I can barely believe I was already back at work today, the weekend just flew by. Friday night was super fun, hung out at Mars Bar then went out to Spices II for a pretty spicy dinner, though I have to say, it could have been spicier. Then Saturday we went down and did laundry for like 5 hours, got my hair done and shopped for new shirts at Target-does shopping get any better than Target? I got 4 shirts for like $50! What a deal!!! Then Saturday we went to a concert-Army of Anyone which was basically a giant room full of 30 year old guys that used to rock out to STP. Pretty funny. Then we headed to another party at the Crimson Lounge. That place is really fun-a private venue for private parties. Sunday went to see Pan's Labyrinth, so now we know what the hype was all about. It was OK, I wouldn't run to see it if you haven't. Then it was the Academy Awards and now I am done with a full day's work, ready to go read my book which is actually really good, called What is the What by Dave Eggers. I like it, though I guess now it's the big trendy thing to write about and make movies about the Sudanese refugees.

Is there anything worse than your tragedy becoming a trend?

Healdsburg

When you first walk in, this is the main "quad" with the barn to the left, then on the other side is the house where Walt and Barb (the owners) live. In the spring when the trees are blooming it's really beautiful (at least it looks great in their brochure)! The cottage where we stayed. It was perfect for two!
The view from the cottage deck.

The other view, this one is of their vineyard. So beautiful.

Friday Night-Super Fun

Me and Cara after dinner at Tommy's Mexican-Yum!!! Josh, fellow EdMo worker, Cara, his wife, Me and Katie, another co-worker.

Me and Levi at Trader Sam's. We've had a few drinks.

Sunset From Our Apartment Feb. 16

(sing along) Monday Monday

La la, la la la la...

So the highlights of today have been that people came in for a group meeting at 5 meaning I got to stop work early, and Heroes is on TV.

***20 min later***

...And I just talked through the first 15 minutes of it! And it's snowing and everyone is pretty much green or purple, there's a serious buzzing and a large warp through the center of the screen.

Part of the reason I haven't written is because I have been lazy. I have been a bit of a negative Nelly (hey, I heard people who complain live longer!) AND people in a bad mood are more productive than happy people at work. So now me in a bad mood (or even just an I-don't-want-to-talk-mood which is perceived as being in a bad mood) is let go as me being SO productive. So my blogging has taken a back seat to general whining, TV watching, book reading, nail painting, knitting, clothes trying, Scrabble playing (begging) and basically anything but this. Once the rain stops and the sun returns things should be back to normal...

Mom tells me my last blog had a lot of spell-os. This is due to the fact that I am, in fact, a tempermental artiste and believe what I put down needs no editing. NEIN! This is, in fact, a total falsity and everyone, in fact, needs an editor. A little word of advice I took from Hemmingway when editing my OWN work, "Kill your babies." Attachments to what you believe to be your own best work will only hold you back from truly great writing. That's how I take it, anyway. I think Dave Eggers might take the same advice, and I might tell him, if I ever get the chance. In the meantime you can see his obsessive rally cry against killing his babies as all the parts edited out by his editor can be found in the forward that acompanies his "Hearbreaking Work of Staggering Genius." Am I the only one that kept waiting for that title to be ironic and only at the point where I realized "Wait, he's serious," did I want to puke and lose all interest in the novel? Which I finished anyway. Then read the forward to. So, who's the schmuck? I know. That'd be me.

February

It's been a long time since I've updated, as I have been reminded by a few folks, so I figure "give the fans what they want." Here is my update. There's not too much to report these days, actually. I pretty much work all the time, and word has it I talk about work in my sleep, if that gives you any indication of the degree to which it has taken over my life. It's dark when I get up and dark when I get home, and I am still working in Palo Alto on Saturdays, so I only on Sundays do I see my apartment and/or my boyfriend in natural light. But don't let this sound like a woe-is-me kind of entry. I am happy coming home and cooking dinner with Levi, catching a TV show or two or reading a book.

In fact this morning I just finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and let me tell you, I am SO glad I am reading it with my book club-I have so many questions! Was it all a dream? What did Cinnamon see and then May and Kumiko-and what exactly did Noburo Wataya do? And who did Osaka hit in that room? It was a really good book, though it took me a long time to get through and it still needs a lot of discussion. And I keep having dreams about wells and being skinned alive-quite a lot from one little book!

Next in my PA book club is What is the What. I am well known as not being a huge fan of Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, but this book keeps getting such rave reviews that I figure I will give him another chance. It is someone else's story as told to Dave so it sounds interesting and, frankly, better be good or I'm not reading any more books by him!

As I sit typing we are watching a story on channel 9 about Mt Kilamanjaro. It's really interesting, actually. I have become a big fan of channel 9, if for no other reason than for the fact that it's the channel that comes in the clearest. We're using bunny ears and now with this rain, channel 11 is practically impossible. Other channels change to varying degrees with the extension or mainpualtion of the antennae, but no matter what, channel 9 perseveres. Yay for public access.

Other than that, there've been lots of little things that have gone on, but to go on now would only add to the mundanity (is that a word?) of this post. I suppose by the end of next week, after Levi and I get back from our weekend in Healdsburg, there will be pictures to put up and things to report on. Til then, you can picture me doing just what I've laid out until I let you know otherwise!