Five Randoms

I saw this on Brianna’s blog, so I thought I’d do the same!

What I was doing 10 years ago today:
--Living in Sunnyvale going to Foothill College
--Traveling down to SLO once a month to visit my man
--Getting ready to go back to Fortuna for the summer
--Enjoying (almost) daily sandwiches from Le Boulanger
--Hating the bay area traffic

Five things on my to-do list today/evening:
--Watch the finale of LOST (duh!)
--Finish logo comps for a freelance job
--Pack for this weekend trip to Bakersfield
--Charge my camera batteries
--Pick up the house (laundry, dishes, vacuum)

Snacks I enjoy:
--Any type of fruit: strawberries, nectarines, pineapple, blackberries
--Skinny Cow ice cream (totally healthy snack, I know!)
--My guacamole and chips (totally conceded, I know!)
--Santa Barbara brand peach and mango salsa and chips
--Hummus and bread, both from Costco (does this count as a snack if I eat it for dinner sometimes?)

Things I'd do if I were a millionaire:
--Buy a new home, and pay other people to fix it up
--Give a bunch of money back to my parents for all that they spent on me growing up
--Take my friends, who need new cars, to any dealership and let them pick out any car they wanted…also help any friend who wanted to buy a house
--Donate a large sum to the Central Asia Institute
--Travel to Uruguay, Thailand, Australia, Japan, Africa, Vietnam, Tahiti…I think I would take a trip about every other month.


Places I've lived (in order…sorry there is more than 5):
--Ukiah, CA
--Fortuna, CA
--Menlo Park, CA
--London, UK
--Sunnyvale, CA
--San Luis Obispo, CA

I figured I’d actually tag some friends to put the pressure on. Let’s go ladies!

Sarah
Jen
Emily
Brianne
Jenna
Lori

The Blender is BACK!

This past holiday weekend The Steinbucks came down for the annual Grundbuck Reunion! We had so much fun, and I think it was their best visit yet. So hard to believe right? I guess when you throw one more Steinbuck in the mix it increases the fun-o-meter.

On Saturday John and Adam went to the Avila Beer Fest, while Rebekkah, the girls and I went to the beach. Here is a before photo of the dudes:

Before we parted ways we went to The Custom House for breakfast, and on our way back to the car, John and I saw the Blazin' Blenders VW bug. We both looked at each other with sad eyes, as we are still sad they closed down in SLO about 3-4 years ago. We loved going downtown on Saturday mornings and going to House of Bread first to get a baked treat, and then over to the blender to get a smoothie. We had totally burned ourselves out on Jamba Juice, and their different combinations were a refreshing change. We even became somewhat regulars, which surprised me since we only really went there once a week. However every Saturday the owner would be working, and I'm sure it helped that I got the same smoothie almost every week. When it closed down we were totally devastated. Knowing that I'd never have a Cherry Breeze or Yogi Berry again was SO sad.

So when we walked by the bug I looked up to see a new shop. What was it? I couldn't really tell…it kind of looked like a smoothie/ice cream place. WAIT A SEC!!! Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Was I hallucinating? As I entered the shop I started to hear angels singing and everything got really bright. I then saw the familiar owners face and asked her if this was a Blazing Blender, and she said 'Yes, we just opened today.' I just stood there stunned with my mouth hanging open. My mind was racing a million miles a minute, and I didn't know what to say! Finally my brain contacted my mouth and had me ask, 'Do you have Cherry Breeze?' 'Yup,' she said 'we have the entire original menu.' Of course I just stood there stunned again! I'm sure the owner thought my intelligence level greatly decreased over the last 4 years, or maybe I had been in some sort of accident. She did recognize John and I, which totally shocked me, but how could she not recognize the #1 Cherry Breeze fan? I mean seriously!

I told her we'd come back later to get a smoothie, which we did about 4 hours later. The LONGEST 4 hours EVER! Just kidding. They actually flew by as Rebekkah and I had a nice time hanging at the beach despite the semi cold weather. Sydney had the best time EVER as she entertained herself for 4 straight hours. That kid and sand is like Angelina Jolie and kids!

The after photo.
(Yes, that is John’s tasting glass in his mini pocket.)

The dudes met up with us after their drunken feast, I mean fest, and I got to head over and get a Cherry Breeze. By then the husband of the owner was there, and I once again got to share my delight in them opening up their new shop, and getting to have a breeze again. John of course was very 'happy' shall we say, and I was a bit worried that he would start rambling to them and embarrass me, which he did by mentioning that I would probably blog about them opening up their store! Dang him! Why does he have to give away all my secrets? I don't want to be known as the crazy blogger stalker chick! I mean I know I am, but I try not to blab that info all over town. Well I guess I don’t have to worry about that, because John takes care of it for me. What a sucka.

Anyway…the smoothie was SO GOOD! I can't even tell you how good it was to have it again. I foresee a new weekend tradition for John and I to bike ride out to Avila every weekend to get one. (That is if I owned a bike…hopefully the EBay Gods will answer my prayers soon and help John win one for me).

Yesterday I came across the following article on sanluisopispo.com. Let me just say that I am really glad the culprit’s name was neither John nor Adam, and that we had left Avila by 3pm!!

Naked man jumps on cars in Avila Beach

A naked man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of trying to have sex with a taxi cab in Avila Beach, authorities said.

Cody Eugene Williams, 27, of El Dorado Hills, was found about 6:15 p.m. on First Street wearing only his birthday suit and simulating intercourse on the windshield of the cab, according to San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s officials.

The cabbie was still inside the taxi, investigators said.

Williams, reportedly intoxicated, also jumped on at least three other cars and broke a windshield, sheriff's officials said.

Williams was booked at County Jail on suspicion of vandalism, indecent exposure and committing a lewd act.

TWO of Each please!

Dear Mr. Food Distributor at Firestone,

I understand that your manager has probably told you, (and your fellow co-workers), to only hand out one ranch and one BBQ sauce per customer. I’m assuming that it is most likely cut down on cost, which makes sense to me. However I am not a typical college student customer who probably does in fact waste the sauce. I have been a loyal customer for the past 13 years, and have dealt with many things, such as the remodel, and the constant rising price of your tri-tip sandwich from $4.99 to $7.99.

When I asked you for two sauces I really did need two...for the meal in front of me. I wasn’t planning on taking the extras home with me and stocking my fridge for my next BBQ.

I understand that my tri-tip sando and side of fries is normally what one person orders, so that is why I told you the meal was for two people because I could tell that you didn’t believe that I needed extra sauce. I do not appreciate the fact that you still did not get me more sauce and that I had to further explain that my husband mixes a ranch and BBQ sauce together, which I do not like, and that is why I needed two of each. Just give me the friggin' sauce and don’t cop me a tude! I mean seriously! If you really need to be that stingy with it start charging a quarter! I’d rather pay a quarter then have to justify the reason of why I need extra sauce. I’m surprised you still have free napkins.

You totally wrecked my dining experience.

Sincerely,
Disgruntled customer who will continue to order extra sauce just to stick it to you.

The Other Amber

A few weeks ago I totally nerded out and searched for ‘Amber Grundman’ on Facebook. I know what you are thinking, but now that my last name has changed from ‘Scott,’ I really didn’t think there would be any matches. But I was wrong…and there was just one. Her profile photo looked normal, so I thought I'd send her a message.

My message:
Hello! I just did a search for myself, (I know, total dork move), and then your profile came up! I'm just curious to know if you married into the Grundman name or if it's the name you've always had. Write back if you want.

Amber Grundman
SLO, CA

Her response:
Hi! You know the funny thing is when I saw I had an email from my name I thought it was a glitch! Ha! I've been checking this with my blackberry a lot lately and didn't see that it wasn't from me until now!! Im a dork!

Okay well to answer your question I have had this name all my life! I am getting married this summer and will happily get rid of it! You would think that a last name simple as ours wouldn't get Mispronounced so much! Haha!

We have to be related some how... Did you marry in to the name?

Talk soon I hope
Amber

I was so excited to get her message and it seemed like she was totally normal! (You always hear about the weirdos online). So I wrote her back and told her that my mother-in-law is a genealogy expert and that I could ask her to do some research to see if we were related. She then wrote me back with a bit of info about her grandpa, which I forwarded on to my mother-in-law.

Here is what she emailed me back:

Gustav (1857-1937) and Augusta Somers Grundman (1862-1938) came from Germany.
They had five children:

1. Theodore F.
2. Paul John (John’s great grandfather)
3. Michael Gustaf (the other Amber's great grandfather)
4. Mary
5. Frank

Michael Gustaf Grundman married Anna M. Roy in Faribault MN. Their children were

1. Vernon Grundman who married Louise Fitzpatrick
2. Robert Grundman who married Jo Ann Mullins
3. Berniece Helen Grundman
4. Roger Grundman born 26 Jul 1924, Married Eileen Alice Lahiff born 26 Apr 1927 Minneapolis MN. (The other Amber’s grandfather)

Their children:

1. Vincent Paul Grundman
2. Marianne (Geis? married name?)
3. Bernadette Marie
4. Teresa Eileen (Cross? married name?)
5. Michael Thomas Grundman (The other Amber’s dad)
6. Daniel William Grundman

Isn’t that crazy that John and Amber’s great grandfathers were brothers? So we are semi-technically related!! We’ve emailed back and forth a few other times, and we’ve found out that we have some eerie things in common. Such as...

- Amber has a younger sister who was born on 2-2-84.
- My birthday is 2-2-77.

- Amber’s grandfather’s brother owned a shoe store called ‘Grundman Shoes’ in Indiana.
- John’s dad’s cousin owns ‘Grundman Shoes’ in Eureka, CA.

- Amber is pretty crafty and into graphic design.
- I am pretty crafty and am a graphic designer.

- Amber has a blog dedicated to her upcoming wedding called ‘Trip to the Altar.’
- I too have a blog. (Duh).

-We both hand made wedding cardholders for our weddings.

Amber’s super cute birdcage:

My super cute wedding cake:

- We have both posted each other’s blogs on our blogs titled ‘The other Amber Grundman.’ (Ok, so she did this first and I copied her, but still it’s a similarity!)

- My mom came across the other Amber’s blog and left a comment. The other Amber then wrote me and said that her mom would totally do the same thing if she came across my blog.

- My blogger Twin Lori clicked on ‘Next Blog’ at the top of her blog and it took her to the other Amber’s blog! No joke!

- We both have brown hair and are really cute. (I wasn’t sure if this one was obvious or not)

Once again the Internet has amazed me and put me in contact with someone I had no idea was even out there. Thank you Al Gore!!

**Check out her blog if you get a chance. If you are someone who enjoys weddings, like myself, then I know you will enjoy her entries. I'm so bummed I didn't have a blog throughout my wedding plans! Could you just imagine the tales I would have had to write about?

Refreshing!

I bought these at Costco this past weekend and they are SO good! Not to mention SUPER cute! That is right, each sorbet is actually frozen in a half of orange peel, coconut, pineapple, and lemon! They also come with cute little spoons. Plus, they are pretty low fat. I found them near the skinny cows, if you are interested.

We saw Young at Heart this weekend and it was SO great and inspiring. My blogger twin Lori wrote this review about it on her site, which after I read it, convinced me even more that I needed to see it. I would write my own review, but since Lori already did that, why should I put in the effort? If it comes to a town near you, it's a must see. John and I both really enjoyed it.

Also, I woke up this morning and saw the following scene:

Ahhhh to be in high school again.

3rd Time is the Charm

San Luis Obispo’s independent movie theater, The Palm, has a new feature on Wednesday nights where they show old movies. Last night John and I got to see Amelie…for the third time…in the same theater. I was SO excited when I found out that Amelie was going to be a part of their new feature. It is one of my top 3 movies of all time, and I never thought I’d get to see it on the big screen again.

We showed up early to make sure we got to see it, and it was a good thing we did. There was already a line formed outside, and it eventually sold out! I was pretty surprised at how young the crowd was…I mean had they even heard of the movie in 2001? When they were like 12 years old? I doubt it. But there were a few grey hairs in the crowd along with us, so I’m hoping they felt even more out of place then we did. Not to be mean…but I’m glad we weren’t the oldest couple in the crowd!

I did have this single guy sitting next to me who started talking it up to the girl next to him. Then before you knew it, she had moved seats...not the best sign, am I right? After that I purposely tried to position my body language more towards John, hoping he’d get the hint that I wasn’t in the talking mood. Now I know you might think that is mean…but I don’t think this guy was 100% normal. Yeah maybe he was lonely going to the show by himself, but it wasn’t ‘normal lonely’…it was the ‘I could be the crazy man who drives a rapist van lonely.’ Despite that attractive quality, he did seem to enjoy the movie a lot, and laughed at a lot of other parts when no one else was laughing. He was odd I'm telling ya.

Before the show the theater manager, (I think), gave away some free stuff…passes to the next Wednesday night movies, and a t-shirt. Unfortunately I did not win. Who knows why because I was totally feeling lucky. He also announced that he was going to be showing a preview of another possible movie that they might show, which turned out to be The Usual Suspects! How awesome would that be to see on the big screen? In fact I think I’ve only seen it once, so it will be much better to watch it a second time now that I know the ending.

John and I usually try to watch Amelie once a year around Valentine’s Day, but didn’t get around to it this year. That actually worked out in our favor because there were a few things we had forgotten about. You know now that I think about it, I think that it might be more than a year since we’ve seen it. I guess I'm really slacking on that tradition!

I forgot about how funny the movie is and how it makes me smile throughout almost the whole thing. No joke! There are so many aspects that make me love the movie, but don't worry...I won’t bore you with them. However I must say that I think it is such a great love story, and nothing melts my heart more then when Amelie is riding on the back of Nino’s scooter.

Next week The Dude will be in town, and John is beside himself.

I'm A Total Local!

This past weekend John and I headed up North to S.F. to start off our ‘California Summer Baseball Stadium Tour.’ (A.K.A. CSBST) Last summer John wanted to go on the CSBST, but we were way too busy with our plethora of weddings. I felt kind of bad putting it off, but everything is a go for this summer. We’ve already bought all of our tickets and will be going to a game a month, and two in August.

Our first stop was AT&T Park, or the old Pac Bell, or the Candlestick baseball stadium, as I like to call it.

We were really lucky that John’s good friend Scott Feldstein lives only 2 blocks away from the park! When we were planning our trips we were so excited to be able to visit and stay with Scotty for the Giants game, however Scotty already had plans to be out of town that weekend. I know total bummer…but was it? Well yes…it was in the fact that we didn’t get to visit with him, but it was also awesome because it was like John and I had a mini vaca without having to pay for a place to stay! What is even better is that Scotty’s place is SO nice and it’s in a great location. We were able to walk wherever we needed to go, and never had to use our car. Isn’t that amazing? I’d really love to live like that again. That is one thing that I loved about living in London. I was 100% reliant on public transportation, and was able to walk almost everywhere.

On Saturday we were able to walk to this FABULOUS breakfast place, and then later to the game. We met up with my two uncles and my dad at the game, and had such a great time! Of course it helped that the Giants actually WON 8-2! It was a total shocker especially since they had just lost to the Phillies the night before. We also had the total trifecta: perfect weather, good seats, and garlic fries! (I missed my photo opp of the fries, but they were HUGE and totally stinky.)

This was my first time to the Giant’s new stadium. I know, I know...how could I be a fan all my life and never have gone? I am quite ashamed to admit that, but I must say that the stadium is SO nice! I was really impressed.

One of the most shocking events of the whole day was that John bought and WORE a Giants hat! (He’s a big time Dodger fan). Before the game he kept going back and forth on whether or not he should buy one, because he really wanted to get a hat at each park we went to, however he couldn't fathom actually wearing any Giants attire. At first he said he would buy one and wear it if I agreed to buy a Dodger visor and wear it. What is great is that me agreeing or disagreeing with that deal didn’t even affect his purchase. However…seeing him with the Giants hat on made me so happy, that I knew that I would have to return the favor and wear a Dodger visor next month. Dang it!

Look how cute we are with our matching hats!!

We didn’t see any fights break out (thank goodness!), but there was one really obnoxious Phillie’s fan sitting few sections over. We saw him stand up and start preaching about who knows what, so one giant’s fan start throwing peanuts at him, which he actually caught. It was kind of funny. Then awhile later he got into another argument with a different Giants fan, which wasn't so light hearted. This time security actually came down to talk with him, but the best part was seeing the females that were with both guys sitting there in utter mortification. You could just tell that they were dying of embarrassment.

We had these two little old ladies sitting near us, and you could just tell that they had been coming to games for YEARS. At one point my dad decides to mention to one of them that John is in fact a dodger fan in disguise! I totally thought the lady was going to give John a beat down with her cane! But luckily his Giants hat saved him. I later asked my dad why he told her that, and he knew that John could have taken her if it came to fist-a-cuffs. He did have a point.

Group shot

After the game we went to dinner at Koh Samui and the Monkey. My mom met us there as well. (She drove down on Saturday because she had a musical engagement earlier that day.) On our way there we wound up walking behind to real winnas who were smoking pot…as they were walking down the street…like it was no big deal.

Scotty took John to the monkey a few years ago, and ever since he has gone, all I’ve ever heard about is their pumpkin curry. The dude is totally obsessed.

I will admit that it was good, and I’m not even a huge fan of curry. I got beef with mangos, and it was really good.

I even had a mango mojito! It was a total mango night for me. We even got a few appetizers that were all good too. One reason is because they were all fried. I was totally impressed with the place, and the service was really good as well.

On our walk home we were stopped by one guy who asked us which direction Market Street was. We told him we thought it was behind us, but we told him we weren’t sure. However we were more impressed with the fact that he thought we were locals, even with my tennis shoes on! However I think he was in quite the hurry, so maybe he didn’t look down at my stylish footwear.

The next morning we headed down to San Jose where we met up with the family and had Mother’s Day brunch at the Fairmont hotel. The food was really good, but buffets are so hard! I just want to eat everything, and have multiple servings.

After brunch we headed over to the San Jose Museum of Modern Art, where right now they have having an art show on Robots. As some of you know, my Uncle Eric specializes in paintings of robots and doughnuts. Overall it was a great show, but of course the highlight for me was to see my uncle’s painting up close and personal. I’ve mostly just seen prints or jpgs, so to see them in their actual size was even more breathtaking.

If you are in the area, then I highly suggest you go to the show. It’s really great. You can also check out this video from a local news station that put together a great story. My Uncle also has a blog with some other info on hiw work, if you are interested.

I know most of you don't live in the bay area or traveling there anytime soon, so just for you I asked my Unlce to send me the jpgs of the paintings he has in the show.

The Executioner is a Keen Shaver

What We Ought Not, We Do

Malfunction

Overall it was a really fun weekend. My Uncle Brian had asked me at one point if swapping homes with my friends is something I’d done before. Even though this was my first time, it really is a great idea! As much as we love to visit with all our friends, it’s also nice to be able to get away for a weekend, by ourselves, in another town, and have free accommodations. Soooooooooo if any of you are interested in swapping, just let me know. My only disclaimer is ‘no pets or shoes allowed’!

Sneak Peak II

I'm too tired tonight to fill you in on our entire weekend in S.F., but I will leave you with this photo:

We ate dinner at Koh Samui and the Monkey for dinner on Saturday night, and it was SO good! We each got one of these little monkeys served in our drinks. John's monkey decided to try to catch some waves on his limeboard.

We had a great weekend and the Giant's even won!

365 Days Sans a Thyroid

A year ago today I had my thyroid and his buddy, the tumor, removed. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year! I can finally go out in the sun and not worry about protecting my scar! I NEVER thought I’d be able to make it 12 months! (Ok I knew I could do it, but I just wanted to complain.) In fact I’m going out to buy one of those foil sun thingies right now! Just kidding. I will probably continue to protect my neck to help prevent sun damage…I would like to be sans wrinkles as well!

After all of my medical procedures to get rid of the cancer, the total bill was around $55,000. I think my surgery alone was about $40,000. Isn’t that outrageous? I don’t recall having to pay any of that, but near the end our insurance did change and we did have to pay $600. At least we didn’t have to pay more!

After my surgery my doctor started me on 150 mcg of Synthorid, and then proceeded to give me a higher doseage to see how my body reacted. After bout 4 different doses he brought me back down to 150. The pill is only a pain on the weekends. (Did I ever mention that I have to take the pill on an empty stomach and then wait an hour to eat after I take it?) If I wake up a few hours before I actually get up, and remember to take the pill, then it’s no prob. It’s just a pain on the days when I don’t wake up early, and then I have to wait to eat. John is nice enough to wait with me and not eat in front of me.

During my 9 month check up I was told that I won't have to take another radiation pill like they thought! New developments have already occurred in this medical field saying that I don’t need it. So that is good news! I will have to get some THS, (thyroid-stimulating hormone), shots in September and then they will test my thyroglobulin levels…a.k.a. get some blood work done. The hormones tell my body to produce thyroid cells, so hopefully when I get the blood work done there will be no sign of any left in my body. Should be pretty harmless, but I will have to go on the low-iodine diet again. It won't be too bad. I think after that I will just have to get blood work done yearly…not 100% sure though.

A few months ago I also attend the Thyroid Cancer Support Group here in SLO. It was really neat to meet other ladies who have gone through the same thing. One lady had recently had her surgery and was getting ready to get her radiation pill the following week. It was her first time at the meeting as well, so right after we introduced our selves, she said ‘so I suppose we should compare scars.’

‘Wow yours is BIG!’ I replied.

‘Well I had a full thyroidectomy,’ she said in a very defensive/polite voice.

‘Well so did I,‘ I said.

It wasn’t until later that John informed that it probably wasn’t the best thing to say to her, but I totally spoke without thinking!! I was just in total shock to see a scare that was almost twice the size of mine. However I should have realized that she was still self conscience about it since she was wearing a turtleneck in 85 degree weather!

One interesting thing I did find out is that they don’t administer the radiation pills in SLO anymore. Patients have to drive down to Santa Barbara to get them! Isn’t that terrible? The newbie had to go off her meds for two weeks before getting the pill, (when you do that you aren’t supposed to drive), so her husband had to drive her down to SB. On the way back she had to sit in the way back of their car on the ride home trying not to expose him to the radiation. So lame!

I have yet to make it back for another meeting, but I need to go. All the ladies were really nice, and it was nice to give helpful tips to the newer lady.

In other news…I’m growing my hair out to donate it to beautiful lengths! Last year I was feeling bad that I hadn’t done anything positive to support cancer research or cancer survivors. I thought I would be more motivated to do something as I was now part of the cancer survivor club, but nope…nothing. I had no desire to do anything until I saw Hilary Swank donate her hair on Oprah. I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment and knew that is how I was going to give back. I had already been growing out my hair for my sister’s wedding, so why not grow it out a few more inches? I think the last time my hair was this long I was in kindergarten. I am very excited to donate it and am also getting excited to have a new short do. I’ve been keeping my eye out for cute styles, but I hope the styles are still in by the time I decide to cut it. I’m thinking I only have a few more months to go. (Don’t worry…of course I will post before and after photos)!

You know I was really bummed that I didn’t write up an entry about my surgery. I had planned on it, but totally didn’t feel like it. I still kind of want to do it, but what can I really remember a year later? (I actually just checked my blog archive and found John's summary of the surgery, which I think was really good.)

One thing I do remember is all of the wonderful cards and flowers from you all. That meant/means so much to me even now. I’m sure I thanked most of you last year, but just in case I wanted to thank you again for all your kind words and prayers. It’s a great feeling to know what great family and friends I have even in the midst of a hard time.

I will leave you with a before and after scar photo. I really should have taken one every month to watch the progression of it healing. I totally blew it!

Here is a photo I posted about a month after surgery:

Here is a photo from 5 minutes ago:

I didn't even realize how good it looked until I put the photos side by side!

Side Note: I just started the BBQ and nothing caught on fire. I lit it with a lighter tonight, as it was obvious the the ignitor is not working. I did stand as far away from it as I could, but the sound of it igniting it did make me jump! This chicken better be worth it!

Seriously!

I seriously almost caught my face on fire tonight! I was starting the BBQ and I kept trying to light it...but for some reason the spark wasn't catching the propane. I thought that maybe the tank was out, as we know it's getting low...so I turned it up. I tried to light it a few more times and nothing happened, and then all of the sudden I saw this HUGE orange flash in my face! I closed my eyes and ducked and then felt my head to make sure my hair wasn't on fire! I guess it's a good thing I didn't put too much hair spray on today!

I kind of freaked out after it happened. The reality that I almost caught on fire set in. I started to think about what I would have done had I been in flames. John is down in LA this week so I probably would have had to run over to the neighbor's house for help. THEN I thought about outcome if I had in fact burned my face really bad. I could have totally been scared for life. What a reality check!

After all the times I've BBQed burgers I've never even come close to something like this happening. I was actually BBQing chicken tonight, (first time), and man does it take a long time to cook! I totally thought it would be quick like burgers are, but when I cut into it after about 5-10 mins the middle was still raw! I swear everyday is a learning experience.

Popcorn Time!

We saw two movies this past weekend. The first one was Shine the Light. John and I saw the preview for this movie a few months ago, and it looked great! It implied that the film was a documentary about a Rolling Stones concert filmed by Martin Scorsese. Sounds good right? Well I'm sure it would have been if that had been what they showed on the screen! John and I were both really disappointed to sit for two hours and watch an entire concert of the Stones. (No offense Stone fans). That was it. maybe the first 15 minutes were documentaryish, and in between every 2-3 songs they would show an old clip of the band being interviewed, but other than that it was Mick and the gang rockin' out. Since I am not the most hard core Stones fan, this really wasn't my type of movie. I really enjoyed the old footage from the 70's, but there wasn't really enough of that to carry the whole film.

Now obviously there were other people in the theater that new what to expect. Such as this one lady who bobbed her head to every song along with lip syncing each word. I'm not sure what the couple she was with thought as their heads were not bobbin'. I was waiting for her to jump up in the isle and start dancing like Mick.

So if you are a true fan then you will enjoy this movie...dad. Although I must warn you that the Clinton Clan makes an appearance, but I think that your love of the Stones will out weigh your hatred.

On Monday my company was given a half day, which was AWESOME, so John and I took advantage of the day by being very productive and going to see Iron Man. Now let me tell you that I was pretty skeptical about seeing this movie. For the most part I do like super hero movies, but let me tell you I have seen my fair share of bad ones...i.e. the first Hulk movie with Eric Bana, and that one where Ben Afflack is a blind super hero. L-A-M-E.

There are quite a few super hero movies coming out this summer, which I know John wants to see, and I've already tried to warn him that I will not want to see all of them. I think I will enjoy Batman, Indy, and maybe The Fresh Prince's new one, but I really do not want to see the new Hulk. I mean that last one was SO bad, and this one looks like it might be on the same level. All I had to see in the preview was Tim Roth saying "Let's level the playing field,' right before he gets injected with some super villain serum, so he will be able to take down The Hulk. Spare me!

Sorry...where was I? Oh right...so I wasn't too sure how Iron Man was going to be, and I thought it was just ok. Nothing too special. After all the buzz I heard about it, I thought it would have a little something extra, but it didn't. Robert Downey Jr. did a good job, and Gwyneth's hair was really cute, but that was about it. Oh! Jeff Bridges totally creeped me out with no hair and only a beard. I really prefer him as The Dude.

John actually felt the same as I did towards this movie, so at least we are still on the same wavelength. I also must say that the comic book crowd was definitely out in full force Monday afternoon. You know the type...imagine him with a hint of b.o. as well.

Feliz Cinco De Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Above is a the cake I slaved on tonight for my work potluck tomorrow. After getting so many complements on my weak ass shamrock cake I made in March, I knew I had to kick it up a notch. Now if I receive compliments on this cake I won't be ashamed to accept them. I think it turned out pretty good, except for the cone part is a little too high. I just hope people will be able to tell what it is! Maybe I should have put it on someones head...oh well.

Here was my inspiration for the cake:

After the cake I then had to make some guacamole. We are having a salsa and guacamole contest as work as well. I really hope I win, although my guac isn't anything special. I mean it's good...but I'm not sure if it will stand out enough to win.

My weekend wasn't too eventful, except I did get a massage on Saturday and it was SO WONDERFUL! I think it had been like 4+ years since I had had one too! Let me say that I want to get one at least once a month now! I was so amazed at how the masseur could find knots in my back that I never knew were there! I really need to start playing the lotto.

Hold that Pose!

The other day my mom and I were chatting, via gmail, and she tells me how a Papillion breeder sent her a cute profile pic of one of her pups. I guess this pup is really hyper and she had been having the hardest time getting a good still photo of him.

My mom then pastes in the message from the breeder, who was more than willing to share her photographic tip:

Judy: Judy, I took a picture of him while he was taking a dump and cropped it down so only his head was left. Otherwise all photos are taken on the fly and come out blurry from the high speed. The nice thing about digital is you can take lots of pictures and then manipulate them so only the best parts of the photo are left.

me: are you kidding me???? That is so gross! What about holding a treat in front of the dogs nose and making them hold still for it?

Judy: This is a totally serious photo tip. I knew you would appreciate it.

me: yeah right! I mean any tip with the word 'dump' in it is totally serious.

Judy: REMEMBER. This pup has never had a good pic b/c he is always on the move.

me: what about when the pup is sleeping?

Judy: I knew that you, as a photographer, would appreciate this, since animals and babies are notoriously difficult to photograph. If you had seen previous photos, you would think this is a winner.

me: yeah I did take 200+ photos this past weekend and probably got 70 that I liked.

Judy: Now that I know he was pooping, the picture isn't so cute.
In fact, I think it is ruined for me

me: I know! It’s awful! Ask her for the un-cropped version.

Judy: Are you serious?
She is a really bad photographer. She was bragging about her new camera, etc, but we never got a photo for about 6 months, and they ALL were blurry when she finally sent them

me: no

Judy: Oh, you don't want the un-cropped version?
I think that would be a real winner for the blog

me: are you serious? I can't believe she was bragging about it

Judy: totally bragging

me: well I don't even know if I need the original photo. Just knowing that she is grunting one out, makes you know that it’s a legit look.

Judy: I can't get it out of my mind!

me: I had to get that off my screen!

Judy: So it might be the camera that is holding her back. She could be getting action shots, but, instead, she has to wait for someone to crap. It is a long wait.

me: ummmmm that might be part of it, but I’m sure if a photographer has to rely on his/her subjects dropping a deuce...it may be more than the camera, ya know?

Judy: LOL
I wish she hadn't told me

me: I know!
Did you ask her how she got the shot?

Judy: No, I just complimented her b/c it wasn't blurry
The first unblurry photo ever from her

me: oh geesh!
I can't believe she shared that info

Judy: Yeah. She just spilled her guts…it was more info than I needed

So here is the photo below… what do you think?

This could be a whole new revolution in photography…for pets and humans! You know I bet there is a website already out there that is dedicated to this subject. First one that finds it gets a steaming hot smelly bag delivered to their front door!

Did you feel that?

The other day we had a pretty good sized earthquake here on the central coast. It was located near Templeton and was a 3.9 on the rector (sp?) scale. I felt it here in San Luis and was not too pleased.

As some of you know I am quite terrified of earthquakes. It seems like the building I work in is always shaking…weather it be a big truck driving by, someone on the roof, or a really heavy footed person, I always think it is time to duck, cover and hold!

So on Tuesday when the shaking started I froze and observed. What I noticed was that my computer monitor was definitely shaking, and that had never happened before. The shaking went on for a few seconds, and I was just about ready to get in a doorway when it stopped. Then the scared/anxious feeling set in.

My boss was on the phone when it happened, and my other co-works were away from their desks, so I wasn't able to shout out 'IS THIS AN EARTHQUAKE?' After my boss got off the phone she came out and checked to see if I was ok. When I start any job I make sure to tell my new boss that I have a fear of earthquakes and that I get migraine headaches. It's my disclaimer. Anyway I was impressed she remembered since that was over two years ago. I think she noticed I was a bit shaken up and did what she could to calm my nerves.

Later that night I had told my mom about it, and then even later she sent me an email saying that there was a 5.4 earthquake near Willow Creek. She was totally trying to one up me! I really didn’t think a 5.4 sounded that big…(who knows why, I must have been high or something, because now that I think about it, the big quakes in Humboldt during the 90’s were over 6.0…5.4 is pretty dang close!).

So I decided to check out my favorite earthquake site, and found the following image:

Man did I feel like a dumbo! That square is GIGANTIC compared to the little puny square from the quake we had! You can barely even see that square anymore! No wonder my mom was making a big deal about it. Sorry mom! I now take back my unenthused attitude. You were right…again.