Its been a long time since I dreamed about a video game. Years ago we got into Sonic the hedge hog for the Sega genesis and I remember dreaming about collecting rings - its lasted months where the rings would be in my dreams about other things.
Now its Mario Paper on the wii and last night after Poker I played for an hour before forcing my self to go to bed - then I tossed and turned wondering what to do next, what I might have missed. Now I have to finish this game so that I can sleep again.
I actually slept pretty well. Megan and I went camping last night with some mom friends. So I slept as well as I can in a tent in the rain. We all chipped in and made a feast for dinner, while the 4 year olds explored and rain around and hunted banana slugs. Then this morning we all made a quick breakfast in the rain and broke camp. We'd planned a bigger morning but doing anything is less appealing in a constant drizzle.
Still we had a great time and hope to do it again soon. I think maybe for 2 nights though - cause this one night camping is a hell of a lot of work!.
Jack and I celebrated our anniversary this past weekend, yes a month late!
We went away to San Francisco. I drove up to Pam and Yvonne's on friday and dropped off Megan, well we had lunch together and hung out - then they drove me to the bart station and I headed into our hotel After checking in (and getting 3 sets of keys before getting some that worked!) I got in to see our room was breath taking- we had such a view of the city - we were on the 31st floor of the 32 floor building. I could see across the bay to Oakland, south to around where our house is, and most of the city. I could see the baseball stadium. I was ready to head out to dinner when Jack arrived at 6 (barting up from home after work) We headed out to Fringale where we had dinner reservations. Diner was phenomenal. I had a Frisée salad with warm bacon dressing, poached egg & toasted levaine, Pork main(Pork tenderloin "crepinette" served with cabbage & apples, grain mustard sauce) and Almond Torte for dessert, Jack had Sautéed Prawns, Traditional duck confit served with green lentils du Puy and Flourless chocolate cake served with a mint sorbet ( I think - Jack is this what you ordered for dessert?)
After we headed back to the hotel walking through Union Square before settling in at Crush a wine bar that was across the street from the hotel. We enjoyed 2 different "Flights", and really had a lovely evening.
The next day we enjoyed breakfast in our room, before heading across the street to Spa Nordstrom for Massages. There was a mix up and Jack didn't get a hot stone, but he still enjoyed his massage. Then we headed out into the city - we got all day Muni tickets (which includes cable cars) and headed down to Embarcadero on the Metro - where we caught a cable car and headed up to Van Ness. From there we rode down to fisherman's wharf and wondered around the shops. San Francisco is known for artists who come and set up tables day in and day out at all the local haunts so we got to see some beautiful wares. We swung by the hotel around 4 and got cleaned up for dinner and headed out to The Boulevard Restaurant which while very good - didn't blow me away like Fringale so I'm not going to describe the meal in detail - we both had appetizers and mains but neither wanted a dessert so we headed back out. wait back up - Jack presented me with a beautiful Tennis bracelet - very romantic he had slipped it to the waiter who presented it on the bottle of wine we ordered - and I just thought the restaurant was a bit extravagant with its decorations!
We wondered back out stopping at a local restaurant for desserts and then we enjoyed a little Culture. It was a hoot - offensive and funny.
Jack woke up early this morning and ran out to get breakfast while I slept in. Then he headed out to get Megan while I took my time cleaning up, packing and chilling before heading home.
Today was my film club meeting but it turned out I was too tired to watch In search of Mozart which what I remember was interesting but I can't tell you how much I slept through so don't take my word for it.
It was a lovely :) weekend!
Normally that wouldn't be cause for alarm - but its Summer IN CALIFORNIA! -- it never rains here during the summer. Its smelled like rain all evening - but now I hear it and i'm going to go out now and feel it!
Ok I meant to blog yesterday but just never got around to it but happy Belated 4th! We had a great day - Jack and Megan got Bagels while I worked out (Jack had woken up much earlier and worked out before I even opened my eyes!) Then Jack and I moved dirt in our back yard while Megan played. Then I went in and showered and we headed to the pool for Megan's swim lesson.
After that we ran a few errands and went back to the pool and hung for 3 hours of swimming fun! At this point we were all sun drained so we headed home ( and skipped an open house BBQ - sorry Jen). We played a family round of "Mario Party 8" for Wii, before Jack made dinner and I mowed the back. We ate outside and enjoyed watching Duncan finish off Megan's corn on the cob - he ate it like a human biting the kernels off. After Megan had a bath and we read a few books, we put on some sweats and piled into the back of the truck to watch our neighbors try and burn it all down. It was a lot of fun and for an illegal show the neighbors a few streets away put on a hell of a display.
Off to bed but not before we realized the Valium had done nothing to calm Oso so we slipped him a benedryl and he was soon fast asleep!
The Relay for life was Saturday night - I raised 300 dollars and my team raised 2000. The even raised over $100,000 with one team pulling in 18,000!.
I headed over first in the morning just after it started, to check in and turn in my cash donations. I wondered around and bought a hand knitted cap, and did the 2 luminaries for Mom and Sharon. I left and tried to have an easy day. I headed back around 8 and was there in time for the lighting of the luminaries and the ceremony. It was really beautiful, and ended around 10 which was my time to walk - and I did. My friend Christina, started out walking with me on the idea that when another mom returned to the booth she would join her and leave me too it, but she didn't come until midnight so I had company for my whole scheduled walk. I did just over 5 miles in the 2 hours. Tami, my replacement arrived then and took over while I sat and chatted with the mom's at our tent site. It nagged at me that I could have done 6 miles, so I got up in a little while and walked with Tami until I hit the 6 mile mark, and then I headed home - by then it was after 1. I headed home and tried to sleep, but my midnight snack and my aching legs kept me awake. Jack got up and walked for the group from 4 to 6 when we had a hole in our volunteers, and then Megan and the dogs woke us all up at 8.
The luminaries were beautiful and it was really night to walk with them and see Mom's name and Sharon's name each time I went around - it really highlighted why I was doing it. We headed back in the morning for the closing ceremonies at 10 and to watch our final walker finish up. It was nice to walk once around with Megan at the end too, though she didn't understand why Jack and I wanted to walk around a track.
I was a little put off by the closing ceremonies, the whole pat on the back gift giving moment. I'd rather the money spent on gifts be used for cancer research. I don't know a single person who does an event like this for the silly clock, or crystal dish etc. Even the certificates seemed wasteful to me.
I'd do the event again though as I had a night where I felt connected to my mom, and that made it all worth it.
While in the dressing room at Macy's I overheard the a conversation of a woman trying on clothes with her sister, her sister's toddler in a stroller not happy to be there and her husband on the phone.
Well first she had her niece talk to her husband and say "Auntie Ellen needs the Coach" For those of you who don't now or don't watch Sex and the City - Coach is a brand of hand bag.
After getting the toddler to babble on the phone long enough to piss anybody off, she took the phone and he apparently said "no"... So she started pleading. First it was "It'll be my graduation present" The it was "it'll be for all that work I do for your company, the bills, the accounting" Still no.
Then she pulled out all the stops ... "H_o_n_e_y" You can just hear the sick sweetness can't you..."I'll give you a blow Job!" At this he actually stopped and asked how much the purse was and she said "only two... Hundred ... and Fifty....DOLLARS!" Giddy now because she thinks she's won... and he said
"NO!"
After I left I waited a few minutes out front to see them come out, I just had to see the woman who admitted to all to hear that she was a glorified hooker - is $250 really the going rate?