mi hermano

i always forget to not pronounce the h in espanol. it's silent. me ermano... i've been spending time with my brother randy who is visiting for the holidays. it's nice to have the whole nuclear (pronounce the e) family together.

the butchershop
we've gone shopping, stopped by the jazz club downtown, watched lots of videos and he had to drive me around town since i lost my driver's license. we also ate at this local steakhouse in chula vista called "the butcher shop." i have always been curious about this place that seems to have been around forever. often there are people waiting outside and when driving by, you notice that the building is completely red with signs that say "voted best prime rib" or something. so my brother and i ate there yesterday and it is such a dive-y kind of place. the place is just as red on the inside; all the walls are red. still stuck in another era, there are pictures of sinatra everywhere and old celebrities. there's a blown-up old pic of clint eastwood dining in the restaurant next to the owner, a pimped out italian guy. it feels like old vegas- the lights and mirrors, and the waitresses wear these super short red vegas girl skirts. it was a fun experience. oh, and the prime rib is a good deal.

knitting
i'm obsessed with learning to knit. i started following directions from online 2 days ago and i swear i have arthritis or i've obviously been knitting way too much. i have started and undone making myself a scarf at least 5 times. each time i realize the scarf is too wide, or i try a new stich or something isn't quite right, and each time i undo my day's work and start over. i'm determined to finish a scarf by the new year.

job interview
tomorrow, i have a phone interview with the api wellness center in san francisco. the job is for an hiv specialist position i applied for in october. i would coordinate and facilitate these statewide trainings on hiv. it would require traveling one weekend a month to different sites in california. hmm... i'm excited and nervous about an interview, the job itself though... not sure. but i'm not sure what i want to do in general... hmm...reproductive health- yes, hiv- sure, working with providers and adults- different from last job and that's a plus, training/education- not sure, developing curriculum- yes. hmm...

85 degrees

it's sunny and hot in san diego. 85 degrees.

the waves are like 20 feet high, a surfer's dream.


jealous?

yay

i just got back from a visit to the yay... me encanta la bahia :) thanks goes out to david and olivia for letting me stay at their beautiful homes.

I AM A FOOD SNOB
my time was filled with my fave foods/restaurants/places...
CLEMENT (the real chinatown)- burma supa star (tea leaf salad, samosas),
BERKELEY- for the best indian food... viks (more samosas, chai, chicken kabob something),
4th ST. BERKELEY (such pretty holiday lights)- bette's oceanview diner (soft scrambled eggs, oh so creamy!), peet's coffee (rocket fuel of coffee)
GLENVIEW OAKLAND/PARK ST- diggory inn (David's feta, spinach, tomato, and gyro omelette was good), i didn't get to eat at blackberry bistro (shrimp and grits breakfast is the bomb!)
LAKE MERRITT- mijori (lion king, double eagle, y2k, island sushi rolls! ro and ot, i like mijori better than sushi house. maybe because it's just down the street from where i used to call home)

my mouth is watering... umm... so good! i am such a food snob. the bay spoiled me with yummy cheap eats. i miss the restaurant culture, trying to always eat at a new restaurant and finding that hidden gem. i love good food!

I SHOULD BE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
beside eating like crazy, i also went shopping like crazy- for myself. h & m just opened in san francisco and so did zara. i had a fun time shopping in downtown sf. i enjoyed union square and all the lights and the christmas tree. i acted like a tourist and made someone take my picture next to the tree. i also ran into marjorie and eric who were shopping for our gift exchange. i made them take a picture with me on the street- like tourists. fun!

GIFT EXCHANGE
board games, potluck, wine, kings, presents... all my favorite things! this year we added a gag gift portion to the gift exchange. i ended up with all the gifts that eric brought- a walking hula doll and massage chair pad. i brought good vibrations erotic dice (lick nipples, tease, blow, toes, body... so many different combos. you're welcome ro and chris!) and i also gave a flash drive that alan ended up with.

I love the bay. I love my friends.

P.S. it's freezing in the bay. it's all sunshine in san diego right now!

random pictures

all pictures are from alex's camera... thanks, i'm too lazy to download my own pictures.

*that's magnus in the first picture. we went to bar d and met up with alex and his friends.

*i recently went to the sapient christmas party. fun times with peace signs.

*picture with jen, novette, and heila. taken at onyx room when i first got back.

emailing politicians is FUN

HERE'S A COPY OF THE EMAIL I RECEIVED FROM THE OFFICE OF THE TERMINATOR :) RE: Tookie
----------------------------

Thank you for your correspondence regarding Stanley Williams.
There is a court order currently in place that calls for Mr. Williams to be
executed by the State of California on December 13, 2005, and Mr. Williams has,
through his attorneys, expressed his desire for the Governor to grant him
clemency in this matter.

Capital punishment is an issue about which many people hold strong and
impassioned views, and Governor Schwarzenegger appreciates you taking the time
to express yours with regard to Mr. Williams. Your correspondence will be given
due consideration during the clemency process.
Thank you again for writing.

Sincerely,
ANDREA LYNN HOCH
Legal Affairs Secretary
--------------------------------
They're required to write you back. I think sending snail mail would be funner.

invierno

winter... it's getting colder and darker. that can make me blue during this season, but staying busy keeps me sane. yoga, real estate, spanish and galavanting :)

yoga- i want to be a yogi, but it takes a lot of discipline to go to class everyday. the whole process takes me like 2.5 hours. 15 minutes to secure a good spot in class, 90 minute class, 15 minutes meditation, 30 minutes to and from class. yikes, i have things to do. forget about time for the gym and cardio. but i always feel so accomplished after class. it really is about making time for self.

i met another high school acquaintance in yoga class and we have so much in common. yoga, she recently started working for the same real estate company and has been hoping to run into me, she previously was doing social work and got burnt out, ... she feels lost and alone doing real estate. it was kinda nice feeling like i actually knew more about the business than someone else for a change.

real estate-i have finished putting together 2 files, 1 file should be closed any time now, i'm becoming familiar with the ins and outs of the office, and i actually have a mentor. yeah! when do i get my pay check?

spanish- i finished up my intermediate class and i'm starting my advanced class tomorrow. no puedo esperar! i found a spanish conversation group off of craigslist that will probably start up around christmas. que divertido!

i received my cuba postcard in the mail! yeah!
i checked out a salsa class at the culture shock dance studio (yah, the culture shock founder started this studio) they have breaking and popping and locking classes. hmmm... i've always wanted to improve my b-girl stance :)

i can eat a whole box of ak-mak whole wheat stone ground sesame crackers, pesto all day with everything, ohh and pumkin butter-que rico!

my parents are in the philippines. they left me with a lot of responsibility. while they are gone i have official power of attorney and have to finalize a lot of their real estate transactions, pay all their bills and take care of the random monkey business my mom's involved in. it's actually stressful because there is a lot going on. power of attorney... that's heavy. i could sell their assets if i wanted...

but while they are away, it's my chance to clean the house and throw out all the junk that they can't let go of, without them knowing. my mom has a big problem; she grew up dirt poor so she can't get rid of anything especially food. so i emptied out the cupboard and freezer of all the five year old leftovers. this is a huge deal. i had like 5 trash bags full of crap. next project- throwing out all the non-partnered tupperware!!!! living at home is not free!!
ha ha ha. welcome to my world.

tookie

support clemency for TOOKIE. write arnold an email.

http://www.govmail.ca.gov/

learn about Stanley "Tookie" Williams. http://www.tookie.com/abtook.html

he co-founded/created the crips, but his intention was to protect his community. the crips ended up turning into something else.
ya'll, he was nominated for a nobel peace prize because of his work to create peace on the streets since imprisoned.

he's scheduled to be executed on dec 13th

magnus y mi postal

i spent this past week with my friend magnus. magnus is from sweden and we met in cancun at our spanish school. we went to cuba together. it has been so good to be reminded of my trip and speak spanish.

he left today, but when he was in san diego he spent thanksgiving con mi familia y we went to sushi deli, seaport village, bar dynamite, and all the bars downtown. skal y salud! (cheers in swedish y espanol) i am curious to visit sweden now. in the north of sweden they have a hotel made entirely of ice! it's only during the winter months, but that's crazy!

also, in the mail today was a postcard i sent my family a month and half ago! at least it arrived. i wonder if my other lost postcards will randomly appear in the mail.

misc: i went to the fiona apple concert! my parents went to the philippines for 3 weeks.