I haven’t been "tagged", and I’m a little behind the curve when it comes to the topic “Favorite Four Things” but dammit – I love writing lists!! (Inspired by Yay Toast! and Anybody Want a Peanut?)
Four jobs I've had:
1. Project Manager
2. English Teacher (in Japan)
3. Bus Conductor
4. Receptionist at Athletic Club
Four movies I can watch over and over:
This is the category that kept me from making the “Four Things” list at first, because I don’t generally like watching movies over and over again. However…there are a few exceptions:
1. Speed
2. When Harry Met Sally
3. Clueless
4. Chicago
Four places I have lived:
1. Clayton, CA
2. Davis, CA
3. Bethesda, MD
4. Osaka, Japan
Four TV shows I love:
1. Lost
2. Desparate Housewives
3. Prison Break
4. Friends
Four places I've vacationed:
1. Hawaii
2. UK (England/Scotland/Wales)
3. Houseboat on Trinity Lake, CA
4. Vietnam
Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Pizza from Zachary’s in Oakland
2. Paprika Prawns made by Mr. Mingle
3. “Peanut Butter Porkchops” (A Mingle original)
4. Favorite Pasta: Scallops and Shitake Mushrooms on Angel Hair
Four sites I (sometimes) visit daily:
1. Dooce
2. Yah Toast! (Which then links to many other friend sites)
3. Stuff on My Cat
4. Company Intranet (blah)
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. At home with Mr. Mingle and cats
2. In Portland
3. Having a beer at 21st Amendment in SF
4. Hanging out by the fireplace in a cabin in the snow
Four people I am tagging:
1. California Swiss Miss
2. Junkyard Princess
3. Flossie Fossie
4. Any other list-lover out there
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
An Earful at the Dentist Office
On Thursday I read Karin’s Chronicles and she mentioned that she had recently visited the dentist where she was assisted by a wacky hygienist. I had a dentist appointment later that same afternoon and became nervous when I realized that I go to the same dentist office as Karin.
Now, I have never enjoyed going to the dentist – I hate it when they stick pointy tools in my mouth and then ask me, “have you been flossing?” But on Thursday, the one saving grace of going was that I was looking forward to lying down in the dentist chair and closing my eyes while I had my teeth cleaned. I had been tired all day, and thought I could use that time to rest. But alas, it was not to be…
Sure enough, when I arrived, I discovered that I had the exact same wacky hygienist that Karin had a week earlier. She talked endlessly. Of course, she immediately asked me if I floss everyday, and since I can’t tell a lie, I said, “no”. So, she then asked on average, how many times a week, to which I responded “two” (as of the last two weeks – so I guess I can lie a little...). From then on, she told me why I need to floss, how to floss, when to floss during the day, how to brush, the importance of brushing and on and on and on…. I do need to caveat this by saying that I had perfect bill of health for my teeth and gums – however she still felt the need to impart all of her 34 years of hygienist-knowledge on me, as if it was the first time I’d ever been to the dentist in my life. She also talked about herself too…and occasionally would ask me questions, ultimately ending in “right?” To which I had to respond “garh” since she had tools in my mouth. But, I had to respond – or else she’d continue to ask me again and again.
Here are some of the things she told me that day:
“Not flossing may lead to heart disease. Scientists are now trying to tie back how plaque build-up, which is bacteria, eventually leads to other diseases.”
“When I was 6, my dentist slapped me across the face to get me to open my mouth up. (I won’t do that to you har, har)”
“You have to brush in short quick strokes, for 3 to 4 minutes, because you don’t want to tear your gums up”
“20 years ago I almost knocked myself out cold when I ran headfirst into the old cast-iron x-ray machines they used to have. Did you know you can really see stars and birds floating around when that happens?”
“I’ve never been married, I just haven’t found the person that I want to be with”
“Did you know some people will just spit out blood, and not think anything of it – but if they saw that blood coming from an arm or leg, they would be much more concerned? It’s important to keep your gums healthy.”
“I started in my twenties, now I’m in my fifties, I’ve been a hygienist for 34 years.”
“If you don’t keep your gums healthy….”
And so it went. I never did get my rest in the dentist chair as I couldn’t wait to get out of there. My teeth and gums were fine, and fortunately for all the talking she did, at least she did a good job cleaning my teeth, but has anyone seen my floss?
Now, I have never enjoyed going to the dentist – I hate it when they stick pointy tools in my mouth and then ask me, “have you been flossing?” But on Thursday, the one saving grace of going was that I was looking forward to lying down in the dentist chair and closing my eyes while I had my teeth cleaned. I had been tired all day, and thought I could use that time to rest. But alas, it was not to be…
Sure enough, when I arrived, I discovered that I had the exact same wacky hygienist that Karin had a week earlier. She talked endlessly. Of course, she immediately asked me if I floss everyday, and since I can’t tell a lie, I said, “no”. So, she then asked on average, how many times a week, to which I responded “two” (as of the last two weeks – so I guess I can lie a little...). From then on, she told me why I need to floss, how to floss, when to floss during the day, how to brush, the importance of brushing and on and on and on…. I do need to caveat this by saying that I had perfect bill of health for my teeth and gums – however she still felt the need to impart all of her 34 years of hygienist-knowledge on me, as if it was the first time I’d ever been to the dentist in my life. She also talked about herself too…and occasionally would ask me questions, ultimately ending in “right?” To which I had to respond “garh” since she had tools in my mouth. But, I had to respond – or else she’d continue to ask me again and again.
Here are some of the things she told me that day:
“Not flossing may lead to heart disease. Scientists are now trying to tie back how plaque build-up, which is bacteria, eventually leads to other diseases.”
“When I was 6, my dentist slapped me across the face to get me to open my mouth up. (I won’t do that to you har, har)”
“You have to brush in short quick strokes, for 3 to 4 minutes, because you don’t want to tear your gums up”
“20 years ago I almost knocked myself out cold when I ran headfirst into the old cast-iron x-ray machines they used to have. Did you know you can really see stars and birds floating around when that happens?”
“I’ve never been married, I just haven’t found the person that I want to be with”
“Did you know some people will just spit out blood, and not think anything of it – but if they saw that blood coming from an arm or leg, they would be much more concerned? It’s important to keep your gums healthy.”
“I started in my twenties, now I’m in my fifties, I’ve been a hygienist for 34 years.”
“If you don’t keep your gums healthy….”
And so it went. I never did get my rest in the dentist chair as I couldn’t wait to get out of there. My teeth and gums were fine, and fortunately for all the talking she did, at least she did a good job cleaning my teeth, but has anyone seen my floss?
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Fun for Some
A book arrived for our department today titled, "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information". I opened it up and thought "dry, dry, dry" and quickly plopped it into the hands of my eagerly awaiting boss. Later I found myself with time to kill so I blandly asked, "can I look at the new book?" To which my boss replied, "Yes, but bring it back, I'm going to take it home and read it - it is fascinating!!" - with no hint of sarcasm whatsoever.
It's nice that we can all appreciate different things, isn't it?
It's nice that we can all appreciate different things, isn't it?
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
A Big Day for the Mingles
When it comes to getting something new, Mr. Mingle and I take a long time to commit to a decision. We talked about getting a kitten (for Zimby of course) for two years, before we found Mini. During those two years, we looked at many kittens at the SPCA and other cat shelter groups, but just…couldn’t…quite…decide. Yet on the day we rode our bikes to a friend’s July 4th party last summer, and realized he was giving away two kittens, that’s when we got Mini. (And actually thought we could ride home with her in my backpack – but that’s another story).
We have been talking about getting a car now for at least 6 months, and although we are narrowing down the search, don’t expect news of a new vehicle any time soon. However, partially that’s due to the fact that we hate taking the time to actually car-shop. Oh, and what? It costs money? Huh….
Don’t even get me started on the apartment, which we’ve talked about moving out of for over a year. In this case we are waiting for our future situation to become clear so we move to a place that makes sense – as opposed to moving to a town that increases the commute.
Since we can’t move yet, we have talked about fixing up our apartment, AKA buying new furniture. We’ve looked at sofas here and there over the past year, but never too seriously. So, when we went to Macy’s yesterday to buy pillows, we thought we’d check out the furniture section while we were there. Taking into account the fact that we move as slow as molasses when purchasing anything, imagine our surprise when 15 minutes later we found a sofa set we loved, looked at each other, and said “should we? Should we really??” and purchased it.
Yep! Mr. Mingle and I are the new owners of a matching sofa, chair and ottoman. Well, we will be, once it’s delivered next month. I think this is the first major piece of furniture that I’ve bought that was neither purchased at a discount store, nor owned previously by a relative. And, shockingly, it is not putty-colored or neutral. It is “Merlot”. Go Big! Go Bold! Or something like that…
Needless to say, I am very, very excited to get our new furniture. When it arrives, I will sit down with my feet up and a glass of red wine in hand (since it’s the same color as the couch), and pray that Mini-who-hates-to-be-put-in-a-backpack doesn’t shred it to pieces.
We have been talking about getting a car now for at least 6 months, and although we are narrowing down the search, don’t expect news of a new vehicle any time soon. However, partially that’s due to the fact that we hate taking the time to actually car-shop. Oh, and what? It costs money? Huh….
Don’t even get me started on the apartment, which we’ve talked about moving out of for over a year. In this case we are waiting for our future situation to become clear so we move to a place that makes sense – as opposed to moving to a town that increases the commute.
Since we can’t move yet, we have talked about fixing up our apartment, AKA buying new furniture. We’ve looked at sofas here and there over the past year, but never too seriously. So, when we went to Macy’s yesterday to buy pillows, we thought we’d check out the furniture section while we were there. Taking into account the fact that we move as slow as molasses when purchasing anything, imagine our surprise when 15 minutes later we found a sofa set we loved, looked at each other, and said “should we? Should we really??” and purchased it.
Yep! Mr. Mingle and I are the new owners of a matching sofa, chair and ottoman. Well, we will be, once it’s delivered next month. I think this is the first major piece of furniture that I’ve bought that was neither purchased at a discount store, nor owned previously by a relative. And, shockingly, it is not putty-colored or neutral. It is “Merlot”. Go Big! Go Bold! Or something like that…
Needless to say, I am very, very excited to get our new furniture. When it arrives, I will sit down with my feet up and a glass of red wine in hand (since it’s the same color as the couch), and pray that Mini-who-hates-to-be-put-in-a-backpack doesn’t shred it to pieces.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
The Things We Do
Sometimes I question my own sanity.
This morning the alarm went off at 5:30am, which is a little early for me, because I had to be at the gym for my Boot Camp at 7:00am. (The hour and half gives me some extra snooze time and includes a 40-minute commute.) When the alarm went off the first time, Zimby, the older cat was curled up against me and I was hugging her with my left arm. Mini, the younger, was between my legs, and Mr. Mingle was on the other side. So, basically, I was totally pinned. This doesn’t bother me since I rarely move in my sleep anyway, and I love to be snuggly warm. There I was - snuggly, sleepy, and happy when the alarm rang.
After the third snooze alarm, I finally forced my way out of my bed-cat cave and got ready for the pain ahead. Seriously, after an hour of torture from the trainer, I found myself thinking, “whatever possessed me to leave the bed in the first place??” Is it willpower, or just plain craziness? I’ll tell you – craziness.
I am now the only person attending the boot camp, and the trainer is kicking my ass. Don’t get me wrong - I like her, and afterall, I am paying for this torture – by why I continue to do this to myself, I have no idea. I was dead tired after 45 minutes, and made the mistake of thinking we were finished. I looked at the clock and to my horror saw that there were 15 minutes left. That’s when she had me do jumping jacks ("what's going on with your arms?"), running in place ("knees high! higher!"), push-ups ("ooh, nice one - let's do 10 more, ready? 20-19-...", and then she said (bitch) “grab the weights and follow me”. Oh Yeah, I followed her – followed her chipper-frickin ass right up 4 flights of stairs while carrying 10-pound weights in each hand. Under normal circumstances this is doable, even easy, (although why this would EVER be a normal circumstance, I can’t figure out), but after 45 minutes of hell, following the chipper trainer up the stairs was grueling. She tried to give me a hint to swing the weights in my arms as I tromped up the stairs, but I misread the cue and thought she was mocking me, “ha ha, I don’t have weights in my hands!” At the top, she took the weights from me and said, in her sing-song-I’ve-already been-awake-for-4-hours-voice, “okay, now run back down and back up again!”
She’s smart though – that trainer. We practiced boxing today with smelly gloves that she brought in, in the beginning of the session. Had it been in the end, when I was shooting darts at her from my eyes, I may have accidentally missed the hand held pad, and oops – hit the face. Not just because of the sing-song torture she was showering on me today, but also the fact that I’d lost all muscle control in my arms. I’m telling you – this is insanity.
This morning the alarm went off at 5:30am, which is a little early for me, because I had to be at the gym for my Boot Camp at 7:00am. (The hour and half gives me some extra snooze time and includes a 40-minute commute.) When the alarm went off the first time, Zimby, the older cat was curled up against me and I was hugging her with my left arm. Mini, the younger, was between my legs, and Mr. Mingle was on the other side. So, basically, I was totally pinned. This doesn’t bother me since I rarely move in my sleep anyway, and I love to be snuggly warm. There I was - snuggly, sleepy, and happy when the alarm rang.
After the third snooze alarm, I finally forced my way out of my bed-cat cave and got ready for the pain ahead. Seriously, after an hour of torture from the trainer, I found myself thinking, “whatever possessed me to leave the bed in the first place??” Is it willpower, or just plain craziness? I’ll tell you – craziness.
I am now the only person attending the boot camp, and the trainer is kicking my ass. Don’t get me wrong - I like her, and afterall, I am paying for this torture – by why I continue to do this to myself, I have no idea. I was dead tired after 45 minutes, and made the mistake of thinking we were finished. I looked at the clock and to my horror saw that there were 15 minutes left. That’s when she had me do jumping jacks ("what's going on with your arms?"), running in place ("knees high! higher!"), push-ups ("ooh, nice one - let's do 10 more, ready? 20-19-...", and then she said (bitch) “grab the weights and follow me”. Oh Yeah, I followed her – followed her chipper-frickin ass right up 4 flights of stairs while carrying 10-pound weights in each hand. Under normal circumstances this is doable, even easy, (although why this would EVER be a normal circumstance, I can’t figure out), but after 45 minutes of hell, following the chipper trainer up the stairs was grueling. She tried to give me a hint to swing the weights in my arms as I tromped up the stairs, but I misread the cue and thought she was mocking me, “ha ha, I don’t have weights in my hands!” At the top, she took the weights from me and said, in her sing-song-I’ve-already been-awake-for-4-hours-voice, “okay, now run back down and back up again!”
She’s smart though – that trainer. We practiced boxing today with smelly gloves that she brought in, in the beginning of the session. Had it been in the end, when I was shooting darts at her from my eyes, I may have accidentally missed the hand held pad, and oops – hit the face. Not just because of the sing-song torture she was showering on me today, but also the fact that I’d lost all muscle control in my arms. I’m telling you – this is insanity.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
My New Role Model
Someone gave me make-up for Christmas because this particular brand is supposed to be very good for the skin, so good in fact that you don’t even have to wash it off at night. It’s nice to know someone is looking out for my skin, and my laziness. (Note – I do wash it off at night…) Anyway, this make-up is called Bare Minerals, and I can say that it seems to be working. I’m not sure that anyone can tell that I wear make-up on a daily basis, however hopefully, they also can’t see my blemishes as easily – after all, that’s really the point. Also, my skin seems to be happy with this new change and that is also a plus.
When I received the Bare Minerals kit, it came with 4 pots of powder, 3 brushes, and a “how-to” DVD. I’m not usually one to watch How-To Videos, and can honestly say I’ve never seen one about putting on make-up, but I thought, “what the heck?” and stuck it in the DVD player one day after Christmas. I sat there and watched the President (aka Senior Mucky-Muck) introduce her line of make-up and explain how it will “change your life” and then she introduced the two people who would help her show me how to apply the make-up. I was watching these two women apply their make-up and gush over how great it is when it struck me - I went to High School with one of them! When I knew her, her name was Angie (it’s Angela on the DVD), and she graduated in my class. At first I wasn’t 100% sure that it was Angie, but there were so many similarities it was hard to believe that it wasn’t her. I pulled out my yearbook, and sure enough, it was the same girl. I mean exactly the same… And, I had to admit, that was a selling point for me to try this make-up…10 years later (this was a recent video)…and this girl still looked exactly the same way she did in HS. Her skin was beautiful.
But, what was not a selling point was the fact that a few days later, when I asked Mr. Mingle what he thought of my new make-up he replied, “It looks great – you look just like Angela!” We all grow up with visions of how we want to look, or who we wish people would compare us to, but to have those models change from Angelina Jolie to Angie from High School…well, gee, my dream has come true at last…
When I received the Bare Minerals kit, it came with 4 pots of powder, 3 brushes, and a “how-to” DVD. I’m not usually one to watch How-To Videos, and can honestly say I’ve never seen one about putting on make-up, but I thought, “what the heck?” and stuck it in the DVD player one day after Christmas. I sat there and watched the President (aka Senior Mucky-Muck) introduce her line of make-up and explain how it will “change your life” and then she introduced the two people who would help her show me how to apply the make-up. I was watching these two women apply their make-up and gush over how great it is when it struck me - I went to High School with one of them! When I knew her, her name was Angie (it’s Angela on the DVD), and she graduated in my class. At first I wasn’t 100% sure that it was Angie, but there were so many similarities it was hard to believe that it wasn’t her. I pulled out my yearbook, and sure enough, it was the same girl. I mean exactly the same… And, I had to admit, that was a selling point for me to try this make-up…10 years later (this was a recent video)…and this girl still looked exactly the same way she did in HS. Her skin was beautiful.
But, what was not a selling point was the fact that a few days later, when I asked Mr. Mingle what he thought of my new make-up he replied, “It looks great – you look just like Angela!” We all grow up with visions of how we want to look, or who we wish people would compare us to, but to have those models change from Angelina Jolie to Angie from High School…well, gee, my dream has come true at last…
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