Your Mileage May Vary

Sometimes a girl just has to buy her own flowers

Background Noise: A lil bit country, giving Keith Urban another try 

Last Visited: Bunches and Fleur de Cocoa, Los Gatos

Random Thought: baby pictures of coworkers? priceless.  

Mood: it's not possible to be in a bad mood on a beautiful day like this one 

It shouldn't be surprising that i'm a fool for beautiful things; flowers, fields, sunsets, sunrises, old buildings, new buildings, exquisite food, less than exquisite food, perfectly mixed drinks, high school baseball games, shoes, hats, march madness pools, perfectly tailored dresses, smiles, gently rocking boats, moments... i adore them all. (Obviously and more, but you know me and lists...) And spring in California? So full of so many of the things i love. Don't get me wrong, i'm desperate to get home for that beautiful Michigan spring, but i have to admit, California's charms are growing on me.  

So go ahead - buy some beautiful spring flowers, eat lunch outside, take a walk by the water, find a sunset stargazing hike; take pictures, take picnics, discover somewhere new, rediscover somewhere old, get a jump start on an adventure. Because i don't know about you, but i'm sick and tired of wondering if i'm being defined by the things i didn't say, the places i didn't go. So go on - start living outside, instead of inside your head or vicariously through a movie. 

I know i'm trying; because really? I'd rather try and fall than never give myself the chance to fly. 

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The Day After

Last Visited: news feeds, bug feeds, status feeds, anything really except eapproval to file my expense report

Random Thought: 28 is starting off with a bang 

Mood: moving a little slowly this morning 

Yesterday i turned 28; it was actually an awesome day, busy (shocker), but great. Good moods, good food, good progress, good drinks, good debate, good fun. Yay. 

... There need to be posts with pictures, (new galleries: Philly, Elphaba's Day Out, Michigan: Fall '08,) but i really should actually file that expense report. 

Thank you to all the birthday wishes, it really was wonderful to hear from everyone yesterday. 

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The Cost of a Chair

Background Noise: Brandy, Three Dog Night

Last Visited: inventory verification; and yummy stats 

Random Thought: i'm getting better at go karting; i wonder if the bruises inside my knees afterwards will ever stop though

Mood: i could use a few of Katrina's caffine breath mints this morning 

I've coveted this chair for a good long while now; i've been able to resist purchasing it for all that time because, well, there are just so many other things i can do for the price of that chair (for fun, let's put the average with tax at $2400): 

• 5.8 flights home (at the rate i paid for my ticket in july) 
• airfare and 6 nights in London at the rate i got in december  
• 40 nice pairs of shoes  
• 6 tickets to South Pacific  
• 30 bottles of 2003 Paraduxx Mallards  
• 240 poker buy-ins   
• 40 rounds of the gokart grand prix   
• 600 breakfasts a starbucks (including tip)  
• 40 full tanks of gas (at the rate i paid this weekend, roughly 14,000 miles of driving) 
• 2300 4x6 prints (after tax and delivery)   
• 3 prime lenses for my camera  
• 150 tank tops at the Gap  
• 85 tickets to the symphony   
• 300 drinks at the bar  
• 234 movie tickets  
• 10.4 flights to the general midwest  
• 12.6 flights to Vegas / LA / Seattle   
• a shark expedition from SF bay for 8  

... what i'm saying is that that money buys a lot. Does $2400 make for the most expensive chair ever? Certainly not. But compared to all of the other things i could do with that money... it feels quite pricey indeed. 

(Since i started writing this post i found out that not only is that chair currently on sale, the recliner variant is now offered in fabric in addition to leather at a significantly lower price; i'm trying very very very hard to forget that i know that little piece of information.)

(Oh, but it would be so nice to have a perfect reading chair....)

ps: Hail to the Victors, even in 1903, even in the snow; especially in the snow. 

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Happy Birthday, Anne Girl

Background Noise: Into the Woods

Last Visited: 'bucks + chocolate == a very hyper me 

Random Thought: Is Carousel sold out through next July already? Awesome! And, um, also, Al? :) i might need some help getting tickets at that rate. 

Mood: surprisingly still has brownies left to hand out

100 years ago L.M. Montgomery published Anne of Green Gables - one of my favorite series' of all time; not that i really have favorites; but if i didn't this would be on the list, near the top; and not only because Anne spells her name the right way - with an 'e', like mine. 

... i... have forgotten what i was going to write next. I blame the caffeine and the chocolate. 

Perhaps tonight after sushi i will have to put in one of my Anne dvds... i do adore a trip to Price Edward Island every now and then. 

... but until then, maybe i'll go get some water to help me come down from this cloud. 

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Easy, Breezy, Beautiful: Color Girl

Background Noise: Bubbly, Colbie Caillat (i can hardly believe it myself)

Last Visited: Oak Park, Cupertino

Random Thought: High ceilings, lofty spaces, and master suites built for play rule; do they really need to come with a $700k+ price tag though? 

Mood: tired and it shows

 

Right before my lovely vacation home, i managed (finally) to officially change teams here at Apple: i'm now a full fledged, fully qualified, not at all on loan, member of the Color team within Final Cut Studio! 

I am seriously thrilled with the change; I've been on loan to the team a few times, and i have to say, i adore working with the SoCal boys. Working on FCE and FCP was a great ride, but sometimes you need a teeny bit of a change of scenery...

... and the view from this side of the building is certainly bright.

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Light up my room

Background Noise: Viva la Vida

Last Visited: Macy's, the brick and mortar one. Note to Macy's: stores should match the price of items on your website. I love the dress, but seriously, that's obnoxious. 

Random Thought: bored? go learn something 

Mood: another demo down...

Things have been nuts this week and last and i haven't had a moment to mention who the band was at the WWDC beer bash this year! (How could i have forgotten?) I was so thrilled to discover that after years (and years) of predicting Barenaked Ladies... they finally showed up!

So out when the plans for reservations at some quite restaurant with excellent food and even better drinks, and in came the game plan of me grinning like an idiot while singing and dancing along during their (brief) set. Andrew M. even rescued a guitar pick for me near the end; and i have to admit, suddenly, that very very very long day didn't seem bad at all. 

I have to say many many thank you's to Andy for letting me pretend to be him for the day so i could sit on some quite interesting sessions and make it to the bash at the end of the day. 

... on a closing note, do you think the new Elle Woods (gulp, oh my ears, my ears) would find these heeliarious heels, up to her, um, style standards? 

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Some Enchanted Evening

Background Noise: restarting imacs, iphones; waiting for the icalbridge to sync for the first time
Last Visited: Dave & Liz's Engagement Pictures + Party Gallery
Random Thought: hello South Pacific - um, Emile is... unreal - gorgeous, with a voice to bring women to their knees... is it warm in here or is that just me?
Mood: happy half birthday to me...

So saturday was the big Dave and Liz's Engagement extravaganza - a photo shoot in the morning, and the party in the evening. I think everything turned out well; the party was fun, everyone got along, and i think we ended up with some nice pictures:

with one or two pictures from the party:

from left to right, this is Helena, JR, Me, Debbi, Louis, and Steve C. Just in case. (Don't Debbi and I look related in this picture?).

In other news, largely due to a piece on npr this weekend about Herbert von Karajan, I'm now the pleased owner of the complete Beethoven Symphonies and selections of Turandot by the Berlin Philharmonic. Excellent.

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Many happy returns

Background Noise: Hallucinations, Bud Powell
Last Visited: my facebook inbox
Random Thought: why is it that online stores selling women's watches always have an additional tab of information about the watch - so that along with "overview" and "details" you get "outfit ideas"?
Mood: oh what a beautiful morning

Larry Lessig gave a talk at TED a few months ago on how creativity is being strangled by the law; not only is it insightful, around the 10 minute mark there is a hilariously awesome video clip from "Jesus Christ, the Musical." Check it out.

In other news, i managed to do and file my taxes yesterday - and besides the minor momentary heart attack when i thought that i might owe $8K (don't worry, i don't), it turns out that this year, finally, once more, i'll be getting money back. Thank Goodness.

Interestingly enough, those lovely refunds of mine should be deposited in my checking account right about the time i'm landing in NYC... looks like i might have to do a bit more shopping than i had planned. Darn.

Also, I look on track to give myself one hell of an awesome half-birthday present; all of a sudden i'm looking very forward to monday.

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Money, Spending, and Technology Adoption Rates

Background Noise: seems like a GG afternoon
Last Visited: Horseback riding near Bodega Bay
Random Thought: we can't be lost, we don't know where we're going
Mood: good

OMG, i got flowers for Darwin Day! awesome!!!

Darwin Day is an international celebration of science and humanity held on or around February 12, the day that Charles Darwin was born on in 1809. Specifically, it celebrates the discoveries and life of Charles Darwin -- the man who first described biological evolution via natural selection with scientific rigor. More generally, Darwin Day expresses gratitude for the enormous benefits that scientific knowledge, acquired through human curiosity and ingenuity, has contributed to the advancement of humanity.

Now that is a holiday i can get behind.

Sort of switching topics, i find this chart by the New York Times displaying how American's spend their money quite fascinating; want to know the breakdown of the lowest, middle, and highest income brackets? want to watch adoption rates of technologies over the last 100+ years broken out by income? what to see how the general population breaks up their budgets as a comparison factor for how you live? It covers a lot of ground, and i keep seeing new things each time i look at it. Anyways, happy Darwin Day!

ps: sigh, Senate Approves Telco Amnesty, Legalizes Bush's Secret Spy Program

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Forget the Clowns

Background Noise: Miss America : Reality Check
Last Visited: iphoto, again
Random Thought: defnitions, while occasionally annoying, aid clarity
Mood: exhausted

My friends would shocked if they knew... how much balsamic vinegar goes on my salads; it's a bit rediculous If at first you don't succeed... try again, then reevaluate the parameters Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin? wishing for Gryffindor, most likely Ravenclaw I don't get mad. I get... really mad Ignorance is... unfortunate and should be avoided whenever possible What's your dream job? it was my current one; guess i need to get a new dream How many times is it acceptable to wear a pair of pants before washing them? that question is still under investigation Type control-v and paste the last text you copied. complexity is nature's way of telling you you're asking the wrong question What's the sexiest thing a member of the opposite sex can wear? a suggestive smile; the rest is negotiable Twizzlers or Red Vines? Twizzlers When was the last time you gave your parents a call? Sunday. Why do people watch reality shows? The same reason they can't stop watching train wrecks. What's one magical thing that happened today? the sun came out Do you recycle? Catch phrases? Sure, all the time. How many traffic tickets have you received? 4; 3 for speeding, 1 deriving from my general hatred of the dmv and mail. Blessedly, none are on my insurance company's radar anymore. The best things in life are... achievable When I want to be alone, I... go to my apartment I think I saw Carmen Sandiego in... Half Moon Bay, waxing a board, prepping for Mavericks What do you wish you had never done? je ne regrette rien There's more to life than... work I'd do just about anything for... those i love. The answer to the ultimate question is... Yes. What's the grossest thing you've ever eaten? Uni.

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