1) Moving back to the City. Yeah, it’s expensive, and I’m going to have to sell the car before I can really live here w/o being in debt, but I still love it, love my apartment, etc.
2) Trifecta of trips (Egypt in April with Jacob, Alaska with Kyle in July, and a Christmas Markets River Cruise through Germany and Austria with my birth mom). No wonder I’m in debt - but it was worth it!
3) McCullum Youth Court. Part of the coolness of this is being in charge again, but it’s also a genuinely awesome org that I’m psyched to be a part of it and I continued to be blown away by the youth involved in the program!
4) My year of Wine. From SueLin’s Winter Wineland Birthday Celebration to start the year off to my Wine Tasting Holiday Party Fundraiser to end it, I definitely drank more wine this past year than probably the past 7-10 combined! AND have a new fave: Pinot Noir over Cab.
5) Other parties. From the party that was absolutely amazing up until the moment someone killed our cat to the end of year festivities, I was reminded how much I enjoy hosting (and going to! why won’t someone ELSE throw a party and invite me?) a good party!
6) Thanksgiving road trip. Perfect in that it only took a couple of hours to get to our “base” in Santa Cruz, and then included fun side/day trips to Monterey and Big Sur, PLUS getting to hang out with my “El Lay” buddies AND my boy. Good times.
7) The only decent thing about Obama’s presidency: that so many gap-toothed, slack-jawed, inbred, backwoods, racists are SO upset by him. If only half of what these dimwits thought was happening, was happening, I’d be much happier.
8) Kyle walking. Even though it was “only” for a Certificate of Completion, he’s still the first one in his birth family history to do even that, so I'm still proud of him!
9) Asterios Polyp. I need to get back to reading more, but am definitely glad I went outside my normal genres to devour this awesome graphic novel. Loved it loved it loved it!
10) Good entertainment for a change. This was one of the best years for me in terms of discovering new and old “mainstream” entertainment. Awesome movies like Fantastic Mr. Fox, Christmas Carol in 3-D IMAX, Avatar in 3-D IMAX (seeing this weekend, but feel safe in putting down now!), The Princess and the Frog, Coraline, Star Trek, Harry Potter, District 9, In the Loop, and The Damned United were all amazing. Tho I only watch DVDs for TV, I continued/discovered awesome series like: Dexter, Lost, 30 Rock, Desperate Housewives, Mad Men, Heroes, and Flight of the Conchords. And my personal “entertainer of the year” is/was Ryan Reynolds. Not only is he a stud, but he actually has some range as witnessed by his roles in “The Proposal,” “Adventureland,” and “X-Men.” Oh, and he’s got a decent body, too. :)
Showing posts with label City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label City. Show all posts
9/21/09
Deep thoughts, cheap shots, and bon mots - the second
So whose clever idea was it for me to move back in to the City, start grad school back up again, and start a new job back at Director level, all within the course of a month? I mean, I do like keeping busy, but....
Anyway, as a result, my blogging is going to be scaled back to twice a week--at least for now. Yeah, I know, boo hoo! :)
In other news, for some reason--so far, at least--I have yet to be capable of writing about what's going on with Kyle. I guess it's just so appalling I want to escape thinking about it as much as possible. What's wild is I'm hearing from quite a few people that his/our story is not really so unusual--at least in regards to Kyle's...er...um...."lack of succes." Can't decide if that makes me feel better or not.
Saw "The Hoax" the other night and am struck at another example of the decline and fall of the American Empire. In "the old days" we had much more interesting crazy rich people like Howard Hughes - which makes the descent to Paris Hilton that much more deplorable.
Although I'm a little late to the party, I have to agree that "Mad Men" is an excellent show. The acting, the sense of place (NYC), and especially time (1960)....and my GAWD the smoking! It's amazing to think people used to smoke like that! And the sexism! Unbelievable!
So I've finally come up with a good, simple, and yet comprehensive, driving rule that will address a myriad of issues--from people not utilizing the left lane on the highway properly, to taking corners too slowly, to not turning right on red, to not accelerating on hills to maintain their speed, etc. The new rule is this: Just Get The Fuck Out of My Way! Look for it soon in the CA DMV manual.
Have to give a shout out to District 9 - definitely one of the more original Sci-Fi movies I've seen in some time. And also has some telling lessons on compassion, bigotry, and just what it is that makes us human.
Finally, I don't know if it's the worsening civility in this country, but I find myself considering turning vigilante. As most of you may know, parking in the City is a challenge at best. So it is all the more frustrating and annoying to see the losers who park right in the middle of a space between two driveways, when if they'd just pulled forward or backwards, another car could fit in front or behind. I saw just such a scenario tonightright across the street from my apartment.
I was in such a rage I wanted to either let the air out of a tire or even key the effing car! Instead, I left a snitty note on their windshield "thanking" them for being so considerate and warning them that if I saw them parked like that again, I wouldn't be so "forgiving" next time.
So here's my question: technically, what they did is not illegal--and yet, they have a neghborhood parking sticker, they have to know how difficult it is to find parking and now they've been--granted, not so politely--chastised; so would I be justified in "punishing" them if I saw them do it again? Discuss.
I honestly feel like part of why people are so selfish and clueless nowadays is because no one is called on their shit and we've been "psyched out" of using shame anymore. When I was young, I was definitely made to feel ashamed when I did something wrong. There was none of this "validation of my feelings" and/or concern to not send one into a "shame spiral." And that's probably why people like Venus Williams and Kanye West and that dick of a SC congressman pull the shit they do.
Word.
Anyway, as a result, my blogging is going to be scaled back to twice a week--at least for now. Yeah, I know, boo hoo! :)
In other news, for some reason--so far, at least--I have yet to be capable of writing about what's going on with Kyle. I guess it's just so appalling I want to escape thinking about it as much as possible. What's wild is I'm hearing from quite a few people that his/our story is not really so unusual--at least in regards to Kyle's...er...um...."lack of succes." Can't decide if that makes me feel better or not.
Saw "The Hoax" the other night and am struck at another example of the decline and fall of the American Empire. In "the old days" we had much more interesting crazy rich people like Howard Hughes - which makes the descent to Paris Hilton that much more deplorable.
Although I'm a little late to the party, I have to agree that "Mad Men" is an excellent show. The acting, the sense of place (NYC), and especially time (1960)....and my GAWD the smoking! It's amazing to think people used to smoke like that! And the sexism! Unbelievable!
So I've finally come up with a good, simple, and yet comprehensive, driving rule that will address a myriad of issues--from people not utilizing the left lane on the highway properly, to taking corners too slowly, to not turning right on red, to not accelerating on hills to maintain their speed, etc. The new rule is this: Just Get The Fuck Out of My Way! Look for it soon in the CA DMV manual.
Have to give a shout out to District 9 - definitely one of the more original Sci-Fi movies I've seen in some time. And also has some telling lessons on compassion, bigotry, and just what it is that makes us human.
Finally, I don't know if it's the worsening civility in this country, but I find myself considering turning vigilante. As most of you may know, parking in the City is a challenge at best. So it is all the more frustrating and annoying to see the losers who park right in the middle of a space between two driveways, when if they'd just pulled forward or backwards, another car could fit in front or behind. I saw just such a scenario tonightright across the street from my apartment.
I was in such a rage I wanted to either let the air out of a tire or even key the effing car! Instead, I left a snitty note on their windshield "thanking" them for being so considerate and warning them that if I saw them parked like that again, I wouldn't be so "forgiving" next time.
So here's my question: technically, what they did is not illegal--and yet, they have a neghborhood parking sticker, they have to know how difficult it is to find parking and now they've been--granted, not so politely--chastised; so would I be justified in "punishing" them if I saw them do it again? Discuss.
I honestly feel like part of why people are so selfish and clueless nowadays is because no one is called on their shit and we've been "psyched out" of using shame anymore. When I was young, I was definitely made to feel ashamed when I did something wrong. There was none of this "validation of my feelings" and/or concern to not send one into a "shame spiral." And that's probably why people like Venus Williams and Kanye West and that dick of a SC congressman pull the shit they do.
Word.
8/19/09
Scum of the Earth: Baby Boomers & Tourists
Okay, down chicos, I'm just playin' - a little. :)
One thing I don't miss about living in Petaluma (coming soon: the top ten things I miss about Petaluma--as soon as I can think of 10!) and working in Marin, is/was the Marin & Sonoma Co. drivers. NO concept whatsoever of the usage of the left/passing lane (psssst, I just gave you a hint!), WAY too brake heavy--hello? let up on the accelerator and you'll slow down, as well!
Most all of them generally drive in one of two modes: Timid and Panic.
I'm generalizing, of course, but the other thing I noticed about the drivers "up there," is the bad ones were all like late 50s and up--you know, the effing Baby Boomers (of which I am, admittedly, on the "cusp" of). Either that, or the driver was talking on his/her cell--because, for some reason, that law doesn't apply to them--and despite their swerving and 30 mph driving on the highway, oh no, it doesn't distract them.
Confession: I have to admit this is one time I hope there is a heaven and hell and that there is a special "level" in hell for those who have caused an accident while messing with their cell. It'd be on the level below mean and hateful customers, but above Dubya. Word.
Anyway, the other thing these old drivers do is OHMYGODITSASLIGHTBENDINTHEROADIBETTER SLOWDOWNANDSLAMONTHEBRAKES
Which, of course, provides you with the opportunity to see the truly skilled ones incorporate timidity and panic at the same time!
Or substitute "slight rise or hill" for "bend in the road" above. Repeat.
I mean, I know people get more cautious when they're older, but can't they be cautious out of my way? Dammit, why won't they just get out of my way? Discuss.
So having escaped those old people in Marin/Sonoma, I now get the joy of "interacting" with tourists. Driving tourists. The movie would be, "Driving Miss Davey Crazy."
The two modes that the tourists drive in, are, of course, Timid and Panic.
Can't we just stop them on the outskirts of the City, find out what all they were going to do, what level hotel they were planning on staying in, etc., and then just take the equivalent amont of money from them, give them a few t-shirts, and then they go back home??
Poll time!
J/K
One thing I don't miss about living in Petaluma (coming soon: the top ten things I miss about Petaluma--as soon as I can think of 10!) and working in Marin, is/was the Marin & Sonoma Co. drivers. NO concept whatsoever of the usage of the left/passing lane (psssst, I just gave you a hint!), WAY too brake heavy--hello? let up on the accelerator and you'll slow down, as well!
Most all of them generally drive in one of two modes: Timid and Panic.
I'm generalizing, of course, but the other thing I noticed about the drivers "up there," is the bad ones were all like late 50s and up--you know, the effing Baby Boomers (of which I am, admittedly, on the "cusp" of). Either that, or the driver was talking on his/her cell--because, for some reason, that law doesn't apply to them--and despite their swerving and 30 mph driving on the highway, oh no, it doesn't distract them.
Confession: I have to admit this is one time I hope there is a heaven and hell and that there is a special "level" in hell for those who have caused an accident while messing with their cell. It'd be on the level below mean and hateful customers, but above Dubya. Word.
Anyway, the other thing these old drivers do is OHMYGODITSASLIGHTBENDINTHEROADIBETTER SLOWDOWNANDSLAMONTHEBRAKES
Which, of course, provides you with the opportunity to see the truly skilled ones incorporate timidity and panic at the same time!
Or substitute "slight rise or hill" for "bend in the road" above. Repeat.
I mean, I know people get more cautious when they're older, but can't they be cautious out of my way? Dammit, why won't they just get out of my way? Discuss.
So having escaped those old people in Marin/Sonoma, I now get the joy of "interacting" with tourists. Driving tourists. The movie would be, "Driving Miss Davey Crazy."
The two modes that the tourists drive in, are, of course, Timid and Panic.
Can't we just stop them on the outskirts of the City, find out what all they were going to do, what level hotel they were planning on staying in, etc., and then just take the equivalent amont of money from them, give them a few t-shirts, and then they go back home??
Poll time!
J/K
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