A day of food, fun, and culture

Today I embarked upon an adventure to the big city. I hopped in my car, fueled myself up on Starbucks, and hit the road.

Okay, first I picked up Emily. Then we hit the road and headed to San Francisco!

I love San Francisco during the holidays. There's the humongous Christmas tree in Niemann Marcus, and the wreaths on Macys, and the decorations in every single store on Union Square. I love to walk around, window shop, and drink hot chocolate or a peppermint mocha.

Today's trip was even more fun-filled because we went to see 39 Steps. It's a play that's been on Broadway and was apparently adapted from an Alfred Hitchcock story. It was just two hours long, and it was great! There were four actors playing over 100 characters...you can imagine the hilarity that ensued.

Emily is my "cultural" friend...she introduces me to Music Circus, children's theater, and Banana Republic. I introduce her to country music, life outside the theater, and office supplies. We're an odd, yet good, match.

We decided to go down early and do some shopping and have lunch before the show. It was a day of firsts - my first show in San Francisco, and Emily's first venture into Nordstrom's restrooms and the Container Store. I know - totally exciting.

So, I took some pictures to document our day.

This is a picture of my lunch from Mr. Hana's. It was a teriyaki chicken rice bowl with mixed veggies...so yummy!

This was the gorgeous chandelier in the theater we were at. I already forget the name of the theater...I think it was the Curran.

I love to people watch, and I didn't have to look far to find this lady in her, um, lovely outfit.

This guy wasn't hard to find either. He didn't even need to honk his horn driving down the street...we saw him anyway.

These guys were singing Christmas carols as we walked out of the theater. They were great, so I took their picture, then gave them money for taking the picture. I thought it was only fair.

That was my day in the big city. Hope you enjoyed it - next time I'll try to take a few more pictures. Not that I do exciting things like theater in San Francisco very often...

I want to be a writer

I want to be a writer.

Really, I do. I dream of writing articles, book jackets, novels, even editing...I would love to have a home office and someday, quit my day job to be a writer (seriously, I want to be Angela Lansbury, minus the scary adventures she had every Sunday night at nine). However, there are several obstacles keeping me from reaching this goal.

1. I lack discipline. I show great enthusiasm for starting projects, but finishing them is a real challenge. Finishing anything is a real challenge for me - I get bored about midway through whatever I'm doing, when the initial excitement wears off (I often tell Grant he's lucky...I must really love him because he's lasted longer than much else in my life!).

2. I lack creativity. I am great at seeing something and copying it without directions, even improving upon it. However, original ideas don't come to me very easily (unless it's a way to improve efficiency or organize something). Since plagarism is a bad thing, this obstacle could present a real problem.

3. I don't know how to get started. Should I try writing plays? Poems? Book jackets? Magazine articles? How do I get started? Do I submit them somewhere myself? Is there a process I'm not aware of to be published? I just don't know.

I think I'm finally ready to start working on these obstacles. I've decided to start small, by writing one piece a week and publishing it on my blog. It could be a movie/book review, a short story, a poem, a narrative on my day...we'll see. Hopefully, this will help with both obstacle 1 & 2. Then, I'll just need help with #3! Any writers out there in Blogland??

Current Projects!

Lately, I've felt the need to take a break from blogging. I've had so many things going on that I've become completely unorganized...and when I'm unorganized, I feel out of control. Then, I spend all my time trying to get organized, which leaves little time for anything else (like completing the mountain of projects I'm in the middle of).

I've been working on many things lately, which has led to a lack of doing housework, laundry, cooking...this week I've taken lots of stuff to Goodwill, gotten my house cleaned up and gotten on top of my laundry, so now, I'm feeling in control.

I love feeling in control.

But wait, that's a totally different post. This is supposed to be about my current projects.

First, an explanation - I don't have anything I'm really passionate about. I like lots of things, but I'm not into any one particular thing enough to, say, start a business doing it. Lately, this seems to be a problem, because I spend my free time trying to master cooking, baking, quilting, sewing, decorating, cleaning, etc., etc., etc. This leads to many, many unfinished projects. Like these:

I'm making this quilt as a wedding gift for my friend Renee. She got married in August...although in my defense, I was the Matron of Honor, and there was NO WAY to finish this before the wedding.

I'm working on a photo project. It started as organizing a box of my mom's photos...it's morphed into organizing, scanning, and completing a family history. (Who's that cute little baby on top...? Oh yeah, it's me!)

I'm making my friend some terry cloth burpers for her little one due in January. The top two are samples, and the bottom photo shows the fabrics I'm making Joey's burpers in.

Below is a good example of my recent unorganization...my craft room/office/sewing room. The mess is incredibly disturbing.

Nine months in my house and I've finally started decorating my house (well, the walls, anyway). This is my oh-so-cool plate-wall-decoration-thingy. Made cooler by the fact that I got it on clearance!

I also put up a few wedding pictures. I'm going to have a few canvases printed as well...can't wait! Just have to figure out where to have that done.

Another project I don't have a picture of - making aprons. I found the cutest pattern to make aprons, and I was sure I could dive right in and make aprons for everyone I know. However, I haven't sewn clothes in...15 years? So, I haven't started yet. But I'm going to!

So, this has been my life lately, along with working full time and taking care of the house. And, learning how to be more like Martha Stewart and Monica Geller! And Julia Child...but that's another post too.

Stan

Today my coworkers and I went to Hot Italian for lunch. I've never been before, although I've walked by it many times. If you haven't been, you should - they have pizza, calzones, panninis and sandwiches that range in price from $9 to about $15. The servings are huge, so you'll definitely get two meals for the price of one here.

As we were waiting for the rest of our party to arrive, we ordered drinks. I picked up my Diet Coke (I know, I'm wild) and there on the table...was this:


I named him Stan. I don't know why, he just looks like a Stan. He made it all the way through lunch, but by the end, he was really beginning to fade.

Poor Stan.

A work haiku for you

More apps on my desk
Wanting to be routed now
I don’t want to though.

Clearly I'm not in the work zone yet. I'm thinking about work (as evidenced by the lovely haiku above), but I'm not really in my groove.

The day is progressing slowly.

And may I add in a related note? Good. I'm sick of furloughs. I miss having money, and I'm tired of feeling broke.

Dear Governator - I WANT MY MONEY BACK.

My little boy

My little boy is not so little anymore.

For those of you who don't know me so well, he's not my son.

He's my dog.

Yep, I have a dog who is like my child. I know you're all saying, "April, a dog is nothing like a child." I get that. However, he is VERY good training for having children. He woke up every hour at night to potty when he was young; he barfs and poops and I have to clean it up, he even whines. On the good side, he snuggles and cuddles and loves me too.

For a long time, Bruiser weighed 12.9 pounds. He's a miniature dachshund, so 12-15 pounds is an appropriate weight range for him. For the first two years of his life, we lived in an apartment in Midtown, and we went on walks almost every night. Now, we live in the Burbs and don't go on walks nearly as often. Bruiser still plays outside a lot and chases his toys, but he is WAY lazier than he used to be.

The last time I weighed him, he had gone up to 14.9 pounds! TWO POUNDS GAINED! I called him porky even then, and started to worry about watching his weight. Today, I weighed him again.

16.4 pounds!

Crap, in miniature dachshund terms, he's obese. So, tonight Bruiser and I went running (because technically, I'm obese too...scary). I ran, Bruiser not so much. He apparently needs to practice walking again. He's still very good on a leash, but he had to sniff EVERY light pole that we walked past, and had to pee on most of them. Needless to say, it was a short walk/run. We're going to try again tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures of Bruiser I found when I was going through my computer tonight. You can see how he got older, and fatter, in the progression (pictures are in reverse progression...starting with tonight. That sweater used to fit him much better - now he looks like a sausage in stripes).

Bruiser just after our failed walk/run tonight.

Almost two years old.

He doesn't get tennis balls anymore...he gets seriously obsessed.

Awwwwwww...

He looks so young! He loved that blanket...actually he loved it to death.

Back to Blogging

I'm sorry.

I want to blog.

Really, I do. Ideas keep running through my head. Things I do during the day, pictures I take, and articles I read all make me want to blog about them. I read other blogs and want to be like those people.

And yet, I can't blog.

I haven't blogged in SO long. I know, I've completely failed you all. I've had things to say, and I'm sure you're all completely anxious to read them. I know, everyone wants to know what I have to say.

I think my problem is that I spend all day on the computer, and when I come home, I don't want to open my laptop. At. All. But, I'm going to be more disciplined about it. I'm going to think of blogging as a task I have to get done (an enjoyable one).

Here are some topics I've got in my head that you can look forward to:

- The movie Julie & Julia
- Projects I'm working on, both crafty and serious
- Bruiser and how he's growing...out, not up
- Mature new years resolutions (not "adult" in that sense, but grown up, responsible, well thought-out resolutions)
- Ridding my life of poisonous people

I know, you can't wait, right!? So, I'll go get started.

I hate Kohls

I've never been a big fan of shopping at Kohls. The only thing I ever really find their is holiday stuff that's on clearance (like the $4 tablecloth I recently found). Otherwise, nada.

Why? They may have great sales, but like Mervyns, I always find that their sales are not great. Sure, you may save $30 according to your receipt...but the sweater you just bought is still $35 instead of $65. I'm sorry, occasionally that's okay, but I'm cheap.

The other reason is that in Kohls, I have to try EVERYTHING on. In some stores, I know what size I am, and that size is a constant no matter what I'm trying on. In Kohls, size can change by designer, or simply by whether it's a long or short sleeved shirt! Also, I'm not a size 6. Never have been, never will be, and I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with is that Kohls has a HORRIBLE SELECTION of clothes in larger sizes. Sometimes, a large shirt fits me. Sometimes, an extra large. Sometimes, I just need a plus size shirt, and I'll be damned if I can find one there. Oh wait, I did find one, but plus size to Kohls means super long with no shape to the shirt whatsoever, and their plus size section comprises maybe less than 1% of their entire women's clothing section.

Now, I know why. In an article in the paper this morning, I saw this comment:

"Kohl's, the department store, not only varies its mix by climate – wool coats in Spokane, Wash., but not in Orlando, Fla. – but by lifestyle and size: More small sizes in California and other states with sizable Asian populations and more large sizes in, say, Milwaukee, Maschmeyer said. Shorts might not go on sale as fast in warmer climates as in the Northeast."

Apparently, Kohls caters to Asians. Great for them, not for me. See if I ever shop there again.

Secret Starbucks

Today my friend sent me a story about Secret Starbucks, which turned out to be way less exciting than I anticipated.

After reading the story I started reading some of the comments. I came across this one and, after reading it, sat at my desk, guiltily looking around...at my Starbucks cup...and my Coach purse.

WHO AM I!?

Comment:

"Starbucks, of course, is a brand. And when you have a brand, you do whatever possible in order to sell it. Starbucks has that “special” appeal, and going to Starbucks becomes more than just grabbing a cup of coffee to go. Unfortunately, I see people who use Starbucks as a way to exemplify who they are as a person, in which that starbucks cup becomes just another accessory to go along with a Coach handbag."

Crap.

How did I spend my lunch hour?

That is an excellent question. To me, the answer is incredibly interesting and exciting; to you – well, it may reinforce your opinion that I am, in fact, a great big nerd.

I spent my lunch hour…Googling pictures of people’s desks.

Yep, I did. And it was FASCINATING.

You have to remember, I have this thing about seeing into people’s lives. I love to look into people’s homes to see how they decorate, look into women’s purses to see just what everyone is carrying around with them, and I even like it when celebrities show you the inside of their fridge on MTV Cribs.

No really, I do.

I don’t know why, but stuff like that fascinates me. Awhile ago, I’d mentioned to my SIL that I was going to do a post on my desk. Or maybe she’d seen the pictures I posted of my desk so many desks ago at my old job. Either way, she did a post on her desk, which you can see here. She did a great job!

I’ve been seriously slacking lately, so no post yet on my desk. Yesterday I moved offices (okay, cubicles) at work, so I figured it was a good time to write the desk post. Below are several pictures of random desks, both messy and clean, as well as my current desk (well, until yesterday), a former desk, and some random other stuff.

First let me say this – I have a thing about desks. My desk has to be clean; I put everything away at the end of the day, and quite often it looks like I don’t have anything to do. This is not true, however; I simply keep ONLY what I’m working on on my desk. Your desktop is not to be used as storage, so I keep my pens, scissors, tape, etc., in my desk drawers (plus, people used to steal my pens). (Disclaimer – I think there is much more stuff on my desk than usual in the following photos, because I don’t have much drawer space).

HOWEVER – a messy desk is like a car accident. You can’t help but stare at it, try to see what’s in those piles, and wonder how anyone can work in that environment. I love to look at messy desks and a) wonder about the person who sits there, and b) just take in the sheer amount of crap.

I don't know why I love that this is Al Gore's desk, but I do. I wonder what his secretary does? Clearly, she doesn't file.

This picture can be found on the Productive Coder website. Sadly, this looks like a lot of home offices. Not only does it store the computer and every single scrap of paper that a person might want to save, but it's a dumping ground for anything and everything else.

This horrific office was found on the Get Your Biz Savvy website. See, it's like a car accident - you can't stop staring.

This is a before picture of a messy home office, organized by Heartwork.org.

This is the after picture of the above office. I don't think it's any better. Sure, the papers are in a crate, and some of the mess is gone, but the post-its are still randomly stuck to the desk and there is crap everywhere. Horrible, horrible after shot.

Finally, a shot of my desk. (Click on the photos of my desk(s) below to see the text I so cleverly inserted...) Well, this is my old desk at my last department. Yep, I had a computer desk, no drawers, and I shared a computer lab with many, many other people. Yet, I loved it, because the building was great, parking was free, and I wasn't in the main war room with people who had a desk but no computer.

Okay, don't laugh - I have a stapler collection on display. I don't have a lot of decoration at my desk, but each of these has a special meaning. Oh, I do have another electric stapler on my desk that I actually use - Swingline electric stapler...BEST thing ever invented.

Yes, that is an Easy Button.

And finally, the rest of my desk (okay, there's another entire tabletop behind me, but it's just workspace...nothing on it). I've taken a few things down because it got to be too much, but this is the general idea.

As I was researching today, I came upon a website called whereiwrite.org, which is a photographic project showing science fiction writers and their offices. It's an interesting project by photographer Kyle Cassidy, who documents American culture.

I visited the site and got so excited - this is what I want to do! This is my job, to DOCUMENT AMERICAN CULTURE!!! A perfectly legitimate way to peer into people's lives, document it, and learn a little something during the process. I like photography, so it's perfect. Now, how to get started...I need some people willing to let me photograph their lives and interview them about it. Who's interested in being a star!?

What a lunch hour - great photos, interesting websites, and the discovery of my life's work.