The longest hour

The longest hour in the day has to be from 3-4 in the afternoon. Gosh, time is slowly moving along and it is my low time of the day. Good thing I kept 1/3 of my latte to heat up and drink now!

Hot date tonight with my babe, Tim. He is meeting me in Berkeley and we are going to dinner and a play. Should be fun! Full review tomorrow.

Tomorrow after work I am going to the stable to massage and groom Cane and then turn Apache out in the indoor arena and groom him. I am looking forward to spending some time with Apache out of the saddle if you will. I think it will make our bond a little stronger.

Did anyone watch the Golden Globes last night? I watched bits and pieces of the red carpet but boycotted the awards show. Did anyone see how mad Angelina Jolie looked? What is up with my girl? Rumor has it she didn't like any of the dresses that St. John made for her to wear and she had to pick one per her contract with the designer. Whatever Angie, get over it, you know there are worse things going on in the world - might I remind you (Angelina, because I know you are reading this) that some people don't have these choices and have no more than the clothing on the backs. I know you have seen it as well as I have. But for a night in front of the camera, turn your pout into a smile and power through. Perhaps she was thinking that they shouldn't have had the awards on the same day that we are supposed to be honoring the late and great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


Stay tuned...

I Have a Dream

Not sure how many people have actually listened to the entire "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. I thought today would be a great day for people to read through it if you haven't ever read it, it is amazing, read it again.

I have a Dream.

Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

August 28, 1963

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Weekend is DONE

Phew, the weekend is over. I never thought I would say that, ok, let me explain.

Friday night was awesome though. I went to see “The Shop Around the Corner” with Wendy and Brent at the Pacific Film Archive. Beforehand, we went and ate at Naan N’Curry on Telegraph in Berkeley. They have wonderful Indian/Pakistani food, the dahl is HOT and the naan is soft, yummmm! We got finished eating about an hour before the film started so we went to Urban Outfitters where my jacket set the security alarm off upon entering the store – nice way to get noticed, right? It turns out I had left the tag on the jacket from Old Navy that says, “remove before washing”, that was the security tag. So funny. The girl in the store cut the tag out for me so I would not set the alarm off again. Too bad, I was planning on doing that where ever I went, maybe that would help me get out there and get a name for myself. The movie was wonderful. You know I don’t like to give too much information on movies because I never know if people want to see for themselves what happens. Plus, everyone is a critic, I don’t like to take apart what has already been put together and try to interpret it. I do recommend the film, it is cute, simple and the characters are wonderful. There is a movie I just saw recently starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson which is a remake of “The Shop Around the Corner”, it is called “In the Good Old Summer Time” (1949). The best quote of both movies is, “Psychologically, I'm very confused, but personally I feel just wonderful.” Both are wonderful movies, I prefer the original although Judy Garland sings some wonderful songs in the later version and her clothing is amazing!

Saturday morning Tim and I decided that since it got down to like 20 degrees in the city we should turn on the heater because it was only about 50 degrees in our apartment and we both woke up with sore necks and very cold noses. We turned it on and first it smelled, you know how the heater smells sometimes when you first put it on? Then the smoke detector went off (it is super sensitive, we can’t even take a shower without the steam setting it off), so we had to place the fan underneath it. The heater was on for about 30 minutes and then the sneezing started. It was uncontrollable. My nose was running, my head started aching and my eyes were all puffy. We turned the heater off, but it was too late, I was a goner. We decided it was best to leave the house for a while. I was supposed to go to ballet but couldn’t because I couldn’t breathe and my nose was literally running like a faucet. I can’t imagine doing adagio with a runny nose – whaaaa, what a total and complete bummer. We went to Westlake shopping center in Daly City and ate lunch at Daphne’s a great little Greek place. It may be a chain, but it was good, I had a veggie plate so…spanikopita (sp?) salad, hummus, olives, pita and dolmas. Tim had a gyro and fries. After lunch we walked around Beverly’s craft and fabric store and then Cost Plus. We drove back home and once we entered the house, I started sneezing again and had to lay down on my back to get my nose to stop running down my face. I went through one box of tissues and a ½ roll of toilet paper. My nose is all raw too from blowing and wiping. I took the real deal Sudafed, you know the kind with speed in it? I took that and then fell asleep for a while. By the time I woke up it was time to go to bed.

Sunday, still bad, nose running, etc. I took another Sudafed and start cleaning up the house. My Christmas stuff was still up and needed to be taken down. Tim went to the basement and brought up all the boxes, I filled them and he took them back down. It was done is record time. I did some laundry and went for a walk, baked some bread and made some spaghetti for dinner. That was it. My allergies finally started to subside by dinner time. It was awful. I actually couldn’t wait to get out of the house this morning and into some fresh air. I am bummed to be working today though; I love Martin Luther King Jr. and wish I could be part of the festivities today at the Civic Center. If it weren’t for him a lot of people wouldn’t be where they are today with education, jobs, relationships, etc. He opened the gates for a lot of things we are used to today that were not accepted in the past. I think about how diverse my job place is and how lucky I am to be living in a time where there are fewer prejudices than even 35-40 years ago.

"Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself." - Marin Luther King Jr.

The weekend is almost here!

I love Friday afternoons! The weekend buzz starts to spread around the office. I am busting my ass to get all my work done so I can get out of here on time and spend time doing things for me and not the man.

Tonight Wendy, Brent and I are going to the Pacific Film Archive to see "The Shop Around the Corner" staring James Stewart. I love this movie and am excited to see it on the big screen and projected from 35mm, even better!

Tomorrow morning I am taking a ballet class at a place near my house that have not been to yet, however, they have their own company and have a pretty well established school so it should be fun. I am really excited to get moving on the dance floor. Does anyone remember the Muppet Show when Rudolph Nureyev was a guest? My favorite episode ever (photos at right). Anyway, I feel like his partner when I am at ballet, so awkward and fluffy! When I was taking classes at the JCC before the holidays they let you laugh and joke in class, for some reason I don't think this place is going to be like that. You know, that is tough for me. Oh well. I will have to hold it in until we are done and giggle on the way home.

Sunday, we are going to attempt to see a movie, but that usually means stay home, bake bread and walk around the neighborhood. Which is fine with me as well. I am working on a new whole wheat bread recipe to replace the one I have that uses half white flour and half wheat. I am trying to prefect a homemade whole grain bread that tastes good and doesn't have too much salt and sugar in it. Once I get that down, I will work on adding other grains like, millet, oats and barley to it. We'll see, I may have to work on that tomorrow afternoon. Winter is here, let the bread baking begin!

Stay tuned...

Horse Therapy

Horses save the day!
I was in a bad way when I left work yesterday because of a situation that I took on as my own and it wasn't even about me, but we all do that sometimes, don't we? I think as women that happens more. Sometimes I wish I could be more of a guy and just let things slide a little more instead of internalizing them. Anyway, so, I was a bit bummed out and went to the stable early. I got there 30 minutes before my lesson and hung out with Cane for a while. His front leg is still pretty bad so I brushed him, gave him a butt and shoulder massage and sang a little while I did it. He was sad, I could tell, and tired too. His leg would crack and shake when he moved his weight onto it, which then made me sad. He hadn't eaten his food either, it was just hanging there in the bucket. I told him he has to get better, he has to eat and just kept rubbing his head. When it was time for my lesson I ran and got Apache. I was so excited to see him! He let me right in this time without a hassle with the halter, which was nice, even though I interrupted his dinner yet again. We walked and "talked" on our way to the indoor arena and while I groomed him. I felt a little bad because again, no one had ridden him since I rode him last Thursday. He didn't need turning out though and did really well yesterday. Still really slow, but we changed up the reins a little bit and used his rubber bit and he did so much better than any other time. He pulled out when he was supposed to and went almost to a trot. All of this goodness only worked going clockwise, counter clockwise is another story all together. We worked hard though and ended on a positive clockwise circle and then I took his bridle and saddle off and let him roll around a bit in the arena while I got my brushes ready to groom him. He ran around only once and then slowly lowered himself onto the ground and went to town rolling and moaning kicking his legs up in the air. He did this for some time and then lifted himself back up and just stood there staring at me so I ran around the arena to see if I could get him to run, bolt, anything and he just stood there with his sweet eyes, watching every move I made. I went into the area and put his halter on and took him to the grooming area and hung out with him for a while. Carol came over and asked me what I did to Cane. I asked her why and she said that he was eating the food that had been in his bucket all day and he was putting more weight on his right leg in the front. He had also moved from the position he had been standing in most of the day. I showed her on Apache how I massaged his shoulder and butt and told her I sang to him and little and told him he needs to get better, that was it. She told me to come back when ever I can to do that for him since it seemed to work. I thought it was pretty funny, but who knows, stranger things have happened right? I finished grooming Apache and put him back in his stall, I am glad he is really fuzzy right now because it is so cold outside.
When I got in my car to leave I had forgotten all about the way I had felt when I left work and when I did remember, I was able to just let it go - it wasn't mine to take on in the first place. Horses have something magical about them. It was like when I was talking to Cane he got it. We were both sad when we started off last night and then when the night was over and I left, we both were happy. Funny how things get put into perspective and turn themselves around.

Stay Tuned...

Photo: Kokomo, Apache's neighbor

The latest...

Hey there!

Tuesday is here at last, Monday just went by way too fast. I had my class last night at San Francisco Ballet and it was fabulous. We got a binder full of great material to read for class and also got a copy of the 65th Anniversary Book. We got an entire history of ballet last night in 2 hours, it seemed like 5 minutes to me. I could have sat there all night and listed to the instructor talking about ballet. Inside our binder is also and outline of what we are going to do at each class. Next time we meet we are going to have a technique class in one of the dance studios that the company uses. The class is being taught by Pascal Molat who is one of the principle dancers of the company. I am so excited for that class. In a couple weeks we also get a tour of the costume closet at the Opera Theatre where the ballet performs and see how all of the costumes are organized and kept clean for the dancers. The tour is 45 minutes so it should be cool. One week we get a tour of the theatre and that is 90 minutes! I am so excited about this class, I can't even explain. I am bringing my camera along with me each time I am there just in case I am able to take some photos.


After class I met up with Jadin at Max's for dinner. We closed the place down, we were there until about 10:30 and the doors were locked when we left. I had a nice glass of champagne and we sat and talked for hours. It was nice. She lives super close but I still drove her home, it was late and she was alone. She had ballet last night so we both shared what we learned in our classes, looked through all of my class materials and gabbed.


I got home last night and wrote in my journal and then hit the sack at about 12. Seems like I have been staying up later and later these days. No wonder I can't get up in the morning.


Tonight I am attending the first Women's Committee meeting of the year at the Maltese Club. I hope I don't set anything on fire this time, ha ha ha! I think we are planning the upcoming year's events so it should be fun. I am excited to see all of my friends. However, going straight home sounds really nice too. We'll see, I like to leave everything up in the air at moments like this.


Stay tuned...

Whirlwind

As always, the weekend went by way too fast, although it was lots of fun.

My class on Saturday was a blast. I loved it so much and am really excited about making another book soon before I forget how. Mine of course is pink and has horses on the front and back cover and yes, there is some glitter too, go figure. The class was all day (10-5) and then I went to dinner with Sara at her friend Katherine's house. We ate and watched India slides from Katherine's trip to India with her husband a couple years ago. It was a lot of fun, the photos got me really excited to see India.

Sunday was going to be jam packed, but ended up being mellow which was nice. Tim and I ran errands almost all day, came home and I made some vegan pumpkin muffins that ROCKED. I made them to have with breakfasts this week, but we ate a couple last night. They are so moist and fluffy and full of yummy goodness.

Here is the recipe if anyone wants to give them a try.

Yummy Pumpkin Muffins

In a bowl, sift together:

1 3/4 Cup Flour

1 1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

1 Tbls Baking Powder

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground Allspice

1/8 tsp ground Cloves

1/2 tsp ground Ginger

In a separate bowl mix together:

1 Cup Pureed Pumpkin

1/2 Cup Soy Milk

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Tbls Molasses

Add wet stuff to dry stuff and mix well. Fill greased muffin tin cavities 2/3 full, more if you have enough batter left at the end and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.

Too boring? Add one cup chopped fresh cranberries or walnuts or a mixture of both, mmmmm.

Tonight I start a 5 week class at San Francisco Ballet called Ballet 101. It sounds really cool, it isn't a physical ballet class, well, one week it will be with a teacher from SFB. It is a class about the history of SFB and a deeper look at some of the ballets themselves. We have a guest speaker every week, some times it is a current artist with the ballet or a choreographer, etc. I am excited. I am meeting up with Jadin afterwards for dinner at Max's Opera Plaza. She has ballet until 8 and that is when my class lets out so we though, why not meet up!

Stay Tuned...

Baby It's COLD Outside

Damn, I thought I moved away from the cold that chills you to the bone and wind that whips right through you until last night. I was so cold at the stable while riding Apache and this morning walking to the office from my car. The windchill right now is insane.

Anyway, I rode Apache last night. I got to the stable early and knew I was going to have to wait since no one was riding outside due to the weather. Carol asked if I wanted something to do so she put me to work grooming an old horse named Caine (Cane? Cain? you get it right?). He currently has an injured foot that is in trouble. If he doesn't heal, they will have to put him down which makes me sad. He is 31 years old and so sweet, and as soft as a kitten. He was eating when Carol introduced me to him and I got the curry brush and went to work on him. His hair was coming out like no ones business, you should have seen the hair ball I threw away. He had some dry spots so I put some oil on them and then brushed him with a soft brush to get all the left over dust and dry skin off of him. I massaged his back end and he was happy about that. The left side of him was so tight from him favoring it over the right which is hurt right now so I rubbed him down real good. He is a very sweet horse.

Apache on the other hand, was a little bratty last night. I think I would have been too if I was eating my dinner and someone came over to me to pull me away and make me work. He would not let me put the halter on him. I went in the stall too and he just kept walking away from me and I wasn't really in a "take charge" kind of mood. I told him I was going to walk away and we would try again in a few and wouldn't you know it, once I started to walk away he stuck his head out and Carol was on her way up to help me. He let her get in there and get him, sometimes I think he is testing me. I need to show him I am the boss though in order to gain his respect. We had a good lesson though, didn't get to turn him out first which I was bummed about, but he did OK. The last half of the lesson he was so slow though I had to keep kicking and started tell him, "hey-yah - come on" and he responded OK. Before I knew it the lesson was over. My legs are sore today, but in a good way. I groomed Apache and fed him carrots and then put him to bed. Afterwards, Carol and I were hanging out with Caine, feeding him and doting on him. I hope he is OK. I don't like to see a sick animal, especially a horse and an old one at that. I am praying for him for sure.

It is Friday and I am looking forward to the weekend. Tim and I were planning on seeing Miss Potter tonight, but I think we are going to go on Sunday so we can have a night at home tonight. I have been on the go and would like to get straight home tonight to spend time with my baby. Tomorrow I am taking a class at the San Francisco Center for the Book called "Fresh Start; A Personalized Daybook for the New Year". We are going to bind our own book to use throughout the year for planning, organization, etc. I am so excited. A full day of art and being surrounded by creative people is right up my alley. I have always met really cool people at these kind of classes. Afterwards, Sara and I are going to Katherine's house for dinner and slides from her India trip. Sort of a planning night if you will. Sunday the plan is to sleep in, see a movie and take down the Christmas decorations. I felt it disrespectful to take them down prior to the epiphany- hello, we have to wait for the wise men to come before we take the party down, right?

That is about it from me.

Stay tuned...

The year so far...

Has been wonderful!

I rode Apache on Saturday the 30th and it was awesome. We got to ride outside for a change since the weather was nice. We just had to stay on one side of the arena since there was another lesson going on, on the other side. Apache did so good, I think he was happy to be outside. He acts completely different when he is indoors. A little more nervous, jumpy, etc. It is a smaller space too and I think Carol gets closer to him with the crop (whip), he doesn’t like that at all. My lesson got changed to Thursday evenings which I am excited about because they were taking a chunk out of my Saturdays. I have a feeling he may buck tonight, but I am ready. I can’t wait to see him. I love him no matter what. I have been strengthening my arms at home by boxing so he can bring it on. Ha ha! I hope he doesn’t bring it on, whaaa. I get scared when he spooks or rears a little who am I kidding?

New Years Eve was pretty uneventful. Tim and I ran errands, went to lunch and then hung out at home. He went to bed early, I stayed up until about 1:30 AM working on my calendar and writing. It was nice to have the time alone that night, I really enjoyed myself.

New Years Day we just hung out since almost nothing was open PLUS I slept until Noon (yessss). We did go to the book store and out for dinner at Banana Garden (Malaysian Food) which was to die for. Very mellow holiday weekend, just how I like it.

Long weekend are always good and so is easing back into work afterwards. I have a lot on my plate right now at work but have been working on being more efficient and organized so it has helped a lot and has taken a tremendous load off. I have a couple little piles left to go though and I am done, that will be so nice.

Last night, I saw, The Painted Veil, starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. It was wonderful. In a nutshell, they are British, she is spoiled and kind of bratty and he is a biologist (bacteriologist actually). They get married and move to Hong Kong where he is working, she has an affair, they move to rural China during the Cholera outbreak in 1925 where he is doing research on the epidemic. It is a great story. I don’t want to give too much away in case anyone wants to see it. The scenery was awesome and made me long for Vietnam in a big way. The children they showed in the orphanages reminded me of all of my little friends in An Nhon, I miss them. It was also kind of sad because some of the places they shot the movie are no longer going to be around since they are building new dams for the Yangzi river and some of the old villages are being taken out by the widening of the river as well. Pretty sad. I had to see the movie since I don’t know if I will ever get to those parts of China before the “rebuilding” takes place. They have already started a lot of the work and some villages that have been around for 100’s of years are going the way of the dinosaur. My heart goes out to those people who are being forced to move.

Tonight, it is all about Apache after work. It is raining so it may take some time for us to get in the indoor area since all of the other horses need to be turned out in there because the outdoor area will be muddy. Even if I just get to ride him a little while and then groom him and hang out with him, I am happy.

Stay Tuned…

Highs and Lows of 2006

This year went flying by.

I have been working on my high/low list for 2006 and this is what it looks like as of this moment. I have tried to put them in chronological order, they are not in order by how HIGH they were or how LOW they were. I may add to this, but for now, it is pretty much set. I encourage everyone to make a list like this or a list of accomplishments so you can see all that you have done in the past year, it is fun!



HIGHS

• Went to Vietnam with Mom and Dad
• Visited my Vietnamese Mother
• Adopted Bay-Lee
• Started a consistent Yoga Practice
• Got over my fear of horses through hypnotherapy
• Started taking riding lessons
• Beach House summer gathering
• Spending time with Emily in San Francisco
• Spending time with Mom in San Francisco
• Returned a dog tag (brought back from Vietnam) to its original owner
• Read a lot of great books
• Took some cool art classes
• Learned the art of mehndi
• Took a solo trip to Malta
• Cappuccino in Malta
• Visited Sicily
• Saw my Grandfathers old house in Malta
• Found family in Malta
• Malta renewed my faith in God
• Malta in general
• Started dancing again (ballet)
• Thanksgiving Beach House
• Angela is pregnant!
• Became a member of the Maltese American Social Club of San Francisco
  

LOWS

• My best friend Marley died but he is now in kitty heaven
• Slipped into a deep depression and didn't know if I would be happy again
• Got thrown off a horse during my second riding lesson
• I was way too gluttonous

Resolutions Anyone?

Do you all make New Years resolutions?

I always do, and most of the time I break them.

This year, maybe I will make some New Years goals, the sounds better to me for some reason.

Here are just some of mine, hey, there are some things a girl has to keep to herself:

• Drink more water
• Try to work 8 hours a day (I have been cutting them short lately with long lunches)
• Drink more champagne
• Recycle more than I already do
• Do something creative every single day
• Update my Blog more often

These just scratch the surface and are pretty easy, so I think I will be OK keeping up with them. I have some others that are a little more challenging but I don't want to post them because if I don't keep to them, I will be the only one that knows. HA!

Cupcake Crime!

It being the end of the year, I decide to live it up a little and get myself a cupcake for dessert after lunch.

Well, I get to the office and unload my car and as I start to walk away the spaceship looking plastic container in which my cupcake is nestled starts to take off and before I know it, it crashed to the ground. Like butter on bread, you know it landed frosting side down, poor little sprinkles got mashed into the concrete by the lump of sugary goodness on top.

I decided as soon as it fell it was a message from God telling me I shouldn't have the cupcake anyway, thanks God for covering my ass in times of weakness.

Here is a photo from the scene of the crime.

Happy Holidays

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.
I had a nice and mellow weekend to celebrate Christmas.
Saturday night (Dec. 23) Tim and I did our traditional outing to see the San Francisco Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker. It was wonderful. I got to see two of my favorite dancers dance in the same evening, which doesn't happen sometimes in a full length ballet. It was marvelous. I always get the chills when I see incredible talent right in front of me on stage. I brought my binoculars and felt like it was just me and the dancers in my own little world. It was an amazing night. After the ballet we went to Mel's Diner to get something to eat. All dressed up at a 50's diner is always fun! We went home with dreams of sugarplums dancing in our heads and our bellies full of food.

Christmas Eve, Tim and I went to see Rocky Balboa with his cousin Katie and her husband Mark at the new theatre downtown and then we went to lunch and hung out at our place until about 9:00 PM. We just sat around and talked, the guys played video games and Katie and I sat on the couch chatting it up. She is pregnant so there is a lot of exciting things going on with them. The rest of the evening was Tim and I sneaking around to fill stockings so we could try and surprise each other in the morning.

Christmas, Tim got up and made coffee, etc. I slept in until about 10:00 AM. I called my Mom and Dad and spoke to them for a while and then called friends that I hadn't spoken to on Christmas Eve to wish them a Merry Christmas as well. We ate a pannetone with coffee for breakfast and opened our gifts. We had a lot of stuff to open this year, it was fun, we felt like children. The rest of the day, we snacked, watched TV and hung out and then realized we didn't have any food planned for dinner so I had to make something out of nothing, which, I should mention, I am pretty good at.

Tuesday, back to work, ugh, not fun at all.

Wednesday, took the day off, bad allergies that wiped me out. My jaw is really sore for some reason, I think I slept on it weird or something. The power went out in our house for a couple hours due to the storm winds whipping through the city so I went to Target to make a return and came home and made a Holiday Binder to refer to for next year. Can you say, "DORK?"

Anyway, I am working on finishing up my highs and lows of 2006 list. I have yet to decide if I am going to publish it or not. I know, another dorky thing I am doing. I have to be able to look back and know that I accomplished something. I don't want to waste any time on this planet, there is too much to do in so very little time.

Mom's Kitchen

This photo reminds me of me of baking with my Mom at Christmas time. I don't know how she did it, but I remember she made SO many different kinds of cookies. They were kept in the basement on top of the chest freezer each kind in a tin or tupperware container of their own. My brother and I would to ask how many we could have and then would go down with a napkin and come up with our favorites. Honestly, I don't know how she did it.

Mom, what was your motivation? I need a little of that.

These are the cookies I remember:

• Merry Christmas Cookies (cut out and decorated)
• Thumbprint cookies
• Gingerbread Boys
• Russian Tea Cakes
• Springerle
• Peanut Butter Cookies with a chocolate star
• Fudge with walnuts
• White fudge with cherries and nuts
• Truffles rolled in cocoa powder

I cant remember anymore, but that is a LOT.

On top of the cookies and candy, she made chex mix and strung popcorn and cranberries for the tree PLUS her and my Dad made a gingerbread house and us kids would decorate it.

She is Super Woman!

Katie's World

First I would like to give a shout out to my sister Emily, yesterday was her 22nd Birthday. Happy Birthday Em, I love you and miss you so much. You make me laugh and always know the right thing to say when I need your help, feedback, etc. I hope you had a wonderful day and everyone spoiled you rotten. Hope your finals went by smoothly and you are enjoying your time off before school starts again. You are one step closer to graduation!
I love you!

Wow, I can’t believe that Christmas is this coming weekend! I need to get my shit together and send out some packages. I didn’t even do my cards yet! I am not sure what is wrong with me; I was planning on making the cards and cut things out, but didn’t finish them. I haven’t been very busy, I guess just lazy, like always. My ballet class ended last week so now I have one additional open evening a week until class starts again twice a week in January. I am waiting for confirmation from the school though.

I have been thinking back on the year 2006 and may put together my Top 10 Highs and Lows of the year. I don’t know if I have 10 Highs or Lows though, so it may be just 5 of each. I have a couple weeks still and have not yet decided if I am going to post it. I may embarrass myself too much, but what the heck, right?

Tonight Tim and I are going to make Chex Mix and fudge to send to the Somera’s and Lemke’s for the holidays. It should be fun; there will be some laughing in our kitchen tonight for sure. Once the music starts playing and we start mixing it up, there is no telling what will happen next. Either Wednesday or Thursday I am going to see Grease on the big screen at the Castro theatre. It is sing-a-long Grease so if anyone wants to come with me, let me know. Otherwise, I will be singing “grease is the word” by myself, which will still be fun. I can’t wait to hand jive!

Setting the night on FIRE!

Well, it was a night to remember at the Maltese Club last night. Most all the women were in red including yours truly in red pants and matching red jewelry from my Grandma's jewelry box. Dinner was prime rib (which I didn't eat), pasta and a twice baked potato and what is a Maltese dinner without bread and wine?

I sat with Rose, here on the left, looking fabulous as always. She is the sweetest lady ever and what a fire cracker! She is totally fun and can eat anyone at the club under the table. She clears her plate all the time and asks for more - a woman after my own heart.

After dinner, we had the gift exchange. I was feeling like I didn't have quite enough so I went our before arriving at the club and bought some note cards to add to my french snowflake soaps that were in a really nice box. I put them together in a gift bag and added them to the pile of gifts. There were 40 of us, I was number 39 and Rose was 40, how funny! When I approached to get my gift there was only 2 things left a gift and an envelope (gift card). I let the little girl, Gracie, help me pick so I took the gift. It was a handbag, nice, I like handbags. Rose goes up and takes the last thing and it is a Trader Joe's gift card, CRAP, I should have taken that one! Anyway, it was fun, but the excitement was just about to ignite.

Rose came over to check out the purse that I got and when we unwrapped it from the tissue paper the paper landed on one of the votive candles that were set on the table. The corner of the paper started to flame and the next thing I knew, the entire piece of tissue was a blaze! As the ladies tried to slap the flames out with their hands, I realized I was just sitting there watching it burn wondering if the plastic table cloth was going to catch. I literally was staring at it like Cindy Brady in the episode where she is on TV and cant stop staring at the red light on the television camera. It was so weird. As the women were starting to get concerned about the blaze, Marlene, who was behind me grabbed a cup of water and threw it on the tissue and with the hiss of a steam engine, it was out, but the excitement was not over. Once the flames were extinguished, large pieces of tissue that had turned into ash, the size of quarters but as delicate as butterfly wings came raining down on us as we looked at the sad burned tissue paper on the table as it rested in a pool of water. All dressed in red and jewels the ladies who were trying to snuff out the flames looked at their black soot covered hands and tried to gather themselves. I have never seen a fire put out with such panache and grace in my life. It was amazing! There is nothing like being the new person and lighting the table on fire let me tell you. EVERYONE there knows who I am now! One of the younger members claimed I did it just for attention and the others said maybe I was too hot for the club. We laughed and the incident was forgotten.

The rest of the night was nice. We sat and talked about next year and who the chairperson was going to be for the Women's Committee. No one volunteered so the President, John Stellini appointed a woman named Nimfa (spelling) and guess who is her second in command? ME! Yeah, it will be fun. I love the ladies of the club and they all told me that they are happy to have me as one of the people in charge, they are looking for a change and think someone like me could help out with that. I am looking forward to it.

Anyway, that was my night.

Today I am only at work until about 1:15 PM as I have to go and get a filling replaced. Ugh, do you all know that I am totally scared of the dentist? Well, I am, and I don't want to go, but need to get it over with.

Stay Tuned.

GIANT Update

Again, it has been a while and time has FLOWN by.
Phew!

OK, so last week was a little of a blur. Monday was fine, you know work, all the bosses were here, etc. On my way to work on Tuesday I suddenly realized that I was supposed to have jury duty the entire week. You just basically call in and the computer tells you if you have to show up. I call the city and they tell me, my group hasn’t been called yet and to keep calling the rest of the week. So, I have to go and tell my boss that I messed up my schedule and forgot I may have to go into jury duty. He was cool about it, I mean, really, what can you do…nothing. So, sure enough, I call on Tuesday evening and I have to report on Wednesday morning at 8:30 AM. I was supposed to get my biopsy results at 8:30 and now I have to report to jury duty. I called the doctor and they said just to call them when I can come in. I get to jury duty on Tuesday morning and wait in the room with all of the other unlucky people. Just as I fall asleep, they start calling names, it is now about 10:45 AM. My name is called and we all go up to one of the court rooms. The judge introduces herself and gives us a run down of the case, and starts listing names for the jury box. Then I hear my name, crap! I get to the box and then when 24 people are in place, we have to all answer some questions that are being passed around on a laminated sheet of paper. Name, neighborhood you live in, how long you have been a resident of San Francisco, education, occupation, if you live with any other adults what is their occupation and have you ever had jury duty before and when. After all of that, the attorney’s ask questions that may pertain to the case, does anyone have anything against the police, etc. bad experiences with the police, good experiences with the police. Does anyone not have a drivers license, anyone been incarcerated for driving under the influence, etc. They weed out the outspoken and I remain seated. Great, I have been picked to be on the jury of a traffic case that should last no more than 3 days. First of all, I don’t get paid from my job for it and they don’t give you an opportunity to tell them any of that. Well, I am in, I mind as well enjoy it. So at 11:45 AM they tell us we can go and come back tomorrow (Thursday) at 9:30 AM and the trial will begin. At this point, I am excited to be in the civic center and have the afternoon off. I make my way over to the adult immunization clinic to see if I need any shots for India. Oh, I forgot to mention that, yes, I am going to India at the end of February. I walk into the clinic without an appointment and just my luck, they can take me. So I get a polio booster and a flu shot, nice. I love watching the fluid from the syringe go into my body for some reason, I know, weird. When that is done, I walk over to the main library to use the internet because I don’t have my oral surgeon’s phone number and maybe he can see me this afternoon now that it is open. I get his number and call and sure enough, they can take me at 2:00 PM. I walk from civic center downtown, nice size walk and a little hilly so when I get there, I am sweaty and gross. I need to clean up, my doctor is very nice looking and I don’t want to look like I just “fell off the turnip truck” as my Mom would say. As a matter of fact, my doctor is HOT. I blush when he is looking in my mouth. Ha ha! How much do I love drooling and bleeding all over my doctor…so embarrassing. Anyway, he comes and gets me and first tells me that he is not going to put me in an exam chair, he needs to talk to me in this little private room on the side. He offers me water; I ask if I am going to need it. I mean, what on earth is he going to tell me? So, he then tells me that the biopsy came back stating that the thing he removed was a piece of bone which is very rare. He then admits his love for me and takes me right there on the table, oh, I mean, he then admits that he was a little scared that it was going to be bad news and was relieved when he got the results. So, I was happy and walked out, checked out the kittens in the Macy’s window from the SPCA and got myself a cookie and cappuccino at Neiman Marcus, sat and read my book for a while. I made my way back to Macy’s where Tim picked me up. Before he got to me I called Angela since she had tried me while I was in the store. We spoke for a while and she told me her sister has skin cancer. It rocked me. I felt sick all night. It was a weird day. I mean, I find out I don’t have cancer, but then find out someone very, very close to me has a sister who has cancer. I bring up a photo from my internal brain camera of dinner with her sister years ago, I remember her face and what she wore. I remember that she was cracking me up all night. I know she will get through this, I just feel awful though. Geeze, I would rather it have been me who had to go through that and not a 28 year old beautiful girl. Ugh, things happen for reasons we will never know. She is in my prayers and I know she is going to be fine. Tim and I go out for dinner at Max’s, I pick at my food. We go home; I have a good cry in the bath tub alone and go to bed. I sleep like a baby.

Thursday, I get to the court room and wait for everyone to get there. Why in the world can’t people be on time? You know, the two people that were late were in the Army, if they had been in the Marines they would have been on time! Ha ha, just kidding, well, kind of. So, they start the case and the entire thing in a nutshell without all of my personal input was, there was a man driving with a suspended license and he did not believe that it was suspended. The cop came in and someone from the DMV came in and it was obvious that the man had been notified. The twist was, you knew when he took the stand that he wasn’t right in the head, however, we couldn’t take that into consideration since it was not mentioned in the courtroom and was not on record. He was found guilty. The trial lasted a day and I was back to work the next day. Oh, one additional thing, I did have a nice lunch at Max’s (yes, I ate there again). I had a big salad and a glass of wine and sat next to a very vivacious 70 year old who was on her way to the symphony. She told me retirement is great and we got to talking and she knows one of my neighbors and was also familiar with the newsletter my aunt use to print when she was out here in the early 70’s. She was a librarian and was really active in the women’s movement. Super cool lady!

Friday, I went back to work and tried to catch up. It takes forever. Friday night I went to see my dear friend Sara’s calendar on display at San Francisco Center for the Book. It was an entire calendar show, it was fabulous and Tim and I did some Christmas shopping.

Saturday, I ran errands and then it was Apache time! We had to ride inside because it was pouring rain outside and thundering. The horses in the stable were acting very strange that night due to the weather, one kept knocking his foot against the side of his stall. Apache did really well. Learning the mechanics of a horse is not easy. Learning his idiosyncrasies is the hardest thing in the world. He bolted once, I just held on. I love him so much. We shared an apple after my ride. I would take a bite and then put it in my hand and he would eat it while I took a bite for myself. I love to spoil him. I walked him back to his stall in the rain and he slipped on one foot, it freaked me out, but I calmed when I realized he really didn’t even notice he slipped. When we got to his stall, I went in with him and took off his halter and kissed him on the nose and told him he was very good and I loved him. I shut the door and hung over the gate for a while and talked to him while we ate carrots.

Sunday, we put up our Christmas tree and cleaned house a bit so we could make room for the holiday décor. I usually change out my dishes and everything but didn’t do that this time. It was too much. Maybe next year. Our tree is plain and simple just like I like it. Bay-Lee is having fun trying to figure out why we have a tree in the house which is cute. He keeps trying to get on the table with the little tree but he can’t fit up there anymore.

Monday late afternoon after an offsite meeting in the city with AG (my boss). I went to SF MOMA to check out the Phil Collins video art installation (not Phil Collins from down under, the other one from the UK, the artist). He put up ads in Istanbul for a Smith’s Karaoke night and he filmed it. It is hilarious. It is like a train wreck, I got totally sucked in. It is worth checking out and good from some laughs. I also went to check out the Keifer exhibit, it was almost too dark for me, if that is it all possible. Lack of color and made me feel empty, blank and dark. It is called Heaven and Earth. It is interesting to read about his work though. My favorite besides the Phil Collins thing was the Alexander Girard exhibit, he used to design for Herman Miller, so things were very modern and colorful. It was a really nice way to finish off the day.

Now it is Wednesday. Tonight is the Women’s Committee Christmas Dinner and Gift Exchange at the Maltese American Social Club. Phew, that was a lot to get out. It should be fun. I am taking my camera, I hope to get some good shots.

I will be better about writing more often. Sorry to all my blog fans of which I am sure there are thousands, NOT!

Love you all!
The Maltese Kat

Pain in the jaw...

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was fabulous up on the Sonoma Coast. I didn't want to come back into the big bad city but really had no other choice. It was nice to hang with friends and cook together.

Monday back at work everyone was asking about everyone else's Thanksgiving, etc. It is fun to hear how other people celebrate the holidays.

Tuesday, I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. I had just been there in May and thought I had a corn chip caught in my gum in the back of my mouth so he looked at it and said he thought I had gotten it all out and it looked clean and should close up. Well, when he got in there this time, it didn't close up, it got bigger! There was a hole in my gum between my two back teeth with something sharp inside (I could feel it with my tongue). The hygienist cleaned my teeth and then took me to the oral surgeon on the floor above them. The oral surgeon looked at it, took some photos and x-rays and then told me he would have to cut it out, whatever it was. It was moving a little when he poked it with is poker tool, but was stuck to my jaw bone on one side. He told me he needed to do a biopsy. I told him to knock me out and go for it if he had time. Gosh, I was hoping he had time, the element of surprise is ALWAYS better for me when it comes to this stuff. I didn't want to have to come back and have it done. I would be sick until then because I am so scared of the dentist. Thank God, he had time. He numbed me with Novocain and then got the scapul and cut my gum between my two back teeth. He pulled a bit with the forceps/tweezers and then showed me this rock that was growing on my jaw bone. It was the size of a tic-tac with sharp edges and hard as a stone. He made sure he had everything by taking a file and rubbing it against my bone and then packed me with gauze and told me to come back in a week for the pathology report. I got excused from work for two days but only took the one. I was traumatized, went home and slept and took a lot of Advil. Yesterday I was still sore, but not enough to stay home. Today, I feel almost back to normal. The mouth heals pretty fast. I am just waiting for the hole to close up.

Life is an adventure isn't it? You never know what is going to get thrown in your path. I love it. I think we have better coping skills when things hit us by surprise, it forces you to be in the moment and go with the flow - at least it does for me. If I would have had to make an appointment for the biopsy later in the week, I would have been so nervous about getting in the chair, it would have been awful. I dont like the dentist, although I am starting to come around because mine is so nice and hot too!

My one regret is that the entire time I had my camera in my purse and I didn't get one photo to document the ordeal. Well, maybe next time.

Keep on flossing!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving.

I am excited about this year. Tim and I are renting a house with 2 other couples and their dogs and are going to spend Wednesday - Saturday together. The house is up north on the Sonoma coast and I hope the weather is good. If not, we have plenty to do indoors.

I am looking forward to getting out of the city and spending time with my friends.

We have quite a spread planned for the big day and I think it is going to be fun to be in the kitchen with everyone drinking, singing and dancing. I hope the three girls don't get on the three guys nerves! We are pretty loud.

Anyway, happy trails and enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Remember all of the things you have to be thankful for.