My hubby and I just watched the Richard Donner cut of Superman II.
It is a completely different movie from the cheesy one that was initially released back in the 80's! Unbelievable. There is so much footage that was shot and not used. Richard Donner was the original director for both Superman I and II, and both movies were shot at the same time (how they did that, I'll never know). But something happened in studioland, and Richard Donner was let go before Superman II was completed.
In this re-release, while the base story of Superman fighting the three criminals from Krypton is the same, the rest is all new footage. Which is fantastic! All the scenes that were filled in by other Kryponians and Kal El's mother in the original were all replaced by Marlon Brando (or should I say, restored to the original Marlon Brando footage). I'm such a Superman geek. But that's ok.
It's so wonderful for me, a complete Superman/Christopher Reeve fanatic, that there was this 'secret' movie hidden away in the vaults of England somewhere - and 30 years later, it's like an additional movie of my favorite superhero, played by the only man who can play him.
The new Superman II is not cheesy or funny. It's much more along the lines of the first film. The little quips and jokes from background extras are cut out. It's a much more serious movie. Of course, since I've watched Superman I and II so many times, I know all the lines and scenes. It was a little distracting for myself when I noticed all the things that were cut or added, or certain voices that weren't there anymore, and the different camera angles, different takes used for the same scenes. I guess I'll just have to watch this new version a few more times to get over it. :)
Within the past few days, we've had three earthquakes. Small ones ranging from 3.7 to 3.5. The first was a few nights ago. We were in the living room, and I heard a loud 'crack' from the building and a hard jolt. That freaked me out.Last night, while wrapping some gifts, my hubby comes into the room and asks if I'm ok. Apparently, there was another hard jolt like the night before, but I didn't feel a thing. GOOD!I've been sick the last few days, so when I'm asleep, I'm really knocked out - so I missed another on at 9am this morning. We found this website that reports earthquake activities in California and Nevada. It's pretty cool, and the information comes up fairly soon after the quake hits. http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/I'm concerned why we're getting so many quakes from the same fault in such a short time. On one hand, which is what my hubby thinks, it's good that the ground is shifting on it's own to adjust itself so pressure doesn't build for a big quake. Yet on the other hand, it could just be getting ready to blow the huge quake that everyone has been saying will come in the next 30 years, since the 1989 shake up. I guess I'll take the small ones than the one big one.
Lookie what I got as an early Christmas gift!
HAHA! Pink cookware! My friend G got it for me. I couldn't believe she did that. I saw a set by this brand at Bloomingdales, but the pot sizes were odd and I didn't like it that much. I think I just mentioned it to G casually in an email, and next thing you know - she sent me this for Christmas. And all the sizes are exactly what I wanted and normally use! This picture is from the box. My delightfully pink set is sitting in a stack on my kitchen counter. I can't wait to use them. THANKS G!!!It's funny because I see a lot of pink things that I want for the house, but of course, I don't get them because I don't think my hubby would like to come home to a completely pink house. And then my friends go and get me everything pink. I love it! Hee hee...
Normally I'm one who dismisses the sides of which is better, Mac or PC. I use PC at home and at work. It's what I was trained on, I use it, I live with it. I know it has it's quirks, but what can you do? I have to use it.
So, Sunday morning, I saw there is the new I.E. 7 out, but I discovered that I can't install it until I have XP SP2 on my machine. So, I did my little search, and about an hour later, I have SP2 installed. Then, I rebooted, and it all went to hell.
I was stuck in a reboot loop, but I managed to get in via Safe Mode. At that point, after playing around with the settings a little, I decided to skip the I.E. 7 and uninstalled the SP2. Big mistake. Right after the uninstall and reboot, my PC crashed. It wouldn't even boot up in Safe Mode.
SO PISSED!
And to top it all off, I had forgotten that my hubby has to take a final for his class before Wednesday this week. He had planned to take it Sunday night. Well, that didn't happen.
I had planned a big Christmas gathering of friends and luckily, one of them is a Network Specialist. He gave us some disks to help us restore out system - and that is what I have been doing for the past 7 hours today. Completely reinstalled XP, and then had to figure out how to get everything back the way it was. Not happy...
Not a very imaginative title, but that describes my latest completed project. A little white kitty on a purple pillow. I had a little trouble with the embroidery of the face, but I think I managed to muddle through it somehow.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I certainly did. It's been an extra long (Thurs - Mon) weekend break, but filled with activity.
Thursday, we had our Thanksgiving with both our parents, grandma at the house of my father-in-law's God-daughter's family. We rounded off a night of wonderful food with the girls playing mah-jong, and the guys playing 'golf' (compliments of two sets of those golf practice putter layouts).
One of my best friends got married this weekend. Being a bridesmaid meant my Saturday and Sunday were spoken for. Rehearsal and the dinner was on Saturday. I stayed with the bride and two other bridesmaids at the hotel. Then Sunday was the big day. It was cold and rainy - and all of us were frozen solid, but it was still a beautiful wedding. It took all I had to not start bawling on the altar - especially when the groom started tearing up.
My hubby and I both took Monday off to relax, and I took the opportunity to work on another Christmas project. The sweater I was working on is about 95% complete. I just need to sew it together - but geez, even that is tedious! I started working on something more fun.
Remember way back when, I made a little stuffed elephant for my friend?
Well, I've decided that Santa needs to go to Sacramento now to pay a visit. So, I've been working on this little guy.
I've since finished the arms, and now I need to work on the hat. He's really cute so far. I love the little outfit. I got the idea from a Jean Greenhowe pattern of an elephant in a red sleeper outfit, complete with a hat with a tassle on the end. I modified it to make it a Santa suit instead. It's so cute. Santa will only be about 6" tall, so just imagine how small this little outfit is.
Hopefully, I'll finish the hat soon and sew the whole thing together. The white yarn I got is from Plymouth and it's called "Oh My!" I love the name, because when you first touch this yarn, that's the exact reaction you'll have. It is the softest yarn ever. I tried making a baby bootie out of it, but it's way too heavy for that. It was perfect for the Santa suit.
Well, neither have I. And those few who answered "Yes," I commend your dedication.I drove past the Metreon here in SF last night, where they have a Sony Playstation store, and let me tell you... it was utter chaos. CRAZY!!! They blocked off the entire street for the event. Hundreds of people everywhere. There were those spotlights shining all over the sky, a live band - and God only knows what else.According to our local paper, people were waiting before 8am on Wednesday to get a spot in another line on Thursday at 8am - just so that they could buy the PS3 at midnight Friday. As much as I like gaming, I don't think I'm that dedicated. I would like to 'try' it in the store one day though. Just to see the graphics. But it doesn't play my old PS2 games, so that was a big deterrent for me. Ah well, to those who got their hands on one - Congratulations.
OK, I don't love them - but they fascinate me.
1. Oprah's Christmas show. I was amazed the first time I caught the episode a few years back. I finally saw what all the fuss was about. I couldn't believe that everything she was featuring on her show, and it wasn't cheap stuff - the audience received as well. Last year, I happened to be flipping channels at 1am, and I came across a rerun of the show from that day. It was about school teachers - and suddenly, from above comes a whole fireplace scene and lights... ah! The Christmas Show!
Now most of the things she gave away, I didn't care for, but that washer and dryer set was the exact one that I totally want for my house some day. Especially the dryer. You place your delicates on racks and you can run the airdry cycle. No more net baggies - no more trying to unhook all your delicates from the netting.
So, that was my big envy of last year.
2. The Neiman Marcus catalog. I don't shop there all the time, but I get the Christmas Book in the mail anyway. Each year, I eagerly flip through the pages of everything I can't afford, and see how NM has outdone itself again.
Forget about the million dollar bras that Victoria Secret offers each year. From Neiman Marcus you can buy a water park for your backyard for $3.5 million. You and several friends can have a sports lovers dream package, where you attend the major event in every sport next year. For example, tickets to the Superbowl. But not only that. You will also have an opportunity to dine with a legend of that sport. I think they mentioned Troy Aikman for the football part of it. How about a $3.8 million dollar membership to an exclusive resort in Europe? It's not just membership, it's considered equity that you can pass down to your family.
And the grandest, yet oddly cheapest extravagance (considering) - that if I had the money for, HELL YAH I would buy it... A trip for you and 5 friends onboard the Virgin Galactica. A trip into space my friends! For just under $2 million, you and five friends will be prepared for a launch into space! Unbelievable. I would do that in a heartbeat. After that, you get several days with Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines guru - multibillionaire extraordinaire) on his private island in pure paradise. Actually for that part, each of the initial 6 people can invite one more person. So, 12 people in paradise.
Incredible.
Yep, two of my guilty pleasures of the holidays.
I love the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays of the year. I love the preparations for and anticipation of the big family gatherings. The panicked realization that there are only so many shopping days left until Christmas (or actually, the days left to finish my projects for Christmas). The pumpkin spice and gingerbread lattes at Starbucks. I love all the decorations in the stores and around the city. I love it all.It's another drab Monday here in good ole San Francisco. Cold and drizzly. But with my hands warming around a cup of hot Gingerbread latte, all is good.On the flip side of all that is warm and fuzzy this morning - someone brought a slushy machine to work. Yep. A full on, dual flavor slushy machine. Now, normally, I would love a tall sweet cup of Cola slushy -but it's just too darn cold today!
Just 4" to go, and I'll be able to sew up my sweater and wear it!!! Just in time for the winter. It's been a huge learning experience, and I'm rather proud of myself for 'almost' finishing an actual, whole sweater! Whoo hoo!I'm holding off starting any of my 'Christmas' goodies until I finish the sweater - which is good, because I know I need to start on my other projects soon (can't believe it's November already), so it pushes me to finish the sweater faster.So, the other night, while knitting away, I happened to catch Ju On 2 (original Japanese version of The Grudge 2) on TV. It's TERRIBLE!!! The first Ju On freaked me out - so I would call that a successful movie. But this second one, it wasn't like Blair Witch Project, but it was a step above a cheapy movie camera. The sound was bad. And I didn't realize how important background music is to create a mood for a scene - until I saw this movie with limited background music. Horrible. I had no clue what the heck was going on. I admit it, when The Grudge 2 comes out on DVD, I'll probably watch it too. Sad, but true.
I'm still working on my sweater. I'm so close, but it still seems like the end is so far away! After finishing the sleeves, the next step is to sew the shoulder seams together. I binded off the wrong part on the front panel of the sweater! Unbelievable. I had stitch holders where they should have been binded off, and then it was binded off where the stitch holder was supposed to be.I had been staring at the front and back panels of the sweater and couldn't figure out how on earth I was supposed to sew the shoulder seams together, and when I realize what I had screwed up on, well, there is no nice way to describe how I felt.I had already cut the yarn on that part too. I tried to undo the binded off section, but it wasn't working out for me, so I ended up unraveling about two rows and then adding more yarn, managed to bind off where I should have in the first place, and then hallelujah, sewed the shoulder seams together. Whoo hoo!Now, I'm working on the second to last part of the sweater. The hood. Thirteen inches to go, and then I can sew the whole thing together - and I'll be done!!!I can't wait to start on my Christmas projects. They're small items this time, so they shouldn't take me too long. I've been concentrating on the sweater so much that I haven't made anything else since those little baby hats and booties in September. I have tons of yarn, so my hubby has banned me from buying anymore until I actually use up some of it first. Well, darn it, I'll just have to knit more!!!
I finally found a new radio station at work where I actually get a strong reception, so for once, the music I like comes through nice and clear - and I don't have to adjust my dial every few hours. I'm thinking SCORE!
Problem is that in between every song, they run station plugs and commercials. Lots of commercials.
Normally I just tune out the 'non-music' parts, but this commercial caught my attention. It's about becoming a surrogate mother. A young sounding girl says, "I've been a surrogate mother three times. If you like being pregnant, like I do, then I'd like to talk to you..." What the hell kind of commercial is that?
This is a station that is obviously aimed for the younger crowd - the commercials mainly consist of ads for modeling casting calls, acne medication, and certain movies.
... but plugging surrogate motherhood? Are you kidding me?
Aside from work, it's been a very busy time in general. For the last month or so, I had been planning a trip to Santa Cruz for a Bachelorette Party. Trying to coordinate nine girls coming from different cities, from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento, is not the easiest thing. The biggest drama was getting the house rental. I don't know anything about Santa Cruz or the Capitola area, so all my research relied on what I could find on the internet. If our party was able to stay the whole weekend, there wouldn't have been any problems - but, as it was, most could only stay Saturday night. Our search limited us to a one night rental. Let me tell you, people who rent beach homes do not prefer renting them for one night only. So, that made our search drop from say 100 results, to about 5. And lets not mention that people book way in advance, and I was looking within a few weeks of the actual trip.Long story shortened, I found a perfect place by the beach. I made the agreement with the owner and sent in my deposit. A day later, I get an email from the management company saying that they received a deposit from another group who wanted the house for the same night, and I was bumped. What had happened was, the owner didn't tell the management company that she made an agreement with me - and I never new there was a management company that I should I gone through. What a mess. I never heard from the owner again (not surprisingly), but the mgmt. company was very apologetic and offered discounts for other nights and such - but I didn't need that. I needed the house that weekend.Luckily, one of the girls going to the party has a friend, whose parents own a house in Capitola. God bless them, they let us rent their home for that one night. We were set.Now we had to plan the games and such for the party. Ordering goodies online (that was interesting research), and making sure each girl brought things. In the past few years, I've been to several bachelorette parties, so I was able to pull ideas from those. Most were drinking games that we modified a bit so that we all wouldn't be sloshed before dinner. ;) The party was last Saturday - and it turned out to be a perfect weekend. The most important thing is that our bride-to-be had a blast. Whew! Lots of laughs, and pictures I'm not at liberty to share. Hee hee... It was a great weekend.
I've got an hour left at work. I'm tired. I'm grouchy. And now I'm nauseated. Why? Because someone on my floor apparently likes to bathe himself in cologne. I don't know him, but I'm sure he thinks he's being polite by stepping away from his cube and standing near the break area to make his personal phone calls. But my cube is near the break area - not only can I hear his conversation - I am breathing nothing but stinky cologne. MY GOD! I have my fan on full blast to get some air, but it's not helping much. Why do people do that? I've always heard that if you can smell the perfume or cologne on yourself after an hour, then you're wearing too much. I don't think this guy's nose functions anymore. His sinuses have probaby shriveled up by now. I wonder how much he spends on cologne every year?Yes, I'm annoyed that I'm sitting here, working away, and this comes in to invade my space. I guess I should just thank my lucky stars that I don't sit next to the guy.On a much happier note, I've been busy planning a bachelorette weekend for my good friend. She has four bridesmaids - and I'm one of them. So, together with one other bridesmaid, we're handling this party, and the other two are handling the bridal shower next month.We're heading down to Capitola on Saturday. It's threatening to rain here in San Francisco, so I don't know if it will affect anything over the weekend. But if we don't end up going to the beach, that's fine with me. I'm not in my bikini shape right now. We have lots of games planned, dinner reservations, a list of bars and clubs... I think we're set. I can't wait!
As of yesterday, I do. The newest shopping mecca of San Francisco opened it doors to the public on Thursday. While I wasn't able to see it that day, I had the day off on Friday, and my friend and I went to see the largest shopping mall "west of the Mississippi".
We already had San Francisco Center - a decent sized, multi-level mall with the second largest Nordstrom in the U.S. Now, the old Emporium building, which had been shut down for over 10 years, has been converted into an additional home to some of the public's favorite stores and boutiques. It connects to the SF Center. It also connects to the second largest Bloomingdale's in the U.S.
Why am I happy? Because since I've moved, it takes 20 - 30 minutes to drive to Stonestown (another mall, but it's on the other side of the city). This new Westfield San Francisco, is a mere 5 minute trolley ride away. Not that I shop a lot anymore, but I like having the option.
The simple pleasures of a girl. Ah... I think what made the experience special was that I spent the day with an old childhood friend, whom I haven't seen in years. We write letters and emails to each other a lot, and we've talked on the phone a few times, but it's not the same as actually spending time with her. We've know each other since we attended a summer camp together when we were eight years old. We met for lunch and then walked around for hours. Neither of us were really interested in buying anything. Just spending time together. It was great!
Haven't been feeling very 'bloggy' lately. Been busy with work, and then trying to catch up on our TV shows over the weekend. In addition to our old favorites that are starting up again, we've been 'testing' the new shows. So far, I like Standoff and Shark. I'm still undecided on Justice. I've got several other new shows on tape that we haven't watched yet - so testing season isn't over yet.
I've also been busy trying to book a beach house in Santa Cruz for a bachelorette party. Found plenty of gorgeous homes right on the beach. Problem is that many don't want to just rent it out for one night. Most have a two or three night minimum requirement. And what is with this 10% additional lodging charge??? Getting stressed out, but trying not to let it get to me too much. It's just booking a place - the fun will happen once we're there. I can't make it perfect for everyone.
I watched the memorial for Steve Irwin last week on Animal Planet. I only caught the last 20
minutes or so, but it was very sad. I was bawling for a few minutes when his 8 year old daughter gave her little speech. What a brave girl! In a way, because he was "The Crocodile Hunter" their children will get to see their father in videos, doing what he did best. And they'll get to look back and see what an impact he had on the world.
Anyway, before I get depressed again... I've been working on my sweater. One sleeve is done. The other is about half. So, I'm getting there!!! Soon, I'll be able to stitch on the two sleeves, and then finish up the hood - and that's it!!!
It's hard to believe that it's been five years today that our nation suffered a tragedy beyond our imagination. The entire world watched as thousands of people died in a horrific act of terrorism that one only thought could happen in movies. So, I ask, in your own way today, let's take a moment to remember those who lost their lives in New York those short few years ago, and for their families who live on with only the memory of their loved ones. It was a sad day for humanity as a whole. Is this what we've come to? Why is it so necessary to hurt one another?
I've never really sat down and watched a full show of Steve Irwin's, but I knew his work. I knew he was an animal conservationalist who was so full of enthusiasm that half the time I thought he was crazy to be doing half of what he was doing. But you know what? He brought awareness to his cause for animals. And it's so heartbreaking to hear he died while filming a new show for kids. At least that's what the latest news report I read wrote. Struck in the heart by a startled stingray.
I was never a huge fan, but I'm still sad for the loss. I guess we never understand people who are so enthusiastic about something that they live and breathe it. But in the end, see all the reaction from his death, he really touched a lot of people. I feel so sorry for his wife and two young children.
Farewell Steve Irwin.
We started watching The 4400 a couple of weeks ago. It's another series that I heard a lot of talk, so I had to see for myself what it was about. It's pretty good. The show itself, I mean. The acting needs work. It's no Battlestar Galactica, but I liked it. We just finished Season 2 last night.
My friend lent me two animation movies recently too. I didn't think I would like them, but you know what? I really did. Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. Both are by director Miyazaki. According to my friend, he has many anime movies out there. So, now that I know what his style is like, and I do like it, I'll have another set of movies to watch.
Vegas was a blast!!! It was definitely a birthday to remember. The Wynn is beautiful, and the rooms are very nice - a little larger than the average hotel room in Vegas. Via the offer we received, we had a meal allowance each day we were there, so we took the opportunity to try a different restaurant each day. Our first dinner was at Daniel Boulud. Folks, unless you're a vegatarian, I highly suggest the short ribs. I don't think I've had short ribs that good in my entire life. My husband ordered it, actually. I had the salmon - which was also fabulous. But that short rib... oh my.Tableau was our second dinner. The service there was excellent - thanks Joe! I had a wonderful Lobster with marscapone tortellini appetizer. I never order roasted chicken usually, but for some reason that night - I did. And it was marvellous. I ate every little bit.For our third day, since we already covered the Terrace Cafe and the Buffet, we decided to try the Country Club. It overlooks the private golf course and magnificent waterfall at the 18th hole (I believe it's the 18th hole). Service was not good. The waitress took our order and we didn't see our food for over 30 minutes. We told the busboy and he came back with a complimentary order of french fries and chips, and the news that our food would be ready soon. The waitress then came by and said that it would be about 5 minutes, and told us to be patient. WHAT? No apologies, and we're told to be patient? Terrible.A few minutes later, the maitre'd came by and we told him what was going on - he immediate went into the kitchen and within a minute, came back with our food. All we order was a burger, and steak and eggs. Yeah. 40 minutes for that - and it was not all that. But as we finished our meal, the maitre'd came back with a huge apology and told us the meal was on the house. Doesn't make up for it, but at least he apologized and recognized the problem - which is what we were looking for.That night, MY BIRTHDAY NIGHT (whoo hoo!), we went to Corsa Cucina. Service there was also excellent. The waiters were very attentive and enjoyed talking with us about the different restaurants. I had a delicious meatball appetizer and the tenderloin of beef. It was sooooooo good. Unfortunately, I had too much meatball and calamari (don't bother with the calamari), and a 'tiramisu' cocktail before my entree came, so I was full. I actually couldn't finish my meal. I hate wasting food. And, as it was my birthday, I was told by my husband that I had to order dessert. Fine. So, I ordered these crepes (suggested by one of our waiters) to share. And after the candle blowing I just stuffed myself - they were delicious. As another birthday treat for myself, I wanted to go to Tryst - the nightclub at the Wynn. I've always wanted to go dancing with my husband - but we've always ended up chosing slot machines over the music. This time, armed with free passes from our slot host, we bypassed the ridiculous line (I have never seen a line that long at 10:30pm for a club - never) and made our way down the dark velvet walled corridor and was greeted with a view of a flowing waterfall. It was beautful. I was way too full to drink any more - but I danced and danced and danced until my feet couldn't take it anymore. It was a fabulous weekend! And the best part, I actually came back with what I brought to play with, plus a little more. What a birthday gift from the hotel! Anytime I come back with any of what I brought, I consider myself a winner. But this time, I definitely won the jackpot.
Only three days until we're on our way to Vegas! I don't know how hot it is there right now, and I really don't want to know. We're probably going to go from airport to hotel, and then stay indoors for the four days we're there. We'll be staying at the Wynn this trip.I'm in dire need for this vacation. Yes, we did get away for the rafting trip, but this will be in a nice clean hotel. No bugs, dirt, grass, or sleeping on air mattresses in a tent. Nope, we're going to be in a nice luxury hotel with great restaurants, nice down pillows, and hopefully, we'll get to bring home a nice big momento of the trip - something with a lot of zeros at the end. We all have to dream, right?My birthday is this weekend, so I'm thinking of splurging and treating myself to a nice spa treatment at the hotel. Haven't decided on exactly what though. I don't do massages, so it will have to be a facial or something like that.Trying to get all the last minute things settled. Have to bring Monte for a nice stay at grandma's. I've done the laundry. Hemmed my new pants (yep, still remember my sewing class lessons). Need to get a hair cut - I'm hoping to get an appointment for tomorrow evening. Just need to remember to check-in online Wednesday night - hopefully it will save us a little time at the airport. I wonder with this heightened security, if they'll let me take my knitting on board the plane? We're already planning to check-in our bags, but I have to do something on the plane. I'm usually too impatient to read or sleep... I'll have to check on that too.I can't wait!!! I can hear those beautiful slot machine dinging sounds now! Hopefully, I'll get to hear that music on my own machine this weekend!
It's been a busy week. But now I finally have a little time to update my blog again.Our annual white water rafting trip was last weekend. We drove up there Friday afternoon and set up camp. One by one our friends showed and we claimed our little camp circle of tents. I don't know exactly what the temperature was, but I was HOT! After setting up our tent, I felt like jumping into the river. Early rise on Saturday morning, with a filling breakfast of yummy blueberry pancakes, eggs and sausages. An hour van ride later, we had our lifevests and helmets on, and we set our boat onto the ice cold water of the Middle Fork American River.We had 11 people, so we had two boats that day. Mike "Bulldog", one of our guides from last year, led the way with boat 1. We were in boat two with a new guide to the company, Garoth. He's a cutie - and lucky for us, a very good guide. He was safe, yet let us have fun as well. We had three vetrans and two newbies on our boat - so he did his best to accomodate both. Did I mention he's Australian? Yes, 5 hours of listening to that wonderful accent. He told of lots of funny stories and some not so funny river experience ones. Really puts into perspective that it's still something dangeous and you have to have some personal responsibility for your safety. Anyway, we got back to camp around 4pm - and just lazed around. Garoth came and hung out for a little bit before he headed up to the kitchen to help out with dinner service. It was a Luau weekend, so many folks were dressed in something 'tropical'.After dinner, a couple of guides came down to hang out. We had a lot of 'booze' so they knew where to go. Of all people, this guide that I've had a crush on was finally back, after three years. He's married now, but still 'oh so cute'. I had to do all I could to stop acting like a giddy fool in front of him and Garoth. Funny. And there was my hubby. ;) It was a great weekend. Even though I say I HATE camping, every year, I always have a lot of fun on these trips. It's a time when a groups of very different people, who normally wouldn't hang out together, share an awesome experience and make more friends. We called ourselves the 'Brat Pack' and even identified several characters from The Breakfast Club. Of course, I was the self proclaimed "Princess". Hee hee... But we had the Brain, the Jock, the Athlete, the Basketcase, and the Criminal... I think we identified a Principal too, but I forgot who that was. I didn't bring my camera this time to the rafting, but I do plan to order a couple shots of us going down the Middle Fork. Here's a quicky screenshot of the thumbnails - so it's pretty poor quality, but you get the gist of what was going on... This was the Tunnel Chute.
My roommate from college, E, called me last night. She and her hubby were supposed to join us for rafting this weekend. Well, he's coming, but she can't. Why? She's pregnant!!!While I'm disappointed I won't get to see her this weekend, I couldn't be more thrilled for them. She's one of my most favorite people in the world and I am just so happy for them. I wish I could fly down to Oxnard right now and give her a huge hug.We had a marathon three hour phone conversation last night. I maxed out the battery on two phones. We finally hung up after I had to switch to the third phone (funny). We've been through soooooo much together over the years. We were bridesmaids in each other's weddings. And this is just the icing on the cake. She's one of those friends that, even though we don't see each other all the time, we're totally caught up on everything going on and we always just pick where we left off when we do talk to each other. It's wonderful. I keep trying to convince her and her husband to move to San Francisco.Congratulations E and R! More baby hats and booties on the way!!!
Tonight, my hubby and I did a very rare thing. We actually went out to see a movie. I plunked down $20 and in return received our two tickets. No change. Yep, that's why we don't go out to movies that often anymore.
As huge of a Superman fan that I am, I'm amazed that it took this long before we actually went out to see Superman Returns. Yes, I was very skeptical that they would destroy the legacy of Christopher Reeve as my beloved super hero, but you know what? I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was intense and there were a few things I didn't expect. I believe that the director, Bryan Singer, tried to make this a 2.5 hour tribute to original movie from 1978. And all I can say is BRAVO!
There were so many references from the first movie - it was great. The original theme music really tied the movies together for me, and the usage of the Marlon Brando dialog was fantastic. The picture of Glenn Ford as Jonathan Kent on the piano as Martha Kent was quoting him, wonderful. See, I'm a huge, huge, HUGE fan of Superman. I've watched the first movie a bizillion times and can recite every phrase and I know a lot of the details of the film. I've already warned my husband that when we become billionaires, I'm buying that statue of Superman from the Sharper Image store. I won't mind shelling out the $5000 for it.My Superman is Christopher Reeve's Superman. But this movie was well done and I think Christopher would have been very proud that his legacy of this superhero lives on. I just hope they don't botch the sequels.
During the week or so, I discovered that Comcast OnDemand had a list of Hitchcock movies. Most of which I had never seen. They're free movies, and I'm a semi-Hitchcock fan. These are my favorite movies of his: Psycho, Dial M for Murder, and Rear Window. These are genious. I've seen several others that I think are ok, but are not my favorite. Rebecca, Marnie, The Birds, and Vertigo. I figured, since they're available, I should give them a shot..
So, every day, I've tried to watch a movie or as much as I can of one (OnDemand lets you pick up where you left off - wonderful feature). Anyway, I've watched the following so far in the past two weeks. Sad to say, I didn't enjoy most of them.
Frenzy (hated it)
Rope (boring)
Notorious (was good after the first 30 minutes)
Shadow of a Doubt (boring, but I like Joseph Cotton)
The Paradine Case (boring - though Gregory Peck is gorgeous - I never realized that)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (frustrating)
The Lady Vanishes (frustrating)
Spellbound (frustrating - but, it had Gregory Peck) I checked out IMDB, this list of movies isn't even half of what Hitchcock actually released. But the way it's going, I may just stop after I get through the few left on Comcast. I thought I would at least like most of them - but it's very disappointing to discover I really don't.
Good thing is that during these movie runs, I've been knitting away. I'm almost finished putting together my little Kitty project that I started in Tahoe a few weeks ago.
I just have to sew on the other ear and the tail, and then attached her to the cushion. Oh, and sew on a face (kind of important). This little missy is going to be a birthday gift for my friend in November. The other projects that I finished just last night and today are the Umbilical Cord hats from Stitch N' Bitch, for the new twins, Kayden and Connor. These turned out really well - and they were quick projects. I like that.
I wanted to make two different colored hats, but the purple one is a little lighter than I'd like since I mixed in the white. Oh well. My next projects are matching booties for the hats.
I call this latest picture of Monte, Death Grip. 
Dang! Must hurt being his favorite toy.
Well, my goal to live out the two years in my current home without feeling an earthquake was squashed last night. A little after 8p, while my hubby and I were watching TV, I felt the rumble. It was such a low, deep groan, it was surreal. And then it hit. Our plant looked like I had grabbed it by the stem shaking it. It was a pretty hard jolt. I was like, "EARTHQUAKE!!!" I think my outburst scared Monte more than the quake itself. Actually, our little fur ball was in a deep sleep until I yelled out and grabbed hold of him. Hey, he was sitting closer to me than my husband - so I grabbed the cat first. Anyway, our building swayed for a while - it felt more than the 10 seconds it really was. But if you think about it, 10 seconds is a pretty long time. It turned out to be a 4.4 quake. My husband says these smaller earthquakes are good. That means the ground keeps trying to settle itself. It's better than us staying still and building up pressure - and then get a big earthquake. Yeah, yeah, yeah - an earthquake is an earthquake. And I don't like any of them. But I guess if I had to choose, I'd rather a bunch of small ones than one big one.Oh, and did I ever mention that our building is on landfill. Yeah... not so comforting.On another note, I've actually been keeping up with a pretty good workout schedule. Well, it's not a good schedule, but I am working out. Almost every week day, and even on weekend day, I'll go to the gym and walk for 30 minutes to an hour. For various reasons, I can't really do a full on run, so I do a fast walk. It's a sweaty walk that gets the heartrate up, so I'm satisfied. The thing that helps is that each treadmill has a TV hooked up to it. I get so bored when I'm just listening to music that even a 20 minute walk seems like forever. The TV is the key. Yep, so last night, I walked an hour while watching Project Runway. Of course, the new episode started at 10pm, so I basically I didn't end up going to bed until midnight. So, no, it's not an ideal workout schedule. I'm exhausted now, but I'm working out!
I'd like to give a warm welcome to two new little faces in the world, Kayden and Conner.They're twin boys, born last Thursday to our friends G and I. Happy Birthday boys!
Spent a wonderful evening celebrating a friend's birthday last night. We went to EOS. While the food was very good, I wasn't crazy about the small portioned, family style theme they go for. This we found out after everyone had picked an 'entree' already and the waiter told us while we were ordering. So, we had to regroup and figure out how to order.
I don't like the 'family style' fusion places because you really don't get much per plate, and somebody always gets left out of at least one dish. We had six people, yet the dumpling dish had only five dumplings in it. I don't like cutting a small piece of fish into six tiny little bite fulls. And if you have a choice, sit downstairs - it was so hot in the loft area. I know, too many complaints - but the food is very good. I do want to go back - and I'll be more prepared next time. Today is chore day, and clean up day. Have to prepare for guests in two weeks. I don't want to have a marathon cleanup day then, so I'm doing a little at a time to get our guest room/store room ready.
Backtracking a little, I finally downloaded some awesome sunset pictures we took during our weekend in Tahoe. Aren't they gorgeous? The most amazing thing is how the colors go from a radiant orange, to pink, purple, and then a fiery red.
My dad called me at work today. The vet called - Bubbles' ashes can be picked up. My dad asked if I wanted to go, and I told him to not wait for me and just go. I know it's sad, but we didn't need everyone to go do that. I would have to take off from work again - which I did many times already to see Bubbles during those final days.So, Bubbles is home. He's tucked away in a small wooden box. It's very sad. No plans to do anything with his ashes right now, and I don't want to bring up tentative plans that we had from before. I still can't believe he's gone. What didn't help was that we have also been doing movie nights, and one of the movies was Failure to Launch. Good movie with Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. Unforuntately, there was one scene where Sarah Jessica pretends to put her dog to sleep. That just triggered me again. (Horrible timing).The other movie was saw was Elektra. It was actually OK. Better than Daredevil, that's for sure. And Elektra was not as useless as in the other movie. Another guilty pleasure that I've been catching up on is the marathon episodes of My Fair Brady: We're Getting Married. I can't help it. I like cheesy TV shows.
A classmate from my elementary school days is trying to set up a 20 year reunion. While I have no intention of going, it did bring back memories of my best friend at the time. Though we lost touch during high school, I have always thought about her every once in a while. In fact, one time at the bus stop, I ask this girl, who I thought looked like my friend, if it was her. Unfortunately, it wasn't.So, I took a chance and thought, we're the same age, maybe by some luck she's just getting married now and registered online somewhere. My first attempt at searching on weddingchannel.com and I found her!!! Unbelievable. I emailed her - and the very next day, she wrote back. It was her! All this happened two weeks ago - during the difficult time we were going through with Bubbles. Though we exchanged phone numbers, I really couldn't talk to anyone at the time, so I told her I would have to call later and explained why via email. Anyway, I called her tonight and we had a wonderful reunion on the phone. It was just like old times - except we're not 13 anymore. Caught up as much as we could for now.Want to hear something weird? She said she posted her registry just the night before I emailed her. Not only that, her mom was looking through old pictures that same night and found one of the two of us. Another coincidence is that we were in Paris at the same time this year! It was meant to be that we would reconnect. And get this, her aunt-in-law, works at my company and I've known her for almost 9 years! What a small world? And another friend of mine from work, actually tried setting up his friend with her a few years ago.Both our schedules are pretty packed during the weekends right now, but we're going to try to meet up mid-August. Can't wait to see her.
A much needed weekend getaway - time to just relax and do NOTHING. Ahhh...
Time for our annual weekend trip to Lake Tahoe with my hubby's parents. With my new work schedule, we timed it so that I had last Friday off, and my husband was able to take the day off too.
We arrive in Tahoe in the afternoon - and it was a bit overcast, but warm nonetheless. I hopped into the pool so fast, it was a definite record for me. I'm one who needs to sit by the pool for 20 minutes, at least, while my feet adjust to the temperature first. It's quite frustrating to my husband who keeps telling me, the water will feel warm once I get in for a minute. Yeah, yeah, yeah - I do it my own way.
Anyway, within 10 seconds I was in that warm blue water. An hour and a half later it started to rain, so I got out. We were treated to the most spectacular lightening storm I've ever experienced. Long streams of electricity burst from the dark clouds and actually touched ground for a few seconds before disappearing. The thunder roared a few seconds later.
Back in the dryness of our condo, we watched the rain come down in buckets, lightening bursts every few minutes, and the rumble of the skies. Fabulous. Luckily, our power never went out - even though it did threaten and flicker a few times.The next day, I can only describe it with one word. HOT! It was so hot. Of course, I didn't know that a heat wave had spread through California - so techincally the 80 degrees I was in was not that hot. But there was not a speck of breeze in the air. I was in and out of the pool all day - I couldn't even really sit down and read my magazine, because as soon as I lay down, I was burning up again and had to go back into the pool. What a rough life, huh?The rest of the afternoon, I spent catching up on my knitting. I am making another little surprised for another friend. We had a wonderful dinner at a local casino restaurant. The food itself was ok, but the AC was fastastic. Ah... The rest of the night, we suffered in our hot bedroom - our little fan working overtime to cool us down. We couldn't open the windows, because mosquitoes were coming in. Our last day, Sunday, we got up early and went to the pool again. One of my mother-in-law's friends has a boat, and they were nice enough to take us out on the lake. My hubby did some tubing. I decided to stay dry - the lake water is just a tad too cold for me. After a couple of hours lounging by the pool again, it was time to pack up and get ready to go. We were supposed to have lunch with my brother-in-law and his family, but they came late. By the time they arrived, we just scarfed down lunch on our own and headed back to the city.The heat was insane!!! When we drove through Sacramento, it was 117 degrees!!! Are you kidding me? The hottest I've ever been in was 105 in Vegas one summer. We stopped in Fairfield to get gas. It was 114. We were happy to get back to our cool condo back in SF. Monte was very happy to see us. In fact, he actually ran to us when we called him from down the hall. Nothing like a nice warm, furry, purring welcome.
No call from the vet today - so no ashes yet. Bubbles is still hanging on strong at the house though. Mom says she smelled him for a long time today. The scent actually followed her around as she went from upstairs to downstairs - and then disappeared like that (fingers snapping).
Dad is still depressed, but he seemed to feel a little better when I told him that perhaps Bubbles is coming around so often to let mom be the messenger for him - to let dad know that he is there. Perhaps this scent sensitivity is inherited. My grandmother, mom, and I are the only three to ever have smelled my grandfather's cologne. And only my mom and I have smelled Bubbles. Mom actually smelled grandpa again today too.
As a good friend of mine described it, it's like someone captured that specific scent and is holding it right at your nose. You can't escape it by walking away - it stays right at your nose. My friend lost her husband to cancer a while ago, but she smells his cologne from time to time. As she like to believe, maybe they come back when they sense you need them? I'd like to think so.
We're going over to see my parents' house tomorrow for dinner - I wonder if Bubbles will come to me?
I know, this sounds more like a ghost log now, but it's a very interesting phenomenon. I don't know how I'd take it if I ever saw a ghost. I'd probably freak. So, no, I would prefer never seeing one. But smelling them - it's not so invading, and somewhat comforting. As I told my husband, when I smelled Bubbles that night after we said goodbye to him, it was as if he gave me a big hug. It was that comforting.
It's day four since our little Bubbles left us, and while I'm able to get through more hours now without breaking down when I think about him, there are still those moments when the sadness overwhelms me, and I find myself just gently stroking his cute face in my pictures of him.
I find looking at the older pictures don't get me as sad. Bubbles used to love digging in his bed. Eventually he would form his blanket into a little cocoon around him - like a big doggie won ton. This picture - my dad caught him in the starting stages of the digging. He's so cute here. This was when he was about two years old.
I miss him so much. When the moments of sadness come, it feels like my chest just tightens up and the tears just start flowing.
Tomorrow, my parents will probably get the call from the vet that Bubbles' ashes can be picked up.
I actually smelled him again yesterday around 11am. And my mom smelled him the night before at around 1am again. It's comforting to know he visits me and that he is home. My dad is still devestated. He hasn't been able to smell Bubbles, but maybe he won't ever. I told him, I know Bubbles is home - and he should talk to him in his own way. Just because he can't see or smell him doesn't mean he's not there.
My mom told me that even when Bubbles was having a difficult time walking, in the late afternoon when my dad would usually come home from running errands, he could be found waiting at the foot of the stairs, just as he always did, for my dad. There is no doubt that Bubbles had great love for my dad - I just want my dad to remember that and not dwell on the sickness.
There were moments at work today that I was able to talk about Bubbles with fondness, and there were those moments where the mention of him made me choke up. People were understanding - many know the feeling of losing a pet. They're not just dogs or cats (or any other type of animal). They become a part of the family. Bubbles was with us for 15 years. He was family. He had his own personality, his habits, his likes and dislikes, feelings... he was a part of us.
Another difficult day with crying fits - but you know what? It got a little better just now. I just got off the phone with my mom. And you know how I said that I smelled Bubbles last night at 12:55am? Well, she says that she smelled him a little after 1am.
She said she was in the living room watching TV, when suddenly she smelled something. She described it as this sickly dog smell that he was emitting the last few days. She had already put away his towels and puppy pads, so it couldn't have been that. Besides, she was already sitting in the room for a while - this was a sudden new element to the room. It lasted a few minutes and then disappeared just as suddenly.
This confirms that neither of us is crazy. We both smelled him. He came to visit me first, and then he went home to my parents.
It may seem like we're reaching to find comfort in his death, but it's not that at all. How can two people, miles apart from each other, both experience the same phenomenon within the same time frame?
Bubbles went home.
It's been a long and difficult day. Amazingly, with all the bawling attacks I've had today, I'm not dehydrated yet. All day long, I've been in a funk - for obvious reasons. It's been the longest day of my life. I did the laundry. I surfed the web. I went through boxes of pictures of Bubbles and spent hours scanning them onto the computer so that I could do a private slideshow for myself whenever I wanted. Anyway - tonight at 12:55am exactly, I was in my bedroom getting ready for bed. Austin Powers was quietly playing in the background on TV, when suddenly I smelled something. It was very strong. At first I didn't know what it was - and then it hit me like a cannon ball. It was the kind of weird dog smell that Bubbles had. I can't describe it, but that's exactly what it was. I called my husband to the bedroom immediately - and even while I was trying to explain it to him, I was smelling it quite clearly - but he didn't smell anything at all. And then in an instant, it was gone. I looked around the room - nothing I wore today while I was holding Bubbles was in sight or nearby. Plus I had moved from the bed to the door, and then back to the bed - all the while smelling that strong dog smell.I'm not crazy. This has happened in our family before - with my grandfather. There's something about 49 days when a spirit comes home - in Chinese folklore. When my grandmother was still living at the house she and grandpa shared, exactly 49 days after he passed away, he smelled him in the bedroom. It was so strong she had to leave the room. She said it was strongest by the bookcase where I had put a Father's Day card that I didn't have a chance to give him before he died. She went back to the room a few minutes later, and the smell was gone.Throughout the years, both my mom and I have smelled 'grandpa' every so often. Her more often then me, but I have definitely smelled him.A few weeks before I got married, I was trying to sleep, but this odor was just bugging me. When I realized what it was I was smelling, I was afraid to open my eyes - because I was afraid I would see my grandfather standing there. I'm not crazy - but my grandfather had a very distinctive smell. He had an old hat that he would wear all the time, and any time we went to a department store, he would spray some cologne onto the hat - so it accumulated a very unique smell. I have his old hat, in a box, in the closet. It has not had any fragrance to it in years, but that night I smelled that sweet cologne smell as strong as if someone had sprayed it onto my pillow.So, tonight, I was sitting on the bed. I had glanced at the newly printed picture of me and Bubbles sitting on my bedstand, when suddenly I smelled him. Maybe the 49 day thing is with humans only? Who knows, but I smelled him. It's like, you don't know what it is, but suddenly it hits you and you know exactly what that familiar smell is. You know in your bones.I looked it up on the web just now, and apparently, 'smelling' a ghost is not an uncommen phenomenon. So, either Bubbles came back to check on me - or he was saying goodbye. Either way, I just started bawling again. I told Bubbles not to worry about us - we're just heartbroken because we miss him so much. I told him we love him and that we'll see each other again one day. I told him to go play and run. He was my good Bubbles.It's interesting that my husband didn't smell anything while he was sitting next to me - and I was smelling it full on. And in a flash, it was gone. I don't smell anything anymore. In a way, it calms me a little to know he came by to see me. I know he's OK.
Today is a very sad day for our family. We had to say goodbye to our beloved Bubbles. My husband and I went to my parents’ house around 9:30a to pick them up and bring Bubbles to the vet for the very last time.
Bubbles was very peaceful and for the first time in a while, he was breathing normally - not out of his mouth. Mom said he was getting more sensitive on the areas where his tumors were starting to show. He must have been in pain. Wrapped in a towel, my dad carried him to the car. For one more car ride, Bubbles enjoyed looking out the window at the passing cars. He used to love car rides.
When we got to the vet, I took Bubbles from my dad's arms and just broke down, right there on the sidewalk. He felt so light and just limp. I believe that he was ready.
We were only at the vet for about 30 minutes, but it was the most miserable time of our lives. I held Bubbles in my arms until the doctor came in. I put Bubbles on the table and the doctor did one last quick exam. He said the lymph nodes were swollen and there was cancer even in his mouth now - which is why he couldn't eat solids anymore. We all agreed it was the right time to let Bubbles sleep.
At this point, the doctor left the room to give us time to say our goodbyes to our baby boy. Many kisses on his little head, lots of 'I love yous', and of course, many tears. Then the doctor came back and took him. We didn't want to see it happen. The doctor had Bubbles in his arm at the doorway, and when he turned to face us to tell us something (I don't even remember what he said), our last image of Bubbles is of him looking at us, eyes looking from person to person in the room. And then he was taken out of the room. That is the last time we will ever see our little baby.
We stayed in the office for a few minutes after that. I was just bawling - and perhaps everyone in the hospital heard, but I didn't care. We knew that in the next few minutes, our Bubbles would not be in pain anymore. He would fall into a deep sleep. I picture in my head that he will wake up, suddenly full of energy. No more pain. He would be running around everywhere as he loved to do in life. He would be surrounded by his favorite toys and foods - and he would never be sick again. He would come check on our family every once in a while - making his rounds, as I like to call it. I know we'll be reunited again some day. I know my grandfather is taking care of him for us until we each get there. These thoughts comfort me.
We drove back to my parents place and already there was a huge void. The puppy pads were still laid out on the kitchen tile, his big basket of toys were under the side table, and his bed and blanket - empty. I realized that never again would I see him running to me with a giant stuffed soccer ball in his mouth anymore. I would never have him snuggle on me anymore. I will never hear him howl every time a firetruck siren blared down the street. Nothing anymore.
It's been a couple of hours now, and it's still hard to believe that I'm never going to see Bubbles again. He's really gone. My Bubbles is really gone.
This is one of my very last pictures of him, from yesterday. Rest in peace my Bubble Baby. I miss you so much. I will always love you. Always.
July 7, 1991 - July 15, 2006
I called my mom today at lunch to see how Bubbles was doing. The news was not good. He cannot get up at all anymore. She said that this morning, she heard him whimpering, and she found him struggling to get to his newspaper. He just couldn't get up on his own. He's also had other difficult problems with other things, so he requires constant care. As painful at it was to hear myself say the words, I told her that he shouldn't suffer like this anymore. He doesn't seem to be in pain, but I know he must be uncomfortable. When he lays down, if he sleeps on his side, he cannot get back to an upright position on his own. My parents have to carry him to his water dish - stubborn dog will not drink from it when they bring it to him. He's like a stubborn old man who wants something, but doesn't want you bringing it to him. He wants to get it on his own, even if you have to help him get to it.Anyway, lunch was the last thing on my mind at that point. My husband picked me up from work and we headed over to my parents house. Bubbles can no longer get in and out of his beloved bed - instead, they have him on a makeshift bed near the kitchen. The bed is covered with one of those puppy pads - so is a large portion of the kitchen floor - so that if he needs to go, it's all prepared for him. He was so happy to see us. His tail wagged a little and he just seemed to come alive. I went over to him and kneeled over him. He snuggled with me as he always does and licked me. My sweet little Bubbles. He was breathing very fast - and his tongue was very red. A red tongue, per the vet, means that he wasn't getting enough oxygen. After a long discussion with my parents, it was decided that it was time. The final goodbye. We called the vet - and were surprised that we couldn't bring him in today, but were told to bring him in in the morning - and he would see if he could make Bubbles more comfortable. Euthenasia was the last resort, he said. But that wasn't the point of us calling. As a family, we decided that this just isn't what Bubbles' final days should be like. We know he is suffering inside, even though he doesn't look it from the outside. He's still a beautiful dog. With the cancer spread throughout his body, we've accepted that he isn't going to get any better - he will only get worse, and the pain will come soon. We don't want that for him.So, here I am at almost 1am, thinking tomorrow may be the last time I see my dog - but then again it may not be. If the vet convinces my parents that Bubbles can last a little longer, then I know that's what they would want to do. It's hard enough to prepare yourself to let go - but when you're given an out to delay the decision longer - I have a feeling my parents would want to take it. And I don't blame them. At this point, I don't know how to prepare myself for tomorrow. The right decision for Bubbles' sake is to let him go. End the suffering before he has to go through any pain that the cancer would cause him.I sit here and look at his picture. It's unbelievable that 15 years has passed already with him in our family. It's not right that soon there won't be a fat Chihuahua greeting me when I go visit my parents. He won't be running up to me carrying a toy that is way too big for him. He won't be there to snuggle up on my legs and lick my face when I ask him for a kiss. It's just wrong that dogs and cats have such short lives. You love them so much and they're just taken away from you too soon. I don't want to go to sleep. I don't want to wake up and know it's time to get ready to go over to my parents house and bring Bubbles to the vet. I don't want to say goodbye. If I don't go to sleep, then that time will come much slower.
