Oh dear gawd, I’m so tired.
Friday night I left work at 4:30 to attend and photograph at an event we helped put on for a friend/client of ours. Basically a big bash to send off a very important person who has changed the lives of many – only to move on to yet another job that will allow him to help many more. So I stood for 5 hours, taking photos, longing for nourishment and a place to sit my bum down and rest my feet if only for a few moments. So I took photos and listened to the memories that attendees shared. The only photo I think I can really share is this; someone standing and sharing their story about the man and how he had changed their life or made it a bit brighter with a joke or fun outing they went on together.

Friday ended with aches and weary eyes.

Saturday seemed sort of gloomy. Clouds hovered above and threatened my day with the chance of sprinkles. I was scheduled to go down to an event and take photos of a soccer tournament. Because of the seemingly dreadful weather, I did two things, 1) I did not bring my sunscreen – “Silly fool.” Yes I know this – I know the sun is still up there. I know that I can still get burned. But I also knew that I don’t always listen to myself and therefore NO I did not bring my sunscreen. 2) I brought my jacket/coat whatever it is. It has long sleeves and a hood and keeps me warm.

In the car, Adam had the AC on “Freeze” and so I leaned down to get my long-sleeved-clothing-item … only the fabric didn’t feel the same. It was black. My long-sleeved-clothing-item is black. It did not have a faux fur trim on the hood. My long-sleeved-clothing-item has a faux fur trim on the hood. Nope.. what I had brought with me with the full intention on keeping my arms warm was not my jacket/coat but instead, I brought my sweatpants.

Great.

So the event went lovely.. the weather, for most of the day, froze the living snot out of me… but then, the clouds broke and the sun burned the hell out of my skin.

Yay! Am now burned.

Thank gawd for that Aloe spray shit. It is heaven in an aerosol can. Honestly I don’t care if it’s not an environmentally safe aerosol can. We’re burning holes in the ozone anyway, at least my skin will feel nice and cool instead of burning off… at least for awhile.

After the event I came home and had a small nap and after a phone call with my mom (HI MOM!) I felt compelled to go shopping. I needed hair goop from Bed Bath & Beyond (it’s a certain kind, I’m all high and mighty like that now, you know) and a trip to Home Depot for a stroll in the lighting department would be nice too.

Home Depot was a bust (except for the scent, of course) but I did notice it was next door to an Office Depot and that amused me.

Bed Bath & Beyond was a bust as well. As much as I looked forward to shopping in the Beyond section (and no, not for coffee mugs) I seemed to overlook the fact that BB&B does not exist at the Oakridge mall, but Linens & Things does. Well L&T didn’t have what I wanted.

I should have just napped longer.

Saturday ended with a thud (head + pillow.)

Sunday I woke up an hour earlier than planned (yes, I’m stupid.) I went to the Rose Garden area and took some shots of the garden and museum for a potential ad thingie we’re working on at work. A stop for breakfast and then I was off for another thrilling day at the soccer event. It was much easier today than yesterday, that’s for sure with less games to cover and all.

Despite bringing sunscreen (and my jacket/coat of which I did not need at all and left in the car anyway) I still angered my skin and it now tingles with slight pain.

As I type this I can barely keep my eyes open. I got home, changed, de-snottified my nostrils (omg the allergies!) and took a Benedryl induced nap while my camera uploaded 300+ shots.

Oh but my day was far from over. After the lovely 40 minute nap, I took a shower (those kind of showers where you can’t have the hot water directly hit your arms but have to trickle down because if it were to come into direct contact you might scream – yay burned skin!) My coworker came by and we zoomed off to the Flint Center at DeAnza College to hear a reading by David Sedaris. I had purchased the tickets awhile back and they were worth every penny. (Every penny includes the ticket price, convenience fee, and processing fee – stupid Ticketmaster. Yea you heard me Ticketmaster. You’re stupid.)

No, I did not get a photo. Nor did I get my book signed – though I brought it. The line had formed by the time we made it out of the theatre and I think the end was somewhere in Arizona. My body lacks patience (well, the standing there kind — blog patience is different) so we left.

The man is just as hilarious in person as he is in writing. He read us some new stuff he’s working on as well as some New Yorker articles that will be coming out soon.

But now I’m tired. I’m sad that tomorrow is not my Saturday but in fact the work week all over again.

Must get off computer…

Me and the fellas from Mythbusters

I just couldn’t stay away.
I had to have another dose of craftgeekeryfun. This time, Iris went with me. We donated some threads to the Swap-a-rama-rama (and considering partaking, but personally I just wasn’t prepared enough for it,) checked out some new booths, took photos, and acted silly everytime we’d see a blogger we knew (but clearly they do not know us.)

[More here! The second day starts in the middle of the set.]

Phillip Torrone of Make Magazine shows off a controlled Roomba

Adam and I went to the Maker Faire today in San Mateo. It was loaded with crafty/geeky treats. We might go back tomorrow but we’re not sure just yet. There’s still plenty to see if we do.

[My Maker Faire flickr set]

Today, as just about everyone knows (unless you live under a rock), is the 100th Anniversary of the 1906 Great Earthquake and Fire in San Francisco.

As some of you know, when it comes to earthquakes – I love ‘em. As a general disclaimer – no I’m not a morbid human, obviously I don’t like some of the results of earthquakes. But the science of earthquakes-the fact that the ground beneath us moves everyday and should it slip or strike in a violent manner, the effects are just amazing. (When it came down to me choosing a new major in college, I debated between advertising and geology.)

Anyway.. because this year is the 100th Anniversary, it means there are about a bagillion events to go to.

I thought about heading to San Francisco early (EARLY) this morning. The mayor had major buildings (firehouses, churches, etc) ring their bells and sirens at 5:14am to – this following the moment of silence at the annual meeting place, Lotta’s Fountain. Lotta’s Fountain, on Market street, was one of the few standing structures after the earthquake and became a meeting place for San Franciscans. Each year, for the last 85 years, survivors gather here on the anniversary of the quake and place a wreath at the fountain at the time when the earthquake hit (5:12 or 5:13 – depends which historian you listen to.)

But it’s now almost 9 and that event is clearly over — but there is so much more to do. If you’re interested, hop on over to www.1906centennial.org, and you’ll find yourself a slew of events, exhibits, lectures, and more to go to throughout the next few months (and some throughout the year.)

Here’s just some of the events/etc I will be attending, let me know if you want to go as well!

• Andy Goldsworthy’s “Faultline”, de Young Museum, San Francisco

• 1906 Earthquake: A Disaster in Pictures, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (Now-May 30th)
• After the Ruins, 1906 and 2006: Rephotographing the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Legion of Honor, San Francisco (Now-June 4th)
• It’s Our Fault, Too: The 1906 Earthquake in San Jose and Santa Clara Valley, History San Jose (Now-Dec 31st)
• Filoli Earthquake Hikes, Woodside (April – not sure if I’ll make it for this specific reason, but I’m heading up to Filoli Center for photos regardless)

I know some of you have shared interest in the SF museum trips — anyone else?

Thank you Adam!

Let’s see, my friends featured in my dream included Adam, Vijay, Maya, Iris, Amber, and Amandeep – though, I know there were more… I generally feel like I was in a larger group – much like the one I was in when I really did go to Germany.

It started in some kind of open market/mall-ish area. We were very mish-moshy, everyone going their own way and checking out different stores. Amber was across the way, and I didn’t know she had made the trip out to Germany so that was one of those “Dude you’re here too! Awesome!” kind of moments. So we chit-chatted. She asked where Amandeep was and I pointed down the way, indicating she was off shopping somewhere.

Now we’re a group and we’re going to go have lunchie and we stop at this “Make Your Own Pita” place — which, A) Pitas in Germany? Hmmm. and B) That’s a damn spiffy idea – my dreams are innovative! Well as you enter the restaurant there is a large table in the middle with all the goodies and you can split up and go down each side – at the end is the cashier. At one point someone starts acting up and making jokes and holding up the line, I think it was Adam. Well, Iris and I were not very pleased with the quality and selection at this PitaBar but we each grabbed a Pita anyway and stuffed it with some kind of sauce and some lettuce. I almost didn’t pay for mine, because I had stuck it in my purse.

Because that’s where Pita’s should go right? Saucy, lettucy pitas should be placed into purses for safe keeping. Right.

So we have our Pitas and we make our way to the outdoor eating area which is really a giant field. It’s dry and empty except a creaky ole dried up tree and a picnic table.

And that was it.

Just for the record – my experience in the real Germany was not like this dream at all. Why was it Germany? There wasn’t anything German about it ‘cept the fact that I *knew* we were in Germany.

Hmm.. PitaBar….. it’s a goldmine I tell you.

Last weekend Adam and I made a trip to OSH to get some plant paraphernalia; two new pots, a flowering plant that can survive under “partial or full shade”, and some goodies like soil, gloves, and planting tools.

Most of the time our patio just angers me. We have this huge pine tree smack dab in the middle of our “view” and therefore it shades our patio 80% of the sunlight hours. We get little gleams of light here and there, and we hope that our plants survive. (Most do not.)

I’d like to fix the patio, fill it with my table and chairs (a project that I intended on taking home to finish, but now sans Jeep, I’m not sure how we’ll transport it,) cute lanterns and plant holders, leafiness everywhere, color color color and fun. Is that too much to ask for?

So here are the plants we planted. The pink hyacinths are part of my birthday gift from Maya – I’m trying very hard to keep them alive!

And lookie, it’s Stan! He’s grown up to be quite the tree/bush thing that he is. Stan was a gift from Shanta back in 2001 when we first moved out of the dorms and her and I shared a room. I’d like to plant him in a yard someday.