Off for a long weekend

Leaving for Cabo at 6:30am tomorrow. Need to pack.

See you all next week!

Moving help

Hi friends,

Ok a date is set. I am planning on moving into the neighborhood on Sat Nov. 3. Right now my roommate Ting will move in with me for a month or so until she finds a place in Bezerkeley.

I would really LOVE your help. I don't actually mind moving and packing but find it very stressful trying to round up ppl to help me. If you would be nice, available, and somewhat strong (though not as strong ppl can come too) and come help me on Sat Nov 3 around 10am (tbd), I would so love you. And if you would help/volunteer without me begging, extra extra love to you. And no, this open letter does not count as begging. Yet.

And I checked - Cal is playing an away game at Arizona. Not USC. So you're free, Cal fans :)

And if you're allergic/disdainful of cats, your moving duties will not include carrying Mitch and/or Nora. Even though they're so cute and I don't know how you can be allergic to such cuteness :)

Thanks in advance,
Orangecat

Orange wiperblades

Btw a car behind me in Burlingame today had bright orange flourescent windshield wiper blades. On a beige car.

Not sure if he's a huge 49ers fan but all I have to say is...

AWESOME.

Starbucks for kids??

I got into Burlingame "early" today and decided to run errands instead of going into work. I went through the cheap-o $4 car wash so my car will be sparkling when I come back from Cabo, dropped by Starbuck's for a chai tea latte, then grabbed cash at the atm. Efficientttt.

I buy Starbuck's about once every two or three months. It's a treat for me, I don't even order coffee, and I don't buy food/drinks much.

So this morning while I waited for my drink to be made, I saw the barista ask a mom customer if she wanted whipped cream on her child's coffee drink. She said yes, and the barista joked, "That's the whole point right?" I then saw the mom hand this tiny coffee cup to her toddler (seriously this child was like 2, if that).

What just happened? Does Starbuck's make coffee for infants now? I scanned the menu trying to find the Kid's Menu but couldn't see anything. Is it an off the menu thing, or just a normal drink scaled down? Ok, even if it was a coffee imitation like hot chocolate or something, isn't it weird that they call it "coffee"? That is early marketing to the hilt.

I say that bc I don't really drink coffee and I think it comes from my parents not drinking coffee. I didn't grow up smelling coffee or buying it or watching my parents brew a pot every morning. Not that it's a bad thing just an illustration of how strong I think our upbringings can be on our tastes and cravings.

So is it just me, or is that story weird?? And didn't it seem weird that the "coffee" drink just seemed like an excuse for a cup of whipped cream?

the Onion articles

To waste away your afternoon:

Ha ha, I do feel like this sometimes - "Nation sickened by sight of happy young couple"

"Hungover couple unaware they broke up last night"

"Crack dealer only tenant landlord can depend on for rent"

"Man with complete Mama's Family video library never going on eBay drunk again"

"Guy at bar had similar experience, but better"

"Arby's CEO arrested with trunk full of horsey sauce"

Man likes to compare circle of friends to cast of Lost"

I can't believe IV is mentioned in an Onion article

Here's a funny article about Christian rockers denying that they "kicked ass" at one of their concerts. But wait a minute, did they just mention IV??

According to Wÿtness lead guitarist Darrell Hilo, who joined the band last year when guitarist Mark Vinson left to devote his life to Inter-varsity Christian Fellowship Ministry [emphasis mine], no ass-kicking has ever taken place.
"We can't deny there are a lot of rock bands within the secular arena that do kick ass. Europe, Winger and Night Ranger have all kicked serious ass throughout their careers, with such killer anthems as 'The Final Countdown,' 'Seventeen' and 'You Can Still Rock In America' just the first few songs that come to mind. And yes, I do admit to jamming out to music of this variety when I was very young, before my parents took to drink and were divorced, and I was born again in the light of the Lord and Savior Christ Jesus the Lamb. But that's all part of my past. Honest. I haven't listened to those records since my youth group and I burned them all in 1988."

Dude, please spellcheck. It's InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. No hyphen, V is capitalized, and no "ministry" in IV. Except the rockin' ass-kickin' ministry of JESUS.

Be an organ donor

I read this article this morning on Slate.com about the worldwide market in organ donorship. The article is from April of this year. The image on the left is from the article.

I don't really know what to say or how to comment. Here's an exerpt:

The key to reversing the organ market is to turn that equation on its head. Stop fighting capitalism, and start using it. What's driving the market is scarcity. Americans, Britons, Israelis, Japanese, and South Koreans are going abroad for organs mostly because too few of their countrymen have agreed to donate organs when they die. Some have religious objections. Others are squeamish. Many figure that if they don't supply the organs, somebody else will.

They're right. Somebody else will supply the organs. But that somebody won't be a corpse [emphasis mine]. He'll be a fisherman or an out-of-work laborer who needs cash and can't find another way to get it. The middlemen will open him up, take his kidney, pay him a fraction of the proceeds, and abandon him, because follow-up care is just another expense. If he recovers well enough to keep working, he'll be lucky.

The surest way to stop him from selling his kidney is to make it worthless, by flooding the market with free organs. If you haven't filled out a donor card, do it now. Because if the dying can't get organs from the dead, they'll buy them from the living.

I have heard of this before. I'm struck this time by this sentence - "Twice in the last two weeks, transplant experts from around the world have convened in Europe to discuss the emerging global market in human flesh.

Human flesh. Human bodies are a multibillion dollar enterprise internationally but usually discussed in the context of prostitution, sex trafficking, and slavery. But what about the bodies themselves? What about the "extra" organs like kidneys and livers that are sometimes the last resource the world's poor have, and the world's wealthy are able to purchase? Should we acknowledge the reality of the world and create rules and structure to regelate it? Or should we resist the desperation and fight defiantly against it, and make it illegal while encouraging Americans and first-world nations to become organ donors?

I don't know. It doesn't seem cut and dry. It's not fair that global tsunami victims are selling parts of their own bodies to survive but it doesn't seem fair for me to say no to that either. Who am I to make it illegal? And yet I can't not look at the complete lack of healthcare and medical follow-up offered to these donors.

I don't know. But this makes me sad. What can our wealth not buy, if we can buy the very organs from another human and the health that comes from that? If we are basically paying with dollars, with cash, with a credit card, for life but by doing that we are taking life from another. We are increasing his or her risk for illness, decreasing their ability to donate to a dying relative if needed. We are increasing the gap between the have-nots and the haves.

Yet if I am dying or a relative and with money that is relatively easy for us to attain, we are able to save our lives while giving money to someone who needs it who is willing to offer up what is at that moment "extra" for food and life now, what would I do?

I don't know.

*And I don't know why the spacing won't show up in my post. Sorry for the jumbled mess. Grr.

**Addendum: One reason I wrote this was to encourage everyone to be an organ donor where you live. I hope that point came across.

Friend-full wkend

This was one of those weekends where I wasn't completely looking forward to it because it was full with a lot of activities but it was actually exactly what I needed.

I needed to be constantly surrounded by friends, telling stories, laughing, dancing, getting a few awesome parking spots, encountering a super nice meter maid who let me off a ticket, sipping good drinks inluding the yummy Lemon Drop, spending much needed time with God at our church's silent retreat, getting to carpool and save gas, eating really really good Japanese noodles and chicken tikka masala and chow mein and sandwiches (not at the same time!), praying and worshipping God and hearing from Him, cheering Cal to another win, watching a modernized Shakespeare play in the Presidio with friends, seeing art and live music at the De Young museum, and getting highlights.

It really energized and gave me rest. Everything, all of it. Thank you God for all your blessings, for Your presence. I am so desperate for you to come in and change my life, to renew my faith and encourage me, to enlarge my vision of You and You are.

It also helped hearing Your voice to respect my tiredness and go to bed early last night. I feel rested. And more than ready for Cabo :)

"The Wire"

A good article summarizing "The Wire," one of the best TV shows. More than about the Baltimore police dept. and the drug dealers they're trying to catch, it's telling the story differently. As Laura Miller argues in her article:

In a way, it doesn't make sense to talk of "The Wire" as the best American television show because it's not very American. The characters in American popular culture are rarely shown to be subject to forces completely beyond their control. American culture is fundamentally Romantic, individualistic and Christian; when it's not exhorting you to "follow your dream" it's reassuring us that in the eleventh hour, we will be saved. American culture is a perpetual pep talk, trafficking in tales of personal redemption and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. We don't do doom. "The Wire" is not Romantic but classical; what matters most in its universe is fulfilling your duty and facing the inexorable with dignity.

It's an unbelievably good show not because it only has fascinating complex characters or is able to mix humor and drama but because it tells the story differently. Everything doesn't end up alright, ppl you're rooting for die, some kids trying to change don't make it. It's not only a happy ending. And ties to my post below about things being out of our control, how un-American it is. It's like she read my mind this morning.

More from the article:

The rest of the characters in "The Wire" are trapped, and depending upon their intelligence and insight, they are more or less at peace with that fact. When thinking about the mood, the ethos of "The Wire," what comes to mind (rather than "War and Peace" or "For Whom the Bell Tolls") is a moment in the last book of "The Iliad" when old Priam, the king of Troy, sneaks into the camp of the Greeks to plead with the Greek warrior Achilles to return the body of his son, Hektor. Priam implores Achilles to remember his own father, who hopes to see his son again someday, and who (both men realize) never will.

"A single, all-untimely child he had," Achilles replies, relenting, "and I give him no care as he grows old, since far from the land of my fathers I sit here in Troy and bring nothing but sorrow to you and your children." From the hotheaded Achilles, this comes as a weary sigh. He is far from the father he loves, embroiled in a pointless war, mourning the death of his best friend and facing a grieving man whose son's corpse he has desecrated in a fit of misdirected rage. Someday he, too, will be similarly bereft. Yet how could it be otherwise? These men are warriors, born to fight; this is what the gods who control their destinies decree.

*And good to know that TV shows should be put in quotation marks - thanks for the grammar reminder Ms. Miller!

Good book - Mindless Eating

Here's an interview with Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating and head of Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab.

It's a really good book bc the research comes from pychology and experiments. It's not necessarily "How to lose weight in a month!" but how are our lives set up that we eat more than we want to. Info I def wanted to know.

From the article:

"We believe we have all the free will in the world. We believe we overeat if the food is good or if we're really hungry. In reality, those are two of the last things that determine how much we eat," Wansink says. What really influences our eating, he says, are visibility and convenience.

To me, it's an interesting aspect of the view that we humans, esp Americans, have too much pride in what we think we are in control of. We think that we only eat what we want and that circumstances and groups don't affect us. We're stronger than that, we say. That kind of thinking leads to "If you want to stop that particular sin, just stop already" or "If you want to get out of poverty, you can do it yourself." But we're not that strong to be able to individually fight against all of our human nature and the systems set up around us. Whether with food or race or economics or temptation, there are bigger forces at work than just our mind and will. We are much weaker and smaller than we think.

I got the book from the Oakland Library and highly recommend it. Some changes to eating less and only what you want/need are: switching from short to tall drinking glasses, using smaller plates, not doing "family-style" dinner where the bowls remain on the table (instead put them in the kitchen where you have to think more if you really want seconds), not eating from the large bag but taking out a portion on a plate, and making healthy food more convenient. This is merely a short summarization - the book lists pages of sometimes funny research stories that explain why and how these things affect us.

Completely unconnected thoughts

1) I think I have discovered the most concentrated sugar item ever - BlowPops. Sugar gum with sugar crystals enveloped in a sugar shell. Hey, I'm not saying that's a bad thing.

2) It is so hard to find a freeway onramp in Oakland especially in West Oakland. Do I need a master's in City Planning to drive around Telegraph and West MacArthur and hope to get on the freeway? I wasn't especially in a rush to get to work this morning after my appt and was fine crusing for 15 minutes before backtracking to my own apt to get on the 580 West but goodness gracious people. Who designed these cities?

3) I've felt out of whack this week. Too many things going on at night, good friend-full things but just a lot. I want to stay home for a week. Do I still have to work? Oh shoot, yes I do. I have not yet discovered a way for my cats to earn their own keep so someone has to pay for their kitty litter and fake mousies. Hee hee.

4) I know some TV shows are just horrible on a social level but they are the few shows I laugh out loud to. Beauty and the Geek is just soo funny bc the people aren't trying to be funny. This week premiered the new season and one geek said, "I'm a software engineer" and no joke, this cute perky chick says, "Um, does... that have to do with computers?" HA HA. Now I'm not as smart as the geeks but the wiiiiddddeee divide between the two groups is just so funny. In the interview process, they asked the beauties who won the Civil War. Some responses were "Who fought in it?" and "We did! America wins everything!" ROFL.

And America's Next Top Model started its new season Wed night and I love that show. I love how the judges pretend like these girls will actually be models. I love Tyra's plain craziness and "keeping it real." This time they started off a cruise ship and I was totally checking the ship out for details. "Ooh, is that how fancy the dining room will be? Will ours have an ice rink too?" It was a different line than ours but got me excited anyway.

And I agree with Potes, a writer for Television Without Pity, who says that most of her knowledge about weaves comes from ANTM and Tyra's constant talking about them. I am definitely expanded my weave knowledge from watching this show. They should give it as an elective in college.

Sleeping under the bed

Mitch is still recovering from his sedation and is sleeping under the bed. That's where he dwells when he's not feeling well. The cat equivalent of tucked under a pile of blankets, sleeping the fever off. He came up to the bed Tuesday night and sneezed three times into my face. Great, thanks Mitchie. I think he'll be ok though he wasn't this out of it last time he got his teeth cleaned. And his body and ears are extra warm.

Treasurer

I had my first Council mtg last night as Treasurer and to be honest, I didn't do or report much. I have a lot to learn about it all. But I liked it. I'm one of those odd people that like meetings. I love discussions and working with other people and wanting to move forward. I thought last night, moments like this make me miss IV staff.

I like talking about money and development. Not that I'm an expert on money or even have a lot of it for American standards (though I'm very rich based against the world's average income) but I like math and budgeting. I am learning Excel as I know the basics but I want to know more.

I would love to learn more about grant-writing with the goal of getting more grants for NH. I have to say, on a diff topic, it's hard how to think through talking about giving/tithing to people. It's hard to be encouraging but not judgemental, truthful but giving off a spirit of love. I honestly don't think there's a set amount or percentage God would lead us toward giving - in general or to our home church - but I know that in God's goodness and all He has given us, He calls us to give back. Not just with our time and our energy, but with our money. He got us our jobs, He gave us our friends and housing, He gave us our lives. In gentleness, He leads us to give back.

For me personally, I love to tithe. I know plenty of people who give more than me so it's not about bragging about an amount but I want to share that I love to give. I wish I made more money to be able to give more away. I see it as automatic and it's written into my budget. I see it as a spiritual act, a turning away from the greed in my own heart that wants to hold on to "my" money and to state that it's not my money at all. And my life isn't mine at all. I admit I get envious sometimes of people who don't tithe and have more extra money, to pay off things and save for a house. But then I think, would I want that? I can choose anytime I want to stop giving. Yet it seems not even a question. My heart doesn't want that money back, it's not mine to take. There's nothing else I want to do. There's no other God I want to follow. I give because I have received much.

7 days and counting for Cabo

Only a week away!

Anyone want to join a soccer league?

This SF Chronicle article quotes research that says soccer burns more calories and builds more muscles than jogging. Also the soccer players felt less tired than the joggers. I've been thinking about joining an intramural soccer team and this is further motivation. Anyone game?

Mitch is a big boy

Mitch's weight is now 17 lbs. Wow, he's a big cat.

Nora is now 13 lbs. or so.

Nora's sleeping on the bed right now as I type. She's so cute. I used to think she was grey but I think her fur turned brown bc she's now labeled a "brown tabby." I wondered if I am just colorblind but then this morning I noticed her tail is more white/gray striped. I think she changed colors. The vet did say that's possible. I really want to believe she's grey so there you go.

Nora's still grey. At least to me.

So glad to stay home today

I worked from home today because I had to take Mitchers and Nora to the vet. Mitch got his teeth cleaned (I need to pick him in a few hours) and Nora got a simple procedure done that I'm sure will gross anyone out if I tell you. Let's just say it is necessary, and leave it at that :) And no, it's not getting spayed/neutered. She already is and I can't remember which one goes with the girl/boy.

I felt so tired and it was nice to be able to nap a bit. I still had to wake up early and get them to the vet around 8:30am but the day was more flexible. Because my phone can give me my email, I feel pretty mobile. Though I haven't checked my work voicemail yet - eh, I'll do it tomorrow.

Did I mention I gave Nora a bath on Sunday? She's now soft and clean, her second bath ever and first by me. She only scratched a little and then just stood there, heart racing a little, while I shampooed and washed her. I dried her with a towel but she was still really wet. She went to dry herself and then she was so soft and clean. I think it really helped doing it in the shower, with the curtain closed and only a little bit of space. She stopped trying to jump after a couple of times. She kept trying to tuck into a small space by my legs, to hide. Cute little Nora.

Jill, Shyam, and I saw David Cross and others do a stand-up show last night. He was funny but on last and I was so wiped out, I had to put my elbow on the table to not fall asleep. I don't remember the drive home or coming into my apt. I wasn't drunk just really tired. Though those two cosmo's were good too. Paul Tompkins was sooo funny. He's been on VH1's Best Week Ever and did this completely funny riff on JetBlue and how some people are obsessed with it. David Cross did not do any Arrested Development jokes :( but he was funny esp on this set of Mormon jokes. Nico Santos opened/hosted and he had some hilarious Filipino/SF jokes but only me and Jill were laughing at most of them bc the audience was WHITE and maybe thought they couldn't laugh or didn't get it or something. Seriously me and Jill were cracking up and people around us were not. He talked about how he sells womens designer shoes in Bloomingdale's and every day someone asks him if he's Jimmy Choo. He said, "Yes, I take time out of my busy schedule to come sell you shoes." HA HA Hmmm... maybe the audience did think he was Jimmy Choo.

Yey to not commuting today...

Are we teaching men to fear children, and vice versa?

From Broadsheet on Salon.com:

A couple of weeks ago Broadsheet covered a Wall Street Journal column that asked whether we, as a culture, are teaching children to fear men. The Broadsheet post has 83 letters to date, and it turns out that the original article provoked a strong reaction as well -- the author, Jeff Zaslow, has written a follow-up column in response to some of the hundreds of letters he received from men about his piece. His point? We're not just teaching children to fear men, we're teaching men to fear children.

Here's the original article in the WSJ and here's the follow-up.

What to do with Barry Bonds' 756 ball?

I'm full of writings today, I think there'll be more to come.

The guy who bought Bonds' 756 ball is taking a survey on what to do with the ball. Article here.

To go directly to the voting site, go to www.vote756.com.

I think my vote changed after last week's revelation about the NY Patriots' illegal camera techniques and talking this weekend about how all the major bicyclists dope. I voted "Put it into the Hall of Fame without an asterisk" when I think I would have wanted an asterisk before.

What did you vote, and why?

"Rules of Marriage" - children's thoughts

From a forward passed on by sister-in-law. Bolds are my faves :)

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
-- Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
-- Kristen, age 10



WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
-- Camille, age 10



HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO P EO P LE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
-- Derrick, age 8


WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids.
-- Lori, age 8


WHAT DO MOST P EO P LE DO ON A DATE?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
-- Lynnette, age 8

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go on a second date.
-- Martin, age 10


WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
-- Craig, age 9


WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
When they're rich.
-- P am, age 7


The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
- - Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
-- Howard, age 8


IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.
-- Anita, age 9


HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF P EO P LE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
-- Kelvin, age 8


(And the #1 favorite question & reply is:)

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck hit her.
-- Ricky, age 10

On a happier note...

Camping was super fun this weekend. Our small group went only about an hour away to this cool site with a lake in Livermore. Everything went pretty smoothly - traffic was pretty easy getting there Friday night, we had enough tents and equipment, chilling was good, food was awesomely scrumptious (we have some mad talented cooks in our group), and it was a good time. The weather was colder than desired and expected but that was a small thing. Thanks again Josh for organizing it all!

I came home yesterday afternoon super tired and could barely keep myself awake. But I didn't want to take a nap and mess up my sleep schedule so I watched 50 First Dates, did laundry, watched the Chargers lose :( and some of the Emmy's. TV will keep my awake when I'm ready to collapse.

And tonight is seeing David Cross do stand-up in SF - should be fun but a late night too.

Morning commute over Bay Bridge

Finally! An article talking about how the new Bay Bridge Fastrak lanes are not working. But the article doesn't cite one of the reasons for the back-up is now that the Fastrak lanes are together, there are less surrounding lanes to merge into them closer to the tollbooth. During the commute time pre-Labor Day, it was normal for the rightmost cash lane to shift left and become the Fastrak lane. Everyone knew the routine and it was fine. I was wondering what the collaborative plan would be with the new lanes and though it's the only thing that makes sense with the new lay-out, it sucks. The Berkeley/Richmond folk have an advantage as their one - and perhaps second also - cash lanes next to the Fastrak lanes go straight into the F tollbooth lanes. The two designated F lanes don't spread out into the 5 tollbooth lanes - traffic can't divide that quickly without the side lanes jumping in. The Oakland/580 west side has a disadvantage in that it has to cross through the F lanes to get to the "cash" lanes to then later merge back into the F tollbooth lanes.

This may be long and confusing but I need to ramble/express my frustration this morning as I did Casual Carpool today and it sucks too. I really need an accurate picture of what the Bay Bridge traffic looks like in the morning and Kron4 and 511.org are not cutting it. Why isn't there a camera focused westbound on the lanes before the tollbooth plaza? It could be hooked up under the 880W ramp. I would watch whatever channel or website that had that camera every morning. Today Kron4 said the BB back-up was to the maze (kinda bad) and it would be 30 minutes. So I went out of my way to go to Grand Station, wait 10 minutes to pick up ppl so I can take the carpool lane, and head back. But there wasn't much traffic and definitely not as bad as the reporter had said. Sure, it could have cleared up but likely not. Grrr as I then had to do extra traffic to get into the city, drop the ppl off, then grind my way back ont 280S to get to work.

It all sucks. I did save the $4 toll but that's about it :(

And NO I can't take BART. I have thoroughly analyzed it and money- and time-wise it costs more. I'm sick of people saying everyone should take BART. You know what, I'm not against BART but it's not a valid option for people when a) they work past Millbrae, the last Peninsula BART stop, b) monthly parking permits at most East Bay stations are sold out, making AC Transit the only option to get to BART, and c) BART seats are gross and not guaranteed. If I'm going to have to switch trains, pay $9.75 a day, and ride for 60 minutes exactly, I want to sit down. And no, I can't ride a bicycle to BART then bike to work - I wear skirts and heels, and don't currently own a bike.

Ok, that's my traffic rant for the day.

To make myself feel better, here are my suggestions that I need to get out there:

1) Make half the tollbooth lanes Fastrak at the Bay Bridge and increase one more lane each year. The new configuration actually increased the cash lanes and it sucks. The San Mateo bridge should be a model to the other bridges (the Martinez one looks good too.)

2) Expand BART to San Jose and Menlo Park.

3) Transition BART seats to plastic, more sanitary.

4) Make an express BART train from key stations to other stations (this has been discussed by BART).

5) Make a bike lane on the new Bay Bridge - I know this had been discussed and thrown out but I think it would be a great move for those who do want to bike to work in SF, which are quite a few.

6) Install camera on key freeway and bridge locations and make them accessible on 511.org for free.

Nora

Nora is smaller than Mitch but more compact. They weigh the same surprisingly. I love Nora's body heat, like a little furry oven. If she's sitting somewhere for a bit and runs away, I put my foot on that carpet spot to feel the warmth. But when it's hot and Nora wants to snuggle, egh, cat, get off of me. I woke up around 3am last night because Nora decided she wanted to get close to me and curl up by my shoulder/arm. She's usually pretty loner but she gets in these "I'm feeling lovey" moods and climbs up (she doesn't jump well with her shorter than normal limbs), purrs like mad, walks on you painfully (her concentrated body weight and awkwardness equals grimaces) and wants to nudge her face next to yours but ends up scraping her tooth against your cheek. In one of her lovey moods, she once reached out her paw and went to pet my face but ended up with her claws extended and clawed my eyeball. I went to the othmalogist and was fine but Nora's just a bit oblivious in her desire to be loving. But I love the effort, Nora.

So last night she woke me up with her purring and nestled into my arm, wedged in between the pillow and my polar bear stuffed animal. She wants to stay put but is too excited and starts to chew the buttoms on my pajama top. She loves to chew items and as I put my hand over the buttons, I wonder if she's going to start chewing/kicking/wrestling my polar bear which she does when she starts to get excited. It's really cute but maybe not for my Sea World polar bear who is still nameless.

So I'm semi-awake with my hand over the buttons trying to sleep with this heated purring animal on my shoulder when Mitch comes over to investigate. He get jealous easily and think of me as His. He steps on me and kinda looks at Nora as she sits purring up a storm with her eyes half-closed. He looks at me then climbs down and settles on my left side near the edge of the bed, legs dangling over. He's a bit like a needy child and can't get close enough to me. When I sleep on my side, he'll come up and lie down right against my back.

I now have two warm furry bodies around me and try to drift to sleep. But Nora is so wired from her own purring and lovey-ness that she walks over the polar bear and jumps off the bed. She prefers to sleep under the bed, perhaps bc she's naturally so warm.

So a Nora story for today :)

Cabo! and random

I'm excited about the Cabo cruise in now less than two weeks. I've never been on a cruise before and I just need to get away for a bit. Pin, Esther, and I will have a lot of fun, I think :) I'm bringing lots of books.

I finished printing the buttload of pre-cruise registration paperwork. Good gosh, I feel like I just killed a redwood in printing it all out. Info here, sign there, print luggage tags, sign your firstborn away here. I also clicked on "Dress Code" and am not ecstatic about having to dress up every night. It looks like shorts can't be worn in the dining room. People with more cruise experience, is this true? I would like to wear a dress once but I'm hoping to stay chilling in lounge wear.

I recently discovered scheduling TiVo shows online which is awesome. I often am not home much and don't have time or the memory to remember to schedule shows when I do come home. I know I wrote a few posts ago about how I'm watching less TV (which I am) but I wanted to record the Emmy's this Sunday and keep forgetting before I go away camping this wkend (shoot, I gots to pack). So anyway I added the Emmy's this morning through tivo.com and yey, it's done.

My cat Nora is totally cute and does really cute things. In case you needed an update on her cuteness. Mitch is too but he's more normal. Nora's eccentric and it makes it more fun to watch her.

Stop junk mail

From CNN.com/Money:

Stop junk mail
Time it takes: 5 minutes

Call 888-5OPTOUT to remove your name from credit issuers' mailing lists. The result of that five-minute talk with a computer? Fewer temptations and a mailbox filled with letters, not offers for pre-approved cards.

Most important, you'll cut the risk of an identity thief raiding your mailbox or garbage can and applying for credit in your name. Stolen paper mail accounts for 9% of identity fraud cases, according to Javelin Strategy & Research.

Note: Because we're talking credit bureaus, you'll have to provide your Social Security number. It's okay.

Funfacts box: Junk mail
More than 62 billion pieces of junk mail are produced yearly.
The majority of household waste consists of unsolicited mail.
Approximately 44% of junk mail goes to a landfill unopened.
$320M of local taxes are used to dispose of unsolicited mail each year.

Names from the world of Agatha C.

I love the loopy names Agatha Christie names her characters. I started 4:50 From Paddington tonight and here are some of the names so far:

Elspeth McGillicuddy

Lucy Eyelesbarrow

Emma Crackenthorpe

James Stoddart-West


Hmmm, who wants to name their next daughter Elspeth?

Britney

Ok, I've already written a lot today so I'll just keep this short. I really like that this article was written. I agree - that Britney's performance was lethargic, eh, and sad on the Sunday night VMA's. But fat? One of the main things ppl are making fun of her about is her weight and wearing the skimpy outfit.

Girlfriend is not fat. She may not be as trim and toned as she once was but besides the fact that she had TWO babies, she's not 19 anymore. Ok, that point settled.

Two, some people agree she shouldn't be made fun of for her stomach but they think that she shouldn't have worn that outfit. Oh, so there's a police force out there that says if you're not a size 6, you can't wear certain clothes? I think she physically looked fine in the outfit - now her face looked zoned out and not present but her body looked ok.

I agree she's a trainwreck and her clothing choices in her real life are atrocious and often disturbing but for a performance outfit, I think her VMA outfit was fine. She hasn't worn that much more than in her past shows.

I'm bothered by the attention focused on her weight and "she shouldn't wear clothes like that in her shape."

Where is the middle-class on TV?

Really good article on wealth and class on TV here on Salon.com.

I grew up watching Roseanne, Full House, Family Matters, Cheers and other middle-class shows. They may have had larger than normal houses sometimes but they took care of the grandmother or had extra "uncles" living with them. It looked more like real life. I think Friends a bit but really Sex and the City (c'mon, that show was incredibly unrealistic for NY life finance-wise) has ushered in a new era were we watch characters live lives way beyond their means as they convince us it's normal.

From the article:

All of which is pretty funny -- when it's not making us sick to our stomachs, that is. As the economy skids, pundits scoff at the excesses of Americans who take out huge mortgages for five-bedroom McMansions, finance their Lexuses with adjustable-rate home equity loans and charge flat screens on their credit cards. But no one seems to consider it remotely odd that entertainment and media industries continue to celebrate an upper-crust existence that only a small percentage of the population will ever attain. It's not hard to see where Americans got the idea that a normal-size home and regular clothes will never be enough. Twenty or 30 years ago, after all, TV characters had cheap clothes and tacky furniture and bad hair, and they were happy to be getting by. Shows like "Roseanne" and "Laverne & Shirley," and more recently, "Seinfeld" and "Everybody Loves Raymond," brought us regular families with regular jobs and regular problems. Remember when people on TV talked all the time about whether or not they could afford stuff? These days, such conversations would be seen as deeply tacky if not utterly declassé. Aside from the teary-eyed families on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," whom we're told will be magically rendered happy by some combination of a redesigned family room and a brand new pickup truck, normal folks and their struggles aren't just uninteresting, they're somehow tainted. Unless there's a new wardrobe, a redone kitchen and a big check around the corner to save them from mediocrity, we don't want to know about it.

It's been obvious for years that Veblen's standard of pecuniary decency -- the minimum amount of conspicuous consumption one must maintain to be considered acceptable -- keeps inching higher and higher in this country, until Americans consider themselves struggling unless they're taking luxury spa vacations or redecorating that unbearably tacky half-bath. These notions aren't formed out of thin air, though. As a scan across the dial this fall makes clear, the TV doesn't just celebrate the supreme excitement and importance of money, it presents a lavish lifestyle as the norm, while casting average Americans as its money-grubbing guinea pigs, poised to stab each other in the back in the pursuit of the material wealth it taught them to covet in the first place.

Earlier the author Heather Havrilesky wrote:

Other than "Friday Night Lights," "The Office" and a handful of cop shows, America's middle class is tough to find. And if you go looking for the working class, be prepared to find mostly criminals and ex-criminals, as on "My Name Is Earl" and "Prison Break."

I've thought about this before, how the wealthy are presented in entertainment media*. I know all of us have thought about how unrealistic the characters on Friends lived - they kinda explained away Monica and Rachel's enormous NY apt as being rent-controlled from Monica's grandmother but that does not explain the endless supply of clothes. Friends did have a good episode in the first year where the six friends go to dinner to celebrate a birthday and three of them are dirt-poor while the other three are comfortable. The latter decide to split the bill equally, not based on items ordered, which frustrates the three struggling and a good group argument comes up.

I confess that the images and people reflected in TV and movies affect me and what I think "normal" is. Which is why I think God calls me to watch less. For the first time in several years, I'm not into the new TV season and am not tivo-ing a lot of new shows. I don't want to get caught up in it all. I feel pressured to watch shows like Heroes and Grey's Anatomy that everyone watches but I don't necessarily love, just to be in the know for conversations, but I'm trying to resist. I want to have less shows that I'm addicted to. And with Arrested Development and Gilmore Girls gone and The Wire on HBO and gone for awhile anyway, maybe I can do that.

* I went through this epitome a few years ago where I could not think of a positive impression of a wealthy business person in a movie besides Schindler's List and In Good Company with Dennis Quaid. They were all jerks and stereotyped greedy devious people. Were there any honest worthwhile men and women good at business, or did being rich and successful equal an ugly character?

Trying to actually work at work

I'm not logging into gmail until noon to give myself the chance to actually, you know, work. (Hmmm... does blogging count as work? Maybe I can't be weaned from everything all at once, baby steps). Once I get into the routine of spending a significant amount of time on personal stuff at work, it's hard to break the habit. So I'm trying my best today - will not open personal email account until noon. But I am blogging so... yeah, just go with my efforts people. If you need to urgently communicate a message, you can text me.

Fastrak lanes farther than 50 yards from the tollbooth will now be officially called Sucker Lanes. Just as in the old system, the lane to the right of the Sucker Lanes continues into a Fastrak lane before the tollbooth and is the ideal lane. Let me warn you, avoid the Sucker Lanes if you want to actually move.

I posted my profile on a couple online dating sites this past week and all kinds of anxiety and stress come up for me with that (dealing with that...). But I have to say, knowing how to read is very attractive to me. If I clearly politely state on my profile that I'm not interested in any men outside the San Francisco Bay Area and you live in Brooklyn NY or Texas or wherever, then sending me a "flirt" or "I'm interested" message just annoys me. It does not knock me over with attraction for you as I suddenly fall to my chair in a heightened sense of romance, dizzy with the possibility of a long-distance relationship. Don't want it people. Please learn to read.

I sound grumpy. Maybe I am. I feel grumpy a lot lately, feel mixed about work and all. I feel like I'm in a stage waiting for the next thing to happen. That makes some sense bc I'm planning a big move (for me) into my church neighborhood in the next few months. I'm such a do-er. I feel half constantly moving, wanting change and improvement, looking for the next project or task or exciting event. But I'm also equally half wanting to create a warm sit-still space, to just be, chill, be alone, to stop running around and instead spend the entire day indoors doing almost nothing. Maybe my first energetic half is trying to create the other half's do-nothing space. I'm constantly going back and forth, equally quiet and prayerful and chilled, and then motivated, planner, organized, group coordinator.

Put THAT into an online dating profile, why don't I...

Cookies

Here are pics from Jill and Shyam's Bay Area wedding celebration/homecoming in late August. (Jill, let me know if you don't want your face pics up here). Wow, my mom and I did a pretty good job on those cookies, if I do say so myself. And the lemon cupcakes were the first time I had made frosting from scratch. (Pics from Jill)

There were a ton of cookies leftover - and that's even with 3-4 ruined bc my fridge dripped on them and 3 hidden cookies in my freezer that I just found last week. Hee hee.

SF parents using race to choose schools

SF has a complicated system for parents to choose schools for their kids. This article doesn't fully explain that process but brings up a much-needed discussion - do parents avoid sending kids to schools with a majority of black students? Not related to income level, just race. A Berkeley grad student's research says yes.

Final update for Death on the Nile

SPOILER ALERT FOR "DEATH ON THE NILE" BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

Lol, I'm sure no one cares about this book being spoiled for them. It's not one of her better-known mystery novels, just one of the collection. I finished the novel last week.

Well, gosh darn, I was right about the murderers. I know, right? I'm pretty surprised too. It was Simon who assisted in killing his wife Linnet. Jackie helped him and as it turned out, they were in love still the whole time. The catch I hadn't expected that the story behind the murder plot was Simon wanting Linnet's money, visiting Linnet in person and seeing the rich lifestyle and wanting it. He persuaded Jackie to go along with it and as she loved him, she did. Hmmm, I thought Jackie had initiated the plan.

By the end of the book, three people had been murdered on a small boat with about 20 people. That's a high ratio of murdered victims. Hercule Poirot had his work cutout for him.

Nora playing with her mousie in the bathtub

Captured on my cell phone. The green item is her fake furry mouse. And these pics are kinda in order - she kept circling back for another dive at her prey.

Wednesday and life

I don't like the new Fastrak lanes for the Bay Bridge. I don't think it's just the first few days of getting used to the new configuration; I don't think it's going to work at all for high-commute times. While the Fastrak lanes end with 5 lanes at the tollbooths, they start with only 2 way back. There used to be 3 and that elimination of a prep lane, as you will, is not good. Without speeding up the meter lights for Fastrak lanes during rush hour, this will not work. Cash lanes are zooming past the stopped dead Fastrak drivers - not an encouragement to get Fastrak at all! It does make me want to go carpool though...

Read this if you need some help figuring out what not to do on your resume. The things that most annoy me are different fonts on the same page and an unprofessional email address. I have more grace on people who put personal information (including whether they're married!) on their resume as often people just don't know - sometimes they're recently new citizens. Also, don't put your references on your resume - swarmy recruiters will use that info sharkily and even for good recruiters, you don't want them calling your references too early. If you want, you can put "References available upon request" at the end of your resume but you don't really need it - hiring manangers/recruiters assume you have positive references.

You can definitely go over one page for a resume. I tell people that if you're over 22, you most likely will have a 2 page resume if not more. I've had some tech people with 5 page resumes.

You don't need an objective or usually a cover letter either.

Good Saturday

Good weekend, full of friends and good times. On Saturday I had nothing planned and was wondering what I was going to do. I ended up taking a hard strength training class at the gym, going to the farmer's market and stocking up on fresh fruit/veggies and flowers, and getting a pedicure before heading home to watch Cal beat Tennessee (GO BEARS!). I was so sore from the class, I think just today I can finally sit down normally.


I really really like the farmer's market. I love collecting fresh strawberries and blackberries and cherry tomatos as I manuever around strollers and young hippies. I love eating juicy peach slices from the sample area of the peach/nectarine sellers.


I love watching people sell things they created or farmed, often looking like they're doing what they love. They've found their passion and are making a living doing it. I love the same stands week after week, like kettle corn and flowers (I got two sets of dahlias this time) and mixed greens with edible flowers.




But I also discovering the new stands like the spinach bolani Afghan bread with tasty hummus. I wanted the cilantro pesto but they were out so I settled for the sun-dried tomato hummus. I loved bargaining with the seller as it was the end of the market day and he threw in another bag of spinach bolani.




I really love going to the farmer's market. I'm trying to do more things that I really enjoy, that make me happy, discovering the simple pleasures in life that cost little but energize and fill me. A good workout then a refreshing shower, being outside in the sun in a community buying food that's so good for you, leisurely reading on my bed in the daylight, laughing with friends, watching tigers play and splash. So many good things.


(Pictures from Jim C. on Yelp.com, Acclaim Images, Dahlia.com, and FreeFoto.com)