Category: Rant/Whine

Ranting and raving and whining and bitching. Oh yes!

Nowhere and Everywhere

I posted a long time ago about the pain of being a Jane of All Trades. The trades I keep collecting have a collective weight that threaten to crush me.  Just take a look at the list.

Current Hobbies

Playing piano, guitar (need to do more of that) and singing. Cooking. Photography. Photography of stuff I cooked.  Blogging.  Tweeting.  USC Football fanatic.  Pop culture fiend. TV junkie.  Movie and entertainment news addict.  Supporting the troops with being an Operation Paperback volunteer and gathering funds to do my own Operation Jingle All the Way annually.  Thrill the World Los Angeles.

Developing Hobbies

Camping and backpacking. Speaking Italian. Making websites with Drupal.

Ex-Hobbies I wish I had more time to get back to

Making art. (I’m/was pretty good with collages and paper mache.) Scrapbooking aka paste stuff on paper, punch holes, put in binders. I still keep my keepsakes in a basket but haven’t put them in binders in years.

Ex-Developing Hobbies which I would pick up in a heartbeat if I have more time

Sewing. Designing t-shirts. Frisbee golf. Roller skates–this one is abandoned because no one would go with me. Playing video game.

Someday…

Making videos. Computer illustration–I really want to do designs like Threadless people.  Writing a memoir. Culinary school?

I asked my dad once when he would retire.  He said that he couldn’t possibly do that.  What would he do if he doesn’t work?  Dad’s hobby is being a news junky.  And shopping, but then he shops for clothes he’d wear to work.  He has no grand kids to raise (again, hinting at me on that one).  So, what would he do with the time?

And then there’s me with all of my hobbies I could barely keep up with.

I mean, if I win a lottery tomorrow, I am all set to retire and explore all of my interests.

Seriously, I love all of my hobbies so much I could be doing them all the time and not bitch about it.

Then again, Brandon did bring up a good point. Say, like cooking.  I do like to cook, but would I still like it if it becomes a career?  (Hey, P’ House – can you answer me that since you’re a chef?)  That was the reason why I’m still working full time and taking cooking classes on the side instead of being in a culinary school.

But now that I have so many interests and hobbies, the worlds are colliding.

For example, Brandon and I want to go camping on the weekend this summer, as in taking a Friday/Monday off to have 2 nights and 3 days excursion.  Or at least leave a little early on Friday and get 2 nights in somewhere.

How about this weekend? Nope. Got a tweet up on Friday.  Next?  Nope. Will be at DrupalCamp LA.  After that? Nope. Got a house party on Friday.  How about after that? Nope. Actually is double-booked for a barbecue on Saturday. Etc.

And next thing you know, September will be here, and I will start my Italian lessons on Saturday mornings. And of course, USC football. And then Thrill the World. And then the Big Gala I put on at work.

And with all the busy days and weekends, I am not in the kitchen as much as I would like to, nor am I playing the piano twice a week according to my goal.

Cut the television, someone suggest.  But how could I? It *is* another hobby of mine which I’m trying to consolidate into a few nights a week and Saturday/Sunday morning routine to maximize time usage.

It was also suggested that I wake up earlier on the weekends to get more hours in the day. The Winston Chruchill’s polyphasic sleep schedule sounds like a plan.  Unfortunately, my work would frown upon me napping for 2 hours in the middle of the afternoon.  Heh.

See what I mean about being nowhere AND everywhere?

If money grows on trees, that would be nice.  But I’d rather have a Time-Turner from Harry Potter books.

Dogs, God and everything in between

Within one week I have been to a cooking demo and wine tasting with a gaggle of girls, to hanging out with furry police dogs, to sitting in a funeral service.

Thursday got me into a fun evening sponsored by Fresh&Easy.  Always love it when you put girls together in a room and let the wine flow. 🙂

Sunday got me into the Orange County Police Canine Association show at the Orange County Fair.

If you remember, I go to one of these every year in the fall to support our friend Steve and his canine Lycos.  This year, they’ve been invited to do the show at the Fair and it was a lot of fun.  Although, I have to say, in the past fall shows at other stadiums, we’ve been spoiled with a 2-hour extravaganza with helicopters flying in, and sometimes landing on the field, and a firework show afterward.  There were two shows at the Fair and only about an hour each.  A flyover by one helicopter, one flash bang granade, and no fireworks.  Still it was superfun.

Brandon talked to someone and got me ring side to take pictures.  I had such a good time capturing the event and here are the pictures to show it.

Photography is a lot like cooking.  The love you put into it makes a difference.  😉

Monday got me into a funeral service.

A colleague’s husband, after a long struggle with illnesses, passed away, and just about everyone in the office and former employees came to his service in Alta Dena.  This makes my second American funeral.  And it was a completely different flavor.

My first American funeral was Brandon’s friend Fabian.  It was in a massive funeral hall, felt almost like a church, and it was Catholic.  The service on Monday was a lot smaller and it was Christian service.  At risk to sound completely ignorant (which I still am here and there with American culture), it was like a gospel church.  A lot of hallelujahs and amens, and singing.  A lot of jokes and good moments for the man as he wanted his life celebrated instead of mourned.  Even his portrait the displayed was one of those that instantly bring a smile to your face.

And then it got the sermon.  I love the part when he asked if we know where we are going, that all the material stuff we can’t take with us when we’re dead, that our loved ones who passed on are in a better place, in this case, back home with God.

The part that got me fighting very hard to not roll my eyes or walk out was that whole “accept Jesus into your heart and you’ll be saved; otherwise you’ll be in hell”.

Okay, I’m not the super religious Buddhist.  But I would like to think myself a Buddhist-based spiritualist.  I believe that there’s a god/spiritual leader for everyone.  Mine is not the same and yours and that’s totally okay.  I really don’t like it when people push their believes on others.   And it pisses me off something fierce when you’d go somewhere clearly in mixed company and get preached at.

I can take it fine about the bible says marriage is between a man and a woman when attending a Christian wedding. I can take it just fine about accepting Christ when I go to mass with Nora.  Nobody ever threatens me with hell if I don’t accept Jesus at a Catholic church…yet.

But here in a funeral service for friends of the religious person, hurting for our friends and now getting beaten over the head that we’d go to hell if we don’t accept Jesus. I just didn’t think it was appropriate that day since those who already believe should know.  And the rest of us didn’t want to get preached while attending a FUNERAL, for crying out loud.

But whatever.

The funeral also got me thinking about my own.  Say, if my bus flies off the freeway tomorrow, how would that work for me with families and friends on (at least) two continents!

I definitely want all of my organs donated: whatever they can use, they can take.   Then I want to be cremated.  And I definitely do NOT want the traditional 7-day of wake/praying.  Just give me one day of Buddhist service and go ahead and float me.  More than likely, I’ll die here so that’s a lot easier to deal with than having my body transported home just to be cremated again.

I want my friends to party at my funeral.  Think wedding but it’s a party for a dead woman with an international buffet, an open bar, and a dance floor.  You can only wear black if it looks hot on you.  Two parties, one in the US and one in Thailand.  Ooh. Fun!

And all the talk about death, in there somewhere, I received an invitation to a destination wedding in Costa Rica in 2010.

I am currently plotting that trip with my best friend Nora as the Mister had enough of non-English speaking Third world country for a while.  I am also going to reconnect personally after 20 years with a Costa Rican friend and trying to have other friends from that camp to meet up there.

In a span of less than 7 days, I got to make new friends and marvel over food and wine, hung out with police dogs, ponder my spirituality and death, and plan for my future adventure with an old friend.

When the universe wants to you do something, it’ll conspire to get you to do it.

Apparently, I am to think on my death and to start living my life.

What the fad?

“My friend is having a green wedding,” an acquaintance said.

Everyone present chimed in.  How cool!  How exciting!

Of course, being me, I piped, “Ah! Green wedding. Also known as just another wedding that cost twice as much.”

“Well, they’re using all these recycled materials and stuff.  You know, being really green about the whole process.”

I chuckled.

The acquaintance, at this point, was getting annoyed with me. “Well, she’s a very environmentally conscious person. They want their wedding to be good for the environment.”

“The bride and groom and two witnesses carpooled to the courthouse and get married by a judge, now THAT’s a ‘green’ wedding,” I added.

The acquaintance glared at me.  Someone else changed the subject.

Am I right?

You and your fiancee, 2 witnesses, your parents, and a judge.  That’s the LEAST amount of waste and carbon footprint one could generate for a wedding.

Brandon pointed out to me later when I told him about the conversation.

“Sure. What about all of the guests driving in to the wedding in their gas guzzling cars? How is your little ‘green’ wedding going to off set THAT.”

Exactly my point.

Having a “green” wedding because it’s trendy and then you go right back to live your normal, not-so-green life? What’s the point? Well, I guess with a “green” wedding, you can now show everyone just how socially responsible you are.

After all, for some people, being socially responsible is not something they really want to be, they do it because it’s just another fad.

That’s just me.  What do you think?

Strange Bed Fellow

One of those questionnaires people sent around asked, where would you want to live if you can live anywhere.

My answer is “out of a suitcase, in hotel room, anywhere in the world.”

Some people insist that they sleep in their own bed.  I don’t seem to have that much of an attachment.

I like to be somewhere else once in a while.  A change of scenery during the day is one thing, but to have slept somewhere different is something else altogether.

Yeah, I guess you could say I have the Travel Bug.  A dormant strain, compared to many, and is kept in check by a potent vaccination of financial constriction.

An outbreak happens once in a while that I feel like I must get out and go somewhere else, even if it’s for a night in an inn down the street.

The recent trip to Miami seems to have aggravate the Travel Bug.  Then again, having just read Eat Pray Love doesn’t help.

I popped a question to Brandon to see if he’d want to scoot down to the brand spanking new Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes because there’s a good deal going on now. Plus I’ve worked with one of their sales manager  before and he would hook us up with something fabulous, I’m sure.

Brandon, perhaps fortunately, doesn’t have my Travel Bug.  What he has is common sense. It doesn’t make any sense to him to spend the money to stay somewhere 30 minutes away from our house for one night.

For someone in my condition, a luxury resort for half the price is a good deal.  A new bed for just one night is a good deal.  A day spent at a gorgeous pool with a good book and a lovely cocktail is a good deal.

One day away from everyday grind is a good deal.

I guess we compromised somewhere in the middle.

We just bought a tent when REI had a sale a couple of months ago.  Brandon wants to test out the tent, our current sleeping bags, and some of the new stuff we bought, and to dust off our camping skills somewhere where it’s convenience.  You know, testing the waters to see if we can actually survive a rougher and tumble-r camp sites we both want to get to.

A night in a tent under the stars?

It’s definitely not my bed.

Travel Bug, prepare to get suppressed.

At least for a little while longer.

Manic Friday

My brain refuses to shut off.

I am simultaneously working on plotting the route to the Port of Long Beach boat tour tomorrow, then what to take to the Long Beach Tweet Up potluck tomorrow night.

Then planning a baby shower for my coworker next Saturday.

Then updating my LinkedIn status and checking in on the long-abandoned MySpace.

Then connecting my family with my beloved cousin who hasn’t been back to Thailand from New Zealand in YEARS.

And I’m thinking about the Italian lessons I will be taking September and if I should start prepping for that with a dictionary or something.

I also wanted to play the piano but it’s way too late now.

Brandon has a sinus infection so bad his head hurt but he didn’t go see the doctor today on his day off. And his back has been bothering him. What is it with men and not seeing a doctor?

I am so tired I can’t think straight but my brains still want to think even if it’s all jumbled up.

Bad brain.

I can haz!

Tuesday marked my first week anniversary for being a metal mouth.  And I ated a cheeseburger.

Oh yeah, I have a new blog set up for just that at Brace Face Chronicles.

Someone questioned if I should need another blog.

I would answer with one of these. Because I can just have one concentrated area to bitch and moan all about my inability to eat or the pain the braces hath brought.  Because I can share the experience with other adults who are now getting their braces…or like me, getting them again for a second time.

*

At a recent gathering, someone asked why I got braces.

“You didn’t really need it, did you?” “I didn’t see anything wrong with your teeth before?”

Then I launched into the reasons why…which I won’t do again when you can just read it here.

*

I am almost through with the Italy part of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. Thoroughly inspired, I found me some weekend Italian lessons in Irvine with Fondazione Italia.

And I will be taking those classes in the fall.

When I told someone that I wanted an Italian lesson, they’d look at me, puzzled.

“Why?” “What for?” “Why not Spanish?”

I would answer with one of these. I LOVE the food. I PLAN on going to spend a lot of time in Italy someday. AND learn to cook while I’m at it. I love the way the language sound. I love the way the people speak it. I love the Italian way of looking at life and how they live it.

*

My recent choices seem to bring up a lot of questions from others and I found myself finding an answer that would make sense to them.

And then I realize I don’t have to justify anything to anyone.

I’m getting braces because I can.

I’m writing about my experience because I can.

I’m taking Italian lessons because I can.

Because I can.

With that phrase, I can haz anything.