camera phone pic

I was just playing around with my camera phone and not only took a good blurry picture of me, but realized I can actually send it to my email. Sometimes it takes me a while to catch on to technology.

And I thought I'd share. Don't you think the blur is another, underused way to air brush?

ok already

I recently signed up on Match.com. There are a couple of reasons for this-

1. It's spring and it seems to be the thing to do in the spring

2. I need a better way to meet people

3. I should get over this hatred I have for dating and this seems to be a really good way of going about it

Also a good friend of mine actually sat me down (more or less) and told me that if I really want to grow more as a person I kind of need to have a partner to take me to the next level. And she has a good point. So she and another friend have agreed to be a part of my dating sub-committee. They're helping me write a 'profile' that is fetching and they will be a support in this little experiment of mine. These are the primary responsibilities of this sub-committee. One thing I've realized is that I really shouldn't write my own profile. I don't think I can describe myself in the best light- considering I know far too much about me to be neutral enough to be overly optimistic. And I sincerely do hate dating, which tends to come out in my profile. Which makes me think of the self-fulfilling prophecy syndrome.

In anycase, I thought you all might be interested to know that very soon I will be one of the many people plying themselves to strangers on the internet. Which, now that I think about it, is almost what I'm doing here. How fun for me.

One other thing. My friend also said I might need to go out on a practice date (one where there's really no pressure or expectations beyond meeting someone for coffee or something) since I'm still very opposed to the idea of mass dating. She knows of someone who just got out of a relationship, and who could also use a practice date or two before he's ready to dive into the dating pool. Being set up on this practice date really appeals to me. I get to have all the fun of meeting someone without any of the expectation of something serious possibly happening. Not that the serious part isn't fun. It's the hoping that something serious might happen that isn't fun. So this practice date could be perfect, really.

I'll keep y'all posted on my progress.

Before I go, I wanted to draw attention to some new additions to my "my people" section of my blog. MattnEllen are over there, blogging in from Indonesia. They moved at the beginning of the month to do some do-gooding over there (Matt, please don't ask me to explain your job here. I would need more time and brain power than I have access to right now) and will be gone for a couple of years.

Also look for little Vincent over there, representing. He's getting so big. Hello, little Vincent!

to tide you over

Well, I don't really have much time. But I know I haven't been posting much lately and I wanted to give you guys who do read this something to do while I'm away at work today. I found this list of top 10 outrageous firsts in tv, and I thought it was pretty funny. I know- it's stealing from someone else's blog. But it really is something I wish I had here, and would love to hear your responses to it.





Just click here and give yourself about 10 minutes to read through it. You might want to ignore the other lists that are posted- unless you're feeling particularly jr. high today.

joie de vie

I went to Montreal this past weekend with some friends and had the most fabulous time. We stayed at this nice b&b in the Latin quarter and walked over town on Saturday and most of Sunday.

Here's a list of just a few of the things we did:

- we took a boat trip around the bay

- visited five different sections of town

- had fabulous food

- spent far too much money because of the exchange rate (note how I don't really take responsibility)

-shopped in adorable little shops

- saw the Body Works exhibit (anatomy gone mad- if you haven't seen it you really should)

- visited the Ben and Jerry's factory (in Burlington, VT. We were on the way back from Montreal but it definitely counts)

- relaxed in the sun

- ate at a restaurant that is very close to my version of heaven (click here to go to their website)

- got my ass kicked at hearts (damn you Helene!)

- butchered the French language countless times

- got soaked in a downpour

- happened upon a kind of desert festival with all kinds of free samples

- fell in love with a pharmacy- it has everything a person could want and everything a person didn't know they wanted

- saw four or five different bachelorette parties in the space of two hours

- visited a bio-dome and saw these really cute little monkeys clean each other (We saw a lot of other animals, but the monkeys were the most fascinating)

- saw a statue of the Blessed Virgin who is facing the sea to "welcome the sea men coming into the harbor" - I kid you not. The captain of the tour boat told us so

- saw countless (I did forget to count, but there were quite a lot) of lilac bushes/shrubs/trees of all different colors

- got another name (just call me Suzette Bonaparte)

I think I've found my latest favorite town; it's definitely in my top 5. Even if I can't understand what any one's saying. I can't find any pictures on the web that do it justice, but I'll post some pictures just as soon as I get some.

the perks

I've been talking to several different people lately about relationships. Maybe it's because I recently got back from the fantabulous wedding of Alex and Becky, or maybe it's just the normal standard conversation for lots of my friends, but we've been talking about all the different parts of relationships and what makes them work or not work. I usually feel a little self-conscious about giving advice about relationships (not that it stops me) since I'm definitely not a poster child for successful ones.

But I find I have plenty to say on the topic, and am increasingly aware that maybe I've been far too happy being single. I mean, I get to do what I want without checking in with anyone about how I want to spend my time, I can do the dishes whenever I want to (this could also be a bad thing), I can do the laundry whenever I want (again, maybe a bad thing), and can be just as productive in the evening as I want to be. I usually like being single more than I like being in a relationship, which might be one of the reasons why I've not been caught yet. I like feeling competent enough to take care of myself, and I'm generally independent and somewhat stubborn.

But there are things I miss. Four things, to be exact, that I just can't do for myself.

1. The most obvious first thing is, well, sex. It's just not something a person always wants to do for themselves.

2. It's a pain in the ass to cook for one person. I love to cook. And I love following the recipe and getting a yummy concoction in the end that people can enjoy. However, by the time I've spent a significant amount of time with the ingredients they're less exciting. But seeing other people enjoy the food is always so fun. And there are no onions that are one serving (I finally discovered scallions to be the best single serving items in the vegetable isle). It's just a whole different kind of food shopping.

And being cooked for is fun, too.

3. I would love to have some help lifting the heavy objects. I usually miss having some one who is under some sort of obligation to help out when I'm lugging the air conditioner to or from the basement, or when I'm shoveling snow from around my car after a snow storm. I'm not saying I expect someone to do all this heavy lifting for me, I would just appreciate some assistance now and again.

4. Finally, there's the hug. This is a special kind of hug that only comes in some relationships. It's the hug you get when you're having a bad day, you're dragging yourself home and there's someone there who will give you a hug until you feel better. That hug just can't be beat and, when it's done right, makes everything ok for just a little while. And you don't always need to have it, but it's good to know it's there if needed. I'd actually sacrifice some of the things I love about being single for that hug.

song of the day

I don't know why, but I've been jonesing on M. Ward today. Before today I had only heard one song of his on a compilation cd I have, but I really like his voice. I found an amazing version of David Bowie's Lets Dance on one of his cd's (if you're wanting to know, it's on Transfiguration of Vincent). If you can, I'd strongly recommend you check it out. I wish I knew of a way to stream it on to this blog, but I'm just not that savvy.

But the song I really like I actually heard on a commercial and tracked it down (it's the first time I've seen a song on tv and had to track it down, and I'm a little embarrassed to be so taken with anything on a commercial so I'm not going to tell you which commercial it came from. No free ads here). The song's called Here Comes the Sun Again. The words are below, but it's the combination of the words, the melody and his voice that do it for me. You can't have the one side of him. It's just not fair.

***

Kingdoms and queens they all bow down to you
Ranches and ranch hands are bowing too
And I’m taking off my straw hat for you, singing
Here comes the sun again

And the leaves on the trees they all call out your name,
Chrome on the freight line shines the same,
And the stars in their cars roll their tops down for you, singing
Here comes the sun again

Oh but if you're gonna stay,
Show some mercy today
Blow that breeze on my face

Snow banks and drifts down the hillside for you
Slides inside sandy river before the day is through
And before evening falls I may find myself there too, singing
Here comes the sun again,
Here comes the sun again...

A question for you guys

So here's a delima.

Let's say you have limited funds, it looks like your fridge is on the verge of calling it quits and it's and you're going to need new tires soon (within the next three thousand miles).

Some things to consider:

• eating out is expensive when you do it all the time (meaning the longer it takes to get the fridge the less money there is to spend on anything else
• neither the fridge nor the freezer appear to be doing either of their jobs adequately- things are about to go down hill very fast
• it takes you 6 to 8 weeks to go three thousand miles
• it's spring going into summer in the greater Boston area, which means that there is oh so much rain and skid potential
• getting both of these within three months of each other could mean you will be living off of top ramin for a while (it's not quite that bad, but why not make it interesting)

What do you get first? The fridge or the tires?

Huh?

Ok, it's 8pm on Thursday and I'm trying to decide what to do for the next 60 minutes until Grey's Anatomy comes on. Cause that's the best part of Thursday night. And I'm channel surfing, just thinking about turning the tv off and finding something else to do when what do I hear? "Peter Blah Blah, come on down!" Is this really The Price is Right during prime time on channel 4? There's Bob Barker, but it's a spoof or something. It has to be.

And, speaking of Thursday night tv, whatever happened to Men in Trees? That was a show that had very high quality eye candy for straight women. And gay men. When will it come back?

I can tell I'm having a high quality Thursday night.

This just in- Peter blah blah won three cars, and one's a conviertible. Go Peter go. I feel like I'm home sick on a school day and have endless hours in front of the tv to keep me company. Nothing like the Price is Right to bring back the nostalgia.

By the way, it looks like Bob is having a special. What fun. I think I'll go to the gym.

the cd

So you know how it's the latest thing to give out cd's as a party favor at weddings? I'm not sure how much that happens here in the greater Boston area, but it's been the thing to do in California for quite a while. And of course Becky and Alex burned a cd for their party favor- they're music fans and have really good taste in music.

There's only one thing. Becky and Alex's cd has just about 21 songs on it and only 10 of them are in English. The bulk of the other-languaged songs are sung in Spanish, one or two is in French and did I hear one in Arabic?- or was that one in Spanish, too? Some of the songs are instrumentals, but the rest I can't sing along to (I don't mind humming along with the instrumentals). And while I know I shouldn't be so English-centric, it makes me just a little sad to listen to a cd and not be able to sing along to most of the songs.

Becky and Alex, if you read this know that I really do appreciate all the time and energy you put into making it. I promise I will listen to the cd thousands of times, trying to remember my two years of high school spanish and learn the love poetry that's in all those songs. And of course it's not about me at all. I'm just saying. Humming doesn't always do it for me, you know?

bathing in the mud

Mud bathing. I know it's not for everyone, but it's just the thing for me. Last Wednesday for Becky's bachelorette/spa/pre-wedding/bff celebration we went to Calistoga located smack dab in the middle of the Napa Valley. So for reference, "we" would be Becky's VIP ladies and there were about 7 of us altogether. Two of us brought a husband and a son each, one was five months along on her own way to motherness, and the rest of us were in various stages of singlehood. Becky being in the last stage of singlehood I suppose.

Just so you know, Calistoga is almost two hours north of Berkeley and you have to drive through the beautiful northern California countryside, through the vineyards, until you get into the hills of Napa. Here are some pictures I found from the internet that give a suggestion of how it is to be there. So gorgeous.


And then, we went into Calistoga and stayed at this resort Indian Springs. It's got this huge natural hot water spring swimming pool and these mudbaths and all the other spa trimmings: facials, massages, wraps- anything you can think of. I don't usually frequent the spas, but when I do, man, I have a good time there. I got a mudbath and a massage, and I sure did come out of there relaxed. Here's some pictures from mudbaths and Indian Springs (again, I don't have a digital camera yet, so I'm grabbing these from the web). Or you could just click on this link to look at their website. That would give you an idea, too. Just don't look at the prices. Ugh.

We stayed in this gorgeous cottage with three bedrooms, two dining rooms, a huge living room and a deck. And, I have to mention this, the TV's were only in the bedrooms. Each bedroom had it's own TV, but they weren't in the public rooms, which is brilliant. Who would go to a spa with a huge cottage of friends just to watch TV together in the living rooms? I mean really.

And the real reason to mention the TV's is that at one point during the bachelorette party at around 2am there were five of us crammed into one of the larger bedrooms to gather around one such TV to watch educational porn. What could educational porn be, you ask? Well, an example could be an instructional video on how to do something... sexual... with different ... suggestions and what not. Becky asked for this, probably in the hopes of giving Alex something he won't soon forget on their wedding night. Of course, the last thing I want to do is visualize anything those two would be doing in the bedroom- they're like a brother and sister to me regardless of what they are to each other. Double ugh. In the end we all agreed we didn't really learn anything new. But I suppose it's always good to get confirmation.

Do you smell that?

So is it bad that my house smells faintly like gas? Right now the ceiling fans are dispersing the smell pretty well, but maybe I should call the gas people and have them check it out.

I know. It's bad. I'll call them.

Home sweet home

Wow, I've been lagging on the posts. I'm still recovering from my California trip- but more on that in the next post. I'll give some detail about the activities (hanging in Santa Cruz, mud bathing in Calistoga and seeing old friends in Berkeley) later, since it'll take longer than I have. Besides, I don't have any pictures yet- and what's a story without pictures.

But I did want to comment on the coming home. I got home kinda late on Sunday and took the day off yesterday to acclimate back to this coast. I was really happy to get out and run around a little bit, and was struck by the sheer force of nature that's happening. I'm gone for a week and suddenly the trees all have leaves, the lilacs are blooming and it's like winter never even happened. Amazing.

Then I cantered over to my car and saw the impact of nature on my white car that I had stupidly left under a tree. It was covered with tree and bird droppings. Yick. So instead of rushing to the gym I rushed to the car wash and spent almost $10 in that self-wash section scrubbing the bejeezus out of that car. Stupid nature.

keep California weird

So I spent the weekend in LA with the family, getting some good quality time in. It was a blast seeing Elyse and Dad and Paula; particularly the traditional trip to Islands (yumm!).

I flew up to Oakland yesterday and rented my car (a Chrysler Seabring, of all things. A boat of a car that is actually quite fun to drive) and saw two ladies who made my heart glow. One woman had a pink died Mohawk, a pink floral shirt, day-glo yellow shorts and pink converse. Her friend was dressed from head to toe in goth black, with dyed hair the color of raspberry juice. She had on three-inch platform boots and was decked out with a long black jacket and the heavy black eye liner. And I looked at them and thought about how great it is to be back in California. No one was really staring at them, making them feel uncomfortable, and they seemed so at home and happy. This is one of the things I really miss about living here. People can act like as much of a freak as they want, and it's not all that couth to be all judging them on it.

As I was driving over highway 17 yesterday to visit my mom and brother in Santa Cruz, the radio was playing that Joni Mitchel song, California, and I just got so happy. The highway's lined with trees, redwoods popping out here and there, the smell of the ocean mixing with the smell of cars and firewood. And as I went along the curves it's like I was breathing in the tie-dye and corduroy, the sage and pine smells, the hippies and the feminists. This sounds really cheesy, I know. I've been reading some drama-filled novels and the language is sticky I guess. But my point is I know I miss so many of the great things here- the people and the plants/tree and the laid back culture and the beautiful landscapes, and at the same time I so love my life in Boston. I guess I get to have both places, huh.

my hairdresser is hot

This weekend I came down with a cold and barely had any energy to get off my couch. It seemed like my head was full of slushiness, and that it had turned into some kind of manufacturing plant for all kinds of ummm slush. I didn't have the where with all to do anything except catch up on Entourage and the last season of West Wing (my dvd's finally came in). But I did manage to leave the house for two very important reasons:

1) on Saturday I drove to Wrentham and got some shoes for Becky and Alex's wedding. It turns out I probably will use some other shoes that I have but I decided that I'll use these in a heart beat as this summer's brown sandals . They are a little too informal for the wedding dress. I was initially conflicted about wearing shoes I already have and then thought I already bought a dress, a necklace and some ear rings. I draw the line at getting new shoes. I was planning on getting my hair cut before the wedding, thus adding another expense, and I think Becky and Alex won't care if I wear shoes that I've worn at the last three weddings I've been to. And checking in with Becky last night I confirmed that it's true- they don't care.

2) on Sunday I got my hair done by my all-time favorite hairdresser. Last time I got it cut Natae was there and commented that I looked like her mom, meaning her mom when she was young and hot. Instead of now when her mom is not as young and still hot. And Alfred (my hairdresser) immediately said that if I looked like a mom, then I'd definitely be a milf. I don't think I've ever been so pleased to be objectified in my life.

Some things to know about Alfred is that he's a hot, he's 50 something passing for 30 something, been cutting hair for 25 years, is straight and married with kids. And he loves to cut hair and is a very sweet guy.

So this weekend I was feeling sick and down and went to get my hair cut with Alfred, and I loved it. He gave me a great cut and managed a stream of sincere-sounding complements that made me leave feeling absolutely fabulous. I left still feeling quite cold-stricken but very good. Let's hear it for Alfred.