Little Miss Sunshine

Go and see it ASAP!
Wendy and I saw it on Tueday after work and laughed our asses off through the entire movie.
I highly recommmed it and give it an around the world and back snap with both hands!

Musical Memories

I heard a piece of music this weekend on the local classical station (KDFC) that took me back to third grade. We had a music teacher, Mrs. Fish (no joke) and she made us put our heads down on our desks and listen to a piece of music and then the next time she played it we had to draw what we thought that music was about. She played it over and over for the next two music classes and we completed our works of art. My drawing (in crayon of course) was a witch and a skeleton and leaves blowing around them from a big tree in the background, there was also a full moon in the right hand corner of the picture, the background was dark blue. I always remembered the music and what I drew but hadn’t heard the music again until last Saturday, 24 years later and it all came rushing back. The music is called Danse Macabre Op. 40 (Camille Saint-Saens). The funny thing is, I never knew it was the dance of death and I drew something sort of like that which I think it sort of weird.

I think it is so wonderful how music can instantly take you back somewhere that otherwise you may have forgotten about. Music is very emotional, timeless and beautiful that way. It touches our souls and brings things back into our consciousness without invitation most of the time.

Weekend...

The weekend is here! Time for rest and play. Actually, I have quite a few things planned this weekend. Today, I went to Tiburon for lunch with Heather and walked around a bit. Our plan was to go to Muir Woods and have lunch and hike a bit until we saw all the signs telling us that the parking lot was full. So we went to lunch insted in Tiburon. It was beautiful outside, not a cloud in sight.
Anyway, tomorrow, laundry, yoga and then brunch with Kristine and Sara at Cafe Gratitude followed by cleaning house a little. Before I know it, the weekend will be over and I will be back at work again.
Well, nothing but a quick update from here!
Love you all!
Stay tuned...

Aint No Sunshine When She's Gone...

Emily left last night. My long weekend is over and I am back in the real world, ugh. We had a wonderful weekend though.

Friday we got massages and walked around downtown. Our horseback riding got cancelled (so sad) due to the ranch having 27 kids there for summer camp - yikes! While downtown we saw some New Orleans style jazz music and had lunch. We went out for Vietnamese food that night with Tim and drank Vietnamese beer.

Saturday we went out to brunch (strawberry pancakes, yummy) and headed down the coast to Half Moon Bay. It was foggy on and off throughout the day, enough sun to get some color on our skin though. Em and I slept for a while on the beach and Tim woke us up at 6:00 PM because it was getting cold and foggy. We went to Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. and ate out on the patio (beer battered artichoke hearts...soooo good) and had some cocktails. There was some live music by a local band called The Cowlicks, it was alternative country and really fun music. We headed back to the city and went to bed shortly after arriving home.

Sunday, Angela drove in from Sacramento and we went to Haight Street to walk, shop and eat lunch. We went to a Mediterranean place where we sat on the floor and ate a delicious mix of grape leaves, olives, pita, falafel and hummus. It was a nice mellow day. Angela left around 5:00 PM and Tim went out and got burritos for Em and I while we stayed home and made hemp seed organic brownies - they were awesome.

Monday, woke up late because Bay-Lee was being cuddly and I didn't want to get up because it is rare that he is like that. Anyway, when I got up, Emily was up already so we got dressed and drove up the coast to Point Reyes Station for lunch and little retail therapy. I found some cool stuff for my house and we had lunch at a place called Rosie's Cowboy Cookhouse. We shared Fried Green Tomatoes that were to die for. They had a really light cornmeal crust on them and were topped with corn salsa. We spent an hour or two walking around and taking photos on the coast until we had to head back to the city. We arrived at home and I got out a second suitcase for Em (for all her new stuff) and packed her up. When Tim came home we went to Moki's for the last dinner and enjoyed some sushi, followed by a vegan ice cream sundae at Maggie Mudd's. We dropped Em off at the airport afterwards. So sad to see her leave but all good things must come to an end.

It was a wonderful long weekend spent with my favorite person, my sister. I can't wait until the next time we can spend time together. I feel whole when I am with her. She makes me laugh like none other and I can be myself with no judgments PLUS she calls me on all of my shit all of the time. No one can do that like a sister, they know you better than anyone. It can hurt at times, but deep inside you know she is right. I do the same for her, I am the reality check.



Well, back to my regular schedule this week, yoga tomorrow, Thursday and Friday to make up for missing class over the last week. Now it is time to focus on my Malta trip coming up very soon!
Stay tuned...

Mellow Night

Yesterday, Emily came to my office in the afternoon. It was so funny because I didn't know when she was going to arrive (she was on the bus) and I got this weird feeling that she might be here and once I walked into the lobby she was getting off the elevator. You know when you have a wire with someone or a line? Like you are on the same wave length? Emily and I are totally like that, it is great. She hung out with me at work for the last 2 hours of my day and then we left and went to Yoga. I was trying to be serious about my practice last night but there was one moment that we almost started laughing because we had to face each other in a pose. The class was nice and mellow but challenging at the same time. Emily loved it. I was so happy to share my yoga practice with her, it is a very personal thing to me and something I generally do alone for myself, it is my escape. After class we went to Cafe Gratitude (http://www.withthecurrent.com/cafe.html). It was so hard to make a decision about what to order because everything there is so damn good. We got a Caesar salad, pizza and nachos and for dessert - chocolate mousse pie and strawberry cheesecake (it is all raw and vegan and INCREDIBLE).
Tonight...Baraka at the Castro and dinner at Nirvana or somewhere else fun! I am off tomorrow and Monday but we have some great plans. Tomorrow, massages in the morning and the afternoon is kind of open. Saturday, beach day with Tim (Half Moon Bay). Sunday, Angela (the third sister) is coming to visit from Sacramento and we are going to Haight Street for lunch and shopping. Monday, hiking in Point Reyes and lunch on the coast somewhere. Emily leaves on Monday night - boo hoo! Her visit is already going by WAY too fast.
Anyway, until my next update...

Ha Ha Ha He He He Ho Ho Ho

So, last night Emily, Wendy and I went to Laughing Meditation. It is basically some asanas, chanting and meditation followed by conscious laughter for 15-20 minutes. The class was the largest I have ever seen (I have taken it a couple times before with Wendy). At first some folks have trouble getting into it, but once you start laughing, it is hard to stop. The laughter is followed by a short silent meditation and closing chants but the best thing is, the instructor has trouble stopping her laughter and once all of us are silent it is guaranteed someone is going to giggle and then the entire room roars again. It took about 4 attempts last night to get us all settled. It is great therapy to get things out, I laugh so hard I cry and that makes me laugh even harder not to mention it is a great ab workout. The people this class attracts are from all walks of life, it is incredible some of things we witnessed last night. I won't give any examples though, I want to be a good yogi. Emily liked the asana part more than the laughing and is looking forward to our regular yoga class tonight.
Following all of the laughing, we went to Herbivore (http://www.herbivore-restaurant.com/) for dinner where Emily showed Wendy and I how long her tongue is by sticking it in her nose. Insane! The laughter continued through our dinner and dessert (vegan carrot cake with vanilla soy ice cream).
All together, it was a great night!
Yoga tonight and dinner at Cafe Gratitude, update tomorrow, stay tuned...

The Em is back in town!

Emily arrived last night so with that said, I should either have exciting things to write this week or nothing at all due to the fact that I may be so tired that I can't type.

Last night we went to Moki's (Tim, Em and I) and had some yummy sushi and a wonderful molten bittersweet chocolate cake. We had many laughs, I can't believe how silly things get when we are together. We feed off of each other for sure. Tonight the plan is to go to Laughing Meditation and dinner at Herbivore with Wendy. I will give an update about that tomorrow. I am sure my stomach is going to be sore from laughing so hard tonight.

One more day

I vote for one more day!
I just need one more day on the weekends to get everything I want to get done, done. I need at least 2 days to sleep in, relax and play and one day to get my chores done. I know it sounds luxurious, but it is true. It seems that by the time Sunday evening rolls around, I am ready to work, clean, launder, etc. and it is too late or time to get to bed. Does that happen to anyone else?

Great Food in Bernal Heights

Went out last night with Angela in my neighborhood and I can't believe that I hadn't been to Little Nepal yet! It was delicious. If you are in the area, check it out. They have wonderful vegan and vegetarian selections. For dessert, Maggie Mudd is always a treat - we split a Sundae 101 with strawberry and cookies and cream ice cream, chocolate sauce, almonds, vegan whipped cream and of course colored sprinkles!

http://www.littlenepalsf.com/
http://www.maggiemudd.com/index.asp

Water

Below is from a fun card I have at my desk as a reminder to drink more water - enjoy!

DRINK!
Whenever you feel tired, drink lots of water. Fatigue is a common symptom of dehydration.

The World's Easiest Diet...
You will feel better if you eat well.

• Snack on fruit or nuts whenever you're hungry.
• Order a salad with your meal.
• Once in a while, eat light.
• Skip the quick fixes like sugar and caffeine.
• Drink herbal tea.

Most important of all: Use your lunch time like a meditation. No calls or typing while you eat!

Energize Your Soul

I went to yoga last night and felt such a great surge of energy afterwards, a calm warm energy, not hyper and full of anxiety or anything like that. It was like I was wrapped in a warm blanket of light energizing my soul.
In today's world it seems like we don't have time to take for ourselves. I think it is so important to do something for yourself, your soul, every day. Whether it is writing in your journal, walking your dog(s), practicing yoga or whatever makes you happy. Do something silent, for you and only you. Try to stay in the present and really "be" in the moment. It will energize you in ways you never imagined. It is so nice to cut everyone out for even just 30 minutes each day - try it, turn your phone off and take time for yourself, you will be happy you did.

Lazy Sunday

I had the perfect Sunday.
Got up and did laundry. Caught up socially with phone calls. Clipped Bay-Lee's nails. Went to lunch with Tim. Walked around Target (to shop and burn off lunch) and went home. The rest of the afternoon, I flipped through magazines and watched TV (listened to it). I watched an incredible show on Discovery Health called, A New Face for Marlie - I can't believe what doctors are able to do, miracle workers, I swear. Check it out if you can!

Sorry this is a boring update - I am kind of boring lately. I miss Snickers terribly, don't get me started. My instructor has not returned my 3 calls from a week and a half ago. I don't want to stalk her, but want to ride again soon! It makes me sad to be away from the horses. I love them.

One...Singular Sensation

I went and saw A Chorus Line with this weekend and it was awesome! You know, they did the casting for the revival here in San Francisco and the cast is wonderful. It is running here before Broadway. I was a little scared they would change it too much, you know, "modernize" but they didn't. Everything from the leotards, clothing and gold lame suits were unchanged.
I laughed, I cried, I highly recommend it to everyone but especially to my friends that have been to a cattle call and have not seen it yet.

PS - Leotard is not on the spell checker on Blogger, what up with that?

Shake...Rattle and Roll...

Did anyone feel the earthquake last night?
I did, thanks to Wendy. We were on the telephone and well, this is how it went:
"Hold on Katie, we are having an earthquake."
"No we aren't..."
"Yeah, just now, when it happened I was walking right under the door to the utility room."
"No way."
"Yeah"
"Oh, hold on Wendy, we are having an earthquake now."
I was sitting on the bed while the room rumbled slightly and that was it. We both laughed at how weird it was and how it had traveled down to San Francisco from Napa in a number of seconds. It was a 4.4 based in Sonoma between Santa Rosa and Petaluma. We made a pact that we have to be each others warning system in case it ever happens like that again, but what are the odds? It was very strange. Bay-Lee was playing around like nothing happened while Wendy's cat Gus lowered to the floor trying to hold on, she said he had been acting strange. I vote for Gus as the new earthquake warning system.

Still in High School

Last night I dreamt that I was still in High School and I was not going to graduate due to skipping my science class too much. I was so worried and I didn't know how to tell my parents, but then I was thinking it wouldn't be so bad to stay in High School either (ugh, can you imagine?). I was running around trying to get projects done and each time I went to my locker I couldn't remember my locker combination. Arg! Why in the world would all of that decide to invade my sleep? It isn't the first time I have had that dream either. Very strange. Had to share.

Super Millet Balls

1 cup uncooked millet
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup corn syrup (if you eat honey you can mix 50/50 honey and corn syrup)
1/2 cup dried coconut
1/2 cup dried currents
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

• Cook millet for 30 minutes, covered, in 3 - 4 cups boiling water; let stand (still covered) for 15 minutes
• Heat corn syrup and peanut butter over low heat until mixture is uniform and slightly runny
• Stir in 3 cups cooked millet
• Stir in remaining ingredients
• Form into bite-size balls and chill

I know these sound really hippy dippy, but they are good. As always, you can use what seeds and nut butters you have at home. I like to use chopped, dried cranberries instead of currents too. Mix it up and have fun.

I would be interested if these are heat proof - I was thinking they would be a good hiking snack, but not sure how they would hold up.

Maximizing Summer Reading!

Ever since elementary school I have always upped the ante on reading books over the summer. This summer I have been trading in used books with the local used book store. I recently discovered their tiny selection of books on tape (or CD) and thought, why the heck not? On top of the current book I am reading (Shanghai Diary) I am also reading (listening to) another book! The trick is to get them so different from each other so you can't get them confused. It is fabulous and makes me look forward to my commute every day. By the end of this week, I will have one more book checked off my list. Another trick is to make sure the narrator is a good one. I know it is hard to tell sometimes. The best luck I have had is when the author is reading it or an actor - the one I have now is read by Kathy Najimy, who is wonderful.

Nothing will ever replace reading a great book, the paper, the print, the smell, and your imagination are all you need to escape from reality for a while.

The power of a book is amazing but why not mix it up and get some fun books on tape?

Museum Trio

I went to the Legion of Honor this weekend to meet up with Angela and Jan (we are the Museum Trio) to check out the Monet in Normandy exhibit. The art and the company were amazing as always. I think the thing I like best at museums, is checking out people's expressions when they are looking at the exhibits. Whether they are squinting to take in every brush stroke or their mouths are hanging wide open and they look like they are thinking "how did he do that?" I love it. What is the art saying to them I wonder. Art touches people in so many ways and speaks to some of us and does not say a word to others. It was nice to see mothers with their daughters, some of them not speaking but letting the art bridge the communication gap between them. It is nice to go to the museum with non-critical people, just a couple normal gals enjoying each others company looking at art without trying to analyze every piece. I just want to look and enjoy.

It was great day, we ate lunch at the museum, which is always wonderful and when we were done walking around we went out for cake and coffee (tea for me). Conversations with these two women are always great and filled with laughter. Jan amazes me with how many places she has visited around the globe. The stories of her journeys and her zest for travel are inspiring. Angela and her energetic go-get-em attitude rocks my world, she puts my anxiety to rest and reminds me of the power of positive thinking.

If you have a day with nothing to do, check out your local art museum, it won't let you down. I promise you will see at least one thing that will amaze and perhaps inspire you.

The FOG is back!

The fog is back and the hot weather in the city is over for the time being, or at least it is by the time I get home from work. The city is weird without the fog. As much as it blocks out the sun in the late afternoon, it also keeps us cool under it's white fluffy blanket. Fortunately, in my neighborhood it burns off before it reaches us but we still get the cooling effect, I love it.
I thought of this quote a while ago and it comes to mind now while I watch the fog engulf the city.
"The fog is the icing that holds the layer cakes of the city together"

Grandma Visits Dreamland

I had the most lovely dream last night. My Mom, Dad and I went to pick up my Grandma from the nursing home to take her out to an antique mall. Not sure if all of you know, but my Grandma (Nettie Jane) passed away January 2001 and visits me occasionally in my sleep, I love it. We went to the door of her room to pick her up, as we approached she opened the door and was wearing a really cool pair of modern slim jeans, black vans and a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She greeted us with the exuberance I remember she had when I was a child. She always had a ready to take on the world and life is too short attitude. Her face was the same as it was the last time I saw her in life, but she was up and moving around. She had a tote bag slung over her shoulder and told us to get the show on the road. Well, the rest of us couldn't believe our eyes. She was up and walking, even skipping about with excitement about our outing! We asked her what happened because the last time we were there to visit her she couldn't get out of bed and she had been using a walker or a wheelchair for almost 10 years. She said she woke up and felt great and "this is how I am now". Stunned, we proceeded to the antique mall and it was actually the market I go to in Saigon, but it was all American and filled to the gills with great antiques. Each dealer had an elaborately decorated entrance into their stall. Some with narrow Moroccan doors you had to squeeze through, others with old, heavy velvet curtains pulled aside for our entry. We weaved in and out checking out all of the wares. My Grandma was so sassy swinging her bag and dancing around exaggerating the swivel of her hips with the beat of the old music that was playing. It was one of the best dreams I have had in a while. I love that she visits me in my sleep, I love that I can still have conversations with her. Her spirit is alive in me and that makes me so happy.