Oops, I forgot to mention that in my last blog. Happy New Year to all!
For good reason, 2007 was not an awesome year for us (despite the Japan trip)... so we've got our fingers crossed for a ROCKIN' 2008.
Cheers and Salute!
Hugs,
LG
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
I also heart BC
I wish I had remembered to bring the cord that connects our camera to this computer. Cuz damn, this place is awesome and you should see it. We arrived in Vancouver on January 1, 2008 (yeah baby!), spent a day and half there, ate well at my new local favorite restaurant (I'm sure next time we come back I'll have new favs), and today we drove up to Whistler, BC.
Once again, I heart Canada. This time, I particularly heart British Columbia. I could seriously live here. And to be honest, we most likely will at some point. Vancouver is so West Coast-minded, it's ridiculous. More so than the Peninsula. Garbage bags in the City are made of biodegradable materials. All of the taxis are Prius hybrids. And there are TONS of Asians of all sorts. I would never be deprived of my comfort foods like Pho, udon and hot soba. Nor would I miss the charming broken English of my Japanese and Vietnamese servers. There's more Korean than we have close to our current house. Best dolmas I've had since we ate with BT and hubby a few weeks ago. The best hummus EVAR. It's ridiculous. AND and up-and-coming wine industry. Hells to the yeah.
Now we are in Whistler. And despite the fact that our porter dropped my beloved laptop in the snow when he unloaded our car (GASP!), I heart this hotel and our room!! This place is insanely perfect. It has an iHome deck in our loft/bedroom upstairs so we can blast our favorite music while drinking some local BC wines we picked up at Liberty Wines (recommended by our waiter at RainCity Grill last night) and reading my latest book. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
I am seriously in heaven right now. Today's agenda? Chill over breakfast over Dutch pancakes, take a bathtub-sized ferry to Granville Island,
Once again, I heart Canada. This time, I particularly heart British Columbia. I could seriously live here. And to be honest, we most likely will at some point. Vancouver is so West Coast-minded, it's ridiculous. More so than the Peninsula. Garbage bags in the City are made of biodegradable materials. All of the taxis are Prius hybrids. And there are TONS of Asians of all sorts. I would never be deprived of my comfort foods like Pho, udon and hot soba. Nor would I miss the charming broken English of my Japanese and Vietnamese servers. There's more Korean than we have close to our current house. Best dolmas I've had since we ate with BT and hubby a few weeks ago. The best hummus EVAR. It's ridiculous. AND and up-and-coming wine industry. Hells to the yeah.
Now we are in Whistler. And despite the fact that our porter dropped my beloved laptop in the snow when he unloaded our car (GASP!), I heart this hotel and our room!! This place is insanely perfect. It has an iHome deck in our loft/bedroom upstairs so we can blast our favorite music while drinking some local BC wines we picked up at Liberty Wines (recommended by our waiter at RainCity Grill last night) and reading my latest book. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
I am seriously in heaven right now. Today's agenda? Chill over breakfast over Dutch pancakes, take a bathtub-sized ferry to Granville Island,
grab lunch at Granville Public Market (of said hummus, dolmas, fresh french baguette)
And drive up to Whistler with M after a long, leisurely walk along the beach of English Bay. I heart British Columbia*.
*Even though I despise the British dude I saw at lunch yesterday eating a bento box with a FORK AND KNIFE and then finish off the meal PICKING THE CRAP OUT OF THIS TEETH WITH HIS UNUSED CHOPSTICKS. Sick.*
I will definitely share pics when I get home. You must come here with us next time. It is amazing. GOOD food, lovely wine, amazing views. Oh wait, you'll just have to visit us when we MOVE HERE.
I will definitely share pics when I get home. You must come here with us next time. It is amazing. GOOD food, lovely wine, amazing views. Oh wait, you'll just have to visit us when we MOVE HERE.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Cirque du Soleil
Hm. Now that I think of it, perhaps I understated our gift situation. We did get and give some pretty cool gifts. For my birthday, or part of it, M took me to Kooza in the city on Friday night, Tapis Rouge style. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Maybe it was because I've never seen a Cirque du Soleil production before, but I was seriously in awe the entire time.
My personal favs were the super-stretchy contortionist trio, who rocked it every which way to Sunday and the Wheel of Death guys. You could tell they got a serious high (and ego boost) from that performance. It was awesome. I also thought the "chorus" folks (or whatever the acrobat version of that term may be) were unbelievable!
I'm glad we splurged for the Tapis Rouge as well. Cuz there ain't nothing like seeing some trippy Cirque du Soleil acrobats with a glass of red wine in my hands and some yummy appetizers and desserts in my belly. Plus we had reserved parking (which turned out to be key because the Emerald Bowl was at At&t park that same night) and our own little VIP area to pee and escape the crowds. Emphasis on "own place to pee."
If you do have the chance to see this show before it leaves the Bay Area, I highly recommend it. It's quite a steal, especially since most of the time you have to go to Vegas to see it and pay for a hotel or whatnot during your stay, and it's just so effin' cool.
And funny side note: we once again ran into a couple we know for the 3rd time, completely randomly, in at least 4 months. The guy, V, I used to work with at Big Law firm A. He's now dating a woman who, for the past 3 events we've seen her at, never really spoke to us directly, even when spoken to. And Friday, for some reason, she hugged us both when we saw each other at the Tapis Rouge tent and conversed normally. Hm. Odd.
M chalked it up to "maybe the last few times we saw them they had just had a fight or something." I dunno. It was just wierd. It's even wierder that we keep running into them at places we have in common--Cal football games (pre-game or at the actual game) and events like Kooza. But then again, the legal community in the Bay Area is quite small and three of the four of us are lawyers. And V does love to talk up the pilot business with M. So it's all good.
Wintermute, I hope you start feeling better soon! BT, good to see you both tonight.
Salute!
My personal favs were the super-stretchy contortionist trio, who rocked it every which way to Sunday and the Wheel of Death guys. You could tell they got a serious high (and ego boost) from that performance. It was awesome. I also thought the "chorus" folks (or whatever the acrobat version of that term may be) were unbelievable!
I'm glad we splurged for the Tapis Rouge as well. Cuz there ain't nothing like seeing some trippy Cirque du Soleil acrobats with a glass of red wine in my hands and some yummy appetizers and desserts in my belly. Plus we had reserved parking (which turned out to be key because the Emerald Bowl was at At&t park that same night) and our own little VIP area to pee and escape the crowds. Emphasis on "own place to pee."
If you do have the chance to see this show before it leaves the Bay Area, I highly recommend it. It's quite a steal, especially since most of the time you have to go to Vegas to see it and pay for a hotel or whatnot during your stay, and it's just so effin' cool.
And funny side note: we once again ran into a couple we know for the 3rd time, completely randomly, in at least 4 months. The guy, V, I used to work with at Big Law firm A. He's now dating a woman who, for the past 3 events we've seen her at, never really spoke to us directly, even when spoken to. And Friday, for some reason, she hugged us both when we saw each other at the Tapis Rouge tent and conversed normally. Hm. Odd.
M chalked it up to "maybe the last few times we saw them they had just had a fight or something." I dunno. It was just wierd. It's even wierder that we keep running into them at places we have in common--Cal football games (pre-game or at the actual game) and events like Kooza. But then again, the legal community in the Bay Area is quite small and three of the four of us are lawyers. And V does love to talk up the pilot business with M. So it's all good.
Wintermute, I hope you start feeling better soon! BT, good to see you both tonight.
Salute!
Happy holidays indeed
Like BT, this is the most drama-free and pleasant holiday season we've had to date. We went to the Sacramento area for 3 days and barely left my parent's house during daylight hours except to go to lunch at this new fabulous restaurant in town with my family for my birthday. We biked around Folsom Lake, I made cookies for a twin-carrying pregnant friend who has been on bedrest for 8 weeks, I also made homemade pasta & bolognese sauce for Christmas Eve. My mom made a yummy sukiyaki dish for Christmas dinner which we enjoyed with M's mom and her husband (who again behaved himself!). Then I served a delightfully light dessert on Christmas night to round out the nice & light Japanese dinner. We read books & newspapers, went to a movie, shared our Japan pictures, swapped stories, etc. All in all, it was a refreshing break from tradition (no turkey, no crazy presents, and no DRAMA!)
It's almost unbelievable how smooth things went. Especially considering [1] last year's horrific Christmas with M's father's side of the family in Florida and [2] the history between me & M and our crazy mothers.
On top of it all, M and I recieved some very cool gifts (mine were a mix of birthday and Christmas presents and this year it totally worked out!). M got the cold weather biking/running gear he wanted, I recieved the awesome-est vaccuum cleaner EVAR, my sweet brother gave me a gorgeous collection of L'Occitane stuff (all in lavendar because he's been reading my blog, doh!). And M and I, while deciding not to get each other traditional Christmas gifts, just purchased our combined Christmas gift yesterday. Of course he and G spent half the day installing it and connecting all our gear (meaning crap like an Xbox, DVD player and a reciever we've had in our garage for months but couldn't use because our old TV had *literally* one cable plug in the back of it).
Funny story: My mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. We don't need anything really, but just so she had something to look for ('cuz she loves that), I told her I wanted a set red wine glasses and champagne flutes. Y'all know, if you've been to our house and drank wine (and who hasn't?!) that we commonly use tasting glasses from wineries. One, because we are aware that wine glasses break all the time. And two, because we don't have anything in between tasting glasses and crystal from our wedding to serve wine in.
So, she goes and gets them. Searches high and low for red wine glasses (although they are technically from my brother, but because he flew up here for Christmas, my mom "helped" with this shopping a bit). And she finally finds what I'm looking for . . . Red-COLORED wine glasses. No joke. And red-COLORED champagne flutes. You should have seen my face when I opened the box. Total confusion. HUH? BT's mom would have loved these, they were so festive. For Christmas. But for everyday drinking glasses? Not so much.
Clearly my mom isn't a wine drinker. M's mom thought it was hilarious. She was like, "oh geez, I coulda told you that's not what she was lookin' for!"
In any case, cheers! Hope you all have a perfect NYE, whether that be rockin' it Times Square style or layin' low with close friends at a small house gathering.
Looking forward to a great 2008!
It's almost unbelievable how smooth things went. Especially considering [1] last year's horrific Christmas with M's father's side of the family in Florida and [2] the history between me & M and our crazy mothers.
On top of it all, M and I recieved some very cool gifts (mine were a mix of birthday and Christmas presents and this year it totally worked out!). M got the cold weather biking/running gear he wanted, I recieved the awesome-est vaccuum cleaner EVAR, my sweet brother gave me a gorgeous collection of L'Occitane stuff (all in lavendar because he's been reading my blog, doh!). And M and I, while deciding not to get each other traditional Christmas gifts, just purchased our combined Christmas gift yesterday. Of course he and G spent half the day installing it and connecting all our gear (meaning crap like an Xbox, DVD player and a reciever we've had in our garage for months but couldn't use because our old TV had *literally* one cable plug in the back of it).
Funny story: My mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. We don't need anything really, but just so she had something to look for ('cuz she loves that), I told her I wanted a set red wine glasses and champagne flutes. Y'all know, if you've been to our house and drank wine (and who hasn't?!) that we commonly use tasting glasses from wineries. One, because we are aware that wine glasses break all the time. And two, because we don't have anything in between tasting glasses and crystal from our wedding to serve wine in.
So, she goes and gets them. Searches high and low for red wine glasses (although they are technically from my brother, but because he flew up here for Christmas, my mom "helped" with this shopping a bit). And she finally finds what I'm looking for . . . Red-COLORED wine glasses. No joke. And red-COLORED champagne flutes. You should have seen my face when I opened the box. Total confusion. HUH? BT's mom would have loved these, they were so festive. For Christmas. But for everyday drinking glasses? Not so much.
Clearly my mom isn't a wine drinker. M's mom thought it was hilarious. She was like, "oh geez, I coulda told you that's not what she was lookin' for!"
In any case, cheers! Hope you all have a perfect NYE, whether that be rockin' it Times Square style or layin' low with close friends at a small house gathering.
Looking forward to a great 2008!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
I just finished this book and absolutely loved it. If you read Kite Runner by the same author and felt slighted, fear not. This book is far better than its predecessor. I'll edit out my spoiler comments (I keep a running log of my thoughts of books I've read on the previously-mentioned Book Challenge list I have).
THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I wasn't able to put this book down; a good sign when I can't turn out the light at 2am because I need to know what happens with the characters. This book is a tale of two women’s lives who seemingly have totally separate existences but eventually come to be key forces in each other's lives. Mariam, a woman born a bastard whose father abandons her and gives her away in marriage to a horrible man in Kabul a few weeks after a tragic event in her life. And Laila, a woman 20 years her junior, born into a well-educated family in Kabul, who finds love in her childhood friend, Tariq, but ends up being separated from him because of the wars and unconscionable violence in Afghanistan from the 80’s on. I loved how the author incorporated so much history in a way that didn't bore me to tears. I also loved how the author reminded me of young love, something I experienced myself, but in far different circumstances. It was so intelligently written, so heartfelt. I absolutely fell in love with these characters. While it does wrap up a tad nicely, it's a lovely story I will definitely pass on.
THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I wasn't able to put this book down; a good sign when I can't turn out the light at 2am because I need to know what happens with the characters. This book is a tale of two women’s lives who seemingly have totally separate existences but eventually come to be key forces in each other's lives. Mariam, a woman born a bastard whose father abandons her and gives her away in marriage to a horrible man in Kabul a few weeks after a tragic event in her life. And Laila, a woman 20 years her junior, born into a well-educated family in Kabul, who finds love in her childhood friend, Tariq, but ends up being separated from him because of the wars and unconscionable violence in Afghanistan from the 80’s on. I loved how the author incorporated so much history in a way that didn't bore me to tears. I also loved how the author reminded me of young love, something I experienced myself, but in far different circumstances. It was so intelligently written, so heartfelt. I absolutely fell in love with these characters. While it does wrap up a tad nicely, it's a lovely story I will definitely pass on.
Books
I love books. Sometimes I forget how much I do, but then I think back to how hardcore I was when I was a kid. A few examples . . .
In elementary school on summer breaks between 4th, 5th and 6th grade, my school had a Reading Challenge. For every hundred pages read, each student's rocket would move along in space on the big bulletin board in the hallway. I don't really recall how the powers that be kept track of our reading during the summer, but that wasn't really my concern. My concern was that my rocket ship moved the farthest, fastest. So I read. And read. And read. My rocket ship went around the solar system 3 times that summer. And I thought that was so cool.
Not nerdy enough? M likes this one . . .
On long car rides as a kid (back when we did vacations Griswold-style) I would read the whole way. My parents must have loved that, come to think of it. I would read during all the daylight hours on the road and squint during sunset. And when it got dark I would raise my book up so I could read by the headlights of the car behind us. Till my dad told me to stop because I'd hurt my eyes and end up needing glasses.
Yup. I'm cool. I'm happy to report that I don't currently wear glasses and still have pretty awesome vision, and that's after 3 years of law school, bar studies and reading umpteen cases as a fledgling lawyer. (to be fair, I certainly didn't read *all* of the assigned cases in law school :-))
Which is why, like Wintermute, I've added some book lists to my blog. I've also picked up on BT's idea a couple years ago of adopting a 25 Book Challenge for the past two years. This year I might actually make it too. So, I'm hoping to add my two cents on books I've read. Maybe you can comment on books you've read and enjoyed too. I know there's some crazy website out there where you can share book lists with your friends (I've gotten 2 invites I have yet to redeem for such a thing). But I like this idea better because, frankly, it's less work for me. And I like that.
So happy reading! And for those of you who are local, I will see you at the Girls' Fondue, Frivolo and Book Exchange in January!
In elementary school on summer breaks between 4th, 5th and 6th grade, my school had a Reading Challenge. For every hundred pages read, each student's rocket would move along in space on the big bulletin board in the hallway. I don't really recall how the powers that be kept track of our reading during the summer, but that wasn't really my concern. My concern was that my rocket ship moved the farthest, fastest. So I read. And read. And read. My rocket ship went around the solar system 3 times that summer. And I thought that was so cool.
Not nerdy enough? M likes this one . . .
On long car rides as a kid (back when we did vacations Griswold-style) I would read the whole way. My parents must have loved that, come to think of it. I would read during all the daylight hours on the road and squint during sunset. And when it got dark I would raise my book up so I could read by the headlights of the car behind us. Till my dad told me to stop because I'd hurt my eyes and end up needing glasses.
Yup. I'm cool. I'm happy to report that I don't currently wear glasses and still have pretty awesome vision, and that's after 3 years of law school, bar studies and reading umpteen cases as a fledgling lawyer. (to be fair, I certainly didn't read *all* of the assigned cases in law school :-))
Which is why, like Wintermute, I've added some book lists to my blog. I've also picked up on BT's idea a couple years ago of adopting a 25 Book Challenge for the past two years. This year I might actually make it too. So, I'm hoping to add my two cents on books I've read. Maybe you can comment on books you've read and enjoyed too. I know there's some crazy website out there where you can share book lists with your friends (I've gotten 2 invites I have yet to redeem for such a thing). But I like this idea better because, frankly, it's less work for me. And I like that.
So happy reading! And for those of you who are local, I will see you at the Girls' Fondue, Frivolo and Book Exchange in January!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
I like homework, well kinda...
My acupuncturist tricked me. She's a smart lady.
Remember the homework I mentioned? Well, turns out soaking your feet in a lavender bath for 15 minutes is never really just 15 minutes. Rather, it turns into about an hour of decadent relaxation while I drink a glass of wine and read my latest favorite book. Afterwards my feet feel like butter, callouses have melted away, then I put on my new self-birthday present (I know cliche, but damn there's a reason everyone love 'em) and I literally have Happy Feet.
See, in my first session intake, she asked me all kinds of questions. I must have been clearly buzzing with adrenaline (I did drive like 90mph to get there on time because I ran late at a client meeting). Still, she asked me about the typical stress stuff--how much sleep are you getting, do you sleep well (and like BT I was having trouble remembering the last time I made it past the 5 am mark in at least a week), are you exercising (not really), etc. And after my session when she gave me my "homework," she said, "Now I know 15 minutes sounds like alot," (it did) "but see if you can swing it."
I'm swingin' it baby. I put all my phones on silent, put the crackberry on Quiet, turn off the TV and just chill. And it's totally working.
I've also started listening to new and more music. I finally made time to download some new music to the ole iPod, burned some new CDs for the car, and that's working too.
Result? I'm sleeping through the night. I actually want to go to the gym. And when I do I remember why I actually *like* going. Not only so I can eat and still fit into my clothes, but also because when I leave I feel so much better, less stressed, happier.
This weekend I am far less likely to freak out on poor M. And bonus, I haven't been pissed about not being pregnant for at least 4 days (coincidentally since i had the acunpuncture on Monday).
So, I like homework.
Remember the homework I mentioned? Well, turns out soaking your feet in a lavender bath for 15 minutes is never really just 15 minutes. Rather, it turns into about an hour of decadent relaxation while I drink a glass of wine and read my latest favorite book. Afterwards my feet feel like butter, callouses have melted away, then I put on my new self-birthday present (I know cliche, but damn there's a reason everyone love 'em) and I literally have Happy Feet.
See, in my first session intake, she asked me all kinds of questions. I must have been clearly buzzing with adrenaline (I did drive like 90mph to get there on time because I ran late at a client meeting). Still, she asked me about the typical stress stuff--how much sleep are you getting, do you sleep well (and like BT I was having trouble remembering the last time I made it past the 5 am mark in at least a week), are you exercising (not really), etc. And after my session when she gave me my "homework," she said, "Now I know 15 minutes sounds like alot," (it did) "but see if you can swing it."
I'm swingin' it baby. I put all my phones on silent, put the crackberry on Quiet, turn off the TV and just chill. And it's totally working.
I've also started listening to new and more music. I finally made time to download some new music to the ole iPod, burned some new CDs for the car, and that's working too.
Result? I'm sleeping through the night. I actually want to go to the gym. And when I do I remember why I actually *like* going. Not only so I can eat and still fit into my clothes, but also because when I leave I feel so much better, less stressed, happier.
This weekend I am far less likely to freak out on poor M. And bonus, I haven't been pissed about not being pregnant for at least 4 days (coincidentally since i had the acunpuncture on Monday).
So, I like homework.
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