The Sting, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Here are some of the funny things to come out of this week.

1) Thory is four years old. We think. We don't know his actual birthday because he didn't come with a birth certificate, but I've always liked to assign birthdays to my cats so that we could celebrate a little (it started because we knew Sparky's actual birthdate and felt bad because Jackson never got a party with a donut... so we gave him a pretend birthday and he got party treats too.) Thor's "birthday" is May 25th. We forgot to celebrate this year, and so I told Tim that we'd make a big deal out of yesterday. I told Thory several times "today might be your birthday! Happy birthday!" and I gave him some kitten treats and we petted him a bunch. When Tim came home, he said "happy might be your birthday!" and then picked up Thor and stared him straight in the face and goes "I am going to cut you open and count your rings!"

2) This week was also apparently movie week. On Wednesday night we went and saw the Sting at the Orpheum theater in downtown LA. The screening was sponsored by the LA Conservancy, which works to save historic building and landmarks in LA. They are a cool organization, and it was a really fun event. We got there early, had a booze drink at the bar next door, stood in line for awhile and chatted with docents and then grabbed our seats. The theater is amazingly beautiful and it was fun just to walk around and check things out. Before the show, they had historian/entertainer Charles Phoenix do a little bit, and then they brought out the Oscar winning writer and producer of the movie, and chatted with them for awhile. We learned stories about Paul and Robert. I was waiting for Robert Redford to emerge from the wings, but no dice.

I'd never seen the movie before and really enjoyed it. Plus it was just such a fun experience. We have two more movies that we're seeing through the Last Remaining Seats program, and then also found out about a screening of the King and I put on by the Alex Film Society. So we have tickets for that now as well. I was thinking to myself in the car the other day "I wonder where they keep the dress that Deborah Kerr wore in the big dance number? I would like to see that in person." If anyone has a lead, let me know. I also (after browsing through the LA Conservancy site) want to go out and tour historic homes and buildings. In another life, I'd love to live in one of the historic/converted loft buildings in downtown.

Then last night we watched Sylvia, which we'd gotten from Netflix. Verdict: Sylvia is a movie for girls who majored in English. I enjoyed it... I recognized the poetry quoted... and meanwhile my little engineer friend asked me if Ted Hughes was also famous. Umm... yes.

Funny - I read Sylvia Plath in an American poetry course I took my second year of college. On the first day of class, our professor walks in. He's this 60-something year old guy in a turquoise blue suit, cowboy boots and white hair in a ponytail, and his first words to the class are, "today I thought I was spraying my hair with hairspray, but instead I sprayed myself with bathroom deodorizer, so if I smell weird, that's why." Okay sir. Now let's start talking about all of those quirky, suicidal confessional poets! Oh, college.

3) We have exactly zero plans for the weekend. I have never been happier in my young life. Seriously. Other than my usual trips to the gym, I look forward to lazing around and taking naps. Also, cooking some delicious food and possibly watching movies. Maybe reading a book or two. Or some poetry by a kooky old poet. The sad thing is that I am out of new magazines. My greatest pleasure is, after reading fashion and lifestyle magazines, to cut out all of things that I thought were pretty or striking. Dresses, coats, shoes, accessories... and then I tape them into a big blank book for reference in the future. And also, because sometimes it's nice to look at pictures of pretty things. My mom is clever enough to make some of the things she likes, especially knitting and jewelry wise, but I mostly end up scouring ebay and etsy. This weekend though, I am fresh out of magazines, having just finished cutting up a Lucky the other day (verdict: Lucky magazine is lame.) I also finished off my first big blank book, so it's on to a new friend. The first picture I taped in (of course) is a girl in a sequin dress.

Here's a couple of pictures from the fabulous Orpheum Theater:


The guy playing the organ was 13 when the theater opened... in 1926! He still plays really well for someone his age.

When the movie started, these lights dimmed blue - it was really pretty.

Want to know how fun I am? This is what Tim found when he came home tonight... at 6:45pm. I am elderly.

When I woke up, I promptly annoyed the cat. For reference, her made up birthday is in November, and she'll be six this year.

Memorial Day

We've had a nice weekend. Saturday night we went out with Ma and Pa Ford for Eileen's birthday. We went to Splashes, where we also celebrated her birthday five years ago. I remember thinking how nice it was that Tim's parents were inviting me along, because Splashes is a classy joint, and Tim and I were just dating then - we weren't even engaged yet (as far as his parents knew!) I have a picture of us from that night on our fridge, and now we have another one to add to the collection.

Plus the Lakers won, and that always makes Eileen happier than any swanky dessert options.

Yesterday we went a BBQ hosted by some of Tim's long time family friends. I managed to eat two hot dogs, which makes ME happier than any swanky dessert options. It was nice to visit with everyone. I hung out with three year old Carly Rose and her 11 month old, 27 pound brother Drew. He is a healthy little heavy. I had to drink a beer to prove to the moms that I am not incubating live young (hanging out with such cute kids gives me a little baby fever though, I will admit.)

Today we just relaxed, which was MUCH needed. Since March 21st, I have spent at least one day of my weekend out of town. Sometimes in La Crosse or San Francisco, but mostly just a lot of time spent driving between Los Angeles and Orange County. Much as I love everyone, it gets OLD. I am a lazy old homebody and I like sitting on my couch until I force myself to shower at 3pm. Okay, 5pm. But I do put on clean pajamas after I shower, so that means something, right?

Tonight we went into Westwood, which always makes me feel old. There's a lot of vacant retail spaces, and I was genuinely sad when I found out that the Rite Aid that I frequented much as an undergrad was closed. We had sushi and then went to see "The Boys," which is the BEST movie I have seen in 2009 (Tim says I only think so because I haven't seen Terminator.) It's about Bob and Dick Sherman, two brothers with incredibly different personalities and sentiments who worked together to create many of the Disney songs that we all know and love. During the two hour documentary I literally teared up ten times - getting misty over my childhood memories.

I would also like to recommend Whoppers covered in Reeses peanut butter. I bought some at the grocery store, but then had to throw away half of the box to keep myself from just pouring them down my gullet. But the next road trip I take? I am buying some to fortify myself.

SURPRISE!

Oh man, did I have a fun weekend! My grandma turned 80 years old yesterday, and I'd been telling myself all winter that if I could find a way out to La Crosse for cheap, I was going to show up and celebrate with her and the rest of the Thiels. I managed to get tickets into Chicago for $99, and figured renting a car for a few days and driving would be cheaper than flying directly into La Crosse. And then Dad said he would go, and he'd rent the car, so that definitely saved me a little pocket change (and allowed me to nap for part of the 4 hour drive, ha!)

Grandma knew that her sonny boy was coming, but I wanted to be a surprise. And despite the fact that we told everyone else in the city of La Crosse, including my grandpa, no one spilled the beans and when I walked into the house shortly after my dad arrived, she was SURPRISED. She got a little misty and asked me how I'd gotten there (my Aunt Barb said that I'd been walking for weeks.) Then she was concerned that she didn't have a place for me to stay, and I explained that Dad and I had planned for him to go to Uncle John's and for me to stay with her. Sneaky!

I had a really nice couple of days with everyone. We had big crowds at almost every meal, and had a great time just sitting around visiting. Hailee-bob, the first great-grandchild, is like a little ray of sunshine wherever she goes. She's so funny and sweet and well behaved and just a joy to be around. The best part is the way grandma and grandpa light up when she's around.

Dad and Uncle John got to clean out the garage, those lucky ducks (dad conveniently had to go help Grandpa with his computer during this time) while I took grandma out for her very first pedicure. It's nice to know that you can still teach an old dog the occasional new trick. And even though she only ever wears sneakers, Grandma DID in fact get her toenails painted.

Happy Birthday Grandma-pama, I love you dearly!

Quick Update.

I have been negligent in the blog, and for that, I apologize. There's not a huge amount of news though. We continue to do our house hunting - we've been out every one of the past three weekends with our realtor, checking out various properties. We found one that we really liked and could see ourselves calling home, but it already has an offer and will probably not come our way. There'll be something else I'm sure. That'll teach me to fall in love with a house at first sight! Those things are even more fickle than men.

Tim and I recently celebrated six years of coupledom. Obviously our wedding day was the happiest day of my life, but the day we met was the luckiest and most life changing, in many ways. I'm glad he's still my boyfriend, and that we're looking to build a home and have a family. It still blows my mind that I was only 21 when we met. We've definitely had a lot of adventures over the past few years.

We had a really nice Mothers Day with all of our mommies, even if it did take the daddies forever to find parking. It's probably my last Mothers Day where I can freely guzzle champagne, so I definitely took advantage of the cham-pan-yah brunch.

My work continues to be slightly nutty. Our vacation over the Fourth can't come fast enough! My boss and coworkers are great though - it's nice to be able to take a quick coffee break and blow off some steam and make each other laugh. I put on some good goofy dance performances when things get tense. No one can stay frustrated when they see my sweet moves.

Umm.... kitties are good. I would also like to share this video, because it shows some of what we do to our cats for fun. Though, the other week I was being mean to Lulu and she scratched me as she jumped out of my arms - it looked like I got in a fight with Wolverine.

Cat Yodeling/Corporal Cuddling

Now I am off to sort laundry and make dinner. An exciting evening in the big city (PS - we never found out exactly what was on fire across the street. I hope it was the gross ol' Panda Express.)

Fancy pants!

FASHION BRAG TIME AGAIN.

So, today we had a fundraising event involving fashion and accessories and ladies buying stuff to benefit us, right? AWESOME. The auction featured donated accessories and bags. Yesterday my boss and I went to the event company to go through some of the loot, especially checking out the rejected stuff. She was like, "if there's anything you love, you can take it, as long as you then donate the opening bid to the agency." So, I scored a pin, two bags (one sparkly and fun, one velour and fun) and some notecards. How do people get rid of such amazing stuff?

WELL, THEN THERE'S TODAY. I was in charge of selling things donated from a vintage store. Stuff like... vintage YSL and Christian LeCrouix (sp?) and Escada suits and shirts and skirts. It was so the perfect job for me. And my boss was like, "if anything doesn't sell, you can have it, because it's 100% donated." There was one YSL suit that I was eying and eying and eying and before the event, my other coworker said, "you are going to be pissed if someone buys it. Put it away now, and buy it later, so that you can be sure you have it." Oh, and did I mention that things were all priced UNDER A HUNDRED DOLLARS? I mean, some of the pieces were totally freaky weird (see muppet vest below) but the red YSL suit is awesome and classic.

I mean, I admit I'm a label whore, but the important thing is that I am a discount label whore. I would never buy anything so fancy at retail price, but to be able to have it - even if I just sell it on ebay in thirty years, is awesome. I was so glad I hid the suit away, because all of the good stuff got snapped up really quickly, and I would have been sad. Plus I wrote a check and supported a wonderful cause!

So here is some of the fun stuff I tried on, and what I actually purchased:
This Escada vest is made of fox fur, and makes me look like a muppet. It was actually purchased though, by a sort of quiet middle aged lady. I think part of it is my superb salesmanship - I was like, "this is a bargain! Even if you just wear it out once for fun, you are totally getting your money's worth!"

My second favorite jacket. Unfortunately, it was just a little too small to be comfortable.

Sparkly Escada shirt - it's really amazing. And yes, I bought it ($20!) I don't know how that got left on the racks. People are silly!

This is the top to my Yves Saint Laurent suit. It's such a pretty color and fabric, and the buttons are funky. The only downside is that I absolutely cannot get the skirt to zip. Even with Spanx on. It is not even close - and far from cute. But whatever! The jacket is awesome and worth it, and I am so excited!

Oh, I so love clothes and accessories. I only hope that someday we make it rich, and I can be a lady who lunches and goes and buys fabulous clothes at charity auctions.

Afterwards, we retired to the Polo Lounge (the event was at the Beverly Hills Hotel) and we saw Heidi Klum sitting and having lunch, so that was pretty thrilling. It's been a pretty rough week for development, in terms of trying to do all of our event planning (because in addition to the one today, we have another one tomorrow!) and government grant submission (see: my head exploding on Monday afternoon) so it's nice to be able to have a drink and relax a little afterwards. The best part is that I work with amazing people, so even when it's back to back to back craziness, we help keep each other's spirits up.

Speaking of craziness, the Ralphs across the street from us is apparently on fire! News at 10.

San Francisco!

Mom and I had an amazing time in San Francisco. We managed to see most of the big sites, took all kinds of public transportation, and spent a lot of time looking and exclaiming over beautiful things - lots of fancy jewelry and lots of beautiful flowers. I joked that our trip consisted mostly of going, "wow, this is pretty... look at this, this is beautiful... oh I love this..." as we walked.

We stayed at the Westin St. Francis, which was very nice, and more importantly, was located right down the street from World of Charms, DSW (I blew a shoe) and Sephora (we love lipsticks.) Friday was mostly walking and shopping, Saturday was Golden Gate park, and Sunday was the Golden Gate Bridge (we walked to Marin and back) and then Lombard Street. We'd gotten on the wrong bus leaving the bridge (but thankfully headed back to the city!) so we hopped off on Lombard and decided to walk up to the crookedest street. It was straight up, and then pretty much straight down, and thankfully we found lunch shortly thereafter, because I was flagging.

We also had Irish coffees at the Buena Vista, a fabulous dinner at Boulevard courtesy of Dad, and some delicious dim sum. I'm so glad mom was able to be my date - I absolutely love San Francisco, and spending time with her, so it was a perfect weekend. Well, until our flight to Orange County got canceled at the last minute. The ladies at the Admirals Club were able to get us on an evening flight to LAX, and Tim drove us home so I could pick up my car. I had one of my more stressful days at work, but our grant went in with three minutes to spare (no joke... I nearly had a heart attack.) I came home and Tim had gotten me flowers, and we went and had sushi and frogurt. Now we're pumping the AC and relaxing. It'll be an early bedtime tonight!

Pictures!
Dogcatrat!

Crabby crab!

Mom's a good sport

Towards the end of Day One, at the Buena Vista cafe. We are drinking to kill the pain in our feet. Thank goodness that we picked flip flops for the next two days - I don't care what podiatrists say!

Mom being awesome on the cable car. We rode from one end to the other and got our entire $5 worth.

My BFF at the Golden Gate Park!

Mom and I with some lilacs. They smelled loverly.

The Conservatory of Flowers. I tried not to pout too much at boring olde plants!

Us dressed up for fancy Saturday dinner at Boulevard.

Day Three at the Golden Gate Bridge

Sweaty and exhausted - but having seen the crookedest street!

THE WORLD'S MOST AWESOME CHARM! IT'S A SQUIRREL IN AN ACORN HOLDING AN ACORN!

We'll be sure to wear some flowers in our hair

Sorry for the lack of updates! Things have been busy and boring all at the same time. We've spent a lot of time with the fam-damilies recently - putting a lot of miles on the car going to and from Orange County. It's been nice to see everyone.

Work has been crazy stressful for me. We're applying for a government grant, and the bureaucrats love to have you fill out forms and use obscure online submission systems. Grants.gov brought me to tears earlier in the week. The grant is due on Monday, but I am out for the weekend and trying not to stress (per my boss's orders) because I am taking mom to SAN FRANCISCO this weekend. We fly out early tomorrow (Friday) morning. I am so excited! The trip is my birthday present to her. She's never been to San Francisco, and I love the city so very much. I have my new fancy dress, and a couple of scarves, and I'm ready to go.

I'm really excited about taking mom on vacation. Even though she always says that she is not interested in being my friend, she is totally my bestie. We are going to have a great time, and eat so much dim sum.

Then next week I have my big grant due on Monday (by 5pm.) Friday is a work event, and Saturday is our bowling event. Thanks to everyone who has donated to Team Sequins - our team of five has raised more than $1,000! I keep joking with my fellow development team members that the first of May should be a departmental "team building" event at the spa. Just an idea.

And YES, Tim and I are still looking for houses. We have an appointment with the realtor the weekend after next, and are going to tour like crazy people. Don't fret.