Snow!

Hooray! Snow! So good to be home!

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A New Day!

It's December, folks. That means a few things.

First, it's cold. Even here in Sunny California, it is cold, and wet, and generally miserable.

Second, everyone, including myself, is stressed. I have bought a series of gifts for those in my family, those with whom I keep company, and soon must buy a gift for a coworker that I really like.

Now, I love buying gifts, truly I do. I love the look on a child's - or adult's, because let's be honest, adults get pretty excited, too - face when he or she rips open that present on Christmas Day and it's everything he or she wanted in a gift. I've never been the hero before, and this year, that's changing. Still, worrying about money is stressful.

Which makes vacation planning even more stressful. It's a long ways away, it's a lot - a LOT - of money to consider spending, and it's in a place that I'm completely unfamiliar with, as is the case with many vacations. BUT there is a HUUUGE upside - which is spending 4 days with great friends and my better half in ski paradise.

Apparently, all the best things in life require a struggle. The thing is, you come out on the other side better. Happier. Stronger. Or, in my case, poorer. But it's only money.

Just watched Dan in Real Life, which is my favorite movie of the last 10 years. Before that, for some perspective, my favorite movie was Ever After, recorded off of HBO by my sister for me so many years ago. I think I've officially moved on, however, to Dan in Real Life. A honest, feel-good story about love and its complications with Steve Carell, a genius in so many ways. It makes me laugh out loud, it makes me cry, it makes me wax philosophical. But I'll spare you.

Before watching that movie, it is worth noting that I washed dishes, nearly all of them. Instead of eating dinner, I danced in my living room. Nothing is quite as satisfying of a release as dancing alone, no one watching, judging, or mocking you, for a little exercise. I even recorded myself for a friend who had had a tough night in hopes of getting a laugh. Mission: accomplished. Making an arse of yourself to Justin Bieber will do that. But it's all fun and honestly, who wouldn't enjoy doing that?

Ok, so this wasn't a meaningful post. But hello blog, I've missed you. I'm going to make an honest attempt to keep you somewhat up to date. You are the only place where I can write from the heart and not worry about who I'm channeling. I'm never off the mark when it's only me.

Equality for Women and Girls

I found this on a website some time ago and have been meaning to post it for some time. It's a talk from 2009 about how to build coalitions and accelerate women's equality around the world.

Boo, I Suck

I've been lying in bed trying to get to sleep, but I have one thought running through my head.

I missed a key - and EASY - penalty kick today. It has severely shaken my belief in myself and my abilities as a soccer player.

Pathetic? Not nearly as pathetic as the shot was. It's like I psyched myself out. Twice! Once in taking a slow, crappy shot almost directly down the middle, and then again when I thought I wasn't allowed to touch the ball a second time on the rebound, so I stopped running for the ball. Apparently, the rule is that it is a live ball once the keeper touches it.

You know, I have taken penalty shots before in my career. And I have made probably 70% of them. We really could have used this goal today. It was demoralizing. And I'm annoyed.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I'm hoping I'll get over it eventually. Mainly so I can get some sleep and go to work tomorrow bright-eyed and bushy tailed. At least bright-eyed.

My newest niece Mia

I had a wonderful time visiting the East coast - once I got over being really sick with pink eye and a sinus infection. It took me a few days to get to visiting and it was too short of a trip as a consequence, but it was wonderful seeing everyone I came to see and having a good time with the family.

I finally met my new niece, Mia Rachel. She is very cute and I took a quick video. Check it out.

Aloo Gobi

The gf is making it. I'm still recovering from being sick, so I'm useless except for washing dishes, which is what I've been doing for two days. I think tomorrow night I will cook something - perhaps omelets? I watched Julia Child do it on PBS yesterday and I'm sure I can do it. It turns out I've been doing it wrong for some time now. I didn't get the pan hot enough and wasn't using enough butter. Now that Julia has corrected my technique, my special dinner will be better.

Ok that's all I have energy for today. New resolution: write on my blog more.

A Good Night - Really!

I'm dancing in my living room/kitchen. Really, the kitchen is so small I must dance in the living room or risk serious injury.

"Now if she does it like this, will you do it like that
Now if she touches like this, will you touch her right back
Now if she moves like this, will you move it like that (come on)
Shake shake, shake shake uh shake it!"

Life is good. I'm not sure why precisely, though I have some ideas, and overall I have a very strong feeling that things are going to start going our way. Maybe a job in San Francisco for me? Signs are promising, as long as I keep my crap together, beginning with getting my head around managing stuff. I need to act like a 35-year-old. I think can manage that. The gf is quitting her crappy job, so she'll be happier, which will in turn make me happier. This is one of the main components of a relationship, I've learned: commiseration. That's what makes a friend more than a friend. If your pain affects the other person, or your joy, and vice versa, then it's something more.

I'm also getting into better shape, losing a little weight, cooking more, feeling more confident in the kitchen, and experimenting with some stuff. I just made whipped cream in anticipation of a cheesecake at the end of the week for a potluck to which we were invited. Ok, whipped cream is not a big deal. But a cheesecake? A pumpkin cheesecake nonetheless, like the one my sister made for Thanksgiving.

Cheesecake for Thanksgiving, you ask? Yes, my family does this thing where since I'm the only one that likes pure pumpkin pie, we do a variation of pumpkin pie each year to try to get others to enjoy it (is it obvious that I am the most tolerant and open-minded person in the family?). Thus, I haven't had real pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving with my family in probably about 5 years. I respect the attempts to popularize what, in America, is already a pretty popular dish, but sometimes, I just want creamy, filling, orange squash pie. In any case, this cheesecake blew me out of the house. It was absolutely amazing, so I will attempt it myself tomorrow night. Wish me luck!

Another thing that is making me happy is a bit of a crush. I have absolutely no right to have a crush on this woman, but she's cute and funny, so that makes me excited and flirty. Flirting is fun, people - and I highly recommend it.

I also want to confess a dream I've had for some time now - I really, really, really want to do karaoke at work. Mostly because I think I'm amazing at karaoke, as anyone from college can confirm - not that I'm good, I mean, but that I think I'm good. Modesty has never been a strong point of mine, particularly when it comes to music/singing. And I want to impress my co-workers, admittedly some more than others, with my incredible singing and dancing. Ha.

Speaking of music, if and when I move to San Francisco in the coming weeks/months, I will attempt to join the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony. It's a symphony made up primarily of gay men, an amateur one, and a friend of mine from back in the day - dirty Jersey (eww I can't believe I just said that) - is in it. He's convinced me that I should do it, not like I needed much prodding. I miss orchestra playing, and I'd be psyched to get into a chamber group from that group as well. The possibilities are endless!

Finally, I've decided I'm going to try to write a novel. That's going to be my ticket to fame and fortune - or at least a feeling of satisfaction that I might be able to ride until it runs out of batteries - or skate on until I lose momentum (just practicing my metaphors). Maybe I've been listening too much to This American Life, but some days, I pull into my little parking spot and think, "What happened to me would make a great story. I should write it down." And then I promptly forget it. So I've decided that each day, I'm going to come home and write for 30 minutes about my day. We'll see how that goes. I think it's called a journal - remember those? Before blogs, Facebook status updates, and Twitter, people used to come home and write in real books, on paper, with pens. I used to have a journal in college. It fell by the wayside when I got happier with my life. I think I need to pick it up again - it was a valuable hobby for me. It helped my memory, I think... though I can't really remember.

Alright, I've exhausted my topics for tonight. Perhaps I'll write again tomorrow, if I'm done with my cake around the time that the Internet is working again. To quote a great email newsletter, "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch."

PS - Write Christmas cards!