Friday Chronicle

One of my new favorite bloggers (who I found on Twitter, reference my previous post)... posts a bulleted list on Fridays... it's simply a list of short topics, plans for the weekend and other tidbits.
I've decided I'm going to follow her style. I am definitely much more random than usual on Fridays, so this should make it easier for me to follow my "blog each workday" rule.

• It's HOT but supposed to start cooling off. Lucy is miserable.
• I may be in the city on Sunday and I just know it will be freezing once the fog rolls in.
• Getting my hair done tomorrow, then off to a party at BRCohn in Napa -- and YES, I WILL be drinking wine. (80% rule, baby*).
• Starting to look forward to a fun cruise to Bermuda, leaving at the end of the month.
• In summary, this week I've learned more than I have learned the rest of the year so far (did I mention how much I love Twitter?)
• Pete won his first online poker tournament. Check out his blog. I'm a proud wife!
• The Giants are starting to show their true colors -- there were a couple of truly DISASTROUS games this week.
• I predict Jason Cook will be crowned American Idol this year (pretty safe bet).

Have a great weekend everyone!

* my practitioner says that as long as I'm "good" 80% of the time, they are satisfied.

Welcome to my new world..

So my Eastern Medicine "Practitioner" (not sure what the correct word is) told me today that I can only drink liquids that are room temperature, warm or preferably hot...

She tells me this on the hottest day of the season so far (it's easily 100 degrees). Gulp, just before my appointment I had devoured an icy fruitsicle.

So, now I'm blogging drinking hot tea feeling like a dumb A and I had to take all of my cold drinks out of the refrigerator. Sigh.

But, all in all, I feel positive about my new Eastern Medicine Plan. My practitioner spent 45 minutes with me talking about the various procedures in store for me. She told me they would mix an herbal remedy. And of course she described my new diet... pretty much I will not be able to eat out in an actual restaurant anytime in the near future.

There goes my social life, officially.

The good news is I didn't have to pay a dime, the first consultation was FREE! In contrast my previous "practitioner" charged me $275 the moment I walked in the door. Guess that's just one of the many differences between Eastern and Western medicine.

Old Age...

brings senility...

This morning, I ransacked my house for 15 minutes in search of my keys.

Finally I went out to my car and the keys were in the ignition, doors unlocked overnight.

Yikes, I'm only 37... am I losing it?

Oh! On the topic of my advance age, I have my first acupuncture appointment this afternoon... I'm a bit nervous as needles freak me out.

Wish me luck!

Speaking of OCD...

I just read this article (from Twitter of COURSE),

http://tinyurl.com/3te7wj

The Chumby is a little "pet" that sits on your desk and displays widgets or mini-programs of all kinds. Examples: streaming media, weather updates, YouTube videos, etc.

Talk about serious stimulation and distraction overload. I have enough to distract me on my PC, I certainly don't need more.

Or perhaps my OCD just hasn't gotten that advanced... yet.

WARNING: People with OCD should stay away from Twitter

Yikes! Somehow I've found a new addiction.

How did this happen?

Innocently enough, as addictions usually do... An simple email invitation from my girl, A.

I thought, Twitter? What the heck is that? A quick visit to the website did not tell me much. But when I finally figured it out and suddenly received a text message from my great friend, I thought, "hmm.... okay, pretty cool".

Come to find out, you can search for anyone in the world and "follow" them, assuming their account is open to the public. I found myself searching on Bill Gates, George Bush, Martha Stewart. As of yet, it seems to be that the majority of the members are techie geeks or savvy bloggers who want another medium to express themselves.

I am now following Guy Kawasaki, the Silicon Valley VC maven and a bunch of other technologists. The way it works is when folks post to their account via email, web, IM or text message, everyone who follows them receives that message either on the web or via text message. It's like instant messaging for the world.

So now, suddenly, I am being bombarded with a constant stream of information. I gotta say, I'm LOVING it. I'm getting great information that will certainly be valuable to me as a technology sales person and it satisfies my obsessive - compulsive need for constant stimulation. I find myself constantly hitting refresh to get my updates on the web. My favorite followee alerts are set to be sent to my blackberry.

I probably need to weed down my followee list, otherwise, I may lose my job due to the fact that I'm spending all of my time learning random stuff and not selling my existing technology solutions!

In The Valley of Elah

Pete and I watched this movie Sunday night and I can't stop thinking about it. It was quite intense and disturbing.

I am wondering why the movie didn't get more hype at the Oscars? I think that the American public are still not quite ready for stories of the Iraq war. Especially a movie that portrays the effects of the war on returning soldiers so damaging.

Tommy Lee Jones' performance was masterful. I have a new appreciation for him as an actor. The competition was pretty fierce for best Actor at the Oscars last year, so I can see why he didn't win that role. However, the movie was not even nominated for any other categories.

Luckily I rented 27 Dresses today, so perhaps that will help me I'll get myself into a more lighthearted frame of mind!

Glad I kicked the caffeine addition...

It takes 189 cups of Diet Coke Coffee to kill sheila.

... Although, I suppose I won't be drinking 189 cups!

See how many cups it takes to kill YOU:

http://tinyurl.com/6ye8gr

The do gooders in the world - can I be one?

I have been thinking a lot about the truly altruistic people in this world. I have a great friend who belongs to this group of individuals. She is working for a non-profit that provides technology to areas which have been devastated by a disaster. Obviously they are quite busy in light of the recent tragedies in Myanmar and China.

Her influence has rubbed off on me... at least a little bit (I'm still selfish as ever). I've spent a lot of time in recent months searching for a suitable volunteer project that I can participate in. You'd think that it would be easy to go contribute your time to a worthy cause. Not necessarily. Many of the opportunities need help during work week hours. Many require a commitment of a few weekends in a row for orientation or training. Some of them require special technical or medical skills. Some of them just don't call you back. I thought I found a great opportunity helping the American Cancer Society with their Relay for life event. I actually got a woman on the phone who excitedly said that, yes! They need help. She said she'd contact me when they get their initial volunteer meeting scheduled. I am still waiting for that call....

Should I take a hint? Is my selfishness that transparent?

Anyways... I guess I'll keep looking but if you know of a worthy non-profit in the East Bay Area that will allow me to contribute time in the early evenings or weekends without bureaucratic red tape, send 'em my way.

I hate to admit it...

A friend forwarded me one of those horoscope emails... you know, the ones where you gotta forward to x number of friends or you will have x number of years of bad luck.

This one is spookily accurate. (especially the beautiful inside and out description) ; )

SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21)Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

Good things happen to good people (sometimes)

I learned today that a great friend of mine who I do not see often enough is going to be a daddy.

I feel privileged to be one of only a few to learn the good news. His excitement was obvious from his email and there is no doubt in my mind that he'll be a great daddy.

I have not met his partner but I know that she is someone very special. The last time I saw my friend, he had many questions for me about the time when Pete and I had broken up for a 6 month period (many many years ago, before we were married, of course). He also mentioned that he was back in touch with this gal.

I recall thinking, "hmmmm..." and sure enough a couple of months later, they were back together with plans to get serious.

My friend is a great guy who has been single much of the time I've known him. He is the IT Director at a company where I used to work at. I know first hand his dedication to work, his commitment to excellence and his never ending desire to improve the company.

As a friend, I appreciate his kindness, generosity, and loyalty.... And, he has a fantastic sense of humor.

This baby will be something else, and I am very excited for the family.

Bright Spot

Top 3 things that made me happy this weekend:

1. Friday night drinks with great girlffriends at the St. Regis -- the lobby bar is just so elegant, I always feel so fancy here.

1. Omar Vizquel back in the line-up baby. I have the biggest crush on this guy. : )
http://tinyurl.com/5v96ky

2. Chill out Sunday afternoon lunch with my favorite people at one of my favorite new joints, Sideboard.
http://tinyurl.com/69yj5w