Shin, Hay, Gimel, Nun.
Happy Hanukkah.
I'm holiday blogging from my house in the Hamptons. I flew in two nights ago in the Tower helicopter. Now, I'm just lounging around like I belong in a jcrew catalog. Geez, just joking. I'm really just camped out at home eating delicious tamal after delicious tamal, shopping the after xmas sales and having work anxiety dreams. I went to a party or two, or maybe just one. I can't be bothered to remember.

Oh! There was the Four Eyes xmas show.









And then there was the xmas party.

Here's Leon on the ones and twos. I had such a great time, but got a little too tipsy (I ate a big lunch and skipped dinner) and petered out pretty early. It was nothing that a nice greasy breakfast couldn't fix.



Then we had christmas.

I got a sewing machine, which I am super excited to figure out and I also got my pro flickr account! So now I can post mega more photos.

Other than that, I am maxing my relax. Last night Alice came to visit and made us the best curry ever. Tomorrow, I am hoping to take an early AM H&M trip.

I. Love. Vacation.

This product may be manufactured on the same equipment as...

I get a lot of stuff at Trader Joe's. It's pretty cheap for us and the quality of their house label items is not really bad at all. For Thanksgiving, I bought some of their hummus for a snack tray. Leon and I were eating it and Leon says, "This tastes wrong. Kind of fishy." Well, when he looked on the label, it says "This product is manufactured on the same equiptment as products containing shelfish and peanuts." Or something like that. So okay, I guess when Joe or whoever was getting ready to pour some hummus on the conveyor belt, he just really didn't hose off all the crab very well. We threw it away, but I was thinking, well that's how they keep some things rather inexpensive, so oh well. I'll deal. But last night I made spaghetti with some of the TJ's pasta and a nice veggie red sauce. I swear, the last time I made this it was with bow ties from TJ's and I thought, "this pasta tastes kind of sweet." Then when I prepared the spaghetti last night, it was the same! It was sweet and smelled like cinnamon. I looked on the back of the package for fine print and it said "manufactured on the same equipment as cinnamon toast crunch." Okay, okay, I'm kidding. But really, the taste of the pasta sort of ruined my meal. My appetite was really unfulfilled all night and I had to have eat a giant chunk of gouda before bed to console myself. I felt better immediately. Cheese makes life so much better.

A Boston Terrier-shaped Christmas goose.

Poor brisket. She's still sick with the kennel cough or something. She's sounding more and more like a honking goose everyday. We can't take her anywhere, not even for a walk, until she's better.

Sigh, it's the season of the sickness. People at work here are dropping like flies, or at the very least using up their yearly sick time before they can't anymore. I'm trying to keep focused and organize since activity here is pretty low, but it's hard. I just can't wait for this week to be over.

This is also the season of the tamal! Saturday I head over to my cousin's place for the cooking assembly line with all the other viejas. This year I'm going to give it my best slacker try to finally get a couple of friends together for a tamal clinic and tasting panel. These things are a fucking pain to make. That's why we only make them once a year. Unless you're the little ladies that sell them in front of stores in Northgate, then you make them all the time, because you know what? No one else wants to make them, but everyone wants to eat them. Hmm, could be a nice product addition to Nacho Bike©!

So, so many digital cameras.

Sacto Paparazzi were out in full force at last night's Four Eyes annual Christmas show. I'm not hating, I'm fully part of it myself. But there was a point where I was seriously considering throwing the camera back in the car because mang, it was so much flashes. But then I had another beer and thought I was the Cobrasnake. I'm sure there going to be be boo-koo pictures today on the internets. I still can't upload anything new to Flickr because I'm too cheap to spring for the paid pro account.

She has a power.

Remember how I took that picture of A.P.M.D. thinking of DP? Well, I decided to go back over some of my old Flickr pictures and I found another one! I can't believe I never noticed this, but here's a photo that Leon took of us while we were visiting in LA. If you look really close at my face in this photo, you can see that Amy must have been thinking about some juicy bacon. Again, she is so intent on an idea that her thoughts have materialized on film! I've said it before and I'll say it again. She has special powers that need to be studied and applied for the good of mankind.

The Penultimate Peril!

How did I not know that the new Lemony Snicket book was out?! Since my library friend moved away, I'm simply lost without book news. I bought myself an early christmas present by picking it up yesterday at Tower.

I am not a big crepe fan. Dessert crepes are okay, it's the savory ones that I get grossed out by. I think it's a textural thing. The crepe shell or whatever it's called, is so soft, then you put warm, soft stuff in it. It makes the whole thing feel like a big phleghm-wad to me. So when everyone started freaking out about Crepeville and it's takeover of the Sacramento casual dining scene, I was not first in line to check it out. Instead I sent Leon. Leon is less picky than me. He likes everything that I like (well, except cherry pie), but I only like a sub-set of what he likes. Turns out Crepeville has a bunch of other items that are not crepes. In fact, they have a couple different kinds of veggie sandwiches and shockingly giant salads. 3 or 4 people could easily share a large-size salad, it's that big. So far I've been there twice and really liked what I had both times (no crepes though). The first time I went, I had a half Fuji salad, which consists of mixed greens, candied walnuts, blue cheese crumbles, and Fuji apple slices, tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. Easy enough to make at home, which I did almost all last year, but nice to order out. The second time I went, I had the half sandwich/half salad combo. I chose the roasted bell pepper sandwich, which I would typically avoid due to it's high slimy vegetable factor, but the walnut bits they added to it gave it a nice crunchy texture. The portions are huge and the prices are fairly reasonable. I just wish they took credit or debit cards.

Oh Santa?

Please bring me a pro Flickr account. I have exceeded my uploading limit for the month.

Two things I don't like about Flickr is that when I batch upload files, I can never remember if the photos are posted as first in-last out (Leon says that's called FILO, because he's a computer genius and he knows stuff like that), or if they're posted in the order you upload them in. This morning, I guessed wrong and uploaded my photos with the assumption that they'd be FILO-ed. Well, I guessed wrong and couldn't live with the photos being posted out of the order that I intended and then decided to delete the photos and upload them again, only I couldn't upload anymore. It seems like when Flickr gives you an uploading limit, they keep track of it by upload activity, not by file storage. So you can't delete old pictures to make more room on your uploading limit. Total bummer. But I don't have that many great pictures to put up anyway.

I've been really disappointed with our camera lately. My biggest frustrations are with the flash and with the capturing time. The flash is either way too hot and drowns the photos in a really white, white light or it's not bright enough. Also, there's also a major lag in the time between when the shutter button is pressed and the image is being captured. This is starting to become a huge problem for me since I'm trying to break up with the flash and take more natural light pictures. I just get a bunch of blur. Sigh. Santa? Do some research and bring me a better camera?

So anyway, the Rose Melberg/Finches/Jane show was pretty magical, and pretty and magical, too. Uggh. Wish I had the pictures to prove it.

My level 5 programmer.

Aww, poor Leon. He's had the work week from hell and so have I. It's busy at my office too this week. Major, mad scrambles, do or die deadlines, it's wearing on me. My personal physician, Amy Paris M.D. is coming to oversee my treatment for the weekend. She may suggest a job-pendectemy, or pre-screen me for a funny bone transplant.

I went to the dentist this morning for my cleaning. My usual lady quit, so I had a new hygenist who was really sweet, but also very christian, which made me a little uncomfortable. "My kids only get 3 presents each for Christmas, just like the baby Jesus did!"

Today at lunch, I had a coffee from the sort of new coffee place by my office in Wessac. They have a really pleasant medium house blend. Not too bitter, not too light and really nice people working there. I think I found my new coffee stop on this side of the river, which means I can finally break up with the Java City inside Raley's and the cafe inside Nugget. Sorry guys, but I would rather buy my coffee from a place that doesn't have a freak out when all I order is a small, black coffee. "You want what? That's it?" When we run out of our home supply of organic free trade Bolivian coffee farmed by disabled menstruating female coffee bean pickers, I'll grab our next pound of beans from here. You know, so we can support the nice, Wessac roasters.

OK, I gotta get home and vacuum up all the pet dander and restock our supply of claritin.

Some say it's dengue fever...

heylove in a green coat II
Originally uploaded by pariscinq.

...but it might be canine flu! Poor riblet. She's been a sick little pupperoni. She's been hacking and coughing since 2 weeks ago. We took her to the vet when it first started happening. They thought it was kennel cough, so we gave her antibiotics for it. They worked, well kind of. She's still coughy and nose runny so she's got to go back to the doctor tomorrow. I think they're going to have UCD test her for the dog flu. Poor ribs.

Last night I went to the pet store to get some stuff for M and J's new little teacup. I saw the cutest little terrier-mix puppy! He was so barky and bouncy, I swear you could reach down and just wind up his tail. But I kind of had to give the owner the effing what for because the pup was only 8 weeks old. In case you're not up on your responsible dog owner rules, you should pretty much never, ever take your puppy out (unless it's to a trusted friend's house or a vet) until it's received all it's vaccinations, whichs is usally by 16 weeks old. The owner was like, "oh, he's had all his shots." Sorry, not at 8 weeks. He's definitely got another round to go. Pups like this can die so easy from parvo and other creepy shit that it's not even worth risking. So often I see people with their too-young pups running around outside or in pet stores showing off and most of the time I elect to not be the know-it-all dog lady, but last night I just had to say something about it.

Taking a breather.
Note to self: remember to breathe. I've been in and out of meetings since yesterday and all tense because of it. A couple of times yesterday and today, I've found myself in a mild panic until I figure out that I've been holding my breath.

K show or panel discussion on obese americans?


Teeni's log: Friday, December 9. Again, lofty Olympians come to town to squeeze their expensive Evergreen State brain juice on sad Sacramento. I made like a sour puss and stayed outside most of the night. I had come to see Calvin, but this cold I've been fighting started to get the best of me. I left with a splitting headache and a bad cough. I probably missed a good Calvin show.

On Saturday we went to hang with Leon's old pal Benj. Drinks at his place then Second Saturday stuff. Drinks went on forever. By the time we left for art gallerying on Del Paso, it was already 8. Just as expected, there wasn't much left when we got there. We wandered into one or two places over by Enotria. How is that place? I noticed a couple of vegetarian entrees that looked interesting (mmm, mushroom ravioli!). They also have $5 wine tasting on Fridays that might be worth checking out. So here's where the night went terrible: walking back to our cars after warming our hands in the courtyard where Himovitz used to be, we heard an accident. We all turned around to see what happened and saw that a girl got hit by a car. It was horrifying. She was laying in the street, face down, about 10 - 15 feet in front of the car that hit her. Everyone started calling 911 on their cell phones and about 2 minutes later, ambulances and police showed up. We decided to call it a night right there and went home.

Today I met Leon for lunch at Dad's on 13th & S. Ever since Sabrina mentioned it, I've been wanting to check it out. It was pretty good. I had the Besto Pesto, which was great and really fresh tasting (bright green pesto didn't have time to turn brownish), but didn't have enough salt. One slight change I would have made, would be to replace the cheddar cheese with fresh moz. Leon pointed out that I ordered it without the garlic-mayo stuff, which is probably why I had to add the salt. Next time I'll try the grilled cheese because, you know....I can't really pass up a grilled cheese.

Spooky picture

Ok, it's Friday. Lots of work to do still, but I was able to peel myself away from spreadsheet after spreadsheet of "action items" and "calendaring" to post this photo. I mean, WTF! Check this out. Due to some crazy telepathic photo miracle (thank you heavens), you can actually see the the thoughts of Amy P. M.D., here. DP is unmistakably superimposed on her head! It's as if she's thinking, "man, DP is looking so good shredding right now," and then ding! The thought materializes on film. This woman has power that science just has to figure out how to use for the greater good of mankind.

Don't say a word

about Top Model last night. Due to a gruesome Tivo recording accident, I did not get last night's finale episode. I have no idea what the turn out is so don't spoil it for me. I have to figure out how to get it elsewhere...either internets or wait until next Tuesday when UPN reruns it.

Adding this to the list of my sadness (not your fault Sabs):
1. Missing Top Model finale
2. Major sinus cold
2. Huge projects at work
4. Guilt for not talking to my mom since Thanksgiving
5. Can't find the reciept to get my Tivo rebate

Kind of obnoxious...

But I kinda want this. From Fred Flare dot com. But what I really want for festivas is a really good chef's knife.

The bar has been raised.

This year's Halloween show was one of the best I've been to. The bands were great, everyone was having a good time (well, me and mine were) and did I say that the bands were great? I sort of came unprepared, bringing with me only one beer. I had hoped to get away to buy more, but the line up was so awesome, I just couldn't tear myself away from the show. Even when I felt like the floor was going to collapse and we were all going to die, I stayed and stuck it out like a champ. An uncomfortably sober, shy champ. Since everyone has digital cameras now, there are mega pictures of this show. Here are a couple I took:


Cab Calloway



So sad I missed Fleetwood Mac



But I was just in time to see Led Zep.



Rock and roll is spelled L-E-D-Z-E-P-P-E-L-I-N.



Here's Thin Lizzy.



And Elton John.



Talk about Charles not being in any Halloween bands!



Sting & The Police!!



The picture that caused this outburst from Liam:





It was the kind of show that makes people want to move here. More of my pictures are on my flickr.

Nurse? I need more OJ in my IV.

Blogging from my sick bed today because I have the sorest of sore throats. Anyway, fabulous weekend times. Bros and brews, bands.

Pictures are here. I can't waste my precious strength blogging about it futher. Maybe later.

Dear DJ Tanner,


I know it's been a while since I've written to you. How's Michelle & the gang? Any way, I was just thinking back to 1995 when Full House met it's unfortunate end. I started to think about high school, and with 1995 being the year I graduated, I also thought about this year's postponed 10 year high school reunion. Like everyone probably wonders every 5-10 years of their life, what became of all those people and how do I stack up? I just did a quick search on myspace and found that many of the people from my year seemed to fall into the following categories:

Goth
Party
Motorcross
Applebee's
Child rearing

I wonder if my profile makes me seem boring to them. I wonder why I still even care!

OK, so done with that! Can't wait for tonight's Halloween/Decemberween show. There are going to be awesome times and bros to the max.

Can you name the 72 bands?


Clicky for link to the big picture, then click on Excercise Your Music Muscle. The version I have on my flickr page cuts off a portion of the left side.


I can name a few:

White Zombie
The Pixies
Seal
Guns N' Roses
Dead Kennedys
The Postal Service
Rembrants
Stix
Dinosaur Jr.
50 Cent
Yellowman
Great White
Cornershop
Kiss
Queen
Sex Pistols
Prince
The Eels
Nine Inch Nails
Eminem
Matchbox 20
Phish
Smashing Pumpkins
Scissor Sisters
The Cranberries
Korn
The Lemonheads
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Blind Melon
Green Day
Alice in Chains
Blur
Black Crowes
Cowboy Junkies
Talking Heads
The Beach Boys
Bee Gees
U2
Black Flag
Spoon
The Eagles
Crowded House
Gorillaz
B-52's
Led Zeppelin
Deep Purple
Rolling Stones
The Go-Go's
The Police
The Cars
Radio Head
Iron Maiden
The Killers
Kiss
White Sripes
Twisted Sister
Garbage
The Streets
From the left side that doesn't show on the picture at the top of this post or the one I posted on my flickr:
Skinny Puppy
Pet Shop Boys
Cake
Scorpions

And that's only like 50 something. I can't figure out the three people on the roof, the volcano (Cypress Hill?), the chick blowing a bubble on the fire escape (Blondie?), the choir, the colored boards behind the choir....

Any other guesses?

10 Best

My favorite things that I heard or saw in the year 2005, unranked because I just can't pick the best.

New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (Matador)

The Clientele - Strange Geometry (Merge)

A Band of Bees - Free The Bees (Astralwerks)

Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twine (Polyvinyl)

Six Feet Under (HBO)

Fiery Furnaces - EP (Rough Trade)

Dungen - Ta Det Lungt (Kemado)

Smart: Dave Eggers, Sarah Vowell, Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), Mike Doughty, and the Transatlantic Orchestra in a Benefit for 826 Seattle (Live show at Bumbershoot 2005)

The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning Strike (Columbia)

TiVo!