Whistler - Canada

Look ma! I made it to the Beautiful British Columbia! (that's what all of their license plates say...beautiful)







We stayed at Westin in the Village and totally lucked out. Our room was right next to the Blackcomb Gondola lift.

That means our view from our room looked like this. (I took this while inside our room - crazy!)

We also found and thoroughly enjoyed the Rocky Mountain Chocolate place there. Their candied apples were yum yum good.

Like the 'tard that I am, I had pictures taken in the grocery store of random things and one was "Crack Creme"....I don't even care what it's for, I just know it's called Crack Creme.The other is that they have a gender specific type of Pocky "Men's" Pocky. No we could not find the women's pocky.

Peanut came with us too, he pee'd on a $130.00 shirt that his mom ended up paying for. He got thrown in the snow - a - lot.

Highlights:

• Falling snow - all of Sunday. So flippin', pretty.
• Finding the Crack Creme.
• (lowlight) Finding out the that stigma of Canadians being hella nice is - not. We got the worst customer service for lunch and dinner on Sunday. ("Mongolioo" and another place "Earls" both in the village.)
• Mongolian BBQ you had to pay by weight and they had the worst hot and sour soup I've ever tasted
• Splurging at Rocky Mountain
• Hot tub in the snow. Who does that?? Christine and I went to Westin's hot tub on Sunday and found the outside hot tub. So we got to chill in the snow yet in the hot tub. That was tight.

The Gals

Lenora - 6 y.o. aspiring thespian. Devon - smartie bookwormed 10 y.o.
Enjoying their company over Japanese food last week. I miss them.

that's all me. 

.just.jo.

i have a pix i labeled ".just.jo." so it only seems appropriate i have a blog entry named .just.jo.

i got the name from Will and Grace from "Jack". "Just Jack!!" *flashing both hands next to face as if a picture frame*

i'm afraid of tampons getting stuck "in there". i still use the bathroom with a running faucet. I was broken from the habit for awhile, I don't know what happened to get me back on. My #1 girl draft pick would be gwen stefani. I get road rage a lot. When I get angry I do the "glare". i hate exercising. wine and champagne give me headaches. i've been told i eat based on cravings. i never think it's too early, too late, too cold or too hot to eat something. i like to say poo vs. sh!t. i like to say poot instead of fart. i like to type a lot. i like to type. a - lot. i still like doggie watching. i was in the parking lot of trader joes yesterday and this HUGE doggie was in the passenger seat, patiently waiting for his owner and he started making me smile cuz he looked so cute, looking straight ahead. and then there was this shizu (sp?) being walked while i was driving home and i started laughing cuz of his waddle. i like practicing good posture. i like making cards instead of buying them. i hate cooking. i like pre-funk. i like non-matching clothes. i still sleep fetal position. i like clean teeth. some say i have a "teeth issue". i'm geographically challenged. i was born with no memory and no sense of direction. (geographically challenged and no sense of direction i am in the midst of conquering) i hate cleaning. i've been told i'm frugal yet generous. at my last job for months on end i would eat at the cheap chinese restaurant across the street from my work because it was $3.50 and i was full. yet i think all my money in my early-mid 20's went to rounds at the bar. i never had many work friends because i was always engrossed in my work. my loss.

a friday in Wa

Today spent a whole lot of money on a whole lotta small things.

I conquered ---> movie watching by myself in a theater today.

I had tried on two separate occasions before that fell through and today I made a note to find the theater closest to me and watch a flick by myself. I hadn't been watching tv so I had little idea of what to watch. I picked "Curious George" since Sammy and Q ended up watching it last week together and they both liked it and separately commented on how cute Curious George was. Surprisingly a good movie. Jack Johnson soundtrack - good. Will Ferrell as the lead voice and Drew Barrymore as supporting. Who would've thought. I thought I would watch more indies but Curious George left me with such a happy feeling afterwards - no regrets.

I sent in two rebates and paid my credit card bill online and also March rent. I bought toilet paper (woohoo! I would've woken up yesterday with a terrible surprise) at Target, rented Old Boy cuz I couldn't find it and was telling my roomie he had to watch it. Returned, Saw II and Thumbsucker. Got a Library card so I could start brushing up on MS Office while unemployed, I went through the application and found out that all of the computer app programs are now online vs. book form so I didn't even need the library card. Found a Korean BBQ joint close by (while looking for the library) and grabbed a to-go menu. Found the Costco while looking for the Cinemas and grabbed a cheap lunch and found Trader Joes while looking for the cinemas and got salads for the next couple of days. Made plans to go to Whistler on Sunday/Monday and pass through Vancouver on the way back with Christine and her friends and maybe pre-party in Seattle on Saturday night.

...with all that said i guess i should start on my goal for the day - which in backtracking...i think was supposed to be job hunting...

9:27am

I woke up today with the sun shining through the blinds. it's going to be a beautiful day. yesterday I woke up and it was raining. I think it might've even snowed a bit (the rooftops look like they have questionable snow but it's so little, it may just be the way the sun is shining). The day before and it was drizzling throughout the day as well. My first thought yesterday was to wait until it stopped raining to go out but then i started laughing to myself. that's CA mentality but here, I would starve like that. but today looks beautiful. People would look at me funky when I would say I wanted to be here cuz I thought it was pretty. "It's just a plus; a pretty background for what I want to do." I should take some mental pictures to tell them about later. I couldn't sleep last night. For whatever reason, I laid in the darkness for a long time last night thinking about everything. My mind was racing with no emotion. I wasn't sad or happy or excited or anything but it was going a mile a minute. My goal for today will be sending out resumes / job hunting. But also a break for a few hrs mid-day to enjoy the weather. Enjoying the sunshine may sound odd to some but i'm just happy to be here.

worst hangover - EVER

"hey jo what did you do on saturday?" (see above)

J0mammma95: i said i was driving?
optwomist: yeah
J0mammma95: but was going to ask someone to drive back with me
optwomist: yeah, sure, like we would have let that happen
J0mammma95: my friend jimmy ended up driving me back with malex
optwomist: especially after you took one last shot with me
J0mammma95: \J0mammma95: i did??
J0mammma95: what did i take?
J0mammma95: i knew my count was off
J0mammma95: it felt like so much more
optwomist: i think it was...fernet
optwomist: hahaha
J0mammma95: are you serious?
J0mammma95: or lying??
J0mammma95: i can't tell over AIM?
optwomist: i'm pretty sure
J0mammma95: cuz i hate fernet
optwomist: i can ask jamie; he poured it
optwomist: well, next time i go to alpha that is
J0mammma95: who's that?
optwomist: one of the bartenders there
J0mammma95: the one arn knows?
optwomist: probably, yeah
J0mammma95: i really took a fernet last shot with you?
optwomist: yeah
J0mammma95: i usually don't blank out like this...
optwomist: cause i don't think you would have taken jameson
J0mammma95: i think this is freakin' hilarious.
optwomist: which is the default
J0mammma95: yeah i couldn't have done that one either
optwomist: you were hardcore that night
optwomist: like a chi-delt; you were a trouper
optwomist: hahaha
J0mammma95: >:o
optwomist: hahaha
optwomist: "i'm not gonna cry; i'll be a trouper"
optwomist: hahaha
optwomist: shit
optwomist: nah, we definitely took last shots

G's Pic

G knows I like doggie pix but this is just f'n hilarious. I wish I could take credit.

up and running.

thanks to my patient and helpful roomie and sammy's phoned-in tech support, i am up and running!

and running i will be. i feel like today and yesterday although spent wandering around the eastside - finding my surroundings, were more like vacation days. i also squeezed in two movies i had been meaning to watch - Saw II and Thumbsucker. Saw II was good but I really liked the first one A LOT! and Thumbsucker, i was trying to watch more movies (esp indies) by myself. now that i have the internet up and connected, i really should be job searching and getting things on board.

my roomie came in with another surprise. the lease is actually up end of march instead of end of april - according to the lovely management letter we received today. which means, i need to get going on heading over to the city. he offered for me to move with him to renton for that month but i was using the benchmark of the lease being up - as my deadline to be 100% settled in the city. so we'll see. just gotta pick up the pace as of now!

having landed on the eastside instead of seattle, i've found to be as a hidden treasure. it'll give me an opportunity to really explore this side of the area, an opportunity i don't think i would fully utilize if i landed right in the city on the first try.

today i went to jamba juice in bellevue. there was a guy cashier and he was talking to the person in front of me as if he was a regular. he even remembered his name, aaron. they were chit chatting in a way you could tell they've come across each other but not outside of j.j. when it was my turn, he was really friendly and while waiting for the receipt to print out asked "how is your day going?" "good - how is yours?" "i'm almost off of work!" "how cool!" as i said my thank you to his coworker, handing me my acai supercharger, i start walking towards the door, "have a good day, jo!" *how cool is that?!*

mom's attempt at a motivational speech

"honey if it doesn't work out, just come back home"

conversation five minutes later

D - "Do you have anything to donate? to like salvation army or goodwill."
jo - "yes, it's in the car."
D - "can you take stuff for me? i just have a couple of bags."
jo - "fine"

your lil brother says sh!t to you but he's still your brother, what else can i say? "no."??

at least you're gone now.

that's what my brother had to say to me the night before i leave for seattle.

.uh.

as i was driving to sammy's house i saw my mom at a stop sign. she didn't recognize me because i'm in a rental. an impala - it's pretty cool to drive! when i was trying to leave work early yesterday, bossman said i can leave - but then i felt guilty. so i told my replacement i would wait while she gets a bite to eat real quick and see if she has any last minute questions before i leave - she said she would be right back. i sat there waiting 45 min - doing jack sh!t and finally left. so much for feeling guilty for leaving her. as we partied at mezzaine last night, i realized how much i haven't been out lately. and how much of a 2-shot wonder i've become. which will make tonight even more interesting. my apt is totally empty and it's so boring being in there.

cinco and marie made me this bomba$$ scrapbook and i started looking through it and it's finally hitting me, how much i will miss my friends - being so close by. both lori ann and marie wrote full pages out and while i was looking at it when they first gave it to me, i skipped their pages - because i knew. so maybe the next day i think, i started reading cinco's page first and she had me at like the 2nd or 3rd sentence and i started balling. and it wouldn't stop. she means the world to me and she gives me hope in (wo)man kind. she's completely awesome and my life wouldn't be the same without her and wouldn't be as fulfilling without her. it's a scary thought not to have her close by. she knows me best, reminds me of myself, even when i've lost sight of self. with marie, i feel like we get each other in so many ways. and i feel like we're in the same stage in our life which makes us understand the incomprehensible - even better. i was scheduled to fly out tomorrow afternoon but both cinco and marie weren't getting back into town until Monday night - so i extended my flight to have those last couple of hrs Monday night - with them as they settle back in, unpack and just rest. it just feels right, spending that night with them before flight.

Tuesday.

Tuesday night, I ended up going to dinner and a bar with G.
We met in the city and I had to go to Nordstrom real quick before dinner. so we got to the make up counter and this girl around our age helped us.

Perfect example of what a small world we live in.
1.) i have never seen the next door neighbor on the left side of me, even though I've lived at my complex for almost 3 yrs.

2.) this makeup girl counter person - she looks at my ID real quick and:

"94610, I live in the same zip code"
"really?! I live by the lake!"
"me too!"
"I live by the theater"
"me too! my cross street is ____ x ____"
"shut the f!ck up!!!!"
*she looks surprised and jumps back slightly*
"I live ON that cross street"
"really? i'm at (insert counter girl's address)
"shut the f!ck up!!! i'm at (insert an address that's right NEXT TO HER)!"
I have to travel to downtown SF to nordstrom's on vday to meet my neighbor! she was so cool too! like i would totally hang out with her. And! I told her that it sucked i was moving on tuesday and i told her i was going to seattle..........and!!! Seattle is her dream city!!!

what a freakin' small world.

Citizen Thai - you have to go there.
I said I wanted to eat in North Beach before I leave and so we parked and ended up at Citizen Thai - so recommendable! (if that's even a word!) our other options were all of the over-priced set v-day menus. but it doesn't take much to feed me so i would've hated to go some place super duper expensive just to eat. so we randomly went and had a fantabulous dinner!

Gelato @ 11pm
What's wrong with that? the guy at the stool next to me at the dive bar had a chilled mandarin absolut and i had strawberry and hazelnut gelato. *yum*

Phone call @ 11pm'ish
T called me back while I was eating my gelato at the dive bar. he left me a msg saying he was sorry about our conversation the other day and wasn't sure when we'd speak again and all this other stuff. so i guess i was wrong about the prior conversation being the last - eh, can't always be right.

i've been married for a year and a half

*silence*

we had been on the phone chopping it up - for like 2 1/2 hrs last night. it was great! testing our memories, laughing, catching up, everything. I had finally gotten a hold of T and I was letting it all out. How much I learned and grew from our experience. Where I'm at now. How similiar or different we both are. I came across his stuff while I was packing up my apt. How I wanted to see how he's doing. How I had just reconciled with another ex and wanted to see if we had friendship potential as well. He remembered - so - much, about everything. he remembered how much I love/d Travis Barker, about DeVry, about gifts I had made / given him, about me and my teeth, about my cousins, housesitting in Alameda, my fear of dogs, about my family, about me trying to pursuade him to take vitamins cuz he refused to eat greens, about me buying an elliptical machine and him trying to make me use it, about my brother at Santa Cruz, about my (lack of) memory, my road rage nature and the experiences. even about watching 9/11 on my like 12" tv in my parents house. i remembered that day, he called me from work and tried so hard to get me to stay home that day. he mentioned how he remembered me talking about seattle before and that he could see me there. it's chill there, like you.

he asked me what i remember about him and i said - that your heart is huge!

and we tried to get his closure for him. he told me how betrayed he felt. he told me how i tried to salvage our relationship too late. he told me how much he blamed me for a long time. how he was pissed. he told me how he didn't have to be put through it anymore. he told me how hard it was to not come back to me and to let me go. he mentioned more than once, how he never thought we would be having this conversation. he said he would've been content seeing me pass by in an airport - with me not noticing him.

and when he finally spit it out, that's when my silence fell.

he told me the only two women he's ever loved was A and me. "jo, i've been married for a year and a half". he married A. he's married with two kids. he told me that he felt so bad telling me over the phone. he said, telling you this, was right up there with telling my parents about my engagement. he told me he really wanted to tell me in person but was chicken. i said it was ok, the bottomline would be the same whether it was in person or on the phone. he said it may be the same for me but it wasn't for him. i was speechless. the same woman who i felt challenged our relationship time and time again. the same woman he got with two or three months after we broke up. the questionable friend. the coworker. the ex that didn't get announced as ex until months into our relationship.

he said he wanted his daughter to grow up just like me.

he said not a lot of people effected him, but i did.

he's the oldest 26 y.o. I know.

i don't know what i feel now. i am sad - yes. the conversation was closure and it felt - sad. i didn't cry. i didn't jump up for joy. i was numb. i am numb.

i called him with the intention and hope of a future friendship and when we got off the phone when she called on the other line, i knew that was the last time i'd hear his voice. he jokingly said, you regret calling now?

no, i don't.

and i don't. i feel like i did my due diligence. i wanted to hear that he was happy and that he's doing well. i learned a lot from our relationship and getting over it too - made me who i am today.

ahhhh....

there's an unbelieveable relief that i got after we dropped off the u-haul in bellevue on friday afternoon.

*free at last*

Q & DC came with me for the long weekend.

Highlights:

Conversation -
DC: Hey, who's sh!t smells worse, mine or Jo's?
Q: Jo's.
Jo: dangit!

Drove through Weed, California. (I never knew that town existed!) To top it off, the truck stop we ate at. When the waitress asked what we wanted to drink, we replied - H2O. She said it would just take a few since she needed to clean up the broken glass she just dropped in the ice machine.

Talked to T on Saturday! I got his # and gave him a call and spoke for a quick second and told him I'd give him a call once I got back into town! i asked if he wanted to grab lunch since i'll only be back for another week and he said yeah!

Q got hit on by the snorting drunken girl at the bar, it was "Norms" bar. "I like you"

It was a bar that had dog pictures everywhere and they served Pabst beer in 40's. this meant the drunken girl to the right of you, had a 40 in a brown bag while she was trying to look all cute. this looked odd to me. she came outside to get a light, for the cigarette that she stole from DC on our way out. we were all standing in a circle: Greg, Chris, Aaron, DC, Q and I. Chick starts snorting and we started busting out so freakin' hard it was classic. she's like - "I snort - get over it".

Seattle got extra brownie points - after we went to War Room in Capitol Hill. Saturday Night we met up with Christine and went to War Room. And we got trashed and it was so much fun. I wasn't sure if the boys were having fun or not, so I called up Greg to try to meet him up in Bellevue for 80's night. But since he didn't answer, we just stayed - and it turned out the boys really liked it. Apparently the whole time there, they hadn't seen girls and that club had a good diverse mixture of cute girls for them so after the night, Seattle got extra brownie points (according to DC & Q). So it's a good thing my roomie didn't answer.

DC and Q really liked my roomie. They got along really well and they said it exactly right, they got to know him more this weekend than I but I figure I'll be living with him so I'll have plenty of time - even if it's just as a sublet! Even the night of War Room - as they saw a bunch of eye candy, they kept saying - "Man, Greg missed out, he really missed out." But I really lucked out on living situations. the drunk drive home is hard on friday and saturday nights from seattle (i tried it last night and i swerved twice into the other lane) but sh!t, it'll be worth it. the only thing i didn't think to check is my cell phone reception, any calls i was on - every call got cut off at least once.

"Looks like you got a cool roommate, good peeps to hang out with up here, I'm happy for you". That's what Q said at some point when we were heading towards the airport and it made me really happy. A lot of the time, peeps were questioning my safety when I would tell them that I answered an ad on Craigslist. Understandably so - but Q's two second comment made me feel a lot better about everything.

unsolicited advice (fr: every direction)

can be: helpful, redundant, conflicting, thought provoking, bothersome or can drive you in circles. *sigh*

makes me smile! silly silly... 

silver lining in the shambles

Discovery: I will not be an event planner - like - ever...

9:30am today

that was the approximate time of my breakdown this morning.
I was balling all over the place. I hit the edge and I let it all out.

what put me over the edge at the moment was huge. now - not. a manager at work, after working with her for over a yr - All! of the sudden has "problems with what Joanna is doing"...my problem? is that this is the same procedure they asked me to implement a yr ago and nothing has changed. My other problem, is they did the same thing - yesterday - All! of the sudden has a problem with what i'm doing. now, yes, i don't care, but all i really needed was an excuse to breakdown - i'm stressed out.

My uncle told me tonight that the three most stressful things are: death of a loved one, job change and moving. (considering bossman has been working me 12 hrs straight w/no breaks today and no breaks yesterday (and ever since she started actually) - I don't think he got this memo) becuz I haven't been able to do anything.

Bossman has seen me breakdown before and he always tells me the same thing, I'm putting too much expectations on myself and I need to put things into perspective. I agree. Have I changed that within the last yr? no. has this come up before? yes. but it's just the kind of worker bee I am. I expect things to be perfect at work.

Update:

U-haul: got my confirmation call today but didn't get to go down there since i was chained to the office until 8pm tonight.

Lost & Found:
My eye dr (yes, i still call them eye dr) office called around 4:50pm today to say that they've all of the sudden gotten my old frames back and delivered. even though i took off work early yesterday cuz it couldn't be tracked and has been processing for like almost 3 wks. so they say i get 20% off for my troubles but i thought it was the vendor's fault and they've not comp'ing anything!? so i ask the office to call them again to see if they can comp' the other frames or something and i'll just pay the difference since they're already working on them? i don't have an extra pair anyways. 2 weeks ago I submitted an expense report for about $500 to ensure I have it before I leave. Turnaround time is like a day but they ended up losing it. And I got another check cut today since I made good with Grandma(A/P clerk). My uncle called me in between Jamba Juice and Buffalo last night to say he just got 'parts' in for my car (he's my mechanic). Since I took it in awhile ago, there were still pending things and if he called me like a day later it wouldn't have worked. I didn't even remember but at least now I have options on my AC and Heater, before only full blast! and off - worked....things are stressful, but they just work themselves out.

my parents keep stressing and call and stressing me out saying how much they're worrying and scared and everything - which is not helping me - guilt. i can't even type, i'm sitting here trying to vent to destress and i can't even think right now. i'm going to go burn my skin in some hot H2O - that always helped.

i - am - stressed. i'm not sleeping well. i'm getting even more snatchy than usual. and even though he told me that i would continue working / contracting for him when i got up to seattle - i'm reconsidering.

1:41am.

yeah....still stressed. but now stressed and wide awake.

stress'd.

i am at the breaking point.
work is not giving in - if anything bossman is piling it on even harder.
i.e.today.
8am - called to tell him i was going to be late cuz i volunteered to bring in drinks for his trainings this week and needed to get them.

2:30pm he came by looking for my replacement and i told him she was on a walk since we didn't take lunch(she took that walk and I kept working) or any breaks yet and he straight up said he didn't care about that, how's she doing?

by 4:30pm (no breaks or lunch) i get a call from my optometrist. they fess up that they've lost my glasses in the mail. these are the same glasses that i ordered (ordered only lenses and brought in my fav old frames) about 2 1/2 wks ago. i kept calling to follow up: oops they had a problem / oops they had to backorder / oops it should be here by wed or friday / oops it's not in / oops (today) they lost it.

5pm-11:30pm'ish: went to pick up more boxes, finished taxes (yay refund!), crossroads trading co *only cashed out on $39.20*, jamba juice (dinner), buffalo exchange *since I only cashed out $39.20 at crossroads, I thought I would try buffalo to get more...ended up leaving with $3.32 for a dickies red shirt dress*- home. as soon as I pulled into the garage (phone -sammy) asking if I wanted dinner that he cooked, talked (vented) to joannie straight until sammy called asking what i was doing since he had been waiting to eat dinner till i arrived, drove to sammy's to do laundry and eat another dinner and sort all of the clothes that buffalo and crossroads didn't buy - between goodwill and me. we tried to drop them off at alameda goodwill after the fact but then got there to realize they have a "no dumping sign / camera" outside. (which defeated the whole purpose cuz i wanted to live the minimalist life.)

To do: I still need to bring my car in tomorrow to get fixed the other things that my uncle didn't have parts for the first time i brought it in, need to go to AAA and figure out why it says that my policy expired 1/26/06 when i got a confirmation that my insurance renewal would be mailed in feb. need to drop off donations to goodwill since we went after hrs tonight and it's against their rules on the gate to dump afterhours, need to go to u-haul and make sure my ducks are in lined for wednesday packing of the truck, need to finish packing apt!??!!!!, need to work overtime according to greg's expectations of my to-do list for his annual merit reviews project, need to prevent myself from attacking K at work tomorrow, cuz she keeps making snide rude comments to me, my fault for watching Tony (should've could've would've - oh well). Need - to - keep - sanity.

within the last couple of days i keep randomly twitching. i have this odd fear that i will get a papercut in my eye - not accidental but like a real intentional one and it keeps freakin' me out. i have no idea where it's coming from. i think "Hostel" is finally setting in...(Hostel was like a porn-torture chamber-gone wrong. if you leave out the "gone wrong" then you just have like S&M or dominatrix or something and that's fine but "gone wrong" it was just - wrong.)

100

100th post.

this is my 100th post since the end of november '05. i guess i have a lot to say? my tummy hurts right now from eating so much today at the tretasco's shindig. last night completely flew by and i felt like i didn't get to hang out with anyone yet i was with ppl for the full night? (even today i was there but kinda brain dead, my recoop time isn't what it used to be) i had two shots of mandarin chilled and a raging kettle...and i was buzzed by the time i got home after drunk munchies. yet that last shot, i didn't even finish it, G ended up sneaking the last of it cuz i kept making oogly faces. i'm starting to get homesick yet i'm still at my apt. it's making me kinda sad when everyone is asking me about how excited i am - when i'm really thinking that this is the last time i'm going to see them for awhile. i'm kinda sad it doesn't look like i'll be able to reconcile w/T before i leave. i hope the uhaul through the potential rain and snow will be ok. i'm so glad D is going up with me. i'm finding myself opening up more and more to my family, the only drawback is that it's not with my parents but with my uncle and aunt. the parents of lenora and devon since i've been trying to spend as much time w/the girls as i can. i love it - every time i go i get drawings. they just automatically draw me pictures, either portraits or anything actually. last time i went they drew a picture for Tony (the pee'ing yorkshire terrier). It said To:Tony, From: Lenora. and it was a picture of two doggie paws holding a bone. and lenora asked what color tony was and i said i think brown? and she said, good that's what i thought and held out the brown pen that was in her hands. i'm procrastinating on packing right now. my mini goal before sleep tonight is three boxes and a suitcase. here i go.

Golden Gate Bridge

Brian asked me recently what was on my check-off list before I move and I replied: reserving U-haul, confirming my passenger/s, selling clothes and books, etc. And he said no, what I want to do or visit before I move.
Hmmmm....well.
I didn't have a list so I thought of one thing - The Golden Gate Bridge. I've lived in Oakland forever and I've never walked it.

9am - Saturday morning, 2/4/06.
This morning I took the venture with A to walk the bridge. He drove up from Campbell and was at my doorstep by 9am. As soon as we got in my car, I said Coffee!! need! coffee! so we stopped by to grab so caffeine and walked right next door for a noah's bagel.

We were about to hit the freeway when we passed the Farmers Market and I saw Kettle Korn! We should've gotten that and we pull over and there's one parking space immediately on the right. So I stop in the red zone and start reversing. Two cars slowly pulled up and I thought they were trying to nab my space. Yet! I turned in front for that second to see them when another car pulls up parallel to me and turns to me (she looked at me! we made eye contact!) and reverses right then and there!?!!??!?! she's stealing my spot!! And with my mouth wide open I start honking and she's completely oblivious and already getting outta the car by then. I was so appalled. A!?!?! I can't believe she did that!? I wouldn't do that to her! I sat there in disbelief and calmed myself, this is not worth it*sipping my coffee* - but I still thought it was wrong. some people will never cease to amaze.


SO we started our journey, with Kettle Korn, a camera & a grande soy caramel machiatto(we already had finished noah's in the car).





This is the end point. We filled the parking meter with 1 hr and 37 minutes and we arrived back with 2 minutes to spare.

bad decision making

"thanks for watching tony"
"sure! you know i needed to give him a bath again right before you came back because he pee'd on himself again. I don't know why, he wasn't doing it in the beginning"
"yeah he must've just been really unhappy. when we got back to the house we were expecting him to jump up and down and be excited to see us but as soon as we opened the door, he darted right into his cage. I guess since he didn't know it was "us"" (ouch)
oh let me give you some money (as she reached in her purse haphazardly and never pulled out a cent.)
*hmph* (long pause as I thought back to how I didn't get to do any packing while she was in Hawaii cuz I felt bad leaving Tony cooped up in his cage. I thought to how I had been working faster and harder while training my replacement and prepping even before she stepped foot in the door to ensure I got outta work on time. I thought about how i had to keep cleaning up his pee and washing towels and rugs and clothes that he kept pee'ing on .)
and she continues...."So you must be all ready and packed??"
....(another silence as I thought to all of the time wasted at her place for her to say how unhappy her son was.)
" no actually i don't even have time to sleep..........*#(@$&#@@$%

moral: never agree to puppy(for a puppy that was just brought into the family less than A MONTH AGO) sit for 5 days for the first time two weeks before you're supposed to have packed up your life.

girls can plunge

Outgoing call, 2/1/06, 11:30pm'ish

"D?"
"yeah?"
"my toilet won't move - what do I do?"
"you don't have a plunger?"
*looking around potty room* "oh yeah, I do!........*pause* what do I do with it?"
"you keep sucking it up for like 5-10 times. now, honestly, is it pee or sh!t?"
"it's pee, i tried to poo' but i couldn't"
"ok, stick it in then"
"but what if it spills over"
"well, it's gonna spill over but you're just gonna have to clean it up later"
"ew! ok, hold on, let me try"
*fumbling with big black dusty plunger....fumbling, sticking it in carefully, not really getting any suction or anything*
"it's not working"
"you gotta just keep doing it until the water goes down"
*after 5 more minutes of fumbling with sweat starting to appear*
"HOLY CRAP! it went down! it went down!!!! hey!!!! (picking up phone) i did it!!! i did it D - all by myself (not really all by myself)."
"so....girls can use a plunger......ahhhhhhh"
"we can, we just don't want to"