r|break: dust blogger of the week (yippee!)

although i didn't score artwork as part of daviddust's recent contest, i did have fun dragging my bunny ears and ass around work, downtown sf, and the east bay.

[click on image for david's post]

congrats to mark in de for the win!!!

so for dust bunnies that have visited from ddust's blog ... thanks for taking the time. and know that i do have LOTS OF LOVE FOR DAVID!!!

a little about me ... admittedly, i don't gots papis or arby's - and the blogging i do has mainly been to keep in touch with a few friends, affectionately stalk those who awesomely blog, and entertain myself. i'm just a 40-something chick in the SF bay area who posts on (very) random topics with the occasional quirky bent about dating, work-day frivolity, some of my out & about activities, and the occasional introspective moments in life.

"25 random things" and a dating story ... here's shirlsd's 25 blah-blah things - a little more about me. and here's a little short fiction-ish story i wrote several years ago.

thanks again for visiting.
(i **HEART** david dust!)
>p, b!

i have some blank walls & i want art (!!!) ...

... actually, i just needed an excuse to break out the next set of ears sooner than later. 1st set of ears - st. valentine. 2nd set of ears - st. pat. (next set of ears - st. harvey!)

along came this reason to goof around a l'il bit at work and around downtown SF opportunity.

who came to the rescue?! ... DAVID DUST!!! in short, all i had to do for a chance to win some cool art:

• picture of self
  
• bonus for picture with bunny
• more bonus for picture at arby's
• photoshopping welcome but must be able to see your face

so here was this morn's game plan for pic submittal

COLLAGE-O-RAMA ...

send picture of self, wear bunny ears, get out & about with some pics in SF, and find a bunny with which to take a few pics. well ... the day turned out kind of as expected but kind of a little different-ish.

in the office ...
hanging out in cubeopolis with the ears - admittedly on & off throughout the day. (i straightened my hair this morn - wasn't gonna let THAT go to waste! ha!)

other fun stuff going on in the office pics? ... top chef glossies of no-ass-ryan and top-chef-steph. the original tim gunn (as flag gal) with princess shirlsd peeking around the corner. (talking tim gunn with sombrero was in the shamrock-ears pic.)

i even made a point to take a break down in the lobby area. ponytail was taking the picture. she tells me the best part of the lobby-fun was the little gal who was running down the lobby area and suddenly stopped short as soon as she saw the ears. (see her peaking around the pillar?)

then out & about during lunch ... ponytail & i went to mixt greens (where else?!) over off of mission street for some tasty salad munchies. then i hopped over to the nice bamboo sitting area.

and after some bamboo-bench-bunny-fun and a funky left hip action (which may result in a chiropractor visit), we headed across the street to check out some public art.

me loves public art ... i love public art so much that for an afternoon walk-about ('cuz today was a tough day in cubeopolis for ponytail and shirlsd), just a little more public art fun.

just a block away from cubeopolis is this keith haring sculpture. after unsuccessfully placing the ears on mr. blue of the k.haring sculpture, ponytail took a picture that every other visitor/tourist likely takes at the corner of 3rd & howard.

then i did something not good. apologies to public art. apologies for actually placing the ears on public art. not quite the intent of enjoying this other sculpture along a breezeway between cubeopolis and k.haring. but i did. and i apologize.

keeping score? ... based on the pics that i took, i realized i earned only one opportunity to win rona's artwork. i needed to get a bunny and/or an arby's element in my photo-offering to david dust.

bunnies @ arby's with ears ... well ... thanks to my friend, irene, who is easy-going enough that she was a willing partner in helping me out. fortunately, her young grand daughter has quite the bunny supply, and she had the entertainment book - the one with coupons - food coupons - fast food coupons - arby's coupons!!! (2 for 1 coupon ... irene and i each had a sandwich, shared curly fries, and drank liquids.)

my offering for the trifecta?

and before i throw in the remaining arby's pics ... let me just say that gadgetman sent me the two arby's located nearby my home. (thank you gadgetman!) i even went to where an arby's **WAS** located (y'know ... next to taco bell, kfc, and jack-in-the-box!) - thinking arby's was still there. not-so-much.

and let me thank irene once again for her patience ... one other tidbit. she & i arrived at arby's ~ 7:45 pm. irene wanted to run a quick grocery errand after arby's and therefore make it to the grocery store before 9 pm.

• i told her, "no problem."
• her response? - "well, i don't know if you also plan to do a little skit or play with your bunny friends!" (ar-ar)
• (note to self (and david dust) - if i had a video camera, i might have attempted a video submittal. but i digress.)

so to close this evening's frivolity -
the final set of pics

fun times!
(let you know whether or not i win. regardless, today was fun!)

[update (03/24): after sending 4 pics from my cell via e/m - i e/m'd head dust bitch-in-charge last night:

"here is the blog post ... as promised.

i realize that the number of pics has nothing to do w/my chances - but i just wanted to say thanks for giving me a reason to have a little fun and hope to brighten up your day & night (and kitty's day & night) a bit. you certainly helped me brighten up the office, a couple of blocks in san francisco, and the newark (california) arby's.

later gator - hugs"

- my note to head-bunny-kahuna was for this protracted blog post version that included 3 pics i'd sent him (before midnight eastern - just like the rules say so) and one of the pics i sent him is not in this post. daviddust gets at least one special pic - placemat-bunnyears-arby's pic.]

paa alums: primer pic

a few fun pics from this weekend's events around and at the 40th anniversary of UCB's PAA organization - the pilipino american alliance.

pic of a pinky promise at saturday breakfast. it's a pinky promise. we shall not tell. ever.

young alums (and future alums?) at the prebuzz - henry's before the event. not to mention that some of these young alums (and future alums) were not born when some of us graduated from cal. ouch.

and at the anniversary, the paa intern project involving a tell-all about the history and evolution of paa.

after the anniversary, many of us footed it back to henry's for drinks, more pics and more frivolity. quite the group of us, with a few folks missing from the pic - especially our patron ... al, who convinced henry's to let us use the side seating area - a bit of a private place to gather our fun group!

and a few gathered for sunday brunch. (pic of the gals at brunch) quite a nice way to cap off a round of reunion activities.

one of my fave pics? this one, which definitely captures the fun, spirited and youthful moments many of us had this weekend!

more pics and stories to come!

r|break: dork-galore!

yup, i'm still on fbook ... and here is the profile picture and initial comment that i posted today.

"no, fbook oracle (and you know who you are) - i am NOT a sex phone operator!"

of course, fbook oracle (aka pho queen; aka commish) peed her pants ...

"i never knew you operate sex phones LMAO!"

yup, i'm a dork.

... and i will NEVER say this in a work meeting

"... THAT'S not a piece of paper"

(out of context, it makes no sense.
with the back story, it can make one chuckle.)

it's very likely that "piece of paper" will follow me in cubeopolis and if/when i leave cubeopolis, so i hope someone gives me a t-shirt, baseball cap, fridge magnet or jewelry memorializing this! (it's not like i said "your babies ugly!") if not, just hug me, please...

anyone???

holiday lunch out ... with some ol' college buds

five is never a crowd ... it's not very likely that this cast of 5 characters will find themselves in the same place in the very near future.

(michael m, shirlsd, warren m, joel k, michael p)

although granted, 4 of the 5 of us were at last year's little gathering at e&o trading over here, so perhaps you never know. (never say never, right?!)

met up at zebulon, a bit last minute, for lunch ... actually, joel & i were meeting up for lunch ... then michael m called 'cuz he's in town for holiday from hawai'i, then i remembered warren works across the street (alley) from zebulon, and then michael p called shortly after plans were being pulled together. warren just popped by, so it was four of us (plus trooper pho queen of tcfrivolity, aka da commish of pr5air) yapping over tasty food (minus the thing being passed as lomi lomi on the kahlua pork plate).

fun time amidst the holidays!

we all do it ...

utot
pedo . 방귀 . furz . おなら
doroteaaraujo
poot

(i did it yesterday. ask anita.)
[URBAN DICTIONARY SAYS: utot]

woof! not so much ...

not yet ... not quite ... but WTF?! ... totally!!! yes!

stupid human trick #37
sportin' a little sportDOGTM in fashionable orange

i think the photos speak for the moment last tuesday. a few tidbits and thoughts ...

• marathon plaza ... is a fabu place to sample sportDOGTM
  
• joy buzzer? not so much ... it's not at all like a handshake/joy buzzer - not at all. really. not at all. not. at. all.
  
• laughing matter? ... laughter resulted from the actual tickle feeling on setting 3 (palm of hand ... left hand - the one with which i do not write, typically), but this is not quite a laughing matter
  
• ouch! ... setting 7 probably stings quite a bit because 6 stung - through denim (photos not provided, but trust me - ouchy.)
  
• wow-za! ... setting 4 in between the thumb & forefinger on one's palm, that soft spot - the V - where one typically relies on for holding a tennis racquet, can provide quite the l'il tickle, particularly as the charge travels up the thumb. (tried this a couple of times on various settings. wow-za starts at 4.)
  
• little wow-za ... setting 4 on the heel of the palm - not so much
  

sure, it fits around one's neck. fortunately, my handler, a, likes me 'nuff not to hit that button from the little handheld remote. (oh! just in case orange is too loud, there also is a black collar.)

why i STILL love wednesdays (part deux) ...

... because part une (2007) was so much fun-nish! (catching up on the homage events!)

homage-gone-by
homage #1 - episode 1: junk-in-the-trunk
homage #2 - episode 2: poca-haunt-us

for part deux ... i'll provide a little backstory, simply to ease the potential pain fright chuckle surprise at what lengths some may take in the name of self-amusement dorkiness creativity.

backstory... this post was based on the b-day celebration for my bud, joanne, who kindly shared a sneak peek, and here are a few other pics thrown together.

[to answer that burning question you may (or may not) have
... yes, please take my rethreads - any offer.]

and coincidentally, the timing of j's (and r&m's) '80s par-tay was after episode 4.

since the last 2 homages ... there were four episodes. this post for the two episodes (3 & 4).

• episode 3, fashion giant (aka the "tiki barber, six-pack-abs male model" episode)
• episode 4, trendsetter (aka ask-yourself "why - did - i - willingly - wear - some - of - these-clothes-in-college?" episode)
• episode 5, what's the skinny? (aka "eh?!")
• episode 6, eye candy (aka ... TBD)
  

let's get homage #3 started!
gather 'round people

our judges ... for a DOUBLE HEADER!!!
we had a mash-up mash-up!!! mash-up of episode 3. mash-up of episode 4. AND we chose to homage both in the same catwalk event.

our victim poached honored judges can be seen to the left. two judges stepped up to the plate nearly immediately after the 1st panel of judges (so perhaps we won't have trouble soliciting judges).

again, we offer judges gratitude for their time.

now on with the double header mash-up homage.

DOUBLE HEADER
MASH-UP

homage #3
episode 3 homage "hmmm?!"
episode 4 homage "d'oah?!"

[btw, we have no interest or patience in being challenged on the whole homer simpson "d'oh!" versus our "d'oah!" if you feel compelled to comment, please just write a haiku for your complaint or challenge.]

i have - for several, several, SEVERAL weeks - SEVERAL WEEKS (!!!) - had angst - TOTAL ANGST - regarding how the hell to post the DOUBLE HEADER MASH-UP pictures. what do i write? how do i set it up? how much background do i have to give for those who do not watch project runway? I REFUSE TO ANGST NO MORE! here it is.

[thanks jenm for the prodding!!!]

"hmmm?!"
or homage male model montage?!
and the concept ... a mash-up of select elements of the designers' creations for their male models. check 'em out here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. [ya do gotta check out the many "here" links so you can get a flavor o'creations and our inspiration.]

"d'oah?!"
or dead on arrival homage?!
and the concept ... a mash-up of select elements of the themes that the designers were strapped. the 12 themes were: pleather, underwear as outwear, zoot suit, poodle skirt, fringe, cutouts, overalls, neon, 70s flare, shoulder pads, dancewear, and baggy sweater. check 'em out there, there, there, and there. [ya do gotta check out the many "there" links so you can get a flavor of the flashback hell we lived.]

THE ENTRANCE

THE DETAILS

it's like "hidden pictures" - and you can decide (and find) what the inspiration was for our design elements.

'NUFF SAID

not skirting the issue ...

... thanks to tsb!

so a "hey you!" from s.f. (miss it?!)

"hey there, tsb!"

during my peet's coffee break down the street,

a few notes to self:

. 70+ degree weather is not optimum for the fall attire.

. attempting tree pose in a straight skirt also not so good (for more than one reason)

. say thanks & be kind to the photographer.

and finally ...

bowling ball head = headband + mushy neck + goading of the photographer to take the pic amidst a few passer-byers & on-lookers

r|alex: weekdays installment

i am remiss. i have succumb to the unthinkable ... intermittent, random r|alex wkend posts. r|alex has been graceful with several comments - a l'il sampling below ...

Wow, way to get comfortable wearing your public service hat!! But seriously, I am sure that this was not an easy decision. I am positive that this experience will be great for you. I can't wait until you get back to your job and post hefty messages for our reading pleasure. If the Bay City Rollers* no longer do it for you, I can send you my "Remains of the Day" lunchbox. They're very popular. As my good friend Christopher Guest said, "Kids don't like eating lunch at school. But if they have a "Remains of the Day" lunchbox, they're a whole lot happier."

*[Did you bring your trapper-keeper and Bay City Rollers lunchbox?]

so i figure i'll change it up a bit with wk 2 weekday events ... because my wkends are spent continuing to shore up business, readjust, run errands/chores that no longer are woven into the regular wkday, weep uncontrollably, buy more "school" clothes, procrastinate, etc. ... so how did my eeking out a social likfe fair during my 2nd work week?

mon i had lunch with b at osha (thai, on 2nd); i met b, who is a tall & cool dude, back in january on a project where i served as a consultant. and in the evening, sushi with joanne at semo. yum!

tues eve i went to ecotuesday (held this month at temple sf), a monthly social/enviro networking thing that happens in s.f. - and because the world is what it is ... small.

[l to r: e, moi, c, ch, bliss]

... as i was sitting with my amber ale waiting for my friend miriam (who has a cool business - three point vision), for which is one of the main reasons i attended ecotuesday, i recognized a gal who passed by as the friend of a friend of mine, magz (who also is a former intern from '05 and contractor in '06). bliss - it was the infamous bliss! her take on the evening is over here (where i poached the pics).

and to make it way more interesting, turns out e, whom i've never met or heard of 'til that evening, was specifically looking to meet miriam (!). and c just started working at an organization that my friend j.a. works at - where j.a. is later mentioned in this post! it was fun. i did get to see miriam but quite fleeting. i did open a tab with jason, the bartender over there at the catacomb bar, which i later that evening - MUCH LATER after i had dropped off b & e at bart - i realized i left my credit card. oh yeah! and before leaving temple sf, i had to try my first jump. and bliss will attest that i did get air (and i will attest that i did shave my belly. ha!).

wed was spent trying to get my card back. phone messages left tues night and wed morn. spent lunch break talking with many, many people affiliated with temple (directly or indirectly) ... suzanne, alison, anita, tony, guy with salt & pepper hair ... no jason, no credit card, no idea where jason or credit card were. so - to pass the time, suzanne gave me and my friend a tour of the temple compound, prana restaurant, background on theaters under construction, and most importantly, her business card so i could pester her about my credit card. rumor had it that she'd get to the 'drop box' gal by 2 pm so my card would likely be retrieved (IF - and only IF - it was dropped in the box). tick-tock-tick-tock ...

tick-tock-tick-tock ... turns out that sandwiched between my wed lunch break and my meeting my carpool ~ 4:30-ish, a first time meet-up with d.m. - a coffee break with him at 3 pm. (yes, a guy, and an interesting guy, at that!) passed by temple check in on my credit card. nada, yet. headed over to peet's for some conversation. on the way back, i checked in again on the card. nada, yet.

thurs was another day of stalking the temple folks and then going out to dinner that eve with my appointed-hang-out-with-straight-guy-friend, v.c.. when i spoke with anita (of temple sf/prana sf), she said they found my card, which made the rounds amongst the temple sf folks ... but not to suzanne - who later called me and said they could not find the card. any way ... after working late, met vc at prana sf, the restaurant at temple sf. retrieved my credit card and exercised it over dinner. (a separate post will be dedicated to that experience.)

fri was a planned meet-up with j.a. ... whose friend, raquel, was playing with her band, bolero y mas during the lunch hour downtown (~ 10-min walk from my work). well, it drizzled, then stopped, then drizzled, then stopped. raquel and band set-up, then started packing-up, set-up, then started packing-up ... after 3 rounds of this, they gave into the weather.

so, we sat nearby the plaza venue, lunched and chatted ... and there we are ...
[l to r: m.a., moi, j.a.]

great 2nd work weekday events, eh?! i enjoyed the breaks. ... so week 3 is coming up - so far, i've got dinner plans mon, wed, and fri ... AND i'm preparing for my vacation trip over to the NE - massachusetts, vermont, new hampshire for a week. more on that later!

'80s reunion pic this past weekend ...

group pic of the hanger-onners later in the day
on the 08/18 afternoon
over at walnut creek's heather farm

left to right: jl, sr, er, el, rs, ls, ab & munchkins

well, you all probably can't read our lips (which some may think uttered at least "PG-13 language"), but hopefully that video that rs took will soon be uploaded somewhere, so we can have limited distribution for a special message to pr, who was unable to partake in picnic activities.

photos?!* you ask ... so far, you can view pics from the saturday picnic and pics from the day-before happy hour (which has a blurb here). do send over any other pics you'd like to share. and i'll post some more pics through the coming week(s). (and eventually (!) i'll compile pics for a photo album of the kick-off '80s happy hour back in june.)

*[i'll continue to update photo albums as i get more pics from folks.]

f**kin' asshole burglar(s)

thanks to you, you dipshits!
thanks for ruining my day & night.

thanks to you.
... i enjoyed meeting my local police officers
(and one in training)
(cuties!)

... i got to see the whole fingerprint thing
... i am making a bunch of calls tonight
... i am going to freakin' wal-mart because it's still open
... i am going to eat french fries (and that totally pisses me off!)

you shitheads!
experience karma.

another 80s reunion thing ... fri eve group pic

happy hour #2 - this time in the south bay
('cuz the last one was in the city)

[at blowfish, santana row in san jose, california]

a smaller group slaved the friday traffic

top row (l to r): jng, ja, ma, sr
seated (l to r): ab, d, rg

friday, august 17, at 6 PM (o.k., 6:30 PM, because we all knew better) ... 7 people showed up at blowfish in san jose at santana row (note for future events that may be held here - be prepared to speak more loudly than you may normally do so.) and the stats for this l'il event go something like this ...

• total number of people: 7
  
• those that graduated from cal: 6
  
• those that graduated before 1980: 1
• female/male ratio: 2/7
• those that arrived around 6 pm-ish: 3
  
• those who valeted: 1 ('cuz parking is crazy on friday)
  
• those who also sought cooked food: 3
• those who were repeats from the last gathering: 3
  

and finally ...
those that attended a bachelor party AFTER the event: 1 !!!

uncooked. fried. steamed. sauteed. baked. iced. marinated. drizzled. sprinkled. dipped. dry. wet.
(and then there was the food)


will later post about the family event that happened just this past saturday, august 18 - a picnic at heather farm in walnut creek.

that 80s reunion thing ... friday eve group pic

for several of us,
it has been more than 20 years
since seeing each other!

top row, standing (left to right): gd, ja, mm, br, mc
left side of table (left to right): ab, pr, er, dd
right side of table (right to left): vc, wm, jc, mp, sr

peter to the left ... our gracious and patient server. to the right ... one of the toasts during the event.

yesterday, june 22, at 6 PM-ish ... 14 people showed up at e&o trading company in san francisco (go there. yum.) for a reunion of sorts. and the stats go something like this ...

• total number of people: 14
• those that graduated from cal: 12
• those that graduated before 1980: 1
• those that graduate after 1989: 1 (or maybe 2)
• female/male ratio: 1/7
• those that arrived around 6 pm-ish (early enough): 6
  
• those lying about their age: ... couldn't do that with this group!
  

and finally ...
those that are still young at heart as they were years ago: 14 !!!

i'll post more about the reunion later through the week. this will need to suffice for now.

my r|yap BlogInterviewer.com

[visit here just to read it ...
continue reading below if you want
the back-story and more gibberish]

after posting yesterday's friday's feast,

the first comment was from mike of BlogInterviewer.com

and from his comment*, i obliged, and now there is ...

... posting of my responses to bloginterviewer.com's questions.
i got tagged with randomness and food.
(i guess i will make a point to crank up on the r|chow posts.)

and yes, i'll fess up, i voted a 5 because i am fairly certain
that this integer will never ever again appear
when that vote count starts increasing.
[otherwise, i'd have given myself a 3.14]

check it out ... drop by, comment if you like, check out other blogs, and visit daily posts of BlogInterviewer.com's "Interviews with the most interesting bloggers on the internet." also you can suggest a blog or submit an interview.

'cuz i can't stop talking/typing ... and just a few things to add from the responses i provided.

• you can visit the predecessor blog that was mentioned, which is titled relo-ing from sd to ba.
  
• my "living" started with an epiphany i had in may 1994, and this vision statement resulted. (not drug or alcohol induced. totally serious. totally who i am.)
  
• my friend - joanne - who got me started on blogging ... you can totally visit and heart joanne as much as i do over here at her little corner of the blogosphere. (she's getting her phd ... oh so cool!)

salamat ... as far as others who'd be interested in my blog ... i'm just pretty glad i have you all who take a little time to check-in. thanks much for the on-going words of encouragement, witty banter, and smart-ass remarks.

peace.

*mike's comment below (if ya wanna pass on friday's feast):

Hello, We would like to do an interview with you about your blog for www.BlogInterviewer.com . We'd like to give you the opportunity to give us some insight on the "person behind the blog." It would just take a few minutes of your time. The interview form can be submitted online at http://bloginterviewer.com/submit-an-interview
Best regards,
Mike Thomas
BlogInterviewer.com

it was begging the pose! i tell ya ...

... i am CERTAIN i am not the first person (and i will not be the last)
who chose this politically incorrect pose
at the fountain in del mar plaza in SD area.

wouldn't YOU partake?!
(or at least coerce guilt dare someone to do so)

l, r & i talked about my NOT (WAY NOT) posting this. however, r parenthetically commented ...

... (that's definitely a memory maker moment)
Happy Memorial Day ladies.

so i share this greeting with you all (uh ... like all 5 regular-ish visitors) ... as i am ALSO CERTAIN that IF i had a potential future in politics, THIS would NOT be the deal killer.