Spring

There are not words to express how glad I am the weather is getting warmer - not that winter was particularly cold, but I have no heat in most of the rooms of my apartment. I have been freezing! I don't handle cold well. At least in Utah when you were inside there was heat. Here people still run the air conditioner during the winter. I've been wearing a coat inside since October.

I've been thrilled to get back out to reading/sitting/writing on the balcony. I love that I practically live in the treetops. If you ignore the conversations of all the local bums and focus on the birds, it's quite lovely. My neighbor will stick his head out his window and chat (it's very Mr. Wilson-esque).

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Last week we had a little family outing to the Crest to watch a fantastic documentary 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi'. I loved it - except the parts which involved cutting up and gutting fish. At those points I cringed and closed my eyes. I had to order all veggie items when we went out for sushi afterwards. If you have a chance I recommend the movie.

IDs

Appropriately following last week's thoughts regarding the approaching birthday:

I was organizing the other evening and the number of university ID's laying around my desk caught my eye. After a moment I realized that (not counting kindergarten) I have been in college for as long as I attended 1st-12th grade. That is 24 years of formal education.

Oh man, how do you begin to measure that? It's more than years, more than just time, it's effort. Good job me, but seriously???? One unofficial motto at BYU is "enter to learn; go forth to serve". Probably time to quit 'entering' and spend a little more time going forth and 'serving' by putting everything I'm supposed to have learn to use.

Must unearth the motivation to finish the final thesis! I will admit to looking at additional potential graduate programs the other evening - two master's apparently is still not sufficient.

Fairy Tales

The book fair a couple weekends ago inspired me to pick up a few of my own "vintage" books and look through them. I love the art deco illustrations in this book. The stories aren't bad either.

I'd forgotten how incredibly tragic the little mermaid really is.

This story about the swine-herder is one of my favorites.

He's a prince who asks to marry the emperor's daughter. He sends her a rose from the bush planted over his fathers grave, which only blooms once every five years and then only with one flower. If you smell the rose it takes away all your worries (got to get me one of those). Along with the rose he sends her a bird with a perfect voice. The princess is not impressed because the flower is a real one not one that someone made and the bird merely reminds her of her music box. The prince shows up at the emperor's palace in disguise and tends the pigs. He builds a pot that allows you to smell anything anyone else in the town is cooking and which has bells that play a tune. The princess wants the pot and the swine-herder tells her she can have it for 10 kisses. Next he makes a rattle which plays the princess's song, she decides she must have it. The swine-herder required 100 kisses for the rattle. The emperor however discovers his daughter kissing the swine-herder and disowns her. Of course, she is horrified. Just then the swine-herder reveals he is actually the prince she spurned. The end is so great! He explains that because she refused the worthy gifts of a honorable prince, but traded her kisses for trinkets from a swine-herder he despises her. He tells her that she made her bed and now she can sleep in it. 

I think it's a great story. Not what you expected from the illustration is it?

Announcement

I must proxy-boast for a moment (T stop reading if you are going to get embarrassed). My best friend has published her first book! It's such an accomplishment to have written it, getting it printed has left me in awe of her efforts. I cannot wait for my copy of her memoir to arrive. I've been dying to get it in my hands since the day she emailed inquiring for my thoughts on the name she'd chosen for me.

It is adorable, charming, and hilarious. You should immediately stop what you are doing and read the pages available for preview here on amazon. You will enjoy it. Then buy yourself a copy so you can finish it :).

Pacific Pinball Museum

D & I did not plan enough time for this outing, finding out the prior evening that the museum did not open until 2pm did not aid our planning. Despite user error and poor planing (unlike me, I know) it was lovely. 

I thought this race-car themed game was charming. The cars move around the track and count your laps for your score.

D was disappointed I beat him...by only 6 points.

Rows and rows.

D waiting to find out what "your future partner may be". Sadly we couldn't get it to work after I went. Thankfully, my future spouse may be "nice".

Arghhh! The clown puppet was creepy. You press buttons to make its arms and legs go up and down like a bad marionette, all while crazy music is playing. 

Scoring more than D.

Still scoring higher than D.

Can you see who is in the front row? That would be President & Mrs. Reagan. Nancy's red shirt says something about saying no to drugs.

D was thrilled when he finally played one of the games I had played and earned a score higher. It was a rare thrill in the series of machines we played in sequence. 

Beyond my artistic critique of the rather objectifying nature of many of the machine's designs, the visit was fantastic. There is a huge pinball show happening in Dixon in May, probably worth a visit. Something is magic about the combination of sounds and lights in a pinball game.

SSF Retirement

Last Friday night my father had his retirement dinner for his years of service at the South San Francisco Fire Department. All my friends can offer sighs of regret that there will no longer be fire station photo-op visits. I am however pleased to announce that other than being under-dressed (I should have known when D said to wear jeans...) I did not cause any of the racket produced during his official swearing-in ceremony. Where after watching the beginning a video (which was likely meant to be touching and powerful) my toddler self went in to hysterics with fear that the little girl in the burning apartment building was not going to be rescued. It's a surprising vivid memory of the part of the movie I watched. I don't remember being carried from the room among repeated screams to the effect of "She's going to DIE!!!" But I do remember arriving to safety in the foyer where there was tile on which to run around. I'm sure M will happily fill in details for those that want them.

No such breakdowns occurred at the dinner, the fit about appropriate dress was mild in comparison.

Sadly, this marks an end to the supply of South San Francisco gear my family has sported for decades. 

The dinner was held at the South San Francisco Basque Cultural Center. Adorable wood carvings on the wall.

One of the other gentlemen retiring told us all a story about D during his speech, D had shared the story with the family just moments before...

The last time both had been in the hall where we were seated was on a Saturday afternoon an hour before a wedding reception was set to begin. A sprinkler under the stage broke and the floor was covered with water...COVERED with water. D was the acting captain that day, they pumped the floor and dried it in 45 min (basketball court sized room), not a drip. Saved the wedding. The bride and groom took photos with D. 

Now he's on to bigger and better things. Though I can't imagine for that couple anything could have seemed bigger that day.