we should have rectified a long time ago…. but noooooo the greedy people at the top need their strawberries picked for cheap! Do you know that to rectify the situation and give living wage pay to these workers, it would only cost every household about $50 more/year for their produce?

I mean, really – how is it that our government, and even more so our Justice system, is so corrupt!? How can we expect anyone to follow the “rules” when we’re constantly getting fed bullshit, people are encouraged to plead guilty to get anywhere, and then going to jail for ridiculously long sentences for non-violent crimes? There are no regulations being enforced!! Who’s going to enforce them – the ass backwards officials who are only stoked that by being IN the corrupt system, their asses are safer than the laymen on the street? Gaaaaawd!! No wonder we can feel so goddamn helpless when we’re up against what is practically a completely illogical system. *sigh*

OK, that’s the end of my rant.

:::::

I watched Sidewalks of New York lastnight & I thought it was really good. I thought it was a great depiction of relationships, how so many people in marriage cheat and aren’t satisfied with monogamy. I recently spoke with a married woman who said her & her husband might start sleeping with other people. Or at least that she’d let him go get his rocks off, since she’s just not into it after having a couple kids. I often wonder if that isn’t the solution to a boring marriage… just go into it with a somewhat more open idea around sexual partners? I dunno… food for thought I guess. Anyway, the movie is very poignant to our day & age when no marriages last. Sad… but like anything else it’s probably better to face the truth & brainstorm alternatives – or rather be completely up front & honest ahead of time – instead of repeating the pattern.

Alright, that was a cheery post, huh!? hahaa.

kids are funny

I went & hung out with my good friend Elana & her kiddos last Friday night. Zach is getting so big & his little voice is adorable!! We had a super yummy dinner (Chinese from Tommy’s in Sausalito – yumm!) and afterwards the kiddos started saying the wanted to watch “Broadway”. What could that be? Turns out it is a DVD of Broadway Musicals, which is only fitting for this household, considering Elana performed off Broadway and has always been a huge fan of theatre and musicals… but still, it’s hilarious.

At one point Elana had gone to change Zach, and Marissa (4 years old) & I were watching one that Vanessa Williams was performing in. Marissa looked over and said to me, “She’s chocolate!” hahaa! And I just said, “She is? What does that mean?” to which she replied, “That means we can eat her!” hahhaa! Elana has no idea WHERE she got this from, but apparently heard her say it last week to her cousin (who is adopted and also black) to the tune of, “You’re chocolate and I’m vanilla!”. hahaa.

Also worth noting is when the line of dancing girls comes out on the stage, 2 year old Zach says, “Here come the girls!” in the most adorable little voice you’ve ever heard. I have a video of it, so I’ll put it up eventually.


view all photos from friday night

I call Marissa “Mari” for short and on Friday night she told me to not call her that. So we made up a new one… she’s now Mar Mar Superstar. :p

Getting the kids ready for bed, I got to read Zach a couple of books, while Elana read to Marissa in her room. Zach was sooooo cute. We read this adorable book called Russell the Sheep, and whenever it got to a page where Russell’s sleeping cap spiraled around the page, Zach had to sit up & trace it with his finger. He also did a great job at counting the sheep, but went from 8 to 11 w/o blinking an eye. ;)

Elana & I stayed up talking for a few more hours. It was great to catch up and have a relaxing night drinking wine with an old friend.

random updates/thoughts from the last week

  • I hope you Californians voted today! I’m late on posting this, but thought I’d point out a great voting guide on Bagel Radio’s site. You should also download Ted’s kick ass compiliations if you haven’t already.
  • I am enjoying a relatively new “e-friendship” with this awesome designer, painter and music lover in ohio. I can hardly remember how we first connected, but was blown away he painted the cover of the Heartless Bastards CD. So cool. Hmm… Ali, do you need to go back home & visit family any time soon and maybe want to take me with you? :)
  • I have had an insane craving for potato salad lately. I bought some. Ate it all. I still want more. Now I’ve asked my neighbor to make me some, and the best part is he’ll make it how I like it best: red potatoes, with the skins still on, and celery! In other random "what I’m eating" news, I made myself a sandwhich today that was melted gouda, turkey and honey mustard on a wheat pita! mmm!
  • Book worm: In the last 2 months I’ve read (or listened to) Freakanomics, The Namesake, Pattern Recognition and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. I am currently reading Reefer Madness (this one I’m listening to), Eats Shoots & Leaves, Designing With Web Standards and The Now Habit.
  • As for music (you knew it was coming, didn’t you?), I’m currently way into the new: Matt Pond PA, Rogue Wave, Metric, Architecture in Helsinki and Broken Social Scene.
  • Now that I finally have baking supplies in my house (for the first time since living here on my own – 2.5 years! – prompted by my making Pumpkin Spice Cookies from Sarah’s recipe), I am making chocolate chip cookies next!
  • I feel like I could blog for hours and hours and hours I have had so much running through my head to blog about. Sadly hardly *any* of it actually gets posted here.
  • Because I’m sans boyfriend and don’t feel the need to be prepared for a one night stand of any sort, I’ve let my bush grow wild, and I actually think it’s kinda sexy! haha! I realize this might be venturing into TMI, but to me it’s funny. I will go back to waxing again eventually, but right now I am enjoying feeling like a curvy, furry 70’s porn star.
  • Hmm… how to segue from talking about my amazon bush (maybe people will skim this & assume I’m talking about the jerk in the white house?)
  • Best shows on TV: Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Laguna Beach, and E.R.. I also indulge in Joey, Will & Grace and most recently I’m checking out that new show, Freddie, because I know one of the writers. I have completely given up on The Real World, but for some reason still TiVo it.
  • I get to go see Cirque du Soleil’s Corteo on Thursday night! When I saw that this was coming to town, I thought to myself "Oooh, I hope a boy asks me to go!" and guess what? Someone did! yay!
  • I have been SO productive lately! Going over my to do list last Thursday I realized I had something on there from 2 YEARS AGO. It was a probono wall painting I’d offered to do for a school in Marin when I first went out on my own. I was going to do it for the potential new business I might get from all the parents that would see it. However, shortly afterwards the winter rains came and my Web Design business took off, leaving me up to my ears in work, not to mention learning how to run my own business. I had kept in touch with the lady there, dropping her a postcard periodically letting her know I hadn’t forgotten. But as time went on my business only got busier and it is just plain time to call a spade a spade and admit it’s not a priority and therefore it’s not going to happen. So last week I took the steps to officially let her know I wouldn’t be doing it. However, right before I dropped the letter in the mail to her, I talked to a friend who said she hasn’t been there in about a year anyway! Oh my. Let this be a lesson to me to clear up things on my To Do lists more often. This task has only been a burden on my mind. I wanted to do it, I really did! But as much as it saddens me I can’t take the time to paint those big white canvases (walls & fences), it’s quite freeing to have it officially off my plate. I didn’t send the letter but instead opened it back up & read it to myself.
  • The theme of streamlining my time has become a big one for me this year. Or more so as of summer, maybe. I don’t know… I’m always in a constant state of wanting to be more efficient, productive, etc. Either way, recently I’ve been actively re-prioritizing things in my life in order to free up some time for things I’ve been wanting to do forever and instead keep hearing myself say "I don’t have time". A few of the big things are: I’ve officially put down drumming for the time being, I’m trying not to work every weekend like I have for the majority of the last 2 years, and I’m scheduling time for *my* art.
  • Another fantastic accomplishment this week was finishing up a site for a client of mine that we started way back in May. There were some delays on their end that took so long that by the time they were ready to get started again, I was smack dab in the middle of another huge project, so it had to be put on hold for a little bit longer. It’s now in the final review process, but the fact that that To Do List item is checked off is SO AWESOME!
  • As of yesterday morning, I officially have a Sellers Permit! So now I can buy T’s at wholesale prices! I’m hoping to open a store on my site in the next few months.
  • I have only gone to the gym once or twice in the last few weeks, but instead I’ve been hiking up the hill behind my house and it’s been so nice. This morning I woke up and took a hike. It had rained all night, so everything was dripping wet. But the sun was out, it was blue skies and the air was nice and crisp. Everytime I’m up there I look out to the amazing view and am so thankful I live in such a kick ass city.
  • My Mom & I were originally going to go to Cozumel for Christmas to go diving… but now we’re not due to all the hurricane damage. :( I feel so bad for all the people down there… they got hit really hard. I’m bummed though because I’ll be getting certified at the end of this month and really wanted to spend Christmas someplace warm!! So now we need to figure out where to go. I still want to try to have us end up on a warm beach! Man, doesn’t that sound awesome right now?
  • Hot showers are like crack to me. I need a fix! It’s also time to put the electric blanket back on the bed. brrrr.

OK, I think I got most of the random thoughts out. I’m sure there’s more… but this will do for now. :)

ten years later

"Get Crafty!" Craft day at Willo’s
Nov 06, 2005
My friends & I try to put together craft days here & there. It had been awhile, so I set one up at mi casa and said "let the huffing of glue begin!" hahaa. A few people couldn’t make it and a few people simply spaced it. Hey, it was a Sunday, so I don’t blame em… but we had fun! I’m stoked to start doing this more regularly.
   
John Vanderslice w/ Most Serene Republic @ the Independent
Nov 05, 2005
Most Serene Republic were TERRIFIC! I can’t wait to get their album – they were really, really good. John Vanderslice, however, had me snoring. zzzzzz. I’d seen him before & didn’t enjoy it, and was really afraid I was going to feel that way again – and I did. SNOOZEFEST. I couldn’t get into it at all and honestly it was painful to wait it out. Ali is a huge fan though, so she stayed up front & enjoyed it. The only saving graces for me were that I ran into my friend Becca, and JV finally played "Pale Horse". I’ll stick to listening to him at home.
   
Metric @ Slims
Nov 03, 2005

I’m officially in LOVE with Emily Haines. Metric’s new album "Live it Out" kicks ass, and this show was AWESOME!! I love her so much, love Metric and loved this show!! so sweeeeeeeet.
   
Dan’s Bday @ Suppenküche
Nov 01, 2005

Dan’s gf, Sarah, set up a surprise bday dinner for Dan at this great German restaurant in Hayes Valley. It was great to meet some of their other friends, eat some tasty food, and wash it down with lots of fine German beer! Happy Birthday, Dan! (more photos to come, from dan’s camera)
   
Pretty Girls Make Graves – Halloween show @ BotH
Oct 31, 2005

This show was rescheduled from the week before, but having it on Halloween was perfect! Eleventeen opened and I only took photos of them because of the lead’s great t-shirt. ha! PGMG ROCKED! Extra fun because a lot of people (including the band members) were dressed up for Halloween!

calling all smartypants!

I need to find someone I can occasionally ask Javascript questions. The friend I usually ask has recently become way busier and isn’t sure he can help me as much. I know my way around it pretty well, but every once and awhile I get stumped. It’s basically just a few questions here & there… very sporadic. Twice a month maybe? Lately it’s mostly been form checking javascript.

Also I need to ask someone about setting cookie information. Are any of you particularly skilled in these areas? Please let me know! Email willo at willotoons dot com. Also let me know if you’re on IM. Thanks in advance!

dreams

I didn’t sleep very well lastnight (stuffed up nose), so I woke up a lot and it led me to have a bunch of crazy dreams. A few of them have been haunting me all day, so in effort to get them out of my head, here they are:

In one of my dreams someone was telling me I needed to wear foundation every day. I told them I realized I probably should, but I don’t want to! I think foundation is evil because if you wear it all the time, then your face not only doesn’t look as good to you w/o it, but your skin tone gets affected and therefore you look even worse! Or at least that’s what I think anyway, therefore I try to avoid it and go au natural. So anyway, in my dream I remember having to smear this stuff all over my face and it wouldn’t rub in. All the while all I could think about was how sad it was that the next time I had a lover they would have to wake up to my clean, non-foundation-covered-up, but very blotchy skin. hahhaa

:::

I was having dinner with a bunch of strangers in some remote mountain restaurant. I especially liked one of the ladies, though, she reminded me of Kathy Bates. Friendly, mature woman with a wry sense of humor and doesn’t take shit. We made friends and I think she offered to let me stay at her house or something.

After awhile I got tired so I put my earplugs in, curled up under a blanket and tried to go to sleep, but I think I farted and they all heard it (but I didn’t because I had my earplugs in haha!). When I opened my eyes they were all kind of giggling. I felt embarrassed but I looked at my Kathy Bates-ish friend and she looked at me like, “who gives a shit?” and I felt better. hahaa

Once we tried to leave the restaurant we quickly realized we were totally snowed in. Trying to get out of the parking lot, tons of cars were already stuck, blocking the exit. So I went around to exit through the entrance, nervous that those “do not back up” spikes would puncture my tires going the other way, but I felt compelled to try to get out – so I went for it & luckily the snow had covered them up enough.

When I got out to the road I realized all of the cars coming from each way were slipping and sliding all over the place. Somehow I managed to dodge a few sliding cars, but it quickly got VERY scary as there was a hill coming up, and the next car that I saw come up and over it was a HUGE semi-truck!!! The truck, just like every other car on the road, was coming right at me and started jack-knifing, and then almost tipping over. Oddly enough it somehow started flipping and completely missed me! Several scenes happened like this, threatening my life every single time. Randomly at one point Misty was in the car with me, and both of us basically screamed “I guess this is it!”, preparing ourselves to die in that moment. But we didn’t!

Somehow I got out of every super scary near death experience, and with the roads absolutely un-driveable and many crashed cars & trucks mounting up, I decided to get out of my car & walk the rest of the way. Apparently just up & over the hill was “East New York”. I started walking and soon there were hoards of us trudging through the snow. It was such a disaster that it was all over the news so they put us up in this luxury hotel on the water. (Actually, it was so hot that we all just slept by the pool! hahaa!) Once we got there and settled into our lawn chairs, I was really tired. Sarah M. was with me, talking on her cell phone telling someone about our journey. While I was dozing off I confirmed with Sarah that we had been walking for 3 whole days. No wonder I was so tired!!

After sleeping for a bit I woke up to take a swim. While swimming I remember almost losing hold of my sunglasses and then realizing I was actually swimming in a part of the ocean, so if I let them go they’d be lost forever. And seeing as how I was somewhat of a refugee for an unforseen amount of time, I felt like I had to carefully watch over all of my possessions. It was then I realized I’d left my laptop in my car up in the mountains. So all I could think about was how all of those cars were probably getting looted, or crashed into and destroyed. I was really sad over this and mad at myself for not bringing my laptop with me on the journey. Going over all the possible things I *should* have done. Solutions as simple as taking it out of it’s own case and putting it in the bag that I *did* bring with me, to more extreme solutions for keeping it safe in my car, like slicing open a part of my seat to hide it within the cushions.

While I was swimming my friend Brian jumped in to swim with me and commented something about me having “sexy legs”, and I remember thinking “phew, I’m so glad I just shaved them!” hahaa. Then a few more people jumped in, and I realized a lot of the people around me were people I knew from High School. Completely random people. My mind was heavy with thoughts while I was swimming and so after awhile I got out. I kept thinking about how I was going to get home, why that felt so far away and just how oddly stagnant it felt to be so displaced. (total hurricane katrina feelings, I think).

There was one other one, something about someone, or some part of me bleeding and it wouldn’t stop.

Weird, stressful dreams!