Political Pumpkin! ...and a super-cute standard one too!

The Boy and I (finally) carved pumpkins tonight, and I have to say, they . look . AWESOME!!!!!

I used a stencil from Yes We Carve

Illuminated!

Artsy!

They look even better in person...come on by on Halloween and check 'em out! Wooooooo! By the way, I am really excited - even though I don't *technically* have a costume yet. Oh well. I have a bucket full of candy, and I'm ready for fun!

Fabulous Fall!

I believe it is officially Autumn. It was foggy all day, and even drizzled a bit. And the leaves on the trees near work are decisively changing color. Indeed! Some photos to get you in the spirit...





This last one is actually at my apartment...I put these little ghost window clings up in a West-facing window, and when the sun is setting in the evening, it creates these neat little shadows up and down the shades. Cute!

The Most Awesome Kids

Chrissie sent me this video, and it is awesome.



Also, check out this blog. Only if you want to read the awesome political rants of some hip old ladies.

Awesome.

um, duh...

So, I forgot to mention one VERY CRUCIAL thing that I am doing tonight - besides carving political pumpkins - FILLING OUT MY ABSENTEE BALLOT!

I am going to sit down with the large and in charge voter information pamphlet and my sample ballot and mark it all up! Only when I have filled out my sample ballot and am 100% certain I won't mess up will I put a pen to the real thing. Messing up is costly, as I found out during the primaries...not that it makes a huge difference here in CA, but it takes a LONG time to get a new absentee ballot if you mess up on the first one.

And I'm not gonna risk it!

Mail your absentee ballots by Saturday to make sure they get in by EOD Tuesday! And go out there and Get Out The Vote!

Not sure where your polling place is? www.maps.google.com/vote

Only 5 days left!!!

Plans for Tonight

I have just been going crazy lately, what with volunteering for Obama, lots going on at work, and still adjusting to being back from vacation. Oh, and there's an economic crisis that, while I don't *totally* notice in my personal life (except cheaper gas! yay!), still holds an impressive weight over my head.

So tonight, I am taking it easy. I know it's silly and indulgent to post a list here of what I want to do tonight, but it will make me feel better to put it out there on the internet and will perhaps further motivate me to actually do it.

The Plans:

• Go to Walgreens to purchase some candy for Trick-or-Treaters and sour cream for onion dip. Maybe chips too.
• Light delicious pumpkin spice candles and make my apartment feel all warm and cozy.
  
• Carve pumpkins. Perhaps I will make a "campaign-o-lantern" out of one of them.
• Watch Obama's mysterious and magical 30 minute address at 8pm.
• Watch Obama on Jon Stewart at 11pm.
• Collapse into bed as soon as that is over.

And that. Is. All.

No on 8

My buddy Cheshire, fed up with the current "No on 8" ads that he feels are not getting the point across, made his own ad. It's pretty strong...check it out.

Videos Politicos

Great videos that Emily shared...

An Obama supporter from Ohio...


The Obamas discuss dressing on a budget...

Click here to watch one where he stands up for his dance moves, and makes a funny joke.

Palin doesn't know what a pre-condition is...


And here's a pretty good No on 8 Ad...

I know I don't usually get too political...but...

The next (less than!) two weeks are pretty important. There's this election coming up, you know, the outcome of which could really change this country for the better. Yeah, yeah, I know that politicians promise a lot of things that don't always happen, but I have to believe that Barack Obama has the right intentions and the right kind of support (like, say, from most of the world) and mostly, the right attitude. What this country needs is someone who believes in hope and equality and helping people and not starting wars for all the wrong reasons and education and giving people the right to choose! And yes, you all have the right to choose who you want to vote for, and what propositions you're behind and all that...so no matter who you're voting for, I urge you to get out there and find your polling place and just do it!

And I have to add that if you feel really strongly pro-Obama, or even a little strongly, volunteer with Obama's campaign! This election is too close right now, and with just under two weeks to go, now is the time to get off your couches and do something about it. It doesn't take much -- you don't have to quit your job or drive to another state or knock on doors or even buy anything. Stop by your local headquarters (mine is here) and ask what they need help with. Chances are, they need people to call the registered voters in swing states and just ask if they've decided who they're voting for. If they say Obama, remind them where their polling place is and mostly just encourage them to vote! Tell them what I'm telling you - that every vote counts, and we need those votes!

If you're not comfortable calling people, you can do data entry (I entered the results from those phone calls, as well as the contact information of new volunteers last night!) or help set up at an event, or bring food to the callers, or print up fliers...the opportunities to get involved are endless! But the point is that we need your help.

If you have even an hour after work over the next two weeks (two weeks! that's it!) that you could spend volunteering instead of watching TV, know that it could just make the difference this country needs!

I've been devouring a lot of articles, blogs, photos, reports and such lately, so check out my shared items to see what I've been reading if you're interested. Big props to Emily, who is the main source of my political information online.

Yay!

My favorite gal, Anne Hathaway, is going to be on Broadway...and Perez Hilton posted about it. Including the following video. Which I saw live...duh, like I would have missed the Stephen Sondheim tribute at the Hollywood Bowl. Re-watching it just now made me so happy.

Dancing Otters

Shared by Emily:

Autumn Apartment

I mentioned recently that I was all excited because I made my apartment all fall-ish. Here are some photos I promised you!

pumpkins and candles!

ah, the warm glow by a prickly plant

a table full of fall...oh, and a turtle from kauai filled with chocolate/macadamia nut chocolate

bowl of scented fall stuff

another view of the pumpkins and candles...and yes, the candles smell like pumpkin and spice

another fall-stuff basket

pumpkin-cranberry-oat muffin with tea (and silicone baking cup!)

pumpkin-chocolate chip-oat muffin...

Sunset Photos

Here ya go...some photos from the sunset I was talking about yesterday...taken tonight, when the sky was less orange, but still lovely.

Sadly without camera...

Me to The Boy over gChat...

me: can you see the sky form where you are

lordy

it's bright orange and so gorgeous (to the west)

Sent at 6:41 PM on Monday
me: from the shuttle, i just saw the SF skyline as a dark gray silhouette against the orange sky

holy cow that's beautiful

It was seriously beautiful. I wish I had had my camera. I brought it today though, so hopefully it will be just as nice and I'll be able to snap a picture through the window of the bus.

Vote!

I say this a lot, but I have some really awesome friends.

I forgot...

...that the lovely crisp air and pumpkin spice candles of autumn also come with the darker mornings (and darker evenings). This morning, I had to force myself out of bed in my unusually dark bedroom, and it dawned on me that this is the beginning of the cold, dark mornings.

It is so not easy to wake up for work. Do any of you have any tips or tricks for dragging yourself out of bed when the room is cold and dark? I know many of you live in places where it's even colder and darker...how do you deal?

A spoiled CA girl, I am.

Ah, It's Fall

It's a lovely fall (ish) Saturday up in Berkeley, and I am ready for it. This weekend's plans are filled with getting settled, cleaning the apartment, seeing an old friend, and decorating for fall. It should come as no surprise to you all that I love seasonal decoration. I bust out the pumpkin spice candles and the gourds and mini-pumpkins around this time of year, and it really puts me in the fall mood...even if the weather is still mostly mid 60's and sunny.

Emily has been posting lots and lots of fall pictures lately, and that has only enhanced the falliness of it all. Love it love it love it.

Vacation!

So, to make you all insanely jealous, here are a few select photos from our recent trip to Kauai...we kayaked, snorkeled, hiked, and yes, spent some time just hanging out on the beach. It was a glorious and much-needed week away (ah, to be a grown-up, taking a real grown-up vacation!), and it was certainly difficult to come back to work. More vacation, please! :-)

dolphins!

saw this hanging up on a tree branch...

we kayaked to a rainforest and hiked to this giant waterfall, where we got to swim!

beautiful beach, almost sunset

from our hike up to kalalau valley - we also saw this view from the water one day...

ahhh beach

sunset at ke'e beach

If you're ever going to Kauai (or any of the Hawaiian islands), I highly recommend The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook (available for any of the islands). It was the only book recommended by every single person I asked, and it absolutely was the best thing we purchased for the trip...except maybe the flights and hotel. Maybe it was even better than the hotel.

Vote!

The awesome Brett wants you to vote!

Bye Bye Cookies

I just heard some very sad news, via Emily and then via the internet. Mother's Cookies is going out of business. I've written before about how much I love their Circus Animals (and their Iced Oatmeal), and I'm really really sad to see them go. Ideally, they would be bought out by a company that wants to maintain the company's integrity, recipes, packaging...basically just finance whatever it takes to keep everything as is.

I might end up buying some from their remaining stock...even with the sad realization that there will likely be no more. Ever. Sad face. Maybe I'll stop by Safeway and pick some up (if they even have any) instead of ordering online (approx $8.00 per bag of cookies seems a little pricey, even though it "includes" shipping, $5.50 per bag if you order 12). Somehow that seems wrong though, not to support the company...though I guess they're bankrupt so the money wouldn't go to them anyway? I don't know how it works.

Sadness, anyway.


Sorry for the lack of posting...I have just returned from a week-long vacation in Kauai with The Boy. More on that to come!

Back to Back

Ok I KNOW it's a lot of videos lately, but I've been just going crazy, and Palin is driving me crazy. Here's a little back-to-back SNL-to-real-interview action for you. See if YOU'RE not terrified. Or disgusted. Or both.

Tina Fey = Brilliance

More McCain/Palin BS

Ok, I know it's a lot of video posting today, but here's one more:

Ok, so I guess this Android thing is pretty sweet.

I have a hard time accepting new technology (I know, I know, "but you work for Google!!!"), and I've been resisting this new Google phone for a while. After watching this video though, um, well, I might end up getting one at some point. The only problem is I don't think it will ever be on AT&T because I'm pretty sure the iPhone has exclusivity with them. It'll be a while before I get rid of my trusty, basic, simple-to-use, no-fuss LG flip phone, but if I ever do upgrade to a fancy "it's a computer! no, it's a phone!" type device, I'll probably go with this one.

Project 10^100

In honor of Google's 10th Birthday, the company is launching "Project 10 to the 100th" (www.project10tothe100.com.). Check out the video, and check out the site.

Reinventing the Table

The area behind my couch has gone through many stages since I moved to this apartment in July of last year. None of the behind-the-couch storage solutions felt permanent; they all seemed like temporary solutions to a problem that wasn't too terrible.

A few weeks ago, I received a coffee table that was once my grandmother's, and has been living at my cousin's house for the last several years. I've told him forever that if he ever gets rid of it, I absolutely want it -- and somehow, he forgot that and gave it to my little sister who just moved into her first off-campus house (she's a sophomore in college). Alas! However...it turned out that her new place already had coffee tables, and into my car it went. Sadly, it is just too big for the space my apartment has for a coffee table, and besides, I already have a coffee table (also from my grandma). What to do???

I decided that I would find new legs for this grand table, and use it behind my couch. And today, that's what I did. The original legs just screwed off, and I was hoping to find new screw-on legs but was having a lot of trouble. Then I found this trestle thing at IKEA. It took a lot of tries to figure out how to get the table top situated, but several grunts and groans and a bit of blue painter's tape later, I had it all worked out. And I have to say, I really really like it. And I'm proud that I did it all by myself. Like a big kid.

Oh, I also (because I'm just that creative) turned the white cubicle things on their sides and used them as shelving. Genius? You decide. Pictures below.

Stage 1: before I had the new couch...note the three ugly white cube things.

Stage 2: brown bookshelf...new couch...still two ugly white things.

Stage 3: Awesometown.

Gratuitous shot of my neighbors' cutie-pie puppy, Daisy.

Mmmmm Tuna

The Boy and I made some delicious tuna tonight, and I thought I'd share. I wish I had taken a picture of the tuna before we cooked it because it was just gorgeous. Anyway, we just pan-fried it in a grill pan with salt and pepper. Serve with thin-sliced tomato and avocado, rosemary potato bread, and a delicious salad (mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, four-pepper goat cheese, TJ's marinated baked tofu, zucchini and broccoli with my secret balsamic dressing) and it's a dinner for royalty! Or for us, while we watch last weekend's SNL (thank you TiVo!).

We'll be making dessert soon...probably fresh-sliced strawberries with chocolate ice cream. Mmmmmmm.....

I hope everyone's Wednesday nights are as relaxing as ours is tonight!

More Obamania!

Remember when I mentioned that I went to that Obama rally by my house? Here's more info about it. If you're in the East Bay, come on by. I'll probably be volunteering at some point...

More Palin Blah

Being interviewed by Charles Gibson.

Perez Hilton says:

Did you watch part one of Charlie Gibson's interview on ABC with Sarah Palin on Thursday night????

If you missed it, click here to see video excerpts or click here for the transcript.

We felt like we were watching a lady version of George W. Bush, only she's more eloquent and fuckable.

Like many politicians, instead of giving straight answers at times, Sexy Sarah would just jibber jabber.

In fact, at one point during the interview, Charlie Gibson said to the GOP VP pick, "I got lost in a blizzard of words there. Is that a yes?"

If the GOP somehow manages to snag the presidency, let's hope that John McCain stays well.

With Sarah in power, looks like there's a chance that 'God' could will us to go to war with Russia, Iran and Pakistani terrorists all at the same time.

Some of Palin's friends don't want to vote for her...

Kind of interesting...

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5750475

Oh barf.

Candidate action figures? Sarah Palin's looks very slutty.

Also, McCain's daughter admits that her dad is old. Well, duh.

Church and State? Let's combine them, Sarah!

Whoopi is "really aggravated" -- me too.


This election is increasingly frustrating.

Obamania!

On the shuttle on the way home tonight, I noticed quite a commotion at the Obama Headquarters down the street from my house. The shuttle had to stop directly in front of my apartment - because of the crazy amount of cars parked in the neighborhood, some not-so-legally, there wasn't anywhere else for it to pull over (oh darn, poor me). Anyway, I put my stuff down and walked down the street to check out the scene. Apparently it was some sort of Grand Opening party type thing (same night as McCain's speech? coincidence?), complete with jambalaya (unfortunately, the line was crazylong and I wasn't in the mood for a long line, so no jambalaya for me)! Some photos below...

so many people! such a pretty sunset-on-building!

The HQ

Cop car in the middle of the crowd

Yet another crowd shot...I hope they didn't want to get that car out of there any time soon!

Parking illegally for Obama!

And I think that's the quickest event-to-posting turnaround EVER on my blog.

Emergency Supply Kit

No, I'm not talking about emergency supplies for a *real* emergency, like an earthquake or flood or something, though everyone should have something like this.

What I'm talking about, though, is something completely different. Something much more dorky, and something I will absolutely have once I have kids. I'm well on my way there now, although I really have no good reason to. Ladies and gentlemen, I am referring to an Emergency School Supplies Kit. Paper, pens, glue...all the things necessary to make sure last-minute school projects will be almost as awesome as projects we knew about weeks in advance. Plus, you always have supplies on hand if you want to just do an art project! Genius! My parents' house always had craft supplies, and I think it's just a good idea.

I currently have a wide array of pens and markers, a ream of printer paper (aka: paper for making birthday cards), a small paint set, and all the gift-wrapping supplies you could ask for (yes, I have a plastic container filled with various bows). I even have spare 2-pocket folders and 3-ring binders...all remnants of my over-preparedness in college I suppose. Oh, and (just like my mom) I have a place in my linen closet known as "the gift shelf" where I keep spare things such as soaps, lotions and picture frames that could be used for last-minute "oh crap, I forgot that co-worker's birthday" or "I just need one more little thing to throw in with this gift" type presents. Secret's out folks...the gift shelf is a thing to behold.

Anyway, I am not at all ashamed of my mom-like collection. I like being prepared, and this stuff comes in handy all the time. It's great, and I highly recommend it if you have the space and the desire to be a total nerd.

L'Adrienne

My wonderful friend Adrienne is spending the year in Lyon, France, studying literature and soaking up the culture (granted, she spent her childhood in France...doesn't that sound so posh?). Oh, and did I mention she and her fiance are getting married while she's there?

Like any modern woman, she is also blogging and posting pictures online (all photos in this entry are hers), which of course serves not only to document her trip, but to make us all jealous. I loved the 3 or so days I spent in Paris...even though that was over three years ago, I still think about it and remember how much I just loved it. The beautiful buildings and lovely cafes...the cobblestoney streets and just listening to the French speak...I just remember feeling like everything around me was beautiful.

I was only in Paris, and some day I want to go back to France and spend some time in the South, but I just have such lovely memories of it all. I remember stepping off the train and seeing my first whitewashed building with wrought iron window boxes filled with red flowers and just falling in love.

I'm not saying I'd want to live there...that would just be crazy - I've only spent a few days in one city, I don't speak the language well, and, well...I'm not moving to France. But I absolutely want to go back to visit. Perhaps I will save up my money, the dollar will stop being so weak, and I will be able to afford it next year. Perhaps not. Either way, a girl can dream.

And until then, I'll just keep living vicariously through Adrienne...

Ballet Body

On Tuesday night, I took a class called Ballet Body at my friend Laura's gym. It was part ballet class, part pilates, and was actually pretty good. I was nervous at first, since it's been about 5 years since I took classes regularly, but it was a gentle class, and the instructor was very nice (he even said I can come back as his guest - aka for free - any time!). I probably won't be going every week, since it's all the way out in the Marina (it took me an hour plus to get home, and the class itself is only an hour long!), but it's something I'll probably do a few times a month (Laura - time for a sleepover!).

I don't so much care about getting the "ballet body," although I certainly wouldn't mind, but I really liked getting back into the ballet movements. It felt really good to port de bras and pique turn, even though I did get dizzier than I'd like to admin. Ah, these things were so much easier 5 years ago! :-) And it was fun putting on my leotard and tights -- but my leotard somehow does not offer as much support now as it did then (go figure), and I had to pull the old sports bra-under-the-leotard trick. Oh well.

There are a few beginning/intermediate adult classes at Berkeley Ballet that I'd like to try as well, though those aren't free, and will probably be more difficult. Maybe I'll start out with one and see how it goes...

Anyway, that was Tuesday night. I woke up on Wednesday morning feeling a little bit more sore than I would have liked, and wondered how the heck I was going to make it to Pilates at noon. BUT, I made it. I forced myself to go, and it was a good decision. While I can hardly move today (no really -- it was painful to bend down to put on my shoes), it's a good feeling. I never used to get this sore when I was dancing regularly, and I'm looking forward to building myself back up to a place where *real* workouts (as opposed to plugging away unenthusiastically on the elliptical) don't hurt so badly the next day.

Hooray for ballet!

(PS - lots of parenthesis in this post. sorry.)

She knows me so well...

My friend Laura sent me this card from someecards.com today...She knows me so well.


PS - I promise...meatier post to come.

Google Docs in Education

I tried to post this directly from YouTube over a week ago, and apparently it didn't work. Sorry to just post another video (Mom commented that my blog is getting "boring" -- I'll be writing more substantial posts soon, I swear!), but I thought this was nice...and especially for those of you who are teachers or students, it's good stuff!

Rainn Wilson = funnyman

As I've mentioned before (though maybe not, since I can't find where), Rainn Wilson is doing a semi-hilarious promo for his new movie, The Rocker, which involves the pretend kidnapping of Jenna Fisher. This video was up on the site recently, and while it is not part of the Jenna story, it's pretty great. Backstage footage of people sucking up (mostly) to Rainn. Makes me want to see the movie, because I hadn't realized how many awesome people are in it.

Untitled. Take That, Internets!

Wow. It's been almost a week since my last post. Sorry 'bout that. It's been busy at work. And at life. Mostly because I've been obsessed with the Olympics and have been barely making it through each day, what with the lack of sleep and all. I hate to say it (no I don't), but I'm kind of glad the craziness is almost over. I didn't watch anything last night, and while I wish I could have seen Misty May and Kerri Walsh win the gold, it was really nice to just relax on the couch -- even though I didn't go to bed until almost midnight (damn these messed up sleeping patterns and Chelsea Lately!), passive TV-watching alone was a little less intense than the usual craziness of watching the Olympics with The Boy and his roommates.

In other news, I just saw this Obama commercial on this website. I really like it.

They're just so good.

Jessica Freedman- Habanera

My friend Jessica is an outstanding singer. I think this was for a class assignment where she was told to "create something inspired by opera."

She's so good.

FaceBook In Reality - idiotsofants.com and BBC'sThe Wall

so funny. love it.

Sara on Tour Again

This girl just doesn't sit still anymore! I just received an email from her mailing list (yes, I'm on the mailing list) about her upcoming (HEADLINING!!!) tour...and she's just barely started her tour with Counting Crows/Maroon 5! I remember when she toured with Marc Broussard...but I'm pretty sure she opened for him last time. Crazy world we live in.

In case you're interested, here's the blurb from the mailing list email.

SARA BAREILLES ANNOUNCES FALL HEADLINING TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUESTS MARC BROUSSARD AND RAINING JANE

TICKETS ON SALE BEGINNING AUGUST 9!

Hot off the heels of the incredible success of her first ever headlining tour, songstress Sara Bareilles announces that she will head back out on the road this Fall for a second set of headlining dates in support of LITTLE VOICE, her Gold certified debut album for Epic Records featuring one of the biggest hit songs in the country, "Love Song" and its follow up single, "Bottle It Up." The tour will officially kick off on October 9th at Spreckels in San Diego, and will cover 20 major cities across America, wrapping on November 7th in Atlantic City, NJ. Sara is currently on the road for a string of dates throughout July and August with Maroon 5 and Counting Crows. Joining Sara on tour this fall will be singer/songwriter Marc Broussard the eclectic rock-folk band, Raining Jane.

Visit www.sarabmusic.com this morning for a personal message from Sara about the upcoming tour and a brand new video blog.

Funny Friends: The Hoosegow

Phil, Myles, and friends perform The Hoosegow - a 1920's inspired song about dancing in prison. Such fun!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer

omigod omigod omigod omigod

I cannot wait.

Conan O'Brien - ''Pilobolus''

I haven't posted a "real" blog in a while, and for that I do apologize. Hopefully, you will all enjoy this video though, and know that I will write something for real this week...unless things suddenly get as crazy as they have been the last few weeks!

More later...

Jeez, Olympics. Can't a girl get some sleep?

The Olympics has seriously been messing with my sleep schedule. They don't start until 8pm, which means they're usually not over until midnight. Last night, they weren't over till 1:30. AM. That leaves us with a measly 5.5 hours of sleep before heading off to work. Dear lord, are we crazy?

Yes.

But.

It was worth it (I think).

Of course, they show the best stuff last, spending the first hour or so of coverage on semi-finals of indoor men's volleyball, and pre-qualifying rounds of swimming that doesn't involve Michael Phelps. They want you to stick around until the end, when it's the all-around women's gymnastics, and when Phelps has a chance to win yet another gold (PS - you'd think we would be sick of Phelps winning by now, but no. Can't. Stop. Watching. He's even tricking us now...trying to make it look like he might not win and then pulling a full body length ahead in the last few meters of the swim. What a tease.).

It was fun to watch our awesome athletes do what they do...and you better believe I'll be watching again tonight -- thank god I can sleep tomorrow morning though. These late-night Olympic viewing marathons (um, we watched 6.5 hours of Olympics last night!!!) are
taking a toll on this working woman and her working man.

Someone suggested TiVo'ing the competition and watching it when I get home from work, or even over the weekend. Um, clearly this person is not a true Olympics Obsessor. Here's what's wrong with that philosophy:

1. It is hard enough to avoid all media outlets while you're watching it "live" - all the media posts *actual* realtime results, and stupid California TV puts us several hours behind the news to begin with. I can't imagine avoiding all the news, not to mention the people talking about it, for another 24+ hours until I get home to my TiVo. Which brings me to
2. If you don't watch it the night it's on, you can't talk about it the next day. Part of the fun and excitement is getting to talk about it with everyone who watched it, and get geared up for what's going to be on next!
3. There's something exciting and fun, albeit exhausting and painful, about watching it in semi-realtime. We know we're not seeing it *live*, but still...watching it without knowing the results is pretty damn exciting! I felt like a total outsider not having watched the Opening Ceremony live (I was on an airplane). I'm watching it online now, and it's really cool...but now nobody wants to talk about it. It's sort of isolating, and makes you feel like a total latecomer to the club. The Olympics are supposed to bring people together, and you just can't feel the same camaraderie while watching it alone on your TiVo after everyone else has already seen it. At least I can't.

Anyway, back to work. I can barely keep my eyes open, and I may need a nap before tonight's competitions...and boy, will I sleep well tomorrow morning!

Legal Land

I saw this video posted on Not Martha, and it's too fun not to share! Watch the video, and then click here to vote for the guy who created it -- if he wins, he'll get $10,000 for law school!

Olympic Drama

Even though I haven't watched the Opening Ceremony yet (but will watch it here soon), I've been hearing so much drama that I thought I'd post.



DRAMA!

• The little girl who sang "Ode to the Motherland" was actually lip-synching, and it wasn't even her voice being dubbed! Some government officials decided it would be better for the country's image to have a cute girl singing, and the girl with the best voice was not the cutest girl. I guess it's less of a musical performance and more performance art, or a theatrical-acting type thing...or maybe that just makes it sound less sad for the poor girl who wasn't attractive enough to be featured. At least they both get credit. Full story here.
• Someone sent this article around at work today, and I'm not sure that he knew it was a joke.
• Apparently you could see a blue screen projected at some points during the Opening Ceremony...technical difficulties?
• There's a big to-do about the fact that the fireworks display was actually CGI and not *actual* fireworks. Drama Drama! NBC responded to the "fakery accusations" in this article. I don't know, the excuse of "it's always faked a little" seems to be happening a lot (they said Pavorotti "faked" his singing years ago because of the cold weather). Excuses, excuses. Whatever. I'm sure it looked cool, and they were honest (albeit not totally explicit) about it.

More Phelps tonight...can't wait. I've been avoiding all the sports broadcasting websites so I won't find out results beforehand...not that I really care that much. But geez, that Phelps is ridiculous. Last night, in the qualifying round (not even a *real* competition), he was totally hanging back, looking like he was going to save his energy and just swim hard enough to place - he was at least a half-body length behind, in 2nd or 3rd place. Until the fourth and final lap, when he shot forward and beat everyone else by an entire body length. What the heck, man? He's a machine!

Getting Stuff For Free

I am pretty good at getting things for free, complaining my way to discounted meals, discounted clothing, or complimentary hotel upgrades for my managers, but my mom is the champ. Seriously, I don't know how she does it.

Proof of her skills? My Southwest flight to Berkeley after visiting my family this past weekend was delayed by an hour. I was annoyed, but not really peeved enough to make the call to customer service. I think I need to be really, truly pissed off to make that call. She said to just call them and tell customer service that you want to be compensated for the inconvenience. I reluctantly said ok; it was worth a shot, as I've got some traveling coming up soon and it would be nice to get a free flight. However, after many days of fighting with Comcast, I think I'm just feeling defeated or something. I called customer service and accepted their "Sorry, for a 1 hour delay due to weather, there's nothing we can do." I thanked them for their time, and hung up the phone. Loser!

My mom, upon hearing this, decided she would take matters into her own hands and call them herself. She called - without my flight information or anything - and got them to email me a $50 credit to be used towards future travel. I haven't gotten it yet, but I bet if I don't, she'll make them double it.

Thanks, mom.

This is pretty silly.

Models from Deal or No Deal doing a parody of The Office. It's pretty silly, but I kinda liked it. Silly models.

Dead. On.

This is pretty hilarious. James Franco and Mila Kunis reenacting a scene from The Hills - with actual dialogue from the show. Wow.

See more James Franco videos at Funny or Die

Caaaarol!

So, a few weeks ago I went to an event for Art and Artifice, a fantastic exhibit at the Museum of Performance and Design, featuring costumes and designs from the last 75 years at the SF Ballet. Really cool.

They were advertising an upcoming exhibit called "Hello, Carol!" - a celebration of Carol Channing. I thought it looked pretty fun, and then I saw the Best Thing Ever. I can't describe it any better than the description online, so here you go:

HELLO, CAROL! A Celebration of Carol Channing

This one night only concert Thursday, September 25, 7:30 p.m. at the Herbst Theatre features Carol Channing plus special guests Carole Cook, Rita Moreno and others in an evening of song, accompanied by the 65-piece California Pops Orchestra (Kim Venaas, Musical Director).

Tickets are $30 to $65. $125 front orchestra
VIP tickets include an exclusive reception immediately following the concert upstairs at the Museum of Performance & Design.

The post-concert reception also offers a special sneak preview of the Museum’s retrospective exhibition "Hello Carol! A Celebration of Carol Channing" which opens Sept. 26 and runs through March 14. On view will be such treasures as the iconic red dress from the original 1964 "Hello, Dolly!", outfits by costumer Bob Mackie, video and audio clips, posters, programs, original drawings by the great Al Hirschfeld and Miss Channing's Tony and Golden Globe awards.

Proceeds from the concert benefit the Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving arts education in California schools.

For more information, please call 415-255-4800 or visit www.mpdsf.org.

She is kind of amazing. I am kind of way excited about this. Oh, and I'm going with my friend Andrea, who I used to do theatre with in high school. this is going to be unbelievable.


PS - I bought Special Edition 2-Disc DVD sets of both Singin' in the Rain and Meet Me In St. Louis at Costco today. Price? $8.99 each. Even though I own Singin' in the Rain on VHS already, this was totally worth it.

PPS - My email (both corporate and personal) has been down for almost an hour, leaving me unable to do about 99% of the work I normally do. Hooray.

See Your Next Car!

My dad and a friend recently opened their own car dealership in Long Beach, CA called Your Next Car. He's been wanting to be his own boss for as long as I can remember (who doesn't, though, really), and it's pretty cool that he was finally able to make it happen.

They've got great cars on the lot, and the location is lovely, so if you're in the Long Beach area and are in the market for a new car, check them out!

Olympic Mania!

I've never really been into the swimming events of the Olympic Games, but last night's relay was AWESOME. USA beat France by 0.08 of a second, and Michael Phelps is 2 medals away from being the Best Olympic Athlete Ever. Seriously.

And the drama surrounding lovely French swimmer Laure Manaudou added some emotional connection to the events as well. Tres scandaleux!

I like this little picture -- Google is doing a different doodle for each day of the Olympics -- the little diving piggy is just adorable! :-)

Paris Hilton - I know I'm way behind

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

I know I'm way behind the times on this, but Rachel just showed this to me. Loves it.

Jessica is Awesome

I've been trying to share this by posting directly from YouTube, but it doesn't seem to be working, so I'll just embed it here.

She is so talented, I don't know what to do. From what I've read, this was a vocal jazz class assignment to create something inspired by opera.

Awesome.

Cal Women's Huddle - the Roundtable

I participated in an awesome event known as the Cal Women's Huddle on Friday night, and the women in my group and I wrote up a hilarious (if I do say so myself) recap of the event. It's posted on the California Golden Blogs (the blog that The Boy and many of the boyfriends/husbands of the women in my group write for). Check it out by clicking here!

fun with football players!

Oh yes, so cool.

You may or may not have noticed, depending on the city you live in and how often you use Street View, but many Street View images have been recently updated.

A few months ago, the Street View team updated the images around the Google campus in Mountain View...and we got to be in the pictures! Check it out below :-)


View Larger Map

Driving Directions: New Instructional Video

Check out the (latest and greatest) instructional video from the Google Maps team. I got to help write the script and even contribute to the directing a bit...it's actually quite informative, and I think it's somewhat entertaining as well (and that's a real, live, Google Maps engineer doing all the talking too!) ;-)

PS - When I first posted this, it was auto-playing, which I thought was pretty annoying. I don't like when you go to a website and instantly there's sound or music or something (especially if I'm going to said website while at work, and I don't have the headphones plugged in). I decided to investigate to see if I could fix it...and lo and behold: there was something in the code that said "autoplay=1"!!! Laura, one of my awesome engineers, showed me that by changing it to "autoplay=0" the video would no longer automatically play! Hooray for engineers! I totally learned something about coding today!

Sara on Tour Again...

This girl just doesn't sit still anymore! I just received an email from her mailing list (yes, I'm on the mailing list) about her upcoming (HEADLINING!!!) tour...and she's just barely started her tour with Counting Crows/Maroon 5! I remember when she toured with Marc Broussard...but I'm pretty sure she opened for him last time. Crazy world we live in.

In case you're interested, here's the blurb from the mailing list email.

SARA BAREILLES ANNOUNCES FALL HEADLINING TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUESTS MARC BROUSSARD AND RAINING JANE

TICKETS ON SALE BEGINNING AUGUST 9!

Hot off the heels of the incredible success of her first ever headlining tour, songstress Sara Bareilles announces that she will head back out on the road this Fall for a second set of headlining dates in support of LITTLE VOICE, her Gold certified debut album for Epic Records featuring one of the biggest hit songs in the country, "Love Song" and its follow up single, "Bottle It Up." The tour will officially kick off on October 9th at Spreckels in San Diego, and will cover 20 major cities across America, wrapping on November 7th in Atlantic City, NJ. Sara is currently on the road for a string of dates throughout July and August with Maroon 5 and Counting Crows. Joining Sara on tour this fall will be singer/songwriter Marc Broussard the eclectic rock-folk band, Raining Jane.

Visit www.sarabmusic.com this morning for a personal message from Sara about the upcoming tour and a brand new video blog.

Chicken "Parmishan"

Ha. Ha. I am so clever. This is my variation on Chicken Parmesan, also a variation on this recipe (mostly because that recipe uses the word "plonk").

What you need:

• 1 chicken breast per person (frozen is fine, with rib meat is fine, whatever. if it's frozen, you'll have to thaw it in the microwave first)
• some spinach (a few handfuls, enough to fill the bottom of your baking dish...speaking of which...)
• a baking dish. mine is square, because I felt like using a square one. I think it's 9x9. It might be 8x8. I have no idea.
• marinara sauce of some sort (I had about 1/2 a jar leftover in the fridge, and it was enough)
• herbs of your choice (I used fresh rosemary, basil, oregano and lemon verbena. dried herbs would be ok too if you don't have fresh.)
• cheese. cheese. cheese. (I used cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella. erm, string cheese.)
• balsamic and olive oil, just a swirl or two of each. my olive oil has lemon in it. yours doesn't have to. you could actually skip the olive oil - it ended up having a little too much oil in the dish still after baking.
  
• tomatoes - I used cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  
• tin foil
  

How you do it:

• pre-heat your oven to 375F
• put your chicken in the microwave to thaw (unless you thought ahead to put it in the fridge before you left for work. I did not. thus, microwave.). Your micro probably has a defrost setting - mine is fancypants and has a defrost-poultry button. I just pushed it, and it defrosted for about 13 minutes, slightly cooking the edges. I'm ok with that.
• while chicken is thawing, prepare the baking dish
  
• put spinach in
• put a few spoonfuls of sauce on spinach
• swirl/drizzle balsamic and oil
• put herbs in (not basil)

• use spoon to swoosh it all around until it's mixed pretty well

• put cheddar cheese on top of spinach/saucy mix.
  

• put chicken on top of cheese.

• put cut tomatoes around the chicken
  
• put bits of mozzarella on top of chicken (I used both string cheesy strips and little discs that I sliced. because I'm fancy.)
  
• sprinkle lots of parmesan on top of that
• more mozzarella over it all
• cut basil into cute little strips if you want to be pretty about it, or just cut it into small bits. whatever. it's your meal. put the basil on top of it all.

• cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes
• take foil off and bake for another 15 minutes
• let it sit for 5 minutes (don't burn yourself!), and then eat!

fresh out of the oven...mmmmm

I served with Trader Joe's eggplant cutlets (above) and some homemade garlic toast (secret family recipe).

Delicious!

Al Gore

So, I think it's funny that both Dooce and Crazy Aunt Purl reference Al Gore inventing the internet (Crazy Aunt Purl has many more references than that one post, but I only felt it necessary to link to one. And then to explain myself, apparently.).

I thought it was just a Crazy Aunt Purl thing, but when Dooce mentioned it recently, I felt I needed to do a bit of research. Was there some whole "Al Gore Invented The Internet" movement of which I was unaware?

Apparently so.