Best Birthday Ever!

I really should turn 30 every year. This has been a fabulous birthday!

It all began two weeks ago. That Thursday night I got my hair cut and for the first time in my life, my hair was blown dry straight. I've never seen myself with straight hair before! My initial reaction was I looked like my mom. I really liked it! I kept doing "Pantene moves" and running my fingers through my hair because for the first time in my life I could. :-)

After the hair cut, I hit a few stores to start the shopping process for the weekend. I then met Allen and Jessie at Le Colonial. Sue, Jenna, and the whole gang were there. We hung out for a bit and then I headed home to get some sleep.

Friday morning dawned and it was time to pack and then hit some more stores. Everywhere I went people kept staring at me. I couldn't figure out why on earth people were looking at me. It's not like they knew I had curly hair and it was suddenly straight. It wasn't until I was in Costco in Folsom and checking out that the woman said, "I love your ears." I looked at her oddly and said, "That's the strangest compliment I've ever received." She grinned and pointed to the top of my head. That morning when I was packing, I was also straightening up. I picked up a pair of leopard print cat ears from a costume. At the time, I needed a free hand so I put them on my head and completely forgot about them. So there I was, rolling around town and multiple stores wearing a black skirt, a red t-shirt that says, "I'm what Willis was talkin' 'bout" and fecking leopard print cat ears on my head. My thought - yep, I'm about to turn 30. That's how I roll. So of course, once I knew they were there they stayed there all day.

I then headed on up to Tahoe as we had rented a house near South Lake. There were going to be 12 of us for the weekend. Carol was the first to arrive and she helped me unload all the food and alcohol. After exploring the house which was phenomenal, we settled in and the cocktails started flowing. As people weren't going to be arriving for some time, we headed into town and had a nice bite to eat. Then it was back to the house and eventually people started arriving. More cocktails were made and the laughter that didn't stop for the entire weekend began. We eventually made a big pasta dinner around 11pm. The last folks arrived around midnight and after helping Chris and Tanya unload even more copious quantities of alcohol, we all had a late evening.

Saturday morning we all got a late start. We eventually ate breakfast around noon - yummy blueberry buckwheat pancakes and 4lbs of bacon. That's right, 4 pounds of bacon!! That afternoon, Carol and Deidre went hiking, Stephen and Allen went rock climbing, Sue and Anna made me a carrot cake from scratch and then a crew of us went up to Silver Lake to go fishing. Karen and Denis drove up that day and joined us at Silver Lake. Once we arrived we hiked around to a different area. It was a bit surreal to hike through a little patch of snow. Chris was our Master Baiter and got rods set up for all of us. They had gotten me a pink Disney Princess fishing rod that's maybe 2 feet long. I love it! Plus, I got to put stickers on it including Ariel - I couldn't resist the irony.

Diter caught a nice sized rainbow trout. Then, on the last cast of the day, Tanya caught Moby Dick - an enormous (20"!!!!) German Brown trout. It was totally impressive!
We got back to the house around 8pm, started the grill and put out the appetizers. It was another late dinner that included trout, tri-tip, hamburgers, bacon-wrapped asparagus, corn, garlic mashed potatoes, etc. Freaking delicious! Then it was time for yummy carrot cake. People ended up surprising me with gifts all weekend which just blew my mind. All I wanted was my friends around me, little did I know how they had been plotting for presents - roses, various candles to help me on my journey, face wash, princess fishing rod and a Keane CD. Then, a group of them went in to buy me a new Kilimanjaro motorcycle riding jacket. I was obviously blown away!!

After delicious carrot cake, the next logical step was a fabulous bottle of Clynellish Single Malt. Mmmm mmmm good! We carried on until quite late (or early). I finally disappeared to enjoy the jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom.

Sunday morning we had a lazy morning of lounging on the couch of inertia. Karen and Denis made us a delicious breakfast of omelets, fruit salad and fried leftover mashed potatoes. Then it was the horrible part of the weekend - packing up. Before everyone left we decided to do one group photo.

Did I mention this house was phenomenal? Some of you know I'm a total bathroom slut. The Master Bathroom had a big jacuzzi tub. At the foot of the tub was a fireplace that separated it from the bedroom. At the other end of the jacuzzi tub was the shower. Not just any shower, THE shower. It doubled as a sauna. We dubbed it the "orgy shower". Naturally, that's where we took our group photos. All 12 of us in the shower with room to spare. Hilarious!

As we left the house, I took a few minutes to reflect on the weekend. After a moment, I said out loud to the universe, "Thank you. Just, thank you." I was, and am, so overwhelmed at just how lucky I am to be surrounded by amazing people. I don't know what I did to deserve such wonderful people in my life, but I am so grateful!

Instead of heading home, I joined Chris and Tanya and we headed up to the waterfall above Fallen Leaf Lake. We climbed down to the falls and enjoyed some final minutes of sunshine, mountain air and peace. Unfortunately, we eventually tore ourselves away and started the drive home. We stopped in Folsom at the outlet stores. Tanya and I have both been needing new shoes. We had a shoe orgy and I got 9 pairs and she got 6. The best part - I only spent ~$270. For 9 pairs of Naturalizers and Aersoles. Not to mention, I got a FABULOUS new pair of playa boots. Woohoo!
That was the weekend. Tuesday night I went out to dinner with my friend Kathleen. She had been telling me for ages she had a gift for me for my 30th that she had gotten when back in Galway (Ireland) with her husband. She took me to NOPA which was really tasty!! It turns out she had gotten me a gorgeous Claddagh ring. Inscribed on the inside is Love, Loyalty and Friendship. It is the prettiest Claddagh I have ever seen. I love it and wear it all the time.
Wednesday night I ended up spending the evening with Tanya which was lovely.
On my actual birthday, Thursday the 24th, I had another fabulous day which was described in my previous blog. Dinner at Boulevard was phenomenal. It was great to catch up with my friends who I hadn't seen in ages.

Last weekend Chris, Tanya, Diter and I headed up to Tanya's folks' place in Calaveras County. Saturday I learned how to use a chainsaw which kicks ass! We felled over 30 cedar trees that were either dead or dying to help make their property safer during fire season. It was hard work, but enjoyable. I love doing physical work and having that pleasantly exhausted feeling after a hard day's work. Good stuff!

Sunday we all slept in. We eventually headed into town and Tanya gave me a quick tour. It's a lovely old town with the world's smallest post office. Seriously! We then headed to Ironstone Winery to pick up some wine for Valhalla Faire. Then it was back to SF.

That evening, our new friends Chris and Linda came in town. We met them at the Karfluki Festival in Auburn over Cinqo de Drinko. We met them at the Plough and Stars for the Sunday night session. Chris plays the bodhran and Linda plays the fiddle. They are a wonderful couple who are hilarious. It was lovely to watch them play. Eventually we headed back to Chris and Tanya's and hung out until I fell asleep on the couch. Monday morning, I took those two to breakfast at Seal Rock Inn. They headed back to Sacramento and I spent the rest of the day helping Tanya with photos and generally hanging out.

Wow, this was a long blog. It's been such a great birthday, I couldn't resist sharing it with everyone.

This really has been the best birthday I've ever had!! Thank you to everyone for their emails, calls, texts, posts, etc. Y'all are amazing!

This moment of joy was brought to you by the letter B and the number 30.

I'm 30 Today! Woohoo!

Today is my birthday. The big 3-0. Who let that happen? I can't believe it - I think I'm less mature now than I was at 21. Hehehehe.

I decided to take today off work. I have to say, that's one of the best decisions I've made in awhile!

I met Allen and Jessie at Mission Cliffs this morning at 9am. We got in some decent climbing. I made it to the top of one wall thanks to the encouragement of A&J. Then I tried the same level on a longer climb. It beat me twice, but next time...next time that wall is mine! I'm still a bit frustrated that I mentally know what I need to do, but can't necessarily get my body to do it. Oh well, it'll come and continuing to climb and workout and improve that strength to weight ratio will help!

After Mission Cliffs and a quick one taco from the taco truck, I headed up to Corte Madera to train with Stephen. Man, talk about having nothing left in the body! It was a good session though.

Once Stephen finally stopped torturing me, I headed back across the GG Bridge and met Jessie for lunch. We went to Pacific Catch and chowed down on some serious food. Good times!

I'm now at home and getting ready to take a quick nap. I'm looking at an apartment this evening at 5pm. Then a couple friends are taking me to Boulevard for dinner tonight. I'm not quite sure how the food is there - all I hear is it's rather fancy-shamancy so should be fun.

I have to say, this has been one hell of a birthday so far! I should turn 30 every year! In fact, it's so good I might just make this last at least a month. Hell, maybe all year! Why? Because I can. :-) Next blog will be about how wonderful last weekend in Tahoe was. But now, now I'm going to enjoy a birthday nap and then figure out what to wear tonight....

This moment of birthday excitement was brought to you by the letter B and the number 30.

Communication Pet Peeve

*Warning - rant to ensue*

Why is it, with all ways we have to communicate these days, we communicate less than ever? Why do we choose to hide behind a computer screen to type an email instead of meeting with that person face-to-face or at least calling them?

Don't get me wrong. Email is a wonderful tool! It's very useful for doing business and for keeping in touch with friends when you don't have time for a phone call.

That said, email is NOT the appropriate forum to have a relationship conversation. I don't care if it's a friendship, a romance, family, whatever. It is not okay to use that medium to have serious conversations. It's too impersonal. It's too open for interpretation. If you care enough to communicate with someone around your relationship, freaking nut up and at least call the person. Don't hide behind a computer to express how you feel or to say difficult things. That's not how friends treat each other. That's not how loved ones treat each other. Have some respect for the other person and either set up a time to see them and talk with them or at least give them the courtesy of a phone call.

Sorry, I'm a little testy as I just received one of these.

Long and short of it - if you want to discuss the status of our relationship, call me. Only use email to set up a time for discussion in this instance.

*stepping off soapbox*

I promise the next blog will be light-hearted and telling about the fabulous birthday celebration I had in Tahoe this last weekend.

This moment of ranting was brought to you by the letter E and the number 1.

Done, Done and I'm Onto the Next One

The past year and a half has been one of growth and change for me. I've broadened my horizons and found myself doing thinks simply because they scare me and I refuse to let that stop me.

This past weekend I took the Motorcycle Safety Course. It's a wonderful course, though a bit grueling for those of us who have never ridden before. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in riding! There's one day of classroom work and then you ride both days of the weekend for around 5 hours. At the end you take the riding test.

The course was far more physically tasking on the upper body than I expected. I'm sure part of that will go away with practice and hours on the bike.

Yesterday didn't start well. The first exercise was to complete a u-turn in a small area. You have to counterbalance on the bike to do so. My first attempt I ended up freaking out a bit and hit the throttle (oops!) and ended up dumping the bike....on me. There's a reason people tell you to kick the bike away if you fall. The bikes they use for the course aren't all that heavy, but they sure are when laying on your calf/shin. I immediately knew what I had done wrong, but somehow that didn't make it any better. The rider coach came over, lifted the bike off me and asked if I was okay. I told him, "Nothing wounded but my pride." He laughed and said, "Sweetie, there's no pride in this course." Boy was he right! All in all, I figure that I was bound to drop a bike eventually...best to get it out of the way early. Thank goodness it wasn't during the actual exam!

Despite the caption on the picture, I ended up passing the test which is great. Once I get the paper in the mail, I need to go to the DMV and take the written test. Then I will have my M1 license. Woohoo! Dougie is going to be my study buddy and we're going to take it Memorial Day weekend. I definitely want to do more work in a parking lot and on streets with little traffic before heading out into the "real world" on a bike. All in all a great experience and I'm glad I took the class.

I have one hell of a bruise on my left leg. Broken skin, swelling and bruising. I was checking it out at one point and the rider coach asked if I wanted medical attention. I looked at him like he was an idiot and he said, "Don't look at me like that. I have to ask that question." I responded, "It's not a good day unless blood is involved." My old rugby coach would be proud.

The weird thing - somehow in the midst of falling I managed to twist the other ankle and also pull the skin back from the nail on one side of my thumb (which is especially impressive considering I was wearing gloves). Very random.

Oh, and Promise - according to Tanya, Diter and Chris, I look hot in the jacket Chris loaned me so you should be set. ;-P

Now to set the next goal.....

This moment of 'happy tired' was brought to you by the letter M and the number 1.

One Down, Two to Go

Last night I completed the classroom portion of the MSF course. I passed the written exam with flying colors. We actually ride the motorcycles this Saturday and Sunday at ass o'clock in the morning. If I pass the driving test on Sunday, I then have to take the written test at the DMV. At that point I will officially be Promise's hot biker gf. Woohoo!

Keep your fingers crossed for me. As my brother asked, "Do they make a pill for balance?"

This moment of excitement was brought to you by the letter M and the number 1.

Exhausted

I am running on fumes right now. These past few weeks have been madness - a job that has me stressed out, trying to get fire swords ready for the performance in Union Square this past Sunday, trying to keep some semblance of a life at the same time, etc. I hate that my job is affecting me in other areas of my life. It has started to bleed - something I swore would never happen. I love physical exhaustion - it means I've used my body and pushed it to a limit. Emotional/mental exhaustion is another animal entirely.

Tuesday night I went with Allen, Jessie and one of Allen's labmates to see Mando Diao at Bottom of the Hill. They were playing with Pop Levi and The Films. It was a great show! These guys are really, really good. You can check them out here: www.mando-diao.com/ I ended up buying some of their CDs online yesterday. Though the show and the company were fabulous, I didn't get home til around 1:30am or so. It made being in work at 7:30 the next morning really difficult. I was pretty beat all day yesterday. After work I had to deal with Sprint and try to get a new phone as mine was dropped on Saturday. Chris used epoxy to put it back together, but it then decided to turn itself off mid-conversation on a regular basis. After I finally got home I ate a quick bite and started some laundry. Next thing I know, I fell asleep on the couch. When I finally awoke, it was in a panic as I had this horrible feeling I had overslept. It was only 9:20pm so I was still safe. Though the nap was much needed, it made it difficult to fall asleep when I really wanted to go to bed last night.

I was up at 4:45 this morning to be in Corte Madera by 6am. That's north of the Golden Gate Bridge for those of you who don't know. Why would anyone want to be in Corte Madera at 6am you ask? Well, because I've started training. It's actually at the gym where Stephen trains. In fact, my appointment this morning was with Stephen. This was session number 2. I did an intro session on Tuesday with the owner of the gym (who is a doll). In addition to literally killing me with each session, I get to laugh the entire time. I am really excited about this program!!

After leaving Stephen, I hopped in the car and drove to Santa Clara for a dentist appointment. Why is my dentist down there? Well, my first four years or so out here I was working in the South Bay. I found this guy and really like him, so it's worth the drive for me. I decided to work out of our Cupertino office today instead of driving back to the client South SF as I have a Women of Vision award ceremony to attend tonight in San Jose. It's going to be another LONG day. It doesn't help that I'm sitting here with my muscles completely exhausted either. (Thanks Stephen! No, really, thank you!) I'm wondering if I can sneak out at some point to get a nap. Hehehehe.

I feel like Madeline Kahn - "I'm so tired." (Bonus points to those of you who catch the reference)

This moment of fatigue was brought to you by the letter E and the number 5.