Comics, Matches & "J"

A long weekend in Chicago seems long past just days after Trin (T2) and I boarded our Airtran flight back home to Atlanta.

Memories linger; getting text messages from Kelly about her horrible 3-4 time flight delay out of SFO, seeing the price of gasoline as we bumped along in our shuttle van, $3.79! Yikes!; feeling the giddiness of meeting blogging pals and the excitement of being back in a city I adore.
Trin & I had time to ourselves as we waited for R.D.’s arrival at ROCKIT Bar and Grill. This was the 1st place I was able to collect matches. Yep, I’m a match collector. 1 beer and 1 cosmo later, I returned from the bathroom to see R.D. in the flesh! There she was sitting with Trin at the elevated table by the window. Wow. In the person, a pal from blogger.com. Wow. All her posts and comments to my posts finally come to life. Wow. Yep, I saw wow a lot. I think I might have just stared at her for a second because I do that...i just look when I am a bit startled. I have this innocence and awe about me...so sometimes, I am just in awe of things and people and I just stare. I forget that it may be weird for the other person, but really...I am just trying to get a grip and yes, soak it all in. Soak the moment in.
Finally, we get word from Kelly of her long-awaited arrival. I met her across street and we put her bags in the room. We left and met the girls and 2 more cosmos later, we were all settled in and talking and sharing. It was so comfortable, as if we had known each other for quite some time. No awkwardness at all.

Next day we went to another place called, T’s bar and restaurant where I got more matches.

Next day we met up for a delicious brunch followed by a walk in the nieghborhood. A beautiful, sunny, Chicago day. I walked happily knowing I had already gotten my run in for the day. Walking back toward the car, we stopped and lingered at an open area just outside the brunch place. Lots of people out, enjoying the sun. There was an elevated cement area where myself, R.D. and Trin all sat, not talking. Both of them had some shades on and I just got full sun. Kelly was off in the shade with R.D.’s love, C. I looked over at them and they were in full discussion...chatting away as if they had known each other for like 1o years. So, there we were...full bellies and all...soaking up the sun and the light guitar sounds of a man in black that looked like a mix between Gene Wilder and Richard Simmons.

Last night together, we ventured out to a fru-fru place down the block from our hotel called Pop’s Champagne. I think we were all a bit intimidated by the menu, but luckily my pals trusted me to make a choice. I chose a place I know, but have never tasted. “J” is the name. Simple. Located on the outskirts of the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, CA. A wonderful rose Champagne we had. Maybe the best I have ever had.

Somewhere between meeting up and leaving, R.D. made a comment about how weird it was to have us there...as if we were comic strip characters come to life. A pretty cool and accurate description of what it all felt like. It was a very special and fun weekend.

And if we are comic strip characters, I get to be Charlie Brown.

...Just Saying...

an old friend...

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."

-M A Radmacher

this and that

Not much posting lately as I have been seriously under the gun at work and such. Just wanted to note some things that will sound kinda random, but here they are:

Last Saturday, I went to a very small gathering(fundraiser) for Hillary Clinton. Very cool, indeed. To watch her, hear her speak, shake her hand and look into her eyes was very cool. Not sure who will get my vote, but she hasn't done much to sway me from her.

Also on Saturday, I went to the mall to buy some freaking clothes which I sorely need. And Monday morning, there I was at work, in a nice black skirt, blouse and blazer. I RARELY wear skirts, so i always seem to get a lot of compliments, which is nice. And, I will say, I do have nice legs!! :)

Sadly, the Warriors run is over. They were only able to eek out one win against the Utah Jazz. However, they brought an excitement and thrill to the playoffs that was so awesome and very needed in the NBA. Now, the same BORING teams are left. I could care less who wins. San Antonio? Gimme a break!! BORING.

And on a much more positive note, tomorrow, some of us will be gathering in CHICAGO! and hooting and hollering over memorial day weekend. YIPPEE. CHEERS!!

Making it better...

what a shitty week it was. stressed. exhausted. then, a great thing happened late friday night!











Man, I LOVE watching playoff sports. Watching the game last night was thrilling. Seeing all the fans in their yellow "WE BELIEVE" t-shirts. The place was nuts!!

What a high! There is no team in the NBA more exciting, hands down. Keep it going warriors! You got an old fan over here in the southeast rooting her crazy head off for you!!

Meet Me - Part II

To read PART I, see part I

The day after the fedex was mailed, of course, she had to actually call the hotel in Houston and make sure it arrived and that the concierge or whomever delivered it to E. She only had one day to make sure it had arrived. So.

Packaged received and delivered. Now, it was all up in the air. It was all very fun…not knowing. The knowing E. would have received the package by now, but the not knowing of her answer.

2 days later, Saturday arrived. She spent the day doing her usual things: going to the market, the post office, the cleaners and while she did, she noticed a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Anxiety? Nervousness? And then more excitement. She found herself at the counter of the bakery, not paying attention to her surroundings and just simply smiling at thought of the evening.

It was a gorgeous day in town. The spring weather had brought beauty, freshness, and a slight afternoon breeze that carried on into early evening.

In her mind, she had to decide what to do if E. did not show. A no brainer, really. She would stay and have dinner anyway.

She made the short drive to the restaurant and the young valet chap opened her door, smiled, took her keys and parked the vehicle. She arrived a bit early to grab a cocktail at the bar. She sat in perfect view of the valet circle where she would see E. arrive, if indeed that turned out to be the case.

Sitting at the small, under populated bar area, she fiddled with her cocktail glass and phone. At this point, she felt confident E. would show. Just a gut feeling she had. She took a few more sips of her cocktail, the shaved ice cooling her warm throat.

Looking at her phone, the time was past the hour. It was fifteen minutes passed the hour. E. was notoriously late so she wasn’t sure how long she would actually wait. Fifteen more minutes, she thought. After that, I go to my table. Alone.

Twenty minutes after the hours passed and quickly she was determining that for whatever reason, E. would not show. She wasn’t angry.

This is how she set it up. No RSVP.

She asked the bartender woman for the check and just as she was about to pay, she took one last look outside. There, she saw her. She had showed. She saw E. coming out of her vehicle while handing keys to valet chap. Even from a distance, she saw she was moving fast, worried that she was so late, looked a bit frazzled.

E. entered the restaurant and saw her sitting at the bar. She gave her a wonderful, beautiful smile. They went on to have a fabulous meal at 213 Palm Drive

Ahhh, YES!!

Mickael Pietrus, DUNK!









Coach Don Nelson and Baron Davis










Exhuberant fans watching somewhere on TV!

The Little Team that Could

The past 2 weeks or so have been dayys of extreme excitement as my favorite basketball team, THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (from Oakland, CA) Warriors
Made their way into the NBA Playoffs for the first time in 13 years. As a bay area native and growing up in the town next to Oakland, I have followed and been a fan of the team since my youth.
Not only has this been their first post-season trip in 13 seasons, but they also had to win almost every single one of their last games. I believe they went 9-1 in their last 10 games and they just eeked in.
What was their gift? To face the best team in basketball, the number one seed in the WEST, the DALLAS MAVERICKS. Now, on the face of this matchup, anybody would think the warriors would be easily swept in the first round, leaving their many fans with only the brief joy of MERELY making the playoffs. BUT, if you were to look closer, you would have seen that the warriors has beaten DALLAS the last 5 times they had faced each other. They were the only team all season to have a winning record against the MAVS. To understand the gravity of this, maybe you have to understand some of the history of the Warriors. They have been awful the past 10 years, at least. AWFUL. They were even pretty disgraceful many years. The rebuilding just wasn't working. New coaches weren’t able to get anything going. The team suffered and sat at the bottom of their division year after year. It was 
hard to watch, to say the least.

Fast forward to this season:

As a person living in eastern time zone, it has been a challenge to
watch the games because they have almost all begiun at 9 or 10pm. I have
forced myself to stay up at least to watch the first half of the games.
EXCITING BASKETBALL, folks!! The team is made up of a bunch of guys who
are not all that well-know, i.e. No superstars. They are small and
agile and determined! They remind me of the days when it was TMC: Tim
Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. Those guys made every game, win
or lose, exciting. And they worked hard. They were not showboats, they
just played hard. I even think word had it that Chris Mullin was
probably the hardest working guy in the NBA. No one could match his work
ethic.
Ok, back to current Warriors: To make it even sweeter, this is the
first year back to golden state for coach Don (nellie) Nelson. He was their
coach long ago and a very well liked and respected coach. His last
coaching job: his foe, The Dallas Mavericks. Who do think knew their team
better than anyone else?

So, what happened?
Warriors stun all basketball watching folks and bookies and win game 1
in Dallas.

Game 2 goes to the Mavs

Game 3 -Warriors smash 'em in Oakland-teams first home playoff win in
like a billion years.

Game 4-Warriors win. Again

Game 5-Dallas wins at home in texas. Barely.

Game 6- back to Oakland. Warriors win convincingly!!!

They are a team with a bunch of guys not making nearly what shaq or
kobe make. They are guys who just want, want, want. And they are a team
with a hellavua coach. They are a team, representing Oakland and the
entire Bay Area and its fans who are utterly starved for what they have
provided.
To me, this is one of the most exciting and precious times in sports.
It is fun and inspiring. Win or lose from here, they have shown what
true Warriors are!

pleasure

Tonight, I am having dessert.

A big, chewy, chocolate chunk pecan cookie. with milk.

I’m not sure it gets any better than this.

meet me

just when she wasn’t looking, she found a card. the perfect card. she wasn’t sure when she would send it, but she knew who is was for. “better buy it now”, she thought, and “worry about sending it later.”


later that evening, she was thinking of the one who gets her all stirred up. they hadn’t seen each other in a while and it was bothering her. She remembered that E. was away at a conference and she wouldn’t be back in town until later in the week. Suddenly, she thought what to do with the card. She would fedex it to her with a note.

First, she had to do some detective work and find out where in the hell she was staying in Houston. After some clever maneuvering, she found out it was the Westin Hotel.

Now all she needed to do was prepare the package. She wanted it to be something different; something unexpected and alluring. She took out the card from her bag and opened it. She read the words on last time before sealing it and sending it off to another state. The caption on the card read:

“We do not remember days. We remember moments.”

Beneath it were her own words to E.

“Care to share another one?

Meet me at 213 Palm Dr, this Saturday at 7 p.m.

Don’t RSVP. I know you will be able to come if I see you there...”

She smiled rereading what she had wrote and got a tingling in her stomach. In all honesty, she was tickled by herself and her own cleverness and spontaneity. She smiled at the thought of E. receiving a fedex at a hotel while out of town.

Her pulse quickened at the thought of whether E. would show or not. It was definitely exciting, the NOT KNOWING. And she truly hoped she did not get a RSVP. She didn’t want to know. She just wanted her to show or not show. Period.

She put the card in the fedex it, sealed it and attached a label. Fairly soon, the fedex guy or gal would be there soon for the late morning pickup.

had to blog about this...

it happened last weekend. i woke up saturday morning, in the little cabin rental, with a huge sold sore on my bottom lip. i have only gotten this maybe 2 times before, but never so bad or painful as this time.

so. before heading out for my trail run, i stopped into the Food Lion and bought a powerbar and looked for some ointment to put on this thing! i’m not too savvy with medicinal products, but i remember someone saying something about Neosporin.
So, i bought the neosporin. Nevertheless, it didn’t seem to work and so i just dealt with it. i guess you just have to wait these things out, i thought. the thing was pretty damn ugly for 48 hours, but by the time i got to work on monday, it didn’t look so bad. However, i just KNEW that some people would make comments about it, or just look at me funny.

So, of course, I walk in and talk to my buddy, AJ, and she says, “hey..Oh, YOU GOT A FEVER BLISTER”. As if i didn’t know. I don’t mind AJ saying anything cause she is my pal and even told me what medicine i SHOULD have bought.

As the day progressed, a few people i came into contact with simply said, “wow..what happened to your lip?” If i were quicker on my feet, i would have been able to say that i got into a fight or was kissing someone for too long or something really clever. BUT, I AM NOT QUICK ON MY FEET.

It just really cracks me up that people even ask the question: “wow, what happened to your lip?” I mean, they have no qualms about it. I would never ask someone that question. maybe a close friend, but not a co-worker.

Then, yesterday, i went across the street to the grocery store. Being that i go there about 4 times a week, i and the cashiers are familiar with each other. We don’t carry on conversations or anything, but we smile at each other and say hello. we know we recognize each other. When i went in at lunchtime yesterday, the cashier greeted me and then saw my cold sore and said, “oh, you have a cold sore” in her soft, somewhere accented voice. Her nametag reads FATITMA. She was sweet about it, like she was caring. However, this completely made me crack up laughing as I left the store. A virtual stranger making a comment about my damn cold sore. Up until then, I had no thought of blogging about it, but after Fatitma comment, i just had to.

People never seem to amaze!! What a hoot!!!

Water

water is amazing. it can heal. it can hurt. it can ruin things, destroy things. it can be calm and soothing and it can be raucous and treacherous. it can take a life. it can save a life. too much of it and it can devastate. too little of it and it can devastate. isn’t it interesting how even with water, we learn balance. it teaches balance. a surfer needs to balance just so on the water to do their thing; runners need to balance their water intake with their output. farmers NEED water for their crops, grape vines need water to grow in order to turn grapes into wine. Less and less water, and there is drought. more and more water and there are floods. both damaging, both potentially very detrimental from an physical and economic standpoint. so many things are interconnected, interdependent through water, alone.

Water seems such a huge part of my days, my existence. i am constantly going to the breakroom at the office to refill my water bottles. (and thus, constantly, going to the bathroom)
i am constantly aware of my need to go to the store to BUY water. BUY water. Amazing, isn’t it. Isn’t it in great abundance all around us, but we need to PURCHASE IT? And like so many other products, their is a range from unattractive packaging to very sexy packaging. Is it a Coke bottled water or a Pepsi bottled water? A FIJI or an Evian or the Starbucks EOS? Or the even sleeker, sexier, VOSS bottled water? Even the water bottlers/companies have figured how to package something and charge outrageous amounts. We pay more for water per gallon than we do for gas. much more. just consider that for a second.....

so many people get so angry and outraged at the price per gallon of gas; what about the price per gallon of WATER?

When did we even begin to buy bottled water? i recall the first time i really felt like i NEEDED to: in 1992, when i traveled in Thailand and Nepal.

Anyway, i crave water. I crave it on a hot day when i am out running and have none. I am appreciative to go into a starbucks, all sweaty and parched and ask for a cup of water. they offer the COLDEST water out of any place i know. and when you just ask for it, it’s free.

I crave it while living in a city completely landlocked, with any big body of water about 5-6 hours away.

However, here i sit on a saturday morning, lucky to be in the woods, in a cabin nestled between 2 little creeks. Water flows by as i write and i can hear it streaming over the rocks and on it’s way to wherever it goes. I am grateful for the sound, the scene.

...Hence, this post on H20. Drink and be merry!

Cheers!

Instantaneous Responses

hottest woman: halle berry

best drink: coffee, peets

most unlikeable person: Don Imus

best smell: carnation flowers

best smell i miss: Eucalyptus trees

most annoying: SF Giants 2-7 start to the season, uugghh

most exciting: Atlanta Thrahsers first ever playoff game tonight

hottest music video: Madonna’s “VOGUE”

place I want to go: Lake Tahoe

biggest dream: finishing an IRONMAN

favorite article of clothing: big, fuzzy socks i got at xmas

last thing that made me blush a little: cute girl at coffeeshop talking to me

best part of my day: early AM, having coffee, being quiet

what i miss: big hugs from my closet friends

what i miss #2: water

what i am waiting for in the mail: hopefully an entry into PEACHTREE RD RACE

what i am saving for: BLOGGER TRIP TO CHI-TOWN. YIPPEE

what i’m craving: Almond Croissant

song in my head: ‘GREATEST LOVE OF ALL’ -by Whitney

“I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadow. If i fail, If I succeed, at least I’ll live as I believe...”


CARE TO SHARE, FRIENDS???

Happiness from the week

happiness is: waking up at 4am to go to bathroom and realizing i have 2 more hours of sleep til i have to get up. yeah. i love sleep!

happiness is: waking up to see the SF Giants won their ballgame last night.

happiness is: having the day off for Good Friday

happiness is: making my very first batch of Guacamole!! Yummy

happiness is: going for a run in very cool temperatures after running in warm/humid conditions.

happiness is: watching The Masters on TV

happiness is: getting a good review @ work and an even better RAISE

happiness is: getting my running magazine in the mail

happiness is: time to linger with a good cup of coffee

happiness is: brining the receptionist at work a “treat” when least expected

happiness is: having enough $ to pay for large, unexpected expenses without accruing debt

happiness is: finding a great pair of trousers for work, on sale

happiness is: finding self at weeks end and realizing i stuck to my budgeting plan

happiness is: a great nights sleep

Feel free to share your “happy” moments from the week or...whenever..

Cheers!

some sun and rain......

what a week! last sunday, i finished my 5th marathon and the days that followed were filled many aches and pains, attention and just a weird week. The marathon was the toughest one i have ever done. if you want to read why, see oneingatl.blogspot.com.

my body was limited to a slow shuffle at work on monday; my thighs torn up from the many hills we had to climb...each time i rose from my desk, i felt like i had 100 lb weights on my quads. It was not a sweet pain wherein, the past it had been. Because I was disappointed by the effort I was able to put forth and my ultimate finish, the pain seemed every worse. After every other marathon, i have beenleft with sweet pain that is satisfying and gratifying. not this time. i am not saying i am not proud to have been out there, i’m just also disappointed. i can be both. right?

thank goodness for my pal, AJ, at work. she is my confidante, buddy, one to joke and tease with and even, a little gossip here and there. and this week, i realized how important it was to be able to have someone with WHINE to. Thanks, AJ. She put up with my whining about my body all week. I am not one who easily whines, but i suppose due to how our friendship has developed, i felt very comfortablle whining away to her. By Friday, I think she may have been over it though. :)

Mid week brought some trickles of disconcerting news...none of which had anything to do with me, but somehow seeped into my psychic space or something like that...the first was that there was a news report out that at a nearby highway overpass, a woman had jumped. suicide. i pass the same spot each week. it’s always disconcerting to hear of a jumper...especially a jumper who chooses to jump and land on concrete. how much pain must one be in to make that choice?! A s someone from SF, i am quite familiar with hearing of jumpers of the beloved golden gate....but it wasn’t until last year that i heard of folks jumping from overpasses onto the highways. wow. makes my insides squirm.

same day, got a call from a friend who mentioned her friend’s husband was talking of suicide and had to be hospitalized.

next morning at work, i come in and greet AJ. Usually she is so bubbly and very talkative....not so that morning. with watery eyes, she told me that her ex-boyfriends(who she remains close too) daughter was sentenced to 10 years in jail. (about 2 years ago, she had been drinking, went wrong way on the highway and got into an accident, killing 2 young men)
Of course, the whole thing is tragic. tragic for her who had rarely been a drinker, who was a local successful college athete,who came from a white-collar family, who had a family of her own.

tragic for the lives lost. 2 young lives. my friend, AJ, feels for her friend and his fear and what he goes through as a father watching his daughter face the consequences of her actions.

Vehicular Involuntary manslaughtger is tough. As a person who lost my mother this way, i know it all too well. Back in 1983, this was not punished very much, as we learned the man who caused the accident was left to go free and unpunished from his actions. Where was justice? As a child, i had been so angry. Why did he get to be free when someone had died and others, nearly dead? It wasn’t until years later when i understood that he would have to live with his actions for all days. Could anything be worse?

I honestly don’t know what the penalty should be for this crime. You don’t mean to kill someone, buy you do. All I believe is that our justice system is far from justice...far....

Yesterday, clients came in to the office. A woman and her son. Her husband, his father, recently passed away very suddenly. He was my client & they came in to deal with some of his affairs. He had been a heathly 70 - something year old. Went out for his usual jog and when he stopped and cooled down, he collapsed. Cause of death was not determined. He was and they are a family of tremendous faith. Sitting and sharing and listening with them was solemn and very sacred. Their grief alive and yet so was their faith in their god. The gentleman had been in the marines much earliier in his life and so part of his funeral was military. The marines gave a 21 gun salute.The son said, “when i looked around at that point, i was so proud to be his son.” his words quiet and clear. I was lucky to be a witness.

Interspersed with all this was having to intereact with people in a much more cheerful way than i was up to...but you just do it..
And then, of course, there were much lighter moments....AJ teasing me about my aches and pains and saying, “ok. i was sympathetic on tuesday, but now, it’s friday, so...”

This seems to be an interesting post on the heels of the last one about bigness and smallness. On monday, it was easy for me to feel big because of the marathon achievement and all the folks in the office congratulating me and wasnting all the detaiils and such. it was nice, of course.

and then, little by little, i am reminded of my smallness. death has a funny way of doing that, doesn’t it?

Big and small

(written yesterday via blackberry)

Sitting outside on the big patio like area of the 19th floor. I have a
nearly 360 view of the city of atlanta. Its a beautiful sunny afternoon
and I am the only one up here, savoring my lunch salad and some quiet.
I come up here to get away and get some perspective. I come up here for
air and to see the beauty and the vastness around me. From way down
below, I hear many horns intermittenly blowing...I hear the roar of buses
and the slamming of car breaks. There are green trees everywhere and
interspersed are many homes and buidings, small and then bigger
skyscrapers. And even more being built as I type. From my view, I count 10
cranes...all within maybe 1-1/2 miles radius.
I am all one for being a confident, self-assured person. I'm all for
being a go-getter, and for celebrating one's success. I'm all for
supporting myself and others to be big.

I also like being reminded of my smallness. Coming up here reminds me
of just that....my smallness. Just now, a plane roared up above...a
plane full of people going somewhere. And invariably, as I sit up here and
enjoy my salad and space, someone is giving birth, someone is breathing
their final breath, someone is being buried, someone is committing
suicide, someone is sending flowers to their love, someone is crying,
someone is laughing, someone is trying our for a part, someone is locked in
prison, someone is swimming, someone is screaming, someone is making a
bomb, someone is finding a cure, someone is getting starbucks in brazil,
someone is buying loads and loads of weapons, someone is getting high,
someone is getting off, someone is holding a child's tiny hand, someone
is wheeling someone around in a wheelchair, someone is....

There is so much happening all the time everyday. Everything is
important and nothing is important.
It's great to be big.
And it's great to remember how small I am.

tid-bit

hot hostess in a lovely spring dress opens the door for me as i come in. recognizes me. calls me sweetie. opens the door for me as i leave. calls me sweetie again. damn. hot hostess.

does service get any better?

Thursday

today, i did one thing that i never do. well, two things really. one, i left work a whole hour early. the second thing was the bigger thing: i came home and took a bath!
last night after my massage, my masseuse recommended that i take baths with bath salts....for my aching calf muscles. she is not the first person to tell me this, but for some reason, she was the one who actually got me to take the advice. so, on the way home early from work, i stopped in and bought some bath salts specifically for healing muscle aches. after doing some cleaning, laundry, etc..i started the bath. mind you, i am not a big fan of baths. maybe because i don’t have a tub like Trinity, but still....i have just never really been a bath kind of girl. also, my bathtub is not one that is real motivating to go soak in. it’s old --- my dwelling, while very cozy and comforting, is old and the bathtub is just not something i fantasize about ---know what i mean? Well, i put the bath salts in and soaked and it was quiet and it smelled good...eucalyptus with somethin’ else. not only was it great to soak, it was wonderful to just be still and quiet. ...
i have not felt “right” for about the past 7 days and i can’t quite figure it out. and then today, i was just downright cranky and grumpy. my body has not felt right and that is hard for me to accept and have patience with. i had a little of the sinus thing that has been everywhere and my body has been sore and slow and my running hasbeen much less that i would like. i feel pretty in tune to my body so when there are times when i don’t feel right, it affects me quite a bit.
and then of course, it can’t all be physical. there are other things going on in my mind that have been taking space. in some ways, i feel like i just need a break. i feel maybe a bit burnt out on my life as it is...the job, the living space, the neighborhood, the city, the things that make up my days....i wish i could take a month off and just go somewhere else or a few places and then come back. maybe i just need more balance in my life? that could be it too. i’m just sort of rambling here....

A line comes to me from “The Great Gatsby” (one of the best books ever written, in my opinion)

“There are on the pursued, the pursuing, the busy & the tired”

whenever i feel this way and share about it, i tend to feel guity...as though i may come across as not being grateful and appreciative of my life. is that strange? i do feel grateful and very appreciative of my life and actually, my life is good. what is strange is that i do spend quite a bit of time alone, but lately i feel as though that time has not been high in quality. that, i know i can change. and will.

this has been a kinda weird post, for me. it’s more of a true journal entry.

thanks for listening.

what's in your salad?

though i don’t eat nearly enough of them, i love salads. and one of the coolest things, i find, is to notice and watch what others put into their salads. I mean, people who are my friends, people i care about. Not just any random person. I like seeing how they create their salad at the salad bar. In my opinion, Whole Foods has the best salad bar ever created. And here is what I put in mine pretty much all the time:

spinach
fancy lettuce sans radicchio
corn**
a few cherry tomatoes
broccoli
carrots
pulled chicken
feta cheese

dressing: some mediterrean vinagrette.

YUMMY!

what’s in yours?

**i LOVE corn on my salad!

an important lesson about eating out

the other night, i had an appointment. just before i went in to appointment, i was going back and forth in my head trying to decide whether to go out to eat afterwards or come home and cook.

i decided to go out to a place where i really like their fish-n-chips. and they have good beer which i was in the mood for as well.

so,i get to the place and sit at the comfortable wooden bar, order my beer and look at the menu even though i already know what i want....

as i peruse the items, i see they have some pastas that sound good and healthy ...and of course with all the running, i need carbs....so, instead of the more greasy/fattening fish-n-chips, i order what i think will be a decent plate of bowtie pasta with some kind of tomato sauce.

i began eating it and let me tell you, it was such a major disappointment! it was almost tasteless. i was sooo bummed.

bummed beacause i was looking forward to eating out....

as i sat there, eating my less than mediocre pasta, i thought to myself, "lesson: go for the freakin' grease. get what you want."

...now i know why i often order the same things when i go to the same restaurants over and over. it's not that i am oppossed to trying new things; i just like what i like and when you looks forward to it, a mediocre or bad meal just sucks.

a bit about your hostess

i don’t own a digital camera

i have approximately 15 pairs of tennis shoes

i don’t understand the need to climb mt everest and such places

i have no tattooes and would never get any

i’ve never had a manicure or pedicure

i stole a bottle of peach schnapps when i was 17, got drunk with 2 boys who were my best friends and fell into the San Leandro Marina.

i’m a pro at Galaga, Pac-Man, Centipede, and Pinball games

i would be afraid to go scuba diving

i wanted and possible secretly still do want to be either an FBI agent, CIA agent or Detective

i love going to a nice spa for massage

i miss the water (landlocked over here in GA)

sometimes, i think i want to move to a 3rd world country

i LOVE rollercoasters, water balloon tosses, & pillow fights

i did very poorly on SAT

friends snorted cocaine in front of me in high school while i declined

i often feel like i don’t belong anywhere

i’m afraid to die

i want to be crermated

i aim to be grateful everyday for all i am and all i have

I can do a headstand, cartwheel and roundoff

i’m not a very good swimmer

i am mostly bored by shopping of any kind, except probably running shoes!

i often flirt with waitresses

i’m moody

right now my life mainly consists of working, running & reading

i love a good cosmopolitan

i love big, clean bathrooms
i love candles but can only seem to purchase 2 at a time

i don’t enjoy walking

my dream is to design my own house

i’ve dated someone who was once a stripper

i’ve had yucky coffee in Abilene, TX

i believe in a higher power/spiritual guidance

i loved going to church as a child, mostly because of the gathering aspect

i loved a boy, once

i don’t like it when people talk because they are uncomfortable with silence

i think i was a monk in a past life

i don’t know what to believe about this life -- afterwards

i don’t know how to drive a stickshift

i love to stand up, put my head back, extend my arms and TWIRL...


Cheers!