Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Dairy allergies suck

Ugh. I don't know what I drank or ate, but something is definitely not agreeing with my skin. I'm allergic to dairy products, and it's fairly hard to avoid them altogether, but I try to as much as possible. I don't recall eating or drinking anything with dairy recently, but I've definitely got the itchy skin and breakouts that accompany accidental exposure. I got a facial last night, and it seemed to help, so hopefully everything will subside soon.

Show at the Crocodile this weekend

Rocky Votolato and Slender Means are doing a 21+ show at 9:00 PM at the Crocodile. Should be a really good show...

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

New music worth checking out

Two great albums came out today...

First, Rocky Votolato, a local musician who was part of Waxwing, about which I wrote in November. I downloaded his new album, Makers, from iTunes last night and it's really terrific. White Daisy Passing is really incredible. You can check out samples on the Barsuk site at http://www.barsuk.com/bands/rockyvotolato or from his site at http://www.rockyvotolato.com/rocky.html.

Second, Cat Power, who has such an amazing voice and a really haunting song with The Greatest. You can hear the song at http://www.catpowerthegreatest.com/, but I highly recommend the whole album. I'm quite happy that I was able to get tickets to see her the Moore in February w/ L. :)

Monday, January 23, 2006

About me

What are your initials?
RKT
When is your birthday?
March 25th
Who is someone with the same birthday as you?
Sarah Jessica Parker
How tall are you?
5'7"-ish
Are you comfortable with your height?
Yep
What is your job title?
Technical Writer
Do you have a best friend?
Several
Do you have a boyfriend?
Yep
Do you have a crush on anyone?
Yep - see above question/answer
Have many US states have you been in?
11
How many US states have you lived in?
1
Have you ever lived outside of the US?
Nope
What is something physical that you like about yourself?
My smile
What is something non-physical that you like about yourself?
My laugh
Do you have any pets?
No, unfortunately :( I hope to get a poodle someday, though!
Do you have freckles?
Yep, and apparently everyone but me thinks that they are cute
Has anyone ever said that you look like a celebrity?
Yep - Demi Moore, although this was years ago
What is the next concert/show you're going to and when?
Cat Power at the Moore Theater on February 20th
What song are you listening to right now?
"And It Stoned Me" by Van Morrison
What is your favorite song at the moment?
"Me and Mia" by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Do you like Michael Jackson?
Not since "Thriller"
What is the last movie you watched?
Erin Brockovich
Where was the last place you went today besides your house?
The gym
What is your favorite bottled water?
Aquafina
What is your favorite Starbucks drink?
Soy chai tea or soy pumpkin spice latte
If you could drink anything right this second, what would it be?
This amazing French tea that my mom got me for Christmas - but it would keep me up too late :)
What is your favorite store?
Coach or Banana Republic
What is your favorite fruit?
Tomatoes
Do you own a camera phone?
Yep
Do you have an iPod?
Of course - who doesn't?
What was your elementary school's mascot?
Dunno - maybe my friend C. remembers...
What size ring do you wear?
Well, all of my fingers are a different size, so I guess that would depend. I think my ring finger is around a size 8, but don't really remember for sure...no idea about the other fingers.
Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Yep
Do you own a car?
Yep
What stickers do you have on your car?
A parking sticker for my condo
How old were you when you got your first car?
16
How many driving tickets do you have?
None (knock on wood)
How many parking tickets?
None (knock on wood again)
Have you ever been in a car accident?
Yep
What is your dream car?
BMW Z4 3.0i or BMW M3 Convertable - either in silver
What dream car do you want your husband/wife to drive?
I don't have a husband, but I suppose if I did I'd hope for a car b/c I've been with enough guys who drive trucks. It doesn't really matter that much, though.
Are you, or have you ever been married?
Was married and now divorced
Do you want to get married?
Yep, I'd give it another shot
At what age do you want to get married?
It's not a question of age; just need to marry the right person this time around :)
At what age do you want to have kids?
Well, first marriage & then kids. So, I dunno - probably between 30-35.
How many kids?
1; possibly 2 but I'd have to see how the first one went
What posters do you have in your room?
None
Do you exercise as much as you should?
I try to get in 3 times a week, but could probably use more
Does anything hurt on your body right now?
Nope
Do you sing?
Yep
Have you ever sang in front of a crowd?
Yep
Do you dance?
Yes, but it's the white-girl shuffle
Have you ever done the Electric Slide?
Yep - but I can never remember it, so I have to re-learn at every wedding I go to
Did you attend your High School prom?
Yep
Did you go to someone else's prom?
Yep
How old were you when you got a cell phone?
18
Do you look good in yellow?
Depends on the shade
What is your least favorite color?
Orange
Do you like sparkly things?
Love 'em
How much French do you know?
Un peu
Do you speak any languages other than English?
German
Do you prefer ketchup or mustard?
Ketchup
Have you ever eaten Spam?
Unfortunately
Who is your favorite character on Friends?
Chandler
If you could have anything right now what would it be?
A trip to all of the places in Europe that I want to go - paid in full :)
Do you have any allergies?
Cow dairy products & strawberries if I eat too many of them
Are you racist?
Nope
Are you bisexual?
Nope
Are you for or against gay marriage?
For
Do you like president Bush?
If you're referring to president shrub - Nope
Have you ever slept in someone else's clothes?
Yep
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
France or Germany
What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Eyes and smile
What is your favorite body part on the opposite sex?
Arms
Where would you want to go on a first date?
Someplace where I could talk to the guy and get to know him
Have you ever been kissed under fireworks?
Yep
Have you ever had someone of the opposite sex sleep over?
Yep
Has anyone ever sang or played an instrument for you personally?
Yep
Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on you?
Yep, and asked my mother for my hand in marriage (no joke)
Have you ever been bungee jumping?
Nope
Have you ever been white-water rafting?
Yep
Have you ever been surfing?
Nope
Have you ever been kicked out of your home?
Nope
Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property?
Nope
Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Yes, but in a joking manner, so no harm done
What is something that really annoys you?
Stupidity
What are some things that you really like?
Friends, music, games (pool, bowling, etc.), reading, dancing
What is the latest you've ever stayed out?
Until 8:00 AM b/c I had class at 8:30 AM :)
What is the weirdest thing you've seen this week?
A guy dressed up as a hot dog, dancing on the corner - pointed out by Kati as we were driving through an intersection in the U district
Say something totally random about yourself...
I like to sing in my car, and enjoy singing songs in French even if I don't know what they mean or how to correctly pronounce the words

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Furniture update

I think I must have really pissed of fthe furniture gods or I'm the subject of some kind of cosmic joke. I was supposed to have my custom chair delivered this morning between 8-10 AM. I get a call about 9:00 AM from the delivery guy telling me that the warehouse changed the locks and he doesn't have a key to get in and get my chair. He'd been calling the warehouse for a couple of hours trying to rescue my poor chair (among other people's furniture), but to no avail. So, it seems that he will try to deliver it on Thursday afternoon when my other furniture is scheduled for delivery. I should be receiving my bar stools, TV stand, media cabinets, and bookcases from the other place on that day as well. I'm not holding my breath about the bookcases. After seeing the impossibility of getting the custom couch in the other day, I'm thinking that it will take no less than a miracle to get the bookcases in because they are huge. But, I suppose stranger things have happened - Britney Spears having procreated or president shrub being elected, for example.

I found another couch last weekend, and ordered it. According to the store, it should arrive in 2-3 weeks. Based on my experience so far, I'm going to wager that it will be more like 4-8 weeks, but as long as I can get my chair on Thursday, I don't really care. It would just be nice to have some piece of furniture that I can curl up in when I get home from work every day...

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Feels like home

I just got back from a movie (Tristan and Isolde) with some friends from work. That probably doesn't sound like anything big, but somehow it is. I finally work in a place where I really respect and like the people that I work with, and I've made good friends with them. Yeah, we deal with crap, and sometimes we deal crap to one another, but we're a team and in the end we all come through. And I work with some of the most amazing women that I've ever met in my life - women who are so smart that I can't even fathom how cool they are and how cool it is that I'm part of that group. I work with really smart men too, but it's so awesome to be around such smart and powerful women.

And hanging out with them is just a blast. I had no idea when I took this job that I'd make such great friends out of my co-workers. So, somehow I finally feel like I've arrived. It feels like home.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Thoughts about working out

I'm going to share something that demonstrates just how lazy I really am. When I was in college, I used the IMA gym probably a total of 15 times throughout the whole 3-1/2 years I was in school (I graduated early). The reason I worked out so little is because the trip to the gym was, in and of itself, a workout. When I lived in the sorority, it was already pretty darned far away, and then when I moved out to an apartment with roommates, it was really far away. Not to mention that you had to pay for parking. So, I guess I must have worked off calories from all of the dancing I was doing at frat parties...or something...like not really being able to afford food all the time, or something. Not really sure.

Anyway, when I lived 45-ish minutes away from work and my gym, I was lucky to work out once a week. After a long day at the office, the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym and then spend forever in traffic getting home. At least Kati and I walked several times a week. Now, why I can spend forever in traffic getting over to Seattle to walk with Kati, I'm not sure...except that I think I have more fun when I'm walking with someone because I can talk and it doesn't feel so much like a workout.

Now that I live within 5 minutes of work and my gym, I work out on average 3 times a week. I'd like to kick that up to 4 times a week, but I'm cool with 3 for the moment. For one, I can come home and relax a little bit after work before heading to the gym. Then I can change and go workout, and then come home and shower in the comfort of my own home. I should add that I belong to a REALLY nice gym, courtesy of my employer who pays a lot for employees to go to this gym. So, it's not like the locker room is bad or anything. On the contrary, there's tanning, whirlpools, saunas, and every toiletry that you'd ever want at this place. But, I like my own bathroom - call me crazy.

So, I guess that my health somehow depends on how close I live to my gym and whether I can drive there and back in a relatively short amount of time. I'm lucky that I don't have to hunt and gather my own food, or I'd probably starve to death. On the good side of things, I'm seeing results from my workouts, which is always fun. It doesn't show up on the scale because muscle always weighs more than fat, so the weight training I'm doing right now evens things out, but I can tell that things are fitting differently and feel better. I'd like to be nice and toned by the time I go to Hawaii with L. in September and on my family ski trip in December. That's plenty of time to get in shape and be much healthier :) Good times...

Friday, January 13, 2006

No couch

Didn't fit up the last flight of stairs due to a railing issue. Plan B: look for a new couch that is smaller than 38"Hx90"Wx39"D.

Furniture woes

As I wrote about in an earlier post, I ordered a bunch of furniture for my condo. I spent roughly around $8500 on everything, which is pretty good for an entirely new set of bedroom, living room, and den furniture (side note: I just have to remind myself of this each month as I'm paying it off over the next 1/2 year).

Anyhow...the custom furniture that I ordered has yet to arrive, even though all of the places that I ordered from had dates that would have had me believe that I would be furnished before Christmas. That is obviously not the case as we're nearing mid January.

About a week ago, I called the place where I ordered my couch. They saw that the couch was completed and was being shipped to them, where they would then ship it to me. I scheduled the delivery for 1/13 and the lady said that they would call on 1/12 to confirm. Do you think I got a phone call today? If you guessed no, you're completely correct. So, I called when I got home and the lady said in a very matter-of-fact voice, "well, you still owe 1/3 of a balance on the couch." So, I responded, "yep, and when I paid the first 2/3, the gal said that the last 1/3 would be charged automatically when the delivery was scheduled." I got a "hmmm" in response to that. So, I ask if that will affect the delivery from happening on 1/13 and she says that she hopes not, but she's not sure. She can't give me any better answer than that. You can be sure that when my couch arrives and I get the little how-did-we-do card, I'll share my opinion about their poor communication skills. First, I paid enough at this place to get a couple of phone calls when the damn couch was ready, and when they figured out that they still had 1/3 of a bill to be paid if it's not just some automatic process that happens at the same time delivery is scheduled. Second, their original estimate of 4-6 weeks was completely incorrect, and really annoying at this point.

After that conversation, I called one of the other places that I ordered the bookcases, media cabinets, chairs, and TV stand from. Everything is still being finished, so it will be delivered to their warehouse on 1/24. I ordered this furniture on Halloween, and was told 7-9 weeks.

Tomorrow, I'm going to call the last place and probably find that a team of highly skilled monks is individually creating and blessing each thread that goes into the chair I ordered, so the original 6-8 week estimate will extend to 68 weeks. That could be a bit of an exaggeration, but who knows at this point?

Can ya tell I'm pissed about the whole situation? Yeah, me neither... ;)

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Airline

Tonight I caught an episode of Airline, which is a show that documents the lives of several Southwest employees and various people passing through the airport.

I forgot how much that show annoys me. In terms of things that drive me nuts, it's right up there with people who don't flush the toilet or wash their hands after using the restroom, mothers who don't watch their children in public places, and drivers who don't use blinkers. I find all of those things unsettling for various reasons, but the travelers on Airline are right up there for just being plain, ol' obnoxious.

Coming from a family where several people work for the airlines, I can tell you first hand that airline employees are not there to make your life difficult during travel. In fact, airline employees would love for things to run smoothly so that they don't have to deal with snide remarks from travelers who get the impression that coordinating hundreds of flights, thousands of people and bags, and taking off and landing successfully is somehow easy.

I'm not saying that traveling isn't frustrating, or that it doesn't suck when your bag is lost or your flight is canceled. I am, however, saying that you should just give the people who are helping you a break. They're working the best with what they have, and a shitty attitude from a passenger isn't going to fix the plane or suddenly reroute a bag from mid-air. Just try to remember to bring a good book, some music, an extra pair of underwear, and any important medications with you in your carry-on bag and breathe. Then thank God that it no longer takes days or weeks at sea to get to many of the places we now take for granted.

Monday, January 09, 2006

In a past life, I was lola, a sultry leopard

According to this "test":

"Not much is certain in life — past or present — but we know this much about you: In your last life you were a sultry leopard named Lola. You were a showgirl, with yellow feathers in your hair and a dress cut down to there. You would meringue and do the cha-cha. And one night at the Copacabana (the hottest spot north of Havana), you fell in love with Tony, the handsome bartender. Tony fought Rico (he wore a diamond) for you and won. The two of you grew old and happy together, joyfully dancing your lives away at the club to the soulful tunes of Barry Manilow."

Hmmmmm...

Friday, January 06, 2006

Dumb computer software

My friend burned a CD recently and lent it to me. I threw it into my computer and listened to it, but of course all of the tracks show up without any information - no song title, no band info, etc. So, I listen to it but have no idea who's playing or what the songs are actually called (aside from what I glean from the chorus in the songs).

Anyway, I throw the same CD in my 4 year-old Sony CD player, and what do I get? SONG TITLES on the display! That's right - my friend plugged the info into whatever software they ripped the songs from originally, and that information got burned to the disc. And it shows up on my CD player. Now, why can't my computer software display the same information?

So many questions, so little time...

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Definitions containing "last" in Japanese

My friend, E., is teaching English in Japan and will soon be studying Japanese at a university there. He sent a link to a page on the "Japanese Wordinator" defining words that contain the word "last". These definitions include: final three bouts on the last day of a sumo tournament; the first and last occurrence (event, experience) of one's lifetime; (vegetables) salted just overnight; cheating on train fare by buying tickets covering only the first and last portions of the journey...

And therein lies the reason I won't be learning Japanese in this lifetime. As E. pointed out, he gasps that there are even words for some of those definitions, and I agree. Good luck, E.!

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Beautiful passage

My friend, A., sent this passage from the book, The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. She said it reminded her of my compass tattoo, and I agree. It's quite lovely.

"We die containing richness of lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have plunged into and swum up as if rivers of wisdom, characters we have climbed into as if trees, fears we have hidden in as if caves. I wish for all this to be marked on my body when I am dead. I believe in such cartography--to be marked by nature, not just to label ourselves on a man like the names of rich men and women on buildings. We are communal histories, communal books. We are not owned or monogamous in our taste or experience. All I desired was to walk upon such an earth that had no maps."

Shopping from a cell phone

I read this article in the New York Times this morning: Those Born to Shop Can Now Use Cellphones. I think you have to login, so if you don't have a NYT account, the basic idea of the article is that more people are getting cell phones that can better render Web sites, allowing people to shop from their cell phones.

If you have the option of shopping online with your computer or your phone, which are you going to pick? I mean, I love my cell phone (the Motorola Razr), but I detest having to do anything Internet-based on it. No cell phone has a large enough screen or good enough touchpad to make me want to use it for shopping online. Half the time, I can hardly make out what the pattern on a Victoria's Secret chemise looks like from my computer monitor, let alone the minuscule screen on my cell phone.

But, I realize that this is new frontier. I went to a presentation awhile back about user interface (UI) design for different-sized UIs. For example, you display menus and information to people on a computer monitor in a completely different way than you do on a cell phone or PDA. It was really interesting to see how you can best use the real estate that you're given. And I admit that it is handy to have the option to go online to do things from a phone, because sometimes that's all you've got and you need to find a person or a movie time. But, I still don't see myself shopping from my phone; maybe I just lack vision...

Monday, January 02, 2006

Awesome family

I just have to say that I have the coolest family ever. I mean, I get annoyed with them sometimes and they get annoyed with me, but whenever one of us needs something, we come through. That's what family is all about :)

This last week, I was house-sitting for my cousins, R. and A., while they were on a ski trip. During that same time, my sister, brother-in-law, and their kids were staying at my condo because my brother-in-law's mother passed away and they needed a place closer to where everything was going on. I got back to my condo today, and everything was completely clean and neat - it's like no one was even here. The laundry was all done, etc. And, my brother-in-law fixed my bathroom sink, which was dripping and I kept meaning to try and figure out what the issue was. Talk about sweet. Here they are trying to deal with the cremation and stuff, and they fix my sink, and clean everything up. I told them just to leave everything and I would take care of it when I got back, but they took care of it all anyway. Too cool...

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Happy New Year!

Well, we made it to the end of 2005, thank gawd. What a year. I won't even go back through all of the crap that went on with me, my family, and my friends, but suffice it to say that I think 2006 will rock in comparison to 2005.

Went out with my boyfriend, L., last night for dinner, a few games of pool, and some hot tubbing. Very, very nice evening.

Then tonight, went over to my friend, A.'s house to celebrate New Year's Eve with some friends. It was so much fun. Just a good girl's night in. We made a really good dinner, drank a ton of good wine, danced, and had an astrology lesson from A.'s friend, J. I learned that my sun sign is Aries, my moon sign is Libra, and my rising sign is Scorpio. Earlier in the night, I could have told you what that meant, but it's a bit lost on me now. Apparently though, they all make a very good combination (duh! - I mean, we're talking about me ;)) and it's good to have fire signs with air signs b/c they fuel each other. Then we watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail after our midnight celebration. It was a really great way to wind down the year and just kick back with some awesome friends.

Tomorrow I'm going to help my sister move into her new house (yay!) and then head back to hang out with Kati and a couple of our other friends, K. and S., for a good night of food, drink, and pool. And then Monday, I'll rest and get ready to spring back to work on Tuesday when everyone is back in the office.

The perfect end to an imperfect year...and now the perfect end to my perfect night would be some wonderful sleep :)