Now and Zen

Another gorgeous day out in the park (sunburned shouders optional). Corn dogs, Colbie Caillat, and a few crazies in the crowd. No one really wants to know why this chick is blue.

Thumbprint Cookies

Picture it: Me, on a bus, holding a balloon sword, a balloon diamond ring, and 3 regular balloons tangled around my wrist. Then, add two kids and a bag of groceries. Recipe for disaster? Not at all. We managed to overload ourselves with free crap at the Moon Fest Street Fair and still had time to make thumbprint cookies.

Movie Fest

These little red bean rice balls saved the day! You can't have a mini movie marathon without dessert! Plus, I like how they form a subliminal little mochi head.

Beignet Taste Test

Two days, and two types of beignets. Of course the rest of us ate our beignets in a civilized manner, whereas some chose to stuff hot, deep fried dough in her mouth before going back to work with powdered sugar and/or cocaine all over her face and shirt. Can't take some people no where.

Bubba Gump

We had a Bubba Gump moment on Wednesday as we shared 6 pounds of shrimp and crawfish. I swear, my hands still smell like shrimp. Something seems inherently wrong about ordering food by the pound and having it served in plastic bags. At least the beignets and ice cream at the end helped reduce the lingering shrimp taste in my mouth. Garlic and butter shrimp, boiled shrimp, shrimp rolls. . . .

Baby Shower Cupcakes

You think something is wrong if you wake up at 3 in the morning to draw bears and design baby shower cupcakes? My oven is on overload this week.

Witness Protection Program

I'm sad cause I can't take a decent picture of what I intended. I swear my neighbor down the street is a participant in the witness protection program. I'm scared that if I take his photo he'll have me fitted for cement shoes in the Bay. He walks his gargantuan bull mastiff in the middle of the street, or ties him up to the light pole on the corner while the owner washes his Benz in his velour track suit.

Union Square

Ever gotten stopped by mall security for taking photos through the store windows? Me neither. . . at least not yet.

Mah Jong Cake

Here's a repeat of an oldie but a goodie. For my mom's birthday (which I accidentally forgot last week) I think I more than made up for it with a cake of her favorite past time- gambling.

Volleyball Sweatshop

Somewhere in the world, there must be someone else out there at 2 in the morning drawing volleyballs. Who knows? Somewhere in Thailand, small children are using their nimble fingers making volleyballs, and here I am, in my self started sweatshop makng volleyballs. At least they're edible (I hope).

Here's a brief play by play of for my mini chocolate volleyballs filled with nutella. How can that be bad?

Fluffy Pink Sky

Shakespeare Garden

Despite working nearly every weekend for 8 years within 500 feet of Shakespeare Garden, I am guilty of never actually visiting it. I took a stroll through the park and finally stopped to check it out.

On a side note, does it mean you're fat if the only reason you'll walk anywhere is to get food? My motivation for exercising was to go to Safeway so I could get some yogurt. Of course I should have thought about the fact that I didn't drive before I bought a gazillion yogurts and had to lug that plus milk home. What else are you to do when it's buy one get 5 free?

Driving Miss Doggy

I had to take a seconf look as I passed this dog seemingly driving a car.

Rosie - La sirvienta

I interviewed a potential cleaning person on Monday and was surprised to find out she costs $200 per month just to vaccuum and mop 3 times. Now I feel like I'm going to have to resort to finding an illegal immigrant to clean or import an indentured servant so we can have clean floors. Or worse, have my mother mop the floor since she's already doing my laundry. When is technology going to catch up to the Jetsons?

Kingfish

After a full day of watching the US Open, I finally got off the couch for dinner. Only sea bass can lure me away from tennis.

Bridal Shower

Me and my bff at her bridal shower.

Kung Fu Tacos

Check out this taco truck. Oh, Kung Fu Tacos, I must track you down, for I hear that you have duck. It's good to set goals for the week. I still think they should use Hong Kong Phooey as their logo.

Sushi. . . Again. . .

That's right. Not that I'm complaining, but I've had sushi FIVE times in the last two weeks. I'm wondering if my goal is going to be to eat every single roll at Ninki that my stomach can possibly absorb. Nonetheless, it's been for a good cause and the chef has brought us something special every time.

Donate Blood

Did you know that if you donate blood this month, you will be entered to win a Smart Car? Think about it. . . a car on top of the delicious cookie and juice you normally get. What could be better? Good thing there's a blood mobile that stalks my workplace- instead of an ice cream or taco truck by my work, we've got a travelling bus of blood conveniently located less than half a block away.

Lunchbox

I made dozens chocolate chocolate cookies for a lunchbox I put together for a friend's first day back at school. I also drove all the way across the bridge so my mom could find a pair of shoes and go to a CVS for the first time in her life. They must call it Labor Day for a reason.

Samurai and Sushi

I finally had a chance to catch the samurai exhibit at the Asian Art Museum before it ends this month. I learned that women were also born into samurai families and fought as well. My fave was a painting showing a woman about to slit the throat of a man whilst her arm was wrapped around his throat.

Of course an educational afternoon is not complete without sushi (again), pool, and a stop at the latest FOB hangout for mango mochi.

Sushi Time

Today was a fantabulous lunch at my friend's new restaurant during which we completely over stuffed ourselves. We had the best raw scallops and uni with quail egg before running next door for gelato. Unfortunately I don't think we were very successful at taking good marketing pics.

Pooper Scooper

For a person that doesn't own a dog, I've picked up a surprising amount of dog poop. I volunteered to walk this puppy and not only did she decide to poo twice, but I only had ONE bag. Good thing she started to poo the second time while I was picking up the first poo. Unfortunately I had to stand there with her warm poo in my hand while she finished pooing the second time so I could use the sam bag. Good thing she's so freaking cute that I can forgive her.

Baby Goes to the Aquarium

It was giant baby's first trip to the Academy of Sciences and he wanted to chase every fish that swished by him. SO cute!

Fairfield. . .Again

One good thing about being in Solano is that I get to swtich to my old preset radio stations from being in Davis. The bad thing is that I'm in Solano before a meeting with barely 5 minutes to eat dinner in my car in a parking lot. Here's a pic of the Solano County building and the retro mall I had dinner at. I wonder if Geri-Towne is short for geriatric.

40th Anniversary

We had lunch on Sunday for my parents 40th anniversary at R&G Lounge. I debated posting a picture of my parents, but I think the food is a little more interesting. One note worth mentioning is that my parents met pre "eharmony" and did it old school with some village matchmaker.

Outside Lands

Saturday was the perfect day to be out in the park all day with Fergie Ferg.

Ornithophobia

Today's word of the day: Ornithophobia- an abnormal, irrational fear of birds.

I picked this word because I couldn't find a clinical term for extreme and intense hatred of birds which is what Leslie possibly suffers from. They wake her in the dead of night when she's sleeping and has prompted her to literally drive within a 5 block range to find them, upon which I'l guessing she would like to attack them with a BB gun.

Anyhow, these 2 little birdies were outside her house and one of them kept walking towards me when beckoned. I thought it was cute and wanted to feed them. Leslie on the other hand was completely abhorred to find they had crapped in front of her house.

Un-Smart Car

Admittedly, I was sold on the idea of a Smart Car. That was until I saw a safety test where a Smart Car hits a Camry and the driver's head in the Smart Car almost pops out of the window and hits the bumper of the Camry. This was, of course, before the Smart Car flew across the road like a kid kicking a soccer ball. And this was only at 35 mph! Now everytime I see a Smart Car on the road next to my SUV, all I can think is, "You:s gonna die!" I still think they're cute, but so is a lunchbox, and I don't drive around in that.

California Street

Since it's been a week of deadlines for the last week of August, I only had time to catch drive by pics on my way to and from work. I remember there used to be a McDonald's on the corner a block up- the only one in Chinatown. That's when all was right in the world. . .