Happy Leap Year Day!

My Great Uncle Gil has a birthday today. So he is technically like 20-25 years old. :) I wonder how many babies will be born today. Speaking of babies, there are at least 4 women here at work who are pregnant. And three of them are due soon--each within 2 weeks of each other.
Updated for a link to the history of this day that only comes every 4 years.

CAbi party

I attended a CAbi party at Mia's house last night. CAbi stands for Carol Anderson by invitation. It is like a tupperware party for clothes. Jennifer, Mia's friend who is a consultant, presented the spring line last night. It was a lot of fun. We got to look at and try on cute clothes, have wine and snacks and just hang out with the girls.
I bought a pair of jeans. Jeans are hard for me to find a good fit. All CAbi jeans have 1% spandex in them, which makes a huge difference for someone who has a small waist and big butt and hips. I bought a pair of cropped jeans--I have wanted some for some time. They are so cute. I bought 2 tops, a beautiful white blouse and a gorgeous lace tank--which I am thinking I will debut at Erica and Casey's wedding. Now I just have to find the right bottom to go with.

On a little side note: At some point Todd came home with the kids. I was talking to Cooper, who is 5. Since he is so young sometimes he kinda forgets who I am. So I was reminding him about things about me. I reminded him of Joey and then showed him a picture of Joey on my cell. He looked at the picture and laughed and said, I remember you. It totally cracked me up. Then he and I were laughing about the pic I showed him. Joey posted it on his blog, too.

3.28; 3.41; 3.51

OK, I swear a few days ago the gas at the station near our house was $3.28. Then yesterday morning I noticed it was $3.41. And then when I came home last night it had jumped to $3.51. Geez!

Star Wars according to a 3-year-old

I stole this from Aaron's blog. But watch it. It is so funny.

BlogHer '08

I am so excited. I just signed up for my very first blogger convention--BlogHer '08. It is in San Francisco this year. I will get to meet Holli and Faith and of course lots and lots of other people.
Let me know if you read my blog and are planning on attending. I would love to meet you--if I don't already know you. And if I know you and you are attending let me know that, too!

Ouch!

So for those of you who don't think yoga is a real workout ... I hadn't worked out in almost 3 weeks because of the cold I had. I went back to yoga yesterday. And I took it easy. I didn't overly push myself. Today I am sore! My chest is a little sore and the part where my arm meets my arm pit is sore. I tried to figure out what muscle that is but the charts online don't specifically point to it and label. Is there such thing as pectoralis minor? I took anatomy in college when I thought I wanted to be a nurse but I don't remember much. (And yes, I hate blood and needles so what the hell was I thinking?)

Good and lazy weekend

Friday night Curt and I went to Becky and Cyrus' for dinner. They had some other people over. I think there were 11 of us total. Great food and a lot of fun. Becky and Cyrus used the left over masa to make tortillas. They were really good. It was an experiment at first. But once it was figured out they were great. My salsa was a hit. And by the time dinner was ready we were out. Usually when I make two batches it is too much. And if I just make one batch it isn't enough! Oh well.
Saturday I did absolutely nothing. Well, if you count taking naps and watching TV all day something then that is what I did. Oh, and I knitted one row on my brother's throw. I just gotta buck down and finish that thing.
Sunday Curt headed out super early to take the SnowBomb bus up to Tahoe with Cyrus to snowboard/ski. Mia and I headed to the Claremont spa. I got a massage and Mia got a facial. My massage was wonderful. I always know I keep my tension up in my shoulders. But I could really tell this time. My massage therapist wanted to work on my back and shoulders for another hour. I told her I had lunch plans with a friend. Plus, those massages aren't cheap. I will probably go back next month. (I got 2 gift certificates for Christmas there.) After our appts. Mia and I had lunch at the Paragon--restaurant in the Claremont. We both asked for our leftovers to go. For some reason the guy didn't hear me and dumped mine. No biggie. I probably shouldn't eat it anyway. So our server comes over and asks if he really dumped my food. She then goes on and on to complain about him. That was a little weird. So we both got free dessert--which I really didn't need. I got some crazy cookie ice cream sandwich thing. I, of course, ate it right when I got home.
I did some more napping, cleaned the place up a little, paid some bills and watched some more TV. Curt didn't get home until a little after 10. I stayed up to wait for him. But I was fading quickly.
And I am happy to say I went back to the gym today--yoga class. It was a little tough since I haven't been there in 2 weeks. But I am glad to be back baby!

500 bucks later

We have our Volvo back. The place did a great job. And they actually fixed some minor stuff on the other side of the bumper that wasn't caused by my hit-and-run. So the back bumper looks brand new. And they washed the car inside and out. Thanks Salle's. You rock!
Now on to the a-hole who hit me and then took off. All I have to say is Karma is a bitch and you will get yours.
Geico did a great job of taking care of me. Got my appt. right away, got me a rental and took care of most of the costs for everything.
And I know Geico is still working on getting the company to admit one of their drivers hit me. Not sure if they will. But I appreciate the effort.

Mr. Crabby Pants Part 2

Some of you may remember our old neighbor in Phoenix who I nicknamed Mr. Crabby Pants. For those of you who don't know ... Summer 2003 Curt and I had an intern living with us for the summer. We didn't have a driveway so the three of us had to park on the street. Our street had permit parking, which Curt and I had to pay every year. I come home one day from running errands. Mr Crabby Pants comes out. I think, how nice. My neighbor is coming out to say hello. (We were still kinda new to the neighborhood.) Mr. CP says, Can you girls not park in front of my house? Huh? Whatever, I don't want to cause issues with the neighbor. But um, I have every right to park right in front of his damn house if I want! He had the biggest driveway on the block. And I had to pay to park, he didn't.
Anyway, to my story about Mr. CP 2 ... So you know I have a rental right now--Nissan Altima. It is a lot bigger than our Volvo. So I haven't been parking in our back parking slab since it is kinda tight and I don't want to scrape up the rental. So I park on the street. I park today a few houses down from ours. I am getting out of the car. This old guy (Mr. CP 2) opens his door and is talking. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or someone else. He told me I should pull up 2-3 feet. I had the space. But the space I parked in there was no way another car could park behind me, no matter how much I pulled up. So I move the car up. He is still out there watching me telling me I should park somewhere else. I just yell, I can't and storm off. Hello!!! This is a street. I am allowed to park on it anywhere I damn well please.
I hope we get the Volvo back tomorrow. I mean, how long does it take to fix a bumper?

Tamale Fest 2008 pictures

OK, I have finally uploaded the pictures I took from Tamale Fest 2008. Once I get the notes from Jennifer I will post the directions on how to make tamales. Anyway, it was a great time. And we lucked out with the beautiful weather. We made the tamales outside in our back parking slab.

Driving around in my Nissan Altima

So I got my rental today. Geico made it very easy. I got to the body shop and they even had spots for Geico customers. Wow! The guy was ready for me. The paperwork took mere minutes to take care of. Then there was someone there from Enterprise to take me and another woman to their place to get our rentals.
It all was very easy to do. I appreciate Geico making this unpleasant experience as pleasant as possible.
So to start this car you don't need a key. I have a remote to lock and unlock and all that good stuff. And as long as the remote is in the car with me I can just push the start button and the car starts, push it again to turn it off. Nice.
I haven't quite figured out the speed on the wipers--but at least I can work them.
It started raining like crazy this morning.

Just took Mom to the airport

So I just got back from taking Mom to the airport. We had a great visit.
Saturday after our mani/pedis we came home and had yummy dinner. Then just relaxed. We watched "Gone Baby Gone." Eh! It was OK. The plot is weird. But Casey Affleck did a good job.
Sunday morning we got ready for Tamale Fest 2008. Everyone who said they were coming did. It was a lot of fun. We made so many tamales. Everyone got to try some and take some home. Tamale Fest 2008 was a big hit.
Sunday evening we just lounged. And we did the same today. Mom and I watched a Law & Order marathon.
It was a great visit. I love how we can just watch Lifetime or Law & Order or whatever and chat and have fun. Mom, you are welcome back anytime.

I will be posting more on Tamale Fest 2008. I took pics and so did others. And Jennifer took notes. So I will post the instructions at some point. They are actually pretty easy to make.

Mani/pedi at Tootsies

Mom and I went to Tootsies earlier today for mani/pedis. The women who did them were super nice and chatty. So we now have pretty nails and toes. (Photos taken on my iPhone. Pretty good, eh?)


This morning Mom and I shredded the pork and she got the chili sauce ready for the meat, then it simmered. Then she and I headed to Rockridge Cafe (we thought of you, Ed) for breakfast. Afterward we came home and watched a crazy Lifetime Movie Network movie. Curt headed to BevMo to get beer for tomorrow. After the movie Mom and I hit the grocery store for the other supplies we needed. Then to Tootsies. Now we are home and soon will have Chili con Carne for dinner with rice and beans. Chili con Carne was my grandpa's favorite dish.
Most of the stuff is ready for Tamale Fest 2008 so we have little preparation for tomorrow.

So not cool at all!

Yesterday went really well at work. I got everything done that I absolutely had to. And actually got a few other things done, too. It was quite a productive day with very few interruptions.
I left about 2 to head home to hang with my mom.
I am sitting at a light not to far from work. I was in the right lane. From that lane you can go straight or get onto the freeway. So I am sitting there waiting for the light to change so I can go straight. There was a truck behind me. All of a sudden CRUNCH. He hits me! I look in my rearview mirror at him, make eye contact. He has to go in reverse to get off the car. The light turns green and since we would totally be in the way for people getting on the freeway I figured we should move and go to a parking lot since I knew there couldn't be that much damage. I start to pull forward I look back and the guy is getting on the freeway!!!! I stop and kind of motion to him, like, what the HELL!!!! He continues on. He was at a weird angle so unfortunately I couldn't get his license plate. But I was able to to read the name of the company from the side of the truck. I get to the parking lot and am shaking--mad and a little scared. I called Curt to tell him what happened. He asked if I got any info. I told him what I read from the side of the truck. He told me to go home, call our insurance and he would do some research.
There is not a lot of damage to the car. The back bumper is scrapped up with his paint, the paint on our car's bumper is scrapped off in some places and there is some part that is smashed up a little.
So I got home called the insurance and got an appointment for Tuesday to get it fixed. Geico is awesome. When I get to the auto body place on Tuesday I will have an appt. and then there will be a rental car waiting for me. They will fix the car. Once it is ready I will come back to the body shop and return the rental car and get our car back. Man, talk about service!
Korey, the Geico person I was dealing with, asked me if I had any info on the person who hit me. At that point Curt had found some info online and sent it to me. So I gave him what we knew.
Korey called them after he and I hung up. The manager he spoke with was not nice, apparently there was some cussing. But the manager did say he would check the lot. Korey called me back to tell me all this like 10 mins. after he and I gotten off the phone the first time. He said he would give the company a couple of days and then call back. He will try at different times of the day to see if he can get a different manager.
I have to say Geico rocks!
So after all that crap Mom and I headed to Mi Tierra to pick up the masa and other supplies. She had headed to Safeway earlier in the day to pick up the meat.
When Mom and I got home Curt had just arrived.
We had originally planned to have dinner with Mia and her family. But unfortunately Mia got sick. Ugh, man it is going around. So we decided to eat at Trattoria La Siciliana last night. We got there early and had a wonderful feast. The food there is always delicious.
When we got home I watched Mom prepare the pork in the crock pots for cooking overnight. Man, it smells good.
So other than my fender bender it has been a great time so far.

WTH!!!???!!!

So like a day or two ago the gas at the gas station near our house was $3.16. This morning when I was driving to work I saw that it had jumped to $3.28. Now that's just nuts!

I came to work at 7 today to get stuff done before I take off early--around 2 p.m. to hang out with my mom. She is probably still in the air--but should be here shortly. After work I will pick her up and then we will head to Mi Tierra to pick up the masa and other tamale supplies.

Happy Valentine's Day!

When I came into my work building this morning someone from Hines was handing out bags with white, red and pink candies in them. Cute.
Usually I send out Valentine's to our families--didn't do that this year. Didn't even send anything out to Madison, James and Jackson. I have been so unprepared lately. I think with being sick, out of town for the past few weekends and crazy busy at work I am just getting tired and forgetful. I also like to give out the kiddie Valentine's to co-workers. But I just didn't feel like filing those things out. So I didn't even bother buying them.
But I am wearing my red sweater today and I painted my toenails red last night. That is about as Valentiney (is that even a word?) I will get.
Curt and I are gonna have sushi tonight. Yum, can't wait.

Check this out on the Chronicle site. It's hilarious. I think they do this every year.

Word verification

Jodie mentioned how annoying they are. I agree. But unfortunately, if I don't have that I get spam in my comments. I wish there was a way to turn it off for people you know and trust. Oh well.

Can you comment?

So Holli just e-mailed me saying she hasn't been able to comment on my blog. Can you all test it out and let me know if you are having issues?
I tested it on my bananas blog and it worked.

Thanks Holli for letting me know and thanks for giving me something to blog about. I really didn't have anything to blog about today.

We have no more bananas today!

I went to the grocery store after I left work last night. I was at work until 7 p.m. When I got to the grocery store there was barely anyone there. It was great. Until I got to the bananas. The whole area was empty, well, except for like three sad little bananas.

I think I overdid it over the weekend. I was feeling pretty good. Just congested. Then yesterday I had a slight sore throat. And today I have a sore throat and am still congested. I feel a lot better than I did last week tho. I will be happy when this crud is gone. It seems like everyone is getting sick.

Pretty as a picture

HA! That's how Tag described Curt and me out in the gallery (is that the right word for a golf crowd?) yesterday supporting him.

Speaking of pictures ... I was happy to hear yesterday that the writers' strike is over. For very selfish reasons of course. I do think people should be paid what they are worth--but they aren't and unfortunately that is just part of life. I mean, look at teachers. Teachers should get what baseball players get paid ... Anyway, just glad to know that my shows will be back on in 4-6 weeks.
Meanwhile, Curt and I have been catching up on The Office and Extras. Extras is hilarious. I am not a fan of British humor--but this stuff is just downright funny! There are only two seasons of Extras--but it is hilarious. Rent it. I have also been watching The L Word. It is good and girly. I am no prude, but man, there is a lot of sex in that show. Almost to the point where it seems unnecessary. I wonder what crowd they are trying to appeal to? Straight men? Gay women? Straight women?

I am back at work today and I am completely overwhelmed. I was out sick Wednesday and at training Thursday and Friday. I had a to do list for myself for this week. Not sure when I will get to that since I have piles and piles of stuff on my desk. And that is literal!
Have a good week everyone!

We're home

Just got home. And I am beat.
Had a nice dinner last night. Tag met us but didn't feel well. So he didn't stay for dinner. Poor guy. I felt bad for him. And he couldn't exactly call in sick today. And it was a good thing he didn't. He tied for 9th. He played really well today.
So Curt and I dined together. Our server, Michelle, was sweet on Curt. He was charmed by it. We had a delicious dinner in Carmel. We are thinking of spending a weekend in Carmel sometime soon. We walked around a little before dinner. There is a lot of art and a lot of jewelry for sale. After dinner we just headed back to our hotel. I took some Nyquil and passed out. (I am pretty much over my cold--mostly just snotty.)
We checked out early this morning to meet Tag for his 8:05 tee time. Right before he started to play he saw us in the crowd and waved and told us he was feeling better. We were glad to hear that. We felt bad that he couldn't stay for dinner. But we completely understood.
We followed him all day. He played well and it was fun to cheer him on.
The weather both days was beautiful. A little windy at times. But for the most part gorgeous.
Pebble Beach is a gorgeous course. With the beach and ocean as a backdrop. Wow. It was really beautiful.
We did a lot of walking. A lot more yesterday since Tag started on the 10th hole. Today he started at the first hole. My feet were sore yesterday. I wore my Uggs. Probably not the best choice in shoes. But better than some of the ridiculous shoes some women were wearing. There were those that were teetering around in the high, high heels. *Rolling my eyes.*
Oh, I forgot to take a ballcap with me. So I had to buy one ... for 30 bucks! But it is a cool souvenir.
I am happy to be home. I am doing some laundry and gonna lay around a bit and then get ready for my week.

In Monterey

Curt and I are at our hotel in Monterey. We are just staying at a Best Western--but it is actually really nice. It is right on the beach. There is a fireplace in the lobby and a bar.
We did a lot of walking today. Tag teed off at 9:50 a.m. He started at the 10th hole. We met him at 13 and watched him play through to almost the end. We left right before he started the 9th hole. He did well. Hit 4 under. So he will play tomorrow. And depending on what time he starts we will probably watch him play tomorrow.
There were many celebrities playing today, too. We saw Huey Lewis and I saw the back of Glen Frey. We saw a famous golfer that now I can't remember his name. But Curt said he is from Portland.
Anyway, we are at the hotel getting cleaned up for dinner. We are meeting Tag in Carmel for dinner. Unfortunately his wife and son left yesterday. So we don't get to meet them. Maybe next time.

That's weird

When I first tried to come to my blog the Internet took me to some bible Web site. Weird.
Anyway, I tried to blog last night and I was having issues doing it from my iPhone. (I am in the Business Center right now.)
When I came to my room last night my bed was turned down and there were two mints left for me. Fancy! I am staying in the Stanford area. We do things fancy here. HA!
My training was good and intense yesterday. Lots of information. And I realize our version of CPI at work is rather old and we must upgrade. I learned a lot and have met a lot of interesting people.
We had the training yesterday. Then a cocktail hour and then dinner. I ended up staying late talking with two other people. Interesting conversations. I kept saying I needed to take my Nyquil and go to bed. I finally did and I slept pretty well.
My cold isn't too bad. Somehow I lucked out and got a mild version of this crud. I am still congested. But that is really the worst of it.
Well, I should go dry my hair and get ready for the last of my training.

Home sick ... bleh

So I have this cold that everyone else has. I started feeling a little punky Monday afternoon. This is such a bad time to be sick.
I have training Thursday and Friday in Palo Alto. Then this weekend we are going to Monterey to watch PGA tour player, Tag Ridings (a Poff family friend) golf.
So I hope my day of rest makes me feel better. Gonna go take some more Nyquil.
Later.

Curt and I are the proud new owners ...

of two iPhones. I recently told Curt that I couldn't believe I was saying what I was about to say. I needed a better phone to text on. It takes me forever to text on a regular cell phone--I don't do it that often, but when I do ugh!
I looked at a few blackberries. I found one I liked. Curt went back and forth on what he wanted. We were gonna do blackberries and he was gonna get the iPod Touch--which is an iPhone without the phone part. I thought that was silly for him to have to have two devices. We went to an Apple store last week for me to look at an iPhone and play with it. I decided I could live with touching the screen all the time. I have issues with the fingerprints--yes, my OCD is showing.
So yesterday after work Curt hit the Apple store and bought us two pretty shiny and new iPhones.
And let's just say that thing is dangerous. I am going to spend way too much time on it. There is so much to do!!!!! I actually commented on a blog posting last night.
My number is still the same. So ... call me!

Masa has been located

Not that I really thought it would be that hard to find. But yesterday Aileen suggested trying Mi Tierra in Berkeley. She even looked up information on them from Jacob's iPhone. What would we do without all the technology we have these days?
So I went to Mi Tierra today to check out the Masa options. They have some on the shelf to buy--ready to use. But if you need a lot you can order it ahead of time. This market has everything we need. I was so excited. I called my mom to let her know.
I just realized some of you may have no idea what I am talking about. My mom is coming President's Day Weekend for a visit. And, she is gonna teach us to make tamales. Curt has never made them and a few friends showed interest. So my mom will teach us and we will all make. I have made tamales many times. But I wouldn't be able to do them without the direction of my mom. So I am gonna make sure to take notes (and possibly video) on the tamale making.
Mi Tierra also has the olives we need. Woo-woot!

Super Bowl Sunday

We had Jim and Jennifer and Jacob and Aileen over for food and football and beer. I made my oven "fried" chicken and, of course, chips and salsa. J&J brought potatoes, yummy spicy green beans and angel food cake. J&A brought veggie enchiladas. Man, everything was so good!
We had fun hanging out. I really care none about football. But it is always nice to see the underdog win. Tho. history would have been cool, too.

Abs of something

So this morning at the gym I took an ab/core 30 minute class. Before that I worked on the elliptical for 30 minutes. That ab/core class was killer. I will definitely be taking it again. I liked the teacher--she told us, do what you can, rest, and do more. She never made me or anyone push harder than we should. We worked a lot with the balls. I am not the most graceful or balanced person--so I was giggling a few times.

As soon as I got home it started raining again. I don't have a ton planned for this weekend since we were in Tahoe last weekend and next weekend we are going to Monterey. I have already gotten our spare room/office in order for when my mom visits. I need to finish knitting my brother's Christmas present. Yes, I am still working on a throw for him. He knows about it. And I have kinda been slacking lately. But really, I am almost done with it.

I signed up for an online Trademark training that I think I am gonna listen to today. I am not exactly sure how long it is. But it can't be more than a couple of hours.

OK, I am off to do some more learning. I hope my brain can handle it after all the Excel training I got this week from LearnIT.

Twice now

Two people who don't know me that well have commented to me about my baby. A woman at work one day a few months ago said something about how I had updated the photo of my baby. I have this frame that I update with pictures of adorable Oliver. I was flattered that she thought I could produce such a beautiful child. But I told her, I have no babies.

Then a day or two ago a former co-worker who I have become "friends" with on Facebook sent me an e-mail congratualting me on my baby. HA! I don't think I look very motherly in the profile pic I have up of Ollie and me.

Speaking of Ollie, check out his twin on the Chronicle Web site.

Oh, and by the way we recently got coupons for Pull-ups and the mailer told me my baby is 30 months old. Thanks for letting me know.

The top pic is the one I have as my profile pic on Facebook. Isn't Oliver so beautiful and adorable?

And I don't look motherly at all.

Who to pick?

Oh, do you know who you are going to vote for? Since I am no party I don't get to vote for a candidate. But if I did I am not sure who I would vote for. Anyway, I got this forward (I actually looked at it) and it had a link for Vote Chooser. It asks you 10 questions and then shows how closely you compare to the candidates. I was closest to Obama, then Edwards and then Hillary. I was surprised that I wasn't the closest with Hillary.

I pretty much just want someone who can beat the Republican candidate. I would be happy with Hillary or Obama as president. Tho. I do have to say the idea of having a woman running this country is quite exciting.