Thursday, July 31, 2003

off!

I'm off to my reunion! wahoo!! Except my flight got cancelled & rescheduled 3 hours later... ARG!! But what can ya do...

Thanks to the three lovely (and super sexy) ladies that joined me for a send off drinkie lastnight at the LAC. mmmmoooiiiii!!! This morning I found myself laughing out loud to a number of things. hahaa! err... make that *giggle* You girls rock!!!

(Jane remind me to tell you the dream I had about you getting married.)

I'll see about posting from the molasses modem at my parents, in between delicious home cooked food & lots of cold beers with old friends. Ciao!

Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Here's to you Ms. Robinson (a.k.a. Moore)

So how bout this Ashton & Demi fling? It sure has gotten them into the spotlight!! (which I'm sure is the point to a large degree) But I have to give some serious props to Demi's ability to hold strong and proud in the face of a discerning nation, most of which (at least the politicians and rule makers) refuse to acknowledge the powerful sexual force within us all.

Mark Morford is always commenting on how sexually repressed our culture is. He cracks me up. We are! Or at least we have been, god knows there's sex everywhere these days. Most of which however is the spawned display of humans whose sexuality has been repressed for so long that now they've gone waaaay over to the other side and need dirty pornos and sex in dark alleys. The healthy alternative instead just being super clued into your own sexuality. (right?) Like masturbating regularly, not being ashamed of sex and instead celebrating it and striving to get better and better :) And then there's practicing safe sex (does anyone do that anymore!?). Scary... I hope so.

Anyway - God BLESS Demi for giving women out there no shame to date younger men! It makes me feel better, since I've been feeling so turned on by the thought of hot 23-25 year olds who I can just imagine have lots of energy.... !

Now, remind me to start working out more. I keep seein' these super hot bodies and it gets me all psyched on getting really in shape and looking super hot... but somehow I forget again and continue on being just fine with what I got. Like J-Lo says, "Love me or Leave me"

(gawd, I just quoted J-Lo! hahaaaa)

testing titles

I haven't used this title thing before. this is a test. only a test! update: it works, yay!

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

smart crows
Textura's post about crows has a link to this cool video of this crow making a tool. pretty smart!!

update: speaking of birds, I think it's gotten too cold out at night now, because the birds out my window have gone away. But I don't have to sleep with a pillow over my head now! :)

mothers
I'm preparing to go back home this weekend... and part of that preparing is dealing with my mom. "The Pegster" as my friend Michelle calls her :p My mom means well, as most do, but it's just hilarious the things she wants to get for me. I mean, it's super sweet - but last week she called me and the first thing she said was "What size pants are you wearing these days?" and I was like "WHY?" and she said, "Well, there's these really cute Chino's in the Victoria's Secret catalog that I think would look GREAT on you and I want to order them so that I have em here for when you get here."

a. Dont you think that preparing for my 10 year HS reunion I'm going to have bought, picked out or packed all the clothes I want to wear for the short weekend?

b. I have to try on tons of pairs of pants to find ones I like!! I can't just order them out of a catalog! Especially because (evil) Victoria's Secret's clothing is made for women who are a size 2! and that I (proudly) wear a size 10 but from them I have to order a frickin size 14! cuz everything they make is made for women who are a size 2!!!!!!

So, no, the Pegster's not getting me Chinos.

Then the next thing she wanted to get me was this. Nice thought - and I'm sure really hot on some... but not really my style.

We settled on a tank top & a new bra/panties. wooohooo!

I am excited for some of my Mama's cooking though. There's nothing like having your Mom make breakfast for you. She usually will make us pancakes or french toast - fresh cut up fruit, eggs & bacon. There's juice and coffee, the whole bit!

My parent's place is pretty sweet too. Hot tub and mini waterfall in their big backyard, where I'm sure the badmitton net is already up. And in the basement... a pool table, casino style poker game machine and a Ms. Pac Man machine! My Dad's a kid at heart. Consequently, my little sister can kick my ass in Ms. Pac Man any day.

Monday, July 28, 2003

awww man
watching this makes me soo wish I hadn't missed their show. I'm sure they kick sooo much ass LIVE!

I also didn't go to Rev. Horton Heat lastnight as I had sorta loosely planned. Well, it was either seeing them or Ted Leo - so I missed em both. Ahh well.

Next Tuesday night (if I'm not to tired from my weekend away) I'm gonna go check out The Gossip at Bottom of the Hill.

Happy Monday everybody.

Sunday, July 27, 2003

Online shopping is fun.
> this is the to-do lister's dream gift

> and THIS is really cute

I just bought a new pair of shoes.

> ooh & I want these.

random thoughts:
> my fresh, clean duvet cover on my down comforter sure does look fluffy.

> my kitty is the cutest thing EVER.

> My 10 year reunion is coming up - NEXT WEEKEND!!!!!!

Oh my gaawd it's going to be so crazy!!! My friend Drew & I are going. Drew & I have been friends since preschool. And throughout grade school we were totally "going out". But we'd usually break up with eachother by the end of the day. You know, after playing "butt-ball" at the Old Junior High.

Ya, so the reunion's gonna be crazy. I'm excited. I also get to see Edna Iwan and meet, her husband of 7 years, Barry for the first time! I haven't seen Edna since we were in like 5th grade it seems like. It's been a long, long time. They live in Philip, SD and want me to come visit. hmm. Germany, India, Maui, Vancouver, Philip SD... I'll have to think about that. But they might come out here to visit soon, which would be cool.

I also get to see other peeps like Monica, Peggy & Molly - who lives in the East Bay now!

I had 99 people in my graduating class, so we'll be lucky if like 40 of them show up. I'm hoping it's a good turn out, that makes it great to see everyone. We're getting a tour of the HS cuz it was totally redone.

My family is pretty psyched I'm coming although I've warned them that I will not be around much.. It's a quick trip.

And as traumatic as High School was for me (ha!), I'm still looking forward to it.

have some time to kill?
I've been wasting ime looking through the photos & videos of this new show called, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" (say that 5 times!) This show looks funny. I think this guy is so hot!

And then before that I was checkin out Rachelle's blog and all the crazy links she has on the right side.

Sundays
Today's been nice. Everyone else is probably out enjoying this beautiful day, but I'm home working on website mockups for my friends, Dave & Paula's wedding website. I'm turning out some fun stuff! But I set my deadline too tight, hence working all day today!

My old neighbor, JoAnn came over for awhile - and that was good to see her. Kazoobie was psyched too - cuz she always brings yummy treats. The kind I call 'french fries' cuz they're not the healthiest ones (like I give him usually), instead they're probably the equivalent to like a cookie or a potato chip so they're eeextra yummy and Kazoobie loves em and wants more (like humans & french fries!!) mmm... french fries. I need to make myself some dinner.

Anyway - now I've just wasted some time on Friendster, which I'm actually starting to really dig. That's one thing I love about this city is that there are a ton of kick ass people that live here... BUT often I'm like "where are you!?". Going to live shows is cool cuz you see a lot of people into the same music as you - but it's not often you can walk up & be like, "Dude! You like David Byrne too? We should hang out!" hahaaa

My friend Jee just invited me to join Tribe - but after my hilarious Friday night I couldn't help but feel almost loyal to Friendster for awhile. Well, that and do I need a whole nuther site to waste more time on when I should be working?! hahaa

The thing about meeting new people is that everyone has their own little quirks and emotional histories. aaah, yes. That's called LIFE, I know... but I guess it's just that everyone takes some getting to know. Which can be anything from awkward to intense to extreeemely pleasant and you're wondering where they've been your whole life. (those are nice huh?)

And it's always good to find someone you feel like you can trust to not kill you in your sleep. But those people don't exactly go around with a t-shirt alerting you that fact either. Ya, meeting new people in a big city can be tricky. But it's also soo fun!! (again, minus the scary murderer thing)

Hope you had fun somewhere outside enjoying this beautiful day!

Playing with Painter

Saturday, July 26, 2003

whole lotta love
I just want to say, after I get done working with teens - I'm looking forward to helping old people. I love the elderly!

Back when I first moved here I lived with a 72 year old, named Bee, who I'm still good friends with. (and she made my teddy bear his own sweater!) And now in my new little home, I've made friends with an elderly lady up the street... we've been talking about parking spots and she just told me all about how she works at the church but soon she's going part time cuz she's turning 70 next year. Also, bless her heart, how she's raised 3 children, but lost one of em when he was 19, and that he was her baby. She said she likes to keep busy because now it's just her & her dog there. She drives a Volvo that is 20 years old. She said she's gonna get rid of it (again, cuz she's turning 70 next year), but she's looking forward to getting more exercise. :) soo sweet! We talked a little bit about activities to keep her busy and such - and it just made me wanna have like an art class for the elderly or something.

Anyway - I'm looking forward to volunteering on the other end of the spectrum, should my work w/ Bamboozled and the Beacon centers ever come to an end. Going to visit them in their homes or nursing homes, helping them out with little things and just in general chatting with them about life. I have so much love when I'm around them - I just wanna give em a hug!! Take care of the elderly!

how to smell like a brewery, 101
1. meet friends at zeitgeist for happy hour
1a. have a few beers there (arguing with your friend over how GODDAMN good New Castle and Chimay are over Anchor Steam. I mean, Anchor Steam is fine - but HELLO!? You DON'T like New Castle!?! It's like nectar!!!!!!!!
1b. meet random people you have talked to on the internet but never meet in person. have a surreal experience that keeps you glowing for the rest of the night
2. go to concert
2a. love band so much your on the 3rd row & rockin out, sweating and all...
2b. want to put your hair back cuz it's hot
(this is where it really gets good)
2c. hold your plastic cup-o-beer in your mouth to have both hands to manuever the hair dealio.
2d. decide you want more hair in your hair thingy and shake your head back to gather it all up.
2e. spill almost your entire beer down your face and shirt.
3. laugh at the fact that no one else saw you and you now, successfully, smell like a brewery. This has brought us to the #1 reason why NOT to drive home tonight, but that's another 101 all in itself. So for now, consider our mission accomplished.

Nobody noticed the smelling like a brewery part for the rest of the night. Probably because they too had already been around much smoke & drink...... but for the record, I did run into some reeeally old friends tonite too! Dayshia (sp?) and Ann Acker!! We went to high school together!!! Seems fitting to run into peeps I knew a decade ago, seeing as how I'm hitting my 10 year high school reunion NEXT WEEKEND!!

Ok, time for bed. A big hello & goodnight to Ze Captain.

Friday, July 25, 2003

flash/quicktime rockstars
Check out Tubatomic and all the mad skills they have! They're all about "fight the browser" and they've created these awesome websites w/ the interfaces being designed in flash and pumped through quicktime. I gotta learn how to do this! I guess it's just making a skin and having all the content loaded in via quicktime, etc... so cool.

You can see their experimental site here: Movtv.com (must have quicktime 5)

Oh & a cool thing I found on Tubatomic is when you click on the menu item 'FlashTime Radio' on the left & it pops up a cool radio interface... Once that's open, hit "Change Radio Station >>" to the right & you get KEXP! aawww yaaa!!! It's ALWAYS a good time to listen to some quality music pumped outta that station. why? Cuz it's "Where the Music Matters!" Jeesh! Don't you know?

Off for happy hour w/ Stig & Matt at Zeitgeist - then meeting Michelle (in photo w/ Stig above) for dinner (we ate yummy burgers at zeitgeist) & we're off to Fountains of Wayne at the Fillmore!

Thursday, July 24, 2003

a penny for your thoughts
Ok, I'm only going to be giving you a small eeeeensy beeeensy taste of this info (if you haven't read up on it already), but I think this is FASCINATING.

See, I've been all stressed about driving my Trooper (I drive an SUV! gasp!). Yes, for middle east reasons a little, but honestly it's more about Global Warming and the fact that the damn gas hog sucks up $40 worth of gas every week!!!!! That's an expensive bill every month! (granted our government could put some damn regulations on it!!).

I actually feel like I should have a bumper sticker on it that reads "I didn't buy this SUV on purpose!". Because actually my Step-Dad who used to own an Auto Body shop got it as a rolled rental a couple years ago, so he was able to file for title and sell it to me for a really really good deal. And for the most part, I do love it! It's hauled me (and my many craigslist purchases :p) around very well... not to mention it's the first NEW car I've ever had and that feels super luxurious. But even since I first got it, I wanted a smaller car for the environment & to save the gas money to put towards other things (more drunken online shopping anyone?).

Another reason I've been overly concerned about the environment even more so lately, is cuz of all this really nice weather we've been having here! SOOO unlike San Francisco I was convinced that in 5 years we'd all be BBQ'd on our way to work at this rate!

SO I have seriously started considering buying an electric car - or a hybrid. And when mentioning it around the office today my boss (who's SUPER smart and after talking to him I imagine myself looking like a dumb cheerleader smackin my gum and bouncing my blond piggytails around w/ a blank stare on my face compared to his vast knowledge) he was telling me about how the Global Warming issue is creating a paradox that actually might onset an Ice Age upon us!

Note to the reader: If you read any of these hyperlinks, read the last two. They are really the point of this post.

So I'm psyched to get more info on this. I'm sure I'm not the last to know about this whole ice age thing... and for all I know someone may have mentioned it to me awhile ago and I forgot the details of it again... but bottom line is I'm psyched to find out about it now while I'm all super stressed out about it!

My boss then said "don't sweat it, instead go buy some hats because soon we'll all be freezing". So maybe I will get that Suburu Outback I've been wanting.

aawww yaaa, ladies!
We've found the solution!!!

update 7/25 - there's more than I thought!!! these are hilarious!

never shop online while drunk.
Yes, a UPS package of surprises arrived at my door yesterday!! I had known how impulse my purchase was, but didn't even look closely at the confirmation email the next day to find that I'd actually paid & ordered things I didn't even WANT! OY!

update: I actually LOVE one item I purchased: The "Kooky Gnome Salt & Pepper Set". SOO worth the $8!! And they look GREAT with the old funky wallpaper in my kitchen. :)

The kicker is I looked at the site lastnight & they don't offer refunds, just exchanges. CRAP!! You'd think I would have checked that evening... just in case, but noooo - I was obviously feeling footloose & fancy free!

So there's a lesson to be learned here. Don't drink & shop! haha

p.s. Buddy's fleas seem to have taken a hike, phew!

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

a moment of silence.
Precious Samantha Vella passed away this evening.
:( Hardly given more than a couple frail months on this earth... her loving parents have had to say goodbye.

The Vellas are close friends of the Fine Brand office - and we've all been following Samantha's fragile state of health since she was born a preemie on April 23rd (at just 24 weeks!).

Things like this remind us all how trivial our problems can be when some are out their facing such challenging circumstances. And worse, to end in such tremendous heartache. Words cannot express how sad this news makes me... may we all send loving, healing thoughts to their family.

didn't go.
yup, home at last. my tired little eyes are soo happy about it too!! My friend called & said he couldn't make it tonite after all, and as I certainly wasn't up for rallying solo tonite, I got to come home!! :) Not to sound so excited or anything heh - I do want to see the Black Keys I really do! But when I got the news I was actually quite thrilled. Thoughts of a warm bath and crawling into my jammies consumed my thoughts. Now I'm home, going to finish up some laundry, take that dreamy bath & crawl in bed!! yay!

need. more. sleeeeeeeep.
I'm a night owl. TOO much of a night owl. I try and I try to get my ass to bed early, but the temptation of getting more done is just too great! Everything from spending just one more 1/2 hour on a project - to little things like writing just one more quick email out to someone I already haven't replied to in days.... or putting away the clothes that are stacking up on the [cute red farm] bench at the of my bed... fixing that one broken link I noticed is wrong on my links page... scooping buddy's litter... and of course... making a list of the things still left to do the next day.

Next thing I know it's 12, then 12:30, then 1 - and lastnight it was 2am before I finally got to bed!! (nevermind the 15-20 minutes it takes me to drift off!) The result? The last 2 weeks I've been fighting a tough war with a sore throat. It's weird though, not like I usually get. This literally feels like I have a lump deep down in my throat (the hypocondriac in me insists I must have throat cancer) and even hurts a little in my ears. I had almost beat it last week, but lastnight's lack of sleep kicked it back up again.

I'm only really bummed about this cuz not only do I have BAM tonite to go to, but I am going to see the Black Keys too! Hurty ears and another late night ahead of me doesn't sound like the best choice when battleing a possible cold, especially when I know I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Oh, pooey on responsibility! :( Can't I use the ol' "you only live once" saying here? Well, I probably will.

As I get older I am just so aware of when I'm not taking care of myself. I have gotten really good at just sayin "Nope, sorry, I'm just gonna hang out tonite" on Saturday nights even when everyone else is going out partying. But tonite I really wanna see this show. And I'll go to bed early tomorrow night. We'll see...

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

time management (a.k.a. a procrastinators to do list)
This is a funny article written by Jay Allen about Procrastination. And be sure to read the link he's linked to about being a "Structured Procrastinator".

Or if this is a problem you feel that has gone waaaay too far, maybe you'd rather a deeper more self-help approach to the subject? (there's an amazing amount of information out there on the subject)

Be sure to spend lots of time reading through all that before you get to whatever other important things you need to be doing. I know I did.

My poor baby has fleas :(
It's the first time he's ever had them (he's 2 years old) so I didn't know what to look for, but boy oh boy I think he's got em good.

He's apparently not bothered by them, cuz he hasn't been scratching abnormally or anything... so I didn't see signs like that & I had to figure it out by finding the little black specks and red spots on the floor (eeewww!!!!).

Totally gross, I know - but it's a fact of life w/ pets. And if anything I wanna tell you all in case you have pets aren't aware of the symptoms, so you can catch it earlier than I did! I just thought the black specs were dirt from him rollin around outside or from his litter - and I thought the red spots were some weird rust thing from the water and that I'd just never noticed em before since now that I have white tile floors in the bathroom. Now I know!

So - I'll be going home tonite and cleaning my house like CRAZY!! That is after a stop at the store for some Advantage (got Frontline) and maybe some anti-flea spray, moth balls (for my bagless vaccuum). Oh and some vinegar for his water & fresh minced garlic to add to his wet food apparently can really keep them away.

I don't have them, thank goodness :p But I feel so bad for my little buddy. I've been reading a ton online today & apparently those suckers (literally) bite and feed on pets like crazy!! :( :( :( so sad!!!

Monday, July 21, 2003

fed up.
Tonight as I got out of my car & walked across the park towards my house, I noticed three men talking under a street light. I had hoped they would politely ignore me, going on about their 11pm important business of drinkin 40's on the curb. But instead, as I made it closer to the light, they started their whistles and flirtatious cat calls.

To this my blood boils and I couldn't resist saying, sarcastically, "Thanks for making me feel safe in my own neighborhood." To which their response was "You're safe" and I said, "Not with you saying shit like that... cat calls don't cut it."

That actually shut them up. And I of course hurried my pace to my safe little house :)

I know, I know - you're worried... I shouldn't have said anything and just walked away - but I just get so pissed! I really don't think these guys were harmful, but even so, I know I shouldn't have pushed the envelope. Seriously I just hope they realize that if they see a women out late at night, it sure would be nicer to simply say "Good Evening" or nothing at all so she doesn't feel like she's getting undressed by the eyes of 3 men on the corner.

A woman once told me she was having an affair with Taylor Street
That's how I feel about this city... like I'm having a mad love affair with San Francisco. There's rarely a day that goes by that I'm not breathing in the beautiful view of the bay or catching a photogenic urban landscape of shadows cast on old buildings. These streets hold so many stories, and the buzzing populi hold the inspiring possibilities of future generations, artistic creations and political change. SF is so rich with culture and there's a certain level of awareness and forward thinking here that I value so much, I don't think I can ever leave!

What is all this commentary leading up to? An evening soaking up stories inspired by San Francisco, of course!!

Lit at The Canvas begins tonite at 8:30pm. It's the first in a monthly series of themed literary events at The Canvas Cafe, put together by some local lit braniacs. One of them being our friend Kevin Smokler.

I'm really looking forward to it.

Sunday, July 20, 2003

a nice weekend...

Friday-day rocked - pretty much went as planned & all went well. Friday night Jane & Sarah came over and we all watched Frida. We'd been wanting to see it - and I'm glad I finally did. Matt was right when he'd said he thought some of the accents were pretty bad - which made some of the acting bad, too. But, I enjoyed the art history aspect of it - as well as the motion graphics and symbolism throughout. Salma is beautiful, huh? Oy! Sadly her & Edward have broken up? Did you hear? And *gasp* he's already dating someone new! Ok - enough of that.

Saturday I worked all day on a freelance deal I've been trying to wrap up for way too long now. But I'm psyched cuz I made GREAT progress yesterday and it was quite fun at the same time. Animating bunnies, birds and squirrels :) not such a tough job, eh? It's fun (but time consuming!). Around 5 I took a break to sit out on my deck & enjoy the last of the beautiful day (but a tad too breezy for laying out much to Jane & I's dismay as that had been the original plans for the day). I read a little of the book I'm reading, The Corrections.

After a little more work, I made myself some dinner and sat down to watch Talk to Her: A foreign flick that was well worth watching - I recommend it. I really liked the characters... the acting was excellent and I liked how it ended.

By 10pm I showered & got ready to meet my friend (another new music buddy!) Kristin out for birthday drinkies in North Beach. The biggest relief being that I was finally getting out of the house for the day! Besides grabbing my morning coffee anyway. It was great to see her and meet some of her friends... whom, Kristin included, are total athletes! They race (mountain bikes) and train all the time. Her sister, Lisa, is visiting - and she's on the pro-snowboarding circuit! Cool, huh!? I, being a long-time snowboarder myself, loved talking to her about that - and may do a business card illustration for her of her on her board, too... which would be sweet. She's a TOTAL sweetheart, very humble and non-threatening, too... which was refreshing after growing up with some fairly pretentious snowboarders in Steamboat. Her coach even joined us - who's living out here doing conditioning/training for the Raiders now.

This morning I went for a wonderful hike up the hill and then went downtown to check out The Sounds play at Virgin! They were great. Live they sound just like they do on the radio or their album, which doesn't always happen - and I can't really decide if that's a good or bad thing... just is.

I did a little shopping and I had an absolute blast! I haven't gone shopping in along time and was psyched to actually find a few things I fell in love with. However, with all that shopping I did, I still need to go to Origins & go buy a new bikini!!

Saturday, July 19, 2003

adding to the list
A few more bands to add to this list:

The Datsuns, listen to "Harmonic Generator"

The Sounds (playing at Virgin tomorrow @2:30pm!)

I got turned onto these below, from one of the latest Heavy Sumosonic compilations (Heavy ROCKS!)

Stiffed - listen to "What You Gon' Do"

Gossip - listen to "Fire Sign" ("Don't Make Waves" is the song on the compilation - and it's excellent)

Good boy!
My cat just ate the biggest fly.

Friday, July 18, 2003

List Lover
When I first found To Do List Magazine, I ran into the other room and shrilled to Matt "Guess What!? There's a whole magazine about To Do Lists!!" He could never understand my obsession for to-do lists.. so I think in general he was happy I had found "my people".

I just visited their site again today, after quite a long time - and found they have this funny little quiz called "How quirkyalone are you?" Here's my results:

Your score was 74. Somewhat quirkyalone (otherwise known as quirkytogether): You are probably part of a mysterious group of people, the quirkytogethers. You share many of our quirky qualities, but you manage to find yourself, on a regular basis, in a coupled situation. Interesting.

That is interesting! But I take most silly quizes with a grain of salt. (I realized a couple days ago that I never read horoscopes anymore. I stopped years ago and didn't even realize it! I know, I know - thank goodness :)

But quizzes are sometimes fun non-the-less. So, some lady on this site is doing a book about quirkyalone people. A whole theory about sexual habits and such, too. The coolest thing is that they've actually started International Quirkyalone Day! May those of you who've hated Valentines day find your home here! :p

(yes, you're right if you know I didn't really post this on Friday. I actually wrote it Thursday night & meant to post it Friday.. but now it's already Saturday :p I cheated and changed the date)

Thursday, July 17, 2003

slurping up good music like a cold lemonade.
the refreshing variety of KEXP... mmmm!

I love The New Pornagraphers!! We saw them last month, they rocked live. (they'll be added to that list of "music I'm lovin" over there on the left soon.) I don't put bands over there on the left till I've had their CD & been listening to them awhile. They have to earn that status!!

I'm also looking forward to listening to more Fountains of Wayne (here 7/25!), The Black Keys (here 7/23!) and Ted Leo/Pharmacists (here 7/27!).

HOLY SH*T! They're all in one week!!! Oh my - I guess I know what I'm doing next week. Jeeez - can I handle 3 shows in one week? HELL YA!!! SWEEEEET!!! This is what summer is all about!

Also - I gotta give some big props to rebecca and jane who have turned me onto some amazing new music these last couple months. And there's more of you who (among other great qualities in our friendship, of course) I'm very musically grateful you're in my life - you know who you are.

I am psyched cuz last year most everyone around me was like "who?" when I talked about bands I was really into and I never had anyone to go to shows with... and I musta put a serious message out to the universe screaming "Bring me more music buddies that are into the music I like!!" And I got em. I'm such a huge music fan... so I'm psyched to be around people that not only share that same love - but totally kick my ass in knowing new music!! AWESOME!

always this and always that.
always so much to do & see in our complex little world, it makes me a busy bee!

Sarah's note about going to see Ruin reminds me I must start checking out the awesome small and upcoming bands that play shows at the Hemlock. Maybe I'll check out Photobooth...

Sunday we're probably hittin the Rube Waddell show at Bottom of the Hill if you wanna go. Looks like it's gonna be a hoot. And it's at 5pm, BBQ and all!

This site has a bit of interesting thoughts and things. [link from newstoday]

Great news about the FCC fiasco... considered a small victory in the fight! wahoo!

Tomorrow I have a conference call set up w/ two fellow independant artist/designer girl friends that span over 3 states of the U.S.! We plan to discuss strategies for promoting our businesses, help answer questions or solve problems we may have, and in general provide a support network for eachother for setting goals and setting new sites for our small businesses. Fun huh!? :)

Somewhere before or after this call I was gonna have coffee with my friend Rachel to discuss her website. hmm... (might be where I need to use my "no" power.) I am working on becoming *horns sound* Super Woman who knows how to say "No"!! And then a winey voice inside me says "But I waaaaannnnaaa help her with her website". And then the crotchety old mother who's trying to be sweet as she stuffs cookies down my throat says "There, there, little one. You could but you've already commited yourself to WAY TOO MUCH ALREADY!!" out comes the evil mean face that won't let me run or get out & b healthy cuz I just might hurt myself!

*bloop!* (pop out of the bubble window into my internal thought process) oy, that's one for the couch, eh? hahhaaa hey, I'm working on it!!! :D

Then I get to have a nice lunch w/ my buddy Mateo. (whom some call my ex, but I'm not so comfortable with that term) See, for a long time he's been my sweetie, my honey, etc - so I'm not quite ready to start calling him that mean ol' discarded 'ex' word yet. Isn't there a nicer term for that? Is there an acronym for "he's the guy I dated for over 4 years and lived with for 2 but we just recently seperated to get a better perspective on what each of us wants in our lives and the split was very amicible and tender and we still care for eachother very much but we're just not able to jump back into eachother's arms yet cuz everything just feels so jumbled and unsure?" oy. that'd be a long acronym huh? hahaaa can't help but giggle at that. why are relationships are so damn complicated!?

Then I get to play frisbee in the park! wahoooo!!!!! My friend is in town for just a few days, and beyond sharing a love for design - we love frisbee. :) and the park near my house is perfect for it!

Gosh. This is all on a day that I actually have quite a bit of other things to do. I need to be sure to write out a lovely list so that I can be sure to get all my stuff done!!!

Funny how time management is all about small little choices. Say yes to this, no to that. Rest later, work hard now. Take on new business, cuz new business is great! Work on current projects while you wait for the new client to get back to you....

Sleep. Bath. Eat. Work. Drive. Work. Drive. Eat. Work. Sleep. (pet kitty in between some of those slots)

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

scaredy cat
My friend Aaron asked me if I wanted to go see 28 Days Later - and I really want to from a great film/creative point of view - but I decided that it's waaaaay too scarey for me!

Now that I live on my own now - I have enough trouble taming my over active imagination w/o the help of more scary images trompin their way in!!! :) I have major motion picture color dreams - most of which I remember in scary amounts of detail... and even my daydreams are quite elaborate (I think I have all my years in school to thank for this)

I told Aaron (who's a designer and cinematographer) I wish I could talk to Stephen King for this reason. Sometimes I feel like I could be capable of making scary movies cuz I make up such scarey things in my head!! But that's the problem - they scare me too much!!! I lay in my bed thinking "think happy thoughts! think happy thoughts! flowers in a field, babies and kittens" hahhahaaa!!!

This is from a girl who literally almost had to get up & walk out the first time I saw Sixth Sense. Not to mention crying for almost an hour afterwards. gawd, I'm so affected, huh? hahaa ....I like to call it sensitive and creative :p

OH MY GAWD
Our old place is going for $1650 now!!! Holy sh*t! We paid $1825 and that was low for that great place. Boy how times have changed!!!!! If you're looking for a great 2 bedroom place in the city, go rent that one! It's a steal!!

SPOON!
I went to the Spoon show at the Fillmore lastnight w/ my friend Kristin - and it RAAAWKED!!!!

I hadn't heard much of them before seeing their show, which sometimes I don't like cuz I dig going to shows where I can belt out the lyrics or atleast know when a hard core drum solo is coming up in the song. But lastnight's show was nothing short of impressive. I can't WAIT to get their CD's - I want all of them! I wanna get into their old stuff and the new stuff to really get a feel for the band, where they've come from and how their original sound from years ago has matured into what they're kickin out today. There were a number of songs they played lastnight that I can't wait to find on their records.

addition: I forgot to also say that the lead singer, Britt Daniels, totally rocked my world. His spastic movements were so hot to me... I sat mesmerized watching him move about, bangin his head and stroking his guitar. aaawww yaaa

Kristin has all kinds of hookups around the Fillmore, too. So being the rockstar that she is, shortly after we'd been standing upstairs we got handed magic passes to go sit in one of the VIP booths in the back of the house. Great view of the stage and bobbing heads jammin in the audience - and great sound!!

Such an awesome night. May this be a reminder to all of you - go check out new music in this city all the time!!!!! :)

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

warm weather in june and july?
I am LOVING these beautiful warm weekends we're having here in San Francisco... but is anyone else concerned it's because the ozone layer is so frickin depleted? scary!!!!

the little dance
I soo can't deal with men right now!! The little dance that a man and a women does when the first meet... the flirting, the poking fun, the whole trifling process of getting to know someone... it's EXHAUSTING!! GAWD!!! I'm just NOT in the mood at ALL lately. It makes me tired just thinking about it!

Girls somehow are different. I can hang out with girlfriends and not worry about it. Girls are comforting and bright and fun and easy. Men have a bit of a heavy weight tied to them for me right now. It's all complicated and gooey. Yes, all - I'm in what's called "the healing phase" :) hahaa. I welcome and embrace it!!! Girls, let's hang out! Men - GO AWAY! hahahaa. (all too harsh of a statement coming from someone who's actually been rather full of some serious sexual tention here lately)

Seriously though, I just find myself not wanting to deal and pushing away anything that comes close to what could be any kind of attraction. I'm enjoying this time by myself. I've got soo much to do on my own freelance and creative projects - and beyond that I am enjoying hanging out with the wonderful friends I have in my life right now.

I am however looking forward to a time when relationships feel better for me. Right now they just look grim. I'm almost bitter at others happiness... tired of hearing about how great people's lives are with their babies and their lovely couplehood. ug. I used to love that stuff too! But for now - in this span of today, this week, this month... I'm OVER it.

All this pushing away and selectiveness isn't too Willo-like, really. Anyone that knows me knows I'm way into meeting new people and I always will be. But lately it's just been so refreshing to be around friends who *really* know me. Last weekend was wonderful for this reason.

Hanging out with my dear friends David & Elana and their two kiddos was soo nice. Their happy little life is actually just lovely to me, cuz they're like family. I just adore D & E and love their little babies like they're my own. Then Saturday night spending time with Derek & Sandy just reminded me even more of the people I want to surround myself with. They're people who "get" what kind of energy they're giving off to the world and the people around them. People who like to have friends that are like family. Sandy and Derek are soo generous and their outlook on life and the goals ahead of them is so refreshing. They're laid back and just so full of love. What's missing in that picture? Drama, jealousy, pettyness, ignorance and selfishness. Nope, not missing that one bit - I can really do without that shit.

So that's where I'm at. I'm actually doing a lot better lately it seems. Getting more perspective on things by the day. My mood has been fairly mellow and even keel. The energetic, super-positive Willo still shows her face most of the time. But on the inside there's a wound healing and it's taking a lot of energy to pulsate around that and make it all better.

All you attractive men of my dreams, just hold off for a couple months already! Or a YEAR! hahhaaa

Monday, July 14, 2003

oy... mondays
Today started out great. I slept in a bit, got to work and had my morning coffee & favorite yogurt. Before lunch I had completed the first two major items on my work to-do list - so I cruised home to make myself a sandwich and to spend some time w/ buddy boy. He was happy to see me and we snuggled on the couch.

Then the afternoon hit... and I got reeeally reeeaally sleeeepy. Afraid I might be coming down w/ something, I took a small nap on the couch here at the office. I had some funky 1/2 asleep dreams. Later I snacked on some baby carrots and I am less sleepy now.

Now I'm off to take a quick hike up the hill behind my house with my friend Rachel - for some exercize and fresh air. Tonite I'm going to bed early!!

I didn't feel like posting about my weekend just yet, so I thought I'd just recount my boring day :) photos of this weekend are posted if you just wanna get a recap that way. Without going into details I will tell you I had a very good time.

Monday's are less fun for that reason.

Friday, July 11, 2003

want free web hosting?
woo hoo! I just received my first commission check from the Doteasy referral program! What is Doteasy you ask?

Doteasy is this awesome free hosting provider*. If you sign up for a domain with them it's only $25/year for the domain name & hosting! If you transfer your hosting there, it's only $35 (forever!) but the best part of that is that fee can be waived if you refer 2 or more people to sign-up for Doteasy service within 30 days. I happen to manage all my domains in one spot (Dotster) so I always go the $35 transfer/referral route.

AND you can refer people to the service beyond that with their affiliate program and make some cold hard cash! (I just made $30 whole dollars! :) That'll pay for dinner out to Emmy's -or- 5 lunches at Papalote Taqueria -or- 2 new CD's... wahoo $30!!)

I love Doteasy - and I'm picky about hosts! I have a lot of little sites** I maintain for friends & family that don't need a lot of backend features... so Doteasy works perfectly for their purposes.

They offer hosting with no banner ads because instead they just send you "Doteasy News" directly to your inbox. BUT the cool thing is it's NOT spam, it's labeled as such (Doteasy News)- and honestly I think I've gotten maybe 3 or 4 in the last 2 years!! They weren't sending it out for awhile.. but when they do it's not annoying. It's a well designed HTML newsletter & you can always delete it or filter it out. Sweet!

Now I need to put together a small site just for people who use Doteasy as frequently as I do so we know who needs referrals! For example I just bought hosting there for my friends Paula and Dave who are getting married, but now we need 2 people to sign up for hosting in order to wave the fee!Put in the referral site: http://www.davepaula.com when you sign up for hosting!
Too late! The 30 days is up. I'll have to advertise it to you all sooner next time!

So - if you wanna sign up for Doteasy hosting right now, please just use my doteasy referral link. And lemme know if you need 2 referrals to get your $35 fee waved - I'm happy to post it, plus I always want to find people who need referrals when I sign up for new hosting.

*or they do have other inexpensive plans if you need more functionality, but I use Dreamhost for my site

**I also use blogger for this site! And will set it up for two or three more soon (but then again, I wanna try moveable type! shh - don't tell)

Note: My referral links are ALWAYS on my links page FYI. Use them!
:) Thanks!!

Thursday, July 10, 2003

afternoon snack
Elizabeth and I just went & grabbed an afternoon snack. Usually we hit the good ol' Jolt & Bolt cafe downstairs for a cookie (they have an amaazing bakery on the premises - and make great coffee/lunch food too). But today we went to the corner store, we fondly call "The Rotten Meat Store" cuz they leave sandwiches, sushi and hardboiled eggs out on a table aall day long in the stuffy warmth of the store (eeww!).

Lizziebot (and, in case you didn't know, around the office here I'm Willobot) got a lime popsicle and I got Skittles. However, my skittles aren't as great as I was hoping. I don't need much sugar these days.. I've tried to cut back - so sometimes when I have it now it makes me feel ick.

So after Lizzie & I soaked up the sun for a bit and returned to the office, Jan & I started talking about sugar and desserts. I voiced to her that these skittles were too sugary for me and then added, "but then again give me a chocolate mousse and I'll have no problem with eating all that!" :) ...And then the topic came to ice cream. Mmmm!!!

My absolute favorite ice cream is Dulche de Leche - but I must say, recently I tried a new limited edition ice cream Haagen-Dazs released: Vanilla Caramel Brownie ! It's DELICIOUS!!! Since it's limited edition, make sure you go get it now.

My dreamy dessert recommendation:
Crumble up a few Newman O's in the bottom of the bowl and then garnish the top with an 'O' or 2 on the side.

Now desserts like that I can handle. Mmm!

next up on illustrators who rock..