Pragmacat

Goals for 2012

2012-01-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

1. Up the ante and read ten for-fun books. (Up from last year's five.)

2. Climb a wall.

Image by: amrufm

3. Apply to grad school (minus the beard).

4. As a carry-over from 2011, travel outside of the U.S.

5. Stay true to my Weight Watchers plan. Despite their creepy video.

6. Go bowling. I love bowling*, but never go.

7. Run a mile without dying. No matter how fit I've been, I've always hated running - however, it lends itself to my plan for #8. (Also sans beard.)

8. Operation: SUPER OMEGA TOP SECRET. You'll see.

Image from here.

9. Sing more. Way more.

Image from here.

10. At 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, feel like this:

*Don't judge.

2011 Goals - Results

2012-01-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Some fantastically awful personal events derailed my resolutions for 2011, but I thought I should grade myself anyway.

1. Secure a job in the Bay Area that does not kill my soul: Despite some close calls, this didn't pan out. Fail.

2. Move to San Francisco, preferably the actual city-city: See #1. Fail.

3. Travel outside of the states: Nope. Fail.

4. Read no fewer than five "for fun" books: Yay! I got one! A Place of Yes, Dreams of Joy, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Kitchen God's Wife, Treasure Island, The Devil in the White City, and Bossy Pants. I pulled this off partially because I spent more time than usual on planes, and because I downloaded the Kindle App to my Android. I've switched from endless rounds of solitaire to reading when insomnia strikes. Success!

5. Find Cheeto a friend to hang with regularly: Does a stuffed animal squirrel count? She carries it around with her, cutely. Fine, okay, doesn't count. I get it. Fail.

6. Host a par-tay: Yup. Yay! Success.

7. Finish the upgrade on catwendt.com and finish the two secret sites I've been working on: Yay! I actually did a lot more website-y stuff than I had originally anticipated. Success.

8. Focus more on myself: Yes and no, but way more yes than usual. :) Success.

9. CLEAN ALL THE THINGS: Yup. More Success.

10. At 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, feel relaxed/calmly happy: Despite the no good, very bad, awful, terrible year, I managed to have a low-key blast hanging out with my cousins in the Bay Area. It was wonderful. Success.

Total score = 6/10.

All things considered, I'm rather pleased.

Binge and...

2011-11-17T11:36:00.000-08:00

I spent part of this morning purging my Google Reader subscriptions. In a moment of OH-MY-GOD-I'M-CLOSE-TO-THIRTY panic a few weeks ago, I added a number of fashion blogs to the rotation. In retrospect, it wasn't the best use of my time.

It's tiring looking at countless pictures of hungry narcissists standing around looking wistful in clothing I wouldn't ever have occasion to wear, let alone hope to maybe possibly be able to someday justify purchasing ($5,000 on a single bag, OR 1/3 to good causes, 1/3 to savings, 1/3 to debt? Hmmmm...).

Besides, many of these people get their "looks" as kickbacks for promoting brands. Not sure if it's my journalism training or just my moral compass, but that all just leaves me troubled.

I'm certainly not anti-fashion and consider myself to be very visual, but ugh. Stop. It. Or don't, whatev floats your boat, really. I'm just tired of looking at it.

P.S. There ARE some lovely fashion blogs that skew towards practical advice and affordable style, I think it's just the immense ego involved in photographing oneself and declaring the result "inspiration for others" that seriously rubs me the wrong way.

True.

2011-10-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

Me: When I'm really down, I smash my feelings in the face until they pass out, drag their unconscious body to the trunk of my car, then dump them in the sea. But, like all good super villians, they always come back for a sequel.

Friend: Supervillian is an interesting word for something you brutally assault and try to murder.

Me: Feelings are unnatural, goshdarnit. ;) Also, good point.

Chocolate can kill your dog

2011-09-22T02:47:00.000-07:00

Your pets are not little humans. They have different needs and different vulnerabilities. If you choose to bring one into your home, it is your moral obligation to care for them properly.

I bring this up because a Facebook acquaintance posted about how funny it was that her dog broke into the family's early stash of Halloween chocolate. I was horrified. (Also freaked out that Halloween candy is already on the shelves, but that's another matter entirely).

Here's a fantastic interactive chart that shows how much chocolate it takes to seriously harm or even kill your beloved canine companion.

Ever since Cheeto ate Christmas (and $4,500!!!), I've essentially banned chocolate from the house. If it does come in, it must be eaten or discarded that same day. As a big chocolate (and food) fan, it's tough, but necessary.

Other precautionary measures:

- Chicken bones and corn cobs are discarded in the garbage dumpster outside - they never, ever go into the regular can in the kitchen.
- These Simplehuman trash bins are awesome, thanks to their simple locking function. Despite dragging a full bin from the kitchen to our bedroom (it's where she hides her stolen loot), Cheeto didn't manage to unlock it.
- Household cleaners and chemicals are carefully locked away, and I try to opt for safe, mild, and natural alternatives, when possible.
- I also put a cage cover on our guinea pig compound. It may be four feet off of the ground, but I could never forgive myself if Cheeto managed to eat our other furry baby, Little One.
- I aggressively vet houseplants for toxicity before bringing them into my home.

An animal is a serious responsibility. If you're not going to care for them properly, don't get one.

Little Miss Trouble, lookin' all innocent and stuff.

Inane Music Video Roundup

2011-09-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

First, Can't Hug Every Cat.

Second, the One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love Song.

These songs WILL NOT LEAVE MY BRAIN.

Shhh

2011-08-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Don't tell my doctor or any nutritionist who ever existed ...

I feel awesome today. And yet I started the day with a McDonald's egg, cheese, and sausage biscuit (soooo bad for my arteries) plus an extra large iced coffee. For lunch I had chocolate. Just chocolate. Throw in some questionable-but-upbeat music on my iPod and I'm feeling the best I have in awhile. Seriously.

Why does junky food make me feel so much better than the nutritious stuff?

From the archives

2011-08-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Me, back in January of 2003.

"I'm going to go make pancakes.

I love pancakes.

They'll never worry me, or get mad at me. They don't make me jealous by going out with other pancakes. They are delicious."

Goals for 2011 (updated)

2011-07-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

Things are plugging along fairly well in Cat-land. Here's how I'm doing on my goals for the year:

1. Secure a job in the Bay Area that does not kill my soul: Getting there. Lots of leads, lots of interviews, and jobs I'm genuinely excited about. (An optimistic 0.5 pts.)

2. Move to San Francisco, preferably the actual city-city: when #1 pans out, this one will follow. :) (0 pts.)

3. Travel outside of the states: Still gotta get that passport! (0 pts.)

4. Read no fewer than five "for fun" books: Don't judge: A Place of Yes, Dreams of Joy, The Hundred Secret Senses. So far, so good. Lots of time for two more. (0.6 pts.)

5. Find Cheeto a friend to hang with regularly: Ha. We'll see, I'm finding this more and more unlikely. Little Cujo. (0 pts.)

6. Host a par-tay: Kind of hosted a few mini parties. I think that counts. (1 pt.)

7. Finish the upgrade on catwendt.com and finish the two secret sites I've been working on: Upgrade on catwendt.com = complete. Secret sites are pending. (0.333333)

8. Focus more on myself: Yes and no. (0.25 pts.)

9. CLEAN ALL THE THINGS: Occasionally. (1 pts.)

10. At 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, feel relaxed/calmly happy: Working on it. (0 pts.)

Total score = 3.68. Gotta try harder!

What's the what?

2011-04-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

I miss the catharsis of writing.

In recent years, I've found myself able to blog less and less. I fear both the risk of banality and the career and personal consequences of over-sharing. Yet I can't bring myself to create an anonymous account somewhere new.

I enjoy spewing out hyperbolically-enhanced versions of my neuroses. Ranting about politics. Rambling excitedly about everything and nothing.

But - the older I get, the more secrets I have to keep. Some belong only to me, but others aren't mine to divulge. Self-censorship ensues. It becomes harder and harder to get anything onto the page.

In addition, I've been feeling increasingly lost. I'm sure the myriad of stressors in my life is a contributing factor but ... Okay, maybe THE contributing factor.

Or maybe it's not just stress. Maybe it's just a normal twenty-something thing to go through. A healthy dose of existential angst? Part of self-discovery?

I'm tempted to be a little more selfish, share a little more, and work up the intestinal fortitude to be bold. Bold-er, at least. Or I could just escape the world by curling up on my purple couch with Cheeto, the two of us safely burritoed in my fuzzy green blanket.

Maybe a little of both.

Always nice to know you're not alone.

2011-02-11T18:28:00.001-08:00

"Multiracial individuals note that mixed identity requires a constant negotiation of insider-outsider status; belonging to both can often mean feeling at home in neither."

Yes. That.

Win.

2011-02-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

I happened upon an FB conversation where someone referred to a design of mine as sexy.

Not a life-changing adjective, but, ain't gonna lie, that felt awesome.

It wasn't a conversation about me. Or with me. Just something said by someone who probably didn't even know I was involved or think for a moment that I'd see the comment.

Yay.

This has been a good week for ego boosts. Thank you, universe.

Dear Internet

2011-01-26T09:35:00.001-08:00

Shall I start posting about my politics again, or do you find it obnoxious and draining and would rather I stick with navel gazing, life events, and professional development?

I'm so torn.

Smooches,

Cat

Best reaction to the State of the Union

2011-01-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

"Obama announces we are once more at war with Russians."

LOVE The Onion.

Navel Gazing

2011-01-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

2009 was going to be a great year. I felt it in my bones. (Them bones was right.)

At the start of 2010, I declared that it was also going to be a great year. Wasn't so lucky with that one.

Right now, as 2011 commences, I feel amazing. I hope the year follows suit.

Goals for 2011

2011-01-04T11:23:00.001-08:00

1. Secure a job in the Bay Area that does not kill my soul (suggestions and leads are more than welcome). :-D

2. Move to San Francisco, preferably the actual city-city.

3. Travel outside of the states.

4. Read no fewer than five "for fun" books.

5. Find Cheeto a friend to hang with regularly.

6. Host a par-tay.

7. Finish the upgrade on catwendt.com and finish the two secret sites I've been working on.

8. Focus more on myself.

9. CLEAN ALL THE THINGS.

10. At 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, feel like this (relaxed/calmly happy):

2010 Goals: Final tally

2011-01-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Time to revisit my goals and see how I done did...

1. Audition for something, anything.

Status: Fail

2. Take one of the following classes: dance, piano, acting, or voice.

Status: Semi-Fail
I found a voice teacher, but our schedules didn't mesh up until 2011.

3. Get my passport.

Status: Fail
Oops.

4. Buy (and wear) a dress (I haven't bought a dress in FIVE years. Five!)

Status: Win!
Twice.

5. Gussy up and attend the SF Ballet's Nutcracker (I performed in it 15 years ago. Lordy, I'm old.)

Status: Fail, with a caveat.
There weren't any performances while I was in town.

6. Read three books for fun (last year I only managed two, believe it or not.)

Status: Win!
I read Snowflower and the Secret Fan, Shanghai Girls, and The Kitchen God's Wife. I also ordered a bunch of new books to hit in 2011.

7. Visit one new place.

Status: Multiple wins.
Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, baby. Ooooh yeah.

8. Attend more shindigs (in other words, try not to turn down invitations).

Status: Multiple wins.
I can tell I've been more social just from the number of pictures I've been tagged in on Facebook.

9. Photograph stuff. Lots of stuff.

Status: Win!
My fancy new camera died in a tragic Diet Coke accident, but I replaced it and moved on. Yay pigtures!

10. At 11:59 PM on December 31st, feel like this: :-D

Status: Win. Oh. Yes.
New Year's Eve, for the first time in ages, was full of win.

Final score: 6/10

By academic standards, 60% is not great. In terms of making memories for a life well-lived, I think it's fantastic. Here's to a fan-freaking-amazing-tastic 2011.

Dear Santa

2010-12-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

Written by yours truly at eightish years old...

Dear Santa,

I have been pretty good this year but not that good. I probably only deserve a piece of coal but may I please have a tea dress for Samantha.

Sincerely,

Catherine-Rose

Poe wrote on both

2010-08-05T10:28:00.001-07:00

My mother sent me this picture of a huge gathering of crows near my family's home in Montana. Perhaps I have a twisted mind, but I feel a bit like it's a good omen.

It also reminded me of, "why is a raven like a writing desk?"

2010 Goals Midyear Check-in

2010-07-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

Time to revisit my goals and see how I'm doing...

1. Audition for something, anything.

Status: Fail
I'm working on bolstering my self esteem a bit before taking this one on.

2. Take one of the following classes: dance, piano, acting, or voice.

Status: Fail
I have a class in mind, but I'm not going to spill the beans until the awesomeness has actually happened.

3. Get my passport.

Status: Fail
I just need to get my butt in gear on this one. Apparently the cost either has or is about to go up 35%.

4. Buy (and wear) a dress (I haven't bought a dress in FIVE years. Five!)

Status: 50% Fail
I bought a dress, now I just need to wear it.

5. Gussy up and attend the SF Ballet's Nutcracker (I performed in it 15 years ago. Lordy, I'm old.)

Status: Fail, with a caveat.
I can't succeed at this until December.

6. Read three books for fun (last year I only managed two, believe it or not.)

Status: 2/3 Fail.
I read Snowflower and the Secret Fan, a book on productivity (meh), and a book on logo design. The last two don't count, but I'll have lots of time on planes to catch up on fun books in August, September and October.

7. Visit one new place.

Status: Sweet success!
Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, baby. Ooooh yeah.

8. Attend more shindigs (in other words, try not to turn down invitations).

Status: Sweet success!
Getting better, but man am I getting fat on dim sum.

9. Photograph stuff. Lots of stuff.

Status: So-so
My fancy new camera died in a tragic Diet Coke accident, so my motivation to photograph anything took a big hit.

10. At 11:59 PM on December 31st, feel like this:

Status: In progress
We shall see.

Quickie

2010-07-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

My family is still in town, so between that and my side projects, I have gotten very little sleep. I'll photobomb you later with details on my faaabulous fourth of July weekend.

Hugs and smooches!

Cat

Weekend Rabblerousing

2010-06-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm off to S.F. to visit with my family, eat some BBQ, and support my dad's band.

If you're into the Reggae Dub Poetry/Country/Native American music scene, you should stop on by.

Saturday July 3rd 5-7pm, FREE 12th Annual World One Festival, Cerrito Vista Park, 950 Pomona Avenue, El Cerrito
Saturday July 3rd 9pm-1am, FEMI KUTI concert, The Fillmore, 1805 Geary, San Francisco
Sunday July 4th 10am-7pm, FREE 12th Annual World One Festival, Cerrito Vista Park, 950 Pomona Avenue, El Cerrito
Thursday July 8th 9-9:45pm, with DEAD DREAMS, Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo, Berkeley

Pictures and stories soon to come. :)

< 3 < 3 < 3

2010-06-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Stupid Sun

2010-06-24T14:07:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles weather is far too sunny and warm. And bright. And happy.

I needs me some soul-search inducing gloomy grey weather now and again. And lots of rain.

Right now I'm faking it with this. (Thanks, Sheri.)

Peter Erlinder Released!

2010-06-17T13:54:00.001-07:00

...on medical bail. :)

The good, the bad, and the awesome

2010-06-07T02:26:00.000-07:00

Good: Finally managing to get in some quality ZZZs while sick.

Bad: Waking up from said ZZZs in the middle of the night with a mouth-breathing induced sore throat.

Awesome: Discovering that your boyfriend preemptively stocked the fridge with strawberry Häagen-Dazs.

Hmm...

2010-06-05T06:08:00.001-07:00

I think I need a little soul...

Splode from Cuteness

2010-06-03T14:13:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty sure my head is going to explode. Not from cuteness, unfortunately. (That wouldn't be a terrible way to go, I suppose.) No, I'm just battling a raging head cold. Stupid head cold.

Grumble grumble grumble.

Devolution?

2010-06-03T01:35:00.000-07:00

This is full of awesome.*

*Thanks, Brie, for pointing this out. :)

Free Professor Peter Erlinder

2010-06-03T01:20:00.000-07:00

If you don't mind, please consider taking a moment to help out the father of a friend's fiance...

Peter Erlinder, law professor at William Mitchell Law School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, long time human rights advocate and Lead Defense Counsel for the International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda, was arrested by Rwandan Authorities the morning of Friday, May 28. Prof. Erlinder is a human rights lawyer, president of the defense lawyers' association at the Tribunal and past-President of the National Lawyers Guild.

Please contact your Congressional delegation and tell them to do whatever they can to secure his release.

Huff-Post article.
More information on this here: Facebook
Interview with Peter's daughter at about 26:30.
Statement from the ABA.
Contact information for the U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda. (To call Rwanda from the USA/Canada, dial 011 + 250 + phone number.)

Upgraded

2010-06-03T01:09:00.000-07:00

From haunting to bane of my existence.

I'm officially sick of productivity suggestions. I'm done with Lifehacker for awhile.

Too much

2010-06-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

I don't want to capture every idea that pops up in my head. Not only would it eat up a ton of precious time that should be spent on actually executing ideas, it shows a lack of confidence in your ability to generate new ideas when you have the free time to spend on them.

GTD is haunting me, at the moment. I can't seem to go a week without someone mentioning it.

I'm also a cranky pants, as it's fiscal close time at UCLA. Busy busy busy.

Bubble Girl

2010-06-02T02:14:00.001-07:00

Maybe I need to resort to more extreme measures to avoid getting sick.

(As an aside, I feel like I'm the only person who really enjoyed Bubble Boy. Oh well.)

Nice lawn. Now what?

2010-06-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

Kentucky was ... interesting.

Our transfer flight from Atlanta to Lexington was canceled at the very last minute, so Muse and I decided to rent a sexy and glamorous Ford Focus and drive through the night to see his little sis (and through Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, for that matter). First of all, I have never seen so many abandoned cars, 24-hour firework stands, and Cracker Barrels in all my life. Not to mention thirty foot glowing crosses. Second, WOW is Kentucky meticulously manicured. Very green, very white-fencey. Despite spending a full day and night traveling, I had a great time chatting with Muse and giggling at the overabundance of country music on the local radio stations.

We got to our hotel at about 6 a.m. local time. Man, we were sleepy. I scarfed down some breakfast and passed out just in time for birthday callers to start in on Muse. Eventually I managed to drag myself out of bed and grab coffee with little sis. Seeing her was awesome and it was very cool to check out where she works. I can see why she loves it there. Give her a Starbucks and lots of horses and she's happy with life. :)

I could be wrong, but it seems that Southern hospitality is a myth. Perhaps I just ran into the wrong folks, but virtually all of the people I met (primarily in customer service roles) were standoffish and even a bit rude. One stand out exception was the night desk manager at the Holiday Inn Express. He. Was. Awesome.

Unfortunately our luggage (and my camera) lagged behind us, as Delta did not allow us to retrieve our bags from the canceled flight. When I finally had the thing in my hot little hands, it ran out of batteries. I took very few photos on the trip. :-/

Brace for blurry, tilted shots from my mobile's camera (the vast majority of the state looks like the first picture):

Good girlfriend

2010-05-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend's birthday is coming up this weekend. We'll spend it in Kentucky visiting his amazing little sister. She secured a rather prestigious equine vet internship and I am very, very proud of her. :)

I have to say that shopping for Muse is rough. If he wants something, he goes out and gets it. (Thank goodness he doesn't want much, otherwise we'd be broke.) I convinced him to pull together an Amazon wishlist, but not many of the items were fun. I had to improvise.

Gift one: The Watchmen. He found the movie rather off-putting (what with the gigantic glowing blue genitals and all - Google it yourself if you're that interested), but is curious to explore the world of graphic novels.

Gift two: Comic Book Tattoo. Muse's favorite female musician is Tori Amos. The book is an award-winning collection of stories based off of her lyrics (written by a variety of authors).

Upcoming anniversary gift: Lakers tickets. Sure, our anniversary isn't until November, but these things are really hard to get a hold of. Presents for him are hard to figure out, so I suck at keeping them a secret*.

* He doesn't read my blog, interestingly enough. He says it makes him feel like a creepy voyeur. The secret spilling happens when I blurt it out excitedly.

Truth

2010-05-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Pugs not drugs, found at dELIA*s.

Musings and happenings

2010-05-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Some of this weekend was great.

I felt good enough to voluntarily go for a hike.
I walked Cheeto.
I had my first official press junket experience (I'd link you to that, but it's embargoed).

Some of it was deeply upsetting.

Some of it was productive. (I'm excited that Chanpory has started posting again after a long hiatus.)

Some of it was introspective.

I'm still thinking about Getting Things Done. I believe part of my issue with it is that I feel like I get plenty done. I just want to keep increasing the quality of what I spend my time on, which means saying no to the stuff that won't increase my happiness/satisfaction levels. I also need to be better about setting boundaries - I deserve guilt-free free time to just spend as I like. I can't help everyone and I can't do everything. I *shouldn't* do everything. Will I regret not finishing something a smidge earlier when I'm old and gray, or will I regret not spending more time enjoying the people and the world around me? Some folks absolutely need a better system for keeping themselves organized, but I don't think I'm one of them. I'm happy with what I have in place and need to cut back on the quantity of what I'm doing.
Perhaps it's less that I dislike GTD and more that I dislike the idea of implementing a whole new system of organization. I'm pleased with what I've created for myself and suppose I feel a bit protective of it.
It's too bad that cutting back on the quantity of what I'm doing means that I have to choose between: a) cutting back on my activities that bring in income, b) cutting back on the activities that help people I care about, and c) cutting back on things that I find emotionally rewarding. Saying no to income is a luxury of the well-off. Cutting back on helping people makes me feel guilty and selfish. Not doing things that I find emotionally rewarding means that, if I'm hit by a bus tomorrow, I die unfulfilled.
I also have to consider the fact that doing too much can have negative effects on my physical and mental well being. I can't help anyone if I'm too frantic and frazzled to function.

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming ...

2010-05-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

My mind just won't quit. I want to redecorate, try new recipes, go to the beach & boogie board, write, draw, sing, act, go horseback riding, move, get more degrees, read, rant, relax, explore ...

Lots.

Too much, probably.

Thoughts and lynx from my weekend:

- Towel bars should be hung at 48 inches off of the ground.
- Bunnies with stuff on their heads bring me joy.
- Years after first happening upon Wordle.net, I still adore it.
- "Righty tighty, lefty loosie," and other such nuggets of wisdom help me out constantly. It blows my mind that I never learned these things until my 20s. (Mom & dad, I'm looking at you.)
- I thought a political debate was going quite well, until the person I was arguing with referenced this guy.
- V for Vendetta dude's hair/beard is out of control.
- There exists such a thing as a collection of short stories based on Tori Amos songs. It's called, "Comic Book Tattoo."
- Ikea Hacker and Apartment Therapy inspired me to add legs to my bookcases. I cheated the back legs in a wee bit, so they now fit flush against the wall above the molding. I can finally earthquake proof the bejesus out of them.
- I want to take some classes, but I have no idea which ones. And it seems silly to take classes and not pursue an additional degree. What I want to study doesn't seem to exist.

Gosh Golly

2010-04-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Internet,

Life has been quite busy.

- April has been full of birthdays. Cousins, aunts, mom, little bro, and several dear friends.
- I wrote for a Facebook game and it was recently released (some, not all of the writing). It's called Big City Life.
- A family friend passed away.

My to-do list is ginormous. (And it includes paying more attention to you, dear readers.)

Hope to see you again soon!

XOXOXOXO,

Cat

Random Thought

2010-04-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

Games that have a lot of on-screen text really, really, really need to allow for changes in font size for those of us with bad vision or lower-res tvs.

(Fable 2 and FFXIII, I'm looking at you.)

That is all.

2010-03-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

Oh my sweet little blog, how I have neglected you!

Fear not! You have not been forgotten.

No.

I have been planning a makeover!

Brace yourself for more content. Hopefully something a little more focused. ;)

*Hugs & Smooches*

-- Cat

At this moment, I feel ...

2010-02-10T15:49:00.001-08:00

very busy, very tired, and very happy.

Curse you, Photoshop

2010-02-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

So, Photoshop stopped working on me. I'd create something gorgeous (as usual) and I'd go to save my masterpiece.

It would freeze. Every single time.

Luckily, the Google just gave me a fix:

Go to Edit>Preferences>File Handling and turn off Version Cue.

Phew!

Underappreciated (imho)

2010-02-04T09:29:00.000-08:00

- Into the Wild Soundtrack (Thanks Eddie Vedder)
- Bread and butter pickles
- 6 a.m.

The Trouble with LinkedIn

2010-02-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

I like LinkedIn. I really do.

It's a great place to have a serious, strictly business web presence, with the advantage of some social networky action. Nice and polished, like a pinstripe suit.

I like to tailor my resume for the job I'm applying for. Sometimes I need to highlight different parts of my experience, rather than overwhelm the HR person with a nineteen page block of text.

But what if I miss out because my LinkedIn profile is too limited?

I hesitate to tell my entire life story (well, entire work history) to everyone on the internet. Why tell all the people who happen by that I was paid to dance in the Nutcracker ballet in San Francisco,? Not enough people would care to make it a valuable addition to my resume. But then again, if I don't list EVERYTHING, I might miss out on amazing position with a person who would care.

LinkedIn makes it incredibly hard to balance "enough" with "too much."

The end.

What has two thumbs and ...

2010-02-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

Went to see Eddie Izzard this weekend, watched 500 Days of Summer, had her lakeside stroll interrupted by an L.A.P.D. helicopter yelling at everyone to evacuate the park, and desperately hopes that the diet Dr. Pepper that exploded in her laptop bag didn't damage her laptop, phone, and brand new camera, but she can't check and see yet cause they're still drying?

(points at self)

Fail weekend

2010-01-25T10:08:00.001-08:00

Whoops. My inner blonde showed up this weekend. Eddie Izzard wasn't this past Saturday, it's this upcoming Saturday.

Internets failed - the boyfriend and I made the call and we're switching ISPs soon.

My allergies went nuts after I bathed and pedicure-a-fied our guinea pig. Coughing ensued.

Successes included getting a *lot* of work done and watching too much TV. It looks like I may be caught up by the end of this week. Maybe. Hopefully. :)

Overspecialization Leads to Weakness

2010-01-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

Then again, without specializing enough, I'll never feel like an expert.

Or maybe it's better to know enough about a lot of things to be able to coordinate/oversee/lead the experts. Then I won't get bored/stuck.

Maybe I could be an expert at that.

Hmm ... possibilities!

Ah maaaaan!

2010-01-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

I may be looking forward to Valentine's Day, but it just clicked in my little brain that I have to *plan* something for it.

Yikes.

Paintball maybe? Bowling? Princess-Leia's-gold-bikini-clad ninjas?

Good things

2010-01-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

Sometimes focusing on the good things can help diminish bad feelings, so:

- I'm very much looking forward to Valentine's day AND Chinese New Year in San Francisco (cause time with my family is awesome!)

- I'm going to see Eddie Izzard this weekend. Score.

- My mom's website makeover is almost done (once I figure out how I want to handle the "gallery" page).

- I'm not coughing up a storm. I had the flu for about two weeks and it seems it has finally cleared up.

Deep Breaths

2010-01-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'm trying not to get annoyed, but I'm failing at it. Here's my attempt at venting.

- I tried not to get annoyed when I found an abandoned cereal bowl in my apartment that appeared to be full of dry cereal, but when I reached in to wipe it out, my hand sunk into days old milk-turned-yogurt.

- I tried not to get annoyed when, after the milk-turned-yogurt hand dipping incident, I got into my car to discover someone had used Armorall formulated for dashboards on the inside of the windshield (which is gooey, blocks your vision, and is hard to get off).

- I tried not to get annoyed with the democrats (though I still <3 Obama).

- I tried not to get annoyed when three different people cut me off on my morning commute.

- I tried not to get annoyed when someone stopped by my office to ask for my help, then attempted to berate me for not knowing who it was they were here to see. Considering I didn't make the appointment for them (since scheduling is not part of my job), I don't have access to the appointment books for all of the many people in my building, and I'm not a study recruiter, I had no real obligation to go out of my way to help the guy in the first place.

Bedroom redecoration: Phases 1&2

2010-01-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

Phase one is planning, but that is pretty much ongoing until I'm done. Ish. I don't think I'm good at being "done" with a room.

Anyway, last night I dropped by Target and picked up a few items:

1) Mattress topper. For some reason, our swanky sleep number bed has become quite lumpy. This thing was an awesome investment. Lumps = gone.

2) Lamp 1. I need to figure out if I'll use this in the bedroom, or if I'll yoink a lamp from the living room and put this in its place.

3) Lamp 2. Very simple. Also might be switched out for living room lamps.

Now to figure out where I want to put these guys.

Other potential plans (always subject to change):

- Keep the current duvet cover and find a textured purple throw and some purple pillows (you can see a small glimpse of our blue striped duvet here):

- Stop thinking about just getting totally new bedding (too expensive):

That counts as a greyish lavender, I think. In the purple family.

- Deep purple curtains
- Dark brown bamboo roman shades
- Paint?! Maybe?!

I have to keep in mind, of course, that I want to move in about a year. I don't want to sink a ton of money into something that's going to change so soon. For all I know, our new place won't lend itself to any stuff we buy now.

"The bedroom is kind of oppressive"

2010-01-14T16:21:00.001-08:00

That's not what I want to hear my boyfriend say.

Looks like it's time to redecorate, but I have no idea where to start. There's a bunch of furniture we're stuck with, some sentimental, some budget-friendly. The bed is quite literally falling apart (thanks a lot IKEA, we're sleeping on beams propped up with books).

I asked him for color preferences and he said, "purple."

Now to figure out how to make a purple room masculine and a small room feel cozy and inviting.

Pictures to come.

The dog who ate Christmas

2010-01-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Just two hours before I was to taste sweet, sweet freedom and hit the road to visit family and friends in Montana, Miss Cheeto decided to taste some sweet, sweet chocolate. I believe it was a suicide attempt.

She ate this:

And this:

And a bunch of this:

And, for the record, when I say she ate these:

I mean that she ate everything. The paper bag. The foil wrappers of the individual chocolates. All of it. Even the wrapping paper. (Well, *most* of the wrapping paper. It's how we knew she got into the chocolate.)

We found this out shortly after she did the deed, so I assumed we could rush to the vet, get her stomach pumped, and all would be well.

I was wrong.

First we rushed to the vet, who said that it was good we got her in before the seizures started. Seizures?!

Then we went home while they knocked her out and pumped her stomach. They called to tell us there was a lot of stuff in her belly (no duh!) and that we'd maybe be able to bring her home the next day.

Later, worry set in, so I had the boyfriend call and check on her. I asked if we could go visit her.

When we got to the vet's office, they brought out a limp Cheeto and laid her on the floor. Her face was scrunched up in pain and she was breathing very, very hard. I watched her little doggy cheeks puff in and out with each breath. (This was definitely not the same as panting.) Then I cried. She struggled to try and sit up to greet us, but failed. About ten minutes later she managed to gather enough strength to put her head on my foot. More crying.

We went home, worried through the night, then called the vet in the morning.

Apparently she had seizures throughout the night and went to the doggy ICU to keep her organs from failing. She also had a doggy EKG after she developed a heart murmur.

We went back to the vet to visit. She looked haggard and I was told she hadn't bitten anyone.

The biting thing is actually significant. She HATES strangers. HATES them. She bites and she bites regularly (we're working on that, she had a traumatic little life before us). We saw the staff pick her up, bathe her, etc. without so much as a "Grrrrrr." This made me worry.

She stayed another night and we went to pick her up in the morning.

The vet suggested that we go to a doggy surgery center for an endoscopy, just to make sure there wasn't anything else stuck in her tummy (the x-rays were inconclusive on that front). The boyfriend and I struggled with the decision. It was probably going to cost a lot, but we do have pet health insurance. It was also going to be a big strain her little system, and considering she was in danger of her organs failing, I was concerned that it would be too much for her to be put under again.

In the end, we decided it was better for her to have the endoscopy, as they assured us that they could pull out any stray wrappers during the procedure. The boyfriend and I drove her to the doggy surgery center and dropped her off. They said that they'd call as soon as they knew anything.

We went to the mall to kill some time, and I managed to freak out at my poor boyfriend. There wasn't any good reason, I was just stressed as all hell. You're not in a good place if you're bursting into tears at Nordstroms.

A few hours later, we got a call from the surgery center. Cheeto's stomach was completely blocked with an immovable mass of wrappers, cherries and who knows what else. Surgery was happening, and it was happening now.

More crying.

Another night of waiting and we got the news that she could come home. We were also told that she was clear for traveling with us to Montana, as long as we were careful with her.

Her little tum-tum looked like this:

Finally, four days after our intended departure date, we hit the road with doggy and lots of medications in tow. (One for pain, one for her thyroid, one for her heart, and an antibiotic.)

I can't tell you how stressed out I was. I mean, I can try, but there's no way that words can express exactly how frantic I was.

Work has been very, very busy. Both dayjob work, 2nd job work, and my own side projects have managed to take up nearly every second of my free time. Los Angeles has felt oppressive, as I hit the point of despising my daily commute (freaking traffic). I wanted nothing more than to start my vacation. Then, two hours to freedom, I got hit with four days of thinking my baby puppy doggy was dying.

It was horrible. Just horrible.

And who knew chocolate was *that* toxic. I knew it was a no-no for dogs and cats, but I didn't realize that 13oz. of mixed truffles and chocolate covered cherries could kill a 22 pound dog. Had we not rushed her to the vet immediately (the office is just two blocks from our house) Cheeto would be dead.

Four days and $4,500* later, the boyfriend and I started our winter vacation. More on that soon.

*Here's hoping that VPI pet insurance delivers. Anything would be helpful.

For future reference:

1) White chocolate is by far the safest chocolate a dog can eat. Generally, they shouldn't even be phased by it.
2) Milk chocolate is also relatively mild. It's worth calling the vet about, as it can be dangerous in large quantities (which depends on the size of the dog).
3) Dark chocolate = death. It doesn't take too much (also depending on the size of the dog) to kill them.
4) Baker's chocolate = ultra death.

The boyfriend and I have resolved to keep chocolate out of our house entirely.

A few resources:

Dogs and Chocolate
Chocolate Toxicity and Dogs

Why videogame writing still needs some improvement

2010-01-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

Star Ocean: The New Hope

So, my character in the game lands on a new planet and is soon assaulted by a bunch of big, scary spiders. He tries to shoot them with his gun, but their scary-spider-armor deflects his shots. He falls to the ground and scrambles to find an alternate weapon. One appears: a utility knife/sword thing. It ends up being an effective tool against the creatures on the planet.

Unfortunately, an hour or so later in the gameplay, the character "reveals" why he has "always" used a knife/sword thing. He claims he always uses it because, when he was a child, he tried to save his father by using a gun, but didn't know how to shoot it. Instead he saved him by fighting off a monster with a knife.

Things like this make me yell at the TV.

The end

2010-01-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

That's it. Game over.

I'm past my prime and have begun the process of slowly dying.

I found my very first grey hair today.

Oh, the agony.

In with da funk ... er ... the new.

2010-01-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Goals for 2010

1. Audition for something, anything.
2. Take one of the following classes: dance, piano, acting, or voice.
3. Get my passport.
4. Buy (and wear) a dress (I haven't bought a dress in FIVE years. Five!)

5. Gussy up and attend the SF Ballet's Nutcracker (I performed in it 15 years ago. Lordy, I'm old.)

6. Read three books for fun (last year I only managed two, believe it or not).

7. Visit one new place.8. Attend more shindigs (in other words, try not to turn down invitations).

9. Photograph stuff. Lots of stuff.

10. At 11:59 PM on December 31st, feel like this:

P.S. I have a feeling that this year is totally going to top last year. Not that last year was anything less than great. :)

Out with the old ...

2010-01-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

Let's see how I did on my "Resolutions, nay, goals for 2009."

1. Ride my exercise bike.
Replaced this with a gym. Good stuff.

2. Go to Chicago.
Missed on this one. I did go to Austin, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Montana, and Salt Lake City though. Not bad. It's the most I've traveled in ages.

3. Do a lot of writing.
Yuppers.

4. Play more video games.
I think I outdid myself on this one.

5. Spend more money on myself without feeling guilty.
Done.

6. Open myself up more to love.
Sure.

7. Re-learn French.
Fail.

8. Eat a lot of dim sum.
Yes. I even braved the "dim sum platter" that some place in Montana served. For the record, it was not terrible.

9. Go to more galleries and museums.
Nope. I made it to the Japanese Tea Garden in SF, but I don't think that counts.

10. At 11:59pm on December 31st, feel very, very happy.
Well, at 11:59 pm on December 31st, I was driving in an icy canyon during a snowstorm. I think I was annoyed, more than happy.

I get a 6/10. That's a big, fat D-. Better than failing, I suppose.

Guess I'll just have to try harder this year. :)

(Not that last year was bad. It was mostly awesome.)

Etiquette v. Efficiency

2009-12-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I resolved the whole, "I WANT MORE HELP FROM MY BOYFRIEND!" thing. I stopped hinting at wanting help while feeling like a nag, and instead created a list of items I wanted him to take care of.

Initially, being this direct made me feel like a raging, demanding mo-fo. I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing, but asking for help seems rude. (On my end, at least. I still like helping other people.)

But magically, in a matter of three hours, 90% of the stuff I wanted done was done.

Watching my to-do list clear up makes me happy. In my heart.

Secret Tunnels

2009-12-15T06:14:00.000-08:00

On one hand, it's incredibly awesome to wake up and find your puppy dog burrowing under the covers to snuggle with you.

On the other, knowing that you could roll over in your sleep and either a) suffocate her or b) startle her into biting you kinda sucks.

But really, burrowing is way cute. Way. Well, after you get over the whole "ZOMG THE BOOGEY MAN IS AFTER MEEEEE ... oh, it's just you," feeling.

Conversely

2009-12-10T04:23:00.000-08:00

I freaking love this time of year, even with the stress.

I love the music, I love the pretty bows-n-paper, I love the lights, I love the ornaments, I love sparkling blue-tinged snow at dusk, I love Scrooged & The Disney Christmas Carol (the one with Mickey Mouse), I love spending time with dear friends and family, I love freakish amounts of food (an artery clogging good time), I love driving around looking at other people's decorations while drinking hot chocolate, I love planning gifts for people ...

It's all kinds of awesome.

I just wish I had more time to really relish each and every moment. I would spend weeks preparing it all, if I could.

A smidge overwhelmed

2009-12-10T03:48:00.000-08:00

I really need to find a way to coerce ... er ... trick ... er ... convince my boyfriend to help out with winter holiday stuff. So far, I've hung lights, put up decorations, ordered and wrapped a zillion gifts, designed a Christmas card photo insert and printed out addressed envelopes. He has ... uh ... he definitely looked at the photo insert. After I asked. And he ordered a couple of presents online. Which I'll probably wrap. Oh, and he came with me to grab fun Christmas food at Trader Joes and Costco.

I still need to write in, stuff, stamp, and send the cards. Wrap more gifts. Burn and wrap the annual holiday CD. Organize like the Dickens for our impending two week trip. Etc.

His contributions are all helpful and appreciated, but I can't help but want a little more assistance. I mean, I'm working 5 billion jobs and I feel like my personal to-do list is just growing and growing and growing ...

Mostly I just wish I didn't have to initiate it all. It feels like any failure on my part to make a concerted effort to make Christmas happen will result in my most favorite-est of holiday seasons passing me by. Thank goodness I'm going up to my parents' place, so I can sit back and enjoy other peoples' holiday efforts for a little while.

Of course, no one is making me do extra work for the holidays. I just really, really enjoy getting cards and looking at purdy decorations. I figure I should put some effort into making this time of year nice for other people too.

I'm rubber, you're glue

2009-12-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

I don't do well when I'm startled. If someone says something horrible in my presence, I usually have no idea how to react. I get flustered and stay silent. Or act like it's okay.

I'm not sure if Los Angeles is making me an angrier person, but I'm getting better in these situations. Every time something cruddy happens to me, I take note of it. I digest the information, let the incident marinate awhile, and come up with a "what I should have done" plan. This makes me better prepared to handle whatever else comes my way.

Speaking of which ...

My trip to Montana last December went fantastically well. I found purpose in life (weird, seeing as I should have been in a food coma) and had a great time hanging out with my family and friends.

Unfortunately, an obnoxious child kicked my good spirits in the nuts.

Browsing the aisles of some chain store in a sterile mall, a 5 year-old turned to her mother, pointed at me, and said, "That lady is UGLY!"*

First of all, holy self-esteem killer! Second, what kind of mother doesn't apologize when that happens?! Third, GAAAAAAAAH!

I wish I'd said something. I didn't. I stayed silent, not sure that what I thought had happened had *actually* happened.

This year, I am prepared for naughty child antics. My response will be:

"Santa is a lie."

*Unlike the demon-spawn and her family members, I have dark brown hair and light olive skin. They were rather Arian. I assume this was her issue with my appearance. I have just enough self-esteem to know I'm not a hideous beast. I think.

Cheeto burrito

2009-12-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

Gratuitous doggy pics:

Birthday/Anniversary Weekend Round Up

2009-12-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

Brace for rambling. After that: photos.

My weekend turned out infinitely better than expected (no offense, Mr. Boyfriend-O-Mine).

After a lot of worrying on my part (and nagging about making sure Cheeto and Little One were taken care of), my boyfriend picked me up from work on Friday. The kick-buttiness commenced. First we dropped off Cheeto at her old foster mom's house (she's a celebrity dog trainer, apparently, but gives a nice boarding discount to rescue animals). Next we picked up delish Earl Grey tea bobas and pot roast sammiches from the Urth Caffe (you're probably going to notice an eating theme here, btw). Then Mr. Boyfriend-O-Mine asked me to enter our destination into my phone's navigator application.

Our surprise destination: "Cat's Favorite Beach.*" Nicely done, Mr. Boyfriend-O-Mine.

We left early enough in the day to enjoy the sights on our way up to the Bay Area. Traffic moved along nicely, though we passed two separate cars whose engines had caught on fire. Not just smoking fire, actual flame fire. Scary. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get my camera in time.

That camera comment sounds callous, upon second reading. The people in the cars were fine. For the record.

Anyway, we ate dinner at a favorite burrito place in my old neighborhood in San Francisco, stopped in at a Safeway to grab an It's It (which I hadn't had for over 10 years - just as amazing as I remembered) and arrived at the beach at about 10 that evening. I hopped out of the car to find he'd rented a cabin, complete with a fireplace and kitchen. Awesome.

What made this all extra sweet was the fact that I practically grew up at this beach. My family and I spent weeks upon weeks staying in a family friend's beach house. In other words: my boyfriend not only listened to what I had said about these fond memories - he actually remembered. (He's a keeper.)

Morning one involved a breakfast of biscuits & gravy, potatoes and eggs. AND a mocha with whipped cream. Mmm. Then we went for a long walk on the beach, unfortunately spotted a rotting seal carcass being consumed by turkey vultures (sad!), then got caught up in the tide. We retreated back to the cabin just in time for lunch. Yes, lunch. Breakfast was heavy, but I made a point of not eating all of it. Anyhoo, I indulged in a free-range organic beef burger from my old favorite burger stand, a couple of fries and a half and half soft-serve ice cream cone. Heaven. And yes, all diets are off on birthday weekends. Besides, winter is upon us. I need to prepare to hibernate.

Post lunch, we wandered around the tiny beach town and hit up my old haunts - the charming bookstore whose owner hand picks each and every book (I found a coloring book that I remembered filling in as a kiddo) and a supermarket with a surprising array of organic and other nummy foods. Then we went on a drive past a lagoon (gooorgeous AND there were lots of cute duckies) and ventured into a rather secretive smaller beach community. Also gorgeous with enormous trees and lots and lots of green foliage all around.

Next we drove back into San Francisco, wandered around the Palace of Fine Arts, then hunted for Manchurian beef (not the same as Mongolian. Apparently it's a NorCal thing).

Sunday we had brunch at the same restaurant we ate breakfast in the day before. I think I had soup, but it was overshadowed by a really awesome smoothie and a cute dog inhabiting the doorway of the restaurant. We then took a looooong walk on the beach, showered and primped for socializing, and drove to Vallejo to chill with my super awesome cousin. Post chillin', we wen't out with a few other super awesome cousins (and one's super awesome girlfriend) for Chinese food. Post-Chinese food, we went to a super awesome cousin's house and hung out with their super adorable Corgi/Jack Russel mix. Which reminded me of Cheeto, but I made sure I didn't focus on missing her for too long.

* Cat's favorite beach = this place:

Found at my fav. burrito place:

Japanese tea garden goodness:

These guys reminded me of this. "They see me roll on, my Segway, I know in my heart they think I'm white n' nerdy!" Thanks, Weird Al.

Pretty drive near the ocean:
Palace of Fine Arts:

Mmmudpie:
Beach:

More Japanese Tea Garden:

It's them!
More Beach:
Cool cousin and cute puplet:
Additional Japanese Tea Garden:
Biscuits-n-Gravy:

An abomination

2009-12-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

I was lamenting the fact that my indulgent, budget splurge-y, organic free-trade coffee wasn't doing anything to wake me up when I realized that I wasted a ton of money on decaf. What's the point of decaf, anyway? Le sigh.

November was awesome

2009-12-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

Seriously. Awesome.

Got published in an online, peer-reviewed journal for a review of The Sims 3.
Submitted an interview that took ages to complete.
My first paying game writing gig kicked into gear. (Just quest localization, essentially, but still ... yay!)
Spent time working with a great consulting group.
Was thrilled to see that the IGDA will be offering health care plans.
Speaking of the IGDA, I've been hyper involved with them, in general.
Kept on trucking as community manager for the QA Special Interest Group.
Been cruising along as a Jr. Editor for Gamersinfo.net.
Had my birthday and six-year anniversary with the boyfriend. :)
Spent time in a cabin by my favorite beach (good job planning, Mr. Boyfriend Man)!
Had a fabulous Thanksgiving where I ate tons of yummy food and spent time with lots of yummy people.
Experienced a bunch of wonderful, fantastic, super awesome, long-lasting conversations.

Priss

2009-11-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

Cheeto's first trip to the beach wasn't exactly smooth sailing.

The Ocean: Oh hai!
Cheeto: GAAAAH! *rears up to escape a teeny wave, trips, and faceplants it in the sand*

Standards

2009-11-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

Boyfriend: I spilled Cheeto's whole bag of food.
Me: Yikes. How much of it did she eat before you shooed her away?
Boyfriend: Not that much. I guess I have to go to the store.
Me: You're throwing it out?
Boyfriend: Yeah.
Me: It's not like she doesn't normally eat stuff off of the floor.
Boyfriend: You think it's okay to put it back in the bag?
Me: She licks sidewalks. So, yes.

Awkwardness Revisited

2009-11-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

So, this one time, in middle school...

I went to a school dance at my friend's school and this guy asked me to slow dance and I was surprised so I was like, "who me?" then I felt stupid so I blushed and then my friend's boyfriend's friend asked me to dance later and I was like, "okay whatever" so then my friend apparently gave her boyfriend's friend my phone number so he called me and I made sure to tell him we were just friends so then he called me a few more times to talk and stuff but then later he faxed his friend to tell him to call me and let me know that he couldn't call me because his parents were mad about the long distance calls and then I was like "why are you calling me" and so I had my friend call his friend to tell him that we weren't dating and he shouldn't call me any more so then his friend told him and then his friend called my friend again but he was totally obviously listening in on the call so my friend three-way called me and his friend was like, "why did you break up with him?" and I was like "WE WERE NEVER DATING!"

The end.

Dear World

2009-10-30T16:27:00.001-07:00

There should be a law against being busy with work on Fridays.

Hugs and Creepily Wet Smooches,

Cat

I hate dog pajamas

2009-10-28T16:17:00.001-07:00

My dog is an L.A. dog. She can't stand it when it rains and acts like she's dying when it's hot, so I assume she's going to have trouble when my boyfriend and I drag her up to Montana for our holiday vacation.

Last year, it was twenty degrees below zero (Fahrenheit). Nothing to scoff at.

As such, I'm looking into cold weather dog apparel. Normally I'd mock people for dressing their animals up in frou frou outfits for any reason other than attempting to be ironically amusing (in the hipster-definition-of-ironic sort of way), but seriously - it's freaking freezing up there. She's in Los Angeles where it is never actually cold (despite what the locals say) and she won't have any reason/chance to grow in a thick fall/winter coat. I also don't want to know what salt and ice will do to her small, soft, adorable tiny paws.

I want to find boots and a jacket that are simultaneously aesthetically pleasing, not annoyingly cutesy, and highly functional. Amazon and Google have failed me thus far.

Failure example one (cutesy):

Courtesy of Amazon.com

Failure example two (unattractive to the point of hilarity - he needs a super hero emblem and cape):

Courtesy of K9 Top Coat

Failure example three (not terrible looking, minus the scarf - but not warm looking either):

Courtesy of Drs. Foster & Smith

What to do, what to do?!

Wish me luck

2009-10-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

I am a list person. Regardless of the occasion, I find myself keeping careful track of what needs to be done to prepare for (insert any event/holiday here). Christmas planning for this year started on December 26th. I've been sifting through Thanksgiving recipes on Epicurious for months. I think I bought my boyfriend's mom's holiday gift in May.

As such, I'm generally the designated planner. Sometimes I don't mind, other times I get annoyed. Really? You didn't think to look up the directions in advance? Really. It gets to the point where people assume that I'm going to take care of things for them.

I may be paid to plan events for work, but I do not want to be in charge in my off hours. That's why, this year, I told my boyfriend to plan our anniversary/my birthday weekend.

It's risky, I know.

We once ended up at the wrong venue when he bought Nutcracker tickets when we lived in Colorado. He nearly drove us to Mexico when I let him navigate on the way to Montana. Even with a list in hand, he'll forget stuff at the grocery store.

His track record is not good.

I'm forcing this upon him because I have become sick of doing it. Arranging for pet sitters, making plans ahead of time with friends, finding hotel accommodations, carefully ensuring that we don't overbook or underbook ourselves. Writing down elaborate how-to guides for our guinea pig's caretaker. Ugh. It's exhausting. I don't like to be the one in charge *everything* (most of the time).

So now it's his turn. Wish him luck.

Austin GDC Part Deux

2009-10-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

A follow-up on my Austin GDC 2009 post ...

Passes

I'm still happy I went with All Access, but I have to say that most of the sessions were so-so. There were a few very, very useful ones, of course, but overall I didn't need to drop that much dough this early in the networking game.

Housing

The decision to go with a hotel-alternative was a good one. Not only was it ridiculously affordable, the people I met were awesome. I had a walk-in closet, claw-foot tub with separate shower, and ginormous room all to myself. Lovely.

Stifling shyness

The housing fix covered this one for me. Sure, I've made a point of participating in things that make me anxious all my life to try and desensitize myself (theater, speech and debate, choir, etc.), but the fear just does not go away. Luckily, the people I stayed with were wonderful - warm, friendly, inclusive. This made the rest of the trip a breeze. I can't tell you how nice it is to have dinner time roll around and know that you have someone to spend it with.

Um. What?

2009-10-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

Boyfriend (fiddling with something behind the television): "Ah man, I have a Rosemary's Baby situation going on here."

Me: *snort* "Um. What?"

Boyfriend: "I'm not sure which cord to unplug."

Me: "Ooooh. You mean Sophie's Choice ... Different. Very, very different. "

Boyfriend: "Oh."

Hmmm

2009-10-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking again about what I should be doing with my life. I mean, I love all of my side projects, but I want to see one of them take off. I'm wondering if there's more I should do to make that happen.

Grad school? Which program?

In the meantime, I'm trying out this thing. It's allegedly a very easy to use game maker.

We shall see.

Note to Self: Pen Geek Edition

2009-10-14T12:52:00.001-07:00

Uniball Signo RT Gell < Pentel R.S.V.P. < Pentel G2 0.7 mm.

Why Being Tall Sucks (Sometimes)

2009-10-14T12:07:00.001-07:00

The taller you are, the farther your spoon has to travel from your bowl to your mouth. This increases the chances of drippage, which in turn increases the chances that you'll ruin a shirt or embarrass yourself.
Desks are never, ever the right height. Posture suffers, as a result. (I type this as I hunch over my keyboard).

Pet Peeve: Assumptions

2009-10-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

I really can't handle it when people assume you're an idiot just because you don't know the exact same stuff they do.

When it comes down to it, everyone started as a newbie. More importantly: nothing is ever obvious.

At some point, you didn't know fuse boxes even existed.
There was a day when you didn't know the difference between it's and its. They're, there and their. Not to mention serial commas.*
Once upon a time, you didn't know the cake was a lie (and I won't judge you for running to Google if you still don't).

We all started out as screaming, needy little pooping machines, so please wait a second before harassing newbies**. Cut them (us) some slack. Please.

You're probably not wondering why I even brought this up. Which is okay, but I'm gonna share anyway. I've had more than my fair share of moments where my actions/statements were met with judgmental glares.

Example:

The summer after I turned fifteen, I took driver's ed. License in hand, I hopped into my silver 1984 Chrysler LeBaron (Matilda, may you rest in peace) and lovingly proceeded to try out all the buttons and switches and doodads and thingamawhatsies.

One button's purpose eluded me. I tried it once. Looked around. Got out of the car, inspected all the lights. Turned off the engine. Tried it again.

Lots of effort, no result. I gave up.

Eventually winter came and I had forgotten all about the mystery button. My friends and I piled into the car to go rent some videos and I discovered that fog was blocking my rearview.

"Dammit," I said. "I can't see anything. I wish there were something that could get rid of the condensation in my back window."

The car went silent. After a few moments, my friends began to laugh. And laugh. And laugh.

Embarrassment and confusion flushed my cheeks red.

"... seriously?" one friend prodded. The others chuckled.

"What?!" I asked, exasperated. I wanted the moment to be over.

"Oh come on...really?" the friend pressed again.

"WHAT IS SO FUNNY?!?"

She explained the concept of rear window defrosters to me and pointed toward Matilda's mystery button.

"That's what those lines on your back window are for."

More laughter. My heart sank.

I felt more than a little stupid, and even a touch betrayed. My friends were laughing *at* me. Not because I cracked a joke or tripped over a trash can, but because I didn't know something they felt was obvious.

Many, many similar moments instilled in me a fear of asking questions. Eleven years later, and I'm only just getting over it.

*There's even a serial comma debate. Formal writing prefers one, two, and three. Journalists prefer one, two and three. As much as people may argue about it, there's no hard and fast rule, it's just a matter of druthers.

**Feel free to harass people who really should know better.

An Update: Goals for 2009

2009-10-05T09:31:00.001-07:00

Back in February, I outlined my "Resolutions, nay, goals for 2009."

Here's how I'm doing so far:

1. Ride my exercise bike.
Not doing great on this one. It turns out, exercise bikes hurt. I ditched the thing in favor of walk/jogs and just recently found a gym I like.

2. Go to Chicago.
I haven't kept up with this one either. The main idea was to go places I've never been before - which I have succeeded in doing. I went to Austin last month and am set to go to Portland soon.

3. Do a lot of writing.
Sweet success! I'm writing much, much more than I originally anticipated.

4. Play more video games.
Well, I bought a PSP and went nuts on my Xbox 360. So far, so good.

5. Spend more money on myself without feeling guilty.
I've done this too. I also donated a bit to non-profits, which helps me offset the shopping guilt.

6. Open myself up more to love.
That's one heck of a tree-hugging hippy statement. I think I'm succeeding. Lots of awesome, new friends made this year. :)

7. Re-learn French.
Massive fail. I need to figure out a game plan for this one. Rosetta Stone software is expensive, but tempting. Has anyone here had any experience with it?

8. Eat a lot of dim sum.
Mmm hmm! And it shows, which is why I still need to do more of #1.

9. Go to more galleries and museums.
Thus far, this has also been a massive fail. I need to at least go to the Getty for their botanic garden and perhaps the de Yeung in SF. And maybe their Japanese tea garden.

10. At 11:59pm on December 31st, feel very, very happy.
Still workin' on it. :)

Austin GDC Part One: Planning

2009-09-30T13:43:00.001-07:00

I haven't been to an out of town conference (other than the ones I've planned) in 6 years, so I was a little nervous about what I should do with myself. Which pass should I get? Where should I stay? Who am I going to eat lunch with? Please don't let me be the awkward shy person that retreats to her room for meals!

Passes

My options were as follows:
1) All Access
2) Main Conference
3) Summits and Tutorials
4) Game Career Seminar
5) Expo

This was the scariest decision, in my opinion. I was afraid that getting the cheap-o pass would doom me - socially and in terms of accessibility. Would certain passes brand me as a n00b? I caved and went with the all access, despite the hefty price tag. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be disappointed with my choice later. Erring on the side of too much to do with my time seemed better than missing out on something awesome.

Housing

I initially freaked out about picking a hotel. Where would the people I end up getting along with be staying? How far away from the event center is too far? What if the housekeeper missed the dead hooker under the mattress?

Thankfully, a wonderful friend of mine suggested a hotel alternative - vacation rentals. She assembled a group of what she felt were compatible people, and one of them volunteered to help research our options.

Before I left, I knew we had 3 women and 5 guys in our group and two houses to pick from. And one of the houses was a castle. Literally.

Stifling shyness

I wasn't sure what to do about my ridiculous agoraphobia, so I rented a car to make sure I had an escape route. But that brought up the issue of how much I hate driving in new places. Blargh! And don't even get me started in terms of worrying about wardrobe choices.

More on how these decisions affected my experience coming soon ...

ManLandia

2009-09-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

So, Austin GDC was awesome. I had a blast. I'll fill y'all in on details soon. :)

Members only

2009-09-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

I love video games, but I'm not good at playing them all. Give me turn-based strategy and I can play at any level of difficulty you throw at me. Give me a game that requires frantic button mashing I'll probably not do so well.

The games for which I lack skills, well, they make me very, very sad. Especially since so many games lock beginners out of content.

This happened to me yesterday.

My boyfriend was sweet enough to pick up a copy of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (yay!). I was very excited for co-op play, so I inserted the disk and watched the cheesy opening sequence roll by (lord help me, they used "ladies" and "girls" as insults to masculinity .... must ignore ...).

Anyway, the options screen finally popped up on the TV and, to my dismay, I had to choose a difficulty level. "Some achievements and content are unavailable at your level," the Xbox said to me.

Dammit.

Just because I lack the ability mash buttons in a logical sequence at breakneck speeds, doesn't mean I'm undeserving of cool content.

Lame-o.

Why not decrease the points awarded for achievements for the easy setting? Huh? Why not??!

Meany faces. All of you.

I guess I just have to go back to singing everything on Rockband at Expert level without flinching. So. There.

Nyah.

Apparently I'm a diva

2009-09-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

At least when it comes to gyms.

I gave up my membership at the YMCA because the neighborhood was shady and I couldn't talk myself into running around their parking lot after dark.

Now I'm in need of a replacement.

I want:

Enough cardio equipment so I can workout at 6 or 7 at night and not have to wait for a machine.
A circuit room.
Parking under $8/pop (Which is what it costs at UCLA) or something within walking distance of my apartment.

That's it. I don't need a locker. Or a pool. Or a steam room.

Really, it's not a lot to ask, is it?

Apparently in LA it is.

Ugh.

I'm tempted to buy my own equipment, but then I don't get the benefit of weight training. Or room for visitors.

2001 can go suck an egg

2009-09-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

The anniversary of 9/11 always puts me in a melancholy malaise. 2001 marked the beginning of a rough time in my life.

I started the year by being dumped. Two friends were in a horrible accident that killed a motorcyclist. I ended up semi-dating a guy who I discovered was on the scene of that accident and lent my friends his cell phone. Broke up with that guy (not because of the coincidence, other reasons). Started dating the friend who was in the accident, and that ended up becoming emotionally tumultuous. Post 9/11 depression hit hard. It was hard to go to class. I didn't really even want to get out of bed. Slept too much. When I was awake I argued with friends about my pacifist views. No, I didn't want to go out and torture and/or kill the 9/11 planners. No war, please. There was a lot of fighting about that.

The next several years brought financial and emotional hardship. Medical problems. Deaths. Ugh.

Fast forward to fall of 2008. Things were finally okay. Ish.

A post on my dearly departed Ginger, a.k.a. a Gin-Blog

2009-09-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes known as Ginger, Gin-bob, Gin-bob No Pants, Ginner and Princess, my sweet family pup passed away last month.

I miss her lots.

As a result, my writing goes to sh*t when I try to talk about her. I'll put her pictures first, so you can enjoy her. If you happen to want to read a rambling, disorganized block of text, it's waiting for you after the photos.

Squirrel watching prairie dog pose:
An unusual silly face. Normally she hated photos:
I'm not sure why I posted this one, seeing as it's just a picture of our carpet.
Mouthful of snow:
More of that delicious snow:
On a hike with my parents:Snorf snort snuggle snorf:

Big torso, little legs.
When I was really little, I used to pretend I was a dog. I crawled around my parents' apartment barking. I remember filling a little bowl with food or water, putting it on the floor, and eating from it. Later, when I learned to write, I made sure to tell Santa I wanted a puppy for Christmas. Every year, without fail. When I grew up a little more, I bought books on dog breeds and poured over animal supply catalogs, circling the items I felt were good enough for my future potential puppy.

I didn't get one until the Spring of my senior year of high school. I was 17.

I arrived in my Montana hometown in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted from a Speech and Debate meet. It was bitterly cold and snowing like mad. Rather than make me brave the nasty weather, my parents came to pick me up in their enormous old, blue van.

The sliding door roared open to reveal a scruffy, dirty blonde dog. She looked quite a bit like Benji the hunted cut off at the knees, 1/2 Basset Hound 1/2 Skye Terrier. Her bark was all Basset, temperament mostly terrier. But I didn't know that yet.

I got in and asked what the deal was with the dog. I knew better than to assume she was mine.

"Oh, we're just trying her out," my parents told me.

I didn't know what to think. If I let myself get attached, I'd risk emotional devastation if they took her back to the pound where she'd inevitably be put to sleep. I was afraid to love her all the way, but that scruffy face was so. darn. cute.

When we got home I realized that my younger brother hated her*. Not for any logical reason - he just hates change. Any change. Even cute, furry, sweet, loving change.

I assumed she was doomed.

Then a few weeks passed. A few months. My parents never confirmed that she was our forever dog and I was too timid to ask. And then, that fall, I left for college. I had a dog for all of 6 months.

In that time I noticed that she could tell when I was sad. She'd sit near me until she sensed I was okay then would wander off to check on another member of the family. Nightly she'd make the rounds, the tinkling sound of her little license tags the only thing giving her presence away. First she'd check on my parents, padding in on her big furry feet. Sniff. Sniff sniff. With a head shake and a snort, she'd turn tail and head for my little brother's room. Sniff. Sniff sniff. Snort. Then it was my turn. I used to hear her come into my room, just part way. Stop. Sniff sniff. Snort. Once she knew we were all where we were supposed to be, she'd settle in for the night.

Sometimes I'd find her on the couch in the living room, using the low arm rest as a pillow.

Sometimes she'd curl up under my parents' bed.

Sometimes she'd be up on the ottoman by the window, staring out at the squirrels, sitting like a prairie dog.

When we'd go out for walks, she chased those squirrels up trees. I don't mean that she scared the squirrels so that the squirrels themselves ran up the tree trunks. No. Ginger scrambled up the trunk as far as her short little legs and big bodied momentum could take her. She never made it farther up than my head, but it was high enough to be impressive.

She ate a lot of snow. I think it may have been her favorite thing to do.

Small dogs didn't phase her. Big ones? She wanted to take them on. I don't think Ginger realized that she'd lose that kind of a battle. She herself was a big dog on little legs.

Part of her tongue was missing. I wish I knew the story there.

Anyway ...

I got to know her a little, and then I had to leave.

It sucked.

When I came back for Thanksgiving, she greeted me excitedly. I felt loved. Then, when I packed up my car to leave again, she hopped right into the passenger seat and refused to leave. We had to bribe her out with chicken. I didn't want to go.

It seemed that every time I came for a visit, she had lost more teeth. My dad eventually made the joke, "all she has for Christmas are her two front teeth."

My mom tells me that Ginger would let her know when she left something on the stove too long. And when one of the doors was unlocked at night.

She hated being groomed. She took it as a great personal insult that her lowly humans would dare harass her in that manner.

Enough details. I miss her. Lots. She was with us for 10ish years, but was closer to 15 years-old (or more, actually). I really wish I had spent more in-person time with her.

*To my little brother's credit, he warmed up to her. It just took him a little while. I actually don't know if he remembers disliking her.

The thick and thin of my Cheeto (or thick TO thin, really)

2009-09-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Update Extravaganza

2009-08-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

I'll try and make this brief. (Is it wrong that the word, "brief," makes me snicker?)

My darling dog Ginger passed away. I miss her lots.
I adopted a troubled 5 year-old rescue pup named Cheeto. She used to be 15 pounds overweight, she has a bite history and is a Jack Russell/Corgi mix. A Cojack, apparently. (I'm currently training my boyfriend to handle her. Nipping/biting incidents: Me = 0, Boyfriend = 4+)
I'm preparing to travel to Austin in a couple of weeks for this. I wonder what constitutes appropriate conference attire for nerds.
100,000 acres are on fire. Yes, 100,000 ACRES. The air quality is awful, atm.
Life has been insanely busy. I'm hoping to finish my dad's website, revamp my mom's , transfer various ecommerce sites from Cafepress to Zazzle (stupid commission structure change), hear back on a web comic, update my pathetic portfolio, finish up a couple of scripts, write four reviews, wrap up an e-interview and poke a massive design project, among other things.

I'll take some time to photoblog soon. Gotta subject all of you to pup pics and such.

Laterz!

Dear Blogosphere,

2009-08-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

Darling! Baby doll! Honey sugar sweetie stapler muffin!

I miss you madly, I do.

I promise I'll be back soon, Scout's honor.

Hugs and Kisses,

Cat

What's that smell?

2009-07-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

I worry sometimes that what I bring for lunch might stay around longer than I intend. Food aromas can be pretty distinct and, unfortunately, some have a tendency to linger.

Today I had tuna. For all I know, right now my office mates think I'm a weird lady that smells funny.

For the sake of etiquette, there are some things that just shouldn't be brought to work. These include:

- Popcorn. It's delicious, but everyone can smell it. EVERYone. You're not working in a movie theater.
- Broccoli. Sorry guys, but this stuff smells like flatus. Unless you're very, very cruel, it's not what you want your cubicle to smell like.
- Any and all fish/seafood.
- Children. I realize this digresses a bit from the original topic of food ... but ... I don't care how well-behaved Timmy is, I don't want to waste precious time pretending that he's cute while making awkward kid small talk. I can only have the "What grade are you in now? Look how big you've gotten!" conversation so many times before I snap.

There has to be an easier way ...

2009-07-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well crud. It happened.

The people at work found out I'm "good with computers."

Now my duties include everything from teaching people the intricacies Photoshop to showing them how to make bold font in Excel. And occasionally troubleshooting a printer or twelve.

Today I had to deal with a locked Excel spreadsheet. I really don't understand why people password protect these things. It just makes life harder for everyone that has to use them. My goal seemed simple: make the 11 x 17 spreadsheet fit an 8 1/2 x 11 page, while remaining legible. Should be too hard, right?

Wrong.

Unfortunately, sooomebody password protected the spreadsheet. My first troubleshooting step was to see if I could just unlock it from within Excel.

Nope.

The great Google God said I could download a program that would crack it for me. I decided against that method right off the bat, since it would probably give my work computer the ebola virus, and I really don't want to have to explain that to our IT peepz.

Instead I emailed myself the spreadsheet. Sent it from work email to Gmail. Then I opened it up in Google Documents and BEHOLD! The spreadsheet was unlocked. So I saved it as an .xls file and opened it back up in Excel.

Joy!

Think Pink

2009-07-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm torn.

On one hand, I really don't care for pink. Occasionally I indulge in something that's a brilliant, deep magenta. Maaaybe. But cotton candy pink? The single, strangely sickening color that tech marketing folks use to attract women? Not so much. It's just not my style.

I resent this shade of pink. It's patronizing. The cotton candy pink laptops (which are never top of the line models, btw), game consoles, mobile phones, game controllers, etc. scream at me from the shelves of Best Buy. "THE NEEDS AND DESIRES OF FIFTY PERCENT OF THE POPULATION CAN BE BOILED DOWN TO THIS! IT'S ALL YOU GET! CONSIDER YOURSELF INCLUDED!" When these companies got together to brainstorm ideas for attracting female consumers, this one shade of pink is all they could come up with? Really? Seriously. Really?!?!!

However ...

Somehow I feel drawn to these things. I feel a bit like it's my duty to buy them. To prove that the market it out there. That, yes, girls ... nay ... WOMEN ... like this stuff. Sometimes I want to cover my laptop in sparkling pink rhinestones. As a sign of solidarity.

I am female. I can also fix your computer. This combination is neither mutually exclusive, nor unusual.

Full disclosure: There is a cotton candy pink Xbox 360 controller sitting on my coffee table at home. I also insist of playing as Peach in Mario Kart. And I win.

Tragedy at suppertime

2009-07-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

So there I was.
Home from a long, hard day at work.
Making myself a delicious, nutritious Lean Cuisine delicacy.
The little black plastic dish looked out at me from behind the microwave door.
Spinning in circles.
I looked right back at it.
Eager and ready.
Beep beep beeeeep.
Went my microwave.
"Hoorah!" went my tummy.
"Hello gooooorgeous," I said as I opened the door.
Reaching eagerly for my meal with hands bare.
But as my fingers wrapped themselves around the little black plastic dish.
My nerves registered HOT PAIN.
"GAH!" I said as I lifted the little black plastic dish.
Up and away from the safety of the microwave.
"NOOOOO!" I said as the little black plastic dish.
Leapt away from my pain flashing fingers.
Tipping over and away from me.
End over end.
Into the garbage can.
"Oh," I said.
Looking at the upside down little black plastic dish.
Sitting in the garbage can.
And then I made this face:

BFG

2009-07-17T09:34:00.001-07:00

Most of the time, I love being tall.

- Us tall folks make more money, have higher social status and gain more respect than short folks.

- The extra height lets me be intimidating in a subtle way. Especially with 5 inch heels. (Not that I'm intimidating, generally. But heels still help when I put on my "for serious" face.)

- I can reach things on my own at the supermarket. Or in the kitchen. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

There are, however, some drawbacks to extra height.

- You're prone to bumping your head and knees a lot. Small cars are the devil.

- Good luck finding pants that fit. Or shirts that don't show your belly. And jackets with long enough sleeves.

- Losing weight does not show until you have lost an ungodly amount. I say this because I just lost 7 pounds in the past month and I can't figure out what part of me got smaller. Maybe it was my grey matter?

Leave

2009-07-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not one of those people that thinks you have to suck it up. That there's nothing you can do about it, so wait it out. Grin and bear it and make it through. Deal.

Nope.

Not me.

It's not about running away at the first sign of trouble. It *is* about knowing you deserve to enjoy being alive.

Sometimes happiness can only be found if you go. Get out. Leave.

Existential Angst

2009-07-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

I occasionally wonder why I do so many things. If I'm just doing my 40 hour/week day job, I feel useless. Listless. Stuck.

Instead of enjoying free time, I just cram more and more onto my to-do list. Writing projects, graphic & web design, publicity, so on and so forth. I'm not sure if I'll ever manage to slow down.

But maybe I will. And maybe the key is a day job that actually pays me to do stuff I love.

I'll find it someday. I hope.

Cities are weird

2009-07-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

1) There was an angry mime yelling at a camera guy on the corner by my apartment. Apparently he's not a very good mime.

2) There are a few celebrity hot spots on my workout route. If I didn't find them so annoying, it would be an exciting discovery. I get to deal with paparazzi glaring at me in all of my sweaty glory when they realize I'm not an approaching star. I'm not sure what tips them off ... ... ...

3) Speaking of workouts, I've started writing workout haikus. Here's the latest:

Nose pressed against glass
Photog' catches shopping star
I pass by smirking.

Dear Internet

2009-06-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm kinda worn out at the moment. Sorry for the lack of updates.

Warm regards,

Cat

Diary of a klutz...

2009-06-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

May 30, 2009
Dined at fancy, schmancy crowded restaurant. Thought swanky booth was longer than it actually was. Landed hard on pride and bruised my ego, among other things. Still sore.

June 7, 2009
Punched self in boob.

June 7, 2009
Diligently hopped on exercise bike in a futile attempt at weight loss. Pedaled backwards to accommodate sore muscles. Foot slipped out of pedal, pedal collided with shin. Purple-y-black bruise appeared.

E3

2009-06-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm going to this to do some reporting tomorrow.

This evening I'm hitting up a cocktail reception. Normally I'd be all about dressing up, but how exactly do nerdy types prepare for these things? I can easily imagine a sea of blue jeans with nary a shimmery dress in sight.